Search Results (2)

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) or utilization (BECCU) allows net zero or negative carbon emissions and can be a breakthrough technology for climate change mitigation. This work consists of an energetic, exergetic, and economic analysis of an integrated process based on chemical looping combustion of solar-torrefied agro-industrial residues, followed by methanation of the concentrated CO₂ stream with green H₂. Four agro-industrial residues and four Italian site locations are considered. Depending on the considered biomass, the integrated plant processes about 18–93 kg h⁻¹ of raw biomass and produces 55–70 t y⁻¹ of synthetic methane. Global exergetic efficiencies ranged within 45–60% and 67–77% when neglecting and considering, respectively, the valorization of torgas. Sugar beet pulp and grape marc required a non-negligible input exergy flow for the torrefaction, due to the high moisture content of the raw biomasses. However, for these biomasses, the water released during drying/torrefaction and CO₂ methanation could be recycled to the electrolyzer to eliminate external water consumption, thus allowing for a more sustainable use of water resources. For olive stones and hemp hurd, this water recycling brings, instead, a reduction of approximately 65% in water needs. A round-trip electric efficiency of 28% was estimated assuming an electric conversion efficiency of 40%. According to the economic analysis, the total plant costs ranged within 3–5 M€ depending on the biomass and site location considered. The levelized cost of methane (LCOM) ranged within 4.3–8.9 € kg_CH4⁻¹ but, if implementing strategies to avoid the use of a large temporary H₂ storage vessel, can be decreased to 2.6–5.3 € kg_CH4⁻¹. Lower values are obtained when considering hemp hurd and grape marc as raw biomasses, and when locating the PV field in the south of Italy. Even in the best scenario, values of LCOM are out of the market if compared to current natural gas prices, but they might become competitive with the introduction of a carbon tax or through government incentives for the purchase of the PV field and/or electrolyzer. Full article

The present study describes three new species of monogeneans parasitizing the gills of anostomid fishes from the Upper Paraná River basin, southeastern Brazil: Jainus beccus n. sp. and Jainus radixelongatus n. sp. on Leporinus friderici, Leporinus octofasciatus, Leporinus striatus, and Megaleporinus elongatus; and Jainus ornatus n. sp. on L. friderici. The new species differ from other congeners by the morphology of the accessory piece. There is a semicircular distal portion resembling a “bird’s beak” in Jainus beccus n. sp. It composed of two subunits—one ventral and more sclerotized, sickle-shaped, and another dorsal with three projections—in Jainus radixelongatus n. sp. There are two elongated and sclerotized subunits, both of which have a sickle-shaped distal portion, in Jainus ornatus n. sp. Supplementary observations not reported in the original descriptions of the type-species Jainus piava Karling, Bellay, Takemoto & Pavanelli, 2011 are proposed, as follows: the presence of a thin and delicate ventral bar, which can vary greatly in shape; an accessory piece not articulated with the MCO’s base. This paper provides the first phylogenetic study based on LSU rDNA and COI mtDNA gene sequences for Jainus, improving and clarifying the understanding of host–parasite relationships in neotropical characiforms. Full article