Study of lignocellulosic biomass ignition properties estimation from thermogravimetric analysis

In the last decade, the use of renewable resources has increased significantly in order to reduce the energetic dependence on fossil fuels, as they have an important contribution to the global warning and greenhouse gasses effect. Because of that, research on biofuels has been increased in the last years as its characteristics of use match those of the conventional fuel's: solid biomass can be used instead of coals, and biodiesel could replace diesel. Research on solid biomass ignition properties has been considerably developed because of the amount of industrial accidents related to the treatment and use of solid biomass (self-ignition, dust explosions, etc.). On the other hand, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is becoming and important characterization technique as it can be used to determine a wide spectrum of properties, such as kinetics, composition, proximate analysis, etc. This research aims to combine thermal analysis and ignition properties, by using the TGA to obtain the elemental composition of lignocellulosic biomass and compare those results to Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) values test output, so a relation between composition and MIE can be found.To achieve this aim, biomass samples from different origins have been used: oil palm wastes (empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fiber and palm kernel shell), agricultural wastes (straw chops) and forestry wastes (wood chips and wood powder). Also, raw materials and torrefied biomass were compared. The hemicellulose/cellulose ratio was calculated and compared to different flammability properties, finding out that the greater the ratio and the lower the onset temperature (temperature at which the pyrolysis reaction accelerates), the lower was the minimum ignition energy. From this basis it was possible to define “tendency areas” that grouped the samples whose MIE values were similar. Three tendency areas were found: high minimum ignition energy, medium minimum ignition energy, and low ignition energy.     

两种有机锌络合物处理棉花的霉变及热解行为研究

棉花是纺织业的重要原料,是人民群众生活不可或缺的必需品,同时也是我国进出口重要的商品。研究如何安全有效地进行棉花的储备具有十分重要的现实意义。棉纤维本身含有脂肪、蜡质和果胶等适合微生物生长繁殖的营养物质。在棉花储备中,高的回潮率会加速微生物的繁殖,进而产生热量。热量的累积会引起温度升高以及棉花霉变,不利于棉花的安全有效储存。因此,通过静电吸附法将安全无毒的有机锌络合物附着在棉纤维表面,研究表明,相同条件下,处理棉的霉变状况明显得到抑制。加速发霉条件下,未处理棉的相对于白纸的平均色差值为28.10,而双乙酸锌以及苯甲酸锌防霉处理棉的色差值分别为5.16和5.86,下降了81.6%和79.1%。自然发霉条件下,双乙酸锌以及苯甲酸锌防霉处理棉的色差值分别下降了53.8%和50.7%。同时研究了纯棉以及处理棉氮气下的热分解动力学,相比于未处理棉,双乙酸锌防霉处理后活化能下降了15.8%,而苯甲酸锌防霉处理后活化能下降了10.9%。此外,利用实时红外和热重红外联用技术得到了样品在热解过程中固相以及气相的裂解产物的红外谱图,发现防霉处理能一定程度上抑制棉花热解。     

Off-grid: community energy and the pursuit of self-sufficiency in British Columbia's remote and First Nations communities

Remote or off-grid communities in Canada primarily rely on diesel generators for the provision of their electricity. Often surrounded by potential renewable resources, they are characterised as the low-hanging fruit of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies. While much is said about the promises of community energy projects, as well as technologies and policy mechanisms for addressing the needs of these communities, little attention has been paid to what communities, themselves, might want for their energy projects and what the implications of those desires might be for both technology development and community energy policies. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring the on-going energy pursuits of a number of remote First Nations communities in British Columbia. It identifies a desire for community self-sufficiency as a primary motivation for engaging with energy projects on the part of the communities and discusses the various meanings and implications of self-sufficiency in the context of community energy projects. These meanings and implications primarily include the two dimensions of material self-sufficiency and political self-determination, the latter of which suggests a view of community energy projects as processes of decolonisation among First Nation communities in British Columbia. It then suggests that the pursuit of this goal is somewhat incongruent with the approach that government and industry have taken in addressing community energy, especially the way in which remote communities are viewed as the low-hanging fruit of various sustainability projects.     

Production costs and operative margins in electric energy generation from biogas. Full-scale case studies in Italy

The purpose of this study was to observe the economic sustainability of three different biogas full scale plants, fed with different organic matrices: energy crops (EC), manure, agro-industrial (Plants B and C) and organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) (Plant A). The plants were observed for one year and total annual biomass feeding, biomass composition and biomass cost (€ Mg^?1), initial investment cost and plant electric power production were registered. The unit costs of biogas and electric energy (€ Sm^?3_biogas, € kW h^?1_EE) were differently distributed, depending on the type of feed and plant. Plant A showed high management/maintenance cost for OFMSW treatment (0.155 € Sm^?3_biogas, 45% of total cost), Plant B suffered high cost for EC supply (0.130 € Sm^?3_biogas, 49% of total cost) and Plant C showed higher impact on the total costs because of the depreciation charge (0.146 € Sm^?3_biogas, 41% of total costs). The breakeven point for the tariff of electric energy, calculated for the different cases, resulted in the range 120–170 € MW h^?1_EE, depending on fed materials and plant scale. EC had great impact on biomass supply costs and should be reduced, in favor of organic waste and residues; plant scale still heavily influences the production costs. The EU States should drive incentives in dependence of these factors, to further develop this still promising sector.     

锆-十六烷基三甲基氯化铵改性活性炭对水中硝酸盐和磷酸盐的吸附特性

采用锆(Zr)和阳离子表面活性剂十六烷基三甲基氯化铵(CTAC)对活性炭进行联合改性,考察了所制备的Zr-CTAC改性活性炭对水中硝酸盐和磷酸盐的吸附去除作用,并探讨了相关的吸附去除机制.结果表明,Zr-CTAC改性活性炭对水中硝酸盐和磷酸盐均具备较好的吸附去除能力.Zr-CTAC改性活性炭对硝酸盐和磷酸盐吸附动力学过程满足准二级动力学模型.Langmuir、Freundlich和Dubinin-Radushkevich(D-R)等温吸附模型可以较好地描述Zr-CTAC改性活性炭对水中硝酸盐的等温吸附过程,Langmuir和D-R等温吸附模型可以较好地描述Zr-CTAC改性活性炭对水中磷酸盐等温吸附过程,通过Langmuir模型计算得到吸附剂对硝酸盐和磷酸盐的最大单位吸附量分别为7.58 mg·g-1和10.9 mg·g-1.高的p H会抑制Zr-CTAC改性活性炭对水中硝酸盐和磷酸盐的吸附.水中共存的Cl-、HCO-3和SO2-4等阴离子均会抑制Zr-CTAC改性活性炭对硝酸盐和磷酸盐的吸附,且对吸附硝酸盐的抑制作用较强而对吸附磷酸盐的抑制作用较弱.水中共存的磷酸盐对Zr-CTAC改性活性炭吸附硝酸盐的抑制作用较强,而水中共存的硝酸盐对Zr-CTAC改性活性炭吸附磷酸盐的抑制作用较弱.1 mol·L-1Na Cl溶液可以使90%左右被吸附到Zr-CTAC改性活性炭表面上的硝酸盐解吸下来.1 mol·L-1的Na OH溶液可以使78%左右被吸附到Zr-CTAC改性活性炭表面上的磷酸盐解吸下来.Zr-CTAC改性活性炭对硝酸盐的吸附机制主要包括阴离子交换作用和静电吸引作用,对磷酸盐的吸附机制主要包括配位体交换作用、阴离子交换作用和静电吸引作用.上述结果说明Zr-CTAC改性活性炭适合作为一种吸附剂去除废水中的硝酸盐和磷酸盐.     

氨化松香基交联聚合树脂对水中诺氟沙星的吸附性能

将松香基功能高分子进行胺基化得到氨化松香基交联聚合树脂(aminated rosin-based resin,ARBR),采用扫描电镜(SEM)、红外光谱(FTIR)和比表面分析(BET)对ARBR进行了表征.利用ARBR树脂对水中诺氟沙星(NOR)吸附去除,系统研究了树脂投加量、pH值、接触时间、离子强度和温度等因素对NOR吸附性能的影响.结果表明,pH在2.0~6.0范围内,ABRA对NOR的去除效果随着溶液pH值的增加而升高,在8~10之间则呈现下降趋势;共存离子溶液的存在对ARBR去除NOR的行为总体上表现为促进作用.ARBR对水中诺氟沙星的吸附动力学过程符合准二级动力学模型.Langmuir等温吸附模型可较好地描述ARBR对水中NOR的吸附过程,理论最大吸附量为30.29 mg·g~(-1)(pH 6.0、20℃).吸附热力学分析表明,ARBR对水中诺氟沙星的吸附是自发吸热的过程,属于物理吸附,其吸附机制主要为氢键与静电作用.脱附再生实验发现,0.1 mol·L~(-1)HCl溶液效果明显优于其它脱附液,进一步确证了氢键在吸附中的主导作用;经过5次吸附-脱附循环后,对NOR仍具有稳定的吸附性能,可再生循环使用.对比了不同类型商品化树脂,ARBR具有较好的吸附效果.该研究结果拓展了松香高值化的应用研究领域,对开发松香在环境微污染控制中的应用具有理论指导意义.     

氧化镁基生物质炭高效去除水体中磷的特性

利用花生壳为前驱体,在高温限氧条件下,将氧化镁(MgO)负载于生物质炭(BC)表面制备出氧化镁基生物质炭(MgOBC)复合材料.系统研究了MgO-BC对水体中P的吸附特性,并探讨了溶液pH值、接触时间、竞争离子等因素对P的吸附效果的影响.结果表明,P的最佳吸附初始pH为7~9,过酸过碱的环境均不利于P的吸附;P的吸附过程可在540 min内达到平衡,且动力学曲线较好地符合伪一级和伪二级动力学模型,拟合系数可达97.3%和99.0%;当Cl~-、HCO_3~-、NO_3~-等共存离子的量浓度达到P的10倍时,MgO-BC对P仍具有较强的吸附能力;P的吸附过程较好地符合Langmuir等温模型,拟合系数达99%,理论最大吸附容量为138.07 mg·g~(-1),远高于其它未经改性或改性的生物质炭和几种典型P吸附剂的吸附容量.此外,吸附P后的复合材料可作为肥料施入土壤,可有效实现P的再利用.综上所述,该MgO-BC复合材料在净化实际P污染水体中有着广阔的应用前景.     

Ethanol mediated As(III) adsorption onto Zn-loaded pinecone biochar: Experimental investigation, modeling, and optimization using hybrid artificial neural network-genetic algorithm approach

Organic matters (OMs) and their oxidization products often influence the fate and transport of heavy metals in the subsurface aqueous systems through interaction with the mineral surfaces. This study investigates the ethanol (EtOH)-mediated As(III) adsorption onto Zn-loaded pinecone (PC) biochar through batch experiments conducted under Box–Behnken design. The effect of EtOH on As(III) adsorption mechanism was quantitatively elucidated by fitting the experimental data using artificial neural network and quadratic modeling approaches. The quadratic model could describe the limiting nature of EtOH and pH on As(III) adsorption, whereas neural network revealed the stronger influence of EtOH (64.5%) followed by pH (20.75%) and As(III) concentration (14.75%) on the adsorption phenomena. Besides, the interaction among process variables indicated that EtOH enhances As(III) adsorption over a pH range of 2 to 7, possibly due to facilitation of ligand–metal(Zn) binding complexation mechanism. Eventually, hybrid response surface model–genetic algorithm (RSM–GA) approach predicted a better optimal solution than RSM, i.e., the adsorptive removal of As(III) (10.47 μg/g) is facilitated at 30.22 mg C/L of EtOH with initial As(III) concentration of 196.77 μg/L at pH 5.8. The implication of this investigation might help in understanding the application of biochar for removal of various As(III) species in the presence of OM.     

不同锆负载量锆改性膨润土对水中磷酸盐吸附作用的对比

通过实验对比考察了不同锆负载量的锆改性膨润土对水中磷酸盐的吸附作用.结果表明,锆改性膨润土对水中磷酸盐的吸附动力学过程符合准二级动力学模型,整个过程可以分为快速吸附阶段、缓慢吸附阶段和平衡吸附阶段,其中缓慢吸附阶段的吸附速率受膜扩散和颗粒内扩散所控制.锆改性膨润土对水中磷酸盐的吸附等温实验数据可以采用Langmuir、Freundlich、Sips和Dubinin-Radushkevich等温吸附模型进行拟合.实验条件下,磷酸盐吸附性能随pH增加而降低.溶液共存的Na~+、K~+和Ca~(2+)促进了锆改性膨润土对磷酸盐的吸附,并且Ca~(2+)的促进作用远远大于Na~+和K+,而溶液共存的HCO-3和SO2-4一定程度上抑制了锆改性膨润土对磷酸盐的吸附.锆改性膨润土吸附水中磷酸盐的主要机制为配位体交换并形成内层磷酸盐配合物.锆改性膨润土对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力随着锆负载量的增加而增加,而锆改性膨润土中单位质量ZrO_2对水中磷酸盐的吸附量则随着锆负载量的增加而降低.当ZrO_2负载量由3.61%增加到13.15%时锆改性膨润土的最大单层单位吸附量(以P计)显著地由3.83 mg·g~(-1)增加到9.03 mg·g~(-1),而继续增加ZrO_2负载量至19.63%时锆改性膨润土的最大单层单位吸附量则缓慢地提高到9.66 mg·g~(-1)(以P计).当ZrO_2负载量由3.61%逐渐增加到19.63%时,锆改性膨润土中单位质量ZrO_2的磷酸盐最大吸附量[m(P)/m(ZrO_2)]由106 mg·g~(-1)逐渐下降到49.2 mg·g~(-1).综合考虑吸附剂的经济成本和吸附容量,ZrO_2负载量为13.15%锆改性膨润土更为适合作为吸附剂去除水中磷酸盐.     

Ti/SnO_2-Sb阳极-空气阴极电催化降解染料废水

为解决电化学法处理高盐染料废水存在的能耗大、成本高等问题,分别采用溶胶-凝胶法和辊压法制备Ti/SnO_2-Sb阳极和空气阴极,构建了Ti/SnO_2-Sb阳极-空气阴极双极体系(TSSA-ADC)。甲基橙(MO)作为高盐染料废水的典型污染物,考察了电流强度、MO浓度、电解液浓度和初始p H对TSSA-ADC体系和TSSA单阳极体系降解MO的影响。结果表明:与TSSA单阳极体系相比,TSSA-ADC体系具有更好的抗有机负荷冲击、抗盐分冲击、抗酸碱波动能力,能够维护酸碱平衡防止硬度离子结垢。最佳反应条件为电流强度为0.030 A,电解液浓度为3%,MO浓度为100 mg/L,初始pH=6。以MO去除率达到98%为基准,TSSA-ADC体系比TSSA体系可节能74.26%。