Valoración económica y amortización de la desconexión de suministros de agua y electricidad en una casa sostenible

El presente Trabajo de Final de Grado tiene por objeto el estudio de una vivienda con parámetros del estándar alemán Passivhaus ubicada en el municipio de Palau-Solità i Plegamans y la desconexión de la misma de los suministros de electricidad y agua de las compañías. Viene motivado por mi experiencia personal en el Diploma de Ampliación de Competencias de Eficiencia Energética realizado a partir de febrero de 2014 en la universidad Politécnica de Cataluña y es mi deseo de plasmarlo en un proyecto académico que profundice un poco más en las bondades de este estándar de construcción. Este proyecto se realiza mediante la modalidad de Practicum en la empresa GUNTAMATIC SERVICE SPAIN SL, bajo el nombre de SOLICLIMA, especializada en cubrir las necesidades energéticas de particulares e instituciones públicas y privadas mediante instalaciones basadas en las energías renovables y el ahorro energético, tales como la generación de agua caliente mediante energía solar, calefacción de alto rendimiento, calderas de bajo consumo, o el reciclaje de aguas grises y pluviales. Este trabajo parte de un proyecto que dicha empresa está estudiando desarrollar en la calle Pineda nº 58 con el estándar Passivhaus. Inicialmente, el proyecto se centra en una explicación de los conceptos generales de la arquitectura sostenible pasiva y de los criterios que definen el estándar de edificios de bajo consumo energético Passivhaus. Seguidamente se estudia la vivienda en sí, así como su sistema constructivo y sus materiales de construcción, y el consumo de energía y agua que requiere dicha vivienda. Este estudio de la vivienda se realiza de acuerdo a los criterios del Código Técnico de la Edificación y el Decreto de Ecoeficiencia en la zona climática de Barcelona. El objetivo posterior es conocer los sistemas a integrar en la vivienda para su desconexión de los suministros de electricidad y agua, y así poder calcular los costes de electricidad y agua y la amortización de dichas instalaciones en el tiempo. Se pretende con ello demostrar los ahorros que se podrían obtener implementando el estándar Passivhaus y la eficacia de estos sistemas en las viviendas, así como su tiempo de amortización

Disseny de la implantació d'una instal·lació fotovoltaica a una indústria per autoconsum

El projecte mostrat en aquesta memòria consisteix en el disseny de la implantació d’una instal·lació fotovoltaica per autoconsum connectada a xarxa, situada sobre d’una marquesina en el pàrquing del recinte industrial de l’empresa Cisternas Germans Navarro S.L. La instal·lació fotovoltaica s’utilitzarà per a generar energia per a les seves oficines, amb una potència instal·lada de 27,72 kWp, els excedents s’abocaran a xarxa i estaran acollits a compensació. Tant el disseny de la instal·lació generadora com el sistema de distribució s’han dissenyat adequant-se a la normativa vigent. L’estudi i els càlculs realitzats per a dissenyar la instal·lació s’han comprovat fent una simulació utilitzant el programa PVsyst, una eina professional que permet l’estudi, la simulació i anàlisis de dades i resultats complets de sistemes fotovoltaics. S’ha realitzat un estudi mediambiental i un estudi de la reducció d’emissions de diòxid de carboni, que demostren que el projecte s’emmarca dins dels objectius de sostenibilitat de l’Agenda 2030 de les Nacions Unides, el Green Deal de la Unió Europea i el Pacte per a la Transició Energètica de Catalunya.El proyecto mostrado en esta memoria consiste en el diseño de la implantación de una instalación fotovoltaica para autoconsumo conectada a red, situada encima de una marquesina en el parking del recinto industrial de la empresa Cisternas Germans Navarro S.L. La instalación fotovoltaica se utilizará para generar energía para sus oficinas, con una potencia instalada de 27,72 kWp, los excedentes se verterán a red y estarán acogidos a compensación. Tanto el diseño de la instalación generadora como el sistema de distribución se han diseñado adecuándose a la normativa vigente. El estudio y los cálculos realizados para diseñar la instalación se han comprobado haciendo una simulación utilizando el programa PVsyst, una herramienta profesional que permite el estudio, la simulación y el análisis de datos y resultados completos de sistemas fotovoltaicos. Se ha realizado un estudio medioambiental y un estudio de la reducción de emisiones de dióxido de carbono, que demuestran que el proyecto se enmarca dentro de los objetivos de sostenibilidad de la Agenda 2030 de las Naciones Unidas, el Green Deal de la Unión Europea y el Pacto para la Transición Energética de Cataluña.This dissertation consists of the design of the implementation of a photovoltaic installation for self-consumption connected to the electrical grid, located on top of a car parking canopy in the industrial premises of the company named Cisternas Germans Navarro S.L. The photovoltaic installation will be used to generate energy for the company’s offices, with an installed power of 27.72 kWp, surpluses will be poured into the grid with economic compensation. Both the design of the photovoltaic installation and the distribution system have been designed in compliance with the current regulations. The study and calculations to design the installation have been verified by performing a simulation using the PVsyst program, a professional tool that allows the study, simulation and analysis of data and results of photovoltaic systems. An environmental study and a study of the reduction of carbon dioxide have been conducted, demonstrating that the project is in line with the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations, the European Union Green Deal and the Pact for the Energy Transition of Catalonia.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No ContaminantObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clim

Preparation and uses of chlorinated glycerol derivatives

Crude glycerol (C3H8O3) is a major by-product of biodiesel production from vegetable oils and animal fats. The increased biodiesel production in the last two decades has forced glycerol production up and prices down. However, crude glycerol from biodiesel production is not of adequate purity for industrial uses, including food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The purification process of crude glycerol to reach the quality standards required by industry is expensive and dificult. Novel uses for crude glycerol can reduce the price of biodiesel and make it an economical alternative to diesel. Moreover, novel uses may improve environmental impact, since crude glycerol disposal is expensive and dificult. Glycerol is a versatile molecule with many potential applications in fermentation processes and synthetic chemistry. It serves as a glucose substitute in microbial growth media and as a precursor in the synthesis of a number of commercial intermediates or fine chemicals. Chlorinated derivatives of glycerol are an important class of such chemicals. The main focus of this review is the conversion of glycerol to chlorinated derivatives, such as epichlorohydrin and chlorohydrins, and their further use in the synthesis of additional downstream products. Downstream products include non-cyclic compounds with allyl, nitrile, azide and other functional groups, as well as oxazolidinones and triazoles, which are cyclic compounds derived from ephichlorohydrin and chlorohydrins. The polymers and ionic liquids, which use glycerol as an initial building block, are highlighted, as well.This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (grants: MINECO/FEDER CTQ2015-70982-C3-1-R) and by the Generalitat de Catalunya, Grant 2017 SGR 828, to the Agricultural Biotechnology and Bioeconomy Unit (ABBU)

Inactivation of rice starch branching enzyme IIb triggers broad and unexpected changes in metabolism by transcriptional reprogramming

Starch properties can be modified by mutating genes responsible for the synthesis of amylose and amylopectin in the endosperm. However, little is known about the effects of such targeted modifications on the overall starch biosynthesis pathway and broader metabolism. Here we investigated the effects of mutating the OsSBEIIb gene encoding starch branching enzyme IIb, which is required for amylopectin synthesis in the endosperm. As anticipated, homozygous mutant plants, in which OsSBEIIb was completely inactivated by abolishing the catalytic center and C-terminal regulatory domain, produced opaque seeds with depleted starch reserves. Amylose content in the mutant increased from 19.6 to 27.4% and resistant starch (RS) content increased from 0.2 to 17.2%. Many genes encoding isoforms of AGPase, soluble starch synthase, and other starch branching enzymes were up-regulated, either in their native tissues or in an ectopic manner, whereas genes encoding granule-bound starch synthase, debranching enzymes, pullulanase, and starch phosphorylases were largely down-regulated. There was a general increase in the accumulation of sugars, fatty acids, amino acids, and phytosterols in the mutant endosperm, suggesting that intermediates in the starch biosynthesis pathway increased flux through spillover pathways causing a profound impact on the accumulation of multiple primary and secondary metabolites. Our results provide insights into the broader implications of perturbing starch metabolism in rice endosperm and its impact on the whole plant, which will make it easier to predict the effect of metabolic engineering in cereals for nutritional improvement or the production of valuable metabolites.We would like to acknowledge funding from Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain (RTI2018-097613-BI00 to C.Z., PGC2018-097655-B-I00 to P.C., and AGL2017-85377-R to T.C.); Generalitat de Catalunya Grant 2017 SGR 828 to the Agricultural Biotechnology and Bioeconomy Unit; and the European Union Framework Program DISCO (from discovery to final products: a next-generation pipeline for the sustainable generation of high-value plant products; Project 613513) to P.D.F

Synthesis and Thermophysical Characterization of Fatty Amides for Thermal Energy Storage

Nine monoamides were synthesized from carboxylic acids (C8-C18) and crude glycerol. The final monoamides were the result of a rearrangement of the acyl chain during the final hydrogenation process. The purity of the final compounds was determined by spectroscopic and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques. The thermophysical properties of solid monoamides were investigated to determine their capability to act as phase change materials (PCM) in thermal energy storage. Thermophysical properties were determined with a di erential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The melting temperatures of the analyzed material ranged from 62.2 C to 116.4 C. The analyzed enthalpy of these monoamides ranged from 25.8 kJ/kg to 149.7 kJ/kg. Enthalpy values are analyzed considering the carbon chain and the formation of hydrogen bonds.This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (grants: MINECO/FEDER CTQ2015-70982-C3-1-R and MINECO/FEDER RTI2018-093849-B-C31). This work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme. Acknowledgments: R.C.-G. and L.F.C. would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research groups (grants 2017 SGR 828 and GREiA 2017 SGR 1537, respectively). DBA and GREiA are certified agent TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia

Rendered-protein hydrolysates as a low-cost nitrogen source for the fungal biotransformation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

first_page settings Order Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Rendered-Protein Hydrolysates as a Low-Cost Nitrogen Source for the Fungal Biotransformation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural by Diana Cosovanu 1, Alberto Millán Acosta 1, Pau Cabañeros López 2, Krist V. Gernaey 2 [ORCID] , Qian Li 3, Rene Lametsch 3, Ramon Canela-Garayoa 1 [ORCID] , Jordi Eras 1 [ORCID] and Gemma Villorbina 1,* [ORCID] 1 Chemistry Department, University of Lleida, Alcalde Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain 2 Process and Systems Engineering Center (PROSYS), Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Building 228 A, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark 3 Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Catalysts 2022, 12(8), 839; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12080839 Received: 9 June 2022 / Revised: 19 July 2022 / Accepted: 21 July 2022 / Published: 30 July 2022 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Enzyme Catalysis, Biotransformation and Bioeconomy) Download Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a platform chemical that can be converted into a wide range of high-value derivatives. Industrially, HMF-based derivatives are synthesized via chemical catalysis. However, biocatalytic transformation has emerged as an attractive alternative. Significant advances have been made in the last years using isolated enzymes and whole-cell biocatalysts in HMF biotransformation. Nonetheless, one of the major bottlenecks is the cost of the process, mainly due to the microorganism growth substrate. In this work, biotransformation studies to transform HMF into 2,5-di(hydroxymethyl)furan (DHMF) were carried out with the fungus Fusarium striatum using low-cost protein hydrolysates. The protein hydrolysates were obtained from fines, an unexploited material produced during the rendering process of meat industry waste residues. Given the high content in the protein of fines, of around 46%, protein hydrolysis was optimized using two commercially available proteases, Alcalase 2.4 L and Neutrase 0.8 L. The maximum degree of hydrolysis (DH) achieved with Alcalase 2.4 L was 21.4% under optimal conditions of 5% E/S ratio, pH 8, 55 °C, and 24 h. On the other hand, Neutrase 0.8 L exhibited lower efficiency, and therefore, lower protein recovery. After optimization of the Neutrase 0.8 L process using the response surface methodology (RSM), the maximum DH achieved was 7.2% with the variables set at 15% E/S ratio, initial pH 8, 40 °C, and 10.5 h. Using these hydrolysates as a nitrogen source allowed higher sporulation of the fungus and, therefore, the use of a lower volume of inoculum (three-fold), obtaining a DHMF yield > 90%, 50% higher than the yield obtained when using commercial peptones. The presented process allows the transformation of animal co- and by-products into low-cost nitrogen sources, which greatly impacts the industrial feasibility of HMF biotransformation.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation PID2019110735RB-C21, by the Catalan government, 2017 SGR 828, and by the University of Lleida "Ajuts per a personal predoctoral de la UdL en formacio i ajuts Jade Plus" awarded to Diana Cosovanu

Combining biocatalysts to achieve new phase change materials. Application to non-edible animal fat

"Formerly known as Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical"The thermal properties of various alkyl threo-9, 10-dihydroxystearates (DHSEs) prepared from non-edible fat were studied. Non-edible animal fat was hydrolyzed in a 93% yield with R. oryzae resting cells. Crude unsaturated fatty acids were recovered from the matter liquor resulting from a crystallization performed to achieve the saturated fatty acids. These unsaturated free fatty acids were epoxidized with 30% H2O2 using immobilized Candida antarctica Lipase-B (CAL-B) as biocatalyst. The epoxy ring was cleaved with hot water in the presence of tert-butanol (t-BuOH). Pure threo-9, 10-dihydroxystearic acid (DHSA) from animal fat was recovered by crystallization (51% yield). Subsequently, DHSA was esterified in alpha-limonene using biocatalysts yielding twelve DHSEs (58-90% yield). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of these esters revealed potential latent heats ranging from 136.83 kJ kg−1 to 234.22 kJ kg−1 and melting temperatures from 52.45 ◦C to 76.88 ◦C. Finally, the compounds with enthalpies above 200 kJ kg−1 were subjected to 100 and 1000 thermal cycles. These experiments showed that these products present good thermal reliability.GREA and DBA are certified agents TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia. We thanks to Subproductos Cárnicos Echevarria y Asociados S.L (Cervera, Spain) for supplying the non-edible fat. Moreover, the research leading to these results has received funding from the European Commission Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) under grant agreement no PIRSES-GA-2013-610692 (INNOSTORAGE) and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no 657466 (INPATH-TES). The authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research groups GREA (2014 SGR 123) and Agricultural Biotechnology Research Group (2014 SGR 1296). This work has been partially funded by the Spanish government (CTQ2015-70982-C3-1-R (MINECO/FEDER) and ENE2015-64117-C5-1-R (MINECO/FEDER). Aran Solé would like to thank Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España for Grant Juan de la Cierva, FJCI-2015-25741

Valoración económica y amortización de la desconexión de suministros de agua y electricidad en una casa sostenible

El presente Trabajo de Final de Grado tiene por objeto el estudio de una vivienda con parámetros del estándar alemán Passivhaus ubicada en el municipio de Palau-Solità i Plegamans y la desconexión de la misma de los suministros de electricidad y agua de las compañías. Viene motivado por mi experiencia personal en el Diploma de Ampliación de Competencias de Eficiencia Energética realizado a partir de febrero de 2014 en la universidad Politécnica de Cataluña y es mi deseo de plasmarlo en un proyecto académico que profundice un poco más en las bondades de este estándar de construcción. Este proyecto se realiza mediante la modalidad de Practicum en la empresa GUNTAMATIC SERVICE SPAIN SL, bajo el nombre de SOLICLIMA, especializada en cubrir las necesidades energéticas de particulares e instituciones públicas y privadas mediante instalaciones basadas en las energías renovables y el ahorro energético, tales como la generación de agua caliente mediante energía solar, calefacción de alto rendimiento, calderas de bajo consumo, o el reciclaje de aguas grises y pluviales. Este trabajo parte de un proyecto que dicha empresa está estudiando desarrollar en la calle Pineda nº 58 con el estándar Passivhaus. Inicialmente, el proyecto se centra en una explicación de los conceptos generales de la arquitectura sostenible pasiva y de los criterios que definen el estándar de edificios de bajo consumo energético Passivhaus. Seguidamente se estudia la vivienda en sí, así como su sistema constructivo y sus materiales de construcción, y el consumo de energía y agua que requiere dicha vivienda. Este estudio de la vivienda se realiza de acuerdo a los criterios del Código Técnico de la Edificación y el Decreto de Ecoeficiencia en la zona climática de Barcelona. El objetivo posterior es conocer los sistemas a integrar en la vivienda para su desconexión de los suministros de electricidad y agua, y así poder calcular los costes de electricidad y agua y la amortización de dichas instalaciones en el tiempo. Se pretende con ello demostrar los ahorros que se podrían obtener implementando el estándar Passivhaus y la eficacia de estos sistemas en las viviendas, así como su tiempo de amortización

Synthesis of fluorinated analogs of myristic acid as potential inhibitors of egyptian armyworm (Spodoptera littorialis) Δ11 desaturasedesaturase

7 pages, 1 figure, 1 scheme.-- PMID: 14577666 [PubMed].-- Available online Nov 17, 2006.To study the activity of the different desaturases present in the pheromone biosynthetic pathway of the Egyptian armyworm, Spodoptera littoralis, we prepared a series of mono-and gem-difluorinated analogs of myristic acid with halogen substitution at the C8–C11 positions of the aliphatic chain via specifically positioned dithiane precursors. Thus, transformation of dithianes by treatment with N-bromosuccinimide in the presence of H2O followed by reduction with LiAIH4 afforded the appropriate alcohols, which reacted with diethylaminosulfur trifluoride to give rise to the corresponding monofluoroderivative intermediates. Alternatively, the introduction of the gem-difluoro functionality was carried out by reaction of the appropriate dithiane intermediate with 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin in the presence of HF/pyridine. The activity of these fluorinated FA as substrates and inhibitors of the desaturases involved in the biosynthesis of the sex pheromonal blend of S. littoralis has been studied. In this case, 11-fluorotetradecanoic acid elicited a moderate inhibitory activity of Δ11 desaturase.Financial support for this work by the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (grant AGL-2001-0585), Comissionat per a Universitats i Recerca from the Generalitat de Catalunya (grant 2001SGR-00342) and Sociedad Española de Desarrollos Químicos.Peer reviewe