The aim of this study was to increase the yield of biodiesel produced by Scenedesmus sp. through in situ transesterification by optimizing various process parameters. Based on the orthogonal matrix analysis for the acidic catalyst, the effects of the factors decreased in the order of reaction temperature (47.5%) > solvent quantity (26.7%) > reaction time (17.5%) > catalyst amount (8.3%). Based ...

In polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), because the reaction rate in the cathode is slower than that in the anode, the cathode catalyst layers require more catalyst loading than the anodes [1]. Much research has been focused on improving the catalytic activity in cathodes and simultaneously reducing the amount of Pt supported by carbon black, which is the most commonly used cathode...

PtRu catalyst is a promising anodic catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) but the slow reaction kinetics reduce the performance of DMFCs. Therefore, this study attempts to improve the performance of PtRu catalysts by adding nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe). Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are used to increase the active area of the catalyst and to improve the catalyst performance. Elec...

Fenton oxidation, an advanced oxidation process, is an efficient method for the treatment of recalcitrant wastewaters. Unfortunately, it utilizes H2O2 and iron-based homogeneous catalysts, which lead to the formation of high volumes of sludge and secondary pollutants. To overcome these problems, an alternate option is the usage of heterogeneous catalyst. In this study, a heterogeneous catalyst ...

The transition states in kinetic processes are often experimentally elusive. Computational tools can be used to gain an atomistic perspective into these transition states. A learning tool to guide students through the complexities of the theory while gaining an appreciation for the coupling of thermodynamic and kinetic processes is explored here. A computational protocol which hinges on combini...

In 1981 Pecoraro and Chianelli reported a complete study of catalytic behavior of transition metal sulfides catalysts in hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) [1], in which was found a periodic tendency of the metallic sulfides activity, where ruthenium sulfide showed the highest HDS activity. These results were corroborated later by Raje et al. [2] and Liaw et al. [3], further s...

Particulate Matter (PM) is one of the major harmful substances in diesel exhaust gas. Technologies like the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) have been positioned at the exhaust to reduce the quantity of harmful substances released to the environment. This paper highlights the factors that affect combustion in diesel engines and the potential of the introductio...

Frequently the activity of fresh catalyst changes with time in use. The decrease or increases of the catalyst activity with time during the course of reaction forces the system to an unsteady state operation ([1], [2], [3], [4] and [5]). One of these catalysts is the copper/zinc oxide catalyst, which is industrially used for methanol production. The activity of copper/zinc oxide catalyst declin...