Paramvir Singh

Effects of dual biofuel approach for total elimination of diesel on injection system by reciprocatory friction monitor

Biodiesel is a promising fuel which shows potential and gradually received attention as a best alternate feedstock for diesel engine. Previous investigations have shown that use of double biofuels in a diesel engine can be a promising aspect for complete elimination of diesel from compression ignition engines which will decrease our dependency on fossil fuels. The tribological performance of injection system is primarily based on the lubricity characteristics of the fuel. So, it is imperative to a more diversified research about the impact of using double biofuels in engine. In the present investigation, different biodiesel-oil blends were investigated using the ASTM D6079 by the reciprocatory friction monitor. The effect of temperature variation on lubricity characteristics was also studied. The biodiesel-oil blends shows improvement in results as compared to diesel. Biodiesel is prone to oxidation due to availability of unsaturation in their moieties. The effects of oxidation on lubricity characteristics were also studied. It was also found that the operating conditions collectively affected the lubricity characteristics of tested feedstocks.

Water Footprints of Hydropower Projects

As the world is shifting towards renewable energy power generation it becomes important to explore the correct picture of renewable energy technologies. Today every nation is ramping up investments in power sector and trying to increase its installed capacity of power generation through renewable energy due to benefits like less greenhouse gas emissions, less environmental impacts etc. associated with it. But at the same time it is being observed that it is important to assess the renewable energy technologies to find out their real environmental impacts. Among all renewable energy sources, hydropower is becoming the most popular and promising source throughout the world. The power generation through hydropower is solely depends on the availability of water resources so formation of large dams and reservoirs are associated with establishment of a hydropower plant. The effects of climate change affect the water resources throughout the world as well. Large scale reservoirs can be found as key players for low carbon and sustainable society in future. Consequently, it becomes important to assess the consumption of water from hydropower generation in terms of water footprints. This chapter reviews the estimation of water footprints of hydropower plants through different methodologies and come out to the conclusion that there is still requirement of an effective methodology for water footprints calculation of hydropower projects.

Effects of VOCs on Human Health

With broad commutability of pollutants, air pollution is a complicated issue that intimidates directly to human health and our environment. Various indoor and outdoor air pollution comprises of regulated and unregulated emissions. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are one of them which are carcinogenic and lead to photochemical reactions. Emissions of VOCs are directly associated with large number of industrial processes, emission through transportation, and various indoor and outdoor sources. Due to deleterious effect of different VOCs emitted from transportation, chemical industrial plants and from indoor on the environment make their eviction mandatory or at least degrade them under the limit set by environmental norms. So, it has turned a burning topic to diminish air pollutants and set a norm for volatile emissions. This study focuses on the major sources of carbonyl and aromatic compounds in indoor and outdoor environment. Some remedial processes like photocatalytic oxidation, plasma decomposition, chemisorption, and catalytic oxidation have been described in this study through which decomposition of these contaminants can be achieved. This chapter contains a deep study on health effects from the carbonyl and aromatic compounds.

Life Cycle Assessment of an Academic Building: A Case Study

Abstract With the advent of human population the need for energy consumption is growing every second. Due to these growing demands, energy production has reached to unprecedented levels. These in turn lead to great losses to environment in the form of various pollutants. With Kyoto protocol target obligations, quantification along with the reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the national level is an urgent requirement. Buildings are also one of the major sources of energy consumption and contributors of GHG emissions throughout their life cycle. Various studies based on life cycle assessment (LCA) have been carried out to assess the consumption of energy and environmental impacts allied with buildings. The present chapter deals with LCA of an academic building located at hilly terrain to quantify energy consumption along with GHG emissions. The obtained results are also compared with another LCA study to see the effects of location and climate change on energy consumption and GHG emissions.