Methyl ester of Sal oil (Shorea robusta) as a substitute to diesel fuel—A study on its preparation, performance and emissions in direct injection diesel engine

Many research reported vegetable oil as a potential substitute for diesel engines with its ester form known as biodiesel. The biodiesel can be prepared by different process using vegetable oil and alcohol. The common process used for biodiesel preparation is known as transesterification. This paper presents the transesterification of Sal oil (Shorea robusta) into Sal oil methyl ester (SOME) and its performance in direct injection diesel engine. Several process parameters such as catalyst quantity, molar ratio of alcohol, reaction temperature and reaction time were studied and the optimized process conditions are amount of catalyst (NaOH) - 0.25 wt%, alcohol (methanol) - 150% excess, reaction temperature - 65 °C and reaction time - 1.5 h. The studies with SOME as fuel in the direct injection diesel engine shows that the exhaust emissions such as CO, HC and NO_x are reduced by 25%, 45% and 12%, respectively compared to diesel without significant difference in thermal efficiency. Based on this study it is concluded that the SOME can be used as fuel without any modifications in the engine and hence this biodiesel can be a potential substitute to standard diesel fuel.     

Synthesis of Jatropha curcas oil-based biodiesel in a pulsed loop reactor

Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) has a high content of free fatty acids and has been used extensively as a feedstock in biodiesel production. In the present study, the transesterification reaction of JCO to Jatropha curcas methyl ester (biodiesel) was performed in a continuous pulsed loop reactor under atmospheric conditions. The JCO was pre-treated prior to the reaction to reduce the free fatty acid content to below 1% (w/w). The operating parameters of the loop reactor were optimised based on the conversion of the JCO to Jatropha curcas biodiesel and included reaction temperature, molar ratio of oil to MeOH, reaction time and oscillation frequency. The findings show that the highest reaction conversion of 99.7% (w/w) was achieved using KOH catalyst and 98.8% conversion was obtained using NaOCH₃ catalyst. The optimal operating conditions were a molar ratio of 6:1, an oscillation frequency of 6 Hz, temperature of 60 °C, feedstock FFA content of 0.5% (w/w) and only 10 min of reaction time. As a commercial commodity, the physical properties of biodiesel were analysed, and they compared well with the characteristics of fossil-based diesel fuel.     

Process optimization for ethanol production from photoperiod-sensitive sorghum: Focus on cellulose conversion

Photoperiod-sensitive sorghum, as a competitive biomass for ethanol production, was investigated to develop an integrated process for improving ethanol yield. Response surface methodology was employed to study the relationship between pretreatment variables (including temperature, sulfuric acid concentration, and reaction time) and cellulose recovery, as well as efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis (EEH) in the solid part. Recovery yield decreased and EEH increased as the pretreatment temperature, acidic concentration, and reaction time increased. A model was successfully developed to predict total glucose yield with a maximum value of 82.2%. Conditions of co-fermentation were also optimized, and the optimal ethanol yield was obtained with constant-temperature simultaneous saccharification and fermentation at 38 °C. Acetate buffer at a concentration of 50 mM was found helpful for increasing efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis, as well as ethanol yield. The maximum ethanol yield was 0.21 g ethanol per dry mass at the conditions of 38 °C, 0.05 g yeast/L, and 50 mM acetate buffer. A complete cellulose balance was provided for the whole process.     

Decolorization of aqueous caprolactam solution by anion-exchange resins

Caprolactam is the most important raw material for making Nylon 6 fibers and its quality directly determines the quality of Nylon. So it is necessary to study the techniques and methods to remove the colorful impurities from caprolactam. In this paper, the decolorization of caprolactam aqueous solution by anion exchange resins was studied and the decoloring abilities of five commercial resins were investigated. The regeneration of the resins was also studied, too. This study shows that the resin AMTX202 have excellent decoloring ability in the column experiment and that the decoloring efficiency is correlated with the volume of resins packed and is slightly affected by the flow rate and regenerating times. The fact that the resins can be regenerated and reused without affecting the efficiency of decolorization will decrease the cost of the treatment and operation in the industry. The adsorption of colored compounds with anion exchange resins in the packed columns seems to be technically feasible.     

新型固体碱催化大豆油制备生物柴油的工艺研究

制备了新型固体碱催化剂KNO3/AlSBA-15,并以此催化大豆油与甲醇酯交换反应制备生物柴油,对其工艺条件进行了优化.结果表明:醇油物质的量比为12∶1,催化剂用量为大豆油质量的3％,反应温度65C,反应时间4h,生物柴油的产率可达81％以上.该催化剂对酯交换制备生物柴油具有较高的催化活性和良好的重复使用性.     

Synthesis of a base-stock for electrical insulating fluid based on palm kernel oil

This report presents a method for synthesizing base-stock for green industrial product from a vegetable oil with a high composition of unsaturated fatty acids. Epoxy methyl ester of palm kernel oil was synthesized from laboratory purified palm kernel oil using a two-step reaction and the products were used as a base-stock for green electrical insulation fluid. Epoxidized palm kernel oil was first prepared through epoxidation reaction involving purified palm kernel oil, acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of amberlite as catalyst which lasted for 4 h. It was then followed by transesterification reaction involving the epoxidized product and methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide as catalyst to synthesize the corresponding epoxy methyl ester. The thermal and electrical breakdown properties of the epoxy methyl ester demonstrated significantly improved properties for its use as raw material for bio-based industrial products such as electrical insulation fluids.     

Amino Acid Profiles and Biopotentiality of Hydrolysates Obtained from Comb Penshell (Atrina pectinata) Viscera Using Subcritical Water Hydrolysis

The recovery of amino acids and other important bioactive compounds from the comb penshell (Atrina pectinata) using subcritical water hydrolysis was performed. A wide range of extraction temperatures from 140 to 290 °C was used to evaluate the release of proteins and amino acids. The amount of crude protein was the highest (36.14 ± 1.39 mg bovine serum albumin/g) at 200 °C, whereas a further increase in temperature showed the degradation of the crude protein content. The highest amount of amino acids (74.80 mg/g) was at 230 °C, indicating that the temperature range of 170–230 °C is suitable for the extraction of protein-rich compounds using subcritical water hydrolysis. Molecular weights of the peptides obtained from comb penshell viscera decreased with the increasing temperature. SDS-PAGE revealed that the molecular weight of peptides present in the hydrolysates above the 200 °C extraction temperature was ≤ 1000 Da. Radical scavenging activities were analyzed to evaluate the antioxidant activities of the hydrolysates. A. pectinata hydrolysates also showed a particularly good antihypertensive activity, proving that this raw material can be an effective source of amino acids and marine bioactive peptides.     

响应面法优化大豆油脂肪酸乙酯合成工艺

以大豆油为原料,KOH作催化剂,通过大豆油与乙醇的酯交换反应合成了大豆油脂肪酸乙酯。应用响应曲面分析法中的Box-behnken模型对影响大豆油脂肪酸乙酯转化率的四个主要因素(催化剂用量、醇油摩尔比、反应温度、反应时间)进行了优化。研究表明大豆油脂肪酸乙酯的最佳合成工艺条件为:KOH用量1.3%,醇油比8.3∶1,反应温度74.8℃,反应时间130min。在此条件下,酯转化率达98.93%。     

Homogeneous lauroylation of ball-milled bamboo in ionic liquid for bio-based composites production: Part I: Modification and characterization

Ball-milled bamboo meal was completely dissolved under constant conditions (130 °C, 6 h) in the ionic liquid ([C₄mim]Cl) and then the lauroylation was carried out at different conditions. The various factors, such as molar ratio and temperature, were investigated to evaluate the effect of modification. Results showed that the molar ratio played a very important role for the lauroylation. The weight percent gain (WPG) ranged from 167% to 528% when the molar ratio increased from 1.0 to 2.0 for 2 h. It has been shown that the highly substituted bamboo derivatives could be obtained by reacting bamboo meal with lauroyl chloride as the molar ratio is 2.0. All reactions were performed under mild conditions, low excess of reagent and a short reaction time as compared to the heterogeneous chemical modification. The physicochemical properties of the bamboo derivatives were also widely investigated. Results obtained from FTIR and NMR spectroscopies confirmed that the lauroylated derivatives were successfully synthesized in one step. It was also found that thermal stability of the esterified derivatives is lower than that of the unmodified bamboo meal. Moreover, the morphological properties of the esterified bamboo meal were significantly changed by chemical modification. The rough appearance of bamboo meal changed into a relatively homogeneous and smooth surface morphology after lauroylation. Furthermore, the lauroylated bamboo meal had excellent solubility in chloroform, which provides feasibility to electrostatic spinning of modified bamboo meal as biomaterials for industries.     

Analysis of polyphenols in cereals may be improved performing acidic hydrolysis: A study in wheat flour and wheat bran and cereals of the diet

Most analytical studies on polyphenols in cereals refer to compounds determined in aqueous-organic extracts and alkali hydrolysates, but an appreciable amount of polyphenols bound to cell wall constituents may remain insoluble in the residues of extraction and alkali hydrolysis. The main objective of this work was to determine if sulphuric acid hydrolysis may release significant amounts of polyphenols to be considered for analytical and nutritional studies. HPLC/MS analyses of polyphenols were performed in methanol–acetone extracts, alkali and sulphuric acid hydrolysates of wheat flour, bran and a pool of cereals of the diet. The amount of polyphenols found in the acidic hydrolysates (200–1600 mg/100 g) was higher than in alkali hydrolysates (0.2–372 mg/100 g). Lower amount of polyphenols were found in the methanol–acetone extracts (44–160 mg/100 g). Hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, cinammic, ferulic and protocatechuic acids were the main constituents of the hydrolysates. The contribution of cereals to the intake of dietary polyphenols in Spain was estimated around 360 mg/person/day (65 mg of extractable and 295 mg nonextractable polyphenols).     

Synthesis and physical properties of petroselinic based estolide esters

A new series of petroselinic (Coriandrum sativum L.) based estolide 2-ethylhexyl (2-EH) esters were synthesized, as the capping material varied in length and in degrees of unsaturation, in a perchloric acid catalyzed one-pot process with the esterification process incorporated into an in situ second step to provide the coriander estolide 2-EH ester. The kinematic viscosities ranged from 53 to 75 cSt at 40 °C and 9.1 to 14.6 cSt at 100 °C with a viscosity index (VI) ranging from 151 to 165. The caprylic (C8) capped coriander estolide 2-EH ester had the lowest low-temperature properties (pour point = −33 °C and cloud point = −33 °C), while the coco-coriander estolide 2-EH ester produced an estolide with modest low-temperature properties (pour point = −24 °C and cloud point = −25 °C). The coco-coriander estolide 2-EH ester was explored for the ability to resist oxidative degradation with the use of an biodegradable additive package added in 1.5%, 3.5%, or 7.0% units based on weight. The oxidative stability increased as the amount of stability package increased (rotating pressurized vessel oxidation test (RPVOT) times 65-273 min). Along with expected good biodegradability, these coriander estolide 2-EH esters had acceptable properties that should provide a specialty niche in the U.S. as a biobased lubricant.     

催化条件对催化光度法测定茶叶中硒的影响

研究了催化光度法测定茶叶中硒（Ⅳ）的催化反应影响因素。结果表明：在用间苯二胺偶联剂的催化显色体系中,加硒（Ⅳ）催化反应条件各因素对吸光度（A）的影响,随催化条件不同而发生变化。其影响的主要因素是缓冲液（KCl－HC,pH0．50）用量,应严格控制;其次是氧化剂（KClO3,0．6mol／L）用量,以及反应温度、还原剂（盐酸苯肼0．02mol／L）用量、反应时间和偶联剂用量。     

Optimization of alkaline hydrolysis of paddy straw for ferulic acid extraction

Response Surface Methodology (RSM) via Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to optimize the alkaline hydrolysis of paddy straw to improve ferulic acid extraction. The parameters involved, namely temperature (°C), concentration of NaOH (M) and duration of extraction (h) are screened by Full Factorial Studies (FFD). The result obtained from FFD was 0.518% (5.18 mg/g). The interactions between each parameters involved were studied using Central Composite Design (CCD). Upon optimization, the percentage of ferulic acid improved from 0.518% to 0.817% (8.17 mg/g). The optimum conditions obtained from this study are 125 °C, 3.90 M, 2.30 h for temperature, concentration of NaOH and extraction time, respectively. This result shows a significant improvement than the previous published work. Details of the experimental design, statistical analysis and interpretation are discussed below.     

Enzymatic epoxidation of Sapindus mukorossi seed oil by perstearic acid optimized using response surface methodology

As a novel renewable resource, Sapindus mukorossi seed oil (SMSO) with an iodine value of 84.86 g/100 g, and containing 51.0 ± 0.9% oleic acid (18:1), 6.6 ± 0.6% linoleic acid (18:2), 1.1 ± 0.3% linolenic acid (18:3), and 23.1 ± 0.9% eicosanoic acid (20:1), was epoxidized using hydrogen peroxide as oxygen donor and stearic acid as active oxygen carrier in the presence of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B. The effect of the amount of stearic acid on the enzymatic epoxidation was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to study and optimize the effects of variables (reaction temperature, enzyme load, mole ratio of H₂O₂/CC-bonds, and reaction time) on the epoxy oxygen group content (EOC) of epoxidized SMSO. Results showed that stearic acid as active oxygen carrier could enhance the enzymatic epoxidation of SMSO. The variables of reaction temperature and enzyme load were the most significant in the process. A two second-order model was satisfactorily fitted the data (R² = 0.9723) with non-significant lack of fit. The optimum EOC of epoxidized SMSO was 4.6 ± 0.3% under the conditions of 50.0 °C, 7.0 h, 2.00% (relative to the weight of SMSO) enzyme load, and 4:1 mole ratio of H₂O₂/CC-bonds.     

Extraction of flax shive using sodium ethoxide catalyst in anhydrous ethanol

This work investigated the yield and nature of solvent-soluble organic compounds extracted from flax shive using a room temperature reaction (20 °C) with sodium ethoxide catalyst at four different concentrations (0.2, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 M) in anhydrous ethanol. Results were compared with the use of aqueous sodium hydroxide (1.0 M) at two different reaction temperatures (20 °C and 100 °C). Quantitative yield from flax shive varied linearly with sodium ethoxide concentration and averaged 54.5 mg/g on a dry-mass basis (db) at 1.0 M. In contrast, the quantitative yield using 1.0 M sodium hydroxide was much lower, averaging 2.2 mg/g (db). Yield did not differ significantly due to changes of particle size in either case, or due to changes of temperature over the range considered in the case of sodium hydroxide.Analyses using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) confirmed all extracts to contain aromatic compounds, thus likely lignin derived, but found differences in chemical characteristics between the two extraction methods. One key difference was the presence of compounds with methyl ether groups in sodium hydroxide extracts that were absent in the case of sodium ethoxide extracts. Given that flax contains a mixed guaiacyl-syringyl lignin, methyl ether groups would be expected to be present. Control reactions on three model compounds were carried out to confirm that transesterification occurred with sodium ethoxide. These control reactions also demonstrated that methyl ether groups would be expected to remain intact under the extraction conditions reported here. In light of the higher yield of solvent soluble compounds recovered by extraction with basic ethanol, flax shive may represent a source of value-added phenolic constituents. This processing method may also represent a useful pre-treatment prior to the production of biofuels by cellulose degrading organisms.     

Rice bran, a potential source of biodiesel production in Indonesia

Biodiesel is a biodegradable, renewable, non-toxic and environmentally friendly alternative fuel. The cost of raw materials comprises 60-88% of the production cost in commercial biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters, FAMEs) production. Therefore, the use of low-cost raw material as a substrate and an in situ process for biodiesel production are being preferred. In this case, rice bran, which contains 13.5% oil, was an interesting substrate. In situ esterification of high-acidity rice bran with methanol and sulfuric acid catalyst was investigated. The individual and interaction effects of methanol to rice bran ratio, sulfuric acid catalyst concentration and reaction time on purity and recovery of biodiesel were discussed. Our results suggest that under the following operation conditions: methanol to rice bran ratio of 5 mL/g, sulfuric acid concentration in methanol of 1.5 vol.%, and reaction time of 60 min, an in situ esterification operated on rice bran could yield FAMEs with a high purity and recovery. By applying an in situ esterification with n-hexane/water extractions, Indonesia will be succesfull in obtaining biodiesel from rice bran up to 96,000 ton per year.     

Hybrid chipboard panels based on sugarcane bagasse, urea formaldehyde and melamine formaldehyde resin

The expansion of Brazilian agricultural production was very important in the last decade. A number of waste residues were produced showing an enormous potential for industrial crops and products. Sugarcane bagasse is the most important one and it has been investigated for chipboard panel's preparation. In this sense, this work aims to develop, characterize and compare chipboard panels made with sugarcane bagasse with urea formaldehyde (UF) and melamine formaldehyde (MF) resins. Panels were obtained with a mixture of sugarcane bagasse and particles, like pine or eucalyptus, with and without paraffin in the formulation. Nine different types of panels have been made, all with 9% in resin mix, under a pressing cycle of 4.0 MPa cm², and temperature of 160 °C. Under physical tests, the panels complied with the American Standard CS 236-66 for trading chipboards of medium density and, in most cases the results obtained were lower than the ones raised in the literature. Under mechanical tests, that same standard was not complied with and, in most cases the results were close to or higher than those obtained in the literature.     

Valorisation of Jatropha curcas: Solubilisation of proteins and sugars from the NaOH extracted de-oiled press cake

In this study, we investigated the possibilities for increasing the valorisation of de-oiled Jatropha press cake (DO-JPC). The studied raw material is the by-product of the alkaline protein extraction of the DO-JPC: NaOH Extracted DO-JPC (NEDO-JPC). Protein solubilisation of NEDO-JPC was performed under neutral and acidic conditions (pH 2, 100 mM maleic acid), at elevated temperature (100, 120, and 140 °C), and at 5% (w/w) dry solids loading. After the treatment, the amount of solubilised protein was determined, as well as the solubilisation of polymeric sugars and formation of sugar degradation products furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Although a clear influence is shown for temperature, no difference in protein solubilisation was found between treatments at pH 7 and pH 2. A maximum of 25% (w/w) of the available protein was solubilised, at 140 °C. The lignocellulose fraction of NEDO-JPC proved relatively recalcitrant to acid hydrolysis, suggesting a more intense treatment to be necessary to sufficiently increase accessibility for cellulolytic enzymes in a lignocellulosic bioethanol process. At €8.00 per tonne DO-JPC, it is concluded that the possibilities for valorisation of the protein fraction of NEDO-JPC at neutral and acid pH are limited, leaving the lignocellulose fraction as a source of valorisation to be investigated.     

Optimization of formic/acetic acid delignification of Miscanthus × giganteus for enzymatic hydrolysis using response surface methodology

A Box-Behnken experimental design and response surface methodology were employed to optimize the pretreatment parameters of a formic/acetic acid delignification treatment of Miscanthus × giganteus for enzymatic hydrolysis. The effects of three independent variables, namely cooking time (1, 2 and 3 h), formic acid/acetic acid/water ratio (20/60/20, 30/50/20 and 40/40/20) and temperature (80, 90 and 107 °C) on pulp yield, residual Klason lignin content, concentration of degradation products (furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural) in the black liquor, and enzymatic digestibility of the pulps were investigated. The major parameter influencing was the temperature for pulp yield, delignification degree, furfural production and enzymatic digestibility. According to the response surface analysis the optimum conditions predicted for a maximum enzymatic digestibility of the glucan (75.3%) would be obtained using a cooking time of 3 h, at 107 °C and with a formic acid/acetic acid/water ratio of 40/40/20%. Glucan digestibility was highly dependent on the delignification degree.     

Utilization of pretreated bagasse for the sustainable bioproduction of cellulase by Aspergillus nidulans MTCC344 using response surface methodology

Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the conditions for the production of endo β-1,4 glucanase, a component of cellulase by Aspergillus nidulans MTCC344 under solid state fermentation, using bagasse as the chief substrate. A four-factor-five-level central composite design was employed for experimental design and analysis of the results. Maximum cellulase activity (CMCase was 28.96 U g⁻¹) can be attained at the optimum conditions, 16.8 mm bagasse bed height, 60% moisture content, pH 4.25 and temperature 40 °C in the solid state fermenter. These data were rather close to the experimental results obtained (CMCase was 28.84 U g⁻¹). A. nidulans MTCC344 was able to hydrolyze pretreated bagasse completely after 8 days of incubation with significant endo β-1,4 glucanase activities. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of bagasse showed structural changes through pretreatment, in favor of enzymatic hydrolysis. Bagasse with alkali pretreatment using sodium hydroxide is a source of lignocelluloses able to improve the yield of endo β-1,4 glucanase by the strain of A. nidulans. The endo β-1,4 glucanase produced during the bioconversion of cellulose to glucose by A. nidulans MTCC344 is strongly dependent on the pretreatment given before hydrolysis.