Utilization of High Acidity Non-Food Oils from Palm Oil Mill for Biofuel Applications

<p>High Fatty Acids Crude Palm Oil (HFCPO) and Palm Sludge Oil (PSO) are the by-products from Palm Oil Mills. The price of HFCPO and PSO are sufficiently lower than the official price quotation of Crude Palm Oil (CPO). On the other hand, both byproducts are potential sources for biofuel applications. New patented technology that integrates extraction/esterification process from the high acidity non-food oils has been introduced. This technology is a proven technology that brings economic benefits for Palm Oil Mills that could utilize high acidity non-food oils.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> HFCPO, PSO, CPO, SVO, FAME</p>

The Influence of Different Hydrophobic Agent on the Water Absorptivity of Foam Concrete

Foam concrete products had high absorption rate due to a large number of bubbles dispersion in it.which has serious effects upon the overall thermal performance of material and the durability of construction.Three methods were studied which includes Organic Silicon hydrophobic agent、High fatty acids hydrophobic agent and hydrophobic agent F in order to reduce the water absorption rate.Results show that the water absorption rate was reduced significantly with mixed High fatty acids. The water absorption rate drops of 68.2%, and the organic silicon is in a second place , and the hydrophobic agent F is the worst.

Effect of Combustion Chamber Geometry on Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Diesel Engine Fueled with Mahua Biodiesel Blends

The present work investigates the effect of change in combustion chamber geometry on performance and emission characteristics of single cylinder diesel engine fuelled with mahua biodiesel. Since plant oil derived from the mahua tree has high fatty acids, it undergoes esterification followed by transesterification process to reduce its viscosity. Experiments were conducted using a blend of 20% biodiesel (B20) 40% biodiesel (B40) with diesel and compared with diesel by using two types of combustion chamber geometry, explicitly hemispherical and modified hemispherical combustion chamber. Performance parameters such as Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE), Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) and emission parameters like Unburned Hydro Carbon (UBHC), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) were studied from the diesel engine with above mentioned configurations. It is obvious that there is considerable improvement in the performance parameter viz, BTE, BSFC and reduction in UBHC emissions by using the modified geometry piston. However, the NOx emission was found to be higher than that of standard configuration. The results obtained from the blend B20 at modified combustion chamber geometry are on par with diesel and hence mahua biodiesel can be suggested as an alternative fuel for Compression Ignition (C.I) engine with modified combustion chamber geometry.

Palmitate acutely induces insulin resistance in isolated muscle from obese but not lean humans

Exposure to high fatty acids (FAs) induces whole body and skeletal muscle insulin resistance. The globular form of the adipokine, adiponectin (gAd), stimulates FA oxidation and improves insulin sensitivity; however, its ability to prevent lipid-induced insulin resistance in humans has not been tested. The purpose of this study was to determine 1) whether acute (4 h) exposure to 2 mM palmitate would impair insulin signaling and glucose transport in isolated human skeletal muscle, 2) whether muscle from obese humans is more susceptible to the effects of palmitate, and 3) whether the presence of 2 mM palmitate + 2.5 μg/ml gAd (P+gAd) could prevent the effects of palmitate. Insulin-stimulated (10 mU/ml) glucose transport was not different, relative to control, following exposure to palmitate (−10%) or P+gAd (−3%) in lean muscle. In obese muscle, the absolute increase in glucose transport from basal to insulin-stimulated conditions was significantly decreased following palmitate (−55%) and P+gAd (−36%) exposure (control vs. palmitate; control vs. P+gAd, P < 0.05). There was no difference in the absolute increase in glucose transport between palmitate and P+gAd, indicating that in the presence of palmitate, gAd did not improve glucose transport. The palmitate-induced reduction in insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscle from obese individuals may have been due to reduced Ser Akt (control vs. palmitate; P+gAd, P < 0.05) and Akt substrate 160 (AS160) phosphorylation (control vs. palmitate; P+gAd, P < 0.05). FA oxidation was significantly increased in muscle of lean and obese individuals in the presence of gAd ( P < 0.05), suggesting that the stimulatory effects of gAd on FA oxidation may not be sufficient to entirely prevent palmitate-induced insulin resistance in obese muscle.