Kyung-Ran Hwang

Pd-Cu alloy membrane deposited on alumina modified porous nickel support (PNS) for hydrogen separation at high pressure

This study reports on the hydrogen permeation properties of Pd-Cu alloy membranes at high pressures. A 7 μm thick Pd-Cu alloy membrane was prepared on an alumina-modified porous nickel support (PNS) by our developed magnetron sputtering and Cu-reflow method at 700 °C for 2 hours. The membrane was mounted in a stainless steel permeation cell with a gold-plated stainless steel O-ring. Helium leak testing confirmed that the membrane and membrane module were free of defects. Permeation tests were then conducted using hydrogen at temperatures in the range from 678 to 816 K with a transmembrane pressure difference of 1–20 bars, which showed that the membrane had a hydrogen permeation flux of 1.06 mol m−2 s−1 at a temperature of 816 K and a pressure difference of 20 bars. EDX analysis was carried out after hydrogen permeation test at 816 K and showed that there was no intermetallic diffusion between the Pd-Cu layer and PNS because the alumina layer inhibited it effectively.

Recent developments and key barriers to advanced biofuels: A short review

Biofuels are regarded as one of the most viable options for reduction of CO2 emissions in the transport sector. However, conventional plant-based biofuels (e.g., biodiesel, bioethanol)s share of total transportation-fuel consumption in 2016 was very low, about 4%, due to several major limitations including shortage of raw materials, low CO2 mitigation effect, blending wall, and poor cost competitiveness. Advanced biofuels such as drop-in, microalgal, and electro biofuels, especially from inedible biomass, are considered to be a promising solution to the problem of how to cope with the growing biofuel demand. In this paper, recent developments in oxy-free hydrocarbon conversion via catalytic deoxygenation reactions, the selection of and lipid-content enhancement of oleaginous microalgae, electrochemical biofuel conversion, and the diversification of valuable products from biomass and intermediates are reviewed. The challenges and prospects for future development of eco-friendly and economically advanced biofuel production processes also are outlined herein.

Catalytic deoxygenation of waste soybean oil over hybrid catalyst for production of bio-jet fuel: in situ supply of hydrogen by aqueous-phase reforming (APR) of glycerol

A one-pot reaction was performed to produce oxygen-free saturated hydrocarbons via the catalytic deoxygenation and hydrogenation of waste soybean oil over a hybrid catalyst (Pd/C and NiO/γ-Al2O3). We utilized in situ hydrogen generated from a reforming reaction of glycerol, a byproduct of triglyceride hydrolysis, for the one-pot reaction to produce hydrocarbons. When NiO/γ-Al2O3 (2xa0g) was used along with Pd/C (1xa0g), most of the unsaturated free fatty acids (FFAs) were hydrogenated into saturated FFAs, and the percentage of desirable hydrocarbons in the liquid product increased, in contrast to the case when only Pd/C (1xa0g) was used. This result means that using a hybrid catalyst is better for promoting the catalytic deoxygenation reaction than increasing the degree of loading of Pd/C, and suggests that it should be possible to decrease the amount of precious metal catalysts to be used for deoxygenation reaction.

Critical Point Drying: An Effective Drying Method for Direct Measurement of the Surface Area of a Pretreated Cellulosic Biomass

The surface area and pore size distribution of Eucalyptus samples that were pretreated by different methods were determined by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) technique. Three methods were applied to prepare cellulosic biomass samples for the BET measurements, air, freeze, and critical point drying (CPD). The air and freeze drying caused a severe collapse of the biomass pore structures, but the CPD effectively preserved the biomass morphology. The surface area of the CPD prepared Eucalyptus samples were determined to be 58–161 m2/g, whereas the air and freeze dried samples were 0.5–1.3 and 1.0–2.4 m2/g, respectively. The average pore diameter of the CPD prepared Eucalyptus samples were 61–70 Å. The CPD preserved the Eucalyptus sample morphology by replacing water with a non-polar solvent, CO2 fluid, which prevented hydrogen bond reformation in the cellulose.

Biodiesel Production from High Free Fatty Acid Oils Using a Bifunctional Solid Catalyst

A bifunctional solid catalyst has been utilized for producing biodiesel from high free fatty acid (FFA) oils by simultaneous esterification and transesterification. Simultaneous conversion of FFA and triglycerides (TG) in the oils into fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) by catalytic action has been demonstrated. The effects of various reaction parameters including reaction time, temperature, and molar ratio of methanol to oil on the yields of FAME have been investigated and optimized. Temperature is found to be the dominant factor determining FAME yield among the various parameters examined. Further, the catalyst exhibits stable activity up to 40 consecutive runs with no intervening regeneration steps. Under optimized reaction conditions, about 80% FAME yield is obtained in a one-step process with 50% FFA oil. Catalyst in the pellet shape may be applied in commercial processes. The feasibility of using the catalyst for biodiesel production from low-cost high FFA waste fats has been successfully demonstrated.