Predictive models for characterizing the atomization process in pyrolysis of methyl ricinoleate

Pyrolysis of methyl ricinoleate(MR)can produce undecylenic acid methyl ester and heptanal which are important chemicals.Atomization feeding favors the heat exchange in the pyrolysis process and hence increases the product yield.Herein,predictive models to characterize the atomization process were developed.The effect of spray distance on Sauter mean diameter(SMD)of atomized MR droplets was examined,with the optimal spray distance to be 40-50 mm.Temperature mainly affected the physical properties of feedstock,with smaller droplet size obtained at increasing temperature.In addition,pressure had significant influence on SMD and higher pressure resulted in smaller atomized droplets.Then,a model for SMD prediction,combining temperature,pressure,spray distance,and structural parameters of nozzle,was developed through dimensionless analysis.The results showed that SMD was a power function of Reynolds number(Re),Ohnesorge number(Oh),and the ratio of spray distance to diameter of swirl chamber in the nozzle(H/dsc),with the exponents of-1.6618,-1.3205 and 0.1038,respectively.The experimental measured SMD was in good agreement with the calculated values,with the error within±15%.Moreover,the droplet size distribution was studied by establishing the relationship between the standard deviation of droplet size and SMD.This study could provide reference to the regulation and optimization of the atomization process in MR pyrolysis.

Insights into biobased epoxidized fatty acid isobutyl esters from biodiesel:Preparation and application as plasticizer

Biodiesel was used to prepare epoxidized fatty acid isobutyl esters(Ep-FABEs)as a biobased plasticizer in this work.Transesterification of biodiesel with isobutanol catalyzed by tetrabutyl titanate was carried out in a gas-liquid tower reactor.The conversion achieved nearly 100%within 5 h under the reaction temperature,the mass ratio of catalyst to fatty acid methyl esters(FAMEs),and isobutanol to FAMEs total molar ratio of 180℃,0.4%(mass),and 5.4:1,respectively.In addition,kinetic model of the transesterification reaction was developed at 150–190℃.The calculated activation energy was 48.93 kJ·mol^(-1).Then,the epoxidation of obtained fatty acid isobutyl esters(FABEs)was conducted in the presence of formic acid and hydrogen peroxide.The Ep-FABEs was further analyzed for its plasticizing effectiveness to replace dioctyl phthalate(DOP)and compared with conventional epoxy plasticizer epoxidized fatty acid methyl esters(Ep-FAMEs).The results indicated that the thermal stability and mechanical properties of PVC films with Ep-FABEs plasticizer were significantly improved compared with those plasticized with DOP.In addition,the extraction resistance and migration stability of Ep-FABEs were better than those of EpFAMEs.Overall,the prepared Ep-FABEs via structural modification of biodiesel proved to be a promising biobased plasticizer.

Two-step fast microwave-assisted pyrolysis of biomass for bio-oil production using microwave absorbent and HZSM-5 catalyst

A novel technology of two-step fast microwave-assisted pyrolysis（f MAP） of corn stover for bio-oil production was investigated in the presence of microwave absorbent（Si C） and HZSM-5catalyst. Effects of f MAP temperature and catalyst-to-biomass ratio on bio-oil yield and chemical components were examined. The results showed that this technology, employing microwave, microwave absorbent and HZSM-5 catalyst, was effective and promising for biomass fast pyrolysis. The f MAP temperature of 500°C was considered the optimum condition for maximum yield and best quality of bio-oil. Besides, the bio-oil yield decreased linearly and the chemical components in bio-oil were improved sequentially with the increase of catalyst-to-biomass ratio from 1：100 to 1：20. The elemental compositions of bio-char were also determined. Additionally, compared to one-step f MAP process, two-step f MAP could promote the bio-oil quality with a smaller catalyst-to-biomass ratio.