Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers最新文献

{"title":"Co-silanization engineering to construct molecular diffusion barrier for copper metallization on silicon","authors":"Tzu-Yu Chu ,&nbsp;Chi-Chien Chang ,&nbsp;Chun-Jen Huang ,&nbsp;Zhen-Yi Wu ,&nbsp;Ming-Tzer Lin ,&nbsp;Chih-Ming Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106614","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106614","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Diffusion barrier is important in the development of integrated-circuit (IC) technology because it is essential to maintain the electrical and structural integrity of the Cu/SiO₂/Si heterojunctions. With the advancement of ultrafine-pitch IC layouts, the thickness of diffusion barrier must downscale to few atomic layers which is a critical reliability issue for film coverage and continuity. Due to molecular self-assembling ability, organosilanes are promising candidates to construct the atomic-level diffusion barrier. However, uncontrolled self-assembling ability usually results in molecular self-polymerization, posing big challenges to the formation of a well-organized network structure.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this study, co-silanization technology based on two organosilanes are proposed to overcome the uncontrolled molecular assembling problems. The co-silanized molecular nanolayer is constructed at the Cu/SiO₂ interface by interstitially filling the skinny 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) molecule into the gaps between stereoscopically bulky molecule like triphenylsilanol (TPS) or trimethoxyphenylsilane (TMPS).</div></div><div><h3>Significant Findings</h3><div>The co-silanized TPS@APTMS nanolayer exhibits better barrier efficacy against the Cu diffusion in terms of the suppression of Cu silicide formation as compared to the mono-silanized APTMS nanolayer. The better diffusion barrier efficacy is attributed to the strong steric hindrance effect of TPS molecule which assists the APTMS molecule to co-assemble into a well-oriented and organized network structure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106614"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145882864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Precise regulation of Smithsonite–Quartz interfacial behavior by a low-dosage piperidinium collector in a reverse flotation system","authors":"Xiaoqi Ban ,&nbsp;Jin Yao ,&nbsp;Wanzhong Yin ,&nbsp;Wenju Sun ,&nbsp;Taozhong Zhang ,&nbsp;Chao Yin ,&nbsp;Weifan Du ,&nbsp;Junfeng Wang ,&nbsp;Yulian Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106657","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106657","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The efficient separation of smithsonite from quartz remains a key bottleneck in the valorization of oxidized zinc ores. Conventional sulfidization flotation suffers from high reagent consumption, complex procedures, and elevated costs, highlighting the urgent need for novel processes and selective collectors for effective desilication and purification.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Microflotation experiments, zeta potential measurements, surface wettability analyses, FTIR, XPS, AFM, and ToF-SIMS were employed to investigate the flotation selectivity and interfacial interaction mechanisms of N-hexadecyl-N-methylpiperidinium bromide (HMPB) in the reverse flotation desilication of smithsonite.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>Outstanding separation performance was achieved at pH 7.0 with an HMPB dosage of 7.5 mg/L, yielding a zinc concentrate grade of 47.01% and a recovery of 93.69%. The ζ-potential, wettability, FTIR, and XPS analyses confirmed that HMPB selectively interact with oxygen sites on quartz via synergistic electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding interactions, significantly increasing surface potential, hydrophobicity, and adhesion work, while showing negligible influence on smithsonite. Furthermore, AFM and ToF-SIMS analyses revealed the formation of a continuous HMPB adsorption layer exclusively on the quartz surface, where the distribution of organic fragments strongly correlates with Si rather than Zn, confirming the pronounced selectivity of HMPB for quartz and its effectiveness in sustainable desilication and purification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106657"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experimental investigation of solar desalination systems using low-cost thermal energy storage from waste glass micromaterials in paraffin wax","authors":"Subbarama Kousik Suraparaju ,&nbsp;Reji Kumar Rajamony ,&nbsp;Mahmoud S. El-Sebaey ,&nbsp;Tarun Kumar Kotteda ,&nbsp;AMSV Sushma ,&nbsp;R.V.S. Madhuri ,&nbsp;Mahendran Samykano ,&nbsp;Sendhil Kumar Natarajan","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106634","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Solar desalination is hindered by low thermal efficiency due to the poor thermal conductivity of paraffin-based PCMs. Waste glass microparticles present a sustainable, low-cost route to improve heat storage, yet their integration into advanced solar still configurations has not been fully explored.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A composite energy storage material (CESM) was developed by dispersing 0.2–0.8 wt% waste glass microparticles into paraffin wax; 0.6 wt% showed optimal enhancement and stability after 100 thermal cycles. The CESM was integrated beneath a fin-assisted absorber in a Rectangular Pyramid Solar Still (RPSS-BF-CESM). Performance was evaluated against a conventional solar desalination system (CSDS) under identical meteorological conditions, supported by thermal, productivity, economic, environmental, and water-quality analyses.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>The CESM increased the thermal conductivity and specific heat of paraffin by 14.22% and 2.93% respectively. The RPSS-BF-CESM achieved 11% higher absorber temperature, 21% higher water temperature, and extended operation until 23:00 h. Daily freshwater yield increased by 110.32% and 103.72%, with thermal efficiency nearly doubling. Cost per litre decreased by 39.5%, and the payback period decreased by 44.5%. Net CO₂ mitigation reached 10.08 tons over 10 years. Distillate met BIS standards without contamination. The approach demonstrates a sustainable, high-performance enhancement for passive solar desalination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106634"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Whole cell coupling on metal ion affinity membranes for stable carbonic anhydrase-driven CO₂ sequestration: An efficient alternative to enzyme immobilization","authors":"Jo-Hsin Yen ,&nbsp;Parushi Nargotra ,&nbsp;Chia-Hung Kuo ,&nbsp;Yung-Chuan Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Anthropogenic emissions have caused a substantial increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Carbon capture strategies employing carbonic anhydrase have emerged as promising biological approaches for CO₂ mitigation. However, industrial deployment is limited by enzyme instability and low reusability, which can be addressed through immobilization.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this study, carbonic anhydrase from <em>Sulfurihydrogenibium yellowstonense</em> was heterologously expressed in <em>Escherichia coli,</em> and both whole cell and enzyme were immobilized separately onto immobilized metal affinity membranes (IMAMs). A comparative analysis was carried out between immobilized whole cells and carbonic anhydrase with respect to their stability, purification, and kinetics.</div></div><div><h3>Significant findings</h3><div>Immobilized whole cell and carbonic anhydrase exhibited enhanced kinetic characteristics and greater stability over extended storage periods and a broad range of temperatures and pH. Immobilization also resulted in a purification fold of 3.86 and 3.19 for immobilized whole cell and carbonic anhydrase, respectively. The immobilized whole cell and carbonic anhydrase retained 81.5% and 76.4% activity after five reuse cycles. While immobilized whole cells showed enhanced pH and thermal stability, immobilized carbonic anhydrase demonstrated higher specific activity. The findings highlight IMAM as a robust and economical platform for whole cell immobilization, offering high recovery, adaptability, and eliminating the need for cell disruption and enzyme purification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106643"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An activated inference method for FPSO three-phase separator fault diagnosis based on expert experience","authors":"Zhu Wang,&nbsp;Yang Chen,&nbsp;Long Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106626","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106626","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>In offshore Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units, the three-phase separator is a key device for dewatering and degassing crude oil. When the three-phase separator malfunctions, the field operators cannot accurately locate the cause of the abnormality at the first time with their limited experience, and there is a lack of abnormality data in the actual industrial environment, which greatly restricts the effective application of Bayesian networks and other methods.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This paper introduces expert experience and proposes a diagnostic algorithm called the abnormality inference network for abnormal cause localization. First, the algorithm determines the network structure based on process mechanisms and alarm records. Second, the fuzzy theory is used to process expert experience to determine the likelihood rating between nodes. Additionally, triples are used to deconstruct the network and form a query matrix. Finally, this paper combines test cases with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to determine the minimum activation value of nodes.</div></div><div><h3>Significant findings</h3><div>The inference algorithm is applied to the actual three-phase separator equipment, and the experiment proves that the algorithm can quickly and effectively locate the cause of the abnormality, which solves the problem of inexperience of the field operators.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106626"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defect-engineered BiO1-xBr/BiOI1-x-CdS dual S-scheme heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic cefixime degradation","authors":"Akshay Chawla ,&nbsp;Sonu Sonu ,&nbsp;Pankaj Raizada ,&nbsp;Tansir Ahamad ,&nbsp;Konstantin Katin ,&nbsp;Savaş Kaya ,&nbsp;Sourbh Thakur ,&nbsp;Nhu-Tinh T. Nguyen ,&nbsp;Chechia Hu ,&nbsp;Van-Huy Nguyen ,&nbsp;Pardeep Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106635","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106635","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The persistence of pharmaceutical contaminants such as cefixime (CFX) in aquatic systems poses serious environmental and health risks. Developing defect-engineered photocatalysts with efficient charge separation and enhanced visible-light activity is a critical strategy for wastewater remediation.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Hierarchical BiO_1-xBr/BiOI_1-x-CdS multicomponent heterostructure was rationally constructed via hydrothermal synthesis by integrating BiO_1-xBr/BiOI_1-x microflakes with CdS nanoflowers. The introduction of oxygen and iodine vacancies tailored the electronic configuration and strengthened interfacial coupling. Structural, spectroscopic, and photoelectrochemical analyses were performed to evaluate charge separation and transfer pathways. Photocatalytic activity was tested through CFX degradation under visible light. Reactive species trapping, electron spin resonance, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry have employed to identify active species and degradation intermediates.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>The defect-engineered heterojunction exhibited a dual S-scheme charge transfer pathway that promoted efficient electron-hole separation and accelerated carrier migration due to the phenomenon of internal electric field and band bending, hence improving the CFX photodegradation efficiency. The BiO_1-xBr/BiOI_1-x-CdS photocatalytic system demonstrated a remarkable photocatalytic degradation efficiency of CFX, reaching approximately 95.8 % within 120 min under visible light at pH 6.0–6.5. In comparison to ternary, the CdS, BiO_1-xBr, BiOI_1-x, and BiO_1-xBr/BiOI_1-x reported photocatalytic reductions of only <span><math><mrow><mo>∼</mo><mspace></mspace></mrow></math></span>46 %, <span><math><mrow><mo>∼</mo><mspace></mspace></mrow></math></span>53 %, <span><math><mrow><mo>∼</mo><mspace></mspace></mrow></math></span>62 %, and <span><math><mrow><mo>∼</mo><mspace></mspace></mrow></math></span>79.4 % within same time period. Reactive species trapping and electron spin resonance analysis revealed that hydroxyl (^.OH) and superoxide (^-<span><math><msubsup><mi>O</mi><mn>2</mn><mo>.</mo></msubsup></math></span>) radicals were the dominant oxidative agents driving the degradation process. The catalyst maintained high structural integrity and stable photocatalytic activity over five consecutive cycles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106635"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial intelligence enabled versatile signal recognition strategy for gas and motion sensors","authors":"Junxuan Liang ,&nbsp;Rundong Gao ,&nbsp;Hongxia Zhao ,&nbsp;Dongpo Wei ,&nbsp;Rui Wang ,&nbsp;Zhitao Song ,&nbsp;Kewei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106624","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106624","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>As the bridge between the physical and digital worlds, sensors are central to the Internet of Things (IoT) and have completely transformed modern life. However, accurate signal recognition remains challenging due to factors such as noise, diversity and complexity. Although the accuracy and stability can be improved by developing advanced sensitive materials, such efforts are time-consuming and offer only limited gains.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A versatile artificial intelligence model combining principal component analysis (PCA) and backpropagation (BP) neural network is proposed to address the classification problem of low-resolution signal data from gas and motion sensors.</div></div><div><h3>Significant Findings</h3><div>The model achieves a classification accuracy of over 94% for four sets of motion sensor signals and more than 98% accuracy for two sets of gas sensor signals. This study provides an innovative solution for precise sensor signal processing and is expected to be widely used in IoT applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106624"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145922698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urchin-like Fe2O3/MXene Ti3C2Tx compounds for enhancement of NH3 sensitive property at low temperature","authors":"Ming HOU ,&nbsp;Guoxin JIANG ,&nbsp;Shenghui GUO ,&nbsp;Xiaolei YE ,&nbsp;Li YANG","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106609","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2025.106609","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>NH₃ is widely used in the key fields such as chemical industry, medical treatment and so on. However, the long-term inhalation of NH₃ could cause asthma exacerbation, rhinitis and other diseases to human health. The advanced semiconductor gas sensor can realize the detection of NH₃, while their high working temperature causes high energy consumption, which will limit practical applications. Developing the NH₃ sensitive materials with low operating temperature, high sensitivity remains a priority.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study presents a low-temperature gas sensor based on few layer 2D MXene-Fe₂O₃ composite prepared by dual temperature freeze drying technology. The sensitivity towards NH₃ was improved using a composition strategy. The working temperature, sensing properties, stability, selectivity and gas sensing mechanism were systematically studied.</div></div><div><h3>Significant findings</h3><div>Urchin-like Fe₂O₃ distributes on the porous Ti₃C₂T_x. Ti₃C₂T_x-Fe₂O₃ composite shown excellent gas sensitive performances at 100 °C to 100 ppm NH₃ with a proportion of 56.2%, which is higher twice and 3.2 times than that of raw Fe₂O₃ and Ti₃C₂T_x. The enhancement of gas sensitive properties is attributed to the fact that the surface of Ti₃C₂T_x is porous after bidirectional freeze-drying technology and the construction of energy level structure between Ti₃C₂T_x and Fe₂O₃, which improve the specific surface area of the material, thus providing more active sites for gas sensing reaction and ameliorating the gas sensitive properties of the material.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106609"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145922702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Catalytic reduction of ferric iron by sulfur dioxide over activated carbon: Process optimization, thermodynamics, and kinetics","authors":"Zhaoxue Zhang ,&nbsp;Hua Li ,&nbsp;Panying Zhou ,&nbsp;Liuchi Ye ,&nbsp;Yayun Feng ,&nbsp;Yunxia Peng ,&nbsp;Ruixiang Wang ,&nbsp;Bin Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106656","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106656","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Ferric iron (Fe³⁺), widely present in acidic hydrometallurgical leachates, must be efficiently reduced to ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) to improve metal recovery and process sustainability. Although sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is an inexpensive reductant with strong reducing potential, its application is often limited by slow kinetics and incomplete conversion.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study introduces activated carbon (AC) as a heterogeneous catalyst to enhance the SO₂-mediated reduction of Fe³⁺. Thermodynamic analysis was performed to identify conditions under which the reaction proceeds spontaneously, indicating a moderately acidic and reducing environment as optimal. The effects of pH, temperature, SO₂ flow rate, and AC dosage were systematically investigated through single-factor and orthogonal experiments. Kinetic modeling and catalyst reusability tests were further conducted to evaluate reaction behavior and catalyst stability.</div></div><div><h3>Significant Findings</h3><div>The presence of activated carbon markedly enhanced the kinetics of SO₂-mediated Fe³⁺ reduction, achieving over 93% conversion within 60 min under optimized conditions (60 °C, 6% H₂SO₄, 22.5 g/L Fe³⁺, 100 mL/min SO₂, and 0.667 g/L AC). The reaction followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic model in the initial stage, and kinetic analysis indicated facilitated reaction rates in the presence of AC. This enhancement is attributed to improved adsorption and accelerated interfacial electron transfer on the AC surface. Although partial deactivation was observed during reuse, the process remains cost-effective due to the low cost and wide availability of AC and SO₂. Overall, the proposed AC-assisted SO₂ reduction system offers an efficient, sustainable, and industrially applicable strategy for Fe³⁺ removal in hydrometallurgical operations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106656"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sulfonic acid functionalized torrefied biocoal facilitates levulinates preparation: Reaction kinetics and process cost analysis","authors":"Nidhi Yadav ,&nbsp;Bhawana Devi ,&nbsp;Gaurav Yadav ,&nbsp;Meera Cheviri ,&nbsp;Lakshmanan Potturaja ,&nbsp;Vishnu Bakthavachalam ,&nbsp;Joy K Roy ,&nbsp;Sasikumar Elumalai","doi":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106642","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jtice.2026.106642","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Due to the increase in population and industrialisation, the global energy demand is steeply increasing. However, the non-renewable fossil resources are in a state. Therefore, it is urgent to develop renewable resources to meet the energy demand.</div></div><div><h3>Methodology</h3><div>We employed the torrefied biomass as a porous catalyst to synthesize alkyl levulinate (a potential drop-in fuel compound) via levulinic acid esterification. The rice straw-derived torrefied solid (TRS) was functionalized with SO₃H (TRS@SO₃H), offering 1.23 mmol/g Brønsted acidic sites with 21 m²/g surface area, which are beneficial for the esterification reaction.</div></div><div><h3>Significant Findings</h3><div>Maximum ethyl levulinate (EL) yield of 98.9% at 60 °C within 35 min under microwave heating conditions, with a turnover frequency of 1.34x10^-2 h^-1. It also demonstrated versatility by synthesising various alkyl levulinates, with product yields varying depending on the carbon numbers. Furthermore, it exhibited robustness for reuse based on its effectiveness up to 5 cycles with a minor reduction of EL (12% relative). The techno-economic process calculation estimated the production cost of EL as low as $ 4.7/L.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":381,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 106642"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}