The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates Lam Jia En, Dr. Andrew Ng Kay Lup and Dr. Koh Mei Kee from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering for the recent article published in Fuel Processing Technology, an SCI tier-1 journal with the latest impact factor of 8.129.

Lam Jia En, the first author of the article, is a Class of 2022 graduate of Chemical Engineering programme. The article is related to her final year project, which was supervised by Dr. Koh Mei Kee and co-supervised by Dr. Andrew Ng Kay Lup.

The article entitled “Palm fatty acid distillate derived biofuels via deoxygenation: Properties, catalysts and processes” is a critical review on the opportunities and challenges in producing biofuels from palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD). To date, the industrial production of biofuels via deoxygenation typically involves hydrodeoxygenation, which requires the supply of pressurized hydrogen. This requirement makes the process costly and potentially unsafe. In this article, special attention is dedicated to the decarboxylation and decarbonylation reactions that can be conducted under low hydrogen pressure condition or inert atmosphere.

“It was a great pleasure to work with Dr. Koh and Dr. Andrew. I feel grateful for the endless explanations and guidance that Dr. Koh offered, and to Dr. Andrew for his detailed insights and kind support,” said Lam Jia En, “This research enhanced my analytical and critical thinking skills. It also enabled me to explore and gain in-depth knowledge in the area of biofuel and catalyst process.” 

The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2022.107394