Catalytic Conversion of Glycerol to Bio-Based Aromatics

Green application of biodiesel-derived glycerol will boost biodiesel production in terms of sustainability and economics. The glycerol to liquid fuels is a promising route that provides an additional energy source, which contributes significantly to energy transition besides biodiesel. This pathway could generate alkyl-aromatic hydrocarbons with a yield of ∼60%, oxygenates, and gases. MFI Zeolites (H-ZSM-5) catalysts are mainly used to propagate the aromatization pathway. This chapter presents the pathways, challenges, catalytic design, influences of catalyst acidity, metal addition, reaction condition, and catalysts deactivation on glycerol conversion to hydrocarbon fuels and aromatics. Studies revealed that time on stream, temperature, and weight hourly space velocity (range of 0.1–1 h−1) influences the benzene, toluene, and xylene BTX and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene BTEX yield. Acidity of the H-ZSM-5 could be tailored by metals, additives, and binders. Bronsted acidity promotes coke formation which results in reversible deactivation of the H-ZSM-5 catalyst. It is hoped that this study will promote intensified research on the use of glycerol for purposes of fuel generating and valuable products

Multi-criteria decision analysis for the evaluation and screening of sustainable aviation fuel production pathways

The aviation sector, a significant greenhouse gas emitter, must lower its emissions to alleviate the climate change impact. Decarbonization can be achieved by converting low-carbon feedstock to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This study reviews SAF production pathways like hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), gasification and Fischer–Tropsch Process (GFT), Alcohol to Jet (ATJ), direct sugar to hydrocarbon (DSHC), and fast pyrolysis (FP). Each pathway's advantages, limitations, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact are detailed, with reaction pathways, feedstock, and catalyst requirements. A multi-criteria decision framework (MCDS) was used to rank the most promising SAF production pathways. The results show the performance ranking order as HEFA > DSHC > FP > ATJ > GFT, assuming equal weight for all criteria

Pathways for the Valorization of Animal and Human Waste to Biofuels, Sustainable Materials, and Value-Added Chemicals

Human and animal waste, including waste products originating from human or animal digestive systems, such as urine, feces, and animal manure, have constituted a nuisance to the environment. Inappropriate disposal and poor sanitation of human and animal waste often cause negative impacts on human health through contamination of the terrestrial environment, soil, and water bodies. Therefore, it is necessary to convert these wastes into useful resources to mitigate their adverse environmental effect. The present study provides an overview and research progress of different thermochemical and biological conversion pathways for the transformation of human- and animal-derived waste into valuable resources. The physicochemical properties of human and animal waste are meticulously discussed, as well as nutrient recovery strategies. In addition, a bibliometric analysis is provided to identify the trends in research and knowledge gaps. The results reveal that the USA, China, and England are the dominant countries in the research areas related to resource recovery from human or animal waste. In addition, researchers from the University of Illinois, the University of California Davis, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhejiang University are front runners in research related to these areas. Future research could be extended to the development of technologies for on-site recovery of resources, exploring integrated resource recovery pathways, and exploring different safe waste processing methods

Pathways for the Valorization of Animal and Human Waste to Biofuels, Sustainable Materials and Value-Added Chemicals

Human and animal waste, including waste products originating from human or animal digestive systems such as urine, feces, and animal manure, have constituted a nuisance to the environment. Inappropriate disposal and poor sanitation of human and animal waste often cause negative impacts on human health through contamination of the terrestrial environment, soil, and water bodies. Therefore, it is necessary to convert these wastes into useful resources to mitigate their adverse environmental effect. The present study provides an overview and research progress of different thermochemical and biological conversion pathways for the transformation of human- and animal-derived waste into valuable resources. The physicochemical properties of human and animal waste are meticulously discussed as well as nutrient recovery strategies. In addition, a bibliometric analysis is provided to identify the trends in research and knowledge gaps. The results reveal that the U.S.A, China and England are the dominant countries in the research areas related to resource recovery from human or animal waste. In addition, researchers from the University of Illinois, the University of California Davis, the Chinese Academy of Science and Zhejiang University are front runners in research related to these areas. Future research should be centred on developing technologies for the on-site recovery of resources, exploring integrated resource recovery pathways, and exploring different safe waste processing methods

The Infusion of Gamification in Promoting Chemical Engineering Laboratory Classes

Active learning strategies are increasingly implemented in chemical engineering education, yet challenges persist in stimulating student participation and motivation. The rigorous demands placed on students in this field, from complex practical requirements to extensive programming and computational skills, underscore the need for innovative educational tools. Gamification emerges as a pivotal instrument in this context, fostering active student engagement, enhancing practical application of knowledge, increasing motivation, and providing a more precise assessment of student comprehension. These educational games serve as a powerful adjunct to traditional teaching strategies, equipping students with necessary skills for their future careers in the field. These games include laboratory course games, process simulators, games used in foundational courses, and those centered around reaction kinetics. This entry primarily investigates the various games employed to bolster student learning during chemical engineering laboratory courses. A thorough analysis is conducted on the survey of existing games used specifically in chemical engineering labs. The gamut of games discussed includes escape games, along with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) games, all aiming to enhance laboratory experiences in areas such as fluid mechanics, organic reactions, and process control. This entry concludes by examining the prospective trajectory of gamification in chemical engineering labs, offering insights into future potential and advancements in this innovative educational approach

A review on carbon materials for electrochemical energy storage applications: State of the art, implementation, and synergy with metallic compounds for supercapacitor and battery electrodes

9 figures, 2 tables.Carbon materials play a fundamental role in electrochemical energy storage due to their appealing properties, including low cost, high availability, low environmental impact, surface functional groups, high electrical conductivity, alongside thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability, among other factors. Currently, carbon materials can be considered the most extensively explored family in the field of supercapacitors and batteries, which are devices covering a wide range of applications demanding high power and high energy. However, as with all technologies, there is a process of adaptation and optimization; hence, carbon materials have been aligning with the advances that emerge. Similarly, over the years, new methods and processes have been discovered to produce carbons more suitable for energy storage, adapting them to present a good synergy with metal-based compounds to meet current standards. In this work, we present a compilation of advances in the field of carbon materials used in supercapacitors and batteries, from the inception of these technologies to the present day.This work was financially supported by Proyectos de Transición Ecológica y Digital, under the project FABSEE (Ref. TED2021-130279A-I00) Iron-air batteries as cost-effective and sustainable electrochemical energy storage, with funding from the Next Generation EU Programme.Peer reviewe

Natural and Low-Cost P. turgidum for Efficient Adsorption of Hg(II) Ions from Contaminated Solution: Isotherms and Kinetics Studies

Mercury (II) ions (Hg(II)), a potent heavy metal water pollutant, was efficiently removed using a novel adsorbent prepared from Panicum turgidum roots by facile drying. The experimental conditions such as the solution pH, temperature, contact time, and Hg(II) ions initial concentration were screened in the adsorption experiment. The results revealed that the P. turgidum-Hg(II) ions adsorption system was promoted by the high density of active sites and the adsorption process is independent of the adsorbent surface area. Hence, maximum adsorption capacity of 333.33 mg/g of Hg(II) ions was achieved at 30 °C. The adsorption experimental data for isotherm and kinetic studies best fitted the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-first-order model with R2 of 0.985 and 0.991, respectively. The results indicate that P. turgidum can efficiently remove Hg(II) ions from contaminated solutions and a potential wastewater treatment adsorbent.Scopu

Synthesis and characterizations of nanocarbon

Nanocarbons have become increasingly relevant in the field of energy storage due to their diverse properties, which make them suitable for use in a variety of devices such as batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. The properties of carbon-based materials are heavily influenced by the choice of precursor, process conditions, and reactor type used in their synthesis. Thus, understanding the interplay between these factors is crucial for designing carbon-based energy storage materials with tailored performance characteristics. This chapter provides an overview of the latest and traditional technologies used to obtain nanocarbon materials, including innovative approaches like reactors that use concentrated solar energy and traditional methods like tubular furnaces. We also outline the common methodologies used to synthesize diverse nanocarbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and nanoporous carbons. Furthermore, this chapter discusses the techniques commonly used to characterize nanocarbon materials and evaluate their properties. These techniques include surface area measurement, determination of chemical composition, evaluation of the degree of order/disorder, identification of functional groups on the surface, and electrochemical characterization for energy storage applications, among others.This work was financed by Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico (DGAPA-UNAM)-PAPIIT under project No. IA102522. A master's fellowship was granted to E. Duque-Brito through CONAHCYT. Authors also acknowledge the financial support of MCIN with funding from European Union NextGenerationEU (PRTR-C17.I1) within the Green Hydrogen and Energy Program-CSIC, as part of the CSIC Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform (PTI+) Transición Energética Sostenible+ (PTI-TRANSENER+). Authors also acknowledge the financial support of MICINN and the European Union under the NextGeneration EU Program to the FABSEE project (Iron-air batteries as cost-effective and sustainable electrochemical energy storage, TED2021-130279A-I00, call Proyectos de Transición Ecológica y Digital) and PRTR-C17.I1 within the Green Hydrogen and Energy Program-CSIC, as part of the CSIC Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform (PTI+) Transición Energética Sostenible+ (PTI-TRANSENER+).Peer reviewe

Advances in the Applications of Nanomaterials for Wastewater Treatment

Freshwater is in limited supply, and the growing population further contributes to its scarcity. The effective treatment of wastewater is essential now more than ever, because waterborne infections significantly contribute to global deaths, and millions of people are deprived of safe drinking water. Current wastewater treatment technologies include preliminary, primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments, which are effective in removing several contaminants; however, contaminants in the nanoscale range are often difficult to eliminate using these steps. Some of these include organic and inorganic pollutants, pharmaceuticals, pathogens and contaminants of emerging concern. The use of nanomaterials is a promising solution to this problem. Nanoparticles have unique properties allowing them to efficiently remove residual contaminants while being cost-effective and environmentally friendly. In this review, the need for novel developments in nanotechnology for wastewater treatment is discussed, as well as key nanomaterials and their corresponding target contaminants, which they are effective against. The nanomaterials of focus in this review are carbon nanotubes, graphene-based nanosheets, fullerenes, silver nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles and iron nanoparticles. Finally, the challenges and prospects of nanoparticle utilisation in the context of wastewater treatment are presented