Natural Gas Research Articles

KOH Activation Mechanism in the Preparation of Brewer’s Spent Grain-Based Activated Carbons

Understanding the mechanism of KOH activation in the preparation of activated carbon (AC) enables more efficient utilization of biomass. In this study, brewer’s spent grains (BSGs) were carbonized at 500 °C to produce biochar (BC), followed by KOH activation under different activation conditions. The gas and solid products generated during the activation process were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman analysis, a surface area and pore size analyzer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that increasing the KOH/BC ratio or the activation temperature could both promote gas production. XPS results indicated that the activator reacted first with -COOH and then with -OH of ACs, with AC5-700 having the highest C-OH content (50.04%). As the KOH/BC ratio increased, more aromatic structures were destroyed, and the porosity of ACs was significantly enhanced, with AC7-700 having the highest Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area (SBET) (2997.69 m2/g). At low temperatures, KOH reacted with the active groups of BC and carbon at the edge of the aromatic structure. At high temperatures, the activator (KOH, K2O, and K2CO3) reacted with carbon in the aromatic structure to generate a large number of pores on ACs and expand them. ACs exhibited more pores with higher KOH addition, and a higher activation temperature did not generate more new pores, but expanded the pores more significantly than high KOH addition.

Hydrogen-rich water 400ppb as a potential strategy for improving ruminant nutrition and mitigating methane emissions.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics and the dynamics of bacterial communities. The experiment included four treatment groups: a control (CON) and hydrogen-rich water (HRW) at 200, 400, and 800 ppb. Each group was analyzed at 12-hour (h) and 48-hour (h) time points with five replicates, totaling 40 samples. The experimental results highlighted the HRW800ppb group as the top production in terms of gas production and CH4 content. In contrast, the HRW200ppb group exhibited significantly lower methane levels at both 12h and 48h (P < 0.05). Regarding rumen fermentation, the HRW400ppb group significantly increased the levels of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and microbial crude protein (MCP) at 12h fermentation, but reduced the dry matter degradation rate (P < 0.05). After 48h, the HRW400ppb group had highest MCP content (P < 0.05), but no significant differences in NH3-N and dry matter degradation rate compared with the CON group (P > 0.05). Although HRW did not significantly benefit the synthesis of total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and individual VFA, the HRW800ppb group significantly increased the ratio of acetate to propionate (P < 0.05). Based on CH4 emissions and MCP synthesis, we selected the HRW400ppb group for subsequent bacterial community analysis. Bacterial community analysis showed that at 12h, compared with the CON group, the Bacterial community analysis revealed that the HRW400ppb group had significant increases in the Simpson index, Firmicutes, Streptococcus, Schwartzia, Prevotellaceae_YAB2003_group, and Oribacterium, and decreases in Prevotella, Ruminobacter, Succinivibrio, unclassified_Succinivibrionaceae, and Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 (P < 0.05). At 48h, the Prevotellaceae_YAB2003_group and Oribacterium abundances continued to rise significantly, while Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and Succiniclasticum abundances fell in the HRW400ppb group (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis indicated a negative link between CH4 and Streptococcus, and a positive correlation between the abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and CH4. Collectively, these results indicate that HRW can modulate rumen fermentation and microbial community structure to reduce methane emissions without significantly affecting VFA synthesis, highlighting its potential as drinking water for enhancing ruminant nutrition and mitigating the environmental impact of livestock farming.

Exploring the Application of Large Language Models Based AI Agents in Leakage Detection of Natural Gas Valve Chambers

Leakage problems occur from time to time due to the large number of equipment and complex processes during oil and gas production and transportation. The traditional detection methods highly depend on manpower with large workload and are prone to missed and false alarms, which seriously affects the efficiency and safety of oil and gas production and transportation. With the continuous improvement of information technology and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), the research on leakage detection technology based on AI methods has attracted more and more attention. This paper discusses the application scenarios of an AI agent based on the recently emerged large language model (LLM) technology in oil and gas production leakage detection: (1) Compared with the traditional leakage detection methods, this paper innovatively employs a combination of AI-based diagnostics and infrared temperature measurement technologies to develop a specialized small model for oil and gas leakage detection, which has been proven to significantly improve the accuracy of detecting industrial venting events in natural gas valve chambers; (2) By employing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technology, a knowledge vector library is constructed, utilizing a series of leakage-related documents, assisting the LLM to carry out knowledge questioning and inference. Compared with the traditional SimBERT, the accuracy can be improved by about 15% in the Q&amp;A search ability test. The correct rate is about 70% higher than the SimBERT in the Chinese complex reasoning quiz. Also, it can still remain stable under high load conditions, with the interruption rate of retrieval closing to zero. (3) By combining the specialized small model and the knowledge Q&amp;A tool, the natural gas valve chambers’ leakage detection AI agent based on the open-source LLM model was designed and developed, which preliminarily achieved the leakage detection based on the specialized small model, and the automatic processing of the retrieval reasoning process based on the knowledge Q&amp;A tool and the intelligent generation of corresponding leakage disposal scheme. The effectiveness of the method has been verified by actual project data. This article conducts preliminary explorations into the in-depth applications of AI agents based on LLMs in the oil and gas energy industry, demonstrating certain positive outcomes.

The Eectricity Crisis and the Feasibility of Nuclear Energy in Egypt

The power outage crisis is increasing in Egypt, negatively affecting many other sectors such as industry, agriculture, and trade. In light of the lack of sufficient capacity to meet the growing needs of consumers, which has led to regular power shortages and power outages. While Egypt needs additional energy, the production of gas and oil needed to generate thermal energy decreased in 2014, and Egypt moved from an exporter of natural gas to a net importer. In addition to this, the volume of subsidies allocated to energy increased, the rise in global prices for oil and natural gas, and the need for huge investments to create Power generation plants, development of transportation networks, and distribution of electrical energy, which led to pressure on the general budget. A continuous and reliable supply of electricity is needed for Egypt&amp;apos;s social and economic development. Accordingly, the government encouraged the development of new energy, invited the private sector to participate in energy generation, and a number of government reforms were made in order to enhance competition in the energy market, which required the need to study the possibility of providing it using nuclear energy. Its stations have a high load capacity, operate almost at full capacity all the time, are characterized by the stability of the electrical network and energy independence, and avoid the risks of fuel price shocks, and the costs of generating electricity from them decrease with increasing production. The importance of this research lies in highlighting the challenges facing the structure of the electricity sector in Egypt, and studying the advantages enjoyed by nuclear energy as the most important renewable energy sources in the world. Its importance also lies in comparing nuclear energy with other energy sources, and trying to benefit Egypt from obtaining this energy for use. In economic development projects, rationalizing tariffs and supporting their access to the poor. &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;This research is divided into&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;:&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;The first topic&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;: The electricity generation crisis in Egypt and a development vision for the contribution of nuclear energy to its solution, &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;The second topic&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;: trends in development planning for establishing nuclear plants in Egypt. The electricity generation crisis in Egypt and a development vision for the contribution of nuclear energy to its solution.

Penalties as a form of economic-legal liability in the energy sector

In the article, the current state of research on the application of penalties as a form of economic-legal liability is analysed, both generally and specifically in the energy sector. The specificity of applying this form of economic-legal liability in the energy sector is studied, along with existing problematic issues related to its application, and proposals for their resolution are provided. The enforcement practices of the Supreme Court regarding the application of this form of economic-legal liability are examined. The role of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission in regulating the application of penalties among participants in energy markets is studied. Ways to improve the legal regulation of penalty application in the energy sector are proposed, including minimizing the likelihood of participants in energy markets committing similar violations in the future and fostering a high level of adherence to current legislation. The aim of the work is to identify the patterns and essential characteristics in the application of penalties as a form of economic-legal liability; to define what constitutes penalties in economic legal relations; to determine the specific features of this form of liability in the energy sector; to uncover the grounds and key characteristics applied in the energy sector under the current conditions following the establishment of energy markets in Ukraine (natural gas and electricity markets). The study also aims to determine the main features and distinctions between liquidated damages, fines, and penalties. The following materials were used in the research: legal acts that define the grounds for applying penalties; works of scholars conducting scientific and practical research in the field of economic-legal liability; and domestic court practices. The study identified the main patterns in the application of such a form of liability as penalties, both generally and in the energy sector. The grounds and key characteristics of penalty application in the energy sector are revealed, and examples of the application of such penalties to economic entities-participants in energy markets-are provided. The research employed methods of theoretical generalization and grouping, formalization, analysis and synthesis, and logical generalization of results (formulating conclusions).

Numerical study on a new adjustable multi-hole throttling device for natural gas flooding

Natural gas flooding represents a significant technique for the enhancement of oil recovery, thereby facilitating the efficient utilization of oil and gas resources. In the injection and production system, the throttling gas nozzle is a key component that adjust the injection pressure according to the reservoir’s pressure. However, current throttling gas nozzles utilize a fixed structure, which presents a challenge in achieving online control of flow rate and pressure drop. Therefore, a new adjustable multi-hole throttling device was proposed in this paper, allowing for the regulation of pressure loss by changing the number of flowing holes. In order to gain insight into the operational principles and pressure drop characteristics of this new throttling device, the SST k-ω turbulence model and the NIST physical property model were employed to simulate the supercritical natural gas flow in the nozzle. The results demonstrate that there is an uneven distribution of velocity between the channels of the downhole multi-hole throttling device. The velocity in a single nozzle channel exhibits a trend of initially increasing rapidly and then decreasing, while the pressure exhibits an initial decrease, which is then followed by a slight increase. The pressure drops of the nozzle under different flow rates and flowing hole numbers were acquired, revealing that the pressure drop of the multi-hole throttling device is inversely proportional to the number of holes. The adjustment accuracy of pressure drop and flow rate is higher when the number of holes is between 4 and 6. However, a significant increase in pressure drop occurs when the number of holes is less than 3, resulting in poorer regulation accuracy. Furthermore, a pressure drop prediction model was developed based on the numerical results, which provides guidance for the application and design of the throttling device. In this study, a new natural gas flooding throttling device is proposed, offering a new approach for downhole equipment development. Additionally, this research provides guidance for the practical application and iterative improvement of this throttling device in future use.

INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC INTERESTS AT THE BLACK SEA – ENERGY SECURITY ANALYSIS

The birth, development and propagation of regional and world conflict, as well as its escalation towards military war, global economic interests that converge towards the monopolization of strategic hydrocarbon energy resources, it transforms the Black Sea into a geostrategic space of geopolitical and geo-economic importance, but also with huge potential for confrontation and war. Positioning Romania in an inflection point of interests, in an area of strategic importance, being the buffer between NATO and the Russian Federation (the most important regional actor), it gives us the status of a state provider of regional security and welfare. The Black Sea region is important in that it is rich in hydrocarbons (oil and natural gas), it is an energy transit center and becomes a hot spot for the extended world security because it delimits the border between NATO and the Russian Federation, but also the influences from China.

Unclean but affordable solid fuels effectively sustained household energy equity.

Extensive use of traditional solid fuels necessitates a clean transition to modern energy, yet rising costs hinder equitable progress, presenting a challenge that remains underexplored. Here we quantify household energy inequities in China and evaluate shifts during the cooking and heating transition by compiling data from nationwide questionnaire surveys and statistic datasets. We find that by meeting 42.6% of household energy needs at low costs, solid fuels sustain equitable energy consumption across different income groups, being measured by the Concentration Index (CI). However, energy burden inequity remains substantially with the CI value increases by up to 43% during the transition, particularly when moving away from biomass for cooking. Switching to electric heating with natural gas cooking would limit such increases by only 15.5%. The study underscores the negative equity impacts of solid fuel cessation, advocating for phased transitions and targeted subsidies to ensure a just clean energy transition.

Exposure to Gas Flaring Among Residents of Oil-Producing Communities in Bayelsa State, Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study of Haematological Indices

Air pollution contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality globally. The Niger Delta Region of Nigeria flares the second largest amount of natural gas in the world, with residents of oil-producing communities bearing the burden of outdoor pollution that may have adverse effects on their health and well-being. Our study aimed to investigate the haematological indices of residents of a selected gas-flaring site. We conducted a cross-sectional study, wherein a total of eighty adults aged 24 to 73 years were recruited from communities located within a radius of approximately 5 to 10 km from the gas-flaring facility. Blood specimens were collected from consenting participants and analysed for various haematological parameters, including Red Blood Cell (RBC) count, Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (HB), Mean Cell Haemoglobin (MCH), platelet count (PLT), White Blood Cell (WBC) count, neutrophil (NEU), lymphocytes (LYMs), and Monocyte + Basophil + Eosinophil (MXD). The analysis was performed using an automated Sysmex KX21N haematological analyser. Overall, there was a significant decrease in RBC counts (p &lt; 0.001) and a significant elevation in WBCs (p &lt; 0.001) among people residing within a 5 km radius compared to those residing within a 10 km radius. About 42.5% of males residing within a 5 Km radius exhibited low RBC counts in contrast to only 15% of males residing within a 10 km radius. The WBC levels were found to be significantly higher (p &lt; 0.001) than the reference range among both males and females residing within a 5 km radius compared to those residing at a distance of 10 km. In the female population, 15% of individuals residing within a 5 km and 10 Km radius exhibited RBC levels below the reference category, while 7.5% showed RBC levels above the reference range. Exposure to gas flaring may alter haematological indices. It is, therefore, recommended that a comprehensive longitudinal study be conducted among residents of oil-producing communities and workers at gas-flaring facilities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria to assess the potential environmental and health implications of their exposure to chemical pollutants.

Numerical Study of Complex Heat Transfer and Aerodynamics in a Tube Furnace with a Flat Fuel Combustion Mode

The object of the study is a tubular furnace for steam reforming of natural gas. The channel walls are formed by a refractory lining and a tubular screen with a known temperature. The chamber volume is filled with a selectively radiating, absorbing and weakly scattering medium of gaseous fuel combustion products. The research method is based on the numerical solution of a system of two-dimensional integro-differential equations of radiative gas dynamics, closed by a two-parameter model of turbulent convection. It is shown that when burners are located on the side walls of the radiation chamber, a significant restructuring of the heat flux distribution occurs. A decrease in the chamber width is accompanied by an increase in both radiant and convective heat fluxes to the tubular screen.

Air Excess Coefficient and Irreversibility Value Analysis of Gas Turbines

Gas turbines used in natural gas cycle power plants have been researched in terms of energy efficiency. Gas turbines used in power generation plants have a very complex structure because they contain many components. In order to determine the thermodynamic performance of this system, the efficiency of each component and the increase in entropy of each component were calculated using exergy analysis. Irreversibility was chosen as the main parameter and used for thermodynamic optimization of production. The system consists of many components. An increase in the irreversibility of a single component causes an increase in the irreversibility of other components. The effect of gas turbine pressure ratio and excess air percentage on fuel consumption, fuel exergy, combustion chamber exergy change and irreversibility change was investigated. It was observed that the increase in compressor pressure ratio increased irreversibility. Maximum irreversibility was observed in the combustion chamber. Irreversibility was compared with the excess air used in the combustion chamber. The air excess coefficient was examined as percentages of 100%, 200%, and 300%, respectively. The compression pressure ratio was examined for air excess coefficient percentage values from 3 to 40.

Metal Acetate-Enhanced Microwave Pyrolysis of Waste Textiles for Efficient Syngas Production

The production of waste textiles has increased rapidly in the past two decades along with the rapid development of the economy, the majority of which has been either landfilled or incinerated, resulting in energy loss and environmental pollution. Microwave pyrolysis, which can transform heterogeneous and complex waste feedstocks into value-added products, is considered one of the most competitive technologies for processing waste textiles. However, achieving selective product formation during the microwave pyrolysis of waste textiles remains a significant challenge. Herein, sodium acetate, potassium acetate, and nickel acetate were introduced into waste textiles through an impregnation method as raw materials to improve the pyrolysis efficiency. The optimized process parameters indicated that nickel acetate had the most favorable promotional effect of the three acetates. Notably, the waste textiles containing 1.0% Ni exhibited the highest gas production rate, with the hydrogen-containing combustible gas reaching 81.1% and 61.0%, respectively. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy to characterize the waste textiles before and after pyrolysis, it was found that nickel acetate was converted into metallic nickel (Ni0) during microwave pyrolysis. This active site significantly enhanced the pyrolysis process, and as the gas yield increased, the disorder of the resulting pyrolytic carbon also rose. The proposed Ni0-enhanced microwave pyrolysis mediated by nickel acetate offers a novel method for the efficient disposal and simultaneous resource recovery of waste textiles.

Ultra-fast synthesis of transition metal-MXene nanocomposite electrocatalyst for energy-saving seawater hydrogen production: Experiment and theory

Switching from the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) to the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a beneficial way to lower the amount of energy needed to make hydrogen gas during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Due to the sluggish reaction kinetics of the six electrons reaction of UOR, designing a privileged bifunctional electrocatalyst for both HER and UOR necessitates. The 2D nano-sized non-noble metal electrocatalysts make it possible to speed up reactions and improve their electrocatalytic performance. We synthesized nickel-cobalt-MXene composite nanosheets (NiCoMXene) on the surface of copper foam using a one-pot, simple, and ultra-fast electrochemical method. This 2D electrocatalyst demonstrates high electrocatalytic performance towards HER (overpotential of 76 mV at −10 mA cm−2) with excellent durability in alkaline media. Furthermore, NiCoMXene nanocomposite served as a bifunctional electrocatalyst to investigate hydrogen gas production by a hybrid system HER coupled with UOR in seawater. The NiCoMXene requires a low overpotential for HER (81 mV) and UOR (1.38 V) to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in seawater, and the needed cell voltage to reach the same current density is 1.42 V in seawater. Our DFT analysis found a significant synergy between MXene and NiCo in the electrocatalyst. PDOS analysis showed remarkably that introducing Ni atoms to MXene shifts the d-band center to the left (lower energy), while Co atoms shifts it to the right (higher energy) and increased states near the Fermi level. This electronic structure makes the nanocomposite an ideal electrocatalyst, with MXene providing electrons and Co atoms serving as active sites for both HER and UOR.This research work can provide a useful directive to explore the electrocatalysts with outstanding catalytic activity.

Energy recovery from landfill gas in Egypt

AbstractIn developing countries, the transition from dumpsites to landfills is particularly important for addressing the challenges of waste management and promoting sustainable development. The goal of this study is to determine the quantity of gas emissions from landfills in Egypt using LandGEM, Afvalzorg, and Mexico models, as well as analyze the financial benefits and greenhouse gas reductions of producing electricity from municipal solid waste, considering seven different landfills across Egypt. A financial assessment was conducted using the entire lifecycle cost, levelized cost of energy, net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period. While the environmental assessment adopted a methodology to determine greenhouse gas production and reductions due to landfill gas valorization, in a span of 30 years, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to be reduced by 81% following landfill gas utilization based on a 75% gas collection efficiency. Furthermore, the potential electricity generation reaches 358 gigawatt-hours, with plant capacities ranging between 3 and 40 megawatts. The positive net present values obtained demonstrate that landfill gas for electricity generation in Egypt is financially feasible for big landfills. This aims to provide first-hand technical knowledge to waste management stakeholders, including policymakers, planners, decision-makers, and investors, to guide waste management planning and promote financially feasible investment in landfill gas to energy in Egypt. Graphical Abstract

Production Simulation of Stimulated Reservoir Volume in Gas Hydrate Formation with Three-Dimensional Embedded Discrete Fracture Model

Natural gas hydrates (NGHs) in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea are deposited in low-permeability clayey silt sediments. As a renewable energy source with such a low carbon emission, the exploitation and recovery rate of NGH make it difficult to meet industrial requirements using existing development strategies. Research into an economically rewarding method of gas hydrate development is important for sustainable energy development. Hydraulic fracturing is an effective stimulation technique to improve the fluid conductivity. In this paper, an efficient three-dimensional embedded discrete fracture model is developed to investigate the production simulation of hydraulically fractured gas hydrate reservoirs considering the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV). The proposed model is applied to a hydraulically fractured production evaluation of vertical wells, horizontal wells, and complex structural wells. To verify the feasibility of the method, three test cases are established for different well types as well as different fractures. The effects of fracture position, fracture conductivity, fracture half-length, and stimulated reservoir volume size on gas production are presented. The results show that the production enhancement in multi-stage fractured horizontal wells is obvious compared to that of vertical wells, while spiral multilateral wells are less sensitive to fractures due to the distribution of wellbore branches and perforation points. Appropriate stimulated reservoir volume size can obtain high gas production and production efficiency.

Diffusion Characteristics and Influencing Factors for Large-Hole Natural Gas Pipeline Leakage in Utility Tunnels

Diffusion Characteristics and Influencing Factors for Large-Hole Natural Gas Pipeline Leakage in Utility Tunnels

Experimental Study on Mechanical Properties of Artificial Cores Saturated With Ice: An Analogical Simulation to Natural Gas Hydrate Bearing Sediments

ABSTRACTThis work takes the natural gas hydrate (NGH) reservoir in the Shenhu area at the South China Sea as the target. Using the quartz sand, calcite grains, and illite powder as the main mineral composites, and Portland cement as the bonding material, the host skeleton with similar porosity and mechanical properties to the target reservoir were prepared. Ice was used to simulate natural gas hydrates for their high similarity in mechanical properties and distributions within porous host. The ice saturation in the host skeleton is quantitatively controlled by the quality method. As an analogical simulation, artificial samples with different ice saturations were tested by uniaxial compression measurements and the Brazilian tensile tests, aiming to reveal the mechanical behavior of NGH sediments. The results indicated that the plasticity of the artificial sample increases and its damage form transitions from brittleness to ductility as the ice saturation increases. The effects of free water and ice on the strength of saturated samples are quite different. The free water tends to reduce the strength of the sample due to illite hydration and change of internal friction. The bonding effect of ice tends to increase the strength of the sample, while the ice could also reduce the internal friction. When the ice saturation is larger than 30%, the compressive and tensile strengths of the sample increase with ice saturation, which could be regressed as yc = 2.2628S + 0.8322, and yt = 0.411S + 0.0273, respectively. The constitutive model was developed based on the equivalent medium theory and the D‐P criterion, which could describe the experiment data well with deviations less than 10%.

From Fossil Fuels to Renewables: Clustering European Primary Energy Production from 1990 to 2022

This study examines the structural shifts in primary energy production across European countries from 1990 to 2022, focusing on changes in energy sources and their implications for energy security and sustainability. Set against a backdrop of evolving geopolitical landscapes, economic pressures, and climate policies, including significant recent impacts such as the conflict in Ukraine, this research highlights the critical importance of a stable and diversified energy supply. The analysis utilizes the k-means clustering method, examining countries for which data are available in the Eurostat database and considering primary energy sources as defined by the Standard International Energy Product Classification (SIEC), including solid fossil fuels, natural gas, crude oil, nuclear energy, renewable energy sources, peat, and non-renewable waste. By categorizing European nations into clusters based on their energy production profiles, the study reveals substantial transitions from fossil fuel-based systems to those increasingly dominated by renewable energy sources. While some countries have made significant progress in integrating renewables, others remain heavily dependent on traditional energy sources such as coal and natural gas. The findings underscore the growing role of natural gas as a bridge fuel and the relatively stable contribution of nuclear energy in certain regions. A key outcome is the observed disparity between energy production and consumption across Europe, with many large economies facing a persistent deficit in domestic energy production, resulting in a high reliance on energy imports, particularly of natural gas and oil. This dependency poses significant challenges to energy security, especially given recent geopolitical disruptions and market fluctuations. The paper also discusses the environmental implications of these energy trends, emphasizing the vital role of renewable energy in achieving the European Union’s decarbonization goals.

Infrastructuring informal urbanism: Negotiation of water, electricity, and natural gas in urban villages in Chengdu, China

Infrastructure such as water, electricity, and natural gas fundamentally underpins informal housing and industrial development in urban villages. Yet how the infrastructure is built, maintained, and governed, and what are the underlying mechanisms, remain peripheral to existing literature and policy agenda. This study addresses this gap by incorporating a socio-technical approach to infrastructure into informal urbanism to understand the negotiation of water, electricity, and natural gas in two neighboring urban villages in Chengdu, China. Four rounds of fieldwork and in-depth interviews with various stakeholders found highly precarious provision of infrastructure in urban villages. Its spatial layout, facilities, charges, quality control, and maintenance rest uneasily on, and then in turn shape, the development of informal renting markets and industries in different urban villages, especially when considering the cross-sectional interactions between different types of infrastructure. These processes are dominated by stakeholders’ commercial logics embedded in informal urbanism, including the urban village and infrastructure providers’ profit-seeking strategies, enterprises and migrants’ cost-saving behaviors, and the governments’ purposive absence in governing infrastructure, which leads to difficulties in meeting urban village residents’ needs for qualified infrastructure. This study unravels the “black box” of infrastructure in urban villages and puts forward inclusive planning strategies to promote infrastructure in urban villages.

Atomistic Modeling of Natural Gas Desulfurization Process Using Task-Specific Deep Eutectic Solvents Supported by Graphene Oxide

This study employs Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and traditional all-atom Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to reveal atomistic insights into a task-specific Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) supported by graphene oxide with the aim of mimicking its application in the natural gas desulfurization process. The DES, composed of N,N,N′,N′-tetramthyl-1,6-hexane diamine acetate (TMHDAAc) and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) supported by graphene oxide, demonstrates improved efficiency in removing hydrogen sulfide from methane. Optimized structure and HOMO-LUMO orbital analyses reveal the distinct spatial arrangements and interactions between hydrogen sulfide, methane, and DES components, highlighting the efficacy of the DES in facilitating the separation of hydrogen sulfide from methane through DFT calculations. The radial distribution function (RDF) and interaction energies, as determined by traditional all-atom MD simulations, provide insights into the specificity and strength of the interactions between the DES components supported by graphene oxide and hydrogen sulfide. Importantly, the stability of the DES structure supported by graphene oxide is maintained after mixing with the fuel, ensuring its robustness and suitability for prolonged desulfurization processes, as evidenced by traditional all-atom MD simulation results. These findings offer crucial insights into the molecular-level mechanisms underlying the desulfurization of natural gas, guiding the design and optimization of task-specific DESs supported by graphene oxide for sustainable and efficient natural gas purification.