The project BioP2M came to a close in June 2019 after a consortium of stakeholders in the field of energy transition worked together to research the diverse role of Methane. In this report the results are presented and future plans are discussed.
DOCUMENT
The Andean lupin (Lupinus mutabilis) is one of the lost crops of Incas and has been grown in South America and as a food crop for thousands of years. The seeds are the main source of commercial value regarding the high content of oil (about 20%), protein (about 43%) and carbohydrates (about 33%). A European Union H2020 project, LIBBIO, aims to develop and optimize the breeding and cropping of the Andean lupin in the Europe, and to process the lupin seeds for new and high-value products for consumers and for incorporation into otherproducts. This study works at optimizing the oil extraction from the lupin seeds using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), which has been tested for lupin oil extraction and is advantageous over organic extractants due to the mild operating temperature, costeffectiveness, nontoxicity, and easy post-separation.In the study designed by response surface methodology, the operating pressure,temperature, scCO2 flowrate, and sample mesh size, were investigated on their effect on the oil extraction efficiency. The pressure, scCO2 flowrate and mesh size were found to affect the extraction efficiency significantly. The higher the pressure and the smaller the mesh, the more oil was extracted over a specific period. Optimally about 85% of the oil was extracted by scCO2 compared with conventional Soxhlet extraction using hexane as the extractant. Oleicacid (46%) and Linoleic acid (32%) are the two main fatty acids in the extracted oil. About 80% of the fatty acids are unsaturated. The stearic acid is one of the main saturated fatty acids, which has relatively positive effects on human health to others. The pressure was found to significantly affect the fractions of the saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The content of tocopherols in the extracted oil ranged from 1 to 20 mg/100g oil, which is comparable withliterature value.
DOCUMENT
Technological development from horse-drawn carriages to the new Airbus A380 has led to a remarkable increase in both the capacity and speed of tourist travel. This development has an endogenous systemic cause and will continue to increase carbon dioxide emissions/energy consumption if left unchecked. Another stream of technological research and development aims at reducing pollution and will reduce emissions per passenger-kilometer, but suffers from several rebound effects. The final impact on energy consumption depends on the strength of the positive and negative feedback in the technology system of tourism transport. However, as the core tourism industry including tour operators, travel agencies, and, accommodation has a strong link with air transport, it is unlikely that technological development without strong social and political control will result in delivering the emission reductions required for avoiding dangerous climate change.
DOCUMENT
Oil extraction from Andean lupin beans (Lupinus mutabilis SWEET) via supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) was studied on both lab scale and pilot scale. On the lab scale, the effect of pressure, solvent-to-feed ratio (S/F), sample particle size and temperature on oil yield were evaluated. The oil quality (fatty acid [FA] composition and tocopherol content) were investigated. Five-hour scCO2 extraction yielded about 86% oil of Soxhlet extraction (using hexane as solvent). The fraction of unsaturated FA rose with extraction pressure at specific time. High tocopherol contents were detected in oils extracted at low pressure. An increase in temperature was unfavorable to oil and tocopherol yield, thereby confirming the validity for preserving oil extract quality under a mild scCO2 extraction condition. Oil quality and yield did not have identical optimum settings, opening up possibilities for producing different qualities of oils. Pilot-scale extraction offered comparable oil yield to lab-scale extraction at similar S/F ratio. Economic evaluation showed that it is promising to implement industrial scale scCO2 process for lupin oil extraction. It was predicted that, at a specific industrial scale of extraction (2 × 1000 L, 550 bar, 40°C and S/F of 24), the manufacturing cost of oils got close to actual commercial production cost.
DOCUMENT
The carbon footprint for the downstream dairy value chain, milk collection and dairy processing plants was estimated through the contribution of emissions per unit of collected and processed milk, whereas that for the upstream dairy value chain, input supply and production was not considered. A survey was conducted among 28 milk collectors and four employees of processing plants. Two clusters were established: small- and large-scale milk collectors. The means of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilogramme (CO2-eq/kg) milk were compared between clusters by using independent sample t-test. The average utilisation efficiency of milk cooling refrigerators for small- and large-scale collectors was 48.5 and 9.3%, respectively. Milk collectors released carbon footprint from their collection, cooling and distribution practices. The mean kg CO2-eq/kg milk was 0.023 for large-scale collectors and 0.106 for small-scale collectors (p < 0.05). Milk processors contributed on average 0.37 kg CO2-eq/kg milk from fuel (diesel and petrol) and 0.055 from electricity. Almi fresh milk and milk products processing centre emitted the highest carbon footprint (0.212 kg CO2-eq/kg milk), mainly because of fuel use. Generally, in Ziway-Hawassa milk shed small-scale collectors released higher CO2-eq/kg milk than large-scale collectors.
DOCUMENT
Wind and solar power generation will continue to grow in the energy supply of the future, but its inherent variability (intermittency) requires appropriate energy systems for storing and using power. Storage of possibly temporary excess of power as methane from hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide is a promising option. With electrolysis hydrogen gas can be generated from (renewable) power. The combination of such hydrogen with carbon dioxide results in the energy carrier methane that can be handled well and may may serve as carbon feedstock of the future. Biogas from biomass delivers both methane and carbon dioxide. Anaerobic microorganisms can make additional methane from hydrogen and carbon dioxide in a biomethanation process that compares favourably with its chemical counterpart. Biomethanation for renewable power storage and use makes appropriate use of the existing infrastructure and knowledge base for natural gas. Addition of hydrogen to a dedicated biogas reactor after fermentation optimizes the biomethanation conditions and gives maximum flexibility. The low water solubility of hydrogen gas limits the methane production rate. The use of hollow fibers, nano-bubbles or better-tailored methane-forming microorganisms may overcome this bottleneck. Analyses of patent applications on biomethanation suggest a lot of freedom to operate. Assessment of biomethanation for economic feasibility and environmental value is extremely challenging and will require future data and experiences. Currently biomethanation is not yet economically feasible, but this may be different in the energy systems of the near future.
DOCUMENT
Teachers and students need good learning environments to perform well. In this study it is pre-supposed that the spatial properties of classrooms can contribute to the quality of the educational process. Thermal, acoustic and visual conditions and indoor air quality (IAQ) may be extremely powerful in order to support the in-class tasks of teachers and students. But what are the optimal conditions? And do schools provide optimal indoor 2019 ISES ISIAQ Joint Annual Meeting – Abstracts | 362 environmental conditions? Research shows that adequate ventilation and thermal comfort in classrooms could improve academic performance of students. However, different studies also suggest that poor indoor environmental quality in classrooms are common and, in some cases, even unhealthy. This study investigates the relationship between indoor air quality (IAQ), perceived indoor air quality (PIAQ) and building-related symptomsof students in university classrooms via subjective assessment and objective measurement. This study was carried out in 59 classrooms of a university of applied sciences in the northern part of the Netherlands during heatingseason. Responses from 366 students were obtained through a questionnaire. Results shows that carbon dioxide concentrations (CO2) exceed minimum Dutch guidelines in 36% of the observed classrooms. Moreover, after a 40 minute class this raised to 45% of the observed classes. Poor IAQ can affect teachers and students level of attention, cause arousal and increase the prevalence of building-related symptoms. A significant correlation was found between CO2 concentrations and PIAQ and between PIAQ and the ability to concentrate, tiredness and dry skin. The research findings imply that increased CO2 concentrations will affect the PIAQ of students and may cause inability to concentrate, increased tiredness and dry skin. These building-related symptoms can cause distraction and affect the academic performance of students negatively. It is highly recommended to improve IAQ in classrooms by offering better indoor environmental conditions through reducing CO2 concentrations.
DOCUMENT
This century, greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen oxides must be significantly reduced. Greenhouse gases absorb and emit infrared radiation that contributes to global warming, which can lead to irreversible negative consequences for humans and the environment. Greenhouse gases are caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as crude oil, coal, and natural gas, but livestock farming, and agriculture are also to blame. In addition, deforestation contributes to more greenhouse gases. Of the natural greenhouse gases, water vapor is the main cause of the greenhouse effect, accounting for 90%. The remaining 10% is caused from high to low by carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, chlorofluorocarbons, and ozone. In addition, there are industrial greenhouse gases such as fluorinated hydrocarbons, sulphurhexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride that contribute to the greenhouse effect too. Greenhouse gases are a major cause of climate change, with far-reaching consequences for the welfare of humans and animals. In some regions, extreme weather events like rainfall are more common, while others are associated with more extreme heat waves and droughts. Sea level rise caused by melting ice and an increase in forest fires are undesirable effects of climate change. Countries in low lying areas fear that sea level rise will force their populations to move to the higher lying areas. Climate change is affecting the entire world. An estimated 30-40% o f the carbon dioxide released by the combustion of fossil fuels dissolves into the surface water resulting in an increased concentration of hydrogen ions. This causes the seawater to become more acidic, resulting in a decreasing of carbonate ions. Carbonate ions are an important building block for forming and maintaining calcium carbonate structures of organisms such as oysters, mussels, sea urchins, shallow water corals, deep sea corals and calcareous plankton.
MULTIFILE
BACKGROUND: Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) stones are the major byproduct of the cherry industry and the efficient management of this biowaste can lead to achieving the food processing sustainability aimed at by the modern food industry. Despite its significant content of lipids, the valorization of cherry stone waste as feedstock for lipid extraction appears to be limited due to the high moisture content. This study explores the primary factors that affect the yield of lipid extraction using Soxhlet, Randall and supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) extraction methods, with a particular emphasis on yield optimization for green extraction technologies (scCO2). RESULTS: The investigation revealed an increased lipid extraction yield for scCO2 from 7.4 for dry crushed stones to 20.6 g per 100 g dry weight when the cherry kernels are separated. The high initial moisture content affected all three extraction methods, but mostly impacted the scCO2 extraction, resulting in the co-extraction of an aqueous phase. Lipid and aqueous yield could be manipulated by time, temperature and pressure. However, no observable influence on the composition of fatty acid methyl esters was detected. CONCLUSION: Numerous approaches are shown to enhance the lipid yield from cherry stone waste, depending on the desired outcome. When dealing with wet samples, Randall extraction proves to be the most effective method. On the other hand, scCO2 extraction presents distinct advantages, such as the extraction of food-grade lipids and the co-extraction of a unique aqueous phase, which comes at the expense of a reduced lipid yield. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
DOCUMENT
Contrary to most sectors, to date the tourism and aviation industries have not managed to level off greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, effective mitigation through technological innovation or structural and behavioural change cannot be expected shortly. Airlines and tourism companies appear to use carbon offsetting as a last resort. However, offsetting is generally acknowledged as a second-best solution for mitigating emissions, after reducing energy use. This paper seeks to determine the mitigation potential of voluntary carbon offsetting by comparing public and industry awareness of climate change and aviation emissions, and attitudes to various mitigation measures with relevant online communication by 64 offset providers. Methods were a literature review and online content analyses. Overall, the gaps that were identified between awareness, attitude and actual behaviour are not bridged by provider communication. From this perspective, the mitigation potential of voluntary carbon offsetting for achieving reductions of tourism transport emissions is estimated as low. The same conclusion is reached by comparing carbon dioxide volumes of flight offsets with actual air travel emissions. Current sales of flight offsets compensate less than 1% of all aviation emissions.
MULTIFILE
