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.

MEDIUM PRESSURE HYDROUPGRADING PROCESS (MHUG) AND PRODUCTION OF CLEAN FUELS

The medium pressure hydroupgrading process (MHUG) unit with an 800 kt/a processing capacity of Jinzhou Petrochemical Company is used to hydroupgrade the mixture of FCC LCO fuel and straight run diesel fuel in the presence of RN/RT series catalysts for improvement of the quality of the diesel fuel. Meanwhile, catalytic reforming feedstock is also obtained. The sulfur, nitrogen and aromatics contained in the hydroupgraded diesel fuel products can be minimized and the cetane number can be heightened. The produced clean fuels can meet the requirements of environmental protection.

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

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.

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.

SOME ANALYTIC PROBLEMS FOR CLEAN FUEL PRODUCTION

Sulfur contents olefins, aromatics, octane number and cetane number are very important indicators of clean fuel. The analytical methods of these indicators proposed by Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP) were introduced in this article. These methods possess the advantages of fast, convenient and precise, and have been used in R&D work and production process control as well.

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.

Air Pollution, Global Warming and Difficulties to Replace Fossil Fuel with Renewable Energy

Since the Industrial Revolution, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have greatly increased with the increased use of fossil fuels, leading to air pollution and global warming. We present the researches on air pollution and the use of fossil fuels in north China, the economic zone of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan and the economic zone of the Pearl River Delta region. Researches indicate that the use of fossil fuels has been the main source of air pollution in the three regions. We present researches on global mean surface temperature (GMST) with the rise of carbon dioxide concentration (CDC) and global fossil fuel consumption (GFFC);researches indicate that the rise in CDC can account for 91% of the rise in GMST, and GFFC can account for 90% of the rise in GMST. We analyse the factors that bring about air pollution and temperature rise, they are the use of fossil fuels and deforestation. It is critically important to replace fossil fuels with clean energy, but renewable energy has also disadvantages. The world faces difficulties in solving air pollution and global warming, so governments of the world should cooperate to solve the technologies of clean energy, and preserve the forests and the natural environment.

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.

CATALYTIC RESEARCH FOR CLEAN ENERGY AND ULTRA-CLEAN FUELS IN THE 21^(st) CENTURY Future Perspectives

本文系由大连理工大学王祥生教授 (本刊编委 )和郭新闻教授约请美国宾州大学宋春山博士撰写的“2 1世纪清洁能源和超清洁燃料催化研究的未来展望”述评。在本文中笔者系统而扼要地回顾了 2 0世纪全球能源消耗及供求的情况 ,展望了 2 1世纪催化研究面临的机遇 ,着重讨论了清洁能源 ,对催化而言应把综合和有效利用能源作为研究方向。笔者结合美国情况介绍了许多有用的统计数字 ,重点结合自己的研究工作比较全面地阐述了能源燃料工业对催化研究的需求及其机遇。它包括了清洁运输燃料、重油轻质化增产中间馏分油、制氢和燃料电池、天然气利用、天然气液化、替代燃料的发展、煤的综合利用、专用化学品的合成以及CO2 的转化和利用等。煤既作为生产清洁燃料的原料 ,又作为生产专用化学品的资源 ,把在炼油化工中已经取得卓越成果的催化技术、分子筛催化过程转移到煤化工领域 ,笔者对此提出了比较完整的方案。这些对于读者都有很大的帮助。

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.

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.

Medium-Pressure Hydro-upgrading (MHUG) Technology for Producing Clean Diesel Fuel

This article introduces the development and application of the medium-pressure hydro-upgrading(MHUG) technology developed by the Research Institute of Petroleum Processing(RIPP).The MHUG technology based on the chemistry of diesel hydro-upgrading reactions has the advantages of flexible product slate and excellent product quality that can increase the cetane rating of diesel fuel up to more than 15 units.The hydrotreating and hydro-upgrading catalysts associated with the MHUG technology have outstanding performance to meet the demand of MHUG technology for hydro-saturation and selective ring-opening of aromatic rings.New MHUG process flow scheme can further increase the yield and selectivity of target products.Commercial application of multiple MHUG units has revealed that the MHUG technology designated for clean diesel production features good feedstock adaptability and operating stability.

Progress of renewable electricity replacing fossil fuels

Dramatic fall in costs of renewable energy in the last 24 months has not only accelerated the replacement of fossil fuels by renewable energy in electricity generation. The low cost renewable electricity is now starting to replace fossil fuels in other sectors. One reason is that renewable electricity is now cheaper per unit energy than oil, about the same price as fossil methan but, still, more expensive than coal. Another reason is that electricity often offer other opportunities, such as cheaper transport, better control, higher energy efficiency in final production of energy services and lower local environmental costs.

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.

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.