Jianglong Yu

Fast microwave pyrolysis technology can effectively convert brown coal into hydrogen-rich syngas. However, the unique pyrolysis behaviour of brown coal under microwave conditions is not fully understood in comparison with conventional pyrolysis. This study used Victorian brown coal as a raw material to conduct pyrolysis experiments under convention...

The high value-added utilization of traditional coal resources is one of the important ways to achieve the strategic goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Simultaneously, coal-based carbon materials, noted for their cost-effectiveness, superior conductivity, and inherent stability, are emerging as promising candidates for next-generation c...

In this study, the mechanisms of SO2 adsorption on lignite char and char-supported Fe-Zn-Cu sorbent (FZC sorbent) were investigated. The FZC sorbent was prepared by the impregnation of metal components on raw coal followed by steam gasification. Flue gas desulfurization experiments were carried out on a fixed-bed reactor at 100–300 °C by using simu...

Supercapacitors, bridging traditional capacitors with fuel cell and battery technologies, demand advanced electrode materials to enhance energy storage performance. This study focuses on the synthesis of nitrogen-doped coal-based porous carbon/reduced...

The main target of this study is to assess the performance and emissions of the KingTech K180 turbojet engine fueled by using nanoparticles (graphene oxide (GNP) and copper oxide (CuO) as nano-additives into palm methyl ester (PME) blends. The nano-additives GNP and CuO were distributed in 25 and 20 volume percentages of the PME-Jet A1 blend. Chara...

Plastic wastes such as polyethylene terephthalate have recently been incorporated into coal as additives in coke manufacturing. Plastic waste results in the reduction of high-quality coal usage while protecting the environment. Using coal tar pitch as an additive in the coal blend causes an increase in fluidity during carbonization. The volatile ma...

This study aims to assess the impact of using green fuel in place of biodiesel on the performance and exhaust emissions of air-breathing engines. GasTurb 13 is utilized to forecast the engine’s performance (kingTech 180 k turbojet engine). Catalytic deoxygenation of vegetable oils produces green diesel, offering an alternative to biodiesel. Physioc...

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are typical pollutants with hazards for humans and the environment, which can be efficiently mitigated by catalytic combustion. Fe2O3‐based catalysts are a promising choice due to their low cost and strong redox ability. Several attempts have been made to promote the catalytic performance for Fe2O3‐based catalysts...

NO absorption by using deep eutectic solvents (DESs) from flue gas has become one of great research interest. In this work, different DESs were prepared with acetylcholine chloride as a hydrogen‐bond acceptor. The effect of molar ratio of the hydrogen‐bond acceptor and different hydrogen‐bond donor, temperature, and different hydrogen‐bond donors o...

Catalytic hydrogen combustion (CHC) is a promising technology for clean, efficient, and safe energy generation in hydrogen-fueled systems such as fuel cells and passive autocatalytic recombination. This study investigates catalytic hydrogen combustion over the Pd-Cu/Al2O3 catalysts at low temperatures (<125 °C) to determine the rate law using a dif...

Among many supercapacitor electrode materials, carbon materials are widely used due to their large specific surface area, good electrical conductivity and high economic efficiency. However, carbon-based supercapacitors face the challenges of low energy density and limited operating environment. This work reports a facile self-assembled method to pr...

Fly ash was used as the raw material to prepare coal fly ash‐based NaP zeolite using the microwave‐ultrasonic‐hydrothermal method. The obtained NaP zeolite has a completed crystal structure, regular surface morphology, uniform particle size (about 1.6 um), large specific surface area (48.85 m²/g) and good thermal stability. Under microwave and ultr...

The plastic layer permeability of five Australian coals was analyzed using two permeability measurement apparatuses operating under isothermal and thermal gradient induced coking conditions. In addition, the microstructure transitions across the plastic layers of the coals were analyzed using Synchrotron micro-CT. The permeability results and pore...

We report a novel one-pot synthesis method of N-doped porous carbon nanosheets (NCNS) from Victorian brown coal (VBC), which puts forward a sustainable alternative method of utilizing these vast and low-cost resources. VBC and urea were used as the carbon and nitrogen sources in the synthesis process. Benefiting from the porous nanosheet structure...

N-doped highly porous carbons (NHPCs) derived from Victorian brown coal (VBC) were prepared through direct KOH activation in the presence of urea as the N source. Different weight ratios of KOH (VBC-urea mixture: KOH=1:0, 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3) have been used to optimize the porosity of NHPCs. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the high porosity...

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) cannot absorb SO2 at high temperatures, due to the lower solubility of the toxic gas in DESs at high temperatures, limiting their wider uptake in industrial applications. To address this knowledge gap, we added Na2S to a series of DESs to improve SO2 adsorption capacity at elevated operating temperatures in this work....

Simultaneous capture of SO2 and NO x from flue gas is critical for coal-fired power generation. In this study, environmentally friendly and high-performance deep eutectic solvents based on ethylene glycol and ammonium bromide were designed to capture SO2 and NO2 simultaneously. The SO2 and NO2 absorption performances and absorption mechanisms were...

In this study, we extended the conventional lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to numerically examine ice nucleation induced by the collapse of a cavitation bubble. Specifically, a pseudo-potential multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method (MRT-LBM) coupled with a thermal LBM and a criterion for pressure-dependent ice nucleation onset was develope...

The transformation of the carbon structure of coal during the coking process influences the coke microstructure and microtexture, and ultimately, the coke quality. This study investigates the impacts of parent coal properties on the evolution of carbon structures of selected Australian coals from the plastic layer to semi-coke stage during coking u...

Low-rank coal pyrolysis plays a significant role in clean coal utilisation in various coal-based industries. Using recycled gas or exhaust gas as heat carrier in the pyrolyser is a promising way for improving its energy efficiency and reducing carbon emission. In this study, an experimental and numerical combined study is conducted to cost-effectiv...

This study investigates an alternative utilization of earth-abundant Victorian brown coal (BC) for carbon foam preparation and its potential application in LIBs. Carbon foams (CFs) from blends of Victorian BC and coal tar pitch (CTP) were synthesized through pressurized pyrolysis. The effects of blending ratio and pyrolytic pressure on pore structu...

This study reports a novel method for synthesizing super-long carbon nanotubes (SL-CNTs) from cellulose via a microwave treatment process without an external catalyst. CNTs with a length of 0.7-2 mm were obtained via microwave treatment of cellulose biochar temperatures of 1200-1400 °C. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), together with high-resolut...

This study is concerned with the freezing of micro-droplets into ice particles driven by power ultrasound. Effects of system key parameters including flowrates of fluids, temperature, and ultrasonic vibration properties (duty cycle, probe position and power output), on droplet freezing and the quality of product ice particles are examined. The onse...

This work introduces nanostructured carbon-based composite with enriched CNTs and microstructural defects from pomelo peel biomass precursors through successive chemical pretreatment, heteroatom N, S dual-doping and transition metal oxide loading (Ta2Oy) and its application for electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at room temperature. Du...

Catalytic graphitization of biomass-based carbon has been used to synthesize graphene nanostructures with extraordinary electrochemical properties. To further improve the structural properties of these graphene nanostructures, it is critical to gain a deeper understanding of the formation mechanism and influence of process variables on the structur...

A few-layer graphene (FLG) composite material was synthesized using a rich reservoir and low-cost coal under the microwave-assisted catalytic graphitization process. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to evaluate the properties of the FLG sample. A well-developed m...

To better understand the role of microwave and the mechanisms in thermal cracking and catalytic reforming of lignocellulosic bio-oils, this study compares the difference in the reaction characteristics between microwave-assisted and conventional heating of representative bio-oil model compounds. Syringol and guaiacol were selected as bio-oil model...

A series of novel iron-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as denitrification sorbents were evaluated to capture NO from simulated flue gases. The application of Fe(II) EG-ChCl DESs demonstrated the efficiency of absorption performance with the complete removal of NO and zero secondary pollution. In this study, mixtures of Ferric chloride (FeCl2),...

Metal-supported few-layer graphene (FLG) was synthesized via microwave-assisted catalytic graphitization owing to the increasing demand for it and its wide applications. In this study, we quickly converted earth-abundant and low-cost bituminous coal to FLG over Fe catalysts at a temperature of 1300 °C. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmi...

Graphene composite materials have attracted significant attention for green energy storage systems due to their excellent electrochemical properties. We report a low-cost and environmentally friendly approach for synthesis of 3D multilayer graphene nanostructures (3DMGS) via catalytic graphitization and chemical oxidation-thermal reduction using bi...

Developing efficient, non-noble, and reliable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to replace the precious metal Pt/C catalyst remains a colossal challenge. In this study, pomelo peel (PP) was used to obtain N/S, Ta-doped carbonaceous-based composite electrocatalyst via a two-step microwave-assisted pyrolysis method. We found th...

We report the synthesis of biochar-CNT-NiO composite and its application as anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis results displayed that the NiO particles were exposed on the surface of CNTs. HRTEM results showed a more uniform distribution of NiO particles on the biochar-CNT-NiO compared to...

An accurate description of homogeneous ice nucleation (HIN) rate strongly relies on the availability of data of ice-water interface energy and activation energy when water molecules cross the ice-water interface. However, it proves extremely challenging to experimentally measure the values of these two quantities for the supercooled water. In this...

The paper reports the synthesis of SiC nanowhiskers via a process that utilizes carbon and silica from the same renewable source without the addition of external Si precursors as a sustainable and cost-effective method. This study reports an improved and sustainable method of synthesizing silicon carbide (SiC) nanowhiskers using cornstalk cellulose...

Unique features of abundant Victorian brown coal (VBC) such as high volatile matter and low ash contents and inherent porous structure renders it suitable as precursor material for graphite foam production. VBC has traditionally been used for power generation via combustion, leading to significant pollutions. This study takes an innovative approach...

The removal of NO x (approximately 90% of which is NO) from flue gas is a crucial process for clean power generation from coal combustion. Oxidation of NO to NO2 followed by NO2 absorption using sorbents is considered to be a promising technology alternative to selective catalytic reduction (SCR). This study investigated the absorption of NO2 in f...

Biomass is a renewable hydrocarbon resource utilized to generate bioenergy, green chemicals, and carbon materials. Biomass is also promising source material for advanced carbon materials. This review reports the latest advancements and research activities in the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) via microwave-assiste...

A series of Mn0.15Fe0.05/fly-ash catalysts have been synthesized by the co-precipitation method using coal fly ash (FA) as the catalyst carrier. The catalyst showed high catalytic activity for low-temperature selective catalytic reduction (LTSCR) of NO with NH3. The catalytic reaction experiments were carried out using a lab-scale fixed-bed reactor...

The changes in chemical structures over the plastic layer region during the coking of coals have a significant impact on coke formation and coke quality. This paper employed the Solid-state ¹³Carbon Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹³C NMR), and the Synchrotron attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) microspectroscopy (Synchrot...

The entrained-flow pressurized pyrolysis of lignin, cellulose, and xylan was investigated to determine the composition of pyrolysis products and the reaction mechanisms. The influence of biomass components (lignin, cellulose, and xylan) and pyrolysis conditions was investigated. The results showed that under atmospheric pressure, the decomposition...

During the coking process, the carbon structure of coal evolves after the re-solidification of the plastic layers to form a solid residue, i.e., semi-coke, which is known to determine the structure and quality of the final coke product. This paper reports the chemical structural transformations of Australian coking coals during the later stage of t...

Water with small volume (a few microlitres or less) often maintains its liquid state even at temperatures much lower than 0°C. In this study, we examine the onset of ice nucleation in micro-sized water droplets with immersed solid particles under weak ultrasonic vibrations. The experimental results show that ice nucleation inside the water droplets...

Potassium hydroxide-impregnated char sorbents (KOH/char) prepared via an ultrasonic-assisted method were used for SO2 removal from flue gas. The desulfurization experiment was analyzed using a fixed-bed reactor under 40–150 °C temperature range, using simulated flue gas. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning...

This paper provides a review of the state-of-the-art research in the open literature on the carbon structure evolution in the semi-coke region following the last stage of the plastic layer transformation. Coking coals exhibit thermoplastic fluid-like behavior due to the change of chemical structures in plastic layers when heated in the coke ovens....

Modern agriculture is strongly calling for the development of environment-friendly slow-release fertilizers (SRFs) with high water retention. In this study, a new biochar embedded-Semi-IPN based SRF is developed by the incorporation of biochar into semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (Semi-IPN) via grafted co-polymerization, which holds great po...

The development of advanced electrode materials for next-generation rechargeable lithium batteries with high specific capacity and energy density and long life is promising to meet the demand for electric vehicles and portable devices. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the recent progress on foam-like carbon composite materials as high-...

The ignition and combustion behavior of pulverized coal was studied with respect to coal rank in a custom-designed visual drop tube furnace. The results showed that low-rank coals were ignited in a much shorter time, mainly due to the presence of larger amounts of functional groups, while the ignition delay time of high-rank coals was longer. With...

The coprecipitation method was used to prepare Mn/Ti, Mn/Co/Ti, and Co/Ti metal oxide catalysts to oxidize NO with O 2. The influence of the concentrations of NO and O 2 on the oxidation of NO was investigated. Besides, the changes in the reaction rate with the particle size of the catalysts were investigated to determine the internal diffusion res...

Ash fusion temperatures (AFTs) are widely used for evaluation of fusibility of coal ash for combustion and gasification. K2O and Na2O is regarded as the effective component to enhance the ash fusibility for slag tapping. The combination of K2O and Na2O may enhance the flux efficiency. In this work, the effect of K2O/Na2O mass ratio on fusion behavi...

This study addresses the in-situ microwave catalytic reforming of volatile matter from palm kernel shell (PKS) over iron-loaded activated carbon (Fe/AC) catalysts. The impacts of catalyst composition on the secondary gas-phase reactions and distribution of products were studied at 500 °C. It was found that the Fe/AC catalyst promoted the yield of l...

The plastic layer formation is a critical step during coke formation in coke ovens, during which the physical structures of the coal change dramatically. To better characterize the pore structures of the plastic layers, the commercial GeoDict software has been employed in this study to carry out the 3D image analysis on the 2D cross-sectional image...

This study reports the role of pressure (0.1-4.0 MPa) and temperature (600 ºC-900 °C) in flash pyrolysis of palm kernel shell (PKS). The main objective was to study the extent to which pressure affects the mechanism of pyrolysis reactions to enhance the selective production of target products. Higher pressures and temperatures selectively promoted...

Activated carbon has been used commercially to remove SO2 from coal combustion flue gas. However, the role of inherent CaO in activated carbon is uncertain. In this study, the adverse effects of the inherent CaO in the activated carbon derived from coconut shell (CSAC) on its desulfurization performance were systematically studied at the temperatur...

This paper reports the enhanced production of H2 and polyaromatics during lignite pyrolysis under pressurized entrained-flow conditions. The pyrolysis temperature and pressure ranged between 600−900 °C and 0.1–4.0 MPa, respectively, and were found to greatly influence the yield and composition of pyrolysis products. The results showed that the conc...

When they are heated in coke ovens, coking coals become softened, coalesce into theremoplastic matter and then resolidify into a solid porous coke after the thermoplastic range. These stages take place layer by layer in the coke oven due to the temperature gradients. A coal charge in an industrial coke oven undergoes a thermoplastic transformation...

Once nucleated, the solidification process of supercooled water undergoes stages of recalescence, freezing, and solid cooling. In existing LBM models for predicting the water solidification process, the recalescence stage was often treated by simply setting the system temperature to 0 °C on account of the latent heat release. However, apart from th...

Low-rank coals may undergo low-temperature oxidation and self-heating during mining, freightage, and handling. The oxidation of coal changes its structure which will be relected in the behaviour of coal water. A differential scanning calorimetry study was conducted to investigate the impact of low-temperature oxidation on the nature of water in a C...

This paper investigates the impact of biomass components (i.e. cellulose and lignin) on direct production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from renewable biomass by means of microwave pyrolysis at low temperature. Palm Kernel Shell (PKS) was treated using two methods to isolate its bio-components, i.e. cellulose and lignin. The treated PKS samples were t...

An in-situ study on the formation mechanism of plsatic layer was carried out by using a 4 kg laboratory-scale coke oven under controlled heating conditions. The coke oven rig enabled in-situ measurements of internal gas pressure (IGP) and temperature profiles in five locations in the coal charge and allowed sampling of semi-coke which consisted of...

The aim of this study was to characterize the pyrolysis behavior of the plastic layer formed during the coking process in a 4 kg laboratory-scale coke oven facility. The 4 kg coke oven rig was used to produce semi-coke samples that included the plastic layer. The semi-coke samples were analyzed by using the Synchrotron Micro-CT to characterize thei...

The impact of pressure on the carbon structure of a Chinese bituminous coal was investigated using a pressurized entrained-flow reactor in the temperature and pressure ranges of 700-900 oC and 0.1-4.0MPa, respectively. Pyrolysis pressure had a significant influence on the physiochemical and carbon structure of chars. The specific surface area and t...

Microwave-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was employed for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on pine nut shell (PNS) chars. The impact of reaction temperature, catalyst, carbon source, and the renewable carbon substrate on the synthesis of the CNTs were investigated. Microwave irradiation, the type of carbon source, and the presence...

Nitrogen-containing compounds (NCCs) which may be produced from nitrogen-rich biomass such as microalgae, may find important biochemical and biomedical applications. This review summarizes the recent knowledge about the formation mechanism of NCCs during pyrolysis of microalgae. The key technical and biological aspects of microalgae and pyrolysis p...

The transformation of nitrogen in microalgae during entrained-flow pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris was systematically investigated at the temperatures of 600-900 °C and pressures of 0.1-4.0 MPa. It was found that pressure had a profound impact on the transformation of nitrogen during pyrolysis. The nitrogen retention in bio-char and its content in...

The present dataset describes the entrained-flow pyrolysis of Microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and the results obtained during bio-char characterization. The dataset includes a brief explanation of the experimental procedure, experimental conditions and the influence of pyrolysis conditions on bio-chars morphology and carbon structure. The data show a...

Pressurized entrained-flow pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae was investigated. The impact of pressure on the yield and composition of pyrolysis products were studied. The results showed that the concentration of H2 in bio-gas increased sharply with increasing pyrolysis pressure, while those of CO, CO2, CH4, and C2H6 were dramatically decre...

Tar removal plays a key role in the process efficiency and viability of biomass gasification for syngas production applications. Amongst currently available tar treatment technologies, catalytic cracking was found to be the most attractive due to minimal energy losses by avoiding cooling of the raw product gas. Naturally available calcium based cat...

This study reports the synergy effect during co-pyrolysis of Hailar lignite (HL) and palm kernel shell (PKS) biomass under microwave irradiation in the temperature range of 400-600°C. The results showed that the synergy effect promoted the yields of tar and gas during co-pyrolysis experiments. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis o...

Bio-char has been applied to soil as an amendment to improve soil water holding capacity due to its porous nature. In this study the behavior of water in bio-char was investigated for better understanding mechanisms of water retention by bio-char. Bio-chars with different structures were prepared by partial gasification of peanut shell (PT) and pal...