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Processes
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Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference
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Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 9952

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Thomas S.Y. Choong

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
Interests: adsorption; modeling and simulation; biofuel; environmental engineering; circular economy
Dr. Hazlina Husin

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Guest Editor
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Bandar Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, Malaysia
Interests: oil and gas processing; flow assurance in fluid transport; technoeconomic analysis of processes; safety and policies on green energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Asian Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering (APCChE) was founded in 1975. It was formed to provide a focus for various non-profit societies, associations, and institutions working in the field of Chemical Engineering in the Asia Pacific region. APCChE 2022 provides a unique platform for R&D experts, professional chemical engineers, academicians, and students especially from the Asia Pacific region and from all over the world to exchange their ideas and expertise and foster collaborations in research. Aiming to close the gap of engineering knowledge in this vast and dynamic era, the participants can enhance their knowledge and skills toward implementing environmental friendly energy, achieving one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 agenda to control climate change on Earth while developing new technology. This Special Issue covers research on adopting chemical engineering knowledge to address various aspects pertaining to sustainability and the circular economy.

All the authors of accepted contributions at APCChE 2022 with topics related to sustainable developments are invited to submit manuscripts to Processes in the Special Issue on “Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference”.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Shean-Yaw Choong
Dr. Hazlina Husin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • SDGs
  • effective management
  • processes
  • green technology
  • sustainable processes and technologies in chemical engineering
  • green bioproducts, food, and bioprocessing
  • new nanotechnology and advanced materials
  • environmentally friendly waste treatment and management
  • energetically sustainable
  • resource-sustainable
  • environmentally sustainable
  • fiscally sustainable
  • socially sustainable

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 5304 KiB  
Article
Optimal Pathways for Nitric Acid Synthesis Using P-Graph Attainable Region Technique (PART)
by Yiann Sitoh, Viggy Wee Gee Tan, John Frederick D. Tapia, Raymond R. Tan and Dominic C. Y. Foo
Processes 2023, 11(9), 2684; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11092684 - 07 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1285
Abstract
Developing a chemical reaction network is considered the first and most crucial step of process synthesis. Many methods have been employed for process synthesis, such as the attainable region (AR) theory. AR states that a region of all possible configurations can be defined [...] Read more.
Developing a chemical reaction network is considered the first and most crucial step of process synthesis. Many methods have been employed for process synthesis, such as the attainable region (AR) theory. AR states that a region of all possible configurations can be defined with all the potential products and reactants. The second method is process network synthesis (PNS), a technique used to optimise a flowsheet based on the feasible materials and energy flow. P-graph is an algorithmic framework for PNS problems. P-graph attainable region technique (PART) is introduced here as an integration of both AR and P-graph to generate optimal reaction pathways for a given process. A descriptive AR plot is also developed to represent all the possible solution structures or reaction pathways. A case study of a conventional nitric acid synthesis process was used to demonstrate this technique. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference)
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17 pages, 4545 KiB  
Article
From Pollution to Green and Low-Carbon Island Revitalization: Implications of Exhibition-Driven Sustainable Tourism (Triennale) for SDG 8.9 in Setouchi
by Gangwei Cai, Jie Wang, Anyi Lue, Shiwen Xu, Qian Wu, Kang Liu, Tianyu Gao, Pengcheng Du and Bin Lei
Processes 2023, 11(2), 623; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11020623 - 18 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1487
Abstract
After the severe industrial pollution from World War II, the Setouchi Sea areas and its islands (the Triennale hosting areas) experienced severe economic and population shrinkage. The target of SDG 8.9 is to promote “direct tourism GDP” and “tourism-related jobs” by devising and [...] Read more.
After the severe industrial pollution from World War II, the Setouchi Sea areas and its islands (the Triennale hosting areas) experienced severe economic and population shrinkage. The target of SDG 8.9 is to promote “direct tourism GDP” and “tourism-related jobs” by devising and implementing policies (e.g., some Triennale and Biennale) for sustainable tourism. Triennale-driven tourism is an essential component of sustainable tourism and city revitalization, lasting almost 20 years in Japan. The current paper attempts an empirical analysis into the positive impacts of exhibition-driven sustainable tourism for SDG 8.9 in these rural islands (from pollution to green and low-carbon islands revitalization). The panel data of “pollution load of living environment items” by cities in Japan and “tourists, income, and population” from 14 areas in Kagawa were monitored using multiple methods, such as descriptive and inferential statistics (the one-way ANOVA test and Simple Linear Regression (SLR)). It is a new attempt to devise and implement policies and theories for a sustainable tourism-related industry and its SDGs. Therefore, the present findings offer meaningful implications in academia and industry, not only in Setouchi Sea areas but also for similar areas in and out of Japan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference)
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19 pages, 5076 KiB  
Article
Reinforcement Learning Control with Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient Algorithm for Multivariable pH Process
by Chanin Panjapornpon, Patcharapol Chinchalongporn, Santi Bardeeniz, Ratthanita Makkayatorn and Witchaya Wongpunnawat
Processes 2022, 10(12), 2514; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10122514 - 26 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1854
Abstract
The pH treatment unit is widely used in various processes, such as wastewater treatment, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and fermentation. It is essential to get the on-specifications product. Thus, controlling pH is key management for accomplishing the manufacturing objective. However, the highly nonlinear pH characteristics [...] Read more.
The pH treatment unit is widely used in various processes, such as wastewater treatment, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and fermentation. It is essential to get the on-specifications product. Thus, controlling pH is key management for accomplishing the manufacturing objective. However, the highly nonlinear pH characteristics of acid–base titration make pH regulation difficult. Applications of artificial intelligence for process control have progressed and gained popularity recently. The development of reinforcement learning (RL) control with a deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm to handle coupled pH and liquid level control in a continuous stirred tank reactor with a strong acid–base reaction is presented in this study. To validate the RL model, the reward functions are created individually for the level and pH controls. The grid search technique is deployed to optimize the hyperparameters of the RL controller models, including the number of nodes in the hidden layers and the number of episodes. The control performance of the proposed RL control system was compared with that of the proportional-integral controller in a servo-regulatory test. The simulation results show that the proposed RL controllers outperform the proportional-integral controllers in approaching setpoints faster, with better performance and less oscillation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference)
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12 pages, 4000 KiB  
Article
Development of a ZrO2-Coating Technique by a Sol–Gel Process Assisted with Pre-Silica-Coating
by Akira Miwano, Takehiro Yonezawa, Noriko Yamauchi, Kouichi Nakashima and Yoshio Kobayashi
Processes 2022, 10(11), 2217; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10112217 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1339
Abstract
The development of techniques for coating thermistors with materials possessing excellent chemical resistance and electrical insulation characteristics is necessary to ensure their protection. The present work proposes a coating technique using zirconia (ZrO2), which has excellent chemical resistance and electrical insulation [...] Read more.
The development of techniques for coating thermistors with materials possessing excellent chemical resistance and electrical insulation characteristics is necessary to ensure their protection. The present work proposes a coating technique using zirconia (ZrO2), which has excellent chemical resistance and electrical insulation properties, based on initiating a sol–gel reaction of zirconium alkoxide in the presence of a ceramic substrate consisting of the common components of thermistors. The ZrO2 films on substrates were not damaged, even after annealing at 600 °C in air. Several ZrO2 particles were also deposited on the substrate. Pre-silica (SiO2)-coating the substrate, which was performed through a tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) sol–gel reaction, decreased the amount of ZrO2 particles and promoted the formation of thick ZrO2 films, as the reaction between the Zr butoxide and the alkoxyl groups of incompletely hydrolyzed TEOS on the substrate increased the affinity between the ZrO2 layer and the substrate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference)
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14 pages, 3886 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Lignin-Incorporated Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) Films from Oil Palm Lignocellulosic Waste
by Cai-Li Song and Jofry B. Othman
Processes 2022, 10(11), 2205; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10112205 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1903
Abstract
An environmentally friendly, biobased film was prepared from cellulose and lignin extracted from oil palm dried long fiber (DLF). DLF crude cellulose was first extracted from this lignocellulosic biomass by an alkaline pretreatment process at an elevated temperature (5.75 wt% NaOH, 200 °C, [...] Read more.
An environmentally friendly, biobased film was prepared from cellulose and lignin extracted from oil palm dried long fiber (DLF). DLF crude cellulose was first extracted from this lignocellulosic biomass by an alkaline pretreatment process at an elevated temperature (5.75 wt% NaOH, 200 °C, and 1 h), before it was carboxymethylated to obtain carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). CMC is highly soluble in water, whereas lignin was precipitated out of the filtrate of the alkaline pretreatment process by adding acid to pH 2 (50 wt% H2SO4). The lignin/CMC films were synthesized at varying lignin concentrations of 0.25%, 0.5%, and 1% (w/v) in ethanolic solution with 0.25% (v/v) of glycerol; a neat CMC film was also prepared as a control. These lignin/CMC films were evaluated and compared for their morphological, physical, chemical, and thermal characteristics. The films displayed a brownish physical appearance, which was attributed to the natural color of lignin. The successful incorporation of lignin in the films was confirmed with the characteristic spectral bands of lignin in the mid-IR range (4000–400 cm−1). When measured with UV-vis spectrometer, the lignin/CMC films showed more enhanced UV blocking properties than the neat CMC film. The CMC films incorporated with lignin also showed slightly improved hydrophobicity and thermal stability. However, due to the low compatibility of lignin with CMC, the distribution of the lignin/CMC film was observed to be inhomogeneous in SEM images. Nonetheless, the addition of lignin to CMC in synthesizing biobased films is promising, potentially providing better properties that can be useful as biodegradable material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference)
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15 pages, 3816 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Glyphosate Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Fenton-like System Based on Calcium Peroxide
by Fan Li, Thomas Shean Yaw Choong, Soroush Soltani, Luqman Chuah Abdullah, Siti Nurul Ain Md. Jamil and Nurul Nazihah Amerhaider Nuar
Processes 2022, 10(10), 2045; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10102045 - 10 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1402
Abstract
Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)-glycine], an organophosphate broad-spectrum herbicide, is a serious environmental contaminant that poses a significant threat to humans. It can be detected as a contaminant in water; thus, effective procedures for its removal are urgently required. The present study investigated the performance of [...] Read more.
Glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl)-glycine], an organophosphate broad-spectrum herbicide, is a serious environmental contaminant that poses a significant threat to humans. It can be detected as a contaminant in water; thus, effective procedures for its removal are urgently required. The present study investigated the performance of glyphosate removal from aqueous solutions using a Fenton-like system. Calcium peroxide (CaO2) was used as a source of hydroxyl free radicals with Fe2+ as a catalyst to trigger the Fenton reaction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and potassium permanganate titration were carried out for characterization of calcium peroxide. The effect of operating parameters such as pH, the molar ratio of Ca2+:Fe2+, the initial dosage of calcium peroxide, and the initial glyphosate concentration on the removal efficiency was studied, respectively. The maximum total phosphorus (TP) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal were 94.50% and 68.60%, respectively, within 120 min under optimal conditions (pH = 3.0, initial glyphosate concentration = 50 ppm, initial CaO2 dosage = 0.5 g, molar ratio of Ca2+:Fe2+ = 6, room temperature). Experimental data were analyzed using zero-order, first-order, second-order, and Behnajady, Modirshahla, and Ghanbary (BMG) kinetics models. The degradation kinetics of glyphosate could be mostly fitted with the BMG kinetics model. This study demonstrated that calcium peroxide could be considered an effective oxidant for glyphosate wastewater treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working toward a Sustainable Society—Selected Papers from APCCHE2022 Conference)
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