Aromatic hydrocarbons as a liquid fuel have unique combustion properties (high volume energy density, etc.). Thus preserving the aromatic rings while selectively cleaving the C–O bonds in the hydrodeoxygenation of lignin derived substituted phenols without additional consumption of H₂ is of crucial importance. In this regard, the composite materials, which are used as the catalyst support, were prepared through the hybridization of Nb₂O₅ (niobium oxide) with MC (micro–mesoporous carbon). Ru NPs (nanoparticles) were loaded on the Nb₂O₅-MC composite supports by the incipient wetness impregnation method. And then the as-synthesized catalysts were characterized by various techniques, including XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, NH₃-TPD, XPS, etc. Under mild conditions (200–250 °C and 2.0–10 bar H₂), the Ru/Nb₂O₅-MC catalyst was proved to be highly effective for the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of phenol. With regard to achieving a high selectivity to benzene, the biphasic catalytic process in the decalin/water mixed solvent was superior to the monophasic processes in either the decalin or water solvent under the same conditions. Water acted as a co-solvent that prevented the occurrence of side reactions and promoted the catalytic C–O bond scission of phenol. The synergistic effect of the biphasic solvents (decalin and water) and the Ru/Nb₂O₅-MC composite catalysts, which might stabilize the emulsions and decrease the activation energy of HDO, was investigated. Meanwhile, other probe reactions were conducted to elucidate the mechanism of the HDO of phenol. The application of the efficient biphasic catalytic process may provide a promising approach for improving lignin valorization.

The catalytic activity was enhanced by the introduction of C18PA on the support of the Ru/Nb₂O₅ catalyst. The addition of more Lewis acid sites on the support activated the aromatic ring in phenol and promoted the formation of cyclohexanol.

Straw returning has been shown to improve farmland soil, increase crop yield, and reduce global warming. This study investigated the models of six rice straw-returning techniques based on the life cycle assessment method. Compared to the direct modes, the indirect ones showed a greater environmental impact; up to 20.56 times in acidification and emission potentials. There was no significant difference in climate change among the six types. Except for the burning effect, all other modes showed improvement in soil fertility; phosphorus and organic matter content increased by 66.66% and 30.85%, respectively, microbial biomass carbon content doubled (105%), the four organic carbon components increased by >50%, crop morbidity was reduced, and diversity of soil fungus was improved. Feeding, as an indirect method for enhancing soil fertility and economic benefits, is set to emerge as a leading practice in China’s straw management. However, straw-returning technology is limited by cost, greenhouse gases, and increased risk of diseases and pests. There is an urgent need for further improvement and development of carbon sequestration and emission reduction in China’s agriculture.

Reduced order models that accurately predict the operation of entrained flow gasifiers as components within integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) or polygeneration plants are essential for greater commercialization of gasification-based energy systems. A reduced order model, implemented in Aspen Custom Modeler, for entrained flow gasifiers that incorporates mixing and recirculation, rigorously calculated char properties, drying and devolatilization, chemical kinetics, simplified fluid dynamics, heat transfer, slag behavior and syngas cooling is presented. The model structure and submodels are described. Results are presented for the steady-state simulation of a two-metric-tonne-per-day (2 tpd) laboratory-scale Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) gasifier, fed by two different types of coal. Improvements over the state-of-the-art for reduced order modeling include the ability to incorporate realistic flow conditions and hence predict the gasifier internal and external temperature profiles, the ability to easily interface the model with plant-wide flowsheet models, and the flexibility to apply the same model to a variety of entrained flow gasifier designs. Model validation shows satisfactory agreement with measured values and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results for syngas temperature profiles, syngas composition, carbon conversion, char flow rate, syngas heating value and cold gas efficiency. Analysis of the results shows the accuracy of the reduced order model to be similar to that of more detailed models that incorporate CFD. Next steps include the activation of pollutant chemistry and slag submodels, application of the reduced order model to other gasifier designs, parameter studies and uncertainty analysis of unknown and/or assumed physical and modeling parameters, and activation of dynamic simulation capability.

The catalytic deoxygenation experiments of stearic acid and hydrogen were performed for 6 hours in the presence of a solvent, dodecane, in a temperature range of 295-305°C and the rotational speed of 100rpm, under a certain hydrogen partial pressure (in argon), using palladium supported on active and mesoporous carbon as a catalyst. The results showed, the main liquid-phase product was n-heptadecane, while the main gaseous products were CO₂ and CO. When the partial pressure of hydrogen is 3.0MPa, the acid value of primary product is the lowest and the reaction tends to be gentle, conversion rate of stearic acid and selectivity to n-heptadecane is the highest.