Improving Heterogeneous Catalyst Stability for Liquid-phase Biomass Conversion and Reforming

Biomass is a possible renewable alternative to fossil carbon sources. Today, many bio-resources can be converted to direct substitutes or suitable alternatives to fossil-based fuels and chemicals. However, catalyst deactivation under the harsh, often liquid-phase reaction conditions required for biomass treatment is a major obstacle to developing processes that can compete with the petrochemical industry. This review presents recently developed strategies to limit reversible and irreversible catalyst deactivation such as metal sintering and leaching, metal poisoning and support collapse. Methods aiming to increase catalyst lifetime include passivation of low-stability atoms by overcoating, creation of microenvironments hostile to poisons, improvement of metal stability, or reduction of deactivation by process engineering

Hydrothermal Decarboxylation and Hydrogenation of Fatty Acids over Pt/C

We report herein on the conversion of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids to alkanes over Pt/C in high-temperature water. The reactions were done with no added H 2 . The saturated fatty acids (stearic, palmitic, and lauric acid) gave the corresponding decarboxylation products ( n -alkanes) with greater than 90 % selectivity, and the formation rates were independent of the fatty acid carbon number. The unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acid) exhibited low selectivities to the decarboxylation product. Rather, the main pathway was hydrogenation to from stearic acid, the corresponding saturated fatty acid. This compound then underwent decarboxylation to form heptadecane. On the basis of these results, it appears that this reaction system promotes in situ H 2 formation. This hydrothermal decarboxylation route represents a new path for using renewable resources to make molecules with value as liquid transportation fuels.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/83752/1/481_ftp.pd

Effect of Cu and Sn promotion on the catalytic deoxygenation of model and algal lipids to fuel-like hydrocarbons over supported Ni catalysts

The ability of Cu and Sn to promote the performance of a 20% Ni/Al2O3 catalyst in the deoxygenation of lipids to fuel-like hydrocarbons was investigated using model triglyceride and fatty acid feeds, as well as algal lipids. In the semi-batch deoxygenation of tristearin at 260 °C a pronounced promotional effect was observed, a 20% Ni-5% Cu/Al2O3 catalyst affording both higher conversion (97%) and selectivity to C10-C17 alkanes (99%) in comparison with unpromoted 20% Ni/Al2O3 (27% conversion and 87% selectivity to C10-C17). In the same reaction at 350 °C, a 20% Ni-1% Sn/Al2O3 catalyst afforded the best results, giving yields of C10-C17 and C17 of 97% and 55%, respectively, which contrasts with the corresponding values of 87 and 21% obtained over 20% Ni/Al2O3. Equally encouraging results were obtained in the semi-batch deoxygenation of stearic acid at 300 °C, in which the 20% Ni-5% Cu/Al2O3 catalyst afforded the highest yields of C10-C17 and C17. Experiments were also conducted at 260 °C in a fixed bed reactor using triolein − a model unsaturated triglyceride − as the feed. While both 20% Ni/Al2O3 and 20% Ni-5% Cu/Al2O3 achieved quantitative yields of diesel-like hydrocarbons at all reaction times sampled, the Cu-promoted catalyst exhibited higher selectivity to longer chain hydrocarbons, a phenomenon which was also observed in experiments involving algal lipids as the feed. Characterization of fresh and spent catalysts indicates that Cu enhances the reducibility of Ni and suppresses both cracking reactions and coke-induced deactivation

Kurier Warszawski in September 1939

Autor na podstawie oryginalnych numerów dziennika „Kurier Warszawski” znajdujących się w zbiorach Cyfrowej Biblioteki Narodowej „Polona” przedstawia historię gazety we wrześniu 1939 r. na tle wydarzeń historycznych i politycznych w kraju. Artykuły zamieszczane w dzienniku zostały podzielone według tematów, jakie występowały na łamach gazety. Na końcu artykułu autor dokonał oceny pisma i jego roli, jaką odegrało w historii Warszawy oraz w informowaniu mieszkańców stolicy o wydarzeniach z kraju i ze świataThis is an account of the September 1939 issuesof the daily newspaper Kurier Warszawski,digital copies of which are now available at theNational Digital Library Polona.The contents of the paper are grouped inthematic sections and discussed in the context ofa historical and political timeline.The article ends with an assessment of the placeKurier Warszawski had in history of Warsaw andthe role it played in supplying the residentsof the capital with news from homeand abroa

Israeli - paletinian conflict through the eyes of conemporary Israeli visual artists.

Praca opisuje wpływ konfliktu izraelsko- palestyńskiego na izraelskich artystów. Na wybranych przykład omawia ewolucję sztuk wizualnych oraz zawarte w nich odzwierciedlenie społeczeństwa izraelskiego.This thesis describes the influence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Israel's artists. Based on several examples explain the evolution of selected visual arts and contained in their reflection of Israeli society

Effect of cold asymmetric rolling on the structureand mechanical properties of S235 steel strip

W artykule opisano badania walcowania na zimno metodą ASR (asymmetric rolling – walcowanie asymetryczne) stali konstrukcyjnej S235 stosowanej w budowie maszyn. Płaskowniki ze stali S235 znajdują zastosowanie m.in. przy produkcji krat pomostowych i piorunochronów. Przeprowadzone badania są kontynuacją i poszerzeniem dotychczasowych prac nad procesem walcowania i mają na celu określenie możliwości metody walcowania asymetrycznego stali konstrukcyjnej na zimno, w tym: zbadanie właściwości mechanicznych po walcowaniu oraz określenie wpływu walcownia asymetrycznego na siły i czas trwania procesu walcowania. Badania były prowadzone na walcarce laboratoryjnej typu DUO, która wraz ze zintegrowanym systemem sterowania umożliwia walcowanie taśm z różnymi prędkościami obrotowymi walców. Natomiast zamontowany układ czujników tensometrycznych pozwala na pomiar sił walcowania w czasie rzeczywistym. Badano proces walcowania asymetrycznego dla stosunków prędkości walców wynoszących od 1:1 do 3:1. Nie stwierdzono różnic we właściwościach mechanicznych pomiędzy taśmami walcowanymi metodą klasyczną, tj. z równymi prędkościami obrotowymi walców, a taśmami uzyskiwanymi metodą walcowania asymetrycznego. Nie stwierdzono wyraźnych zmian w strukturze badanych próbek przewalcowanych metodą ASR w stosunku do próbek przewalcowanych z równymi prędkościami walców. Stwierdzono znaczy spadek sił przy zastosowaniu walcowania asymetrycznego zależny od proporcji prędkości walców. Udało się uzyskać obniżenie sił o 33% przy walcowaniu ze stosunkiem 3:1 w odniesieniu do walcowania z równymi prędkościami obrotowymi walców.This paper describes ASR (cold asymmetric rolling) tests of S235 structural steel used for machine building. Steel S235 flat bars are used for production of deck grating and lightning rods. The research is a continuation and development of the existing work on the rolling process and its purpose is to determine a possibility of cold asymmetric rolling of structural steel, including examination of mechanical properties after rolling and determination of influence of asymmetric rolling on rolling process forces and duration. The tests were carried out using a laboratory DUO rolling mill and an integrated control system designed for strip rolling with different roll speeds. A strain gauge system was used for real time measurement of rolling forces. The asymmetric rolling process testing was carried out for roll speed ratios ranging from 1:1 to 3:1. No differences were found in mechanical properties between strips rolled using conventional methods, i.e. with equal rotational speeds of the rolls and strips obtained by asymmetric rolling. There were no significant changes in the structure of the test samples rolled asymmetrically compared to samples rolled at equal roll speeds. A significant decrease in the forces was found when asymmetric rolling was used, depending on the roll speed ratio. A 33% reduction in forces was achieved when rolling with a 3:1 ratio for equal roll speed rolling

Automated Processing of Data on Work Performance and Employee Evaluation: A Case Study of Practices at Amazon Warehouses in Poland

The subject of this article is the algorithmic employee evaluation system at Amazon’s warehouses in Poland. A weekly performance review, the evaluation is a measure of productivity and quality, gathered in real time as warehouse associates scan barcodes throughout the working day. Evaluation results instruct on the employment status of individual workers, without any input from supervisors. The article probes the significance of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for bolstering job security at workplaces like Amazon, where HR decisions are automated and based on the processing of work performance data. Article 22 of the GDPR lays down a prohibition for decision-making based solely on the automated processing of personal data. In turn, it establishes the right to human intervention, which might allow employees to avoid the adverse effects of an employee evaluation, if it did not ensure significant human input. Departing from a shop-floor level view of Amazon’s employee evaluation system that is reinforced by insight gained through litigation in Polish labour courts, this article argues that the process of evaluating workers is not a purely technical operation that can be consigned to algorithmic management. Employee evaluation must abide by certain legal criteria, which ultimately requires human discretion

Thoughts on the future of translation history

Editorial on the future of translation history.Editorial on the future of translation history.Editorial on the future of translation history