Andalusite, an under-Utilized Refractory RAW Material with Undeveloped High Potential

Author(s):  
W.H. McCracken ◽  
C.A. De Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Leitão ◽  
Francisco Rebelo ◽  
Manuela Pintado ◽  
Tânia Bragança Ribeiro

The agroforest sector plays a leading role as a biomass supplier to obtain bio-based products that allowed an acceleration in the circular bioeconomy transition. This chapter applied a mixed-methods review to identify new attractive bio-based products and to evaluate its market potential in Portugal. Forest biomass was identified as an excellent raw material for (1) low-carbon building materials, (2) biotextiles, and (3) bioplastics. The potential of agro-food waste to obtain new bio-based materials was also emphasised. The new bioproducts identified have high potential and attractive markets. It was estimated that a 5% market share of these bioproducts in the global construction, textiles, and plastics markets in 2030 corresponds to an aggregate increase in revenues of 260-579 million € per year in Portugal. The environmental sustainability implications arising from the diffusion of these new biomaterials are also highlighted, focusing on the decarbonisation of the economy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 86-89
Author(s):  
Ján Gaduš ◽  
Natalia Głowacka

Construction of new biogas plant stations in Europe is a steadily growing trend, that is the reason why there is a need to find a proper alternative source of energy, which can replace traditional crops used for generation of energy. Microalgae represent a high potential of energy. When comparing microalgae with traditional crops, we can point out their high potential (oil content). During the production of biogas from traditional input materials, it is still a great potential of resulting organic waste – fermentation water (digestate), which can be used in a closed cycle in the intensive year-round cultivation of microalgae. Using the by-product (digestate) generated during the process of anaerobic digestion we can create a system for the cultivation of microalgae, which will in turn be used as a raw material for the biogas plant. Thanks to such application, the biogas plant can be more ‘self-sufficient’. This new innovative process can provide a prerequisite scale for increasing commercial use of bioenergy from microalgae. However, there is a need to find a reasonable way to produce the algae biomass to meet all ecological and economic requirements.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Žan Jan Oplotnik ◽  
◽  
Noemia Bessa Vilela ◽  
Natacha de Jesus Silva ◽  
◽  
...  

For decades foreign direct investments (FDI) were privilege of companies from advanced economies, which invested in less developed economies and harvesting benefits of such activities. Leading position in capital, technology, managerial skills, etc, allowed them to penetrate markets of high potential but with less skills and lower costs (labour, raw material, etc) and standards (environmental, labour, etc.). Although USA and EU are still the far most advanced economies, adding majority of FDI to world stock and flow, since 2010, China is speeding up more than ever, investing in developed and non-developed eonomies. Only in Europe, Chinese companies invested more than 30 billion euros yearly in period from 2016 to 2018, comparing only 2 billion in 2010. That trend rised some concerns about Chinese nature of FDI, especially due to some of their peculiarities, noticed by schoolars, politiciant and domestic companies. In 2019 the EU issues Regulation (EU) 2019/452 that provides a framework for the screening of foreign direct investments and for cooperation.


This paper aims to explore whether seaweeds from the Bay of Bengal are available for commercial biofuel production. Seaweeds provide various ecosystem services from marine ecosystems that can be utilized as food, cosmetics, fertilizers, industrial chemical, or biofuel. Other than diversified usefulness, seaweeds could be used in a running vehicle. It can be used as an alternative source of non-renewable energy along with a high potential to produce environment-friendly fuel for the next generations. Developed countries are utilizing seaweeds as essential resources of biofuel with advanced technology, machinery, and skilled manpower. From the physiography of the ocean of Bangladesh, it can be found that seaweeds have a high potential to produce biofuel from the coast and offshore areas. Among different types of seaweeds, biofuel can be produced from lipid & fatty acid, carbohydrate, or protein in them. Therefore, a sustainable SWOT analysis has been conducted to explore the availability and potential of seaweeds for biofuel production. To produce biofuel in Bangladesh due to the lack of investment, advanced technology, well-equipped machinery, and skilled manpower are still in shade. However, if investment and technical equipment are embraced for producing raw material (such as specific species of seaweeds) for the biofuel production those could be exported to the nearest market.


2020 ◽  
Vol 988 ◽  
pp. 108-113
Author(s):  
Firman Kurniawansyah ◽  
Ratna Dewi Pertiwi ◽  
Mahendra Perdana ◽  
Muhammad Al-Muttaqii ◽  
Achmad Roesyadi

Indonesia possesses high potential to develop an advanced biorefinery system, thanks to its high richness of natural resources. Bamboo for instance, with more than 200 species, in which 5% of its global distribution is found in Indonesian archipelago, is an invaluable resource to develop many useful materials. Here in this study, bamboo has been used to produce activated carbon for catalyst material. Bamboo raw material was obtained from a city park in Surabaya, and converted to activated carbon through carbonization at 773 K, followed by activation using acidic solution. The activated carbon (AC) was used as catalyst support, impregnated by nickel (Ni) as metal active. The catalyst was used in conversion of glucose to glucitols (sorbitol, mannitol) trough reduction with hydrogen. The Ni/AC was applied as catalyst for hydrogenation of glucose, conducted at 0.5 MPa and 363 – 403 K. With surface area of 125 m2/g of the carbon supported catalyst applied, glucose could be converted to polyols with overall yield of approximately 3 wt % from the total products.


2023 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Oliveira ◽  
M. H. M. Silva ◽  
J. Garlet

Abstract Bamboo (Bambusa sp.) is a grass species with high potential for exploitation, however, this raw material is easily attacked by xylophagous agents such as Coleoptera. The objective of this study is thus to analyse the presence of wood-boring beetles associated with Bambusa sp. in Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The study was carried out in a bamboo plantation, from August 2016 to July 2017. Two models of ethanolic traps were used, PET Santa Maria and ESALQ-84. Three families of wood-boring beetles were observed in this study: Bostrichidae, Cerambycidae and Curculionidae. 2,144 individuals were identified, belonging to 19 species, in four subfamilies and 11 tribes, and the species Xyleborus affinis was the most frequently collected. Thus, this study constitutes an important contribution to the knowledge of coleoborers associated with bamboo plantations, with the registration of the occurrence of species, as well as contributing to the knowledge of the entomofauna associated with species cultivated in the Southern Amazon.


2001 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Savadori ◽  
Eraldo Nicotra ◽  
Rino Rumiati ◽  
Roberto Tamborini

The content and structure of mental representation of economic crises were studied and the flexibility of the structure in different social contexts was tested. Italian and Swiss samples (Total N = 98) were compared with respect to their judgments as to how a series of concrete examples of events representing abstract indicators were relevant symptoms of economic crisis. Mental representations were derived using a cluster procedure. Results showed that the relevance of the indicators varied as a function of national context. The growth of unemployment was judged to be by far the most important symptom of an economic crisis but the Swiss sample judged bankruptcies as more symptomatic than Italians who considered inflation, raw material prices and external accounts to be more relevant. A different clustering structure was found for the two samples: the locations of unemployment and gross domestic production indicators were the main differences in representations.


2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Krupp ◽  
Orla M. NicDomhnaill ◽  
Allan H. Church ◽  
Steven J. Robison ◽  
Michael N. Bazigos

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