Microwave photocatalysis II: novel continuous‐flow microwave photocatalytic experimental set‐up with titania‐coated mercury electrodeless discharge lamps

BACKGROUND: A continuous‐flow microwave photocatalytic reactor was set up consisting of a glass tube equipped with microwave powered mercury electrodeless discharge lamps (EDLs) coated with thin films of nanoporous titanium(IV) oxide. The effect of operational parameters on photocatalytic degradation of aqueous mono‐chloroacetic acid (MCAA) by a TiO₂/UV/MW process was investigated. RESULTS: Studies were carried out at a relatively high concentration of MCAA (0.1 mol L^?1), and revealed that reaction temperature and light intensity of the EDLs depend inversely on the flow rate, but that the 366 nm line intensity of EDL is directly proportional to the reaction temperature. The photodegradation of MCAA was enhanced by heating and significantly enhanced by air bubbling of the reaction mixture in the glass reservoir at laboratory temperature. The photocatalytic efficiency increased with the number of titania‐coated EDLs inserted in the glass tube reactor. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the operational parameters (i.e. flow rate, reaction temperature, number of titania‐coated EDLs, and air bubbling) had important effects on degradation efficiency. The photocatalytic degradation of MCAA on thin films of titanium(IV) oxide in the continuous‐flow microwave photoreactor can be enhanced in the TiO₂/UV/MW system. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mixing time in an agitated multi‐lamp cylindrical photoreactor using electrical resistance tomography

BACKGROUND: There is scarce information on the application of electrical resistance tomography (ERT) in UV photoreactors, in which mixing and mass transfer are important. Therefore, the feasibility of an ERT system in an agitated multi‐lamp UV photoreactor was investigated to monitor the mixing process. RESULTS: The locations of the UV tubes had a significant impact on the mixing time, particularly at the lower impeller speeds (45 and 150 rpm). Also, at the higher impeller speeds (250, 350, and 500 rpm) and the same radial position (r), changing the angle θ from 15 to 45°, resulted in only a slight variation of the mixing time. Finally, the maximum mixing time occurred when UV tubes were positioned at r = 13 cm (r/R = 0.68) and θ = 0°, while minimum mixing time occurred at location r = 16 cm (r/R = 0.83) and θ = 45°. CONCLUSION: The experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of the ERT system to monitor the mixing process in the UV photoreactor. The ERT results also indicated that the locations of the UV tubes had a significant effect on the mixing performance of the photoreactor. Furthermore, the mixing time varied inversely with the rotational speed, and this effect was more pronounced at lower speeds. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Photocatalytic degradation of malic acid using a thin coated TiO2‐film: Insights on the mechanism of photocatalysis

Decontamination of opaque fluids using photocatalysts and near Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation involves major technical challenges. This study considers a thin TiO₂ layer placed in a new Chemical Reactor Engineering Centre (CREC)‐photoreactor cell. This new photoreactor cell is used for the photocatalytic degradation of malic and malonic acids, typical apple juice components. Conversion of organic species can only proceed through the “dark side” of the TiO₂ layer, which is in direct contact with the fluid. Under the selected operating conditions both external mass‐transfer limitations and photolysis are found to be negligible. Macroscopic radiation balance shows that 92% of near UV radiation is absorbed by the ‘back side” of the TiO₂‐film. Photocatalytic degradation experiments with 10, 20, 30, and 40 ppm malic acid initial concentrations, show that malonic acid is a main intermediate. Complete malic acid conversion occurs after 5–8 h of irradiation. Kinetic modeling of malic and malonic acid photodegradation with kinetic parameter estimation is performed using both an “in series” and an “in series‐parallel” reaction networks. The “in series‐parallel” reaction network displays better ability for predicting CO₂ formation, showing maximum quantum yields of 14.2%. Given that in the CREC‐photoreactor cell with a thin TiO₂‐film, photocatalysis can only proceed via the transfer of mobile “h⁺” sites from the irradiated side to the “dark side', this study demonstrates the significance of this step on the overall photocatalysis mechanism. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3286–3299, 2014     

Advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of p‐hydroxybenzoic acid 1: Photo‐assisted ozonation

The oxidation of p‐hydroxybenzoic acid in aqueous solution by UV radiation and by photo‐assisted ozonation (UV+O₃) has been studied. The effects of temperature (10, 20, 30 and 40 °C), pH (2, 5, 7 and 9) and ozone partial pressure (0.10–0.38 kPa) on the conversion of p‐hydroxybenzoic acid were established. Experimental results indicated that the kinetics for both oxidation processes fit pseudo‐first‐order kinetics well. In the combined process, the overall kinetic rate constant was split into two components: direct oxidation by UV radiation (photolysis) and oxidation by free radicals (mainly OH·) generated in the system. The importance of these two reaction paths for each specific value of ozone partial pressure, temperature and pH was quantified. Lastly, a general expression is proposed for the reaction rate which takes into account the two reaction pathways and is a function of known operating variables. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and properties of alkyl‐substituted poly(1,4‐phenylenevinylene) derivatives

The luminescent poly(2‐dodecyl‐5‐methyl‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene) was synthesized with a new synthetic route. The structure and properties of the polymers were characterized by IR, UV‐vis, luminescent spectra, GPC, and both thermal and elemental analysis. The glass‐transition temperature increases and the photoluminescent relative quantum yield decreases with the increase of the conjugation extent of the polymer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 1299–1304, 2001     

Photochemical Production of Vitamin D2, Scale‐up and Optimization

An effective low cost method for the photochemical production of vitamin D₂ has been studied, including a 200 L batch photoreactor and a continuous reactor. Following optimization of the irradiation time (550 min), initial concentration of ergosterol (1.4 mg/mL) and the number of lamps employed (16) for the batch reactor, the conversion of ergosterol is ca. 50 %, and the selectivity yield of pre‐vitamin D₂ is ca. 84 %. The corresponding data for the continuous reactor are 73 % and 62 %, respectively.     

Kinetics modeling of carbon‐fiber‐reinforced bismaleimide composites under microwave and thermal curing

This article focuses on the analysis of the curing kinetics of carbon‐fiber‐reinforced bismaleimide (BMI) composites during microwave (MW) curing. A nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method was used to obtain an accurate kinetic model. The degree of curing, chemical characterization, and glass‐transition temperature of the resin and composites cured by thermal and MW heating were analyzed with DSC, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The experimental results indicate that MW accelerated the crosslinking reaction of the BMI resin and had different effects on the reaction processes, especially for the glass‐transition temperature and chemical bonds. However, the curing reaction rate of the BMI resin decreased when the carbon fibers were added to the BMI resin during thermal and MW curing. According to the experimental results, the curing kinetic model of the BMI composite was used to provide a theoretical foundation for MW curing analysis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43770.     

Microwave photocatalysis III. Transition metal ion‐doped TiO2 thin films on mercury electrodeless discharge lamps: preparation,characterization and their effect on the photocatalytic degradation of mono‐chloroacetic acid and Rhodamine B

BACKGROUND: Mercury electrodeless discharge lamps (Hg‐EDLs) were used to generate UV radiation when exposed to a microwave field. EDLs were coated with doped TiO₂ in the form of thin films containing transition metal ions Mⁿ⁺ (M = Fe, Co, Ni, V, Cr, Mn, Zr, Ag). Photocatalytic degradation of mono‐chloroacetic acid (MCAA) to HCl, CO₂, and H₂O, and decomposition of Rhodamine B on the thin films were investigated in detail. RESULTS: Polycrystalline thin doped TiO₂ films were prepared by dip‐coating of EDL via a sol–gel method using titanium n‐butoxide, acetylacetone, and a transition metal acetylacetonate. The films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron microprobe analysis and by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The photocatalytic activity of doped TiO₂ films was monitored in the decomposition of Rhodamine B in water. Compared with the pure TiO₂ film, the UV/Vis spectra of V, Zr and Ag‐doped TiO₂ showed significant absorption in the visible region, and hence the photocatalytic degradation of MCAA had increased. The best apparent degradation rate constant (0.0125 min^?1), which was higher than that on the pure TiO₂ film by a factor of 1.7, was obtained with the Ag(3%)/TiO₂ photocatalyst. The effect of doping level of vanadium acetylacetonate on the photocatalytic efficiency of the V‐doped TiO₂ was determined. CONCLUSIONS: Transition metal ion‐doped TiO₂ thin films showed significant absorption in the visible region. The metal doped TiO₂ photocatalyst (with an appropriate amount of V, Zr and Ag) on the Hg‐EDLs increased the degradation efficiency of MCAA in a microwave field. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Continuous‐Flow Di‐N‐Alkylation of 1H‐Benzimidazole in a Fixed‐Bed Reactor

A new process for a continuous‐flow di‐N‐alkylation of 1H‐benzimidazole to 1H‐benzimidazole‐3‐ium iodide by methylene iodide in the presence of potassium carbonate in a fixed‐bed reactor is presented. The synthesis was transferred from batch to continuous operation with similar yields and conversion rates. Moreover, the influence of temperature and residence time in the continuous flow setup was characterized; optimized conditions led to a doubling of yield. In addition, the continuous flow allowed for a better control of the two‐step reaction by adding an additional tube reactor after the fixed bed that further enhanced the overall performance. With this, the continuous‐flow system presented itself as superior due to higher available temperatures and a better controllability.     

On‐line determination of the conversion in a styrene bulk polymerization batch reactor using near‐infrared spectroscopy

A fast on‐line method for measuring the monomer conversion of a styrene batch polymerization reaction with near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIR) has been developed. Multivariate calibration was performed, using polymer samples having temperatures around the set point of the batch reactor (75–85°C) and monomer conversions up to 35%. The calibration model was built in such a way that the effect of the temperature on the predicted conversion of the sample was minimized. The method was validated in a number of batch runs. In these runs, the batch temperature and molar mass distributions of the polymer were varied. At‐line size‐exclusion chromatography was used as a reference method for measuring the monomer conversion. Results show that on‐line conversion monitoring with NIR offered overall an excellent accuracy (～ 0.32% conversion). For high and low monomer conversions a small bias in the predicted conversion is present. The method proved to be insensitive to both relative large changes (10°C) of the batch temperature and to considerable changes of the molar mass distribution of the polymer. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 90–98, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10241     

Advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of p‐hydroxybenzoic acid 2: Photo‐assisted Fenton oxidation

Oxidation of p‐hydroxybenzoic acid in aqueous solution by the photo‐assisted Fenton reaction (Fe²⁺ + H₂O₂ + UV) has been studied. The effects of ferrous ion concentration (0.05, 0.14 and 0.29 mmol dm^?3), temperature (10, 20, 30 and 40 °C), and initial hydrogen peroxide concentration (0.7, 1.4, 2.2 and 2.9 mmol dm^?3) on the p‐hydroxybenzoic acid conversion were established. Experimental results indicate that the kinetics of this oxidation process fits pseudo‐first‐order kinetics well. The overall kinetic rate constant was split into two components: direct oxidation by UV radiation (photolysis) and oxidation by free radicals (mainly OH·) generated in the system. The importance of these two reaction paths for each specific value of ferrous ion concentration, temperature and initial hydrogen peroxide concentration was evaluated. A semi‐empirical expression is proposed for the overall reaction rate which takes into account both oxidation pathways and is a function of operating variables. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Kinetics of microwave‐assisted polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone

The kinetics of polymerization of ?‐caprolactone (CL) in bulk was studied by irradiating with microwave of 350 W and frequency of 2.45 GHz with different cycle‐heating periods (30–50 s). The molecular weight distributions were determined as a function of reaction time by gel permeation chromatography. Because the temperature of the system continuously varied with reaction time, a model based on continuous distribution kinetics with time/temperature‐dependent rate coefficients was proposed. To quantify the effect of microwave on polymerization, experiments were conducted under thermal heating. The polymerization was also investigated with thermal and microwave heating in the presence of zinc catalyst. The activation energies determined from temperature‐dependent rate coefficients for pure thermal heating, thermally aided catalytic polymerization, and microwave‐aided catalytic polymerization were 24.3, 13.4, and 5.7 kcal/mol, respectively. This indicates that microwaves increase the polymerization rate by lowering the activation energy. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1450–1456, 2004     

Tetraacetyl‐dibenzyl‐hexaazaisowurtzitane Nitrosation – Studies on Scale‐up Synthesis of HNIW

A study made on 2,4,6,8‐tetraacetyl‐10,12‐dibenzyl‐2,4,6,8,10,12‐hexaazaisowurtzitane (TADBIW) nitrosation in acetic acid to 2,4,6,8‐tetraacetyl‐10,12‐dinitroso‐2,4,6,8,10,12‐hexaazaisowurtzitane (TADNOIW) allows the reaction time to be considerably shortened. During the study, the reaction yield was found to be affected by variables such as temperature, time and UV radiation. The major factor controlling the reaction rate was found to be the concentration of NO₂ molecules in the reaction mixture. Under optimal conditions the product is obtained in a 90–93% yield after 6 h of the reaction conducted at 70 °C. UV radiation increases the reaction rate, yet the product obtained is of inferior purity on account of the by‐product formed.     

三相流化床中光催化降解反应特性的研究

在设计并建立的流态化光催化反应器中,采用负载型光催化剂对甲基橙水溶液进行了光催化降解实验研究。优化了三相流化状态下光催化反应器的操作条件, 其结果为:气体流量200-250Lh-1,液体流量30 Lh-1,催化剂用量为1.5gkg-1处理液;考察了该反应器中催化剂的使用寿命,为光催化降解技术的工业应用研究提供了参考。     

Thermally reversible highly cross‐linked polymeric materials based on furan/maleimide Diels‐Alder adducts

A novel thermally reversible cross‐linked polymer has been synthesized by a Diels‐Alder (DA) reaction between bis(4‐maleimido‐phenyl)fluorene (cBMI) and tetrakis‐furan monomers (4F) under microwave (MW) irradiation. The ultimate aim of this work was the preparation of a thermosetting material recyclable by a simple thermal treatment. The use of the MW irradiation was necessary because under thermal conditions the DA polymerization could lead to materials only partially cross‐linked for a not desired equilibrium between DA and retro‐DA processes induced by the high temperature. The easy thermal degradation of this cross‐linked material was ascertained by appropriate experiments. Moreover, to better study the involved reactions of formation and decomposition, a more simple model‐compound was also synthesized. The reported data confirm the recyclability of the synthesized cross‐linked polymer by simply heating with the possibility of a regeneration of the polymer network by a further MW irradiation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42314.     

Microwave‐Assisted Chemical Reactions

This article reviews the state of the art of microwave‐assisted reactions and the influence of microwaves on mass and heat transfer. The heating behavior of representative test reactions and single substances is compared for heating with microwaves and thermal energy. Similarities and differences between convective heating and dielectric irradiation methods are discussed with regard to the yield, the selectivity, and the enantiomeric purity of the reaction products. Furthermore, prevailing problems related to the scale‐up of microwave‐assisted reactions are discussed considering the energy absorption of the substances and mixtures to be heated, and their dependence on the energy consumption and the amount of substance.     

Process modeling of the low‐temperature evolution and yield of polycarbosilanes for ceramic matrix composites

The volatilization of polycarbosilanes is important to the processing and performance of polymer infiltration and pyrolysis‐based ceramic matrix composites. Low molecular weight (MW) polycarbosilane is often present in preceramic polymers and enhances viscosity for the purpose of composite infiltration. Due to the volatility of low MW chains, a model was developed to semi‐empirically determine the MW distribution and then predict the mass yield and evolution of the MW distribution as a function of temperature and time for StarPCS^? SMP‐10. The enthalpy of vaporization, the temperature dependence of the enthalpy of vaporization, the temperature dependence of the normal boiling point and a representation of the molecular weight distribution were fit using a series of thermogravimetric measurements, involving isothermal holds on a particular batch of SMP‐10. Once calibrated for SMP‐10 in this fashion, the molecular weight distribution of different batches of SMP‐10 could be fit using a thermogravimetric measurement involving a reduced temperature‐time series. The model was then predictive of mass loss over time for temperatures below the onset of curing (>90°C). Understanding this volatilization enables improved SiC yield, reduced processing time and minimizing void/bubble formation.     

Optimization and kinetic modeling of lipase catalyzed enantioselective N‐acetylation of ( ± )‐1‐phenylethylamine under microwave irradiation

BACKGROUND: Optically pure amines are used in the fine chemical industry as resolving agents, chiral auxiliaries, and chiral synthetic building blocks for pharmaceuticals as well as agrochemicals. Lipase‐catalyzed kinetic resolution of ( ± )‐1‐phenylethylamine with ethyl acetate as an acyl donor was achieved using immobilized lipase (Novozyme 435) as a biocatalyst under microwave irradiation. RESULTS: Response surface methodology was employed with a four‐factor‐three‐level Box‐Behnken design to evaluate the effect of synthesis parameters (speed of agitation, enzyme loading, temperature and acyl donor:amine molar ratio) on conversion, enantiomeric excess, enantioselectivity and initial rate. The optimum reaction conditions obtained were mole ratio of acyl donor:amine 1:1, temperature 49.86 °C, 0.03 g of catalyst loading and 345 rpm speed of agitation, giving 49.12% conversion, 78.83% enantiomeric excess and an enantioselectivity of 38.21. R‐stereopreference of lipase was analyzed in detail from the aspects of enzymatic kinetic mechanism and reaction activation energy of both enantiomers. CONCLUSION: Novozyme 435 was found to be the most active chiral catalyst for resolution of ( ± )‐1‐phenylethylamine under microwave irradiation. Statistical analysis was satisfactorily used to determine the optimum reaction conditions. It was found that lipase has R‐stereopreference and the reaction matches the Ping Pong Bi Bi mechanism with dead‐end inhibition of 1‐phenylethylamine. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

The reaction mechanism of diethyl‐2,3‐dicyano‐2,3‐di(p,m‐dimethoxylphenyl) succinate with styrene

The radical polymerization of styrene (ST) can be initiated by diethyl‐2,3‐dicyano‐2,3‐di(dimethoxyphenyl) succinate (ECPS). The reaction mechanism has been studied by means of UV, H¹‐NMR, product analysis, gel permeation chromatography, electronic spin resonance (ESR), and the conversion of monomer via time. These experimental results indicate that ECPS probably takes the place of complex with ST, and the complex interaction between ECPS and ST can take advantage of the dissociation of the C C bond. The complex interaction and thermal effect are the important factors causing the dissociation of C C bond. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 1140–1145, 1999