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A membrane assisted process for green hydrogen production from a bioethanol derived feedstock is here developed and evaluated, starting from the conventional Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) process. Such a process is suitable for centralized hydrogen production, and is here analyzed for a large-scale H2 production unit with the capacity of 40.000 Nm3/h. The basic Steam Ethanol Reforming (SER) process scheme is modified in a membrane assisted process by integrating the Pd-membrane separation steps in the most suitable reaction steps. The membrane assisted process, configured in three alternative architectures (Open architecture, Membrane Reactor and Hybrid architecture) was evaluated in terms of efficiencies and hydrogen yields, obtaining a clear indication of improved process performance. The alternative membrane assisted process architectures are compared to the basic SER process and to the benchmark SMR process fed by natural gas, for an overall comparative assessment of the efficiency and specific CO2 emissions and for an economic analysis based on the operating expenditures.

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The growth of self-ordered anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates with pore diameters in the 140-400 nm range is achieved by anodization in phosphoric acid at low temperatures (-4 °C). The procedure used in this study is able to completely avoid the >burning> of the oxide, highly frequent in anodizations in phosphoric acid solutions at high voltages. The current density measured during the anodizations is rather low, 0.6-0.7 mA/cm2; therefore, low growth rates have been also measured (<2 μm/h). AAO templates present a relatively low porosity value of 8.4%. However, a considerable pore-enlargement-rate (vΔd = 0.636 ± 0.101 nm/h) has been observed as a consequence of the chemical dissolution of the pore walls during the anodization. Thus, the results reported here constitute an exhaustive study on the preparation of large-diameter-pore self-ordered AAO templates that enables both to access to pore diameters up to now inaccessible and to efficiently overcome the difficulties of their fabrication process ascribed to its aggressive reaction conditions. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Authors want to thank the ERC 2008 Starting Grant number 240497 for financial support. Peer Reviewed

Abstract Coal gasification is accompanied with formation of tars that cause equipment problems and have to be removed from the raw gas. Our previous studies proved that nickel supported ceria-zirconia catalyst (Ni/CZ) reveals high activity towards decomposition of toluene and 1-methylnaphthalene (1-MN) via steam reforming reaction (SR). However, the components of the raw gas from coal gasification (i.e. H2, CO, CO2 and CH4) may influence the performance of Ni/CZ catalyst. The influence of particular components of the raw gas on catalyst performance during SR of model tar compounds have been studied and discussed in this paper. It has been found that H2 and CO addition to the steam reforming feed drastically decreases the activity of Ni/CZ catalyst, whereas CO2 presence enhances conversion of toluene and 1-MN mixture owing to the occurrence of dry reforming reaction (DR). It has also been observed that methane, which is present in the raw gas from coal gasification consumes partly both the H2O and CO2, causing some decrease in conversion of model tar compounds. The influence of contact time (tc) on hydrocarbons conversion and the participation of (DR) have been examined. As was observed, lower contact times lead to decrease in hydrocarbons conversion in SR, making the same participation of DR more pronounced than for higher tc values. This work proves that Ni/CZ catalyst can be used for removal of tarry compounds via the catalytic hot gas cleaning of the raw gas form coal gasification.

Fluorescence energy homotransfer offers a powerful tool for the investigation of the state of oligomerization of cell surface receptors on a cell-by-cell basis by measuring the polarized components of fluorescence intensity of cells labeled with fluorescently stained antibodies. Here we describe homotransfer-based methods for the flow cytometric detection and analysis of hetero- and homo-associations of cell surface receptors. Homotransfer efficiencies for two- and three-body energy transfer interactions are defined and their frequency distribution curves are computed from the fluorescence anisotropy distributions of multiple-labeled cells. The fractions of receptors involved in homo-clustering is calculated based on the dependence of the fluorescence anisotropy on the surface concentration of the fluorescently stained antibodies. A homotransfer analysis of the homo- and hetero-clustering of the MHCI and MHCII glycoproteins, the cytokine receptor IL-2Ralpha, transferrin receptor and the receptor-type tyrosine phosphatase CD45 on JY B and Kit-225-K6 T cells is presented. We investigated how various factors such as the type of dye, rotational mobility of the dye and dye-targeting antibody, as well as the wavelength of the exciting light affect the homotransfer. We show that the homotransfer technique combined with the high statistical resolution of flow cytometry is an effective tool for detecting different oligomeric states of receptors by using fluorophores having restricted rotational mobility on the time scale of fluorescence.

AbstractSmart Grids are electrical grids that require a decentralised way of controlling electric power conditioning and thereby control the production and distribution of energy. Yet, the integration of Distributed Renewable Energy Sources (DRESs) in the Smart Grid introduces new challenges with regards to electrical grid balancing and storing of electrical energy, as well as additional monetary costs. Furthermore, the future smart grid also has to take over the provision of Ancillary Services (ASs). In this paper, a distributed ICT infrastructure to solve such challenges, specifically related to ASs in future Smart Grids, is described. The proposed infrastructure is developed on the basis of the Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) framework, which is defined by the European Commission in Smart Grid Mandate M/490. A testbed that provides a flexible, secure, and low-cost version of this architecture, illustrating the separation of systems and responsibilities, and supporting both emulated DRESs and real hardware has been developed. The resulting system supports the integration of a variety of DRESs with a secure two-way communication channel between the monitoring and controlling components. It assists in the analysis of various inter-operabilities and in the verification of eventual system designs. To validate the system design, the mapping of the proposed architecture to the testbed is presented. Further work will help improve the architecture in two directions; first, by investigating specific-purpose use cases, instantiated using this more generic framework; and second, by investigating the effects a realistic number and variety of connected devices within different grid configurations has on the testbed infrastructure.

Abstract The need to increase energy system flexibility, alongside the need to lower fossil fuel use in the food sector, and the importance of refrigeration infrastructure presents an opportunity for Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) integrated with refrigerated warehouses. To quantify this opportunity in Europe we analyse energy scenarios and existing refrigeration infrastructure for four countries with diverse energy systems (UK, Spain, Bulgaria and Germany). We find that with growing levels of electricity generation from variable renewable sources and numerous refrigerated warehouses, LAES has the potential to provide value in many areas of the EU through the 2020s. However, LAES is still pre-commercial, and with the proportion of electricity from variable renewable sources still low in many countries it is likely that LAES will not be deployed widely alongside refrigerated warehouses under current market conditions. Countries such as the UK and Spain, which have the greatest need for additional energy system flexibility and the most refrigerated warehouses are likely to gain the most value initially.

Energy efficiency is an increasingly important dimension of household appliances, which is why they are labeled to indicate their energy consumption. In 2020, the European Union countries changed the labeling system from the previous system: ranging from A+++ to D, to the new system: ranging from A to G, assuming it would be more transparent for the consumer. The aim of the study was to find out the extent to which consumers are aware of the new labeling system, and the impact that the new labels have (compared to the previous ones) on the perception of household appliances and consumer decision-making. For this purpose, the survey was conducted on a nationwide representative Polish sample (n = 1054). The research was partly experimental, where the same appliances were presented with new and previous energy labels. The results showed that currently most people do not identify the new energy classes. Furthermore, products with the new labels are perceived as being less energy efficient in comparison with products with the previous labels, which shows that there is some confusion among consumers in terms of the new energy efficiency labeling system.