ABSTRACT Nonporous carbon microspheres functionalized with sulfonic groups are produced from gluc... more ABSTRACT Nonporous carbon microspheres functionalized with sulfonic groups are produced from glucose, a renewable and abundant material. The solid acid exhibits a remarkably high catalytic performance in the production of fatty acid ethyl esters (biodiesel).
The role of pore size distribution in the adsorption of phenol in aqueous solutions on polyethyle... more The role of pore size distribution in the adsorption of phenol in aqueous solutions on polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based activated carbons (ACs) has been analyzed. The ACs were prepared from PET and mixtures of PET with coal-tar pitch (CTP) by means of carbonization and subsequent steam and carbon dioxide activation at 850 and 950°C, respectively. The resultant ACs were characterized on the basis of similarities in their surface chemical features and differences in their micropore size distributions. The adsorption of phenol was carried out in static conditions at ambient temperature. The pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir model were found to fit the experimental data very well. The different adsorption capacities of the ACs towards phenol were attributed to differences in their micropore size distributions. Adsorption capacity was favoured by the volume of pores with a size smaller than 1.4nm; but restricted by pores smaller than 0.8nm.
ABSTRACT A Nanofiltration pilot plant (300 Da cut-off and 50 m2 membrane surface) has been used i... more ABSTRACT A Nanofiltration pilot plant (300 Da cut-off and 50 m2 membrane surface) has been used in situ to recover a spent single-phase detergent (DEPTAL EVP®) in a yogurt industrial factory. The plant worked during 60 h at constant operation conditions previously selected in experiments at laboratory and pilot-plant scales. Membranes retained around 90% of the chemical oxygen demand and permeates were reused in the “cleaning in place” plant. Savings of detergents in the yogurt plant were estimated in 15–20%. The data obtained during the tests were used to do an economic evaluation of the feasibility of the plant under several hypotheses of volume concentration rates. Payback was estimated in 2.6 years.
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 2013
ABSTRACT This paper aims to provide useful knowledge on the use of plastic wastes as additives to... more ABSTRACT This paper aims to provide useful knowledge on the use of plastic wastes as additives to coking blends for the production of metallurgical coke. It focuses on the influence that the composition of plastic wastes has upon the development of coal fluidity, the generation of pressure during the coking process and the quality of the cokes produced in a semipilot oven. Several plastic mixtures of two types of thermoplastics, polyolefins (HDPE, LDPE and PP) and aromatic polymers such as PET, were used. The overall addition rate of plastics to a medium-fluid coal blend was 2 wt%. It is shown that polyolefins, weaker modifiers of coal fluidity, may be employed to maintain coke quality but that they have a negative effect on the generation of coking pressure, while plastics of the aromatic type such as PET, a strong modifier of coal fluidity, can be used to counteract the generation of coking pressure. From the results, it is deduced that the protocol developed is useful for determining the optimum amount of each type of polymer (polyolefins and aromatic polymers) that is needed in order to counteract the generation of pressure during the coking process and to maintain the quality of the cokes.
ABSTRACT Nonporous carbon microspheres functionalized with sulfonic groups are produced from gluc... more ABSTRACT Nonporous carbon microspheres functionalized with sulfonic groups are produced from glucose, a renewable and abundant material. The solid acid exhibits a remarkably high catalytic performance in the production of fatty acid ethyl esters (biodiesel).
The role of pore size distribution in the adsorption of phenol in aqueous solutions on polyethyle... more The role of pore size distribution in the adsorption of phenol in aqueous solutions on polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based activated carbons (ACs) has been analyzed. The ACs were prepared from PET and mixtures of PET with coal-tar pitch (CTP) by means of carbonization and subsequent steam and carbon dioxide activation at 850 and 950°C, respectively. The resultant ACs were characterized on the basis of similarities in their surface chemical features and differences in their micropore size distributions. The adsorption of phenol was carried out in static conditions at ambient temperature. The pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir model were found to fit the experimental data very well. The different adsorption capacities of the ACs towards phenol were attributed to differences in their micropore size distributions. Adsorption capacity was favoured by the volume of pores with a size smaller than 1.4nm; but restricted by pores smaller than 0.8nm.
ABSTRACT A Nanofiltration pilot plant (300 Da cut-off and 50 m2 membrane surface) has been used i... more ABSTRACT A Nanofiltration pilot plant (300 Da cut-off and 50 m2 membrane surface) has been used in situ to recover a spent single-phase detergent (DEPTAL EVP®) in a yogurt industrial factory. The plant worked during 60 h at constant operation conditions previously selected in experiments at laboratory and pilot-plant scales. Membranes retained around 90% of the chemical oxygen demand and permeates were reused in the “cleaning in place” plant. Savings of detergents in the yogurt plant were estimated in 15–20%. The data obtained during the tests were used to do an economic evaluation of the feasibility of the plant under several hypotheses of volume concentration rates. Payback was estimated in 2.6 years.
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 2013
ABSTRACT This paper aims to provide useful knowledge on the use of plastic wastes as additives to... more ABSTRACT This paper aims to provide useful knowledge on the use of plastic wastes as additives to coking blends for the production of metallurgical coke. It focuses on the influence that the composition of plastic wastes has upon the development of coal fluidity, the generation of pressure during the coking process and the quality of the cokes produced in a semipilot oven. Several plastic mixtures of two types of thermoplastics, polyolefins (HDPE, LDPE and PP) and aromatic polymers such as PET, were used. The overall addition rate of plastics to a medium-fluid coal blend was 2 wt%. It is shown that polyolefins, weaker modifiers of coal fluidity, may be employed to maintain coke quality but that they have a negative effect on the generation of coking pressure, while plastics of the aromatic type such as PET, a strong modifier of coal fluidity, can be used to counteract the generation of coking pressure. From the results, it is deduced that the protocol developed is useful for determining the optimum amount of each type of polymer (polyolefins and aromatic polymers) that is needed in order to counteract the generation of pressure during the coking process and to maintain the quality of the cokes.
Uploads
Papers by Maria Diez