Comparative carbon emission assessments of recycled and natural aggregate concrete: Environmental influence of cement content

This work examines the environmental and geochemical impact of recycled aggregate concrete production with properties representative for structural applications.The environmental influence of cement content,aggregate production,transportation,and waste landfilling is analysed by undertaking a life cycle assessment and considering a life cycle inventory largely specific for the region.To obtain a detailed insight into the optimum life cycle parameters,a sensitivity study is carried out in which supplementary cementitious materials,different values of natural-to-recycled aggregate content ratio and case-specific transportation distances were considered.The results show that carbon emissions were between 323 and 332 kgCO_(2)e per cubic metre of cement only natural aggregate concrete.These values can be reduced by up to 17%by replacing 25%of the cement with fly ash.By contrast,carbon emissions can increase when natural coarse aggregates are replaced by recycled aggregates in proportions of 50%and 100%,and transportation is not included in analysis.However,the concrete with 50%recycled aggregate presented lower increase,only 0.3%and 3.4%for normal and high strength concrete,respectively.In some cases,the relative contribution of transportation to the total carbon emissions increased when cement was replaced by fly ash in proportions of 25%,and case-specific transportation distances were considered.In absolute values,the concrete mixes with 100%recycled aggregates and 25%fly ash had lower carbon emissions than concrete with cement and natural aggregates only.Higher environmental benefits can be obtained when the transportation distances of fly ash are relatively short(15–25 km)and the cement replacement by fly ash is equal or higher than 25%,considering that the mechanical properties are adequate for practical application.The observations from this paper show that recycled aggregate concrete with strength characteristics representative for structural members can have lower carbon emissions than conventional concrete,recommending them as an alternative to achieving global sustainability standards in construction.

Energy Efficiency of a Simulated Synthetic Natural Gas Combined Cycle (SNGCC)

The objective of this investigation is to analyze the impact of the flue gas recirculation (FGR) ratio on the different energy inputs and outputs of a SNGCC power plant as well as its overall efficiency. Simulation results indicate that increasing flue gas recirculation increases the energy consumed by the recirculation compressor and the energy produced by the gas turbine. On the other hand, it decreases the production of energy of the steam turbine and the energy consumed by the pump of the steam cycle. The overall energy efficiency of the SNGCC power plant is highest (41.09%) at a value of 0.20 of the flue gas recirculation. However, the flue gas composition with a FGR ratio of 0.37 is more suitable for effective absorption of carbon dioxide by amine solutions. Based on the low heating value (LHV) of hydrogen, the corresponding overall efficiency of the power plant is 39.18% and the net power output of the plant is 1273 kW for consumption of 97.5 kg/hr. of hydrogen.

Thermodynamic analysis and combined cycle research on recoverable pressure energy in natural gas pipeline

Current research and ways of capturing mechanical energy are discussed in this paper. By the aid of the comprehensive thermodynamic analysis and Aspen simulation tool, the amount of a vailable work that can be produced from capturing the pressure energy has been calculated. Based on the comprehensive thermodynamic analysis, two systems have been proposed to capture pressure energy of natural gas to generate electricity. In this study, the expression of exergy is given which can be used in evaluating purposes. A problem with this multidisciplinary study is the complicated boundary condition. In conclusion, a technical prospect on recoverable natural gas pressure energy has been presented based on total energy system theory.

The Core Mechanism of Natural Selection: How the Natural Cycle of Potassium Resources Affects the Biological Evolution and the Change of Human Society

Darwin’s theory of evolution believes that biological evolution is a process of natural selection. This theory has been supported by much evidence, but the internal biological mechanism is not clear. Here, I elaborate on the cycle of potassium resources on the earth and the biological utilization and efficiency, which may be the core mechanism of natural selection and affect the evolution of organisms and the development of human society.

Process Simulation of a 620 Mw-Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant with Optimum Flue Gas Recirculation

The main objective of this investigation is to obtain an optimum value for the flue gas recirculation ratio in a 620 MW-Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) power plant with a 100% excess air in order to have a composition of the exhaust gas suitable for an effective absorption by amine solutions. To reach this goal, the recirculated flue gas is added to the secondary air (dilution air) used for cooling the turbine. The originality of this work is that the optimum value of a Flue Gas Recirculation (FGR) ratio of 0.42 is obtained from the change of the slope related to the effects of flue gas recirculation ratio on the molar percentage of oxygen in the exhaust gas. Compared to the NGCC power plant without flue gas recirculation, the molar percentage of carbon dioxide in the flue gas increases from 5% to 9.2% and the molar percentage of oxygen decreases from 10.9% to 3.5%. Since energy efficiency is the key parameter of energy conversion systems, the impact of the flue gas recirculation on the different energy inputs and outputs and the overall efficiency of the power plant are also investigated. It is found the positive effects of the flue gas recirculation on the electricity produced by the steam turbine generator (STG) are more important than its cooling effects on the power output of the combustion turbine generator (CTG). The flue gas recirculation has no effects on the water pump of the steam cycle and the increase of energy consumed by the compressor of flue gas is compensated by the decrease of energy consumed by the compressor of fresh air. Based on the Low heating value (LHV) of the natural gas, the flue gas recirculation increases the overall efficiency of the power plant by 1.1% from 57.5% from to 58.2%.

A Comparative Environmental Evaluation of the Coal and Natural Gas Life Cycle

Natural gas and coal are the main primary energy resources used in the Romanian energy sector, 73.7% in 2011, taking into account the fuel imports. The objective of the article consists in analyzing all the processes along the coal and the natural gas life cycle in order to assess their overall environmental impact. Two energy technologies were analyzed, for each resource: the pulverized coal combustion with supra-critical parameters and CO2 capture unit and the natural gas combined cycle. Considering the functional unit of electricity production for 1 year, it was found that the natural gas combined cycle remains the more interesting energy technology from an environmental point of view. However, the pulverized coal with supra-critical parameters equipped with a CO2 capture unit has the lowest environmental impact on the climate change. The weakest point of the coal technology is its low efficiency.

A Relationship between Solar Activity and Frequency of Natural Disasters in China

The relationship between the length of the solar cycle, a good indicator of long-term change in solar activity, and natural disasters (drought, flood, and strong earthquakes) in China during the last 108 yearsis analyzed. The results suggest that the length of solar cycle may be a useful indicator for drought/flood and strong earthquakes. When the solar activity strengthens, we see the length of the solar cycle shorten and more floods occur in South China and frequent strong earthquakes happen in the Tibetan Plateau, but the droughts in East China as well as the strong earthquakes in Taiwan and at the western boundary of China are very few. The opposite frequencies occur when the solar activity weakens. The current study indicates that the solar activity may play an important role in the climate extremes and behavior in the lithosphere.

Natural thermoluminescence of fossil foraminiferals as a potential proxy for deep-sea temperature changes

Foraminiferal shells from two piston cores separately located at the Ninetyeast Ridge and the Bengal Fan of the Indian Ocean were selected and purified for measurements of natural thermoluminescence （NTL） intensity by a high precision thermoluminescence meter （RGD-3）. Variations of the NTL intensity along the two core sequences both spanning the last two glacial--interglacial cycles displayed a strong, identical signal of the global ice volume cycles, which matched well with their corresponding oxygen isotope data. As higher NTL intensity occurred within interglacial periods and changes in an NTL signal were most likely influenced by the temperature of ambient seawater in which the planktonic foraminiferal shells long existed, the NTL signal could be considered as a potential proxy for orbital scale temperature changes of bottom seawater in the tropical Indian Ocean.

35 Ma－An Important Natural Periodicity in Geological History： Concept of Natural Crisis and Its Possible Cause

Among the cyclicity shown by the geologic evolution of the earth, the periodicity of ca 35 Ma is expressed most distinctly, which is evidenced not only by global sea-level changes, biotic mass extinctions, tectonic episodes, magmatic cycles and climatic changes. but also by magnetic reversals and impact craterings. It is suggested that the periodicity of ca 35 Ma may represent a natural stage by which the earth has evolved, and can be taken as an objective criterion of determining the 2nd-order eustatic cycles and their sedimentary records-the mesosequences. Major geologic events in the earth's history are apparently clustered at some specific periods, suggesting natural crises. They are thought to have been controlled mainly by astronomic cycles. especially related to the crossing of the Solar system through the Calactic plane.

Model Selection of Gas Turbine for Large Scale Gas-Fired Combined Cycle Power Plant

This paper briefs the configuration and performance of large size gas turbines and their composed combined cycle power plants designed and produced by four large renown gas turbine manufacturing firms in the world, providing reference for the relevant sectors and enterprises in importing advanced gas turbines and technologies.

Application of Stable Isotope Techniques in Studies of Carbon and Nitrogen Biogeochemical Cycles of Ecosystem

Stable isotope techniques have been proved useful as tools for studying the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycles of ecosystem. This paper firstly introduced the basic principles and the distribution characteristics of stable isotope, then reviewed the recent advances and applications of stable isotope in the C and N biogeochemical cycles of ecosystem. By applying the 13 C natural abundance technique, ecologists are able to understand the photosynthetic path and CO 2 fixation of plants, the CO 2 exchange and C balance status of ecosystem, the composition, distribution and turnover of soil organic C and the sources of organic matter in food webs, while by using the 13 C labeled technique, the effects of elevated CO 2 on the C processes of ecosystem and the sources and fate of organic matter in ecosystem can be revealed in detail. Differently, by applying the 15 N natural abundance technique, ecologists are able to analyze the biological N 2 -fixation, the N sources of ecosystem, the N transformation processes of ecosystem and the N trophic status in food webs, while by using the 15 N labeled technique, the sources, transformation and fate of N in ecosystem and the effects of N input on the ecosystem can be investigated in depth. The applications of both C and N isotope natural abundance and labeled techniques, combined with the elemental, other isotope ( 34 S) and molecular biomarker information, will be more propitious to the investigation of C and N cycle mechanisms. Finally, this paper concluded the problems existed in current researches, and put forward the perspective of stable isotope techniques in the studies on C and N biogeochemical cycles of ecosystem in the future.

Modelling and development of recycled water conditioning of copper-molybdenum ores processing

Current use of enrichment and processing technologies of ores requires the introduction of closed circuits of water treatment. A decrease in technological properties is caused by accumulations of ion-molecular components in the circulating water. The objective of the simulation is to determine the maximum allowable concentrations of ions and molecules as well as the choice of conditions for deposition or adsorption.First of all, our examinations decrease the concentration of copper ions and fatty acids in the circulating water. By pre-mixing water with the highest concentration of these ions, a reduction of copper ion and fatty acid concentrations in the recycled water occurs. The results do not only ensure the achievement of the maximum permitted concentration(MPC) of copper and iron, significantly reducing the amount of oxidized copper, they also make it possible to use the united sewage as current water for the flotation process. Mixing and adding filtrate of tailings, discharges of urban wastewater treatment and effluent of ash pit of thermal power stations(TPS) to recycled water causes an increase in the capacity of the enrichment plant by 15–17%.

Thermodynamic design of a cascade refrigeration system of liquefied natural gas by applying mixed integer non-linear programming

Liquefied natural gas(LNG) is the most economical way of transporting natural gas(NG) over long distances. Liquefaction of NG using vapor compression refrigeration system requires high operating and capital cost. Due to lack of systematic design methods for multistage refrigeration cycles, conventional approaches to determine optimal cycle are largely trial-and-error. In this paper a novel mixed integer non-linear programming(MINLP)model is introduced to select optimal synthesis of refrigeration systems to reduce both operating and capital costs of an LNG plant. Better conceptual understanding of design improvement is illustrated on composite curve(CC) and exergetic grand composite curve(EGCC) of pinch analysis diagrams. In this method a superstructure representation of complex refrigeration system is developed to select and optimize key decision variables in refrigeration cycles(i.e. partition temperature, compression configuration, refrigeration features, refrigerant flow rate and economic trade-off). Based on this method a program(LNG-Pro) is developed which integrates VBA,Refprop and Excel MINLP Solver to automate the methodology. Design procedure is applied on a sample LNG plant to illustrate advantages of using this method which shows a 3.3% reduction in total shaft work consumption.

The Phenomenon of a Natural Thermonuclear Reactor

The study contains the justification of J.M. Herndon’s thesis about the existence of a thermonuclear reactor in the Earth’s core. A scenario of the formation of a spontaneous nuclear reactor is presented, referring to the universal law of gravity, to the relationship between matter and energy, and to the properties of plasma. The theoretical attitudes of the discussed phenomena and the relations between them can be called the Theory of the Primordial Forces of Nature. It includes the interactions of the gravitational field, the forces of the electromagnetic field, which determine the properties of matter, and the strong interactions resulting from the release of nuclear energy. Arguments for the thesis about the commonness of the phenomenon of thermonuclear reactors in space are presented. The second part of the article presents examples of geological phenomena that confirm the activity of a thermonuclear reactor in the center of the Earth.

Petroleum substitution, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and environmental benefits from the development of natural gas vehicles in China

This study develops a bottom-up model to quantitatively assess the comprehensive effects of replacing traditional petroleum-powered vehicles with natural gas vehicles（NGVs） in China based on an investigation of the direct energy consumption and critical air pollutant（CAP） emission intensity, life-cycle energy use and greenhouse gas（GHG） emission intensity of NGV fleets. The results indicate that, on average, there are no net energy savings from replacing a traditional fuel vehicle with an NGV. Interestingly, an NGV results in significant reductions in direct CAP and life-cycle GHG emissions compared to those of a traditional fuel vehicle, ranging from 61% to 76% and 12% to 29%, respectively. Due to the increasing use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel in China（i.e. approximately 28.2 billion cubic metres of natural gas in2015）, the total petroleum substituted with natural gas was approximately 23.8 million tonnes（Mt）, which generated a GHG emission reduction of 16.9 Mt of CO2 equivalent and a CAP emission reduction of 1.8 Mt in 2015. Given the significant contribution of NGVs, growing the NGV population in 2020 will further increase the petroleum substitution benefits and CAP and GHG emission reduction benefits by approximately 42.5 Mt of petroleum-based fuel, 3.1 Mt of CAPs and 28.0 Mt of GHGs. By 2030, these benefits will reach 81.5 Mt of traditional petroleum fuel, 5.6 Mt of CAPs and 50.5 Mt of GHGs, respectively.

Energy Cycle Insingle Degree of Freedom Conservative Vibration Isolation Systems

To obtain a longer natural period in single degree of freedom(SDF) conservative vibration isolation systems, many scholars have proposed different methods. This paper uncovers a clockwise energy cycle existing in a mass-spring system, in which the potential energy and kinetic energy convert with each other, and the natural period is determined by the magnitude of the energy cycle. Compared to water flow inside a pipe, the previous methods can be consolidated into two methods to make the energy cycle narrower;one is to optimize the parameters directly, the other is to indirectly add an anticlockwise energy cycle to the original one. The anticlockwise energy cycle has the characteristic of gravitational potential energy or elastic potential energy that reduces with displacement. The highly abstract method can provide a better optimization tool to design a practice system.

Have some landscapes in the eastern Canadian boreal forest moved beyond their natural range of variability?

Background: In the contxt of ecosystem management, the present study aims to compare the natural and the present-day forested landscapes of a large territory in Quebec(Canada). Using contemporary and long-term fire cycles, each natural forst landscape is defined according to the variability of its structure and composition, and compared to the present-day landscape. This analysis was conducted to address the question of whether human activities have moved these ecosystems outside the range of natural landscape variability.Methods: The study encompassed a forested area of 175 000 km2 divided into 14 landscapes. Using a framework that integrates fire cycles, age structure and forest dynamics, we characterized the forest composition and age structures that resulted from three historical fire cycles(110,140, and 180 years) representative of the boreal forest of eastern Canada. The modeled natural landscapes were compared with present-day landscapes in regard to the proportion of old-growth forests(landscape level) and the proportion of late-successional forest stands(landscape level and potential vegetation type).Results: Four landscapes(39%) remain within their natural range of variability. In contrast, nine landscapes(54%)show a large gap between natural and present-day landscapes. These nine are located in the southern portion of the study area, and are mainly associated with Abies-Betula vegetation where human activities have contributed to a strong increase in the proportion of Populus tremuloides stands(early-successional stages) and a decrease of oldgrowth forest stands(more than 100 years old). A single landscape(7%), substantially changed from its potential natural state, is a candidate for adaptive-based management.Conclusion: Comparison of corresponding natural(reference conditions) and present-day landscapes showed that ten landscapes reflecting an important shift in forest composition and age structure could be considered beyond the range of their natural variability. The description of a landscape's natural variability at the scale of several millennia can be considered a moving benchmark that can be re-evaluated in the context of climate change.Focusing on regional landscape characteristics and long-term natural variability of vegetation and forest age structure represents a step forward in methodology for defining reference conditions and following shifts in landscape over time.

EZH2 identifies the precursors of human natural killer cells with trained immunity

Objective:Trained immunity of natural killer(NK)cells has shown great potential in the treatment of cancers by eliciting enhanced effector responses to restimulation by cytokines or cancer cells for long time periods after preactivation.However,the human NK cells responsible for the generation and maintenance of trained immunity are largely unknown.We hypothesized that heterogeneous human NK cells would respond differentially to stimulation with a combination of IL-12,IL-15,and IL-18,and that an NK cell subset might exist that is mainly responsible for the induction of trained immunity.On the basis of our hypothesis,we aimed to identify the subset from which cytokine-trained human NK cells originate and to explore possible regulatory targets for drug intervention.Methods:Flow cytometry assays were performed to analyze the functions of cytokine-trained NK cells and examine cell division and protein expression in NK cell subsets.Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)plus TotalSeq™technology was used to track the heterogeneity of NK cells during the induction of trained immunity.Results:Traditional developmental markers for peripheral NK cells were unable to identify the precursors of human NK cells with trained immunity.Therefore,we used scRNA-seq plus TotalSeq™technology to track the heterogeneity of NK cells during the induction of trained immunity and identified a unique cluster of CD57−NKG2A+EZH2+IFNG+MKI67+IL12R+IL15R+IL18R+NK cells.Enrichment and pseudotime trajectory analyses suggested that this cluster of NK cells contained the precursor of trained NK cells.We then used flow cytometry to further investigate the role of EZH2 in trained NK precursors and found that CD57−NKG2A+EZH2+NK cells had faster cell cycles and an enhanced trained phenotype,and EZH2 inhibition significantly impaired the induction of trained immunity in NK cells.These results suggested that EZH2 is a unique epigenetic marker of precursors of human NK cells with trained immunity.Conclusions:Our work revealed human NK heterogeneity in the induction of trained immunity,identified the precursor subset for trained NK cells,and demonstrated the critical role of EZH2 in the induction of trained immunity in human NK cells.

Theoretical Study on CO_2 Transcritical Cycle Combined Ejector Cycle Refrigeration System

Chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons(HCFCs) are as main refrigerants used in traditional refrigeration systems driven by electricity from burning fossil fuels, which is regarded as one of the major reasons for ozone depletion (man-made refrigerants emission) and global warming (CO 2 emission). So people pay more and more attention to natural refrigerants and energy saving technologies. An innovative system combining CO 2 transcritical cycle with ejector cycle is proposed in this paper. The CO 2 compression sub-cycle is powered by electricity with the characteristics of relatively high temperature in the gas cooler (defined as an intercooler by the proposed system). In order to recover the waste heat, an ejector sub-cycle operating with the natural refrigerants (NH 3, H 2O) is employed. The two sub-cycles are connected by an intercooler. This combined cycle joins the advantages of the two cycles together and eliminates the disadvantages. The influences of the evaporation temperature in CO 2 compression sub-cycle, the evaporation temperature in the ejector sub-cycle, the temperature in the intercooler and the condensation temperature in the proposed system performance are discussed theoretically in this study. In addition, some unique features of the system are presented.

Design and analysis of dual mixed refrigerant processes for high-ethane content natural gas liquefaction

Recovery and purification of ethane has a significant impact on economic benefit improvement of the high-ethane content natural gas.However,current LNG-NGL integrated processes mainly focus on conventional natural gas,which are not applicable to natural gas with high ethane content.To fill this gap,three dual mixed refrigerant processes are proposed for simulation study of high-ethane content natural gas liquefaction.The proposed processes are optimized by a combination method of sequence optimization and genetic algorithm.Comparatively analysis is conducted to evaluate the three processes from the energetic and exergetic points of view.The results show that the power consumption of Process 3 which compressing natural gas after distillation is the lowest.For safety or other considerations,some common compositions of the mixed refrigerant may need to be removed under certain circumstances.Considering this,case studies of mixed refrigerant involving six composition combinations are carried out to investigate the effects of refrigerant selection on the process performance.