Adsorption equilibria of CH4 and N2 on activated carbon and silica gel were measured for a
wide temperature range covering the critical point: 158-298 K for CH4, and 103-298 K for
N2. The determination of the compressibility factor is shown to have considerable effect on
isotherm behavior at conditions after the isotherm maximum. A change in adsorption
mechanisms on crossing the critical temperature was observed in all cases.The kind of
adsorbents and how far the equilibrium temperature to the critical one are major factors
affecting the transition of isotherms from sub- to supercritical. All continuous isotherms
can be modeled by a unique model for the supercritical region. The satisfactory fitting of
the model to the experimental isotherms proved the reliability of the absolute adsorption
determined by the proposed method.

An improved level set approach for computing the incompressible two-phase flow with
significantly deformed free interface is presented. The control volume formulation with the
semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations consistent(SIMPLEC) algorithm
incorporated is used to solve the governing equations on a staggered grid.Several
improvements concerning the computational grid, interface update, reinitialization
procedure etc. are tested and found to be effective in promoting the convergence and
numerical stability. The motion of a bubble or drop in a liquid with large density ratio,
viscosity ratio and surface tension is numerically simulated. The computational results are
in good agreement with the reported experimental data.

This paper mainly discusses the design of distributed effluent treatment systems with
single contaminant. A new method is put forward and four basic rules are provided. The key
point of the method is that global optimality is obtained by guaranteeing the optimality of
each step taken in the design. Costs per unit mass of removed contaminant are used as a
scale to choose the next combination of an effluent stream and a treatment process. The
remaining problem is updated after each choice. As for multiple contaminants, a two-stage
method is adopted. At the first stage, the sub-networks for each contaminant are designed
by the method mentioned above;at the second stage, the sub-networks are merged together in
a new way. Overall, the paper presents a simple but practical framework for the effluent
treatment system design.

Extraction equilibrium features of succinic acid, malic acid, maleic acid and fumaric acid
were investigated systematically with trioctylamine (TOA) in chloroform, 4-methyl-2-
pentanone (MIBK) and 1-octanol. Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis of
organic samples loaded with the acid shows that amine forms 1:1 complex of ion-pair
association with succinic acid, malic acid and maleic acid, and 1:1, 2:1 complex of ion-
pair association with fumaric acid. It is proposed that the complex forms depend on the
second dissociation constant of the dibasic acid, pKa2. Results of equilibrium experiments
show that diluents affect extraction behavior, and depend on the solute concentration.
Protic diluents, chloroform and 1-octanol, are more effective than the others when the
equilibrium solute concentration is lower than 1:1 stoichiometry of TOA to acid, otherwise
the extraction ability shows that MIBK＞l-octanol＞chloroform for malic and maleic acids,
and 1-octanol＞MIBK＞chloroform for succinic acid. Overloading (solute concentration in
organic phase is lager than TOA concentration) appears for all of the studied acids, and
the sequence of overloading amount is the same as that of distribution constant of diluent.
The results show that the sequence of extraction ability of different acid is the same as
that of acidity at low equilibrium solute concentrations, while it is the same as the
sequence of hydrophobicity at high equilibrium concentrations.

In order to catch more process details in chemical processes, a dynamic model for
prediction of process trends is proposed by modifying traditional time-series ANN
(artificial neural networks) model with impulse response identification means. The
application result of the model is briefly discussed.

A new superstructure form of heat exchanger networks (HEN) is proposed based on expert
system (ES).The new superstructure form is combined with the practical engineering. The
different investment cost formula for different heat exchanger is also presented based on
ES. The mathematical model for the simultaneous optimization of network configuration is
established and solved by a genetic algorithm. This method can deal with larger scale HEN
synthesis and the optimal HEN configuration is obtained automatically. Finally, a case
study is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.

Based on the idea of the set-membership identification, a modified recursive least squares
algorithm with variable gain, variable forgetting factor and resetting is presented. The
concept of the error tolerance level is proposed. The selection criteria of the error
tolerance level are also given according to the min-max principle. The algorithm is
particularly suitable for tracing time-varying systems and is similar in computational
complexity to the standard recursive least squares algorithm. The superior performance of
the algorithm is verified via simulation studies on a dynamic fermentation process.

Ag+-exchanged resins are prepared and studied for ethylene/ethane separation by adsorption.
OnAg+-exchanged S9, at 25℃ and 0.1013 MPa, the equilibrium adsorbed amount for C2H4 is
0.992 mmol.g-1, andthe adsorption ratio for C2H4/C2H6 is 3.56. The adsorption capacity can
be restored almost completely at 25℃and 75℃, and the desorption residual amount is less
than 0.01 mmol.g-1. For the adsorption consisting of physicaladsorption and π-complexation
with energy heterogeneity, the equilibrium data are correlated with Langmuir-Freundlich
isotherm equation. Furthermore, the heat of adsorption and the overall diffusion time
constants arecalculated from the experimental data. Considering all the adsorption
characteristics, the application potential forindustrial adsorption process is discussed.

A molecular thermodynamic model of polyelectrolyte developed previously was extended to
polyelectrolyte solutions with added salts. Thermodynamic properties, such as activity
coefficients of polyelectrolytes or added salts and osmotic coefficients of solvent, of a
number of aqueous mixtures of polyelectrolytes and salts are analyzed with the proposed
model. Successful correlation is obtained in the range of moderate or higher polyion
concentration. For the same sample, thermodynamic properties of polyelectrolytes with and
without simple electrolytes can be predicted mutually using parameters from regression
data.

Kinetic data of methane hydrate formation in the presence of pure water, brines with single
salt and mixed salts, and aqueous solutions of ethylene glycol(EG) and salt+EG were
measured. A new kinetic model of hydrate formation for the methane-Fwater systems was
developed based on a four-step formation mechanism and reaction kinetics approach. The
proposed kinetic model predicts the kinetic behavior of methane hydrate formation in pure
water with good accuracy. The feasibility of extending the kinetic model to salt(s) and EG
containing systems was explored.

Solid-liquid equilibria (SLE) of three binary systems and seven ternary systems containing
maleic anhydride(MA) are measured by visual method. The experimental data are compared with
the calculated ones with modified universal quasichemical functional group activity
coefficient(UNIFAC) method in which the interaction parameters between groups come from two
sources, dortmund data bank(DDB), if there’s any, and correlations based on our former
presented experimental SLE data of twenty binary systems. New groups of MA, ACCOO group,
COO group, ＞C=O group and cy-CH2 group are defined and the SLE data of maleic anhydride in
isopropyl acetate in literature are cited in order to assess the new interaction
parameters, correlated with Wilson equation and the λh equation. The modified UNIFAC
method with these new regressed interaction parameters is also used to predict other three
binary systems containing maleic anhydride.

The study of the kinetics of gas phase polymerization of butadiene with heterogeneous
catalyst based on neodymium (Nd) was carried out. The effects of reaction temperature,
reaction pressure, dispersing medium,and types of catalyst on kinetics of polymerization
were investigated. A kinetic model with two kinds of active sites was proposed. The results
show that the effects of the reaction temperature and the types of dispersing medium and
catalyst on the kinetic performance of polymerization are significant, and that the
combined model of first and second order decay of active site of catalyst can be used to
describe the phenomena.

Seven Chinese coals ranking from anthracite to sub-bituminous from the Shanxi province were
selected for study to forecast the combustion and NOx emission behavior. Three UK, one
Indonesia and one South Africa coal was included in the study for reference. A flat flame-
turbulent jet apparatus was employed to assess flame stability, ignition performance and
NOx emission behavior for the initial stage of devolatilization and combustion.This
apparatus can simulate particle heating rates, maximum temperatures and the influence of
the turbulent fluid interactions on the fate of volatiles. To simulate processes occurring
over longer residence time, additional devolatilization experiments were performed in a
drop tube furnace. Char reactivity was studied through thermogravimetric analysis. Finally,
fouling propensity was studied with the aid of a purpose-built laboratory combustor that
enabled the characteristics of the ash deposit to be assessed empirically. The results show
that Chinese coals do not appear to possess unusual features in respect of NOx formation,
flame stability and ignition, char burnout and ash slagging. The range of coals available
in China appears sufficiently broad that suits all requirements. In particular, Shenfu
coal, with its initial fast devolatilization and nitrogen release rates and its low initial
nitrogen content and high char reactivity, will perform well when fired in industrial
boilers as far as NOx emission, flame stability and combustion efficiency are concerned.
Pingshuo coal exhibits high char reactivity and an attractive slagging performance
suggesting that this fuel represents a good compromise between NOx emission and overall
plant efficiency.

The firing tests with clay blocks were undertaken to study the fluorine expulsion and
retention characteristics of calcium-based materials during the firing of brick clays. The
results indicate that fluorine expulsion begins at approx. 600-700℃, and the main portion
occurs in 800-1000℃. The mode of firing has some effects on fluorine expulsion. Additives
of calcium-based material can reduce fluorine expulsion, which is mainly attributed to the
increased formation of CaF2 during clay firing. In addition, the optimum addition tests of
6 calcium-based materials with higher efficiency were carried out in a brick kiln. More
than 75% fluorine is retained in the brick body and there is no adverse effect on brick
product. This makes it possible for brickyard to achieve non-polluting production.

A new type of membrane bioreactor named "airlift membrane-bioreactor" is discussed. For
municipal wastewater reclamation, the preliminary study on airlift membrane-bioreactor
shows its good performance such as higher flux and lower energy consumption. The airlift
membrane-bioreactor is potentially applicable in bioengineering and environmental
protection fields.

The nanometer particles of TiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 oxides were prepared by sol-gel and
supercritical fluid drying method. The properties of TiO2 and TiO2/SiO2 were characterized
by means of BET(Brunner-EmmettTeller method), TEM(transmission electron microscopy), SEM
(scanning electron microscopy), XRD(X-ray diffraction) and FTIR(Fourier transform-infrared)
techniques. The effects of different preparation route, prehydrolysis and non-
prehydrolysis, on the properties of TiO2/SiO2 oxide were also examined. Experimental
results show that the thermal stability of pure TiO2 is improved greatly when it is mixed
with SiO2 in nanometer level. The composite TiO2/SiO2 oxides form Ti-O-Si chemical bonds,
which creates new BrSnsted acidity sites. The acidity character is related to TiO2/SiO2
chemical composition and preparation methods. The acidity of TiO2/SiO2 oxides by
prehydrolysis is greater than that of by non-prehydrolysis. Ti atom is rich on the surface
of TiO2/SiO2.

A novel heterogeneous Ni-Zn/C catalyst was used for vapor-phase carbonylation of ethanol
under atmospheric pressure. Experiments were designed with the elimination of mass-transfer
resistances. The data of primary reactions in the carbonylation were collected with a
differential tubular reactor. Power law rate models were employed to express the conversion
of ethanol and the yields of ethyl propionate and diethyl ether. The results obtained with
the models were in agreement with the experimental data.

Deterministic chaos theory offers useful quantitative tools to characterize the non-linear
dynamic behavior of a fluidized bed and the developed complexity theory presents a new
approach to evaluate finite sequences.In this paper, the non-linear, hydrodynamic behavior
of the pressure fluctuation signals in a reactor was discussed by chaos parameters and
complexity measures. Coherent results were achieved by our multi-scale analysis, which
further exposed the behavior in a gas-solid two-phase system.

The wavelet transform is developed to identify the different phases in a fermentation
process. In this method, the wavelet transform modulus maxima are used to estimate the
local maximum points of the second derivative of the growth curve in order to classify the
different phases of fermentation process. Moreover, the method can effectively get rid of
noise from the signal, making use of the different characters showed by signal and noise in
the wavelet transform modulus maxima. Compared with neural network modeling, the presented
method needs less quantity of information and calculation. The results of experiments show
that this method is effective.

Adsorption equilibrium isotherms of benzene in the concentration range of 500-4000mg@m-3 on
two commercial activated carbons were obtained using long-column method under 30℃ and
different humidity conditions. Results show that the benzene and water vapors have
depression effects upon the adsorption of each other and that the unfavorable effect of
water vapor resembles its single-component isotherm on activated carbon. A competitive
adsorption model was proposed to explore the depression mechanisms of the non-ideal, non-
similar binary adsorption systems. A modified Polanyi-Dubinin equation was set up to
correlate the binary adsorption equilibrium and to calculate the isotherms of benzene on
activated carbon in presence of water vapor with considerable precision.

Recovery of caprolactam from waste water of caprolactam production factory was investigated
using benzene as solvent in a small-scale pulsed-sieve-plate column. First, liquid-liquid
equilibrium (LLE) data were measured, including water-caprolactam-benzene system at low
caprolactam concentrations, and waste water-benzene system. Then, the operating regions and
mass transfer of the pulsed-sieve-plate column were measured. Finally,the overall apparent
heights of a transfer unit based on continuous phase are correlated in terms of the column
operation variables.