A high pressure ignition delay time study of 2-methylfuran and tetrahydrofuran in shock tubes

Ignition delay time studies for tetrahydrofuran (THF) and 2-methylfuran (2MF) as well as optical investigations of combustion for 2MF have been carried out using two shock tubes. The experiments with undiluted THF/air mixtures were performed at 20 and 40 bar in a high pressure shock tube (HPST) at an equivalence ratio of Ф = 1 covering an overall temperature range of 780–1100 K and 691–1006 K, respectively. Undiluted 2MF/air mixtures (Ф = 1) were also investigated in the HPST at 40 bar in the temperature range of 820–1215 K. The experimental data of 2MF obtained at 40 bar were supported with kinetic simulations of existing models from literature. Additionally, sensitivity analyses of 2MF at several temperatures were performed for finding out the most sensitive reactions. Schlieren imaging was employed in a rectangular shock tube (RST) utilizing a high speed video camera through which the ignition process was captured for a stoichiometric 2MF/O₂/Ar mixture at pressures of about 10 bar and in the temperature range of 871–1098 K.     

Will energy crop yields meet expectations?

Expectations are high for energy crops. Government policies in the United States and Europe are increasingly supporting biofuel and heat and power from cellulose, and biomass is touted as a partial solution to energy security and greenhouse gas mitigation. Here, we review the literature for yields of 5 major potential energy crops: Miscanthus spp., Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Populus spp. (poplar), Salix spp. (willow), and Eucalyptus spp. Very high yields have been achieved for each of these types of energy crops, up to 40 t ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ in small, intensively managed trials. But yields are significantly lower in semi-commercial scale trials, due to biomass losses with drying, harvesting inefficiency under real world conditions, and edge effects in small plots. To avoid competition with food, energy crops should be grown on non-agricultural land, which also lowers yields. While there is potential for yield improvement for each of these crops through further research and breeding programs, for several reasons the rate of yield increase is likely to be slower than historically has been achieved for cereals; these include relatively low investment, long breeding periods, low yield response of perennial grasses to fertilizer, and inapplicability of manipulating the harvest index. Miscanthus × giganteus faces particular challenges as it is a sterile hybrid. Moderate and realistic expectations for the current and future performance of energy crops are vital to understanding the likely cost and the potential of large-scale production.     

Fuel ethanol production from sweet sorghum using repeated-batch fermentation

Ethanol was efficiently produced from three varieties of sweet sorghum using repeated-batch fermentation without pasteurization or acidification. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells could be recycled in 16 cycles of the fermentation process with good ethanol yields. This technique would make it possible to use a broader range of sweet sorghum varieties for ethanol production.     

Effects of wood ash fertilization on forest floor greenhouse gas emissions and tree growth in nutrient poor drained peatland forests

Wood ash (3.1, 3.3 or 6.6 tonnes dry weight ha^− 1) was used to fertilize two drained and forested peatland sites in southern Sweden. The sites were chosen to represent the Swedish peatlands that are most suitable for ash fertilization, with respect to stand growth response. The fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from the forest floor, measured using opaque static chambers, were monitored at both sites during 2004 and 2005 and at one of the sites during the period 1 October 2007-1 October 2008. No significant (p > 0.05) changes in forest floor greenhouse gas exchange were detected. The annual emissions of CO₂ from the sites varied between 6.4 and 15.4 tonnes ha^− 1, while the CH₄ fluxes varied between 1.9 and 12.5 kg ha^− 1. The emissions of N₂O were negligible. Ash fertilization increased soil pH at a depth of 0-0.05 m by up to 0.9 units (p < 0.01) at one site, 5 years after application, and by 0.4 units (p < 0.05) at the other site, 4 years after application. Over the first 5 years after fertilization, the mean annual tree stand basal area increment was significantly larger (p < 0.05) at the highest ash dose plots compared with control plots (0.64 m² ha^− 1 year^− 1 and 0.52 m² ha^− 1 year^− 1, respectively). The stand biomass, which was calculated using tree biomass functions, was not significantly affected by the ash treatment. The groundwater levels during the 2008 growing season were lower in the high ash dose plots than in the corresponding control plots (p < 0.05), indicating increased evapotranspiration as a result of increased tree growth. The larger basal area increment and the lowered groundwater levels in the high ash dose plots suggest that fertilization promoted tree growth, while not affecting greenhouse gas emissions.     

Highly selective hierarchical ZSM-5 from kaolin for catalytic cracking of Calophyllum inophyllum oil to biofuel

Upgrading the inferior properties of Calophyllum inophyllum oil via catalytic cracking into biofuel required a porous heterogeneous acid catalysts. Hierarchical ZSM-5 (Hi-ZSM-5(K)) produced from desilication of kaolin-derived ZSM-5 was employed as catalyst and the activity was compared with hierarchical ZSM-5 obtained from templating method (Hi-ZSM-5(T)). Catalytic cracking of Calophyllum inophyllum oil was carried out in one-pot reaction at 475 °C for 120 min under the flow of H₂ and the products analysed using GC-MS were consisted of the mixtures of alkane, alkene, oxygenated carbon and aromatics compound. The advantages of desilication method for the formation of highly selective hierarchical ZSM-5 was observed when the catalyst exhibited enhanced acidity with mesopores diameter of 2–5 nm to give 93% conversion and high selectivity towards light C7–C9 hydrocarbons. However, Hi-ZSM-5(T) showed low acidity to give only 43% conversion, and selectivity towards C11–C12 hydrocarbons due to the mesopores diameter of 3–12 nm. The activity of hierarchical ZSM-5 was also compared with microporous ZSM-5 that produced biofuel with approximately equal distribution of C5–C18 hydrocarbons. The role of hierarchical structures was further discussed on the composition of aromatics compound, oxygenates content and alkene/alkane ratios of the biofuel.     

Dark fermentative hydrogen gas production from waste peach pulp by intermittent feeding: Effects of hydraulic residence time and substrate loading rate

Peach has a big share of the world fruit market, with significant annual waste production. This study reports dark fermentative hydrogen gas production from waste peach pulp using intermittent feeding. In this context, the effects of hydraulic residence time (HRT) and substrate loading rate (SLR) on hydrogen production were determined in two sets of experiments. All experiments were performed in 310 mL serum bottles. During the first set of experiments, HRT was varied between 1 and 6 days and hydrogen production was more favorable at short HRTs. In the second set of experiments, SLR was varied between 9 and 90 gTOC/L.d, and more efficient hydrogen formation was observed by increasing the SLR. The most convenient HRT and SLR resulting in maximum hydrogen formation rate (931.8 mLH₂/L.d) was obtained at 1 day and 90 gTOC/L.d, respectively.     

Latest avenues and approaches for biohydrogen generation from algal towards sustainable energy optimization: Recent innovations,artificial intelligence,challenges, and future perspectives

The limited resources of fossil fuels and bio energies, along with the environmental pollution caused by their combustion, make it necessary to search for renewable and clean alternative sources and to optimize the available current energies specifically for required energy for using in buildings. This is mandatory for a solution of future energy production issues as huge consumption of energy in buildings and structures is unavoidable in buildings for instance China's higher education buildings consume huge amounts of bioenergy. Most of the attention in the production of biofuel has been focused on the use of plant biomass, agricultural waste, solid waste, and sewage treatment sludge. Today, there are renewable resources to replace fossil fuels such as biofuels for usage in buildings required energy; however, in the last decade, the cultivation of microalgae has been proposed as another option for biomass production. Utilization of algae biomass is more cost-effective than vegetable crops in terms of water consumption and cultivated area and reduces costs and greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels. Artificial intelligence is a tool to help for this utilization and becoming much better in recent researches. Many types of microalgae, due to their high ability to consume organic carbon and inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus, can grow in different water environments, including urban, industrial, agricultural wastewaters, and wastewaters containing animal waste, which contain large amounts of organic and inorganic carbon. There are nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements that act as a biological filter that with extensive studies and inventing new methods, cost-effective production of algae-biofuels can be achieved. This review goals to run over the latest innovations and artificial intelligence approaches for biohydrogen generation from algal towards sustainable energy optimization and greener environment for buildings required energy. The current state of the art, existing and upcoming challenges, latest technologies, and solutions to overcome existing limitation are presented in details.