Catalytic conversion of lactic acid to 2,3-pentanedione over sodium salts and base on low surface area silica support has been studied. Yield and selectivity toward 2,3-pentanedione are optimal at around 300 °C, 3−4 s residence time, and 0.5 MPa total pressure. Anions of initial salt catalysts used do not participate in lactic acid condensation to 2,3-pentanedione once steady-state conditions have been achieved; instead, sodium lactate has been identified by postreaction FTIR spectroscopy as the primary, stable species on the support during reaction. Sodium lactate is believed to be an intermediate in 2,3-pentanedione formation. Conversion of a sodium salt to sodium lactate is greatest when the salt used has a low melting point and a volatile conjugate acid; the extent of conversion depends weakly on reaction time and temperature within experimental conditions. At high temperature (∼350 °C), sodium lactate decomposes to sodium propanoate and sodium acetate, which may explain reduced 2,3-pentanedione yields at higher temperatures.

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The catalytic conversion of lactic acid over various sodium salt catalysts and support materials has been carried out to identify potential catalyst/support combinations for 2,3-pentanedione and acrylic acid production. Low surface area, pure silica is the best support for suppressing undesirable side reactions to acetaldehyde and propanoic acid, which are favored over high surface area (microporous) or surface acidic materials. The best catalysts for 2,3-pentanedione and acrylic acid formation are the sodium salts of group IV and group V oxides, with sodium arsenate giving a 2,3-pentanedione yield of 25% and combined selectivity to acrylic acid and 2,3-pentanedione of 83% at 300 °C and 0.5 MPa total pressure.

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The influence of the aromatic hydrocarbons in gasoline on the fuel distillation parameter, as well as the particle number (PN), black carbon (BC), and other regulated gaseous emissions from a passenger car (PC) and light-duty truck (LDT), was assessed by operating two vehicles fueled with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tier 3 certification gasoline and two gasoline test fuels over two standard drive cycles. The two gasoline test fuels represent a range of commercial motor gasoline, with one containing less naphthalenes and lower heavy fraction volatility (T80, T90, and final boiling point) than the other. Observations showed that various gasolines have minor impact on both vehicles on regulated gaseous emissions and fuel consumption. Particulate emissions from both vehicles showed similar trends with fuel type, with lower naphthalene containing gasoline produced lower PN and BC emissions. In addition, the effect of fuel on particle emissions varied with vehicle type, drive cycle, and power to weight ratio. Results also showed that lowering the naphthalenes in gasoline produces smaller sized particles. The real-time particle emission time series from both vehicles suggested that the composition and volatility of the gasoline fuels are sensitive parameters in influencing particulate matter emissions. These results could support one possible explanation of the large variations in emission factors reported in the literature when using different gasolines in the same type of vehicle and driving conditions.

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<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Trained human raters have been used by organizations such as the Coordinating Research Council (CRC) to assess the vehicle driveability performance effect of fuel volatility. CRC conducts workshops to test fuel effects and their impact on vehicle driveability. CRC commissioned Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to develop a “Trick Car” vehicle that could trigger malfunctions on-demand that mimic driveability events. This vehicle has been used to train novice personnel on the CRC Driveability Procedure E-28-94. While largely effective, even well-trained human raters can be inconsistent with other raters. Further, CRC rater workshop programs used to train and calibrate raters are infrequent, and there are a limited number of available trained raters. The goal of this program was to augment or substitute human raters with an electronic driveability sensing system. The Automated Driveability Rating System (ADRS) was developed for Light Duty (LD) vehicles and can identify and rate fuel-related driveability events including hesitation, stumble, surge, stall, and idle quality at trace, moderate, and heavy severities. The portable system uses sensors such as accelerometers, and interfaces with a vehicle to gather and process an array of information. Overall, ADRS performance ranged from somewhat less accurate to significantly better than trained human raters depending on the event type and severity. For light and moderate vehicle throttle tests, detection of stumble, surge, and hesitation events by the ADRS was close to or better than 90%, while idle quality accuracy was 80%. These results are better when compared to the performance of trained raters. Additional effort in refining the calibration and improving event identification could enhance performance even further, and the system could be applied more broadly in rating ride quality and vehicle behavior.</div></div>