Environmental remediation at vegetable marketplaces through production of biowaste catalysts for biofuel generation.

Large quantities of vegetable biowaste are generated at marketplaces, usually in highly populated locations. On the other hand, nearby markets, hotels, and street shops generate much cooking oil waste and dispose of them in the sewage. Environmental remediation is mandatory at these places. Hence, this experimental work concentrated on preparing biodiesel using green plant wastes and cooking oil. Biowaste catalysts were produced from vegetable wastes and biofuel generated from waste cooking oil using biowaste catalysts to support diesel demand and Environmental remediation. Other organic plant wastes such as bagasse, papaya stem, banana peduncle and moringa oleifera are used as heterogeneous catalysts of this research work. Initially, the plant wastes are independently considered for the catalyst for biodiesel production; secondary, all plant wastes are mixed to form a single catalyst and used to prepare the biodiesel. In the maximum biodiesel yield analysis, the calcination temperature, reaction temperature, methanol/oil ratio, catalyst loading and mixing speed were considered to control the biodiesel production. The results reveal that the catalyst loading of 4.5 wt% with mixed plant waste catalyst offered a maximum biodiesel yield of 95%.

Comprehensive characterization of raw and alkali (NaOH) treated natural fibers from Symphirema involucratum stem.

The present study investigated the effect of alkali treatment on the enhancement of Physico-chemical, tensile, thermal and surface properties of Symphirema involucratum stem fiber (SISF). The investigation of chemical constituents of optimally alkalized SISF revealed that ideal increment of cellulose content (68.69 wt%) and desired modification of other chemical components was accomplished through 60 min immersion period. An increase in the crystallinity index to 33.33% and small crystallite size to 3.21 nm was noted by X-ray diffraction analysis. Moreover, the treated fiber was found suitable for light-weight applications since physical analysis acknowledges that the density of the fiber augmented to 1424 kg/m3after surface treatment that reduces total weight percentage. The enhancements in tensile strength (471.2 ± 19.8 MPa), tensile modulus (5.82 ± 0.77 GPa) and thermal stability (371 °C) were noted that ensures the treated fiber has good mechanical and thermal properties required for composite preparation. These findings validated that the optimally surface-modified SISF is a suitable material for lightweight composite structures, for the time being.