Process Safety and Environmental Protection最新文献

{"title":"Research progress and prospects on refractory materials prepared from high-carbon ferrochrome slag: A review","authors":"Zhiqiang Yang ,&nbsp;Zhiyun Ji ,&nbsp;Xiaohui Fan ,&nbsp;Min Gan ,&nbsp;Qiang Li ,&nbsp;Yuanjie Zhao ,&nbsp;Xiaoxian Huang ,&nbsp;Zengqing Sun ,&nbsp;Xuling Chen ,&nbsp;Zhenxiang Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108555","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108555","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-carbon ferrochrome slag (HFCS) is a large-volume hazardous metallurgical by-product. HFCS is rich in MgO, Al₂O₃, and spinel phases, which provide excellent thermal and chemical stability. However, the chromium-containing components in HFCS need careful environmental assessment due to potential hazards. This review summarizes recent advances in the synthesis, phase evolution, and high-temperature behavior of HFCS-based refractory materials. It also analyzes key influencing factors, including composition, MgO/Al₂O₃ ratio, sintering conditions, and additive selection. The formation of high-melting spinel and forsterite phases improves refractoriness, thermal shock resistance, and slag corrosion resistance. These phases also help stabilize Cr (III) within spinel lattices and reduce chromium leaching during regular operation. Continuous forsterite frameworks limit liquid-phase formation at high temperatures, thereby enhancing structural reliability and lowering the risk of rapid refractory deterioration. However, high slag basicity, CaO-rich environments, and strongly oxidizing atmospheres can destabilize chromium-containing phases and increase the risk of dangerous chromium release. Challenges remain, including feedstock variability, long-term chromium stability, and the absence of standardized assessment protocols. Future HFCS research should focus on designing refractory compositions, controlling microstructure, utilizing multiple solid waste streams synergistically, and developing new refractory materials. These efforts should be complemented by long-term leaching studies, life-cycle analyses, and pilot-scale testing to ensure safety and sustainability in industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108555"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146110760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Design and performance of MHEC/CSP-based fire-preventing gel: Enhanced adhesion, water retention, and flame-retardant properties","authors":"Jingyi Chi ,&nbsp;Yanyun Zhao ,&nbsp;Xiangming Hu ,&nbsp;Xinlei Yang ,&nbsp;Zhenglong He ,&nbsp;Botao Qin","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108571","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the issues of high-temperature evaporation, strong wind-induced shedding, and poor long-term adhesion to vertical substrates of fire-preventing gel materials in wildfires, this study developed a water-enhanced fire-preventing and extinguishing gel with “second-level gelation, strong adhesion, and long-term flame retardancy” using the high viscosity version of methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose (MHEC) and colloidal silica particles (CSP) as dual matrices, and introducing 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and phytic acid (PA) to construct a Si-O-Si/P-Nsynergistic network. The optimal formulation (M₁C₁, MHEC: CSP=1:1) self-assembles in 0.4 min, with a static viscosity of 4.8 × 10⁵ mPa・s and a viscosity of 4.1 × 10⁴ mPa・s in the spray shear zone. When exposed to fire, it expands into closed-cell carbon-silica bubble walls within 0.5 min, providing 13 min of flame retardancy, and achieving a char residue rate &gt; 40 %. M₁C₁A (modified with APTES) and M₁C₁AP (modified with APTES+PA) gel within 2 min, with viscosities reaching 315.0 % and 118.4 % of M₁C₁, respectively. TG-IR and Raman confirmed the “Si-O-Si + P-N carbon promotion” mechanism and “water retention-crack control-gas suppression-oxygen isolation” four-level protection chain; M₁C₁AP has an ID/IG ratio of 1.2. The gel exhibits shear-thinning properties, suitable for multiple scenarios, providing a solution for wildfire prevention and control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108571"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defect engineering synergised with S-scheme heterojunction for the efficient reduction of carbon dioxide","authors":"Jie Gu ,&nbsp;Mingxia Tian ,&nbsp;Yuan Zhang ,&nbsp;Lili Huang ,&nbsp;Beibei Sun ,&nbsp;Yong Qin ,&nbsp;Jianhui Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108570","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108570","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction is essential for achieving carbon neutrality; however, its low efficiency remains a significant challenge. CO₂ photocatalytic performance can be enhanced through defect engineering and heterojunction construction. In this study, S-scheme Bi₄O₅Cl₂/g-C₃N₅ catalysts were successfully synthesised using a hydrothermal method. Following optimisation, the CO production rate under visible light illumination increased significantly to 57.2 μmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹, representing improvements of 3.76 and 4.15 times compared with pristine Bi₄O₅Cl₂ and g-C₃N₅, respectively. Characterisation indicated that this superior performance can be attributed to the combined effects of defect engineering and the S-scheme heterojunction, with C–Cl bonds serving as electron transfer channels. This synergy significantly enhanced CO₂ adsorption and charge-carrier separation efficiency. Cycling tests demonstrated that the optimised catalysts exhibited excellent stability, maintaining catalytic activity after six consecutive cycles. In situ infrared spectroscopy revealed the formation pathway of the *COOH intermediate, confirming the reaction mechanism: CO₂ → *COOH → *CO → CO. This study provides a novel strategy to synergistically enhance CO₂ conversion efficiency through defect engineering and S-scheme heterojunction design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108570"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An online sludge discharge scheduling framework in water treatment plants integrating knowledge and data-driven approaches","authors":"Yujun Huang ,&nbsp;Yuhai Niu ,&nbsp;Juan Zhang ,&nbsp;Jinhai Liu ,&nbsp;Zemin Wang ,&nbsp;Sihan Chen ,&nbsp;Zhimin Tian ,&nbsp;Chengyu He ,&nbsp;Yifan Xie ,&nbsp;Shuming Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108567","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108567","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In traditional water treatment plants (WTPs), sludge discharge scheduling in sedimentation tanks often depends on qualitative human experience, lacking timely adjustments according to real-time operational conditions. This can lead to inappropriate and unstable solids content in discharged sludge, enhancing risks of water and energy waste or effluent water quality deterioration. Current research in online sludge discharge scheduling is limited due to inaccuracies in existing sludge status monitoring instruments, e.g., sludge level probes and concentration meters, and inadequate modeling of sludge production and distribution in sedimentation tanks. Here, we propose a novel scheduling framework for sludge discharge in WTP sedimentation tanks aiming to enhance the solids concentration of discharged sludge-water mixture without relying on specific sludge monitoring instruments, using only conventional water flow and quality meters instead. The framework predicts the expected initial solids content (ISC, %) through data-driven methods and models effluent solids content (ESC, %) based on sedimentation theory. The two steps help estimate the solids content and its variation of the discharged sludge-water mixture. The ISC prediction for the two sedimentation tanks achieves root mean squared error (RMSE) beneath 0.63 %, while the ESC prediction attains RMSE beneath 0.17 %. Integrating monitoring, simulation, prediction, and scheduling, our solution has the potential to stabilize effluent solids content at our case WTP. Moreover, under the scenario with a target average effluent solids content of 10 %, our solution can reduce 67 % of water consumption related with sludge discharge and energy consumption related with sludge dewatering at our case WTP.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108567"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fluid flow and CBM productivity-CO2 injectivity evaluations induced by injection pressure and reservoir condition: Implications for CO2-ECBM injection process and drainage degree","authors":"Zhonghui Wang ,&nbsp;Shoujian Peng ,&nbsp;Jiang Xu ,&nbsp;Li Jia ,&nbsp;Liang Cheng ,&nbsp;Jiaxuan Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108564","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108564","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In order to study the key technology of CO₂ sequestration and enhanced coalbed methane recovery (CO₂-ECBM), a series of large-scale physical simulation experiments were conducted with varying CO₂ injection pressures <em>P</em>_in and original CH₄ pressures <em>P</em>_res. The fluid flow evolution of reservoir pressure, CH₄ recovery efficiency (<em>RE</em>), and CO₂ injectivity (<em>J</em>) were monitored and analyzed in real time. The fluid flow evolution indicates centrifugal flow near the injection well and centripetal flow toward the production well, and a larger <em>P</em>_in produces a stronger pressure gradient and more pronounced flow-state transformation. Increasing <em>P</em>_in accelerates CO₂ breakthrough and enhances CH₄ recovery increasing from 78.08 % to 90.30 % with the original CH₄ pressure 1.5 MPa. With <em>P</em>_in increasing from 1.5 to 2.5 MPa, CO₂ breakthrough was accelerated and <em>RE</em> increased from 78.08 % to 90.30 % at <em>P</em>_res of 1.5 MPa. Under <em>P</em>_in of 2.5 MPa, <em>RE</em> increased from 90.30 % to 96.70 % as <em>P</em>_res decreased from 1.5 to 0.5 MPa, indicating that a higher <em>P</em>in-<em>P</em>_res differential favors more complete CH₄ depletion. The paper evaluated CO₂ injectivity (<em>J</em>) quantitatively by the injection flow rate and reservoir pressure. The <em>J</em> exhibits a rise-decline-stabilization trend, indicating the evolving injection dynamics and pressure-driven behavior in the reservoir. While a lower <em>P</em>_res further boosts the early-stage injectivity. CO₂-ECBM is governed by a dynamic shift from replacement-dominated to displacement-dominated behavior, the time for replacement ratio to equal displacement ratio shortens from 50 to 36 min as <em>P</em>_in increases from 1.5 to 2.5 MPa. These results suggest that improving CO₂-ECBM performance requires both an appropriately elevated injection pressure and sufficient pre-drainage, and optimizing injection timing to extend the high-efficiency replacement stage is crucial for achieving synergistic CH₄ recovery and CO₂ injectivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108564"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep parallel feature fusion network with temporal convolutional network and bidirectional gated recurrent unit for industrial process modeling and fault diagnosis","authors":"Chen Chen ,&nbsp;Ridong Zhang ,&nbsp;Furong Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108590","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108590","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Industrial process fault diagnosis is crucial for ensuring production safety and quality. Although significant progress has been made in fault diagnosis methods based on deep learning, existing models still have limitations. Traditional Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) struggle to capture long-term dependencies in time series, while Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and their variants have weak perception of key local features. Furthermore, most studies adopt simple serial models, failing to fully utilize spatial and temporal modal information in data, leading to incomplete feature extraction and limited model generalization ability. To address the aforementioned issues, this paper proposes a hybrid deep learning model, TCN-SENet+BiGRU-GlobalAttention (TSBG), that integrates Temporal Convolutional Networks (TCNs), Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) channel attention mechanism, Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit (BiGRU) and global attention mechanism. This model captures the \"spatial features\" of data through the TCN-SENet branch, which are features extracted from the multivariable channel dimension, extracts temporal dependencies and important temporal features using BiGRU combined with global attention mechanism and finally achieves effective feature integration through a fusion module. The proposed method has been tested on the Tennessee-Eastman (TE) dataset and the industrial coke furnace dataset and the results show that the TSBG-Net model performs better in fault detection and diagnosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108590"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146160986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Solvent-assisted chemical recycling of polycarbonate using glycerol as a renewable chemical: Mechanistic insights and statistical optimization","authors":"Nishant Markandeya ,&nbsp;Mayur Jadhav ,&nbsp;Prafulla Gopale ,&nbsp;Karthick Ramalingam ,&nbsp;Sanjay Kamble","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108592","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108592","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid accumulation of polycarbonate (PC) waste has driven the development of efficient recycling methods. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of solvent-assisted chemical recycling of PC using glycerol, a renewable chemical derived from industrial waste streams. Solvent screening highlighted the critical influence of solvent properties such as dielectric constant, dipole moment and hydrogen-bond accepting ability on depolymerization efficiency. A systematic approach combining Design of Experiments (DoE) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the depolymerization process. Using a Box–Behnken design (BBD), the effects of key process parameters, including temperature, reaction time and the glycerol (GLY:PC) and dimethylformamide (DMF:PC) weight ratios, were evaluated in terms of PC conversion and bisphenol A (BPA) yield. The optimization model predicted that a reaction temperature of 171 °C, a reaction time of 1 h and a PC:GLY:DMF ratio of 1:5.05:7.22 would yield 100 % PC conversion and 85 % BPA yield. Experimental validation under these conditions achieved 100 % PC conversion and 83 % BPA yield, confirming the reliability of the model. Product characterization using NMR, LC–HRMS and FTIR confirmed the purity of BPA and provided insights into the reaction mechanism. The solvent recyclability across successive reaction cycles demonstrated the environmental and economic viability of the process. Overall, the energy demand calculation based on the environmental energy impact factor (ξ) highlights the industrial relevance of this work and demonstrate an efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst-free route for depolymerization of polycarbonate with strong potential for industrial implementation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108592"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146161114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A dynamic Bayesian network-based probabilistic analysis method for urban gas pipelines from the perspective of “Accident-Barrier-Resilience”","authors":"Fu-qiang Yang ,&nbsp;Hai-feng Liu ,&nbsp;Shi-yi Li ,&nbsp;Xing-lin Chen ,&nbsp;Zong-hou Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In order to enhance the reliability of urban gas pipeline networks (UGPNs), this paper proposed a resilience assessment model based on dynamic Bayesian network (DBN). The model is constructed following a novel three-tiered “Accident-Barrier-Resilience” framework. Firstly, a Scenario Evolution and Barrier Deduction Analysis (SEBDA) method is proposed to systematically identify critical risk nodes and construct safety barrier systems based on the physical evolution paths of complete accident scenarios. Subsequently, accident evolution paths are generated via Event Tree Analysis (ETA). Finally, a DBN-based resilience assessment layer quantifies the system's time-varying performance. A computational resilience model was developed to simulate and quantify the resilience characteristics of UGPNs under disruption scenarios. The impact of different accident scenarios on the reliability of resilience nodes was then analyzed. The results show that the three resilience capacities (absorption, adaptation, and restorative) play corresponding functions to drive the overall resilience of the pipeline network system. Criticality analysis of resilience nodes identifies that pipeline diameter and wall thickness are the two most critical factors affecting the resilience of gas pipeline networks. Furthermore, the study incorporates learning ability as a key factor, demonstrating that it effectively influences the resilience attributes of the UGPN system. The dynamic model extends the static model through the incorporation of a resilience network. This enhancement improves operational reliability by explicitly accounting for resilience impacts on UGPNs. The gas network can ultimately have the potential to adequately handle disturbances by consistently implementing the improvement plan.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108533"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146095886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microwave-assisted regeneration of CuxO-modified activated carbon saturated with sulfamethazine: Mechanism and performance evaluation","authors":"Yanping Liu ,&nbsp;Zixiu Li ,&nbsp;Dandan Liu ,&nbsp;Mingjie Han ,&nbsp;Jianfeng Gao ,&nbsp;Haoyu Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108618","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108618","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores an efficient approach to both the resource recovery of waste activated carbon and the control of sulfonamide antibiotic pollution. It systematically examines the regeneration performance and underlying mechanisms of microwave-assisted regeneration for CuxO-modified activated carbon (mCuxO@AC) saturated with sulfamethazine (SMZ). Single-factor experiments identified the optimal regeneration conditions as a microwave power of 700 W, an irradiation time of 2 min, 4 mL of distilled water as a “hot spot” control agent, and a medium–high reaction temperature. After five consecutive regeneration cycles, the regenerated activated carbon (RAC) retained 81.88 % of the initial adsorption capacity for SMZ. Comprehensive characterization using BET, SEM, XRD, XPS, and EDS revealed that the specific surface area (SBET) of the RAC increased by 60.06 % (from 583.19 m²/g to 933.48 m²/g), and the total pore volume (Vtot) expanded by 27.38 %. Pore blockage was significantly alleviated, and the abundance of characteristic SMZ-related functional groups (–OH, –NH, C–O, etc.) on the surface significantly decreased. LC-MS analysis indicated that SMZ underwent degradation into smaller molecules through six primary pathways, including pyrolysis, hydrolysis, ring-opening, and S-N bond cleavage. The proposed household microwave-assisted regeneration technology process demonstrates high efficiency, energy savings, and environmental compatibility, offering a novel solution for regenerating antibiotic-contaminated waste activated carbon.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108618"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146209454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Production of fatty acid isopropyl esters (biodiesel) from castor oil via a two-step transesterification catalyzed by waste fish scale-derived catalysts","authors":"Yansheng Wang ,&nbsp;Guangtao Wei ,&nbsp;Youlian Zhu,&nbsp;Liang Li,&nbsp;Yining Li,&nbsp;Linye Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108632","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psep.2026.108632","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The poor low-temperature performance of conventional biodiesel limits its applicability. Although biodiesel produced using branched-chain alcohols (e.g., isopropanol) exhibits improved cold-flow properties, its direct synthesis suffers from low efficiency due to steric hindrance. The study addressed this issue by developing a sustainable two-step transesterification process using a heterogeneous catalyst derived from waste perch scales for the production of fatty acid isopropyl esters from castor oil. The aim was to establish an efficient system that overcomes steric hindrance while integrating sustainability assessments. The optimized catalyst (PS-900–2), prepared by calcination at 900 °C, exhibited high specific surface area, mesoporous structure, strong basicity, and excellent crystallinity. The first-step methanolysis achieved 93.21 % fatty acid methyl ester conversion, while the subsequent reaction with isopropanol yielded 88.01 % fatty acid isopropyl esters, confirming its kinetic efficacy. The catalyst maintained high activity over five reuse cycles. This process exhibits excellent environmental performance metrics (E-factor: 0.82; PMI: 2.46). Preliminary analysis confirms that it complies with the principles of green chemistry, and life cycle cost analysis also validates its economic feasibility. The sensitivity analysis confirmed that the price of castor oil was the most influential factor. Finally, the possible reaction mechanism of the two-step process catalyzed by PS-900–2 was elucidated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"209 ","pages":"Article 108632"},"PeriodicalIF":7.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146777597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}