eng
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2016-12-01
3
4
483
495
10.18331/BRJ2016.3.4.3
32132
A critical review on biomass gasification, co-gasification, and their environmental assessments
Somayeh Farzad
sfarzad@sun.ac.za
1
Mohsen Ali Mandegari
2
Johann F. Görgens
3
Department of Process Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
Department of Process Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
Department of Process Engineering, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
Gasification is an efficient process to obtain valuable products from biomass with several potential applications, which has received increasing attention over the last decades. Further development of gasification technology requires innovative and economical gasification methods with high efficiencies. Various conventional mechanisms of biomass gasification as well as new technologies are discussed in this paper. Furthermore, co-gasification of biomass and coal as an efficient method to protect the environment by reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been comparatively discussed. In fact, the increasing attention to renewable resources is driven by the climate change due to GHG emissions caused by the widespread utilization of conventional fossil fuels, while biomass gasification is considered as a potentially sustainable and environmentally-friendly technology. Nevertheless, social and environmental aspects should also be taken into account when designing such facilities, to guarantee the sustainable use of biomass. This paper also reviews the life cycle assessment (LCA) studies conducted on biomass gasification, considering different technologies and various feedstocks.
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_32132_a4dee18452f067b4078570c9753e645d.pdf
Biomass gasification
Plasma gasification
Supercritical water gasification
Co-gasification
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
eng
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2016-12-01
3
4
496
513
10.18331/BRJ2016.3.4.4
40309
Advanced nanocomposite membranes for fuel cell applications: a comprehensive review
Kolsoum Pourzare
1
Yaghoub Mansourpanah
mansourpanah.y@lu.ac.ir
2
Saeed Farhadi
3
Membrane Research Laboratory, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, P.O. Box 68137-17133, Iran.
Membrane Research Laboratory, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, P.O. Box 68137-17133, Iran.
Membrane Research Laboratory, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, P.O. Box 68137-17133, Iran.
Combination of inorganic fillers into organic polymer membranes (organic–inorganic hybrid membranes) has drawn a significant deal of attention over the last few decades. This is because of the incorporated influence of the organic and inorganic phases towards proton conductivity and membrane stability, in addition to cost decline, improved water retention property, and also suppressing fuel crossover by increasing the transport pathway tortuousness. The preparation methods of the composite membranes and the intrinsic characteristics of the used particles as filler, such as size, type, surface acidity, shape, and their interactions with the polymer matrix can significantly affect the properties of the resultant matrix. The membranes currently used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are perfluorinated polymers containing sulfonic acid, such as Nafion®. Although these membranes possess superior properties, such as high proton conductivity and acceptable chemical, mechanical, and thermal stability, they suffer from several disadvantages such as water management, CO poisoning, and fuel crossover. Organic-inorganic nanocomposite PEMs offer excellent potentials for overcoming these shortcomings in order to achieve improved FC performance. Various inorganic fillers for the fabrication of composite membranes have been comprehensively reviewed in the present article. Moreover, the properties of polymer composites containing different nanoparticles have been thoroughly discussed.
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_40309_9b1db39f8ec62d6ca41c4ea9c5ba7564.pdf
Organic-inorganic nanocomposite
Proton Exchange Membrane
Inorganic fillers
Fuel Cell
eng
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2016-12-01
3
4
514
520
10.18331/BRJ2016.3.4.5
40310
Microbial growth in Acrocomia aculeata pulp oil, Jatropha curcas oil, and their respective biodiesels under simulated storage conditions
Juciana Clarice Cazarolli
jucianacazarolli@gmail.com
1
Patrícia Dörr de Quadros
2
Francielle Bücker
franbucker@gmail.com
3
Mariana Ruiz Frazão Santiago
4
Clarisse Maria Sartori Piatnicki
5
Maria do Carmo Ruaro Peralba
6
Eduardo Homem de Siqueira Cavalcanti
7
Fátima Menezes Bento
8
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Rua Sarmento Leite, N° 500, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Rua Sarmento Leite, N° 500, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Rua Sarmento Leite, N° 500, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Corrosion and Degradation Division, National Institute of Technology, Av. Venezuela, Nº 82, Sala 608, 200081-312, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Av. Bento Gonçalves, Nº 9500, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Av. Bento Gonçalves, Nº 9500, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Corrosion and Degradation Division, National Institute of Technology, Av. Venezuela, Nº 82, Sala 608, 200081-312, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Rua Sarmento Leite, N° 500, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
With increasing demands for biodiesel in Brazil, diverse oil feedstocks have been investigated for their potentials for biodiesel production. Due to the high biodegradability of natural oils and their respective biodiesels, microbial growths and consequent deterioration of final product quality are generally observed during storage. This study was aimed at evaluating the susceptibility of Acrocomia aculeata pulp oil and Jatropha curcas oil as well as their respective biodiesels to biodeterioration during a simulated storage period. The experiment was conducted in microcosms containing oil/biodiesel and an aqueous phase over 30 d. The levels of microbial contamination included biodiesel and oil as received, inoculated with fungi, and sterile. Samples were collected every 7 d to measure pH, surface tension, acidity index, and microbial biomass. The initial and final ester contents of the biodiesels were also determined by gas chromatography. The major microbial biomass was detected in A. aculeata pulp and J. curcas biodiesels. Significant reductions in pH values were observed for treatments with A. aculeata pulp biodiesel as a carbon source (p <0.05). The surface tension values decreased for all treatments (p <0.05). Total ester contents were decreased in A. aculeata pulp and J. curcas biodiesels when inoculated by fungi by approximately 8 and 12%, respectively, indicating the occurrence of biodegradation during the relatively short storage period of only 30 d.
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_40310_b5debc2243b0d956d28fcaaf3267bb78.pdf
Acrocomia aculeate pulp oil
jatropha curcas oil
Biodiesel
Storage
degradation
Filamentous fungi
eng
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2016-12-01
3
4
521
527
10.18331/BRJ2016.3.4.6
32086
Growth and characterization of deposits in the combustion chamber of a diesel engine fueled with B50 and Indonesian biodiesel fuel (IBF)
M Taufiq Suryantoro
taufiq_suryo@yahoo.co.id
1
Bambang Sugiarto
2
Fariz Mulyadi
3
Departement of Mechanical Engineering, University of Indonesia, 16424 Depok West Java, Indonesia
Departement of Mechanical Engineering, University of Indonesia, 16424 Depok West Java, Indonesia
Departement of Mechanical Engineering, University of Indonesia, 16424 Depok West Java, Indonesia
Although used since 1893, biodiesel still faces problems that must be overcome before it can fully replace petroleum diesel. Existing literature shows that continuous use of biodiesel could lead to higher growth of deposits on critical engine components, contributing to lots of problems that could ultimately decrease engine performance. In this context, endurance tests were performed to compare the impacts of B50 and Indonesian biodiesel fuel (IBF: diesel fuel containing 10% palm oil biodiesel) on engine durability. More specifically, deposits growth as well as deposits structure and composition in response to the application of the above-mentioned fuel blends were investigated over 200 h. The results revealed that B50 produced relatively larger amounts of deposits especially on the valves and injector tip while also increased the risk of ring sticking. In addition, the structure and the elemental composition of the deposits formed on engine important components, i.e., injector tips, piston crown, intake/exhaust valves, cylinder head, and piston grooves when B50 was used were quite different compared with the IBF. Overall, more deposits formation was observed by increasing biodiesel inclusion rate while deposits tended to be wet and brittle as well.
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_32086_5be408aa0a0b3e6faff600fe4f979277.pdf
Biodiesel
Indonesian biodiesel fuel (IBF)
Endurance test
Deposit growth
Deposit composition
Deposits structure
eng
Alpha Creation Enterprise
Biofuel Research Journal
2292-8782
2016-12-01
3
4
528
535
10.18331/BRJ2016.3.4.7
40530
Development and evaluation of a novel low power, high frequency piezoelectric-based ultrasonic reactor for intensifying the transesterification reaction
Mortaza Aghbashlo
maghbashlo@ut.ac.ir
1
Meisam Tabatabaei
meisam_tab@yahoo.com
2
Soleiman Hosseinpour
shosseinpour@ut.ac.ir
3
Seyed Sina Hosseini
4
Akram Ghaffari
5
Zahra Khounani
6
Pouya Mohammadi
mohamadi_pouya@yahoo.com
7
Department of Mechanical Engineering of Agricultural machinery, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran.
Department of Mechanical Engineering of Agricultural machinery, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
Department of Mechanical Engineering of Agricultural machinery, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.
Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran.
Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran.
Biofuel Research Team (BRTeam), Karaj, Iran.
In this study, a novel low power, high frequency piezoelectric-based ultrasonic reactor was developed and evaluated for intensifying the transesterification process. The reactor was equipped with an automatic temperature control system, a heating element, a precise temperature sensor, and a piezoelectric-based ultrasonic module. The conversion efficiency and specific energy consumption of the reactor were examined under different operational conditions, i.e., reactor temperature (40‒60 °C), ultrasonication time (6‒10 min), and alcohol/oil molar ratio (4:1‒8:1). Transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) was performed in the presence of a base-catalyst (potassium hydroxide) using methanol. According to the obtained results, alcohol/oil molar ratio of 6:1, ultrasonication time of 10 min, and reactor temperature of 60 °C were found as the best operational conditions. Under these conditions, the reactor converted WCO to biodiesel with a conversion efficiency of 97.12%, meeting the ASTM standard satisfactorily, while the lowest specific energy consumption of 378 kJ/kg was also recorded. It should be noted that the highest conversion efficiency of 99.3 %, achieved at reactor temperature of 60 °C, ultrasonication time of 10 min, and alcohol/oil molar ratio of 8:1, was not favorable as the associated specific energy consumption was higher at 395 kJ/kg. Overall, the low power, high frequency piezoelectric-based ultrasonic module could be regarded as an efficient and reliable technology for intensifying the transesterification process in terms of energy consumption, conversion efficiency, and processing time, in comparison with high power, low frequency ultrasonic system reported previously. Finally, this technology could also be considered for designing, developing, and retrofitting chemical reactors being employed for non-biofuel applications as well.
https://www.biofueljournal.com/article_40530_d5305830517c24377008a137412ab2fb.pdf
Biodiesel
Transesterification process
Process intensification
Piezoelectric-based ultrasonic reactor
Low power, high frequency ultrasonic system
Specific energy consumption