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Phenol is a toxic waste content to humans, animals, and the ecosystem. To reduce the phenol level before being disposed to the environment, proper wastewater treatment is mandatory. In this study, an experimental analysis of synthetic phenol waste treatment was carried out using the catalytic ozonation method in a stationary bed reactor. The objective was to evaluate the effect of gas and liquid flow rates, as well as the effect of recycling, on phenol degradation with Fe-Mn-Cu/γAl2O3 catalysts. In this experiment, the Fe-Mn-Cu/γAl2O3 catalysts comprise with a composition of Fe 3 wt%, Mn 1.3 wt%, and Cu 0.8 wt%. The fixed bed reactor has a size of 2.01 cm diameter and 24 cm high. The initial concentration of synthetic phenol waste was 52 mg/L with an ozone concentration of 51 mg/L at 1 atm pressure and 22 - 28 ℃ operating temperature. Upon conducting the analysis, it shows that an increase in the gas flow rate leads to a rise in the phenol degradation rate in the catalytic ozonation. Based on the experiment with the gas flow rate of 0.75 SLPM and 1 SLPM at a fixed liquid flow rate, the phenol degradation rate was 55.37% and 60.14%, respectively. On the other hand, as the liquid flow rate reduces, the rate of phenol degradation in catalytic ozonation improves. The data reveals that liquid flow rates of 8 mL/min and 4 mL/min could result in phenol degradation rates of 60.14% and 68.88%, respectively at fixed gas flow rates. Lastly, the rate of phenol degradation reaches 92.92% after going through 3 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, 80% of the energy used globally is generated from fossil fuels. The available energy resources is rapidly depleting which implies that if necessary measures are not taken, the energy sources will soon run out. In addition, using fossil fuels has been linked to environmental problems, such as pollution that is destroying the ecosystem. However, the reliance on fossil fuels may be lessened with the existence of other energy sources, particularly when using alternative energy which has more impact on the environment than using fossil fuels. This study proposes to model the prediction of synthetic gas (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) from a feedstock that consists of methane and carbon dioxide to produce syngas which is often used to produce methanol. Gaussian Process Regression incorporated with four different kernel functions were used for the modeling. The analysis of the models revealed that kernel functions significantly enhance predictability. The exponential kernel functions based GPR had the best H2/CO prediction as revealed by R2 of 0.999 and RMSE. MSE, and MAE values of. 2.1x 10−5, 4.3 x10−1, and 1.6 x 10−5, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) converted hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) into linear hydrocarbons as liquid fuel. The combination of Fe and Co (bimetallic Fe-Co) could increase the catalytic activity compared with individual Fe or Co as catalyst. The CO conversion could be used to calculate the reaction constant (k) using Levenspiel equation approach. This study emphasized the first order Fischer-Tropsch reaction constant calculation from carbon monoxide-based conversion data within the various temperature and iron-cobalt catalyst composition. The data obtained from this study would be used to find optimum condition for this fuel production over Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis. The performance of catalyst was observed in the continuous fixed bed reactor using 1 gram Fe-Co/meso-HZSM-5 catalyst, 25 mL/min synthesis gas (15% CO, 30% H2, 55% N2) at various composition iron and cobalt weight ratio (10-40 % wt Fe and 60-90%wt Co), various temperature (225°C, 250°C, 275°C) at 20 bars. The 10Fe-90Co/mesoHZSM-5 catalyst application at 250°C gave the highest CO conversion (58.26%). Kinetically, the value of the reaction rate constant (k') for each condition could be calculated with assuming: first order reaction, differential reactor model, steady state operating conditions. The calculation based on 1 gram catalyst in a differential reactor and first order reaction (FA0 = 3.75 mL/min; PA0=3 bar; ԐA = -0.5613). The reaction rate constant was 38,111.87. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic co-pyrolysis of waste cotton fabric and polypropylene (PP) plastic at different temperatures and durations in a fixed bed reactor was carried out. Various Cr-Al catalyst loading that prepared via wet impregnation method were used. The gas, liquid and char product were analyzed to investigate its influence towards temperature and pyrolysis duration. A mixed trend of product yield was observed as temperature increases. At lower temperature (300°C), gaseous component dominates the overall product yield. However, liquid product as the desired component increased significantly and peaked (40.6 wt%) at 600°C. The highest liquid product yield in terms of quantity was achieved during 30 minutes of pyrolysis, whereas the best product quality was achieved for 60 minutes. Therefore, pyrolysis at 600°C for 60 minutes using 20% Cr-Al catalyst loading was the optimal condition for the catalytic co-pyrolysis of waste cotton fabric and PP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of CO2 into useful chemical or energy products necessarily requires a significant amount of energy. It is often not a one step process which results to having extremely high overall capital and operating costs. However, using the process of converting CO2 to carbon nanotubes, this limitation can be turned into an opportunity. The objectives of this project are to investigate the optimum parameters of highest CO2 and CH4 conversion into carbon nanotubes and to characterize the carbon nanotubes produced. The conversion of the mixture of carbon dioxide and methane into carbon nanotubes was conducted in a fixed bed catalytic reactor at high temperature and in the presence of Ni HT catalyst. On the other hand, the parameters were optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) by manipulating the temperature, flowrate, type of catalyst in which the product was characterized using FTIR, XRD, FESEM and GC to evaluate the defects and the stability of the carbon nanotubes. The run at temperature 800°C and flowrate 500ml/min using Ni-30 HT gives the best result with the highest conversion followed by the run at 800°C and flowrate 400ml/min using Ni-30 HT catalyst. On the other hand, the run at temperature 700°C and 300ml/min using the same catalyst gives the lowest conversion of CO2 − CH4. It is proven by GC analysis that most of the carbon dioxide was converted to produce CNTs as the oxygen released were solely from carbon dioxide. XRD confirmed the presence of carbon nanotubes as the new peak corresponding to carbon in carbon nanotubes were detected. As for FTIR analysis, a signal at 1638 cm−1 attributed to the C-C stretch band of the CNTs were found. RSM verified that the input parameters reaction temperature and flowrate significantly influence CO2−CH4 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the research was to figure out the performance of a fixed bed downdraft gasifier fed by mixtures of rice husk and sawdust using Aspen Plus simulation and to compare to the present work. The gasification model was applied with varying equivalence ratio, i.e., 0.23 to 0.35. The characteristics of the gasification temperature, syngas composition of CO, H2, CO2 and CH4 and the Lower Heating Value (LHV) were observed and studied. In addition, the mixtures of rice husk and sawdust fed by gasifier reactor model are analyzed. As seen from the comparison of simulation results and the referenced ones, the value of syngas composition in are comparable. The average deviation of CO and CH4 contents is slightly higher than the referenced ones. Meanwhile, the average deviation of H2 and CO2 contents are slightly lower than the referenced ones. Also, the simulation results showed that in the range of gasification temperature of 800 – 1000 °C, the content of CO increased while the compositions of CO2 and CH4 decreased. In addition, the composition of H2 reached its peak at the temperature of 900 °C. As a consequence, the measure calorific value of syngas reached its peak when the temperature and Equivalence Ratio (ER) were applied at 900 °C and 0.3 respectively. Also, the added volume ratio of sawdust on rice husk resulted in an encroachment on the calorific value of syngas. It also increased the content of CO and H2 and decreased the content of CO2 and CH4. These conditions showed that variating mixture of sawdust ratio would optimize the quality of syngas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiesel is gaining considerable attention in recent years as a greener candidate to replace petroleum-based diesel. Biodiesel can be synthesized through a transesterification process of vegetable oils using lipase as a biocatalyst, but industrially the process remains economically not yet feasible. Thus, this study on biodiesel production was carried out using commercial lipase immobilized on chitin in a fixed bed reactor to obtain optimum conditions. Immobilized lipase with high immobilization degree was obtained through activation of chitin using glutaraldehyde for 1.5-hour, 0.22 mg/mL lipase concentrations, and 18 hours incubation time. The immobilized lipase was then used in the transesterification process to convert palm oil into methyl ester. The transesterification temperatures and the oil-to-methanol molar ratios were varied between 40 to 55 degrees Celsius and 1:3 to 1:6, respectively. The highest methyl ester conversion yield after 8 hours of reaction was obtained at 45 degrees Celsius using the oil-to-methanol molar ratio of 1:4. The stability of the immobilized lipase was investigated through a transesterification reaction in a fixed bed reactor for 50 hours without stopping. The highest conversion of methyl ester was obtained at the twelfth hour with a yield of 67.95%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of solar energy is an effective solution to improve the energy performance of buildings and limit their impact on the environment, but it remains intermittent and seasonal. This is why it is essential to use a solar thermal energy storage system as a means of ensuring the thermal autonomy of buildings. In this context, this paper aims at modeling a thermochemical heat storage system for buildings. The moist air operating model was chosen as the most suitable mode for seasonal thermochemical storage, for a reactor containing a fixed bed of SrBr2 (strontium bromide) of high density, as well as a thermochemical storage model: Sharp Front operating in moist air was mathematically modeled. This one-dimensional model; allows us to determine the reaction time of thermal energy storage and to calculate the energy of hydration/dehydration reaction of the SrBr2/H2O pair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the performance of alumina-metal oxides catalyst in the catalytic cracking of used cooking oil. Three different metal oxides (Fe2O3, MgO, and ZnO) were examined to serve as active phases on alumina to promote deoxygenation reaction. The reaction was conducted in a fixed bed reactor under N2 atmosphere. The liquid product yields obtained are in the following order: Fe2O3/Al2O3 (34%)>MgO/Al2O3 (29%)> ZnO/Al2O3 (22%). In comparison to Fe2O3/Al2O3 and MgO/Al2O3, ZnO/Al2O3 recorded the highest selectivity of liquid C5 − C20 hydrocarbons (51%). Meantime, it has been noticed that the cracking reaction over these catalysts resulted in coke formation (∼1-2%) along with high gaseous fractions (64 – 76%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the yield of pyrolysis oil produced in a fixed bed reactor by catalytic co-pyrolysis of palm kernel shell (PKS) and polypropylene (PP). The effects of two types of metal loading on catalytic co-pyrolysis pyrolysis yields and chemical components of pyrolysis oil were investigated. The various Zn-loading (5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.% and 20 wt.%) and Ga-loading (5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, 20 wt.% and 25 wt.%) electric arc furnace slag (EAFS) catalysts was prepared via wet impregnation. The maximum pyrolysis oil of 63.66 wt. % and 57.99 wt. %, respectively, were achieved at 5 wt. % Zn-loading and 15 wt. % Ga-loading, with a blending ratio of PKS-to-PP ratio of 50:50 at a temperature of 500°C. The result shows that highest pyrolysis oil of 63.66 wt.% and 57.99 wt.% were achieved at 5 wt.% of Zn-loading and 15 wt.% of Ga-loading, respectively, with blending ratio of PKS-to-PP ratio of 50:50, temperature of 500 ˚C. For Zn loading, the maximum percentages of hydrocarbon (43.96 wt. % and 37.49 wt. %) and alcohol (15.78 wt. % and 10.4 wt. %) were achieved at 5 wt. % and 20 wt. %, respectively, while for Ga loading, the maximum percentages were achieved at 20 wt. % and 25 wt. %. The metal loadings were chosen to be 5 wt.% Zn loading and 15 wt.% Ga loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, methanol production was simulated using Aspen plus mathematical modelling and the effect of pressure and temperature towards methanol reactor production and selectivity as well as reactant conversions were investigated. Nowadays, the number of methanol plants are increasing due to high demand worldwide. Reactor is one of the main equipment for the methanol production and high impact accident such as explosion, may happen due to the upset of the critical process temperature and pressure which also could create major fluctuation of the methanol production. Thus, the reactor behaviour needed to be studied promptly so that the risk assessment can be performed in a later stage. A mathematical model for the fixed bed catalytic reactor which used RPLUG in Aspen Plus software was developed based on industrial data. The model had been validated and the percent error was below 5.5% compared to the industrial data. The model was also much better compared to the previous research which used ANN MATLAB for the model validation. Overall, it concluded that Aspen Plus simulation for this model could be used to simulate the process with regards to any changes in the process parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycerol is a byproduct of biodiesel produced from 10% of a total biodiesel volume. An attempt to process glycerol into another product needs to be done in order to increase the economic value of glycerol. One of the methods is to convert it into triacetin through the esterification reaction of glycerol and acetic acid using a heterogeneous catalyst Ni/Zeolite. Triacetin can be applied as a fuel additive to reduce knocking in machinery. This research aims to evaluate the effect of glycerol mole to acetic acid, the effect of feed flow rate on glycerol conversion in fixed bed reactor, and the effect of reaction products addition to the increase of fuel octane number. The temperature used for esterification reaction of glycerol triacetin was 100˚C. The mole ratio of glycerol and acetic acid used was 1:3; 1:5; 1:7; 1: 9, and feed flow rate used in fixed bed reactor was 40; 60; 80; 100 mL/minute. The experimental results showed that the highest glycerol conversion occurred at a feed flow rate of 40 mL/min, with a ratio of glycerol to acetic acid 1:9 which resulted in a glycerol conversion of 72.05%. To evaluate the performance of the acetylation reaction, the product was added to commercial fuels (Premium, Pertalite and Pertamax) at various percentages and resulted in an increase in the octane number of commercial fuels. So it can be concluded that the product of the acetylation reaction can function as a bio additive. The highest octane number increase was obtained by adding 8% product to Pertamax fuel with an 8.5% increase in octane number from the initial value of 93 to 101. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimethyl ether (DME) production through methanol dehydration has a lot of advantages, such as high DME yield and easier optimization on the operating condition. Therefore, it is necessary to study the impact of reaction parameters such as feed conditions on the reaction. The process of methanol dehydration is naturally accompanied by several side reactions. Usage of γ-alumina catalyst as methanol dehydration catalyst could prevent the side reactions from happening because it is active and selective towards methanol dehydration. Based on the thermodynamic approach, the methanol equilibrium conversion will decrease as the feed temperature increases and feed purity decreases. The simulation of methanol dehydration reaction resulted in a methanol conversion and bed temperature profile along the reactor. Based on the simulation result, methanol conversion will increase as the temperature and feed concentration increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 reforming of methane (CRM) is becoming a hot research area because of its capability to utilize greenhouse gases to reduce global warming. However, the CRM has not yet been commercialized due to several challenges including the weak prospect of catalyst. The impact of strontium on the performance of a monometallic Ni-MgO/ZrO2 catalyst was examined in this study. Mixed oxide MgO-ZrO2 support was prepared by coprecipitation method followed by wetness impregnation of Ni and Sr metals. N2−physisorption analysis and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) were employed to evaluate the fresh catalysts in order to investigate their physicochemical properties. The Ni-Sr/MgO-ZrO2 catalyst provided the optimum catalytic performance for the CRM reaction carried out in a tabular fixed bed reactor at 800 °C with a CH4CO2 ratio of 1:1. Due to the formation of amorphous carbon nanosheets that covered the active sites of the monometallic Ni/MgO-ZrO2 catalyst, its activity decreased, whereas the Ni-Sr/MgO-ZrO2 catalyst's activity was maintained due to filamentous carbon formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern organic reactor for treatment of waste water includes, Fixed Bed Biofilm Reactor (FBBR). Microbes (bacteria/fungi) are the most dominant eco- friendly factor for the disintegration and detoxification of industrial contaminants across with organic waste removal. In this paper, a comparison has been made to compute the efficiency of biological treatment using ASP (Activated Sludge Process) and FBBR technique. Extensive research has been conveyed out to discover suitable, optimal and logical combination of carbon and nitrogen sources for bacterial growth. The result of various pH values on the bacterial growth was measured and optimized. In this study, an attempt is made to minimize sludge formation along with increased bacterial population using biofilm technology. Finally, efficiency of treatment for ASP and FBBR was analyzed. The COD removal efficiency of ASP is enhanced up to 85% by FBBR in the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, pyrolysis of sawdust was investigated using a fixed bed reactor. The objectives of this project were to study the effect of pyrolysis parameters on production of bio-oil and bio-char and to analyze the characteristics of pyrolysis product. The variations of pyrolysis temperature are 450, 500, 550, 600 and 650 °C. The particle size was varied in the range of >1.18mm and <1.18 mm. The heating rate was at 40, 50 and 60 °C/min. The maximum product yield of bio-char was 49.28% obtained at 550 °C, with heating rate of 50 °C/min and particle size of <1.18mm. The maximum bio- oil yield was 28.86% and the maximum gas yield was 68.83%. The optimum gas was at the pyrolysis temperature of 450°C, heating rates of 60°C/min and particle size of <1.18mm. Sawdust can be utilized as biomass feedstock to increase bio-char product. It has high lignin content which can increase yield of bio-char. The bio-char is potential source of renewable fuel and chemical feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic pyrolysis of agricultural waste by waste eggs shell had been studied in the fixed bed reactor. The objectives of this study were to investigate the potential use of waste eggs shell as catalyst in pyrolysis process and to determine the effect of pyrolysis product with various pyrolysis parameters which are temperature, heating rate and biomass size and to determine the effect of catalyst on bio oil production. The optimum parameter for maximum bio oil yield from this study were at temperature of 450°C, heating rate of 50°C/min and biomass size of 425 µm. In this study, the used of eggs shell as a catalyst produced the highest bio oil yields of 65.67%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic pyrolysis of biomass in fixed bed reactor using calcium-based catalysts had been studied in fixed bed reactor. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of parameters on pyrolysis product and to determine the potential of calcium-based catalysts in pyrolysis of palm shell. The results were obtained with various temperature, biomass size and catalyst ratio. The maximum bio oil from this study were at the temperature of 500 °C, biomass size of 425 µm and percentages catalyst ratio of 20%. In this study the use of Cryptomya Elliptica as a calcium-based catalyst produced the highest amount of bio oil yield of 32.71%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reliable energy charging and discharging reactor plays a significantly important role on performance of a thermochemical energy storage system. The traditional reactors, such as fixed bed reactors, and fluidized bed reactors, suffer from terrible drawbacks including notorious heat transfer or back mixing. Accordingly, this study aims to propose a spiral coil reactor used for thermochemical energy storage system. The CaO/CaCO3 reverse reaction is selected as reaction model to numerically analyze variation of temperature, pressure drop, and reaction rate in the reactor. The results indicated that (1) heat transfer in the spiral coil reactor was affected by secondary flow; (2) the pressure drop increases with an increase in reaction temperature; (3) the maximum reaction rate occurs in the dilute phase of the reactor and the minimum reaction rate occurs in the dense phase of the reactor; finally, (4) the higher reaction temperature has a positive effect on the reaction rate. Overall, the main contribution of this study is the design of a spiral coil reactor which is expected to serve as a useful guideline for the future development of thermochemical energy storage reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effect of doping of Manganese on to Cerium oxide for thermochemical two-step water splitting cycle for produce the hydrogen was experimentally studied. In order to compare the oxygen/hydrogen productivity, pure CeO2, coprecipitation method applied Mn-CeO2, and direct doping calcination method adopted Mn-CeO2 were used to thermo-chemical two-step water splitting cycle tests. The synthesized sample powders were coated on the reticulated porous foam device and tested in the fixed bed type reactor for the temperature of 1400 °C for thermal reduction step, and 1200 °C for water decomposition step through 5 cyclic tests. The redox reactive foam devices were irradiated by 3kW sun-simulator, and all samples recorded successful oxygen/hydrogen production. Among the 3 sample devices, the 15 mol% Mn-CeO2 foam device which synthesized by direct doping calcination method shows highest hydrogen production amount and H2/O2 conversion ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Produce high yield of ETBE using acid catalyst and analyzed its performance. ETBE synthesis is carried out under gas phase reaction in a fixed bed reactor using H-ZSM5 catalyst. The product is condensed into liquid. Results show, this product have concentration of ETBE, up to 60% and yield up to 12%. At 300 ppm of this additive mixed with gasoline is tested in motorcycle engine for 30 hours to inspect the combustion performance. The test shows deposit formation in intake valve fewer rather than other gasoline. Comparing to MTBE and ethanol, it shows better improvement, by decreasing the rate of CO emission and deposit formation on intake valve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is based on ozone emissions from drinking water and bottled water and disinfection processing in the dairy and food industries, which endangers living things and destroys the environment. Ozone decomposition uses manganese oxide (MnOx) as an active site with 0–2% of nominal loading. Three kinds of catalyst support (Lampung Natural Zeolite, Granular Activated Carbon and Green Sand) with 18–100 diameter mesh were compared. The catalyst was prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and calcination at 300°C and its performance in the conversion of ozone decomposition was tested in a continuous fixed bed reactor. It was found that granular activated carbon as the catalyst support, with 60–100 diameter mesh and 1% loading nominal with decomposition conversion of 100% for 24 hours was the most effective and efficient method. Meanwhile, LNZ and GS which has the same variables, only have 76.98% and 86.18% in conversion for the 1-hour decomposition process. The catalysts that were GAC, LNZ and GS, furthermore analyzed by BET and SEM EDX methods. The results were 558.754 m2/g, 40.931 m2/g and 5.557 m2/g in surface area and 0.47%, 0.11% and 0.95% in actual loading, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Indonesia, electricity demand in the small island commonly uses small scale stoker coal fired power plant. One of the problem power plant in the small island is coal shortage during the rainy season. Some islands in Indonesia have many palm plantation so that plenty of the biomass waste such as palm kernel shell can be utilized as alternative fuel. This research have purposes to find alternative fuel for power plants in remote areas and how the alternative fuel affect the power plant performances. Some studies in lab scale were performed to observe the combustion characteristics before application in the power plant. The laboratory tests have been performed with the blending ratio of 25%, 50%, 75% (wt%) by using TG-DTA (Differential Thermal Analysis Thermogravimetry) and Stoker simulator. Two type of blending method i.e. mixing and stacking method have been performed in stoker simulator. TG-DTA results showed coal combustion reactivity is increased with the addition of palm kernell shells. The reactivity increased because the content of volatile matter in the coal - palm kernell shells mixing is higher than the pure coal. Stoker simulator results show the good combustion profile of coal-palm kernell shell by mixing method compare with stacking method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corncob is an agricultural waste which has a potential to be utilized as a raw material for bio-oil. One of many processes to convert the agricultural waste (biomass) into bio-oil is pyrolysis. The pyrolysis process for this study was carried out using fixed bed pyrolysis reactor, performed under temperature of 500°C and 600°C with residence time of 4 seconds. The bio-oil was analyzed for its components content using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS). The separation of phenolic compounds from bio-oil was done by a liquid-liquid extraction which carried out for 60 minutes using methanol 80% and chloroform as solvent at various extraction temperatures of 30°C, 40°C, 50°C, and stirring speeds of 200 rpm, 250 rpm, 300 rpm. Then, the extract phase and the raffinate phase were analyzed using Folin-Ciocalteu method. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of temperatures and stirring speeds of the liquid-liquid extraction to the distribution coefficient and the yield of phenolic compound. The result showed that the main component of bio-oil obtained is phenolic compounds. The highest distribution coefficient and the highest yield of phenolic compound were obtained at 50°C and 300 rpm. The highest yield was 66.31% and 58.9% obtained from pyrolysis process at 500°C and 600°C, respectively. Meanwhile, the highest distribution coefficient was 11.08 and 8.92 for pyrolysis at 500°C and 600°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, initially pyrolysis of Calotropis procera stem (CPS) was performed. Then, CPS was co-pyrolysed with waste polystyrene (WPS) taken in the proportion of 50:50 by weight of CPS and WPS. The product yields and properties of bio-oil obtained from pyrolysis of CPS and co-pyrolysis of CPS-WPS were compared. Pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a fixed bed reactor. The feedstock was heated to 500°C in inert nitrogen gas atmosphere that was allowed at a flow rate of 20 ml/min and the heating rate was maintained at 5°C/min. The pyrolysis of CPS and co-pyrolysis of CPS-WPS produced 6.28% and 47.34% bio-oil respectively. The GC-MS analysis showed that CPS biooil consisted of mainly phenolic compounds and few oxygenated, aliphatic and cyclic compounds. The CPS-WPS bio-oil was composed of mono-aromatics, esters and nitrogenated compounds. Bio-oil with reduced phenolic compounds and increased ester content was obtained by co-pyrolysis. The CPS-WPS bio-oil also possessed improved calorific value and viscosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, pyrolytic liquid-diesel fuel blends containing 10-30 % by volume of pyrolytic liquid were used as alternative fuels to run a single-cylinder diesel engine. The pyrolytic liquid (PL) was produced by the pyrolysis of Sterculia foetida seed in a fixed bed reactor at a heating rate of 5°C/min and pyrolysis temperature of 550°C. Tests were conducted and the engine’s performance and combustion parameters such as ignition delay period, cylinder gas pressure, heat release rate, brake thermal efficiency, exhaust gas temperature, NOX and HC were evaluated. The ignition delay period and maximum cylinder gas pressure developed by 10-30 % PL-diesel blends were higher when compared to those developed by diesel fuel. The 30 % PL-diesel blend produced the highest heat release rate of 76.35 J/°CA among those of 10 % PL-diesel and 20 % PL-diesel blends. The difference in thermal efficiency between diesel fuel and 10 % PL-diesel blend was only 0.3 %. Among the fuel blends used, the 10 % PL-diesel blend produced the lowest NOx and HC emissions compared to other fuel blends. Thus, the engine performance results show that the PL can be used as a partial substitute at 10 % blending level with diesel fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis gas, also known as syngas, produced from biomass materials has been identified as a potential source of renewable energy. Syngas mainly consists of CO and H2, which can be as raw materials for methanol synthesis using a catalyst in a fixed bed reactor. In recent times, methanol production has been significantly augmented in energy and chemical industries as it is an essential molecule for chemical synthesis and other utilities such as clean transportation fuel. The assessment of methanol production for low cost, low temperature, and low pressure was conducted by a catalyst that has been developed. The role of the catalyst is the key to achieve optimal conditions through lower activation energy. The focus of this work has the performance test of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst to methanol production from syngas. First, the catalyst was prepared by the co-precipitation and impregnation method. The as-synthesized catalyst was then characterized using XRD, XRF, SEM-EDX, and BET. The result of XRD showed the catalyst has the same component (Al, Cu, Zn) with different crystallite diameter of CuO. The result of the SEM showed catalyst was collected on one site, but still in a relatively good distribution. From the BET surface area analyzer, the catalyst synthesized through the impregnation method (113.62 m²/g) has a bigger surface area than the co-precipitation method (43.26 m²/g) and commercial catalyst (64.75 m²/g). The catalytic activity of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts in methanol production from syngas was preliminarily tested and compared with that commercial one. The result showed that hence the catalytic activity of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts through co-precipitation and impregnation method was still inferior (0.96 % and 1.25 % yield methanol) compared to commercial one (1.26 % yield methanol), they were potential to be used as a catalyst in the methanol production from syngas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palm oil industry produces an abundance of oil palm biomass, which is mostly produced by plantation and milling activities. However, these biomass materials have low calorific value, high moisture and oxygen contents, and are hygroscopic in nature making them unsuitable as a fuel. Torrefaction is found to be a promising technique for the biomass dewatering and upgrading its quality before utilization. This study investigated the effects of torrefaction temperature (200-300ºC) on the mass and energy yield of empty fruit bunches (EFB), oil palm frond (OPF) and oil palm trunk (OPT) in a fixed bed reactor. The torrefied products were then characterized for their fuel properties such as calorific value (CV), elemental contents and ash content, while the energy yields was calculated based on the obtained mass of torrefied yield and CV. Among the oil palm biomass, OPF gave an optimum torrefied and energy yield about 94 wt.% and 99 %, respectively, which obtained at 200ºC for 30 min. This study also showed that the CV of torrefied products increases as temperature increases from 200ºC to 300ºC. The highest CV of 21 MJ/kg was obtained at the torrefaction temperature of 300ºC using EFB as a feedstock. The physicochemical properties of torrefied oil palm biomass were provided some indications on the suitability of these materials for further bioenergy processes such as combustion and palletization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas is type of renewable energy which could replace the natural gas. Biogas consist of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and trace amounts of impurities. CO2 and impurities in biogas can cause corrosion and poor combustion of CH4. Hence, the removal of CO2 is necessary to enhance the biogas. This study examines, the possibility of using raw and modified diatomite to adsorb CO2. Diatomite was modified using water treatment, acid treatment and a combination of the both treatment methods. Water hydration was done at different temperature (30°C, 70°C and 100°C), whereas for acid treatment it was done at various concentration of sulphuric acid (3 M, 5 M and 7 M). The samples were then tested for CO2 adsorption in a fixed bed reactor using 11% of CO2 in nitrogen gas as balance. The results showed that acid treated diatomite has the highest adsorption capacity (189.96 mg/g) compared to raw, water and combination samples. 5 M was found to be the optimum concentration of acid to be used. It was concluded that combination of water and acid treatment did not improve further the performance of the diatomite. The diatomite structure and their function in adsorption were proven by characterization study such as SEM, EDX, BET and FTIR. Diatomite can be a potential adsorbent for CO2 removal in biogas purification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being a relatively new but quite promising field in CSP, thermochemical energy storage could be the next generation solution towards the implementation of baseload cost-effective solar thermal plants. The present work, taking place within the framework of EU-funded project PEGASUS, aims at synthesizing, shaping and experimentally evaluating the catalytic activity and main physicochemical attributes of Fe2O3−based particles. These particles can be exploited as both heat transfer fluid of the CSP plant and highly active catalysts for the key step of the SO3 dissociation reaction to produce SO2 and O2 in the framework of a solid sulfur thermochemical energy storage cycle. The experimental campaign takes place in a purpose-built setup used to evaluate the materials in a fixed bed reactor formulation at a temperature of 850°C and ambient pressure while concentrated liquid sulfuric acid (H2SO4) was used as feedstock. Based on the findings, pure Fe2O3 particles sintered at 950°C offered the most promising compromise between high SO3 conversion on the one hand and crushing strength value (i.e. a preliminary measure of thermomechanical stability) and particles’ color before and after exposure at reaction conditions on the other hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the possibility of creating enormous added value on coconut fiber resources which was so far considered as wastes. One of the added values of coconut fiber that can be created is bio-oil which rich in aromatic compounds. The rich-aromatic compounds within bio-oil has been produced successfully by the catalytic pyrolysis process which supported by impregnated ZSM-5 catalyst of Nickel and Zinc. Pyrolysis is a non-oxygen thermal cracking of organic materials. Pyrolysis product or known as bio-oil is used as an alternative fuel. However, as the era progresses bio-oil can be used as raw materials in manufacturing process of many petrochemical products because it has aromatic compounds. Aromatic is a shaped-ring chemical substance that can be found in lignocellulosic-rich biomass. Aromatic bio-oil is obtained from catalytic pyrolysis process of waste coconut fiber with the aid of using catalysts to maximize the composition of aromatic compounds. Coconut fiber is cut and grind in pre-treatment to the desirable size. Impregnated catalysts Zn/ZSM-5 and Ni/ZSM-5 that have been characterized by XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) are used to maximize the yield of aromatic compounds. The catalytic pyrolysis process takes place in a fixed bed tubular reactor equipped with a furnace as a heat source. The product coming out of the reactor is condensed by using cold water and acetone. FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) and GCMS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer) serve as analytical instruments in order to identify the presence and the quantity of aromatic group in bio-oil. BTX (Benzene, Toluene and Xylene) as aromatic compounds within bio-oil has been identified through the FTIR analysis. Nickel of 5% weight loading is the main active component within impregnated ZSM-5 catalysts due to its performance in producing the highest yield of aromatic bio-oil as of 38.90%, at the reaction temperature of 450°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented ethanol production is influenced by the type of raw material and sugar content. In the fermentation process, glucose will be converted to ethanol. The higher the glucose concentration, the higher the concentration of ethanol produced. The process limited by the problem of substrate inhibition and product inhibition. The general aim of this study was to determine the best conditions based on variations of glucose concentration (40, 100, 150, 200, and 250) g / L in terms of ethanol concentration, ethanol yield, and number of loose cells produced from ethanol fermentation process using continuous fixed bed reactor with a pumice stone as its retarding medium. The specific aim was to compare the best condition in the process of fermentation of immobilized cell and free cell with recycle in ethanol fermentation process which is done based on ethanol concentration value and ethanol yield percentage. Based on the result of study, the best condition was obtained in immobilized cell condition with a mesh size of 6/8 with 2 days residence time with ethanol concentration of 20.53% v/v, and ethanol yield value of 37.56% w/w at a glucose feed concentration of 150 g/L. Fermentation of ethanol with immobilized cells in fixed bed reactor with pumice stone had better performance compared with ethanol fermentation with free cell condition with recycle in terms of ethanol concentration in product and yield percentage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aim of evaluating the potential production of high energy solid and liquid bio-fuels, a laboratory scale fixed bed reactor (FBR) derived from the standard Gray-King (GK) assay test on coal was used to carry out fixed bed pyrolysis experiments on wine industry by-products. The present study provides results on the pyrolysis of grape marc, residual from wine-making process, consisting of 50% by weight of grape seeds and 50% by weight of grape skins, at temperature between 150 and 500 °C, holding time of 30 minutes. Pyrolysis mass yields of solid (char) and liquid (tar) products and their corresponding energy properties, as a function of reaction temperature, are reported and discussed. Results indicate that char and tar mass yields varied linearly with temperature, Char yield on a dry basis (d.b.) decreased from 97% at 150 °C to approximately 38% at 500 °C. Tar yield increased with temperature from 1% at 150 °C to approximately 34% at 500 °C. The energy densification ratio (EDR) of solid residues increased with temperature up to a value of 1.43 at 500 °C. Both grape marc bio-char and tar showed energy properties compatible with their use as solid and liquid biofuel, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-gasification of pretreated palm kernel shell (PKS) and Mukah Balingian (MB) coal and gasification of individual feedstock were carried out in a fixed bed reactor system. The synergistic effect of pretreated feedstock in cogasification was probed. The results showed that the co-gasification of pretreated biomass and coal samples had a synergistic effect at all blending ratios. The experimental value of co-gasification on 50 % biomass blending ratio generated the highest gas yield of 69.43 % and lowest tar yield of 10.11 %. This was supported with the different of experimental value and calculated mean value (Exp-Cal) that showed the highest synergistic effect on product yield using 50 % biomass blending ratio of the pretreated samples. Thus, the pretreated PKS and MB coal, by which their physical and chemical properties have been enhanced through pretreatment process are suitable to be used in co-gasification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-gasification of pretreated palm kernel shell (PKS) and pretreated Malaysian low rank coal has been conducted using a fix bed reactor system. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD) was used to determine the optimum condition on gas yield in co-gasification products. The effect of the three factors, i.e. gasification temperature, biomass blending ratio and steam flow rate on response variables (gas, tar and char yield) were examined. The p-value <0.05 for all factors indicated that the factors were significant. The predicted optimum conditions for gasification temperature, biomass blending ratio and steam flow rate were at 767 °C, 52 % and 54 ml/min, correspondingly. These optimum conditions produced maximum gas yield, minimum char and tar yield of 67.28 %, 20.83 % and 11.90 %, respectively. Thus, this study showed that the assessed RSM model has effectively determined the optimum process condition, which designates to the optimum gas yield in co-gasification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study describes the production of an upgrading bio oil from pyrolysis of torrefied demineralized palm empty fruit bunch (TDEFB) using a fixed bed reactor system. TDEFB used as a feedstock was produced by demineralization and torrefaction pre-treatment empty fruit bunches (EFB) on raw EFB. The pyrolysis process was examined with multiple responses such as bio oil (response, Y1), bio char (response, Y2) and bio gas (response, Y3). The effect of these pyrolysis process parameters was observed by the production of bio oil, bio char and bio gas yields as the responses. Twenty runs of pyrolysis experiments were suggested by CCD indicated the optimum pyrolysis condition were found to be at reaction temperature of 490 °C, heating rate of 85 °C/min and holding time of 250 s. The maximum bio oil yield was obtained as 51.53 % with 28.5 % of bio char and 11.97 % of bio gas under optimum condition. The p-value <0.05 for all process parameters or factors indicated that the factors were significant. The pyrolysis temperature was observed as the most significant factor based on the highest F-value. The value of correlation coefficient was >0.9 which indicated that there was a good correlation between the dependable and non-dependable parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals with a method of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) in indoor air. Temperature Swing Adsorption (TSA) on solid adsorbent was chosen for CO2 capture. Commercial activated carbon (AC) in form of extruded pellets was used as a solid adsorbent. There was constructed a simple device to testing effectiveness of CO2 capture in a fixed bed with AC. The TSA cycle was also simulated using the open-source software OpenFOAM. There was a good agreement between results obtained from numerical simulations and experimental data for adsorption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combustion of rice husk fuel in a fixed bed reactor can be assumed very complicated. Researchers have studied this problem for many years. Such studies have been performed by both empirical and computational methods. However, due to the sharp increase in the development of computer science based packages, the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique can be applied to simulate and analyse the performance of the combustion reaction. Consequently, this has saved on empirical expenditures and has additionally provided more understanding about the research objective. This paper models the computation of bed fuel combustion in a fixed bed reactor using Fluent version 12.0.16. The User Defined Functions (UDFs) were created to define the system as well as boundary conditions, and initial conditions. Furthermore, the source terms, heat exchanges and homogeneous reactions were also defined in UDFs. The species transport and volume reaction were used to model the gas phase, where the Eulerian model was employed to solve the problem using two phase modelling. The k- εsub-model was employed for turbulence, together with an unsteady model, as the problem was regarded as being unstable. The results obtained from the modelling work would give more understanding about the bed fuel combustion in fixed bed reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic decomposition is a promising way for chemical upgrading process of low quality oil such as biomass tars. In this experiment, catalytic decomposition of biomass tars was performed over Indonesian low grade iron ore catalyst. This process is carried out in a fixed bedreactor which is equipped with preheater to convert the tars into vapor form. The reaction was studied at the temperature range of 500 - 700°C. The kinetic study of catalytic decomposition of biomass tars is represented using first order reaction. The results show that value of constant of chemical reaction is in range 0.2514 - 0.9642 cm3.gr-1.min-1 with value of the frequency factor (A) and the activation energy (E) are 48.98 min-1 and 5724.94 cal.mol-1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to develop a fixed bed gasifier model of palm waste and to identify the optimal operating conditions to produce electricity from synthesis gas. First, the gasifier was simulated using Aspen PlusTM software. Gasification is a thermo-chemical process that has long been used, but it remains a perfectible technology. It means incomplete combustion of biomass solid fuel into synthesis gas through partial oxidation. The operating parameters (temperature and equivalence ratio (ER)) were thereafter varied to investigate their effect on the synthesis gas composition and to provide guidance for future research and development efforts in process design. The equivalence ratio is defined as the ratio of the amount of air actually supplied to the gasifier and the stoichiometric amount of air. Increasing ER decreases the production of CO and H2 and increases the production of CO2 and H2O while an increase in temperature increases the fraction of CO and H2. The results show that the optimum temperature to have a syngas able to be effectively used for power generation is 900°C and the optimum equivalence ratio is 0.1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of pretreatment via acid and thermal treatment on the properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are studied using FTIR, TGA, Raman spectroscopy and TEM. Meanwhile, catalytic performances of Cu/ZnO catalysts supported on raw and treated CNTs are evaluated by CO2 hydrogenation into methanol using a fixed-bed microactivity reactor. Pretreatment of CNTs have removed caps, created defects on CNTs wall and also introduced some functional groups as confirmed by FTIR, TGA, Raman spectroscopy and TEM. However, deposition of metals into the support via incipient wetness impregnation method results in agglomeration of metal particles outside CNTs. Methanol synthesis studies (523 K, 22.5 bar) were performed and activity study revealed that catalysts supported on treated CNTs achieved CO2 conversion of 19 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of pretreatment via acid and thermal treatment on the properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are studied using FTIR, TGA, Raman spectroscopy and TEM. Meanwhile, catalytic performances of Cu/ZnO catalysts supported on raw and treated CNTs are evaluated by CO2 hydrogenation into methanol using a fixed-bed microactivity reactor. Pretreatment of CNTs have removed caps, created defects on CNTs wall and also introduced some functional groups as confirmed by FTIR, TGA, Raman spectroscopy and TEM. However, deposition of metals into the support via incipient wetness impregnation method results in agglomeration of metal particles outside CNTs. Methanol synthesis studies (523 K, 22.5 bar) were performed and activity study revealed that catalysts supported on treated CNTs achieved CO2 conversion of 19%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of Cu:Zn ratio on the catalytic performance of synthesized SBA-15 supported Cu/ZnO-based (CZS) catalyst for the hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol was investigated in a fixed bed reactor. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized CZS catalyst in terms of textural properties, morphological and reducibility are presented. Methanol productivity was found to be influenced by the ratio of Cu and Zn in the catalyst formulation. Methanol selectivity of 92.1% and CO2 conversion of 14.2% was achieved over CZS catalyst with active metal ratio of 70% Cu:30% Zn in CO2 hydrogenation reaction performed at 250oC, 2.25 MPa, and H2/CO2 ratio of 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the influence of biomass gasification on the condition of the refractory lining of a fixed bed reactor. The refractory lining of the gasifier is one part of the device, which significantly affects the operational reliability and durability. After removing the refractory lining of the gasifier from the experimental reactor, there was done an assessment how gasification of different kinds of biomass reflected on its condition in terms of the main factors affecting its life. Gasification of biomass is reflected on the lining, especially through sticking at the bottom of the reactor. Measures for prolonging the life of lining consist in the reduction of temperature in the reactor, in this case, in order to avoid ash fusion biomass which it is difficult for this type of gasifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low grade iron ore can be used as an alternative catalyst for bio-tar decomposition. Compared to other catalysts, such as Ni, Rd, Ru, Pd and Pt, iron ore is cheaper. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of using low grade iron ore as catalyst for tar catalytic decomposition in fixed bed reactor. Tar used in this experiment was pyrolysis product of wood waste while the catalyst was Indonesian low grade iron ore. The variables studied were temperatures between 500 - 600 °C and catalyst weight between 0 - 40 gram. The first step, tar was evaporated at 450 °C to produce tar vapor. Then, tar vapor was flowed to fixed bed reactor filled low grade iron ore. Gas and tar vapor from reactor was cooled, then the liquid and uncondensable gas were analyzed by GC/MS. The catalyst, after experiment, was weighed to calculate total carbon deposited into catalyst pores. The results showed that the tar components that were heavy and light hydrocarbon were decomposed and cracked within the iron ore pores to from gases, light hydrocarbon (bio-oil) and carbon, thus decreasing content tar in bio-oil and increasing the total gas product. In conclusion, the more low grade iron ore used as catalyst, the tar content in the liquid decrease, the H2 productivity increased and calorimetric value of bio-oil increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanotubes were produced by chemical vapor deposition method to meet the specifications for hydrogen storage. So far, the various catalyst had been studied outlining their activities, performances, and efficiencies. In this work, tri-metallic catalyst consist of Fe-Co-Mo supported on MgO was used. The catalyst was prepared by wet-impregnation method. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) was used as carbon source. The synthesis was conducted in atmospheric fixed bed reactor at reaction temperature range 750 - 850 oC for 30 minutes. The impregnation method applied in this study successfully deposed metal component on the MgO support surface. It found that the deposited metal components might partially replace Mg(OH)2 or MgO molecules in their crystal lattice. Compare to the original MgO powder; it was significant increases in pore volume and surface area has occurred during catalyst preparation stages. The size of obtained carbon nanotubes is ranging from about 10.83 nm OD/4.09 nm ID up to 21.84 nm OD/6.51 nm ID, which means that multiwall carbon nanotubes were formed during the synthesis. Yield as much as 2.35 g.CNT/g.catalyst was obtained during 30 minutes synthesis and correspond to carbon nanotubes is 181.13 m²/g and around 50% of which is contributed by mesopores. Micropore with half pore width less than 1 nm contribute about 10% volume of total micro and mesopores volume of the carbon nanotubes. The existence of these micropores is very important to increase the hydrogen storage capacity of the carbon nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fixed bed gasification is a simple and suitable technology for small scale power generation. One of the disadvantages of this technology is producing tar. So far, tar is not utilized yet and being waste that should be treated into a more useful product. This paper presents a thermodynamic analysis of tar conversion into gas producer through non-catalytic auto-thermal reforming technology. Tar was converted into components, C, H, O, N and S, and then reacted with oxidant such as mixture of air or pure oxygen. Thus, this reaction occurred auto-thermally and reached chemical equilibrium. The sensitivity analysis resulted that the most promising process performance occurred at flow rate of air was reached 43% of stoichiometry while temperature of process is 1100°C, the addition of pure oxygen is 40% and preheating of oxidant flow is 250°C. The yield of the most promising process performance between 11.15-11.17 kmol/h and cold gas efficiency was between 73.8-73.9%.The results of this study indicated that thermodynamically the conversion of tar into producer gas through non-catalytic auto-thermal reformingis more promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrolysis of empty fruit bunches (EFB) was performed in a fixed bed reactor equipped with liquid collecting system. Pyrolysis process was conducted by varying the terminal pyrolysis temperature from 300 to 500OC under heating rate of 10OC/min for at least 2 hours. Char yield was obtained highest at 300OC around 55.88 wt%, and started to decrease as temperature increase. The maximum yield of pyrolysis liquid was obtained around 54.75 wt% as pyrolysis temperature reach 450OC. For gas yield percentage, the yield gained as temperature was increased from 300 to 500OC, within the range between 8.44 to 19.32 wt%. The char obtained at 400OC has great potential as an alternative solid fuel, due to its high heating value of 23.37 MJ/kg, low in volatile matter and ash content which are approximately around 40.32 and 11.12 wt%, respectively. The collected pyrolysis liquid within this temperature range found to have high water content of around 16.15 to 18.20 wt%. The high aqueous fraction seemed to cause the pyrolysis liquid to have low HHV which only ranging from 10.81 to 12.94 MJ/kg. These trends of results showed that necessary enhancement should be employ either on the raw biomass or pyrolysis products in order to approach at least the minimum quality of common hydrocarbon solid or liquid fuel. For energy production, both produced biochar and pyrolysis liquid are considered as sustainable sources of bio-energy since they contained low amounts of nitrogen and sulphur, which are considered as environmental friendly solid and liquid fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear fuel breeding based on the capability of fuel conversion capability can be achieved by convertion rasio of some fertile materials into fissile materials during nuclear reaction processes such as main fissile materials of U-233, U-235, Pu-239 and Pu-241 and for fertile materials of Th-232, U-238, and Pu-240 as well as Pu-238. Minor actinide (MA) loading option which consists of neptunium, americium and curium will gives some additional contribution from converted MA into plutonium such as conversion Np-237 into Pu-238 and it's produced Pu-238 converts to Pu-239 via neutron capture. Increasing composition of Pu-238 can be used to produce fissile material of Pu-239 as additional contribution. Trans-uranium (TRU) fuel (Mixed fuel loading of MOX (U-Pu) and MA composition) and mixed oxide (MOX) fuel compositions are analyzed for comparative analysis in order to show the effect of MA to the plutonium productions in core in term of reactor criticality condition and fuel breeding capability. In the present study, neptunium (Np) nuclide is used as a representative of MAin trans-uranium (TRU) fuel composition as Np-MOX fuel type. It was loaded into the core region gives significant contribution to reduce the excess reactivity in comparing to mixed oxide (MOX) fuel and in the same time it contributes to increase nuclear fuel breeding capability of the reactor. Neptunium fuel loding scheme in FBR core region gives significant production of Pu-238 as fertile material to absorp neutrons for reducing excess reactivity and additional contribution for fuel breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of crude palm oil from the processing of palm fresh fruit bunches in the palm oil mills in Malaysia hs resulted in a huge quantity of empty fruit bunch (EFB) accumulated. The EFB was used as a feedstock in the pyrolysis process using a fixed-bed reactor in the present study. The optimization of process parameters such as pyrolysis temperature (factor A), biomass particle size (factor B) and holding time (factor C) were investigated through Central Composite Design (CCD) using Stat-Ease Design Expert software version 7 with bio-oil yield considered as the response. Twenty experimental runs were conducted. The results were completely analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The model was statistically significant. All factors studied were significant with p-values < 0.05. The pyrolysis temperature (factor A) was considered as the most significant parameter because its F-value of 116.29 was the highest. The value of R² was 0.9564 which indicated that the selected factors and its levels showed high correlation to the production of bio-oil from EFB pyrolysis process. A quadratic model equation was developed and employed to predict the highest theoretical bio-oil yield. The maximum bio-oil yield of 46.2 % was achieved at pyrolysis temperature of 442.15 °C using the EFB particle size of 866 µm which corresponded to the EFB particle size in the range of 710-1000 µm and holding time of 483 seconds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]