Dhanapati Deka

Ranking of Fuelwood Species by Fuel Value Index

Abstract Ten indigenous fuelwood species of northeast India were ranked by pair-wise comparison, a technique used by rural people for selection of fuelwood, and also from their fuel value indexes calculated by using three different formulae. It was found that the ranks of the species obtained from fuel value indexes calculated according to the formulae reported by Goel and Behl (1996) and Abbot et al. (1992) have sufficient resemblance with those obtained by pair-wise comparison.

Two-Stage Conversion of High Free Fatty Acid Jatropha curcas Oil to Biodiesel Using Brønsted Acidic Ionic Liquid and KOH as Catalysts

Biodiesel was produced from high free fatty acid (FFA) Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) by two-stage process in which esterification was performed by Brønsted acidic ionic liquid 1-(1-butylsulfonic)-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BSMIM]Cl) followed by KOH catalyzed transesterification. Maximum FFA conversion of 93.9% was achieved and it reduced from 8.15 wt% to 0.49 wt% under the optimum reaction conditions of methanol oil molar ratio 12 : 1 and 10 wt% of ionic liquid catalyst at 70°C in 6 h. The ionic liquid catalyst was reusable up to four times of consecutive runs under the optimum reaction conditions. At the second stage, the esterified JCO was transesterified by using 1.3 wt% KOH and methanol oil molar ratio of 6 : 1 in 20 min at 64°C. The yield of the final biodiesel was found to be 98.6% as analyzed by NMR spectroscopy. Chemical composition of the final biodiesel was also determined by GC-MS analysis.

A comparative study of Mesua ferrea L. based hybrid fuel with diesel fuel and biodiesel.

ABSTRACT The study presents preparation of a Mesua ferrea L. seed-oil-based emulsion hybrid fuel system by blending with alcohols (ethanol and butan-2-ol) in which butan-2-ol was employed as a surfactant. The study also deals with the investigation of the effect on fuel properties of the hybrid fuel due to the variation in surfactant amount and analysis of the prepared hybrid fuel system by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The experimental results show that the properties of the hybrid fuels were comparable to that of diesel and biodiesel.

Assessment of the fuel wood of India: A case study based on fuel characteristics of some indigenous species of Arunachal Pradesh

ABSTRACT Biomass in the form of fuelwood has been a source of energy for many centuries all over the world. In rural India, fuelwood remains the first choice of energy source. Arunachal Pradesh is home to many different tree species; so far most of the fuelwoods of Arunachal Pradesh have never been studied for their fuel characteristics. This study is carried out with the following objectives: (i) Identification and selection of indigenous fuelwood species, which are widely distributed throughout Arunachal Pradesh, North East India; (ii) quantitative and qualitative analysis of these fuelwoods; and (iii) to rank these fuelwoods according to their fuel value index.

Activated Carbon Supported CaO from Waste Shells as a Catalyst for Biodiesel Production

ABSTRACT In the wake of increasing environmental constraints, this work is aimed at developing a catalyst purely prepared from waste biomass source as the raw material. The catalyst is investigated for its applicability in transesterification of vegetable oil with the objectives: (i) to use waste shells of mollusk as raw material for the preparation of activated carbon and CaO; (ii) to use it as heterogeneous catalyst in the transesterification of waste cooking oil; (iii) to optimize the different parameters affecting the transesterification reaction; and (iv) to study its reusability. Under optimized conditions it was observed that a conversion >90% was possible and the catalyst could be reused five times with a slight loss in activity. This study indicates that the biomass source could also be used as a potential raw material in the synthesis of environmentally benign catalysts.

Biogas Quality Upgradation Using Musa bulbasiana : A Study on Domestic Biogas Plant

This study highlights an alternative route of biogas quality upgradation by absorption of CO2 using Musa bulbasiana stem (an agrowaste). The variations in percentage of CO2 absorption were investigated for different concentrations of ash (produced from Musa bulbasiana stem) in water and for different scrubber bed heights. Experimental results showed reduction in CO2 up to 20% from biogas, which also contributed to subsequent improvement in fuel quality with the increase in gross calorific value (GCV) of the gas. The activity period of the absorbents present in ash was also theoretically determined as 19 days (approx.). This approach of CO2 absorption from biogas using waste banana stem may be an economically favourable and attractive option with regards to domestic biogas production plants.

A Review of Underwater Robotics, Navigation, Sensing Techniques and Applications

The focus of this paper is to review the history of underwater robotics, advances in underwater robot navigation and sensing techniques, and an emphasis towards its applications. Following an introduction, the paper reviews development of the underwater robots since the mid 19th century to recent times. Advancements in navigation and sensing techniques for underwater robotics, and their applications in seafloor mapping and seismic monitoring of underwater oil fields were reviewed. Recent navigation and sensing techniques in underwater robotics has enabled their applications in visual imaging of sea beds, detection of geological samples, seismic monitoring of underwater oil fields and the like. This paper provides a recent review of underwater robotics in terms of history, navigation and sensing techniques, and their applications in seafloor mapping and seismic monitoring of underwater oil fields.

Designer Biodiesel: An Optimization of Fuel Quality by Blending Multiple Oils

Liquid biofuels such as biodiesel, derived from vegetable oils are gaining worldwide importance as a substitute for diesel fuel owing to their environmental advantages and renewable sources in nature. Since biodiesel has the similar fatty acid composition as the parent oil, its fuel properties are directly affected by the composition of the precursor vegetable oil. Various blends of some locally available vegetable oils such as Jatropha, Nahor, Yellow Oleander, Karanja, and Coconut were prepared by mixing at different volumetric ratios in the range of 1:1–1:10 (Jatropha: Coconut; Nahor: Coconut; Yellow Oleander: Coconut; Pongamia: Coconut, Jatropha: Yellow Oleander; Nahor: Yellow Oleander, Pongamia: Yellow Oleander, Pongamia: Jatropha, and Pongamia: Nahor). Biodiesel was prepared in laboratory scale from the pure vegetable oils and selected blends through a single step conc. H2SO4 catalyzed transesterification process and their fuel properties were analyzed in accordance with the standard test method. Fatty acid composition of the vegetable oils and the blends were elucidated by 1H NMR. The effect of fatty acid profile/composition on fuel properties such as cetane number, viscosity, calorific value, and iodine number has been measured.

Bio-inspired heterogeneous catalyst for sustainable biofuel production

The aim of BIOGAS3 is to promote the sustainable production of renewable energy from the biogas obtained of agricultural residues and food and beverage industry waste in small-scale concepts for energy self-sufficiency. Despite its multiple benefits, anaerobic digestion (AD) is not yet widely implemented in the agro-food sectors, or its implementation varies extremely between the EU-27 member states. New sustainable AD concepts are needed to increase the demand of biogas solutions. STRATEGY. 1) The needs of end-users in terms of energy demand, as well as their difficulties to install a biogas production facility will be analyzed. 2) Tools to address these needs will be developed. 3) on-field actions will be implemented to bring the developed tools to the end-users, including training sessions, workshops, webinars, national contact points, etc. A communication channel between the key actors will be developed and set in operation, to build capacity among them. The consortium includes agro-food associations, agro-food & bioenergy research centres, bioenergy associations, and training specialists oriented to renewables.T CatLiq® process is a catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction process that takes place at water supercritical conditions in the range of 230-250 bar and 350-420°C and the obtained biocrude oil is called as “Altaca oil”. “Altaca Oil” is synthesized from aqueous bio-waste such as lignocelluloses, proteins, fats and carbohydrates and their mixtures. In the development phase of the CatLiq® process, after a pilot scale studies, a demonstration plant was scaled up. The upgraded version of the lab pilot plant is currently operational in Gebze-Kocaeli, Turkey, and a series of tests have been conducted to optimize conversion conditions of bio-gasification and sewage sludge. Using delivered data via these tests, the pre-commercial demonstration plant was designed and, the plant is under construction at the Gonen, Balikesir/Turkey. During designing studies, for thermodynamic calculation and process simulation Aspen HYSYS 8.4, and Chemcad 6.1, for heat exchanger designs Aspen HTFS, for piping Bentley, for the stress analysis and materials choise PV Elite, and for fluid dynamic and heat transfer Fluent were used. General requirements were observed for ASME Section 3 Div.2 in the pre-commercial demonstration plant design. The demonstration plant mass flow feeding rate is 15 ton/h, while the mass flow feeding rate of pilot plant is 60 kg/h. It is limited for continuous process due to the fact that the pilot plant has some fluid behaviors as fouling, plug, particle flow. It has been forecast that these limitation will be solved at the scale up. The demonstration plant is an energy integrated system with heat recovery of 70%. Each waste heat stream at the plant was investigated in terms of its waste heat quantity (the approximate energy in the waste heat stream), quality (typical exhaust temperatures). Energy content of waste heat streams was considered as a function of mass flow rate, composition, and temperature, and was evaluated based on process energy consumption, typical temperatures, and mass balances. Ultimately, waste heat of any equipment was used for reaction energy of other equipment. Moreover, the plant was scaled up based on Best Available Technology. The plant is based on transforming the waste into a useful material and minimalizing waste production of the process.The bioliq project aims at the large scale production of syntheticbiofuels from biomass (BTL, biomass to liquids). The bioliq process concept has been designed to overcome the problems met, when low grade, residual biomass are to be used to a large extent as required in a BTL process. Biomass such as straw, hay, residual wood etc. usually exhibit low energetic densities, thus limiting collection area and transportation distances. On the other hand, the production of synthetic fuels requires large scale production facilities in accordance with economy of scale considerations. In the bioliq process, biomass is pre-treated in regionally distributed fast pyrolysis plants for energy densification. The products, pyrolysis char and liquid condensates, are mixed to form stable, transportable and pumpable slurries also referred as to biosyncrude. Thus biomass is energetically concentrated allowing for economic transport also over long distances. In industrial plants of reasonable size, the biosyncrude would be gasified in an entrained flow gasifier at a pressure slightly above that of the following fuel synthesis. On site of KIT, a pilot plant was constructed and commissioned for process demonstration, to obtain reliable mass and energy balances, for gaining practical experience, and to allow for reasonable cost estimates. The fast pyrolysis plant has a biomass feed capacity of 500 kg/h (2 MW(th)). A twin-screw reactor, equipped with a pneumatic heat carrier loop with sand as the heat carrier medium is the main technical feature of the plant. The high pressure entrained flow gasifier of 5 MW(th) thermal fuel capacity is an oxygen blown slagging reactor equipped with an internal cooling screen, particularly suited for the conversion of ash rich feeds and fast start up and shut down procedures. The raw synthesis gas is purified and conditioned by a high pressure hot gas cleaning system, consisting of a hot gas filter with ceramic filter elements, a fixed bed adsorption for HCl and H2S removal and a catalytic converter for decomposition of nitrogen and sulfur containing trace compounds. Afterwards, CO2 is separated. The purified synthesis gas is then converted to dimethyl ether in a one-step synthesis process, which in a subsequently following reaction is converted into fully compatible gasoline. Now, the pilot plant construction is completed and first operation took place by commissioning the whole process chain. The process development is embedded into a coherent R&D framework, allowing operation and further development on a science based basis. The pilot plant will be used as a research platform and offers many opportunities for collaborative work and joint projects with additional partners. The bioliq pilot plant is constructed and operated in cooperation with partners from chemical engineering and plant construction industries. Financial support was provided by the Germany Ministry of Agriculture and Food (BMEL), the state Baden-Württemberg and the European CommunityA digestion (AD) industry in the UK has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Over 130 operational AD plants in the UK outside the sewage treatment sector and more than 340 further projects are under development. Thus, there is an increasing demand for upgraded biogas to be used as vehicle fuel or injected to the natural gas grid. Since a typical biogas contains 1000 10,000 ppm hydrogen sulphide, its removal below 5ppm is required for uses beyond combined heat and power (CHP). Although a number of established methods exist for removal of hydrogen sulphide they tend to be costly for an average sized AD facility. A common industrial alternative to large-scale water-scrubbing is to adsorb hydrogen sulphide using a granular activated carbon (GAC) bed which is subsequently disposed as hazard waste. Accordingly, this research will focus on regeneration of activated carbon using an electric potential. The driving force is a high capacity system that is regenerative, inexpensive and leaves no waste. A 1% hydrogen sulphide / 99% nitrogen gas mixture is used as a benchmarked against an industrial activated carbon specifically used for hydrogen sulphide removal. Several electric conductive activated carbons (ECAC) then reported for their adsorption/ desorption potential. It is envisioned that this method can transform the production of bio-methane where early estimates have calculated that a regenerative system could save up to 50% of running costs.T development of cost-efficient pathways to deoxygenate crude bio-oil will contribute greatly to the sustainable production of biomass-derived fuels, as established methods, such as catalytic cracking or hydrodeoxygenation, suffer from low carbon yield and excessive hydrogen consumption, respectively. A cascade combination of three catalytic transformations combining pyrolysis, intermediate deoxygenation, and a subsequent hydrodeoxygenation step could address both issues simultaneously. Among different deoxygenation strategies, we are investigating the development of efficient base catalysts to exploit the intrinsic reactivity of aldehydes for deoxygenation via aldol condensations. Three different catalytic systems are considered: alkali metal-doped high-silica zeolites, supported MgO catalysts, and hydroxyapatites. The optimization of the concentration and strength of basic sites is shown to be the key to attain catalysts combining excellent activity and stability with a high selectivity in the self-condensation of propanal, which is studied as a model reaction. To evaluate the deoxygenation performance of the optimized catalysts under more realistic conditions, the complexity of the reaction mixture is increased stepwise by co-feeding water and acetic acid as representative components in bio-oil. Preliminary results for acetic acid-propanal mixtures (5-95%v/v) have revealed that the alkali metal-doped high-silica zeolites and supported MgO catalysts retain their stable and selective character, whereas the activity decreases (by ca. 50%) in all cases. The catalytic insights obtained with realistic mixtures are expected to be the key to rationalize the performance obtained with real bio-oil.

A Green Technology Based Production of Bio-Lubricant for Future, Cleaner Environment from Non-Edible Oil of North East India-A Review

Depletion of the natural resources, the issue of food security and increased attention towards environmental issues have driven the lubricant industries to stimulate the development of non-edible oil-based material as bio-lubricant. The term bio-lubricant applies to all lubricants that are both rapidly biodegradable and non-toxic to human and aquatic environments. Conventional lubricants are prepared from mineral oil, which is a non-renewable resource. Non-edible oils with high oleic acid content are promising alternative as a bio-lubricant because of their excellent lubricacy, biodegradability, better viscosity-temperature characteristics and low evaporation loss. However, their use is restricted due to low thermal-oxidative stability and poor cold-flow behaviour. Combining genetic modification with chemical modification, the aim of substituting commercial lubricants from renewable resources can be achieved. This review highlights the production methods of bio-lubricants from native non-edible oils available in the North Eastern region of India, documenting the characteristics of the produced bio-lubricants along with a comparative analysis of different bio-lubricants produced.