Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis And Characterization Of Biodiesel Fuels From Furfuryl Alcohol And Spent Coffee Grounds, Amanda Raley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Biodiesel can be synthesized using several different triacylglycerides, alcohols, and catalysts. In this study, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) were produced from their respective alcohols and coffee oil, using either a basic (K₂CO₃) catalyst or an acidic catalyst (H₂SO₄). Fatty acid furfuryl esters (FAFurEs) were produced using commercially-purchased cooking oils (canola, olive, corn, sunflower, and peanut) with furfuryl alcohol, a basic (K₂CO₃) catalyst, a co-solvent (THF), and an ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate). All samples were produced using either conventional heating methods …

Lignin Depolymerization: Mechanistic Analysis, Optimization And Application, Eric Michael Nagel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lignin is the most abundant aromatic biopolymer and is a potential source for phenolic chemical feedstocks. Lignin is composed of phenolic units connected by more than eight different linkages, the most common being β-O-4 which constitutes 50-60%. The hydrothermal decomposition of a guaiacol based β-O-4 lignin dimer was studied under neutral and basic conditions to elucidate the mechanism of β-O-4 bond cleavage and the formation of downstream products. Phenol-carbonyl condensation and vinyl-ether formation were shown to be the primary causes for low monomer yields under the tested conditions. Three Ni catalyst systems, Ni/C + H₂, Ni/C-Zn, and Ni/Zn, …

Variables Governing The Initial Stages Of The Synergisms Of Ultrasonic Treatment Of Biochar In Water Saturated With Carbon Dioxide, Adedapo Reuben Adeniyi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates the initial stage of the synergistic processes of acoustic treatment of biochar in water saturated with CO2 (AIChE Journal, 2014;60:1054-1065). Treatments with switchgrass and miscanthus biochars have been conducted to examine the effects of acoustic intensity, biochar/H2O ratio, CO2 concentrations of the solution, and that in the headspace above the solution. The changes in biochars’ heating values, carbon and hydrogen contents, internal surface area, and pore size distribution have significant technological implications and are the focal points of this study. The miscanthus and switchgrass biochars were produced via pyrolysis process at 700 oC and 550 oC, respectively. …