Team-based learning for first year engineering students

Although it was originally developed for a business school environment to promote the benefits of small-group teaching in a large group setting, the method of the team-based learning (TBL) has recently been increasingly used within medical education. On the other hand, the reports on its implementation in engineering and science education are much scarcer. The aim of this work is to discuss the experience, evaluation and lessons learned from the implementation of the TBL within a Year 1 engineering module—Process Engineering Fundamentals, enrolling 115 students, and the TBL method was introduced for the first time. To evaluate the acquired knowledge and perception of TBL, a students’ performance analysis and questionnaire were completed on two occasions. It was observed that the TBL approach improved student learning, enhanced their integration and sharing of knowledge in class, supporting the implementation of this method in engineering disciplines

Solubility of mixtures containing soybean oil, ionic liquid and methanol

This paper presents data on mutual solubility of the binary (soybean oil + ionic liquid) and ternary (soybean oil + methanol + ionic liquid) systems, where ionic liquid stands for 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate [C4MIM][SCN] or 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C4MIM][NTf2] or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide [C4MIM][DCA] or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C4MIM][PF6] or 1-butyl-3-methyl imida zolium hydrogensulfate [C4MIM] [HSO4] or 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [C10MIM][NTf2] or methyltrioctylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [ALIQUAT][NTf2] or methyltrioctylammonium chloride [ALIQUAT][Cl]. Solubilities were determined by the cloud point titration method in the temperature range of 298 K to 343 K. Obtained results suggest that imidazolium based ionic liquids exhibit lower solubility in soybean oil than ionic liquids with the aliquat cation. Thus, aliquat based ionic liquids are good candidate to be used as co-solvents for biphasic (methanol + soybean oil) mixture

Experimental Determination and Modeling of the Phase Behavior of the CO2 + Propionic Anhydride Binary System at High Pressure

The phase equilibrium of the binary system (CO2 + propionic anhydride) was determined experimentally at temperatures of 308, 313, and 323 K and pressures up to 10 MPa. Measurements were carried out in a high-pressure visual cell with variable volume. The experimental data were modeled using the Peng–Robinson equation of state and the Mathias–Klotz–Prausnitz mixing rule. A good correlation was achieved with this model, with a total average absolute deviation of 0.21%

Life cycle environmental sustainability of valorisation routes for spent coffee grounds: From waste to resources

© 2020 The Authors. Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) have a potential to be used as a feedstock for higher value-added products, such as biodiesel. However, the environmental implications of the valorisation of SCGs are largely unknown. This study evaluates the life cycle environmental impacts of utilising SCGs for biodiesel production in comparison with the widely used disposal of SCGs as a waste stream: incineration, landfilling, anaerobic digestion, composting and direct application to land. The scope is from cradle to grave and the functional unit is defined as ‘treatment of 1 tonne of SCGs’. The results show that the most environmentally sustainable option is incineration of SCGs, with net-negative impacts (savings) in 14 out of 16 categories, followed by direct application of SCGs to land with 11 net-negative impacts. Biodiesel production is the least sustainable option with the highest impacts in 11 categories, followed by composting. The paper also demonstrates that following various waste hierarchy and resource valorisation guidelines instead of a life cycle approach could lead to a choice of environmentally inferior SCG utilisation options. Therefore, these guidelines should be revised to ensure that they are consistent and underpinned by life cycle thinking, thus aiding sustainable resource management in a circular economy context.UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Gr. no. EP/K011820/1) and The University of Manchester through the N8 AgriFood Local Pump Priming Fun

Cyclic carbonate synthesis from CO2and epoxides using zinc(II) complexes of arylhydrazones of β-diketones

Zinc(II) complexes of arylhydrazones of β-diketones (AHBD) were used for the first time as catalysts combined with tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBABr), in the coupling reaction between CO2 and epoxides. The influence of pressure and temperature on cyclic carbonate formation was investigated, as well as the catalytic activity toward different substrates (e.g. styrene oxide, propylene oxide and cyclohexene oxide). The molar ratio between metal complex and TBABr was determined for maximum catalytic activity

Performance of sodium chloride versus commercial ionic liquid as salting-out media for the separation of nicotine from its aqueous solutions

In this work, the performance of inorganic salt sodium chloride and ionic liquid (molten salt) ECOENG212 as salting-out media for the separation of nicotine from its aqueous solutions was examined. In this respect, liquid–liquid equilibria of the ternary solutions nicotine + water + NaCl and nicotine + water + ECOENG212 were determined at ambient pressure, 0.1 MPa, and humidity at three temperatures. The related phase diagrams were constructed by means of both cloud points and chemical analysis of phases in equilibrium (tie-line data). The latter were used to calculate two important separation parameters: partition coefficients of nicotine and separation factors. The effects of the initial compositions of the solutions and of the temperature on the phase behavior and partition coefficients were analyzed and discussed. The results obtained, particularly in the case of sodium chloride as a salt, clearly showed that both investigated salts provided good salting-out media for the efficient and sustainable separation of nicotine from solutions with water

High pressure phase behavior of the binary system (ethyl lactate + carbon dioxide)

In this work the phase behavior of the binary system (ethyl lactate + CO2) was studied in the pressure range 0.4–17 MPa and at temperatures of 313.2, 333.2, 353.2, 373.2 and 393.2 K. Experiments were performed using the static synthetic method in a high pressure variable–volume view cell. Equilibrium data were correlated with the Peng–Robinson equation of state combined with the Mathias–Klotz–Prausnitz mixing rule. Additionally, density-based correlations, namely Chrastil's and Fornari's equations were used in order to correlate solubilities in both liquid and vapor phases

Solubility of CO2 in glycerol at high pressures

The solubility of CO2 in liquid glycerol was measured at the temperatures of 353.2 K, 393.2 K and 423.2 K, and pressures up to 32 MPa. The static synthetic method was used in a variable-volume view cell. The solubility of CO2 in glycerol was enhanced by pressure increase and by temperature decrease. When compared with reported values for alcohols with the same chain length, the solubility increased in the following order: glycerol < 1,2-propylene glycol < 1-propanol < 2-propanol