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## Meet the editor

Riadh Marzouki is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia, and an international cooperator in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax, Tunisia. He is also a researcher in the Laboratory of Materials and Crystallography, University of Tunis El-Manar, Tunisia. His research activities include investigating the synthesis, crystal structure,

electrical properties, and biological activities of new crystalline materials. He is the author and co-author of more than sixty scientific papers, four book chapters, and three books.

Contents

**Section 1**

**Section 2**

**Section 3**

*by Oles Lastivka*

*by Yohichi Kohzuki*

**Section 4**

Mechanism Approach *by Esonye Chizoo*

**Preface XI**

Alkaline Chemistry in Catalysis **1**

**Chapter 1 3**

Alkaline Chemistry in Biology **27**

**Chapter 2 29**

Alkaline Chemistry in Polymers and Composites **45**

**Chapter 3 47**

**Chapter 4 59**

Alkaline Chemistry in Crystallography **77**

**Chapter 5 79**

Enzymatic Saccharification of Canola Straw and Oat Hull Subjected

An Overview of Alkali Treatments of Hemp Fibres and Their Effects

*by Obiora Samuel Agu, Lope G. Tabil and Tim Dumonceaux*

on the Performance of Polymer Matrix Composites

and Choice of Factors That Affect Service Life

Structure and Properties of Alkaline Cement and Concrete

Study on Influence of a State of Dopants on Dislocation-Dopant

*by Tom Sunny and Kim L. Pickering*

Ions Interaction in Annealed Crystals

to Microwave-Assisted Alkali Pretreatment

Alkali Homogeneous Catalyzed Methyl Ester Synthesis from *Chrysophyllum albidum* Seed Oil: An Irreversible Consecutive

### Contents


#### **Chapter 6 95**

Correlation between Structure, Electrical, and Magnetic Properties of Some Alkali-Oxide Materials *by Amira Marzouki, Ameni Brahmia, Riadh Marzouki, Mosbah Jemmali, Ismat H. Ali and Mohamed Faouzi Zid*

Preface

The alkaline elements are found in different quantities in the layers of the Earth. They are usable and useful in everyday life in different forms, such as salt, complexes, composites, and so on. In addition, they are widely used in the manufacture of materials showing interesting physical properties (e.g., batteries) that can be applied in several fields, including catalysis, biology, energy, and

This book describes the methods of synthesis of some alkali materials and their applications. It consists of four sections: "Alkaline Chemistry in Catalysis", "Alkaline Chemistry in Biology", "Alkaline Chemistry in Polymers and Composites", and

Chapter 1 in section 1 investigates the successful application of NaOH catalyst and methanol for the synthesis of fatty acid methyl ester from the highly underutilized seed oil of *Chrysophyllum albidum*. The described approach used in this study is simpler than most highly complicated reversible consecutive mechanisms and promotes easy translation to the industrial scale. The seed oil of *C. albidum* is therefore a viable feedstock for biodiesel production and alternative source of petrodiesel

Chapter 2 in section 2 presents a study showing that microwave (MW)-assisted alkali pretreatment of canola straw and oat hull enhances the enzymatic digestibility of these substrates compared to alkali pretreatment alone. MW-assisted alkali pretreatment and alkali treatment methods were effective in disrupting the lignocellulose structure of the biomass by inducing changes in their chemical compositions. The MW-assisted alkali pretreatment of biomass increased the glucose yields upon enzymatic saccharification. Total glucose yield overall was greater with KOH pretreatment compared to pretreatment with NaOH in both feedstocks. Therefore, based on the results presented, MW-assisted alkali pretreatment is an efficient pretreatment method of canola straw or oat hull substrate for bioethanol

Chapter 3 in section 3 focuses on alkali treatments of hemp fibers (cellulose crystalline) and their effects on the performance of polymer matrix composites. Chapter 4 examines the influence of changes in proportions between Portland cement and slag content along with different quantities of alkali components on

Chapters 5 and 6 in section 4 discuss the effects of crystal structure and dopant

heat of hydration and hardening character of cement systems.

contents on the physical properties of different alkali materials.

others.

production.

"Alkaline Chemistry in Crystallography."

with its renewable characteristics and advantages.
