Life cycle assessment of iron-biomass supported catalyst for Fischer Tropsch synthesis

The iron-based biomass-supported catalyst has been used for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS). However, there is no study regarding the life cycle assessment (LCA) of biomass-supported iron catalysts published in the literature. This study discusses a biomass-supported iron catalyst's LCA for the conversion of syngas into a liquid fuel product. The waste biomass is one of the source of activated carbon (AC), and it has been used as a support for the catalyst. The FTS reactions are carried out in the fixed-bed reactor at low or high temperatures. The use of promoters in the preparation of catalysts usually enhances C5+ production. In this study, the collection of precise data from on-site laboratory conditions is of utmost importance to ensure the credibility and validity of the study's outcomes. The environmental impact assessment modeling was carried out using the OpenLCA 1.10.3 software. The LCA results reveals that the synthesis process of iron-based biomass supported catalyst yields a total impact score in terms of global warming potential (GWP) of 1.235E + 01 kg CO2 equivalent. Within this process, the AC stage contributes 52% to the overall GWP, while the preparation stage for the catalyst precursor contributes 48%. The comprehensive evaluation of the iron-based biomass supported catalyst's impact score in terms of human toxicity reveals a total score of 1.98E-02 kg 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DB) equivalent.

Valorization of Biomass-Derived Polymers to Functional Biochar Materials for Supercapacitor Applications via Pyrolysis: Advances and Perspectives

Polymers from biomass waste including plant/forest waste, biological industrial process waste, municipal solid waste, algae, and livestock are potential sources for renewable and sustainable resources. Converting biomass-derived polymers to functional biochar materials via pyrolysis is a mature and promising approach as these products can be widely utilized in many areas such as carbon sequestration, power production, environmental remediation, and energy storage. With abundant sources, low cost, and special features, the biochar derived from biological polymeric substances exhibits great potential to be an alternative electrode material of high-performance supercapacitors. To extend this scope of application, synthesis of high-quality biochar will be a key issue. This work systematically reviews the char formation mechanisms and technologies from polymeric substances in biomass waste and introduces energy storage mechanisms of supercapacitors to provide overall insight into the biological polymer-based char material for electrochemical energy storage. Aiming to enhance the capacitance of biochar-derived supercapacitor, recent progress in biochar modification approaches including surface activation, doping, and recombination is also summarized. This review can provide guidance for valorizing biomass waste to functional biochar materials for supercapacitor to meet future needs.

Effect of Pyrolysis on iron-metal organic frameworks (MOFs) to Fe3C @ Fe5C2 for diesel production in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

The Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) is a significant catalytic chemical reaction that produces ultra-clean fuels or chemicals with added value from a syngas mixture of CO and H₂ obtained from biomass, coal, or natural gas. The presence of sulfur is not considered good for producing liquid fuels for(FTS). In this study, we reveal that the presence of sulfur in ferric sulfate Fe₂(SO₄)₃ MOF provides the high amount, 52.50% of light hydrocarbons in the carbon chain distribution. The calcined ferric nitrate Fe(NO₃)₃ MOF reveals the highest 93.27% diesel production. Calcination is regarded as an essential factor in enhancing liquid fuel production. Here, we probed the calcination effect of Metal Organic Framework (MOF) on downstream application syngas to liquid fuels. The XRD results of MOF. N and P. MOF.N shows the formation of the active phase of iron carbide (Fe₅C₂), considered the most active phase of FTS. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of iron sulfate MOF catalyst (P.MOF.S) reveals that the existence of sulfur creates pores inside the particles due to the reaction of free water molecules with the sulfur derivate. The surface functional groups of prepared MOFs and tested MOFS were analyzed by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The thermal stability of prepared MOFS was analyzed by Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The surface areas and structural properties of the catalysts were measured by N2-Physiosorption technique.

Conversion of Coal-Biomass into Diesel by Using Aspen Plus

Taking the importance of Pakistan’s dire need for energy breakthrough, in this paper, we explore how the country’s vast estimated reserves of 175 billion tons of Thar coal is a useful source for the clean and efficient production of good quality liquid fuel. Coal to liquid (CTL) technology has gathered increasing attention among many countries with a sufficient volume of coal reserves, and this technology can also be implemented in Pakistan, which in result can also reduce harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the environment. In this study, the Fischer Tropsch Synthesis (FT) liquefaction method was used, and the reactor design, chemical reactions, syngas ratio fraction, and Anderson-Schulz-Flory and Langmuir model were all obtained from the Aspen Plus simulation. The results showed that, at the optimum syngas flow rate of 9 Kg/s, the FT model produced diesel fuel at 0.00134 Kg/s. Per this calculation, the massive amount of Thar coal reserves can be transformed into 123.22 million barrels of diesel. The design of the reactor is very critical, and, in this study, it was prioritized to design a reactor that produces liquid fuel only of composition C12+; during the production of liquid fuel, the quantity of methane is not high; and it can still be further reduced on optimized conditions. On the other hand, CO2 gas, which is a sole contributor of GHG emissions, was also reduced by up to 98%.

Effect of Absorption Time for the Preparation of Activated Carbon from Wasted Tree Leaves of Quercus alba and Investigating Life Cycle Assessment

In this article, the effect of absorption time on the surface chemistry and pore structure of activated carbon (AC) from waste leaves of Quercus alba with the H3PO4 chemical activation method. XRD, SEM, EDX, BET, TGA, and FT-IR analyses of prepared AC were used to figure out the properties of the activated carbon. The results demonstrated that the 48 h absorption time of H3PO4 contributed to the highest surface area, 943.2 m2/g, among all the prepared activated carbon samples. As the absorption time of the phosphoric acid activating agent was increased, the surface area initially increased and then started to decrease. The further surface chemical characterization of activated carbon was determined by FT-IR spectroscopic method. Life cycle assessment methodology was employed in order to investigate the environmental impacts associated with the laboratory steps for activated carbon (AC) production. The LCA approach was implemented using OpenLCA 1.10.3 software, while ReCiPe Midpoint (H) was used for environmental impact assessment. The results of the LCA study showed that the impact categories related to toxicity were particularly affected by the utilization of electrical energy (≈90%). The power utilized during laboratory procedures was the main cause of environmental impacts, contributing an average of nearly 70% across all impact categories, with the maximum contribution to the impact category of freshwater ecotoxicity potential (≈97%) and the minimum contribution to land use potential (≈10%).

New Trends in Catalysis for Sustainable CO2 Conversion

Over the past few decades, there have been many advances in the world, leading to improvements in quality of life [...]