University of Sherbrooke

A paper contributed by J. E. Desnoyers, R. Beaudoin, C. Roux, and C. Perron described the use of microemulsions as a possible tool for the extraction of oil from tar sands. Using a technique called flow microcalorimetry recently developed at the University of Sherbrooke, these researchers studied the structure and stability of organic microphases in aqueous media. These microphases can be stabilized by surfactants and can dissolve large quantities of oil. In a similar vein, D. F. Gerson, J. E. Zajic, and M. D. Ouchi (University of Western Ontario) described the extraction of bitumen from Athabasca tar sands by a combined solvent-aqueous-surfactant system. 

Khayat, K. (1995). Use ofVEAs in Cement Based systems - An Overview, University of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, 1-36. 

Andrew D. Bass University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada Jacqueline Belloni UMR CNRS-UPS, Universite Paris-Sud, Orsay, France William A. Bernhard University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, U.S.A. 

Andre Bandrauk joined the University of Sherbrooke in 1970 following a NATO postdoctoral fellowship with C. A. Coulson and M. S. Child at Oxford, where he developed his interest in the theory of predissociation. His paper with Child reported the first application of scattering theory to spectroscopy.285... 

In recognition of the rapid expansion of computational chemistry in the 1980s, Andre Bandrauk and Andre Michel of the University of Sherbrooke organized the First Canadian Symposium on Computational Chemistry in May 1991 in Orford, Quebec. The conference included invited papers on dynamics, density functional methods, molecular modeling, Monte Carlo methods, and topics in quantum chemistry and statistical mechanics. About half of the invited speakers were from abroad (mostly from the United States). 

Department of Chemistry, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada... 

Steam-aqueous fractionation of poplar wood was performed at the University of Sherbrooke, Canada using a continuous Stake II unit. This treatment led to solubilization, afier washing, of 30% of the biomass into a hemicellulose-rich aqueous solution, which contained 32,1% of solutes of the elemental formula CH1.35O0.67-These solutes were mostly oligomeric pentosan and a small amount of dissolved lignin. 

The rotary kiln pyrolysis unit used in these experiments was originally used for studies in peat conversion directed by E. Chornet at the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec (Campion, 1978). 

Pyrolysis of agricultural residue was experimentally assessed as a fuel production process for farm applications. A rotary kiln (3.4 m by 0.165 m I.D.) was used due to its ease of operation, commercial availability, low operating costs and ease of start-up and shutdown. Ground oat straw and corn stover at less than 10% moisture were pyrolysed in an indirectly fired continuous-flow rotary kiln located at the University of Sherbrooke. The principle products were char and gas, less than 1% of the feed mass was converted to tar. Calorific values were about 17 MJ/kg for the feed, 26 MJ/kg for the char, and 12 MJ/m3 for the gas. Calculations indicate that the thermal efficiency of a self-sustaining process would be around 65%. 

Appreciation is expressed to the University of Sherbrooke for the use of their facilities during the experiments. 

ANDRZEJ LASIA Department of Chemistry University of Sherbrooke Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada JIK 2R1... 

The details of the methods of preparation of the oils shown in Figure 2 can be obtained by writing to their suppliers. Briefly, Oil 1 was supplied by D. S. Scott of the University of Waterloo and was produced by flash pyrolysis of a poplar-aspen hybrid. Oils 2, 3 and 6 were supplied by C. Roy of the University of Sherbrooke. Oil 2 was produced by vacuum pyrolysis of Avicel at 360 C, Oil 3 by vacuum pyrolysis of an aspen-poplar hybrid at 534 C and 2.2 torr, and Oil 4 by vacuum pyrolysis of aspen at 315 C and 0.7 torr. Oil 4 was supplied by J. Howard, of B.C. Research, Vancouver and was produced by extraction of aspen using supercritical acetone. Oil 5 was supplied by S. Kaliaguine of the University of Laval and was produced by extraction of aspen with supercritical methanol at 350 C and 1500 psi. 

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