The Environmental Management Of Low Grade Fuels

The negative environmental impacts of energy use, particularly soil and water pollution, continue to present serious policy dilemmas. The release of emissions and effluents and the build-up of solid waste throughout the fuel cycle have disruptive effects on natural habitats and human health. Further, fuel combustion can result in the emission of carbon dioxide, ozone, methane and nitrogen dioxide the 'greenhouse gases' which have been linked to climate change. The safe and sustainable use of energy has become an important issue in the wider environmental debate. In this report, researchers from the Stockholm Environment Institute explore the issues raised by the use of low-grade fuels such as peat, wood, biomass, lignite, oil shale and municipal and industrial wastes. The present strategies and policy options for all stages of the process, from mining and transport to processing and combustion. With those who would like to learn more about these fuels in mind, the material is presented clearly, and discussions of environmental protection measures are given in table form throughout the ease of reference. A directory of environmental guidelines, regulations and standards is given in an appendix. While a high calorific value fuels remain the most significant source of energy in many countries, economic and other constraints on the use of these fuels may result in more nations turning to low-grade sources of energy to operate their industrial or transportation sectors. The greater potential for environmental degradation that accompanies the use of low-grade fuels means that it is crucial that environmentally sound methods for their management, such as those presented here, be more widely available. The Environmental Management of Low-Grade Fuels will be valuable for industry specialists, policy makers, students and all who are concerned with the life cycle of these materials. Mary MacDonald is an affiliated scientist, and Michael Chadwick is a former director, at the Stockholm Environment Institute. Garegin Aslanian is a senior associate with the Institute for High Temperature Research in Moscow. Originally published in 1996

Most coveted energy forms nowadays are gas in nature and electricity due to their environmental cleanness and convenience. Recently, gasification market trend is starting to switch to low-grade feedstock such as biomass, wastes, and low-rank coal that are still not properly utilized. In this sense, the most promising area of development in gasification field lies in low-grade feedstock that should be converted to more user-friendly gas or electricity form in utilization. This book tried to shed light on the works on gasification from many parts of the world and thus can feel the technology status and the areas of interest regarding gasification for low-grade feedstock.

Industrial energy systems channel fuels and power into a variety of energy types such as steam, direct heat, hot fluids and gases, and shaft power for compressors, fans, pumps, and other machine-driven equipment. All of these processes impact the environment and are impacted by external energy and environmental policies and regulations. Therefore many environmental management issues are closely related to energy use and efficiency. Applied Industrial Energy and Environmental Management provides a comprehensive and application oriented approach to the technical and managerial challenges of efficient energy performance in industrial plants. Written by leading practitioners in the field with extensive experience of working with development banks, international aid organizations, and multinational companies, the authors are able to offer real case studies as a basis to their method. The book is divided into three main parts: Part one describes Energy and Environmental Management Systems (EEMS) in current use and management techniques for energy and environmental performance improvement. Part two focuses on the engineering aspects of industrial energy management, describing main industrial energy systems and how to analyse and improve their energy performance. Part three is the TOOLBOX on an accompanying website, which contains data, analytical methods and questionnaires as well as software programs, to support the practical application of the methods elaborated on in the first two parts of the book. This book will be a valuable resource to practising energy and environmental management engineers, plant managers and consultants in the energy and manufacturing industries. It will also be of interest to graduate engineering and science students taking courses in industrial energy and environmental management