Drying is one of the oldest methods for food preservation that removes the water from fruit and makes it available for consumption throughout the year. Dried fruits can be produced by small- and large-scale processors, which makes them a very popular food among consumers and food manufacturers. The most frequent uses of drying technology include osmotic dehydration, vacuum drying, freeze-drying and different combinations of other drying technologies. However, drying may provoke undesirable changes with respect to physiochemical, sensory, nutritional and microbiological quality. Drying process energy efficiency and the quality of dried fruits are crucial factors in fruit drying. Recently, innovative technologies such as ultrasound, pulsed electric field and high pressure may be used as a pretreatment or in combination with traditional drying technologies for process intensification. This could result in quality improvements of dried fruits and enhanced efficiency and capacity of the pro... [more]

A novel procedure to determine the environmental quality of boilers based on the combustion entropy degradation, the pollutants emission and the device efficiency is proposed. The entropy generation due to the chemical reaction was determined and then the irreversibilities on the external environment were first quantified. Successively, the entropy generation numbers of the combustion reactions were combined with the heat transfer process entropy generation of the boilers to consider the actual functioning conditions, in order to quantify the environmental damages by introducing an Environment Quality Index (EQI). A parametric study varying the heat exchanger efficiency, fluid flow rates and temperatures, for different fuel typologies, was performed to assess the environmental impact. Solar hydrogen was considered for its importance as future renewable energy carrier. The results showed that the highest EQI was produced by the natural gas, but if heat exchanger parameters are defined o... [more]

The agriculture and livestock industry generate waste used in anaerobic digestion to produce biogas containing methane (CH4), useful in the generation of electricity and heat. However, although biogas is mainly composed of CH4 (~65%) and CO2 (~34%), among the 1% of other compounds present is hydrogen sulphide (H2S) which deteriorates engines and power generation fuel cells that use biogas, generating a foul smell and contaminating the environment. As a solution to this, anoxic biofiltration, specifically with biotrickling filters (BTFs), stands out in terms of the elimination of H2S as it is cost-effective, efficient, and more environmentally friendly than chemical solutions. Research on the topic is uneven in terms of presenting performance markers, underestimating many microbiological indicators. Research from the last decade was analyzed (2010−2020), demonstrating that only 56% of the reviewed publications did not report microbiological analysis related to sulphur oxidising bacteria... [more]

The issue of sustainability is a growing concern and has led to many environmentally friendly chemical productions through a great intensification of the use of biomass conversion processes. Thermal conversion of biomass is one of the most attractive tools currently used, and pyrolytic treatments represent the most flexible approach to biomass conversion. In this scenario, microwave-assisted pyrolysis could be a solid choice for the production of multi-chemical mixtures known as bio-oils. Bio-oils could represent a promising new source of high-value species ranging from bioactive chemicals to green solvents. In this review, we have summarized the most recent developments regarding bio-oil production through microwave-induced pyrolytic degradation of biomasses.

Recent national government policy in Ireland proposes a radical transformation of the energy sector and a large reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Water and energy form the water−energy nexus, with water being an essential component in energy production. However, the connection between the production of energy and water is rarely made. In particular, the end-user processes are generally excluded because they occur outside the water industry. The present study includes two simple approaches for industrial sites to calculate their carbon footprint in the water sector. The assessment of the milk powder manufacturing using both approaches indicates that the combined emission factor of the water supply and treatment is approximately 1.28 kg CO2 m−3 of water. The dairy production among steel, textile, and paper industries appears to be the most carbon-emitting industry. However, the results show that the carbon intensity of the water supply and treatment can be minimized by the integration... [more]

The current research investigated the potential environmental risk of the polycyclic musk compounds, Galaxolide® (HHCB) and Tonalide® (AHTN), in the marine environments. These substances are lipophilic, bioaccumulated, and potentially biomagnified in aquatic organisms. To understand the toxicity of HHCB and AHTN, acute toxicity tests were performed by exposing marine microalgae (Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Tretraselmis chuii, and Isochrysis galbana), crustaceans (Artemia franciscana), echinoderms (Paracentrotus lividus), bivalves (Mytilus galloprovincialis), fish (Sparus aurata), and a candidate freshwater microalga (Raphidocelis subcapitata) to environmentally relevant concentrations (0.005−5 µg/L) following standardized protocols (US EPA, Environment Canada and OECD). P. tricornutum and I. galbana were sensitive to both substances and for P. tricornutum exposed to HHCB and AHTN, the IC10 values (the inhibition concentration at which 10% microalgae growth inhibition was observed) were... [more]

Conventional biological nutrient removal processes in municipal wastewater treatment plants are energy-consuming, with oxygen supply accounting for 45−75% of the energy expenditure. Many recent studies examined the implications of the anammox process in sidestream wastewater treatment to reduce energy consumption, however, the process did not successfully remove nitrogen in mainstream wastewater treatment with relatively low ammonia concentrations. In this study, blue light was applied as an inhibitor of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in a photo sequencing batch reactor (PSBR) containing raw wastewater. This simulated a biological nitrogen removal system for the investigation of its application potential in nitrite accumulation and nitrogen removal. It was found that blue light illumination effectively inhibited NOB rather than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria due to their different sensitivity to light, resulting in partial nitrification. It was also observed that the NOB inhibition rates... [more]

Modern and innovative dairy cattle breeding technologies are highly dependent on the level of mechanization. This article presents modern solutions for dairy cattle breeding, in particular, for livestock buildings, in which longitudinal development is possible in accordance with the farm’s needs as well as with obtaining additional energy from biogas and post-ferment for granulated organic fertilizer. In the analysed technology for milk production, methane fermentation, biogas yield, and the possibility of fertilizer production in the form of granules are considered. The presented modular cattle breeding technology includes sustainable production, which is economic; environmentally friendly, with preconditions in the facility including animal welfare; and socially acceptable, resulting from a high level of mechanization, which ensures both comfortable working conditions and high milk quality. The presented production line is an integral part of the milk production process with the poss... [more]

SO2 which is usually emitted at high temperature is one of the most important air pollutants. It is of great significance to develop high temperature SO2 adsorbent with high efficiency and low cost. In this work, a series of hydrotalcite-like compound-derived CaAlO and CaXAlO(X = Ce, Co) were prepared by coprecipitation and calcination method, and were employed as adsorbents for SO2 adsorption at high temperature (700 °C). The structure and surface properties of these adsorbents were characterized by XRD, Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET), Derivative thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) and CO2-TPD (temperature programmed desorption) measurement. Addition of a minor amount of Ce, Co (5 wt%) could significantly increase the number of weak alkalinity sites. CaO in CaCeAlO showed the best SO2 adsorption capacity of 1.34 g/g, which is two times higher than that of CaO in CaAlO (0.58 g/g).

Bioprocessing is a very important part of biotechnology that utilizes living organisms and their components to produce various types of products [...]

The considerable amount of Cr(VI) pollutants in the aqueous environment is a significant environmental concern that cannot be ignored. A series of novel Mxene−CS inorganic−organic composite nanomaterials synthesized by using the solution reaction method was applied to treat the Cr(VI) contaminated water. The Mxene−CS composites were characterized through SEM (scanning electron microscope), XRD (X−ray diffraction), XPS (X−ray photoelectron spectroscopy), and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared). The XRD patterns (observed at 2θ of 18.1°, 35.8°, 41.5°, and 60.1°) and the FT−IR spectra (-NH2 group for 1635 and 1517 cm−1, and -OH group for 3482 cm−1) illustrated that CS was successfully loaded on the Mxene. The effects of solution pH, the dosage of Mxene−CS, and duration time on the adsorption of Cr(VI) by synthesized Mxene−CS were investigated. The removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was increased from 12.9% to 40.5% with Mxene−CS dosage ranging from 0.02 to 0.12 g/L. The adsorption process could b... [more]

Hydroponic farms produce wastewater that need to be treated before being released into the environment. A three-step screening process (microplate, batch, and semi-continuous flasks experiments) initially designed to select an efficient microalgae strain allowed the isolation of a consortium that naturally developed in the hydroponic farm wastewater. During the non-optimized semi-continuous experiments, the best performing microalgae strain, Scenedesmus obliquus UTEX393 and the wastewater-born consortium cultures achieved good average linear growth rate (0.186 and 0.198/d, respectively) and high average nitrogen removal rates (23.5 mgN/L/d and 21.9 mgN/L/d, respectively). Phosphorus removal was very high probably due to precipitation. An integrated process was designed to treat the hydroponic farm wastewater using the wastewater-born consortium. Despite relatively low coagulation efficiencies in the preliminary tests, when integrated in a continuous process, chitosan was efficient to h... [more]

Sugar is the most important food supplement of our daily diet. During the production, sugar mills use a large volume of water and produce a significant amount of wastewater polluted with high organic compounds. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the wastewater before their disposal. For this reason, this article presents the results obtained from the monitoring of a coupled system of aged refuse filled bioreactors (ARFB) in full scale to treat wastewater from a sugar mill. The coupled system consists of two bioreactors (a primary one -ARFB1- and a rectification one -ARFB2-) arranged in a series with identical geometries. The ARFB1-ARFB2 system was evaluated in two stages. The first stage (maintenance period) for 28 weeks, and second stage (Zafra season) for 29 weeks. The system was fed with sugar mill wastewater (SMW) with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 2787 ± 1552 mg/L and 2601 ± 722 mg/L, respectively. As results, we observed a rapid stabilization of the system over 2 months. In... [more]

In this paper, an arc was drawn over ten years of research activities from three chairs of the Montanuniversitaet Leoben, as well as industrial partners. The superior objective of this research effort was to develop a wet-mechanical process for the recovery of polyolefin concentrates (90 wt% polyolefins) from mixed waste fraction for use in chemical recycling and to advance this new technology to commercial maturity. As a bridge technology, it would close the gap between state-of-the-art dry processing of mixed plastic waste materials and chemical plastic recycling via thermo-chemical conversion. The methods used were mainly tested in a lab-scale plant with a throughput capacity of 50 to 200 kg/h depending on the bulk density of the used feedstock. Further studies for the treatment and usage of the main products and by-products, as well as chemical analyses of them, were completed during the investigation. Within these series of tests, polyolefin concentrates, which satisfied the requi... [more]

Absorption air-conditioning systems have a great advantage in terms of energy conservation and environmental protection. However, the large amount of energy waste in the thermal regeneration process leads to lower efficiency and impedes its development. To reduce energy loss and improve performance, a local heating regeneration method is proposed in this paper. The main principle is reducing the volume of the liquid participating regeneration. Including the solar steam mode, two modes are introduced and configured. Theoretical and experimental research has been made on the new methods. Models have been developed for comparison analysis. Experiments have been conducted on water and absorbent solution with different modes. Performance has been evaluated based on the experimental data. The results expose the influence of different parameters, like liquid volume and solution concentration, on the regeneration process. The local heating method improved the regeneration efficiency by 40% in... [more]

The Europe 2020 Strategy was proposed with a long-term vision to ensure prosperity, development, and competitiveness for the member countries. This strategy is divided into three main areas named “growth”. One of these is sustainable growth. This is an area of sustainability, where the partial targets are referred to as the “20-20-20 approach”, and includes a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, an increase in energy efficiency, and the sharing of renewable energy sources. However, questions arise, including: How do member states meet these targets? Which countries are leaders in this area? According to these stated questions, the aim of this article is to assess how EU countries are meeting the set targets for sustainable growth resulting from the Europe 2020 strategy and to identify the countries with the best results in this area. We looked for answers to these questions in the analysis of sustainable indicators, which were transformed into a synthetic measure for comparability of... [more]

This paper presents the computation of the cable ampacity and the temperature distribution through long duration based on the equivalent thermal circuit based on IEC 60287 standard and the Finite element method using COMSOL (Multiphysics environment, version 5.5). This study investigated the cable ampacity and the temperature rise of the cable core and sheath at steady state and emergency conditions. The cable ampacity was investigated at different conditions such as the variation of cable depth, soil properties, and soil temperature. The results confirmed the adaptation between the thermal circuit results and the COMSOL results as well as the effectiveness of using the numerical method to compute the cable ampacity. Using the COMSOL-based thermal properties evaluations, the transient performance of the cable is ascertained. The transient study is performed for different cable loading currents and dry zone sizes.

This study focuses on using a facile method for the green preparation of activated carbon (AC) from palm tree fiber (PTF) waste. The synthesized cost-effective AC was investigated for the removal of an anionic dye (Congo red, CR) and a cationic dye (Rhodamine B, RhB) from wastewater. The morphological and structural characterization of the synthesized AC were performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), surface area, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), total pore volume, average pore diameter and pore size distribution, zeta potential, and zero-point charge. To investigate the adsorption efficiency, different parameters such as adsorbent dosage, solution pH, initial dye concentration, and duration were applied using the batch experiments. Various adsorption isotherm and kinetics models were applied to study the adsorption mechanism and dynamics. The results showed that chemical activation with a weak acid (H3PO4) at 400 °C for 30... [more]

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) are common groundwater contaminants due to their improper use in several industrial activities. Specialized microorganisms are able to perform the reductive dechlorination (RD) of high-chlorinated CAHs such as perchloroethylene (PCE), while the low-chlorinated ethenes such as vinyl chloride (VC) are more susceptible to oxidative mechanisms performed by aerobic dechlorinating microorganisms. Bioelectrochemical systems can be used as an effective strategy for the stimulation of both anaerobic and aerobic microbial dechlorination, i.e., a biocathode can be used as an electron donor to perform the RD, while a bioanode can provide the oxygen necessary for the aerobic dechlorination reaction. In this study, a sequential bioelectrochemical process constituted by two membrane-less microbial electrolysis cells connected in series has been, for the first time, operated with synthetic groundwater, also containing sulphate and nitrate, to simulate more rea... [more]

This paper reports a comparison of results obtained by using different e-learning strategies for teaching a biogas topic in two courses of the chemical engineering degree at the University of Granada. Particularly, four different asynchronous e-learning activities were carefully chosen: (1) noninteractive videos and audio files; (2) reading papers and discussion; (3) virtual tour of recommended websites of entities/associations/organizations working in the biogas sector; (4) PowerPoint slides and class notes. Students evaluated their satisfaction level (assessment) and teachers gave scores for evaluation exams (scores). We discuss the results from a quantitative point of view to suggest recommendations for improving e-learning implementations in education for sustainable energy. For dependent variables, reached scores and satisfaction assessment, we find the differences between means for students in two different academic years are no significant. In addition, there are no significant... [more]

Metal oxide varistors (MOVs) are widely used to protect electrical and electronic devices that are very vulnerable to surges due to the low insulation level of the equipment. MOVs deteriorate gradually due to manufacturing defects, mechanical and thermal stress, or repeated protective operations against surges. These defects result in the thermal runaway of MOV and finally lead to the explosion and electric fire of electrical and electronic devices due to a short circuit and a line-to-ground fault. Therefore, the reliable assessment of the condition of MOV deterioration is required for electrical and electronic equipment. However, when most accelerated degradation tests for the MOV have been performed to date, an 8/20 μs standard surge current is applied under de-energized conditions, which is unlike the actual operating environment. In this study, a surge generator was designed to apply a surge current to MOVs to monitor their deterioration. Three different types of leakage currents w... [more]

This paper presents the application of Internet of Things (IoT) Technology and Building Energy Management System (BEMS) within the Marylebone Campus of the University of Westminster, located in central London, to improve the environmental performance of the existing building as well as enhance the learning experience on energy and sustainability. Sixty IoT sensors connected to minicomputers were planned to be deployed within three floors of the building to continuously measure the real-time environmental parameters, such as dry-bulb temperature, relative humidity, illuminance level, carbon dioxide, and sound levels. Experimental workshops were also arranged with undergraduate and post-graduate students at their classrooms using IoT sensors, portable Bluetooth sensors and online questionnaires to increase awareness of the effect of environmental and behavioural changes on energy saving through real-time visualisation. Users’ subjective feedback on their workplace was also collected thro... [more]

Coal will continue to be the main energy source in China for the immediate future, although the environmental pollution and ecological impacts of each stage in the full life cycle of coal mining, transportation, and combustion generate large quantities of external costs. The Late Permian coals in southwestern (SW) China usually contain high amounts of fluorine (F), arsenic (As), and ash, which together with high-F clays cause abnormally high levels of endemic fluorosis, As poisoning, and lung cancer in areas where coal is mined and burned. In this paper, we estimate the external costs of the life cycle of coal. The results show that the externalities of coal in SW China are estimated at USD 73.5 billion or 284.3 USD/t, which would have accounted for 6.5 % of the provincial GDP in this area in 2018. The external cost of human health accounts for 87.2% of the total external costs, of which endemic skeletal fluorosis diseases and related lung cancers have the most important impact. Our st... [more]

To avoid the geographical and topographical prerequisites of the conventional pumped hydro energy storage, the use of underground cavities as water reservoirs allows countries without steep topography, such as Belgium, to increase the potential of the energy storage capacity. Belgium abounds in disused mines and quarries convertible into water basins. In this article, two Belgian case studies are presented and discussed for their singularity. A slate quarry in Martelange is discussed in technical aspects proposing three operating scenarios. Moreover, a preliminary economic analysis of the underground pumped storage system and a greenhouse gas emission evaluation for the storage system’s lifetime are presented. The analysis for a 100 MW power plant estimates a total initial investment of over 12 million euros and two million of CO2 avoided over its lifetime. This article also proposes the use of the coal mine 500 m deep of Pérronnes-lez-Binche. The mine representation discussed here off... [more]

Production from mature oil reservoirs can be optimized by using the surfactant flooding technique. This can be achieved by reducing oil and water interfacial tension (IFT) and modifying wettability to hydrophilic conditions. In this study, a novel green non-ionic surfactant (dodecanoyl-glucosamine surfactant) was synthesized and used to modify the wettability of carbonate reservoirs to hydrophilic conditions as well as to decrease the IFT of hydrophobic oil−water systems. The synthesized non-ionic surfactant was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and chemical shift nuclear magnetic resonance (HNMR) analyses. Further pH, turbidity, density, and conductivity were investigated to measure the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactant solutions. The result shows that this surfactant alters wettability from 148.93° to 65.54° and IFT from 30 to 14 dynes/cm. Core-flooding results have shown that oil recovery was increased from 40% (by water flooding) to 59... [more]