Prospects for biodiesel production from Macrotermes nigeriensis: Process optimization and characterization of biodiesel properties

Production of Activated Carbon Electrode for Energy Storage Application in Supercapacitors via KOH Activation of Waste Termite Biomass

“…In order to promote the non-food potentials of termites and also stall the contribution of termite activities to the rising levels of CO2 and CH4 in the atmosphere, Brune [20] showed that the enzymatic systems of some species of termites hold great potentials for biotechnological applications for the production of new enzymes. Similarly, Koenig et al [21], Rumpold et al [22] and Kalu-Uka et al [23] reported that termites represent a promising alternative for the industrial conversion of lignocellulose and lignin to biofuels, as much as they can be used to synthesize low viscous biodiesel. To further investigate the non-food potentials of termites, the present work studies the potential for the production of termite-based activated carbon electrode for energy storage application in supercapacitors.…”

“…One of the contributions of this work is the novelty of the biomass precursor, which was obtained from the waste generated during the production of biodiesel from termite biomass [23]. The termite biomass used in this study belongs to the species of Macrotermes nigeriensis.…”

“…The termite biomass used in this study belongs to the species of Macrotermes nigeriensis. This species of termites is seasonally available in Nigeria (from March to July), and its estimated annual availability in Nigeria is 3.2 x 10 11 kg [23]. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there was no single report on the potential of termite biomass for electrochemical energy storage at the time when this work was carried out.…”

“…Analytical-grade quantities of KOH, H2SO4, EMImBF4, PANI, PEDOT, PVD-HFP were purchased from Merck, India. Waste termite biomass was obtained during the production of biodiesel from M. nigeriensis [23]. Before commencing the production of activated carbon from waste M. nigeriensis biomass, thermal decomposition behavior of the waste biomass was analyzed in a TG-MS system (Setsys, Setaram) to monitor the effect of temperature (25 -1000 o C) on the decomposition process, and also identify the gases which evolved in the process.…”

Production of Activated Carbon Electrode for Energy Storage Application in Supercapacitors via KOH Activation of Waste Termite Biomass

“…This species of termites is seasonally available in Nigeria (from March to July), and its estimated annual availability in Nigeria is 3.2 x 10 11 kg [23]. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there was no single report on the potential of termite biomass for electrochemical energy storage at the time when this work was carried out.…”