Mt Of CO2 Research Articles

Thermal and Moisture Content Monitoring of a Full-Scale Load Bearing Hemp Lime Arch Prototype

Today, bio-sourced materials represent an important technological field of study, as they could sink atmospheric carbon dioxide into buildings. Little-processed construction materials would also reduce the environmental impact of the construction sector, which emitted more than 2.9 Mt of CO2 in 2020. Hemp-lime is a material that meets both these requirements. It is an insulating mix that can take different forms and be used in various parts of a building. The challenge is providing it with enough mechanical strength to make it loadbearing, at least to some extent. This research focuses on the construction and monitoring of a pointed arch, based on a previous experimental hemp-lime construction at Cardiff University in 2009, under the direction of architect David Lea. Since 2022, such an experiment on a possible loadbearing hemp-lime mix is being repeated at the Politecnico di Torino as part of a wider project called “experimental pavilions of vegetarian architecture”. The design and numerical analysis of the Cardiff prototype led to the modification of both the geometry and the composition of the mix using only pozzolanic air lime as the binder. The construction of the arch ended in December 2023. Observing the thermo-hygrometric conditions of this hemp-lime mix once in place is the main purpose of this article. A strong correlation is revealed between outdoor conditions with temperature and moisture content in the core of the arch. Building a full-size outdoor prototype allows for the avoidance of mathematical correction to the results obtained and allows the assessment the mix’s resistance in relation with environmental conditions. Due to some similarities of nature and function between lime and cement, many studies of lime mixes do not exceed a duration of 28 days, which cannot be considered the appropriate observation time for its curing. Therefore, we analysed this lime-based material for around 6 months, according to its own temporality and chemical kinetics. Through continuous monitoring at 10-min intervals, it was possible to highlight several significant aspects of rammed hemp-lime. The results show that the temperature within the mix is influenced by the outside temperature, but the sun exposure of certain areas drives up the corresponding temperature values more rapidly. Furthermore, while the absorption of water in the form of vapour is very rapid, desorption takes longer, as does re-establish a balance between the material and its context. Finally, solar exposure affects particularly 30-cm-thick elements, while elements that are 60 cm thick are not affected in the short term but only in long-term exposure conditions like season changes.

Powering sustainability: A techno-economic analysis of photovoltaic systems in dairy farming

ABSTRACT Dairy farming plays an indispensable role in the socio-economic growth of rural India. But, the modernization and sustainable growth of dairy farming relies critically upon the availability of reliable and affordable renewable electric energy. However, lack of access to electricity is a major challenge that needs to be addressed to encourage sustainable dairy farming. In this direction, the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in dairy farms has enormous potential to combat the existing critical challenges of fossil fuels and rural energy crises. This investigation assesses the techno-economic viability of PV systems through detailed mathematical modeling and electrical load estimation using the MATLAB simulation environment. The study determines the availability of maximum of solar radiations at each instant, and optimizes the inclined surface to extract maximum solar power. The outcomes of the study reveal that deploying an off-grid PV system consisting of 20 PV modules of 335 Wp, 24 batteries of each 150 Ah, and a 10 kVA inverter meets the average electric load of 9.5 MWh/year for twenty-five years with one-day autonomy. The economic analysis comprised the life-cycle cost (LCC), annualized life-cycle cost (ALCC), and costs of electricity (COE) of the study under reference as US$13050, US$323.1, and US$ 0.02596/kWh, respectively. The study results in saving of 0.285 MT CO2 emissions for the total life span. The resulted stand-alone PV system is both economically and technically viable. The present results reinforce the dispersal of green energy measures for their implementation in rural dairy farms having similar climate conditions in the Indian context.

Development of the National Cooling Action Plan of the Philippines

Abstract The Philippines NCAP was developed to account for the environmental impacts of energy consumption (indirect impacts) and use of high-GWP refrigerants (direct impacts) from the RAC Sector that can be mitigated by transitioning to more climate-friendly and higher-efficiency refrigerants. Utilizing the NCAP Methodology developed by the UNEP-led Cool Coalition, UN ESCAP in collaboration with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) together with and built on the expertise of the Cool Coalition’s NCAP Working Group facilitated by The Kigali Cooling Efficiency Programme (K-CEP), the Philippines NCAP was launched by the Philippines Department of Energy – Energy Utilization and Management Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and United Nations Development Programme (Philippines Country Office). This paper presented the Reference Cooling Scenario (RCS) and the Sustainable Cooling Scenario (SCS) adopted from the business-as-usual (BAU) and Clean Energy Scenario (CES) of the Philippine Energy Outlook. With these assumptions on RCS and SCS, the domestic refrigeration sector will save 4.41 TWh while the residential cooling sector will save 12.15 TWh. There is a net effect in total emission reduction estimates of 10.68 MT CO2 equivalent which is close to 12 % of the unconditional target submitted to UNFCCC.

Hydrogen liquefaction process using carbon dioxide as a pre-coolant for carbon capture and utilization

With the increasing demand for hydrogen (H2), producing liquefied H2 with a high energy density (10.1 MJ/L) has become essential. Research on the H2 liquefaction process, specifically, the effects of various refrigerants and cooling cycles has been conducted. Yet, large-scale use of carbon dioxide (CO2) in H2 liquefaction hasn't been achieved. In this study, a cooling cycle that uses captured CO2 as a refrigerant in large quantities was selected for a 100 tpd H2 liquefaction process. Optimization minimized the specific energy consumption (SEC), leading to SEC of 7.3 kWh/kgLH2, a coefficient of performance of 0.17, a figure of merit of 0.33, a specific exergy efficiency (SEE) of 33 %, and an overall exergy efficiency of 82.2 %. Performance indicators were compared with other processes, showing that the SEC and SEE were improved by 43 % and 50 % compared to commercial processes and by 4 % and 6 % compared to previous studies using CO2. This study used 5.7 times more CO2 at the same capacity, utilizing 47.8 Mt of CO2, representing 14 % of the CO2 utilization amount of the total carbon capture and utilization (CCU) project. Thus, the results should facilitate the development of hydrogen liquefaction processes for use in CCU applications in the future.

Sedimentological and petrophysical characterization of the Bokabil Formation in the Surma Basin for CO2 storage capacity estimation

Large-scale geological sequestration of CO2 is one of the most effective strategies to limit global warming to below 2 °C, as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Therefore, identifying and characterizing high-quality storage units is crucial. The Surma Basin, with its four-way dip closed structures, high-quality reservoirs, and thick regional cap rocks, is an ideal location for CO2 storage. This study focuses on the Bokabil Formation, the most prominent reservoir unit in the Surma Basin. Detailed petrographic, petrophysical, XRD, and SEM analyses, along with mapping, have been conducted to evaluate the properties of the reservoir and cap rock within this formation. The Upper Bokabil Sandstone in the Surma Basin ranges from 270 to 350 m in thickness and consists of fine- to medium-grained subarkosic sandstones composed of 70–85% quartz and 5–12% feldspar, with good pore connectivity. Petrophysical analysis of data from four gas fields indicates that this unit has a total porosity of 21–27.4% and a low shale volume of 15–27%. Cross plots and outcrop observations suggest that most of the shales are laminated within the reservoir. The regional cap rock, known as the Upper Marine Shale (UMS), ranges in thickness from 40 to 190 m and contains 10–40 nm nano-type pores. A higher proportion of ductile materials with a significant percentage of quartz in the UMS indicates higher capillary entry pressures, enhancing its capacity to hold CO2. Using the CSLF method with a 6% cut-off of the available pore volume, it is estimated that 103 Mt, 110 Mt, 205 Mt, and 164 Mt of CO2 can be effectively stored in the Sylhet, Kailashtila, Habiganj, and Fenchuganj structures, respectively. Due to the shallow depth of the storage unit and the thick cap rock, the southern Surma Basin is the optimal location for CO2 injection.

Capacity of Forests and Grasslands to Achieve Carbon Neutrality in China

Forests and grasslands play an important role in carbon cycling. They not only absorb CO2 from the air through vegetation biomass and soil carbon sinks, but also reduce and control the horizontal transport of soil carbon (i.e., reinforcing soil carbon storage via soil conservation), thus avoiding erosion-induced CO2 emissions. In this study, vegetation biomass and soil carbon sinks, soil carbon reinforcement and reduced carbon emissions via soil conservation by forests and grasslands were quantified on the scale of the whole of China. The analysis was based on the distribution of biomass and the soil carbon pool and soil erosion rates derived from national surveys, as well as carbon density values from field surveys and literature. In 2021, forests and grasslands in China generated 394.18 Mt C/year (y) of steady-state carbon sinks through vertical biomass and soil absorption. The biomass carbon sinks of grasslands, and those of leaves, twigs, flowers and fruits of the forests, were not taken into account when quantifying the stable biomass sink, because they can become net producers of CO2 due to seasonal withering and carryover, or they can form soil organic carbon as potential soil carbon sinks. The amount of horizontal soil carbon reinforcement in China’s forests and grasslands in 2021 was 20.31 Mt C/y, which was positively correlated with the reduction in the water erosion area; consequently, vertical emissions of approximately 14.89–29.78 Mt of CO2 into the atmosphere were avoided. Overall, in 2021, China’s forests and grasslands absorbed atmospheric CO2 and reduced emissions by 1.46–1.47 Gt CO2/y, equivalent to approximately 13% of China’s annual fossil CO2 emissions. This study demonstrates the fact that the adoption of forest and grassland measures sequesters carbon in soil and biota and reduces the risks of CO2 emissions by both vertical and horizontal paths, which is important for achieving carbon neutrality and mitigating climate change.

Evaluation of carbon dioxide storage potential in wells of the Bredasdorp Basin offshore South Africa

This study focuses on determining how carbon dioxide (CO2) storage can be stored in the central Bredasdorp basin offshore South Africa. Logs, seismic lines, and reports of three exploration wells were used to build a 3D static model, and the compressibility method was used to estimate the CO2 static storage capacity of the reservoir. The wells displayed fair to good porosity and moderate permeability. The zone of interest had little to no faulting, and there is evidence of differential deposition of marine sandstones that overlie fluvial shales. The sandstones have good reservoir characteristics and are overlain by thick shales that serve as seals. The reservoir displayed thinning in the eastern direction and over structural highs. A static storage assessment of the reservoir showed 0.64 Mt of CO2, and the effect of changing pore volume and water saturation on overall CO2 storage volume was observed. The results revealed that an increase in pore volume would also increase the amount of CO2 stored in the reservoir. Conversely, increased water saturation leads to decreased CO2 that can be stored in the reservoir. This study has shown that the pre-existing reservoir fluid has an impact on CO2 storage volume; the greater the volume of water in the reservoir, the less the volume of CO2 that can be stored in the reservoir; this is because water is less compressible than rock, oil or gas.

Ray-Tracing modeling for urban photovoltaic energy planning and management

The traditional Radiative Transfer Modelling solutions for Solar Energy monitoring and forecasting often provide outputs for a single point location or an area location. However, for high resolution representation of areas these solutions suffer due to low simulation speeds. This approach makes it difficult for decision-makers to accurately estimate the solar potential of the administrative area and plan installations accordingly. In this direction, the study introduces three-dimensional Ray-Tracing based radiative modeling which is a high-speed area-based solution for solar energy monitoring. The three-dimensional ray-tracing was simulated by using advanced graphic creation platforms and cloud computing in conjunction with satellite data of the clouds, aerosols, building shadows effects and three-dimensional representations of the city using Cesium 3D tiles and Unreal Engine ®. The entire system was developed in a hybrid model to be exploited by urban planners for solar PV installations and by electricity distribution system operators for energy management and efficient incorporation of the produced energy into the regular and smart grids. This study implements and analyses this Ray-Tracing model for solar photovoltaic energy potential estimation at a rooftop level for the city of Athens, Greece. The total rooftop exploitable area in Athens was found to be close to 34 km2, which is able to massively host distributed PVs followed by almost 4.3 TWh of annually produced energy, whilst Penteli (a Municipality in Athens) possessed a potential of 96.8 GWh with an exploitable area of just 0.8 km2. This amount of energy, in a hypothetical full coverage scenario, is able to provide for 48.7% of Athens’s total energy requirement. Similar year-long simulations were conducted using the EU’s largest rooftop solar installation at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and randomly selected rooftops having solar installations in different municipalities in Athens. With these estimated solar potential values, the gross savings in natural gas consumption and hence the CO2 equivalent emissions can be computed. With the current estimated solar potential of Athens, the analyzed savings accounted of nearly 2.43 billion euros and 18 MT CO2 equivalent emissions. These computed annual savings are capable of covering installation costs for nearly 100,000 new solar installations. The end-product of this study is the development of a solar cadastre web tool which will support the decision-makers in the energy transition policies and the solar PV penetration into the urban environment and eventually drive the effort into renewable energy transition across the globe.

Cross-sectoral assessment of CO2 capture from U.S. industrial flue gases for fuels and chemicals manufacture

Although CO2 impacts the environment negatively, it can be a valuable resource due to its carbon content. The U.S. industry emits over 825 Mt of CO2 annually, with an expected increase in the future. This article analyzes 27 different technology combinations for capturing and using CO2 for industrial feedstocks, including the production of synthetic methane, methanol, and Fischer-Tropsch fuels. The study also estimates and compares the energy requirements for capturing and converting CO2 from 16 different industrial sources, as well as the energy requirements for hydrogen production through state-of-the-art and emerging electrolyzer technologies. Additionally, the study develops a combined scenario that outlines a design for applying an inclusive approach to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions in the industrial sector, incorporating multiple decarbonization measures. The results suggest that the use of CO2 for methane production has the potential to replace all natural gas demands considered in the base case and combined scenarios. However, using CO2 utilization-based Fischer-Tropsch products alone to replace naphtha feedstock and transportation fuels is not sufficient to achieve complete decarbonization in the studied end uses. CO2 utilization-based methanol could potentially substitute for several times the current U.S. methanol production and meet the current global demand for methanol. Moreover, the study conducts an economic analysis to estimate the costs of CO2 utilization, which vary for different industrial sectors and depend on the technologies employed. Overall, this study provides valuable information for policymakers and industry stakeholders who are striving to develop effective strategies to decarbonize the industrial sector.

An optimal sustainable planning strategy for national carbon capture deployment: A review on the state of CO2 capture in Canada

AbstractThis study reviews the steps Canada is taking to address sustainable decarbonization in the context of carbon capture. This work also presents a new optimal framework for national optimal deployment in need of strategic carbon capture implementation. This framework considers external environmental and social considerations often missing from implementation frameworks, which will aid policy makers in more well‐rounded deployment decisions. Thus far, Canada's carbon projects have captured a total of 36.3 Mt of CO2 which has cost over $2.7 billion to implement. The Canadian case study utilizing the proposed optimal planning strategy shows that implementation of 58 post‐combustion carbon capture (PCC) plants located in seven provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) would result in Canada meeting the national targets. This implementation includes 16 plants removing emissions from the Electricity sector, 16 from the Heavy Industry sector, and 26 from the Oil and gas sector resulting in new emissions levels of 11.82 MtCO2, 27.63 MtCO2, and 107.01 MtCO2 in each sector, respectively. Additional case studies examined the impact of Alberta's emissions and varying the national targets resulting in different optimal implementations plans. Through a sensitivity analysis on these targets, it was determined that plant distribution is heavily dependent on provincial energy and CO2 transport prices. Additionally, if Alberta were to reduce their GHG emissions by 50% through alternative sustainable methods, only 35 PCC plants would be required to meet national targets. This framework provides a sustainable tool for decision‐makers to accelerate decarbonization.

Seeps and Tectonic Structure of the Hydrothermal System of the Panarea Volcanic Complex (Aeolian Islands, Tyrrhenian Sea)

High-definition bathymetry mapping, combined with the measurement of dissolved benthic fluxes and water column biogeochemical properties, allows for a description of new biogeochemical processes around the Panarea Volcanic island. Investigations focused on the CO2 releases from the bottom sea on the east of the Panarea volcanic complex provided insights into the geological setup of the marine area east and south of the Panarea Island. Between the Panarea Island and the Basiluzzo Islet lies a SW-NE-stretching graben structure where a central depression, the Smoking Land Valley, is bounded by extensional faults. Abundant acidic fluids rich in dissolved inorganic Carbon are released on the edges of the graben, along the extensional faults, either diffusely from the seafloor, from hydrothermal chimneys, or at the center of craters of different sizes. The precipitation of iron dissolved in the acidic fluids forms Fe-oxyhydroxides bottom sea crusts that act as a plug, thus preventing the release of the underlying gases until their mounting pressure generates a bursting release. This process is cyclic and results in intermittent gas release from the bottom, leaving extinct craters and quiescent chimneys. The measurement of dissolved benthic fluxes allowed us to estimate the volcanic DIC venting at 15 Mt of CO2 over the past 10,000 years. The fluxes are not distributed homogeneously but rather concentrate along fractures and fault planes, which facilitate their rise to the seafloor. The acidic fluids released affect the chemical properties and structure of the water column through the formation of layers with a lower pH under the pycnocline, which can limit volcanic CO2 release to the atmosphere. Further and continuous monitoring and investigation of the area are needed in order to complete a thorough picture of the variations in fluid releases through time and space. The importance of such monitoring lies in the development of a new method for detecting and quantifying the diffusive dissolved benthic fluxes on a volcanic sea bottom affected by hydrothermal seeps.

Air quality impacts of landfill fires: A case study from the Brahmapuram Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Plant in Kochi, India

The occurrence of waste fires in unscientifically managed landfill sites has become a pressing environmental issue in the urban centers of developing economies. In the present work, an investigation was carried out to evaluate the air quality implications of three major fire events that occurred at the Brahmapuram Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Plant (BMSWTP) in Kochi, India. Initially, Landsat-based surface temperature monitoring was conducted to identify the thermal hotspots within the landfill. The emissions of different pollutants during waste fires were quantified and compared between satellite-based ex-situ and field-based in-situ methods. The dispersion patterns of PM2.5 particles released during the fires were visualised using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) particle dispersion model. The Landfill Gas Emissions Model (LandGEM) was employed to quantify the greenhouse gases (GHGs) released during waste storage, which was then compared with the GHGs emissions during waste fires. In-situ emission estimates showed that the combustion of waste at BMSWTP led to the release of 909.3 MT of PM10, 938.8 MT of PM2.5, 5832.9 MT of CO, 43.6 MT of SOx, 284.2 MT of NOx, 138,941.9 MT of CO2, 426.8 MT of CH4, and 2665.1 MT of VOC. However, a noticeable disparity was observed between the in-situ and ex-situ emission estimates, wherein the latter underestimated the actual emissions. Most of the emitted PM2.5 particles propagated oceanward under the influence of prevailing winds, covering the densely populated areas of Kochi municipal corporation. The amount of CH4 and CO2 emitted during the waste fires was on par with the emissions from 159 days of waste storage for CH4 and 51.8 years of waste storage for CO2, with a cumulative global warming potential of 147.9 Gg CO2-e.

Upscaling DAC Hubs with Wind Energy and CO2 Mineral Storage: Considerations for Large-Scale Carbon Removal from the Atmosphere.

Continued fossil fuel emissions will increase CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere and could require removal of 10 Gt of CO2 per year or more to reach IPCC global climate goals. Large-scale construction of direct air capture (DAC) hubs to scrub CO2 from the atmosphere paired with geological storage is a prominent approach to potentially meet this target. We consider one location for theoretical scale-up of a DAC hub: the Kerguelen plateau in the Southern Indian Ocean which has high-potential renewable energy resources (wind) and large volumes of basalt rock for mineral storage. With consistent wind, previous studies indicate a hub in this location could collect approximately 75 Mt of CO2 annually, with conservative storage resources for 150-300 Mt of CO2 each year. Even with its immense wind and storage potentials, 14 Kerguelen-scale hubs would be needed to capture and store 1 Gt of CO2 per year. This brings into focus the important social, economic, and environmental trade-offs that must be considered in finding an acceptable balance between climate solutions, renewable energy requirements, and nature. Engaging public groups on these trade-off considerations will be crucial for gigaton scale-up of CO2 removal in just and responsible ways.

Improving the Air Quality Management: The Air Pollutant and Carbon Emission and Air Quality Model for Air Pollutant and Carbon Emission Reduction in the Iron and Steel Industries of Tangshan, Hebei Province, China

Currently, Tangshan confronts the dual challenge of elevated carbon emissions and substantial pollution discharge from the iron and steel industries (ISIs). While significant efforts have been made to mitigate air pollutants and carbon emissions within the ISIs, there remains a gap in comprehending the control of carbon emissions, air pollutant emissions, and their contributions to air pollutant concentrations at the enterprise level. In this study, we devised the Air Pollutant and Carbon Emission and Air Quality (ACEA) model to identify enterprises with noteworthy air pollution and carbon emissions, as well as substantial contributions to air pollutant concentrations. We constructed a detailed inventory of air pollutants and CO2 emissions from the iron and steel industry in Tangshan for the year 2019. The findings reveal that in 2019, Tangshan emitted 5.75 × 104 t of SO2, 13.47 × 104 t of NOx, 3.55 × 104 t of PM10, 1.80 × 104 t of PM2.5, 5.79 × 106 t of CO and 219.62 Mt of CO2. The ACEA model effectively pinpointed key links between ISI enterprises emitting air pollutants and carbon dioxide, notably in pre-iron-making processes (coking, sintering, pelletizing) and the Blast furnace. By utilizing the developed air pollutant emission inventory, the CALPUFF model assessed the impact of ISI enterprises on air quality in the Tangshan region. Subsequently, we graded the performance of air pollutant and CO2 emissions following established criteria. The ACEA model successfully identified eight enterprises with significant air pollution and carbon emissions, exerting notable influence on air pollutant concentrations. Furthermore, the ACEA outcomes offer the potential for enhancing regional air quality in Tangshan and provide a scientific instrument for mitigating air pollutants and carbon emissions. The effective application of the ACEA model in Tangshan’s steel industry holds promise for supporting carbon reduction initiatives and elevating environmental standards in other industrial cities across China.

Future Scenarios of Firewood Consumption for Cooking in the Mexican Tropical Region

Within domestic food cooking, burning firewood in three-stone fires (TSF) is a common practice by more than 16 million users in the Mexican tropical climate region (CR-TR). This article aims to evaluate the implementation of improved firewood cookstoves (ICS) to replace TSF in the CR-TR by constructing firewood consumption scenarios covering 2018–2050. The results show that in CR-TR, with the implementation of ICS, the consumption of 354.95 PJ of firewood, 36.6 Mt of CO2e, 1.29 Mt of CO, and 163.78 kt of PM2.5 can all be avoided. The most important reduction in firewood consumption, CO2e emissions and CO and PM2.5 pollutants, occurs in exclusive firewood users and mixed users who utilize firewood as the primary fuel source, both of whom are low socioeconomic level in rural areas. Furthermore, most paying-for-firewood users often show negative mitigation costs and a high 50% IRR, while all non-paying-for-firewood users have mitigation costs ranging from 7.74 to 41.23 USD/tCO2e. At the end of the results section, we perform a sensitivity analysis of the relevant parameters, which complements this study. Therefore, implementing ICS will contribute to the solution of climate change, deforestation, and facilitate the formulation of sustainable development policies for the most vulnerable population sector of the Mexican CR-TR.

Numerical simulation of potential site for CO2 sequestration in a depleted oil reservoir in northern Thailand

Due to the effects of an anthropogenic global warming, the concern about the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the environment has increased in various industries like petroleum industry. Currently, the use of the geological storage techniques, such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), is the most promising way to mitigate these emissions. The objective of this study on a numerical simulation is to investigate CO2 onshore geological storage in the depleted oilfields in the North of Thailand. The geological modelling is a critical step in proving the suitability of a geologic formation for a CCS project. The simulations of the pressure build-up, CO2 plume movement and the amount of CO2 stored are the main points of this research. The development of the 3D reservoir model is performed by means of CMG-GEM, and CMG-WINPROP. This study performs how CO2 sequestration is injected with the flow rate of 1000–4000 tons/day into a reservoir with a depth of 2120-2161 m. The result indicates that CO2 moves up to the top formation. Moreover, 0.583 Mt of CO2 can be stored into the reservoir. This presents the preliminary study for the CO2 sequestration in Northern Thailand, which aids in the next phase of CCS projects in Thailand.

Cryptocurrency energy consumption: Analysis, global trends and interaction

The rapid spread of cryptocurrencies is one of the most relevant trends today. One of the significant risks of their spread is the increase in energy consumption, which has a negative impact on the environment due to carbon emissions. This requires the development of a scientific toolkit for assessing relationships and predicting the impact of cryptocurrencies on energy consumption, which is the aim of this paper.With the correlational regression analysis, the model of the dependence of spending on IT sector, energy consumption of Bitcoin, Ethereum and global capitalization of the cryptocurrency market was conducted, based on statistical data from Statista.com, Сoinmarketcap.com and International Data Corporation. To check the possible relationship, tests for the adequacy of the results obtained (Fisher’s test, Student’s t-test) confirmed the correctness of coefficients for independent variables.The results showed a significant direct correlation (Multiple R is 95%) of spending on IT sector, energy consumption and global capitalization of the cryptocurrency market. The established relationships allowed predicting that Bitcoin energy consumption may reach 142 Terawatt hours per year in 2026. And its impact on environment by mining in 2022 was at least 27.4 Mt of CO2 emission.As a proposal, a conclusion was made on the expediency of linking mining to the use of certain sources of electricity production, such as “residual” natural gas, nuclear power, renewable energy sources. The obtained results and conclusions may be used as a basis for political decisions in the field of energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.

Techno-Environmental Analysis of a Microgrid Energy System in a University Office Complex

The world is undergoing an irreversible shift towards clean energy. Microgrids are recognized as a key technology that holds significant potential to make a substantial difference in this regard. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of how microgrids work and their impact on climate. The research presented in this paper focuses on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the main campus of Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, through the development and implementation of an engineering model that facilitates the installation of a microgrid system designed to meet the university’s sustainability goals. The study aims to explore possible solutions that can reduce emissions in the administrative building (A7) at Qassim University and meet the university environmental plan. Therefore, a comprehensive study is conducted to investigate the potential reduction in emissions associated with the installation of a microgrid system. This microgrid system operates in a grid-connected mode and comprises three main components: the load, a photovoltaic (PV) system, and batteries. The results of the study indicate that the microgrid reveals a notable transition in the primary sources of electricity. Moreover, the microgrid system proves its capability to meet a substantial portion of the daily energy requirements, highlighting its efficiency and effectiveness in addressing energy needs. The findings of this study highlight the significant potential of the proposed model in curbing carbon emissions, as it demonstrates a reduction from 615.8 to 147.4 Mt of CO2. This reduction aligns with the university’s commitment to sustainability and green initiatives. The computed decrease in carbon footprint emphasizes the possibility of the suggested model to encourage sustainable practices among the university community and mitigate the environmental consequences of energy usage.

Liquid-liquid equilibrium of CO2/bitumen and CO2/bitumen/ethyl acetate systems with application to diluted bitumen transportation

Bitumen transportation by pipelines requires dilution with solvents. These diluents are often expensive. Therefore, the utilization of liquid CO2 as a diluent to reduce or eliminate diluent consumption is of interest. However, there is limited data in the literature on the liquid-liquid equilibrium (LLE) of CO2 and bitumen. In this work, we report a new set of LLE data for MacKay River bitumen and liquid CO2 at ambient temperature. First, the LLE of bitumen/CO2 at various CO2 feed concentrations was studied. The density of light and heavy liquid phases, the viscosity of the heavy phase, and the heavy phase volume fraction were measured. It was shown that a CO2 feed concentration of 30 wt% is optimum for achieving maximum dissolution of CO2 in bitumen. Then, the effect of pressure on the LLE of bitumen/CO2 at a 30 wt% CO2 concentration was studied. The results revealed a significant reduction in bitumen viscosity from 300,000–1250 cP could be achieved at 21 °C. The results suggest that liquid CO2 can be utilized to reduce diluent consumption in pipeline transportation. The role of ethyl acetate (EA) as a co-solvent with CO2 was also examined. It was shown that the addition of EA to a mixture of bitumen/CO2 could further reduce the bitumen viscosity to satisfy the pipeline transportation criterion. The results reveal that CO2-assisted bitumen transportation in Canada can lead to the utilization of 0.16 Mt of CO2 daily, which is equivalent to a utilization potential of about 80 kg CO2/bbl of raw bitumen. The results also suggest a 73% reduction in fossil-based diluent usage, equivalent to ∼0.5 million barrels of crude oil.

Reduction of Cement Consumption, Carbon Foot Print and Improvisation of Durability Performance of Concrete by using High Dosage of High Grade PCE based Superplasticiser

Abstract: In present world global warming is one of the primary concern of the world community due to continuous increasing of carbon foot print since last few decades. Among the different source of carbon foot print in global atmosphere, cement industry alone contribute nearly 8% to the global anthropogenic CO2 emissions as 1 MT of cement production is generating nearly 0.87 MT CO2 to the atmosphere. Hence considering the threat of continuously increasing carbon foot print of the atmosphere number of ways were adopted for reduction of carbon foot print by many researchers in past like using of supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in production of concrete. But in the present research work it has been revealed that by using of high grade PCE based superplasticizer with an increased dosage has shown significant reduction in the consumption of cement with regards to strength requirement of concrete. Thus by reduction of cement consumption in concrete has shown significant reduction of carbon foot print generated from cement industry. On the other side the present research work has also revealed that, by using of high grade PCE based superplasticizer with an increased dosage helps to produce high workability & high performance concrete at very low w/c ratio. Thus because of using very low w/c ratio in concrete without impacting its fresh concrete properties there is a significant improvement has been noticed in hardened concrete properties like increase in strength of concrete, reduction in pore sizes of concrete resulting improvement of concrete durability performance. With regards to cost analysis of the proposal based on the present research work, it is found that using of increased dosage of superplasticiser in concrete is still found to be economic as compared to cost of concrete with high dosage of superplasticiser, as the cost reduction of concrete is higher due to higher amount of cement reduction in concrete as compared to extra cost of Superplasticizer in concrete beyond the optimum dosage of superplasticiser in concrete.