Biomass Project Research Center, Hiroshima University, and HOSTY Association are co-organizing the Hiroshima University Biomass Evening Seminar. This seminar covers topics from the fundamentals of biomass to the latest information so that it can contribute the activities on biomass in this district.  The 50th seminar will be held as follows.  Please join.

Mon.6  Feb, 2017   16:20-17:50

Engineering 110 Lecture Room, Higashi-Hiroshima Campus, Hiroshima University

For the access to the venue, click here.
For the campus map, click here.
For the layout of the lecture rooms, click here. (Japanese page)

Commentary and Chair: Yukihiko MATSUMURA (Professor, Institute of Engineering, Hiroshima University)

◆Lecture: Obie FAROBIE
Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Institute of Engineering    

“Non-catalytic biodiesel production in supercritical methyl acetate using spiral reactor: process evaluation”

Biodiesel production using supercritical method is a promising technology due to high reaction rate, short reaction time, and no catalyst requirement. However, this technology is still facing the challenge regarding the heat recovery that has still problematic for commercial application. Therefore, a spiral reactor was proposed in this study. It was reported in our previous study that this reactor offered the advantages of reduced apparatus space compared to conventional supercritical equipment and of superior in terms of heat recovery. However, process evaluation of biodiesel production in supercritical methyl acetate in terms of energy analysis has not been studied well. Thus, the purpose of this study is to conduct a process evaluation for biodiesel production in supercritical methyl acetate using spiral reactor. The analysis results showed that the net energy ratio (NER) and energy efficiency of this process were 0.97 and 0.99, respectively.

◆Lecture: Tanawan Chalermsaktrakul
M2  Student, Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University
            
“Supercritical water gasification of xylose and acetic acid mixture”

The hydrothermal gasification of xylose, as a model substance of hemicellulose, was carried out at high temperatures and pressures (up to 400 ℃, 25 MPa) in the presence of acetic acid by using continuous-flow reactor. As acetic acid is one kind of organic compound, environmental friendly, low corrosiveness, and also byproduct of hemicellulose gasification, it was chosen to be the catalyst to understand more about the behavior of each reaction in supercritical gasification of xylose. This study aimed to compare the reaction rate constant of xylose decomposition with and without acetic acid addition. The experiments were investigated to determine the influence of residence time varied from 0.5 to 5 s. The concentration of xylose was 1.5 wt% mixed with 1.5 wt% of acetic acid. When acetic acid was added in supercritical water gasification of xylose, it provided H+, so the retro-aldol reaction and carbon gasification production, which are radical reactions, were be suppressed. Meanwhile, the dehydration of xylose and xylulose to furfural was be promoted significantly. 

◆Lecture: Makoto ITONAGA
B4 Student, School of Engineering, Hiroshima University
    
“Optimization of wet milling pretreatment for methane fermentation of woody biomass”

Fukushima nuclear accident brought down radiation-contaminated woody biomass. We have expected that methane fermentation is useful for reducing volume of such biomass with energy recovery. Hence, we are developing the process of methane fermentation of woody biomass pretreated with a wet milling method, by which biomass is crushed and decomposed in a vessel containing small metal beads and hydrolytic enzymes. In this study, we carried out the optimization of pretreatment conditions of the wet milling method for methane production from woody biomass including the treatment time and the amount of enzyme.

※We will hold the discussion meeting from 18:00 (800 JPY needed).  Join this meeting, too if you are available.