Jane Estephane

Effect of alcohol type and amount on the total energy consumption and yield of the free fatty acids esterification reaction with simultaneous adsorptive water removal

ABSTRACT The present work investigates the energy consumption and yield of the esterification reaction of free fatty acids (waste oil pretreatment) under a simultaneous water removal by adsorption. The reaction was performed under methanol, ethanol, and 1-propanol at the optimum reaction temperature of 100°C. The higher boiling point temperature of 1-propanol reduced the energy requirement of the reaction by 36.3 and 34.4% compared to methanol and ethanol, respectively. Moreover, despite the higher reactivity associated with alcohols having lower carbon chains, the reaction yield was approximately 16.4% higher under 1-propanol than the other two alcohols. This can be ascribed to the ability to use higher amounts of 1-propanol while maintaining lower energy consumption. The results also indicated that the reaction at 100°C under methanol and ethanol had a similar energy consumption and yield, favoring the use of the renewable ethanol over the widely used nonrenewable methanol. Finally, these findings highlight the importance of investigating the energy consumption of novel oil pretreatment processes and not solely focus on their ability to convert free fatty acids to biofuel.

Dry reforming of methane over NixMg6−xAl1.8La0.2 catalysts

Two Ni_xMg_6-xAl_1.8La_0.2 (x=0,2) catalysts were synthesized via hydrotalcite route and calcined at 800°C. For comparison, a second Ni_xMg_6-xAl_1.8La_0.2(x=2) was also prepared via hydrotalcite route but with hydrothermal treatment to evaluate the difference between conventional preparation and preparation with hydrothermal treatment. Physico-chemical characterizations were conducted before and after calcination. These characterization techniques included X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR). The catalytic performance of these catalysts was also tested in the Dry Reforming of Methane (DRM). Catalytic test results of the more efficient catalyst were compared to the results of a similar NixMg_6-xAl₂ catalyst such as to evaluate the role of lanthanum doping and its impact on the catalytic activity of the catalysts. It was found that the addition of lanthanum resulted in improved catalytic activity in the DRM reaction. This improvement can be attributed to the formation of more basic sites and the presence of La₂O₃ after calcination which reduces coke formation.

Steam reforming of toluene for hydrogen production over NiMgALCe catalysts prepared via hydrotalcite route

Ni_xMg_6-xAl_1.8Ce_0.2 (with 0 ≤ x ≤ 6) mixed oxides catalysts were prepared by hydrotalcite route. All the oxides were calcined at 800°C and characterized by different physicochemical methods and their catalytic performances were tested toward steam reforming of Toluene. In the steam reforming process, reducing pretreatment is a necessary step to activate the catalyst. Ni₂Mg₄Al_1.8Ce_0.2 shows the better toluene conversion and the best performance (H₂ production) among all the catalysts.