Analysis of Solar Heating System for an Aquaponics Food Production System
Kevin R. Anderson,
Maryam Shafahi,
Arthur Artounian,
Adam Chrisman
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2015
Pages:
1-6
Received:
26 December 2014
Accepted:
13 January 2015
Published:
23 January 2015
Abstract: Aquaponics is a sustainable farming technology that combines aquaculture and hydroponics, growing fish and plants together in a symbiotic environment. Aquaponics sets an excellent example for an efficient multidisciplinary solution to the real world problems such as drought, polluted environment and food contamination. In this paper we present an aquaponics system heated by solar thermal energy in order to maintain the fish living environment at 21 C. The paper presents an f-chart based analysis demonstrating the feasibility of the system. The results show for a collector area of 22 m2 that an annual solar fraction of 94% is needed to support an 833 liter aquaponics system.
Abstract: Aquaponics is a sustainable farming technology that combines aquaculture and hydroponics, growing fish and plants together in a symbiotic environment. Aquaponics sets an excellent example for an efficient multidisciplinary solution to the real world problems such as drought, polluted environment and food contamination. In this paper we present an a...
Show More
Simulating Human Occupancy in an Experimental Laboratory Setting
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2015
Pages:
7-10
Received:
22 December 2014
Accepted:
8 January 2015
Published:
30 January 2015
Abstract: Energy conservation within a residential home is a primary focus for both home owners and power utilities throughout the country. Developing a technology to model, detect, and measure human occupancy would allow for laboratory settings to more accurately model residential energy use without the need for actual human activity within the space. An accurate way to measure occupancy is through detecting the latent and sensible heat that is generated by activities within the home. As industry facilities move forward with research, innovative ways to model every aspect of a residential home comes into play. These research settings require the development of technology that appropriately models and detects human activity within a residential home.
Abstract: Energy conservation within a residential home is a primary focus for both home owners and power utilities throughout the country. Developing a technology to model, detect, and measure human occupancy would allow for laboratory settings to more accurately model residential energy use without the need for actual human activity within the space. An ac...
Show More
Biodiesel Production from Unrefined Palm Oil on Pilot Plant Scale
Jean Baptiste Nduwayezu,
Theoneste Ishimwe,
Ananie Niyibizi,
Alexis Munyentwali
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2015
Pages:
11-21
Received:
19 December 2014
Accepted:
6 January 2015
Published:
2 February 2015
Abstract: As global warming and climate change issues are defying modern society sustainable development; biofuels, biodiesel included, are among promising solutions. Biodiesel is generally produced from renewable vegetable oils and animal fats via acid or base catalyzed transesterification. Depending on regional availability, biodiesel production feedstocks vary from vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, soya oil, palm oil, and jatropha oil, to used cooking oil and animal fats, with each type of feedstock presenting its own process challenges rooting from its chemical composition. This paper reports about biodiesel production from crude palm oil on a pilot plant scale, subsequent to a laboratory scale investigation of biodiesel synthesis from various vegetable oil feedstocks. Prior to transesterification, pretreatment processes have been applied due to the fact that crude palm oil as a biodiesel feedstock possesses a high free fatty acid(FFA) content, water, solid impurities and waxes, all of which hinder an efficient transesterification if not dealt with accordingly. Those processes are mainly filtering, water evaporation, and FFA esterification which is done with 99.9% methanol and 96% sulfuric acid as a catalyst. In fact, the acid esterification process successfully handles the raw palm oil despite its high FFA content of 16.9%, and biodiesel is produced from that feedstock with a yield of 90.4%. A two steps transesterification is carried out using potassium methylate 32% in methanol as a catalyst and anhydrous methanol too. Laboratory analyses have also been used to monitor the process and assess the final product quality. Furthermore, biodiesel cold filtering and top layer intake tank systems of a filling station, both proved to be efficient at helping to obtain a refined product by getting rid of suspensions appearing in biodiesel at room temperature due to sterol glucosides and waxes.
Abstract: As global warming and climate change issues are defying modern society sustainable development; biofuels, biodiesel included, are among promising solutions. Biodiesel is generally produced from renewable vegetable oils and animal fats via acid or base catalyzed transesterification. Depending on regional availability, biodiesel production feedstocks...
Show More
