scholarly journals Preparation of bio-oil from Scenedesmus acutus using thermochemical liquefaction in a 1 L reactor

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
H. Baloyi ◽  
S. Marx

Biomass from microalgae is a potential feedstock for biofuels production. It poses no threat to food security as it does not compete with agricultural crops for arable land. Scenedesmus acutus was used as feedstock to produce bio-oil in a large liquefaction reactor. The influence of reaction temperature (280–360ºC), reaction atmosphere (N2 or CO2) and solvent on bio-oil yield, C-16 fatty acid yield and oil properties were investigated. Oils were characterised using gas chromatography, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ultimate analysis. Higher bio-oil yields were obtained in a CO2 atmosphere (250 g.kg-1 dry microalgae) than in a N2 atmosphere (210 g.kg-1 dry microalgae) whilst higher C16 fatty acid concentrations (600 g.kg-1 bio-oil) were recorded in N2 atmosphere compared to oil prepared in a CO2 atmosphere (500 g.kg-1 bio-oil). The oil yield increased to a maximum at 320°C, after which there were no significant changes. Highest bio-oil yields (425 g.kg-1 dry microalgae) were obtained in ethanol as solvent. FTIR spectroscopy and ultimate analysis showed that proteins present in the feedstock were degraded by breakage of peptide linkages, and nitrogen present in the oils is peptide fragments from protein degradation. The carbon content of all produced oils was high, but the hydrogen content was low, leading to low hydrogen/carbon ratios. Energy consumption and energy efficiency calculations showed that liquefaction in both reaction atmospheres results in a net energy gain, and a CO2 atmosphere is best for high energy efficiency.

Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Wang ◽  
Jinmei Du ◽  
Changhai Xu

Abstract:: Activated peroxide systems are formed by adding so-called bleach activators to aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide, developed in the seventies of the last century for use in domestic laundry for their high energy efficiency and introduced at the beginning of the 21st century to the textile industry as an approach toward overcoming the extensive energy consumption in bleaching. In activated peroxide systems, bleach activators undergo perhydrolysis to generate more kinetically active peracids that enable bleaching under milder conditions while hydrolysis of bleach activators and decomposition of peracids may occur as side reactions to weaken the bleaching efficiency. This mini-review aims to summarize these competitive reactions in activated peroxide systems and their influence on bleaching performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 849 ◽  
pp. 47-52
Author(s):  
Siti Jamilatun ◽  
Aster Rahayu ◽  
Yano Surya Pradana ◽  
Budhijanto ◽  
Rochmadi ◽  
...  

Nowadays, energy consumption has increased as a population increases with socio-economic developments and improved living standards. Therefore, it is necessary to find a replacement for fossil energy with renewable energy sources, and the potential to develop is biofuels. Bio-oil, water phase, gas, and char products will be produced by utilizing Spirulina platensis (SPR) microalgae extraction residue as pyrolysis raw material. The purpose of this study is to characterize pyrolysis products and bio-oil analysis with GC-MS. Quality fuel is good if O/C is low, H/C is high, HHV is high, and oxygenate compounds are low, but aliphatic and aromatic are high. Pyrolysis was carried out at a temperature of 300-600°C with a feed of 50 grams in atmospheric conditions with a heating rate of 5-35°C/min, the equipment used was a fixed-bed reactor. The higher the pyrolysis temperature, the higher the bio-oil yield will be to an optimum temperature, then lower. The optimum temperature of pyrolysis is 550°C with a bio-oil yield of 23.99 wt%. The higher the pyrolysis temperature, the higher the H/C, the lower O/C. The optimum condition was reached at a temperature of 500°C with the values of H/C, and O/C is 1.17 and 0.47. With an increase in temperature of 300-600°C, HHV increased from 11.64 MJ/kg to 20.63 MJ/kg, the oxygenate compound decreased from 85.26 to 37.55 wt%. Aliphatics and aromatics increased, respectively, from 5.76 to 36.72 wt% and 1.67 to 6.67 wt%.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 3932
Author(s):  
Jie Song ◽  
Qing Ye ◽  
Kun Wang ◽  
Zhiyuan Guo ◽  
Meiling Dou

The development of high efficient stacks is critical for the wide spread application of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) in transportation and stationary power plant. Currently, the favorable operation conditions of PEMFCs are with single cell voltage between 0.65 and 0.7 V, corresponding to energy efficiency lower than 57%. For the long term, PEMFCs need to be operated at higher voltage to increase the energy efficiency and thus promote the fuel economy for transportation and stationary applications. Herein, PEMFC single cell was investigated to demonstrate its capability to working with voltage and energy efficiency higher than 0.8 V and 65%, respectively. It was demonstrated that the PEMFC encountered a significant performance degradation after the 64 h operation. The cell voltage declined by more than 13% at the current density of 1000 mA cm−2, due to the electrode de-activation. The high operation potential of the cathode leads to the corrosion of carbon support and then causes the detachment of Pt nanoparticles, resulting in significant Pt agglomeration. The catalytic surface area of cathode Pt is thus reduced for oxygen reduction and the cell performance decreased. Therefore, electrochemically stable Pt catalyst is highly desirable for efficient PEMFCs operated under cell voltage higher than 0.8 V.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1360
Author(s):  
Teodora M. Șoimoșan ◽  
Ligia M. Moga ◽  
Livia Anastasiu ◽  
Daniela L. Manea ◽  
Aurica Căzilă ◽  
...  

Harnessing renewable energy sources (RES) using hybrid systems for buildings is almost a deontological obligation for engineers and researchers in the energy field, and increasing the percentage of renewables within the energy mix represents an important target. In crowded urban areas, on-site energy production and storage from renewables can be a real challenge from a technical point of view. The main objectives of this paper are quantification of the impact of the consumer’s profile on overall energy efficiency for on-site storage and final use of solar thermal energy, as well as developing a multicriteria assessment in order to provide a methodology for selection in prioritizing investments. Buildings with various consumption profiles lead to achieving different values of performance indicators in similar configurations of storage and energy supply. In this regard, an analysis of the consumption profile’s impact on overall energy efficiency, achieved in the case of on-site generation and storage of solar thermal energy, was performed. The obtained results validate the following conclusion: On-site integration of solar systems allowed the consumers to use RES at the desired coverage rates, while restricted by on-site available mounting areas for solar fields and thermal storage, under conditions of high energy efficiencies. In order to segregate the results and support optimal selection, a multicriteria analysis was carried out, having as the main criteria the energy efficiency indicators achieved by hybrid heating systems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 690-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jong Yeol Jeon ◽  
Yohan Han ◽  
Young‐Wun Kim ◽  
Youn‐Woo Lee ◽  
Sukwon Hong ◽  
...  

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1558 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Mogildea ◽  
Marian Mogildea ◽  
Cristina Popa ◽  
Gabriel Chiritoi

This paper focuses on the dissociation of carbon dioxide (CO2) following the absorption processes of microwave radiation by noncontact metal wire (tungsten). Using a microwave plasma generator (MPG) with a single-mode cavity, we conducted an interaction of microwaves with a noncontact electrode in a CO2 atmosphere. High energy levels of electromagnetic radiation are generated in the focal point of the MPG’s cylindrical cavity. The metal wires are vaporized and ionized from this area, subsequently affecting the dissociation of CO2. The CO2 dissociation is highlighted through plasma characterization and carbon monoxide (CO) quantity determination. For plasma characterization, we used an optical emission spectroscopy method (OES), and for CO quantity determination, we used a gas analyzer instrument. Using an MPG in the CO2 atmosphere, we obtained a high electron temperature of the plasma and a strong dissociation of CO2. After 20 s of the interaction between microwaves and noncontact electrodes, the quantity of CO increased from 3 ppm to 1377 ppm (0.13% CO). This method can be used in space applications to dissociate CO2 and refresh the atmosphere of closed spaces.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 806-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Nikiforidis ◽  
Keisuke Tajima ◽  
Hye Ryung Byon

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