scholarly journals Advanced Exergy, Exergoeconomic, and Exergoenvironmental Analyses of Integrated Solar-Assisted Gasification Cycle for Producing Power and Steam from Heavy Refinery Fuels

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8409
Author(s):  
Esmaeil Jadidi ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Khoshgoftar Manesh ◽  
Mostafa Delpisheh ◽  
Viviani Caroline Onishi

Integrated solar-assisted gasification cycles (ISGC) have emerged as a more flexible and environmentally friendly solution for producing power, steam, and other high-valued by-products from low-cost opportunity fuels. In this light, this paper investigates a new ISGC system for converting heavy refineries fuels into power and steam utilities while enhancing energy efficiency and economic and environmental performance indicators. In this approach, a solar energy field and a two-pressure heat recovery steam generator were integrated into the ISGC system to improve overall economic and environmental plant viability. The ISGC system was modelled in MATLAB software, and the results were validated using Thermoflex software. Conventional and advanced energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, and exergoenvironmental (4E) analyses were implemented to assess the main performance parameters and identify potential system improvements. The ISGC system produced 319.92 MW of power by feeding on 15.5 kg/s of heavy refinery fuel, with a thermal efficiency of 50% and exergy efficiency of 54%. The results also revealed an investment cost of $466 million, evaluated at a system cost rate of 446 $/min and an environmental impact rate of 72,796 pts/min. The conventional and advanced 4E analyses unveiled the process economic and environmental feasibilities, particularly for oil-rich countries with high availability of solar resources.

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-461
Author(s):  
Gabriela M. Baia ◽  
Otniel Freitas-Silva ◽  
Murillo F. Junior

Fruits and vegetables are foods that come into contact with various types of microorganisms from planting to their consumption. A lack or poor sanitation of these products after harvest can cause high losses due to deterioration and/ or pathogenic microorganisms. There are practically no post-harvest fungicides or bactericides with a broad spectrum of action that have no toxic residual effects and are safe. However, to minimize such problems, the use of sanitizers is an efficient device against these microorganisms. Chlorine is the most prevalent sanitizing agent because of its broad spectrum, low cost and well-established practices. However, the inevitable formation of disinfection by-products, such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), is considered one of the main threats to food safety. Alternative sanitizers, such as chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and ozone, are becoming popular as a substitute for traditional post-harvest treatments. Thus, this review addresses the use of chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone emphasizing aspects, such as usage, safe application, spectrum of action and legislation. In order to ensure the quality and safety of final products, the adoption of well-prepared sanitation and sanitation programs for post-harvest fruits and vegetables is essential.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Hung Kuo ◽  
Li-Chuan Chang ◽  
Kuan-Wei Fan ◽  
Bin-Da Liu

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6921
Author(s):  
Laura Sisti ◽  
Annamaria Celli ◽  
Grazia Totaro ◽  
Patrizia Cinelli ◽  
Francesca Signori ◽  
...  

In recent years, the circular economy and sustainability have gained attention in the food industry aimed at recycling food industrial waste and residues. For example, several plant-based materials are nowadays used in packaging and biofuel production. Among them, by-products and waste from coffee processing constitute a largely available, low cost, good quality resource. Coffee production includes many steps, in which by-products are generated including coffee pulp, coffee husks, silver skin and spent coffee. This review aims to analyze the reasons why coffee waste can be considered as a valuable source in recycling strategies for the sustainable production of bio-based chemicals, materials and fuels. It addresses the most recent advances in monomer, polymer and plastic filler productions and applications based on the development of viable biorefinery technologies. The exploration of strategies to unlock the potential of this biomass for fuel productions is also revised. Coffee by-products valorization is a clear example of waste biorefinery. Future applications in areas such as biomedicine, food packaging and material technology should be taken into consideration. However, further efforts in techno-economic analysis and the assessment of the feasibility of valorization processes on an industrial scale are needed.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 646
Author(s):  
Victor Gomes Lauriano Souza ◽  
Marta M. Alves ◽  
Catarina F. Santos ◽  
Isabel A. C. Ribeiro ◽  
Carolina Rodrigues ◽  
...  

This work aimed to produce bionanocomposites of chitosan incorporated with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized using food industry by-products and to characterize them. Such nanoparticles are highlighted due to their low cost, antimicrobial activity, accessibility, and sustainability synthesis. Four different levels of ZnO NPs (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% w/w of chitosan) were tested, and the bionanocomposites were characterized in terms of their hydrophobicity, mechanical, optical, and barrier properties. Overall, the incorporation of ZnO NPs changed the composites from brittle to ductile, with enhanced elongation at break and reduced Young Modulus and tensile strength. Thus, ZnO NPs acted as plasticizer, turning the films more flexible, due to the presence of organic compounds on the NPs. This also favored permeability of oxygen and of water vapor, but the good barrier properties were maintained. Optical properties did not change statistically with the ZnO NPs incorporation. Thus, the characterization presented in this paper may contribute to support a decision on the choice of the material’s final application.


2014 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 16-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amalia Zucaro ◽  
Maddalena Ripa ◽  
Salvatore Mellino ◽  
Marco Ascione ◽  
Sergio Ulgiati

Author(s):  
Paul Stefan Trandafir ◽  
Adrian Ioana ◽  
Roxana Marina Solea ◽  
Daniela Tufeanu ◽  
Diana Cristina Labes (Craciun)

Environment protection, like a new religion consists of: environmental programmes, objectives and targets, training, incentive schemes, audit frequency, site inspections, administration and community relations. This paper presents the main environmental performance indicators. They should therefore be cost-effective and appropriate to the size and type of organization and its needs and priorities. Organizations should make the optimum use of the environmental information they collect. To this end the indicators should fulfill the dual purpose of assisting the management of the organization and providing information to stakeholders. In article we present a set of Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI). These indicators should therefore be cost-effective and appropriate to the size and type of organization and its needs and priorities. We present many categories of environmental performance indicators: comparability (indicators should enable a comparison and show changes in the environmental performance); balance between problematic (bad) and prospective (good) areas, continuity (indicators should be based on the same criteria and should be taken over comparable time sections or units); timeliness (indicators should be updated frequently enough to allow action to be taken); clarity (indicators should be clear and understandable).


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Alpenberg ◽  
Tomasz Wnuk-Pel ◽  
Philip Adamsson ◽  
Johannes Petersson

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine why and how municipal managers and CEOs for municipally owned companies use the environmental performance indicators. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach as a research design was used. In total, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted among managers for administrative departments and municipal company CEOs. Findings This study found that the environmental performance indicators are used by department managers mainly for resource allocation, control and for teaching the employees. The CEOs of the municipal companies use the environmental indicators for communicating with external stakeholders and see the indicators primarily as marketing tools. The main reason why the environmental performance indicators are used in the municipality can be the strong demand from the local politicians to push the “green agenda,” and therefore the managers have to comply. Research limitations/implications As in any case study, generalizations from the research should be made with care, but since this is only one municipality, further research is needed to find additional evidence. Practical implications The findings of this study have a number of implications for future practice, and it is worth mentioning that clear guidelines for how the information could be made more useful for managers at the managerial level in Växjö municipality (VM) are requested for both the municipal managers and the CEOs. Social implications Overall, this study strengthens the idea that environmental performance indicators could be used to a larger extent for communicating with external stakeholders both for municipal departments and companies. Originality/value The research adds to the literature by examining different patterns of using environmental performance indicators in a unique setting – in VM, which is called “the greenest city in Europe” and is one of the “pioneers” in environmental work and extensively uses performance indicators.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document