Preparation of Bio-hydrogen and Bio-fuels from Lignocellulosic Biomass Pyrolysis-Oil

In recent years, production of engine fuels and energy from biomass has drawn much interest. In this work, we conducted a novel integrated process for the preparation of bio-hydrogen and bio-fuels using lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis-oil （bio-oil）. The process includes （i） the production of bio-hydrogen or bio-syngas by the catalytic cracking of bio-oil, （ii） the adjustment of bio-syngas, and （iii） the production of bio-fuels by ole nic polymerization （OP） together with Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS）. Under the optimal conditions, the yield of bio-hydrogen was 120.9 g H2/（kg bio-oil）. The yield of hydrocarbon bio-fuels reached 526.1 g/（kg bio-syngas） by the coupling of OP and FTS. The main reaction pathways （or chemical processes） were discussed based on the products observed and the catalyst property.

Analysis of Solar Distillers for Obtaining Bio-fuel

In this paper, a theoretical-economic study was carried out based on the operation and construction of different types of equipments that use solar energy to carry out the distillation process. The conclusions drawn from the analysis aimed to determine what is necessary for the optimal design of an experimental distillation module that allows bioethanol with specific features to be obtained, for the area of Tehuantepec in Mexico. This study took the experiments carried out by various authors and extracted information relevant to the selection of the parameters and variables of the proposed distiller according to their efficiency and construction costs.

Bio-fuel Production From Carbondioxide Gas Using S. elongatus PCC 7942 from Cyanobacteria

The aim of this study,is 1-butanol production using CO2 with S.elongatus PCC 7942 culture.The yields of 1-butanolproduced/CO2utilized have been calculated.The maximum concentration of produced 1-butanol is 35.37 mg/L and 1-butanolproduced/CO2utilized efficiency is 92.4.The optimum operational conditions were 30°C temperature,60 W intensity of light,pH=7.1,120 mV redox potential,0.083 m^3/sn flow rate with CO2 and 0.5 mg/l dissolved O2 concentration.Among the enzymes on the metabolic trail of the production of 1-butanol via using S.elongatus PCC 7942 cyanobacteria.At maximum yield;the measured concentrations are 0.016μg/ml for hbd;0.0022μg/ml for Ter and 0.0048μg/ml for AdhE2.The cost analyses necessary for 1-butanol production has been done and the cost of 1 liter 1-butanol has been determined as 1.31 TL/L.

Polymer/Ceramic Composite Membranes and Their Application in Pervaporation Process

Pervaporation(PV),as an environmental friendly and energy-saving separation technology,has been received increasing attention in recent years.This article reviews the preparation and application of macroporous ceramic-supported polymer composite pervaporation membranes.The separation materials of polymer/ceramic composite membranes presented here include hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) and hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA),chitosan(CS) and polyelectrolytes.The effects of ceramic support treatment,polymer solution properties,interfacial adhesion and incorporating or blending modification on the membrane structure and PV performance are discussed.Two in-situ characterization methods developed for polymer/ceramic composite membranes are also covered in the discussion.The applications of these composite membranes in pervaporation process are summarized as well,which contain the bio-fuels recovery,gasoline desulfuration and PV coupled proc-ess using PDMS/ceramic composite membrane,and dehydration of alcohols and esters using ceramic-supported PVA or PVA-CS composite membrane.Finally,a brief conclusion remark on polymer/ceramic composite mem-branes is given and possible future research is outlined.

Biofuel Recovery from Plantain and Banana Plant Wastes:Integration of Biochemical and Thermochemical Approach

Globally,fossil fuel dependence has created several environmental challenges and climate change.Hence,creating other alternative renewable and ecologically friendly bio-energy sources is necessary.Lignocellulosic biomass has gained significant attention recently as a renewable material for biofuel production.The large amounts of plantain and banana plant parts wasted after harvesting,as well as the peels generated daily by the fruit market and industries,demonstrate the potential of bioenergy resources.This review briefly assesses plantain and banana plant biomass(PBB)generated in the developing,developed,and underdeveloped countries,the consumable parts,and feasible products yield.It emphasized the advantages and disadvantages of the commonly adopted treatment technologies of composting,incineration,and landfilling.Further,the utilization of PBB as catalysts in biodiesel synthesis was briefly highlighted.To optimize recovery of biofuel,different integration routes of pyrolysis,anaerobic digestion,fermentation,hydrothermal carbonization,hydrothermal liquefaction,and hydrothermal gasification for the valorization of the PBB were proposed.The complex compounds present in the PBB(hemicellulose,cellulose,and lignin)can be converted into valuable bio-products such as methane gas and bio-ethanol for bioenergy,and nutrients to promote bioactive ingredients.The investigation of the viability and innovation potential of the integrated routes’technology is necessary to improve the circular bio-economy and the recovery of biofuels from biomass waste,particularly PBB.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Strategies for Scaling-Up Jatropha curcas （L.） Production in Ghana

Jatropha curcas （L） has gained popularity as a biodiesel plant to serve as an alternative fuel source and generate income to small landholders. From the Bioenergy policy of Ghana, the government is collaborating with the private sector to develop about one million hectares of Jatropha plantation throughout the country. The objective of this study was to assess the importance which farmers give to ,Jcurcas compared with other indigenous tree species and identify the indigenous uses and niches of J. curcas in Ghana. Three farming communities were selected from each of the ten regions. A total of six hundred farmers, consisting of twenty farmers from each community were selected at random and interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire. Results revealed that J curcas was identified as one of the most important tree species in nine out of the ten regions. Majority （56%） of the respondents indicated that it is mainly used for medicinal purpose and mostly found around homesteads. However. the study observed that, research attention is needed on integration into agricultural lands, germplasm collection and genetic improvement. These findings will help boost production ofJ. curcas in Ghana for the nation to realize her dream of alternative fuel from the plant.

A Comparative Study of Transesterification of Hydnocapus weightiana Seed Oil Using Calcined and Acid Activated Natural Heterogeneous Catalyst and Its Kinetic Study

The world’s total fossil fuel consumption has been significantly increasing with consequential increased environmental catastrophes. A hunt for an alternate energy source was stimulated. Biofuel is a plausible option in this pursuit due to its ideal qualities which included but are not limited to renewability and environmental friendliness. However, the pump price of biodiesel is still very high due mainly to the high cost of the production of the commodity which is influenced by the feedstock and the homogeneous nature of catalyst used. Heterogeneous catalyst was prepared by using Pila globosa sea snail shells prepared by calcination (CP8) and by acid activation (PTW1M). Hydnocapus weightiana seed oil (Non-edible feedstock) was extracted using the soxhlet extraction method and was used for biofuel production with a methanol oil ratio of 3:1. Agitation speed 800, 600 rmp, reaction temperatures of 70°C, 60°C, catalyst concentration (3.00, 2.00 wt%) and reaction time (70 and 60 min) was maintained for CP8 and PTW1M respectively. The rate of the reaction followed a reversible second-order reaction rate. Re-usability accessed. From TGA analysis, the best calcination temperature was 800°C. SEM results showed improved surface morphology after calcination, especially for CP8. FTIR analysis showed the elimination of volatiles and formation of CaO and CaO4Te after calcination. The reaction rate constant at different temperatures was 0.0287 at 30°C, 0.1200 at 50°C and 0.1142 at 70°C and activation energy of the ethyl ester was 49.49 KJ/mol. Using CP8. Most of the fuel properties met with ASTM 6751 standard. The result of the re-usability showed that the biodiesel yield declined as follows: 92, 86, 80, 73 and 69 % for CP8 and 85, 84, 81, 76, 65. For PTW1M. After the fifth regeneration cycle, both CP8 and PTW1M samples of Pila globosa sea snail shell catalyst proved effective in transesterification reaction of Hydnocapus weightiana seed oil using ethanol. It was observed that the calcined catalyst (CP8) showed a superior catalytic performance.

The Prospect of Sustainable Biofuel in Bangladesh: Challenges and Solution

The aim of this paper is to review the articles corresponding to the potentiality of biodiesel generation in Bangladesh. Many researchers gave their opinions and results related to their experiments for producing bio-fuel in Bangladesh. The potentiality of biofuel from different edible sources like mustard oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, mosna oil, soybean oil etc. and different non-edible sources like castor oil, rice bran oil, Jatropha curcas oil, karanja oil, microalgae oil, rubber seed oil, neem oil, linseed oil etc. are studied here. The properties and the uses of biofuels in diesel engine and their performances are also reviewed in this paper. The emission characteristics are reviewed and investigated too. Moreover, the cost analysis of biofuel compared to the other fuels is inspected here. All types of research related to biofuel are thoroughly reviewed. The main and important challenges to use biofuel and their solutions are given by authors in this research article. This paper presents the scopes of applying technologies to improve the sustainability of bio-fuel in respect of Bangladesh.

Analysis of Forest Waste Management and Recycling Potential in Nigeria

Forest wastes are renewable resources that can serve as sources of energy for heat and electricity generation. How these materials are managed in order to reduce their contribution to the release of greenhouse gases, reduce subsequent climate change challenges and their potential use in bio-energy production has remained a myth in Nigeria. In this paper, extensive review of the literature was carried out to arrive at the findings. More than 93% of all wood processing industries in Nigeria are sawmills. In addition to sawmills there are the plywood mills, furniture processing industries, and particleboard mills. Sawdust is the major waste generated from wood processing in the various processing units. Currently, the most popular waste management practice in Nigeria is burning. Dumping in open spaces, riverbanks, and water bodies is also obtainable. There is no record of wood waste recycling for bio-fuel production at the moment. Wood wastes are reused for agricultural production (mulching, manure) and as firewood. These actions contribute to the release of greenhouse gases and subsequently contribute to global warming. There are policies and agencies put in place to address this menace but implementation is a problem. An increase in proper waste management education and awareness, and aid from developed countries in terms of providing the technology needed for recycling and incineration, will go a long way in ensuring the safety (from climate change and consequences) of the local people, the environment, and the world at large.

Sustainability of Renewable Energy Systems with Special Reference to Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Schemes

It was required to determine relative merits of commonly used renewable energy(RE)systems for which estimation of their individual sustainability percent achievable was chosen as the single criterion assessment tool.The methodology developed for estimating sustainability included identification of individual sustainability indices(SI)and examining the scope of sustainability percent input/kWh power generation for each of SI indices and summing them up estimating total sustainability accrued from respective RE systems.The RE systems studied included photo-voltaic(PV)cells,bio-fuels,on-shore&off-shore wind energy and OTEC schemes.Coal power plant being commercially viable was studied as the referral energy scheme.Nine SI indices identified for study included resource potential,greenhouse gas saving,influence on flora&fauna,effects on human health,land loss aspects,food and potable water security,economy evaluation,and improvement in quality of life from economic growth.Total sustainability achievable showed the highest in OTEC,followed by wind,bio-fuels and PV,respectively.SI index on quality of life showed RE schemes like OTEC&bio-fuels competing equally with coal power plant having poor sustainability with the least power generation cost;whence Hybrid OTEC showed the highest sustainability with high power production cost.Four fold approaches have been suggested for reducing power generation cost of OTEC.(i)Adopting economically viable scheme of not less than 40 MW.(ii)Heating up the working fluid with solar irradiation,terming SOTEC scheme.(iii)Saving cable laying cost,from hydrogen production utilizing the power generated.(iv)Hybridization of OTEC scheme.

Demonstrative Study of Vehicles Using Waste Vegetable Oil as Fuel

SVO （straight vegetable oil） method means the direct use of vegetable oil as car fuel through installation of a heater unit in the car to decrease vegetable oil viscosity. In this study, the authors carried out performance tests on the direct use of waste cooking oil using a car with a heater unit, Moreover, the authors carried out long run driving on road tests in five years using a public car of Minami-Aizu Town in Fukushima Prefecture and analyzed the case of troubles and clarified the availability and problems of SVO vehicles. As a result, the car with a heater unit shows similar performance in both cases using vegetable oil or diesel fuel as fuel. The tested SVO vehicle of Minami-Aizu Town could be driven 38,127 km mainly by waste vegetable oil with a total driving distance of 52,293 km in long run driving tests in five years, and decreased about 3,813.5 liters of light oil which corresponds to 9.99 t of CO2.

The scarab gut： A potential bioreactor for bio-fuel production

Cellulose and hemicelluloses are the most prevalent sources of carbon in nature. Currently many approaches employ micro-organisms and their enzyme products to degrade plant feedstocks for production of bioenergy. Scarab larvae are one such model. They consume celluloses from a variety of sources including plant roots, soil organic matter and decaying wood, and are able to extract nutrients and energy from these sources. In this paper, we review the physicochemical properties of the scarab larval gut, the diversity and digestive role that microflora play in the scarab gut and discuss the potential for applying these digestive processes in bioreactors for improving bio-fuel production. Scarab larvae are characterised by their highly alkaline midgut which is dominated by serine proteinase enzymes, and a modified hindgut which harbors the majority of the intestinal microbiota under anaerobic conditions. Evidence suggests that digestion of recalcitrant organic matter in scarab larvae likely results from a combination of endogenous gut proteinases and cellulolytic enzymes produced by symbiotic micro-organisms. Most of the easily digestible proteins are mobilized and absorbed in the midgut by endogenous proteinases. The hindgut contents of scarab larvae are characterized by high concentrations of volatile fatty acids, the presence of fermenting bacteria, and typical anaerobic activities, such as methanogenesis. The hindgut typically contains a wide diversity of micro-organisms, some of which appear to be obligate symbionts with cellulolytic potential. As a result, the scarab larval gut can be regarded as a small bioreactor resembling the rumen of sheep or cattle, where solid food particles composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and polysaccharides are degraded through enzymatic and fermentation processes. Together these observations suggest scarab larvae have potential to assist the bio-fuel industry by providing new sources of （hemi）cellulolytic bacteria and bacterial （hemi）cellulolytic enzymes.

A Model for Agglomeration in Bio-fuel Fired Fluidized Bed

A mathematical model has been developed to describe the agglomeration process in bio-fuel fired fluidized bed combustor. Based on the balance mechanism of the adhesive force caused by liquid bonding between two parti- cles and the breaking force induced by bubbles in the fiuidized bed, the model considers modified Urbain model and chemical equilibrium calculations using FactSage modeling. This model prediction accounts for the evolve- ment of the adhesive and breaking forces, and clearly demonstrates that the different composition of ash, the in- creasing liquid phase matter and the fiuidization velocity cause defluidization in fluidized bed. In this model, it is the first time to hypothesize that the bonding stress between two particles is proportional to mass fraction of liq- uid phase and inversely proportional to the diameter of particles and viscosity of liquid phase. The defluidization time calculated by this model shows good agreement with that from the experimental data.

Jatropha oil methyl ester and its blends used as an alternative fuel in diesel engine

Biomass derived vegetable oils are quite promising alternative fuels for agricultural diesel engines.Use of vegetable oils in diesel engines leads to slightly inferior performance and higher smoke emissions due to their high viscosity.The performance of vegetable oils can be improved by modifying them through the transesterification process.In this present work,the performance of single cylinder water-cooled diesel engine using methyl-ester of Jatropha oil as the fuel was evaluated for its performance and exhaust emissions.The fuel properties of biodiesel such as kinematic viscosity,calorific value,flash point,carbon residue and specific gravity were found.Results indicate that B25 has closer performance to diesel and B100 has lower brake thermal efficiency mainly due to its high viscosity compared to diesel.The brake thermal efficiency for biodiesel and its blends was found to be slightly higher than that of diesel fuel at tested load conditions and there was no difference of efficiency between the biodiesel and its blended fuels.For Jatropha biodiesel and its blended fuels,the exhaust gas temperature increased with the increase of power and amount of biodiesel.However,its diesel blends showed reasonable efficiencies,lower smoke,CO_(2),CO and HC emissions.

Cost of non-renewable energy in production of wood pellets in China

Assessing the extent to which all bio-fuels that are claimed to be renewable are in fact renewable is essential because producing such renewable fuels itself requires some amount of non-renewable energy （NE） and materials. Using hybrid life cycle analysis （LCA）--from raw material collection to delivery of pellets to end users--the energy cost of wood pellet production in China was estimated at 1.35 J/J, of which only 0.09 J was derived from NE, indicating that only 0.09 J of NE is required to deliver 1 J of renewable energy into society and showing that the process is truly renewable. Most of the NE was consumed during the conversion process （46.21%） and delivery of pellets to end users （40.69%）, during which electricity and diesel are the two major forms of NE used, respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that the distance over which the pellets are transported affects the cost of NE significantly. Therefore the location of the terminal market and the site where wood resources are available are crucial to saving diesel.

Application of tobacco stems briquetting in tobacco flue-curing in rural area of China

To reduce the conventional energy consumption in rural area of China,tobacco stems briquetting(TSB)was used as fuel during the process of tobacco flue-curing,compared with honeycomb briquette(HB).Three fire furnaces with different heat exchangers using TSB were compared using the tobacco flue-curing.The results showed that the smog temperature of TSB was higher than that of HB,the efficiency of bio-fuel system with TSB was from 43.5%to 54%,while the efficiency of traditional fuel system was 51.5%.And the cost of tobacco flue-curing per hectare with TSB and HB was$750.0 and$1282.5,respectively.It is proved that TSB is an alternative choice using for the industry of tobacco flue-curing,and the improvement in the structure of fire furnace could optimize the process of tobacco flue-curing.

Bio-oil and biochar production using thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of low-value waste neem seeds over low-cost catalysts:effects of operating conditions on product yields and studies of physicochemical characteristics of bio-oil and biochar

This study addressed a comparative assessment of the effect of low-cost catalysts on the yield and physicochemical properties of bio-oil.Thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of neem seeds(NM)was conducted in a fixed bed semi-batch reactor at optimum conditions(550°C temperature,80°C min−1 heating rate,0.5 mm particle size,and 100 mL min−1 sweep gas flow rate).The produced bio-oil and biochar were characterized through thermal stability,elemental composition(CHNS),higher heating value(HHV),Nuclear Magnetic Resonance(NMR)spectroscopy,Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy(FESEM),Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry(GC-MS),zeta potential,water-holding capacity(WHC),and BET(Brunauer,Emmett and Teller)surface area analyzer.Overall,it was noticed that the use of catalysts at optimized condition substantially boosted the quality and yield of bio-oil.Pyrolysis results established that thermal pyrolysis yielded 49.53 wt.%of bio-oil,while catalytic pyrolysis yielded(51.25 wt.%,53.12 wt.%,48.68 wt.%,and 50.65 wt.%for MgO,NaOH,Al_(2)O_(3),and ZSM-5,respectively)at 20 wt.%catalyst loading.The physicochemical study of bio-oil confirmed improved properties of bio-oil in terms of viscosity,heating value,pH and carbon content.Further,the FTIR study of bio-oil indicates the occurrence of phenolic products,aromatics,ketones,acidic compounds,esters,alcohol and aldehyde impurities,whereas 1H NMR study supported FTIR findings.GC-MS study demonstrated that the introduc-tion of catalysts significantly reduced the oxygenated substances,acidic products,phenolic compounds and substantially increased the hydrocarbons.Further,characterization results of neem seed biochar(NMC)established the existence of HHV(23.26 MJ kg^(−1)),carbon content(62.66%),zeta potential(31.68 mV),water holding capacity(41.50%)and lower BET surface area(4.60 m^(2)g^(−1)).