Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC)
Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers (IAChE)Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment2423-55476220190401Considering an Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket for the Treatment of Spearmint Essential Oil Wastewater and Biogas Production-179556410.30501/jree.2019.95564ENBahman HeydariDepartment of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.Shahin RafieeDepartment of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.Elham Abdollahzadeh SharghiEnvironmental Group, Department of Energy, Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC), MeshkinDasht, Alborz, Iran.0000-0001-6089-3099Seyed Saeid MohtasebiDepartment of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.Journal Article20190627The aromatic and dark-colored spearmint essential oil wastewater (SEOW) generally contains a large amount of organic matter, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), phenolic compounds, and inorganic contents. In this study, the pollutant removal performance and biogas production rate of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor used for the treatment of SEOW were investigated. During the 102 days UASB operation at hydraulic retention time of 60 hours, the organic loading rate (OLR) was increased from 0.14 to 2.69 kg COD/m<sup>3</sup>.d by increasing the influent SEOW concentration. With increasing OLR from 0.14 to 2.69 kg COD/m<sup>3</sup>.d, the concentrations of COD and phenol in the influent of the UASB reactor increased to 6720±383 mg/L and 383±88 mg/L, respectively. At OLR equal to 2.69 kg COD/m<sup>3</sup>.d, the steady-state average removal efficiencies of COD and phenol were 72.0±1.4 and 63.1±6.7 %, respectively. The stability of the anaerobic system was confirmed by the average steady-state ratios of the volatile fatty acid/alkalinity and pH in the UASB reactor, which were less than 0.4 and 7.5±0.1, respectively, at different OLRs. The optimum OLR was found to be 2.69 kg COD/m<sup>3</sup>.d, where 26.9±1.7 L/d production of biogas containing 63.0±5.2 % and 22.4±4.2 % methane and carbon dioxide, respectively, was obtained. Moreover, at OLR equal to 2.69 kg COD/m<sup>3</sup>.d, the biogas yield and net heating value were 462.2±46.9 L/kg COD<sub>removed</sub> and 24.7±5.2 MJ/m<sup>3</sup>, respectively. The results of the current study reveal the substantial potential of the UASB reactor in terms of pollutant removal performance and biogas production for the treatment of SEOW.https://www.jree.ir/article_95564_44e4c9345cd7506d3103324fd0a467d4.pdfMaterials and Energy Research Center (MERC)
Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers (IAChE)Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment2423-55476220190401Feasibility Study of Renewable Energy Generation Opportunities for a Dairy Farm-8149594310.30501/jree.2019.95943ENAshkan GholamiDepartment of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.Aryan TajikFaculty of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.Shahab EslamiDepartment of Renewable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.Majid ZandiFaculty of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.0000-0002-9456-2797Journal Article20190722The current study investigated the feasibility of renewable energy harvesting to meet the energy need of a dairy farm in Shahroud, Iran. Therefore, considering the available renewable resources including solar, wind, and biomass in the site and the electrical demand of the farm, the techno-economic and environmental analyses were carried out. By using Homer software, the optimized system was selected. It was shown that although there was wind potential within the farm site, the most economical system would be a system consisting of a 100 kW biomass power plant and a 169 kW PV plant. Furthermore, by using RETScreen software, the economic and environmental analyses for the selected system were carried out. The simple and equity paybacks were 5.8 and 4.2 years for the proposed system, which confirmed the economic feasibility of the proposed system. Moreover, the gross annual GHG emission would be reduced by 91.5 %. The techno-economic and environmental analyses conducted in the current paper confirmed that the proposed system could be easily extended for other dairy farms, which resulted in a significant increase in the energy ratio of the dairy farms.https://www.jree.ir/article_95943_9c399085888a0c4b5d2e368f9373647e.pdfMaterials and Energy Research Center (MERC)
Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers (IAChE)Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment2423-55476220190401Aluminum Hydroxide-Based Flame-Retardant Composite Separator for Lithium-Ion Batteries-15219592310.30501/jree.2019.95923ENAshkan Nahvi BayaniDepartment of Energy Storage, Institute of Mechanics, Shiraz, Iran.Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Engineering School, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.0000-0002-5479-1608Mohammad Hadi MoghimDepartment of Energy Storage, Institute of Mechanics, Shiraz, Iran.Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Engineering School, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.Saeed BahadorikhaliliDepartment of Energy Storage, Institute of Mechanics, Shiraz, Iran.Abdolmajid GhasemiDepartment of Energy Storage, Institute of Mechanics, Shiraz, Iran.Journal Article20190731Despite the extensive use of polyolefins, especially in the form of lithium-ion battery (LIB) separators, their flammability limits their large-scale battery applications. Therefore, the fabrication of flame-retardant LIB separators has attracted much attention in recent years. In this work, composite separators were fabricated by applying a ceramic-based composite coating composed of a metal hydroxide as a filler and flame-retardant agent (Aluminium hydroxide, Al(OH)<sub>3</sub>) and a binder (Poly(vinylidene Fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene), P(VDF-HFP)) to the polypropylene (PP) commercial separator. Thermal shrinkage, thickness, air permeability, porosity, wettability, ionic conductivity, flame retardancy, and electrochemical performance of the fabricated ceramic-coated composite separator were investigated. The results showed that the addition of Al(OH)<sub>3</sub> particles improved thermal shrinkage ( 8 %) and flame retardancy of the commercial separator, which can prevent dimensional changes at high temperatures and significantly increase LIBs safety. Applied 11 µm ceramic-based coating layer on PP commercial separator had 76 % porosity that increased the value of air permeability from 278.15 (s/100 cc air) to 312.8 (s/100 cc air), causing much facile air permeation through the pores of commercial separator than the composite one. Furthermore, suitable electrolyte uptake and the contact angle of ceramic coated separator (135 % and 91.19°, respectively) facilitated ion transport through the pores, which effectively improved the ionic conductivity of Al(OH)<sub>3</sub>-coated PP separator (about 1.4 times higher than bare separator). Moreover, the cell comprising Al(OH)<sub>3</sub>-coated PP separator had better cyclic performance than that of bare PP separator. All these characteristics make the fabricated flame-retardant Al(OH)<sub>3</sub> composite separator an appropriate candidate to ensure the safety of the large-scale LIB.https://www.jree.ir/article_95923_e5ae9540b6cb5770cb8ad6132f9ac574.pdfMaterials and Energy Research Center (MERC)
Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers (IAChE)Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment2423-55476220190401Optimization and Experimental Approaches to the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Stack Using a Response Surface Methodology-22299555710.30501/jree.2019.95557ENShima SharifiDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Center for Renewable Energy Research, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran.0000-0002-2556-1993Rahbar RahimiDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Center for Renewable Energy Research, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran.0000-0002-0133-4980Davod Mohebbi-KalhoriDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Center for Renewable Energy Research, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran.0000-0002-4055-5997Can Ozgur ColpanDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Dokuz Eylul University, Tinaztepe Yerleskesi, Buca, Izmir, 35397, Turkey.Journal Article20190805The power density of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) stack as a function of temperature, methanol concentration, oxygen flow rate, and methanol flow rate was studied using a response surface methodology (RSM) to maximize the power density. The operating variables investigated experimentally include temperature (50-75 °C), methanol concentration (0.5-2 M), methanol flow rate (15-30 ml min<sup>-1</sup>), and oxygen flow rate (900-1800 ml min<sup>-1</sup>). A new design of the central composite design (CCD) for a wide range of operating variables that optimize the power density was obtained using a quadratic model. The optimum conditions that yield the highest maximum power density of 86.45 mW cm<sup>-2</sup> were provided using 3-cell stack at a fuel cell temperature of 75 °C with a methanol flow rate of 30 ml min<sup>-1</sup>, a methanol concentration of 0.5 M, and an oxygen flow rate of 1800 ml min<sup>-1</sup>. Results showed that the power density of DMFC increased with an increase in the temperature and methanol flow rate. The experimental data were in good agreement with the model predictions, demonstrating that the regression model was useful in optimizing maximum power density from the independent operating variables of the fuel cell stack.https://www.jree.ir/article_95557_89844ab251fe3dbf877c15f87664de3e.pdfMaterials and Energy Research Center (MERC)
Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers (IAChE)Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment2423-55476220190401Developing a CDI Desalination System on a Laboratory Scale Using Active Carbon Electrodes-30379590210.30501/jree.2019.95902ENMohammad Sajjad RostamiDepartment of Agriculture Machinery, Abureyhan Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.Morteza KhashehchiDepartment of Agriculture Machinery, Abureyhan Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.Payam ZarafshanDepartment of Agriculture Machinery, Abureyhan Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.Mohammad Hossein KianmehrDepartment of Agriculture Machinery, Abureyhan Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.Ehsan PipelzadehDepartment of Chemistry Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.Journal Article20190818Capacitive deionization (CDI) is an emerging energy efficient, low-pressure and low-cost intensive desalination process that has recently attracted experts’ attention. The process is to explain that ions (cations and anions) can be separated by a pure electrostatic force imposed by a small bias potential. Even at a rather low voltage of 1.2 V, desalinated water can be produced. The process can be well operational by a professional cell design. Although various processes have been manufactured before, in this study, membrane was removed and a new unit was designed and manufactured (Using CFD Simulation). In this case, the combination of activated carbon powder (with an effective surface area of 2600 m<sup>2</sup> per gram), carbon black, and polyvinyl alcohol with a ratio of 35/35/30 coated on carbon paper as electrode materials was considered for tests. The weight was 1.41 grams for each material, and the thickness was 0.44 mm. CDI system was tested, and the results of charge-discharge cycles, cyclic voltammetry, and impedance spectroscopy were evaluated. It can be implied that there is no need for a strong pump and, also, pressure drop can be reduced due to such a noticeable space between two electrodes. Preliminary experimental results showed high specific capacitance (2.1 Farad) and ultra-high salt adsorption capacity, compared with similar cases.https://www.jree.ir/article_95902_ca793a187d9bb1d0b79ec4070e304863.pdfMaterials and Energy Research Center (MERC)
Iranian Association of Chemical Engineers (IAChE)Journal of Renewable Energy and Environment2423-55476220190401Building Energy Optimization: Implementing Green Roof and Rainwater Harvester System for a Residential Building-38459602310.30501/jree.2019.96023ENNegin MaftouniDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Alzahra University, Deh-Vanak, Tehran, Iran.0000-0001-5990-7895Minoo AskariDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Alzahra University, Deh-Vanak, Tehran, Iran.Journal Article20190812Both energy and environmental criticisms push a society toward energy-efficient buildings with green technologies. Green roofs are of significant importance due to their remarkable role in decreasing the thermal loads ofbuildings, especially in summer, and also in sound insulation. Here in, the thermal loads of a residential building were calculated, and then, an optimized green roof was designed for it in three different cities of Tehran, Rasht, and Tabriz. The energy saving was analyzed in each case, and proper plants and roof thickness were selected to achieve both comfortable air conditioning and energy optimization. It is also important to use water resources in an optimized manner. Considering the annual mean rain magnitude, here, a suitable system is designed to harvest rainwater for watering the plants. Results indicate that a sedum grass-based green roof with the thickness of 10 cm leads to a 21.3 % reduction in the annual total thermal loads in Tehran; one with thickness of 8 cm in Tabriz will result in a 11.7 % thermal load reduction per year; a green roof with 9 cm thickness in Rasht, Iran shows 13.2 % energy saving per year. Therefore, Tehran is the best option here to integrate the green roof into the structure of the building. The patterns of the obtained data indicate that the reduction of cooling loads is more noticeable when implementing a green roof in comparison with heating loads. Moreover, it has been revealed that harvested rainwater is sufficient to support about 72 % of required water in Tehran, 81 % of it in Tabriz, and 93 % in Rasht.https://www.jree.ir/article_96023_89e64842055eeed626fb63bafcad4b6f.pdf