Resources Of Fossil Fuels Research Articles

A novel method for calculating polymer adsorption in fractures through a dual porosity model

Increasing demand for energy and limited capacity of available resources of fossil fuels have drawn attention to enhanced oil recovery for maximum use of the available resources. Among different enhanced recovery methods, polymer injection maintains the advantages of water flooding, including the simplicity of this technique, while eliminating some of its drawbacks such as high mobility of the injected water. Therefore, mechanisms involved in the flow of polymer in the reservoirs need to be well understood and modeled. An important phenomenon affecting the flow of polymer in the oil reservoirs is polymer adsorption on reservoir rock. In fractured reservoirs, the polymer is adsorbed both in the matrix and the fracture. Miscalculation of the amount of adsorbed polymer results in the miscalculation of the fracture permeability on one hand, and concentration of dissolved polymer on the other. This, in turn, leads to over- or under-estimation of polymer injection performance in fractured reservoirs. An important tool for simulating fractured reservoirs is dual-porosity models. The models, however, may not correctly estimate polymer adsorption in fractures. This is attributable to the assumptions used in the dual-porosity model and the nature of adsorption. The present study attempts to improve the way this phenomenon is modeled by dual-porosity models. A new parameter called “pseudo-density” is defined here to replace the density of the fracture cells in the dual-porosity model for polymer adsorption. Then, a hypothetical reservoir is simulated using this new parameter, and the results of the two simulations, one with density and the other with pseudo-density, are compared in terms of three parameters, including the polymer adsorbed in the reservoir, the polymer dissolved in the aqueous phase, and the polymer produced in the reservoir. The results show that using pseudo-density instead of rock density decreases the required polymer amount to reach the maximum polymer concentration. Consequently, polymer solution viscosity and permeability reduction are increased. Furthermore, it results in increasing the polymer production compared to the conventional dual-porosity models.

Design and Performance Analysis of Spiral Solar Water Heater Using Iron Plate/Sand Absorber for Domestic Use

The sun which is all energy sources, in today's society, hot water is used for various purposes starting from household to power production. People are adopting various ways to accomplish these goals, such as firewood heat and electrical power, so solar energy is an alternative to the dwindling resources of fossil fuels. Conversion of solar radiation into heat is one of the simplest and most direct applications of this energy, it can be used to heat water systems. A widely used flat-plate solar collector. In this study we have come to heat water using solar energy. This research presents the design and experimental analysis for using Spiral Flow Solar Water Heater (SFSWH) to enhance the thermal efficiency of a flat plate solar collector. Where a solar water heater consists of a copper tube in the shape of a spiral is fixed on an iron flat plate as an absorber. The experiment also includes the selection quality of the paint used to dye the absorbent surface. In May at Fallujah (33.34ºN, 43.8ºE), the thermal performance was calculated. The maximum temperature difference in the storage tank of about 18 ℃ for (SFSWH) during the experimental time was obtained. The efficiency of the collector was obtained is about (80.11%). Where it gives an increase (40 %) in its efficiency compared to published values.

Immobilised microalgae simultaneously treat wastewater and produce biomass for biofuel production

ABSTRACT Increased global consumption of water, wastewater discharges and municipal solid waste creation have had negative environmental consequences. Sustainable strategies for wastewater treatment including bioremediation approaches are investigated for the treatment of wastewater. The advantages of using microalgae for this purpose are twofold: one, they significantly remove/recycle the nutrients and secondly, generate useful biomass which can subsequently be used for biofuel production. Increased global warming, depletion of fossil fuels resources has highlighted the importance of microalgae as potential sources for biomass generation. The current study investigates the use of immobilised microalgae (Desmodesmus subspicatus) as an alternative approach for wastewater treatment and to avoid the loss of biomass. This study explains the efficiency of an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) tank, wetland tank, and immobilised algal cells in nutrient uptake, carbon compounds utilisation, metals, and biological organisms’ removal from sewage wastewater. The study also focuses on the use of algal biomass for lipid production. Results showed that maximum significant nitrogen and phosphorus uptake was observed after immobilised cells treatment (84% and 86% respectively). Maximum carbon compounds utilisation in the form of alkalinity, carbonates, bicarbonates, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) was calculated at day 12 (58%, 59%, 62%, 87% and 52% respectively). Results showed that maximum reduction in metal ions and biological organism of sewage wastewater were attained after treating with immobilised cells. At effluent of sewage water, algal cell production was 13.57 × 106 cells/ml using sewage water as media, and lipid content was 20.31%. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic analysis of lipid revealed that they had compounds that play important role in biofuel production. Immobilised D. subspicatus can be efficiently utilised to simultaneously treat sewage wastewater as well as in the production of biofuel by using algal biomass.

Interplay between urbanization and ecological footprints: Differential roles of indigenous and foreign innovations in ASEAN-4

The ASEAN-4 countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand are experiencing increasing ecological footprints and shrinking biocapacity due to high urbanization rate, heavy reliance on traditional innovations and extensive use of fossil-fuel resources. In these economies, urban areas are the centers of gravity for economic activities and resource consumption. Against this backdrop, the primary interest of this study is to analyze the non-linear effect of urbanization on ecological footprints while considering the differential roles of indigenous and foreign innovations during 1980–2017. The results of Auto regressive distributed leg test uncover that urbanization and ecological footprints do not exhibit an inverted U-shape curve in both short-run and long-run across ASEAN-4. The impact of urbanization recorded relatively higher on ecological footprints in Indonesia and Thailand. Both indigenous and foreign innovations are not conducive to ecological footprints in ASEAN-4. For control variables, population, economic growth and non-renewable energy significantly increase ecological footprints while renewable energy yields rebound effect. These results are also verified by fully modified ordinary least square and dynamic ordinary least square tests. Also, bidirectional causality confirmed between urbanization and ecological footprints in these countries. Finally, several important policy implications are documented aimed at confronting the mounting threat of ecological footprints in these countries.

Use of Clean Energy and Reduction of Environmental Pollution in Developing Countries

In recent years, the growth of science and technologyhas changed the use of various methods of energy thatwere common in the pre-industrial revolution, and theknowledge of clean energy sources has created a greatchange in industrial development and human social evolution.The strong dependence of developing countries onenergy resources, especially fossil fuels, and their excessiveuse and consumption will quickly deplete the manyresources that have accumulated underground overthe centuries. Burning all the fossil fuels in the world isequivalent to four days of solar radiation energy on theearth, and in this sense, the solar energy is a high importantsource of clean energy. Due to the fact that fossil fuelresources are consumed very quickly, these resourceswill be depleted in a short time. The current generationhas a duty to turn to endless sources of energy and expandtheir knowledge to exploit these energy sources.

Mini review on H2 production from electrochemical water splitting according to special nanostructured morphology of electrocatalysts

Hydrogen is one of the most promising alternative energy resources of fossil fuels. Among the many ways to generate hydrogen gas, electrochemical water splitting is more feasible and renewable. Compared to processes using solar energy for a specific geological environment or thermochemical decomposition at high temperatures, the electrocatalysis of water can produce hydrogen without the restriction of geological conditions and scale-up facilities. Water is one of the most renewable and sustainable resources to obtain hydrogen. On the other hand, water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen is thermodynamically unfavorable under the atmospheric condition. Therefore, novel materials are needed to produce hydrogen from water splitting using electrocatalysts. Recently, various state-of-the-art technologies and catalysts have been developed in the electrocatalysis of water to produce hydrogen. Among the litany of novel materials, according to the preparation method and morphology of electrocatalysts, the hydrogen production efficiency from water splitting shows great differences. This paper recently reported efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting using multi-component catalysts composed of several metals, organic polymer, metal sulfides, and metal phosphides. In addition, the essential principles for an investigation regarding more efficient hybrid electrocatalysts for water splitting as a renewable and sustainable hydrogen producing method can be determined.

Conversion of Methanol to Olefins over Modified OSDA-Free CHA Zeolite Catalyst

Methanol to olefins (MTO) is an essential process that produces olefins from both renewable and fossil fuels resources. Chabazite (CHA) is an efficient catalyst for MTO process due to its distinct properties that promote light olefins (i.e., ethylene and propylene) production. Herein, we report a series of chabazite-based catalysts (OSDA-free with enhanced textural properties) that facilitate the MTO reaction. The synthesized CHA was modified by steam injection (CHA-S), acid treatment (CHA-A), steam and acid treatment (CHA-SA), and metal incorporation (CHA-SA (Mg), CHA-SA (Ca), and CHA-SA (Ba)). The catalysts were characterized by several characterization techniques. The structure was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance, while the morphology and physical properties were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, and ammonia temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD). The catalysts were evaluated at 450 °C until deactivation. CHA modified by only acid treatment showed higher selectivity to olefins from ca. 92 to 95 wt.% but suffered quick deactivation. CHA modified with both steam and then acid treatment was more stable in the MTO process.

Short review on heteropoly acid based catalyst for valorization of biomass waste into valueable chemicals

Depletion of fossil fuels resources has triggered more research on finding potential alternative sources that are more sustainable such as biomass waste. However, deconstruction of the complex biomass waste into desired products is too challenging and usually require a strong catalyst with a great hydrolysing property. Common acids such as sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid were the most studies for biomass conversion. These liquid acids catalysts suffer low recovery and recyclability that can be overcome by a solid acid catalyst. Heteropoly acid (HPA) catalyst is the preferred choice to replace these common acid catalysts as it is known to have a strong Bronsted acid site with an oxidizing property that allows this catalyst to hydrolyse and oxidize in one-step reaction. Furthermore, heteropoly acid (HPA) catalyst can be modified into heterogenous type of catalyst by solidifying HPA to increase the surface area and recyclability. Future work of this research is necessary to improvise the previous method of the catalyst preparation and to suppress the by-products after the catalytic process. In this review, we summarize the use of HPA catalyst in the complex reaction process of biomass conversion to valuable chemical products.

Performance of Hybrid Renewable Energy Power System for a Residential Building

Abstract Using fossil fuels as the primary way to generate electricity causes a significant effect on the environment. In 2019, more than 64% of the electricity in the United States of America was generated using fossil-fuel resources, while renewable energy (RE) resources contributed to only 17% of the U.S. electricity generation for the same year. Due to the complex terrain distribution of many states in the U.S., a massive opportunity of utilizing RE resources in rural and remote areas can reduce the cost of electrical grid installation for such areas. In this study, a typical residential building with an average energy utilization of 30.25 kWh/day with a demand peak of 5.34 kW was considered a case study in each state to optimize a hybrid RE system and find the best alternative electrical grid system. This study presents the best configuration between solar and wind energy with different types of energy storage. It was discovered the photovoltaic (PV) solar panels—diesel generators with battery best services in all states. The daily radiation and diesel prices substantially affect the levelized cost of energy (COE) values in each state.

Effect of nano-particles concentrations on the energy and exergy efficiency improvement of indirect-injection diesel engine

Restricted resources of fossil fuels together with exhaust-gas emissions dilemma led to looking for the promising solutions to increase the engine’s efficiency and decrease the fuel consumption. Substituting the biodiesel instead of diesel oil as well as using additives, have been introduced as reliable solutions to increase the engine efficiency and reduce the emissions. In this experimental work, the various concentrations of cerium oxide nano-particles (i.e. 60 ppm, 90 ppm and 120 ppm) were added to diesel/biodiesel fuel blend and their effects on energy and exergy efficiency are examined on the single cylinder in-direct injection diesel engine. Results revealed that B0W5N60 (diesel containing 5% water and 60 ppm NPs) has 2.5% higher brake thermal efficiency compared to pure diesel. Also, B0W5N90 and B0W5N120 lead to 3.8% and 4.7% improvement in brake thermal efficiency compared to diesel, respectively. By adding the nano-particles into the fuel samples, brake specific fuel consumption is enhanced; Results indicated that brake specific fuel consumption of B0W5N120 and B5W5N90 are 1.05% and 0.42% lower than that of B5W5N60, respectively. Increasing the nano-particles concentration has the increasingly effect on the exergy efficiency for all amounts of biodiesel. For B0 fueling cases, the maximum exergy efficiency of the engine belongs to the B0W5N120 (36.6%) while minimum amount is assigned to the B0W15N60 (31%).

Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat Pumps

Gas-fired heat pumps are a potential replacement for condensing boilers, utilizing fossil-fuel resources more efficiently and reducing the amount of biogas or hydrogen required in sustainable gas grids. However, their adoption has been limited due to their large size and high capital cost, resulting in long payback times. For adsorption-based heat pumps, the major development challenge is to maximize the rate of heat transfer to the adsorbent, whilst minimizing the thermal mass. This work develops a modular finned-tube carbon–ammonia adsorption generator that incorporates the adsorbent in highly compacted 3-mm layers between aluminum fins. Manufacturing techniques that are amenable to low cost and high-volume production were developed. The module was tested using the large temperature jump (LTJ) method and achieved a time constant for adsorption and desorption of 50 s. The computational model predicted that if incorporated into two adsorption generators of 6 L volume each, they could be used to construct a gas-fired heat pump with a 10 kW heat output and a gas utilization efficiency (GUE, the ratio of useful heat output to higher calorific value of gas used) of 1.2.

Use of diesel and emulsified diesel in CI engine: A comparative analysis of engine characteristics.

Despite a number of efforts to evaluate the utility of water-diesel emulsions (WED) in CI engine to improve its performance and reduce its emissions in search of alternative fuels to combat the higher prices and depleting resources of fossil fuels, no consistent results are available. Additionally, the noise emissions in the case of WED are not thoroughly discussed which motivated this research to analyze the performance and emission characteristics of WED. Brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) were calculated at 1600 rpm within 15%-75% of the load range. Similarly, the contents of NOx, CO, and HC, and level of noise and smoke were measured varying the percentage of water from 2% to 10% gradually for all values of loads. BTE in the case of water emulsified diesel was decreased gradually as the percentage of water increased accompanied by a gradual increase in BSFC. Thus, WED10 showed a maximum 13.08% lower value of BTE while BSFC was increased by 32.28%. However, NOx emissions (21.8%) and smoke (48%) were also reduced significantly in the case of WED10 along with an increase in the emissions of HC and CO and noise. The comparative analysis showed that the emulsified diesel can significantly reduce the emission of NOx and smoke, but it has a negative impact on the performance characteristics and HC, CO, and noise emissions which can be mitigated by trying more fuels variations such as biodiesel and using different water injection methods to decrease dependency on fossil fuels and improve the environmental impacts of CI engines.

Advocating a just transition in Appalachia: Civil society and industrial change in a carbon-intensive region

Whereas research to date has focused on the role of governments and unions in leading just transition initiatives, this study explores the role of a broad range of civil society actors. It focuses on the central Appalachian region in the U.S. (Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia), which has significant fossil-fuel resources. Based on an analysis of 98 initiatives related to a just transition led by 70 civil society organizations during the 2010–2020 period, the study contributes to the just transitions literature by showing the role of non-labor civil society in defining and motivating a just transition in the context of resistance from actors associated with fossil-fuel industries. The study develops a framework for researching just transitions that is based on two sets of goals: societal change (democracy and equity) and sociotechnical system change (support for renewable energy and energy efficiency and opposition to fossil-fuel extraction and pollution). Results from the comparative and network analyses indicate that the four goal types are not equally represented and that civil society organizations tend to specialize with respect to the goals, with only a few organizations providing bridges across the goals. Implications for strategy for funders and advocacy organizations are discussed.

Impacts of Changes in Atmospheric O2 on Human Physiology. Is There a Basis for Concern?

Concern is often voiced over the ongoing loss of atmospheric O2. This loss, which is caused by fossil-fuel burning but also influenced by other processes, is likely to continue at least for the next few centuries. We argue that this loss is quite well understood, and the eventual decrease is bounded by the fossil-fuel resource base. Because the atmospheric O2 reservoir is so large, the predicted relative drop in O2 is very small even for extreme scenarios of future fossil-fuel usage which produce increases in atmospheric CO2 sufficient to cause catastrophic climate changes. At sea level, the ultimate drop in oxygen partial pressure will be less than 2.5 mm Hg out of a baseline of 159 mmHg. The drop by year 2300 is likely to be between 0.5 and 1.3 mmHg. The implications for normal human health is negligible because respiratory O2 consumption in healthy individuals is only weakly dependent on ambient partial pressure, especially at sea level. The impacts on top athlete performance, on disease, on reproduction, and on cognition, will also be very small. For people living at higher elevations, the implications of this loss will be even smaller, because of a counteracting increase in barometric pressure at higher elevations due to global warming.

Development of hybrid renewable energy for maximum power transfer for distributed computing

A crucial role for both energy storage and gas will mitigate the unpredictability inherent in renewable energy sources. A rapidly-escalating trend toward substituting renewable energy resources (RES) for fossil fuels (FCs) is part of societal change and progression. RES is the primary target of the new energy internet since it's meant to help diversify away from old fossil fuel energy sources while also increasing RES energy efficiency to the full degree. RES is often abandoned in northern China, particularly in the warm season. While most people today utilize severely filthy coal-fired heating, clean-burning natural gas is increasing in popularity. In contrast to a carbon-based heating system, a clean heating system employs surplus RES, replaced by carbon-based means to satisfy heat demand. The usage of dependable heating services, distributed heat storage devices, and thermal power support must provide stable and consistent home heating. More advanced versions of this technology would result in wasteful use of resources since they include a combined electricity-heat energy system, which may be bigger or smaller. The research provides an optimum planning approach to maximize the size of clean heat and electrical heating devices and thermal storage devices while also reducing fossil energy use. The Western Inner Mongolia Power Grid simulation finally depicts the operational conditions and optimization findings of the system. It appears extremely necessary to raise the rate of renewable energy utilization and maximize economic income currently. This study suggests a strategy for using renewable energy as a valuable tool in organizing and controlling a complex energy mix. According to empirical research, the optimization approach successfully reduces microgrid costs while increasing renewable energy utilization.

Social Aspects of Energy Production from Renewable Sources

The increased demand for energy determines the need to search for its next sources. One of them could be renewable energy sources, whose importance is increasing, among others, due to the limited resources of fossil fuels. In addition, renewable energy production has many benefits, mainly environmental and economic. Moreover, the social aspects associated with it cannot be ignored. The aim of this work was to discuss selected social benefits resulting from the production of renewable energy. Among the most important advantages of renewable energy sources is their local aspect, since energy production solves many regional problems, mainly related to its transport. The issue of energy security is also essential. In the case of biofuel production, the possibility of involving waste in energy production is extremely beneficial. The use of renewable energy itself directly affects the improvement of the environment, which in turn has a positive effect on people. Nowadays, sustainable development is one of the most critical challenges of humanity. These activities are closely related to the use of renewable energy sources. It is important to pay attention not only to subjects related to the environmental and economic aspects but also the impact of renewable energy sources on society.

Australia: Regulatory, Human Rights and Economic Challenges and Opportunities of Large-Scale Mining Projects: A Case Study of the Carmichael Coal Mine

Using the Carmichael coal mine as a case study, this paper explores and analyses the current challenges and potentials of the Australian regulatory framework in designing policies that balance the direct local economic benefits with global environmental concerns and a global common vision about how to manage mining development and energy security challenges). In this effort, it evaluates the current Australian regulatory framework for mining projects, based on two hypotheses: 1) the development of large-scale mining energy projects linked to fossil-fuel resources creates legal challenges; 2) these legal challenges should be analysed in an interdisciplinary approach from both local and global perspectives on law, economics and socio-politics.

Decisive role of vacuum-assisted carbonization in valorization of lignin-enriched (Juglans regia-shell) biowaste

Bioenergy is considered a sustainable substitute to fossil-fuel resources and the development of a prudent combination of renewable and innovative conversion technologies are essential for the valorization and effective conversion of biowaste to value-added commodities. Here, a negative pressure-induced carbonization process was proposed for the valorization of lignin-enriched biowaste precursor to bio-oil and environmental materials (biochar) at various temperatures. The high heating values (HHV) of the as-prepared biochars from the lignin enriched precursor under negative pressure (low-medium vacuum) were within 25.9–31.5 MJ/kg, which matched satisfactorily to the commercial charcoal. Whereas, the bio-oils produced from the lignin enriched precursor under vacuum conditions was a blend of complex aromatic and straight-chain hydro-carbons, including aldehyde, ketone, phenol, and furans, exhibiting ability as potential heating-oil with HHV within 21.2–28.2 MJ/kg. Moreover, the biochars produced under vacuum environments at higher temperature showed greater stability (22.5–35.9%) than those produced under N2 atmosphere.

Livestock enterprises waste utilization for heat system supply to rural buildings in Yakutia

In recent years, interest in issues of using natural energy sources significantly increased due to limited resources of fossil fuels and state missions of environment protection from pollution. One of the main areas of the researches is heating and hot water supply system development for country house using heat pump systems (HPS) based on non-traditional power sources in moderate climate conditions.

Exploring Simplified Methods for Insect Chitin Extraction and Application as a Potential Alternative Bioethanol Resource.

Simple SummaryThe studies on chitin utilization as a source for bioethanol production are still very few. The present study explores some simple methods for insect chitin extraction and application in bioethanol production. Using insect chitin in bioethanol production, may help decreasing the dependence on energy crops as a carbon source for bioethanol. Fungal strains of Mucor circinelloides were reported previously to bio-convert chitin directly to ethanol in submerged fermentation systems. In our study, we explored the bioconversion of insect chitin to bioethanol using two different strains of Mucor circinelloides in submerged fermentation systems. An insect-isolated M. circinelloides strain was found to bio-convert the extracted chitin directly to ethanol in submerged fermentation system. The source of strain isolation and the pH of the production medium were showed to influence the chitin bioconversion directly to bioethanol. All fermentation processes can be conducted easily, using the whole growing microorganism instead of using purified enzymes. These results highlight the insect biomass as a potential new, cheap and renewable source for bioethanol production simply, using a potent insect-isolated M. circinelloides strain.Chitin, the second most plentiful biopolymer in nature, is a major component of insect cuticle. In searching for alternative resources for fossil fuels, some fungal strains of Mucor circinelloides from an insect-source were found to produce bioethanol directly using insect chitin as a substrate. Herein, simplified methods for insect chitin extraction and application as a substrate in submerged fermentation for bioethanol production were explored. Chitin of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana (L.)) was isolated by refluxing the cockroaches dried exoskeletons with 4% NaOH. The purity of the extracted chitin was assessed to be high when the physicochemical properties of the extracted chitin matched these of commercially available crab and shrimp samples. The extracted chitin was employed as a substrate in submerged fermentation using two strains of M. circinelloides. One of these, strains M. circinelloides 6017 showed immense potential for bioethanol production directly. It could to bio-transform 15 g/L of colloidal chitin directly to 11.22 ± 0.312 g/L of bioethanol (74% of the initial chitin mass) after 6 days of incubation. These results confirm the possibility of using insect biomass as a potential alternative resource for bioethanol production in a simple manner thus contributing to the creation of an alternate energy source.