Cut CO2 Emissions Research Articles

Lummus offering LEAP technology to cut CO2 emissions from heaters

Lummus offering LEAP technology to cut CO2 emissions from heaters

Challenges and Opportunities in Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Chemicals and Fuels.

The global temperature increase must be limited to below 1.5 °C to alleviate the worst effects of climate change. Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECO2 R) to generate chemicals and feedstocks is considered one of the most promising technologies to cut CO2 emission at an industrial level. However, despite decades of studies, advances at the laboratory scale have not yet led to high industrial deployment rates. This Review discusses practical challenges in the industrial chain that hamper the scaling-up deployment of the ECO2 R technology. Faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of about 100 % and current densities above 200 mA cm-2 have been achieved for the ECO2 R to CO/HCOOH, and the stability of the electrolysis system has been prolonged to 2000 h. For ECO2 R to C2 H4 , the maximum FE is over 80 %, and the highest current density has reached the A cm-2 level. Thus, it is believed that ECO2 R may have reached the stage for scale-up. We aim to provide insights that can accelerate the development of the ECO2 R technology.

Bio-Vitrimers for Sustainable Circular Bio-Economy.

The aim to achieve sustainable development goals (SDG) and cut CO2-emission is forcing researchers to develop bio-based materials over conventional polymers. Since most of the established bio-based polymeric materials demonstrate prominent sustainability, however, performance, cost, and durability limit their utilization in real-time applications. Additionally, a sustainable circular bioeconomy (CE) ensures SDGs deliver material production, where it ceases the linear approach from production to waste. Simultaneously, sustainable circular bio-economy promoted materials should exhibit the prominent properties to involve and substitute conventional materials. These interceptions can be resolved through state-of-the-art bio-vitrimeric materials that display durability/mechanical properties such as thermosets and processability/malleability such as thermoplastics. This article emphasizes the current need for vitrimers based on bio-derived chemicals; as well as to summarize the developed bio-based vitrimers (including reprocessing, recycling and self-healing properties) and their requirements for a sustainable circular economy in future prospects.

The feasibility of using rooftop solar PV fed to the grid for Khalifa Town houses in the Kingdom of Bahrain

The fast-growing construction industry and residential buildings in Bahrain create massive energy and environmental demands. Therefore, Bahrain has set a national renewable energy target of 5% by 2025.The novelty of this study is investigating the feasibility of using rooftop photovoltaic systems, Fed to the national grid, in residential buildings (Khalifa Town, Bahrain) - located in arid zone - combining architecture aesthetics, social acceptability and functionality. The assessment of the rooftop area and the PV system modeling was carried using AutoCAD and PVsyst software. Consideration was given to design aesthetics and the functionality of having PV panels on the roof, without losing the use of the roof for social gathering and activities. Our results show that installing 17 kW - PV panels, for each of 1,724 villas in the town, will produce annual solar electricity of 44,953 MWh, which is sufficient to meet about 43 % of the total town’s electricity needs. This rooftops installation will cut CO2 emission by 34,794 tons, i.e., reducing 21 % of the town’s total CO2 emissions.The study shows that the payback will be 9.6 years if the government purchases each kWh of solar electricity for 29 fils (USD ¢7.5). Establishing feed-in-tariff policy (FIT) will reduce the payback period and accordingly boost local PV manufacturing and create more green - collar jobs.

Cutting CO2 emissions through demand side regulation: Implications from multi-regional input—output linear programming model

Cutting CO2 emissions through demand side regulation: Implications from multi-regional input—output linear programming model

A Critical Review on the Use of Shallow Geothermal Energy Systems for Heating and Cooling Purposes

The reduction of CO2 emissions has become a global concern. In this regard, the EU intends to cut CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to those of 1990. The utilization of shallow geothermal energy (SGE) in EU countries is considered the most effective measure for decarbonizing heating and cooling. SGE systems utilize heat energy collected from the earth’s crust to provide secure, clean, and ubiquitous energy. This paper provides a literature review on the use of SGE for heating and cooling purposes. The latest advances in materials, new innovative structures, and techno-economic optimization approaches have been discussed in detail. Shallow geothermal energy’s potential is first introduced, and the innovative borehole structures to improve performance and reduce installation cost is outlined. This is followed by an extensive survey of different types of conventional and thermally enhanced collectors and grouts. Attention is mainly given to the techno-economic analysis and optimization approaches. In published case studies, the least economic break-even point against fossil fuel-based heating systems occurs within 2.5 to 17 years, depending on the local geological conditions, installation efficiency, energy prices, and subsidy. Ground source heat pumps’ cost-effectiveness could be improved through market maturity, increased efficiency, cheap electricity, and good subsidy programs.

Design and Analysis of Hybrid Turbocharger

Abstract: Internal Combustion engines have the capacity to exploit its increase in performance. Part ofwhich can be boosted by the technical solution that is turbocharging. To optimize the turbocharging to react as fast as possible and to adjust the volumetric flow of exhaust gases in the turbine, different alterations to turbochargers are done. To optimally support downsizing of Internal Combustion engines, these alterations are necessary. In a VGT there are vanes on the compressor that change the A/R of the turbo as needed. VGTs show a great improvement over conventional single turbocharger. Sequential turbocharger has an edge over VGT, but they are much more complicated. A 2.2L sequential turbocharged engine is same in performance as a 2.7L VGT engine. Exhaust gas turbocharging is a major technology for reducing fuel consumption and emissions in internal combustion engines, improving engine performance while cutting CO2 emissions. There are also electric turbochargers that almost totally eliminate turbo lag by using a motor to spin the compressor and use a generator on the turbine to recover exhaust gas energy. This application reduces fuel usage by up to 5% for driving cycles. EATC reduced the time it took to reach the optimum boost level during a load increase by up to 30%. Turbocharging is a major technology for reducing fuel consumption and emissions in internal combustion engines, improving engine performance while cutting CO2 emissions. Hybrid Turbocharging application leads to remarkable improvement at lowend torques, better engine performance and increased overall engine efficiency which paves way for downsizing of Internal Combustion engines. Keywords: Internal Combustion Engine, Hybrid turbocharger, Turbo-lag, VGTs

Net carbon accounting and reporting are a barrier to understanding the mitigation value of forest protection in developed countries

Meeting the Paris Agreement global warming target requires deep and rapid cuts in CO2 emissions as well as removals from the atmosphere into land sinks, especially forests. While international climate policy in the land sector does now recognize forest protection as a mitigation strategy, it is not receiving sufficient attention in developed countries even though they experience emissions from deforestation as well as from logging of managed forests. Current national greenhouse gas inventories obscure the mitigation potential of forest protection through net carbon accounting between the fossil fuel and the land sectors as well as within the different categories of the land. This prevents decision-makers in national governments, the private sector and civil society having access to all the science-based evidence needed to evaluate the merits of all mitigation strategies. The consequences of net carbon accounting for global policy were investigated by examining annual inventory reports of four high forest cover developed countries (Australia, Canada, USA, and Russia). Net accounting between sectors makes a major contribution to meeting nationally determined contributions with removals in Forest Land offsetting between 14% and 38% of the fossil fuel emissions for these countries. Analysis of reports for Australia at a sub-national level revealed that the State of Tasmania delivered negative emissions due to a change in forest management—a large and rapid drop in native forest logging—resulting in a mitigation benefit of ∼22 Mt CO2-e yr–1 over the reported period 2011/12–2018/19. This is the kind of outcome required globally to meet the Paris Agreement temperature goal. All CO2 emissions from, and atmospheric removals into, forest ecosystem carbon stocks now matter and should be counted and credited to achieve the deep and rapid cuts in emissions needed over the coming decades. Accounting and reporting systems therefore need to show gains and losses of carbon stocks in each reservoir. Changing forest management in naturally regenerating forests to avoid emissions from harvesting and enabling forest regrowth is an effective mitigation strategy that can rapidly reduce anthropogenic emissions from the forest sector and simultaneously increase removals of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Proton conduction-assisted direct CO2 methanation using Ni/CaO/Y-doped BaZrO3 proton conductor

This study investigates the conversion of captured CO2 to CH4 with Ni and CaO supported on 10 mol% Y-doped BaZrO3 (BZY10) proton-conducting oxides. The on-site treatment of CO2 to cut back CO2 emission has been demonstrated, further transforming it into an energy carrier. This report describes direct CO2 methanation using Ni materials in O2– and H2O-containing gases at the carbonation step. Ni and CaO supported on BZY10 were used to capture CO2 in simulated flue gas containing O2 or H2O and convert it into CH4 at the same temperature (380–450 °C). High reducibility of Ni and high methanation reactivity were observed. Through the FTIR spectra observation, it was found out that transformation of bicarbonate to formate was facile due to proton-conducting property of the BZY10 support, i.e., hydrogen spillover, compared to BaZrO3-supported materials., It is hypothesized that the hydroxyl ions at the interface of CaO and BZY10 intervene in the carbonation and methanation steps. Also, carbonation accelerates the kinetic and diffusion-controlled regions with a high affinity for CO2. In the methanation step, the adsorbed CO2 enables the hydrogen species to produce CH4.

Subsurface multiphase reactive flow in geologic CO2 storage: Key impact factors and characterization approaches

Subsurface multiphase reactive flow in geologic CO2 storage: Key impact factors and characterization approaches

Electricity consumption in the digital era: Micro evidence from Chinese households

This paper studies the impact of internet access on household electricity consumption, using three waves (six years) of China Family Panel Study survey data. We separately explore short-, medium-, and long-term effects. The panel fixed regression results indicate that after gaining access to the internet, individual electricity consumption declines about 1.2% as the short-run effect (around two years). Difference-in-differences (DID) estimation shows that after using the internet for four years, individual electricity demand declines on average a total of 12.5% as the medium-term effect. For all internet users during the entire survey period, propensity score matching (PSM) shows that electricity consumption decreases 16.3% on average compared to nonusers, which can be seen as the long-term effect. Substitution and optimization of household appliances and individual pro-environmental behaviors and green lifestyles promoted by digitalization may explain the results. Our findings suggest that policies to enhance access to high-speed, affordable, and reliable internet services contribute to reducing household electricity consumption, thereby helping cut CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants while also alleviating problems of insufficient electricity production capacity.

Decreased Diversity and Abundance of Marine Invertebrates at CO2 Seeps in Warm-Temperate Japan.

Japan has many coastal carbon dioxide seeps as it is one of the most volcanically active parts of the world. These shallow seeps do not have the spectacular aggregations of specialist fauna seen in deep-sea vent systems but they do have gradients in seawater carbonate chemistry that are useful as natural analogues of the effects of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity, ecosystem function and fisheries. Here, we compare macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance on rocky habitats at ambient (mean ≤ 410 µatm) and high (mean 971-1484 µatm) levels of seawater pCO2 in the warm-temperate region of Japan, avoiding areas with toxic sulphur or warm-water conditions. We show that although 70% of intertidal taxa and 40% of shallow subtidal taxa were able to tolerate the high CO2 conditions, there was a marked reduction in the abundance of corals, bivalves and gastropods in acidified conditions. A narrower range of filter feeders, grazers, detritivores, scavengers and carnivores were present at high CO2 resulting in a simplified coastal system that was unable to retain the high standing stocks of marine carbon biomass found in ambient conditions. It is clear that cuts in CO2 emissions would reduce the risks of climate change and ocean acidification impacts on marine biodiversity, shellfish production and biomass in the rocky coastal shores of this region.

An assessment of the European regulation on battery recycling for electric vehicles

This paper investigates the design of a recent regulatory proposal aimed at favoring the emergence of a battery recycling industry in Europe. Electric mobility is deemed necessary to cut CO2 emissions in the transport sector but the industrial and environmental impacts of lithium-ion battery manufacturing are controversial. A recent regulatory proposal from the European Commission introduces the obligation to attain a series of minimum thresholds of recycled materials for the new batteries to be manufactured after 2030. This paper discusses the conditions required for that obligation to be fulfilled. It develops a material flow model that projects battery wastes and their recycling potential. Our findings indicate that the feasibility of proposed thresholds is not very sensitive to changes of material intensities from battery technology shifts, recycling efficiencies, or the faster uptake of demand. On the contrary, battery lifetimes are the most crucial parameters for recycling potential. We believe that this result could jeopardize avenues for extending battery lifetimes such as second-life battery usage. Our policy recommendations are twofold. First, we recommend lower thresholds to improve the regulation credibility. Second, the regulation should integrate other objectives that address the lifetime of batteries.

Decomposition of the decoupling of CO2 emissions from economic growth in Ghana

The study analysed the relationship between CO2 emissions and economic growth in Ghana, specifically by analysing Ghana's decoupling status from 1990 to 2018. The Tapio elasticity method and the logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition technique were used in the study to find out what causes CO2 emissions in Ghana to change over time. The analysis revealed that CO2 emissions and economic growth have increased over the study period, with economic growth driven mostly by the services and industrial sectors in the last decade. The decoupling index analysis shows that weak decoupling status dominated the period 1990–2018, interspersed with strong decoupling and expansive negative decoupling status. Economic structure and energy intensity, instead, were found to promote the decoupling of CO2 emissions and economic growth. From the decomposition analysis, CO2 emissions in Ghana are driven on the average by economic activities, emission factors, and population growth. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 13, the study suggests that policies to cut CO2 emissions should focus on economic activities, factors that affect emissions, and population growth. Also, to decouple CO2 emissions from economic growth, the implementation of policies that change the structure of the economy and energy intensity towards renewable sources should be intensified in Ghana.

From Hydrogen Manifesto, through Green Deal and Just Transition, to Clean Energy Act

The Year 2020 charted a seminal change in the way we see hydrogen technology as the backbone of decarbonization of the economy. And this charter was taken by far most ambitiously by the countries of the European Union. Streaming from their Hydrogen Manifesto, the governments and businesses, political parties and NGOs all stood on the path that leads to the European Green Deal, which starts with the Recovery and Resilience Facility and continues through the Just Transition Platform. The European Commission was the first to declare the official “taxonomy” for hydrogen as “green”, “blue” and “gray” hydrogen. This article will introduce the vision: Fit for 55 as a goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 55% in less than a decade and will touch on some of the regulatory and financial instruments to reach it. What year 2021 will bring is germinated in close to 300 running projects with the contributions from every corner of the European Union.

Study Results and Obtaining High Ventilation Air Quality in Architecture for an Old Shopping Centre Public Utility Building with Modernised EL. Heating in Warsaw, District, Poland

The subject of this paper is the study of a public utility building, a shopping centre in Warsaw/Targówek, carried out as part of the programme of “Research for obtaining high air quality in architecture. The purpose of the study of the building is to utilise a new technology which will lead to reductions in electrical and heat energy consumption and cuts in CO2 emissions in the modernised Shopping Centre Public Utility Building in Warsaw. The building is equipped with systems for obtaining heat and cold from groundwater and is adapted to a low electrical energy consumption level with the lowest primary energy ratio in Poland. It is located in Warsaw and, in addition to the energy sourcing system, features a highly modern control system (BMS). The objective of the study is to demonstrate operating costs for a building with low exterior wall and roof insulation parameters. In addition, the building uses a heating system based solely on electrical heating due to its lack of access to gas and district heating. The conducted studies and analyses allowed a comparison of the operating costs of old buildings following modernisation with those of new buildings.

Study Results and Achieving High Ventilation Air Quality in Architecture for a Public Utility Building – Shopping Centre in Mielec, Poland

The purpose of the current study is to utilise a novel technology that is expected to bring reductions in electrical and heat energy consumption and cut CO2 emissions in the shopping centre public utility building in Mielec. The building is equipped with systems for obtaining heat and cold from groundwater and features the energy consumption level of a passive building with the lowest primary energy ratio (PER) in Poland. This state-of-the-art, innovative, energy-efficient and environment-friendly FCH system with BMS control was subjected to numerous tests and analyses, the details of which will be presented further in this paper. The design assumptions were confirmed and all work parameters were recorded for the system under extreme conditions, including the determination of final energy (FE) and primary energy (PE).

The application efficiency of precast monolithic frame systems in civil engineering

Introduction. The partial replacement of cast-in-situ concrete with precast concrete in the residential construction sector allows to reduce construction time and cost, increase labour productivity and cut CO2 emissions. Combinations of prefabricated and monolithic elements in precast monolithic frames are presented; they encompass 6 different structural options of precast monolithic frames and 2 types of monolithic frames. The co-authors compare production costs and integrated labor intensity for all frame design options, construction periods per 1,000 m3 of a residential building for various structural options of the frame, and assess potential reduction in carbon dioxide emissions due to a change in the amount of precast reinforced concrete in the building frame structure.
 Materials and methods. The co-authors have developed a method that employs weighted average to identify the optimal type of a precast monolithic frame. The method takes account of such factors as production costs, integrated labour intensity, construction time and reduction in carbon dioxide gas emissions (in per centum) per 1,000 m3 of the frame structure.
 Results. The optimal structure of a precast monolithic frame was selected and calculated using weighted average. Weighted average was used to identify the most effective structural frame. The calculation results have shown that ARKOS precast monolithic frame with precast columns is the leader in terms of weighted average; it best suits the construction of a residential building. If we consider each of the selected indicators separately, RECON frame with precast floors is to be selected; however, RECON is inferior to ARKOS in terms of weighted average due to different values of the weight coefficients attached to each of the assessment criteria.
 Conclusions. The co-authors have proven the efficiency of precast monolithic frame systems in comparison with monolithic frames if applied to construct a residential building. The proposed method was employed to select the optimal type of frame.

Accelerating the Electrification of Transport

Alternative technologies are a key enabler to transitioning the transport sector to electrification with the ambition to cut CO2 emissions to meet climate goals

Ignition delay time and laminar flame speed measurements of ammonia blended with dimethyl ether: A promising low carbon fuel blend

Ammonia (NH3) has recently received much attention as a promising future fuel for mobility and power generation. The use of ammonia as a fueling vector can help curb global warming by cutting CO2 emissions because it is a carbon-free fuel and a hydrogen carrier with a high percentage of hydrogen atoms per unit volume. Liquid ammonia contains a higher volumetric density of hydrogen than liquid hydrogen. The low reactivity of ammonia, however, hinders its direct usage as a combustible fuel. One feasible way to boost the reactivity of ammonia is to target a dual-fuel system comprising of ammonia and a suitable combustion promoter. In this work, combustion properties of ammonia were investigated by blending it with various proportions of dimethyl ether (DME) using a rapid compression machine (RCM) and a constant volume spherical reactor (CVSR) over a wide range of experimental conditions. DME is a highly reactive fuel that may be produced in a sustainable carbon cycle with a net zero-carbon emission. Ignition delay times (IDTs) of NH3/DME blends were measured over a temperature (T) range of 649–950 K, pressures (P) of 20 and 40 bar, equivalence ratios (Φ) of 0.5 and 1 for a range of DME mole fractions (χDME) of 0.05–0.5 in the blends. In addition, the laminar burning velocities of NH3/DME blends were measured at P = 1, 3 and 5 bar, Φ = 0.8–1.3 and T = 300 K for χDME ranging from 0.18 to 0.47. Our results suggest that DME is a good ignition promoter, resulting in a significant shortening of IDTs and an increase of flame speeds of NH3. A detailed chemical model has been developed and validated against the experimental data. Overall, our kinetic model offered reasonable predictive capabilities capturing the experimental trends over a wide range of conditions. In the worst-case scenario, our model underpredicted IDTs by a factor of ∼2.5 while overpredicting laminar flame speed by ∼20%.