Transforming Used Palm Oil into Biogasoline Investigation of Activity and Selectivity of Mesoporous Silica Catalyst for Hydrocracking Process

Research on mesoporous silica synthesis using CTAB template as well as its activity and selectivity in the hydrocracking of used palm oil has been conducted. This research was initiated with the synthesis of mesoporous silica material by varying the TEOS to CTAB ratios at 2:1, 4:1, and 8:1, later calcined at varying temperatures of 300, 350, and 400 oC. The products were characterized by XRD, SEM-EDX, and GSA. The hydrocracking was performed with a feed ratio of 1:100 and H2 gas flow rate of 20 mL/min for 1 hour. The results showed that the highest activity of mesoporous silica was found in the TEOS:CTAB ratio of 8:1 and calcination temperature of 500 oC. The mesoporous silica produced had higher crystallinity, higher percentages of Si, and larger pore size. The catalyst activity test showed that the application of mesoporous silica increased the amount of biogasoline fraction (C5-C12) produced at the optimum temperature condition of 350°C using the MCT81-500 catalyst.

Unified mechanistic interpretation of amine-assisted silica synthesis methods to enable design of more complex materials

We present ‘joined-up’ thinking for several families of porous silicas; the mechanistic insights gained can help design structurally complex materials.

Cationic polymeric template-mediated preparation of silica nanocomposites

Cationic templates mediating biomimetic silica synthesis include biomacromolecules, water-soluble synthetic polymers, latex particles, micelles, microgels, etc., leading to nanocomposites with great potentials for a variety of applications.

Novel Magnetic Nano Silica Synthesis Using Barley Husk Waste for Removing Petroleum from Polluted Water for Environmental Sustainability

Water contamination by petroleum and its byproducts presents a major challenge worldwide. It is critical that sustainable treatment methods be employed for the removal of such contaminants from polluted water. For this investigation, magnetic nano silica (M-NS) was synthesized using agricultural waste from barley husk using a two-step process that is environmentally friendly and uses green chemistry synthesis. The barley husk waste was used as a precursor for the synthesis of nano-silica following a low energy and sustainable method of acid reflux and heat treatment. Nano-silica was then used for the synthesis of M-NS, with the addition of a magnetic solution of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The magnetic nano-silica particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Zeta potential analysis (ZETA) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Magnetic nano-silica particles were observed to have an average diameter of 162 nm and appeared to be hydrophobic, with a large surface area of ~120 m2/gm. Due to these characteristics, magnetic nano-silica was used as an adsorbent for the removal of petrol contaminants from water. The experimental procedure showed that only 0.6 gm. of M-NS was used on 40 mg/L concentration of petroleum and the experiments recorded a high uptake efficiency of 85%. The sorption was shown to be an effective process since a high amount of petroleum was removed. The study further demonstrates that as the amount of sorbent is increased, the sorption capacity also increases until an equilibrium is reached. The results of this study establish that synthesis of M-NS, using environmentally sustainable processes, has the required characteristics to serve as sorbent for petroleum and its byproducts from contaminated water, thus enhancing environmental sustainability.