Integrating a Cogeneration System in Food Process Manufacturing

Abstract The goal of the project is to determine the benefits and drawbacks of implementing a combined heat and power (CHP) unit in a food processing plant. CHP system is an integrated energy system that produces electrical and thermal energy from a single fuel source. Different CHP technologies and vendors available were identified. The studied CHP technologies included steam and gas turbines, micro-turbines, reciprocating engines, and fuel cells. Of these technologies a 400 kW range reciprocating engine was deemed optimal due to physical size constraints, voltage output requirements (600 VAC), and costs. The plant's thermally intensive units were studied at the tunnel heating system and the boiler unit system as potential places to recover the waste heat. Simulations of these two units were conducted with based case and each of the three vendor specified CHP units. Based on the data, it was found that the optimal recovery process is the boiler unit system that provides a higher increase in temperature and mitigates the risk of potential errors in calculations. Rigorous economic analyses show the payback period of the CHP unit to be 2 years and 1 month. Furthermore, there is no significant increase in GHG emissions through the implementation of the CHP unit and potential hazardous noise exposure can be mitigated through a sound attenuated enclosure

Chemo-sensors development based on low-dimensional codoped Mn2O3-ZnO nanoparticles using flat-silver electrodes

Abstract Background Semiconductor doped nanostructure materials have attained considerable attention owing to their electronic, opto-electronic, para-magnetic, photo-catalysis, electro-chemical, mechanical behaviors and their potential applications in different research areas. Doped nanomaterials might be a promising owing to their high-specific surface-area, low-resistances, high-catalytic activity, attractive electro-chemical and optical properties. Nanomaterials are also scientifically significant transition metal-doped nanostructure materials owing to their extraordinary mechanical, optical, electrical, electronic, thermal, and magnetic characteristics. Recently, it has gained significant interest in manganese oxide doped-semiconductor materials in order to develop their physico-chemical behaviors and extend their efficient applications. It has not only investigated the basic of magnetism, but also has huge potential in scientific features such as magnetic materials, bio- & chemi-sensors, photo-catalysts, and absorbent nanomaterials. Results The chemical sensor also displays the higher-sensitivity, reproducibility, long-term stability, and enhanced electrochemical responses. The calibration plot is linear (r2 = 0.977) over the 0.1 nM to 50.0 μM 4-nitrophenol concentration ranges. The sensitivity and detection limit is ~4.6667 μA cm-2 μM-1 and ~0.83 ± 0.2 nM (at a Signal-to-Noise-Ratio, SNR of 3) respectively. To best of our knowledge, this is the first report for detection of 4-nitrophenol chemical with doped Mn2O3-ZnO NPs using easy and reliable I-V technique in short response time. Conclusions As for the doped nanostructures, NPs are introduced a route to a new generation of toxic chemo-sensors, but a premeditate effort has to be applied for doped Mn2O3-ZnO NPs to be taken comprehensively for large-scale applications, and to achieve higher-potential density with accessible to individual chemo-sensors. In this report, it is also discussed the prospective utilization of Mn2O3-ZnO NPs on the basis of carcinogenic chemical sensing, which could also be applied for the detection of hazardous chemicals in ecological, environmental, and health care fields