Group at CAS DICP establishes photocatalytic method to convert polyols and sugars into methanol and syngas
The group of WANG Feng at CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics have established a method to convert biomass-derived polyols and sugars into methanol and syngas (CO+H2) via UV light irradiation at room temperature. The bio-syngas could be further used for the synthesis of methanol. Cellulose and even raw wood sawdust could be converted into methanol or syngas after hydrogenolysis or hydrolysis pretreatment.
The researchers also found that Cu dispersed on titanium oxide nanorods (TNR) rich in defects effectively promoted selective C-C bond cleavage that produced methanol. Using this process, methanol was obtained from glycerol with co-production of H2. A syngas with CO selectivity up to 90% in the gas phase was obtained by controlling the energy band structure of Cu/TNR.
CAS news release, February 2, 2020
Production line for anti-malaria drug artemisinin in Henan eyes second production site in Africa
The Cangzhou Tianyuan Biotechnology Co. in central Henan province can now produce 60 tonnes of the antimalarial drug artemisinin per year by extraction of the sesquiterpene from Artemisia anna and subsequent recrystallization. The company is already delivering the...
Mars simulation camp opens in NW China
The purpose of the “Mars Base 1 Camp” in Jinchang City, Gansu Province, is to popularize science and promote interest in space exploration. Xinhua, April 19, 2019 © Xinhua/Fan Peishen
A systematic study of aromatic hydrocarbon superconductivity
ZHONG Guohua at the CAS Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) identified a unique superconducting phase with Tc in the range of 5K-7K for all aromatic hydrocarbons. The origin of a low-Tc phase was ascribed to low density of states at Fermi level induced...
100 kWh Na-ion battery system for energy storage demonstrator launched
A 100 kWh Na-ion battery (NIB) energy storage system was installed as a demonstrator to supplying power to the building of Yangtze River Delta Physics Research Center located in Liyang city. It was jointly developed by a team around HU Yongsheng from CAS Institute of...
Microalgae yield can be enhanced by knocking out carbonic anhydrase CA2
A joint research team of CAS QIBEBT and Ruhr-University Bochum found that cytosolic carbonic anhydrase (CA2) is a key sensor of the extracellular carbon dioxide level in microalgae. By knocking out this gene in Nannochloropsis, the algae showed higher...
Two-step process converts cellulose into polycycloalkanes, a high-density aviation biofuel
A joint research team of CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics and Tianjin University have established a process to convert cellulose to 2,5-hexanedione with high selectivity, obtaining 71.4% of 2,5-hexanedione carbon yield after separation. In a second step, this...
China and France collaborate in space programs
During Xi Jinping's visit in France in March 2019, space authorities from both sides signed an agreement to step up cooperation in space exploration. China will fly French experiments on its Chang'e-6 mission to return samples from the Moon in 2023-24, earth...
Rejuvenation of aging cells may help to cure osteoarthritis using gene therapy: CAS Institute of Zoology
Senescent mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are found in cartilage tissues isolated fromosteoarthritis patients suggesting a role of these cells in the disease. A joint research group of CAS Institute of Zoology, Institute of Biophysics and Peking University have now...
Industrial-scale aquaculture may reduce methane and NOx emissions by 40 %
Global consumption of fish for food increases by an annual 3.2 % and production is mostly carried out by extensive or semi-intensive aqua farming, leading to methane and NOx emissions (1.82 % and 0.34 %, respectively, of global emissions). China is among the major...
CAS team reports progress in calcium-ion batteries
The group of Yongbing TANG at CAS Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technologies has reported on a new type of calcium ion batteries (CIB) which uses activated carbon as anode and tin as a cathode. Reportedly this CIB has a good rate and cycling performance as well as...
Ingestion of pesticides may lead to obesity: Chinese study with mice
When the group around WANG Peng from China Agriculture University added chlorpyrifos pesticide into the food and water of mice, they found an increase in body weight. They assume that pesticide intake broke the integrity of the gut barrier, leading to an...
Nearly 90 percent of Chinese are optimistic about the use of AI
In a recent survey among 2,006 people by China Youth Daily and a leading Beijing-based AI company, 89.4 percent of respondents were optimistic about using AI technology over the next five years. Among the respondents, 53.7 percent were most familiar with automated...