217 research outputs found
Identifying Qatar's Potential for Carbon Sequestration
The following research collects data on the current dissemination of carbon sequestration and storage and utility (CCSU) globally, analyses the challenges of CO2 management in the long-term, as well as locates the opportunities of such technologies for the context of specific countries, in this case being Qatar. The author first defines different types of CO2 sequestration technology, measures their global advancement and other key characteristics. The study primarily utilises a systematic review methodology to identify the latest trends in CCSU, as well as analysing current technological, socio-economic, and political conditions using publicly available sources. Then, highlight findings from the literature review are compiled into a survey, aimed at specifically targeted specialist professionals in the CCSU industry who can provide input about the applicability of said CCSU solutions to Qatar. This triangulated methodology is taken forward to a deeper analysis chapter which combines desktop and survey information for a pragmatic unionisation of the study topics. This analysis includes specific suitability analysis of technologies for Qatar, current initiatives, as well as providing insight on how identified systems can be integrated for an infrastructure level carbon sequestration system. In the fifth Discussion chapter, analysis findings are critically examined for feasibility in relation to their economic feasibility in comparison to current environmental socioeconomic drivers, i.e., the vital economic output of the country’s dependence on the oil and gas sector, political threats from international relations and global climate change, as well as the lack of sustainable food and water sources in Qatar
Green hydrogen production site validation and supply chain simulation and analysis: a case study of Lough Ree power plant
Green hydrogen is generated from electrolyzing water with electricity from renewable sources. Thus, green hydrogen production has no carbon emissions and it releases oxygen and water into the environment. It can be a replacement for fossil fuels and mitigates the energy demand. Although green hydrogen technology is still on a small scale or in the pilot phase, the demand for green hydrogen has grown in recent years.
This thesis study will be conducted on a closed coal power plant that is proposed for transformation into a green hydrogen production site to mitigate the hydrogen demand in Ireland. One of the aims of the study is production site validation by comparing selected sites with an Ideal production site model. The ideal site model has been developed from literature and comparison has been performed under location, social, and technical criteria. The result shows that discussed site is valid as a production site except it is far from wind firm, gas, and rail networks.
Another aim is to develop various supply chain scenarios and simulate them to measure the performance metric which will help to select the best scenario. The discrete event simulation approach has been used to simulate the scenarios in Anylogistix software. The basic model has one supplier, one producer, five distribution centers, and twenty-six counties as customers. The different scenarios have been generated by varying the distribution centers. The selected performance metric is ELT service level by orders which is measured for high, moderate, and low levels of safety stock. The model is sensitive to demand variation. However, the simulation result shows that the production site is capable to satisfy the demand of midland customers and west-side customers of Ireland. That scenario has performed over 90% of ELT service level by orders for every level of safety stock. Also, they performed well for long-term (3 years) simulation and it is more economical than other scenarios. Overall, the Lough Ree power plant can supply green hydrogen with acceptable ELT service level by orders to the customers of Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Roscommon, Westmeath, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Offaly, and Sligo counties
Circular Economy and Sustainable Development: A Systematic Literature Review
Circular Economy put forth as an alternative to traditional linear model of extract-use-dispose along with the concept of Sustainable Development encompassing economic, environmental, and social aspects have garnered tremendous impetus among academics, practitioners and policymakers alike. The UN Sustainable Development Goals embraced by the member nations in 2015 based on the preceding Millenium Development Goals have been placed as the targets to be achieved as a part of holistic human development. In this backdrop, this paper examines the intersection of sustainability and circular economy with a focus on the three aspects of sustainable development, first the economic aspect by examining the relationship between GDP and circular economy, second the social economic aspect within the interaction of Circular Economy with Sustainable development and third the environmental-economical aspect by examining circularity and sustainability in waste management and waste valorisation. This paper achieves its objective through a systematic literature review of 1748 journal articles collected from Web of Science and SCOPUS database following PRISMA standards, network analysis of keywords, and manual review of texts. Four Research Questions are formulated:
RQ1: What are the major emergent topics in Circular Economy and Sustainable Development and how are they related?
RQ2: What is the relationship among CE and GDP in the CE and Sustainability?
RQ3: What are the relationships between CE and Sustainability?
RQ4: What are different use cases of valorisation of waste as CE tool, and can valorisation be sustainable?
RQ1 is answered by presenting hotspot of research on Circular Economy and Sustainable Development through keywords occurrence network analysis using VosViewer. This study identifies three clusters and seven thematic areas of research, along with 25 most used keywords. RQ2 is attended through review of the relationship between economic growth (Gross Domestic Product) and Circular Economy and proposes based on the review that CE is still at its infancy. The paper also discusses the appropriateness of using GDP as a measure of sustainable development. This paper addresses RQ3 by examining the relationship between Circular Economy and Sustainable Development through review of literatures. The indicators used to measure CE and SD are also discussed and summarised. This review finds that achieving SDGs require greater effort, and that the present status of achievement is a bleak picture. Further, the role of waste management and potentiality of waste valorisation to aid in circular economy and sustainable development is analysed to answer RQ4. Though there are ample potential, however the recycle rate is very minimal to quench the required level of circularity. While CE and SD are related, CE cannot be a universal panacea to global challenges like emissions reduction, energy consumption, climate change, gender equality, poverty, well-being, environmental protection etc. even though the impact of CE to achieve SD can be substantial. The paper recommends avenues for future research and presents the conclusion of the study
Advanced Sensing, Fault Diagnostics, and Structural Health Management
Advanced sensing, fault diagnosis, and structural health management are important parts of the maintenance strategy of modern industries. With the advancement of science and technology, modern structural and mechanical systems are becoming more and more complex. Due to the continuous nature of operation and utilization, modern systems are heavily susceptible to faults. Hence, the operational reliability and safety of the systems can be greatly enhanced by using the multifaced strategy of designing novel sensing technologies and advanced intelligent algorithms and constructing modern data acquisition systems and structural health monitoring techniques. As a result, this research domain has been receiving a significant amount of attention from researchers in recent years. Furthermore, the research findings have been successfully applied in a wide range of fields such as aerospace, manufacturing, transportation and processes
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Literature review on life cycle assessment of transportation alternative fuels
Data availability:
No data was used for the research described in the article.Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Environmental concerns, such as global warming and human health damage, are intensifying, and the transportation sector significantly contributes to carbon and harmful emissions. This review examines the life cycle assessment (LCA) of alternative fuels (AF), evaluating current research on fuel types, LCA framework development, life cycle inventory (LCI), and impact selection. The objectives of this paper are: (1) to compare various AF LCA frameworks and develop a comprehensive framework for the transportation sector; (2) to identify emission hotspots of different AFs through simulations and real-world cases; (3) to review AF LCA research; (4) to extract valuable information for potential future research directions. The analysis reveals that all stages, except for hydrogen use, have an environmental impact. LCA boundaries and LCIs vary considerably depending on the raw materials, production processes, and products involved, leading to different emission hotspots. Due to knowledge or data limitations, some stages remain uncalculated in the current study, emphasizing the need for further refinement of the AF LCI. Future research should also explore the various impacts of widespread adoption of alternative fuels in transportation, encompassing social, economic, and environmental aspects. Lastly, the review provides structured recommendations for future research directions
Applied Mathematics to Mechanisms and Machines
This book brings together all 16 articles published in the Special Issue "Applied Mathematics to Mechanisms and Machines" of the MDPI Mathematics journal, in the section “Engineering Mathematics”. The subject matter covered by these works is varied, but they all have mechanisms as the object of study and mathematics as the basis of the methodology used. In fact, the synthesis, design and optimization of mechanisms, robotics, automotives, maintenance 4.0, machine vibrations, control, biomechanics and medical devices are among the topics covered in this book. This volume may be of interest to all who work in the field of mechanism and machine science and we hope that it will contribute to the development of both mechanical engineering and applied mathematics
Reinterpret 4As framework of energy security from the perspective of human security – an analysis of China’s electric vehicle (EV) development
This research addresses two issues: expanding the understanding of human security with the case of China’s electric vehicle (EV) development and examining the human security implications of China’s EV development. This research adopts an online ethnographic method to record very personal driving forces and barriers to China’s EV uptake through the experiences shared by ordinary Chinese people. From a theoretical perspective, this research provides more evidence for the applicability of the broad human security approach in energy security analysis through the case of China’s EV development. By reinterpreting the 4As framework (availability, affordability, accessibility, and acceptability), which is one of the most frequently adopted frameworks in the analysis of energy security on the state level, (Cherp & Jewell, 2014, p. 416), this research challenges the current understanding of human security by demonstrating that threats to human security exist at all levels of development and touch not only the most vulnerable but also people living in well-developed regions in the face of the lasted technological transformation. The analysis of China’s EV development as a strategic energy security consideration sheds some light on the complicated relationship between state and individual security within China’s security discussion. It enriches the understanding of human security by exploring how it has been adapted to the Chinese social and political context. Meanwhile, drawing on the insights from ontological security through the lens of some key indicators (protection, autonomy, and social acceptance), this research emphasises the necessity of incorporating the subjective dimension in human security analysis to capture subjective feelings and psychological factors in everyday security. This research contributes empirically to identifying human security implications of EV development based on the real-life experiences shared by the Chinese people, which may constitute barriers to China’s EV uptake. Informed by the flexible interpretation of security agency offered by the broad human security approach, this research demonstrates that apart from the state’s dominant position as the main security provider, other players, such as carmakers, also play an important role in shaping people’s perceptions of how secure EVs are. Recognising that the misoperation of an automobile can cause serious physical harm to both those on board and other road users, this research argues that ordinary people should not be only considered as the object of protection but also as the agent with the power to exert influence on the security implications of the new technology
Biofuels Production and Processing Technology
The negative impacts of global warming and global environmental pollution due to fossil fuels mean that the main challenge of modern society is finding alternatives to conventional fuels. In this scenario, biofuels derived from renewable biomass represent the most promising renewable energy sources. Depending on the biomass used by the fermentation technologies, it is possible to obtain first-generation biofuels produced from food crops, second-generation biofuels produced from non-food feedstock, mainly starting from renewable lignocellulosic biomasses, and third-generation biofuels, represented by algae or food waste biomass.Although biofuels appear to be the closest alternative to fossil fuels, it is necessary for them to be produced in competitive quantities and costs, requiring both improvements to production technologies and the diversification of feedstock. This Special Issue is focused on technological innovations, including the utilization of different feedstocks, with a particular focus on biethanol production from food waste; different biomass pretreatments; fermentation strategies, such as simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) or separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF); different applied microorganisms used as a monoculture or co-culture; and different setups for biofuel fermentation processes.The manuscripts collected represent a great opportunity for adding new knowledge to the scientific community as well as industry
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