Methane dry reforming to synthesis gas over nickel catalysts supported on magnesium oxide has been studied. The support was prepared via co-precipitation method using ammonia solution (20 wt% in water) as the precipitating agent. 10 wt% of Ni metal was impregnated to form Ni/MgO catalyst. The prepared catalyst was characterized by different techniques, such as XRD, BET, SEM, and TGA analysis. The effect of reaction conditions on the conversions of CH₄ and CO₂, selectivity of H₂ and CO, and carbon deposition were investigated in a tabular furnace reactor. The catalyst afforded as high as 93% CH₄ conversion at 900 °C. The catalyst has also shown excellent stability during reaction at relatively higher space velocity (1.8×10⁴ ml g^-1 h^-1) and 800 °C reaction temperature. TGA characterization of spent catalyst has shown lesser magnitude of carbon deposition on the surface of the catalyst at 900 °C.

Biomass can be a viable supplement and alternative to non-renewable sources of fuel and chemicals. Lignin is an important part of biomass sources which can be used in various chemical and fuel industries. This study explores the pretreatment of lignin from Napier grass using thermal and physical means, as well as extraction of lignin via cellulolytic enzymatic hydrolysis to determine the optimum condition for feedstock pretreatment. Napier grass parts under various drying conditions and particle sizes were treated with enzymes. Moisture analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, UV–Vis analysis, and Klason lignin were carried out to analyze the moisture, functional group, and yield of lignin. Moisture content of the samples were inversely proportional to the drying conditions. The FTIR result showed lower peak intensity for higher drying conditions, while ball-milling showed less reduction in peak intensity. More Klason lignin was extracted under higher drying conditions. The yield of cellulolytic enzymatic lignin (CEL) was found to be more than actual lignin content, suggesting cellulose was not fully degraded. The FTIR spectra of CEL was found to be closer to that of lignin, but purification was still needed. Optimization was carried out by evaluating the statistical significance of each pretreatment effect of the pretreatments.

Pelletization from nonwoody biomass has gained a lot of attention due to its potential to secure biomass feedstock supply and pricing. Studies have been conducted to produce biopellets from different parts of Napier grass plant. In this study, two different species of Napier grass were used. Two pressure points and five different times were varied accordingly. Proximate, ultimate, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were performed to assess chemical properties. Statistical analysis of the collected data validated and supported the discussion. The produced pellets of Napier grass exhibited good energy density comparable to those in the literature based on gross calorific values. The pellet density demonstrated a significant effect with time, pressure, and feedstock ratios. The pellet durability test showed comparable characteristics to another biomass pellet. Both Pakchong Napier grass (PNG) and wild Napier grass (WNG) biopellet densities obtained were higher than 0.650 g/cm³, and the durability was higher than 95%. This signifies that the pellet can withstand repeated transfer during handling without breakage.