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ABOUT ME
Resarch Interests
Energy from biomass, aqueous reforming, catalysis.
PUBLICATIONS
2024
Lete, Alejandro; Raso, Raquel; García, Lucía; Ruiz, Joaquín; Arauzo, Jesús
In: Fuel, vol. 371, pp. 132001, 2024, ISSN: 0016-2361.
@article{lete_synthesis_2024,
title = {Synthesis of ketones from glycerol and 1,2-propanediol using copper and nickel catalysts: Unraveling the impact of reaction phase and active metal},
author = {Alejandro Lete and Raquel Raso and Lucía García and Joaquín Ruiz and Jesús Arauzo},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016236124011499},
doi = {10.1016/j.fuel.2024.132001},
issn = {0016-2361},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-09-01},
urldate = {2024-09-01},
journal = {Fuel},
volume = {371},
pages = {132001},
abstract = {Catalysts based on nickel-aluminum and copper–aluminum were synthesized through the coprecipitation method with a Ni or Cu content of 28 mol%, expressed as Ni/(Ni + Al) or Cu/(Cu + Al). The catalysts were calcined at 675 °C and thoroughly analyzed using various characterization techniques (ICP-OES, N2 adsorption–desorption, NH3-TPD, CO2-TPD, XRD, H2-TPR and elemental analysis). The samples were tested in two different reaction systems, gas phase at atmospheric pressure and liquid phase at 34 absolute bar, to investigate the production of ketones from glycerol and 1,2-propanediol under reaction conditions of 227 °C and a mass of catalyst/reagent mass flow rate ratio (W/m) of 10 gCatalyst·min/gReagent. The characterization results revealed catalysts with high specific surface area and nickel and copper metallic particles, exhibiting good catalytic activity towards liquid products. Gas phase reactions favored the generation of acetol and carbon deposits, which were minimal in liquid phase reactions. The active metal played a crucial role, and it was demonstrated that copper, with a higher number of acidic sites, exhibited greater selectivity towards ketones than the nickel catalyst. The best performance was achieved by the CuAl catalyst in the gas phase reaction of glycerol, with a conversion of 67.0 ± 4.0 %, a carbon selectivity to acetol in the liquid products of 61.4 % and a yield to acetol of 119.8 mgAcetol/gGlycerol.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Catalysts based on nickel-aluminum and copper–aluminum were synthesized through the coprecipitation method with a Ni or Cu content of 28 mol%, expressed as Ni/(Ni + Al) or Cu/(Cu + Al). The catalysts were calcined at 675 °C and thoroughly analyzed using various characterization techniques (ICP-OES, N2 adsorption–desorption, NH3-TPD, CO2-TPD, XRD, H2-TPR and elemental analysis). The samples were tested in two different reaction systems, gas phase at atmospheric pressure and liquid phase at 34 absolute bar, to investigate the production of ketones from glycerol and 1,2-propanediol under reaction conditions of 227 °C and a mass of catalyst/reagent mass flow rate ratio (W/m) of 10 gCatalyst·min/gReagent. The characterization results revealed catalysts with high specific surface area and nickel and copper metallic particles, exhibiting good catalytic activity towards liquid products. Gas phase reactions favored the generation of acetol and carbon deposits, which were minimal in liquid phase reactions. The active metal played a crucial role, and it was demonstrated that copper, with a higher number of acidic sites, exhibited greater selectivity towards ketones than the nickel catalyst. The best performance was achieved by the CuAl catalyst in the gas phase reaction of glycerol, with a conversion of 67.0 ± 4.0 %, a carbon selectivity to acetol in the liquid products of 61.4 % and a yield to acetol of 119.8 mgAcetol/gGlycerol.
Lete, Alejandro; García, Lucía; Ruiz, Joaquín; Arauzo, Jesús
Catalytic Conversion of 1,2-propanediol to 2-propanone: An Exploratory Study Journal Article
In: Chemical Engineering Transactions, vol. 109, pp. 133–138, 2024, ISSN: 2283-9216.
@article{lete_catalytic_2024,
title = {Catalytic Conversion of 1,2-propanediol to 2-propanone: An Exploratory Study},
author = {Alejandro Lete and Lucía García and Joaquín Ruiz and Jesús Arauzo},
doi = {10.3303/CET24109023},
issn = {2283-9216},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
urldate = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Chemical Engineering Transactions},
volume = {109},
pages = {133–138},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2023
Raso, Raquel; Lete, Alejandro; García, Lucía; Ruiz, Joaquín; Oliva, Miriam; Arauzo, Jesús
Aqueous phase hydrogenolysis of glycerol with in situ generated hydrogen over Ni/Al3Fe1 catalyst: effect of the calcination temperature Journal Article
In: RSC Advances, vol. 13, no. 8, pp. 5483–5495, 2023, ISSN: 2046-2069, (Publisher: The Royal Society of Chemistry).
@article{raso_aqueous_2023,
title = {Aqueous phase hydrogenolysis of glycerol with in situ generated hydrogen over Ni/Al3Fe1 catalyst: effect of the calcination temperature},
author = {Raquel Raso and Alejandro Lete and Lucía García and Joaquín Ruiz and Miriam Oliva and Jesús Arauzo},
url = {https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/ra/d2ra07929a},
doi = {10.1039/D2RA07929A},
issn = {2046-2069},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-02-01},
urldate = {2023-02-01},
journal = {RSC Advances},
volume = {13},
number = {8},
pages = {5483–5495},
abstract = {The present work studied the influence of the calcination temperature on the aqueous phase hydrogenolysis of glycerol with in situ generated hydrogen over a Ni/Al3Fe1 catalyst. The Ni/Al3Fe1 catalyst was synthesized by the co-precipitation method at 28 mol% of Ni (Ni/(Ni + Al + Fe)) and a molar ratio of Al/Fe of 3/1. The prepared catalyst was calcined at different temperatures (500–750 °C). The obtained samples were tested for the aqueous phase hydrogenolysis (APH) of glycerol and characterized by several analytical techniques (ICP-OES, H2-TPR, XRD, N2-physisorption, NH3-TPD, STEM, FESEM, and TGA). The catalyst calcined at 625 °C was selected as the best sample due to its high acidity, metal dispersion, and catalytic activity; 1,2-propanediol was the highest carbon selectivity product. In addition, it experienced lower metal leaching than the catalyst calcined at 500 °C.},
note = {Publisher: The Royal Society of Chemistry},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The present work studied the influence of the calcination temperature on the aqueous phase hydrogenolysis of glycerol with in situ generated hydrogen over a Ni/Al3Fe1 catalyst. The Ni/Al3Fe1 catalyst was synthesized by the co-precipitation method at 28 mol% of Ni (Ni/(Ni + Al + Fe)) and a molar ratio of Al/Fe of 3/1. The prepared catalyst was calcined at different temperatures (500–750 °C). The obtained samples were tested for the aqueous phase hydrogenolysis (APH) of glycerol and characterized by several analytical techniques (ICP-OES, H2-TPR, XRD, N2-physisorption, NH3-TPD, STEM, FESEM, and TGA). The catalyst calcined at 625 °C was selected as the best sample due to its high acidity, metal dispersion, and catalytic activity; 1,2-propanediol was the highest carbon selectivity product. In addition, it experienced lower metal leaching than the catalyst calcined at 500 °C.
2022
Gil-Lalaguna, Noemí; Navarro-Gil, África; Carstensen, Hans-Heinrich; Ruiz, Joaquín; Fonts, Isabel; Ceamanos, Jesús; Murillo, María Benita; Gea, Gloria
CO2 adsorption on pyrolysis char from protein-containing livestock waste: How do proteins affect? Journal Article
In: Science of The Total Environment, vol. 846, pp. 157395, 2022, ISSN: 0048-9697.
@article{Gil-Lalaguna2022,
title = {CO2 adsorption on pyrolysis char from protein-containing livestock waste: How do proteins affect?},
author = {Noemí Gil-Lalaguna and África Navarro-Gil and Hans-Heinrich Carstensen and Joaquín Ruiz and Isabel Fonts and Jesús Ceamanos and María Benita Murillo and Gloria Gea},
doi = {10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.157395},
issn = {0048-9697},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-11-01},
urldate = {2022-11-01},
journal = {Science of The Total Environment},
volume = {846},
pages = {157395},
publisher = {Elsevier},
abstract = {Biogas generation through anaerobic digestion provides an interesting opportunity to valorize some types of animal waste materials whose management is increasingly complicated by legal and environmental restrictions. To successfully expand anaerobic digestion in livestock areas, operational issues such as digestate management must be addressed in an economical and environmentally sustainable way. Biogas upgrading is another necessary stage before intending it to add-value applications. The high concentration of CO2 in biogas results in a reduced caloric value, so the removal of CO2 would be beneficial for most end-users. The current work evaluates the CO2 uptake properties (thermogravimetry study) of low-cost adsorbent materials produced from the animal wastes generated in the livestock area itself, specifically via pyrolysis of poorly biodegradable materials, such as meat and bone meal, and the digestate from manure anaerobic digestion. Therefore, the new element in this study with respect to other studies found in the literature related to biochar-based CO2 adsorption performance is the presence of high content of pyrolyzed proteins in the adsorbent material. In this work, pyrolyzed chars from both meat and bone meal and co-digested manure have been proven to adsorb CO2 reversibly, and also the chars produced from their representative pure proteins (collagen and soybean protein), which were evaluated as model compounds for a better understanding of the individual performance of proteins. The ultra-microporosity developed in the protein chars during pyrolysis seems to be the main explanation for such CO2 uptake capacities, while neither the BET surface area nor N-functionalities on the char surface can properly explain the observed results. Although the CO2 adsorption capacities of these pristine chars (6–41.0 mg CO2/g char) are far away from data of commercially activated carbons ($sim$80 mg CO2/g char), this application opens a new via to integrate and valorize these wastes in the circular economy of the primary sector.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Biogas generation through anaerobic digestion provides an interesting opportunity to valorize some types of animal waste materials whose management is increasingly complicated by legal and environmental restrictions. To successfully expand anaerobic digestion in livestock areas, operational issues such as digestate management must be addressed in an economical and environmentally sustainable way. Biogas upgrading is another necessary stage before intending it to add-value applications. The high concentration of CO2 in biogas results in a reduced caloric value, so the removal of CO2 would be beneficial for most end-users. The current work evaluates the CO2 uptake properties (thermogravimetry study) of low-cost adsorbent materials produced from the animal wastes generated in the livestock area itself, specifically via pyrolysis of poorly biodegradable materials, such as meat and bone meal, and the digestate from manure anaerobic digestion. Therefore, the new element in this study with respect to other studies found in the literature related to biochar-based CO2 adsorption performance is the presence of high content of pyrolyzed proteins in the adsorbent material. In this work, pyrolyzed chars from both meat and bone meal and co-digested manure have been proven to adsorb CO2 reversibly, and also the chars produced from their representative pure proteins (collagen and soybean protein), which were evaluated as model compounds for a better understanding of the individual performance of proteins. The ultra-microporosity developed in the protein chars during pyrolysis seems to be the main explanation for such CO2 uptake capacities, while neither the BET surface area nor N-functionalities on the char surface can properly explain the observed results. Although the CO2 adsorption capacities of these pristine chars (6–41.0 mg CO2/g char) are far away from data of commercially activated carbons ($sim$80 mg CO2/g char), this application opens a new via to integrate and valorize these wastes in the circular economy of the primary sector.
2021
Fortea, Jorge; García, Lucía; Ruiz, Joaquín; Oliva, Miriam; Arauzo, Jesús
In: Processes 2021, Vol. 9, Page 1438, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 1438, 2021, ISSN: 2227-9717.
@article{Fortea2021,
title = {An Insight into the Separation of 1,2-Propanediol, Ethylene Glycol, Acetol and Glycerol from an Aqueous Solution by Adsorption on Activated Carbon},
author = {Jorge Fortea and Lucía García and Joaquín Ruiz and Miriam Oliva and Jesús Arauzo},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/9/8/1438/htm https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/9/8/1438},
doi = {10.3390/PR9081438},
issn = {2227-9717},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-08-01},
journal = {Processes 2021, Vol. 9, Page 1438},
volume = {9},
number = {8},
pages = {1438},
publisher = {Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute},
abstract = {Glycerol conversion processes such as aqueous phase reforming and hydrogenolysis generate value-added compounds highly diluted in water. Because distillation is a high energy demand separation step, adsorption could be an attractive alternative to recover these chemicals. Adsorption isotherms of 1,2-propanediol, acetol, ethylene glycol and glycerol onto activated carbon were determined by batch adsorption experiments. These isotherms were fitted slightly better to the Freundlich equation than to the Langmuir equation. Acetol is the compound with the highest adsorption at concentrations smaller than 1 M. Properties of the adsorbate such as the −OH group number, chain length, molecular size and dipole moment, besides characteristics of the adsorbent such as the surface area, oxygen and ash content, are considered to explain the observed results. Moreover, adsorption experiments were performed with mixtures of compounds and it was determined that the molar amount adsorbed is less than predicted from the adsorption isotherms of the individual compounds treated separately. In addition, the influence of the activated carbon thermal pre-treatment temperature on the adsorption capacity has been studied, the optimum being 800 °C. An analysis of the influence of the activated carbon characteristics showed that the most important parameters are the total pore volume and the ash content.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Glycerol conversion processes such as aqueous phase reforming and hydrogenolysis generate value-added compounds highly diluted in water. Because distillation is a high energy demand separation step, adsorption could be an attractive alternative to recover these chemicals. Adsorption isotherms of 1,2-propanediol, acetol, ethylene glycol and glycerol onto activated carbon were determined by batch adsorption experiments. These isotherms were fitted slightly better to the Freundlich equation than to the Langmuir equation. Acetol is the compound with the highest adsorption at concentrations smaller than 1 M. Properties of the adsorbate such as the −OH group number, chain length, molecular size and dipole moment, besides characteristics of the adsorbent such as the surface area, oxygen and ash content, are considered to explain the observed results. Moreover, adsorption experiments were performed with mixtures of compounds and it was determined that the molar amount adsorbed is less than predicted from the adsorption isotherms of the individual compounds treated separately. In addition, the influence of the activated carbon thermal pre-treatment temperature on the adsorption capacity has been studied, the optimum being 800 °C. An analysis of the influence of the activated carbon characteristics showed that the most important parameters are the total pore volume and the ash content.