Alternative Fuels Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The concept of the waste biorefinery is known as one of the several energy recovery technologies capable of producing multi-products in the form of biofuels and value-added products treating different fractions of municipal solid waste (MSW). The conversion technologies such as anaerobic digestion (AD), pyrolysis, transesterification, incineration treat food, plastic, meat, and lignocellulosic wastes to produce liquid, gaseous and solid biofuels. Makkah city landfills receive about 2750 tons of waste every day. While during the Ramadan and Hajj seasons, these quantities become 3000 tons and 4706 tons per day respectively. More than 2.5 million animals were sold for slaughtering in 2014 Hajj, and their blood and organic solid waste were disposed of untreated. Similarly, around 2.1 million plastic Zam-Zam cups were wasted every day during the 2014 Ramadan time. In the first three days of 2014's Ramadan, 5000 tons of food was wasted only in Makkah municipality. Collectively, about 3853 tons of waste were generated each day during 2014 Hajj and Ramadan. The waste from Al-Haram and Al-Masha’ir (Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat) and their surroundings was mainly composed of organics (up to 68.5%). There is no waste-to-energy facility existing in Saudi Arabia. The waste biorefinery in Makkah will divert up to 94% of MSW from landfill to biorefinery. The energy potential of 2171.47 TJ and 8852.66 TJ can be produced if all of the food and plastic waste of the Makkah city are processed through AD and pyrolysis respectively. The development of AD and pyrolysis under waste biorefinery will also benefit the economy with gross savings of 405 and 565.7 million SR respectively, totalling to an annual profit of 970.7 million SR. Therefore, the benefits of waste biorefinery in Makkah city and other parts of the Saudi Arabia are numerous including the development of renewable-energy science and research, solving solid waste problems, new businesses and job creation opportunities and minimizing environmental pollution.

- by and +1
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- Renewable Energy, Energy, Recycling, Biorefinery

Considering the pollution problems and energy crisis today, investigations have been focused on lowering the concentration of toxic components in combustion products and decreasing fuel consumption by using renewable alternative fuels. The effects of ethanol addition to unleaded gasoline on the performance and pollutant emission of the spark ignition engine are established both analytically and experimentally. In the present work a quasi-dimensional model was developed to study the effect of ethanol blending on the thermodynamic cycle of the engine. The Ricardo E6/US engine has been used for verification and comparison of the results of the model with experimental tests. The results of the standard ASTM methods showed that, with increasing ethanol content, the research octane number of the blended fuels increases, while the Reid vapour pressure of the blended fuels initially increases to a maximum at 10 vol % ethanol addition and then decreases. The results of the study showed that the addition of ethanol (from 0 to 30 vol %) increases the engine power, thermal efficiency, and specific fuel consumption and reduces the nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbon emissions. The ethanol added improves the combustion process, reduces the crevices flow energy, reduces the cylinder temperature, reduces the ignition delay, speeds up the flame front propagation, and reduces the combustion duration. The high useful compression ratio, which produced maximum engine power, was directly proportional to the ethanol percentage in the mixture.

The present rate of economic growth is unsustainable without saving of fossil energy like crude oil, natural gas or coal. Thus mankind has to rely on the alternate/renewable energy sources like biomass, hydropower, geothermal energy, wind... more

The current electricity demand of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is around 55 GW, which is projected to reach up to 120 GW by 2032. This energy is mainly produced from fossil fuels, posing a serious risk to human health and environment. Moving towards a sustainable model, KSA government has initiated a plan called the King Abdullah City of Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) to utilize the indigenous renewable energy resources to generate a further 54 GW energy from solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal and waste-to-energy (WTE). The arid nature of the KSA increases the importance of water in daily life and makes the country the third-largest per capita water user worldwide. About 12 thousand industries are working in different sectors, which produce large quantities of wastes and waste sludge on a daily basis. It has been estimated that 2.4 and 0.77 billion m3/ year of municipal and industrial wastewater respectively are produced in KSA, totaling to 3.17 billion m3/ year. Therefore, there is a huge potential of producing bioenergy and bioproducts, if this wastewater is treated in algae biorefinery. Algae as a ‘natural chemical factory’ has gained significant attention to produce several energy carriers, including starches for alcohols, lipids for diesel fuel, and bio-hydrogen (H2) for fuel cells and valuable materials and chemicals. Considerable progress has been made in recent years to optimize the production of energy and value-added products by utilizing algae under algae biorefinery concept. The biorefinery is a multi-process and multi-product system, similar to a petroleum refinery. It utilizes various feedstock to produce useful materials, chemicals, and bioenergy in the form of fuel, power, and heat in an integrated system. Algae contain natural oils, carbohydrates, and proteins for the production of biodiesel, ethanol, and H2. The leftover or residues of algae after oil extraction can be digested anaerobically to produce methane (CH4) as an energy carrier. Furthermore, the AD digestate can be a source of animal feed and organic fertilizer. Although, theoretically algae can produce various fuels, an array of valuable materials and capture carbon emissions, but in practice, profitable algal biofuel production has proven to be quite challenging. Most of these challenges lie in algae production methods, including a selection of suitable algae strain, its cultivation, harvesting, and extraction of value-added materials for energy and bioproducts along with their conversion pathways. The aim of this paper is to review the potential of algae biorefinery in KSA for the treatment of wastewater and production of bioenergy and bioproducts.

- by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Nizami and +1
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- Renewable Energy, Biomass, Energy, Biorefinery
- by Bosma Hans
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- Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Hydrogen
- by Sajjad Hossain
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- Engineering, Combustion, Internal Combustion Engines, Marine Diesel Engines

The realization of dwindling fossil fuel supplies
and their adverse environmental impacts has accelerated
research and development activities in the
domain of renewable energy sources and technologies.
Global energy demand is expected to rise during
the next few decades, and the majority of today’s
energy is based on fossil fuels. Alternative energy
sources and technologies can play a vital role in lowering
or eliminating our reliance on fossil fuels.
However, such a transition will require a large investment
and will not be reversible. The benefits of hydrogen
and other liquid fuels as transportation fuels are
not marginal, but the real urgency in greenhouse gas
reductions and fossil fuel replacement should not be
translated into an energy infrastructure based on
unsustainable sources in the long run. It is wise to
examine each option thoroughly and objectively now
and discard those with little potential so our focus
and effort may be placed elsewhere.

- by Shahram Karimi
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- Sustainable Transportation, Hydrogen, Biodiesel, Alternative Fuels

The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is used here to analyse a large set of experimental data regarding the mechanical and environmental performances of an internal combustion engine (ICE) used to power a farm tractor. The aim is twofold: (i) to demonstrate the effectiveness of RSM in quantitatively assessing the effects of biofuels on a complex system like an ICE; (ii) to supply the users with easy-to-use models to predict the effect of biofuel blends on performance and emissions of tractor engines and find an optimal blend according to given user-defined parameters. The methodology showed good prediction abilities: the calculated average errors for the first models were lower than 0.38 and 1.40% on 6 test cases, with a higher accuracy in the assessment of the ICE mechanical performance. As a result, two effective and user-friendly models for torque and NOx emissions were developed; they were subsequently used to single out some fuel blends having interesting effects in terms of ...

- by Fabrizio Mazzetto
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- Agricultural Engineering, Environmental Science, Biodiesel, BIOETHANOL

Energy is essential for the nature of life and the development of countries. The main demand for the 21st century is to fulfill growing energy needs. Pakistan, through the use of fossil fuels, meets energy demands. There is pressure on the economy of the country due to the massive reliance on fossil fuels, and this tendency is influenced by various environmental impacts. To overcome the burden on fossil fuels, more attention has been drawn to provide fossil fuel substitution. Tire pyrolysis is among the effective substitutes of the fuel technology that generates useful products of liquid oil, char, and pyro gas. This research focuses on the environmental, social, and economic viability of tire pyrolysis oil in Pakistan. This study estimates the production and potential of tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) in Pakistan. Based on the calculations, the potential of tire pyrolysis oil production in Pakistan from 2015–2019 is 468,081 to 548,406 tons. The potential production of TPO in 2018–2019 wa...

- by Daniyal Murtaza
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- Renewable Energy, Developing Countries, Pyrolysis, Alternative Fuels

This study focused on producing high quality and yield of biodiesel from novel non-edible seed oil of abundantly available wild Raphnus raphanistrum L. using an efficient, recyclable and eco-friendly copper modified mont-morillonite (MMT) clay catalyst. The maximum biodiesel yield of 83% was obtained by base catalyzed trans-esterification process under optimum operating conditions of methanol to oil ratio of 15:1, reaction temperature of 150 • C, reaction time of 5 h and catalyst loading of 3.5%. The synthesized catalyst and biodiesel were characterized for their structural features and chemical compositions using various state-of-the-art techniques, including x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H, 13 C) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The fuel properties of the biodiesel were estimated including kinematic viscosity (4.36 cSt), density (0.8312 kg/ L), flash point (72 • C), acid value (0.172 mgKOH/g) and sulphur content (0.0002 wt.%). These properties were compared and found in good agreement with the International Biodiesel Standards of American (ASTM-951, 6751), European Committee (EN-14214) and China GB/T 20828 (2007). The catalyst was re-used in five consecutive transesterification reactions without losing much catalytic efficiency. Overall, non-edible Raphnus raphanistrum L.. seed oil and Cu doped MMT clay catalyst appeared to be highly active, stable, and cheap contenders for future biofuel industry. However, detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) studies of Raphnus raphanistrum L. seed oil biodiesel are highly recommended to assess the technical, ecological, social and economic challenges.

- by Mohammad Rehan and +1
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- Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering

Study on simulation of 4-stroke single cylinder engine is being presented. The engine with known specification is being modelled using one dimensional CFD GT-Power software. The same engine is used for different fuel; diesel and CNG. The operational parameters of the engine such as brake power, brake torque and brake specific fuel consumption which are dependent to engine speed are discussed. The results of engine performance from diesel and CNG fuel are compared to get the percentage of reductions.

- by Prof. Dr. Semin
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- Internal Combustion Engines, Alternative Fuels

The paper presents the use of Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF) in Chelm Cement Plant (Poland). These types of fuels are produced from non-hazardous waste and can be used for energy recovery in waste co-combustion plants.
They are much cheaper compared to primary fuels, so their use in the process of cement clinker burning brings evident economic benefits. Chelm cement plant owned by the CEMEX company is a leader in the use of alternative fuels in Poland. In the years 2005-2011 the amount of co-combustion of alternative fuels in the cement had risen from 107 to 318 thousand tons, and their share in the cement kiln heat balance reached in 2011 the level of 73.5%. This increase did not result in increase of pollutant emissions to the air.
English title: The use of solid recovered fuels (SRF) from waste - case study of fuel co-combustion installation in Chełm cement plant.

- by Robert Oleniacz
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- Alternative Energy, Alternative Fuels, Refuse derived fuel, RDF

The chapter discusses the problem of air emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) from the process of cement clinker production. In the analyzed cement kilns significant amount of fossil fuels is replaced with alternative fuels, mainly waste-derived fuels. Thus, particular attention has been paid to the potential impact on the level of the emissions such factors as type and quantity of used wastes and their ways of introducing into the kiln during co-combustion. The analysis include the results of measurements of PCDD/PCDF concentrations in the flue gases of selected cement kilns and differences in used raw materials, methods of production, technological process and flue-gas cleaning systems. Due to the fact that co-combustion in cement kilns is an alternative to incineration of waste, the emissions were compared with the emission of PCDD/PCDF from municipal solid waste incineration plants and the waste combustion in uncontrolled conditions (domestic furnaces and small boilers).
English title: Emissions of dioxins and furans from co-combustion of alternative fuels in cement kilns.

- by Robert Oleniacz and +1
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- Municipal Solid Waste Management, Alternative Energy, Municipal Solid Waste, Biomass energy

Biodiesel has become more attractive as alternative fuel for automobiles because of its environmental benefits and the fact that it is made from renewable sources. However, corrosion of metals in biodiesel is one of the concerns related... more

- by Masjuki Haji Hassan
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- Biodiesel, Corrosion, Alternative Fuels, FTIR

Biodiesel is a promising liquid fuel that is mainly derived from triglycerides and is utilized in diesel engines directly or after blending with conventional gasoline. Triglycerides comprise fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), which are generated from plant or animal based sources. Biodiesel generated from vegetable oils is expensive than petroleum-based diesel and has concerns with food vs. fuels debate. Therefore, biodiesel from renewable sources such as non-food feedstocks has attained a considerable interest in last two decades. This paper aims to examine the biodiesel generation from the non-food feedstocks available in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as a source of renewable energy and valueadded products along with and a solution to current waste disposal problems. In KSA, non-food feedstocks such as animal fats, waste cooking oil (WCO), agricultural wastes, sewage sludge, and microalgae are promising sources for biodiesel production. These feedstocks are relatively cheap, easily available, portable, and renewable in nature. A case study of waste to biodiesel refinery is presented for KSA under three different scenarios, including (1) KSA population in 2017, (2) KSA population and pilgrims in 2017, and (3) KSA population and pilgrims by 2030. It was assessed that around 482, 488 and 627 MW of electricity on a continuous basis could be generated every year for scenarios 1, 2 and 3 respectively if using the fat fraction of municipal solid waste in waste to biodiesel refineries in KSA. Similarly, a total net savings of US$ 272, 275.2 and 353.9 million can be achieved from scenarios 1, 2 and 3 respectively. However, there are many challenges in commercializing the waste to biodiesel refinery in KSA such as collection of feedstocks, separation of lipids, products separation, soap formation, preserving products, and adequate regulations.

- by Jabbar GARDY
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- Catalysis, Energy, Bioenergy, Bioremediation

Waste-to-valuable products are being considered as one of the best solutions to convert the waste biomass into green and environment-friendly products. The wide utilization of waste biomass as a potential source of fuels, power, recycled materials, and valuable chemicals is well recognized globally. The waste driven fuels are used in all sectors of society for production of electricity, transport fuel, heating and cooling source, and in industrial processes. These fuels not only solve the waste disposal issues but also generate enormous economic and environmental benefits. They are promising alternatives due to their renewable, sustainable and eco-friendly features. However, there are multiple challenges in conversion and efficient utilization of waste biomass into sustainable energy and fuels. The purpose of the special issue, titled "Waste Biomass Utilization for Value-added Green Products" is to focus on the best possible ways to convert the waste biomass into value added and renewable products with an ambition to highlight the recent trends targeting the challenges and opportunities in this area. Renowned researchers have accepted our invitation to contribute their articles on the below subtopics; Conversion/Utilization of Waste Biomass Feedstocks into Fuels: The aspects of discovery and utilization of different waste biomass feedstocks for generation of various fuels. The examples of such waste biomass to fuels systems include the bio-alcohols, biodiesel, biogas, biohydrogen, and pyrolysis oils. The issue will cover a wide range of feedstock and conventional and new production methods including the challenges and prospects. In the last few decades, due to the ever-increasing exploitation of fossil fuels, there is a significant emphasis and demand on exploring and developing alternative, cost-effective, and non-food feedstocks or waste biomass sources for producing fuels and value-added products. Therefore, authors are expected to submit high-quality papers on this subtopic that will serve as a great contribution to this demanding area. Micro-Algae and Macro-Algae Based Biofuels: In the last few decades, there has been tremendous research on the utilization of micro and macro algae for biofuels production and increasing the process efficiency and quality of the products. Despite all these efforts and investment, there remain many challenges and scope for improvement in this area before potential commercialization of this technology worldwide. The authors are expected to not only highlight and discuss these areas but also give solutions and their recommendation for overall process optimization. Multiple benefits are sought through these processes including bio-waste treatment, production of clean fuels and CO 2 capturing for huge environmental and economic benefits. Contributions under this subtopic would be preferred covering both the scientific and engineering aspects of algae biofuels. Development of Advanced Catalysts for Biofuels: The role of catalysts is critical not only in the conversion process of biofuels systems but also in making the overall process more efficient, less energy intensive and economically feasible. However, the primary challenge with the use of catalysts is the high cost. Recently, waste biomass-based catalysts such as biochar and natural minerals like natural zeolite are utilized instead of costly commercial catalysts. Therefore, this subtopic would cover how such cheap and effective catalysts could be developed for various biofuels systems such as transesterification (biodiesel), anaerobic digestion (biogas), fermentation (bio-alcohols) and bio-hydrogen. State-of-the-art Cost-Effective Bioenergy Production Technologies: This subtopic would cover the state-of-the-art and cost-effective bioenergy production technologies such as pyrolysis, supercritical water reforming, gasification, anaerobic digestion, torrefaction, and liquid phase processing. Currently, one of the most limiting factors of bioenergy production technologies is the high capital/ operational cost or low profitability. New ideas and paradigm will be gathered to contribute to solving this issue through this special issue. A primary emphasis will be given to such contributions, covering the scientific aspects of process and products chemistry. Use of Waste and Non-profitable Natural Resources for Optimization of Biofuel Production: This subtopic would cover the utilization of waste and non-profitable natural resources such as lands, water, and biochar, natural minerals in optimizing the first and second generation biofuels such as bioalcohols (ethanol or methanol), biomethanation and biodiesel.

- by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Nizami and +1
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- Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemical Education

After a substantial success of LPG vehicles in Serbia and an extensive shift toward bi-fuelled LPG gasoline passenger cars, the market, and especially corporate users were eager to welcome all the other alternative and renewable fuels, as CNG and Biodiesel. The main prerequisite was that they could be implemented shortly, as soon as possible with as lower technical interventions and implementation investments as possible with really high expectations of considerable short-term savings. It is now certain that enthusiastic but inexperienced users as well as an immature vehicle market and refueling infrastructure in a developing country recovering from a decade-long crisis as Republic of Serbia, expected a miracle, which unfortunately did not happen. In the paper, the authors present some of the problems arisen especially from insufficient fuel availability and poor quality of conversion since the majority of car owners expected important incentives and subventions for conversions due to the stringent cost limitations (i.e. lower incomes). Unfortunately, national policy never backed up this isolated effort. From such an implementation experience important lessons were learnt and highlighted in the paper, as well as some of the applicable best practices to overcome it from similar/comparable countries. Eventually, several crucial recommendations were delivered for all the subsequent trials, promotions and presently lacking but in the near future necessary national supportive policy for alternative fuels in transportation in order not to disappoint anymore the users and though make a stable path for their wider, easier and effective implementation.

- by Vladimir Momcilovic
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- Biodiesel, Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, CNG

The biofuel industry is rapidly growing with a promising role in producing renewable energy and tackling climate change. Nanotechnology has tremendous potential to achieve cost-effective and process-efficient biofuel industry. Various nanomaterials have been developed with unique properties for enhanced biofuel production/utilization. The way forward is to develop nanotechnology-based biofuel systems at industrial scale.

- by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Nizami and +1
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- Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Environmental Science

The global energy and environmental situations have intensified the use of alternative and clean fuels. This is true for city buses, taxis, delivery vehicles and personal cars. The unique properties of hydrogen make it suitable as a fuel for vehicles powered with both, internal combustion or electric engines, too. However, the problems associated with the production and storage of hydrogen currently limits the application of pure hydrogen as engine fuel for vehicles. As a contribution to the global strategy, this paper focuses on designing of city bus for hydrogen power using an original propulsion system. The concept of gaseous hydrogen storage under high pressure is analyzed here. In the bus on hydrogen, the cylinders with this fuel are mounted on the roof because of reasons of little available space. In the paper is proposed a method for the reconstruction of the bus, with respect to the installation of specific components for the use of compressed hydrogen gas as well as for the...

- by Saša MILOJEVIĆ
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- Engineering, Fuel Cells, Ecology, Electric Vehicles
- by Prof. Dr. Saad Mekhilef
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- Engineering, Biodiesel, Information Extraction, Alternative Energy

District heating networks are commonly addressed in the literature as one of the most effective solutions for decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. These systems require high investments which are returned through the heat sales. Due to the changed climate conditions and building renovation policies, heat demand in the future could decrease, prolonging the investment return period. The main scope of this paper is to assess the feasibility of using the heat demand – outdoor temperature function for heat demand forecast. The district of Alvalade, located in Lisbon (Portugal), was used as a case study. The district is consisted of 665 buildings that vary in both construction period and typology. Three weather scenarios (low, medium, high) and three district renovation scenarios were developed (shallow, intermediate, deep). To estimate the error, obtained heat demand values were compared with results from a dynamic heat demand model, previously developed and validated by the authors. The results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications (the error in annual demand was lower than 20% for all weather scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation scenarios, the error value increased up to 59.5% (depending on the weather and renovation scenarios combination considered). The value of slope coefficient increased on average within the range of 3.8% up to 8% per decade, that corresponds to the decrease in the number of heating hours of 22-139h during the heating season (depending on the combination of weather and renovation scenarios considered). On the other hand, function intercept increased for 7.8-12.7% per decade (depending on the coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations. Abstract This study aims to examine the nonsterilized fermentation conditions for coproduction of pectinases and lipase enzymes using several fruit wastes as an energy source. Thermophilic fungal strain, Penicillium expansum CMI 39671 was used as a fermenting strain. The effect of process conditions including; nitrogen sources, pH, temperature, time and moisture contents, on the production of both enzymes were studied. The highest activities of pectinase and lipase (2817, 1870 U/g dry substrate) enzymes were found with orange peel feedstock, whereas the lowest activities of 1662 U/g and 1266 U/g were found with banana peel and papaya peel feedstocks respectively. Overall, pectinase showed higher enzymatic activities than lipase enzymes, both having similar increasing and decreasing trends, at all studied conditions. The optimum process conditions of peptone as a nitrogen source, pH 7, 40°C, 5 days and 70% moisture contents, were found to show highest enzymatic activities for both enzymes. The orange peel feedstock showed no significant difference in both enzymes' activities at sterilized and nonnotarized process conditions. Pectinase and lipase enzymes showed (13791 U/g) and (8114 U/g) for sterilized and (14091 U/g) and (8324 U/g) for nonnotarized process conditions respectively. In addition, the fungal strains also produce bacteriocin-like compounds that could inhibit microbial growth. These findings will help to design and develop robust, cost-effective and less energy intensive enzyme production processes and consequently an efficient fruit waste to energy system through open fermentation. Abstract This study aims to examine the nonsterilized fermentation conditions for coproduction of pectinases and lipase enzymes using several fruit wastes as an energy source. Thermophilic fungal strain, Penicillium expansum CMI 39671 was used as a fermenting strain. The effect of process conditions including; nitrogen sources, pH, temperature, time and moisture contents, on the production of both enzymes were studied. The highest activities of pectinase and lipase (2817, 1870 U/g dry substrate) enzymes were found with orange peel feedstock, whereas the lowest activities of 1662 U/g and 1266 U/g were found with banana peel and papaya peel feedstocks respectively. Overall, pectinase showed higher enzymatic activities than lipase enzymes, both having similar increasing and decreasing trends, at all studied conditions. The optimum process conditions of peptone as a nitrogen source, pH 7, 40°C, 5 days and 70% moisture contents, were found to show highest enzymatic activities for both enzymes. The orange peel feedstock showed no significant difference in both enzymes' activities at sterilized and nonnotarized process conditions. Pectinase and lipase enzymes showed (13791 U/g) and (8114 U/g) for sterilized and (14091 U/g) and (8324 U/g) for nonnotarized process conditions respectively. In addition, the fungal strains also produce bacteriocin-like compounds that could inhibit microbial growth. These findings will help to design and develop robust, cost-effective and less energy intensive enzyme production processes and consequently an efficient fruit waste to energy system through open fermentation.

- by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Nizami and +1
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- Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Energy Economics
- by Jagadish Kari
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- Alternative Energy, Alternative Fuels

Engine oil has become a very useful and versatile material with a wide range of application. In the past 60 years, the automotive and industry sector is developing on a large scale and there productivity is raising up exponentially. Parallel to the growth of these sectors the demand of engine oil and high viscous lubricants are increasing which leads to the problem of pollution worldwide due to its slow decomposing behavior and toxic impacts on environment.
Researches are going on to recycle the waste engine oil and produce diesel like fuels with different processes. This Research covers the production of diesel like fuel from waste engine oil by doing pyrolysis and testing it in CI engine to check and compare the engine performance.
It is also seen that from 1 kg of waste high density engine oil, about 750ml of fuel can be produced. And, the produced fuel can be used for domestic purpose, in automotive field, and in industries also. This fuel produced by pyrolysis of waste engine oil is suitable to use in a diesel engine partially or completely.

This research work investigates the use of neat paradise tree oil in a 4-stroke natural aspirated direct injection compression ignition engine assisted with the help of superheated hydrogen (hydrogen in gaseous state or above its saturation temperature) as a combustion improver. The high calorific gaseous fuel hydrogen gas was used as a combustion improver and admitted into the engine during the suction stroke. A 4-stroke single cylinder Diesel engine was chosen and its operating parameters were suitably modified. Neat paradise tree oil was admitted through standard injector of the engine and hydrogen was admitted through induction manifold. Inducted superheated hydrogen was initiated the intermediate compounds combustion of neat paradise tree oil. This process offers higher temperature combustion and results in complete combustion of heavier molecules of neat paradise tree oil within shorter duration. The results of the experiment reveal that 40% higher NOx, 20% lower smoke, 5% low...

- by Karthi Kayan
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- Mechanical Engineering, Combustion, Internal Combustion Engines, Alternative Fuels

Biodiesel production from abundant bio-sources has drawn the attention of the academic as well as the industrial communities in recent years. However, one of the most serious obstacles for using biodiesel as an alternative fuel is the complicated and costly purification processes involved in its production. The difficulties involved in the separation of glycerine and other un-reacted reactants and by-products necessitate the development of new competent low cost separation processes for this purpose. In this work, a low cost quaternary ammonium salt–glycerine-based ionic liquid is proposed as a solvent for extracting glycerine from the transesterification biodiesel product. The separation technique was tested on palm oil-based produced biodiesel with KOH as a reaction catalyst. The study investigated the effect of DES:biodiesel ratio and the DES composition on the efficiency of the extraction process. The lab scale purification experiments proved the viability of the separation technique with a best DES:biodiesel molar ratio of 1:1 and a DES molar composition of 1:1 (salt:glycerine). The purified biodiesel fulfilled the EN 14214 and ASTM D 6751 standard specifications for biodiesel fuel in terms of glycerine content. A continuous separation process is suggested for industrial scale application.

- by Inas M. AlNashef
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- Chemical Engineering, Biodiesel, Separation, Ionic Liquid

Fast pyrolysis of biomass: Advances in science and technology: A book review
Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass: Advances in Science and Technology Edited by Robert C. Brown and Kaige Wang, published by Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017, Price: £149.00 (Exclusive of Taxes); PDF eISBN: 978-1-78801-024-5; doi:10.1039/9781788010245-FP001; Page No. 276 (Fig. 1).

Bachelor thesis presenting potential metal powders application as a renewable source of energy. It contains analysis of advantages and disadvantages of 8 different metal fuels such as iron, magnesium, aluminium, beryllium, boron, ferrosilicon, magnalium, titanium-magnesium basing on an internal combustion engine model designed for metal powders.

- by Tomasz Szewczyk
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- Powder Metallurgy, Renewable Energy, Energy, Metallurgy

This paper presents the failure analysis of the turbine blade of a gas turbine engine 9E GE type, installed in a certain type of simple systems consisting of the gas turbine driving an electrical power generator. A non-linear finite element method was utilized to determine the stress state of the blade segment under operating conditions. High stress zones were found at the region of the lower fir-tree slot, where the failure occurred. A computation was also performed with excessive rotational speed. Attention of this study is devoted to the mechanisms of damage of the turbine blade and also the critical high stress areas.

This study critically reviews the recent developments and future opportunities pertinent to the conversion of CO 2 as a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) to fuels and valuable products. CO 2 emissions have reached an alarming level of around 410 ppm and have become the primary driver of global warming and climate change leading to devastating events such as droughts, hurricanes, torrential rains, floods, tornados and wildfires across the world. These events are responsible for thousands of deaths and have adversely affected the economic development of many countries, loss of billions of dollars, across the globe. One of the promising choices to tackle this issue is carbon sequestration by pre-and post-combustion processes and oxyfuel combustion. The captured CO 2 can be converted into fuels and valuable products, including methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), and methane (CH 4). The efficient use of the sequestered CO 2 for the desalinization might be critical in overcoming water scarcity and energy issues in developing countries. Using the sequestered CO 2 to produce algae in combination with waste-water, and producing biofuels is among the promising strategies. Many methods, like direct combustion, fermentation, transesterification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion (AD), and gasification, can be used for the conversion of algae into biofuel. Direct air capturing (DAC) is another productive technique for absorbing CO 2 from the atmosphere and converting it into various useful energy resources like CH 4. These methods can effectively tackle the issues of climate change, water security, and energy crises. However, future research is required to make these conversion methods cost-effective and commercially applicable.

- by Mohammad Rehan and +1
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- Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemical Education

This paper presents the application of the Discrete Component Model for heating and evaporation to multi-component biodiesel fuel droplets in direct injection internal combustion engines. This model takes into account the effects of temperature gradient, recirculation and species diffusion inside droplets. A distinctive feature of the model used in the analysis is that it is based on the analytical solutions to the temperature and species diffusion equations inside the droplets. Nineteen types of biodiesel fuels are considered. It is shown that a simplistic model, based on the approximation of biodiesel fuel by a single component or ignoring the diffusion of components of biodiesel fuel, leads to noticeable errors in predicted droplet evaporation time and time evolution of droplet surface temperature and radius.

- by Morgan Heikal
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- Automotive Systems Engineering, Materials Science, Biodiesel, Heat Transfer
- by yerizam yerizam
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- Chemical Engineering, Production, Biodiesel, Alternative Fuels

Often we use to say fuel prices are hiking, but instead of availability, we always hesitate to make use of alternate fuel cheaper than the conventional fuel. There are many alternate fuels wh ich are having numerous of benefits in addition with cost effectiveness. Using alternate fuel in vehicles is a proven technology and is traditionally in use for past three decades in many developed as well as in developing countries. Internal co mbustion engines running on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas are well-proven technologies and work much similar to gasoline-powered spark-ignition engines [1]. This paper focuses on the use of LPG as a fuel, its pose and con, its comparison with conventional fuel i.e. Petrol, and benefits in adopting LPG as a fuel in vehicles .

- by JOAE Editor
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- Alternative Fuels, LPG conversion, Alternative Fuel, Engine Performance

This research investigated the comparative studies of diesel fuel properties with renewable diesel and recycled diesel. Nowadays the disposal of used engine oil and used cooking oil are major problem due to the ecological pollution. Both are discarded into the ground or landfills which neither protects the environment nor conserves it resource value. Recycling of used motor oil and used cooking oil can produce more valuable products which can be reuse again without any pollution. The main objective of this research is to focuses the development of an alternative method that is ecofriendly and produces good quality renewable fuels and to compare the properties of diesel fuel with renewable diesels like Bio diesel and recycled diesel. In this study the method used to re-refining used motor oil is acid treatment, vacuum distillation followed by activated charcoal treatment. By using trans-esterification process we can change the used cooking oil as a fuel called Biodiesel. After the effective preparation of the diesel fuel samples from the above methods it’s blended with fresh diesel called Blended diesel. This paper gives a brief review about the properties of all the diesels derived from used engine oil, used cooking oil and blended diesels were analyzed and compared with the fresh diesel properties.

- by Siva Pillai
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- Recycling, Renewable energy resources, Alternative Fuels, Bio Fuels

The use of CNG in Bangladesh is increasing day by day due to the environmental benefits as well as economic benefits. In the last decade, the importance of environment conservation has assumed great significance. Even in Bangladesh the last couple of years have witnessed a greater devotion and awakening towards the protection of the environment. Pollution due to petroleum products used in transportation is an ever-increasing problem for Bangladesh like other country. So alternative solution of energy source is trying to use, thus pressure on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) has been increased. Though, the environmental problem is solved but the stock of gas is simultaneously decreasing. The purpose of the study is to make coordination between the environmental awareness concept and the use of the natural gas should be connected in such a manner to achieve the success of Bangladesh.

- by Mohammed S H A H E D Hossain
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- Alternative Fuels

Hydrogen is a very important fuel of our secure and clean energy future. Hydrogen will be the fuel of the future and gradually it will replace all current fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel for vehicles, to heat homes and offices, to produce electricity, and to fuel ships and aircraft. The present work provides an overview of hydrogen as an alternative fuel, which can be used in internal combustion engines and in fuel cells.

- by Maher Al-Baghdadi
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- Mechanical Engineering, Hydrogen, Combustion, Fuel Cells
- by Subramaniam Dhanakotti
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- Chemistry, Biodiesel, Alternative Fuels, Biodiesel Production
- by Catherine Duynslaegher
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- Alternative Fuels

The Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) consistently rank among the top 10% of per capita waste producers in the world. Collectively around 120 million tons of waste is produced annually in GCC; 55% construction and demolition (C&D) waste, 20% municipal solid waste (MSW), 18% industrial waste, and 7% hazardous waste. Like other GCC nations, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) generates massive amounts of MSW, C&D waste, and industrial waste. This study aims to examine 81 construction companies in the Eastern Province of KSA to determine which factors critically affect the sustainable management of C&D waste in the country. Only 39.5% of the companies studied had a pollution control plan for their projects. It was also found that only 13.6% of C&D waste is recycled and reused every year, whereas the remaining 86.4% C&D waste eventually goes to the landfills. Most of the C&D waste in the country is a promising source of potential recyclable construction materials such as gravel from debris, metals, and sand. This would not only fulfill the requirements of gravel and metal production of the KSA but also solve the waste disposal issues along with generating huge economic benefits. However, to accomplish the goal of sustainable construction waste management, it is critical to underline the various factors that might impact the construction waste management practices in the country. Keywords Construction and demolition (C&D) waste · Municipal solid waste (MSW) · Waste recycling · Landfill sites · Sustainable construction material

- by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Nizami and +1
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- Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, Constitutional Law

Hydrogen as an alternative fuel (in Croatian language)

- by Petra Brčić
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- Chemistry, Hydrogen, Hydrogen Storage, Alternative Fuels

articles presented in VSI highlight the recent developments in waste valorisation for the recovery of energy, fuels and value-added products. They also cover the primary hurdles and potential solutions moving towards more sustainable society. This editorial not only presents the overall summary of the extended research papers from NAXOS 2018, but also provides an overview of the current trends and developments in the fields of waste management, waste valor-ization, and energy production systems. The articles published in this VSI cover a wide range of topics, including energy recovery from waste, waste to energy technologies, sustainable energy systems, anaerobic digestion, thermal arc plasma gasification, microalgal-based biorefinery, waste management, modelling of advanced gasification systems, waste valorization, and microbial fuel cell technology. 10 manuscripts, out of total 21 extended mansucripts invited, were accepted for publication in the Applied Energy Journal through peer review process conducted by the expert reviewers in the relevant fields with the aid of the guest editors.

- by Mohammad Rehan and +1
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- Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemistry

In this paper, utilisation of hydrogen as an alternative aviation fuel is reviewed, along with some past and present-day activities, covering three critical topics of energy consumption, environmental impact and emission related cost. It also evaluates the energy consumptions, environmental impacts, emission-related costs of jet fuel A, natural gas and hydrogen from selected production methods in short and long distance aircrafts. Furthermore, costs and efficiencies of hydrogen production from steam methane reforming and wind, PV, and hydro-based electrolysis are compared for a more detailed comparative assessment. Aviation fuel evaluation results show that hydrogen from hydro-and wind-based electrolysis is a promising clean, efficient and less costly candidate among the selected fuels in this study. The assessment study shows that compared to selected hydrogen production options, hydro-based electrolysis is the most advantageous one.

- by Canan Acar
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- Hydrogen, Energy, Environmental Sustainability, Alternative Fuels

In order to contribute to the decarbonization of the economy, efficient alternatives to coal and coke should be found not only in the power sector but also in the industrial sectors (like steel, silicon and manganese production) in which coal and coke are used as a reductant and for steel production also as a fuel. To this aim many research works have been focused on the development of a coke substitute based on woody biomass and known as "biocarbon". There are still barriers to overcome, among them: the biocarbon low density, poor mechanical strength and high reactivity. In this paper a new biocarbon production methodology is proposed, based on: pyrolysis at 600 °C, densification (using pyrolysis oil as binder), reheating of the obtained pellet. Response surface methodology with a Box-Behnken experimental design was utilized to evaluate the effects of the process conditions on the pellet's quality. Responses showed that densification was mainly affected by oil content and pelleting temperature, while pelleting pressure had a minor influence. The pelleting process has been finally optimized using Derringer's desired function methodology. Optimal pelletizing conditions are: temperature equal to 60 °C, pressure equal to 116.7 MPa, oil content concentration of 33.9 wt%. These results are relevant for metal production industries at a global level. The identified optimal parameters of the new biocarbon production process can contribute to replace coke with sustainable fuels and probably reduce great part of the related greenhouse gases emissions.

- by Pietro Bartocci
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- Biomass, Alternative Fuels, Wood Charcoal, Coal and coke

The energy demand and waste generation have increased significantly in the developing world in the last few decades with rapid urbanization and population growth. The adequate treatment of the waste or sustainable waste management is essential not only from a sanitation point of view but also due to its economic and environmental values including its potential contribution to energy generation in the developing countries. Many of the developed nations have adopted the approach and strategies of the integrated waste management system (Figure 1) to maximize the waste-based revenues in the form of energy, fuels, heat, recyclables, value-added products, and chemicals along with more jobs and business opportunities. As a result, waste is no longer seen as refuse or discarded material, but an asset or resource to reduce not only the landfill volumes but also the dependency on fossil fuels by generating clean fuels.

- by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Nizami and +1
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- Renewable Energy, Wind Energy, Energy, Bioenergy

This study offers an overview of the technologies for hydrogen production especially alkaline water electrolysis using solar energy. Solar Energy and Hydrogen (energy carrier) are possible replacement options for fossil fuel and its associated problems of availability and high prices which are devastating small, developing, oil-importing economies. But a major drawback to the full implementation of solar energy, in particular photovoltaic (PV), is the lowering of conversion efficiency of PV cells due to elevated cell temperatures while in operation. Also, hydrogen as an energy carrier must be produced in gaseous or liquid form before it can be used as fuel; but its‟ present major conversion process produces an abundance of carbon dioxide which is harming the environment through global warming. Alkaline water electrolysis is considered to be a basic technique for hydrogen production. In the present study, the effects of electrolyte concentration, solar insolation and space between the pair of electrodes on the amount of hydrogen produced and consequently on the overall electrolysis efficiency are experimentally investigated. The water electrolysis of potassium hydroxide aqueous solution was conducted under atmospheric pressure using stainless steel 316 as electrodes.The experimental results showed that the performance of alkaline water electrolysis unit is dominated by operational parameters like the electrolyte concentration and the gap between the electrodes. Smaller gaps between the pair of electrodes and was demonstrated to produce higher rates of hydrogen at higher system efficiency. This study shows some attempts to product pure Hydrogen and pure Oxygen as both Hydrogen and Oxygen have there commercial demands.

- by mohamed bn younes
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- Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Fluid Mechanics, Renewable Energy