Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2
4
2015
12
01
Effect of various carbon-based cathode electrodes on the performance of microbial fuel cell
296
300
EN
Mehrdad
Mashkour
Biofuel and Renewable Energy Research Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
Mostafa
Rahimnejad
Biofuel and Renewable Energy Research Center, Department of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
rahimnejad_mostafa@yahoo.com
10.18331/BRJ2015.2.4.3
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a prospective technology capable of purifying different types of wastewater while converting its chemical energy into electrical energy using bacteria as active biocatalysts. Electrode materials play an important role in the MFC system. In the present work, different carbon-based materials were studied as electrode and the effect of dissolved oxygen (aeration) in the cathode compartment using actual wastewater was also investigated. More specifically, the effect of different electrode materials such as graphite, carbon cloth, carbon paper (CP), and carbon nanotube platinum (CNT/Pt)-coated CP on the performance of a dual-chambered MFC was studied. Based on the results obtained, the CNT/Pt-coated CP was revealed as the best cathode electrode capable of producing the highest current density (82.38 mA/m<sup>2</sup>) and maximum power density (16.26 mW/m<sup>2</sup>) in the investigated MFC system. Moreover, aeration was found effective by increasing power density by two folds from 0.93 to 1.84 mW/m<sup>2</sup> using graphite as the model cathode electrode.
Microbial fuel cell,Cathode compartment,Graphite,Carbon cloth,CNT/Pt-coated Carbon paper
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11605.html
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11605_c7d07a9bbf3fac91936322b707b342bf.pdf
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2
4
2015
12
01
Recent trends in acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) production
301
308
EN
Keikhosro
Karimi
Department of Chemical Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran
karimi@cc.iut.ac.ir
Meisam
Tabatabaei
Microbial Biotechnology and Biosafety Department, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), AREEO, Karaj, Iran
editorial@biofueljournal.com
Ilona
Sárvári Horváth
Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90 Borås, Sweden
ilona.horvath@hb.se
Rajeev
Kumar
Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
10.18331/BRJ2015.2.4.4
Among the renewable fuels considered as a suitable substitute to petroleum-based gasoline, butanol has attracted a great deal of attention due to its unique properties. Acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) can be produced biologically from different substrates, including sugars, starch, lignocelluloses, and algae. This process was among the very first biofuel production processes which was commercialized during the First World War. The present review paper discusses the different aspects of the ABE process and the recent progresses made. Moreover, the microorganisms and the biochemistry of the ABE fermentation as well as the feedstocks used are reviewed. Finally, the challenges faced such as low products concentration and products` inhibitory effects on the fermentation are explained and different possible solutions are presented and reviewed.
Acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE),Fermentation,Recent trends
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11183.html
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11183_a0cb4c0a97546ecda6b7482f713710d5.pdf
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2
4
2015
12
01
Dry anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic and protein residues
309
316
EN
Maryam M
Kabir
Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90, Borås, Sweden
maryam.kabir@hb.se
Mohammad J
Taherzadeh
Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90, Borås, Sweden
mohammad.taherzadeh@hb.se
Ilona
Sárvári Horváth
Swedish Centre for Resource Recovery, University of Borås, 501 90, Borås, Sweden
ilona.horvath@hb.se
10.18331/BRJ2015.2.4.5
Utilisation of wheat straw and wool textile waste in dry anaerobic digestion (AD) process was investigated. Dry-AD of the individual substrates as well as co-digestion of those were evaluated using different total solid (TS) contents ranging between 6 to 30%. Additionally, the effects of the addition of nutrients and cellulose- or protein-degrading enzymes on the performance of the AD process were also investigated. Dry-AD of the wheat straw resulted in methane yields of 0.081 – 0.200 Nm<sup>3</sup>CH<sub>4</sub>/kgVS with the lowest and highest values obtained at 30 and 21% TS, respectively. The addition of the cellulolytic enzymes could significantly increase the yield in the reactor containing 13% TS (0.231 Nm<sup>3</sup>CH<sub>4</sub>/kg VS). Likewise, degradation of wool textile waste was enhanced significantly at TS of 13% with the addition of the protein-degrading enzyme (0.131 Nm<sup>3</sup>CH<sub>4</sub>/kg VS). Furthermore, the co-digestion of these two substrates showed higher methane yields compared with the methane potentials calculated for the individual fractions at all the investigated TS contents due to synergetic effects and better nutritional balance.
Dry anerobic digestion,Lignocellulosic biomass,Wheat straw,wool,Keratin,Enzyme addition
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11604.html
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11604_3dc8e15876f76176f7e6e6641cf77e11.pdf
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2
4
2015
12
01
Pyrolysis characteristic of kenaf studied with separated tissues, alkali pulp, and alkali li
317
323
EN
Yasuo
Kojima
Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan.
koji@agr.niigata-u.ac.jp
Yoshiaki
Kato
Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, 2-8050 Ikarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan.
Minami
Akazawa
Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, 950-2181, Japan.
Seung-Lak
Yoon
Department of Interior Materials Engineering, Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology, 150 Chiram-Dong, Jinju, Gyeongnam, 660-758, Korea.
Myong-Ku
Lee
Department of Paper Science & Engineering, Kangwon National University, 192-1 hyoja 2-dong, Chuncheon, 200-701, Korea.
10.18331/BRJ2015.2.4.6
To estimate the potential of kenaf as a new biomass source, analytical pyrolysis was performed using various kenaf tissues, i.e., alkali lignin and alkali pulp. The distribution of the pyrolysis products from the whole kenaf was similar to that obtained from hardwood, with syringol, 4-vinylsyringol, guaiacol, and 4-vinylguaiacol as the major products. The phenols content in the pyrolysate from the kenaf core was higher than that from the kenaf cuticle, reflecting the higher lignin content of the kenaf core. The ratios of the syringyl and guaiacyl compounds in the pyrolysates from the core and cuticle samples were 2.79 and 6.83, respectively. Levoglucosan was the major pyrolysis product obtained from the kenaf alkali pulp, although glycol aldehyde and acetol were also produced in high yields, as previously observed for other cellulosic materials. Moreover, the pathways for the formation of the major pyrolysis products from alkali lignin and alkali pulp were also described, and new pyrolysis pathways for carbohydrates have been proposed herein. The end groups of carbohydrates bearing hemiacetal groups were subjected to ring opening and then they underwent further reactions, including further thermal degradation or ring reclosing. Variation of the ring-closing position resulted in the production of different compounds, such as furans, furanones, and cyclopentenones.
Kenaf,Analytical pyrolysis,Valuable phenols,Levoglucosan
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11765.html
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11765_e5ab0dc8c9aa8e07f1c712de1c2387f6.pdf
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2
4
2015
12
01
Mass-energy balance analysis for estimation of light energy conversion in an integrated system of biological H2 production
324
330
EN
A.I.
Gavrisheva
Institute of Basic Biological Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
B.F.
Belokopytov
Institute of Physiology and Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
V.I.
Semina
Institute of Basic Biological Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
E.S.
Shastik
Institute of Basic Biological Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
T.V.
Laurinavichene
Institute of Basic Biological Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
A.A.
Tsygankov
Institute of Basic Biological Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
ttt-00@mail.ru
10.18331/BRJ2015.2.4.7
The present study investigated an integrated system of biological H2 production, which includes the accumulation of biomass of autotrophic microalgae, dark fermentation of biomass, and photofermentation of the dark fermentation effluent. Particular emphasis was placed on the estimation of the conversion efficiency of light into hydrogen energy at each stage of this system. For this purpose, the mass and energy balance regularities were applied. The efficiency of the energy transformation from light into the microalgal biomass did not exceed 5%. The efficiency of the energy transformation from biomass to biological H2 during the dark fermentation stage stood at about 0.3%. The photofermentation stage using the model fermentation effluent could improve this estimation to 11%, resulting in an overall efficiency 0.55%. Evidently, this scheme is counterproductive for light energy bioconversion due to numerous intermediate steps even if the best published data would be taken into account.
Microalgae,Energy conversion efficiency,Hydrogen production,Fermentation,Purple bacteria,Mass-energy balance
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11768.html
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_11768_76f40fce40363d3f3e9adb988db7c87e.pdf