Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Hydroprocessing of synthetic kerosene over a non-sulphided Ni/Al2O3 catalyst: Impact of alcohols and ketones on alkene conversion","authors":"Garima Chauhan,&nbsp;Felix Link,&nbsp;Cibele Melo Halmenschlager,&nbsp;Arno de Klerk","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70131","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70131","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Synthetic jet fuel containing non-petroleum-derived kerosene can be produced from synthetic kerosene obtained through processes that include a hydroprocessing step. The potential use of non-sulphided (reduced) nickel supported on alumina (Ni/Al₂O₃) was evaluated as an alternative to sulphided catalysts to saturate alkenes in sulphur-free synthetic kerosene during hydrotreating operations. Performance of a 5 wt.% Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst for hydrotreating a model feed comprising <i>n</i>-decane, 1-dodecene, and cumenes was evaluated at 50°C–220°C, 2 MPa, weight hourly space velocity of 1.75 h⁻¹, and a normal volumetric H₂-to-feed ratio of 500 m³/m³. At 50°C–110°C, alkene conversion was incomplete. Initial selectivity of alkene conversion was 20%–40% toward double bond isomerization (catalyzed by Ni) and about 60%–80% toward hydrogenation to alkanes. Aromatic saturation under these conditions was &lt;4%. At 220°C, alkene saturation was nearly complete, and aromatic saturation was 40%–50%. A kerosene hydrotreater with steam heating, as opposed to furnace heating, could therefore be considered when using non-sulphided Ni/Al₂O₃. Additionally, the impact of co-feeding 1-octene with oxygenates was determined. At 100°C, the presence of either alcohol or ketone co-feed suppressed alkene conversion and shifted the selectivity toward double bond isomerization. These effects persisted after the oxygenate co-feed was discontinued. At 220°C, co-feeding alcohol led to near-complete alkene conversion, but suppressed aromatic conversion, while oxygenate conversion remained incomplete. The threshold oxygenate tolerance of the catalyst was not established. In conclusion, the non-sulphided Ni/Al₂O₃ could be used for hydrotreating sulphur-free synthetic kerosene to saturate alkenes; however, its performance is adversely affected when the feed contains oxygenates at percentage levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5229-5241"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cjce.70131","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)","authors":"Arno de Klerk","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70505","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70505","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5199-5200"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial intelligence in enzyme catalysis: Emerging trends and applications in biocatalyst engineering","authors":"Misael Bessa Sales,&nbsp;Francisco Izaias da Silva Aires,&nbsp;Paulo Gonçalves de Sousa Junior,&nbsp;Calebe Da Rocha Silva,&nbsp;Emanuel Lino Rodrigues,&nbsp;Maria Cristiane Martins de Souza,&nbsp;José C. S. dos Santos","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70383","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70383","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study systematically explores the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in enzyme research, emphasizing its role in enzyme design, catalytic function prediction, stability, discovery of novel enzymes, and process optimization. Using bibliometric review techniques, we quantified research subfields, mapped global scientific trends, and identified the machine learning (ML) approaches most frequently employed in enzymology. Our analysis reveals that algorithms such as random forests, support vector machines, decision trees, and K-nearest neighbours are predominantly applied to predict protein solubility, enzyme stability after mutations, catalytic mechanisms, and drug-enzyme interactions. These findings demonstrate how AI enables more accurate predictions of enzymatic behaviour, accelerates drug discovery pipelines, and supports the identification of new metabolic pathways for industrial biotechnology. Beyond mapping current applications, this work highlights significant challenges, including the scarcity of high-quality datasets and the limited generalization of models across enzyme classes. Nonetheless, the results underscore the transformative potential of AI when integrated into experimental workflows, particularly with advances in laboratory automation and the emerging synergy between AI and quantum computing. By consolidating state-of-the-art knowledge and identifying future directions, this study contributes to guiding research strategies in data-driven enzyme engineering and promotes the development of sustainable biotechnological solutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5328-5349"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cjce.70383","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alcohol-to-jet kerosene hydrotreating: Impact of oxygenates on product properties","authors":"Laine B. Pereira,&nbsp;Cibele Melo Halmenschlager,&nbsp;Arno de Klerk","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70315","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A pilot plant study involving the production of fully formulated kerosene by mixed alcohol (ethanol, butanol, water) conversion and subsequent hydrotreating and distillation to evaluate compliance with synthetic jet fuel properties is described. A specific aim of the work was to determine whether hydrotreating using a reduced (non-sulphided) Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst could process kerosene containing 0.75 wt.% oxygen from a low-severity operating mode of the alcohol conversion reactor. It was found that the hydrotreated kerosene contained sufficient aromatics to be fully formulated and that it complied with distillation and physical property requirements of ASTM D7566. The kerosene failed the jet fuel thermal oxidative stability test (JFTOT) even after four passes through the hydrotreater (220°C, 2 MPa, 0.5 h⁻¹, H₂-to-feed ratio of 375 normal m³ m⁻³) and still contained 0.48 wt.% oxygen. It was concluded that operating the alcohol conversion process in a way that it retained &gt;0.5 wt.% oxygenates in the kerosene was not viable when paired with Ni/Al₂O₃ hydrotreating. The present study did not establish what the maximum acceptable oxygen content of the kerosene is to enable such a configuration for the alcohol-to-jet process.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5242-5252"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fischer–Tropsch tail gas oligomerization to synthetic kerosene: Impact of low concentration of carbonyl compounds","authors":"Joao Felipe Pereira Bassane,&nbsp;Roshan Hirani,&nbsp;Arno de Klerk","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70350","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70350","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The tail gas produced from the final vapour–liquid–liquid phase separation after Fischer–Tropsch synthesis was converted over H-ZSM-5 at 240°C and 2.5 MPa in an oligomerization process. The C₂–C₅ alkene conversion was ≥95%, and approximately 67% of the oligomerization product was within the kerosene boiling range. Unexpectedly, the aromatic selectivity was nearly 50% at this low temperature. It was postulated that the aromatics were produced through acid-catalyzed carbonyl conversion. A model compound study involving acetone, butanone, ethanal (acetaldehyde), and butanal (butyraldehyde) was performed. Acid-catalyzed conversion of carbonyl compounds was shown to produce aromatics even at 200°C. Aromatic selectivity decreased in the order: acetone (60%–80%) &gt; butanone (15%–25%) &gt; ethanal (&lt;10%) &gt; butanal (&lt;2%). Despite these positive outcomes, the cause of the unusually high aromatic selectivity in Fischer–Tropsch tail gas oligomerization remained unresolved.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5293-5309"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Durene conversion in a methanol-to-jet process: Exploring conversion at 150–350°C over different acid catalysts","authors":"Aida G. Velasco Ortiz,&nbsp;Risha Raju,&nbsp;Arno de Klerk","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70146","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Acid catalyzed conversion of durene by isomerization, disproportionation, and transalkylation is of interest to the development of a methanol-to-jet process to reduce the amount of durene in the kerosene. It was of interest to determine whether durene conversion could be performed at a temperature lower than 350°C. As secondary objective, it was of interest to determine to what extent geometric constraints imposed by the acid catalyst affected product distribution. Catalysts with a range of zeolite framework types were employed, in order of increasing pore size: FER, MFI, MOR, BEA, and FAU. All reactions were performed in a batch reactor using a 25 wt.% durene and 75 wt.% toluene feed mixture over the temperature range 150–350°C and autogenous pressure. It was found that durene was more readily converted than toluene due to its higher basicity. Conversion over zeolite catalysts was more related to acid site concentration than acid strength. In zeolites with comparable silica-to-alumina ratio (acid strength) the observed activity for durene conversion also increased with increasing pore size (effective diffusivity): FER &lt; MFI &lt; MOR &lt; BEA &lt; FAU. All of the zeolite catalysts were sufficiently constraining to exhibit some product shape-selectivity. Isomerization (monomolecular reaction) was favoured over disproportionation and transalkylation (bimolecular reactions) in all catalysts. Among zeolites, narrower pores and higher silica-to-alumina ratios further favoured monomolecular over bimolecular reactions due to the size and site adjacency requirements of bimolecular reactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5267-5282"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cjce.70146","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148903734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of wax hydrocracking severity on product properties","authors":"Yanet Rodriguez Herrero,&nbsp;Juan Camilo Tovar Casanova,&nbsp;Sthiti C. Tuli,&nbsp;Abhijith Vivek,&nbsp;Arno de Klerk","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70503","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70503","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wax hydrocracking is a refining process that can be used to produce kerosene for blending to synthetic jet fuel. The impact of wax hydrocracking conditions on product properties was investigated. Wax hydrocracking was performed using a 0.5 wt.% Pt/SiO₂–Al₂O₃ catalyst at 310, 325, 340, 355, and 370°C, 2 MPa gauge and 340 normal m³ · m⁻³ H₂-to-feed ratio. The hydrocracked product from each condition was distilled in 10°C cuts in the range 60–320°C and each distillation cut was characterized individually. Density, kinematic viscosity, cloud point, flash point, and refractive index data is reported together with product selectivity and branched-to-linear alkane ratio (iso/<i>n</i>-ratio). As expected, density, viscosity, and cloud point, and iso/<i>n</i>-ratio generally increased with increasing boiling range. For all distillation cuts, the temperature dependence of density was linear and that of kinematic viscosity was described by the MacCoull relationship in ASTM D341. Cracking conversion decreased at temperatures above 325°C, and characterization of fresh and spent catalysts by BET and thermogravimetric analysis indicated catalyst deactivation through accumulation of deposited material and loss of accessible pore structure. The C₉–C₂₂ selectivity was 69 ± 4 wt.%, suggesting that hydrocracking performance was limited under the low-pressure conditions employed. Despite this shortcoming, the &gt;140°C distillation cuts had iso/<i>n</i>-ratios in the range 2.6–14. For comparison, kerosenes produced by Fischer–Tropsch wax hydrocracking, which were shown to be viable for blending to synthetic jet fuels, had iso/<i>n</i>-ratios in the range 0.4–4.6.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5310-5327"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Iron(III)-loaded cation exchange resin: A dual approach for aqueous H2S removal and biogas desulphurization","authors":"Matheus Damásio Thrun,&nbsp;Renata Mello Giona,&nbsp;Eduardo Eyng,&nbsp;Eduardo Borges Lied,&nbsp;Laércio Mantovani Frare,&nbsp;Ismael Laurindo Costa Junior,&nbsp;Ilton José Baraldi","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70364","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The presence of hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) in biogas poses significant environmental and operational challenges due to its corrosive and toxic properties. Thus, this study aimed to develop a dual-function desulphurization system using a cation exchange resin (CIER) loaded with iron(III) ions (Fe³⁺), to remove H₂S from aqueous media and upgrade biogas. The Fe³⁺/CIER composite promotes the oxidation of sulphide ions (S²⁻) into elemental sulphur (S⁰), while Fe³⁺ is simultaneously reduced to Fe²⁺. Atmospheric oxygen subsequently reoxidizes Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺, enabling the material to be reused multiple times without the need for chemical additives. Batch experiments demonstrated high Fe³⁺ adsorption (47.72 mg g⁻¹), with sulphide removal remaining above 72% over five cycles. A central composite rotational design (CCRD) showed that contact time significantly influences removal efficiency, achieving up to 99.9% under optimized conditions. Fixed-bed experiments confirmed the system's scalability, with 90% removal sustained for 420 min in the first cycle. Morphological and elemental analyses conducted via SEM/EDS verified the formation of S⁰ and retention of Fe within the resin. Compared to biological and electrocatalytic methods, this approach offers faster kinetics and simpler regeneration. The overall reaction (H₂S + ½ O₂ → H₂O + S⁰) proceeds under ambient conditions, minimizing energy demand and methane loss. This clean, regenerable system offers a sustainable alternative for decentralized biogas purification, particularly in agro-industrial applications, contributing to renewable energy development and environmental protection.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5397-5408"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cjce.70364","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nano-enzyme engineering: Advancing enzyme immobilization for industrial and environmental applications","authors":"Muhammad Irfan,&nbsp;Shamsa Shabbir,&nbsp;Wajiha Ali,&nbsp;Muhammad Amir,&nbsp;Arslan Shafi,&nbsp;Shahida Hameed,&nbsp;Shoukat Sajad,&nbsp;Muhammad Rafiq","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70395","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70395","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Immobilized enzyme-based catalytic systems can significantly enhance industrial processes due to their high catalytic activity and selectivity. Nano-enzymes refer to hybrid systems comprising natural biological enzymes immobilized on nanostructured supports. Enzymes immobilized on nanomaterials, termed nano-enzymes, have gained increasing attention in recent decades for their improved stability, reusability, and ease of recovery from biocatalytic reactions. Various nanostructured carriers, such as carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles with tailored morphologies, nanoporous materials, nanofibres, nanoflowers, nanogels, nanomembranes, and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), can be engineered to host enzymes effectively. The catalytic performance of nano-enzymes is largely influenced by material characteristics, including surface-area-to-volume ratio, pore size, chemical composition, electrical conductivity, protein charge, hydrophobicity, and amino acid distribution on enzyme surfaces. Graphene-based nanocarriers are especially promising for protease immobilization, as they enhance enzyme stability against variations in pH, temperature, and environmental stress, thereby prolonging shelf life. Magnetic nanocarriers further improve immobilization efficiency, while non-magnetic systems provide biocompatibility and expand immobilization strategies. Immobilization within MOFs using biomimetic mineralization preserves enzymatic function even under harsh conditions. Optimization of these parameters creates favourable microenvironments for biocatalysts with industrial significance. Overall, nano-enzymes show strong potential in advancing catalysis, biotransformation, biosensing, and biomarker detection. Recent progress demonstrates their applicability in diverse fields, including biomedicine, biosensors, remediation of industrial pollutants, biofuel production, textiles, leather, detergents, food industries, and antifouling. This review highlights current developments in nano-enzyme design and emphasizes their role in expanding sustainable and efficient biotechnological applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5350-5382"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On the defence of responsible human judgement in peer review","authors":"João B. P. Soares,&nbsp;Thomas A. Adams II","doi":"10.1002/cjce.70497","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cjce.70497","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Peer review is essential for scientific progress. When it works well, it combines expertise, fairness, proportionality, skepticism, generosity, and discretion. When it fails, it becomes a theatre for egotistical display, laziness, coercion, and, lately, reliance on artificial intelligence tools. Editors, reviewers, and authors must join forces to ensure that peer review remains a reliable instrument for judging the quality of scientific publications. The purpose of this article is to clarify the reviewer's mandate: the rigorous and fair assessment of scientific work, done by human experts who understand that it is not their role to redesign the authors' research program, manipulate citations to their own benefit, outsource judgement to large language models, or to violate the trust on which the peer review principles depend.</p>","PeriodicalId":9400,"journal":{"name":"Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering","volume":"104 10","pages":"5189-5198"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cjce.70497","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}