Amine-Ionic Liquid Blends in CO2 Capture Process for Sustainable Energy and Environment

In the present work, an experiment for CO2 capture process were performed by absorption using various aqueous solvent blends of amine and ionic liquids. The solvent blends were prepared for various compositions by mixing TetraButylAmmonium Acetate [TBA][OAC] and TetraButylAmmonium Bromide [TBA][Br] ionic liquids with Monoethanolamine (MEA). The obtained results were compared with baseline MEA. It was observed that capture efficiency of CO2, absorption rate of CO2 and CO2 diffusion coefficient of MEA-[TBA][OAC] and MEA-[TBA][Br] solvent blends were comparatively higher than baseline 30%MEA. Moreover, the parameters such as density, viscosity, pH, carbon loading and surface tension of all the solvent blends were measured for before and after absorption process. The carbon loading of solvent blends MEA-[TBA][Br] (0.405 mole of CO2/mole of solvent) and MEA-[TBA][OAC](0.459 mole of CO2/mole of solvent) was slightly lower than baseline MEA (0.494 mole of CO2/mole of solvent). However, the viscosity of MEA-[TBA][Br] blends were remarkably lower than MEA-[TBA][OAC] blend and baseline MEA. This might be an important key factor in solvent recovery process with lesser energy demand for sustainable energy and environment.

Analysis and Design of Absorbers for Electromagnetic Compatibility Applications

Absorbers are one of the key components in the realm of electromagnetic compatibility. Depending on the frequency range of interest, different types of absorbers can be utilized for this purpose. This chapter introduces the analysis and modeling of ferrite-based absorbers for low-frequency applications (below 1 GHz) and discusses the issues encountered in their installation, resulting in air gaps. Later, different kinds of pyramidal absorbers, commonly used in the broadband microwave frequency range (above 1 GHz), are presented, and analytical and numerical approaches for predicting their performance are reviewed. The combination of the ferrite tile and pyramidal dielectric absorbers is also provided. Then, some practical aspects of designing hybrid absorbers, including the influence of carbon loading and matching layer on their performance, are mentioned. Finally, the absorber operating frequency extension to the millimeter-wave spectrum using metamaterial structures or graphene material is presented.

Anthropogenic Inputs of Terrestrial Organic Matter Influence Carbon Loading and Methanogenesis in Coastal Baltic Sea Sediments

Coastal regions globally have experienced widespread anthropogenic eutrophication in recent decades. Loading of autochthonous carbon to coastal sediments enhances the demand for electron acceptors for microbial remineralization, often leading to rearrangement of the sediment diagenetic zonation and potentially enhancing fluxes of methane and hydrogen sulfide from the seafloor. However, the role of anthropogenic inputs of terrestrial organic matter (OMterr.) in modulating diagenesis in coastal sediments is often overlooked, despite being of potential importance in regions of land-use and industrial change. Here we present a dated 4-m sediment and porewater geochemistry record from a eutrophic coastal location in the northern Baltic Sea, to investigate sources of recent carbon loading and their impact on modern diagenetic processes. Based on an end-member mixing model of sediment N/C ratios, we observe that a significant fraction of the late-20th century carbon loading at this location was contributed by OMterr.. Furthermore, analysis of lignin in this material shows depleted ratios of syringyl/vanillyl (S/V) and cinnamyl/vanillyl (C/V) phenols, indicative of enhanced inputs of woody gymnosperm tissue likely from forest industries. The rapid loading of organic matter from combined terrestrial and autochthonous sources during the late 20th century has stimulated methanogenesis in the sediment column, and shoaled the sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ) to a depth of 5–20 cm. Optical parameters of colored dissolved organic matter confirm that OMterr. is actively degrading in the methanogenic layer, implying a role for this material in diagenetic processes. Porewater CH4, SO42− δ13C-DIC, and ∑S2− data suggest that the modern SMTZ is a broad zone in which organoclastic sulfate reduction, methanogenesis and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) co-occur. However, fluxes of CH4 and SO42− show that rates of these processes are similar to other marine locations with a comparably shallow SMTZ. We suggest that the shallow depth of the modern SMTZ is the principal reason for high observed diffusive and ebullitive methane fluxes from sediments in this area. Our results highlight that anthropogenic activities lead to multiple pathways of carbon loading to coastal sediments, and that forest industry impacts on sedimentation in the northern Baltic Sea may be more widespread than previously acknowledged.

Carbon Ratio Controlled in-situ Synthesis of Ordered Mesoporous Hybrid Silica/Carbon Materials via Soft Template Method

A strategy for synthesizing the ordered mesoporous hybrid silica-carbon materials with moderate pore volume and surface area are developed from the dry leaves powder of Tectonagrandis (TG) as carbon precursor by direct carbon loading method. Pre-activated carbon (PAC) has been generated from the dry leaves powder of TG by sulphuric acid assisted partial chemical activation method. The carbon content in silica matrix of the material is fixed up to 50 weight percentages with respect to silica which renders a novel and highly ordered hybrid Si/C mesoporous material by this direct carbon loading strategy. The physical-chemical analyses are supported that the synthesized hybrid Si/C materials are completely different from carbon coated hybrid Si/C materials. Among the synthesized materials, high surface area containing Si/C material has been chosen for dye adsorption which exhibits an excellent dye adsorption behavior with Methylene Blue (MB) dye up to 97% in short span of time.

Micro Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Electrode

The effect of an anode composite electrode on the performance of a micro direct methanol fuel cell (μDMFC) is analyzed from sample preparation configurations and discussed in detail, with a specific focus on the catalyst layer and the micro-porous layer on the anode composite electrode. This study investigates the effects of Pt content, Pt-Ru molar ratio, Nafion content, catalyst support, and preparation method in the catalyst layer, along with the carbon loading and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE )content in the micro-porous layer, on the performance of the anode composite electrode. The results show that the anode composite electrode delivers the best performance with 30% Pt content, a 1:1.5 Pt-Ru molar ratio, 10% Nafion content on reduced graphene oxide as the catalyst support. The synthesis is optimized with the impregnation reduction method using NaBH4 as the reducing agent, with the addition of 1.5 mg/cm2 carbon loading and 5% PTFE.