Future Fuels Research Articles

Mathematical Model for the Placement of Hydrogen Refueling Stations to Support Future Fuel Cell Trucks

Fuel cell- and electric-powered trucks are promising technologies for zero-emission heavy-duty transportation. Recently, Fuel Cell Trucks (FCT) have gained wider acceptance as the technology of choice for long-distance trips due to their lighter weight and shorter fueling time than electric-powered trucks. Broader adoption of Fuel Cell Trucks (FCT) requires planning strategies for locating future hydrogen refueling stations (HRS), especially for fleets that transport freight along intercity and inter-country highways. Existing mathematical models of HRS placement often focus on inner-city layouts, which make them inadequate when studying the intercity and intercountry FCT operation scale of FCT. Furthermore, the same models rarely consider decentralized hydrogen production from renewable energy sources, essential for decarbonizing the transportation sector. This paper proposes a mathematical model to guide the planning of the hydrogen infrastructure to support future long-haul FCTs. First, the model uses Geographic Information System (GIS) data to determine the HRS’s optimal number and location placement. Then, the model categorizes and compares potential hydrogen production sources, including off-site delivery and on-site solar-to-hydrogen production. The proposed model is illustrated through a case study of the west coastal area of the United States (from Baja California, Mexico to British Colombia, Canada). Different geospatial scenarios were tested, ranging from the current operational distance of FCEV (250km) and future releases of hydrogen FCT (up to 1,500km). Results highlight the capabilities of the model in identifying the number and location of the HRS based on operation distances, in addition to determining the optimal hydrogen production technology for each HRS. The findings also confirm the viability of green hydrogen production through solar energy, which could play a critical role in a low-carbon transportation future.

Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol under mild conditions.

In the context of a carbon neutral economy, catalytic CO2 hydrogenation to methanol is one crucial technology for CO2 mitigation providing solutions for manufacturing future fuels, chemicals, and materials. However, most of the presently known catalyst systems are used at temperatures over 220 °C, which limits the theoretical yield of methanol production due to the exothermic nature of this transformation. In this review, we summarize state-of-the-art catalysts, focusing on the rationales behind, for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol at temperatures lower than 170 °C. Both hydrogenation with homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts is covered. Typically, additives (alcohols, amines or aminoalcohols) are used to transform CO2 into intermediates, which can further be reduced into methanol. In the first part, molecular catalysts are discussed, organized into: (1) monofunctional, (2) M/NH bifunctional, and (3) aromatization-dearomatization bifunctional molecular catalysts. In the second part, heterogeneous catalysts are elaborated, organized into: (1) metal/metal or metal/support, (2) active-site/N or active-site/OH bifunctional heterogeneous catalysts, and (3) cooperation of catalysts and additives in a tandem process via crucial intermediates. Although many insights have been gained in this transformation, in particular for molecular catalysts, the mechanisms in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts remain descriptive and insights unclear.

Retracted: Algae Oil: A Sustainable Renewable Fuel of Future

Retracted: Algae Oil: A Sustainable Renewable Fuel of Future

Chemical and electrochemical corrosion studies of ricinus communis oil based poly(urethane-ricinoleamide) coatings

In view of the depletion and possible exhaust of fossil fuels in near future, enormous increase in the cost of petroleum products and production of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by synthetic polymers and their application, the proposed article reports the development of sustainable resource based high performance Ricinus communis oil (Castor Oil) [RC] poly(urethane-ricinoleamide) [PUR] corrosion resistant coatings on mild steel. The physico-mechanical properties were investigated using standard methods. The corrosion resistance performance of PUR coatings was evaluated by weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in acid (3.5 wt% HCl) and alkaline (3.5 wt% NaOH) mediums. The weight loss measurement was also carried out under tap water (Cl- ion 63 mg/l; Conductivity 0.953 mS/A). Salt mist test (5 wt% NaCl) was performed on these coatings. The effect of additional –OH functionality of RC oil on the corrosion resistance performance of PUR coatings was also discussed. These investigations reveal that the PUR coatings provide protection to the mild steel by reducing the corrosion current density by 104 times as compare to bare MS. These coatings also exhibits higher corrosion resistance performance as compared to other reported sustainable resource based coating systems, hence show good potential for their commercial application.

Catalytic Performance Study of Ptni-Nanowires for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) with Temperature-Controlled Experiments in Alkaline Medium

Fuel cells (FC) are emerging technologies that will eventually sustain energy demands replacing fossil fuels. However, the Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) behaves sluggishly in acidic medium, where actual commercialization of FC concentrates. An alternative is to use alkaline environment were the ORR have demonstrated great activity using less expensive metals, replacing the more frequent catalyst, Pt/C. In this study we focused our interests in PtNi-nanowires (NWs), based on the promotive results that Ni offers to Pt on it's d valency. Moreover, the addition of Ni will lower the cost of the catalyst. Preliminary results demonstrated current densities of ~ 5 mA/cm2 with an E1/2 = 0.85 V for the PtNi-NWs at 1,600 rpm and 0.100 (mgPt/cm2) in alkaline medium at (25.00 ± 0.01) °C. Additionally, the number of electrons was calculated using the Koutecký-Levich analysis with and without temperature-controlled instrumentation resulting in n= 3.79 ± 0.05 and n=3.99 ± 0.05, respectively. Furthermore, durability experiments demonstrated that the PtNi-NWs maintained optimal catalytic activity for ORR along 10,000 cycles. The initial reported E1/2 was of 0.817 V and after 10,000 cycles E1/2 = 0.812 V, this represents a remarkable 5mV change in the E1/2. Operando X-ray spectroscopy (XAS) electrochemical were completed to evaluate changes in electronic structure for Ni and Pt. Results showed that the white line of Pt L3 edge in the PtNi-NWs changed while the electrochemical potential was lowered to negatives values. Showing changes in the electronic structure of Pt. The results presented here suggest that PtNi-NWs is a sustainable catalyst for the ORR in alkaline medium and that it can be consider for future Alkaline Fuel Cells (AFCs) experiments.

Solar Trees: Shift from Grey to Green Sky for Future Fuel Pumps under Clean/Green Energy: India

Clean/green energy embraces renewable resources like bio, geo, hydro, oceanic, solar, and aeolian power. They are utilized in energy generation, heating and cooling processes, transport, domestic and urban niches. India has aimed to rise in its per capita energy use to rise by 40%, and emission cut/GDP pledge by 33-35% till 2030 compared to 2005 level by building extra carbon sink 2.5-3.0 billion MT CO2e by targeting renewable source to 175GW (100GW of Solar) by 2022. The killer SARSCoV-2 virus has the target and the clean/green energy growth. The reduction of CO2 has been depleted due to industrial, urban and transportation shut downs and the 2019 grey sky has converted old blue environment, Solar power plants considered to be best remedy for apocalyptic. The Solar tree or Solar Parks concept is novel and the most easy, economic and commercial method that can have utilities in all development sector. The work envisages the design by MATLAB (Simulink simulated). The fabrication of solar trees of 180 watt capacity in workshop including has been tested under different solar insulations. The result inferred that the solar tree can be a part to solar park, installed at fallow/hilly terrains in less area, low cost by 18.51%, with higher power generation by sustaining the environment serve as real trees. The solar trees near National Highways shall sell/hire batteries on commercial basis like fuel pumps and gas cylinders for supply to e-vehicles.

Flexible High-pressure Dual-fuel Injector for Future Fuels

Flexible High-pressure Dual-fuel Injector for Future Fuels

Velocity Field Measurements with High Speed Structural Image Velocimetry in the Primary Atomization Region of Future Diesel Fuels

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Fuel spray breakup in combustion engines and hence all following processes are determined by the primary atomization. Due to high optical densities as well as high velocities and structures in the μm-range, the measurement of sprays in the near nozzle region is extremely challenging. Therefore, the processes of the primary breakup are not fully understood yet, although these processes are very important for simulation of spray atomization. One important property of a spray is the velocity distribution close to the nozzle outlet. With the newly developed Structural Image Velocimetry (SIV) technique it is possible to visualize spray structures in the near nozzle region and track them via cross-correlation algorithms, so that two-dimensional velocity fields of the spray can be derived. The initial SIV technique is improved with a new high-speed setup, allowing to observe also the temporal behavior of the spray velocities during the injection. Within this work, velocities of potential future diesel fuels were measured under engine relevant conditions with a variation of fuel pressure, fuel temperature and gas pressure based on the ECN Spray A conditions. Velocity fields of Oxymethlyenether 3-5 (OME) as an E-Fuel and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a Bio-Fuel were measured and compared with Gas-to-Liquid Diesel (GTL) as a reference fuel. For constant fuel pressures, the velocity distribution for OME shows significantly different values than for GTL and HVO, having about 15 % lower values and much lower deceleration behavior in downstream direction. Obviously the OME spray has a weaker air-fuel interaction. This can be attributed to a lower density leading to reduced nozzle outlet velocities and a lower Weber number.</div></div>

Comparative study on ethyl butanoate reactivity – Experimental investigation and kinetic modeling of the C6 ethyl ester

Ethyl butanoate is a representative for oxygenated hydrocarbons as they are discussed as future liquid fuels from sustainable production pathways. An in-depth understanding of the influence of oxygen on the reactivity of those fuel candidates is mandatory for the molecular design and their application in internal combustion engines. Towards this goal, ignition delay times for ethyl butanoate were measured at conditions relevant to internal combustion engines using a shock tube and a rapid compression machine. These experiments were conducted for stoichiometric mixtures with air-like conditions at pressures of 20, 30 and 40 bar and a total temperature range of 680–1260 K. A negative temperature coefficient regime was found where the ignition delay times increased with increasing temperatures for all covered pressures. To further understand the kinetics of ethyl butanoate and the influence of the ester functional group, a detailed kinetic mechanism was developed and validated against the measured ignition delay times. A good agreement between the measured data and the prediction by the newly developed mechanism was achieved. The findings of this work were then used to compare ethyl butanoate to di-ethyl carbonate, methyl pentanoate and n-heptane, which also show a seven-heavy-atom-membered main chain and have all been kinetically studied before. The differences between the molecular structures and their effect on the kinetic pathways was discussed to extract information for future fuel design. It was found that especially the inhibting effect of oxgen atoms on six-membered internal H-atom migration reactions has a significant impact on the fuel’s reactivity.

Technical potential of on-site wind powered hydrogen producing refuelling stations in the Netherlands

This study assesses the technical potential of wind turbines to be installed next to existing fuelling stations in order to produce hydrogen. Hydrogen will be used for Fuel Cell Vehicle refuelling and feed-in existing local gas grids. The suitable fuelling stations are selected through a GIS assessment applying buffer zones and taking into account risks associated with wind turbine installation next to built-up areas, critical infrastructures and ecological networks. It was found that 4.6% of existing fuelling stations are suitable. Further, a hydrogen production potential assessment was made using weather station datasets, land cover data and was expressed as potential future Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle demand coverage. It was found that for a 30% FCEV drivetrain scenario, these stations can produce 2.3% of this demand. Finally, a case study was made for the proximity of those stations in existing gas distribution grids.

ReaxFF-based molecular dynamics study of bio-derived polycyclic alkanes as potential alternative jet fuels

This work investigates the initial stages of the pyrolysis of HtH-1 (C18H32; 2,2,7,7,8a,8b-hexamethyl-dodecahydrobiphenylene) and HtH-2 (C18H34; 1,1′,3,3,3′,3′-hexamethyl-1,1′-bi(cyclohexane)), which are bio-derived polycyclic alkanes and potential jet fuels, using ReaxFF force field based molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Global Arrhenius parameters, such as activation energies and pre-exponential factors, are calculated and used to analyze the overall decomposition kinetics of the fuels. HtH-1 decomposes faster than HtH-2 at the same temperature and density conditions, and they have a faster decomposition rate compared to some existing jet-fuels, such as JP-10. A systematic reaction analysis framework developed in this work is applied to determine a temperature-dependent decomposition mechanism. At lower temperature, the central C–C bond connecting the two cyclohexane rings is dominantly broken in both HtH-1 and HtH-2. However, C-CH3 bond breaking becomes dominant with increasing temperature due to the large increase in entropy during this reaction. Major products from HtH-1 are C5H8 and C4H8, and those from HtH-2 are C4H8 and C2H4. The major products predict that HtH-1 has a higher sooting tendency than HtH-2, which is consistent with measurements. The impact of HtH-2 on the pyrolysis of HtH-1 is also investigated in their binary mixtures. HtH-1 and HtH-2 decompose by unimolecular reactions, and they rarely interact with each other during the pyrolysis of the mixtures. This work demonstrates that ReaxFF can be used to investigate pyrolysis and combustion chemistry of existing or future fuels and to contribute to the development of their chemical kinetic models without any a priori input and chemical intuition.

POTENSI PEMANFAATAN ATAP GEDUNG UNTUK PLTS DI KANTOR DINAS PEKERJAAN UMUM, PERUMAHAN DAN ENERGI SUMBER DAYA MINERAL (PUP-ESDM) PROVINSI DAERAH ISTIMEWA YOGYAKARTA

Electricity consumption in Indonesia from year to year has increased. The sales of PLN 2018 electricity in 234,617.88 GWh covering industrial sector, household sector, commercial sector, and public sector. While electrical energy consumption in D. I. Yogyakarta in 2018 of 2,857.06 GWh covering household sector, industrial sector, business sector, social sector, government office building sector and public street lighting. In fulfilling the demand of electrical energy, Yogyakarta installed power plant consists of PLTMH, PLTBm, PLTS and PLTHybrid with an installed capacity of 4.84 MW so that electricity in Yogyakarta is supplied from the interconnection network of Java-Madura-Bali. Energy resources used by interconnection networks generally use fossil energy (coal). Therefore we need a substitute for future fossil fuels. Utilization of renewable energy is one of the solar energy optimizations that can be applied to urban areas. The building sector consumes up to 40% of total annual energy. One of the buildings that can apply the utilization of renewable energy is the office building PUP-ESDM D. I. Yogyakarta. This research aims to know the potential power generated from the PLTS roofing if it is built on the office building Public Works, housing and Energy Mineral resources (PUP-ESDM) D. I. Yogyakarta. Research is conducted by conducting energy simulations using the HelioScope software. Simulated results show the east side of Building 1, the east side of Building 2, the east side of Building 3, the west side of Building 2 and the north side of Building 2 is the optimal location of photovoltaics. The Total energy potential generated from these five roofs is 73,484.5 kWh/year and is able to supply the energy needs of the PUP-ESDM office by 74.42%.

Catalytic Performance Study of Ptni-Nanowires for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) with Temperature-Controlled Experiments in Alkaline Medium

Fuel cells (FC) are emerging technologies that will eventually sustain energy demands replacing fossil fuels. However, the Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) behaves sluggishly in acidic medium, were actual commercialization of FC concentrates. An alternative is to use alkaline environment were the ORR have demonstrated great activity using non-precious metals, replacing the more frequent catalyst, Pt/C. In this study we focused our interests in PtNi-nanowires (NWs), based on the promotive results that Ni offers to Pt. Additionally the addition of Ni will lower the cost of the catalyst. Preliminary results demonstrated current densities of 4.5 mA/cm2 with an E1/2 = 0.817 V for the PtNi-NWs in alkaline medium at (25.00 ± 0.01) °C. Additionally, the number of electrons was calculated using the Koutecký-Levich analysis with and without temperature-controlled instrumentation resulting in n= 3.79 ± 0.05 and n=3.99 ± 0.05, respectively. Moreover, durability experiments demonstrated that the PtNi-NWs maintained optimal catalytic activity for ORR along 10,000 cycles. The initial reported E1/2 was of 0.817 V and after 10,000 cycles E1/2 = 0.812 V, this represents a remarkable 5mV change in the E1/2. The results presented here suggest that PtNi-NWs is a sustainable catalyst for the ORR in alkaline medium and that it can be consider for future Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (AEMFCs) studies.

Problem analysis of improving the environmental performance of public transport

The transport system of any locality raises a number of environmental problems: atmospheric, hydrological, lithosphere and noise pollution. Due to the fact that the exhaust gas of gasoline engines contains a large amount of harmful substances, many manufacturers of passenger transport do not consider gasoline as the fuel of the future and alternative fuels are increasingly being used in world practice. This paper analyzes the problem of improving the environmental performance of public transport, provides solutions to the problem of air pollution in various developed countries, formulates the most important criteria for the design of environmentally friendly buses and presents a hybrid bus model using an exhaust turbine running on ethanol, based on an analysis of the design city buses of various manufacturing companies.

Criteria and Decision Support for A Sustainable Choice of Alternative Marine Fuels

To reach the International Maritime Organization, IMO, vision of a 50% greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction by 2050, there is a need for action. Good decision support is needed for decisions on fuel and energy conversion systems due to the complexity. This paper aims to get an overview of the criteria types included in present assessments of future marine fuels, to evaluate these and to highlight the most important criteria. This is done using a literature review of selected scientific articles and reports and the authors’ own insights from assessing marine fuels. There are different views regarding the goal of fuel change, what fuel names to use as well as regarding the criteria to assess, which therefore vary in the literature. Quite a few articles and reports include a comparison of several alternative fuels. To promote a transition to fuels with significant GHG reduction potential, it is crucial to apply a life cycle perspective and to assess fuel options in a multicriteria perspective. The recommended minimum set of criteria to consider when evaluating future marine fuels differ somewhat between fuels that can be used in existing ships and fuels that can be used in new types of propulsion systems.

Hydrogen as Future Fuel for Gas Engines

Hydrogen as Future Fuel for Gas Engines

Future Renewable Fuel Mixes in Transport in Germany under RED II and Climate Protection Targets

With the Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001 (RED II), adopted in December 2018, the EU is continuing the political framework for the use of renewable energy sources in the transport sector for the period from 2021 to 2030. At the same time, the German federal government has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transport sector by at least 40% to 42% by 2030 compared to the 1990 GHG level. To investigate the possible effects of the European and national requirements on the German GHG quota, cost-optimal fuel mixes were modelled to achieve the GHG targets of 26 fuel options in each of the nine different scenarios. The results show clear differences between the scenarios that implement the RED II targets (including 14% renewables in transport by 2030) and those that implement the climate protection target (40–42% GHG reduction compared to 1990 by 2030). If only the minimum requirements of RED II are met, the German climate protection target is clearly missed without further measures. In order to achieve the climate protection target, a significant reduction in the final energy consumption in transport is required, as well as a very high GHG quota of 34.5%, meaning a high proportion of renewables of ca. 40% and using almost all the fuel options considered.

Transition towards sustainable transportation – What determines fuel choice?

For the transport sector to become more sustainable, substantial technological and behavioural changes are required. Increased understanding about household choices related to more green alternatives in transportation is needed in order for policy makers to make efficient policies in the future. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze which factors that determines the fuel choice between ethanol and gasoline for owners of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). We evaluate how the self-reported fuel choice is influenced by the relative price, as well as individual differences in norms and perceptions about environmental and quality attributes of ethanol. Data was collected through a survey sent to Swedish FFV owners and is analyzed in a binary choice and a LCM framework. Results show that price, perceptions about quality, age and environmental attitudes influence the self-reported willingness to choose ethanol. Furthermore, results show that preferences are not homogenous, three groups are identified; price conscious respondents, ethanol skeptical respondents and respondents with pronounced environmental concern. However, although the motive for introducing and subsidizing ethanol was to reduce climate and environmental impacts, the group that chooses ethanol based on climate and environmental motives is small. The results further reveal that the debate about motor damages from ethanol have had a long lasting effect on the willingness to choose ethanol. Thus, it is necessary to try to prevent or mitigate concerns regarding e.g. potential technical or ethical issues when promoting future technologies or fuels aimed at a sustainable transportation sector.

Integrated biorefinery process for sustainable fractionation of Ulva ohnoi (Chlorophyta): process optimization and revenue analysis

Blue economy, the sustainable and effective use of ocean resources for economic growth, is a major challenge to coastal communities. Marine macroalgae are potentially sustainable feedstock for future food, materials, chemicals, and fuels. For seaweed biorefinery, the fractionation of the biomass to co-produce multiple products is crucial in the efficient valorization of the marine biomass. In this work, we developed a protocol for co-production of six different products from the green macroalga Ulva ohnoi using green extraction methods. A total of 90.31 ± 1.94% of the initial biomass was recovered in separated products. The fraction of the recovered products from initial dry weight biomass was 45.42 ± 1.91% salts, 3.67 ± 1.38% starch, 3.81 ± 1.26% lipids, 13.88 ± 0.40% ulvan, 14.83 ± 1.06% proteins, and 8.70 ± 1.87% cellulose. A potential revenue analyses, based on these experimental data and current market prices, suggests that total the revenue fluctuates between US$1.56 and US$3.93 kg−1 of dry biomass and depends on recovered products fraction in the seaweed biomass and products market value.

Impact of process parameters and plant polysaccharide hydrolysates in cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei and Neurospora crassa under wheat bran based solid state fermentation

Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising feedstock for future renewable fuels. It constitutes a substantial renewable substrate for the production of value-added chemicals. Lignocellulosic materials mostly contain a mixture of polymers such as cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. Utilizing waste lignocellulosic materials such as agricultural residues, grasses, forestry wastes can significantly reduce the cost of raw materials. Optimization of significant process parameters is also a very important stage to develop an efficient and cost-effective bioprocess. The present paper describes the Box-Behnken design based optimization to evaluate the effects of various process parameters viz.temperature, pH, inoculum dosages, particle size, moisture percentage and incubation period on the production of cellulases by T. reesei NCIM 1186 and N. crassa NCIM 1021 under wheat bran based solid-state fermentation. It also portrays the utility of various plant polysaccharide hydrolysates such as boiled bagasse, bagasse, wheat straw, waste newspaper as well as starch hydrolysates in cellulase production.