scholarly journals Advances in the Reduction of the Costs Inherent to Fossil Fuel Biodesulfurization Towards Its Potential Industrial Applications

Author(s):  
Susana M. Paixão ◽  
Tiago P. Silva ◽  
Bruno F. Arez ◽  
Luís Alves

The biodesulfurization (BDS) process consists of the use of microorganisms for the removal of sulfur from fossil fuels. Through BDS it is possible to treat most of the organosulfur compounds recalcitrant to the conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS), the petroleum industry's solution, at mild operating conditions, without the need for molecular hydrogen or metal catalysts. This technique results in lower emissions, smaller residue production, and less energy consumption, which makes BDS an eco-friendly process that can complement HDS making it more efficient. BDS has been extensively studied and much is already known about the process. Clearly, BDS presents advantages as a complementary technique to HDS; however, its commercial use has been delayed by several limitations both upstream and downstream the process. This study will comprehensively review and discuss key issues, like reduction of the BDS costs, advances, and/or challenges for a competitive BDS towards its potential industrial application aiming ultra-low sulfur fuels.

Author(s):  
Susana M. Paixão ◽  
Tiago P. Silva ◽  
Bruno F. Arez ◽  
Luís Alves

Biodesulfurization (BDS) process consists on the use of microorganisms for the removal of sulfur from fossil fuels. Through BDS it is possible to treat most of the organosulfur compounds recalcitrant to the conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS), the petroleum industry's solution, at mild operating conditions, without the need for molecular hydrogen or metal catalysts. This technique results in lower emissions, smaller residue production and less energy consumption, which makes BDS an eco-friendly process that can complement HDS making it more efficient. BDS has been extensively studied and much is already known about the process. Clearly, BDS presents advantages as a complementary technique to HDS; however its commercial use has been delayed by several limitations both upstream and downstream the process. This study will comprehensively review and discuss key issues, like reduction of the BDS costs, advances and/or challenges for a competitive BDS towards its potential industrial application aiming ultra low sulfur fuels.


Biotechnology ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 1985-2020
Author(s):  
Susana M. Paixão ◽  
Tiago P. Silva ◽  
Bruno F. Arez ◽  
Luís Alves

Biodesulfurization (BDS) process consists on the use of microorganisms for the removal of sulfur from fossil fuels. Through BDS it is possible to treat most of the organosulfur compounds recalcitrant to the conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS), the petroleum industry's solution, at mild operating conditions, without the need for molecular hydrogen or metal catalysts. This technique results in lower emissions, smaller residue production and less energy consumption, which makes BDS an eco-friendly process that can complement HDS making it more efficient. BDS has been extensively studied and much is already known about the process. Clearly, BDS presents advantages as a complementary technique to HDS; however its commercial use has been delayed by several limitations both upstream and downstream the process. This study will comprehensively review and discuss key issues, like reduction of the BDS costs, advances and/or challenges for a competitive BDS towards its potential industrial application aiming ultra low sulfur fuels.


Author(s):  
José Carlos Teixeira ◽  
Rui Ferreira ◽  
Eurico A. Seabra ◽  
Manuel Eduardo Ferreira

Environmental concerns and the drive to reduce the dependence on petroleum brought the use of renewable energies to the forefront. Biomass appears as a very interesting alternative for direct conversion into heat. In this context, densified forms of biomass such as pellets are of great relevance because of their easy of use, high efficiency and low emissions. The practical interest in pellet combustion has been driven by the domestic heating sector, which favors the characteristics that are intrinsic of this fuel, despite its relatively higher price. However, the growing costs of fossil fuels have extended the interest of pellet fuels into industrial applications, including co-firing in power stations. A fast growing market includes the retrofitting of existing fuel boilers and furnaces with alternative burners that can be fitted into existing combustion systems. Such an approach has proved very attractive due to the low installation cost and the growing existence of fuels produced in the vicinity of the end user. This involves in most cases a custom built application which requires a high level of flexibility to variable operating conditions. This work reports on the development of a 120 kW pellet burner. A prototype of the burner was built that enables the independent control of the air supply into various regions of the combustion chamber and an accurate supply of fuel. The burner was fitted into a testing furnace of cylindrical shape oriented horizontally. Its diameter is 0.5 m and is constructed in a modular fashion with a total length of 2.2 m. All the facility is fully instrumented and includes: temperature data in various locations inside the chamber, flue gases emissions (CO, CO2, NOx) measurements and flow rates. The objective of the test and development is to optimize the combustion over the thermal load range of the facility. The excess air, fuel supply (primary and secondary) and the shape of the furnace grate enable the optimization of the burner with CO emissions of approximately 50 ppm, well below the acceptable limits.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3699
Author(s):  
Domenico Curto ◽  
Andrea Guercio ◽  
Vincenzo Franzitta

In order to limit the anthropic emissions of CO2, research is currently investigating new materials for the building sector. The main purpose is the reduction in the embodied energy consumption, especially in the residential sector, and consequently the limitation of the direct and indirect utilization of fossil fuels, for the indoor heating, cooling, and ventilation services. Indeed, the residential sector is affected by a high energy demand, thus the choice of improved materials is fundamental to improve the sustainability. All phases: construction, building life, and dismantling are impacting in terms of resource and energy consumption, both associated with the emissions of pollutants in the atmosphere. The aim of this experimental research is to study the thermal insulation and the acoustic absorption of a material composed by natural lime, water, and shives from sativa hemp, a variety of hemp usable for industrial applications. In order to assess the main characteristics of this material, some specimens have been made according to required shapes and sizes to test them in specific machines. The results obtained from the tests are compared with the values of similar lime-based materials already available on the market. The comparison shows how, in certain aspects, the lime and hemp shives materials represent a concrete alternative to conventional materials. This completely natural material would like to achieve thermal and acoustic comfort in indoor environments.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jinhao Duan ◽  
Zhufeng Shao ◽  
Zhaokun Zhang ◽  
Fazhong Peng

Abstract Compared with serial robots, parallel robots have the advantages of high stiffness and good dynamics. By replacing the rigid limbs with cables, the cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR) is greatly simplified in structure and lightweight. We designed a high-speed CDPR tensioned by the passive rod and spring, named TBot. The robot can realize the SCARA movement as the classical Delta parallel robot. Comparison analysis of TBot and Delta is carried out to reveal the natures of the CDPRs and rigid parallel robots, identify the key issues, and promote industrial applications. Based on kinematics and dynamics modeling, performances are analyzed with simulation under a typical Adept Motion trajectory. Results illustrate that TBot has advantages of low cost, low inertia, low energy consumption and adjustable workspace and has great application potential. Energy consumption of the TBot is discussed and the trajectory planning is studied with the genetic algorithm to further reduce the energy consumption, considering the influence of the passive spring. Finally, on the basis of 30% less energy consumption for the Adept Motion than Delta, extra 14.3% energy consumption is saved through the trajectory planning of TBot.


2018 ◽  
Vol 141 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Ayache ◽  
Madjid Birouk

Biogas is a renewable source of energy produced by anaerobic digestion of organic material and composed mainly of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Despite its lower heating value, biogas can still replace fossil fuels in several engineering stationary power generation and other industrial applications. Although numerous published studies were devoted to advance our understating of biogas combustion, experimental data of some parameters such as turbulent burning velocity (St) under certain operating conditions is still lacking. The present study aims to experimentally determine biogas turbulent burning velocity under normal temperature and pressure conditions. Turbulent premixed biogas–air flame was ignited at the center of a 29 L fan-stirred spherical combustion chamber of nearly homogeneous and isotropic turbulence. Test conditions consisted of varying turbulence intensity and biogas surrogate composition. Outwardly propagating biogas flames were tracked and imaged using Schlieren imaging technique. The results showed that, by increasing turbulence and reducing methane percentage in the surrogate, the flammability of the mixture shrinked. In addition, the curve fits of biogas turbulent burning velocity versus the equivalence ratio exhibited two different trends. The peak of turbulent burning velocity shifted away from nearly lean equivalence ratio toward the stoichiometric at a fixed turbulence intensity and higher CH4 percentage in the surrogate. However, for the same biogas surrogate composition, the peak of turbulent burning velocity shifted away from stoichiometric toward leaner equivalence ratio with increased turbulence intensity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 563-572
Author(s):  
Iman Golpour ◽  
Mohammad Kaveh ◽  
Reza Amiri Chayjan ◽  
Raquel P. F. Guiné

AbstractThis research work focused on the evaluation of energy and exergy in the convective drying of potato slices. Experiments were conducted at four air temperatures (40, 50, 60 and 70°C) and three air velocities (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m/s) in a convective dryer, with circulating heated air. Freshly harvested potatoes with initial moisture content (MC) of 79.9% wet basis were used in this research. The influence of temperature and air velocity was investigated in terms of energy and exergy (energy utilization [EU], energy utilization ratio [EUR], exergy losses and exergy efficiency). The calculations for energy and exergy were based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Results indicated that EU, EUR and exergy losses decreased along drying time, while exergy efficiency increased. The specific energy consumption (SEC) varied from 1.94 × 105 to 3.14 × 105 kJ/kg. The exergy loss varied in the range of 0.006 to 0.036 kJ/s and the maximum exergy efficiency obtained was 85.85% at 70°C and 0.5 m/s, while minimum exergy efficiency was 57.07% at 40°C and 1.5 m/s. Moreover, the values of exergetic improvement potential (IP) rate changed between 0.0016 and 0.0046 kJ/s and the highest value occurred for drying at 70°C and 1.5 m/s, whereas the lowest value was for 70°C and 0.5 m/s. As a result, this knowledge will allow the optimization of convective dryers, when operating for the drying of this food product or others, as well as choosing the most appropriate operating conditions that cause the reduction of energy consumption, irreversibilities and losses in the industrial convective drying processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7328
Author(s):  
Saeed Solaymani

Iran, endowed with abundant renewable and non-renewable energy resources, particularly non-renewable resources, faces challenges such as air pollution, climate change and energy security. As a leading exporter and consumer of fossil fuels, it is also attempting to use renewable energy as part of its energy mix toward energy security and sustainability. Due to its favorable geographic characteristics, Iran has diverse and accessible renewable sources, which provide appropriate substitutes to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Therefore, this study aims to examine trends in energy demand, policies and development of renewable energies and the causal relationship between renewable and non-renewable energies and economic growth using two methodologies. This study first reviews the current state of energy and energy policies and then employs Granger causality analysis to test the relationships between the variables considered. Results showed that renewable energy technologies currently do not have a significant and adequate role in the energy supply of Iran. To encourage the use of renewable energy, especially in electricity production, fuel diversification policies and development program goals were introduced in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Diversifying energy resources is a key pillar of Iran’s new plan. In addition to solar and hydropower, biomass from the municipal waste from large cities and other agricultural products, including fruits, can be used to generate energy and renewable sources. While present policies indicate the incorporation of sustainable energy sources, further efforts are needed to offset the use of fossil fuels. Moreover, the study predicts that with the production capacity of agricultural products in 2018, approximately 4.8 billion liters of bioethanol can be obtained from crop residues and about 526 thousand tons of biodiesel from oilseeds annually. Granger’s causality analysis also shows that there is a unidirectional causal relationship between economic growth to renewable and non-renewable energy use. Labor force and gross fixed capital formation cause renewable energy consumption, and nonrenewable energy consumption causes renewable energy consumption.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3966
Author(s):  
Jarosław Mamala ◽  
Michał Śmieja ◽  
Krzysztof Prażnowski

The market demand for vehicles with reduced energy consumption, as well as increasingly stringent standards limiting CO2 emissions, are the focus of a large number of research works undertaken in the analysis of the energy consumption of cars in real operating conditions. Taking into account the growing share of hybrid drive units on the automotive market, the aim of the article is to analyse the total unit energy consumption of a car operating in real road conditions, equipped with an advanced hybrid drive system of the PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) type. In this paper, special attention has been paid to the total unit energy consumption of a car resulting from the cooperation of the two independent power units, internal combustion and electric. The results obtained for the individual drive units were presented in the form of a new unit index of the car, which allows us to compare the consumption of energy obtained from fuel with the use of electricity supported from the car’s batteries, during journeys in real road conditions. The presented research results indicate a several-fold increase in the total unit energy consumption of a car powered by an internal combustion engine compared to an electric car. The values of the total unit energy consumption of the car in real road conditions for the internal combustion drive are within the range 1.25–2.95 (J/(kg · m)) in relation to the electric drive 0.27–1.1 (J/(kg · m)) in terms of instantaneous values. In terms of average values, the appropriate values for only the combustion engine are 1.54 (J/(kg · m)) and for the electric drive only are 0.45 (J/(kg · m)) which results in the internal combustion engine values being 3.4 times higher than the electric values. It is the combustion of fuel that causes the greatest increase in energy supplied from the drive unit to the car’s propulsion system in the TTW (tank to wheels) system. At the same time this component is responsible for energy losses and CO2 emissions to the environment. The results were analysed to identify the differences between the actual life cycle energy consumption of the hybrid powertrain and the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Test Procedure) homologation cycle.


Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1050
Author(s):  
Sarrthesvaarni Rajasuriyan ◽  
Hayyiratul Fatimah Mohd Zaid ◽  
Mohd Faridzuan Majid ◽  
Raihan Mahirah Ramli ◽  
Khairulazhar Jumbri ◽  
...  

The biggest challenge faced in oil refineries is the removal of sulfur compounds in fuel oil. The sulfur compounds which are found in fuel oil such as gasoline and diesel, react with oxygen in the atmosphere to produce sulfur oxide (SOx) gases when combusted. These sulfur compounds produced from the reaction with oxygen in the atmosphere may result in various health problems and environmental effects. Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is the conventional process used to remove sulfur compounds from fuel oil. However, the high operating conditions required for this process and its inefficiency in removing the organosulfur compounds turn to be the major drawbacks of this system. Researchers have also studied several alternatives to remove sulfur from fuel oil. The use of ionic liquids (ILs) has also drawn the interest of researchers to incorporate them in the desulfurization process. The environmental effects resulting from the use of these ILs can be eliminated using eutectic-based ionic liquids (EILs), which are known as greener solvents. In this research, a combination of extractive desulfurization (EDS) and oxidative desulfurization (ODS) using a photocatalyst and EIL was studied. The photocatalyst used is a pre-reported catalyst, Cu-Fe/TiO2 and the EIL were synthesized by mixing choline chloride (ChCl) with organic acids. The acids used for the EILs were propionic acid (PA) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (TSA). The EILs synthesized were characterized using thermogravimetry analyser (TGA) differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis to determine the physical properties of the EILs. Based on the TGA analysis, ChCl (1): PA (3) obtained the highest thermal stability whereas, as for the DSC analysis, all synthesized EILs have a lower melting point than its pure component. Further evaluation on the best EIL for the desulfurization process was carried out in a photo-reactor under UV light in the presence of Cu-Fe/TiO2 photocatalyst and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Once the oxidation and extraction process were completed, the oil phase of the mixture was analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure the sulfur removal efficiency. In terms of the desulfurization efficiency, the EIL of ChCl (1): TSA (2) showed a removal efficiency of about 99.07%.


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