Nanotechnology
Eman H. Khader; Thamer J. Mohammed; Talib M. Albayati; Sohrab Zendehboudi
Abstract
In the present work, a novel eco-friendly nanocatalyst (NC) calcium oxide (CaO) is synthesized from the waste of tomato plants by physical method for the degradation of oil in oily wastewater by photocatalytic technology as a sophisticated oxidation process. The characterization of NC prepared is described ...
Read More ...
In the present work, a novel eco-friendly nanocatalyst (NC) calcium oxide (CaO) is synthesized from the waste of tomato plants by physical method for the degradation of oil in oily wastewater by photocatalytic technology as a sophisticated oxidation process. The characterization of NC prepared is described by dynamic light scattering (DLS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, which illustrated that the NC prepared possessed a nanoscale size and a cubic crystal structure. The activity of NC in the photodegradation process is evaluated using oil concentration (100–500 ppm), amount of NC (0.1–1) g/L, and pH (4–12) at a specific aeration rate of 1 L/min and time irradiation of 30–180 min and under UV light. The findings showed that the degradation efficiency of oil increased with an increased amount of NC, time, and pH while decreasing with increased oil concentration. The maximum degradation of oil reached 83.0% at optimum conditions (oil concentration = 100 ppm, amount of NC = 0.6 g/L, pH = 7, time of irradiation = 120 min, and temperature = 23 ◦C). This work illustrates that the novel NC can be employed as an environmentally friendly and economical photocatalyst and might be improved in its characteristics and performance by thermal technique (calcination) to enhance the reduction of oil from oily wastewater.
Nanotechnology
Hiba Kh. Ismaeel; Talib M. Albayati; Hayder A. Dhahad; Farah T. Al-Sudani; Issam K. Salih; Sohrab M. Zendehboudi
Abstract
In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with a hexagonal structure and large surface area were synthesized via a sol-gel method. The properties of the synthesized MCM-41 catalyst were characterized using BET, EDX, XRD, and FTIR analyses. The results showed that the MCM-41 had a high surface ...
Read More ...
In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with a hexagonal structure and large surface area were synthesized via a sol-gel method. The properties of the synthesized MCM-41 catalyst were characterized using BET, EDX, XRD, and FTIR analyses. The results showed that the MCM-41 had a high surface area of 966 m2/g and large pore volume of about 0.91 cm3/g. Sunflower oil was converted to biodiesel in a batch reactor at different temperatures (40, 50, 60 °C), methanol-to-oil molar ratios (6:1, 9:1, 12:1), catalyst loadings (0.7, 0.9, 1.25 wt%), and reaction times (up to 80 min) using the prepared catalyst under atmospheric pressure. The biodiesel yield was found to reduce when the reaction time exceeded 1 hour despite maintaining the catalyst. The maximum biodiesel yield of 45% was obtained under optimal conditions of a 9:1 methanol-to-oil ratio, 1.25 wt% catalyst loading, 60 °C temperature, and 60 min reaction time. GC-MS analysis characterized the biodiesel composition and properties. The synthesized biodiesel showed improved properties compared to conventional fuels, with linoleic acid methyl ester (C17H34O2, 25.93%) as the main component. The MCM-41 catalyst exhibited remarkable catalytic activity and could be recovered, regenerated, and reused, reducing reaction costs. This makes it a potential alternative to homogeneous catalysts that complicate product separation.
