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This book explains how decarbonisation of transport connects to the wider project of making more sustainable and circular society.
Emissions reduction in the transportation sector has become a critical challenge for both mitigating climate change and reducing diseases due to air pollution. However, transport decarbonization is also strongly connected to the urgent need of an increased resource efficiency and a transition towards a more sustainable, bio-based and circular society. This book describing the technology and the potential application of hydrogen and low carbon fuels. In the first section, it lays out the general principles and assessment methodologies, including the evaluation of local and global impacts from an environmental, economic and social perspective. Subsequently, the second section describes the technology to produce sustainable fuels including electrolytic hydrogen and electro-methane, bio-hydrogen, gaseous and liquid biofuels. Finally, in the book s last section, specific case studies are provided including urban and long-range wheel transport, as well as rail, navigation and airplane applications.
List of contents
Introduction - Interdependencies between circular bio-economy and transport decarbonization.- Section A - General principles and assessment methodologies.- Emissions from the transport sector.- Circular economy principles in renewable fuels.- Bio-based approaches in resource recovery.- Local environmental impact and atmospheric dispersion modelling.- Global environmental impact and life cycle assessment.- Economic impact and life cycle cost.- Social impact and integrated sustainability.- Section B - Production technologies.- Electrolytic hydrogen.- Bio-hydrogen from dark fermentation.- Bio-hydrogen from photo-fermentation.- Biogas from anaerobic digestion.- Biogas upgrading to biomethane.- Liquefied biomethane.- Syngas from gasification.- Syngas reforming.- Pyrolysis.- Methanation of electrolytic hydrogen.- Bioethanol.- Biodiesel.- Other low-carbon fuels.- Integrated management of the byproducts (digestate, biochar etc).- Section C - Sector-specific applications.- Private urban mobility.- Local public transport.- Heavy duty transport.- Rail transport.- Ship transport and port operations.- Air transport.- Low-carbon fuels in agriculture.
About the author
Valerio Paolini (M.Sc. and Ph.D. in analytical chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome) is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research of the National Research Council of Italy. His research activities are focused on the environmental impact of bioenergy, and have included: biogas production from urban and agricultural waste and byproducts, purification of biomethane and its use as a vehicle fuel, emissions into the atmosphere of local air pollutants and global contaminants, life cycle assessment and life cycle cost of biofuels, development and validation of analytical methodologies for sampling and analysis of trace contaminants and quality control of biofuels, decarbonization strategies for the navigation sector, emission factors for alternative and sustainable urban mobility, hazardous waste management with novel resource efficiency and circular approaches.
Francesco Petracchini (M.Eng. in environmental engineering, Sapienza University of Rome; Ph.D. in environmental sciences, Ca’ Foscari University, Venice) is Technology Director of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), currently with the role of Director of the Department of Earth System Science and Environmental Technologies of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR). At the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research of CNR he has previously worked as resposible of the Grant Office, coordinator of the Bioenery Group, Director of Institute, President of the Research Area. He has been principal investigator and scientific responsible of several national and international research projects related to air quality, biofuels and circular economy, establishing national and international collaborations with companies and research institutions on environment monitoring and protection.
