Potential Of Renewable Sources Research Articles

The Valuable Impacts of Halophytic Genus Suaeda; Nutritional, Chemical, and Biological Values.

Suaeda is a halophytic genus belonging to the Amaranthaceae family and can survive in the high salted marsh areas of the world. Suaeda plants can biosynthesize natural substances with powerful antioxidant activity and are considered as a renewable source of energy, food, and edible oil for a larger number of populations living in the harsh environment with high salinity and drought conditions. These plants also meet folk and alternative medicines' needs. The review encompasses available scientific literature related to folk medicinal uses of Suaeda plants, their nutritional values, and chemical constituents. In addition, the biological trials applied for the Suaeda plants are also part of the review. The review covers the researches from major science literature search engines and other sites representing scientific literature, i.e., Scifinder, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google. The searches were programmed on the advance options available in the search engines and are latest up to November 2019. The searches were exhaustive and rechecked for accuracy. The study summarizes the uses of Suaeda plants as a remedy for various ailments due to their contents from the polyphenols and flavonoids. The comparatively large amounts of fixed oils, minerals, and vitamins in Suaeda plants have also made them potential renewable sources for foods.

Using nature-based water storage for smallholder irrigated agriculture in African drylands: Lessons from frugal innovation pilots in Mozambique and Zimbabwe

Alluvial aquifers in seasonal rivers are a yet underutilised resource in many (semi-)arid regions of Africa. These so-called sand river aquifers provide nature-based water storage within easy reach because they are shallow. They form a significant potential renewable source of water for irrigation development. Innovative approaches and solutions are needed to sustainably increase productive use of this resource to enhance rural livelihoods. The A4Labs action research explores the potential and pitfalls of introducing solutions designed for individual smallholder farmers. This entails innovation in three domains: the technology used (manually-installed shallow well-points in or next to a sand river combined with solar-powered water pumps), the arrangement (individual smallholder farmers), and the purpose (market-oriented farming). Pilots were established in the Limpopo river basin in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Monitoring and assessment are ongoing, but preliminary findings indicate that successful adoption of the approach was not constrained by water availability. Despite the fact that these pilots were established during two subsequent drought years, there was no difficulty in accessing freshwater in sufficient quantity. Instead, successful adoption depends on previous farming experience, market access, and the possibility to grow adaptively in terms of technology, scale and financial risks. In addition, establishing an individual farm to grow cash crops requires acceptance and new skills, as irrigation for smallholder farmers in Africa has traditionally been framed as a communal activity in “collective” irrigation schemes with strong support by outside agencies, and with the well-known collective action challenges. This action research has also estimated that the potential for upscaling this innovation in the Limpopo river basin is significant.Our innovative solution for accessing water stored in shallow alluvial aquifers can start small, is within reach of smallholder farmers (initial investment being less than US$1,000/0.2 ha), and is scalable as farmers can gradually improve their system and expand. Moreover, the solution allows for the application of “adaptive development pathways” at the river-stretch scale.

A Framework of Solar Thermal Performance Study for Poultry Industry

Malaysia is one of the countries aiming to create sustainable energy by using renewable sources as an alternative to reduce consumption of fossil fuel due to the negative impacts to the environment and public health. Solar energy which is free and abundant in Malaysia can be one of the potential renewable sources of energy to meet the energy demand in Malaysia. Some industries consume energy for low heating process, hence solar thermal has a great potential to fulfill the demand. This paper presents solar thermal performance assessment in poultry industry that obtain the heat energy from scalding tank with temperature between 60 - 70 °C for scalding process for efficient removal of chicken leather. The framework has been demonstrated in PPNJ Poultry & Meat SDN. Bhd. as a case study as it is the first solar thermal incorporated in the industry process in Malaysia. The results reveals that about 88 % of the total energy input for scalding process has been contributed by solar thermal with about 2 % energy loss.

Non-Catalytic Co-pyrolysis of Empty Fruit Bunch of Palm and Solid Tire Waste Into Upgrade Bio-oil

Depletion of petroleum and environmental problem have led to look for alternative fuel sources. In many ways, biomass is a potential renewable source. Among the many forms of biomass, empty fruit bunch (EFB) of palm oil is very attractive feedstock due to its abundance, low price and non-competitiveness with the food chain. EFB can be converted into bio-oil by pyrolysis process, but this product can not be used directly as a transportation fuel, as it needs to undergo a process of an upgrade to bio-oil. Co-pyrolysis is a biomass pyrolysis process with solid material that has a high hydrogen index at atmospheric pressure. One of the materials that have a higher hydrogen index than biomass is polymer, such as solid tire waste. The objectives of this research are to study the treatment effects on EFB, the influence ratio of solid tire waste with EFB, and temperature of the yield and composition of the product. EFB that had been treated was mixed with the waste tire, wihh a weight ratio of (100: 0, 75:25, 50: 50.25: 75 and 0: 100) between EFB and waste tire. The mixed raw material was put into the co-pyrolysis reactor and heated at 400 – 600 o C with nitrogen gas flowing for 45 minutes. The results showed that the treatment of EFB as the raw material of pyrolysis could increase the yield of bio-oil and improve the quality of bio-oil. With the addition of 75% waste tire in the co-pyrolysis raw material, the composition of hydrocarbons in bio-oil became 59.55% with a bio-oil heating value of 33.1 MJ/kg.

Remembering Melvin Calvin (1911-1997), a highly versatile scientist of the 20th century.

Melvin Calvin (1911-1997) was the recipient of the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of the canonical photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle. We present here a very brief glimpse of this extraordinary American scientist, who in his time was a preeminent force in physical and organic chemistry. Besides natural photosynthesis, Calvin's prolific career included artificial photosynthesis, colors of organic substances, the origin of life, cancer, moon rocks, molecular basis of learning, and plant lipids & algal hydrocarbons as potential renewable sources of transport fuels.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers with broad spectrum antibacterial activity from the Indonesian marine sponge Lamellodysidea herbacea

First evaluation of the marine invasive species Spartina anglica as a potential renewable source of glycine betaineMicheline Grignon-Dubois and Charffidine Echmak

Cultivation of Oily Microalgae for the Production of Third-Generation Biofuels

Biofuel production by oleaginous microalgae is a promising alternative to the conventional fossil fuels. Many microalgae species have been investigated and deemed as potential renewable sources for the production of biofuel, biogas, food supplements and other products. Oleaginous microalgae, named for their ability to produce oil, are reported to store 30–70% of lipid content due to its metabolic properties under nutrient starvation conditions. This review presents the assortment of the research studies focused on biofuel production from oleaginous microalgae. The new methods and technologies developed for oleaginous microalgae cultivation to improve their biomass content and lipid accumulation capacity were reviewed. The production of renewable, carbon neutral, bio-based or microalgae-based transport fuels are necessary for environmental protection and economic sustainability. Microalgae are a significant source of renewable biodiesel because of their ability to produce oils in the presence of sunlight more efficiently than that of crop oils. This review will provide the background to understanding the bottlenecks and the need for improvement in the cultivation or harvesting process for oleaginous microalgae.

Solvation effect on binding modes of model lignin dimer compounds on MWW 2D-zeolite.

Lignin as a potential renewable source of biofuels, chemicals, and other value-added products has gained much attention. However, the complexity of lignin structure poses a significant challenge for developing efficient valorization techniques. As most processes involve solvothermal conditions to minimize energy cost, lignin depolymerization is governed by reaction conditions (temperature and pressure) and solvents. In this work, binding of β-O-4 linkage consisting lignin dimers on MWW two-dimensional (2D) zeolite is investigated using periodic density functional theory. Furthermore, the effect of different terminated surfaces (H:OH% = 100:0; 50:50; 0:100%), different temperatures (323, 353, 373 K), and different solvents (water and methanol) on the binding modes is quantified. Our work shows that in the gas phase the binding strength increases 10-15 kcal/mol upon increasing the number of hydroxyl groups on the surface. Also, the phenolic dimer binds more strongly than the nonphenolic dimer, and the binding strength of model compounds increases in the presence of the solvent. Analysis of structural changes in the presence of the solvent reveals that the aromatic rings are parallel to the zeolite surface and primary interaction with zeolite is through the hydroxyl groups near the β-O-4 linkage. Furthermore, while the solvation energy decreases with increasing temperature, the opposite trend is observed for the binding energy with the surface.

Revamping doctoral training for a decarbonised future

Revamping doctoral training for a decarbonised future

The Influence of Emulsified Water Fuel Containing Fresh Water Microalgae on Diesel Engine Performance, Combustion, Vibration and Emission

Microalgae is considered as an excellent potential renewable source of fuel in many forms including powder or slurry. A high percentage of emulsified water in the fuel is reported to reduce diesel engines’ emissions such as NOx, but that will compromise the engine output power. Using microalgae powder as an additive to enhance the emulsified water fuel heating value is the main objective of this work. Diesel engine combustion, vibration, performance and emissions were evaluated for pure cottonseed biodiesel (CS-B100), emulsified water 20% (vol.) in cottonseed biodiesel (CSB-E20) and emulsified water 20% (vol.) containing Fresh Water Microalgae Chlorella Vulgaris (FWM-CV) in cottonseed biodiesel (CSB-ME20). The emulsified water fuels showed a reduction in in-cylinder pressure, vibration, brake power, torque, exhaust gas temperature, CO2 and NOx, while BSFC and O2 were higher than the pure biodiesel (CS-B100). CSB-ME20 produced higher power and torque than CSB-E20 due to the presence of microalgae in the fuel that increased the energy content of the fuel.

Geomechanical modelling of a Geothermal reservoir in Tanzania

Countries that are favored by being situated within the East African Rift System, Tanzania is among them. Geothermal energy is a potential renewable source that should be taken into account in Tanzania’s energy mix. Computational Fluid Dynamic (Mathematical modeling and numerical simulation) are taking into account for predicting of geothermal reservoir. Preliminary, geothermal survey studies have been done in Tanzania. However, the available data is inadequate partly because of limitations in traditional measurements and visualization techniques for the geothermal reservoirs located deep underground. This paper presents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique which has been employed to address the limitations by giving an insight into these complex flows that are often difficult, expensive or impossible to study using traditional techniques. The discretized Euler-Eulerian equations are solved in Fluent 12 software for the conservation of mass, momentum, energy and species. The predicted results indicate that thermodynamic properties such as the rate of temperature and pressure drop along the fractured porous rock (hole path) in the concerned study area were 0.02°C per meter and 0.025 bar per meter, respectively. Further, the predicted steam quality at outlet is 0.9.

Nanoporous carbon spheres derived from metal-phenolic coordination polymers for supercapacitor and biosensor

The conversion of plant polyphenol to multi-functional nanoporous carbon spheres (NCSs) is desirable and challenging. Tannic acid (TA), as one kind of plant polyphenol, has been regarded as one of potential renewable carbon sources for nanoporous carbon materials. However, the nanoporous carbon materials derived from TA usually show low surface area and irregular morphology, which partially limit their broad applications. Herein, we demonstrate the successful synthesis of NCSs with high surface area (up to 2221 m2/g) and uniform diameter (∼120 nm) by direct carbonization of zinc-phenolic coordination polymer using TA as a carbon source. The zinc contents play an important role in tailoring the porosity of NCSs. The specific surface area of NCSs can be adjusted in the range of 527–2221 m2/g as the zinc contents in the coordination polymers changed from 0 to 8.6 wt%. To verify the multi-functions of NCSs, such carbon spheres are further used as a sensing platform for the analysis of nucleic acid variants with high selectivity and low limit of detection, and electrode material for supercapacitor with high specific capacitance, good capacitance retention, and excellent cyclic stability.

Computational optimization of bioadsorbents for the removal of pharmaceuticals from water

Pharmaceutically active ingredients are among the most persistent wastewater contaminants, resisting to wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) conventional processes, and some of them are proved to pose serious threats to organisms and the environment. In this context, adsorption by activated carbons (AC) is one of the most promising methodologies for the removal of pharmaceuticals from water due to its versatility and high removal efficiency. However, ACs are expensive and therefore not widely applied in WWTP. Primary sludge from paper mills has been previously appointed as a potential inexpensive and renewable source of carbon for AC production by pyrolysis. Computational chemistry may help shed some light into the molecular mechanisms underlying the adsorption of organic pollutants onto ACs. In this context, CarbGen, an online tool for Virtual Porous Carbon (VPC) models creation, was developed and made available for public use. A quantitatively validated model based on both physical and chemical characteristics of an experimentally produced AC is proposed. The produced model is in agreement with obtained experimental data in terms of elemental composition, functional group content and surface area. Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) studies were performed on various VPC models with different levels of oxygen content, revealing the importance of electrostatic mechanisms in adsorption, with different degrees depending on the pharmaceutical molecular characteristics. The results further reinforce the importance of functional groups in future VPC models for correct molecular modelling.

Quantum Dot-Sensitized Solar Cells via Integrated Experimental and Modeling Study

The solar energy is one of the potential renewable green energy source considering the availability of sunlight in abundance and the need for clean and renewable source of energy. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals having considerable interest in photovoltaic research areas. Cadmium sulfide-sensitized solar cells are synthesized by Chemical bath deposition and titanium nanowires were fabricated by hydrothermal method. The synthesized CdS quantum dots are sensitized to nanoporous TiO2 films to form quantum dots-sensitized solar cell applications. The introduction of TNWs enables the electrolyte to penetrate easily inside the film which increases the interfacial contact between the nanowires, the quantum dots and the electrolyte results in improvement in efficiency of solar cell. The goal of our research is to understand the fundamental physics and performance of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells with improved photoconversion efficiency at the low cost based on selection of TiO2 nanostructures, sensitizers and electrodes through an integrated experimental and modeling study.

Cyanobacterial Soil Surface Consortia Mediate N Cycle Processes in Agroecosystems

Recurrent cyanobacterial growth on soil surfaces in hydric climatic regimes has received less study than biological soil crusts (BSCs) of xeric biomes. We assessed the potential for cyanobacteria to perform important nitrogen (N) cycle processes during growth on N-fertilized soils of hydric regions by testing a microbial consortium (DG1) enriched from a local agricultural soil. The metagenome of DG1 had been shown by shotgun sequencing to consist of Cylindrospermum spp. and six additional bacterial genomes. We refer to DG1 and similar assemblages as soil surface consortia (SSCs) to distinguish them from classical BSCs. We evaluated the ability of DG1 to fix N2 in the presence of inorganic N by measuring biomass uptake of 15N2 during 7-d incubations in a controlled-atmosphere chamber in media containing 0, 0, 62, 124, or 247 mg L-1 NO3-N. After 7 d, mean 15N atom % excess in DG1 biomass was 0.0143, 0.0029, 0.0037, and 0.0038 at the four NO3-N concentrations, respectively. Mean 15N atom % excess in dead cell controls was not significantly larger than zero. Mean N2 fixation rates of 101.3, 18.9, 25.6, and 26.6 ug N g-1 dry biomass d-1, respectively, indicated that DG1 continued to fix N2 in the presence of NO3-N, but at rates fourfold to fivefold lower than in N-free medium. We also assessed the potential for the SSC to retain soil NO3-N by applying simulated rainfall to soil microcosms inoculated with three levels of DG1 and grown for 1, 3, and 7 d at varied NO3-N concentrations. Overall, inoculation resulted in 50-70% more soil N retained after rainfall (p < 0.001) compared to non-inoculated microcosms. The effect of establishment time was significant (p = 0.043). Since water infiltration rates through microcosms were not significantly affected, we inferred that SSC biomass absorbed and/or immobilized NO3-N. These results show how SSCs can modulate soil N, either by fixing more N2 under N-limited conditions or by immobilizing inorganic N when concentrations are higher. Thus, naturally occurring or intentionally inoculated SSCs represent potential renewable sources of biologically fixed N and means for soil stabilization and N retention in diverse agricultural systems.

Evaluation of Solar Energy Potential for the Red Sea Project, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

There has been extreme utilization of petroleum derivatives in recent decades for the generation of electrical vitality, which is contaminating nature in a regularly expanding approach to respond to the exponential demand for electrical power. In light of the essential vision of Saudi Arabia’s government towards the fractional change of reliance on oil as a national wellspring of economy, there is consideration for dependence on resources available inside the country, especially the potentials of renewable sources as alternatives. Saudi Arabia appreciates its geographical advantage inside the sun-belt zone, which has the most impressive sun-situated radiation total on earth. It is a correlative ideal position to consider interest in this valuable asset, through which it can achieve its vision by virtue of its promising whole deal prospects. This study highlights an approach for creating sunlight-based maps that examines the intensity of sun-radiation and its viability to deliver power. The system is to record the measures of sunlight radiation from several allocated data acquisition sites over the study area and balance them with the standard count, and later, make a sun-map in light of the yield. Likewise, the study will register the rate of energy from sun-situated radiation for the area and make preliminary proposals for the achievement of this test.

Second Generation Bioethanol Production: On the Use of Pulp and Paper Industry Wastes as Feedstock

Due to the health and environment impacts of fossil fuels utilization, biofuels have been investigated as a potential alternative renewable source of energy. Bioethanol is currently the most produced biofuel, mainly of first generation, resulting in food-fuel competition. Second generation bioethanol is produced from lignocellulosic biomass, but a costly and difficult pretreatment is required. The pulp and paper industry has the biggest income of biomass for non-food-chain production, and, simultaneously generates a high amount of residues. According to the circular economy model, these residues, rich in monosaccharides, or even in polysaccharides besides lignin, can be utilized as a proper feedstock for second generation bioethanol production. Biorefineries can be integrated in the existing pulp and paper industrial plants by exploiting the high level of technology and also the infrastructures and logistics that are required to fractionate and handle woody biomass. This would contribute to the diversification of products and the increase of profitability of pulp and paper industry with additional environmental benefits. This work reviews the literature supporting the feasibility of producing ethanol from Kraft pulp, spent sulfite liquor, and pulp and paper sludge, presenting and discussing the practical attempt of biorefineries implementation in pulp and paper mills for bioethanol production.

Molecular-level driving forces in lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction for bioenergy

The plant cell wall biopolymers lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose are potential renewable sources of clean biofuels and high-value chemicals. However, the complex 3D structure of lignocellulosic biomass is recalcitrant to deconstruction. Major efforts to overcome this recalcitrance have involved pretreating biomass before catalytic processing. This Perspective describes recent work aimed at elucidating the molecular-level physical phenomena that drive biomass assembly. These are at play in commonly employed aqueous-based and thermochemical pretreatments. Several key processes have been found to be driven by biomass solvation thermodynamics, an understanding of which therefore facilitates the rational improvement of methods aimed at the complete solubilization and fractionation of the major biomass components. This Perspective describes the physical molecular driving forces that stabilize native lignocellulosic plant biomass structures and govern thermochemical biomass pretreatments. Understanding these driving forces can help us to design efficient methods for deconstructing biomass into biofuels and other bioproducts.

A new functional protein‑polysaccharide conjugate based on protein concentrate from sesame processing by-products: Functional and physico-chemical properties

Ardeh or Tahin residue, a by-product from oil extraction and processing of dehulled, roasted and milled sesame, contains a high amount of proteins. In this research, the protein was extracted as sesame protein concentrate (SPC) and its physicochemical and functional properties were investigated. In order to improve the functional properties of sesame protein concentrate, SPC-maltodextrin conjugates (SMC) were prepared. The conjugated substance was analyzed by means of different instrumental techniques. The covalent attachment of maltodextrin to SPC was confirmed by Fourier transform-infrared analysis and SDS gel electrophoresis. The protein exhibited a poor solubility that was affected by pH, while conjugation significantly enhanced the solubility providing a soluble substance in a wide range of pH. The emulsifying capability of SMC was higher than that of SPC and emulsions with smaller droplet sizes were obtained. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that the secondary structures were changed significantly by conjugation. Structural flexibility of the molecules was increased, improving the functional characteristics of the protein. The results showed that Ardeh residue could be a potential alternative renewable plant protein source to be used as a food ingredient for the enhancement of food nutritional value and quality especially after conjugation with maltodextrin.

Production of bio-fuel oil from pyrolysis of plant acidified oil

Abstract This study investigated the pyrolysis of plant acidified oil, aiming to upgrade the quality of oil for fuel use. The decomposition temperature of plant acidified oil was in the range of 300oC-500 °C in 10 K/min according to TG-DTG. The Py-GC-MS results showed that except alkane, alkene and oxygen containing compound, plant sterol derivatives were also detected. The ESI FT–ICR MS results showed the presence of some products produced from hydrogenation and polymerization reaction occurred in pyrolysis process. The yield of the liquid product reached the maximum of 90% at 500 °C. The acid value and viscosity of pyrolysis products were relative high compared with diesel oil. The calorific value has no difference with that of diesel oil. According to above experiments, it was confirmed that pyrolysis components and characteristic of plant acidified oil was different with vegetable oil or fatty acid. Plant acidified oil was potential renewable source to obtain bio-fuel oil using pyrolysis method.