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Butyl levulinate (BL) is one of the promising chemicals for biofuel generation especially as an additive for fuel-blending. The BL can be used as a chemical additive for biodiesel-diesel blend in diesel engine. The physical properties (i.e., density, viscosity, and calorific value) and emission characteristics of palm-oil derived biodiesel-diesel blends (fuel blends) (i.e., B7, B10, B15, and B20) with and without the addition of BL were determined in this work. The analysis of gas emission from the combustion of biodiesel-diesel blends in diesel engine was conducted using gas analyser. The effect of varying the volume percentage of BL at 1 %, 3 %, 5 %, and 7 % in the fuel blend was studied in this work using B15 biodiesel-diesel blend as the selected sample. Blended fuel with addition of BL was shown to have improved the fuel blend viscosity while maintaining the density within the optimum range. The calorific value of the fuel blend showed a small reduction with an increase in the percentage of biodiesel in the fuel blend. This indicated that the combustion performance and the energy produced from the varying percentage of biodiesel in the biodiesel-diesel blends would not vary significantly. Therefore, the effect of adding BL on this property was not further investigated. The concentrations of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the gas emission from the biodiesel-diesel blends showed only a slight increase as the percentage of biodiesel in the blend increased. With the addition of the BL additive, these concentrations showed some levels of reduction. In summary, the presence of BL in the palm oil biodiesel-diesel fuel was demonstrated to have reduced the viscosity of the blend by 4.4 to 6.9 %, and reduced the concentrations of CO and NOx by 19.26 % and 12.22 % during the engine combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, generally called synthesis gas, to higher alcohols has gained recent attention. Alcohols can be either transformed into other value‐added products such as ethers or used directly as fuels or fuel additives. Various types of catalysts have been prepared and investigated for the hydrogenation of CO to higher alcohols and improvements are in progress to find a robust catalyst with high activity and selectivity towards higher alcohols. In particular, the role of the bimetallic catalyst having two active sites contributing efficiently to higher alcohol synthesis has been a focus in recent years. Herein, the recent development in bimetallic catalyst preparation and the investigations of the reaction mechanism in CO hydrogenation have been reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the research undertaken to study the design criteria that address the monolithic support structure requirements in steam reforming operation for the effective mass transfer of process gases to the active sites and effective conductive heat transfer through tube wall to the active catalytic areas, as well as low pressure drop operation. Design considerations include selection of substrate materials that possess good mechanical strength to withstand the severe reaction conditions and prevent catalyst crushing that would lead to carbon formation and catalyst deactivation, and excessive heating of the tube that results in hot spots which is fatal to tube lifetime. The support’s mechanical properties are listed for the purpose of providing guidelines on verifying the structure durability. The practical aspect of packaging and stacking the monolith structures in the reformer tube for ease of loading and discharge is discussed to understand its readiness in industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The statistical information on the share of hydrogen sector-wise consumption indicates that 95% of the total consumption is utilized in ammonia synthesis, petroleum refining processes and methanol production. We discuss how hydrogen is used in these processes and in several smaller-scale manufacturing industries. We also present the trend of hydrogen used as fuel, and as an energy carrier in fuel cells for generating electricity, powering hydrogen vehicles, as well as in aerospace applications. Natural gas caters for approximately half of the total hydrogen production resources. Therefore, the scope is emphasized on relatively recent developments in research activities related to the conventional catalytic hydrocarbon processing technologies for the production of hydrogen derived from natural gas (methane), which are steam methane reforming, partial oxidation of methane and autothermal reforming. Hydrocarbon decomposition is included due to its potential to be industrialized in the future, and its benefits of producing clean hydrogen without emissions of greenhouse gases and generating carbon nanofibers or nanotubes as by-products that have the potential in various emerging applications. Attention is given to the efforts toward achieving hydrocarbon conversion improvements, energy savings through thermally efficient operation and reduced operational costs through minimization or elimination of coke formation in the catalytic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Higher alcohols; Bimetallic catalyst; CO; CO2; hydrogenation EN Higher alcohols Bimetallic catalyst CO CO2 hydrogenation 1 1 1 01/18/21 20210112 NES 210112 B The Front Cover b highlights the importance of catalytic synergy between two distinct types of supported metals (illustrated by nanoparticles with different colors) in converting carbon monoxide and hydrogen to higher alcohols, including ethanol, propanol, and isobutanol. Higher alcohols, Bimetallic catalyst, CO, CO2, hydrogenation. [Extracted from the article]