Applied energy research for green diesel production and glycerol utilization

加拿大每年消耗400亿升柴油，而全世界每年消耗7000亿升柴油，主要用于采矿、运输和农业。加拿大的运输部门产生了超过40%的温室气体（GHG）。生物柴油（由脂肪酸烷基酯组成）具有可再生、可生物降解、高闪点、高十六烷值和高润滑性等特点。加拿大已经在柴油中实施了2%的生物柴油，并计划到2012年达到5%。原料价格占生物柴油生产总成本的60-75%。此外，该工艺使用大量的水从产品中去除催化剂。这项研究的目的是通过使用新型固体介孔催化剂和低成本的原料，如从菜籽油、芥菜油和大豆油中提取的绿色种子油，以及其他非食用油，如油炸锅油和微藻类，来连续生产生物柴油。新型杂聚酸催化剂将用于生物柴油的生产。通过消除水的使用，提高了处理效率，并通过多种催化途径利用粗甘油副产品进行针对性生化生产，降低了下游处理成本。此外，还建议开发技术，以最大限度地从废弃生物质和城市固体废物中获得的合成气中生产生物柴油和高级醇。由此生产的柴油质量优良，十六烷值高，不含硫、氮和芳香族污染物。这项工作涉及在碳纳米管和碳纳米角上使用多功能活性金属（Mo、Fe或Co）和促进剂（如Ru、Rh和碱(K)）合成纳米颗粒。这些材料具有很高的机械性能和热性能，一旦通过温和的酸处理在支架上产生缺陷，就可以固定这些纳米颗粒。将尝试广泛表征（反应前后），并使用湿浸渍技术生产坚固和分散良好的颗粒，以便使它们对原料变化和产出水不那么敏感。此外，由于碳和蜡沉积，催化剂寿命往往会降低，因此需要检查。最后，将对这些过程的反应机理、动力学和反应器设计进行评估。

Canada consumes 40 billion litres of diesel fuel per year with world consumption at 700 billion litres, mostly used in mining, transportation and farming industries. The Canadian transportation sector produces more than 40% green house gases (GHG). Biodiesel (composed of fatty acid alkyl esters) is renewable, biodegradable, has high flash point, high cetane number and high lubricity. Canada has implemented 2% biodiesel in diesel fuel and plans to use 5% by 2012. Price of the feedstock is 60-75% of the overall biodiesel production cost. Also, this process uses large volume of water for the removal of catalyst from the product. The proposed research aims at continuous production of biodiesel by using novel solid mesoporous catalysts and low-cost feed-stocks such as green seeds derived oils from canola, mustard and soya, and other non-edible oils such as fryer grease and micro-algae. Novel hetero polyacid catalysts will be developed for biodisel production. Processing efficiency will be enhanced by eliminating water use, and the down stream processing cost will be reduced by using crude glycerol byproduct via various catalytic routes for targeted biochemical productions. Also, it is proposed to develop technologies to maximize the production of biosyndiesel and higher alcohols from syngas obtained from waste biomass and urban solid wastes. The diesel thus produced is of superior quality with high cetane number and with no sulfur, nitrogen or aromatic pollutants. The proposed work involves the synthesis of nano particles using multifunctional active metals (Mo, Fe or Co) with promoters such as Ru and Rh and alkali (K) on carbon nanotubes and carbon nanohorns. These materials have high mechanical and thermal properties and can anchor these nanoparticles once defects are created on the supports by mild acid treatments. Attempts will be made to extensively characterize (before and after reactions) and produce robust and well dispersed particles with wetness impregnation techniques so as to have them less sensitive to feedstock variability and produced water. Also, the catalyst life, which is often reduced due to carbon and wax deposition, needs to be examined. Finally, the reaction mechanisms, kinetics and reactor design will be evaluated for these processes.