Temperature control, carbon dioxide

Caldwell CR., Britz SJ., Mirecki RM. Effect of temperature, elevated carbon dioxide, and drought during seed development on the isoflavone content of dwarf soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] grown in controlled environments. Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry 2005 53(4) 1125-1129. 

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction is a relatively recent process and yields products of extremely high quality. The process is, however, relatively expensive due to high cost of liquid carbon dioxide. The critical temperature of carbon dioxide is 31°C and the critical pressure just over 1000 psi. Critical carbon dioxide is an excellent solvent for essential oils. Due to the relatively low temperature of the extraction, it can easily handle thermally labile oils without degradation and in addition it is chemically very inert and so does not react with any of the essential oil components. The essential oil is easily recovered from the extract by reducing the pressure in a controlled manner and allowing the carbon dioxide to evaporate. The extraction is carried out in a pressurized container constructed from heavy duty stainless steel at 35°C and 1000 psi. The equipment can also be very expensive. 

The plant factory is a new production process for agriculture it is a facility that produces high-quality vegetables year round by artificially controlling the cultivation environment (eg, light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and culture solution), allowing growers to plan production. 

In contrast to the silver process, all of the formaldehyde is made by the exothermic reaction (eq. 23) at essentially atmospheric pressure and at 300—400°C. By proper temperature control, a methanol conversion greater than 99% can be maintained. By-products are carbon monoxide and dimethyl ether, in addition to small amounts of carbon dioxide and formic acid. Overall plant yields are 88—92%. 

Climate and Environmental Factors. The biomass species selected for energy appHcations and the climate must be compatible to faciUtate operation of fuel farms. The three primary climatic parameters that have the most influence on the productivity of an iadigenous or transplanted species are iasolation, rainfall, and temperature. Natural fluctuations ia these factors remove them from human control, but the information compiled over the years ia meteorological records and from agricultural practice suppHes a valuable data bank from which to develop biomass energy appHcations. Ambient carbon dioxide concentration and the availabiHty of nutrients are also important factors ia biomass production. 

Because of the delay in decomposition of the peroxide, oxygen evolution follows carbon dioxide sorption. A catalyst is required to obtain total decomposition of the peroxides 2 wt % nickel sulfate often is used. The temperature of the bed is the controlling variable 204°C is required to produce the best decomposition rates (18). The reaction mechanism for sodium peroxide is the same as for lithium peroxide, ie, both carbon dioxide and moisture are required to generate oxygen. Sodium peroxide has been used extensively in breathing apparatus. 

Early Synthesis. Reported by Kolbe in 1859, the synthetic route for preparing the acid was by treating phenol with carbon dioxide in the presence of metallic sodium (6). During this early period, the only practical route for large quantities of sahcyhc acid was the saponification of methyl sahcylate obtained from the leaves of wintergreen or the bark of sweet bitch. The first suitable commercial synthetic process was introduced by Kolbe 15 years later in 1874 and is the route most commonly used in the 1990s. In this process, dry sodium phenate reacts with carbon dioxide under pressure at elevated (180—200°C) temperature (7). There were limitations, however not only was the reaction reversible, but the best possible yield of sahcyhc acid was 50%. An improvement by Schmitt was the control of temperature, and the separation of the reaction into two parts. At lower (120—140°C) temperatures and under pressures of 500—700 kPa (5—7 atm), the absorption of carbon dioxide forms the intermediate phenyl carbonate almost quantitatively (8,9). The sodium phenyl carbonate rearranges predominately to the ortho-isomer. sodium sahcylate (eq. 8). 

Ready availabiHty and easy appHcation of bulk Hquid carbon dioxide have caused it to replace dry ice in many cases. Liquid CO2 can be stored without loss and is easily measured or weighed. Liquid carbon dioxide is also used, along with dry ice, for direct injection into chemical reaction systems to control temperature. 

Oxychlorination of Ethylene or Dichloroethane. Ethylene or dichloroethane can be chlorinated to a mixture of tetrachoroethylene and trichloroethylene in the presence of oxygen and catalysts. The reaction is carried out in a fluidized-bed reactor at 425°C and 138—207 kPa (20—30 psi). The most common catalysts ate mixtures of potassium and cupric chlorides. Conversion to chlotocatbons ranges from 85—90%, with 10—15% lost as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide (24). Temperature control is critical. Below 425°C, tetrachloroethane becomes the dominant product, 57.3 wt % of cmde product at 330°C (30). Above 480°C, excessive burning and decomposition reactions occur. Product ratios can be controlled but less readily than in the chlorination process. Reaction vessels must be constmcted of corrosion-resistant alloys. 

Temperature, pH, and feed rate are often measured and controlled. Dissolved oxygen (DO) can be controlled using aeration, agitation, pressure, and/or feed rate. Oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide formation can be measured in the outgoing air to provide insight into the metaboHc status of the microorganism. No rehable on-line measurement exists for biomass, substrate, or products. Most optimization is based on empirical methods simulation of quantitative models may provide more efficient optimization of fermentation. 

A hybridoma can live indefinitely in a growth medium that includes salts, glucose, glutamine, certain amino acids, and bovine serum that provides essential components that have not been identified. Serum is expensive, and its cost largely determines the economic feasibihty of a particular ciilture system. Only recently have substitutes or partial replacements for serum been found. Antibiotics are often included to prevent infection of the culture. The pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen, and carbon dioxide concentration must be closely controlled. The salt determines the osmotic pressure to preserve the integrity of the fragile cell. 

Once a fire has started, control of the fire can be accomplished in several ways through water systems (by reducing the temperature), carbon dioxide or foam systems (by limiting oxygen), or through removal of the substrate (by shutting off valves or other controls). Chapter 4 provides detailed discussion on the theories of fire and specific information on hydrocarbons, as well as chemical specific fire characteristics. 

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