Environmental protection – production and use of thermal energy, renewable energy sources

Any disturbance of the quantity of certain chemical or biological substances or physical properties of natural value that can be restored to a certain chemical, physical or biological state is called pollution, while pollution is a permanent form of change in the composition and properties of the environment. Pollution is the result of human activity. Air, water and arable land can be polluted.
Throughout history, human activity has not significantly influenced the environment until the development of industry. The first changes that man caused were due to physical activity, physiological needs. But with the development and creation of social communities, a sudden impact on the environment begins. Thus, in the original cities and settlements, biological and biochemical contamination led to epidemics of infectious diseases. With the development of industry and the use of coal in energy production in the 18th century, carbon, sulfur and nitrogen oxides emissions increased. A new wave of pollution comes from the use of oil and petroleum products. With the development of chemistry and the use of chemicals in industry, at the end of the 19th and through the 20th century, the contribution of other harmful substances to environmental pollution increased. The interest in environmental protection throughout history has been low and has come down to sporadic cases. During industrialization, the desire for profit was above the awareness of the need to preserve the environment. The first steps and environmental awareness came only after 1945, after it was noticed that the number of people suffering from certain diseases was increasing significantly in industrial centers. Western countries with major pollution centers such as Germany and the United Kingdom, and Sweden have taken the lead. However, the environmental desire is still in the pursuit of profit, which slows down efforts to fight for a clean and healthy environment. The United States and the People’s Republic of China are the largest producers of pollution in the world.
Chemical pollution. The term chemical pollution means the release into the environment, whether intentionally or unintentionally, of a chemical that is not inherent in the environment, and by its action changes the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the environment. Environmental pollutants are the most common products of human activity, less often the activity of volcanoes.
Biological contamination. Biological contamination is the result of the development of some type of organism (or microorganism) based on chemical or biochemical contamination. Organisms (or micro-organisms) feed on a chemical substance (usually of organic or biochemical origin), and with reproduction, cause a significant change in the environment and can affect the health of plants, animals and humans.
Radioactive contamination. Radioactive contamination is the result of the use of radioactive substances which, due to human error, are released into the environment. Most often, such errors are in electricity generation. But there is also a deliberate release of radioactive substances such as various nuclear weapons. After contamination of the soil with radioactive materials, it has been impossible for many years to use the soil for its original purposes.
Waste. Waste is a set of substances of chemical, biological or nucleic origin. Waste is generated solely by human activity. It is not suitable for further use in the classic way and requires new ways of processing and processing. It is divided into gaseous, liquid and solid waste. Waste can be inert, non-hazardous and hazardous waste.

Waste management. A prerequisite for choosing a waste management method is a chemical analysis of the waste. Chemical analysis is performed by laboratories specialized in this type of analysis. A laboratory that specializes in such analyzes must be accredited with an accreditation agency. Such laboratories conduct inter-laboratory tests to determine accuracy and precision. The very act of accreditation requires precision, accuracy, exclusion of privileges and honesty in work.
Physical and chemical treatment of waste. Physicochemical treatment involves the use of physical and chemical methods in the treatment of waste in order to make the waste harmless or to be used for other purposes. An example of physicochemical waste treatment is wastewater treatment, where the wastewater treatment process uses mechanical treatment. Physico-chemical methods of waste treatment. Depending on the type of waste, deposition, filtration, crystallization, chemical precipitation reactions, neutralization reactions, evaporation, thickening … The most common types of waste subjected to physico-chemical treatment are of industrial origin. Such waste can be re-converted to the appropriate raw material and thus prevented from being dumped in nature.
Biological treatment of waste. Biological waste treatment involves the use of microorganisms. Microorganisms break down a certain chemical substance of organic origin. So there are specific microorganisms that are able to decompose oil as well. For certain groups of organochemicals, there is an appropriate group of microorganisms that can decompose them. An example of biological waste treatment is composting, where the waste, of plant organic origin, is decomposed in micro-organisms with the help of micro-organisms to be further decomposed into land that can be further used in agriculture. The prerequisite for any biological treatment is the absence of heavy metals and chemicals that destroy microorganisms. That is, the existence of a sufficient amount of organochemical substances with which the microorganisms feed and the appropriate processing temperature.
Waste thermal treatment. Thermal treatment involves the treatment of waste with heat. This way the waste can be sterilized or burned. Sterilization results in the destruction of microorganisms by heat. There is dry, humid, chemical and ionizing radiation. Waste sterilization is a temporary solution and precedes the process of temporary disposal before incineration. Waste after sterilization cannot be permanently disposed of because of the large amount of organic matter, which again collects micro-organisms at landfills and again becomes a hazardous waste with the possibility of infection. These types of waste are generated in healthcare facilities. These are used gauze, needles, syringes, bandages, rubber gloves and tubing and all that can hold organic chemicals. The most effective way to dispose of waste is to burn it. When burned, it is broken down into simple ingredients with a possible release of energy. Waste incineration requires that the waste has some minimum thermal value (for example the Spittelau incinerator in Vienna is 8200 kJ / kg). In case this is not so, the waste is mixed with the corresponding waste having a higher thermal value. The combustion takes place in a large combustion chamber at about 850 ° C. At the bottom of the chamber there is a space for the removal of slag, which is further separated by an electromagnetic separator from the residues of ferromagnetic metals on suspended ash and slag. Inside the combustion chamber are pipes with steam that is converted to steam and used to generate electricity. Smoke and dust pass through different separators. Thus smoke passes through “scrubbers” which separate HCl, HF, dust, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides. The process itself is designed to cause dioxin destruction during combustion. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. But there are catalytic processes that can use CO2 to produce organic chemicals. In this way it can be prevented that no pollution is released into the environment. An entire chemical industry can be built around one such waste incineration plant. The resulting waste is predominantly composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen with the addition of nitrogen, sulfur, chlorine, and metals and other elements. Thermal decomposition of such waste and separation of individual components of the incineration products and introduction of these components into some new chemical process contributes to the new utilization of these incineration products.
Temporary disposal. The temporary disposal of waste is such that the waste is temporarily disposed of until a large amount of it is accumulated for further treatment or permanent disposal. The conditions for the temporary disposal of waste are that it must be free from the effects of atmospheric conditions, without the possibility of being discharged into the soil or the water and drainage system. Temporary postponement of requirements and safety measures to prevent adverse events. The most common forms of disposal are indoors. The best safety precautions are achieved by separation by type and chemical composition so as to prevent unwanted chemical reactions.

Permanent disposal. Permanent waste disposal involves the disposal of waste that is inert to all kinds of impacts from the atmosphere and precipitation. For example, this type of waste is generated in the construction industry – brick, stone, concrete … For reasons of inertness, physicochemical analysis of the eluate should be carried out for wastes classified as permanent disposal according to their mode of generation. The specified parameters should be within the permissible limits for inert waste landfills. (Ordinance on the methods and conditions of waste disposal, categories and conditions of work for landfills (OG, 117/07)) In the event that it does not meet these conditions, waste can be treated as non-hazardous if it meets the requirements of the Ordinance (OG, 117/07). non-hazardous waste. If it does not meet the requirements for non-hazardous waste and meets the requirements for a hazardous waste landfill, it shall be disposed of at a hazardous waste landfill. In case of exceeding the conditions for hazardous waste, either thermal treatment or physical-chemical treatment is applied. Biological treatment is also possible, if physicochemical indicators allow. Landfills for permanent waste disposal must meet the special conditions for the types of waste, ie the method of preparation and disposal of waste at the landfill. Most often, substrate preparation is carried out to create a watertight layer that will prevent water and chemicals from entering the soil. The generated gas and water should be released from such landfills. But above all, thermal treatment or physico-chemical waste treatment should be more applied to recycle and utilize materials in new processes.

Indicators of pollution. Pollution indicators are actually values ​​that display the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of the environment: pH, conductivity, density, viscosity, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, aluminum, selenium, antimony, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, vanadium, manganese, copper, zinc, lead , calcium, magnesium, strontium, potassium, sodium, bismuth, tellurium, tin, iron, silicon, silver, boron, barium, chromium, Cr6 +, total nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon, DOC, total organic carbon, TOC, total carbon, TC , biochemical oxygen demand, BOD, chemical oxygen demand, COD, total chlorine, free chlorine, chlorides, absorbed organic halides, AOX, phenols, polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, total oils and fats, hydrocarbons, mineral oils fluorides, water or solids content, non-carbonate water hardness, carbonate water hardness, bicronate water hardness, calcium and magnesium water hardness, sulfides, sulfates, phosphorus, phosphates, cyanides, iodides, bromides, nitrites, nor lawns, ammonium, suspended solids, precipitates, annealing loss, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes; BTX.
Environmental methods: pH determination – potentiometric method, determination of electrical conductivity, calorimetry determination, atomic absorption spectrometry, UV / VIS spectrometry, spectrophotometry, infrared spectrometry, spectrometry – Inductively coupled plasma, high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, gas chromatography , potentiometric titrations, polarography, gravimetry, volumetry, precipitation titrations, redox titrations, flash point determination, melting point determination.
Removal of environmental pollutants. There are different methods for removing pollutants. Measures to prevent the release of pollutants into the environment begin in the process of the generation of waste or pollutants. and organic solvents. The simplest way to achieve condensation is to cool down a portion of the ventilation system and thereby accumulate volatile organic matter in a liquid – liquid form. Physico-chemical methods and biological treatment are used to remove contaminants from water and soil, as appropriate. Each production process requires a built-in process to prevent the release of pollution into the environment. This is achieved by planning the mode of production and the method of disposal of the generated waste.

The link between environmental protection and thermal energy production and use is the use of fuels which, when combusted, emit far less pollution to water, air and soil, and rational use, and to minimize the consumption of thermal energy to bring the previously mentioned pollution emissions into water, soil and the air was as small as possible. For these reasons, the so-called fossil fuels try to use as little as possible, in particular petroleum-based oil, coal, while natural gas is considered to be the fossil energy that has the mildest environmental impact compared to the previous two.
Fossil combustion produces primarily air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals, and sulfur, carbon and nitric acids that fall to the earth in acid rain and affect both nature and buildings. Marble and limestone monuments and sculptures are especially sensitive because acid dissolves calcium carbonate. Fossil fuels also contain radioactive substances, mainly uranium and thorium, which are released into the atmosphere. In 2000, about 12,000 tonnes of thorium and 5,000 tonnes of uranium were released into the atmosphere. Harvesting, processing and distribution of fossil fuels is also part of the concern for the environment. Oil drilling poses a threat to aquatic life. Oil refineries pollute water and air. Coal transport requires the use of trains, while oil is usually transported by tankers, so each mode of transportation requires additional consumption of fossil fuels.
Natural gas is often described as the purest fossil fuel because combustion, by a joule of energy, produces less carbon dioxide than burning oil or coal. Much less other environmental pollutants are also generated. Nevertheless, in absolute terms, it contributes significantly to increasing global carbon dioxide emissions and is expected to grow. According to the IPCC Fourth Assessment report, in 2004, 5.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide were generated by natural gas combustion, while coal and oil combustion produced 10.6 and 10.2 billion tonnes, respectively. According to a new version of the SRES B2 Emissions Development Report, by 2030, natural gas would cause 11 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, as demand for that energy increases by about 1.9% annually. Combustion of coal and oil would result in 8.4 and 17.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide respectively (total carbon dioxide emissions in 2004 were estimated at 27 200 million tonnes). In addition, natural gas is a greenhouse gas in its own right, and when released into the atmosphere, it has a stronger greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide itself, but it releases into the atmosphere in much smaller quantities. Methane, however, is oxidized in the atmosphere and remains in it for about 12 years, and in comparison, carbon dioxide, which itself is already oxidized, has an effect of 100 to 500 years. Natural gas is mainly composed of methane, whose impact on radiation is 20 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. Due to such properties, one ton of methane in the atmosphere captures the same amount of radiation as 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide, but is retained in the atmosphere 8 – 40 times shorter. Despite this, carbon dioxide is attracting much more attention than any other greenhouse gas because it is released into the atmosphere in much larger quantities. However, it is inevitable that some of the natural gas will be released into the atmosphere where it is used extensively. Coal-burning methane that is not stored in modern ways in special methane storage tanks simply goes into the atmosphere. But despite this, most methane in the atmosphere is caused by animals and bacteria, not by man-made gas leaks. EPA’s current estimate places global methane emissions at 3 trillion cubic feet per year, 3.2% of world production. Direct methane emissions represent 14.3% of the world’s total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in 2004. Combustion of natural gas results in much less sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides than any other fossil fuel. Combustion of natural gas produces 117,000 ppm of carbon dioxide, while coal combustion produces 208,000 ppm of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, combustion of natural gas produces 40 ppm of carbon monoxide, versus 208 ppm of coal combustion. Nitrogen oxides produce 92 ppm compared to the 457 ppm produced by coal combustion. Sulfur dioxide is formed by 1 ppm versus 2 591 ppm which are produced by the combustion of coal. Natural gas combustion does not produce mercury, while coal combustion produces 0.016 ppm. Particles, tiny pieces in solid or liquid state, are also a major contributor to global warming. Their ratio between natural gas and coal is 7 ppm versus 2 744 ppm.

Renewable energy, renewable resources or renewable resources are sources of materials or energy that are renewed continuously or by certain processes and can therefore be used without exhaustion. These are biomass, especially wood, and plant crops, through which food or energy raw materials are processed. Renewable (inexhaustible) energy sources and the sun, wind, tides, hydro-energy and hydro-thermal water. The use of renewable energy sources protects the environment because they are clean energy sources that do not pollute it. [1] A large number of countries are encouraging the construction of renewable energy plants within their energy policies, as they “apply different incentive measures to ensure that the share of renewable energy in the energy mix grows”.
Sustainable energy or green energy is an energy efficient way of producing and using energy that has as little environmental impact as possible. Sustainable development is one that meets today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable construction is certainly one of the most significant parts of sustainable development, and it involves the use of non-polluting building materials, the energy efficiency of buildings and the waste management resulting from the construction and demolition of buildings. In relation to sustainable development, sustainable construction must ensure durability, quality of design and construction with financial, economic and environmental friendliness. Sustainable energy includes the use of renewable energy (hydropower, wind energy, solar energy, wave energy, geothermal energy, biomass energy, tidal energy, and hydrogen economy) and energy efficiency in its use.
Hydropower, hydraulic or water energy is the power derived from the force or energy of liquid water mass, which can be used for human useful purposes. Before commercial electricity became widely available, water energy was used to irrigate and power various machines, such as watermills, textile machinery, sawmills, harbor cranes or elevators.
Wind energy is converted into a useful form of energy, electricity, by wind power. In classic windmills we convert wind energy into mechanical energy, and as such we directly use it to grind grain or pump water. At the end of 2007, wind power installed worldwide was 94.1 GW. Currently, wind farms cover only 1% of the world’s electricity needs, while in Denmark this figure is 19%, Spain and Portugal 9%, Germany and Ireland 6% (2007 data). Wind power supplies wind power to the electricity grid, as does individual wind turbines power isolated sites. The wind is rich, renewable, easily accessible and a clean source of energy. The lack of wind rarely causes insurmountable problems when it participates in a small part of the electricity supply, but with greater reliance on wind results in greater losses.
Solar energy or solar energy is the energy of the sun, its light and the heat that humans have been using since ancient times with the help of various technologies. Sunlight along with other renewable sources such as wind, wave energy and biomass are counted among the most widely available renewable energy sources on Earth. Only a fraction of the available solar energy is used. Solar energy provides electricity through thermal machines or photovoltaic systems. Once converted, its use is limited only by human ingenuity. A partial listing of solar systems includes space for heating and cooling through passive solar architecture, drinking water through distillation and disinfection, heat for cooking and high temperature process heat for industrial purposes. Solar technologies are widely characterized as either passive or active, depending on how sunlight is collected, converted and distributed. Active techniques include the use of photovoltaic cells and solar thermal collectors (with electrical or mechanical equipment) to convert sunlight into useful output units. Passive techniques include orienting the building towards the sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal or light scattering properties, and designing spaces in which air naturally circulates.
Biomass. By biomass energy we mean the energy that is generally released by the oxidation (burning) of various organic materials. The most common and traditional way to use this energy is with classical fire. The discovery of fire, in fact its controlled use, is thought to have triggered the development and “progress” of the human species, that is, civilization.

It seems that civilization has now closed its full circle – after modern society has almost forgotten wood and similar materials as fuel, and oiled in the benefits of modern, fashionable and cheap oil, various directives are now emerging seeking to replace so many fossil fuels with fuels from renewable organic sources.
Biofuels are fuels from biomass processing. Their energy is obtained by carbon fixation, ie the reduction of carbon from the air into organic compounds. Unlike the fossil-fuel-emitting carbon that changes the Earth’s climate, carbon in biofuels comes from the atmosphere from which plants take it during growth. Although fossil fuels are derived from carbon fixation, they are not considered biofuels because they contain carbon that has not changed in nature for a long time. Biofuels are gaining in popularity because of rising oil prices, the need for more secure energy supplies, concerns about harmful greenhouse gas emissions. In 2010, world production of biofuels reached 105 billion liters, up 17% from 2009. They account for 2.7% of turnover, with the highest share of bioethanol and biodiesel. World bioethanol production reached 86 billion liters, with the largest producers being the United States and Brazil (accounting for 90% of world production). The largest biodiesel producers are EU countries with a share of 53% in world production. According to the International Energy Agency, biofuels can meet a quarter of the world’s transport fuel demand by 2050. Globally, biofuels are most commonly used for transportation and domestic use. Most vehicle fuels are liquid because vehicles require a high energy density, such as that contained in liquids and solids. High energy density is the easiest and most efficient way to get an internal combustion engine, and it requires that the fuel is clean. The lightest combustible fuels are liquid and gaseous (they can be liquefied), convenient for transmission, and clean (without solid products).
Biogas is a gaseous fuel that is produced by anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter, including fertilizer, sewage sludge, municipal waste or any other biodegradable waste. It consists mainly of methane and carbon dioxide. It could be an important source of energy in the future. Biogas, that is, a mixture of gases in which most of the methane is obtained from any biomass. Biomass is all organic matter produced by the growth of plants and animals. Of all renewable energy sources, the largest contribution is expected in the near future to biomass. About 2 billion billion tonnes of dry biomass are produced each year on earth. About 1.2% is used for food, 1% for paper and 1% for fuel. The rest, about 96% rot or increase renewable energy supplies. Biomass can produce renewable energy sources such as biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol, and the dry mass can be ground into tiny pellets, which can be burned in automated heat and power furnaces.
Geothermal energy has existed since Earth was created. It is formed by the slow natural decomposition of radioactive elements found in the Earth’s interior. Deep below the surface, water sometimes reaches hot rock and turns into boiling water or steam. Boiling water can reach a temperature of over 150 ºC without turning into steam as it is under high pressure. When that hot water reaches the surface through a crack in the earth’s crust, we call it a hot spring. If it exits under pressure, in the form of an explosion, it is called a geyser. Hot springs around the world are used as spas, for health and recreational purposes. Hot water from deep in the Earth can heat greenhouses and buildings. In Iceland, known for its geysers and active volcanoes, many buildings and pools are heated by geothermal hot water. Hot water and steam from the depths of the Earth can also be used to generate electricity. Holes are drilled in the ground and the pipes are lowered into hot water. Hot water or steam (under lower pressure hot water turns into steam) ascends through these pipes to the surface. A geothermal power plant is like any other power plant except that steam is not produced by combustion but is pumped from the ground. Further steam treatment is the same as that of a conventional power plant: steam is fed to a steam turbine that drives the rotor of an electric generator. After the turbine, the steam enters the condenser, condenses, to return the water thus obtained back to the geothermal source.
Tidal energy is a form of hydropower that uses the motion of the sea, caused by lunar changes or falls and increases in sea level, to convert it to electricity and other forms of energy. So far, there is no major commercial reach on the exploitation of this energy, but the potential is not small. Tidal energy has the potential to generate electricity in certain parts of the world, or where tides are strongly emphasized.

Tides are more predictable than wind and solar. This mode of electricity production cannot cover the world’s needs, but it can make a big contribution to renewables. The difference in tidal height varies between (4.5-12.5 m) depending on geographical location. Eg. the tidal amplitudes in the Adriatic Sea are 1 m, and in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans on average 6 to 8 m. In some parts of the coast in western France and in the southwestern part of the UK, the amplitudes reach up to more than 12 m. the time interval between the two tides is 12 hours and 25 minutes, and on the shores of Indochina only one tide is generated in 24 hours. A minimum height of 7 m is required for economical production. It is estimated that there are approximately 40 locations suitable for the installation of tidal power plants in the world.
Wave energy. Wave power plants are power plants that use wave energy to generate electricity. Wave energy is a renewable energy source. This is the energy caused mainly by the effects of wind on the surface of the ocean. Wave power is different from daily tides and steady circulating ocean currents. To use wave energy, we must choose a location where the waves are sufficiently frequent and of sufficient power. Wave energy declines sharply with the depth of the wave, so that at a depth of 50 m it is only 2% of the energy just below the surface. Wave power is estimated at 2 x 109 kW, equivalent to 10 kW per 1 meter of wave line. This power varies depending on the geographical location, from 3 kW / m in the Mediterranean to 90 kW / m in the North Antlatic. Wave energy varies over time (there are more and more waves in the winter) and is random. Generation of power from waves is not currently widely used commercial technology, although there have been attempts to use it since 1890. In 2008, an attempt was made to make a Pelamis floating ball damper in Portugal, at the Aguçadoura hydropower plant. It used 3 Pelamis P-750 articulated floating mufflers and had a total installed power of 2.25 MW. In November of the same year, electric generators were taken out of the sea, and in March 2009 the project was halted indefinitely. The second phase of the project, in which an additional 25 Pelamis P-750 machines were to be installed and needed to increase its power to 21 MW, is due to the withdrawal of some partners from the project.
The hydrogen economy, or the hydrogen economy, is the idea of ​​changing the world’s oil-dependent energy economy to one based on hydrogen. When it comes to hydrogen economy, we are thinking first of all of the environmentally friendly production of hydrogen in large quantities and its application in two large areas: transportation and energy. The main reason is the pollution caused by cars powered by fossil fuels (hydrocarbons). In the USA alone in 2001, emissions from motor vehicles exceeded 500 million tonnes of carbon equivalent. Almost 50 years ago, the use of hydrogen as the primary energy source in transportation and electricity was announced in the scientific and technical literature. In the late 1960s, a hydrogen fuel cell was used in the NASA Apollo program as an energy source. In 2003, US President Bush and EU President Prodi confirmed the vision of a hydrogen economy. The US Department of Energy has initiated the use of hydrogen fuels, according to which the hydrogen era would begin in 2024.
Cold from space. In mid-September 2019, it was announced that engineers at UCLA had made a device using this source. To produce electricity, it uses the thermoelectric principle. The current is caused by the difference in temperature between the two surfaces. In addition, it uses the phenomenon of radiant cooling, which is seen on surfaces that face the sky at night and which can become colder than the environment because they radiate heat directly into space, given the atmospheric unblocking of infrared energy. From these two principles, the engineers made a thermoelectric generator that produces that current. It is actually an aluminum disc painted in black and which is in a styrofoam box, wrapped in aluminum foil. The air beneath the disc is warmer and the box keeps it that way. The black surface of the disc is intended to be a surface that lets heat into the sky. Electricity in this thermoelectric module is due to the temperature difference between that disk and the surrounding warmer air. This energy source is complemented by solar panels, as it can produce electricity at times when there is no sunlight.