Baseline Data of Low-Density Polyethylene Continuous Pyrolysis for Liquid Fuel Manufacture

The recycling of end-of-life plastics is a problem, since small parts can be returned into circulation. The rest is burned, landfilled or recycled into low-quality heating oil by pyrolysis methods. The disadvantages of this method are the need to dispose the formed by-product, pyrolytic carbon, the poor quality of produced liquid fuel and the low productivity of the method associated with the periodicity of the process. In this work, methods of thermogravimetry and chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) have been used to study the co-pyrolysis products of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and oxygen-containing substances at the pressures of 4–8 MPa and temperatures of 520–620 °C. Experiments have highlighted the conditions needed for producing of high-quality liquid fuel. Initial data have been prepared for the design of a continuous pyrolysis reactor to dispose polymer waste for the production of bio-oil which would be available to enter the petrochemical products market.

Forecasting of the efficiency indicators of the use of boiler and furnace fuel in the non-traction power engineering of railway transport based on the model of temporaryth row

The article considers the solution of the problem of constructing forecast values for a long period of changes in the value of the specific consumption of boiler and furnace fuel by boilers for a geographically distributed company-Russian Railways, taking into account the use of various types for the main types of fuel used in the generation of thermal energy: natural gas, heating oil, coal and brown coal. A mathematical model based on time series using the Bollinger method is proposed, which includes elements of extrapolation and modeling. An example of calculating the change in the values of specific consumption in the future until 2035 in the whole railway network is given. A simulation of the change in this value is performed for the variant fractions of substitution of one type of fuel with another. The possibility of determining long-term forecast indicators using a time series model is shown.

Path dependence in administrative adjudication: the role played by legal tradition

Based on the theory of path dependence, we show that legal tradition affects the administrative court’s rulings. It also complements the two other reasons for diversified verdicts: the experience of the judges and courts (specialization) and preference (bias) for one of the parties. This effect is persistent even if the verdicts are controversial and result in serious consequences for a party and when the penalty paid by the complainant is perceived as excessive but fulfilling the strict rules of law. We prove that judicial decision making is a function of path dependency stemming from a legal tradition of the court. To confirm this, logistic regression is applied to a sample of 337 erroneous excise duty documentation cases of heating oil sales from all sixteen provincial administrative courts in Poland. Increasing the specialization of judges and having them exchange experiences may be a remedy for the unjustified adjudication differences.

El Niño, La Niña, and the Forecastability of the Realized Variance of Heating Oil Price Movements

We use the heterogenous autoregressive (HAR) model to compute out-of-sample forecasts of the monthly realized variance (RV) of movements of the spot and futures price of heating oil. We extend the HAR–RV model to include the role of El Niño and La Niña episodes, as captured by the Equatorial Southern Oscillation Index (EQSOI). Using data from June 1986 to April 2021, we show evidence for several model configurations that both El Niño and La Niña phases contain information useful for forecasting subsequent to the realized variance of price movements beyond the predictive value already captured by the HAR–RV model. The predictive value of La Niña phases, however, seems to be somewhat stronger than the predictive value of El Niño phases. Our results have important implications for investors, as well as from the perspective of sustainable decisions involving the environment.

The Connections between COVID-19 and the Energy Commodities Prices: Evidence through the Dynamic Time Warping Method

The main objective of the study is to assess the similarity between the time series of energy commodity prices and the time series of daily COVID-19 cases. The COVID-19 pandemic affects all aspects of the global economy. Although this impact is multifaceted, we assess the connections between the number of COVID-19 cases and the energy commodities sector. We analyse these connections by using the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) method. On this basis, we calculate the similarity measure—the DTW distance between the time series—and use it to group the energy commodities according to their price change. Our analysis also includes finding the time shifts between daily COVID-19 cases and commodity prices in subperiods according to the chronology of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings are that commodities such as ULSD, heating oil, crude oil, and gasoline are weakly associated with COVID-19. On the other hand, natural gas, palm oil, CO2 allowances, and ethanol are strongly associated with the development of the pandemic.

Phytoremediation: A Synergistic Interaction between Plants and Microbes for Removal of Petroleum Hydrocarbons

Rapid industrialization leads to the deterioration of quality of life and the environment. Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution is one of the contributing factors to that. Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are natural products, and under high temperature and pressure, they are produced by the anaerobic conversion of biomass. Excessive use of PHCs leads to pollution in the agriculturally important soils and the ultimate source of potability of water, that is, groundwater which is gaining significant attention throughout the world. The fortuitous release of PHCs such as gasoline, diesel, and heating oil are common sources of groundwater contamination. The PHC concentrations in groundwater are often above drinking water standards and bioremediation actions have to be taken. Due to their organic nature, PHCs are difficult to degrade as unavailable for microbial action. Due to this, PHCs are the most widespread environmental contaminants. Plant-microbe synergistic association for remediation of PHCs is comprehensive and it is an effective tool for reclamation of soil and environment from these kinds of undesirable materials. In addition to providing plant growth promotion, microbes can degrade PHCs effectively.

An Auxiliary Index for Reducing Brent Crude Investment Risk—Evaluating the Price Relationships between Brent Crude and Commodities

Examining the price relationships of Brent Crude with 78 global commodities, our study shows that the spot price of a certain commodity, New York Harbor No. 2 Heating Oil Spot Price FOB, can serve as an auxiliary forecasting index of the rise and fall of the monthly Brent Crude oil price. With an innovative view for evaluating the price relationship and prediction based on simple, practical measurement, our findings provide a helpful auxiliary index tool for investors and analysts by offering a high success rate (82.98%) and predicting the rise and fall of the monthly Brent Crude oil price three weeks in advance.