Distillation is arguably the most studied unit operation in the chemical engineering literature. Thousands of papers and dozens of books over the last century have been devoted to the design and control of distillation systems. The reason for the extensive interest is the high energy consumption of the thousands of distillation columns operating around the globe for separating a host of different mixtures

Pervaporation technology has shown great potential for organic solvent recovery and separations in biorefinery industry. However, industrial application of polymeric pervaporation membranes is still constrained by the slow mass transfer property and severe permeability-selectivity trade-off effect. Herein, we propose a novel electrospraying strategy to prepare high-performance covalent organic fra

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most significant greenhouse gas and one of the strategies to reduce CO2 emission is to convert CO2 into commercially valuable products. Currently, methods that can effectively capture and convert CO2 into carbonate nanomaterials, which have unique applications in various fields, have rarely been reported, and there are no universal methods that can capture and convert CO2

In this study, molecular theoretical calculation was successfully applied to the preparation of high-performance imprinted MOFs catalyst to achieve efficient targeted degradation of refractory organic pollutants (ROPs) in water. The binding energies and weak interactions of imprinted systems were analyzed in depth. Moreover, the solvent effect of the porogenic agent on the prepolymers was also simulated

This paper introduces a novel approach to optimizing reactive distillation (RD) process before heat-integration (HI) to achieve greater energy savings in the subsequent heat-integrated configuration. While conventional approaches prioritize minimizing “overall energy consumption” before implementing HI, this study proposes minimizing the energy consumption of the RD column (RDC) first prior to HI to

CO2 flooding and huff-n-puff are novel injection strategies for underground gas recovery and are expected to realize carbon storage simultaneously, which drive sustainable energy production and advance net-zero emission targets. However, determining which method outperforms the other is not well discussed from a fundamental perspective in the current literature. In this study, we employ coarse-grained

In response to the imperative needs for water environment purification and potable water provision, an optimized interface evaporator (IE) structure has been developed, which integrates a floating layer endowed with selective oil removal and photodegradation properties alongside a polydopamine sponge photothermal layer characterized by its hydrophilic channel. The primary innovation presented in this

The alkaline environment of anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) allows for the use of low-cost catalysts and bipolar plates and has garnered significant attention. However, CO2 in the inlet air can negatively impact cell performance, leading to decreased conductivity and output power. In this study, we developed an inlet gas pre-treatment device that utilizes deep eutectic solvent (DES) for

The commercialization of microalgae-based products could be significantly advanced by integrating membrane-based technology into the cultivation and harvesting of microalgae biomass, particularly in the context of biofilm harvesting. Recent advancements in membrane fabrication and modification have led to improved separation efficiency, reduced membrane fouling, increased fluxes, and enhanced selectivity

Reusing and recycling secondary aluminum dross represents a significant challenge to achieving sustainability in the modern aluminum industry. In the present work, an approach was put forth to valorize secondary aluminum dross to produce calcium aluminate for use in water treatment industry. The toxic elements present in secondary aluminum dross can be effectively eliminated through roasting passivation

Malachite is a common copper oxide mineral. The sulfide-xanthate flotation method is the conventional approach for recovering malachite. However, the hydrophobic sulfide layer formed on the malachite surface after sulfidization tends to degrade, the floatation rate of malachite was significantly reduced. To enhance the stability of the sulfide layer on the malachite surface, ammonium salts are added

Photocatalytic hydrogen production is a technology to produce clean energy in line with the current social development. CdS is a photocatalyst with a suitable energy band structure. Ni2P is a typical co-catalyst with good electrical conductivity and promotes electron transfer. In this study, we prepared 2D/1D Ni2P/CdS composites by loading Ni2P nanosheets on CdS nanorods. By performing photoelectrochemical

Purification of natural gas and separation of methanol-to-olefins (MTO) products are essential yet energy-intensive processes in petrochemical industry. Adsorption separation utilizing porous materials is regarded as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional distillation method for hydrocarbon separation. In this work, we presented a comprehensive investigation of an ultramicroporous MOF (PCP-TPDA)

In the pursuit of global carbon neutrality, the emissions of carbon-containing flue gas resulting from methanol production pose a significant challenge to the chemical industry’s efforts to achieve this goal. It is imperative to develop cost-effective and low-carbon carbon capture technologies. This study introduces the hydro-jet oscillating purifier (HOP) that utilizes spontaneous supergravity to

A review of previously reported materials for photocatalytic hydrogen production reveals that most of these still require the involvement of hole scavengers. To avoid the consumption of non-essential resources, the development of non-precious metal catalyst materials capable of achieving photocatalytic hydrogen production in a sacrificial agent-free environment is of greater value for practical applications

The treatment of emulsion-based oily wastewater presents significant challenges due to the scarcity of effective separation materials and the risk of secondary pollution. Janus membranes, with their asymmetric wettability, have emerged as a promising solution for efficiently separating oil–water mixtures. In this study, we developed an excellent environmental friendliness Janus membrane by assembling

Extraction distillation and azeotropic distillation are two important methods for separating isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and water azeotrope. However, azeotropic distillation is generally more energy-intensive than extractive distillation separation process. Therefore, solvent design and process intensification for the extractive distillation process are the keys to addressing the problems of azeotropic

The need to synthetize various enantiomers for preparative purposes poses a significant challenge for modern chemical engineering. The ability to rapidly prototype microfluidic devices, in which reaction-transport processes are significantly intensified, offers a potential solution to this problem. Our study aims to develop a functional modular microfluidic system capable of continuously producing

Norfloxacin belongs to a group of contaminants of emerging concern and its levels should be monitored in the environment. However, most conventional instruments struggle to detect trace levels of this contaminant in environmental samples. In this case, a polysulfone-based polymer inclusion membrane method was developed to enrich and separate norfloxacin in surface waters, followed by detection with

Efficient adsorptive separation of CH4-CO2 mixture in coal nanopores is important for CO2-enhanced coalbed (CO2-ECBM) recovery and CO2 sequestration. However, The understanding of the adsorption selective behavior and its controlling mechanisms is still limited. The low-pressure N2/CO2 adsorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and gravimetric dynamic adsorption measurements were conducted

The efficient removal of Naphthalene (Nap), a persistent organic pollutant known for its severe endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic properties, is vital for environmental protection. This study introduces a straightforward approach for addressing persistent organic pollutants in water through the strategic construction of a photo-enzyme coupled catalytic system (PECS). In this study, we fabricated