Socioecology Research Today

We present results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) of Marcellus shale gas used for power generation. The analysis employs the most extensive data set of any LCA of shale gas to date, encompassing data from actual gas production and power generation operations. Results indicate that a typical Marcellus gas life cycle yields 466 kg [...]

Unconventional natural gas development in Pennsylania has created a new wastewater stream. In an effort to stop the discharge of Marcellus Shale unconventional natural gas development wastewaters into surface waters, on May 19, 2011 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) requested drilling companies stop disposing their wastewater through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This research [...]

Liquids and gases produced through biomass pyrolysis have potential as renewable fuels to replace fossil fuels in conventional internal combustion engines. This review compares the properties of pyrolysis fuels, produced from a variety of feedstocks and using different pyrolysis techniques, against those of fossil fuels. High acidity, the presence of solid particles, high water content, [...]

Japan said Tuesday that it had extracted gas from offshore deposits of methane hydrate — sometimes called “flammable ice” —a breakthrough that officials and experts said could be a step toward tapping a promising but still little-understood energy source.

Based on the principle of cascade utilization of multiple energy resources, a gas-steam combined cycle power system integrated with solar thermo-chemical fuel conversion and CO2 capture has been proposed and analyzed. The collected solar heat at 550 °C drives the endothermic methane reforming and is converted to the produced syngas chemical exergy, and then released [...]

This paper conducts a large-scale examination of the extent to which shale gas development activities affect surface water quality. Focusing on the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, we estimate the effect of shale gas wells and the release of treated shale gas waste by permitted treatment facilities on observed downstream concentrations of chloride (Cl−) and total [...]

The production of biofuels based on microalgae as feedstock is associated with a high demand of nutrients, mostly nitrogen and phosphorus. The integration of microalgae growth with anaerobic digestion can significantly improve the economic and energy balance of such a promising platform technology. However, the lack of information about the fundamental mass and energy balances [...]

With recent political, social, and environmental concerns regarding energy use and consumption, there is a need to address sustainable solution for the production of fuels and petrochemical intermediates. While there are many efforts in biological or biochemical fuels production, there are also ways to convert electrical energy to hydrocarbon and petrochemical intermediates that compliment an [...]

Results to date have been encouraging: In experiments in test tubes and pilot studies in bacteria, the bi-functional enzyme resulted in at least a five-fold increase in alkane production compared with ADO alone. And, in addition to removing hydrogen peroxide as an inhibitor of ADO, the combo enzyme actually helps drive the alkane-producing reaction by [...]

Sea wrack (dislodged sea grasses and seaweeds) was used in biogas production. Fresh water scarcity in island communities where sea wrack could accumulate led to seawater utilization as liquid substrate. Three microbial seeds cow manure (CM), marine sediment (MS), and sea wrack-associated microflora (SWA) were explored for biogas production. The average biogas produced were 2172 [...]