A simple dissolution model based on Raoult's Law was used to derive a log-linear equation for the estimation of multicomponent nonaqueous-phase liquid (NAPL) mass in porous media. The analysis, referred to here as the ratio mass estimation (RME) method, requires aqueous concentration ratios for two components of the NAPL mixture as well as their pure phase liquid solubilities. Application of th...

The refractive index (RI) is the fundamental characteristic that affects the optical properties of aerosols, which could be some of the most important factors influencing direct radiative forcing. The secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) generated by the photooxidation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and m-xylene (BTEX) under low-NOx and high-NOx conditions are explored in this study. The partic...

A study on the bioremediation potentials of the earthworm Hyperiodrilus africanus (Beddard) in soil contaminated with crude oil was investigated. Dried and sieved soils were contaminated with 5 ml each of crude oil with replicates and inoculated with earthworms and monitored daily for 12 weeks. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, total organic carbon, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, sodium, pot...

The protein engineering of CYP enzymes for structure-activity studies and the oxidation of unnatural substrates for biotechnological applications will be greatly facilitated by the availability of functional, whole-cell systems for substrate oxidation. We report the construction of a tricistronic plasmid that expresses the CYP101 monooxygenase from Pseudomonas putida, and its physiological elec...

Two strains, identified as Rhodococcus wratislaviensis IFP 2016 and Rhodococcus aetherivorans IFP 2017, were isolated from a microbial consortium that degraded 15 petroleum compounds or additives when provided in a mixture containing 16 compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene, p-xylene, o-xylene, octane, hexadecane, 2,2,4-trimethylpentane [isooctane], cyclohexane, cyclohexanol, naph...

In this work, a fundamental kinetic model based upon the Hougen–Watson non-porosity formalism was derived and used to simulate dehydrogenation and oxidation axial flow reactors. In addition, partial pressure profiles of components during styrene production process inside porous catalyst were obtained using Dusty-Gas model. The preservation equations are adopted to calculate temperature and flow...

Styrene is an important monomer in the manufacture of thermoplastic. Most of it is produced by the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. In this process that depends on reversible reactions, the yield is usually limited by the establishment of thermodynamic equilibrium in the reactor. The styrene yield can be increased by using a hybrid process, with reaction and separation simultaneously....

The paper presents the analysis of the thermal efficiency of a dividing wall distillation column and the influence of the feed composition on the reduction of energy consumption compared to a classical scheme of multicomponent mixture separation. The study relays on rigorous simulations in HYSYSTM using thermodynamically equivalent schemes. A case study is presented for the separation of a hydr...

Carbon nanofibers have been immobilized onto carbon felt as the first step for their industrial application in Oxidative DeHydrogenation (ODH) reactions, exhibiting a stable performance with a high selectivity to styrene in the ODH of ethyl benzene at temperatures around 300 K lower than the actual industrial process, and inhibiting the problem that loose small particle as CNFs shows for being ...

The cationic complex [(pymox-Me(2))RuCl(2)](+)BF(4)(-) was found to be a highly effective catalyst for the C-H bond oxidation reaction of arylalkanes in water. For example, the treatment of ethylbenzene (1.0 mmol) with t-BuOOH (3.0 mmol) and 1.0 mol % of the Ru catalyst in water (3 mL) cleanly produced PhCOCH(3) at room temperature. Both a large kinetic isotope effect (k(H)/k(D) = 14) and a rel...