Gasification and pyrolysis are thermal processes for converting carbonaceous substances into tar, ash, coke, char, and gas. Pyrolysis produces products such as char, tar, and gas, while gasification transforms carbon-containing products (e.g., the products from pyrolysis) into a primarily gaseous product. The composition of the products and their relative quantities are highly dependent on the configuration of the overall process and on the input fuel. Although in gasification, pyrolysis processes also occur in many cases (yet prior to the gasification processes), gasification is a common description for the overall technology. Pyrolysis, on the other hand, can be used without going through the gasification process. The current study evaluates the most common waste plastics valorization routes for producing gaseous and liquid products, as well as the key process specifications that affected the end final products. The reactor type, temperatures, residence time, pressure, the fluidizing gas type, the flow rate, and catalysts were all investigated in this study. Pyrolysis and waste gasification, on the other hand, are expected to become more common in the future. One explanation for this is that public opinion on the incineration of waste in some countries is a main impediment to the development of new incineration capacity. However, an exceptional capability of gasification and pyrolysis over incineration to conserve waste chemical energy is also essential.
Rapid industrialization is consuming too much energy, and non-renewable energy resources are currently supplying the world’s majority of energy requirements. As a result, the global energy mix is being pushed towards renewable and sustainable energy sources by the world’s future energy plan and climate change. Thus, hydrogen has been suggested as a potential energy source for sustainable development. Currently, the production of hydrogen from fossil fuels is dominant in the world and its utilization is increasing daily. As discussed in the paper, a large amount of hydrogen is used in rocket engines, oil refining, ammonia production, and many other processes. This paper also analyzes the environmental impacts of hydrogen utilization in various applications such as iron and steel production, rocket engines, ammonia production, and hydrogenation. It is predicted that all of our fossil fuels will run out soon if we continue to consume them at our current pace of consumption. Hydrogen is only ecologically friendly when it is produced from renewable energy. Therefore, a transition towards hydrogen production from renewable energy resources such as solar, geothermal, and wind is necessary. However, many things need to be achieved before we can transition from a fossil-fuel-driven economy to one based on renewable energy.
In this article, the effect of absorption time on the surface chemistry and pore structure of activated carbon (AC) from waste leaves of Quercus alba with the H3PO4 chemical activation method. XRD, SEM, EDX, BET, TGA, and FT-IR analyses of prepared AC were used to figure out the properties of the activated carbon. The results demonstrated that the 48 h absorption time of H3PO4 contributed to the highest surface area, 943.2 m2/g, among all the prepared activated carbon samples. As the absorption time of the phosphoric acid activating agent was increased, the surface area initially increased and then started to decrease. The further surface chemical characterization of activated carbon was determined by FT-IR spectroscopic method. Life cycle assessment methodology was employed in order to investigate the environmental impacts associated with the laboratory steps for activated carbon (AC) production. The LCA approach was implemented using OpenLCA 1.10.3 software, while ReCiPe Midpoint (H) was used for environmental impact assessment. The results of the LCA study showed that the impact categories related to toxicity were particularly affected by the utilization of electrical energy (≈90%). The power utilized during laboratory procedures was the main cause of environmental impacts, contributing an average of nearly 70% across all impact categories, with the maximum contribution to the impact category of freshwater ecotoxicity potential (≈97%) and the minimum contribution to land use potential (≈10%).
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