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Use of fuel other than woody generally has been limited to rice husk and other residues are rarely tried as a fuel in a gasification system. With the availability of woody biomass in most countries like India, alternates fuels are being explored for sustainable supply of fuel. Use of agro residues has been explored after briquetting. There are few feedstock’s like coconut fronts, maize cobs, etc, that might require lesser preprocessing steps compared to briquetting. The paper presents a detailed investigation into using coconut fronds as a fuel in an open top down draft gasification system. The fuel has ash content of 7% and was dried to moisture levels of 12 %. The average bulk density was found to be 230 kg/m3 with a fuel size particle of an average size 40 mm as compared to 350 kg/m3 for a standard wood pieces. A typical dry coconut fronds weighs about 2.5kgs and on an average 6 m long and 90 % of the frond is the petiole which is generally used as a fuel. The focus was also to compare the overall process with respect to operating with a typical woody biomass like subabul whose ash content is 1 %. The open top gasification system consists of a reactor, cooling and cleaning system along with water treatment. The performance parameters studied were the gas composition, tar and particulates in the clean gas, water quality and reactor pressure drop apart from other standard data collection of fuel flow rate, etc. The average gas composition was found to be CO 15 ± 1.0 % H2 16±1% CH4 0.5 ± 0.1 %CO2 12.0 ± 1.0 % and rest N2 compared to CO 19 ± 1.0 % H2 17 ± 1.0 %, CH4 1 ±0.2 %, CO2 12 ± 1.0 % and rest N2. The tar and particulate content in the clean gas has been found to be about 10 and 12 mg/m3 in both cases. The presence of high ash content material increased the pressure drop with coconut frond compared to woody biomass. Proceedings of the 22nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 23-26 June 2014, Hamburg, Germany, pp. 614-617

Olive­mill wastewater (OMWW) is a characteristic by­product of olive­oil production and a major environmental problem in the Mediterranean area due to the high chemical oxygen demand (COD, up to 220 g. L­1) and the high content of polyphenols. OMWW is considered as one of the most polluting agro­industrial effluents and could not be effectively process by classical biological treatment because of its phytotoxicity and antimicrobial properties. In this present work, a combined process consisting on absorption/adsorption of OMWW on sawdust, agropellets production from the OMWW/sawdust blends and energetic valorization via combustion was studied. Gaseous emissions such as CO2, CO and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured during the agropellets combustion at temperature range 500­700°C in a fixed­bed reactor. The preliminary results show that the combustion of the impregnated sawdust pellets can be a promising strategy to reduce the amount of OMWW in the environment. Hence, a complete survey is necessary to find the optimal conditions in order to obtain an environment friendly biofuel with low impacts on the environment. Proceedings of the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 3-7 May 2010, Lyon, France, pp. 1580-1584

Lisama field is located in Magdalena Middle Valley basin and although it was discovered in 1967, its recovery factor does not exceed 14% and its production is declining. For this reason, it requires prompt implementation of a secondary recovery process to offset declining oil rate and stabilize the reservoir pressure; The field was evaluated for experimental response to the implementation of a water injection process in its most prolific reservoir: Mugrosa Formation. In this study we performed the integration of results from laboratory tests such as basic petrophysical properties, mineralogical characterization, mineral distribution, poral geometry, compatibility studies and sensitivity of the rock. The response of the reservoir to the implementation of the process was positive because compatibility between fluids and a low sensitivity of the formation minerals were observed.

Over the past two decades dam removal has emerged as a viable tool for ecological restoration of riverine landscapes, partially as a result of changing societal values toward the ecological trade-offs associated with dammed rivers. Dam condition, purpose and ownership are key factors that determine the legal and political processes that lead to dam removal in most cases. In the United States removals of small, privately owned dams are most common, although the most high-profile removals are associated with large hydropower dams subject to a federal relicensing process. Scholars cite this legal process for periodic re-evaluation of hydroelectric dams as an important window of opportunity for institutionalising adaptive environmental governance toward the renegotiation of social and ecological values associated with rivers. It is clear, however, that this policy process alone is not sufficient to facilitate large-scale dam removal and larger transitions toward adaptive governance. In this paper we review several high-profile cases of dam relicensing and removal in the Pacific Northwest region of the US to better understand the combination of factors that couple with dam relicensing policy to present a window of opportunity for adaptive governance and social-ecological restoration. Examples from the Pacific Northwest reveal patterns suggesting the critical role of endangered species, Native American tribes, local politics and economics in determining the future of large hydropower dams in the United States.

During the industrialization era in the U.S., most waterways in urban areas were buried underground. Daylighting, the process of resurfacing and restoring buried aquatic systems, has grown as a planning practice. This practice can bring to communities environmental, economic, and social benefits—making cities more sustainable and livable. City Creek in Salt Lake City will be used as a case study of a future daylighting project in Euclid, a minority and low income neighborhood. In particular, this paper will highlight planning and locally-driven efforts to raise awareness among residents on the importance of conserving and restoring stream ecosystems. The article will discuss what community members involved in a visioning process would like to see in the development of a much-needed recreational trail and why it matters that City Creek becomes a vital community asset. Ultimately, this paper seeks to empower communities to plan and implement daylighting projects at the local level. UPLanD - Journal of Urban Planning, Landscape & environmental Design, Vol 2, No 3: BLUE

Anaerobic fermentation inside the digestor is the continuous process which results in the formation of useful biogas fuel. All feedstocks are not easily decomposable thereby necessitating the design of an “optional in-line pre-digestor assembly”. Initially a 2 m3 modified fixed dome ‘Deenbandhu’ type biogas plant was commissioned with cattle dung, bypassing the pre-digestor assembly. In a phased manner, cattle dung was substituted with poultry litter as feedstock. Gradually increasing the substitution @ of 10% per fortnight, complete substitution of cattle dung could be attained in 18 week time. Poultry droppings assorted with paddy husk from deep litter system of poultry housings were used as feedstock. As paddy husk were indecomposable inside the digestor, an in-line pre-digestor assembly was used to remove the unwanted paddy husk by water dissolution technique. Enzymatic hydrolysis initiated in the pre-digestion tank in the 24 hours residence time improved the digestibility of the feedstock for generating biogas. The process of cattle dung substitution with poultry litter was complete in 18 weeks duration. Daily gas production was recorded with the help of wet type gas flow meter. The gas produced was continuously used for domestic cooking. The total solid (TS) content of the poultry litter based feedstock slurry was maintained at around the same TS (9 - 10%) as that of cattle dung (dung to water at 1:1 ratio) slurry. With 100% use of poultry droppings at 10.3 % TS, average gas production level was 208.5 lit per kg of TS.

Paraffinic crude oils are very valuable, because of the products that can be obtained from them, but the challenge is to produce them and transport them. If the characteristics show that an oil is paraffinic, the paraffin precipitation and deposition can occur from a point between the reservoir and surface facilities or during transport by pipeline, causing possible damage to the formation if it is deposited in the reservoir , operational problems and increases in costs and in severe cases even loss of the well.It is advisable to make an early diagnosis in order to implement preventive systems and not wait that for the problem increases with the consequences mentioned.This paper presents an analysis of the problem, patterns of characterization and finally we explain the case of Colorado field, where despite of being a mature field, are making advances in research whose results can help mitigate problems of precipitation of organics in other oil fields

The development of this paper permits to find and set a new and alternative solution to the big problem that Colombian petroleum fields are facing: Management and Disposal of produced water. Due to the conventional treatment facilities, petroleum companies are spending great amounts of money to treat and dispose petroleum wastewaters. The present project describes a full-scale constructed wetland design proposed as a secondary treatment for a Colombian field produced water. The design takes into account the physicochemical characteristics of a Colombian field water affluent, represented as organic matter (BOD) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) oncentrations, according to the main design criteria for the technology, like type and ollutants concentrations, type of wetland, entrance water rate and total area required. Once the type of wetland is selected, the design realizes the principal constraints that affect wetland performance, including operational and maintenance procedures for a future implementation. The design consists in a Horizontal Subsurface flow Constructed Wetland (HSSf CW) with 12 ha of superficial area and 2 ft depth, to treat an average water rate of 678.607 Bbl/day. The HSSf CW consisted on 60 cells of 109,35 x 196,85 ft each, organized in parallel (12) and in series (5). Each cell will be planted with native aquatic macrophytes to enhance purification processes. This grand superficial area design is considered compensated by the low operational and maintenance costs, calculated for a 10-year period. While a conventional treatment system for produced water needs an inversion of US$4.380.338,1 per year, a HSSF CW works with US$23.681,78 for the same time period.

Producing energy from residue and waste biomass is essential for a sustainable bioenergy supply. An organic waste with certain problematic issues is municipal sewage sludge, which is mainly disposed of by landfill and landspreading, and occasionally by incineration depending on local regulations. Besides incineration, several other thermal processes have been introduced to replace the landfilling and produce bioenergy. However, due to high water content, low heating value, high ash content, and low ash melting point, sewage sludge is still not often utilized for bioenergy applications.The aim of the presented work was to test and characterize the Thermo-Catalytic Reforming (TCR®) process and its variable parameters, for the feedstock sewage sludge and its products for bioenergy applications. TCR® is an intermediate pyrolysis and reforming process for the energetic utilization of underutilized waste biomass. For the presented work, the parameters of the TCR® plant were varied, focusing on the gaseous and liquid product quality. Pre-dried sewage sludge was tested in the reactor and the products were analyzed by different methods. Blends of bio-oil with biodiesel and syngas were utilized in a dual fuel engine. The bio-oil produced revealed a very high thermal stability during distillation at 350 °C by forming a low viscosity distillate and a high viscosity residue which could be easily liquefied again by heating up. Furthermore, by hydrotreatment and distillation of the crude TCR® bio-oil, renewable gasoline and renewable diesel can be produced which meet the European standards EN 228 and EN 590. Overall sewage sludge showed high potential as a feedstock for high quality products like renewable fuel, phosphate recovery, and combined heat and power applications. Proceedings of the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 949-951

Organic substances are typically found increasingly in industrial wastewaters calling for techniques for their degradation. Methods currently used are inadequate. This study was performed to design and determine the efficiency of a biofilter system on the laboratory scale in the Center for Biochemical Research and Ecological Control, Sharif University of Technology. Design and manufacture of the system was accomplished using the exploratory method while the experimental method was used in determining the procedure for the second phase. A biofilter, 3 meters high and 15 cm across, was used for the purposes of this study. The efficiency of the system was determined by preparing solutions with different COD levels to be passed through the filter column. During the six months of experiments, solutions with different COD levels were prepared and passed on the filter column to measure the effluent COD. It was found that the speed of wastewater passing through the filter column and the initial wastewater COD level were effective parameters in COD removal. Finally, wastewater with an organic load of 51.24 kg/m3/h was passed through the 3-m high filter column and a removal efficiency of 75% was obtained. It seems that the strong-load biofilter can satisfactorily be used in the degradation of organic substances in industrial effluents. Comparisons were made between the biofilter used in this study and conventional filters used for industrial effluents