Multistep-multistage processes

Jouzel J. (1986) Isotopes in cloud physics multisteps and multistages processes. In Handbook of Environmental Isotopes Geochemistry Volume 2 The Terrestrial Environment B". (eds. P. Fritz and J. C. Fontes). Elsevier, vol. 2, pp. 61—112. 

Zhang et al. used Langmuir monolayers to study the initial stage of nucleation and crystallization of calcium phosphate [160]. The monolayers used in their study consisted of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, arachidic acid, and octadecylamine. The experiments show that the adsorption of calcium ions to the respective mono-layer is a prerequisite for subsequent nucleation. The authors also demonstrate that calcium phosphate forms through a multistage assembly process, in which first an amorphous calcium phosphate dihydrate layer forms, which then recrystallizes to form a crystalline hydroxyapatite layer (Fig. 12). This transformation of an amorphous phase to a crystalline phase provides direct evidence of a multistep crystallization process, which the authors claim is similar to the processes occurring in biomineralization. 

Multistep or multistage reactions in aqueous solutions are far more complicated than the process depicted above. Nonetheless, the conceptual picture of a saddle point allows one to comprehend the spatial organization and energy constraints influencing chemical reactivity. 

Multistage/multistep combinations of two-step and two-stage processes can be designed but are seldom used in commercial systems—their complexity makes them uncompetitive with alternative separation technologies. More commonly some form of recycle design is used. 

The apparent transfer coefficient of the cathodic reaction, ac, is a measure of the sensitivity of the transition state to the drop in electrostatic potential between electrolyte and metal [109,112]. According to Ref. 113, it is ac = 0.75 for the O2 reduction on Pt in aqueous acid electrolytes. In Ref. Ill the value ac = 1.0 was reported instead. Since the cathodic reaction is a complex multistep process, it might follow several reaction pathways, and the competition between them is affected by the operation conditions (rj, p, T). Therefore, different values of ac have been reported in different regimes of operation. Although in the simple reactions the transfer coefficient is a microscopic characteristic of the elementary act [112], for complex multistage reactions in fuel cell electrodes it is rather an empirical parameter of the model. The dependence of effective a for methanol oxidation on the catalyst layer preparation was recently studied [114]. 

Multistep and multistage membrane systems of the type shown in Figure 21.5 have been used to treat a number of vapor-gas streams. However, hybrid processes in which membrane separation is combined with another separation process, are attractive because they may enable each unit operation to operate in its preferred range, improving overall process efficiency. The most important of these hybrid processes is the combination of condensation under pressure with membrane separation, illustrated in Figure 21.6. In this process, a vapor-permeable membrane unit is combined with a vapor condensation-flash unit (Baker and Wijmans, 1994 Baker et al., 1998 Wijmans, 1993/1992). 

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