International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering 

About: International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering is an academic journal published by De Gruyter. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Catalysis & Fluidized bed. It has an ISSN identifier of 1542-6580. Over the lifetime, 2000 publications have been published receiving 18772 citations.

A Review of the Water Gas Shift Reaction Kinetics

Abstract: The world’s progression towards the Hydrogen economy is facilitating the production of hydrogen from various resources. In the carbon based hydrogen production, Water gas shift reaction is the intermediate step used for hydrogen enrichment and CO reduction in the synthesis gas. This paper makes a critical review of the developments in the modeling approaches of the reaction for use in designing and simulating the water gas shift reactor. Considering the fact that the rate of the reaction is dependent on various parameters including the composition of the catalyst, the active surface and structure of the catalyst, the size of the catalyst, age of the catalyst, its operating temperature and pressure and the composition of the gases, it is difficult to narrow down the expression for the shift reaction. With different authors conducting experiments still to validate the kinetic expressions for the shift reaction, continuous research on different composition and new catalysts are also reported periodically. Moreover the commercial catalyst manufacturers seldom provide information on the catalyst. This makes the task of designers difficult to model the shift reaction. This review provides a consolidated listing of the various important kinetic expressions published for both the high temperature and the low temperature water gas shift reaction along with the details of the catalysts and the operating conditions at which they have been validated.

Biomass Valorization for Fuel and Chemicals Production - A Review

Abstract: The transformation of biomass into fuel and chemicals is becoming increasingly popular as a way to mitigate global warming and diversify energy sources. Biomass is a renewable, carbon-neutral resource, and fuels derived from biomass usually burn more cleanly than fossil fuels. It has been estimated that biomass could provide about 25% of global energy requirements. In addition, biomass can also be a source of valuable chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food additives. Several kinds of biomass can be converted to fuel and chemicals. Examples are wood and wood waste, agricultural crops, agricultural waste, litter from animal feedlots, waste from food processing operations and sludge from water treatment plants. Various processes can be used to convert biomass to energy. The biomass can be burned, transformed into a fuel gas through partial combustion, into a biogas through fermentation, into bioalcohol through biochemical processes, into biodiesel, into a bio-oil or into a syngas from which chemicals and fuels can be synthesized. Wood combustion, bioethanol production from either sugarcane or corn, and biodiesel production from oilseeds are currently the most economically significant processes but still need significant improvements. A detailed review of the many processes that can convert biomass into fuels and chemicals shows that no individual process is without drawbacks. As a result, it is recommended that a biorefinery is the best solution to combine and integrate various processes to maximize economic and environmental benefits, while minimizing waste and pollution.

Green Diesel: A Second Generation Biofuel

Abstract: Environmentally-conscious design of processes and products is increasingly viewed as an important strategy in the sustainable development of new refining and chemical processes. This paper discusses a new process technology developed by UOP and Eni S.p.A; the UOP/Eni EcofiningTM process to produce green diesel from vegetable oil. This novel process utilizes catalytic saturation, hydrodeoxygenation, decarboxylation and hydroisomerization reactions to produce an isoparaffin-rich diesel fuel from renewable feedstock containing triglycerides and fatty acids. The resultant biofuel product has a high cetane value, a lower gravity, good cold flow properties and excellent storage stability. Green diesel is completely compatible for blending with the standard mix of petroleum-derived diesel fuels, thus providing significant value to the refiner. The process for producing green diesel operates at mild operating conditions and integrates well within existing petroleum refineries. In contrast to fatty acid methyl esters, where fuel properties depend on feed origin and process configuration, green diesel product is independent of feed origin and the fully deoxygenated biofuel is readily blended with conventional diesel fuel. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of this promising new biofuel production technology has been undertaken to quantify the intrinsic benefits of green diesel production over the current practice of converting various forms of lipids to fatty acid methyl esters. This paper will describe the technology, discuss the results of the LCA study and summarize the advantages this new technology can offer over other processing routes.

A Review on Flow Regime Transition in Bubble Columns

Abstract: Due to varied flow behavior, the demarcation of hydrodynamic flow regimes is an important task in the design and scale-up of bubble column reactors. This article reviews most hydrodynamic studies performed for flow regime identification in bubble columns. It begins with a brief introduction to various flow regimes. The second section examines experimental methods for measurement of flow regime transition. A few experimental studies are presented in detail, followed by the effect of operating and design conditions on flow regime transition. A table summarizes the reported experimental studies, along with their operating and design conditions and significant conclusions. The next section deals with the current state of transition prediction, and includes purely empirical correlations, semi-empirical models, linear stability theory, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based studies.

Kinetic and Thermodynamic Modeling of Cd+2 and Ni+2 Biosorption by Raw Chicken Feathers

Abstract: Batch experiments were performed to model kinetic and thermodynamic data for Cd and Ni biosorption by raw chicken feathers (CFs) under different conditions. Results indicated that Cd and Ni sorption onto CFs occurred on the external surface of the biosorbent. Ion removal increased with pH, whereas both endothermic and exothermic stages where observed depending on temperature. Our calculated thermodynamic parameters showed that, below the temperature of 30◦C, the metal uptake of Cd and Ni ions may be mainly controlled by a chemisorption process. However, for temperatures higher than 30◦C, it is likely that sorption of both metals onto CFs is caused by a combination of both physical and chemical processes, especially for Ni ions. Maximum sorption capacities were of 0.039 (Cd ) and 0.065 mmol/g (Ni) at pH 5 and 30◦C. Using 0.1 M HCl or CH3COOH as desorbing agents, approximately a 50% recovery for Cd was achieved. The pseudo-second order and the general rate law models best fit the sorption kinetics data. The equilibrium metal uptake data was best described by the Sips isotherm.