Synthesis of a New Biocomposite for Fertiliser Coating: Assessment of Biodegradability and Thermal Stability

Data availability: All data, raw and analysed, have been stored in the university repository and are available upon request. They are not made public due to contractual agreement.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023. The bio- and thermal degradation as well as the water absorption properties of a novel biocomposite comprising cellulose nanoparticles, natural rubber and polylactic acid have been investigated. The biodegradation process was studied through an assembled condition based on the soil collected from the central Malaysian palm oil forests located in the University of Nottingham Malaysia. The effects of the presence of the cellulose nanoparticles and natural rubber on the biodegradation of polylactic acid were investigated. The biodegradation process was studied via thermal gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. It was understood that the reinforcement of polylactic acid with cellulose nanoparticles and natural rubber increases the thermal stability by ~ 20 °C. Limited amorphous regions on the surface of the cellulose nanoparticles accelerated the biodegradation and water absorption processes. Based on the obtained results, it is predicted that complete biodegradation of the synthesised biocomposites can take place in 3062 h, highlighting promising agricultural applications for this biocomposite

Investigating A Clean Natural Gas-based Hydrogen Production Process for Electricity Generation in Power Plants

This study investigates a clean hydrogen production process (based on a CH4 feedstock flow rate of 1000 kmol/h) integrated with an onsite hydrogen-combustion power plant. A rate-based kinetic model is used to develop steam methane reforming (SMR) and water gas shift (WGS) reactions in the reformer. The impact of auto thermal reforming (ATR) on hydrogen purity and the generated power is investigated by analysing the correlation between temperature, pressure, and steam-to-methane ratio. A full factorial design matrix is used to investigate the potential interactions among the operational variables with a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) i.e. hydrogen purity and generated power. The ATR leads to higher hydrogen purity and generated power at lower feed temperatures Also, increasing the steam-to-methane ratio leads to increased hydrogen purity and generated power in both scenarios. Pressure is found to play a critical role in power generation but has a less pronounced effect on hydrogen purity in comparison. Employment of ATR has been found to be beneficial to achieve higher hydrogen purity and increased power generated at lower feed temperatures, while simultaneously minimizing CO 2 emissions.10.13039/501100000266-Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Probing into the interactions among operating variables in blue hydrogen production: A new approach via design of experiments (DoE)

Data availability: Data will be made available on request.Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Anthropogenic CO2 emission is a key driver in global warming and climate change. Worldwide, H2 production accounts for 2.5% of this CO2 emission. A shift to clean methods of hydrogen production is required to reduce CO2 emissions, and to mitigate the effects of climate change. Developing optimised process models of H2 production processes is required in order to investigate the effects of operational variables of the process and their impacts on key performance indicators (KPIs). Within this study, a detailed rate-based model was implemented to simulate the reformer in Sorption Enhanced Steam Methane Reforming (SE-SMR), as well as Sorption-Enhanced Auto-Thermal Reforming (SE-ATR) processes. The results indicate that the SE-ATR/ATR corresponds to a significantly improved performance over the SMR with the optimal operating conditions for achieving the desired KPIs, including hydrogen purity (86%), hydrogen yield (36%), methane conversion (99%), and carbon capture rate (50%) at a temperature of 720 °C, a pressure of 20 bara, and an S/C ratio of 6. Whereas with SMR, the temperature, pressure, and S/C ratio should be adjusted to 975 °C, 20 bara, and 6, respectively, to achieve a hydrogen purity of 84%, a hydrogen yield of 42%, a methane conversion of 96%, and a carbon capture rate of 48%. The study provides insights into the optimal operating conditions to achieve maximum efficiency in the reformer, and demonstrates the effectiveness of incorporating DoE within process modelling as a tool for optimisation.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under the project titled “Multiphysics and Multiscale Modelling for Safe and Feasible CO2 Capture and Storage - EP/T033940/1

Impact of Surface Functional Groups and Their Introduction Methods on the Mechanisms of CO2 Adsorption on Porous Carbonaceous Adsorbents

Copyright © 2022 The Authors. The utilisation of solid adsorbents for the selective removal of CO2 from major emission points is an attractive method for post-combustion carbon capture due to the inherent potential for retrofit and cost-effectiveness. Although focus in the scientific community is often centred on extremely novel, high-performance and costly material development, the exploitation of carbonaceous adsorbents is another avenue of research proving to be extremely promising. This is even more pronounced when considering the abundance of carbon in various waste streams. The production of carbonaceous adsorbents, however, often requires significant post-treatments to enhance both the textural and physico-chemical properties of the adsorbent, as such, the incorporation of surface functionalities is unavoidable and can often lead to significant improvements to the associated CO2 adsorption. This review aims to critically assess the various routes for surface modification of carbonaceous adsorbents and the implications these may have on the incorporation of surface functional groups. Subsequently, the adsorption mechanisms for CO2 on surface-modified porous carbons are discussed in depth with consideration to the influence of the introduced functionalities. The review concludes with a detailed section on current modelling approaches such as the application of artificial intelligence, Monte Carlo, and Density Functional Theory simulations in this realm of research.UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under the project titled “Multiphysics and multiscale modelling for safe and feasible CO2 capture and storage - EP/T033940/1”; UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (EP/P026214/1) through the flexible funded research programme “Techno-economics of Biomass Combustion Products in the Synthesis of Effective Low-cost Adsorbents for Carbon Capture”; UKCCSRC is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK, as part of the UKRI Energy Programme; EPSRC Impact Accelerator Award (2021)

Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Functional Groups and their Impact on Physical Adsorption of CO2 in Presence of H2O: A Critical Review

Data availability: No data was used for the research described in the article.Surface functional groups (SFGs) play a key role in adsorption of any target molecule and CO2 is no exception. In fact, due to its quadrupole nature, different SFGs may attract either the oxygen or the carbon atoms to facilitate improved sorption characteristics in porous materials, hence the proliferation of this approach in the context of carbon capture via solid adsorbents. However, actual processes involve CO2 capture/removal from a mixed gas stream that may have a non-negligible water content. The presence of humidity significantly hampers the sorption properties of classical physisorbents. To overcome this, the surface of the adsorbent can be modified to include hydrophobic/hydrophilic SFGs making the materials more resilient to moisture. However, the mechanisms behind H2O-tolerance depend greatly on the characteristics of SFGs themselves. Herein, a multitude of hydrophobic and hydrophilic SFGs (e.g. carbonyls, halogens, hydroxyls, nitro groups, phenyls, various alkyl chains and etc.) for physical CO2 adsorption are reviewed within the context of their separation performance in a humid environment, highlighting their merits and limitations as well as their impact on cooperative or competitive H2O – CO2 adsorption.This work has been funded by the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (EP/W002841/1) through the flexible funded research programme “Investigation of Environmental and Operational Challenges of Adsorbents Synthesised from Industrial Grade Biomass Combustion Residues”. The UKCCSRC is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK, as part of the UKRI Energy Programme. Additionally, the authors are grateful to the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s funding via Sea Carbon Unlocking and Removal (SeaCURE) grant, which has enabled this work

Application of chemically-activated recycled carbon fibres for aqueous-phase adsorptions - part I: Optimisation of activation process

Data availability: All data generated in this paper have been included within the paper, or added to the supplementary material.Supplementary materials are available online at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666821124000097#sec0024 .The authors would like to recognise the Experimental Techniques Centre (ETC) at Brunel University London, UK, and their scientific officers for facilitating access to analytical equipment. For his assistance in coding, the authors would like to thank William George Davies. The authors would also like to thank Gen 2 Carbon for providing the rCF to complete this research.Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are an attractive and versatile material, owing to their low weight and high mechanical stability, among other characteristics. This has led to a rapid increase in their use across many industries, particularly the aviation and automotive sectors. However, large quantities of waste are being generated when CFRPs reach their end-of-life (EoL) due to limited recycling and reuse pathways. To create a circular economy for CFRPs, alternative, high-value EoL pathways for recycled carbon fibres (rCFs) are needed. At present, very few studies investigate the activation of rCFs, particularly for applications as adsorbents. Developing on from the authors’ previous study, where rCFs were shown to be a promising precursor for the development of carbonaceous adsorbents, for applications in aqueous-phase, this work has focused on optimising the chemical activation procedure via a Box Behnken design-response surface methodology (BBD-RSM) approach, with an aim to maximise product yield and methylene blue adsorption capacity, using virgin carbon fibres (vCFs) as proof of concept. The optimum activated rCFs achieved an adsorption capacity of 454.55 mg/L; a significant increase of 715 % when compared to the previous study. While the optimum activated vCF counterpart achieved a maximum adsorption capacity 344.83 mg/L.UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), as part of the UKRI, via the EPSCR Doctoral Training Partnership (project reference EP/T518116/1)

The rise of the machines: A state-of-the-art technical review on process modelling and machine learning within hydrogen production with carbon capture

Data availability: No data was used for the research described in the article.Copyright © 2023 The Authors. This study aims to present a compendious yet technical scrutiny of the current trends in process modelling as well as the implementation of machine learning within combined hydrogen production and carbon capture (i.e. blue hydrogen). The paper is intended to accurately portray the role that machine learning is anticipated to play within research and development in blue hydrogen production in the forthcoming years. This covers the implementation of machine learning at both material and process development levels. The paper provides a concise overview of the current trends in blue hydrogen production, as well as an intro to machine learning and process modelling within the same context. We have reinforced our paper by first summarising a brief description of the key “tools” used in machine learning and process modelling, before painstakingly examining the implementation of these techniques in blue hydrogen production and the less-discovered merits and de-merits. Ultimately, the paper depicts a clear picture of the advancements in machine learning and the major role it is expected to play in accelerating research and development in blue hydrogen production on both material and process development fronts. The paper strives to shed some light on the key advantages that machine learning has to offer in blue hydrogen for future research work.UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) via the grant “Multiphysics and multiscale modelling for safe and feasible CO2 capture and storage - EP/T033940/1”; EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTP) award, EP/T518116/1 (project reference: 2688399)

Chemical Activation of Recycled Carbon Fibres for Application as Porous Adsorbents in Aqueous Media

UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) Award (2020)), Brunel Research Initiative and Enterprise Fund (BRIEF)

Biomass Combustion Fly Ash-Derived Nanoporous Zeolites for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK (EP/P026214/1) UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre 2017 (UKCCSRC 2017) - UKRI Energy Programme “Biomass Combustion Ash in Carbon Capture”; Brunel Research Initiative and Enterprise Fund (BRIEF)