Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jaewon Byun, Jeehoon Han
Summary: A rigorous life cycle assessment was conducted to analyze two different technological process configurations for producing bioethanol from corn stover, and the results showed that nonenzymatic chemical hydrolysis and subsequent fermentation (P2) is the most promising strategy in terms of reducing climate change, fossil depletion, and air pollutants.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Teresa M. Mata, Sara Rodrigues, Nidia S. Caetano, Antonio A. Martins
Summary: This study evaluates the potential environmental impacts of bioethanol production from phytoremediated corn stover, comparing the effects of four different acids for biomass pre-treatment. The results show that sulfuric and hydrochloric acids have better environmental performance than acetic and nitric acids. The pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis steps have the highest relative contribution to the potential environmental impacts.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Xing Su, Xiaolu Shao, Shaochen Tian, He Li, Yixiang Huang
Summary: By using the life cycle assessment method, this study compared the environmental impacts of three common stover utilization methods and found that stover gasification has the most damage on the environment. Stover pellets utilization has less impact on resource depletion but is more harmful to human health and ecosystem. Parameters such as materials used, transportation, equipment operation energy consumption, and stover utilization efficiency were identified as the main factors affecting the LCA results.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Iria Firvida, Pablo G. del Rio, Patricia Gullon, Beatriz Gullon, Gil Garrote, Aloia Romani
Summary: This study evaluated a delignification process using lime as an alternative alkali to improve enzymatic saccharification of corn stover cellulose, leading to successful production of bioethanol. Through experimental design, optimal conditions were identified for high cellulose and xylan recovery rates, delignification efficiency, and cellulose-to-glucose conversion rate.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zahwa A. Elsagan, Rehab M. Ali, Mohamed A. El -Naggar, E. -s. z. El-Ashtoukhy, Sara E. AbdElhafez
Summary: In Egypt, second-generation bioethanol production from agricultural waste is thriving as a response to the excessive usage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Lignocellulosic biomass, due to its abundance and renewability, shows great potential as a feedstock for bioethanol production. However, the challenge lies in achieving effective enzyme accessibility through functional delignification without impacting the cellulose matrices. This study focuses on a novel physio-chemical combination for corn stover pretreatment, resulting in the production of bioethanol through hydrolysis and fermentation processes.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Md Mosleh Uddin, Zhiyou Wen, Mark Mba Wright
Summary: This study comprehensively analyzes the economic and environmental impacts of using biochar in anaerobic digestion technology. The research shows that biochar addition can significantly reduce the selling price of renewable natural gas and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Katarina Mihajlovski, Danijela Pecarski, Mirjana Rajilic-Stojanovic, Suzana Dimitrijevic-Brankovic
Summary: This study demonstrated the production of hydrolytic enzymes, lignocellulosic hydrolysis, and bioethanol production using agricultural wastes by Hymenobacter sp. CKS3. Optimized conditions led to high enzyme activity and reducing sugar yield, highlighting the potential of Hymenobacter for sustainable production of biofuels.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ajay Shah, Ashish Manandhar, Matthew J. Darr
Summary: This study proposes three practical strategies to optimize the performance of the corn stover supply chain, including reducing collection area, increasing bale density, and decreasing in-field machinery quantity. Successfully implementing these strategies can significantly reduce costs, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions, while creating an environmentally sustainable logistics system.
BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS & BIOREFINING-BIOFPR
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Philip G. Jessop, Alex R. Macdonald
Summary: The life cycle of a product contains hotspots, which are the steps causing the majority of harm. Traditional practice often overlooks the importance of identifying these hotspots. Therefore, the utilization of life cycle assessments to identify hotspots and drive the selection of research projects is necessary to maximize environmental benefits.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sophie Renard, Benjamin Corbett, Omar Swei
Summary: Lifecycle assessment (LCA) studies are commonly used to evaluate environmental impacts of pavement facilities. This study introduces a novel approach to LCA modeling using a type of reinforcement learning algorithm known as Q-learning, which has shown to reduce global warming impacts of pavement infrastructure by 13% to 18% in three representative case studies. This approach can help decision-makers optimize construction and maintenance plans while considering uncertainties and improve management strategies to mitigate environmental impacts.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fengyang Xue, Wenzhi Li, Shengxin An, Cunshuo Li, Xu Li, Mingwei Wu, Xiuzhi Wei
Summary: The study demonstrates that pretreatment using ethylene glycol and dilute sulfuric acid for lignocellulose fractionation is a simple, efficient, and promising process for corn stover biorefinery. Delignification and cellulose retention rates are high, leading to a significant increase in enzymatic hydrolysis sugar yield compared to untreated corn stover. The regenerated lignin can also be utilized to produce renewable aromatic chemicals and alkane fuels.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ziyi Zhuang, Badr A. Mohamed, Loretta Y. Li, Omar Swei
Summary: This study develops a life cycle assessment model to evaluate the environmental and economic impact of four common sewage sludge treatment methods in the North American context. The findings suggest that pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion coupled with agricultural land application have lower global warming impact, while composting and pyrolysis have lower life cycle costs compared to alternative treatments.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hanwen Guo, Xiaoqin Nie, Tianchu Shu, Xu Li, Binjie Bai
Summary: The global problem of domestic waste management is increasing due to rapid population growth and economic development, requiring a quantitative assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from rural domestic waste for carbon neutrality. Among the five different scenarios for RDW management, pollution from untreated RDW with landfill gas emissions is a significant contributor, with the collection and transportation ratio being sensitive to all scenarios. The introduction of a new urban-rural integration mode for RDW management has great potential for promoting effective waste management in China and other developing countries.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ramsharan Pandey, Nurun Nahar, Scott W. Pryor, Ghasideh Pourhashem
Summary: Studies have shown that producing ethanol using pelleted biomass is more economical than using loose biomass, with a significantly lower minimum ethanol selling price. Additionally, pelleted biomass also has a 50% lower life cycle greenhouse gas emission compared to loose biomass.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dan Li, Martin Dorber, Valerio Barbarossa, Francesca Verones
Summary: Water temperature changes related to global warming pose a threat to freshwater fish species, and this study develops spatially explicit characterization factors and sensitivity distribution curves to assess their potential impacts and contribution to global extinction.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yan Zhao, Anders Damgaard, Shan Liu, Huimin Chang, Thomas H. Christensen
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2020)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Trine Henriksen, Thomas F. Astrup, Anders Damgaard
Summary: A novel framework is proposed for the evaluation of representativeness of LCI data, including an analysis of data importance and modification of quality criteria based on unit process characteristics. The framework involves analyzing temporal, geographical, and technological characteristics to ensure data relevance, as demonstrated in a case study on household waste incineration in Denmark. Although time demanding, the method provides unique data quality criteria for waste incineration unit processes.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Vinay Yadav, M. A. Sherly, Pallav Ranjan, Rafael O. Tinoco, Alessio Boldrin, Anders Damgaard, Alexis Laurent
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2020)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
T. H. Christensen, A. Damgaard, J. Levis, Y. Zhao, A. Bjorklund, U. Arena, M. A. Barlaz, V Starostina, A. Boldrin, T. F. Astrup, V Bisinella
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Concetta Lodato, Bahram Zarrin, Anders Damgaard, Hubert Baumeister, Thomas Fruergaard Astrup
Summary: This study introduces four novel LCA modeling features that can provide critical insights into areas such as circular economy and waste management. The case-study demonstrates that the new modeling approach for physical flows significantly affects both results and interpretation of the LCA modeling.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hanwen Guo, Yan Zhao, Anders Damgaard, Qian Wang, Hongtao Wang, Thomas H. Christensen, Wenjing Lu
Summary: Biorefining of Chinese food waste into transport fuels can result in savings in Global Warming Potential, with different combinations of biogas, biomethane, bioethanol and biodiesel producing varying results. The electricity production, biodiesel and biomethane production have significant impacts on GWP.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Valentina Bisinella, Tore Hulgaard, Christian Riber, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: The effects of integrating carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology into municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) differ depending on the air pollution control technologies and energy recovery systems. Despite reductions in electricity output and energy penalties, CCS can lower the climate change impact of MSWI, with greater benefits in cleaner energy systems. The main factor affecting the overall results is the capture efficiency, with increasing importance in non-fossil fuel-based energy systems.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Maria Farago, Anders Damgaard, Jeanette Agertved Madsen, Jacob Kragh Andersen, Dines Thornberg, Mikkel Holmen Andersen, Martin Rygaard
Summary: Operators of wastewater treatment plants are retrofitting existing facilities to implement new technologies for resource recovery. This study combines life cycle assessment and economic evaluations to quantify the environmental and economic impacts of transitioning existing wastewater treatment plants into water resource recovery facilities. The implementation of real-time N2O control, biological biogas upgrading, and pre-filtration technologies showed promising results in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resource recovery.
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Huimin Chang, Yan Zhao, Silan Zhao, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: Thermal treatment of sewage sludge has gained significant attention in recent years. Numerous papers have discussed the mass flows, energy, and emissions data related to incineration, gasification, and pyrolysis of sewage sludge. Incineration is an established technology, but there is limited data on flue gas cleaning and air emissions. Gasification and pyrolysis are experimental technologies with varying output data.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Farago, Anders Damgaard, Morten Rebsdorf, Per Henrik Nielsen, Martin Rygaard
Summary: Wastewater treatment is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, and we investigated the accounting of emissions in three advanced wastewater treatment facilities. The results showed the importance of electricity consumption and direct emissions, and we proposed recommendations for accurate reporting and accounting. The facilities have made progress in offsetting emissions, and our study provides guidance for wastewater operators in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Maria Farago, Anders Damgaard, Ivana Logar, Martin Rygaard
Summary: In Europe, sewage sludge is commonly used in agriculture or incinerated. However, emerging technologies like sludge pyrolysis have the potential to transform wastewater treatment plants into water resource recovery facilities. A life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis were conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of sludge pyrolysis. The results showed that pyrolysis reduced environmental impacts and had positive economic net present value compared to using sludge in agriculture, but pyrolysis with biochar production was not as beneficial as incineration.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Huimin Chang, Yan Zhao, Ankun Xu, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: System modelling of sewage sludge treatment is an important area of research for comparing and optimizing technologies. A review of literature on relevant parameters revealed significant variations in the compositional data of thickened and dewatered sludge, but most of the data followed a lognormal distribution. The average total solid content was 3.3% for thickened sludge and 21.0% for dewatered sludge. Other important parameters included ash content, lower heating value, and biochemical methane potential. These data provide valuable insights for modelling sewage sludge treatment systems, but further characterization of sludge is needed in the future.
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Huimin Chang, Yan Zhao, Ankun Xu, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: Technological comparison and system modelling of sewage sludge treatment are crucial for sustainable development and climate change mitigation. Dewatering and drying processes play a significant role in reducing volume and are essential for further sludge treatment. However, the scarcity of data limits the detailed analysis of the relationships between inputs and outputs for these technologies. Nevertheless, the available data can serve as a starting point for planning sludge management. Additional data on energy consumption and water composition from full-scale plants are strongly needed to improve the inventory and support future studies.
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Ana Rosa Aon Cardoso Fernandes, Bruno Eduardo Lobo Baeta, Anders Damgaard
Summary: The goal of neutrality in greenhouse gas emissions has led to increased exploration of renewable fuels. This study suggests using life-cycle assessment (LCA) to identify critical areas in hydrothermal pretreatment of biomass and evaluate its potential as a renewable fuel. The assessment revealed limitations in lab assumptions. In Brazil, the two-stage co-digestion of hydrothermal pretreated biomass showed promising results, reducing CO2 emissions compared to the business-as-usual scenario. Only Brazil and Spain demonstrated potential for exploring this proposal among top beer-producing countries.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Huimin Chang, Yan Zhao, Valentina Bisinella, Anders Damgaard, Thomas H. Christensen
Summary: We quantified the potential climate change impacts of eight conventional technology configurations for sewage sludge treatment and disposal, considering different energy exchanges. The results showed that all configurations had large climate change loads and savings when using fossil-based energy systems, while the impacts were approximately three times lower when using renewable energy systems. Landfilling had the greatest climate change impact, while thermal drying with incineration had the highest probability of better climate change performance.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shitong Fang, Houfan Du, Tao Yan, Keyu Chen, Zhiyuan Li, Xiaoqing Ma, Zhihui Lai, Shengxi Zhou
Summary: This paper proposes a new type of nonlinear VIV energy harvester (ANVEH) that compensates for the decrease in peak energy output at low wind speeds by introducing an auxiliary structure. Theoretical and experimental results show that ANVEH performs better than traditional nonlinear VIV energy harvesters under various system parameter variations.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Wei Jiang, Shuo Zhang, Teng Wang, Yufei Zhang, Aimin Sha, Jingjing Xiao, Dongdong Yuan
Summary: A standardized method was developed to evaluate the availability of solar energy resources in road areas, which combined the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Geographic Information System (GIS). By analyzing critical factors and using a multi-indicator evaluation method, the method accurately evaluated the utilization of solar energy resources and guided the optimal location selection for road photovoltaic (PV) projects. The results provided guidance for the application of road PV projects and site selection for route corridors worldwide, promoting the integration of transportation and energy.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Chang Liu, Jacob A. Wrubel, Elliot Padgett, Guido Bender
Summary: The study investigates the effects of coating defects on the performance of the anode porous transport layer (PTL) in water electrolyzers. The results show that an increasing fraction of uncoated regions on the PTL leads to decreased cell performance, with continuous uncoated regions having a more severe impact compared to multiple thin uncoated strips.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Marcos Tostado-Veliz, Xiaolong Jin, Rohit Bhakar, Francisco Jurado
Summary: In this paper, a coordinated charging price mechanism for clusters of parking lots is proposed. The research shows that enabling vehicle-to-grid characteristics can bring significant economic benefits for users and the cluster coordinator, and vehicle-to-grid impacts noticeably on the risk-averse character of the uncertainty-aware strategies. The developed pricing mechanism can reduce the cost for users, avoiding to directly translate the energy cost to charging points.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Duan Kang
Summary: Building an energy superpower is a key strategy for China and a long-term goal for other countries. This study proposes an evaluation system and index for measuring energy superpower, and finds that China has significantly improved its ranking over the past 21 years, surpassing other countries.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Fucheng Deng, Yifei Wang, Xiaosen Li, Gang Li, Yi Wang, Bin Huang
Summary: This study investigated the synergistic blockage mechanism of sand and hydrate in gravel filling layer and the evolution of permeability in the layer. Experimental models and modified permeability models were established to analyze the effects of sand particles and hydrate formation on permeability. The study provided valuable insights for the safe and efficient exploitation of hydrate reservoirs.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Hao Wang, Xiwen Chen, Natan Vital, Edward Duffy, Abolfazl Razi
Summary: This study proposes a HVAC energy optimization model based on deep reinforcement learning algorithm. It achieves 37% energy savings and ensures thermal comfort for open office buildings. The model has a low complexity, uses a few controllable factors, and has a short training time with good generalizability.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Moyue Cong, Yongzhuo Gao, Weidong Wang, Long He, Xiwang Mao, Yi Long, Wei Dong
Summary: This study introduces a multi-strategy ultra-wideband energy harvesting device that achieves high power output without the need for external power input. By utilizing asymmetry, stagger array, magnetic coupling, and nonlinearity strategies, the device maintains a stable output voltage and high power density output at non-resonant frequencies. Temperature and humidity monitoring are performed using Bluetooth sensors to adaptively assess the device.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Tianshu Dong, Xiudong Duan, Yuanyuan Huang, Danji Huang, Yingdong Luo, Ziyu Liu, Xiaomeng Ai, Jiakun Fang, Chaolong Song
Summary: Electrochemical water splitting is crucial for hydrogen production, and improving the hydrogen separation rate from the electrode is essential for enhancing water electrolyzer performance. However, issues such as air bubble adhesion to the electrode plate hinder the process. Therefore, a methodology to investigate the two-phase flow within the electrolyzer is in high demand. This study proposes using a microfluidic system as a simulator for the electrolyzer and optimizing the two-phase flow by manipulating the micro-structure of the flow.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shuo Han, Yifan Yuan, Mengjiao He, Ziwen Zhao, Beibei Xu, Diyi Chen, Jakub Jurasz
Summary: Giving full play to the flexibility of hydropower and integrating more variable renewable energy is of great significance for accelerating the transformation of China's power energy system. This study proposes a novel day-ahead scheduling model that considers the flexibility limited by irregular vibration zones (VZs) and the probability of flexibility shortage in a hydropower-variable renewable energy hybrid generation system. The model is applied to a real hydropower station and effectively improves the flexibility supply capacity of hydropower, especially during heavy load demand in flood season.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zhen Wang, Kangqi Fan, Shizhong Zhao, Shuxin Wu, Xuan Zhang, Kangjia Zhai, Zhiqi Li, Hua He
Summary: This study developed a high-performance rotary energy harvester (AI-REH) inspired by archery, which efficiently accumulates and releases ultralow-frequency vibration energy. By utilizing a magnetic coupling strategy and an accumulator spring, the AI-REH achieves significantly accelerated rotor speeds and enhanced electric outputs.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yi Yang, Qianyi Xing, Kang Wang, Caihong Li, Jianzhou Wang, Xiaojia Huang
Summary: In this study, a novel hybrid Quantile Regression (QR) model is proposed for Probabilistic Load Forecasting (PLF). The model integrates causal dilated convolution, residual connection, and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) for multi-scale feature extraction. In addition, a Combined Probabilistic Load Forecasting System (CPLFS) is proposed to overcome the inherent flaws of relying on a single model. Simulation results show that the hybrid QR outperforms traditional models and CPLFS exceeds the best benchmarks in terms of prediction accuracy and stability.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Wen-Jiang Zou, Young-Bae Kim, Seunghun Jung
Summary: This paper proposes a dynamic prediction model for capacity fade in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The model accurately predicts changes in electrolyte volume and capacity fade, enhancing the competitiveness of VRFBs in energy storage applications.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yuechao Ma, Shengtie Wang, Guangchen Liu, Guizhen Tian, Jianwei Zhang, Ruiming Liu
Summary: This paper focuses on the balance of state of charge (SOC) among multiple battery energy storage units (MBESUs) and bus voltage balance in an islanded bipolar DC microgrid. A SOC automatic balancing strategy is proposed considering the energy flow relationship and utilizing the adaptive virtual resistance algorithm. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy in achieving SOC balancing and decreasing bus voltage unbalance.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Raad Z. Homod, Basil Sh. Munahi, Hayder Ibrahim Mohammed, Musatafa Abbas Abbood Albadr, Aissa Abderrahmane, Jasim M. Mahdi, Mohamed Bechir Ben Hamida, Bilal Naji Alhasnawi, A. S. Albahri, Hussein Togun, Umar F. Alqsair, Zaher Mundher Yaseen
Summary: In this study, the control problem of the multiple-boiler system (MBS) is formulated as a dynamic Markov decision process and a deep clustering reinforcement learning approach is applied to obtain the optimal control policy. The proposed strategy, based on bang-bang action, shows superior response and achieves more than 32% energy saving compared to conventional fixed parameter controllers under dynamic indoor/outdoor actual conditions.