Energies

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383 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficient Use of Energy Resources on French Farms: An Analysis through Technical Efficiency

by Mohamed Ghali, Laure Latruffe and Karine Daniel

Energies 2016, 9(8), 601; https://doi.org/10.3390/en9080601 - 29 Jul 2016

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5360

Integrating natural resources and ecological services in the production process is crucial to implement sustainable agriculture. However, the measurement of natural resource efficiency remains difficult. This paper aims at contributing to this issue, by investigating French farms’ use and excess (slack) of energy [...] Read more.

Integrating natural resources and ecological services in the production process is crucial to implement sustainable agriculture. However, the measurement of natural resource efficiency remains difficult. This paper aims at contributing to this issue, by investigating French farms’ use and excess (slack) of energy resources through Data Envelopment Analyses (DEA). Results show that disentangling energy resources from the rest of intermediate consumption highlights energy use excess which is masked when considering intermediate consumption as a whole. The analysis of the determinants of energy use excess and of intermediate consumption shows a discrepancy in results, which policy-makers should take into account when designing energy policies. In addition, results show that large and highly capital intensive farms perform better in terms of energy use excess, while the dependence on public subsidies is a constraint. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for Agriculture)

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4217 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Biodiesel-Diesel Blended Fuel Properties and Engine Performance with Ether Additive Using Statistical Analysis and Response Surface Methods

by Obed M. Ali, Rizalman Mamat, Gholamhassan Najafi, Talal Yusaf and Seyed Mohammad Safieddin Ardebili

Energies 2015, 8(12), 14136-14150; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81212420 - 16 Dec 2015

Cited by 68 | Viewed by 8088

Abstract

In this study, the fuel properties and engine performance of blended palm biodiesel-diesel using diethyl ether as additive have been investigated. The properties of B30 blended palm biodiesel-diesel fuel were measured and analyzed statistically with the addition of 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% [...] Read more.

In this study, the fuel properties and engine performance of blended palm biodiesel-diesel using diethyl ether as additive have been investigated. The properties of B30 blended palm biodiesel-diesel fuel were measured and analyzed statistically with the addition of 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% (by volume) diethyl ether additive. The engine tests were conducted at increasing engine speeds from 1500 rpm to 3500 rpm and under constant load. Optimization of independent variables was performed using the desirability approach of the response surface methodology (RSM) with the goal of minimizing emissions and maximizing performance parameters. The experiments were designed using a statistical tool known as design of experiments (DoE) based on RSM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for Agriculture)

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2875 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combustion of Microalgae Oil and Ethanol Blended with Diesel Fuel

by Saddam H. Al-lwayzy and Talal Yusaf

Energies 2015, 8(12), 13985-13995; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81212409 - 10 Dec 2015

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 7576

Abstract

Using renewable oxygenated fuels such as ethanol is a proposed method to reduce diesel engine emission. Ethanol has lower density, viscosity, cetane number and calorific value than petroleum diesel (PD). Microalgae oil is renewable, environmentally friendly and has the potential to replace PD. [...] Read more.

Using renewable oxygenated fuels such as ethanol is a proposed method to reduce diesel engine emission. Ethanol has lower density, viscosity, cetane number and calorific value than petroleum diesel (PD). Microalgae oil is renewable, environmentally friendly and has the potential to replace PD. In this paper, microalgae oil (10%) and ethanol (10%) have been mixed and added to (80%) diesel fuel as a renewable source of oxygenated fuel. The mixture of microalgae oil, ethanol and petroleum diesel (MOE20%) has been found to be homogenous and stable without using surfactant. The presence of microalgae oil improved the ethanol fuel demerits such as low density and viscosity. The transesterification process was not required for oil viscosity reduction due to the presence of ethanol. The MOE20% fuel has been tested in a variable compression ratio diesel engine at different speed. The engine test results with MOE20% showed a very comparable engine performance of in-cylinder pressure, brake power, torque and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) to that of PD. The NO_x emission and HC have been improved while CO and CO₂ were found to be lower than those from PD at low engine speed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for Agriculture)

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3816 KiB

Open AccessArticle

TOPSIS Multi-Criteria Decision Modeling Approach for Biolubricant Selection for Two-Stroke Petrol Engines

by Masoud Dehghani Soufi, Barat Ghobadian, Gholamhassan Najafi, Mohammad Reza Sabzimaleki and Talal Yusaf

Energies 2015, 8(12), 13960-13970; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81212408 - 09 Dec 2015

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 7374

Abstract

Exhaust pollutants from two-stroke petrol engines are a problem for the environment. Biolubricants are a new generation of renewable and eco-friendly vegetable-based lubricants, which have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In this paper, the applicability of the Technique for Order [...] Read more.

Exhaust pollutants from two-stroke petrol engines are a problem for the environment. Biolubricants are a new generation of renewable and eco-friendly vegetable-based lubricants, which have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In this paper, the applicability of the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method to support the process of building the scoring system for selecting an appropriate two-stroke lubricant has been analyzed. For this purpose, biolubricants (TMP-triesters) based on castor oil, palm oil, and waste cooking oil were produced and then utilized in a 200 cc two-stroke gasoline engine to investigate their effects on its performance and exhaust emissions. The results obtained from the use of the entropy technique in the TOPSIS algorithm showed that palm oil-based lubricant took up the greatest distance from the Negative Ideal Solution (NIS) and was selected as the most optimal lubricant for these types of engines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for Agriculture)

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757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Assessment of Direct on-Farm Energy Use for High Value Grain Crops Grown under Different Farming Practices in Australia

by Tek Maraseni, Guangnan Chen, Thomas Banhazi, Jochen Bundschuh and Talal Yusaf

Energies 2015, 8(11), 13033-13046; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81112353 - 17 Nov 2015

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5759

Abstract

Several studies have quantified the energy consumption associated with crop production in various countries. However, these studies have not compared the energy consumption from a broad range of farming practices currently in practice, such as zero tillage, conventional tillage and irrigated farming systems. [...] Read more.

Several studies have quantified the energy consumption associated with crop production in various countries. However, these studies have not compared the energy consumption from a broad range of farming practices currently in practice, such as zero tillage, conventional tillage and irrigated farming systems. This study examines direct on-farm energy use for high value grain crops grown under different farming practices in Australia. Grain farming processes are identified and “typical” farming operation data are collected from several sources, including published and unpublished literature, as well as expert interviews. The direct on-farm energy uses are assessed for 27 scenarios, including three high value grain crops―wheat, barley and sorghum―for three regions (Northern, Southern and Western Australia) under three farming conditions with both dryland (both for conventional and zero-tillage) and irrigated conditions. It is found that energy requirement for farming operations is directly related to the intensity and frequency of farming operations, which in turn is related to tillage practices, soil types, irrigation systems, local climate, and crop types. Among the three studied regions, Western Australia requires less direct on-farm energy for each crop, mainly due to the easily workable sandy soils and adoption of zero tillage systems. In irrigated crops, irrigation energy remains a major contributor to the total on-farm energy demand, accounting for up to 85% of total energy use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for Agriculture)

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983 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Glycerin, a Biodiesel By-Product with Potentiality to Produce Hydrogen by Steam Gasification

by Silvia Román Suero, Beatriz Ledesma, Andrés Álvarez-Murillo, Awf Al-Kassir and Talal Yusaf

Energies 2015, 8(11), 12765-12775; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81112339 - 11 Nov 2015

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5747

Abstract

This work investigates the possibility of providing a use to one of the major byproducts generated during biodiesel processing: glycerin. In particular, the steam gasification of water/glycerin mixtures is studied, analysing the influence of temperature (range 600–900 °C), inlet flow rate (0.5–3 mL·min [...] Read more.

This work investigates the possibility of providing a use to one of the major byproducts generated during biodiesel processing: glycerin. In particular, the steam gasification of water/glycerin mixtures is studied, analysing the influence of temperature (range 600–900 °C), inlet flow rate (0.5–3 mL·min⁻¹) and water/glycerin ratio (6–12 wt/wt, %) on the gas composition (H₂, CO, CH₄ and CO₂), higher heating value, and generated power. In general, a more diluted water/glycerin mixture is more interesting in order to provide a higher fraction of hydrogen in the gas produced, although it also involves a decrease in the power obtained. Higher temperatures cause a greater contribution of water gas and water gas shift reactions in all cases, thus increasing the H₂ proportion of the gas. Finally, a greater inlet flow rate increases gas production, but decreases the hydrogen proportion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for Agriculture)

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547 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Techno-Economic Performance Evaluation for Olive Mills Powered by Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems

by Ovidio Rabaza, José Contreras-Montes, María Jesús García-Ruiz, Fernando Delgado-Ramos and Daniel Gómez-Lorente

Energies 2015, 8(10), 11939-11954; https://doi.org/10.3390/en81011939 - 21 Oct 2015

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4842

Abstract

In recent years, due to the rise in petroleum prices and greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy has been recommended as a power source for different types of facilities. For the period 2010 to 2020 the European Commission has established three key objectives related [...] Read more.

In recent years, due to the rise in petroleum prices and greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy has been recommended as a power source for different types of facilities. For the period 2010 to 2020 the European Commission has established three key objectives related to climatic change and energy sustainability, such as reductions of CO₂ emissions, increases in the use of renewable energy, and improvements in energy efficiency. A key industry is olive oil production in olive mills, where there is a great opportunity to reduce electricity consumption, increase additional profits related to the reduction of technologies that are harmful to the environment, and to cut back maintenance costs. For this reason, a feasibility study of grid-connected photovoltaics (PV) systems has been carried out for different types of olive mills in Andalusia (southern Spain). This region is highly energy dependent, but has an abundance of “green” resources to be exploited. The results of this study contemplate a reduction in spending on electrical power of between 2% and 37%, and an increase in the use of renewable energy of between 2% and 26%. These results are according to the self-consumption or net metering policy and the production capacity of olive oil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for Agriculture)

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743 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparison of Household Carbon Emission Patterns of Urban and Rural China over the 17 Year Period (1995–2011)

by Jiansheng Qu, Tek Maraseni, Lina Liu, Zhiqiang Zhang and Talal Yusaf

Energies 2015, 8(9), 10537-10557; https://doi.org/10.3390/en80910537 - 22 Sep 2015

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6256

Abstract

The household sector consumes a large amount of goods and services and is therefore a major source of global carbon emissions. This study aims to analyze per person household carbon emission (HCEs) patterns of urban and rural China over the period from 1995 [...] Read more.

The household sector consumes a large amount of goods and services and is therefore a major source of global carbon emissions. This study aims to analyze per person household carbon emission (HCEs) patterns of urban and rural China over the period from 1995 to 2011. Annual macroeconomic data for the study were obtained from authentic Chinese government sources. Direct HCE estimates for each fossil fuel were obtained using the IPCC’s reference approach, and indirect HCEs were calculated by input-output analysis. In 1995, per person HCEs from direct sources for urban and rural China were 0.50 tCO₂ and 0.22 tCO₂, respectively; by 2011, these values had increased to 0.60 tCO₂ and 0.61 tCO₂, an increase of 20% and 177.27%, respectively. Similarly, in 1995, per person HCEs from indirect sources for urban and rural China were 0.43 tCO₂ and 0.16 tCO₂, respectively; by 2011, these values had increased to 1.77 tCO₂ and 0.53 tCO₂, respectively, an increase of 306% and 235%. The reasons for these differences and the sets of policies required to rectify increasing emissions are discussed. If current trends and practices continue, with a RMB1000 increase in per capita income from 2011 levels, per person HCEs in urban and rural China will increase by 0.119 tCO₂ and 0.197 tCO₂, respectively. This result indicates that the sector of society which is most vulnerable will contribute most to China’s increasing HCEs. Therefore, while developing energy consumption and emissions reduction policies and programs, principles of fairness and equity need to be followed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy for Agriculture)

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