Optimization of tgransesterification parameters in Ricinus Communis L. (castor) seed oil for biodiesel production: reaction temperature based at 70°C

The feasibility of castor seed as feedstock for optimum biodiesel production was studied. Castor oil has been a source of methyl esters with almost 90% of its fatty acid composition as ricinoleic acid. The castor oil was extracted via methanol as solvent. It was subjected to a two-step transesterification process: esterification with H2SO4 followed by NaOH-catalyzed methanolysis. The reaction times of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 hours were each subjected to the methoxide (NaOHCH3OH) concentrations of 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8M. The transesterification process proceeded with the reaction temperature controlled at 70°C. The optimum parameters at 70°C were identified at 0.7 M NaOH-CH3 and 1.0 hour based on the maximum obtained yield of 63.29% Castor Methyl Ester (CasME). The CasME was subjected to Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis for its fatty acid composition. The fuel characterization analysis conducted indicated acceptable results with respect to kinematic viscosity of 3.60 and 3.82 for B5 and B10 blends, respectively. Other properties of B10 were also determined from its acceptable value of kinematic viscosity and provided customary results based on the set values of Philippine National Standards (PNS)

Una Experiencia de trabajo cooperativo e interactivo para el apoyo, la gestión y la planificación docente

En el presente trabajo describimos el proceso organizativo de las becas de colaboración de asistentes de asignatura en las facultades de la UAB. Al no existir directrices sobre cómo distribuir/gestionar el grupo de trabajo, la facultad de Psicología generó una estructura de trabajo basada en la metodología colaborativa para potenciar las competencias de los asistentes y proporcionar un apoyo transversal a la Facultad. Después de un año de trabajo se han recogido evidencias (protocolos, recursos y herramientas) de cómo se ha realizado este soporte a la planificación y gestión docente

Synthesis and characterization of NiO nanostructures: a review

In the last decade, NiO nanostructures (NSs) have gained a growing attention from the scientific community because they are cheap, facile to produce and isolate, and they could be employed in a plethora of application ranging from photoelectrochemical device to smart window, from catalysis to sensor. Throughout this review, the most widely employed and effective synthetic techniques are summarized and their advantages and drawbacks are highlighted and compared. Almost all these synthetic pathways produce amorphous nanostructures that need to be annealed to obtain crystalline products. The quite high temperature required for this procedure is the main issue that prevents the scalability of these procedures. Throughout this review, a brief description of the main experimental techniques employed to characterize the nanostructures is provided as well. The investigated features of these materials deeply depend on the application the latter are produced for. © 2018, Springer Nature B.V