Ranking Renewable and Fossil Fuels on Global Warming Potential Using Respiratory Quotient Concept

Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is one of the greenhouse gases which cause global warming. The amount of fossil fuels consumed to meet the demands in the areas of power and transportation is projected to increase in the upcoming years. Depending on carbon content, each power plant fuel has its own potential to produce carbon dioxide. Similarly, the humans consume food containing carbohydrates (CH), fat, and protein which emit CO 2 due to metabolism. The biology literature uses respiratory quotient (RQ), defined as the ratio of CO 2 moles exhausted per mole of O 2 consumed within the body, to estimate CO 2 loading in the blood stream and CO 2 in nasal exhaust. Here, we apply that principle in the field of combustion to relate the RQ to CO 2 emitted in tons per GJ of energy released when a fuel is combusted. The RQ value of a fuel can be determined either from fuel chemical formulae (from ultimate analyses for most liquid and solid fuels of known composition) or from exhaust gas analyses. RQ ranges from 0.5 for methane (CH 4 ) to 1 for pure carbon. Based on the results obtained, the lesser the value of "RQ" of a fuel, the lower its global warming potential. This methodology can be further extended for an "online instantaneous measurement of CO 2 " in automobiles based on actual fuel use irrespective of fuel composition.

Thermodynamic properties of microorganisms: determination and analysis of enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy of biomass, cells and colonies of 32 microorganism species

“…In the literature there are at least 40 empirical equations for estimating enthalpy of combustion of biomass (Kiang, 2012). This section reviews and compares using experimental data the most widely used methods, including Patel-Erickson, Boie, Dulong, Mason-Gandhi and Channiwala-Parikh equations (Annamalai et al., 2018).…”

“…Dulong was the first to propose, in the 19 th century, that heat of combustion of coal can be empirically correlated with its chemical composition (Kiang, 2012). Dulong's equation is still in use today and its success has inspired many to look for similar equations applicable to a wide range of fuels, an example being the widely used Boie equation (Annamalai et al., 2018; Kiang, 2012). The underlaying mechanism of the correlation was discovered by Thornton (1917), who realized that the heat of combustion is proportional to number of oxygen atoms used to burn the fuel.…”

“…The Boie equation is a widely used model for estimating standard specific enthalpy of combustion h C ⁰ of fuels of known elemental compositionhcotrue(kJ/kgtrue)=−true(35160⋅wC+116225⋅wH−11090⋅wO+6280⋅wN+10465⋅wStrue)where w C , w H , w O , w N and w S are mass fractions of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur in the fuel, respectively (Annamalai et al., 2018). The method of converting standard enthalpy of combustion from molar h¯Co to mass specific h C ⁰ basis is described in section 3.…”

Biological Aging and Life Span Based on Entropy Stress via Organ and Mitochondrial Metabolic Loading

“…An average male has 76-82% of LBM while female has 69-75%.The LBM % decreases with age [46]. It is LBM which results metabolism.…”

A preliminary study of the physico-chemical properties and fatty acid profile of five palm oil genotypes cultivated in Northeast of Brazil

“…The incessant extraction of the raw material of fossil origin for the maintenance of the world energy matrix has severely compromised the environment, especially concerning global warming (Annamalai, Thanapal & Ranjan, 2018). Also, the instability of fuel prices and the imminent shortage of its raw material have become incentives for the research for other energy sources, especially those from renewable sources such as biofuels, as biodiesel, which has economic, social and environmental benefits (Mekhilef, Siga & Saidur, 2011).…”