Extraction of Moringa Oliefera seed oil using Solid state fermentation and Enzyme-Assisted three phase partitioning

The increased awareness of the nutritional value of moringa seed oil has engendered the need for increase in the yield of moringa seed oil. This study was carried out using different seed conditions (whole dehulled, crushed dehulled and undehulled), solid state fermentation using Pectinase, alpha-amylase and Aspergillus niger. The extraction of oil from the fermented was done using three phase partitioning at different temperatures of 28⁰C,40⁰C and 60⁰C. The crushed seed had the maximum yield of 3.5% on the seventh day using Aspergillus niger. For the undehulled seeds and had it highest yield on 3.35% was on the fifteenth day using alpha-amylase. Pectinase had no effect on the partial yield of whole seeds, little effect on crushed seeds with partial yield value of 0.4% and it had a significant partial yield value of 1.4% on undehulled seeds on the 15th day

MODELLING AND SIMULATION OF INDUSTRIAL FLUID CATALYTIC CRACKING UNIT USING DIFFERENT KINETICS OF HEAVY OIL CONVERSION

There is a constant increase in the demand for petroleum products including gasoline due to the increasing population and advances in technology. The Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) has played a major role in gasoline production, which has made it an important area of research. This study presents the simulation of FCCU using a modified five-lump kinetic model for the description of the catalytic cracking of heavy oil (HO) into light cycle oil (LCO), gasoline (GA), light gas (LG) and coke (CK) using Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company's (KRPC) FCCU as a case study. The cracking of HO in the riser-reactor was simulated as instantaneous vapourisation with a quasi-steady-state dynamic. The heat transfer resistance considered negligible in past works, was accounted for based on the temperature difference between the catalyst and gas. The mass transfer resistance was taken into cognisance in the continuity equation of the riser-reactor. A thorough description of the hydrodynamic model, momentum and energy balances, was presented with the former comprising the hydrostatic head of the catalyst, the solid acceleration, solid and gas frictions in the riser reactor, as against the general norm in the literature. The resulting stiff ODEs were solved numerically using the MATLAB-R2019a bulti-in routine, ode23tb, to determine salient process variables investigated. Sensitivity analyses were carried out to determine optimal conditions considering the change in catalyst-to-oil ratio (COR) and catalyst temperature ( cat T ) using MINITAB-2017. The separator and regenerator were modelled inclusive of the dense and dilute beds of the regenerator. KRPC data was used to validate the simulated results, which gave the yields as HO-17.85%, LCO-14.95%, GA-50%, LG-16.73% and CK-5.13%, with %error of < ±3 for HO, LCO, GA, and CK, while it gave 6.43% for LG. The best-optimised condition was given at COR=3.35 and cat T =900K. At this condition, the yield of GA, the premium product, was 56.78%. Catalyst deactivation from this study was not by coking activity alone but also due to adsorption characteristics of asphaltenes, resins, aromatics, and basic nitrogen. Catalyst activity is indirectly proportional to coke deposited. The separator model shows that energy was not lost as the outlet temperature of 786.85K was similar to the inlet temperature. The mass flow rate of CO and CO2 at the entry point was zero but exited the dense bed after the combustion of coke to CO and CO2 at 0.0345 kg/s and 0.165863 kg/s respectively. CO was further reduced in the dilute bed to 0.0344891 kg/s, and CO2 increased to 0.1658642 kg/s. The temperature obtained from the simulation of the dilute bed is 926K which agrees well with the industrial data of 924K, %error being 0.002. This model can be adopted in improving the yield of gasoline and used for higher lumps if needed. It is suggested that the height of the reactor could be reduced to 12.75 m as more than 86% of cracked products would have been obtained to reduce both capital and operational costs. The results obtained from the regenerator dense bed confirms efficiency of combustion in the reactor

Numerical approximation of second-order boundary value problems via hybrid boundary value method

Hybrid Boundary Value Method (HyBVM) is a new scheme, which is based on Linear Multistep Method (LMM). The HyBVM is the hybrid version of the Boundary Value Methods (BVMs) which are methods derived to overcome the limitations of the LMMs. This new scheme shares the same characteristic with the Runge Kutta method as data are utilized at off-step points. In this work, we apply this method to two second order Boundary Value Problems (BVPs) with mixed boundary conditions and the results are efficient when compared to other BVMs in literature

Optimization of Phenolic Based De-Emulsifiers

The de-emulsification of a Nigerian crude oil emulsion has been investigated using locally formulated base and acid catalyzed phenol formaldehyde resins with varied formaldehyde to phenol molar ratios. The bottle test method was used for the screening process and the best de-emulsifier was chosen based on the largest volume of water removed from the crude oil emulsion. The screening process was done at temperatures of 50 and 70°C and de-emulsifier concentrations of 20 and 50 part per million (ppm), respectively. A factorial design was done to determine the best combination of de-emulsification conditions for optimal performance. The results were optimized and analyzed using software called Minitab 16 utilizing pareto chart, normal effects, main effects and interactions plots. From the analysis, it was found that the optimum set of conditions for best performance of the resole de-emulsifier were 50 ppm, 70°C and 1.8:1 concentration, screening temperature and formaldehyde to phenol molar ratio, respectively. While for novolak de-emulsifiers, they were 50 ppm, 70°C and 0.1:1. Increasing temperature and concentrations were found to enhance de-emulsification performance with all the resole and novolak de-emulsifiers

Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from plantain peel and coconut shell using biological activators

A concern over the toxicity of chemicals used during the activation stage in the preparation of activated carbon is beginning to gain attention. The study therefore looked into the possibility of using bio-activators (lemon juice and potash leached from the peel of unripe plantain) as activating chemicals, for environmentally friendly activated carbon. Coconut shell and the peel from unripe plantain were used as feedstock and pyrolyzed at 400 and 450 0c. An impregnation ratio of 0.25:1 was used while laboratory grade potassium hydroxide was used as a base activating agent as a control setup. Characterization of the activated carbon was carried out using parameters like bulk density and yield which were obtained using standard procedures. Results showed that activating carbon using bio-activators as activating agents had very good characteristics when compared with the control. Bio-activators are therefore recommended for the production of bio based activated carbon especially in the fields of medicine, food and pharmaceuticals. The effect of carbonization temperature on adsorption efficiency and pore structure were investigated using methylene blue as adsorbate and SEM respectively

Demulsification of a Nigerian crude emulsion using ethoxylated-resoles and their xylene modified blends

Demulsification is a method used to reduce or disrupt the water - crude oil emulsion system without uttering the initial composition of the crude oil. This process is done by the introduction of chemicals called demulsifiers, which break the emulsion into aqueous and organic phases. In this study, the demulsifier formulated was the base-catalyzed phenolformaldehyde resin known as the resoles, with the ratios of phenol to formaldehyde, varied between 1.0:1.2 and 1.0:2.0. The different samples of resoles where then ethoxylated to make them more hydrophilic using different weights (10, 15 & 20 g) of polyethylene glycol (PEG). Screening of the ethoxylated demulsifiers was done using the established bottle test procedure, at 70 °C, the concentration of 50 ppm, and 20 minutes of residence or separation time, in order to select the most effective demulsifier, based on the amount of water removed from the emulsion. The best chemical-demulsifier produced was the ethoxylated resole, which was then blended with xylene at varying percentages (0, 20, 40, 50, and 80 % weight/weight) and was further screened, using the bottle test method. From the analysis, it was obtained that the most effective ethoxylate-xylene demulsifier blend was sample DR3, and made of formaldehyde to phenol ratio of 1.8:1, 20 g of PEG 400 blended with 20 % xylene. The demulsifier gave a water separation efficiency of 85.7 %, compared with the commercial demulsifier, which yielded 72.7 %. The result indicates the practical significance of solvent modified demulsifiers for separating crude oil emulsions in the petroleum industries

Production of activated carbon from African star apple seed husks, oil seed and whole seed for wastewater treatment

a b s t r a c t African star apple seed husks, oil seed and whole seed were used for activated carbon production for the treatment and elimination of suspended and dissolved particles from industrial waste water. The activated carbon was produced using chemical activation method with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and zinc chloride (ZnCl2) as the activating agents at a carbonization temperature of 500 �C. The morphological interpretations and functional groups of the activated carbon were observed using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy respectively. Results obtained from the various pollution indicators showed an appreciably improvement on the quality of the water. The pH, temperature, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids and biological oxygen demand were determined with variation of the contact time of the activated carbons with the industrial wastewater. Seed husks of zinc chloride and Oil seed of phosphoric acid produced an activated carbon with the highest adsorptive performance for pH, temperature, Total Dissolved solids (TDS), Total suspended solids (TSS) and Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal at 7.01, 7.14; 25.1 �C, 25.0 �C; 24.20 mg/L, 21.09 mg/L; 17.64 mg/L, 15.4 mg/L and 6.28 mg/L, 4.8 mg/L respectively at 150min and yield of 75.2% and 54.3%

Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies of biosorption of zinc ions from industrial wastewater using derived composite biosorbents from walnut shell

The biosorption process of Zn (II) ions in industrial wastewater was investigated using derived composite biosorbents from walnut and snail shells. Composite adsorbents were produced by activating walnut shell carbon (WSC) with phosphoric acid to obtain acid-treated walnut shell carbon (AWSC) and WSC and AWSC were independently impregnated on chitosan to produce walnut shell carbon impregnated on chitosan (WSCC) and acid-treated walnut shell carbon impregnated on chitosan (AWSCC) respectively. The removal efficiencies of Zn (II) ions from synthetic wastewater using the prepared adsorbents were determined. The effects of operational parameters on Zn (II) ions adsorption were investigated. The adsorption data of Zn (II) ions were analysed using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms. The Langmuir isotherm fitted the adsorption data excellently for the derived composite biosorbents, giving an indication of monolayer coverage on the derived composite biosorbents and the determination coefficients were close to unity. Also, the maximum adsorption capacities of 3.1104, 3.8052, 16.4474 and 17.6991 mg/g were obtained for WSC, AWSC, WSCC and AWSCC at pH=5, 1 g of adsorbent dosage, Zn (II) ions initial concentration of 30 mg/L, contact time of 2 h, agitation speed of 150 rpm, particle size of 60 BSS and temperature of 30°C. The kinetic modelling of Zn (II) ions adsorption showed that pseudo second-order kinetic model gave the best fit amongst the investigated kinetic models. The adsorption of Zn (II) ions on the prepared adsorbents was filmdiffusion controlled. The experimental results of this study showed that acid-treated walnut shell carbon impregnated on chitosan has the potential to be applied as alternative efficient low-cost biosorbent in the remediation of heavy metal contamination in wastewater. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption of Zn (II) ions on the derived composite biosorbents was exothermic, endogonic, favourable, non-spontaneous with changes in enthalpy ( H , negative), entropy [ S , nearly zero (though negative)], and Gibbs free energy (G, positive), for all the prepared adsorbents

Modelling and simulation of an industrial RFCCU‑riser reactor for catalytic cracking of vacuum residue

A one-dimensional adiabatic mathematical model was developed for the riser reactor of an industrial residue fluid catalytic cracking unit (RFCCU). A seven-lump kinetic model was presented for the catalytic cracking of vacuum residue, taking cognisance of diffusion resistance, which is a departure from the general norm in the literature. Also, heat transfer resistance between the fluid and solid phases was incorporated into the energy balances for instantaneous and one-dimensional vaporization of feedstock. The developed model was a set of twelve coupled, highly non-linear and stiff ordinary differential equations, ODEs, which was numerically solved with an implicit MATLAB built-in solver, ode23t, designed deliberately for handling stiff differential equations to circumvent the problem of instability associated with explicit methods. An excellent agreement was achieved between the industrial RFCCU plant data and the simulated results of this study, with average absolute deviation being < ± 5% for instantaneous vaporization of feedstock in all cases investigated. Moreover, the simulated results revealed that half of the reactor was relatively redundant as this accounted for only 3% of the conversion. Hence, the findings of this study could be useful to the production practice for the Khartoum Refinery Compan

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON THE CLARIFICATION EFFICIENCY OF LIME AND MORINGA OLEIFERA ON CANE SUGAR JUICE

A comparative analysis of the clarification efficiency of lime and moringaoleifera on cane sugar juice was investigated. Moringa pods were collected and their seeds ground into powder. The seed oil was extracted using a crude method. Calcium oxide and moringaoleifera seed cake were used to effect colloid coagulation in sugarcane juice. The dosages by weight were varied. The settling time was also varied. Clarification was measured as a function of absorbance. The absorbance was measured at different wavelengths. A wavelength of 600nm was used in the results and discussion. The absorbance of the clarified sugarcane juice over a period of five hours was obtained. A cost analysis was also investigated. The results suggest that Moringaoleifera is a more efficient coagulating aid at 1g Moringa/100ml of sugarcane juice with an absorbance of 1.803 after one hour although calcium oxide (lime) is cheaper