In the present work, reduced presulfided NiMo/γ-Al2O3, the conventional hydrotreating catalyst, was evaluated for green diesel production via hydrodeoxygenation of unrefined microalgae oil in a microreactor, mimicking the single channel of a monolithic reactor. The effect of reactor inner diameter on space-time yield of hydrocarbon and microalgae oil conversion was studied first to confirm the superiority of the microreactor for three-phase reactions. Based on the external and internal mass transfer limitation analyses, a range of process conditions without mass transfer limitation was determined for catalyst evaluation. The results showed that NiMo/γ-Al2O3 is deactivated due to the accumulation of produced oxygenated intermediates in hydrodeoxygenation reaction, and its selectivity to even-numbered carbon hydrocarbon produced from hydrodehydration correlates with the catalyst activity. The catalyst activity and life can be preserved by increasing hydrogen to oil ratio, residence time, reaction temperature, and pressure, which will decrease the adsorption of oxygenates on the catalyst surface. For the reaction condition: 500 psig H2, 360 °C, H2/oil ratio of 1000 SmL/mL, and residence time of 1 s, the initial catalyst activity was maintained without any signs of deactivation for at least 7 h and the obtained C13 to C20 hydrocarbon yield was 56.2%, with a carbon yield of 62.7%, nearly complete conversion (98.7%) of microalgae oil, and HC­(2n)/HC­(2n – 1) ratio of 6.

BackgroundAngiogenesis plays a crucial role in myocardial infarction (MI) treatment by ameliorating myocardial remodeling, thus improving cardiac function and preventing heart failure. Muscone has been reported to have beneficial effects on cardiac remodeling in MI mice. However, the effects of muscone on angiogenesis in MI mice and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown.Material/MethodsMice were randomly divided into sham, MI, and MI+muscone groups. The MI mouse model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Mice in the sham group received the same procedure except for ligation. Mice were administered muscone or an equivalent volume of saline for 4 consecutive weeks. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiograph after MI for 2 and 4 weeks. Four weeks later, all mice were sacrificed and Masson’s trichrome staining was used to assess myocardial fibrosis. Isolectin B4 staining was applied to evaluate the angiogenesis in mouse hearts. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot analysis, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were performed to analyze expression levels of HIF-1α and its downstream genes.ResultsCompared with the MI group, muscone treatment significantly improved cardiac function and reduced myocardial fibrosis. Moreover, muscone enhanced angiogenesis in the peri-infarct region and p-VEGFR2 expression in the vascular endothelial cells. Western blot analysis and qPCR showed that muscone upregulated expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGFA.ConclusionsMuscone improved cardiac function in MI mice through augmented angiogenesis. The potential mechanism of muscone treatment in regulating angiogenesis of MI mice was upregulating expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGFA.

The catalytic characteristics, activity and selectivity of 1% Pt/Al 2 O 3 , 0.5% Rh/Al 2 O 3 and presulfided NiMo/Al 2 O 3 catalysts have been investigated in hydrodeoxygenation of microalgae (Nannochloropsis salina) oil to produce green diesel in a microreactor. Coke accumulation decreased in the order NiMo > Pt > Rh. The amount of formed coke over NiMo increased with reaction duration, while no on-stream time dependence was found over Pt and Rh. Rhodium was found to be very active for CH 4 production via hydrocracking at its fresh reduced state. The activity and selectivity of all three investigated catalysts were positively affected by increased reaction pressure, temperature, H 2 /Oil ratio and residence time. The selectivity of NiMo for hydrodehydration (DHYD) route was changed to Hydrodecarbonylation/Hydrodecarboxylation (DCO/DCO2) route at reduced H 2 /Oil ratio and residence time, while the selectivity of Pt and Rh for DCO/DCO2 route was not affected by reaction conditions. The highest hydrocarbon yield, 76.5%, was obtained over 1% Pt (310 o C, 500 psig, 1000 SmL/mL gas/oil ratio, 1.5s residence time), which is 13.8% higher than that over NiMo (360 o C, 500 psig, 1000 SmL/mL gas/oil ratio, 1s residence time). The 50 o C decrease in reaction temperature for Pt indicates a possible energy saving via heat supply. IntroductionOver the next few decades, as economies expand and evolve, the global energy demand for transportation is expected to continue to grow significantly. It is estimated that global demand for energy for commercial transportation will rise by 70 percent from 2010 to 2040. Due to its affordability, availability, portability and high energy density, liquid fuel, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and fuel oil, will remain the energy of choice for most types of transportation. Seventy-five percent of the heavy-duty transportation energy requirements are met by diesel fuel, due to its widespread availability and the robust ability of diesel engine technology to handle heavy loads. With an estimate of about 80 percent growth in heavy-duty transportation fuel requirements, demand for diesel is expected to grow sharply by about 75 percent from 2010 to 2040 [1]. Petroleum diesel is refined from crude oil, and approximately 12 gallons of diesel fuel can be produced from each 42-gallon barrel of crude oil [2]. The CO 2 emissions from diesel can be calculated based on its carbon content, 2,778 g per gallon diesel, 3 which is 10,084 g CO 2 per gallon diesel [3]. Therefore, the combination of continued crude oil depletion, the ever-growing need for renewable energy resource, and the CO 2 emission problem, are a motivation for research and development into advanced biofuels.It has been reported that the oleaginous feedstock, the main components of which are triglycerides and free fatty acids, has higher energy content than the lignocellulose[4].Microalgae, as a source of oleaginous feedstock for green diesel production is currently attracting attention of researchers. Green diesel, produced from hydrotr...