Patrick osei boakye - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Patrick osei boakye

On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high... more On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high malodour and insect nuisance as well as poor aesthetics. The high odour deters users from utilizing dry sanitation toilet as an improved facility leading to over 20% open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa. To address this malodour concern, this study first assessed odour levels, using hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) as indicators, on two (2) dry sanitation facilities (T1 and T2). The potential of using biomass (sawdust, rice husk, moringa leaves, neem seeds), ash (coconut husk, cocoa husk) or biochar (sawdust, rice husk, bamboo) as biocovers to remove or suppress odour from fresh faecal sludge (FS) over a 12-day period was investigated. Results showed high odour levels, beyond and below the threshold limit for unpleasantness for humans on H2S (peak value: T1 = 3.17 ppm; T2 = 0.22 ppm > 0.05 ppm limit) and NH3 (peak value: T1 = 6.88 ppm; T2 = 3.16 ppm < 30 ppm limit), resp...

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising technology for the improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ... more Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising technology for the improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ) by removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through advanced oxidation process (AOP). In this paper, authors developed a laboratory scale dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor which generates atmospheric NTP to study the removal of low-concentration formaldehyde (HCHO), a typical indoor air VOC in the built environment associated with cancer and leukemia, under different processing conditions. Strong ionization NTP was generated between the DBD electrodes by a pulse power zero-voltage switching flyback transformer (ZVS-FBT), which caused ionization of air molecules leading to active species formation to convert HCHO into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O). The impact of key electrical and physical processing parameters i.e. discharge power (P), initial concentration (Cin), flow rate (F), and relative humidity (RH) which affect the formaldehyde removal efficiency (ɳ) were...

Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2020

Abstract In developing countries, faecal sludge treatment facilities are non-existent in most cit... more Abstract In developing countries, faecal sludge treatment facilities are non-existent in most cities and small towns resulting in untreated and improper disposal of sludge. In Ghana 85% of faecal sludge produced each day is discharged into the earth with no effective treatment. Converting sewage and faecal sludge to biochar addresses the stigma of fertilizer obtained from human excreta, since the pyrolysis process guarantees a 100% pathogen elimination, and enrich nutrients in faecal sludge biochar. The interest to convert sludge waste into biochar is that it ensures a pathogen free fertilizer. Sewage sludge and faecal sludge with sawdust were pyrolysed at different temperatures in this study. Sewage sludge (SSB1-300 °C, SSB2-450 °C and SSB3-600 °C) as well as faecal sludge with sawdust (CTB1-300 °C, CTB2-450 °C and CTB3-600 °C) were both converted to biochar at 300 °C, 450 °C and 600 °C, respectively using an electric kiln. Physicochemical parameters such as Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Potassium (TK), Total Phosphorous (TP), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Organic Carbon (OC), Organic Matter (OM), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Ash content, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Moisture content, Porosity and Bulk Density and germination test were performed. It was found that at 300 °C nitrogen content, organic matter, bulk density, biochar yield and moisture content were high, and longer root lengths were observed as well. Biochars produced at 450 °C produced the longest shoot lengths. Also, biochars produced at 600 °C had high phosphorous, potassium, calcium and magnesium levels, high porosity, pH and high heavy metal concentration as well. The outcomes demonstrate that biochars produced at higher temperatures are high in heavy metal concentration, but were within acceptable limits for application in agriculture. Biochar produced at moderately lower temperature is favourable for agriculture purposes. SSB1-300 °C, SSB2-450 °C, CTB1-300 °C and CTB2-450 °C had moderate pH and ash levels and so are less toxic to the growth of plants. Faecal sludge biochar produced at the three temperatures were suitable for use as fertilizer. The conversion of sludge waste into biochar will help improve faecal sludge management.

Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 2021

Maejo International Journal of Energy and Environmental Communication, 2020

The specific input energy (SIE), current density, and discharge power of homemade strong ionizati... more The specific input energy (SIE), current density, and discharge power of homemade strong ionization dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) were studied to suppress gas-phase benzene at atmospheric pressure efficiently. Findings indicate that for 300 ppm of benzene at 3.5 kJ/L SIE, benzene's removal efficiency reached 96%. The decline in current density by 66.48% and 43.7% for an initial benzene concentration of 300 ppm was due to increased oxygen content (from 2.4% to 20.9%) and relative humidity (from 18.9% to 90%), respectively, thus reducing electron concentration and consequentially enhanced the removal efficiency over 93%.Furthermore, the decomposition law's beta parameter decreased from 3.1 kJ/L at 300 ppm to 1.6 kJ/L at 100 ppm, indicating that •O and •OH radicals are key species for the decomposition of benzene and electron dissociation reactions largely control the process. The Maxwell– Boltzmann electron energy distribution function was solved using the average energy ...

Scientific Reports, 2021

On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high... more On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high malodour and insect nuisance as well as poor aesthetics. The high odour deters users from utilizing dry sanitation toilets as an improved facility leading to over 20% open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa. To address this malodour concern, this study first assessed odour levels, using hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) as indicators, on two dry sanitation facilities named T1 and T2. The potential of using biomass (sawdust, rice husk, moringa leaves, neem seeds), ash (coconut husk, cocoa husk) or biochar (sawdust, rice husk, bamboo) as biocovers to remove or suppress odour from fresh faecal sludge (FS) over a 12-day period was investigated. Results showed that the odour levels for H2S in both T1 (3.17 ppm) and T2 (0.22 ppm) were above the threshold limit of 0.05 ppm, for unpleasantness in humans and vice versa for NH3 odour levels (T1 = 6.88 ppm; T2 = 3.16 ppm; threshold limit = 3...

Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, 2020

Well injectivity and storage capacity defines the storage potential of a CO2 capture, utilization... more Well injectivity and storage capacity defines the storage potential of a CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) facility. Formation temperature has high impact on the phase behavior and flow properties of CO2 such as density and viscosity. The effect of temperature on CO2 injectivity, especially in the wellbore injection inlet, is not well understood. We investigated the thermal behavior of CO2 from the wellhead to the reservoir using simple theoretical models that capture the major heat transfer mechanisms. The effect of CO2 injection flow rate and injection time on the temperature of CO2 were studied. We found that for the same initial CO2 injection temperature and formation intake temperature, the injected CO2 in the well is cooler than the surrounding formation from the wellhead to the bottomhole. The temperature difference increased with increasing injection flow rate and injection time. The results show that although CO2 may attain supercritical state at bottomhole, the temperature difference between CO2 in the wellbore and the reservoir could be significant. The results also suggest that CO2 could attain thermal equilibrium with the reservoir at a flow distance of about 600 ft into the formation depending on the injection flow rate and reservoir temperature. The thermal disequilibrium of CO2 in the wellbore vicinity where fluxes are also high could affect CO2 injectivity and the mobility of CO2 during CCUS and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. The present findings provide vital understanding of the effect of thermal instability on CO2 injectivity especially in the wellbore injection inlet. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Journal of Environmental Management, 2019

The effects of water washing pretreatment process on the property and adsorption capacity of bioc... more The effects of water washing pretreatment process on the property and adsorption capacity of biochar were investigated at different biochar/water ratios from 1:5 to 1:100 (w/v). Saccharina japonica macroalgae-derived biochars (B300, B450, and B600) were prepared at 300 °C, 450 °C, and 600 °C, respectively. The optimal biochar/water ratio was obtained at 1:10. The results indicated that the washing pretreatment can contribute to dramatically increasing the specific surface area of biochars, but slightly increasing their porosity. The washed biochars were carbonaceous microporous materials (67-80% micropore volume), with their specific surface area and porosity being B600 (543 m2/g and 86%), B450 (521 m2/g and 75%), and B300 (188 m2/g and 80%), respectively. The unwashed biochars exhibited a significantly higher ash content (59%-65%) than washed biochars (26%-35%). Equilibrium adsorption study demonstrated that the Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity (Qomax) of crystal violet cationic dye decreased in the following order: unwashed-B450 (1719 mg/g) > washed-B450 (1277 mg/g) > commercial activated carbon (492 mg/g). The washing pretreatment can remove solute-inorganic minerals to prevent their release from biochar during the dye adsorption. The washed biochar with its excellent adsorption capacity can serve as a highly sustainable and industrially viable adsorbent for the removal of cationic dyes from waste bodies.

Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2018

Abstract Interests in conversion of macroalgae to bioenergy via thermal treatment, namely pyrolys... more Abstract Interests in conversion of macroalgae to bioenergy via thermal treatment, namely pyrolysis or combustion has increased due to their distinctive composition and high photosynthetic rates. The resulting char byproducts could serve as a trove of precious mineral resources. Thermal pretreatment was compared with direct extraction of potassium salts from alga Saccharina japonica using deionized water for use as food additive, agricultural or pharmaceutical applications. Biomass was pyrolysed with fixed bed reactor or combusted with muffle furnace at 300, 450, 600 °C, and extracted using deionized water in shaker at 150 rpm and 30 °C for 2 h. Overall potassium salts recovery efficiency from raw biomass (52.55 ± 2.79%) was relatively lower than from 450 °C chars from pyrolysis (75.30 ± 0.81%) and combustion (62.07 ± 0.56%). Extracts from pyrolysed char at 600 °C had highest purity of KCl which is most abundant mineral in all products. SEM-EDX and ICP-OES elemental analysis confirmed absence of heavy metals such as As, Cu, Cd and Pb in extracts. Ratios of organic to inorganic fractions in extracts from thermally pretreated samples were much lower (∼0.1) than that of raw biomass (8.42).

Bioresource Technology, 2017

Biochar was produced from Korean cabbage (KC), rice straw (RS) and wood chip (WC) and the use as ... more Biochar was produced from Korean cabbage (KC), rice straw (RS) and wood chip (WC) and the use as alternative adsorbents to activated carbon (AC) in wastewater treatment was investigated. Congo red (CR) and crystal violet (CV) were used as a model anionic and cationic dye, respectively. Initial solution pH had little effect on CR and CV adsorption onto all biochars except for AC on CR. The isotherm models and kinetic data showed that adsorption of CR and CV onto all biochars were dominantly by chemisorption. All biochars had lower adsorption capacity for CR than AC. KC showed higher Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity (1304mg/g) than AC (271.0mg/g), RS (620.3mg/g) and WC (195.6mg/g) for CV. KC may be a good alternative to conventional AC as cheap, superb and industrially viable adsorbent for removal of cationic dyes in wastewater.

Bioresource Technology, 2017

The potential of activating terrestrial biomass (spent mushroom substrate, SMS) with ash-laden ma... more The potential of activating terrestrial biomass (spent mushroom substrate, SMS) with ash-laden marine biomass [kelp seaweed, KE] via co-pyrolysis in the field of adsorption was first investigated. KE biochar (KBC), SMS biochar (SMSBC), biochar (SK10BC) from 10%-KE added SMS, and biochar (ESBC) from KE-extract added SMS were used for the adsorption of cationic dye crystal violet (CV). ESBC had highest fixed carbon content (70.60%) and biochar yield (31.6%). SK10BC exhibited high ash content, abundant functional groups, coarser surface morphology and Langmuir maximum adsorptive capacity (610.1mg/g), which is 2.2 times higher than that of SMSBC (282.9mg/g). Biochar activated by a small amount of high ash-containing biomass such as seaweed via co-pyrolysis can serve as viable alternative adsorbent for cationic dye removal.

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2017

Abstract Extraction of minerals from fresh and dried macroalgae kelp (Saccharina japonica) was in... more Abstract Extraction of minerals from fresh and dried macroalgae kelp (Saccharina japonica) was investigated to get better biomass resource for biorefinery. At a solid to liquid ratio of 1:6 (w/v), 2 h extraction, and 30 °C, inorganic extraction efficiency (Einorg) and total efficiency (Etot) using water were respectively 76.88 and 50.82% for fresh biomass while those of dried biomass were 72.99 and 65.79%. For fresh biomass extraction using ethanol, Einorg (74.19%) and Etot (42.21%) were much higher than for dried biomass with 7.29% Einorg and 1.21% Etot. With 10% ethanol, Einorg were similar for both materials, however, higher ratio of inorganic to organic extraction efficiency (rE) (5.48) were obtained for fresh biomass compared to lower rE (2.02) for dried biomass. The rE for fresh biomass was higher (13.80) than that for dried biomass (1.32) using water at 1:4 solid to liquid ratio, suggesting that fresh kelp is better feedstock for bioenergy production.

On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high... more On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high malodour and insect nuisance as well as poor aesthetics. The high odour deters users from utilizing dry sanitation toilet as an improved facility leading to over 20% open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa. To address this malodour concern, this study first assessed odour levels, using hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) as indicators, on two (2) dry sanitation facilities (T1 and T2). The potential of using biomass (sawdust, rice husk, moringa leaves, neem seeds), ash (coconut husk, cocoa husk) or biochar (sawdust, rice husk, bamboo) as biocovers to remove or suppress odour from fresh faecal sludge (FS) over a 12-day period was investigated. Results showed high odour levels, beyond and below the threshold limit for unpleasantness for humans on H2S (peak value: T1 = 3.17 ppm; T2 = 0.22 ppm > 0.05 ppm limit) and NH3 (peak value: T1 = 6.88 ppm; T2 = 3.16 ppm < 30 ppm limit), resp...

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising technology for the improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ... more Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising technology for the improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ) by removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through advanced oxidation process (AOP). In this paper, authors developed a laboratory scale dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor which generates atmospheric NTP to study the removal of low-concentration formaldehyde (HCHO), a typical indoor air VOC in the built environment associated with cancer and leukemia, under different processing conditions. Strong ionization NTP was generated between the DBD electrodes by a pulse power zero-voltage switching flyback transformer (ZVS-FBT), which caused ionization of air molecules leading to active species formation to convert HCHO into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O). The impact of key electrical and physical processing parameters i.e. discharge power (P), initial concentration (Cin), flow rate (F), and relative humidity (RH) which affect the formaldehyde removal efficiency (ɳ) were...

Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2020

Abstract In developing countries, faecal sludge treatment facilities are non-existent in most cit... more Abstract In developing countries, faecal sludge treatment facilities are non-existent in most cities and small towns resulting in untreated and improper disposal of sludge. In Ghana 85% of faecal sludge produced each day is discharged into the earth with no effective treatment. Converting sewage and faecal sludge to biochar addresses the stigma of fertilizer obtained from human excreta, since the pyrolysis process guarantees a 100% pathogen elimination, and enrich nutrients in faecal sludge biochar. The interest to convert sludge waste into biochar is that it ensures a pathogen free fertilizer. Sewage sludge and faecal sludge with sawdust were pyrolysed at different temperatures in this study. Sewage sludge (SSB1-300 °C, SSB2-450 °C and SSB3-600 °C) as well as faecal sludge with sawdust (CTB1-300 °C, CTB2-450 °C and CTB3-600 °C) were both converted to biochar at 300 °C, 450 °C and 600 °C, respectively using an electric kiln. Physicochemical parameters such as Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Potassium (TK), Total Phosphorous (TP), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Organic Carbon (OC), Organic Matter (OM), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Ash content, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Moisture content, Porosity and Bulk Density and germination test were performed. It was found that at 300 °C nitrogen content, organic matter, bulk density, biochar yield and moisture content were high, and longer root lengths were observed as well. Biochars produced at 450 °C produced the longest shoot lengths. Also, biochars produced at 600 °C had high phosphorous, potassium, calcium and magnesium levels, high porosity, pH and high heavy metal concentration as well. The outcomes demonstrate that biochars produced at higher temperatures are high in heavy metal concentration, but were within acceptable limits for application in agriculture. Biochar produced at moderately lower temperature is favourable for agriculture purposes. SSB1-300 °C, SSB2-450 °C, CTB1-300 °C and CTB2-450 °C had moderate pH and ash levels and so are less toxic to the growth of plants. Faecal sludge biochar produced at the three temperatures were suitable for use as fertilizer. The conversion of sludge waste into biochar will help improve faecal sludge management.

Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 2021

Maejo International Journal of Energy and Environmental Communication, 2020

The specific input energy (SIE), current density, and discharge power of homemade strong ionizati... more The specific input energy (SIE), current density, and discharge power of homemade strong ionization dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) were studied to suppress gas-phase benzene at atmospheric pressure efficiently. Findings indicate that for 300 ppm of benzene at 3.5 kJ/L SIE, benzene's removal efficiency reached 96%. The decline in current density by 66.48% and 43.7% for an initial benzene concentration of 300 ppm was due to increased oxygen content (from 2.4% to 20.9%) and relative humidity (from 18.9% to 90%), respectively, thus reducing electron concentration and consequentially enhanced the removal efficiency over 93%.Furthermore, the decomposition law's beta parameter decreased from 3.1 kJ/L at 300 ppm to 1.6 kJ/L at 100 ppm, indicating that •O and •OH radicals are key species for the decomposition of benzene and electron dissociation reactions largely control the process. The Maxwell– Boltzmann electron energy distribution function was solved using the average energy ...

Scientific Reports, 2021

On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high... more On-site dry sanitation facilities, although cheaper than wet sanitation systems, suffer from high malodour and insect nuisance as well as poor aesthetics. The high odour deters users from utilizing dry sanitation toilets as an improved facility leading to over 20% open defecation in Sub-Saharan Africa. To address this malodour concern, this study first assessed odour levels, using hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ammonia (NH3) as indicators, on two dry sanitation facilities named T1 and T2. The potential of using biomass (sawdust, rice husk, moringa leaves, neem seeds), ash (coconut husk, cocoa husk) or biochar (sawdust, rice husk, bamboo) as biocovers to remove or suppress odour from fresh faecal sludge (FS) over a 12-day period was investigated. Results showed that the odour levels for H2S in both T1 (3.17 ppm) and T2 (0.22 ppm) were above the threshold limit of 0.05 ppm, for unpleasantness in humans and vice versa for NH3 odour levels (T1 = 6.88 ppm; T2 = 3.16 ppm; threshold limit = 3...

Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, 2020

Well injectivity and storage capacity defines the storage potential of a CO2 capture, utilization... more Well injectivity and storage capacity defines the storage potential of a CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) facility. Formation temperature has high impact on the phase behavior and flow properties of CO2 such as density and viscosity. The effect of temperature on CO2 injectivity, especially in the wellbore injection inlet, is not well understood. We investigated the thermal behavior of CO2 from the wellhead to the reservoir using simple theoretical models that capture the major heat transfer mechanisms. The effect of CO2 injection flow rate and injection time on the temperature of CO2 were studied. We found that for the same initial CO2 injection temperature and formation intake temperature, the injected CO2 in the well is cooler than the surrounding formation from the wellhead to the bottomhole. The temperature difference increased with increasing injection flow rate and injection time. The results show that although CO2 may attain supercritical state at bottomhole, the temperature difference between CO2 in the wellbore and the reservoir could be significant. The results also suggest that CO2 could attain thermal equilibrium with the reservoir at a flow distance of about 600 ft into the formation depending on the injection flow rate and reservoir temperature. The thermal disequilibrium of CO2 in the wellbore vicinity where fluxes are also high could affect CO2 injectivity and the mobility of CO2 during CCUS and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. The present findings provide vital understanding of the effect of thermal instability on CO2 injectivity especially in the wellbore injection inlet. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Journal of Environmental Management, 2019

The effects of water washing pretreatment process on the property and adsorption capacity of bioc... more The effects of water washing pretreatment process on the property and adsorption capacity of biochar were investigated at different biochar/water ratios from 1:5 to 1:100 (w/v). Saccharina japonica macroalgae-derived biochars (B300, B450, and B600) were prepared at 300 °C, 450 °C, and 600 °C, respectively. The optimal biochar/water ratio was obtained at 1:10. The results indicated that the washing pretreatment can contribute to dramatically increasing the specific surface area of biochars, but slightly increasing their porosity. The washed biochars were carbonaceous microporous materials (67-80% micropore volume), with their specific surface area and porosity being B600 (543 m2/g and 86%), B450 (521 m2/g and 75%), and B300 (188 m2/g and 80%), respectively. The unwashed biochars exhibited a significantly higher ash content (59%-65%) than washed biochars (26%-35%). Equilibrium adsorption study demonstrated that the Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity (Qomax) of crystal violet cationic dye decreased in the following order: unwashed-B450 (1719 mg/g) > washed-B450 (1277 mg/g) > commercial activated carbon (492 mg/g). The washing pretreatment can remove solute-inorganic minerals to prevent their release from biochar during the dye adsorption. The washed biochar with its excellent adsorption capacity can serve as a highly sustainable and industrially viable adsorbent for the removal of cationic dyes from waste bodies.

Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2018

Abstract Interests in conversion of macroalgae to bioenergy via thermal treatment, namely pyrolys... more Abstract Interests in conversion of macroalgae to bioenergy via thermal treatment, namely pyrolysis or combustion has increased due to their distinctive composition and high photosynthetic rates. The resulting char byproducts could serve as a trove of precious mineral resources. Thermal pretreatment was compared with direct extraction of potassium salts from alga Saccharina japonica using deionized water for use as food additive, agricultural or pharmaceutical applications. Biomass was pyrolysed with fixed bed reactor or combusted with muffle furnace at 300, 450, 600 °C, and extracted using deionized water in shaker at 150 rpm and 30 °C for 2 h. Overall potassium salts recovery efficiency from raw biomass (52.55 ± 2.79%) was relatively lower than from 450 °C chars from pyrolysis (75.30 ± 0.81%) and combustion (62.07 ± 0.56%). Extracts from pyrolysed char at 600 °C had highest purity of KCl which is most abundant mineral in all products. SEM-EDX and ICP-OES elemental analysis confirmed absence of heavy metals such as As, Cu, Cd and Pb in extracts. Ratios of organic to inorganic fractions in extracts from thermally pretreated samples were much lower (∼0.1) than that of raw biomass (8.42).

Bioresource Technology, 2017

Biochar was produced from Korean cabbage (KC), rice straw (RS) and wood chip (WC) and the use as ... more Biochar was produced from Korean cabbage (KC), rice straw (RS) and wood chip (WC) and the use as alternative adsorbents to activated carbon (AC) in wastewater treatment was investigated. Congo red (CR) and crystal violet (CV) were used as a model anionic and cationic dye, respectively. Initial solution pH had little effect on CR and CV adsorption onto all biochars except for AC on CR. The isotherm models and kinetic data showed that adsorption of CR and CV onto all biochars were dominantly by chemisorption. All biochars had lower adsorption capacity for CR than AC. KC showed higher Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity (1304mg/g) than AC (271.0mg/g), RS (620.3mg/g) and WC (195.6mg/g) for CV. KC may be a good alternative to conventional AC as cheap, superb and industrially viable adsorbent for removal of cationic dyes in wastewater.

Bioresource Technology, 2017

The potential of activating terrestrial biomass (spent mushroom substrate, SMS) with ash-laden ma... more The potential of activating terrestrial biomass (spent mushroom substrate, SMS) with ash-laden marine biomass [kelp seaweed, KE] via co-pyrolysis in the field of adsorption was first investigated. KE biochar (KBC), SMS biochar (SMSBC), biochar (SK10BC) from 10%-KE added SMS, and biochar (ESBC) from KE-extract added SMS were used for the adsorption of cationic dye crystal violet (CV). ESBC had highest fixed carbon content (70.60%) and biochar yield (31.6%). SK10BC exhibited high ash content, abundant functional groups, coarser surface morphology and Langmuir maximum adsorptive capacity (610.1mg/g), which is 2.2 times higher than that of SMSBC (282.9mg/g). Biochar activated by a small amount of high ash-containing biomass such as seaweed via co-pyrolysis can serve as viable alternative adsorbent for cationic dye removal.

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2017

Abstract Extraction of minerals from fresh and dried macroalgae kelp (Saccharina japonica) was in... more Abstract Extraction of minerals from fresh and dried macroalgae kelp (Saccharina japonica) was investigated to get better biomass resource for biorefinery. At a solid to liquid ratio of 1:6 (w/v), 2 h extraction, and 30 °C, inorganic extraction efficiency (Einorg) and total efficiency (Etot) using water were respectively 76.88 and 50.82% for fresh biomass while those of dried biomass were 72.99 and 65.79%. For fresh biomass extraction using ethanol, Einorg (74.19%) and Etot (42.21%) were much higher than for dried biomass with 7.29% Einorg and 1.21% Etot. With 10% ethanol, Einorg were similar for both materials, however, higher ratio of inorganic to organic extraction efficiency (rE) (5.48) were obtained for fresh biomass compared to lower rE (2.02) for dried biomass. The rE for fresh biomass was higher (13.80) than that for dried biomass (1.32) using water at 1:4 solid to liquid ratio, suggesting that fresh kelp is better feedstock for bioenergy production.