Synthesis of non-edible biodiesel from crude jatropha oil and used cooking oil

This study focuses on a feasibility study of alternative nonedible crude oil such as jatropha and used cooking oil in biodiesel production. Crude jatropha oil (CJO) and used cooking oil (UCO) were converted to biodiesel using a two-step transesterification process with presents of acid-based and alkaline-based catalysts. Each three biodiesel blends (B5, B15 and B25) have been produced by blended with conventional diesel fuel (CDF). Determination of the fuel properties for each blend including CDF, Jatropha Methyl Ester (JME) and Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester (UCOME) have been carried out. The average yield for jatropha and used cooking oil biodiesels production was 94.3% and 92% respectively. The increment of the percentage of JME or UCOME in its blends is proportional to fuels physical properties such as density, specific gravity, kinematic viscosity and surface tension, however inversely proportional to fuels calorific value. Based on the results of this study, it is acceptable to conclude that non-edible CJO and UCO are viable alternatives to edible oil as feedstock to renewable fuel in order to reduce the greenhouse gases produced

Effect of adopting different dispatching rules on the mean flow time in a two machine batch-shop problem

The two-machine flow shop problem was shown to be NP-hard when the objective is to minimize total (mean) completion time instead of makespan even for the case where setup times are neglected. This means that it is highly unlikely to find a polynomial algorithm to solve the problem. Therefore, researchers concentrated on developing branch-and-bound or heuristic algorithms. Ali Allahverdi, 1998 obtained the optimal solutions for minimizing mean flow time in a two-machine flow shop with Sequence-independent set up times by using three heuristic algorithms. In this project we addressed the same problem of Ali Allahverdi, based in his model a simulation model was built and validated using Witness software. Experiments were conducted for different number of jobs and different dispatching rules for jobs sequence. The setup-time also varied along the experiments. The effectiveness of the rules used was also measured by two other performance measures beside the mean flow time; they are WIP and machine utilization. The results were analysed and discussed and it concluded that all the performance measures were affected by number of jobs and change of set-up time for all rules used. It found that SPT rule generally performs best in terms of minimizing flow time, minimizing average number of jobs in the system and maximize machine utilization

A study of biodiesel production from crude jatropha oil (CJO) with high level of free fatty acids

A two step-transesterification process was adopted to produce biodiesel from crudejatropha oil in lab scale and pilot plant. The crude jatropha oil used was sourced with high different level of free fatty acids. The first sample (FFA= 4.5%) was subjected to pretreatment step under reaction condition of 0.225 v/v sulfuric acid (H2SO4), 6: 1 w/w methanol (MeOH) to oil mole ratio, reaction temperature of 65 C, and 180 min of reaction time. Meanwhile, the second jatropha oil sample (FFA= 8%) was subjected to pretreatment process in pilot </p

Municipal solid waste: A potential source of clean energy for Khartoum State in Sudan

Sudan is a large African country with a land area of 1.882 million km2 and a population of 43 million people. The country has a fast-growing population, consistent migration from rural to urban areas, raised per-capita demand for power and fuels, and falling fossil-fuel production. Additional baseload or on-demand energy sources are needed to supply the Nile Valley system. The increasing silting of the different hydroelectricity dams is a problem for the future availability of hydroelectricity generation. Non-recyclable combustible municipal solid waste and other urban organic waste streams can be used to provide low-emission baseload electricity and a cost-effective supply of heat for industry. These wastes, which have the potential to be used as feedstocks for energy production, have already been gathered together in enormous quantities. The current landfill disposal method is becoming increasingly expensive, and it leads to several negative environmental impacts, such as methane emissions and air and water pollution. This research looks at how the non-recyclable combustible fraction of waste collected in Khartoum State can be used to generate considerable amounts of energy and industrial heat while reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This might be accomplished by employing and adopting efficient technologies that are extensively used elsewhere in the globe, as well as securing the additional benefits of more permanent jobs, fewer fossil fuel imports, and improved national resource security for Sudan

A management framework to reduce delays in road construction projects in Sudan

Road construction delays are a challenge for developing countries, and specifically for Sudan, where great economic costs result from difficulties in identifying and reducing the factors that cause delay. This paper addresses the key delay factors faced by the road construction industry in Sudan, and it proposes a management framework that has the potential to reduce this delay. The methodology used first critically reviewed relevant published studies, reports, policy documents and management steps used in different countries. Secondly, a structured questionnaire was produced through a two-day interactive workshop with the help of experts and professionals from the road construction industry in Sudan. Thirdly, Relative Importance Index was measured based on the individual responses towards delay factors in road construction projects, and then, the correlation between delay factors and the effects of delay were evaluated. Moreover, the initial findings were analysed and the factors were combined into six groups. The finance competence factors group was found to be the main contributor towards delays in road construction projects in Sudan. Some effective ways were proposed to overcome delays due to financing via use of strategic public and private partnerships for large-scale projects, introduction of bank financing schemes for medium-scale projects, and community-based partnership for small-scale projects. In the fourth stage, a management framework was developed using the ‘stage–gate’ approach and validated with the input from a panel of experts. The paper details the way a proposed management framework will work to design a construction project in an effective manner especially in Sudan

Effect on particulate and gas emissions by combusting biodiesel blend fuels made from different plant oil feedstocks in a liquid fuel burner

This paper focuses on the combustion performance of various blends of biodiesel fuels and diesel fuel from lean to rich mixtures. The biodiesel blend fuel combustion experiments were carried out using a liquid fuel burner and biodiesel fuel made from various plant oil feedstocks, including jatropha, palm and coconut oils. The results show that jatropha oil methyl ester blend 25 (JOME B25) and coconut oil methyl ester blend 25 (COME B25) blended at 25% by volume in diesel fuel produced lower carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions due to more complete combustion. Overall, JOME B25 had the highest CO emission reduction, at about 42.25%, followed by COME B25 at 26.44% emission reduction relative to pure diesel fuel. By contrast, the palm oil methyl ester blend 25 (POME B25) showed a 48.44% increase in these emissions. The results showed that the nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions were slightly higher for all biodiesel blend fuels compared with pure diesel fuel combustion. In case of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and UHC emissions, all biodiesel blends fuels have significantly reduced emissions. In the case of SO2 emission, the POME B25, JOME B25 and COME B25 emissions were reduced 14.62%, 14.45% and 21.39%, respectively, relative to SO2 emission from combusting pure diesel fuel. UHC emissions of POME B25, JOME B25 and COME B25 showed 51%, 71% and 70% reductions, respectively, compared to diesel fuel. The conclusion from the results is that all the biodiesel blend fuels are suitable and can be recommended for use in liquid fuel burners in order to get better and 'greener' environmental outcomes

COVID-19 Global Reverberations: Scientists Sharing Their Stories

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Optimization of the esterification process of crude jatropha oil (CJO) containing high levels of free fatty acids: a Malaysian case study

Biodiesel as an alternative fuel is one of the best choices among other sources due to its immense potential to reduce pollutant emissions when used in compression ignition engines. Malaysia is considered one of the top biodiesel-producing countries. The main crop for biodiesel production is currently palm oil. However, Jatropha curcas has recently drawn the attention of the Malaysian government as an alternate species for producing high yields of oil. While an evaluation of biodiesel production, blending, engine performance and emissions characteristics of Malaysian-produced jatropha methyl ester has been made recently, few studies have optimized the esterification of the crude oil. This paper is the study of an optimization process for Malaysian CJO using an acid-catalyst pretreatment process to reduce the relatively high free fatty acid (FFA) percentages of crude jatropha oil to below 1% using design of experiments and response surface methodology, with the help of Minitab software. The main findings of the current investigation are that using the acid catalyst H2SO4 at 0.225% (v/v), an MeOH-to-oil ratio of 12.29% (w/w) and a reaction time of 149.76 min are the optimum process parameters for the esterification reaction.</p

Perspective of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) as a potential biodiesel feedstock in Turkey: characterization, engine performance and emissions analyses of butanol–biodiesel–diesel blends

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is widely farmed in Turkey. This study investigates the physicochemical properties of safflower biodiesel and its blends with Euro diesel and butanol. A polynomial curve-fitting method was used to predict kinematic viscosity and density of the ternary blends. Furthermore, characteristics such as DSC, FT-IR, UV-Vis and TGA were adopted to evaluate the influence of butanol addition on biodiesel&ndash;diesel blends. Engine performance parameters such as BP, torque and BSFC and emissions such as CO, HC, NOx&nbsp;and EGT were studied. Safflower methyl ester satisfied both EN 14214 and ASTM D 6751 standards regarding viscosity, flash point and density. However, iodine value was quite high. Oxidation stability fails to satisfy either standard. This is due to the high level of unsaturated fatty acids (91.05%). A reduction in BP, torque, HC and CO coupled with an increase in BSFC, NOx&nbsp;emissions and EGT was observed for all blends compared to Euro diesel. Overall, all blends appear to be good alternatives to biodiesel&ndash;diesel blends. This work supports that biodiesel can be blended with diesel and butanol as ternary blends (up to 20%) for use as a fuel in compression ignition (CI) engines. Therefore, combustion characteristics of blends shall be further investigated.</p

Synthesis of non-edible biodiesel from crude jatropha oil and used cooking oil

This study focuses on a feasibility study of alternative nonedible crude oil such as jatropha and used cooking oil in biodiesel production. Crude jatropha oil (CJO) and used cooking oil (UCO) were converted to biodiesel using a two-step transesterification process with presents of acid-based and alkaline-based catalysts. Each three biodiesel blends (B5, B15 and B25) have been produced by blended with conventional diesel fuel (CDF). Determination of the fuel properties for each blend including CDF, Jatropha Methyl Ester (JME) and Used Cooking Oil Methyl Ester (UCOME) have been carried out. The average yield for jatropha and used cooking oil biodiesels production was 94.3% and 92% respectively. The increment of the percentage of JME or UCOME in its blends is proportional to fuels physical properties such as density, specific gravity, kinematic viscosity and surface tension, however inversely proportional to fuels calorific value. Based on the results of this study, it is acceptable to conclude that non-edible CJO and UCO are viable alternatives to edible oil as feedstock to renewable fuel in order to reduce the greenhouse gases produced