Jet fuel production from palm oil by catalytic hydrocracking using a Ni–Mo/HY catalyst

Catalytic hydrocracking of palm oil over zeolites of HY supporting Ni and Mo (Ni–Mo/HY) catalysts was carried out to produce jet fuels. A Box–Behnken Design (BBD) followed by the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with 17 runs was used to assess the significance of three factors: reaction temperature (°C), weight of the catalyst (%wt) used, and the reaction time (minute) required to achieve the optimum percentage of jet fuel (%jet fuel). The coefficients of determination (R²) for regression equations were 99.51%. The probability value (p < 0.05) demonstrated a very good significance for the regression model. The optimal values of variables were reaction temperature (418.85°C), the weight of the catalyst (3.16 wt%), and reaction time (119.37 min). Under the optimum conditions, % jet fuel reached 36.60%. The RSM was confirmed to sufficiently describe the range of convert palm oil into jet fuel parameters studied and provide a statistically accurate estimate of the best transform to jet fuel using Ni–Mo/HY as the catalyst. The physicochemical properties of the jet fuel were produced within the ASTM D7566 standard for jet fuel. The results proved that palm oil can be utilized as an alternative energy resource.     

Optimization of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil using waste bone as a catalyst

This work determined the association between several parameters of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil (WCO) using waste bovine bone (WBB) as catalyst to achieve a high conversion to fatty acid methyl ester (%FAME). The effect of three independent variables was used as the optimum condition using response surface methodology (RSM) for maximizing the %FAME. The RSM analysis showed that the ratio of MeOH to oil (mol/mol), catalyst amount (%wt), and time of reaction have the maximum effects on the transform to FAME. Moreover, the coefficient of determination (R²) for regression equations was 99.19%. Probability value (P < 0.05) demonstrated a very good significance for the regression model. The optimal values of variables were MeOH/WCO ratio of 15.49:1 mol/mol, weight of catalyst as 6.42 wt%, and reaction time of 128.67 min. Under the optimum conditions, %FAME reached 97.59%. RSM was confirmed to sufficiently describe the range of the transesterification parameters studied and provide a statistically accurate estimate of the best transform to FAME using WBB as the catalyst.     

Determination of Methemoglobin in Hemoglobin Submicron Particles Using NMR Relaxometry

Methemoglobin (MetHb) is a hemoglobin (Hb) derivative with the heme iron in ferric state (Fe³⁺), unable to deliver oxygen. Quantification of methemoglobin is a very important diagnostic parameter in hypoxia. Recently, novel hemoglobin microparticles (Hb-MP) with a narrow size distribution around 700 nm, consisting of cross-linked Hb were proposed as artificial oxygen carriers. The cross-linking of Hb by glutaraldehyde (GA) generates a certain amount of MetHb. Due to the strong light scattering, quantitative determination of MetHb in Hb-MP suspensions by common spectrophotometry is not possible. Here, we demonstrate that ¹H₂O NMR relaxometry is a perfect tool for direct measurement of total Hb and MetHb concentrations in Hb-MP samples. The longitudinal relaxation rate 1/T₁ shows a linear increase with increasing MetHb concentration, whereas the transverse relaxation rate 1/T₂ linearly increases with the total Hb concentration. In both linear regressions the determination coefficient (R²) is higher than 0.99. The method does not require time-consuming pretreatment or digestion of the particles and is not impaired by light scattering. Therefore, it can be established as the method of choice for the quality control of Hb-MP and similar hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers in the future.     

Effect of agglomerated NiMo HZSM-5 catalyst for the hydrocracking reaction of Jatropha curcas oil

Catalytic hydrocracking of Jatropha curcas oil over ZSM-5-supported catalyst was carried out to produce biofuels. The agglomerated catalyst was successfully prepared by a simple technique and characterized using several techniques. The hydrocracking reactions were studied in a batch reactor at 400°C under initial H₂ atmosphere for 2 h reaction using 1 wt% catalyst loading. The effect of agglomerated catalysts on the yield of liquid fuels and hydrocarbon number distribution was discussed. The results showed that the hydrocarbon distribution largely changed depending on the type of catalyst. The powder catalysts seem selectively to produce hydrocarbon in the diesel range (C₁₂–C₂₂), whereas gasoline (C₅–C₁₂) and kerosene (C₈–C₁₆) had high formation after agglomerated catalyst was used. For agglomerated NiMo ZSM-5 catalyst, hydrocracking of Jatropha curcas oil produced more hydrocarbons in the gasoline range (about 43.23% in liquid fuels).     

A bone-based catalyst for biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

Biodiesel production via transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) with methanol using waste chicken bone-derived catalyst was investigated. The calcium carbonate content in the waste chicken bone was converted to calcium oxide (CaO) at a calcinations temperature of 800°C. The catalysts were prepared by calcination at 300–800°C for 5 h and catalyst characterization was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurement. CaO was used as catalyst for biodiesel production. The results of the optimization imply that the catalyst concentration of 3.0 wt%, methanol to oil ratio of 3:1, and reaction temperature of 80°C for 3 h provide the maximum values of yield in methyl ester production. Reusability of the catalyst from calcined waste chicken bone was studied for four times, with a good yield.