scholarly journals Biofuels Analysis Based on the THDI Indicator of Sustainability

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umberto Lucia ◽  
Giulia Grisolia

Energy resources, and their management, represent an open ongoing problem of our present days. An increasing interest in the analysis of the limits of fossil fuels’ use, and their availability, is growing in order to find solutions to the undesired impact of some anthropic activities to the environment. So, nowadays, aThe current shift to renewable energy resources has become a fundamental requirement. In this context, biofuels from micro-organisms can represent a response to the requirement of reducing the environmental impact, but also to generatinge new jobs. In this paper, the analysis of the biofuels from micro-organisms is developed by introducing the Thermodynamic Human Development Index (THDI). In particular, we show how its performance can be improved by using the third-generation biofuels in the road transport sector, and how it increases by exploiting biofuels derived from mutualistic species of some micro-organisms. The result consists inis affected by the fundamental role of the mutualistic behaviour of these species in order to increase the overall sustainability.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luísa Barros ◽  
Mary Barreto ◽  
Lucas Pereira

Electric Vehicles (EV) adoption targets have been set by governments from countries throughout Europe, related to the European goals, for the decarbonization of the road transport sector. The change for electric vehicle technology can be challenging to EV users for a number of reasons such as battery autonomy, time to charge the vehicle, and the different driving conditions. The work in this paper aims to study how users from Madeira and Porto Santo islands deal with the challenges of EV adoption. Furthermore, this paper also studies the role of the orography in the Regenerative Braking System technology integrated into electric vehicles. To assess such information, an online questionnaire was prepared and sent out to the electric vehicle community of both islands. The main results of this study show drivers’ preference to charge the vehicles at their household and that users are satisfied with the vehicle’s technology. Also, users’ battery range anxiety did not seem to have a significant impact. Moreover, from the drivers’ point of view, there is still the need to study the role of orography, while using the regenerative braking system.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-87
Author(s):  
Maria T. Johansson ◽  
Danica Djuric Ilic

Even though the share of renewable energy in the transport sector has increased during the last decade, the sector is still highly dependent on fossil fuels. Consequences are for example emissions of greenhouse gases, particulates, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. This is of great concern for the environment, climate change, and human health. This study reviews scientific publications about sustainable development of the road transport sector, published 2005-2018. The aim of the study is to investigate if there are differences in the measures and strategies presented in the publications depending on the geographical areas studied, and to analyse if there are differences depending on year of publication. The authors analysed to what extent local conditions influence the choice of proposed measures and strategies. A system perspective was applied in order to include measures related to the whole life cycle of the road transport, as well as other sectors, which influence or are influenced by the transport sector. A literature review was performed using the search-engine Web of Science. Results show that important local conditions that may influence the research focus within the area of sustainable development of the road transport sector are for example: energy supply security (e.g. availability of biomass and renewable electricity, as well as access to domestic fossil fuel resources), possibilities for developing infrastructure for biofuel supply and charging of electric vehicles, political priorities and approaches, and traditions.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 7871
Author(s):  
Wojciech Rabiega ◽  
Artur Gorzałczyński ◽  
Robert Jeszke ◽  
Paweł Mzyk ◽  
Krystian Szczepański

Transformation of road transport sector through replacing of internal combustion vehicles with zero-emission technologies is among key challenges to achievement of climate neutrality by 2050. In a constantly developing economy, the demand for transport services increases to ensure continuity in the supply chain and passenger mobility. Deployment of electric technologies in the road transport sector involves both businesses and households, its pace depends on the technological development of zero-emission vehicles, presence of necessary infrastructure and regulations on emission standards for new vehicles entering the market. Thus, this study attempts to estimate how long combustion vehicles will be in use and what the state of the fleet will be in 2050. For obtainment of results the TR3E partial equilibrium model was used. The study simulates the future fleet structure in passenger and freight transport. The results obtained for Poland for the climate neutrality (NEU) scenario show that in 2050 the share of vehicles using fossil fuels will be ca. 30% in both road passenger and freight transport. The consequence of shifts in the structure of the fleet is the reduction of CO2 emissions ca. 80% by 2050 and increase of the transport demand for electricity and hydrogen.


Author(s):  
David Mares

This chapter discusses the role of energy in economic development, the transformation of energy markets, trade in energy resources themselves, and the geopolitical dynamics that result. The transformation of energy markets and their expansion via trade can help or hinder development, depending on the processes behind them and how stakeholders interact. The availability of renewable, climate-friendly sources of energy, domestically and internationally, means that there is no inherent trade-off between economic growth and the use of fossil fuels. The existence of economic, political, social, and geopolitical adjustment costs means that the expansion of international energy markets to incorporate alternatives to oil and coal is a complex balance of environmental trade-offs with no solutions completely free of negative impact risk. An understanding of the supply of and demand for energy must incorporate the institutional context within which they occur, as well as the social and political dynamics of their setting.


Author(s):  
Zbigniew Łukasik ◽  
Aldona Kuśmińska-Fijałkowska ◽  
Jacek Kozyra ◽  
Sylwia Olszańska

The problem of consolidation of goods for the provider of logistic services, which is a third part that delivers goods from many suppliers to one business client in time horizon was analysed in this article. Every parcel has a fixed date of reception in the source and delivery schedule in a destination. In the age of highly developed economy, time pressure and costs, outsourcing is a condition necessary to improve the functioning of enterprises. New logistic chains, networks of terminals and intermodal connections are built every year to reduce the transport costs and improve the whole process. In this article, the authors presented the benefits resulting from consolidation of cargos in the road transport. Special emphasis was put on determination of the role of the transport costs reduction using the cargo consolidation services.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3634
Author(s):  
Daniele Lerede ◽  
Chiara Bustreo ◽  
Francesco Gracceva ◽  
Yolanda Lechón ◽  
Laura Savoldi

The European Roadmap towards the production of electricity from nuclear fusion foresees the potential availability of nuclear fusion power plants (NFPPs) in the second half of this century. The possible penetration of that technology, typically addressed by using the global energy system EUROFusion TIMES Model (ETM), will depend, among other aspects, on its costs compared to those of the other available technologies for electricity production, and on the future electricity demand. This paper focuses on the ongoing electrification process of the transport sector, with special attention devoted to road transport. A survey on the present and forthcoming technologies, as foreseen by several manufacturers and other models, and an international vehicle database are taken into account to develop the new road transport module, then implemented and harmonized inside ETM. Following three different storylines, the computed results are presented in terms of the evolution of the road transport demand in the next decades, fleet composition and CO 2 emissions. The ETM results are in line with many other studies. On one hand, they highlight, for the European road transport energy consumption pattern, the need for dramatic changes in the transport market, if the most ambitious environmental goals are to be pursued. On the other hand, the results also show that NFPP adoption on a commercial scale could be justified within the current projection of the investment costs, if the deep penetration of electricity in the road transport sector also occurs.


Author(s):  
P. Sivashankari ◽  
A. Krishnamoorthy ◽  
K.N. Balaji

Due to depletion of fossil fuels, concerns about energy security and global warming make renewable energy resources more attractive. In this regard, using biodiesel seems to be a possible and feasible source of energy for transportation. This paper presents an investigation of the performance and emission characteristics of CI engine using 10% blend of rice bran oil as fuel and ceramic oxide coated piston.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document