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The efficient separation of acetylene (C2H2) and ethylene (C2H4) is an important and complex process in the industry. Herein, we report a new family of lcy-topologic coordination frameworks (termed NTU-90to NTU-92) with Cu3MF6(M = Si, Ti, and Zr) nodes. These charged frameworks are compensated by different counterbalanced ions (MF62–, BF4–, and Cl–), yielding changes in the size of the window apertures. Among these frameworks, NTU-92-a(activated NTU-92) shows good adsorption selectivity of C2H2/C2H4and also significant ability in recovering both highly pure C2H4(99.95%) and C2H2(99.98%). Our work not only presents a potential alternative for energy-saving purification of C2 hydrocarbons but also provides a new approach for tuning the function of charged porous materials.

NTUniv-80exhibits record-high volumetric and gravimetric acetylene (C2H2) uptakes of 210 cm3(STP) g–1and 227 cm3(STP) cm–3at 295 K and 1 atm, respectively. Grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation indicates that those remarkable C2H2uptakes are attributed to the open Cu2+sites and tailored cages.

The strategy of flow channel with wrinkles and calcium sites for single-step C2H4purification from C2 gases and methanol-to-olefins (MTO) products separation was realized in FJI-Y9. The adsorption amounts showed a total reversal order of C3H6> C2H6> C2H2> C2H4at 298 K. Modeling indicated that the wrinkles and Ca2+facilitated the full contact of C3H6and C2H6. Breakthrough experiments illustrated that FJI-Y9could yield pure C2H4in a single step with a productivity of 0.78 mmol g–1. In a lone adsorption/desorption cycle for MTO product separation, the productivities of C3H6and C2H4were 1.96 and 1.29 mol g–1, standing as the highest recorded values.

For large-scale artificial breeding of sea cucumber (Holothuria leucospilota), it is necessary to understand how environmental parameters affect larval rearing. In this study, the effects of salinity changes on survival, growth, and development of the mid- and late-auricularia of H. leucospilotawere estimated within a 7-day culture period. Salinity shock is usually accompanied by water replacement during hatching. To replicate the occurrence of salinity changes in actual larval production, 1/2 of the larval rearing water (initial salinity ∼31.6 ppt) was replaced daily by the experimental waters at different salinity levels (18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 38, and 42 ppt). On day 7, larval survival rates varied with salinity, while the highest survival rates (44.37–46.63% for mid-auricularia; 50.71–53.98% for late-auricularia) were observed in normal salinities (30 and 34 ppt) and the lowest survival rates (15.71–23.96% for mid-auricularia; 24.11–29.57% for late-auricularia) were observed in extreme salinities (18, 22, and 42 ppt). For any sampling event, the body length of mid-auricularia in normal salinities (30 and 34 ppt) were continued to increase during the 7-day culture period. The highest length of late-auricularia was reached on day 3 (880.01 ± 84.38 and 889.06 ± 112.11 µm, respectively), then decreased to 745.31 ± 127.64 and 742.94 ± 98.43 µm on day 7 due to metamorphosis. On day 7, the proportion of mid-auricularia larvae without development potential was the lowest (36.67%) at a salinity level of 34 ppt, and the proportions were increased with both decreasing/increasing salinities. However, this proportion was much lower for the late-auricularia at the same salinity. The decrease in salinity could promote metamorphosis of the late-auricularia, and the highest proportion of doliolaria (24.32%) was observed at salinity level of 26 ppt on day 7. In extreme salinities (18, 22, and 42 ppt), the hyaline spheres (indication of larval competence) in late-auricularia were less obvious than those in other salinities. The ability in resisting salinity shock was increased with larval development, where late-auricularia had better tolerance to salinity shock than mid-auricularia, whereas larvae at both stages were more tolerant to hypertonic than hypotonic conditions. Based on our results, we propose to rear the mid- and late-auricularia at a comparatively high level of salinity (e.g., ∼31 ppt) to promote their survival and performance, while to decrease the salinity (e.g., ∼26 ppt) in the last period of late-auricularia to increase their competence to metamorphose into doliolaria.

The article discusses the production of biofuel in China which is under the strict control of the Chinese government. Ethanol production in China has reached 920,000 metric tons while biodiesel production trailed at 100,000 to 200,000 metric tons in 2005. China's biofuel program objectives include improving the welfare of Chinese rural citizens, strengthening energy security and reducing dependence on oil, and mitigating noxious emissions.