Qumber Abbas - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Qumber Abbas

Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2022

Biomass, as a renewable and sustainable energy resource, can be converted into environmentally fr... more Biomass, as a renewable and sustainable energy resource, can be converted into environmentally friendly and practically valuable biofuels and chemical materials via pyrolysis. However, the process optimization and pyrolysis efficiency are restricted by the limited perception of the complicated mechanisms and kinetics for biomass pyrolysis. Here, to establish an in-depth mechanism model for biomass pyrolysis, we presented a novel investigation for the thermal evolutions and pyrolysis kinetics of the functional groups in peanut shell matrix by using in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (in-situ FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared spectrometry-mass spectrometry (TG-FTIR-MS). The in-situ FTIR spectrum deconvolution for the solid matrix was innovatively introduced to identify and quantify the real-time evolution and thermal dynamics of the functional groups during peanut shell pyrolysis. The result for the first time proposed that the pyrolysis mechanisms of total OH at 20-380 degrees C, aliphatic C-H-n groups at 20-500 degrees C, C=O groups at 260-500 degrees C, and C-O groups at 300-500 degrees C were dominant by diffusion and order-based chemical reactions. The TG-FTIR-MS analysis was conducted for the online monitoring of the released volatiles and gases, the amounts of which were in the sequence of C=O > CO2 > aliphatic C-O-(H) > C-O-(C) in esters > aromatics > H2O > phenolic hydroxyl > aliphatic hydrocarbons > CO. The study established a novel methodology to evaluate the biomass pyrolysis mechanisms at the molecular level, which provided valuable information for developing advanced pyrolysis techniques on a large scale for sustainable ecosystem

Ore Geology Reviews, Apr 1, 2018

This paper presents new data concerning the geochemistry and distribution of the Bi-Be-Mo-Cd-Pb-N... more This paper presents new data concerning the geochemistry and distribution of the Bi-Be-Mo-Cd-Pb-Nb-Ga, and REY in the Panyi, Xieqiao, Xinji, Zhuji, and Zhuji Xi coals of the Huainan Coalfield. The results indicate that the Huainan bituminous coals were characterized by medium ash yields and low to medium sulfur contents. The mineral assemblage present in the Huainan coals is mainly made up of quartz, kaolinite, pyrite, and calcite. The minerals, ash yield, sulfur contents, volatile matter contents, Sr/Ba, SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 , and (CaO + MgO + Fe 2 O 3)/ (SiO 2 + Al 2 O 3) ratio varied significantly in the Huainan Coalfield, which are attributed mainly to vertical variation in the depositional environment. These coals contain high contents of Ga,

Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Feb 1, 2018

Comparison to coals from China with an emphasis on the elements distribution.

Journal of Cleaner Production, Aug 1, 2018

The influences of pyrolysis conditions on the products yield distribution and physico-chemical ch... more The influences of pyrolysis conditions on the products yield distribution and physico-chemical characteristics of biochar derived from peanut shell in a fixed-bed reactor were investigated in this study. The pyrolysis conditions included the pyrolysis temperature (300e700 C), retention time (15e90 min), heating rate (1e10 C min À1), gas flow rate (20e200 mL min À1) and feedstock particle size (<0.075, 0.075 e0.150, 0.150e0.300 and 0.300e2.00 mm). Various analytical techniques were used to characterize the biochar for ultimate and proximate analyses, higher heating value (23.99e30.44 MJ kg À1), pH (8.11 e12.89), electrical conductivity (22.78e34.44 mS cm À1), surface functional groups (acidic, carboxylic and basic groups), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, pore volume (0.055e1.241 cm 3 g À1) and specific surface area (7.12e20.96 m 2 g À1). The results demonstrated that the temperature predominantly regulated the product yields distribution and characteristics of produced biochar. Furthermore, the heating rate considerably influenced the biochar proximate composition, micropore surface area and pore size. Particle size had significant influences on biochar surface porosity and bio-oil yield. The economic analysis of the pyrolysis system indicated its feasibility and superiority with a positive net present value of 12.07 Â 10 6 USD after twenty-five years of operation.

Chemosphere, Aug 1, 2017

This study aims to investigate the pollution characteristics of road dust and their associated he... more This study aims to investigate the pollution characteristics of road dust and their associated health risks of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) to humans using array-based risk assessment models described by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in a metropolitan area of Hefei, China. Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) was used to describe pollution characteristics of roadside dust in urban, periurban and industrial areas. Results indicate that industrial roadside dust was contaminated with Fe, Ni, Cu, Ti, V, Pb, Ba, Sb, Cr, Sn, Pb, As and Ga showing Igeo value (log2 (x)) between Igeo class 3 to 4. In other hand, urban roadside dust contamination with Cu, Zn, Sb and Ga ranged between Igeo classes 2 to 3 and with As and Pb ranged between Igeo classes 4 to 5. Furthermore, health risk assessment revealed negligible non-cancerous health hazard in all sites including urban, periurban and industrial areas. The hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard Index (HI) values for all exposure routes (ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact) were &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;1 except for chromium with HI value of 1.06E+00 in industrial areas. Moreover, the most prominent exposure route was ingestion (HQing) and the non-carcinogenic health risks were found to be high in case of children compared to the adults. The cancer risk from As, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb was found to be in safe levels as the RI (carcinogenic risks) values were below the limits for carcinogens (1.00E-6 to 1.00E-4).

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020

In terms of net intensification in the greenhouse effect ie., rise of global temperature which ha... more In terms of net intensification in the greenhouse effect ie., rise of global temperature which has triggered melting of glacier thus increasing sea level and acidification of sea, carbon dioxide alone contributes approximately three-fourth of the net greenhouse radiative forcing by man-made (anthropogenic) greenhouse gases emissions. Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology; a promising strategy for capturing of carbon dioxide from point sources before its release to atmosphere by using various sorbents is gaining global interest. In this study, the established carbon capture technologies with methods of carbon dioxide separation along there pros and cons are discussed. Carbon-based adsorbents are considered as the most versatile adsorbents for carbon dioxide due to their extraordinary physical and chemical properties. In this manuscript, recent developments on carbonaceous adsorbents (biochar, activated carbons, and graphene-based adsorbents) and their role in carbon dioxide capture during different combustion processes and conditions have been comprehensively focused.

Ore Geology Reviews, Nov 1, 2018

In the Discussion written by Dai et al. (2018) about our paper (Munir et al., 2018), Dai et al. (... more In the Discussion written by Dai et al. (2018) about our paper (Munir et al., 2018), Dai et al. (2018) raised a number of issues including proximate analysis, coal petrology, mineral components, geochemical compositions, and reference citations, which should be re-determined and the re-determined data may then need further in-depth evaluation. We sincerely thank Dai et al. (2018)'s comments and pointing out the problems that occur in our paper. We re-determined all the samples and revised our results based on the new data accordingly. 1. Proximate Analysis 1.1. Volatile matter and vitrinite reflectance Concern: The relation between the volatile matter and vitrinite reflectance in a number of samples is not correct. This suggests that there are problems with either the volatile matter, the reflectance, or both. We agree with Dai et al. (2018)'s comments that the data is surprisingly random. We have re-conducted the volatile matter (V daf) and vitrinite maximum reflectance (R o max) measurements. The updated data are presented in Table 1, it can be seen that the volatile matter yields and vitrinite reflectance (R o max) of the Huainan coals vary from 35.70 to 44.54% (averaged at 39.46%) and from 0.63 to 1.01 (averaged at 0.85), respectively, indicating that the studied coals are high volatile bituminous coals. The mean value of volatile matter in the Panyi, Xieqiao, Xinji, Zhuji, and Zhuji Xi coals are 39.14%, 40.17%, 38.56%, 39.51%, and 40.05%, respectively, according to Chinese National Standard (MT/849-2000, 10-20% for low volatile matter coal, 20-28% for medium volatile coal, 28-37% for medium high volatile coal and 37-50% for high volatile matter coal). 2 1.2. Maceral composition Concern: The sum of maceral group should be 100% if on mineral-free basis. We agree with Dai et al. (2018)'s comments. This is due to our careless calculation of the three replicate measurement. To accommodate Dai et al., (2018)'s concern, we have re-measured the maceral composition and recalculated the values. The updated data are presented in Table 2. Macerals are divided into three groups such as vitrinite, liptinite, and inertinite. Coals with different maceral composition behave differently, which is useful for developing new coal utilization technologies (Hower et al., 2011; Sun et al., 2017). The maceral terminology and classification applied in the present study are based on the Taylor et al. (1998) and ICCP Maceral Classification System 1994 (ICCP, 2001). The data regarding maceral composition of the Huainan Coalfield have been summarized and presented in Table 2. The maceral composition is led by vitrinite (average 60.7%; 38.2 to 77.9%), followed by inertinite (26.5%; 13.1 to 48.0%) and liptinite (12.8%; 3.5 to 34.1%). The vitrinite (1.08× and 1.06×) and liptinite (1.49× and 1.39×) contents of Upper Shihezi Formation are higher than Lower Shihezi Formation and Shanxi Formation, respectively. While inertinite contents of Lower Shihezi Formation are (1.52× and 1.07×) times higher than Upper Shihezi Formation and Shanxi Formation, respectively (Table 2). The high contents of inertinite in the coal samples indicate that the vegetation was exposed to wildfires during the middle Permian Period in the North China Basin (Sun et al., 2017). 2. Mineral contents Concern: The mineral contents for all samples are not correct, either on whole coal basis or on ash basis. We agree with Dai et al. (2018)'s comments that the units for the mineral percentages should be wt. %, not vol. %. The unit has been corrected to wt. % in the re-conducted experiment. The XRD measurement, the Siroqueant quantification (methods following Ward et al., 1999, 2001; Dai et al., 2012b) and SEM graphs are given in Table 3 and Fig. 4-6. Minerals in the Huainan coals are mainly consist of quartz, kaolinite, and calcite together with the variable amount of dolomite, siderite, and anatase (Table 3; Figs. 4-6). Kaolinite is the major mineral (average 66.91%) in the Huainan coals followed by quartz (average 17.04%) (Table 3; Figs. 4-6), both appear to be more abundant in the ZJ-7-1 and ZX-13-1, respectively than the other coal samples.

$Research paper thumbnail of A comprehensive review of biogeochemical distribution and fractionation of lead isotopes for source tracing in distinct interactive environmental compartments$

Science of The Total Environment, Jun 1, 2020

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 2020

The extensive use of nano-fabricated products in daily life is releasing a large volume of engine... more The extensive use of nano-fabricated products in daily life is releasing a large volume of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the environment having unknown consequences. Meanwhile, little efforts have been paid to immobilize and prevent the entry of these emerging contaminants in the food chain through plant uptake. Herein, we investigated the biochar role in cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO 2 NPs) bioaccumulation and subsequent translocation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as well as impact on growth, photosynthesis and gasexchange related physiological parameters. Results indicated that CeO 2 NPs up to 500 mg L −1 level promoted the plant growth by triggering photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance. Higher NPs concentration (2000 mg CeO 2 NPs L −1) has negatively affected the plant growth and photosynthesis related processes. Conversely, biochar amendment with CeO 2 NPs considerably reduced (~9 folds) the plants accumulated contents of Ce even at 2000 mg L −1 exposure level of CeO 2 NPs through surface complexation process and alleviated the phyto-toxic effects of NPs on plant growth. XPS and FTIR analysis confirmed the role of biochar-mediated carboxylate and hydroxyl groups bonding with CeO 2 NPs. These findings provides an inside mechanistic understanding about biochar interaction with nano-pollutants to inhibit their bioavailability to plant body.

Chemosphere, Feb 1, 2020

h i g h l i g h t s Biochar and processed-fly ash reduced metal availability due to surface funct... more h i g h l i g h t s Biochar and processed-fly ash reduced metal availability due to surface functionalization and complexation. Heavy metal uptake by maize was reduced with application of biochar and processed-fly ash. Combined application influenced transfer rate and translocation in plant by metal stabilization process.

Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, Sep 1, 2018

In this study, the slow pyrolysis of rice husk was conducted by using a split-tube furnace under ... more In this study, the slow pyrolysis of rice husk was conducted by using a split-tube furnace under a nitrogen environment to investigate the influence of various pyrolysis conditions and biomass particle sizes on products yield distribution as well as physicochemical characteristics and surface chemistry of produced biochars. Results revealed that temperature has a more pronounced influence on products yield compared to the other operational conditions. The biochar yield decreases from 57.13 ± 5.37% to 37.19 ± 2.05% and gaseous phase yield increase from 25.64 ± 0.93% to 42.50 ± 4.58% with temperature increase from 300°C to 700°C. The surface chemistry of produced biochar varies widely as the distribution of different functional groups on its surface influenced by operational conditions and biomass particle size; above 500°C the intensity of FTIR vibrational peaks reduces abruptly. FTIR, SEM, elemental composition and surface area results indicate that biochar synthesized under higher pyrolysis temperature, extended retention time and, lower heating and gas flow rates with fine biomass particle size has utility as a potential C-sequestration and remedial agent to mitigate global climate change and adsorption of environmental pollutants, respectively. Furthermore, biochar has potential application as a renewable solid bio-fuel source due to higher calorific values. A cost-benefit analysis indicates that the viability of biochar saleable product system is more economical with an annual profit of 138,533$ for the low scenario, when the presumed unit processes 2500 tons y −1 of biomass. In a comparison to other presumed scenarios, this system is more feasible in areas where low-cost RH biomass waste is available abundantly such as in rice production and processing areas. The profitability of this system increases further by accounting pyrolysis-gas energy value that reduces operational cost. For the optimization of biochar economical yield with desired properties, this work provides insight knowledge.

Applied Energy, Dec 1, 2017

Abstract Thermochemically converted biochar is considered as one of the promising alternative sol... more Abstract Thermochemically converted biochar is considered as one of the promising alternative solid-fuel due to its high carbon contents of up to 80%, and has great potential to produce environmentally-friendly green-energy by improved fuel properties and emission-reduction of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). In this study, the biochar fuels, produced from peanut shell (PS) and wheat straw (WS) at 300, 500 and 700 °C, alone and blended with coal at mass ratio of 20% and 50% were systematically investigated for combustion characteristics and their potential to reduce the emission of PTEs including As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ga, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, V and Zn in relation to partitioning, retention and volatilization in the co-combustion systems, using a variety of experimental techniques. Results indicated that the biochar-coal blended fuels in equal proportion showed steady state combustion over broad temperature range resulting increased the combustion efficiency and improved the thermal characteristics in comparison to coal and/or biomass-coal fuels. In addition, soot yield, CO emission and un-burned carbon in fly ash reduced significantly in biochar-blended fuels. However, CO2 emission from biochar-coal co-combustion was comparable to coal and/or biomass-coal fuels. Moreover, the present study illustrated that the volatilization potential of PTEs during combustion of biochar and their blends with coal decreased considerably up to 21% compared to that of coal, and enrichment of these contaminants occurred in the bottom and fly ashes ranged from 15.38–65% and 24.54–74.29%, respectively. Slagging and fouling problems were still found with biochar-coal co-combustion due to the higher inorganic fraction of biochar, which were overcome with the hydrothermal washing of fuels. Thus, it can be concluded that biochar-coal co-combustion is a suitable option for its use in existing coal-fired energy generation system to achieve the sustainable clean-green energy and reduction of gaseous PTEs emission.

Chemosphere, Oct 1, 2018

Enhancing biochar adsorption capabilities and recollection ability is essential for efficient bio... more Enhancing biochar adsorption capabilities and recollection ability is essential for efficient biochar application. In this study, Nitrogen-doped magnetic biochar was prepared via one-step heating of FeCl 3-laden agar biomass under NH 3 environment. Synthesized magnetic biochar ABF-N 800 shows a maximum Cr (VI) adsorption capacity up to 142.86 mg g-1 , outperforming that of magnetic biochar and many other previously reported materials. Moreover, a significant increase of magnetic properties obtained by NH 3 ambiance pyrolysis enables easy separation of the adsorbent from the solution after treated with Cr (VI). The physiochemical properties of composites characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, VSM, BET surface and pore, Elemental content, and FTIR analysis. The NH 3 ambiance pyrolysis confirmed as an efficient process for surface modification, increased magnetic properties and activated N-functional groups. The Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order model are applicable for describing adsorption behavior. The thermodynamic study shows that the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. The present results warrant the application of simultaneous functionalized and magnetized biochar for Cr (VI) contaminated wastewater treatment.

Environment International, May 1, 2020

The ever increasing production and use of nano-enabled commercial products release the massive am... more The ever increasing production and use of nano-enabled commercial products release the massive amount of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the environment. An increasing number of recent studies have shown the toxic effects of ENPs on different organisms, raising concerns over the nano-pollutants behavior and fate in the various environmental compartments. After the release of ENPs in the environment, ENPs interact with various components of the environment and undergoes dynamic transformation processes. This review focus on ENPs transformations in the various environmental compartments. The transformation processes of ENPs are interrelated to multiple environmental aspects. Physical, chemical and biological processes such as the homo-or hetero-agglomeration, dissolution/sedimentation, adsorption, oxidation, reduction, sulfidation, photochemically and biologically mediated reactions mainly occur in the environment consequently changes the mobility and bioavailability of ENPs. Physico-chemical characteristics of ENPs (particle size, surface area, zeta potential/ surface charge, colloidal stability, and core-shell composition) and environmental conditions (pH, ionic strength, organic and inorganic colloids, temperature, etc.) are the most important parameters which regulated the ENPs environmental transformations. Meanwhile, in the environment, organisms encountered multiple transformed ENPs rather than the pristine nanomaterials due to their interactions with various environmental materials and other pollutants. Thus it is the utmost importance to study the behavior of transformed ENPs to understand their environmental fate, bioavailability, and mode of toxicity.

Chemical Engineering Research & Design, Aug 1, 2022

Environmental Pollution, Feb 1, 2021

Journal of Cleaner Production, Jun 1, 2021

Abstract Careful designing of biochar (BC) employing biological and industrial waste materials ha... more Abstract Careful designing of biochar (BC) employing biological and industrial waste materials has gained much attention to improve soil health via reducing the bioavailability of heavy metals (HMs) in the contaminated-soil. Herein, a forty-day pot experiment was conducted to explore the influence of micro-plastic (MP) embedded sewage-sludge (SS). The effects of SS and MP dosage ratios (0-15%) on the physicochemical properties of the modified-biochars were also studied with slow-pyrolyzed (SBC-500 °C) and flash-pyrolyzed biochar (FSBC-700 °C). Our investigations found remarkable positive synergistic effects for the SBC-15% involving increased soil pH, CEC, high carbon contents, and alleviation in Cr and Pb leaching than control and FSBC-700 °C. Besides, SBC-15% containing high carbon functional groups can effectively mitigate the Cr and Pb availability stress by intensifying the adsorption or passivation in the amended-soil, thereby, significantly reducing the Cr and Pb EDTA-extractable contents. Chemical fractionation analyses further confirmed that SBC-15% addition was more helpful for Cr and Pb immobilization and ultimately reducing transfer-rate, bioconcentration-factor, and translocation-factor as compared to FSBC-15% and control due to its higher alkalinity, surface area/porosity, and available carbon functional groups. The maize biomass (root and shoot) increased by more than 50%, and the activities of soil enzymes such as urease, alkaline phosphatase, and glucosidase enzyme activities were also enhanced. This ecologically feasible strategy would pave an efficient way to make full use of the SS and MP for the biochar synthesis with excellent soil remediation performance.

Process Safety and Environmental Protection

Environmental Pollution, Jul 1, 2019

Effects of biochar on uptake, acquisition and translocation of silver nanoparticles in rice (Oryz... more Effects of biochar on uptake, acquisition and translocation of silver nanoparticles in rice (Oryza sativa L.) in relation to growth, photosynthetic traits and nutrients displacement

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2022