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A corncob-derived magnetic solid acid catalyst was synthesized through the sulfonation method and an impregnation process, respectively. In the sulfonation process, the concentrated H2SO4 was utilized as an activation agent to obtain acidic properties. The solution of ferric sulphate-ferrous sulphate was utilized for impregnation to generate the magnetic behaviour of the material. The prepared magnetic acid solid catalyst had a high saturation magnetisation value of 16.48 emu/g and a total acidity of 1.43 mmol/g. The performance of the catalyst was evaluated in the esterification reaction of waste cooking oil. The best result presented 86.12% FFA conversion under reaction conditions of 5% catalyst loading and a 1:15 oil-tomethanol molar ratio at 60oC for 4 h. The catalyst was separated magnetically from the reaction solution and exhibited a good reusability with 61% remaining active after 5 consecutive cycles of reaction. This study resulted in a promising method to obtain magnetic-sulfonated carbonbased catalyst from corncob residue, and it is economical potentially and environmentally friendly for the esterification of low-quality feedstock for biodiesel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green pigments are used in many industrial branches including food, drinks, soap and cosmetics. Chlorophyll can substitute synthetic dyes which may affect health. Chlorophyll can be extracted from pandan leaves; the pandan crop grows in many tropical areas. The effects of temperature, 30–70°C and agitation speed, 100–400 rpm on chlorophyll extraction from pandan leaves, using ethanol and the evaluation of mass transfer coefficient, using dimensionless analysis were investigated. The optimal conditions of extraction was obtained at 60°C and 300 rpm; the chlorophyll concentration was 107.1 mg L-1. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient increased with the temperature and agitation speed. Determination of volumetric mass transfer coefficient and dimensionless correlations are useful for further process development or industrial applications.

The existence of peat clay is scattered in many parts of the world with the huge amount. The high compound of minerals in the peat clay can be potentially used as adsorbent and catalyst. This research aims to study the composition of peat clay and functional group of the compound in the peat clay. The characterization of x-ray fluorescence (XRF), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive x-ray (SEM- EDX) were assigned to compare the sample before and after calcination process at 700 oC 120 min. FTIR analysis showed the presence of quartz, kaolinite, hematite, illite in peat clay. The results of XRF analysis showed that chemical composition of peat clay was dominantly in the form of silica oxide (18%), aluminum oxide (7%), and iron oxide (15%). The amount of compounds was observed to increase to be 32%, 18% and 11%, respectively after calcinations. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of this mineral in the peat clay. SEM analysis showed flake structure of peat clay with EDX which indicated composition of the dominant element namely the presence of Al, Si, and Fe before and after calcination. This high amount of minerals in peat clay led to potential source to be utilized as adsorbent for removing the pollutant or as and catalyst for chemical process.

AbstractThe exploration and utilization of natural raw zircon minerals in Indonesia, particularly in Central Kalimantan, remain largely untapped in their potential as high-tech and commercially valuable substances with eco-friendly properties, particularly in water and industrial wastewater treatment. The primary objective of this research is to enhance the development and synthesis of natural raw zircon minerals by converting them into zirconium oxide and integrating them with magnetic nanoparticles. The magnetic nanoparticle composite material for zirconium oxide (MNP@ZrO2) was synthesized using the chemical co-precipitation method. Zirconium and its oxides have gained significant application in water and wastewater treatment in recent years. Through chemical co-precipitation processes (MNP@ZrO2), the natural raw zircon minerals were transformed into zirconium oxides and combined with magnetic nanoparticles due to their exceptional potential as effective adsorbents for anions and cations in water and industrial treatment processes. In the utilization of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), magnetic nanoparticles with a diameter of less than 50 nm emerged on the surface of the zirconium crystals within the magnetic nanoparticle composites. X-ray diffraction (X-RD) analysis indicated that the treatment of zirconium minerals resulted in 11.19% decrease in the Crystallinity Index and a significant reduction of 98% in silica content. By maintaining a pH level of approximately 7 ± 0.2 over 360 min with a stirring rate of 150 rpm, and at ambient temperature, the optimal conditions for Pb (II) adsorption were achieved with the adsorption capacity of 68.98 mg/g using MNP@ZrO2 as adsorbent. The successful synthesis of magnetic zirconium oxide-iron oxide nanoparticles at various pH levels using the chemical co-precipitation process has facilitated a comprehensive assessment of their performance in Pb (II) adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study is to produce and generate a solid acid catalyst from biomass with high reactivity that can be used in catalytical reactions such as hydrolysis, and is environmentally friendly and reusable. A biocarbon-based sulfonated catalyst was prepared by the carbonization of palm empty fruit bunches (PEFB), followed by sulfonation. In order to enhance the acidity of the biocarbon, different concentrations of hydroxyethylsulfonic acid were added to the solution during sulfonation at 180o C for 4 h in a Teflon stainless steel autoclave. The H+ ion capacity of the biocarbon-sulfonated acid catalyst (BSC) was increased twofold (3.57 mmol/g) in the presence of 10% of hydroxyethylsulfonic acid and 10% of acrylic acid. XRay Fluorescence (XRF) analysis showed that the BC-SO3H contained 38% of S. The original structure of the PEFB after carbonization disintegrated from the fibrous materials onto porous carbon. The crystalline index (CrI) of the PEFB significantly decreased to about 32% and a wide broad peak of a X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern of around 20-30o were observed, which shows that an amorphous biocarbon structure had been identified. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) analysis confirmed that the -SO3H, COOH and -OH functional groups were deposited on the carbon due to specific peaks at around 1180 cm-1, 1724 cm-1 and 3431 cm-1, respectively. Decomposition of the sulfonic groups on the biocarbon-sulfonated solid catalyst was observed from 227.9o C, as it shown by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of heterogeneous catalyst in the biodiesel production process can minimize the cost of separation process and subsequently reduce the biodiesel price. This study aims at developing a low-priced heterogeneous catalyst CaO/SiO 2 prepared from cheap and abundant wastes of eggshell and peat clay for the production of biodiesel from wasted cooking oil. CaO catalyst was capable to produce biodiesel with the yield of 78%. The presence of silica as a support generated from waste of peat clay improved the biodiesel yield to 91%. The optimum reaction time was 60 min and the biodiesel yield increased with temperature. A reaction mechanism during transesterification process was proposed based upon the characterization analysis. The mechanism suggested that the silica contributed in the esterification reaction and the CaO played a positive role in biodiesel production via transesterification. The kinetic study confirmed the proposed mechanism. The pre-exponential factor (A) and activation energy (Ea) were 5.44 × 10 8 min −1 and 66.27 kJ/mol. The proposed reaction mechanism and kinetic study lead to an essential step of biodiesel production for further research development or application at a larger scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]