Investigation of activated carbon/ethanol for low temperature adsorption cooling

Commercially available adsorption cooling systems use water/silica gel, water/zeolite and ammonia/ chloride salts working pairs. The water-based pairs are limited to work above 0°C due to the water high freezing temperature, while ammonia has the disadvantage of being toxic. Ethanol is a promising refrigerant due to its low freezing point (161 K), nontoxicity, zero ozone depletion, and low global warming potential. Activated carbon (AC) is a porous material with high degree of porosity (500–3000 m²/g) that has been used in wide range of applications. Using Dynamic Vapour Sorption (DVS) test facility, this work characterizes the ethanol adsorption of eleven commercially available activated carbon materials for cooling at low temperature of ?15°C. DVS adsorption results show that Maxsorb has the best performance in terms of ethanol uptake and adsorption kinetics compared to the other tested materials. The Maxsorb/ethanol adsorption process has been numerically modeled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and simulation results are validated using the DVS experimental measurements. The validated CFD simulation of the adsorption process is used to predict the effects of adsorbent layer thickness and packing density on cycle uptake for evaporating temperature of ?15°C. Simulation results show that as the thickness of the Maxsorb adsorbent layer increases, its uptake decreases. As for the packing density, the amount of ethanol adsorbed per plate increases with the packing density reaching maximum at 750 kg/m³. This work shows the potential of using Maxsorb/ethanol in producing low temperature cooling down to ?15°C with specific cooling energy reaching 400 kJ/kg.     

Blends of karanja and jatropha biodiesels for diesel engine applications

Over a number of years, the work of exploring different biodiesels as an alternative to diesel fuel has been carried out worldwide. Not much focus on the use of combination of different biodiesels and their behaviour in diesel engines has been reported. This work is an attempt in this direction, which reports on the use of combination of biodiesels derived from jatropha and karanja oils. Jatropha oil methyl ester (JOME) and honge oil methyl ester (HOME) represent the respective biodiesels derived from these non-edible oils. Experiments were conducted on a four-stroke, single-cylinder diesel engine using these biodiesel combinations in order to check their feasibility as alternative fuels to diesel. Initially, experiments were conducted on each biodiesel and their blends with diesel and engine parameters were optimised in terms of injection pressure and injection timing. Advancing the injection timing improved the overall performance of the engine fuelled with JOME while retarding the injection timing favoured the HOME. Both biodiesels performed better with an injector opening pressure of 230 bar. Finally, experiments were conducted with the combination of both biodiesels with different blend ratios. It was observed that increasing the JOME content in the biodiesels blend improved the performance with reduced emissions of smoke, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions. However NO _x emission increased.     

Influence of furfural concentration on growth and ethanol yield of Saccharomyces kluyveri

Furfural is an important inhibitor in ethanol fermentation process using lignocellulosic hydrolysates as raw materials. In order to find out the furfural concentration range in which furfural inhibits the fermentation process, we used one strain Saccharomyces kluyveri selected from soil and cultured in several different furfural content media under low glucose concentration condition. Experiment results showed that microorganism growth was stimulated and dry cell weight increased when furfural concentration in the medium was 0.25 mg/ml. Furfural had negative effect on cell growth when its concentration was above 1.00 mg/ml. At the same time, the strain growed better and had a higher glucose consumption rate in 5% original glucose concentration condition than in 3% original glucose concentration condition. The results showed that appropriate exaltation of original glucose concentration in stalk hydrolysates will increase the strain resistance to furfural.     

水力停留时间对复合式厌氧折流板反应器乙醇型发酵制氢系统的影响

水力停留时间(HRT)是厌氧生物制氢工艺的重要工程参数.以红糖废水为底物,研究了HRT对复合式厌氧折流板反应器(HABR)作为乙醇型发酵制氢系统产氢效能的影响.结果表明,在设定的8~36 h范围内的5个HRT中,当HRT为12 h时,HABR制氢系统的效果最佳,产氢速率为13.86 mmol·(h·L)-1,COD去除率为51.51%,五格室的pH值在4.22~4.47之间,液相主要产物为乙醇和乙酸,第1~5格室乙醇和乙酸的比值分别为1.90、1.94、1.80、1.77、1.91,最佳能量生产为11.11 kJ·(h·L)-1.     

乙醇汽油对国六直喷汽油车排放特性的影响

选择5台国六直喷汽油车采用3种不同组分的E10乙醇汽油和1种不含含氧化合物的国VI汽油，按照国六排放标准开展了WLTC循环测试，研究乙醇和基础油组分对污染物排放的影响规律.结果表明，多数国六直喷汽油车的CO、THC和PM排放有所降低，NO_x排放无明显差异，PN排放微增，所有样车的CO、THC和PM平均排放降低为6%、7%和14%.E10乙醇汽油中的重质芳香烃含量增高时，PN排放明显增加，PN排放与PMI指数呈现较强的正相关关系.     

Assessment of biomass residue availability and bioenergy yields in Ghana

Biomass is an important renewable energy source that holds large potential as feedstock for the production of different energy carriers in a context of sustainable development, peak oil and climate change. In developing countries, biomass already supplies the bulk of energy services and future use is expected to increase with more efficient applications, such as the production of biogas and liquid biofuels for cooking, transportation and the generation of power. The aim of this study is to establish the amount of Ghana's energy demand that can be satisfied by using the country's crop residues, animal manure, logging residues and municipal waste. The study finds that the technical potential of bioenergy from these sources is 96 PJ in 2700 Mm³ of biogas or 52 PJ in 2300 ML of cellulosic ethanol. The biogas potential is sufficient to replace more than a quarter of Ghana's present woodfuel use. If instead converted to cellulosic ethanol, the estimated potential is seven times the estimated 336 ML of biofuels needed to achieve the projected 10% biofuels blends at the national level in 2020. Utilizing the calculated potentials involves a large challenge in terms of infrastructure requirements, quantified to hundreds of thousands of small-scale plants.     

Challenge of global climate change: Prospects for a new energy paradigm

Perspectives on the challenge posed by potential future climate change are presented including a discussion of prospects for carbon capture followed either by sequestration or reuse including opportunities for alternatives to the use of oil in the transportation sector. The potential for wind energy as an alternative to fossil fuel energy as a source of electricity is outlined including the related opportunities for cost effective curtailment of future growth in emissions of CO₂.     

甲醇和乙醇对SBR单级好氧生物除磷的影响研究

分别以甲醇(SBR1#)和乙醇(SBR2#)作为碳源,研究了其对单级好氧生物除磷的影响.结果表明,稳定运行条件下,SBR1#磷的平均去除量为6.56mg/L,平均去除率为52.63%.SBR2#中磷的平均去除量为11.22mg/L,去除率为90.34%. SBR1#和SBR2#一个周期运行中好氧吸磷速率分别为1.62mg/(g×h)(以PO43--P计)和5.31mg/(g×h)(以PO43--P计),其中SBR2#出水磷的浓度低于检出限,SBR2#的储能物质总累积量比SBR1#多.相比之下,乙醇是作为除磷碳源效果较好.静置期,由于SBR2#中聚磷菌生物活性较SBR1#高,代谢旺盛,其释磷量高于SBR1#.     

Alternative transportation fuel standards: Welfare effects and climate benefits

This paper develops an integrated model of the fuel and agricultural sectors to analyze the welfare and greenhouse gas emission (GHG) effects of the existing Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and a carbon price policy. The conceptual framework shows that these policies differ in the incentives they create for the consumption and mix of different types of biofuels and in their effects on food and fuel prices and GHG emissions. We also simulate the welfare and GHG effects of these three policies which are normalized to achieve the same level of US GHG emissions. By promoting greater production of food-crop based biofuels, the RFS is found to lead to a larger reduction in fossil fuel use but also a larger increase in food prices and a smaller reduction in global GHG emissions compared to the LCFS and carbon tax. All three policies increase US social welfare compared to a no-biofuel baseline scenario due to improved terms-of-trade, even when environmental benefits are excluded; global social welfare increases with a carbon tax but decreases with the RFS and LCFS due to the efficiency costs imposed by these policies, even after including the benefits of mitigating GHG emissions.     

非寄主植物乙醇提取物对褐飞虱若虫的驱避与触杀活性

为了评估非寄主植物次生物质对褐飞虱3~4龄若虫的驱避与触杀活性,本文用乙醇浸提了11种在华南地区分布广泛的植物获得其乙醇提取物。分析了这11种植物乙醇提取物对褐飞虱3~4龄若虫的驱避作用,采用药膜法测定了其对褐飞虱3~4龄若虫的触杀作用。结果表明,10 mg·mL-1的质量浓度下,花椒（Zanthoxylum bungeanum）和小茴香（Foeniculum vulgare）提取物对褐飞虱若虫有显著地拒避作用,24 h的拒避率分别为53.3%和43.3%;塞楝（Khaya senegalensis）、胜红蓟（Ageratum conyzoides）、桉树（Eucalyptus exsetrta）和毛麻楝（Chukrasia tabularis）提取物对褐飞虱若虫有显著地引诱作用,24 h着落率分别为75.0%、73.3%、73.3%和71.7%。花椒和小茴香提取物对褐飞虱若虫的拒避作用随着质量浓度的上升而增加,在10~40 mg·mL-1的质量浓度下均对褐飞虱3~4龄若虫有显著地拒避活性,40 mg·mL-1时拒避作用最明显,24 h拒避率分别为66.7%和60.0%。塞楝、胜红蓟、桉树和毛麻楝提取物对褐飞虱若虫的引诱作用均随着质量浓度的上升先增加后降低。塞楝和毛麻楝乙醇提取物对褐飞虱若虫的拒避与引诱活性因其质量浓度的不同而有差异,当质量浓度小时（10 mg·mL1）对褐飞虱若虫有显著地引诱作用;当质量浓度大时（40 mg·mL1）对褐飞虱若虫有显著地拒避作用,24 h后,拒避率分别为50.0%和40.0%。胜红蓟乙醇提取物在5和10 mg·mL-1的质量浓度下对褐飞虱若虫具有显著地引诱作用,24 h后,着落率分别为71.7%和73.3%;桉树乙醇提取物在10和20 mg·mL-1的质量浓度下对褐飞虱若虫具有显著地引诱作用,24 h后,着落率分别为73.3%和71.7%。辣椒（Capsicum annuum）、小茴香、花椒、胜红蓟和鬼针草（Bidens pilosa）乙醇提取物对褐飞虱若虫的触杀活性效果显著,在95.69μg·cm-2的剂量下,24 h校正死亡率达到85%以上,LD50值依次为15.46,25.66,33.61,33.57和37.85μg·cm-2。塞楝和蟛蜞菊（Wedelia chinensis）提取物对褐飞虱若虫也具有较好地触杀活性,在95.69μg·cm-2的剂量下,24 h校正死亡率达到50%以上。研究所选11种不同科属非寄主植物的乙醇提取物在一定质量浓度下,对褐飞虱均会产生不同程度的拒避作用。其中辣椒、小茴香、花椒、胜红蓟和鬼针草5种植物乙醇提取物对褐飞虱若虫的触杀效果明显。辣椒、小茴香、花椒属于经济作物,本研究表明,这3种作物还具有开发为生物农药的价值。胜红蓟和鬼针草在华南地区分布广泛,易采集,植物资源丰富,具有开发成植物源杀虫剂的巨大潜力。