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Environmental and economic assessment of decarbonization of formate (HCOO−) and dihydroxyacetone (DHA) by the recent approach using the alternative anode-glycerol (GLY) electro-oxidation (EOG) to produce the anodic add-value products.
Marta Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Ángel Irabien. Feasibility analysis of a CO2 recycling plant for the decarbonization of formate and dihydroxyacetone production. Green Chemistry 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleMarta Rumayor, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Ángel Irabien. Feasibility analysis of a CO2 recycling plant for the decarbonization of formate and dihydroxyacetone production. Green Chemistry. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarta Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Ángel Irabien. 2021. "Feasibility analysis of a CO2 recycling plant for the decarbonization of formate and dihydroxyacetone production." Green Chemistry , no. : 1.
Fossil fuels are being progressively substituted by a cleaner and more environmentally friendly form of energy, where hydrogen fuel cells stand out. However, the implementation of a competitive hydrogen economy still presents several challenges related to economic costs, required infrastructures, and environmental performance. In this context, the objective of this work is to determine the environmental performance of the recovery of hydrogen from industrial waste gas streams to feed high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells for stationary applications. The life-cycle assessment (LCA) analyzed alternative scenarios with different process configurations, considering as functional unit 1 kg of hydrogen produced, 1 kWh of energy obtained, and 1 kg of inlet flow. The results make the recovery of hydrogen from waste streams environmentally preferable over alternative processes like methane reforming or coal gasification. The production of the fuel cell device resulted in high contributions in the abiotic depletion potential and acidification potential, mainly due to the presence of platinum metal in the anode and cathode. The design and operation conditions that defined a more favorable scenario are the availability of a pressurized waste gas stream, the use of photovoltaic electricity, and the implementation of an energy recovery system for the residual methane stream.
Ricardo Abejón; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Antonio Domínguez-Ramos; Jara Laso; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; María Yáñez; Alfredo Ortiz; Daniel Gorri; Nicolas Donzel; Deborah Jones; Angel Irabien; Inmaculada Ortiz; Rubén Aldaco; María Margallo. Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams to Feed (High-Temperature PEM) Fuel Cells: Environmental Performance under a Life-Cycle Thinking Approach. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 7461 .
AMA StyleRicardo Abejón, Ana Fernández-Ríos, Antonio Domínguez-Ramos, Jara Laso, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, María Yáñez, Alfredo Ortiz, Daniel Gorri, Nicolas Donzel, Deborah Jones, Angel Irabien, Inmaculada Ortiz, Rubén Aldaco, María Margallo. Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams to Feed (High-Temperature PEM) Fuel Cells: Environmental Performance under a Life-Cycle Thinking Approach. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (21):7461.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRicardo Abejón; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Antonio Domínguez-Ramos; Jara Laso; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; María Yáñez; Alfredo Ortiz; Daniel Gorri; Nicolas Donzel; Deborah Jones; Angel Irabien; Inmaculada Ortiz; Rubén Aldaco; María Margallo. 2020. "Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams to Feed (High-Temperature PEM) Fuel Cells: Environmental Performance under a Life-Cycle Thinking Approach." Applied Sciences 10, no. 21: 7461.
LCA of lab-scale and large-scale stand-alone RED stacks and an up-scaled RED system co-located with a SWRO desalination plant.
Carolina Tristán; Marta Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Marcos Fallanza; Raquel Ibáñez; Inmaculada Ortiz. Life cycle assessment of salinity gradient energy recovery by reverse electrodialysis in a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant. Sustainable Energy & Fuels 2020, 4, 4273 -4284.
AMA StyleCarolina Tristán, Marta Rumayor, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Marcos Fallanza, Raquel Ibáñez, Inmaculada Ortiz. Life cycle assessment of salinity gradient energy recovery by reverse electrodialysis in a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant. Sustainable Energy & Fuels. 2020; 4 (8):4273-4284.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarolina Tristán; Marta Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Marcos Fallanza; Raquel Ibáñez; Inmaculada Ortiz. 2020. "Life cycle assessment of salinity gradient energy recovery by reverse electrodialysis in a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant." Sustainable Energy & Fuels 4, no. 8: 4273-4284.
Electromembrane technologies, such as electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) have been widely proposed for the treatment and valorization of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) concentrated streams. The EDBM technology applied to brines produces acids (HCl) and bases (NaOH) with just two inputs: electric energy and brine. Thus, the reagents self-supply to the SWRO plant could be achieved, which definitively fits the principles of the Circular Economy. However, previous works have shown low concentration values of the produced acids and bases by EDBM, which undoubtedly hampers the possibility of its use in the SWRO plant. Therefore, the aim of the present work is to demonstrate the viability of a new strategy to valorise SWRO brine producing commercial HCl at 35 wt.% by means of the integration of EDBM technology under constant (galvanostatic, equivalent to the use of electrical energy from the grid mix) and variable current intensity (equivalent to the use of PV solar energy) and azeotropic distillation. Concentrations of HCl and NaOH up to ~3.3 mol·L−1 and ~3.6 mol·L−1 are obtained respectively, which are almost 50% higher than any other reported in the literature so far using this technology. The specific energy consumption of the EDBM unit was in the range of 21.8 kWh·kg−1 of HCl and 43.5 kWh·kg−1 of HCl, being dependant on the average applied current density. These HCl concentrations, although being acceptable for internal use in the SWRO plant, did not reach commercial levels (35 wt.% of HCl), so a further concentration stage using distillation has been evaluated through simulation. Minimum values of the overall EDBM plus distillation process specific energy consumption (SECOV) was between ~40 kWh·kg−1 and ~60 kWh·kg−1 of HCl. Moreover, the environmental burdens associated with the energy consumption are quantified in terms of the carbon footprint (CF). Although the SECOV is slightly higher, the use of PV solar energy instead of the grid mix let the process to provide a better environmental performance. The renewable alternative provides values between 1.61 kg CO2-eq.·kg−1 of HCl (full PV solar energy) and 6.97 kg CO2-eq.·kg−1 of HCl (PV solar energy and steam).
Marta Herrero; Pedro Diaz-Guridi; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien; Raquel Ibañez. Highly concentrated HCl and NaOH from brines using electrodialysis with bipolar membranes. Separation and Purification Technology 2020, 242, 116785 .
AMA StyleMarta Herrero, Pedro Diaz-Guridi, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Angel Irabien, Raquel Ibañez. Highly concentrated HCl and NaOH from brines using electrodialysis with bipolar membranes. Separation and Purification Technology. 2020; 242 ():116785.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarta Herrero; Pedro Diaz-Guridi; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien; Raquel Ibañez. 2020. "Highly concentrated HCl and NaOH from brines using electrodialysis with bipolar membranes." Separation and Purification Technology 242, no. : 116785.
Efforts to mitigate climate change require technological innovations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions together with the reduction of the consumption of natural resources in an economic way compared to conventional processes. This paper presents a prospective assessment of an alternative for carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization based on its electrochemical reduction (ER) to produce formic acid (FA). The methodology applied in the present study integrates a techno-economic assessment considering both the use of resources and a set of economic key process indicators versus the fossil-fuel based thermochemical conventional route. The results have demonstrated that the electricity consumption together with the consumables of the process (determined by the cathode lifetime) are the main contributors to the costs of production and therefore, to the profitability of the utilization plant. A sensitivity analysis was carried to evaluate the influence of the specific energy consumption in the profitability under a realistic ER approach. The results will assess the competitiveness of the production of FA by CO2 ER against the conventional manufacture in terms of economics. The study has demonstrated that the electrification of this kind of commodity production plants through inexpensive surpluses of renewable energy is needed for their future competitiveness.
M. Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; P. Perez; A Irabien. A techno-economic evaluation approach to the electrochemical reduction of CO2 for formic acid manufacture. Journal of CO2 Utilization 2019, 34, 490 -499.
AMA StyleM. Rumayor, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, P. Perez, A Irabien. A techno-economic evaluation approach to the electrochemical reduction of CO2 for formic acid manufacture. Journal of CO2 Utilization. 2019; 34 ():490-499.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; P. Perez; A Irabien. 2019. "A techno-economic evaluation approach to the electrochemical reduction of CO2 for formic acid manufacture." Journal of CO2 Utilization 34, no. : 490-499.
Waste managers struggle to comply with the European legislation that regulates the handling of organic waste. A waste management system that aims at recovering nutrients from the municipal organic waste generated in the Spanish region of Cantabria was modeled combining Material Flow Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing. The model was optimized to find system configurations that minimize the total annual cost (TAC) and the global warming impacts (GW) and maximize the circularity indicators of nitrogen and phosphorus (CIN and CIP). The developed superstructure is composed of waste management unit processes and unit processes related to the land application of the recovered products (compost, digestate, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4MgPO4·6H2O) and industrial fertilizers to grow corn. The results of the optimization indicate that increasing CIN and minimizing GW raises the TAC, because of the investment on new technologies, although high CIP values can be achieved at low TACs. The economic margin that enables the organic fertilizers to compete in the market with industrial fertilizers was estimated. The cooperation between waste managers, the farmers that purchase the recovered products and the policy-makers that set the waste management taxes can minimize the costs that hinder the transition towards a circular economy.
Selene Cobo; James William Levis; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. Economics of Enhancing Nutrient Circularity in an Organic Waste Valorization System. Environmental Science & Technology 2019, 53, 6123 -6132.
AMA StyleSelene Cobo, James William Levis, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Angel Irabien. Economics of Enhancing Nutrient Circularity in an Organic Waste Valorization System. Environmental Science & Technology. 2019; 53 (11):6123-6132.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSelene Cobo; James William Levis; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. 2019. "Economics of Enhancing Nutrient Circularity in an Organic Waste Valorization System." Environmental Science & Technology 53, no. 11: 6123-6132.
The integration of electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) with seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) process influences the two main environmental burdens of SWRO desalination process: climate change, accounted here as carbon footprint (CF) and associated to the high-energy consumption, and the environmental alteration of the vicinities of the facility, due to brine disposal. EDBM powered by photovoltaic (PV) solar energy is able to meet the above-mentioned challenges that arise in SWRO desalination. In addition, HCl and NaOH, both employed in the desalination industry, can be produced from the brines. Hence, environmental benefits regarding the potential self-supply can be achieved. The environmental sustainability assessment by means of life cycle assessment (LCA) of a SWRO and EDBM has been carried out considering four different scenarios. The percentage of treated brines and the influence of the grid mix used for electric power supply has been taken into account. The three different electric power supplies were 100.0% renewable energy (PV solar energy), 36.0% renewable energy (average Spanish grid mix), and 1.9% (average Israeli grid mix). The results showed that the CF per unit of volume produced freshwater for SWRO and the self-supply reagent production scenario for the three Spanish grid mix, the Israeli grid mix, and the PV solar energy were 6.96 kg CO2-eq·m−3, 12.57 kg CO2-eq·m−3, and 2.17 kg CO2-eq·m−3, respectively.
Marta Herrero-Gonzalez; Noy Admon; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Raquel Ibañez; Adi Wolfson; Angel Irabien. Environmental sustainability assessment of seawater reverse osmosis brine valorization by means of electrodialysis with bipolar membranes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2019, 27, 1256 -1266.
AMA StyleMarta Herrero-Gonzalez, Noy Admon, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Raquel Ibañez, Adi Wolfson, Angel Irabien. Environmental sustainability assessment of seawater reverse osmosis brine valorization by means of electrodialysis with bipolar membranes. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2019; 27 (2):1256-1266.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarta Herrero-Gonzalez; Noy Admon; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Raquel Ibañez; Adi Wolfson; Angel Irabien. 2019. "Environmental sustainability assessment of seawater reverse osmosis brine valorization by means of electrodialysis with bipolar membranes." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27, no. 2: 1256-1266.
Finding and implementing more sustainable alternatives to the fossil-dependence routes for methanol (MeOH) manufacturing is undoubtedly one of the challenges of our model of society. Some approaches can be used to convert CO2 into MeOH as direct hydrogenation or electrochemical reduction (ER). These alternatives lead to lower natural resources consumption respect the conventional routes, but they are still found at different technological readiness levels (TRLs) and some remaining challenges need to be overtaken to achieve a carbon neutral cycle respect the conventional route, especially in the case of ER, which is currently found at its infancy. That would indicate their final industrial competitiveness in a sustainable mode. This study uses Life Cycle Assessment as the main tool in order to compare these two CO2-based manufacture alternatives (found at different TRLs) with the fossil-route. The results allow for evaluating the potential challenges inherited to the alternative based on ER. Utilization of renewable energy is one of the most important key issues to achieve a carbon neutral product using these options. However, its benefit is neglected due to the high requirement of steam in the purification step, particularly in ER. It was demonstrated that a future scenario using ER leads to a lower natural resources consumption (mainly natural gas) compared to the conventional fabrication, which represents an important step towards more green and efficient MeOH synthesis.
M. Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; A Irabien. Innovative alternatives to methanol manufacture: Carbon footprint assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 225, 426 -434.
AMA StyleM. Rumayor, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, A Irabien. Innovative alternatives to methanol manufacture: Carbon footprint assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 225 ():426-434.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; A Irabien. 2019. "Innovative alternatives to methanol manufacture: Carbon footprint assessment." Journal of Cleaner Production 225, no. : 426-434.
Low carbon options for the chemical industry include switching from fossil to renewable energy, adopting new low-carbon production processes, along with retrofitting current plants with carbon capture for ulterior use (CCU technologies) or storage (CCS). In this paper, we combine a dynamic Life Cycle Assessment (d-LCA) with economic analysis to explore a potential transition to low-carbon manufacture of formic acid. We propose new methods to enable early technical, environmental and economic assessment of formic acid manufacture by electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CCU), and compare this production route to the conventional synthesis pathways and to storing CO2 in geological storage (CCS). Both CCU and CCS reduce carbon emissions in particular scenarios, although the uncertainty in results suggests that further research and scale-up validation are needed to clarify the relative emission reduction compared to conventional process pathways. There are trade-offs between resource security, cost and emissions between CCU and CCS systems. As expected, the CCS technology yields greater reductions in CO2 emissions than the CCU scenarios and the conventional processes. However, compared to CCS systems, CCU has better economic potential and lower fossil consumption, especially when powered by renewable electricity. The integration of renewable energy in the chemical industry has an important climate mitigation role, especially for processes with high electrical and thermal energy demands.
Rubén Aldaco; Isabela Butnar; María Margallo; Jara Laso; Marta Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien; Paul Dodds. Bringing value to the chemical industry from capture, storage and use of CO2: A dynamic LCA of formic acid production. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 663, 738 -753.
AMA StyleRubén Aldaco, Isabela Butnar, María Margallo, Jara Laso, Marta Rumayor, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Angel Irabien, Paul Dodds. Bringing value to the chemical industry from capture, storage and use of CO2: A dynamic LCA of formic acid production. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 663 ():738-753.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRubén Aldaco; Isabela Butnar; María Margallo; Jara Laso; Marta Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien; Paul Dodds. 2019. "Bringing value to the chemical industry from capture, storage and use of CO2: A dynamic LCA of formic acid production." Science of The Total Environment 663, no. : 738-753.
This paper focuses on the study of the environmental and economic feasibility of the formic acid (FA) synthesis by means of electrochemical reduction (ER) of carbon dioxide (CO2) with special emphasis on the cathode lifetime. The study has used a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach in order to obtain the environmental indicators as Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Abiotic Depletion (ADP) (both elements and fossil resources ADPs). The values of the indicators obtained in the assessment were representative of the Carbon Footprint (CF) and resource savings of this fabrication process. The commercial/conventional process for FA production was used as benchmark. The novelty of the study is the incorporation into the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) of those materials and chemicals that are used in the fabrication of an ER cell, and in particular in the cathode. Hence, the lifetime of the cathode was used as a main parameter. The results obtained for a baseline case demonstrated that cathode lifetimes over 210 h would be enough to neglect the influence of the cathode fabrication from an environmental perspective. A first approach to the utility costs of CO2 ER process was also proposed in the study. Cost of utilities ranged between 0.16 €⋅ kg −1 and 1.40 €⋅ kg−1 of FA in an ER process compared with 0.21 €⋅ kg−1 and 0.43 €⋅ kg−1 of FA in the conventional process depending on the market prices. This study demonstrated that the ER-based process could be competitive under future conditions if a reasonable electrocatalytic performance (in terms of cell voltage, current density, and faradaic efficiency) is achieved within a reasonable medium or long-term horizon. The results obtained aim to provide useful insights for decision-makers on the future developments within a decarbonised chemical industry.
Marta Rumayor; A. Dominguez-Ramos; A. Irabien. Environmental and economic assessment of the formic acid electrochemical manufacture using carbon dioxide: Influence of the electrode lifetime. Sustainable Production and Consumption 2018, 18, 72 -82.
AMA StyleMarta Rumayor, A. Dominguez-Ramos, A. Irabien. Environmental and economic assessment of the formic acid electrochemical manufacture using carbon dioxide: Influence of the electrode lifetime. Sustainable Production and Consumption. 2018; 18 ():72-82.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarta Rumayor; A. Dominguez-Ramos; A. Irabien. 2018. "Environmental and economic assessment of the formic acid electrochemical manufacture using carbon dioxide: Influence of the electrode lifetime." Sustainable Production and Consumption 18, no. : 72-82.
It is widely known that the Learning-by-Doing (LbD) pedagogical tool is not the most common form of education in Chemical Engineering nowadays. The aim of this work is to describe the application of LbD considering as case of study the participation of undergraduate students from the Chemical Engineering Degree of the University of Cantabria (UC) from Spain in the Chem-E-Car Competition® in the 10th World Congress of Chemical Engineering (WCCE10). The Chem-E-Car Competition® is a world-known student event run by AIChE, which provides chemical engineering undergraduate students with the opportunity to participate in a team-oriented hands-on design and construction of a small prototype car powered by a chemical reaction. Within the context of the WCCE10, the competition gathered 18 teams from different countries all around the world. The UC team ended in the 6th position and won the award to the best inherent safety design. Overall, the benefits outpaced the time cost both for students and the teaching staff. This situation was not clear at the beginning of the project. Prior to this competition, LbD was used as an innovative pedagogical tool for the requested acquisition of competences. The proposal of a multi-annual Final Degree Programme was a win–win situation for all the stakeholders. From a teaching point of view, the LbD let transferable and core competences to be evaluated not only internally, but also externally thanks to the competition. A survey was completed among the students that participated in the project. Competences such as “Problem-solving” and “Adaptation to new situations” were pointed out as those which were developed in a higher level by the students.
Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Manuel Alvarez-Guerra; Guillermo Diaz-Sainz; Raquel Ibañez; Angel Irabien. Learning-by-Doing: The Chem-E-Car Competition® in the University of Cantabria as case study. Education for Chemical Engineers 2018, 26, 14 -23.
AMA StyleAntonio Dominguez-Ramos, Manuel Alvarez-Guerra, Guillermo Diaz-Sainz, Raquel Ibañez, Angel Irabien. Learning-by-Doing: The Chem-E-Car Competition® in the University of Cantabria as case study. Education for Chemical Engineers. 2018; 26 ():14-23.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Dominguez-Ramos; Manuel Alvarez-Guerra; Guillermo Diaz-Sainz; Raquel Ibañez; Angel Irabien. 2018. "Learning-by-Doing: The Chem-E-Car Competition® in the University of Cantabria as case study." Education for Chemical Engineers 26, no. : 14-23.
The search for more sustainable production and consumption patterns implies the integration of emerging edge-cutting technologies in the frontier research. However, holistic studies are needed in order to evaluate properly the environmental competitiveness of the suggested solutions. In this work, we use the Power-to-Gas approach to analyse the environmental rationality in terms of the carbon footprint (CF) of a Photovoltaic (PV) solar powered Electrochemical Reduction (ER) process for the utilisation of CO2 as carbon source for the production of CH4. This synthetic natural gas is ready to be injected into the transmission and distribution network. The raw materials for the process are a source of CO2 (mixed with different ratios of N2), H2O and electricity from PV solar. The separated products are CH4, C2H4, H2/CO, O2 andHCOOH. The reaction, separation/purification and compression stages needed to deliver commercial distributable products are included. Mass and energy balances were used to create a black-box model. The input to the model is the faradaic efficiency of best cathodes performing at lab-scale (over 60% faradaic efficiency towards CH4) and its cathodic potential. Long-lasting cathodes were assumed. The output of the model is the distribution of products (related to 1 kg of pure CH4) and the energy consumption at each of the mentioned stages. These energy consumptions are used to calculate the overall CF depending on the CF of the PV solar reference chosen. The influence of the purity of the CO2 stream used was analysed together with the conversion of the CO2 in the reactor, showing the high contribution (over 60%) of the ER reaction stage even if diluted CO2 is used. When a CO2conversion of 50% is chosen together with an inlet stream with a N2:CO2 ratio of 24, the electricity consumption of the process is between 2.6 and 6.2 times the minimum obtained for a reference ER reactor including the separation and compression of gaseous products (18.5 kWh ⋅ kg−1 of CH4). The use of PV solar energy with low CF (14 ⋅ 10−3 kg ⋅ kWh−1) allows the current lab-scale performers to even the CF associated with the average world production of natural gas when the valorisation of C2H4 is included (∼1.0 kg ⋅ kg−1 of CH4).
Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. The carbon footprint of Power-to-Synthetic Natural Gas by Photovoltaic solar powered Electrochemical Reduction of CO2. Sustainable Production and Consumption 2018, 17, 229 -240.
AMA StyleAntonio Dominguez-Ramos, Angel Irabien. The carbon footprint of Power-to-Synthetic Natural Gas by Photovoltaic solar powered Electrochemical Reduction of CO2. Sustainable Production and Consumption. 2018; 17 ():229-240.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. 2018. "The carbon footprint of Power-to-Synthetic Natural Gas by Photovoltaic solar powered Electrochemical Reduction of CO2." Sustainable Production and Consumption 17, no. : 229-240.
The assessment of the environmental greenness in the process industry has been quantified by means of the development of an integrated index, i.e., Monetized Footprint Index (MFI), based on the compilation and the integration of land, water and carbon footprint indicators. The MFI has been applied to assess the case study of a seawater reverse osmosis desalination with an integrated electrodialysis with bipolar membranes brine treatment. The MFI enables the evaluation of environmental burdens related to the chosen functional unit based on a weighting procedure, which integers land, water and CO2 prices. It is neither a tool for the calculation of the production cost nor a sustainability analysis tool as it does not include social or economic indicators. Comparison between selected scenarios, based on the different sources of the requested electricity, grid mix (Spain and Israel, as examples) and photovoltaic solar energy (under a fixed solar irradiation), has been carried out. Maximum values of 0.30 €·m-3 and minimum values of 0.11 €·m-3 for the different scenarios have been obtained in the calculation of the MFI. Moreover, uncertainties in land, water and CO2 prices have been analyzed under a Monte Carlo simulation. This study concludes that MFI, being based on well-known environmental footprint indicators, can simplify and support the decision-making process.
Marta Herrero-Gonzalez; Adi Wolfson; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Raquel Ibañez; Angel Irabien. Monetizing Environmental Footprints: Index Development and Application to a Solar-Powered Chemicals Self-Supplied Desalination Plant. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2018, 6, 14533 -14541.
AMA StyleMarta Herrero-Gonzalez, Adi Wolfson, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Raquel Ibañez, Angel Irabien. Monetizing Environmental Footprints: Index Development and Application to a Solar-Powered Chemicals Self-Supplied Desalination Plant. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 2018; 6 (11):14533-14541.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarta Herrero-Gonzalez; Adi Wolfson; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Raquel Ibañez; Angel Irabien. 2018. "Monetizing Environmental Footprints: Index Development and Application to a Solar-Powered Chemicals Self-Supplied Desalination Plant." ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 6, no. 11: 14533-14541.
Measuring the circularity of resources is essential to assessing the performance of a circular economy. This work aims at proposing an indicator that quantifies how effective a system is at extending the lifetime of its waste components after they have been discarded. The developed indicator was applied to study the circularity of nutrients within a system that handles the organic waste (OW) generated in the Spanish region of Cantabria. A superstructure was developed to determine the optimal configuration of the system. It is composed of alternative unit processes for (1) the management of OW and (2) the application of the recovered products as soil amendment to grow corn. A multiobjective mixed integer linear programming problem was formulated under two policy scenarios with different source separation rates. The problem was optimized according to six objective functions: the circularity indicators of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, which are maximized, and their associated environmental impacts to be minimized (global warming, marine eutrophication, and freshwater eutrophication). The model was fed with the life cycle assessment results obtained with the Environmental Assessment System for Environmental TECHnologies (EASETECH) version 2.3.6 and the nutrient flows in the agriculture subsystem, which were calculated with Denitrification–Decomposition (DNDC) version 9.5. It was concluded that improving nutrient circularity paradoxically leads to eutrophication impacts and that increasing the SSR of OW has a positive effect on the carbon footprint of the system.
Selene Cobo; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. Trade-Offs between Nutrient Circularity and Environmental Impacts in the Management of Organic Waste. Environmental Science & Technology 2018, 52, 10923 -10933.
AMA StyleSelene Cobo, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Angel Irabien. Trade-Offs between Nutrient Circularity and Environmental Impacts in the Management of Organic Waste. Environmental Science & Technology. 2018; 52 (19):10923-10933.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSelene Cobo; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. 2018. "Trade-Offs between Nutrient Circularity and Environmental Impacts in the Management of Organic Waste." Environmental Science & Technology 52, no. 19: 10923-10933.
Chemical engineers assume a broad range of roles in industry, spanning the development of new process designs, the maintenance and optimization of complex systems, and the production of intermediate materials, final products and new technologies. The technical aptitude that enables chemical engineers to fulfill these various roles along the value chain makes them compelling participants in the environmental assessment of the product in question. Therefore, the introduction of life cycle assessment (LCA) and ecodesign concepts into the chemical engineering curriculum is essential to help these future professionals to face design problems with a holistic view of the technical, economic, social and environmental impacts of their solutions. The teaching of these and other disciplines by means of student-centered methods, based on a holistic structure, have demonstrated better teamwork and communication skills. For that reason, this paper proposes a Micro (Assess-Analyze-Act) (M-3A) model of assessment mainly focused on closing the loop of the learning activities. This model has been applied to an ecodesign case study of the “University master’s Degree in chemical engineering” of the University of Cantabria/University of the Basque Country, with positive feedback of the students. They felt that the approach has allowed them to utilize their analytical skills in quantifying a situation before applying other subjective measures, and that the public discussion of the results was a satisfactory element for improving their communication skills. Moreover, the students found that the workload was nicely adjusted, highlighting the acquisition of 4 competences preferentially: teamwork, creativity; relevance of environmental issues and initiative and entrepreneurship. Finally, the students suggest that the application of this methodology into their degree could motivate future students improving their performance.
M. Margallo; R. Dominguez-Ramos; A. Aldaco. Incorporating life cycle assessment and ecodesign tools for green chemical engineering: A case study of competences and learning outcomes assessment. Education for Chemical Engineers 2018, 26, 89 -96.
AMA StyleM. Margallo, R. Dominguez-Ramos, A. Aldaco. Incorporating life cycle assessment and ecodesign tools for green chemical engineering: A case study of competences and learning outcomes assessment. Education for Chemical Engineers. 2018; 26 ():89-96.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Margallo; R. Dominguez-Ramos; A. Aldaco. 2018. "Incorporating life cycle assessment and ecodesign tools for green chemical engineering: A case study of competences and learning outcomes assessment." Education for Chemical Engineers 26, no. : 89-96.
Selene Cobo; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. From linear to circular integrated waste management systems: A review of methodological approaches. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2018, 135, 279 -295.
AMA StyleSelene Cobo, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Angel Irabien. From linear to circular integrated waste management systems: A review of methodological approaches. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2018; 135 ():279-295.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSelene Cobo; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. 2018. "From linear to circular integrated waste management systems: A review of methodological approaches." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 135, no. : 279-295.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization alternatives for manufacturing formic acid (FA) such as electrochemical reduction (ER) or homogeneous catalysis of CO2 and H2 could be efficient options for developing more environmentally-friendly production alternatives to FA fossil-dependant production. However, these alternatives are currently found at different technological readiness levels (TRLs), and some remaining technical challenges need to be overcome to achieve at least carbon-even FA compared to the commercial process, especially ER of CO2, which is still farther from its industrial application. The main technical limitations inherited by FA production by ER are the low FA concentration achieved and the high overpotentials required, which involve high consumptions of energy (ER cell) and steam (distillation). In this study, a comparison in terms of carbon footprints (CF) using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool was done to evaluate the potential technological challenges assuring the environmental competitiveness of the FA production by ER of CO2. The CF of the FA conventional production were used as a benchmark, as well as the CF of a simulated plant based on homogeneous catalysts of CO2 and H2 (found closer to be commercial). Renewable energy utilization as PV solar for the reaction is essential to achieve a carbon-even product; however, the CF benefits are still negligible due to the enormous contribution of the steam produced by natural gas (purification stage). Some ER reactor configurations, plus a recirculation mode, could achieve an even CF versus commercial process. It was demonstrated that the ER alternatives could lead to lower natural resources consumption (mainly, natural gas and heavy fuel oil) compared to the commercial process, which is a noticeable advantage in environmental sustainability terms.
Marta Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. Formic Acid Manufacture: Carbon Dioxide Utilization Alternatives. Applied Sciences 2018, 8, 914 .
AMA StyleMarta Rumayor, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Angel Irabien. Formic Acid Manufacture: Carbon Dioxide Utilization Alternatives. Applied Sciences. 2018; 8 (6):914.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarta Rumayor; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. 2018. "Formic Acid Manufacture: Carbon Dioxide Utilization Alternatives." Applied Sciences 8, no. 6: 914.
Marta Herrero; Pedro Diaz-Guridi; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Raquel Ibañez; Angel Irabien. Photovoltaic solar electrodialysis with bipolar membranes. Desalination 2018, 433, 155 -163.
AMA StyleMarta Herrero, Pedro Diaz-Guridi, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Raquel Ibañez, Angel Irabien. Photovoltaic solar electrodialysis with bipolar membranes. Desalination. 2018; 433 ():155-163.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarta Herrero; Pedro Diaz-Guridi; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Raquel Ibañez; Angel Irabien. 2018. "Photovoltaic solar electrodialysis with bipolar membranes." Desalination 433, no. : 155-163.
The efficient management of municipal organic waste (OW) will contribute to the transition to a circular economy of nutrients. The goal of this work is to determine the optimal configuration of a waste management system that valorizes the OW generated in Cantabria. The model was developed with the EASETECH and the DNDC softwares, and it assumes that the products generated from the OW (compost, digestate, struvite and ammonium sulphate) are applied to land to grow corn. The closed-loop perspective of the system is given by the application of these products, which results in a reduction in the consumption of the industrial fertilizers required for the production of food, a fraction of which becomes OW in a later life cycle stage. A superstructure comprising technologies to manage OW was developed. A MILP problem was formulated for the multi-objective optimization of the flows of OW that are sent to each technology according to these objective functions to be minimized: the carbon footprint of the system (CF), the landfill area occupied by OW (LFA) and the consumption of non-renewable raw materials (NR-RM). It was found that a combination of different technologies is required to attain a trade-off between the objective functions. The minimization of the CF leads to a system configuration with a high N circularity and the maximal values of LFA and NR-RM, whereas the minimal consumption of NR-RM is achieved at the scenarios with low N recovery rates. This indicates that an enhanced circularity of resources does not necessarily entail that the overall consumption of natural resources and the emission of environmental burdens of the system decrease.
Selene Cobo; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. Minimization of Resource Consumption and Carbon Footprint of a Circular Organic Waste Valorization System. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2018, 6, 3493 -3501.
AMA StyleSelene Cobo, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Angel Irabien. Minimization of Resource Consumption and Carbon Footprint of a Circular Organic Waste Valorization System. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 2018; 6 (3):3493-3501.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSelene Cobo; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Angel Irabien. 2018. "Minimization of Resource Consumption and Carbon Footprint of a Circular Organic Waste Valorization System." ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 6, no. 3: 3493-3501.
This work presents the enhancement of Cl−/SO42− mono-selectivity of layered nanocomposite anion exchange membranes (AEMs) and the mechanism that supports this improvement. These nanocomposite membranes are based on commercial polyethylene AEMs and a nanocomposite negative thin layer composed of sulfonated poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) and a functionalized nanomaterial, Fe2O3−SO42− nanoparticles or oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes CNTs-COO−. The mechanism for monovalent selectivity was confirmed by characterizing nanocomposite membranes and commercial heterogeneous ion exchange membranes (IEMs) using ζ-potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). ζ-potential measurements confirmed the modification of the charge of surface of the membrane after being coated with the nanocomposite layer. EIS measurements showed a totally different electrical performance between layered nanocomposite membranes and commercial IEMs. The electrical data from EIS was fitted to a Maxwell-Wagner model providing an equivalent electric circuit (EEC) for each membrane. The observed differences in ECC were related to the structural differences of the membranes. A physical explanation of the phenomena that caused these differences is provided. The influence of ion concentration on EIS measurements was also studied. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that an ECC related to the structure of advanced layered IEMs is proposed.Financial support from MICINN under project CTM2014-57833-R and CTQ2013-48280-C3-1-R-D is gratefully acknowledged. The authors thank the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness for the FPI grant BES-2012-053461 and the scholarships EEBB-I-15-10268 and EEBB-I-16-11614. In addition, this research was partially supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation CBET-1235166
Carolina Fernandez-Gonzalez; John Kavanagh; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Raquel Ibañez; A Irabien; Yongsheng Chen; Hans Coster. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of enhanced layered nanocomposite ion exchange membranes. Journal of Membrane Science 2017, 541, 611 -620.
AMA StyleCarolina Fernandez-Gonzalez, John Kavanagh, Antonio Dominguez-Ramos, Raquel Ibañez, A Irabien, Yongsheng Chen, Hans Coster. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of enhanced layered nanocomposite ion exchange membranes. Journal of Membrane Science. 2017; 541 ():611-620.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarolina Fernandez-Gonzalez; John Kavanagh; Antonio Dominguez-Ramos; Raquel Ibañez; A Irabien; Yongsheng Chen; Hans Coster. 2017. "Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of enhanced layered nanocomposite ion exchange membranes." Journal of Membrane Science 541, no. : 611-620.