The Editor’s Choice article from the September issue of CJCE is an open access article by Simon Kwao, Sundaramurthy Vedachalam, Ajay K. Dalai, and John Adjaye from University of Saskatchewan: “Fines deposition during hydrotreating: Effects of catalyst size and bed arrangement”. As the authors note, “fines deposition presents a significant problem during the hydrotreating of bitumen-derived gas oils” and “at critical levels, the hydrotreating reactor must be prematurely shutdown, resulting in substantial economic losses for refineries”. Therefore, within this article “the effects of catalyst size and bed arrangement on fines deposition, with the goal of identifying strategies to obtain longer hydrotreating run time” are explored. Access this article for the results.
The second issue highlight is another open access article titled “Screening of parameters and optimization of nickel extraction by green emulsion liquid membrane using statistical experimental design”, by Farzin Sadehlari, Guilherme Ozorio Cassol, and Stevan Dubljevic from University of Alberta, which “focuses on the extraction of nickel ions from an aqueous solution using a green emulsion liquid membrane (GELM)” with the objective to “choose between corn oil and sunflower oil as a solvent in GELM and compare their performance with a kerosene-based emulsion liquid membrane (ELM).” Be sure to read this article for more on this topic.
The next issue highlight is a review article, by authors Bahram Ghorbani, Sohrab Zendehboudi, Noori M. Cata Saady, and Greg F. Naterer from Memorial University and University of Prince Edward Island: “Hydrogen production and status in Canada: Foundations for a low-carbon future”. This review “provides a comprehensive study of the status, prospects, challenges, and opportunities associated with H2 energy and the economy in Canada” by examining “the current state of H2 energy infrastructure, including production facilities, distribution networks, and end-user applications across Canada”, “various H2 production pathways utilizing different energy sources and feedstocks”, and more. Be sure to access this article during the month of September while it is free-to-read.
The final issue highlight is an open access article from authors Blessing E. Itabana, Arturo Rodriguez-Uribe, Amar K. Mohanty, and Manjusri Misra from University of Guelph: “A critical study of sustainable biocomposites developed from rheologically distinct poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) reinforced with biocarbon from coconut (Cocos nucifera) for rigid applications”. This study examines “the impact of rheological behaviour on the development of highly filled biocomposites for rigid applications using two grades of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT).” Although “PBAT, a fully biodegradable polymer, has garnered significant attention as an alternative to non-biodegradable plastics in flexible packaging applications”, the authors note that “increasing filler content in PBAT can enhance its stiffness, thereby expanding its potential for rigid applications” and “filler incorporation is critically influenced by the polymer’s flow behaviour, and excessive filler loading in a highly viscous matrix can lead to a decline in material’s ease of processing and performance”. Therefore, “this research is focused on the processing-performance evaluation of low melt flow (MFI) and high MFI PBAT filled biocarbon composites” and “underscores the effect of the rheological properties on composites development and provides valuable insights for selecting optimal polymer matrices for high-filler, rigid applications.” Access this article to learn more.