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In the study, the effect of phase change materials integrated into the building's external wall has been investigated in terms of material type, thickness, and melting temperature of phase change material on the building energy performance for İzmir Province. A villa residential project has been modelled in 3D using DesignBuilder energy simulation software and two different external wall configurations have been designed by changing the position, thickness and melting temperature of the PCMs into the wall. The amount of CO2 emission reductions that PCMs will provide according to the fuel type of the building's heating system has been calculated. Using PCMs in the external wall not only provides high heating and cooling energy savings but also increases thermal comfort indoors by reducing temperature fluctuations. The PCM melting temperature of 23°c performs quite well compared to other temperatures in both cooling energy and heating energy demand reduction. By increasing the triple thickness of the PCM, 18.81% in heating energy and 22.85% in cooling energy savings can be achieved. Depending on the external wall and phase change material types, different thicknesses and melting temperatures of PCM, annual total energy saving of the phase-change material is calculated between 10,349.50-83,345.98 kJ/m².year and the annual CO2 emission reduction according to fuel types has been found as 0.672-14.284 kgCO2/m².year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to ever-increasing global warming, the scientific community is concerned with finding immediate solutions to reduce or utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) and convert it in useful compounds. In this context, the reductive process of CO2 methanation has been well-investigated and found to be attractive due to its simplicity. However, it requires the development of highly active catalysts. In this mini-review, the focus is on biochar-immobilized nanocatalysts for CO2 methanation. We summarize the recent literature on the topic, reporting strategies for designing biochar with immobilized nanocatalysts and their performance in CO2 methanation. We review the thermochemical transformation of biomass into biochar and its decoration with CO2 methanation catalysts. We also tackle direct methods of obtaining biochar nanocatalysts, in one pot, from nanocatalyst precursor-impregnated biomass. We review the effect of the initial biomass nature, as well as the conditions that permit tuning the performances of the composite catalysts. Finally, we discuss the CO2 methanation performance and how it could be improved, keeping in mind low operation costs and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An automatic engine shutdown function at idle running was approved as an innovative technology, which is mounted in the vehicles of M1 category equipped with conventional power transmission system, automatic gearbox or manual gearbox and automatic clutch. The reduction of CO2 emission as a result of application of an automatic engine shutdown function at idle running is determined using a method determining the level of reduction of emission. The main goal of this publication was to present a method of determining CO2 savings obtained thanks to the use of an automatic engine shutdown function at idle running.

• Studied the effects of NH 3 cofiring ratio, injection mode and OFA on NO x emission. • NO x exhibited a variety of trends under different injection modes and OFA rates. • Revealed all the different NO x trends are governed by the same NO mechanism. • Found air-staging is not always effective in the NO x reduction of NH 3 cofiring. Ammonia (NH 3) cofiring is a promising approach to reduce the CO 2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. However, the potential drastic increase of NO x emissions may inhibit the wide implementation of NH 3 cofiring. To explore the potential NO x control strategies, the effects of NH 3 cofiring ratio (R N H 3 ), NH 3 injection mode and overfire air (OFA) rates on the NO x emission characteristics of NH 3 /coal cofiring are studied in a test furnace that allow for flexible control of the injection positions and combustion environment of NH 3. The results show that when NH 3 is injected with coal stream (top mixing mode), the NO x emissions increase and then decrease with the increase of R N H 3 under all OFA rates. However, when NH 3 is fed through the side port of furnace separately (side mixing mode), the NO x emissions exhibit distinct trends under different OFA rates. Under lower OFA rates, the NO x emissions show monotonical decrease with the increase of R N H 3 , while under higher OFA rates the NO x emissions first decrease and then increase with the increase of R N H 3 . Consequently, higher OFA rates could produce higher NO x emissions than lower OFA rates. This indicates that air-staging is not always effective in the NO x reduction of NH 3 cofiring. Thus, although the side mixing mode of NH 3 cofiring exhibits overall better performance in NO x control, caution is needed to accommodate the OFA rate with NH 3 cofiring ratio. Although a variety of trends of NO x emissions were observed in this study, the results demonstrate that all these trends are in fact governed by the same mechanism – the competition between the NO-formation and NO-reduction reactions of NH 3 in the varying O 2 environment in the furnace. By creating appropriate O 2 environment in the furnace, the NO x emissions of NH 3 /coal cofiring could be substantially lower than that of pure coal combustion. The findings of these paper are instrumental in the design and operation of NH 3 cofiring system in full scale coal-fired boilers to achieve effective NO x control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Energy Policy Journal / Polityka Energetyczna is the property of Mineral & Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article presents the results of an eco-efficiency assessment of the application of large-scale rechargeable battery technology in electricity generation from coal. The eco-efficiency of electricity production in a 350 MW coal-fired power plant was calculated. Two production variants were compared: with the use of a lithium-ion battery of a 400 MWh capacity to optimize the operation of power blocks and without using the battery. Hard coal is one of the main fossil fuels used to generate electricity in Poland. Despite the growing share of electricity from renewable sources, this situation will persist for many more years. The main reasons for this are the high costs and long-lasting process of moving away from fossil fuels in the energy sector. Therefore, any technical solutions that can temporarily reduce the negative impact of coal-based power engineering on the environment should be considered. At the same time, the economic aspects of such solutions must be taken into account. That is why the eco-efficiency assessment method was chosen, which integrates economic and environmental aspects. The obtained results of the analyses indicate the occurrence of environmental and economic benefits resulting from the use of the battery in coal-fired power plants. It has been found that battery-based technology is more eco-efficient than technology without such a battery. A sensitivity analysis was carried out, which allowed the impact of individual computational variables on the eco-efficiency assessment result to be assessed. The results indicate that fuel prices (coal and heavy fuel oil—mazout) and CO2 emission allowances have the greatest impact on the eco-efficiency of the analyzed technology. It was also found that the factors related to the battery, such as its efficiency, life span, decrease of the capacity after 10 years of operation, and construction cost, have a much smaller impact on the results.

This paper presents an analysis on using an on-board energy storage device (ESD) for enhancing braking energy re-use in electrified railway transportation. A simulation model was developed in the programming language C++ to help with the sizing of the ESD. The simulation model based on the mathematical description has been proposed for a train equipped with on-board ESD for analysis of effectiveness of its application. A case study was carried out for a metro line taking into consideration train characteristics, track alignment, line velocity limits and a running time table. This case study was used to assess the energy savings and perform a cost-benefit analysis for different sizes of the on-board ESD by applying the proposed approach. It was shown that when additional environmental benefits (reduction of CO2 emissions) are considered, this may significantly improve effectiveness of the investments due to CO2 European Emission allowances.

Copyright of Coal Science & Technology (0253-2336) is the property of Coal Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper proposes total optimization of energy networks in a smart city by multi-population global-best modified brain storm optimization (MP-GMBSO). Efficient utilization of energy is necessary for reduction of CO2 emission, and smart city demonstration projects have been conducted around the world in order to reduce total energies and the amount of CO2 emission. The problem can be formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem and various evolutionary computation techniques such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), differential evolution (DE), Differential Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization (DEEPSO), Brain Storm Optimization (BSO), Modified BSO (MBSO), Global-best BSO (BSO), and Global-best Modified Brain Storm Optimization (GMBSO) have been applied to the problem. However, there is still room for improving solution quality. Multi-population based evolutionary computation methods have been verified to improve solution quality and the approach has a possibility for improving solution quality. The proposed MS-GMBSO utilizes only migration for multi-population models instead of abest, which is the best individual among all of sub-populations so far, and both migration and abest. Various multi-population models, migration topologies, migration policies, and the number of sub-populations are also investigated. It is verified that the proposed MP-GMBSO based method with ring topology, the W-B policy, and 320 individuals is the most effective among all of multi-population parameters.

CO 2 hydrogenation to dimethyl ether (DME) has drawn increasing interest in science and industry. However, the conversion of CO 2 to DME is challenging due to the limitation of thermodynamic equilibrium and the water-induced degradation of the catalysts in a catalytic fixed bed reactor (CFBR). In this study, a novel reaction-separation coupling Cu–ZnO–Pt@HZSM-5 catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) was fabricated for CO 2 hydrogenation to DME. Owing to continuous separation of the by-product steam by using an HZSM-5 membrane, the limitation of thermodynamic equilibrium can be broken effectively, thus leading to a substantially enhanced CO 2 conversion (from 24.9% in the CFBR to 41.1% in the CMR) and DME selectivity (from 53.7% in the CFBR to 100% in the CMR). Further, water-induced degradation of the catalyst can be restrained because of water removal, thus keeping a high catalytic activity for a long time. [Display omitted] • Cu–ZnO–Pt@HZSM-5 catalytic membrane reactor is proposed for dimethyl ether formation from CO 2 hydrogenation. • The thermodynamic limitation can be overcome by the coupling of reaction and separation in one reactor. • High CO 2 conversion of 41.1% and dimethyl ether selectivity of 100% are obtained under 3.25 MPa and 280 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blast furnace process is the most important process to produce crude iron. The process energy is mainly covered by coke. However, the production of coke is connected with CO2 emissions and high costs. A significant measure to reduce the coke rate and with it the CO2 emissions plus costs is pulverized coal injection (PCI) through the tuyeres into the blast furnace. Further improvements can be achieved by using the Oxycoal+ technology. This article compares and shows the cost effectiveness and the decrease of CO2 emissions with the help of simplified energy balances for the only coke operation of the blast furnace, the operation using PCI and the operation using the Oxycoal+ technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change problem is being more and more important in the last decades and is one of the most important problems that humankind is facing. Climate change is the result of the global warming which is caused by the absorption of the sunlight by the greenhouse gases rather than deflection of it from the atmosphere. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), one of the leading organizations created by 2500 scientist from 150 different countries, makes research on climate change and states precisely that global warming depends to the greenhouse gases which results with human acts. Houghton et al. (1992) indicates that there is an increase of global warming with approximately 98% confidence level. On the other hand, it was stated with a confidence level greater than 90% that global warming is due to the greenhouse gases (Parry et al, 2007). Greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2) with very high amounts in atmosphere, nitrous oxide, nitrogen oxide, methane, water vapor, ozone, and chlorofluorocarbons. Therefore, it comes out during the Climate Change Conferences and within the publications that the effective targets for reduction of CO2 emissions have to be setup immediately as from the developed countries. The climate change problem was examined via a detailed literature survey during this study. According to this survey, it has to be highlighted that the main reason of the climate change is due to the green-house gas effects and the energy sources which cause the production of the above mentioned greenhouse gases. The conflicting goals and constrains defined in accordance with survey results are making this problem more complex. That's why the scope of this study was limited with a specific application as defined in the following phrases. In the light of the literature survey results on CO2 emission reduction, it comes out that each sector has its own dynamics to reduce CO2 emissions. Therefore, the application area of this study is limited with a special sector to ensure more effective, sensitive, and robust proposals to solve this real problem. The scope of this study was identified as CO2 emission reduction on transportation sector. When the transportation sector was reviewed in detail, the results show that different vehicle types release different amount of CO2 emission and the biggest portion with 81% in transportation sector is road transportation. The details of the 81% show that 63% of the transportation is made for passenger transportation and 37% for commercial transportation. Therefore, it was decided to apply the decision model to CO2 emission reduction on passenger cars. This study proposes a new ANP based goal programming model which guides the passenger car producers while they are building-up their CO2 emission reduction related strategies. ANP is very helpful through its strength to deal with relationships and feedbacks among the criteria. The feed-backs and the relationships necessitate a very difficult evaluation of the decision makers. There-fore, a group decision making process based on ANP can be used for such decision problems to ensure the success of the study (Wey and Wu, 2007). On the other hand, the strength of the goal programming results from its ability to combine the conflicting goals and the constraints in a mathematical model to ensure an optimized result (Lee and Kim, 2001; Wey and Wu, 2007). The success of the combination of these two methods comes out from the elimination of other's weaknesses. The difficult step for a goal programming model is to define the importances and/or the priorities by decision makers at the beginning. This disadvantage was eliminated via including ANP method as a beginning step of the goal programming method. The main disadvantage of the ANP is that ANP does not take into account the resources limits and other constraints. The application of goal programming together with ANP solves this problem (Karsak et al., 2002). In our study, the results of the ANP are used as the importances of the goals in proposed model and the results of this model presents the optimized solutions in order to propose which strategies are to be taken into account, which motor types, exhaust types and fuel types are to be used for the new developed passenger cars or for the performance improvements of the existing cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazil cane is being been grown at large scale to produce alcohol as an automotive fuel. Alcohol is the sole product, but there is generation of a large quantity of gaseous (CO2), liquid (vinasse) and solid (bagasse) by-products, which currently have very little or even negative value. By using steam turbines fuelled with bagasse combustion, electric power can be generated at a rate of 1MWh per m³ of produced alcohol. Anaerobic digestion can be applied to vinasse to produce enough biogas for 0.5MWh per m³ of alcohol, bringing total electric power production from subproducts to 1.5MWh per m³ of alcohol. These operations are presently implemented at some distilleries at full scale. It has been shown at bench scale that by applying anaerobic digestion also to bagasse and burning the non-biodegradable residual, the power output can be increased to 2.25MWh per m³ of alcohol, but the economic feasibility of this option depends on the maximum loading rate of the bagasse digester and the energy price. At the current alcohol production level of 13 x 106m³/year, the power generation potential is 2.2GW, which represents 4% of the power demand in Brazil. The digested waste water contains about 70% of the nutrient demand of the cane fields, which can be recycled. A preliminary economic evaluation shows that productive use of the subproducts of alcohol distilleries is economically feasible if the price is more than US$30 perMWHh, which is the current sales price in Brazil. Another important advantage of the rational use of by-products is that the generation of electric power has the potential to reduce the emission of CO2 to the atmosphere by 0.8-1.2 t per m³ of alcohol compared to generation using natural gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents studies of plain concretes prepared based on a quaternary binder containing various percentages of selected supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The possibilities of nanotechnology in concrete technology were also used. An additional important environmental goal of the proposed solution was to create the possibility of reducing CO2 emissions and the carbon footprint generated during the production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). As the main substitute for the OPC, siliceous fly ash (FA) was used. Moreover, silica fume (SF) and nanosilica (nS) were also used. During examinations, the main mechanical properties of composites, i.e., compressive strength (fcm) and splitting tensile strength (fctm), were assessed. The microstructure of these materials was also analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition to the experimental research, simulations of the possible reduction of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, as a result of the proposed solutions, were also carried out. It was found that the quaternary concrete is characterized by a well-developed structure and has high values of mechanical parameters. Furthermore, the use of green concrete based on quaternary binders enables a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Therefore quaternary green concrete containing SCMs could be a useful alternative to plain concretes covering both the technical and environmental aspects. The present study indicates that quaternary binders can perform better than OPC as far as mechanical properties and microstructures are concerned. Therefore they can be used during the production of durable concretes used to perform structures in traditional and industrial construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of an eco-efficiency assessment of the application of large-scale rechargeable battery technology in electricity generation from coal. The eco-efficiency of electricity production in a 350 MW coal-fired power plant was calculated. Two production variants were compared: with the use of a lithium-ion battery of a 400 MWh capacity to optimize the operation of power blocks and without using the battery. Hard coal is one of the main fossil fuels used to generate electricity in Poland. Despite the growing share of electricity from renewable sources, this situation will persist for many more years. The main reasons for this are the high costs and long-lasting process of moving away from fossil fuels in the energy sector. Therefore, any technical solutions that can temporarily reduce the negative impact of coal-based power engineering on the environment should be considered. At the same time, the economic aspects of such solutions must be taken into account. That is why the eco-efficiency assessment method was chosen, which integrates economic and environmental aspects. The obtained results of the analyses indicate the occurrence of environmental and economic benefits resulting from the use of the battery in coal-fired power plants. It has been found that battery-based technology is more eco-efficient than technology without such a battery. A sensitivity analysis was carried out, which allowed the impact of individual computational variables on the eco-efficiency assessment result to be assessed. The results indicate that fuel prices (coal and heavy fuel oil—mazout) and CO2 emission allowances have the greatest impact on the eco-efficiency of the analyzed technology. It was also found that the factors related to the battery, such as its efficiency, life span, decrease of the capacity after 10 years of operation, and construction cost, have a much smaller impact on the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis on using an on-board energy storage device (ESD) for enhancing braking energy re-use in electrified railway transportation. A simulation model was developed in the programming language C++ to help with the sizing of the ESD. The simulation model based on the mathematical description has been proposed for a train equipped with on-board ESD for analysis of effectiveness of its application. A case study was carried out for a metro line taking into consideration train characteristics, track alignment, line velocity limits and a running time table. This case study was used to assess the energy savings and perform a cost-benefit analysis for different sizes of the on-board ESD by applying the proposed approach. It was shown that when additional environmental benefits (reduction of CO2 emissions) are considered, this may significantly improve effectiveness of the investments due to CO2 European Emission allowances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes total optimization of energy networks in a smart city by multi-population global-best modified brain storm optimization (MP-GMBSO). Efficient utilization of energy is necessary for reduction of CO2 emission, and smart city demonstration projects have been conducted around the world in order to reduce total energies and the amount of CO2 emission. The problem can be formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem and various evolutionary computation techniques such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), differential evolution (DE), Differential Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization (DEEPSO), Brain Storm Optimization (BSO), Modified BSO (MBSO), Global-best BSO (BSO), and Global-best Modified Brain Storm Optimization (GMBSO) have been applied to the problem. However, there is still room for improving solution quality. Multi-population based evolutionary computation methods have been verified to improve solution quality and the approach has a possibility for improving solution quality. The proposed MS-GMBSO utilizes only migration for multi-population models instead of abest, which is the best individual among all of sub-populations so far, and both migration and abest. Various multi-population models, migration topologies, migration policies, and the number of sub-populations are also investigated. It is verified that the proposed MP-GMBSO based method with ring topology, the W-B policy, and 320 individuals is the most effective among all of multi-population parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]