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This paper will introduce the open-source model MyPyPSA-Ger, a myopic optimization model developed to represent the German energy system with a detailed mapping of the electricity sector, on a highly disaggregated level, spatially and temporally, with regional differences and investment limitations. Furthermore, this paper will give new outlooks on the German federal government 2050 emissions goals of the electricity sector to become greenhouse gas neutral by proposing new CO2 allowance strategies. Moreover, the regional differences in Germany will be discussed, their role and impact on the energy transition, and which regions and states will drive the renewable energy utilization forward.
Following a scenario-based analysis, the results point out the major keystones of the energy transition path from 2020 to 2050. Solar, onshore wind, and gas-fired power plants will play a fundamental role in the future electricity systems. Biomass, run of river, and offshore wind technologies will be utilized in the system as base-load generation technologies. Solar and onshore wind will be installed almost everywhere in Germany. However, due to the nature of Germany’s weather and geographical features, the southern and northern regions will play a more important role in the energy transition.
Higher CO2 allowance costs will help achieve the 1.5-degree-target of the electricity system and will allow for a rapid transition. Moreover, the more expensive, and the earlier the CO2 tax is applied to the system, the less it will cost for the energy transition, and the more emissions will be saved throughout the transition period. An earlier phase-out of coal power plants is not necessary with high CO2 taxes, due to the change in power plant’s unit commitment, as they prioritize gas before coal power plants. Having moderate to low CO2 allowance cost or no clear transition policy will be more expensive and the CO2 budget will be exceeded. Nonetheless, even with no policy, renewables still dominate the energy mix of the future.
However, maintaining the maximum historical installation rates of both national and regional levels, with the current emissions reduction strategy, will not be enough to reach the level of climate-neutral electricity system. Therefore, national and regional installation requirements to achieve the federal government emission reduction goals are determined. Energy strategies and decision makers will have to resolve great challenges in order to stay in line with the 1.5-degree-target.
BACKGROUND
Various neutral and alkaline peptidases are commercially available for use in protein hydrolysis under neutral to alkaline conditions. However, the hydrolysis of proteins under acidic conditions by applying fungal aspartic peptidases (FAPs) has not been investigated in depth so far. The aim of this study, thus, was to purify a FAP from the commercial enzyme preparation, ROHALASE® BXL, determine its biochemical characteristics, and investigate its application for the hydrolysis of food and animal feed proteins under acidic conditions.
RESULTS
A Trichoderma reesei derived FAP, with an apparent molecular mass of 45.8 kDa (sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; SDS-PAGE) was purified 13.8-fold with a yield of 37% from ROHALASE® BXL. The FAP was identified as an aspartate protease (UniProt ID: G0R8T0) by inhibition and nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS studies. The FAP showed the highest activity at 50°C and pH 4.0. Monovalent cations, organic solvents, and reducing agents were tolerated well by the FAP. The FAP underwent an apparent competitive product inhibition by soy protein hydrolysate and whey protein hydrolysate with apparent Ki-values of 1.75 and 30.2 mg*mL−1, respectively. The FAP showed promising results in food (soy protein isolate and whey protein isolate) and animal feed protein hydrolyses. For the latter, an increase in the soluble protein content of 109% was noted after 30 min.
CONCLUSION
Our results demonstrate the applicability of fungal aspartic endopeptidases in the food and animal feed industry. Efficient protein hydrolysis of industrially relevant substrates such as acidic whey or animal feed proteins could be conducted by applying fungal aspartic peptidases. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
A novel peptidyl-lys metalloendopeptidase (Tc-LysN) from Tramates coccinea was recombinantly expressed in Komagataella phaffii using the native pro-protein sequence. The peptidase was secreted into the culture broth as zymogen (~38 kDa) and mature enzyme (~19.8 kDa) simultaneously. The mature Tc-LysN was purified to homogeneity with a single step anion-exchange chromatography at pH 7.2. N-terminal sequencing using TMTpro Zero and mass spectrometry of the mature Tc-LysN indicated that the pro-peptide was cleaved between the amino acid positions 184 and 185 at the Kex2 cleavage site present in the native pro-protein sequence. The pH optimum of Tc-LysN was determined to be 5.0 while it maintained ≥60% activity between pH values 4.5—7.5 and ≥30% activity between pH values 8.5—10.0, indicating its broad applicability. The temperature maximum of Tc-LysN was determined to be 60 °C. After 18 h of incubation at 80 °C, Tc-LysN still retained ~20% activity. Organic solvents such as methanol and acetonitrile, at concentrations as high as 40% (v/v), were found to enhance Tc-LysN’s activity up to ~100% and ~50%, respectively. Tc-LysN’s thermostability, ability to withstand up to 8 M urea, tolerance to high concentrations of organic solvents, and an acidic pH optimum make it a viable candidate to be employed in proteomics workflows in which alkaline conditions might pose a challenge. The nano-LC-MS/MS analysis revealed bovine serum albumin (BSA)’s sequence coverage of 84% using Tc-LysN which was comparable to the sequence coverage of 90% by trypsin peptides.
A systematic toxicological analysis procedure using high-performance thin layer chromatography in combination with fibre optical scanning densitometry for identification of drugs in biological samples is presented. Two examples illustrate the practicability of the technique. First, the identification of a multiple intake of analgesics: codeine, propyphenazone, tramadol, flupirtine and lidocaine, and second, the detection of the sedative diphenhydramine. In both cases, authentic urine specimens were used. The identifications were carried out by an automatic measurement and computer-based comparison of in situ UV spectra with data from a compiled library of reference spectra using the cross-correlation function. The technique allowed a parallel recording of chromatograms and in situ UV spectra in the range of 197–612 nm. Unlike the conventional densitometry, a dependency of UV spectra by concentration of substance in a range of 250–1000 ng/spot was not observed.
Passive solar elements for both direct and indirect gains, are systems used to maintain a comfortable living environment while saving energy, especially in the building energy retrofit and adaptation process. Sunspaces, thermal mass and glazing area and orientation have been often used in the past to guarantee adequate indoor conditions when mechanical devices were not available. After a period of neglect, nowadays they are again considered as appropriate systems to help face environmental issues in the building sector, and both international and national legislation takes into consideration the possibility of including them in the building planning tools, also providing economic incentives. Their proper design needs dynamic simulation, often difficult to perform and time consuming. Moreover, results generally suffer from several uncertainties, so quasi steady-state procedures are often used in everyday practice with good results, but some corrections are still needed. In this paper, a comparative analysis of different solutions for the construction of verandas in an existing building is presented, following the procedure provided by the slightly modified and improved Standard EN ISO 13790:2008. Advantages and disadvantages of different configurations considering thermal insulation, windows typology and mechanical ventilation systems are discussed and a general intervention strategy is proposed. The aim is to highlight the possibility of using sunspaces in order to increase the efficiency of the existing building stock, considering ease of construction and economic viability.
Energy Performance of Verandas in the Building Retrofit Process (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303093420_Energy_Performance_of_Verandas_in_the_Building_Retrofit_Process [accessed Jul 5, 2017].
Linear acceleration is a key performance determinant and major training component of many sports. Although extensive research about lower limb kinetics and kinematics is available, consistent definitions of distinctive key body positions, the underlying mechanisms and their related movement strategies are lacking. The aim of this ‘Method and Theoretical Perspective’ article is to introduce a conceptual framework which classifies the sagittal plane ‘shin roll’ motion during accelerated sprinting. By emphasising the importance of the shin segment’s orientation in space, four distinctive key positions are presented (‘shin block’, ‘touchdown’, ‘heel lock’ and ‘propulsion pose’), which are linked by a progressive ‘shin roll’ motion during swing-stance transition. The shin’s downward tilt is driven by three different movement strategies (‘shin alignment’, ‘horizontal ankle rocker’ and ‘shin drop’). The tilt’s optimal amount and timing will contribute to a mechanically efficient acceleration via timely staggered proximal-to-distal power output. Empirical data obtained from athletes of different performance levels and sporting backgrounds are required to verify the feasibility of this concept. The framework presented here should facilitate future biomechanical analyses and may enable coaches and practitioners to develop specific training programs and feedback strategies to provide athletes with a more efficient acceleration technique.
Experimental Investigation of the Air Exchange Effectiveness of Push-Pull Ventilation Devices
(2020)
The increasing installation numbers of ventilation units in residential buildings are driven by legal objectives to improve their energy efficiency. The dimensioning of a ventilation system for nearly zero energy buildings is usually based on the air flow rate desired by the clients or requested by technical regulations. However, this does not necessarily lead to a system actually able to renew the air volume of the living space effectively. In recent years decentralised systems with an alternating operation mode and fairly good energy efficiencies entered the market and following question was raised: “Does this operation mode allow an efficient air renewal?” This question can be answered experimentally by performing a tracer gas analysis. In the presented study, a total of 15 preliminary tests are carried out in a climatic chamber representing a single room equipped with two push-pull devices. The tests include summer, winter and isothermal supply air conditions since this parameter variation is missing till now for push-pull devices. Further investigations are dedicated to the effect of thermal convection due to human heat dissipation on the room air flow. In dependence on these boundary conditions, the determined air exchange efficiency varies, lagging behind the expected range 0.5 < εa < 1 in almost all cases, indicating insufficient air exchange including short-circuiting. Local air exchange values suggest inhomogeneous air renewal depending on the distance to the indoor apertures as well as the temperature gradients between in- and outdoor. The tested measurement set-up is applicable for field measurements.
We present a 3D simulation approach utilising the diffuse interface representation of the phase-field method combined with a heat transfer equation to analyse the thermal conductivity in air-filled aluminium foams with complex cellular structures of different porosity. Algorithmic methods are introduced to create synthetic open-cell foam structures and to compute the thermal conductivity by means of phase-field modelling. A material law for the effective thermal conductivity is derived by determining the appropriate exponent depending on the relative density in the system. The results are compared with the thermal conductivity in massive aluminium and in pure air.
Bud type carbon nanohorns (CNHs) are composed of carbon and have a closed conical tip at one end protruding from an aggregate structure. By employing a simple oxidation process in CO2 atmosphere, it is possible to open the CNH tips which increases their specific surface area by four fold. These tip opened CNHs combine the microporous nature of activated carbons and the crystalline mesoporous character of carbon nanotubes. The results for the high pressure CO2 gas adsorption of tip opened CNHs are reported herein for the first time and are found to be superior to traditional CO2 adsorbents like zeolites. The modified CNHs are also found to be promising materials for lithium ion batteries and the performance is found to be on a par with carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers.
Gas adsorption studies of CO2 and N2 in spatially aligned double-walled carbon nanotube arrays
(2013)
Gas adsorption studies (CO2 and N2) over a wide pressure range on vertically, highly aligned dense double-walled carbon nanotube arrays of high purity and high specific surface area are reported. At high pressures, the adsorption capacity of these materials was found to be comparable to those of metal organic frameworks and mesoporous molecular sieves. These highly aligned CNT arrays were chemically modified by treating with oxygen plasma and structurally modified by decreasing the diameter of individual carbon nanotubes. Oxygen plasma treatment led to grafting of a large number of C–O functional groups onto the CNT surface, which further increased the gas adsorption capacity. It was found that gas adsorption is dependent on tube diameter and increases with decrease of the individual CNT diameter in the CNT bundles. As results of our studies we have found that at lower pressure regimes, plasma functionalized carbon nanotubes exhibit better adsorption characteristics whereas at higher pressures, lower diameter carbon nanotube structures exhibited better gas adsorption characteristics.
A two-dimensional single-phase model is developed for the steady-state and transient analysis of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). Based on diluted and concentrated solution theories, viscous flow is introduced into a phenomenological multi-component modeling framework in the membrane. Characteristic variables related to the water uptake are discussed. A Butler–Volmer formulation of the current-overpotential relationship is developed based on an elementary mechanism of electrochemical oxygen reduction. Validated by using published V–I experiments, the model is then used to analyze the effects of operating conditions on current output and water management, especially net water transport coefficient along the channel. For a power PEMFC, the long-channel configuration is helpful for internal humidification and anode water removal, operating in counterflow mode with proper gas flow rate and humidity. In time domain, a typical transient process with closed anode is also investigated.
The state-of-the-art electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) calculations have not yet started from fully multi-dimensional modeling. For a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with long flow channel, the impedance plot shows a multi-arc characteristic and some impedance arcs could merge. By using a step excitation/Fourier transform algorithm, an EIS simulation is implemented for the first time based on the full 2D PEMFC model presented in the first part of this work. All the dominant transient behaviors are able to be captured. A novel methodology called ‘configuration of system dynamics’, which is suitable for any electrochemical system, is then developed to resolve the physical meaning of the impedance spectra. In addition to the high-frequency arc due to charge transfer, the Nyquist plots contain additional medium/low-frequency arcs due to mass transfer in the diffusion layers and along the channel, as well as a low-frequency arc resulting from water transport in the membrane. In some case, the impedance spectra appear partly inductive due to water transport, which demonstrates the complexity of the water management of PEMFCs and the necessity of physics-based calculations.
Photovoltaic-heat pump (PV-HP) combinations with battery and energy management systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to increase the autarchy and utilization of self-generated PV electricity. This trend is driven by the ongoing electrification of the heating sector and the growing disparity between growing electricity costs and reducing feed-in tariffs in Germany. Smart control strategies can be employed to control and optimize the heat pump operation to achieve higher self-consumption of PV electricity. This work presents the evaluation results of a smart-grid ready controlled PV-HP-battery system in a single-family household in Germany, using 1-minute-high-resolution field measurement data. Within 12 months evaluation period, a self-consumption of 43% was determined. The solar fraction of the HP amounts to 36%, enabled also due to higher set temperatures for space heating and domestic hot water production. Accordingly, the SPF decreases by 4.0% the space heating and by 5.7% in the domestic hot water mode. The combined seasonal performance factor for the heat pump system increases from 4.2 to 6.7, when only considering the electricity taken from the grid and disregarding the locally generated electricity supplied from photovoltaic and battery units.
This work provides a series of methane adsorption isotherms and breakthrough curves on one 5A zeolite and one activated carbon. Breakthrough curves of CH4 were obtained from dynamic column measurements at different temperature and pressure conditions for concentrations of 4.4 – 17.3 mol.‐% in H2/CH4 mixtures. A simple model was developed to simulate the curves using measured and calculated data inputs. The results show that the model predictions agree very well with the experiments.
Regarding the importance of adsorptive removal of carbon monoxide from hydrogen-rich mixtures for novel applications (e.g. fuel cells), this work provides a series of experimental data on adsorption isotherms and breakthrough curves of carbon monoxide. Three recently developed 5A zeolites and one commercial activated carbon were used as adsorbents. Isotherms were measured gravimetrically at temperatures of 278–313 K and pressures up to 0.85 MPa. Breakthrough curves of CO were obtained from dynamic column measurements at temperatures of 298–301 K, pressures ranging from 0.1 MPa to ca. 6 MPa and concentrations of CO in H2/CO mixtures of 5–17.5 mol%. A simple mathematical model was developed to simulate breakthrough curves on adsorbent beds using measured and calculated data as inputs. The number of parameters and the use of correlations to evaluate them were restricted in order to focus the importance of measured values. For the given assumptions and simplifications, the results show that the model predictions agree satisfactorily with the experimental data at the different operating conditions applied.
As a basis for the evaluation of hydrogen storage by physisorption, adsorption isotherms of H2 were experimentally determined for several porous materials at 77 K and 298 K at pressures up to 15 MPa. Activated carbons and MOFs were studied as the most promising materials for this purpose. A noble focus was given on how to determine whether a material is feasible for hydrogen storage or not, dealing with an assessment method and the pitfalls and problems of determining the viability. For a quantitative evaluation of the feasibility of sorptive hydrogen storage in a general analysis, it is suggested to compare the stored amount in a theoretical tank filled with adsorbents to the amount of hydrogen stored in the same tank without adsorbents. According to our results, an “ideal” sorbent for hydrogen storage at 77 K is calculated to exhibit a specific surface area of >2580 m2 g−1 and a micropore volume of >1.58 cm3 g−1.
In this paper, the J-integral is derived for temperature-dependent elastic–plastic materials described by incremental plasticity. It is implemented using the equivalent domain integral method for assessment of three-dimensional cracks based on results of finite-element calculations. The J-integral considers contributions from inhomogeneous temperature fields and temperature-dependent elastic and plastic material properties as well as from gradients in the plastic strains and the hardening variables. Different energy densities are considered, the Helmholtz free energy and the stress-working density, providing a physical meaning of the J-integral as a fracture criteria for crack growth. Results obtained for a plate with two different crack configurations each loaded by a cool-down thermal shock show domain-independence of the incremental J-integral for different energy densities even for high temperature gradients and significant temperature-dependence of the yield stress and the hardening exponent in the presence of large scale yielding. Hence, the derived J-integral is an appropriate parameter for the assessment of cracks in thermomechanically loaded components.
A balcony photovoltaic (PV) system, also known as a micro-PV system, is a small PV system consisting of one or two solar modules with an output of 100–600 Wp and a corresponding inverter that uses standard plugs to feed the renewable energy into the house grid. In the present study we demonstrate the integration of a commercial lithium-ion battery into a commercial micro-PV system. We firstly show simulations over one year with one second time resolution which we use to assess the influence of battery and PV size on self-consumption, self-sufficiency and the annual cost savings. We then develop and operate experimental setups using two different architectures for integrating the battery into the micro-PV system. In the passive hybrid architecture, the battery is in parallel electrical connection to the PV module. In the active hybrid architecture, an additional DC-DC converter is used. Both architectures include measures to avoid maximum power point tracking of the battery by the module inverter. Resulting PV/battery/inverter systems with 300 Wp PV and 555 Wh battery were tested in continuous operation over three days under real solar irradiance conditions. Both architectures were able to maintain stable operation and demonstrate the shift of PV energy from the day into the night. System efficiencies were observed comparable to a reference system without battery. This study therefore demonstrates the feasibility of both active and passive coupling architectures.
This paper presents the results of the idea generation experiment that repeats the study originally conducted at RMIT. In order to establish the influence that the experimental treatments make on the number and the breadth of solution ideas proposed by problem solvers with different knowledge levels, students from different years of study were recruited. Ninety students from the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany were divided into three groups. All students were asked to generate ideas on cleaning lime deposits from the inside of a water pipe and were given 16 minutes to record their individual ideas. Students of two experimental groups were shown some words for two minuted each. The Su-Field group was exposed to the eight fields of MATCEMIB. The Random Word group was shown eight random words every two minutes. The Su-Field group outperformed both the Control group and the Random Word group in the number of ideas generated. It was also found that the students from the Su-Field group proposed significantly broader solutions than the students from the Control and Random Word groups. The overall results of the experiment support the conclusions made by the RMIT researchers that simple ideation techniques can significantly improve idea generation and that the systematised Substance-Field Analysis is a suitable heuristic for engineering students.
In the present study, in vitro toxicity as well as biopersistence and photopersistence of four artificial sweeteners (acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharine, and sucralose) and five antibiotics (levofloxacin, lincomycin, linezolid, marbofloxacin, and sarafloxacin) and of their phototransformation products (PTPs) were investigated. Furthermore, antibiotic activity was evaluated after UV irradiation and after exposure to inocula of a sewage treatment plant. The study reveals that most of the tested compounds and their PTPs were neither readily nor inherently biodegradable in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)-biodegradability tests. The study further demonstrates that PTPs are formed upon irradiation with an Hg lamp (UV light) and, to a lesser extent, upon irradiation with a Xe lamp (mimics sunlight). Comparing the nonirradiated with the corresponding irradiated solutions, a higher chronic toxicity against bacteria was found for the irradiated solutions of linezolid. Neither cytotoxicity nor genotoxicity was found in human cervical (HeLa) and liver (Hep-G2) cells for any of the investigated compounds or their PTPs. Antimicrobial activity of the tested fluoroquinolones was reduced after UV treatment, but it was not reduced after a 28-day exposure to inocula of a sewage treatment plant. This comparative study shows that PTPs can be formed as a result of UV treatment. The study further demonstrated that UV irradiation can be effective in reducing the antimicrobial activity of antibiotics, and consequently may help to reduce antimicrobial resistance in wastewaters. Nevertheless, the study also highlights that some PTPs may exhibit a higher ecotoxicity than the respective parent compounds. Consequently, UV treatment does not transform all micropollutants into harmless compounds and may not be a large-scale effluent treatment option.