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In this paper the effects of an experimental bioethanol fumigation application using an experimental ultrasound device on performance and emissions of a single cylinder Diesel engine have been experimentally investigated. Engine performance and pollutant emissions variations were considered for three different types of fuels (biodiesel, biodiesel-bioethanol blend and biodiesel-fumigated bioethanol). Reductions in brake specific fuel consumption and NOx pollutant emissions are correlated with the use of ultrasonic fumigation of bioethanol fuel, comparative to use of biodiesel-bioethanol blend. Considering the fuel consumption as Diesel engine's main performance parameter, the proposed bioethanol's fumigation method, offers the possibility to use more efficient renewable biofuels (bioethanol), with immediate effects on environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a by-product from the metallurgical industry, steel slag contains a large amount of metal elements. In many developing countries, the output of steel slag is huge and the comprehensive utilization rate is low, hence the development of a novel application method for steel slag is of great significance to increase its utilization rate to improve the environment. This paper reviewed the dissolution behavior of Fe, P, Ca and silicate of steel slag under seawater and acidic solutions as an application in the cultivation of different microalgae, such as diatoms, spirulina, and chlorella. This review clarifies that proper pre-treatment of steel slag can effectively increase the dissolved elements of steel slag in the solution and provide more nutrients for the growth of microalgae. Microalgae cultivated with steel slag as a nutrient can be used to produce biodiesel which has a very broad application prospects for cleaner production and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern in relation to creating environmental protection policies is increasing, particularly with regard to the reuse of waste for power generation. In this context, biodiesel production from waste cooking oils could play an important role. Biodiesel is a biofuel that can be produced from saturated fatty raw material discarded by restaurants, such as oils and fats used for cooking processes. This paper describes a biodiesel production plant installed at Pinheira Beach in the State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil and aims to discuss the environmental, social and economic impacts by analyzing the biodiesel production by life cycle assessment (LCA), relationship with the emission of greenhouse gases. The plant is run by an association and is aimed at promoting the recycling of waste cooking oil from restaurants and residences in the area and, at the same time, enables the continuity of artisanal fisheries in the region. The transesterification production process was used to convert waste cooking oils into biodiesel using basic catalysis in the presence of methanol. A batch system with the capacity to produce 200 L of biodiesel per day was adopted. The data obtained for the biodiesel produced at the plant were 879.2 kg m −3 density, 495.74 mg kg −1 water content, 94.38% ester content, and 1.5 mg.kg −1 sodium plus potassium. Related to the Life Cycle Assessment the results demonstrate that the category that most contributes to the emissions generated in biodiesel production process is the collection stage with 92.10% contribution, presenting a significant difference to the productions stage which contributed 7.9%. The plant provides environmental, social and economic gains for the community, for instance, increased income for the associates and fishermen, environmental education in schools, and cooking oil recycling opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic feasibility is one of the major factors that has to be considered in the decision to continue with alternative fuel development. Economic feasibility of these alternatives can be assessed through life cycle costing, which is dependent on volatile parameters such as feedstock price, operating rate, capacity, interest rate and conversion efficiency. Uncertainty analysis is necessary to determine the robustness of the life cycle cost estimates. In this study, design of experiments was demonstrated to be an effective approach to analyze the sensitivity of life cycle cost to these parameters. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis can be done based not only on the individual effects, but also on the interactions of parameters. Data from the biodiesel program of Vietnam were used as a case study. The results show that operating cost and feedstock price have the most significant effects on biodiesel cost followed by capacity, interest rate and conversion efficiency. Interactions were observed between conversion efficiency and feedstock price; interest rate and operating rate; and feedstock price and interest rate. The regression equation obtained from sensitivity analysis shows that the cost of jatropha biodiesel is 0.72-1.02 US$/L, the cost of fish oil biodiesel is 0.45-0.87 US$/L, and the cost of waste cooking oil biodiesel is 0.42-0.61 US$/L. Although the framework developed in this study was used specifically in the life cycle costing of biodiesel, it can be readily applied to other low-carbon energy systems in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enzymatic production of biodiesel had attracted much attention due to its high efficiency, mild conditions and environmental protection. However, the high cost of enzyme, poor solubility of methanol in oil and adsorption of glycerol onto the enzyme limited the popularization of the process. To address these problems, we developed a silica nanoflowers-stabilized Pickering emulsion as a biocatalysis platform with Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) as model lipase for biodiesel production. Silica nanoflowers (SNFs) were synthesized in microemulsion and served as a carrier for CALB immobilization and then used as an emulsifier for constructing Pickering emulsion. The structure of SNFs and the biocatalytic Pickering emulsion (CALB@SNFs-PE) were characterized in detail. Experimental data about the methanolysis of waste oil to biodiesel was evaluated by response surface methodology. The highest experimental yield of 98.5 ± 0.5% was obtained under the optimized conditions: methanol/oil ratio of 2.63:1, a temperature of 45.97 °C, CALB@SNFs dosage of 33.24 mg and time of 8.11 h, which was closed to the predicted value (100.00%). Reusability test showed that CALB@SNFs-PE could retain 76.68% of its initial biodiesel yield after 15 cycles, which was better than that of free CALB and N435. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]