Disclosed herein are systems and methods for removing trichloroethane (TCA), trichloroethene (TCE), and 1,4-dioxane (1,4-D) from contaminated liquids. The system and methods rely on catalyst reduction of TCA and TCE, where the reduced products are then degraded by microorganisms The system comprises a first reactor comprising a catalyst film of precious metal nanoparticles deposited on a first nonporous membrane and a second reactor comprising a biofilm of microorganisms that are capable of degrading ethane and 1,4-D deposited on a second nonporous membrane. The first reactor further comprises a hydrogen gas source, wherein the hydrogen gas source delivers hydrogen to the gas-phase side of the first nonporous membrane, and the catalyst film is deposited on the liquid-phase side. The second reactor further comprises an oxygen gas source, wherein the oxygen gas source delivers oxygen to the gas-phase side of the second non-porous membrane, and the biofilm is deposited on the liquid-phase side.

A thermal method of forming ferric oxide nano/microparticles with predominant morphology is described using different solvents. Methods of using the Fe.sub.3O.sub.4 nano/microparticles as catalysts in the reduction of nitro compounds with sodium borohydride to the corresponding amines and decomposition of ammonium salts.

An epoxidation catalyst comprising silver, cesium, rhenium and tungsten deposited on an alumina support, wherein the catalyst comprises 20 to 50 wt.-% of silver, relative to the weight of the catalyst, an amount of cesium C.sub.cs of at least 7.5 mmol per kg of catalyst, and an amount of rhenium CR6 and an amount of tungsten Cw so as to meet the following requirements: C.sub.Re6.7 mmol per kg of catalyst; and C.sub.Re+(2c.sub.w)13.2 mmol per kg of catalyst. The epoxidation catalyst allows for a more efficient conversion of ethylene oxide by gas-phase oxidation of ethylene, particularly displaying high selectivity and high activity. The invention also relates to a process for preparing an epoxidation catalyst as defined in above, comprising i) impregnating an alumina support with a silver impregnation solution; and ii) subjecting the impregnated refractory support to a calcination process; wherein steps i) and ii) are optionally repeated, and at least one silver impregnation solution comprises rhenium, tungsten and cesium. The invention moreover relates to a process for producing ethylene oxide by gas-phase oxidation of ethylene, comprising reacting ethylene and oxygen in the presence of an epoxidation catalyst according to any one of the preceding claims.

A method for making a magnetic-nanoparticle-supported catalyst includes reacting a ferrocenyl phosphine compound with an amino alcohol compound to form a ligand having a phosphine group, an amine group and at least one hydroxyl group; anchoring the ligand to a surface of magnetic nanoparticles via an oxygen atom of the hydroxyl group to form a ligand complex; combining the ligand complex with a metal precursor comprising Rh to bind the metal precursor with the ligand complex and form the magnetic-particle-supported catalyst. The magnetic-particle-supported catalyst is a Rh complex of magnetic-Fe.sub.3O.sub.4-nanoparticle-supported ferrocenyl phosphine catalyst.

A method for producing crystalline -Fe2O3 nanoparticles involving ultrasonic treatment of a solution of an iron (III)-containing precursor and an extract from the seeds of a plant in the family Linaceae. The method involves preparing an aqueous extract from the seeds of a plant in the family Linacae and dropwise addition of the extract to the solution of an iron (III)-containing precursor. The method yields crystalline nanoparticles of -Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 having a spherical morphology with a diameter of 100 nm to 300 nm, a mean surface area of 240 to 250 m.sup.2/g, and a type-II nitrogen adsorption-desorption BET isotherm with a H3 hysteresis loop. A method for the photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants using 10 the nanoparticles is disclosed. An antibacterial composition containing the crystalline -Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 nanoparticles is also disclosed.

A new catalyst that includes palladium on a cerium dioxide support, of formula PdX/CeO2, in which X represents the empty set or a doping element, and its use in the implementation of a method for selectively preparing oxalates or oxamides from carbon monoxide, an oxidant, in particular molecular oxygen or air, and an alcohol or an amine respectively.

A metal oxide nanorod array structure according to embodiments disclosed herein includes a monolithic substrate having a surface and multiple channels, an interface layer bonded to the surface of the substrate, and a metal oxide nanorod array coupled to the substrate surface via the interface layer. The metal oxide can include ceria, zinc oxide, tin oxide, alumina, zirconia, cobalt oxide, and gallium oxide. The substrate can include a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, a silicon substrate, a ceramic monolith, and a stainless steel monolith. The ceramic can include cordierite, alumina, tin oxide, and titania. The nanorod array structure can include a perovskite shell, such as a lanthanum-based transition metal oxide, or a metal oxide shell, such as ceria, zinc oxide, tin oxide, alumina, zirconia, cobalt oxide, and gallium oxide, or a coating of metal particles, such as platinum, gold, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium, over each metal oxide nanorod. Structures can be bonded to the surface of a substrate and resist erosion if exposed to high velocity flow rates.

A method and device for separating at least one catalyst from a mixture of homogeneously shaped catalysts, the catalysts comprising at least one metal selected from the group formed by Ni, Co, Mo, W, the catalyst to be separated comprising a characteristic metal selected from the group formed by Ni, Co, Mo, W and the other catalysts of the mixture not containing said characteristic metal, in which method: the grains of the catalyst of said mixture pass in front of the LIBS detection system, the presence of said characteristic metal in the catalysts is detected by the LIBS technique, the wavelength being selected so as to detect said characteristic metal, the LIBS detection system sends a signal to a means for evacuating grains of catalyst to be separated in a manner such as to separate said grains from the other catalysts of said mixture.

It discloses a vanadium-titanium compound material with high thermal stability and high activity and a preparation method thereof. The vanadium-titanium compound material is mainly composed of vanadium oxide and titanium oxide, where the content of vanadium oxide is 0.5% to 30% by mass of the vanadium-titanium compound material, and the crystal form of titanium oxide in the vanadium-titanium compound material is one of anatase and TiO.sub.2(B) or a mixture thereof.

The present invention relates to a metal modified Y zeolite, its preparation and use. Said zeolite contains 1-15 wt % of IVB group metal as oxide and is characterized in that the ratio of the zeolite surface's IVB group metal content to the zeolite interior's IVB group metal content is not higher than 0.2; and/or the ratio of the distorted tetrahedral-coordinated framework aluminum to the tetrahedral-coordinated framework aluminum in the zeolite lattice structure is (0.1-0.8):1.