Herein, a study of the thermal combustion/pyrolysis behaviour of three lignocellulosic biomass materials was tested. Alongside this, an investigation on the reduction of the subsequently produced ...pollution emissions was carried out. The lignocellulosic biomasses (miscanthus × giganteus, orange peel waste (OPW) and potato peel waste (PPW)) were physiochemically characterised, along with in-situ gas detection from the combustion/pyrolysis processes. XRD and EDX results showed high level of inorganic salts in the bulk and surface of the samples tested, which had an impact on the combustion/pyrolysis behaviour. Among the three lignocellulosic biomasses tested, OPW showed the highest higher heating value of 17.88 MJ Kg−1, whereas potato ash was the best candidate as a potential source of potassium (23.8 wt%) to be used in the fertiliser industry. The EDX results showed that miscanthus was the only lignocellulosic biomass to show high % Si in the surface composition. This was the reason for the low-temperature melting due to the formation of low fusion-temperature silicate as a result of SiO2, K, Cl and S. Pyrolysis experiments were conducted under pure nitrogen atmosphere, where hydrogen gas was observed in the temperature range of 580–700 °C. Combustion experiments were run under air where NOx emissions are generated during the combustion process. To mitigate those emissions, coupling the DeNOx catalyst with urea to construct an in-situ NH3-SCR system during the combustion achieved low levels of NOx emissions.
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•NOx gases were generated during the combustion process under air atmosphere.•Pt/TiO2/ZSM-5 did reduce the NOx emissions to a manageable level.•Coupling the DeNOx catalyst with urea during the combustion effectively reduced NOx emissions.•NOx emissions were converted into nitrogen and water over Pt/TiO2/ZSM-5 coupled with urea during the combustion.
The emergence of smart cities aims at mitigating the challenges raised due to the continuous urbanization development and increasing population density in cities. To face these challenges, ...governments and decision makers undertake smart city projects targeting sustainable economic growth and better quality of life for both inhabitants and visitors. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a key enabling technology for city smartening. However, ICT artifacts and applications yield massive volumes of data known as big data. Extracting insights and hidden correlations from big data is a growing trend in information systems to provide better services to citizens and support the decision making processes. However, to extract valuable insights for developing city level smart information services, the generated datasets from various city domains need to be integrated and analyzed. This process usually referred to as big data analytics or big data value chain. Surveying the literature reveals an increasing interest in harnessing big data analytics applications in general and in the area of smart cities in particular. Yet, comprehensive discussions on the essential characteristics of big data analytics frameworks fitting smart cities requirements are still needed. This paper presents a novel big data analytics framework for smart cities called “Smart City Data Analytics Panel — SCDAP”. The design of SCDAP is based on answering the following research questions: what are the characteristics of big data analytics frameworks applied in smart cities in literature and what are the essential design principles that should guide the design of big data analytics frameworks have to serve smart cities purposes? In answering these questions, we adopted a systematic literature review on big data analytics frameworks in smart cities. The proposed framework introduces new functionalities to big data analytics frameworks represented in data model management and aggregation. The value of the proposed framework is discussed in comparison to traditional knowledge discovery approaches.
Earlier studies on the use of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) for premature infants born at <34 weeks of gestation requiring respiratory support did not provide conclusive evidence of benefit. National ...guidelines generally discouraged the use in this population. More recent national guidelines endorsed the use of iNO in premature infants with hypoxic respiratory failure (HRF) associated with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).
Two recently published observational studies evaluated the effect of administering iNO on oxygenation in the first week of life. These studies compared premature infants born at the gestational age (GA) of <34 weeks with HRF associated with PPHN to term and late preterm infants born at the GA of ≥34 weeks who received iNO. Both studies showed a similar effect of iNO on oxygenation in the two infant cohorts. The response rate in the premature infant cohort was 59% in the first study and 90% in the second. The mean response time was 9.2 h and 10.3 h, and the mean duration of therapy was 3.5 days and 8.2 days, respectively.
The results of these studies support a trial of iNO in premature infants with persistent hypoxia despite optimum respiratory support. Obtaining a timely echocardiogram to exclude cardiac diseases and diagnose PPHN is logistically challenging for many clinicians, thus, a clinical diagnosis of PPHN might have to be made in these situations. Questions remain regarding the optimum dose of iNO and the duration of the initial iNO trial in these patients.KEY MESSAGESIn the most recently published studies, the improvement of oxygenation in iNO-treated infants born at <34 weeks of gestation with HRF and PPHN physiology was as effective as in infants born ≥34 weeks.These studies provide evidence supporting a trial of iNO in the subpopulation of premature infants with HRF associated with PPHN.
The global energy demand is projected to rise by almost 28% by 2040 compared to current levels. Biomass is a promising energy source for producing either solid or liquid fuels. Biofuels are ...alternatives to fossil fuels to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Nonetheless, policy decisions for biofuels should be based on evidence that biofuels are produced in a sustainable manner. To this end, life cycle assessment (LCA) provides information on environmental impacts associated with biofuel production chains. Here, we review advances in biomass conversion to biofuels and their environmental impact by life cycle assessment. Processes are gasification, combustion, pyrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis routes and fermentation. Thermochemical processes are classified into low temperature, below 300 °C, and high temperature, higher than 300 °C, i.e. gasification, combustion and pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is promising because it operates at a relatively lower temperature of up to 500 °C, compared to gasification, which operates at 800–1300 °C. We focus on 1) the drawbacks and advantages of the thermochemical and biochemical conversion routes of biomass into various fuels and the possibility of integrating these routes for better process efficiency; 2) methodological approaches and key findings from 40 LCA studies on biomass to biofuel conversion pathways published from 2019 to 2021; and 3) bibliometric trends and knowledge gaps in biomass conversion into biofuels using thermochemical and biochemical routes. The integration of hydrothermal and biochemical routes is promising for the circular economy.
Climate change is defined as the shift in climate patterns mainly caused by greenhouse gas emissions from natural systems and human activities. So far, anthropogenic activities have caused about ...1.0 °C of global warming above the pre-industrial level and this is likely to reach 1.5 °C between 2030 and 2052 if the current emission rates persist. In 2018, the world encountered 315 cases of natural disasters which are mainly related to the climate. Approximately 68.5 million people were affected, and economic losses amounted to $131.7 billion, of which storms, floods, wildfires and droughts accounted for approximately 93%. Economic losses attributed to wildfires in 2018 alone are almost equal to the collective losses from wildfires incurred over the past decade, which is quite alarming. Furthermore, food, water, health, ecosystem, human habitat and infrastructure have been identified as the most vulnerable sectors under climate attack. In 2015, the Paris agreement was introduced with the main objective of limiting global temperature increase to 2 °C by 2100 and pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C. This article reviews the main strategies for climate change abatement, namely conventional mitigation, negative emissions and radiative forcing geoengineering. Conventional mitigation technologies focus on reducing fossil-based CO
2
emissions. Negative emissions technologies are aiming to capture and sequester atmospheric carbon to reduce carbon dioxide levels. Finally, geoengineering techniques of radiative forcing alter the earth’s radiative energy budget to stabilize or reduce global temperatures. It is evident that conventional mitigation efforts alone are not sufficient to meet the targets stipulated by the Paris agreement; therefore, the utilization of alternative routes appears inevitable. While various technologies presented may still be at an early stage of development, biogenic-based sequestration techniques are to a certain extent mature and can be deployed immediately.
The multifunctional potential of a transition and noble metal catalyst supported on either a single support or combined oxide support in the catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM) is reviewed. ...The close interaction and interfacial area between the metal, reducible oxide, and acidic support are highlighted, which are crucial for low‐temperature CPOM. The effects of the catalyst components and their preparation methods are considered. Their impact on the catalytic performance and stability on the CPOM reaction is evaluated. The two main mechanisms of CPOM, namely, direct partial oxidation and combustion and reforming reaction, are also covered along with the most recent kinetic studies. Finally, the deactivation of the CPOM catalysts is evaluated in terms of coke and carbon deposition along with CO poisoning.
An overview is given on the multifunctional potential of a transition and noble metal catalyst supported on either single support or combined oxide support in the catalytic partial oxidation of methane. The factors influencing the oxidation reaction along with the mechanism and recent kinetic studies are reported. The deactivation of the catalytic partial oxidation of methane catalysts is evaluated.
Energy derived from fossil fuels contributes significantly to global climate change, accounting for more than 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and approximately 90% of all carbon dioxide ...emissions. Alternative energy from renewable sources must be utilized to decarbonize the energy sector. However, the adverse effects of climate change, such as increasing temperatures, extreme winds, rising sea levels, and decreased precipitation, may impact renewable energies. Here we review renewable energies with a focus on costs, the impact of climate on renewable energies, the impact of renewable energies on the environment, economy, and on decarbonization in different countries. We focus on solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, and geothermal energy. We observe that the price of solar photovoltaic energy has declined from $0.417 in 2010 to $0.048/kilowatt-hour in 2021. Similarly, prices have declined by 68% for onshore wind, 60% for offshore wind, 68% for concentrated solar power, and 14% for biomass energy. Wind energy and hydropower production could decrease by as much as 40% in some regions due to climate change, whereas solar energy appears the least impacted energy source. Climate change can also modify biomass productivity, growth, chemical composition, and soil microbial communities. Hydroelectric power plants are the most damaging to the environment; and solar photovoltaics must be carefully installed to reduce their impact. Wind turbines and biomass power plants have a minimal environmental impact; therefore, they should be implemented extensively. Renewable energy sources could decarbonize 90% of the electricity industry by 2050, drastically reducing carbon emissions, and contributing to climate change mitigation. By establishing the zero carbon emission decarbonization concept, the future of renewable energy is promising, with the potential to replace fossil fuel-derived energy and limit global temperature rise to 1.5 °C by 2050.
To facilitate the analysis of human actions, interactions and emotions, we compute a 3D model of human body pose, hand pose, and facial expression from a single monocular image. To achieve this, we ...use thousands of 3D scans to train a new, unified, 3D model of the human body, SMPL-X, that extends SMPL with fully articulated hands and an expressive face. Learning to regress the parameters of SMPL-X directly from images is challenging without paired images and 3D ground truth. Consequently, we follow the approach of SMPLify, which estimates 2D features and then optimizes model parameters to fit the features. We improve on SMPLify in several significant ways: (1) we detect 2D features corresponding to the face, hands, and feet and fit the full SMPL-X model to these; (2) we train a new neural network pose prior using a large MoCap dataset; (3) we define a new interpenetration penalty that is both fast and accurate; (4) we automatically detect gender and the appropriate body models (male, female, or neutral); (5) our PyTorch implementation achieves a speedup of more than 8x over Chumpy. We use the new method, SMPLify-X, to fit SMPL-X to both controlled images and images in the wild. We evaluate 3D accuracy on a new curated dataset comprising 100 images with pseudo ground-truth. This is a step towards automatic expressive human capture from monocular RGB data. The models, code, and data are available for research purposes at https://smpl-x.is.tue.mpg.de.
Supercapacitors are increasingly used for energy conversion and storage systems in sustainable nanotechnologies. Graphite is a conventional electrode utilized in Li-ion-based batteries, yet its ...specific capacitance of 372 mA h g
−1
is not adequate for supercapacitor applications. Interest in supercapacitors is due to their high-energy capacity, storage for a shorter period and longer lifetime. This review compares the following materials used to fabricate supercapacitors: spinel ferrites, e.g., MFe
2
O
4
, MMoO
4
and MCo
2
O
4
where M denotes a transition metal ion; perovskite oxides; transition metals sulfides; carbon materials; and conducting polymers. The application window of perovskite can be controlled by cations in sublattice sites. Cations increase the specific capacitance because cations possess large orbital valence electrons which grow the oxygen vacancies. Electrodes made of transition metal sulfides, e.g., ZnCo
2
S
4
, display a high specific capacitance of 1269 F g
−1
, which is four times higher than those of transition metals oxides, e.g., Zn–Co ferrite, of 296 F g
−1
. This is explained by the low charge-transfer resistance and the high ion diffusion rate of transition metals sulfides. Composites made of magnetic oxides or transition metal sulfides with conducting polymers or carbon materials have the highest capacitance activity and cyclic stability. This is attributed to oxygen and sulfur active sites which foster electrolyte penetration during cycling, and, in turn, create new active sites.
Global industrialization and excessive dependence on nonrenewable energy sources have led to an increase in solid waste and climate change, calling for strategies to implement a circular economy in ...all sectors to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Here we review circular economy strategies with focus on waste management, climate change, energy, air and water quality, land use, industry, food production, life cycle assessment, and cost-effective routes. We observed that increasing the use of bio-based materials is a challenge in terms of land use and land cover. Carbon removal technologies are actually prohibitively expensive, ranging from 100 to 1200 dollars per ton of carbon dioxide. Politically, only few companies worldwide have set climate change goals. While circular economy strategies can be implemented in various sectors such as industry, waste, energy, buildings, and transportation, life cycle assessment is required to optimize new systems. Overall, we provide a theoretical foundation for a sustainable industrial, agricultural, and commercial future by constructing cost-effective routes to a circular economy.
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