It is an hypothesis that the sun will rise tomorrow: and this means that we do not know whether it will rise -- Ludwig Wittgenstein (Philosopher, 1889 - 1951)
One of the great things about Alerts is that they remind me that researchers by the hundreds or even thousands are working tirelessly to solve the problems caused by the thousands of researchers who came before them.
For researchers in the desulfurization arena, this item may be useful …
In situ magnetic separation and immobilization of dibenzothiophene-desulfurizing bacteria
Yu-Guang Li, Hong-Shuai Gao, Wang-Liang Li, Jian-Min Xing, Hui-Zhou Liu
Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 353, Beijing 100190, PR China
From the article’s introduction we read …
Environmental regulations on sulfur contents have prompted research on high-level desulfurization for near-zero sulfur (<1 ppm) ultra-clean fuels ( Song, 2003 ). To meet lower sulfur requirements, refiners need to operate their conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) unit at more severe conditions than usual, such as higher temperature, higher pressure and longer residence time (Soleimani et al., 2007), and some aromatic sulfur-containing compounds such as alkylated dibenzothiophenes (Cx -DBTs) are resistant to HDS treatment. Therefore, new design approaches, such as biodesulfurization (BDS) ( Kilbane, 2006), adsorption desulfurization (Yang et al., 2003) and oxidation extraction desulfurization (Yu et al., 2005) were proposed for efficient production of ultra low sulfur fuels.
Our previously work had sought to improve the desulfurization performance by assembling γ-Al2O3 NPs to the surface of Pseudomonas delafieldii R-8 cells to facilitate adsorption of DBT ( Shan et al., 2005a,b). From the point of commercial application, the Rhodococcus strains possess several properties favorable for desulfurization over Pseudomonas in an oil–water system. First, the hydrophobic nature of Rhodococcus makes them access preferentially Cx-DBTs from the oil, resulting in little mass-transfer limitation (Le Borgne and Quintero, 2003; Monticello, 2000 ). Moreover, the Rhodococcus bacteria are more resistant to solvents than Pseudomonas (Bouchez-Naitali et al., 2004 ). Therefore, we attempted to develop a simple and effective technique by integrating the advantages of magnetic separation and cell immobilization for BDS process with Rhodococcus . To our knowledge, in situ magnetic separation and immobilization of bacteria for BDS has never been reported. In the present work, Fe3O4 NPs were modified with ammonium oleate to produce hydrophilic magnetic fluids. Oleate-modified NPs successfully recovered the target from the culture medium of Rhodococcus erythropolis LSSE8-1. The one-step magnetically immobilized cells exhibited good catalytic activity and repeated-batch desulfurization operational stability.
Source: http://www.nanoarchive.org/7197/
Following up, I visited the Web site of the Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, which described the group’s mission as follows …
Focusing on the key scientific and technological problems in green utilization of resources including natural and secondary resources and applying the theories and methods of environmentally benign green process engineering, the laboratory aims to investigate and develop new theories, new processes, originally innovative technologies, and industrialized technical integration with high efficiency and clean attributes for upgrading process in environmental and ecological industry systems and materials industries. By establishing demonstration pilot plants and transferring specific and integrated clean production technologies, the laboratory is devoted to boost circular economy of process industries in Chi
source: http://english.ipe.cas.cn/rh/rd/200906/t20090629_9235.html
Might be worth bookmarking this site for future reference.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Google Tools Tip: Blogger
An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. -- Bill Vaughan
Add value to your work as a desulfurization expert with Blogger. By posting tidbits of information that surfaces as you pursue your work, you can help keep colleagues abreast of new developments.
Some of your colleagues will be co-workers in your organization ... others will be researchers in other organizations.
Either way, you enhance your reputation as an expert with very little additional effort on your part.
To start, just go to the Google home page and look for Tools.
Another useful site for the new blogger is www.WikiHow.com ... search for "blog" and you will get several articles with useful hints on successful blogging.
Some tips I have gleaned during the process of creating this blog are ...
1) Be honest. If you are not an expert on a topic of interest, don't pretend to be one. In the desulfurization blog, I do not represent myself as a desulfurization expert. I do, however, stress that I am an expert in finding published information on desulfurization, and I share that expertise in my posts
2) Be interesting. This is very subjective, because our interests are so diverse ... still, try to make it worthwhile for a busy colleague to visit your blog
3) Be diligent. Post something at least once a week. To do less is to be relegated to the dustbin of history.
Finally, when you create your blog, send me an email at research@JeanSteinhardtConsulting.com ... I would like to follow it.
Add value to your work as a desulfurization expert with Blogger. By posting tidbits of information that surfaces as you pursue your work, you can help keep colleagues abreast of new developments.
Some of your colleagues will be co-workers in your organization ... others will be researchers in other organizations.
Either way, you enhance your reputation as an expert with very little additional effort on your part.
To start, just go to the Google home page and look for Tools.
Another useful site for the new blogger is www.WikiHow.com ... search for "blog" and you will get several articles with useful hints on successful blogging.
Some tips I have gleaned during the process of creating this blog are ...
1) Be honest. If you are not an expert on a topic of interest, don't pretend to be one. In the desulfurization blog, I do not represent myself as a desulfurization expert. I do, however, stress that I am an expert in finding published information on desulfurization, and I share that expertise in my posts
2) Be interesting. This is very subjective, because our interests are so diverse ... still, try to make it worthwhile for a busy colleague to visit your blog
3) Be diligent. Post something at least once a week. To do less is to be relegated to the dustbin of history.
Finally, when you create your blog, send me an email at research@JeanSteinhardtConsulting.com ... I would like to follow it.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Bing® v. Google®
It's possible, you can never know, that the universe exists only for me. If so, it's sure going well for me, I must admit. -- Bill Gates
To Google® is to search cyberspace for information on a particular topic. Microsoft hopes to add the word “bing” to the cybersearch lexicon.
Google stands head and shoulders above every other search engine I have used to find technical information relating to desulfurization. Can Microsoft’s Bing® seriously compete with Google®?
One way to answer this question is to do a side-by-side comparison of search results on a technical term. You could open two browser windows to do this … or you could go to Bing-vs-Google (http://www.bing-vs-google.com/) and literally view the results of your search side by side.
I took this for a test drive using the search string …
Dibenzothiophene 2009
For technical cyber-research, I still prefer Googling. But Binging the competition should make research on the Internet better for all of us.
To Google® is to search cyberspace for information on a particular topic. Microsoft hopes to add the word “bing” to the cybersearch lexicon.
Google stands head and shoulders above every other search engine I have used to find technical information relating to desulfurization. Can Microsoft’s Bing® seriously compete with Google®?
One way to answer this question is to do a side-by-side comparison of search results on a technical term. You could open two browser windows to do this … or you could go to Bing-vs-Google (http://www.bing-vs-google.com/) and literally view the results of your search side by side.
I took this for a test drive using the search string …
Dibenzothiophene 2009
For technical cyber-research, I still prefer Googling. But Binging the competition should make research on the Internet better for all of us.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Google Tools Tip: Alerts
"The Internet is the most important single development in the history of human communication since the invention of call waiting" -- Dave Barry
When you Google for desulfurization, you can save yourself some browsing time by focusing on a technical term that filters out much of the irrelevant stuff. One word I use a lot is dibenzothiophene.
Combine this technique with the Google Alerts feature, and you can save search time as well … especially if your goal is just to keep on top of developments, rather than to do a full scale literature search.
And, if your company subscribes to EbscoHost or ScienceDirect or something similar, remember to investigate the Alerts feature available through these services, as well.
Here are some recent items for your consideration.
Deep HDS of Diesel Fuel: Inhibiting Effect of Nitrogen Compounds on the Transformation of the Refractory 4,6-Dimethyldibenzothiophene Over a NiMoP/Al2O3 Catalyst
Journal Catalysis Letters
Publisher Springer Netherlands
Issue Volume 129, Numbers 1-2 / April, 2009
V. Rabarihoela-Rakotovao1, F. Diehl2 and S. Brunet1
(1) Laboratoire de Catalyse en Chimie Organique UMR CNRS 6503, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Poitiers, 40, avenue du Recteur Pineau, 86022 Poitiers Cedex, France
(2) IFP-Lyon Catalysis and Separation Division BP 3, 69360 Solaize Cedex, France
source: http://www.springerlink.com/content/8515861845g86872/
///
Hydrodesulfurization of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene over high surface area metal phosphides
RUI WANG (1) ; SMITH Kevin J. (1) ;
(1) Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, CANADA
Applied catalysis. A, General ISSN 0926-860X
2009, vol. 361, no1-2, pp. 18-25 [8 page(s) (article)] (31 ref.)
source: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=21563248
///
National Tsing Hua University Institutional Repository
Title: Deep hydrodesulfurization over Co/Mo catalysts supported on oxides containing vanadium
Authors: Wang CM;Tsai TC;Wang I
Date: 2009
Relation: JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS, Elsevier, Volume 262, Issue 2, MAR 10 2009, Pages 206-214
source: http://nthur.lib.nthu.edu.tw/handle/987654321/39704
///
When you Google for desulfurization, you can save yourself some browsing time by focusing on a technical term that filters out much of the irrelevant stuff. One word I use a lot is dibenzothiophene.
Combine this technique with the Google Alerts feature, and you can save search time as well … especially if your goal is just to keep on top of developments, rather than to do a full scale literature search.
And, if your company subscribes to EbscoHost or ScienceDirect or something similar, remember to investigate the Alerts feature available through these services, as well.
Here are some recent items for your consideration.
Deep HDS of Diesel Fuel: Inhibiting Effect of Nitrogen Compounds on the Transformation of the Refractory 4,6-Dimethyldibenzothiophene Over a NiMoP/Al2O3 Catalyst
Journal Catalysis Letters
Publisher Springer Netherlands
Issue Volume 129, Numbers 1-2 / April, 2009
V. Rabarihoela-Rakotovao1, F. Diehl2 and S. Brunet1
(1) Laboratoire de Catalyse en Chimie Organique UMR CNRS 6503, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Poitiers, 40, avenue du Recteur Pineau, 86022 Poitiers Cedex, France
(2) IFP-Lyon Catalysis and Separation Division BP 3, 69360 Solaize Cedex, France
source: http://www.springerlink.com/content/8515861845g86872/
///
Hydrodesulfurization of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene over high surface area metal phosphides
RUI WANG (1) ; SMITH Kevin J. (1) ;
(1) Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, CANADA
Applied catalysis. A, General ISSN 0926-860X
2009, vol. 361, no1-2, pp. 18-25 [8 page(s) (article)] (31 ref.)
source: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=21563248
///
National Tsing Hua University Institutional Repository
Title: Deep hydrodesulfurization over Co/Mo catalysts supported on oxides containing vanadium
Authors: Wang CM;Tsai TC;Wang I
Date: 2009
Relation: JOURNAL OF CATALYSIS, Elsevier, Volume 262, Issue 2, MAR 10 2009, Pages 206-214
source: http://nthur.lib.nthu.edu.tw/handle/987654321/39704
///
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Expert Alert: Dr. Fuli Li, Professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences
It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it. --Steven Wright (US comedian and actor)
It’s a small world, but it is home to a large number of brilliant people … here is one of them …
Dr. Fuli Li, Professor.
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Qingdao Institute of BioEnergy and Bioprocess Technology
Microbial Resources Group Leader
lifl@qibebt.ac.cn
+86-532-80662655
Interests listed for the group include …
1. Screening of microbes with potential use in bioenergy production using high throughput method
2. Identification of novel cellulase involved in biomass degradation
3. Energy microorganism resource center culture bank
According to the group’s Web page (http://english.qibebt.cas.cn/rh/rs/bc/mr/)…
Dr. Li received his Ph.D. degree in microbiology at Shandong University in 2003. From 2005 to 2007, he worked in Max Planck Institute of Terrestrial Microbiology at Marburg. In recent years, Prof. Li has been PI and coordinated over 10 projects. He and his co-workers have published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers, of which 16 are indexed by ISI web of science, and held 3 invention patents. His group mainly focuses on understanding the mechanisms of butanol fermentation, and of yeast stress tolerance.
A few of the papers he has co-authored are …
• Xu, P., Feng, J. H., B. Yu, F. L., Li, C. Q. Ma. 2008. Recent Developments to Biodesulfurization of Fossil Fuels. Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology, (Corresponding author) (Invited review)
• Li, F. L., C. H. Hagemeier, H. Seedor, G. Gottschalk, and R. K. Thauer. 2007. Re-citrate synthase from Clostridium kluyveri is phylogenetically related to homocitrate synthase and isopropylmalate synthase rather than to Si-citrate synthase. J. Bacteriol. 189:4299-4304.
• Li, F. L., Z. Zhang, J. Feng, X. Cai, and P. Xu. 2007. Biodesulfurization of DBT in tetradecane and crude oil by a facultative thermophilic bacterium Mycobacterium goodii X7B. J. Biotechnol. 127:222-8.
• Xu, P., B. Yu, F. L. Li, X. F. Cai, and C. Q. Ma. 2006. Microbial degradation of sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles. Trends in Microbiology 14:398-405.
Nothing beats reading the full text of an article to get a sense of an expert’s ability. To view the full text of “Microbial Desulfurization of Gasoline in a Mycobacterium goodii X7B Immobilized-Cell System”, one of Dr. Li’s papers, visit http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC544250/
It is a small world in a sense, but the world of information is expanding at a staggering pace. Your corporate librarian can help you navigate that world. Or you can use the services of an Independent Information Professional. Send your questions to us at research@JeanSteinhardtConsulting.com
It’s a small world, but it is home to a large number of brilliant people … here is one of them …
Dr. Fuli Li, Professor.
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Qingdao Institute of BioEnergy and Bioprocess Technology
Microbial Resources Group Leader
lifl@qibebt.ac.cn
+86-532-80662655
Interests listed for the group include …
1. Screening of microbes with potential use in bioenergy production using high throughput method
2. Identification of novel cellulase involved in biomass degradation
3. Energy microorganism resource center culture bank
According to the group’s Web page (http://english.qibebt.cas.cn/rh/rs/bc/mr/)…
Dr. Li received his Ph.D. degree in microbiology at Shandong University in 2003. From 2005 to 2007, he worked in Max Planck Institute of Terrestrial Microbiology at Marburg. In recent years, Prof. Li has been PI and coordinated over 10 projects. He and his co-workers have published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers, of which 16 are indexed by ISI web of science, and held 3 invention patents. His group mainly focuses on understanding the mechanisms of butanol fermentation, and of yeast stress tolerance.
A few of the papers he has co-authored are …
• Xu, P., Feng, J. H., B. Yu, F. L., Li, C. Q. Ma. 2008. Recent Developments to Biodesulfurization of Fossil Fuels. Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology, (Corresponding author) (Invited review)
• Li, F. L., C. H. Hagemeier, H. Seedor, G. Gottschalk, and R. K. Thauer. 2007. Re-citrate synthase from Clostridium kluyveri is phylogenetically related to homocitrate synthase and isopropylmalate synthase rather than to Si-citrate synthase. J. Bacteriol. 189:4299-4304.
• Li, F. L., Z. Zhang, J. Feng, X. Cai, and P. Xu. 2007. Biodesulfurization of DBT in tetradecane and crude oil by a facultative thermophilic bacterium Mycobacterium goodii X7B. J. Biotechnol. 127:222-8.
• Xu, P., B. Yu, F. L. Li, X. F. Cai, and C. Q. Ma. 2006. Microbial degradation of sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles. Trends in Microbiology 14:398-405.
Nothing beats reading the full text of an article to get a sense of an expert’s ability. To view the full text of “Microbial Desulfurization of Gasoline in a Mycobacterium goodii X7B Immobilized-Cell System”, one of Dr. Li’s papers, visit http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC544250/
It is a small world in a sense, but the world of information is expanding at a staggering pace. Your corporate librarian can help you navigate that world. Or you can use the services of an Independent Information Professional. Send your questions to us at research@JeanSteinhardtConsulting.com
Friday, December 4, 2009
Helping your management team do its job
“So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work” -- Peter F. Drucker
Searching for the information you need to support your research can be time consuming. Take for example the following search sequence ...
Google® search:
sulphur-resistant noble metal hydrotreating catalyst
The Google® topical search resulted in a link to the following, which I found fascinating ...
Title Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels
Creator/Author Caroline Clifford ; Andre Boehman ; Chunshan Song ; Bruce Miller ; Gareth Mitchell
Publication Date 2008 Mar 31
OSTI Identifier OSTI ID: 940167
DOE Contract Number FC26-03NT41828
DOI 10.2172/940167
Other Number(s) TRN: US200823%%766
Resource Type Technical Report
Coverage Final
Research Org Pennsylvania State University
Sponsoring Org USDOE
Subject 02 PETROLEUM; 33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS; 01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; ANTIKNOCK RATINGS; BY-PRODUCTS; CATALYSTS; COAL; COKE; COKING; COMBUSTION; DIESEL FUELS; FRACTIONATION; FUEL OILS; GASOLINE; LIQUID FUELS; PERFORMANCE; PETROLEUM DISTILLATES; PRODUCTION; RESIDUAL FUELS; SOLVENT EXTRACTION; SULFUR; TRACE AMOUNTS
Description/Abstract The final report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during length of the project. The goal of this project was to integrate coal into a refinery in order to produce coal-based jet fuel, with the major goal to examine the products other than jet fuel. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal-based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. The main goal of Task 1 was the production of coal-based jet fuel and other products that would need to be utilized in other fuels or for non-fuel sources, using known refining technology. The gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil were tested in other aspects of the project. Light cycle oil (LCO) and refined chemical oil (RCO) were blended, hydrotreated to removed sulfur, and hydrogenated, then fractionated in the original production of jet fuel. Two main approaches, taken during the project period, varied where the fractionation took place, in order to preserve the life of catalysts used, which includes (1) fractionation of the hydrotreated blend to remove sulfur and nitrogen, followed by a hydrogenation step of the lighter fraction, and (2) fractionation of the LCO and RCO before any hydrotreatment. Task 2 involved assessment of the impact of refinery integration of JP-900 production on gasoline and diesel fuel. Fuel properties, ignition characteristics and engine combustion of model fuels and fuel samples from pilot-scale production runs were characterized. The model fuels used to represent the coal-based fuel streams were blended into full-boiling range fuels to simulate the mixing of fuel streams within the refinery to create potential 'finished' fuels. The representative compounds of the coal-based gasoline were cyclohexane and methyl cyclohexane, and for the coal-base diesel fuel they were fluorine and phenanthrene. Both the octane number (ON) of the coal-based gasoline and the cetane number (CN) of the coal-based diesel were low, relative to commercial fuels ({approx}60 ON for coal-based gasoline and {approx}20 CN for coal-based diesel fuel). Therefore, the allowable range of blending levels was studied where the blend would achieve acceptable performance. However, in both cases of the coal-based fuels, their ignition characteristics may make them ideal fuels for advanced combustion strategies where lower ON and CN are desirable. Task 3 was designed to develop new approaches for producing ultra clean fuels and value-added chemicals from refinery streams involving coal as a part of the feedstock. It consisted of the following three parts: (1) desulfurization and denitrogenation which involves both new adsorption approach for selective removal of nitrogen and sulfur and new catalysts for more effective hydrotreating and the combination of adsorption denitrogenation with hydrodesulfurization; (2) saturation of two-ring aromatics that included new design of sulfur resistant noble-metal catalysts for hydrogenation of naphthalene and tetralin in middle distillate fuels, and (3) value-added chemicals from naphthalene and biphenyl, which aimed at developing value-added organic chemicals from refinery streams such as 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene and 4,4{prime}-dimethylbiphenyl as precursors to advanced polymer materials. Major advances were achieved in this project in designing the catalysts and sorbent materials, and in developing fundamental understanding. The objective of Task 4 was to evaluate the effect of introducing coal into an existing petroleum refinery on the fuel oil product, specifically trace element emissions. Activities performed to accomplish this objective included analyzing two petroleum-based commercial heavy fuel oils (i.e., No. 6 fuel oils) as baseline fuels and three co-processed fuel oils, characterizing the atomization performance of a No. 6 fuel oil, measuring the combustion performance and emissions of the five fuels, specifically major, minor, and trace elements when fired in a watertube boiler designed for natural gas/fuel oil, and determining the boiler performance when firing the five fuels. Two different co-processed fuel oils were tested: one that had been partially hydrotreated, and the other a product of fractionation before hydrotreating. Task 5 focused on examining refining methods that would utilize coal and produce thermally stable jet fuel, included delayed coking and solvent extraction. Delayed coking was done on blends of decant oil and coal, with the goal to produce a premium carbon product and liquid fuels. Coking was done on bench scale and large laboratory scale cokers. Two coals were examined for co-coking, using Pittsburgh seam coal and Marfork coal product. Reactions in the large, laboratory scaled coker were reproducible in yields of products and in quality of products. While the co-coke produced from both coals was of sponge coke quality, minerals left in the coke made it unacceptable for use as anode or graphite grade filler.
Country of Publication United States
Language English
Format Medium: ED
System Entry Date 2008 Dec 11
source: http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=940167
A follow-up Google® search on the title of the above ...
"Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels"
... resulted in a link to ...
Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy - LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/parvana-gafarova-aksoy/11/862/44b. Interestingly, although Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy was involved in the research described above, he (or she) is not listed as an author. But we found this expert anyway, thanks to the presence of a profile on LinkedIn.
[Excerpt from Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy's profile]
Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy’s Summary
• Extensive experience in scientific research: My work over the past ten years has built on conversion of coal to liquid fuels and value added products. I worked on catalytic coal liquefaction on medium and low rank coals. I did an extensive work on producing of jet fuel from coal and increasing of thermal stability of jet fuels. I was also an investigator on industrial projects to make coal/petroleum based carbons - particularly activated carbons and cokes through delayed coking. I have extensive experience on analyzing carbon samples by various instruments. The projects I was working on was funded by Department of Energy, as well as by private companies: such as Caterpillar, CIIRain, Minus 100.
• Proven record in problem solving: As a primary investigator in several projects, I was responsible for project management including budget tracking, report preparation, oral progress reports to sponsors. I was also responsible for providing technical support and assistance to students and technical personnel.
• Solid record of scholarly contributions: I have over twenty publications and presentations.
Some of my completed projects:
1) Activation of Small Particle Size Anthracite Samples
2) Calcination of Petroleum Coke Samples
3) Desulfurization of Petroleum Cokes
4) Activation of Poultry Litter Sample
5) Development of a CO2 Sequestration Module by Integrating Mineral Activation and Aqueous Carbonation
6) Evaluation of pitch and coke materials from coal-based fuel production
7) Removal of SO2 and NOx Over Coal-Petroleum Based Activated Carbons,
8) Thermal Stability of Jet Fuels
As you can see, and as you no doubt know from your own experience, this kind of iterative searching can really cut into the time you need for other work. If you're lucky, your management team has the wisdom to employ an information professional (such as a corporate librarian) to help. If so, be sure to make use of this valuable resource.
Many management teams, however, have chosen to eliminate the corporate library in an effort to "trim the fat." The short term benefit of such a crash diet is outweighed by the fact that some of your valuable time now has to be used to pick up the slack.
You see the value of having a librarian on staff, but how do you persuade management?
We can help. Send a request for free tips on how to persuade management to employ an information professional to research@JeanSteinhardtConsulting.com. Your request will be held in strictest confidence.
Searching for the information you need to support your research can be time consuming. Take for example the following search sequence ...
Google® search:
sulphur-resistant noble metal hydrotreating catalyst
The Google® topical search resulted in a link to the following, which I found fascinating ...
Title Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels
Creator/Author Caroline Clifford ; Andre Boehman ; Chunshan Song ; Bruce Miller ; Gareth Mitchell
Publication Date 2008 Mar 31
OSTI Identifier OSTI ID: 940167
DOE Contract Number FC26-03NT41828
DOI 10.2172/940167
Other Number(s) TRN: US200823%%766
Resource Type Technical Report
Coverage Final
Research Org Pennsylvania State University
Sponsoring Org USDOE
Subject 02 PETROLEUM; 33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS; 01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT; ANTIKNOCK RATINGS; BY-PRODUCTS; CATALYSTS; COAL; COKE; COKING; COMBUSTION; DIESEL FUELS; FRACTIONATION; FUEL OILS; GASOLINE; LIQUID FUELS; PERFORMANCE; PETROLEUM DISTILLATES; PRODUCTION; RESIDUAL FUELS; SOLVENT EXTRACTION; SULFUR; TRACE AMOUNTS
Description/Abstract The final report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during length of the project. The goal of this project was to integrate coal into a refinery in order to produce coal-based jet fuel, with the major goal to examine the products other than jet fuel. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal-based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. The main goal of Task 1 was the production of coal-based jet fuel and other products that would need to be utilized in other fuels or for non-fuel sources, using known refining technology. The gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil were tested in other aspects of the project. Light cycle oil (LCO) and refined chemical oil (RCO) were blended, hydrotreated to removed sulfur, and hydrogenated, then fractionated in the original production of jet fuel. Two main approaches, taken during the project period, varied where the fractionation took place, in order to preserve the life of catalysts used, which includes (1) fractionation of the hydrotreated blend to remove sulfur and nitrogen, followed by a hydrogenation step of the lighter fraction, and (2) fractionation of the LCO and RCO before any hydrotreatment. Task 2 involved assessment of the impact of refinery integration of JP-900 production on gasoline and diesel fuel. Fuel properties, ignition characteristics and engine combustion of model fuels and fuel samples from pilot-scale production runs were characterized. The model fuels used to represent the coal-based fuel streams were blended into full-boiling range fuels to simulate the mixing of fuel streams within the refinery to create potential 'finished' fuels. The representative compounds of the coal-based gasoline were cyclohexane and methyl cyclohexane, and for the coal-base diesel fuel they were fluorine and phenanthrene. Both the octane number (ON) of the coal-based gasoline and the cetane number (CN) of the coal-based diesel were low, relative to commercial fuels ({approx}60 ON for coal-based gasoline and {approx}20 CN for coal-based diesel fuel). Therefore, the allowable range of blending levels was studied where the blend would achieve acceptable performance. However, in both cases of the coal-based fuels, their ignition characteristics may make them ideal fuels for advanced combustion strategies where lower ON and CN are desirable. Task 3 was designed to develop new approaches for producing ultra clean fuels and value-added chemicals from refinery streams involving coal as a part of the feedstock. It consisted of the following three parts: (1) desulfurization and denitrogenation which involves both new adsorption approach for selective removal of nitrogen and sulfur and new catalysts for more effective hydrotreating and the combination of adsorption denitrogenation with hydrodesulfurization; (2) saturation of two-ring aromatics that included new design of sulfur resistant noble-metal catalysts for hydrogenation of naphthalene and tetralin in middle distillate fuels, and (3) value-added chemicals from naphthalene and biphenyl, which aimed at developing value-added organic chemicals from refinery streams such as 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene and 4,4{prime}-dimethylbiphenyl as precursors to advanced polymer materials. Major advances were achieved in this project in designing the catalysts and sorbent materials, and in developing fundamental understanding. The objective of Task 4 was to evaluate the effect of introducing coal into an existing petroleum refinery on the fuel oil product, specifically trace element emissions. Activities performed to accomplish this objective included analyzing two petroleum-based commercial heavy fuel oils (i.e., No. 6 fuel oils) as baseline fuels and three co-processed fuel oils, characterizing the atomization performance of a No. 6 fuel oil, measuring the combustion performance and emissions of the five fuels, specifically major, minor, and trace elements when fired in a watertube boiler designed for natural gas/fuel oil, and determining the boiler performance when firing the five fuels. Two different co-processed fuel oils were tested: one that had been partially hydrotreated, and the other a product of fractionation before hydrotreating. Task 5 focused on examining refining methods that would utilize coal and produce thermally stable jet fuel, included delayed coking and solvent extraction. Delayed coking was done on blends of decant oil and coal, with the goal to produce a premium carbon product and liquid fuels. Coking was done on bench scale and large laboratory scale cokers. Two coals were examined for co-coking, using Pittsburgh seam coal and Marfork coal product. Reactions in the large, laboratory scaled coker were reproducible in yields of products and in quality of products. While the co-coke produced from both coals was of sponge coke quality, minerals left in the coke made it unacceptable for use as anode or graphite grade filler.
Country of Publication United States
Language English
Format Medium: ED
System Entry Date 2008 Dec 11
source: http://www.osti.gov/bridge/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=940167
A follow-up Google® search on the title of the above ...
"Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels"
... resulted in a link to ...
Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy - LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/parvana-gafarova-aksoy/11/862/44b. Interestingly, although Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy was involved in the research described above, he (or she) is not listed as an author. But we found this expert anyway, thanks to the presence of a profile on LinkedIn.
[Excerpt from Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy's profile]
Parvana Gafarova-Aksoy’s Summary
• Extensive experience in scientific research: My work over the past ten years has built on conversion of coal to liquid fuels and value added products. I worked on catalytic coal liquefaction on medium and low rank coals. I did an extensive work on producing of jet fuel from coal and increasing of thermal stability of jet fuels. I was also an investigator on industrial projects to make coal/petroleum based carbons - particularly activated carbons and cokes through delayed coking. I have extensive experience on analyzing carbon samples by various instruments. The projects I was working on was funded by Department of Energy, as well as by private companies: such as Caterpillar, CIIRain, Minus 100.
• Proven record in problem solving: As a primary investigator in several projects, I was responsible for project management including budget tracking, report preparation, oral progress reports to sponsors. I was also responsible for providing technical support and assistance to students and technical personnel.
• Solid record of scholarly contributions: I have over twenty publications and presentations.
Some of my completed projects:
1) Activation of Small Particle Size Anthracite Samples
2) Calcination of Petroleum Coke Samples
3) Desulfurization of Petroleum Cokes
4) Activation of Poultry Litter Sample
5) Development of a CO2 Sequestration Module by Integrating Mineral Activation and Aqueous Carbonation
6) Evaluation of pitch and coke materials from coal-based fuel production
7) Removal of SO2 and NOx Over Coal-Petroleum Based Activated Carbons,
8) Thermal Stability of Jet Fuels
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