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Biofuels have been identified as a mid-term GHG emission abatement solution for decarbonising the transport sector. This study examines the techno-economic analysis of biofuel production via biomass fast pyrolysis and subsequent bio-oil upgrading via zeolite cracking. The aim of this study is to compare the techno-economic feasibility of two conceptual catalyst regeneration configurations for the zeolite cracking process: (i) a two-stage regenerator operating sequentially in partial and complete combustion modes (P-2RG) and (ii) a single stage regenerator operating in complete combustion mode coupled with a catalyst cooler (P-1RGC). The designs were implemented in Aspen Plus® based on a hypothetical 72 t/day pine wood fast pyrolysis and zeolite cracking plant and compared in terms of energy efficiency and profitability. The energy efficiencies of P-2RG and P-1RGC were estimated at 54% and 52%, respectively with corresponding minimum fuel selling prices (MFSPs) of £7.48/GGE and £7.20/GGE. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the MFSPs of both designs are mainly sensitive to variations in fuel yield, operating cost and income tax. Furthermore, uncertainty analysis indicated that the likely range of the MFSPs of P-1RGC (£5.81/GGE  £11.63/GGE) at 95% probability was more economically favourable compared with P-2RG, along with a penalty of 2% reduction in energy efficiency. The results provide evidence to support the economic viability of biofuel production via zeolite cracking of pyrolysis-derived bio-oil.

Bromine and chlorine are almost ubiquitous in waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and the knowledge of their content in the plastic fraction is an essential step for proper end of life management. The aim of this study is to compare the following analytical methods: energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (ED-XRF), ion chromatography (IC), ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), and elemental analysis for the quantitative determination of chlorine and bromine in four real samples taken from different WEEE treatment plants, identifying the best analytical technique for waste management workers. Home-made plastic standard materials with known concentrations of chlorine or bromine have been used for calibration of ED-XRF and to test the techniques before the sample analysis. Results showed that IC and ISEs, based upon dissolution of the products of the sample combustion, have not always achieved a quantitative absorption of the analytes in the basic solutions and that bromine could be underestimated since several oxidation states occur after combustion. Elemental analysis designed for chlorine determination is subjected to strong interference from bromine and required frequent regeneration and recalibration of the measurement cell. The most reliable method seemed to be the non-destructive ED-XRF. Calibration with home-made standards, having a similar plastic matrix of the samples, enabled us to carry out quantitative determinations, which have been revealed to be satisfactorily accurate and precise. In all the analyzed samples a total concentration of chlorine and/or bromine between 0.6 and 4 w/w% was detected, compromising the feasibility of a mechanical recycling and suggesting the exploration of an alternative route for managing these plastic wastes.

This article makes the central argument that basic democratic values such as justice, autonomy and participation run the risk of being neglected when designing ‘nudges’ (i.e., indirect suggestions to influence individual behaviour) for sustainable behaviour change in the context of food governance, potentially complicating a democratisation of the food system. ‘Nudges’ uphold freedom of choice while simultaneously advocating a non-coercive soft force of paternalism to help people realise their preferences, maximise societal well-being and meet macro-sustainability goals. While the promises of the ‘nudge’ approach are widely echoed, nudging is also being contested because of its possible anti-democratic effects, such as individualisation, depoliticization and the emphasis of the status of citizens as ‘consumer-citizens.’ From a food democracy perspective, these dangers may undermine efforts to organise collective political action and impede alternative visions of a future food system. Empirically, the article examines specifically how behavioural-economic approaches imagine transitions to a more sustainable food system. By using the “COOP Supermarket of the Future” as a case study, the following analysis will illustrate how private actors are increasingly involved in steering consumer choice towards socially desirable actions. The analysis suggests that the design of choice environments may under specific circumstances increase the susceptibility of individuals to the influence of corporate preferences and simultaneously decrease the prospects for democratic legitimation and decision-making. The article therefore critically assesses whether reforming the food system by altering consumers’ choice-sets and the attribution of personal responsibility, may in fact point towards implicit anti-democratic tenets underlying the ‘will to nudge’ citizens.

"Egal ob Pump- oder Druckspeicher, Batterien oder "virtuelle" Pufferung im Netz - alle Technologien zur Stromspeicherung besitzen ihre spezifischen Vor- und Nachteile. Angesichts wachsender Marktanteile regenerativer Stromerzeugung nimmt die Bedeutung effizienter Techniken zur Energiespeicherung zu. Nur so werden "fluktuierende" Quellen wie Windkraft und Photovoltaik planbar."

In 2008 the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its experiments started operation at the European Centre of Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva with the main aim of finding or excluding the Higgs boson. Only four years later, on the 4th of July 2012, the discovery of a Higgs-like particle was proven and first published by the two main experiments ATLAS and CMS. Even though proton–proton collisions are the main operation mode of the LHC, it also acts as an heavy-ion collider. Here, the term “heavy-ion collisions” refers to the collision between fully stripped nuclei. While the major hardware system of the LHC is compatible with heavy-ion operation, the beam dynamics and performance limits of ion beams are quite different from those of protons. Because of the higher mass and charge of the ions, beam dynamic effects like intra-beam scattering and radiation damping are stronger. Also the electromagnetic cross-sections in the collisions are larger, leading to significantly faster intensity decay and thus shorter luminosity lifetimes. As the production cross-sections for various physics processes under study of the experiments are still small at energies reachable with the LHC and because the heavy-ion run time is limited to a few days per year, it is essential to obtain the highest possible collision rate, i.e. maximise the instantaneous luminosity, in order to obtain enough events and therefore low statistical errors. Within this thesis, the past performance of the LHC in lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions, at a centre-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV per colliding nucleon pair, is analysed and potential luminosity limitations are identified. Tools are developed to predict future performance and techniques are presented to further increase the luminosity. Finally, a perspective on the future of high energy heavy-ion colliders is given.

Since the invention of fluorescent light sources, there is strong interest in Eu3+ activated phosphors as they are able to provide a high color rendering index (CRI) and luminous efficacy, which will also hold for phosphor converted light emitting diodes. Due to an efficient U6+ to Eu3+ energy transfer in Gd3Li3Te2O12:U6+,Eu3+, this inorganic composition shows red photoluminescence peaking at 611 nm. That means Eu3+ photoluminescence can be nicely sensitized via excitation into the U6+ excitation bands. Therefore, photoluminescence properties, such as temperature dependent emission and emission lifetime measurements, are presented. Charge transfer bands were investigated in detail. Additionally, density functional theory calculations reveal the band structure of the pure, i.e., non-doped host material. Obtained theoretical results were evaluated experimentally by the aid of diffuse UV reflectance spectroscopy.

Using a combination of numerical and analytical techniques we demonstrate that a metal stripe surrounded by the active and passive dielectrics supports propagation of stable spatial surface-plasmon solitons. Our analytical methods include the multiple scale reduction of the Maxwell's equations to the coupled Ginzburg-Landau system, and the soliton perturbation theory developed in the framework of the latter.