Environmental Impacts of Biodiesel Production Cycle from Farm to Manufactory:An Application of Sustainable Systems Engineering

One of the key challenges in using fossil fuels is the environmental impacts of these energy sources, and to reduce these destructive effects, the use of renewable energy sources (biofuels) is necessary. One of the important biofuels is biodiesel, which can be produced from cottonseed. To properly manage the chain dealing with biodiesel production from the cottonseed chain (from farm to manufactory), environmental hotspots must be pinpointed. In the present study, it was attempted to examine the environmental impacts of the biodiesel production cycle from cottonseed (agronomic stages, ginning, oiling, and biodiesel production). The data obtained in all three stages were analyzed by the Impact 2002+ method in the SimaPro software. The highest contribution to creating environmental indicators at the agricultural stage was related to the use of nitrogen fertilizers, direct emission from the farm and fossil fuels, the ginning and oiling stage involving the use of diesel fuel and sulfuric acid, and the production of biodiesel in the manufactory involving the use of methanol and electricity. The potential environmental impacts of a functional unit of 1 kg of biodiesel include: human health, 9.05–10−6 (DAYLY); ecosystem quality, 1.369 (PDF*m2*year); climate changes, (kg CO2 eq.) 17.247; and resources (MJ primary), 89.116. Results showed that agriculture has more significant participation in the environmental impact than other sections (ginning and oiling and biodiesel production), especially due to the application of fertilizers and fuel. Surveying the environmental indicators of the results showed that at the agricultural stage, the human health indicator is 10.43, 1.21, and 5.32 times higher than the ecosystem quality, climate change, and resource indicators, respectively; at the ginning and oiling stages, it is 2.35, 31.68, and 2.09 times higher, respectively; and at the stage of biodiesel production in the manufactory, it is 16.41, 1.96, and 0.99 times higher, respectively, in terms of the destructive effects. The overall results showed that the hotspot points in the present study can be largely modified by reducing the consumption of nitrogen fertilizers, using new equipment and machinery, ginning and oiling, and using fewer methanol ratios than oil.</p

Biodiesel fuel purification in a continuous centrifugal contactor separator:An environmental-friendly approach

Wet washing is the most common method for biodiesel purification, but higher water consumption, longer purification time, and high expenses bring limitations on the use of this process. One of the suitable methods to remove such limitations is to use new techniques for purification. In this study, biodiesel purification was evaluated in a novel continuous centrifugal contactor separator (CCCS) at 0.5:1, 1:1, and 1.5:1 (V/V%)water to biodiesel ratio; 10 Hz, 20 Hz, and 30 Hz device working frequency; and 25 °C, 40 °C, and 55 °C temperatures. A mathematical model for the wet-washing process of biodiesel and energy consumption of the CCCS device using the response surface method is proposed. A 0.8:1 (V/V%) water to biodiesel ratio, 10 Hz working frequency, and 35 °C temperature were found to be the optimal conditions in the experiment. At this point, the biodiesel yield and the amount of energy consumption were reported to be 96% and 17 kJ, respectively. The results showed that compared to the traditional wet washing method, the biodiesel purification method using CCCS is cost-effective and consumes more than 75% less of water

The feasibility and optimization of biodiesel production from Celtis australis L. oil using chicken bone catalyst and ultrasonic waves

Biodiesel is a green renewable energy source and an alternative for diesel fuel. The objective of this research was to study the feasibility of biodiesel production from Celtis australis L. oil using an ultrasonic system and CaO derived from chicken bone as a biowaste renewable resource. In this research, the effects of some parameters such as the alcohol-to-oil molar ratio (6:1, 9:1, 12:1), the CaO catalyst concentration (3%, 5% and 7% w/w), and the reaction time using ultrasonication (10, 25, 40 min) on the rate of conversion of fatty acids to methyl ester (biodiesel) were studied. The results showed that by increasing the molar ratio into the range between 6:1 and 9:1, the conversion percentage first increased and then its value followed a fixed trend. By increasing the catalyst concentration to about 5%, the conversion percentage increased significantly, and then remained constant. By increasing the time from 10 to 25 min, the conversion percentage increased by 20.19%, but from 25 to 40 min, no significant difference was observed. Moreover, all of the properties of C. australis methyl ester were found to meet the requirements of EN 14214 (European Committee for Standardization) biodiesel standards

Applying Solar Energy in the Combination of Solar Dryer with Olive Harvesting Machine to Reduce Energy Losses

In recent years, leveraging the amount of energy loss occurring in different fields of human activity has captured the attention of researchers. Harvesting and drying processes can be integrated in order to reduce energy losses. The present research work seeks to pinpoint the association between the harvesting and drying processes as well as to make optimal use of both processes so as to decrease the level of energy loss and apply the renewable energies to the food supply chain. The olive harvesting machine was designed and evaluated, and the olives harvested in the solar dryer were placed in the solar dryer as the input materials. To obtain the evaluation of the experimental tests&rsquo; purpose, Mari cultivar was used. Following this trend was the evaluation of the olive harvesting machine and its comparison with the manual harvesting method. Having separated the olives from the tree through use of the harvesting machine designed and made, a solar dryer was used to accommodate the olives in order to make the final examination concerning any damage to olives. Findings of the study indicated up to 92% separation of the olive fruits by the olive harvester. It was also found that there is a 29.47 harvest efficiency for the olive harvester. In addition, evaluation of the solar dryer emphasized that an increase in the temperature and velocity of the inlet air results in a rapid decrease in the olive moisture

Ultrasonic-assisted production of biodiesel from Pistacia atlantica Desf. oil

The objective of this research was to study the feasibility of biodiesel production from Pistacia atlantica (Atlas pistache) oil using ultrasonic system. Results showed that the best models for both the yield and energy consumption were full quadric models with suitable coefficients of determination (0.98, 0.99) and least mean squared errors (MSE) (0.351, 17.14). With increasing the amplitude and pulse, the methyl ester content increased. When reaction time and molar ratio increased to range of 5-7 min and 5-6, respectively, methyl ester content increased; while when these parameters increased out of range, yield decreased. The major properties of Atlas pistache methyl ester met the requirements of EN 14214 biodiesel standard and consequently, Atlas pistache can be a potential substitute to petro diesel. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd

Applying Solar Energy in the Combination of Solar Dryer with Olive Harvesting Machine to Reduce Energy Losses

In recent years, leveraging the amount of energy loss occurring in different fields of human activity has captured the attention of researchers. Harvesting and drying processes can be integrated in order to reduce energy losses. The present research work seeks to pinpoint the association between the harvesting and drying processes as well as to make optimal use of both processes so as to decrease the level of energy loss and apply the renewable energies to the food supply chain. The olive harvesting machine was designed and evaluated, and the olives harvested in the solar dryer were placed in the solar dryer as the input materials. To obtain the evaluation of the experimental tests’ purpose, Mari cultivar was used. Following this trend was the evaluation of the olive harvesting machine and its comparison with the manual harvesting method. Having separated the olives from the tree through use of the harvesting machine designed and made, a solar dryer was used to accommodate the olives in order to make the final examination concerning any damage to olives. Findings of the study indicated up to 92% separation of the olive fruits by the olive harvester. It was also found that there is a 29.47 harvest efficiency for the olive harvester. In addition, evaluation of the solar dryer emphasized that an increase in the temperature and velocity of the inlet air results in a rapid decrease in the olive moisture