Natural Energy Resources Research Articles

Recent Advancement and Emerging Applications of Lignin

Lignin is a significant renewable natural energy resource these days, used as an environmentally acceptable and sustainable alternative fossil fuel feedstock in a huge possibility of value-added products. Lignin is a polymeric molecule that possesses an aromatic unit structure, together with cellulose, and is a main component of the cell walls of plants. It is the byproduct of agriculture residues and biorefinery products and can be extracted from paper-pulp industries. Properties of lignin may differ depending on the extraction method and source and also on an aromatic ring as the main constituent of lignin in the structure. This rare composition of lignin makes it more valuable, allowing for value-added applications such as in the field of storage devices and energy harvesters. This review focuses on derivatives of lignin, structure and composition sources and characteristics, and its sustainable emerging application in various fields are discussed.

Роль закупочной деятельности в уменьшении углеродного следа в Арктической зоне Российской Федерации

One of the main tasks of the modern energy industry is not only to maximize the efficient use of natural energy resources and preserve their diversity, but also to increase the potential of this sector in the stable growth of the state's economy, improving the quality of life of the population and maintaining a favorable environmental situation in the country. Decarbonization, which implies a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) and methane emissions, is a key challenge facing the global energy industry. The purpose of this study is to assess greenhouse gas emissions produced as a result of the activities of the largest energy companies operating in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, namely PJSC LUKOIL and PJSC NOVATEK through the analysis of their policies and measures to reduce the carbon footprint, preserve biological diversity and develop the northern region of Russia, identify links between the conduct of procurement activities and support for the sustainable development of the enterprise, including in the environmental field. In the course of the work, a comparative analysis of the activities of companies in the Arctic zone was carried out, their current and prospective projects were described, data on greenhouse gas emissions of the enterprises in question were structured by year, their procurement policy, the necessary requirements for potential suppliers, implemented educational programs and activities for the development of professional skills of personnel were considered, and additional tools were proposed that they will be able to contribute not only to improving the sustainable development of companies in the Arctic, but also, as a result, conservation of natural diversity in the northern part of the Russian Federation.

Differentiation of different dibenzothiophene (DBT) desulfurizing bacteria via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).

Fossil fuels are considered vital natural energy resources on the Earth, and sulfur is a natural component present in them. The combustion of fossil fuels releases a large amount of sulfur in the form of SO x in the atmosphere. SO x is the major cause of environmental problems, mainly air pollution. The demand for fuels with ultra-low sulfur is growing rapidly. In this aspect, microorganisms are proven extremely effective in removing sulfur through a process known as biodesulfurization. A major part of sulfur in fossil fuels (coal and oil) is present in thiophenic structures such as dibenzothiophene (DBT) and substituted DBTs. In this study, the identification and characterization of DBT desulfurizing bacteria (Chryseobacterium sp. IS, Gordonia sp. 4N, Mycolicibacterium sp. J2, and Rhodococcus sp. J16) based on their specific biochemical constituents were conducted using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). By differentiating DBT desulfurizing bacteria, researchers can gain insights into their unique characteristics, thus leading to improved biodesulfurization strategies. SERS was used to differentiate all these species based on their biochemical differences and different SERS vibrational bands, thus emerging as a potential technique. Moreover, multivariate data analysis techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were employed to differentiate these DBT desulfurizing bacteria on the basis of their characteristic SERS spectral signals. For all these isolates, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity are above 90%, and an AUC (area under the curve) value of close to 1 was achieved for all PLS-DA models.

Web Monitoring the Potential of Solar Power Plants Based on the Internet of Things

The market for renewable energy is expanding quickly to support power production, where solar energy is widely used and developed in applied technologies significantly. When assessing solar energy potential, one must consider natural energy resources based on the wind speed. As a result, the systems covered by this work feature two monitoring modes: on-site monitoring using a monitoring module and smartphone applications applied to the method, which can download data for Android smartphones or desktop computers. Technically, data monitoring is uploaded to a cloud database regularly through data updates for monitoring devices automatically that obtain and present the most recent information. Research indicates that solar radiation directly impacts electrical voltage, as it is precisely proportionate to the intensity of sunshine. In testing conducted from 07.00 to 17.00 WIB, the lowest solar panel output voltage of 20.4 V with a current of 0.2 A was obtained. The most outstanding result is at 12.00 WIB with a point of 23.59 V and 0.7 A. The study also demonstrates how the surrounding temperature influences the amount of electrical energy generated.

Social cost-benefit analysis of different types of buses for sustainable public transportation

The transportation sector holds significant importance within a nation, constituting a considerable share of its total energy consumption. In developing nations, the predominant use of non-renewable energy sources like natural gas and petroleum-based fuels is notably observed in the transportation domain. Both public and private vehicles predominantly operate on fossil fuels, giving rise to concerns such as depleting national energy resources and escalating environmental impacts. Consequently, addressing these challenges calls for a shift towards cleaner and more sustainable transportation options. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to conduct a comprehensive ex-ante social cost-benefit analysis of various types of buses for public transportation. Specifically, the types of buses considered include: (i) solar buses, (ii) electric buses, (iii) hydrogen buses, and (iv) diesel buses. This study investigates the feasibility of each type of bus by determining its overall benefits and costs. The economic, environmental, and social impacts are determined and monetized which are used to calculate the net present values (NPV). The solar bus was found to have a comparatively higher NPV of 79.46 Million PKR which demonstrates that the associated overall benefits are higher as compared to the costs. On the contrary, the hydrogen bus was found to have a comparatively lower NPV of −5.87 Million PKR which depicted that considerably higher costs surpassed its benefits. Finally, an exhaustive sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the impacts of critical system parameters on the feasibility of the examined buses.

Explaining the environmental efficiency capability of energy mix innovation among the Nordic countries

Improving the environmental efficiency performance of energy mix is important to the global carbon neutrality goal. Given this motivation, this study delves into providing more explanation about the role of innovation approaches to coal, oil, and natural gas energy resources in the Nordic economies i.e., Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden during the period 2000–2019. To achieve this objective and reach an evidence-based insight for policy formulation, the present study leveraged robust panel econometrics estimators that circumvent cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity issues in the investigated blocs. The empirical evidence shows that economic growth (GDP), coal energy, oil and natural gas contribute to the Nordic economies' environmental degradation in the short- and long-run. Contrarily, innovation via environmental-related patents mitigates environmental degradation, especially in the long run. Furthermore, the interaction models, i.e., applying innovative approaches in the energy mix's consumption, can mitigate carbon emissions across the countries, thus significantly improving environmental sustainability. Specifically, innovative approaches in coal, oil, and natural gas consumption improve environmental sustainability by mitigating carbon emissions, thus delivering respective environmental efficiency improvements of ∼94%, ∼108%, and ∼123%. Additionally, Granger causality evidence further suggests that the examined factors are significant drivers of the environmental indicator. Regarding policy insight, this study affirms that further improvement in energy savings is vital to continuously deploying the conventional energy mix.

Does energy resource misallocation affect energy utilization efficiency? Evidence from Chinese provincial panel data

Along with the rapid development of society, the position of energy has become more prominent in recent years. However, energy resource misallocation has been a common phenomenon, which has been a brake on energy efficiency promotion and regional low carbon development. Therefore, this study serves to investigate interprovincial energy resource misallocation in China across five typical industries from 2003 to 2017 by an improved Gini Coefficient method. Then a panel data model is built to explore whether energy resource misallocation has a significant impact on energy efficiency. Results show that the national energy resource misallocation index (MI), on average, fell from 0.461 in 2003 to 0.363 in 2017, presenting a decreasing trend, which means that China's interprovincial energy resource misallocation has been effectively alleviated. Furthermore, we find that the energy resource misallocation has a significant negative effect on interprovincial energy efficiency. More specifically, a 1% decrease in the energy resource MI causes a 0.268% increase in energy efficiency. In addition, the urbanization level, industrial structure, and the proportion of fossil energy could inhibit the improvement of energy efficiency, while the increase in economic level could exert a positive effect on the improvement of energy efficiency.

Natural resources and energy resources prices an answer to energy insecurity? The role of mineral, forest, coal resources and financial development

Natural resources can be both a true blessing as well as a curse relying on its use. Using panel data for G7 economies from 1990 to 2021, this study aims to explore the influence of energy price shocks on energy security. This research applied the method of moment quantile regression to analyze the long-term link between study variables. The long-run method of moment quantile regression test results shows that energy price shock decreases energy security. Environmental innovation, renewable energy R&D, financial development, and low economic risk increase energy security in selected economies. No study has examined energy price shocks and energy security in the G7 economies using the method of moment quantile regression model and additional control variables. Additionally, natural resources in the form of coal, mineral, and forest rents increase energy insecurity. This research suggests some measures to do to boost energy security and stable energy prices in G7 economies. In terms of implications for policymakers, the role of natural resources is vital for a broader perspective of sustainable development goals.

Environmental cost of natural resources, globalization, and economic policy uncertainty in the G-7 bloc: do human capital and renewable energy matter?

The panel of G-7 economies is considered one of the most prosperous economies, endowed with abundant natural and renewable energy resources. Due to their richness in these resources, most economic development and activities, including environmental and economic aspects, depend on and are determined by energy consumption and natural resource rents. However, the increasing dependence of G-7 economies on energy consumption and natural resources raises questions about their long-term growth and ecological policies towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the influence of natural resources, renewable energy, economic policy uncertainty, human capital, and globalization on the ecological footprint in the panel of G-7 economies from 1990 to 2020. After confirming the cross-sectional dependence issue, this study applied second-generation panel data approaches to estimate robust and reliable outcomes. The estimated evidence from this study discovered that natural resources, globalization processes, and economic policy uncertainty significantly increase the level of ecological footprint in the region. In contrast, renewable energy and human capital provide feasible solutions for ecological improvement in the study area. Likewise, the interactive role of renewable energy with economic policy uncertainty significantly protects the environmental quality in the study area. Based on the estimated findings, this study recommends various achievable policy options for policymakers and the governments of these economies to ensure environmental sustainability.

Determination of Pozzolanic Activity of Buffalo Dung Ash to Utilize as Cement Replacement Material in Concrete

Increasing construction activity around the globe has raised the demand for cement to 4.4 giga-tonnes/year, making it costlier, and its consumption second to water. Meanwhile, a tonne of clinker produces a tonne of CO2 on a large consumption of natural resources of raw materials and energy of 10–11 EJ/year, which is why an affordable and environmentally sustainable substitute for cement is needed today. Pakistan possesses more than 30 million buffalos. Each can produce up to 15 kg of dung per day, resulting in 450 million kg of dung produced in Pakistan alone. This research aims to investigate the pozzolanic activity of Buffalo dung ash and determine the optimum conditions for developing the ash, along with the optimum dosage as cement replacing material in Normal concrete. For this purpose, five buffalo dung ash samples were prepared by calcining the dung in a muffle furnace for a 1-hour duration at 400°C, 500°C, 600°C, 700°C, and 800°C, and after cooling, sieving through a No. 100 sieve. The Strength Activity Index was determined as per ASTM C311. The results showed that developed ash at 600oC has a maximum Strength Activity Index of 94.2%, meeting the ASTM C618 standards for pozzolanic material, which was further confirmed by X-ray Fluorescence analysis. Furthermore, when 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% of this ash were used as cement substitutes in concrete, the compressive strength increased by 11.2% on 10% substitution compared to the control mix. Based on the parameters investigated, it was found optimal to replace 10% of the cement in the concrete with buffalo dung calcined at 600°C for 1 hour.

Towards a Common Methodology and Modelling Tool for 100% Renewable Energy Analysis: A Review

Some advanced countries’ rapid population, economic growth, and energy consumption expansion contribute significantly to global CO2 emissions. And while developed countries have achieved 100% universal access to electricity, mainly from non-renewable sources, many developing countries still lack it. This presents challenges and opportunities for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 and 13 of generating all energy from cleaner or low-carbon sources to reduce CO2 emissions in all countries and combating climate change consequences. Renewable energies have been widely acknowledged to greatly advance this endeavour, resulting in many studies and about 30 countries already with over 70% of their national electricity mix from RE. It has birthed a new paradigm and an emerging field of 100% RE for all purposes, recently receiving much attention from academia and in public discourse. The major challenge with this idea is that achieving such a feat requires a more diverse approach. This study emphasises the need to meet technical and non-technical requirements for working towards a 100% RE for all purposes. Therefore, our work introduces six methodological or evaluation mechanisms (herein, identified as 100% RE evaluation metrics) suitable for existing and future 100% renewable energy analysis. It then reviews energy modelling tools to identify their applicability to 100% RE analysis. The review and perspectives presented in this study will be valuable in developing a common integrated methodology and modelling tool for analysing full renewable energy adoption in countries or regions with best trade-offs, using performance indices that have not been previously used. It will also help with proper national and regional energy resources and system planning for new energy projects and installations, contributing to sustainable development.

The Replacement of Quartz Sand with Microsilica for Obtaining Glass Materials

The article presents the physicochemical and technological characteristics of amorphous silica fume. According to the results of experimental studies, it can be established that the replacement of natural quartz sand with ferrosilicon waste–microsilica in the glass charge does not reduce its main physical, chemical and technological characteristics. It is shown that the replacement of quartz sand with microsilica in the raw material composition of the glass charge leads to a decrease in the temperature of smooth formation, in particular, glass melting, as a result of which it helps to save natural raw materials and energy resources, while solving the problems of improving the environmental situation in the industrial region of the Republic.

Necessity to Assess the Sustainability of Sensitive Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Review of Tourism Pressures and the Travel Cost Method

Sensitive ecosystems play a major role in the future of the environment, economy, and society, as they affect and mitigate natural hazards, provide food, energy, and medicinal resources, and job opportunities, as well as cultural and recreational services. Meanwhile, the rapidly growing nature-based tourism sector is applying unsustainable pressures on such ecosystems, prioritizing the assessment of their sustainability, i.e., environmental, economic, and social functionality. To ensure long-term development and conservation, benefits from the natural capital must be valued and included in its management plan. The travel cost method (TCM), although heavily exploited in research, exhibits application challenges and methodological weaknesses. This paper seeks to comprehensively present the most recent applications of TCM, focusing on aquatic ecosystems that serve as tourist destinations, whereupon research gaps are identified, ultimately providing insights for future directions in the field. Quantifying the economic worth of sensitive ecosystems is a prerequisite to address issues, such as overexploitation, pollution, and climate change, so these problems can be alleviated in the long-run. In parallel, the critical long-term double effect of fair entrance fees is recognized, which not only motivate visitation by securing accessibility but also guarantee adequate financial resources to protect and maintain the ecosystems’ integrity.

Investigation of IR Reflective Coating for Plexiglas Canopy

Purpose: Solar energy is necessary for our global ecosystem. In certain times and parts of the world, the heat generated from the energy of the Sun becomes uncomfortable for us and we need to use additional energy to cool down the generated heat from the Sun. This additional energy usage is detrimental to our environment due to generation of air pollution and use of our natural energy resources. The purpose of this paper is to investigate prevention of undesired generation of heat by the Sun using reflective coating materials.
 Methodology: In this study, using literature review, Ga doped Zinc Oxide (GZO) is theoretically investigated as a visible light transparent and infrared reflective coating material for the Plexiglas canopy of a solar car. The effect of doping concentration and film thickness is reviewed and discussed. Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is also studied, using various literature reviews, as an infrared reflective coating material that is transparent in the visible light region. Finally, a spectrophotometer was used to examine the optical properties of a Plexiglas, slide glass, and ITO coated glass, and the results of UV and visible light transmittance measurement of the three materials is presented and discussed.
 Findings: GZO and ITO films both have high transparency in the visible region of the solar spectrum and high reflectivity to IR radiation starting from 1500 nm to higher wavelengths. None of these films completely reflect the IR radiation with wavelengths in the range of 700 nm to 1500 nm which contribute to generation of heat most. Many factors such as doping concentration and thickness of the films affect reflectivity of the films due to their effect on shifting the plasma frequency. Increasing doping concentration and thickness of the GZO films until a certain threshold improves IR reflectivity of GZO films, but it was not possible to precisely formulate these factors within this study. Reducing the particle size in nanoparticle ITO film improves transmittance of the film in the visible light region and its reflectance in the IR region. The measurement results showed that Plexiglas and glass have a high transparency to visible and near IR radiation.
 Recommendations: Further investigation and experimentation is recommended to fully understand and formulate doping concentration and film thickness of GZO and ITO to achieve optimal IR reflectivity within the 700 to 1500 nm wavelength region while maintaining visible light transparency. In regards to ITO coating, reduced nanoparticle size is recommended to improve the desired visible and IR transparency and reflectivity of the film. Although GZO and ITO coatings’ doping concentration and thickness to achieve IR reflectivity within the 700 to 1500 nm wavelengths is not well understood in this study, to reduce heat generation they are still recommended as a coating material due to their reflectivity to IR with wavelengths of above 1500 nm which also play a role in generation of heat.

The potential of salinity gradient energy based on natural and anthropogenic resources in Sweden

This paper presents assessment of natural and anthropogenic sources of blue energy within Swedish territory to identify suitable spots for implementing new projects. The natural energy potential of salinity gradients was found to be higher in southwest Sweden, and a national energy resource potential of 2610.6 MW from seawater/river water mixing will be reduced to a technical potential ranging from 1044.3 MW to 1825.4 MW considering technical and environmental constraints. It has been found that the theoretical extractable energy potential in Sweden is equivalent to 13% of the total electricity consumption and 6.2% of the total final energy consumption by energy commodities.Anthropogenic water sources were also highlighted as promising low and high-concentration solutions for SGE extraction. Gotland was identified as an attractive location for generating salinity gradient power. The total salinity gradient power obtainable by mixing municipal wastewater with seawater in Sweden was estimated to be 11.8 MW. The most promising site for this process was determined to be Gryaab AB Ryaverket in Gothenburg, which accounted for 45.8% of the total national potential from anthropogenic sources.

Reducing heat gain in buildings by artificially lowering the outside air temperature through evaporative cooling

Introduction. Systems for microclimate regulation in buildings consume a large amount of natural energy resources. Statistics show that 40 % of energy is used for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. This problem is directly related to the heating and cooling load of the building, i.e. it depends on the thermal engineering characteristics of building envelopes and the thermal protection of the building.
 
 Materials and methods. To reduce the consumption of energy resources, the most common method is the thermal insulation of enclosing structures, increasing the thermal resistance of enclosing structures, which is a complicated thermal engineering problem. An alternative new method of reducing heat gain into buildings through evaporative cooling of outside air which leads to reduction of cooling load of building and subsequently influences the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is considered. For this purpose, a spray irrigation system is installed on the southern wall of the building to lower the conditional boundary layer temperature which is formed as a result of solar radiation.
 
 Results. The suggested method passively reduces the boundary layer temperature, which tends to the temperature of the wet-bulb thermometer, as a result, the heat influx into the building is reduced, which leads to a lower cooling load and increases the energy efficiency of the system.
 
 Conclusions. Green architecture and zero-energy building design are relevant and important at the present time. World statistics show that 14 % of all potable water is used in buildings, in order to use potable water economically the proposed system installs a rainwater accumulation tank for outdoor irrigation. A comparative analysis showed that by cooling evaporation and artificially lowering the outside air temperature, the cooling load of the building is reduced by 20 %, which results in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy optimization of aluminum alloys on engine oil-based nanofluid flow

The growing demand for energy calls for efficient utilization of natural energy resources in developing useful work. Thermodynamic irreversibility deals with the disorderliness in any system. This work investigates the energy optimization of a cylinder experiencing stretching and rotation immersed with aluminum alloys (AA7072-AA7075) in engine oil-based nanofluid. The Maxwell nanofluid model is employed to check the thermophysical properties of nanofluids. Heat transfer occurred at the cylinder’s surface by considering the constant and prescribed temperature. Forced convection is due to a stretchable rotating boundary, while natural convection is owing to a thermal gradient in the system. The dimensionless ordinary differential equations are obtained by using the appropriate ansatz and solved numerically through the bvp4c technique. A comparison profile of constant wall temperature and prescribed surface temperature shows that entropy generation and Bejan number are reduced for the former and increased for the latter, while thermal transport exhibits an opposite behavior. The axial and azimuthal wall stress parameters diminished due to an increment in Reynolds number. The heat transport rate is comparatively higher for AA7075/Engine oil than AA7072/Engine oil.

Опережающая подготовка специалистов для космического строительства

This article considers the issue of training designers and technicians for the creation of orbital and planetary structures within the group of specialties 24.00.00 “Aviation and rocket and space technology”. This work is relevant due to the expanding plans for the construction of national and international space stations in the Earth and the Moon orbits, and the construction of bases on the surface of celestial bodies. It is assumed that the exploration of celestial bodies can begin before the end of this decade with the bases created on the surface of the Moon. It is noted that the implementation of these projects must involve the modular principle, the use of robotic mechanisms, smart composite materials, natural resources of celestial bodies and solar energy. Several international master’s degree programs in space construction and architecture are described in brief. As an example, the key features of the new master’s degree curriculum in the field of training 24.04.01 “Rocket complexes and Cosmonautics” developed at the Department of SM-13 “Rocket and Space Composite Structures” at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University are given. A number of new disciplines, new for an aerospace university have been included in the curriculum for the master’s degree graduate to form the necessary competencies in the field of space construction.

Study of the Physical Mechanism of Power Generation with Wheels

It is known well that electricity is an important part of our life and most of it is wasted. However, the natural resources of energy are being wasted and reduced. To utilize the mechanical energy of rotating wheels, in this research report, the device structure of generating electricity voltage is designed, and the relations between the voltage generated by rotating wheels and the geometry and physical parameters of the structures are derived, and the effects of the geometry and physical parameters on the voltage are analyzed. The theoretical results show that the voltages are in proportion to the weight and speed of rotating wheels. The experiments with piezoelectric film and wheels are used to verify the theoretical analysis. The experimental results show that the theoretical analysis is in good agreement with measured results.

Collaborative Seismic Environment Plan (CSEP) project – a long-term, consistent, consortium-based approach to environmental approvals

The Collaborative Seismic Environment Plan (CSEP) project was formed in 2018 by NERA (National Energy Resources Australia) and an industry consortium of marine seismic acquisition operators and exploration titleholders. Using a collaborative approach, the vision of the CSEP project was to streamline seismic survey environment plan preparation, submission and assessment by the regulator (National Offshore Petroleum Environmental and Safety Authority, NOPSEMA), with an emphasis on mutually agreed protocols with commercial fishers operating within the CSEP Operational Area. Stakeholder consultation undertaken during Environmental Plan (EP) preparation was identified by the consortium as a principal cause for concern and a common reason for unsuccessful EP submissions. The CSEP project has achieved the project’s vision through: A Commercial Fishing Industry Adjustment Protocol to provide a standardised, evidence-based process to assess and provide monetary adjustment to commercial fishers for loss of catch, displacement and gear loss/damage; an Operational Protocol to provide guidance regarding improved communications with commercial fishers, including the spatial and temporal repetition and advanced notifications of seismic activities; a single overarching approvals framework for seismic activities within the CSEP Operational Area; a consistent assessment of environmental receptors, potential impacts, and management controls for seismic activities; and Improved understanding of potential cumulative impacts of seismic activities across the CSEP Operational Area. The CSEP project is an example of best practice stakeholder consultation that can be applied to offshore oil and gas and renewable energy activities.