Optimal Bidding Strategies of Microgrid with Demand Side Management for Economic Emission Dispatch Incorporating Uncertainty and Outage of Renewable Energy Sources

In the restructured electricity market,microgrid(MG),with the incorporation of smart grid technologies,distributed energy resources(DERs),a pumped-storage-hydraulic(PSH)unit,and a demand response program(DRP),is a smarter and more reliable electricity provider.DER consists of gas turbines and renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic systems and wind turbines.Better bidding strategies,prepared by MG operators,decrease the electricity cost and emissions from upstream grid and conventional and renewable energy sources(RES).But it is inefficient due to the very high sporadic characteristics of RES and the very high outage rate.To solve these issues,this study suggests non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm Ⅱ(NSGA-Ⅱ)for an optimal bidding strategy considering pumped hydroelectric energy storage and DRP based on outage conditions and uncertainties of renewable energy sources.The uncertainty related to solar and wind units is modeled using lognormal and Weibull probability distributions.TOU-based DRP is used,especially considering the time of outages along with the time of peak loads and prices,to enhance the reliability of MG and reduce costs and emissions.

Modelling and thermodynamic properties of pure CO_(2)and fue gas sorption data on South African coals using Langmuir,Freundlich,Temkin,and extended Langmuir isotherm models

Carbon sequestration in unmineable coal seams has been proposed as one of the most attractive technologies to mitigate carbon dioxide(CO_(2))emissions in which CO_(2)is stored in the microporous structure of the coal matrix in an adsorbed state.The CO_(2)adsorption process is hence considered one of the more efective methodologies in environmental sciences.Thus,adsorption isotherm measurements and modelling are key important scientifc measures required in understanding the adsorption system,mechanism,and process optimization in coalbeds.In this paper,three renowned and reliable adsorption isotherm models were employed including Langmuir,Freundlich,and Temkin for pure CO_(2)adsorption data,and the extended-Langmuir model for multicomponent,such as fue gas mixture-adsorption data as investigated in this research work.Also,signifcant thermodynamics properties including the standard enthalpy change(ΔH°),entropy change(ΔS°),and Gibbs free energy(ΔG°)were assessed using the van’t Hof equation.The statistical evaluation of the goodness-of-ft was done using three(3)statistical data analysis methods including correlation coefcient(R^(2)),standard deviation(σ),and standard error(SE).The Langmuir isotherm model accurately represent the pure CO_(2)adsorption on the coals than Freundlich and Temkin.The extended Langmuir gives best experimental data ft for the fue gas.The thermodynamic evaluations revealed that CO_(2)adsorption on the South African coals is feasible,spontaneous,and exothermic;and the adsorption mechanism is a combined physical and chemical interaction between the adsorbate and the adsorbent.

Modelling and experimental investigation of effects of moisture and operating parameters during the adsorption of CO2 onto polyaspartamide

Parametric effect of moisture and influence of operating variables on the adsorption behaviour of polyaspartamide during CO2 capture was investigated in this study using experimental and modelling approach. Individual effects of operating conditions (e.g. pressure, temperature and gas flow rates) as well as the effect of moisture on the adsorption capacity of polyaspartamide were methodically investigated using Dubinin-Raduskevich model. Results from the investigations reveal that the presence of moisture in the flue gas had an incremental effect on the adsorption capacity of polyaspartamide;thereby showcasing the potential of polyaspartamide as a suitable hydrophilic material for CO2 capture in power plants. In addition, pressure, temperature and gas flow rates at 200 kPa, 403 K, and 1.5 mL/s, respectively, sig? nificantly influenced the CO2 adsorption capacity of polyaspartamide. Physisorption and chemisorption both governed the adsorption process while equilibrium studies at different temperatures showed that Langmuir isotherm could adequately describe the adsorption behaviour of the material with best fit with R^2>0.95.

Predictions of elemental composition of coal and biomass from their proximate analyses using ANFIS, ANN and MLR

The elemental composition of coal and biomass provides significant parameters used in the design of almost all energy conversion systems and projects.The laboratory tests to determine the elemental composition of coal and biomass is time-consuming and costly.However,limited research has suggested that there is a correlation between parameters obtained from elemental and proximate analyses of these materials.In this study,some predictive models of the elemental composition of coal and biomass using soft computing and regression analyses have been developed.Thirty-one samples including parameters of elemental and proximate analyses were used during the analyses to develop multiple prediction models.Dependent variables for multiple prediction models were selected as carbon,hydrogen,and oxygen.Using volatile matter,fixed carbon,moisture and ash contents as independent variables,three different prediction models were developed for each dependent parameter using ANFIS,ANN,and MLR.In addition,a routine for selecting the best predictive model was suggested in the study.The reliability of the established models was tested by using various prediction performance indices and the models were found to be satisfactory.Therefore,the developed models can be used to determine the elemental composition of coal and biomass for practical purposes.

Biodegradable Behavior of Waste Wool and Their Recycled Polyester Preforms in Aqueous and Soil Conditions

Present study deals with the biodegradable behavior of individual components and their preforms of nonwoven biocomposites developed from waste wool fibers including coring wool(CW),dorper wool(DW)and recycled polyester fibers(RPET).A respirometric technique was employed to estimate the production of CO_(2) during the biodegradation experiments under soil and aqueous media conditions.Functional groups of test samples before and after biodegradation were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR).Leaching chemicals such as formaldehyde(hydrolyzed)and Chromium VI(Cr VI)was also measured.The CO_(2) emission in wool fibers CW and DW indicated 90%and 60%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions respectively,for 100 days incubation.RPET fibers,20%and 10%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions was measured respectively while the preforms of waste wool and RPET reflected 30%and 25%biodegradation in soil burial and aqueous media conditions,respectively.The degradation of end functional groups such as carbonyl(keto and ester),aldehyde and hydroxyl were also confirmed by FTIR.The DW and CW wool fibers showed higher Cr(VI)concentration as compared to the RPET.The released formaldehyde results showed higher concentration for RPET preforms as compared to waste wool preforms.These results suggest that waste wool preforms are extremely environment friendly as compared to RPET preforms.Thus,waste wool preforms it can be potentially utilized for preparing biocomposite materials and associated biobased products.

Structural, compositional and mineralogical characterization of carbonatitic copper sulfide: Run of mine, concentrate and tailings

The aim of this study was to determine the structural, compositional, and mineralogical composition of carbonatitic copper sulfide concentrator plant streams. Three samples, each from a different stream(run of mine(ROM), concentrate, and tailings) of a copper concentrator were characterized using various techniques, including stereomicroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), and optical microscopy. The results reveal that each stream possesses its own unique compositional features. Carbonate minerals associated with calcite and dolomite, followed by quartz, remain the major minerals in both the ROM and tails streams. In the ROM stream, chalcopyrite appears to occur as veins within the carbonatite-hosting ore body. Mineral phase mutation was discovered in the tails stream because magnetite formerly identified in the ROM as the primary iron oxide had evolved into hematite. This metamorphosis was likely promoted by the concentration process. The concentration process was effective, upgrading the chalcopyrite content from 2 wt% in the ROM stream to 58 wt% in the concentrate stream; it was accompanied by bornite(4 wt%), anilite(3 wt%), and digenite(2.5 wt%). In addition, the concentrate stream exhibited properties distinctive from those of the other streams. The FTIR analysis showed the existence of a sulfide group related to the chalcopyrite mineral. Free chalcopyrite grains were observed in the concentrate by SEM analysis, and their mineral presence was supported by the EDS analysis results. All characterization techniques corresponded well with each other regarding the structure, chemistry, and composition of the samples.

Development of multiple soft computing models for estimating organic and inorganic constituents in coal

The distribution of the various organic and inorganic constituents and their influences on the combustion of coal has been comprehensively studied.However,the combustion characteristics of pulverized coal depend not only on rank but also on the composition,distribution,and combination of the macerals.Unlike the proximate and ultimate analyses,determining the macerals in coal involves the use of sophisticated microscopic instrumentation and expertise.In this study,an attempt was made to predict the amount of macerals(vitrinite,inertinite,and liptinite)and total mineral matter from the Witbank Coalfields samples using the multiple input single output white-box artificial neural network(MISOWB-ANN),gene expression programming(GEP),multiple linear regression(MLR),and multiple nonlinear regression(MNLR).The predictive models obtained from the multiple soft computing models adopted are contrasted with one another using difference,efficiency,and composite statistical indicators to examine the appropriateness of the models.The MISOWB-ANN provides a more reliable predictive model than the other three models with the lowest difference and highest efficiency and composite statistical indicators.

Determination of the Toxicological Risk of Urban Waste from the City of Uvira Dumped into the North-Western Coast in Lake Tanganyika (Democratic Republic of Congo)

This study focuses on determining the toxicological risks of urban waste from the city of Uvira, discharged into Lake Tanganyika, on the surrounding population. Volatile organic compounds were measured in a variety of solid waste matrices, including inorganic micropollutants in wastewater and fish. The concentrations of Hg and Pb in the lake were found to be 1.21 and 1.42 μg/L respectively and between 0.83 to 18.36 μg/L of Hg and 8.25 to 670 μg/L of Pb, at the collector outlet. The presence of trace metallic elements, such as Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sb, Hg and Pb, were detected at high concentrations compared to the WHO standard. An ecotoxicology experiment herein on wastewater samples showed lethal pollutant concentrations of the order of 0.0055 mL/mL which killed at least 50% of fish (LC50), confirming the toxicity of the wastewater. These potentially harmful effluents also contain volatile organic compounds originating in high concentration from the pharmaceutical discharges of the general Uvira hospital, in particular: toluene, ethylbenzene, m-xylene/p-xylene, o-xylene and chloroform in higher concentrations compared to the norm. Other components such as benzene, bromodichloroethane and 1,1-dichloroethane were found to be present, but at a concentration below 0.05 ppb. A variety of trace organics can be suspected to be present as well.

Optimal Artificial Intelligence Based Automated Skin Lesion Detection and Classification Model

Skin lesions have become a critical illness worldwide,and the earlier identification of skin lesions using dermoscopic images can raise the survival rate.Classification of the skin lesion from those dermoscopic images will be a tedious task.The accuracy of the classification of skin lesions is improved by the use of deep learning models.Recently,convolutional neural networks(CNN)have been established in this domain,and their techniques are extremely established for feature extraction,leading to enhanced classification.With this motivation,this study focuses on the design of artificial intelligence(AI)based solutions,particularly deep learning(DL)algorithms,to distinguish malignant skin lesions from benign lesions in dermoscopic images.This study presents an automated skin lesion detection and classification technique utilizing optimized stacked sparse autoen-coder(OSSAE)based feature extractor with backpropagation neural network(BPNN),named the OSSAE-BPNN technique.The proposed technique contains a multi-level thresholding based segmentation technique for detecting the affected lesion region.In addition,the OSSAE based feature extractor and BPNN based classifier are employed for skin lesion diagnosis.Moreover,the parameter tuning of the SSAE model is carried out by the use of sea gull optimization(SGO)algo-rithm.To showcase the enhanced outcomes of the OSSAE-BPNN model,a comprehensive experimental analysis is performed on the benchmark dataset.The experimentalfindings demonstrated that the OSSAE-BPNN approach outper-formed other current strategies in terms of several assessment metrics.

Spontaneous combustion liability between coal seams: A thermogravimetric study

The spontaneous combustion liability of coal can be determined by using different experimental techniques.These techniques are well-known in their application,but no certain test method has become a standard to prove the reliability of all of them.A general characterisation which included proximate and ultimate analyses,petrographic properties and spontaneous combustion tests(thermogravimetric analysis(TGA)and the Wits-Ehac tests)were conducted on fourteen coal and four coal-shale samples.The spontaneous combustion liability of these samples collected between coal seams(above and below)were predicted using the TGA and the Wits-Ehac tests.Six different heating rates(3,6,9,15,20 and 25
C/min)were selected based on the deviation coefficient to obtain different derivative slopes and a liability index termed the TGspc index.This study found that coal and coal-shale undergo spontaneous combustion between coal seams when exposed to oxygen in the air.Their intrinsic properties and proneness towards spontaneous combustion differ considerably from one seam to the other.The Wits-Ehac test results agreed with the TGspc results to a certain extent and revealed the incidents of spontaneous combustion in the coal mines.

Experimental evaluation of activated carbon derived from South Africa discard coal for natural gas storage

Lacking in literature is the use of discard coal to produce activated carbon and in its subsequent use in the storage of natural gas. In this study, the characterization and gas storage evaluation of a largely porous activated carbon with large surface area synthesized from discard coal were investigated. Discard coals are waste material generated from coal beneficiation process. In developing the activated carbon, chemical activation route with the use of KOH reagent was applied. The effects of KOH/discard coal weight ratio (1:1, 2.5:1, 4:1), temperature (400-800 ℃) and particle size (0.15-0.25 mm, 0.25-0.5 mm, 0.5-1 mm) on the adsorptive properties of the activated carbon were methodically evaluated and optimized using response surface methodology. The synthesized activated carbon was characterized using BET, SEM/EDS, and XRD. The results showed that for each activation process, the surface area and pore volume of the resulting activated carbon increased with increased temperature and KOH/discard coal weight ratio. The maximum surface area of 1826.41 m2/g, pore volume of 1.252 cm^3/g and pore size of 2.77 nm were obtained at carbonization temperature of 800 ℃ and KOH/discard coal weight ratio of 4:1. Methane and nitrogen adsorption data at high pressure were fitted to Toth isotherm model with a predictive accuracy of about 99%. Adsorption parameters using the Toth model provides useful information in the design of adsorbed natural gas storage system. According to the requirements of adsorbent desired for natural gas storage, it could be stated that the synthesized activated carbon could well be applied for natural gas storage.

Parametric study of electrostatic separation of South African fine coal

The fact that water requirements are a major problem for present and future developments in material beneficiation, and the construction of a new power plant in South Africa, forms the basis for the utilization of a Rotary Triboelectrostatic Separator (RTS) for beneficiation of South African pulverized coal. The cleaning potential of Majuba and Koorfontein coal was first evaluated using kinetic froth flotation tests on the -177 μm coal fraction. The RTS tests were conducted under varied process parameters. Parameters such as applied separating voltage, air injection velocity, particle feed rate and splitter position were investigated. Two stage separation results show that the RTS reduced Majuba coal initially containing about 30% ash to a clean product of 14.30%, or 19.46%, ash at a combustible recovery of 15.10%, or 53.02%, respectively. Similar separation performance was also achieved with the Koorfontein coal. The mineral and organic compositions in the feed, after single stage and after the second stage separations were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis. The results show a better separation for the second stage coal products.

Electrostatic concentration of phosphate flotation concentrate

The concentration of phosphate flotation concentrate with P2O5 grade lower than the commercially acceptable phosphate quality was upgraded in the use of tribo-electrostatic technique. The concentration of the flotation concentrate stream was conducted under both triboelectrification and inductive charging mechanism. Mineralogical analysis reveals that the phosphate ore utilized was dominated mainly by fluorapatite, crandallite, wavellite, and with quartz as the major gangue mineral. Flotations concentrate of about 28.87% P2O5 was obtained from the reverse flotation technique, after conditioning the phosphate ore at 80% passing 150 lm under Lilafloat. Constant parameters such as à6 kV charging voltage, 25 kV separating voltage, inlet air, different charger rotary speed and splitter distances were investigated. Commercially accepted grade of 35.50% P2O5 was attained after the second stage of separation with a recovery of 12.26%, another phosphate product of 34.02% P2O5 and 85.19% was also recovered under the same condition. Single stage of separation also shows a significant increase in the grade of the product obtained, with 33.41% P2O5 and 84.07% recovery achievable. The practicability of tribo-electrostatic separation technique for upgrading flotation concentrates resulted in a significant increase in grade for <150 lm product that do not meet the viable grade.

Metropolitan Housing Development in Urban Fringe Areas-A Case Study of Three Metropolitan Cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane

Purpose:The metropolitan cities of Johannesburg,Ekurhuleni and Tshwane play an important role in the economy of the Gauteng province in South Africa.The region constitutes to 22.4 percent of the total population of South Africa and has a strong presence and contributes in areas of manufacturing sector,financial and business services,retail and wholesale trade,etc.The rapid urban population,increase in the informal settlements and socio-economic opportunities has resulted in considerable urban sprawl in and around the urban fringe areas of these metropolitan cities.The urban fringe areas of these metros often come under the influence of rapid urbanization process and pressures.Coupled with the economical and potential land dynamics and lack of priority of spatial development guidelines,these areas attract rapid and haphazard development from communities and developers.Research Design/Methodology:This research is based on a qualitative approach through a comprehensive literature review that included content analysis of key documents on housing sector such as IDPs(Integrated Development Plans),Municipal Annual Reports,Growth Development Strategies,and among other sectoral documents on housing sector.Some of the key priority issues considered in the housing sector included:eradication of housing backlogs,spatial restructuring of housing,provision of choice in terms of location,tenure and housing typology.Findings:The current paper discusses the approaches of metropolitan housing development processes in three metropolitan cities of South Africa from Gauteng region,namely:Johannesburg,Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.The paper discusses the existing housing sectoral scenario along with the fringe areas in three cities with focus on:formal and informal settlements,housing segregation and the backlogs,current institutional arrangements,role of public private participation,and scope for alternate mechanisms.The paper concludes in discussion on sustainable development options for housing development in urban fringe areas.

Maintenance of Municipality Infrastructure: A Case Study on Service Delivery in Limpopo Province at South Africa

Purpose: An element of poor service delivery concerns the quality of management on the maintenance of services like water, electricity, roads, schools and clinics. This is a relevant and topical issue for research because of the current situation regarding these provisions in South Africa. This research took place in a Municipality situated in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is the responsibility of municipalities to ensure that they fulfil their constitutional obligations in the delivery of maintainable, operative and well-organised municipal services through the maintenance of infrastructure. As this country has been subjected to a large number of service delivery complaints, this has led to the motivation of this study. The purpose of this study is to analyse maintenance on municipal infrastructure and service delivery in a local municipality, in particular focusing on the water supply. This research study is aimed at analysing how local municipality conducts its maintenance of municipal infrastructure, seeking to understand the challenge of maintenance on service provided to the communities. Design/Methodology/Approach: To achieve the success of this research, both qualitative and quantitative methods were adopted. A survey questionnaire and structured interview questions were conducted with communities and employees in a municipality in Limpopo Province. Findings: The results of the study revealed that residents are facing water difficulties due to a lack of maintenance and absence of water supply. People are fetching water from the rivers in the nearby community, water which unfortunately is not purified. Furthermore, people have experienced this poor maintenance and service delivery for years, negatively impacting on the community’s standard of living. Originality/Value: The original contribution of this work was to analyse the types of maintenance being used in local municipalities and how it will benefit the communities. To the best of the authors’ understanding, there are no studies that have been conducted in South Africa regarding the impact of maintenance on municipal infrastructure, and this paper aims to fill this gap.

Pathways for Sustainable Utilization of Waste Chicken Eggshell

Chicken eggshell is one of the most common wastes generated from households,restaurants and other food processing outlets.Waste Chicken Eggshells(WCES)also constitutes an environmental nuisance and ends up discarded at dumping site with no consideration of further usage.The main constituent of WCES is calcium carbonate from which calcium or calcium oxide can be extracted for various applications.This current effort reviews recently published literature on the diverse applications of WCES.The considered utilization avenues include catalysts for biofuel production,construction industry,wastewater purification,industrial sector,food industry,medical,and agricultural applications.The specific areas of application apart from the transesterification reactions include cement additives and replacement in concrete,asphalt binder,adsorbent of metals and dyes,production of hydroxyapatite,food supplement and fortification,dentistry,therapeutics,bone formation,drug delivery,poultry feeds as well as organic fertilizer.For most of the identified applications,the WCES is subjected to pretreatment and other modification techniques before utilization.The conversion of WCES to valuable products is a cost-effective,safe,environmentally friendly,non-toxic and viable means of waste disposal and utilization.More investigations are needed to further explore the benefits derivable from this bioresource.

Palmitic Acid-Lauric Acid/Expanded Graphite as Form-Stable Composite Phase Change Material for Low-Temperature Energy Storage Applications

Low thermal conductivity of binary fatty acid mixture of palmitic and lauric acids(PA-LA)within the value range of 0.15-0.17 W/(m·K)restricts its wide utilization as thermal energy storage material in the active regime of solar heating applications at low operating temperatures.Nevertheless,this mixture as phase change material(PCM)has a suitable phase-change temperature and heat of 36℃and 176.3 J/g,respectively.Hence,the objective of this study is to formulate a novel form-stable composite PCM with the PA-LA mixture and expanded graphite(EG)as a thermal enhancer.PA-LA eutectic mixture with varied concentrations of EG was prepared and characterized.The thermal conductivity of PA-LA/EG increased gradually with the mass of EG.Optimum thermal properties were observed in PA-LA/(5%EG)composite,where its melting(T_(m)),freezing temperature(T_(t)),latent melting heat and thermal conductivity was 35.53℃,34.84℃,174 J/g,and 1.19 W/(m·K),respectively.Also,the composite PCM is characterized by good chemical-thermal stability and thermal reliability for long-term usage.In conclusion,it can be utilized as a prospective form-stable PCM for thermal energy storage in solar heating systems,overheat treatment systems,and other thermal storage applications at low operating temperatures.