Biorefineries--multi product processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamm, B; Kamm, M

2007-01-01

The development of biorefineries represents the key for access to an integrated production of food, feed, chemicals, materials, goods, and fuels of the future [1]. Biorefineries combine the necessary technologies of the biogenic raw materials with those of intermediates and final products. The main focus is directed at the precursors carbohydrates, lignin, oils, and proteins and the combination between biotechnological and chemical conversion of substances. Currently the lignocellulosic feedstock biorefinery, green biorefinery, whole corn biorefinery, and the so-called two-platform concept are favored in research, development, and industrial implementation.

Cellulase recycling in biorefineries--is it possible?

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, Daniel; Rodrigues, Ana Cristina; Domingues, Lucília; Gama, Miguel

2015-05-01

On a near future, bio-based economy will assume a key role in our lives. Lignocellulosic materials (e.g., agroforestry residues, industrial/solid wastes) represent a cheaper and environmentally friendly option to fossil fuels. Indeed, following suitable processing, they can be metabolized by different microorganisms to produce a wide range of compounds currently obtained by chemical synthesis. However, due to the recalcitrant nature of these materials, they cannot be directly used by microorganisms, the conversion of polysaccharides into simpler sugars being thus required. This conversion, which is usually undertaken enzymatically, represents a significant part on the final cost of the process. This fact has driven intense efforts on the reduction of the enzyme cost following different strategies. Here, we describe the fundamentals of the enzyme recycling technology, more specifically, cellulase recycling. We focus on the main strategies available for the recovery of both the liquid- and solid-bound enzyme fractions and discuss the relevant operational parameters (e.g., composition, temperature, additives, and pH). Although the efforts from the industry and enzyme suppliers are primarily oriented toward the development of enzyme cocktails able to quickly and effectively process biomass, it seems clear by now that enzyme recycling is technically possible.

Biorefineries: from concepts to reality?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagemann, K. [DECHEMA e.V., Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

2007-07-01

The concept of biorefineries addresses the conversion of plant biomass to fuels, materials and chemicals, waste streams being minimized and used for the production of electricity and heat. Four different types are presently discussed: - Sugar-based biorefineries - Whole-crop biorefineries - Green biorefineries - Lignocellulose biorefineries Besides the lack of existing technical solutions and limited land resources, competition with food production and, as a consequence, rising raw material prices considered. (orig.)

Design and Analysis of Offshore Macroalgae Biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Golberg, Alexander; Liberzon, Alexander; Vitkin, Edward; Yakhini, Zohar

2018-03-15

Displacing fossil fuels and their derivatives with renewables, and increasing sustainable food production are among the major challenges facing the world in the coming decades. A possible, sustainable direction for addressing this challenge is the production of biomass and the conversion of this biomass to the required products through a complex system coined biorefinery. Terrestrial biomass and microalgae are possible sources; however, concerns over net energy balance, potable water use, environmental hazards, and uncertainty in the processing technologies raise questions regarding their actual potential to meet the anticipated food, feed, and energy challenges in a sustainable way. Alternative sustainable sources for biorefineries are macroalgae grown and processed offshore. However, implementation of the offshore biorefineries requires detailed analysis of their technological, economic, and environmental performance. In this chapter, the basic principles of marine biorefineries design are shown. The methods to integrate thermodynamic efficiency, investment, and environmental aspects are discussed. The performance improvement by development of new cultivation methods that fit macroalgae physiology and development of new fermentation methods that address macroalgae unique chemical composition is shown.

Bio-Refineries Bioprocess Technologies for Waste-Water Treatment, Energy and Product Valorization

Science.gov (United States)

Keith Cowan, A.

2010-04-01

Increasing pressure is being exerted on communities and nations to source energy from forms other than fossil fuels. Also, potable water is becoming a scarce resource in many parts of the world, and there remains a large divide in the demand and utilization of plant products derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and non-GMOs. The most extensive user and manager of terrestrial ecosystems is agriculture which is also the de facto steward of natural resources. As stated by Miller (2008) no other industry or institution comes close to the comparative advantage held for this vital responsibility while simultaneously providing food, fiber, and other biology-based products, including energy. Since modern commercial agriculture is transitioning from the production of bulk commodities to the provision of standardized products and specific-attribute raw materials for differentiated markets, we can argue that processes such as mass cultivation of microalgae and the concept of bio-refineries be seen as part of a `new' agronomy. EBRU is currently exploring the integration of bioprocess technologies using microalgae as biocatalysts to achieve waste-water treatment, water polishing and endocrine disruptor (EDC) removal, sustainable energy production, and exploitation of the resultant biomass in agriculture as foliar fertilizer and seed coatings, and for commercial extraction of bulk commodities such as bio-oils and lecithin. This presentation will address efforts to establish a fully operational solar-driven microalgae bio-refinery for use not only in waste remediation but to transform waste and biomass to energy, fuels, and other useful materials (valorisation), with particular focus on environmental quality and sustainability goals.

Biorefineries: A Short Introduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagemann, Kurt; Tippkötter, Nils

2018-04-13

The terms bioeconomy and biorefineries are used for a variety of processes and developments. This short introduction is intended to provide a delimitation and clarification of the terminology as well as a classification of current biorefinery concepts. The basic process diagrams of the most important biorefinery types are shown.

Sustainable and Efficient Pathways for Bioenergy Recovery from Low-Value Process Streams via Bioelectrochemical Systems in Biorefineries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhijeet P. Borole

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Conversion of biomass into bioenergy is possible via multiple pathways resulting in the production of biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. Efficient and sustainable conversion of biomass, however, requires consideration of many environmental and societal parameters in order to minimize negative impacts. Integration of multiple conversion technologies and inclusion of upcoming alternatives, such as bioelectrochemical systems, can minimize these impacts via production of hydrogen, electricity or other forms of energy from the low value streams and improve conservation of resources, such as water and nutrients via recycle and reuse. This report outlines alternate pathways integrating microbial electrolysis in biorefinery schemes to improve energy efficiency, while evaluating environmental sustainability parameters.

Sugarcane-Biorefinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaz, Sílvio

2017-03-17

Concepts such as biorefinery and green chemistry focus on the usage of biomass, as with the oil value chain. However, it can cause less negative impact on the environment. A biorefinery based on sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) as feedstock is an example, because it can integrate into the same physical space, of processes for obtaining biofuels (ethanol), chemicals (from sugars or ethanol), electricity, and heat.The use of sugarcane as feedstock for biorefineries is dictated by its potential to supply sugars, ethanol, natural polymers or macromolecules, organic matter, and other compounds and materials. By means of conversion processes (chemical, biochemical, and thermochemical), sugarcane biomass can be transformed into high-value bioproducts to replace petrochemicals, as a bioeconomy model.

A New Proposal Of Cellulosic Ethanol To Boost Sugarcane Biorefineries: Techno-economic Evaluation

OpenAIRE

Albarelli J.Q.; Ensinas A.V.; Silva M.A.

2014-01-01

Commercial simulator Aspen Plus was used to simulate a biorefinery producing ethanol from sugarcane juice and second generation ethanol production using bagasse fine fraction composed of parenchyma cells (P-fraction). Liquid hot water and steam explosion pretreatment technologies were evaluated. The processes were thermal and water integrated and compared to a biorefinery producing ethanol from juice and sugarcane bagasse. The results indicated that after thermal and water integration, the ev...

Evolution of water recycling in Australian cities since 2003.

Science.gov (United States)

Radcliffe, J C

2010-01-01

The prolonged Australian drought which commenced in 2002, and the agreement between Australia's Commonwealth and States/Territories governments to progress water reform through the National Water Initiative, has resulted in many new recycling projects in Australia's capital cities. Dual reticulation systems are being advanced in new subdivision developments in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Brisbane has installed three large Advanced Water Treatment Plants that are designed to send indirect potable recycled water to the Wivenhoe Dam which is Brisbane's principal water reservoir. Numerous water recycling projects are serving industry and agriculture. Experimental managed aquifer recharge is being undertaken with wetland-treated stormwater in Adelaide and reverse osmosis treated wastewater in Perth. New National Water Quality Management Strategy recycled water guidelines have been developed for managing environmental risks, for augmentation of drinking water supplies, for managed aquifer recharge and for stormwater harvesting and reuse. Many recent investments are part-supported through Commonwealth government grants. Desalination plants are being established in Melbourne and Adelaide and a second one in Perth in addition to the newly-operational plants in Perth, South-East Queensland and Sydney. Despite there being numerous examples of unplanned indirect potable recycling, most governments remain reluctant about moving towards planned potable recycling. There is evidence of some policy bans still being maintained by governments but the National Water Commission continues to reinforce the necessity of an even-handed objective consideration of all water supply options.

Environmental impacts of a lignocellulose feedstock biorefinery system: An assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uihlein, Andreas; Schebek, Liselotte

2009-01-01

Biomass is a sustainable alternative to fossil energy carriers which are used to produce fuels, electricity, chemicals, and other goods. At the moment, the main biobased products are obtained by the conversion of biomass to basic products like starch, oil, and cellulose. In addition, some single chemicals and fuels are produced. Presently, concepts of biorefineries which will produce a multitude of biomass-derived products are discussed. Biorefineries are supposed to contribute to a more sustainable resource supply and to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. However, biobased products and fuels may also be associated with environmental disadvantages due to, e.g. land use or eutrophication of water. We performed a Life Cycle Assessment of a lignocellulose feedstock biorefinery system and compared it to conventional product alternatives. The biorefinery was found to have the greatest environmental impacts in the three categories: fossil fuel use, respiratory effects, and carcinogenics. The environmental impacts predominantly result from the provision of hydrochloric acid and to a smaller extent also from the provision of process heat. As the final configuration of the biorefinery cannot be determined yet, various variants of the biorefinery system were analysed. The optimum variant (acid and heat recoveries) yields better results than the fossil alternatives, with the total environmental impacts being approx. 41% lower than those of the fossil counterparts. For most biorefinery variants analysed, the environmental performance in some impact categories is better than that of the fossil counterparts while disadvantages can be seen in other categories.

Biorefinery plant design, engineering and process optimisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm-Nielsen, Jens Bo; Ehimen, Ehiazesebhor Augustine

2014-01-01

Before new biorefinery systems can be implemented, or the modification of existing single product biomass processing units into biorefineries can be carried out, proper planning of the intended biorefinery scheme must be performed initially. This chapter outlines design and synthesis approaches...... applicable for the planning and upgrading of intended biorefinery systems, and includes discussions on the operation of an existing lignocellulosic-based biorefinery platform. Furthermore, technical considerations and tools (i.e., process analytical tools) which could be applied to optimise the operations...... of existing and potential biorefinery plants are elucidated....

Opportunities for Dutch Roadmap Biorefineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Annevelink, E.; Broeze, J.; Van Ree, R.

2009-09-01

This Dutch Roadmap Biorefinery forms the framework and knowledge basis for Research, Development and Demonstration (RD and D) activities, covering both technical and non-technical issues, necessary to develop biorefinery-based value chains to such an extend that large-scale market implementation as part of the future Bio-based Economy will become a reality. The Roadmap describes the broad landscape of biorefinery options in The Netherlands. The descriptions of possible initiatives within the so called Moonshots (general biorefinery strategies containing more specific biorefinery-based value chains that will become fully operational at industrial scale in the short and midterm to facilitate the transition to a Bio-based Economy in the longer-term) deliberately do not contain the names of parties that might be involved. However, many of the current initiatives have been described in another document, the 'Status Report Biorefinery 2007'. Also the exact economics of possible initiatives have not been specified yet. These will become clearer when proposals will be submitted by consortia of the stakeholders involved.

A sustainable woody biomass biorefinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shijie; Lu, Houfang; Hu, Ruofei; Shupe, Alan; Lin, Lu; Liang, Bin

2012-01-01

Woody biomass is renewable only if sustainable production is imposed. An optimum and sustainable biomass stand production rate is found to be one with the incremental growth rate at harvest equal to the average overall growth rate. Utilization of woody biomass leads to a sustainable economy. Woody biomass is comprised of at least four components: extractives, hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose. While extractives and hemicellulose are least resistant to chemical and thermal degradation, cellulose is most resistant to chemical, thermal, and biological attack. The difference or heterogeneity in reactivity leads to the recalcitrance of woody biomass at conversion. A selection of processes is presented together as a biorefinery based on incremental sequential deconstruction, fractionation/conversion of woody biomass to achieve efficient separation of major components. A preference is given to a biorefinery absent of pretreatment and detoxification process that produce waste byproducts. While numerous biorefinery approaches are known, a focused review on the integrated studies of water-based biorefinery processes is presented. Hot-water extraction is the first process step to extract value from woody biomass while improving the quality of the remaining solid material. This first step removes extractives and hemicellulose fractions from woody biomass. While extractives and hemicellulose are largely removed in the extraction liquor, cellulose and lignin largely remain in the residual woody structure. Xylo-oligomers, aromatics and acetic acid in the hardwood extract are the major components having the greatest potential value for development. Higher temperature and longer residence time lead to higher mass removal. While high temperature (>200°C) can lead to nearly total dissolution, the amount of sugars present in the extraction liquor decreases rapidly with temperature. Dilute acid hydrolysis of concentrated wood extracts renders the wood extract with monomeric sugars

A methodology to assess the contribution of biorefineries to a sustainable bio-based economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maga, Daniel

2015-01-01

Within this thesis for the first time an integrative methodology to assess the sustainability of biorefineries and bio-based products has been developed which is based on a fundamental understanding of sustainability as presented in the Brundtland report. The applied integrative concept of sustainability as developed by the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) overcomes the widespread thinking in three pillars of sustainability and opens up new perspectives. The methodology developed addresses innovative life cycle assessment evaluation methods on midpoint level as well as on the area of protection and adopts state-of-the-art assessment procedures e.g. to determine water deprivation. It goes far beyond the scope of conventional LCA studies and examines effects on human health, on the environment, on the development of knowledge and physical capital, and on regional development and acceptance. In order to validate the developed method it was applied to an algae biorefinery currently under development and construction in the south of Spain. For this assessment for the first time extensive process data was collected of a real algae biorefinery which uses municipal waste water as a culture medium for microalgae. The use of waste water allows to reduce the demand for fresh water and avoids additional fertilisation of microalgae. Moreover, the analysed algae biorefinery replaces conventional waste water treatment by a biological purification and produces biogas by an anaerobic pretreatment of waste water as well as by anaerobic digestion of algae. After several purification steps the biogas can be used as automotive fuel and thus contributes to further development and increased use of biofuels. On the one hand the sustainability assessment shows that this way of waste water treatment contributes to climate protection and to the conservation of fossil energy carrier. On the other hand approximately ten times more land is needed and twenty times

A methodology to assess the contribution of biorefineries to a sustainable bio-based economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maga, Daniel

2015-07-01

Within this thesis for the first time an integrative methodology to assess the sustainability of biorefineries and bio-based products has been developed which is based on a fundamental understanding of sustainability as presented in the Brundtland report. The applied integrative concept of sustainability as developed by the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) overcomes the widespread thinking in three pillars of sustainability and opens up new perspectives. The methodology developed addresses innovative life cycle assessment evaluation methods on midpoint level as well as on the area of protection and adopts state-of-the-art assessment procedures e.g. to determine water deprivation. It goes far beyond the scope of conventional LCA studies and examines effects on human health, on the environment, on the development of knowledge and physical capital, and on regional development and acceptance. In order to validate the developed method it was applied to an algae biorefinery currently under development and construction in the south of Spain. For this assessment for the first time extensive process data was collected of a real algae biorefinery which uses municipal waste water as a culture medium for microalgae. The use of waste water allows to reduce the demand for fresh water and avoids additional fertilisation of microalgae. Moreover, the analysed algae biorefinery replaces conventional waste water treatment by a biological purification and produces biogas by an anaerobic pretreatment of waste water as well as by anaerobic digestion of algae. After several purification steps the biogas can be used as automotive fuel and thus contributes to further development and increased use of biofuels. On the one hand the sustainability assessment shows that this way of waste water treatment contributes to climate protection and to the conservation of fossil energy carrier. On the other hand approximately ten times more land is needed and twenty times

Monitoring Performance of a combined water recycling system

OpenAIRE

Castleton, H.F.; Hathway, E.A.; Murphy, E.; Beck, S.B.M.

2014-01-01

Global water demand is expected to outstrip supply dramatically by 2030, making water recycling an important tool for future water security. A large combined grey water and rainwater recycling system has been monitored in response to an identified knowledge gap of the in-use performance of such systems. The water saving efficiency of the system was calculated at −8ṡ5% in 2011 and –10% in 2012 compared to the predicted 36%. This was due to a lower quantity of grey water and rainwater being col...

Biorefinery Sustainability Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

J. S. M. Silva, Carla; Prunescu, Remus Mihail; Gernaey, Krist

2017-01-01

This chapter deals with sustainability analysis of biorefinery systems in terms of environmental and socio-economic indicators . Life cycle analysis has methodological issues related to the functional unit (FU), allocation , land use and biogenic carbon neutrality of the reference system and of t......This chapter deals with sustainability analysis of biorefinery systems in terms of environmental and socio-economic indicators . Life cycle analysis has methodological issues related to the functional unit (FU), allocation , land use and biogenic carbon neutrality of the reference system...... and of the biorefinery-based system. Socio-economic criteria and indicators used in sustainability frameworks assessment are presented and discussed. There is not one single methodology that can aptly cover the synergies of environmental, economic, social and governance issues required to assess the sustainable...

Synthesis and design of optimal biorefinery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheali, Peam

analysed to enable risk-aware decision making. Theapplication of the developed analysis and decision support toolbox is highlightedthrough relevant biorefinery case studies: bioethanol, biogasoline or biodiesel production; algal biorefinery; and bioethanol-upgrading concepts are presented. This development...... environment. These challenges motivate thedevelopment of sustainable technologies for processing renewable feedstock for the production of fuels, chemicals and materials in what is commonly known as a biorefinery. The biorefinery concept is a term to describe one or more processes whichproduce various...... products from bio-based feedstock. Since there are several bio-basedfeedstock sources, this has motivated development of different conversion concepts producing various desired products. This results in a number of challenges for the synthesis and design of the optimal biorefinery concept at the early...

Recycle and reduction of waste water in ISL operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Zhiming; Liu Naizhong; Su Xuebin; Li Jianhua; Zou Maoqing; Xing Yongguo

2014-01-01

Sandstone type uranium resources will be promote the main force of natural uranium production in China. The wastewater produced in the process of in-situ leaching mining need to be studied specially, so as to meet the requirements of green mining and realize the recycling of wastewater and decrement. We have researched and adopted including nature groundwater environmental recycling, liquor of precipitation recycling, optimization of elution process, the transformation waste water reduction, water evaporation reduction and a series of technological measures. The field application results show that the wastewater recycling and reduction in the process of production achieved a good environmental protection effect. (authors)

Maximizing biofuel production in a thermochemical biorefinery by adding electrolytic hydrogen and by integrating torrefaction with entrained flow gasification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Lasse Røngaard

2015-01-01

double the biofuel production per biomass input by converting almost all of the carbon in the biomass feed to carbon stored in the biofuel product. Water or steam electrolysis can supply the hydrogen to the biorefinery and also the oxygen for the gasifier. This paper presents the design and thermodynamic...... analysis of two biorefineries integrating water electrolysis for the production of methanol. In both plants, torrefied woody biomass is supplied to an entrained flow gasifier, but in one of the plants, the torrefaction process occurs on-site, as it is integrated with the entrained flow gasification process....... The analysis shows that the biorefinery with integrated torrefaction has a higher biomass to methanol energy ratio (136% vs. 101%) as well as higher total energy efficiency (62% vs. 56%). By comparing with two identical biorefineries without electrolysis, it is concluded that the biorefinery with integrated...

The Value of Recycling on Water Conservation 2^nd Edition.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bales, Shannon Nicole [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Ludi-Herrera, Katlyn D. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2014-07-01

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is working to conserve water through recycling. This report will focus on the water conservation that has been accumulated through the recycling of paper, aluminum, copper, plastic, compost, and ceiling tiles. It will discuss the use of water in the process of harvesting, manufacturing, and recycling these materials. The way that water is conserved will be reviewed. From the stand point of SNL, it will discuss the amount of material that has been accumulated from 2012 through 2013 and how much water has been saved by recycling .

Recovery Act: Alpena Biorefinery and Alpena Biorefinery Lignin Separation Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Retsina, Theodora [American Process Inc., Atlanta, GA (United States)

2016-12-19

The Alpena Biorefinery (AB) was constructed in Alpena, Michigan, at the Decorative Panels International hardboard manufacturing facility. The goal of the AB was to demonstrate a modular, technically successful, and financially viable process of making cellulosic ethanol from woody biomass extract at wood processing facilities. At full capacity, the AB can produce 894,200 gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol and 696,000 gallons per year of aqueous potassium acetate, using extract from northern hardwood and aspen woodchips feedstock. The project objectives and the value proposition of AB promote the national goals of energy independence, greenhouse gas reduction, and green job creation and retention. A successful outcome of the Alpena Biorefinery project has been commercial sales of the first ever cellulosic ethanol RINS generated from woody biomass in the US, under the EPA’s Renewable Fuels Standard Program. We believe that American Process is also likely the first company in the world to produce commercial quantities of cellulosic ethanol from mixed forest residue. Life Cycle Analysis performed by Michigan Institute of Technology found that the entire life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from the plant’s cellulosic ethanol were only 25 percent that of petroleum-based gasoline. They found the potassium acetate runway de-icer coproduct generates up to 45 percent less greenhouse gases than the production of conventional potassium acetate. The Alpena Biorefinery project created 31 permanent jobs for direct employees and helped retain 200 jobs associated with the existing Decorative Panels International facility, by increasing its economic viability through significant savings in waste water treatment costs. The AB project has been declared a Michigan Center of Energy Excellence and was awarded a $4 million State of Michigan grant. The project also received New Market Tax Credit financing for locating in an economically distressed community. All other equity funds

Recycled water sources influence the bioavailability of copper to earthworms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunhikrishnan, Anitha; Bolan, Nanthi S; Naidu, Ravi; Kim, Won-Il

2013-10-15

Re-use of wastewaters can overcome shortfalls in irrigation demand and mitigate environmental pollution. However, in an untreated or partially treated state, these water sources can introduce inorganic contaminants, including heavy metals, to soils that are irrigated. In this study, earthworms (Eisenia fetida) have been used to determine copper (Cu) bioavailability in two contrasting soils irrigated with farm dairy, piggery and winery effluents. Soils spiked with varying levels of Cu (0-1,000 mg/kg) were subsequently irrigated with recycled waters and Milli-Q (MQ) water and Cu bioavailability to earthworms determined by mortality and avoidance tests. Earthworms clearly avoided high Cu soils and the effect was more pronounced in the absence than presence of recycled water irrigation. At the highest Cu concentration (1,000 mg/kg), worm mortality was 100% when irrigated with MQ-water; however, when irrigated with recycled waters, mortality decreased by 30%. Accumulation of Cu in earthworms was significantly less in the presence of recycled water and was dependent on CaCl2-extractable free Cu(2+) concentration in the soil. Here, it is evident that organic carbon in recycled waters was effective in decreasing the toxic effects of Cu on earthworms, indicating that the metal-organic complexes decreased Cu bioavailability to earthworms. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrothermal pretreatments of macroalgal biomass for biorefineries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruiz, Héctor A.; Rodríguez-Jasso, Rosa M.; Aguedo, Mario

2015-01-01

in accordance with the integrated biorefineries. Furthermore, biorefinery concept requires processes that allow efficient utilization of all components of the biomass. The pretreatment step in a biorefinery is often based on hydrothermal principles of high temperatures in aqueous solution. Therefore...

Enhanced energy efficiency and water efficiency by gray water recycling with prearranged heat recycling; Hohe Energie- und Wassereffizienz durch Grauwasserrecycling mit vorgeschalteter Waermerueckgewinnung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nolde, Erwin

2012-12-15

Up to now, the purely centrally oriented supply and disposal of water is only low resource efficient. It is highlighted with pleasure, that thermal energy also is removed from waste water in order to heat and cool buildings and business. Till to now, neither a water supply nor a central waste water treatment system is known which produces more energy than primary energy is used. This becomes evenly possible by means of gray water recycling. Due to the relatively low costs of investment, the users and the environment benefit together from the gray water recycling.

Recycling of canteen waste water for irrigation purpose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, J.

2005-01-01

Recycling of wastewater of a canteen was done at Attock refinery Limited, Rawalpindi during 2002. The wastewater of the refinery canteen was recycled after a long process and was reused for irrigation of nearby garden and other landscape plants. The average outflow of the wastewater from the canteen was calculated as 4000 liters/day. Laboratory analysis for the quality of wastewater was conducted and it was found that suspended solid. Chemical Oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the wastewater were above the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) limits. Treatment system employed was composed of screening and settling tank for removing the suspended solids and aeration for decreasing the COD and BOD. It was a low cost system in which the materials used were mostly taken from the redundant stock. Air was given for aeration with the help of a compressor. The treated water was tested in the laboratory for the priority parameters i.e. temperature, pH, BOD, COD, Total suspended solids (TSS), Total dissolved (TDS), oil and grease and Phenols. These parameters were compared with the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS). Treated water was used for irrigation of the nearby garden and landscape. The recycling process was successfully conducted and a huge quantity of 4000 liters water/day (1000 G water/day) was processes was successfully conducted and a huge quantity of 4000 liters water/day (1000 G water/day) was recycled with a daily saving of Rs.100 at the rate of Rs.1/10 G water that was taken from market survey. (author)

Review of produced water recycle and beneficial reuse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hum, F.; Tsang, P. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Tomographic Imaging and Porous Media Laboratory; Harding, T. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering; Kantzas, A. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Tomographic Imaging and Porous Media Laboratory]|[Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

2006-11-15

Fresh water scarcity and increasing water demands are concerns facing jurisdictions around the world. A number of water management initiatives involving produced water recycling and reuse in Alberta and Canada will have a significant impact on sustainable development in Alberta. Produced water must first be treated to meet water quality requirements and regulatory guidelines for specific applications. This paper presented a comprehensive technical and economic review of commercially available water treatment technologies and discussed technical challenges in recycling produced water for steam generation and for commercial use. It provided an introduction to fresh water allocations and oil, gas and water production volumes in Alberta. In addition to research and development activities, the paper identified guidelines from Alberta Environment and the Energy and Utilities Board. Benefits of treated produced water were discussed. Desalination technologies include both distillation processes and membrane processes. The paper provided cost estimates based on a literature view and discussed the potential water treatment for south-east Alberta. The paper also offered a number of recommendations for further research. It was concluded that treating and recycling produced water for agriculture, irrigation, commercial and domestic uses are at early stages of research and development and that regulatory guidelines on water quality, health and safety for specific industries, ownership and transfer of produced water need to be developed in order to facilitate beneficial reuse of produced water. 57 refs., 7 tabs., 14 figs.

Occurrence and Control of Legionella in Recycled Water Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Jjemba, Patrick K.; Johnson, William; Bukhari, Zia; LeChevallier, Mark W.

2015-01-01

Legionella pneumophila is on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Candidate Contaminant list (CCL) as an important pathogen. It is commonly encountered in recycled water and is typically associated with amoeba, notably Naegleria fowleri (also on the CCL) and Acanthamoeba sp. No legionellosis outbreak has been linked to recycled water and it is important for the industry to proactively keep things that way. A review was conducted examine the occurrence of Legionella and its protozoa symbionts in recycled water with the aim of developing a risk management strategy. The review considered the intricate ecological relationships between Legionella and protozoa, methods for detecting both symbionts, and the efficacy of various disinfectants. PMID:26140674

Lignocellulosic biorefinery as a model for sustainable development of biofuels and value added products.

Science.gov (United States)

De Bhowmick, Goldy; Sarmah, Ajit K; Sen, Ramkrishna

2018-01-01

A constant shift of society's dependence from petroleum-based energy resources towards renewable biomass-based has been the key to tackle the greenhouse gas emissions. Effective use of biomass feedstock, particularly lignocellulosic, has gained worldwide attention lately. Lignocellulosic biomass as a potent bioresource, however, cannot be a sustainable alternative if the production cost is too high and/ or the availability is limited. Recycling the lignocellulosic biomass from various sources into value added products such as bio-oil, biochar or other biobased chemicals in a bio-refinery model is a sensible idea. Combination of integrated conversion techniques along with process integration is suggested as a sustainable approach. Introducing 'series concept' accompanying intermittent dark/photo fermentation with co-cultivation of microalgae is conceptualised. While the cost of downstream processing for a single type of feedstock would be high, combining different feedstocks and integrating them in a bio-refinery model would lessen the production cost and reduce CO 2 emission. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recycled Coarse Aggregate Produced by Pulsed Discharge in Water

Science.gov (United States)

Namihira, Takao; Shigeishi, Mitsuhiro; Nakashima, Kazuyuki; Murakami, Akira; Kuroki, Kaori; Kiyan, Tsuyoshi; Tomoda, Yuichi; Sakugawa, Takashi; Katsuki, Sunao; Akiyama, Hidenori; Ohtsu, Masayasu

In Japan, the recycling ratio of concrete scraps has been kept over 98 % after the Law for the Recycling of Construction Materials was enforced in 2000. In the present, most of concrete scraps were recycled as the Lower Subbase Course Material. On the other hand, it is predicted to be difficult to keep this higher recycling ratio in the near future because concrete scraps increase rapidly and would reach to over 3 times of present situation in 2010. In addition, the demand of concrete scraps as the Lower Subbase Course Material has been decreased. Therefore, new way to reuse concrete scraps must be developed. Concrete scraps normally consist of 70 % of coarse aggregate, 19 % of water and 11 % of cement. To obtain the higher recycling ratio, the higher recycling ratio of coarse aggregate is desired. In this paper, a new method for recycling coarse aggregate from concrete scraps has been developed and demonstrated. The system includes a Marx generator and a point to hemisphere mesh electrode immersed in water. In the demonstration, the test piece of concrete scrap was located between the electrodes and was treated by the pulsed discharge. After discharge treatment of test piece, the recycling coarse aggregates were evaluated under JIS and TS and had enough quality for utilization as the coarse aggregate.

Biorefineries – factories of the future

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kołtuniewicz Andrzej B.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Efforts were made to demonstrate that in biorefineries it is possible to manufacture all the commodities required for maintaining human civilisation on the current level. Biorefineries are based on processing biomass resulting from photosynthesis. From sugars, oils and proteins, a variety of food, feed, nutrients, pharmaceuticals, polymers, chemicals and fuels can further be produced. Production in biorefineries must be based on a few rules to fulfil sustainable development: all raw materials are derived from biomass, all products are biodegradable and production methods are in accordance with the principles of Green Chemistry and Clean Technology. The paper presents a summary of state-of-the-art concerning biorefineries, production methods and product range of leading companies in the world that are already implemented. Potential risks caused by the development of biorefineries, such as: insecurities of food and feed production, uncontrolled changes in global production profiles, monocultures, eutrophication, etc., were also highlighted in this paper. It was stressed that the sustainable development is not only an alternative point of view but is our condition to survive.

Water use and its recycling in microalgae cultivation for biofuel application.

Science.gov (United States)

Farooq, Wasif; Suh, William I; Park, Min S; Yang, Ji-Won

2015-05-01

Microalgal biofuels are not yet economically viable due to high material and energy costs associated with production process. Microalgae cultivation is a water-intensive process compared to other downstream processes for biodiesel production. Various studies found that the production of 1 L of microalgal biodiesel requires approximately 3000 L of water. Water recycling in microalgae cultivation is desirable not only to reduce the water demand, but it also improves the economic feasibility of algal biofuels as due to nutrients and energy savings. This review highlights recently published studies on microalgae water demand and water recycling in microalgae cultivation. Strategies to reduce water footprint for microalgal cultivation, advantages and disadvantages of water recycling, and approaches to mitigate the negative effects of water reuse within the context of water and energy saving are also discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biorefinery systems – potential contributors to sustainable innovation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wellisch, M.; Jungmeier, G.; Karbowski, A.; Patel, M.K.; Rogulska, M.

2010-01-01

Sustainable biorefineries have a critical role to play in our common future. The need to provide more goods using renewable resources, combined with advances in science and technology, has provided a receptive environment for biorefinery systems development. Biorefineries offer the promise of using

Pre-Saturation Technique of the Recycled Aggregates: Solution to the Water Absorption Drawback in the Recycled Concrete Manufacture.

Science.gov (United States)

García-González, Julia; Rodríguez-Robles, Desirée; Juan-Valdés, Andrés; Morán-Del Pozo, Julia Mª; Guerra-Romero, M Ignacio

2014-09-01

The replacement of natural aggregates by recycled aggregates in the concrete manufacturing has been spreading worldwide as a recycling method to counteract the large amount of construction and demolition waste. Although legislation in this field is still not well developed, many investigations demonstrate the possibilities of success of this trend given that concrete with satisfactory mechanical and durability properties could be achieved. However, recycled aggregates present a low quality compared to natural aggregates, the water absorption being their main drawback. When used untreated in concrete mix, the recycled aggregate absorb part of the water initially calculated for the cement hydration, which will adversely affect some characteristics of the recycled concrete. This article seeks to demonstrate that the technique of pre-saturation is able to solve the aforementioned problem. In order to do so, the water absorption of the aggregates was tested to determine the necessary period of soaking to bring the recycled aggregates into a state of suitable humidity for their incorporation into the mixture. Moreover, several concrete mixes were made with different replacement percentages of natural aggregate and various periods of pre-saturation. The consistency and compressive strength of the concrete mixes were tested to verify the feasibility of the proposed technique.

A New Proposal of Cellulosic Ethanol to Boost Sugarcane Biorefineries: Techno-Economic Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Q. Albarelli

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Commercial simulator Aspen Plus was used to simulate a biorefinery producing ethanol from sugarcane juice and second generation ethanol production using bagasse fine fraction composed of parenchyma cells (P-fraction. Liquid hot water and steam explosion pretreatment technologies were evaluated. The processes were thermal and water integrated and compared to a biorefinery producing ethanol from juice and sugarcane bagasse. The results indicated that after thermal and water integration, the evaluated processes were self-sufficient in energy demand, being able to sell the surplus electricity to the grid, and presented water intake inside the environmental limit for São Paulo State, Brazil. The processes that evaluated the use of the bagasse fine fraction presented higher economic results compared with the use of the entire bagasse. Even though, due to the high enzyme costs, the payback calculated for the biorefineries were higher than 8 years for all cases that considered second generation ethanol and the net present value for the investment was negative. The reduction on the enzyme load, in a way that the conversion rates could be maintained, is the limiting factor to make second generation ethanol competitive with the most immediate uses of bagasse: fuel for the cogeneration system to surplus electricity production.

Investigating the feasibility of using recycled processed water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harkness, J. [Urban Systems, Kelowna, BC (Canada)

2009-07-01

By the year 2025, 52 countries, with two-thirds of the world's population, are expected to have water shortages. Approximately 3,800 cubic kilometres of fresh water is withdrawn annually from the world's lakes, river and aquifers, which is twice the volume extracted 50 years ago. Water use considerations, alternative water sources, and considerations when using recycled water were discussed in this presentation. A case study of the city of Dawson Creek was provided as it pertained to water reuse in the oil and gas industry. Considerations for recycled water use include health concerns; perception of sewage versus effluent; industrial workers' concerns; and the end product concept. Quality issues were also discussed along with access to water sources, regulations and risks. The case study included a discussion of guiding principles; Dawson Creek's water system; industrial water uses; wastewater system; effluent characteristics; and effluent reuse opportunities. It was concluded that concerns regarding water reuse are not insurmountable providing the driving factors are strong. figs.

Liquefaction of Biorefinery Lignin for Fuel Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Anders

at higher loadings. The effect of increased reaction time was found to be beneficial for oil yields but also caused an increase in solvent consumption and so there is a trade-off where a compromise has to be found in the event of an up scaled reaction. The reactions that cause solvent consumption during......Lignocellulosic biorefineries can be an important piece of the puzzle in fighting climate change. Present, biorefineries that produce ethanol from lignocellulose are challenged in working on market terms as the two product streams ethanol and lignin are low value products. The aim of this project...... has been to increase the value of the lignin stream. Recent regulations on shipping exhaust gasses in coastal waters dictate lower sulfur emissions which require ships to use low sulfur fuels for propulsion. This opens or expands a very large market for low sulfur fuels because a shift from...

Is it possible to treat produced water for recycle and beneficial reuse?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hum, F.; Tsang, P.; Kantzas, A.; Harding, T. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Tomographic Imaging and Porous Media Laboratory

2005-11-01

In 2003, the oil and gas industry in Alberta injected 0.3 billion cubic metres of produced water into disposal wells. This paper addressed the issue of using the large volume of produced water for recycling and make water reuse a sustainable activity in Alberta to reduce fresh water demand. Although produced water represents a potential resource for recycling and beneficial reuse, it must first be treated to meet water quality criteria and regulatory guidelines for specific applications. A comprehensive technical and economic review of water treatment technologies was presented. Commonly used and new water desalination technologies were reviewed and key challenges associated with the recycling of produced water were identified. It was shown that water treatment processes are commercially available and that they are not prohibitively expensive. However, the cost of implementing treating processes to meet drinking water quality guidelines is about 3 times the current cost of municipal water supply in Alberta. For that reason, it is more feasible to recycle waste water for agricultural or petroleum applications, such as waterflooding. The water quality guidelines for these other purposes are less stringent than for drinking water and there is also growing public resistance for industry to use fresh water for commercial use. 42 refs., 3 tabs., 14 figs.

Tritium control by water recycle in a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, N.E.; Ward, G.N.

1975-06-01

A preliminary study was made of the use of water recycle within a reprocessing plant to control the escape of tritium and to consolidate it for disposal. Tritium distribution was evaluated in the leacher, high-level, and low-level systems for seven different flowsheet conditions. Tritium retention efficiency was also evaluated for these flowsheet conditions. Impact of tritiated water recycle on the plant design and operation is assessed. It is concluded that tritium control by water recycle is feasible. Achievement of satisfactory retention efficiencies and economic volumes of solidified tritium waste will require extension of existing technology and development of new technology. Evaluation of potential abnormal conditions indicate that releases from upsets need not be excessive. Some increase in occupational exposure will occur because of the pervasiveness, persistence, and ease of uptake of tritiated water vapor. Incentives for tritium control by water recycle may prove marginal if this increased exposure to plant personnel is significant compared to the small reduction in exposure to the general public. Recommendations are presented for further studies

Pre-Saturation Technique of the Recycled Aggregates: Solution to the Water Absorption Drawback in the Recycled Concrete Manufacture †

Science.gov (United States)

García-González, Julia; Rodríguez-Robles, Desirée; Juan-Valdés, Andrés; Morán-del Pozo, Julia Mª; Guerra-Romero, M. Ignacio

2014-01-01

The replacement of natural aggregates by recycled aggregates in the concrete manufacturing has been spreading worldwide as a recycling method to counteract the large amount of construction and demolition waste. Although legislation in this field is still not well developed, many investigations demonstrate the possibilities of success of this trend given that concrete with satisfactory mechanical and durability properties could be achieved. However, recycled aggregates present a low quality compared to natural aggregates, the water absorption being their main drawback. When used untreated in concrete mix, the recycled aggregate absorb part of the water initially calculated for the cement hydration, which will adversely affect some characteristics of the recycled concrete. This article seeks to demonstrate that the technique of pre-saturation is able to solve the aforementioned problem. In order to do so, the water absorption of the aggregates was tested to determine the necessary period of soaking to bring the recycled aggregates into a state of suitable humidity for their incorporation into the mixture. Moreover, several concrete mixes were made with different replacement percentages of natural aggregate and various periods of pre-saturation. The consistency and compressive strength of the concrete mixes were tested to verify the feasibility of the proposed technique. PMID:28788188

Transfer Rates of Enteric Microorganisms in Recycled Water during Machine Clothes Washing▿

Science.gov (United States)

O'Toole, Joanne; Sinclair, Martha; Leder, Karin

2009-01-01

Approximately 15% of overall Australian household water usage is in the laundry; hence, a significant reduction in household drinking water demand could be achieved if potable-quality water used for clothes washing is replaced with recycled water. To investigate the microbiological safety of using recycled water in washing machines, bacteriophages MS-2 and PRD-1, Escherichia coli, and Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts were used in a series of experiments to investigate the transfer efficiency of enteric microorganisms from washing machine water to objects including hands, environmental surfaces, air, and fabric swatches. By determining the transference efficiency, it is possible to estimate the numbers of microorganisms that the user will be exposed to if recycled water with various levels of residual microorganisms is used in washing machines. Results, expressed as transfer rates to a given surface area per object, showed that the mean transfer efficiency of E. coli, bacteriophages MS-2 and PRD-1, and C. parvum oocysts from seeded water to fabric swatches ranged from 0.001% to 0.090%. Greatest exposure to microorganisms occurred through direct contact of hands with seeded water and via hand contact with contaminated fabric swatches. No microorganisms were detected in the air samples during the washing machine spin cycle, and transfer rates of bacteriophages from water to environmental surfaces were 100-fold less than from water directly to hands. Findings from this study provide relevant information that can be used to refine regulations governing recycled water and to allay public concerns about the use of recycled water. PMID:19124592

Recovery of agricultural nutrients from biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Daniel E; Yang, Yu; McNamara, Patrick J; Mayer, Brooke K

2016-09-01

This review lays the foundation for why nutrient recovery must be a key consideration in design and operation of biorefineries and comprehensively reviews technologies that can be used to recover an array of nitrogen, phosphorus, and/or potassium-rich products of relevance to agricultural applications. Recovery of these products using combinations of physical, chemical, and biological operations will promote sustainability at biorefineries by converting low-value biomass (particularly waste material) into a portfolio of higher-value products. These products can include a natural partnering of traditional biorefinery outputs such as biofuels and chemicals together with nutrient-rich fertilizers. Nutrient recovery not only adds an additional marketable biorefinery product, but also avoids the negative consequences of eutrophication, and helps to close anthropogenic nutrient cycles, thereby providing an alternative to current unsustainable approaches to fertilizer production, which are energy-intensive and reliant on nonrenewable natural resource extraction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemistry in forest biorefineries 2 - BIORAFF 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hupa, M. (Aabo Akademi, Process Chemistry Centre, Turku (Finland)), email: mhupa@abo.fi; Auer, M. (Aabo Akademi, Process Chemistry Centre, Turku (Finland); VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland)), email: mauer@abo.fi

2009-10-15

The biorefinery concept may be compared to an oil refinery and petrochemical plant, where fuels and numerous intermediates are produced for further processing into high-value and speciality materials. In biorefineries, the raw material instead of mineral oil is bio-based materials. Biorefinery development at the US and European level mostly covers the use of annual crops and other bio-based materials. However, in this project focus is on non-food materials primarily in industrial pulp and paper processes and this project is limited to forest-based biorefineries. The aim of the project is also to preserve the molecular structures created by the nature as much as possible, to explore new separation and purification methods and look at new applications in the areas such as: functional food, nutritional additives, functional additives in paper making, antioxidants, new biobased materials and biobased energy. As the area, in spite of efforts to limit it, is very large, we have selected to focus on a limited number of concretized projects, which to our knowledge are complementary with other efforts for promoting biorefinery concepts. (orig.)

Biorefineries. Prerequisite for the realization of a future bioeconomy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagemann, K. [DECHEMA e.V., Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

2012-07-01

The current discussion on how to establish a bioeconomy aims in particular at a significant increase of the share of renewable raw materials in the feedstock pool for the production of chemicals and materials; this share currently is around 12%. Such products can be intermediate chemicals, presently already produced from petroleum. Other chemicals, which can be components of new value chains, are also being discussed. In addition materials like biopolymers are already used directly in consumer goods. These considerations imply a higher demand on renewable raw materials especially from plants. Biorefineries will play an important role in meeting this demand. The German Government has decided to draw up a roadmap being established by a group of independent experts from industry and academia. This roadmap describes in a systematic way status and perspectives of the different biorefinery concepts. It takes economic and ecological aspects into considerations and analyses the R and D demand. The following definition is taken as a basis for the analysis: 'A biorefinery is characterised by having a dedicated, integrative overall approach, using biomass as a versatile raw material source for the sustainable production of a spectrum of different intermediates and marketable products (chemicals, materials, bioenergy and food/feed co-products) by using the biomass components as complete as possible.' The analysis considers the following promising concepts: - Sugar biorefinery and Starch biorefinery; - Plant oil biorefinery including Algae lipid biorefinery; - Lignocellulose (Cellulose/Hemicellulose/Lignin) biorefinery including Green (green fibre/green juice) biorefinery; - Synthesis gas biorefinery; - Biogas biorefinery. The roadmap analyses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the different concepts. For several specific examples preliminary economical and ecological assessment were carried out. The lecture will also give examples how these

Evaluating municipal energy efficiency in biorefinery integration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haikonen, Turo; Tuomaala, Mari; Holmberg, Henrik; Ahtila, Pekka

2013-01-01

In this study biomass-based energy production was introduced to an urban city area of Helsinki, Finland. The study compared two cases in integration with a municipality: (1) biomass fuelled small-scale CHP (combined heat and power)-plant and (2) a biorefinery. The comparison was made according to primary energy consumption, primary energy factors, CO 2 (carbon dioxide) emissions and the price of produced biowax. It was also studied how results are influenced by different assumptions. The results showed that the primary energy consumption and CO 2 emissions were higher in the biorefinery case in absolute amounts as more products i.e. biowax was produced. The results indicated the primary energy factors were almost the same for both cases. Additionally, the primary energy use was very low for district heat and electricity produced in the biorefinery, when the primary energy use of the biorefinery was allocated only to the biowax. The sensitivity analysis of biowax pricing showed that a biorefinery is a competitive alternative for a CHP-plant if the prices of biomass and market electricity are low and the price of CO 2 allowance is high. In terms of overall energy efficiency comparison, the comparison cannot be properly completed, because of the different end-products of the plants. - Highlights: • Primary energy consumption and CO 2 emissions in a municipality are studied. • Energy production in a biorefinery is compared to a conventional CHP-plant. • In the biorefinery CO 2 emission per produced energy unit (CO 2 /MWh) is the lowest. • The CHP-case benefits from low primary energy consumption and electricity demand. • More than one energy efficiency figure needs to be considered in analyses

Biorefineries: Current activities and future developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demirbas, Ayhan

2009-01-01

This paper reviews the current refuel valorization facilities as well as the future importance of biorefineries. A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, and chemicals from biomass. Biorefineries combine the necessary technologies of the biorenewable raw materials with those of chemical intermediates and final products. Char production by pyrolysis, bio-oil production by pyrolysis, gaseous fuels from biomass, Fischer-Tropsch liquids from biomass, hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass, supercritical liquefaction, and biochemical processes of biomass are studied and concluded in this review. Upgraded bio-oil from biomass pyrolysis can be used in vehicle engines as fuel.

Biorefineries: Current activities and future developments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demirbas, Ayhan [Sila Science, Trabzon (Turkey)

2009-11-15

This paper reviews the current refuel valorization facilities as well as the future importance of biorefineries. A biorefinery is a facility that integrates biomass conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels, power, and chemicals from biomass. Biorefineries combine the necessary technologies of the biorenewable raw materials with those of chemical intermediates and final products. Char production by pyrolysis, bio-oil production by pyrolysis, gaseous fuels from biomass, Fischer-Tropsch liquids from biomass, hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass, supercritical liquefaction, and biochemical processes of biomass are studied and concluded in this review. Upgraded bio-oil from biomass pyrolysis can be used in vehicle engines as fuel. (author)

Biomass supply chain optimisation for Organosolv-based biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Giarola, Sara; Patel, Mayank; Shah, Nilay

2014-05-01

This work aims at providing a Mixed Integer Linear Programming modelling framework to help define planning strategies for the development of sustainable biorefineries. The up-scaling of an Organosolv biorefinery was addressed via optimisation of the whole system economics. Three real world case studies were addressed to show the high-level flexibility and wide applicability of the tool to model different biomass typologies (i.e. forest fellings, cereal residues and energy crops) and supply strategies. Model outcomes have revealed how supply chain optimisation techniques could help shed light on the development of sustainable biorefineries. Feedstock quality, quantity, temporal and geographical availability are crucial to determine biorefinery location and the cost-efficient way to supply the feedstock to the plant. Storage costs are relevant for biorefineries based on cereal stubble, while wood supply chains present dominant pretreatment operations costs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Field to fuel: developing sustainable biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Robin; Alles, Carina

2011-06-01

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) can be used as a scientific decision support technique to quantify the environmental implications of various biorefinery process, feedstock, and integration options. The goal of DuPont's integrated corn biorefinery (ICBR) project, a cost-share project with the United States Department of Energy, was to demonstrate the feasibility of a cellulosic ethanol biorefinery concept. DuPont used LCA to guide research and development to the most sustainable cellulosic ethanol biorefinery design in its ICBR project and will continue to apply LCA in support of its ongoing effort with joint venture partners. Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel which has the potential to provide a sustainable solution to the nation's growing concerns around energy supply and climate change. A successful biorefinery begins with sustainable removal of biomass from the field. Michigan State University (MSU) used LCA to estimate the environmental performance of corn grain, corn stover, and the corn cob portion of the stover, grown under various farming practices for several corn growing locations in the United States Corn Belt. In order to benchmark the future technology options for producing cellulosic ethanol with existing technologies, LCA results for fossil energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are compared to alternative ethanol processes and conventional gasoline. Preliminary results show that the DuPont ICBR outperforms gasoline and other ethanol technologies in the life-cycle impact categories considered here.

From tiny microalgae to huge biorefineries

OpenAIRE

Gouveia, L.

2014-01-01

Microalgae are an emerging research field due to their high potential as a source of several biofuels in addition to the fact that they have a high-nutritional value and contain compounds that have health benefits. They are also highly used for water stream bioremediation and carbon dioxide mitigation. Therefore, the tiny microalgae could lead to a huge source of compounds and products, giving a good example of a real biorefinery approach. This work shows and presents examples of experimental...

Sustainability Assessment of a Biorefinery Complex in Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pariyapat Nilsalab

2011-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a biorefinery complex in Thailand was assessed vis-à-vis sustainability. The complex studied includes plantations of sugarcane and a biorefinery system composed of several units including, a sugar mill, power plant, ethanol factory and fertilizer plant. The assessment aimed at evaluating the environmental and socio-economic implications relating to molasses-based ethanol production and use, and maximized utilization of the biomass materials produced as part of the biorefinery complex. Global warming potential, human development index and total value added are the three indicators that were selected to perform the assessment. The results obtained revealed that the maximization of biomass utilization at the level of the biorefinery complex provide greenhouse gases emissions reduction benefits, enhanced living conditions for sugarcane farmers and employees of the biorefinery, and economic benefits, particularly with regard to profit and income generation. These results could serve as a first step to further improve and design indicators for sustainability assessment of biomass utilization.

Occurrence and fate of acrylamide in water-recycling systems and sludge in aggregate industries.

Science.gov (United States)

Junqua, Guillaume; Spinelli, Sylvie; Gonzalez, Catherine

2015-05-01

Acrylamide is a hazardous substance having irritant and toxic properties as well as carcinogen, mutagen, and impaired fertility possible effects. Acrylamide might be found in the environment as a consequence of the use of polyacrylamides (PAMs) widely added as a flocculant for water treatment. Acrylamide is a monomer used to produce polyacrylamide (PAM) polymers. This reaction of polymerization can be incomplete, and acrylamide molecules can be present as traces in the commercial polymer. Thus, the use of PAMs may generate a release of acrylamide in the environment. In aggregate industries, PAM is widely involved in recycling process and water reuse (aggregate washing). Indeed, these industries consume large quantities of water. Thus, European and French regulations have favored loops of recycling of water in order to reduce water withdrawals. The main goal of this article is to study the occurrence and fate of acrylamide in water-recycling process as well as in the sludge produced by the flocculation treatment process in aggregate production plants. Moreover, to strengthen the relevance of this article, the objective is also to demonstrate if the recycling system leads to an accumulation effect in waters and sludge and if free acrylamide could be released by sludge during their storage. To reach this objective, water sampled at different steps of recycling water process has been analyzed as well as different sludge corresponding to various storage times. The obtained results reveal no accumulation effect in the water of the water-recycling system nor in the sludge.

Design methodology for integrated downstream separation systems in an ethanol biorefinery

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadzadeh Rohani, Navid

Energy security and environmental concerns have been the main drivers for a historic shift to biofuel production in transportation fuel industry. Biofuels should not only offer environmental advantages over the petroleum fuels they replace but also should be economically sustainable and viable. The so-called second generation biofuels such as ethanol which is the most produced biofuel are mostly derived from lignocellulosic biomasses. These biofuels are more difficult to produce than the first generation ones mainly due to recalcitrance of the feedstocks in extracting their sugar contents. Costly pre-treatment and fractionation stages are required to break down lignocellulosic feedstocks into their constituent elements. On the other hand the mixture produced in fermentation step in a biorefinery contains very low amount of product which makes the subsequent separation step more difficult and more energy consuming. In an ethanol biorefinery, the dilute fermentation broth requires huge operating cost in downstream separation for recovery of the product in a conventional distillation technique. Moreover, the non-ideal nature of ethanol-water mixture which forms an iseotrope at almost 95 wt%, hinders the attainment of the fuel grade ethanol (99.5 wt%). Therefore, an additional dehydration stage is necessary to purify the ethanol from its azeotropic composition to fuel-grade purity. In order to overcome the constraint pertaining to vapor-liquid equilibrium of ethanol-water separation, several techniques have been investigated and proposed in the industry. These techniques such as membrane-based technologies, extraction and etc. have not only sought to produce a pure fuel-grade ethanol but have also aimed at decreasing the energy consumption of this energy-intensive separation. Decreasing the energy consumption of an ethanol biorefinery is of paramount importance in improving its overall economics and in facilitating the way to displacing petroleum transportation fuel

Developing effective messages about potable recycled water: The importance of message structure and content

Science.gov (United States)

Price, J.; Fielding, K. S.; Gardner, J.; Leviston, Z.; Green, M.

2015-04-01

Community opposition is a barrier to potable recycled water schemes. Effective communication strategies about such schemes are needed. Drawing on social psychological literature, two experimental studies are presented, which explore messages that improve public perceptions of potable recycled water. The Elaboration-Likelihood Model of information processing and attitude change is tested and supported. Study 1 (N = 415) premeasured support for recycled water, and trust in government information at Time 1. Messages varied in complexity and sidedness were presented at Time 2 (3 weeks later), and support and trust were remeasured. Support increased after receiving information, provided that participants received complex rather than simple information. Trust in government was also higher after receiving information. There was tentative evidence of this in response to two-sided messages rather than one-sided messages. Initial attitudes to recycled water moderated responses to information. Those initially neutral or ambivalent responded differently to simple and one-sided messages, compared to participants with positive or negative attitudes. Study 2 (N = 957) tested the effectiveness of information about the low relative risks, and/or benefits of potable recycled water, compared to control groups. Messages about the low risks resulted in higher support when the issue of recycled water was relevant. Messages about benefits resulted in higher perceived issue relevance, but did not translate into greater support. The results highlight the importance of understanding people's motivation to process information, and need to tailor communication to match attitudes and stage of recycled water schemes' development.

Modern microbial solid state fermentation technology for future biorefineries for the production of added-value products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Musaalbakri Abdul Manan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The promise of industrial biotechnology has been around since Chaim Weizmann developed acetone–butanol–ethanol fermentation at the University of Manchester in 1917 and the prospects nowadays look brighter than ever. Today’s biorefinery technologies would be almost unthinkable without biotechnology. This is a growing trend and biorefineries have also increased in importance in agriculture and the food industry. Novel biorefinery processes using solid state fermentation (SSF technology have been developed as alternative to conventional processing routes, leading to the production of added-value products from agriculture and food industry raw materials. SSF involves the growth of microorganisms on moist solid substrate in the absence of free-flowing water. Future biorefineries based on SSF aim to exploit the vast complexity of the technology to modify biomass produced by agriculture and the food industry for valuable by-products through microbial bioconversion. In this review, a summary has been made of the attempts at using modern microbial SSF technology for future biorefineries for the production of many added-value products ranging from feedstock for the fermentation process and biodegradable plastics to fuels and chemicals.

Biorefinery.nl 2006 : the results of the 1st year of the Dutch Network on Biorefinery, BioRef 0606

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwart, R.W.R.; Ree, van R.; Annevelink, E.; Jong, de E.

2006-01-01

The Dutch Network on Biorefinery (Biorefinery.nl) is a joint initiative of the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) and Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR). It is meant to inform industry, research institutes, universities, NGOs, governments and the general public about

On a novel strategy for water recovery and recirculation in biorefineries through application of forward osmosis membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kalafatakis, Stavros; Braekevelt, Sylvie; Carlsen, Vilhelmsen

2017-01-01

A great amount of research has been performed during the last 10 years focusing on forward osmosis (FO)processes. The main driving force is to find an effective and low energy demanding methodology for water recovery as well as up-concentration of valuable products. Nevertheless, the energetic...... and financial benefits of this technology can be undermined from the fact that FO should be usually coupled with reverse osmosis (RO) for subsequent water purification and draw solution regeneration. Hence, a different approach was applied in order to omit the RO step. Crude glycerol and enzymatically...... pretreated wheat straw, which are common 2nd generation biorefinery feedstocks, have been evaluated as possible draw solution. In this way, water can be directly recovered and transferred back into the fermentation loop without further purification. Applying the Aquaporin InsideTM Forward Osmosis system...

The territorial biorefinery as a new business model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion Lucian Ceapraz

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The transition toward more sustainable industries opens the way for alternative solutions based upon new economic models using agricultural inputs or biomass to substitute oil-based inputs. In this context different generations of biorefinery complexes are evolving rapidly and highlight the numerous possibilities for the organization of processing activities, from supply to final markets. The evolution of these biorefineries has followed two main business models, the port biorefinery, based on the import of raw materials, and the territorial biorefinery, based on strong relationships with local (or regional supply bases. In this article we focus on the concept of the ‘territorial biorefinery’, seen as a new business model. We develop the idea of a link between the biorefinery and its territory through several relevant theoretical approaches and demonstrate that the definition of ‘territorial biorefinery’ does not achieve, from these theoretical backgrounds, a consensus. More importantly, we emphasise that the theoretical assumptions underlying the different definitions used should be made explicit in order to facilitate the manner in which practioners study, develop and set up businesses of this kind.

The Green Integrated Forest Biorefinery: An innovative concept for the pulp and paper mills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rafione, Tatiana; Marinova, Mariya; Montastruc, Ludovic; Paris, Jean

2014-01-01

The Green Integrated Forest Biorefinery (GIFBR), a new concept suitable for implementation in pulp and paper mills is characterized by low greenhouse gases emissions, reduced water consumption and production of effluents. Its fossil fuel consumption must be nil. Several challenges have to be addressed to develop a sustainable GIFBR facility. An implementation strategy by phase is proposed to schedule the total capital investment over several years and to mitigate the economic risks associated with the transformation of an existing pulp and paper mill into a GIFBR. In the first phase of the methodology, the receptor mill and the biorefinery plant are selected. An intensive energy and material integration of the two plants is performed in the second phase, then a gasification unit is implemented and, finally a polygeneration unit is installed. The methodology is illustrated by application to a case study based on a reference Canadian Kraft mill. Each phase of the implementation strategy of the GIFBR is described. - Highlights: • The Green Integrated Forest Biorefinery (GIFBR) is a new biorefinery concept. • A GIFBR includes a pulp mill, a biorefinery, a gasification and a polygeneration units. • An implementation strategy by phase is proposed to successfully develop a GIFBR. • To determine achievable level of integration between the GIFBR constituents is crucial. • GIFBR concept technically and economically feasibility for pulp and paper mills

Separation Technology - Making a difference in biorefineries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiss, Anton Alexandru; Lange, Jean Paul; Schuur, Boelo; Brilman, Derk Willem Frederik; van der Ham, Aloysius G.J.; Kersten, Sascha R.A.

2016-01-01

In the quest for a sustainable bio-based economy, biorefineries play a central role as they involve the sustainable processing of biomass into marketable products and energy. This paper aims to provide a perspective on applications of separations that can make a great difference in biorefineries, by

Revealing Invisible Water: Moisture Recycling as an Ecosystem Service.

Science.gov (United States)

Keys, Patrick W; Wang-Erlandsson, Lan; Gordon, Line J

2016-01-01

An ecosystem service is a benefit derived by humanity that can be traced back to an ecological process. Although ecosystem services related to surface water have been thoroughly described, the relationship between atmospheric water and ecosystem services has been mostly neglected, and perhaps misunderstood. Recent advances in land-atmosphere modeling have revealed the importance of terrestrial ecosystems for moisture recycling. In this paper, we analyze the extent to which vegetation sustains the supply of atmospheric moisture and precipitation for downwind beneficiaries, globally. We simulate land-surface evaporation with a global hydrology model and track changes to moisture recycling using an atmospheric moisture budget model, and we define vegetation-regulated moisture recycling as the difference in moisture recycling between current vegetation and a hypothetical desert world. Our results show that nearly a fifth of annual average precipitation falling on land is from vegetation-regulated moisture recycling, but the global variability is large, with many places receiving nearly half their precipitation from this ecosystem service. The largest potential impacts for changes to this ecosystem service are land-use changes across temperate regions in North America and Russia. Likewise, in semi-arid regions reliant on rainfed agricultural production, land-use change that even modestly reduces evaporation and subsequent precipitation, could significantly affect human well-being. We also present a regional case study in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil, where we identify the specific moisture recycling ecosystem services associated with the vegetation in Mato Grosso. We find that Mato Grosso vegetation regulates some internal precipitation, with a diffuse region of benefit downwind, primarily to the south and east, including the La Plata River basin and the megacities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. We synthesize our global and regional results into a generalized

Biorefinery and Carbon Cycling Research Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, K. C., Adams; Thomas, T; Eiteman, Mark A; Kastner, James R; Mani, Sudhagar; Adolphson, Ryan

2012-06-08

In this project we focused on several aspects of technology development that advances the formation of an integrated biorefinery. These focus areas include: [ 1] pretreatment of biomass to enhance quality of products from thermochemical conversion; [2] characterization of and development of coproduct uses; [3] advancement in fermentation of lignocellulosics and particularly C5 and C6 sugars simultaneously, and [ 4] development of algal biomass as a potential substrate for the biorefinery. These advancements are intended to provide a diverse set of product choices within the biorefinery, thus improving the cost effectiveness of the system. Technical effectiveness was demonstrated in the thermochemical product quality in the form of lower tar production, simultaneous of use of multiple sugars in fermentation, use ofbiochar in environmental (ammonia adsorption) and agricultural applications, and production of algal biomass in wastewaters. Economic feasibility of algal biomass production systems seems attractive, relative to the other options. However, further optimization in all paths, and testing/demonstration at larger scales are required to fully understand the economic viabilities. The coproducts provide a clear picture that multiple streams of value can be generated within an integrated biorefinery, and these include fuels and products.

Cell disruption for microalgae biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Günerken, E; D'Hondt, E; Eppink, M H M; Garcia-Gonzalez, L; Elst, K; Wijffels, R H

2015-01-01

Microalgae are a potential source for various valuable chemicals for commercial applications ranging from nutraceuticals to fuels. Objective in a biorefinery is to utilize biomass ingredients efficiently similarly to petroleum refineries in which oil is fractionated in fuels and a variety of products with higher value. Downstream processes in microalgae biorefineries consist of different steps whereof cell disruption is the most crucial part. To maintain the functionality of algae biochemicals during cell disruption while obtaining high disruption yields is an important challenge. Despite this need, studies on mild disruption of microalgae cells are limited. This review article focuses on the evaluation of conventional and emerging cell disruption technologies, and a comparison thereof with respect to their potential for the future microalgae biorefineries. The discussed techniques are bead milling, high pressure homogenization, high speed homogenization, ultrasonication, microwave treatment, pulsed electric field treatment, non-mechanical cell disruption and some emerging technologies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

To The Biorefinery: Delivered Forestland and Agricultural Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2016-06-01

It can be challenging and costly to transport biomass feedstock supplies from the roadside, or farmgate, to a biorefinery. Given the geographic dispersion and lowbulk density of cellulosic feedstocks, cost effective scaling of commercial biorefinery operations requires overcoming many challenges. The Biomass Research and Development Board’s Feedstock Logistics Interagency Working Group identified four primary barriers related to biorefinery commercialization: • Capacity and efficiency of harvest and collection equipment • High-moisture content leading to degradation of biomass • Variable biomass quality upon arrival at the biorefinery • Costly transportation options.1 Further, feedstock supply systems do not currently mitigate risks such as low crop yield, fire, or competition for resource use. Delivery and preprocessing improvements will allow for the development of a commercial-scale bioenergy industry that achieves national production and cost targets.

Early stage design and analysis of biorefinery networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sin, Gürkan

2013-01-01

Recent work regarding biorefineries resulted in many competing concepts and technologies for conversion of renewable bio-based feedstock into many promising products including fuels, chemicals, materials, etc. The design of a biorefinery process requires, at its earlier stages, the selection...... of the process configuration which exhibits the best performances, for a given set of economical, technical and environmental criteria. To this end, we formulate a computer-aided framework as an enabling technology for early stage design and analysis of biorefineries. The tool represents different raw materials......, different products and different available technologies and proposes a conceptual (early stage) biorefinery network. This network can then be the basis for further detailed and rigorous model-based studies. In this talk, we demonstrate the application of the tool for generating an early stage optimal...

A model biorefinery for avocado (Persea americana mill.) processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Dávila, Javier A; Rosenberg, Moshe; Castro, Eulogio; Cardona, Carlos A

2017-11-01

This research investigated and evaluated a biorefinery for processing avocado Hass variety into microencapsulated phenolic compounds extract, ethanol, oil and xylitol. Avocado was first characterized for its potential valuable compounds; then, the techno-economic and environmental aspects of the biorefinery were developed and finally the total production costs and potential environmental impact of the proposed biorefinery were investigated. Four scenarios of the biorefinery were evaluated with different extent of mass and energy integration as well as the incorporation of a cogeneration system. Results indicated that the main fatty acid in the pulp of the investigated avocado variety was oleic acid (50.96%) and that this fruit contained significant amount of holocellulose (52.88% and 54.36% in the peel and seed, respectively). Techno-economic and environmental assessment suggested an attractive opportunity for a biorefinery for complete utilization of the avocado fruit as well the importance of the level of integration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

European biorefineries: Implications for land, trade and employment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thornley, Patricia; Chong, Katie; Bridgwater, Tony

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Five diverse European member states could support around 30 biorefineries. • The facilities would create around 2 million man-years of employment. • Biorefineries create more jobs per unit of feedstock than bioelectricity plants. • Contribution to national GDP is very small; but agriculturally significant. • Increased straw demand could indirectly increase greenhouse gas emissions. - Abstract: Biorefineries are expected to play a major role in a future low carbon economy and substantial investments are being made to support this vision. However, it is important to consider the wider socio-economic impacts of such a transition. This paper quantifies the potential trade, employment and land impacts of economically viable European biorefinery options based on indigenous straw and wood feedstocks. It illustrates how there could be potential for 70–80 European biorefineries, but not hundreds. A single facility could generate tens of thousands of man-years of employment and employment creation per unit of feedstock is higher than for biomass power plants. However, contribution to national GDP is unlikely to exceed 1% in European member states, although contributions to national agricultural productivity may be more significant, particularly with straw feedstocks. There is also a risk that biorefinery development could result in reduced rates of straw incorporation into soil, raising concerns that economically rational decisions to sell rather than reincorporate straw could result in increased agricultural land-use or greenhouse gas emissions

Optimizing Biorefinery Design and Operations via Linear Programming Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Talmadge, Michael; Batan, Liaw; Lamers, Patrick; Hartley, Damon; Biddy, Mary; Tao, Ling; Tan, Eric

2017-03-28

The ability to assess and optimize economics of biomass resource utilization for the production of fuels, chemicals and power is essential for the ultimate success of a bioenergy industry. The team of authors, consisting of members from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), has developed simple biorefinery linear programming (LP) models to enable the optimization of theoretical or existing biorefineries. The goal of this analysis is to demonstrate how such models can benefit the developing biorefining industry. It focuses on a theoretical multi-pathway, thermochemical biorefinery configuration and demonstrates how the biorefinery can use LP models for operations planning and optimization in comparable ways to the petroleum refining industry. Using LP modeling tools developed under U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office (DOE-BETO) funded efforts, the authors investigate optimization challenges for the theoretical biorefineries such as (1) optimal feedstock slate based on available biomass and prices, (2) breakeven price analysis for available feedstocks, (3) impact analysis for changes in feedstock costs and product prices, (4) optimal biorefinery operations during unit shutdowns / turnarounds, and (5) incentives for increased processing capacity. These biorefinery examples are comparable to crude oil purchasing and operational optimization studies that petroleum refiners perform routinely using LPs and other optimization models. It is important to note that the analyses presented in this article are strictly theoretical and they are not based on current energy market prices. The pricing structure assigned for this demonstrative analysis is consistent with $4 per gallon gasoline, which clearly assumes an economic environment that would favor the construction and operation of biorefineries. The analysis approach and examples provide valuable insights into the usefulness of analysis tools for

Research on the Phenomenon of Chinese Residents’ Spiritual Contagion for the Reuse of Recycled Water Based on SC-IAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanliang Fu

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Recycled water has been widely recognized in the world as an effective approach to relieve the issue of water shortage. Meanwhile, with several decades of development, the insufficiency of technology is no longer the primary factor that restricts the popularization of recycled water. What makes it difficult to promote the concept of reusing recycled water in China? To solve this issue, a special experiment on the public’s attitude towards the reuse of recycled water was designed based on a Single Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT, so as to avoid factors like social preference that can influence the survey results, and to gain the public’s negative implicit attitude towards reusing recycled water reuse, which is close to the public’s real attitude to it. From the perspective of implicit attitude, this research testifies the “spiritual contagion” phenomenon of the public, which refers to refusing recycled water reuse because recycled water is made from sewage treatment. By comparing the implicit attitude to recycled water reuse with the explicit attitude that is acquired from self-reporting questionnaires about reusing recycled water, this research finds that the implicit attitude is more positive than the explicit attitude, which accounts for the phenomenon of “best game no one played” in the promotion of the recycled water reuse, that is, the public though applauding the environment-friendly policy, will not actually use the recycled water.

Toward a common classification approach for biorefinery systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cherubini, F.; Jungmeier, G.; Wellisch, M.; Wilke, T.; Skiadas, I.; Ree, van R.; Jong, de E.

2009-01-01

This paper deals with a biorefinery classification approach developed within International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy Task 42. Since production of transportation biofuels is seen as the driving force for future biorefinery developments, a selection of the most interesting transportation biofuels

Biorefinery opportunities for the forest products industries

Science.gov (United States)

Alan W. Rudie

2013-01-01

Wood residues offer biorefinery opportunities for new products in our industries including fuel and chemicals. But industry must have two capabilities to succeed with biorefineries. Most forest products companies already have the first capability: knowing where the resource is, how to get it, and how much it will cost. They will need to integrate the acquisition of...

[Effect of Recycled Water Irrieation on Heavy Metal Pollution in Irrigation Soil].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yi-qi; Liu, Yun-xia; Fu, Hui-min

2016-01-15

With acceleration of urbanization, water shortages will become a serious problem. Usage of reclaimed water for flushing and watering of the green areas will be common in the future. To study the heavy metal contamination of soils after green area irrigation using recycled wastewater from special industries, we selected sewage and laboratory wastewater as water source for integrated oxidation ditch treatment, and the effluent was used as irrigation water of the green area. The irrigation units included broad-leaved forest, bush and lawn. Six samples sites were selected, and 0-20 cm soil of them were collected. Analysis of the heavy metals including Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb in the soil showed no significant differences with heavy metals concentration in soil irrigated with tap water. The heavy metals in the soil irrigated with recycled water were mainly enriched in the surface layer, among which the contents of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb were below the soil background values of Beijing. A slight pollution of As and Cd was found in the soil irrigated by recycled water, which needs to be noticed.

Programme of research and development on plutonium recycling in light-water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

This is the third annual progress report concerning the programme on plutonium recycling in light-water reactors (indirect action) of the Commission of the European Communities. It covers the year 1978 and follows the annual reports for 1977 (EUR 6002 EN) and 1976 (EUR 5780). The preliminary results obtained under the 1975-79 programme indicate that: (a) assuming that plutonium recycling in light-water reactors is industrially developed by the end of the century, the foreseeable radiological impact on both workers and the general public can be maintained within the limits of current radiation protection standards; (b) on the whole, there is a good knowledge and mastery of the specific aspects involved in the plutonium recycling in light-water reactors and in particular they indicate that plutonium fuels have a similar behaviour to uranium fuels

Edward C. Little Water Recycling Plant, El Segundo, CA: CA0063401

Science.gov (United States)

Joint EPA and Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board NPDES Permit and Waiver from Secondary Treatment for the West Basin Municipal Water District Edward C. Little Water Recycling Plant, El Segundo, CA: CA0063401

Strategies for plutonium recycle in a system of pressurized water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leaver, D.E.W.

1976-01-01

A methodology is developed to allow a utility fuel manager to determine economic strategies for recycling plutonium in a system of light water reactors. One possible plutonium recycle strategy would be self-generated recycle, in which plutonium discharged from a reactor is recycled back to that same reactor as soon as possible. Another possible strategy is to recycle all the plutonium discharged from several reactors into one reactor. Such a strategy might be advantageous if the reactor receiving the plutonium were of a type that utilized plutonium more effectively than other reactors in the system. There are several considerations which affect the economics of recycling a batch of plutonium to one reactor or cycle vs. another, or which would favor a special recycling strategy. Among these are cycle energy, length of time that plutonium is stored prior to recycle, and isotopes of the plutonium. The methodology developed is used to quantitatively illustrate the effect on recycle strategy of these parameters. The problem of choosing the plutonium recycle strategy which results in the minimum fuel cost is formulated as a mathematical programming problem. The objective function for this problem is the total discounted fuel cost for the reactor system over a specified planning period. The savings of an optimal recycle strategy over self-generated recycle would be typically one million dollars per year for a utility with several large PWRs

Modelling, synthesis and analysis of biorefinery networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bertran, Maria-Ona

for the conversion of biomass into chemicals, fuels and energy, because they have the potential to maximize biomass value while reducing emissions. The design of biorefinery networks is a complex decisionmaking problem that involves the selection of feedstocks, processing technologies, products, geographical...... locations, and operating conditions, among others. Unlike petroleumbased processing networks, biorefineries rely on feedstocks that are nonhomogeneous across geographical areas in terms of their availability, type and properties. For this reason, the performance of biorefinery networks depends...... of reactions to convert available biomassbased feedstocks into desired products, the selection of processing routes and technologies from a large set of alternatives, or the generation of hybrid technologies through process intensification. Systematic process synthesis and design methods have been developed...

Early-Stage Design and Analysis of Biorefinery Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheali, Peam; Quaglia, Alberto; Loureiro da Costa Lira Gargalo, Carina

2016-01-01

for the production of fuel, chemicals, and materials from renewable feedstock instead of fossil fuel. An emerging technology in response to these challenges is the biorefinery concept. The biorefinery is defined as the set of processes converting a bio‐based feedstock into products such as fuels, chemicals...

Biorefinery of microalgae - opportunities and constraints for different production scenarios.

Science.gov (United States)

Hariskos, Ioanna; Posten, Clemens

2014-06-01

In order to design economically feasible production processes it is necessary, as part of the biorefinery concept, to valorize all constituents of the microalgal biomass. Such an approach requires appropriate biorefinery side-process strategies to be adapted to production of the primary product. These strategies are particularly valid for microalgae, since the composition and amount of residual biomass can vary significantly depending on cell stoichiometry and cultivation techniques. This review investigates opportunities and constraints for biorefinery concepts in production scenarios for four different products from microalgae with different market volumes, including high- and medium-value products, whole cells and biodiesel. Approaches to close material and energy balances, as well as to adapt the biorefinery according to biological potential, process routes, and market needs are presented, which will further contribute to making the biorefinery concept a success. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fuel costs of a light water reactor with fissile material recycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clauss, J.

1984-01-01

In the light of the present prices of natural uranium and separative work and fabrication costs, savings can be achieved by reloading recycled fissile material. As in all recycling techniques, the product recovered cannot meet the whole new requirement. No excessive economic expectations should be associated with fissile material recycling in ligth water reactors. The main advantages of the procedure are the conservation of resources and the safety against proliferation. Besides, the original purpose of reprocessing should not be forgotten, i.e., in addition to the recycling of fissile material, to have a safe and easy method of secular disposal of high level waste (concentrated fission products). (orig.) [de

Water Recycling removal using temperature-sensitive hydronen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rana B. Gupta

2002-10-30

The overall objective of this project was to study the proposed Water Recycling/Removal Using Temperature-Sensitive Hydrogels. The main element of this technology is the design of a suitable hydrogel that can perform needed water separation for pulp and paper industry. The specific topics studied are to answer following questions: (a) Can water be removed using hydrogel from large molecules such as lignin? (b) Can the rate of separation be made faster? (c) What are the molecular interactions with hydrogel surface? (d) Can a hydrogel be designed for a high ionic strength and high temperature? Summary of the specific results are given.

Sustainable Utility of Magnetically Recyclable Nano-Catalysts in Water: Applications in Organic Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manoj B. Gawande

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Magnetically recyclable nano-catalysts and their use in aqueous media is a perfect combination for the development of greener sustainable methodologies in organic synthesis. It is well established that magnetically separable nano-catalysts avoid waste of catalysts or reagents and it is possible to recover >95% of catalysts, which is again recyclable for subsequent use. Water is the ideal medium to perform the chemical reactions with magnetically recyclable nano-catalysts, as this combination adds tremendous value to the overall benign reaction process development. In this review, we highlight recent developments inthe use of water and magnetically recyclable nano-catalysts (W-MRNs for a variety of organic reactions namely hydrogenation, condensation, oxidation, and Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions, among others.

Behaviour of Recycled Coarse Aggregate Concrete: Age and Successive Recycling

Science.gov (United States)

Sahoo, Kirtikanta; Pathappilly, Robin Davis; Sarkar, Pradip

2016-06-01

Recycled Coarse Aggregate (RCA) concrete construction technique can be called as `green concrete', as it minimizes the environmental hazard of the concrete waste disposal. Indian standard recommends target mean compressive strength of the conventional concrete in terms of water cement ratio ( w/ c). The present work is an attempt to study the behaviour of RCA concrete from two samples of parent concrete having different age group with regard to the relationship of compressive strength with water cement ratios. Number of recycling may influence the mechanical properties of RCA concrete. The influence of age and successive recycling on the properties such as capillary water absorption, drying shrinkage strain, air content, flexural strength and tensile splitting strength of the RCA concrete are examined. The relationship between compressive strength at different w/ c ratios obtained experimentally is investigated for the two parameters such as age of parent concrete and successive recycling. The recycled concrete using older recycled aggregate shows poor quality. While the compressive strength reduces with successive recycling gradually, the capillary water absorption increases abruptly, which leads to the conclusion that further recycling may not be advisable.

Chemistry in forest biorefineries II - BIORAFF II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hupa, M. (Aabo Akademi, Turku (Finland). Process Chemistry Centre), Email: mhupa@abo.fi; Auer, M. (Aabo Akademi, Turku (Finland). Process Chemistry Centre), Email: mauer@abo.fi

2010-10-15

The biorefinery concept may be compared to an oil refinery and petrochemical plant, where fuels and numerous intermediates are produced for further processing into high-value and speciality materials. In biorefineries, the raw material instead of mineral oil is biobased material. Biorefinery development at the US and European level mostly covers the use of annual crops and other bio-based materials. However, in this project focus is on non-food materials primarily in industrial pulp and paper processes and this project is limited to forest-based biorefineries. The aim of the project is also to preserve the molecular structures created by the nature as much as possible, to explore new separation and purification methods and look at new applications in the areas such as: functional food, nutritional additives, functional additives in paper making, antioxidants, new biobased materials and biobased energy. As the area, in spite of efforts to limit it, is very large, we have selected to focus on a limited number of concretised projects, which to our knowledge are complementary with other efforts for promoting biorefinery concepts. As highlights about promising results are studies on extraction of wood and derivatisations of hemicelluloses. The goals here are twofold; we are looking for the additional functionalities for hemicelluloses and searching for new applications. Hemicelluloses in many applications would benefit from the modification of the structure, especially to improve compatibility and solubility in some applications. Research on metals in trees and fuels, release of elements in combustion, pyrolysis and sorption studies have produced new knowledge. (orig.)

Chemistry in forest biorefineries II - BIORAFF II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hupa, M.; Auer, M. (Aabo Akademi University, Turku (Finland), Process Chemistry Centre), e-mail: mhupa@abo.fi, e-mail: mauer@abo.fi

2011-11-15

The biorefinery concept may be compared to an oil refinery and petrochemical plant, where fuels and numerous intermediates are produced for further processing into high-value and speciality materials. In biorefineries, the raw material instead of mineral oil is bio-based material. Biorefinery development at the US and European level mostly covers the use of annual crops and other bio-based materials. However, in this project focus is on non-food materials primarily in industrial pulp and paper processes and this project is limited to forest-based biorefineries. The aim of the project is also to preserve the molecular structures created by the nature as much as possible, to explore new separation and purification methods and look at new applications in the areas such as: functional food, nutritional additives, functional additives in paper making, antioxidants, new biobased materials and biobased energy. As the area, in spite of efforts to limit it, is very large, we have selected to focus on a limited number of concretised projects, which to our knowledge are complementary with other efforts for promoting biorefinery concepts. As highlights about promising results are studies on extraction of wood and derivatisations of hemicelluloses. The goals here are twofold; we are looking for the additional functionalities for hemicelluloses and search of new applications. Hemicelluloses in many applications would benefit from the modification of the structure, especially to improve compatibility and solubility in some applications. Research on metals in trees and fuels, release of elements in combustion, pyrolysis and sorption studies have produced new knowledge. (orig.)

Forest biorefinery : the next century of innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Junyong Zhu

2011-01-01

The concept of producing cel¬lulosic biofuel, bioproducts, and chemicals using ligno¬celluloses in a biorefinery has been around for over a century. Renewed interest in the biorefinery concept has more recently arisen from concerns about climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels. Much research and progress has been made in the last three decades in the area of...

RECYCLING OF WATER TREATMENT PLANT SLUDGE VIA LAND APPLICATION: ASSESSMENT OF RISK

Science.gov (United States)

Water treatment sludges (WTS) offer potential benefits when applied to soil and recycling of the waste stream via land application has been proposed as a management option. Recycling of WTS to the land helps conserve landfill disposal capacity and natural resources, but potential...

Using product driven process synthesis in the biorefinery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiskini, A.; Zondervan, E.; Wierenga, P.A.; Poiesz, E.; Gruppen, H.

2015-01-01

In this work, we propose the use of the product-driven process synthesis (PDPS) methodology for the product and process design stage in biorefinery. The aim of the biorefinery is to optimize the total use of the whole feedstock – with focus being on various products simultaneously – rather than to

Can organic crops increase the economic potential for biorefineries?

OpenAIRE

Gylling, Morten; Jakobsen, Anders B.

2017-01-01

With the current cost and price relations, the profitability of biorefineries is still challenged. The use of organic crops, such as grass, in biorefineries can increase the profitability because organic products can be sold at higher prices.

Shared Urban Greywater Recycling Systems: Water Resource Savings and Economic Investment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dexter V.L. Hunt

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The water industry is becoming increasingly aware of the risks associated with urban supplies not meeting demands by 2050. Greywater (GW recycling for non-potable uses (e.g., urinal and toilet flushing provides an urban water management strategy to help alleviate this risk by reducing main water demands. This paper proposes an innovative cross connected system that collects GW from residential buildings and recycles it for toilet/urinal flushing in both residential and office buildings. The capital cost (CAPEX, operational cost (OPEX and water saving potential are calculated for individual and shared residential and office buildings in an urban mixed-use regeneration area in the UK, assuming two different treatment processes; a membrane bioreactor (MBR and a vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW. The Net Present Value (NPV method was used to compare the financial performance of each considered scenario, from where it was found that a shared GW recycling system (MBR was the most economically viable option. The sensitivity of this financial model was assessed, considering four parameters (i.e., water supply and sewerage charges, discount rate(s, service life and improved technological efficiency, e.g., low flush toilets, low shower heads, etc., from where it was found that shared GW systems performed best in the long-term.

Rainfall leaching is critical for long-term use of recycled water in the Salinas Valley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belinda E. Platts

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In 1998, Monterey County Water Recycling Projects began delivering water to 12,000 acres in the northern Salinas Valley. Two years later, an ongoing study began assessing the effects of the recycled water on soil salinity. Eight sites are receiving recycled water and a control site is receiving only well water. In data collected from 2000 to 2012, soil salinity of the 36-inch-deep profile was on average approximately double that of the applied water, suggesting significant leaching from applied water (irrigation or rainfall. In this study, we investigated some of the soil water hydrology factors possibly controlling the soil salinity results. Using soil water balance modeling, we found that rainfall had more effect on soil salinity than did leaching from irrigation. Increasing applied water usually only correlated significantly with soil salinity parameters in the shallow soil profile (1 to 12 inches depth and at 24 to 36 inches at sites receiving fairly undiluted recycled water. Winter rains, though, had a critical effect. Increasing rainfall depths were significantly correlated with decreasing soil salinity of the shallow soil at all test sites, though this effect also diminished with increased soil depth. When applied water had high salinity levels, winter rainfall in this area was inadequate to prevent soil salinity from increasing.

Biorefinery and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

K.C. Das; Thomas T. Adams; Mark A. Eiteman; John Stickney; Joy Doran Peterson; James R. Kastner; Sudhagar Mani; Ryan Adolphson

2012-06-12

In this project we focused on several aspects of technology development that advances the formation of an integrated biorefinery. These focus areas include: [1] establishment of pyrolysis processing systems and characterization of the product oils for fuel applications, including engine testing of a preferred product and its pro forma economic analysis; [2] extraction of sugars through a novel hotwater extaction process, and the development of levoglucosan (a pyrolysis BioOil intermediate); [3] identification and testing of the use of biochar, the coproduct from pyrolysis, for soil applications; [4] developments in methods of atomic layer epitaxy (for efficient development of coatings as in fuel cells); [5] advancement in fermentation of lignocellulosics, [6] development of algal biomass as a potential substrate for the biorefinery, and [7] development of catalysts from coproducts. These advancements are intended to provide a diverse set of product choices within the biorefinery, thus improving the cost effectiveness of the system. Technical effectiveness was demonstrated in the pyrolysis biooil based diesel fuel supplement, sugar extraction from lignocelluose, use of biochar, production of algal biomass in wastewaters, and the development of catalysts. Economic feasibility of algal biomass production systems seems attractive, relative to the other options. However, further optimization in all paths, and testing/demonstration at larger scales are required to fully understand the economic viabilities. The various coproducts provide a clear picture that multiple streams of value can be generated within an integrated biorefinery, and these include fuels and products.

Vision and perception of community on the use of recycled water for household laundry: A case study in Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mainali, Bandita; Pham, Thi Thu Nga; Ngo, Huu Hao; Guo, Wenshan; Miechel, Clayton; O'Halloran, Kelly; Muthukaruppan, Muthu; Listowski, Adnrzej

2013-01-01

This study investigates the community perception of household laundry as a new end use of recycled water in three different locations of Australia through a face to face questionnaire survey (n = 478). The study areas were selected based on three categories of (1) non-user, (2) perspective user and (3) current user of recycled water. The survey results indicate that significantly higher number (70%) of the respondents supported the use of recycled water for washing machines (χ 2 = 527.40, df = 3; p = 0.000). Significant positive correlation between the overall support for the new end use and the willingness of the respondents to use recycled water for washing machine was observed among all users groups (r = 0.43, p = 0.000). However, they had major concerns regarding the effects of recycled water on the aesthetic appearance of cloth, cloth durability, machine durability, odour of the recycled water and cost along with the health issues. The perspective user group had comparatively more reservations and concerns about the effects of recycled water on washing machines than the non-users and the current users (χ 2 = 52.73, df = 6; p = 0.000). Overall, community from all three study areas are willing to welcome this new end use as long as all their major concerns are addressed and safety is assured. - Highlights: • Community perception of laundry as a new end use of recycled water is analysed. • Higher number of the respondents supported the new end use. • The perspective users of recycled water are more reserved towards the new end use. • The current users are very happy with the current recycled water

Vision and perception of community on the use of recycled water for household laundry: A case study in Australia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mainali, Bandita; Pham, Thi Thu Nga [Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007 (Australia); Ngo, Huu Hao, E-mail: h.ngo@uts.edu.au [Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007 (Australia); Guo, Wenshan [Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007 (Australia); Miechel, Clayton [Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, Port Macquarie, NSW 2444 (Australia); O' Halloran, Kelly [Gold Coast Water, Gold Coast, MC 9726 (Australia); Muthukaruppan, Muthu [City West Water, Sunshine, VIC 3020 (Australia); Listowski, Adnrzej [Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW 2127 (Australia)

2013-10-01

This study investigates the community perception of household laundry as a new end use of recycled water in three different locations of Australia through a face to face questionnaire survey (n = 478). The study areas were selected based on three categories of (1) non-user, (2) perspective user and (3) current user of recycled water. The survey results indicate that significantly higher number (70%) of the respondents supported the use of recycled water for washing machines (χ{sup 2} = 527.40, df = 3; p = 0.000). Significant positive correlation between the overall support for the new end use and the willingness of the respondents to use recycled water for washing machine was observed among all users groups (r = 0.43, p = 0.000). However, they had major concerns regarding the effects of recycled water on the aesthetic appearance of cloth, cloth durability, machine durability, odour of the recycled water and cost along with the health issues. The perspective user group had comparatively more reservations and concerns about the effects of recycled water on washing machines than the non-users and the current users (χ{sup 2} = 52.73, df = 6; p = 0.000). Overall, community from all three study areas are willing to welcome this new end use as long as all their major concerns are addressed and safety is assured. - Highlights: • Community perception of laundry as a new end use of recycled water is analysed. • Higher number of the respondents supported the new end use. • The perspective users of recycled water are more reserved towards the new end use. • The current users are very happy with the current recycled water.

Superstructure-based optimization of biorefinery networks: Production of biodiesel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bertran, Maria-Ona; Orsi, Albert; Gani, Rafiqul

2015-01-01

through a practical case study for the production biodiesel from a variety of feedstock. The different biorefinery processing alternatives are represented in a superstructure and the associated data is collected and stored in a database. Once a specific biorefinery synthesis problem is formulated...

Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) User Reference Guide: Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yimin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Goldberg, Marshall [MRG and Associates, Nevada City, CA (United States)

2015-02-01

This guide -- the JEDI Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model User Reference Guide -- was developed to assist users in operating and understanding the JEDI Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model. The guide provides information on the model's underlying methodology, as well as the parameters and data sources used to develop the cost data utilized in the model. This guide also provides basic instruction on model add-in features and a discussion of how the results should be interpreted. Based on project-specific inputs from the user, the JEDI Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model estimates local (e.g., county- or state-level) job creation, earnings, and output from total economic activity for a given fast pyrolysis biorefinery. These estimates include the direct, indirect and induced economic impacts to the local economy associated with the construction and operation phases of biorefinery projects.Local revenue and supply chain impacts as well as induced impacts are estimated using economic multipliers derived from the IMPLAN software program. By determining the local economic impacts and job creation for a proposed biorefinery, the JEDI Fast Pyrolysis Biorefinery Model can be used to field questions about the added value biorefineries might bring to a local community.

Economic risk analysis and critical comparison of optimal biorefinery concepts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheali, Peam; Posada, John A.; Gernaey, Krist

2016-01-01

In this paper, eight optimal biorefinery concepts for biofuels and biochemicals production are critically analyzed and compared in terms of their techno-economic performance and associated economic risks against historical market fluctuations. The investigated biorefinery concepts consider...... different combinations of biomass feedstock (lignocellulosic versus algal) and conversion technologies (biochemical versus thermochemical). In addition, the economic performance of each biorefinery concept is tested assuming a sudden drop in oil prices in order to compare the fitness/survival of each...... concept under extreme market disturbances. The analyses reveal amongst others that: (i) lignocellulosic bioethanol production is not economically feasible considering a drop in oil prices (a negative internal rate of return); (ii) a multi-product biorefinery concept, where bioethanol is upgraded to higher...

A novel biorefinery integration concept for lignocellulosic biomass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Özdenkçi, Karhan; De Blasio, Cataldo; Muddassar, Hassan R.; Melin, Kristian; Oinas, Pekka; Koskinen, Jukka; Sarwar, Golam; Järvinen, Mika

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Wide review is provided on supply chain and biomass conversion processes. • The requirements for sustainable biorefinery are listed. • An enhanced version distributed-centralized network is proposed. • A novel hydrothermal process is proposed for biomass conversion. - Abstract: The concept of an integrated biorefinery has increasing importance regarding sustainability aspects. However, the typical concepts have techno-economic issues: limited replacement in co-processing with fossil sources and high investment costs in integration to a specific plant. These issues have directed the current investigations to supply-chain network systems. On the other hand, these studies have the scope of a specific product and/or a feedstock type. This paper proposes a novel biorefinery concept for lignocellulosic biomass: sectoral integration network and a new hydrothermal process for biomass conversion. The sectoral integration concept has the potential for sustainable production from biomass: pre-treatment at the biomass sites, regional distributed conversion of biomass from various sectors (e.g. black liquor, sawdust, straw) and centralized upgrading/separation of crude biofuels. On the other hand, the conversion processes compose the vital part of such a concept. The new conversion involves partial wet oxidation - or simultaneous dissolution with partial wet oxidation for solid biomass- followed by lignin recovery with acidification and a reactor that can perform either hydrothermal liquefaction or supercritical water gasification. The process can intake both liquid and solid biomass to produce lignin as biomaterial and syngas or bio-oil. The new concept can contribute social development of rural areas by utilizing waste as valuable raw material for the production of multiple products and reduce the net greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil-based production.

WATER RESISTANCE OF RECYCLED PAPER PANEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Rani Suryandono

2017-06-01

Alice Wisler (2015 Facts about Recycling Paper. http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Facts_About_Recycling_Paper. Accessed 2 April 2016 Clay Miller (2011 5 Benefits of Recycling Paper. http://www.ways2gogreenblog.com/2011/09/28/5-benefits-of-recycling-paper/. Accessed 10 May 2016 Hari Goyal (2015 Grades of Paper. http://www.paperonweb.com/grade.htm. Accessed 2 April 2016 Hari Goyal (2015 Properties of Paper. http://www.paperonweb.com/paperpro.htm. Accessed 2 April 2016 Kathryn Sukalich (2016 Everything You Need to Know about Paper Recycling. http://earth911.com/business-policy/business/paper-recycling-details-basics/. Accessed 15 July 2016 [U1] Larry West (2015 Why Recycle Paper. http://environment.about.com/od/recycling/a/The-Benefits-Of-Paper-Recycling-Why-Recycle-Paper.htm. Accesed 15 June 2016 Marie-Luise Blue (2008 The Advantages of Recycling Paper. http://education.seattlepi.com/advantages-recycling-paper-3440.html. Accessed 15 June 2016 Nina Spitzer (2009 http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/810025/the-impact-of-disposable-coffee-cups-on-the-environment. Accessed 15 June 2016 Radio New Zealand (2010 Iwi not Giving Up Fight against Tasman Mill Discharges. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/64521/iwi-not-giving-up-fight-against-tasman-mill-discharges. Accessed 15 July 2016 Rick LeBlanc (2016 Paper Recycling Facts, Figures and Information Sources. https://www.thebalance.com/paper-recycling-facts-figures-and-information-sources-2877868?_ga=1.192832942.544061388.1477446686. Accesed 2 April 2016 Robinson Meyer (2016 Will More Newspapers Go Nonprofit? http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/newspapers-philadelphia-inquirer-daily-news-nonprofit-lol-taxes/423960/. Accessed 3 August 2016 School of Engineering at Darthmouth (2010 Forest and Paper Industry. http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/~d30345d/courses/engs171/Paper.pdf. Accessed 2 April 2016 T. Subramani, V. Angappan. (2015. Experimental Investigation of Papercrete Concrete

Model-Based Diagnosis and Prognosis of a Water Recycling System

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A water recycling system (WRS) deployed at NASA Ames Research Center’s Sustainability Base (an energy efficient office building that integrates some novel...

76 FR 13349 - Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Repowering Assistance Payments to Eligible Biorefineries

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-11

... Funding Availability (NOFA) for Repowering Assistance Payments to Eligible Biorefineries AGENCY: Rural... announces the acceptance of applications for payments to eligible biorefineries to encourage the use of... operation of these eligible biorefineries. To be eligible for payments, biorefineries must have been in...

Model-Based Diagnosis and Prognosis of a Water Recycling System

Science.gov (United States)

Roychoudhury, Indranil; Hafiychuk, Vasyl; Goebel, Kai Frank

2013-01-01

A water recycling system (WRS) deployed at NASA Ames Research Center s Sustainability Base (an energy efficient office building that integrates some novel technologies developed for space applications) will serve as a testbed for long duration testing of next generation spacecraft water recycling systems for future human spaceflight missions. This system cleans graywater (waste water collected from sinks and showers) and recycles it into clean water. Like all engineered systems, the WRS is prone to standard degradation due to regular use, as well as other faults. Diagnostic and prognostic applications will be deployed on the WRS to ensure its safe, efficient, and correct operation. The diagnostic and prognostic results can be used to enable condition-based maintenance to avoid unplanned outages, and perhaps extend the useful life of the WRS. Diagnosis involves detecting when a fault occurs, isolating the root cause of the fault, and identifying the extent of damage. Prognosis involves predicting when the system will reach its end of life irrespective of whether an abnormal condition is present or not. In this paper, first, we develop a physics model of both nominal and faulty system behavior of the WRS. Then, we apply an integrated model-based diagnosis and prognosis framework to the simulation model of the WRS for several different fault scenarios to detect, isolate, and identify faults, and predict the end of life in each fault scenario, and present the experimental results.

Footprint of recycled water subsidies downwind of Lake Michigan

Science.gov (United States)

Continental evaporation is a significant and dynamic flux within the atmospheric water budget, but few methods provide robust observational constraints on the large-scale hydroclimatological and hydroecological impacts of this ‘recycled-water’ flux. We demonstrate a geospatial analysis that provides...

Water conservation, recycling, and reuse: US northeast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaplan, E.

1984-10-01

This paper focuses upon present and future possibilities for water conservation, recycling, and reuse in New England and Middle Atlantic states. Telephone interviews and questionnaires sent to trade associations, public utility commissions, federal, state and other agencies were used to supplement information gathered in the literature. Water intake and consumptive demands in 1980 were calculated for industrial, electric utility, agricultural, and residential sectors. Corresponding information for the year 2000 were estimated using data from utilities, public utility commissions, and the US Bureau of Economic Affairs. Water supplies were estimated using the concept of safe yield. Assuming reductions in water use by industries, agriculture and by private residences in the year 2000, it was found that many users, particularly the electric utility sector, would still experience serious water supply shortfalls in several industrialized states. 20 references, 14 tables.

Commercializing Biorefinery Technology: A Case for the Multi-Product Pathway to a Viable Biorefinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shijie Liu

2011-11-01

Full Text Available While there may be many reasons why very interesting science ideas never reach commercial practice, one of the more prevalent is that the reaction or process, which is scientifically possible, cannot be made efficient enough to achieve economic viability. One pathway to economic viability for many business sectors is the multi-product portfolio. Research, development, and deployment of viable biorefinery technology must meld sound science with engineering and business economics. It is virtually axiomatic that increased value can be generated by isolating relatively pure substances from heterogeneous raw materials. Woody biomass is a heterogeneous raw material consisting of the major structural components, cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses, as well as minor components, such as extractives and ash. Cellulose is a linear homopolymer of D-glucopyrano-units with β-D(1®4 connections and is the wood component most resistant to chemical and biological degradation. Lignin is a macromolecule of phenylpropanoid units, second to cellulose in bio-resistance, and is the key component that is sought for removal from woody biomass in chemical pulping. Hemicelluloses are a collection of heteropolysaccharides, comprised mainly of 5- and 6-carbon sugars. Extractives, some of which have high commercial value, are a collection of low molecular weight organic and inorganic woody materials that can be removed, to some extent, under mild conditions. Applied Biorefinery Sciences, LLC (a private, New York, USA based company is commercializing a value-optimization pathway (the ABS Process™ for generating a multi-product portfolio by isolating and recovering homogeneous substances from each of the above mentioned major and minor woody biomass components. The ABS Process™ incorporates the patent pending, core biorefinery technology, “hot water extraction”, as developed at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY

Multi-Product Microalgae Biorefineries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lam, 't G.P.; Vermuë, M.H.; Eppink, M.H.M.; Wijffels, R.H.; Berg, van den C.

2018-01-01

Although microalgae are a promising biobased feedstock, industrial scale production is still far off. To enhance the economic viability of large-scale microalgae processes, all biomass components need to be valorized, requiring a multi-product biorefinery. However, this concept is still too

Microalgae biorefineries: The Brazilian scenario in perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Brasil, B S A F; Silva, F C P; Siqueira, F G

2017-10-25

Biorefineries have the potential to meet a significant part of the growing demand for energy, fuels, chemicals and materials worldwide. Indeed, the bio-based industry is expected to play a major role in energy security and climate change mitigation during the 21th century. Despite this, there are challenges related to resource consumption, processing optimization and waste minimization that still need to be overcome. In this context, microalgae appear as a promising non-edible feedstock with advantages over traditional land crops, such as high productivity, continuous harvesting throughout the year and minimal problems regarding land use. Importantly, both cultivation and microalgae processing can take place at the same site, which increases the possibilities for process integration and a reduction in logistic costs at biorefinery facilities. This review describes the actual scenario for microalgae biorefineries integration to the biofuels and petrochemical industries in Brazil, while highlighting the major challenges and recent advances in microalgae large-scale production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance on Water Stability of Cement-Foamed Asphalt Cold Recycled Mixture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Junxiao

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Through designing the mixture proportion of foamed asphalt cold in-place recycled mixture combined with the water stability experiment, it shows that the addition of cement can obviously improve foamed asphalt mixture’s water stability and the best cement admixture is between 1% ~ 2%; Using digital imaging microscope and SEM technology, the mechanism of increasing on the intensity of foamed asphalt mixture resulted by adding cement was analyzed. It revealed that the cement hydration products contained in the foamed asphalt mixture hydrolyzed into space mesh structure and wrapped up the aggregate particle, this is the main reason that the cement can enhance the mixture’s intensity as well as the water stability. This research provides reference for cement admixture’s formulation in the designing of foamed asphalt cold in-place recycled mixture.

Recycle attuned catalytic exchange (RACE) for reliable and low inventory processing of highly tritiated water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iseli, M.; Schaub, M.; Ulrich, D.

1992-01-01

The detritiation of highly tritiated water by liquid phase catalytic exchange needs dilution of the feed with water to tritium concentrations suitable for catalyst and safety rules and to assure flow rates large enough for wetting the catalyst. Dilution by recycling detritiated water from within the exchange process has three advantages: the amount and concentration of the water for dilution is controlled within the exchange process, there is no additional water load to processes located downstream RACE, and the ratio of gas to liquid flow rates in the exchange column could be adjusted by using several recycles differing in amount and concentration to avoid an excessively large number of theoretical separation stages. In this paper, the flexibility of the recycle attuned catalytic exchange (RACE) and its effect on the cryogenic distillation are demonstrated for the detritiation of the highly tritiated water from a tritium breeding blanket

Downstream processing of Isochrysis galbana: a step towards microalgal biorefinery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gilbert-López, B.; Mendiola, J.A.; Fontecha, J.; Broek, van den L.A.M.; Sijtsma, L.; Cifuentes, A.; Herrero, M.; Ibáñez, E.

2015-01-01

An algae-based biorefinery relies on the efficient use of algae biomass through its fractionation of several valuable/bioactive compounds that can be used in industry. If this biorefinery includes green platforms as downstream processing technologies able to fulfill the requirements of green

Expert opinion on risks to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes: An Australian study.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Camilla; Kenway, Steven; Hassall, Maureen; Yuan, Zhiguo

2017-09-01

The water sector needs to make efficient and prudent investment decisions by carefully considering the long-term viability of water infrastructure projects. To support the assessment and planning of residential recycled water schemes in Australia, we have sought to clarify scheme objectives and to further define the array of critical risks that can impact the long-term viability of schemes. Building on historical information, we conducted a national survey which elicited responses from 88 Australian expert practitioners, of which 64% have over 10 years of industry experience and 42% have experience with more than five residential recycled water schemes. On the basis of expert opinion, residential recycled water schemes are considered to be highly relevant for diversifying and improving water supply security, reducing wastewater effluent discharge and pollutant load to waterways and contributing to sustainable urban development. At present however, the inability to demonstrate an incontestable business case is posing a significant risk to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes. Political, regulatory, organisational and financial factors were also rated as critical risks, in addition to community risk perception and fall in demand. The survey results shed further light on the regulatory environment of residential recycled water schemes, with regulatory participants rating the level and impact of risk factors higher than other survey participants in most cases. The research outcomes provide a comprehensive understanding of the critical risks to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes, thereby enabling the specification of targeted risk management measures at the assessment and planning stage of a scheme. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of methods for the decrease in instability of recycling water of conjugated closed-circuit cooling system of HPP

Science.gov (United States)

Chichirov, A. A.; Chichirova, N. D.; Vlasov, S. M.; Lyapin, A. I.; Misbakhov, R. Sh.; Silov, I. Yu.; Murtazin, A. I.

2016-10-01

On Russian HPPs, conjugated closed-circuit cooling systems, where purge water is used as initial for water-treatment facilities, are widespread. For this reason, it is impossible to use general methods for the stabilization treatment of recycling water in order to prevent scale formation in the units of a system, namely, turbine condensers and cooling towers. In this paper, the methods for the decrease in the instability of recycling water using the methods of chemical engineering, such as stabilization and synchronization of flows and organization of recycles, are suggested. The results of an industrial experiment on the implementation of stabilization treatment of recycling water by the organization of recycle are given. The experiment was carried out on Kazan CHPP-3. The flow scheme involved the recycle of chemically purified water (CPW) for the heat network make-up to the closed-circuit cooling system. The experiment was carried out at three stages with the gradual change of the consumption of the recycle, namely, 0, 50, and 100 t/h. According to the results of experiments, the reliable decrease in the rate of the sedimentation was recorded on the units of the system, namely, turbine condenser and chimney-type cooling tower. This is caused by two reasons. Firstly, this is periodic excessive concentration of recycling water due to the nonstationary character of inlet and outlet flows. Secondly, this is seasonal (particularly, in the summer period) exceeding of the evaporation coefficient. As a result of stabilization and synchronization of flows and organization of recycles, the quality of clarified and chemically purified water for the heat network make-up increases and the corrosion of iron- and copper-containing structural materials decreases. A natural decrease in temperature drop on the operating turbine condensers is mentioned.

High conversion ratio plutonium recycle in pressurized water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edlund, M.C.

1975-01-01

The use of Pu light water reactors in such a way as to minimise the depletion of Pu needed for future use, and therefore to reduce projected demands for U ore and U enrichment is envisaged. Fuel utilisation in PWRs could be improved by tightly-packed fuel rod lattices with conversion ratios of 0.8 to 0.9 compared with ratios of about 0.5 in Pu recycle designs using fuel to water volume ratios of currently operating PWRs. A conceptual design for the Babcock and Wilcox Company reactors now in operation is presented and for illustrative purposes thermalhydraulic design considerations and the reactor physics are described. Principle considerations in the mechanical design of the fuel assemblies are the effect of hydraulic forces, thermal expansion, and fission gas release. The impact of high conversion ratio plutionium recycle in separative work and natural U requirements for PWRs likely to be in operation by 1985 are examined. (U.K.)

Ethanol production from rape straw: Part of an oilseed rape biorefinery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arvaniti, Efthalia

The aim of this study was 1) present an oilseed rape whole crop biorefinery; 2) to investigate the best available experimental conditions for production of cellulosic ethanol from rape straw, and included the processes of thermo-chemical pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, and C6 fermentation......, and 3) to couple cellulosic ethanol production to production of cellulolytic enzymes that are needed for cellulosic ethanol production, inside a rape straw biorefinery. For the first is based less on available experiments, and more on literature review. The second and third study conclusions were drawn...... rapeseed biodiesel plant of Europe to an oilseed rape whole-crop biorefinery by 2020 is envisioned and discussed. The description and discussion of this biorefinery is based partly on literature review, and partly on own experimental data, especially on pretreatment of rape straw, and production...

Process Water Recycle in Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Microalgae To Enhance Bio-oil Yield

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramos-Tercero, E.A.; Bertucco, A.; Brilman, Derk Willem Frederik

2015-01-01

In this work, the effect of recycling the process water (PW) of hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to the HTL reactor was investigated, with the objective being to recover carbon from the organic content of the PW and to develop a solvent-free process. When recycling twice the PW at 220, 240, and 265

Process Intensification for Cellulosic Biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadula, Sunitha; Athaley, Abhay; Zheng, Weiqing; Ierapetritou, Marianthi; Saha, Basudeb

2017-06-22

Utilization of renewable carbon source, especially non-food biomass is critical to address the climate change and future energy challenge. Current chemical and enzymatic processes for producing cellulosic sugars are multistep, and energy- and water-intensive. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) suggests that upstream lignocellulose processing is a major hurdle to the economic viability of the cellulosic biorefineries. Process intensification, which integrates processes and uses less water and energy, has the potential to overcome the aforementioned challenges. Here, we demonstrate a one-pot depolymerization and saccharification process of woody biomass, energy crops, and agricultural residues to produce soluble sugars with high yields. Lignin is separated as a solid for selective upgrading. Further integration of our upstream process with a reactive extraction step makes energy-efficient separation of sugars in the form of furans. TEA reveals that the process efficiency and integration enable, for the first time, economic production of feed streams that could profoundly improve process economics for downstream cellulosic bioproducts. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Economic analysis of self-generated plutonium recycling in light water reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deguchi, Morimoto; Hirabayashi, Fumio; Yumoto, Ryozo

1978-01-01

This paper describes on the economics of plutonium recycle to light water reactors (LWRs). In the situation that plutonium market does not exist, it is realistic for utilities to recycle the self-generated plutonium to their own reactors. The economic incentive to recycle self-generated plutonium, plutonium fuel fabrication penalty, and the dependence of fuel cycle cost on fuel cycle cost parameters are considered. In recycling self-generated plutonium, two alternatives for fuel element design are feasible. Those are the all-plutonium design and the island design. In the present analysis, the all-plutonium design was chosen for PWRs. The calculation of reactivity variation along with burnup for both uranium fuel and plutonium fuel was done with LASER-PNC code. Plutonium inventory and other nuclear data were calculated with CHAIN code. It is expected that equilibrium composition is reached after 5 or 6 times of recycling. For the calculation of fuel cycle cost, MITCOST code was used. The recent increase in the prices of uranium ore, enrichment and reprocessing services was taken into account. The fuel cycle cost of plutonium recycle is lower than that of uranium fuel cycle within a certain limit of plutonium fabrication penalty. It is shown that the fabrication penalty of about 1250 dollar/kgHM for each plutonium successive recycle reduces the cost difference to zero. The change in other cost components affects break-even fabrication penalty, in which the fuel cycle cost of plutonium recycle is equal to that of uranium cycle. (Kato, T.)

An evaluation of the deployment of AIROX-recycled fuel in pressurized water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahshan, S.N.; McGeehan, T.J.

1994-01-01

An analytical evaluation is made of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) in-core performance of recycled light water reactor fuel that has been Atomics International reduction oxidation (AIROX) reprocessed and reenriched with fissile materials. The neutronics performance is shown to lie within the neutronics performance of existing high-performance and high-burnup fuels. Three AIROX-recycled fuels are compared with a high-burnup virgin fuel and an equivalent mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. The AIROX-recycled fuel neutronics performance lies consistently between the virgin and the MOX fuel for both the pin power peaking and the reactivity response characteristics in PWRs. Among the attractive features of AIROX-recycled fuel is that it can optimize fissile and fertile fuel use, minimize final fuel disposal impact on the environment, and provide energy in the process of denaturing weapons-grade fissile materials. The fuel material performance may be anticipated from high-burnup virgin fuel and from MOX fuel performance. Recommendations for lead rod testing and for optimization of the AIROX-processing and resintering techniques are made

Research on the Influencing Mechanism of Traditional Cultural Values on Citizens’ Behavior Regarding the Reuse of Recycled Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In order to explore the influence mechanism of traditional Chinese culture values on urban residents’ acceptance of the reuse of recycled water, this paper selects interdependent self-constructional indicators representing the dependency relation between people as the representative of traditional culture values. In this paper, interdependent self-constructional indicators are introduced based on a technology acceptance model (TAM, in order to establish a hypothesis model. Following this, the writer conducts a study that shows the influence on the acceptance of recycled water through the formation of interdependent self-construction. Finally, the influence mechanism of traditional cultural values on citizens’ behavior regarding the reuse of recycled water is determined. To start with, the writer verifies the reliability and validity of data from 584 samples, and then tests the goodness-of-fit between the sample data and the hypothesis model by AMOS21.0 (software. On this basis, the writer analyzes the direct and indirect influence through the hypothesis model and finds that the interdependent self-constructional intensity will accelerate the acceptance process of recycled water technology by positively influencing a change in the residents’ attitudes to recycled water. The conclusion shows that traditional Chinese cultural values have a certain influence on urban residents’ acceptance of the reuse of recycled water. Meanwhile, the writer clarifies the influence’s mechanism.

Early‐Stage Capital Cost Estimation of Biorefinery Processes: A Comparative Study of Heuristic Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Couturier, Jean‐Luc; Kokossis, Antonis; Dubois, Jean‐Luc

2016-01-01

Abstract Biorefineries offer a promising alternative to fossil‐based processing industries and have undergone rapid development in recent years. Limited financial resources and stringent company budgets necessitate quick capital estimation of pioneering biorefinery projects at the early stages of their conception to screen process alternatives, decide on project viability, and allocate resources to the most promising cases. Biorefineries are capital‐intensive projects that involve state‐of‐the‐art technologies for which there is no prior experience or sufficient historical data. This work reviews existing rapid cost estimation practices, which can be used by researchers with no previous cost estimating experience. It also comprises a comparative study of six cost methods on three well‐documented biorefinery processes to evaluate their accuracy and precision. The results illustrate discrepancies among the methods because their extrapolation on biorefinery data often violates inherent assumptions. This study recommends the most appropriate rapid cost methods and urges the development of an improved early‐stage capital cost estimation tool suitable for biorefinery processes. PMID:27484398

FEASIBILITY OF RECYCLING PLUTONIUM AND MINOR ACTINIDES IN LIGHT WATER REACTORS USING HYDRIDE FUEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenspan, Ehud; Todreas, Neil; Taiwo, Temitope

2009-01-01

The objective of this DOE NERI program sponsored project was to assess the feasibility of improving the plutonium (Pu) and minor actinide (MA) recycling capabilities of pressurized water reactors (PWRs) by using hydride instead of oxide fuels. There are four general parts to this assessment: (1) Identifying promising hydride fuel assembly designs for recycling Pu and MAs in PWRs; (2) Performing a comprehensive systems analysis that compares the fuel cycle characteristics of Pu and MA recycling in PWRs using the promising hydride fuel assembly designs identified in Part 1 versus using oxide fuel assembly designs; (3) Conducting a safety analysis to assess the likelihood of licensing hydride fuel assembly designs; and (4) Assessing the compatibility of hydride fuel with cladding materials and water under typical PWR operating conditions Hydride fuel was found to offer promising transmutation characteristics and is recommended for further examination as a possible preferred option for recycling plutonium in PWRs

FEASIBILITY OF RECYCLING PLUTONIUM AND MINOR ACTINIDES IN LIGHT WATER REACTORS USING HYDRIDE FUEL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenspan, Ehud; Todreas, Neil; Taiwo, Temitope

2009-03-10

The objective of this DOE NERI program sponsored project was to assess the feasibility of improving the plutonium (Pu) and minor actinide (MA) recycling capabilities of pressurized water reactors (PWRs) by using hydride instead of oxide fuels. There are four general parts to this assessment: 1) Identifying promising hydride fuel assembly designs for recycling Pu and MAs in PWRs 2) Performing a comprehensive systems analysis that compares the fuel cycle characteristics of Pu and MA recycling in PWRs using the promising hydride fuel assembly designs identified in Part 1 versus using oxide fuel assembly designs 3) Conducting a safety analysis to assess the likelihood of licensing hydride fuel assembly designs 4) Assessing the compatibility of hydride fuel with cladding materials and water under typical PWR operating conditions Hydride fuel was found to offer promising transmutation characteristics and is recommended for further examination as a possible preferred option for recycling plutonium in PWRs.

Sustainability assessment of sugarcane biorefinery and molasses ethanol production in Thailand using eco-efficiency indicator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silalertruksa, Thapat; Gheewala, Shabbir H.; Pongpat, Patcharaporn

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Sugarcane biorefinery in Thailand is evaluated using the eco-efficiency concept. • Green cane along with cane trash use for electricity yields highest eco-efficiency. • Proposed biorefinery system increases eco-efficiency by 20–70%. - Abstract: The study aims to evaluate the sugarcane biorefinery and molasses ethanol production in Thailand using the combined environmental and economic sustainability indicator, so called “Eco-efficiency”. Four sugarcane biorefinery scenarios in Thailand are evaluated. The total output values (US$) and the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (kg CO_2eq) are selected as the indicators for characterizing economic and environmental performance, respectively. The results show that the biorefinery system of mechanized farming along with cane trash utilization for power generation yields the highest eco-efficiency. The benefits come from the increased value added of the biorefinery together with the decreased GHG emissions of the biorefinery system. As compared to the base case scenario, the new systems proposed result in the eco-efficiency improvement by around 20–70%. The biorefinery concept induces reduction of GHG emissions attributed to molasses ethanol. Green cane production and harvesting results in further lowering of the GHG emissions. Integration of sugarcane biomass utilization across the entire sugarcane complex would enhance the sustainability of the sugarcane production system.

Biorefinery of the brown seaweed Saccharina latissima for fuels and chemicals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lopez Contreras, A.M.; Harmsen, P.F.H.; Blaauw, R.; Houweling-Tan, G.B.N.; Wal, van der H.; Huijgen, W.J.J.; Hal, van J.W.

2014-01-01

Seaweeds (also called macroalgae) are considered a potential biomass feedstock for biorefineries for production of energy and chemicals. In this study, a biorefinery strategy for the brown seaweed Saccharina latissima is described. Fresh S. latissima harvested at the Irish coast contained glucose

Pretreatment techniques for biofuels and biorefineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fang, Zhen (ed.) [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, YN (China). Xishuangbanna Tropical Botonical Garden

2013-02-01

The first book focused on pretreatment techniques for biofuels contributed by the world's leading experts. Extensively covers the different types of biomass, various pretreatment approaches and methods that show the subsequent production of biofuels and chemicals. In addition to traditional pretreatment methods, novel techniques are also introduced and discussed. An accessible reference work for students, researchers, academicians and industrialists in biorefineries. This book includes 19 chapters contributed by the world's leading experts on pretreatment methods for biomass. It extensively covers the different types of biomass (e.g. molasses, sugar beet pulp, cheese whey, sugarcane residues, palm waste, vegetable oil, straws, stalks and wood), various pretreatment approaches (e.g. physical, thermal, chemical, physicochemical and biological) and methods that show the subsequent production of biofuels and chemicals such as sugars, ethanol, extracellular polysaccharides, biodiesel, gas and oil. In addition to traditional methods such as steam, hot-water, hydrothermal, diluted-acid, organosolv, ozonolysis, sulfite, milling, fungal and bacterial, microwave, ultrasonic, plasma, torrefaction, pelletization, gasification (including biogas) and liquefaction pretreatments, it also introduces and discusses novel techniques such as nano and solid catalysts, organic electrolyte solutions and ionic liquids. This book offers a review of state-of-the-art research and provides guidance for the future paths of developing pretreatment techniques of biomass for biofuels, especially in the fields of biotechnology, microbiology, chemistry, materials science and engineering. It intends to provide a systematic introduction of pretreatment techniques. It is an accessible reference work for students, researchers, academicians and industrialists in biorefineries.

Drivers and barriers for implementation of the biorefinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janssen, M.; Stuart, P.

2010-01-01

This paper discussed the barriers and drivers for the implementation of biorefinery technology in the forestry industry. A multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methodology was used by a panel of industry experts. The objective, drivers and barriers, and the decision structure and weighting procedure were established during a pre-panel phase. An analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was then applied to compare qualitative criteria. Pair-wise criteria were used to determine the importance of each driver and barrier. Drivers for the implementation of biorefineries included the opportunity to ensure short-term profitability; the provision of raw materials at competitive prices; potential financial incentives; and the opportunity to transform the forestry business model and increase its market value. Barriers included uncertainty in relation to government policies for biorefineries; high technology risks; the need for partnerships; and the fact that many industry members favour short-term decision-making. Results of the study showed that the most significant barrier was related to risk. 5 refs., 3 tabs., 3 figs.

76 FR 13351 - Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) Inviting Applications for the Biorefinery Assistance Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-11

... commercial-scale biorefineries or for the retrofitting of existing facilities using eligible technology for... biorefineries and the retrofitting of existing facilities using eligible technology for the development of... provide for the development, construction, and/or retrofitting of commercial biorefineries using eligible...

Utilization of Ionic Liquids in Lignocellulose Biorefineries as Agents for Separation, Derivatization, Fractionation, or Pretreatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Peleteiro, Susana; Rivas, Sandra; Alonso, José L; Santos, Valentín; Parajó, Juan C

2015-09-23

Ionic liquids (ILs) can play multiple roles in lignocellulose biorefineries, including utilization as agents for the separation of selected compounds or as reaction media for processing lignocellulosic materials (LCM). Imidazolium-based ILs have been proposed for separating target components from LCM biorefinery streams, for example, the dehydration of ethanol-water mixtures or the extractive separation of biofuels (ethanol, butanol) or lactic acid from the respective fermentation broths. As in other industries, ILs are potentially suitable for removing volatile organic compounds or carbon dioxide from gaseous biorefinery effluents. On the other hand, cellulose dissolution in ILs allows homogeneous derivatization reactions to be carried out, opening new ways for product design or for improving the quality of the products. Imidazolium-based ILs are also suitable for processing native LCM, allowing the integral benefit of the feedstocks via separation of polysaccharides and lignin. Even strongly lignified materials can yield cellulose-enriched substrates highly susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis upon ILs processing. Recent developments in enzymatic hydrolysis include the identification of ILs causing limited enzyme inhibition and the utilization of enzymes with improved performance in the presence of ILs.

Waste Biorefinery: A New Paradigm for a Sustainable Bioelectro Economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, S Venkata; Butti, Sai Kishore; Amulya, K; Dahiya, Shikha; Modestra, J Annie

2016-11-01

A waste biorefinery is a means to valorize waste as a renewable feedstock to recover biobased materials and energy through sustainable biotechnology. This approach holistically integrates remediation and resource recovery. Here we discuss the various technologies employable to construct a waste biorefinery platform and its place in a biobased economy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling and Optimization of Recycled Water Systems to Augment Urban Groundwater Recharge through Underutilized Stormwater Spreading Basins.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradshaw, Jonathan L; Luthy, Richard G

2017-10-17

Infrastructure systems that use stormwater and recycled water to augment groundwater recharge through spreading basins represent cost-effective opportunities to diversify urban water supplies. However, technical questions remain about how these types of managed aquifer recharge systems should be designed; furthermore, existing planning tools are insufficient for performing robust design comparisons. Addressing this need, we present a model for identifying the best-case design and operation schedule for systems that deliver recycled water to underutilized stormwater spreading basins. Resulting systems are optimal with respect to life cycle costs and water deliveries. Through a case study of Los Angeles, California, we illustrate how delivering recycled water to spreading basins could be optimally implemented. Results illustrate trade-offs between centralized and decentralized configurations. For example, while a centralized Hyperion system could deliver more recycled water to the Hansen Spreading Grounds, this system incurs approximately twice the conveyance cost of a decentralized Tillman system (mean of 44% vs 22% of unit life cycle costs). Compared to existing methods, our model allows for more comprehensive and precise analyses of cost, water volume, and energy trade-offs among different design scenarios. This model can inform decisions about spreading basin operation policies and the development of new water supplies.

Cell disruption for microalgae biorefineries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Günerken, E.; Hondt, d' E.; Eppink, M.H.M.; Garcia-Gonzalez, L.; Elst, K.; Wijffels, R.H.

2015-01-01

Microalgae are a potential source for various valuable chemicals for commercial applications ranging from nutraceuticals to fuels. Objective in a biorefinery is to utilize biomass ingredients efficiently similarly to petroleum refineries in which oil is fractionated in fuels and a variety of

Dioxins, Furans and PCBs in Recycled Water for Indirect Potable Reuse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clemencia Rodriguez

2008-12-01

Full Text Available An assessment of potential health impacts of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in recycled water for indirect potable reuse was conducted. Toxic equivalency factors (TEFs for 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD and dibenzofurans (PCDFs and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs congeners have been developed by the World Health Organization to simplify the risk assessment of complex mixtures. Samples of secondary treated wastewater in Perth, Australia were examined pre-and post-tertiary treatment in one full-scale and one pilot water reclamation plant. Risk quotients (RQs were estimated by expressing the middle-bound toxic equivalent (TEQ and the upper-bound TEQ concentration in each sampling point as a function of the estimated health target value. The results indicate that reverse osmosis (RO is able to reduce the concentration of PCDD, PCDF and dioxin-like PCBs and produce water of high quality (RQ after RO=0.15. No increased human health risk from dioxin and dioxin-like compounds is anticipated if highly treated recycled water is used to augment drinking water supplies in Perth. Recommendations for a verification monitoring program are offered.

Dioxins, Furans and PCBs in Recycled Water for Indirect Potable Reuse

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Clemencia; Cook, Angus; Devine, Brian; Van Buynder, Paul; Lugg, Richard; Linge, Kathryn; Weinstein, Philip

2008-01-01

An assessment of potential health impacts of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in recycled water for indirect potable reuse was conducted. Toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) for 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners have been developed by the World Health Organization to simplify the risk assessment of complex mixtures. Samples of secondary treated wastewater in Perth, Australia were examined pre-and post-tertiary treatment in one full-scale and one pilot water reclamation plant. Risk quotients (RQs) were estimated by expressing the middle-bound toxic equivalent (TEQ) and the upper-bound TEQ concentration in each sampling point as a function of the estimated health target value. The results indicate that reverse osmosis (RO) is able to reduce the concentration of PCDD, PCDF and dioxin-like PCBs and produce water of high quality (RQ after RO=0.15). No increased human health risk from dioxin and dioxin-like compounds is anticipated if highly treated recycled water is used to augment drinking water supplies in Perth. Recommendations for a verification monitoring program are offered. PMID:19151430

NPDES Permit for Rocky Mountain Arsenal Recycled Water Pipeline in Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Under NPDES permit CO-0035009, the U.S. Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service is authorized to discharge from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal recycled water pipeline to Lower Derby Lake in Adams County, Colo.

Novel renewable products for biorefineries

Science.gov (United States)

A biorefinery integrates unit operations to convert biomass into a variety of biobased products, including fuels, chemicals, energy, and feed. Government policy initiatives over the last 1-2 decades have emphasized the production of biobased fuels, and consequently the number of dry-grind ethanol bi...

Design of an Optimal Biorefinery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nawaz, Muhammad; Zondervan, Edwin; Woodley, John

2011-01-01

In this paper we propose a biorefinery optimization model that can be used to find the optimal processing route for the production of ethanol, butanol, succinic acid and blends of these chemicals with fossil fuel based gasoline. The approach unites transshipment models with a superstructure...

Location-dependent optimal biorefinery synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bertran, Maria-Ona; Woodley, John M.; Gani, Rafiqul

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present an extended framework for synthesis of biorefinery networks. The extension of the framework responds to the needs of: automatically generating problem-specific superstructures from an in-house database in an efficient and reliable way, as well as obtaining and analysing...

Extratropical Influence of Sea Surface Temperature and Wind on Water Recycling Rate Over Oceans and Coastal Lands

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Hua; Liu, W. Timothy

1999-01-01

Water vapor and precipitation are two important parameters confining the hydrological cycle in the atmosphere and over the ocean surface. In the extratropical areas, due to variations of midlatitude storm tracks and subtropical jetstreams, water vapor and precipitation have large variability. Recently, a concept of water recycling rate defined previously by Chahine et al. (GEWEX NEWS, August, 1997) has drawn increasing attention. The recycling rate of moisture is calculated as the ratio of precipitation to total precipitable water (its inverse is the water residence time). In this paper, using multi-sensor spacebased measurements we will study the role of sea surface temperature and ocean surface wind in determining the water recycling rate over oceans and coastal lands. Response of water recycling rate in midlatitudes to the El Nino event will also be discussed. Sea surface temperature data are derived from satellite observations from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) blended with in situ measurements, available for the period 1982-1998. Global sea surface wind observations are obtained from spaceborne scatterometers aboard on the European Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS1 and 2), available for the period 1991-1998. Global total precipitable water provided by the NASA Water Vapor Project (NVAP) is available for the period 1988-1995. Global monthly mean precipitation provided by the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) is available for the period 1987-1998.

Feedwater recycling system in BWR type reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimamoto, Yoshiharu.

1980-01-01

Purpose: To improve the reactor safety by preventing thermal stresses and cracks generated in structural materials due to the fluctuations in the temperature for high temperature water - low temperature water mixture near the feedwater nozzle. Method: Feedwater pipes are connected to a pressure vessel not directly but by way of a flow control valve. While the recycled water is circulated from an inlet nozzle to an outlet nozzle through a recycle pump, flow control valve and recycling pipeways, feedwater is fed from the feedwater pipes to the recycling pipeways by way of the flow control valve. More specifically, since the high temperature recycle water and the low temperature recycle water are mixed within the pipeways, the temperature fluctuations resulted from the temperature difference between the recycle water and the feedwater is reduced to prevent thermal fatigue and generation of cracks thereby securing the reactor safety. (Furukawa, Y.)

Performance of high-recovery recycling reverse osmosis with wash water

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann, Cal C.

1993-01-01

Inclusion of a recycling loop for partially-desalted water from second-stage reverse-osmosis permeate has been shown useful for achieving high-recovery at moderate applied pressures. This approach has now been applied to simulated wash waters, to obtain data on retention by the membranes of solutes in a mixture comparable to anticipated spacecraft hygiene wastewaters, and to generate an estimate of the maximum concentration that can be expected without causing membrane fouling. A first experiment set provides selectivity information from a single membrane and an Igepon detergent, as a function of final concentration. A reject concentration of 3.1% Total Organic Carbon has been reached, at a pressure of 1.4 Mega Pascals, without membrane fouling. Further experiments have generated selectivity values for the recycle configuration from two washwater simulations, as a function of applied pump pressure. Reverse osmosis removal has also been tested for washwater containing detergent formulated for plant growth compatibility (containing nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium functional groups.)

Land-use change affects water recycling in Brazil's last agricultural frontier.

Science.gov (United States)

Spera, Stephanie A; Galford, Gillian L; Coe, Michael T; Macedo, Marcia N; Mustard, John F

2016-10-01

Historically, conservation-oriented research and policy in Brazil have focused on Amazon deforestation, but a majority of Brazil's deforestation and agricultural expansion has occurred in the neighboring Cerrado biome, a biodiversity hotspot comprised of dry forests, woodland savannas, and grasslands. Resilience of rainfed agriculture in both biomes likely depends on water recycling in undisturbed Cerrado vegetation; yet little is known about how changes in land-use and land-cover affect regional climate feedbacks in the Cerrado. We used remote sensing techniques to map land-use change across the Cerrado from 2003 to 2013. During this period, cropland agriculture more than doubled in area from 1.2 to 2.5 million ha, with 74% of new croplands sourced from previously intact Cerrado vegetation. We find that these changes have decreased the amount of water recycled to the atmosphere via evapotranspiration (ET) each year. In 2013 alone, cropland areas recycled 14 km(3) less (-3%) water than if the land cover had been native Cerrado vegetation. ET from single-cropping systems (e.g., soybeans) is less than from natural vegetation in all years, except in the months of January and February, the height of the growing season. In double-cropping systems (e.g., soybeans followed by corn), ET is similar to or greater than natural vegetation throughout a majority of the wet season (December-May). As intensification and extensification of agricultural production continue in the region, the impacts on the water cycle and opportunities for mitigation warrant consideration. For example, if an environmental goal is to minimize impacts on the water cycle, double cropping (intensification) might be emphasized over extensification to maintain a landscape that behaves more akin to the natural system. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sugarcane biorefineries: Case studies applied to the Brazilian sugar–alcohol industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renó, Maria Luiza Grillo; Olmo, Oscar Almazán del; Palacio, José Carlos Escobar; Lora, Electo Eduardo Silva; Venturini, Osvaldo José

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Advanced system of co-generation improves the energy performance of biorefineries. • Sugarcane straw as additional source of fuel in the biorefinery resulted positive. • The farming and transport of sugarcane cause the main environmental impacts. - Abstract: The use of biomasses is becoming increasingly appealing alternative, to give an partial solution lack of energy, with an ecofriendly approach, having on sugarcane a solid fundament; that receives the new and valuable complement of the innovative concept of the biorefineries it is productive installations, that can be summarized as to reach the higher overall yield from the raw materials, with the lowest environmental impact, at minimum energy input and giving the maximum of the energy output. The biorefinery is the true valuable option of a wide diversification, with by-products like the single cell protein and biogas from the distillery vinasse, new oxidants like methanol, second generation biofuels, biobutanol, etc. In this context this paper presents a study of five different configurations of biorefineries. Each case study being a system based on an autonomous distillery or sugar mill with an annexed distillery and coproduction of methanol from bagasse. The paper includes the use of sugarcane harvest residues (mainly straw) and a BIG–GT plant (Biomass Integrated Gasification–Gas Turbine) as alternatives to fulfill the energy demands of the complex

Sustained Recycle in Light Water and Sodium-Cooled Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piet, Steven J.; Bays, Samuel E.; Pope, Michael A.; Youinou, Gilles J.

2010-01-01

From a physics standpoint, it is feasible to sustain recycle of used fuel in either thermal or fast reactors. This paper examines multi-recycle potential performance by considering three recycling approaches and calculating several fuel cycle parameters, including heat, gamma, and neutron emission of fresh fuel; radiotoxicity of waste; and uranium utilization. The first recycle approach is homogeneous mixed oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies in a light water reactor (LWR). The transuranic portion of the MOX was varied among Pu, NpPu, NpPuAm, or all-TRU. (All-TRU means all isotopes through Cf-252.) The Pu case was allowed to go to 10% Pu in fresh fuel, but when the minor actinides were included, the transuranic enrichment was kept below 8% to satisfy the expected void reactivity constraint. The uranium portion of the MOX was enriched uranium. That enrichment was increased (to as much as 6.5%) to keep the fuel critical for a typical LWR irradiation. The second approach uses heterogeneous inert matrix fuel (IMF) assemblies in an LWR - a mix of IMF and traditional UOX pins. The uranium-free IMF fuel pins were Pu, NpPu, NpPuAm, or all-TRU. The UOX pins were limited to 4.95% U-235 enrichment. The number of IMF pins was set so that the amount of TRU in discharged fuel from recycle N (from both IMF and UOX pins) was made into the new IMF pins for recycle N+1. Up to 60 of the 264 pins in a fuel assembly were IMF. The assembly-average TRU content was 1-6%. The third approach uses fast reactor oxide fuel in a sodium-cooled fast reactor with transuranic conversion ratio of 0.50 and 1.00. The transuranic conversion ratio is the production of transuranics divided by destruction of transuranics. The FR at CR=0.50 is similar to the CR for the MOX case. The fast reactor cases had a transuranic content of 33-38%, higher than IMF or MOX.

Study of plutonium recycling physics in light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reuss, Paul

1979-10-01

A stock of plutonium from the reprocessing of thermal neutron reactor fuel is likely to appear in the next few years. The use of this plutonium as fuel replacing 235 U in thermal reactors is probably more interesting than simple stock-piling storage: immobilization of a capital which moreover would deteriorate by radioactive decay of isotope 241 also fissile and present to an appreciable extend in plutonium from reprocessing (half-life 15 years); recycling, on the other hand, will supply energy without complete degradation of the stock for fast neutron reactor loads, the burned matter having been partially renewed by conversion; furthermore the use of plutonium will meet the needs created by a temporary pressure on the naturel and/or enriched uranium market. For these two reasons the recycling of plutonium in thermal neutron reactors is being considered seriously today. The present work is confined to neutronic aspects and centres mainly on pressurized water-moderated reactors, the most highly developed at present in France. Four aspects of the problem are examined: 1. the physics of a plutonium-recycling reactor special features of neutronic phenomena with respect to the 'conventional' scheme of the 235 U burning reactor; 2. calculation of a plutonium-recycling reactor: adaptation of standard methods; 3. qualification of these calculations from the viewpoint of both data and inevitable approximations; 4. the fuel cycle and particularly the equivalence of fissile matters [fr

Biorefineries: Relocating Biomass Refineries to the Rural Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franka Papendiek

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The field for application of biomass is rising. The demand for food and feeding stuff rises while at the same time energy, chemicals and other materials also need to be produced from biomass because of decreasing fossil resources. However, the biorefinery ideas and concepts can help to use the limited renewable raw materials more efficiently than today. With biorefineries, valuable products, such as platform chemicals, can be produced from agricultural feedstock, which can subsequently be further processed into a variety of substances by the chemical industry. Due to the role they play as producers of biomass, rural areas will grow in importance in the decades to come. Parts of the biorefinery process can be relocated to the rural areas to bring a high added value to these regions. By refining biomass at the place of production, new economic opportunities may arise for agriculturists, and the industry gets high-grade pre-products. Additionally, an on-farm refining can increase the quality of the products because of the instant processing. To reduce competition with the food production and to find new possibilities of utilisation for these habitats, the focus for new agricultural biomass should be on grasslands. But also croplands can provide more renewable raw materials without endangering a sustainable agriculture, e.g. by implementing legumes in the crop rotation. To decide if a region can provide adequate amounts of raw material for a biorefinery, new raw material assessment procedures have to be developed. In doing so, involvement of farmers is inevitable to generate a reliable study of the biomass refinery potentials.

Hydrothermal Treatment (HTT) of Microalgae: Evaluation of the Process As Conversion Method in an Algae Biorefinery Concept

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garcia Alba, Laura; Torri, C.; Samori, C.; van der Spek, J.J.; Fabbri, D.; Kersten, Sascha R.A.; Brilman, Derk Willem Frederik

2012-01-01

The hydrothermal treatment (HTT) technology is evaluated for its potential as a process to convert algae and algal debris into a liquid fuel, within a sustainable algae biorefinery concept in which, next to fuels (gaseous and liquid), high value products are coproduced, nutrients and water are

UNCERTAINTY IN THE PROCESS INTEGRATION FOR THE BIOREFINERIES DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meilyn González Cortés

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents how the design approaches with high level of flexibility can reduce the additional costs of the strategies that apply overdesign factors to consider parameters with uncertainty that impact on the economic feasibility of a project. The elements with associate uncertainties and that are important in the configurations of the process integration under a biorefinery scheme are: raw material, raw material technologies of conversion, and variety of products that can be obtained. From the analysis it is obtained that in the raw materials and products with potentialities in a biorefinery scheme, there are external uncertainties such as availability, demands and prices in the market. Those external uncertainties can determine their impact on the biorefinery and also in the product prices we can find minimum and maximum limits that can be identified in intervals which should be considered for the project economic evaluation and the sensibility analysis due to varied conditions.

Plants for water recycling, oxygen regeneration and food production

Science.gov (United States)

Bubenheim, D. L.

1991-01-01

During long-duration space missions that require recycling and regeneration of life support materials the major human wastes to be converted to usable forms are CO2, hygiene water, urine and feces. A Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) relies on the air revitalization, water purification and food production capabilities of higher plants to rejuvenate human wastes and replenish the life support materials. The key processes in such a system are photosynthesis, whereby green plants utilize light energy to produce food and oxygen while removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and transpiration, the evaporation of water from the plant. CELSS research has emphasized the food production capacity and efforts to minimize the area/volume of higher plants required to satisfy all human life support needs. Plants are a dynamic system capable of being manipulated to favour the supply of individual products as desired. The size and energy required for a CELSS that provides virtually all human needs are determined by the food production capacity. Growing conditions maximizing food production do not maximize transpiration of water; conditions favoring transpiration and scaling to recycle only water significantly reduces the area, volume, and energy inputs per person. Likewise, system size can be adjusted to satisfy the air regeneration needs. Requirements of a waste management system supplying inputs to maintain maximum plant productivity are clear. The ability of plants to play an active role in waste processing and the consequence in terms of degraded plant performance are not well characterized. Plant-based life support systems represent the only potential for self sufficiency and food production in an extra-terrestrial habitat.

Economically Viable Components from Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) in a Biorefinery Concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansson, Eva; Prade, Thomas; Angelidaki, Irini

2015-01-01

Biorefinery applications are receiving growing interest due to climatic and waste disposal issues and lack of petroleum resources. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is suitable for biorefinery applications due to high biomass production and limited cultivation requirements. This paper...... focuses on the potential of Jerusalem artichoke as a biorefinery crop and the most viable products in such a case. The carbohydrates in the tubers were found to have potential for production of platform chemicals, e.g., succinic acid. However, economic analysis showed that production of platform chemicals...

40 CFR 141.76 - Recycle provisions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Recycle provisions. 141.76 Section 141...) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Filtration and Disinfection § 141.76 Recycle provisions. (a... recycle spent filter backwash water, thickener supernatant, or liquids from dewatering processes must meet...

ZZ WPPR, Pu Recycling Benchmark Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lutz, D.; Mattes, M.; Delpech, Marc; Juanola, Marc

2002-01-01

Description of program or function: The NEA NSC Working Party on Physics of Plutonium Recycling has commissioned a series of benchmarks covering: - Plutonium recycling in pressurized-water reactors; - Void reactivity effect in pressurized-water reactors; - Fast Plutonium-burner reactors: beginning of life; - Plutonium recycling in fast reactors; - Multiple recycling in advanced pressurized-water reactors. The results have been published (see references). ZZ-WPPR-1-A/B contains graphs and tables relative to the PWR Mox pin cell benchmark, representing typical fuel for plutonium recycling, one corresponding to a first cycle, the second for a fifth cycle. These computer readable files contain the complete set of results, while the printed report contains only a subset. ZZ-WPPR-2-CYC1 are the results from cycle 1 of the multiple recycling benchmarks

Break-through of Mass Integration in Textile Industry through Development of Generic Water Recycle Schemes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik

2003-01-01

processing is one of the largest and oldest industries world-wide and responsible for a substantial resource consumption and pollution. Especially the wet processing part of the industry, i.e. pre-treatment, dyeing, printing and finishing, is polluting and resource consuming in terms of both water, energy...... dyehouse, Trevira Neckelmann A/S, has now for two consecutive years successfully implemented direct water recycling saving 40 % water. Mass Integration and water pinch techniques were used to identify the potentials and combined with textile intelligence to achieve the best system design for the reuse...... of water, energy and chemicals. The same approach of combining pinch techniques and textile intelligence was applied in South African textile industry. System designs for water recycling in both cotton and acrylic wet treatment were developed. The system for cotton was successfully documented in full scale...

Biological processes for advancing lignocellulosic waste biorefinery by advocating circular economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Liguori, Rossana; Faraco, Vincenza

2016-09-01

The actualization of a circular economy through the use of lignocellulosic wastes as renewable resources can lead to reduce the dependence from fossil-based resources and contribute to a sustainable waste management. The integrated biorefineries, exploiting the overall lignocellulosic waste components to generate fuels, chemicals and energy, are the pillar of the circular economy. The biological treatment is receiving great attention for the biorefinery development since it is considered an eco-friendly alternative to the physico-chemical strategies to increase the biobased product recovery from wastes and improve saccharification and fermentation yields. This paper reviews the last advances in the biological treatments aimed at upgrading lignocellulosic wastes, implementing the biorefinery concept and advocating circular economy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crop residues as raw materials for biorefinery systems - A LCA case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherubini, Francesco; Ulgiati, Sergio

2010-01-01

Our strong dependence on fossil fuels results from the intensive use and consumption of petroleum derivatives which, combined with diminishing oil resources, causes environmental and political concerns. The utilization of agricultural residues as raw materials in a biorefinery is a promising alternative to fossil resources for production of energy carriers and chemicals, thus mitigating climate change and enhancing energy security. This paper focuses on a biorefinery concept which produces bioethanol, bioenergy and biochemicals from two types of agricultural residues, corn stover and wheat straw. These biorefinery systems are investigated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, which takes into account all the input and output flows occurring along the production chain. This approach can be applied to almost all the other patterns that convert lignocellulosic residues into bioenergy and biochemicals. The analysis elaborates on land use change aspects, i.e. the effects of crop residue removal (like decrease in grain yields, change in soil N 2 O emissions and decrease of soil organic carbon). The biorefinery systems are compared with the respective fossil reference systems producing the same amount of products/services from fossils instead of biomass. Since climate change mitigation and energy security are the two most important driving forces for biorefinery development, the assessment focuses on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and cumulative primary energy demand, but other environmental categories are evaluated as well. Results show that the use of crop residues in a biorefinery saves GHG emissions and reduces fossil energy demand. For instance, GHG emissions are reduced by about 50% and more than 80% of non-renewable energy is saved. Land use change effects have a strong influence in the final GHG balance (about 50%), and their uncertainty is discussed in a sensitivity analysis. Concerning the investigation of the other impact categories, biorefinery systems

Economically viable biochemical processes for the advanced rural biorefinery and downstream recovery operations

Science.gov (United States)

Rural biorefineries offer an alternative to traditional ethanol production by providing the opportunity to produce fuel on site to reduce costs associated with biomass transportation thus making the fuel economically viable. Widespread installation of rural biorefineries could lead to increased upt...

Lignin pyrolysis for profitable lignocellulosic biorefineries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wild, de P.J.; Gosselink, R.J.A.; Huijgen, W.J.J.

2014-01-01

Bio-based industries (pulp and paper and biorefineries) produce > 50 Mt/yr of lignin that results from fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass. Lignin is world's second biopolymer and a major potential source for production of performance materials and aromatic chemicals. Lignin valorization is

Kevlar based nanofibrous particles as robust, effective and recyclable absorbents for water purification.

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Chuanxiong; Peng, Zihang; Yang, Ye; Cheng, Chong; Ma, Lang; Zhao, Changsheng

2016-11-15

Developing robust and recyclable absorbents for water purification is of great demand to control water pollution and to provide sustainable water resources. Herein, for the first time, we reported the fabrication of Kevlar nanofiber (KNF) based composite particles for water purification. Both the KNF and KNF-carbon nanotube composite particles can be produced in large-scale by automatic injection of casting solution into ethanol. The resulted nanofibrous particles showed high adsorption capacities towards various pollutants, including metal ions, phenylic compounds and various dyes. Meanwhile, the adsorption process towards dyes was found to fit well with the pseudo-second-order model, while the adsorption speed was controlled by intraparticle diffusion. Furthermore, the adsorption capacities of the nanofibrous particles could be easily recovered by washing with ethanol. In general, the KNF based particles integrate the advantages of easy production, robust and effective adsorption performances, as well as good recyclability, which can be used as robust absorbents to remove toxic molecules and forward the application of absorbents in water purification. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fumaric Acid Production: A Biorefinery Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Martin-Dominguez

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The increasing scarcity of fossil raw materials, together with the need to develop new processes and technology based on renewable sources, and the need to dispose of an increasing amount of biomass-derived waste, have boosted the concept of biorefineries. Both 1G and 2G biorefineries are focused on the obtention of biofuels, chemicals, materials, food and feed from biomass, a renewable resource. Fumaric acid, and most compounds involved in the Kreb cycle, are considered key platform chemicals, not only for being acidulants and additives in the food industry, but also for their prospective use as monomers. This review is focused on the biotechnological processes based on fungi, mainly of the Rhizopus genus, whose main product is fumaric acid, on the process conditions, the bioreactors and modes of operation and on the purification of the acid once it is produced.

Recycling of cattle dung, biogas plant-effluent and water hyacinth in vermiculture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balasubramanian, P.R.; Bai, R.K. [Madurai Kamaraj Univ. (India)

1995-08-01

The efficiency of recycling cattle dung, anaerobically digested cattle dung (biogas plant-effluent) and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) by culture of the earthworm Megascolex sp. was studied. The growth of the earthworms was increased by 156, 148 and 119% in soil supplemented with water hyacinth, cattle dung and biogas plant-effluent, respectively. The growth rate of the earthworms was increased significantly by raw cattle dung and water hyacinth over that by biodigested slurry. (author)

Monitoring the Water Quality in the Recycling Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonyová, A; Antony, P; Soewito, B

2015-01-01

Specific water contamination requires the recycling process prior to its discharge into the public sewerage network. Electro-flotation technology was used for cleaning of waste water contaminated with the disperse colorants. Dispersion colorants were used to decorate the boxes, made of corrugated board, in the company for the production of packaging. The objective of this paper is to present a method of optimization to determine the length of the time interval for electro-flotation process. Interval should be set so as to achieve the degree of cleaning the water that is the maximum possible in the process of electro-flotation. The measurement of the light passing through the measuring the translucent tube determines the actual degree of the water purity. The measurement is carried out by means of a photodiode in different wavelengths. The measured values in the measuring tube are compared with the nominal value, which corresponds to pure distilled water. Optimization the time interval to clean the water using electro-flotation was determined for yellow color. The optimum interval for the water contaminated with the yellow color was set to 1800s. (paper)

Optimisation of petroleum refinery water network systems retrofit incorporating reuse, regeneration and recycle strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khor, Cheng Seong; Shah, Nilay [Imperial College London (United Kingdom); Mahadzir, Shuhaimi [Universiti Teknologi Petronas (Malaysia); Elkamel, Ali [University of Waterloo (Canada)

2012-02-15

Increasingly strict environmental regulations have given rise to higher requirements for operating efficiency and optimization and water has become a vital resource in the refining process and allied industries. Due to this high demand for water, plants may be exposed to supply interruptions and shortages in the future. Major concerns in the petroleum refining industry are the scarcity of fresh water supply and increasingly rigid rules on wastewater discharge, which have resulted from concerns over the environmental impact. This paper presents the efforts made to develop an optimization framework for design of petroleum refinery water network systems and retrofitting that incorporates reuse, regeneration, and recycling strategies. This framework includes the complementary advantage of water pinch analysis (WPA). Water minimization strategies were incorporated as first postulates in a superstructural representation that includes all feasible flow-sheet options for taking advantage of water reuse, regeneration and recycling opportunities. Additionally, a post-optimization analysis was carried out to evaluate the repeated treatment processes required to identify the most efficient retrofit option.

Performance on Water Stability of Cement-Foamed Asphalt Cold Recycled Mixture

OpenAIRE

Li Junxiao; Fu Wei; Zang Hechao

2018-01-01

Through designing the mixture proportion of foamed asphalt cold in-place recycled mixture combined with the water stability experiment, it shows that the addition of cement can obviously improve foamed asphalt mixture’s water stability and the best cement admixture is between 1% ~ 2%; Using digital imaging microscope and SEM technology, the mechanism of increasing on the intensity of foamed asphalt mixture resulted by adding cement was analyzed. It revealed that the cement hydration products ...

Unconventional biomasses as feedstocks for production of biofuels and succinic acid in a biorefinery concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunnarsson, Ingólfur Bragi

composition of the specific biomass feedstock, as well as which pretreatment, saccharification, fermentation and extraction techniques are used. Furthermore, integrating biological processes into the biorefinery that effectively consume CO2 will become increasingly important. Such process integration could...... significantly improve the sustainability indicators of the overall biorefinery process. In this study, unconventional lignocellulosic- and aquatic biomasses were investigated as biorefinery feedstocks. The studied biomasses were Jerusalem artichoke, industrial hemp and macroalgae species Laminaria digitata....... The chemical composition of biomasses was determined in order to demonstrate their biorefinery potential. Bioethanol and biogas along with succinic acid production were the explored bioconversion routes, while potential production of other compounds was also investigated. Differences and changes in biomass...

2009 Integrated Biorefinery Platform Review Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferrell, John [Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Washington, DC (United States)

2009-12-01

This document summarizes the recommendations and evaluations provided by an independent external panel of experts at the U.S. Department of Energy Biomass Program‘s Integrated Biorefinery (IBR) platform review meeting, held on February 18–19, 2009, at the Westin National Harbor, National Harbor, Maryland.

Coproducts performances in biorefineries: Development of Claiming-based allocation models for environmental policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Gnansounou, Edgard

2018-04-01

This study revisited the fundamentals of allocation to joint products and proposed new models for allocating common greenhouse gases emissions among coproducts of biorefineries. These emissions may account for more than 80% of the total emissions of greenhouse gases of the biorefineries. The proposed models optimize the reward of coproducts for their compliance to environmental requirements. They were illustrated by a case study of wheat straw biorefinery built on the literature. Several scenarios were considered with regard to the grain yield, field emissions of greenhouse gases, allocation between grain and straw and policy requirements. The results conform to the expectations and are sensitive to the policy targets and to the environmental performance of the counterpart system. Further research works are necessary to achieve a full application to complex processes. However, the proposed models are promising towards assessing the simultaneous compliance of coproducts of a biorefinery to environment policy requirements. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integration of Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs) in the Biorefinery for Production of Ethanol, H2 and Phenolics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thygesen, Anders; Thomsen, Anne Belinda; Possemiers, Sam

2010-01-01

production. The mass and energy balances as well as the economical evaluations, show that this strategy may be useful for additional generation of hydrogen and lignin, thereby increasing the final yield of this biorefinery. From one ton of straw, the yield of ethanol upon yeast fermentation is estimated......In a biorefinery, biomass is converted into a variety of chemicals, materials and energy. A typical example is the lignocellulosic ethanol biorefinery process, in which substrates such as wheat straw are used as a feedstock for production of ethanol. In this work, an integrated biorefinery...

Impact of thermal pretreatment and MSW origin on composition and hydrolysability in a sugar platform biorefinery

Science.gov (United States)

Vaurs, L. P.; Heaven, S.; Banks, C. J.

2018-03-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a widely available large volume source of lignocellulosic material containing a waste paper/cardboard mixture which can be converted into fermentable sugars via cellulolytic enzyme hydrolysis in a sugar platform biorefinery. Thermal pretreatments are generally applied to MSW to facilitate the extraction of the lignocellulosic material from recyclable materials (plastics, metals etc.) and improve the paper pulp conversion to sugars. Applying high temperature might enhance food waste solubilisation but may collapse cellulose fibre decreasing its hydrolysability. Low temperature pre-treatment will reduce the energy demand but might result in highly contaminated pulp. Preliminary results showed that the enzymatic hydrolysis performances were dependent on the MSW origins. Using 8 different samples, the impact of thermal pretreatment and MSW origin on pulp composition and hydrolysability was assessed in this work. Low pre-treatment temperature produced pulp which contained less lignocellulosic material but which hydrolysed to a higher degree than MSW treated at high temperatures. High temperature pre-treatment could have exposed more of the inhibiting lignin to cellulase. This information would have a significant economic impact on a commercial plant as expensive autoclave could be advantageously replaced by a cheaper process. Glucan conversions were also found to vary depending on the region, the recycling rate possibly because of the lower recycling rate resulting in the use of less paper additive in the material or the difference in paper production technology (chemical VS mechanical pulping). This could also be explained by the differences in paper composition.

Subcritical hydrothermal liquefaction of barley straw in fresh water and recycled aqueous phase

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Zhe; Toor, Saqib; Rosendahl, Lasse

2014-01-01

This project focuses on the investigation of addition of aqueous phase in the production of biofuel from biomass through hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technology. Hydrothermal liquefaction is a wet thermal conversion process, which can convert all kinds of biomass to fuels. In this study, barley...... straw was first liquefied in fresh distilled water with the presence of K2CO3 catalyst at 300 C as the reference run. Afterwards, the aqueous phase which is obtained from liquefaction process in the previous run was recycled and used as the reaction medium from the second to the fourth run....... With the addition of recycling aqueous phase in HTL process, it is expected that the amount of the waste water and energy consumption can be reduced. The effect of water recirculation on product yield and properties was investigated in this study. The results showed that bio-oil yield was 34.85 wt% when the barley...

Ethanol fermentation characteristics of recycled water by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in an integrated ethanol-methane fermentation process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xinchao; Wang, Ke; Wang, Huijun; Zhang, Jianhua; Mao, Zhonggui

2016-11-01

An process of integrated ethanol-methane fermentation with improved economics has been studied extensively in recent years, where the process water used for a subsequent fermentation of carbohydrate biomass is recycled. This paper presents a systematic study of the ethanol fermentation characteristics of recycled process water. Compared with tap water, fermentation time was shortened by 40% when mixed water was employed. However, while the maximal ethanol production rate increased from 1.07g/L/h to 2.01g/L/h, ethanol production was not enhanced. Cell number rose from 0.6×10(8) per mL in tap water to 1.6×10(8) per mL in mixed water but although biomass increased, cell morphology was not affected. Furthermore, the use of mixed water increased the glycerol yield but decreased that of acetic acid, and the final pH with mixed water was higher than when using tap water. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biofuels and the biorefinery concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Gail

2008-01-01

Liquid fuels can be made by refining a range of biomass materials, including oil-rich and sugar-rich crops such as oil-seed rape and sugar beet, biomass that consists mainly of plant cell walls (second generation lignocellulosics), macro- and micro-alga, or material that would now be discarded as waste. This can include animal bi-products as well as waste wood and other resources. In the medium-term, plant cell (lignocellulosic) material is likely to be favoured as the feedstock for biorefineries because of its availability. The UK may make use of a number of these options because of its complex agricultural landscape. There are now a range of targets for biofuel use in the UK, although their environmental effects are disputed. The technology of refining these materials is well known. Possible outputs include biodiesel and bioethanol, both of which can be used as transport fuel. Other potential products include hydrogen, polymers and a wide range of value-added chemicals, making this technology important in a post-petrochemical world. Biorefineries could use cogeneration to produce electricity. The paper identifies a range of research and development priorities which must be met if this opportunity is to be exploited fully

Foulant characteristics comparison in recycling cooling water system makeup by municipal reclaimed water and surface water in power plant.

Science.gov (United States)

Ping, Xu; Jing, Wang; Yajun, Zhang; Jie, Wang; Shuai, Si

2015-01-01

Due to water shortage, municipal reclaimed water rather than surface water was replenished into recycling cooling water system in power plants in some cities in China. In order to understand the effects of the measure on carbon steel corrosion, characteristics of two kinds of foulant produced in different systems were studied in the paper. Differences between municipal reclaimed water and surface water were analyzed firstly. Then, the weight and the morphology of two kinds of foulant were compared. Moreover, other characteristics including the total number of bacteria, sulfate reducing bacteria, iron bacteria, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), protein (PN), and polysaccharide (PS) in foulant were analyzed. Based on results, it could be concluded that microbial and corrosive risk would be increased when the system replenished by municipal reclaimed water instead of surface water.

Plutonium and minor actinides recycle in equilibrium fuel cycles of pressurized water reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waris, A.; Sekimoto, H. [Research Lab. for Nuclear Reactors, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo (Japan)

2001-07-01

A study on plutonium and minor actinides (MA) recycle in equilibrium fuel cycles of pressurized water reactors (PWR) has been performed. The calculation results showed that the enrichment and the required amount of natural uranium decrease significantly with increasing number of confined plutonium and MA when uranium is discharged from the reactor. However, when uranium is totally confined, the enrichment becomes extremely high. The recycle of plutonium and MA together with discharging uranium can reduce the radio-toxicity of discharged heavy metal (HM) waste to become less than that of loaded uranium. (author)

Recycling of fresh concrete exceeding and wash water in concrete mixing plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Férriz Papí, J. A.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The exceeding concrete and washing equipment water are a matter to solve in concrete production. This paper explains several possibilities for recycling and analyses the products obtained with one recycling equipment. The objective of this work is to study the possibility to increase the percentage of recycling in new mixes. The developed study relates wash water density and fine particles content. Besides, mortar and concrete samples were tested introducing different quantities of these fine particles, substituting cement, sand or only as an addition. Consistency, compressive strength, setting time, absorption, and capillarity were tested. The results indicated an improvement of the studied properties in some percentages when substituting sand. It confirms the possibility to introduce larger quantities of wash water in new concrete mixes, with corrections in sand quantity depending on water density.Los hormigones frescos sobrantes y aguas procedentes de la limpieza de equipos son un inconveniente a resolver en las plantas de hormigón. Este artículo explica varias posibilidades de reciclado y analiza los productos obtenidos en un equipo reciclador concreto, con el objetivo de estudiar el incremento del porcentaje de reciclaje en nuevas amasadas. El estudio realizado relaciona la densidad del agua de lavado y el contenido de partículas finas. Además, ensaya muestras de mortero y hormigón realizando sustituciones de estas partículas finas por cemento, arena o simplemente como adición. Determina consistencia, resistencia a compresión, principio y fin de fraguado, absorción y capilaridad. Los resultados indicaron un incremento general de las propiedades estudiadas en algunos porcentajes de sustitución por arena. Ello confirma la posibilidad de introducir mayores cantidades de agua de lavado en nuevas amasadas de hormigón, mediante correcciones en la dosificación de arena en función de la densidad del agua.

The use of short rotation willows and poplars for the recycling of saline waste waters

Science.gov (United States)

Jaconette Mirck; Ronald S. Jr. Zalesny; Ioannis Dimitriou; Jill A. Zalesny; Timothy A. Volk; Warren E. Mabee

2009-01-01

The production of high-salinity waste waters by landfills and other waste sites causes environmental concerns. This waste water often contains high concentrations of sodium and chloride, which may end up in local ground and surface waters. Vegetation filter systems comprised of willows and poplars can be used for the recycling of saline waste water. These vegetation...

A new method to determine the density and water absorption of fine recycled aggregates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Rodrigues

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The construction industry keeps on demanding huge quantities of natural resources, mainly minerals for mortars and concrete production. The depletion of many quarries and environmental concerns about reducing the dumping of construction and demolition waste in quarries have led to an increase in the procuring and use of recycled aggregates from this type of waste. If they are to be incorporated in concrete and mortars it is essential to know their properties to guarantee the adequate performance of the end products, in both mechanical and durability-related terms. Existing regulated tests were developed for natural aggregates, however, and several problems arise when they are applied to recycled aggregates, especially fine recycled aggregates (FRA. This paper describes the main problems encountered with these tests and proposes an alternative method to determine the density and water absorption of FRA that removes them. The use of sodium hexametaphosphate solutions in the water absorption test has proven to improve its efficiency, minimizing cohesion between particles and helping to release entrained air.

Biorefineries to integrate fuel, energy and chemical production processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrica Bargiacchi

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The world of renewable energies is in fast evolution and arouses political and public interests, especially as an opportunity to boost environmental sustainability by mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. This work aims at examining the possibilities related to the development of biorefineries, where biomass conversion processes to produce biofuels, electricity and biochemicals are integrated. Particular interest is given to the production processes of biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas, for which present world situation, problems, and perspectives are drawn. Potential areas for agronomic and biotech researches are also discussed. Producing biomass for biorefinery processing will eventually lead to maximize yields, in the non food agriculture.

Combining physico-chemical analysis with a Daphnia magna bioassay to evaluate a recycling technology for drinking water treatment plant waste residuals.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ting; Xu, Yongpeng; Zhu, Shijun; Cui, Fuyi

2015-12-01

Recycling water treatment plant (WTP) waste residuals is considered to be a feasible method to enhance the efficiency of pollutant removal. This study also evaluated the safety and water quality of a pilot-DWTP waste residuals recycling technology by combining physical-chemistry analysis with a Daphnia magna assay. The water samples taken from each treatment step were extracted and concentrated by XAD-2 resin and were then analyzed for immobilization and enzyme activity with D. magna. The measured parameters, such as the dissolve organic carbon (DOC), UV254 and THM formation potential (THMFPs) of the recycling process, did not obviously increase over 15 days of continuous operation and were even lower than typical values from a conventional process. The extract concentration ranged from 0 to 2 Leq/ml as measured on the 7th and 15th days and the immobilization of D. magna exposed to water treated by the recycling process was nearly equivalent to that of the conventional process. Both the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the catalase (CAT) activity assay indicated that a lower dose of water extract (0.5, 1, 1.5 Leq/ml) could stimulate the enzyme activity of D. magna, whereas a higher dose (2 Leq/ml at the sampling point C3, R3, R4 ) inhibits the activity. Moreover, the SOD and CAT activity of D. magna with DOC and UV254 showed a strong concentration-effect relationship, where the concentration range of DOC and UV254 were 4.1-16.2 mg/L and 0.071-4.382 cm(-1), respectively. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) between the conventional and recycling treatment processes and the toxicity of water samples in the recycling process did not increase during the 15-day continuous recycling trial. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biorefineries for chemical and biofuel production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fjerbæk Søtoft, Lene

crops for biofuel production is research in biorefineries using a whole-crop approach with the aim of having an optimal use of all the components of the specific crop. Looking at rape as a model crop, the components can be used for i.e. bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas, biohydrogen, feed, food and plant...

In vitro bioassays to evaluate complex chemical mixtures in recycled water

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Ai; Escher, Beate I.; Leusch, Frederic D.L.; Tang, Janet Y.M.; Prochazka, Erik; Dong, Bingfeng; Snyder, Erin M.; Snyder, Shane A.

2016-01-01

With burgeoning population and diminishing availability of freshwater resources, the world continues to expand the use of alternative water resources for drinking, and the quality of these sources has been a great concern for the public as well as public health professionals. In vitro bioassays are increasingly being used to enable rapid, relatively inexpensive toxicity screening that can be used in conjunction with analytical chemistry data to evaluate water quality and the effectiveness of water treatment. In this study, a comprehensive bioassay battery consisting of 36 bioassays covering 18 biological endpoints was applied to screen the bioactivity of waters of varying qualities with parallel treatments. Samples include wastewater effluent, ultraviolet light (UV) and/or ozone advanced oxidation processed (AOP) recycled water, and infiltrated recycled groundwater. Based on assay sensitivity and detection frequency in the samples, several endpoints were highlighted in the battery, including assays for genotoxicity, mutagenicity, estrogenic activity, glucocorticoid activity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity, oxidative stress response, and cytotoxicity. Attenuation of bioactivity was found to be dependent on the treatment process and bioassay endpoint. For instance, ozone technology significantly removed oxidative stress activity, while UV based technologies were most efficient for the attenuation of glucocorticoid activity. Chlorination partially attenuated genotoxicity and greatly decreased herbicidal activity, while groundwater infiltration efficiently attenuated most of the evaluated bioactivity with the exception of genotoxicity. In some cases, bioactivity (e.g., mutagenicity, genotoxicity, and arylhydrocarbon receptor) increased following water treatment, indicating that transformation products of water treatment may be a concern. Furthermore, several types of bioassays with the same endpoint were compared in this study, which could help guide the selection

Synthesis and Design of Biorefinery Processing Networks with Uncertainty and Sustainability analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheali, Peam; Gernaey, Krist; Sin, Gürkan

combinations of processing networks. The optimization of the network is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming type of problem and solved in GAMS. The methodology was applied for designing optimal biorefinery networks considering biochemical routes. Furthermore, the methodology has also been...... for processing renewable feedstocks, with the aim of bridging the gap for fuel, chemical and material production. This project is focusing on biorefinery network design, in particular for early stage design and development studies. Optimal biorefinery design is a challenging problem. It is a multi......-objective decision-making problem not only with respect to technical and economic feasibility but also with respect to environmental impacts, sustainability constraints and limited availability & uncertainties of input data at the early design stage. It is therefore useful to develop a systematic methodology...

Effect of amphiphilic additives on the behavior of water-based acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives during paper recycling

Science.gov (United States)

Jihui Guo; Steven J. Severtson; Larry E. Gwin; Carl J. Houtman

2008-01-01

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) in recovered paper reduce efficiency and increase operating costs for paper recycling mills. Increased PSA fragmentation during pulping and the corresponding reduction in screening efficiency are indications that a PSA will likely interfere with paper recycling. Water-based PSAs, which dominate the label market, have complex...

The production of pigments and hydrogen through a Spirogyra sp. biorefinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacheco, R.; Ferreira, A.F.; Pinto, T.; Nobre, B.P.; Loureiro, D.; Moura, P.; Gouveia, L.; Silva, C.M.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Sugar content of microalgae must increase to increase H 2 yield. • Electrocoagulation and solar dryer reduce 90% the harvesting-drying energy demand. • Paddle wheels contribute 5% to culture energy demand when using ideal 0.1 kW/m 2 . • Pigment extraction increases 2 times the biorefinery economic benefits. • Pigment energy demand account for 62% and must be reduced significantly. - Abstract: This paper discusses the overall energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions when extracting pigments and producing hydrogen from Spirogyra sp. microalga biomass. The energy evaluation from the biomass leftovers was also included in this work. The influence of the functional unit and different allocation criteria on the biorefinery assessments is also shown. The study consists of laboratory tests showing Spirogyra sp. growth, harvesting, drying, pigment extraction and fermentation by Clostridium butyricum. Electrocoagulation and solar drying were tested and compared to conventional centrifugation and electrical dewatering in terms of their energy consumption for harvesting and dewatering, respectively. To discuss the biorefinery viability, the pigments and biohydrogen (bioH 2 ) retail costs are considered against operational costs according to electricity needs. The low yield of biochemical hydrogen and the high energy requirements for the pigment extraction were identified as main topics for further research. This research hopefully contributes to highlight the importance of energy and emission balances in order to decide on feasibility of the biorefinery

Recycling high-performance carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites using sub-critical and supercritical water

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Chase C.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are composite materials that consist of carbon fibers embedded in a polymer matrix, a combination that yields materials with properties exceeding the individual properties of each component. CFRP have several advantages over metals: they offer superior strength to weight ratios and superior resistance to corrosion and chemical attack. These advantages, along with continuing improvement in manufacturing processes, have resulted in rapid growth in the number of CFRP products and applications especially in the aerospace/aviation, wind energy, automotive, and sporting goods industries. Due to theses well-documented benefits and advancements in manufacturing capabilities, CFRP will continue to replace traditional materials of construction throughout several industries. However, some of the same properties that make CFRP outstanding materials also pose a major problem once these materials reach the end of service life. They become difficult to recycle. With composite consumption in North America growing by almost 5 times the rate of the US GDP in 2012, this lack of recyclability is a growing concern. As consumption increases, more waste will inevitably be generated. Current composite recycling technologies include mechanical recycling, thermal processing, and chemical processing. The major challenge of CFRP recycling is the ability to recover materials of high-value and preserve their properties. To this end, the most suitable technology is chemical processing, where the polymer matrix can be broken down and removed from the fiber, with limited damage to the fibers. This can be achieved using high concentration acids, but such a process is undesirable due to the toxicity of such materials. A viable alternative to acid is water in the sub-critical and supercritical region. Under these conditions, the behavior of this abundant and most environmentally friendly solvent resembles that of an organic compound, facilitating the breakdown

Recent advances in yeast cell-surface display technologies for waste biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhuo; Ho, Shih-Hsin; Hasunuma, Tomohisa; Chang, Jo-Shu; Ren, Nan-Qi; Kondo, Akihiko

2016-09-01

Waste biorefinery aims to maximize the output of value-added products from various artificial/agricultural wastes by using integrated bioprocesses. To make waste biorefinery economically feasible, it is thus necessary to develop a low-cost, environment-friendly technique to perform simultaneous biodegradation and bioconversion of waste materials. Cell-surface display engineering is a novel, cost-effective technique that can auto-immobilize proteins on the cell exterior of microorganisms, and has been applied for use with waste biofinery. Through tethering different enzymes (e.g., cellulase, lipase, and protease) or metal-binding peptides on cell surfaces, various yeast strains can effectively produce biofuels and biochemicals from sugar/protein-rich waste materials, catalyze waste oils into biodiesels, or retrieve heavy metals from wastewater. This review critically summarizes recent applications of yeast cell-surface display on various types of waste biorefineries, highlighting its potential and future challenges with regard to commercializing this technology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-Product Microalgae Biorefineries: From Concept Towards Reality.

Science.gov (United States)

't Lam, G P; Vermuë, M H; Eppink, M H M; Wijffels, R H; van den Berg, C

2018-02-01

Although microalgae are a promising biobased feedstock, industrial scale production is still far off. To enhance the economic viability of large-scale microalgae processes, all biomass components need to be valorized, requiring a multi-product biorefinery. However, this concept is still too expensive. Typically, downstream processing of industrial biotechnological bulk products accounts for 20-40% of the total production costs, while for a microalgae multi-product biorefinery the costs are substantially higher (50-60%). These costs are high due to the lack of appropriate and mild technologies to access the different product fractions such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. To reduce the costs, simplified processes need to be developed for the main unit operations including harvesting, cell disruption, extraction, and possibly fractionation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental performances of coproducts. Application of Claiming-Based Allocation models to straw and vetiver biorefineries in an Indian context.

Science.gov (United States)

Gnansounou, Edgard; Raman, Jegannathan Kenthorai

2018-04-24

Among the renewables, non-food and wastelands based biofuels are essential for the transport sector to achieve country's climate mitigation targets. With the growing interest in biorefineries, setting policy requirements for other coproducts along with biofuels is necessary to improve the products portfolio of biorefinery, increase the bioproducts perception by the consumers and push the technology forward. Towards this context, Claiming-Based allocation models were used in comparative life cycle assessment of multiple products from wheat straw biorefinery and vetiver biorefinery. Vetiver biorefinery shows promising Greenhouse gas emission savings (181-213%) compared to the common crop based lignocellulose (wheat straw) biorefinery. Assistance of Claiming-Based Allocation models favors to find out the affordable allocation limit (0-80%) among the coproducts in order to achieve the individual prospective policy targets. Such models show promising application in multiproduct life cycle assessment studies where appropriate allocation is challenging to achieve the individual products emission subject to policy targets. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The thermo-mechano-chemical twin-screw reactor, a new perspective for the biorefinery of sunflower whole plant: aqueous extraction of oil and other biopolymers, and production of biodegradable fiberboards from cake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evon Philippe

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Biorefinery of sunflower whole plant was performed successfully using a thermo-mechano-chemical twin-screw reactor. This led to the aqueous extraction of oil and other biopolymers like proteins, pectins and non pectic sugars. It resulted in the overall fractionation of biomass, thus allowing a complete valorization of the input. This biorefinery process was not only efficient but it was also environment-friendly. In addition, it contributed to the production of different end products for various industrial applications. Firstly, the hydrophilic phase will be recycled to the process. Secondly, the densest oil-in-water emulsion is a promising candidate for the formulation of cosmetic creams. Thirdly, the upper hydrophobic phase will be usable for the waterproofing treatment of the surface of agromaterials by coating. Its demixing will also lead to the production of proteins with tensioactive properties. These will serve for the food industry. Lastly, the cake was a mixture of plasticized proteins and lignocellulosic fibers. It was thus considered as a natural composite. Its molding into cohesive fiberboards was conducted successfully using both thermopressing and compression molding processes. The self-bonded boards with high density will be suitable for use as load bearing boards in dry conditions (floor underlayers, interior partitions, furniture, etc.. Positioned in walls and ceilings, boards with medium and low density will contribute to the heat insulation of buildings. In addition, the bulk cake will be also usable as a loose fill insulation material. As proposed, this flow chart thus allows a valorization for all fractions originating from the twin-screw reactor.

Optimal processing pathway selection for microalgae-based biorefinery under uncertainty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rizwan, Muhammad; Zaman, Muhammad; Lee, Jay H.

2015-01-01

We propose a systematic framework for the selection of optimal processing pathways for a microalgaebased biorefinery under techno-economic uncertainty. The proposed framework promotes robust decision making by taking into account the uncertainties that arise due to inconsistencies among...... and shortage in the available technical information. A stochastic mixed integer nonlinear programming (sMINLP) problem is formulated for determining the optimal biorefinery configurations based on a superstructure model where parameter uncertainties are modeled and included as sampled scenarios. The solution...... the accounting of uncertainty are compared with respect to different objectives. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

Impact on geologic repository usage from limited actinide recycle in pressurized light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wigeland, Roald A.; Bauer, Theodore H.; Hill, Robert N.; Stillman, John A.

2007-01-01

A project has been conducted as part of the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative to evaluate the impact of limited actinide recycling in light water reactors on the utilization of a geologic repository where loading of the repository is constrained by the decay heat of the emplaced materials. In this study, it was assumed that spent PWR fuel was processed, removing the uranium, plutonium, americium, and neptunium, along with the fission products cesium and strontium. Previous work had demonstrated that these elements were responsible for limiting loading in the repository based on thermal constraints. The plutonium, americium, and neptunium were recycled in a PWR, with process waste and spent recycled fuel being sent to the repository. The cesium and strontium were placed in separate storage for 100-300 years to allow for decay prior to disposal. The study examined the effect of single and multiple recycles of the recovered plutonium, americium, and neptunium, as well as different processing delay times. The potential benefit to the repository was measured by the increase in utilization of repository space as indicated by the allowable linear loading in the repository drifts (tunnels). The results showed that limited recycling would provide only a small fraction of the benefit that could be achieved with repeated processing and recycling, as is possible in fast neutron reactors. (author)

Why Do Some Water Utilities Recycle More than Others? A Qualitative Comparative Analysis in New South Wales, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunz, Nadja C; Fischer, Manuel; Ingold, Karin; Hering, Janet G

2015-07-21

Although the recycling of municipal wastewater can play an important role in water supply security and ecosystem protection, the percentage of wastewater recycled is generally low and strikingly variable. Previous research has employed detailed case studies to examine the factors that contribute to recycling success but usually lacks a comparative perspective across cases. In this study, 25 water utilities in New South Wales, Australia, were compared using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). This research method applies binary logic and set theory to identify the minimal combinations of conditions that are necessary and/or sufficient for an outcome to occur within the set of cases analyzed. The influence of six factors (rainfall, population density, coastal or inland location, proximity to users; cost recovery and revenue for water supply services) was examined for two outcomes, agricultural use and "heavy" (i.e., commercial/municipal/industrial) use. Each outcome was explained by two different pathways, illustrating that different combinations of conditions are associated with the same outcome. Generally, while economic factors are crucial for heavy use, factors relating to water stress and geographical proximity matter most for agricultural reuse. These results suggest that policies to promote wastewater reuse may be most effective if they target uses that are most feasible for utilities and correspond to the local context. This work also makes a methodological contribution through illustrating the potential utility of fsQCA for understanding the complex drivers of performance in water recycling.

Process design, supply chain, economic and environmental analysis for chemical production in a glycerol biorefinery: Towards the sustainable design of biorefineries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loureiro da Costa Lira Gargalo, Carina

are developed, where uncertainty and sensitivity analysis play a significant role. Nevertheless, in order to further advance the development and implementation of glyc-erol based biorefinery concepts, it is critical to analyze the glycerol conversion into high value-added products in a holistic manner......, considering both production as well as the logistics aspects related to the supply chain structure. Therefore, the boundaries of anal-ysis were extended to include all activities and operations involved in the glycerol-based biorefinery to bioproducts supply chain. To this end, the GlyThink model is proposed...... so as to identify operational decisions - including locations, capacity levels, technologies and product portfolio, as well as strategic decisions such as inventory levels, production amounts and transportation to the final markets. GlyThink is a multi-period, multi-stage and multi-product Mixed...

Recycled Water Reuse Permit Renewal Application for the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, Mike [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2014-09-01

This renewal application for a Recycled Water Reuse Permit is being submitted in accordance with the Idaho Administrative Procedures Act 58.01.17 “Recycled Water Rules” and the Municipal Wastewater Reuse Permit LA-000141-03 for continuing the operation of the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant located at the Idaho National Laboratory. The permit expires March 16, 2015. The permit requires a renewal application to be submitted six months prior to the expiration date of the existing permit. For the Central Facilities Area Sewage Treatment Plant, the renewal application must be submitted by September 16, 2014. The information in this application is consistent with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s Guidance for Reclamation and Reuse of Municipal and Industrial Wastewater and discussions with Idaho Department of Environmental Quality personnel.

Swedish Pulp Mill Biorefineries. A vision of future possibilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berntsson, Thore (Chamers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden)); Axegaard, Peter; Backlund, Birgit; Samuelsson, Aasa; Berglin, Niklas; Lindgren, Karin (STFI-Packforsk, Stockholm (Sweden))

2008-07-01

Today, modern science could make it possible to develop techniques for refining almost the whole wood-matter, pulp mill side streams and bark compounds into platform chemicals, electricity, high quality fuels and structured feed-stock for chemicals and materials. The major challenge is to convert the state of basic scientific knowledge into industrial practise. Our definition of an integrated biorefinery is: 'Full utilization of the incoming biomass and other raw materials for simultaneous and economically optimized production of fibres, chemicals and energy'. Examples of products from a pulp mill biorefinery are: Chemicals and Materials (Phenols, adhesives, carbon fibres, activated carbon, binders, barriers, adhesives, antioxidants, surfactants, chelants, solvents, adhesives surfactants, descaling agents, specialty polymers, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics etc., Biofuels (pellets, lignin fuel, methanol, DME, ethanol etc), Electricity (BLGCC, condensing power etc.). The new or increased amounts of traditional products can be made from internal and/or external biomass. Three different levels can be identified: A high degree of energy saving in future mills, especially chemical pulp mills, will lead to large amounts of excess internal biomass which can be transferred to products mentioned above, Components in e.g. the black liquor, forest residues and bark can be upgraded to more valuable ones and the energy balance of the mill is kept through fuel import, wholly or partly depending on the level of mill energy efficiency. This imported fuel can be biomass or other types. External (imported) biomass (in some cases together with excess internal biomass) can be upgraded using synergy effects of docking this upgrading to a pulp mill. Electricity has been included as one of the possible biorefinery products. The electricity production in a mill can be increased in several ways which cannot be directly considered as biorefineries, e.g. recovery boiler

Study of the radiotoxicity of actinides recycling in boiling water reactors fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francois, J.L.; Guzman, J.R.; Martin-del-Campo, C.

2009-01-01

In this paper the production and destruction, as well as the radiotoxicity of plutonium and minor actinides (MA) obtained from the multi-recycling of boiling water reactors (BWR) fuel are analyzed. A BWR MOX fuel assembly, with uranium (from enrichment tails), plutonium and minor actinides is designed and studied using the HELIOS code. The actinides mass and the radiotoxicity of the spent fuel are compared with those of the once-through or direct cycle. Other type of fuel assembly is also analyzed: an assembly with enriched uranium and minor actinides; without plutonium. For this study, the fuel remains in the reactor for four cycles, where each cycle is 18 months length, with a discharge burnup of 48 MWd/kg. After this time, the fuel is placed in the spent fuel pool to be cooled during 5 years. Afterwards, the fuel is recycled for the next fuel cycle; 2 years are considered for recycle and fuel fabrication. Two recycles are taken into account in this study. Regarding radiotoxicity, results show that in the period from the spent fuel discharge until 1000 years, the highest reduction in the radiotoxicity related to the direct cycle is obtained with a fuel composed of MA and enriched uranium. However, in the period after few thousands of years, the lowest radiotoxicity is obtained using the fuel with plutonium and MA. The reduction in the radiotoxicity of the spent fuel after one or two recycling in a BWR is however very small for the studied MOX assemblies, reaching a maximum reduction factor of 2.

Sustainability considerations for integrated biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Azapagic, Adisa

2014-01-01

Integrated biorefineries have the potential to contribute towards sustainable production of transportation fuels, energy, and chemicals. However, because there are currently no commercial biorefining plants in operation, it is not clear how sustainable they really are. This paper sets out to examine key issues associated with biorefining that should be considered carefully along the whole supply chain to ensure sustainable development of the sector. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Final generic environmental statement on the use of recycle plutonium in mixed oxide fuel in light water cooled reactors. Volume 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-08-01

An assessment is presented of the health, safety and environmental effects of the entire light water reactor fuel cycle, considering the comparative effects of three major alternatives: no recycle, recycle of uranium only, and recycle of both uranium and plutonium. The assessment covers the period from 1975 through the year 2000 and includes the cumulative effects for the entire period as well as projections for specific years. Topics discussed include: the light water reactor with plutonium recycle; mixed oxide fuel fabrication; reprocessing plant operations; supporting uranium fuel cycle; transportation of radioactive materials; radioactive waste management; storage of plutonium; radiological health assessment; extended spent fuel storage; and blending of plutonium and uranium at reprocessing plants

Biorefinery: from biomass to chemicals and fuels

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Aresta, M; Dibenedetto, Angela; Dumeignil, Franck

2012-01-01

... to end-user requirements) of advanced biorefineries. This concept attempts to integrate the different scientific and industrial communities with the expectation to achieve a breakthrough beyond the "business as usual" scenario. DG Research has been frequently requested to work in closer coordination between its different Themes in order to better answer ...

Nuclear recycling: costs, savings, and safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spinrad, B.I.

1985-01-01

This chapter discusses the economics, physical and chemical processes, and safety of nuclear fuel recycling. The spent fuel must be chemically reprocessed in order to recover uranium and plutonium. Topics considered include indifference costs, recycling in light water reactors (LWRs), plutonium in fast reactors, the choice between recycling and storage, safeguards, and weapons proliferation. It is shown that the economics of recycling nuclear fuel involves the actual costs and savings of the recycling operation in terms of money spent, made, and saved, and the impact of the recycling on the future cost of uranium

In vitro bioassays to evaluate complex chemical mixtures in recycled water.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Ai; Escher, Beate I; Leusch, Frederic D L; Tang, Janet Y M; Prochazka, Erik; Dong, Bingfeng; Snyder, Erin M; Snyder, Shane A

2015-09-01

With burgeoning population and diminishing availability of freshwater resources, the world continues to expand the use of alternative water resources for drinking, and the quality of these sources has been a great concern for the public as well as public health professionals. In vitro bioassays are increasingly being used to enable rapid, relatively inexpensive toxicity screening that can be used in conjunction with analytical chemistry data to evaluate water quality and the effectiveness of water treatment. In this study, a comprehensive bioassay battery consisting of 36 bioassays covering 18 biological endpoints was applied to screen the bioactivity of waters of varying qualities with parallel treatments. Samples include wastewater effluent, ultraviolet light (UV) and/or ozone advanced oxidation processed (AOP) recycled water, and infiltrated recycled groundwater. Based on assay sensitivity and detection frequency in the samples, several endpoints were highlighted in the battery, including assays for genotoxicity, mutagenicity, estrogenic activity, glucocorticoid activity, arylhydrocarbon receptor activity, oxidative stress response, and cytotoxicity. Attenuation of bioactivity was found to be dependent on the treatment process and bioassay endpoint. For instance, ozone technology significantly removed oxidative stress activity, while UV based technologies were most efficient for the attenuation of glucocorticoid activity. Chlorination partially attenuated genotoxicity and greatly decreased herbicidal activity, while groundwater infiltration efficiently attenuated most of the evaluated bioactivity with the exception of genotoxicity. In some cases, bioactivity (e.g., mutagenicity, genotoxicity, and arylhydrocarbon receptor) increased following water treatment, indicating that transformation products of water treatment may be a concern. Furthermore, several types of bioassays with the same endpoint were compared in this study, which could help guide the selection

Assessment of a novel alder biorefinery concept to meet demands of economic feasibility, energy production and long term environmental sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Tobias; Ahrenfeldt, Jesper; Thomsen, Sune Tjalfe

2013-01-01

A biorefinery concept based on alder tree plantations on degenerated soil is developed to comply with indicators of economic feasibility, fossil fuel depletion concerns, and long term sustainability issues. The potential performance of feedstock and biorefinery has been assessed through a literat......A biorefinery concept based on alder tree plantations on degenerated soil is developed to comply with indicators of economic feasibility, fossil fuel depletion concerns, and long term sustainability issues. The potential performance of feedstock and biorefinery has been assessed through...... degenerated soils. Integrating a biomass handling system, an LTCFB gasifier, a diarylheptanoids production chain, an anaerobic digestion facility, a slow pyrolysis unit, gas upgrading and various system integration units, the biorefinery could obtain the following production characteristics accounted...

Decontamination and recycle of zirconium pressure tubes from Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gantayet, L.M.; Verma, R.; Remya Devi, P.S.; Banerjee, S.; Kotak, V.; Raha, A.; Sandeep, K.C.; Joshi, Shreeram W.; Lali, A.M.

2009-01-01

An ion exchange process has been developed for decontamination of zirconium pressure tubes from Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor and recycling of neutronically improved zirconium. Distribution coefficient, equilibrium isotherm, kinetic and breakthrough data were used to develop the separation process. Effect of gamma radiation on indigenous resins was also studied to assess their suitability in high radiation field. (author)

Nitrogen removal on recycling water process of wastewater treatment plant effluent using subsurface horizontal wetland with continuous feed

Science.gov (United States)

Tazkiaturrizki, T.; Soewondo, P.; Handajani, M.

2018-01-01

Recycling water is a generic term for water reclamation and reuse to solve the scarcity of water. Constructed wetlands have been recognized as providing many benefits for wastewater treatment including water supply and control by recycling water. This research aims to find the best condition to significantly remove nitrogen using constructed wetland for recycling water of Bojongsoang Waste Water Treatment Plan (WWTP) effluent. Using media of soil, sand, gravel, and vegetation (Typha latifolia and Scirpus grossus) with an aeration system, BOD and COD parameters have been remarkably reduced. On the contrary, the removal efficiency for nitrogen is only between 50-60%. Modifications were then conducted by three step of treatment, i.e., Step I is to remove BOD/COD using Typha latifolia with an aeration system, Step II is todecrease nitrogen using Scirpus grossus with/without aeration, and Step III isto complete the nitrogen removal with denitrification process by Glycine max without aeration. Results of the research show that the nitrogen removal has been successfully increased to a high efficiency between 80-99%. The combination of aeration system and vegetation greatly affects the nitrogen removal. The vegetation acts as the organic nitrogen consumer (plant uptake) for amino acids, nitrate, and ammonium as nutrition, as well as theoxygen supplier to the roots so that aerobic microsites are formed for ammonification microorganisms.

The use of a neutron backscatter technique for in-situ water measurement in paper-recycling industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasan, Norpaiza Mohamad; Zain, Rasif Mohd; Abdul Rahman, Mohd Fitri; Mustapha, Ismail

2009-01-01

A bulk of used paper supplied to recycling industry may contain water in their internal voids. This is because the price of the used paper is currently based on their weight and it has a huge potential of suppliers to add with water in order to increase the price. Currently used methods for detecting moisture content in a paper are restricted to a sheet of paper only. This paper presents a non-intrusive method for quick and in-situ measurement of water content in a bulk of used paper. The proposed method extends the capability of common paper moisture gauge, by using a neutron device. A fast neutron source (Am-Be 241) and a portable backscattering neutron detector are used for water measurement. It theoretically indicates that the slow neutron counts can be correlated to the hydrogen or water level in a paper. The method has the potential of being used by the paper-recycling industry for rapid and non-destructive measurement of water in a bulk of used paper.

Multi-criteria analysis towards the new end use of recycled water for household laundry: a case study in Sydney.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Z; Ngo, H H; Guo, W S; Listowski, A; O'Halloran, K; Thompson, M; Muthukaruppan, M

2012-11-01

This paper aims to put forward several management alternatives regarding the application of recycled water for household laundry in Sydney. Based on different recycled water treatment techniques such as microfiltration (MF), granular activated carbon (GAC) or reverse osmosis (RO), and types of washing machines (WMs), five alternatives were proposed as follows: (1) do nothing scenario; (2) MF+existing WMs; (3) MF+new WMs; (4) MF-GAC+existing WMs; and (5) MF-RO+existing WMs. Accordingly, a comprehensive quantitative assessment on the trade-off among a variety of issues (e.g., engineering feasibility, initial cost, energy consumption, supply flexibility and water savings) was performed over the alternatives. This was achieved by a computer-based multi-criteria analysis (MCA) using the rank order weight generation together with preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE) outranking techniques. Particularly, the generated 10,000 combinations of weights via Monte Carlo simulation were able to significantly reduce the man-made errors of single fixed set of weights because of its objectivity and high efficiency. To illustrate the methodology, a case study on Rouse Hill Development Area (RHDA), Sydney, Australia was carried out afterwards. The study was concluded by highlighting the feasibility of using highly treated recycled water for existing and new washing machines. This could provide a powerful guidance for sustainable water reuse management in the long term. However, more detailed field trials and investigations are still needed to effectively understand, predict and manage the impact of selected recycled water for new end use alternatives. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bacterial community and groundwater quality changes in an anaerobic aquifer during groundwater recharge with aerobic recycled water.

Science.gov (United States)

Ginige, Maneesha P; Kaksonen, Anna H; Morris, Christina; Shackelton, Mark; Patterson, Bradley M

2013-09-01

Managed aquifer recharge offers the opportunity to manage groundwater resources by storing water in aquifers when in surplus and thus increase the amount of groundwater available for abstraction during high demand. The Water Corporation of Western Australia (WA) is undertaking a Groundwater Replenishment Trial to evaluate the effects of recharging aerobic recycled water (secondary treated wastewater subjected to ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection) into the anaerobic Leederville aquifer in Perth, WA. Using culture-independent methods, this study showed the presence of Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacilli, Betaproteobacteria, Cytophaga, Flavobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Sphingobacteria, and a decrease in microbial diversity with an increase in depth of aquifer. Assessment of physico-chemical and microbiological properties of groundwater before and after recharge revealed that recharging the aquifer with aerobic recycled water resulted in elevated redox potentials in the aquifer and increased bacterial numbers, but reduced microbial diversity. The increase in bacterial numbers and reduced microbial diversity in groundwater could be a reflection of an increased denitrifier and sulfur-oxidizing populations in the aquifer, as a result of the increased availability of nitrate, oxygen, and residual organic matter. This is consistent with the geochemical data that showed pyrite oxidation and denitrification within the aquifer after recycled water recharge commenced. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of CAPEC Lipid Property Databases in the Synthesis and Design of Biorefinery Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bertran, Maria-Ona; Cunico, Larissa; Gani, Rafiqul

Petroleum is currently the primary raw material for the production of fuels and chemicals. Consequently, our society is highly dependent on fossil non-renewable resources. However, renewable raw materials are recently receiving increasing interest for the production of chemicals and fuels, so a n...... of biorefinery networks. The objective of this work is to show the application of databases of physical and thermodynamic properties of lipid components to the synthesis and design of biorefinery networks.......]. The wide variety and complex nature of components in biorefineries poses a challenge with respect to the synthesis and design of these types of processes. Whereas physical and thermodynamic property data or models for petroleum-based processes are widely available, most data and models for biobased...

The importance of recycling - Responsible recycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svensson, Joens Petter

2014-01-01

7 times the total emissions from Sweden are saved each year by the recycling industry. It reduces CO 2 emissions and saves the environment. In fact it annually reduces global CO 2 emissions by 500 million tons, which is more than what is being emitted by the world wide aviation industry. Recycling of iron and steel saves 74% energy and reduces water and air pollution by respectively 76% and 86%, compared to primary production. It provides new raw materials and contributes to save energy. There's no sense in producing goods in a permanent material like plastics, that's supposed to be used only once. It's a huge waste of resources. Today the recycling industry provides half of the world's raw materials and this figure is set to increase. It's about environmentally sound management of resources. It's about plain common sense. There has to be a political willingness to facilitate recycling in every way. And from a corporate perspective social responsibility is becoming an increasingly important competitive edge. This is also a communication issue, it has to be a fact that is well known to the market when a company is doing valuable environmental work. We also need a well functioning global market with easy to understand regulations to facilitate global trade. The global demand for recycled materials should influence their collection and use. Fraud and theft has also to be kept at bay which calls for a close collaboration between organizations such as The International Chamber of Commerce, The International Trade Council and the International Maritime Bureau of the commercial crime services. Increasing recycling is the only way to go if we want to minimize our effect on the environment. We have to remember that recycling is essential for the environment. An increase would be a tremendous help to reduce the green house effect. Increasing recycling is not rocket science. We know how to do it, we just have to decide to go through with it

Operations improvement of the recycling water-cooling systems of sugar mills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shcherbakov Vladimir Ivanovich

Full Text Available Water management in sugar factories doesn’t have analogues in its complexity among food industry enterprises. Water intensity of sugar production is very high. Circulation water, condensed water, pulp press water and others are used in technological processes. Water plays the main role in physical, chemical, thermotechnical processes of beet processing and sugar production. As a consequence of accession of Russia to the WTO the technical requirements for production processes are changing. The enforcements of ecological services to balance scheme of water consumption and water disposal increased. The reduction of fresh water expenditure is one of the main tasks in economy of sugar industry. The substantial role in fresh water expenditure is played by efficiency of cooling and aeration processes of conditionally clean waters of the 1st category. The article contains an observation of the technologies of the available solutions and recommendations for improving and upgrading the existing recycling water-cooling systems of sugar mills. The authors present the block diagram of the water sector of a sugar mill and a method of calculating the optimal constructive and technological parameters of cooling devices. Water cooling towers enhanced design and upgrades are offered.

Advanced concept of reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR) for plutonium multiple recycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okubo, T.; Iwamura, T.; Takeda, R.; Yamamoto, K.; Okada, H.

2001-01-01

An advanced water-cooled reactor concept named the Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) has been proposed to attain a high conversion ratio more than 1.0 and to achieve the negative void reactivity coefficient. At present, several types of design concepts satisfying both the design targets have been proposed based on the evaluation for the fuel without fission products and minor actinides. In this paper, the feasibility of the RMWR core is investigated for the plutonium multiple recycling under advanced reprocessing schemes with low decontamination factors as proposed for the FBR fuel cycle. (author)

Catalysis for biorefineries-performance criteria for industrial operation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lange, Jean Paul

2016-01-01

Past analyses of industrial processes for fuel and chemical manufacturing led to a few performance criteria that are critical for viable industrial operation. The present paper reviews these factors and provides a target window for each of them. It then illustrates their relevance for biorefineries

Optimal design of a multi-product biorefinery system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zondervan, E.; Nawaz, Mehboob; de Haan, André B.

2011-01-01

In this paper we propose a biorefinery optimization model that can be used to find the optimal processing route for the production of ethanol, butanol, succinic acid and blends of these chemicals with fossil fuel based gasoline. The approach unites transshipment models with a superstructure...

Towards Drylands Biorefineries: Valorisation of Forage Opuntia for the Production of Edible Coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alba Iris Nájera-García

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Species of the genus Opuntia may be a well-suited feedstock for biorefineries located in drylands, where biomass is scarcer than in humid or temperate regions. This plant has numerous uses in Mexico and Central America, and its mucilage is a specialty material with many promising applications. We extracted the mucilage from a forage species, O. heliabravoana Scheinvar, and mixed it with a thermoplastic starch to produce an edible coating. The coating was applied to blackberries, which were then evaluated in terms of several physicochemical and microbiological variables. During a 10-day evaluation period, the physicochemical variables measured in the coated fruits were not significantly different from those of the control group. However, the microbiological load of the coated fruits was significantly lower than that of the uncoated fruits, which was attributed to a decreased water activity under the edible coating. Multivariate analysis of the physicochemical and microbial variables indicated that the storage time negatively affected the weight and size of the coated and uncoated blackberries. Although some sensory attributes have yet to be optimised, our results support the use of the mucilage of forage Opuntia for the formation of edible coatings, as well as their valorisation through a biorefinery approach.

Techno-economic risk analysis of glycerol biorefinery concepts against market price fluctuation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gargalo, Carina L.; Cheali, Peam; Gernaey, Krist

. The high-value added bio-products boost profitability, the high-volume fuel helps meet national energy targets, and the power production cuts costs and dodges greenhouse-gas emissions [1] [2] [3]. The increasing amount of biodiesel production worldwide (e.g. from vegetable oils, palm oil, animal fats......) and the associated economic risks against historical market fluctuations when assessing the economics of competing glycerol biorefinery concepts. The aim is to compare the fitness/survival of the biorefinery concepts under extreme market disturbances. To perform this analysis, we used a superstructure based...

Copper on Chitosan: A Recyclable Heterogeneous Catalyst for Azide-alkyne Cycloaddition Reactions in Water

Science.gov (United States)

Copper sulfate is immobilized over chitosan by simply stirring an aqueous suspension of chitosan in water with copper sulfate; the ensuing catalyst has been utilized for the azide-alkyne cycloaddition in aqueous media and it can be recycled and reused many time without loosing it...

Food waste biorefinery: Sustainable strategy for circular bioeconomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahiya, Shikha; Kumar, A Naresh; Shanthi Sravan, J; Chatterjee, Sulogna; Sarkar, Omprakash; Mohan, S Venkata

2018-01-01

Enormous quantity of food waste (FW) is becoming a global concern. To address this persistent problem, sustainable interventions with green technologies are essential. FW can be used as potential feedstock in biological processes for the generation of various biobased products along with its remediation. Enabling bioprocesses like acidogenesis, fermentation, methanogenesis, solventogenesis, photosynthesis, oleaginous process, bio-electrogenesis, etc., that yields various products like biofuels, platform chemicals, bioelectricity, biomaterial, biofertilizers, animal feed, etc can be utilized for FW valorisation. Integrating these bioprocesses further enhances the process efficiency and resource recovery sustainably. Adapting biorefinery strategy with integrated approach can lead to the development of circular bioeconomy. The present review highlights the various enabling bioprocesses that can be employed for the generation of energy and various commodity chemicals in an integrated approach addressing sustainability. The waste biorefinery approach for FW needs optimization of the cascade of the individual bioprocesses for the transformation of linear economy to circular bioeconomy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The biorefinery concept: Using biomass instead of oil for producing energy and chemicals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherubini, Francesco

2010-01-01

A great fraction of worldwide energy carriers and material products come from fossil fuel refinery. Because of the on-going price increase of fossil resources, their uncertain availability, and their environmental concerns, the feasibility of oil exploitation is predicted to decrease in the near future. Therefore, alternative solutions able to mitigate climate change and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels should be promoted. The replacement of oil with biomass as raw material for fuel and chemical production is an interesting option and is the driving force for the development of biorefinery complexes. In biorefinery, almost all the types of biomass feedstocks can be converted to different classes of biofuels and biochemicals through jointly applied conversion technologies. This paper provides a description of the emerging biorefinery concept, in comparison with the current oil refinery. The focus is on the state of the art in biofuel and biochemical production, as well as discussion of the most important biomass feedstocks, conversion technologies and final products. Through the integration of green chemistry into biorefineries, and the use of low environmental impact technologies, future sustainable production chains of biofuels and high value chemicals from biomass can be established. The aim of this bio-industry is to be competitive in the market and lead to the progressive replacement of oil refinery products. (author)

Towards lactic acid bacteria-based biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzoli, Roberto; Bosco, Francesca; Mizrahi, Itzhak; Bayer, Edward A; Pessione, Enrica

2014-11-15

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have long been used in industrial applications mainly as starters for food fermentation or as biocontrol agents or as probiotics. However, LAB possess several characteristics that render them among the most promising candidates for use in future biorefineries in converting plant-derived biomass-either from dedicated crops or from municipal/industrial solid wastes-into biofuels and high value-added products. Lactic acid, their main fermentation product, is an attractive building block extensively used by the chemical industry, owing to the potential for production of polylactides as biodegradable and biocompatible plastic alternative to polymers derived from petrochemicals. LA is but one of many high-value compounds which can be produced by LAB fermentation, which also include biofuels such as ethanol and butanol, biodegradable plastic polymers, exopolysaccharides, antimicrobial agents, health-promoting substances and nutraceuticals. Furthermore, several LAB strains have ascertained probiotic properties, and their biomass can be considered a high-value product. The present contribution aims to provide an extensive overview of the main industrial applications of LAB and future perspectives concerning their utilization in biorefineries. Strategies will be described in detail for developing LAB strains with broader substrate metabolic capacity for fermentation of cheaper biomass. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing the environmental sustainability of ethanol from integrated biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Falano, Temitope; Jeswani, Harish K; Azapagic, Adisa

2014-06-01

This paper considers the life cycle environmental sustainability of ethanol produced in integrated biorefineries together with chemicals and energy. Four types of second-generation feedstocks are considered: wheat straw, forest residue, poplar, and miscanthus. Seven out of 11 environmental impacts from ethanol are negative, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, when the system is credited for the co-products, indicating environmental savings. Ethanol from poplar is the best and straw the worst option for most impacts. Land use change from forest to miscanthus increases the GHG emissions several-fold. For poplar, the effect is opposite: converting grassland to forest reduces the emissions by three-fold. Compared to fossil and first-generation ethanol, ethanol from integrated biorefineries is more sustainable for most impacts, with the exception of wheat straw. Pure ethanol saves up to 87% of GHG emissions compared to petrol per MJ of fuel. However, for the current 5% ethanol-petrol blends, the savings are much smaller (biorefineries to the reduction of GHG emissions will be insignificant. Yet, higher ethanol blends would lead to an increase in some impacts, notably terrestrial and freshwater toxicity as well as eutrophication for some feedstocks. © 2014 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Decomposition of colored wastewater for recycling water by gamma-ray irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanabe, Hiroko; Sekiguchi, Masayuki; Sawai, Teruko

1995-01-01

Utilization of advanced treated water from wastewater treatment plants for the restoration of waterway is in progress to improve the waterside environment. However, the colored wastewater containing molasses pigments, melanoidins, is not decolorized by activated sludge process, and the water can not be applied for recycling water. We have studied the radiation treatment for decolorization of wastewater discharged from baker's yeast factory. The decolorization after decomposition of colored biorefractory organic substances in wastewater, enhancement in biodegradability and effective decrease in values of COD were observed after gammaray irradiation. Although the decrease in values of COD was observed, however chromaticity was not improved after the combined treatment of wastewater by radiation together with activated sludge. The result suggests that it is necessary to find the optimum conditions for stimulation of sludge in the combined treatment. (author)

Contamination by perfluorinated compounds in water near waste recycling and disposal sites in Vietnam.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Joon-Woo; Tue, Nguyen Minh; Isobe, Tomohiko; Misaki, Kentaro; Takahashi, Shin; Viet, Pham Hung; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2013-04-01

There are very few reports on the contamination by perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in the environment of developing countries, especially regarding their emission from waste recycling and disposal sites. This is the first study on the occurrence of a wide range of PFCs (17 compounds) in ambient water in Vietnam, including samples collected from a municipal dumping site (MD), an e-waste recycling site (ER), a battery recycling site (BR) and a rural control site. The highest PFC concentration was found in a leachate sample from MD (360 ng/L). The PFC concentrations in ER and BR (mean, 57 and 16 ng/L, respectively) were also significantly higher than those detected in the rural control site (mean, 9.4 ng/L), suggesting that municipal solid waste and waste electrical and electronic equipment are potential contamination sources of PFCs in Vietnam. In general, the most abundant PFCs were perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUDA; waste materials.

Concrete produced with recycled aggregates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. J. L. Tenório

Full Text Available This paper presents the analysis of the mechanical and durable properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC for using in concrete. The porosity of recycled coarse aggregates is known to influence the fresh and hardened concrete properties and these properties are related to the specific mass of the recycled coarse aggregates, which directly influences the mechanical properties of the concrete. The recycled aggregates were obtained from construction and demolition wastes (CDW, which were divided into recycled sand (fine and coarse aggregates. Besides this, a recycled coarse aggregate of a specific mass with a greater density was obtained by mixing the recycled aggregates of the CDW with the recycled aggregates of concrete wastes (CW. The concrete was produced in laboratory by combining three water-cement ratios, the ratios were used in agreement with NBR 6118 for structural concretes, with each recycled coarse aggregates and recycled sand or river sand, and the reference concrete was produced with natural aggregates. It was observed that recycled aggregates can be used in concrete with properties for structural concrete. In general, the use of recycled coarse aggregate in combination with recycled sand did not provide good results; but when the less porous was used, or the recycled coarse aggregate of a specific mass with a greater density, the properties of the concrete showed better results. Some RAC reached bigger strengths than the reference concrete.

Development of the Technologies for Stabilization Treatment of the Water of the Recycling Cooling Systems at Thermal Power Plants

Science.gov (United States)

Vlasov, S. M.; Chichirova, N. D.; Chichirov, A. A.; Vlasova, A. Yu.; Filimonova, A. A.; Prosvirnina, D. V.

2018-02-01

A turbine-condensate cooling system is one of the less stable and most hard-to-control systems of maintaining optimal water chemistry. A laboratory recycling cooling water test facility, UVO-0.3, was developed for physical simulation of innovative zero-discharge water chemistry conditions and improvement of technological flowcharts of stabilization treatment of the initial and circulating water of the recycling cooling systems at thermal power plants. Experiments were conducted in the UVO-0.3 facility to investigate the processes that occur in the recycling water supply system and master new technologies of stabilization of the initial and circulating water. It is shown that, when using untreated initial water, scaling cannot be prevented even under low concentration levels. The main reason for the activation of scale depositing is the desorption of carbon dioxide that results in alkalization of the circulating water and, as a consequence, a displacement of the chemical reaction equilibrium towards the formation of slightly soluble hardness ions. Some techniques, viz., liming and alkalization of the initial water and the by-pass treatment of the circulating water, are considered. New engineering solutions have been developed for reducing the amount of scale-forming substances in the initial and circulating water. The best results were obtained by pretreating the initial water with alkalizing agents and simultaneously bypassing and treating part of the circulating water. The obtained experimental data underlie the process flowcharts of stabilization treatment of the initial and circulating TPP water that ensure scale-free and noncorrosive operation and meet the corresponding environmental requirements. Under the bypassing, the specific rates of the agents and the residual hardness are reduced compared with the conventional pretreatment.

Four decades of water recycling in Atlantis (Western Cape, South Africa): Past, present and future

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Bugan, Richard DH

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The primary aquifer at Atlantis (Western Cape, South Africa) is ideally suited for water supply and the indirect recycling of urban stormwater runoff and treated domestic wastewater for potable purposes. The relatively thin, sloping aquifer requires...

Techno-economic comparison of centralized versus decentralized biorefineries for two alkaline pretreatment processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Stoklosa, Ryan J; Del Pilar Orjuela, Andrea; da Costa Sousa, Leonardo; Uppugundla, Nirmal; Williams, Daniel L; Dale, Bruce E; Hodge, David B; Balan, Venkatesh

2017-02-01

In this work, corn stover subjected to ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX™) 1 pretreatment or alkaline pre-extraction followed by hydrogen peroxide post-treatment (AHP pretreatment) were compared for their enzymatic hydrolysis yields over a range of solids loadings, enzymes loadings, and enzyme combinations. Process techno-economic models were compared for cellulosic ethanol production for a biorefinery that handles 2000tons per day of corn stover employing a centralized biorefinery approach with AHP or a de-centralized AFEX pretreatment followed by biomass densification feeding a centralized biorefinery. A techno-economic analysis (TEA) of these scenarios shows that the AFEX process resulted in the highest capital investment but also has the lowest minimum ethanol selling price (MESP) at $2.09/gal, primarily due to good energy integration and an efficient ammonia recovery system. The economics of AHP could be made more competitive if oxidant loadings were reduced and the alkali and sugar losses were also decreased. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Upgrading of lignocellulosic biorefinery to value-added chemicals: Sustainability and economics of bioethanol-derivatives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheali, Peam; Posada, John A.; Gernaey, Krist

2015-01-01

with a sustainability assessment method is used as evaluation tool. First, an existing superstructure representing the lignocellulosic biorefinery design network is extended to include the options for catalytic conversion of bioethanol to value-added derivatives. Second, the optimization problem for process upgrade...... of operating profit for biorefineries producing bioethanol-derived chemicals (247 MM$/a and 241 MM$/a for diethyl ether and 1,3-butadiene, respectively). Second, the optimal designs for upgrading bioethanol (i.e. production of 1,3-butadiene and diethyl ether) performed also better with respect...... to sustainability compared with the petroleum-based processes. In both cases, the effects of the market price uncertainties were also analyzed by performing quantitative economic risk analysis and presented a significant risk of investment for a lignocellulosic biorefinery (12 MM$/a and 92 MM$/a for diethyl ether...

Carbon dioxide utilization in a microalga-based biorefinery: Efficiency of carbon removal and economic performance under carbon taxation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiesberg, Igor Lapenda; Brigagão, George Victor; de Medeiros, José Luiz; de Queiroz Fernandes Araújo, Ofélia

2017-12-01

Coal-fired power plants are major stationary sources of carbon dioxide and environmental constraints demand technologies for abatement. Although Carbon Capture and Storage is the most mature route, it poses severe economic penalty to power generation. Alternatively, this penalty is potentially reduced by Carbon Capture and Utilization, which converts carbon dioxide to valuable products, monetizing it. This work evaluates a route consisting of carbon dioxide bio-capture by Chlorella pyrenoidosa and use of the resulting biomass as feedstock to a microalgae-based biorefinery; Carbon Capture and Storage route is evaluated as a reference technology. The integrated arrangement comprises: (a) carbon dioxide biocapture in a photobioreactor, (b) oil extraction from part of the produced biomass, (b) gasification of remaining biomass to obtain bio-syngas, and (c) conversion of bio-syngas to methanol. Calculation of capital and operational expenditures are estimated based on mass and energy balances obtained by process simulation for both routes (Carbon Capture and Storage and the biorefinery). Capital expenditure for the biorefinery is higher by a factor of 6.7, while operational expenditure is lower by a factor of 0.45 and revenues occur only for this route, with a ratio revenue/operational expenditure of 1.6. The photobioreactor is responsible for one fifth of the biorefinery capital expenditure, with footprint of about 1000 ha, posing the most significant barrier for technical and economic feasibility of the proposed biorefinery. The Biorefinery and Carbon Capture and Storage routes show carbon dioxide capture efficiency of 73% and 48%, respectively, with capture cost of 139$/t and 304$/t. Additionally, the biorefinery has superior performance in all evaluated metrics of environmental impacts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recyclable zein-coated kraft paper and linerboard

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholas Parris; Marguerite Sykes; Leland C. Dickey; Jack L. Wiles; Thomas J. Urbanik; Peter H. Cooke

2002-01-01

Recyclability of kraft paper and linerboard coated with commercial zein and paraffin wax or a zein-lipid mixture was evaluated using conventional recycling processes. Zein, an alcohol-soluble protein from corn, exhibits both grease and water vapor barrier properties. Strength properties, grease resistance, and water vapor barrier proper-ties were measured on handsheets...

System visualization of integrated biofuels and high value chemicals developed within the MacroAlgaeBiorefinery (MAB3) project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seghetta, Michele; Hasler, Berit; Bastianoni, Simone

MacroAlgaeBiorefinery (MAB3) may functions as production platform and raw material supplier for future sustainable production chains of biofuels and high value chemicals. Biofuels are interesting energy source but challenges in terms of the composition of the biomass and resulting energy...... efficiencies has to be compensated for to make the biofuel prices competitive in replacing fossil fuel. Since it is difficult to increase the yield of the single biorefinery, the overall system productivity can be improved integrating different sub-systems. In this study, macroalgae cultivation in Denmark...... is integrated with a biogas biorefinery, a bioethanol biorefinery and a fish feed industry. The modeled system is able to adapt itself to different amount and quality of feedstock and to maximize valuable outputs (e.g. bio-fuels and chemical). Macroalgae are harvested and utilized as feedstock in bioethanol...

Algal biorefinery-based industry: an approach to address fuel and food insecurity for a carbon-smart world.

Science.gov (United States)

Subhadra, Bobban

2011-01-15

Food and fuel production are intricately interconnected. In a carbon-smart society, it is imperative to produce both food and fuel sustainably. Integration of the emerging biorefinery concept with other industries can bring many environmental deliverables while mitigating several sustainability-related issues with respect to greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel usage, land use change for fuel production and future food insufficiency. A new biorefinery-based integrated industrial ecology encompasses the different value chain of products, coproducts, and services from the biorefinery industries. This paper discusses a framework to integrate the algal biofuel-based biorefinery, a booming biofuel sector, with other industries such as livestock, lignocellulosic and aquaculture. Using the USA as an example, this paper also illustrates the benefits associated with sustainable production of fuel and food. Policy and regulatory initiatives for synergistic development of the algal biofuel sector with other industries can bring many sustainable solutions for the future existence of mankind. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

Final generic environmental statement on the use of recycle plutonium in mixed oxide fuel in light water cooled reactors. Volume 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-08-01

This environmental statement assesses the impacts of the implementation of plutonium recycle in the LWR industry. It is based on assumptions that are intended to reflect conservatively an acceptable level of the application of current technology. It is not intended to be a representation of the ''as low as reasonably achievable'' (ALARA) philosophy. This generic environmental statement discusses the anticipated effects of recycling plutonium in light water nuclear power reactors. It is based on about 30 years of experience with the element in the context of a projected light water nuclear power industry that is already substantial. A background perspective on plutonium, its safety, and its recycling as a reactor fuel is presented

Sugar beet leaves: from biorefinery to techno-functionality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiskini, Alexandra

2017-01-01

Sugar beet leaves (SBL), which are a side stream of the sugar beets cultivation, are currently left unexploited after sugar beets have been harvested. The general aim of this thesis was to study the biorefinery of SBL, with a special focus on the isolation of proteins. To reach this aim the

Energy and environmental analysis of a rapeseed biorefinery conversion process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boldrin, Alessio; Balzan, Alberto; Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard

2013-01-01

)-based environmental assessment of a Danish biorefinery system was carried out to thoroughly analyze and optimize the concept and address future research. The LCA study was based on case-specific mass and energy balances and inventory data, and was conducted using consequential LCA approach to take into account market...... mechanisms determining the fate of products, lost opportunities and marginal productions. The results show that introduction of enzymatic transesterification and improved oil extraction procedure result in environmental benefits compared to a traditional process. Utilization of rapeseed straw seems to have...... positive effects on the greenhouse gases (GHG) footprint of the biorefinery system, with improvements in the range of 9 % to 29 %, depending on the considered alternative. The mass and energy balances showed the potential for improvement of straw treatment processes (hydrothermal pre-treatment and dark...

Improved paper quality and runability by biological process water recovery in closed water circuits of recycle mills; Saisei banshi kojo ni okeru junkansui no seibutsugakuteki shori ni yoru shihinshitsu oyobi sogyosei no kaizen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Habets, L.; Knelissen, H.; Hooimeijer, A.; Nihei, K. [Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1998-10-01

A lot of efforts have been made traditionally for reducing the amount of water consumption in recycled paper industry. Several mills in Europe and the North America have succeeded in running the closed white water circuit that means to make the amount of water discharge be zero by returning the effluent water back. In this paper, the relevant factors that contaminate the white water in recycled paper mills are investigated. The accumulation of substances which provide bad effects on the paper manufacturing process and product quality is caused by the closed white water circuit in the recycled paper mills. The accumulated substances in white water include microorganisms, volatile fatty acids, salts, calcium, etc. Anaerobic/aerobic treatment is used as means for reducing the consumption of chemicals and energy and minimizing residues. The first biological in line treatment plant was utilized by Zulpich Papier in Germany and its result is satisfactory in aspects of production and product quality. 5 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs.

ClearFuels-Rentech Integrated Biorefinery Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pearson, Joshua [Project Director

2014-02-26

The project Final Report describes the validation of the performance of the integration of two technologies that were proven individually on a pilot scale and were demonstrated as a pilot scale integrated biorefinery. The integrated technologies were a larger scale ClearFuels’ (CF) advanced flexible biomass to syngas thermochemical high efficiency hydrothermal reformer (HEHTR) technology with Rentech’s (RTK) existing synthetic gas to liquids (GTL) technology.

A novel reverse-osmosis wash water recycle system for manned space stations

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, R. J.; Babcock, W. C.; Barss, R. P.; Andrews, T. A.; Lachapelle, E. D.

1984-01-01

The preliminary development of a wash water recycle system utilizing an inside-skinned hollow-fiber membrane is described. This module configuration is based on tube-side feed and is highly resistant to fouling with a minimum of pretreatment. During an ongoing research program for NASA, these modules were operated on actual wash waters with no significant fouling for a period of 40 days. Due to the tube-side-feed flow in these hollow-fiber membranes, the fibers themselves become the pressure vessels, allowing the development of extremely lightweight membrane modules. During the NASA research program, a pre-prototype membrane module capable of processing 6 gallons per day of wash water at 97 percent recovery was developed that can be dry-stored and that weighs 120 g.

BIOREFINE-2G — Result In Brief: Novel biopolymers from biorefinery waste-streams

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stovicek, Vratislav; Chen, Xiao; Borodina, Irina

Second generation biorefineries are all about creating value from waste, so it seems only right that the ideal plant should leave nothing behind. With this in mind, the BIOREFINE-2G project has developed novel processes to convert pentose-rich side-streams into biopolymers.......Second generation biorefineries are all about creating value from waste, so it seems only right that the ideal plant should leave nothing behind. With this in mind, the BIOREFINE-2G project has developed novel processes to convert pentose-rich side-streams into biopolymers....

Utilization of membranes for H2O recycle system

Science.gov (United States)

Ohya, H.; Oguchi, M.

1986-01-01

Conceptual studies of closed ecological life support systems (CELSS) carried out at NAL in Japan for a water recycle system using membranes are reviewed. The system will treat water from shower room, urine, impure condensation from gas recycle system, and so on. The H2O recycle system is composed of prefilter, ultrafiltration membrane, reverse osmosis membrane, and distillator. Some results are shown for a bullet train of toilet-flushing water recycle equipment with an ultraviltration membrane module. The constant value of the permeation rate with a 4.7 square meters of module is about 70 1/h after 500th of operation. Thermovaporization with porous polytetrafluorocarbon membrane is also proposed to replce the distillator.

Techno-economical evaluation of protein extraction for microalgae biorefinery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sari, Y.W.; Sanders, J.P.M.; Bruins, M.

2016-01-01

Due to scarcity of fossil feedstocks, there is an increasing demand for biobased fuels. Microalgae are considered as promising biobased feedstocks. However, microalgae based fuels are not yet produced at large scale at present. Applying biorefinery, not only for oil, but also for other

Studies on recycled aggregates-based concrete.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakshvir, Major; Barai, Sudhirkumar V

2006-06-01

Reduced extraction of raw materials, reduced transportation cost, improved profits, reduced environmental impact and fast-depleting reserves of conventional natural aggregates has necessitated the use of recycling, in order to be able to conserve conventional natural aggregate. In this study various physical and mechanical properties of recycled concrete aggregates were examined. Recycled concrete aggregates are different from natural aggregates and concrete made from them has specific properties. The percentages of recycled concrete aggregates were varied and it was observed that properties such as compressive strength showed a decrease of up to 10% as the percentage of recycled concrete aggregates increased. Water absorption of recycled aggregates was found to be greater than natural aggregates, and this needs to be compensated during mix design.

Planning of Eka Hospital Pekanbaru wastewater recycling facility

Science.gov (United States)

Jecky, A.; Andrio, D.; Sasmita, A.

2018-04-01

The Ministry of Public Works No. 06 2011 required the large scale of water to conserve the water resource, Eka Hospital Pekanbaru have to improve the sewage treatment plant through the wastewater recycling. The effluent from the plant can be used to landscape gardening and non-potable activities. The wastewater recycling design was done by analyzing the existing condition of thesewage treatment plant, determine the effluent quality standards for wastewater recycling, selected of alternative technology and processing, design the treatment unit and analyze the economic aspects. The design of recycling facility by using of combination cartridge filters processing, ultrafiltration membranes, and desinfection by chlorination. The wastewater recycling capacity approximately of 75 m3/day or 75% of the STP effluent. The estimated costs for installation of wastewater recycling and operation and maintenance per month are Rp 111,708,000 and Rp 2,498,000 respectively.

Development of hemicelluloses biorefineries for integration into kraft pulp mills

Science.gov (United States)

Ajao, Olumoye Abiodun

The development and wide spread acceptance of production facilities for biofuels, biochemicals and biomaterials is an important condition for reducing reliance on limited fossil resources and transitioning towards a global biobased economy. Pulp and paper mills in North America are confronted with high energy prices, high production costs and intense competition from emerging economies and low demand for traditional products. Integrated forest biorefineries (IFBR) have been proposed as a mean to diversify their product streams, increase their revenue and become more sustainable. This is feasible because they have access to forest biomass, an established feedstock supply chain and wood processing experience. In addition, the integration of a biorefinery process that can share existing infrastructure and utilities on the site of pulp mill would significantly lower investment cost and associated risks. Kraft pulping mills are promising receptor processes for a biorefinery because they either possess a prehydrolysis step for extracting hemicelluloses sugars prior to wood pulping or it can be added by retrofit. The extracted hemicelluloses could be subsequently transformed into a wide range of value added products for the receptor mill. To successfully implement hemicelluloses biorefinery, novel processes that are technically and economically feasible are required. It is necessary to identify products that would be profitable, develop processes that are energy efficient and the receptor mill should be able to supply the energy, chemicals and material demands of the biorefinery unit. The objective of this thesis is to develop energy efficient and economically viable hemicelluloses biorefineries for integration into a Kraft pulping process. A dissolving pulp mill was the reference case study. The transformation of hemicellulosic sugars via a chemical and biochemical conversion pathway, with furfural and ethanol as representative products for each pathway was studied. In

Techno-economic and profitability analysis of food waste biorefineries at European level.

Science.gov (United States)

Cristóbal, Jorge; Caldeira, Carla; Corrado, Sara; Sala, Serenella

2018-07-01

Food waste represents a potential source to produce value-added materials replacing the use of virgin ones. However, the use of food waste as feedstock in biorefineries is still at an early stage of development and studies assessing its economic viability at large scale are lacking in the literature. This paper presents a techno-economic and profitability analysis of four food waste biorefineries that use wastes from tomato, potato, orange, and olive processing as feedstock. The study includes the assessment of potentially available quantities of those waste flows in Europe. Due to the low technology readiness level of this kind of biorefineries, a screening methodology to estimate the investment and manufacturing costs as well as two profitability ratios (the return on investment and the payback time) was adopted. Results show that not all the waste feedstocks have the same potential. The most profitable options are those related to implementing fewer plants, namely concentrating the production and capitalising on economies of scale while being at risk of increasing externalities, e.g. due to logistics of the feedstocks. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Recycling of used oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vipulanandan, C.; Ghurye, G.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on used oil which is a valuable resource that should be recycled. Recycling used oil saves energy and natural resources. Used oil can be reprocessed and used as fuel in industrial burners and boilers. Unfortunately, more than 400 million gallons/year of used oil is lost through widespread dumping, partly due to lack of effective recycling procedures. Although used oil is not currently a federally listed hazardous waste, the U.S. EPA has proposed to list it as a hazardous waste, which will make recycling of used oil even more attractive. Laboratory samples, representing used oil, were used for detailed parametric studies and to determine the limitation of extending some of the current physical separation techniques such as sedimentation and centrifuging developed for oil-water and solid-liquid separation

Antimony recycling in the United States in 2000

Science.gov (United States)

Carlin, James F.

2006-01-01

The importance of recycling has become more obvious as concerns about the environment and import dependence have grown in recent years. When materials are recycled, fewer natural resources are consumed, and less waste products go to landfills or pollute the water and air. This study, one of a series of reports on metals recycling in 2000, discusses the flow of antimony from mining through its uses and disposal with emphasis on recycling. In 2000, the recycling efficiency for antimony was estimated to be 89 percent, and the recycling rate was about 20 percent.

Benefit analysis of reprocessing and recycling light water reactor fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-12-01

The macro-economic impact of reprocessing and recycling fuel for nuclear power reactors is examined, and the impact of reprocessing on the conservation of natural uranium resources is assessed. The LWR fuel recycle is compared with a throwaway cycle, and it is concluded that fuel recycle is favorable on the basis of economics, as well as being highly desirable from the standpoint of utilization of uranium resources

Thermochemical biorefinery based on dimethyl ether as intermediate: Technoeconomic assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haro, P.; Ollero, P.; Villanueva Perales, A.L.; Gómez-Barea, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A thermochemical biorefinery based on bio-DME as intermediate is studied. ► The assessed concepts (12) lead to multi-product generation (polygeneration). ► In all concepts DME is converted by carbonylation or hydrocarbonylation. ► Rates of return are similar to or higher than plants producing a single product. -- Abstract: Thermochemical biorefinery based on dimethyl ether (DME) as an intermediate is studied. DME is converted into methyl acetate, which can either be hydrogenated to ethanol or sold as a co-product. Considering this option together with a variety of technologies for syngas upgrading, 12 different process concepts are analyzed. The considered products are ethanol, methyl acetate, H 2 , DME and electricity. The assessment of each alternative includes biomass pretreatment, gasification, syngas clean-up and conditioning, DME synthesis and conversion, product separation, and heat and power integration. A plant size of 500 MW th processing poplar chips is taken as a basis. The resulting energy efficiency to products ranges from 34.9% to 50.2%. The largest internal rate of return (28.74%) corresponds to a concept which produces methyl acetate, DME and electricity (exported to grid). A sensitivity analysis with respect to total plant investment (TPI), total operation costs (TOC) and market price of products was carried out. The overall conclusion is that, despite its greater complexity, this kind of thermochemical biorefinery is more profitable than thermochemical bioprocesses oriented to a single product.

Evaluation of a common commercial surfactant in a water recycle system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rector, T.; Jackson, A.; Rainwater, K.; Pickering, S.

2002-01-01

The fate of a common commercial surfactant was investigated in the biological reactors of a water recycle system. A NO 2 - reducing packed-bed bioreactor was employed to evaluate degradation of surfactant present in a typical greywater stream. The research was conducted to determine if an alternative commercial surfactant could be used in a biological water recycle system proposed for space travel in place of the current surfactant. The commercial soap used in the research was Pert Plus for Kids (PPK), which contains sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) as the active surfactant. Experiments included a combination of microcosm studies as well as a continuous-flow packed-bed bioreactor. The hydraulic retention time of the packed-bed bioreactor was varied through changes in flow rate to yield different steady-state values for NO 2 -N, TOC, and COD. Steady-state values will allow the determination of the bacterial kinetic parameters. Initial results suggest that the commercial surfactant may be difficult to treat in the time frame of typical biological systems. NO 2 - reduction was favorable in the packed-bed reactor, but TOC removal rates did not correspond to the NO 2 - removal. It is theorized that, due to its high K oc value (1200), SLES has an affinity to absorb to the media contained in the bed, which in turn allows for adsorption of the surfactant. Future research will include development of an isotherm model to characterize the adsorption rates and correlate them to surfactant removal. (author)

Scaling laws and technology development strategies for biorefineries and bioenergy plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Jack, Michael W

2009-12-01

The economies of scale of larger biorefineries or bioenergy plants compete with the diseconomies of scale of transporting geographically distributed biomass to a central location. This results in an optimum plant size that depends on the scaling parameters of the two contributions. This is a fundamental aspect of biorefineries and bioenergy plants and has important consequences for technology development as "bigger is better" is not necessarily true. In this paper we explore the consequences of these scaling effects via a simplified model of biomass transportation and plant costs. Analysis of this model suggests that there is a need for much more sophisticated technology development strategies to exploit the consequences of these scaling effects. We suggest three potential strategies in terms of the scaling parameters of the system.

Synthesis of Optimal Processing Pathway for Microalgae-based Biorefinery under Uncertainty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rizwan, Muhammad; Lee, Jay H.; Gani, Rafiqul

2015-01-01

decision making, we propose a systematic framework for the synthesis and optimal design of microalgae-based processing network under uncertainty. By incorporating major uncertainties into the biorefinery superstructure model we developed previously, a stochastic mixed integer nonlinear programming (s......The research in the field of microalgae-based biofuels and chemicals is in early phase of the development, and therefore a wide range of uncertainties exist due to inconsistencies among and shortage of technical information. In order to handle and address these uncertainties to ensure robust......MINLP) problem is formulated for determining the optimal biorefinery structure under given parameter uncertainties modelled as sampled scenarios. The solution to the sMINLP problem determines the optimal decisions with respect to processing technologies, material flows, and product portfolio in the presence...

Algal Biomass for Bioenergy and Bioproducts Production in Biorefinery Concepts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

D'Este, Martina

industry. The macroalgae used in this work were Laminaria digitata and Saccharina latissima, while the microalgae were Chlorella sorokiniana, Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella protothecoides. Moreover, an evaluation of the effect of the harvesting season and location on the composition of high value...... feedstocks. Biorefinery represents an important tool towards the development of a sustainable economy. Within the biorefinery framework several bioproducts, such as food, feed and biofuels, can be produced from biomass. The specific composition of the biomass feedstock determines the potential final product...... heterotrophically in the macroalgae L. digitata hydrolyzed. The final composition of the microalgal biomass showed that the protein content was increased from 0.07 ± 0.01 gProtein gDM-1 to 0.44 ± 0.04 gProtein DM-1. The results obtained show that this solution may represent an interesting strategy to be applied...

Influence of recycled aggregate quality and proportioning criteria on recycled concrete properties.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Gayarre, F; Serna, P; Domingo-Cabo, A; Serrano-López, M A; López-Colina, C

2009-12-01

This paper presents the results of experimental research using concrete produced by substituting part of the natural coarse aggregates with recycled aggregates from concrete demolition. The influence of the quality of the recycled aggregate (amount of declassified and source of aggregate), the percentage of replacement on the targeted quality of the concrete to be produced (strength and workability) has been evaluated. The granular structure of concrete and replacement criteria were analyzed in this study, factors which have not been analyzed in other studies. The following properties of recycled concretes were analyzed: density, absorption, compressive strength, elastic modulus, amount of occluded air, penetration of water under pressure and splitting tensile strength. A simplified test program was designed to control the costs of the testing while still producing sufficient data to develop reliable conclusions in order to make the number of tests viable whilst guaranteeing the reliability of the conclusions. Several factors were analyzed including the type of aggregate, the percentage of replacement, the type of sieve curve, the declassified content, the strength of concrete and workability of concrete and the replacement criteria. The type of aggregate and the percentage of replacement were the only factors that showed a clear influence on most of the properties. Compressive strength is clearly affected by the quality of recycled aggregates. If the water-cement ratio is kept constant and the loss of workability due to the effect of using recycled aggregate is compensated for with additives, the percentage of replacement of the recycled aggregate will not affect the compressive strength. The elastic modulus is affected by the percentage of replacement. If the percentage of replacement does not exceed 50%, the elastic modulus will only change slightly.

Resource Efficient Metal and Material Recycling

Science.gov (United States)

Reuter, Markus A.; van Schaik, Antoinette

Metals enable sustainability through their use and their recyclability. However, various factors can affect the Resource Efficiency of Metal Processing and Recycling. Some typical factors that enable Resource Efficiency include and arranged under the drivers of sustainability: Environment (Maximize Resource Efficiency — Energy, Recyclates, Materials, Water, Sludges, Emissions, Land); Economic Feasibility (BAT & Recycling Systems Simulation / Digitalization, Product vis-à-vis Material Centric Recycling); and Social — Licence to Operate (Legislation, consumer, policy, theft, manual labour.). In order to realize this primary production has to be linked systemically with typical actors in the recycling chain such as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Recyclers & Collection, Physical separation specialists as well as process metallurgical operations that produce high value metals, compounds and products that recycle back to products. This is best done with deep knowledge of multi-physics, technology, product & system design, process control, market, life cycle management, policy, to name a few. The combination of these will be discussed as Design for Sustainability (DfS) and Design for Recycling (DfR) applications.

Biomass Program 2007 Peer Review - Integrated Biorefinery Platform Summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2009-10-27

This document discloses the comments provided by a review panel at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of the Biomass Program Peer Review held on November 15-16, 2007 in Baltimore, MD and the Integrated Biorefinery Platform Review held on August 13-15, 2007 in Golden, Colorado.

PET and Recycling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Funda Sevencan

2007-08-01

Full Text Available This review aims to clarify the need of decreasing the environmental effects caused by human and draw attention to the increasing environmental effects of plastics wastes. Plastics consist of organic molecules with high density molecules or polymers. Main resources of plastics are the residue of oil rafineries. Several advantages of plastics, have increased the usage continuously. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET is the most commonly used plastics. PET is used to protect food, drinking water, fruit juice, alcoholic beverage, and food packing films. By the increasing interest on the environmental effects of plastic wastes, concerns on the recyclable packing materials also grew up. Also the daily use of recyclable containers consisting PET have increased. There are five steps for recycling of plastics. These steps are; using large amounts of plastics, collecting them in a big center, classifying and sorting the plastics, reproducing the polymers and obtaining new products with melted plastics. Providing a healthy recycling of plastics, the consumers should have knowledge and responsibility. The consumer should know what he/she has to do before putting the plastics in the recycling containers. Recycling containers and bags should be placed near the sources of plastic wastes. Consequently, the plastic wastes and environmental problems they cause will be on the agenda in future. [TAF Prev Med Bull. 2007; 6(4: 307-312

PET and Recycling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Funda Sevencan

2007-08-01

Full Text Available This review aims to clarify the need of decreasing the environmental effects caused by human and draw attention to the increasing environmental effects of plastics wastes. Plastics consist of organic molecules with high density molecules or polymers. Main resources of plastics are the residue of oil rafineries. Several advantages of plastics, have increased the usage continuously. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET is the most commonly used plastics. PET is used to protect food, drinking water, fruit juice, alcoholic beverage, and food packing films. By the increasing interest on the environmental effects of plastic wastes, concerns on the recyclable packing materials also grew up. Also the daily use of recyclable containers consisting PET have increased. There are five steps for recycling of plastics. These steps are; using large amounts of plastics, collecting them in a big center, classifying and sorting the plastics, reproducing the polymers and obtaining new products with melted plastics. Providing a healthy recycling of plastics, the consumers should have knowledge and responsibility. The consumer should know what he/she has to do before putting the plastics in the recycling containers. Recycling containers and bags should be placed near the sources of plastic wastes. Consequently, the plastic wastes and environmental problems they cause will be on the agenda in future. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2007; 6(4.000: 307-312

Preprocessing Moist Lignocellulosic Biomass for Biorefinery Feedstocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neal Yancey; Christopher T. Wright; Craig Conner; J. Richard Hess

2009-06-01

Biomass preprocessing is one of the primary operations in the feedstock assembly system of a lignocellulosic biorefinery. Preprocessing is generally accomplished using industrial grinders to format biomass materials into a suitable biorefinery feedstock for conversion to ethanol and other bioproducts. Many factors affect machine efficiency and the physical characteristics of preprocessed biomass. For example, moisture content of the biomass as received from the point of production has a significant impact on overall system efficiency and can significantly affect the characteristics (particle size distribution, flowability, storability, etc.) of the size-reduced biomass. Many different grinder configurations are available on the market, each with advantages under specific conditions. Ultimately, the capacity and/or efficiency of the grinding process can be enhanced by selecting the grinder configuration that optimizes grinder performance based on moisture content and screen size. This paper discusses the relationships of biomass moisture with respect to preprocessing system performance and product physical characteristics and compares data obtained on corn stover, switchgrass, and wheat straw as model feedstocks during Vermeer HG 200 grinder testing. During the tests, grinder screen configuration and biomass moisture content were varied and tested to provide a better understanding of their relative impact on machine performance and the resulting feedstock physical characteristics and uniformity relative to each crop tested.

MOX recycling-an industrial reality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shallo, G.D.F.

1996-01-01

Reprocessing and plutonium recycling have now attained industrial maturity in France and Europe. Specifically, mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel is fabricated and used in light water reactors (LWRs) in satisfactory operating conditions. The utilities and the fuel cycle industry experience no technical difficulties, and European recycling programs are growing steadily, from 18 reactors in operation today up to 50 expected around the year 2000, putting the system reprocessing-recycling in coherence: 25 t of plutonium will then be used each year to produce the electricity equivalence of 25 millions tons of oil. Plutonium recycling in MOX fuel in current LWRs proves to be technically safe and economically competitive and meets natural resource savings and environmental protection objectives. And recycling responds properly to the nonproliferation concerns. Such an industrial experience gives a unique reference for weapons plutonium disposition through MOX use in reactors

Experimental research on durability of recycled aggregate concrete under freeze- thaw cycles

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yanqiu; Shang, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Youjia

2017-07-01

The freeze-thaw durability of recycled aggregate concrete has significance for the concrete buildings in the cold region. In this paper, the rapid freezing and thawing cycles experience on recycle aggregate concrete was conducted to study on the effects of recycle aggregate amount, water-binder ratio and fly ash on freeze-thaw durability of recycle aggregate concrete. The results indicates that recycle aggregate amount makes the significant influence on the freeze-thaw durability. With the increase of recycled aggregates amount, the freeze-thaw resistance for recycled aggregate concrete decreases. Recycled aggregate concrete with lower water cement ratio demonstrates better performance of freeze-thaw durability. It is advised that the amount of fly ash is less than 30% for admixture of recycled aggregates in the cold region.

The Civilisation Biorefinery - A Future Approach for Material and Energy Recovery from Regional Organic Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koerner, I.

2010-01-01

The future shortage of energy and raw materials as well as the problems on climate protection are challenges for which a solution is imperative. For efficient utilizing organic liquid and solid wastes which are generated in a city, a city itself could become a civilisation biorefinery. The output will be various energetic and material products, which can be used in the city or in the surrounding of the city. Depending on the nature of the various urban input materials, they need to be fed in to biorefineries adapted to the substrate type. The separate substrate-specific biorefineries may be at central or decentralised locations within the city. Moreover, since the residues from one system can be used in others as input, mutual networking is of importance. To facilitate efficient valorification, bioresources and the type of biorefinery need to be optimally matched. That also means that at the collection stage already, the material properties of the bioresource must be taken into account and where appropriate, new collection systems introduced, or consideration should be given to technical processes for separation of mixtures of materials. Extremely differing cascades will be appropriate for the various regional situations. For this reason, the evaluation of alternative schemes will be seen as very significant. Additional important points are the suitability of new measures or processes for integration into existing regional structures, as well as the logistics aspects, including the question of whether bioconversion processes should be conducted centrally or in decentralised locations. In Germany, considerable amounts of biowaste are available today and in the future which, until now, were almost entirely composted. The possibilities of anaerobic fermentation are gaining more and more in importance. Aerobic and anaerobic treatments of biowaste are more and more combined within the scope of a win-win situation. These technologies will be important parts of a

A hybrid froth flotation-filtration system as a pretreatment for oil sands tailings pond recycle water management: Bench- and pilot-scale studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Loganathan, Kavithaa; Bromley, David; Chelme-Ayala, Pamela; Gamal El-Din, Mohamed

2015-09-15

Through sustainable water management, oil sands companies are working to reduce their reliance on fresh water by minimizing the amount of water required for their operations and by recycling water from tailings ponds. This study was the first pilot-scale testing of a hybrid technology consisting of froth flotation combined with filtration through precoated submerged stainless steel membranes used to treat recycle water from an oil sands facility. The results indicated that the most important factor affecting the performance of the hybrid system was the influent water quality. Any rise in the levels of suspended solids or total organic carbon of the feed water resulted in changes of chemical consumption rates, flux rates, and operating cycle durations. The selections of chemical type and dosing rates were critical in achieving optimal performance. In particular, the froth application rate heavily affected the overall recovery of the hybrid system as well as the performance of the flotation process. Optimum surfactant usage to generate froth (per liter of treated water) was 0.25 mL/L at approximately 2000 NTU of influent turbidity and 0.015 mL/L at approximately 200 NTU of influent turbidity. At the tested conditions, the optimal coagulant dose was 80 mg/L (as Al) at approximately 2000 NTU of influent turbidity and recycle water. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benchmarking organic micropollutants in wastewater, recycled water and drinking water with in vitro bioassays.

Science.gov (United States)

Escher, Beate I; Allinson, Mayumi; Altenburger, Rolf; Bain, Peter A; Balaguer, Patrick; Busch, Wibke; Crago, Jordan; Denslow, Nancy D; Dopp, Elke; Hilscherova, Klara; Humpage, Andrew R; Kumar, Anu; Grimaldi, Marina; Jayasinghe, B Sumith; Jarosova, Barbora; Jia, Ai; Makarov, Sergei; Maruya, Keith A; Medvedev, Alex; Mehinto, Alvine C; Mendez, Jamie E; Poulsen, Anita; Prochazka, Erik; Richard, Jessica; Schifferli, Andrea; Schlenk, Daniel; Scholz, Stefan; Shiraishi, Fujio; Snyder, Shane; Su, Guanyong; Tang, Janet Y M; van der Burg, Bart; van der Linden, Sander C; Werner, Inge; Westerheide, Sandy D; Wong, Chris K C; Yang, Min; Yeung, Bonnie H Y; Zhang, Xiaowei; Leusch, Frederic D L

2014-01-01

Thousands of organic micropollutants and their transformation products occur in water. Although often present at low concentrations, individual compounds contribute to mixture effects. Cell-based bioassays that target health-relevant biological endpoints may therefore complement chemical analysis for water quality assessment. The objective of this study was to evaluate cell-based bioassays for their suitability to benchmark water quality and to assess efficacy of water treatment processes. The selected bioassays cover relevant steps in the toxicity pathways including induction of xenobiotic metabolism, specific and reactive modes of toxic action, activation of adaptive stress response pathways and system responses. Twenty laboratories applied 103 unique in vitro bioassays to a common set of 10 water samples collected in Australia, including wastewater treatment plant effluent, two types of recycled water (reverse osmosis and ozonation/activated carbon filtration), stormwater, surface water, and drinking water. Sixty-five bioassays (63%) showed positive results in at least one sample, typically in wastewater treatment plant effluent, and only five (5%) were positive in the control (ultrapure water). Each water type had a characteristic bioanalytical profile with particular groups of toxicity pathways either consistently responsive or not responsive across test systems. The most responsive health-relevant endpoints were related to xenobiotic metabolism (pregnane X and aryl hydrocarbon receptors), hormone-mediated modes of action (mainly related to the estrogen, glucocorticoid, and antiandrogen activities), reactive modes of action (genotoxicity) and adaptive stress response pathway (oxidative stress response). This study has demonstrated that selected cell-based bioassays are suitable to benchmark water quality and it is recommended to use a purpose-tailored panel of bioassays for routine monitoring.

Comparative techno-economic assessment and LCA of selected integrated sugarcane-based biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Gnansounou, Edgard; Vaskan, Pavel; Pachón, Elia Ruiz

2015-11-01

This work addresses the economic and environmental performance of integrated biorefineries based on sugarcane juice and residues. Four multiproduct scenarios were considered; two from sugar mills and the others from ethanol distilleries. They are integrated biorefineries producing first (1G) and second (2G) generation ethanol, sugar, molasses (for animal feed) and electricity in the context of Brazil. The scenarios were analysed and compared using techno-economic value-based approach and LCA methodology. The results show that the best economic configuration is provided by a scenario with largest ethanol production while the best environmental performance is presented by a scenario with full integration sugar - 1G2G ethanol production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy Opportunities from Lignocellulosic Biomass for a Biorefinery Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franco Cotana

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This work presents some energy considerations concerning a biorefinery case study that has been carried out by the CRB/CIRIAF of the University of Perugia. The biorefinery is the case study of the BIT3G project, a national funded research project, and it uses the lignocellulosic biomass that is available in the territory as input materials for biochemical purposes, such as cardoon and carthamus. The whole plant is composed of several sections: the cardoon and carthamus seed milling, the oil refinement facilities, and the production section of some high quality biochemicals, i.e., bio-oils and fatty acids. The main goal of the research is to demonstrate energy autonomy of the latter section of the biorefinery, while only recovering energy from the residues resulting from the collection of the biomass. To this aim, this work presents the quantification of the energy requirements to be supplied to the considered biorefinery section, the mass flow, and the energy and chemical characterization of the biomass. Afterwards, some sustainability strategies have been qualitatively investigated in order to identify the best one to be used in this case study; the combined heat and power (CHP technology. Two scenarios have been defined and presented: the first with 6 MWt thermal input and 1.2 MWe electrical power as an output and the second with 9 MWt thermal input and 1.8 MWe electrical power as an output. The first scenario showed that 11,000 tons of residual biomass could ensure the annual production of about 34,000 MWht, equal to about the 72% of the requirements, and about 9600 MWhe, equal to approximately 60% of the electricity demand. The second scenario showed that 18,000 tons of the residual biomass could ensure the total annual production of about 56,000 MWht, corresponding to more than 100% of the requirements, and about 14,400 MWhe, equal to approximately 90% of the electricity demand. In addition, the CO2 emissions from the energy valorization

Pilot-Scale Biorefinery: Sustainable Transport Fuels from Biomass via Integrated Pyrolysis and Catalytic Hydroconversion - Wastewater Cleanup by Catalytic Hydrothermal Gasification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliott, Douglas C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Olarte, Mariefel V. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hart, Todd R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2015-06-19

DOE-EE Bioenergy Technologies Office has set forth several goals to increase the use of bioenergy and bioproducts derived from renewable resources. One of these goals is to facilitate the implementation of the biorefinery. The biorefinery will include the production of liquid fuels, power and, in some cases, products. The integrated biorefinery should stand-alone from an economic perspective with fuels and power driving the economy of scale while the economics/profitability of the facility will be dependent on existing market conditions. UOP LLC proposed to demonstrate a fast pyrolysis based integrated biorefinery. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has expertise in an important technology area of interest to UOP for use in their pyrolysis-based biorefinery. This CRADA project provides the supporting technology development and demonstration to allow incorporation of this technology into the biorefinery. PNNL developed catalytic hydrothermal gasification (CHG) for use with aqueous streams within the pyrolysis biorefinery. These aqueous streams included the aqueous phase separated from the fast pyrolysis bio-oil and the aqueous byproduct streams formed in the hydroprocessing of the bio-oil to finished products. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate a technically and economically viable technology for converting renewable biomass feedstocks to sustainable and fungible transportation fuels. To demonstrate the technology, UOP constructed and operated a pilot-scale biorefinery that processed one dry ton per day of biomass using fast pyrolysis. Specific objectives of the project were to: The anticipated outcomes of the project were a validated process technology, a range of validated feedstocks, product property and Life Cycle data, and technical and operating data upon which to base the design of a full-scale biorefinery. The anticipated long-term outcomes from successful commercialization of the technology were: (1) the replacement of a significant

The Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of Life Support Recycling and Resupply

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Harry W.

2015-01-01

Brief human space missions supply all the crew's water and oxygen from Earth. The multiyear International Space Station (ISS) program instead uses physicochemical life support systems to recycle water and oxygen. This paper compares the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of recycling to the LCC of resupply for potential future long duration human space missions. Recycling systems have high initial development costs but relatively low durationdependent support costs. This means that recycling is more cost effective for longer missions. Resupplying all the water and oxygen requires little initial development cost but has a much higher launch mass and launch cost. The cost of resupply increases as the mission duration increases. Resupply is therefore more cost effective than recycling for shorter missions. A recycling system pays for itself when the resupply LCC grows greater over time than the recycling LCC. The time when this occurs is called the recycling breakeven date. Recycling will cost very much less than resupply for long duration missions within the Earth-Moon system, such as a future space station or Moon base. But recycling would cost about the same as resupply for long duration deep space missions, such as a Mars trip. Because it is not possible to provide emergency supplies or quick return options on the way to Mars, more expensive redundant recycling systems will be needed.

A short-term scheduling for the optimal operation of biorefineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grisi, E.F.; Yusta, J.M.; Khodr, H.M.

2011-01-01

This work presents an analysis of the inherent potentialities and characteristics of the sugarcane industries that produce sugar, bioethanol, biogas and bioelectricity and that are being described as ''Biorefineries''. These Biorefineries are capable of producing bio-energy under diverse forms, intended for their own internal consumption and for external sales and marketing. A complex model and simulation are carried out of the processes of a sugarcane industry, with the data characteristic as well as the production costs, prices of products and considerations on the energy demand by basic processes. A Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) optimization problem formulation and an analysis of optimal solutions in short-term operation are described, taking into account the production cost functions of each commodity and the incomes obtained from selling electricity and other products. The objective is to maximize the hourly plant economic profit in the different scenarios considered in a real case study. (author)

Development Of Nutrient And Water Recycling Capabilities In Algae Biofuels Production Systems. Final Summary Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lundquist, Tryg [California Polytechnic State Univ. (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, CA (United States). Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept.; Spierling, Ruth [California Polytechnic State Univ. (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, CA (United States); Poole, Kyle [California Polytechnic State Univ. (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, CA (United States); Blackwell, Shelley [California Polytechnic State Univ. (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, CA (United States); Crowe, Braden [California Polytechnic State Univ. (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, CA (United States); Hutton, Matt [California Polytechnic State Univ. (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, CA (United States); Lehr, Corinne [California Polytechnic State Univ. (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

2018-01-25

The objective of this project was to develop and demonstrate methods of recycling of water and nutrients for algal biofuels production. Recycling was accomplished both internal to the system and, in a broader sense, through import and reuse of municipal wastewater. Such an integrated system with wastewater input had not been demonstrated previously, and the performance was unknown, particularly in terms of influence of recycling on algal productivity and the practical extent of nutrient recovery from biomass residuals. Through long-term laboratory and pilot research, the project resulted in the following: 1. Bench-scale pretreatment of algal biomass did not sufficiently increase methane yield of nutrient solubilization during anaerobic digestion to warrant incorporation of pre-treatment into the pilot plant. The trial pretreatments were high-pressure orifice homogenization, sonication, and two types of heat treatment. 2. Solubilization of biomass particulate nutrients by lab anaerobic digesters ranged from 20% to nearly 60% for N and 40-65% for P. Subsequent aerobic degradation of the anaerobically digested biomass simulated raceways receiving whole digestate and resulted in an additional 20-55% N solubilization and additional 20% P solubilization. 3. Comparisons of laboratory and pilot digesters showed that laboratory units were reasonable proxies for pilot-scale. 4. Pilot-scale anaerobic digesters were designed, installed, and operated to digest algal biomass. Nutrient re-solubilization by the digesters was monitored and whole digestate was successfully used as a fertilizer in pilot algae raceways. 5. Unheated, unmixed digesters achieved greater methane yield and nutrient solubilization than heated, mixed digesters, presumably due to longer the solids residence times in unmixed digesters. The unmixed, unheated pilot digesters yielded 0.16 L_CH4/g volatile solids (VS) introduced with 0.15 g VS/L-d organic loading and 16oC average temperature. A

Techno-economic feasibility of waste biorefinery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shahzad, Khurram; Narodoslawsky, Michael; Sagir, Muhammad

2017-01-01

elaborated a process for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers starting from diverse waste streams of the animal processing industry. This article provides a detailed economic analysis of PHA production from this waste biorefinery concept, encompassing the utilization of low......-quality biodiesel, offal material and meat and bone meal (MBM). Techno-economic analysis reveals that PHA production cost varies from 1.41 €/kg to 1.64 €/kg when considering offal on the one hand as waste, or, on the other hand, accounting its market price, while calculating with fixed costs for the co...

Air Permitting Implications of a Biorefinery Producing Raw Bio-Oil in Comparison with Producing Gasoline and Diesel Blendstocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatt, Arpit H [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhang, Yi Min [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-02-01

A biorefinery, considered a chemical process plant under the Clean Air Act permitting program, could be classified as a major or minor source based on the size of the facility and magnitude of regulated pollutants emitted. Our previous analysis indicates that a biorefinery using fast pyrolysis conversion process to produce finished gasoline and diesel blendstocks with a capacity of processing 2,000 dry metric tons of biomass per day would likely be classified as a major source because several regulated pollutants (such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide) are estimated to exceed the 100 tons per year (tpy) major source threshold, applicable to chemical process plants. Being subject to a major source classification could pose additional challenges associated with obtaining an air permit in a timely manner before the biorefinery can start its construction. Recent developments propose an alternative approach to utilize bio-oil produced via the fast pyrolysis conversion process by shipping it to an existing petroleum refinery, where the raw bio-oil can be blended with petroleum-based feedstocks (e.g., vacuum gas oil) to produce gasoline and diesel blendstocks with renewable content. Without having to hydro-treat raw bio-oil, a biorefinery is likely to reduce its potential-to-emit to below the 100 tpy major source threshold, and therefore expedite its permitting process. We compare the PTE estimates for the two biorefinery designs with and without hydrotreating of bio-oils and examine the air permitting implications on potential air permit classification and discuss the best available control technology requirements for the major source biorefinery utilizing hydrotreating operation. Our analysis is expected to provide useful information to new biofuel project developers to identify opportunities to overcome challenges associated with air permitting.

Microwave heating processing as alternative of pretreatment in second-generation biorefinery: An overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguilar-Reynosa, Alejandra; Romaní, Aloia; Rodríguez-Jasso, Rosa Ma.; Aguilar, Cristóbal N.; Garrote, Gil; Ruiz, Héctor A.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Microwave heating pretreatment for lignocellulosic material. • Fundament of lignocellulosic material fractionation using microwave irradiation. • Energy consumption in microwave pretreatments and microwave reactors description. • Microwave heating as pretreatment in a biorefinery concept. - Abstract: The development of a feasible biorefinery is in need of alternative technologies to improve lignocellulosic biomass conversion by the suitable use of energy. Microwave heating processing (MHP) is emerging as promising unconventional pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials (LCMs). MHP applied as pretreatment induces LCMs breakdown through the molecular collision caused by the dielectric polarization. Polar particles movement generates a quick heating consequently the temperatures and times of process are lower. In this way, MHP has positioned as green technology in comparison with other types of heating. Microwave technology represents an excellent option to obtain susceptible substrates to enzymatic saccharification and subsequently in the production of bioethanol and high-added compounds. However, it is still necessary to study the dielectric properties of materials, and conduct economic studies to achieve development in pilot and industrial scale. This work aims to provide an overview of recent progress and alternative configurations for combining the application of microwave technology on the pretreatment of LCMs in terms of biorefinery.

Simulating Pelletization Strategies to Reduce the Biomass Supply Risk at America’s Biorefineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacob J. Jacobson; Shane Carnohan; Andrew Ford; Allyson Beall

2014-07-01

Demand for cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels has been on the rise, due in part to federal targets enacted in 2005 and extended in 2007. The industry faces major challenges in meeting these worthwhile and ambitious targets. The challenges are especially severe in the logistics of timely feedstock delivery to biorefineries. Logistical difficulties arise from seasonal production that forces the biomass to be stored in uncontrolled field-side environments. In this storage format physical difficulties arise; transportation is hindered by the low bulk density of baled biomass and the unprotected material can decay leading to unpredictable losses. Additionally, uncertain yields and contractual difficulties can exacerbate these challenges making biorefineries a high-risk venture. Investors’ risk could limit business entry and prevent America from reaching the targets. This paper explores pelletizer strategies to convert the lignocellulosic biomass into a denser form more suitable for storage. The densification of biomass would reduce supply risks, and the new system would outperform conventional biorefinery supply systems. Pelletizer strategies exhibit somewhat higher costs, but the reduction in risk is well worth the extra cost if America is to grow the advanced biofuels industry in a sustainable manner.

Reusing recycled aggregates in structural concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Kou, Shicong

The utilization of recycled aggregates in concrete can minimize environmental impact and reduce the consumption of natural resources in concrete applications. The aim of this thesis is to provide a scientific basis for the possible use of recycled aggregates in structure concrete by conducting a comprehensive programme of laboratory study to gain a better understanding of the mechanical, microstructure and durability properties of concrete produced with recycled aggregates. The study also explored possible techniques to of improve the properties of recycled aggregate concrete that is produced with high percentages (≧ 50%) of recycled aggregates. These techniques included: (a) using lower water-to-cement ratios in the concrete mix design; (b) using fly ash as a cement replacement or as an additional mineral admixture in the concrete mixes, and (c) precasting recycled aggregate concrete with steam curing regimes. The characteristics of the recycled aggregates produced both from laboratory and a commercially operated pilot construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling plant were first studied. A mix proportioning procedure was then established to produce six series of concrete mixtures using different percentages of recycled coarse aggregates with and without the use of fly ash. The water-to-cement (binder) ratios of 0.55, 0.50, 0.45 and 0.40 were used. The fresh properties (including slump and bleeding) of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) were then quantified. The effects of fly ash on the fresh and hardened properties of RAC were then studied and compared with those RAC prepared with no fly ash addition. Furthermore, the effects of steam curing on the hardened properties of RAC were investigated. For micro-structural properties, the interfacial transition zones of the aggregates and the mortar/cement paste were analyzed by SEM and EDX-mapping. Moreover, a detailed set of results on the fracture properties for RAC were obtained. Based on the experimental

Biorefining in the prevailing energy and materials crisis: a review of sustainable pathways for biorefinery value chains and sustainability assessment methodologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parajuli, Ranjan; Dalgaard, Tommy; Jørgensen, Uffe

2015-01-01

comparisons of alternatives. Life Cycle Assessment is regarded as one of the most relevant tools to assess the environmental hotspots in the biomass supply chains, at processing stages and also to support in the prioritization of any specific biobased products and the alternatives delivered from biorefineries.......The aim of the current paper is to discuss the sustainability aspect of biorefinery systems with focus on biomass supply chains, processing of biomass feedstocks in biorefinery platforms and sustainability assessment methodologies. From the stand point of sustainability, it is important to optimize...... the agricultural production system and minimize the related environmental impacts at the farming system level. These impacts are primarily related to agri-chemical inputs and the related undesired environmental emissions and to the repercussions from biomass production. At the same time, the biorefineries need...

Study of recycled concrete aggregate quality and its relationship with recycled concrete compressive strength using database analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

González-Taboada, I.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This work studies the physical and mechanical properties of recycled concrete aggregate (recycled aggregate from concrete waste and their influence in structural recycled concrete compressive strength. For said purpose, a database has been developed with the experimental results of 152 works selected from over 250 international references. The processed database results indicate that the most sensitive properties of recycled aggregate quality are density and absorption. Moreover, the study analyses how the recycled aggregate (both percentage and quality and the mixing procedure (pre-soaking or adding extra water influence the recycled concrete strength of different categories (high or low water to cement ratios. When recycled aggregate absorption is low (under 5%, pre-soaking or adding extra water to avoid loss in workability will negatively affect concrete strength (due to the bleeding effect, whereas with high water absorption this does not occur and both of the aforementioned correcting methods can be accurately employed.El estudio analiza las propiedades físico-mecánicas de los áridos reciclados de hormigón (procedentes de residuos de hormigón y su influencia en la resistencia a compresión del hormigón reciclado estructural. Para ello se ha desarrollado una base de datos con resultados de 152 trabajos seleccionados a partir de más de 250 referencias internacionales. Los resultados del tratamiento de la base indican que densidad y absorción son las propiedades más sensibles a la calidad del árido reciclado. Además, este estudio analiza cómo el árido reciclado (porcentaje y calidad y el procedimiento de mezcla (presaturación o adición de agua extra influyen en la resistencia del hormigón reciclado de diferentes categorías (alta o baja relación agua-cemento. Cuando la absorción es baja (inferior al 5% presaturar o añadir agua para evitar pérdidas de trabajabilidad afectan negativamente a la resistencia (debido al bleeding

Low to high performance recycled cementitious materials: case studies

OpenAIRE

Etxeberria Larrañaga, Miren

2015-01-01

In this work, four real case studies using concrete produced with recycled aggregates are described. The four real cases carried out in Barcelona are: 1) Pavement filling with control low strength material (CLSM) employing fine recycled aggregates, 2) pervious recycled aggregate concrete employing coarse mixed recycled aggregates in the works undertaken at Cervantes park; 3) Concrete blocks produced employing recycled and slag aggregates as well as sea water for a new breakwater dyke and 4) R...

Designing optimal bioethanol networks with purification for integrated biorefineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shenoy, Akshay U.; Shenoy, Uday V.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • An analytical method is devised for bioethanol network integration with purification. • Minimum fresh bioethanol flow and pinch are found by the Unified Targeting Algorithm. • Optimal bioethanol networks are then synthesized by the Nearest Neighbors Algorithm. • Continuous targets and networks are developed over the purifier inlet flowrate range. • Case study of a biorefinery producing bioethanol from wheat shows large savings. - Abstract: Bioethanol networks with purification for processing pathways in integrated biorefineries are targeted and designed in this work by an analytical approach not requiring graphical constructions. The approach is based on six fundamental equations involving eight variables: two balance equations for the stream flowrate and the bioethanol load over the total network system; one equation for the above-pinch bioethanol load being picked up by the minimum fresh resource and the purified stream; and three equations for the purification unit. A solution strategy is devised by specifying the two variables associated with the purifier inlet stream. Importantly, continuous targeting is then possible over the entire purifier inlet flowrate range on deriving elegant formulae for the remaining six variables. The Unified Targeting Algorithm (UTA) is utilized to establish the minimum fresh bioethanol resource flowrate and identify the pinch purity. The fresh bioethanol resource flowrate target is shown to decrease linearly with purifier inlet flowrate provided the pinch is held by the same point. The Nearest Neighbors Algorithm (NNA) is used to methodically synthesize optimal networks matching bioethanol demands and sources. A case study of a biorefinery producing bioethanol from wheat with arabinoxylan (AX) coproduction is presented. It illustrates the versatility of the approach in generating superior practical designs with up to nearly 94% savings for integrated bioethanol networks, both with and without process

Anaerobic digestion of vinasse from sugarcane biorefineries in Brazil from energy, environmental, and economic perspectives: Profit or expense?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moraes, Bruna S.; Junqueira, Tassia L.; Pavanello, Lucas G.; Cavalett, Otávio; Mantelatto, Paulo E.; Bonomi, Antonio; Zaiat, Marcelo

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Anaerobic digestion of vinasse from Brazilian sugarcane biorefineries was assessed. • Energy from biogas could be used for electricity or vehicular fuel replacement. • Biogas in cogeneration could release bagasse for second-generation ethanol production. • Environmental analysis showed decrease of greenhouse gas emissions and pollutant load. • Diesel replacement was the most economically attractive alternative. - Abstract: The need to improve the sustainability of bioethanol production from sugarcane in Brazil has intensified the search for process energy optimization coupled with the environmental suitability of the generated coproducts and wastes. In this scenario, the anaerobic digestion of vinasse (the most abundant effluent from a sugarcane biorefinery) arises as an interesting alternative because, in addition to promoting the stabilization of organic matter, it also enables energy generation from biogas. In this work, vinasse anaerobic digestion in biorefineries was evaluated in terms of energy, environmental, and economic considerations. The energy potential from vinasse of a single sugarcane biorefinery, which is generally lost due to its application to soil with no treatment, was found to be comparable to the electricity supply demand of a city of approximately 130,000 inhabitants or to the surplus energy from bagasse burning that is exported by some sugarcane mills in Brazil. On a national level, such energy is comparable to the electricity generated by some hydroelectric plants, reaching 7.5% of the electricity generated by the world’s largest hydroelectric plant. When burned in boilers, biogas could be used to stimulate second-generation ethanol production because almost 12% of the bagasse could be released from burning and the biogas used to attenuate the process energy demand. As an alternative fuel, biogas could replace up to 40% of the annual diesel supply in the agricultural operations of a sugarcane biorefinery and still

Comparison of fipronil sources in North Carolina surface water and identification of a novel fipronil transformation product in recycled wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMahen, Rebecca L.; Strynar, Mark J.; McMillan, Larry; DeRose, Eugene; Lindstrom, Andrew B.

2016-01-01

Fipronil is a phenylpyrazole insecticide that is widely used in residential and agricultural settings to control ants, roaches, termites, and other pests. Fipronil and its transformation products have been found in a variety of environmental matrices, but the source[s] which makes the greatest contribution to fipronil in surface water has yet to be determined. A sampling effort designed to prioritize known fipronil inputs (golf courses, residential areas, biosolids application sites and wastewater facilities) was conducted in North Carolina to learn more about the origins of fipronil in surface water. High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis indicated that fipronil and its known derivatives were routinely present in all samples, but concentrations were substantially elevated near wastewater treatment plant outfalls (range 10–500 ng/L combined), suggesting that they predominate as environmental sources. Corresponding recycled wastewater samples, which were treated with NaOCl for disinfection, showed disappearance of fipronil and all known degradates. HRMS and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis techniques were used to determine that all fipronil-related compounds are oxidized to a previously unidentified fipronil sulfone chloramine species in recycled wastewater. The implications of the presence of a new fipronil-related compound in recycled wastewater need to be considered. - Highlights: • The most important sources of fipronil in the environment have yet to be determined. • Sampling was conducted to learn more about the origins of fipronil in surface water. • High resolution mass spec analysis indicated that fipronil was routinely present. • Concentrations were substantially elevated near wastewater treatment plant outfalls. • In recycled water fipronil compounds are oxidized to a novel species.

Comparison of fipronil sources in North Carolina surface water and identification of a novel fipronil transformation product in recycled wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McMahen, Rebecca L. [United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 109 TW Alexander Dr., Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Strynar, Mark J., E-mail: strynar.mark@epa.gov [United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 109 TW Alexander Dr., Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); McMillan, Larry [National Caucus and Center on Black Aged Employee, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 109 TW Alexander Dr., Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); DeRose, Eugene [National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, 111 TW Alexander Dr., Durham, North Carolina 27713 (United States); Lindstrom, Andrew B. [United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 109 TW Alexander Dr., Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States)

2016-11-01

Fipronil is a phenylpyrazole insecticide that is widely used in residential and agricultural settings to control ants, roaches, termites, and other pests. Fipronil and its transformation products have been found in a variety of environmental matrices, but the source[s] which makes the greatest contribution to fipronil in surface water has yet to be determined. A sampling effort designed to prioritize known fipronil inputs (golf courses, residential areas, biosolids application sites and wastewater facilities) was conducted in North Carolina to learn more about the origins of fipronil in surface water. High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis indicated that fipronil and its known derivatives were routinely present in all samples, but concentrations were substantially elevated near wastewater treatment plant outfalls (range 10–500 ng/L combined), suggesting that they predominate as environmental sources. Corresponding recycled wastewater samples, which were treated with NaOCl for disinfection, showed disappearance of fipronil and all known degradates. HRMS and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis techniques were used to determine that all fipronil-related compounds are oxidized to a previously unidentified fipronil sulfone chloramine species in recycled wastewater. The implications of the presence of a new fipronil-related compound in recycled wastewater need to be considered. - Highlights: • The most important sources of fipronil in the environment have yet to be determined. • Sampling was conducted to learn more about the origins of fipronil in surface water. • High resolution mass spec analysis indicated that fipronil was routinely present. • Concentrations were substantially elevated near wastewater treatment plant outfalls. • In recycled water fipronil compounds are oxidized to a novel species.

Systematic approach for synthesis of palm oil-based biorefinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NG, Rex T. L.; NG, Denny K. S.; LAM, Hon Loong [Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies, Univ. of Nottingham, Selangor, (Malaysia); TAY, Douglas H. S.; LIM, Joseph H. E. [2GGS Eco Solutions Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2012-11-01

Various types of palm oil biomasses are generated from palm oil mill when crude palm oil (CPO) is produced from fresh fruit bunch (FFB). In the current practice, palm oil biomasses are used as the main source of energy input in the palm oil mill to produce steam and electricity. Moreover, those biomasses are regarded as by-products and can be reclaimed easily. Therefore, there is a continuous increasing interest concerning biomasses generated from the palm oil mill as a source of renewable energy. Although various technologies have been exploited to produce bio-fuel (i.e., briquette, pellet, etc.) as well as heat and power generation, however, no systematic approach which can analyse and optimise the synthesise biorefinery is presented. In this work, a systematic approach for synthesis and optimisation of palm oil-based biorefinery which including palm oil mill and refinery with maximum economic performance is developed. The optimised network configuration with achieves the maximum economic performance can also be determined. To illustrate the proposed approach, a case study is solved in this work.

Microwave-Assisted Extraction for Microalgae: From Biofuels to Biorefinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahul Vijay Kapoore

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The commercial reality of bioactive compounds and oil production from microalgal species is constrained by the high cost of production. Downstream processing, which includes harvesting and extraction, can account for 70–80% of the total cost of production. Consequently, from an economic perspective extraction technologies need to be improved. Microalgal cells are difficult to disrupt due to polymers within their cell wall such as algaenan and sporopollenin. Consequently, solvents and disruption devices are required to obtain products of interest from within the cells. Conventional techniques used for cell disruption and extraction are expensive and are often hindered by low efficiencies. Microwave-assisted extraction offers a possibility for extraction of biochemical components including lipids, pigments, carbohydrates, vitamins and proteins, individually and as part of a biorefinery. Microwave technology has advanced since its use in the 1970s. It can cut down working times and result in higher yields and purity of products. In this review, the ability and challenges in using microwave technology are discussed for the extraction of bioactive products individually and as part of a biorefinery approach.

Optimizing fermentation process miscanthus-to-ethanol biorefinery scale under uncertain conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bomberg, Matthew; Sanchez, Daniel L; Lipman, Timothy E

2014-01-01

Ethanol produced from cellulosic feedstocks has garnered significant interest for greenhouse gas abatement and energy security promotion. One outstanding question in the development of a mature cellulosic ethanol industry is the optimal scale of biorefining activities. This question is important for companies and entrepreneurs seeking to construct and operate cellulosic ethanol biorefineries as it determines the size of investment needed and the amount of feedstock for which they must contract. The question also has important implications for the nature and location of lifecycle environmental impacts from cellulosic ethanol. We use an optimization framework similar to previous studies, but add richer details by treating many of these critical parameters as random variables and incorporating a stochastic sub-model for land conversion. We then use Monte Carlo simulation to obtain a probability distribution for the optimal scale of a biorefinery using a fermentation process and miscanthus feedstock. We find a bimodal distribution with a high peak at around 10–30 MMgal yr −1 (representing circumstances where a relatively low percentage of farmers elect to participate in miscanthus cultivation) and a lower and flatter peak between 150 and 250 MMgal yr −1 (representing more typically assumed land-conversion conditions). This distribution leads to useful insights; in particular, the asymmetry of the distribution—with significantly more mass on the low side—indicates that developers of cellulosic ethanol biorefineries may wish to exercise caution in scale-up. (letters)

Optimizing fermentation process miscanthus-to-ethanol biorefinery scale under uncertain conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Bomberg, Matthew; Sanchez, Daniel L.; Lipman, Timothy E.

2014-05-01

Ethanol produced from cellulosic feedstocks has garnered significant interest for greenhouse gas abatement and energy security promotion. One outstanding question in the development of a mature cellulosic ethanol industry is the optimal scale of biorefining activities. This question is important for companies and entrepreneurs seeking to construct and operate cellulosic ethanol biorefineries as it determines the size of investment needed and the amount of feedstock for which they must contract. The question also has important implications for the nature and location of lifecycle environmental impacts from cellulosic ethanol. We use an optimization framework similar to previous studies, but add richer details by treating many of these critical parameters as random variables and incorporating a stochastic sub-model for land conversion. We then use Monte Carlo simulation to obtain a probability distribution for the optimal scale of a biorefinery using a fermentation process and miscanthus feedstock. We find a bimodal distribution with a high peak at around 10-30 MMgal yr-1 (representing circumstances where a relatively low percentage of farmers elect to participate in miscanthus cultivation) and a lower and flatter peak between 150 and 250 MMgal yr-1 (representing more typically assumed land-conversion conditions). This distribution leads to useful insights; in particular, the asymmetry of the distribution—with significantly more mass on the low side—indicates that developers of cellulosic ethanol biorefineries may wish to exercise caution in scale-up.

Recycling acetic acid from polarizing film of waste liquid crystal display panels by sub/supercritical water treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruixue; Chen, Ya; Xu, Zhenming

2015-05-19

Waste liquid crystal display (LCD) panels mainly contain inorganic materials (glass substrate) and organic materials (polarizing film and liquid crystal). The organic materials should be removed first since containing polarizing film and liquid crystal is to the disadvantage of the indium recycling process. In the present study, an efficient and environmentally friendly process to obtain acetic acid from waste LCD panels by sub/supercritical water treatments is investigated. Furthermore, a well-founded reaction mechanism is proposed. Several highlights of this study are summarized as follows: (i) 99.77% of organic matters are removed, which means the present technology is quite efficient to recycle the organic matters; (ii) a yield of 78.23% acetic acid, a quite important fossil energy based chemical product is obtained, which can reduce the consumption of fossil energy for producing acetic acid; (iii) supercritical water acts as an ideal solvent, a requisite reactant as well as an efficient acid-base catalyst, and this is quite significant in accordance with the "Principles of Green Chemistry". In a word, the organic matters of waste LCD panels are recycled without environmental pollution. Meanwhile, this study provides new opportunities for alternating fossil-based chemical products for sustainable development, converting "waste" into "fossil-based chemicals".

Long term effects of ash recycling on soil and water chemistry in forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westling, Olle; Kronnaes, Veronika

2006-02-01

IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute has studied the long-term need of compensatory fertilisation (e.g. wood ash recycling) after whole tree harvest in coniferous forests in Sweden. The study is based on dynamic model calculations with scenarios including reduced atmospheric deposition of air pollutants and different intensity of forest management. The possibilities to counteract acidification in soil and water with application of stabilised wood ash are discussed. The reduction in deposition of acidifying air pollutants in Sweden up to 2010 is expected to contribute to a significant recovery from acidification in soil- and runoff water in forests. The recovery of the forest soil (e.g. base saturation ) will, however, be slow according to the model calculations, especially if compensatory fertilisation is not carried out in managed areas. The model calculations indicate that the harvest of stemwood will have limited impact on the future acidity of soil and run off water from well drained forest soils. This conclusion is based on a comparison with a scenario where no harvest is assumed. More important for recovery from acidification is further reduction of acidifying air pollutants, even after 2010. Harvest of stemwood in combination with extraction of harvest residues has the potential to cause significant and long term acidification of soils in the future, especially in areas with high forest production and slow weathering rate. The results of the study indicate a need of compensatory fertilisation in these areas if whole tree harvest is applied, especially if the deposition of air pollutants have been high in the past. Field studies have shown that acidification effects of whole tree harvest can be counteracted by wood ash recycling to forest soils, due to the high content of calcium- and magnesium-rich minerals in the ashes. However, the dose should be adjusted to the need of increasing the acid neutralising capacity in the soil and runoff and the actual

An oil palm-based biorefinery concept for cellulosic ethanol and phytochemicals production: Sustainability evaluation using exergetic life cycle assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ofori-Boateng, Cynthia; Lee, Keat Teong

2014-01-01

In this study, thermo-environmental sustainability of an oil palm-based biorefinery concept for the co-production of cellulosic ethanol and phytochemicals from oil palm fronds (OPFs) was evaluated based on exergetic life cycle assessment (ExLCA). For the production of 1 tonne bioethanol, the exergy content of oil palm seeds was upgraded from 236 MJ to 77,999 MJ during the farming process for OPFs production. Again, the high exergy content of the OPFs was degraded by about 62.02% and 98.36% when they were converted into cellulosic ethanol and phenolic compounds respectively. With a total exergy destruction of about 958,606 MJ (internal) and 120,491 MJ (external or exergy of wastes), the biorefinery recorded an overall exergy efficiency and thermodynamic sustainability index (TSI) of about 59.05% and 2.44 per tonne of OPFs' bioethanol respectively. Due to the use of fossil fuels, pesticides, fertilizers and other toxic chemicals during the production, the global warming potential (GWP = 2265.69 kg CO 2 eq.), acidification potential (AP = 355.34 kg SO 2 eq.) and human toxicity potential (HTP = 142.79 kg DCB eq.) were the most significant environmental impact categories for a tonne of bioethanol produced in the biorefinery. The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) unit emerged as the most exergetically efficient (89.66%), thermodynamically sustainable (TSI = 9.67) and environmentally friendly (6.59% of total GWP) production system. -- Highlights: • Thermo-environmental sustainability of palm-based biorefinery was assessed. • OPFs' exergy content was degraded when converted into bioethanol and phytochemicals. • Exergy efficiency (59.05%) and TSI (2.44) were recorded for the biorefinery • Global warming potential of 2265.6 kg CO 2 eq. was recorded for the whole biorefinery

Prospects for plutonium recycling in light-water reactors in the European Communities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haijtink, B.

1977-01-01

On the basis of a forecast on nuclear power installation programmes and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing capacities in the European Community, an assessment has been made of the developmnt of the plutonium handling industry up to the year 1990. Data on plutonium recovered in the reprocessing plants, requirements for fuelling the fast-breeder reactors and the remaining stockpile have been evaluated. A possible strategy for recycling the plutonium surplus in light-water reactors has been developed and its effects as regards saving on requirements for natural uranium and enrichment services have been estimated

Two drastically different climate states on an Earth-like land planet with overland water recycling

Science.gov (United States)

Kalidindi, S.; Reick, C. H.; Raddatz, T.; Claussen, M.

2017-12-01

Prior studies have demonstrated that habitable areas on low-obliquity land planets are confined to the edges of frozen ice caps. Whether such dry planets can maintain long-lived liquid water is unclear. Leconte et al. 2013 argue that on such planets mechanisms like gravity driven ice flows and geothermal flux can maintain liquid water at the edges of thick ice caps and this water may flow back to the lower latitudes through rivers. However, there exists no modelling study which investigates the climate of an Earth-like land planet with an overland recycling mechanism bringing fresh water back from higher to lower latitudes. In our study, by using a comprehensive climate model ICON, we find that an Earth-like land planet with an overland recycling mechanism can exist in two drastically different climate states for the same set of boundary conditions and parameter values: A Cold and Wet (CW) state with dominant low-latitude precipitation and, a Hot and Dry (HD) state with only high-latitude precipitation. For perpetual equinox conditions, both climate states are stable below a certain threshold value of background soil albedo (α) while above that only the CW state is stable. Starting from the HD state and increasing α above the threshold causes an abrupt shift from the HD state to the CW state resulting in a sudden cooling of about 35°C globally which is of the order of the temperature difference between the present-day and the Snowball Earth state. In contrast to the Snowball Earth instability, we find that the sudden cooling in our study is driven by the cloud albedo feedback rather than the snow-albedo feedback. Also, when α in the CW state is reduced back to zero the land planet does not display a closed hysteresis. Our study also has implications for the habitability of Earth-like land planets. At the inner edge of the habitable zone, the higher cloud cover in the CW state cools the planet and may prevent the onset of a runaway greenhouse state. At the outer

Economically Viable Components from Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) in a Biorefinery Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Eva; Prade, Thomas; Angelidaki, Irini; Svensson, Sven-Erik; Newson, William R.; Gunnarsson, Ingólfur Bragi; Persson Hovmalm, Helena

2015-01-01

Biorefinery applications are receiving growing interest due to climatic and waste disposal issues and lack of petroleum resources. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is suitable for biorefinery applications due to high biomass production and limited cultivation requirements. This paper focuses on the potential of Jerusalem artichoke as a biorefinery crop and the most viable products in such a case. The carbohydrates in the tubers were found to have potential for production of platform chemicals, e.g., succinic acid. However, economic analysis showed that production of platform chemicals as a single product was too expensive to be competitive with petrochemically produced sugars. Therefore, production of several products from the same crop is a must. Additional products are protein based ones from tubers and leaves and biogas from residues, although both are of low value and amount. High bioactive activity was found in the young leaves of the crop, and the sesquiterpene lactones are of specific interest, as other compounds from this group have shown inhibitory effects on several human diseases. Thus, future focus should be on understanding the usefulness of small molecules, to develop methods for their extraction and purification and to further develop sustainable and viable methods for the production of platform chemicals. PMID:25913379

UTILIZATION OF AGROINDUSTRIALES RESIDUES AS BIOFUELS AND BIOREFINERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deyanira Muñoz-Muñoz

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The use of residues generated in the process agro-industrials are interest worldwide. At present, research is this in lignocellulosic biomass for energy, fuels, chemicals and biomaterials through clean technologies and closed systems that conserve the environment. In this research, based on the characteristics of the typical agro-industrial residues of Cauca Department, sugarcane bagasse, sisal dust, cassava bran and the mixtures, was evaluated use as biorefinery. Were determined the thermal, physical chemical and morphologic properties in seven samples of residues, were performed exploratory tests, were determined pretreatments and applications and the possible use were identified. We conclude that the sample M6 with 9,93 % moisture, 4,12% ash, 43,97% carbon, 5,86% hydrogen, 0,43% nitrogen, 15 MJ/kg of lower heating value and 22,25%of cellulose, 9,30% of hemicellulose and 4,56% lignin, presents characteristics appropriate to be used in furnaces and boilers less power for the rural sector by the amount of ash, which keeps the low heating power stable and reduces the emission of particulate matter. For the thermal, physical, chemical and morphological characteristics, all the samples of M1 to M7, they can be hydrolyzed, densified and taken advantage like biofuel and / or biorefinery

Application of a Low Cost Ceramic Filter for Recycling Sand Filter Backwash Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md Shafiquzzaman

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to examine the application of a low cost ceramic filter for the treatment of sand filter backwash water (SFBW. The treatment process is comprised of pre-coagulation of SFBW with aluminum sulfate (Alum followed by continuous filtration usinga low cost ceramic filter at different trans-membrane pressures (TMPs. Jar test results showed that 20 mg/L of alum is the optimum dose for maximum removal of turbidity, Fe, and Mn from SFBW. The filter can be operated at a TMP between 0.6 and 3 kPa as well as a corresponding flux of 480–2000 L/m2/d without any flux declination. Significant removal, up to 99%, was observed forturbidity, iron (Fe, and manganese (Mn. The flux started to decline at 4.5 kPa TMP (corresponding flux 3280 L/m2/d, thus indicated fouling of the filter. The complete pore blocking model was found as the most appropriate model to explain the insight mechanism of flux decline. The optimum operating pressure and the permeate flux were found to be 3 kPa and 2000 L/m2/d, respectively. Treated SFBW by a low cost ceramic filter was found to be suitable to recycle back to the water treatment plant. The ceramic filtration process would be a low cost and efficient option to recycle the SFBW.

The pros and cons of lignin valorisation in an integrated biorefinery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Strassberger, Z.; Tanase, S.; Rothenberg, G.

2014-01-01

This short critical review outlines possible scenarios for using lignin as a feedstock in a biorefinery environment. We first explain the position of biomass with respect to fossil carbon sources and the possibilities of substituting these in tomorrow's transportation fuels, energy, and chemicals

Recycling of carbon fibre reinforced composites using water in subcritical conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Yuyan, E-mail: liuyy@hit.edu.cn [Harbin Institute of Technology, No.92 Xidazhi Street, Harbin 150001 (China); Shan Guohua; Meng Linghui [Harbin Institute of Technology, No.92 Xidazhi Street, Harbin 150001 (China)

2009-09-15

In this paper, a method of chemical recycling of thermosetting epoxy composite was discussed. Water was used to be reaction medium and the decomposition of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composites was studied. Experiments were devised in order to identify the significant process parameters that affect fibre reinforced composite recovery potential including temperature, time, catalyst, feedstock, and pressure. Experiments were performed in a batch-type reactor without stirring. Under the condition that the temperature was 260 deg. C and the ratio of resin and water was 1:5 g/mL, the decomposition rate could reach 100 wt.% and the carbon fibres were obtained. The results from the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) measurements showed that the fibres were clean and no cracks or defects were found. The average tensile strength of the reclaimed fibres was about 98.2% than that of the virgin fibres.

Prospective evaluation for the sugar cane factory transformation in biorefinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodríguez Plaza, Rocío; Armas Martínez, Ana Celia de; Rodríguez Carvajal, Lily Elena; García Orozco, Yamila; Torres, Alfredo

2015-01-01

The present work has as goal to evaluate prospectively alternative of transformation in the '5 de Septiembre' sugar industry, located in Cienfuegos, for a superfine alcohol biorefinery. Two alternatives were taking into account; the first one was the installation of a distillery for a capacity of 500 hl/d of superfine alcohol, using the molasses and 10% of the filters juice coming from the sugar mill, as complement of the stage of fermentation, and also a plant of biodiesel production starting from microalgae biomass and of mud separated in the sugar mill and another installation of a distillery for a similar capacity of 500 Hl/d of superfine ethanol using molasses, the filters juices and microalgae hydrolysate. For the second alternative, it intends a distillery where saving of 67 % for the molasses, and 22.73 % for the water, these results are experimentally obtained. The most feasible alternative obtain 5 years of payback period, 21 % of an IRR and U$D 37104 419.21 of NPV. (author)

Study on multi-recycle transmutation of LLFP in light water reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Setiawan, M.B.; Kitamoto, A.

2001-01-01

The effectiveness of transmutation for long-lived fission products (LLFP) in light water reactors (LWR), i.e. both BWR and PWR, considering the large capture cross-section of FPs in thermal region was evaluated. Calculation results of iodine and technetium transmutation in BWR and PWR suggested an effective use of BWR as compared to PWR. To obtain transmutation fraction [TF] of 30 to 40%, the irradiation period needed for 99 Tc transmutation was estimated as 10 to 15 years, and the period for 129 I transmutation was estimated as 30 to 40 years, respectively. The evaluations bring a new concept of multi-recycle LLFP transmutation using LWR TR (LWR for transmutation)

Ecotoxicological assessment of dewatered drinking water treatment residue for environmental recycling.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Nannan; Wang, Changhui; Wendling, Laura A; Pei, Yuansheng

2017-09-01

The beneficial recycle of drinking water treatment residue (DWTR) in environmental remediation has been demonstrated in many reports. However, the lack of information concerning the potential toxicity of dewatered DWTR hinders its widespread use. The present study examined the ecotoxicity of dewatered aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) DWTR leachates to a green alga, Chlorella vulgaris. Data from the variations of cell density and chlorophyll a content suggested that algal growth in DWTR leachates was inhibited. The algal cellular oxidation stress was initially induced but completely eliminated within 72 h by antioxidant enzymes. The expression of three photosynthesis-related algae genes (psaB, psbC, and rbcL) also temporarily decreased (within 72 h). Moreover, the algal cells showed intact cytomembranes after exposure to DWTR leachates. Further investigation confirmed that inhibition of algal growth was due to DWTR-induced phosphorus (P) deficiency in growth medium, rather than potentially toxic contaminants (e.g. copper and Al) contained in DWTR. Interestingly, the leachates could potentially promote algal growth via increasing the supply of new components (e.g. calcium, kalium, magnesium, and ammonia nitrogen) from DWTR. In summary, based on the algae toxicity test, the dewatered Fe/Al DWTR was nontoxic and its environment recycling does not represent an ecotoxicological risk to algae.

A tale of five cities: Using recycling frameworks to analyse inclusive recycling performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheinberg, Anne; Simpson, Michael

2015-11-01

'Recycling' is a source of much confusion, particularly when comparing solid waste systems in high-income countries with those in low- and middle-income countries. Few analysts can explain why the performance and structure of recycling appears to be so different in rich countries from poor ones, nor why well-meaning efforts to implement recycling so often fail. The analysis of policy drivers, and the Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) framework, come close to an explanation.This article builds on these earlier works, focusing in on five cities profiled in the 2010 UN-Habitat publication (Scheinberg A, Wilson DC and Rodic L (2010) Solid Waste Management in the World's Cities. UN-Habitat's Third Global Report on the State of Water and Sanitation in the World's Cities. Newcastle-on-Tyne, UK: Earthscan Publications). Data from these cities and others provides the basis for developing a new tool to analyse inclusive recycling performance. The points of departure are the institutional and economic relationships between the service chain, the public obligation to remove waste, pollution, and other forms of disvalue, and the value chain, a system of private enterprises trading valuable materials and providing markets for recyclables. The methodological innovation is to use flows of materials and money as indicators of institutional relationships, and is an extension of process flow diagramming.The authors are using the term 'recycling framework analysis' to describe this new form of institutional analysis. The diagrams increase our understanding of the factors that contribute to high-performance inclusive recycling. By focusing on institutional relationships, the article seeks to improve analysis, planning, and ultimately, outcomes, of recycling interventions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Case study: Preliminary assessment of integrated palm biomass biorefinery for bioethanol production utilizing non-food sugars from oil palm frond petiole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdullah, Sharifah Soplah Syed; Shirai, Yoshihito; Ali, Ahmad Amiruddin Mohd; Mustapha, Mahfuzah; Hassan, Mohd Ali

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Fermentable sugars production from oil palm frond by integrated technology concept. • Bioethanol production from oil palm frond sugars in a biorefinery. • Palm oil mills have sufficient excess energy and steam to support biorefinery. • The net energy ratio of bioethanol from oil palm frond petiole is 7.48. - Abstract: In this case study, a preliminary assessment on the bioethanol production from oil palm frond (OPF) petiole sugars within an integrated palm biomass biorefinery was carried out. Based on the case study of 4 neighbouring palm oil mills, approximately 55,600 t/y of fermentable sugars could be obtained from OPF petiole. The integrated biorefinery will be located at one of the 4 mills. The mill has potential excess energy comprising 3.64 GW h/y of electricity and 177,000 t/y of steam which are sufficient to run the biorefinery. With 33.9 million litres/y of bioethanol production, the specific production cost of bioethanol is estimated at $ 0.52/l bioethanol, compared to $ 0.31–0.34/l bioethanol produced from sugarcane and $ 0.49–0.60/l bioethanol from other lignocellulosics. The net energy ratio of 7.48 for bioethanol production from OPF provides a promising alternative for OPF utilization as a non-food sugar feedstock.

Integrated Nuclear Recycle Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patodi, Anuj; Parashar, Abhishek; Samadhiya, Akshay K.; Ray, Saheli; Dey, Mitun; Singh, K.K.

2017-01-01

Nuclear Recycle Board (NRB), Tarapur proposes to set up an 'Integrated Nuclear Recycle Plant' at Tarapur. This will be located in the premises of BARC facilities. The project location is at coastal town of Tarapur, 130 Km north of Mumbai. Project area cover of INRP is around 80 hectares. The plant will be designed to process spent fuel received from Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). This is the first large scale integrated plant of the country. INRP will process spent fuel obtained from indigenous nuclear power plants and perform left over nuclear waste disposal

Lignocellulosic sugar management for xylitol and ethanol fermentation with multiple cell recycling by Kluyveromyces marxianus IIPE453.

Science.gov (United States)

Dasgupta, Diptarka; Ghosh, Debashish; Bandhu, Sheetal; Adhikari, Dilip K

2017-07-01

Optimum utilization of fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass to deliver multiple products under biorefinery concept has been reported in this work. Alcohol fermentation has been carried out with multiple cell recycling of Kluyveromyces marxianus IIPE453. The yeast utilized xylose-rich fraction from acid and steam treated biomass for cell generation and xylitol production with an average yield of 0.315±0.01g/g while the entire glucose rich saccharified fraction had been fermented to ethanol with high productivity of 0.9±0.08g/L/h. A detailed insight into its genome illustrated the strain's complete set of genes associated with sugar transport and metabolism for high-temperature fermentation. A set flocculation proteins were identified that aided in high cell recovery in successive fermentation cycles to achieve alcohols with high productivity. We have brought biomass derived sugars, yeast cell biomass generation, and ethanol and xylitol fermentation in one platform and validated the overall material balance. 2kg sugarcane bagasse yielded 193.4g yeast cell, and with multiple times cell recycling generated 125.56g xylitol and 289.2g ethanol (366mL). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Printability of papers recycled from toner and inkjet-printed papers after deinking and recycling processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Karademir, Arif; Aydemir, Cem; Tutak, Dogan; Aravamuthan, Raja

2018-04-01

In our contemporary world, while part of the fibers used in the paper industry is obtained from primary fibers such as wood and agricultural plants, the rest is obtained from secondary fibers from waste papers. To manufacture paper with high optical quality from fibers of recycled waste papers, these papers require deinking and bleaching of fibers at desired levels. High efficiency in removal of ink from paper mass during recycling, and hence deinkability, are especially crucial for the optical and printability quality of the ultimate manufactured paper. In the present study, deinkability and printability performance of digitally printed paper with toner or inkjet ink were compared for the postrecycling product. To that end, opaque 80 g/m 2 office paper was digitally printed under standard printing conditions with laser toner or inkjet ink; then these sheets of paper were deinked by a deinking process based on the INGEDE method 11 p. After the deinking operation, the optical properties of the obtained recycled handsheets were compared with unprinted (reference) paper. Then the recycled paper was printed on once again under the same conditions as before with inkjet and laser printers, to monitor and measure printing color change before and after recycling, and differences in color universe. Recycling and printing performances of water-based inkjet and toner-based laser printed paper were obtained. The outcomes for laser-printed recycled paper were better than those for inkjet-printed recycled paper. Compared for luminosity Y, brightness, CIE a* and CIE b* values, paper recycled from laser-printed paper exhibited higher value than paper recycled from inkjet-printed paper.

Microbiological risks of recycling urban stormwater via aquifers.

Science.gov (United States)

Page, D; Gonzalez, D; Dillon, P

2012-01-01

With the release of the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling: Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), aquifers are now being included as a treatment barrier when assessing risk of recycled water systems. A MAR research site recharging urban stormwater in a confined aquifer was used in conjunction with a Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment to assess the microbial pathogen risk in the recovered water for different end uses. The assessment involved undertaking a detailed assessment of the treatment steps and exposure controls, including the aquifer, to achieve the microbial health-based targets.

Actinide recycling for reactor waste mass and radiotoxicity reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renard, A.; Maldague, T.; Pilate, S.; Journet, J.; Rome, M.; Harislur, A.; Vergnes, J.

1994-01-01

The long-term radiotoxicity of nuclear waste from a Light Water Reactor fuel is analyzed; it can be reduced by multiple recycling of actinides in fast reactors. The capabilities of a first recycling in the light water reactor itself are evaluated with regard to implications on reactor physics and core management. Two main options are compared with their penalties and efficiency

Water accounting and vulnerability evaluation (WAVE): considering atmospheric evaporation recycling and the risk of freshwater depletion in water footprinting.

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Markus; van der Ent, Ruud; Eisner, Stephanie; Bach, Vanessa; Finkbeiner, Matthias

2014-04-15

Aiming to enhance the analysis of water consumption and resulting consequences along the supply chain of products, the water accounting and vulnerability evaluation (WAVE) model is introduced. On the accounting level, atmospheric evaporation recycling within drainage basins is considered for the first time, which can reduce water consumption volumes by up to 32%. Rather than predicting impacts, WAVE analyzes the vulnerability of basins to freshwater depletion. Based on local blue water scarcity, the water depletion index (WDI) denotes the risk that water consumption can lead to depletion of freshwater resources. Water scarcity is determined by relating annual water consumption to availability in more than 11,000 basins. Additionally, WDI accounts for the presence of lakes and aquifers which have been neglected in water scarcity assessments so far. By setting WDI to the highest value in (semi)arid basins, absolute freshwater shortage is taken into account in addition to relative scarcity. This avoids mathematical artifacts of previous indicators which turn zero in deserts if consumption is zero. As illustrated in a case study of biofuels, WAVE can help to interpret volumetric water footprint figures and, thus, promotes a sustainable use of global freshwater resources.

Technoeconomic analysis of biofuels: A wiki-based platform for lignocellulosic biorefineries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klein-Marcuschamer, Daniel; Oleskowicz-Popiel, Piotr; Simmons, Blake A.

2010-01-01

We present a process model for a lignocellulosic ethanol biorefinery that is open to the biofuels academic community. Beyond providing a series of static results, the wiki-based platform provides a dynamic and transparent tool for analyzing, exploring, and communicating the impact of process adva...

Effect of Aqueous Phase Recycling in Continuous Hydrothermal Liquefaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klemmer, Maika; Madsen, René Bjerregaard; Houlberg, Kasper

2016-01-01

was observed with a maximum increase in the first recycle experiment. However, the recycling of the aqueous phase also resulted in lower heating values and higher water contents in the oil fraction. Based on these findings, recycling the aqueous phase is a trade-off between improved yields and reduced burn...... qualities of the biocrude. That said, recycling also lowers carbon discharge to the aqueous fraction, which may contribute significantly to reducing the environmental footprint of an industrial HTL plant....

Quantifying Supply Risk at a Cellulosic Biorefinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, Jason K [Idaho National Laboratory; Jacobson, Jacob Jordan [Idaho National Laboratory; Cafferty, Kara Grace [Idaho National Laboratory; Lamers, Patrick [Idaho National Laboratory; Roni, MD S [Idaho National Laboratory

2015-03-01

In order to increase the sustainability and security of the nation’s energy supply, the U.S. Department of Energy through its Bioenergy Technology Office has set a vision for one billion tons of biomass to be processed for renewable energy and bioproducts annually by the year 2030. The Renewable Fuels Standard limits the amount of corn grain that can be used in ethanol conversion sold in the U.S, which is already at its maximum. Therefore making the DOE’s vision a reality requires significant growth in the advanced biofuels industry where currently three cellulosic biorefineries convert cellulosic biomass to ethanol. Risk mitigation is central to growing the industry beyond its infancy to a level necessary to achieve the DOE vision. This paper focuses on reducing the supply risk that faces a firm that owns a cellulosic biorefinery. It uses risk theory and simulation modeling to build a risk assessment model based on causal relationships of underlying, uncertain, supply driving variables. Using the model the paper quantifies supply risk reduction achieved by converting the supply chain from a conventional supply system (bales and trucks) to an advanced supply system (depots, pellets, and trains). Results imply that the advanced supply system reduces supply system risk, defined as the probability of a unit cost overrun, from 83% in the conventional system to 4% in the advanced system. Reducing cost risk in this nascent industry improves the odds of realizing desired growth.

Quantifying Supply Risk at a Cellulosic Biorefinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, Jason K.; Jacobson, Jacob J.; Cafferty, Kara G.; Lamers, Patrick; Roni, Mohammad S.

2015-07-01

In order to increase the sustainability and security of the nation’s energy supply, the U.S. Department of Energy through its Bioenergy Technology Office has set a vision for one billion tons of biomass to be processed for renewable energy and bioproducts annually by the year 2030. The Renewable Fuels Standard limits the amount of corn grain that can be used in ethanol conversion sold in the U.S, which is already at its maximum. Therefore making the DOE’s vision a reality requires significant growth in the advanced biofuels industry where currently three cellulosic biorefineries convert cellulosic biomass to ethanol. Risk mitigation is central to growing the industry beyond its infancy to a level necessary to achieve the DOE vision. This paper focuses on reducing the supply risk that faces a firm that owns a cellulosic biorefinery. It uses risk theory and simulation modeling to build a risk assessment model based on causal relationships of underlying, uncertain, supply driving variables. Using the model the paper quantifies supply risk reduction achieved by converting the supply chain from a conventional supply system (bales and trucks) to an advanced supply system (depots, pellets, and trains). Results imply that the advanced supply system reduces supply system risk, defined as the probability of a unit cost overrun, from 83% in the conventional system to 4% in the advanced system. Reducing cost risk in this nascent industry improves the odds of realizing desired growth.

Implications of plutonium and americium recycling on MOX fuel fabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renard, A.; Pilate, S.; Maldague, Th.; La Fuente, A.; Evrard, G.

1995-01-01

The impact of the multiple recycling of plutonium in power reactors on the radiation dose rates is analyzed for the most critical stage in a MOX fuel fabrication plant. The limitation of the number of Pu recycling in light water reactors would rather stem from reactor core physics features. The case of recovering americium with plutonium is also considered and the necessary additions of shielding are evaluated. A comparison between the recycling of Pu in fast reactors and in light water reactors is presented. (author)

Bridging the gap between feedstock growers and users: the study of a coppice poplar-based biorefinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, Chang; Gustafson, Rick; Bura, Renata

2018-01-01

In the biofuel industry, land productivity is important to feedstock growers and conversion process product yield is important to the biorefinery. The crop productivity, however, may not positively correlate with bioconversion yield. Therefore, it is important to evaluate sugar yield and biomass productivity. In this study, 2-year-old poplar trees harvested in the first coppice cycle, including one low-productivity hybrid and one high-productivity hybrid, were collected from two poplar tree farms. Through steam pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis, the bioconversion yields of low- and high-productivity poplar hybrids were compared for both sites. The low-productivity hybrids had 9-19% higher sugar yields than the high-productivity hybrids, although they have the similar chemical composition. Economic calculations show the impact on the plantation and biorefinery of using the two feedstocks. Growing a high-productivity hybrid means the land owner would use 11-26% less land (which could be used for other crops) or collect $2.53-$3.46 MM/year extra revenue from the surplus feedstock. On the other side, the biorefinery would receive 5-10% additional revenue using the low-productivity hybrid. We propose a business model based on the integration of the plantation and the biorefinery. In this model, different feedstocks are assessed using a metric of product tonnage per unit land per year. Use of this new economic metric bridges the gap between feedstock growers and users to maximize the overall production efficiency.

Recycling of dyehouse effluents by biological and chemical treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krull, R.; Doepkens, E. [Inst. of Biochemical Engineering, Technical Univ. of Braunschweig, Braunschweig (Germany)

2003-07-01

The introduction of the production integrated environmental protection by closing raw material cycles is shown exemplary for the textile finishing industry. Colored process water with a high content of dissolved organic dyes has always been a non-trivial problem for the sewage engineering sector. The recycling of process water of textile mills is often hindered by remaining color of water-soluable azo dyes after conventional wastewater treatment. Rising costs of emitted wastewater, lawful limits and restricted availability of water makes it of great interest to introduce sophisticated techniques helping to purify dye effluents and to recycle process water. A combined biological and chemical process of purification and recycling of residual dyehouse split flows into the production was developed, investigated and installed by a textile finishing company which produces 330,000 m{sup 3} colored wastewater effluents per year. The process contains anaerobic dye-cleavage, aerobic mineralization of cleavage-products and the decolorization and partial oxidation of traces of dyeresiduals by advanced oxidation. (orig.)

Recycle flow rate control device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sumida, Susumu; Mizuno, Hiroshi; Oka, Yoko.

1984-01-01

Purpose: To attain stable low hydraulic power operation with no abnormal changes in the reactor water level by smoothly varying the speed control for the recycling pump for regulating the reactor core flowrate in BWR type reactors. Constitution: In a recycling control system equipped with an internal pump having a response characteristic higher by ten and several times or more than that of prior pump, a previously programed recycling run-back signal is inputted to a speed regulator upon load interruption of the electric generator to thereby control the operation of the internal pump driving motor such that the speed is decreased rapidly at the initial state and smoothly thereafter. The run-back singal is passed through a primary delay circuit so that the interruption of the motor operation does not directly performed by the signal interruption upon failure. As the result, the amount of void produced is also made smooth and the reactor water level varies smoothly as well, whereby the reactor power can be reduced with a sufficient margin. (Kamimura, M.)

The water treatment and recycling in 105-day bioregenerative life support experiment in the Lunar Palace 1

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Beizhen; Zhu, Guorong; Liu, Bojie; Su, Qiang; Deng, Shengda; Yang, Lige; Liu, Guanghui; Dong, Chen; Wang, Minjuan; Liu, Hong

2017-11-01

In the bioregenerative life support system (BLSS), water recycling is one of the essential issues. The Lunar Palace 1, a ground-based bioregenerative life support system experimental facility, has been developed by our team and a 105-day closed bioregenerative life support experiment with multi-crew involved has been accomplished within this large-scale facility. During the 105-day experiment, activated carbon-absorption/ultra-filtration, membrane-biological activated carbon reactor and reduced pressure distillation technology have been used to purify the condensate water, sanitary & kitchen wastewater and urine, respectively. The results demonstrated that the combination of those technologies can achieve 100% regeneration of the water inside the Lunar Palace 1. The purified condensate water (the clean water) could meet the standards for drinking water quality in China (GB5749-2006). The treatment capacity of the membrane-biological activated carbon reactor for sanitary & kitchen wastewater could reach 150 kg/d. During the 105-d experiment, the average volume loading of the bioreactor was 0.441 kgCOD/(m3d), and the average COD removal efficiency was about 85.3%. The quality of the purified sanitary & kitchen wastewater (the greywater) could meet the standards for irrigation water quality (GB 5084-2005). In addition, during the 105-day experiment, the total excreted urine volume of three crew members was 346 L and the contained water was totally treated and recovered. The removal efficiency of ion from urine was about 88.12%. Moreover, partial nitrogen within the urine was recovered as well and the average recovery ratio was about 20.5%. The study laid a foundation for the water recycling technologies which could be used in BLSS for lunar or Mars bases.

Balance and saving of GHG emissions in thermochemical biorefineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haro, Pedro; Aracil, Cristina; Vidal-Barrero, Fernando; Ollero, Pedro

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A simplified methodology for the balance and saving of GHG emissions is provided. • The GHG balance has a physical meaning and does not depend on the fossil reference. • The GHG saving depends on regulation of energy carriers. • The impact of Bio-CCS incorporation and multiproduction is analyzed. • The co-production of chemicals needs to be included in future regulation. - Abstract: In this study, a simplified methodology for the calculation of the balance of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and corresponding saving compared with the fossil reference is presented. The proposed methodology allows the estimation of the anthropogenic GHG emissions of thermochemical biorefineries (net emitted to the atmosphere). In the calculation of the GHG balance, all relevant factors have been identified and analyzed including multiproduction, emissions from biogenic carbon capture and storage (Bio-CCS), co-feeding of fossil fuels (secondary feedstock) and possible carbon storage in biomass-derived products (chemicals). Therefore, it is possible to calculate the balance of GHG emissions of a hypothetical thermochemical biorefinery considering different alternatives of land-use, biomass feedstock, co-feeding of fossil fuels, Bio-CCS incorporation and final use of the products. The comparison of the estimated GHG balance with the corresponding fossil reference for each product is of special relevance in the methodology since it is the parameter used in European regulation for the fulfillment of sustainability criteria in biomass-derived fuels and liquids. The proposed methodology is tested using a previously assessed set of different process concepts of thermochemical biorefineries (techno-economic analysis). The resulting GHG balance and saving are analyzed to identify uncertainties and provide recommendations for future regulation. In all process concepts, the GHG savings are above the minimum requirement of GHG emissions for 2018. In the case of incorporating

Critical analysis of emerging forest biorefinery (FBR) technologies for ethanol production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, J.; Janssen, M.; Chambost, V.; Stuart, P.

2010-01-01

This article provided a literature review of emerging technologies for ethanol production in Canada. A multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) panel was used to weigh critical metrics for evaluating the potential of emerging forest biorefinery technologies for bio-ethanol production. The 3-step methodology identified key factors for evaluating technology pathways. Key factors were applied to a group of selected technologies in order to collect data. All previous criteria were weighted through the MCDM panel in order to rank the technologies, which included biochemical pathway and thermochemical pathway production processes. Criteria included return on investment; feedstock flexibility; technology risk; energy and integration; products and revenue diversification; potential for additional products; and potential environmental impact. The study showed that techno-economic criteria are the most important barriers to the implementation of ethanol biorefineries. While thermochemical processes are economically feasible and provide greater flexibility, biochemical refining processes may provide for the development of other value-added products. 21 refs., 3 tabs., 7 figs.

Critical analysis of emerging forest biorefinery (FBR) technologies for ethanol production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cohen, J.; Janssen, M.; Chambost, V.; Stuart, P. [Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, PQ (Canada). Dept. de Genie Chimique. Design Engineering Chair in Process Integration

2010-05-15

This article provided a literature review of emerging technologies for ethanol production in Canada. A multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) panel was used to weigh critical metrics for evaluating the potential of emerging forest biorefinery technologies for bio-ethanol production. The 3-step methodology identified key factors for evaluating technology pathways. Key factors were applied to a group of selected technologies in order to collect data. All previous criteria were weighted through the MCDM panel in order to rank the technologies, which included biochemical pathway and thermochemical pathway production processes. Criteria included return on investment; feedstock flexibility; technology risk; energy and integration; products and revenue diversification; potential for additional products; and potential environmental impact. The study showed that techno-economic criteria are the most important barriers to the implementation of ethanol biorefineries. While thermochemical processes are economically feasible and provide greater flexibility, biochemical refining processes may provide for the development of other value-added products. 21 refs., 3 tabs., 7 figs.

Novel heat–integrated and intensified biorefinery process for cellulosic ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nhien, Le Cao; Long, Nguyen Van Duc; Lee, Moonyong

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A compact biorefinery design was proposed for cellulosic ethanol purification. • Actual fermentation broth from lignocellulosic biomass was considered. • Process integration and intensification achieves competitive biorefinery context. • The response surface method optimizes the complex column structure effectively. • The proposed process could save up to 47.6% of total annual cost. - Abstract: Biofuels have the most potential as an alternative to fossil fuels and overcoming global warming, which has become one of the most serious environmental issues over the past few decades. As the world confronts food shortages due to an increase in world population, the development of biofuels from inedible lignocellulosic feedstock may be more sustainable in the long term. Inspired by the NREL conventional process, this paper proposes a novel heat–integrated and intensified biorefinery design for cellulosic ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. For the preconcentration section, heat pump assisted distillation and double–effect heat integration were evaluated, while a combination of heat–integrated technique and intensified technique, extractive dividing wall column (EDWC), was applied to enhance the process energy and cost efficiency for the purification section. A biosolvent, glycerol, which can be produced from biodiesel production, was used as the extracting solvent in an EDWC to obtain a high degree of integration in a biorefinery context. All configuration alternatives were simulated rigorously using Aspen Plus were based on the energy requirements, total annual costs (TAC), and total carbon dioxide emissions (TCE). In addition, the structure of the EDWC was optimized using the reliable response surface method, which was carried out using Minitab statistical software. The simulation results showed that the proposed heat–integrated and intensified process can save up to 47.6% and 56.9% of the TAC and TCE for the purification

Successive pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification of sugarcane bagasse in a packed bed flow-through column reactor aiming to support biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Terán-Hilares, R; Reséndiz, A L; Martínez, R T; Silva, S S; Santos, J C

2016-03-01

A packed bed flow-through column reactor (PBFTCR) was used for pretreatment and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of sugarcane bagasse (SCB). Alkaline pretreatment was performed at 70 °C for 4h with fresh 0.3M NaOH solution or with liquor recycled from a previous pretreatment batch. Scheffersomyces stipitis NRRL-Y7124 was used for fermentation of sugars released after enzymatic hydrolysis (20 FPU g(-1) of dry SCB). The highest results for lignin removal were 61% and 52%, respectively, observed when using fresh NaOH or the first reuse of the liquor. About 50% of cellulosic and 57% of hemicellulosic fractions of pretreated SCBs were enzymatically hydrolyzed and the maximum ethanol production was 23.4 g L(-1) (ethanol yield of 0.4 gp gs(-1)), with near complete consumption of both pentoses and hexoses present in the hydrolysate during the fermentation. PBFTCR as a new alternative for SCB-biorefineries is presented, mainly considering its simple configuration and efficiency for operating with a high solid:liquid ratio. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on high conversion type core of innovative water reactor for flexible fuel cycle (FLWR) for minor actinide (MA) recycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukaya, Yuji; Nakano, Yoshihiro; Okubo, Tsutomu

2009-01-01

In order to ensure sustainable energy supplies in the future based on the well-established light water reactor (LWR) technologies, conceptual design studies have been performed on the innovative water reactor for flexible fuel cycle (FLWR) with the high conversion ratio core. For early introduction of FLWR without a serious technical gap from the LWR technologies, the conceptual design of the high conversion type one (HC-FLWR) was constructed to recycle reprocessed plutonium. Furthermore, an investigation of minor actinide (MA) recycling based on the HC-FLWR core concept has been performed and is presented in this paper. Because HC-FLWR is a near-term technology, it would be a good option in the future if HC-FLWR can recycle MAs. In order to recycle MAs in HC-FLWR, it has been found that the core design should be changed, because the loaded MA makes the void reactivity coefficient worse and decreases the discharge burn-up. To find a promising core design specification, the investigation on the core characteristics were performed using the results from parameter surveys with core burn-up calculations. The final core designs were established by coupled three dimensional neutronics and thermal-hydraulics core calculations. The major core specifications are as follows. The plutonium fissile (Puf) content is 13 wt%. The discharge burn-up is about 55 GWd/t. Around 2 wt% of Np or Am can be recycled. The MA conversion ratios are around unity. In particular, it has been found that loaded Np can be transmuted effectively in this core concept. Therefore, these concepts would be a good option to reduce environmental burdens.

Sustainable multipurpose biorefineries for third-generation biofuels and value-added co-products

Science.gov (United States)

Modern biorefinery facilities conduct many types of processes, including those producing advanced biofuels, commodity chemicals, biodiesel, and value-added co-products such as sweeteners and bioinsecticides, with many more co-products, chemicals and biofuels on the horizon. Most of these processes ...

The Chemistry and Technology of Furfural Production in Modern Lignocellulose-Feedstock Biorefineries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marcotullio, G.

2011-01-01

This dissertation deals with biorefinery technology development, i.e. with the development of sustainable industrial methods aimed at the production of chemicals, fuels, heat and power from lignocellulosic biomass. This work is particularly focused on the production of furfural from

Factors affecting public support for forest-based biorefineries: A comparison of mill towns and the general public in Maine, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marciano, James A.; Lilieholm, Robert J.; Teisl, Mario F.; Leahy, Jessica E.; Neupane, Binod

2014-01-01

Community views toward the risks and benefits of emerging renewable energy technologies are important factors in facility siting decisions and their eventual success. While the actual socioeconomic and biophysical impacts of proposed industrial developments are fraught with uncertainty, understanding public perceptions is critical in managing costs and benefits to local citizens. Here, we explore the social acceptability of forest-based biorefineries in Maine using random utility modeling to identify how project attributes and citizen characteristics interact to affect level of support. Using a statewide sample (Statewide) and a subsample of mill towns (Mill Towns), we found that: (1) in both samples, individual characteristics had similar coefficients and significance levels except for pro-environment attitudes; (2) the coefficients related to the industry’s negative attributes were notably different between the two samples, while positive attributes were not; (3) in both samples, positive industry attributes such as “producing products from a sustainable resource” and “increased economic development” were the most influential variables in determining the level of support for a new biorefinery in an individual’s community; and (4) in general, Mill Town respondents were more accepting of potential negative attributes such as increased levels of truck traffic, odor, noise, and air and water pollution. - Highlights: • We examined social views of bioproducts processing in mill towns and statewide. • Environmental sustainability was a major concern expressed by both samples. • Views were affected by proximity to processing, and by respondent characteristics. • Public concerns should be considered along the entire supply chain. • Views toward biorefineries may be influenced by views of related industries

Recycling temperature elevation device and temperature control method for control rod driving system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okamura, Hajime.

1996-01-01

The present invention concerns a device for and a method of controlling a recycling temperature control device for control rod drives (CRD) of a nuclear power plant, which can prevent occurrence of cavitation and keep the amount of cooling water to be transferred to a water source transfer pipeline thereby improving maintenanciability, operationability and reliability. Namely, a supply pipeline supplies cooling water required for the control rod drives from a water source. A CRD pump elevates the pressure of the cooling water. A recycling pipeline is branched from the downstream of the CRD pump of the supply pipeline and connected to the supply pipeline at the upstream of the CRD pump. A first pressure element and a restricting valve disposed at the upstream thereof are connected to the upstream of the CRD pump and the water source transfer pipeline. The water source transfer pipeline is branched from the recycling pipeline and connected to the water source. A second pressure element is disposed to a recycling pipeline at the downstream of the branched point from the water source transfer pipeline. (I.S.)

Purification and recycling of the waste water of a paper mill using mechanical pulp; Mekaanista massaa kaeyttaevaen paperitehtaan jaeteveden puhdistus ja uudelleenkaeyttoe - EKY 07

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mattelemaeki, R. [Enso Oyj, Imatra (Finland)

1998-12-31

The objective of the project was to study which levels of organic and inorganic substances could be obtained by treatment of waste waters of mechanical pulper and paper machine biologically and after that with solid matter removal. Another target was also to test the utilisation of the purified water in pulp and paper manufacture, and to study the properties of purified water. The three months test runs with PK 4 and TMP plant clarified waters were carried out using a pilot-scale plant, which also consisted of two serial aerobic bioreactors and a parallel anaerobic line as a reference. The solid matter was removed by chemical flocculation, flotation and sand filtration. The purification efficiencies of both waters were similar both in aerobic and anaerobic lines. The reduction of soluble COD in biological stage was about 75 % and that of the whole line about 85 %. The solid matter reduction was 60-70 %. Solid fines, including bacteria, could not be removed sufficiently from the water by flotation and sand filtration so the water cannot be recommended to be used to replace fresh water. Circulating water sheets were produced, and pulp washing tests, retention tests and microbiological tests were carried out in order to estimate the recyclability of the water. Minor lowering of whiteness of the sheets were observed when a part of the fresh water was replaced with recycled water. Microscopic analysis shoved that after the sand filter there were a lot of free bacteria in the water. Further research will be concentrated to recycling of purified water, e.g. To research on how the colour of the water effects on the quality of the product. (orig.)

Purification and recycling of the waste water of a paper mill using mechanical pulp; Mekaanista massaa kaeyttaevaen paperitehtaan jaeteveden puhdistus ja uudelleenkaeyttoe - EKY 07

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mattelemaeki, R [Enso Oyj, Imatra (Finland)

1999-12-31

The objective of the project was to study which levels of organic and inorganic substances could be obtained by treatment of waste waters of mechanical pulper and paper machine biologically and after that with solid matter removal. Another target was also to test the utilisation of the purified water in pulp and paper manufacture, and to study the properties of purified water. The three months test runs with PK 4 and TMP plant clarified waters were carried out using a pilot-scale plant, which also consisted of two serial aerobic bioreactors and a parallel anaerobic line as a reference. The solid matter was removed by chemical flocculation, flotation and sand filtration. The purification efficiencies of both waters were similar both in aerobic and anaerobic lines. The reduction of soluble COD in biological stage was about 75 % and that of the whole line about 85 %. The solid matter reduction was 60-70 %. Solid fines, including bacteria, could not be removed sufficiently from the water by flotation and sand filtration so the water cannot be recommended to be used to replace fresh water. Circulating water sheets were produced, and pulp washing tests, retention tests and microbiological tests were carried out in order to estimate the recyclability of the water. Minor lowering of whiteness of the sheets were observed when a part of the fresh water was replaced with recycled water. Microscopic analysis shoved that after the sand filter there were a lot of free bacteria in the water. Further research will be concentrated to recycling of purified water, e.g. To research on how the colour of the water effects on the quality of the product. (orig.)

Current Pretreatment Technologies for the Development of Cellulosic Ethanol and Biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Silveira, Marcos Henrique Luciano; Morais, Ana Rita C; da Costa Lopes, Andre M; Olekszyszen, Drielly Nayara; Bogel-Łukasik, Rafał; Andreaus, Jürgen; Pereira Ramos, Luiz

2015-10-26

Lignocellulosic materials, such as forest, agriculture, and agroindustrial residues, are among the most important resources for biorefineries to provide fuels, chemicals, and materials in such a way to substitute for, at least in part, the role of petrochemistry in modern society. Most of these sustainable biorefinery products can be produced from plant polysaccharides (glucans, hemicelluloses, starch, and pectic materials) and lignin. In this scenario, cellulosic ethanol has been considered for decades as one of the most promising alternatives to mitigate fossil fuel dependence and carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere. However, a pretreatment method is required to overcome the physical and chemical barriers that exist in the lignin-carbohydrate composite and to render most, if not all, of the plant cell wall components easily available for conversion into valuable products, including the fuel ethanol. Hence, pretreatment is a key step for an economically viable biorefinery. Successful pretreatment method must lead to partial or total separation of the lignocellulosic components, increasing the accessibility of holocellulose to enzymatic hydrolysis with the least inhibitory compounds being released for subsequent steps of enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. Each pretreatment technology has a different specificity against both carbohydrates and lignin and may or may not be efficient for different types of biomasses. Furthermore, it is also desirable to develop pretreatment methods with chemicals that are greener and effluent streams that have a lower impact on the environment. This paper provides an overview of the most important pretreatment methods available, including those that are based on the use of green solvents (supercritical fluids and ionic liquids). © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Integrated production of cellulosic bioethanol and succinic acid from industrial hemp in a biorefinery concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuglarz, Mariusz; Alvarado-Morales, Merlin; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop integrated biofuel (cellulosic bioethanol) and biochemical (succinic acid) production from industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) in a biorefinery concept. Two types of pretreatments were studied (dilute-acid and alkaline oxidative method). High cellulose recovery...... productivity. With respect to succinic acid production, the highest productivity was obtained after liquid fraction fermentation originated from steam treatment with 1.5% of acid. The mass balance calculations clearly showed that 149 kg of EtOH and 115 kg of succinic acid can be obtained per 1 ton of dry hemp....... Results obtained in this study clearly document the potential of industrial hemp for a biorefinery....

Recycling technologies for sewarage systems. Reuse of water, heat, and sludge in Tokyo; Gesuido wo meguru risaikuru gijutsu. Tokyoto ni okeru mizu/netsu/odei no sairiyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mino, T. [Tokyo Univ. (Japan)

1996-03-10

The recycling technology employed in Tokyo were reported. It will be useful for developing and introducing the recycling technology for water, heat, and sludge in the sewage treatment. Among various kinds of recycling technology, one of the most peculiar technology is the district heating and cooling system using the heat of sewage. The Japan`s first practical plant which uses the untreated sewage as the heat source was installed and is now operating in Korakuen pump station. In the station, the energy contained in the sewage is recovered by a heat exchanger. The heat pump produces warm water of 45{degree}C and cold water of 7{degree}C as well. Both are supplied to the area near by through the heat source supply pipeline. The Nanbu sludge plant has a sludge-resourcing plant, in which the sludge is converted into fuel, metro-bricks, and light-weight granules, as well as a conventional sludge treatment plant carrying out the concentration, dehydration, and incineration of sludge. The Ochiai sewage treatment plant reuses water after cleaning. The clean water is used as for the service water in addition to being discharged into the river stream. 7 figs., 1 tab.

Waste biorefinery models towards sustainable circular bioeconomy: Critical review and future perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkata Mohan, S; Nikhil, G N; Chiranjeevi, P; Nagendranatha Reddy, C; Rohit, M V; Kumar, A Naresh; Sarkar, Omprakash

2016-09-01

Increased urbanization worldwide has resulted in a substantial increase in energy and material consumption as well as anthropogenic waste generation. The main source for our current needs is petroleum refinery, which have grave impact over energy-environment nexus. Therefore, production of bioenergy and biomaterials have significant potential to contribute and need to meet the ever increasing demand. In this perspective, a biorefinery concept visualizes negative-valued waste as a potential renewable feedstock. This review illustrates different bioprocess based technological models that will pave sustainable avenues for the development of biobased society. The proposed models hypothesize closed loop approach wherein waste is valorised through a cascade of various biotechnological processes addressing circular economy. Biorefinery offers a sustainable green option to utilize waste and to produce a gamut of marketable bioproducts and bioenergy on par to petro-chemical refinery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biorefinery of the green seaweed Ulva lactuca to produce animal feed, chemicals and biofuels.

Science.gov (United States)

Bikker, Paul; van Krimpen, Marinus M; van Wikselaar, Piet; Houweling-Tan, Bwee; Scaccia, Nazareno; van Hal, Jaap W; Huijgen, Wouter J J; Cone, John W; López-Contreras, Ana M

2016-01-01

The growing world population demands an increase in animal protein production. Seaweed may be a valuable source of protein for animal feed. However, a biorefinery approach aimed at cascading valorisation of both protein and non-protein seaweed constituents is required to realise an economically feasible value chain. In this study, such a biorefinery approach is presented for the green seaweed Ulva lactuca containing 225 g protein ( N  × 4.6) kg -1 dry matter (DM). The sugars in the biomass were solubilised by hot water treatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis and centrifugation resulting in a sugar-rich hydrolysate (38.8 g L -1 sugars) containing glucose, rhamnose and xylose, and a protein-enriched (343 g kg -1 in DM) extracted fraction. This extracted fraction was characterised for use in animal feed, as compared to U. lactuca biomass. Based on the content of essential amino acids and the in vitro N (85 %) and organic matter (90 %) digestibility, the extracted fraction seems a promising protein source in diets for monogastric animals with improved characteristics as compared to the intact U. lactuca . The gas production test indicated a moderate rumen fermentation of U. lactuca and the extracted fraction, about similar to that of alfalfa. Reduction of the high content of minerals and trace elements may be required to allow a high inclusion level of U. lactuca products in animal diets. The hydrolysate was used successfully for the production of acetone, butanol, ethanol and 1,2-propanediol by clostridial fermentation, and the rhamnose fermentation pattern was studied.

Biorefinery lignosulfonates from sulfite-pretreated softwoods as dispersant for graphite

Science.gov (United States)

Yanlin Qin; Lixuan Yu; Ruchun Wu; Dongjie Yang; Xueqing Qiu; Junyong Zhu

2016-01-01

Two biorefinery lignosulfonates (LSs), Ca-LS-DF and Na-LS-LP were, respectively, isolated from pilot-scale sulfite-pretreated spent liquor of lodgepole pine and fermentation residue of Douglas-fir harvest forest residue. The molecular weights of Na-LS-LP and Ca-LS-DF were approximately 9 000 and 11 000 Da, respectively. The two LSs were applied as dispersant for...

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) sludge recycling unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-08-01

The Guelph Utility Pole Company treats utility poles by immersion in pentachlorophenol (PCP) or by pressure treatment with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). The PCP treatment process involves a number of steps, each producing a certain amount of sludge and other wastes. In a plant upgrading program to improve processing and treatment of poles and to reduce and recycle waste, a PCP recovery unit was developed, first as an experimental pilot-scale unit and then as a full-scale unit. The PCP recovery unit is modular in design and can be modified to suit different requirements. In a recycling operation, the sludge is pumped through a preheat system (preheated by waste heat) and suspended solids are removed by a strainer. The sludge is then heated in a tank and at a predetermined temperature it begins to separate into its component parts: oil, steam, and solids. The steam condenses to water containing low amounts of light oil, and this water is pumped through an oil/water separator. The recovered oil is reused in the wood treatment process and the water is used in the CCA plant. The oil remaining in the tank is reused in PCP treatment and the solid waste, which includes small stones and wood particles, is removed and stored. By the third quarter of operation, the recovery unit was operating as designed, processing ca 10,000 gal of sludge. This sludge yielded 6,500 gal of water, 3,500 gal of oil, and ca 30 gal of solids. Introduction of the PCP sludge recycling system has eliminated long-term storage of PCP sludge and minimized costs of hazardous waste disposal. 4 figs

Spatially and Temporally Optimal Biomass Procurement Contracting for Biorefineries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Subbu Kumarappan

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This paper evaluates the optimal composition of annual and perennial biomass feedstocks for a biorefinery. A generic optimization model is built to minimize costs – harvest, transport, storage, seasonal, and environmental costs – subject to various constraints on land availability, feedstock availability, processing capacity, contract terms, and storage losses. The model results are demonstrated through a case study for a midwestern U.S. location, focusing on bioethanol as the likely product. The results suggest that high-yielding energy crops feature prominently (70 to 80% in the feedstock mix in spite of the higher establishment costs. The cost of biomass ranges from 0.16 to 0.20 $ l-1 (US$ 0.60 to $0.75 per gallon of biofuel. The harvest shed shows that high-yielding energy crops are preferably grown in fields closer to the biorefinery. Low-yielding agricultural residues primarily serve as a buffer crop to meet the shortfall in biomass requirement. For the case study parameters, the model results estimated a price premium for energy crops (2 to 4 $ t-1 within a 16 km (10-mile radius and agricultural residues (5 to 17 $ t-1 in a 16 to 20 km (10 to 20 mile radius.

Economic Analysis of an Integrated Annatto Seeds-Sugarcane Biorefinery Using Supercritical CO2 Extraction as a First Step

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Q. Albarelli

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Recently, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE has been indicated to be utilized as part of a biorefinery, rather than as a stand-alone technology, since besides extracting added value compounds selectively it has been shown to have a positive effect on the downstream processing of biomass. To this extent, this work evaluates economically the encouraging experimental results regarding the use of SFE during annatto seeds valorization. Additionally, other features were discussed such as the benefits of enhancing the bioactive compounds concentration through physical processes and of integrating the proposed annatto seeds biorefinery to a hypothetical sugarcane biorefinery, which produces its essential inputs, e.g., CO2, ethanol, heat and electricity. For this, first, different configurations were modeled and simulated using the commercial simulator Aspen Plus® to determine the mass and energy balances. Next, each configuration was economically assessed using MATLAB. SFE proved to be decisive to the economic feasibility of the proposed annatto seeds-sugarcane biorefinery concept. SFE pretreatment associated with sequential fine particles separation process enabled higher bixin-rich extract production using low-pressure solvent extraction method employing ethanol, meanwhile tocotrienols-rich extract is obtained as a first product. Nevertheless, the economic evaluation showed that increasing tocotrienols-rich extract production has a more pronounced positive impact on the economic viability of the concept.

Establishment of calibration curve for water measurement in a bulky paper recycling by neutron device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norpaiza Mohamad Hasan; Glam Hadzir Patai Mohamad; Rasif Mohd Zain; Ismail Mustapha

2010-01-01

A bulk used paper supplied to recycling industry may contain water in their internal voids. This is because the price of the used paper is currently based on their weight and has a huge potential of suppliers to add with water in order to increase the price. Currently used methods for moisture content in a paper are restricted to sheet of paper only. This paper presents a non-intrusive method for quick and in-situ measurement of water content in a bulky used paper. A fast neutron source (Am-Be 241) and a portable backscattering neutron detector are used for water measurement. The experiment is carried out by measuring a series of wet paper that added with known amount of water. As consequent, a neutron calibration curve for water measurement in a bulky used paper is obtained. Six categories of calibration curve have been proposed for correction of weight measurement during purchasing of used paper. (author)

Recycling of drinking water treatment residue as an additional medium in columns for effective P removal from eutrophic surface water.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Changhui; Wu, Yu; Bai, Leilei; Zhao, Yaqian; Yan, Zaisheng; Jiang, Helong; Liu, Xin

2018-07-01

This study assesses the feasibility of recycling drinking water treatment residue (DWTR) to treat eutrophic surface water in a one-year continuous flow column test. Heat-treated DWTR was used as an additional medium (2%-4%) in columns in case excessive organic matter and N were released from the DWTR to surface water. The results indicated that with minimal undesirable effects on other water properties, DWTR addition substantially enhanced P removal, rendering P concentrations in treated water oligotrophic and treated water unsuitable for Microcystis aeruginosa breeding. Long-term stable P removal by DWTR-column treatment was mainly attributed to the relatively low P levels in raw water (cycles and multiple pollution control (e.g., Dechloromonas, Geobacter, Leucobacter, Nitrospira, Rhodoplanes, and Sulfuritalea); an apparent decrease in Mycobacterium with potential pathogenicity was observed in DWTR-columns. Regardless, limited denitrification of DWTR-columns was observed as a result of low bioavailability of C in surface water. This finding indicates that DWTR can be used with other methods to ensure denitrification for enhanced treatment effects. Overall, the use of DWTR as an additional medium in column systems can potentially treat eutrophic surface water. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Auditing an intensive care unit recycling program.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubicki, Mark A; McGain, Forbes; O'Shea, Catherine J; Bates, Samantha

2015-06-01

The provision of health care has significant direct environmental effects such as energy and water use and waste production, and indirect effects, including manufacturing and transport of drugs and equipment. Recycling of hospital waste is one strategy to reduce waste disposed of as landfill, preserve resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and potentially remain fiscally responsible. We began an intensive care unit recycling program, because a significant proportion of ICU waste was known to be recyclable. To determine the weight and proportion of ICU waste recycled, the proportion of incorrect waste disposal (including infectious waste contamination), the opportunity for further recycling and the financial effects of the recycling program. We weighed all waste and recyclables from an 11-bed ICU in an Australian metropolitan hospital for 7 non-consecutive days. As part of routine care, ICU waste was separated into general, infectious and recycling streams. Recycling streams were paper and cardboard, three plastics streams (polypropylene, mixed plastics and polyvinylchloride [PVC]) and commingled waste (steel, aluminium and some plastics). ICU waste from the waste and recycling bins was sorted into those five recycling streams, general waste and infectious waste. After sorting, the waste was weighed and examined. Recycling was classified as achieved (actual), potential and total. Potential recycling was defined as being acceptable to hospital protocol and local recycling programs. Direct and indirect financial costs, excluding labour, were examined. During the 7-day period, the total ICU waste was 505 kg: general waste, 222 kg (44%); infectious waste, 138 kg (27%); potentially recyclable waste, 145 kg (28%). Of the potentially recyclable waste, 70 kg (49%) was actually recycled (14% of the total ICU waste). In the infectious waste bins, 82% was truly infectious. There was no infectious contamination of the recycling streams. The PVC waste was 37% contaminated

Advances in Magnetically Separable Photocatalysts: Smart, Recyclable Materials for Water Pollution Mitigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gcina Mamba

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Organic and inorganic compounds utilised at different stages of various industrial processes are lost into effluent water and eventually find their way into fresh water sources where they cause devastating effects on the ecosystem due to their stability, toxicity, and non-biodegradable nature. Semiconductor photocatalysis has been highlighted as a promising technology for the treatment of water laden with organic, inorganic, and microbial pollutants. However, these semiconductor photocatalysts are applied in powdered form, which makes separation and recycling after treatment extremely difficult. This not only leads to loss of the photocatalyst but also to secondary pollution by the photocatalyst particles. The introduction of various magnetic nanoparticles such as magnetite, maghemite, ferrites, etc. into the photocatalyst matrix has recently become an area of intense research because it allows for the easy separation of the photocatalyst from the treated water using an external magnetic field. Herein, we discuss the recent developments in terms of synthesis and photocatalytic properties of magnetically separable nanocomposites towards water treatment. The influence of the magnetic nanoparticles in the optical properties, charge transfer mechanism, and overall photocatalytic activity is deliberated based on selected results. We conclude the review by providing summary remarks on the successes of magnetic photocatalysts and present some of the future challenges regarding the exploitation of these materials in water treatment.

Potential of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) as a biorefinery crop

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunnarsson, Ingólfur Bragi; Svensson, S.-E.; Johansson, E.

2014-01-01

The utilization of Jerusalem artichoke in a biorefinery context was not investigated so far. Therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of this plant as feedstock for production of bioethanol, protein and inulin. We investigated the biomass productivity and chemical composition...... of Jerusalem artichoke. Although not high (in total

Crude protein yield and theoretical extractable true protein of potential biorefinery feedstocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Solati, Zeinab; Manevski, Kiril; Jørgensen, Uffe

2018-01-01

for supplying biomass to biorefineries. Field experiments during 2013–2014 with perennial crops (pure grasses: cocksfoot, festulolium, reed canary, tall fescue, two miscanthus species and two grass-legume mixtures) and annual crops in optimized rotations (winter rye, sugar beet, maize, triticale, hemp and grass...

Hanford recycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leonard, I.M.

1996-09-01

This paper is a study of the past and present recycling efforts on the Hanford site and options for future improvements in the recycling program. Until 1996, recycling goals were voluntarily set by the waste generators: this year, DOE has imposed goals for all its sites to accomplish by 1999. Hanford is presently meeting the voluntary site goals, but may not be able to meet all the new DOE goals without changes to the program. Most of these new DOE goals are recycling goals: * Reduce the generation of radioactive (low-level) waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Reduce the generation of low-level mixed waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Reduce the generation of hazardous waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Recycle 33 percent of the sanitary waste from all operations. * Increase affirmative procurement of EPA-designated recycled items to 100 percent. The Hanford recycling program has made great strides-there has been a 98 percent increase in the amount of paper recycled since its inception in 1990. Hanford recycles paper, chemicals cardboard, tires, oil, batteries, rags, lead weights, fluorescent tubes, aerosol products, concrete, office furniture, computer software, drums, toner cartridges, and scrap metal. Many other items are recycled or reused by individual groups on a one time basis without a formal contract. Several contracts are closed-loop contracts which involve all parts of the recycle loop. Considerable savings are generated from recycling, and much more is possible with increased attention and improvements to this program. General methods for improving the recycling program to ensure that the new goals can be met are: a Contract and financial changes 0 Tracking database and methods improvements 0 Expanded recycling efforts. Specifically, the Hanford recycling program would be improved by: 0 Establishing one overall

Fate of benzotriazole and 5-methylbenzotriazole in recycled water recharged into an anaerobic aquifer: column studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Alotaibi, M D; Patterson, B M; McKinley, A J; Reeder, A Y; Furness, A J; Donn, M J

2015-03-01

The fate of benzotriazole (BTri) and 5-methylbenzotriazole (5-MeBT) was investigated under anaerobic conditions at nano gram per litre concentrations in large-scale laboratory columns to mimic a managed aquifer recharge replenishment strategy in Western Australia. Investigations of BTri and 5-MeBT sorption behaviour demonstrated mobility of the compounds with retardation coefficients of 2.0 and 2.2, respectively. Degradation processes over a period of 220 days indicated first order biodegradation of the BTri and 5-MeBT under anaerobic aquifer conditions after a biological lag-time of approximately 30-60 days. Biodegradation half-lives of 29 ± 2 and 26 ± 1 days for BTri and 5-MeBT were respectively observed, with no threshold effect to biodegradation observed at the 200 ng L(-1). The detection of degradation products provided further evidence of BTri and 5-MeBT biodegradation. These results suggested that if BTri and 5-MeBT were present in recycled water recharged to the Leederville aquifer, biodegradation during aquifer passage is likely given sufficient aquifer residence times or travel distances between recycled water injection and groundwater extraction. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Atmospheric water vapor transport: Estimation of continental precipitation recycling and parameterization of a simple climate model. M.S. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Brubaker, Kaye L.; Entekhabi, Dara; Eagleson, Peter S.

1991-01-01

The advective transport of atmospheric water vapor and its role in global hydrology and the water balance of continental regions are discussed and explored. The data set consists of ten years of global wind and humidity observations interpolated onto a regular grid by objective analysis. Atmospheric water vapor fluxes across the boundaries of selected continental regions are displayed graphically. The water vapor flux data are used to investigate the sources of continental precipitation. The total amount of water that precipitates on large continental regions is supplied by two mechanisms: (1) advection from surrounding areas external to the region; and (2) evaporation and transpiration from the land surface recycling of precipitation over the continental area. The degree to which regional precipitation is supplied by recycled moisture is a potentially significant climate feedback mechanism and land surface-atmosphere interaction, which may contribute to the persistence and intensification of droughts. A simplified model of the atmospheric moisture over continents and simultaneous estimates of regional precipitation are employed to estimate, for several large continental regions, the fraction of precipitation that is locally derived. In a separate, but related, study estimates of ocean to land water vapor transport are used to parameterize an existing simple climate model, containing both land and ocean surfaces, that is intended to mimic the dynamics of continental climates.

Behaviour and fate of nine recycled water trace organics during managed aquifer recharge in an aerobic aquifer

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, B. M.; Shackleton, M.; Furness, A. J.; Bekele, E.; Pearce, J.; Linge, K. L.; Busetti, F.; Spadek, T.; Toze, S.

2011-03-01

The fate of nine trace organic compounds was evaluated during a 12 month large-scale laboratory column experiment. The columns were packed with aquifer sediment and evaluated under natural aerobic and artificial anaerobic geochemical conditions, to assess the potential for natural attenuation of these compounds during aquifer passage associated with managed aquifer recharge (MAR). The nine trace organic compounds were bisphenol A (BPA), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR), carbamazepine, oxazepam, iohexol and iodipamide. In the low organic carbon content Spearwood sediment, all trace organics were non-retarded with retardation coefficients between 1.0 and 1.2, indicating that these compounds would travel at near groundwater velocities within the aquifer. The natural aerobic geochemical conditions provided a suitable environment for the rapid degradation for BPA, E2, iohexol (half life NDMA and NMOR) did not degrade under either aerobic or anaerobic aquifer geochemical conditions (half life > 50 days). Field-based validation experiments with carbamazepine and oxazepam also showed no degradation. If persistent trace organics are present in recycled waters at concentrations in excess of their intended use, natural attenuation during aquifer passage alone may not result in extracted water meeting regulatory requirements. Additional pre treatment of the recycled water would therefore be required.

Behaviour and fate of nine recycled water trace organics during managed aquifer recharge in an aerobic aquifer.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, B M; Shackleton, M; Furness, A J; Bekele, E; Pearce, J; Linge, K L; Busetti, F; Spadek, T; Toze, S

2011-03-25

The fate of nine trace organic compounds was evaluated during a 12month large-scale laboratory column experiment. The columns were packed with aquifer sediment and evaluated under natural aerobic and artificial anaerobic geochemical conditions, to assess the potential for natural attenuation of these compounds during aquifer passage associated with managed aquifer recharge (MAR). The nine trace organic compounds were bisphenol A (BPA), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR), carbamazepine, oxazepam, iohexol and iodipamide. In the low organic carbon content Spearwood sediment, all trace organics were non-retarded with retardation coefficients between 1.0 and 1.2, indicating that these compounds would travel at near groundwater velocities within the aquifer. The natural aerobic geochemical conditions provided a suitable environment for the rapid degradation for BPA, E2, iohexol (half life aquifer geochemical conditions (half life >50days). Field-based validation experiments with carbamazepine and oxazepam also showed no degradation. If persistent trace organics are present in recycled waters at concentrations in excess of their intended use, natural attenuation during aquifer passage alone may not result in extracted water meeting regulatory requirements. Additional pre treatment of the recycled water would therefore be required. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Treatment of acidic mine water at uranium mine No. 711 by barium chloride-sludge recycle-fractional neutralization process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Chaowen; Wang Benyi; Ding Tongsen; Zhong Pingru; Liao Yongbing; Li Xiaochu; Lu Guohua

1994-01-01

The barium chloride-sludge recycle-fractional neutralization process for disposal of acidic mine water at Uranium Mine No. 711 was checked through laboratory and enlarged tests and one-year industrial trial-run. The results showed that the presented technology can meet the requirements of production and environmental protection

Production of a generic microbial feedstock for lignocellulose biorefineries through sequential bioprocessing.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chen-Wei; Webb, Colin

2017-03-01

Lignocellulosic materials, mostly from agricultural and forestry residues, provide a potential renewable resource for sustainable biorefineries. Reducing sugars can be produced only after a pre-treatment stage, which normally involves chemicals but can be biological. In this case, two steps are usually necessary: solid-state cultivation of fungi for deconstruction, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis using cellulolytic enzymes. In this research, the utilisation of solid-state bioprocessing using the fungus Trichoderma longibrachiatum was implemented as a simultaneous microbial pretreatment and in-situ enzyme production method for fungal autolysis and further enzyme hydrolysis of fermented solids. Suspending the fermented solids in water at 50°C led to the highest hydrolysis yields of 226mg/g reducing sugar and 7.7mg/g free amino nitrogen (FAN). The resultant feedstock was shown to be suitable for the production of various products including ethanol. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DWPF recycle minimization: Brainstorming session

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, R.A.; Poirier, M.R.

1993-01-01

The recycle stream from the DWPF constitutes a major source of water addition to the High Level Waste evaporator system. As now designed, the entire flow of 3.5 to 6.5 gal/min (at sign 25% and 75% attainment, respectively), or 2 gal/min during idling, flow to the 2H evaporator system (Tank 43). Substantial improvement in the HLW water balance and tank volume management is expected if the DWPF recycle to the HLW evaporator system can be significantly reduced. A task team has been appointed to study alternatives for reducing the flow to the HLW evaporator system and make recommendations for implementation and/or further study and evaluation. The brainstorming session detailed in this report was designed to produce the first cut options for the task team to further evaluate

Differences in Fish, Amphibian, and Reptile Communities Within Wetlands Created by an Agricultural Water Recycling System in Northwestern Ohio

Science.gov (United States)

Establishment of a water recycling system known as the wetland-reservoir subirrigation system (WRSIS) results in the creation of wetlands adjacent to agricultural fields. Each WRSIS consists of one wetland designed to process agricultural chemicals (WRSIS wetlands) and one wetland to store subirriga...

Preliminary survey of `Green Recycling System`; Jigyo jizen chosa `green recycle system`

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

This report describes the construction of `Green Recycling System` which aims to change deserts to lush lands and to stabilize food supply. A cross-linked polymer produced by irradiating the gooey threads of natto (fermented soybeans) with gamma rays can absorb and hold up to 5,000 times its own weight of water. This biodegradable polymer may be used to develop seed gels and pellets to grow soybean, rice and wheat to improve the productivity of deserts and to protect threatened lands from desertification. This technology will be of great value in establishing stable supply of food resources, especially for the Middle East where deserts are expanding as well as for Africa where serious food shortage is already in place. To undertake the Green Recycling System Project, it is indispensable to develop technologies for producing PGA polymer in large quantity, mass production process of bridged PGA through radiation, chemical cross-linkers, new technologies for growing plants using water retainers, water-retaining materials for arid areas, general systems for growing plants in arid areas, and environmentally benign industrial infrastructures. 76 refs., 59 figs., 29 tabs.

PROSPECTIVE EVALUATION FOR THE SUGAR CANE FACTORY TRANSFORMATION IN BIOREFINERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rocío Rodríguez Plaza

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The present work has as goal to evaluate prospectively alternative of transformation in the "5 de Septiembre" sugar industry, located in Cienfuegos, for a superfine alcohol biorefinery. Two alternatives were taking into account; the first one was the installation of a distillery for a capacity of 500 hl/d of superfine alcohol, using the molasses and 10% of the filters juice coming from the sugar mill, as complement of the stage of fermentation, and also a plant of biodiesel production starting from microalgae biomass and of mud separated in the sugar mill and another installation of a distillery for a similar capacity of 500 Hl/d of superfine ethanol using molasses, the filters juices and microalgae hydrolysate. For the second alternative, it intends a distillery where saving of 67 % for the molasses, and 22.73 % for the water, these results are experimentally obtained. The most feasible alternative obtain 5 years of payback period, 21 % of an IRR and U$D 37104 419.21 of NPV.

Life cycle assessment of castor-based biorefinery: a well to wheel LCA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khoshnevisan, Benyamin; Rafiee, Shahin; Tabatabaei, Meisam

2017-01-01

of their ability in converting biomass into a spectrum of marketable products and bioenergies. This study was aimed at developing different novel castor-based biorefinery scenarios for generating biodiesel and other co-products, i.e., ethanol and biogas. In these scenarios, glycerin, heat, and electricity were...

Identification of an industrial microalgal strain for starch production in biorefinery context

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gifuni, Imma; Olivieri, Giuseppe; Pollio, Antonino; Marzocchella, Antonio

2018-01-01

The recent trends in microalgal cultures are focused on the biorefinery of the biomass components. Some of them are not completely valorised, for example starch. Since there is a wide market for starch products in food and non-food industries, the exploitation of microalgal starch fractions could

Strategy and design of Innovation Policy Road Mapping for a waste biorefinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Rama Mohan, S

2016-09-01

Looming energy crisis, climate change concerns coupled with decreasing fossil fuel resources has garnered significant global attention toward development of alternative, renewable, carbon-neutral and eco-friendly fuels to fulfil burgeoning energy demands. Waste utilization and its management are being pursued with renewed interest due to the gamut of biobased products it can offer apart from providing enough energy to meet a major fraction of the world's energy demand. Biorefining is the sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of marketable products and energy. Integrating all components of waste treatment culminating into biobased products and energy recovery in a single integrated waste biorefinery is self sufficient, highly sustainable and is very beneficial. Designing systematic innovation policies are essential for development and commercialization of new technologies in this important futuristic research area. This communication explores Innovation Policy Road Mapping (IPRM) methodology available in the literature and applies it to design integrated waste biorefinery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biorefineries for the production of top building block chemicals and their derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sol; Song, Chan Woo; Shin, Jae Ho; Lee, Sang Yup

2015-03-01

Due to the growing concerns on the climate change and sustainability on petrochemical resources, DOE selected and announced the bio-based top 12 building blocks and discussed the needs for developing biorefinery technologies to replace the current petroleum based industry in 2004. Over the last 10 years after its announcement, many studies have been performed for the development of efficient technologies for the bio-based production of these chemicals and derivatives. Now, ten chemicals among these top 12 chemicals, excluding the l-aspartic acid and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, have already been commercialized or are close to commercialization. In this paper, we review the current status of biorefinery development for the production of these platform chemicals and their derivatives. In addition, current technological advances on industrial strain development for the production of platform chemicals using micro-organisms will be covered in detail with case studies on succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid as examples. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biorefinery production of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate using waste office paper hydrolysate as feedstock for microbial fermentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Neelamegam, Annamalai; Al-Battashi, Huda; Al-Bahry, Saif; Nallusamy, Sivakumar

2018-01-10

Waste paper, a major fraction of municipal solid waste, has a potential to serve as renewable feedstock for the biorefineries of fuels, chemicals and materials due to rich in cellulose and abundant at low cost. This study evaluates the possibility of waste office paper (WOP) to serve as a potential feedstock for the biorefinery production of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate). In this study, the WOP was pretreated, enzymatically saccharified and the hydrolysate was used for PHB production. The hydrolysate mainly consists of glucose (22.70g/L) and xylose (1.78g/L) and the corresponding sugar yield was about 816mg/g. Ammonium sulphate and C/N ratio 20 were identified as most favorable for high yield of PHB. The batch fermentation of Cupriavidus necator using the pretreated WOP hydrolysate resulted in cell biomass, PHB production and PHB content of 7.74g/L, 4.45g/L and 57.52%, respectively. The volumetric productivity and yield achieved were 0.061g/L/h and 0.210g/g sugar, respectively. The results suggested that WOP could be a potential alternative feedstock for the biorefinery production of bioplastics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High impact biowastes from South European agro-industries as feedstock for second-generation biorefineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Scoma, Alberto; Rebecchi, Stefano; Bertin, Lorenzo; Fava, Fabio

2016-01-01

Availability of bio-based chemicals, materials and energy at reasonable cost will be one of the forthcoming issues for the EU economy. In particular, the development of technologies making use of alternative resources to fossil fuels is encouraged by the current European research and innovation strategy to face the societal challenge of natural resource scarcity, fossil resource dependence and sustainable economic growth. In this respect, second- generation biorefineries, i.e. biorefineries fed with biowastes, appear to be good candidates to substitute and replace the present downstream processing scheme. Contrary to first-generation biorefineries, which make use of dedicated crops or primary cultivations to achieve such a goal, the former employ agricultural, industrial, zootechnical, fishery and forestry biowastes as the main feedstock. This leaves aside any ethical and social issue generated by first-generation approaches, and concomitantly prevents environmental and economical issues associated with the disposal of the aforementioned leftovers. Unfortunately, to date, a comprehensive and updated mapping of the availability and potential use of bioresources for second-generation biorefineries in Europe is missing. This is a lack that severely limits R&D and industrial applications in the sector. On the other hand, attempts at valorizing the most diverse biowastes dates back to the nineteenth century and plenty of information in the literature on their sustainable exploitation is available. However, the large majority of these investigations have been focused on single fractions of biowastes or single steps of biowaste processing, preventing considerations on an integrated and modular (cascade) approach for the whole valorization of organic leftovers. This review aims at addressing these issues by gathering recent data on (a) some of the main high-impact biowastes located in Europe and in particular in its Southern part, and (b) the bio-based chemicals, materials

Federal Air Pollutant Emission Regulations and Preliminary Estimates of Potential-to-Emit from Biorefineries, Pathway #2: Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Fast Pyrolysis and Hydrotreating Bio-oil Pathway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatt, Arpit [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States). Strategic Energy Analysis Center. Technology Systems and Sustainability Analysis Group; Zhang, Yimin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States). Strategic Energy Analysis Center. Technology Systems and Sustainability Analysis Group; Heath, Garvin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States). Strategic Energy Analysis Center. Technology Systems and Sustainability Analysis Group; Thomas, Mae [Eastern Research Group, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Renzaglia, Jason [Eastern Research Group, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

2017-01-01

Biorefineries are subject to environmental laws, including complex air quality regulations that aim to protect and improve the quality of the air. These regulations govern the amount of certain types of air pollutants that can be emitted from different types of emission sources. To determine which federal air emission regulations potentially apply to the fast pyrolysis biorefinery, we first identified the types of regulated air pollutants emitted to the ambient environment by the biorefinery or from specific equipment. Once the regulated air pollutants are identified, we review the applicability criteria of each federal air regulation to determine whether the fast pyrolysis biorefinery or specific equipment is subject to it. We then estimate the potential-to-emit of pollutants likely to be emitted from the fast pyrolysis biorefinery to understand the air permitting requirements.

Precipitation recycling in West Africa - regional modeling, evaporation tagging and atmospheric water budget analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Arnault, Joel; Kunstmann, Harald; Knoche, Hans-Richard

2015-04-01

Many numerical studies have shown that the West African monsoon is highly sensitive to the state of the land surface. It is however questionable to which extend a local change of land surface properties would affect the local climate, especially with respect to precipitation. This issue is traditionally addressed with the concept of precipitation recycling, defined as the contribution of local surface evaporation to local precipitation. For this study the West African monsoon has been simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model using explicit convection, for the domain (1°S-21°N, 18°W-14°E) at a spatial resolution of 10 km, for the period January-October 2013, and using ERA-Interim reanalyses as driving data. This WRF configuration has been selected for its ability to simulate monthly precipitation amounts and daily histograms close to TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) data. In order to investigate precipitation recycling in this WRF simulation, surface evaporation tagging has been implemented in the WRF source code as well as the budget of total and tagged atmospheric water. Surface evaporation tagging consists in duplicating all water species and the respective prognostic equations in the source code. Then, tagged water species are set to zero at the lateral boundaries of the simulated domain (no inflow of tagged water vapor), and tagged surface evaporation is considered only in a specified region. All the source terms of the prognostic equations of total and tagged water species are finally saved in the outputs for the budget analysis. This allows quantifying the respective contribution of total and tagged atmospheric water to atmospheric precipitation processes. The WRF simulation with surface evaporation tagging and budgets has been conducted two times, first with a 100 km2 tagged region (11-12°N, 1-2°W), and second with a 1000 km2 tagged region (7-16°N, 6°W -3°E). In this presentation we will investigate hydro

Alternative use of grassland biomass for biorefinery in Ireland: a scoping study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

O'Keeffe, S.

2010-01-01

The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependency on fossil fuels has been one of the main driving forces to use renewable resources for energy and chemicals. The integrated use of grassland biomass for the production of chemicals and energy, also known as Green Biorefinery (GBR), has

Heavy metal contamination of soil and water in the vicinity of an abandoned e-waste recycling site: implications for dissemination of heavy metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Qihang; Leung, Jonathan Y S; Geng, Xinhua; Chen, Shejun; Huang, Xuexia; Li, Haiyan; Huang, Zhuying; Zhu, Libin; Chen, Jiahao; Lu, Yayin

2015-02-15

Illegal e-waste recycling activity has caused heavy metal pollution in many developing countries, including China. In recent years, the Chinese government has strengthened enforcement to impede such activity; however, the heavy metals remaining in the abandoned e-waste recycling site can still pose ecological risk. The present study aimed to investigate the concentrations of heavy metals in soil and water in the vicinity of an abandoned e-waste recycling site in Longtang, South China. Results showed that the surface soil of the former burning and acid-leaching sites was still heavily contaminated with Cd (>0.39 mg kg(-1)) and Cu (>1981 mg kg(-1)), which exceeded their respective guideline levels. The concentration of heavy metals generally decreased with depth in both burning site and paddy field, which is related to the elevated pH and reduced TOM along the depth gradient. The pond water was seriously acidified and contaminated with heavy metals, while the well water was slightly contaminated since heavy metals were mostly retained in the surface soil. The use of pond water for irrigation resulted in considerable heavy metal contamination in the paddy soil. Compared with previous studies, the reduced heavy metal concentrations in the surface soil imply that heavy metals were transported to the other areas, such as pond. Therefore, immediate remediation of the contaminated soil and water is necessary to prevent dissemination of heavy metals and potential ecological disaster. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of ceramic membranes to SAGD produced water treatment for enhanced recycle and reuse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minnich, K. [Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies, Mississauga, ON (Canada)

2009-07-01

Drivers for using ceramic membranes in steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) include reduced investment cost; alternative treatment technologies that reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions; and ceramic membranes can be chemically and steam cleaned. This presentation discussed the application of ceramic membranes to SAGD produced water treatment for enhanced recycle and reuse. The presentation illustrated conventional ceramic membranes as well as surface enhanced membranes and provided background information on oil separation. Other topics that were discussed included issues regarding desalter bottoms de-oiling; challenges in de-oiling oil sands produced water; CeraMem surface enhanced membranes; surface facilities and ceramic membrane opportunities; and water treatment using ceramic membranes. The presentation concluded with a discussion of the application of ceramic membranes to SAGD next steps such as a demonstration test of industrial prototype membranes for de-oiling, and pilot testing of ceramic desilication. tabs., figs.

IEA Bioenergy Task 42 - Countries report. IEA Bioenergy Task 42 on biorefineries: Co-production of fuels, chemicals, power and materials from biomass. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cherubini, F.; Jungmeier, G.; Mandl, M. (Joanneum Research, Graz (Austria)) (and others)

2010-07-01

This report has been developed by the members of IEA Bioenergy Task 42 on Biorefinery: Co-production of Fuels, Chemicals, Power and Materials from Biomass (www.biorefinery.nl/ieabioenergy-task42). IEA Bioenergy is a collaborative network under the auspices of the International Energy Agency (IEA) to improve international cooperation and information exchange between national bioenergy RD and D programs. IEA Bioenergy Task 42 on Biorefinery covers a new and very broad biomass-related field, with a very large application potential, and deals with a variety of market sectors with many interested stakeholders, a large number of biomass conversion technologies, and integrated concepts of both biochemical and thermochemical processes. This report contains an overview of the biomass, bioenergy and biorefinery situation, and activities, in the Task 42 member countries: Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The overview includes: national bioenergy production, non-energetic biomass use, bioenergy related policy goals, national oil refineries, biofuels capacity for transport purposes, existing biorefinery industries, pilot and demo plants, and other activities of research and development (such as main national projects and stakeholders). Data are provided by National Task Leaders (NTLs), whose contact details are listed at the end of the report. (author)

Fate of N-nitrosodimethylamine in recycled water after recharge into anaerobic aquifer.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, B M; Pitoi, M M; Furness, A J; Bastow, T P; McKinley, A J

2012-03-15

Laboratory and field experiments were undertaken to assess the fate of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in aerobic recycled water that was recharged into a deep anaerobic pyritic aquifer, as part of a managed aquifer recharge (MAR) strategy. Laboratory studies demonstrated a high mobility of NDMA in the Leederville aquifer system with a retardation coefficient of 1.1. Anaerobic degradation column and (14)C-NDMA microcosm studies showed that anaerobic conditions of the aquifer provided a suitable environment for the biodegradation of NDMA with first-order kinetics. At microgram per litre concentrations, inhibition of biodegradation was observed with degradation half-lives (260±20 days) up to an order of magnitude greater than at nanogram per litre concentrations (25-150 days), which are more typical of environmental concentrations. No threshold effects were observed at the lower ng L(-1) concentrations with NDMA concentrations reduced from 560 ng L(-1) to recharge bore. These microcosm experiments showed a faster degradation rate than anaerobic microcosms, with a degradation half-life of 8±2 days, after a lag period of approximately 10 days. Results from a MAR field trial recharging the Leederville aquifer with aerobic recycled water showed that NDMA concentrations reduced from 2.5±1.0 ng L(-1) to 1.3±0.4 ng L(-1) between the recharge bore and a monitoring location 20 m down gradient (an estimated aquifer residence time of 10 days), consistent with data from the aerobic microcosm experiment. Further down gradient, in the anaerobic zone of the aquifer, NDMA degradation could not be assessed, as NDMA concentrations were too close to their analytical detection limit (<1 ng L(-1)). Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The differential radiological impact of plutonium recycle in the light-water reactor fuel cycle: effluent discharges during normal operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouville, A.; Guetat, P.; Jones, J.A.; Kelly, G.N.; Legrand, J.; White, I.F.

1980-01-01

The radiological impact of a light-water reactor fuel cycle utilizing enriched uranium fuel may be altered by the recycle of plutonium. Differences in impact may arise during various operations in the fuel cycle: those which arise from effluents discharged during normal operation of the various installations comprising the fuel cycle are evaluated in this study. The differential radiological impact on the population of the European Communities (EC) of effluents discharged during the recycling of 10 tonnes of fissile plutonium metal is evaluated. The contributions from each stage of the fuel cycle, i.e. fuel fabrication, reactor operation and fuel reprocessing and conversion, are identified. Separate consideration is given to airborne and liquid effluents and account is taken of a wide range of environmental conditions, representative of the EC, in estimating the radiological impact. The recycle of plutonium is estimated to result in a reduction in the radiological impact from effluents of about 30% of that when using enriched uranium fuel

Development of the Nordic Bioeconomy: NCM reporting: Test centers for green energy solutions - Biorefineries and business needs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lange, Lene; Björnsdóttir, Bryndís; Brandt, Asbjørn

In 2014 the Nordic Council of Ministers initiated a new bioeconomy project: “Test centers for green energy solutions – Biorefineries and Busi-ness needs”. The purpose was to strengthen green growth in the area of the bioeconomy by analyzing and mapping the current status of the bio-economy in the......In 2014 the Nordic Council of Ministers initiated a new bioeconomy project: “Test centers for green energy solutions – Biorefineries and Busi-ness needs”. The purpose was to strengthen green growth in the area of the bioeconomy by analyzing and mapping the current status of the bio...

PWR benchmarks. From OECD working party on physics of plutonium recycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernnat, W.; Lutz, D.; Sartori, E.; Schlosser, G.; Cathalau, S.; Soldevila, M.

1995-01-01

A two year study organised by the OECD/NEACOGEMA on the physics of plutonium recycle (Working Party on the Physics of Plutonium Recycle - WPPR) has just completed its final report. The study reviewed the important aspects of the physics of plutonium recycle in Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs), Bolling Water reactors (BWRs) and fast reactors. The final report includes a description and analysis of the results of three physical benchmark exercises which were specified for PWRs and two for fast reactors. This paper presents a summary of the most important observations and conclusions from the PWR benchmark exercises. (authors)

Operational Performance Characterization of a Heat Pump System Utilizing Recycled Water as Heat Sink and Heat Source in a Cool and Dry Climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piljae Im

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The wastewater leaving from homes and businesses contains abundant low-grade energy, which can be utilized through heat pump technology to heat and cool buildings. Although the energy in the wastewater has been successfully utilized to condition buildings in other countries, it is barely utilized in the United States, until recently. In 2013, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science at Denver, the United States implemented a unique heat pump system that utilizes recycled wastewater from a municipal water system to cool and heat its 13,000 m2 new addition. This recycled water heat pump (RWHP system uses seven 105 kW (cooling capacity modular water-to-water heat pumps (WWHPs. Each WWHP uses R-410A refrigerant, has two compressors, and can independently provide either 52 °C hot water (HW or 7 °C chilled water (CHW to the building. This paper presents performance characterization results of this RWHP system based on the measured data from December 2014 through August 2015. The annual energy consumption of the RWHP system was also calculated and compared with that of a baseline Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC system which meets the minimum energy efficiencies that are allowed by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE 90.1-2013. The performance analysis results indicate that recycled water temperatures were favorable for effective operation of heat pumps. As a result, on an annual basis, the RWHP system avoided 50% of source energy consumption (resulting from reduction in natural gas consumption although electricity consumption was increased slightly, reduced CO2 emissions by 41%, and saved 34% in energy costs as compared with the baseline system.

Application of orthogonal test method in mix proportion design of recycled lightweight aggregate concrete

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhanshan; An, Le; Zhang, Yijing; Yuan, Jie

2017-03-01

Recycled lightweight aggregate concrete was made with construction waste and ceramsite brick mainly including brick. Using the orthogonal test method, the mix proportion of recycled lightweight aggregate concrete was studied, and the Influence regularity and significance of water binder ratio, fly ash, sand ratio, the amount of recycled aggregate proportion on the compressive strength of concrete, the strong influence of mass ratio, slump expansion degree was studied. Through the mean and range analysis of the test results, the results show that the water binder ratio has the greatest influence on the 28d intensity of recycled lightweight aggregate concrete. Secondly, the fly ash content, the recycled aggregate replacement rate and the sand ratio have little influence. For the factors of expansion: the proportion of fly ash = water binder ratio sand >sand rate> recycled aggregate replacement rate. When the content of fly ash is about 30%, the expanded degree of recycled lightweight aggregate concrete is the highest, and the workability of that is better and the strength of concrete with 28d and 56d are the highest. When the content of brickbat is about 40% brick particles, the strength of concrete reaches the highest.

Development of a biorefinery optimized biofuel supply curve for the Western United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, Nathan; Tittmann, Peter; Hart, Quinn; Nelson, Richard; Skog, Ken; Schmidt, Anneliese; Gray, Edward; Jenkins, Bryan

2010-01-01

A resource assessment and biorefinery siting optimization model was developed and implemented to assess potential biofuel supply across the Western United States from agricultural, forest, urban, and energy crop biomass. Spatial information including feedstock resources, existing and potential refinery locations and a transportation network model is provided to a mixed integer-linear optimization model that determines the optimal locations, technology types and sizes of biorefineries to satisfy a maximum profit objective function applied across the biofuel supply and demand chain from site of feedstock production to the product fuel terminal. The resource basis includes preliminary considerations of crop and residue sustainability. Sensitivity analyses explore possible effects of policy and technology changes. At a target market price of 19.6 $ GJ -1 , the model predicts a feasible production level of 610-1098 PJ, enough to supply up to 15% of current regional liquid transportation fuel demand. (author)

Role of lignin in reducing life-cycle carbon emissions, water use, and cost for United States cellulosic biofuels.

Science.gov (United States)

Scown, Corinne D; Gokhale, Amit A; Willems, Paul A; Horvath, Arpad; McKone, Thomas E

2014-01-01

Cellulosic ethanol can achieve estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions greater than 80% relative to gasoline, largely as a result of the combustion of lignin for process heat and electricity in biorefineries. Most studies assume lignin is combusted onsite, but exporting lignin to be cofired at coal power plants has the potential to substantially reduce biorefinery capital costs. We assess the life-cycle GHG emissions, water use, and capital costs associated with four representative biorefinery test cases. Each case is evaluated in the context of a U.S. national scenario in which corn stover, wheat straw, and Miscanthus are converted to 1.4 EJ (60 billion liters) of ethanol annually. Life-cycle GHG emissions range from 4.7 to 61 g CO2e/MJ of ethanol (compared with ∼ 95 g CO2e/MJ of gasoline), depending on biorefinery configurations and marginal electricity sources. Exporting lignin can achieve GHG emission reductions comparable to onsite combustion in some cases, reduce life-cycle water consumption by up to 40%, and reduce combined heat and power-related capital costs by up to 63%. However, nearly 50% of current U.S. coal-fired power generating capacity is expected to be retired by 2050, which will limit the capacity for lignin cofiring and may double transportation distances between biorefineries and coal power plants.

Evaluation for membrane components of water recycling system. Mizu saisei junkan system yoso no tokusei hyoka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanemura, T; Otsubo, K; Oguchi, M [National Aerospace Laboratory, Tokyo (Japan); Ashida, A; Hamano, N; Mitani, K [Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1992-04-01

The configuration of water recycling systems with membrane filters was studied to purify waste water discharged from human beings, animals and plants which is a key subsystem for closed ecological life support systems (CELSS) essential to long-term manned space activity. The filter performance test apparatus with three kinds of filters such as pre-filter, reverse osmosis membrane filter and ultra membrane filter was fabricated to conduct long-term cycling high-concentration tests using artificial urine as original waste water. As a result, since every membrane filter offered their nominal performance incompletely in high-concentration tests, it was necessary to add an NaCl removing apparatus to the system as primary treated water should be used for vegetation. It was also required to test the membrane performance preliminarily because the performance such as membrane life was different between various waste waters. 7 refs., 32 figs., 9 tabs.

Pilot-Scale Biorefinery: Sustainable Transport Fuels from Biomass and Algal Residues via Integrated Pyrolysis, Catalytic Hydroconversion and Co-processing with Vacuum Gas Oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliott, Douglas [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Olarte, M. V. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hart, T. R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-07-21

Beginning in 2010, UOP, along with the Department of Energy and other project partners, designed a pathway for an integrated biorefinery to process solid biomass into transportation fuel blendstocks. The integrated biorefinery (IBR) would convert second generation feedstocks into pyrolysis oil which would then be upgraded into fuel blendstocks without the limitations of traditional biofuels.

Enhancement of the anaerobic hydrolysis and fermentation of municipal solid waste in leachbed reactors by varying flow direction during water addition and leachate recycle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uke, Matthew N., E-mail: cnmnu@leeds.ac.uk [Department of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT (United Kingdom); Stentiford, Edward [Department of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT (United Kingdom)

2013-06-15

Highlights: ► Combined downflow and upflow water addition improved hydraulic conductivity. ► Upflow water addition unclogged perforated screen leading to more leachate flow. ► The volume of water added and transmitted positively correlated with hydrolysis process. ► Combined downflow and upflow water addition increased COD production and yield. ► Combined downflow and upflow leachate recycle improved leachate and COD production. - Abstract: Poor performance of leachbed reactors (LBRs) is attributed to channelling, compaction from waste loading, unidirectional water addition and leachate flow causing reduced hydraulic conductivity and leachate flow blockage. Performance enhancement was evaluated in three LBRs M, D and U at 22 ± 3 °C using three water addition and leachate recycle strategies; water addition was downflow in D throughout, intermittently upflow and downflow in M and U with 77% volume downflow in M, 54% volume downflow in U while the rest were upflow. Leachate recycle was downflow in D, alternately downflow and upflow in M and upflow in U. The strategy adopted in U led to more water addition (30.3%), leachate production (33%) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) solubilisation (33%; 1609 g against 1210 g) compared to D (control). The total and volatile solids (TS and VS) reductions were similar but the highest COD yield (g-COD/g-TS and g-COD/g-VS removed) was in U (1.6 and 1.9); the values were 1.33 and 1.57 for M, and 1.18 and 1.41 for D respectively. The strategy adopted in U showed superior performance with more COD and leachate production compared to reactors M and D.

Study on Concrete Containing Recycled Aggregates Immersed in Epoxy Resin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adnan Suraya Hani

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In recent decades, engineers have sought a more sustainable method to dispose of concrete construction and demolition waste. One solution is to crush this waste concrete into a usable gradation for new concrete mixes. This not only reduces the amount of waste entering landfills but also alleviates the burden on existing sources of quality natural concrete aggregates. There are too many kinds of waste but here constructions waste will be the priority target that should be solved. It could be managed by several ways such as recycling and reusing the concrete components, and the best choice of these components is the aggregate, because of the ease process of recycle it. In addition, recycled aggregates and normal aggregates were immersed in epoxy resin and put in concrete mixtures with 0%, 5%, 10% and 20% which affected the concrete mixtures properties. The strength of the concrete for both normal and recycled aggregates has increased after immersed the aggregates in epoxy resin. The percentage of water absorption and the coefficient of water permeability decreased with the increasing of the normal and the recycled aggregates immersed in epoxy resin. Generally the tests which have been conducted to the concrete mixtures have a significant results after using the epoxy resin with both normal and recycled aggregates.

Biogas-centred domestic waste recycling system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, C L

1983-04-01

In fast developing suburban towns, there is an urgent need for an integrated system for waste recycling and energy and fertiliser supply on a single house basis. This is because even though toilet waste is handled by a septic tank-soak pit arrangement, kitchen and bathroom water and solid organic wastes have to be discharged outside the house. A biogas based domestic waste recycling system has been designed and constructed and has been successfully working. Some salient features of this plant are discussed here.

First workshop on the possibilities of biorefinery concepts for the industry : held at hotel "De Wageningse Berg", Wageningen, the Netherlands (16 June 2006) : official minutes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Annevelink, E.; Jong, de E.; Ree, van R.; Zwart, R.W.R.

2006-01-01

On June the 16th the first ¿workshop on the possibilities of biorefinery concepts for the industry¿ was held, bringing together different Dutch stakeholders, and addressing common as well as conflicting technical and market issues with regard to biorefinery opportunities. The first-of-akind workshop

The recycling rate of atmospheric moisture over the past two decades (1988-2009)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Liming; Jiang Xun; Chahine, Moustafa T; Olsen, Edward T; Fetzer, Eric J; Chen, Luke; Yung, Yuk L

2011-01-01

Numerical models predict that the recycling rate of atmospheric moisture decreases with time at the global scale, in response to global warming. A recent observational study (Wentz et al 2007 Science 317 233-5) did not agree with the results from numerical models. Here, we examine the recycling rate by using the latest data sets for precipitation and water vapor, and suggest a consistent view of the global recycling rate of atmospheric moisture between numerical models and observations. Our analyses show that the recycling rate of atmospheric moisture has also decreased over the global oceans during the past two decades. In addition, we find different temporal variations of the recycling rate in different regions when exploring the spatial pattern of the recycling rate. In particular, the recycling rate has increased in the high-precipitation region around the equator (i.e., the intertropical convergence zone) and decreased in the low-precipitation region located either side of the equator over the past two decades. Further exploration suggests that the temporal variation of precipitation is stronger than that of water vapor, which results in the positive trend of the recycling rate in the high-precipitation region and the negative trend of the recycling rate in the low-precipitation region.

A utility analysis of MOX recycling policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfaeffli, J.L.

1990-01-01

The author presents the advantages of recycling of plutonium and uranium from spent reactor fuel assemblies as follows: natural uranium and enrichment savings, mixed oxide fuel (MOX) fuel assembly cost, MOX compatibility with plant operation, high burnups, spent MOX reprocessing, and non-proliferation aspects.Disadvantages of the recycling effort are noted as well: plutonium degradation with time, plutonium availability, in-core fuel management, administrative authorizations by the licensings authorities, US prior consent, and MOX fuel fabrication capacity. Putting the advantages and disadvantages in perspective, it is concluded that the recycling of MOX in light water reactors represents, under the current circumstances, the most appropriate way of making use of the available plutonium

Waste water purification using new porous ceramics prepared by recycling waste glass and bamboo charcoal

Science.gov (United States)

Nishida, Tetsuaki; Morimoto, Akane; Yamamoto, Yoshito; Kubuki, Shiro

2017-12-01

New porous ceramics (PC) prepared by recycling waste glass bottle of soft drinks (80 mass%) and bamboo charcoal (20 mass%) without any binder was applied to the waste water purification under aeration at 25 °C. Artificial waste water (15 L) containing 10 mL of milk was examined by combining 15 mL of activated sludge and 750 g of PC. Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) showed a marked decrease from 178 to 4.0 (±0.1) mg L-1 in 5 days and to 2.0 (±0.1) mg L-1 in 7 days, which was equal to the Environmental Standard for the river water (class A) in Japan. Similarly, chemical oxygen demand (COD) decreased from 158 to 3.6 (±0.1) mg L-1 in 5 days and to 2.2 (±0.1) mg L-1 in 9 days, which was less than the Environmental Standard for the Seawater (class B) in Japan: 3.0 mg L-1. These results prove the high water purification ability of the PC, which will be effectively utilized for the purification of drinking water, fish preserve water, fish farm water, etc.

Reusing Water

Science.gov (United States)

Goals Recycling Green Purchasing Pollution Prevention Reusing Water Resources Environmental Management System Environmental Outreach Feature Stories Individual Permit for Storm Water Public Reading Room Sustainability » Reusing Water Reusing Water Millions of gallons of industrial wastewater is recycled at LANL by

Fertilizer Effect of Phosphorus Recycling Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilhelm Römer

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Between 2004 and 2011 the German Government funded 17 different projects to develop techniques of phosphorus recycling from wastewater, sewage sludges, and sewage sludge ashes. Several procedures had been tested, such as precipitation, adsorption, crystallization, nano-filtration, electro-dialysis, wet oxidation, pyrolysis, ion exchange, or bioleaching. From these techniques, 32 recycling products were tested by five different institutes for their agronomic efficiency, that is, their plant availability, mainly in pot experiments. This manuscript summarizes and compares these results to evaluate the suitability of different technical approaches to recycle P from wastes into applicable fertilizers. In total, 17 products of recycled sewage sludge ashes (SSA, one meat and bone meal ash, one sinter product of meat and bone meal, one cupola furnace slag, nine Ca phosphates from crystallization or from precipitation, Seaborne-Ca-phosphates, Seaborne-Mg-phosphate, and 3 different struvites were tested in comparison to controls with water soluble P, that is, either single super phosphate (SSP or triple super phosphate (TSP. Sandy and loamy soils (pH: 4.7–6.8; CAL-P: 33–49 ppm were used. The dominant test plant was maize. Phosphorus uptake from fertilizer was calculated by the P content of fertilized plants minus P content of unfertilized plants. Calculated uptake from all products was set in relation to uptake from water soluble P fertilizers (SSP or TSP as a reference value (=100%. The following results were found: (1 plants took up less than 25% P in 65% of all SSA (15 products; (2 6 products (26% resulted in P uptake of 25 and 50% relatively to water soluble P. Only one Mg-P product resulted in an uptake of 67%. With cupola furnace slag, 24% P uptake was reached on sandy soil and nearly the same value as TSP on loamy soil. The uptake results of Ca phosphates were between 0 and 50%. Mg-P products from precipitation processes consistently showed a

Pyrolysis based bio-refinery for the production of bioethanol from demineralized ligno-cellulosic biomass

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luque, L.; Westerhof, Roel Johannes Maria; van Rossum, G.; Oudenhoven, Stijn; Kersten, Sascha R.A.; Berruti, F.; Rehmann, L.

2014-01-01

This paper evaluates a novel biorefinery approach for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass from pinewood. A combination of thermochemical and biochemical conversion was chosen with the main product being ethanol. Fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomasss with fractional condensation of the

Effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the characteristic evolutions of drinking water treatment sludge and its impact on coagulation property of sludge recycling process.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zhiwei; Yang, Yanling; Li, Xing

2015-11-01

Large amounts of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) are produced during the flocculation or flotation process. The recycling of DWTS is important for reducing and reclaiming the waste residues from drinking water treatment. To improve the coagulation step of the DWTS recycling process, power ultrasound was used as a pretreatment to disintegrate the DWTS and degrade or inactivate the constituents that are difficult to remove by coagulation. The effects of ultrasound pretreatment on the characteristics of DWTS, including the extent of disintegration, variation in DWTS floc characteristics, and DWTS dewaterability, were investigated. The capacity of the recycling process to remove particulates and organic matter from low-turbidity surface water compared to a control treatment process without DWTS was subsequently evaluated. The coagulation mechanism was further investigated by analyzing the formation, breakage, and re-growth of re-coagulated flocs. Our results indicated that under the low energy density applied (0.03-0.033 W/mL) for less than 15 min at a frequency of 160 kHz, the level of organic solubilization was less elevated, which was evidenced by the lower release of proteins and polysaccharides and lower fluorescence intensities of humic- and protein-like substances. The applied ultrasound conditions had an adverse effect on the dewaterability of the DWTS. Ultrasound pretreatment had no significant impact on the pH or surface charge of the DWTS flocs, whereas particle size decreased slightly and the specific surface area was moderately increased. The pollution removal capacity decreased somewhat for the recycled sonicated DWTS treatment, which was primarily ascribed to organic solubilization rather than variability in the floc characteristics of sonicated DWTS. The main coagulation mechanism was floc sweeping and physical adsorption. The breakage process of the flocs formed by the recycling process displayed distinct irreversibility, and the flocs were

Scenario optimization modeling approach for design and management of biomass-to-biorefinery supply chain system.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Bhavna; Ingalls, Ricki G; Jones, Carol L; Huhnke, Raymond L; Khanchi, Amit

2013-12-01

The aim of this study was to develop a scenario optimization model to address weather uncertainty in the Biomass Supply Chain (BSC). The modeling objective was to minimize the cost of biomass supply to biorefineries over a one-year planning period using monthly time intervals under different weather scenarios. The model is capable of making strategic, tactical and operational decisions related to BSC system. The performance of the model was demonstrated through a case study developed for Abengoa biorefinery in Kansas. Sensitivity analysis was done to demonstrate the effect of input uncertainty in yield, land rent and storage dry matter loss on the model outputs. The model results show that available harvest work hours influence major cost-related decisions in the BSC. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identifying the point of departures for the detailed sustainability assessment of biomass feedstocks for biorefinery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parajuli, Ranjan; Knudsen, Marie Trydeman; Dalgaard, Tommy

for biorefineries and potential impacts to the existing market. This study aims to assist in the sustainability assessment of straw conversion in the biochemical conversion routes to deliver bioethanol and other biobased products. For the comparison, conversion of straw to produce heat and electricity in a Combined......In the light of sustainable development in the energy sector, biomasses have gained increasing attention, which have exacerbated competition among them. Biorefineries are increasing its hold in developed economies, since it facilitates the delivery of multiple products including food, feed...... and fuels. Lignocelluloses (e.g straw) are one of the important biomasses considered in such transition. Meanwhile, it is also relevant to examine how the current utilization of biomasses are taking place and the related environmental and economic burdens. This also allows to compare the sustainability...

Biorefinery methods for separation of protein and oil fractions from rubber seed kernel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Widyarani, R.; Ratnaningsih, E.; Sanders, J.P.M.; Bruins, M.E.

2014-01-01

Biorefinery of rubber seeds can generate additional income for farmers, who already grow rubber trees for latex production. The aim of this study was to find the best method for protein and oil production from rubber seed kernel, with focus on protein recovery. Different pre-treatments and oil

Recycled iron fuels new production in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Rafter, Patrick A; Sigman, Daniel M; Mackey, Katherine R M

2017-10-24

Nitrate persists in eastern equatorial Pacific surface waters because phytoplankton growth fueled by nitrate (new production) is limited by iron. Nitrate isotope measurements provide a new constraint on the controls of surface nitrate concentration in this region and allow us to quantify the degree and temporal variability of nitrate consumption. Here we show that nitrate consumption in these waters cannot be fueled solely by the external supply of iron to these waters, which occurs by upwelling and dust deposition. Rather, a substantial fraction of nitrate consumption must be supported by the recycling of iron within surface waters. Given plausible iron recycling rates, seasonal variability in nitrate concentration on and off the equator can be explained by upwelling rate, with slower upwelling allowing for more cycles of iron regeneration and uptake. The efficiency of iron recycling in the equatorial Pacific implies the evolution of ecosystem-level mechanisms for retaining iron in surface ocean settings where it limits productivity.

Recycling Facilities - Land Recycling Cleanup Locations

Data.gov (United States)

NSGIC Education | GIS Inventory — Land Recycling Cleanup Location Land Recycling Cleanup Locations (LRCL) are divided into one or more sub-facilities categorized as media: Air, Contained Release or...

pH neutralization of the by-product sludge waste water generated from waste concrete recycling process using the carbon mineralization

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Sangwoo; Shin, Hee-young; Bang, Jun Hwan; Ahn, Ji-Whan

2017-04-01

About 44 Mt/year of waste concrete is generated in South Korea. More than 95% of this waste concrete is recycled. In the process of regenerating and recycling pulmonary concrete, sludge mixed with fine powder generated during repeated pulverization process and water used for washing the surface and water used for impurity separation occurs. In this way, the solid matter contained in the sludge as a by-product is about 40% of the waste concrete that was input. Due to the cement component embedded in the concrete, the sludge supernatant is very strong alkaline (pH about 12). And it is necessary to neutralization for comply with environmental standards. In this study, carbon mineralization method was applied as a method to neutralize the pH of highly alkaline waste water to under pH 8.5, which is the water quality standard of discharged water. CO2 gas (purity 99%, flow rate 10ml/min.) was injected and reacted with the waste water (Ca concentration about 750mg/L) from which solid matter was removed. As a result of the experiment, the pH converged to about 6.5 within 50 minutes of reaction. The precipitate showed high whiteness. XRD and SEM analysis showed that it was high purity CaCO3. For the application to industry, it is needed further study using lower concentration CO2 gas (about 14%) which generated from power plant.

Roadmap biorefineries within the scope of action plans of the Federal Government for the material and energetic utilization of renewable raw materials; Roadmap Bioraffinerien im Rahmen der Aktionsplaene der Bundesregierung zur stofflichen und energetischen Nutzung nachwachsender Rohstoffe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-05-15

In order to determine the current status and the further energy demand of different biorefinery concepts, the Federal Government has announced the development of a 'Roadmap biorefineries' under involvement of business and science. This comprehensive overview on different technologies and on possibilities of realization now is available and includes the following aspects: (1) Biorefineries in te context of utilizing biomass; (2) Definition and systematics of biorefineries, state of the art and initial situation; (3) Technological description and analysis; (4) Economic and ecologic classification; (5) Challenges of the establishment of biorefineries - SWOT analysis; (6) need for action.

Effect of Chemical Treatment on Mechanical and Water-Sorption Properties Coconut Fiber-Unsaturated Polyester from Recycled PET

OpenAIRE

Munirah Abdullah, Nurul; Ahmad, Ishak

2012-01-01

Coconut fibers were used as reinforcement for unsaturated polyester resin from recycled PET that has been prepared using glycolysis and polyesterification reaction. Various concentrations of alkali, silane, and silane on alkalized fiber were applied and the optimum concentration of treatments was determined. Morphological and mechanical properties of the composite have also been investigated to study the effect of fiber surface treatment. The influence of water uptake on the sorption characte...

Federal Air Pollutant Emission Regulations and Preliminary Estimates of Potential-to-Emit from Biorefineries. Pathway #1: Dilute-Acid and Enzymatic Deconstruction of Biomass-to-Sugars and Biological Conversion of Sugars-to-Hydrocarbons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yimin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bhatt, Arpit [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Heath, Garvin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Thomas, Mae [Eastern Research Group, Lexington, MA (United States); Renzaglia, Jason [Eastern Research Group, Lexington, MA (United States)

2016-02-01

Biorefineries are subject to environmental laws, including complex air quality regulations that aim to protect and improve the quality of the air. These regulations govern the amount of certain types of air pollutants that can be emitted from different types of emission sources. To determine which federal air emission regulations potentially apply to the sugars-to-hydrocarbon (HC) biorefinery, we first identified the types of regulated air pollutants emitted to the ambient environment by the biorefinery or from specific equipment. Once the regulated air pollutants are identified, we review the applicability criteria of each federal air regulation to determine whether the sugars-to-HC biorefinery or specific equipment is subject to it. We then estimate the potential-to-emit of pollutants likely to be emitted from the sugars-to-HC biorefinery to understand the air permitting requirements.

A LARCH BIOREFINERY: INFLUENCE OF WASHING AND PS CHARGE ON PRE-EXTRACTION PSAQ PULPING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanna S. Hörhammer

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This study deals with a biorefinery concept based on larch wood. Wood chips of Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Lebed. were treated with water before pulping at the optimal pre-extraction (PE condition of 150 °C and 90 minutes. Through PE, about 12.4% of the wood mass is dissolved, mainly from the arabinogalactan hemicellulose component. Fermentation of the hemicellulose-rich larch extract with Bacillus coagulans resulted in consumption of all C6 and C5 sugars and produced lactic acid in high yield. PE before pulping resulted in lower (4 to 5% pulp yield than for control kraft pulps. However, the pulp yield loss may be reduced by addition of polysulfide (PS and anthraquinone (AQ. The present study focuses on the effect of the degree of washing of the extracted chips and that of the PS charge in PSAQ pulping on the final properties of the pulp. Three different levels of washing and three different PS charges were tested. The characteristics of the extract, wash water, pulp, and black liquor samples were determined. The amount of sugars in the combined stream of collected extract and wash water obtained by mild washing was 10.2% on o.d. wood.

Properties of backfilling material for solidifying miscellaneous waste using recycled cement from waste concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Atsuo; Yamamoto, Kazuo; Konishi, Masao; Iwamoto, Yoshiaki; Yoshikane, Toru; Koie, Toshio; Nakashima, Yoshio.

1997-01-01

A large reduction of total radioactive waste is expected, if recycled cement from the waste concrete of decommissioned nuclear power plants would be able to be used the material for backfilling mortar among the miscellaneous waste. In this paper, we discuss the hydration, strength and consistency of recycled cement compared with normal portland cement. The strength of recycled cement mortar is lower than that of normal portland cement mortar on the same water to cement ratio. It is possible to obtain the required strength to reduce the water to cement ratio by using of high range water-reducing AE agent. According to reducing of water to cement ratio, the P-type funnel time of mortar increase with the increase of its viscosity. However, in new method of self-compactability for backfilling mortar, it became evident that there was no difference between the recycled cement and normal portland cement on the self-compactability. (author)

New Sustainable Model of Biorefineries: Biofactories and Challenges of Integrating Bio- and Solar Refineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Abate, Salvatore; Lanzafame, Paola; Perathoner, Siglinda; Centi, Gabriele

2015-09-07

The new scenario for sustainable (low-carbon) chemical and energy production drives the development of new biorefinery concepts (indicated as biofactories) with chemical production at the core, but flexible and small-scale production. An important element is also the integration of solar energy and CO2 use within biobased production. This concept paper, after shortly introducing the motivation and recent trends in this area, particularly at the industrial scale, and some of the possible models (olefin and intermediate/high-added-value chemicals production), discusses the opportunities and needs for research to address the challenge of integrating bio- and solar refineries. Aspects discussed regard the use of microalgae and CO2 valorization in biorefineries/biofactories by chemo- or biocatalysis, including possibilities for their synergetic cooperation and symbiosis, as well as integration within the agroenergy value chain. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nuclear recycling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spinrad, B.I.

1985-01-01

This paper discusses two aspects of the economics of recycling nuclear fuel: the actual costs and savings of the recycling operation in terms of money spent, made, and saved; and the impact of the recycling on the future cost of uranium. The authors review the relevant physical and chemical processes involved in the recycling process. Recovery of uranium and plutonium is discussed. Fuel recycling in LWRs is examined and a table presents the costs of reprocessing and not reprocessing. The subject of plutonium in fast reactors is addressed. Safeguards and weapons proliferation are discussed

Relationship between the Compressive and Tensile Strength of Recycled Concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Dalati, R.; Haddad, S.; Matar, P.; Chehade, F.H

2011-01-01

Concrete recycling consists of crushing the concrete provided by demolishing the old constructions, and of using the resulted small pieces as aggregates in the new concrete compositions. The resulted aggregates are called recycled aggregates and the new mix of concrete containing a percentage of recycled aggregates is called recycled concrete. Our previous researches have indicated the optimal percentages of recycled aggregates to be used for different cases of recycled concrete related to the original aggregates nature. All results have shown that the concrete compressive strength is significantly reduced when using recycled aggregates. In order to obtain realistic values of compressive strength, some tests have been carried out by adding water-reducer plasticizer and a specified additional quantity of cement. The results have shown that for a limited range of plasticizer percentage, and a fixed value of additional cement, the compressive strength has reached reasonable value. This paper treats of the effect of using recycled aggregates on the tensile strength of concrete, where concrete results from the special composition defined by our previous work. The aim is to determine the relationship between the compressive and tensile strength of recycled concrete. (author)

Development of a biorefinery optimized biofuel supply curve for the western United States

Science.gov (United States)

Nathan Parker; Peter Tittmann; Quinn Hart; Richard Nelson; Ken Skog; Anneliese Schmidt; Edward Gray; Bryan Jenkins

2010-01-01

A resource assessment and biorefinery siting optimization model was developed and implemented to assess potential biofuel supply across the Western United States from agricultural, forest, urban, and energy crop biomass. Spatial information including feedstock resources, existing and potential refinery locations and a transportation network model is provided to a mixed...

Valorization of lignin from biorefineries for fuels and chemicals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Joachim Bachmann

Direct lignin liquefaction is a promising process for lignin valorization in which ligninis treated in a solvent at elevated temperature and pressure. Liquefaction of sulfur freelignin obtained as a waste product from 2nd generation bio-ethanol production canprovide a sulfur free bio-oil which may...... substitute fossil fuel.In this Ph.D. study the direct liquefaction of a biorefinery lignin (hydrothermallypretreated enzymatic hydrolysis lignin) is explored. The goal is to provide a bio-crude which can substitute marine diesel as the engines found aboard large ships are adapted to more crude fuels. A novel...

Biorefinery of the green seaweed Ulva lactuca to produce animal feed, chemicals and biofuels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bikker, Paul; Krimpen, van Marinus M.; Wikselaar, van Piet; Houweling-Tan, Bwee; Scaccia, Nazareno; Hal, van Jaap W.; Huijgen, Wouter J.J.; Cone, John W.; López-Contreras, Ana M.

2016-01-01

The growing world population demands an increase in animal protein production. Seaweed may be a valuable source of protein for animal feed. However, a biorefinery approach aimed at cascading valorisation of both protein and non-protein seaweed constituents is required to realise an economically

Uranium-236 in light water reactor spent fuel recycled to an enriching plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

de la Garza, A.

1977-01-01

The introduction of 236 U to an enriching plant by recycling spent fuel uranium results in enriched products containing 236 U, a parasitic neutron absorber in reactor fuel. Convenient approximate methodology determines 235 236 U, and total uranium flowsheets with associated separative work requirements in enriching plant operations for use by investigators of the light water reactor fuel cycle not having recourse to specialized multicomponent cascade technology. Application of the methodology has been made to compensation of an enriching plant product for 236 U content and to the value at an enriching plant of spent fuel uranium. The approximate methodology was also confirmed with more exact calculations and with some experience with 236 U in an enriching plant

Biodiesel biorefinery: opportunities and challenges for microbial production of fuels and chemicals from glycerol waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, João R M; Fávaro, Léia C L; Quirino, Betania F

2012-07-18

The considerable increase in biodiesel production worldwide in the last 5 years resulted in a stoichiometric increased coproduction of crude glycerol. As an excess of crude glycerol has been produced, its value on market was reduced and it is becoming a "waste-stream" instead of a valuable "coproduct". The development of biorefineries, i.e. production of chemicals and power integrated with conversion processes of biomass into biofuels, has been singled out as a way to achieve economically viable production chains, valorize residues and coproducts, and reduce industrial waste disposal. In this sense, several alternatives aimed at the use of crude glycerol to produce fuels and chemicals by microbial fermentation have been evaluated. This review summarizes different strategies employed to produce biofuels and chemicals (1,3-propanediol, 2,3-butanediol, ethanol, n-butanol, organic acids, polyols and others) by microbial fermentation of glycerol. Initially, the industrial use of each chemical is briefly presented; then we systematically summarize and discuss the different strategies to produce each chemical, including selection and genetic engineering of producers, and optimization of process conditions to improve yield and productivity. Finally, the impact of the developments obtained until now are placed in perspective and opportunities and challenges for using crude glycerol to the development of biodiesel-based biorefineries are considered. In conclusion, the microbial fermentation of glycerol represents a remarkable alternative to add value to the biodiesel production chain helping the development of biorefineries, which will allow this biofuel to be more competitive.

Recent trends on techno-economic assessment (TEA of sugarcane biorefineries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Ali Mandegari

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Sustainability challenges, e.g., climate change, resource depletion, and expanding populations, have triggered a swift move towards a circular bio-economy which is expected to evolve progressively in the coming decades. However, the transition from a fossil fuel-based economy to a bio-based economy requires the exploitation of scientific innovations and step changes in the infrastructure of chemical industry. Biorefineries have been extensively investigated for biofuel production from first and second generation feedstocks, whereas some research activities have been conducted on production of biochemical and biopolymers from renewable resources. Techno-economic evaluation of diverse technologies for production of biofuels and biochemical is a crucial step for decision making in the development of bio-economy. This contribution focuses on the economic studies carried out on biorefineries converting sugarcane bagasse, due to its availability and importance in the South African context, into value-added products. Recent studies on biofuel production via biochemical pathway, e.g., ethanol, butanol, or thermochemical pathway, e.g., methanol and bio jet fuel as well as production of biochemicals with high market demands and diverse applications such as lactic acid, succinic acid, and xylitol have been briefly reviewed. In addition, an overview on the production of biopolymers such as polyl-lactic acid and bio-based monomers, i.e., butanediol, from sugarcane bagasse is reported.

Emulsified industrial oils recycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabris, T.

1982-04-01

The industrial lubricant market has been analyzed with emphasis on current and/or developing recycling and re-refining technologies. This task has been performed for the United States and other industrialized countries, specifically France, West Germany, Italy and Japan. Attention has been focused at emulsion-type fluids regardless of the industrial application involved. It was found that emulsion-type fluids in the United States represent a much higher percentage of the total fluids used than in other industrialized countries. While recycling is an active matter explored by the industry, re-refining is rather a result of other issues than the mere fact that oil can be regenerated from a used industrial emulsion. To extend the longevity of an emulsion is a logical step to keep expenses down by using the emulsion as long as possible. There is, however, another important factor influencing this issue: regulations governing the disposal of such fluids. The ecological question, the respect for nature and the natural balances, is often seen now as everybody's task. Regulations forbid dumping used emulsions in the environment without prior treatment of the water phase and separation of the oil phase. This is a costly procedure, so recycling is attractive since it postpones the problem. It is questionable whether re-refining of these emulsions - as a business - could stand on its own if these emulsions did not have to be taken apart for disposal purposes. Once the emulsion is separated into a water and an oil phase, however, re-refining of the oil does become economical.

Modelling Recycling Targets

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hill, Amanda Louise; Leinikka Dall, Ole; Andersen, Frits M.

2014-01-01

Within the European Union (EU) a paradigm shift is currently occurring in the waste sector, where EU waste directives and national waste strategies are placing emphasis on resource efficiency and recycling targets. The most recent Danish resource strategy calculates a national recycling rate of 22......% for household waste, and sets an ambitious goal of a 50% recycling rate by 2020. This study integrates the recycling target into the FRIDA model to project how much waste and from which streams should be diverted from incineration to recycling in order to achieve the target. Furthermore, it discusses how...... the existing technological, organizational and legislative frameworks may affect recycling activities. The results of the analysis show that with current best practice recycling rates, the 50% recycling rate cannot be reached without recycling of household biowaste. It also shows that all Danish municipalities...

Unconventional recycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, K.M.

1996-05-01

Despite advances made in recycling technology and markets for materials over the past few years, recycling at convention centers, particularly on the show floor itself, can be a vexing problem. Part of the problem lies in the fact that recycling at convention centers has more to do with logistics than it does with these industry trends. However, given the varied nature of convention centers, and the shows they book, a rigid approach to recycling at convention centers is not always feasible. Like the numerous different curbside programs serving communities across the country, what works for one convention center--and one show--many not work for another. These difficulties notwithstanding, more convention centers are offering recycling programs today, and more groups booking conventions these days have begun requesting recycling services.

Development of construction materials using nano-silica and aggregates recycled from construction and demolition waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukharjee, Bibhuti Bhusan; Barai, Sudhirkumar V

2015-06-01

The present work addresses the development of novel construction materials utilising commercial grade nano-silica and recycled aggregates retrieved from construction and demolition waste. For this, experimental work has been carried out to examine the influence of nano-silica and recycled aggregates on compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, water absorption, density and volume of voids of concrete. Fully natural and recycled aggregate concrete mixes are designed by replacing cement with three levels (0.75%, 1.5% and 3%) of nano-silica. The results of the present investigation depict that improvement in early days compressive strength is achieved with the incorporation of nano-silica in addition to the restoration of reduction in compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete mixes caused owing to the replacement of natural aggregates by recycled aggregates. Moreover, the increase in water absorption and volume of voids with a reduction of bulk density was detected with the incorporation of recycled aggregates in place of natural aggregates. However, enhancement in density and reduction in water absorption and volume of voids of recycled aggregate concrete resulted from the addition of nano-silica. In addition, the results of the study reveal that nano-silica has no significant effect on elastic modulus of concrete. © The Author(s) 2015.

The plutonium recycle for PWR reactors from brazilian nuclear program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubini, L.A.

1978-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the material requirements of the nuclear fuel cycle with plutonium recycle. The study starts with the calculation of a reference reactor and has flexibility to evaluate the demand under two alternatives of nuclear fuel cycle for Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR): Without plutonium recycle; and with plutonium recycle. Calculations of the reference reactor have been carried out with the CELL-CORE codes. Variations in the material requirements were studied considering changes in the installed nuclear capacity of PWR reactors, the capacity factor of these reactors, and the introduction of fast breeders. Recycling plutonium produced inside the system can reach economies of about 5% U 3 O 8 and 6% separative work units if recycle is assumed only after the fifth operation cycle of the thermal reactors. (author)

Biomass pre-extraction, hydrolysis and conversion process improvements fro an integrated biorefinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jansen, Robert [Virdia, Inc., Danville, VA (United States)

2014-12-23

In this project, Virdia will show that it can improve the production of sugars suitable for the conversion into advanced biofuels from a range of woods. Several biomass feedstocks (Pine wood chips & Eucalyptus wood chips) will be tested on this new integrated biorefinery platform. The resultant drop-in biodiesel can be a cost-effective petroleum-replacement that can compete with projected market prices

Engineering Cellulases for Biorefinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Manoj [Royal DSM, San Francisco, CA (United States)

2010-06-27

Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant, least expensive renewable natural biological resource for the production of biobased products and bioenergy is important for the sustainable development of human civilization in 21st century. For making the fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass, a reduction in cellulase production cost, an improvement in cellulase performance, and an increase in sugar yields are all vital to reduce the processing costs of biorefineries. Improvements in specific cellulase activities for non-complexed cellulase mixtures can be implemented through cellulase engineering based on rational design or directed evolution for each cellulase component enzyme, as well as on the reconstitution of cellulase components. In this paper, we will provide DSM's efforts in cellulase research and developments and focus on limitations. Cellulase improvement strategies based on directed evolution using screening on relevant substrates, screening for higher thermal tolerance based on activity screening approaches such as continuous culture using insoluble cellulosic substrates as a powerful selection tool for enriching beneficial cellulase mutants from the large library. We will illustrate why and how thermostable cellulases are vital for economic delivery of bioproducts from cellulosic biomass using biochemical conversion approach.

Boiling water reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, Tomoyuki; Inoue, Kotaro; Ishida, Masayoshi.

1975-01-01

Object: To connect a feedwater pipe to a recycling pipe line, the recycling pipe line being made smaller in diameter, thereby minimizing loss of coolant resulting from rupture of the pipe and improving safety against trouble of coolant loss. Structure: A feedwater pipe is directly connected to a recycling pipe line before a booster pump, and a mixture of recycling water and feedwater is increased in pressure by the booster pump, after which it is introduced into a jet pump in the form of water for driving the jet pump to suck surrounding water causing it to be flown into the core. In accordance with the abovementioned structure, since the flow of feedwater can be used as a part of water for driving the jet pump, the flow within the recycling pipe line may be decreased so that the recycling pipe line can be made smaller in diameter to reduce the flow of coolant in the reactor, which flows out when the pipe is ruptured. (Furukawa, Y.)

Treatment techniques for the recycling of bottle washing water in the soft drinks industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramirez Camperos, E; Mijaylova Nacheva, P; Diaz Tapia, E

2004-01-01

The soft drink production is an important sector in the manufacturing industry of Mexico. Water is the main source in the production of soft drinks. Wastewater from bottle washing is almost 50% of the total wastewater generated by this industry. In order to reduce the consumption of water, the water of the last bottle rinse can be reused in to the bottle pre-rinse and pre-washing cycles. This work presents the characterization of the final bottle washing rinse discharge and the treatability study for the most appropriate treatment system for recycling. Average characteristics of the final bottle wash rinse were as follows: Turbidity 40.46 NTU, COD 47.7 mg/L, TSS 56 mg/L, TS 693.6 mg/L, electrical conductivity 1,194 microS/cm. The results of the treatability tests showed that the final rinse water can be used in the pre-rinse and pre-washing after removing the totality of the suspended solids, 80% of the COD and 75% of the dissolved solids. This can be done using the following treatment systems: filtration-adsorption-reverse osmosis, or filtration-adsorption-ion exchange. The installation of these treatment techniques in the soft drink industry would decrease bottle washing water consumption by 50%.

Recycling Lesson Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Okaz, Abeer Ali

2013-01-01

This lesson plan designed for grade 2 students has the goal of teaching students about the environmental practice of recycling. Children will learn language words related to recycling such as: "we can recycle"/"we can't recycle" and how to avoid littering with such words as: "recycle paper" and/or "don't throw…

Morphology and properties of recycled polypropylene/bamboo fibers composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phuong, Nguyen Tri; Guinault, Alain; Sollogoub, Cyrille; Chuong, Bui

2011-01-01

Polypropylene (PP) is among the most widely used thermoplastics in many industrial fields. However, like other recycled polymers, its properties usually decrease after recycling process and sometimes are degraded to poor properties level for direct re-employment. The recycled products, in general, need to be reinforced to have competitive properties. Short bamboo fibers (BF) have been added in a recycled PP (RPP) with and without compatibilizer type maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP). Several properties of composite materials, such as helium gas permeability and mechanical properties before and after ageing in water, were examined. The effects of bamboo fiber content and fiber chemical treatment have been also investigated. We showed that the helium permeability increases if fiber content is higher than 30% because of a poor adhesion between untreated bamboo fiber and polymer matrix. The composites reinforced by acetylated bamboo fibers show better helium permeability due to grafting of acetyl groups onto cellulose fibers surface and thus improves compatibility between bamboo fibers and matrix, which has been shown by microscopic observations. Besides, mechanical properties of composite decrease with ageing in water but the effect is less pronounced with low bamboo fiber content.

Thermochemical hydrolysis of macroalgae Ulva for biorefinery: Taguchi robust design method

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Rui; Linzon, Yoav; Vitkin, Edward; Yakhini, Zohar; Chudnovsky, Alexandra; Golberg, Alexander

2016-06-01

Understanding the impact of all process parameters on the efficiency of biomass hydrolysis and on the final yield of products is critical to biorefinery design. Using Taguchi orthogonal arrays experimental design and Partial Least Square Regression, we investigated the impact of change and the comparative significance of thermochemical process temperature, treatment time, %Acid and %Solid load on carbohydrates release from green macroalgae from Ulva genus, a promising biorefinery feedstock. The average density of hydrolysate was determined using a new microelectromechanical optical resonator mass sensor. In addition, using Flux Balance Analysis techniques, we compared the potential fermentation yields of these hydrolysate products using metabolic models of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild type, Saccharomyces cerevisiae RN1016 with xylose isomerase and Clostridium acetobutylicum. We found that %Acid plays the most significant role and treatment time the least significant role in affecting the monosaccharaides released from Ulva biomass. We also found that within the tested range of parameters, hydrolysis with 121 °C, 30 min 2% Acid, 15% Solids could lead to the highest yields of conversion: 54.134-57.500 gr ethanol kg-1 Ulva dry weight by S. cerevisiae RN1016 with xylose isomerase. Our results support optimized marine algae utilization process design and will enable smart energy harvesting by thermochemical hydrolysis.

Waste biorefineries - integrating anaerobic digestion and microalgae cultivation for bioenergy production.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yi-di; Ho, Shih-Hsin; Nagarajan, Dillirani; Ren, Nan-Qi; Chang, Jo-Shu

2018-04-01

Commercialization of microalgal cultivation has been well realized in recent decades with the use of effective strains that can yield the target products, but it is still challenged by the high costs arising from mass production, harvesting, and further processing. Recently, more interest has been directed towards the utilization of waste resources, such as sludge digestate, to enhance the economic feasibility and sustainability of microalgae production. Anaerobic digestion for waste disposal and phototrophic microalgal cultivation are well-characterized technologies in both fields. However, integration of anaerobic digestion and microalgal cultivation to achieve substantial economic and environmental benefits is extremely limited, and thus deserves more attention and research effort. In particular, combining these two makes possible an ideal 'waste biorefinery' model, as the C/N/P content in the anaerobic digestate can be used to produce microalgal biomass that serves as feedstock for biofuels, while biogas upgrading can simultaneously be performed by phototrophic CO 2 fixation during microalgal growth. This review is thus aimed at elucidating recent advances as well as challenges and future directions with regard to waste biorefineries associated with the integration of anaerobic waste treatment and microalgal cultivation for bioenergy production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermochemical hydrolysis of macroalgae Ulva for biorefinery: Taguchi robust design method.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Rui; Linzon, Yoav; Vitkin, Edward; Yakhini, Zohar; Chudnovsky, Alexandra; Golberg, Alexander

2016-06-13

Understanding the impact of all process parameters on the efficiency of biomass hydrolysis and on the final yield of products is critical to biorefinery design. Using Taguchi orthogonal arrays experimental design and Partial Least Square Regression, we investigated the impact of change and the comparative significance of thermochemical process temperature, treatment time, %Acid and %Solid load on carbohydrates release from green macroalgae from Ulva genus, a promising biorefinery feedstock. The average density of hydrolysate was determined using a new microelectromechanical optical resonator mass sensor. In addition, using Flux Balance Analysis techniques, we compared the potential fermentation yields of these hydrolysate products using metabolic models of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild type, Saccharomyces cerevisiae RN1016 with xylose isomerase and Clostridium acetobutylicum. We found that %Acid plays the most significant role and treatment time the least significant role in affecting the monosaccharaides released from Ulva biomass. We also found that within the tested range of parameters, hydrolysis with 121 °C, 30 min 2% Acid, 15% Solids could lead to the highest yields of conversion: 54.134-57.500 gr ethanol kg(-1) Ulva dry weight by S. cerevisiae RN1016 with xylose isomerase. Our results support optimized marine algae utilization process design and will enable smart energy harvesting by thermochemical hydrolysis.

Multi-product biorefineries from lignocelluloses: a pathway to revitalisation of the sugar industry?

Science.gov (United States)

Farzad, Somayeh; Mandegari, Mohsen Ali; Guo, Miao; Haigh, Kathleen F; Shah, Nilay; Görgens, Johann F

2017-01-01

Driven by a range of sustainability challenges, e.g. climate change, resource depletion and expanding populations, a circular bioeconomy is emerging and expected to evolve progressively in the coming decades. South Africa along with other BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) represents the emerging bioeconomy and contributes significantly to global sugar market. In our research, South Africa is used as a case study to demonstrate the sustainable design for the future biorefineries annexed to existing sugar industry. Detailed techno-economic evaluation and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) were applied to model alternative routes for converting sugarcane residues (bagasse and trash) to selected biofuel and/or biochemicals (ethanol, ethanol and lactic acid, ethanol and furfural, butanol, methanol and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, with co-production of surplus electricity) in an energy self-sufficient biorefinery system. Economic assessment indicated that methanol synthesis with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 16.7% and ethanol-lactic acid co-production (20.5%) met the minimum investment criteria of 15%, while the latter had the lowest sensitivity to market price amongst all the scenarios. LCA results demonstrated that sugarcane cultivation was the most significant contributor to environmental impacts in all of the scenarios, other than the furfural production scenario in which a key step, a biphasic process with tetrahydrofuran solvent, had the most significant contribution. Overall, the thermochemical routes presented environmental advantages over biochemical pathways on most of the impact categories, except for acidification and eutrophication. Of the investigated scenarios, furfural production delivered the inferior environmental performance, while methanol production performed best due to its low reagent consumption. The combined techno-economic and environmental assessments identified the performance-limiting steps in the 2G biorefinery design for

Grain sorghum stillage recycling: Effect on ethanol yield and stillage quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Egg, R P; Sweeten, J M; Coble, C G

1985-12-01

Stillage obtained from ethanol production of grain sorghum was separated into two fractions: thin stillage and wet solids. A portion of the thin stillage was recycled as cooking water in subsequent fermentation runs using both bench- and full-scale ethanol production plants. When thin stillage replaced 50-75% of the cooking water, large increases occurred in solids content, COD, and EC of the resulting thin stillage. It was found that while the volume of thin stillage requiring treatment or disposal was reduced, there was little reduction in the total pollutant load. Stillage rcycling had little effect on the quality of the stillage wet solids fraction. At the high levels of stillage recycle used, ethanol yield was reduced after three to five runs of consecutive recycling.

Design and analysis of biorefineries based on raw glycerol: addressing the glycerol problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Posada, John A; Rincón, Luis E; Cardona, Carlos A

2012-05-01

Glycerol as a low-cost by-product of the biodiesel industry can be considered a renewable building block for biorefineries. In this work, the conversion of raw glycerol to nine added-value products obtained by chemical (syn-gas, acrolein, and 1,2-propanediol) or bio-chemical (ethanol, 1,3-propanediol, d-lactic acid, succinic acid, propionic acid, and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate) routes were considered. The technological schemes for these synthesis routes were designed, simulated, and economically assessed using Aspen Plus and Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator, respectively. The techno-economic potential of a glycerol-based biorefinery system for the production of fuels, chemicals, and plastics was analyzed using the commercial Commercial Sale Price/Production Cost ratio criteria, under different production scenarios. More income can be earned from 1,3-propanediol and 1,2-propanediol production, while less income would be obtained from hydrogen and succinic acid. This analysis may be useful mainly for biodiesel producers since several profitable alternatives are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Waste material recycling: Assessment of contaminants limiting recycling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pivnenko, Kostyantyn

systematically investigated. This PhD project provided detailed quantitative data following a consistent approach to assess potential limitations for the presence of chemicals in relation to material recycling. Paper and plastics were used as illustrative examples of materials with well-established recycling...... schemes and great potential for increase in recycling, respectively. The approach followed in the present work was developed and performed in four distinct steps. As step one, fractional composition of waste paper (30 fractions) and plastics (9 fractions) from households in Åbenrå municipality (Southern...... detrimental to their recycling. Finally, a material flow analysis (MFA) approach revealed the potential for accumulation and spreading of contaminants in material recycling, on the example of the European paper cycle. Assessment of potential mitigation measures indicated that prevention of chemical use...

Recycling and reuse of wastewater from uranium mining and milling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Lechang; Gao Jie; Zhang Xueli; Wei Guangzhi; Zhang Guopu

2010-01-01

Uranium mining/milling process, and the sources, recycling/reuse approach and treatment methods of process wastewater are introduced. The wastewater sources of uranium mining and milling include effluent, raffinate, tailings water, mine discharge, resin form converted solution, and precipitation mother liquor. Wastewater can be recycled/reused for leachant, eluent, stripping solution,washing solution and tailings slurry. (authors)

Towards Better Understanding of Concrete Containing Recycled Concrete Aggregate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hisham Qasrawi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of using recycled concrete aggregates (RCA on the basic properties of normal concrete is studied. First, recycled aggregate properties have been determined and compared to those of normal aggregates. Except for absorption, there was not a significant difference between the two. Later, recycled aggregates were introduced in concrete mixes. In these mixes, natural coarse aggregate was partly or totally replaced by recycled aggregates. Results show that the use of recycled aggregates has an adverse effect on the workability and air content of fresh concrete. Depending on the water/cement ratio and on the percent of the normal aggregate replaced by RCA, the concrete strength is reduced by 5% to 25%, while the tensile strength is reduced by 4% to 14%. All results are compared with previous research. As new in this research, the paper introduces a simple formula for the prediction of the modulus of elasticity of RCA concrete. Furthermore, the paper shows the variation of the air content of RAC.

Uncertainty analysis in raw material and utility cost of biorefinery synthesis and design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)