Recent progress in catalytic deoxygenation of biomass pyrolysis oil using microporous zeolites for green fuels production

A review on properties, challenges and commercial aspects of eco-friendly biolubricants productions.

With the rapid development of industry and the increasing demand for transportation, traditional sources of energy have been excessively consumed. Biodiesel as an alternative energy source has become a research focus. The most common method for biodiesel production is transesterification, in which lipid and low carbon alcohol are commonly used as raw materials, in the presence of a catalyst. In the process of transesterification, the performance of the catalyst is the key factor of the biodiesel yield. This paper reviews the recent research progress on homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in biodiesel production. The advantages and disadvantages of current homogeneous acid catalysts and homogeneous base catalysts are discussed, and heteropolyacid heterogeneous catalysts and biomass-derived base catalysts are described. The applications of the homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst derivatives ionic liquids/deep eutectic solvents and nanocatalysts/magnetic catalysts in biodiesel production are reviewed. The mechanism and economic cost of current homogeneous acid catalysts and homogeneous base catalysts are also analyzed. The unique advantages of each type of catalyst are compared to better understand the microscopic details behind biodiesel. Finally, some challenges of current biodiesel catalysts are summarized, and future research directions are presented. This review will provide general and in-depth knowledge on the achievements, directions, and research priorities in developing novel homogeneous/heterogeneous catalysts for the green and cost-effective production of biodiesel.

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Enabling Catalysts for Biodiesel Production via Transesterification

Walnut-shaped calcium oxide-cancrinite spheres for transesterification of waste frying oil

This work presents the synthesis of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and chitosan (CS) coated magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) by co-precipitation technique. The objective of this research was to investigate the catalytic, antibacterial efficacy with evidential molecular docking analysis of CS/PVP- Fe3O4 and PVP/CS- Fe3O4. The coating of PVP and CS reduced the particle size of Fe3O4, providing a large surface area that increased catalytic and antibacterial potency. These binary coated magnetite NPs used as ideal catalytic agent for the reduction of rhodamine B dye as well as antibacterial agent against Escherichia coli. The findings of a molecular docking investigation were in reasonable accord with in vitro microbicidal activity and revealed that CS-Fe3O4, Fe3O4-doped PVP and CS are promising inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductaseE. Coli (DHFR) and DNA gyraseE. Coli. 

Polyvinylpyrrolidone and chitosan-coated magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles for catalytic and antimicrobial activity with molecular docking analysis

In recent years, the scope for replacing fossil fuels has been appealing to the world, owing to limited conventional fuels, crude oil price volatility, and greenhouse gas emission concerns. In this regard, this article demonstrates the preparation of a novel solid base catalyst for the transesterification of waste cooking oil. A calcium-loaded activated carbon catalyst was prepared through pyrolysis of peach shell followed by chemical activation with KOH and then calcium loading through the wet impregnation method. The prepared catalyst showed the best performance with 20% calcium loading and 650 °C of calcination temperature. The catalyst’s physicochemical, structural, and textural properties were examined using XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, and BET analysis. The catalyst showed a maximum yield of 96% at optimized conditions, i.e., 65 °C temperature, oil to methanol ratio 1:8, 5 wt% catalyst concentration, and a 160 min reaction time. Additionally, it illustrated high recyclability up to 10 cycles with negligible leaching of Ca+2 ions. The high activity of the catalyst was due to the presence of calcium ions on the activated carbon support. Physio–chemical properties and GC-MS analysis of prepared biodiesel determined that all attributes were within the biodiesel standard tolerances set by ASTM D6751 and EN 14214. Therefore, all the innovations mentioned above concluded that catalyst generated from peach shell biochar is a promising candidate for biodiesel production, ultimately resulting in solid and liquid waste management.

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/12/6/592/pdf?version=1653975581

One-Step Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil Using CaO Promoted Activated Carbon Catalyst from Prunus persica Seeds

Biological and Photocatalytic Degradation of Congo Red, a Diazo Sulfonated Substituted Dye: a Review

Collaborative robots cooperate with humans to assist them in undertaking simple-to-complex tasks in several fields, including industry, education, agriculture, healthcare services, security, and space exploration. These robots play a vital role in the revolution of Industry 4.0, which defines new standards of manufacturing and the organization of products in the industry. Incorporating collaborative robots in the workspace improves efficiency, but it also introduces several safety risks. Effective safety measures then become indispensable to ensure safe and robust interaction. This paper presents the review of low-level control methodologies of a collaborative robot to assess the current status of human–robot collaboration over the last decade. First, we discuss the classification of human–robot collaboration, architectures of systems and the complex requirements on control strategies. The most commonly used control approaches were presented and discussed. Several methods of control, reported in industrial applications, are elaborated upon with a prime focus on HR-collaborative assembly operations. Since the physical HRC is a critical control problem for the co-manipulation task, this article identifies key control challenges such as the prediction of human intentions, safety, and human-caused disturbances in motion synchronization; the proposed solutions were analyzed afterwards. The discussion at the end of the paper summarizes the features of the control systems that should be incorporated within the systematic framework to allow the execution of a robotic task from global task planning to low-level control implementation for safe and robust interactions.

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Control System Design and Methods for Collaborative Robots: Review

Abstract Snake robots are the multibody mechanisms allowing us to solve specific problems efficiently, i.e., navigate into diverse environments and maneuver through tight spaces or uneven grounds in a way that resembles living organisms. However, the path following and controlling such systems is challenging due to nonlinear dynamics, coupling between links, and nonstandard definitions of the set-point that differ from industrial applications. This paper describes a framework for simulation and evaluation of the controller design for snake robot as the set of tools for the 3D design and robot dynamic simulation. Combined with a theoretical background (equations of robot dynamics), it allows testing new solutions and strategies of robot control design. Firstly, based on the proposed methodology, we provide a mechanical design of a ten-link snake robot. We present control algorithms enabling point-to-point tracking of the robot position in two cases: (i) tracking the center of gravity of the robot and (ii) tracking the position of the head of the robot. Then we provide a simulation-based robustness analysis of a simple fault-tolerant control algorithm, where some snake robot joints are broken. The proposed framework can be used efficiently to study control strategies for multibody mechanisms. 

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Framework for simulation-based control design evaluation for a snake robot as an example of a multibody robotic system

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of impulsivity in patients who attempted suicide presenting at a tertiary care hospital, Karachi. STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional study. STUDY SETTING: Study was led in the Psychiatry Department, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi. DURATION OF STUDY:Six month after approval of synopsis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data was prospectively collected from patients after taking verbal consent. Permission was taken from ethical review committee. 95 patients presenting to the Psychiatry Department who met the inclusion criteria were included. A brief history about suicide attempt and demographic data was taken from the patient and confirmed by an attendee. The researcher himself interviewed the patient in a conducive environment assuring the patient's confidentiality. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) which consists of 30 self administered questions, marked out of 120 and rated from 0-4 was used to measure impulsivity. Demographic data was presented as simple descriptive statistics giving mean and standard deviation and qualitative variables was presented as frequency and percentages. Effect modifiers were controlled through the stratification of age, gender, marital status, educational status, socioeconomic status and occupational status to see the effect of these on the outcome variable. Post stratification chi square test was applied, taking p-value of ≤0.05 as significant. RESULTS: A total of 95 patients who attempted suicide, admitted in Psychiatry Department, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi were included in the study. Out of 95 patients, mean and standard deviation of age and BIS-11 score was 36.47±9.13 years and 80.4±17.6 respectively. Out of 95 patients who attempted suicide, 45 (47.4%) had impulsivity and 50 (52.6%) had no impulsivity and 28 (29.5%) were male and 67 (70.5%) were female. Impulsivity was found to be the most common in the age group 21-30 years and those who were divorced, unemployed, less educated and belonged to the lower class. CONCLUSION: The present data suggest that impulsivity, as reflected by a tendency toward rapid, unplanned responses on an immediate memory task, is a measurable characteristic of subjects with severe previous suicidal behaviour. People who attempted suicide tend to experience higher levels of trait impulsivity.

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Ayesha Abdul Hameed

Papers

One-Step Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil Using CaO Promoted Activated Carbon Catalyst from Prunus persica Seeds

Biological and Photocatalytic Degradation of Congo Red, a Diazo Sulfonated Substituted Dye: a Review

Control System Design and Methods for Collaborative Robots: Review

Framework for simulation-based control design evaluation for a snake robot as an example of a multibody robotic system

Impulsivity in patients with attempted suicide presenting at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi