A hybrid objective lens has a refractive lens and a diffractive optical element constructed by plural coaxial ring-shaped zones on at least one optical surface thereof. When n1, n2 and n3 each is a diffraction order of a diffracted ray having a maximum light amount among diffracted rays of each of first, second and third light flux having wavelength λ1, λ2 and λ3 when respective light flux comes to be incident into the diffractive structure respectively, the following formulas are satisfied: |n1|>|n2|, and |n1|>|n3|, and the hybrid objective lens converges a n1-th, n2-th and n3-th order diffracted ray of the first, second and third light flux onto an information recording plane of each of the first, second ant third optical information recording medium respectively so as to form an appropriate wavefront within respective prescribed necessary image side numerical apertures.

Objective Lens, Optical Element, Optical Pick-Up Apparatus and Optical Information Recording and/or Reproducing Apparatus Equipped Therewith

This invention relates to an apparatus, comprising: at least one process microchannel having a height, width and length, the height being up to about 10 mm, the process microchannel having a base wall extending in one direction along the width of the process microchannel and in another direction along the length of the process microchannel; at least one fin projecting into the process microchannel from the base wall and extending along at least part of the length of the process microchannel; and a catalyst or sorption medium supported by the fin.

Microchannel with internal fin support for catalyst or sorption medium

This invention relates to a process for converting a hydrocarbon reactant to a product comprising an oxygenate or a nitrile, the process comprising: (A) flowing a reactant composition comprising the hydrocarbon reactant, and oxygen or a source of oxygen, and optionally ammonia, through a microchannel reactor in contact with a catalyst to convert the hydrocarbon reactant to the product, the hydrocarbon reactant undergoing an exothermic reaction in the microchannel reactor; (B) transferring heat from the microchannel reactor to a heat exchanger during step (A); and (C) quenching the product from step (A).

Process for converting a hydrocarbon to an oxygenate or a nitrile

A process for the catalytic gas-phase oxidation of propene to acrylic acid, in which the reaction gas starting mixture is oxidized, with a high propene loading, in a first reaction stage, over a first fixed-bed catalyst which is housed in two successive reaction zones A, B, the reaction zone B being kept at a higher temperature than the reaction zone A, and the acrolein-containing product gas mixture of the first reaction stage is then oxidized in a second reaction stage, with a high acrolein loading, over a second fixed-bed catalyst which is housed in two successive reaction zones C, D, the reaction zone D being kept at a higher temperature than the reaction zone C.

Method for the catalytic gas phase oxidation of propene into acrylic acid

During the last decade, the interest in estimating environmental life cycle impacts of bioprocesses has markedly risen. To adequately quantify these impacts, accurate life cycle inventories of materials, such as agricultural substrates and enzymes, are required. The goals of this life cycle assessment were (1) to estimate the life cycle inventories (LCIs) and impacts of three supported enzymes produced in-house for pharmaceutical applications (A, B, and C) and (2) to determine the suitability of applying modular life cycle inventory estimation techniques to enzymes when individual enzyme LCIs are not readily available. The scope of this LCA was cradle to gate, covering the production and purification of the enzymes, energy generation, raw material production, waste treatment, and transportation of the raw materials. Three immobilized enzymes (A, B, and C) produced industrially for application in pharmaceutical products were studied. Enzyme production information was obtained from internal process descriptions. LCI information was obtained from GlaxoSmithKline’s in-house LCA database FLASC™, from LCA commercial databases, and literature. The LCI for the enzyme support was estimated using its material flows. Mass allocations were applied to multi-output processes in the upstream processes. The life cycle impacts considered were nonrenewable energy consumption, global warming, acidification, eutrophication, and photochemical smog formation. Life cycle impacts of the immobilized enzymes A, B, and C were estimated. For instance, nonrenewable energy use is between 117 to 207 MJ/kg of immobilized enzyme and the global warming potential ranges from 16 to 25 kg CO2 eq/kg immobilized enzyme. Contributions of different subprocesses were also estimated. For example, support production accounts for about 31% to 67% of the energy consumption and soybean protein and yeast extract account for about 64% to 72% of the total photochemical smog formation. Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis were performed using Monte Carlo simulation and showed that a standard deviation of the environmental impact is less than 7% of the mean in all the environmental impacts considered. “What if” analysis shows that using biobased glycerin instead of petroleum-based glycerin could reduce global warming impacts between 11% and 44%. The production of immobilized enzyme is, in general, energy intensive. Enzyme A has larger environmental impacts than the other enzymes evaluated because of larger energy intensity and lower enzyme production yield. The media preparation inputs (soybean protein, yeast extract) and immobilization subprocesses are the two major contributors to acidification, eutrophication, and photochemical smog formation. Immobilization is the major contributor for global warming potential. “What if” analysis estimated changes on life cycle impacts for biobased vs. synthetic substrates. The results of this LCA are, in general, comparable with results previously reported in the literature (Nielsen et al., Int J Life Cycle Assess 12(6):432–438, 2007). Therefore, using this technique to estimate LCI of enzymes appears to be suitable for future life cycle assessments of biocatalyzed processes. The results of this study will be integrated into GlaxoSmithKline’s FLASC™ to improve the accuracy of life cycle assessment for biocatalyzed processes and enzymes produced in-house.

Enzymes for pharmaceutical applications—a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment

A catalyst used for producing, by catalytic gas phase oxidation of a C 3 -C 5 oelfin or tertiary alcohol, the corresponding unsaturated aldehyde and unsaturated carboxylic acid, said catalyst characterized by comprising molybdenum, iron and bismuth and having a specific surface area in the range from 1 to 20 m 2 /gr, a pore volume in the range from 0.1 to 1.0 cc/gr and a pore diameter distribution in which the pore diameters are collectively distributed in the range of each of from 1 to 10 microns and from 0.1 to less than 1 micron; and a process for preparing said catalyst by charging an unfired material power into a centrifugal flow coating device to form particles having the average particle diameter of 2 to 10 mm and then firing the particles.

Catalyst for oxidation of olefin or tertiary alcohol and process for production thereof

In a process for producing an unsaturated aldehyde or an unsaturated acid by catalytically oxidizing propylene or at least one compound selected from isobutylene, tert.-butyl alcohol and methyl-tert.-butyl ether in a gaseous phase with molecular oxygen or a molecular oxygen-containing gas using a fixed bed multipipe reactor, characterized in that (a) a plurality of composite oxides different in occupied volume, represented by formula MoaWbBicFedAeBfCgDhOx ... (I) wherein Mo denotes molybdenum; W denotes tungsten; Bi denotes bismuth; Fe denotes iron;A denotes at least one element selected from cobalt and nickel; B denotes at least one element selected from an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal and thallium; C denotes at least one element selected from phosphorus, tellurium, arsenic, boron, niobium, antimony, tin, lead, manganese, cerium and zinc; Ddenotes at least one element selected from silicon, alminum, titanium and zirconium; Odenotes oxygen; a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h and x denote numbers of atoms of Mo, W, Bi, Fe, A, B, C, D and O; when a=2 to 12, b=0 to 10 and a+b=12, c=0.1 to 10, d=0.1 to 10, e=2 to 20, f=0.005 to 3, g=0 to 4, h=0.5 to 30 and x=value determined by an oxidized state of each element, are used as catalysts, (b) a plurality of reaction zones are provided along an axial direction in each reaction pipe of the fixed bed multipipe reactor, and (c) the plurality of the catalysts different in occupied volume are filled in the plurality of the reaction zones such that the occupied volumes become lower from the starting gas inlet side to the outlet side.

Process for producing unsaturated aldehydes and unsaturated acids

A method for the production of methacrylic acid comprising the steps of simultaneously introducing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of methacrolein and isobutyl aldehyde and a molecular oxygen-containing gas into a heat exchanger type shell-and-tube reaction vessel packed with an oxide catalyst containing molybdenum and phosphorus thereby effecting catalytic vapor-phase oxidation reaction and/or catalytic vapor-phase oxidative dehydrogenation reaction and consequently forming methacrylic acid, which method is characterized by having the empty space in the gas outlet part of said reaction vessel with a solid filler.

Method for production of methacrylic acid

A catalyst for the production of methacrylic acid composed of an inert carrier and a catalytically active substance. The catalytically active substance layer being composed of oxides represented by the following formula (I) Mo.sub.a P.sub.b a.sub.c B.sub.d C.sub.e D.sub.f O.sub.x (I) where Mo represents molybdenum, P represents phosphorus, A represents at least one element selected from arsenic, antimony, germanium, bismuth, zirconium, cerium and selenium, B is at least one element selected from copper, iron, chromium, nickel, maganese, cobalt, tin, silver, zinc, palladium, rhodium and tellurium, C represents at least one element selected from vanadium, tungsten and niobium, D represents at least one element selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals and thallium, and O represents oxygen, a, b, c, d, e, f and x respectively represent the atomic ratios of Mo, P, A, B, C, D and O, and when a=12, b=0.5-4, c=0-5, d=0-3, e=0-4, and f=0.01-4, and x is a numerical value determined by the oxidation states of these elements. The catalytically active substance layers are formed by mixing compounds of the elemental components of the oxides of formula (I), as required, heating them to prepare a slurry or a solution, spraying the slurry or solution onto the inert carrier, and calcining the inert carrier so sprayed.

Catalyst for the production of methacrylic acid

An absolute position detection apparatus which comprises sine and cosine wave generators for generating one or more sets of sine and cosine waves within a cycle, analog-to-digital converters for converting the incoming sine and cosine waves generated by the sine and cosine wave generators into digital values. An arithmetic unit is used for calculating a compensation for errors including offset, amplitude and phase errors on the basis of the digital values from the analog-to-digital converters. In the apparatus, the arithmetic unit operates on a phase angle from phase angles found by the arithmetic performed prior to or during said error compensations and the digital values from the analog-to-digital converters, whereby a low-priced, highly reliable absolute position detection apparatus can be achieved without the addition of compensation circuits to the hardware.

Yukio Aoki

Papers

Catalyst for oxidation of olefin or tertiary alcohol and process for production thereof

Process for producing unsaturated aldehydes and unsaturated acids

Method for production of methacrylic acid

Catalyst for the production of methacrylic acid

Absolute position detection apparatus and error compensation methods therefor