The state of Tin on Pt–Sn/Nb2O5 catalysts

The effect of tin addition on niobia supported catalysts was studied and compared to the properties of alumina supported bimetallic Pt–Sn catalysts. The catalyst surfaces were probed by methylcyclopentane conversion, showing that both the presence of Sn and the reduction of the support caused a decrease in hydrogenolysis activity, favoring the ring enlargement reaction. The thermodynamics of reduction of these systems, evaluated by following the reduction step (temperature programmed reduction — TPR) with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and irreversible H₂ and CO uptakes, allowed to conclude that a Pt–Sn alloy is formed on niobia supported catalysts.     

Sourdough in gluten-free bread-making: An ancient technology to solve a novel issue?

The increasing demand for high quality gluten-free (GF) bread, clean labels and natural products is raising the need for new approaches in GF bread-making. Sourdough is the foremost fermentation used for baking purposes and it has been proven to be ideal for improving the texture, palatability, aroma, shelf life and nutritional value of wheat and rye breads. These characteristic features derive from the complex metabolic activities of the sourdough-resident lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, e.g. acidification, production of exopolysaccharides, proteolytic- amylolytic- and phytase activity, and production of antimicrobial substances. These effects have been extensively studied and well described for traditional baking, whereas little is known about the role of sourdough in GF baking. Yet, the microbiological and qualitative characterisation of local GF fermented products indicate an overlap with the microbiota of wheat/rye fermentation and suggest that the positive metabolic activities of the sourdough microbiota are still retained during fermentation of GF crops. Thus, the use of sourdough in GF baking may be the new frontier for improving the quality, safety and acceptability of GF bread.     

Rotational spectrum of CO2 in helium clusters

We present a theoretical study, based on Reptation Quantum Monte Carlo simulations, of a single CO₂ molecule embedded in a Helium cluster (⁴He)_N, with 2 ≤ N ≤ 50. Upon studying density profiles and rotational dynamics, we find a nontrivial behaviour that corresponds to the formation of the first solvation shell. We determine the value of N for which the rotational constant begins to approach the nanodroplet limit. We also give an example of computational spectroscopy, illustrating the complementarity of simulations and experiments.PACS numbers: 61.46, +w, 02.70.Ss, 36.40.Mr     

A simple method to compute hydrogen chloride abatement in geothermal power plants

One of the most important problems affecting geothermal fields is the abatement of hydrogen chloride contained in the vapor phase. If the chloride concentration exceeds a few ppmw, steam scrubbing must be provided in order to prevent corrosion of the gathering system and turbine failure. In some fields at Larderello, one of the most important geothermal areas in Italy, steam scrubbing is performed by injecting a caustic solution directly into the steam pipeline. In particular, the abatement system depends on absorption with chemical reaction of hydrogen chloride by a sodium hydroxide solution. This paper describes some of the Larderello power plant abatement systems and presents analyses of the different solutions adopted for this purpose. Finally, some simplified models for computing abatement efficiency in sprays, pipelines, static mixers, cyclones and vane type demisters—the equipment generally used in these plants—are proposed. The proposed models are able to predict the data measured in these power plants with good accuracy, and so they can be regarded as useful tools for designing new abatement systems or optimizing the existing ones.     

Reducing the Gas Pressure Drop in Suction Mufflers of Hermetic Reciprocating Compressors

The suction muffler of hermetic reciprocating compressors is installed in order to attenuate the noise generated by the gas pulsation of the flow through the suction valve. However, the installation of the suction muffler affects the operation of the compressor owing to gas pressure drop, which causes volumetric and energetic efficiency loss due to the gas specific volume augmentation. Therefore, there is a compromise between sound attenuation and pressure drop increase, which has to be taken into account by compressor designers. In this work, it presents a numerical solution to the flow through a suction muffler in order to analyze the pressure field and point out the main contributions to the overall pressure drop of the flow. A commercial CFD （computational fluid dynamics） code was used to perform the numerical simulations and the results were validated by using experimental data. After analyzing the pressure field, the geometry of the muffler was modified intending to decrease the flow pressure drop. The geometric modification produced a 28% reduction on the overall pressure drop, without influencing the sound attenuation.     

In vitro fermentation characteristics of diets with different forage/concentrate ratios: comparison of rumen and faecal inocula

BACKGROUND: The aim of this trial was to evaluate the replacement of rumen fluid with faeces as inoculum in studying the in vitro fermentation characteristics of diets for ruminants using the in vitro gas production technique. Six iso‐protein diets with different forage/concentrate ratios were incubated with rumen fluid (RI) or faeces (FI) collected from sheep. RESULTS: Most of the fermentation parameters were influenced by diet and inoculum (P < 0.01). With both inocula, organic matter degradability (dOM), cumulative gas production (OMCV) and maximum fermentation rate (R_max) increased as the amount of concentrate in the diet increased. R_max was lower with FI vs RI (P < 0.01); dOM was higher with FI vs RI and the diet × inoculum interaction was significant. As expected, with both inocula, R_max increased as the neutral detergent fibre content of the diet decreased. Significant correlations were obtained using both inocula between OMCV/dOM and gas/volatile fatty acid (VFA), while the correlation VFA/dOM was significant only with FI. The microbial biomass yield calculated by stoichiometric analysis for all diets was higher with FI vs RI. With FI the organic matter used for microbial growth showed an overall decreasing trend as the amount of concentrate in the diet increased. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that both faeces and rumen fluid from sheep have the potential to be used as inoculum for the in vitro gas production technique. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Maternal dietary habits and mycotoxin occurrence in human mature milk

During 2006, 82 samples of human mature milk were collected at Italian hospitals and checked for aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) by immunoaffinity column extraction and HPLC. AFM1 was detected in four (5%) of milk samples (ranging from < 7 ng/L to 140 ng/L; mean level: 55.35 ng/L); OTA was detected in 61 (74%) of milk samples (ranging from < 5 ng/L to 405 ng/L; mean level: 30.43 ng/L. OTA levels were significantly higher (p less, not double equals 0.05) in milk of habitual consumers of bread, bakery products and cured pork meat. No other statistically significant differences were observed although habitual consumers of pasta (p = 0.059), cookies (p = 0.061) and juices (p = 0.063) had mean contamination values of OTA higher than the moderate consumer. The very few AFB1 positive samples did not allow statistical comparisons. The present study confirms that the occurrence of OTA in human milk is related to maternal dietary habits. The findings support the possibility of dietary recommendations to woman, during pregnancy and lactation, aimed to tentatively reduce the OTA contamination of human milk.