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Saturday, 18 March 2017

The development history and prospects of biomass-based insulation materials for buildings

Author
LiFang LiuHongQiang LiAndrea LazzarettoGiovanni ManenteChunYi TongQiBin Liuand NianPing Li
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 912-932

Abstract: Thermal insulations have begun to play an increasing important role in realizing building energy saving in the past years. Thermal insulations made of biomasses like agro-residues, forest residues, etc., are developing very fast recently, although their research and development history is relatively short. In order to help researchers to achieve a global viewpoint of the research on this topic and to improve the research and application progress, a systematic review is presented in this study. After review and screening, 144 original research journal papers were selected as samples and analyzed to investigate the following topics: Historical development of bio-insulations from 1974 up to April 2016, from viewpoint of number of papers published and corresponding journals; Geo-graphical distribution of researchers, according to country and continent categories; Kinds of biomasses under research including agro-residues, forestry residues, economic plants, etc.; Analysis methodologies and research scale of bio-insulations; Common types, manufacturing methods and properties of bio-insulation; Experimental equipment, software, and corresponding standards. Moreover, the shortcomings of the current research are discussed in details. Finally, some suggestions are presented, including: a scientific plan on bio-insulation research; selection of suitable types; traditional and innovative treatments for improving specific properties; the required properties testing order; scientific presentation of research results. This study can help to achieve a more precise comprehension about bio-insulations research status, find suitable experimental equipment for effectively testing various properties, adopt innovative ways to improve specific properties, avoid making mistakes during the research and provide a better expression of the research results. Furthermore, this study can stimulate the research and application of bio-insulations to get a great-leap-forward development in the near future, especially in the fabricated building field.
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Assessment of diesel engine performance when fueled with biodiesel from algae and microalgae: An overview

Author
Ramón Piloto-RodríguezYisel Sánchez-BorrotoEliezer Ahmed Melo-Espinosa and Sebastian Verhelst
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 833-842

Abstract: Biofuels derived from algae can have lower impact on the environment and the food supply than biofuels produced from crops. The strain selection, cultivation method, culture conditions and the chemical composition strongly influences the production costs but also the engine's performance and the exhaust gas emissions. The scope of this paper is to make a critical review about the impact of the use of biofuels produced from (micro) algae to power diesel engines. There is a huge disparity in the amount of papers published for algae culture, oil extraction, and biodiesel production compared to reporting performance on diesel engines. This paper presents an analysis of the papers published in this specific field. Generally, a reduction of torque and power output is reported. A wide range of blends up to B50 but also pure biodiesel has been tested. The blend showing results closest to diesel fuel appears to be B20. Several pollutants can be reduced if biofuels from different strains are used but an increase in NOx is generally reported, associated to higher temperatures in the combustion chamber. The use of emulsions instead of blends or neat biodiesel reveals a promising alternative with important reductions of CO2 and NOx. However, the few reports for engine tests present some contradictions, or are lacking important information about the experiments. The assessment of biodiesel produced from algae or microalgae is a field hardly explored and until today some reference papers contain contradictory results or non-well studied behaviors as this survey demonstrates.
Keywords: Diesel engineMicroalgaeAlgaeBiodiesel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Direct use of waste vegetable oil in internal combustion engines

Author
D. CapuanoM. CostaS. Di FraiaN. Massarotti and L. Vanoli
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 759-770

Abstract: Direct use of Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) as fuel is very attractive to reduce fossil fuels utilization and increase sustainability. WVO incorrect disposal causes serious damages to sewage systems and wastewater treatment plants. Moreover, if WVO reaches natural ecosystems, such as rivers, aquifers or subsoil, the environmental consequences can be severe. In recent years, the main reuse of WVO has been in biodiesel production, which is remunerative under current tax allowance policies. However, biodiesel production requires complex physical–chemical treatments, while direct use of WVO just needs mechanical treatment. As a consequence, WVO direct use in energy conversion systems lower the impact, from the economic, energetic and environmental points of view, with respect to biodiesel production. Moreover, as concerns the environmental impact, it should be considered that the direct use of WVO as fuel produces less polluting emissions when considering the whole life cycle: carbon dioxide produced during combustion, in fact, can be partially absorbed by crops used for oil production.
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Energy overview for globalized world economy: Source, supply chain and sink

Author
G.Q. Chen and X.F. Wu
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 735-749

Abstract: Energy use of the globalized world economy is comprehensively overviewed by means of a systems input-output analysis based on statistics of 2010. Emphases are put on the sources of primary energy exploitation, inter-regional trade imbalance of energy use via global supply chains, and sinks of energy use in final demand. The largest final user turns out to be the United States, compared with China as the leading energy exploiter. The global trade volume of energy use is shown in magnitude up to about 90% of the global primary energy exploited. The United States is recognized as the world’s biggest energy use importer, in contrast to Russia as the biggest exporter. Approximately one third of global primary energy exploited is shown to be embodied in inter-regional net trade. Japan and Russia are respectively illustrated to be the world’s leading net importer and leading net exporter of energy use. For China as the leading energy exploiter, about 30% of its exploited energy is for foreign regions’ final use, and 70% for its own final use. For the European Union as the largest sink region, nearly 80% of the energy required in its final use is from foreign regions, led by Russia. As reflected in the results, the conventional perspective based only on the direct energy consumption by region inevitably leads to inter-regional “energy grabbing” and “carbon leakage”, which raises a serious concern of “regional decrease at the expense of global increase”. In current context of energy shortage and climate change, this global energy overview can provide essential strategic implications at the international, national and regional scales for sustainable energy policy making.
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Sustainability constraints in determining European bioenergy potential: A review of existing studies and steps forward

Author
Ingeborg KlutsBirka WickeRik Leemans and André Faaij
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 719-734

Abstract: This paper reviews European land and bioenergy potential studies to 1) identify shortcomings related to how they account for agricultural intensification and its associated environmental effects, and sustainability constraints, and 2) provide suggestions on how these shortcomings can be improved in future assessments. The key shortcomings are:
Keywords: BioenergyBiomassPotentialLand useEuropeReview (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Review of CO2 price in Europe using feed-in tariff rates

Author
B. BakhtyarA. FudholiKabir HassanM. AzamC.H. LimN.W. Chan and K. Sopian
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 685-691

Abstract: The price of carbon emitted by thermal plants has always been a favorite topic of researchers and policy makers. A substitute price for CO2 is calculated in this study based on real-time payments through government tariffs. These payments aim to mitigate CO2 emission caused by unregulated electricity generation. The total CO2 produced by the thermal plants of 10 European countries is shown in this study. The government's payment for each technology is utilized to clear the final CO2 abatement cost. The substitute price of avoiding CO2 emission (SPAC) for each technology and country is estimated. SPAC is basically the price that each country pays to avoid producing CO2. The conducted survey shows that the SPAC of the 10 European countries ranges from 63 to 2951 Euros depending on the type of technology used and the country's policy. Results confirm a competitive payment by governments only for German and UK hydro and UK wind technologies. Comparison of the countries’ payments for renewable energies and CO2 market price shows that governments incurred an inefficient payment of liquidity as a carbon mitigation policy.
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A comprehensive review on biomass and solar energy for sustainable energy generation in Nigeria

Author
Adewale GiwaAdetunji AlabiAhmed Yusuf and Tuza Olukan
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 620-641

Abstract: Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa (7th most populous in the world) and it is strategic to the realization of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. However, SDG No. 7 (affordable and clean energy) and other goals connected to the reduction of climate change are crucial for the attainment of sustainable development in Nigeria. This comprehensive review encompasses the discussions of the clean energy potential, obstacles to and stimulants of clean energy implementations, and renewable energy policies in Nigeria. Solar and biomass resources have been presented in this article because of their huge availability in Nigeria. Nigeria has the potential to produce an estimated 47.97 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE) annually from biomass resources. Likewise, 17, 459 billion MJ/day of solar energy is incident on the total surface of Nigeria. The biomass resources which can be tapped for renewable energy production in Nigeria include Jatropha with high oil contents, sweet sorghum and molasses; food crops such as cassava, rice, coconut, cashew, millet, rice, oil palm, maize, and yam; agricultural residues and wastes from food crops such as cassava peels, cassava liquid sludge, mango peel, mango seed kernel, rice husks (RH), corn residues, oil palm derivatives, sugar cane straw, and bagasse; forest resources; municipal solid wastes; and animal wastes. These resources can be exploited for the production of biogas, bioethanol, biodiesel, briquettes and organic fertilizers through anaerobic digestion, transesterification, gasification, pyrolysis, and briquetting. There are also huge potentials for the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) and thermal systems in off-grid, grid-connected, and hybrid installations. It can be concluded that the techno-economic feasibility and environmental significance of solar power and bioenergy for Nigeria’s sustainable development is site-specific and subject to factors such as incentives and financing, research and development, public enlightenment, government’s policies, and private investments.
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A review of multi criteria decision making (MCDM) towards sustainable renewable energy development

Author
Abhishek KumarBikash SahArvind R. SinghYan DengXiangning HePraveen Kumarand R.C. Bansal
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 596-609

Abstract: In the current era of sustainable development, energy planning has become complex due to the involvement of multiple benchmarks like technical, social, economic and environmental. This in turn puts major constraints for decision makers to optimize energy alternatives independently and discretely especially in case of rural communities. In addition, topographical limitations concerning renewable energy systems which are mostly distributed in nature, the energy planning becomes more complicated. In such cases, decision analysis plays a vital role for designing such systems by considering various criteria and objectives even at disintegrated levels of electrification. Multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) is a branch of operational research dealing with finding optimal results in complex scenarios including various indicators, conflicting objectives and criteria. This tool is becoming popular in the field of energy planning due to the flexibility it provides to the decision makers to take decisions while considering all the criteria and objectives simultaneously. This article develops an insight into various MCDM techniques, progress made by considering renewable energy applications over MCDM methods and future prospects in this area. An extensive review in the sphere of sustainable energy has been performed by utilizing MCDM technique.
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Cyanobacterial factories for the production of green energy and value-added products: An integrated approach for economic viability

Author
Rajneesh,Shailendra P. SinghJainendra Pathak and Rajeshwer P. Sinha
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 578-595

Abstract: Cyanobacteria are Gram-negative photosynthetic prokaryotes and are well known for their role in global carbon dioxide and nitrogen fixation. Recent developments in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering tools for these prokaryotes have allowed designing of novel metabolic pathways in these organisms which makes them potential candidates for the commercial production of fourth generation of biofuels. However, cost associated with large scale cultivation, harvesting, downstream processing and continued decrease in the price of crude oil in recent years has threatened the economic viability of biofuels production at commercial level. Cyanobacteria are known to produce wide range of secondary metabolites having biotechnological, biomedical and industrial importance. Cyanobacterial secondary metabolites can be industrially exploited as natural sunscreens, algaecides, herbicides, insecticides, antibiotics, antifungal, immunosuppressant, anticancer, antiviral and anti-inflammatory agents. Here, we propose an integrated approach for economic viability of biofuel production using cyanobacterial chassis by combining the production of value-added products synthesized by these organisms to attain a reasonable price for biofuels per barrel which can compete with current and/or future market price.
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Comprehensive evaluation index system for wind power utilization levels in wind farms in China

Author
Rui-jing ShiXiao-chao Fan and Ying He
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, vol. 69, issue C, pages 461-471

Abstract: China's wind power installed capacity is the largest in the world, but the utilization of wind power equipment is not very good, far behind USA. In this paper, the development of China's wind power is reviewed, and the present wind power curtailment restricts the sound development of China's wind power industry. The characteristics of China's wind farm are summered. With the insatiability and intermittence, wind power is not welcome to China's electric grid, and large-scale wind power construction does not match with the existing power grid, therefore, wind power curtailment is serious and the level of wind power utilization is very low. To solve the wind power curtailment rationing problem, in this paper, combined with the characteristics of China's wind farm operation, the wind power utilization level evaluation index system has been built, reflecting the wind resource characteristics, wind power equipment type, wind power output, wind power curtailment, grid technology, operation management and so on. Taking Hami wind farm in Xinjiang province as an example, wind power utilization level is evaluated comprehensively, combined the improved analytic hierarchy process (IAHP) analysis and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method (FCEM). The results show that the establishment of wind power utilization level comprehensive evaluation index system is helpful to find the main factors which effect the level of wind power utilization and improve the wind power field operation, which can provide reference for the planning and design of wind farm, and the results have certain value on theoretical significance and engineering application.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Fasting for Runners

Author BY   ANDREA CESPEDES  Food is fuel, especially for serious runners who need a lot of energy. It may seem counterintuiti...