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Solar Energy for Biofuel Extraction
Published in Vladimir Strezov, Hossain M. Anawar, Renewable Energy Systems from Biomass, 2018
Haftom Weldekidan, Vladimir Strezov, Graham Town
There should be efficient utilization of biomass through the adoption of improved energy technologies. There are many existing processes that convert raw biomass to usable forms of energy and chemicals. These include combustion, pyrolysis, gasification, torrefaction, liquefaction, esterification and fermentation (Elliott et al., 1991, Strezov and Evans, 2015). These processes are considered as critical biomass utilization alternatives, offering economic benefits through the production of high-value fuel gasses and liquids, char and chemicals (Rapagnà et al., 1998, Han and Kim, 2008, Bulushev and Ross, 2011, Zhang et al., 2016). These processes are highly endothermic requiring large heat input, generally supplied from non-renewable sources of energy (Morales et al., 2014). Solar energy can be captured and stored in chemicals or fuels, also known as solar fuels, for later use and easy transportation. Utilization of solar energy for assisting the biomass conversion through distillation or thermochemical processing is expected to significantly improve the overall biofuel life cycle performance. Recently biofuel extraction technologies using concentrated solar energy have been tested in solar reactors with real sun (Zeng et al., 2017). Current technologies consist concentrating part with polished aluminium or glass mirror as reflecting surface, biomass reactors mostly made of quartz or borosilicate glasses and different types of metals such as copper and steel, and controllers for temperatures, heating rates, pressure and tracking units (Weldekidan et al., 2017).
Introduction
Published in Yatish T. Shah, Water for Energy and Fuel Production, 2014
Other important changes will also occur in the energy landscape over the next 30 years. More shift from hydrocarbon-based energy to non-hydrocarbon-based energy supply will occur. The use of hydrogen for energy will become more prominent. R&D efforts to produce hydrogen from water and other sources using novel techniques will increase. The efforts to use “solar fuels” will become more prominent. As mentioned earlier, the renewable energy will play a larger role in the energy portfolio. In short, energy economy will become less and less dependent on the hydrocarbon industry. The EMR also gives more details on other factors such as the nature of transportation fuel, the nature of vehicle use, and their energy consumptions Ill
Paths to the Energy Miracles
Published in H. B. Glushakow, Energy Miracles, 2022
Turning sunlight into chemical energy is what plants do every day. It is called photosynthesis, and scientists could adapt it to a larger purpose. One company is using sunlight to split off the hydrogen atoms of water and then combine them with carbon dioxide to produce a solar fuel-source directly from the sun. It is another work in progress because thus far the cost of doing it makes it impractical for large-scale application. To make it cheaper, they would need to create or discover new materials.
Exploring options for carbon abatement in the petroleum sector: a supply chain optimization-based approach
Published in International Journal of Systems Science: Operations & Logistics, 2023
Otman Abdussalam, Nuri Fello, Amin Chaabane
Some studies suggest the importance of CCS to achieve higher CO2 emissions reduction targets, but it comes with additional investment costs (Alhajri et al., 2013; Kangas et al., 2013; Nguyen et al., 2016). Further, several renewable energy technologies have been applied to use in the petroleum sector. It may play a significant role in mitigating CO2 emissions for long-term decisions (Alnifro et al., 2017). In the upstream sector, it feeds the power to the engines production offshore and onshore rigs. Various models have been developed to estimate solar radiation and solar energy utilization to reduce carbon footprints and decrease drilling costs (Halabi et al., 2015), reducing fire risk on offshore rigs. Also, implementing a solar energy plant has a significant impact on the downstream sector. The solar utility, optimized to collect and concentrate solar energy and/or convert solar energy to electricity or heat, can drive the refinery and petrochemical units. Each of these approaches can be used to generate environmentally friendly solar fuels that offer ‘efficient production, sufficient energy density, and flexible conversion into heat, electrical, or mechanical energy (Herron et al., 2015)
Natural Basil as Photosensitizer with ZnO Thin Films for Solar Cell Applications
Published in IETE Journal of Research, 2022
Tulshi Shiyani, S. K. Mahapatra, Indrani Banerjee
The generation of energy is a big challenge for mankind. Non-renewable energy such as fossil fuel is proved to be one of the reasons for environmental pollution and climate change. There is an urgent need to develop sustainable and environment-friendly renewable energy resources. The use of renewable energy is increasing for the generation of electricity worldwide to reduce applications of fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Solar energy is the most abundant source of renewable energy. Earth receives solar energy ∼12 × 1017 J/s, which is more than annual consumption (∼1.5 × 1013 J/s) [1]. Nature already uses solar energy to produce chemical energy viz photosynthesis [2,3]. Solar energy can be captured by mainly two approaches solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal. Solar energy can be converted into solar fuels (H2, O2) using photoelectrochemical splitting of water [4,5]. Capturing and storing the solar energy effectively is a challenge for academic as well as industry people. Solar PV cell is a solar energy conversion device that works on the principle of the photoelectric effect and converts solar to electrical energy for portable as well as large applications. Developing new materials and increasing the efficiency of solar cells or solar PV systems have become an important research area [6].