Batch Production of Trimethylolpropane Ester From Palm Oil as Lubricant Basestock

The batch production of trimethylolpropane ester from palm oil as lubricant basestock was performed in 10 liters mini pilot batch reactor incorporated with high vacuum pump. This study has examined the optimum operating conditions in order to obtain the maximum level of production yield in a minimum time or minimum cost. The experiments were carried out to synthesize palm oil based trimethylolpropane ester via chemical reactions in batch mode. The experiments focused on the effects of variations in the 1) temperature, 2) vacuum pressure, 3) molar ratio, 4) amount of catalyst and 5) speed of agitation. The chemical compositions of samples were analyzed via gas chromatography. The final products were tested for their lubrication properties such as TAN (Total Acid Number), kinematic viscosity, viscosity index (VI), wear and friction test. Approximately 5 liters of trimethylolpropane ester from palm oil containing 86 w/w% of triester was successfully synthesized in two hours of operation. The optimal reaction conditions for mini pilot batch reactor were found to be as follows; 1) temperature: 120°C, 2) pressure: 20 mbar, 3) molar ratio: 3.8:l (POME to TMP), 4) catalyst: 0.9 w/w% 5) speed of agitation: 180 rpm. The kinetics data obtained from the laboratory scale experiment was successfully applied to the mini pilot batch reactor to estimate the yield of triester. As a conclusion, the study has proven that the synthesis method to produce trimethylolpropane ester from palm oil as a lubricant basestock developed in the laboratory (one liter) can be scale up to a mini pilot batch reactor (10 liters) with marginal effect on the reaction yield

Effects of Ultrasonic Waves on Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium of Cyclohexane/Benzene

Separation of azeotropic mixtures is one of the most challenging separation processes in chemical industry. Special separation techniques such as azeotropic and extractive distillation are required to separate these mixtures. In this work, an innovative technique which incorporates ultrasonic waves during separation of Cyclohexane (Chx)/ Benzene (Bz) via distillation process was explored. The effects of ultrasonic wave at different intensities at 50, 100, 200 and 250 W/A.cm2 and at a fixed frequency of 40 kHz on vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of Chx/ Bz were investigated. Studies were also done to examine the effects of ultrasonic frequencies on the VLE data at 25 and 68 kHz. It was found that ultrasonic waves at 100 W/A.cm2 intensity and 25 kHz frequency gave the highest relative volatility, α at 2.505 and completely eliminated the azeotropic point. The results revealed that ultrasonic waves had potential to favourably manipulate α, and hence, the VLE of Chx/ Bz

Synthesis of aluminum chloride hexahydrate/polyvinyl alcohol catalyst for biodiesel production

The replacement of traditional diesel fuels with an alternative energy source like biodiesel is an excellent choice to lessen the depletion of non-renewable energy source such as fossil fuels. For application of low-cost heterogeneous catalyst for generation of biodiesel, most of waste-based catalysts are derived from inexpensive CaO resources. In this research, heterogeneous catalyst aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl36H2O)/PVA was synthesized from aluminum foil wastes supported by PVA. Transesterification was used to produce biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO). The effect of aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl36H2O)/PVA catalyst towards the yield percentage of FAME was investigated using three different operating conditions. Parameters optimized in transesterification included methanol to oil ratio (6:1, 12:1 and 18:1), reaction temperature (55°, 60°, and 65°), and amount of catalyst (2 wt%, 5 wt%, and 8 wt%). The findings showed that the catalyst loading of 2 wt%, methanol to oil molar ratio of 6:1, and temperature of 55° yielded the highest biodiesel yield from WCO. This study proves that heterogeneous catalyst aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl36H2O)/PVA can replace homogeneous catalysts and to simplify the manufacturing of biodiesel, especially in the separation phase

The physicochemical properties and thermal behaviour of rice husk for dust explosion study

Combustible dust is present in a great variety of industries. It is estimated there are about 13 million workers in the manufacturing industry and thousands of these may be at risk of injury related to combustible dust. In order to reduce dust explosion in this industry, a study on the physicochemical properties thermal behaviour on explosion characteristic of rice husk is carried out with range size of rice husk is 63μm - 355μm. Thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) which is used to test the present of moisture content, rice husk ash, volatility and fixed carbon shows that the value is 15.55%, 0.17%,50.19% and 34.05% accordingly. Decreasing of moisture content and increasing of volatile matter were tend to increase the explosion hazard which mean can lead to explosion as the moisture content of a sample may act as a prevention or mitigation factor for dust explosions while high volatile content may increase the maximum rate of pressure rise. Meanwhile, four size of rice husk samples; 63μm, 106μm, 125μm and 355μm were analysed along with the elemental identification by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis. The size of the sample may influence the ignition and severity of a combustible dust explosion

Menhaden fish oil encapsulation by spray drying process: influence of different biopolymer materials, inlet air temperature and emulsion ratios

BACKGROUND: Incorporating fish oils into commonly consumed foods is an emerging technique for increasing the daily intake of omega-3 fatty acid. However, the high vulnerability of fish oil towards oxidative deterioration reduces shelf life stability. Microencapsulation by spray drying with different combinations of biopolymers and other parameters may provide a solution by preventing further oxidation of fish oil and permitting its delivery to food items. This study emphasised the influence of developed biopolymer materials (maltodextrin, maltodextrin + gum arabic, maltodextrin + starch, maltodextrin + whey pro- tein isolates and maltodextrin + sodium caseinate) for emulsion formulation, inlet air temperature (160, 170, 180, 190 and 200 °C) and emulsion ratios (15, 20, 25, 30 and 35%) on the physicochemical properties of powdered menhaden fish oil by spray drying technique. RESULTS: Microencapsulated menhaden fish oil was evaluated for its moisture content, size distribution, microcapsule effi- ciency, peroxide value, free fatty acid, acid value and morphological structure. It was observed that the coating materials of maltodextrin + whey protein isolates gave the lowest moisture content and peroxide value of 4.410% and 4.031 mEq kg−1, respectively. The morphological images showed a smooth surface with no cracks and minimal shrinkage, indicating lower per- meability to gases and effectively protecting the oil against deterioration. CONCLUSION: The spray drying procedure using maltodextrin + whey protein isolates at an inlet air temperature 190 °C and emulsion ratio of 30% successfully produced fish oil microcapsules with improved properties

Effect of the Cross Linkers’ Concentration on the Immobilization of Recombinant Escherichia Coli Cells on Hollow Fiber Membrane for Excretion of Cyclodextrin Glucanotransferase (CGTase)

The excretion of recombinant proteins into the culture medium is a preferred approach over cytoplasmic expression because of the high specific activity and ease of purification. However, cell lysis is one of a major problem during the excretion of recombinant protein due to the pressure build up in the periplasmic space through overproduction of the expressed recombinant protein. Cell immobilization is a promising solution for the improvement of protein excretion with reduction in cell lysis. In this study, the effect of cross linkers concentrations on the process of cell immobilization for the cyclodextringlucanotransferase (CGTase) excretion and cell viability were investigated. The hollow fiber membrane was treated using different concentrations (0.3, 0.67 and 1%) of cross linkers namely glutaraldehyde (GA), poly-L-lysine (PLL) and polyethylenimine (PEI). The optimum concentration of cross linkers was found to be 0.3% with the high excretion of CGTase. Interestingly, the immobilized cell on the non-treated hollow fiber membrane showed up to 15% increment of CGTase excretion with 55% reduction of cell lysis, as compared to the immobilized cells on the treated hollow fiber membrane. It could be concluded that, the low concentration of cross linkers exhibited the highest CGTase excretion. Moreover, the non-treated hollow fiber membrane is a promising approach for attachment of cells to the membrane without requiring treatment with any chemicals for the production of recombinant enzyme

Analysis Of Explosion Severity Of Tea Powder At Different Particle Size And Concentration In A Confined Space

Tea contains compounds rich in carbon-hydrogen bonds. When tea dust is suspended in air, across a variety of particle sizes and concentrations, in the presence of spark, it can combust, therefore presenting an explosion hazard. The explosion pressure properties of tea dust of four different dust concentrations (1000 g/m³, 1500 g/m³, 2000 g/m³ and 2500 g/m³) were conducted in a 20-L spherical explosion test vessel under five distinct particle sizes (71 µm, 125 µm, 160 µm, 180 µm and 250 µm). According to the findings, the explosion pressure characteristic is strongly related to dust concentration and particle size. Moisture content also has an effect on explosion propagation. The dried tea dust reached the maximum explosion pressure faster than undried tea dust. Among of the concentration and particle size range tested, the highest explosion pressure, 14.6 bar, was recorded at 2000 g/m³ with particle size 125 μm. The explosion index was 222 bar/s. It was shown that at higher dust concentration (≥2000 g/m3) and smaller particle sizes (≤125 μm) the explosion became more severe, whereby the flame accelerated at a higher rate and raised the explosion pressure drastically. The pressure characteristic changed as the conditions in which they occurred changed. These analyses and predictions are essential for achieving safe and optimal performance of tea manufacturing technology as well as the development of new applications

Investigation of the LDPE dust flame propagation effected by the ethylene concentration

The presence of ethylene (C2H4) gas in a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) combustion process increases the severity of the dust explosion. Understanding dust explosion propagation as influenced by C2H4 concentration is important to characterise the severity of the LDPE dust explosion. Therefore, this paper aims to study the explosion propagation mechanism as influenced by ethylene concentration in LDPE combustion using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) ANSYS FLUENT simulation. Results showed that ethylene concentration influenced the LDPE/C2H4 flame propagation mechanism by increasing the equivalence ratio (ER) to 1.2. The severity of LDPE/C2H4 explosion was also recorded at C2H4 concentration, at ER = 1.2 with explosion pressure = 5.5 bar respectively

Characterization of New Protease from Murdannia Bracteata

Plant proteases occupy the most relevant position in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries due to their proteolytic activity on a wide range of temperature and pH. Plant protease such as papain, bromelain and ficin are the most frequently employed as industrial enzymes, although new proteases with more appealing physicochemical properties for industry are still emerging [1]. The Murdannia bracteata (C. B. Clarke) is an annual shrub that commonly found in Malaysia, China and Thailand. This plant has been claimed to exert antioxidant and hepatoprotective effect on rats [2]. However, the presence of protease in Murdannia bracteata plant have not been scientifically explored. Therefore, in the present study, screening of 7 different plant species for the optimum specific activity was investigated. The leaf extract from Murdannia bracteata showed relatively high specific activity that the protease extract from other plants. Therefore, the protease from the leaves of Murdannia bracteata was purified from the plant of Murdannia bracteata by ammonium sulfate precipitation at 10 % of saturation level. The purity of the protein was verified by SDS-PAGE analysis. Then, the characteristics of pH, temperature and inhibitors of purified protease from Murdannia bracteata extract were investigated. A single band of protease was visualised on SDS-PAGE with the molecular weight of 40 kDa. The protease had an optimum pH of 8.0 and was stable at 50°C with high specific activity. Complete inhibition of protease activity such as PMSF and EDTA indicates that the enzyme belongs to the serine protease class. Thus, protease from Murdannia bracteata might be a potential candidate for various applications in the food and biotechnological industries

Explosion severity of rice dust in a spherical system

Rice is relatively rich in minerals, including iron, magnesium, and selenium. In the presence of a spark, rice dust suspended in air in a range of concentrations can ignite and explode. The explosion characteristics of brown, black, white, glutinous, and Bario rice were studied in a 20-L spherical vessel. Brown rice recorded the highest explosion pressure and rate of pressure rise in both dried and undried forms, while Bario rice recorded the lowest. Brown rice was more combustible and tended to develop a fast flame mechanism once ignited owing to its low moisture content and high volatility, which made its explosion more severe compared to that of black, white, glutinous, and Bario rice