rGO/NiCo2O4@ZnCo2O4 (RNZC) ternary composite material is synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method. In this report, we demonstrate the effect of rGO concentration on the electrochemical behavior of rGO/NiCo2O4@ZnCo2O4 composite materials. The specific capacity values of the ternary composite materials increase with rGO concentration up to 50 mg. Further increasing the rGO concentration, the capacity

Miscible CO2-SAG flooding is an improved version of CO2 flooding, which compensates for the insufficient interaction of CO2 and crude oil in the reservoir by adding a CO2 soaking process after the CO2 breakthrough (BT). The transmission of CO2 in the reservoir during the soaking process is controlled by the pore-throat structure of the formation, which in turn affects the displacement efficiency of

Developing supercapacitors with simultaneous superior power and energy density is still challenging for energy storage devices. In this work, single-phase NiS2 micro-flowers were synthesized through the hydrothermal process coupled with subsequent sulfidation. The obtained NiS2 micro-flowers perfectly inherited the flower-like structure of the precursor, which were composed of nanosheets with firmly

ABSTRACT: Direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs) are considered as one of the promising energy conversion devices. In recent years, Pd-based nanomaterials have attracted widespread attention for the anodic formic acid oxidation reaction (FAOR) due to the high catalytic activity and anti-poisoning capability. Among large amounts of reports, several factors contribute to the FAOR performance concurrently

Designing cheap and high-efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is vital to advance fuel cells or metal-air batteries technologies. Though great progress have been obtained, facile and versatile synthesis of ternary spinel oxides (AB2O4) and carbon nanohybrids (NHs) remains a challenging work and their applications in ORR have not been systematically investigated. In this work

The packaging capability and thermal conductivity of medium- and high-temperature shape-stabilized composite phase change materials (ss-CPCMs) should be further improved to achieve more excellent properties by encapsulating them into a more promising encapsulation material. Porous TiO2 foam (PTF) with a unique three-dimensional interconnected adjustable porous structure was prepared by a particle-stabilized

Asphaltene deposition is one of the major flow assurance problems in upstream and downstream operations. In order to prevent potential loss and reduce downtime due to asphaltenes, it is critical to understand the physics of asphaltene adsorption. This study presents a preliminary investigation of asphaltene adsorption from crude oils onto stainless steel surfaces using quartz crystal microbalance with

An isothermal model is commonly used in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of biomass devolatilization in fluidized beds. However, the particle internal heat transfer, which is neglected by the isothermal model, influences significantly the devolatilization process for large biomass particles. To consider the effect of internal heat transfer, a heat transfer corrected isothermal model is

The role of 3D alumina foam support (Al-F) and titania modified alumina foam support (Al-F-Ti-X, where X represents the weight ratio of Al-F/TiO2) on the dispersion and catalytic activity of NiMo metals in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reaction of dibenzothiophene was studied in a batch reactor. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption desorption isotherm, Field emission

Abstract: In this work, we have assembled the two-dimensional (2D) MXene flakes and acid activated carbon (AAC) into a 3D conductive network architecture which is expected to avoid the serious restacking problem of 2D MXene flakes and develop MXene-based functional materials. When used for energy storage, 2D MXene, as a flexible, conductive and electrochemically active binder, furnishes a new perspective

The development of advanced electrode materials for next-generation rechargeable lithium batteries with high specific capacity and energy density and long life is promising to meet the demand for electric vehicles and portable devices. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the recent progress on foam-like carbon composite materials as high-performance electrode materials, covering the methodology

The real-world application of enzyme-based biofuel cell (EBFC) requires the desirable immobilization of enzymes on the electrode surface, offering the feasibility of addressing its short lifetime and low power density. Nevertheless, an efficient immobilization of enzymes strongly relies on the preferred scaffolding between the enzyme and the electrode. Accordingly, the development of a promising route

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery has been considered as the next generation rechargeable battery due to the large specific capacity and high energy density. However, some technical problems still limit the commercialization value of LSBs such as poor electrical conductivity, shuttle effects and volume expansion. To overcome the aforementioned issues, N-doped carbon composites were synthesized via a facile

Bitumen is a complex mixture corresponding to heavy petroleum products. It can be separated based on polarity and solubility with the saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes (SARA) fractionation. The high-performance thin layer chromatography is suited to analyze complex mixtures such as petroleum products, separating compounds according to their polarity. In this work, the direct coupling between

A dual-scale flamelet/progress variable (DS-FPV) approach is developed to predict polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) formation in the environment of coal combustion. An additional progress variable CPAHs is newly defined in this approach to describe the evolution of PAHs, and the major species and temperature are still described by the traditional progress variable defined in the original FPV

This paper presents a review of recent research on direct upgrading of coal/biomass volatiles into aromatics by catalytic pyrolysis and syngas by gasification with catalytic steam-reforming. Coal/biomass valorization is considered an important part to fill up the depletion of modern fossil fuel resources. Catalytic pyrolysis process is a potential approach to improve coal tar/bio-oil quality by minimizing

An innovative method for the coproduction of high-quality bio-oil and syngas via the integration of in situ acid pretreatment on feedstock and ex situ reforming by activated carbon catalyst was investigated in this study. Dilute acid pretreatment of rice husk was performed in a 10 wt % H3PO4 solution between 60 and 140 °C. Then, the catalytic pyrolysis of raw and pretreated samples was conducted using

The key point to developing green and environmentally friendly zinc-air batteries is exploring efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER) on an air electrode. Herein, we reported a facile and green method for fabricating a bifunctional electrocatalyst of [email protected]/rGO, which is composed of cobalt nanoparticles wrapped into nitrogen-doped

Relatively low cost, environmental friendly, and high-efficiency silicon dioxide/carbon sphere composite demulsifiers (SiO2@CS) were prepared via an in situ hydrothermal–calcination route. They were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The demulsifiers with different ratios

Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) is an emerging technology through which autotrophic microorganisms can directly uptake electrons or indirectly uptake electrons through H2 in the cathode for reducing CO2 to chemicals. In this study, the performance of MES with engineered Clostridium ljungdahlii was improved by electrochemically depositing a nickel phosphide (Ni–P) catalyst on the cathode. The acetate

Solid biomass combustors are being increasingly deployed for energy supply to help global greenhouse gas reduction, despite the fact that it still suffers from some uncontrolled deflections. Biomass composi-tions variability is a factor that can provoke uncertainty in the combustion properties while it has not been enough regarded so far. This paper quantifies the impact of fuel composition variability

To overcome the disadvantages of primary bio-oil, two technical routes, namely, bio-oil ether extraction coupled with ether-soluble fraction microwave-assisted catalytic esterification (ES-MACE) and looped-oxide catalytic (LOC) deoxygenation/mild electrocatalytic hydrogenation (MECH)/catalytic cracking to produce hydrocarbons, were conducted for bio-oil upgrading. With the first route, it was found

A good understanding of the catalytic mechanism of alkali and alkaline earth metal species during pyrolysis is required for the development of biomass utilization, in order to take advantage of its special thermochemical properties. The mechanism of volatile-biochar interaction, especially between H-radical/CO2/H2O and K/Ca in biochar was systematically investigated by combining experimental analyses

This study aims to identify and characterize compounds refractory to hydrodenitrogenation (HDN). The efficiency of a vacuum hydrocracking unit in removing nitrogen-containing compounds to produce low nitrogen content effluent is examined. Molecular, structural, and compositional knowledge is a requisite for the optimization development of the hydrotreatments step process processing unit as changes

Biomass chemical looping gasification (BCLG) is a novel and promising technology for syngas production, in which lattice oxygen in oxygen carriers (OCs) reacts with biomass. OCs can continuously supply oxygen for biomass gasification using a redox cycle between different reactors, and the reduced OC can serve as a good catalyst for biomass tar and char cracking, improving the gasification efficiency

Biomass tar as a byproduct during the gasification process can lead to many problems, such as condensation and subsequent plugging downstream. However, the knowledge of the correlations between the tar formation and conversion and the gas–solid hydrodynamics in fluidized bed gasifiers (FBGs) is still limited compared to other aspects of biomass gasification. In this study, a three-dimensional comprehensive

Application of colorful blooming flowers to mitigate the energy crisis in a green manner by harnessing solar energy. Various colored floras are the powerhouse of the inexplicable chemical composition of various natural pigments; from which Canna-lily Red and Canna-lily yellow extracts used as photo-sensitizers for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell application. In this current investigation, TiO2 is implemented

A novel process of producing pure hydrogen from polyols electrolysis is presented in this study. First, polyols are oxidized by polyoxometalates (POM) at elevated temperatures; the oxidized POM then converts to reduced POM after receiving electrons. The reduced POM then loses electrons and converts to oxidized POM at the anode in the electrolysis process. Protons from the polyols diffuse to the cathode

Shale oil reservoirs are more complex and difficult to exploit than conventional and tight oil reservoirs because of low porosity, permeability and rich organic matter. The presence of organic matter has great influence on the flow behaviors of oil in shale and the development methods on shale oil. In this work, the saturation and movability behaviors of oil in organic and inorganic matter of shale

In this paper, the interfacial properties of a rock/heavy-oil/steam system were measured to observe the degree of wettability alteration when adding unconventional chemicals to steam to improve the displacement efficiency and reduce the amount of CO2 by minimizing the need of steam. A heavy-crude-oil obtained from a field in Alberta (27,780 cP at 25oC) was used in all experiments, and the measurements

Devolatilization is always the primary process in biomass thermal conversion, and directional devolatilization has caught considerable attention in recent decades for producing certain fuels and raw chemical materials. In the present study, we report a novel sensitivity study for biomass directional devolatilization using random forest models, which shows obvious advantages in the parameter range,

Five organic solvents, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), cyclohexanone (CYC), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), acetonitrile (ACN), and toluene (TOL) were used to treat Shenhua direct coal liquefaction residue (DCLR) by swelling processes. The treated residues were characterized by swelling degree (Q), SEM, FTIR, TG-DTG, and Py-GC/MS methods. The effect of swelling treatment on the swelling properties, surface

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) can achieve the benefits of efficient conversion of hydrocarbon fuels and zero-energy CO2 capture using oxygen carriers (OCs) with facilitated oxygen transport properties. The current study details the use of Cu- and Ca-doped lanthanum nickel perovskite-type materials as the OC in CLC processes. By incorporation of lanthanum nickel oxide with copper and calcium, the

Nitrogen is often injected into coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs to enhance the recovery by maintaining reservoir pressure and elevating permeability. Its effectiveness as a stimulant relies on impacts to the pore structure and related adsorption capacity of the coal reservoir. We quantify these changes in high volatility bituminous coal from Xinjiang, China, in response to nitrogen injection. Changes

One of the most crucial decisions in drilling operations is the choice between water-based mud (WBM) and oil-based mud (OBM). Although WBM is often preferred, mainly due to its low cost, OBM usage is on the rise in light of drilling deeper and increasingly more complex wells. A key disadvantage of using OBM is the effect of mud-filtrate invasion on formation properties in the near-wellbore region,

Unconventional oil and gas from shale formations have emerged as some of the fastest growing energy resources in the United States, providing both cleaner energy to consumers and reducing the nation’s reliance on energy imports. To properly harness these important natural resources, the nanopore structure of associated shales must be fully understood, particularly under hydraulic fracturing conditions

Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) is a highly promising method for characterizing the different physical parameters and chemical structures of liquid fuels. In particular, there have been a variety of essential applications by means of time-domain NMR (TD-NMR). These applications can be developed for the characterization of petroleum fuels and biofuels, reaction monitoring, or process and

Among the most prominent challenges for the analysis of biomass pyrolysis products is the characterization of the abundant oligomer fraction of bio-oil. This fraction is principally made up of pyrolytic lignins and dehydrated, highly modified sugar oligomers, called humins, in liquid phase. An emerging technique for analysis of this oligomer fraction is high-resolution Fourier transform-on cyclotron

The development of highly efficient and durable catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction in acidic electrolytes is critical to water electrolyzers and renewable energy conversion, and has been well explored in the controlled synthesis of noble metal Ir and Ru. However, the expensive prices of Ir and Ru severely hamper their wide use in oxygen evolution reaction. Herein, we report an efficient method

The significantly different geological processes experienced by the shales in the southern Sichuan Basin provide a means for comparing their pore characteristics and their supercritical methane adsorption capacities. In this study, we analyzed the Wufeng Formation (O3w)–Longmaxi Formation (S1l) shales in the southern Sichuan Basin using multiple analytical methods, including mineralogy, field emission

The heat generated by a lithium-ion battery (LIB) under fast charging conditions can influence the charging efficiency, lifetime, and security of the battery. Considering the Joule heat generation of the tabs during the fast charging process, the electrochemical–thermal coupling model of a ternary LIB is built. The voltage and temperature of the battery are calculated during the constant current charging

Integration of renewable raw materials in existing refineries is most likely the shortest way for the successful, large-scale introduction of biofuels in the transport sector in the short term and medium term. One possible renewable raw material for this application is fast pyrolysis bio-oil (FPBO), which in this study has been coprocessed (at 0 and 20 wt %) with vacuum residue (VR, 50 wt %) and vacuum

In a recent editorial,(1) I outlined the future direction of Energy & Fuels for substantial expansion into broader domains of alternative energy research. Therefore, it is my great pleasure to inform our readers, authors, reviewers, and the broader fuels and energy research community on the appointments of three new Associate Editors. Our three newly appointed Associate Editors are (from left to right)

The ignition delay times (IDTs) of iso-octane with or without exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) in the 600–950 K temperature range and at pressures of 20 and 30 bar were measured under various equivalence ratios (Φ = 0.6–1.4) with the aid of a rapid compression machine. As for neat iso-octane IDTs measurements at 20 bar, it was found that the IDTs obtained in this work were consistent with the ones measured

Reducing the viscosity of heavy oil is of great significance in petroleum production and transportation. In this paper, we studied the reduction of viscosity for crude oil under the irradiation of a 532 nm laser, in which the variation of current, temperature and viscosity were also studied and discussed. Owing to the photolysis-product absorption and order-n multiphoton absorption, both the current

The direct reduction characteristics of iron oxide by cellulose, hemicellulose (it is difficult to prepare; xylan is used in its place in this work), and lignin were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric Fourier transform infrared (TG-FTIR) combined with several other chemical analyses. The reduction of iron oxide by biomass is determined

The structural parameters and average molecular structures of the asphaltenes obtained from the Aguacate oilfield, located in the Golden Lane of Mexico, have been investigated combining experimental analysis and molecular simulation. The average molecular structural parameters of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) region, average number of fused aromatic rings (nFAR), average structural isomers

High-temperature coal tar pitch is often used to produce high-quality needle coke. Its basic properties [such as fa value, β resin, and quinoline insoluble (QI) content] significantly affect the quality of the resulting needle coke. Refined pitch with fa and β-resin values in the 0.95–0.98 and 13–16% ranges, respectively, is considered an excellent raw material for this purpose. The influence of QI

In recent years, we have explored non-amide based classes of kinetic hydrate inhibitor (KHI) polymers to determine if the same level of performance can be achieved as commercial KHI polymers, which all contain amide groups. We have now investigated a series of polyvinylaminals as KHIs for the first time. These polymers with varying size and shape pendant alkyl or cycloalkyl groups were synthesised

Innate sulfur components in high boiling petroleum samples were used as an internal standard for the estimation of the sample’s composition through atmospheric pressure photo ionization (APPI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). The first step was recording a representative mass spectrum for the aromatic components through the use of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Light and condensable oils derived from mature kerogen and residual oil in deep source rocks have contributed strongly to a rapid increase in oil production. In this study, oil expulsion from kerogen and shale was simulated by selective solvent extraction (hexane:toluene, 9:1 v:v, instead of the commonly used dichloromethane) and by returning the extracts (so-called “oil a”) back into a controlled

The approaching era of sustainable development and rapid increase in global energy demand necessitate the development of high-performance drilling fluids with low-toxicity, sustainability, and in-situ rheology controllability for complicated formation excavation. Herein, smart water-based drilling fluids (WDFs) with thermo-controllable rheological properties are developed using bentonite (BT) and dual-functionalized

Because the CO2 capture is inherent in chemical-looping combustion (CLC), thus ideally avoiding costly gas separation, this process has a potential for uniquely low costs of CO2 capture. The paper reports on operational experiences with different oxygen carriers in CLC pilot operation. Further the application to solid fuels is discussed in terms of technology challenges, routes for up-scaling to commercial

In this contribution, we successfully apply our recently developed extractive catalytic oxidative desulfurization technology (ECODS) for the removal of different nitrogen-containing compounds (ECODN) from both gasoline and diesel fuels. Hereby, indole, 1-methylindole, 2-methylindole, 3-methylindole, quinoline, and quinaldine are completely removed from different model fuels under oxidative conditions

Advanced characterization of the products of the hydrotreatment of gas oils is of high interest for refiners and can be achieved using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). However, the analysis of gas oil samples by FT-ICR MS generates complex data sets with numerous variables whose exhaustive analysis requires the use of multivariate methods. Relevant information about nitrogen and