Chemical Engineering
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Chemical Engineering
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Item Production and Characterization of Biodegradable Plastic from Nigeria Cassava Starch(International Conference on Engineering, Science and Applications (ICESA, 2017), Toshi Center, Tokyo, Japan, 2017-08) Eterigho, E. J.; Farrow, T. S.; Ejejigbe, Silver E; Onaivia, Ene C.The use of synthetic polymer in the industries and household packaging for various purposes has increased, however, it possesses environmental challenge due to its nondegradability. This research therefore focused on the production of a biodegradable plastic by blending various composition of poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), additives and cassava starch. The product produced (plastic) were extruded, analysed and tested for biodegradability under natural conditions. The results obtained were compared with the conventional polymer. The density of the produced plastic was 0.83 Kg/m3, melting temperature was 200oC and its water adsorption rate was 1.3% per day. The tensile strength was 23.63N/mm2 compared to 10.86N/mm2 and 8.29N/mm2 for polyethene and paper respectively. The results showed excellent retention of physical, thermal, structural and mechanical property required in plastics. Thus, indicating the possibility of universal application of Nigeria cassava starch as a source of biodegradable agent in plastic films productionItem Synthesis, Characterization and Evaluation of two Forms of Sulphated Zirconia for Biofuel Production by Triglyceride Cracking(Bioenergy III Conference: Present and New Perspectives on Biorefineries Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, 2011-05-22) Eterigho, E. J.; Lee, J. G. M.; Harvey, A. P.Catalyst technology has a substantial impact on the sustainability of industrial processes, products, environment, the economics and quality of life of any country. Currently the world is becoming increasingly, environmentally aware and renewable transport fuels such as biodiesel are becoming increasingly prevalent. Currently, the major technical challenges in conventional biodiesel production (by transesterification with methanol) are: unwanted side reactions, difficult downstream separations, and ensuring sustainability l"?. Catalysis can make a significant contribution to improving this process, as the load on downstream processes would be greatly reduced, and the flow sheet greatly simplified, thereby reducing capital cost. However, another catalytic-based solution is heterogeneously catalysed vegetable oil cracking 2) This would remove the dependence on methanol, which is seldom produced. sustainably and is a significant process cost. Current challenges to catalysis of this reaction include maximizing efficiency and ensuring that the catalyst is chemically and thermally stable, and can be regenerated Catalytic properties are strongly affected by preparation method 3). Hence it is necessary for researchers to investigate different methods of preparation in order to optimise catalyst performance. Sulphated zirconia is a super-acid catalyst, used for many organic reactions. However, it has been found to be susceptible to leaching, rapid deactivation during catalytic reactions and a relatively small surface area when prepared through the conventional method.