Waste to biodiesel: A preliminary assessment for Saudi Arabia

This study presents a preliminary assessment of biodiesel production from waste sources available in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for energy generation and solution for waste disposal issues. A case study was developed under three different scenarios: (S1) KSA population only in 2017, (S2) KSA population and pilgrims in 2017, and (S3) KSA population and pilgrims by 2030 using the fat fraction of the municipal solid waste. It was estimated that S1, S2, and S3 scenarios could produce around 1.08, 1.10 and 1.41 million tons of biodiesel with the energy potential of 43423, 43949 and 56493 TJ respectively. Furthermore, annual savings of US $55.89, 56.56 and 72.71 million can be generated from landfill diversion of food waste and added to the country's economy. However, there are challenges in commercialization of waste to biodiesel facilities in KSA, including waste collection and separation, impurities, reactor design and biodiesel quality

Comparative Analysis of Barriers for Renewable Energy Technologies Diffusion in Finland and Poland

Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) are critical for the energy transition towards environmentally friendly solutions. There are many international regulations enhancing climate change mitigation. However, on a national level, disruptive technologies often struggle with many various barriers. There is ample evidence supporting the claim that innovative energy technologies require the whole ecosystem to support their diffusion. In fact, it is often a case that the change starts at the regional level. Therefore, some country-specific limitations are worth investigating. In this study, we examine various barriers of renewable energy technologies diffusion in the case of two European countries: Finland and Poland in the first phase. It served to perform a comparative analysis in a second stage, revealing the similarities and differences between them. An analysis provides insightful knowledge about the current constraints of widespread and effective renewable energy technologies diffusion. As a conclusion, the directions and possibilities for improvement are suggested.©2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. This is an author’s accepted manuscript of a book part in an article published in: Kantola J., Nazir S., Salminen V. (eds) Advances in Human Factors, Business Management and Leadership. Springer, Cham. The final authenticated version is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50791-6_34fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed