Bio-oil production and removal of organic load by microalga Scenedesmus sp. using culture medium contaminated with different sugars, cheese whey and whey permeate.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the bio-oil production and the organic load removal using the microalga Scenedesmus sp. The cultivation was carried out in reactors with a total volume of 3 L and 0.7 vvm aeration, with illumination in photoperiods of 12 h light/12 h dark for 12 days. The following sugar concentrations were tested: 2.5, 5.0 and 10 g/L of glucose, lactose, fructose and galactose with 10% inoculum volume. After experiments were performed with cheese whey in natura and cheese whey permeate with different lactose concentrations (1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 5.0 g/L). In these experiments the inoculum concentrations were 10, 15, 20 and 30% (v/v). The results showed that this microalga was effective for the production of lipids when it was cultivated in medium with cheese whey in natura with 2.5 g/L of lactose and 20% inoculum (v/v). Using cheese whey in natura at the concentration of 3.5 g/L of lactose and 30% (v/v) of inoculum obtained 77.9% of TOC removal and 38.447 mg of TOC removed/mg oil produced. It was also observed that when there is increased production of bio-oil, there is less removal of organic matter. The addition of glucose, fructose or galactose in the medium did not enhance the production of bio-oil by Scenedesmus sp. when compared to lactose, but increased the organic matter removal.

Design expert based optimization of the pyrolysis process for the production of cattle dung bio-oil and properties characterization.

This study aimed to optimize pyrolysis conditions to maximize bio-oil yield from cattle dung, a waste product of livestock practices. Pyrolysis of cattle dung was carried out in batch type reactor. The pyrolysis process was optimized using a central composite design in response surface methodology, with conversion parameters such as pyrolysis temperature, vapor cooling temperature, residence time, and gas flow rate taken into account. The cattle dung bio-oil was analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), an elemental analyzer, a pH probe, and a bomb calorimeter. Furthermore, the ASTM standard procedures were used to determine the bio-fuel characteristics. The optimized conditions were found to be a pyrolysis temperature of 402 °C, a vapor cooling temperature of 2.25 °C, a residence time of 30.72 min, and a gas flow rate of 1.81 l min-1, resulting in a maximum bio-oil yield of 18.9%. According to the findings, the yield of bio-oil was predominantly affected by pyrolysis temperature and vapor cooling temperature. Moreover, the bio-oil that was retrieved was discovered to be similar to conventional liquid fuels in numerous ways.

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of pine sawdust: Process modelling, performance optimization and economic evaluation for bioenergy recovery.

This study aims at optimizing the process conditions to extract maximum yields of bio-oil from pine sawdust using microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP). Aspen Plus® V11 was used to model the thermochemical conversion of pine sawdust to pyrolysis products, and response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite design (CCD) was employed in the optimization of the process parameters. The mutual effects of pyrolysis temperature and reactor pressure on the product distribution were investigated. The findings have shown that the optimal operating conditions for producing the highest amount of bio-oil (65.8 wt%) were achieved at 550 °C and 1 atm. The product distribution of the simulated model was more significantly influenced by linear and quadratic terms of the reaction temperature. In addition, a high determination coefficient (R2 = 0.9883) was obtained for the developed quadratic model. A set of three published experimental results acquired under circumstances comparable to the simulations' operating limitations were used to further validate the simulation results. The process's economic viability was assessed in order to establish the bio-oil minimum selling price (MSP). A MSP of $1.14/L of liquid bio-oil was evaluated. An economic sensitivity analysis has shown that the annual fuel yield, required rate of return, annual income tax, annual operating costs and initial capital investment have a substantial impact on the MSP of bio-oil. It was inferred that using the optimized process parameters may improve the process' competitiveness on an industrial scale due to its better product yields and improved sustainability in biorefineries, as well as assure waste reduction.

Facile acid fermentation extraction of silkworm pupae oil and evaluation of its physical and chemical properties for utilization as edible oil.

Considering the increasing demand for edible oil in recent times, their price in the world market is becoming skyrocketing. In this research, we produced cost-effective edible oil from desilked silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori) applying a facile acid fermentation process, for the first time. The extraction was performed using two different types of organic acids, 3% of each acetic and citric acid. The yield of the extracted oil was 3.52 ± 0.23% from fresh silkworm pupae. The produced oil was then characterized physically and chemically to know its suitability to be used as edible oil. The oil was found with a low peroxide and acid value of 4.82 meq/kg and 1.35 mg KOH/g oil, respectively, and comprised of different fatty acids, in which palmitic acid (32.04%) and oleic acid (34.62%) were in large portions among the total fatty acids. Additionally, the extracted oil included linoleic, α-linolenic, and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid which have health benefits. The oil was rich with minerals such as Iron, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, and Phosphorus with a negligible concentration of toxic elements such as Manganese, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper, Lead, Cadmium, Chromium, Arsenic, and Silver, indicating a good nutritive value of the extracted oil. Overall, the outcomes of all the characterizations showed that the extracted oil could be used as good edible oil and the corresponding acid fermentation extraction process has the potential to be used as an effective oil extraction method for silkworm pupae.

Physicochemical analysis and intermediate pyrolysis of Bambara Groundnut Shell (BGS), Sweet Sorghum Stalk (SSS), and Shea Nutshell (SNS).

ABSTRACTThe current work focused on the intermediate pyrolysis of Bambara Groundnut Shells (BGS-G1), Sweet Sorghum Stalk (SSS), and Shea Nutshells (SNS). These feedstocks are readily available as wastes or by-products from industrial and agricultural activities. The thermo-gravimetric analysis of the biomass samples exhibited decomposition and devolatilization potentials in the temperature range of 110-650°C. The kinetic modelling resulted in the activation energy of BGS G1 being the lowest as 20.43 kJ/mol and SNS as the highest 24.89 kJ/mol among the three biomass samples. Intermediate pyrolysis was conducted in a vertical tube reactor at a temperature of 600°C, with nitrogen flow at 10 ml/min and heating rate ≥ 33.0℃/min. The yield of pyrolysis bio-oil was 38.0 ± 6.4, 44.2 ± 6, and 39.7 ± 5.2 wt.% for BGS-G1, SSS, and SNS, respectively. The HHV of bio-oil varied as 23.7 ± 1.8, 23.8 ± 1.8, to 26.5 ± 2.0 MJ/kg for BGS-G1 SSS and SNS respectively. The biochar recorded the lowest HHV for BGS-G1 as 18.8 ± 1.2 MJ/kg and the highest for SNS as 26.4 ± 1.8 MJ/kg. The FTIR of bio-oil revealed significant functional groups, and GC-MS (Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry) analysis categorized the compounds in bio-oils as ketones, furans, phenolics, acids, phenols and benzene derivatives. The physicochemical analysis of the feedstocks and the products (bio-oil and biochar) showed their potential for bioenergy and biochemical (green chemicals) production.

Hydrothermal liquefaction of lignocellulose for value-added products: Mechanism, parameter and production application.

Abundant, environmentally friendly, and sustainable lignocellulose is a promising feedstock for replacing fossil fuels, and hydrothermal liquefaction is an effective technology to convert it into liquid fuels and high-value chemicals. This review summarizes and discusses the reaction mechanism, main influence factor and the production application of hydrothermal liquefaction. Particular attention has been paid to the reaction mechanism of the structural components of lignocellulose, i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. In addition, the influence factors including types of lignocellulose, temperature, heating rate, retention time, pressure, solid-to-liquid ratio, and catalyst are discussed in detail. The limitations in the hydrothermal liquefaction of lignocellulose and the prospects are proposed. This provides deep knowledge for understanding the process as well as the development of advanced products from lignocellulose.

Improving hydrocarbon yield from catalytic fast co-pyrolysis of hemicellulose and plastic in the dual-catalyst bed of CaO and HZSM-5.

The high concentration of oxygenated compounds in pyrolytic products prohibits the conversion of hemicellulose to important biofuels and chemicals via fast pyrolysis. Herein a dual-catalyst bed of CaO and HZSM-5 was developed to convert acids in the pyrolytic products of xylan to valuable hydrocarbons. Meanwhile, LLDPE was co-pyrolyzed with xylan to supplement hydrogen during the catalysis of HZSM-5. The results showed that CaO could effectively transform acids into ketones. A minimum yield of acids (2.74%) and a maximum yield of ketones (42.93%) were obtained at a catalyst to feedstock ratio of 2:1. The dual-catalyst bed dramatically increased the yield of aromatics. Moreover, hydrogen-rich fragments derived from LLDPE promoted the Diels-Alder reactions of furans and participated in the hydrocarbon pool reactions of non-furanic compounds. As a result, a higher yield of hydrocarbons was achieved. This study provides a fundamental for recovering energy and chemicals from pyrolysis of hemicellulose.

Hydrothermal liquefaction of agricultural and forestry wastes: state-of-the-art review and future prospects.

Hydrothermal liquefaction has been widely applied to obtain bioenergy and high-value chemicals from biomass in the presence of a solvent at moderate to high temperature (200-550°C) and pressure (5-25MPa). This article summarizes and discusses the conversion of agricultural and forestry wastes by hydrothermal liquefaction. The history and development of hydrothermal liquefaction technology for lignocellulosic biomass are briefly introduced. The research status in hydrothermal liquefaction of agricultural and forestry wastes is critically reviewed, particularly for the effects of liquefaction conditions on bio-oil yield and the decomposition mechanisms of main components in biomass. The limitations of hydrothermal liquefaction of agricultural and forestry wastes are discussed, and future research priorities are proposed.

Effects of feedstock characteristics on microwave-assisted pyrolysis - A review.

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis is an important approach to obtain bio-oil from biomass. Similar to conventional electrical heating pyrolysis, microwave-assisted pyrolysis is significantly affected by feedstock characteristics. However, microwave heating has its unique features which strongly depend on the physical and chemical properties of biomass feedstock. In this review, the relationships among heating, bio-oil yield, and feedstock particle size, moisture content, inorganics, and organics in microwave-assisted pyrolysis are discussed and compared with those in conventional electrical heating pyrolysis. The quantitative analysis of data reported in the literature showed a strong contrast between the conventional processes and microwave based processes. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis is a relatively new process with limited research compared with conventional electrical heating pyrolysis. The lack of understanding of some observed results warrant more and in-depth fundamental research.