Abstract

The global warming is directly related to the increased greenhouse gas emissions from both natural and anthropogenic origins. There has been a drastic rise in the concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases since the industrial revolution primarily due to the intensifying consumption of fossil fuels. With the need to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate global warming certain strategies relating to carbon capturing and sequestration are indispensable. This paper comprehensively describes several physicochemical, biological and geological routes for carbon capture and sequestration. The trend of the increase in greenhouse gases over the years is illustrated along with the global statistics for fossil fuels usage and biofuels production. The physicochemical carbon capturing technologies discussed include absorption, adsorption, membrane separation and cryogenic distillation. The algal and bacterial systems, dedicated energy crops and coalbed methanogenesis have been vividly explained as the biological routes for carbon sequestration. The geological carbon sequestering route centers on biochar application and oceanic carbon storage. A systematic survey has been made on the origin and impact of greenhouse gases along with the potential for sequestration based on some fast-track and long-term sequestration technologies.

Abstract

The future roles of biomass and carbohydrate for meeting needs of food/feed, renewable materials, and transportation fuels (biofuels) remain controversial due to numerous issues, such as increasing food and feed needs, constraints of natural resources (land, water, phosphate, biomass, etc.), and limitations of natural photosynthesis, as well as competing energy conversion pathways and technologies. The goal of this opinion article is to clarify the future roles of biomass and biorefineries using quantitative data other than adjective words. In most scenarios, human beings could have enough biomass resource from plant photosynthesis for meeting the three goals at the same time: feeding 9 billion people, providing renewable materials, and producing transportation biofuels that could replace nearly all fossil fuel-based liquid fuels used in the land transportation in 2050. Land transport means will pass through transitions from internal combustion engines plus liquid fuels, to hybrid systems, to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), while battery electric vehicles (BEVs) could play a minor role. Next generation biorefineries based on artificial photosynthesis featuring ultra-high energy efficiency and low-water consumption could produce a large amount of carbohydrate and/or other biocommodities from hydrogen/electricity and CO2. In conclusion, it is time to develop next generation biorefineries, which will efficiently utilize nonfood biomass for the coproduction of multiple products from biofuels, biochemicals, to food/feed, and even store electricity/hydrogen by fixing CO2 to carbon-containing chemicals and biofuels. Next generation biorefineries will address the food, biofuels, and environment trilemma at the same time.

Abstract

It was determined the best experimental conditions for the production and evaluation of microalgae biomass, which come from Limoncocha, for the purpose of proving the feasibility of use in biofuel acquisition. Different crops were monitored in order to obtain the growth kinetics of microalgae and establish the yield with which they are produced on a laboratory scale controlling the different variables that interfere in this process. Once the biomass was gotten in the photo bioreactors, it was characterized to know its composition and lipid content. The productivity for the first consortium Vischeria/Scenedesmus sp was of 0,088 g L-1 day-1, which reached a total of 5030000 cel/mL and for the second consortium Chlorella/Monoraphidium Contortum sp was of 0,091 g L-1 day-1 with a total of 5537636 cel/mL. For the lipid composition through Soxhlet method by using a mixture of chloroform / methanol as solvents, the gotten results were from 16% out of the total lipids for Vischeria/Scenedesmus sp consortium and 42 % for Chlorella/Monoraphidium Contortum sp consortium. 

Abstract

South Africa has a nascent biofuels industry and emerging regulatory framework, and although water scarcity limits local supply potential, that of the southern African region appears substantial. This paper describes the results and modelling approach of an assessment of potential biofuel demand from South Africa's transport sector to 2050 that may respond to this supply under a number of scenarios. Findings suggest implementing biofuel mandates will require significant additional areas of land for local supply, but that the bulk of potential demand is highly dependent on the evolution of transport technology, particularly the penetration of flex-fuel passenger cars. Document type: Book

Abstract

Imagine a world in which people and goods can move with minimum impact on the local environment and climate. Imagine an intelligent transport system with smart infrastructure and smart, connected vehicles powered predominantly by renewable energy, and with enlightened end-users: private individuals and enterprises. Imagine a system that is actually based on user demand. That is what we would like to see. To put mobility and transport on the track to sustainability, we have to improve energy efficiency, switch to renewable energy and more efficient modes of mobility, and, most importantly, increase smartness at all levels of the system. In practice, the last point means smart and efficient mobility services, cooperative systems, and intelligent vehicles and infrastructure. VTT has a toolbox and the expertise to tackle all the key challenges of smart low-carbon mobility. And, to really make an impact, we are cooperating with all the key stakeholders in the field. Let us re-invent mobility and co-create a better future together!

Abstract

Part Three. Mobility in a low-carbon society; With 10.7% of global GHG emissions and 17.0% of global CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in 2005 (ITF, 2010), road transport is a key component of the transport sector's commitment to mitigating its impact on climate. While there is no silver bullet that will provide sufficient abatement given the scale of the effort needed in this complex sector, a review of existing and emerging low-carbon solutions reveals a range of promising levies. Long ignored by carbon pricing mechanisms, the sector will certainly see its emissions abatement furthered by the growing number of carbon pricing initiatives targeted at it. This chapter outlines the global trends of greenhouse gas emissions in the road transport sector and suggests a segmented analysis for those emissions. It then reviews technological, organizational and behavioural solutions for emissions reduction in road transport. Finally, it assesses the potential impacts of economic instruments and other public policies related to carbon emissions reduction, giving a feedback on existing carbon pricing experience in road transport.

Abstract

This paper summarises the findings from the SWAFEA preliminary state of the art study. It covers trends in aspects of future air transport, potential candidate fuels and associated feedstock along with sustainability and economical issues relevant for alternative fuels in aviation..

Abstract

The global aviation industry is facing complex and unpredictable market conditions with fluctuating oil prices and the adverse environmental impact of aircraft operations. Since the regulatory approval for biofuels, the first biojet fuel flight test in 2007, using a blend fuel, was a remarkable step towards having more test and schedule flights up to the year of 2014. The purpose of this paper is to engage this new alternative energy with the issues that airlines associate with sustainability, mainly focusing on aircraft operations and profitability. The key findings suggest that the uses of alternative energy need to be in parallel to the reliability and maintainability of the aircraft system, so that the adoption of biofuels can be effective.

Abstract

Finland has set ambitious long-term targets, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector and the whole energy system by 2050. By utilising the energy system model STREAM, which includes the power, heat and transport sectors, this paper develops two alternative scenarios for the transport sector by 2050—one with a high percentage of electric vehicles (EV) and another with a high percentage of biofuels (BIO), and compares the scenario results with a known Carbon-Neutral Scenario (CNS) which is adopted from the Nordic Energy Technology Perspective (IEA in Nordic energy technology perspective—pathways to a carbon-neutral energy future, 2013a). The socio-economic value of the total system cost is computed and the system integration of the transport sector with the electricity and heating sectors is simulated with an hourly time resolution. This study finds that a Finnish transport sector with a high share of EV by 2050 leads to the lowest total annual system cost of the scenarios and yields a reduction by 2.3% compared to CNS. While the transport configuration in the BIO scenario achieves the highest total annual system cost which is 0.4% higher than CNS. The robustness of the results is tested through a sensitivity analysis which shows that the costs (investment and maintenance) of biodiesel cars and EV are the most sensitive parameters in the comparative analysis of the scenarios. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book