Enhanced power-conversion efficiency in organic solar cells incorporating polymeric compatibilizers

Techno-economic evaluation of Reverse Electrodialysis process in different real environments

Salinity Gradient Power is a promising renewable energy source based on the recovery of the chemical potential released from the mixing of solutions at different concentrations. Natural salinity gradients are extensively available worldwide in natural reservoirs. Reverse Electrodialysis is an innovative technology able to perform a direct conversion of the energy of mixing into electricity. Salinity gradients coming from natural resources or from human activities are worldwide available. In the present work a number of different scenarios, including natural resources (e.g. rivers, seas, lakes and salt ponds), industrial/urban wastes (e.g. brine and treated wastewaters) are analysed. The aim…

Water-organic systems in closed-loop reverse electrodialysis for lower regeneration requirements

Salinity Gradient Power (SGP) is an emerging opportunity to produce sustainable energy. Among the different SGP technologies, Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) looks very promising. In a RED system the salinity gradient between two different solutions is used to directly produce electricity. Closed-loop RED is an innovative process, combining a RED unit with a regeneration system. If low grade waste-heat is used for the regeneration stage, in which the initial concentrations of the solutions exiting the RED unit are restored, the closed-loop can be seen as a RED-heat-engine able to convert thermal energy into electricity. The aim of this work is to perform a preliminary analysis of a regenerati…

Exergy analysis of electrodialysis for water desalination: Influence of irreversibility sources

The increasing freshwater demand is pushing the development and adoption of desalination technologies. In this framework, electrodialysis has a consolidated role in brackish water desalination, but to make it competitive with other technologies for the desalination of more concentrated solutions (e.g., seawater), the specific energy consumption should be reduced. Exergy analysis provides a useful tool for determining the contribution of each thermodynamic inefficiencies on the process efficiency and the specific energy consumption. In this regard, this paper presents an exergy analysis of the electrodialysis process. A 1-D model is used for evaluating the performance of industrial-scale sys…

A methodology for assessing the impact of salinity gradient power generation in urban contexts

Abstract The paper proposes a methodology to assess the potential impact of salinity gradient power technology in urban contexts. The idea to employ such energy source in urban contexts derives from the observation that, among the energy districts outputs, low-salinity treated wastewater can be used to produce electricity if a suitable source of high salinity feed (seawater of a salt-works) is also available. The methodology uses the HOMER software for assessing the district’s electric energy production, consumption and exchange with the main grid. Then, starting from the total gross surface and the number of inhabitants of the district, some possible realistic scenarios characterized by di…

Experimental assessment of reverse electrodialysis in closed loop configuration fed by NH4HCO3-water solutions

Closed loop reverse electrodialysis is a novel technology for converting low-temperature waste heat into electric energy. This innovative heat engine consists of two units: (i) a reverse electrodialysis unit where power is produced exploiting the concentration difference between a diluted and a concentrated salt solution and (ii) a thermally driven regeneration unit where low-grade waste heat is used to re-establish the original salinity gradient between the two salt solutions. Among all the possible salt solutions suitable as working fluid in such application, Thermolytic salts solutions, in particular Ammonium bicarbonate solutions, may be promising thanks to their characteristic thermall…

NH4HCO3–water solutions regeneration in RED closed loop applications

Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) in closed loop arrangement (Reverse Electrodialysis Heat Engine - REDHE) is a promising technology to convert low-grade waste heat into electricity. RED is a membrane process exploiting the salinity gradient between a concentrated and a diluted solution to generate electrical current. Due to the transfer phenomena occurring in the RED unit, the two exiting solutions are partially mixed. Thermal regeneration processes can be used to restore the initial conditions of the two solutions, thus closing the loop. In this regard, ammonium hydrogen carbonate (NH4HCO3) salt solutions are suitable for such applications, being able to decompose at temperatures above 40-45 …

Towards the first proof of the concept of a Reverse ElectroDialysis - Membrane Distillation Heat Engine

Abstract The coupling of Reverse Electrodialysis with Membrane Distillation is a promising option for the conversion of waste heat into electricity. This study evaluates the performances of the integrated system under different operating conditions, employing validated model and correlations. This work provides a detailed description of the behaviour of a real RED-MD heat engine and indicates the set of inlet concentrations, velocities and equipment size which returns the highest cycle exergy efficiency. These operating conditions were selected for the pilot plant developed within the EU-funded project RED Heat to Power. For the first time, a perspective analysis was also included, consider…

Application of reverse electrodialysis to site-specific types of saline solutions: A techno-economic assessment

Abstract Salinity gradients are a non-conventional source of renewable energy based on the recovery of the Gibbs free energy related to the mixing of solutions at different concentrations. Reverse Electrodialysis is a promising and innovative technology able to convert this energy directly into electric current. The worldwide availability of salinity gradients is limited to those locations where water bodies at different salinity levels are present. The present work analyses a number of different scenarios worldwide, in locations where salinity gradients are naturally available or generated by anthropogenic activities. A techno-economic model of the Reverse Electrodialysis process is presen…

Exergy analysis of reverse electrodialysis

Abstract Reverse electrodialysis in closed loop configurations is a promising membrane technology in the energy conversion and storage fields. One of the main advantages of closed-loop reverse electrodialysis is the possibility of using a wide range of operating concentrations, flow rates and different salts for generating the salinity gradient. In this work, an original exergy analysis of the reverse electrodialysis process was carried out in order to investigate reverse electrodialysis performance in terms of energetic and exergetic efficiency parameters in a wide range of operating conditions. A mono-dimensional model of the reverse electrodialysis process was developed, in which all sou…

REVERSE ELECTRODIALYSIS FOR POWER PRODUCTION FROM OILFIELD WASTEWATERS

Produced waters (PWs) are wastewaters generated by crude-oil extraction processes. They can present very different characteristics depending on the field location and production process. Dispersed oil, dissolved organics and solid particles are usually the main components. Moreover, PWs can contain a very high quantity of dissolved salts 1, with a total dissolved solid (TDS) concentration up to 300 g/L. Each barrel of extracted oil requires the simultaneous extraction of 3 barrels of produced water2 on average. PWs are often discharged into the sea, or sent in evaporation ponds thus leading to a dramatic environment impact3. Reinjection in the extraction well is currently the most common an…

Modelling Reverse Electrodialysis process via Exergy Analysis

Salinity Gradient Power Heat Engines (SGP-HEs) represent a novel technology to convert low grade waste heat into electricity. Reverse Electrodialysis Heat Engine (REDHE) is one of the possible application of this concept, where a common RED unit is coupled with a thermal regeneration unit supplied with waste heat to restore the salinity gradient of the streams to be fed back to the RED unit. In a RED unit, anion and cation exchange membranes (AEMs and CEMs) are alternatively stacked and interposed between salt solutions at different concentration generating an electric potential difference over each membrane along with a selective transport of cations and anions from the concentrated soluti…

Reverse Electrodialysis: Applications to Different Case Studies

Salinity gradient is a non-conventional renewable energy form which is widely available worldwide. Reverse Electrodialysis is a promising and innovative technology able to convert directly this chemical renewable energy into electricity. This paper presents a number of different scenarios where salinity gradients are naturally available or they result from industrial/urban activities. A sophisticated model accounting for all the main phenomena (including all the detrimental ones) occurring within a Reverse Electrodialysis unit has been purposely developed. The model is used to calculate how much electric energy can be harvested from the above-mentioned salinity gradients.

Characterization of pressure retarded osmosis lab-scale systems

Power generation from salinity gradient is a viable alternative to produce energy from renewable sources. Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) is one of the technologies proposed so far for the exploitation of such energy source. In the present preliminary work, two different geometry modules were tested under atmospheric pressure (i.e. forward osmosis or depressurized-PRO conditions). The first one is a conventional planar geometry cell. The second is a customized cylindrical membrane module, able to mechanically support the osmotic membrane along with the spacers. The latter, thanks to its design, allows membranes and spacers to be easily changed for testing purposes. A novel simplified proced…

Thermolytic reverse electrodialysis heat engine: model development, integration and performance analysis

Abstract Salinity gradient heat engines represent an innovative and promising way to convert low-grade heat into electricity by employing salinity gradient technology in a closed-loop configuration. Among the aqueous solutions which can be used as working fluid, ammonium bicarbonate-water solutions appear very promising due to their capability to decompose at low temperature. In this work, an experimentally validated model for a reverse electrodialysis heat engine fed with ammonium bicarbonate-water solutions was developed. The model consists of two validated sub-models purposely integrated, one for the reverse electrodialysis unit and the other for the stripping/absorption regeneration uni…

Thermodynamic characterisation of novel solutions for closed-loop reverse electrodialysis

Closed-loop reverse electrodialysis is a novel technology to convert low-grade heat directly into electricity. It consists of a reverse electrodialysis unit coupled with a regeneration unit in which the waste-heat is used to restore the initial conditions of the two solutions. One of the most impor- tant advantages of closed-loop system is the possibility to select an ad-hoc salt solution to obtain high efficiency. In this regard, it is important to assess how the salt solution properties affect the performance of the energy generation and solution regeneration processes. The aim of this study is to analyse the effect of thermodynamic properties of non-conventional salt solutions within a R…

Lipase-catalyzed resolution of anti-substituted 1,3-dioxepan-5-ols

Several anti-6-substituted 1,3-dioxepan-5-ols were kinetically resolved using an immobilized lipase (Amano PS–C II) in toluene in the presence of vinyl acetate at 30 C. This approach provided, in some cases, the alcohol and the acetate in high enantiomeric purity, depending on the nature of the substituent (R = N3, SePh, I, OBn) and the acetal group (unsubstituted or dimethyl). The role of the size of substituents is also discussed. Enantiopure anti-6-substituted 1,3-dioxepan-5-ols are useful building blocks.

RED Heat-to-Power: conversione di calore di scarto in energia elettrica mediante elettrodialisi inversa a ciclo chiuso

La produzione di energia da gradienti salini si sta affermando come una valida alternativa alle tradizionali fonti di energia rinnovabili. In particolare l’elettrodialisi inversa (RED) è di certo tra le tecnologie più promettenti per effettuare la conversione di gradienti salini in energia utile. Un recente sviluppo è l’utilizzo del processo RED a ciclo chiuso con soluzioni saline artificiali, nel quale le soluzioni in uscita dall’unità RED vengono rigenerate all’interno di un’unità di rigenerazione termica, che ripristina il gradiente salino iniziale. L’utilizzo del sistema a ciclo chiuso premette dunque di convertire calore a bassa temperatura (e.g. calore di scarto a T <70-100°C) in e…

Boosting the performance of a Reverse Electrodialysis – Multi-Effect Distillation Heat Engine by novel solutions and operating conditions

Abstract This work presents a performance analysis of a waste-heat-to-power Reverse Electrodialysis Heat Engine (RED-HE) with a Multi-Effect Distillation (MED) unit as the regeneration stage. The performance of the system is comparatively evaluated using two different salts, sodium chloride and potassium acetate, and investigating the impact of different working solutions concentration and temperature in the RED unit. For both salt solutions, the impact of membrane properties on the system efficiency is analysed by considering reference ionic exchange membranes and high-performing membranes. Detailed mathematical models for the RED and MED units have been used to predict the thermal efficie…

Reverse electrodialysis heat engine with multi-effect distillation: Exergy analysis and perspectives

Abstract The increasing worldwide energy demand is rising the interest on alternative power production technologies based on renewable and emission-free energy sources. In this regard, the closed-loop reverse electrodialysis heat engine is a promising technology with the potential to convert low-grade heat into electric power. The reverse electrodialysis technology has been under investigation in the last years to explore the real potentials for energy generation from natural and artificial solutions, and recent works have been addressing also the potential of its coupling with regeneration strategies, looking at medium and large energy supply purposes. In this work, for the first time, a c…

Regeneration units for thermolytic salts applications in water & power production: State of the art, experimental and modelling assessment

Abstract Thermolytic solutions are often proposed as high salinity or “draw” stream to generate a chemical potential driving force in Salinity Gradient Power (SGP) and Forward Osmosis (FO) technologies. Depleted “draw” solutions exiting the process can be regenerated by a thermal process powered at very-low grade heat, which is able to decompose the salt into gaseous ammonia and carbon dioxide, which can be stripped and then reabsorbed in the draw solution, restoring its initial concentration. In this work, two different experimental prototypes for the regeneration of ammonium bicarbonate aqueous solution were designed, built and tested. The effect of several operating parameters on the reg…

The first operating thermolytic reverse electrodialysis heat engine

Abstract Thermolytic reverse electrodialysis heat engine (t-RED HE) has been recently proposed as a technology for converting low-temperature waste heat into electricity. The construction and operation of the first world lab-scale prototype unit are reported. The system consists of: (i) a reverse electrodialysis unit where, the concentration gradient between two solutions of thermolytic salts is converted into electricity and (ii) a thermally-driven regeneration unit where low-temperature heat is used to restore the initial conditions of the two feed streams. Regeneration is based on a degradation process of salts into gaseous ammonia and carbon dioxide, which can be removed almost entirely…

Elettrodeposizione di bitiofene fulleropirrolidina per la realizzazione di sensori piezoresistivi

Un nuovo sistema donatore-accettore bisaddotto bitiofene fulleropirrolidi na (bis-C60Bi) è stato elettropolimerizzato su ITO/PET(ossido di Indio-Sta gno)/PoliEtilene Tereftalato per cronoamperometria. E’ stato applicato un potenziale anodico di 1.5V alla soluzione di monomero per un certo tempo ¿QR DOO¶RWWHQLPHQWR GL XQ ¿OP VRWWLOH SROLPHULFR VXO VXEVWUDWR &DUDWWHUL]]D zioni XPS, UV-vis hanno confermato la presenza del polimero sull’elettrodo. ...

Lab-scale investigation of a pressure retarded osmosis module fed by "non-conventional" salinity gradient

Aim of this work has been to investigate the feasibility of PRO technology for power generation from saline streams originated by different water treatments plants, namely brine from a thermal desalination plant and fresh water from a sewage treatment plant.

Thermodynamic, Exergy, and Thermoeconomic analysis of Multiple Effect Distillation Processes

Abstract Multiple effect distillation (MED) is nowadays the preferred technology for the construction of new plants based on thermal processes in the growing desalination market. MED technology, in fact, presents a number of advantages with respect to the more traditional multistage flash technology, among all the lower energy consumption achievable in MED plants. However, a large potential for improvement in terms of lowering production costs still exists, which stimulates further efforts on process optimization from companies and researchers involved in the field. Thermodynamic and exergy analysis provides useful insights regarding the identification of main inefficiencies and the margins…

Novel solutions for closed-loop Reverse Electrodialysis: thermodynamic characterisation and perspective analysis

Abstract Closed-loop Reverse Electrodialysis is a novel technology to directly convert low-grade heat into electricity. It consists of a reverse electrodialysis (RED) unit where electricity is produced exploiting the salinity gradient between two salt-water solutions, coupled with a regeneration unit where waste-heat is used to treat the solutions exiting from the RED unit and restore their initial composition. One of the most important advantages of closed-loop systems compared to the open systems is the possibility to select ad-hoc salt solutions to achieve high efficiencies. Therefore, the properties of the salt solutions are essential to assess the performance of the energy generation a…

Evaluation of the Economic and Environmental Performance of Low-Temperature Heat to Power Conversion using a Reverse Electrodialysis – Multi-Effect Distillation System

In the examined heat engine, reverse electrodialysis (RED) is used to generate electricity from the salinity difference between two artificial solutions. The salinity gradient is restored through a multi-effect distillation system (MED) powered by low-temperature waste heat at 100 °C. The current work presents the first comprehensive economic and environmental analysis of this advanced concept, when varying the number of MED effects, the system sizing, the salt of the solutions, and other key parameters. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) has been calculated, showing that competitive solutions can be reached only when the system is at least medium to large scale. The lowest LCOE, at a…

Performance Analysis of a RED-MED Salinity Gradient Heat Engine

A performance analysis of a salinity gradient heat engine (SGP-HE) is presented for the conversion of low temperature heat into power via a closed-loop Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) coupled with Multi-Effect Distillation (MED). Mathematical models for the RED and MED systems have been purposely developed in order to investigate the performance of both processes and have been then coupled to analyze the efficiency of the overall integrated system. The influence of the main operating conditions (i.e., solutions concentration and velocity) has been quantified, looking at the power density and conversion efficiency of the RED unit, MED Specific Thermal Consumption (STC) and at the overall syste…

ALCOHOL OXIDATION PROMOTED BY NOVEL RECYCLABLE C60_TEMPO ORGANOCATALYSTS

CCDC 854063: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: A.Molina-Ontoria, R.Garcia, A.Gouloumis, F.Giacalone, M.R.Torres, N.Martin|2012|Eur.J.Org.Chem.|2012|3581|doi:10.1002/ejoc.201200115