Browsing by Author "Salamea Piedra, Teresita Silvana"

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Biomass yield and carbon abatement potential of banana crops (Musa spp.) in Ecuador
(2021) Ortiz Ulloa, Juvenal Alejandro; Abril González, Mónica Fernanda; Peláez Samaniego, Manuel Raúl; Salamea Piedra, Teresita Silvana
Banana is one of the most important agricultural products of Ecuador. It relies on intensive monoculture cropping systems with a large volume of standing biomass and large amounts of residual biomass that can be used for carbon sequestration. This study was performed (1) to quantify the yearly residual biomass generation, (2) to quantify the carbon stock of standing banana biomass, (3) to estimate the carbon sequestration potential by using the residual biomass generated yearly, and (4) to propose a biomass prediction model for banana crops in Ecuador. The study was conducted between March 2018 and January 2019 in the three main banana-producing provinces of Ecuador (Los Ríos, Guayas, and El Oro). Samples of rachis, pseudostem, leaves, and flowers from 36 banana plants of the variety Musa AAA Cavendish were taken for laboratory tests. Physical measurements such as height, circumferences, number of leaves, and weights were determined for the 36 plants. Results showed an average residue-to-product ratio of 3.79 and a country’s yearly biomass generation of 2.65 Mt on a dry basis. The carbon stock of the standing biomass was estimated as 4.18 ± 1.02 Mg/ha, 5.44 ± 0.96 Mg/ha, and 5.13 ± 1.11 Mg/ha for Los Ríos, Guayas, and El Oro, respectively. The estimated carbon abatement capacity of the residual biomass is 3.92 MtCO_2/year. Three biomass estimation models were developed in Python®, using the data collected in this study and least squares fitting for exponential models of the form: Y = AX^n + C . The models showed good prediction capacity for Ecuadorian banana plants, with R ^2 up to 0.85. It is expected that this study could serve as the basis for studies on developing sustainable conversion processes of banana residual biomass.
Design and development of a catalytic fixed-bed reactor for gasification of banana biomass in hydrogen production
(2022) Tacuri Sarmiento, Diego Mauricio; Andrade Herrera, Christian Javier; Álvarez Lloret, Edgar Paúl; Abril González, Mónica Fernanda; Salamea Piedra, Teresita Silvana; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Jara Cobos, Lourdes Elizabeth; Montero Izquierdo, Iván Andrés
Hydrogen produced from biomass is an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. In this study, hydrogen production by gasification of the banana plant is proposed. A fixed-bed catalytic reactor was designed considering fluidization conditions and a height/diameter ratio of 3/1. Experimentation was carried out under the following conditions: 368 °C, atmospheric pressure, 11.75 g of residual mass of the banana (pseudo-stem), an average particle diameter of 1.84 mm, and superheated water vapor as a gasifying agent. Gasification reactions were performed using a catalyzed and uncatalyzed medium to compare the effectiveness of each case. The catalyst was Ni/Al2O3, synthesized by coprecipitation. The gas mixture produced from the reaction was continuously condensed to form a two-phase liquid–gas system. The synthesis gas was passed through a silica gel filter and analyzed online by gas chromatography. To conclude, the results of this study show production of 178 mg of synthesis gas for every 1 g of biomass and the selectivity of hydrogen to be 51.8 mol% when a Ni 2.5% w/w catalyst was used. The amount of CO2 was halved, and CO was reduced from 3.87% to 0% in molar percentage. Lastly, a simulation of the distribution of temperatures inside the furnace was developed; the modeled behavior is in agreement with experimental observations.
Mini revisión: aplicación de líquidos iónicos en hidrólisis ácida dematerial lignocelulósico para la obtención de azúcares
(2021) Salamea Piedra, Teresita Silvana; Vele Salto, Angélica María; Pinos Vélez, Verónica Patricia; Abril González, Mónica Fernanda
In recent decades, the application of ionic liquids (IL) as pretreatment of residual biomass (BM) before the hydrolysis reaction hasproven to be an efficient system to improve yields towards obtaining monosaccharides. A greater recovery of monosaccharidestranslates into a higher yield in the production of biofuels, which can make this industry profitable. In this context, this bibliographicreview analyzes the physicochemical characteristics, synthesis methods, dissolution conditions with application of variables, suchas: IL: BM weigh ratio, temperature and time. In addition, a comparative assessment of the results of traditional acid hydrolysisprocesses with respect to those obtained with the application of IL is carried out, increasing in most cases their reaction yields.Finally, some recovery and recycling techniques are mentioned, which allow to reduce the costs of the process, so that it iseconomically profitable