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Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 54373

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Talal Yusaf

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chief Business Development Officer—CBDO, Activation Australia, Brisbane, QLD 4009, Australia
Interests: renewable energy; energy generation; conversion and storage; alternative fuels for internal combustion engine; microalgae fuel; mechanical method for water treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution covers the state-of-the-art of the recent renewable energy issues which are related to alternative fuels and environmental pollution, solar energy and energy storage systems, wind energy, biomass and bioenergy, hydro power, geothermal energy, tidal and wave energy, energy storage, and all related fields.

Prof. Dr. Talal Yusaf
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • renewable energy resources
  • emission and pollution

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 4687 KiB  
Article
In-Situ Water Quality Observations under a Large-Scale Floating Solar Farm Using Sensors and Underwater Drones
by Rui L. Pedroso de Lima, Katerina Paxinou, Floris C. Boogaard, Olof Akkerman and Fen-Yu Lin
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6421; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116421 - 04 Jun 2021
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 11685
Abstract
The rapid implementation of large scale floating solar panels has consequences to water quality and local ecosystems. Environmental impacts depend on the dimensions, design and proportions of the system in relation to the size of the surface water, as well as the characteristics [...] Read more.
The rapid implementation of large scale floating solar panels has consequences to water quality and local ecosystems. Environmental impacts depend on the dimensions, design and proportions of the system in relation to the size of the surface water, as well as the characteristics of the water system (currents, tidal effects) and climatic conditions. There is often no time (and budget) for thorough research into these effects on ecology and water quality. A few studies have addressed the potential impacts of floating solar panels, but often rely on models without validation with in situ data. In this work, water quality sensors continuously monitored key water quality parameters at two different locations: (i) underneath a floating solar park; (ii) at a reference location positioned in open water. An underwater drone was used to obtain vertical profiles of water quality and to collect underwater images. The results showed little differences in the measured key water quality parameters below the solar panels. The temperature at the upper layers of water was lower under the solar panels, and there were less detected temperature fluctuations. A biofouling layer on the floating structure was visible in the underwater images a few months after the construction of the park. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution)
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19 pages, 3872 KiB  
Article
Time–Frequency Analysis of Diesel Engine Noise Using Biodiesel Fuel Blends
by Nemat Keramat Siavash, Golamhassan Najafi, Sayed Reza Hassan-Beygi, Hossain Ahmadian, Barat Ghobadian, Talal Yusaf and Mohammed Mazlan
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3489; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063489 - 22 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2605
Abstract
In recent years, biodiesel has been demonstrated to offer a suitable level of reliability and attracted the attention of many researchers. Accordingly, various studies have been carried out to account for the biodiesel production and application, producing valuable reports and findings. In this [...] Read more.
In recent years, biodiesel has been demonstrated to offer a suitable level of reliability and attracted the attention of many researchers. Accordingly, various studies have been carried out to account for the biodiesel production and application, producing valuable reports and findings. In this research study, the effects of biodiesel on engine noise were studied on the basis of a time–frequency analysis. To do so, the acquired acoustic signal was initially filtered and denoised. Then the signal was transferred to the time–frequency SPL domain using short-time Fourier transform. In the A weighted signal, the SPL of all treatments were compared using an innovative visual technique. In this novel approach, the values of area percentages of the obtained SPL in the time–frequency domain were used to compare the propagated noise due to variables. The method revealed a consistent trend for all fuel blends at all engine rotational speeds. The analysis results showed that B10 (10% methyl/ethyl ester and 90% diesel fuel) and B30 had the lowest and highest A-Weighted SPL, respectively. Additionally, it was found that the engine had a maximum sensitivity for all fuel blends at an engine rotation speed of 1600 RPM. Moreover, Z-weighted (linear) signal processing was used to investigate what happens in a complete thermodynamic cycle at 1600 RPM. The developed time–frequency methodology successfully exposed all of the important acoustic events of the engine. The results of this study showed that the most effective acoustic events in engine noise were combustion, piston slap, and outlet valve closing. Furthermore, higher percentages of biodiesel blends resulted in longer combustion duration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution)
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22 pages, 1934 KiB  
Article
Sustainability Evaluation of Renewable Energy Incubators Using Interval Type-II Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS with MEA-MLSSVM
by Guangqi Liang, Dongxiao Niu and Yi Liang
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1796; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041796 - 07 Feb 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1752
Abstract
With the development of renewable energy, renewable energy incubators have emerged continuously. However, these incubators present a crude development model of low-level replication and large-scale expansion, which has triggered a series of urgent problems including unbalanced regional development, low incubation efficiency, low resource [...] Read more.
With the development of renewable energy, renewable energy incubators have emerged continuously. However, these incubators present a crude development model of low-level replication and large-scale expansion, which has triggered a series of urgent problems including unbalanced regional development, low incubation efficiency, low resource utilization, and vicious competition for resources. There are huge challenges for the sustainable development of incubators in the future. A scientific and accurate evaluation approach is of great significance for improving the sustainability of renewable energy incubators. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel method combining an interval type-II fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with mind evolutionary algorithm-modified least-squares support vector machine (MEA-MLSSVM). The indicator system is established from two aspects: service capability and operational efficiency. TOPSIS integrated with an interval type-II fuzzy AHP is employed for index weighting and assessment. In the least-squares support vector machine (LSSVM), the traditional radial basis function is replaced with the wavelet transform function (WT), and the parameters are fine-tuned by the mind evolutionary algorithm (MEA). Accordingly, the establishment of a comprehensive sustainability evaluation model for renewable energy incubators is accomplished in this paper. The experimental study reveals that this novel technique has the advantages of scientificity and precision and provides a decision-making basis for renewable energy incubators to realize sustainable operation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution)
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18 pages, 2363 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Hydrogen on a Stationary Gasoline-Based Engine through Multi-Response Optimization: A Desirability Function Approach
by Jesus M. Padilla-Atondo, Jorge Limon-Romero, Armando Perez-Sanchez, Diego Tlapa, Yolanda Baez-Lopez, Cesar Puente and Sinue Ontiveros
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1385; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031385 - 28 Jan 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1761
Abstract
Several studies have been conducted on alternatives to fossil fuels in internal combustion engines. In this work, we present an analysis of the optimization of a spark ignition engine (SIE), which operates with a mix of gasoline and hydrogen. Thus, this study tries [...] Read more.
Several studies have been conducted on alternatives to fossil fuels in internal combustion engines. In this work, we present an analysis of the optimization of a spark ignition engine (SIE), which operates with a mix of gasoline and hydrogen. Thus, this study tries to enrich the literature about the effect of using hydrogen in SIEs taking into account their performance and environmental issues. The experiments were conducted considering three independent variables: revolutions, the load produced by a dynamometer, and an electrolyte concentration (EC) to produce hydrogen. The effect of these factors was investigated on three response variables that are related to the performance of the engine: torque, hydrocarbon emissions (HC), and power. To achieve this optimization, we employed the design of experiments, the seemingly unrelated regression (SUR), and the desirability function. Once the models were fitted by SUR, the individual desirabilities were calculated and later aggregated into an overall desirability (D), which was optimized using the generalized reduced gradient (GRG) method. The results showed that, with a revolution of 2400 revolutions per minute (RPM), a load of 10 liters per minute (LPM), and an EC of 80 mL/gal, a reduction of approximately 51% of HC emissions was achieved, while the other two response variables demonstrated good performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution)
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Review

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25 pages, 1176 KiB  
Review
The Utilisation of Palm Oil and Oil Palm Residues and the Related Challenges as a Sustainable Alternative in Biofuel, Bioenergy, and Transportation Sector: A Review
by Sivabalan Kaniapan, Suhaimi Hassan, Hamdan Ya, Kartikeyan Patma Nesan and Mohammad Azeem
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3110; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063110 - 12 Mar 2021
Cited by 75 | Viewed by 14408
Abstract
The importance of energy demands that have increased exponentially over the past century has led to the sourcing of other ideal power solutions as the potential replacement alternative to the conventional fossil fuel. However, the utilisation of fossil fuel has created severe environmental [...] Read more.
The importance of energy demands that have increased exponentially over the past century has led to the sourcing of other ideal power solutions as the potential replacement alternative to the conventional fossil fuel. However, the utilisation of fossil fuel has created severe environmental issues. The identification of other renewable sources is beneficial to replace the energy utilisation globally. Biomass is a highly favourable sustainable alternative to renewable resources that can produce cleaner, cheaper, and readily available energy sources in the future. The palm oil industry is essentially ideal for the availability of abundant biomass resources, where the multifaceted residues are vital for energy production through the conversion of biomass waste into value-added products simultaneously. This article discusses the utilisation of palm oil and its residues in the energy and transportation sector. Assessment and evaluation on the feasibility of palm oil and its residues were made on the current valorisation methods such as thermochemical and biochemical techniques. Their potential as transportation fuels were concurrently reviewed. This is followed by a discussion on future challenges of palm oil industries that will take place globally, including the prospects from government and nongovernment organisations for the development of palm oil as a sustainable alternative replacement to fossil fuel. Hence, this review aims to provide further insight into the possibilities of palm oil and its residues towards sustainable development with reduced environmental-related issues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution)
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21 pages, 1995 KiB  
Review
Biomass Waste as Sustainable Raw Material for Energy and Fuels
by Nicolás M. Clauser, Giselle González, Carolina M. Mendieta, Julia Kruyeniski, María C. Area and María E. Vallejos
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020794 - 15 Jan 2021
Cited by 106 | Viewed by 13801
Abstract
Sustainable development is the common goal of the current concepts of bioeconomy and circular economy. In this sense, the biorefineries platforms are a strategic factor to increase the bioeconomy in the economic balance. The incorporation of renewable sources to produce fuels, chemicals, and [...] Read more.
Sustainable development is the common goal of the current concepts of bioeconomy and circular economy. In this sense, the biorefineries platforms are a strategic factor to increase the bioeconomy in the economic balance. The incorporation of renewable sources to produce fuels, chemicals, and energy, includes sustainability, reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG), and creating more manufacturing jobs fostering the advancement of regional and social systems by implementing the comprehensive use of available biomass, due to its low costs and high availability. This paper describes the emerging biorefinery strategies to produce fuels (bio-ethanol and γ-valerolactone) and energy (pellets and steam), compared with the currently established biorefineries designed for fuels, pellets, and steam. The focus is on the state of the art of biofuels and energy production and environmental factors, as well as a discussion about the main conversion technologies, production strategies, and barriers. Through the implementation of biorefineries platforms and the evaluation of low environmental impact technologies and processes, new sustainable production strategies for biofuels and energy can be established, making these biobased industries into more competitive alternatives, and improving the economy of the current value chains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution)
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31 pages, 5452 KiB  
Review
Review of Wave Energy Converter and Design of Mooring System
by Dongsheng Qiao, Rizwan Haider, Jun Yan, Dezhi Ning and Binbin Li
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8251; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12198251 - 07 Oct 2020
Cited by 61 | Viewed by 6969
Abstract
In recent decades, the emphasis on renewable resources has grown considerably, leading to significant advances in the sector of wave energy. Nevertheless, the market cannot still be considered as commercialized, as there are still other obstacles in the mooring system for wave energy [...] Read more.
In recent decades, the emphasis on renewable resources has grown considerably, leading to significant advances in the sector of wave energy. Nevertheless, the market cannot still be considered as commercialized, as there are still other obstacles in the mooring system for wave energy converters (WECs). The mooring system must be designed to not negatively impact the WEC’s efficiency and reduce the mooring loads. Firstly, the overview of the types of wave energy converters (WECs) are classified through operational principle, absorbing wave direction, location, and power take-off, respectively, and the power production analysis and design challenges of WECs are summarized. Then, the mooring materials, configurations, requirements, and the modeling approaches for WECs are introduced. Finally, the design of mooring systems, including the design considerations and standards, analysis models, software, current research focus, and challenges are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy and Environmental Pollution)
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