Negative emissions of carbon dioxide through chemical-looping combustion (CLC) and gasification (CLG) using oxygen carriers based on manganese and iron

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an economically attractive strategy for avoiding carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from, e.g., power plants to the atmosphere. The combination of CCS and biomass combustion would result in a reduction of atmospheric CO₂, or net negative emissions, as plant growth is a form of sequestration of atmospheric carbon. Carbon capture can be achieved in a variety of ways, one of which is chemical looping. Chemical-looping combustion (CLC) and chemical looping gasification (CLG) are two promising technologies for conversion of biomass to heat and power or syngas/methane with carbon capture. There have been significant advances made with respect to CLC in the last two decades for all types of fuel, with much less research on the gasification technology. CLG offers some interesting opportunities for production of biofuels together with carbon capture and may have several advantages with respect to the bench mark indirect gasification process or dual-bed fluidized bed (DFBG) in this respect. In CLG, an oxygen carrier is used as a bed material instead of sand, which is common in indirect gasification, and this could have several advantages: (i) all generated CO₂ is present together with the syngas or methane in the fuel reactor outlet stream, thus in a concentrated stream, viable for separation and capture; (ii) the air reactor (or combustion chamber) should largely be free from trace impurities, thus preventing corrosion and fouling in this reactor; and (iii) the highly oxidizing conditions in the fuel reactor together with solid oxide surfaces should be advantageous with respect to limiting formation of tar species. In this study, two manganese ores and an iron-based waste material, LD slag, were investigated with respect to performance in these chemical-looping technologies. The materials were also impregnated with alkali (K) in order to gauge possible catalytic effects and also to establish a better understanding of the general behavior of oxygen carriers with alkali, an important component in biomass and biomass waste streams and often a precursor for high-temperature corrosion. The viability of the oxygen carriers was investigated using a synthetic biogas in a batch fluidized bed reactor. The conversion of CO, H₂, CH₄, and C₂H₄ was investigated in the temperature interval 800–950 °C. The reactivity, or oxygen transfer rate, was highest for the manganese ores, followed by the LD slag. The conversion of C₂H₄ was generally high but could largely be attributed to thermal decomposition. The K-impregnated samples showed enhanced reactivity during combustion conditions, and the Mangagran-K sample was able to achieve full conversion of benzene. The interaction of the solid material with alkali showed widely different behavior. The two manganese ores retained almost all alkali after redox testing, albeit exhibiting different migration patterns inside the particles. LD slag lost most alkali to the gas phase during testing, although some remained, possibly explaining a small difference in reactivity. In summary, the CLC and CLG processes could clearly be interesting for production of heat, power, or biofuel with negative CO₂ emissions. Manganese ores are most promising from this study, as they could absorb alkali, giving a better conversion and perhaps also inhibiting or limiting corrosion mechanisms in a combustor or gasifier.

     

Fe2O3(1-12)作用下CO化学链燃烧反应机理研究

在化学链燃烧(CLC)过程中,载氧体表面的原子结构和电子特性决定了其化学反应活性.本文以Fe_2O_3为载氧体,探讨了其自然条件下主要裸露的高米勒数指表面(1-1 2)的结构性质,研究发现表面不同配位数的氧和铁原子(包括O2f、O3f、O4f、Fe4f和Fe5f)的键参数、电子态密度及电荷布居等存在明显差异.为探究这种差异对Fe_2O_3反应活性的影响,对比分析了CO在表面5种氧和铁原子位生成CO_2的吸附-反应机理.CO在表面低配位O原子O2f和O3f首先形成物理吸附,然后被晶格氧氧化生成CO_2,反应需要克服能垒分别为3.657 e V和3.401 e V;然而,CO在O4f位吸附时,首先克服1.864 e V能垒形成二齿形碳酸盐物种,之后克服1.097 e V的能垒形成CO_2.当CO在Fe4f和Fe5f位吸附时,CO与Fe原子成键,后经过活化与表面O原子成键,形成二齿形碳酸盐物种,能垒分别为0.416和0.219 e V,最终碳酸盐物种分别克服0.500和1.462e V的能垒生成CO_2.因此,可以推断表面高配位数的O4f、Fe4f和Fe5f原子,由于其较高的氧化态,在化学链燃烧过程中充当活性位的作用.本研究有助于了解铁基载氧体表面化学链燃烧反应的微观机理,并为载氧体表面结构性能调控制备提供理论借鉴.     

Biomass-based negative emission technology options with combined heat and power generation

Biomass-based combined heat and power (CHP) generation with different carbon capture approaches is investigated in this study. Only direct carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are considered. The selected processes are (i) a circulating fluidized bed boiler for wood chips connected to an extraction/condensation steam cycle CHP plant without carbon capture; (ii) plant (i), but with post-combustion CO₂ capture; (iii) chemical looping combustion (CLC) of solid biomass connected to the steam cycle CHP plant; (iv) rotary kiln slow pyrolysis of biomass for biochar soil storage and direct combustion of volatiles supplying the steam cycle CHP plant with the CO₂ from volatiles combustion escaping to the atmosphere; (v) case (iv) with additional post-combustion CO₂ capture; and (vi) case (iv) with CLC of volatiles. Reasonable assumptions based on literature data are taken for the performance effects of the CO₂ capture systems and the six process options are compared. CO₂ compression to pipeline pressure is considered. The results show that both bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and biochar qualify as negative emission technologies (NETs) and that there is an energy-based performance advantage of BECCS over biochar because of the unreleased fuel energy in the biochar case. Additional aspects of biomass fuels (ash content and ash melting behavior) and sustainable soil management (nutrient cycles) for biomass production should be quantitatively considered in more detailed future assessments, as there may be certain biomass fuels, and environmental and economic settings where biochar application to soils is indicated rather than the full conversion of the biomass to energy and CO₂.

     

含氧柴油对柴油机排放及细颗粒物碳质组分的影响

乙缩醛(1,1-diethoxyethane)与柴油互溶性好, 可替代乙醇作为生物质来源的柴油含氧添加成分. 生物柴油掺混可以提高乙缩醛和柴油混合燃料的闪点及含氧量. 在柴油发动机台架上, 考察柴油和2种含氧柴油(10%乙缩醛+90%柴油和10%乙缩醛＋10%生物柴油＋80%柴油)在2个固定转速不同负荷的5个工况点的排放特性, 分析了NO_x、HC、CO和PM_2.5排放情况, 并用DRI的碳分析仪分析了PM_2.5中的碳质组分.结果表明, 与普通柴油排放相比, 含氧柴油对NO_x排放速率的影响不大, 在某些工况点HC排放速率有较显著的增加. 含氧柴油降低了柴油机PM_2.5排放速率, 最大降低幅度29%. 从碳质组成上看, 含氧燃料降低了PM_2.5中总碳 (total carbon,TC) 的排放速率, 最大降低幅度24%. 含氧柴油的元素碳(elemental carbon,EC)排放速率普遍低于普通柴油; 有机碳(organic carbon,OC)的排放速率在发动机高转速工况时明显低于普通柴油; PM_2.5的OC/EC值在大多数工况下高于普通柴油. 3种燃料排放PM_2.5的碳质组成百分比相似, OC和EC主要为OC1和EC1. 含氧柴油降低了柴油机PM_2.5的排放速率, 颗粒物中OC的比例有所增加, 但对颗粒物的碳质组分组成没有明显的影响.     

Release characteristics of mercury in chemical looping combustion of bituminous coal

This study evaluated the release characteristics of mercury from bituminous coal in chemical looping combustion (CLC) using Australian iron ore as the oxygen carrier in a fixed bed reactor. The effects of several parameters, such as temperature in the fuel reactor (FR) and air reactor (AR), gasification medium in the FR, and reaction atmosphere in the AR, on mercury release characteristics, were investigated. The mercury speciation and release amount in the FR and AR under different conditions were further explored. The results indicate that most of the mercury in coal was released in the FR, while the rest of it was released in the AR. Hg⁰ was found to be the major species in the released mercury. The results also indicate that a higher temperature in the FR led to an increase in the total mercury release amount and a decrease in Hg⁰ proportion. However, a higher temperature in the AR resulted in a decrease in the total mercury release amount and Hg⁰ proportion. The increase in the H₂O/CO₂ ratio of gasification mediums in the FR was beneficial for the increase in the total mercury release amount and Hg⁰ proportion. A higher O₂ concentration in reaction atmosphere in AR had a negligible effect on the total mercury release amount, but a positive effect on Hg⁰ oxidization.     

Sulfur evolution in chemical looping combustion of coal with MnFe2O4 oxygen carrier

Chemical looping combustion （CLC） of coal has gained increasing attention as a novel combustion technology for its advantages in CO2 capture. Sulfur evolution from coal causes great harm from either the CLC operational or environmental perspective. In this research, a combined MnFe2O4 oxygen carrier （OC） was synthesized and its reaction with a typical Chinese high sulfur coal, Liuzhi （LZ） bituminous coal, was performed in a thermogravimetric analyzer （TGA）-Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） spectrometer. Evolution of sulfur species during reaction of LZ coal with MnFeaO40C was systematically investigated through experimental means combined with thermodynamic simulation. TGA-FTIR analysis of the LZ reaction with MnFe2O4 indicated MnFe2O4 exhibited the desired superior reactivity compared to the single reference oxides Mn304 or Fe203, and SO2 produced was mainly related to oxidization of H2S by MnFe2O4. Experimental analysis of the LZ coal reaction with MnFe2O4, including X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, verified that the main reduced counterparts of MnFe2O4 were Fe304 and MnO, in good agreement with the related thermodynamic simulation. The obtained MnO was beneficial to stabilize the reduced MnFe2O4 and avoid serious sintering, although the oxygen in MnO was not fully utilized. Meanwhile, most sulfur present in LZ coal was converted to solid MnS during LZ reaction with MnFe2O4, which was further oxidized to MnSO4. Finally, the formation of both MnS and such manganese silicates as Mn2SiO4 and MnSiO3 should be addressed to ensure the full regeneration of the reduced MnFe2O4.     

Energy modeling on cleaner vehicles for reducing CO2 emissions in Japan

This study is to evaluate the impact of cleaner vehicles on energy systems and CO₂ emissions in the transportation sector in Japan. The transportation sector has the characteristic of spending petroleum. Even when the cost of petroleum rises, conventional vehicles cannot switch fuels to alternative energy right away. Cleaner vehicles, such as fuel cell vehicles, would be one of the alternative technologies in the transportation sector. It is supposed to have excellent performance in fuel efficiency and has strong possibility to reduce CO₂ drastically. This paper uses a multi-period market equilibrium model to explore the impacts of cleaner vehicles on the passenger transportation sector in Japanese energy system out to the year 2040. A Btu tax is tentatively imposed to evaluate the effect of fuel cost on energy consumption in the transportation sector. Financial parameters such as capital cost and operating cost are considered to summarize the profit in taxation case. The result of this study shows that fuel cell vehicles have a great effect on reducing CO₂ emissions especially when Btu taxes are imposed, which in turn has the advantage of encouraging a more diverse set of technologies and fuels. The analysis that petroleum consumption can be reduced using fuel cell vehicles will have effects on perspectives on energy systems in Japan.     

Simulation of a 100-MW solar-powered thermo-chemical air separation system combined with an oxy-fuel power plant for bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

The combination of concentrated solar power–chemical looping air separation (CSP-CLAS) with an oxy-fuel combustion process for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture is a novel system to generate electricity from solar power and biomass while being able to store solar power efficiently. In this study, the computer program Advanced System for Process Engineering Plus (ASPEN Plus) was used to develop models to assess the process performance of such a process with manganese (Mn)-based oxygen carriers on alumina (Al₂O₃) support for a location in the region of Seville in Spain, using real solar beam irradiance and electricity demand data. It was shown that the utilisation of olive tree prunings (Olea europaea) as the fuel—an agricultural residue produced locally—results in negative CO₂ emissions (a net removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere). Furthermore, it was found that the process with an annual average electricity output of 18 MW would utilise 2.43% of Andalusia’s olive tree prunings, thereby capturing 260.5 k-tonnes of CO₂, annually. Drawbacks of the system are its relatively high complexity, a significant energy penalty in the CLAS process associated with the steam requirements for the loop-seal fluidisation, and the gas storage requirements. Nevertheless, the utilisation of agricultural residues is highly promising, and given the large quantities produced globally (~?4 billion tonnes/year), it is suggested that other novel processes tailored to these fuels should be investigated, under consideration of a future price on CO₂ emissions, integration potential with a likely electricity grid system, and based on the local conditions and real data.

     

Hydrogen and transportation: alternative scenarios

If hydrogen (H₂) is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and oil use, it needs to displace conventional transport fuels and be produced in ways that do not generate significant greenhouse gas emissions. This paper analyses alternative ways H₂ can be produced, transported and used to achieve these goals. Several H₂ scenarios are developed and compared to each other. In addition, other technology options to achieve these goals are analyzed. A full fuel cycle analysis is used to compare the energy use and carbon (C) emissions of different fuel and vehicle strategies. Fuel and vehicle costs are presented as well as cost-effectiveness estimates. Lowest hydrogen fuel costs are achieved using fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage. The fuel supply cost for a H₂ fuel cell car would be close to those for an advanced gasoline car, once a large-scale supply system has been established. Biomass, wind, nuclear and solar sources are estimated to be considerably more expensive. However fuel cells cost much more than combustion engines. When vehicle costs are considered, climate policy incentives are probably insufficient to achieve a switch to H₂. The carbon dioxide (CO₂) mitigation cost would amount to several hundred US$ per ton of CO₂. Energy security goals and the eventual need to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations could be sufficient. Nonetheless, substantial development of related technologies, such as C capture and storage will be needed. Significant H₂ use will also require substantial market intervention during a transition period when there are too few vehicles to motivate widely available H₂ refueling.

Emissions from the combustion of eucalypt and pine chips in a fluidized bed reactor

Interest in renewable energy sources has increased in recent years due to environmental concerns about global warming and air pollution,reduced costs and improved efficiency of technologies.Under the European Union(EU)energy directive,biomass is a suitable renewable source.The aim of this study was to experimentally quantify and characterize the emission of particulate matter(PM_(2.5))resulting from the combustion of two biomass fuels(chipped residual biomass from pine and eucalypt),in a pilot-scale bubbling fluidized bed(BFB)combustor under distinct operating conditions.The variables evaluated were the stoichiometry and,in the case of eucalypt,the leaching of the fuel.The CO and PM_(2.5)emission factors were lower when the stoichiometry used in the experiments was higher(0.33±0.1 g CO/kg and 16.8±1.0 mg PM_(2.5)/kg,dry gases).The treatment of the fuel by leaching before its combustion has shown to promote higher PM_(2.5)emissions(55.2±2.5 mg/kg,as burned).Organic and elemental carbon represented 3.1 to 30 wt.% of the particle mass,while carbonate(CO_3~(2-))accounted for between 2.3 and 8.5 wt.%.The particulate mass was mainly composed of inorganic matter(71% to 86% of the PM_(2.5)mass).Compared to residential stoves,BFB combustion generated very high mass fractions of inorganic elements.Chloride was the water soluble ion in higher concentration in the PM_(2.5)emitted by the combustion of eucalypt,while calcium was the dominant water soluble ion in the case of pine.     

Co-utilisation of CO2 and steelmaking slags for production of pure CaCO3 – legislative issues

The steel industry is characterised by large amounts of CO₂ emissions, but there is no easy means to reduce these emissions. One interesting option for the reduction of CO₂ emissions could be the utilisation of steelmaking slags for carbon dioxide mineralisation. In this option CO₂ is bound with the calcium of the slag material, producing stable carbonate as an end product. The utilisation of steelmaking slags as the raw material for carbon dioxide mineralisation will change the quality of the slags. If, however, this change degrades the slags it could prevent the use of slags in carbon dioxide mineralisation or make it very expensive.The purpose of the research presented here is to evaluate this issue with the help of a case study where the quality of the residual slag from the recently suggested carbonation method was experimentally investigated. The CO₂ mineralisation method, based on steelmaking slags and ammonium salt solutions, was found to change the quality of the slags: the calcium content was reduced, the CaO and Ca(OH)₂ phases were completely dissolved, and the solubility of the V and Cr increased notably. This residual slag would presumably have to be handled as waste. Currently, the steelmaking slag used in the case study is defined as a by-product, but if it is used for CO₂ mineralisation instead of liming its legal status will be re-evaluated. Subsequently, the CO₂ mineralisation process could possibly be defined as an end-of-waste procedure.     

长沙市人为源大气污染物排放清单及特征研究

根据收集的长沙市人为源活动水平数据,建立了该地区2014年1 km×1 km人为源大气污染物排放清单.结果显示,2014年长沙市SO_2、NO_x、CO、PM_(10)、PM_(2.5)、BC、OC、VOCs和NH_3排放总量分别为53.5×10~3、78.3×10~3、284.6×10~3、102.3×10~3、42.1×10~3、4.0×10~3、7.2×10~3、64.2×10~3、27.1×10~3t.化石燃料固定燃烧源为最大的SO_2排放贡献源,道路移动源是主要的NO_x贡献源,CO排放主要来自化石燃料固定燃烧源和道路移动源,长沙市VOCs的最大贡献源是溶剂使用源,PM_(10)、PM_(2.5)最主要的排放源是扬尘源,BC最大的排放贡献源为化石燃料固定燃烧源,生物质燃烧源是最大的OC贡献源,NH_3排放主要来源于畜禽养殖和农业施肥.空间分布结果显示,长沙市NH_3的排放在宁乡县、望城区、长沙县、浏阳市分布较多,主要呈现片状分布.其他污染物排放高值区则主要分布在中心城区、工业区及道路分布区域.     

The comparison of source contributions from residential coal and low-smoke fuels,using CMB modeling,in South Africa

D-grade residential coal is being widely used as a fuel source for heating and cooking by most of the lower-income urban communities in South Africa. Emissions from residential coal combustion have been a major cause of elevated air pollution levels in the industrialized areas of South Africa. The adverse health effects resulting from exposure to residential coal combustion emissions have been a major public concern for many years. To address this, the Department of Minerals and Energy of South Africa conducted a macro-scale experiment in the township of Qalabotjha during the winter of 1997 to assess the technical and social benefits of combusting low-smoke fuels.This paper reports the PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ chemical mass-balance (CMB) source apportionment results from Qalabotjha during a 30-day sampling period, including a 10-day period when a large proportion of low-smoke fuels was combusted. Though emission rates of D-grade coal and low-smoke fuels may vary, their chemical abundances are too similar to be separated in CMB calculations. The source apportionment study confirmed that residential coal combustion is by far the greatest source of air pollution, accounting for 62.1% of PM_2.5 and 42.6% of PM₁₀ at the three Qalabotjha sites. Biomass burning is also a major source, accounting for 13.8% of PM_2.5 and 19.9% of PM₁₀. Fugitive dust is only significant in the coarse particle fraction, accounting for 11.3% of PM₁₀. Contributions from secondary ammonium sulfate are three–four times greater than from ammonium nitrate, accounting for 5–6% of PM mass. Minor contributions (less than 1%) were found for power plant fly ash, motor vehicle exhaust, and agricultural lime. Average PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ mass decreased by 20 and 25%, respectively, from the D-grade coal combustion period (days 1–10) to the majority of the low-smoke fuel period (days 11–20). Relative source contribution estimates (SCE) were quite similar among the three sampling periods for PM_2.5, and were quite different for PM₁₀ during the second period when 14% higher residential coal combustion and 9% lower biomass burning source contributions were found.     

The oxycoal process with cryogenic oxygen supply

Due to its large reserves, coal is expected to continue to play an important role in the future. However, specific and absolute CO₂ emissions are among the highest when burning coal for power generation. Therefore, the capture of CO₂ from power plants may contribute significantly in reducing global CO₂ emissions. This review deals with the oxyfuel process, where pure oxygen is used for burning coal, resulting in a flue gas with high CO₂ concentrations. After further conditioning, the highly concentrated CO₂ is compressed and transported in the liquid state to, for example, geological storages. The enormous oxygen demand is generated in an air-separation unit by a cryogenic process, which is the only available state-of-the-art technology. The generation of oxygen and the purification and liquefaction of the CO₂-enriched flue gas consumes significant auxiliary power. Therefore, the overall net efficiency is expected to be lowered by 8 to 12 percentage points, corresponding to a 21 to 36% increase in fuel consumption. Oxygen combustion is associated with higher temperatures compared with conventional air combustion. Both the fuel properties as well as limitations of steam and metal temperatures of the various heat exchanger sections of the steam generator require a moderation of the temperatures during combustion and in the subsequent heat-transfer sections. This is done by means of flue gas recirculation. The interdependencies among fuel properties, the amount and the temperature of the recycled flue gas, and the resulting oxygen concentration in the combustion atmosphere are investigated. Expected effects of the modified flue gas composition in comparison with the air-fired case are studied theoretically and experimentally. The different atmosphere resulting from oxygen-fired combustion gives rise to various questions related to firing, in particular, with regard to the combustion mechanism, pollutant reduction, the risk of corrosion, and the properties of the fly ash or the deposits that form. In particular, detailed nitrogen and sulphur chemistry was investigated by combustion tests in a laboratory-scale facility. Oxidant staging, in order to reduce NO formation, turned out to work with similar effectiveness as for conventional air combustion. With regard to sulphur, a considerable increase in the SO₂ concentration was found, as expected. However, the H₂S concentration in the combustion atmosphere increased as well. Further results were achieved with a pilot-scale test facility, where acid dew points were measured and deposition probes were exposed to the combustion environment. Besides CO₂ and water vapour, the flue gas contains impurities like sulphur species, nitrogen oxides, argon, nitrogen, and oxygen. The CO₂ liquefaction is strongly affected by these impurities in terms of the auxiliary power requirement and the CO₂ capture rate. Furthermore, the impurity of the liquefied CO₂ is affected as well. Since the requirements on the liquid CO₂ with regard to geological storage or enhanced oil recovery are currently undefined, the effects of possible flue gas treatment and the design of the liquefaction plant are studied over a wide range.     

Integrated environmental assessment of biodiesel production from soybean in Brazil

This paper presents the results of an environmental impact assessment of biodiesel production from soybean in Brazil. In order to achieve this objective, environmental impact indicators provided by Emergy Accounting (EA), Embodied Energy Analysis (EEA) and Material Flow Accounting (MFA) were used. The results showed that for one liter of biodiesel 8.8 kg of topsoil are lost in erosion, besides the cost of 0.2 kg of fertilizers, about 5.2 m² of crop area, 7.33 kg of abiotic materials, 9.0 tons of water and 0.66 kg of air and about 0.86 kg of CO₂ were released. About 0.27 kg of crude oil equivalent is required as inputs to produce one liter of biodiesel, which means an energy return of 2.48 J of biodiesel per Joule of fossil fuel invested. The transformity of biodiesel (3.90E + 05 seJ J^?1) is higher than those calculated for fossil fuels as other biofuels, indicating a higher demand for direct and indirect environmental support. Similarly, the biodiesel emergy yield ratio (1.62) indicates that a very low net emergy is delivered to consumers, compared to alternatives. Obtained results show that when crop production and industrial conversion to fuel are supported by fossil fuels in the form of chemicals, goods, and process energy, the fraction of fuel that can actually be considered renewable is very low (around 31%).     

Atmospheric impacts of the life cycle emissions of fuel ethanol in Brazil: based on chemical exergy

An assessment is made of the atmospheric emissions from the life cycle of fuel ethanol coupled with the cogeneration of electricity from sugarcane in Brazil. The total exergy loss from the most quantitative relevant atmospheric emission substances produced by the life cycle of fuel ethanol is 3.26E+05 kJ/t of C₂H₅OH. Compared with the chemical exergy of 1 t of ethanol (calculated as 34.56E+06 kJ), the exergy loss from the life cycle's atmospheric emission represents 1.11% of the product's exergy. The activity that most contributes to atmospheric emission chemical exergy losses is the harvesting of sugarcane through the methane emitted in burning. Suggestions for improved environmental quality and greater efficiency of the life cycle of fuel ethanol with cogenerated energy are: harvesting the sugarcane without burning, renewable fuels should be used in tractors, trucks and buses instead of fossil fuel and the transportation of products and input should be logistically optimized.     

Continuous desulfurization and bacterial community structure of an integrated bioreactor developed to treat SO2 from a gas stream

Sulfide dioxide(SO2) is often released during the combustion processes of fossil fuels. An integrated bioreactor with two sections, namely, a suspended zone(SZ) and immobilized zone(IZ), was applied to treat SO2 for 6 months. Sampling ports were set in both sections to investigate the performance and microbial characteristics of the integrated bioreactor. SO2 was effectively removed by the synergistic effect of the SZ and IZ, and more than 85%removal efficiency was achieved at steady state. The average elimination capacity of SO2 in the bioreactor was 2.80 g/(m3·hr) for the SZ and 1.50 g/(m3· hr) for the IZ. Most SO2 was eliminated in the SZ. The liquid level of the SZ and the water content ratio of the packing material in the IZ affected SO2 removal efficiency. The SZ served a key function not only in SO2 elimination, but also in moisture maintenance for the IZ. The desired water content in IZ could be feasibly maintained without any additional pre-humidification facilities. Clone libraries of 16 S r DNA directly amplified from the DNA of each sample were constructed and sequenced to analyze the community composition and diversity in the individual zones.The desulfurization bacteria dominated both zones. Paenibacillus sp. was present in both zones, whereas Ralstonia sp. existed only in the SZ. The transfer of SO2 to the SZ involved dissolution in the nutrient solution and biodegradation by the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.This work presents a potential biological treatment method for waste gases containing hydrophilic compounds.     

Lodging in rice can be alleviated by atmospheric CO2 enrichment

The projected increase of atmospheric CO₂ concentration [CO₂] is expected to increase yield of agricultural C₃ crops, but little is known about effects of [CO₂] on lodging that can reduce yield. This study examined the interaction between [CO₂] and nitrogen (N) fertilization on the lodging of rice (Oryza sativa L.) using free-air CO₂ enrichment (FACE) systems installed in paddy fields at Shizukuishi, Iwate, Japan (39°38′N, 140°57′E). Rice plants were grown under two levels of [CO₂] (ambient = 365 μmol mol⁻¹; elevated [CO₂] = 548 μmol mol⁻¹) and three N fertilization regimes: a single initial basal application of controlled-release urea (8 g N m⁻², CRN), split fertilization with a standard amount of ammonium sulfate (9 g N m⁻², MN), and ample N (15 g N m⁻², HN). Lodging score (six ranks at 18° intervals, with larger scores indicating greater bending), yield, and yield components were measured at maturity. The lodging score was significantly higher under HN than under CRN and MN, but lodging was alleviated by elevated [CO₂] under HN. This alleviation was associated with the shortened and thickened lower internodes, but was not associated with a change in the plant's mass moment around the culm base. A positively significant correlation between lodging score and ripening percentage indicated that ripening percentage decreased by 4.5% per one-unit increase in lodging score. These findings will be useful to develop functional algorithm that can be incorporated into mechanistic crop models to predict rice production more accurately in a changing climate and with different cultural practices.     

不同喷油策略对柴油-四氢呋喃混合燃料燃烧和排放的影响

为了解决环境污染和能源短缺等问题,本研究针对四氢呋喃作为一种含氧替代燃料展开研究.在一台六缸增压柴油机上开展了不同喷油策略下四氢呋喃和柴油混合燃料对柴油机燃烧和排放的影响研究,所用3种燃料分别为：纯柴油、5%四氢呋喃和95%柴油、15%四氢呋喃和85%柴油混合燃料（混合比例均为体积比）,以原机国六脉谱图为基准调节主喷时刻和喷油压力.结果表明,添加5%四氢呋喃使燃油消耗率增加,有效热效率降低,当加入15%四氢呋喃后燃油消耗率进一步升高,有效热效率相比于添加5%四氢呋喃有一定程度改善,但仍低于纯柴油燃料;当喷油压力高于100 MPa时,混合燃料的燃油消耗率和有效热效率随喷油压力的提高基本保持不变.四氢呋喃加入使小负荷下NO_x、CO和HC排放增加;大负荷下使NO_x排放增加,CO和HC排放逐渐降低,各工况下的碳烟排放均降低.由此可见,柴油-四氢呋喃混合燃料的有效热效率相比于纯柴油降低了1%~2%,加入四氢呋喃可有效降低碳烟排放和改善部分工况下的气体污染物排放.     

Carbon footprint of sugar produced from sugarcane in eastern Thailand

Carbon footprint (CFP) of sugar produced from sugarcane in eastern Thailand was estimated from greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O) during the sugarcane cultivation and milling process. The use of fossil fuels, chemical and organic fertilizer and sugarcane biomass data during cultivation were collected from field surveys, questionnaires and interviews. Sugar mill emissions, fossil fuel utilization and greenhouse gas emission from wastewater treatments were included. The results show that sugar production has a carbon footprint of 0.55 kg CO₂e kg^?1 sugar. This carbon footprint was a sum of 0.49 kg CO₂e kg^?1 sugar from sugarcane cultivation and 0.06 kg CO₂e kg^?1 sugar from the milling process. For the cultivation part, most of the GHGs emissions were from fertilizer, fossil fuel use and biomass burning. The CFP in eastern Thailand is sensitive to the type of data selected for calculation and of variations of farm inputs during sugarcane cultivation. There was no significant difference of CFP among farm sizes, although small farms tended to give a relatively higher CFP than that of medium and large farms.