ABSTRACT
Particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are recognised as hazardous air pollutants threatening human health. Disposable filters are generally used for air purification despite frequent replacement and waste generation problems. However, the development of a novel regenerable and robust filter for long-term use is a huge challenge. Here, we report on a new class of facile water-washing regenerable ceramic catalyst filters (CCFs), developed to simultaneously remove PM (>95%) and VOCs (>82%) in single-pass and maximized space efficiency by coating the inner and outer filter channels with an inorganic membrane and a Cu2O/TiO2 photocatalyst, respectively. The CCFs reveal four-fold increase in the maximum dust loading capacity (approximately 20 g/L) in relation to conventional filters (5 g/L), and can be reused after ten regeneration capability with simple water washing retaining initial PM and VOC removal performances. Thus, the CCFs can be well-suited for indoor and outdoor air purification for 20 years, which shows a huge increase in lifetime compared to the 6-month lifespan of conventional filters. Finally, we believe that the development and implementation of CCFs for air purification can open new avenues for sustainable technology through renewability and zero-waste generation.
ABSTRACT
Oil fractions, separated from food waste leachate, can be used as an energy source. Especially, high quality oil can be obtained by catalytic cracking. In this study, nanoporous catalysts such as Al-MCM-41 and mesoporous MFI type zeolite were applied to the catalytic cracking of oil fractions using the pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Mesoporous MFI type zeolite showed better textural porosity than Al-MCM-41. In addition, mesoporous MFI type zeolite had strong Brönsted acidity while Al-MCM-41 had weak acidity. Significant amount of acid components in the food waste oil fractions were converted to mainly oxygenates and aromatics. As a result of its well-defined nanopores and strong acidity, the use of a mesoporous MFI type zeolite produced large amounts of gaseous and aromatic compounds. High yields of hydrocarbons within the gasoline range were also obtained in the case of mesoporous MFI type zeolite, whereas the use of Al-MCM-41, which exhibits relatively weak acidity, resulted in high yields of oxygenates and diesel range hydrocarbons.
Subject(s)
Food , Oils/chemistry , Refuse Disposal/methods , Biofuels , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry , Hot Temperature , Hydrocarbons/analysis , Hydrocarbons/chemistry , Hydrocarbons/metabolism , Oils/metabolism , Silicon Dioxide/chemistry , Zeolites/chemistryABSTRACT
The catalytic cracking of oilsand bitumen was performed over nanoporous materials at atmospheric conditions. The yield of gas increased with application of nanoporous catalysts, with the catalytic conversion to gas highest for Meso-MFI. The cracking activity seemed to correlate with pore size rather than weak acidity or surface area.
ABSTRACT
In this work, catalytic cracking of biomass waste oil fractions separated from food waste leachate was performed using microporous catalysts, such as HY, HZSM-5 and mesoporous Al-MCM-48. The experiments were carried out using pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) to allow the direct analysis of the pyrolytic products. Most acidic components, especially oleic acid, contained in the food waste oil fractions were converted to valuable products, such as oxygenates, hydrocarbons and aromatics. High yields of hydrocarbons within the gasoline-range were obtained when microporous catalysts were used; whereas, the use of Al-MCM-48, which exhibits relatively weak acidity, resulted in high yields of oxygenated and diesel-range hydrocarbons. The HZSM-5 catalyst produced a higher amount of valuable mono aromatics due to its strong acidity and shape selectivity. Especially, the addition of gallium (Ga) to HZSM-5 significantly increased the aromatics content.
Subject(s)
Biomass , Biotechnology/methods , Catalysis , Fatty Acids/chemistry , Food Industry , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/methods , Hot Temperature , Hydrocarbons/chemistry , Hydrocarbons, Aromatic/chemistry , Industrial Waste , Oils/chemistry , Oleic Acid/chemistryABSTRACT
Fast pyrolysis of Miscanthus was investigated in a bench-scale fluidized bed reactor for production of bio-oil. Process conditions were varied for temperature (350-550 degrees C), particle size (0.3-1.3mm), feed rate and gas flow rate. Pyrolysis temperature was the most influential parameter upon the yield and properties of bio-oil. The highest bio-oil yield of 69.2wt.% was observed at a temperature of 450 degrees C which corresponded to the end of the thermal composition of hemicellulose and cellulose. In the bio-oil, the water content was 34.5wt.%, and the main compounds in the organic fraction were phenolics and oxygenates. With increasing temperature, the amount of oxygenates in the bio-oil decreased gradually while that of water and aromatics increased rapidly. The bio-oil yield was not significantly affected by particle sizes or feed rates. The use of product gases as a fluidizing medium aided in increasing bio-oil yield.
Subject(s)
Andropogon , Hot TemperatureABSTRACT
The amount of waste furniture generated in Korea was over 2.4 million tons in the past 3 years, which can be used for renewable energy or fuel feedstock production. Fast pyrolysis is available for thermo-chemical conversion of the waste wood mostly into bio-oil. In this work, fast pyrolysis of waste furniture sawdust was investigated under various reaction conditions (pyrolysis temperature, particle size, feed rate and flow rate of fluidizing medium) in a fluidized-bed reactor. The optimal pyrolysis temperature for increased yields of bio-oil was 450 degrees C. Excessively smaller or larger feed size negatively affected the production of bio-oil. Higher flow and feeding rates were more effective for the production of bio-oil, but did not greatly affect the bio-oil yields within the tested ranges. The use of product gas as the fluidizing medium had a potential for increased bio-oil yields.
Subject(s)
Conservation of Energy Resources , Hot Temperature , Interior Design and Furnishings , Oils/metabolism , Wood , Bioreactors , Particle Size , Rheology/methods , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Fast pyrolysis of sewage sludge was carried out under different reaction conditions, and its effects on bio-oil characteristics were studied. The effect of metal oxide catalysts on the removal of chlorine in the bio-oil was also investigated for four types of catalysts. The optimal pyrolysis temperature for bio-oil production was found to be 450 degrees C, while much smaller and larger feed sizes adversely influenced production. Higher flow and feeding rates were more effective but did not greatly affect bio-oil yields. The use of the product gas as the fluidizing medium gave an increased bio-oil yield. Metal oxide catalysts (CaO and La2O3) contributed to a slight decrease in bio-oil yield and an increase in water content but were significantly effective in removal of chlorine from the bio-oil. The fixed catalyst bed system exhibited a higher removal rate than when metal oxide-supported alumina was used as the fluidized bed material.
