ALBERT

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy Conversion and Management, Volume 196〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhendong Zhang, Hui Qin, Yongqi Liu, Liqiang Yao, Xiang Yu, Jiantao Lu, Zhiqiang Jiang, Zhongkai Feng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉As a renewable and clean energy, wind energy plays an important role in easing the increasingly serious energy crisis. However, due to the strong volatility and randomness of wind speed, large-scale integration of wind energy is limited. Therefore, obtaining reliable high-quality wind speed prediction is of great importance for the planning and application of wind energy. The purpose of this study is to develop a hybrid model for short-term wind speed forecasting and quantifying its uncertainty. In this study, Minimal Gated Memory Network is proposed to reduce the training time without significantly decreasing the prediction accuracy. Furthermore, a new hybrid method combining Quantile Regression and Minimal Gated Memory Network is proposed to predict conditional quantile of wind speed. Afterwards, Kernel Density Estimation method is used to estimate wind speed probabilistic density function according to these conditional quantiles of wind speed. In order to make the model show better performance, Maximal Information Coefficient is used to select the feature variables while Genetic Algorithm is used to obtain optimal feature combinations. Finally, the performance of the proposed model is verified by seven state-of-the-art models through four cases in Inner Mongolia, China from five aspects: point prediction accuracy, interval prediction suitability, probability prediction comprehensive performance, forecast reliability and training time. The experimental results show that the proposed model is able to obtain point prediction results with high accuracy, suitable prediction interval and probability distribution function with strong reliability in a relatively short time on the prediction problems of wind speed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0196890419306958-ga1.jpg" width="159" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2020〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Renewable Energy, Volume 146〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): K.R. Arun, M. Srinivas, C.A. Saleel, S. Jayaraj〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, an outdoor experimental analysis is conducted to determine the impact on the useful heat gain when discrete cylindrical energy storage units are directly integrated into the solar collector. The collector has a double-pass airflow channel pathway, and the storage is intended to serve only for a short-term. The location of storage inside the collector is always a major concern. This study seeks to determine whether the thermodynamic performance of the system is effective by the location of cylindrical energy storage (paraffin wax) capsules on the upper or the lower airflow channel pathway. The obtained results suggest that due to asymmetric channel depth, the thermodynamic performance of the collector was not greatly influenced by the placement of capsules, unlike with symmetric channel depths. The amount of useful heat gain when storage was placed in the upper (Case A) and lower (Case B) airflow pathways was 0.35 kW and 0.4 kW. For Case A and Case B, the average collector thermal efficiency was 62.9% and 73.7%, and the exergy efficiency was 44.3% and 47.5%. The energy payback time for the collector based on energy calculations is nine months, and that on exergy analysis is 34 months and 20 days.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2020〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Renewable Energy, Volume 146〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yan Wu, Shuai Zhang, Ruiqi Wang, Yufei Wang, Xiao Feng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Wind farm designing is a crucial stage to realize the application of wind energy. This work studies the problem of wind farm layout optimization (WFLO). A new method based on power production, wind distribution, wake loss is proposed to optimize the layout of wind farm. Genetic algorithm (GA) is utilized to optimize the locations of wind turbine in the wind farm. GeoSteiner algorithm is used to optimize the layouts of cable which has important influence on power transmission. The objective function is annual economic benefit (AEB) including annual production benefit (APB) and the costs of energy, cable and land. In the case study, the wind farm size is 3850 m × 3850 m. The number of wind turbines (WTs) of the cases changes from 2 to 58. The capacity achieves 87 MW when the number of WTs is 58. The result shows that the case considering all factors mentioned above has the highest AEB with 1.87 × 10〈sup〉9〈/sup〉 ¥ per year. There is a 27.01% increase compared with the original case with APB as objective function. Specifically, the investment of cable is 3.68 × 10〈sup〉6〈/sup〉 ¥ comparing with 4.06 × 10〈sup〉6〈/sup〉 ¥ of the case only considering APB.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2020〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Renewable Energy, Volume 146〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): José Núñez, Miguel F. Moctezuma-Sánchez, Elizabeth M. Fisher, Víctor M. Berrueta, Omar R. Masera, Alberto Beltrán〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The fluid flow, heat transfer, and gas-phase chemical reactions for a natural-draft plancha-type biomass cookstove are studied at steady state with a commercial CFD code, ANSYS Fluent™. Different firepowers (in the range of real operating conditions), modeled as different flow rates of wood volatiles entering the 3D computational domain, were investigated. Firepower was found to have minimal effect on the air flow rate through the cookstove and the efficiency, but to strongly affect stove temperatures and heating rates. The main results were duplicated by a simple analytical model with one tunable parameter, and with simplified combustion, heat transfer, fluid properties, and pressure losses. The analytical model highlights the importance of the air mass flow rate through the cookstove, which is affected by design choices. The largest diferences between the CFD model and the analytical model occurred at the lower firepowers, when temperatures were so low that combustion was incomplete.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 113〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): S.K. Kim, K.H. Cho, J.Y. Kim, G. Byeon〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper presents long-term field test results of lithium-polymer and advanced lead-acid battery systems for consumer load management. The battery systems aimed to minimize electricity bills of an industrial consumer by shifting its load to lower priced time-zones and regulating its peak. Annual and daily peak reduction effects and operating revenues are examined under a time-of-use tariff and battery promotional incentive. Capacity degradations of the batteries are calculated to estimate the actual lifetime. Based on actually earned revenue during the field test and predicted service life for the each type of the batteries, total expected revenue per unit installation capacity is estimated and compared with investment cost per capacity to perform the economics of the tested battery systems for consumer load. This analysis found that the profitability cannot be assured under the considered time-of-use pricing alone but can be expected when adequate incentive is provided. It is also revealed that the batteries in real use conditions lose their capacity considerably quicker than suggested by manufacturers. Therefore, it is recommended to consider actual fading pattern of the battery for accurate economic evaluation at the design stage and to reflect the battery degrading cost into the charge-discharge scheduling model to optimize operating revenue.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2020〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Renewable Energy, Volume 146〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fujiao Tang, Hossein Nowamooz〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Generally, a Horizontal Ground Heat Exchanger (HGHE) is installed in shallow depths, which can influence the land surface temperature during its operation period, especially when a high heat demand is required. Consequently, the existing methods of using time-varying land surface temperatures are not sufficient for the HGHE simulations. In this paper, a numerical framework considering the atmosphere-soil-HGHE interaction was proposed and validated. The outlet temperatures of a slinky-type HGHE installed in a multi-layered soil field were then investigated under the heating scenario by considering the local meteorological and geological conditions. The results showed that the operation of the HGHE affected obviously the land surface temperature and the ground heat flux. The increase of the installation depth from 0.5 to 2 m increased the outlet temperatures. However, this increase was insignificant when the installation depth increased from 0.5 to 1 m. It was further identified that the non-consideration of the atmosphere-soil interaction overestimated the annual fluid outlet temperature in the heating scenario, and this overestimation decreased from 47.99% to 17.16% as the installation depth increased from 0.5 to 2 m. In conclusion, it is necessary to consider the atmosphere-soil interaction to predict precisely the outlet temperatures of a shallow HGHE.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Volume 192〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): A.J. Álvarez, F. Nieto, D.T. Nguyen, J.S. Owen, S. Hernández〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Vortex induced vibration (VIV) is an important phenomenon which appears in flexible structures immersed in a moving fluid. This oscillation is self-sustained and self-limited, but VIV might cause fatigue damage and affect the structure's serviceability.〈/p〉 〈p〉In the present study, the aerodynamics of the flow fields around a static and vertically free-to-oscillate 4:1 rectangular cylinder are analysed by means of 3D LES simulations, adopting the OneEqEddy viscosity model. Integral parameters, pressure distributions, amplitudes of oscillation, coherences and correlations are obtained and compared with the available experimental data. Aiming to ascertain the impact of the boundary conditions and the grid resolution on the accuracy of results, five cases adopting 3 different meshes including two different spanwise discretisations have been considered. When studying the aerodynamics of the cylinder in static conditions, the influence of the spatial discretisation is very limited, and the agreement with experimental data is fairly good. On the other hand, for the free-to-oscillate cylinder, the structural response is dramatically dependent on the spanwise discretisation. The maximum amplitude of the structural response decreases as the mesh resolution increases, providing a closer fit with the experimental data. Also, the spanwise correlation of pressures is studied, finding remarkable differences depending on the level of spatial discretisation.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Marine Systems, Volume 199〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peisheng Huang, Kerry Trayler, Benya Wang, Amina Saeed, Carolyn E. Oldham, Brendan Busch, Matthew R. Hipsey〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Effective short- and long-term estuarine water quality management decisions require a holistic view of estuarine response to multiple stressors that may be achieved through the integration of numerical modelling and observed data. Such an approach has been developed for the Swan-Canning Estuary system, a eutrophic urban estuary in Western Australia under threat from nutrient enrichment and a drying climate. Numerical modelling was integrated with long-term monitoring to develop the system Swan-Canning Estuary Virtual Observatory (SCEVO), which has been used to facilitate water quality management and streamline prediction workflows of hindcast, forecast, and environmental response functions. The system is based on a validated 3D water quality model, integrated within a data management system and related environmental models. A machine-learning method to improve the patchy and time-lagged catchment inputs is also highlighted. This work has identified that the key challenge associated with estuarine water quality prediction is the capability to (1) simulate internal physical and biogeochemical processes at suitable spatial resolution to resolve the gradients along the freshwater-ocean continuum; and (2) transition from using routine monitoring data as the basis for management decisions to using a diverse and integrated set of data streams as the basis for real-time operational decisions. Recommendations for high-frequency monitoring to support water quality modelling and dynamic integration between numerical and observed data for improved forecasting are discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Volume 192〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ali C. Kheirabadi, Ryozo Nagamune〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This article presents a review of control strategies for maximizing power production within wind farms. Discussions focus on three notable concepts; power de-rating, yaw-based wake redirection, and turbine repositioning. Existing works that have examined the potential of these concepts via optimization studies, numerical simulation, experimentation, as well as those that have developed and evaluated control algorithms, are reviewed thoroughly and quantitatively. Criteria for this review process include the evaluation methods employed, simulated wind conditions, controller properties such as model dependency and communication architecture, and the resulting relative rise in wind farm efficiency. The data collected from existing literature is then utilized to draw conclusions regarding the influence of each of these criteria on the potential and performance of wind farm controllers. Appropriate recommendations for future modeling and controller design research are then offered based on these conclusions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Marine Systems, Volume 199〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Arseny A. Kubryakov, Alexander S. Mikaelyan, Sergey V. Stanichny〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Bio-Argo measurements of the backscattering coefficient (〈em〉bbp〈/em〉) were used to investigate the time-depth evolution of coccolithophore blooms in the Black Sea. Five years of Bio-Argo data obtained in 2014–2018 revealed two distinct peaks of 〈em〉bbp〈/em〉 corresponding to the winter and early summer coccolithophore blooms. The latter started in the upper mixed layer (UML) in April–May and was characterized by the highest coccolithophore concentrations. During the most extensive summer bloom in 2017, its estimates reach 10 × 10〈sup〉6〈/sup〉 cells l〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The summer blooms occupied the UML (0–10 m) and a seasonal thermocline (10–30 m). The lower boundary of the bloom was related to the position of isopycnal 1014 kg m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉, which deepens in May–July due to summer heating. Consequently, the coccolithophore bloom deepened to 20–30 m and terminated rapidly in July. Bloom termination was accompanied by a significant rise in light attenuation (〈em〉kd〈/em〉) in the sea basin. This peak was attributed to the release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which was possibly related to viral lysis and the exudation of lipids from coccolithophore cells. Data on the 〈em〉kd〈/em〉 was used to estimate the seasonal variability in DOC in the Black Sea. Maximal estimated values of DOC were observed at 15–35 m depth in June-August and coincided with the early summer coccolithophore bloom termination.〈/p〉 〈p〉The winter coccolithophore bloom started in October–November in the UML. The maximum 〈em〉bbp〈/em〉 was observed in January. High values of 〈em〉bbp〈/em〉 were observed down to a depth of 60 m during the maximal deepening of the mixed layer. The winter blooms were distinctly observed in MODIS satellite images, where they were characterized by high reflectance and relatively low chlorophyll concentrations. The estimated coccolithophore concentration in winter was lower than that in summer, but column-averaged 〈em〉bbp〈/em〉 values were comparable. The winter coccolithophore bloom reached a peak within one month after the autumn peak of chlorophyll A, indicating the possible importance of the nutrients recycled after the diatom autumn bloom. In contrast to summer, the maximum DOC observed at the surface preceded the winter coccolithophore bloom, and the mass DOC production was probably attributed to the excretion and lysis of the non-calcified phytoplankton cells.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Marine Systems, Volume 199〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuanyi Li, Huan Feng, Haiwen Zhang, Jian Sun, Dekui Yuan, Lei Guo, Jing Nie, Jinglong Du〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The time required for water exchange characterizes the hydrodynamic condition of a water body, which is related to its self-purification ability. In this study, a numerical model based on a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model is established and implemented to calculate the age of water. Using the model, the spatial distribution and seasonal variation of the age of the water discharged into the New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) Harbor from the Passaic River and the Hackensack River are calculated. The hydrodynamic conditions and the characteristics of water exchange in the harbor are analyzed from the perspective of age. The results indicate that the monthly-averaged age at the entrance of the NY/NJ Harbor is approximately 26 days and 40 days during the wet season and the dry season, respectively. River discharge has a significant impact on the spatial distribution of water age in the NY/NJ Harbor. Generally, high river discharge results in better water exchange and flushes contaminants out of the harbor quickly. However, discharges from several rivers flowing into the harbor interact and interfere with one another. Such interactions can improve or inhibit water and contaminant flushing from the harbor. The analysis of age variations and residual flows indicates that the Kill van Kull is one of the key channels controlling the contaminant transport and water quality in the Newark Bay. This study demonstrates the advantages of using water age to study the water exchange and physical self-purification ability of this complex harbor.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 235〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sanober Kahkashan, Xinhong Wang, Jianfang Chen, Youcheng Bai, Miaolei Ya, Yuling Wu, Yizhi Cai, Siquan Wang, Monawwar Saleem, Javed Aftab, Asif Inam〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in surface sediments were investigated from the Bering Sea, the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean in 2010. Total concentrations (dry weight) of Σ〈sub〉14〈/sub〉PFAS in surface sediments (0.85 ± 0.22 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) of the Bering Sea were lower than that in the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean (1.27 ± 0.53 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). Perfluoro-butanoic acid (PFBS) and perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA) were the dominant PFAS in these areas. The concentrations of Σ〈sub〉15〈/sub〉OCPs in the sediment of the Bering Sea (13.00 ± 6.17 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) was slightly higher than that in the Chukchi and Arctic Ocean (12.05 ± 2.27 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). The most abundant OCPs were hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites. The composition patterns of HCHs and DDTs indicated that they were mainly derived from the early residues via river runoff. Increasing trends of PFAS, HCHs and DDTs in surface sediments from the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean were found, indicating oceanic transport. In summary, the concentrations of OCPs were orders of magnitude greater than the observed PFAS concentrations, and the concentrations of PFAS and OCPs in surface sediments from the Bering Sea to the Chukchi Sea and adjacent Arctic Ocean are at the low to moderate levels by comparing with other coastal and marine sediments worldwide.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 235〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Misganaw Alemu Zeleke, Dong-Hau Kuo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Methylene blue dye is among the toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic pollutants. Hence, its treatment via photocatalytic degradation is an important remediation method for the sake of a healthy environment. Herein, the V〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉5〈/sub〉-CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanocomposite catalysts were synthesized via a simple precipitation-thermal decomposition approach and used for the photodegradation of methylene blue in the presence of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 as an effective electron scavenger under visible light illumination. The nanocomposite catalysts were systematically characterized to investigate the effects of V〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉5〈/sub〉 with the aids of X-ray, morphology, light absorption, catalytic activity, and charge transfer properties of the nanocomposite catalysts. The VC-2 nanocomposite prepared with NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉VO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉:CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 molar ratios at 0.15:1 was found to be the best efficient catalyst where ≥98% of methylene blue was degraded within 25 min irradiation time. From the kinetics analysis, its rate constant was found to be higher than those of the pure V〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉5〈/sub〉 and CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 catalysts by a factor of 12.0 and 13.5, respectively. The plausibly mechanistic elucidation of charge transfer and utilization of reactive species are conspicuous allegations of the combined effects of the nanocomposite catalyst, H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 sacrificial agent, and visible light for the photodegradation of the dye.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653519314717-fx1.jpg" width="294" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Muhammad Abid, Muhammad Sajid Khan, Tahir Abdul Hussain Ratlamwala〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Parabolic dish solar collector system has capability to gain higher efficiency by converting solar radiations to thermal heat due to its higher concentration ratio. This paper examines the exergo-economic analysis, net work and hydrogen production rate by integrating the parabolic dish solar collector with two high temperature supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) recompression Brayton cycles. Pressurized water (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O) is used as a working fluid in the solar collector loop. The various input parameters (direct normal irradiance, ambient temperature, inlet temperature, turbine inlet temperature and minimum cycle temperature) are varied to analyze the effect on net power output, hydrogen production rate, integrated system energetic and exergetic efficiencies. The simulations has been carried out using engineering equation solver (EES). The outputs demonstrate that the net power output of the integrated reheat recompression s-CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 Brayton system is 3177 kW, whereas, without reheat integrated system has almost 1800 kW net work output. The overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies of former system is 30.37% and 32.7%, respectively and almost 11.6% higher than the later system. The hydrogen production rate of the solarized reheat and without reheat integrated systems is 0.0125 g/sec and 0.007 g/sec, accordingly and it increases with rise in direct normal irradiance and ambient temperature. The receiver has the highest exergy destruction rate (nearly 44%) among the system components. The levelized electricity cost (LEC) of 0.2831 $/kWh with payback period of 9.5 years has proved the economic feasibility of the system design. The increase in plant life from 10 to 32 years with 8% interest rate will decrease the LEC from (0.434-0.266) $/kWh. Recuperators have more potential for improvement and their cost rate of exergy is higher as compared to the other components.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuan Xue, Shixiong Min, Fang Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Although black phosphorous (BP) and its derived materials have shown great potential for application in photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 evolution reaction (HER), their HER activity and stability still remains unsatisfied mainly due to the insufficient charge separation, the lack of surface active sites, and the defect-riched nature of BP. Herein, we report that BP nanosheets decorated with in situ grown Pt (BP NSs/Pt) could act as a highly efficient catalyst for photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 evolution in an Erythrosin B (ErB)-sensitized system under visible light irradiation (≥450 nm) in the presence of triethanolamine (TEOA) as sacrificial electron donor. It is found that BP NSs can provide large surface area for the confined growth of Pt nanoparticles with a high dispersion and a reduced size but also stabilize the loaded Pt nanoparticles by covalent bonds at the BP NSs/Pt interfaces. Moreover, BP NSs offer a fast electron transfer pathway to facilitate the photocatalytic HER over in situ grown Pt catalyst. As a result, BP NSs/Pt catalyst exhibits ∼6 times higher H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 evolution activity than free Pt nanoparticles and an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 0.57% at 500 nm irradiation in ErB-TEOA system. This work indicates the potential of BP NSs as an effective 2D matrix to construct numerous high performance photocatalysts and photocatalytic systems.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): C. Juillet, M. Tupin, F. Martin, Q. Auzoux, C. Berthinier, F. Miserque, F. Gaudier〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Under Pressurized Water Reactor normal operating conditions, the external surface of zirconium alloys cladding absorbs a fraction of the hydrogen produced by water reduction. During spent fuel transport, hydrogen may desorb from the cladding. The study aims to identify and quantify the rate-limiting step in the hydrogen desorption process initially present in the alloy. To better understand this process, the Thermal Desorption Spectrometry (TDS) was used in association with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy analysis. TDS results were analysed with finite elements simulations using the Cast3M code. The optimization of the kinetic constants of hydrogen desorption was performed with CEA (Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)-tool URANIE. Results showed that hydrogen desorption kinetics from the metal is limited by the surface molecular recombination. Arrhenius-type temperature dependence of kinetic constants allowed to simulate experimental data with a good agreement. The optimized activation energy and the pre-exponential factor for desorption processes were in the range of 290 ± 10 kJ mol〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 3 × 10〈sup〉7〈/sup〉 m〈sup〉4〈/sup〉 mol〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 respectively.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 8 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Abhishek Rajput, Prem P. Sharma, Vikrant Yadav, Vaibhav Kulshrestha〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Proton exchange membrane is a basic element for any redox flow battery. Nafion is the only commercial available proton exchange membrane used in different electro-chemical energy systems. High cost restrict it's used for energy generation devices. In present work, we synthesised styrene divinylbenzene based composite proton exchange membranes (PEMs) with varying sulfonated graphene oxide (sGO) content for redox flow battery (RFB). Synthesized copolymer PEMs were analyzed in terms of their chemical structure with the help of FT-IR spectroscopy to confirm desired functional groups at appropriate position. Electrochemical characterization was performed in terms proton-exchange capacity, protonic conductivity and water uptake. Membrane shows adequate proton exchange capacity with good proton conductivity. Vanadium ion permeability was also tested for the prepared membrane to assess capability for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) in contrast with commercially available Nafion 117 PEM. Higher VO〈sup〉+2〈/sup〉 ion cross-over resistance was found for CEM-4 with 7.17 × 10〈sup〉−7〈/sup〉 cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 min〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 permeability, which is about half of the CEM-1. Further CEM-4 was also evaluated for charging-discharging phenomenon for single cell VRFB. The values of columbic, voltage and energy efficiency for VRFB confirms prepared membrane as a good candidate for redox flow battery. Composite PEM also shows better mechanical and thermal stability. Results indicates that synthesized composite membrane can be used in vanadium redox flow battery.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319919323584-fx1.jpg" width="395" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Marie-Ange Massicotte, Antony T. Vincent, Anna Schneider, Valérie E. Paquet, Michel Frenette, Steve J. Charette〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The Gram-negative bacterium 〈em〉Aeromonas salmonicida〈/em〉 subsp. 〈em〉salmonicida〈/em〉 is an aquatic pathogen which causes furunculosis to salmonids, especially in fish farms. The emergence of strains of this bacterium exhibiting antibiotic resistance is increasing, limiting the effectiveness of antibiotherapy as a treatment against this worldwide disease. In the present study, we discovered an isolate of 〈em〉A. salmonicida〈/em〉 subsp. 〈em〉salmonicida〈/em〉 that harbors two novel plasmids variants carrying antibiotic resistance genes. The use of long-read sequencing (PacBio) allowed us to fully characterize those variants, named pAsa5-3432 and pRAS3-3432, which both differ from their classic counterpart through their content in mobile genetic elements. The plasmid pAsa5-3432 carries a new multidrug region composed of multiple mobile genetic elements, including a Class 1 integron similar to an integrated element of 〈em〉Salmonella enterica〈/em〉. With this new region, probably acquired through plasmid recombination, pAsa5-3432 is the first reported plasmid of this bacterium that bears both an essential virulence factor (the type three secretion system) and multiple antibiotic resistance genes. As for pRAS3-3432, compared to the classic pRAS3, it carries a new mobile element that has only been identified in 〈em〉Chlamydia suis〈/em〉. Hence, with the identification of those two novel plasmids harboring mobile genetic elements that are normally encountered in other bacterial species, the present study puts emphasis on the important impact of mobile genetic elements in the genomic plasticity of 〈em〉A. salmonicida〈/em〉 subsp. 〈em〉salmonicida〈/em〉 and suggests that this aquatic bacterium could be an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes that can be exchanged with other bacteria, including human and animal pathogens.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330293-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Christopher Markosian, Natella Mirzoyan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Pollution by heavy metals and metalloids is detrimental to human health due to their toxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic effects. The traditional approach to assess the extent of environmental and occupational exposures of metals is human biomonitoring (HBM). This method has several limitations, including invasiveness, sampling bias, cost- and time-intensiveness, and ethical issues. This suggests the need for a more robust, non-invasive, epidemiological tool for assessment of exposure to metals and their public health effects. Recently, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been suggested and utilized as a novel approach to accurately determine the extent of exposure to multiple substances on the population level. We suggest the potential application of WBE to the study of metal exposure on the population level, including possible biomarkers for wastewater analysis of 10 metals belonging to three categories according to health effects and nutritional benefits, and its public health implications. Similar to previous studies of exposure to regulated or illegal drugs, unregulated legal substances, and pesticides, WBE can be applied to the study of metal exposure in a given community. Parental substance biomarkers (PSBs), metabolic substance biomarkers (MSBs), and non-substance biomarkers (NSBs) of 10 common metals are available for consideration in wastewater analysis. The use of WBE would allow for the interpretation of the relationship between metal exposure and population health, reveal synergistic effects of different health factors, and model public health risks under different scenarios.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329924-ga1.jpg" width="459" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yong-Lin Liu, Yong-Tao Li, Jian-Fei Huang, Yu-Long Zhang, Zhong-Hang Ruan, Tian Hu, Jin-Jin Wang, Wen-Yan Li, Han-Jian Hu, Gang-Biao Jiang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The application of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) is often limited by agglomeration and low loading. Here, we presented a facile phase change material (PCM) -based sol-gel strategy for the fabrication of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles. Rosin was used as the PCM in the sol-gel process and the carbon-based substrate of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles in the thermal process. The α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticle embedded rosin-derived biochar(α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉@HrBc)were highly dispersed. The dispersity of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticle could be regulated by the weight ratios of rosin to FeCl〈sub〉3〈/sub〉·6H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O during the preparation, as evidenced by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) spectrum and the sorption capacity results. Among a series of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉@HrBc nanocomposites, the one with the weight ratios of 1/1.5 rosin/FeCl〈sub〉3〈/sub〉·6H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O had the highest capacity for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) sorption. This phenomenon can be ascribed to a remarkably enhanced interfacial reactivity due to an increase in the dispersity of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticle. In addition, SEM showed that the majority of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles was dispersed on and inside the biochar substrate. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that the α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉@HrBc adsorbed 90% Cr(VI) within one minute, and the maximum capacity was up to 166 mg·g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 based on the Langmuir model. The FTIR and XPS spectra revealed that the adsorbed Cr(VI) species were partially reduced to less toxic Cr(III). Considering that α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles provided important sorption sites, the newly formed Cr(III) and the remaining Cr(VI) ions could be adsorbed on α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉@HrBc via the formation of Fe〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉Cr coprecipitation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331341-ga1.jpg" width="351" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lei Zhang, Zhen Shen, Wangkai Fang, Guang Gao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Efforts to understand the environmental and biological factors that influence the dynamics of microbial communities have received substantial attention in microbial ecology. In this study, Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology was used to examine the microbial community structure of activated sludge in municipal wastewater treatment systems (Chuzhou city, China). Overall, 〈em〉Proteobacteria〈/em〉, 〈em〉Chloroflexi〈/em〉, 〈em〉Actinobacteria〈/em〉, 〈em〉Acidobacteria〈/em〉, 〈em〉Actinobacteria〈/em〉, 〈em〉Bacteroidetes〈/em〉, and 〈em〉Firmicutes〈/em〉 were the most dominant phyla in the five activated sludge samples. However, the community structure of nitrifying bacteria was relatively simple, and diversity was low; only AOB (〈em〉Nitrosomonas〈/em〉) and NOB (〈em〉Nitrospira〈/em〉) were detected. The dominant bacteria in the anaerobic sludge, anoxic sludge and oxic sludge were the same, and each bacterial species was relatively uniform, with differences only in proportions. Redundancy analysis indicated that pH, TP and COD were strong environmental factors influencing the bacterial community distribution. PICRUSt was used to describe the metabolic and functional abilities of the activated sludge bacterial communities. The results emphasized the vast genetic diversity of these organisms, which are involved in various essential processes such as amino acid transport and metabolism, energy production and conversion, cell wall/membrane/envelope/biogenesis, signal transduction mechanisms, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. Activated sludge of municipal wastewater treatment systems can be ranked in the following order based on the 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of the detected phylotypes: S1 〉 S2 〉 S4 〉 S5 〉 S3. This study provides basic data and a theoretical analysis of the optimal design and operation in wastewater treatment plants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330050-ga1.jpg" width="285" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhanfei He, Qingying Zhang, Zhen Wei, Yuanhai Zhao, Xiangliang Pan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Organic micropollutants (OMPs) are frequently detected in water and wastewater, and have attracted wide attention due to potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. In this work, manganese-oxidizing aerobic granular sludge (Mn-AGS) was successfully cultivated and applied to remove OMPs from wastewater. Biogenic manganese (III,IV) oxides (bio-MnO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉) were generated and accumulated to 22.0–28.3 mg Mn/g SS in the final sludge. Neither the addition of allochthonous manganese-oxidizing bacteria (MnOB; 〈em〉Pseudomonas putida〈/em〉 MnB1) nor the reduction in hydraulic retention time (HRT) facilitated the cultivation of Mn-AGS. Batch experiments of OMPs degradation indicated that Mn-AGS significantly improved (1.3–3.9 times) degradation rates of most OMPs. Removal rates of bisphenol A (BPA), 17α‑ethinylestradiol (EE2), tetracycline (TC), and chloramphenicol (CAP) were 3.0–12.6 μg/h/g SS by the traditional AGS and 8.0–16.3 μg/h/g SS by Mn-AGS; those of imazethapyr (IM) were relatively high, 64.7 ± 0.1 and 127.8 ± 2.5 μg/h/g SS by AGS and Mn-AGS, respectively. However, degradation of dichlorophenyl phosphine (DCPP) was slower by Mn-AGS than AGS, 9.0 ± 0.4 vs. 21.2 ± 0.9 μg/h/g SS, possibly due to inhibition of microbial activity by bio-MnO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉. This work provides a promising method for treating OMPs in organic wastewater, but the possible inhibition of microbes by bio-MnO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 should be noted.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330827-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alexander Johs, Virginia A. Eller, Tonia L. Mehlhorn, Scott C. Brooks, David P. Harper, Melanie A. Mayes, Eric M. Pierce, Mark J. Peterson〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Mercury (Hg) contamination of soils and sediments impacts numerous environments worldwide and constitutes a challenging remediation problem. In this study, we evaluate the impact of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the effectiveness of eight sorbent materials considered for Hg remediation in soils and sediments. The materials include both engineered and unmodified materials based on carbon, clays, mesoporous silica and a copper alloy. Initially, we investigated the kinetics of Hg(II) complexation with DOM for a series of Hg:DOM ratios. Steady-state Hg-DOM complexation occurred within 48 to 120 h, taking longer time at higher Hg:DOC (dissolved organic carbon) molar ratios. In subsequent equilibrium experiments, Hg(II) was equilibrated with DOM at a defined Hg:DOC molar ratio (2.4 · 10〈sup〉−6〈/sup〉) for 170 h and used in batch experiments to determine the effect of DOM on Hg partition coefficients and sorption isotherms by comparing Hg(II) and Hg-DOM. Hg sorption capacities of all sorbents were severely limited in the presence of DOM as a competing ligand. Thiol-SAMMS®, SediMite™ and pine biochar were most effective in reducing Hg concentrations. While pine biochar and lignin-derived carbon processed at high temperatures released negligible amounts of anions into solution, leaching of sulfate and chloride was observed for most engineered sorbent materials. Sulfate may stimulate microbial communities harboring sulfate reducing bacteria, which are considered one of the primary drivers of microbial mercury methylation in the environment. The results highlight potential challenges arising from the application of sorbents for Hg remediation in the field.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331146-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Min Xu, Robert D. Stedtfeld, Fang Wang, Syed A. Hashsham, Yang Song, Yahui Chuang, Jianbo Fan, Hui Li, Xin Jiang, James M. Tiedje〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Different long-term fertilization regimes may change indigenous microorganism diversity in the arable soil and thus might influence the persistence and transmission of manure-born antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Different manure origins and composting techniques might affect the fate of introduced ARGs in farmland. A four-month microcosm experiment was performed using two soils, which originated from the same field and applied with the same chemical fertilizer or swine manure for 26 years, to investigate the dynamics of ARGs in soil amended with manure or compost from the farm and an agro-technology company. High throughput qPCR and sequencing were applied to quantify ARGs using 144 primer sets and microorganism in soil. Fertilization history had little effect on dynamics of manure-borne ARGs in soil regardless of manure origin or composting. Very different half-lives of ARGs and mobile genetic elements from farm manure and commercial manure were observed in both soils. Composting decreased abundance of most ARGs in manure, but increased the persistence of manure-introduced ARGs in soil irrespective of fertilization history, especially for those from farm manure. These findings help understanding the fate of ARGs in manured soil and may inform techniques to mitigate ARGs transmission.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329493-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Md. Siddiqur Rahman, Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A comprehensive understanding of the changing behaviors of precipitation concentration and intensity plays a pivotal role in water resource management. Hence, we investigated the spatiotemporal changing behaviors of frequency and intensity of 13 precipitation indices and their probable causes of changes in precipitation systems. This study used daily precipitation datasets from 23 sites in Bangladesh and six atmospheric circulation indices during 1975–2017. The results showed that the precipitation concentration index (LCI) varies between 0.57 and 0.63, and the highest value was found in the southeastern region. The precipitation days frequency indices such as AD, LPD, MPD, HPD, and WPD have significantly increased in Bangladesh while precipitation intensity indices such as AII, LPI, MPI, HPI, and WPI have significantly declined; all types of indices have clear rapid changes. The results of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) exhibit long-term correlations among all precipitation indices, suggesting that these indices will sustain their present trend line in the upcoming period. The Sunspot (SS) and East Asian Summer Monsoon Index (EASMI) had a negative influence on ACI and South Asian Summer Monsoon index (SASMI) had a strong positive influence on precipitation days frequency indices. The significance analysis using the random forest (RF) algorithm showed that SS is the largest contributing factor affecting the precipitation systems in Bangladesh. ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis datasets revealed that elevating summer geopotential height, higher anticyclonic anomaly, increasing low and decreasing high cloud covers and lower solar radiation with adequate moisture divergence fluxes contributed to variations in precipitation extremes in Bangladesh.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Linear trend of Arid days, AD (a), Sequential Mann-kendall test to detect rapid change (b), DFA long term forecasting of ACI (c) and Cross wavelet between SASMI and ACI (d).〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330980-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bláthnaid M. Mahon, Carina Brehony, Niamh Cahill, Elaine McGrath, Louise O'Connor, Aine Varley, Martin Cormican, Sinead Ryan, Paul Hickey, Shane Keane, Martina Mulligan, Bryan Ruane, Keith A. Jolley, Martin C. Maiden, Sylvain Brisse, Dearbháile Morris〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The rapid dissemination of carbapenemase-producing 〈em〉Enterobacterales〈/em〉 (CPE) is a major public health concern. The role that the aquatic environment plays in this dissemination is underexplored. This study aimed to examine seawater as a reservoir for CPE. Seawater sampling took place at a bathing site throughout the 2017 bathing season. Each 30 L sample (〈em〉n〈/em〉 = 6) was filtered using the CapE filtration system. Wastewater samples (200 mL) (pre-treatment (〈em〉n〈/em〉 = 3) and post-treatment (n = 3)) were obtained from a nearby secondary wastewater treatment plant, during the same time period. All samples were examined for CPE. Whole genome sequencing of confirmed CPE was carried out using Illumina sequencing. Isolate genomes were hosted in corresponding BIGSdb databases and analyses were performed using multiple web-based tools. CPE was detected in 2/6 seawater samples. It was not detected in any wastewater samples. OXA-48-like-producing ST131 〈em〉Escherichia coli〈/em〉 (Ec_BM707) was isolated from a seawater sample collected in May 2017 and OXA-48-like-producing ST101 〈em〉Klebsiella pneumoniae〈/em〉 (Kp_BM758) was isolated from a seawater sample collected in August 2017. The genomes of the environmental isolates were compared to a collection of previously described Irish clinical OXA-48-like-producing 〈em〉Enterobacterales〈/em〉 (〈em〉n〈/em〉 = 105). Ec_BM707 and Kp_BM758 harboured 〈em〉bla〈/em〉〈sub〉OXA-48〈/sub〉 on similar mobile genetic elements to those identified in the clinical collection (pOXA-48 fragment in Ec_BM707 and IncL(pOXA-48) plasmid in Kp_BM758). Genetic similarities were observed between Ec_BM707 and several of the clinical ST131 〈em〉E. coli,〈/em〉 with allele matches at up to 98.2% of 2513 core genome multilocus sequence type (cgMLST) loci. In contrast, Kp_BM758 and the 34 clinical 〈em〉K. pneumoniae〈/em〉 were genetically distant. The source of the CPE at this site was not identified. The detection of OXA-48-like-producing ST131 〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉 and OXA-48-like-producing ST101 〈em〉K. pneumoniae〈/em〉 in Irish recreational water is a concern. The potential for contamination of the aquatic environment to contribute to dissemination of CPE in Europe warrants further study.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330542-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhenyi Chen, Robyn Schofield, Peter Rayner, Tianshu Zhang, Cheng Liu, Claire Vincent, Sonya Fiddes, Robert George Ryan, Joel Alroe, Zoran D. Ristovski, Ruhi S. Humphries, Melita D. Keywood, Jason Ward, Clare Paton-Walsh, Travis Naylor, Xiaowen Shu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The rapid environmental changes in Australia prompt a more thorough investigation of the influence of transportation, local emissions, and optical–chemical properties on aerosol production across the region. A month-long intensive measurement campaign was conducted during spring 2016 at Mission Beach, a remote coastal site west of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) on the north-east coast of Australia. One aerosol pollution episode was investigated in early October. This event was governed by meteorological conditions and characterized by the increase in black carbon (BC) mass concentration (averaged value of 0.35 ± 0.20 μg m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉). Under the influence of the continental transportation, a new layer of nucleation-mode aerosols with an initial size diameter of 20 nm was observed and aerosol number concentrations reached the peak of 6733 cm〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 at a diameter of 29 nm. The averaged aerosol extinction coefficient at the height of 2 km was 150 Mm〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, with a small depolarized ratio (3.5–5%). Simultaneously, the boundary layer height presented a fall–rise trend in the presence of these enhanced aerosol concentrations and became stable in a later stage of the episode. We did not observe clear boundary layer height diurnal variations from the LiDAR observations or from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model outputs, except in an earlier stage of the aerosol episode for the former. Although the sea breeze may have been responsible for these particles, on the balance of available data, we suggest that the aerosol properties at the GBR surface during this period are more likely influenced by regional transportation of continental sources, including biomass-burning aerosols.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331201-ga1.jpg" width="326" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pau Batlle-Vilanova, Laura Rovira-Alsina, Sebastià Puig, M. Dolors Balaguer, Pilar Icaran, Victor M. Monsalvo, Frank Rogalla, Jesús Colprim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Biogas production in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) plays a decisive role in the reduction of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 emissions and energy needs in the context of the water-energy nexus. The biogas obtained from sewage sludge digestion can be converted into biomethane by the use of biogas upgrading technologies. In this regard, an innovative water scrubbing based technology, known as ABAD Bioenergy® is presented and considered in this work. The effluents resulting from this system consist of biomethane and treated wastewater with a high CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 concentration. Therefore, the study explores the feasibility of using this CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-containing effluent in the cathode of a bioelectrochemical system (BES) for the transformation of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 into methane. Techno-economic assessment of the process is presented, including the valorisation of anode reactions through the production of chlorine compounds. Finally, the potential impacts of applying this technology in a WWTP operated by FCC Aqualia are (i) increasing biomethane production by 17.4%, (ii) decreasing CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 content by 42.8% and (iii) producing over 60 ppm of chlorine compounds to disinfect all the treated wastewater of the plant.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329341-ga1.jpg" width="265" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Muhammad Bilal, Hafiz M.N. Iqbal〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Steroidal estrogens are widespread water contaminants with potential carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting activities. The World Health Organization has listed estrogens as group 1 carcinogens. These contaminants are of substantial concern because of potential threats to human health, and aquatic organisms on long-term exposure. A range of methods, including oxidation, adsorption, electrochemical, and irradiation techniques have been employed for their remediation from aqueous systems. However, inadequate removal, toxic sludge generation, high operating costs, and the requisite for skilled operating and maintenance personnel commercially hampered the application of many methods. An interesting alternative treatment approach based on the use of oxidoreductases, particularly laccases, has recently gained amicability for the biotransformation of emerging pollutants. The use of immobilized enzymes is more cost-effective from an industrial perspective due to improved catalytic stability, reusability, reduction of product inhibition, and easier product separation. This review provides comprehensive knowledge on the use of laccases in the biodegradation of steroidal estrogens, including estrone, 17〈em〉β〈/em〉-estradiol, and 17〈em〉α〈/em〉-ethinylestradiol with endocrine-disrupting potency from the environment. After an overview of estrogens and catalytic properties of laccase, the use of free, as well as immobilized laccases with a particular emphasis on estrogens removal by laccase-based fed-batch, packed bed bioreactors, and membrane reactors, is discussed. A comparison of existing treatment technologies with enzyme technology for the removal of estrogens from different environmental matrices is made. Lastly, along with concluding remarks, future research direction aimed at bridging knowledge gaps for estrogenic compounds removal are also proposed in this very important research area.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331389-ga1.jpg" width="227" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Ecological Engineering, Volume 136〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ramón Perea, Jessica S. Cunha, Cristiani Spadeto, Vanessa M. Gomes, Arthur L. Moura, Bárbara Rúbia, G. Wilson Fernandes〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Roads are known to be a major factor in the ongoing spread and establishment of invasive plants by modifying habitats and providing movement corridors. Controlling plant invasion or restoring highly-invaded areas along roads is a challenging task in current conservation practice. We aim to investigate the possible facilitative effects of nurse shrubs on native vs. exotic species in order to provide applications for conservation and restoration of highly invaded roadsides areas in megadiverse montane areas of Brazil. We estimated the abundance of each plant species (native and exotic) in paired roadsides with and without pioneer nurse shrubs (〈em〉Baccharis〈/em〉 spp.), and measured whether they were facilitated (i.e., growing underneath native nurse shrubs), using a Facilitation Value metric. We found that the proportion of exotic species was 27% greater in areas without the nurse shrubs. In addition, predicted probability of nurse shrubs as facilitators of native species was 61% greater than that of exotic species. Pioneer nurse shrubs that alleviate the environmental shift generated by the construction and use of roads (e.g., disturbed soils with low nutrient content) may represent an interesting alternative to mitigate exotic plant invasion along roadsides, a current global priority for biodiversity conservation. Decision-makers considering whether to build, improve, and maintain roads should take into account the potential spread of exotic plants and the use of nurse shrubs to prevent or mitigate plant invasiveness.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0925857419302216-ga1.jpg" width="263" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 160〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jingqi Tan, Jianjian Wei, Tao Jin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Onset and damping processes that characterize the transition of a thermoacoustic engine between the stationary and periodic oscillating states have attracted much research effort. In this work, the onset and damping characteristics of a closed two-phase thermoacoustic engine are investigated, where a regenerator is inserted between the cold and hot heat exchangers to reduce the irreversible loss caused by heat transfer. Additionally, a branch resonator, which consists of a load tube and a gas reservoir, is introduced to form the closed system and to adjust the acoustic field. A lumped parameter model is proposed to quantitatively analyze the performance of the thermoacoustic engine. Upon optimization, an onset temperature difference as low as 8.2 °C can be achieved in the experiments with R134a as the working fluid, which is the lowest one ever reported in the literatures. Besides, hysteresis phenomenon is found during the onset and damping processes. The present work aims to provide better understanding of the onset and damping behaviors of a two-phase thermoacoustic engine.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 160〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bin Zou, Yiqiang Jiang, Yang Yao, Hongxing Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Since various optical factors, including sunshape and optical errors, coexist in practice, their coupling effects on the PTC’s optical performance deserve in-depth explorations. Previous studies mainly focused on individual effects of several typical optical errors or simple description of optical errors using a unified Gaussian model. Thus, this study is committed to investigating the coupling effects of multiple optical factors on the PTC’s optical performance based on the theoretically individual characterization of each optical factor. The Monte Carlo Rays Tracing method was adopted, and the effective sunshape model was established for sampling of incident rays by convolving the incident sunshape model with the specularity error model. It is revealed that larger circumsolar ratio and specularity error produced more uniform heat flux distribution on the absorber. The advantage of high optical quality reflectors in improving optical efficiency was more outstanding in clearer weather. As circumsolar ratio was more than 0.2, improving specular quality to very high degree (〈3 mrad) reduced instead the optical efficiency. When tracking error and slope error were maintained respectively less than 4 mrad and 2 mrad, the weakening of optical efficiency was limited. The optical efficiency was more sensitive to slope error than to tracking error. The offset direction along positive Y-axis caused at maximum 2.19 times increase in heat flux density than that without optical errors, which causes threat of overheating to the absorber. When alignment error and tracking error were in the opposite direction, the optical loss could be compensated, whereas that in the same direction enlarged the optical loss. The slope error weakened the compensation effect and aggravated the weakening effect.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Solar Energy, Volume 188〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Naser Abdi, Yaser Abdi, Zahra Alemipour〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Solar Energy, Volume 188〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Smajil Halilovic, Jamie M. Bright, Wiebke Herzberg, Sven Killinger〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Knowledge of horizontal solar irradiance is crucial for the nowcasting and forecasting of generated photovoltaic (PV) power. High quality irradiance measurement devices, however, are typically not collocated with PV systems. The lack of measurements can be compensated by numerical weather models or satellite-derived products, but they provide only limited temporal and spatial resolutions. Another possibility is to directly use PV systems as irradiance sensors, since the measured PV power is a good indicator of incoming solar irradiance. The challenging part in this procedure is the computation of the global horizontal irradiance 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si233.svg"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉G〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉h〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 from the global tilted irradiance 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si234.svg"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉G〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉c〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉, because a combination of decomposition and transposition models is not analytically invertible. Hence, the majority of existing solutions to this problem are numerical procedures. In this paper, an analytical approach to compute 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si235.svg"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉G〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉h〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 from 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si236.svg"〉〈mrow〉〈msub〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉G〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈mrow〉〈mi〉c〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/msub〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 is presented. The comparison of the proposed approach with one of the existing iterative (numerical) approaches shows promising results. When applied to 1-min data at four different locations, the new approach outperforms the iterative procedure by up to 9% in terms of the relative root mean square error (rRMSE) for east/west module’s orientations, and performs slightly better with the south orientation. Moreover, the new approach provides results in less than 1 s, whereas the iterative procedure requires more than 20 min for a one year of data. An open source R-script of the new approach is also publicly available and provided as supplementary material.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Water Research, Volume 162〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Marine Diana, Mónica Felipe-Sotelo, Tom Bond〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Epidemiological studies have consistently associated the consumption of chlorinated drinking water with an enhanced risk of bladder cancer. While this suggests that some disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are bladder carcinogens, causal agents are unknown. This study aims to highlight likely candidates. To achieve this, structures of known and hypothesised DBPs were compared with 76 known bladder carcinogens. The latter are dominated by nitrogenous and aromatic compounds; only 10 are halogenated. Under 10% of the chlorine applied during drinking water treatment is converted into identified halogenated byproducts; most of the chlorine is likely to be consumed during the generation of unidentified non-halogenated oxidation products. Six nitrosamines are among the nine most potent bladder carcinogens, and two of them are known to be DBPs: N-nitrosodiphenylamine and nitrosodibutylamine. However, these and other nitrosamines are formed in insufficiently low concentrations in chlorinated drinking water to account for the observed bladder cancer risk. Furthermore, although not proven bladder carcinogens, certain amines, haloamides, halocyclopentenoic acids, furans and haloquinones are potential candidates. At present, most identified bladder carcinogens are nitrogenous, whereas 〉90% of natural organic matter is not. Therefore, non-nitrogenous DBPs are likely to contribute to the bladder cancer risk. Given the high proportion of DBPs that remains uncharacterised, it is important that future research prioritises compounds believed to be potent toxicants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004313541930613X-fx1.jpg" width="354" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biomass and Bioenergy, Volume 127〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuping Zhang, Shuguang Zhu, Houlei Zhang, Xinzhi Liu, Huiyan Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Effect of combined pretreatment on the mechanism of pyrolysis behavior and pyrolysis products (bio-oil, non-condensable gas and char) of rice husk was investigated using thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor. A coupling method combining iso-conversional method and model-fitting method was used to obtain the pyrolysis kinetic parameter. Pyrolysis kinetics results indicated that activation energy (〈em〉E〈/em〉) gradually increased with the increase of conversion rate (〈em〉α〈/em〉), which was due to the differences in thermal stability of biomass components. Acid washing pretreatment slightly increased the average activation energy (〈em〉E〈/em〉〈sub〉a〈/sub〉), and then subsequent torrefaction process further increased it. The entire pyrolysis reaction process of all the rice husk samples can be described by the reaction-order model. In addition, a laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor was used to investigate the yields and detailed characteristics of pyrolysis products. The results suggested that phenols and sugars contents in bio-oil increased, while that of small-molecule components with high thermal instability decreased, which was favor for the storage and subsequent utilization of bio-oil. Rice husk char obtained from pyrolysis also has the potential for preparation of silica products. We concluded that combined pretreatment of washing and torrefaction significantly improved the thermochemical utilization potential of rice husk for fuels and chemicals by pyrolysis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0961953419302429-fx1.jpg" width="307" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 26 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 36〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhiguo Liu, Xiao Zhang, Zhixiang Jiang, Hsueh-Shih Chen, Ping Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Non-metal doping not only optimizes the energy band structure of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 to improve the absorption of visible light, but also exacerbates the distortion of lowest and highest unoccupied molecular orbital plane, causing polarization, thereby improving photocatalytic activity. For the first time, S and P are co-introduced into g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 network to enhance photocatalytic performance and create various tubular morphologies. The ratio of S to P is crucial to control the tubular morphology and property. In the photocatalytic process, the separation of electrons and holes causes by the polarization of the S and P elements and the synergy of the tubular morphology results in new migration paths for photogenerated electrons and holes. Using optimized preparation conditions, g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 tubes co-doped with S and P (CNSP) reveal very high H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 generation efficiency (163.27 μmol/h), which is two orders of magnitude higher compared to that of pure g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and apparent quantum yield is 18.93% at 420 nm. Fast degradation of Rhodamine B by using CNSP occurs within 5 min under visible light irradiation. Because of the reproducible process, the synthetic strategy provides a novel method for controlling the morphology of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-based materials with super activity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319919322487-fx1.jpg" width="311" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 5 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuguo Qu, Minhui Li, Chenchen Zhang, Jihai Duan, Weiwen Wang, Jianlong Li, Xiaojin Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A novel proton exchange membrane was synthesized by embedding a crystalline which was nano-assembled through trimesic acid and melamine (TMA·M) into the matrix of the sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) to enhance the proton conductivity of the SPEEK membrane. Fourier transform infrared indicated that hydrogen bonds existed between SPEEK and TMA·M. XRD and SEM indicated that TMA·M was uniformly distributed within the matrix of SPEEK, and no phase separation occurred. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that this membrane could be applied as high temperature proton exchange membrane until 250 °C. The dimensional stability and mechanical properties of the composite membranes showed that the performance of the composite membranes is superior to that of the pristine SPEEK. Since TMA·M had a highly ordered nanostructure, and contained lots of hydrogen bonds and water molecules, the proton conductivity of the SPEEK/TMA·M-20% reached 0.00513 S cm〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 25 °C and relative humidity 100%, which was 3 times more than the pristine SPEEK membrane, and achieved 0.00994 S cm〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 120 °C.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ying Han, Weirong Chen, Qi Li, Hanqing Yang, Firuz Zare, Yongkang Zheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉With the fast development of DC Microgrid (MG) technology, its operating economy and reliability are getting more and more concern. The traditional distributed control method is aimed at power balance and system stability, and is difficult to meet the requirement of energy management system for multi-source hybrid DC MG. This paper provides a two-level energy management strategy for PV-fuel cell-battery-based DC MG, which is divided into device control level and system control level. At the device control level, the distributed control methods based on MPPT-droop dual-mode control and droop control are proposed to enhance system reliability; at the system control level, the equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) is used to distribute system net power between battery pack and fuel cell system. A lab-scale DC microgrid platform is developed to verify the proposed energy management strategy in this paper. Moreover, the analysis and compare of the results show that the proposed two-level energy management strategy can achieve lower equivalent hydrogen consumption than classical PI control and state machine control method.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nicolás Cobos Ullvius, Masoud Rokni〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉While energy demand in this fast developing world is increasing, its future is being compromised by the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 emissions produced through the burning of fossil fuels. Clean energy technologies are available, but there are still barriers hindering their full integration into the society, the majority of which are economic and social. For these reasons, the development of new technologies and configurations to make renewable energies systems more cost-effective is urgently needed. The plant design proposed in this paper consists of basic Dish-Stirling collectors supported by a reversible solid oxide fuel cell acting as a power generator and storage unit, and therefore offering dispatchable power on demand. Further, the system reuses the waste heat for seawater desalination, which is very convenient for arid areas with high solar radiation and shortage of freshwater. The present work is an analytical study in which thermodynamic investigation of the performance evaluation of a self-sustainable polygeneration system with integrated hydrogen production, power generation, and freshwater production is conducted. An evaluation in a real context (South Africa) showed the potential of this system to supply 500 kW, 24 h a day, while producing a considerable amount of freshwater. Although the distillation system presented is able to produce 8464 L per day, there is potential for it to increase its output by nine times or more.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 6 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hongri Wan, Xiaofang Hu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Nitrogen/sulfur co-doped disordered porous biocarbon was facilely synthesized and applied as anode materials for lithium/sodium ion batteries. Benefiting from high nitrogen (3.38 wt%) and sulfur (9.75 wt%) doping, NS〈sub〉1-1〈/sub〉 as anode materials showed a high reversible capacity of 1010.4 mA h g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 0.1 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 in lithium ion batteries. In addition, it also exhibited excellent cycling stability, which can maintain at 412 mAh g〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉 after 1000 cycles at 5 A g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. As anode materials of sodium ion batteries, NS〈sub〉1-1〈/sub〉 can still reach 745.2 mA h g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 100 mAg〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉 after 100 cycles. At a high current density (5 A g〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉), the reversible capacity is 272.5 mA h g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 after 1000 cycles, which exhibits excellent electrochemical performance and cycle stability. The preeminent electrochemical performance can be attributed to three effects: (1) the high level of sulfur and nitrogen; (2) the synergic effect of dual-doping heteroatoms; (3) the large quantity of edge defects and abundant micropores and mesopores, providing extra Li/Na storage regions. This disordered porous biocarbon co-doped with nitrogen/sulfur exhibits unique features, which is very suitable for anode materials of lithium/sodium ion batteries.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319919323572-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 6 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhilong Wei, Haisheng Zhen, Jin Fu, Chunwah Leung, Chunshun Cheung, Zuohua Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The laminar burning velocities of biogas-hydrogen-air mixture at different fuel compositions and equivalence ratios were determined and studied using the spherical flame method. The combined effects of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 on the laminar burning velocity were investigated quantitatively based on the kinetic effects and the thermal effects. The results show that the laminar burning velocities of the BG40, BG50 and BG60 are increased almost linearly with the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 addition owing to the improved fuel kinetics and the increased adiabatic flame temperature. The dropping trend of laminar burning velocity from the BG60-hydrogen to the BG40-hydrogen is primarily attributed to the decreased adiabatic flame temperature (thermal effects). The GRI 3.0 mechanism can predict the laminar burning velocity of biogas-hydrogen mixture better than the San Diego mechanism in this study. Whereas, the GRI mechanism still needs to be modified properly for the hydrogen-enriched biogas as the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 proportion exceeds 50% in the biogas at the fuel-rich condition. The increased CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 exerts the stronger suppression on the net reaction rate of H + O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉=OH + O than that of H + CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉(+M) = CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉(+M), which contributes to that the rich-shift of peak laminar burning velocity of biogas-hydrogen mixture requires higher H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 addition as the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 content is enhanced. For the biogas-hydrogen fuel, the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 addition decreases the flame stability of biogas fuel effectively due to the increased diffusive-thermal instability and hydrodynamic instability. The improved flame stability of biogas-hydrogen fuel with the increased CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 content is resulted from the combined effects of diffusive-thermal instability and hydrodynamic instability.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Guorui Zhang, Qi Li, Weirong Chen, Xiang Meng, Huiwen Deng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In order to improve the robustness of the energy management system (EMS) and avoid the influence of demand power on the design of EMS, a coupled power-voltage equilibrium strategy based on droop control (CPVE-DC) is proposed in this paper. Making use of the principal that the DC bus can directly reflect the changes of load power, the proposed strategy couples DC bus voltage with output powers through droop control to achieve self-equilibrium. The proposed EMS is applied into a hybrid tramway model configured with multiple proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems, batteries and super capacitors (SCs). FC systems and SC systems are responsible for satisfying most of the demand power, therefore the CPVE-DC strategy generates FCs and SCs reference power through power-voltage droop control on the primary control. Then batteries supplement the rest part of load power and generate DC bus voltage reference value of the next sampling time. With the gambling between output power and DC bus voltage, the hybrid system achieves self-equilibrium and steps into steady operation by selecting appropriate droop coefficients. Then the secondary control of the proposed strategy allocates power between every single unit. In addition, a penalty coefficient is introduced to balance SOC of SCs. The proposed strategy is tested under a real drive cycle LF-LRV on RT-LAB platform. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can achieve self-equilibrium and is effective to allocate demand power among these power sources，achieve active control for the range of DC bus voltage and SOC consensus of SCs as well. In addition, some faults are simulated to verify the robustness of the proposed strategy and it turns out that the CPVE-DC strategy possesses higher robustness. Finally, the CPVE-DC strategy is compared with equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) and the results shows that the proposed strategy is able to get higher average efficiency and lower equivalent fuel consumption.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 26 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 36〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alexander N. Bondarchuk, Iván Corrales-Mendoza, Sergio A. Tomás, Frank Marken〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Photoelectrochemical water splitting using solar energy is a highly promising technology to produce hydrogen as an environmentally friendly and renewable fuel with high-energy density. This approach requires the development of appropriate photoelectrode materials and substrates, which are low-cost and applicable for the fabrication of large area electrodes. In this work, hematite photoelectrodes are grown by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AA-CVD) onto highly-conductive and bulk porous SnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (Sb-doped) ceramic substrates. For such photoelectrodes, the photocurrent density of 2.8 mA cm〈sup〉-2〈/sup〉 is achieved in aqueous 0.1 M NaOH under blue LED illumination (〈em〉λ〈/em〉 = 455 nm; 198 mW cm〈sup〉-2〈/sup〉) at 1.23 V vs. RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode). This relatively good photoelectrochemical performance of the photoelectrode is achieved despite the simple fabrication process. Good performance is suggested to be related to the three-dimensional morphology of the porous ceramic substrate resulting in excellent light-driven charge carrier harvesting. The porosity of the ceramic substrate allows growth of the photoactive layer (SnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-grains covered by hematite) to a depth of some micrometers, whereas the thickness of Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-coating on individual grains is only about 100–150 nm. This architecture of the photoactive layer assures a good light absorption and it creates favourable conditions for charge separation and transport.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): J. Büsselmann, M. Rastedt, V. Tullius, K. Yezerska, A. Dyck, P. Wagner〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉With the help of consistent conditions for improved batch production and defined quality standards, the lifetime of fuel cell systems should be improved and cost-intensive losses should be minimized at an early state in the production process. Within this work, we concentrated on two accelerated stress tests: load cycling at high current densities and start/stop cycling to compare high temperature (HT) polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) of three suppliers to evaluate performances and degradation rates under such conditions. These MEAs have been investigated in-situ via electrochemical characterization. MEAs of three providers differ significantly in their performance and power output for both operation strategies. It was also shown that load cyclization causes greater stress on the MEA than start/stop cycling. Next to the manufacturer comparison, a batch-to-batch evaluation of one provider has been performed including micro-computed tomography (μ-CT) investigations and the determination of the tortuosity of the cathode side gas diffusion layers.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Gisela Orcajo, Helena Montes-Andrés, José A. Villajos, Carmen Martos, Juan A. Botas, Guillermo Calleja〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The organometallic Li-Crown ether species, formed by the complexation of lithium cation with the hydrophobic 18Crown6 ether, has been included in three Metal-Organic-Framework〈del〉s〈/del〉 (MOF) structures with different pore size: Cr-MIL-101, Fe-MIL100 and Ni-MOF-74. X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy measurements have proved the successful incorporation of the organometallic units to the three MOFs without altering their crystalline structure. Hydrogen adsorption properties of the post-synthesis modified materials have been evaluated in a wide temperature (77–298 K) and pressure (1–170 bar) range conditions. The post-synthetic modification method used based on the MOF impregnation with a Li-Crown ether complex solution produced a partial pore blocking effect on the microporous Ni-MOF-74, reducing its hydrogen adsorption capacity. However, the inclusion of the crown-ether and particularly the Li-Crown ether complex resulted in an increase of the volumetric hydrogen adsorption capacity at room temperature for Cr-MIL101 and Fe-MIL-100, due to the pore volume reduction, higher confinement of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 molecules in the cavities and the formation of new specific binding sites for H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 molecules. The inclusion of Li-Crown ether complex also enhances the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 interaction with the mesoporous MOF structures, attributed to the additional electrostatic interactions produced by the presence of Li〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 ions complexed to the crown ether molecules. Further work following this strategy to improve hydrogen adsorption capacity of mesoporous MOFs at room temperature should be extended to other MOF materials, checking its influence on their capacity for gas separation purposes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Quentin Bellouard, Sylvain Rodat, Stéphane Abanades, Serge Ravel, Pierre-Éric Frayssines〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The use of concentrated solar energy as the high-temperature heat source for the thermochemical gasification of biomass is a promising prospect for producing CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-neutral chemical fuels (syngas). The solar process saves biomass resource because partial combustion of the feedstock is avoided, it increases the energy conversion efficiency because the calorific value of the feedstock is upgraded by the solar power input, and it also reduces the need for downstream gas cleaning and separation because the gas products are not contaminated by combustion by-products. A new concept of solar spouted bed reactor with continuous biomass injection was designed in order to enhance heat transfer in the reactor, to improve the gasification rates and gas yields by providing constant stirring of the particles, and to enable continuous operation. Thermal simulations of the prototype were performed to calculate temperature distributions and validate the reactor design at 1.5 kW scale. The reliable operation of the solar reactor based on this new design was also experimentally demonstrated under real solar irradiation using a parabolic dish concentrator. Wood particles were continuously gasified at temperatures ranging from 1100 °C to 1300 °C using either CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 or steam as oxidizing agent. Carbon conversion rates over 94% and gas productions over 70 mmol/g〈sub〉biomass〈/sub〉 were achieved. The energy contained in the biomass was upgraded thanks to the solar energy input by a factor of up to 1.21.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S036031991831334X-fx1.jpg" width="244" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Antonio Valente, Diego Iribarren, Javier Dufour〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The environmental sustainability of hydrogen energy systems is often evaluated through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In particular, environmental suitability is usually determined by comparing the life-cycle indicators calculated for a specific hydrogen energy system with those of a reference system (e.g., conventional hydrogen from steam methane reforming, SMR-H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉). In this respect, harmonisation protocols for comparative LCA of hydrogen energy systems have recently been developed in order to avoid misleading conclusions in terms of carbon footprints and cumulative energy demand. This article expands the scope of these harmonisation initiatives by addressing a new life-cycle indicator: acidification. A robust protocol for harmonising the acidification potential of hydrogen energy systems is developed and applied to both SMR-H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and a sample of case studies of renewable hydrogen. According to the results, unlike other energy systems, there is no correlation between acidification and carbon footprint in the case of hydrogen energy systems, which prevents the estimation of harmonised acidification results from available harmonised carbon footprints. Nevertheless, an initial library of harmonised life-cycle indicators of renewable hydrogen is now made available.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Paul Brack, S.E. Dann, K.G.U. Wijayantha, Paul Adcock, Simon Foster〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Ferrosilicon 75, a 50:50 mixture of silicon and iron disilicide, has been activated toward hydrogen generation by processing using ball milling, allowing a much lower concentration of sodium hydroxide (2 wt %) to be used to generate hydrogen from the silicon in ferrosilicon with a shorter induction time than has been reported previously. An activation energy of 62 kJ/mol was determined for the reaction of ball-milled ferrosilicon powder with sodium hydroxide solution, which is around 30 kJ/mol lower than that previously reported for unmilled ferrosilicon. A series of composite powders were also prepared by ball milling ferrosilicon with various additives in order to improve the hydrogen generation properties from ferrosilicon 75 and attempt to activate the silicon in the passivating FeSi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 component. Three different classes of additives were employed: salts, polymers and sugars. The effects of these additives on hydrogen generation from the reaction of ferrosilicon with 2 wt% aqueous sodium hydroxide were investigated. It was found that composites formed of ferrosilicon and sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium polyacrylate, sodium polystyrene sulfonate-co-maleic acid or fructose showed reduced induction times for hydrogen generation compared to that observed for ferrosilicon alone, and all but fructose also led to an increase in the maximum hydrogen generation rate. In light of its low cost and toxicity and beneficial effects, sodium chloride is considered to be the most effective of these additives for activating the silicon in ferrosilicon toward hydrogen generation. Materials characterisation showed that neither ball milling on its own nor use of additives was successful in activating the FeSi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 component of ferrosilicon for hydrogen generation and the improvement in rate and shortening of the induction period was attributed to the silicon component of the mixture alone The gravimetric storage capacity for hydrogen in ferrosilicon 75 is therefore maintained at only 3.5% rather than the 10.5% ideally expected for a material containing 75% silicon. In light of these results, ferrosilicon 75 does not appear a good candidate for hydrogen production in portable applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ioan Iordache, Karel Bouzek, Martin Paidar, Karin Stehlík, Johannes Töpler, Mirosław Stygar, Juliusz Dąbrowa, Tomasz Brylewski, Ioan Stefanescu, Mihaela Iordache, Dorin Schitea, Sergey A. Grigoriev, Vladimir N. Fateev, Viacheslav Zgonnik〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The article contains examples about hydrogen research and development progress in different countries: Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Russia and Ukraine. Each chapter describes a specific situation for a country and one of them describes some aspects from Germany for comparison with one of international leaders. The examples described into articles are not aleatory. The intention of the authors is to give to the reader the possibility to understand the concrete examples about what means the state of hydrogen and fuel cell research and innovation in the Central and Eastern European countries. The chapters dedicated to Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania, reveal the commitment of these countries in this adventure, often viewed today as a subject of very advanced countries. The specific situation in the Russia Federation describes a strong background, an uncertain present and a questionable future for the hydrogen and fuel cell technology. Development of hydrogen technologies and fuel cells in Ukraine have a long history, also. All of that, in the EU context, by voice of the main stakeholders, considered the hydrogen and fuel cell a decisive issue, with economic and societal ramifications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Evangelos I. Gkanas, Thomas Statheros, Martin Khzouz〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A numerical study fully validated with solid experimental results is presented and analysed, regarding the hydrogenation process of rectangular metal hydride tanks for green building applications. Based on a previous study conducted by the authors, where the effective heat management of rectangular tanks by using plain embedded cooling tubes was analysed, in the current work the importance of using extended surfaces to enhance the thermal properties and the hydrogenation kinetics is analysed. The studied extended surfaces (fins) were of rectangular shape; and several combinations regarding the number of fins and the fin thickness were examined and analysed. The values for fin thickness were 2-3-5 and 8 mm and the number of fins studied were 10-14-18 and 20. To evaluate the effect of the heat management process, a modified version of a variable named as Non-Dimensional Conductance (NDC) is introduced and studied. A novel AB〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-Laves phase intermetallic was considered as the metal hydride for the study. The results of the hydrogenation behaviour for the introduced parameters (fin number and thickness) showed that the rectangular tank equipped with the cooling tubes in combination with 14 fins of 5 mm fin thickness has the capability of storing hydrogen over 90% of its theoretical capacity in less than 30 min.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 4 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhao-Hui Ruan, Yu-Dong Li, Yuan Yuan, Kai-Feng Lin, He-Ping Tan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉As is reported, the photocatalytic activity will increase significantly when TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles are agglomerated into TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanofibers (NFs), but the photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanisms are still not fully understood. As is widely accepted, the optical absorption process plays a key role in photocatalysis, and it can even be said that the optical absorption capability of the photocatalyst directly determines its photocatalytic activity, while the influence of the structure on the optical absorption characteristics of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 has largely been ignored in the existing explanations. In this paper, optical simulations are introduced into analyzing optical characteristics of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 Nanofibers with which, the photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanism is further discussed, and a photocatalytic activity enhancement mechanism of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 Nanofibers is proposed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chenhuan Zhao, Xuegang Liu, Wenqiang Zhang, Yun Zheng, Yifeng Li, Bo Yu, Jianchen Wang, Jing Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To make full use of the advantages of solid oxide cells (SOCs) under actual operating conditions, hetero-structured La〈sub〉0.6〈/sub〉Sr〈sub〉0.4〈/sub〉CoO〈sub〉3-δ〈/sub〉/LaSrCoO〈sub〉4±δ〈/sub〉 (LSC〈sub〉113/214〈/sub〉) thin film electrodes are prepared and investigated by a novel high temperature micro-probe electrochemical test platform for SOCs. The results show that the surface exchange coefficient (k〈sup〉q〈/sup〉) of LSC〈sub〉113/214〈/sub〉 thin films is 3–10 times higher than that of single phase LSC〈sub〉113〈/sub〉 in 773–1123 K. ToF-SIMS and XPS characterizations show that LSC〈sub〉113/214〈/sub〉 hetero-interface leads to Sr enrichment at interfacial region and stabilizes it against detrimental Sr segregation. This hetero-interface further induces increased number of active oxygen vacancies and leads to accelerated oxygen exchange kinetics by raising O 2p center closer to Fermi level. This work provides significantly enhanced ORR/OER activity of hetero-structured LSC〈sub〉113/214〈/sub〉 oxygen electrode at operation conditions and brings substantial technical benefits for the SOC systems.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Penghui Feng, Luying Zhu, Yang Zhang, Fusheng Yang, Zhen Wu, Zaoxiao Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉As the well-known solid hydrogen storage materials, metal hydrides (MHs) have been developed systematically for decades. During recent years, due to the development of thermal energy storage (TES) market, they have also received much attention gradually as the excellent TES materials because of the high energy density, low cost, and good reversibility. In this study, the stabilized discharging performance of an MH reactor for TES was investigated by numerical simulation. A mathematical model combining multi-physics and proportional-integral controller was established. Based on finite-time thermodynamics, gravimetric exergy-output rate (〈em〉GEOR〈/em〉) considering the control requirement, finite-material, and finite-time constraints was defined. For a given reactor, the output temperature setting could be optimized based on 〈em〉GEOR〈/em〉. Besides, the effects of the reactor parameters on the optimum output temperature setting were systematically studied. The heat transfer analysis indicated the occurrence of the axial non-uniform reaction in the bed due to the inherent increase in the temperature of heat transfer fluid, resulting in the decrease of both 〈em〉GEOR〈/em〉 and material availability. Accordingly, a new tapered bed structure (〈em〉L〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉〈sub〉o〈/sub〉 = 600/50 mm) was proposed to effectively improve the discharging efficiency from 76 to 90% and 〈em〉GEOR〈/em〉 from 65 to 120 W kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, which provides a helpful guidance for the advanced designing and construction of MH reactor for the practical TES applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 4 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): P. Karthik, T.R. Naveen Kumar, B. Neppolian〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) is one of the promising two-dimensional metal-free photocatalysts for solar water splitting. Regrettably, the fast electron-hole pair recombination of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 reduces their photocatalytic water splitting efficiency. In this work, we have synthesized the CuO/g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 heterojunction via wet impregnation followed by a calcination method for photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production. The formation of CuO/g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 heterojunction was confirmed by XRD, UV–vis and PL studies. Notably, the formation of heterojunction not only improved the optical absorption towards visible region and also enhanced the carrier generation and separation as confirmed by PL and photocurrent studies. The photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production results revealed that CuO/g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 photocatalyst demonstrated the increased photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production rate than bare g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉. The maximum H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production rate was obtained with 4 wt % CuO loaded g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 photocatalyst. Importantly, the rate of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production was further improved by introducing simple redox couple Co〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉/Co〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉. Addition of Co〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 during photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production shuttled the photogenerated holes by a reversible conversion of Co〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 to Co〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉 with accomplishing water oxidation. The effective shuttling of photogenerated holes decreased the election-hole pair recombination and thereby enhancing the photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production rate. It is worth to mention that the addition of Co〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 with 4 wt % CuO/g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 photocatalyst showed ∼7.5 and ∼2.0 folds enhanced photocatalytic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production rate than bare g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Co〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and CuO/g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 photocatalysts. Thus, we strongly believe that the present simple redox couple mediated charge carrier separation without using noble metals may provide a new idea to reduce the recombination rate.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360319919322566-fx1.jpg" width="268" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): B.A. Braz, V.B. Oliveira, A.M.F.R. Pinto〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉A great challenge in a passive direct methanol fuel cell (pDMFC) is how to reduce both methanol and water crossover, from the anode to the cathode side, without significant losses on its power output. Different approaches including improving the membrane and modifying the cell structure and materials have been proposed in the last years.〈/p〉 〈p〉In this work, an experimental study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the cathode diffusion layer (CDL) properties on the power output of a pDMFC. Towards a cost reduction, lower catalyst loadings were used on both anode and cathode electrodes. Since the main goal was the optimization of a pDMFC using the materials commercially available, different carbon-fibber materials were employed as CDL. The experimental results were analysed based on the polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements with innovative electric equivalent circuit allowing the identification of the different losses, including the activation resistance of the parasitic cathode methanol oxidation.〈/p〉 〈p〉A maximum power density of 3.0 mW/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 was obtained using carbon cloth with a lower thickness as CDL and a methanol concentration of 5 M.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): A. Herrmann, A. Mädlow, H. Krause〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉The project H2home – decentralised energy supply by hydrogen fuel cells – is part of the HYPOS initiative (Hydrogen Power Storage & Solutions East German) and has the aim to develop an embedded system suitable for the highly efficient use of electrical, thermal and cooling energy provided by green hydrogen in domestic applications. This system is characterized by a hydrogen CHP plant based on a low temperature PEM fuel cell and a hydrogen-based heat generator module with the application of condensation technology as well as an integrated solution for the use of electrical energy in an AC and DC grid through power electronic components. The electric efficiency of the CHP is nearly 50% and the total efficiency higher than 95%.〈/p〉 〈p〉To evaluate the performance of the proposed technology the first step was to model a reference case using the simulation tool TRNSYS〈sup〉®〈/sup〉. Therefore, a multi-family house with 16 residential units was chosen. Within the next step different technologies for the energy supply in complex buildings were identified and evaluated. For this purpose, various Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) have been defined and summarized in three main groups allowing a technical, ecological and economical comparison of the selected technologies. The method as well as the main results of the KPI investigations will be explained in the present paper.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Karin Stehlík, Martin Tkáč, Karel Bouzek〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Although activities in hydrogen technologies in the Czech Republic date back to the 60'ies of the 20th century, significant progress in research and implementation appeared only in the 21st century. The acceleration is linked to the foundation of the Czech Hydrogen Technology Platform (HYTEP) in 2007. The mission of HYTEP is to inform and coordinate implementation of hydrogen economy in the Czech Republic.〈/p〉 〈p〉The last three years brought visible changes. The most important one is that hydrogen mobility is part of the national action plan for clean mobility. During the conference WHTC 2017 in Prague the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Environment announced support for construction of over 100 hydrogen refilling stations and more than 100,000 hydrogen cars and buses until 2030. Thanks to this governmental activities also first commercial subject developed plans how utilize the potential of hydrogen technologies.〈/p〉 〈p〉In the future HYTEP has the ambition to initiate coordination with other former East Bloc countries. The objective is to strengthen active participation of this region in European efforts and to link it to European networks and strategies to turn regional stakeholders into active participants in hydrogen technologies.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wei-Chieh Chung, Yun-En Lee, Moo-Been Chang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Anthropogenic emission of CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 contributes for most of global warming. Hence, simultaneous conversion of CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 into syngas (dry reforming of methane) can be a promising way to alleviate climate change. In this work, we developed a series of perovskite-type photocatalysts, based on LaFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 with various calcination temperatures to combine with a spark discharge reactor to form a hybrid plasma photocatalysis reactor. The hybrid reactor is applied for dry reforming of methane to investigate the syngas generation rate and to reveal possible interactions between plasma and photocatalyst. Results show that LFO600-packed bed has the best CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 conversions and syngas generation efficiency of 53.6%, 40.0% and 18.4 mol/kWh, respectively. The enhancement of syngas generation rate can be attributed to synergies between LFO and plasma. Furthermore, changing calcination temperature of photocatalyst also leads to variable characteristics of photocatalyst and hence plasma photocatalysis performance for syngas production.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Odtsetseg Myagmarjav, Jin Iwatsuki, Nobuyuki Tanaka, Hiroki Noguchi, Yu Kamiji, Ikuo Ioka, Shinji Kubo, Mikihiro Nomura, Tetsuya Yamaki, Shinichi Sawada, Toshinori Tsuru, Masakoto Kanezashi, Xin Yu, Masato Machida, Tatsumi Ishihara, Hiroaki Abekawa, Masahiko Mizuno, Tomoyuki Taguchi, Yasuo Hosono, Yoshiro Kuriki〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Thermochemical hydrogen production has attracted considerable interest as a clean energy solution to address the challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability. The thermochemical water-splitting iodine-sulfur (IS) process uses heat from nuclear or solar power and thus is a promising next-generation thermochemical hydrogen production method that is independent of fossil fuels and can provide energy security. This paper presents the current state of research and development (R&D) of the IS process based on membrane techniques using solar energy at a medium temperature of 600 °C. Membrane design strategies have the most potential for making the IS process using solar energy highly efficient and economical and are illustrated here in detail. Three aspects of membrane design proposed herein for the IS process have led to a considerable improvement of the total thermal efficiency of the process: membrane reactors, membranes, and reaction catalysts. Experimental studies in the applications of these membrane design techniques to the Bunsen reaction, sulfuric acid decomposition, and hydrogen iodide decomposition are discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yi-Hsuan Liang, Ming-Wei Liao, Mrinalini Mishra, Tsong-Pyng Perng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Based on the Z-scheme mechanism, the combination of two semiconductors with suitable bandgaps can reduce the recombination rate of electrons and holes in a single material to enhance photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉 with suitable band gap positions is a potentially promising material for photocatalysis. In order to raise the hydrogen production rate, ZnO nanocrystals were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉 to form a direct Z-scheme structure, ZnO@Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉. The ALD cycle number varied from 200 to 500. All of the direct Z-scheme samples exhibited much higher hydrogen evolution efficiencies than Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉, ZnO, and the indirect Z-scheme, with the order of ZnO300@Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉〉ZnO200@Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉〉ZnO400@Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉〉ZnO500@Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉. Because of the uniform distribution, discrete particles, and proper size of ZnO, ZnO300@Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉 showed the highest hydrogen evolution rate, being about 500 μmol/g-h. With 400 or 500 ALD cycles, the larger particles of ZnO would overlap with each other to form a continuous layer on Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉, thus reducing the exposure of Ta〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉5〈/sub〉 to the light and water for producing hydrogen.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 4 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ahmed Sadeq Al-Fatesh, Jehad K. Abu-Dahrieh, Hanan Atia, Udo Armbruster, Ahmed A. Ibrahim, Wasim U. Khan, Ahmed Elhag Abasaeed, Anis H. Fakeeha〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper, the effect of pre-treatment and calcination temperature on a series of 5%Co/Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, 5%Ni/Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and 2.5%Co-2.5%Ni/Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 catalysts for dry reforming of methane was investigated. Main focus of our research was to improve the catalyst stability by proper pre-treatment and reaction conditions. The first approach aimed at the catalyst pre-treatment by using bimetallic systems and the second strategy at the 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 suppression of coke. The catalytic activity of bimetallic system was indeed higher compared to the monometallic in the temperature range of 500–800 °C (space velocity 18000 ml h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉·g〈sub〉cat〈/sub〉〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 = 1). The bimetallic catalyst calcined at 800 °C showed highest CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 conversion without deactivation and gave a H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/CO ratio of 91% and 0.96, respectively, and good stability with less coke deposition over 28 h at 800 °C reaction temperature. This improvement is assigned to the synergism between Co and Ni, their high dispersion according to interaction with support. It has been shown in our work that pretreatment temperatures and atmospheres have strong impact on stability of the catalyst. TEM, XRD and TPO investigations confirmed that the slight catalyst deactivation was related to the formation of multiwall carbon nanotubes with hollow inner tube structure. The addition of small amounts of steam or oxygen during DRM improved both the catalyst activity and stability as the bimetallic catalyst lost around 9.4% conversion in DRM, 5.4% in presence of water and only 3.2% in presence of O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jakub Kupecki, Ryszard Kluczowski, Davide Papurello, Andrea Lanzini, Michał Kawalec, Mariusz Krauz, Massimo Santarelli〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉The current study was oriented at analyzing the performance of an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell produced using high-pressure injection molding. The cell with a total thickness of 550 μm was produced in the Ceramic Department (CEREL) of the Institute of Power Engineering in Poland and experimentally analyzed in the Energy Department (DENERG) of Politecnico di Torino in Italy. The high-pressure injection molding technique was applied to produce a 500 μm thick anode support NiO/8YSZ 66/34 wt% with porosity of 25 vol%. The screen printing method was used to print a 3 μm thick NiO anode contact layer, 7 μm thick NiO/8YSZ 50/50 wt% anode functional layer, 4 μm thick 8YSZ dense electrolyte, 1.5 μm thick Gd〈sub〉0,1〈/sub〉Ce〈sub〉0,9〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 barrier layer and a 30 μm thick La〈sub〉0,6〈/sub〉Sr〈sub〉0,4〈/sub〉Fe〈sub〉0,8〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉0,2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3–δ〈/sub〉 cathode with porosity 25 vol%.〈/p〉 〈p〉The experimental characterization was done at two temperature levels: 750 and 800 °C under fixed anodic and cathodic flow and compositions. The preliminary studies on the application of high-pressure injection molding are discussed together with the advantages of the technology. The performance of two generations of anode-supported cells is compared with data of reference cells with supports obtained using tape casting.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tian-Feng Hou, Arunkumar Shanmugasundaram, Mostafa Afifi Hassan, Muhammad Ali Johar, Sang-Wan Ryu, Dong-Weon Lee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In present work, we report a facile fabrication process to improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of ZnO-based photoelectrodes. In order to achieve that, the Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O nanocubes are cathodic-deposited on the as-prepared ZnO nanorods. Then rGO nanosheets are electrodeposited on the ZnO/Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O heterostructures. The fabricated photoelectrodes are systematically studied in detail by different characterization techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet diffused reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy analysis. Morphologies of the fabricated photoelectrodes are investigated through electron microscopy in scanning and transmission mode. To evaluate the PEC performance of the fabricated photoelectrodes, the line scan voltammetry (LSV) measurement is performed using a three-electrode system in 0.5-M Na〈sub〉2〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 electrolyte solution under stimulated light illumination at 100 mW/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 from a 300-W Xenon Arc lamp coupled with an AM 1.5G filter using a three-electrode system. The photocurrent measurement demonstrates that the photoelectrodes based on ZnO/Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O/rGO possess enhanced PEC performance compared to the pristine ZnO and ZnO/Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O photoelectrodes. The photocurrent density of ZnO/Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O/rGO-15 photoelectrode (10.11 mA/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) is ∼9 and ∼3 times higher than the photoelectrodes based on pristine ZnO (1.06 mA/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) and ZnO/Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O (3.22 mA/cm〈sup〉2〈/sup〉). The enhanced PEC performance of ZnO/Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O/rGO photoelectrode is attributed to the excellent light absorption properties of Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O and excellent catalytic and charge transport properties of rGO. Experimental results reveal that the proposed functional nanomaterials have a great potential in water splitting applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The improved PEC performance of the ZnO/Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O/rGO hybrid photoelectrodes is attributed to (i) excellent crystalline nature of the as-prepared ZnO NRs and Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O nanocubes, (ii) large light absorption property of the Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O nanocubes, (iii) high electrical conduction effect and excellent charge transport property of the rGO nanosheets, (iv) electric effect induced by the heterojunction between the vertically aligned ZnO NRs, Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O nanocubes and rGO nanosheets (Scheme 2) and (v) excellent electron acceptor and passivation layer of rGO. All these factors coupled together contribute to the excellent PEC performance of ZnO/Cu〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O/rGO hybrid based photoelectrodes.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S036031991831646X-fx1.jpg" width="221" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Masoud Rokni〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Fossil fuels are stored energy during millions of years and we are using it in a rate that new fuels cannot be formed. Renewable energies are not available all the time and there is a need to find ways to store them. One way of storing renewable energies is in fuel form, similar to the fossil fuels and then use this stored fuel whenever needed. The plant design proposed in this paper consists of Dish-Stirling collectors supported by a reversible solid oxide cell acting as a power generator and storage unit, and therefore offering dispatchable power on demand. Further, the system reuses the waste heat for seawater desalination. The present work is an analytical study in which the performance evaluation of a self-sustainable polygeneration system with integrated hydrogen production, power generation, and freshwater production is conducted. An evaluation for selected days, representative for summer, fall, winter and spring in an area with low solar irradiation is studies to investigate the potential of this system to supply 500 kW continuously and simultaneously producing a considerable amount of freshwater. The study shows that the plant can produced hydrogen even in low irradiation winter days together with at least 6500 L of freshwater daily.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 26 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 36〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhentao Wang, Yanwei Zeng, Chuanming Li, Zhupeng Ye, Yuan Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The electrochemical properties of bi-layered electrolytes GDC(Gd〈sub〉0.1〈/sub〉Ce〈sub〉0.9〈/sub〉O〈sub〉1.95〈/sub〉)/YSZ(Y〈sub〉0.16〈/sub〉Zr〈sub〉0.84〈/sub〉O〈sub〉1.92〈/sub〉), ESB(Er〈sub〉0.4〈/sub〉Bi〈sub〉1.6〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉)/GDC and ESB/YSZ with different layer thickness fractions in the temperature range from 400 to 800 °C have been investigated by simulating calculations based on a charge transport continuity equation and the characteristic conductivity parameters of YSZ, GDC and ESB. It has been found that the model cells with ESB/GDC and ESB/YSZ bi-layered electrolytes can render a higher maximum power density that increases with the ESB layer thickness than those with GDC/YSZ bi-layered electrolytes in the studied temperature range. While the oxygen partial pressure at the interface of ESB/GDC is much lower than that of ESB/YSZ electrolyte with the same ESB thickness fraction, a higher interfacial oxygen partial pressure than the critical decomposition value of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 can be achieved in the ESB/YSZ electrolytes even with small YSZ thickness fractions. This result strongly suggests that the ESB/YSZ, instead of ESB/GDC, would be a thermodynamic stable bi-layered electrolyte with high output power density for potential applications in the intermediate to low temperature SOFCs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Oliver Posdziech, Konstantin Schwarze, Jörg Brabandt〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The paper describes the development status of Sunfire's reversible solid oxide cell (RSOC) technology. Here, Sunfire is a pioneer in the field of high-temperature electrolysers (HTE) for renewable hydrogen production which can be operated as a fuel cell for power generation in a reverse mode. The maturity of the technology is improved stepwise so that first applications in the field of hydrogen production for industry and electricity storage can be tackled. Three application examples where larger scale prototype has been installed will be discussed: 1) A power-to-power electricity storage based on hydrogen, 2) a RSOC unit that is installed in an iron and steel works, and 3) a pressurized SOEC prototype which will be integrated with a methanation unit. Results show the potentials of the technology in connection with fluctuating renewable energy sources.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 6 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fengzhan Si, Xiaomin Kang, Victoria F. Mattick, Guodong Fu, Xian-Zhu Fu, Kevin Huang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In order to design and synthesize oxygen reduction reaction catalysts with high activity and low cost, a series of Co–Mn-oxide/C catalysts with different Co:Mn ratios have been prepared using a hydrothermal method applied in sequential steps. The monotonically systematic trends of the catalysts’ phases, morphologies and particle sizes have been verified, and the trending of Mn ions and Co ions in different valence states follows the increasing Co:Mn ratio. Electrochemical performance of the catalysts in oxygen reduction reaction results in a volcano-type trend with an optimal Co:Mn ratio of 3 giving the best performance, which is comparable to that of commercial Pt/C. Lastly, a Koutecky-Levich approach has been employed to deduce the electron transfer values, in an attempt to rationalize their selectivity towards the varying 2 and 4 electron pathways. The systematic research is significant for understanding and designing a new generation of non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction catalysts.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shohei Hattori, Yoshio Nuñez Palma, Yuko Itoh, Moeko Kawasaki, Yoichi Fujihara, Keiji Takase, Naohiro Yoshida〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The Hokuriku district of central Japan receives high levels of precipitation during winter, largely in the form of snow. This study aimed to elucidate the internal nitrogen dynamics in this temperate forested region with heavy snowfall using the triple oxygen and nitrogen isotopic compositions of NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉. The isotopic compositions of NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 in atmospheric depositions (P and Tf), with terrestrial components of the soil layer (A0, S25, S55, and S90), ground water (G), and output (St) were measured from 2015 to 2016 in a forested catchment located in the southern area of the Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Seasonal distributions of Δ〈sup〉17〈/sup〉O(NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) showed a decreasing trend from the inputs to outputs of the ecosystem. We found relatively constant Δ〈sup〉17〈/sup〉O(NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) values in the output components (G and St), but found highly fluctuating Δ〈sup〉17〈/sup〉O(NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) values resulting from the seasonal variations in the nitrification activity within soil waters. Specifically, we observed a lower nitrifying activity in the top soil layer throughout cold periods, presumably due to the input of cold melted snow water. The general trend of increasing δ〈sup〉15〈/sup〉N(NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) value from the input to output components, with the changes in denitrification hotspots from shallow to deeper soil layer, can be observed between warm and cold periods. Thus, the seasonal changes of hotspots related to microbial nitrification and denitrification could be noted due to the seasonal changes in the isotopic compositions of nitrate. The estimated ecosystem-scale gross nitrification and denitrification rates are low; however, the output components are relatively stable with low concentrations of nitrate, indicating that the plant uptake of nitrogen most probably occurs at greater rates and scales in this forested ecosystem. Future nitrogen deposition and the vulnerable dynamics of snow melting are likely to have impactful consequences on such localities.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330803-ga1.jpg" width="362" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 19 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 44, Issue 35〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Arul Murugan, Marc de Huu, Thomas Bacquart, Janneke van Wijk, Karine Arrhenius, Indra te Ronde, David Hemfrey〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Uptake of hydrogen vehicles is an ideal solution for countries that face challenging targets for carbon dioxide reduction. The advantage of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles is that they behave in a very similar way to petrol engines yet they do not emit any carbon containing products during operation. The hydrogen industry currently faces the dilemma that they must meet certain measurement requirements (set by European legislation) but cannot do so due to a lack of available methods and standards. This paper outlines the four biggest measurement challenges that are faced by the hydrogen industry including flow metering, quality assurance, quality control and sampling.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Roya Mortazavi, Said Attiya, Parisa A. Ariya〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Arctic snow has been shown to be a reactive interface for key physical, chemical, and microbiological processes, affecting the Arctic's oxidation, biodiversity, radiation, and climate. To explore the potential links between snow-borne metal contaminants and metal-interactive bacteria, to freezing/melting processes, we performed concurrent chemical characterization, genomic, and morphological analysis of five different Arctic snowpack (accumulated, blowing, fresh falling, surface hoar, and wind pack snow) and frost flower in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, using Montreal urban snow as reference. Several complementary analytical techniques, including triple quad ICP-MS/MS along with various chromatography techniques, thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS), high-resolution transition electron microscopy with electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (HR-TEM/EDS), and next generation sequencing (NGS), were deployed. Distinct metal composition and bacterial distribution among samples were observed. The concentration of 27 different transition, post-transition, rare, and radioactive metals were determined in molten snow and frost flower, as well as filtered samples. The range of three highest detected metal concentrations among samples were: Hg (3.294–134.485 μg/L), Fe (0.719–34.469 μg/L), and Sr (1.676–19,297.000 μg/L). NGS analysis led to the identification of metal interacting bacteria in all types of snow and frost flowers in the Arctic (blowing snow (1239), surface hoar snow (2243), windpack (2431), frost flowers (1440)), and Montreal urban snow (5498)) with specific bacterial genera such as: 〈em〉Acinetobacter〈/em〉, 〈em〉Arcenicella〈/em〉, 〈em〉Azospirillum〈/em〉 (surface hoar snow), 〈em〉Arthrobacter〈/em〉, 〈em〉Paenibacillus〈/em〉 (blowing snow), and 〈em〉Cycloclasticus〈/em〉, 〈em〉OM182 clade〈/em〉 (frost flower). Several types of bacteria with confirmed or associated ice nucleation activity were observed in different types of snow, and frost flower including 〈em〉Pseudomonas〈/em〉 genera (e.g., 〈em〉Pseudomonas fluorescens〈/em〉), 〈em〉Flavobacterium〈/em〉, 〈em〉Corynebacterium〈/em〉, and 〈em〉Pseudoxanthomonas〈/em〉. The implications of the above findings to snow-air interactions including nanoparticles, namely during melting and freezing cycles, and to probe the impact of various natural and anthropogenic activities are herein discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329237-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2020〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Renewable Energy, Volume 146〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lu Li, Bin Yan, Huaxiao Li, Shitao Yu, Xiaoping Ge〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The high acid value of pyrolysis oil obtained from biologic oil is the main drawback that not only affects the properties of pyrolysis oil, but also leads to the corrosion of equipment. Herein, pyrolysis oil obtained from rubber seed oil was upgraded via esterification using ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SBA-15 as a solid acid catalyst. Using ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SBA-15 as a catalyst, the acid value of the esterified pyrolysis oil obtained from rubber seed oil was only 1.2 mg KOH•g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The density and kinematic viscosity both reached the standard range of 0〈sup〉#〈/sup〉 diesel oil. The excellent catalytic activity of ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SBA-15 was studied using NH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-TPD and Py-IR. Furthermore, the conversion reached 96.7% when the ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SBA-15 catalyst was re-used three times, which shows the ZrO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SBA-15 catalyst possessed excellent catalytic activity and stability for upgrading pyrolysis oil via esterification.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 160〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jiaxu Wang, Xuefeng Liu, Siwei Chen, Hanghang Jiang, Guanyu Fang, Wenjing Chen, Shiming Deng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The current work study the heat dissipation characteristics and airflow distribution in a power cabin. By simplifying the cable structure, a 1:5 reduced-scale model was constructed based on the Archimedes number. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were applied to the prototype power cabin. The 3D steady-state Reynolds average Navier-Stokes (RANS) equation is used to solve the ventilation flow, where the turbulence model is realizable k–ε. The CFD simulation of the prototype has been verified by the reduced-scale model. On this basis, several conclusions were drawn. The airflow distribution in the power cabin and cable arrangement cause a difference in the temperature distribution between the cables. The strong turbulence at the air inlet causes a significant temperature drop. The mechanical fan can effectively cool the cable to a certain extent, but cable temperature control should take into account the effects of ampacity and ventilation, as well as cable location.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 160〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wenwu Zhou, Lin Yuan, Xin Wen, Yingzheng Liu, Di Peng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The present study explored and examined the piezoelectric (PE) jet: an active cooling concept that can be actuated in demand, which had an oscillating flow and extremely low power consumption. The heat transfer and flow characteristics of the PE jet were quantified at various Reynolds numbers (〈em〉Re〈/em〉 = 5000, 10,000, 18,000) and spacings (〈em〉H〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉 = 4.5, 5.5, 6.5; corresponding gap 〈em〉G〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉 = 0.1, 1.1, 2.1). The temperature sensitive paint technique was used to study the heat transfer, and the particle image velocimetry technique was applied to resolve the flow characteristics and to further correlate the heat transfer results. Measured results show that the impingement cooling of the PE jet increased as the 〈em〉Re〈/em〉 increased and as the 〈em〉H〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉 decreased. Compared with a circular jet, the PE jet exhibited a greatly improved heat transfer at 〈em〉H〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉 = 4.5 (i.e., 〈em〉G〈/em〉 = 0.1〈em〉D〈/em〉), with a maximum of 20% enhancement in area-averaged 〈em〉Nu〈/em〉. Due to the fan oscillation, the turbulent kinetic energy level in the PE jet was significantly higher than in the circular jet, which greatly promoted the heat transfer at a narrow gap. In general, the new PE jet can provide superior heat transfer performance at a small gap and a high Reynolds number.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy, Volume 183〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): M. Kandidayeni, A. Macias, A. Khalatbarisoltani, L. Boulon, S. Kelouwani〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) models are multivariate with different nonlinear elements which should be identified accurately to assure dependable modeling. Metaheuristic algorithms are perfect candidates for this purpose since they do an informed search for finding the parameters. This paper utilizes three algorithms, namely shuffled frog-leaping algorithm (SFLA), firefly optimization algorithm (FOA), and imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) for the PEMFC model calibration. In this regard, firstly, the algorithms are employed to find the parameters of a benchmark PEMFC model by minimizing the sum of squared errors (SSE) between the measured and estimated voltage for two available case studies in the literature. After conducting 100 independent runs, the algorithms are compared in terms of the best and the worst SSEs, the variance, and standard deviation. This comparison indicates that SFLA marginally outperforms ICA and FOA regarding the best SSE in both cases while it performs 20% and twofold better than other algorithms concerning the worst SSE. Furthermore, the obtained variance and standard deviation by SFLA are much less than the other algorithms showing the precision and repeatability of this method. Finally, SFLA is used to calibrate the model for a new case study (Horizon 500-W PEMFC) with variable temperature.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0360544219312848-egi10RTCKX882H.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 10882" title="Image 10882"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy, Volume 183〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lifu Li, Zhongbo Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In order to improve the natural gas engine (NGE) fuel economy, a steam direct injection method has been presented in the present study. In this method, exhaust was employed to heat water to produce superheated steam firstly. After that, at the power stroke, steam was injected into the cylinder directly. The potentials for fuel savings by this method are evaluated. First, ideal thermodynamic cycle of steam injected NGE is analyzed. Then, a baseline NGE is modeled and validated through experiments. After that, based on the simulation model, the effects of different steam injection parameters on the NGE performance are discussed, including steam mass, temperature and injected timing. The results show that the NGE fuel economy is significantly improved with steam direct injection. With optimal steam mass, 3.9–5.2% reductions of the NGE brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) are obtained over different speeds, when steam temperature and injected timing are 550 K and 50 deg, respectively. Steam mass and injected timing have great influences on the NGE BSFC. However, steam mass is limited by pinch point temperature difference of the evaporator and exhaust temperature at the evaporator exit. In addition, steam injected timing is restricted by pressure inside the cylinder.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy, Volume 183〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Vinícius Faria Ramos, Olivert Soares Pinheiro, Esly Ferreira da Costa, Andréa Oliveira Souza da Costa〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Detailed model was proposed in this work for exergy analysis of a real biomass boiler. The model was based on an equilibrium model which uses Gibbs Energy minimization and energy balance to calculate the flue gas composition, the temperature of the furnace and the temperature of the flue gases along the boiler. The exergetic efficiency was calculated by the indirect method, and the exergy destruction in each component of the boiler and each material stream was evaluated. The Gibbs minimization model predicted successfully the complete combustion of the biomass and can be adapted to another thermochemical processes. The exergy analysis results showed that the furnace and the water walls have the higher exergy destruction, accounting for 47% and 30% of the total exergy destruction, respectively. In other parts of the boiler, the exergy destruction was higher in the water and steam flows than in the flue gases, and the results indicate that exergy destruction was higher in streams at lower temperatures. The global exergetic efficiency was 42.47%.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Ecological Economics, Volume 164〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jordi Teixidó, Stefano F. Verde, Francesco Nicolli〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper reviews the empirical literature analysing the effects of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) on low-carbon technological change. The emerging evidence is assessed, with references to both relevant economic concepts and the evolving regulation of the EU ETS through the years. The two most robust indications of the literature are: 〈em〉a)〈/em〉 free allocation (grandfathering) tended to hamper low-carbon investments in Phases I (2005–2007) and II (2008–2012), and 〈em〉b)〈/em〉 the EU ETS appears to have been relatively more effective in stimulating innovation of low-carbon technologies than their adoption. Importantly, however, a complete general picture of the impact of the EU ETS on low-carbon technological change is missing. The main gap regards the lack of empirical evidence for Phase III (2013−2020). Especially econometric studies are only few due to the lack of suitable databases accessible to researchers – a problem that the relevant public authorities are urged to address. Thanks to the recent reforms of the EU ETS, the incentives for innovation and adoption of low-carbon technologies are probably stronger today than ever before.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy, Volume 183〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lin Yang, Xiang Ling, Hao Peng, LuanFang Duan, Xiaoyi Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, a novel high temperature two-phase closed flat heat pipe receiver is proposed and investigated experimentally. In order to simulate the transient startup from frozen state, a transient analysis code for the novel flat heat pipe receiver has been developed. Closed-form analytical solutions for the temperature distribution along the heat pipe length are obtained and experimental tests are undertaken. These closed-form analytical solutions are in good agreement with the experimental data. The theoretical and experimental studies prove that the flat heat pipe receiver with sodium as working fluid has a well startup performance. Experiments were carried out to investigate the temperature uniformity of FHPR under the normal conditions. It is found that the FHPR has well feature of uniformity and stability through startup process experiments with constant heat flux. This research provides guidance for the research and development of flat heat pipe solar receiver, and has important significance for broadening its application in the field of heat utilization of solar energy at high temperature.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Ecological Economics, Volume 164〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rui Pedro Mota, Maria A. Cunha-e-Sá〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper we investigate the relationship between comprehensive measures of savings and changes in future consumption in OECD countries. This relationship is at the basis of the interpretation of adjusted net savings as a weak sustainability indicator, and so, evidence of its validity provides support to the use of this indicator. We construct various measures of comprehensive savings for 20 OECD countries to include depletion from non-renewable resources, human capital investment and technological progress. Given their importance, especially for rich countries, we focus on the role of technical progress and human capital, in the form of changes in education level. We do not find strong evidence in favor of including green adjustments in the conventional net savings. However, we find compelling evidence for the inclusion of technological progress. Since this involves a forward looking term, the above result suggests that to construct an indicator of weak sustainability from conventional net savings, some estimate of future technological progress is needed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 380〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Gautam Kumar Sarma, Aslam Khan, Ahmed Mohamed El-Toni, Md. Harunar Rashid〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Herein, we report for the first time, the synthesis of CuO-Nd(OH)〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanocomposites via a co-precipitation method coupled with the hydrothermal aging process. Varying the pH of the reaction medium, the shape of the nanocomposites could be controlled which determines their surface areas. These CuO-Nd(OH)〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanocomposites exhibit very high adsorption capacity with successful removal of ∼ 97% of brilliant blue G (BBG) from water in 180 min under ambient condition. The adsorption process primarily follows Lagergren pseudo-first-order kinetics. The Langmuir isotherm model fits well with a very high monolayer adsorption capacity of 394.1 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 30 °C. The mechanistic study supports chemisorption-type adsorption between the dye molecule and the adsorbent. Regeneration of the spent adsorbent makes the whole process cyclic and eco-friendly.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0304389419307915-ga1.jpg" width="297" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 380〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Junchao Zhao, Zhitao Yin, Muhammad Usman Shahid, Haoran Xing, Xudong Cheng, Yangyang Fu, Song Lu〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The re-ignition of pool fires is a common hazard phenomenon in fire extinguishing. Dry chemicals with oleophobicity may solve this problem because powders can float on the oil surface and prevent evaporation of fuel pool. In this research, MAPP (modified ammonium polyphosphate) with superhydrophobicity, oleophobicity, and higher chemical activity is prepared which can quickly quench pool fires and provide longer protection. The activation indexes of MAPP for water, diesel, aviation kerosene and gasoline are 98.5%, 87.4%, 98.7% and 98.4%, respectively. Lower activation energy of MAPP means that it will show higher chemical activity in fire. The fire-extinguishing performance of MAPP is much higher than that of Commercial UDCA (ultra-fine dry chemical agent) during fire experiments. After extinguished by MAPP, the fuel pool is hard to be re-ignited. The significance of this study is to propose a new strategy for preventing the re-ignition of pool fires.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0304389419305497-ga1.jpg" width="492" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy Reports, Volume 5〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Y. Lyu, A.R.M. Siddique, S.H. Majid, M. Biglarbegian, S.A. Gadsden, S. Mahmud〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉An experimental investigation is performed on an advanced battery thermal management system for emerging electric vehicles. The developed battery thermal management system is a combination of thermoelectric cooling, forced air cooling, and liquid cooling. The liquid coolant has indirect contact with the battery and acts as the medium to remove the heat generated from the battery during operation. Forced air assisted heat removal is performed from the condenser side of the thermoelectric liquid casing. Detailed experiments are carried out on a simulated electric vehicle battery system. Experimental results reveal a promising cooling effect with a reasonable amount of power dissipation. Moreover, the experimental test shows that the battery surface temperature drops around 43 ºC (from 55 ºC to 12 ºC) using TEC-based water cooling system for a single cell with copper holder when 40 V is supplied to the heater and 12 V to the TEC module.〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 380〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): L. Sbardella, I. Velo-Gala, J. Comas, I. Rodríguez-Roda Layret, A. Fenu, W. Gernjak〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Ultraviolet radiation (UV)-activated peroxydisulfate (PDS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) advanced oxidation processes were examined for their capacity to remove nine pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) from secondary effluent. The effect of operational parameters (initial oxidant concentration, UV exposure time, pH, common coexisting anions and effluent organic matter (EfOM)) on UV/PDS and UV/PMS treatment efficiency was investigated in a collimated beam device housing a low-pressure mercury UV lamp emitting light at 253.7 nm.〈/p〉 〈p〉Both AOPs achieved high removals (〉90%) when applied to pure water. Under otherwise similar conditions the removal percentage fell by 20–30% due to the scavenging of effluent organic matter (EfOM) in secondary effluent. Finally, eliminating EfOM but maintaining the inorganic composition, the radical scavenging effect was reduced and 98.3% and 85.6% average removals were obtained by UV/PDS and UV/PMS, respectively.〈/p〉 〈p〉Increasing pH improved degradation of several PhACs containing amine groups. Higher oxidant dosages created only a significant benefit in UV/PDS. The chloride anion produced a negligible effect on both processes, while higher nitrate concentrations increased removal percentage but did not affect degradation rate constants. Finally and surprisingly, the addition of bicarbonate had the strongest positive impact on the degradation kinetics observed, even stronger than the elimination of EfOM from secondary effluent.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0304389419308222-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 20〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Cristian Bolzonella, Marco Lucchetta, Gianni Teo, Vasco Boatto, Augusto Zanella〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Plant protection is essential for providing high-quality food in adequate quantities. However, the use of insecticides often induces adverse effects on environment and human health. The Agency for the Environmental Protection of Tuscany (Italy) arranges pesticide ingredients in five classes basing on their impact on human health. We classified the pesticide treatments carried out by 48 winegrowers of the Veneto Region (Italy) in relation to the active ingredients contained into the used pesticides over a three-year period (2015–2017). It was found that the cost of insecticides and their class of impact were related, and that the cost's pressure led farmers to favor insecticides with active ingredients having a high negative impact on human health. The same active ingredients are used worldwide. We propose to implement taxation measures and subsidies to deter the use of the most harmful insecticides.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Farmers favor low-cost insecticides and active ingredients that have negative impact on human health. We propose to apply a tax applied to low-cost products that will raise their cost and favor the more expensive but less harmful insecticides. To invest the collected money in aids for more sustainable agriculture may be a firm plan both for humans and the environment.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S2351989419301933-fx1.jpg" width="354" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 160〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sanaz Tabasi, Hossein Yousefi, Younes Noorollahi, Mohamad Aramesh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper, the performance of a photovoltaic panel integrated with a reflecting mirror is investigated. In this regard, the effects of panel and mirror tilt angles, and the mirror length on the system performance are modeled. The cell temperature rises have also been considered. Moreover, by a 3D model, the lighting and shading statuses are studied in detail, and all the possible conditions are presented and modeled. The resulting model can calculate the amount of incident solar energy on the panel and the generated electrical power in every moment during a year. This amount is dependent on the system configuration and capacity and its location. A 250-W photovoltaic panel and the city of Tehran have been considered the basics of calculations to assess the model results. By employing the genetic algorithm method, the optimum configuration has been found to have 69.084° and 0° tilt angles for the panel and the mirror, respectively, at the mirror length of 2 m. This configuration can generate 2.38 GJ (613.89 kWh) of electrical energy annually. It was also found that the optimum configuration had 0.024 GJ of annual energy losses due to the effects of cell temperature rise.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 160〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Su Min Hoi, An Liang Teh, Ean Hin Ooi, Irene Mei Leng Chew, Ji Jinn Foo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The flow across the plate-fin heat sink under the influence of 2D planar space-filling square fractal grid-induced turbulence at Reynolds number 〈em〉Re〈sub〉Dh〈/sub〉〈/em〉 of 2.0 × 10〈sup〉4〈/sup〉 is numerically characterized. Fractal thickness ratio 〈em〉t〈sub〉r〈/sub〉〈/em〉, plate-fin inter-fin distance 〈em〉δ〈/em〉 and grid-fin separation 〈em〉ℓ〈/em〉 are numerically explored and optimized via Response Surface Optimization (RSO) with the objective of maximizing the Nusselt number 〈em〉Nu〈/em〉. Results reveal that, thanks to highly interactive, small and comparable turbulence length scale 〈em〉L〈sub〉t〈/sub〉〈/em〉, strong turbulence intensity 〈em〉T〈sub〉u〈/sub〉〈/em〉 and high velocity adjacent to the fin surfaces, thermal dissipation of plate-fin heat sink enhances significantly. An optimum fractal grid and plate-fin geometrical combination having 〈em〉t〈sub〉r〈/sub〉〈/em〉 = 9.77, 〈em〉δ〈/em〉 = 0.005 m and 〈em〉ℓ〈/em〉 = 0.01 m is proposed. It delivers 〈em〉Nu〈/em〉 of 3661.0 which is 6.1% and 16.3% greater than the reference case and least favorable configuration, respectively. Sensitivity analysis discovered that 〈em〉δ〈/em〉 effectively dominates the thermal dissipation improvement while 〈em〉t〈sub〉r〈/sub〉〈/em〉 contributes the most on the pressure drop. Interestingly, fractal grid may not necessarily augmenting plate-fin forced convective heat transfer. Without proper-tuning the fluid flow structures within the fins may worsen the thermal dissipation instead of strengthening it. In short, the interaction between plate-fin heat sink and the fluid flow structures within the fins contributes greatly to heat transfer performance.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 160〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mark Baldry, Victoria Timchenko, Chris Menictas〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Metal additive manufacturing technologies are increasingly being adopted for rapid prototyping and to build geometrically complex designs for thermal management. This paper develops and experimentally validates a numerical model to design a high performance, small-scale heat sink for use with a thermoelectric cooling cap. The design was constrained by a heat load of 2.15 W, and a target average base temperature of 45 °C as a compromise between avoiding burn injury and reducing heat dissipation requirements. Over successive numerical iterations, an optimal natural convection heat sink was developed with an estimated thermal resistance of 10.9  K·W〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and base temperature of 44.4 °C. This design featured an internal cavity in a tapered pin array, and was able to achieve a steady state base temperature that was 11.7 °C cooler than a conventional design, with 51% less surface area and significantly less material.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 160〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nae-Hyun Kim, Cheol-Hwan Kim, Yousaf Shah, Wei Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In a parallel flow heat exchanger, significant mal-distribution of flow occurs due to phase separation. In this study, various insert devices (perforated tube, perforated tube with perforated plate, orifice and perforated tube, concentric perforated tube) were investigated to obtain an improved flow distribution in a 36 channel parallel flow heat exchanger. The test section was made to closely simulate an actual heat exchanger. Tests were conducted for upward flow for the mass flux from 57 to 241 kg m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and quality from 0.2 to 0.4 using R-410A. Of the investigated insert devices, concentric perforated tube yielded the best flow distribution. Insertion of the concentric perforated tube reduced the thermal degradation from 61% to 14%. Furthermore, the preferred number of holes of the concentric perforated tube was dependent on the mass flux. At a low mass flux, an insert having small number of holes was preferred, whereas the reverse was true at a high mass flux. At a low mass flux, the effect of inlet vapor quality on flow distribution was significant. At a high mass flux, however, the effect of vapor quality on flow distribution was minimal. Possible explanations on the flow distribution behavior were provided through flow visualization in the header.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Water Research, Volume 163〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Laura Bergamonti, Carlo Bergonzi, Claudia Graiff, Pier Paolo Lottici, Ruggero Bettini, Lisa Elviri〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-supported chitosan scaffolds (TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/CS) are here proposed as promising material for wastewater treatment, in particular for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds. TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/CS are tested for the amoxicillin photodegradation under UV/Vis irradiation. Amoxicillin (AMX) is an antibiotic of the beta-lactam family. Due to the release of antibiotics in wastewater and their persistence in the environment, harmful effects can develop on the aquatic and terrestrial organisms.〈/p〉 〈p〉TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 chitosan scaffolds with photocatalytic activity for wastewater remediation have been prepared by 3D printing using commercial P25-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The formulation for the 3D printer was prepared by dispersion of chitosan and TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 in powder form at the concentration 6% w/v and 1% w/v, respectively. The TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 particles (crystalline anatase and rutile phases) embedded in the chitosan have a size of about 20 nm, like in the starting material, as verified by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy and are homogeneously distributed in the scaffold, also after repeated photocatalytic tests, as revealed by SEM-EDS.〈/p〉 〈p〉The mechanical properties of the 3D structures are suitable for the targeted application as they can be easily handled without breakage.〈/p〉 〈p〉The AMX photodegradation efficiency under light irradiation by TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/CS made with scaffolds of different thicknesses (3, 5, 15 layers), was assessed in water by means of UV–Vis absorption and HPLC/UV measurements, at two different AMX:TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 molar ratios: 1/100 and 1/10. The 3D printed TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/CS system, even after repeated cycles, shows a high photodegradation efficiency, compared to the direct AMX photolysis. A zero-order kinetics for TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 supported photodegradation was found, whereas a pseudo-first order was observed for water dispersed TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉.〈/p〉 〈p〉Mass spectrometry analysis revealed the presence of AMX degradates such as penilloic and penicilloic acids and diketopiperazine.〈/p〉 〈p〉The proposed 3D printed chitosan scaffolds may be used as reusable substrate for the TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic pollutants in wastewater.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0043135419306074-fx1.jpg" width="420" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy, Volume 183〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Paweł Ocłoń, Marzena Nowak-Ocłoń, Andrea Vallati, Alessandro Quintino, Massimo Corcione〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper presents the determination of the heat losses of the pre-insulated pipe and twin pipe in the heating network. The paper compares the heat losses calculated by using the analytical solution (1D model) and numerical model (2D model) based on the Finite Element Method. The developed numerical model considered undisturbed ground temperature at various depths. Therefore, it allowed to study the effect of temperature distribution at various ground depths on heat losses in heating network. Various variants of insulation are considered including standard, plus and plus-plus types for pre-insulated tubes. The remaining heat loss calculation is based merely on temperature levels and thermal resistance factors (in the ground), determined by the pipe dimensions and materials. The differences in calculated heat losses by analytical and numerical model do not exceed 10%.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy, Volume 183〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sobhan Badakhshan, Neda Hajibandeh, Miadreza Shafie-khah, João.P.S. Catalão〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Photovoltaic energy is one of the clean and efficient energies which has been developing quickly in the last years. As the penetration of solar plants is increasing in the electricity network, new problems have arisen in network operation. This paper models a high penetration factor of solar energy in the electricity network and investigates the impact of solar energy growth on both the generation schedule of different power plants and in the natural gas transmission network. Fuel management of gas power plants is modeled through simulation of the natural gas transmission network. To this end, an increase in the penetration of solar energy in the electricity network inevitably leads to a sudden increase in the output of gas fired units and a linear and integrated model with the electricity and the natural gas transmission networks has been presented to analyze both of them at the same time to better depict the impact of a high penetration of the solar energy in natural gas transmission grids. In this method, natural gas transmission network and Security Constrained Unit Commitment (SCUC) are presented in a single level program. Gas network constraints are linearized and added to the SCUC problem. The stress imposed on the gas network due to a sudden increase in the load of the electricity network is investigated. Conclusions are duly drawn.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy, Volume 183〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bin Zhao, Mingke Hu, Xianze Ao, Nuo Chen, Qingdong Xuan, Yuehong Su, Gang Pei〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉For rooftop building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technology, photovoltaic (PV) modules are typically mounted on the sunny side of a rooftop to receive a high amount of solar irradiance, whereas the opposite side of the rooftop will have free space. This study proposed a novel strategy for building-integrated PV and radiative cooling (RC) system, namely BIPV−RC system, by covering the sunny side of a rooftop with PV modules and its free side with all-day RC modules to integrate solar energy collection and RC utilization into a single building unit. A mathematical model was developed for the proposed BIPV−RC system and a case study was conducted in two tropical cities (Karachi, Pakistan and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). Results show the total electricity and cooling output of the BIPV−RC system in Riyadh is 462.1 kWh·m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 and 1315.3 MJ m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉, respectively, approximately 20.7% and 94.0% higher than those in Karachi. Moreover, a comparative study between the BIPV−RC system and the common BIPV and building-integrated RC (BIRC) system was performed and results indicate that the annual total energy output of the BIPV−RC system is nearly 79.1% and 16.8% higher than that of BIPV and BIRC system, respectively.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Energy, Volume 183〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuanwang Deng, Changling Feng, Jiaqiang E, Kexiang Wei, Bin Zhang, Zhiqing Zhang, Dandan Han, Xiaohuan Zhao, Wenwen Xu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hydrocarbon(HC) emission from cold start for gasoline engine has become a big problem as the emission regulations go increasingly stringent. Zeolites are used to reduce hydrocarbon emission from gasoline engine before three-way catalysts reaching its operating temperature. In this paper, a mathematical model is fitted from hydrocarbons emission experimental data and a computational fluid dynamic(CFD) method is applied to investigate the influence on adsorption capacity of the different gasoline engine hydrocarbons catchers, and grey relational analysis is used to analyze and enhance adsorption performance of the gasoline engine hydrocarbon catchers for reducing hydrocarbons emission during the cold-start period. Driving cycle Federal Test Procedure(FTP) 75 is adopted to see the transient response of adsorbing hydrocarbon in cold start period. Results show that both hydrocarbon catcher length and its zeolite type in gasoline engine have great impact on hydrocarbon adsorption, the ranking of adsorption capacity is 25 cm  〉  20 cm  〉  15 cm, 5A 〉 13X. The gasoline engine hydrocarbon catcher with 25 cm length using zeolite 5A is of the best adsorption performance, and with this hydrocarbon catcher, the adsorption efficiency is 35.8% under cold start for driving cycle FTP75.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jie Yu, Weihong Xu, Ya Luo, Wei Ou, Shengnan Li, Xu Chen, Jie Xu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The etiology of depression is not known, it is thought that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) contribute to the disease. Results of our previous research have shown that nonylphenol (NP), a well-known EDC, has neurotoxic effects, however, whether NP can induce depressive behavior by affecting synaptic plasticity has not yet been clearly elucidated. The depressive behavior induced by subchronic exposure to NP and its effect on the neuronal synaptic plasticity in rats are dynamically observed. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (C, corn oil), NP group (NP, 4 mg/kg), and depression model group (D, corticosterone 20 mg/kg). There were 8 rats in each group. The depressive behavior of rats was tested by sucrose preference test, open-field test, and forced swimming test once a month for 3 months. The serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and corticosterone were detected by ELISA assay, and cellular morphological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The number of nerve cells, the length of dendrites, and the density of dendritic spines were observed by Golgi staining, and the synaptic cleft width, the postsynaptic density (PSD) thickness, and the synaptic interface curvature were observed by transmission electron microscope. Compared with the control group, the consumption of sucrose solution decreased in the NP group at the 2nd and 3rd month compared to the 1st month (F = 9.887, P = 0.002). The number of central square entries, the central square duration, and the total distance of movement were all decreased, and the decreasing degrees at the 3rd month were greater than those at the 1st month (F = 21.191, P 〈 0.001; F = 9.836, P = 0.002). The time of immobility for the NP group at the 1st month was higher than that in the control group (F = 6.912, P = 0.002). The expression of BDNF in the NP-treated group was higher than the control, while the expression of corticosterone in the NP-treated group was lower than the control. In the NP group, the cytoplasm of nerve cells contracted and appeared disordered. The neuron arrangement was disordered, and the number of cells, the length of the apex, the length of the basal dendrites, and the dendritic spine density were all lower in the NP group than those in the control group. The PSD thickness, the synaptic cleft width, and synaptic interface curvatures were all decreased in the NP group when compared to the control group. Subchronic exposure to 4 mg/kg NP led to depressive behavior in rats, and the depressive behavior and alterations in synaptic plasticity were more obvious with longer exposure time.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719328232-ga1.jpg" width="450" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Natalia Sieti, Ximena C. Schmidt Rivera, Laurence Stamford, Adisa Azapagic〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Although there is a growing body of literature on the environmental impacts of food, virtually none of the studies has addressed baby foods. Therefore, this work explored the life cycle environmental impacts of different ready-made baby foods, both at the level of individual meals and their combinations within a weekly menu. Twelve different meals were considered, based on baby food products available on the UK market, spanning breakfast, lunch and dessert. Menus following four different diets – omnivorous, vegetarian, pescatarian and dairy-free – were also evaluated. The results showed that, on average, lunch meals had the highest impacts and desserts the lowest. Breakfast has either intermediate (wet porridge) or low (dry porridge) impacts. Among the lunch meals, spaghetti Bolognese and salmon risotto had the highest impacts and among the desserts, strawberry, raspberry and banana as well as apple, pear and banana purees had the lowest. The key hotspots across the meals were raw materials and packaging. Meals with more meat and cream were found to have higher impacts. Manufacturing also played a significant role for global warming potential as well as depletion of fossil resources and the ozone layer due to the fossil fuels used in the process. When the impacts were analysed per mass of baby food consumed weekly, the dairy-free diet had higher impacts than the other three, but the difference among them was relatively small. The trends changed when nutritional value was taken into account, with the dairy-free diet exhibiting considerably higher impacts per unit of energy content. In that case, the pescatarian diet became the best option for most impacts. There was little difference between the omnivore and vegetarian diets. It is expected that these results will be of interest to baby food manufacturers and consumers, helping them to make more informed manufacturing and purchasing decisions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329365-ga1.jpg" width="321" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Marius Budeanu, Ecaterina Nicoleta Apostol, Flaviu Popescu, Dragoş Postolache, Lucia Ioniţă〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The study aims to analyse the stability of the narrow crowned Norway spruce (〈em〉pendula〈/em〉 form) compared to the normal spruce form (〈em〉pyramidalis〈/em〉 form) and the hybrids of the two forms, in 5 field trials (Comandău, Lepşa 1&2, Ilva Mică and Voineasa) located in the Romanian Carpathians. Trees height (Th), breast height diameter (Dbh), height growth of the last year, crown diameter (Cd), number of branches per whorl (Nbw) and dominant branch diameter (Dbd) traits were measured and survival rate (Sr) was determined, at 20 years old. Also, branches finesse (Bf), trees volume (Tv) and trees slenderness (Ts) were calculated. In order to compare the wood density (Cwd) there were collected cores. In all trials ANOVA revealed significant (p 〈 0.05) differences between the two forms of spruce and the hybrids (mainly between those that have a different crown form mother), especially for the stability and quality traits. Factorial ANOVA revealed a high influence (p 〈 0.001) of the locality and also a significant influence (p 〈 0.05) of the locality × spruce form interaction. The factor “form” was significant for some traits involved in Norway spruce stability (Ts, Cd, Nbw). The 〈em〉pendula〈/em〉 trees present higher values for Sr, Dbh and Tv, and lower values for Ts, Cd, Nbw, Dbd and Bf, compared to 〈em〉pyramidalis〈/em〉 spruce form, which showed a higher stability. Heritability was in generally low (h〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 〈 0.4), with exceptions of Ts which presents a medium rate of heritage. For the same trait, different heritability was registered in different environmental conditions. The Cwd was higher only with 2% for the 〈em〉pendula〈/em〉 form in Lepşa trial, while in Comandău trial the 〈em〉pyramidalis〈/em〉 registered a higher value (7%). In the new breeding programme, the selection strategy may be pursued with the 〈em〉pendula〈/em〉 trees selection based on Ts and branches traits.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330918-ga1.jpg" width="451" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dongyu Xu, Bo Gao, Wenqi Peng, Xiaodong Qu, Min Zhang, Jiankang Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sediments act as crucial sink and source for metal contamination in aquatic environment of reservoir systems. However, the high complexity and heterogeneity of sediments make it difficult to trace the sources of metals in reservoir sediments. As a toxic metal, how to trace anthropogenic Pb sources in sediments is important for the water quality safety, especially in reservoir. Herein, 98 sediment samples collected from the connected Panjiakou Reservoir (PJKR) and Daheiting Reservoir (DHTR) were analyzed. A novel approach for tracing anthropogenic Pb sources was established by combining the regional geochemical baseline (RGB) and Pb isotopic ratios. The results showed that the mean concentration of Pb in these two reservoirs was 44.59 mg/kg, and the RGB value of Pb was 43.77 mg/kg. Pollution assessments using RGB and enrichment factor indicated that the influence of anthropogenic Pb is greater in DHTR sediments than in PJKR sediments. Based on the RGB model, samples influenced by anthropogenic activities (SS-AA) were screened and found in the DHTR. The anthropogenic Pb contribution in DHTR SS-AA was totally 35.29%. Moreover, the mean value of 〈sup〉206〈/sup〉Pb/〈sup〉207〈/sup〉Pb in DHTR SS-AA (1.107 ± 0.029) was slightly lower than those of natural inputs, indicating there was a small amount of anthropogenic Pb input in DHTR. The anthropogenic Pb sources were further identified using Pb isotopic ratios (〈sup〉206〈/sup〉Pb/〈sup〉207〈/sup〉Pb and 〈sup〉208〈/sup〉Pb/〈sup〉207〈/sup〉Pb) for DHTR SS-AA. Their apportionments were calculated with the help of the RGB model. The results showed that iron mining (20.42%) and coal combustion (14.87%) were the two main anthropogenic Pb sources. Aerosol deposition was likely the main pathway for coal combustion input. The results confirm that the proposed method of combining RGB and Pb isotopic ratios was a good attempt to trace the anthropogenic Pb sources in reservoir sediments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329419-ga1.jpg" width="356" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peng Ren, Yanguang Liu, Xuefa Shi, Shuwen Sun, Di Fan, Xuchen Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The concentrations and carbon isotopic (〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C, 〈sup〉14〈/sup〉C) compositions of total organic carbon (TOC) and black carbon (BC) were measured for four sediment cores collected from the shelf to slope in the Arctic Ocean. Contents of TOC and BC ranged from 0.46% to 1.94% and 0.04% to 0.13% by dry weight, and BC accounted for 3.5% to 15.2% of the TOC preserved in the shelf and slope sediments. Sediment of the Chukchi shelf contained relatively high BC contents compared with the sediments of the Arctic slope, suggesting strong influence from the river and terrestrial inputs to the shelf region. Radiocarbon measurements revealed that the ages of BC are in the range of 7330 to 29,700 years (before present) and they are 4093 to 7723 years older than the 〈sup〉14〈/sup〉C ages of TOC preserved in the same sediment depths. Based on an isotopic mass balance model, we calculated that fossil fuel combustion contributed 62–96%, and biomass burning contributed 4–38% of the BC pool in the sediments of the study area. This “slow-cycling” old BC is an important fraction of the inert organic carbon pool preserved in the sediments, and represents a significant sink of atmospheric CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and global carbon cycle. With the thawing permafrost caused by continuous global warming, the size of this BC pool mobilized and exported by rivers to the Arctic Ocean could increase in the future.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330104-ga1.jpg" width="471" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Elmira Jamei, Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Ben Horan, Alex Stojcevski〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Urban climate knowledge has been increasingly integrated into urban design and planning practices. Numerical modeling systems, such as climatic and bioclimatic tools, are currently more popular than onsite field measurements. This higher popularity is mainly due to the complicated interactions in 3D urban environments and the spatial distribution of various climatic parameters that cannot be captured thoroughly via on-site measurements alone. Such modeling systems also offer better solutions to overcome the nonlinearity of urban climate in forecasting different “what if scenarios.”〈/p〉 〈p〉This paper provides an overview of different types of climatic and bioclimatic modeling systems and presents their main benefits and shortcomings. In the second part of this study, one of the most commonly used tools in urban climate studies, namely, ENVI-met, was selected, and its reliability in different contexts was investigated by reviewing past researches. The applicability of ENVI-met in accurately simulating the influence of future urban growth on one of the fastest growing suburbs in Melbourne, was tested by conducting a sensitivity analysis on inputs and control parameters, backed up with a series of field measurements in selected points. RMSE value was calculated for different runs of the initial ENVI-met model with adjusted control parameters (e.g., factor of short-wave adjustment, initial air temperature, relative humidity, roughness length, wind speed, albedo of walls, and albedo of roofs). The model achieved the optimum performance by altering the short-wave adjustment factor from 0.5 to 1; therefore, ENVI-met was considered a reliable tool for relative comparison of urban dynamics. The findings of this study not only help planners select the most practical modeling systems that address project objectives but also educate them on limitations associated with using ENVI-met.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Validation process of a bioclimatic modeling system from selection of the measurement points, conducting field measurement and calculation of the RMSU between the measured and simulated outputs (from left to right).〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329729-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉