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This study investigated the integrated valorization of defatted rice bran (DRB) by converting it into lactic acid (LA) and subsequently utilizing the residues from LA production for biomethane generation through anaerobic digestion (AD). Processing 480 kg of DRB resulted in the production of 70 L of pure LA and generated significant waste streams, primarily consisting of 572 kg of decanted hydrolysate pellet (Pellet DEC) and 220 kg of microfiltration retentate (Retentate MF). Exceptionally high methane yields of 374‒434 LN kgVS-1 were observed for residues from LA fermentation in biochemical methane potential tests, indicating their high potential for biogas production. During long-term semi-continuous AD, varying organic loading rates (OLRs) from 0.5‒2.5 kgVS m-3 d⁻¹ demonstrated feedstock- and OLR-dependent methane production. Reactor failure at higher OLRs was attributed to the accumulation of total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN). The co-digestion of Pellet DEC and Retentate MF proved to be more resilient, with OLRs up to 2 kgVS m-3 d-1, mitigating TAN inhibition. Methane yields, ranging from 265‒334 LN kgVS-1 before reaching inhibitory OLR levels, were higher than those found in the literature. Process integration has emerged as a promising approach because the biogas generated from residues could effectively offset the energy demands of LA production. Supported by life cycle assessment, the integrated processes showed a 67% lower environmental impact at the midpoint and a 71% lower environmental impact at the endpoint, along with an 80% reduction in energy costs compared to the standalone LA production. Results proved a significant enhancement of the sustainability and economic viability of this integrated biorefinery approach.

Achieving quantitative conversion of biomass-derived feedstocks under ambient environmental conditions (20°C, atmospheric air, 0.1 MPa) is a critical milestone for sustainability in chemical processes. Herein, the quantitative conversion of glucose to gluconic acid was accomplished under ambient environmental conditions without any additives using a Pt-Zn intermetallic nanoparticle-supported biochar catalyst prepared from raw rice straw (Pt-Zn/strawC) via a straightforward one-pot solvothermal reaction with ethylene glycol solvent. Spectroscopic analyses verified the formation of the Pt-Zn intermetallic alloy and confirmed strong electronic metal-support interactions. The Pt-Zn/strawC catalyst (Pt:Zn molar ratio of 1:6) was highly selective for the conversion of glucose to gluconic acid, whereas yields as high as 99.9% (98.9% gluconic acid, 1.0% glucaric acid) were reached at 20 oC under base-free and additive-free conditions. Isotope measurements and density functional theory revealed synergistic interactions in the Pt-Zn alloy, wherein the alloy tended to absorb glucose and active O2 into superoxide radical (O2·). This work demonstrates a chemocatalytic method that is practical for environmental conditions and provides a new avenue for sustainable conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to chemical products.

Cassava, a staple food crop, is widely used for starch production, but its inconsistent supply, price volatility, and substantial waste generation pose challenges to the cassava industrial market's growth. This study aims to identify a sustainable biorefinery pathway by optimizing conventional cassava starch plants (business-as-usual, BAU) for economic and environmental benefits. Four scenarios were evaluated: animal feed from peel waste (Scenario 1), fungal protein from thippi waste (Scenario 2), fish feed from digested wastewater (Scenario 3), and conversion of all waste streams into animal feed, fish feed, and fungal protein (Scenario 4). Scenario 4 emerged as the best pathway using the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach, with a performance score of 0.282. Despite the highest energy consumption (18.91 MWh), Scenario 4 was favored for producing four value-added products alongside starch, yielding the highest profit at USD 8.85 million. In contrast, profits for BAU, Scenario 1, Scenario 2, and Scenario 3 were 1.91, 2.30, 5.01, and USD 8.79 million, respectively. Waste valorization in Scenarios 1, 2, 3, and 4 resulted in CO2 avoidance of 36.5., 42.6., 21.7, and 57.45 t CO2eq., respectively. However, producing value-added products increased energy consumption by 13, 73, 7, and 74% compared to BAU (4.58 MWh). The global warming potential analysis showed negative values for scenarios 2 and 4, at -436 and -434 kg CO2eq./t root, respectively. This study highlights the potential of a biorefinery approach for sustainable cassava starch production, providing insights for future research and policy development.

We explore here, through reactive force field (ReaxFF) molecular dynamics simulations, oleic acid upgrading on beta zeolite (BEA) regulated with nine silica-to-aluminium ratios (SARs) to investigate their acid-catalyzed deoxygenation and coking susceptibility. The selected computational descriptors involved conversion, hydrodeoxygenation, and decarboxylation/decarbonylation selectivity, biofuels yield, and coke deposition characteristics. Simulations were validated by 20.3 SAR available experimental data and used for the systematic study. High deoxygenation selectivity was found to be related to the structural sensitivity of BEA(100) on the upgrading mechanism. ReaxFF simulations revealed that altering the Al-substitution could greatly promote biofuel formation. Specifically, SARs towards the mid-region (SAR 47) favored gasoline production, while 31 SAR exploited diesel-like hydrocarbons. An optimum ratio of 37.4 SAR achieved maximum oleic acid conversion (69.8%), with high yields of gasoline and diesel fuels (15.6 and 20.4 wt%, respectively) and moderate coking (8.6 wt%). Density functional theory screening of metallic dopants allowed investigating of their deoxygenation and coke susceptibility, obtaining that Cu-BEA structure favored the optimal carbon and O moiety adsorption (-3.89 and -1.8 eV, respectively). Furthermore, the economic and environmental analysis showed that Cu-dopped BEA displayed the lowest market price and global warming potential (71 USD/kg and 2.8 kg CO2-eq/kg).

Creatively integrating synthetic materials (semiconductors and electrodes) and microorganisms, the semi-artificial photosynthetic system (SAPS) couples the advantages of natural photosystems (high catalytic reaction selectivity) and artificial photosystems (excellent light-harvesting performance). This combination effectively overcomes the shortcomings of poor selectivity in artificial photosystems, bringing new opportunities for developing photosynthetic systems. It also provides a promising strategy for addressing the current energy crisis and environmental pollution. The design and selection of synthetic materials play a crucial role in this system, aiming to achieve efficient photon capture and electron transfer. This review begins by exploring the fundamental principles of SAPS, emphasizing the integration of materials and microorganisms and the factors that influence their interactions. It provides a critical analysis of the diverse compositional arrangements and systematically elucidates the foundational research methodologies employed in the investigation of SAPS. Grounded in their distinctive redox characteristics, it comprehensively surveys their recent applications in environmental remediation and sustainable energy production over the past years. Finally, reflections on future research are proposed, beginning with the challenges that limit the application of SAPS. Building on previous studies, the present review identifies the factors that limit SAPS and suggests potential avenues for future research. Additionally, this review delves into the environmental and economic policies and practical implications. In conclusion, by critically assessing the existing research landscape, delineating challenges, and charting future research directions, the present review aims to provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners, guiding efforts toward advancing SAPS for enhanced environmental sustainability and economic feasibility.

In this study, we reviewed previous information regarding the effect of fossil fuel pricing intervention on the consumption of fossil fuels, air quality, and population health. In a rapid review, we searched and reviewed reports about the effect of fossil fuel pricing interventions on each or some of the following outcomes: fossil fuel consumption, concentrations of air pollutants, and mortalities or morbidities attributable to exposure to air pollutants. As part of our investigation, we also present the findings of an unpublished, original study that specifically estimated the effects of an elevated gasoline price in Iran's ten most populous cities. Pricing interventions were effective in reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, both in developing and developed countries. Price elasticity for transport gasoline was reported to be -0.227 and -0.715 for short- and long-term, respectively. Reductions in concentrations of air pollutants, especially NOx and particulate matter, were reported in several studies. This review study demonstrates the effects of escalating fossil fuel prices on reducing consumption, air pollution, and mortalities and morbidities attributable to air pollution. Considering the external costs of fossil fuels through environmental, climate, traffic congestions and accidents, and population health, the real costs of fossil fuels are much higher than their retail price. Pro-rich policies of subsidizing fossil fuels should be replaced by alternative policies that support clean public transport, which is suitable for population health, environment, and equity.

As climate change intensifies and the need to reduce human-caused emissions becomes more urgent, transitioning to a bio-based economy is essential. This paper explores the diverse industrial applications of plant oils as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based products, including their use in food, polymers, lubricants, surfactants, pesticides, emollients, and biofuels. This review delves into biosynthetic pathways, detailing the key enzymes and processes involved in the synthesis of triacylglycerol. It thoroughly discusses how genetic and metabolic engineering can not only increase oil yields but also modify fatty acid compositions to better meet industrial requirements. By understanding genetics and utilizing advanced biotechnologies, the oil content and quality of plant sources can be significantly enhanced, aligning with both sustainability goals and industrial demands. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current uses and genetic engineering of plant oil production, proposing innovative strategies such as utilizing oils from biomass or cultivating non-edible oil crops. These approaches aim to establish a sustainable industrial system, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and promote the growth of an environmentally responsible bio-based economy. Additionally, the review highlights future directions, examining the economic implications and environmental benefits of adopting plant oils across various sectors and positioning them as pivotal to achieving an eco-friendly, bio-based economy.

The escalating global demand for protein and the imperative to meet sustainable development goals have driven the emergence of biotransformation platforms, with methanotrophs showing significant potential in this field. In this paper, the metabolism, nutritional requirements, cultivation strategies, and bioreactors of methanotrophs are reviewed. Integrating upstream and downstream technologies is also advocated to advance the development of methanotroph biotransformation platforms toward a circular economy model. The advancements in utilizing biogas as a viable carbon source and wastewater as a nitrogen source are discussed, emphasizing the need for detailed quality control and safety assessments to ensure the suitability of single-cell protein as animal feed. In general, by integrating advanced nutrient recovery technologies to define new process routes, methanotroph biotransformation platforms can bring better environmental benefits by reducing carbon emissions and saving resources. Shifting to renewable energy is crucial for achieving environmental sustainability. By using renewable energy to power microbial fermentation, biomass dehydration, and waste recycling, the platform can offset high energy consumption and attain significant market competitiveness with traditional protein sources.

This study examines the effects of laser heating on the ignition and critical combustion characteristics, such as temperature and burn time, of individual iron particles. It provides time-dependent temperature profiles of laser-ignited particles across a broad spectrum of particle size distributions and oxygen concentrations obtained from experiments, which are a useful database for further development and validation of iron particle combustion models. The herein reported datasets significantly complement those existing in the literature. In the current study, the raw data are thoroughly re-evaluated using refined approaches. For the experimental canonical configuration of single iron particle combustion, an ignition system based on laser heating provides several advantages in overcoming temperature field uncertainties and facilitating controlled environments for optical diagnostics. Despite the inherent uncertainties in laser heating, associated with non-uniform intensity profiles and particle size variations, this study addresses the critical question of how these uncertainties affect in situ measurements of particle temperature and time to reach peak temperature. This study, conducted using a numerical model, reveals a dependence of the particle temperature after laser heating on particle size. However, this dependence does not significantly impact the key parameters of iron-particle combustion, such as the maximum temperature and burn time of the laser-ignited iron particle. The study also presents a comparison between the simulated particle temperature histories and those derived from two-color pyrometry measurements for a wide range of particle size distributions and oxygen concentrations. Notably, by implementing a laser-heating sub-model into an iron particle combustion model, assuming external-diffusion-limited oxidation only up to stoichiometric FeO, the temperature evolution up to the maximum temperature is reasonably captured for a wide range of particle sizes (20–53μm) and oxygen volumetric fractions (14–21vol% O2 mixed with N2). However, with increasing oxygen concentration, the external-diffusion limited model significantly overestimates the heating rate and subsequently the maximum particle temperature.

Rotating detonation rocket engines are propulsive devices employing detonation waves moving circumferentially around an annular channel that consume axially fed propellants. Theoretically, this provides benefits with respect to combustion pressure gain and thermodynamic efficiency when compared to deflagration-based combustors. To facilitate size scaling of these devices, the relationships between geometric parameters, performance, and wave dynamics have been investigated with gaseous methane-oxygen propellant. Empirical relations were derived between combustor geometry, fueling conditions, and engine operation, as well as correlation to thermodynamic parameters calculated with chemical kinetics codes. The radius of curvature effects were explored in annular combustors having outer diameters of 25 mm, 51 mm, and 76 mm with a fixed gap width of 5 mm. The injectors were scaled to have same oxidizer-to-fuel injector port area ratio, impingement distance, and injector-to-gap area ratio. Larger combustors had higher wave counts during operation at a given mass flux and equivalence ratio. Combustor axial pressures were found to be more dependent on propellant mass flux and equivalence ratio than geometry. Mass flux and the inner-to-outer radius ratio, the latter of which was related to other geometric ratios, dictated the operating mode transition thresholds and the number of resulting waves, respectively.

Gas-phase hydrogen combustion is ubiquitous in industrial processes, and the associated surface kinetics on heat-resistant alloys plays a crucial role in designing efficient low-carbon technologies. We conducted new temperature programmed reduction experiments to determine the reducibility of materials following an oxidation cycle. These experiments were modeled using a thermoconsistent multi-site microkinetic model for H2 heterogeneous oxidation on Inconels, which was validated against literature experiments. This competitive adsorption model considers iron bulk content, hydrogen spillover and subsurface oxygen migration on hydrogen surface oxidation kinetics. New X-ray diffraction experiments confirmed the postulated crystallographic structures in the Inconel samples, suggesting their presence on the surface scale. The phenomenological model was coupled with several state-of-the-art gas-phase oxidation mechanisms to assess gas/surface reactions interaction as a function of material and temperature. The results reveal a complex interaction in which surface removes H radicals from the gas-phase, while the Bradford (H2+OH) reaction converts OH into H2O, promoting water adsorption on Inconel. This interaction was found to give rise to gas-phase thermokinetic oscillations. The model predicts a non-monotonous effect of reactor area-to-volume ratio on reactivity and emphasizes the impact of Inconel composition on product selectivity. Overall, the multi-site model provides new insight into the contrasting reactivities among active sites, bridging the gap between material science and heterogeneous combustion modeling.

This numerical study is designated to comparatively investigate premixed CH4/air jet flames from bluff-body (BB) and non-BB (NBB) burners in the coflow of hot exhaust gas. Specifically, traditional combustion (TC) from BB burner (BB-TC), MILD combustion (MC) from BB burner (BB-MC), and NBB burner (NBB-MC) under varying coflow temperatures (TC) and oxygen concentrations (YO2, C) are considered. The flow field, combustion reactions, temperature rise, heat release, along with reaction zone, and pollutant emissions are thoroughly investigated. The findings underscore the feasibility of achieving MILD combustion using the BB burner. Remarkably, the small recirculation zone generated by the BB enhances entrainment and mixing, leading to superior combustion stability and reduced CO emission in the BB-MC case compared to the conventional NBB-MC case. Moreover, the BB-MC case exhibits a higher peak temperature, reaction rate, and heat release rate than the NBB-MC case, albeit with slightly higher NO emission. When compared to the BB-TC case, NO emission from both the BB-MC and NBB-MC cases are significantly lower, particularly under relatively low TC and YO2, C conditions.

Turbulent combustion of jet flames in a hot diluted coflow of combustion products has been studied across a range of jet Reynolds numbers for propane, ethylene, and an ethylene-propane blend as fuels. The study revealed a transition from conventional autoignitive combustion to a regime of Moderate or Intense Low-oxygen Dilution (MILD) combustion, which is characterized by a nearly invisible flame. The flames studied are luminous at low jet velocities and become MILD at higher jet velocities. Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) of formaldehyde (CH2O), a key intermediate species in hydrocarbon combustion, is combined with CH*-chemiluminescence imaging and Rayleigh scattering to investigate the phenomena. The transition to MILD combustion is found to accompany a broadening of the formaldehyde region, indicating a broader low-temperature reaction zone. As the transition is approached, the appearance of holes in the chemiluminescent front is also observed. Correspondence between the location and structure of these holes with regions of formaldehyde in the flame are illustrated. These regions are proposed to be signatures that precede the transition to a fully MILD flame. In other words, the transition to MILD combustion begins at a local level and the MILD region spreads to engulf the entire combusting mixture. Scalar gradients were imaged to further unravel the local turbulence/chemistry interactions that yield the MILD inception. The measured scalar gradients were found to be commensurate with scalar gradients obtained from chemical kinetic simulations at the stoichiometric mixture fractions, while being an order of magnitude larger at other locations; this suggests that the inception of MILD combustion occurs near the stoichiometric region.

In the present study, LESs of a modeled typical combustion zone of a 1000 MW S-CO2 coal-fired boiler using a hybrid flamelet/progress variable model are conducted for the first time. In the hybrid model, both the fuel-N from volatiles and char are considered, and two progress variables are used for major species and NO, respectively. The combustion and NO formation characteristics at different regions are qualitatively and quantitatively investigated. The results indicate that the mixture of primary air and secondary air, the high-temperature wall as well as the adjacent flame can promote the pulverized coal combustion (PCC) and NO formation. In addition, the effects of wall temperature and flue gas recirculation on PCC and NO formation are investigated. The results show that compared with the supercritical H2O boiler, a slight rise of 2.08% and 3.05% for temperature and NO production can be observed in the supercritical CO2 boiler due to a higher wall temperature; flue gas recirculation with a recirculation rate of 27% can effectively reduce the production of NO by 57.6% in the supercritical CO2 boiler.

The chemical looping gasification of plastics (CLGP) is a process that offers an innovative solution for transforming post-consumer waste plastics into high-value products. The process utilizes a co-current moving bed reducer reactor with iron-titanium-based oxygen carriers to gasify plastic feed and generate syngas autothermally. Its distinguishing feature is its ability to operate over a wide range of feed loadings and co-injection of mixed plastic species without any performance losses. Isothermal bench-scale experiments reveal a syngas purity of ∼95 %, aligning with the thermodynamic simulations. The moving bed reactor facilitates a deeper reduction of the oxygen carriers to the Fe+FeTiO3 phase, leading to the high syngas purity, which is then verified with additional TGA, XRD, and SEM analysis. For an autothermal operation of CLGP process, an active material content of 20 % is found to be sufficient to satisfy the kinetic and thermodynamic constraints. Further integration with downstream production of H2 is presented and compared to a steam gasification process. The process integration simulations show that the CLGP process outperforms the steam gasification system in terms of Cold Gas Efficiency (CGE), Effective Thermal Efficiency (ETE), and H2 yield. CO2 emissions are impressively reduced by ∼30 % in the CLGP system over that in the steam gasification system due to its ability to autothermally operate the process, unlike the highly endothermic steam gasification process.

The open jet flame in hot co-flow (JHC) has been frequently utilized for fundamental investigations of Moderate or Intense Low-oxygen Dilution (MILD) combustion due to its controllable conditions and relatively easy measurement capabilities. However, practical MILD combustion must take place within a combustor that is enclosed. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the similarity and disparity of combustion characteristics between two flame configurations. This issue is addressed currently. Specifically, we investigate the flow mixing, ignition, and combustion, as well as emission characteristics of non-premixed and premixed JHC and cylindrical furnace (FUR) flames at various values of the environmental temperature (Te) and central jet Reynolds number (Re). For the open non-premixed flames, we employ both previous single-tube JHC (SJHC) combustor and presently modified JHC (MJHC) one that uses the same nozzle configuration as the FUR burner. It is revealed that significant differences occur in flow, combustion and emission characteristics between the SJHC and FUR cases. On the other hand, both non-premixed and premixed MJHC configurations exhibit high similarity to the corresponding FUR cases in terms of upstream flow mixing and combustion features. Moreover, different CO and NOx emissions result from open JHC and close furnace flames due to different post-combustion configuration and residence time. Accordingly, future experiments on non-premixed MJHC and premixed JHC flames are highly recommended for better understanding practical MILD combustion.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) solid and liquid products may inhibit seed germination, necessitating post-treatment. The hydrothermal humification (HTH) method addresses this drawback by transforming inhibitory compounds, such as aromatics, into artificial humic acids (AHAs) and artificial fulvic acids (AFAs). This study introduces a novel approach by investigating the substitution of the commonly used alkaline agent in HTH, KOH, with hydrated lime to develop cost-effective hydrothermal fertilizers from sugar beet pulp, enriching them with AHAs. It assesses the effects of lime on AHA production and soluble organic compounds compared to KOH. The results indicate that lime significantly reduces furans (from 560 to 3.15 mg/kg DM in solid and from 344 to 3.86 mg/L in process liquid) and boosts sugars and organic acids, especially lactic acid (from 4.70 to 65.82 g/kg DM in solid and from 4.05 to 22.89 mg/L in process liquid), increasing hydrochar yield (68.8% with lime vs. 27.4% with KOH). Despite the lower AHA production with lime compared to KOH (3.47% vs. 15.50%), lime-treated hydrothermal products are abundant in calcium and magnesium, boasting a pH of 7. This property presents a safer and more efficient alternative to hydrothermal fertilizers. The characterization of AHAs aligns with standard and natural humic substances, while lime-assisted HTH products, applied at a level of 0.01% w/w, could significantly enhance wheat growth and nutrient uptake compared to the control group. Importantly, these products show no toxicity on Daphnia magna, underscoring their potential for sustainable agriculture.

Biobutanol stands out as an advanced renewable biofuel, yet its production through fermentation yields a low butanol concentration, necessitating expensive and energy-intensive separation methods, particularly by distillation. Alternative approaches, including adsorptive separation, have emerged, with the 2-column zeolite-based process showing promise. This study employed Aspen Plus for simulating adsorptive separation, utilized Pinch technology for heat integration, and analyzed various alternatives using the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Compared to the base case, which relied on our previously acquired experimental data and further purification through atmospheric distillation, the adoption of indirect heating/cooling adsorption reduced heating energy demand by 59.5%. Additionally, cooling energy usage was increased notably by 68.9%, and chilling prerequisites were eliminated. The implementation of Pinch technology further reduced heating and cooling energy requirements by approximately 36%. Multi-pressure distillation was also explored, revealing its potential to reduce heating energy consumption by 46.6%, accompanied by a modest 6.2% increase in cooling energy demand. A gate-to-gate LCA framework was used to evaluate the environmental impacts. The results showed that the combination of indirect heating/cooling adsorption, multi-pressure distillation, and energy-efficient practices resulted in over a 98% reduction in damages related to human health, ecosystem well-being, and resource depletion compared to the base case. Prioritization of key performance indicators revealed that human health had the most significant influence, with prominent midpoint effects attributed to human toxicity and global warming. This study underscores the pivotal role of energy targeting in curtailing energy consumption and enhancing the sustainability of adsorptive biobutanol separation.

This study presents a new strategy for the production of sustainable manganese fertilizer based on artificial humic substances (AHS). AHS with different manganese concentrations (0‒20%) were synthesized from poplar bark under alkaline conditions via hydrothermal treatment. For the 20% manganese formulation, the interaction of manganese with AHS resulted in reduced solubility (from 25.2% to 12.3% organic carbon) and average molecular weight of humic acids (from 11.6 to 3.9 KDa), indicating preferential binding of the high-molecular-weight fraction. The formulation with 5% of manganese achieved optimal manganese loading without compromising the AHS solubility (19.4%). Structural analyses showed only minor changes in AHS in the presence of manganese, indicating that the main structural fragments of the AHS were preserved. Structural, morphological, and spectroscopic characterizations confirmed the formation of amorphous manganese complexes within the AHS matrix, primarily in the plant-available Mn(II) oxidation state. Plant bioassays showed increased manganese uptake with the application of AHS containing 5% Mn compared to MnCl2 alone (64 mg/kg vs. 40 mg/kg in dry cucumber biomass). Interestingly, unmodified AHS at higher concentrations (50 mg/L) further enhanced manganese (67 mg/kg) and iron (up to 209 mg/kg) uptake, highlighting the potential role of AHS in facilitating metal transport.

Using oleaginous microbial lipid-based biorefinery from lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) to produce fermentative bioenergy (i.e., biodiesel) represents an innovative second-generation fuel production technology. These lipids are predominantly intracellular triglycerides that accumulate through the metabolism of sugars in fermentation following pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis of LCB. This review investigates the recent advances in the microbial lipid production from LCB, focusing on the factors influencing the lead microbial lipid producers, different pretreatment methods (i.e., physical, chemical, biological, and combined pretreatment), enzymatic hydrolysis approaches, novel bioprocessing strategies (i.e., microbes-specific and fermentation model specific), and engineering techniques of the oleaginous microbes (i.e., genetic and metabolic alterations). The study demonstrates that oleaginous yeasts can synthesize significantly higher quantities of lipids when incorporated into the system, known as separated hydrolysis and lipid production, following various combined pretreatment methods. Interestingly, CRISPR is found to be the most suitable way of engineering microbes genetically and metabolically for increased lipid synthesis. The study also explores economically viable strategies for fermentative lipid production, addressing associated challenges, and outlines future directions, including comprehensive techno-economic and life cycle assessments. This review offers invaluable insights into microbial lipid production from LCB, highlighting the potential for significant technological and environmental enhancements through ongoing research and development efforts.

The aviation industry faces a pressing challenge in reducing its environmental footprint, especially with the projected growth in global passenger traffic. Electrification and more-electric aircraft, particularly through Lithium-ion Battery (LiB) systems, offers a promising pathway to reduce emissions but introduces significant safety concerns, particularly regarding thermal runaway (TR) events. This prospective paper examines the unique challenges posed by aviation environments for developing safe LiB systems. It discusses multifaceted mitigation approaches, integrating fire containment structures with advanced thermal management and fire protection technologies. Various cooling technologies and fire suppression agents are explored for their effectiveness in extinguishing LiB fires and mitigating thermal runaway propagation. Integrated LiB suppression systems are proposed to combine fire containment, suppression, and thermal management functionalities for achieving the demanding specific energy density levels that will be required. Scaling safe LiB pack solutions for commercial aviation requires coordinated efforts among regulators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), engineers, and researchers to establish standardized design criteria, develop validated modeling tools, and establish rigorous certification testing requirements. In conclusion, addressing the safety concerns of large LiB packs in aircraft applications requires a holistic, integrated approach. This paper provides insights into current research, identifies key challenges, and outlines future directions for advancing LiB safety in aviation.

In this study, a kerosene-fueled premixed burner system with a thick and large pore-sized (“coarse”) porous matrix was developed to achieve less-soot stable premixed combustion with variable combustion loads, i.e., turn-down ratio, TDR, defined as the ratio between the maximum and minimum loads. The present burner system mainly consists of the thick and coarse porous matrix made by packed ceramic balls of 8 mm-diameter, which acts as a vaporizer, mixer, and flame holder. The liquid fuel is fed into the porous matrix along with air. As the air and vaporized fuel are supplied toward the top-end (surface) of the porous matrix, a premixed flame is formed at this surface. Benefits of the adopted porous matrix include reduced wettability of the liquid fuel to pores of the porous matrix, which prevents its direct supply to the flame, promotes vaporization and mixing, and functions as a flame holder, allowing the flame to be sustained within the porous matrix. Combustion experiments were then carried out under various equivalence ratios (φ) between 0.47 and 1.34, and temperature measurement was conducted to evaluate the vaporization capability within the porous matrix. The experimental results confirmed that the quasi-steady and stable premixed combustion across the entire surface of the porous matrix throughout the burning event was successfully achieved under all φ values considered in this study. A simplified (one-dimensional) analytical model was developed to examine achievable range of TDR. It was found that the expected achievable TDR was higher than the value for the conventional spray combustion technology (∼ 6). Thus, the present burner system with a thick and coarse porous matrix was effective for attaining stable premixed combustion and a high TDR.

Wildfires are a natural part of the earth's ecosystem. Over time, the social and economic consequences have significantly increased as development in or near forested areas (i.e. the wildland/urban interface or WUI) has continued, resulting in more value and lives exposed to wildfire events, and due to increasingly large wildfire prone regions and extended seasons caused by changes in the climate. The most significant events are, by some measures, hardly ‘wildland fires’, they are more massive conflagrations affecting communities of burning homes and businesses. The total area around the world that can reasonably be regarded in ‘high fire risk’ is beyond the level of controlled burns, forest thinning, or one-by-one implementation of defensible spaces around structures and homes. Current policies are not effective at the scale of the problem. Better capabilities are needed to provide key decisionmakers including land use planners, building code officials, and wildland managers the right tools to manage this risk. A well designed and governed public private partnership is required. The combustion research community will be at the core of the development that can make it successful, but they will need to band together to bring their numerous individual skills to the table together.

Rotating detonation engines (RDEs) are the subject of research in the combustion community due to the prospects of enhanced thermal efficiency and power density when compared to current deflagrative-based aerospace combustors. Many current simulations presume premixed reactants and therefore miss the important characteristics of transient mixing, wave-induced mixing, and injector design/spacing that are known to play a pivotal role in the system performance. Very ambitious large eddy simulations are being conducted, but necessarily on a limited number of realistic and complex cases, thus limiting their utility in deriving fundamental understanding. For these reasons, a two dimensional parametric study was conducted to assess propagation of a detonation across an idealized array of mixing/injection sites, parametrically characterized by the width and axial mixing profile.Under such non-premixed conditions, discrete energy release and interdependence are observed. The discrete energy release sites frequently create pressures that exceed idealized Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) predictions based on perfect and uniform mixtures. The local higher pressure is shown to be caused by delayed heat release behind the shock, near constant pressure combustion, and additional compression due to the non-uniformities present. The resulting compression and the near constant pressure combustion are accompanied by time scale separation of exothermic and endothermic reactions due to the mixing efficiencies in the non/poorly-premixed cases. In contrast, the better mixed cases show that the detonation wave is sustained but unburnt fuel and oxidizer exist behind the main combustion wave and impulse performance suffers. Results show that for the conditions modeled there exists an optimal injector spacing to maximize the impulse produced and that discrete injection impulses can exceed that of the premixed systems. These somewhat counter-intuitive results imply that the detailed mixing evolution, provoked by the passage of the wave can lead to an extended heat release zone that elevates the pressure over a longer distance along the wavefront. These revelations provide potential for optimizing injector configurations for real non-premixed systems in order to exploit these physics.

This study investigated the effects of co-flow air swirling on the combustion of Kerosene, as relatively heavy fuel, under preheated and diluted air conditions. Various factors affecting the flame structure, such as preheating temperature, dilution, swirl number, and airflow rate were studied using the upgraded MILD (Moderate or Intense Low-Oxygen Dilution) combustion tester of Sharif University of Technology (SMSTR). This tester, which is symmetrically axial, provides co-flow air with the desired temperature, swirl number, and dilution for a liquid fuel spray burner. The flame characteristics was investigated through direct photography and chemiluminescence. The results show that the stability range significantly increases with the air swirling, while the flame length decreases. Enhancement of combustion quality and more complete combustion of fuel were observed with preheating. Preheating resulted in geometric changes in the appearance of the flame, specially reducing flame lift-off and the front view area in high airflow. A decrease in the air oxygen content causes a general change in the structure of the flame, resulting in a shorter and more lifted one compared to non-diluted condition. The chemiluminescence images of the flame also revealed weaker and more uniform emission pattern with the inlet high-swirl air preheating and dilution. By utilizing around 15 % oxygen content dilution, preheating at around 656 K, and a swirl number of 0.8, the combustion zone exhibited similarities to the MILD combustion mode, suggesting the achievement of MILD combustion. The high swirl concept allowed higher dilution limits (about 12 %) and reduced preheating requirements (approximately 11 %) in achieving the MILD combustion regime compared to the previous study conducted without swirl conditions. In contrast to the non-swirl mode flame, the flame in this study transitioned completely to a MILD-like condition.

A detailed assessment of flame–flame interaction and laminar flame evolution using multi-ignition sources is experimentally studied. To understand the flame interaction, the centrally ignited flame is measured and calculated for comparison with multi-ignition sources hydrogen–ammonia/flame. The location of the external ignition source, the delay time, the hydrogen blending, and the mixture equivalence ratio at an initial pressure of 0.1 MPa affect the propagation and morphology of the flame. It can be observed that the advancement of the pressure wave of the external flame causes deformation to the central flame front; This deformation occurs even before the interaction of the flames. The deformation can be decomposed into horizontal deformation, which decelerates the flame front as a result of the drag or accelerates due to the thrust of the flow field on the flame front. At the same time, vertical deformation is influenced by drag and thrust-lift forces. Therefore, the equivalent flame decelerates with time. This effect gives a nonsymmetric shape for expanding flame, and the shape changes from spherical to ellipsoidal, then a triaxial quasi-ellipsoid flame (scalene). The equivalent flame speed and laminar burning velocity are maximized near stoichiometry for all delay times and locations of the ignition source. As the delay time of the stoichiometric hydrogen ammonia/air increases, the equivalent laminar flame speed and laminar burning velocity monotonously decrease, as well as the time and location of the interaction. The equivalent flame speed and laminar burning velocity for ignition sources 1 and 2 decreases with delay time, and this becomes evident on the rich side. While employing a third ignition source increases with delay time since the drag force get eliminated from the horizontal axis. Furthermore, the hydrogen blending effect enhances and highlights these tendencies.

Hydrogen combustion is a promising alternative to fossil fuel combustion in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. However, hydrogen combustion is prone to thermodiffusive instabilities largely dependent on differential diffusion, a phenomenon that can lead to higher probabilities of flashback in industrial burners, given hydrogen’s high reactivity and diffusivity. This paper evaluates low-swirl flames of methane and air enriched with hydrogen to highlight the onset of differential diffusion. Testing was conducted in a fully controllable swirl burner, where bulk velocity Uav = 13 m/s and swirl number S = 0.6 were kept constant for each hydrogen–methane blend to isolate increases in flame surface area from increases in turbulence intensity. Furthermore, each fuel blend of hydrogen and methane is evaluated at the same laminar flame speed of SLo = 0.267 m/s to isolate flame stretch effects on the turbulent burning rate. Combined hydroxyl (OH) PLIF and stereoscopic PIV at the National Research Council of Canada were used to analyze the OH fluorescence in a 2D-3C velocity field for each flame condition. High-speed PIV at McGill University was used to resolve local flame phenomena, such as local flame displacement velocity and flame stretch rate. Using these techniques, it can be observed that the flame displaces axially in response to turbulent flame speed while exhibiting increases in flamefront wrinkling. This increased corrugation due to flame stretch is highlighted in the PDFs of local curvature and κSf and is further evidenced by a shift towards positive curvatures (κ > 0) for increasing H2 volume fraction. This trend suggests that there is a strong correlation with increases in turbulent burning rate and positive curvature as a result of differential diffusion, but it is not necessarily a control mechanism of the most forward propagating points proposed by the theory of leading points.

This study analyzes burner scale-dependent effects for iron-oxide nanoparticles synthesis in spray flames through a combined experimental and numerical approach. A laboratory- and a pilot plant-scale synthesis facility generate iron oxide nanoparticles from iron nitrate dissolved in ethanol/2-ethylhexanoic acid solvents on the 0.5 and 15 g/h scale, respectively. Phase Doppler measurements supply initial conditions for spray development in the numerical approach, while in situ OH* chemiluminescence and multi-line nitric oxide laser-induced fluorescence (NO-LIF) thermometry provide experimental data for comparison with simulation results of the pilot plant burner. Ex situ particle sizing by gas adsorption according to Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), along with phase composition determination via X-ray diffraction (XRD), are used to compare products of both burners and the corresponding simulations. The numerical approach employs a Reynolds-averaged Eulerian–Lagrangian description of the flow in combination with a flamelet/progress variable (FPV) combustion and monodisperse particle model to reflect spray-flame synthesis. Despite similar chemiluminescence between experiment and simulation, more significant discrepancies are observed in NO-LIF thermometry and particle sizing. Nanoparticle formation and growth at both burner scales is investigated using the numerical method. Special attention is directed to the high-temperature particle residence time (HTPRT). Notably, the average temperature–time profiles particles experience are almost identical in the burners, although their geometric scales and designs differ substantially. Simulation results show that while the primary particle diameter remains mostly consistent, the pilot-scale burner produces larger particle agglomerates than the laboratory burner. The difference is attributed to an increased particle number concentration during the initial formation of soft agglomerates. The findings demonstrate that, despite retaining a similar HTPRT, the overall flow conditions and liquid spray dispersion, which impact the distribution of the particle number concentration, influence the final agglomerate size.

Hydrogen's unique physicochemical and combustion properties make it stand out among fuels as new hydrogen production technologies, means of transportation, and consumers emerge. The future viability of these technological solutions will depend on numerous factors, including safety, environmental, regulatory, and economic considerations. Safe deployment of these technologies requires additional research and development activities. These range from an improved quantitative understanding of hydrogen leaks, material limitations due to embrittlement, very large-volume liquefied hydrogen storage and transport, to equipment- and usage-specific considerations as is the case for gas turbines and electrolyzers.

Understanding the production of non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM), which is composed primarily of soot, is critical not only for reducing emissions but also for improving engine performance. While there has been significant prior work studying the fundamentals of soot formation, there is significantly less work that investigates soot formation with realistic aeroengine geometries, injectors, and fuels in high pressure conditions. In this work, soot production in a three-sector rich-quench-lean (RQL) aeroengine combustor is studied with Jet A fuel. Global equivalence ratios ranging of 0.10 to 0.20 and pressures ranging from 2.7 to 6.9 bar absolute (40 to 100 psia) are tested. In order to characterize in-situ soot production near the fuel injectors, two-dimensional laser-induced incandescence is utilized to estimate single-shot and average soot volume fractions. Time-resolved laser-induced incandescence is then used to create single camera and single laser-shot incandescence decay time images in order to infer how soot particle sizes evolve. Results show a significant increase in soot production at higher global equivalence ratios and higher pressures. Incandescence decay times, however, do not change significantly over the same range of conditions. These measurements can not only help understand soot distributions in practical RQL systems but also help improve future aeroengine combustor designs.

This work presents the design and testing of a seeder based on laser ablation capable of introducing gallium particles into a gaseous flow at elevated pressures typical of that found in practical combustion devices. The ability to seed such a flow with gallium particles is required to apply Ga-TLAF, a spatially and temporally resolved thermometry imaging technique well suited to harsh combustion environments. The design criteria for this gallium particle seeder are first listed and all the necessary details required to understand and replicate it are then provided. Next, the efficiency of gallium ablation is verified as a function of the ablation laser's fluence and repetition rate and of the pressure using gallium laser induced fluorescence and laser scattering measurements at ∼403 nm. For the conventional 355-nm nanosecond, Nd:YAG laser used for ablation in this study, data show that the quantity of gallium seeded into the flow can be conveniently modulated by varying the fluence of the ablation laser and/or its repetition rate. Data also show that the efficiency of ablation is marginally better for solid gallium than for liquid gallium, but that ablation of liquid gallium should be preferred to avoid a loss of ablation efficiency after some time. The temperature of the liquid gallium feedstock is found to be unimportant. SEM, EDX, and SPMS analyses show that laser ablation yields pure gallium particles with a characteristic size ranging at least from 50 nm to 10 μm and that the size distribution is insensitive to the pressure and to the ablation laser's fluence. Also important for future applications of Ga-TLAF in high-pressure flames, data show that the gallium LIF intensity recorded at room temperature or in the hot products of a flame is not significantly affected by pressure.

This work investigates the nonlinear response of a conical premixed flame to dual-frequency excitation through experiments and G-equation analysis. In addition to the responses at excitation frequencies, f1 and f2, a notable flame response can also be identified at the difference frequency, fd. The fd response is particularly significant in the high-frequency regime, characterized by multiple wavelengths of both f1 and f2 on the flame front. This distinct behavior of difference-frequency response can be attributed to the spatial superposition of the intensified flame fluctuation waves at the two forcing frequencies. As the excitation enhances at either f1 or f2, the nonlinear effect suppresses the responses of the upper-part flame at both f1 and f2 while promoting the bulk flame response at fd. Based on a third-order expansion of the G-equation, it is shown that the nonlinear flame dynamics necessarily generate the observed interaction component when the flame is perturbed by dual-frequency excitations. The present results emphasize the importance of nonlinear flame dynamics in inducing flame responses at interaction frequencies, offering insights into thermoacoustic oscillations of multiple frequencies.

The pyrolysis of siloxane precursors, such as tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), is commonly employed in the flame synthesis and chemical vapor deposition of silica nanoparticles. In this work, the flow reactor pyrolysis of TEOS is studied using gas chromatography (GC) and synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry (SVUV-PIMS), and the congener substitution effects from the central C atom to the central Si atom are investigated through comparison with its hydrocarbon counterpart tetraethoxymethane (TEOM). Pyrolysis models of TEOS and TEOM are constructed and validated against the measured results. Modeling analysis, including rate of production analysis and sensitivity analysis, provides insights into chemistry in fuel consumption and product formation. In contrast, the observations of silicon-containing products in SVUV-PIMS experiments provide evidence for crucial decomposition pathways of TEOS. It is observed that TEOS exhibits significantly higher stability than TEOM under pyrolysis conditions. The most abundant products in the pyrolysis of TEOS and TEOM are ethylene and ethanol, and TEOS produces more hydrocarbon products than TEOM. The lower pyrolysis reactivity of TEOS is attributed to the slower unimolecular decomposition reaction which dominates the decomposition of TEOS than TEOM. This can be explained by the hindrance of the extremely strong Si-O bond resulting from the significantly different electronegativity between Si and O. The higher initial decomposition temperature of TEOS enhances the contribution of other decomposition channels, such as C-C bond dissociation and H-abstraction reactions, in TEOS consumption. This leads to the abundant formation of hydrocarbon productions such as methane, ethane, and acetaldehyde. As the main pyrolysis product, the ethanol produced by TEOM pyrolysis is four times that of TEOS due to the congener substitution effects. The ethanol formation pathway in TEOS pyrolysis is different from that in TEOM pyrolysis, which is mainly formed via a newly proposed multi-step mechanism, resulting in a lower yield in TEOS pyrolysis.

Hydrogen is one of the most promising fuels to decarbonize energy systems since it has a high specific energy, a carbon-free combustion process, and may be produced sustainably through electrolysis. Direct fuel drop-in replacement cannot be done in traditional lean, premixed combustion burners because of the high reactivity of the hydrogen-air mixture and its inherently unstable nature that might lead to flashback and hardware failure. Consequently, new injection strategies and burner geometries are investigated to mitigate these risks. Here we present hydrogen capabilities of a premix/micromix injector that relies on a two-staged fuel injection strategy to offer wide fuel flexible capability (methane to hydrogen) within a single design. Five injectors are placed in a cross-shaped array to simulate a sector found in multi-element combustion systems. Stability and combustion dynamics maps are obtained for the array and OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) provides additional insight into the combustion process of these novel burners when placed in an array. The use of micromixing is shown to drastically improve the acoustics of this geometry and expand the flashback limits compared to the fully premixed configuration. Significant variability in flashback limits are observed for different additively-manufactured injector configurations. Phase-averaged OH-PLIF measurements, obtained by registering the acquisition with the acoustics module, and the 3D reconstruction of a partially-premixed flame highlight the complexity of the stabilization mechanisms for these highly three-dimensional, non-axisymmetric flames that may be subjected to large thermoacoustics. This first investigation into premix/micromix clustered injectors demonstrates the importance of better understanding the impact of flame–flame interaction in multi-element combustion systems with micromixed, or partially-premixed, combustion.

The steady laminar stagnation flow flame of NH3-H2-air gas mixture stabilized at a plane wall is numerically investigated. Its interaction with the wall with the consideration of heat loss is the focus of this work. The numerical study of the combustion system is performed by using the full chemical mechanism and detailed transport model including the differential diffusion and Soret effect. The simulation of the solid mechanics is based on the theory of isotropic linear thermo-elasticity. With the numerical simulation, it will be discussed how the wall material would change the flame stability in terms of extinction limit, and how the combustion system such as mixture composition, flame strain rate, and pressure would vary the thermo-mechanical stresses in the solid wall and the corrosive behavior at the surface of the wall.

Hydrogen is an attractive energy carrier which could play a role in decarbonizing process heat, power or transport applications. Though the U.S. already produces about 10 million metric tons of H2 (over 1 quadrillion BTUs or 1 % of the U.S. primary energy consumption), production technologies primarily use fossil fuels that release CO2, and the deployment of other, cleaner H2 production technologies is still in the very early stages in the U.S. This study explores (1) the level of current U.S. hydrogen production and demand, (2) the importance of hydrogen to accelerate a net-zero CO2 future, and (3) the challenges that must be overcome to make hydrogen an important part of the U.S. energy system. The study discusses four scenarios and hydrogen production has been shown to increase in the future, but this growth is not enough to establish a hydrogen economy. In this study, the characteristics of hydrogen technologies and their deployments in the long-term future are investigated using energy system model MARKAL. The effects of strong carbon constraints do not cause higher hydrogen demand but show a decrease in comparison to the business-as-usual scenario. Further, according to our modeling results, hydrogen grows only as a fuel for hard-to-decarbonize heavy-duty vehicles and is less competitive than other decarbonization solutions in the U.S. Without improvements in reducing the cost of electrolysis and increasing the performance of near-zero carbon technologies for hydrogen production, hydrogen will remain a niche player in the U.S. energy system in the long-term future. This article provides the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the role of hydrogen in the U.S. energy system, thereby explaining the long-term future projections.

This study presents a thorough evaluation of the simultaneous planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) on hydroxyl (OH) radicals and nitric oxide (NO), for characterizing hydrogen detonation fronts. The study combines experimental and numerical results to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of different visualization strategies, namely OH-PLIF alone, NO-PLIF alone, OH-PLIF + shock det. (comparable to simultaneous OH-PLIF and schlieren), and combined OH- and NO-PLIF. Main findings are: (i) For the first time, simultaneous single-shot OH- and NO-PLIF visualizations are demonstrated on detonation waves for three mixtures with varying stability levels: Mixture (a) 2H2-O2-3.76Ar, Mixture (b) 2H2-O2-3.76N2, and Mixture (c) 3H2-CH4-3.5O2-3.76Ar; (ii) the simultaneous visualization evidences the self-similarity of both techniques, with a clear interlock of OH-PLIF imaging into NO-PLIF imaging. This means that the structure of the OH-reaction zone, typically visualized from OH-PLIF, can be accurately described from NO-PLIF imaging alone, from which induction zones can also be visualized. In addition, both can clearly depict the wrinkling of the front and the presence of unburned pockets; (iii) the effectiveness of the four visualization strategies at characterizing the detonation wave of a H2-O2-3.76Ar mixture is determined using ZND and spectroscopic simulations. Interestingly, the induction zone (Δi) is more accurately predicted by NO-PLIF (3% error) than with the combined OH + shock det. (10% error). This study highlights the potential of NO-PLIF diagnostic in characterizing detonation waves with low levels of confinement (i.e., d/λ>>>1) both qualitatively (e.g., reaction zone structure) and quantitatively (e.g., Δi measurements) using a single diagnostic. Additionally, the simultaneous OH- and NO-PLIF diagnostic may offer significant advantages in characterizing the detonation waves in engine-relevant conditions (i.e., in complex geometries with unburned pockets or local quenching events), as combining both diagnostics enables to discriminate unburned pockets and local quenching events.

The interrelation between climate change, biomass production, and rural poverty is an area of growing concern, as these factors are intricately linked and often exacerbate one another. The objective of this critical review is to investigate existing knowledge, identify research gaps, and explore how climate-induced disruptions affect biomass production, exacerbate rural poverty, and increase vulnerability. High-quality peer-review publications were sourced via Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar to include the most relevant papers in line with the objective. A bibliometric analysis yielded three key concepts: (i) biofuel innovations and sustainable development, (ii) climate dynamics and biomass environmental impact, and (iii) rural poverty and energy challenges. The review delves into the complex interplay of factors influencing biomass production, climate change, and rural/remote poverty. Climate change intensifies the challenges rural communities face, enhancing their vulnerability to poverty. For these communities, biomass production not only offers a sustainable energy alternative but also a pathway to economic upliftment. Addressing climate change through sustainable biomass production emerges as a vital strategy, providing a dual solution by mitigating environmental degradation and offering a robust framework for poverty alleviation in rural areas. The review emphasizes the urgent need to integrate climate action, sustainable energy production, and rural economic development.

Alkanes and alkenes are high-value platform chemicals that can be synthesized by microorganisms, utilizing organic residues from agri-food industries and municipalities, thereby offering an alternative opportunity in resource recovery. Current research and technological advancements for the biosynthesis of alkanes and alkenes are mainly impeded by low product titers, obstructing the bioprocess upscaling and large-scale applications. Thus, current scientific investigations aim to improve productivity by utilizing natural and engineered metabolic pathways in various microbial chassis to suppress competing metabolic pathways, coupled with bioprocess optimization. Additionally, to reduce costs, research is being conducted on utilizing inorganic carbon sources such as CO2 to promote the green synthesis of alkanes and alkenes. Therefore, this review critically discusses the opportunities and challenges in alkane and alkene biosynthesis, aiming to examine the current technological advancements. In this review, the limitations of five major metabolic pathways for alkane and alkene biosynthesis are thoroughly discussed, highlighting their shortcomings. Additionally, various techniques, including metabolic engineering, autotrophic metabolic pathways, and new non-biosynthetic routes, are investigated as potential methods to enhance product titers. Furthermore, this review offers valuable insights into the economic and environmental aspects of alkane and alkene biosynthesis while also presenting perspectives for future research directions.

This review discusses the sustainable transformation of low-quality hydrocarbon fuels, such as biomass-derived bio-oil, into valuable chemicals and clean fuels by introducing the concept of "methanotreating" that uses methane as a hydrogen source for the deoxygenation of bio-oils, thereby addressing environmental concerns associated with conventional hydrogen production. We explore the challenges of methane activation and its potential in biomass upgrading, highlighting the importance of catalyst selection and composition. Methanotreating is a promising and sustainable method for producing high-quality fuels and chemicals, with a deoxygenation performance of over 95%. This present work calls for further research and development in catalyst design and application to advance this innovative approach toward a greener and more efficient energy future.

The conversion of levulinic acid (LA) into alkyl levulinates is highly significant due to the wide range of applications for these products, including their use as fuel additives, solvents, and fragrances. In order to meet the growing need for environmentally friendly chemical production, this study takes a circular economy approach by upcycling a common urban waste, i.e., pine needles, to synthesize a robust heterogeneous acid catalyst, subsequently used to efficiently upgrade LA into levulinates. By utilizing a single-step procedure under mild operating conditions, the resulting PiNe–SO3H catalyst demonstrated good performances and flexibility in synthesizing diverse bio-derived levulinates. In fact, the catalyst showed an exceptionally broad range of applicability, resulting in isolated yields ranging from ̴ 46% to ̴ 93%, which is an unprecedented achievement. The catalyst's ability to be reused was tested, revealing remarkable performance for up to 10 consecutive cycles with negligible loss in efficiency. Additionally, a significant focus was directed towards developing a method that minimizes waste during the isolation process. This involved optimizing reaction conditions and rationalizing work-up procedures, resulting in low Environmental factor (E-factor) values ranging from 1.2 to 8.9. To comprehensively assess the overall environmental sustainability of the process, various additional green metrics were calculated, and the Ecoscale tool was employed as well. Furthermore, mechanistic investigations elucidated the favored reaction pathway, underscoring that, under the optimized conditions, the prevailing mechanism entails direct esterification, as opposed to the generation of a pseudo-ester intermediate.

Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) allows CO2 capture at low cost. This technology is based on solid oxygen carriers which supply the oxygen required for combustion of the fuel while they experience successive reduction-oxidation cycles. Oxygen carriers based on minerals or industrial residues present the advantage of their low cost but complete combustion of the fuel is not always achieved. Manganese‑iron mixed oxides doped with titanium can improve combustion efficiency due to its oxygen uncoupling capability. Moreover, they present the advantage of their magnetic properties. The objective of this work was to produce this type of oxygen carriers from minerals/residues instead of from synthetic materials. Four oxygen carriers with a fixed Mn-Fe molar ratio were produced with a 7 wt.% TiO2 addition. Two manganese-based (MnSA and MnGBMPB) and one iron-based (Tierga) minerals were used as source of Mn and Fe, respectively. As source of Ti, the mineral ilmenite was used. After characterization of the materials, their reactivity was analysed in a TGA. The reactivity to the main combustion gasses was lower than that corresponding to similar oxygen carriers obtained from synthetic sources although they maintained their magnetic properties. Thus, its use as magnetic support of oxygen carriers was recommended. In this respect, first tests were conducted using CuO as active phase supported on one of the low-cost support materials produced in this work.

Sustainable hydrogen production by electrocatalytic water splitting is an attractive approach to establish a carbon–free future. On the other hand, the operationalization of this technology on a large scale requires the design and synthesis of efficient electrocatalysts to promote hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have provided new opportunities in the field of electrocatalytic water splitting due to their unique properties. Herein, we report an affordable, simple, and environmentally friendly strategy for the synthesis of Co3(BTC)2 MOF electrocatalyst in distilled water at room temperature. Surprisingly, Co3(BTC)2 demonstrated superior electrocatalytic activity toward HER and OER in alkaline media. The Co3(BTC)2 requires overpotentials of 450 and 370mV for HER and OER to achieve a current density of 10mA cm−2, respectively.

Solid fuels are relatively inexpensive and widely available, making them an attractive option for energy producers. However, they are currently inefficient in converting heat energy into electricity, and new technological advances are needed to make them more efficient. Plasma ignition and stabilization of pulverized coal flame provides a cost-effective and sustainable approach to boiler start-up and combustion stabilization, avoiding the traditionally used fuel oil or gas. This technology consists of heating the air-coal mixture with electric arc plasma to the temperature of coal devolatilization and partial gasification of the coke residue. Thus, a highly reactive two-component fuel, consisting of combustible gas and coke residue, is obtained from the original coal. In this paper, a comprehensive thermodynamic and kinetic analysis was carried out. A thermodynamic analysis was carried out to study the optimal parameters of plasma ignition and stabilization of combustion of a pulverized fuel flame. Kinetic modeling of the process of plasma ignition and stabilization of combustion of pulverized fuel made it possible to obtain changes in temperatures, velocities and concentrations of high-temperature two-component fuel components along the length of the plasma-fuel system. In experiments on plasma ignition of thermal coal, a stable coal-dust flame was obtained, and its temperature, composition and degree of carbon gasification were determined. Comparison of experimental and calculated data showed satisfactory agreement.

Due to the challenges of ammonia, such as high ignition energy and slow flame propagation speed, the utilization of ammonia in engines might necessitate the implementation of dual-fuel combustion modes along with the use of cetane improvers. To optimize the performance of ammonia-fueled engines, and achieve efficient and clean combustion, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are imperative. However, prior to conducting a three-dimensional CFD study, an accurate reaction mechanism for each component is essential. In this study, the blending mechanisms of ammonia, n-dodecane, and 2-ethylhexyl nitrate (EHN) were constructed using CHEMKIN software, including 243 species and 1293 reactions. The calculated results of ignition delay, laminar flame velocity, and the concentration of significant species agreed well with experiment results. The ignition delay, laminar flame velocity, adiabatic flame temperature, and the concentration of major products were analyzed in different blending ratios. The use of high cetane fuel shortens ignition delay and increases laminar flame speed. As the equivalence ratio of ammonia increases, the concentration of NO decreases while the concentration of H2 increases. The combustion process is also analyzed based on optical diagnostic results, and the impact of the ammonia/n-dodecane mixtures blended with EHN on the combustion process is investigated. The addition of EHN proved to shorten the ignition delay of the mixture. Furthermore, the introduction of EHN exhibits marginal influence on NOx generation, with the predominant augmentation of NOx emissions stemming from fuel-derived NOx resulting from the fuel's inherent nitrogen content. Due to the small amount of EHN added, the overall impact is relatively small.

This paper explores nitrogen species formation in temperature (T)-equivalence ratio (ϕ) space under internal combustion engine-relevant conditions using zero-dimensional modeling. The analysis reveals that N2O and NO are formed in a much larger region of ϕ-T space than in hydrocarbon combustion due to fuel chemical pathways. N2O is formed over a large range of ϕ, primarily in low temperature regions that have significant levels of unburned NH3. NO is formed over a large, high temperature, lean region. Further analysis shows that even when mixing burned gas with unburned NH3 from engine crevices, N2O is reduced to low levels in the expansion stroke after initially increasing due to the thermal de-NOx mechanism. This indicates that N2O emissions measured from premixed engine combustion are likely from quenching near cold surfaces.

Trains have been a crucial part of modern transport, and their high energy efficiency and low greenhouse gas emissions make them ideal candidates for the future transport system. Transitioning from diesel trains to hydrogen fuel cell electric trains is a promising way to decarbonize rail transport. That's because the fuel cell electric trains have several advantages over other electric trains, such as lower life-cycle emissions and shorter refueling time than battery ones, and less requirements for wayside infrastructure than the ones with overhead electric wires. However, hydrogen fuel technology still needs to be advanced in areas including hydrogen production, storage, refueling, and on-board energy management. Currently, there are several pilot projects of hydrogen fuel cell electric trains across the globe, especially in developed countries, including one commercialized and permanent route in Germany. The experiences from the pilot projects will promote the technological and economic feasibility of hydrogen fuel in rail transport.

The low combustion intensity and high NOx emissions of ammonia (NH3) pose challenges to its applications in energy and power devices. Co-firing strategies with reactive fuels, such as hydrogen, methane, syngas, and dimethyl ether (DME), have been proposed to enhance the combustion stability of NH3 in gas turbine, while exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) has the potential to reduce NOx emissions of combustion systems. This work explores the impact of CO2 EGR on the flame characteristics and NOx emissions of premixed NH3/DME swirl flames. CO2 EGR is observed to have a profound impact on both flame morphology and chemiluminescence intensity. With increasing CO2 EGR rate, which is described by the CO2 content in the oxidizer (χCO2), the chemiluminescence intensity becomes much weaker, the flame height rises, and the lean blowout (LBO) limit grows, indicating a reduced flame stability. Moreover, CO2 EGR affects the distribution of OH radical and weakens the OH fluorescence intensity. These impacts on flame characteristics mean that practical energy and power devices should be better designed to stabilize the flame. To unravel the underlying mechanism, kinetic analysis on premixed NH3/DME/air flame under non-EGR and CO2 EGR conditions is performed. Simulation results show that CO2 EGR substantially reduces the laminar burning velocity, maximum OH mole fraction, and NO mole fraction. The reduction of NO mole fraction is mainly attributed to the thermal effect of CO2 EGR. The chemical effect plays a positive role in reducing NO formation under lean conditions but enhances NO formation under rich conditions.

TiO2 nanomaterials are attractive anode materials in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and doping with niobium is known to improve the electronic conductivity as well as the kinetics of the de-/intercalation of Na+ ions. These effects are related to the formation of defects and lattice widening, leading to improved rate capability and stability. We report single-step synthesis of niobium-doped TiO2 nanoparticles by scalable spray-flame synthesis from titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) dissolved in mixtures of ethanol and ethyl hexanoic acid. Niobium(V) ethoxide was identified as the preferred precursor and materials with varying Nb/Ti ratios were synthesized. SEM/EDX analysis of the as-synthesized powders confirmed Nb/Ti ratios near to the target ratios determined by the precursor mixture. XRD with Rietveld refinement revealed the dependence of the lattice parameters on doping. The materials synthesized mainly consist of anatase with a minor contribution of rutile and Nb2O5 at higher doping concentration. The increase of lattice parameters with higher Nb/Ti ratios, the formation of Nb-O-Ti bonds, and the detected main oxidation state of +5 of Nb indicate successful incorporation of Nb5+ into the TiO2 lattice and impedance measurements indicate higher electronic conductivity for the Nb-doped TiO2 in comparison to the undoped TiO2. The best electrochemical performance was observed for a material with 2 at.% Nb, which delivered high reversible capacity of 194 mAh/g at 0.1 C and 83.7 ± 1.5% capacity retention at 0.5 C after 100 cycles. Moreover, rate capability tests indicate higher Na+ diffusion kinetics in the Nb-doped samples. This one-step synthesis route of these high-performing doped TiO2 nanomaterials provides promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries.

Meeting the demands of sustainable energy economy requires diagnostics of the chemical processes surrounding future fuels and contemporary combustion applications. Pioneered in 1970, Intracavity Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (ICAS) has evolved to be a powerful instrument in the toolbox of combustion diagnostics. It owes its ultra-high sensitivity to the enhancement of the effective absorption pathlength by placing the absorber inside the cavity of a broadband laser. In this review we introduce the complementary strengths of ICAS to other methods: ultra-high sensitivity to narrowband absorption alongside the immunity to broadband losses, multiplexed detection and (µs-scale)-temporal resolution. We outline the basic concepts and features of ICAS, focusing on the laser dynamics regime where an absorbing sample in the laser resonator yields the well-known Lambert-Beer law. We chart the progress made over the years in visible (dye-jet laser) and near infrared (fiber laser) ICAS speciation in flames, by highlighting case studies where species like long considered ''hard-to detect'' 1CH2 and HCO radicals, along with O-atoms, C2, NH2, HNO, CN, and HCN were measured, as well as thermometry and speciation applications demonstrated in shock tubes, flow-cells and flames based on (stationary or time-resolved) measurements of multicomponent spectral matrices containing lines of CH4, C2H2, CO2, CO, OH and H2O. We highlight the contributions of ICAS in gas-phase nanomaterial synthesis, exemplified in prototypical iron-doped flames and discuss prospective applications in spray-flame pyrolysis and metal-powder combustion. Finally, we present advances in the development of lasing media based on Cr2+ and Fe2+-doped chalcogenide crystals and fluoride crystals doped with trivalent lanthanides, that meet the (ICAS-specific) requirement associated with the necessity to have a gain media lasing directly in the desired wavelength range, and therefore to expand this technique into the important mid-infrared and ultraviolet spectral ranges.