AIChE JournalPub Date : 2025-05-13DOI: 10.1002/aic.18896
Xiuzhen Ye, Wentao Tang
{"title":"Process Resilience under Optimal Data Injection Attacks","authors":"Xiuzhen Ye, Wentao Tang","doi":"10.1002/aic.18896","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18896","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In this article, we study the resilience of process systems in an <i>information-theoretic framework</i>, from the perspective of an attacker capable of optimally constructing data injection attacks. The attack aims to distract the stationary distributions of process variables and stay stealthy, simultaneously. The problem is formulated as designing a multivariate Gaussian distribution to maximize the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the stationary distributions of states and state estimates under attacks and without attacks, while minimizing that between the distributions of sensor measurements. When the attacker has limited access to sensors, sparse attacks are proposed by incorporating a sparsity constraint. We conduct theoretical analysis on the convexity of the attack construction problem and present a greedy algorithm, which enables systematic assessment of measurement vulnerability, thereby offering insights into the inherent resilience of process systems. We numerically evaluate the performance of proposed constructions on a two-reactor process.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aic.18896","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143945824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2025-05-13DOI: 10.1002/aic.18897
Kai Zhang, Hao-Lin Cheng, Yang Wang, Yang Liu, Zhi-Wei Xing, Peng Tan, Yao Nian, You Han, Lin-Bing Sun
{"title":"Converting metal–organic polyhedra to Pd single atoms on graphene for efficient selective semi-hydrogenation of alkynes","authors":"Kai Zhang, Hao-Lin Cheng, Yang Wang, Yang Liu, Zhi-Wei Xing, Peng Tan, Yao Nian, You Han, Lin-Bing Sun","doi":"10.1002/aic.18897","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18897","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Selective hydrogenation of alkynes to alkenes is pivotal in the chemical industry. Pd-containing materials have been proven to be effective catalysts, while balancing the activity-selectivity trade-off remains a significant challenge. Here we report the fabrication of Pd single atoms from the conversion of metal–organic polyhedra (MOPs) for the first time. The MOP (M<sub>6</sub>L<sub>4</sub>), constructed from Pd salt and N-containing ligand, can interact with the graphene support via π-electron coupling, leading to well dispersion of MOP molecules. In subsequent thermal treatment, Pd is anchored by N-doped graphene formed in situ, producing single Pd atoms (denoted as Pd<sub>1</sub>/G). The obtained Pd<sub>1</sub>/G catalyst exhibits excellent activity (100% conversion) and styrene selectivity (94%) in the semi-hydrogenation of phenylacetylene under mild conditions (298 K, 1 bar H<sub>2</sub>). Such performance is much superior to the counterpart catalyst Pd/G with Pd nanoparticles and the commercial Lindlar catalyst and is among the best of the reported catalysts for phenylacetylene semi-hydrogenation.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143940246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2025-05-12DOI: 10.1002/aic.18885
Jia Xiong, Qiang Sun, Hongxia Gao, Zhiwu Liang
{"title":"Advancing efficient green CO2 capture with hydrothermally recyclable Zr(HPO4)2 catalysts: Experimental and DFT insights","authors":"Jia Xiong, Qiang Sun, Hongxia Gao, Zhiwu Liang","doi":"10.1002/aic.18885","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18885","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Catalytic amine–based solution regeneration has attracted considerable attention due to its potential to reduce energy consumption in carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) separation. However, the limited catalytic activity and cycling stability of catalysts under high–temperature alkaline conditions hinder their industrial application. Herein, zirconium hydrogenphosphate (ZrHP) catalysts, featuring abundant acidic sites, were first utilized for amine solution regeneration. By leveraging its proton donation and acceptance mechanism, efficient monoethanolamine solution regeneration was achieved. The ZrHP–4 catalyst demonstrated a 526% increase in the instantaneous CO<sub>2</sub> desorption rate compared to the non–catalytic test, reducing the relative heat duty by 48%. Moreover, ZrHP–4 exhibited remarkable stability over 10 cycles without requiring regeneration. Density functional theory calculations revealed that ZrHP promotes CO<sub>2</sub> desorption by elongating the C—N bond of carbamate and lowering the proton transfer energy barrier. Therefore, this study offers novel insights into the design and mechanistic understanding of efficient and stable catalysts for amine solution regeneration.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143940247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2025-05-10DOI: 10.1002/aic.18889
Wanting Su, Peng Liu, Yiyi Zhao, Fang Li, Binran Zhao, Yunxiang Pan, Xiaoxun Ma
{"title":"Construction of MoOx-C interface with two active sites by plasma for low-temperature reverse water-gas shift reaction","authors":"Wanting Su, Peng Liu, Yiyi Zhao, Fang Li, Binran Zhao, Yunxiang Pan, Xiaoxun Ma","doi":"10.1002/aic.18889","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18889","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The design and synthesis of robust catalysts is the key to improving CO<sub>2</sub> conversion in the reverse-water gas shift (RWGS). In this article, the MoO<sub><i>x</i></sub>-C catalyst supported on AlOOH (xMoO<sub><i>x</i></sub>-C@AOH) is designed and synthesized by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. The Mo-C bonds of the MoO<sub><i>x</i></sub>-C interface regulate the electronic structure of MoO<sub><i>x</i></sub> and promote the formation of oxygen vacancies. The catalyst evaluation and reaction kinetics of the xMoO<sub><i>x</i></sub>-C@AOH demonstrate excellent performance (CO<sub>2</sub> conversion 15.8% at 450°C) and superior selectivity toward CO (100%), without obvious deactivation within 100 h. The high activity of xMoO<sub><i>x</i></sub>-C@AOH is related to two active sites: Mo sites of Mo-C are favorable for H<sub>2</sub> adsorption/dissociation; oxygen vacancies of MoO<sub><i>x</i></sub> promote the adsorption/dissociation of CO<sub>2</sub>. Two RWGS mechanisms are confirmed by DRIFTs: formate and direct CO<sub>2</sub> dissociation. This strategy of constructing the interface by DBD provides valuable insights to prepare high-performance catalysts for RWGS.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143940248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2025-05-10DOI: 10.1002/aic.18890
Wenjie Wang, Jiaxing Zhang, Xiaohu Ge, Yao Shi, Xinyu Tang, Zhihua Zhang, Wenyao Chen, Gang Qian, Yueqiang Cao, Guanghua Ye, Changjiu Xia, Xiang Feng, Lina Li, Xuezhi Duan, Xinggui Zhou, Xinwen Guo, Kevin M. Van Geem, Jing Zhang
{"title":"Toward carbon neutrality: Single-step polyethylene upcycling to BTX using Ni-ZSM-5 catalyst","authors":"Wenjie Wang, Jiaxing Zhang, Xiaohu Ge, Yao Shi, Xinyu Tang, Zhihua Zhang, Wenyao Chen, Gang Qian, Yueqiang Cao, Guanghua Ye, Changjiu Xia, Xiang Feng, Lina Li, Xuezhi Duan, Xinggui Zhou, Xinwen Guo, Kevin M. Van Geem, Jing Zhang","doi":"10.1002/aic.18890","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18890","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) are currently produced mainly through energy-intensive naphtha reforming, with around half of the BTX output used for plastic production. Developing an efficient method to convert polyethylene (PE)—the most abundant plastic—into BTX is therefore critical for advancing the circular economy and achieving carbon neutrality. Here, we present a single-step, hydrogen-free, noble-metal-free catalytic process that converts waste PE into BTX with yields nearing 59%, using an unreduced Ni-ZSM-5 catalyst, outperforming previously reported noble-metal or Ni-based zeolite catalysts. The conversion of PE and long-chain model compounds over Ni-ZSM-5 indicates a β-scission pathway, as evidenced by the prominent formation of isobutene—an established β-scission indicator. Upon Ni addition, the apparent activation energy for β-scission decreases significantly, suggesting that Ni-induced Lewis acidity promotes carbenium ion formation via hydride abstraction, the key step initiating β-scission. This accelerates PE breakdown into smaller intermediates, which easily diffuse into ZSM-5 micropores for further aromatization.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143930683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2025-05-09DOI: 10.1002/aic.18886
Yingzhang Shi, Zhecheng Fang, Jinqi Li, Zhiwen Wang, Xinwei Cui, Jiayi Guo, Chen Huang, Wenda Zhang, Yujie Song, Jie Fu
{"title":"Subsurface Ce dopants in Bi2MoO6 monolayers as promoters for photocatalytic C-N coupling reaction","authors":"Yingzhang Shi, Zhecheng Fang, Jinqi Li, Zhiwen Wang, Xinwei Cui, Jiayi Guo, Chen Huang, Wenda Zhang, Yujie Song, Jie Fu","doi":"10.1002/aic.18886","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18886","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding the role of subsurface dopants in photocatalysis is still highly challenging, although doping has always been one of the universal strategies for improving photocatalytic performance. Herein, Ce-doped Bi<sub>2</sub>MoO<sub>6</sub> monolayers were prepared for the photocatalytic C–N coupling reaction. Effects of subsurface Ce dopants on photocatalysis were investigated deeply via a series of characterizations and density functional theory calculations. Especially, subsurface Ce facilitates the migration of photogenerated electrons and enhances the adsorption of nitrobenzene. Ce-induced oxygen vacancies promote the formation of more frustrated Lewis acid–base pairs (Mo/O), facilitating the adsorption of benzyl alcohol. It establishes efficient pathways for the transfer of carriers to the reactants. Thus, the typical Ce (0.04 mmol)-doped Bi<sub>2</sub>MoO<sub>6</sub> exhibited a nitrobenzene conversion of 94.5% and a secondary amine selectivity of 99.1%. This work focuses on the role of subsurface dopants in photocatalysis, providing new insights for the design of high-efficiency photocatalysts and the investigation of structure–function relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143926923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2025-05-08DOI: 10.1002/aic.18893
Jingjing Chen, Yongjian Yang, Tao Zhou, Xiaoli Wu, Chongchong Chen, Ye Wan, Jianhua Liu, Zhirong Yang, Jingtao Wang
{"title":"Manipulating central intermolecular interaction in confined nanochannels for fast transport","authors":"Jingjing Chen, Yongjian Yang, Tao Zhou, Xiaoli Wu, Chongchong Chen, Ye Wan, Jianhua Liu, Zhirong Yang, Jingtao Wang","doi":"10.1002/aic.18893","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18893","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The study of molecule transport within confined nanochannels is crucial to developing high-performance membranes. Previous studies mainly focus on the interfacial molecule transport; however, the central molecule transport, equally crucial, has been disregarded. Herein, vertically aligned vermiculite-based (Vr-based) membranes with long-range nanochannels are engineered to ensure a stable flow. Meanwhile, the channel surfaces are functionalized (–CH<sub>3</sub>, –NH<sub>2</sub>, and –CF<sub>3</sub> groups) to tune the interaction with interfacial molecules, thus affecting the intermolecular interaction of central molecules. We demonstrate that strong channel-molecule interaction between polar walls and protonic solvents can impede the formation of hydrogen-bond networks in central molecules, thus reducing the central intermolecular interaction and enabling fast transport. For instance, the Vr-CF<sub>3</sub> membrane displays a 69% improvement in water permeance in comparison to the Vr-CH<sub>3</sub> membrane, achieving 13.0 LMH bar<sup>−1</sup>. Nevertheless, nonpolar walls with weak channel-molecule interaction show uninfluenced intermolecular interaction, giving comparable transport ability for both protonic and non-protonic solvents.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143920937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Construction of dual cofactor-driven biocatalytic system for effective production of chiral amino acids","authors":"Feng Cheng, Ju-Mou Li, Feng-Qin Sun, Ya-Ting Gao, Shu-Ping Zou, Jian-Miao Xu, Ya-Ping Xue, Yu-Guo Zheng","doi":"10.1002/aic.18894","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18894","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Asymmetric reductive amination is essential for producing chiral amino acids, yet optimizing intracellular cofactor utilization for this process remains challenging. Herein, we developed a dual cofactor-driven biocatalytic system (DuCoCat) that utilizes both intracellular NAD(H) and NADP(H). Initially, the cofactor dependence of a glutamate dehydrogenase (GluDH) was engineered to exhibit dual cofactor preference, achieving a 163.3-fold increase in cofactor-preference factor. This engineered GluDH was coupled with a dual cofactor-dependent glucose dehydrogenase to form a DuCoCat system. To improve the efficiency of the DuCoCat system, we developed a kinetic model for the DuCoCat system and applied metabolic engineering to enhance intracellular cofactor concentrations, thereby optimizing the DuCoCat-driven biocatalytic process. This approach led to efficient and cost-effective amino acid synthesis with high space–time yield. Scale-up experiments were conducted for the synthesis of L-phosphinothricin, and an economic analysis based on optimized scale-up data demonstrated the process's commercial viability.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143920947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A unified theory for gas–particle flow stress with particle friction and interstitial fluid effects","authors":"Xinyao Guo, Guodong Liu, Gianandrea Vittorio Messa, Maoran Zhao, Huanpeng Liu","doi":"10.1002/aic.18868","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18868","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article presents a unified theory that considers both particle friction and interstitial fluid effects for simulating gas–particle flow stress. For the first time, we proposed kinetic theory-based solid stress equations that can simultaneously take into consideration the interstitial fluid effect at low solid volume fraction and the friction effect at high solid volume fraction. A smooth transition between these regimes was realized using the inertial number model. We validated the theory with experimental data from a spouted bed and a riser and showed the advantages of our theory over some classical kinetic theory models (e.g., Lun, Agrawal, and GTSH model). The results show that the solid volume fraction at the riser inlet and the particle velocity in spouted beds are more accurately predicted by the new model. Furthermore, the influence of interstitial fluid effects on particle flow is more pronounced in the riser than in the spouted bed.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143920446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2025-05-07DOI: 10.1002/aic.18876
Swati Kaushik, Steven Meeker, Guillaume Ovarlez
{"title":"Cake formation in the filtration of associative microgel suspensions","authors":"Swati Kaushik, Steven Meeker, Guillaume Ovarlez","doi":"10.1002/aic.18876","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aic.18876","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In this work, we investigate the jamming behavior of associative microgel suspensions used as fluid loss additives in model porous media. We first construct a phase diagram using drying experiments, followed by characterization of the suspensions' rheology and the permeability of the filter cakes at maximum microgel concentration. Microfluidic devices are designed for frontal and lateral flow filtration with pore sizes comparable to or slightly larger than the microgel particles. Microscopic observations reveal irreversible aggregation as the particles pass through pores, leading to cake formation inside and at the exit of the pores—contrary to the classical view of cake formation. Flow in linear channels of similar pore size, however, does not cause jamming, suggesting that extensional shear plays a crucial role. We hypothesize that extensional flows promote the association of hydrophobic groups by unfolding dangling chains, resulting in low-permeability filter cakes with self-adaptive properties for larger pore networks.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"71 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aic.18876","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143920358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}