This study investigated the suitability of stone fruit seed as a source biodiesel for transport. Stone oil (SFO) was extracted from and converted into biodiesel. The yield 95.75% produced using alkaline catalysed transesterification process with methanol-to-oil molar ratio 6:1, KOH catalyst concentration 0.5 wt% (weight %), reaction temperature 55 °C 60 min. physicochemical properties were dete...

The FACET group at CIEMAT is studying the properties and potentialities of several lead-cooled ADS designs for actinide and fission product transmutation. The main characteristics of these systems are the use of lead as primary coolant and moderator and fuels made by transuranics inside a thorium oxide matrix. The aim of the study is to analyse the effect of some operation parameters (fuel tran...

91 10.4155/BFS.09.4 © 2010 Future Science Ltd Jatropha curcas L. (further referred to as Jatropha) is a rapidly emerging biofuel crop currently attracting a lot of interest and investments [1]. This stem-succulent [2] deciduous tree or shrub produces seeds rich in toxic oil (27–40% [3]). The oil can be extracted easily with techniques of different sophistication levels [4,5]. The crude Jatropha...

Life-cycle studies of the currently dominant transport biofuels (bioethanol made from starch or sugar and biodiesel made from vegetable oil) show that solar energy conversion efficiency is relatively poor if compared with solar cells and that such biofuels tend to do worse than conventional fossil transport fuels as to the emission of eutrophying and acidifying substances. Lifecycle studies of ...

The plants, grown in the soils around a Fuel Holding Depot of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria have been investigated in this research in terms of their density and species composition so that the impact of contamination by petroleum products on soil seed banks could be determined. The study has used designated plots (25m by 25m) in a site, contaminated by...

Gluconeogenesis is a fundamental metabolic process that allows organisms to make sugars from non-carbohydrate stores such as lipids and protein. In eukaryotes only one gluconeogenic route has been described from organic acid intermediates and this relies on the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK). Here we show that two routes exist in Arabidopsis, and that the second uses pyruvate, o...

Pods play a key role in encapsulating the developing seeds and protecting them from pests and pathogens. In addition to this protective function, it has been shown that the photosynthetically active pod wall contributes assimilates and nutrients to fuel seed growth. Recent work has revealed that signals originating from the pod may also act to coordinate grain filling and regulate the reallocat...

A simple energy harvesting strategy has been developed to selectively catalyze glucose in the presence of oxygen in a glucose/O2 fuel cell. The anode consists of an abiotic catalyst Al/Au/ZnO, in which ZnO seed layer was deposited on the surface of Al/Au substrate using hydrothermal method. The cathode is constructed from a single rod of platinumwith an outer diameter of 500 mm. The abiotic glu...

Vegetable oils are renewable in nature and can be directly used as fuels in diesel engines. However, their high viscosity and poor volatility lead to reduced thermal efficiency and increased hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and smoke emissions. Transesterification is one of the methods by which viscosity could be drastically reduced and the fuel could be adopted for use in diesel engine. This Ester...