Article
Thermodynamics
Xia Zhou, Hanwei Zhang, Yangyiming Rong, Jian Song, Song Fang, Zhuoren Xu, Xiaoqin Zhi, Kai Wang, Limin Qiu, Christos N. Markides
Summary: The annual energy consumption of cryogenic air separation units in China is high, with a significant amount of energy dissipated as waste heat during compression processes. The use of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) based waste heat recovery systems can effectively recover and utilize this waste heat, bringing economic and environmental benefits. Case studies and analysis show that the ORC-m-VCR system performs the best when the expansion work-electricity conversion efficiency is low.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alireza Vosooghnia, Alessandra Polettini, Andreina Rossi, Ian Vazquez-Rowe, Giovanni Francini
Summary: The study aimed to assess the environmental profile of ultrasonication as a post-treatment of anaerobic digestion, showing potential benefits in enhancing the degradability of complex organic residues. Results suggest that upgrading biogas and bio-methane for vehicle fuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to energy generation alternatives.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
George Kallis, Tryfon C. Roumpedakis, Platon Pallis, Zoi Koutantzi, Antonios Charalampidis, Sotirios Karellas
Summary: The Marine ORC prototype unit is a waste heat recovery system based on a conventional low-temperature subcritical Organic Rankine Cycle. The system has shown improved environmental performance in several impact categories, but also has some negative effects, such as mineral resource consumption and terrestrial ecotoxicity.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Junqi Wang, Solomon Inalegwu Okopi, Haoxiang Ma, Miao Wang, Rui Chen, Wangyang Tian, Fuqing Xu
Summary: By comparing the environmental impacts of anaerobic digestion-pyrolysis and pyrolysis-anaerobic digestion integrations with single anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis technologies for organic solid waste, it was found that anaerobic digestion-pyrolysis has the least environmental impact, while pyrolysis-anaerobic digestion exhibits the heaviest environmental burden. Hence, the anaerobic digestion-pyrolysis integration is considered the top priority for treating organic solid waste from an environmental perspective.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Thermodynamics
Jinbo Qu, Yongming Feng, Yuanqing Zhu, Song Zhou, Wenping Zhang
Summary: In the context of global decarbonization, there is increasing focus on improving the energy efficiency of marine power plants, with the use of a high-efficiency waste heat recovery system that can generate up to 1,079.1 KW of power at 100% load. The system demonstrated stable operation and high thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency at 90% load. Further techno-economic evaluation showed a payback period of 5.2 years for the system.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Changmin Lee, Seunghwan Kim, Man Ho Park, Young Su Lee, Changweon Lee, Sungho Lee, Junmo Yang, Jae Young Kim
Summary: This study assessed the possibility of anaerobic co-digestion of oil scum and secondary sludge with food waste or swine manure. It was found that oil scum with high total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) content is not suitable for co-digestion, while co-digestion of secondary sludge with food waste and/or swine manure can increase methane production.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Brayan Alexis Parra-Orobio, Jonathan Soto-Paz, Edgar Ricardo Oviedo-Ocana, Seyed Alireza Vali, Antoni Sanchez
Summary: This study reviews the recent literature data on the application of biochar (BC) in anaerobic digestion (AD). The review identifies several challenges and areas for further research, including increasing the use of BC in developing countries, studying its effects under psychrophilic conditions, optimizing the process using machine learning or robust models, conducting life cycle and technical-economic analysis, studying its effects on agronomic characteristics, and understanding its impact on nitrogen dynamics and microbial consortia.
Article
Thermodynamics
Xinyue Zhao, Heng Chen, Sarengaowa Li, Wenchao Li, Peiyuan Pan, Tao Liu, Lining Wu, Gang Xu
Summary: A novel design integrating waste tire pyrolysis, silicon production waste heat recovery, and organic Rankine cycle has been developed. Waste tires are converted into pyrolysis oil and carbon, while the waste heat generated by silicon production is recovered to generate additional electricity. The study investigates the thermodynamics and techno-economics of the hybrid system, showing that it is advantageous in terms of energy efficiency and economic viability.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Fernanda E. Ibarra-Esparza, Martin Esteban Gonzalez-Lopez, Juanpablo Ibarra-Esparza, Gary Ossmar Lara-Topete, Carolina Senes-Guerrero, Annabel Cansdale, Sarah Forrester, James P. J. Chong, Misael Sebastian Gradilla-Hernandez
Summary: This systematic review investigates the implementation of anaerobic digestion (AD) for treating organic waste in developing countries. The study finds that there is a significant difference in the maturity level of AD systems between developed and developing countries, mainly due to the economic capacity of developed countries. The review also identifies practices used in developed countries that could be beneficial for the large-scale implementation of AD systems in developing countries, such as developing high-value products, forming partnerships with local industries, and exploring different pretreatment technologies. Additionally, the analysis shows that capital and operational costs tend to be higher for developing countries due to the need for importation of materials and equipment. The review highlights technical, economical, and political challenges for the implementation of AD at a large scale in developing countries.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Seyedeh Nashmin Elyasi, Shahin Rafiee, Seyed Saeed Mohtasebi, Panagiotis Tsapekos, Irini Angelidaki, Hongbin Liu, Benyamin Khoshnevisan
Summary: Among thirteen scenarios compared, anaerobic digestion of organic fraction of municipal solid waste coupled with biological biogas upgrading unit for bio-methanation into fuel-grade bioCH(4) was identified as the most sustainable biorefining route, demonstrating advantages in energy saving, profitability, and greenhouse gas emission reduction.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Ashutosh Kumar Pandey, S. Pilli, P. Bhunia, R. D. Tyagi, Y. Rao Surampalli, C. Tian Zhang, Sang-Hyoun Kim, Ashok Pandey
Summary: VFAs are the building blocks of the chemical industry and play a key role in the planet's organic carbon cycle. To address the issues of unsustainable VFA production from fossil fuels, it is crucial to develop alternate sources through anaerobic digestion. By researching accessible feedstocks, influencing parameters, and utilizing VFAs to create consumer products, economic stability can be achieved through traditional and advanced production methods.
Article
Thermodynamics
Dabo Krempus, Sebastian Bahamonde, Teus P. van der Stelt, Wolfgang Klink, Piero Colonna, Carlo M. De Servi
Summary: The use of mixtures as working fluids in ORC waste heat recovery power plants can improve energy conversion efficiency. Binary mixtures provide more optimal choices for working fluids. The simple recuperated cycle configuration does not improve the combined cycle efficiency, while the split cycle configuration increases it by about 1.5%. Novec 649 is advantageous as a working fluid due to its environmental and operational safety and does not affect the combined cycle efficiency.
APPLIED THERMAL ENGINEERING
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gowtham Balasundaram, Rajesh Banu, Sunita Varjani, A. A. Kazmi, Vinay Kumar Tyagi
Summary: This paper provides a comprehensive review of the formation of recalcitrant compounds during feedstocks pretreatment and their detrimental effects on process performance in sustainable energy production. Technologies to mitigate recalcitrant toxicity are also comprehensively discussed.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Barbara Lamolinara, Amaury Perez-Martinez, Estela Guardado-Yordi, Christian Guillen Fiallos, Karel Dieguez-Santana, Gerardo J. Ruiz-Mercado
Summary: Digestate is a nutrient-rich by-product from organic waste anaerobic digestion, but it can contribute to nutrient pollution without comprehensive management strategies. This study explores various aspects of digestate production, including feedstocks, processing technologies, economics, product quality, impurities, incentives, and regulations. The results indicate that feedstock, processing technology, and process operating conditions significantly influence the characteristics of digestate products. Incentive policies and regulations play a crucial role in promoting economic benefits. However, there is a lack of quality assurance certification systems for commercializing digestate products. Further development of technologies, processes, incentives, quality regulation, and social awareness is necessary for the sustainable and safe use of digestate in different applications. Future research should focus on circular business models and standardized international regulations for digestate products.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Shawn Pinto, Aliakbar Jamshidi Far, Davide Dionisi
Summary: The study shows that it is possible to supply all the required energy for domestic heating and road transport in the UK from renewable resources, particularly solar PV panels and organic waste, with a moderate impact on land and water resources.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSESSMENTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francesco Di Maria, Enrico Segoloni, Maria Cristina Lavagnolo
WASTE AND BIOMASS VALORIZATION
(2020)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Pejman Salimi, Omid Norouzi, S. E. M. Pourhoseini, Pietro Bartocci, Ahmad Tavasoli, Francesco Di Maria, S. M. Pirbazari, Gianni Bidini, Francesco Fantozzi
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ahmad Reza Salehiyoun, Francesco Di Maria, Mohammad Sharifi, Omid Norouzi, Hamid Zilouei, Mortaza Aghbashlo
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Francesco Di Maria, Federico Sisani, Stefano Contini, Sadhan K. Ghosh, Ronald L. Mersky
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Federica Ianni, Enrico Segoloni, Francesca Blasi, Francesco Di Maria
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francesco Di Maria, Federico Sisani, Mervat El-Hoz, Ronald L. Mersky
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Francesco Di Maria, Mervat El-Hoz
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
(2020)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Uttpal Anand, Bashir Adelodun, Alberto Pivato, S. Suresh, Omkar Indari, Shweta Jakhmola, Hem Chandra Jha, Pawan Kumar Jha, Vijay Tripathi, Francesco Di Maria
Summary: According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has spread to 235 countries and territories, with over 39 million confirmed cases and 1.09 million deaths globally. Wastewater based epidemiology and analysis of airborne particles have been suggested as effective tools for monitoring the spread of COVID-19, with more research needed especially in the case of airborne particles.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Federico Sisani, Amani Maalouf, Francesco Di Maria
Summary: The environmental and energy performances of the Italian municipal solid waste incineration system were investigated through a life cycle assessment approach. It was found that on average, the system had high energy recovery efficiency but emitted a significant amount of CO(2)eq. Larger facilities and those operating with a power and heat energy recovery scheme were able to effectively replace other primary energies.
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alberto Pivato, Gianni Formenton, Francesco Di Maria, Tatjana Baldovin, Irene Amoruso, Tiziano Bonato, Pamela Mancini, Giusy Bonanno Ferraro, Carolina Veneri, Marcello Iaconelli, Lucia Bonadonna, Teresa Vicenza, Giuseppina La Rosa, Elisabetta Suffredini
Summary: This study analyzed atmospheric PM samples to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and human seasonal coronavirus 229E. The results showed a relatively high positivity rate of SARS-CoV-2 in PM samples collected at different sites in the Venice area. These findings suggest that outdoor PM analysis could be a promising tool for environmental surveillance.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Francesco Di Maria, Amani Maalouf
Summary: This study proposes a specific entropy per amount of exergy gained (SEEG) as an indicator to assess the intrinsic sustainability of waste management systems in the EU27 member states. The findings show that composting and recycling have lower SEEG values (about 0.0026 and 0.009) compared to incineration and landfilling (SEEG of 1.310 and 1.333), indicating lower intrinsic sustainability of incineration. It is recommended to prioritize waste recycling, composting, and solid recovered fuel production over incineration.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Rachele Malesani, Andrea Schievano, Francesco Di Maria, Federico Sisani, Alberto Pivato
Summary: Compost Heat Recovery Systems utilize naturally produced heat from waste biomass to provide decentralized thermal energy, with a negative Global Warming Potential impact and other beneficial environmental indicators compared to traditional thermal energy production methods.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francesco Di Maria, Federico Sisani, Giovanni Gigliotti, Daniela Pezzolla, Chiara Tacconi, Mirko Cucina, Claudia Zadra
Summary: The global environmental outcomes of anaerobic co-digestion and co-composting of AFB1 contaminated corn were examined through a life cycle assessment. Anaerobic co-digestion was able to reduce AFB1 concentration in digestate while generating biogas, while co-composting showed higher efficiency in removing AFB1. Both methods had similar impacts on global warming, with co-digestion showing potential for avoided emissions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Francesco Di Maria, Eleonora Beccaloni, Lucia Bonadonna, Carla Cini, Elisabetta Confalonieri, Giuseppina La Rosa, Maria Rosaria Milana, Emanuela Testai, Federica Scaini
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Francesco Di Maria, Shira Daskal, Ofira Ayalon
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2020)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Cameron Bracken, Nathalie Voisin, Casey D. Burleyson, Allison M. Campbell, Z. Jason Hou, Daniel Broman
Summary: This study presents a methodology and dataset for examining compound wind and solar energy droughts, as well as the first standardized benchmark of energy droughts across the Continental United States (CONUS) for a 2020 infrastructure. The results show that compound wind and solar droughts have distinct spatial and temporal patterns across the CONUS, and the characteristics of energy droughts are regional. The study also finds that compound high load events occur more often during compound wind and solar droughts than expected.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ning Zhang, Yanghao Yu, Jiawei Wu, Ershun Du, Shuming Zhang, Jinyu Xiao
Summary: This paper provides insights into the optimal configuration of CSP plants with different penetrations of wind power by proposing an unconstrained optimization model. The results suggest that large solar multiples and TES are preferred in order to maximize profit, especially when combined with high penetrations of wind and photovoltaic plants. Additionally, the study demonstrates the economy and feasibility of installing electric heaters (EH) in CSP plants, which show a linear correlation with the penetration of variable energy resources.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
M. Szubel, K. Papis-Fraczek, S. Podlasek
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
J. Silva, J. C. Goncalves, C. Rocha, J. Vilaca, L. M. Madeira
Summary: This study investigated the methanation of CO2 in biogas and compared two different methanation reactors. The results showed that the cooled reactor without CO2 separation achieved a CO2 conversion rate of 91.8%, while the adiabatic reactors achieved conversion rates of 59.6% and 67.2%, resulting in an overall conversion rate of 93.0%. Economic analysis revealed negative net present worth values, indicating the need for government monetary incentives.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yang Liu, Yonglan Xi, Xiaomei Ye, Yingpeng Zhang, Chengcheng Wang, Zhaoyan Jia, Chunhui Cao, Ting Han, Jing Du, Xiangping Kong, Zhongbing Chen
Summary: This study investigated the effect of using nanofiber membrane composites containing Prussian blue-like compound nanoparticles (PNPs) to relieve ammonia nitrogen inhibition of rural organic household waste during high-solid anaerobic digestion and increase methane production. The results showed that adding NMCs with 15% PNPs can lower the concentrations of volatile fatty acids and ammonia nitrogen, and increase methane yield.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhong Ge, Xiaodong Wang, Jian Li, Jian Xu, Jianbin Xie, Zhiyong Xie, Ruiqu Ma
Summary: This study evaluates the thermodynamic, exergy, and economic performance of a double-stage organic flash cycle (DOFC) using ten eco-friendly hydrofluoroolefins. The influences of key parameters on performance are analyzed, and the advantages of DOFC over single-stage type are quantified.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Nicolas Kirchner-Bossi, Fernando Porte-Agel
Summary: This study investigates the optimization of power density in wind farms and its sensitivity to the available area size. A novel genetic algorithm (PDGA) is introduced to optimize power density and turbine layout. The results show that the PDGA-driven solutions significantly reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) compared to the default layout, and exhibit a convex relationship between area and LCOE or power density.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chunxiao Zhang, Dongdong Li, Lin Wang, Qingpo Yang, Yutao Guo, Wei Zhang, Chao Shen, Jihong Pu
Summary: In this study, a novel reversible liquid-filled energy-saving window that effectively regulates indoor solar radiation heat gain is proposed. Experimental results show that this window can effectively reduce indoor temperature during both summer and winter seasons, while having minimal impact on indoor illuminance.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Alessandro L. Aguiar, Martinho Marta-Almeida, Mauro Cirano, Janini Pereira, Leticia Cotrim da Cunha
Summary: This study analyzed the Brazilian Equatorial Shelf using a high-resolution ocean model and found significant tidal variations in the area. Several hypothetical barrages were proposed with higher annual power generation than existing barrages. The study also evaluated the installation effort of these barrages.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Francesco Superchi, Nathan Giovannini, Antonis Moustakis, George Pechlivanoglou, Alessandro Bianchini
Summary: This study focuses on the optimization of a hybrid power station on the Tilos island in Greece, aiming to increase energy export and revenue by optimizing energy fluxes. Different scenarios are proposed to examine the impact of different agreements with the grid operator on the optimal solution.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Peimaneh Shirazi, Amirmohammad Behzadi, Pouria Ahmadi, Sasan Sadrizadeh
Summary: This research presents two novel energy production/storage/usage systems to reduce energy consumption and environmental effects in buildings. A biomass-fired model and a solar-driven system integrated with photovoltaic thermal (PVT) panels and a heat pump were designed and assessed. The results indicate that the solar-based system has an acceptable energy cost and the PVT-based system with a heat pump is environmentally superior. The biomass-fired system shows excellent efficiency.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zihao Qi, Yingling Cai, Yunxiang Cui
Summary: This study aims to investigate the operational characteristics of the solar-ground source heat pump system (SGSHPS) in Shanghai under different operation modes. It concludes that tandem operation mode 1 is the optimal mode for winter operation in terms of energy efficiency.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
L. Bartolucci, S. Cordiner, A. Di Carlo, A. Gallifuoco, P. Mele, V. Mulone
Summary: Spent coffee grounds are a valuable biogenic waste that can be used as a source of biofuels and valuable chemicals through pyrolysis and solvent extraction processes. The study found that heavy organic bio-oil derived from coffee grounds can be used as a carbon-rich biofuel, while solvent extraction can extract xantines and p-benzoquinone, which are important chemicals for various industries. The results highlight the promising potential of solvent extraction in improving the economic viability of coffee grounds pyrolysis-based biorefineries.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Luiza de Queiroz Correa, Diego Bagnis, Pedro Rabelo Melo Franco, Esly Ferreira da Costa Junior, Andrea Oliveira Souza da Costa
Summary: Building-integrated photovoltaics, especially organic solar technology, are important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. This study analyzed the performance of organic panels laminated in glass in a vertical installation in Latin America. Results showed that glass lamination and vertical orientation preserved the panels' performance and led to higher energy generation in winter.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhipei Hu, Shuo Jiang, Zhigao Sun, Jun Li
Summary: This study proposes innovative fin arrangements to enhance the thermal performance of latent heat storage units. Through optimization of fin distribution and prediction of transient melting behaviors, it is found that fin structures significantly influence heat transfer characteristics and melting behaviors.
