FLEXIBLE LABORATORY SYSTEM FOR INVESTIGATION OF CATALYTIC PROCESSES

A new method for determining of reaction mechanism and kinetics, catalyst pellet model and adsorption kinetics was developed on the basis of a computer analysis of parametric sensitivity of models for various types of experimental equipments. For solving these problems the following elements of investigation are to variate: 1. the combination and number of laboratory reactors, 2. the character of the input signals supplied into each reactor, 3. the methods of parameter estimation and algorithm of numerical integration of the model equations. Using this method it is possible to decrease the parameter errors connected with the selection of the 'best' model

Econometric Modeling for Evaluation of Relation Between Access to Electricity and Quality of Life in Colombia

This paper analyzes the effect of energization on income, education, health and agricultural productivity in the dispersed rural areas of Colombia. For this, the results of the 3rd National Agriculture Census 2014 conducted by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE, for its acronym in Spanish) were used. The sample size of the cross section of the CNA is 1122 municipalities, which includes the Archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia and 20 non-municipalized areas

Efecto de la composición del gas de refinería sobre las características del proceso de combustión

En este artículo de investigación científica se analiza el efecto del cambio de la composición del gas combustible (Gas de Refinería (GR) por Gas Natural (GN)) sobre las características del proceso combustión en hornos de la industria de refinación del petróleo; se evaluó el poder calorífico, el índice de Wobbe (IW) y exceso de oxígeno, para mezclas combustibles de composición variable. Mediante simulación computacional del proceso de combustión se calculó la temperatura adiabática de lama, eficiencia y la composición de los productos de combustión. Se evaluaron mezclas de gases combustibles con poderes caloríficos entre 800-2500 Btu/pie3 y se compararon con la combustión de gas natural. Se registró variabilidad en la temperatura adiabática y la eficiencia en función de la composición del gas y el exceso de oxígeno, lo que genera inestabilidad en el horno y mayor impacto ambiental

Production of Fatty Esters from Palm Oil By-Products for use as Phase Change Materials

Palm stearin is the heavy fraction obtained during palm oil refining. It consists mainly of saturated fatty acids and is often an unwanted by-product that reduces the economic efficiency of the processes. Although it is currently used in the manufacture of margarine or industrial vegetable fats, the increase in palm oil production will lead to higher production of palm stearin. The composition, low cost and physicochemical characteristics of palm stearin make it an ideal raw material for obtaining phase change materials for thermal energy storage in solar thermal energy systems. This work explores the esterification of hydrogenated palm stearin (HPS) for obtaining phase change materials with suitable properties for application. The esterification conditions were studied using low and high molecular weight alcohols, like ethanol, butanol and cetyl alcohol, according to Fischer's esterification principles. The esters formation was characterized by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy. For both HPS and products obtained, melting and solidification temperatures and enthalpies, and heat capacity were determined by DSC according to ASTME793-06(2018) and ASTME1269-11(2018). A crude wax was obtained by esterification of the fatty acids present in palm stearin in all cases. Among the esters produced, the one obtained by using cetyl alcohol, which has a melting temperature of 55.9 °C and an enthalpy of fusion of 257.26 kJ/kg, stands out. This novel PCM is presumed to have an optimal performance for heat storage applications in low temperature solar thermal systems (50°C - 90°C), for hot water supply and space conditioning

Fisheries wastewater as a sustainable media for the production of algae-based products

Colombian intensive fish production is concentrated mainly in the departments of the Andean Region, Amazon, and Orinoquía. These systems were characterized for being exploited mainly by family farming nuclei, which are dedicated exclusively to breeding and others with mixed systems. Currently, the sustainable development of this economic line depends on two factors: global warming and the consumption of resources (energy, fresh water, and protein). The rapid growth of this socio-economic line has led to the development of 3 critical restrictions: the demand for food for fish production, the high volume of fresh water needed and the high concentration of wastewater which must be disposed of safely. Sewage from closed fish farming systems has high levels of nitrogen and inorganic phosphorus dissolved in the systems. The primary responsibility for these high contents is the feed which contributes to the sustained increase in the concentration of organic waste and toxic compounds in aquatic systems. To make use of this wastewater, the use of these as a culture medium for microalgal production has been studied in order to generate metabolites of industrial interest from a low-cost culture medium. In this work, the necessary culture conditions for the biomass production of Scenedesmus obliquus, Chlorella vulgaris, Spirulina maxima, and Oscillatoria sp. in fish farming wastewater to produce pigments and total biomass are evaluated. The wastewater was obtained from an intensive fish farming company in El Zulia (Norte de Santander, Colombia). The medium was UV-sterilized (4 Lamps of 15W, 5 minutes). In order to optimize the production of biomass and pigments, the wastewater was adjusted with the addition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon (K2HPO4 + NaNO3 + NaHCO3) According to the results, the residual water enriched with K2HPO4, NaNO3 and NaHCO3 presented the best culture conditions for obtaining carotenoids (in C. vulgaris and S. obliquus with values of 2.6 and 1.7% p/p respectively) and Phycobiliproteins in Spirulina maxima and Oscillatoria sp (10.9 and 11% p/p respectively). These results allow concluding that the residual water of fish systems is outlined as a suitable culture medium that can be used to produce metabolites of interest. Also, this culture medium must be enriched in order to increase the productivity of the system

ANÁLISIS DEL CICLO DE VIDA PARA LA PRODUCCIÓN DE BIODIESEL A BASE DE ACEITE DE HIGUERILLA EMPLEANDO LA METODOLOGÍA “DE LA CUNA A LA CUNA” ESCENARIO SABANA DE TORRES, SANTANDER

RESUMEN En el presente estudio se aplica la metodología Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) con el enfoque denominado “de la cuna a la cuna” a la producción de Biodiesel de higuerilla con el objetivo de identificar las etapas del ciclo de vida que afectan más al medio ambiente y elaborar el respectivo perfil ambiental. El enfoque “de la cuna a la cuna” permitió conocer el tiempo necesario de recuperación del terreno, considerando que un porcentaje de los residuos vertidos al medio ambiente, son fijados en la naturaleza gracias a los diferentes ciclos biogeoquímicos. Las etapas contempladas en el ACV son: cultivo e integración de los ciclos biogeoquímicos, extracción del aceite, trasformaciones industriales, uso y disposición de residuos. Se estudiaron las siguientes categorías de impacto: Cambio climático, acidificación, eutrofización, formación de oxidantes fotoquímicos, efectos respiratorios y energía no renovable, identificando las etapas relevantes relacionadas al consumo de energía y emisiones al medio ambiente. Palabras claves: ACV, biocombustibles, emisiones, impacto ambiental.   ABSTRACT In this study we work with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA),is applied with the approach known as “from the cradle to the cradle” to the production of biodiesel from castor oil the objective with of to identify the phases of the life cycle which more affect the environment and make the respective environmental profile.” From the cradle to the cradle” allowed us to know the necessary time of recovery of terrain, considering that one percentage of the discharges residues to the environment are fixed by the nature thank to the different biogeochemical cycles. The phases of the life cycle assessment (LCA) are: cultivation and integration of the cycles biogeochemical, oil extraction, the industrial transformation, the use as biofuel and the residue disposal. The categories of impact studied were: change climatic, acidification, eutrophication, photochemical smog formation, respiratory effects and non-renewable energy, identifying relevant phases related with the consumption energy and emissions to the environment. Keywords: LCA, biofuel, emissions, environmental impac

Evaluation of sustainability of the production of biofuels of the second generation by means of the application of Analysis Exergy

El acelerado desarrollo en los últimos años de la industria del bioetanol en Colombia y América Latina ha generado como consecuencia un posterior debate sobre sus impactos ambientales, energéticos y el uso de cultivos de uso alimenticio para su producción. Debido a esto, los esfuerzos en el desarrollo de biocombustibles se han enfocado en la búsqueda de nuevas materias primas y el análisis de las tecnologías de producción desde el punto de vista energético y ambiental, que permitan alcanzar el desarrollo sostenible de esta industria. El uso de residuos lignocelulósicos para la producción de biocombustibles, representa una mejor alternativa que los cultivos energéticos tradicionales, ya que no es usado como alimento y en muchos casos representan un problema asociado a su disposición. Así, para asegurar el desarrollo sostenible de los biocombustibles de segunda generación, es necesario confirmar que el consumo energético del proceso global sea menor que la energía obtenida por el uso del biocombustible producido. De esta manera, el análisis exergético representa una gran herramienta que permite evaluar la eficiencia global del proceso, al tiempo que se determinan las etapas que requieren mejoras. En este trabajo, el bagazo de caña ha sido utilizado como materia prima para la producción de biocombustibles de segunda generación. El análisis exergético ha sido usado como herramienta para evaluar la eficiencia y sostenibilidad del proceso de producción de segunda generación. Como caso de estudio, se han evaluado dos esquemas de producción usando como base la utilización de 1200 toneladas diarias de bagazo de caña los cuales fueron simulados usando ASPEN-HYSYS® y software desarrollado por los autores. Con base en los resultados obtenidos han sido identificadas las etapas que requieren mejoras tecnológicas y ha sido analizada la sostenibilidad de las tecnologías analizadas en la industria colombiana.Abstract: The rapid development of the bioethanol industry in Colombia and LatinAmerica sparked a “food versus fuel” debate and further speculation about the industry’s environmental impact. However, lignocellulosic biomass is a great alternative because it utilizes waste resources and, therefore, does not compete with food crops. To ensure the sustainability of the production of second generation biofuels, it is necessary to confirm that the energy content of biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass is significantly greater than the energy consumed in the process. Exergy analysis serves as a unified and effective tool to evaluate the global process efficiency. As bagasse does not jeopardize the food supply, this paper analyzes the integration of sugarcane bagasse as a raw material for second generation biofuels production. Exergy analysis evaluates the performance of sugarcane bagasse and its sustainability in the bioethanol production process. This case study implements a design and process integration to compare two biorefinery topologies using the typical daily amount of residual biomass produced by the sugar industry (1,200 tonnes). Based on results, the stages with most need of improvement were identified and the sustainability of technologies in Colombia was analyzed. This study was executed by the use of the ASPEN-HYSYS® program and other software developed by the authors

ANÁLISIS DEL CICLO DE VIDA PARA LA PRODUCCIÓN DE BIODIESEL A BASE DE ACEITE DE HIGUERILLA EMPLEANDO LA METODOLOGÍA “DE LA CUNA A LA CUNA” ESCENARIO SABANA DE TORRES, SANTANDER

RESUMEN En el presente estudio se aplica la metodología Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) con el enfoque denominado “de la cuna a la cuna” a la producción de Biodiesel de higuerilla con el objetivo de identificar las etapas del ciclo de vida que afectan más al medio ambiente y elaborar el respectivo perfil ambiental. El enfoque “de la cuna a la cuna” permitió conocer el tiempo necesario de recuperación del terreno, considerando que un porcentaje de los residuos vertidos al medio ambiente, son fijados en la naturaleza gracias a los diferentes ciclos biogeoquímicos. Las etapas contempladas en el ACV son: cultivo e integración de los ciclos biogeoquímicos, extracción del aceite, trasformaciones industriales, uso y disposición de residuos. Se estudiaron las siguientes categorías de impacto: Cambio climático, acidificación, eutrofización, formación de oxidantes fotoquímicos, efectos respiratorios y energía no renovable, identificando las etapas relevantes relacionadas al consumo de energía y emisiones al medio ambiente. Palabras claves: ACV, biocombustibles, emisiones, impacto ambiental.   ABSTRACT In this study we work with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA),is applied with the approach known as “from the cradle to the cradle” to the production of biodiesel from castor oil the objective with of to identify the phases of the life cycle which more affect the environment and make the respective environmental profile.” From the cradle to the cradle” allowed us to know the necessary time of recovery of terrain, considering that one percentage of the discharges residues to the environment are fixed by the nature thank to the different biogeochemical cycles. The phases of the life cycle assessment (LCA) are: cultivation and integration of the cycles biogeochemical, oil extraction, the industrial transformation, the use as biofuel and the residue disposal. The categories of impact studied were: change climatic, acidification, eutrophication, photochemical smog formation, respiratory effects and non-renewable energy, identifying relevant phases related with the consumption energy and emissions to the environment. Keywords: LCA, biofuel, emissions, environmental impac

The circular economy approach to improving CNP ratio in inland fishery wastewater for increasing algal biomass production

In this work, the capacity of wastewater from an inland fishery system in Colombia (Norte de Santander) was tested as culture medium for Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. Due to insufficient N and P concentrations for successful algae growth, the effect of wastewater replenishment with NO3, PO4, and Na2CO3 or NaHCO3 as a carbon source was analyzed using a three-factor nonfactorial response surface design. The results showed that the addition of NaNO3 (0.125 g/L), K2HPO4 (0.075 g/L), KH2PO4 (0.75 g/L), and NaHCO3 (0.5 and 2 g/L for Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. respectively) significantly increased the biomass of Chlorella sp. (0.87 g/L) and Scenedesmus sp. (0.83 g/L). Although these results show that the addition of other nutrients is not necessary (Na, Mg, SO4, Ca, etc.), it is still essential to determine the quality of the biomass produced in terms of its application as a feed supplement for fish production

A simulation analysis of a microalgal-production plant for the transformation of inland-fisheries wastewater in sustainable feed

The present research evaluates the simulation of a system for transforming inland-fisheries wastewater into sustainable fish feed using Designer® software. The data required were obtained from the experimental cultivation of Chlorella sp. in wastewater supplemented with N and P. According to the results, it is possible to produce up to 11,875 kg/year (31.3 kg/d) with a production cost of up to 18 (USD/kg) for dry biomass and 0.19 (USD/bottle) for concentrated biomass. Similarly, it was possible to establish the kinetics of growth of substrate-dependent biomass with a maximum production of 1.25 g/L after 15 days and 98% removal of available N coupled with 20% of P. It is essential to note the final production efficiency may vary depending on uncontrollable variables such as climate and quality of wastewater, among others