Raw Pine Research Articles

TINJAUAN YURIDIS PERATURAN GUBERNUR ACEH NOMOR 15 TAHUN 2023 TENTANG PEDOMAN PENGOLAHAN DAN PENGELUARAN GETAH PINUS

Aceh Governor Regulation Number 15 of 2023 concerning Guidelines for Pine Sap Processing and Expenditure was issued and signed directly by the Acting Governor of Aceh on May 29, 2023. Since the issuance of this Pergub, the sale of raw pine sap outside the Aceh region has stopped, causing farmers or business actors to be unable to continue trade contracts that have been running with business actors outside Aceh. The results showed that the spirit and purpose of the issuance of this Pergub is so that pine sap which is one of Aceh's Natural Resources can be utilized, managed, have added value, and can increase Regional Original Income which in the end can be used for the prosperity of the people. From Article 7 of the Governor's Regulation it can be seen that the Government of Aceh stops the sale of pine sap outside the Aceh region temporarily until the needs of the Pine Sap processing industry in the Aceh region are met first. However, based on data published by DPMPTSP Aceh in 2021, conditions in the field currently Aceh only has 2 (two) pine sap processing plants, namely in Central Aceh and Gayo Lues, causing pine sap stocks in the region to be abundant, and causing pine sap prices in the Aceh region to be low, which ultimately has an impact on price stability and the economy of pine sap farmers themselves. Therefore, the Government of Aceh must pay attention to various aspects both from philosophical, sociological, and juridical aspects in the formation of Governor Regulation No. 15 of 2023 so as not to cause negative impacts on the economy of the community, especially farmers or pine sap business actors. The advice given is that the Government of Aceh needs to review Governor Regulation No. 15 of 2023, especially related to the economic impact caused, and harmony between other laws and regulations while still paying attention to aspects of the specificity of Aceh itself, so that the enactment of the Governor's Regulation does not actually hamper the productivity that has been carried out by farmers and / or pine sap business actors. Keywords: Gubernatorial Regulation, Processing and Expenditure, Pine Sap

On the oxy-combustion of blends of coal and agro-waste biomass under dry and wet conditions

Integrating bioenergy into carbon capture and storage systems (Bio-CCS) is a novel concept aiming at reducing CO2 emissions, pointing to a short-term need to increase the use of non-conventional biomasses. The main objective of this experimental research is to characterize the behavior of two agro-waste biomasses under oxy-co-firing conditions, as concerns fuel conversion and NO formation, compared to the use of typical raw pine wood. The effect of replacing CO2 with H2O in the firing atmosphere is also sought. Two different biomass shares in the blends, 20 % and 50 %, are selected. The experiments are conducted in a lab-scale entrained flow reactor for two O2 concentrations (21 % and 35 %) and four H2O concentrations (0 %, 10 %, 25 %, 40 %). Some operating conditions are kept the same to enable the comparisons: mean residence time (3 s), initial reactor temperature (1000 °C) and oxygen excess (1.25). New results have been obtained from the experiments, optimizing burnout degrees and reducing NO levels. Minimum differences in conversions are detected for the 35 % O2 cases when the agro-biomasses replace the pine wood: less than 0.7 and 1.1 percentage points. Burnout degrees are maximized when 25 % CO2 is replaced with H2O in most cases, with maximum values in the range 97.3–97.7 %. The higher the agro-biomasses share in the blend, the higher the N-fuel to NO conversion, consistent with their larger nitrogen contents. Significant decreases of NO are detected when CO2 is replaced with H2O, with maximum reductions of 17.6 %. The extent of these NO reductions shows a clear dependence on the volatiles-to-char ratios for the fired blends: the higher the ratio, the lower the decrease. For the largest steam additions (40 %), the NO depleting effect caused by H2O is partially compensated with the enhancement of the N-volatiles oxidation, limiting the NO reductions to 1.7–7.3 % compared to the dry atmospheres.

Biowaste valorization on pharmaceuticals and pesticides abatement in aqueous environments

This study focuses on the abatement of pharmaceuticals and pesticides in water using sustainable biosorbents. Adsorption kinetics and equilibrium measurements were performed to characterize the adsorption of fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLX), carbamazepine (CRB) and atrazine (ATZ) by raw pine bark. The amount of adsorbed pollutants by mass of adsorbent followed the order: FLX (0.652 mg/g) > ATZ (0.522 mg/g) > CRB (0.144 mg/g), explained by the different interactions between the untreated pine surface and the target pollutants, according to the adsorption mechanism proposed. The evaluation of chemically and thermically modified pine was also assessed. In terms of the overall entrapment capability, pine bark modified with HNO3 was shown to be the best biosorbent (1.95 mg/g). The economic feasibility of the biosorbents was evaluated through a detailed cost analysis. Among the performed modifications, the one with H2O2 was the most expensive procedure, 23.7 €/mmol (pollutants mixture) being the hydrochar production the less expensive, 1.1 €/mmol. Through desorption assays it was found that 100% of FLX, 98% of CRB and 30% of ATZ, respectively, can be recovered from raw pine, using 50% (v/v) acetonitrile solution. The recyclability of the natural biosorbent was evaluated by adsorption-desorption cycles. Pine bark can be regenerated and reused at least for two times, without losing its adsorption efficiency. A pre-pilot air-lift type reactor was investigated as an effective rehabilitation approach to treat contaminated water, for up-scale purpose. Using biowastes for emerging pollutants entrapment can be considered a sustainable water rehabilitation pathway, promoting a circular bioeconomy and environmental protection.

Sustainable permeable biobarriers for atrazine removal in packed bed biofilm reactors

The synergy between two supported bacterial biofilms of S. equisimilis and P. putida and a sustainable biocarrier (raw pine) was studied, working both as biobarriers for the treatment of water contaminated with atrazine. Firstly, the effects of ATZ exposure on bacterial growth were evaluated, with Gram-positive S. equisimilis being a more tolerant bacterium to higher amounts of the herbicide. The bioremoval of ATZ by S. equisimilis concentrated biomass was then assessed, reaching around 83.5% after 15 days due to the potential degradation by the biomass and biosorption by the solids, with overlapping of both mechanisms. The optimization of bacterial biofilm attachment onto raw pine prior to bioremoval assays in lab-scale packed bed biofilm reactors was performed by varying initial biomass concentration, inocula growth time and hydrodynamic conditions. Lastly, the optimized biosystems were tested as sustainable remediation designs to treat water contaminated with the selected herbicide. Results reveal an added beneficial effect towards the bioremoval of atrazine using supported biofilms onto raw pine, reaching 90.42% and 79.71% by S. equisimilis and P. putida biofilms, respectively, over 58.31% increase when compared to sorption on fixed bed of pine. The coupling of biosorption/biodegradation favors the bioremoval process significantly.

Polysaccharide Composite Films Utilising Wood Waste.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of raw waste pine wood dust (Pinus sylvestris) from furniture production on polysaccharide biopolymer film properties. The obtained biocomposite films produced via the casting method were prepared with 20% glycerol and 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% of added wood dust in relation to the dry starch matter. Wood dust composition and particle size distribution analysis were performed. In order to evaluate the material surface properties, tests were carried out using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a contact angle goniometer. Utilising uniaxial tensile test methodology, the values for both tensile strength and Young's modulus were determined. In addition, the barrier properties, water solubility index, and colour were also investigated. The research showed that wood dust affected the functional parameters of the obtained biocomposites. A wood dust content increase causes the Young's modulus value to rise with a progressive decrease in the max. strain. The filler did not change the films' wetting properties, and each had a hydrophilic surface regardless of the additive amount. The bio-sourced composites obtained were non-toxic and environmentally neutral materials, suitable to be applied in the packaging industry as well as the agriculture sector.

The influence of feed rate during pilot hole drilling on screw withdrawal resistance in particleboard

Screw withdrawal resistance (SWR) is a metric that assesses the strength of furniture joints made with wood screws. The SWR value is influenced by several factors, such as the size of the screw, the depth to which it is embedded, the diameter of the pilot hole, and the material properties of the furniture components that are being joined together. These factors have been widely studied in the scientific literature. The objective of the research was to investigate the previously unexplored factor of a feed rate during pilot hole drilling and its influence on SWR. This study used three particleboards composed of raw pine material and urea–formaldehyde resins; the boards varied in average density (633, 637, and 714 kg/m3). Blind pilot holes with a diameter of 5 mm and depth of 25 mm were drilled in these boards using three significantly different feed rates (0.033, 0.33, and 3.33 mm/rev.). Subsequently, a confirmat-type furniture screw (7 mm major diameter, 4 mm minor diameter, 3 mm pitch) was screwed into these pilot holes. The ultimate SWR was measured with a universal testing machine. The results showed that the highest feed rate significantly decreases the SWR for all particleboards tested. This phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that a higher feed rate leads to a decreased precision in the internal surface of the pilot hole, consequently diminishing the screw’s anchoring capacity within the hole. The high feed rate, used to increase production efficiency, may significantly reduce furniture durability and usability.

Adsorptive Removal of Dye (Methylene Blue) Organic Pollutant from Water by Pine Tree Leaf Biomass Adsorbent

In this laboratory batch adsorption study, the raw pine tree leaf biomass solid waste adsorbent material was used for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from water at different physicochemical process conditions. The characteristics of adsorbents were determined for particle size, surface area, the existence of functional group identification, and the morphology of the adsorbent surface. The adsorption was performed at different process conditions, which include solution pH, dye concentrations, adsorbent doses, and temperature, respectively. In this study, it was found that MB dye adsorption increased with increases in solution pH and adsorbate MB dye concentration but decreased with adsorbent doses and temperature at fixed process conditions. The Langmuir isotherm model was best fitted with the experimental equilibrium data, with a higher linear regression coefficient (R2) value of 99.9% among the two widely used Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm model equations. The maximum Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity of raw pine leaf was found to be 36.88 mg/g, which was comparable with other reported adsorbent capacities towards methylene blue (MB) dye adsorption. The value of the separation factor, RL, from the Langmuir isotherm model equation gives an indication of favorable adsorption. Thermodynamic parameters such as standard Gibbs free energy change (ΔG0), standard enthalpy change (ΔH0), and standard entropy change (ΔS0) indicated that the methylene blue (MB) dye adsorption by pine tree leaf biomass was spontaneous and exothermic in nature and that the mechanism of adsorption was mainly physical adsorption. Finally, limitations and future studies are also discussed here. The outcome of this batch adsorption study may result in the valorization of locally available large pine tree leaf residue waste, which could be used in water purification.

Combination of adsorption/desorption and photocatalytic reduction processes for PFOA removal from water by using an aminated biosorbent and a UV/sulfite system

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are stable organic chemicals, which have been used globally since the 1940s and have caused PFAS contamination around the world. This study explores perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) enrichment and destruction by a combined method of sorption/desorption and photocatalytic reduction. A novel biosorbent (PG-PB) was developed from raw pine bark by grafting amine groups and quaternary ammonium groups onto the surface of bark particles. The results of PFOA adsorption at low concentration suggest that PG-PB has excellent removal efficiency (94.8%–99.1%, PG-PB dosage: 0.4 g/L) to PFOA in the concentration range of 10 μg/L to 2 mg/L. The PG-PB exhibited high adsorption efficiency regarding PFOA, being 456.0 mg/g at pH 3.3 and 258.0 mg/g at pH 7 with an initial concentration of 200 mg/L. The groundwater treatment reduced the total concentration of 28 PFAS from 18 000 ng/L to 9900 ng/L with 0.8 g/L of PG-PB. Desorption experiments examined 18 types of desorption solutions, and the results showed that 0.05% NaOH and a mixture of 0.05% NaOH + 20% methanol were efficient for PFOA desorption from the spent PG-PB. More than 70% (>70 mg/L in 50 mL) and 85% (>85 mg/L in 50 mL) of PFOA were recovered from the first and second desorption processes, respectively. Since high pH promotes PFOA degradation, the desorption eluents with NaOH were directly treated with a UV/sulfite system without further adjustment. The final PFOA degradation and defluorination efficiency in the desorption eluents with 0.05% NaOH + 20% methanol reached 100% and 83.1% after 24 h reaction. This study proved that the combination of adsorption/desorption and a UV/sulfite system for PFAS removal is a feasible solution for environmental remediation.

APPLICATION OF MAMDANI FUZZY METHOD TO PREDICT THE AMOUNT OF PINE RESIN PRODUCTION

PT. Inhutani IV Aceh District needs to plan the right production in order to achieve maximum profit. Therefore, the company needs to develop a system that can predict the amount of pine resin that can be produced. This study uses data from PT. Inhutani IV Aceh District which is engaged in the production of raw pine resin. This study uses the mamdani fuzzy method to predict the amount of latex production based on demand data, supply data and latex production data per month in 2019-2020. Based on the results of calculations that have been carried out, with the input variable demand in January 2021 of 91,404 kg and supply in December 2020 of 71,466 kg, with the fuzzy mamdani method, the prediction results of the pine resin that the company can produce is 191,763 kg in January 2021 and based on the results of calculations using the MAPE accuracy measure, the fuzzy mamdani method has a MAPE value of 45.69 % so it can be concluded that the mamdani fuzzy method is pretty good for predicting the production of pine resin at PT. Inhutani IV Aceh District.

Physicomechanical properties of raw and comminuted pine and poplar shavings: energy consumption, particle size distribution and flow properties

The aim of this study was to assess the energy consumption during milling and cutting-milling of pine and poplar shavings and the determination of particle size distribution (PSD) characteristics and mechanical properties of these materials. Cutting-milling process required less energy (in kJ·kg–1) than milling but maximum mass flow rate of shavings was significantly higher and thus the effective power requirement of the knife mill during cutting also was higher. Comminution of plastic poplar shavings was more energy-consuming than harder pine shavings. These features influenced PSD, which was approximated with four mathematical models: Rosin–Rammler-Sperling-Bennett (RRSB), normal, logistic and lognormal. On the basis of the best fitting (Radj2) for RRSB, detailed PSD parameters were calculated and all PSDs were described as ‘mesokurtic’, ‘fine skewed’ and ‘well-graded’. In comparison to milled shavings, cut-milled shavings had higher density, but were less compressible and had lower unconfined yield strength. However, cut-milled shavings had higher flowability because of lower cohesion and internal friction angles, because after cutting-milling particles were more spherical than elongated particles after milling. Cut-milled poplar shavings had more favourable mechanical parameters and better PSD characteristics, but required more energy for comminution than pine shavings.

Alcoholamine enhanced fractionation of cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass in ionic liquids.

Ionic liquid based technology is promising in the pretreatment of lignocelluloses. More efforts are still being made to intensify the separation of the main components in this biomass and to inhibit biopolymer degradation, especially in the fabrication of functional materials where excellent mechanical properties are often requisite. In this study, additives with amino and/or hydroxyl groups were proposed to improve the dissolution of lignocellulosic biomass in ionic liquids and to inhibit the degradation of cellulose. Among the tested additives (i.e., urea, L-2-aminobutyric acid, DL-aminopropanol, 3-aminopropanol and ethanolamine), 3-aminopropanol showed the best performance in enhancing wheat straw dissolution and cellulose recovery in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM]Ac). Further study revealed that this additive could also inhibit cellulose degradation in [EMIM]Ac. The interactions between the ionic liquid and additive were revealed by NMR and IR analysis. It was found that the formation of hydrogen bonds between 3-aminopropanol and [EMIM]Ac changed the interactions between ionic liquids and biomass, resulting in improved dissolution efficiency and inhibition of cellulose degradation. Optimization investigation showed that when using the 3-aminopropanol/[EMIM]Ac composite system as the solvent and pine as the raw biomass, the cellulose content in the recovered cellulose-rich material was increased from 33.3% (for the raw pine) to 66.9%. Correspondingly, the regenerated cellulose spinning in the composite system exhibited improved mechanical properties, with the elongation at break reaching 15.6% and the tensile fracture strength of 184.1 N per tex (in comparison with 9.6% for elongation at break and 99.7 N per tex for tensile fracture strength for the sample obtained in neat [EMIM]Ac).

Impact of salt composition and temperature on low-temperature torrefaction of pine in molten nitrate salts

An experimental investigation of torrefaction of pine in molten, nitrate salt blends was conducted. Five blends, consisting of varying amounts of LiNO3 (20–40 wt%), NaNO3 (0–20 wt%), and KNO3 (50–70 wt%), and torrefaction temperatures from 210 to 240 °C were investigated and compared to torrefaction in nitrogen. The effect of temperature and salt blend composition on the appearance, higher heating value (HHV), proximate analysis (volatiles, fixed carbon, and ash), and mass yields are investigated. The results show that the molten salts effectively catalyze the reaction. At low temperatures, there is significant increase in the fixed carbon content and HHV compared to the raw pine. For example, at 225 °C and depending on the salt composition, the fixed carbon content increases by 51–166% and the HHV by 6–20% relative to raw. Compared to nitrogen torrefaction at equivalent torrefaction temperatures, salt-torrefied pine is more severely torrefied and is more sensitive to temperature. LiNO3 has the strongest the catalytic effect. Blends with higher LiNO3 content result in more severely torrefied biomass at a given temperature than other blends regardless of changes in sodium and potassium content. NaNO3 content is the next most influential component salt followed by KNO3.

Hydrothermal processing of waste pine wood into industrially useful products

An ongoing major outbreak of mountain pine beetle in Western Canada has provided a clear opportunity to utilize waste pinewood as a source of renewable energy. Therefore hydrothermal processing of waste pinewood as a feedstock for bio-oil and biochar production using subcritical and supercritical water technology was carried out in semi-batch mode to investigate the effect of pressure (200–400 bar) and temperature (300–400 °C) on the yield and composition of bio-oil. The pinewood samples have very high cellulose and hemicellulose content but low ash content and are thus a formidable feedstock for bioenergy production. The optimum conditions for the hydrothermal processing of the pinewood in a tubular reactor were found to be 400 °C and 250 bars with respect to biochar and bio-oil yield based on the highest calorific value analysis. Detailed characterization of bio-oil and biochar was performed using GCMS, NMR, SEM, calorific value, and elemental analysis, respectively. The critical components of bio-oil were found to be phenols, methoxyphenols, hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF), and vanillin, whereas as compared to the raw pine wood, the biochar was considerably lower H:C and O:C ratios than those of the unprocessed pinewood. The analyses of bio-oil by means of GCMS and 1H NMR showed that it was mainly composed of heterocyclic compounds, phenols, aldehydes and acids.

Study on the catalytic activity of char-based Fe–Co–K catalyst for volatiles reforming during biomass pyrolysis

This work studied the catalytic activity of char-loaded Fe, Co, and K catalyst for the reforming of volatiles of biomass pyrolysis in a two-stage fixed-bed reactor under 0.1 MPa N2 and 800 °C, reforming temperature 600 °C. The results showed that the addition of Co do not exhibit the desired catalytic activity and the yield of H2 decreased from 163.08 mL/g (9Fe/Char) to 152.30 mL/g (9Fe0.5Co/Char). While, with the addition of K, the catalytic activity of Fe–Co-based catalyst was improved, and the H2 yield increased from 95.16 mL/g(raw pine needle)to 179.10 mL/g (9Fe0.5Co0.4K/Char). In addition, K do not enhance the catalytic activity of Co. The characterization results showed that the addition of K favorable the formation of the active phase Fe3O4, that helped to increase the H2 yield. Which due to K combined with oxygen-containing functional groups and captured O to form lattice oxygen (K(O∗)), transferred to the oxygen vacancy of Fe (Fe( )) through intermetallic interaction, and finally formed Fe3O4. Co is easily oxidized to form Co3O4, and it is not possess catalytic activity. The addition of K promoted the oxidation of Co, which leads to the loss of catalytic activity. The study developed a low-cost Fe–Co–K/Char catalyst exhibits a promising application in the catalytic reforming of biomass pyrolysis to hydrogen-rich gas.

Oxidation of partially decomposed wood: Experimental investigation and kinetic analysis

The purpose of this article is to study experimentally the oxidation process of wood of different degrees of thermal conversion. We compared experimental data of thermogravimetric analysis in the oxidizing environment of raw wood, cellulose, lignin, and wood samples of different degrees of thermal conversion. Thermally treated wood samples were obtained by heating raw pine wood in an inert atmosphere to a given temperature (250, 300, 350, 400, 500 °C), followed by rapid quenching in water. All obtained samples were studied by the thermal analysis combined with mass spectrometry (TGA-MS) in inert and oxidizing environments; technical (moisture content, ash content, volatile yield, or W, A, V) and elemental analysis (C, H, O) data were obtained. We propose a new method for kinetic analysis of biomass decomposition: the change in the leading decomposition mechanisms is monitored by the change in the composition of the detected products. Differences between the thermochemical behavior of biomass, its individual components (cellulose and lignin), and their thermal degradation products are discussed.

Functional Group Structure of Bamboo and Pine Wood Biochar Due to Differences in Pyrolysis Temperature

The quality of biochar produced through the pyrolysis process depends on the combustion temperature, duration of combustion, and the raw materials used. Biochar is a carbon-rich product resulting from the thermal decomposition of organic matter. Biochar from bamboo and pinewood was produced at 400℃ and 800℃ using a closed chamber where the temperature could be set. Biochar is made through carbonization with pyrolysis. This study aimed to find out the functional group characteristics of two types of raw materials, bamboo and pine wood. This research was conducted at the Environmental Soil Physics Laboratory, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Two types of feedstocks, bamboo, and pinewood, were used as sample experiments. The feedstocks were burned inside a closed chamber with no oxygen present. (Thermo scientific thermolyne F4820-33). The temperature was at 400℃ and 800℃, and a burning time of four hours. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) was used to characterize the functional groups of biochar tested. Our research showed biochar from pinewood burned at a temperature of 400℃ gave the characteristics of the functional groups OH, CH, and C=O with strong intensity. It indicates that there was decomposition of organic matter into organic compounds taking place

Co-combustion of high and low ash lignites with raw and torrefied biomass under air and oxy-fuel combustion atmospheres

ABSTRACT Co-combustion characteristics of high and low ash lignites blended with raw and torrefied pine woodchips were studied by Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) under air and oxy-fuel conditions. The lignites were blended with biomass samples at the mass fraction of 50/50 wt.%. Three heating rates of 10, 20, and 40°C/min were chosen, and the characteristic temperatures, including initial, ignition, and burnout temperatures, were obtained. In order to estimate the activation energies of the co-combustion of the blends, Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, and Friedman kinetic methods were employed. Additionally, to assess the summative behavior of the fuel blends, the relative error as a degree of synergism was calculated based on the difference between theoretical and experimental DTG profiles. It was seen that co-combustion of torrefied biomass with the low ash Orhaneli lignite in air resulted in the average relative error of 21.41%, indicating the maximum synergism for the blend. This value was 9.59% under oxy-fuel combustion atmosphere. Blending torrefied biomass with the high ash Soma lignite resulted in average relative errors of 1.34% and 1.45% under air and oxy-fuel combustion atmospheres showing an insignificant synergetic effect. An improvement in combustion performance was noticed under oxy-fuel combustion conditions. The average activation energy values for the blend of torrefied biomass and Orhaneli lignite were 54.47 and 112.48 kJ/mol under air and oxy-fuel combustion atmospheres, which were lower than that of the parent fuels indicating higher reactivity of the blends. This trend was not seen for Soma lignite. The associated uncertainty values for the FWO method were in the range of 3.57% to 12.45% making it a proper tool for obtaining the kinetic parameters.

Catalytic pyrolysis of biomass impregnated with elements from steelmaking slag leaching and simultaneous fabrication of phosphorus adsorbent

Energy shortage and environmental pollution are global concerns for sustainable development, which can be improved by high value-added reuse of solid wastes. In this study, a novel strategy was proposed for reusing steelmaking slag to treat biomass and produce valuable products. The study consisted of: i) useful elements (mainly Ca and Fe) were extracted from steelmaking slag through leaching then doped onto pine as catalysts for biomass pyrolysis; and ii) the produced slag elements (SE)@char was employed as adsorbent for P removal from wastewater. Results showed that compared to raw pine, SE@pine released more CO2 and CO due to the decomposition of formed calcium citrate on particles and the reaction of carbon with CO2. In the bio-oil product from SE@pine, under the assistance of slag elements, the selectivity of total phenolic compounds dropped by half with the nitrogenous and acid groups showing the same descending trend, while the selectivity of alcohols and ketones increased. The slag elements, especially Ca and Fe, acted as catalysts for upgrading the bio-oil quality through enhancing the dehydration and dehydroxylation reactions. X-ray powder diffraction analysis indicated the presence of nano-size calcite particles on SE@char products from different pyrolysis temperatures. The SE@char from pyrolysis at 750 °C was attempted as adsorbent for phosphorus removal from aqueous solution. A phosphate adsorption capacity of 109 mg/g adsorbent was identified at the investigated conditions. The adsorption kinetics could be best described by the Elovich model, indicating the chemical reaction nature of the adsorption. This study explored the use of steelmaking slag and biomass wastes in a novel way for simultaneous production of upgraded biofuels and adsorbent for phosphorus control in wastewater.

Copper removal from aqueous solution using raw pine sawdust, olive pomace and their derived traditional biochars

Copper removal from aqueous solution using raw pine sawdust, olive pomace and their derived traditional biochars

Investigation of Hybrid Methods for Elimination of Brilliant Blue Dye from Water Phase Using Various Nanomaterials Combined with Activated Sludge and Duckweed.

The main goal of this experimental work is screening of different natural and synthetic nanomaterials and biopolymers that may improve elimination of stable micropollutants from water phase. In this work, as a target chemical acting as the micropollutant molecule, the Brilliant Blue (BB) dye was selected. We tested different active matrices dispersed in water phase including activated carbon (AC), lyophilized graphene oxide (GO), β-cyclodextrin (CD), raw dandelion pappus (DP), microcrystalline cellulose(MC), and raw pine pollen (PP), as well as two types of Egyptian Blue mineral pigments (EB1 and EB2). Graphene oxide and Egyptian Blue nanomaterials were synthesized in our laboratory. We investigated potential application of such nanoparticles and biopolymer conglomerates as additives that may tune the activated sludge (AS) microorganisms or duckweed water plant (DW) and increase efficiency of micropollutants removal from wastewater. Studied nanomaterials/biopolymers were used in two different experimental modes involving real activated sludge microorganisms (24 h experiment) as well as duckweed plant (16 day experiment). Quantitative data of BB were obtained using microfluidic type device based on micro-TLC plate. This approach enabled direct determination of target component without sample pre-treatment like pre-concentration or pre-purification. Within single analytical run calibration line, retention standard spots (methyl red) and multiple samples were analyzed simultaneously. Due to the multivariate nature of these experiments, quantitative data were explored with chemometric tools including AHC (agglomerative hierarchical clustering), PCA (principal component analysis), and FA (factor analysis). Experimental data and multivariate calculations revealed that BB is strongly resistant on biodegradation, however, inclusion complexes formation with β-cyclodextrinmay induce degradation of this dye in the presence of duckweed. It is hoped that results of our experimental work can be used for designing of future experiments for fast screening of different additives and improvement of technological processes, focusing on purification of sewage and water from micropollutants.