• Energy Research

There are numerous problems yet to be solved in waste management and although efforts towards waste recovery and recycling have been made, landfills are still the most common method used in the EU and many other industrialised countries. Thermal disposal, particularly incineration, is a tested and viable alternative. In 2004, only 11% of the annual waste production of Italy was incinerated. Sicily, with over five million inhabitants, is the second largest region in Italy where waste management is now a critical problem. The use of landfills can no longer be considered a satisfactory environmental solution; therefore, new methods have to be chosen and waste-to-energy plants could provide an answer. This paper gives details of municipal solid waste management in Sicily following a new Waste Management Plan. Four waste-to-energy plants will generate electricity through a steam cycle; the feedstock will become the residue after material recovery, which is calculated as 20-40% weight of the collected municipal solid waste.

There are numerous problems yet to be solved in waste management and although efforts towards waste recovery and recycling have been made, landfills are still the most common method used in the EU and many other industrialised countries. Thermal disposal, particularly incineration, is a tested and viable alternative. In 2004, only 11% of the annual waste production of Italy was incinerated. Sicily, with over five million inhabitants, is the second largest region in Italy where waste management is now a critical problem. The use of landfills can no longer be considered a satisfactory environmental solution; therefore, new methods have to be chosen and waste-to-energy plants could provide an answer. This paper gives details of municipal solid waste management in Sicily following a new Waste Management Plan. Four waste-to-energy plants will generate electricity through a steam cycle; the feedstock will become the residue after material recovery, which is calculated as 20-40% weight of the collected municipal solid waste.

AbstractThe European Regulation no 2037/2000 has banned manufacturing HCFC refrigerants from January 1st 2010, although its use is allowed up to 2015 if the fluids come from a recycling process. This situation creates the need for developing new working fluids to replace the HCFC in the refrigeration plants now in operation. Among all the HCFCs the R22 is the most widely used in a wide range of applications, especially in air conditioning. This paper presents the results of an experimental analysis comparing the performance of a vapour compression refrigerating unit operating with R22, and its performance in comparison to some HFCs fluids, substituting the former. In particular, the plant working efficiency was first tested with R22 and then with three HFC fluids: R417A, R407C and R404A. The investigation verified that the performance with HFCs refrigerants did not result as efficient as when using R22

AbstractThe European Regulation no 2037/2000 has banned manufacturing HCFC refrigerants from January 1st 2010, although its use is allowed up to 2015 if the fluids come from a recycling process. This situation creates the need for developing new working fluids to replace the HCFC in the refrigeration plants now in operation. Among all the HCFCs the R22 is the most widely used in a wide range of applications, especially in air conditioning. This paper presents the results of an experimental analysis comparing the performance of a vapour compression refrigerating unit operating with R22, and its performance in comparison to some HFCs fluids, substituting the former. In particular, the plant working efficiency was first tested with R22 and then with three HFC fluids: R417A, R407C and R404A. The investigation verified that the performance with HFCs refrigerants did not result as efficient as when using R22

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) represents an efficient and valuable pre-treatment technology to convert waste biomass into highly dense carbonaceous materials that could be used in a wide range of applications between energy, environment, soil improvement and nutrients recovery fields. HTC converts residual organic materials into a solid high energy dense material (hydrochar) and a liquid residue where the most volatile and oxygenated compounds (mainly furans and organic acids) concentrate during reaction. Pristine hydrochar is mainly used for direct combustion, to generate heat or electricity, but highly porous carbonaceous media for energy storage or for adsorption of pollutants applications can be also obtained through a further activation stage. HTC process can be used to enhance recovery of nutrients as nitrogen and phosphorous in particular and can be used as soil conditioner, to favor plant growth and mitigate desertification of soils. The present review proposes an outlook of the several possible applications of hydrochar produced from any sort of waste biomass sources. For each of the applications proposed, the main operative parameters that mostly affect the hydrochar properties and characteristics are highlighted, in order to match the needs for the specific application.

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) represents an efficient and valuable pre-treatment technology to convert waste biomass into highly dense carbonaceous materials that could be used in a wide range of applications between energy, environment, soil improvement and nutrients recovery fields. HTC converts residual organic materials into a solid high energy dense material (hydrochar) and a liquid residue where the most volatile and oxygenated compounds (mainly furans and organic acids) concentrate during reaction. Pristine hydrochar is mainly used for direct combustion, to generate heat or electricity, but highly porous carbonaceous media for energy storage or for adsorption of pollutants applications can be also obtained through a further activation stage. HTC process can be used to enhance recovery of nutrients as nitrogen and phosphorous in particular and can be used as soil conditioner, to favor plant growth and mitigate desertification of soils. The present review proposes an outlook of the several possible applications of hydrochar produced from any sort of waste biomass sources. For each of the applications proposed, the main operative parameters that mostly affect the hydrochar properties and characteristics are highlighted, in order to match the needs for the specific application.