Life cycle assessment and energy balance of a novel polyhydroxyalkanoates production process with mixed microbial cultures fed on pyrolytic products of wastewater treatment sludge

A "cradle-to-grave" life cycle assessment is performed to identify the environmental issues of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) produced through a hybrid thermochemical-biological process using anaerobically digested sewage sludge (ADSS) as feedstock. The assessment includes a measure of the energy performance of the process. The system boundary includes: (i) Sludge pyrolysis followed by volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production; (ii) PHAs-enriched biomass production using a mixed microbial culture (MMC); (iii) PHAs extraction with dimethyl carbonate; and iv) PHAs end-of-life. Three scenarios differing in the use of the syngas produced by both pyrolysis and biochar gasification, and two more scenarios differing only in the external energy sources were evaluated. Results show a trade-off between environmental impacts at global scale, such as climate change and resources depletion, and those having an effect at the local/regional scale, such as acidification, eutrophication, and toxicity. Process configurations based only on the sludge-to-PHAs route require an external energy supply, which determines the highest impacts with respect to climate change, resources depletion, and water depletion. On the contrary, process configurations also integrating the sludge-to-energy route for self-sustainment imply more onsite sludge processing and combustion; this results in the highest values of eutrophication, ecotoxicity, and human toxicity. There is not a categorical winner among the investigated configurations; however, the use of a selected mix of external renewable sources while using sludge to produce PHAs only seems the best compromise. The results are comparable to those of both other PHAs production processes found in the literature and various fossil-based and bio-based polymers, in terms of both non-biogenic GHG emissions and energy demand. Further process advancements and technology improvement in high impact stages are required to make this PHAs production process a competitive candidate for the production of biopolymers on a wide scale

Nanoparticle-enhanced Multifunctional Nanocarbons- Recent Advances on Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications

As renewable energy is becoming a crucial energy source to meet the global demand, electrochemical energy storage devices become indispensable for efficient energy storage and reliable supply. The electrode material is the key factor determining the energy storage capacity and the power delivery of the devices. Carbon-based materials, specifically graphite, activated carbons etc, are extensively used as electrodes, yet their low energy densities impede the development of advanced energy storage materials. Decoration by nanoparticles of metals, metal oxides, nitrides, carbides, phosphides, chalcogenides and bimetallic components is one of the most promising and easy-to-implement strategies to significantly enhance the structural and electronic properties, pore refinement, charge storage and charge-transfer kinetics of both pristine and doped carbon structures, thereby making their performance promising for next-generation energy storage devices. Structuring the materials at nanoscale is another probable route for better rate performance and charge-transfer kinetics. This review covers the state-of-art nanoparticle decorated nanocarbons (NCs) as materials for battery anode, metal-ion capacitor anode and supercapacitor electrode. A critical analysis of the elemental composition, structure, associated physico-chemical properties and performance relationships of nanoparticle-decorated NC electrodes is provided as well to inform the future development of the next-generation advanced energy storage materials and devices