Fossil Fuels For Transportation Research Articles

Techno-Economic and Environmental Evaluation of a Solar Energy System on a Ro-Ro Vessel for Sustainability

The increased use of fossil fuels in transportation is considered a major cause of environmental pollution and climate change on a global scale. In international shipping, regulations and strict measures have been introduced by the International Maritime Organization to achieve the goal of a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, with the envisage to reach net-zero GHG emissions close to 2050. Renewable energy sources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, can be implemented on new-build or existing marine vessels as an effective alternative source for auxiliary power generation, reducing the dependency on fossil fuels and contributing to decarbonization. In the present paper, a sustainable retrofit design using PV panels on an existing Ro-Ro vessel is analyzed for its feasibility. The proposed system is used for energy production during ship cargo operations and takes advantage of the large space area on the upper deck and its continuous exposure to sunlight during its voyage. To investigate the effectiveness of the PV system as an alternative to fossil fuel consumption, an environmental and economic evaluation is performed. According to the results obtained, the solar PV system can provide approximately 88% of the required energy annually for lighting during ship cargo operations, with the corresponding fuel savings and emission reductions, making the investment economically feasible, with a high potential to contribute to environmental sustainability.

Assessing the sustainability of bioenergy pathways through a land-water-energy nexus approach

Bioenergy can significantly contribute to facilitating the transition to a self-sufficient low-carbon energy sector in Europe. The establishment of sustainable bioenergy systems needs ex-ante analysis that considers specific contexts and potential trade-offs, including competing uses of natural resources such as land, water and energy. The use of marginal and underutilized lands has been emphasized as a valuable strategy to overcome the food vs fuel paradigm and the direct and indirect land use change that can derive from the cultivation of bioenergy crops. Nevertheless, the fragmentation of these lands can significantly affect the energy efficiency of the systems, due to increased energy needs for inputs and transport, with trade-offs on the carbon footprint of the pathway. This study performs an ex-ante assessment of the sustainability of a short bioenergy pathway through the Land-Water-Energy nexus approach, by the iterative use of a web geographic information systems platform, developed on the methodology of the Global Bioenergy Partnership. The simulations show that the production of bioenergy from oilseed crops is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 73% compared to the reference emission value for fossil fuels in transport. The platform proofs to be effective and user-friendly for assessing and optimizing the intricate interlinkages among the various nexus domains that coexist within the bioenergy system based on the cultivation of underutilized land. Its use can facilitate the nexus operationalization serving as a timesaving decision-support tool for the development of sustainable bioenergy systems that contribute to the transition towards a low-carbon energy sector in Europe.

Anthropogenic emission inventory and spatial analysis of greenhouse gases and primary pollutants for the Galapagos Islands.

Climate change and air pollution are critical challenges that humanity is currently facing. Understanding the sources of emissions released into the atmosphere is of great importance to evaluate the local footprint, the impacts of human activities, and the opportunities to develop and implement solutions to mitigate emissions and adapt to climate change particularly in vulnerable places like the Galapagos Islands. In this study, we present an anthropogenic emissions inventory for Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Isabela Islands in which emissions were spatially mapped for greenhouse gasses (GHGs) and primary pollutants (PP). Emissions were estimated for the energy stationary sources, energy mobile sources, waste, and other sectors, and emissions for 2019 were spatially distributed along with an uncertainty assessment. Results demonstrated that energy mobile sources which are aerial, terrestrial, and maritime transportation generated the most significant emissions in the Galapagos Islands in terms of PP and GHGs. In fact, maritime transportation was the highest one in 2019, at 41% of total CO2 emissions for Galapagos, with the most predominant PP being NOx and CO. The aerial transportation made up 36% of emissions, and the electricity generation contributed 15%. Emissions from waste and other sectors comprise a smaller percentage relative to the rest of the emission sectors. These results highlight the strong dependency of the islands on fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation. Alternatives to mitigate and reduce emissions from the islands are discussed. This spatially mapped emissions inventory for the Galapagos Islands represents a powerful tool to make informed decisions to contribute to the long-term sustainability of the archipelago.

Climate Change and the Need for Future Research

Climate Changes have impacted our planet since the beginning of time. These were manifested by cyclic Ice Ages and Warm Periods ever since. The changes were caused by natural forcing such as, continental drift, plate tectonics, major volcanic eruptions, and internal dynamics of earth and oceans interactions with the atmosphere. The present warm period, the “Holocene Epoch”, is not different from other such periods except for the sharp global warming which began at the onset of the industrial revolution. This was proven by scientific research to be due to anthropogenic drives, i.e., increased fossil fuel burning and increased Co2 and other Green House Gases (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. These gases trap the sun radiation reflected from earth surface and result in higher earth temperature. The steep rate of rise in temperature trend since 1960s is directly linked to the use of much more fossil fuels in power production and transportation. This has led to more research to quantify the changes and their impacts on the environment and humans. This paper gives a brief history of the scientific research carried out hitherto and policy suggestions made so far to combat the negative impacts of the increasing global warming of the world. Needed future scientific research in this field is outlined, while at the same time suggesting the needs of Iraq of such research. This includes among other things, forming a regional scientific panel for the Middle East countries (ME. IPCC) for carrying out research on regional level, fostering research on national level, encouraging academics for climate change-oriented research and providing the necessary funds and facilities for such research.

Comparative life cycle impact assessment of electric and conventional bus in Vietnam

Transportation is one of the key sectors causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and air pollution. With the substantial increase in passenger and freight transportation, the corresponding GHG emissions and air pollutants are expected to increase significantly. Recent global and national policies are targeting at reducing environmental impacts of transportation activities. The promotion of public transportation and development of electric buses (e-buses) will reduce the use of fossil fuels in transportation, and consequently, reduce GHG emissions. This study assesses the life cycle GHG emissions and other environmental impacts of e-bus, and compares them with those of conventional bus operated in Vietnam. The results indicate that e-bus is a preferred choice in most of studied environmental impact categories over the whole life cycle such as GHG emission, ozone depletion, ozone formation, fine particulate matter formation, acidification, etc. For GHG emissions, the adoption of electric mobility will reduce 42.62 gCO2eq per passenger km of carbon footprint if conventional buses are substituted by e-buses in Vietnam.

Assessment of the spatial association network of green innovation: Role of energy resources in green recovery

Green innovation is one of the latest topics of sustainable development, which has unknown dimensions that can be explored. The main purpose of this paper is to study the green innovation network among 144 countries through the Slacks-based measure of directional distance functions approach for annual data throughout 2017–2021. In addition, the Quadratic Assignment Procedures (QAP) analysis is used to determine the impacts of influencing factors on the green innovation efficiency of the examined sample of countries. The major findings revealed that the global green innovation network is centered in North America, Western Europe, East Asia, and Oceania. The results of the QAP technique confirmed that geographical proximity, good governance, consumption of fossil fuels in transportation, environmental regulation index, energy resources price system, the difference in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, and pandemic affect the formation of the spatial relationship network of green innovation efficiency. This paper recommends the most important practical implications of increasing the share of development and research in the green energy sector, improving green loans, promoting green financing tools, and prioritizing the digital economy.

Current trends in hydrogen production, storage and applications in India: A review

With the increase in world population, the corresponding energy demand is also rising at a fast pace. The exploitation and usage of fossil fuels in transportation and energy generation is increasing the concentration of global greenhouse gases (GHGs) and polluting the environment. To achieve pledges of the ‘Paris Agreement’ and check global warming, there is a crucial need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and switch to cleaner and greener fuel sources. Hydrogen is a clean fuel since its exhaust is only water after combustion. Hydrogen may be a promising alternative to fossil fuels due to its high calorific value. However, there are still several hurdles and challenges in the commercialization of hydrogen for the transportation and energy generation sectors. This study reviews the current trends in hydrogen production, storage, and its applications and their status with reference to India. Infrastructure development, delivery, legislation, cost, and widespread acceptance are all identified as barriers to the commercialization of hydrogen-powered vehicles in India. It further outlines the challenges and techno-economic hurdles in attaining the hydrogen economy.

The establishment of an intermodal walkability index for use in car oriented urban environments: The case of Nicosia

Sustainable mobility has been considered key in the pursuit of sustainable development in urban environments. During the last decades, a lot of innovative initiatives have been proposed and examined, most of them were site-specific and highly relevant to the local context. This case study review focuses on Nicosia, a car oriented, medium sized city, and attempts to define an intermodal walkability index for the city center. In a city like Nicosia where more than 90% of the daily trips are done completely by car, encouraging intermodal mobility with walking as part of the trip is an important first step to sustainable mobility. The aim of the paper is to present a model based upon the most impactful sustainability indicators when referring to pedestrian mobility, and therefore will create an intermodal walkability index for grading the walkability of an urban environment, in our case a particular, car-oriented one. The index was developed by using the latest version of pyQGIS, due to the fact that the algorithms that are being used in the calculation of this index are already part of the geospatial analysis toolbox contained within QGIS. The paper uses as a case study the municipality of Nicosia in Cyprus where it was proven that pedestrian transportation can be graded in terms of walkability from the private car drop point. The study has also discovered that the use of primary electricity generation and fossil fuels for transport can be reduced if problematic areas that have a low or negative sustainability score are managed in ways that will increase the score.

ALTERNATIVE FUELS - TRENDS AND PROSPECTS

Aspects of the use of different types of alternative fuels that will ensure economic stability and reduce the harmful effects on the environment are considered. More than a dozen alternative fuels are in production or under development for use in alternative fuel vehicles and advanced technology vehicles. Government and private-sector vehicle fleets are the primary users for most of these fuels and vehicles, but individual consumers are increasingly interested in them. Using alternative fuels and advanced vehicles instead of conventional fuels and vehicles helps conserve fuel and lower vehicle emissions. The world is preparing to shift to a new version of the future that releases us from a reliance on fossil fuels for transportation. Most passenger cars will switch to using batteries and electric motors.

Biodiesel Production from Waste Animal Fat by Transesterification Using H2SO4 and KOH Catalysts: A Study of Physiochemical Properties

Biodiesel is marketed as a long-term renewable fuel that may partially replace fossil fuels in transportation while also helping to reduce global warming. The current study is focused on using waste animal fat as a feedstock for biodiesel production. Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) are used as catalysts, with methanol as an alcohol. Temperature at 60°C, reaction time 2 hrs for acid catalyst, and 55°C, reaction time 90 min for base catalyst with a methanol to oil ratio of 5 : 1 are the experimental and optimized process conditions. With the H2SO4 catalyst, the biodiesel yield was 65.7%, while with the KOH catalyst, it was 48.8%. The ASTM standards are used to compare and study the physicochemical characteristics. This study offers an environmentally friendly solution to a global problem of atmospheric pollution, and at the same time, it shows a commercial alternative to reduce the ecological impact caused by waste animal fat.

Passenger Transport Shift to Green Mobility – Assessment Using TIMES Model

Abstract The transport sector accounts for about one-third of the final energy consumption in Latvia, most of which are fossil fuels in road transport. Fossil fuel consumption increases emissions and demands an immediate change in mobility habits to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This paper focuses on the in-depth analyses of passenger transport by modelling the potential use of cleaner energy sources and the possible decrease of consumption through the modal shift. As travel modes differ for each distance, the study is done for three distances – short, medium and long. Three scenarios have been analysed – BASE scenario including existing measures and taxation policy, NECP scenario including measures defined in the National Energy and Climate Plan until 2030 and GHG TARGET scenario aiming to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The proposed modelling approach allows for the development and evaluation of the effectiveness of existing and planned measures in greening mobility. Results proved the need for immediate action and a change in the mobility habits of the population to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Recent Research Activities in Solid and Liquid Bioenergy from Lignocellulosic Biomass

The increase in energy demand, the lack of petroleum resources, and concern over global climate change have placed great emphasis on the development of new alternative energy technologies that can be used to replace fossil transportation fuels (Himmel et al. 2007; Labbe et al. 2008; Lee et al. 2009a,b,c; Teramoto et al. 2008, 2009). In this context, many countries have initiated extensive research and development programs for bioenergy. Bioenergy can be classified into three kinds of solid, liquid, and gas bioenergy. For the effective production and utilization of these three types of bioenergy, different technologies are required (Figure 1). Lignocellulosic biomass, such as wood and agricultural residues, are widely distributed and easily accessible at relatively low costs. Of these, wood has the benefit of having a higher energy content per volume, lower ash content, and nitrogen content. In this review, recent research trends and advances in bioenergy from lignocellulosic biomass will be summarized from the author’s point of view.

Recoupling Climate Change and Air Quality: Exploring Low-Emission Options in Urban Transportation Using the TIMES-City Model

Fossil fuels in transportation are a significant source of local emissions in and around cities; thus, decarbonising transportation can reduce both greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air pollutants (APs). However, the degree of these reductions depends on what replaces fossil fuels. Today, GHG and AP mitigation strategies are typically ‘decoupled’ as they have different motivations and responsibilities. This study investigates the ancillary benefits on (a) APs if the transport sector is decarbonised, and (b) GHGs if APs are drastically cut and (c) the possible co-benefits from targeting APs and GHGs in parallel, using an energy-system optimisation model with a detailed and consistent representation of technology and fuel choices. While biofuels are the most cost-efficient option for meeting ambitious climate-change-mitigation targets, they have a very limited effect on reducing APs. Single-handed deep cuts in APs require a shift to zero-emission battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (BEVs, HFCVs), which can result in significant upstream GHG emissions from electricity and hydrogen production. BEVs powered by ‘green’ electricity are identified as the most cost-efficient option for substantially cutting both GHGs and APs. A firm understanding of these empirical relationships is needed to support comprehensive mitigation strategies that tackle the range of sustainability challenges facing cities.

A study of the willingness of Spanish drivers to pay a premium for ZEVs

Over the next few decades the Spanish government aims to increase the, so far, insignificant market share of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the Spanish vehicle fleet. However, there are several barriers that hamper this market penetration, one of the most important being the higher purchase prices of zero emission cars compared to their conventional counterparts. This paper presents the results of a survey of drivers (n = 1474) conducted in Spain towards year-end 2017 to assess their willingness to purchase ZEVs. The willingness to pay responses were analyzed using finite mixture models to identify the different underlying profiles in the sample. Purchase prices emerge as a major obstacle for most of the sample. The results reveal the existence of different subpopulations with different profiles and willingness to pay. Earlier adopters are those with a higher level of education, higher income level, more extensive knowledge of ZEVs, and greater awareness of the negative consequences of the use of fossil fuels in transportation in terms of environmental pollution and economic dependence. These results justify the importance of public education campaigns in Spain on the characteristics and advantages of ZEVs compared to conventional cars.

Up-date: Renewable energy and climate change

The Climate Change crisis is worsening daily. We must start to-day and not to-morrow limiting CO2emission globally. The Antarctic is melting with alarming speed and causing sea water levels to rise by 24 inches in the Southern Hemisphere. Central Australia is experiencing its worst ever drought and forest fires causing immense damage; on 55 days in 2019 temperatures rose to 48°C while the ground temperature reached 62°C. Vast tracts of land have been burned with loss of life, homes, produce and wildlife. Yet government reaction was skeptical of the Climate Change connection. At the same time Europe and England have had extreme rainfall and serious extensive flooding. Nowadays many countries have started to take Climate Change extremely seriously and put together plans to reduce or stop the use of coal and other fossil fuels. Most countries have pledged to stop using fossil fuels by 2030. The transport industry accounts for the major part of air pollution through the use of motor vehicles, ships and air transport. In this paper it is demonstrated that motor car usage contributes more than 3500 million metric tons of CO2each year. UK in November 2020 pledged to combat Climate Change and reduce the emission of CO2by 50% by 2030. Recently it has announced a ten- point drive to eliminate fossil fuels in transport, agriculture, industry and homes by 2035.Ajman should follow suit and use UK as an example. This paper will summarize the progress of renewable energy globally with examples. Renewable Energy is now a major source of generating electricity worldwide. It is clean, abundant and low cost.

Can United States Healthcare Become Environmentally Sustainable? Towards Green Healthcare Reform.

In 2014, the United States health care industry produced an estimated 480 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2); nearly 8% of the country's total emissions. The importance of sustainability in health care - as a business reliant on fossil fuels for transportation, energy, and operational functioning - is slowly being recognized. These efforts to green health care are incomplete, since they only focus on health care structures. The therapeutic relationship is the essence of health care - not the buildings that contain the practice. As such, this article will first postulate reasons for a lack of environmental sustainability in US health care. Second, the article will focus on current green health care initiatives in the United States in which patients and physicians participate. Third, the rationale for participation in green initiatives will be explained. Fourth, the article will propose that, based on the environmental values of patients and physicians, health care insurance plans and health care insurance companies can be targeted for green health care reform, thereby closing the loop of sustainable health care delivery.

A decomposition approach based on meta-heuristics and exact methods for solving a two-stage stochastic biofuel hub-and-spoke network problem

Abstract An alternative to the production of fossil transportation fuels is the production of biofuels, specifically, bioethanol. One of the main opportunity areas is the reduction in the overall cost of biofuel. An approach to reduce this cost is to design and implement a supply chain (SC) that considers the quality-related properties of the biomass as well as the economies of scale to minimize the logistics and quality-related costs. This problem is formulated as a hub location problem, which has been classified as an NP-hard problem, therefore, meta-heuristics are a suitable approach to solve this problem. We propose a hybrid meta-heuristic solution procedure to solve large-scale instances of a two-stage stochastic biomass-to-biorefinery hub-and-spoke network problem. This solution procedure is proposed to support the large-scale production and distribution of bioethanol by considering the variability in its moisture and ash contents. The hybrid method utilizes a simulated annealing-simplex method to find an initial solution and a tabu search-simplex method to improve the solution. Numerical experimentation was performed on a realistic case study in Texas. The results show that the hybrid procedure outperforms the standard L-shaped (LS) method. The meta-heuristic combining simulated annealing and tabu search with the simplex method (SATS-SM) achieved 2.48% lower costs and required 96.57% less time, on average, when compared to the results from using the LS.

Avaliação de custos completos: combustíveis para o transporte coletivo urbano de Campinas/SP

A utilização de combustíveis fósseis pelos meios de transporte é uma importante causa dadegradação do meio ambiente, destacando-se a poluição atmosférica gerada por veículospesados, como por exemplo os ônibus urbanos. É, portanto, relevante discutir formasalternativas de combustível para o transporte coletivo urbano, usando como exemplo omunicípio de Campinas. O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar os impactos da substituição dodiesel por biodiesel ou pela energia elétrica a partir de indicadores de desempenhoeconômico, social e ambiental. A Avaliação de Custos Completos é a metodologiautilizada, apropriada ao estudo da sustentabilidade devido a flexibilidade de elementosque podem ser considerados ao combinar a indicadores econômicos, ambientais e sociais.Como resultado, destaca-se a energia elétrica como o combustível mais eficiente dentreos três analisados, sob a ótica dos elementos considerados, verificando suasustentabilidade, principalmente na esfera ambiental.

Lifecycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions analysis of biomass‐based 2‐ethylhexanol as an alternative transportation fuel

AbstractThis study investigates the environmental performance of 2‐ethylhexanol (2‐EH), as a potential drop‐in transport fuel alternative. Three different biomass‐based production pathways are evaluated and compared using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The environmental impact of 2‐EH is assessed in terms of cumulative energy demand (CED) and global warming potential (GWP). Among the three alternative pathways, 2‐EH produced via syngas results in the lowest primary energy demand and GHG emissions under the baseline assumptions of this work. The two biochemical production pathways (via ethanol and butanol) exhibit higher CED and GWP during biomass conversion steps mainly due to process materials and chemicals used. Process specifications such as transport distance to production facility or the fate of the obtained by‐products are shown to influence the overall environmental impact of the fuel for all studied pathways. The use phase performance of 2‐EH was also considered in this work, as part of a 100% renewable blend and was compared to existing fossil and renewable fuels. The studied blend has the potential to reduce GHG emissions by more than 85% compared to fossil diesel while when certain production pathways are followed, it exhibits lower GWP than renewable fuels already in the market such as ethanol blends and biodiesel. 2‐EH can therefore provide a competitive alternative to fossil transport fuels increasing the share of renewable content in the current vehicle fleet, thus enhancing the efforts for a sustainable transport sector.

Renewable energy in Southeast Asia: Policies and recommendations

Southeast Asian countries stand at a crossroads concerning their shared energy future and heavily rely on fossil fuels for transport and electricity. Within Asia, especially India and China lead the world renewable energy generation undergoing a period of energy transition and economic transformation. Southeast Asian countries have huge potentials for sustainable energy sources. However they are yet to perform globally in renewable energy deployment due to various challenges. The primary objective of the study is to examine the renewable energy growth and analyse the government policies to scale up the deployment of renewables for power generation substantially. The study also offers policy recommendations to accelerate renewable energy exploitation sustainably across the region. To achieve the ambitious target of 23% renewables in the primary energy mix by 2025, ASEAN Governments should take proactive measures like removal of subsidies of fossil fuels, regional market integration and rapid implementation of the existing project. Eventually, each of this strategy will necessitate sustained leadership, political determination, and concrete actions from stakeholders, in particular, increased cooperation across the region.