Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery最新文献

This work reports the preparation of a new activated carbon (AC), using alpaca fiber residue as carbon precursor and H₃PO₄ as chemical activating agent, for studies of organic compounds in aqueous medium. The obtained AC was properly characterized from analysis techniques and methodologies and then applied in adsorption studies of single aqueous solutions of caffeine (CFN) and Remazol brilliant blue R dye (RBBR). The AC presented high yield (35.06%), BET surface area (S_BET) of 256 m² g⁻¹ and predominance of acid groups on the its surface (pH_ZPC = 3.0). The kinetic models of pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Elovich, and diffusions of Knudsen and intraparticle were fitted to the experimental data, and they indicated stronger interaction of RBBR with the AC surface and greater diffusion of CFN through its pores. The equilibrium models showed the Langmuir fitted better for system CFN-AC and Freundlich for the system RBBR-AC, suggesting monolayer adsorption for CFN and multilayer for RBBR, with Q_max values of 38.4 and 20.1 mg g⁻¹, respectively. Additionally, the value of E determined from this model for the RBBR-AC system (E = 24.1 kJ mol⁻¹) was greater than that for CFN-AC (E = 9.13 kJ mol⁻¹). This study shows that AC from alpaca fiber residue is a potential adsorbent for removal of organic pollutants in aqueous media, and that adsorption mechanisms for CFN and RBBR differ mainly in the diffusion of their molecules through the pores of the AC.

The increasing demand for sustainable energy solutions has prompted the aerospace industry to explore alternative fuels that minimize environmental impact. This study investigates the potential of utilizing apricot waste, a by-product of the agricultural sector, as a feedstock for solid rocket propellant (SRP) production. Through innovative conversion processes, including sulfurization and caramelization, apricot waste was transformed into a viable propellant. The resulting SRP exhibited favorable chemical properties, including a high calorific value of 1726 cal/g, indicating its potential for efficient energy release during combustion. Elemental analysis revealed a composition that is rich in oxygen, enhancing its eco-friendliness compared to traditional propellants. The moderate burn rate exponent (n ≈ 0.602) suggests a balanced performance, making it suitable for applications requiring controlled thrust profiles. This research not only addresses the environmental challenges associated with conventional propellants but also highlights the importance of repurposing agricultural waste, thereby promoting sustainable resource utilization and waste reduction.

Chemical looping gasification (CLG) can inherently split the traditional gasification into two processes to produce high-quality syngas, avoiding the N₂ dilution for syngas. CLG of solid wastes has gained attention for its satisfactory performance with waste valorization. The chemical looping co-gasification (CLCG) performances of rice husk and textile wastes are investigated, which are typical solid wastes used in industry as alternative fuels. A thermodynamic process model of CLCG is established, and the effects of different operating parameters are quantitatively analyzed. Furthermore, a multi-input and multi-output back propagation neural network model (BPNNM) is trained using process model results for the performance prediction. Key findings reveal that increasing equivalence ratios of oxygen carrier and steam (α_OC/F and α_steam/F) significantly affect gasification efficiency. Specifically, increasing α_OC/F to 0.5 decreases gasification efficiency to 60.82%. Conversely, increasing α_steam/F from 0.1 to 0.5 leads to a slight decrease in gasification efficiency from 85.95 to 84.80%, while simultaneously increasing hydrogen concentration in syngas from 39.91 to 46.28%. Elevating the gasification temperature from 650 to 850 °C can raise the η from 81.52% up to 86.00%. The blending ratio of the rice husk and textile waste also dramatically affects gasification efficiency, with efficiency decreasing from 92.27 to 74.41% as the blending ratio R_r increases from 0 to 1. The tests of random conditions demonstrate that the trained BPNNM can be a very accurate tool for the prediction of syngas compositions and gasification indicators in CLCG.

In this study, the effects of the drying method and spray drying inlet air temperature on the color, surface morphology, hydrophobicity, powder and functional properties of safflower protein isolate were investigated. Safflower protein was extracted using the alkaline extraction and isoelectric precipitation method and then dried using freeze-drying and spray-drying at 140, 150, 160, 170, and 180 ^°C inlet air temperatures. When compared to the spray-dried samples, freeze-dried safflower protein isolate had lower cohesiveness (1.18) and better flowability (15.12%) with higher bulk density (0.31 g/cm³) and lower tapped bulk density (0.37 g/cm³). Additionally, its wetting time (9.00 s) was also found to be lower. On the other hand, spray-dried samples exhibited lighter color, higher foaming capacity (30.00–38.75%) and stability (87.50–89.17%), and emulsion activity (51.25–54.50%) and stability (85.76–87.51%) than the freeze-dried sample. Moreover, it was found that the foaming capacity and emulsion activity of safflower protein spray-dried at 140 ^°C were higher than those of other spray-dried samples. Overall, freeze-dried safflower protein showed better powder properties, while spray-dried samples had better functional properties. Consequently, it was shown that the choice of drying method and spray drying inlet air temperature were critical for the powder and functional properties of safflower protein.

Indonesia is characterised by a substantial opportunity to use mangroves as an energy source in coastal areas due to their abundant availability. Green chemistry emphasises sustainability, waste minimisation, and renewable resources, which aligns with using mangrove twigs and branches as bio-pellets for alternative energy. This research used only mangrove branches and twigs to make bio-pellets to preserve mangrove ecosystems and generate energy. Therefore, this research aimed to compare the physicochemical properties of mangrove-derived bio-pellets from three species, namely Rhizophora apiculata, Excoecaria agallocha, and Bruguiera sexangula. The comparison was done through various analyses such as fibre composition, ultimate analysis, calorific value, FTIR, SEM, XRD, XRF, and TGA. Hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin composition influences Pellet fuel’s combustion and mechanical properties. Lignin enhances durability and energy density, while cellulose and hemicellulose improve combustion efficiency. Balanced biomass produces high calorific value and mechanical strength. The results showed that E. agallocha twigs (R-2) and B. sexangula twigs (R-3) contained the highest levels of hemicellulose and lignin, respectively, while B. sexangula branches (C-3) were the richest in cellulose. E. agallocha (R-2) twigs showed the highest calorific value, with element percentages for N–C-H–S-O measured at 1.33%, 47.29%, 6.98%, 0.09%, and 44.31%, respectively. XRD analysis showed that twigs-based bio-pellets generally had higher crystallinity and density, with a smoother, denser surface than branches, indicating potential as a fuel. Furthermore, XRF analysis showed that the main mineral compositions of mangrove bio-pellets were calcium, potassium, and chlorine. The chlorine content showed that E. agallocha branches’ bio-pellets had a low corrosion possibility. Based on the calorific value, both E. agallocha twigs and B. sexangula branches were considered ideal materials for fuel bio-pellets, with further improvements in preparation stages to enhance quality. This study contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7 and SDG 13) by promoting renewable bioenergy sources and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, thereby supporting global efforts in mitigating climate change.

Recently, Bio-fuel has drawn attention as an alternate fuel due to its advantages over fossil fuels. Many researchers have laid stress on the fermentation of biofuels from renewable and sustainable resources. The continuous rise in the cost of petroleum, depleting fossil fuel reserves and increasing environmental pollution have prompted the scientists to explore alternative energy resources. The sustainable methods are therefore required to be used in producing biofuels to handle the problems related to the hike in crude oil prices, global warming, and decreasing fossil fuel reserves. Bio-fuels like butanol can be generated by using different Clostridium species through the ABE (Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol) process. This paper describes challenges of using Clostridium species, including the pretreatment process. Hydrolysis results in the formation of low and side products. In order to produce biobutanol employing different microbiologic species, it would be essential to develop some novel and promising strains that could overcome technological difficulties in terms of effective butanol production at industrial level.

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Despite its low cost, horseradish root waste extract (Armoracia rusticana) is rich in phytochemicals that possesses significant nutritional, medicinal, and industrial potential; therefore, extraction is essential. This study examines the impact of microwave-assisted extraction on phytochemicals from horseradish root waste, positioning as a natural alternative to chemical additives and biological treatments. The research began by identifying chemical characteristics of root waste, and then microwave-assisted extraction was optimized using response surface methodology, which included 30 experiments to fine-tune variables such as microwave power, temperature, time, and solvent concentration. Total phenol (TPC) and flavonoid (TFC) contents, antioxidant, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gastrointestinal bioavailability were performed on optimized extract. The results revealed various chemical properties of waste extract including pH, total dissolved solids, dry matter, and ash. Statistical analysis indicated that all variables significantly influenced TPC, TFC, and antioxidants. Optimal extraction conditions were established as 1000 W microwave power, 39.09 °C, 10.74 min, and 51.11% solvent. Under these conditions, the extract indicated 10.11 mg gallic acid equivalent/g TPC, 21.9 mg quercetin equivalent/g TFC, and 80.39% inhibition. LC–MS revealed 152.11 µmol/g total glucosinolate with sinigrin as the most abundant compound; additionally, syringic acid and rutin were identified as primary contributors to TPC and TFC. FTIR confirmed functional groups associated with glucosinolates and polyphenolics. Furthermore, phytochemical bioavailability during gastrointestinal digestion was found to be 25.61% and 58.92% under stomach and intestinal conditions, respectively. Overall, microwave demonstrates effectiveness in isolating phytochemicals from horseradish waste, producing compositions and performance.

Pharmaceutical pollution in water is a critical environmental issue. This study investigates the removal of paracetamol (PCM) from water using activated carbon derived from Sesbania wood, a fast-spreading plant with promising structural properties for activated carbon. The batch adsorption results demonstrated the effectiveness of Sesbania-derived activated carbon (SDAC) in removing PCM solution, achieving a removal efficiency of 89%. In fixed-bed adsorption, a removal efficiency of 87.6% was attained within 210 min while treating 1050 ml of solution. The Redlich-Peterson model was employed as the best adsorption isotherm, with a maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) of 70.68 mg/g. Kinetics analysis favours the pseudo-second-order model. Thermodynamic results suggest an exothermic and spontaneous adsorption mechanism. The decision tree machine learning (ML) model outperformed the gradient boosting (R² = 0.88), random forest models (R² = 0.88), and the artificial neural network model (R² = 0.75) in predicting PCM removal using the adsorbent. Sensitivity analysis using Shapley additive (SHAP) revealed that adsorbent mass is the most influential parameter in PCM removal. This study presented a novel application of activated carbon derived from the Sesbania plant, highlighting its high efficiency in PCM removal through experimental analysis and ML-based optimization.

Saline soil paddy agriculture becomes a prominent solution to increase rice production. However, high salinity level, low inorganic nutrient availability, and the absence of halophilic bacteria incorporating inorganic nutrient especially nitrogen become a challenge for a successful saline soil agriculture. We conducted a set of mesocosm research using plant microbial fuel cell (PMFC) systems, four levels of fertilizer (cultivation without fertilizer, 100% NPK dose, combination of compost and NPK fertilizer), bacterial inoculation (Staphylococcus saprophyticus ICBB 9554, Citrobacter freundii ICBB 9763, and co-culture of both), and salt addition (salt addition only on anode area, salt addition entire of soil). In addition, we used no paddy, fertilizers, and salt for control. We aimed to investigate the impact of fertilizer, salinity, and addition of exo-electrogenic bacteria for the PMFC performance and paddy growth. The result showed that paddy plant cultivation increased electricity generation two times due to the release of rhizodeposits compared to control without paddy plant. Secondly, a high concentration of mineral fertilizers 2 dS/m negatively impacts power output. Thus, the compost addition + 50% NPK fertilizer was suggested to balance electricity generation and paddy plant growth. Finally, salinity and exo-electrogenic bacteria resulted in positive impacts on electricity generation, with co-culture inoculation and salt addition on the anode area reaching the highest electricity production at an average voltage and power density of 646.17 mV/reactor and 0.22 mW/reactor, respectively. This study provides valuable insight that PMFC can be applied in saline soil paddy agriculture by complementing the halotolerant rice variety and the utilization of bacterial inoculates.