scholarly journals Strategies to Produce Cost-Effective Third-Generation Biofuel From Microalgae

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazifa Rafa ◽  
Shams Forruque Ahmed ◽  
Irfan Anjum Badruddin ◽  
M. Mofijur ◽  
Sarfaraz Kamangar

Third-generation biofuel produced from microalgae is a viable solution to global energy insecurity and climate change. Despite an annual current global algal biomass production of 38 million litres, commercialization confronts significant economic challenges. However, cost minimization strategies, particularly for microalgae cultivation, have largely been excluded from recent studies. Therefore, this review provides essential insights into the technologies and economics of cost minimization strategies for large-scale applications. Cultivation of microalgae through aquafarming, in wastewater, or for biogas upgrading, and co-production of value-added products (VAPs) such as photo-bioreactors, protein, astaxanthin, and exopolysaccharides can drastically reduce biodiesel production costs. For instance, the co-production of photo-bioreactors and astaxanthin can reduce the cost of biodiesel production from $3.90 to $0.54 per litre. Though many technical challenges need to be addressed, the economic analysis reveals that incorporating such cost-effective strategies can make the biorefinery concept feasible and profitable. The cost of producing microalgal biodiesel can be lowered to $0.73kg−1 dry weight when cultivated in wastewater or $0.54L−1 when co-produced with VAPs. Most importantly, access to co-product markets with higher VAPs needs to be encouraged as the global market for microalgae-based VAPs is estimated to rise to $53.43 billion in 2026. Therefore, policies that incentivize research and development, as well as the production and consumption of microalgae-based biodiesel, are important to reduce the large gap in production cost that persists between biodiesel and petroleum diesel.

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 899
Author(s):  
Djordje Mitrovic ◽  
Miguel Crespo Chacón ◽  
Aida Mérida García ◽  
Jorge García Morillo ◽  
Juan Antonio Rodríguez Diaz ◽  
...  

Studies have shown micro-hydropower (MHP) opportunities for energy recovery and CO2 reductions in the water sector. This paper conducts a large-scale assessment of this potential using a dataset amassed across six EU countries (Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Spain, and Portugal) for the drinking water, irrigation, and wastewater sectors. Extrapolating the collected data, the total annual MHP potential was estimated between 482.3 and 821.6 GWh, depending on the assumptions, divided among Ireland (15.5–32.2 GWh), Scotland (17.8–139.7 GWh), Northern Ireland (5.9–8.2 GWh), Wales (10.2–8.1 GWh), Spain (375.3–539.9 GWh), and Portugal (57.6–93.5 GWh) and distributed across the drinking water (43–67%), irrigation (51–30%), and wastewater (6–3%) sectors. The findings demonstrated reductions in energy consumption in water networks between 1.7 and 13.0%. Forty-five percent of the energy estimated from the analysed sites was associated with just 3% of their number, having a power output capacity >15 kW. This demonstrated that a significant proportion of energy could be exploited at a small number of sites, with a valuable contribution to net energy efficiency gains and CO2 emission reductions. This also demonstrates cost-effective, value-added, multi-country benefits to policy makers, establishing the case to incentivise MHP in water networks to help achieve the desired CO2 emissions reductions targets.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1646
Author(s):  
Jingya Xie ◽  
Wangcheng Ye ◽  
Linjie Zhou ◽  
Xuguang Guo ◽  
Xiaofei Zang ◽  
...  

In the last couple of decades, terahertz (THz) technologies, which lie in the frequency gap between the infrared and microwaves, have been greatly enhanced and investigated due to possible opportunities in a plethora of THz applications, such as imaging, security, and wireless communications. Photonics has led the way to the generation, modulation, and detection of THz waves such as the photomixing technique. In tandem with these investigations, researchers have been exploring ways to use silicon photonics technologies for THz applications to leverage the cost-effective large-scale fabrication and integration opportunities that it would enable. Although silicon photonics has enabled the implementation of a large number of optical components for practical use, for THz integrated systems, we still face several challenges associated with high-quality hybrid silicon lasers, conversion efficiency, device integration, and fabrication. This paper provides an overview of recent progress in THz technologies based on silicon photonics or hybrid silicon photonics, including THz generation, detection, phase modulation, intensity modulation, and passive components. As silicon-based electronic and photonic circuits are further approaching THz frequencies, one single chip with electronics, photonics, and THz functions seems inevitable, resulting in the ultimate dream of a THz electronic–photonic integrated circuit.


2002 ◽  
Vol 06 (24) ◽  
pp. 958-965
Author(s):  
Jun Yu ◽  
Jian Wang ◽  
Huanming Yang

A coordinated international effort to sequence agricultural and livestock genomes has come to its time. While human genome and genomes of many model organisms (related to human health and basic biological interests) have been sequenced or plugged in the sequencing pipelines, agronomically important crop and livestock genomes have not been given high enough priority. Although we are facing many challenges in policy-making, grant funding, regional task emphasis, research community consensus and technology innovations, many initiatives are being announced and formulated based on the cost-effective and large-scale sequencing procedure, known as whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequencing that produces draft sequences covering a genome from 95 percent to 99 percent. Identified genes from such draft sequences, coupled with other resources, such as molecular markers, large-insert clones and cDNA sequences, provide ample information and tools to further our knowledge in agricultural and environmental biology in the genome era that just comes to its accelerated period. If the campaign succeeds, molecular biologists, geneticists and field biologists from all countries, rich or poor, would be brought to the same starting point and expect another astronomical increase of basic genomic information, ready to convert effectively into knowledge that will ultimately change our lives and environment into a greater and better future. We call upon national and international governmental agencies and organizations as well as research foundations to support this unprecedented movement.


Membranes ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Roy Nitzsche ◽  
Hendrik Etzold ◽  
Marlen Verges ◽  
Arne Gröngröft ◽  
Matthias Kraume

Hemicellulose and its derivatives have a high potential to replace fossil-based materials in various high-value-added products. Within this study, two purification cascades for the separation and valorization of hemicellulose and its derived monomeric sugars from organosolv beechwood hydrolyzates (BWHs) were experimentally demonstrated and assessed. Purification cascade 1 included hydrothermal treatment for converting remaining hemicellulose oligomers to xylose and the purification of the xylose by nanofiltration. Purification cascade 2 included the removal of lignin by adsorption, followed by ultrafiltration for the separation and concentration of hemicellulose. Based on the findings of the experimental work, both cascades were simulated on an industrial scale using Aspen Plus®. In purification cascade 1, 63% of the oligomeric hemicellulose was hydrothermally converted to xylose and purified by nanofiltration to 7.8 t/h of a xylose solution with a concentration of 200 g/L. In purification cascade 2, 80% of the lignin was removed by adsorption, and 7.6 t/h of a purified hemicellulose solution with a concentration of 200 g/L was obtained using ultrafiltration. The energy efficiency of the cascades was 59% and 26%, respectively. Furthermore, the estimation of specific production costs showed that xylose can be recovered from BWH at the cost of 73.7 EUR/t and hemicellulose at 135.1 EUR/t.


2007 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-60
Author(s):  
Vittorio Mapelli

Introduction: schizophrenia is a serious and long lasting psychiatric disease. The new “atypical” antipsychotic drugs, introduced in the 90s, have substantially improved the effectiveness of medical treatments, compared to previous neuroleptic drugs. Nowadays they tend to be used as first choice drugs. The ddd cost of atypicals may differ by 20% and health authorities may have an incentive to deliver the less costly drug, especially if they are generic. However the various drugs show differential effectiveness rates and a rational choice should consider both cost and effectiveness.
Objective: the purpose of this analysis is to review the existing evidence on cost-effectiveness studies of olanzapine and risperidone, the two most prescribed drugs in Italy. Six published studies were identified, but attention was focused on two articles that reported consistent and methodologically sound results.
Results: most reviewed studies are cost-minimization analyses, since effectiveness indicators show no significant statistical difference between the two drugs, and are inconclusive since the results depend on the evaluation setting. However one observational retrospective study showed a significant severity reduction over 12 months for patients treated with olanzapine (-2.46 on HoNOS scale; p<0.05), compared to a smaller non significant reduction of the risperidone group (-0.57). Despite the higher drug cost, the average total cost per reduced severity score was lower for olanzapine than for risperidone patients (€ 4,554 vs. € 10,897). The only medical and related health care costs for risperidone patients were higher than total costs for olanzapine patients. Another study comparing cohorts of patients with similar starting severity showed a significant severity reduction and global functioning increase over 12 months for olanzapine but no significant increase for risperidone patients (-0.35, p<0.01 on CGI scale; +3.66, p <0.05 on GAF scale, compared respectively to -0.27, p<0.05 and +2.00 n.s.). Again average cost per reduced severity/increased functioning score was higher for risperidone than olanzapine patients (€ 4,568 vs. € 4,170 for CGI and € 2,284 vs. € 1,139 for GAF scales respectively).
Conclusion: the use of olanzapine in the treatment of schizophrenia is the most cost-effective alternative for the SSN (Italian National health service), as it minimizes the cost per score of severity reduction or functioning increase. Even if the price of risperidone were to be reduced by 50% (becoming a generic), total 12 months treatment costs would exceed those of olanzapine in its highest ddd (30 mg).



2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-30

Streptokinase is a fibrinolytic enzyme and a product of β-hemolytic Streptococci strains. This enzyme is used as a medication to break down clots in some cases of heart disease. Streptococcus equisimilis, a species of group C Streptococci, is widely used for the production of streptokinase by fermentation technology. In this study, the sugarcane bagasse fermentation medium was optimized for metal ions (KH2PO4, MgSO4.7H2O, CaCO3 and NaHCO3) at various levels to attain the maximal production of streptokinase. Sugarcane bagasse was used due to its profuse availability and as an ideal substrate for microbial processes for the manufacturing of value-added products. The results showed that maximal streptokinase production was found at 0.04% KH2PO4, 0.04% MgSO4.7H2O, 0.15% NaHCO3 and 0.04% CaCO3. Finally, the optimized medium resulted in 84.75 U/mg specific activity and 74.5% recovery. The purification process was carried out simultaneously using ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. Finally, a purified sample of streptokinase was run on SDS-PAGE and resolute 47 kDa molecular weight. The use of β-hemolytic Streptococci to obtain streptokinase is not free from health risks and is related to anaphylaxis. This study provides a way forward for the cost-effective ways to obtain streptokinase for the treatment of thrombosis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Natalia Alfonso ◽  
Adnan A Hyder ◽  
Olakunle Alonge ◽  
Shumona Sharmin Salam ◽  
Kamran Baset ◽  
...  

Abstract Drowning is the leading cause of death among children 12-59 months old in rural Bangladesh. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a large-scale crèche intervention in preventing child drowning. Estimates of the effectiveness of the crèches was based on prior studies and the program cost was assessed using monthly program expenditures captured prospectively throughout the study period from two different implementing agencies. The study evaluated the cost-effectiveness from both a program and societal perspective. Results showed that from the program perspective the annual operating cost of a crèche was $416.35 (95%C.I.: $222 to $576), the annual cost per child was $16 (95%C.I.: $9 to $22) and the incremental-cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) per life saved with the crèches was $17,803 (95%C.I.: $9,051 to $27,625). From the societal perspective (including parents time valued) the ICER per life saved was -$176,62 (95%C.I.: -$347,091 to -$67,684)—meaning crèches generated net economic benefits per child enrolled. Based on the ICER per disability-adjusted-life years averted from the societal perspective (excluding parents time), $2,020, the crèche intervention was cost-effective even when the societal economic benefits were ignored. Based on the evidence, the creche intervention has great potential for reducing child drowning at a cost that is reasonable.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 1600-1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-Lu Zheng ◽  
Ya-Hong Zhu ◽  
Ming-Qiang Zhu ◽  
Kang Kang ◽  
Run-Cang Sun

The commercial production of advanced fuels based on bio-oil gasification could be promising because the cost-effective transport of bio-oil could promote large-scale implementation of this biomass technology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-113
Author(s):  
Abdul Bari Muneera Parveen ◽  
Divya Lakshmanan ◽  
Modhumita Ghosh Dasgupta

The advent of next-generation sequencing has facilitated large-scale discovery and mapping of genomic variants for high-throughput genotyping. Several research groups working in tree species are presently employing next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms for marker discovery, since it is a cost effective and time saving strategy. However, most trees lack a chromosome level genome map and validation of variants for downstream application becomes obligatory. The cost associated with identifying potential variants from the enormous amount of sequence data is a major limitation. In the present study, high resolution melting (HRM) analysis was optimized for rapid validation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions or deletions (InDels) and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) predicted from exome sequencing of parents and hybrids of Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm. ? Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden generated from controlled hybridization. The cost per data point was less than 0.5 USD, providing great flexibility in terms of cost and sensitivity, when compared to other validation methods. The sensitivity of this technology in variant detection can be extended to other applications including Bar-HRM for species authentication and TILLING for detection of mutants.


1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 307-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Y. G. Andoh ◽  
C. Declerck

Rapid urbanisation and its consequent increase in impermeable surface areas and changes in land use has generally resulted in problems of flooding and heavy pollution of urban streams and other receiving waters. This has often been coupled with ground water depletion and a threat to water resources. The first part of this paper presents an alternative drainage philosophy and strategy which mimics nature's way by slowing down (attenuating) the movement of urban runoff. This approach results in cost-effective, affordable and sustainable drainage schemes. The alternative strategy can be described as one of prevention rather than cure by effecting controls closer to source rather than the traditional approach which results in the transfer of problems downstream, resulting in its cumulation and the need for large scale, centralised control. The second part describes a research project which has been launched in order to quantify the cost and operational benefits of source control and distributed storage. Details of the methodology of the modelling and simulation processes which are being followed to achieve this target are presented.


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