External Energy Source Research Articles

The Effect of Electric Current On Hydrogen Gas Production Using Water Electrolysis Process

New renewable energy sources are being developed to replace conventional energy sources such as biofuels, electric cars, and solar cars in the transportation sector. However, this generation has limitations in that it requires external energy sources to be converted into electricity.This study examined the development of alternative energy sources through water electrolysis to produce hydrogen. The factors affecting the electrolysis process, such as the catalysts and external voltage, were investigated. The study successfully implemented hydrogen production using a wet cell electrolysis reactor design involving components such as an Arduino, MQ-8 gas sensor, and DS18B20 temperature sensor. This study used a reactor with electrodes of six plates, where the electrode plates werethe anode and cathode of three plates each. Hydrogen levels were measured using an MQ-8 semiconductor sensor. The test results showed that varying the current in the electrolysis reactor increased the hydrogen concentration to a maximum of 3405.77 PPM. A decrease in hydrogen levels occurred after 20-40 minutes due to the saturated electrolytes. Factors such as the ion concentration, hydration, ion attraction, and temperature also influence the conductivity of the solution duringelectrolysis. The results of this study obtained a minimum average hydrogen content of 646.054 PPM and a maximum of 2932.306 PPM. The reactor temperature conditions were stable at an average temperature of 27°C.

Examination of a Magnetorheological Damper Control System with Vibration Energy Harvesting

Abstract The study deals with the experimental examination of a magnetorheological (MR) damper control system with vibration energy harvesting using a specially engineered electronic unit (EU). Unlike a typical MR damper control system, which requires an external energy source, the developed system is powered exclusively by energy extracted from a vibrating structure (mechanical system with one-degree-of freedom) and processed through the EU. The work describes the structure and functions of the EU, presents the test rig and the control algorithm implementation, and discusses the test results of the control system under harmonic kinematic excitations of low frequency range.

Self‐Powered Photodetector Based on Perovskite/Ge Heterojunction with High Responsivity

AbstractSelf‐powered photodetectors (SPDs) are regarded as a new type of photodetectors without external energy sources, exhibiting great potential in the next generation of image sensing, biological detection, and robotics. Here, single crystal CH(NH2)2PbBr3 (FAPbBr3) perovskite with a low trap density of 1.64 × 109 cm−3 is directly integrated onto single crystal germanium (Ge). The band structure of the heterojunction belongs to type‐II alignment type, which is beneficial to the achievement of high responsivity. Therefore, the fabricated Au/FAPbBr3/Ge/Au detector exhibits a high responsivity of 0.33 A W−1, detectivity up to 3.83 × 1011 Jones and relatively fast decay time of 4.94 ms without external bias under 520 nm laser illumination. In addition, a prototype of an imaging system is set up utilizing the photodetector as a sensing pixel, from which the imaging function is verified. This work demonstrates a facile strategy for designing high‐performance SPDs.

Self‐Boosting Energy Generation via Triboelectric Nanogenerator–Capacitor Coupling

AbstractWith the development of wearable and wireless electronic devices, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is attracting interest as a candidate for portable power. Many studies are conducted to increase the surface charge density of the TENG, such as external charge pumping or external electron excitation strategies. However, there are limitations in that another additional external energy source is required. Here, a TENG–capacitor (TC) coupling system that can maximize energy generation and storage efficiency within a limited volume is proposed. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the electric field induced on capacitor increases the fermi energy of positive triboelectric material, resulting in more charge transfer between two triboelectric materials. TC coupling system enhances TENG output performance and the capacitor charging rate in a virtuous cycle. This study provides new insights into TENG structural design and an important guideline for the use of TENG as a portable power source for wearable and wireless applications.

A systems approach to hazard identification for solar-powered and wave-propelled unmanned surface vehicle

Decarbonization is a trend in the maritime industry and may include the use of alternative energy sources on ships. At the same time, autonomous ships are under development. In the future, the two technologies may be combined. The objective of this study is to identify possible hazards related to the operation of autonomous vessels using green energy sources. An extended and holistic Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) based approach is proposed, where both safety and security is considered. Changes in level of autonomy during operation are considered, and an extension of the STPA method is proposed to highlight the interaction between the system and external energy source. A solar-powered and wave-propelled unmanned surface vehicle is analysed. The results show that mission performance may be affected by both safety and security issues, and that considering influences from the environment and the autonomous functionalities of the system together, contributes to identifying hazards. The results are compared to operational experience from multiple field campaigns. The case study focuses on a relatively simple autonomous vehicle, but some functionalities may be shared with Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). Hence, implications for utilisation of alternative energy sources on MASS, and effects on risks, are discussed.

Organic matter content and source is associated with the depth‐dependent distribution of prokaryotes in lake sediments

Abstract Aquatic sediments harbour a diverse array of microorganisms that drive organic matter recycling, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2, CH4, N2O) emissions. Although largely studied in water columns, vertical profiles of the diversity and composition of prokaryotic communities (i.e., Bacteria and Archaea) in aquatic sediments are still rare. More specifically, much remains to be learnt about their vertical distribution in lake sediments and how environmental conditions at the time of burial have impacted their diversity and composition. We investigated the vertical distribution of prokaryotic community with 16S rRNA gene quantitative (q)PCR and metabarcoding approaches applied to 93 sediment layers collected in a 2‐m‐long sediment core from the eutrophic alkaline Lake Chenghai in subtropical China. We aimed to study the diversity, composition and structure distribution of the prokaryotic community as well as environmental factors influencing it. Bacterial abundance was found to decrease with sediment depth although the richness of both bacterial and archaeal assemblages slightly increased with sediment depth. In terms of composition, a strongly stratified sediment–depth pattern was observed in which Proteobacteria, Desulfobacterota, Bacteroidota and Verrucomicrobiota dominated the inventories in the surface sediment layers, whereas Chloroflexi, Spirochaetota, Planctomycetota, Crenarchaeota were more abundant in the deep sediment layers. Organic matter contents and sources were identified as major factors shaping the structure of the prokaryotic community. Overall, our study provides new evidence about how lake sediment's prokaryotic community are linked to external sources of energy. This complement existing data from other lake systems towards a better understanding of sediment prokaryotic community's contribution to biogeochemical cycle in lakes.

The Coordinated Power Control of Flexible DC Microgrids in Sustainably Optimized Yacht Marinas

Nowadays, the industrial world is undergoing a disruptive transformation towards more environmentally sustainable solutions. In the blue economy, this new approach is not only expressed in the domain of actual vessels, but also in the development of charging infrastructure, displaying a notable transition towards more eco-friendly solutions. The key focus lies in adopting flexible power systems capable of integrating renewable energy sources and storage technologies. Such systems play a crucial role in enabling a shift towards low-emission maritime transport. The emissions reduction goal extends beyond onboard shipboard distribution systems, encompassing also the design of supplying platforms and marinas. This study explores the implementation of a controlled DC microgrid tailored to efficient management of power flows within a yacht marina. Once having established the interfaces for the vessels at berth, the integration between the vessels, the onshore photovoltaic plant and the battery storage unit is made possible thanks to the coordinated management of multiple power converters. The overarching goal is to curtail reliance on external energy sources. Within this DC microgrid framework, a centralized controller assumes a pivotal role in orchestrating the power sources and loads. This coordinated management is essential to achieve sustainable operations, ultimately leading to the reduction of emissions from both ships and onshore power plants.

An overview of agro-industrial wastewater treatment using microbial fuel cells: Recent advancements

Discharge of agro-industrial wastewater causes severe damage to the environment due to the various hazardous components it contains. Progressive circular agriculture and industry involve closed cycles and zero-waste principles; therefore, waste treatment for subsequent reuse is of great interest. The microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising sustainable technology capable of treating wastewater at low cost without greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while simultaneously producing electricity. The principle behind MFCs is based on the conversion of chemical energy into electricity using electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) as a biocatalyst. This article presents an overview of the progress and recent advancements in MFCs as a pivotal technology for agro-industrial wastewater treatment with production of sustainable electricity, compared to conventional treatment processes. Furthermore, the fundamental aspects of the design, configuration, operation, and application of MFCs in wastewater treatment (i.e., removal of inorganic nutrients, nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, sulfide, ammonium, organics, dyes, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and petroleum) are comprehensively discussed. Despite the viability and potential of MFCs in treating agro-industrial wastewater and producing electricity, they face various limitations and significant challenges, which are highlighted in this review. Future opportunities and perspectives on MFC applications are also discussed. Further research is required to address MFC limitations, which could make them feasible and practicable for real-world applications. However, MFC technology is clearly an excellent option for simultaneous wastewater treatment and electricity production without the need for external energy sources.

Ab initio study of the processes of nitrogen functionalisation in graphene

Nitrogen functionalisation of graphene is studied with the help of ab initio electronic structure methods. Both static formation energies and energy barriers obtained from nudged elastic band calculations are considered. If carbon defects are present in the graphene structure, low energy barriers on the order of 0.5 eV were obtained to incorporate nitrogen atoms inside the sheet. For defect-free graphene, much larger barriers in the range of 3.70–4.38 eV were found, suggesting an external energy source is required to complete this type of incorporation.

Quantum-optimal information encoding using noisy passive linear optics

The amount of information that a noisy channel can transmit has been one of the primary subjects of interest in information theory. In this work we consider a practically-motivated family of optical quantum channels that can be implemented without an external energy source. We optimize the Holevo information over procedures that encode information in attenuations and phase-shifts applied by these channels on a resource state of finite energy. It is shown that for any given input state and environment temperature, the maximum Holevo information can be achieved by an encoding procedure that uniformly distributes the channel's phase-shift parameter. Moreover for large families of input states, any maximizing encoding scheme has a finite number of channel attenuation values, simplifying the codewords to a finite number of rings around the origin in the output phase space. The above results and numerical evidence suggests that this property holds for all resource states. Our results are directly applicable to the quantum reading of an optical memory in the presence of environmental thermal noise.

Self-powered photodetectors: a device engineering perspective.

Nanoscale self-powered photodetectors that can work without any external source of energy are required for future applications. There is potential demand for these devices in areas like wireless surveillance, weather forecasting, remote monitoring, and places where the availability of power is scarce. This study provides an overview of state of the art research trends and improvements in self-powered photodetectors. A device engineering perspective for improvement in the figures of merit has been presented along with a description of additional effects like pyro-phototronic, piezo-phototronic, and surface plasmonics.

Assessment of the energy potential of agricultural residues in the Canary Islands: Promoting circular economy through bioenergy production

The Canary Islands, renowned for their tourism appeal, grapple with a pronounced energy challenge stemming from their geographic fragmentation and heavy reliance on external energy sources, particularly fossil fuels. Moreover, the region's history is marked by recurring energy crises, underscoring the imperative need for a swift and decisive transition towards renewable energy sources. This research examines the potential of waste biomass as a renewable energy source in the Canary Islands. This reliance on non-renewable energy sources leads to increased energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, making the pursuit of a sustainable energy future a strategic priority in the region. This study proposes to assess the potential of residual biomass from the main crops of the Canary Islands, such as bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, and grapes, for bioenergy production. Statistical data were used to estimate the total availability of residues, while parameters like residue-to-product ratio, moisture content and calorific value were determined to calculate the energy potential of the residual biomass. The research findings reveal that the annual production of residual biomass from the primary crops in the Canary Islands is 234,744 tonnes (111,425 Tn/year from banana cultivation, 52,961 Tn/year from tomato cultivation, 40,102 Tn/year from potato cultivation, and 30,256 Tn/year from grape cultivation). This biomass has the potential to generate around 1.39 PJ of energy, equivalent to approximately 4.79% of the current energy consumption of the archipelago. Considering that renewable sources contribute to only around 20% of the energy production in the Canary Islands, the availability of this resource presents an exceptional opportunity for the region. By harnessing its natural resources, the Canary Islands can pursue sustainable economic growth while simultaneously mitigating negative environmental impacts. Definitely, the assessment of the potential of residual biomass plays a crucial role in evaluating sustainable energy resources and represents an important step towards a more sustainable energy future in the Canary Islands.

External energy sources in body contouring

External energy sources in body contouring

Molecular Modeling of the Late Stages of Ionization without an External Energy Source Coupled to Mass Spectrometry

Ionization via desorption of charged analytes from the surface of solid amorphous glutaric acid particles, without the assistance of an external energy source, has been shown to be a promising...

Manganese-based nanomaterials in diagnostics and chemodynamic therapy of cancers: new development.

In the realm of cancer treatment, traditional modalities like radiotherapy and chemotherapy have achieved certain advancements but continue to grapple with challenges including harm to healthy tissues, resistance to treatment, and adverse drug reactions. The swift progress in nanotechnology recently has opened avenues for investigating innovative approaches to cancer therapy. Especially, chemodynamic therapy (CDT) utilizing metal nanomaterials stands out as an effective cancer treatment choice owing to its minimal side effects and independence from external energy sources. Transition metals like manganese are capable of exerting anti-tumor effects through a Fenton-like mechanism, with their distinctive magnetic properties playing a crucial role as contrast agents in tumor diagnosis and treatment. Against this backdrop, this review emphasizes the recent five-year advancements in the application of manganese (Mn) metal ions within nanomaterials, particularly highlighting their unique capabilities in catalyzing CDT and enhancing MRI imaging. Initially, we delineate the biomedical properties of manganese, followed by an integrated discussion on the utilization of manganese-based nanomaterials in CDT alongside multimodal therapies, and delve into the application and future outlook of manganese-based nanomaterial-mediated MRI imaging techniques in cancer therapy. By this means, the objective is to furnish novel viewpoints and possibilities for the research and development in future cancer therapies.

Integration between green power generation, energy storage and smart grids in the context of e-mobility

In the manuscript is considered the integration between green energy production, charging infrastructure availability and development and the consumer behavior for e-mobility charging. The optimization of time for charging of electric vehicles is important for the balance of demand and energy availability, with regard the on-peak periods of solar power generation or with the balance of energy storage capacities. This can assure the energy system stability and reduction of external and nonecological energy sources.

БИОГАЗОВАЯ ТЕХНОЛОГИЯ - ЭФФЕКТИВНЫЙ СПОСОБ ПЕРЕРАБОТКИ НАВОЗА СЕЛЬСКОХОЗЯЙСТВЕННЫХ ЖИВОТНЫХ

The renewable energy sources (VIE) widespread using makes it possible the fossil fuels’ consumption that pollute the environment reducing significantly. One of the VIE types is biomass, which tends the agricultural production, especially livestock intensification growing. The main type of biomass is manure; at it processing by biogas technology using, it provides biogas, biofertilizer and electric energy, that are necessary for soil fertility and energy supply to rural consumers increasing. At the same time, biogas technology helps the manure disinfection’s problems solving, since fresh manure is an environmental pollutant by harmful gases (methane, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, etc.) emitting. The livestock methane emissions’ amount is about 16%. The authors have developed small sized biogas manure processing installation, to the small agricultural enterprises’ conditions adapting. Distinctive features of the installation are: sawdust from reed plants for manure preparation loading into the bioreactor; of an external energy source from renewable resources (sun, wind, etc.) to heat the bioreactor in cold weather using; biofertilizer into dry residue and liquid separating; manure different types to carbon and nitrogen at C /N = 20 ratio mixing. These features make it possible the quality of biofertilizer, since reed plants contain vitamins C, carotene, starch, carbohydrates and proteins improving, as well as the crust formation to prevent; of biogas by observing the temperature regime inside the reactor and the ratio C /N = 20 output increasing; manure next fresh portion is accelerated by liquid part feeding of the biofertilizer back into the bioreactor’s process fermentation.

Design And Development of a Compact Improvised Biogas Harvester

This research project aimed to design and create an affordable and locally- sourced biogas harvester for backyard livestock raisers. The device is called Compact Improvised Biogas Harvester (CIBiH) and is a more cost-effective alternative to the foreign-made inflatable biogas harvesters available in the market. The study used the CDDIR model, a 5-phase technological development process consisting of Conceptualization, Designing, Development, Initial Testing, and Refinement stages. The goal was to create a prototype that is more effective, cost-efficient, and readily available, eliminating the need for external sources of energy like electricity and fuel in the biogas harvesting process. However, the project still requires further evaluation to determine whether it meets industry manufacturing standards for mass production.

Wall. Unique functional properties

For the first time, attention is drawn to a very common element of many building and other structures designated by the word «wall». Its functions and role in the development of engineering are shown. Its fundamentality as a technical structure in the development of a person and the whole society is shown. We paid attention to the unique properties of this element. They are not only characteristic of the construction of buildings. They make it possible to identify areas intended for the implementation of human functions and needs. The property of the wall to structure the living space of a person according to the functions performed, which has been little studied in the literature, has been noted earlier. In this aspect, an element of buildings and structures – a wall – meets not only the requirements of human life support or safety, but is presented as a factor of socio-economic significance. Представлены технические характеристики обобщенного сооружения – стены. They are compared with the well-known technical regularities of the functioning of other fundamental inventions, such as the lever, the wheel, the hearth, etc. The paper presents the generalizing properties that make these objects extremely relevant for society. They were turning points in its development. The main functions that are provided by such an element as a wall for many systems are presented. Some of these functions are unique and the only possible ones, thanks to the design of a rigid vertical plane in the living space for a person. Dependencies describing the conditions of energy metabolism are presented. Thanks to these dependencies, the main functions of the wall are fulfilled – protection from external energy sources – thermal, acoustic, climatic, informational, etc., as well as the preservation of internal energy in the «wall-dwelling» system. The possibilities and prospects for the development of the wall in modern society are shown

The development and performance evaluation of an alternative energy-based hybrid cold storage system

The development of cold storage systems with solar-integrated thermal energy storage (TES) could be an exciting alternative energy solution to fossil fuel-based cold storage. For this novel technology to be commercially applicable, significant scientific research is required. Although few attempts have been made in this area, the limitations of existing studies encourage further investigation to advance the field. This research aims to develop a solar-based hybrid cold storage (SHCS) system and perform the techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the system to address the existing research challenges and enhance the understanding of commercial applications. An SHCS of L 4.88 m × W 2.44 m × H 2.44 m has been developed by integrating 500 kg phase change materials (PCM) of ethylene glycol aquas solution, as latent thermal energy storage (LTES), to store energy and provide backup during off-solar time. Three different modes of the power system, Latent Thermal Energy Storage (LTES)-based, Electrochemical Energy Storage (EES)-based (Battery), and no storage; and three types of construction materials, sandwich polyurethane (PUR) panels, sandwich expanded polystyrene (EPS) panels, and concrete were considered in the TEA of the SHCS. The power mode with LTES showed a nearly 1.5 years shorter payback period and 130 % higher net present value (NPV) than the EES mode. The solidification and melting characteristics of the LTES system are uniform at different levels during charging and discharging, which may enhance the heat transfer rate. The PCM system is remarkable in that it maintains a storage temperature of 3 °C in the fresh food chamber for approximately 13 h without an external source of energy. Regarding the construction material of SHCS, sandwich PUR panels outperformed concrete owing to their lower density (40 kg/m3), improved thermal insulation, and modular nature, though the rate of return of PUR panels is slightly lower (0.26 % and 0.81 %) than its counterparts due to its higher initial cost. Overall, it was found that PUR panel-made SHCS integrated with an LTES system provides better techno-economic performance when energy storage is necessary and could be considered to scale up the system in the future for commercial application.