The present disclosure relates generally to ceramic materials suitable for use as catalyst support materials, catalysts using such materials and methods for using them, such as methods for converting sugars, sugar alcohols, glycerol, and bio-renewable organic acids to commercially-valuable chemicals and intermediates. One aspect of the invention is a ceramic material including zirconium oxide and one or more metal oxides selected from nickel oxide, copper oxide, cobalt oxide, iron oxide and zinc oxide, the ceramic material being at least about 50 wt. % zirconium oxide. In certain embodiments, the ceramic material is substantially free of any binder, extrusion aid or additional stabilizing agent.

This invention provides a method for catalytic conversion of carbohydrates to low-carbon diols using alloy catalysts. In the process, carbohydrates as the feedstock are subjected to one-step catalytic conversion to realize the highly efficient and selective production of ethylene glycol etc. under hydrothermal conditions, with an alloy catalyst composed of tin, and a transition metal such as iron, cobalt, nickel, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, iridium, platinum and copper, or a mixture thereof. The reaction is carried out in water at a temperature range of 120-300 C., with a hydrogen pressure range of 1-13 MPa. Compared with the present petroleum based synthesis technology of ethylene glycol, the method in this invention possesses advantages of using renewable feedstock, high atom economy and environmental friendly. Besides, compared with other technologies using biomass as feedstock to produce ethylene glycol, the alloy catalyst in this invention possesses the advantages of few leaching amount, good hydrothermal stability and easy to recycle.

This invention provides a method for catalytic conversion of carbohydrates to low-carbon diols using alloy catalysts. In the process, carbohydrates as the feedstock are subjected to one-step catalytic conversion to realize the highly efficient and selective production of ethylene glycol etc. under hydrothermal conditions, with an alloy catalyst composed of tin, and a transition metal such as iron, cobalt, nickel, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, iridium, platinum and copper, or a mixture thereof. The reaction is carried out in water at a temperature range of 120-300 C., with a hydrogen pressure range of 1-13 MPa. Compared with the present petroleum based synthesis technology of ethylene glycol, the method in this invention possesses advantages of using renewable feedstock, high atom economy and environmental friendly. Besides, compared with other technologies using biomass as feedstock to produce ethylene glycol, the alloy catalyst in this invention possesses the advantages of few leaching amount, good hydrothermal stability and easy to recycle.

A curable composition that has low viscosity and rapid curing ability in the form of thin film, further has excellent resistance to emulsification and preservation stability, and has high hardness in the form of cured film, thereby achieving excellent alkali developability, which is preferably an active energy beam-curable composition, is provided. The provided is a curable composition, which includes a mixture (A) of a compound having two or more (meth)acryloyl groups that is obtained by conducting a transesterification reaction of diglycerin and/or glycerin and a compound having one (meth)acryloyl group under the presence of the following catalysts X and Y: catalyst X: a compound that is at least one member selected from the group consisting of cyclic tertiary amine having an azabicyclo structure or a salt or complex thereof, amidine or a salt or complex thereof, and a compound having a pyridine ring or a salt or complex thereof; and catalyst Y: a compound including zinc.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing polyols. In particular, the present invention relates to the preparation, in a single step, of polyols by a process involving a hydrohydroxymethylation reaction starting from a composition A comprising one or more compounds of formula (I).

A glycerin recovery system uses a reboiler and a heat exchanging system. The reboiler heats crude glycerin to separate the crude glycerin into finished glycerin and condensates such that the finished glycerin is in a range of 80-98% purity. The heat exchanging system transfers heat energy in the finished glycerin to the crude glycerin.

A glycerin recovery system uses a reboiler and a heat exchanging system. The reboiler heats crude glycerin to separate the crude glycerin into finished glycerin and condensates such that the finished glycerin is in a range of 80-98% purity. The heat exchanging system transfers heat energy in the finished glycerin to the crude glycerin.

Improved casein-based films are produced by adjusting the pH of a film-production suspension. The film-production suspension may contain a casein source, a plasticizer, and optionally a strengthening additive. The adjustment of the pH may be accomplished by the addition of an alkaline additive, such as a base, to achieve a desired pH value. The improved casein-based films have improved physical properties as compared to those produced without a pH-adjusted film-production suspension at least in part due to the chemical and structural changes imparted by the change in pH.

The present invention relates to a method for separating and washing microparticles via a stratified co-flow of non-Newtonian fluid and Newtonian fluid, wherein the Newtonian fluid as well as the non-Newtonian fluid may flow into a transfer channel formed in a fluid chip at a predetermined flow rate ratio matching with an effective diameter of the target particles contained in the non-Newtonian fluid, thereby inducing a change in positions of particle focusing points with respect to the target particles within the stratified co-flow thereof formed in the transfer channel. As a result, it is possible to more easily separate only the target particles among the microparticles contained in the non-Newtonian fluid toward the Newtonian fluid without using an additional device and human power, or transfer the target particles contained in the non-Newtonian fluid toward the Newtonian fluid for washing the same. Accordingly, since native biofluids used in the studies and clinical experiments are mostly non-Newtonian fluid, it is possible to directly separate and wash the target particles without a need of changing a solution for containing cells/particles or additional diluting the same for executing experiments. If the native biofluids as the non-Newtonian fluid lack a relaxation time, any artificial polymer could be simply added thereto in order to increase the relaxation time, thereby greatly increasing an amount of treatment per time. Further, since high working efficiency can be achieved in a wide range of flow rate, high efficient separation and washing processes may be achieved by a simple hand work of pushing and pumping an injector alone, without any accurate pumping device.

A process is described for directly converting a high fructose feedstock to a product mixture including one or more lower polyols in which 1,2-propanediol is produced in preference to any other lower polyols, wherein a high fructose feed and a source of hydrogen are supplied to a reaction vessel and reacted in the presence of a copper-containing, supported ruthenium catalyst to provide the product mixture.