Biography:

Lourdes Orejuela is a chemical engineer graduated in the Politechnic Institute of Bucharest, Rumania (MSc 1984 in Organic Chemistry Technology). She achieved a MSc degree in Virginia Tech (Wood Science) in 1995. She was appointed as professor in Universidad Central del Ecuador in 1995, in Escuela Politecnica del Ejercito in 1997 and since 1999 is professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. She currently is pursuing a PhD degree in Virginia Tech (Depatment of Sustainable Biomaterials) in the Macromolecular Science and Engineering. Her interest is to develop integrated processes for the utilization of biomass and biomass waste.

Abstract:

Biomass is the most abundant material on the earth and can be sustainably produced around the world [1]. Utilization of biofuels has increased over the last 15 years and bioenergy will provide around 30% of the world’s energy by 2050 [2]. A biorefinery is a system of sustainable, environmentally and resource friendly technologies for production of materials and energy derived from biological raw materials [3], it replaces fossil based petrochemical industry by the conversion of carbohydrates from lignocellulosic feedstocks into fermentable sugars to produce liquid biofuels [4]. This study attempts to apply the biorefinery concept (fig. 1) to biomass cell wall deconstruction, in a process of three steps - pretreatment, fractionation and hydrolysis; for bioethanol production, an additional fermentation step is required (fig. 2) [5, 6]. Plant cell walls are composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which form a recalcitrant barrier against enzymatic digestion and therefore limit the production of biofuels and high–value chemicals [7]. A pretreatment to overcome recalcitrance is needed [8-10], processes for selective biopolymer dissolution are of great interest, particularly those which use less harmful solvents and less energy. DES are thermally stable, biodegradable, inexpensive, easy to prepare and they can selectively dissolve biomass polymers [11-17]. A chelator mediated Fenton system depolymerizes polysaccharides to fermentable sugars and modifies lignin in the lignocellulosic matrix [18-21]. Combination of the DES technology and CMFs chemistry may provide a solution to explore biorefinery viability (fig. 2). In this study, four different pretreatments were carried out for SG and YP. Samples were treated with choline chloride:glycerol DES (1:2) at 150°C for 2h; also with CMFs reagents incubated in a water bath at 30°C; and a combination of both pretreatments (CMFs+DES and DES+CMFs). The impact of the pretreatments was monitored by the mass loss and by the compositional analysis before and after the pretreatments for mass balance determination. Delignification, enzyme accessibility (biomass porosity) and cellulose crystallinity are key factors in the enzyme hydrolysis performance for fermentable sugars and bioethanol production.

Biography:

Carmina Reyes Plascencia obtained her Chemical Engineering degree in 2010 from Instituto Tecnólogico de Celaya, Mexico. She has completed her Master’s in Chemical Engineering (type research) in 2014 from Université de Sherbrooke, Canada in “The Preparation and Use of a Nanocatalyst for Steam Reforming Reaction”. During her Master’s, she was part of SOFC Canada network from 2010 to 2013 and Biofuel network in 2014. Currently, she is a PhD student at Universidad de la República, Uruguay, focusing her research in hydrothermal liquefaction process.

Abstract:

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a process of interest to produce biofuels from biomass, specially biomass with a high moisture content, since feedstock does not need to be dried. In HTL process, biomass is subjected to temperatures between 250ºC and 550ºC and high pressure (5-30 MPa) during short residence times in aqueous medium. Th e HTL products are: Gas, biocrudes which are not soluble in water, water soluble organics (WSO) and a solid rich in carbon known as hydrochar. Th is work presents the effect of reaction conditions on product distribution of HTL using Eucalyptus globulus. Th e reaction was carried out in a Parr 4575 reactor of 0.5 L capacity. Th e temperatures studied were 300ºC and 350ºC with reaction times of 0 and 15 min and biomass: liquid medium ratio of 1:1 or 1:6 using an aqueous solution of K2CO3 1M as catalyst. All the tests were made at a pressure corresponding to the water vapor pressure at reaction temperature plus the pressure of gas produced during reaction. The gas phase was recovered and analysed by gas chromatography. Th e other products were separated and quantifi ed in order to calculate its yield. Th e results show that the studied reaction conditions have infl uence in the product distribution, allowing to maximize the yield for each phase by selecting the appropriate reaction parameters.

Biography:

David Nichols graduated from Bangor University, UK in 2014 with a Master of Chemistry (MChem) degree. He is now a research engineer at the University of Nottingham pursuing an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) at their Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Carbon Capture and Storage and Cleaner Fossil Energy. The research is funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the CDT (grant: EP/L016362/1) for the Flex-E-Plant project (grant: EP/K021095/1)

Abstract:

The slagging and fouling characteristics of biomass fuels can act as a barrier to their use as a fuel for thermal power generation. Biomasses with high alkali metal and alkaline earth metal contents have particularly high slagging and fouling propensities due to the formation of low melting temperature mineral phases. The use of additives has previously been shown to inhibit the volatilisation of alkali and alkaline earth containing species during combustion (eg. Tran, K.Q., Iisa, K., Steenari, B.M. and Lindqvist, O., 2005. Fuel, 84(2), pp.169-175). The aim of this study is to obtain fundamental information on interactions between alkali/alkaline earth metals and additives, particularly preventing the formation of low melting phases. Under slow heating conditions using a furnace and TGA, biomass ashes produced at low temperature have been heated to high temperatures with clay additives. The rates of alkali and alkaline earth metal retention by the use of different additives are being studied quantitatively. The same tests are being conducted in a drop tube furnace to replicate fast heating rate pulverised fuel combustion conditions. The ashes are being analysed by SEM-EDX and XRF/ICP to identify minerals present and identify the impact of the additives on the low melting phases produced at combustion temperatures. Initial mass balances suggest that clay additives do not necessarily enhance the retention of potassium in all cases.

Biography:

Débora has completed her PhD at the age of 29 years from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and has experience in analytical chemistry. Actually, She is a postdoctoral researcher at the same University, working with the characterization of bio-oils using different chromatographic techiques.

Abstract:

In Brazil, the coconut is cultivated mainly in the Northeast Region, and the coconut shells are normally wasted in landfills, which mean a high environmental impact. The total recovery of this material is interesting not only due to environmental impact but also due to the possibility of use as industial raw material or alternative bio-fuels. In this work, it was carried out the study of bio-oil obtained by pyrolysis from Coconut fibers by GC×GC/TOF-MS. One of the forms for recovering waste materials is its pyrolysis. This procedure transforms ligno-cellullosic biomasses into liquids (bio-oil), solids (biochar) and gases. The main questions are: which products and what is the amount obtained of these products that can be produced by pyrolysis of one special biomass? For this propose, it is necessary a choice of the better conditions for the pyrolysis and to characterize completely the main products. In this work, the residual fibers of coconut were subjected to fast pyrolysis, producing bio-oil and this bio-oil was submitted to a fractionation in column, using Amberlyst A-27TM ion-exchange resin as stationary phase, and the fractions obtained were characterized by GC×GC/TOF-MS. This procedure was done as a manner of simplify the complexity of the original bio-oil. Before the fractionation, 277 compounds were tentatively identified in the bio-oil, being verified that 57% of the area on the chromatogram of bio-oil was composed by phenols, 17% by ketones and 12% by aldehydes. After the pre-treatment with the ion-exchange column, the non-polar fraction showed 252 compounds that were tentatively identified, showing mainly hydrocarbons (20%) and esters (14%), besides presenting some phytosterols that were not detected in the untreated sample. In the polar fraction 164 compounds were tentatively identified, which phenols corresponding to 50% of area, followed by aldehydes (15%) and acids (12%). The fractionation was essential for the enrichment of fractions in specified classes of compounds, specially separated in non-polars and polars. These compounds are important for different industrial uses: hydrocarbons and esters have potential to be used as fuel while phenols can be used as a raw material for laminate industries and manufacturing of special chemicals, as phenolic resins. This indicates that coconut fibers have the potential to be a cost-effective and promising alternative to obtain new products and minimize environmental impact.

Biography:

Carla Andreia Freixo Portela has a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering since 2013 from the University of Minho and University of Auckland, where she worked on the reconstruction of the genome scale model of the pathogen Enterococcus faecalis. She currently works as a Post-doc Researcher in the biofuels area, namely for butanol production where she explores in silico strategies to optimize the solvent production using clostridia species.

Abstract:

For the last few years, the production of butanol has been the focus of researchers’ attention when looking for alternatives to biofuels’ production. Interesting results have already been achieved with heterologous organisms such as Escherichia coli. However, native producers from clostridia group still presents the best alternative to succeed; as they possess all the machinery required and evolutionarily were optimized to produce butanol. However, there are several limitations that need to be assessed in order to control the production of other unwanted end-products such as ethanol, acetone, lactate or succinate that may deviate the fluxes away from butanol. Strategies of metabolic engineering have been on the table for over the last 15 years. However, the targets that seemed obvious at fi rst, have proven not to increment signifi cantly butanol titers showing that C. acetobutylicum metabolism is not as straightforward as it seemed. Going deep into understanding the solventogenic metabolism became therefore a key step into overcoming the diffi culties to channel the metabolism towards butanol production. In this work, we apply deep in silico analysis in order to learn and understand the peculiarities of this microorganism metabolism. Our study suggests a new in silico strategy to maximize butanol production.

Biography:

Muhammad Azam Saeed is in final year of his PhD in the field of ‘Pulverized Biomass Flame Propagation’. His main expertise are in the agricultural waste crop residue as energy source and hazards assesement associated with these fuels. He has eight conference papers presented in the renowned International conferences. He has one published journal paper in the ‘journal of Loss prevention’ and three others papers are in the revision phase in Combustion Science and Technology journal, Fuel Journal and International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.

Abstract:

Renewable biomass crop residues are a viable and low cost fuel option for power generation plants. For an agricultural country like Pakistan this locally accessible fuel source can be used as a substitute for coal for a more environmentally friendly, distributed grid of smaller power generation plants. However, these alternative fuels have unquantified fire/explosion risks associated with their handling and also unknown burning characteristics which will affect the burner design. Reliable measurements of the reactivity parameters for these biofuels depend on a number of factors arising from their chemical and physical properties. In this work, fundamental properties such as flame speeds, burning velocities, maximum pressure and the explosibility coefficient have been measured for different size fractions of a selected rice husk crop residue using a modified 1 m3 vessel. Explosibility properties were found to be more severe for the finer fractions compared to the coarser sizes. MEC were measured to be from 0.4 for the finest fraction to 2.1 for coarser fraction in terms of actual burnt equivalence ratio. Most reactive concentration was measured at low equivalence ratio for fine fraction as compared to coarse size fraction. Peak volume normalised rate of pressure rise for fine fraction was measured to be 83 bar m/s higher than 33 bar m/s for the coarse fraction. Surface morphological study showed more fines contributing in flame propagation leaving coarse particles partially burnt. The finer powder samples were also shown to have a higher ash content which may adversely affect the burning rates and pre-washing of the samples may eliminate some of the inert content and improve burning characteristics.

Biography:

Robert Stirling completed his Masters degree in Chemistry with Industrial Experience (MChem) in 2014 from the University of Edinburgh, UK. The industrial experience was a year-long placement conducted at Cytec Industries, based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, researching minerals separation techonology. He is currently conducting research towards an Engineering doctorate (EngD) at the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Carbon Capture and Storage and Cleaner Fossil Energy, based at the University of Nottingham, UK. The research is funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the CDT (Grant: EP/L016362/1) as part of the Flex-E-Plant project (Grant: EP/K021095/1).

Abstract:

Hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) is potentially an attractive option as a pre-treatment process to produce an energy dense, friable, reduced-ash, chlorine free solid biofuel (also referred to as biocoal) from biomass. It is particularly attractive for waste feedstocks with a high moisture content, which would not require drying before treatment. HTC experiments have been conducted on a range of biomasses, including wood pellets, olive cake, miscanthus pellets, and sewage sludge over the temperature range of 200-300oC with residence times up to 4 hours, using a Parr reactor. The resultant char was then subjected to proximate analysis with the alkali and alkaline earth metal contents of the process water being determined by ion chromatography and induction-coupled plasma (ICP) analysis. To complete the mass and carbon balance, gas chromatography was used to analyse the gas generated by the process and the dissolved organic carbon content of the process water was determined. The biocoals produced had considerably higher fixed carbon contents than the feedstocks with the HTC process generating additional quantities of fixed carbon compared to the feedstocks. At 200oC, the biocoal represented 82% (dry, ash free basis) of the wood, which corresponds to over 90% of the initial carbon. Although increasing temperature increases fixed carbon content further, the yields of biocoal were reduced markedly. HTC was also shown to reduce ash content considerably through extraction of alkali and alkaline earth metals.

Biography:

Eliane Lazzari is a Ph.D student at Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

Abstract:

One interesting and abundant source of biomass is the rice husk, mainly in Rio Grande do Sul state (south of Brazil), where approximately 12.6 million tons per year of rice husk is produced [1]. The disposal of this waste is a serious environmental problem due to their properties (difficult to decompose), and its high phenolic content turnning highly toxic for rivers or lakes [2]. An alternative to reduce the amount of rice husk is its convertion into bio-oil by pyrolysis process [3]. Pyrolysis not only reduces its amout, as transform it in a added value chemicals (bio-oil) and a interesting solid residue (biochar) with pitential use as adsorbent or for soil enrichment. For a convincing application of the bio-oil, is need to characterize it completely, defining what are the major compounds and what are their concentration levels. Only after this, it is possible to propose a recovery route of these compounds from the original biomass. In this study, it was produced a bio-oil from the fast pyrolisis (100 ºC/min) rice husk and detailed studied its composition by GCxGC/TOFMS. Pyrolysis was conducted in a fixed bed reactor (lab-scale) using following parameters: 6.5 g of sample (0,5-1 mm), oven heating from 25 °C to 650 °C at 100 °C/min and nitrogen flow of 1 L/min [3]. The yield of the rice husk bio-oil (with aqueous phase) obtained under these conditions was 36.5 %. The use of GC×GC/TOFMS allied to software tools and Retention Index calculated for each compound according to Van den Dool & Kratz’s equation [4] were very important in the characterization of bio-oil compounds allowing the identification of 149 compounds. Our results showed that a composition of rice husk bio-oil was predominantly phenolic (32.6%) which is intersesting for replace fossil phenol for the production of chemicals. The major constituents in this oil were found to be 2-methoxy-phenol (5.09%), 1,2-benzenediol (4.05%). Another class of compounds with high concentration were the furanones (2(5H)-furanone - 3.93%), which can be used in the industry of heterocycles and pesticides. The pyrolysis of rice husk proved to be a good alternative for the diminution of the large amount of this residue.

Biography:

Leo Rummel has finished MSc and MBA in Tallinn University of Technology and is currently doing a PhD in Thermal Power Engineering under the supervision of prof. Aadu Paist. He is working as a By-Product Development Manager in the Estonian national energy company Enefit (http://www.energia.ee/en/). He is the Deputy Chairman of Estonian Thermal Power Engineers Association. (Up to 100 words) Aadu Paist, PhD has 74 publications in the fields of renewable energy fuels, combustion, effects of mineral matter on heating surfaces, energy planning, combined heat and power production. He has been a professor in Tallinn University of Technology since 1998 and was the director of the Institute of Thermal Power Engineering 2001-2014. He has recived an Order of the White Star from the President of Estonia for his life’s work as a researcher.

Abstract:

This article gives an overview of the first results of a long-term research on work regimes and behaviour of mineral matter in biomass boiler systems. As woody biomass is gaining importance as an energy source for electricity and heat we need to investigate with scientific methodology the main problems that occur with biomass boiler systems. There is more research on large power plants and lab scale batch boilers, but the results are often not applicable in case of small and medium size biomass boilers on which the research has been limited. In this article two small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) plant industrial boilers systems are compared based on design and measured operating data. One boiler system uses grate firing and the other one bubbling fluidised bed technology. Both CHP plants have capacities of 2 MW electrical and 8 MW thermal. Previous research on the subject is reviewed, the set-up of the experiment is described and the results are provided and analysed. First conclusions on a more suitable technology for a mixed woody biomass fuel are drawn.

Biography:

Ana Belén Guerrero is 28 years old, and PhD student from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. She is a research asistant at the Research Center of Energy, Environment and Technology. She worked in international cooperation for environment projects for two years, and she has been involved in sustainable development projects since the begining of her professional life.

Abstract:

Banana is the most important fruit crop in the world. The plant bears one bunch in its life, leaving behind a large amount of agricultural residues (starchy and lignocellulosic biomass), which could be used for different purposes such as bioenergy. Ecuador is the largest exporter of banana fruits. In this work, the potential of banana residual biomass produced in the province of El Oro, Ecuador for bioenergy applications was assessed using Geographic Information Systems - GIS. The methodology included the assessment of biomass distribution, facility location, transport optimization and a novel virtual land parcel that allows for these kinds of studies in areas with lack of geo-referenced information. According to our approach, El Oro province has an available biomass potential of 190,102 t fm.y-1 of starchy residual biomass and 194,431 t dm.y-1 of lignocellulosic residual biomass. Two candidate points located at 79°51'12"W 3°11'21"S and 79°52'49"W 3°17'49"S were identified for the installment of energy conversion facilities supplied with residual biomass. From the available potential of starchy biomass it would be possible to obtain up to 19 million liters of bioethanol per year assuming an average yield of 101.2 l.t-1 fresh matter; while the available lignocellulosic biomass, which energy content (Lower Heating Value, moisture free biomass) was determined at 12.9 MJ.kg-1 on average, could be used for power generation with an installed capacity of 18 MW. Chemical characterization of the lignocellulosic biomass suggested that further studies should be undertaken regarding the potential application of these crop residues to second generation bioethanol.

Biography:

Dr. Arteaga completed his PhD in 2010 at the UCLV (Cuba) and after that he was visiting post-doc in the University of Ghent (Belgium) where he worked in the laboratory of thermochemical conversion under the supervision of professor Wolter Prins. At this moment he is researcher at the Unit of Technological Development in Chile. He has published several papers in well-ranked journals and has been serving as reviewer in reputed journals: Energy, Chemical Engineering Journal, Journal of Cleaner Productions, etc.

Abstract:

In this study, the energy valorization of both Quercus sideroxyla and Pinus duranguensis, is assessed. These species were selected due to their importance in the Mexican timber industry and based on the high generation of residues from its exploitation (10.75 tonne/ha). Here we analyzed the torrefaction as a pretreatment to improve the fuel quality of residues. With that end, we focused on (i) compositional and elemental analyses, (ii) the thermal decomposition through TGA-MS and (iii) the evaluation of torrefaction in a lab-scale facility. Results from thermogravimetric decomposition of both species exhibited the typical performance of lignocellulosic materials, with two reaction zones (active and passive pyrolysis). The kinetics of these zones was studied through isoconversional approaches (OFW and Starink). Values of activation energies for hemicellulose degradation (137-150 kJ/mol), obtained from both methods, were similar. Torrefaction of both wood samples was carried out at 15-30 min (residence time) and at four temperature levels (220-250-280-290 ºC). Effect of temperature on energy yield was higher than that of residence time, it produced an average yield drop from about 92% (at 220 °C) to 74% (at 290 °C. The reduction of energy yield for pine was approximately 5% lower than that of quercus, which could be attributed to its higher content of xylan. The heating value of torrefied solids increased by a factor of 1.31 (quercus) and 1.22 (pinus), respectively. Considering the resources availability and the effect of torrefaction on its fuel properties, this is an interesting alternative to valorize the forest residues from Durango.

Biography:

Abstract:

Biomass is a renewable feedstock for producing modern energy carriers. However, the usage of biomass is accompanied by possible drawbacks, mainly due to limitation of land and water, and competition with food production. In this paper, the analysis concerns so-called second generation biofuels, like Fischer–Tropsch fuels or Substitute Natural Gas which are produced either from wood or from waste biomass. For these biofuels the most promising conversion case is the one which involves production of syngas from biomass gasification, followed by synthesis of biofuels. The thermodynamic efficiency of biofuels production is analyzed and compared using both the direct exergy analysis and the thermo-ecological cost. This analysis leads to the detection of exergy losses in various elements which forms the starting point to the improvement of conversion efficiency. The efficiency of biomass conversion to biofuels is also evaluated for the whole production chain, including biomass cultivation, transportation and conversion. The global effects of natural resources management are investigated using the thermo-ecological cost. The energy carriers' utilities such as electricity and heat are externally generated either from fossil fuels or from renewable biomass. In the former case the production of biofuels not always can be considered as a renewable energy source whereas in the latter case the production of biofuels leads always to the reduction of depletion of non-renewable resources.

Biography:

Abstract:

Recently, the sustainability of biofuels from microalgae has been questioned because enormous quantities of various resources, such as area, water, fertilizers, etc. will be required to replace a considerable amount of the current liquid fuel consumption. The authors have suggested that cultivation of microalgae in the ocean harnessing marine resources could be an option to alleviate the demands for land area, fertilizers, freshwater, energy, etc. in microalgal biofuels production. Seawater contains all nutrients essential for algal growth, but the concentrations of the nutrients are extremeley low compared to optimized media. We adopted selectively permeable membranes (SPMs) for construction of floating photobioreactors (PBRs). SPMs allow exchange of small molecules such as ions between the culture broth and surrounding environment, while containing algal cells inside. As a result, the cells inside the SPM-PBRs can grow with nutrients supplied from the surrouding seawater without use of any artificial energy. Cultivation of Tetraselmis sp. KCTC12432BP, a green microalga isolated from Youngheung Island, Incheon, Korea, using the SPM-PBRs was performed in outdoor raceway ponds containing 1 m3 of natural seawater. The seawater in the ponds was replaced periodically to maintain the nutrient concentrations in the ponds. During 17 days of cultivation, the highest biomass concentration was 1.2 g/L, and the areal biomass productivity up to 9.9 g/m2/day was achieved wtihout any additional nutrients. This study proved the concept of the SPM-PBRs, in which microalgae could be cultivated using the nutrients dissolved in natural seawater despite their low concentraions without use of energy. As the further studies, deploying these SPM-PBRs into the ocean will be conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of this technology for sustainbale production of microalgal biofuels.

Biography:

Dilek Selvi Gökkaya, received her M.Sc in 2009 from Ege University (Turkey), worked on hydrothermal gasification of biomass. She is finishing now her PhD in the Ege University, in which has been working on the investigation of the hemicellulose in the structure of plant biomass and extractive materials behaviour by using of model compounds in supercritical water gasification

Abstract:

Hydrogen has been identified as the most attractive and developing renewable energy carrier in the world. Researchers are developing a wide range of technologies to produce hydrogen economically from a variety of resources without having a negative effect on the environment. In these resources, biomass being CO2 neutral and a readily available source of energy is considered to be renewable. For these and other reasons, hydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomasses (waste and residue of plant biomass) instead of conventional production is of great importance. Several processes have been explored to produce hydrogen from the lignocellulosic biomasses. In the last two decades, a novel gasification technology called supercritical water gasification (SCWG) has been developed, in which water having a pressure of over 22.1 MPa and a temperature of over 374°C (i.e. supercritical conditions) is used as the gasifying agent. Since cellulose, lignin, hemicelluloses, and extractive substances show different attitudes in hydrothermal gasification, significant varieties are observed in the gasification yields and product distributions. From this point, in this study, arabinose, as model compounds for the hemicellulose, was studied. Hydrothermal gasification of arabinose could be helpful to understand the influence of biomass components so as to produce a maximum amount of hydrogen from biomass. Gasification of arabinose was carried out in supercritical water at a temperature range 300 to 600°C. Experiments were performed in the absence and presence of KOH with a reaction time of 1h. The yields of gas, liquid, and solid products were identified with the analyses using gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), total organic carbon analyzer (TOC), and solid sample module (SSM). The major gaseous produced were hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and C2-C4 hydrocarbons. The aqueous products composed of carboxylic acids, furfurals, phenols aldehydes, ketones and their alkylated derivatives. Carbon gasification efficiencies were improved by increasing temperature and using catalyst and reached maximum value at 600°C.

Biography:

Abstract:

In this work, the main results of the use of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) in the analysis of bio-oils derived from biomass pyrolysis coming from Brazilian biodiversity, will be discussed. The first part of our research involved the characterization of bio-oils from sugarcane straw and rice husk. From these biomasses, methods of research were defined according to biomass structure (using thermogravimetry and infrared spectroscopy) which allowed classify them into different groups with different bio-oils composition. Then, we began to work not only with the original purpose (generation of biofuels), but with the possibility of using this material as a source of raw materials for the chemical industry. Aiming this objective, the biomasses chosen for this study were: sugarcane straw, rice husk, peach kernel, coconut fiber, palm fiber, coffee residue, tobacco seed, crambe seed, furniture industry waste, pulp and paper industry waste, among others. The use of GC×GC allowed the identification and semi-quantitation of several products from the studied biomasses. In addition, the structured presentation of results allowed the identification of a much larger number of compounds, compared which the literature, for these classes of compounds, and even solving problems of unclear identification due to co-eluting compounds. This technique allows a separation in two-dimensional space using two columns of different polarity and also has the possibility of increasing the identification through the construction of curves (dispersion graphics) which can be extrapolated to families of compounds. Thus, in all biomasses studied were, it was found high levels of oxygenated compounds, mainly phenols derived from lignin. In biomasses group with most lignocellulosic material (wood derivatives, straw and peel) were also found high levels of ketones and furans (derived from cellulose); biomass derived from oilseeds (palm oil, crambe), acids and fatty esters undecomposed and lighter acids were found, depending on the pyrolysis temperature; and the tobacco and coffee biomasses, produced bio-oils with high nitrogen content, especially pyridines. Another important factor considered was the use of catalysts. These were tested in the biomass sugarcane straw and wood waste, increasing, significantly, the amount of hydrocarbons (saturated and aromatic). Thus, it can be concluded that the GC×GC technique allows a complete characterization of bio-oils generating data for their potential industrial use.

Biography:

Nestor Proenza Pérez. Mechanical Engineer, MSc. Born in May 24, 1979 in the province of Camaguey, Cuba. Graduated at the University of Camaguey in 2003. Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the same university since September of 2012. Master in Energy Efficiency and PhD. fellow in Laboratory of Optimization of Energy Systems (LOSE) in Sao Paulo State University (UNESP). His research areas include gasification, fluidized bed system, bioenergy, and fluid mechanics systems. He has published several papers in reputed journals and in congress proceedings, has been serving as an editorial board member of several journals.

Abstract:

The sugarcane bagasse characterization is an essential issue for the adequate design and implementation of fluidized bed technologies, that use this biomass as feedstock. This work presents the determination of the main physical, chemical and geometrical properties of bagasse particles of sugarcane collected at the central region of São Paulo in Brazil. The characterization techniques used, were the commonly used for other particles. The granulometric characterization was made by sieve techniques; the determined characteristic mean diameter for this biomass was 0.722 mm. Also was carried out the proximate analysis, for determining the content of moisture, ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon. In the case of the ash content, the obtained value was 3.56 ± 0.82 %; slightly higher than values previously reported by others authors. The gross calorific value and the real, apparent and bulk densities were determined. The geometric characterization was made through two important factors: the aspect ratio (AR) and sphericity. The shapes of the particles was studied by manual and through images analysis method, using the ImageJ software. Was observed that sugarcane bagasse particles have a larger length than the others analyzed biomasses with almost a similar width. The aspect ratio was in the range of 3.922±2.736. For particles with diameters lower than 0.3 mm, the aspect ratio have a similar comportment than the others biomasses with a reporter value of 2.5. The obtained sphericity for the sugarcane bagasse was 0.397.

Biography:

Daniel Rezende has completed his doctorate in 2015 from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is researcher at LEC/UFMG (fuels and biofuels research laboratoty). He has experience in automotive industry, R&D and as university professor.

Abstract:

The availability of low-cost raw material is a key factor for the economic viability of the biodiesel production. Together with the raw material, other factors that increase costs in the process of transformation of vegetable oil or animal fat by alkaline transesterification into biodiesel are associated with the purification steps of the raw materials and products. The Macauba is an oleaginous palm whose current extractive way of collecting classifies it as a raw material of high acidity, not suitable for biodiesel production by conventional processes. It is proposed in this work, an alternative process, technically feasible and environmentally friendly, for separation of free fatty acids of the Macauba pulp oil in order to adequate it for biodiesel production by transesterification via homogeneous alkaline catalysis. The process consists of two main steps: liquid-liquid extraction for the recovery of free fatty acids and neutralization of residual fatty acids through esterification. In the simulation, 50 kg/h of Macauba oil with acidity of 12.9% are treated, achieving 40.8 kg/h of a product with acidity of 0.5%. In the validation bench test, following the same steps of the simulation, the acidity achieved in the final product was 0.67%.

Biography:

PhD in Chemistry (2011) at the University of Coimbra, Faculty of Sciences and Technology. Currently is Post-Doctoral Researcher at REQUIMTE-Faculty of Sciences Uiniversity of Porto, in the design and synthesis of new heterogeneous catalysts for industrial application. Until now, is co-author of 16 publications in peer-reviewed international journals and is co-author of 3 scientific book chapters and 50 communications (oral and poster) in national and international conferences. Since 2001: participation in R&D national and international projects as researcherin areas of catalysis and natural products. She is also co-founder of INNOVCAT, LDA, spin-off of University of Porto from Portugal.

Abstract:

Nowadays, social and economic demands as well as environmental concerns call for the development of alternative and sustainable renewable energies. More rigid government regulations and full or partial tax exemption are established to promote the utilization of sustainable fuels and biodiesel is one of the most interesting from an environmental point of view. However it is necessary to solve the major obstacle in its commercialization, its current high cost of manufacturing. The cost of the oil feedstocks (food-grade oils) and the complexity of the conventional production processes escalate the overall biodiesel production costs and is the major reason for its non-competitiveness when compared with diesel fossil fuels. INNOVCAT developed a new sustainable solution to transform wastes (oils and fats) into biodiesel. The Catalvalor project combines an innovative Catalyst (X-CAT) & Technology to produce biodiesel from wastes. Our catalyst is solid and prepared from a renewable source, is non-toxic and non-corrosive and combined with a simplified process allows the transformation of a wide variety of waste feedstocks (from 1-100 % FFA content) into high quality biodiesel without loss of activity and with a superior efficiency avoiding complex pre-treatment steps, complicated separation and purification steps and generation of large amount of waste water stream. This is an outstanding solution to solve the problems of non-competitiveness of biodiesel and the unique in the market that offers to biodiesel producers the possibility to reduce operation costs (reduction in feedstock costs) and also reduction in the equipment process costs since avoid all the complicated steps associated to biodiesel production processes.

Biography:

Arij Ben Amara has a Master’s thesis in “Energy and Engines” from IFP School and a Mechanical Engineering Diploma from SUPMECA Paris. She is a Research Engineer since 2012 at IFP Energies Nouvelles, a French Public Research Institute. She has published 6 papers in reputed journals and conferences and is author of 3 patents on engines and fuels suitability. Her research activity concerns mainly alternative fuels for aeronautics and automotive applications and fuels stability. She is working as a Teacher at IFP School and Ecole de Mines de Paris.

Abstract:

Among key challenges for alternative aviation fuels, the oxidation and thermal stability as well as polymers compatibility represent key concerns currently. Oxidation and thermal stability, or the lack of it, can cause jet fuels’ properties modification, filtersclogging and deposit formation in fuel systems, while polymer compatibility may be responsible of fuel leakage through polymer seals. In this experimental study, Petro Oxy and JFTOT tests were used to charachterize the oxidation and thermal stability of alternative jet fuels, respectively, while sorption, liquid permeability, ageing and mechanical tests were employed to test their compatibility with FVMQ, FKM and NBR polymers. Results showed a poor oxidation stability and polymer compatibility of Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene-Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids (SPK-HEFA). In order to improve these properties, the infl uence of several cyclic molecules naturally present in conventional jet fuels was investigated, namely, xylene, tetralin and decalin. Sorption tests at ambiant showed a linear incrase of polymers weight with the cyclic molecules content, however, the slope was dependent on both polymer material and cyclic molecule. Th e addition of xylene increased almost linearly the oxidation stability of HEFA, while tetralin and decalin acted as oxidation inhibitors at low blending rate only. At low content, these molecules allowed to achieve good thermal stability as well. Accordingly, they represent good candidates to improve polymers compatibility as well as oxidation and thermal stability of SPK-HEFA. Th is work allowed to improve the knowledge on the infl uence of cyclic molecules on polymers compatibility and oxidation and thermal stability. It paves the way for the design of optimal formulations of upcoming alternative aviation fuels.

Biography:

Daniel Bastos Rezende is Chemical Engineer, with master degree and Ph.D in biofuels area, from Federal University of Minas Gerais. He worked for one year in CENIBRA, pulp and paper segment industry, as process engineer. He also has eight years of experience in FIAT-CHRYSLER (FCA), where he has worked for six years in the laboratory of fuels and lubricants and for two years as innovation projects manager, establishing an extensive network with suppliers and partners. In addition to industry experience, he has considerable experience as teacher, including two years at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in disciplines of Engineering. At this moment, he is the Visiting Researcher of PRH-46 (Human Resources Program in Biofuels Chemistry) at UFMG.

Abstract:

Calcium oxide (CaO) has been studied as one of the most effi cient heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production, but ther are few studies about the effects of CaO morphology on calcium leaching and catalyst activity. In the present work, soybean transesterifi cation was performed using CaO from diff erent sources (commercial, synthesized from chicken eggshell and produced by a carbothermal route) to develop a comparative study. The 1H NMR results showed that the soybean oil transesterifi cation catalyzed with CaO, derived from all sources, yielded greater than 93% (m/m) methyl esters, 4 h refl ux, a molar methanol: Oil ratio of 12:1 and 3% catalyst. Th e amount of leached calcium was 219 ppm for the biodiesel synthesized with CaO derived from commercial sources, 194 ppm for CaO from eggshell and 93 ppm for CaO s from a carbothermal route. As consequence of higher Ca leaching content, CaO co precursor presented higher rate constant. Th is can be explained by the prompt reaction of Ca leaching and glycerol, yielding calcium diglyceroxide, which is the main catalytic specimen. Th e study showed that the homogeneous contribution from the leached species can be considered negligible. The heterogeneous catalysis was confi rmed for all diff erent CaO sources studied.

Biography:

Robert J Stirling has completed his Master’s degree in Chemistry with Industrial Experience (MChem) in 2014 from the University of Edinburgh, UK. The industrial experience was a year-long placement conducted at Cytec Industries, based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, researching minerals separation technology. He is currently conducting research towards an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) at the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Carbon Capture and Storage and Cleaner Fossil Energy, based at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Abstract:

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is potentially an attractive option, as a pre-treatment process, to produce an energy dense, friable, reduced-ash and chlorine free solid biofuel (also referred to as biocoal) from biomass. It is particularly attractive for waste feed-stocks with a high moisture content, which would not require drying before treatment. HTC experiments have been conducted on a range of biomasses, including wood pellets, olive cake, miscanthus pellets, and sewage sludge over the temperature range of 200- 300^oC with residence times up to 4 hours, using a Parr reactor. Th e resultant char was then subjected to proximate analysis with the alkali and alkaline earth metal contents of the process water being determined by ion chromatography and induction-coupled plasma (ICP) analysis. To complete the mass and carbon balance, gas chromatography was used to analyze the gas generated by the process and the dissolved organic carbon content of the process water was determined. Th e biocoals produced had considerably higher fixed carbon contents than the feed-stocks with the HTC process generating additional quantities of fi xed carbon compared to the feedstocks. At 200^oC, the biocoal represented 82% (dry, ash free basis) of the wood, which corresponds to over 90% of the initial carbon. Although increasing temperature increases fixed carbon content further, the yields of biocoal were reduced markedly. HTC was also shown to reduce ash content considerably through extraction of alkali and alkaline earth metals.

Biography:

Patrick James Daley received his MEng from the University of Nottingham in Chemical Engineering in 2014; this included a one year placement with RWE npower. He currently works in the Centre for Doctoral Training as a Research Engineer at the University of Nottingham in the Energy Technologies Building. He is working towards an Engineering Doctorate in the development of advanced ash fusion testing. His work is being sponsored by BF2RA and is supervised by GE

Abstract:

Ash fusion characteristics for a wide range of potential biomass fuels can be fully automated using image analysis techniques. Traditionally, ash fusion analysis involves heating pyramidal ash pellets in a furnace under oxidizing or reducing conditions to over 1500°C. Four characteristic behaviours over the temperature range are then identified, namely; ‘initial deformation’, ‘sphere’ or ‘softening’, ‘hemisphere’ and ‘flow’ temperatures. Whilst these temperatures are intended to help the operator predict boiler performance, they rely on visual observation rather than an objective physical measurement. Diff erences of up to 400°C have been reported for the initial deformation temperature of a single sample obtained from diff erent laboratories. A fully automated technique using image analysis has been developed that does not require manual interpretation and can provide a complete fi ngerprint of the behaviour of each sample. The relevance of these four temperatures will be discussed in detail as will the impact of improvements in furnace hardware and image analysis soft ware. A large test matrix of coals and biomass samples (including Russian, US and UK coals, hard and soft woods, and agrifuels) was tested to show how behavioural diff erences can be related to initial mineral composition whilst accurately predicting slagging and fouling potential.

Biography:

Eliane Lazzari completed her Master degree in Chemistry in 2014 from the University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil. Industry experience, working on the development of methods of extraction and analysis by gas and liquid chromatography of environmental samples. Currently she is conducting her PhD in the same University, acting on the following topics: one-dimensional and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and liquid chromatography applied for characterization of complex samples with emphasis on bio-oils samples derived from biomass pyrolysis.

Abstract:

One interesting and abundant source of biomass is the rice husk, mainly in Rio Grande do Sul state (south of Brazil), where approximately 12.6 million tons per year of rice husk is produced. Th e disposal of this waste is a serious environmental problem due to their properties, diffi cult to decompose, and its high phenolic content turnning highly toxic for rivers or lakes. An alternative to reduce the amount of rice husk is its conversion into bio-oil by pyrolysis process. Pyrolysis not only reduces its amout, but transforms it in a added value chemical (bio-oil) and an interesting solid residue (biochar) with potential use as adsorbent or for soil enrichment. For a convincing application of the bio-oil, it is needed to characterize it completely, defi ning what are the major compounds and what are their concentration levels. Only aft er this, it is possible to propose a recovery route of these compounds from the original biomass. In this study, a bio-oil from the fast pyrolisis (100 ºC/min) rice husk was produced and details of its composition was studied by GCxGC/TOFMS (Time-of-fl ight mass spectrometry). Pyrolysis was conducted in a fi xed bed reactor (lab-scale) using following parameters: 6.5 g of sample (0.5-1 mm), oven heating from 25°C to 650°C at the rate of 100°C/min and nitrogen fl ow of 1 L/min. Th e yield of the rice husk bio-oil, with aqueous phase, obtained under these conditions was 36.5%. Th e GC×GC/TOFMS was allied to soft ware tools and Retention Index was calculated for each compound according to Van den Dool & Kratz’s equation, were very important in the characterization of bio-oil compounds allowing the identifi cation of 149 compounds. Our results showed that a composition of rice husk bio-oil was predominantly phenolic (32.6%) which is of intersest to replace fossil phenol for the production of chemicals. Th e major constituents in this oil were found to be 2-methoxy-phenol (5.09%) and 1,2-benzenediol (4.05%). Another class of compound with high concentration was furanones (2(5H)-furanone) (3.93%), which can be used in the industry of heterocycles and pesticides. Th e pyrolysis of rice husk proved to be a good alternative for the diminution of the large amount of this residue.

Biography:

Nestor Proenza Pérez, Mechanical Engineer, MSc, has completed his graduation at the University of Camaguey in 2003. He is working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the same university since September of 2012. He has completed his Master’s in Energy Effi ciency and PhD fellow at Laboratory of Optimization of Energy Systems (LOSE) in Sao Paulo State University (UNESP). His research areas include gasifi cation, fl uidized bed system, bioenergy, and fl uid mechanics systems. He has published several papers in reputed journals and in congress proceedings, and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of several journals.

Abstract:

The sugarcane bagasse characterization is an essential issue for the adequate design and implementation of fl uidized bed technologies that use this biomass as feedstock. Th is work presents the determination of the main physical, chemical and geometrical properties of bagasse particles of sugarcane collected at the central region of São Paulo in Brazil. Th e characterization techniques used, were the commonly used for other particles. Th e granulometric characterization was made by sieve techniques; the determined characteristic mean diameter for this biomass was 0.722 mm. Also was carried out the proximate analysis, for determining the content of moisture, ash, volatile matter and fi xed carbon. In the case of the ash content, the obtained value was 3.56±0.82%; slightly higher than values previously reported by others authors. Th e gross calorifi c value and the real, apparent and bulk densities were determined. The geometric characterization was made through two important factors: the aspect ratio (AR) and sphericity. Th e shapes of the particles were studied by manual and through images analysis method, using the ImageJ soft ware. Was observed that sugarcane bagasse particles have a larger length than the others analyzed biomasses with almost a similar width. Th e aspect ratio was in the range of 3.922±2.736. For particles with diameters lower than 0.3 mm, the aspect ratio have a similar comportment than the others biomasses with a reporter value of 2.5. Th e obtained sphericity for the sugarcane bagasse was 0.397.

Biography:

Martin Mittelbach is a leading scientist for the preparation and use of biofuels from fats and oils since over 30 years. He is professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Graz and has published over 120 peer reviewed papers, several book contributions and filed several patents on biodiesel production technologies.

Abstract:

Especially for fats and oils with high content of saturated fatty acids hydrotreatment is an alternative to transesterification to obtain high quality alternative Diesel fuels. A comparison of fuel properties of fatty acid methyl esters and hydrotreated fatty acid material is given. Heterogeneous catalysts, based on Ni and Co impregnated alumosilicates are prepared and used as catalysts for the hydrotreatment of animal fat as well as tall oil. The influence of reaction conditions like time, temperature and type of catalyst has been investigated. The aim of the study was a combined hydrotreatment as well as isomerization with high yield in one step. It could be shown that depending on the reaction conditions high quality products could be obtained from each feedstock, leading to products with low sulphur content and good cold temperature behaviour in one-step reaction. The catalysts could be reused successfully without significant loss of activity. Even the rosin acids in tall oil which cannot be converted by classical transesterification reaction, are totally converted in valuable hydrocarbons by hydrotreatment. Advantages and disadvantages of both options for the conversion of fatty acid material, either transesterification and hydrotreatment, are compared and discussed.

Biography:

Timur Dogu is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Middle East Technical University, Ankara. He is a member of Turkish Academy of Sciences and he has over 130 original publications in the areas of chemical reaction engineering, catalysis, chemicals and fuels from renewable resources.

Abstract:

Dimethyl Ether (DME) is a highly promising non-petroleum green diesel fuel alternate. As compared to conventional compression engine fuels, much lower CO, NOx and particulate matter emissions were reported from DME powered engines. Conventionally, DME is produced by dehydration of methanol over solid acid catalysts [1]. However, recent developments have shown that DME could directly be synthesized from synthesis gas, which can be obtained from biogas through a dry reforming process or by steam reforming of biomass [2,3]. Direct synthesis of DME involves methanol synthesis and dehydration reactions at the same proximity within the reactor and hence requires new bi-functional catalysts with high DME selectivity. In the present study, direct synthesis of DME was investigated using bi-functional catalyst pairs, which were composed of Cu based methanol synthesis catalysts and mesoporous alumina supported silicotungstic acid. Effects of catalyst combinations, CO/CO2 ratio of the feed stream and temperature on DME yield were investigated. High acidity of silicotungstic acid impregnated mesoporous alumina facilitated in-situ dehydration process, giving very high DME yields. Experimental results obtained with different CO2/CO ratios in feed stream proved the positive effect of CO2 on both overall conversion of CO+CO2 and DME yield. Highest DME selectivity values, approaching to 90%, were achieved with a feed stream composition of CO/CO2/H2=40/10/50, at 275 oC. Further increase of CO2/CO ratio in the feed stream facilitated the occurrence of reverse water gas shift reaction, which caused formation of higher amouts of water and hence a negative effect on the dehydration of produced methanol.Results obtained in this work were highly promising for the synthesis of DME directly from syngas which can be obtained from biogas through a dry reforming process.

Biography:

Iqbal Munir working as a professor at Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, The University of Agriculture

Abstract:

Energy crises and environmental concerns are driving researchers to develop viable alternative fuels from renewable sources. The use of Brassica juncea oil as an alternative fuels suffers from problems such as high viscosity, low volatility and poor cold temperature properties. The seed of Euonymus alatus produces unusual triacylglycerol (TAGs) called acetyl triacylglycerol (acTAGs) where the sn-3 position is esterified with acetate instead of a long chain fatty acid. The enzyme Euonymous alatus diacylglycerol acetyltransfrase (EaDacT) present in these plants is an acetyltransferase that catalyzes the transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl-CoA to diacylglycerol (DAG) to produce acetyl TAG (AcTAG). In order to reduce the viscosity of Brassica juncea oil by synthesizing acTAG, we have developed an efficient and simple agrobacterium mediated floral dip transformation method to generate transgenic Brassica juncea plants. A binary vector containing the EaDacT gene under the transcriptional control of a glycinin promoter and with a basta selection marker was transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV-3101 through electroporation and subsequently to B. juncea through floral dip method. The basta resistant putative transgenic plants were further confirmed by PCR. The results showed that the Agrobacterium-mediated floral-dip transformation can be a successful strategy to develop transgenic Brassica Juncia having oil with modified fatty acids profile that could directly be used as Biodiesel.

Biography:

Du Zexue，Ph.D, Professor, chief expert of SINOPEC Bio-liquid Fuel R&D Center, vice-director of the Foundation Research Division of SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing.He has been engaged in bio-energy research and development Since 2001. He has published more than 50 science and technical papers and holds 48 technology patents. In 2010,he had took charge of finishing SINOPEC bio-liquid fuel Development Plan in five,fifteen and twenty-five years respectively. The SRCA biodiesel processing finished by his research group his had successfully been being applied in the set of 60kt/a biodiesel in 2010,100 kt/a biodiesel in 2010.

Abstract:

Glycerol is the main byproduct in biodiesel production by recycled restaurant greases that cannot be purified as medicinal glycerol,because of its some harmful impurities, but can be transformed to valuable oxygenated fuel additives through etherification with isobutene from C4 petrochemical fraction. The etherification of glycerol with isobutene has been studied over different acid catalysts was studied under the diffrent conditions.A multivariate analysis has been used to assess the conditions (isobutene /glycerol molar ratio,reaction time and temperature) that yield the best catalytic results in terms of glycerol conversion and selectivity towards the di- and tri-derivates(DTBG and TTBG), while minimizing the formation of the monoderivate compound (MTBG) and the extension of the butylene di/trimerization. Results proved formation of MTBG , DTBG and TTBG, as a result of its etherification with isobutene over acid catalysts. Glycerol fractional conversion values and di/tri-ether selectivity values approaching to 100% and 95% respectively were highly promising. Glycerol etherification results obtained by using i-butene as the reactant, proved the importance of acidic strength of the catalyst, as well as the pore diffusion resistance,on the catalytic performance. A special acid catalyst, with very high dispersity of acid sites, showed excellent performance in catalyzing glycerol with i-butene ,and the selectivity value of the butylene di/trimerization is reduced to less than 5%. Laboratory tests using a blend containing the glyceryl di/tri-ethers in petroleum diesel showed reduction of pour and cloud points, indicating the potential of these ethers as bioadditives to automobile fuels.Results proved that etherification of the by-product from the biodiesel fed the recycled restaurant greases glycerol could be successfully achieved by using isobutene C4 petrochemical fraction, to improve the economics of biodiesel production.

Biography:

Abstract:

This research explores the exceptional use of waste minerals like eggshell and marble as precursors of sustainable catalysts to be used for biodiesel production. Macaúba was used as promising and innovative triglyceride source. This palm tree is native in South America and presents high oil productivity (6000 kg/ha/year). The waste minerals were previously calcinated and characterized by x ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Each catalyst was heated in methanol to improve its efficiency, after, the macaúba oil was added. The reactions were performed at reflux temperature and the reactants were vigorously stirred (700 rpm). During reaction, samples were periodically taken every half hour for a kinetics study. After catalysts separation, all reaction products were cleaned with an ion-exchange resin and anhydrous sodium sulphate. The samples were analysed by HPLC, NMR and GC. The raw materials and biodiesel were characterized by density, viscosity, water content and acid value. In addition, the oxidative stability, the maximum plugging point and the ester content of the biodiesels were analysed. The conversions were high (70-94%) for 3 h of reactions. Both residual solids seem to be robust and effective catalysts for macauba oil transesterification, although Ca leaching was observed. After clean final step, the macauba biodiesel are in compliance with most of the quality standards.

Biography:

Professor Jeffrey C. S. Wu received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, USA. Currently he is associate chair of the Chemical Engineering Department, National Taiwan University. Professor Wu is a member of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. He is author and coauthor of over 100 SCI journal papers, one book chapter and two textbooks of Chemical Industry and Catalysis. He is the editor of Catalysis Communications, and serves in editorial boards of Applied Catalysis A: General and Chemical Engineering Journal. He received many prestigious awards including Outstanding Cross-Sector Collaboration Award, 2nd National Industrial Innovation in 2012.

Abstract:

In this research, we transesterificated (1) triglycerides to synthesize biodiesel and; (2) its byproduct glycerol to form a more valuable chemical, glycerol 1,2-carbonate, using layered double hydroxides (LDHs), specifically Mg-Al LDH. We studied the different Mg/Al ratios in catalyst preparation, calcination temperatures of LDH, reaction temperatures, catalyst loadings and the molar ratios of dimethyl carbonate/glycerol, etc., which are critical factors in both transesterification reactions. We had Mg-Al LDH coated on the 3mm spherical α-Al2O3 catalyst in the stirring packed-bed reactor. Mg-Al LDH was first calcined and then rehydrated with decarbonated water-glycerol solution to reconstruct the layer structure and also to protect the catalyst deactivation by air at the same time. In biodiesel synthesis, the yield reached 65.72% in 4 hours under 60oC, 87.45% in 3 hours under 100oC, when the methanol/soybean oil molar ratio was set to be 30, and 10wt% Mg/Al=5 LDH was used in the reaction. The glycerol transesterification was carried out by dimethyl carbonate/glycerol molar ratio 16 with the existence of solvent, dimethyl sulfoxide, using 10wt% Mg/Al=5 LDH on spherical α-Al2O3 at 95oC. The yield of glycerol 1,2-carbonate could reach up to 93.4% within 7.5 hours. When applying 10wt% catalyst of Mg/Al=5 LDH on spherical α-Al2O3 into the stirring packed-bed reactor, the yield of glycerol 1,2-carbonate reached to 80.17% within 11 hours under the residence time 22.5 hours, and dimethyl carbonate/glycerol molar ratio = 16 at 90oC.

Biography:

Vânya M. D. Pasa is chemical engineer and doctor in Chemistry (1996) by Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG. She worked for ACESITA for 9 years and has worked for UFMG for 20 years. This associate professor has developed processes for bio-oil valorization (carbon fibers, biocoatings, bioesins, nanostructures) and biofuel production (biodiesel, green diesel and biokerosene). She is the coordinator of UFMG’s Fuel Laboratory, and has large experience in fuel quality control and fuel certification, working in partnership with ACESITA, Petrobrás, ANP, Boeing, Rima S/A, Granbio, UNESCO, GTZ- German Agency. She has several patents and dozens of published papers.

Abstract:

Calcium oxide (CaO) has been studied as one of the most efficient heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production, but there are few studies about the effects of CaO morphology on calcium leaching and catalyst activity. In the present work, soybean transesterification was performed using CaO from different sources (commercial, synthesized from chicken eggshell and produced by a carbothermal route) to develop a comparative study. The 1H NMR results showed that the soybean oil transesterification catalyzed with CaO, derived from all sources, yielded greater than 93% (m/m) methyl esters, 4 h reflux, a molar methanol: oil ratio of 12:1 and 3% catalyst. The amount of leached calcium was 219 ppm for the biodiesel synthesized with CaO derived from commercial sources, 194 ppm for CaO from eggshell and 93 ppm for CaO s from a carbothermal route. As consequence of higher Ca leaching content, CaO-com precursor presented higher rate constant. This can be explained by the prompt reaction of Ca leaching and glycerol, yielding calcium diglyceroxide, which is the main catalytic specimen. The study showed that the homogeneous contribution from the leached species can be considered negligible. The heterogeneous catalysis was confirmed for all different CaO sources studied.

Biography:

Daniel Rezende has completed his doctorate in 2015 from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is researcher at LEC/UFMG (fuels and biofuels research laboratoty). He has experience in automotive industry, R&D and as university professor.

Abstract:

The availability of low-cost raw material is a key factor for the economic viability of the biodiesel production. Together with the raw material, other factors that increase costs in the process of transformation of vegetable oil or animal fat by alkaline transesterification into biodiesel are associated with the purification steps of the raw materials and products. The Macauba is an oleaginous palm whose current extractive way of collecting classifies it as a raw material of high acidity, not suitable for biodiesel production by conventional processes. It is proposed in this work, an alternative process, technically feasible and environmentally friendly, for separation of free fatty acids of the Macauba pulp oil in order to adequate it for biodiesel production by transesterification via homogeneous alkaline catalysis. The process consists of two main steps: liquid-liquid extraction for the recovery of free fatty acids and neutralization of residual fatty acids through esterification. In the simulation, 50 kg/h of Macauba oil with acidity of 12.9% are treated, achieving 40.8 kg/h of a product with acidity of 0.5%. In the validation bench test, following the same steps of the simulation, the acidity achieved in the final product was 0.67%.

Biography:

Vânya M. D. Pasa is chemical engineer and doctor in Chemistry (1996) by Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG. She worked for ACESITA for 9 years and has worked for UFMG for 20 years. This associate professor has developed processes for bio-oil valorization (carbon fibers, biocoatings, bioesins, nanostructures) and biofuel production (biodiesel, green diesel and biokerosene). She is the coordinator of UFMG’s Fuel Laboratory, and has large experience in fuel quality control and fuel certification, working in partnership with ACESITA, Petrobrás, ANP, Boeing, Rima S/A, Granbio, UNESCO, GTZ- German Agency. She has several patents and dozens of published papers.

Abstract:

Macauba is a palm tree with good oil productivity (6.2 ton/ha), is native to Central and South America and is not exploited for food purposes. Its oils have been noted as an important alternative for the production of biofuels, especially for aviation. This study investigated deoxygenation catalysed by 5% w/w of palladium on charcoal (Pd/C) reduced in situ using crude and previously hydrolysed macauba pulp and almond oils with different compositions and acidity values. The effect of the fatty composition and nature of the feedstock, reaction pressure, atmosphere, presence of stirring and use of the Pd/C catalyst were studied. The results indicated high selectivity, with a predominance of saturated linear hydrocarbons that correspond to green diesel, followed by biojet fuel hydrocarbons. Oxygen removal was favoured for free fatty acids with long carbon chains, for which decarbonylation and/or decarboxylation predominates. The highest content of hydrocarbons (85% w/w) was obtained in the reaction of hydrolysed macauba almond oil at 10 bar of H2, 300 ºC, 5 hours of reaction and stirring at 700 rpm. This green product has potential applications as a drop-in substitute for fossil fuels.

Biography:

Vânya M. D. Pasa is chemical engineer and doctor in Chemistry (1996) by Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG. She worked for ACESITA for 9 years and has worked for UFMG for 20 years. This associate professor has developed processes for bio-oil valorization (carbon fibers, biocoatings, bioesins, nanostructures) and biofuel production (biodiesel, green diesel and biokerosene). She is the coordinator of UFMG’s Fuel Laboratory, and has large experience in fuel quality control and fuel certification, working in partnership with ACESITA, Petrobrás, ANP, Boeing, Rima S/A, Granbio, UNESCO, GTZ- German Agency. She has several patents and dozens of published papers.

Abstract:

Homogeneous catalysis is a common industrial process for biodiesel production, and alkali-metal methoxides are often used as catalysts. These catalysts allow for obtaining high conversion rates using reactions with low temperatures and times shorter than 1 h. However, the drawbacks of their use are that these catalysts are unrecoverable, favour saponification reactions and generate large volumes of aqueous effluents with environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to synthesis and characterization of the Ca-Al mixed oxide produced from the thermal decomposition of a synthetic hydrocalumite. The produced mixed oxide was tested as a catalyst in the transesterification reaction for biodiesel production using the following reagents: refined soybean oil, crude macauba kernel oil, methanol, and ethanol. The synthetic hydrocalumite and mixed oxide were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry coupled with mass spectrometry, specific surface area, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed desorption of CO2. The catalytic tests indicated that the methanol reactions exhibited more favourable kinetics than the ethanol reactions regardless of the oil type used (soybean or macauba). Ethanolysis produced better results for the higher molar-mass oil (soybean) due to the effect of the ethanol co-solvent. The catalyst was efficient for transesterification, with conversions of 97% e 95% for soybean and macauba oil respectively, in 1.5 h of reaction, at atmospheric pressure and reflux temperature. The mixed oxide presented more favorable kinetics than the CaO, using soybean oil and methanol.