Analysis of Plant Biomass Pretreatment Technology for Fuel Production

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-448
Author(s):  
Lili Zhang ◽  
Mengdi Zhao ◽  
Kai Xiao ◽  
Xianli Liu ◽  
Xude Zhao ◽  
...  

Facing the double challenges of energy shortage and environmental pollution, development and utilization of biomass energy is of great urgency. In this review paper, the current situation and types of biomass energy are reviewed and discussed based on the world energy crisis and its environmental problems. As a typical renewable green liquid energy, bio-ethanol, made from plants with rich reserves, could be applied to the field of traffic transportation. Due to the complex structure, variety, and stable nature of plant biomass, cost-effective pretreatment technology has become an urgent demand in the bio-energy field of current world. At present, various pretreatment methods for enzymatic saccharification of plant biomass have different defects. Therefore, the research on pretreatment technology needs to comprehensively consider the heterogeneity of chemical composition and structural characteristics of raw material and the pertinence of pretreatment methods.

BioResources ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 317-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Sun ◽  
Xianliang Song ◽  
Runcang Sun ◽  
Jianxin Jiang

The enzymatic saccharification of pretreated furfural residues with different lignin content was studied to verify the effect of lignin removal in the hydrolysis process. The results showed that the glucose yield was improved by increasing the lignin removal. A maximum glucose yield of 96.8% was obtained when the residue with a lignin removal of 51.4% was hydrolyzed for 108 h at an enzyme loading of 25 FPU/g cellulose. However, further lignin removal did not increase the hydrolysis. The effect of enzyme loading on the enzymatic hydrolysis was also explored in this work. It was concluded that a high glucose yield of 90% was achieved when the enzyme dosage was reduced from 25 to 15 FPU/g cellulose, which was cost-effective for the sugar and ethanol production. The structures of raw material and delignified samples were further characterized by XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-95
Author(s):  
Agus Sudibyo ◽  
Sardjono Sardjono

Crude palm oil (CPO)is the richest natural plant source of carotenoids in terms of retinol (pro-vitamin A) equivalent, whereas palm oil mill effluent (POME) is generated from palm oil industry that contains oil and carotenes that used to be treated before discharge. Carotenoids are importance in animals and humans for the purpose of the enhancement of immune response, conversion of vitamin A and scavenging of oxygen radicals. This component has different nutritional  functions and benefits to humaan health. The growing interest in the other natural sources of beta-carotene and growing awareness to prevent pollution has stimulated the industrial use of CPO and POME as a raw material for carotenoids extraction. Various technologies of extraction and separation have been developed in order to recover of carotenoids.This article reports on various technologies that have been developed in order to recover of carotenoids from being destroyed in commercial refining of palm oil and effects of some various treatments on the extraction end separation for carotenoid from palm oil and carotenoids concentration. Principally, there are different technologies, and there is one some future which is the use of solvent. Solvent plays important role  in the most technologiest, however the problem of solvents which are used is that they posses potentiaal fire health and environmental hazards. Hence selection of the  most safe, environmentally friendly and cost effective solvent is important to design of alternative extraction methods.Chemical molecular product design is one of the methods that are becoming more popular nowadays for finding solvent with the desired properties prior to experimental testing.ABSTRAKMinyak sawit kasar merupakan sumber karotenoid terkaya yang berasal dari tanaman sawit sebagai senyawa yang sama dengan retinol atau pro-vitamin A; sedangkan limbah pengolahan minyak sawit dihasilkan dari industri pengolahan minyak sawit yang berisi minyak dan karotene yang perlu diberi perlakuan terlebih dahulu sebelum dibuang. Karotenoid merupakan bahan penting yang diperlukan pada hewan dan manusia guna memperkuat tanggapan terhadap kekebalan, konversi ke vitamin A dan penangkapan gugus oksigen radikal. Dengan berkembangnya ketertarikan dalam mencari beta-karotene yang bersumber dari alam lain dan meningkatnya kesadaran untuk mencegah adanya pencemaran lingkungan, maka mendorong suatu industri untuk menggunakan CPO dan POME sebagai bahan baku untuk diekstrak karotenoidnya. Berbagai macam teknologi guna mengekstrak dan memisahkan karotenoid telah dikembangkan untuk mendapatkan kembali karotenoidnya. Makalah ini melaporkan dan membahas berbagai jenis teknologi yang telah dikembangkan guna mendapatkan kembali senyawa karotenoid dari kerusakan di dalam proses pemurnian minyak sawit secara komersial dan pengaruh beberapa perlakuan terhadap ekstrasi dan pemisahan karotenoid dari minyak sawit dan konsentrasi karotenoidnya. Pada prinsipnya, berbagai teknologi yang digunakan untuk mengekstrak dan memisahkan karotenoid terdapat perbedaan, dan terdapat salah satu teknologi yang digunakan untuk esktrasi dan pemisahan karotenoid adalah menggunakan bahan pelarut. Pelarut yang digunakan mempunyai peranan yang penting dalam teknologi ekstrasi; namun pelarut yang digunakan untuk mengekstrak tersebut mempunyai persoalan karena berpotensi mengganggu kesehatan dan membahayakan cemaran lingkungan. Oleh karena itu, pemilihan jenis teknologi yang aman, ramah terhadap lingkungan dan biaya yang efektif untuk penggunaan pelarut merupakan hal penting sebelum dilakukan desain metode/teknologi alternatif untuk esktrasi karotenoid. Pola produk molekuler kimia merupakan salah satu metode yang saat ini menjadi lebih populer untuk mencari pelarut dengan sifat-sifat yang dikehendaki sebelum diujicobakan. Kata kunci :    karotenoid, ekstrasi, pemisahan, teknologi, minyak sawit kasar, limbah industri pengolahan sawit.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 096369351802700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Önal ◽  
Gökdeniz Neşer

Glass reinforced polyester (GRP), as a thermoset polymer composites, dominates boat building industry with its several advantages such as high strength/weight ratio, cohesiveness, good resistance to environment. However, proper recovering and recycling of GRP boats is became a current environmental requirement that should be met by the related industry. In this study, to propose in a cost effective and environmentally friendly way, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been carried out for six scenarios include two moulding methods (namely Hand Lay-up Method, HLM and Vacuum Infusion Method, VIM) and three End-of-Life (EoL) alternatives(namely Extruding, Incineration and Landfill) for a recreational boat's GRP hulls. A case study from raw materials purchasing phase to disposal/recycling stages has been established taking 11 m length GRP boat hull as the functional unit. Analysis show that in the production phase, the impacts are mainly due to the use of energy (electricity), transport and raw material manufacture. Largest differences between the methods considered (HLM and VIM) can be observed in the factors of marine aquatic ecotoxicity and eutrophication while the closest ones are abiotic depletion, ozon layer depletion and photochemical oxidation. The environmental impact of VIM is much higher than HLM due to its higher energy consumption while vacuum infusion method has lower risk than hand lay-up method in terms of occupational health by using less raw material (resin) in a closed mold. In the comparison of the three EoL techniques, the mechanical way of recycling (granule extruding) shows better environmental impacts except terrestrial ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidation and acidification. Among the EoL alternatives, landfill has the highest environmental impacts except ‘global warming potential’ and ‘human toxicity’ which are the highest in extrusion. The main cause of the impacts of landfill is the transportation needs between the EoL boats and the licenced landfill site. Although it has the higher impact on human toxicity, incineration is the second cleaner alternative of EoL techniques considered in this study. In fact that the similar trend has been observed both in production and EoL phases of the boat. It is obvious that using much more renewable energy mix and greener transportation alternative can reduce the overall impact of the all phases considerably.


Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 404
Author(s):  
Alexandru Amărioarei ◽  
Frankie Spencer ◽  
Gefry Barad ◽  
Ana-Maria Gheorghe ◽  
Corina Iţcuş ◽  
...  

Current advances in computational modelling and simulation have led to the inclusion of computer scientists as partners in the process of engineering of new nanomaterials and nanodevices. This trend is now, more than ever, visible in the field of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-based nanotechnology, as DNA’s intrinsic principle of self-assembly has been proven to be highly algorithmic and programmable. As a raw material, DNA is a rather unremarkable fabric. However, as a way to achieve patterns, dynamic behavior, or nano-shape reconstruction, DNA has been proven to be one of the most functional nanomaterials. It would thus be of great potential to pair up DNA’s highly functional assembly characteristics with the mechanic properties of other well-known bio-nanomaterials, such as graphene, cellulos, or fibroin. In the current study, we perform projections regarding the structural properties of a fibril mesh (or filter) for which assembly would be guided by the controlled aggregation of DNA scaffold subunits. The formation of such a 2D fibril mesh structure is ensured by the mechanistic assembly properties borrowed from the DNA assembly apparatus. For generating inexpensive pre-experimental assessments regarding the efficiency of various assembly strategies, we introduced in this study a computational model for the simulation of fibril mesh assembly dynamical systems. Our approach was based on providing solutions towards two main circumstances. First, we created a functional computational model that is restrictive enough to be able to numerically simulate the controlled aggregation of up to 1000s of elementary fibril elements yet rich enough to provide actionable insides on the structural characteristics for the generated assembly. Second, we used the provided numerical model in order to generate projections regarding effective ways of manipulating one of the the key structural properties of such generated filters, namely the average size of the openings (gaps) within these meshes, also known as the filter’s aperture. This work is a continuation of Amarioarei et al., 2018, where a preliminary version of this research was discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5570
Author(s):  
Binbin Wang ◽  
Jingze Liu ◽  
Zhifu Cao ◽  
Dahai Zhang ◽  
Dong Jiang

Based on the fixed interface component mode synthesis, a multiple and multi-level substructure method for the modeling of complex structures is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the residual structure is selected according to the structural characteristics of the assembled complex structure. Secondly, according to the assembly relationship, the parts assembled with the residual structure are divided into a group of substructures, which are named the first-level substructure, the parts assembled with the first-level substructure are divided into a second-level substructure, and consequently the multi-level substructure model is established. Next, the substructures are dynamically condensed and assembled on the boundary of the residual structure. Finally, the substructure system matrix, which is replicated from the matrix of repeated physical geometry, is obtained by preserving the main modes and the constrained modes and the system matrix of the last level of the substructure is assembled to the upper level of the substructure, one level up, until it is assembled in the residual structure. In this paper, an assembly structure with three panels and a gear box is adopted to verify the method by simulation and a rotor is used to experimentally verify the method. The results show that the proposed multiple and multi-level substructure modeling method is not unique to the selection of residual structures, and different classification methods do not affect the calculation accuracy. The selection of 50% external nodes can further improve the analysis efficiency while ensuring the calculation accuracy.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 4746
Author(s):  
Marcela Sofia Pino ◽  
Michele Michelin ◽  
Rosa M. Rodríguez-Jasso ◽  
Alfredo Oliva-Taravilla ◽  
José A. Teixeira ◽  
...  

Agave bagasse is a residual biomass in the production of the alcoholic beverage tequila, and therefore, it is a promising raw material in the development of biorefineries using hot compressed water pretreatment (hydrothermal processing). Surfactants application has been frequently reported as an alternative to enhance monomeric sugars production efficiency and as a possibility to reduce the enzyme loading required. Nevertheless, the surfactant’s action mechanisms in the enzymatic hydrolysis is still not elucidated. In this work, hot compressed water pretreatment was applied on agave bagasse for biomass fractionation at 194 °C in isothermal regime for 30 min, and the effect of non-ionic surfactants (Tween 20, Tween 80, Span 80, and Polyethylene glycol (PEG 400)) was studied as a potential enhancer of enzymatic saccharification of hydrothermally pretreated solids of agave bagasse (AGB). It was found that non-ionic surfactants show an improvement in the conversion yield of cellulose to glucose (100%) and production of glucose (79.76 g/L) at 15 FPU/g glucan, the highest enhancement obtained being 7% regarding the control (no surfactant addition), using PEG 400 as an additive. The use of surfactants allows improving the production of fermentable sugars for the development of second-generation biorefineries.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 4960
Author(s):  
Adam Koniuszy ◽  
Małgorzata Hawrot-Paw ◽  
Cezary Podsiadło ◽  
Paweł Sędłak ◽  
Ewa Możdżer

Biomass from cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is considered a renewable energy source that can be converted into alternative fuel. Calorific syngas, a promising type of advanced fuel, can be produced through thermochemical biomass gasification. In this study, the suitability of cup plant biomass for gasification was assessed, including the process energy balance and environmental impacts of waste from syngas purification. Silphium perfoliatum L. was cultivated as a gasification feedstock in different conditions (irrigation, fertilization). The experiments were performed in a membrane gasifier. All obtained energy parameters were compared to the biomass yield per hectare. The toxic effects of liquid waste were assessed using tests analyzing germination/seed root elongation of Sinapsis alba. Leachates collected from condensation tanks of a gas generator were introduced to soil at the following doses: 100, 1000 and 10,000 mg kg−1 DM of soil. The usefulness of Silphium perfoliatum L. for gasification was confirmed. The factors of plant cultivation affected the biomass yield, the volume and calorific value of syngas and the amount of biochar. It was determined that the components found in condensates demonstrate a phytotoxic effect, restricting or inhibiting germination and root elongation of Sinapsis alba. Due to this potential hazard, the possibility of its release to the environment should be limited. Most of the biomass is only used for heating purposes, but the syngas obtained from the cup plant can be used to power cogeneration systems, which, apart from heat, also generate electricity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1251
Author(s):  
Yichi Zhang ◽  
Zhiliang Dong ◽  
Sen Liu ◽  
Peixiang Jiang ◽  
Cuizhi Zhang ◽  
...  

As the raw material of lithium-ion batteries, lithium carbonate plays an important role in the development of new energy field. Due to the extremely uneven distribution of lithium resources in the world, the security of supply in countries with less say would be greatly threatened if trade restrictions or other accidents occurred in large-scale exporting countries. It is of great significance to help these countries find new partners based on the existing trade topology. This study uses the link prediction method, based on the perspective of the topological structure of trade networks in various countries and trade rules, and eliminates the influence of large-scale lithium carbonate exporting countries on the lithium carbonate trade of other countries, to find potential lithium carbonate trade links among importing and small-scale exporting countries, and summarizes three trade rules: (1) in potential relationships involving two net importers, a relationship involving either China or the Netherlands is more likely to occur; (2) for all potential relationships, a relationship that actually occurred for more than two years in the period in 2009–2018 is more likely to occur in the future; and (3) potential relationships pairing a net exporter with a net importer are more likely to occur than other country combinations. The results show that over the next five to six years, Denmark and Italy, Netherlands and South Africa, Turkey and USA are most likely to have a lithium carbonate trading relationship, while Slovenia and USA, and Belgium and Thailand are the least likely to trade lithium carbonate. Through this study, we can strengthen the supply security of lithium carbonate resources in international trade, and provide international trade policy recommendations for the governments of importing countries and small-scale exporting countries.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 496
Author(s):  
Khaja Moiduddin ◽  
Syed Hammad Mian ◽  
Wadea Ameen ◽  
Hisham Alkhalefah ◽  
Abdul Sayeed

Additive manufacturing (AM), particularly electron beam melting (EBM), is becoming increasingly common in the medical industry because of its remarkable benefits. The application of personalized titanium alloy implants produced using EBM has received considerable attention in recent times due to their simplicity and efficacy. However, these tailored implants are not cost-effective, placing a tremendous strain on the patient. The use of additional materials as support during the manufacturing process is one of the key causes of its high cost. A lot of research has been done to lessen the use of supports through various types of support designs. There is indeed a noticeable paucity of studies in the literature that have examined customized implants produced without or minimal supports. This research, therefore, reports on the investigation of cranial implants fabricated with and without supports. The two personalized implants are evaluated in terms of their cost, fabrication time, and accuracy. The study showed impressive results for cranial implants manufactured without supports that cost 39% less than the implants with supports. Similarly, the implant’s (without supports) build time was 18% less than its equivalent with supports. The two implants also demonstrated similar fitting accuracy with 0.2613 mm error in the instance of implant built without supports and 0.2544 mm for the implant with supports. The results indicate that cranial implants can be produced without EBM supports, which can minimize both production time and cost substantially. However, the manufacture of other complex implants without supports needs further study. The future study also requires a detailed review of the mechanical and structural characteristics of cranial implants built without supports.


2005 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolita Radušiene ◽  
Odeta Gudaityte

Millefolii herba is one of the oldest and most important drugs in Lithuania, used both in folk and official medicine. The raw material is usually gathered from spontaneous populations. It would be reasonable to develop methods to identify the populations which produce high plant biomass and accumulate high levels of proazulenes. The quantitative variation of proazulenes and their relationships with phytosociological dependence and morphological characters of Achillea millefolium from wild populations has been examined. The vegetation records were made at 140 growing sites of A. millefolium. The species was found in 29 types of community representing different growing habitats. The resources of milfoils prevailed in dry grasslands of Arrhenatheretalia communities and ruderal habitats of Dauco-Meliliotion. The data on productivity and morphological characters were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. A hierarchical cluster analysis indicated that higher productivity of A. millefolium populations was associated with their dependence on ruderal and segetal communities. The testing of A. millefolium plants revealed high variation for proazulenes in different communities. The proazulene-containing plants have been identified in 38% of all analysed cases. In the highest segetal and wasteland communities of Agropyretalia repentis, Sisybietalia, Digitario-Setarion, Aperion spicae-venti, Senecion fluviatilis only proazulene-free plants were found. Results of the ANOVA showed the proazulene-containing and proazulene-free plants significantly differed (P<0.05) for width of leaves and number of nodes. The presence of nodes in high number and narrow leaves in high proazulene-containing plants distinctly marked them from the proazulene-free plants. The study raised the possibility that selection based on the two morphological marker traits (node number and leaf width) and proazulene distribution in the populations would be effective for rapid identification of highly productive population(s) of pharmaceutical importance.


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