Nanoanatase TiO2 of high crystallinity was prepared by a novel simple route at a temperature of 100 °C under mild conditions. Tetrabutyl titanate was used as a titanium precursor, Acetic acid was used as an inhibitor, and diethyl ether anhydrous was used as a solvent. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), laser Raman spectroscopy (Raman), BET surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and UV−vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) were applied to characterize the crystallinity, morphology, surface structure, and other physicochemical properties of the nanoanatase TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared photocatalyst was evaluated by the photodegradation of formaldehyde in aqueous solution and compared with the commercial photocatalyst, namely, Degussa P-25. The result showed that the sample prepared at low temperature showed photocatalytic activity. The activity of the sample prepared at 120 °C was high and close to the sample calcined at 300 °C for 2 h. The degradation of formaldehyde by the highest active sample (calcined at 400 °C for 1 h) could almost achieve 100% within 80 min, which exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than Degussa P-25.

Acid-resisting ultramarine blue pigment was prepared by a novel two-step silica coating process which is dense liquid coating followed by a sol–gel process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and BET surface area analysis were used to characterize the composition of elements, surface structure, and morphology on the coating films. Uniform, smooth, and dense silica films on the irregular particles of ultramarine pigment were obtained via novel two-step coatings. Acid resistance of the silica-coated ultramarine blue was evaluated by immersing the pigment in 10 wt % hydrochloric acid. The silica-coated ultramarine blue prepared by the novel two-step process shows the 10th grade of acid resistance, which exhibits much higher acid resistance than that by dense liquid, sol–gel, and conventional two-step coatings. Furthermore, leaching experiments indicated that no sulfur was leached out for the sample prepared by novel two-step coatings, while hydrogen sulfide concentrations from 0.018 to 0.34 mg/L were detected in the leaching solutions for the samples prepared by the conventional two-step coating, dense liquid coating, and sol–gel process.

In the entrainer screening for separation of isoparaffins and naphthenes (C9−C14) by extractive distillation of D60 oil, various single entrainers and mixed entrainers were used and studied. Sulfolane was the most selective entrainer as a single entrainer was applied and the relative volatility of isoparaffins to naphthenes reached 1.648 as the sulfolane to oil ratio was 5:1. Both mixed entrainers of sulfolane + triethylene glycol and sulfolane + dimethyl phthalate show good synergistic effect, whereas a mixed entrainer of triethylene glycol and dimethyl phthalate shows little synergistic effect. The most selective mixed entrainer was a mixture of 50 vol % of sulfolane and 50 vol % of dimethyl phthalate, the relative volatility of isoparaffins to naphthenes reached 1.835. Results from the experiment in an extractive distillation column show that isoparaffins concentration of more than 95 wt % in the isoparaffins product and naphthenes concentration of more than 94 wt % in the naphthenes product are achieved.