Alternative Energy Resources Research Articles

Microporous and mesoporous structure catalysts for the production of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF)

In recent years, researchers have gained attention in finding new strategies for alternative renewable energy resources in reducing the dependency on fossil fuel in providing energy to the world. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is one of the most promising chemicals as it is a multi-functional compound and an intermediate compound that is beneficial in numerous chemical and fuel applications. This study provides recent progress on developing high yield and selectivity of HMF using hydrothermal reaction, emphasizing the catalytic performance efficiency of the developing structured catalysts from a technical perspective. We highlighted a few critical factors and parameters in maximizing the synthesis of HMF by selectively optimizing the desired kinetic reactions, which are hydrolysis, isomerization, and dehydration of sugars, and limiting the undesired side reactions, including HMF rehydration and depolymerization. The use of different types of microporous and mesoporous catalysts provides different HMF conversion results, and by applying few parameters, including catalyst: substrate ratio, Lewis: Brønsted acid ratio, reaction temperature, and duration of reaction, can be tunable in achieving maximum HMF yield and selectivity.

Plasmonic Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells: Fundamentals, Recent Developments, and Future Perspectives

AbstractThe rapid depletion of fossil fuel soon would drive us to look for an alternative clean energy resources to meet the global energy demand. Several attempts have been made in recent years to improve the performances of renewable energy devices to achieve higher efficiency and to compete with conventional energy sources. Solar cells have great potential for a sustainable solution to the world energy crisis. The titania (TiO2) is the most frequently used photoanode in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSC) but its interfacial defects and restricted optical features lead it to low performance. The advent of Au/TiO2 nanocomposite materials as photoanode in DSSC has explored new approaches in the successful optimization of renewable energy devices. The newly invented plasmonic dye‐sensitized solar cells (PDSSC) also have optimized performance as well as reduced adverse effects. The fabrication of nanostructured composites with the inclusion of metallic nanoparticles is very helpful to increase the light scattering by plasmonic effects. The PDSSC facilitates the electronic transport by reducing the electron‐hole recombination rates due to the surface plasmon resonance effect of gold nanoparticles anchored with titania that's why these types of cells achieved maximum attention in the current era. In this review, fundamentals, recent developments, and future perspectives of PDSSC have been discussed.

Ash transformation mechanism during combustion of rice husk and rice straw

Biomass is an alternative energy resource to fossil fuels because of its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, ash-related problems are serious obstacles for this development, especially for the use in combustion plants. Thus, design and operation of biomass boilers require detailed understanding of ash transformation reactions during thermochemical conversion. To evaluate ash transformation in silica-rich biomass fuels, rice husk and rice straw were selected because of their abundance, limited utilization conflicts with the food sector, as well as their potential in both energy and material applications. This paper reveals ash transformation mechanisms relevant for the ash melting behaviour of silica-rich biomass fuels considering chemical and phase composition of the ashes. In this regard, several advanced spectroscopic methods and diffractometry were employed to characterize the materials. The ash transformation reactions and the viscosity were simulated using thermodynamic equilibrium calculations and a slag viscosity modeling toolbox. The results illustrate the impact of impurities on the atomic structure of the silica resulting in an altered ash melting behaviour and viscosity of the silica-rich ashes. Chemical water washing, acid leaching, and blending of rice straw with rice husk strongly influenced the chemical composition of the ashes and improved ash melting behaviour. The analysis also revealed the correlation between the crystalline fraction and the porosity in silica-rich biomass ashes, as well as a crystallinity threshold. These findings are highly relevant for future investigations in boiler designs and production of biogenic silica for material applications.

REVIEW PAPER ON HARVESTING ENERGY USING PIEZOELECTRIC TRANSDUCERS

A life of human beings is dependent on the energy which they consume for their everyday purpose, it can be for illumination, running a gadget and many other purposes which contribute towards the development of mankind and also for economic growth. If global energy consumption is taken into consideration, every resource has its own quantity. As the years pass by, one can observe the depletion of naturally available conventional resources of energy. Hence, the world has been shifting to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal power. Even though, there isn’t any greater transformation in the energy consumption from the conventional sources due to their higher efficiency deliveries. If an alternative energy resource has to be discovered, one has to look for the sources available in the surrounding. When the road traffic is considered for an instance, the number of vehicles travelling are enormous and due to the movement, every vehicle induces a certain number of vibrations into the pavement below which collectively turns out to be plenty if the vibrations from all the vehicles are to be taken in account. The researchers have come up with a technology to harness this energy and make it usable to the consumers. To convert one form of energy to another, a transducer can be used which is capable of transforming the entire input energy into an output voltage. This form of output is said to be called ‘piezoelectricity’ where the incident pressure is potentially converted into electricity that can be utilized for numerous purposes.

Characterization of demolition waste powder to be processed as sensible thermal energy storage material

Replacing fossil fuels with alternative energy resources to meet industrial heat demand necessitates using cost-effective thermal energy storage (TES) for efficient and secure operation. Waste-based materials such as industrial by-products, industrial furnace slags, municipal, demolition wastes (DW) offer alternative low cost sensible thermal energy storage materials (STESM) for solar heat industrial applications. The only drawback is their inhomogeneous nature requiring some pre-treatment steps. DW have a great potential as cheap and high performance STESM, if they can be conditioned with optimum properties. In this study, DW samples collected from an urban regeneration project were conditioned with some pre-treatment processes such as crushing, sieving, drying and mixing to produce rigid and homogeneous STESMs. DW powders obtained after processing were characterized to evaluate its suitability to produce STESMs. The results showed that DW powders could be converted to a durable STESM with high storage capacity for use in solar heat industrial applications up to 700 °C.

Scaling-up defect-free asymmetric hollow fiber membranes to produce oxygen-enriched gas for integration into municipal solid waste gasification process

Municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification is an attractive waste-to-energy (WTE) technology with promise for future solid waste management, owing to the production of syngas which can be used as an alternative energy resource. However, quality of produced syngas is not meeting expectation. One promising solution is to use oxygen-enriched gas (OEG) to elevate produced syngas quality but producing OEG is costly. Herein, we demonstrated an asymmetric defect-free hollow fiber membrane made up of Matrimid® 5218 polyimide for scaling-up to 2-inch membrane modules. Our modules have an effective surface area up to 2.6 m2 with a packing density of up to 44% to produce OEG of 45% O2 purity. The 2-inch membrane module was integrated into a lab-scale gasification process to produce syngas using refuse derived fuel (RDF) generated from MSWs collected from the university campus. Prior to this, the lab-scale gasification was first optimized by tuning the gasification temperature, O2 purity and equivalence ratio (ER). Then, MSW gasification using membrane-based OEG was carried out, and compared against air gasification and synthetic OEG of the same O2 purity. Our results showed that, at O2 purity of 45%, gasification temperature of 900 °C and ER of 0.15, the quality of produced syngas was elevated with a lower heating value (LHV) of 9.15 MJ/m3 and H2/CO ratio of 1.43, which was substantially higher than air gasification with LHV and H2/CO ratio reported at 5.38 MJ/m3 and 0.81, respectively. Gasification results for membrane-based OEG and synthetic OEG were also comparable, while process simulation evidence suggested that membrane-based separation was at least 2-fold less energy-intensive than cryogenic distillation and pressure swing adsorption. Overall, this proof-of-concept successfully demonstrates the viability and competitiveness of membrane process for producing OEG at medium O2 purity (i.e., 40–50%) to support MSW gasification for WTE conversion.

A Review on Biosurfactant Applications in the Petroleum Industry

The inadequacy of worldwide fossil fuel resources, combined with increasing energy demands, encourages global attention to either using alternative energy resources or improving the recovery factor and produce larger quantities from present reservoirs. Among all enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, surfactant injection is a well-known technique that reduces the interfacial tension (IFT) between oil and water and increases oil production. Despite numerous advantages of using surfactants, there are also a few obstacles like environmental impacts, high cost, effect on humans and other organisms due to toxicological potential, and availability from nonrenewable resources. Biosurfactants are microbial surface-active agents that decrease the surface tension (ST) of a liquid phase and the IFT of two diverse phases. They are biotechnological products of high value owing to their widespread applications, low toxicity, relatively easy preparation, and specific performance, applied in different industries like organic chemicals and fertilizers, agrochemicals, metallurgy and mining, cosmetics, foods, medical and pharmaceuticals, beverages, environmental management, and petroleum and petrochemical applications in emulsifying and demulsifying wetting agents, detergent spreading and foaming agents, and functional food ingredients. Biosurfactants are synthesized by microbes; therefore, various genetic diversities of microorganisms provide the considerable capability to produce new types of biosurfactants, which can develop EOR technology. Biosurfactants are classified into ex situ and in situ MEOR processes. The genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Sphingomonas, and Actinobacteria are the foremost biosurfactant-producing bacteria. This paper reviews relevant reports and results from various presented papers by researchers and companies on applications of microorganisms and biosurfactant technology with specific emphasis on EOR and MEOR processes, based on recently published articles since 2010 until now.

Effect of Anolyte pH on the Performance of a Dual-Chambered Microbial Fuel Cell Operated with Different Biomass Feed

Finding sustainable alternative energy resources and treating wastewater are the two most important issues that need to be solved. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has demonstrated a tremendous potential in bioelectricity generation with wastewater treatment. Since wastewater can be used as a source of electrolyte for the MFC, the salient point of this study was to investigate the effect of pH on bioelectricity production using various biomass feed (wastewater and river water) as the anolyte in a dual-chambered MFC. Maximum extents of power density (1459.02 mW·m−2), current density (1288.9 mA·m−2), and voltage (1132 mV) were obtained at pH 8 by using Bhairab river water as a feedstock in the MFC. A substantial extent of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (94%) as well as coulombic efficiency (41.7%) was also achieved in the same chamber at pH 8. The overall performance of the MFC, in terms of bioelectricity generation, COD removal, and coulombic efficiency, indicates a plausible utilization of the MFC for wastewater treatment as well as bioelectricity production.

Optimal fractional‐order adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system‐based droop controller for DFIG‐wind turbine to control load frequency of hybrid microgrid

AbstractThis paper aims to ameliorate the contribution capability of doubly fed induction generator to damp the frequency and output power deviation of stand‐alone hybrid microgrid system. Skyrocketing progress in converter‐interfaced renewable energy sources leads to weakness of islanded microgrids' inertia which imposes some problems in the frequency control and hybrid system stability. This problem can be effectively solved by utilizing renewable resources with high harvestable energy such as doubly fed induction generator‐wind turbine. Furthermore, the alternative energy resources have been taken into account to participate in strength of weak inertia of the microgrid. Since the conventional controller like proportional integral derivative droop controller cannot present efficient damping term because of their slow controlling action in order to diminish the frequency and output power deviation. In this regard, a fractional‐order adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system droop is here introduced to stabilize the frequency within a satisfactory secure range with low fluctuation over the conventional droop controllers. To attain an accurate control action, multi‐objective sine cosine algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of based on multi‐criterion objective functions. To verify the performance of proposed droop controller, it has been tested under different scenarios. At last, the simulation results reveal that sine cosine algorithm‐based proposed droop controller can significantly enhance the microgrids' inertia and diminish the frequency and output power deviation.

Platinum nanoparticles/phosphotungstic acid nanorods anchored poly(diphenylamine) nanohybrid coated electrode as a superior electro-catalyst for oxidation of methanol

Solvation of energy crises is the need of the era which urges for alternate energy resources. Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are an integral part of alternate energy and fuel concerns. This study demonstrates the facile fabrication of polydiphenylamine/phosphotungstic acid/platinum (PDPA/PTA/Pt) nanocomposites modified electrode via electrodeposition method for efficient electro-oxidation of methanol in acidic medium. The physicochemical characterization of PDPA/PTA/Pt nanocomposite modified electrode morphology using SEM with EDX mapping, and crystallinity behavior was examined using powder XRD analysis. The morphology of the PDPA/PTA/Pt nanocomposites demonstrates that the size of Pt nanospheres is ~200 nm, and the size of PTA nanorods is ~300 nm in the PDPA matrix. The electrochemical properties were also evaluated using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometric and electrochemical impedance studies techniques. The PDPA/PTA/Pt nanocomposite modified electrode showed superior electrocatalytic activity, higher current density (14.807 mA cm−2), longer stability and durability (30 min), and excellent catalytic poisoning tolerance to carbonaceous species accumulation towards methanol electro-oxidation reaction (MEOR), which is because of the synergistic existence of Pt nanospheres and PTA nanorods with PDPA matrix which enhances the electron transfer. The obtained results proved that the developed electro-catalyst is an excellent alternative for efficient MEOR in fuel cells applications.

Advanced Materials for Photovoltaic Energy Harvesting

Design of novel materials is the key to ground breaking advancements in energy conversion. Solar radiation is a clean energy source with low environment impact but is still a difficult technology to be implemented on a large scale because of being an expensive technology. If global demands are to be met, new classes of solar cells with increased efficiency, reduced cost and new form factors must be developed. A lot of research is ongoing to find efficient materials which can supplement or supersede the existing silicon technology. In this review a general introduction covers the current scenario of energy demands of the world and where we stand in the search for alternative energy resources. A brief look into the working of photovoltaic systems and the conditions required to fabricate an ideal solar cell follows. Some of the advanced systems incorporated in solar cells over the past 20 years.

Deposition Formation Effect of Biodiesel in a Diesel Engine Fuel Injector

To establish a long-term sustainability of biodiesel to fulfill the quest for renewable fuel resources for the countries has low or no fossil fuels reserves. The energy resource meets to its limited capacity, alternative new energy resources must be explored such as the introduction of biodiesel as an alternative energy resources of petroleum products. The present research work is a 90-hour long-term endurance test performed with B30 sample (biodiesel 30% + 70% diesel) fueled with modified investigation performance, sound pressure level and engine durability. Special attention has been given to certain phenomena affecting the life of the engine, the formation of deposits and its performance. Experimental results of this research work demonstrated that the modified diesel engine could be efficiently performed with the B30 fuel sample.

Design of bimetallic nickel-iron quantum dots with tunable compositions for enhanced electrochemical water splitting

Electrochemical water splitting is a viable approach to address the increasing demands for sustainable alternative energy resources and an envisioned hydrogen economy. Nickel and iron have emerged as promising electrocatalysts for the hydrogen production. Here we report on the synthesis of bimetallic quantum dot (QD) based electrocatalysts comprised of nickel and iron with a tunable composition via an environment-friendly method and their effects on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The Ni:Fe ratio was optimized and tuned for enhanced electrochemical catalytic activity of the formed QDs. The optimal compositions of NiFe QD based electrocatalysts were found to be 54.9% Ni and 25.3% Ni towards the OER and HER, respectively. The first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to elucidate the synergistic effect of the NiFe QDs, revealing that the electronic properties such as the band gap energy and density of states (DOS) could be optimized by tuning the composition of the formed NiFe QDs. The approach described in the present study could be easily adapted to synthesize various QDs as advanced electrocatalysts for the efficient hydrogen production to address the pressing energy and environmental challenges.

Battery energy-storage system: A review of technologies, optimization objectives, constraints, approaches, and outstanding issues

Due to urbanization and the rapid growth of population, carbon emission is increasing, which leads to climate change and global warming. With an increased level of fossil fuel burning and scarcity of fossil fuel, the power industry is moving to alternative energy resources such as photovoltaic power (PV), wind power (WP), and battery energy-storage systems (BESS), among others. BESS has some advantages over conventional energy sources, which include fast and steady response, adaptability, controllability, environmental friendliness, and geographical independence, and it is considered as a potential solution to the global warming problem. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the battery energy-storage system concerning optimal sizing objectives, the system constraint, various optimization models, and approaches along with their advantages and weakness. Furthermore, for better understanding, the optimization objectives and methods have been classified into different categories. This paper also provides a detailed discussion on the BESS applications and explores the shortages of existing optimal BESS sizing algorithms to identify the gaps for future research. The issues and challenges are also highlighted to provide a clear idea to the researchers in the field of BESS. Overall, this paper conveys some significant recommendations that would be useful to the researchers and policymakers to structure a productive, powerful, efficient, and robust battery energy-storage system toward a future with a sustainable environment.

Techno-economic analysis of olefin production based on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

To reduce the dependence of olefin production on the limited petroleum, considerable efforts have been made in synthesizing olefins from alternative energy resources. Here, we evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of coal-to-olefin technology based on Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

An Approach to Prevent Air Pollution and Generate Electricity Using Nanostructured Carbon Materials

Pollution is one of the major threats for the environment as well as society. It causes severe problems for the living organisms and can gives birth of various unknown issues. Different sources like cars, industrial belts, fossil fuels etc. are the major causes of air pollution. Different researchers are working to develop new methods to combat air pollution. In this work, a new solution is proposed to fight against air pollution. The proposed solution is based on nanotechnology which not only fight against the air pollution but, it can generate electricity using the nanostructured carbon materials. The proposed solution can be deployed in real life scenario to reduce the air pollution and produce electricity in a large scale to provide an alternate energy resource to the society.

Roadmap to sustainable carbon-neutral energy and environment: can we cross the barrier of biomass productivity?

The total number of inhabitants on the Earth is estimated to cross a record number of 9 × 103 million by 2050 that present a unique challenge to provide energy and clean environment to every individual. The growth in population results in a change of land use, and greenhouse gas emission due to increased industrialization and transportation. Energy consumption affects the quality of the environment by adding carbon dioxide and other pollutants to the atmosphere. This leads to oceanic acidification and other environmental fluctuations due to global climate change. Concurrently, speedy utilization of known conventional fuel reservoirs causes a challenge to a sustainable supply of energy. Therefore, an alternate energy resource is required that can maintain the sustainability of energy and environment. Among different alternatives, energy production from high carbon dioxide capturing photosynthetic aquatic microbes is an emerging technology to clean environment and produce carbon-neutral energy from their hydrocarbon-rich biomass. However, economical challenges due to low biomass production still prevent the commercialization of bioenergy. In this work, we review the impact of fossil fuels burning, which is predominantly used to fulfill global energy demand, on the quality of the environment. We also assess the status of biofuel production and utilization and discuss its potential to clean the environment. The complications associated with biofuel manufacturing using photosynthetic microorganisms are discussed and directed evolution for targeted phenotypes and targeted delivery of nutrients are proposed as potential strategies to increase the biomass production.

THE PROCESS OF PYROLYSIS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES TYPES AND BENEFITS

As one of the fastest developing countries, Uzbekistan expected to face certain problems on the sphere of natural resources used for energy production due to increasing high demand. Alternatives to conventional energy resources should be proposed and developed before running out of minerals totally. Team of researchers suggests the process of pyrolysis as a tool to get an alternative energy resource. The target pyrolysis product is some gas rich in unsaturated hydrocarbons: ethylene, propylene, butadiene. On the basis of these hydrocarbons, polymers are obtained for the production of plastics, synthetic fibers, synthetic rubbers and other important products.

Effects of 2-Butanol Addition on Waste Cooking Oil Biodiesel Density: An Updated Experimental Measurement and Thermodynamic Modeling Study

Biodiesels will become the most popular alternative energy resource to fossil diesels; they can be used alone or blended with an oxygenated additive in any proportion. The properties of biodiesels strongly depend on the type of the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) that compose them. The main objective of the present work is to investigate the influence of 2-butanol addition on the waste cooking oil biodiesel (WCOB), for this fact, the new experimental density data (952 points) of WCOB + 2-butanol binary mixtures over a wide range of composition [seven compositions; 0 ≤ (WCOB) mole fraction x ≤ 1] between 0.1 and 140 MPa and 298.15 and 393.15 K are presented. The experimental data were correlated using Tait and perturbed chain-statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT) equations of state (EoS), to our knowledge, this is the first time that density measurements for the WCOB + 2-butanol mixture are correlated using the famous PC-SAFT EoS. The Tait equation predicts successfully the density with a global absolute average deviation (AAD) of 0.089%, while the PC-SAFT model correlates well the density with a very small global AAD of 0.223% in each composition. Furthermore, contrary to the Tait equation, the PC-SAFT model can explain some interactions between fluid molecules. From the experimental data, the excess volumes VE have been calculated and fitted using the Redlich-Kister equation with a very small global standard deviation of 7.49 × 10-5 cm3 mol-1, and VE show a positive and symmetric parabolic shape in all composition ranges. Finally, the isobaric thermal expansivity, αp, and the isothermal compressibility, κT, have been derived from the Tait equation and their observed trend was as expected.

Recent advances and challenges in solar photovoltaic and energy storage materials: future directions in Indian perspective

The exponential increase in demand for global energy intake in day-to-day life directs us to look for a green and cost-effective energy generation and storage alternative. India being a fastly developing nation with a vast population, requires the alternative energy resource to meet up the energy deficit in an eco-friendly manner and be self-reliant in energy demands. This review aims to compile and assess developments in energy materials research from Indian prospects. Therefore, this paper discusses India’s energy scenario by understanding the fundamental concepts and developments of various solar cell technologies and an overview of energy storage systems (batteries and supercapacitors), accentuating the research progress made so far along with future possibilities. This exploratory study reviews the systematic and sequential advances in all three generations of the solar cell, i.e. Si solar cell, thin-film solar cell, dye-sensitized solar cell, and perovskite solar cells. Herein, the discussion is directed at developing novel materials that are efficient, stable, and economical. Moreover, the current status of the high-performance devices for each technology is reviewed in detail. Finally, the prospects, areas of improvement, and future trends in developing cost-effective and efficient energy materials for solar cells and storage devices are highlighted.