• Energy Research

Bioplastics are alternatives of conventional petroleum-based plastics. Bioplastics are polymers processed from renewable sources and are biodegradable. This study aims at conducting an environmental impact assessment of the bioprocessing of agricultural wastes into bioplastics compared to petro-plastics using an LCA approach. Bioplastics were produced from potato peels in laboratory. In a biochemical reaction under heating, starch was extracted from peels and glycerin, vinegar and water were added with a range of different ratios, which resulted in producing different samples of bio-based plastics. Nevertheless, the environmental impact of the bioplastics production process was evaluated and compared to petro-plastics. A life cycle analysis of bioplastics produced in laboratory and petro-plastics was conducted. The results are presented in the form of global warming potential, and other environmental impacts including acidification potential, eutrophication potential, freshwater ecotoxicity potential, human toxicity potential, and ozone layer depletion of producing bioplastics are compared to petro-plastics. The results show that the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, through the different experiments to produce bioplastics, range between 0.354 and 0.623 kg CO2 eq. per kg bioplastic compared to 2.37 kg CO2 eq. per kg polypropylene as a petro-plastic. The results also showed that there are no significant potential effects for the bioplastics produced from potato peels on different environmental impacts in comparison with poly-β-hydroxybutyric acid and polypropylene. Thus, the bioplastics produced from agricultural wastes can be manufactured in industrial scale to reduce the dependence on petroleum-based plastics. This in turn will mitigate GHG emissions and reduce the negative environmental impacts on climate change.

Abstract Experiments were performed to study the airflow rates (AFRs) in a naturally ventilated building through four summer seasons and three winter seasons. The AFRs were determined using heat balance (HB), tracer gas technique (TGT) and CO 2 -balance as averages of the values of all experiments carried out through the different seasons. The statistical analyses were correlation analysis, regression model and t -test. Continuous measurements of gaseous concentrations (NH 3 , CH 4 , CO 2 and N 2 O) and temperatures inside and outside the building were performed. The HB showed slightly acceptable results through summer seasons and unsatisfactory results through winter seasons. The CO 2 -balance showed unexpected high differences to the other methods in some cases. The TGT showed reliable results compared to HB and CO 2 -balance. The AFRs, subject to TGT, were 0.12 m 3 s −1 m −2 , 1.15 m 3 s −1 cow −1 , 0.88 m 3 s −1 LU −1 , 56 h −1 , 395 m 3 s −1 and 470 kg s −1 through summer seasons, and 0.08 m 3 s −1 m −2 , 0.83 m 3 s −1 cow −1 , 0.64 m 3 s −1 LU −1 39 h −1 , 275 m 3 s −1 and 328 kg s −1 through winter seasons. The AFRs are not independent values, rather they were estimated for specific reference values, which are: area, cow and LU as well as rates. The emission rates through summer seasons, subject to TGT, were 9.4, 40, 3538 and 2.3 g h −1 cow −1 ; and through winter seasons were 4.8, 19, 2332 and 2.6 g h −1 cow −1 , for NH 3 , CH 4 , CO 2 and N 2 O, respectively.

Abstract In rural Egypt, communities face multiple challenges such as insufficient infrastructures for waste treatment, limited access to cheap energy and poor soils fertility. A decentralized, low-tech biogas technology for combined waste treatment and energy production, anaerobic digestion can achieve many sustainable development goals and resolve many issues faced by rural communities, treating and stabilizing organic waste into high-quality biofertilizer. Household biogas units for rural communities, however, should be subjected to techno-economic assessment to confirm their feasibility and technical efficiency. Therefore, this paper conducted: (1) survey of household biogas units and agricultural crop residues in rural communities in Egypt, (2) technical study of household biogas units, and (3) financial economic study. The results can be summarized as follows: (1) complete set of technical data on biogas units were documented, (2) crop residues were mapped using GIS software, (3) financial feasibility results were discussed. The total revenues were 1716.01, 2574.02, 3432.02, and 5148.04 EUR for the household biogas unit with the capacity of 2, 3, 4, and 6 m3, respectively. It was concluded that the units available in rural Egypt are considered as profitable projects from the profitability perspectives, and the values of the profitability indicators increased as the unit size increased.

AbstractInvestigating the potential of magnesium oxide (MgO), graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4), and their composite nanoparticles as nutrient sources for enhanced microalgae biodiesel production formed the core of this study. Supplementing the growth medium with g‐C3N4 and MgO/g‐C3N4 nanoparticles significantly increased microalgae (Chlorella sorokiniana) growth and lipid accumulation, culminating in a 58 mg/L lipid concentration. Interestingly, while MgO nanoparticles alone led to the highest biodiesel yield, the synergistic effect of MgO and g‐C3N4 in the composite nanoparticles improved nutrient availability and facilitated optimal microalgae growth and lipid accumulation. These findings pave the way for further research and development of nanoparticle‐based strategies to optimize microalgae‐based biodiesel production, offering a promising avenue for a more sustainable and efficient future of biofuel generation. The results showed that the addition of 15 mg/L of MgO NPs produced the maximum biodiesel yield which reached 61.5 mg/L.

Le chapitre concerne les constructions des usines de biogaz commerciales ainsi que des petites unités et des unités domestiques. En outre, le chapitre vise à fournir une description claire des structures et des constructions des digesteurs anaérobies et des matériaux de construction utilisés. Enfin, le chapitre répond à une question importante : comment construire une usine de biogaz commerciale et une unité domestique, et quelles sont les étapes de construction ? Description DU chapitre ET aperçu DU contenuLe chapitre décrit les étapes de construction et d'exploitation de l'usine de biogaz, qui comprennent : a. La planification de l'aménagement de l'usine de biogaz et la conception des digesteurs, où les règles de base pour la planification de l'aménagement d'une usine de biogaz commerciale sont élucidées et une méthodologie pour spécifier les dimensions du (des) digesteur(s) et du (des) réservoir(s) de stockage des résidus est illustrée, et elles sont : les diamètres internes et externes des réservoirs, l'épaisseur de la paroi du réservoir, la hauteur, etc.b. Sous-traiter le projet, c'est-à-dire effectuer les travaux d'excavation (creusement), la préparation de la plaque inférieure du digesteur, l'intégration des tubes de chauffage, la construction du fermenteur, l'installation de l'isolation et l'installation de la technologie.c.Fonctionnement de l'usine de biogaz, y compris la mécanisation de l'usine de biogaz, tels que : alimentateur de solides, unité de traitement du gaz, technologie de mélange, etc.d.Contrôle du système, c'est-à-dire comment les composants individuels de l'installation sont surveillés par la technologie informatique, même à distance, ainsi que sur site à l'aide d'un système informatique. Vue d'ensemble Composants de l'unité de biogazLes composants d'une unité de biogaz sont :1. Réservoir de réception 2. Digesteur ou fermenteur 3. 4. Réservoir de trop-plein www.intechopen.com El capítulo se refiere a las construcciones de las plantas comerciales de biogás, así como a las unidades pequeñas y domésticas. Además, el capítulo tiene como objetivo proporcionar una descripción clara de las estructuras y construcciones de los digestores anaeróbicos y los materiales de construcción utilizados. En última instancia, el capítulo responde a una pregunta importante: ¿cómo construir una planta comercial de biogás y una unidad doméstica, y cuáles son los pasos de construcción? Descripción del capítulo y descripción general del contenido El capítulo describe los pasos de construcción y operación de la planta de biogás, que incluyen: a. Planificar el diseño de la planta de biogás y diseñar los digestores, donde se aclaran las reglas generales para planificar el diseño de una planta de biogás comercial y se ilustra una metodología para especificar las dimensiones de los digestores y los tanques de almacenamiento de residuos, y son: diámetros internos y externos de los tanques, espesor de la pared del tanque, altura … etc.b.Desarrollar el proyecto, es decir, llevar a cabo los trabajos de excavación (excavación), preparación de la placa inferior del digestor, integración de los tubos de calentamiento, construcción del fermentador, instalación del aislamiento e instalación de tecnología.c.Hacer funcionar la planta de biogás, incluida la mecanización de la planta de biogás, como: alimentador de sólidos, unidad de procesamiento de gas, tecnología de mezcla… etc.d.Control del sistema, es decir, cómo se monitorean los componentes individuales de la instalación mediante tecnología informática, incluso desde lejos, así como in situ, utilizando un sistema informático. Descripción general Componentes de la unidad de biogás Los componentes de una unidad de biogás son:1. Tanque de recepción 2. Digestor o fermentador 3. Soporte de gas 4. Depósito de desbordamiento www.intechopen.com The chapter concerns with the constructions of the commercial biogas plants as well as the small and household units.Furthermore, the chapter aims at providing a clear description of the structures and constructions of the anaerobic digesters and the used building materials.Ultimately, the chapter answers an important question: how to build a commercial biogas plant and a household unit, and what are the construction steps? Chapter description and contents overviewThe chapter describes the construction steps and operation of biogas plant, which include: a. Planning the biogas plant layout and designing the digesters, where the rules of thumb for planning the layout of a commercial biogas plant are elucidated and a methodology for specifying the dimensions of both digester(s) and residue storage tank(s) is illustrated, and they are: internal and external diameters of the tanks, wall thickness of the tank, height …etc.b.Undertaking the project, i.e. carrying out the excavation (digging) works, preparation of the bottom plate of the digester, integrating the heating tubes, building the fermenter, installing the insulation, and technology installation.c.Running the biogas plant including the mechanization of the biogas plant such as: solids feeder, gas processing unit, mixing technology …etc.d.System control, i.e. how the individual facility components are monitored by computer technology even from afar as well as on-site using a computer system. Overview Components of the biogas unitThe components of a biogas unit are:1. Reception tank 2. Digester or fermenter 3. Gas holder 4. Overflow tank www.intechopen.com يهتم الفصل بإنشاءات محطات الغاز الحيوي التجارية وكذلك الوحدات الصغيرة والمنزلية. علاوة على ذلك، يهدف الفصل إلى تقديم وصف واضح لهياكل وإنشاءات الهاضمات اللاهوائية ومواد البناء المستخدمة. وأخيرًا، يجيب الفصل على سؤال مهم: كيفية بناء محطة غاز حيوي تجارية ووحدة منزلية، وما هي خطوات البناء ؟ وصف الفصل ونظرة عامة على المحتويات يصف الفصل خطوات بناء وتشغيل مصنع الغاز الحيوي، والتي تشمل: أ. تخطيط تخطيط مصنع الغاز الحيوي وتصميم أجهزة الهضم، حيث يتم توضيح قواعد الإبهام لتخطيط تخطيط مصنع الغاز الحيوي التجاري وتوضيح منهجية لتحديد أبعاد كل من جهاز (أجهزة) الهضم وخزان(خزانات) تخزين البقايا، وهي: الأقطار الداخلية والخارجية للخزانات، سمك جدار الخزان، الارتفاع ... إلخ. ب. تنفيذ المشروع، أي تنفيذ أعمال الحفر، وإعداد اللوحة السفلية لجهاز الهضم، ودمج أنابيب التدفئة، وبناء جهاز التخمير، وتركيب العزل، وتركيب التكنولوجيا. ج. تشغيل مصنع الغاز الحيوي بما في ذلك ميكنة مصنع الغاز الحيوي مثل: وحدة تغذية المواد الصلبة، وحدة معالجة الغاز، تكنولوجيا الخلط... إلخ. د. التحكم في النظام، أي كيفية مراقبة مكونات المنشأة الفردية بواسطة تكنولوجيا الكمبيوتر حتى من بعيد وكذلك في الموقع باستخدام نظام الكمبيوتر. نظرة عامة مكونات وحدة الغاز الحيوي مكونات وحدة الغاز الحيوي هي:1. خزان الاستقبال 2. جهاز الهضم أو التخمير 3. حامل الغاز 4. خزان الفائض www.intechopen.com

Abstract Nanoparticles (NPs) were hypothesized to enhance the anaerobic process and to accelerate the slurry digestion, which increases the biogas and methane production. The effects of NPs on biogas and methane production were investigated using a specially designed batch anaerobic system. For this purpose, a series of 2 L biodigesters were manufactured and implemented to study the effects of Cobalt (Co) and Nickel (Ni) nanoparticles with different concentrations on biogas and methane production. The best results of NPs additives were determined based on the statistical analysis (Least Significant Difference using M-Stat) of biogas and methane production, which were 1 mg/L Co NPs and 2 mg/L Ni NPs ( p 2 , and NiCl 2 ) and the control. Furthermore, the addition of 1 mg/L Co NPs and 2 mg/L Ni NPs significantly increased the biogas volume ( p p p −1 VS and 361.6 ml CH 4 g −1 VS, respectively compared with the control which yielded only 352.6 ml Biogas g −1 VS and 179.6 ml CH 4 g −1 VS.

At present, the major body of research is focused on weaning the world from fossil fuels. The problem is that the world is running out of fossil fuel. Therefore, an alternative source must be identified. The biofuels are promising alternatives. In the case of petrodiesel, a promising alternative is biodiesel production from algae. The ability of microalgae to generate large quantities of lipids with a fast growth rate made them superior biodiesel producers. An important factor of determining optimal microalgal activity is the bioresponse to changes in trace metal concentration and quantity. The effects of the addition of the following chemicals were investigated: ferric oxide (Fe2O3) with a concentration of 1.2 mg/L, manganese dioxide (MnO2) with a concentration of 1 mg/L, magnesium oxide (MgO) with a concentration of 7.3 mg/L, and zinc oxide (ZnO) with a concentration of 5 mg/L. Further treatment is a mixture of all additives with the same listed concentrations. According to the results of this study, it was found that iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc concentration have great influence on the algal growth and lipid production. Furthermore, the mixture of all additives yielded the highest lipid and, therefore, the highest biodiesel production among all treatments.