Hydrodynamics in an expanded bed of large size ion-exchange resin, and natural product adsorption

Successful applications of expanded bed adsorption (EBA) technology have been widely reported in the literature for protein purification. Little has been reported on the recovery of natural products and active components of Chinese herbal preparations using EBA technology. In this study, the hydrodynamic behavior in an expanded bed of cation resin, 001 x 7 Styrene-DVB, was investigated. Ephedrine hydrochloride (EH) was used as a model natural product to test the dynamic binding capacity (DBC) in the expanded bed. EBA of EH directly from a feedstock containing powdered herbs has also been investigated. These particles are different from commercially available expanded bed adsorbents by virtue of their large size (20S to 1030 gm). When the adsorbent bed is expanded to approximately 1.3 to 1.5 times its settled bed height, the axial liquid-phase dispersion coefficient was found to be of the order 10(-5) m(2) s(-1), which falls into the range 1.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 X 10(-5) m(2) s(-1) observed previously in protein purification. Because of the favorable column efficiency (low axial dispersion coefficient), the recovery yield and purification factor values of EH directly from a feedstock reached 86.5% and 18, respectively. The results suggest that EBA technology holds promise for the recovery of natural products and active components of Chinese herbal preparations.

Investigation of a chemically treated InP(100) surface during hydrophilic wafer bonding process

Surface micro-roughness, surface chemical properties, and surface wettability are three important aspects of wafer surfaces during a wafer cleaning process, which determine the bonding quality of ordinary direct wafer bonding. In this study, InP wafers are divided into four groups and treated by different chemical processes. Subsequently, the characteristics of the treated InP surfaces are carefully studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurements. The optimal wafer treatment method for wafer bonding is determined by comparing the results of the processes as a whole. This optimization is later evaluated by a scanning electronic microscope (SEM), and the ridge waveguide 1.55 mu m Si-based InP/InGaAsP multi-quantum-well laser chips are also fabricated. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study on biomass circulation and gasification performance in a clapboard-type internal circulating fluidized bed gasifier

We investigated the solid particle flow characteristics and biomass gasification in a clapboard-type internal circulating fluidized bed reactor. The effect of fluidization velocity on particle circulation rate and pressure distribution in the bed showed that fluidization velocities in the high and low velocity zones were the main operational parameters controlling particle circulation. The maximum internal circulation rates in the low velocity zone came almost within the range of velocities in the high velocity zone, when uH/umf = 2.2-2.4 for rice husk and uH/umf = 3.5-4.5 for quartz sand. In the gasification experiment, the air equvalence ratio (ER) was the main controlling parameter. Rice husk gasification gas had a maximum heating value of around 5000 kJ/m3 when ER = 0.22-0.26, and sawdust gasification gas reached around 6000-6500 kJ/m3 when ER = 0.175-0.24. The gasification efficiency of rice husk reached a maximum of 77% at ER = 0.28, while the gasification efficiency of sawdust reached a maximum of 81% at ER = 0.25.

Synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil using immobilized lipase in fixed bed reactor

Waste cooking oil (WCO) is the residue from the kitchen, restaurants, food factories and even human and animal waste which not only harm people's health but also causes environmental pollution. The production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil to partially substitute petroleum diesel is one of the measures for solving the twin problems of environment pollution and energy shortage. In this project, synthesis of biodiesel was catalyzed by immobilized Candida lipase in a three-step fixed bed reactor. The reaction solution was a mixture of WCO, water, methanol and solvent (hexane). The main product was biodiesel consisted of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), of which methyl oleate was the main component. Effects of lipase, solvent, water, and temperature and flow of the reaction mixture on the synthesis of biodiesel were analyzed. The results indicate that a 91.08% of FAME can be achieved in the end product under optimal conditions. Most of the chemical and physical characters of the biodiesel were superior to the standards for 0(#)diesel (GB/T 19147) and biodiesel (DIN V51606 and ASTM D-6751).

The design and operation of a new clapboard-type internal circulating fluidized-bed gasifier

The design and operation of a new clapboard-type internal circulating fluidized-bed gasifier is proposed in this article. By arranging the clapboard in the bed, the gasifier is thus divided into two regions, which are characterized by different fluidization velocities. The bed structure is designed so that it can guide the circulating flow passing through the two regions, and therefore the feedstock particles entrained in the flow experience longer residence time. The experimental results based on the present new design, operating in the temperature range of 790 degrees C-850 degrees C, indicate that the gas yield is from 1.6-1.9 Nm(3)/kg feedstock, the gas enthalpies are 5,345 kJ/Nm(3) for wood chip and 4,875 kJ/m(3) for rice husk, and a gasification efficiency up to 75% can be obtained.