Synthesis and characterization of Pt-MoO_x-TiO_2 electrodes for direct ethanol fuel cells

To enhance the CO-tolerance performance of anode catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells,carbon nanotubes were modified by titanium dioxide （donated as CNTs@TiO2） and subsequently served as the support for the preparation of Pt/CNTs@TiO2 and Pt-Mo/CNTs@TiO2 electrocatalysts via a UV-photoreduction method.The physicochemical characterizations of the catalysts were carried out by using X-ray diffraction （XRD）,transmission electron microscopy （TEM）,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）,and infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed probe ammonia molecules.The electrocatalytic properties of the catalysts for methanol oxidation were investigated by the cyclic voltammetry technique.The results show that Pt-Mo/CNTs@TiO2 electrode exhibits the highest performance in all the electrodes.It is explained that,the structure,the oxidation states,and the acid-base properties of the catalysts are influenced due to the strong interaction between Ti and Mo species by adding TiO2 and MoOx to the Pt-based catalysts.

Preparation and characterization of Pt-WO_3/C catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells

Three co-impregnation/chemical reduction methods in acidic solutions of pH 〈 1,including ethylene glycol （EG）,NaBH4,and HCOOH,were compared for Pt-WO3/C catalysts.Pt-WO3/C catalysts containing 10 wt.% and 20 wt.% platinum per carbon were prepared by the three methods; their morphology and electrocatalytic activities were characterized.The 20 wt.% Pt-WO3/C catalyst prepared by the co-impregnation/EG method presented the optimal dispersion with an average particle size of 4.6 nm and subsequently the best electrocatalytic activity,and so,it was further characterized.Its anodic peak current density for ethanol oxidation from linear sweep voltammetry （LSV） is 7.9 mA·cm^-2,which is 1.4 and 5.2 times as high as those of the catalysts prepared by co-impregnation/NaBH4 and co-impregnation/ HCOOH reduction methods,2.1 times as high as that of the 10 wt.% Pt-WO3/C catalyst prepared by co-impregnation/EG method,respectively.

A Novel Routine for Manufacture of Environmentally Friendly Ethanol Fuel via Reactive Distillation

A novel routine for removing water from ethanol by the hydration using C4 olefin cut catalyzed with the ion exchange resin was proposed. Reactive distillation experiments were carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of this routine. The sensitivity analysis was performed by using the software of ASPEN PLUS 10.2. The optimized operating conditions were obtained considering three objective functions which were the water content of the bottom product, water conversion rate and hydration selectivity. Under the optimized operation conditions, the final product was consisted of 45.0% of ethanol, 19.4% of ethyl tert-butyl ether, 35.1% of tert-butyl alcohol and 0.6% of water in volumetric percentage.

Uncertainty in life cycle economical analysis of cassava-based ethanol fuel

Biomass ethanol fuel is not only renewable but also environmental-friendly. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is developing the cassava-based ethanol fuel. Economical performance of the project is the key issue. The traditional life cycle economical analysis is just a static calculation process. Uncertainty is the character of cassava yield, cost of cassava plant, cassava price, tax rate and gasoline price, and the economical performance of the project is determined by these aspects. This study proposes an economical model of cassava-based ethanol fuel. The method of Monte Carol is used to simulate the economical performance. This method conquers the shortage of the traditional way. The results show that cassava-based ethanol fuel can get survived when the tax is exempted. Finally, the study also evaluates the potential of the economical performance.

Decision-making of biomass ethanol fuel policy based on life cycle 3E assessment

To evaluate the environmental, economic, energy performance of biomass ethanol fuel in China and to support the decision-making of biomass ethanol energy policy, an assessment method of life cycle 3E (economy, environment, energy) was applied to the three biomass ethanol fuel cycle alternatives, which includes cassava-based, corn-based and wheat-based ethanol fuel. The assessments provide a comparison of the economical performance, energy efficiency and environmental impacts of the three alternatives. And the development potential of the three alternatives in China was examined. The results are very useful for the Chinese government to make decisions on the biomass ethanol energy policy, and some advises for the decision-making of Chinese government were given.

Past, Present and Future: A Role for Liquid Biofuels in Transitioning to Net Zero?

Over the last decade, the uptake rate of first-generation biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel) has decelerated as low blend limits have increased only slowly and extreme volatility in oil prices has limited investment in biofuels production infrastructure. Concerns over the environmental impacts of large-scale biofuels production combined with tariff barriers have greatly restricted the global trade in biofuels. First-generation biofuels produced either by fermentation of sugars from maize or sugarcane (ethanol) or transesterification of triglycerides (biodiesel) presently contribute less than 4% of terrestrial transportation fuel demand and techno-economic modelling foresees this only slowly increasing by 2035. With internal combustion and diesel engines widely anticipated as being phased out in favour of electric power for motor vehicles, a much-reduced market demand for biofuels is likely if global demand for all liquid fuels declines by 2050. However, second-generation, thermochemically produced and biomass-derived fuels (renewable diesel, marine oils and sustainable aviation fuel) have much higher blend limits;combined with policies to decarbonise the aviation and marine industries, major new markets for these products in terrestrial, marine and aviation sectors may emerge in the second half of the 21st century.

Nitrification characteristics of nitrobacteria immobilized in waterborne polyurethane in wastewater of corn-based ethanol fuel production

A technology to achieve stable and high ammonia nitrogen removal rates for corn distillery wastewater （ethanol fuel production） treatment has been designed.The characteristics of nitrifying bacteria entrapped in a waterborne polyurethane （WPU） gel carrier were evaluated after acclimation.In the acclimation period,nitrification rates of WPU-immobilized nitrobacteria were monitored and polymerase chain reaction （PCR） was also carried out to investigate the change in ammonium-oxidizing bacteria.The results showed that the pellet nitrification rates increased from 21 to 228 mg-N/（L-pellet·hr） and the quantity of the ammonia oxidation bacteria increased substantially during the acclimation.A continuous ammonia removal experiment with the anaerobic pond effluent of a distillery wastewater system was conducted with immobilized nitrifying bacteria for 30 days using an 80 L airlift reactor with pellets at a fill ratio of 15% （V/V）.Under the conditions of 75 mg/L influent ammonia,hydraulic retention time （HRT） of 3.7-5.6 hr,and dissolved oxygen （DO） of 4 mg/L,the effluent ammonia concentration was lower than 10 mg/L and the ammonia removal efficiency was 90%.While the highest ammonia removal rate,162 mg-N/（L-pellet·hr）,was observed when the HRT was 1.3 hr.

Carbon Balance of Cassava-based Ethanol Fuel in China

Considering energy security and greenhouse gas emission, many governments are developing bio-liquid fuel industries. The Chinese Government advocates the development of a fuel ethanol industry with non-food crops such as cassava. However, scientists debate the carbon emission of these bio-liquid fuels. The focuses are the influence of soil carbon pool destruction and by-product utilization. This study built a carbon balance analysis model, and assessed carbon emission of cassava fuel ethanol across its life cycle. The results show that the carbon emission of cassava fuel ethanol per kilogram in its life cycle was 0.457 kg under new technical conditions and 0.647 kg under old technical conditions. Carbon emission mainly came from the use of nitrogen fertilizer （9% of total emissions）, the destruction of the soil carbon pool （29%） and fossil energy inputs （50%）. Taking gasoline as a reference, the carbon emission of cassava fuel ethanol was 90% of that of gasoline. This percentage would drop to 64% if soil carbon pool destruction was avoided. Therefore, in order to promote the development of cassava fuel ethanol in China, farms should apply fertilizer properly, grow cassava on marginal land, and not alter land use patterns of woodland, grassland and other environments. In addition, we should exploit efficient fuel ethanol conversion technologies and strengthen the use of by-products.

Photoluminescent Tb^(3+)-based metal-organic framework as a sensor for detection of methanol in ethanol fuel

The sensing capability of a Tb^(3+)-metal-organic framework, based on its photoluminescence, was used for detection of methanol in ethanol fuel. It was synthesized using terbium and trimesic acid as a metal ion center and ligand, respectively. Powder X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy were employed to characterize the synthesized MOF-76 structural features. According to the results, MOF-76 was successfully obtained with minor synthetic modification and its activated form(named TbTMA) was tested as a sensor for methanol. Tb^(3+) luminescence intensity increases as the methanol concentration in ethanol fuel also increases and the water content does not affect this response. Our findings indicate TbTMA as an appropriate sensor for evaluating ethanol fuel adulteration by methanol addition above the allowed limit.

Preparation and emission characteristics of ethanol-diesel fuel blends

The preparation of ethanol-diesel fuel blends and their emission characteristics were investigated. Results showed the absolute ethanol can dissolve in diesel fuel at an arbitrary ratio and a small quantity of water(0.2%) addition can lead to the phase separation of blends. An organic additive was synthesized and it can develop the ability of resistance to water and maintain the stability of ethanol-diesel-trace amounts of water system. The emission characteristics of 10%, 20%, and 30% ethanol-diesel fuel blends, with or without additives, were compared with those of diesel fuel in a direct injection(DI) diesel engine. The experimental results indicated that the blend of ethanol with diesel fuel significantly reduced the concentrations of smoke, hydrocarbon(HC), and carbon monoxide(CO) in exhaust gas. Using 20% ethanol-diesel fuel blend with the additive of 2% of the total volume, the optimum mixing ratio was achieved, at which the bench diesel engine testing showed a significant decrease in exhaust gas. Bosch smoke number was reduced by 55%, HC emission by 70%, and CO emission by 45%, at 13 kW/1540 r/min. However, ethanol-diesel fuel blends produced a few ppm acetaldehydes and more ethanol in exhaust gas.

Simulation of Fuel Ethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass

Models for hydrolysis,fermentation and concentration process,production and utilization of biogas as well as lignin gasification are developed to calculate the heat demand of ethanol production process and the amounts of heat and power generated from residues and wastewater of the process.For the energy analysis,all relevant information about the process streams,physical properties,and mass and energy balances are considered.Energy integration is investigated for establishing a network of facilities for heat and power generation from wastewater and residues treatment aiming at the increase of energy efficiency.Feeding the lignin to an IGCC process,the electric efficiency is increased by 4.4% compared with combustion,which leads to an overall energy efficiency of 53.8%.A detailed sensitivity analysis on energy efficiency is also carried out.

The Control of Lactobacillus sp.by Extracellular Compound Produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Fermentation Process of Fuel Ethanol Industry in Brazil

This work evaluated the effect of secondary bacterial metabolites produced by Pseudomonas sp LV strain in control of Lactobacillus sp. population in the microcosm of the vat during ethanol fermentation. The fraction F4 produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was extracted with dichloromethane and fractionating by vacuum liquid chromatography obtained in a methanol phase. The evaluation of antibiotic activity of F4 fraction mixed or not with sulphuric acid and Kamoram?. The antibiotic activity of F4 fraction was determined as well as the fermentation efficiency. Also was determined yeast cell viability, budding formation, the viability of budding cells, and number of populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus sp. The results showed that the F4 fraction had high selective antibiotic activity against Lactobacillus sp. but not for S. cerevisae, and no inhibitory effect was observed in the fermentation process by yeast. Also F4 fraction decreased flocculation and foam formation. The F4 has an antibiotic activity against Lactobacillus sp. and should be used as an alternative to control bacteria contamination and foam and flocculation formation in the fuel ethanol fermentation process. The F4 fraction could reduce the use of antibiotics in the control of Lactobacillus sp. population during the fuel ethanol production.

Sorghum as Dry Land Feedstock for Fuel Ethanol Production

Dry land crops such as sorghums （grain sorghum, promising feedstocks for fuel ethanol production. The major issue sweet sorghum and forage sorghum） have been identified as for using the sweet sorghum as feedstock is its stability at room temperature. At room temperature, the sweet sorghum juice could lose from 40% to 50% of its fermentable sugars from 7 to 14 days No significant sugar content and profile changes were observed in juice stored at refrigerator temperature in two weeks. Ethanol fermentation efficiencies of fresh and frozen juice were high （-93%）. Concentrated juice （≥25% sugar） had significantly lower efficiencies and large amounts of fructose left in finished beer; however, winery yeast strains and novel fermentation techniques may solve these problems. The ethanol yield from sorghum grain increased as starch content increased. No linear relationship between starch content and fermentation efficiency was found. Key factors affecting the ethanol fermentation efficiency of sorghum include starches and protein digestibility, amylose-lipid complexes, tannin content, and mash viscosity. Life cycle analysis showed a positive net energy value （NEV） = 25 500 Btu/gal ethanol. Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction （XRD） were used to determine changes in the structure and chemical composition of sorghum biomasses. Dilute sulfuric acid pretreatment was effective in removing the hemicellulose from biomasses and exposing the cellulose for enzymatic hydrolysis. Forage sorghum lignin had a lower syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and its pretreated biomass was easier to hydrolyze. Up to 72% hexose yield and 94% pentose yield were obtained by using a modified steam explosion with 2% sulfuric acid at 140℃ for 30 min and enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase.

Allocation of Energy Use in the Biomass-based Fuel Ethanol System and Its Use in Decision Making

The Chinese government is developing biomass ethanol as one of its automobile fuels for energy security and environmental improvement reasons. The energy efficiency of the biomass-based fuel ethanol is critical issue. To investigate the energy use in the three biomass-base ethanol fuel systems, energy content approach, Market value approach and Product displacement approach methods were used to allocate the energy use based on life cycle energy assessment. The results shows that the net energy of corn based, wheat based, and cassava-based ethanol fuel are 12543MJ, 10299MJ and 13112MJ when get one ton biomassbased ethanol, respectively, and they do produce positive net energy.

Miscibility of Ethanol in Diesel Fuels

The primary barrier to the use of ethanol in diesel fuel is the poor miscibility at lower temperatures. The miscibilities of ethanol in 19 diesel fuels having a wide variation in compositions were evaluated by testing their phase separation temperatures. The result shows that aromatic contents and intermediate distillate temperatures have a significant impact on miscibility limits. The FCC diesels, which contain up to 50% of aromatics, exhibit different phase behavior trends in comparison with straight-run diesels and other diesel fuels.

Hainan to invest 350 million Yuan in fuel ethanol projects

Hainan Yedao (Group) Co. Ltd. plans to invest 350 million Yuan in construction of a fuel ethanol project. With cooperation of a large state-owned petrochemical enter- prise, this project is planned to produce 100 thousand

Enhanced ethanol electro-oxidation on CeO_2-modified Pt/Ni catalysts in alkaline solution

Pt/Ni catalysts modified with CeO2 nanoparticles were prepared by simple composite electrodeposition of Ni and CeO2,and spontaneous Ni partial replacement by Pt processes.The as-prepared CeO2-modified Pt/Ni catalysts showed enhanced catalytic performance for ethanol electro-oxidation compared with pure Pt/Ni,and acetate species were proposed to be the main products of the oxidation when using these catalysts.The content of CeO2 in the as-prepared catalysts influenced their catalytic activity,with Pt/NiCe2（obtained from an electrolyte containing 100 mg/L CeO2 nanoparticles） exhibiting higher activity and relatively better stability in ethanol electro-oxidation.This was mainly due to the oxygen storage capacity of CeO2,the interaction between Pt and CeO2/Ni,and the relatively small contact and charge transfer resistances.The results of this work thus suggest that electrocatalysts with low price and high activity can be rationally designed and produced by a simple route for use in direct ethanol fuel cells.

燃料乙醇技术发展现状及建议

简述了燃料乙醇国内外生产技术概况,包括:以玉米为原料生产燃料乙醇的浓发酵技术,以玉米纤维生产燃料乙醇技术,以小麦、薯类和陈稻谷(糙米)等为原料生产燃料乙醇,以木质纤维素为原料生产燃料乙醇等;并针对燃料乙醇行业发展存在问题,提出建议。

燃料乙醇混合原料发酵技术研究进展

生产燃料乙醇的淀粉质原料受储存周期及运输半径等因素的影响,不同种类原料的价格会因时因地出现较大差别。由于原料在燃料乙醇生产综合成本中占比较大,动态优化原料种类及比例、实时降低综合生产成本的混合原料发酵技术,自然受到了乙醇行业及其科研机构的广泛关注。混合原料发酵技术不仅有助于燃料乙醇行业的良性发展,还可以消化“问题粮”,为原料区域平衡和国储定期轮换提供蓄水池。

燃料乙醇炼制系统优化与碳减排研究进展

生物质是丰富可再生的碳源,以糖、淀粉、秸秆纤维素或其他生物质原料高效生产燃料乙醇,可减少化石能源的需求,其中以木质纤维素为原料的第二代燃料乙醇具有广阔的发展前景。与化石能源相比,燃料乙醇具有环保、经济、可再生的优势,但其在生产工艺技术、经济效益和环境影响等方面仍需要深入研究。近年来,通过开展燃料乙醇炼制系统优化及全生命周期分析研究,有力地促进了燃料乙醇技术进步,推动了燃料乙醇碳减排相关研究。文章主要论述了近年来燃料乙醇生产技术的发展,重点对燃料乙醇系统的模拟优化和碳减排研究进展进行了总结,并对燃料乙醇发展趋势进行了展望,以期为燃料乙醇的可持续发展提供参考。