As non-renewable conventional fossil fuel sources are depleting day by day, researchers are continually finding new ways of producing and utilizing alternative, renewable, and reliable fuels. Due to conventional technologies, the environment has been degraded seriously, which profoundly impacts life on earth. To reduce the emissions caused by running the compression ignition engines, waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel is one of the best alternative fuels locally available in all parts of the world. Different study results are reviewed with a clear focus on combustion, performance, and emission characteristics, and the impact on engine durability. Moreover, the environmental and economic impacts are also reviewed in this study. When determining the combustion characteristics of WCO biodiesel, the cylinder peak pressure value increases and the heat release rate and ignition delay period decreases. In performance characteristics, brake-specific fuel consumption increases while brake-specific energy consumption, brake power, and torque decrease. WCO biodiesel cuts down the emissions value by 85% due to decreased hydrocarbon, SO2, CO, and smoke emissions in the exhaust that will effectively save the environment. However, CO2 and NOx generally increase when compared to diesel. The overall economic impact of production on the utilization of this resource is also elaborated. The results show that the use of WCO biodiesel is technically, economically, environmentally, and tribologically appropriate for any diesel engine.
Energy is essential for the nature of life and the development of countries. The main demand for the 21st century is to fulfill growing energy needs. Pakistan, through the use of fossil fuels, meets energy demands. There is pressure on the economy of the country due to the massive reliance on fossil fuels, and this tendency is influenced by various environmental impacts. To overcome the burden on fossil fuels, more attention has been drawn to provide fossil fuel substitution. Tire pyrolysis is among the effective substitutes of the fuel technology that generates useful products of liquid oil, char, and pyro gas. This research focuses on the environmental, social, and economic viability of tire pyrolysis oil in Pakistan. This study estimates the production and potential of tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) in Pakistan. Based on the calculations, the potential of tire pyrolysis oil production in Pakistan from 2015–2019 is 468,081 to 548,406 tons. The potential production of TPO in 2018–2019 was ~8.30% of the total import (6.6 million tons) of crude oil. Therefore, tire pyrolysis oil is considered an alternative fuel representing an economic and environmentally viability solution for Pakistan.
23 February 2024 in Process Safety and Environmental Protection
Life is dependent on water. However, in terms of the potential effects, water scarcity is quickly emerging as one of the most critical problems in the world. To access more fresh water for drinking, sanitation, and irrigation, water can be harvested from different forms of water on earth. Atmospheric harvesting is the best alternative for producing fresh water for everyday life and reducing global water shortages. To date, many modern technologies have been introduced for this application, with several prototypes being demonstrated. Thus, this study explores the potential benefits of the current atmospheric water harvesting systems in terms of their modes, atmospheric conditions, and production rate and examines the key factors that affect the efficiency of atmospheric water harvesting, such as temperature and humidity. According to the studies, there has been a significant advancement in energy harvesting and conversion technology, along with atmospheric water harvesting, over the past few years, including new mechanisms and technical paths. However, there are still many obstacles; in particular, most of the technologies depend on outdoor conditions. In order to overcome this issue, new directions need to be investigated. Here, we discuss the principles, advantages, limitations, and potential applications of these technologies.
One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is to fulfill the growing energy needs sustainably and cost-effectively. Among the different sources of energy, biodiesel is one of the alternative energy sources that has tremendous potential to become a major mainstream renewable energy mix. Jatropha is an important raw input for biodiesel that provides an ecological and sustainable solution for emerging greenhouse gas emissions over the other biomass feedstock. This paper critically evaluates different factors and presents a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and barriers to the adoption of Jatropha biodiesel. In Pakistan, the estimated production of Jatropha biodiesel is expected to be 2.93 million tons, that are calculated from available barren land and possible shortlisted suitable areas for Jatropha plantation. It is ~25% of the total import (11.84 million tons) of petroleum products, which can save ~$2 billion USD reserves of Pakistan. The cultivation of Jatropha on barren land is an environmentally and economically lucrative approach for Pakistan. This study has real implications for developing a policy framework related to the environment and socio-economic feasibility of Jatropha biodiesel production in Pakistan.
Pakistan is among the countries that have already crossed the water scarcity line, and the situation is worsened due to the recent pandemic. This is because the major budget of the country is shifted to primary healthcare activities from other development projects that included water treatment and transportation infrastructure. Consequently, water-borne diseases have increased drastically in the past few months. Therefore, there is a dire need to address this issue on a priority basis to ameliorate the worsening situation. One possible solution is to shift the focus/load from mega-projects that require a plethora of resources, money, and time to small domestic-scale systems for water treatment. For this purpose, domestic-scale solar stills are designed, fabricated, and tested in one of the harshest climatic condition areas of Pakistan, Rahim Yar Khan. A comprehensive overview of the regional climatology, including wind speed, solar potential, and ambient temperature is presented for the whole year. The analysis shows that the proposed system can adequately resolve the drinking water problems of deprived areas of Pakistan. The average water productivity of 1.5 L/d/m2 is achieved with a total investment of PKR 3000 (<$20). This real site testing data will serve as a guideline for similar system design in other arid areas globally.