Improvements in the stability of biodiesel fuels: recent progress and challenges.

Fewer fossil fuel deposits, price volatility, and environmental concerns have intensified biofuel-based studies. Saccharification, gasification, and pyrolysis are some of the potential methods of producing carbohydrate-based fuels, while lipid extraction is the preferred method of producing biodiesel and green diesel. Over the years, multiple studies have attempted to identify an ideal catalyst as well as optimize the abovementioned methods to produce higher yields at a lower cost. Therefore, this present study comprehensively examined the factors affecting biodiesel stability. Firstly, isomerization, which is typically used to reduce unsaturated fatty acid content, was found to improve oxidative stability as well as maintain and improve cold flow properties. Meanwhile, polymers, surfactants, or small molecules with low melting points were found to improve the cold flow properties of biodiesel. Meanwhile, transesterification with an enzyme could be used to remove monoacylglycerols from oil feedstock. Furthermore, combining two natural antioxidants could potentially slow lipid oxidation if stainless steel, carbon steel, or aluminum are used as biodiesel storage materials. This present review also recommends combining green diesel and biodiesel to improve stability. Furthermore, green diesel can be co-produced at oil refineries that are more selective and have a limited supply of hydrogen. Lastly, next-generation farming should be examined to avoid competing interests in food and energy as well as to improve agricultural efficiency.

Steam Catalytic Cracking of n-Dodecane to Light Olefins over Phosphorous- and Metal-Modified Nanozeolite Y.

Nanozeolite Y was synthesized without a template and modified with phosphorous (P) and metals. P was introduced via impregnation with different weight loadings (0.5, 1, and 2 wt %), while ion exchange was developed to introduce zirconium (Zr) and cobalt (Co). The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH3-TPD), and 27Al and 31P solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The parent nanozeolite Y showed an identical XRD pattern to that of a previous study, and the modified nanozeolite Y showed a lower crystallinity. The introduction of P altered tetrahedral Al to an octahedral coordination, which affected the catalyst acidity. Then, the catalyst was evaluated to produce olefins from n-dodecane at 550, 575, and 600 °C. The conversion, gas yield, and olefin yield increased with increasing temperature. The maximum olefin yield (63%) was achieved with the introduction of 1 wt % P with the highest selectivity to ethylene. The Co-modified nanozeolite altered the zeolite structure and exhibited similar activity to the P-modified one. Meanwhile, Zr-modified nanozeolite Y caused excessive metal distribution, blocked the porous structure of the zeolite, and then reduced the catalytic activity.

Acidity modifications of nanozeolite-Y for enhanced selectivity to olefins from the steam catalytic cracking of dodecane.

Nanozeolite-Y was synthesized in the absence of a templating agent with several modification methods. The parent nanozeolite-Y was prepared with different sodium (Na) contents and crystallization conditions. Then, the parent nanozeolite-Y was modified by ion exchange, calcination, and steam treatment. The treatment caused insignificant changes to the ratio of alumina and silica but altered the zeolite acid sites. The Lewis and Brønsted acidity changed after the treatment depending on the modification approach, as indicated by the FTIR spectroscopy of pyridine. The ammonia temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD) confirmed that the acid sites consisted of weak and medium sites, which decreased after modifications. Moreover, the solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy revealed that the position of Al shifted from tetrahedral to a combined octahedral and pentahedral framework. The catalytic evaluation for dodecane cracking at 550 °C shows the gas yield as the main product with naphtha as a side product. The gas yield consisted of 50% light olefins from ethylene to butene. However, the process yielded 9% of coke that led to faster catalyst deactivation because of nanozeolite-Y evolution and product transformation.

Catalyst development for tar reduction in biomass gasification: Recent progress and the way forward.

Biomass valorization via catalytic gasification is a potential technology for commercizalization to industrial scale. However, the generated tar during biomass valorization posing numerous problems to the overall reaction process. Thus, catalytic tar removal via reforming, cracking and allied processes was among the priority areas to researchers in the recent decades. This paper reports new updates on the areas of catalyst development for tar reduction. The catalyst survey include metallic and metal-promoted materials, nano-structured systems, mesoporous supports like zeolites and oxides, group IA and IIA compounds and natural catalysts based on dolomite, palygorskite, olivine, ilmenite, goethite and their modified derivatives. The influence of catalyst properties and parameters such as reaction conditions, catalyst preparation procedures and feedstock nature on the overall activity/selectivity/stability properties were simultaneously discussed. This paper not only cover to model compounds, but also explore to real biomass-derived tar for consistency. The area that require further investigation was identified in the last part of this review.

Magnetite-based catalysts for wastewater treatment.

The increasing number and concentration of organic pollutants in water stream could become a serious threat in the near future. Magnetite has the potential to degrade pollutants via photocatalysis with a convenient separation process. This study discusses in detail the control size and morphology of magnetite nanoparticles, and their composites with co-precipitation, hydrothermal, sol-gel, and electrochemical route. Further photocatalytic enhancement with the addition of metal and porous support was proposed. This paper also discussed the technology to extend the lifetime of recombination through an in-depth explanation of charge transfer. The possibility to use waste materials as catalyst support was also elucidated. However, magnetite-based photocatalysts still require many improvements to meet commercialization criteria.