Sharif Digital Repository

In this study, four types of tetrabutylphosphonium carboxylate ionic liquids (ILs) were synthesized and used for a one-pot transesterification of wet Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) microalgae into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) in the presence of methanol, as well as refined oils (sunflower, canola, and corn oil). The resulting process removed the need for complete drying and lipid extraction steps typically needed for biodiesel production from microalgae. The leading candidate ionic liquid catalyst, tetrabutylphosphonium formate ([P4444][For]), was further optimized using response surface methodology to minimize material consumption, increase water compatibility, reduce processing time... 

A novel efficient and cost-effective heterogeneous catalyst for the production of biodiesel from transesterification of sunflower oil was prepared through the impregnation of K2CO3 upon the Talc material. The physicochemical features of the catalyst were studied through several characterization analyses. The effect of the K2CO3 loading was investigated by comparing the catalytic activity of various prepared catalysts. Moreover, the effect of the calcination temperature upon the catalytic activity was examined. To maximize the yield of the produced biodiesel fuel, reaction variables such as the reaction time and temperature, catalyst concentration, and methanol: oil molar ratio were... 

Phytoremediation has been applied for treating an extensive range of environmental contaminants such as anti-diabetic drug metformin which is increasingly found as environmental contaminant. These contaminants are released to the environment via human and veterinary medicine and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, native plant capabilities for uptake of metformin from wastewater were investigated. Moreover, uptake rate of metformin was studied in two different concentrations of 20 and 50 mg l−1 metformin solution by Amaranthus retroflexus, Ricinus communis, Brassica napus, Celosia cristata, Helianthus annuus and Phragmites australis. The results showed that after exposing to 20 mg l−1... 

Palm oil (PO) and sunflower oil (SFO) blends with varying proportions were subjected to enzymatic interesterification (EIE) using a 1,3-specific immobilised lipase. The interesterified blends were evaluated for their slip melting point (SMP), solid fat content (SFC) at 10-40°C, p-anisidine value, peroxide value, free fatty acids (FFA), induction period of oxidation at 110°C (IP110) and composition of fatty acids by gas chromatography. Under EIE treatment, the blends of PO and SFO in different proportions (20:80, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40 and 80:20) had saturated and unsaturated fatty acid content in the range of 37.6-52.0% and 48.0-62.4%, respectively. The blends showed a considerable reduction in...