Catalytic upgrading of xylan over mesoporous Y catalyst.

In-situ catalytic cracking of xylan, a model compound of hemicellulose, was carried out using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry over mesoporous Y for the first time. Experiments were conducted at three different temperatures, 400 degrees C, 450 degrees C, and 500 degrees C, to investigate the effect of reaction temperature. Three different biomass-to-catalyst ratios, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3, were tested at 500 degrees C to examine the effect of catalyst dose. In addition, the catalytic activity of mesoporous Y was compared with that of Al-MCM-41. The catalysts used were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, temperature programmed desorption of NH3, and X-ray diffraction. The main pyrolysis products of xylan were acids, hydrocarbons, phenolics, oxygenates, aromatics, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Mesoporous Y, which has acid sites with larger quantity and stronger acidity than those of Al-MCM-41, was shown to enhance the quality of bio-oil to a larger extent, producing a larger quantity of high-value-added products, such as aromatics and furans.

Catalytic conversion of cellulose over mesoporous Y zeolite.

Mesoporous Y zeolite (Meso-Y) was applied, for the first time, to the catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose which is a major constituent of lignocellulosic biomass, to produce high-quality bio-oil. A representative mesoporous catalyst Al-MCM-41 was also used to compare its catalytic activity with that of Meso-Y. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used for the experiments. Meso-Y, with higher acidity, led to larger yields of aromatics and furans with high value-added than Al-MCM-41, resulting in the production of bio-oil with higher quality. The effect of temperature on the catalytic pyrolysis was not significant within the range of 400-500 degrees C. When the Meso-Y to cellulose ratio was increased from 1/1 via 2/1 to 3/1, the deoxygenation efficiency increased, leading to increased yield of aromatics.

Catalytic conversion of Undaria Pinnatifida over nanoporous materials using Py-GC/MS.

Catalytic pyrolysis of Undaria Pinnatifida was carried out over a nanoporous Al-SBA-15 catalyst for the first time. Pt nanoparticles were added to Al-SBA-15 to generate a Pt/Al-SBA-15 catalyst. The effect of the addition of the Pt nanoparticles on the catalytic pyrolysis was investigated. For rapid product analysis and catalyst evaluation, a pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used. The characteristics of the catalysts were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, transmission electron microscope, NH3 temperature programmed desorption, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Compared to the non-catalytic pyrolysis, catalytic pyrolysis over Al-SBA-15 produced a higher-quality bio-oil with a high stability and a low oxygen content. When Pt/Al-SBA-15 was used, compared to Al-SBA-15, the improvement of bio-oil quality was more profound; the yield of high-value-added aromatics increased, while the yields of acids and oxygenates decreased.

64-slice coronary computed tomography angiography using low tube voltage of 80 kV in subjects with normal body mass indices: comparative study using 120 kV.

BACKGROUND: The radiation dose of coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography (CCTA) is generally higher than that of CT scans of other parts of the body, and there is concern that the high radiation dose may result in increased cancer risk. Although various techniques have recently been introduced to lower the radiation dose of CCTA, there has been no direct comparison between protocols with 80 and 120 kV. PURPOSE: To assess the image quality and radiation dose of 80-kV electrocardiography (ECG)-gated CCTA in subjects with a normal body mass index (BMI), compared to 120-kV ECG-gated CCTA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by our local ethics board, and the requirement of written informed consent was waived. We analyzed the CCTA images of 100 subjects with BMIs <25 kg/m(2). Fifty subjects underwent 120-kV CCTA, and the other 50 subjects underwent 80-kV CCTA. Two blinded observers independently evaluated the subjective image quality of the coronary arteries. The objective image quality (signal-to-noise ratio [SNR] and contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR]) and radiation dose were also measured in each group. RESULTS: Although the objective image quality of the 80-kV protocol images was significantly poorer than that of 120-kV protocol images (mean SNR, 14.9 ± 4.7 vs. 19.8 ± 4.4, P < 0.0001; mean CNR, 15.2 ± 4.8 vs. 21.6 ± 4.7, P < 0.0001), there was no significant difference in the subjective image quality between the two groups (mean image score, 4.7 ± 1.1 vs. 4.5 ± 0.7 for radiologist 1, P = 0.273; 5.0 ± 1.0 vs. 4.8 ± 1.0 for radiologist 2, P = 0.197). The radiation dose was reduced by 70% with the 80-kV protocol and by 88% with the 80-kV and ECG-based tube current modulation than with the 120-kV protocol (3.42 ± 1.16 and 2.9 ± 0.8 vs. 11.49 ± 3.62 mSv, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The low tube voltage CCTA protocol using 80 kV allows significant reduction of the radiation dose without impairing the subjective image quality in subjects with normal BMIs.