Fabrication of Activated Carbon Derived from Glycerin Pitch for Desulfurization of Model Fuel Oil and Electrode Application.

One of the world's challenging energy issues is introducing practical and affordable technology for organosulfur removal in fuel. Adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) can address this issue if highly effective activated carbon (AC) derived from industrial waste with excellent textural properties is used. In this study, the derived ACs from glycerin pitch loaded with P and Fe (AC/P and AC/Fe) were used as adsorbents for the ADS of model fuel oils, such as dibenzothiophene (DBT) at mild operating conditions. Under the optimized experimental conditions, 0.3 g of adsorbent dosage, 60 min reaction time, 30 °C temperature, and pH 4, the maximal DBT removal of 96.28 and 43.64%, respectively, for AC/P and AC/Fe was realized. The results indicated that the phosphorus-doped AC/P increases the selectivity of the ADS mechanism for DBT removal. Kinetic investigations disclosed that the adsorption process follows second-pseudo-order kinetics and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The adsorbents remained active for five successive reuses, indicating their robust real-world applications. The electrochemical properties of the fabricated carbon electrodes were analyzed via cyclic voltammetry by coating the ACs with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a binder. The transition-metal-doped AC/Fe, though exhibiting 5 times lower surface area, showed the highest specific capacitance at a scan rate of 5 mVs-1 (0.65 µF cm-2). Similarly, the extended AC:PTFE capacitor at a 10% binder ratio offered the maximum capacitance value (1.13 µF cm-2). The synthesized ACs demonstrated potential application as an electrode material, and hence glycerin pitch could be a low-cost precursor to improve the feasibility of commercial production of AC.

Recent progress in the production and application of biochar and its composite in environmental biodegradation.

Over the past few decades, extensive research has been conducted to develop cost-effective and high-quality biochar for environmental biodegradation purposes. Pyrolysis has emerged as a promising method for recovering biochar from biomass and waste materials. This study provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art biochar production technology, including the advancements and biochar applications in organic pollutants remediation, particularly wastewater treatment. Substantial progress has been made in biochar production through advanced thermochemical technologies. Moreover, the review underscores the importance of understanding the kinetics of pollutant degradation using biochar to maximize its synergies for potential environmental biodegradation. Finally, the study identifies the technological gaps and outlines future research advancements in biochar production and its applications for environmental biodegradation.

A review on potential of green solvents in hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of lignin.

One of the greatest challenges in biorefinery is to reduce biomass' recalcitrance and enable valorization of lignin into higher value compounds. Likewise, green solvents and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) with feasible economic viability, functionality, and environmental sustainability have been widely introduced in extraction and conversion of lignin. This review starts with the underscore of disadvantages and limitations of conventional pretreatment approaches and role of green solvents in lignin extraction. Subsequently, the effect of process parameters along with the reaction mechanisms and kinetics on conversion of lignin through HTL were comprehensively reviewed. The limitations of green solvents in extraction and HTL of lignin from biomass were discussed based on the current advancements of the field and future research scopes were also proposed. More details info on HTL of biomass derived lignin which avoid the energy-intensive drying procedures are crucial for the accelerated development and deployment of the advanced lignin biorefinery.

Low cost nutrient-rich oil palm trunk bagasse hydrolysate for bio-succinic acid production by Actinobacillus succinogenes.

Economical source of succinic acid (SA) is most sought-after as a key platform chemical for a wide range of applications. Low-cost production of bio-succinic acid (bio-SA) from a renewable biomass resource i.e., oil palm trunk (OPT) is reported in this paper. Apart from carbon source, nitrogen source and mineral salts are other important nutrients affecting microbial cell growth and bio-SA biosynthesis by Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z. In order to access and optimize nutrient requirement of the latter two sources, their effects in terms of types and concentrations were investigated. The findings highlighted the importance of selecting proper nitrogen source in A. succinogenes fermentation. The possibility of producing bio-SA from OPT economically can be achieved through minimal supply of 5 g/L yeast extract compared to that generally supplemented 15 g/L with a similar yield (0.47 g/g). In addition, a higher bio-SA yield (0.49 g/g) was achieved without adding mineral salts, which could further reduce fermentation cost. The use of minimally supplemented hydrolysate resulted in 21.1 g/L of bio-SA with a satisfactory yield (0.58 g/g) in a batch bioreactor system with an estimated 56.4% in cost savings. Conclusively, OPT bagasse hydrolysate is a nutrient-rich feedstock that can be practically utilized for bio-SA production.

Investigation of struvite crystals formed in palm oil mill effluent anaerobic digester.

The formation of struvite crystals or magnesium ammonium phosphate (MgNH4PO4) in palm oil mill effluent (POME) occurs as early as in the secondary stage of POME treatment system. Its growth continues in the subsequent tertiary treatment which reduces piping diameter, thus affecting POME treatment efficiency. Hypothesis. The beneficial use of the crystal is the motivation. This occurrence is rarely reported in scientific articles despite being a common problem faced by palm oil millers. The aim of this study is to characterize struvite crystals found in an anaerobic digester of a POME treatment facility in terms of their physical and chemical aspects. The compositions, morphology and properties of these crystals were determined via energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Solubility tests were carried out to establish solubility curve for struvite from POME. Finally, crystal growth experiment was done applying reaction crystallization method to demonstrate struvite precipitation from POME. Results showed that high phosphorous (P) (24.85 wt%) and magnesium (Mg) (21.33 wt%) content was found in the struvite sample. Elemental analysis detected carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) below 4 wt%. The crystals analysed by XRD in this study were confirmed as struvite with 94.8% struvite mineral detected from its total volume. Having an orthorhombic crystal system, struvite crystals from POME recorded an average density of 1.701 g cm-3. Solubility curve of struvite from POME was established with maximum solubility of 275.6 mg L-1 at pH 3 and temperature 40 °C. Minimum solubility of 123.6 mg L-1 was recorded at pH 7 and temperature 25 °C. Crystal growth experiment utilizing POME as the source medium managed to achieve 67% reduction in phosphorous content. This study concluded that there is a potential of harnessing valuable nutrients from POME in the form of struvite. Struvite precipitation technology can be adapted in the management of POME in order to achieve maximum utilization of the nutrients that are still abundant in POME. At the same time maximization of nutrient extractions from POME will also reduce pollutants loading in the final discharge.

Compatibility of utilising nitrogen-rich oil palm trunk sap for succinic acid fermentation by Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z.

In this study, the potential of oil palm trunk (OPT) sap as a sole substrate for succinic acid (SA) production was evaluated using Actinobacillus succinogenes 130Z. After OPT sap was characterised, the effects of adding carbonate, yeast extract (YE) and minerals to this medium were investigated in an attempt to develop a low-cost fermentation medium. The OPT sap alone, gave comparable SA yield and productivity (0.54 g/g and 0.35 g/L/h) to those supplemented with YE (0.50 g/g and 0.36 g/L/h) and minerals (0.55 g/g and 0.40 g/L/h). The findings showed that OPT sap has sufficient amount of nutrients for SA biosynthesis by A. succinogenes 130Z and could potentially reduce cost without requiring expensive nutrients supplementation.

Fractionation of oil palm empty fruit bunch by bisulfite pretreatment for the production of bioethanol and high value products.

In this work, fractionation of empty fruit bunch (EFB) by bisulfite pretreatment was studied for the production of bioethanol and high value products to achieve biorefinery of EFB. EFB was fractionated to solid and liquor components by bisulfite process. The solid components were used for bioethanol production by quasi-simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. The liquor components were then converted to furfural by hydrolysis with sulfuric acid. Preliminary results showed that the concentration of furfural was highest at 18.8g/L with 0.75% sulfuric acid and reaction time of 25min. The conversion of xylose to furfural was 82.5%. Furthermore, we attempted to fractionate the liquor into hemicellulose sugars and lignin by different methods for producing potential chemicals, such as xylose, xylooligosaccharide, and lignosulfonate. Our research showed that the combination of bisulfite pretreatment and resin separation could effectively fractionate EFB components to produce bioethanol and other high value chemicals.

A Weibull statistics-based lignocellulose saccharification model and a built-in parameter accurately predict lignocellulose hydrolysis performance.

Renewable energy from lignocellulosic biomass has been deemed an alternative to depleting fossil fuels. In order to improve this technology, we aim to develop robust mathematical models for the enzymatic lignocellulose degradation process. By analyzing 96 groups of previously published and newly obtained lignocellulose saccharification results and fitting them to Weibull distribution, we discovered Weibull statistics can accurately predict lignocellulose saccharification data, regardless of the type of substrates, enzymes and saccharification conditions. A mathematical model for enzymatic lignocellulose degradation was subsequently constructed based on Weibull statistics. Further analysis of the mathematical structure of the model and experimental saccharification data showed the significance of the two parameters in this model. In particular, the λ value, defined the characteristic time, represents the overall performance of the saccharification system. This suggestion was further supported by statistical analysis of experimental saccharification data and analysis of the glucose production levels when λ and n values change. In conclusion, the constructed Weibull statistics-based model can accurately predict lignocellulose hydrolysis behavior and we can use the λ parameter to assess the overall performance of enzymatic lignocellulose degradation. Advantages and potential applications of the model and the λ value in saccharification performance assessment were discussed.

Bisulfite pretreatment changes the structure and properties of oil palm empty fruit bunch to improve enzymatic hydrolysis and bioethanol production.

Bisulfite pretreatment is a proven effective method for improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of empty fruit bunch (EFB) from oil palm for bioethanol production. In this study, we set out to determine the changes that occur in the structure and properties of EFB materials and fractions of hemicellulose and lignin during the bisulfite pretreatment process. The results showed that the crystallinity of cellulose in EFB increased after bisulfite pretreatment, whereas the EFB surface was damaged to various degrees. The orderly structure of EFB, which was maintained by hydrogen bonds, was destroyed by bisulfite pretreatment. Bisulfite pretreatment also hydrolyzed the glycosidic bonds of the xylan backbone of hemicellulose, thereby decreasing the molecular weight and shortening the xylan chains. The lignin fractions obtained from EFB and pretreated EFB were typically G-S lignin, and with low content of H units. Meanwhile, de-etherification occurred at the ß-O-4 linkage, which was accompanied by polymerization and demethoxylation as a result of bisulfite pretreatment. The adsorption ability of cellulase differed for the various lignin fractions, and the water-soluble lignin fractions had higher adsorption capacity on cellulase than the milled wood lignin. In general, the changes in the structure and properties of EFB provided insight into the benefits of bisulfite pretreatment.

Conventional methods and emerging wastewater polishing technologies for palm oil mill effluent treatment: a review.

The Malaysian palm oil industry is a major revenue earner and the country is ranked as one of the largest producers in the world. However, growth of the industry is synonymous with a massive production of agro-industrial wastewater. As an environmental protection and public health concern, the highly polluting palm oil mill effluent (POME) has become a major attention-grabber. Hence, the industry is targeting for POME pollution abatement in order to promote a greener image of palm oil and to achieve sustainability. At present, most palm oil mills have adopted the ponding system for treatment. Due to the successful POME pollution abatement experiences, Malaysia is currently planning to revise the effluent quality standards towards a more stringent discharge limits. Hence, the current trend of POME research focuses on developing tertiary treatment or polishing systems for better effluent management. Biotechnologically-advanced POME tertiary (polishing) technologies as well as other physicochemical methods are gaining much attention as these processes are the key players to push the industry towards the goal of environmental sustainability. There are still ongoing treatment technologies being researched and the outcomes maybe available in a while. However, the research completed so far are compiled herein and reported for the first time to acquire a better perspective and insight on the subject with a view of meeting the new standards. To this end, the most feasible technology could be the combination of advanced biological processes (bioreactor systems) with extended aeration, followed by solids separation prior to discharge. Chemical dosing is favoured only if effluent of higher quality is anticipated.

Robust enzymatic hydrolysis of Formiline-pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) for efficient conversion of polysaccharide to sugars and ethanol.

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) was pretreated by Formiline process to overcome biomass recalcitrance and obtain hemicellulosic syrup and lignin. Higher formic acid concentration led to more lignin removal but also higher degree of cellulose formylation. Cellulose digestibility could be well recovered after deformylation with a small amount of lime. After digested by enzyme loading of 15 FPU+10 CBU/g solid for 48 h, the polysaccharide conversion could be over 90%. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) results demonstrated that ethanol concentration reached 83.6 g/L with approximate 85% of theoretic yield when performed at an initial dry solid consistency of 20%. A mass balance showed that via Formiline pretreatment 0.166 kg of ethanol could be produced from 1 kg of dry EFB with co-production of 0.14 kg of high-purity lignin and 5.26 kg hemicellulosic syrup containing 2.8% xylose. Formiline pretreatment thus can be employed as an entry for biorefining of EFB.

[Pretreatment of oil palm residues by dilute alkali for cellulosic ethanol production].

In the study, we used oil palm residues (empty fruit bunch, EFB) as raw material to produce cellulosic ethanol by pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. Firstly, the pretreatment of EFB with alkali, alkali/hydrogen peroxide and the effects on the components and enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose were studied. The results show that dilute alkali was the suitable pretreatment method and the conditions were first to soak the substrate with 1% sodium hydroxide with a solid-liquid ratio of 1:10 at 40 degrees C for 24 h, and then subjected to 121 degrees C for 30 min. Under the conditions, EFB solid recovery was 74.09%, and glucan, xylan and lignin content were 44.08%, 25.74% and 13.89%, respectively. After separated with alkali solution, the pretreated EFB was washed and hydrolyzed for 72 h with 5% substrate concentration and 30 FPU/g dry mass (DM) enzyme loading, and the conversion of glucan and xylan reached 84.44% and 89.28%, respectively. We further investigated the effects of substrate concentration and enzyme loading on enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanol batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The results show that when enzyme loading was 30 FPU/g DM and substrate concentration was increased from 5% to 25%, ethanol concentration were 9.76 g/L and 35.25 g/L after 72 h fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (inoculum size 5%, V/V), which was 79.09% and 56.96% of ethanol theory yield.

Pretreatment of empty fruit bunch from oil palm for fuel ethanol production and proposed biorefinery process.

This study evaluates the effects of some pretreatment processes to improve the enzymatic hydrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) for ethanol production. The experimental results show that the bisulfite pretreatment was practical for EFB pretreatment. Moreover, the optimum pretreatment conditions of the bisulfite pretreatment (180 °C, 30 min, 8% NaHSO3, 1% H2SO4) were identified. In the experiments, a biorefinery process of EFB was proposed to produce ethanol, xylose products, and lignosulfonates.