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ABOUT ME
Resarch Interests
Energy from biomass, aqueous reforming, catalysis.
PUBLICATIONS
2025
Lete, Alejandro; Lacleta, Francisco; García, Lucía; Ruiz, Joaquín; Arauzo, Jesús
Effect of calcination temperature and atmosphere on the properties and performance of CuAl catalysts for glycerol dehydration to acetol Journal Article
In: Biomass and Bioenergy, vol. 195, pp. 107725, 2025, ISSN: 0961-9534.
@article{lete_effect_2025,
title = {Effect of calcination temperature and atmosphere on the properties and performance of CuAl catalysts for glycerol dehydration to acetol},
author = {Alejandro Lete and Francisco Lacleta and Lucía García and Joaquín Ruiz and Jesús Arauzo},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0961953425001369},
doi = {10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107725},
issn = {0961-9534},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-04-01},
urldate = {2025-04-01},
journal = {Biomass and Bioenergy},
volume = {195},
pages = {107725},
abstract = {A series of CuAl catalysts were prepared by the coprecipitation method. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of different calcination temperatures (500, 600, and 675 °C) and calcination atmospheres (N2 or air) on the catalysts physicochemical properties and performance in the gas-phase glycerol dehydration to acetol. The catalytic tests were carried out in a fixed bed reactor at 250 °C, atmospheric pressure, and a catalyst weight to glycerol flow rate ratio (W/m) of 30 gCatalyst min gGlycerol−1. The catalysts were characterized by ICP-OES, N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), temperature gravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. The characterization results revealed that both calcination temperature and calcination atmosphere influenced the textural and metallic properties. Increasing the calcination temperature lowered the reduction temperature, and decreased the surface area. The calcination atmosphere influenced the surface area and pore diameter, and the N2 atmosphere generated a larger pore diameter. The best catalytic activity was achieved by the CuAl-675-N catalyst calcined at 675 °C in a N2 atmosphere, which produced a glycerol conversion of 99.0 % and an acetol yield of 67.3 %. The superior performance could be attributed to textural properties, the Cu phase, and minimized carbon deposition, establishing it as one efficient catalyst derived from inexpensive and widely available metals. This work proposes an economical and simple technique based on calcination to improve the catalytic activity of Cu-based catalysts.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
A series of CuAl catalysts were prepared by the coprecipitation method. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of different calcination temperatures (500, 600, and 675 °C) and calcination atmospheres (N2 or air) on the catalysts physicochemical properties and performance in the gas-phase glycerol dehydration to acetol. The catalytic tests were carried out in a fixed bed reactor at 250 °C, atmospheric pressure, and a catalyst weight to glycerol flow rate ratio (W/m) of 30 gCatalyst min gGlycerol−1. The catalysts were characterized by ICP-OES, N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), temperature gravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. The characterization results revealed that both calcination temperature and calcination atmosphere influenced the textural and metallic properties. Increasing the calcination temperature lowered the reduction temperature, and decreased the surface area. The calcination atmosphere influenced the surface area and pore diameter, and the N2 atmosphere generated a larger pore diameter. The best catalytic activity was achieved by the CuAl-675-N catalyst calcined at 675 °C in a N2 atmosphere, which produced a glycerol conversion of 99.0 % and an acetol yield of 67.3 %. The superior performance could be attributed to textural properties, the Cu phase, and minimized carbon deposition, establishing it as one efficient catalyst derived from inexpensive and widely available metals. This work proposes an economical and simple technique based on calcination to improve the catalytic activity of Cu-based catalysts.
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.