Production and Exploitation of Energy Carriers from Solar-Driven Thermochemical Processes
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "I1: Fuel".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2022) | Viewed by 7367
Special Issue Editors
Interests: combustion, gasification and pyrolysis of solid fuels with a high content of volatile materials; the development of new configurations of multiple fluidized bed systems aimed at the chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling process; the development of new fluidized bed configurations aimed at converting concentrated solar energy into electrical energy and/or materials (chemical storage, solar fuels)
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Interests: catalytic combustion (ultra-low concentrations as VOC abatement; conditions consistent with gas turbines operation); the production of hydrogen from fossil and renewable sources; up-grading by-products and/or waste streams (glycerol, organic solvents); catalytic oxidation of soot (DPF); NOx catalytic abatement; the development of innovative catalytic formulations; the development of multi-functional and hybrid structured catalytic reactors
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Interests: concentrated solar thermal technologies; thermochemical energy storage processes; fluidized beds; calcium/chemical looping technologies; CO2 capture and utilization or storage; torrefaction; pyrolysis; gasification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: entrained-flow gasification of solid fuels; dynamics of multi-phase flows; fluidization and fluidized bed systems; chemical reaction engineering; reactor design and operation; heterogeneous reaction kinetics; fluidized bed machining of mechanical parts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The world’s energy scenario is abruptly changing mainly due to the ongoing coal phase-out and the increasing share of renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar and biomass. The target of fully renewable energy production is inevitably approaching with a wide series of associated technological complexities. The electric grid stability related to the scarce dispatchability of the renewable sources and the difficulties of electrification of heavy transport, in particular in aviation and marine sectors, are still huge issues to be figured out. Energy carriers coming from renewable energies are recognized as a solution to mitigate the intrinsic fluctuations related to green power production, to substitute the fossil-derived transportation fuels and to accomplish the needs of seasonal and long-duration energy storage. A portfolio of energy carriers should be provided for a fully renewable energy scenario that takes the field of application, the energy carrier production technology and the local context of the renewable energy sources into account.
Thermal energy storage systems based on molten salts or solid materials can represent energy vectors for daily or weekly energy storage. Instead, thermochemical energy storage based on thermochemical cycles of solid materials that undergo a reversible reaction can, in principle, accomplish long-term and long-duration energy storage. Green hydrogen, ammonia, methane and other different liquid fuels produced from renewable resources have been proposed as energy carriers for the target of a fully renewable energy scenario. In this context, proper reactor/process configurations and suitable materials are needed in order to develop effective processes; in particular, the development of materials showing both improved thermodynamic and kinetic properties is a key factor for obtaining yields and efficiencies that allow the industrialization of thermochemical processes.
Concentrated solar thermal technologies represent a viable route toward the development of processes and technologies aiming at thermal and thermochemical energy storage as well as at the production of solar fuels. Thus, the aim of this Special Issue is to contribute to the widespread diffusion of scientific and technological knowledge on the production and exploitation of energy carriers obtained by solar-driven thermochemical processes. The topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- Thermal energy storage as sensible or latent heat from concentrated solar radiation;
- Solar-assisted thermochemical cycles for the production of green fuels (e.g. H2, CO, syngas) or solid materials for long-term and/or long-duration energy storage;
- Advanced materials for thermochemical cycles showing improved redox properties (thermodynamics, kinetics, etc.);
- Solar-assisted biomass thermoconversion: reactor design, operation and performance;
- Advanced structured reactors with improved energy and mass transfer efficiency under concentrated sunlight;
- Stationary and mobile thermoconversion of solar-derived fuels;
- Catalytic-assisted solar thermoconversion of solids: development of highly effective catalysts.
Dr. Roberto Solimene
Dr. Gianluca Landi
Dr. Maurizio Troiano
Dr. Claudio Tregambi
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- energy storage
- concentrated solar radiation
- thermochemical cycles
- solar fuels
- green fuel exploitation
- biomass-to-fuel
- redox materials
- structured solar reactors
- solid–solid catalysis
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