Sustainable construction: life cycle energy analysis of construction on sloping sites for residential buildings

In 2010, the Australian residential construction sector contributed about 28% of the value of all construction and was responsible for 8% of the total energy consumption. Residential construction will continue to increase to cope with the demand due to population growth. Owing to land scarcity, construction on sloping sites has become a common construction method for residential development in Australia. This method has economic benefits but poses environmental issues as it damages topsoil, disturbs natural drainage and groundwater pathways and imposes additional stress on soil under fill. The life cycle energy consumption of the construction process is examined in relation to residential projects on sloping sites on a range of slopes and soil types in New South Wales, Australia. Forty-one detached dwellings were selected and a service life of 60 years assumed for the study. The research findings reveal that the slope for each type of soil has a positive correlation with life cycle energy consumption. As part of the onsite construction process, the results also show that the energy consumption of construction on sloping sites plays a significant factor in the life cycle energy analysis of a building.     

Hydrodynamics of pulsed spouted beds: Effects of pulsation waveform,amplitude, and frequency

The effect of flow pulsations is studied via a discrete element model on hydrodynamics of spouted bed, which is being used in many important industries like drying processes. Decreased horizontal air percolation and preserving upward momentum, increased particle circulation, increased particle traverse distance, and better homogeneity are resulted from flow pulsations in spouted beds. Among the waveforms studied, square and triangular waveforms differ most and least from steady spouting, respectively. The predictions indicate that the pulsed spouted bed has the potential to enhance both gas and particle motion, hence being useful in drying and other operations.     

Subunit‐Specific Labeling of Ubiquitin Chains by Using Sortase: Insights into the Selectivity of Deubiquitinases

Information embedded in different ubiquitin chains is transduced by proteins with ubiquitin‐binding domains (UBDs) and erased by a set of hydrolytic enzymes referred to as deubiquitinases (DUBs). Understanding the selectivity of UBDs and DUBs is necessary for decoding the functions of different ubiquitin chains. Critical to these efforts is the access to chemically defined ubiquitin chains bearing site‐specific fluorescent labels. One approach toward constructing such molecules involves peptide ligation by sortase (SrtA), a bacterial transpeptidase responsible for covalently attaching cell surface proteins to the cell wall. Here, we demonstrate the utility of SrtA in modifying individual subunits of ubiquitin chains. Using ubiquitin derivatives in which an N‐terminal glycine is unveiled after protease‐mediated digestion, we synthesized ubiquitin dimers, trimers, and tetramers with different isopeptide linkages. SrtA was then used in combination with fluorescent depsipeptide substrates to effect the modification of each subunit in a chain. By constructing branched ubiquitin chains with individual subunits tagged with a fluorophore, we provide evidence that the ubiquitin‐specific protease USP15 prefers ubiquitin trimers but has little preference for a particular isopeptide linkage. Our results emphasize the importance of subunit‐specific labeling of ubiquitin chains when studying how DUBs process these chains.     

Advances in the biological treatment of coal for synthetic natural gas and chemicals

Coal, the most primitive fossil fuel, has been exploited for ages, and reserves dictate the economies of many countries. Presently, most energy is generated by direct combustion, raising concerns over global warming. Biological pretreatment of fossil resources and generation of alternative green energy can address the environmental issues associated with global coal utilization. Biological coal treatment can produce industrially important chemicals and bio-methane by employing microorganisms able to depolymerize/degrade coal. This review discusses current advances in microbial coal conversion, such as the efforts made to comprehend microbial processes, significant outputs of coal conversion, principle components responsible for coal conversion, and factors affecting the biological processes to convert coal. Development of these biological processes can be a stepping stone for greener coal; however, integration of multidisciplinary technologies is needed to increase the efficiency of economic coal utilization and production of economically and industrially feasible biomethane.     

与长三角地区对接 与世界名企互动——湖南岳阳绿色化工产业园在上海走上国际大型招商展台

<正>2014年10月30日,湖南岳阳绿色化工产业园在上海成功举行招商推介会。壳牌中国公司等11家世界500强化工企业和南京红宝丽集团等47家长三角地区知名化工企业代表到会,并就煤气化、聚醚多元醇和尼龙制品等项目进行洽谈,预计意向投资27.5亿元;与仲量联行(上海)公司等16家企业初步达成合作意向。此次推介会由湖南岳阳绿色化工产业园主办,中石化巴陵石化有限公司、中石化长岭炼化有限公     

英威达全新己二胺和尼龙6,6聚合物一体化项目落户上海化学工业园区

<正>英威达公司己二胺和尼龙6,6聚合物新生产基地2014年3月26日在上海化学工业园区奠基。这是英威达在中国建设一体化尼龙6,6生产基地计划的重要里程碑,也是英威达致力于中国发展的又一例证。此次奠基典礼共有300多名嘉宾参加,其中包括上海化学工业园区、金山区政府及相关部门的领导,当地客户,英威达管理层以及及员工代表。英威达董事长兼首席执行官詹毅志(Jeff Gentry)先生说:"中国是英威达发展战略最重要的区域之一。近年来,我们在中国的发展     

立邦中国品牌升级启航 向全方位涂料服务商迈进

<正>涂料界领军品牌——立邦中国最近在上海举行品牌升级媒体见面会,立邦中国区总裁钟中林先生就立邦品牌升级计划与在场媒体进行了深入交谈。立邦期待通过品牌升级计划实现从涂料生产向服务运营的转型,向"全方位涂料服务商"的目标更进一步。在涂料行业,先进的技术和多元化的产品一直是企业满足市场需求、保持竞争优势的关键因素。同时,消费者对于涂料产品本身以     

汽车天然气储罐采用帝斯曼高性能热塑性复合材料提升承压性能

<正>荷兰皇家帝斯曼集团最近表示,通过结合两种最具创新性的热塑性技术而成功打造的高性能压力容器,非常适合用作压缩天然气(CNG)或氢燃料汽车的轻型储气罐。利用兼具内层衬胆和外层复合纤维加固的解决方案,帝斯曼能够将储气罐的重量大幅减少70%。氢气和天然气在汽车燃料的经济性和低碳性方面占有重要地