THE USE OF NANOSCALE ZINC OXIDE IN WOOD-BASED COMPOSITIONS

The aim of this work was to study compositions based on vegetable oil waste and nanoscale zinc oxide particles for processing natural wood. The sol-gel method was used for the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles did not contain impurities and had a shape close to spherical, and their size did not exceed 20 nm. We used freshly prepared suspensions of zinc oxide nanoparticles in used vegetable oil with their content in the amount of 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 wt. parts per 100 parts of oil. The wood was treated by hot-cold impregnation. The tests were carried out on samples of birch and pine wood of standard sizes. In the modified samples, the wetting angle, moisture and water absorption, as well as their swelling were determined. It is shown that the use of zinc oxide nanoparticles in compositions based on vegetable oil waste can significantly reduce the moisture and water resistance of wood and reduce its swelling. The optimal dosages of the nanopowder introduced into the used vegetable oil and the conditions of impregnation were selected. The compositions used on the basis of vegetable oil waste are characterized by environmental safety, and the resulting wood samples had an improved appearance.

DEVELOPMENT OF SAFE FORMULATIONS FOR WOOD PROCESSING BASED ON VEGETABLE OIL WASTE

The purpose of this work was to develop and study new safe formulations for wood processing based on used vegetable oil. The waste of refined vegetable oil, which remains after cooking, was used as the modifying base of the developed compositions. Impregnation of wood samples of standard sizes was carried out by the method of “hot-cold baths”. Starch was used as a filler, and a precipitated type NF-1 desiccant was used to accelerate the drying of the applied compositions. The properties of wood were controlled by changes in such indicators as water absorption, as well as swelling in the radial and tangential directions. The use of a desiccant in compositions based on used vegetable oil and starch makes it possible to reduce the drying time and solidification of the surface film and improve the water-repellent properties of wood. The optimal dosages of the siccative and filler were selected. A comparative assessment of the use of compositions based on used vegetable oil fordifferent types of wood is carried out on theexample of birch and pine. The developed impregnating compositions have availability, low cost and environmental safety. The use of protective compositions based on used vegetable oil allows you to improve the properties of natural wood and dispose of production waste.

Biodiesel Production and Characterization from Used Vegetable Oil

Biodiesel is a fuel produced from renewable resources; it is a clean alternative fuel, which has drawn the attention of energy researchers for the last two decades due to the disturbing effect of climate change caused by diesel fuel. This paper focuses on showcasing the qualities of biodiesel produced from used vegetable oil and the positive impact on the alarming change in climate today. This paper presents an experimental investigation on production of biodiesel from used vegetable oil (UVO) gotten from a road side bean cake (akara) seller. The oil that was intended to be thrown out was de-odoured and filtered to remove impurities. The filtered oil was then used for biodiesel production and characterized with physical and fuel properties such as density, viscosity, cloud point, refractive index, specific gravity, ash content, moisture content, flash point and cloud point. The results obtained were afterwards compared to ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and EN (Europe’s) international standards. Two biodiesels samples were produced at different temperatures but the same timings. The biodiesel were produced at 700C at 40mins (biodiesel A) and 1000C at 40mins (biodiesel B) with values of specific gravity (0.98 kg/m3; 0.90 kg/m3), density (936kg/m3; 882kg/m3), kinematic viscosity (1.5mm/s2; 5.5 mm/s2), cloud point (150C; 20C), flash point (2600C min; 2000C min), moisture content (0.07%; 0.04%), refractive index (1.4609; 1.4398) and ash point (0.24%; 0.01%) respectively. On comparison, biodiesel A couldn’t match up to the international standards while biodiesel matched up to the standards given.

Synthesis of Biodiesel by Transesterification of Used Frying Oils (UFO) through Basic Homogeneous Catalysts (NaOH and KOH)

The quest for an alternative sustainable source without petroleum technology and its refining has prompted the development of biofuels, such as biodiesel, from the transesterification of new or utilized vegetable oil. This work is devoted to the investigation of the transesterification of a used vegetable oil and optimization of the various parameters influencing the synthesis of biodiesel, such as the molar proportion (alcohol/oil), the amount of catalyst added and their weight percentage, the type of alcohol, the temperature T(°C) and the reaction time. From this standpoint, the current work's significant target is to propel the preliminary conditions of the transesterification response of fatty oils to create biodiesel from utilized vegetable oils. Diverse physicochemical characteristics were investigated (in terms of density, viscosity, acidity index, pour point, and flash point) to obtain biodiesel accordingly with international standards and commercial biodiesel.

Potential of Carica papaya peels as effective biocatalyst in the optimized parametric transesterification of used vegetable oil

This study investigates the effectiveness of a base heterogenous catalyst derived from waste Carica papaya peels in the transesterification of used vegetable oil (UVO). The calcined Carica papaya peels (CCPP) were characterised using scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The EDX result indicated that the ash contains various minerals with potassium (K) as the main active element in remove for the charge of the high catalytic activity. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box Behnken design (BBD) was used to optimise and investigate the effect of the critical process parameters which include: the reaction time (50 – 70 min), catalyst loading (2.5 – 4.5 wt%) and methanol-to-oil molar ratio (9:1 – 15:1). The optimal reaction condition for the transesterification process was found to be catalyst loading of 3.5 wt%, methanol/oil molar ratio of 12:1, process reaction time of 60 min at constant reaction temperature of 65 ^oC which resulted in the maximum biodiesel yield of 97.5 wt%. The quality of the produced biodiesel was in agreement with ASTM standards. The catalyst was reused up to three times with minimal decrease in the catalytic activity in the biodiesel conversion. The study demonstrates the potential of waste biomass feedstocks in the production of sustainable biodiesel fuel.

Synthesis of fatty acid methyl esters from used vegetable oil using activated anthill as catalyst

In this present study transesterification of used vegetable oil (UVO) using synthesized activated anthill as catalyst was investigated. The catalyst was prepared via calcination process, characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. From the BET analysis; calcination temperature has a positive impact on the textural properties. The XRD shows that the catalyst is crystalline in nature. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) was produced using thermally activated anthill as catalyst. The optimal FAME yield of 94.85 % was obtained at Methanol/Oil (M/O) 9:1, catalyst loading 1.5 wt%, reaction temperature of 65 ᵒ𝑪 and reaction time of 2 h. The physico-chemical properties of UVO – FAME produced was found to be within the American Society for Testing and Methods (ASTM). Hence, the study reveals that used vegetable oil catalyzed by novel activated anthill could be an effective feedstock to produce sustainable energy. Keywords: Anthills, FAME, Central composite design, Heterogeneous, used vegetable oil.