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Palm oil (olein) was blended with other edible oils for the enhancement of its market acceptability in terms of melting point depression and shelf life. The physico-chemical properties like viscosity, density, melting behavior, peroxide value (PV), saponification value (SV) and iodine value (IV) of four different binary blends with four vegetable oils were evaluated. Palm olein was found to be more stable against rancidity than the other oils. For the stability against oxidation and melting point depression the palm olein-canola (PO/CO) blend was found to be better than the others. The Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) thermogram of the melting behavior of the blends traces some new polymorphs of the triglyceride. This study will help the oil producing industry to find out the most economically viable oil blends for cooking purposes, with maximum nutrition as well as desirable physico-chemical properties.

Energy crises, increasing electricity prices, and having no access to the grid electricity are the leading issues in developing countries of Asia, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Developing hybrid renewable energy systems in off-grid or grid-connected modes is the best way to overcome developing countries' economic and energy crises. However, the development of hybrid renewable energy systems faces severe technical and related economic challenges. This article provides an updated and comprehensive resource and economic overview of developed hybrid renewable energy systems in different locations in these aforementioned regions. The resource assessment shows that for economical hybrid energy system the average annual wind speed and average annual solar radiation should be 5 m/s and 5 KWh/m^2 respectively. This paper also provides a big picture of renewable energy impacts, challenges in the architecture of hybrid systems, and key organizations working in this domain in the developing regions. According to our review, hybrid optimization model for electric renewable, particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm are frequently used tools for the optimization and sizing of hybrid energy systems. The map of hybrid renewable energy system research in developing regions is not available. Our study gives energy scenario and clear map of hybrid energy in developing regions of the world. The scientometric review of 2000 bibliographic data obtained from the Scopus database to perform co-author and co-occurrence analysis in this study. The data is used to trace the research pattern and thus to identify the most impactful authors, institutions, and countries in the hybrid renewable energy systems domain to obtain recommendations and make policies for the future uninterrupted and carbon dioxide emission free energy systems. The results of scientometric analysis shows that the Wang X. is the most prolific author, while India and Tanta University are the most productive country and institution in this domain. The scientometric analysis result will be beneficial in determining the future research directions in the hybrid renewable energy systems field.

Bioethanol/biodiesel are deemed a highly suitable alternative to conventional fuels in the near future due to their versatility in production techniques and operability. This paper examines the engine performance and possible scope of improvement in direct injection engines powered by biofuel blends. The obtained outcomes from this review are mainly focused on three distinguished fuel properties: fuel feasibility, emissions, and engine performance. Critical analysis of these factors is followed by the highlighting of the possible scope of improvement. This review indicates that biofuels perform best with additives or as an additive when used with traditional petroleum fuels. Research analysis indicates that biodiesels show significant improvement in ignition delay due to higher oxygen content compared with traditional petroleum fuels and produce lower emission of pollutant gas. However, engines have shown a decrease in performance regarding power output, torque, and fuel efficiency. The suggested improvement to counter these issues include the addition of nanoparticles, exhaust gas recirculation, ethanol/methanol fumigation, and introduction of various methyl esters into the mixture.

Cellulose is a biopolymer that may be derived from a variety of agricultural wastes such as rice husks, wheat straw, banana, and so on. Cellulose fibril that is reduced in size, often known as nanocellulose (NC), is a bio-based polymer with nanometer-scale widths with a variety of unique properties. The use of NC as a reinforcing material for nanocomposites has become a popular research issue. This research paper focuses on the production of banana pseudostem cellulose nanofiber. Nano-sized fiber was obtained from banana pseudostem through several processes, namely, grinding, sieving, pre-treatment, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis. The product yield was found to be 40.5% and 21.8% for Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, respectively, by the weight of the raw fiber. The reduction in weight was due to the removal of hemicellulose and lignin during processing. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that the average fiber size decreased from 180 µm to 80.3 ± 21.3 nm. Finally, FTIR analysis showed that the fibers experienced chemical changes after the treatment processes.

The presence of glyceryl esters (GE) and 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE) in refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm oil is severely concerning to the palm oil consumer. In the present study, the influence of the phosphoric acid degumming process on the formation of GE and 3-MCDE and in the RBD palm oil was determined with varying the acid dose (0.03–0.06 wt%), temperature (70–100 °C), and reaction time (15–45 min). The experimental conditions of the acid degumming process were designed following the central composite design of experiments, and they were optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on the minimal formation of GE and 3-MCDE in the RBD palm oil. The optimal experimental conditions of the acid degumming process were a reaction time of 30 min, phosphoric acid concentration of 0.06 wt%, and temperature of 90 °C. Under these experimental conditions, the minimal GE and 3-MCDE formation in RBD palm oil were determined to be 0.61 mg/kg and 0.59 mg/kg; respectively. Several analytical methods were employed to determine RBD palm oil quality, including color, phosphorus, free fatty acids (FFAs), peroxide values, and fatty acid properties. It was found that the phosphoric acid degumming of CPO effectively removed the phosphorus and hydroperoxide content without conceding the quality of palm oil.