Tsutomu Nakazato

Production of biodiesel fuel from canola oil with dimethyl carbonate using an active sodium methoxide catalyst prepared by crystallization.

In this study, a novel method for the production of biodiesel under mild conditions using fine particles of sodium methoxide formed in dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is proposed. Biodiesel is generally produced from vegetable oils by the transesterification of triglycerides with methanol. However, this reaction produces glycerol as a byproduct, and raw materials are not effectively utilized. Transesterification with DMC has recently been studied because glycerol is not formed in the process. Although solid-state sodium methoxide has been reported to be inactive for this reaction, the catalytic activity dramatically increased with the preparation of fine catalyst powders by crystallization. The transesterification of canola oil with DMC was studied using this catalyst for the preparation of biodiesel. A conversion greater than 96% was obtained at 65°C for 2h with a 3:1M ratio of DMC and oil and 2.0 wt% catalyst.

Time-Series Analysis for Kinetic Interpretation of Catalytic Cracking of 1-Octene with a Model Involving Dominant Reactions

A time-series analysis of dominant reactions is proposed for kinetic interpretation of catalytic cracking of an olefin hydrocarbon with carbon number C8. The analysis considered four dominant reaction groups: cracking, skeletal isomerization, cyclization and hydrogen transfer. The kinetic parameters of normal, mono-, di-and tri-branched hydrocarbons as well as naphthenes were determined so as to follow the tendency of the experimental data. The analysis revealed that the reaction rate of isomer cracking was faster than that of linear hydrocarbon one, suggesting that the cracking product was produced dominantly via isomerization rather than direct cracking of linear hydrocarbons. These results implied that the conditions suitable for suppressing over-cracking and prevailing skeletal isomerization lie in the range of lower temperature.

Preparation of Hematite by Drip Thermal Oxidation Using a Fluidized Bed for Conversion to Electromagnetic-Wave-Absorptive Magnetite

Electromagnetic wave absorbing properties in GHz region were investigated for magnetite prepared by hydrogen reduction of hematite, which was synthesized via drip thermal oxidation using a fluidized bed. The magnetite powder product showed better absorption ability when the precursor hematite was prepared at a higher bed temperature, which also induced an improvement in morphology. This morphological enhancement is believed to result from the rapid thermal oxidation treatment of the hematite powder in the bed along with an accelerated evaporation of aqueous FeCl2 solution.

Preparation of the Catalyst for Methanol Steam Reforming from Cr–Zr Amorphous Alloys

Amorphous Cu–Zr metallic alloys were studied as precursors to catalysts for methanol steam reforming to produce hydrogen. The alloy ribbons were prepared by single-roll rapid solidification, and the optimum pretreatment method and conditions were determined. The activity of the catalysts prepared by the improved pretreatment method was greater than that of previously prepared catalysts by two degrees of magnitude. The addition of a very small amount of Pt enhanced the activity without increasing CO formation.