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Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials

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A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2019) | Viewed by 25453

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Daniele Dondi

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: material characterization; nanomaterials synthesis; organic synthesis; catalyst photocatalysis; green chemistry; wastewater treatment; renewable resources; 3D printing; organic green material synthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to the recent renewed interest in Circular Economy and Green Chemistry, modern chemistry is developing new catalysts, starting from renewable and waste materials. The materials derived from both industrial and biological sources include red mud, aluminium dross, fly ash, blast furnace slag, rice husk, and various kinds of shell and plants. They afford opportunities in terms of catalysis: (i) direct application as active materials, (ii) use as pre-catalysts, (iii) modification to yield catalytically active phases, and (iv) use as precursors for the synthesis of active catalysts. For some aspects, abundant natural materials (i.e., from vegetables and plants) can be a source of chemicals, but also a precursor of materials derived from petroleum. Submissions in the form of original research papers, reviews, and short communications are encouraged to this Special Issue on “Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials”.

Prof. Daniele Dondi
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

catalysts
renewable materials
industrial wastes
wastes from biological sources
catalyst characterization

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

3 pages, 157 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials

by Daniele Dondi and Dhanalakshmi Vadivel

Catalysts 2020, 10(6), 662; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10060662 - 12 Jun 2020

Viewed by 1364

Abstract

Research in the field of renewable, non-polluting energy sources is a current trend because of the need to replace fossil fuels due to socioeconomic issues and pollution by carbon–oxygen derivatives [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

10 pages, 6072 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Utilization of Coal Fly Ash and Rice Hull Ash as Geopolymer Matrix-cum-Metal Dopant Applied to Visible-Light-Active Nanotitania Photocatalyst System for Degradation of Dye in Wastewater

by Eiza Shimizu, Michael Angelo Promentilla and Derrick Ethelbhert Yu

Catalysts 2020, 10(2), 240; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10020240 - 17 Feb 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2873

Abstract

Geopolymer (GP) spheres made from coal fly ash (FA) and rice hull ash (RHA) waste products are utilized as both support matrix and dopant applied to titania (TiO₂) photocatalyst for organic dye degradation in wastewater. Processing of FA and RHA via suspension-solidification method resulted in GP spheres with nanoporous morphology. The nanocrevices enabled low-energy sol-gel TiO₂ coating technique because they served as anchoring sites on the geopolymer surface that favored rigidity and larger surface area. The GP-TiO₂ system has been characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed a narrowing of the GP-TiO₂ system optical band gap due to the interaction of metal dopants contained in RHA and FA with TiO₂, thus making the GP-TiO₂ system a visible-light-active photocatalyst, as confirmed by methylene blue dye degradation measured through UV-Vis spectroscopy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials)

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24 pages, 3192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Biodiesel Synthesis from Honne-Rubber-Neem Oil Blend with a Novel Mesoporous Base Catalyst Synthesized from a Mixture of Three Agrowastes

by Olayomi A. Falowo, Tunde V. Ojumu, Omoniyi Pereao and Eriola Betiku

Catalysts 2020, 10(2), 190; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10020190 - 05 Feb 2020

Cited by 41 | Viewed by 3601

Abstract

Application of solid catalysts synthesized from agricultural wastes provides an environmentally benign and low-cost process path to synthesize biodiesel. An ash containing an equal mixture of cocoa pod husk, plantain peel and kola nut pod husk ashes (CPK) was obtained by open combustion of each of the biomass in air and calcined at 500 °C for 4 h. The calcined CPK ash was characterized to determine its catalytic potential. Two-level transesterification technique was used to synthesize biodiesel using the developed catalyst. The process parameters involved were optimized for the microwave-aided transesterification of a blend of honne, rubber seed and neem oils in a volumetric ratio of 20:20:60, respectively. The study showed that the ash derived from combination of the biomass wastes provided a catalyst which consists all necessary catalytic ingredients in their relative abundance. The calcined CPK consists of 47.67% of potassium, 5.56% calcium and 4.21% magnesium attesting to its heterogenous status. The physisorption isotherms reveals that it was dominantly mesoporous in structure and made up of nanoparticles. A maximum of 98.45 wt.% biodiesel was obtained from a MeOH:oil blend of 12:1, CPK concentration of 1.158 wt.% and reaction time of 6 min under microwave irradiation. The quality of the synthesized biodiesel satisfied the requirements stipulated by standard specifications. Thus, this work demonstrates that a blend of agrowastes and mixtures of non-edible oils could be used to synthesize good quality and sustainable biodiesel that can replace fossil diesel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials)

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18 pages, 7088 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrothermally Carbonized Waste Biomass as Electrocatalyst Support for α-MnO₂ in Oxygen Reduction Reaction

by Harold O. Panganoron, Jethro Daniel A. Pascasio, Eugene A. Esparcia, Jr., Julie Anne D. del Rosario and Joey D. Ocon

Catalysts 2020, 10(2), 177; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10020177 - 03 Feb 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4284

Abstract

Sluggish kinetics in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) requires low-cost and highly durable electrocatalysts ideally produced from facile methods. In this work, we explored the conversion and utilization of waste biomass as potential carbon support for α-MnO₂ catalyst in enhancing its ORR performance. Carbon supports were derived from different waste biomass via hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) at different temperature and duration, followed by KOH activation and subsequent heat treatment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) were used for morphological, chemical, and structural characterization, which revealed porous and amorphous carbon supports for α-MnO₂. Electrochemical studies on ORR activity suggest that carbon-supported α-MnO₂ derived from HTC of corncobs at 250 °C for 12 h (CCAC + MnO₂ 250-12) gives the highest limiting current density and lowest overpotential among the synthesized carbon-supported catalysts. Moreover, CCAC + MnO₂ 250-12 facilitates ORR through a 4-e^‑ pathway, and exhibits higher stability compared to VC + MnO₂ (Vulcan XC-72) and 20% Pt/C. The synthesis conditions preserve oxygen functional groups and form porous structures in corncobs, which resulted in a highly stable catalyst. Thus, this work provides a new and cost-effective method of deriving carbon support from biomass that can enhance the activity of α-MnO₂ towards ORR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials)

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15 pages, 3867 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Palm Biochar-Based Sulphated Zirconium (Zr-AC-HSO₃) Catalyst for Methyl Ester Production from Palm Fatty Acid Distillate

by Umer Rashid, Soroush Soltani, Thomas Shean Yaw Choong, Imededdine Arbi Nehdi, Junaid Ahmad and Chawalit Ngamcharussrivichai

Catalysts 2019, 9(12), 1029; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal9121029 - 05 Dec 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3019

Abstract

A palm waste kernel shell biomass was converted into bio-based sulphonated activated carbon and further used for preparation of a sulphated zirconium-doped activated catalyst (Zr-AC-HSO₃) by wet impregnation method. The structural, physicochemical, morphological, textural, and thermal characteristics of the synthesized Zr-AC-HSO₃ catalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (TPD-NH₃), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The catalytic activity of the 20 wt% Zr-AC-HSO₃ catalyst was further evaluated for esterification of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD). This study achieved a maximum fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield of 94.3% and free fatty acid (FFA) conversion of 96.1% via the esterification over 20 wt% Zr-AC-HSO₃ using 3 wt% catalyst concentration, 15:1 methanol:PFAD molar ratio at 75 °C for 3 h. The experiments to test for reusability showed that the spent catalyst was stable for five successive reaction cycles, with a FFA conversion of 80% in the fifth cycle, without additional treatment. The critical fuel features of the synthesized PFAD methyl ester were determined and were within the range of EN14214 and ASTM D6751 standards. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials)

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16 pages, 2855 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Esterification of Palm Fatty Acid Distillate for Biodiesel Production Catalyzed by Synthesized Kenaf Seed Cake-Based Sulfonated Catalyst

by Shehu-Ibrahim Akinfalabi, Umer Rashid, Thomas Yaw Choong Shean, Imededdine Arbi Nehdi, Hassen Mohamed Sbihi and Mohamed Mossad Gewik

Catalysts 2019, 9(5), 482; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal9050482 - 24 May 2019

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3619

Abstract

Sulfonated kenaf seed cake (SO₃H-KSC) catalyst, was synthesized to aid biodiesel production from palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD). It was chemically activated with phosphoric acid for an impregnation period of 24 h in order to enhance the porosity and the specific surface area of kenaf seed cake (KSC). After the carbonization and sulfonation, the resultant catalyst was characterized with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), NH₃-temperature programmed desorption (NH₃-TPD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The SO₃H-KSC catalyst was amorphous in nature and had an acid density of 14.32 mmol/g, specific surface area of 365.63 m²/g, pore volume of 0.31 cm³/g and pore diameter of 2.89 nm. At optimum esterification conditions--reaction time 90 mins, temperature of 338 K, methanol:PFAD molar ratio of 10:1 and catalyst concentration of 2 wt.%—a free fatty acid (FFA) conversion of 98.7% and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) yield of 97.9% was achieved. The synthesized SO₃H-KSC catalyst underwent five reaction cycles while maintaining a fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) yield and free fatty acid (FFA) conversion of >90%. Thus, the SO₃H-KSC catalyst was shown to be an excellent application of bio-based material as a precursor for catalyst synthesis for esterification of PFAD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials)

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14 pages, 2349 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Efficient Heterogeneous Activation of Persulfate by Iron-Modified Biochar for Removal of Antibiotic from Aqueous Solution: A Case Study of Tetracycline Removal

by Van-Truc Nguyen, Chang-Mao Hung, Thanh-Binh Nguyen, Jih-Hsing Chang, Tsing-Hai Wang, Chung-Hsin Wu, Yi-Li Lin, Chiu-Wen Chen and Cheng-Di Dong

Catalysts 2019, 9(1), 49; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal9010049 - 07 Jan 2019

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 6053

Abstract

Waste reutilization is always highly desired in the environmental engineering and science community. In this study, Fe-SCG biochar was functionalized by modifying spent coffee grounds (SCG) with magnetite (Fe³⁺) at 700 °C and applied for the oxidative removal of tetracycline (TC) with the presence of persulfate (PS). The effects of pH, dosage of biochar and sodium persulfate and initial TC concentration on TC degradation were investigated in a batch system. Our results show that higher TC degradation efficiency was obtained at low pH, low initial TC concentration, and at high dosages of PS and biochar. The highest removal efficiency (96%) was achieved by Fe-SCG/PS under the conditions of pH = 2.0, [Fe-SCG] = 2.5 g/L, [PS] = 60 mM and [TC] = 1 mM. The proposed Fe-SCG catalyst could be a promising effective biochar for the remediation of other emerging organic contaminants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation of Catalysts from Renewable and Waste Materials)

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