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Chaotic advection and mass transfer of viscous liquid–liquid flows in a novel 3D serpentine microchannel AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-20 Jiecai Long, Congkai Xie, Haojun Zhang, Xuan Zhang, Jingsong Yao, Rongguang Zhang, Xun Chen, Xin Chen
This article aimed to study the characteristics of chaotic advection and mass transfer of viscous liquid–liquid flows in a novel 3D serpentine microchannel (TSM) with hybrid structures. The TSM and its corresponding experimental setup are established, and the CFD model is verified through flow field visualization experiments. Results reveal that efficient chaotic convection in TSM is achieved through
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Encapsulation of Pt species into MFI zeolite with tunable acid sites boosts reductive amination towards tertiary amines AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-20 Zhuo Xiong, Biao Meng, Cailing Chen, Xiaoling Liu, Chao Wu, Yue Wu, Meng Xu, Hongzhong Xu, Yihu Dai, Yu Han, Yu Zhou, Shibo Xi, Jun Wang
Noble metal-catalyzed reductive amination of carbonyl compounds using molecular hydrogen is a promising green route for amine synthesis, but a challenge remains to boost the atomic efficiency of noble metal species. Herein, MFI zeolite encapsulated Pt species with tunable Si/Al ratios were synthesized to allow the formation of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with almost the same loading amount, particle size
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Effect of solvents on furfural liquid-phase hydrogenation and catalysts: A review AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-20 Jinxin Zhang, Heng Zhang, Dongfang Wu
Furfural (FFR) is one of the most important biomass derivatives, usually obtained by initial hydrolysis of xylose oligomers derived from hemicellulose to xylose and then acid catalyzed dehydration. The FFR liquid-phase hydrogenation reaction conditions are mild, which is conducive to connecting with upstream chemicals. The solvent systems play a crucial role in the selectivity of target products and
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Growth mechanism and process intensification of Ni‐Al‐layered double hydroxide synthesized via coprecipitation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-18 Ying‐Jiao Li, Yong Chen, Yue Liu, Guang‐Wen Chu, Bao‐Chang Sun, Jian‐Feng Chen
This work systematically investigated the crystallization process of NiAl‐layered double hydroxide (NiAl‐LDH) with a Ni(II)/Al(III) ratio of 3 under different crystallization conditions. The results showed that the prepared NiAl‐LDH first exhibits sheet‐like morphology, which transforms into a hexagonal platelet with further growth. The lateral size and thickness of the prepared NiAl‐LDH are ~10–284
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Broad‐spectrum corrosion‐resistant nanofiltration membranes via reactive site‐bridged nanofibrous network AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-18 Xue‐Li Cao, Tian Tian, Yong Bai, Chun Cui, Cong Luo, Jiang‐Shan Xing, Chuan‐Yu Chen, Lili Zhao, Shi‐Peng Sun
Traditional nanofiltration membranes often struggle to maintain stability in harsh environments due to issues like swelling, chemical bond dissociation, and polymer chain creep. Fluoropolymers like poly(ethylene‐chlorotrifluoroethylene) (ECTFE) are promising substrate candidates for broad‐spectrum corrosion‐resistant nanofiltration (CRNF) membranes, but their solvent insolubility and hydrophobicity
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MRI on ion exchange resins at different length scales AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-18 Louis Kontschak, Oliver Gruschke, Lena Trapp, Hatice Nur Baser, Neil MacKinnon, Philippe Rychen, Hermann Nirschl, Gisela Guthausen
Ion exchange resins were studied on different length scales by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the focus on their interactions with nanoparticles (NP) and molecular clusters. On the length scale of resin beds (bed diameters <20 mm), the behavior of NP and of molecular clusters was shown to depend on the kind of ion exchange resin and nanoscale moiety. The kinetics of absorption and penetration
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Fluorescent imaging agents for mapping temperature field and capillary flow on the surface of volatile solvent AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-18 Hao Gu, Sibo Wan, Sheng Lu, Yahui Chen, Fang Wang, Shiyue Zheng, Yourong Li, Xiaoqiang Chen
The understanding of thermocapillary convection is important in both fundamental and industrial aspects. However, efficient tools that can provide dynamic details of the convective flows are still lacking. Here, we discovered a unique phenomenon of photoinduced fluorogenic shift of HDPI derivatives in chloroform and utilized this trait to map the temperature field and capillary flow on the surface
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Exploration of BSA imprinting mechanism by fluorescence anchoring and host–guest interactions AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-18 Sirui Ding, Jianfeng Wu, Zhen Huang, Sen Chang, Baoliang Zhang
For protein imprinting, template molecule anchoring and imprinting site recognition are very important processes. Herein, we have proposed for the first time to use photo‐switchable host–guest interactions between α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD)‐modified bovine serum albumin (BSA) and azobenzene coated organic covalent framework (COF) to immobilize and elute proteins. A novel surface labeled polymer microspheres
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Lithium solvent extraction from weak alkaline brine by 2‐hydroxy‐5‐nitro‐4‐alkoxy‐benzophenone and TRPO AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-18 Guimei Zhou, Wenjun Yan, Shufan Yan, Dandan Gao, Debin Zeng, Dongdong Li, Dewen Zeng
Solvent extraction of lithium by β‐diketones from alkaline brine has been known to be an efficient process. However, its relatively high working pH, consequently the high alkaline consumption and substantial dissolution loss in raffinate, limit its industrial application. Herein, a novel lithium extractant, i.e., 2‐hydroxy‐5‐nitro‐4‐n‐octoxy‐benzophenone (referred to as N531), was proposed, which can
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Thermal degradation of tertiary amine for CO2 capture: Structure–activity relationships and density functional theory calculations AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-18 Tong Luo, Qi Liu, Min Xiao, Hongxia Gao, Teerawat Sema, Zhiwu Liang
Aqueous amine solution is a promising absorbent for CO2 capture, yet irreversible reaction, that is, degradation can happen for amine and leads to performance decrease and many operating difficulties. Despite numerous research on reaction between amine and CO2 for absorption, the reaction of amine degradation is not fully understood, especially for tertiary amine which is a vital component in constructing
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Digital supply chain: An industrial perspective AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-17 John M. Wassick, Hector D. Perez
This perspectives article outlines and discusses the future of supply chains. The existing challenges and flaws in supply chains design and management are described, motivating the need for the next‐generation supply chains. We present a holistic paradigm for viewing and analyzing supply chains as networks of networks with various dimensions, hierarchies, and players with their various forms of decision‐making
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Continuous preparation of alkaline hydrogen peroxide solution by micromixing device: Experiment and theoretical analysis AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-16 Shunkai Xia, Xude Yu, Zhuo Chen, Jianhong Xu
In the context of achieving continuous synthesis of acyl peroxides using microreactors, continuous preparation of alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) solution is required. However, two key issues, Na2O2 precipitation and H2O2 decomposition, need to be considered or addressed. For the precipitation of Na2O2 during NaOH and H2O2 mixing, experiments revealed that precipitation could be avoided by appropriate
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Issue Information ‐ Table of Contents AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-16
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General descriptors for glycerol oxidation to glyceric acid over PtM3‐derived bimetallic catalysts in base‐free medium AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-16 Hao Yan, Jiarong Lu, Yaqian Li, Xiang Feng, Xin Zhou, Hui Zhao, Chaohe Yang
Exploring efficient Pt‐based catalysts for the selective oxidation of polyol is still a challenge due to the lack of a mechanism‐driven approach. Here, low‐Pt content PdM3 were systematically investigated for glycerol oxidation to glyceric acid (GLYA) by density functional theory (DFT) linear synchronous transit and quadratic synchronous transit (LST/QST) assisted descriptor‐based micro‐kinetic modeling
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Sol–gel pore‐confined strategy to synthesize atomically dispersed metal sites for enhanced CO2 electroreduction AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-16 Youzhi Li, Dashuai Wang, Hualong Liu, Yanran Bao, Xuesong Zhao, Chen Sun, Zhongjian Li, Lecheng Lei, Yang Hou, Bin Yang
Excavating highly efficient and cost‐effective non‐noble metal single‐atom catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is of paramount significance. However, the general and universal strategy for designing atomically dispersed metals as accessible active sites is still in its infancy. Herein, we reported a general sol–gel pore‐confined strategy for preparing a series of isolated
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Synergistic photocatalytic synthesis of H2O2: Mechanistic insights and sustainable applications AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-14 Zaixiang Xu, Wenjuan Fang, Fengcang Zhou, Chenghang Jiang, Jingnan Zheng, Yanfeng Li, Shijie Zhang, Zhikang Bao, Qun Cao, Jianguo Wang
The synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) via photocatalysis represents a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach with significant potential for diverse applications. This study reveals the involvement of a novel triple interplay catalytic cycle in the photocatalytic production of H₂O₂, providing crucial insights into the underlying reaction mechanisms. Utilizing modified carbon nitride (m‐CN)
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Enhancing H2 production from plasma‐assisted methanol steam reforming by catalyst engineering in a MXene membrane reactor AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-14 Shaowei Chen, Zong Lu, Jiangqi Niu, Yan Shao, Yi Chen, Yaru Ni, Xiaoying Liu, Xiaoyang Wei, Xiaoxia Ou, Xiaolei Fan, Yanying Wei, Huanhao Chen
Electrified methanol steam reforming (MSR) assisted by nonthermal plasma (NTP) is a pivotal enabler for clean hydrogen production at ambient conditions with several advantages. This study optimizes the NTP‐assisted MSR by catalyst engineering, as well as membrane technology (via a 2D MXene nanosheet membrane reactor). Our findings reveal that active‐phase engineering in catalyst design is crucial in
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Screening of pure silica zeolites with high ethane/ethylene separation selectivity by simulations and experiments AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-13 Peixin Zhang, Jianbo Hu, Dengzhuo Zhou, Xiaofei Lu, Lifeng Yang, Liyuan Chen, Xian Suo, Xili Cui, Huabin Xing
The advancement of ethane (C2H6)‐selective materials offers the potential for developing energy‐efficient adsorptive separation processes to obtain high‐purity ethylene (C2H4) directly. However, these materials still suffer challenges of low selectivity, high cost, and poor stability. Herein, we presented a commercially scalable and stable MFI topology zeolite material (TS‐1) with excellent ideal adsorption
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Stabilizing *OH intermediate by fabricating Ni3N‐MoN for scalable 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural electrooxidation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-13 Shaowei Yang, Ying Guo, Jie Yang, Runze Gao, Zhibei Liao, Haidong Shen, Haoxi Wang, Lifeng Jiang, Buxing Han, Qiuyu Zhang, Hepeng Zhang
Achieving large‐scale coupling of organic electrooxidation and the hydrogen evolution reaction, while understanding the competition between organic electrooxidation and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is a significant challenge. In this study, using Ni3N‐MoN/NF, an efficient heterojunction electrocatalyst as both anode and cathode in a 50 cm2 continuous flow reactor, we achieved a total current of
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Advanced downstream processing for sustainable ethyl acetate production by fermentation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-13 Tamara Janković, Adrie J. J. Straathof, Anton A. Kiss
Ethyl acetate is a platform chemical conventionally obtained through fossil fuel routes, but more recently its production by fermentation from carbohydrates has been scaled up to a pilot scale. Yet, the complexity of downstream processing (low product concentrations in liquid broth and in off‐gas, azeotrope formation, and the presence of microorganisms) may complicate industrial application. This original
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Deep DeePC: Data‐enabled predictive control with low or no online optimization using deep learning AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-11 Xuewen Zhang, Kaixiang Zhang, Zhaojian Li, Xunyuan Yin
Data‐enabled predictive control (DeePC) is a data‐driven control algorithm that utilizes data matrices to form a non‐parametric representation of the underlying system, predicting future behaviors and generating optimal control actions. DeePC typically requires solving an online optimization problem, the complexity of which is heavily influenced by the amount of data used, potentially leading to expensive
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Designing and screening single‐atom alloy catalysts for CO2 reduction to CH3OH via DFT and machine learning AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-10 Wenyu Zhou, Haisong Feng, Shihong Zhou, Mengxin Wang, Yuping Chen, Chenyang Lu, Hao Yuan, Jing Yang, Qun Li, Luxi Tan, Lichun Dong, Yong‐Wei Zhang
Carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization technology is of great significance for achieving carbon neutrality, in which the catalytic materials play crucial roles, and among them, single‐atom alloys (SAAs) are of particular interests. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) calculations and machine learning are employed to assess the effectiveness of Cu‐, Ag‐, and Ni‐host SAAs as catalysts for electrochemical
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Oxime ether photobromination in a photomicroreactor: Process parameters and kinetic modeling AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-10 You Ma, Guozhi Qian, Mohsin Pasha, Yuhan Wang, Jiayi Li, Yuzhe Liu, Saier Liu, Xiao Xue, Min Qiu, Zihao Zhong, Minjing Shang, Jie Zheng, Zhigang Lin, Yuanhai Su
Photobromination reaction of oxime ether (OE) to brominated oxime ether (BOE) is an important process for the synthesis of trifloxystrobin in the fungicide industry. Herein, continuous synthesis of BOE in photomicroreactors was performed. Initially, an investigation was carried out to study the effects of various parameters, including mixing performance, molar ratios, solvents, incident photon flux
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Structure matching mechanism of nRu/FeCo2O4 for highly‐selective oxidation of HMF toward FDCA AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-09 Qiong‐Yu Wang, Yucheng Zhu, Run Jiang, Gan He, Jun Zhao, Jun Hu, Tao Liu, Honghai Liu, Siew‐Leng Loo, Zhong Chen, Jie‐Xin Wang, Zhiyan Pan, Xiaonian Li, Dapeng Cao, Zhong‐Ting Hu
The selective oxidation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) toward 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) offers a promising green pathway to obtain monomers for the synthesis of biodegradable plastics. However, developing a high‐selectivity catalyst and understanding the catalytic mechanism are still great challenge. Here, we synthesize a nRu/FeCo2O4 catalyst with Ru nanoparticles loaded on FeCo2O4. The nRu/FeCo2O4
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Lattice modulation strategy toward efficient and durable RuO2‐based catalysts for acidic water oxidation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-09 Linkai Han, Zhonghua Xiang
Rutile RuO2 is recognized for its outstanding acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity and notable cost advantage compared to iridium oxide for proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs). However, the unsatisfactory stability of RuO2 hinders its practical application. Here, we report a lattice modulation strategy to enhance both the OER activity and stability of RuO2. Interestingly
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Enhanced resistance to poisoning of Pd in alkynes semi‐hydrogenation by metal–ligand electronic interactions AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-09 Zhongzhe Wei, Guanglu Dong, Long Zhao, Songtao Huang, Molin Xia, Wei Huang, Ming Jiang, Zhixiang Yang, Zihao Yao, Jianfeng Li, Jianguo Wang
Given that the retention of nitrogen readily renders active site poisoning, designing versatile catalysts characterized by notable selectivity and even resistance to poisoning for alkyne semi‐hydrogenation under nitrogen‐containing conditions is considerably challenging. In this article, oxanilide‐decorated Pd/C (Pd/C‐oxa) catalyst is facilely synthesized by leveraging impregnation‐coordination, which
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Ultrafast synthesis and binder‐free fabrication of a monolithic metal–organic framework for efficient carbon capture AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-07 Qi Ding, Yulong Liu, Jia Liu, Jingyue Cheng, Zhaoqiang Zhang, Kungang Chai, Sui Zhang
Achieving rapid synthesis alongside efficient shaping without sacrificing high porosity and crystallinity poses significant challenges for metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in practical applications. Here, we report an ultrafast, scalable method for preparing an ultramicroporous MOF at room temperature. This method achieves a space–time yield significantly higher than conventional MOF synthesis by orders
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Temporally resolved concentration profiling via computationally limited, distributed sensor nodes AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-07 Matthew Lee Manion, Joshua Doctor, Albert Tianxiang Liu
Accurate mapping of chemical concentrations in reactor networks remains an obstacle to establish complete systems‐level insight and control. This issue extends beyond traditional reactor design to biological and other inaccessible systems of interest. Recent developments in novel materials with non‐volatile memory allow autonomous sensor nodes to record information with minimal external supervision
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A five‐fold twin structure copper for enhanced electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction to sustainable ammonia AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-07 Xiaoqing Yan, Ying Zhao, Yuzhe Zhang, Bowen Wang, Hanhong Fan, Honghui Ou, Xuelan Hou, Qizhong Huang, Huagui Hu, Guidong Yang
Utilizing N₂ from the air and water for the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction shows promise for NH₃ synthesis under mild conditions. However, the chemical stability of N₂ and the thermodynamic limitations of NH₃ synthesis hinder its effectiveness. Herein, we integrated a specially designed Cu nanowire catalyst with a five‐fold twin structure (T‐CuNW) into an electrocatalytic system, combining
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The contact angle and structure of water on the graphite‐like substrate: A classical density functional approach AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-07 Jiarong Sang, Feng Wei, Junsu Jin
The influences of temperature and water−graphite interaction energy on the contact angle (θ) and structure of water on the graphite‐like substrate have been investigated using the classical density functional theory. We find that the temperature‐dependent behavior of cosθ is contingent upon the water−graphite interaction energy, manifesting in three distinct patterns: increasing, decreasing, or remaining
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Characterizing binary droplet collisions of power‐law fluids AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-07 Arie H. Huijgen, P. M. Durubal, Cristina García Llamas, Kay A. Buist, J. A. M. (Hans) Kuipers, Maike W. Baltussen
This study focuses on the dynamics of two equal‐sized droplets of non‐Newtonian liquids with simulations using the volume of fluid method and the local front reconstruction method. The non‐Newtonian behavior is implement via a power‐law model. The droplet interactions are performed for Weber numbers ranging from 20 to 300 and impact parameters from 0 to 0.6. Both methods produce similar results at
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Insight into the synergetic solvent effect of H2O‐ethanol on the adiponitrile hydrogenation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-06 Le Zhou, Xin Zhang, Yu Han, Xin Li, Ze‐Quan Zeng, Hai‐Kui Zou, Yong Luo
The Co@NC catalyst exhibits significant protic solvent preference for hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines. However, the effect of mixed protic solvents on catalytic hydrogenation has received little attention. Herein, the synergetic solvent effect has been proposed to accelerate the hydrogenation of adiponitrile (ADN) to hexamethylenediamine through H2O‐ethanol hydrogen bond networks on Co@NC
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Weakening origin of hydrogen bond in ionic liquid at the electrified interface AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-06 Junfeng Lu, Tinglan Sun, Yumiao Lu, Hongyan He, Yanlei Wang
Hydrogen bonds (HBs) widely exist in applications ranging from biology to electrochemistry, where quantifying HB at the electrochemical interface poses significant challenges. Herein, we propose an approach to quantitatively decouple the electrostatic and van der Waals interactions of HBs in ionic liquids (ILs) by injecting electrons into the electrode interface. The charging process showed that the
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Experimental study of bubble breakup in water and solid suspension by using the image‐based method AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-06 Haozheng Wang, Xiaoxia Duan, Wenjuan Wu, Xin Feng, Dingwang Huang, Weipeng Zhang, Zheng Li, Runci Song, Junya Cao, Chao Yang
This work investigates the bubble breakup process with and without particles in turbulent conditions using the image‐based method. A binocular high‐speed camera was employed to capture breakup events. A deep learning‐based image identification software (Large Deformation Dispersed Phase Analysis in Multiphase Flows) and a highly deformed bubble volume/surface area quantification method (Dense Adaptive
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Modular chem‐bio upcycling of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) to glycolic acid and 2,4‐pyridine dicarboxylic acid AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-06 Zishuai Wang, Yaoqiang Wang, Gang Xiao, Zequn Tang, Shaojie Wang, Yu Jin, Haijia Su
Upcycling of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) into valuable products represents a promising avenue for advancing carbon neutrality and circular economy. Here, we demonstrate a modular strategy for converting waste PET into glycolic acid (GA) and 2,4‐pyridine dicarboxylic acid (2,4‐PDCA), achieving an upcycling process and 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. We conducted comprehensive
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Seamless scale‐up of tube‐in‐tube millireactors by annular structure and feed method design: Micromixing, residence time distribution and heat transfer AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-06 Hanyang Liu, Ning Yang, Junan Jiang, Zundong Xiao, Chenfeng Wang, Beili Lu, Rijie Wang, Lirong Tang
Flow chemistry is widely valued for its enhanced transport properties and safety, but scaling up while maintaining the advantages of the microenvironment in small‐scale systems remains challenging. We addressed this by developing a novel tube‐in‐tube millireactor with a multi‐hole jet inlet and deflectors, designed to maintain consistent flow regimes and optimize micromixing, residence time distribution
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Solvent‐enabled intensification of liquid–liquid heterogeneous catalysis exemplified by direct hydration of cyclohexene AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-06 Zhixiang Zhang, Xiang Zhang, Ke Wang, Kunchi Xie, Shu Wang, Zhen Song, Hongye Cheng, Lifang Chen, Zhiwen Qi
A strategy of adding solvents to adjust liquid–liquid equilibrium for intensifying liquid–liquid heterogeneous catalytic reactions is presented. A systematic framework involving computational and experimental procedures is proposed for solvent screening and exemplified by the direct hydration of cyclohexene. The solvents that are stable, nonreactive, inert to catalyst, and easily recovered are first
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Screening of metal–organic frameworks for efficient electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-05 Jiawei Lin, Yuhang Li, Hongping Yan, Tingting Qi, Shijing Liang, Lilong Jiang
In this work, 44 metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are screened for efficient electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (eNRR). The isosteric heats of N2 adsorption on the 44 metal active centers of MOFs are calculated by the grand canonical Monte Carlo method. It is found that p‐block‐elements exhibit the highest N2 affinity among all screened elements, implying their excellent catalytic potentials
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Producing battery grade lithium carbonate from salt‐lake brine via bipolar membrane carbon dioxide mineralization AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-03 Weixiang Shan, Guangzhong Cao, Tianle Gu, Xiao Liu, Dongyue Sun, Rongqiang Fu, Zhaoming Liu, Chenxiao Jiang, Tongwen Xu
Producing battery‐grade Li2CO3 product from salt‐lake brine is a critical issue for meeting the growing demand of the lithium‐ion battery industry. Traditional procedures include Na2CO3 precipitation and multi‐stage crystallization for refining, resulting in significant lithium loss and undesired lithium product quality. Herein, we first proposed a bipolar membrane CO2 mineralization technique for
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Dynamics of two bubbles colliding at high Reynolds numbers in water: Bubble rebound behavior study AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-12-03 Runci Song, Kefeng Fang, Bing Xiang, Luchang Han, Xin Feng, Jie Chen, Chao Yang
The collision between bubbles is essential to gas–liquid dispersion systems. When bubbles encounter each other, they may either rebound or coalesce. Yet, little is known about the rebound dynamics immediately after two bubbles collide. This work investigates such collision dynamics of two bubbles at high Reynolds numbers in water through experiment and simulation. The moving velocity, deformation,
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Incorporation of Lewis basic sites into Zn-pyrazolate frameworks for efficient methane/nitrogen separation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-26 Jiaqi Liu, Jiafeng Miao, Lulu Ma, Jinping Li, Jing Li, Hao Wang
The separation of methane (CH4) and nitrogen (N2) in coalbed methane (CBM) is a crucial process to produce methane as a clean energy source. Given the similar physicochemical properties of the two gases, efficient adsorptive separation of CH4 and N2 has stringent requirements on the pore chemistry and geometry of the adsorbents. In this study, we report two Zn-pyrazolates frameworks, HIAM-213 and HIAM-214
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Do large language models “understand” their knowledge? AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-30 Venkat Venkatasubramanian
Large language models (LLMs) are often criticized for lacking true “understanding” and the ability to “reason” with their knowledge, being seen merely as autocomplete engines. I suggest that this assessment might be missing a nuanced insight. LLMs do develop a kind of empirical “understanding” that is “geometry”‐like, which is adequate for many applications. However, this “geometric” understanding
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Hydrodynamics and mass transfer performance of gas–liquid two‐phase flow in a high‐throughput chaotic microreactor AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-30 Jia‐Ni Zhang, Hao‐Tian Tong, Zu‐Chun Shi, Ting‐Liang Xie, Qiang Liu, Shi‐Xiao Wei, Shuang‐Feng Yin
Microbubbles have been widely applied in various fields. Here, an oscillating feedback microreactor (OFM) was designed to produce microbubbles at high throughput (5–80 mL/min), where the hydrodynamics and mass transfer performance of gas–liquid two‐phase system were investigated. The hydrodynamics results showed that three secondary flows (oscillation, vortex, and feedback) could be effectively generated
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Direct conversion of syngas into methyl acetate by relay catalysis: From fabrication of active sites to process control AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-30 Suhan Liu, Gongli Wu, Yuqing Chen, Yaoyao Han, Mingchao Zhang, Jincan Kang, Min Tang, Krijn P. de Jong, Qinghong Zhang, Ye Wang, Kang Cheng
The direct and selective conversion of syngas into C2+ oxygenates is challenging due to the complex reaction network. Here, we report a robust relay system for the direct synthesis of methyl acetate (MA) from syngas, which combines CuZnAlOx/H‐ZSM‐5 for syngas to dimethyl ether (DME) with modified H‐MOR for DME carbonylation. The dehydration of methanol to DME on H‐ZSM‐5 significantly enhanced the hydrogenation
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Discharge reactor for fabricating efficient supported metal catalysts at room temperature in the absence of H2 AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-30 Peng Liu, Xin‐Yu Meng, Xujun Wang, Yiyi Zhao, Yu‐Long Men, Yun‐Xiang Pan
Supported metal catalysts have been widely applied and commonly fabricated through the H2 reduction process. Herein, we develop a H2‐free room‐temperature discharge‐driven reduction (RT‐DR) reactor for fabricating supported metal catalysts at room temperature without H2. By RT‐DR reactor, a catalyst with pseudo‐boehmite (PB) as support (CdS/Pt/PB) is fabricated. In visible‐light‐driven photocatalytic
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High H2 permeability in F‐doped BaZr0.7Ce0.2Y0.1O3−δ perovskite membranes via thermodynamic controlled sintering AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-29 Zhenbin Gu, Jinkun Tan, Haoli Zhou, Zhengkun Liu, Lin Ge, Guangru Zhang, Wanqin Jin
A raw hydrogen mixture frequently results in a reduction in conversion efficiency and the generation of undesired by‐products. The application of advanced membrane technology has the potential to offer an economically viable solution for the recovery of hydrogen from such mixtures. BaZr1−x−yCexYyO3−δ is increasingly regarded as an optimal perovskite hydrogen permeable membrane. Nevertheless, the main
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Stabilization of cuσ+ via strong Cu‐O‐Si interface for efficient electrocatalytic acetylene semi‐hydrogenation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-27 Xiaoli Jiang, Wangxin Ge, Yu Fan, Xuedi Sheng, Hongliang Jiang, Chunzhong Li
The development of a high‐performance electrocatalytic acetylene semi‐hydrogenation catalyst is the key to the selective removal of acetylene from industrial ethylene gas and non‐oil route to ethylene production. However, it is still hampered by the deactivation of the catalyst and hydrogen evolution interference. Here, we proposed an interface engineering strategy involving the Cu and cupric oxide
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Doping Si/O to enhance interfacial occupancy of demulsifiers for low‐carbon breaking of water‐in‐heavy oil emulsions AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-26 Ying Tian, Changqing He, Xincheng Zhang, Lin He, Zhenghe Xu, Hong Sui, Xingang Li
Separating water‐in‐heavy oil (W/HO) emulsions at low (room) temperature is challenging when exploiting heavy oil. We propose an adaptable strategy for constructing Si/O‐doped demulsifiers. A nonionic demulsifier (APBMP) has been synthesized based on polysiloxane modified by allyl polyether and butyl acrylate. APBMP achieves 95.97% dehydration within 5 min for W/HO emulsions at 288.15 K and complete
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Simultaneous optimization of simulated moving bed adsorption and distillation for 2,3‐butanediol recovery AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-26 Marco Avendano, Qiang Fu, Jianpei Lao, Sankar Nair, Matthew J. Realff
A combined simulated moving bed (SMB) and distillation separation scheme is developed to recover 2,3‐butanediol (BDO) from a dilute fermentation broth. The scheme was integrated into a lignocellulosic biorefinery that produces hydrocarbon fuels from corn stover with BDO as an intermediate. BDO recovery is one of the most challenging processes in this biorefinery; and given the high associated energy
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A highly integrated ceramic membrane‐based reactor for intensifying the biomass gasification to clean syngas AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-26 Wei Wei, Qiaoqiao Zhou, Ajing Ding, Shuncheng Li, Feng Zeng, Xuerui Wang, Chong Tian, Zhaoxiang Zhong, Huanhao Chen, Xuehong Gu
Biomass gasification for syngas production is a key operating unit in the biomass utilization process. However, its overall efficiency and stability are often restricted by the presence of complex impurities, including particulate matters (PMs) and tars. In this study, a highly integrated ceramic membrane‐based reactor was developed for high‐temperature syngas cleaning, enabling the efficient in situ
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Boosting electrocatalytic alcohol oxidation: Efficient d–π interaction with modified TEMPO and bioinspired structure AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-26 Ying Chen, Shibin Wang, Zaixiang Xu, Yuhang Wang, Jiahui He, Kai Li, Jieyu Wang, Lihao Liu, Linhan Ren, Suiqin Li, Zhengbin Zhang, Xing Zhong, Jianguo Wang
Aminoxyl radicals electrocatalysis presents a sustainable method for oxidizing alcohols into high‐value products. Nonetheless, the requirement for high doses of aminoxyl radicals diminishes product purity and economic viability. This study synthesized methylimidazole‐functionalized 4‐acetylamino‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐N‐oxyl derivative (MIAcNH‐TEMPO) with a strongly electron‐withdrawing imidazole
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Unlocking electrodialysis efficiency with spacer mesh geometry and material conductivity via finite element analysis AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-25 Yuyang Yao, Junjie Mu, Yueyue Lu, Edison Huixiang Ang, Jiangnan Shen
Spacer meshes in electrodialysis (ED) play a crucial role in influencing fluid and electric field distributions during mass transfer. This study employed finite element analysis using real‐world parameters to explore how spacer mesh geometry and material affect mass transport. Comparisons among different wire mesh configurations revealed increased fluid velocity near mesh wires and reduced electric
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Dynamic optimization of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers considering usage-based degradation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-25 Landon Schofield, Benjamin Paren, Ruaridh Macdonald, Yang Shao-Horn, Dharik Mallapragada
We present a techno-economic optimization model for the design and dynamic operation of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, for enabling cost-effective hydrogen production. This model integrates a 0-D model of the electrolyzer stack, process-wide mass and energy balances, operational constraints, and an empirical relation to characterize degradation as a function of operating current density
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Hydrogen, a versatile chemical for the future: Applications and production methods AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-22 Razieh Etezadi, Rongcheng Wang, Theodore T. Tsotsis
Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, is poised today to play a critical role in the transition toward a clean energy future. This perspective article explores the potential of hydrogen as a clean and sustainable energy carrier. First, the historical and modern hydrogen applications across various sectors are examined. Then, the article delves into the different methods
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Optimal design of hydrogen‐blended natural gas pipeline network considering separation systems AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-22 Shiya Gu, Yunhai Bai, Yachao Dong, Jian Du
Blending hydrogen into existing natural gas pipelines is considered the most feasible choice for long‐distance, large‐scale hydrogen transportation in the early stage of hydrogen economy development. To integrate the optimization of hydrogen‐blended natural gas pipeline network and subsequent hydrogen/natural gas separation process, this article presents a mixed‐integer nonlinear programming model
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Self‐tuning moving horizon estimation of nonlinear systems via physics‐informed machine learning Koopman modeling AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-22 Mingxue Yan, Minghao Han, Adrian Wing‐Keung Law, Xunyuan Yin
In this article, we propose a physics‐informed learning‐based Koopman modeling approach and present a Koopman‐based self‐tuning moving horizon estimation design for a class of nonlinear systems. Specifically, we train Koopman operators and two neural networks—the state lifting network and the noise characterization network—using both data and available physical information. The first network accounts
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An experimental study of pressure drop characteristics under single‐phase flow through packed bed microreactors AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-20 Lu Zhang, Arne Hommes, Remon Schuring, Jun Yue
Packed bed microreactors offer a promising platform for intensifying heterogeneously catalyzed reactions. To understand hydrodynamics therein, N2 or water flow was investigated experimentally through microreactors packed with glass beads in this work, corresponding to a microreactor to particle diameter ratio (D/d) of 1.29–25.12. The porosity of a single pellet string microreactor (D/d < 1.866) agrees
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Anatase‐reinforced PtZn@Silicalite‐1 structured catalysts boosting propane dehydrogenation AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-16 Liming Xia, Bofeng Zhang, Gang Hou, Shuo Zhang, Li Wang, Guozhu Liu
Structured catalysts exhibit the advantages of high diffusion efficiency and low heat transfer resistance, which have attracted increasing attention to non‐adiabatic gas–solid process. However, the metal‐supported coating catalysts face the problems of weaker bond strength and severe sintering, especially under the conditions of large flow rate and high temperature. Herein, metal@Silicalite‐1 structured
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Lignin‐carbon buffered Cu sites for clean H2 evolution coupled to lignin upgrading to jet fuel precursor AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-15 Xiaofei Wang, Jinbin Liao, Xueqing Qiu, Yaxin Deng, Xuliang Lin, Yanlin Qin
Solar‐driven photocatalysis is a promising strategy for clean hydrogen (H2) generation cooperated with selective organic synthesis. Lignin, rich in aromatic units and functional groups, serves as an ideal hole sacrificial agent and substrate, facilitating H2 evolution and yielding high‐value chemicals/fuels. To boost overall photocatalytic redox efficiency, thermal catalysis was further combined to
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Optimizing supramolecular interactions within metal–organic frameworks for ultra‐high purity propylene purification AlChE J. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-11-15 Tong Li, Lu Zhang, Yong Wang, Xiaoxia Jia, Hui Chen, Yongjian Li, Qi Shi, Lin‐Bing Sun, Jinping Li, Banglin Chen, Libo Li
Purifying ultra‐high purity propylene (>99.995%) with an energy‐efficient adsorptive separation method is a promising yet challenging technology that remains unfulfilled. Instead of solely considering the effect of adsorbents on guest molecules, we propose a synergistic adsorption mechanism for the deep removal of propane and propyne, utilizing supramolecular interactions in both “host‐guest” and “guest‐guest”