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Biomass pyrolysis tar (BPT) with a higher heating value of 24.23 MJ/kg was used as raw feed for the catalytic gas-phase deoxygenation (GDO) process using Hβ zeolite loaded with different amounts of active elements (Ce, La, and Nd). Acetone molecule was chosen as a model compound to test the activity of pure Hβ zeolite, 1 wt% Ce/Hβ zeolite, 5 wt% Ce/Hβ zeolite, 1 wt% La/Hβ zeolite, 5 wt% La/Hβ zeolite, 1 wt% Nd/Hβ zeolite, and 5 wt% Nd/Hβ zeolite at 400 °C and process time of 3 h. BPT characterization showed a wide range of oxygenated compounds with the main components including water: 0.71%, furfural: 5.85%, 4-ethylguaiacol: 2.14%, phenol: 13.63%, methylethyl ketone: 5.34%, cyclohexanone: 3.23%, isopropanol: 4.78%, ethanol: 3.67%, methanol: 3.13%, acetic acid: 41.06%, and acetone: 16.46%. BPT conversion using 1 wt% Ce/Hβ zeolite catalyst showed the highest values of degree of deoxygenation (DOD) (68%) and conversion (16% for phenol, 88% for acetic acid, and 38% for 4-ethlyguaiacol). Yields of water, liquid phase, and gas phase in the GDO reaction using 1%Ce/Hβ zeolite were 18.33%, 47.42%, and 34.25%, respectively. Alkyl-substituted phenols and aromatic hydrocarbons achieved the highest yields of 37.34% and 35.56%, respectively. The main interaction pathways for BPT-GDO are also proposed.

Novel corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic in the last 4 months stimulates the international scientific community to search for vaccine of antiviral agents suitable for in activating the virus inside and outside the human body. More than 4 million people globally are infected by the virus and about 300,000 dead cases until this moment. The ventilation and airborne filters are also investigated aiming to develop an efficient antiviral filtration technology. Human secretion of the infected person as nasal or saliva droplets goes as airborne and distributes the virus everywhere around the person. N95 and N98 filters are the must use filters for capturing particles of sizes around 300 nm. The average size of the novel corona virus (COVID-19) is 100 nm and there is no standard or special filter suitable for this virus. The nanoparticle-coated airborne filter is a suitable technique in this regard. While the efficiency of this type of filters still needs to be enhanced, new developed nanofiber filters are proposed. Most recently, the charged nanofiber filters of sizes below 100 nm are developed and provide an efficient viral filtration and inactivation. The efficiency of filter must be kept at accepted level without increasing the pressure drop. The present review outlines the most efficient antiviral nanoparticles including the recent functional nanoparticles. The filtration theory, filtration modeling, filter testing, and different types of filter with special concentration on the charged nanofiber filter were discussed. The charged nanofiber filter able to capture novel corona virus (COVID-19) with 94% efficiency and a pressure drop less than 20 MPa.

Increasing demand for fossil fuels and the resulting emissions for it have become an interesting research topic for biofuel production from renewable natural resources aimed at development and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this research, algae was used as a biological source for the production of biofuels because it has many advantages, represented by its high oil content, which may reach 50% of the dry cell weight, it does not need arable land, it can grow even in salt water. A Cladophora glomerata alga was used and extraction oil from biomass with the help of methanol solvent was using a Soxhlet device. The produced oil was being tested by Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) as well as by thermal analysis and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). After that the resulting oil was used through the process of deoxygenation using a high pressure reactor with a heterogeneous catalyst prepared from natural sources. Recent studies have shown that these catalysts have high performance compared to other catalysts as well as low cost, because they can be obtained from natural sources that are abundantly available. Heterogeneous catalysts were produced in this paper from chicken eggshells by calcining them at high temperatures to obtain calcium oxide (CaO) and these catalysts were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Analysis of Infrared Spectrum (FTIR) and Brunauer Emmet surface area. -Teller (BET). Ultimately, fuel properties similar to those of mineral diesel are obtained. Represented by Flash point 49, Cetane number 39, Cloud point 7, Calorific value 41 and acid value 0.374.

Microalgae is one of the most important sources of green hydrocarbons and it is likely to reduce dependence on fossil fuels due to the high percentage fats of microalgae, and also has a rapid growth rate and consumes the carbon dioxide in large quantities. Besides, the cultivation of microalgae does not require arable land. This short review aims to explain the suitability of microalgae as a biofuel source depending on the content of lipids, and catalytic chemical processes to convert the crude oil of microalgae into biofuels by using different types of modified HZSM-5 zeolites. Also, this review sheds light on the different methods to modify HZSM-5 zeolite toward enhancing the selectivity of cracking and deoxygenation processes by using modified HZSM-5 zeolite with rare earth metals.

Al-Dalmaj Marsh is considered one of the important brackish water body in Iraq as it has a huge fish wealth in addition to the possibility of investment in the place for tourism due to the presence of many archeological and historical sites nearby the Al-Dalmaj Marsh such as the ancient city of Nippur that demand to monitor the water quality of Al-Dalmaj Marsh and assure to be clean and pollution-free all the time. The physicochemical properties of Al-Dalmaj Marsh water (Temperature, pH, Conductivity, and Dissolved oxygen) were changed from October 2019 to October 2020 due to the decrease in the water level. The present study showed that the water body of the Al-Dalmaj Marsh has microplastics pollution in a ratio reached to 2.6% especially in the south and east sites of the study (S1, S2, S6, S7, S8). Moreover, different types of microplastics (MPs) were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy in the collected samples from the eight sites and it is found that the transparent Polyethylene (PE) is the most abundant MPs. MPs concentrations in the collected samples were changed from (1.9 x103- 2.8 x103) in October 2019 to (2.8 x103-3.6 x103) items/km2 in October 2020. The growth and chlorophyll content of the Spirulina platensis microalgae showed a clear decrease by adding the different types of MPs and PVC showed the most adverse effect on these two parameters. Besides, Spirulina p. showed great potential to uptake and aggregate MPs particles from the culturing media and work as a bioremediation agent.

Ethyl acetate as acyl accepter have been used for sewage sludge biodiesel production in micro packed bed reactor. Lipase acrylic resin enzyme activity was investigated in the interesterification reaction of converting the sewage sludge into a biodiesel product. The main parameters affecting the process was adjusted via the design of Box-Behnken and approach of response surface then the optimum conditions were as follow (reaction time=15 h, ethyl acetate/oil ratio=24:1, temperature=40 °C and enzyme quantity=18 wt%) providing 95.78 % biodiesel yield. The lipase acrylic resin was examined under the optimum conditions for the reusability. the flow effect and the heating process of the micro packed bed reactor was investigated. The product biodiesel physicochemical properties were evaluated according to the ASTM D-6751-2 and found acceptable comparable to the mineral diesel properties.

Reuse of waste such as eggshells and animal bones as a catalyst to convert waste cooking oil into biodiesel fuel was investigated. A mixture of bone and eggshell waste (50:50) was used as a catalyst for biodiesel production from waste cooking oil. Different calcination temperatures have been investigated for the catalyst and the highest production of biodiesel was found at 900°C. The experimental results showed that a methanol/oil ratio of 15:1, a mixture of bone and eggshell catalyst (900°C, 2 h) of 12 wt.%, a reaction temperature of 60°C gave a biodiesel yield of 94% at 4 h. The effects of calcination temperature and catalyst leaching were examined. The catalysts were characterized by x-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry.

The micro-reactor device was fabricated from Teflon and tested as a tool for biodiesel synthesis process from micro algae using Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid catalyst. The variables influenceing on the biodiesel yield were optimized. The maximum yield of biodiesel of 99% was obtained at the reaction conditions of (temperature: 373.15 K, residence time: 20 min, methanol/oil ratio: 20, co-solvent amount: 30 wt% and catalyst amount: 11wt%). The influence of water content also investigated and recommended to be less than 0.5 wt %. The acid value also reduced to a value of less than 0.5 % at the optimum reaction condition. DBSA was found highly active catalyst for the esterification and transesterification reaction in the micro – reactor device. Biodiesel was produced in microreactor device at a small residence time (20 min) compared to the very long time consumed by the conventional batch process. Isopropanol was used as a co-solvent in the process and showed highly active in the biodiesel production.

A specially designed microreactor device was used for the testing the process of the production of biodiesel from sewage sludge oil using the Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid as a catalyst. The effect of co-solvent was investigated in comparison to the process of absence the co-solvent. A mixture of hexane-chloroform were used as the co-solvent in the present study. An experimental design of Box-Behnken method was used for evaluation the optimum conditions for the process. The desirability function showed that the optimum conditions for obtaining the maximum yield of biodiesel (experimental value=97.25, predicted value=97.75) were: reaction temperature (333.15 K), methanol/oil ratio (25:1), residence time (18 min), catalyst loading (7 wt%), co-solvent (16 wt %) for the microreactor system. The physicochemical properties of the sewage sludge biodiesel produced in the microreactor system showed an accepted values in accordance to the biodiesel specifications ASTM D 6751-2 and the properties of the standard diesel oil.

Reducing the cost for kg of biodiesel produced from micro-algae species is an important issue and In situ transesterification process can be the key for the reduction of the overall cost. The yield of biodiesel from microalgae biomass was compared using consecutive steps (extraction-transesterification) and In situ transesterification processes. Chlorella sp. microalgae were investigated as a biomass for biodiesel production. The Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid activity as a catalyst was tested for the two processes. DBSA catalyst accelerated the transesterification reaction, catalyzed the esterification reaction, reduced the formation of soap and had a hydrophobic structure. DBSA was verified to be a highly efficient catalyst for the Chlorella sp transesterification process. Methyl and ethyl alcohols were used in the processes. The parameters affecting on biodiesel yield and acid value for the In situ transesterification were optimized. The yield of biodiesel for the In situ transesterification process was higher than the yield for the two-step process (extraction-transesterification). The optimal conditions for the in situ transesterification process were found to be (alcohol to biomass ratio (v/w): 15, temperature: 338.15 K for methanol and 348.15 K for ethanol, catalyst ratio: 25%, reaction time: 4 h, mixing rate: 600 RPM).

Zeolite is a flexible and essential material for the climate that can be manufactured using inorganic wastes such as natural clay, fly ash, and ash of rice husk, Aviation fuel production derived environmental waste which includes the following major waste are covered in this review which are triglyceride-containing sources of biomass, Lignocellulosic sources of biomass and Starchy and Sugar sources of biomass. the different synthesis methods of Zeolite which include the Conventional methodology, Conventional Synthesis from Industrial Wastes, Synthesis in situ from Wastes of Industry, Synthesis of Industrial Wastes with the Aid of Microwaves, Synthesis of Agricultural Wastes in-Situ and, Synthesis of Agricultural Wastes with the Use of Microwaves are investigated also.

Waste cooking oil (WCO) transesterification using a catalyst of Dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid was investigated using a continuous stirred tank reactor. A techniques of surface response plus the design of centered composite were used for the optimizing the factors effecting on the process. The optimum conditions in this research were concluded as (catalyst amount: 1 wt. %; reaction time: 20 min; methanol/oil flow ratio: 4; reactor temperature: 60°C). The biodiesel obtained at the optimum conditions in the process was obtained at yield of 98.5%. The distribution of residence time was found experimentally and a dead zone of (110 cm3) was estimated in the CSTR using the compartment model. The physic-chemical properties for the biodiesel were found in agreement with the ASTM standard (D-6751-2) and the conventional diesel properties. The specific gravity value of biodiesel (0.87) was greater than that one of the diesel fuel (0.834). The calorific value was slightly lower than that one prescribed in the ASTM D-6751 specifications. The kinematic viscosity proved to be within the accepted limits of the. The flash point was found greater than the value specified in the ASTM and that for mineral diesel, which means safer. Acid value of 0.4 mg KOH/g was found accepted according to the biodiesel standard ASTM D-6751-2. Cetane value was found greater than that for mineral diesel.

Experimental investigation was done using different instruments for the testing the properties of density, surface tension and viscosity in the case of pure and mixture system at the normal temperature of 25 oC and 1 atm. Excess volume was found to exhibit negative value at a mole fraction of 0.5. The deviation in the surface tension and viscosity were found of a positive value at the mole fraction value of 0.5. The experimental excess properties were correlated using the Redlich-Kister (RK) equation and showed an accepted standard deviation. The intermolecular interaction between acetone and isopropanol was found of negligible effect and showed a weakness in the hydrogen bonding according to the FTIR spectra for the mixture of acetone and isopropanol which agreed with the positive values of excess molar volume. Moreover, the values of surface tension and viscosity deviations were found of negative values for all the mole fraction range studied.

Prigogine–Flory–Patterson (P-F-P) theory was applied for the correlation the experimental data of excess molar volume for the binary liquid mixture of DBSA-Acetone at the temperature range of (293.15-303.15 K). The three contribution terms (pressure, interaction and free volume) in the P-F-P equation were compared with the total effect of P-F-P equation. A positive excess molar volume were obtained at all the range of mole fraction and at all the temperatures. The maximum value of excess molar volume was positioned at the 0.4 mole fraction. Eyring-Flory-Huggins theory was found useful in the estimation of the viscosity deviation variation with mole fraction at the same temperature range. A negative deviation was found in the viscosity for all the range of temperature and mole fraction. The maximum deviation in the viscosity was found at the mole fraction of 0.4. The increase in the negative deviation values with temperature was interpreted as a result of the decrease in the attractive forces between the like molecules.Chemical Engineering Research Bulletin 20(2018) 30-35

Heterogeneous catalysts were developed from goat animal bones for biodiesel production via transesterification process. Desirable feedstock like peanut and rapeseed oils were chosen as raw material for the transesterification process. The bone catalysts calcined at 900 °C shows low crystallite size (41.47434 nm) and higher surface area (90.6523 m²/g) compared to catalysts calcined at other temperatures. The maximum biodiesel yield of 94 % for peanut oil and 96 % for rapeseed oil were obtained at 20:1 molar ratio of methanol to oil, addition of 18 wt% of bone catalyst (calcined at 900 °C, 2 h), 60 °C reaction temperature and reaction time of 4 h. The fuel properties of biodiesel produced were compared with ASTM standards for biodiesel. Reusability of the catalyst was also tested.