Biofuel Production

Among the most pressing energy and environmental strategic challenges today is to identify and deploy viable alternatives to fossil-fuel-based energy systems  The barriers to deployment are systematic, leading to a state of affairs described as ‘carbon lock-in’ (Unruh
2000; Neuhoff 2007). Simply stated, even if alternative energy systems are cost-competitive in theory, the prime movers that control their diffusion throughout society –
for example, conversion and distribution infrastructure; financing mechanisms; skilled labour force; attitudes toward particular kinds of energy production activities and energy services – exhibit a preference for incumbent carbon-intensive fossil energy resources. Carbon lock-in represents path dependencies within energy systems including sunk-cost in prevailing infrastructure and entrenched political interests along with positively reinforcing relationships with broader system dynamics, from global financial logics that continue to monetise unburned carbon through energy
futures contracts to our everyday practices and expectations about mobility, comfort, and overall
well-being that underpin regular visits to the gasoline station. All of this is to say that energy systems are sociotechnical in nature, characterised by deep and often subtle interdependencies between technological, social, political-economic, and cultural processes which operate across the energy supply chain and at all scales of energy system operation (Miller, Richter, and O’Leary 2015).

The scope of present work was the modelling and mapping of maize biomass yield in correlation with water quality and irrigation water management effects in an experimental field with combi-national use of in situ measurements and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Geostatistical modeling. The investigation of drip irrigation frequency effects in yield and in the proportion of biomass in the various plant parts and in the distribution of soil moisture were studied, in an experimental parcel of three interventions (i.e. irrigation per 9, 12 and 15 days) in a four repli-cations, randomized complete block design (RCBD) with systematic plot arrangement, in a farm located in central Greece (Larissa), at the farming period of year 2003. The cut plants fractions results for the distribution of above ground biomass (dry matter), were: 47.74% grain, 26.72% stalk, 11.43% leaf, 7.25% cob, 6.86% husk, and for the distribution of biomass in stover (dry matter) were: 49.75% stalk, 22.27% leaf, 16.22% cob and 11.76% husk. The mean bio-mass in stover yield was found 11,562.99 kg ha À1. It was observed that the 9 days irrigation treatment resulted in the greatest biomass in stover yield (13,198.02 kg ha À1) and the highest potential for Bioethanol production (5,411.18 L ha À1), and from the statistical analysis of the plots harvested mean biomass yields, it was found that their values were significantly different at level of significance p < 0.05. ICT provided significant insight into the nature of biomass yield and the field's spatial variability as effected of the integrated irrigation water management and its biofuel potential, aiming at water savings and environmental protection.

Sulfuric acid, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and acid methanolysis methods for hydrolysis were evaluated and compared using standard monosaccharides and standard oligosaccharides. As a result, sulfuric acid hydrolysis was found to be suitable to determine crystalline cellulosic and amorphous xylanic saccharides. TFA method, however, could not achieve complete hydrolysis of cellooligosaccharides and xylooligosaccharides, while acid methanolysis was considered appropriate to determine monosaccharides in amorphous hemicellulose. Based on these lines of evidence, a combination of sulfuric acid hydrolysis and acid methanolysis methods was concluded to be appropriate to get accurate monosaccharides determination in biomass species, and the application of this combined method to Japanese beech, bamboo and rice husk samples presented reasonable results.

50 days' free access before August 07, 2021 https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1dGJs_V0xP0EGg ............................................................................................................... Outbreaks of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms present a serious threat to ecosystem safety and human well-being. Removal of toxic cyanobacterial biomass from freshwaters and its safe utilization is a worldwide problem. We showed that regulation of intracellular carbon flow by applying nitrogen deprivation strategy with light and inorganic carbon manipulation during the cultivation of cyanobacterium Microcystis allows efficiently convert its biomass into the biofuel feedstock. The proteomic analysis demonstrated that highly efficient feedstock production can be achieved during Microcystis culturing by nitrogen deprivation, which slows down the catabolic consumption of carbohydrates in cells. Further, we developed a novel approach that allows converting the natural Microcystis biomass into carbohydrate-rich feedstock by maintaining a high rate of carbohydrate production at minimal biomass losses. The yield attains 0.22 g ethanol per gram dry biomass, which is in the range of the ethanol yield of sugarcane, but higher than the values of sugarcane waste. The suggested approach provides cost-effective technology for sustainable green energy production from nuisance cyanobacterial biomass. The massive removal of toxic cyanobacterial biomass for bioethanol productions can mitigate the harmful cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic lakes, and positively affect their restoration.
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This project focuses on innovating upon a process of making Biofuel. One of the world's
largest sectors of Biofuel is Biodiesel, which has been made to create a renewable form of
energy for Diesel engines. The process of creating Biodiesel, called Transesterification, is the
chemical reaction in which the esters of alcohol and vegetable oil are transformed in order to
make Diesel fuel. Normally, this process uses the harsh chemicals Sodium Hydroxide and
Methanol, which limits what facilities can create the fuel. Along with this, growing crops just to

make fuel is not as sustainable as other options have shown. This causes a prevention of low-
income communities from being able to produce this fuel, and it is too hazardous for lower level

research like my own. The vast majority of my time was then spent on research on what could be
done to alleviate the issue of expense and safety. Through this, I designed a method to combine
the experiments of past scientists in order to optimize a safe creation of Biodiesel. I used Ethanol
to replace the toxic Methanol alcohol and used Magnesium Oxide to replace the Sodium
Hydroxide catalyst. In addition, this was done a more economical and renewable oil source,
waste vegetable oil. The only materials needed past these materials were a hot plate and frequent
stirring. Through this, I found that it is possible to yield Biodiesel with non-hazardous materials
and without needing advanced lab equipment, all for less than $20. Due to this success, others
and I could expand on the effectiveness to make it a complete rival to the hazardous chemicals
that were once needed. Using waste oil sources alongside these non-hazardous chemicals, the
safety and feasibility drastically rises, which poses a great future for Biofuel’s proliferation.

Aula sobre a produção de biodiesel a partir da mamona e do sebo animal como critério de obtenção de créditos na disciplina de Óleos Vegetais e suas vertentes, integrante do doutorado em biocombustíveis da Universidade de Uberlândia - UFU, ministrada pelo professor Dr. Ricardo Reis Soares.