Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Mohammad Hasan Khademi, Afshar Alipour-Dehkordi, Fereshteh Nalchifard
Summary: Currently, the use of environmentally friendly biofuels and renewable energy sources, such as biodiesel, has gained global attention due to concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, climate changes, and over-consumption of fossil fuels. However, biodiesel production is relatively expensive. To address this challenge, researchers have focused on converting glycerol, a main by-product of biodiesel synthesis, into valuable products like hydrogen. Catalytic steam reforming of bio-glycerol is a potential technology for achieving this. Though this process faces energy supply and environmental issues, an energy self-sufficient approach has been developed to provide the required energy in a sustainable manner through the combustion of a portion of the produced hydrogen. This approach has significant potential for commercialization, as it is competitive with other hydrogen production technologies in terms of thermal efficiency.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sungyup Jung, Sangyoon Lee, Xiaomin Dou, Eilhann E. Kwon
Summary: Wearing disposable face masks to protect against COVID-19 has become common during the pandemic, but the massive generation of contaminated masks is causing environmental concerns due to the release of toxic chemicals during disposal processes. A CO2-assisted thermo-chemical process is suggested as an environmentally friendly disposal method, simultaneously producing valuable fuels from the masks. The study focused on determining the major chemical constituents of disposable masks and employing pyrolysis to produce syngas and C1-2 hydrocarbons, showcasing a potential for environmentally benign removal of COVID-19 plastic waste.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Review
Thermodynamics
S. Kartik, Hemant Kumar Balsora, Manisha Sharma, Agus Saptoro, Rakesh K. Jain, Jyeshtharaj B. Joshi, Abhishek Sharma
Summary: The recycling of waste plastics is an important solution to address future fuel economy pressure and environmental concerns. This review focuses on investigating the potential of pyrolysis as a recycling method to convert waste plastics into fuel and value-added products. The study examines the process conditions and reaction mechanisms to maximize the production of usable fractions and value-added chemicals through pyrolysis. Discussions on process development and future research directions are also presented.
THERMAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRESS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Burcak Kaya Ozsel
Summary: This research aimed to explore the potential of utilizing cellulose-based waste fluff to obtain hydrogen gas and levulinic acid. It was found that waste fluff hydrolysate showed the highest gasification performance and hydrogen selectivity in the reforming process. Additionally, a higher concentration of levulinic acid was produced using BT500S solid acid catalyst compared to one-step conversion process.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xavier Saluena Berna, Marc Marin-Genesca, Jose Maria Daga-Monmany
Summary: This article proposes the use of aluminum breakage scraps to obtain green hydrogen through the aluminum-water reaction, with caustic soda as a catalyst, backed by experimental research. The sustainable process allows for cost-efficient production of high-quality primary aluminum from the low-cost aluminum chips, while minimizing waste generation.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pallabi Sinha Roy, Gil Garnier, Florent Allais, Kei Saito
Summary: Plastic waste, a major source of pollution, can be effectively reduced through upcycling techniques to create high-value materials and mitigate the environmental impact and production costs.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Luis Rodriguez-Luna, Diana Bustos-Martinez, Edgar Valenzuela
Summary: Pyrolysis process is an attractive alternative for recycling and reutilization of HDPE, with the ability to produce valuable chemical feedstock and high energy content hydrocarbons. By optimizing the process parameters, a volatile fraction equivalent to 97% of HDPE mass can be obtained. Chemical analysis shows that oil products have a greater variety of shorter-chain compounds compared to wax products.
PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Peng Zhang, Mudi Wu, Cai Liang, Dengshan Luo, Bin Li, Jiliang Ma
Summary: This paper presents the use of Fe-Ni alloy catalysts with in-situ exsolution for the microwave plasma-initiated decomposition of plastic wastes. The catalysts exhibited high catalytic activity, with 96% hydrogen of plastic wastes rapidly evolving out in the form of gas products accompanied by high-purity carbon nanotubes. The in-situ exsolution strategy of Fe-Ni alloy catalysts contributes to the sustainable and high-efficient recycling of plastic wastes into H-2-rich gas products and carbon nanotubes under microwave plasma.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ga Hyun Lee, Do-Wook Kim, Yun Hui Jin, Sang Min Kim, Eui Seok Lim, Min Ji Cha, Ja Kyong Ko, Gyeongtaek Gong, Sun-Mi Lee, Youngsoon Um, Sung Ok Han, Jung Ho Ahn
Summary: Plastics have greatly improved the quality of life in the past century, but the indiscriminate production and management of plastics have led to the accumulation of plastic waste, becoming an urgent environmental concern. To address this issue, plastic recycling is crucial, and the use of enzymes and microorganisms for plastic biodegradation offers a new solution.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Haoyu Xiao, Jonathan Harding, Shuaishuai Lei, Wei Chen, Sunwen Xia, Ning Cai, Xu Chen, Junhao Hu, Yingquan Chen, Xianhua Wang, Xin Tu, Haiping Yang, Hanping Chen
Summary: Plasma-catalysis pyrolysis of polypropylene was investigated in this study. Compared to conventional catalytic pyrolysis, plasma-catalysis pyrolysis increased gas products and improved the selectivity of BTX while inhibiting the production of wax. Additionally, the stability of the plasma-catalytic system was maintained with almost no variation observed after 10 cycles.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Andrei Veksha, Yuxin Wang, Jun Wei Foo, Ichiro Naruse, Grzegorz Lisak
Summary: The objective of this study was to investigate H2 production from three types of plastics using a process comprising pyrolysis and thermolysis. The results showed that the laboratory-scale setup generated H2 gas with a purity of 74.3-94.2% depending on the plastic feedstock and thermolysis temperature. The presence of polyethylene terephthalate in the feedstock dilutes the H2 gas with CO, affecting its purity.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Cecillia Ramos de Araujo Veloso, Mario Vanoli Scatolino, Maria Margarida Boavida Pontes Goncalves, Mara Lucia Agostini Valle, Thiago de Paula Protasio, Lourival Marin Mendes, Jose Benedito Guimaraes Junior
Summary: The study shows that utilizing waste to produce composite materials has the potential for creating high value-added products, although it may result in reduced density and mechanical properties of the composites. Therefore, research and development using waste materials are essential for environmental protection and resource recycling.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Minli Yu, Ke Wang, Harrie Vredenburg
Summary: This study investigates different low-carbon hydrogen production methods, including green hydrogen, blue hydrogen, and aqua hydrogen. To promote the development of the low-carbon hydrogen economy, the paper explores current challenges, future directions, and policy recommendations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Anita Talan, Bhagyashree Tiwari, Bhoomika Yadav, R. D. Tyagi, J. W. C. Wong, P. Drogui
Summary: Management of food waste is a global challenge, with landfill and incineration being the main methods currently used. Biological processes have been explored for resource and energy recovery from food waste, but they have limitations and cannot provide a complete solution. This review aims to analyze available technologies for achieving environmental and economic sustainability, including innovative approaches using integrated biological methods.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Julia Moszczynska, Xinying Liu, Marek Wisniewski
Summary: Liquid hydrogen carriers will have a significant role in energy transportation. The key factors in assessing the applicability of ammonia cracking in large-scale projects are high energy density, easy storage and distribution, simplicity of the process, and low or zero-carbon footprint. Non-thermal plasma solution provides a way to overcome the negative effects of high temperature reactions in the H2 recovery process.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Mohammadrasool Morovatiyan, Martia Shahsavan, Jonathan Aguilar, Mammadbaghir Baghirzade, J. Hunter Mack
Summary: Combustion of natural gas with hydrogen and argon as working fluid shows promising results in increasing efficiency and reducing emissions in internal combustion engines. The addition of hydrogen contributes to emission reduction and broadens the flammability limits.
COMBUSTION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Physics, Applied
Juan Pablo Trelles
Summary: The conversion of carbon dioxide using renewable energy sources can lead to economic development and CO2 emissions mitigation. Solar-plasma reactors that combine solar thermochemical methods and plasmachemical approaches provide a promising solution for chemical synthesis. This study reviews and compares different types of solar-plasma reactors, and discusses strategies for their advancement.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Tymon B. Nieduzak, Visal Veng, Cameron N. Prees, Valentin D. Boutrouche, Juan Pablo Trelles
Summary: This study presents a reactor that utilizes plasma activated water produced through renewable energy to synthesize nitrate fertilizer. Experimental results show that the nitrate production rate varies linearly with plasma volume. The design and fabrication methods presented can be adapted to other reactors, enabling low environmental and economic cost nitrogen fertilizer production on demand.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Tlegen Kamidollayev, Juan Pablo Trelles, Jay Thakkar, Jan Kosny
Summary: Heat exchangers play a crucial role in thermal control in buildings, and the use of phase change materials (PCMs) enhances heat exchange processes. This study analyzes the performance of different configurations of PCM-air heat exchangers through simulation, aiming to determine the optimal thermal charging time.
Article
Physics, Applied
Valentin Boutrouche, Juan Pablo Trelles
Summary: This article presents the computational modeling and simulation of atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) in helium, demonstrating stable operation at high currents. The modeling results show good agreement with experimental measurements but higher temperature values, and reveal changes in electron density and helium ion ratio with increasing current.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Prakash Aryal, Eric Brack, Todd Alexander, Charles S. Henry
Summary: Exposure to heavy metals is a global concern due to its negative impact on health and the ecosystem. Current analysis methods are expensive and not user-friendly, making simple and economical detection methods highly demanded. Paper-based microfluidic devices have been developed as promising alternatives for on-site heavy metal detection. However, their assay times are slow and rely on pipetting, adding complexity. In this study, a novel and inexpensive capillary-driven microfluidic device combined with paper was developed for rapid and user-friendly detection of Ni(II), Cu(II), and Fe(III) in water.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Rasool Elahi, Ephraim M. Simasiku, Juan P. Trelles
Summary: The use of renewable energy for CO2 conversion can meet the demand for fuels and reduce emissions. Solar-Enhanced Microwave Plasma (SEMP) CO2 conversion combines solar thermochemical methods with plasmachemical approaches. Numerical simulations show that the incident solar radiation leads to more uniform distributions of temperature in the discharge tube, resulting in increased conversion efficiency.
PLASMA SOURCES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Jan Kosny, Jay Thakkar, Tlegen Kamidollayev, Margaret J. Sobkowicz, Juan Pablo Trelles, Cordula Schmid, Sampson Phan, Saibhargav Annavajjala, Peter Horwath
Summary: This paper discusses the experimental analysis of the thermophysical characteristics of PCM and PCM-containing products. The study reveals the ability of PCM to control local temperatures and peak load transmission times by investigating melting and freezing temperatures, enthalpy changes, nucleation intensity, sub-cooling effects, and PCM stability. The results show that commonly used material-scale testing methods may not always be beneficial in evaluating the dynamic thermal performance characteristics of building technologies containing PCMs.
Article
Physics, Applied
Tlegen Kamidollayev, Juan Pablo Trelles
Summary: This study investigates the interaction between an argon plasma jet and water using a 3D time-dependent computational model. The results suggest that higher jet velocities lead to enhanced transport of reactive species across the plasma-water interface.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Visal Veng, Benard Tabu, Ephraim Simasiku, Joshua Landis, J. Hunter Mack, Maria Carreon, Juan Pablo Trelles
Summary: This study presents a membrane dielectric-barrier discharge (mDBD) reactor for ammonia synthesis, which improves the performance of the reactor by utilizing a porous alumina membrane as dielectric barrier and H2 distributor. The experimental results show an inverse relationship between the product of membrane pore size and porosity and both the ammonia production and power consumption.
PLASMA CHEMISTRY AND PLASMA PROCESSING
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Md Nayer Nasim, Behlol Nawaz, Shubhra Kanti Das, Amina SubLaban, Luis Miguel Garcia-Cuevas Gonzalez, Jose Ramon Serrano, J. Hunter Mack
Summary: Hydrogen is seen as a promising carbon-free fuel, but its distinct combustion properties compared to hydrocarbon fuels present challenges. This study explores the properties of premixed H2-CO2 combustion, finding that using CO2 as a working fluid can reduce flame speed and achieve performance comparable to natural gas.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ceren Yilmaz Akkaya, James P. Dombrowski, Erika Colin-Ulloa, Lyubov Titova, Timothy J. Lawton, Todd E. Alexander, Eric Brack, Christopher Drew, Pratap M. Rao
Summary: The article presents an improved synthesis protocol to obtain CuBiW2O8 (CBTO) as a functional material for photocatalytic reactions. The ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers after photoexcitation are investigated using transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS). The study demonstrates the high activity of CBTO for visible light-driven photocatalytic reactions, particularly in the photoreduction of Cr(vi). Radical quenching experiments reveal the involvement of OH radicals and O-2(-) radicals in the photoreduction process. The results suggest that CBTO prepared with the improved protocol is a stable and potentially reusable catalyst.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
