Natural Gas Research Articles

Comparative anti-methanogenic ability of green algae (C. reinhardtii) with/without nanoparticles: in vitro gas and methane production

IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to investigate how in vitro gas production (GP) and ruminal fermentation characteristics were affected by increasing concentrations of green algae plant (C. reinhardtii) extracts in combination with nanoparticles MgO and MgS.MethodsA solution containing 0.1 M MgCl2 was prepared in 300 mL for the green production of MgCl nanoparticles. The mixture was refluxed for two hours at 85°C using a reflux condenser after 10 mL of pomegranate plant extract was added. The green algal plant (C. reinhardtii), which has many non-toxic antioxidants, was used as a carbon source to produce carbon quantum dots (CQD). Chemical analysis was conducted in accordance with AOAC (2005) recommendations. Rumen fluid from recently slaughtered calves is used to produce in vitro gas immediately following slaughter. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the obtained data from the in vitro study in a completely randomized design using the mixed model of SAS (version 9.4; Inc., Cary NC, USA).Results and DiscussionThe variance analysis results and the average values of the chemical compositions were significantly influenced by the extracts (all p < 0.0001). In this line, the values of net gas, pH, OMD, ME, NEl, and ME were found to be the highest for Algae + 50 MgO and the lowest for Algae + 50 MgS, respectively (all p < 0.0001). These promising results imply that extracts from C. Reinhardtii may be able to mitigate the adverse consequences of rumen fermentation. To precisely ascertain the impact particular Rhodophyta on greenhouse gas emissions, additional investigation is needed.

Energy-Efficient Buildings for Biosphere’s Sustainability

For decades now, the planet’s biosphere sustainability has been at stake due to human, social, economic and environmental factors that have negatively impacted our earth. With global warming and greenhouse gas emissions on the rise, there is every need to worry. Climate change today has a significant impact on almost every aspect of our environment, economies, societies and the planet’s biosphere which is under immense threat of extinction. The building sector is a key contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in the world today. Reducing the building sector's production of greenhouse gasses and other negative impacts to safer levels is a big challenge today and it must be met quickly and decisively. Luckily, there are many Information and Communications Technology (ICT) technologies that already exist to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and adverse climatic change effects. The purpose of this research is to review the nexus of Internet of Things innovations to deliver Net Zero energy buildings (NZEBs) that can mitigate global warming for a sustainable biosphere. This will help achieve favourable energy efficiency for a sustainable world from the adverse climatic upheavals due to increased global warming. The specific objectives of the research are: i) To examine the gravity of emissions from non-energy efficient buildings and the extent to which they contribute to global warming; ii) To explore the components and capabilities of IoT technology and infrastructure that influence the design of internet of things; iii) To specify ways of integrating machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to reconstruct past climate events and improve future predictions. Data analysis was done at the National Construction Authority with a target population consisting of 350 technical and management staff. The research fronts a future of worldwide energy efficiency for a sustainable biosphere to be realized by mass implementation of the Internet of Things, M2M energy-efficient buildings technology

Gas-bearing prediction of tight clastic rock reservoirs based on random forest-modern temporal convolutional network

Reservoir gas-bearing identification is a crucial link in natural gas exploration and development. However, under the conditions of sparse well distribution, challenges such as insufficient prior information and low identification accuracy often arise. In response, we have developed a method for identifying the gas-bearing of tight clastic reservoirs based on the fusion of well logging and seismic data. Initially, feature engineering processing is applied to P-wave slowness, S-wave slowness, and density to calculate petrophysical parameters and fluid indicators, using the random forest algorithm to refine reservoir-sensitive parameters. Subsequently, a deep-learning network named modern temporal convolutional network (ModernTCN) is constructed, which uses reservoir-sensitive parameters as inputs for model training and testing. This network features a decoupled design to segregate temporal and feature information, effectively capturing the longitudinal gas-bearing characteristics of the reservoir. Next, we compare the ModernTCN with a fully convolutional network, a multiscale fully convolutional network, a self-attention bidirectional long short-term memory network, a self-attention bidirectional gated recurrent unit, and a 1D deep residual network to determine the reliability of this method. Furthermore, a probabilistic weighted voting algorithm based on the multi to single strategy captures the spatial correlation among adjacent seismic traces to predict lateral distribution characteristics of the reservoir. Ultimately, the methodology is applied using seismic and well data from the Huangyan structural belt of Xihu Sag, China, to identify gas-bearing zones in tight clastic rock reservoirs. The results are validated through the reflection characteristics of the test well logs and along-horizon slicing. This approach determines substantial well-seismic concordance, confirming its potential to support the exploration and development of tight clastic gas reservoirs.

Energy-Saving Operation Modes of Natural Gas Cooling Units

Energy-Saving Operation Modes of Natural Gas Cooling Units

Fossil fuels and potential for CO 2 storage in the Slovenian part of the Pannonian Superbasin

Two Neogene sub-basins of the Miocene Extensional Pannonian Superbasin are located in Slovenia: the Mura-Zala Basin in the northeast and the Krško Basin in the east of the country. Their predominantly clastic sedimentary fill hosts diverse geoenergy resources in different geological formations. The basin evolution (e.g., very high Miocene heat flow) was not favourable for the accumulation of large amounts of hydrocarbons. Consequently, oil and gas deposits are limited to the Petišovci-Dolina field, which was discovered in 1942. The field is located along the Ormož-Selnica-Lovászi Anticline, an inverted Miocene graben structure. Currently, minor amounts of natural gas are produced from Miocene (Badenian and Pannonian) horizons, while oil production stopped in 2021. Coal deposits formed in deltaic environments during the late Pannonian and were exploited until the 1970s, in both the Mura-Zala Basin and Krško Basin. Depleted oil and gas reservoirs at depths > 800 m, saline aquifers, and deeply buried coals in the Mura-Zala Basin provide potential sites for CO 2 storage, albeit with limited volumes.

Greenhouse Gases and their Role in Air Pollution and Global Warming

Today, one of the most significant global challenges is the increase in climate change due to the excessive emission of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide gas, resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels, and methane are recognized as the primary greenhouse gases and the foremost contributors to climate change. Population density, increased vehicular traffic, industrial factories, and neglect of environmental concerns are major factors influencing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Recent global studies indicate that since the onset of the Industrial Revolution—a period marked by a significant rise in fossil fuel consumption—human activity has played a crucial role in the process of climate change and global warming through the production and emission of greenhouse gases. Understanding how these types of pollution evolve requires attention to the various factors affecting their emission. Accordingly, this study collects and examines data obtained from library-based research using a descriptive-analytical method. Consequences of the greenhouse effect include flooding, reduction in potable water and agricultural products, increased soil erosion, the extinction of some plant and animal species, and the migration of certain population groups. These consequences underscore the necessity and importance of focusing on the use of renewable energy sources.

Effect of different moisture content on nitrous oxide production in aggregated soil of Shintoku, Japan

Agricultural soils are the major source of the potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance, N2O. An incubation study was carried out using the volcanic ash fine textured soil of Shintoku. Soil samples used in this study were taken from managed grassland at Shintoku Experimental Livestock Farm of Hokkaido University in Southern Hokkaido, Japan (N43º05′, E142º51′). Soil aggregates were air-dried, and sieved with 4.5 mm and 2 mm and adjusted the soil moisture of 60% and 80% of field water capacity (FWC). Just after the moistening, the aggregates were incubated for 9 days under a temperature of 20°C. Just after starting the incubation, the flush of N2O production was observed. Similar flushes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO) productions were also observed. All of the gas productions were higher in larger aggregates with 80% of field water capacity. The concentrations of Water Extractable Organic Carbon (WEOC), NH4+-N, pH and total N were significantly different before and after incubation. Shintoku soil showed a significant correlation between before and after incubation for all soil chemical properties except pH. Especially WEOC and NH4+-N changed immediately after the addition of water and this situation continued during the incubation. Larger aggregates showed higher amounts of NH4+-N and NO3-–N and were responsible for higher N2O production compared to smaller aggregates. In Shintoku the results of N2O-N/NO-N ratio in both moisture contents indicated nitrification as a main process of N2O production. It is very well known that N2O is produced more from the denitrification process than nitrification. Poor aeration and less diffusion of NO3-N and WEOC from the aerobic area to the anaerobic area reduce N2O production in the denitrification process of fine textured Shintoku soil. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 14(2): 99-110, December 2024

Convenient preparation of inexpensive sandwich-type poly(vinylidene fluoride)/molecular sieve/ethyl cellulose mixed matrix membranes and their effective pre-exploration for the selective separation of CO2 in large-scale industrial utilization

Due to its high methane content, biogas is considered a potential replacement for natural gas as a clean and renewable energy source for future large-scale applications. In addition to CH4 (50–80%), biogas also includes CO2 (20–40%), N2 (0–5%), and other gases. Efficient capture and separation of CO2 not only enhances the calorific value of biogas but also aids in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Utilizing membrane separation technology is an effective method for separating and capturing CO2 and N2. This technology is renowned for its controllability and efficiency. Here, a variety of ternary mixed matrix membranes consisting of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/molecular sieve/ethyl cellulose were successfully prepared using a simple layer-by-layer coating process. Among them, the porous polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane serves as the bottom support layer, the molecular sieve (Titanate molecular sieve (TS-1) and Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 (ZSM-5)) acts as the middle selective layer, and ethyl cellulose (EC) forms the top fixed layer. These membrane materials were used in an attempt to efficiently separate CO2 from a CO2/CH4 gas mixture with a 1:1 ratio and a CO2/N2 gas mixture with a 1:1 ratio. It is encouraging to note that the PVDF/ZSM-5/EC mixed matrix membrane (with 10% ZSM-5), which is the most cost-effective among the ternary mixed matrix membranes, exhibited the best gas separation performance. For a mixture of CO2 and CH4 gases, the CO2 permeability was 891.23 Barrer, and the CO2/CH4 selectivity was 12.92. Its gas permselectivity exceeds the Robeson 2008 line. For the CO2 and N2 gas mixture, the CO2 permeability is 316.39 Barrer, and the CO2/N2 selectivity is 21.85. It exceeds the Robeson 1991 line for gas permselectivity. Although the PVDF/ZSM-5/EC mixed matrix membrane may not be highly effective in separating CO2 from a mixture of CO2 and N2 (in comparison to CO2/CH4 mixture gases), given the gas composition in biogas and natural gas, it is reasonable to conclude that our PVDF/ZSM-5/EC mixed matrix membrane is well-suited for the selective separation of CO2. This experiment is an important exploration for us to understand the transition of advanced membranes to practical applications. It lays a solid foundation for the production of PVDF/ZSM-5/EC ternary mixed matrix membranes at the lowest cost and for large-scale application in the field of biogas and natural gas purification, as well as greenhouse gas treatment from coal-fired power plants (CO2 selective separation).

Modelling hydrogen deblending from natural gas using Pd-based dense metallic membranes with an empirical polarization model

Low carbon hydrogen can be produced using excess of electric power and further stored into the existing natural gas grid. Deblending processes are required at the end-users side. However, conventional technologies such as adsorption methods can be complex, especially at the small scales, making the investment not convenient. Membrane technology is gaining interest. In scientific literature, Pd-based dense metallic membranes were already identified as a potential solution to separate high purity hydrogen. They can also be coupled with electrochemical hydrogen pump and TSA. However, Pd-based membrane potentiality had not yet been deeply investigated. In this article, a new empirical correlation for concentration polarization losses is found. Thanks to its simplicity and flexibility, it is used to show how an appropriate design of the separation modules can lead to outperform benchmark performance. Different scenarios, with blending at 5%, 10% and 20% and at low (8 bar), mid (40 bar) and high (66 bar) grid pressure are studied to separate 25 kg/day of pure hydrogen. Separation costs obtained with 10% hydrogen blending are below 4.44 €/kg even at low pressure, outperforming benchmark estimations using PSA, that resulted 7.64 €/kg. Polarization correlation is recommended to further improve module design in H2 deblending.

Hydrothermal pretreatment for enhanced thermochemical or biochemical conversion of pharmaceutical biowastes into fuels, fertilizers, and carbon materials.

Pharmaceutical biowastes, rich in organic matter and high in moisture, are typical light industry byproducts with waste and renewable attributes. Thermochemical and biochemical conversion technologies transform these residues into value-added bioproducts, including biofuels, biofertilizers, and bio-carbon materials. Hydrothermal pretreatment effectively removes toxic substances and enhances feedstock for these processes. This review comprehensively examines its role in improving the formation of bioproducts from pharmaceutical biowastes, focusing on (i) upgrading and denitrogenating solid biofuels with better combustion performance; (ii) enhancing biodegradability and gaseous biofuel production via organic matter decomposition; (iii) enriching soluble carbon and nitrogen for liquid biofertilizer; (iv) eliminating antibiotic residues and reducing antibiotic resistance in solid biofertilizers; and (v) stabilizing carbon and nitrogen structures and optimizing pore characteristics for functionalized carbon materials. The review recommends a potential staged thermochemical approach to co-produce nitrogen-enriched liquid biofertilizers and porous carbon materials from pharmaceutical biowastes. Hydrothermal pretreatment emerges as a key technique for facilitating the migration and conversion of essential elements like carbon and nitrogen. This study reveals the potential of hydrothermal pretreatment to address the limitations of pharmaceutical biowastes and offers insights into their valorization.

The ALPINE-ALMA [CII] Survey: Unveiling the baryon evolution in the interstellar medium of z ∼ 5 star-forming galaxies

Context. Recent observations suggest a significant and rapid buildup of dust in galaxies at high redshift (z > 4); this presents new challenges to our understanding of galaxy formation in the early Universe. Although our understanding of the physics of dust production and destruction in a galaxy’s interstellar medium (ISM) is improving, investigating the baryonic processes in the early universe remains a complex task owing to the inherent degeneracies in cosmological simulations and chemical evolution models. Aims. In this work we characterized the evolution of 98 z ∼ 5 star-forming galaxies observed as part of the ALMA Large Program ALPINE by constraining the physical processes underpinning the gas and dust production, consumption, and destruction in their ISM. Methods. We made use of chemical evolution models to simultaneously reproduce the observed dust and gas content of our galaxies, obtained respectively from spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting and ionized carbon measurements. For each galaxy we constrained the initial gas mass, gas inflows and outflows, and efficiencies of dust growth and destruction. We tested these models with both the canonical Chabrier and a top-heavy initial mass function (IMF); the latter allowed rapid dust production on shorter timescales. Results. We successfully reproduced the gas and dust content in most of the older galaxies (≳600 Myr) regardless of the assumed IMF, predicting dust production primarily through Type II supernovae (SNe) and no dust growth in the ISM, as well as moderate inflow of primordial gas. In the case of intermediate-age galaxies (300−600 Myr), we reproduced the gas and dust content through Type II SNe and dust growth in ISM, though we observed an overprediction of dust mass in older galaxies, potentially indicating an unaccounted dust destruction mechanism and/or an overestimation of the observed dust masses. The number of young galaxies (≲300 Myr) reproduced, increases for models assuming top-heavy IMF but with maximal prescriptions of dust production. Galactic outflows are required (up to a mass-loading factor of 2) to reproduce the observed gas and dust mass, and to recover the decreasing trend of gas and dust over stellar mass with age. Assuming the Chabrier IMF, models are able to reproduce ∼65% of the total sample, while with top-heavy IMF the fraction increases to ∼93%, alleviating the tension between the observations and the models. Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will allow us to remove degeneracies in the diverse intrinsic properties of these galaxies (e.g., star formation histories and metallicity), thereby refining our models.

Combining gas hydrate crystallization and membrane technology: A synergistic approach to natural gas separation

Combining gas hydrate crystallization and membrane technology: A synergistic approach to natural gas separation

Synthetic natural gas production via pressurized integrated carbon capture and in-situ methanation of Ni-Na2CO3/γ-Al2O3 dual function material

Synthetic natural gas production via pressurized integrated carbon capture and in-situ methanation of Ni-Na2CO3/γ-Al2O3 dual function material

From policy to progress: Environmental taxation to mitigate air pollution in OECD countries.

Environmental taxes play a critical role in mitigating air pollution and fostering sustainability by internalizing the social costs of environmental damage. By imposing financial disincentives on polluters, these taxes encourage cleaner practices and technological innovation. Using panel ARDL models, this study examines the impact of environmental taxes on CO₂ emissions across 38 OECD countries, accounting for cross-sectional dependence, non-stationarity, and heterogeneity. Findings reveal a significant long-run negative relationship between environmental taxes and CO₂ emissions and support the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in high-income nations. The analysis highlights that while environmental taxes effectively reduce emissions at moderate and high levels, their impact diminishes at lower emission levels. Moreover, disaggregated analysis of fossil fuel consumption demonstrates a substantial decline in coal and oil usage, whereas natural gas consumption exhibits a positive association with taxes, reflecting a shift toward less carbon-intensive energy sources. The study emphasizes the importance of well-designed environmental tax schemes to maximize policy effectiveness.

Dynamic characteristics of flame and shock wave evolution in hydrogen-blended natural gas explosions under the coupling of explosion-venting interlayer and porous materials in utility tunnels

Dynamic characteristics of flame and shock wave evolution in hydrogen-blended natural gas explosions under the coupling of explosion-venting interlayer and porous materials in utility tunnels

Liquefied natural gas trade network changes and its mechanism in the context of the Russia–Ukraine conflict

Liquefied natural gas trade network changes and its mechanism in the context of the Russia–Ukraine conflict

Design and development of solar systems for regeneration and thermal compression of adsorbed natural gas

Design and development of solar systems for regeneration and thermal compression of adsorbed natural gas

Study on the mechanism of gravel layer blockage in sand control for natural gas hydrate reservoirs

Study on the mechanism of gravel layer blockage in sand control for natural gas hydrate reservoirs

Integration of electrocoagulation and solar energy for sustainable wastewater treatment: a thermodynamic and life cycle assessment study.

This study presents an innovative approach to sustainable wastewater treatment by integrating electrocoagulation (EC) with solar energy and biogas. The research evaluates the performance of an EC reactor in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency under varying current densities, demonstrating enhanced COD removal rates with increased current densities, achieving up to 95.3% at 1500 A/m2. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is employed to compare the environmental impacts of different energy sources for powering the EC system. The findings indicate that biogas derived from domestic waste offers a lower environmental impact compared to natural gas, coal, hydro, solar, and wind. The study further explores the potential of solar energy in Turkey, particularly in Istanbul, where high solar radiation could be harnessed. However, the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) panels is affected by temperature, with an observed efficiency decrease of approximately 0.5% per degree Celsius increase in temperature. Effective cooling strategies are thus essential for optimizing PV performance. The integration of EC with solar energy, powered by biogas, not only enhances wastewater treatment efficiency but also contributes to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs. This combined approach presents a viable solution for both domestic and industrial wastewater treatment, especially in remote or off-grid areas.

A statistical perspective on natural gas distribution pipeline incidents in the United States

A statistical perspective on natural gas distribution pipeline incidents in the United States