INTL. SYMP. ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION: FOSSIL; RENEWABLES; NUCLEAR; WASTE HANDLING , PROCESSING, AND STORAGE FOR ALL ENERGY PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES; ENERGY CONSERVATION

The present study was dedicated to introducing the agri-food residual biomass potential evaluated from the model calculation and for considering all possibilities of its utilization for heat and/or energy production.
Emphasis has been given to the agricultural and food industry wastes, as well as animal organic wastes, aimed to follow some technology tendency for performing a proper treatment of a mixture prepared from these organic wastes, in order to reach as much as possible biogas (bio-methane as a holder of bioenergy).
The most important way to reduce carbon emission is strongly depended firstly on how much local potential of each source can be collected and there is a number of factors such as the quality of waste chosen as a feedstock, conversion route, processing technology, its maturity and possibility to improve the efficiency of transformation into a bio-source of energy.
For this work has been chosen the biodegradation, but there are also other methods of preliminary waste treatment for disintegration such as composting or burning which however does not resolve definitely the issues related to the collection of such organic wastes, because from them still remains some residue after treatments.
For this study, it was performed a series of different transformation methods for agri-food and animal organic residues, as well as their combinations, so-called pretreatment process, which prepare conditions so the biomass to undergo to an easier process for anaerobic bio digestion or them. During these processes especially for the former one, play a key role some kind of specialized microorganisms which can produce a mixture of gases (Biogas composed of 65% methane and 35% carbon dioxide) and a mixture of liquid (which carries a high value of mineral nutrient elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, especially used as fertilizer additive, etc.

Depolymerization of cellulosic biomass to sugars is a challenging step and is the primary obstacle for the large scale processing of cellulosic biomass to biofuels and renewable feedstocks. Ionic liquids are well known for their ability to dissolve cellulose and our interest in the search for efficient catalytic methods for saccharification of polysaccharides has led us to develop –SO₃H group functionalized Brønsted acidic ionic liquids (BAILs) as solvents as well as catalysts [1]. Later we found that these sulfuric acid derivatives can be used as catalysts in aqueous phase as well. For example, BAIL 1-(1-propylsulfonic)-3-methylimidazolium chloride aqueous solution was shown to be a better catalyst than H₂SO₄ of the same [H⁺] for the degradation of cellulose [2]. This observation is an important lead for the development of a BAIL based cellulase mimic type catalyst for depolymerization of cellulose [3]. In an attempt to develop recyclable, simple enzyme mimic type catalysts, we have studied quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR) of a series of BAIL catalysts and found that activity with different cation types decreases in the order: imidazolium > pyridinium > triethanol ammonium [4]. Furthermore, we have investigated the effects of selected metal ions on 1-(1-propylsulfonic)-3-methylimidazolium chloride BAIL catalyzed hydrolysis of cellulose in water at 140-170 °C. The total reducing sugar (TRS) yields produced during the hydrolysis of cellulose (DP ~ 450) in aq. 1-(1-propylsulfonic)-3-methylimidazolium chloride solution at 140 - 170 °C using Cr³⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe³⁺, Co²⁺ Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and La³⁺ chlorides as co-catalysts were studied. Cellulose samples heated with Mn²⁺, Fe³⁺, Co²⁺ as co-catalysts produce significantly higher TRS yields compared to the sample heated without the metal ions. The highest catalytic effect enhancement is observed with Mn²⁺ and produced TRS yields of 59.1, 78.4, 91.8, and 91.9 % at 140, 150, 160, and 170 °C respectively, whereas cellulose hydrolyzed without Mn²⁺ produced TRS yields of 9.8, 16.5, 28.0, and 28.7 % at the same four temperatures. This is a 503, 375, 228, and 220 % enhancement in TRS yield due to the addition of Mn²⁺ as a co-catalyst to BAIL catalyzed cellulose hydrolysis at 140, 150, 160 and 170°C respectively. This paper will present the development of BAIL based artificial cellulase type catalysts, QSAR studies, catalyst immobilizations, applications on lignocellulosic biomass materials (corn stover, switchgrass, poplar) and recycling studies.

Cement technology is very traditional and the basic principles have remained unchanged for a long time. However, very profound changes in the production techniques were introduced recently, leading to the diminishing of energy consumption.
Energy cost has affected manufactures to evaluate the substitution of conventional fuels with alternative fuels, i.e. processed waste. To be able to use alternative fuels as; waste oils, plastics, waste tire, sewage sludge, etc. it is necessary to know the composition of these alternative materials. So, the usage of waste organic materials affects the thermal energy in the heated furnace. It was used as an example of applying the results of this study in a cement production plant in Albania, which has started a strategy for the real studies allowing to use other alternative fuels.
In this study was used Aspen Plus simulation software to test the possibility for improving the energy performance of cement clinker burning oven process, while maintaining the same product quality.
For this purpose, were used data from real production practice. Mixtures of various organic materials were tested with Aspen Plus simulation software.
The results of different alternative material were compared with conventional materials such as oil, diesel, heavy oil, gas, etc. On the other hand, from the simulation results, it was identified as the most effective fuel source to minimize the material and energy cost.

The requirements of renewable energy for large industrial gearboxes as installed in wind turbines on and off shore rise. The same applies for efficient gas and diesel engines. A larger flexibility is required of these devices such as maximum operational reliability and a long lifetime. Thus, the requirements for oil and oil condition monitoring grow correspondingly. This presentation provides information about a novel online oil condition monitoring system that gives a solution to the mentioned priorities in the energy sector. The different mechanisms of oil parameter variation in gearboxes and engines are addressed; the data interpretation has to be redefined to the dominating effect. From this, the very sensitive measurement of conductivity kappa, relative permittivity epsilon, r, and temperature, T, enables the detection of small changes in the conductivity and dielectric constant of the corresponding oil composition. Therefore, the sensor system effectively controls the proper operation conditions of engines and gearboxes. 24/7 monitoring of the asset during operation enables specific preventive and condition-based maintenance which is independent of rigid inspection intervals.

Introduced in the 70s, the traditional approach to probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of a nuclear reactor operation is the event-tree/fault-tree approach (ET/FT). The ET/FT approach only qualitatively accounts for the timing of events through their ordering. A new generation of methodologies is starting to receive attention for the nuclear reactor PRA. Often referred to as dynamic PRA (DPRA) methodologies¹, these methodologies explicitly account for the time element in the probabilistic system evolution and heavily incorporate plant analysis tools (e.g., RELAP², MELCOR³, MAAP5⁴) to model possible dependencies among failure events that may arise from hardware/software/firmware/process/ human interactions. DPRA methodologies are also capable of quantifying the effects of phenomenological variability and model uncertainties on the consequences of upset conditions. They can be particularly useful for the PRA modeling of passive safety systems, including representation of aging effects. An overview of the DPRA methodologies is presented, including system level applicable computational tools.

With the world's population currently increasing from seven billion to approximately nine billion by the year 2040, achieving a healthy lifestyle for all people on earth will depend, in part, on the availability of affordable energy, especially electricity. This paper considers the various choices, or options, for producing electricity and the consequences associated with each option. The options are fossil, renewable, and nuclear energies. The consequences associated with these three options are addressed in five different areas: economics, environmental effects, public health and safety, sustainability, and politics. All options are needed, but some options may be better than others when compared in the five areas. This presentation is a brief summary of a short course entitled "Energy Choices and Consequences," which was created by the author several years ago and is continually updated. The presentation will provide updated information through October of 2019.

An unintended consequence of the drive towards replacing petro-based sources in the transport sector and the subsequent growth of the biodiesel industry is the co-production of large amounts of crude glycerol (C₃H₈O₃) which constitutes the main by-product of the transesterification process [1-3]. A promising solution is its steam reforming since every mol of C₃H₈O₃ can theoretically produce 7 mol of H₂. Thus, research efforts are directed towards the discovery of cheap (i.e., transition metal based), highly active and stable catalysts. In the work presented herein, a series of Ce-La-xCu, (x=3, 5, 7, 10, 20 at.%) catalysts were evaluated for the glycerol steam reforming reaction in the 400-750^oC temperature range. Stability tests were conducted at 650^oC for 12h. The catalysts were prepared by coupling microwave radiation with the sol-gel method and BET, XRD, Raman, NH₃-TPD, CO₂-TPD, H₂-TPR, SEM, HAADF-STEM and XPS. These were used in order to derive information regarding their textural, morphological and physic-chemical properties to elucidate their effect on catalytic performance. The results obtained show that C₃H₈O₃ conversion of over 85% can be achieved with values for H₂ selectivity and approaches the yield of the thermodynamically predicted ones. The liquid effluents produced contained differing amounts of acetol, acetone, acetic acid, acrolein, allyl alcohol and acetaldehyde depending on the reaction temperature. Time-on-stream results, which were undertaken at more severe conditions, showed that all catalysts maintain quite a stable performance.

Waste management should be done in a way that does not endanger human health or the environment. In a general sense, under the definition of solid waste, we imply a solid, or a combination of solid wastes. The quantity, concentration, physical, chemical or infectious characteristics of this solid waste may cause or significantly contribute to increase in mortality, and present hazard to human health or the environment. In an aim to reduce negative effects, hazardous waste should be clasified in-situ by its physical and chemical caracteristics and state of aggregation, as well as by means of treatment. Prevention of waste is an important issue in the course of "clean" production, especially the development of clean technologies and the rational use of natural resources. It is important to eliminate the risk of the harmful effects of waste on human health, quality of life and the quality of the environment. Re- utilization of grit and recycling, separation of secondary raw materials and the use of waste as an energy source are also important to consider. Following the development of procedures and methods of waste disposal, remediation of uncontrolled landfills, monitoring existing and informal landfills, and raising awareness on waste management and public information should be accomplished. Transport of hazardous waste is done by the transport van plant, which includes loading, reloading and unloading waste. Only a person who has a license to transport waste issued by the proper authority may perform this transport. The waste is transported in a closed vehicle within a container or in another appropriate medium in order to prevent scattering, falling, loading and unloading during transport. This also prevents pollution of air, water and land. Transportation of waste can only be performed by ADR equipped vehicles and certified vehicles operated by drivers with a certificate of competency to transport cargo. Movement of Hazardous Wastes always requires appropriate documents with certification from the manufacturer, the owner and the person who receives hazardous waste. The producer or the owner of hazardous waste is required to permanently keep a copy of the document, certifying that the movement of waste is completed with a signature and stamp of the consignee of the waste .This paper presents legislation that defines an integrated hazardous waste permit for controlling and preventing pollution. This paper also points out the problems in obtaining permits for facilities for disposal or reuse of hazardous wastes. We will present what are considered the best available technology (techniques) that allow the minimization of hazardous waste.

Nuclear Power is developing fast in China. Peaceful and safe use of nuclear energy requires not only advanced technology, but also an extensive and intensive safety culture. A large number of personnel with nuclear safety technology and nuclear safety vision are in demand. Universities play an important role in providing nuclear engineering professionals.
The presentation will introduce the nuclear engineering education in China, specifically at Harbin Engineering University (HEU).
HEU is a national key university. It has a long glorious history and good tradition. The nuclear major at HEU was founded in 1958. With the support of the Chinese government and the IAEA, the College of Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST) has become the largest nuclear engineering education and training base in China. CNST annually trains and outputs 300-350 students with different degrees.
The presentation will cover:
- Nuclear education and training at HEU, including application of simulators and virtual reality tools.
-Teaching Labs, the nuclear power simulation center, and the virtual reality lab.
- Student academic activities, International cooperation, and Student exchange.

Silicene and germanene are key materials for the field of valleytronics. Interaction with the substrate, however, which is necessary to support the electronically active medium, becomes a major obstacle. In the present work, we propose a substrate (F-doped WS₂) that avoids detrimental effects and, at the same time, induces the required valley polarization, so that no further steps are needed for this purpose. The behavior is explained by proximity effects on silicene or germanene, as demonstrated by first-principle calculations. Broken inversion symmetry due to the presence of WS₂ opens a substantial band gap in silicene or germanene. F doping of WS₂ results in spin polarization which, in conjunction with proximity-enhanced spin-orbit coupling, creates sizable spin-valley polarizations.

Energy demand in the world is expected to increase by 59% by the year 2035 [1]. In addition, liquid transportation fuels from renewable resources are urgently needed due to the depletion of fossil resources. During the last 10 years intensive research efforts on biofuels, among them only green diesel, which can be synthesized either via catalytic hydrodeoxygenation or deoxygenation of triglycerides and fats, exhibits the same fuel properties as conventional diesel, since it has a similar composition. On the other hand, ethanol and butanol exhibit lower heating values and can suffer from incomplete burning thus forming oxygenated, harmful, gaseous by-products [2]. Moreover, biodiesel consisting of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) has low oxidative stability, high viscosity and poor cold weather performance and is incompatible for large-scale use in conjunction with fossil fuels [3].
In the present work, we prepared ZrO₂-supported Ni, Co and Cu monometallic catalysts for the production of green diesel via hydrodeoxygenation of palm oil. The catalysts were prepared by the wet impregnation method and had the same metal loading (8 wt.%). The physical and chemical properties were determined by applying several characterization techniques including BET, XRD, NH3/CO2-TPD, TPR, XPS and TEM. Catalytic deoxygenation experiments were carried out in a fixed bed reactor (Autoclave Engineers BTRS) equipped with an HPLC pump. The SDO experiments were conducted using different operating parameters for the Ni/Zr catalyst, as follows: T=250-375°C, P=20-30 bar, LHSV=1.2-2.4 h^-1 and H₂/oil=250-2000 cm³/cm³, while for the Cu/Zr and Co/Zr samples the following operating parameters were used: T=300-400^oC, P=30 bar, LHSV=1.2 h^-1 and H₂/oil=1000 cm³/cm³.
The results shows that the recommended conditions for the Ni/Zr were: I�=300 I�C, P = 30 bar, LHSV = 1.2 h^-1, H₂/oil ratio = 1000 cm³/cm³. Specifically, Palm oil was totally converted at 300 &#o176;C and the main reaction products were C₁₅ and C₁₇, with yields of 16 and 49 mol%, respectively, while C₁₅-C₁₈ n-alkane's yield was equal to 88 mol%. By comparing the three catalysts the deoxygenation activity decreased in the order of C₁₅-C₁₈ n-alkane's yield Ni > Cu > Co when compared at the same reaction temperatures. Also, to understand the roles of the three catalysts on the activity and selectivity in the deoxygenation reaction, the contributions of HDO and deCOx were estimated based on the mole balance corresponding to fatty acids in the oil feed. The Ni and Cu catalysts were favorable to the deCOx routes, whereas HDO was dominant over the Co catalyst.

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) offers a greener source of energy. This highly endothermic reaction converts greenhouse gases (CO₂ and CH₄) into syngas (CO and H₂) which is the main input gas used for production of fine chemicals and liquid fuels [1]. This process, however, has not been implemented at an industrial scale due to the low stability of the catalyst used in DRM arising from coking [2]. Crystalline aluminosilicates (zeolites) are widely used in the petrochemical industry. Altering the acidity of the zeolite by removing Al atoms from the crystal lattice affects the number of Brønsted acid sites and thus the ultimate coke accumulation [3]. This work explores the enhanced catalytic properties of zeolites obtained via dealumination for the reaction at hand. Zeolites with different hierarchical morphologies are examined towards their dealumination behavior while different conditions (temperature, acid concentration) are assessed. The success of the dealumination was confirmed using XPS and EDX while the preservation of the zeolite structure was confirmed using XRD. The resultant zeolites were used as supports towards the preparation of Ni supported catalysts. The DRM catalytic activity was correlated with the Si/Al ratio as well as their coking resistivity.

An Oral Presentation will be made describing the role of Energy Companies as a driving force toward a more sustainable future. Environmentally responsible and sustainable energy production is a grand challenge that must be met and one that is a necessary condition for addressing other grand challenges such as poverty, disease, water, hunger, etc. To date, much of the effort to address climate change and sustainable development has been concentrated in the government policy arena. While government policies and the attendant allocation of resources for research and development in these areas are necessary, they may not be sufficient.
Public corporations have long recognized their responsibilities for what they do for society and for their impacts to society. [Drucker] Corporations are increasingly assuming a role that transcends mere compliance with their respective regulatory and policy frameworks and assuming leadership roles in driving forward to a more sustainable future. This trend's progress can accelerate in curbing societal contributions to climate change drivers such as CO ₂ and CH ₄ emissions.
The presentation will recognize actions of several companies, and will have a sharper focus on Dominion Energy where the author is a CEO and Chief Innovation Officer.