• Energy Research
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With an ever-growing population, global energy demand increases, thereby contributing to the depletion of fossil resources and their limited reserves. Thereby, to lessen the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels, there has been a surge of interest in developing and producing biofuels from renewable feedstocks, such as microbial lipids. Typically, they are derived via a biochemical process using liquid hydrolysates obtained from forestry residues as a substrate. However, microbial lipid production using hydrolysates presents numerous challenges, including the need for a strain that can accumulate high lipid titers, consume five-carbon sugars (C5), and tolerate inhibitory compounds (e.g., furans, phenols, and organic acids), among others. Out of several microorganisms, Rhodosporidium toruloides, an oleaginous yeast, could be a potential alternative to produce lipids. It is known to accumulate lipids up to 70% of its dry cell weight, use different carbon sources, and tolerate several inhibitory compounds. In this sense, the current thesis explores the ability of Rhodosporidium toruloides as a bio-factory to produce microbial lipids using C5 and C6 wood hydrolysates as a culture media. Different R. toruloides strains were screened, and R. toruloides-1588 was determined to have the highest lipid accumulation of 35%. Following the culture media, carbon to nitrogen ratio, use of lipid inducers, and sugar concentration optimization, the lipid accumulation increased from 35% to 57.14%, with 95% and 80% of glucose and xylose utilization in hydrolysates, respectively. Likewise, palmitic, stearic, and oleic fatty acids were the most prominently on the produced lipids. Finally, R. toruloides-1588 demonstrates the capacity to grow, accumulate lipids, and transform furfural into furfuryl alcohol and 2-furoic acid. The strain was also assessed for its ability to tolerate inhibitory compounds, such as 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, vanillin, syringaldehyde, levulinic acid, ferulic acid, acetic acid, vanillic acid, and ...

AbstractUptake of electric vehicles is accelerating as governments around the world aim to decarbonize transportation. However, swift and widespread electric vehicle (EV) adoption will require some degree of controlled charging to mitigate the adverse impacts of electric vehicle adoption. Simulating the interaction between transportation and power requires new modelling tools with operational detail and spatial-temporal granularity. This analysis evaluates the potential benefits of utility-controlled charging (UCC) with the objective of reducing variable renewable energy (VRE) curtailment in decarbonized power systems using a framework that links travel and power system models using an intermediate charging model. Results show that the addition of VRE generation infrastructure shows the most impact on electricity system operating emissions and costs, but EV charging plays a significant role as well. Within EV charging strategies, UCC charging decreases emissions by 7% compared to uncontrolled charging. UCC is proven to be most effective in the summer due to higher electric vehicle fuel economy. Finally, the type of VRE generation infrastructure on the grid may have implications for siting of EV charging infrastructure due to the typical temporal peaks of wind and solar energy. These findings demonstrate how the use of distinct but linked travel and power sector models can be deployed to reduce multi-sector emissions and costs.

The vehicle integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) technology, which consists in integrating PV solar panels in the surfaces of electric vehicles, is a promising technology to increase car autonomy. Free-form curved PV surfaces are demanded to meet the specific design constraints of the automotive. The proper characterization of three dimensional PV surfaces requires specific methods and equipment that must be developed. This paper describes the design principles and requirements of a solar simulator for characterization of curved PV modules. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by means of ray-tracing simulations, the results show the advantages provided by the use of a collimated light source in comparison to the conventional solar simulators used for flat modules. The light beam divergence of a non-collimated light source produces a non-uniformity boost between 2% and 20% depending on the module size and curvature. The module performance will be affected by this non-uniform irradiance, but the performance loss will also depend on specific characteristics of the module such as curvature, number and size of cells, series/parallel electrical connection and number of by-pass diodes. On the contrary, the proposed collimated solar simulator reproduces the solar illumination profile over the curved surface. The Helios 3198, a solar simulator with collimated light developed for concentrator modules, has been adapted accordingly to the design proposed. A module of 1 m of curvature has been tested, the short-circuit current of the cells follows the ideal cosine response of the curvature, differences are lower than 0.5% which proves the quality of the collimated beam.

Thermodynamic cycles requiring high operating temperatures (≥750 °C up to 1200 °C) are currently being explored to improve the sun-to-electricity conversion efficiency of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants. This is calling for the design of new efficient high-temperature (≥750 °C) Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES) systems, which are fundamental for supplying power on demand during off-sun periods. Recently, Fe-doped CaMnO3 oxides have been proposed as TCES candidate materials, and the determination of their thermodynamics properties via thermogravimetric (TG) analysis allowed evaluation of their heat storage capacity at a very small scale (mg scale). A 10 % Fe-doped CaMnO3 composition (CaMn0.9Fe0.1O3-δ – CMF91) emerged as optimum candidate material for TCES application due to its large heat storage capacity complemented by enhanced thermal stability over multiple oxidation/reduction cycles. To advance in the thermal characterization of these materials at a multigram scale, here we carried out bench-scale reactor tests using CMF91 under conditions considered representative of future CSP plants. The redox-active material has been extruded in the form of porous pellets through a simple production method that required the use of carboxymethylcellulose as a removable binder and water. With the bench-scale reactor tests, the CMF91 pellets showed fully reversible reduction-oxidation in cycles between 500 and 1100 °C under relevant operating pO2 conditions without any deterioration of the pellet's structural integrity. Remarkably, the material exhibited the same δ(T, pO2) profile at this significantly larger scale (~40 g) than the one derived from thermodynamics. Nevertheless, slight differences in oxygen release/uptake profiles between cooling and heating branches can be tracked down to an excess heat generation in the perovskite bed not efficiently extracted by the carrier gas. These results demonstrate that CMF91 oxide is ideally suited for thermal energy storage applications with a large total (thermochemical and sensible) heat storage capacity (~ 916 kJ/kgABO3 or ~ 400 kWh/m3) and good scalability. © 2022 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska- Curie grant agreement N◦ 74616. Support of the ACES2030-CM from “Comunidad de Madrid” and European Structural Funds to (P2018/EMT-4319), and the Spanish “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad” through Research Challenges project ARROPAR-CEX (ENE2015-71254-C3-1-R) are also fully acknowledged. M. S´anchez is grateful to Spanish “Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad” by funding through internship FPI (BES-2016-077031). It is greatly acknowledged the Technical Research Support Unit of the Institute of Catalysis and Petroleum Chemistry (ICP-CSIC). The authors fully appreciate the advice provided by Prof. Pedro Avila and Dr. Raquel Portela from the SpeICat group of ICP-CSIC, about the procedure for pellets preparation. Supporting Information Peer reviewed

Abstract Eradicating poverty and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are core issues of global sustainable development goals (SDGs), and China is struggling in realizing these targets. The poverty reduction that leads to popualtion structure and lifestyle changes would have an impact on GHG emission changes. However, few studies have assessed the historical and future impacts of the poverty allevation on China's emissions. Here by linking Chinese Multi-Regional Input Output (MRIO) database to the global MRIO database EXIOBASE, and using provincial household consumption data, we identified the distribution of Chinese household greenhouse gas footprints (HGFs) by income groups in 2015 at the national and provinical levels. Moreover, we focused on the historical impact of poverty alleviation on HGFs during 2010–2015, and developed four scenarios to project future HGFs changes due to poverty alleviation by 2030. We find that eradicating extreme poverty in the secanrio S2, i.e., bringing people to an income above $1.9 daily, does not cause a large emission impact with current technological level. However, lifting people from a higher poverty line of $5.5 per day in the sceanrio S4 results in a 1.6% increase in emissions compared with the scenario S1 without any poverty reduction goals. Furthermore, realizing a higher poverty reduction target will result in an increase of emissions contribution from internatioanl supply chains due to the differences in consumption patterns among different income groups. Our study highlights the conflict between the high poverty alleviaition goal and emission reduciton in China, and reminds us of the need to make more technological efforts for avoiding the large emissions embodied in international supply chains.

En el ámbito de la ingeniería estructural, el diseño y cálculo de estructuras de acero se enfrenta a desafíos debido a la complejidad de su comportamiento. En este contexto, el avance en las herramientas de análisis y modelización permite una predicción más exacta de estas complejidades, posibilitando así el diseño de estructuras más eficientes y sostenibles a partir de herramientas y metodologías avanzadas de cálculo. No obstante, en el panorama actual, la aplicación real de estos avances en la ingeniería estructural sigue siendo un desafío, debido a su estado de desarrollo, limitada adopción por parte de la profesión y la falta de adaptación en las normativas existentes. El presente trabajo se enfoca en la comparación de dos metodologías de cálculo en el diseño de estructuras de acero: el método tradicional de cálculo basado en elementos (two-step method) y el método avanzado basado en sistemas (one-step method o advanced method). Utilizando el caso de estudio concreto de una estructura metálica aporticada, se analizan y comparan ambas metodologías en función de diversos criterios como la eficiencia material, el coste, la complejidad técnica, el tiempo de ejecución y la huella de carbono a partir de un robusto análisis multicriterio. A través de todos los escenarios contemplados en la comparativa, se concluye que el método one-step es más adecuado en términos de eficiencia, sostenibilidad e innovación. La metodología implementada incluye el dimensionamiento tradicional utilizando el software ConSteel, y el avanzado con ABAQUS. Cabe destacar que las conclusiones de este estudio son independientes de las herramientas de software específicas empleadas para cada metodología de cálculo, puesto que el trabajo se centra en comparar las metodologías de cálculo, y no las herramientas. In the field of structural engineering, the design and calculation of steel structures faces challenges due to the complexity of their behavior. In this context, advancements in analysis and modelling tools enable more accurate predictions of these complexities and, thus, enabling the design of more efficient and sustainable structures. This is accomplished through the application of advanced calculation tools and methodologies. However, in the current situation, the real-world application of these advances remains a challenge due to their developmental stage, limited adoption within the profession, as well as the lack of adaptation in existing regulations. This study focuses on comparing two calculation methodologies in the design of steel structures: the traditional element-based calculation method (two-step method) and the advanced system-based method (one-step method or advanced method). Using the specific case study of a framed steel structure, both methodologies are analyzed and compared. Key criteria considered include material efficiency, cost, technical complexity, execution time, and carbon footprint, all evaluated through a robust multicriteria analysis. Across all the scenarios considered in the comparison, it is concluded that the one-step method is more suitable in terms of efficiency, sustainability, and innovation. The methodology adopted in this research includes a conventional design process using ConSteel software, along with an advanced approach using ABAQUS. It is important to note that the outcomes of this study are not reliant on the specific software chosen for each calculation approach. The emphasis of this work lies in the comparative analysis of the calculation methodologies themselves, rather than the particular software tools used. En l'àmbit de l'enginyeria estructural, el disseny i càlcul d'estructures d'acer s'enfronta a reptes a causa de la complexitat del seu comportament. En aquest context, el progrés en les eines d'anàlisi i modelització possibilita una predicció més exacta d'aquestes complexitats, permetent així el disseny d'estructures més eficients i sostenibles a partir d’eines i metodologies avançades de càlcul. No obstant això, en el panorama actual, l'aplicació real d'aquests avanços en l'enginyeria estructural continua sent un repte, a causa del seu estat de desenvolupament, adopció limitada per part de la professió i la falta d’adaptació a les normatives existents. El present treball se centra en la comparació de dues metodologies de càlcul en el disseny d'estructures d'acer: el mètode tradicional de càlcul basat en elements (two-step method) i el mètode avançat basat en sistemes (one-step method o advanced method). Utilitzant el cas d'estudi concret d’una estructura porticada, s'analitzen i comparen ambdues metodologies en funció de diversos criteris com l'eficiència material, el cost, la complexitat tècnica, el temps d'execució i la petjada de carboni a partir d’una anàlisi multicriteri robusta. Mitjançant tots els escenaris contemplats en la comparativa, es conclou que el mètode one-step és més adequat en termes d'eficiència, sostenibilitat i innovació. La metodologia implementada inclou el dimensionament tradicional fent servir el software ConSteel, i el dimensionament avançat amb ABAQUS. És important ressaltar que les conclusions d'aquest estudi són independents de les eines de software específiques emprades per a cada metodologia de càlcul, donat que el treball se centra a comparar les metodologies de càlcul, i no les eines.

The association between alcohol and certain cancers is well established, yet beyond ethanol and its metabolite acetaldehyde, little is known about the presence of other carcinogenic compounds in alcoholic beverages, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benzo[a]pyrene (a Group I carcinogen).We summarized the published literature on PAH levels in alcoholic beverages to identify potential gaps in knowledge to inform future research.Medline and Scopus were searched for primary research published from January 1966 to November 2023 that quantified PAH levels among various types of alcoholic beverages, including whisky, rum, brandy, gin, vodka, wine, and beer. Studies that were not primary literature were excluded; only studies that quantified PAH content in the specified alcoholic beverages were included.Ten studies published from 1966 to 2019 met the criteria for review. Other than beverage type, no publication reported selection criteria for their samples of tested alcohol products. Studies used a variety of analytical methods to detect PAHs. Of the 10 studies, 7 were published after 2000, and 6 assessed <20 products. Of the studies, 7 examined spirits; 3, beer; and 4, wines. Benzo[a]pyrene was most prevalent among spirit products, particularly whisky, with values generally exceeding acceptable levels for drinking water. Some beer and wine products also contained PAHs, albeit at lower levels and less frequently than spirit products.PAHs are found in some alcohol products and appear to vary by beverage type. However, there is an incomplete understanding of their presence and levels among large, representative samples from the range of currently available alcohol products. Addressing this gap could improve understanding of alcohol-cancer relationships and may have important implications for public health and the regulation of alcohol products. In addition, novel methods, such as direct mass spectroscopy, may facilitate more thorough testing of samples to further investigate this relationship. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13506.