A Scaling-up Synthesis From Laboratory Scale to Pilot Scale and to Near Commercial Scale for Paste-Glue Production

This paper concerns on developing a synthesis method of paste-glue production for gummed tape using a corn-based starch as an alternative feedstock from laboratory-scale to pilot-scale and to near commercial scale. Basically, two methods of synthesis were developed to produce paste-glue in laboratory scale. Based on the two methods, we then scale-up the earlier laboratory scale data to pilot-scale and near commercial-scale for developing a large scale process production of paste-glue. Scaling up production from 1,000 ml reactor to 500 L pilot-scale reactor and 1,500 L near commercial scale reactor, we monitored pathway of temperature increase during reaction as well as adjustment of operating condition conducted for laboratory experimental data in order to produce a good quality of paste-glue. Some scaling up parameters have been found as well as critical parameters for a good product quality such as viscosity and ceiling temperature of the reaction which are very crucial in order to give optimum operating condition. We have selected synthesis method of paste-glue production and found the range of the parameters in order to produce a very good quality of paste-glue in pilot scale and near commercial scale

Molecular Weight and Structural Properties of Biodegradable PLA Synthesized with Different Catalysts by Direct Melt Polycondensation

Production of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) from biomassbased lactic acid is widely studied for substituting petro-based plastics or polymers. This study investigated PLA production from commercial lactic acid in a batch reactor by applying a direct melt polycondensation method with two kinds of catalyst, γ-aluminium(III) oxide (γ-Al2O3) or zinc oxide (ZnO), in reduced pressure. The molecular weight of the synthesized PLA was determined by capillary viscometry and its structural properties were analyzed by functional group analysis using FT-IR. The yields of polymer production with respect to the theoretical conversion were 47% for γ-Al2O3 and 35% for ZnO. However, the PLA from ZnO had a higher molecular weight (150,600 g/mol) than that from γ-Al2O3 (81,400 g/mol). The IR spectra of the synthesized PLA from both catalysts using polycondensation show the same behavior of absorption peaks at wave numbers from 4,500 cm-1 to 500 cm-1, whereas the PLA produced by two other polymerization methods – polycondensation and ring opening polymerization –showed a significant difference in % transmittance intensity pattern as well as peak area absorption at a wave number of 3,500 cm-1 as –OH vibration peak and at 1,750 cm-1 as –C=O carbonyl vibrational peak

Production of Methyl Laurate From Coconut Cream Through Fractionation of Methyl Ester

This paper concerns the production of methyl laurate from coconut cream through fractionation of methyl esters. Coconut oil was produced by wet processing of coconut cream. The esters were prepared by reacting coconut oil and methanol using homogeneous catalyst KOH in a batch reactor, followed by fractionation of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) at various reduced pressures applying differential batch vacuum distillation. Experimental data were compared with simulation of a batch distillation employing the simple Raoult's model and modified Raoult's model of phase equilibria. Activity coefficients (γi) were determined by optimization to refine the models. The modified Rault's model with activity coefficients gave better agreement with the experimental data, giving the value of γi between 0,56-0,73. For a given boiling temperature, lower operating pressure produced higher purity of C10 and C12 FAME for respective distillates