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[Display omitted] • Glass fiber wind turbine blades (WTBs) can provide raw material to produce cement. • Glass fiber WTBs can serve as fuel and replace coal to produce cement. • High boron in some glass fiber WTBs might limit replacement rates. • Combustion of fossil-fuel polymer in WTBs can slightly reduce plant CO 2 emissions. • Glass fiber wind turbine blades are compatible with the cement production process. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of co-processing wind turbine blade (WTB) material in cement manufacturing to provide an end-of-life means to divert the solid waste of decommissioned WTBs from landfills. Many WTBs consist primarily of glass fiber reinforced thermoset polymers that are difficult to recover or recycle. Portland cement is produced world-wide in large quantities, requiring immense quantities of raw materials (mostly calcium oxide and silicon oxide) and kiln temperatures approaching 1,450 °C. This work contributes analyses of WTB material composition, and predicts the energy provided through the combustible components of the WTBs and raw material contributions provided by incorporating the incombustible components of the WTBs to produce cement. Approximately 40 to 50 % of the WTB material will contribute as fuel to cement production, and approximately 50 to 60 % of the WTB material is expected to be incombustible. One tonne of WTB material can displace approximately 0.4 to 0.5 tonne of coal, while also contributing approximately 0.1 tonne of calcium oxide and 0.3 tonne of silicon oxide as raw material to the cement production process. The glass fiber WTB tested had an average boron content of 4.5 % in the ash. The effects of this high boron content on the cement and its production process should be evaluated. Co-processing WTBs in cement plants will slightly reduce combustion-related CO 2 emissions due to avoided calcination. It seems feasible to co-process glass-fiber reinforced WTBs in cement production as WTBs provide suitable raw materials and compatible fuel for this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels (electricity and coke) for petroleum products generation. A solar-integrated binary chemical cracking of heavy oil system integrates solar energy into oil processing for carbon neutrality，in which pyrolysis and electrolysis benefit heavy oil conversion and hydrogen storage. This system has been studied in terms of solar chemical engineering, electrolyte engineering and electrode engineering. The results show improved hydrogen yield and cracking rate of heavy oil and a significant reduction in the operating temperature compared to catalytic cracking. The performance of molten salt electrolytes is as follows: binary NaOH–KOH > ternary KCl–LiCl + NaOH > ternary KCl–LiCl + NaHCO 3. In electrode engineering, the electro-catalytic electrodes are in an order of Inconel 718> Ni > Incoloy 825 electrodes in the cracking rate, Ni > Inconel 718>Incoloy 825 electrodes in the hydrogen yield, and Incoloy 825>Inconel 718>Ni electrodes in the ability, for sustainable and stable efficient production. [Display omitted] • Solar binary chemical cracking can efficiently upgrade fuel and abundantly generate hydrogen. • Solar binary energy is integrated into oil processing to replace fossil energy. • The starting reaction temperature is 230 °C, lower than the catalytic cracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic waste is utilized aggressively for food, product packaging, cosmetics, toys, clothes, and even furniture. As a result, discarded plastic as a waste has grown uncontrollably worldwide, most of it ending up as landfill. With increasing concern, researchers have made efforts to convert this plastic waste into a more useful product. Along these lines, this study focuses on producing 10 tons of diesel per day through fast pyrolysis at 450 °C in the fluidized bed reactor for a feed rate of 3000 kg of plastic waste per hour. The production was simulated in Aspen HYSYS V11 to ensure the desired yield. Further, a detailed economic analysis is carried out to estimate the return on investment and total cost per year, as well as the payback period and the profit for different scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen, a potential and high-energy green fuel, offers a solution to the environmental concerns arising from the imprudent use of fossil fuels. As an alternative energy carrier, it can be produced using various conventional and advanced technologies, aiming for a decarbonized energy future. Currently, H 2 production heavily depends on fossil fuels, which results in carbon emissions and makes the process energy-intensive, posing a significant risk.This review article discusses the commonly employed hydrogen production approaches, their current opportunities, and their strategic design towards a global hydrogen economy. Various reforming methods are also explored, along with the specific raw ingredients used in the generation process. Additionally, the production of bio-hydrogen is addressed, with a special focus on fermentation (dark and photo-fermentation), direct bio-photolysis, and indirect bio-photolysis. Bio-hydrogen is gaining popularity due to its environmentally friendly nature and the wide range of feed materials available for its production.The review provides comprehensive information on the biological conversion processes for H 2 production. While numerous researches have been reported, there is still room for improving the efficiency of large-scale H 2 production to meet the growing demand. [Display omitted] • Physical material related hydrogen applications. • Hydrogen production technologies and its strategic design towards hydrogen economy. • Different types of reforming methods have been discussed for production purposes. • Production of biohydrogen with fermentation and biophotolysis processes. • Spectacular mechanism of biological conversion processes for H 2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a simple, cost-effective, and rapid bismuth electrode-square-wave voltammetry method for determining the total sulfur content in automotive gasoline. Optimal conditions for the developed electrode, including various Bi ion concentrations, deposition times, and potentials, were established on a glassy carbon electrode. The results demonstrated that the highest response was achieved when the bismuth electrode was placed in an acetate buffer and a methanol:toluene (1:1 v/v) solvent. The method was validated with and without a 30-second electro-preconcentration step. The voltammetric method in conjunction with the preconcentration step exhibited a sensitivity of 571.81 nA mg L−1, a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.02 mg L−1, and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.08 mg L−1. Without the preconcentration step, the method yielded a sensitivity of 421.89 nA mg L−1, an LOD of 0.03 mg L−1, and an LOQ of 0.11 mg L−1. The developed method was applied to quantify commercial fuel samples. The results showed that the electrochemical technique yielded a similar total sulfur content to that measured by the standard ASTM D2622 method, with an error of less than 7.5%. Moreover, the method proposed in this study had lower LOD and LOQ limits, meeting the EURO5 and EURO6 regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers a comprehensive examination, both theoretically and experimentally, of the potential of methanol (M) as a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) assessed in combination with kerosene (Ke—Jet-A aviation fuel + 5% Aeroshell oil). Different blends of methanol and kerosene (10%, 20%, and 30% vol. of (M) was added to Ke) were tested in an aviation micro turbo-engine under various operating regimes, such as idle, cruise, and maximum. Key engine parameters, including combustion temperature, fuel consumption, and thrust, were closely monitored during these trials. Essential performance indicators such as combustion efficiency, thermal efficiency, and specific consumption for all fuel blends under maximum operating conditions are also presented. Physical and chemical characteristics, such as viscosity, density, calorific value and flash point, were determined for each blend. Moreover, elemental analysis and FTIR spectroscopy were utilized to evaluate the chemical composition of the fuels. This study further investigated the air requirements for stoichiometric combustion and computed the resulting CO2 and H2O emissions. Experimental tests were conducted on the Jet Cat P80® micro turbo-engine, covering assessments of starting procedures, acceleration, deceleration, and pollutant emissions (CO and SO2) during various engine operating conditions. The results suggest that the examined fuel blends demonstrate stable engine performance at concentrations of 10% and 20% methanol. However, observations indicate that with an increase in methanol concentration, particularly at 30%, the stability of the engine at idle and, notably, at maximum speed decreases significantly. Specifically, at a 30% methanol concentration, the engine no longer operates stably, exhibiting significant rpm fluctuations, leading to the decision not to explore higher concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diesel is consistently a very popular fuel for internal combustion engines. Its consumption in the European Union has been rising over recent years, as has the number of engines increasingly sensitive to fuel contamination. One of the most important parameters affecting diesel quality is water content. Its exceedance of the standard's permissible amount carries the risk of serious damage to expensive, modern fuel injection systems. Current methods of measuring water content require both specialised personnel and equipment, as well as transporting the sample to a suitable laboratory. Analysing the properties of diesel is challenging, mainly because many types of the fuel are sold, the chemical composition of which is always a well-guarded manufacturer's secret. The research presented in this paper is aimed at verifying whether it is possible to test the moisture content of diesel using impedance spectroscopy. To date, it is the first such attempt with commercially available diesel using this method, which, once refined, could be used in situ. The authors propose and apply a novel technique that is able to be used when the electrical properties of tested oils are unknown. The experimental results obtained show that it is possible to use impedance spectroscopy to estimate the water content of different types of diesel fuel. The measurement accuracy achieved makes it possible to detect approaching or exceeding the permissible water content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many communities coexist with wildfires that lead to loss of lives, property, and ecosystem services. Remote sensing tools can aid disaster response and post‐event assessment, offering fire agencies opportunities for additional surveillance with radar, an all‐weather instrument that can image day or night. The Station (2009) and Bobcat (2020) Fires are the two largest fires in Los Angeles County history, each burning over 100,000 acres. These areas are imaged with NASA's Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar L‐band instrument. We test whether polarimetric radar can detect fire scars, burn severity, and different fuel types through its sensitivity to different scattering mechanisms. Polarimetric SAR products are moved into geographic information system‐friendly formats, and in lieu of available field measurements are analyzed alongside agency data showing fire perimeters, burn progression outlines, and soil burn severity. We find that the HV polarization returns and the primary scattering mechanism, quantified through the Cloude‐Pottier decomposition, are the most sensitive parameters. Higher HV values pre‐fire correspond well to areas of moderate and high soil burn severity, and the pattern of fire progression follows higher HV to some extent. Using an HV difference threshold of 1.5 dB, the Bobcat burn scar is identified at 0.70 accuracy when compared with the published fire perimeter. Alpha 1 Angle can also demonstrate sensitivity to soil burn severity pre‐ and post‐fire, showing vegetation types with increased surface scattering post‐fire, which can be used to map burn scars and track recovery by vegetation type. Plain Language Summary: Wildfires around the world lead to loss of lives, property, and environmental benefits. The increasing usage of satellite imagery to aid disaster response and monitoring offers fire agencies an opportunity for additional surveillance. Radar instruments can see through smoke, haze, and clouds during the day or night, which is especially relevant when cloud cover or weather conditions block traditional visual surveys of damage. The Station (2009) and Bobcat (2020) Fires are the two largest fires in Los Angeles County history, each burning over 100,000 acres. These areas were imaged with NASA's Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar, an airborne sensor with high quality measurements and detailed resolution. For these neighboring fires, we investigate the usage of radar remote sensing to detect fire scars, burn severity, and different fuel (vegetation) types. These fire characteristics are observed using a variety of polarimetric radar products. These products are analyzed alongside agency data such as burned area outlines, burn progression outlines, and burn severity. We demonstrate the advantages of using radar data sets to understand the vegetation which contributed to the fires and to monitor post‐fire recovery. Key Points: Polarimetric radar products can offer supplementary information on available fuels, past fire scars, and vegetation recoveryAlpha angle from eigenvectors is able to separate burn severity classes, while HV polarization better identifies burned from unburned areaLong‐term monitoring with a similar L‐band instrument can be achieved once the upcoming NASA‐ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar sensor is fully operational [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of solar thermochemical hydrogen (STCH) production redox materials with engineered structures, for example, replica foams, can enable efficient heat and mass transport and are critical for scaled-up systems. Prior work has motivated the use of lanthanum strontium manganese (LSM)-type perovskites as foamed STCH materials, but the effect of their morphology on bulk and kinetic behavior has not been reported. In this work, replica and direct foamed samples of La0.65Sr0.35MnO3-δ (LSM35) were fabricated and compared to synthesized powders and dense monoliths, and similarly synthesized CeO2-δ (ceria) foams, regarding their specific reaction rates and bulk oxygen capacity/H2 yields. Changes in oxygen capacity (δδ) and reaction rates were measured between 1200 °C and 1400 °C by using fixed ratios of steam and hydrogen during both reduction and oxidation steps, allowing for analysis under practical high conversion conditions. Results suggest bulk behavior and reaction rates of the foamed LSM materials are comparable to their powder analogues. Differences in reaction rates were observed only when replica foamed samples were subjected to rapid laser heating (emulating conditions expected in solar furnaces), which is expected but has not been demonstrated at such a small scale. Foamed samples were further subjected to 50 redox cycles at 1400 °C to evaluate their stability. Results show no statistically significant decrease in hydrogen production for any of the foamed samples, but the direct foamed samples became brittle with time. Together, these results demonstrate the viability of replica foamed LSM perovskites for integration in scaled-up STCH systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire regimes have shaped extant vegetation communities, and subsequently fuel arrays, in fire-prone landscapes. Understanding how resilient fuel arrays are to fire regime attributes will be key for future fire management actions, given global fire regime shifts. We use a network of 63-field sites across the Sydney Basin Bioregion (Australia) to quantify how fire interval (short: last three fires <10 years apart, long: last two fires >10 years apart) and severity (low: understorey canopy scorched, high: understorey and overstorey canopy scorched), impacted fuel attribute values 2.5 years after Australia's 2019–2020 Black Summer fires. Tree bark fuel hazard, herbaceous (near-surface fuels; grasses, sedges <50 cm height) fuel hazard, and ground litter (surface fuels) fuel cover and load were higher in areas burned by low- rather than high-severity fire. Conversely, midstorey (elevated fuels: shrubs, trees 50 cm–200 m in height) fuel cover and hazard were higher in areas burned by high- rather than low-severity fire. Elevated fuel cover, vertical connectivity, height and fuel hazard were also higher at long rather than short fire intervals. Our results provide strong evidence that fire regimes rearrange fuel arrays in the years following fire, which suggests that future fire regime shifts may alter fuel states, with important implications for fuel and fire management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen peroxide is a promising substitute for fossil fuels because it produces non-hazardous by-products. In this work, a glassy carbon GC was anodized in sulphuric acid at +1.8 V to prepare the working electrode. It was utilized to investigate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in a basic medium containing 0.1 M NaOH as a supporting electrolyte. The objective of this investigation was to synthesize hydrogen peroxide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear polarization, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and rotating disk electrode voltammetry (RDE) were performed for characterization and investigation of the catalytic properties. The RDE analysis confirmed that oxygen reduction reactions followed two electrons' process at an activated GC electrode. Hence, the prepared electrode generated hydrogen peroxide from molecular oxygen at a potential of around −0.35 V vs. Ag/AgCl (sat. KCl), significantly lower than the pristine GC surface. The transfer coefficient, standard reduction potential, and standard rate constant were estimated to be 0.75, −0.27 V, and 9.5 × 10−3 cm s−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aviation sector, like most other sectors, is moving towards becoming net zero. In the medium to long term, this will mean an increase in the use of sustainable aviation fuels. Research exists on the impact of fuel composition on non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM) emissions. However, there is more sparsity when considering the impact on volatile particulate matter (vPM) emissions. Here, nine different fuels were tested using an open-source design combustor rig. An aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) was used to examine the mass-loading and composition of vPM, with a simple linear regression algorithm used to compare relative mass spectrum similarity. The diaromatic, cycloalkane and aromatic contents of the fuels were observed to correlate with the measured total number concentration and nvPM mass concentrations, resulting in an inverse correlation with increasing hydrogen content. The impacts of fuel properties on other physical properties within the combustion process and how they might impact the particulate matter (PM) are considered for future research. Unlike previous studies, fuel had a very limited impact on the organic aerosol's composition at the combustor exit measurement location. Using a novel combination of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and high-resolution AMS analysis, new insight has been provided into the organic composition. Both the alkane organic aerosol (AlkOA) and quenched organic aerosol (QOA) factors contained CnH2n+1, CnH2n−1 and CnH2n ion series, implying alkanes and alkenes in both, and approximately 12% oxygenated species in the QOA factor. These results highlight the emerging differences in the vPM compositional data observed between combustor rigs and full engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Annually, a growing demand was noted for replacing petroleum fuels with second-generation eco-friendly fuels like dimethyl ether (DME). Methanol dehydration into DME process has been considered as one of the potential pathways for the manufacture of a clean fuel. However, stable, and active catalyst is exceedingly requisite for generation of DME particularly at reasonably low temperature. In the current study, zirconia incorporated AlPO4 tridymite microporous molecular sieve catalysts were fabricated by a hydrothermal method in the presence of triethylamine (TEA) as a structure directing agent. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and N2-sorption assessments. Catalysts' acidity was estimated by decomposition of isopropanol, pyridine and dimethyl pyridine chemisorption, and pyridine-TPD. Results revealed that catalysts surfaces composed acid sites of Brønsted nature and of weak and medium strengths. Activity results showed that 1 wt% H2SO4 modified zirconia incorporated AlPO4-TRI catalyst calcined at 400 °C presented the best activity with a conversion of 89% and a 100% selectivity into DME at 250 °C. The significant catalytic activity is well-connected to the variation in BET-surface area, acidity, and activation energy of methanol dehydration. The catalysts offered long-term stability for 120 h and could be regenerated with almost the same activity and selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds present in fuels is and will be crucial to accomplish actual strict regulations to avoid environmental and humanity health adversities. The conventional hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation processes conducted by refineries are limited due to severe operating conditions, and even more importantly, they are inefficient for simultaneously removing nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds in fuels. On the other hand, non-hydrogen technologies are beneficial in terms of mild operating conditions, and during the last two decades, some successful works have shown that these can be highly effective at efficiently removing both sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds from liquid fuels. For more than four decades, extensive research (thousands of publications since the 1980s) has been dedicated to developing remote desulfurization technologies without taking into consideration the presence of a complex fuel matrix, or even taking into account the presence of other harmful pollutant elements, such as nitrogen. Even more recently, several effective non-hydrogen denitrogenation processes have been reported without considering the presence of sulfur compounds. This review paper is a reflection on the limited work that has been successfully performed to simultaneously remove sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds from fuels. An evaluation of different methodologies (adsorption, extraction, oxidative (photo)catalysis, ultrasound-assisted oxidation) is presented here. Furthermore, this review intends to define new future strategies that will allow the design of more suitable and economical technologies, effectively conciliating desulfurization and denitrogenation processes to produce more sustainable fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission limits imposed on gas-powered vehicles, which have gradually been introduced by the European Commission, as well as the exhaustibility of the planet's natural resources involve the need to search for alternative solutions and restore renewable fuel markets. In terms of ecology, using biofuels for powering spark-ignition engines has a positive impact on the natural environment. This kind of fuel, however, has a negative effect on the drive unit performance parameters, such as power and torque. This study presents test results of performance parameters of a spark-ignition engine fueled by E100 (pure ethanol). Parameters that have been analyzed are power, torque, exhaust emission components (oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons), solid particles included in exhaust gases and emission of noise generated by the drive unit. The vehicle control system software adjustments have also been tested. Twelve regulations have been tested to evaluate performance parameters of a spark-ignition engine powered by E100 fuel. An analysis of the test results has confirmed the advisability of the introduction of control system software regulation. The aim of the work was to develop a model that will help select the appropriate software adjustment for an engine powered by E100 fuel. Due to the introduced emission restrictions, there is an important issue that concerns users of combustion vehicles. The research presented in the manuscript concerns a joint analysis of the engine's fueling with alternative fuel and the introduction of changes to its software in order to reduce emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slagging and fouling of boilers are typical technological problems in the combustion of solid fuels (especially coal and biomass). This study proposes a novel approach based on laser texturing of the near-surface layer of steel used to make heating surfaces of coal-fired boilers. This approach is aimed at improving the resistance of metal surfaces to slagging. The formation of slag deposits on the surfaces of AISI 310 S steel modified by laser radiation has been experimentally studied. The formation of slag melt was analyzed on the surface of modified and polished steel plates during heating to 1400 °C. High-temperature heating and interaction with slag led to a change in the chemical composition of the steel. A significant increase in the chromium content (up to 47%) of the steel surface and the transformation of its texture with the formation of grains up to 2.5 µm in size were established. Laser surface treatment significantly increased the resistance of the steel to such changes and also reduced the grain size to 1.5 µm. As a result of laser modification of surfaces, the temperature of slag formation shifts to higher values (higher by 60–75 °C compared to the unmodified polished surface). The anisotropic texture (cauliflower type) contributed to a decrease in the size of the slag spreading front, and also had by self-cleaning properties from the mineral melt. The latter allows to increase the reliability and energy efficiency of boiler equipment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur compounds are the most important inorganic constituents of petroleum and require to be estimated beforehand because of their corrosive nature and other processing anomalies during crude oil processing. Paraffins, naphthene, and aromatics form the bulk of crude oil. Machine learning (ML) predictions of these constituents were made by training the ML model with a diverse industrial data set of 515 oils. The XGBoost model gave an excellent R2 in the range 0.88–0.99 for the bulk compounds. R2 for sulfur was in the modest range of 0.45–0.6, which improved significantly to 0.8 for additional inputs. ML applicability was thereby found to depend on the nature of the constituent. This work furthers ML‐based predictions, with the incentive of reducing expensive spectroscopic analytical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study is designed to investigate the effect of five different burner head geometries of gas stoves. The amounts of heat required for boiling 380 grams of water in a pot for a stove for these several burner heads are measured. The flow rates are set to be 3 L/min and 6 L/min for experimental tests. These experimental results show that the burner head with three lateral sets of holes and two circular sets of holes at the top gives the minimum heating time when burning natural gas alone. Once the hydrogen-natural gas mixture is used, the burner head with one lateral and three top circular sets of holes shows the best performance among others regarding heating time. The effect of the flow rate increase is also investigated. Once the flow rate doubles, the burner head with three lateral sets of holes offers the best performance. Based on the findings of the experiments, it can be said that burner heads with lateral sets of holes operate better than other geometries. When natural gas is utilized as fuel, it is observed that the burner head with three lateral sets of holes and two circular sets of holes at the top provided a 12% reduction in heating time compared to the conventional burner head. For the natural gas and hydrogen blends, the conventional burner head achieves the best in terms of heating time. [Display omitted] • To investigate an experimental system for natural gas and H 2 blend combustion. • To observe the impact of burner head geometry on heating performance. • To compare the heating time of water for different burner head geometries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study is focused on the analysis of methods and means for reducing marine engine exhaust and greenhouse gases (GHGs). The research method consists in identifying equipments that have been applied in the case of small four-stroke marine engines used as emergency generators on board large ships, specifically the Cummins Qsb6.7-G16 model. The results, which were demonstrated by practical experiences of the different possible configurations for the engine studied showed high potential for reducing emissions, but the most suitable alternative is the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the potential of biomass-coal blends as an alternative fuel source, focusing on coal from Darra Adam Khel, Cherat, Harnoi, and Daola in the KPK province of Pakistan and Parthenium weed biomass. The study assesses the impact of varying biomass ratios on proximate analysis (net calorific value (NCV), sulfur content, volatile matter, ash content, and moisture content) and calorific values of the composite fuel. Results reveal a linear NCV decline with increasing biomass, affecting high NCV coals less. Daola and Darra coal, starting at 30.43 and 31.32 MJ/kg, decreased to 20.15 MJ/kg and 19.71 MJ/kg with 66% biomass. Sulfur content, notably high in high NCV coals, significantly reduces with biomass; Darra coal decreases from 3.31% to below 1% with 66% biomass. Volatile matter uniformly increases with incremental biomass, enhancing combustibility. Cherat coal, initially at 8% volatile matter, rises to 50% with 66% biomass. Biomass effectively reduces ash content, particularly beneficial for low NCV coals. Harnoi coal, starting with 73% ash content, decreases to 30% with 66% biomass. However, biomass addition raises moisture content due to challenges in removing moisture from Parthenium weed. In summary, these findings optimize biomass-coal blends for enhanced fuel performance, address environmental concerns, and improve combustion efficiency, highlighting their potential as sustainable and eco-friendly energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, two‐phase electrocoagulation (EC) approach was developed and used to investigate blend of bio‐diesel and petro‐diesel (B10) stability under the electrochemical treatment. Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) was used to analyze the aliquots before and after the reaction. The major compounds were alkanes and aromatic compounds with the minor contents of aldehydes, ketones, esters, alkenes, alkynes, halogens, oxygenated compounds, and heterocyclic compounds. The selected condition for the reaction was 10 V and 60 min which resulted in 9.9×109 counts per s total peak area of compounds containing from nine to seventeen carbon atoms (C9 to C17) compared with 6.8×108 counts per s for the control. The peak areas of the straight chain alkanes increased from 12 % to 33 % of the total peak areas observed after the experiment. Compounds with higher peak areas were found between C12 to C14 with the retention indices range of 1155–1678. The EC treatment mainly increased the straight and branched alkane and alcohol contents with the decreasing contents of branched cyclic alkanes. The developed system could be adapted to study the stability of other types of fuels. This is cost effective and can be performed within an hour at room temperature under atmospheric pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the impact of four types of consumed fuels on the emission of exhaust gases from two common car engines (TYPE I and TYPE II) under identical conditions, an experimental study was conducted in Islam Abad Gharb, the central location for automotive technical. The study followed factorial completely randomized design with six replicates. After preparing the engines according to relevant standards, sampling was carried out while the engines were idling at a low RPM with the gear lever in neutral. The fuels examined in this research comprised export gasoline, super gasoline, regular gasoline, and CNG gas. The measured exhaust gases exhausted from the engines included oxygen (O2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), unburned hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NOX). These gases were compared with international standards and those set by automotive technical inspection centers. The results indicated that the volumetric percentages of oxygen produced during the combustion of export gasoline are 0.14% and 0.04% for TYPE II and TYPE I engines, respectively. Additionally, carbon monoxide percentages are 0.016% and 0.023% for TYPE II and TYPE I engines. Furthermore, carbon dioxide emissions are 8.56% and 10.20% for TYPE II and TYPE I engines, respectively. The TYPE I engine exhibits a lower impact on hydrocarbon emissions across all fuels. In terms of nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations, the TYPE I engine consistently plays a lesser role compared to the TYPE II engine for all tested fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to avoid environmental pollution and resource waste produced during the production and processing of tobacco, this paper systematically reviewed the current status of fuel utilization of tobacco and its wastes and showed that: The preparation method of tobacco solid fuel was simple and convenient, but the requirements for equipment were high. Among them, tobacco briquette charcoal was more easily transported and stored, clean and environmentally friendly, furthermore, the combustion residue could also be used for secondary utilization in agriculture. The preparation method of liquid fuel preparation was relatively mature. The operation of the direct extraction technology was simple, but the bio-oil yield depended on the inherent fat content in tobacco raw materials. Therefore, it required higher requirements for tobacco varieties. The thermal chemical conversion method belonged to a chemical process with high energy consumption, but there is a large space for innovation with regard to the preparation method. The chemical composition of liquid fuels could be adjusted, having a huge development potential. The fermentation method produced a single product, mainly ethanol, with low efficiency at present. There has been no breakthrough in the pretreatment technology for scalable application of tobacco raw materials throughout the entire technical chain. The preparation method of gaseous fuel was still in the exploration stage, with high energy consumption and low yield. The tech-economic feasibility was poor. In the future, much more attention should be paid on tobacco briquette charcoal, tobacco fermentation for fuel ethanol production, tobacco catalytic pyrolysis for liquid fuel, as well as the cultivation of novel tobacco varieties targeted towards specific energy purpose. This will further promote the industrialized development of multiple purposes of tobacco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable and renewable sources of liquid and solid fuels are essential to prevent fossil fuel use from damaging the environment. Secondary agricultural residues, which are already transported to food processing centers, have great potential to be converted into biofuels. The wastes from coffee roasting, sugar production, and rice milling have been investigated using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) to produce aqueous products containing monosaccharides alongside solid biofuels. These sugar-laden liquid products were characterized after pretreating coffee silverskins, sugarcane bagasse, and rice husks with HTC. They were then concentrated using direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD), a low-energy process that can use waste heat from other biorefinery processes. The higher heating value of the solid products was also characterized by bomb calorimetry. The liquid products from HTC of these wastes from food production were found to contain varying concentrations of glucose, xylose, galactose, and arabinose. DCMD was capable of concentrating the liquid products up to three times their original concentrations. Little difference was found among the higher heating values of the solid products after 180 °C HTC pretreatment compared to 200 °C pretreatment. HTC of waste from food processing can provide solid biofuels and liquid products containing sugars that can be concentrated using DCMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Napier grass is a herbaceous biomass that can be used as biofuel; however, its high ash, potassium, sulfur and chlorine content may cause problems when combusted. Napier grass was submitted to vapothermal carbonization (VTC) and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) processes at 190 and 220 °C to compare their ability to enhance its fuel properties. The different water distribution between phases in the two processes was verified: up to 14.5% of the water vaporized to steam in the VTC ran at 220 °C, while over 99% of the water remained in the liquid state and in contact with the solids during all HTC runs. Both processes improved the calorific value of the Napier grass (up to 20.6% for VTC220 and up to 29.8% for HTC220) due to the higher C content in the chars. Both processes reduced the sulfur content, removing up to 15.3% of it with VTC190 and 28.5% of it with HTC190 compared to that of Napier grass. In contrast, the two processes had different effects on the ash and chlorine content. While HTC removed both ash and Cl from the Napier grass, VTC concentrated it in the chars (ash: 5.6%wt. Napier grass, 3.3%wt. HTC chars, 7.1%wt. VTC; chlorine: 1.08%wt. Napier grass, 0.19%wt. HTC chars, 1.24%wt. VTC). Only the HTC process leached high percentages of Cl (up to 80%), S (up to 70%), sodium (Na, up to 80%) and potassium (K, up to 90%) into the process water. This may prevent fouling and slagging problems when burning HTC char. The biofuel qualities of the raw Napier grass, VTC, and HTC chars were evaluated using two standards: the international standard for solid biofuels, EN ISO 17225, and the Korean regulation for biomass solid recovered fuels (Bio-SRF). Napier grass and VTC chars presented problems regarding Cl content thresholds for both EN ISO 17225 and Bio-SRF. Both VTC and HTC chars along with the Napier grass fulfilled the requirements for heavy metals (Pb, Ni, Cr, and Cd) except for copper. The choice of process in practical applications will depend on the goal; HTC improves fuel quality and VTC has higher high solid, carbon and energy yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cogeneration system described in this paper is constructed based on a solar-assisted double-effect absorption cogeneration cycle with an adjustable cooling-to-power ratio. As a proposed technique to benefit from the ability to adjust the cooling-to-power ratio, this system is integrated with a cold thermal energy storage system. The procedure described here will be applied to a combined cooling and power system with a thermal energy storage capability for a large medical center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Through an exergoeconomic analysis of the integrated system on a typical summer day in Jeddah, we found that the integrated system could fulfill the cooling and power demands of the medical center under study with an exergetic efficiency of 53.97%. From an economics perspective, the integrated system was found to deliver cooling and power with average unit costs of 222.89 $/GJ and 17.06 $/GJ, respectively. These costs were found to be lower than the unit costs of the respective cooling and power costs delivered to the medical center if they were obtained from an electrically-driven vapor compression system and the electric grid, respectively. For the case study investigated, it has been found that using the integrated system is a desirable approach due to the system's lower unit costs as well as its relatively short payback period. Additionally, it has been found that although cogeneration systems constructed based on the double-effect combined cooling and power cycle have higher exergy destruction and capital investment rates, they have a lower unit cost for the produced exergy in comparison with those of cogeneration systems constructed based on a single-effect combined cooling and power cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy is considered to be the cleanest fuel. India is rich in natural resources; we have learned to harness them for our benefit and advancement. As a gauge of fuel demand, India's fuel consumption increased 6.5% year over year in 2023 to around 18.57 million tons, according to figures from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC). Even though it applies to all resources, we are currently focusing on harnessing wind energy. Wind turbines have been improved and researched to increase their efficiency since their inception. However, little progress was ever made on extracting wind energy lost at low wind speeds as they could not power a large commercial turbine. Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT), which typically perform better at low wind speeds. To address this issue and to increase the turbine's efficiency, we applied natural shapes and curves to the turbine design. We investigated its effects using numerical analysis, discovering that the method offers certain advantages in terms of fluid flow over the turbine body, such as having better flow over the body, a low number of vortex formations, and reduced drag effects while returning the blade to its original position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam) waste (JFW), a lignocellulosic biomass, is a potential raw material that can be tapped to produce energy and valuable products for human use. In the present work, biobutanol production was studied using jackfruit waste. Initially, the jackfruit waste was pretreated using acid and alkaline agents and hydrolyzed to produce fermentable sugars. The hydrolyzed jackfruit waste was fermented using Clostridium acetobutylicum NCIM 2877 to produce biobutanol. Among the studied pretreatments, sulfuric acid pretreatment produced a maximum sugar yield of 84.21 ± 2.6 mggds−1 in the acid liquor. Enzyme hydrolysis of pretreated jackfruit waste produced a total glucose yield of 215.12 ± 13.44 mggds−1 after optimization. After detoxification using activated charcoal, the JFW hydrolysate produced a maximum biobutanol titer and yield of 1.60 ± 0.5 g L−1, and 106.59 ± 5.1 mg/gglucose, respectively. Central composite design optimization of acetone‐butanol‐ethanol fermentation produced a maximum biobutanol titer of 5.6 ± 0.2 g L−1 (250.00 ± 11.4 mg/gglucose) and total solvent titer of 7.28 ± 0.3 g L−1 (325.00 ± 13.1 mg/gglucose). A 31 ton annual biobutanol production from JFW, simulated using SuperPro Designer, revealed the unit production cost and payback time to be $10.49/kg and 8.94 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of seaweed as fuel has been mentioned in ethnographic and historical sources of different coastal regions. Nevertheless, the archaeological record of seaweed burning is still limited to contexts where preservation is exceptional and macroscopic discrimination of charred remains is possible. Here, we evaluate the effectiveness of Raman spectroscopy in discriminating seaweed vs. plant/wood char. Our dataset (N = 92) consists of modern and archaeological seaweed and plant/wood charred remains, including specimens of unknown origin from the Atacama Desert coast, Northern Chile. The charred samples were processed to obtain 13 parameters which were then fed into five supervised machine learning models. The models, built on samples of known origin (seaweed and plant/wood), performed remarkably well in terms of accuracy, kappa, sensitivity, and specificity. The models were used for final predictions on 10 non-identified archaeological charcoals. Our results suggest that Raman spectroscopy combined with machine learning techniques is a robust methodology for discriminating seaweed and plant/wood charred remains in the archaeological record. The predictions on unknown samples confirm that seaweed was used as fuel in a specific funerary ritual in the southern Atacama Desert coast around 5000 cal BP. Furthermore, charred specimens of Lessonia spp. recovered from combustion features in other northern Chile coastal settlements, suggest that seaweed pyrotechnology developed by Atacama Desert coast people is likely a long-term process. As for coastal archaeology, this work encourages new research on seaweed as an alternative/main fuel in coastal deserts and evaluates possible bias for chronologies from coastal archaeological settlements around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on transition policies targeted at supporting workers now employed in the fossil fuel industries and ancillary sectors within high-income economies. As a general normative principle, I argue that the overarching aim of such policies should be to protect workers against major losses in their living standards resulting through the fossil fuel industry phase-out. The impacted workers should be provided with guarantees to accomplish this, in the areas of jobs, compensation and pensions. Just transition policies should also include job search, retraining and relocation programs, but these forms of support should be recognized as supplementary. The overall set of just transition policies is fully aligned with the Energy Justice and Capabilities Approach as well as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Within this framework, the paper first reviews experiences with transitional policies in Germany, the UK, the EU and, more briefly, Japan and Canada. The policies either implemented or discussed in these cases do not provide the needed guarantees. The paper then presents an illustrative robust just transition program for the heavily fossil fuel-dependent U.S. state of West Virginia. This program will cost, as an annual average, about $42,000 per impacted worker, or about 0.2 percent of West Virginia's current GDP. I briefly summarize results for seven other U.S. states and for the overall U.S. economy. For the U.S. economy overall, the just transition program's costs would total to about 0.015 percent of GDP. These findings demonstrate the financial viability of robust just transition programs for high-income economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Requirement of energy for automobiles is increasing everyday as we take a step towards development. The use of nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels is leading to an increase in pollution. There was research performed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2007 and it was found that a normal family car produces approximately three to four tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, similarly six tonnes of carbon dioxide was produced by a large four-wheel drive like a van yearly. The present energy scenario of energy generation and the pollution caused by automobiles due to conventional energy sources have made it necessary to harness energy from other unorthodox sources to run them. Electric vehicles have been developed to solve this problem, in a sense that they don’t release any harmful gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. One major problem which still exists even in electric automobiles is that the electricity that they utilize is still generated from conventional sources. Thus, if we can somehow generate electricity from unconventional sources, it can solve our former problem. Wind energy fuel which can be harnessed from a moving vehicle is one of such unorthodox sources that could be harnessed and subsequently used to power automobiles. This paper is a review of different ways of how wind power can be harnessed to fully power an automobile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictive accuracy in wildland fire behavior is contingent on a thorough understanding of the 3D fuel distribution. However, this task is complicated by the complex nature of fuel forms and the associated constraints in sampling and quantification. In this study, twelve terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) plot scans were sampled within the mountain pine beetle-impacted forests of Jasper National Park, Canada. The TLS point clouds were delineated into eight classes, namely individual-tree stems, branches, foliage, downed woody logs, sapling stems, below-canopy branches, grass layer, and ground-surface points using a transformer-based deep learning classifier. The fine-scale 3D architecture of trees and branches was reconstructed using a quantitative structural model (QSM) based on the multi-class components from the previous step, with volume attributes extracted and analyzed at the branch, tree, and plot levels. The classification accuracy was evaluated by partially validating the results through field measurements of tree height, diameter-at-breast height (DBH), and live crown base height (LCBH). The extraction and reconstruction of 3D wood components enable advanced fuel characterization with high heterogeneity. The existence of ladder trees was found to increase the vertical overlap of volumes between tree branches and below-canopy branches from 8.4% to 10.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of the economic and energy analysis of the operation of five types of windows in residential buildings. The aim of this study was to determine (a) to what extent the construction and various insulation parameters of windows affect the operating costs of buildings, when using different heating systems, (b) to what extent the significant cost of purchasing windows with better insulation is compensated by lower building operation costs (heating and the lifecycle of windows), (c) how the temperature difference inside the building affects heat loss through windows and, as a result, heating costs when using different heating systems. Five types of windows were selected for detailed analysis: a double- and a triple-glazed PVC window, double- and triple-glazed wooden window, and triple-glazed aluminum window. When wooden double-glazed windows are replaced with aluminum windows, the return on investment occurs in just 2 to 4.4 years. It was also found that of the five types of windows tested, the total economic balance of the operation period is the most favorable for PVC windows, regardless of the type of glazing and the heating system. The operating costs of PVC windows in a model residential building are over 30% lower than in the case of wooden windows and almost 20% lower compared to aluminum windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ancient Alaska, people allocated wood, bone, and oil for both fuel and non-fuel purposes, which required careful management. By examining these resources through the lens of human behavioral ecology (HBE) and the principle of least effort (PLE), we can understand fuel use--especially woody fuel use--from the standpoint of selectivity, wherein ancient people considered energetic output, handling costs, and state when choosing fuel sources. At any given site, some degree of firewood selectivity, ranging from complete indifference to marked discrimination, would have been most advantageous. Accordingly, ancient Alaskans at Cape Espenberg, Gerstle River, Hungry Fox, and Walakpa would have employed different fuel management strategies tailored according to their evolving needs. Results suggest that firewood indifference was more common, and that selectivity was advantageous only at longer-term occupations where fuel was abundant. Otherwise, proximity and handling costs trumped the benefits of taxon-specific selectivity, which is a strategy meant to confer desired combustion outcomes. Detecting when and where it was beneficial for ancient Alaskans to be selective grants insight into how they categorized fuel and adapted their fuel selection behaviors to fit particular circumstances. Moreover, the restrictions imposed by finite fuel availability have general implications for settlement patterns and mobility that may help trace ancient migration routes as hunter-gatherers leap-frogged from one fuel patch to another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly studies the safety and cost control challenges faced by diesel locomotives operating in cold environments. In order to meet this challenge, the author solves the fuel system problem of railway diesel locomotive in cold environment by deeply understanding and optimizing the chemical properties of fuel oil, and by designing and implementing effective heating system. First, the author investigates and summarizes the chemical properties of the fuel and the ambient temperature required for the fuel. The change of chemical properties of fuel under normal and low temperature is verified by experiments, and the specific demand relationship between the safe operation of railway diesel locomotive and the chemical properties and temperature of fuel is clarified. These implements provide strong data support for the realization of low fuel combustion. Subsequently, based on the above research results, the author designs a fuel temperature control system that can meet the low-burning fuel demand. In the design process, the chemical properties of fuel and the particularity of the material and structure of fuel tank in a railway diesel locomotive are fully considered, and a fuel heating scheme is proposed. Finally, it is verified by actual measurement that the scheme has the ability of fine control of temperature and synchronous heating of multi-temperature zones, which meets the actual demand of low fuel combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrocarbon resources were considered as the basis of Azerbaijan's energy security. Ensuring the most complete and rational use of oil-associated gas resources is important for improving the efficiency of the oil industry and the national economy as a whole. Associated gas from oil fields remains the least demanded hydrocarbon raw material. The perspectives for the use of oil-associated gas are associated with new directions in the technique and technology of its use as a result of the creation and implementation of mobile and stationary power plants that consume gas. Unlike natural gas produced from gas and gas condensate fields, propane-butanoic and pentane fractions, there are hexanes, heptane's and heavy hydrocarbons, including aromatic and naphthene tic compounding. The properties of APG were studied in the laboratories. It is known that the composition of petroleum gas in a particular area, due to changes in the volume of its production on fields, is constantly changing, so it is necessary to periodically update characteristics. The standard technology on gas conditioning for combustion is supplemented with an operation to remove heavy fractions of hydrocarbons in order to prevent these fractions from sticking to the surfaces of these installations with plugs formation and to support optimal fuel burning conditions. The problem of using oil gas in small power must be solved through new, cost-efficient developments that will be widely used both in high-output and small fields. To prepare associated oil gases for combustion, the design of an adsorption device is proposed, which makes it possible to reduce such phenomena when using this type of fuel as the formation of oil and paraffin deposits on the design details of gas burners, the accumulation of products of incomplete combustion of fuel on the heating elements of power plants. With the help of the newly proposed adsorption plant, the process of emulsifying and transporting petroleum gases has become more efficient. The use of this device has increased economic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal combustion (IC) engines serve as power devices that are widely applied in the fields of transport, engineering machinery, stationary power generation, etc., and are evolving towards the goal of higher efficiency and lower environmental impacts. In this Editorial, the role of IC engines for future transport and energy systems is discussed, and research directions for advancing IC engine and fuel technologies are recommended. Finally, we introduce the 14 technical papers collected for this Special Issue, which cover a wide range of research topics, including diesel spray characteristics, combustion technologies for low- and zero-carbon fuels, advanced combustion mode, fuel additive effects, engine operation under extreme conditions and advanced materials and manufacturing processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Doppler coefficient represents the primary source of passive and instantaneous negative reactivity feedback to limit peak power excursion during reactivity-initiated accidents as well as a nonnegligible negative reactivity source that changes between cold zero-power and hot zero-power conditions. Furthermore, the mechanism behind the Doppler coefficient may also contribute to an increase in the buildup of Pu under normal operating conditions. As such, its treatment is critical in the design and evaluation of the safety and control of nuclear systems. This paper provides a brief overview of the physical source of the Doppler effect through resonance broadening from first principles as well as an exploration of some recent developments in the treatment of elastic scattering in the Monte Carlo codes Tripoli4® and MCNP. This exploration results in a detailed look at the effect different elastic scattering kernels have on the radiative capture, fission, and elastic scattering rates as they directly tie into the calculation of the Doppler coefficient via the six-factor formula. Also provided is some insight into the propagation of the a priori uncertainty of 238U resonance parameters. This work is performed pursuant to the development of a new experimental program to measure the Doppler coefficient in a zero-power reactor both more accurately and to higher temperatures (1500°C to 2000°C) than has been done in the past at the MINERVE facility at Cadarache. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surgical fire is a fire that occurs on or in a patient. It is an emergency for it can result in devastating consequences. The operating room (OR) team needs to be aware of the possibility of the same and of the protocol to be followed if an unfortunate incident does occur. The present review discusses the constituents of the fire triad/triangle that are constantly present in any OR, namely the oxidizer, ignition source and the fuel, and their role in the causation of a surgical fire. Furthermore, safeguards to mitigate the risk of a surgical fire are elaborated on along with the fire algorithms on the topic. Some case examples of actual published incidents are also presented. Surgical fire is totally preventable if due care is taken and everyone in the OR team is abreast with the fire protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of mathematical models have helped to explain social, economic and environmental behavior, for this case, the construction of a fuel model of the vegetation of the Los Besotes Regional Natural Park becomes essential for decision making and land management, therefore, this research focused on developing it through satellite images from the Landsat 7 ETM+ C2 L1 platform, data from the period 2011 to 2020, with which two fuel models were obtained, highlighting the one made up of Jung's EVI, SAVI and ARVI indicators, since they have atypical characteristics with the morphology of the terrain and consider external physical variables in their formulas. The models were predicted at a probability lower than Alpha (p-value < 0.05), indicating an excellent prediction of plant combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower-like cobalt–molybdenum mixed-oxide microspheres (CoMo-FMs) with hierarchical architecture were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal process and subsequent calcination step. The characterization results show that CoMo-FMs were assembled from ultrathin mesoporous nanosheets with thicknesses of around 4.0 nm, providing the composite with a large pore volume and a massive surface area. The synthesized CoMo-FMs were employed as catalysts for the aerobic oxidative desulfurization (AODS) of fuel, and the reaction results show that the optimal catalyst (CoMo-FM-2) demonstrated an outstanding catalytic performance. Over CoMo-FM-2, various thiophenic sulfides could be effective removed at 80–110 °C under an atmospheric pressure, and a complete conversion of sulfides could be achieved in at least six consecutive cycles without a detectable change in chemical compositions. Further, the catalytic mechanism was explored by conducting systemic radical trapping and transformation experiments, and the excellent catalytic performance for CoMo-FMs should be mainly due to the synergistic effect of Mo and Co elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel tri-phase NiO–CdO-Nd 2 O 3 nanocomposite was prepared by coprecipitation method and its catalytic activity in transesterification reaction was studied. The synthesized nanocomposite was characterized by using FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDX to explore the functional, structural morphological and compositional properties respectively. In FTIR studies the vibrational bands for NiO, CdO and Nd 2 O 3 have been observed. The XRD pattern of nanocomposite revealed its crystalline nature and average particle size was calculated as 28nm. The SEM studies of nanocomposite revealed that the shape of nanocomposite is semi-circle and oval shaped. EDX analysis represented elemental composition of ternary composite. The newly prepared catalyst was used as heterogeneous catalyst in transesterification of triglycerides from mustard oil into fatty acid methyl esters as biodiesel fuel. The oval shaped nanoparticles showed good catalytic activity in biodiesel synthesis. The obtained biodiesel was thoroughly characterized using FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopic techniques. FT-IR analysis was also used to find out percentage yield using absorption spectra of different oil & methanol molar ratio. The FAMEs composition of obtained biodiesel was determined by GC-MS analysis which showed presence of methyl palmitoleate (C16:1), methyl linoleate (C18:2), methyl oleate (C18:1), metyl erucate (C22:1) and methyl behenate (C22:0) at various retention time. The quality of fuel parameters such as density, viscosity, cloud, pour and flash points were determined using ASTM methods and found within limits. The effect of several parameters on yield of biodiesel such as oil to methanol ratio (1:6, 1:9, 1:12, 1:15 and 1:18) catalyst amount (0.1, 0.5 and 0.9g) time of reaction (1.5, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5h) and effect of temperature (60–80 °C with interval of 5 °C) were studied in detail and optimized. The 80% yield of biodiesel was achieved at optimum conditions of 1:15 oil:methanol ratio, 0.5 g catalyst concentration, 5 h reaction time and 80 °C temperature. The reusability of catalyst was tested by using three times and the results were good with minor loss of catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste biomass pelletization is a suitable process for obtaining energy dense solid fuel. If the pellets are further processed by torrefaction, both their qualitative and energy parameters are changed. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the torrefaction process on pellets made from coffee grounds, garden chaff and rapeseed straw. Mechanical parameters, such as the pellet durability index, the wettability index of the pellets, their water moisture resistance, hardness, or specific and bulk density were determined for evaluation. Furthermore, pellet energy parameters such as the heat of combustion, calorific value, or elemental analysis were compared. Pelletization of the above-mentioned waste biomass and the torrefaction of the pellets were carried out in pilot plants. The first results showed that the torrefaction process for all samples increased the values of the heat of combustion or the values of the carbon content. The energy value of the pellets increases. The higher heating value of torrefied coffee ground pellets reached 26 MJ kg−1. The ash content also increases with these values. A simple energy balance has been carried out. Therefore, the study shows an insight into the energy use of coffee grounds and chaff from the garden compared to the results of the rapeseed straw pellets for the pelletization and torrefication process. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. In agricultural production, not only solar energy is used efficiently in the photosynthesis process, but also energy is used directly as fuel or electricity and indirectly due to energy consumption in the production processes of agricultural machinery, fertilizers or pesticides. The energy consumption per unit production area by the tractor and irrigation pump engines used during agricultural production processes is calculatedregarding the diesel fuel and engine oil consumptions. During the operation of tractors and other engine-powered equipment, carbon (C) in the fuel is converted into carbon dioxide (CO2) released in the engine exhaust. The fuel-based CO2 emission calculation method is the preferred approach, as data on fuel consumed is generally more reliable. In this study, the methods used to determine energy consumption and CO2 emissions related to fuel consumption in agricultural mechanization applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of complete combustion of fuel, only carbon dioxide and water vapors are formed from it. In addition, nitrogen and residual oxygen are released into the atmosphere. Due to the lack of air, premature combustion of fuel occurs. It produces toxic gases carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (CN) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are dangerous for the environment and human life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note covers the use of electrochemistry as one of the areas of active research relating to a future hydrogen economy. Future hydrogen manufacturing processes should electrolyze water to separate it into hydrogen and oxygen using energy from renewable sources like wind or sunlight. Electrochemistry is at the forefront of this technology, with its fingerprints on everything from electrolyzers to batteries to fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal semiconducting nanocrystals (NCs) are powerful elements of a photocatalytic system useful for enabling a variety of chemical transformations owing to their strong light-absorbing properties and high degree of size-, shape-, and composition-tunability. Key to their utility is our understanding of the photoinduced charge transfer processes required for these photochemical transformations. This Perspective will focus on the implementation of semiconductor NCs for photochemical fuel formation. Three general system designs for photocatalytic proton reduction using semiconductor NCs will be reviewed: metal–semiconductor heterostructures, NC photosensitizers with molecular catalysts, and hydrogenase-based systems. Other relevant reactions toward solar fuel targets, such as CO2 and N2 reductions with NCs, will also be highlighted. Illustrating the versatile roles that NCs can play in light-driven chemical reactions, advances made toward NC-catalyzed organic transformations will be discussed. Finally, we will share a few concluding thoughts and perspectives on the future of the field, with a focus on goals toward improving and implementing NC-based technologies for solar fuel development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]