Catalyst for green biodiesel production from unrefined feedstock
PolyU researchers have adopted precise surface chemistry engineering to develop a new class of solid catalyst for use in biodiesel production.
[Sponsored Article] Biofuel is a natural and renewable diesel engine fuel derived from biological materials, such as plant oils and animal fats. However, the purification of traditional liquid biodiesel catalyst generates a huge amount of wastewater. PolyU researchers have thus adopted precise surface chemistry engineering to develop a new class of solid catalyst for use in biodiesel production.
This new Catalyst for Green Biodiesel can be synthesized in one step from low-grade unrefined feedstock such as waste cooking oil, with no aqueous treatment steps required. Ethanol or propanol extracted from plants can also be used to replace methanol in the synthesis to avoid the usual intense reliance on petroleum. With high catalytic activity, the catalyst can operate at significantly lower temperatures and pressures than existing solid biodiesel catalysts, and be reused more than 30 times. It is most certainly a clean, energy-saving and cost-effective innovation.
Grand Prize and Gold Medal with the Congratulations of Jury
i.Dummy: Robotic Mannequin for Fashion Design and Fitting
The apparel industry relies heavily on mannequins for apparel design, fitting, alteration and size gradation, but traditional mannequins of different sizes take up much work and storage space. With this limitation in mind, PolyU researchers developed an intelligent robotic female torso dubbed "i.Dummy" that can change almost immediately to adapt to almost any body type, of any size or ethnic background.
At the heart of i.Dummy is a massive database of body sizes collected from populations worldwide, developed by a research team featuring experts in anthropometry and mechatronics.
