Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Volume 2011 Issue 1

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) Engines hold promises of being the next generation of internal combustion engines due to their ability to produce high thermal efficiencies, in addition to low nitric oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). HCCI combustion is achieved through the auto-ignition of a compressed homogeneous fuel-air mixture, thus making it a “fusion” between spark-ignition and compression-ignition engines. The main challenge experienced when developing HCCI engines is the absence of a combustion trigger hence making it difficult to control its combustion timing.

The aim of this research project is to develop a natural gas HCCI engine to improve the performance of stationary power plants in Qatar. Since HCCI primarily depends on temperature and chemical composition of the mixture, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and adjusting intake temperature are the techniques that will be used to control ignition timing. Previously, a simulation model was developed using a highly sophisticated program, GT-Power. It was noticed that simulation time for such a model was high. Therefore a simple, non-linear model was developed to capture the main thermodynamical features of the HCCI engine. In this oral presentation, we will explain how the model was developed as well as the optimization technique used to adjust an experimental correlation to predict ignition timing. We will show that performance data produced by our model is in accordance with the data acquired from GT-Power. In addition, several methods were exhausted to further simplify the model and produce a linear version that could be used in linear control schemes. Data from the finalized linear model were compared to the initial non-linear model and proved to be a sufficient approximation. A Linear Quadratic Regulator Controller scheme will be used on our final linear model to control the EGR ratio and intake temperature, which will ultimately control the combustion timing. Finally, a block diagram of the proposed control scheme was developed. Further work for validation and implementation of the proposed scheme will be discussed.

Qatar is one of the largest producers of polymers in the Middle East, with a total annual turnover of $3.5 billion. The annual consumption of industrial and domestic polymers in the region generates significant amount of plastic waste in Qatar and in Gulf Corporation Countries (GCC). Recently, recycling of plastics has become an optimum waste management solution due to the efficiency of incorporating the plastic waste management stream into commodity and structural applications. One of the main obstacles in the region is collection and sorting of plastics, due to the variety and high volume of waste streams. To solve this problem, and to upgrade the recycled polymer applications, optimisation of additives and processing techniques were used in this work, such as the addition of glass fibre reinforcement, wood, mica and date palm fibre in selected volume fractions, in order to minimise the effect of the residual “secondary” polymers in the main composite.

A tremendous improvement has been achieved in the mechanical properties and the thermal stability of the selected systems, due to the synergistic effect of the complementing additives. In addition to their much-improved thermomechanical performance, the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the new recycled composites showed to have improved effect on the environment compared to the unadulterated systems. A complex analysis showing the interdependencies between the improved materials properties and the positive environmental impact is presented for the first time.

Qatar has experienced great change in its infrastructure, continuous upgrading of its major industrial cities, of its network of roads and highways and major construction and development along its coastline in particular the eastern coastline. These activities can all have an impact on the marine life and terrestrial wildlife, vegetation and floristic composition.

One strip of coastline on the north-eastern section of Qatar remains in parts virgin land and the coastal zone is considered a least impacted zone. A baseline survey was commissioned to record all physical/chemical and biological data of the Qatar marine zone.

This survey, representing field data collected between February and April 2010, encompassed a 35km long stretch of coastline and extended 20km offshore and as far inland as 1km, it also included Umm Tais Island and Al Jasasiya. The seabed and the water body were documented by video photography. Fish population was studied by deployment of fish nets. Mangrove forests were studied in detail. The coastline was surveyed covering landform, vegetation and observations on wildlife. The benthic community of corals, seagrass meadows and microalga beds were fully mapped. Seawater and sediment physicochemical parameters and biota were analyzed. Current meters were deployed to study the sea current speed and direction in the study area.

A full record of terrestrial geology, morphology and vegetation, along with coastal and intertidal biota have been documented. An extensive range of physiochemical parameters have been documented and analyzed according to international standards. State of the art mapping techniques have been employed to provide visual records of both physiochemical and biological constituents. This study documents a large number of organisms not previously reported for the Arabian Gulf. These include almost 106 species belonging to 8 phyla, 17 classes, 36 orders and 63 families.

This project, carried out by the Qatar University, Environmental Studies Center, exemplifies a comprehensive, well run and well documented ecological baseline study. This information will enable future monitoring and substantial data on which stakeholders can take prudent action to conserve, preserve or sustain.

Nanotechnology is regarded as the next great scientific/industrial revolution due to the possibility of designing nanostructured materials that possess novel electronic, optical, magnetic, and catalytic properties. Nanomaterials could potentially be applied in pollution control, catalysis, water remediation, clean energy.

Nanocatalysis is a phenomenon of significant research and important practical applications in a variety of fields such as materials, environmental and atmospheric sciences. Low-temperature catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the most important problems in pollution since even small exposures to CO (ppm) can be lethal. Nanophase metal and metal oxide catalysts, with controlled particle size, high surface area, and more densely populated unsaturated surface coordination sites, could potentially provide significantly improved catalytic performance over conventional catalysts. It is therefore, expected that nanoparticle catalysts would show high catalytic activity for the low temperature oxidation of CO than bulk materials.

Noble metals are well known oxidation catalysts with high activity and stability, even in the presence of moisture and sulfur compounds, and they are usually used in gas exhaust emissions control. The high cost of precious metals and their sensitivity to sulfur poisoning motivated re-searchers to search for new catalysts. Alloying is a phenomenon that can either improve the catalytic properties of the original single-metal catalysts for CO oxidation. Recently, we reported the effect of support on the catatalytic activity of Au catalyst.

We have prepared metallic and bimetallic nanocatalysts on different supports using differ-ent synthesis methods. The catalytic activity of each catalyst was carried out by using a flow tube reactor coupled to an infrared detector. Our results indicate that unsupported AuCu alloy shows higher activity than Au or Cu alone. These results attributed to the formation of CuO within the bimetallic nanoparticles, which improves the catalytic activity of Au-Cu alloy nanoparticle. On the other hand, Au nanoparticles supported on CeO2 exhibit higher catalytic activity than Cu, CuO, and AuCu alloy supported on CeO2. These results attributed to the strong interaction of Au with CeO2.

Barchan dunes in Qatar are restricted to the southeastern region of the country. They are currently a disappearing natural habitat due to the northwesterly Al Shamal winds, which are scouring the landscape and spreading desertification, as they pass. This research aims to understand whether the synergy between the physical transport of dust, moisture retention and microbial growth beneath the dune surface, could be exploited to stop erosion of an active dune. Microbial communities at the surface down to 30cm below have been quantified using direct counts of live/dead cells through fluorescent stains, culturing sand microbes in media selective for general heterotrophs, fungi and/or cyanobacteria, and by conducting culture-independent phylogenetic characterization based on 16S/18S rRNA analysis. Current results show that there is more genetic material found in barchans at depths between 15 to 30 cm deep than at the surface, due to the cooler, moister, and UV-protected sand below the surface. Isolated colonies sequenced from barchans include Arthrobacter and Marmonicola sp., which are typical of bacteria associated with soils. Capacitance and thermal probes recording the humidity and temperature were deployed just beneath the sand surface. For the first time, diurnal variations of temperature and humidity profiles below a dune surface have been recorded. A correlation for migration velocity of Qatar dunes west of Umm Said was established. We anticipate that greater understanding of dune biology will lead to the development of new engineering technology to stabilize Barchans.

The debate around carbon emission reduction seems to be hinging on capture and storage despite limited information about suitable sites and associated risks. It is unfortunate that alternatives to underground storage have not been discussed and disseminated for public opinion. This presentation aims at demystifying the broader picture on carbon management and the associated issues. Given the current lack of progress on a large-scale carbon management, it is important to look at alternative carbon sequestration methods that carry less risk but may require further development work. In this context, carbon mineralization using a special chemical reaction approach that aims to solve two environmental problems in one solution has been studied. This approach stems from the fact that the GCC states produce fresh water from desalination processes and therefore reject huge amounts of concentrated brine into the sea and at the same time emit large amounts of CO2 from the massive hydrocarbon industries. These challenging environmental problems are the subject of a qatar national research fund project undertaken at Qatar University. The results obtained indicate that it is feasible to convert a significant amount of captured CO2 into a stable bicarbonate and at the same time reduce concentrated brine reject into the Arabian Gulf. Details of the proposed process will be presented. This is considered as a major contribution given the current status of the carbon conundrum.

Clean air is an essential requirement to protect human health and the ecosystem. Achieving acceptable air quality requires the monitoring of ambient air quality, the setting of standards by the Ministry of Environment (MoE), and the implementation of control technologies.

Air quality is a national priority for Qatar. The Qatar Energy and Environment Research Institute (QEERI) and TOTAL Research Center-Qatar, with their knowledge of local conditions, have set up a joint research pilot project to assess air quality within a 15–20 km radius circle centered on Qatar Foundation. This project will provide the policy maker with air quality monitoring data and real-time pollutant concentration mapping, so that they may develop air quality management strategies.

The pilot project will encompass most of Doha, as well as “background” areas, thus providing valuable information towards understanding the dynamics of air pollution. Although limited in geographic scope, the pilot project will help to understand the potential issues that would be associated with a full-scale project. These issues include assessing the quality of existing data, testing of various research tools and methods, identification and communication with the stakeholders involved. Importantly, the success of this project relies on data availability and quality from existing and forthcoming air quality monitoring stations.

To account for the small-scale variability of concentrations, typically not represented by fixed monitoring stations, a network of micro-sensors is being built. It will provide additional data to assess the influence from specific emission sources, in particular traffic, on air quality. A number of sensors will be deployed at varying distance along the roads. Data from the micro-sensors will be evaluated against fixed monitoring stations data as a performance benchmark.

Kriging is used to produce real-time concentrations maps. This advanced interpolation technique uses auxiliary data such as emissions inventory, land use, or model outputs in order to derive concentration information between measurement points. Kriging output consists of real-time concentration maps constrained by all the available information.

Training and capacity building will be also an important outcome of this pilot project between QEERI and TOTAL, thanks to the participation of students from Qatari universities to the project.

A limestone-plateau of 11,400 sq. km, Qatar continues to import approximately 90% of its food. By establishing a position of foreign dependence, Qatar's food security is at risk due to fluctuating prices (as experienced in 2008) and potential disruptions in supply. The total arable land in the GCC is in the order of 1.7%, resulting in an industry that only accounts for 1–4% of total revenue (0.1% in Qatar). As such, Qatar is only 23% self-sufficient in vegetables, 0.76% in cereal, 23.1% in fruits and 12.5 % in livestock.

At present production outputs, Qatar's self-sufficiency will be further reduced as demand increases. For instance, Qatar's population increased linearly at 14.3 % per year from 2003 (0.71 million) to 2009 (1.6 million) and is expected to reach 3.2 million by 2020 and 4.9 million by 2030 Moreover, inevitable domestic vulnerabilities could hinder the productivity of the domestic system. For instance, temperatures in the Gulf are forecasted to increase by 1.8°C by 2040 leading to desertification, whilst increasing water scarcity in a region already heavily water stressed. It is estimated that 73% of aquifers in the GCC have depleted, whilst locally, aquifers are used 9 times faster than their replenishing rate.

The development of a domestic food system, agro-investment and continued activity in the global market should be considered as critical constituents in any final food security strategy. Sustainable local production presents the core of the Qatar National Food Security Program, which is centred on solar-desalination as a means for water supply. Agro-investment is essential because it allows the importer to benefit from virtual water through the import of water intensive crops. Finally, enhancing purchasing power and diversifying suppliers allows the importer to establish a stronger position in the global market. The proposed food program faces the tough challenge of achieving food security whilst preserving the natural environment. As such, this paper will discuss the dynamic relationship between the food system and its environment, explore its resilience and ultimately put forward a series of recommendations which are aimed at enhancing Qatar's food security whilst considering its environment.

Compared with conventional diesel refining process, GTL diesel offers significant environmental advantages such as less carbon emissions and improvement of air quality. However, the GTL technology often requires intensive energy and resources input.

This paper applies Life cycle assessment (LCA) method to quantify the environmental impacts of gas-to-liquid fuel processes. LCA is a tool for the analysis of environmental impacts of a product or a system, taking into account the complete life cycle of a product. Data are collected from the literature for the current “common practice”. Impact assessment was carried out considering 18 impact categories classified into three damage categories: human health, ecosystem quality and resources.

This paper will present results of environmental burdens of GTL diesel in comparison with biomass biodiesel processes. The results indicate how much of each process's contribution to environmental burdens, thus suggesting where efforts shall be placed in order to improve the environmental performance. Source of the environmental burdens will also be identified and suggestions will be made how the environmental impacts of GTL technology can be minimize through improved design and energy integration.

Amidoximes are an important class of organic compounds featuring a fused amide and oxime functionality and their use as starting materials for the synthesis of valuable heterocyclics and related intermediates enabled wide applications in novel pharmaceuticals, antitumor agents, antimalarial agents, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) substrates, enhanced textile materials, synthetic polymers, and chelating resins. In this work, amidoxime functionality dependent CO2 adsorption behavior is presented. It is showed that amidoxime groups offer new chemical terminals for selective CO2 binding and such previously unknown behavior puts this well-known class of organic building blocks into spotlight for the pursuit of commercial scale CO2 capture and storage. In an attempt to quantify their performance, four representative amidoximes with varying amidoxime content were screened by using high-pressure magnetic suspension sorption apparatus. The highest percent amidoxime functionality present in acetamidoxime was found to show the highest capacity with 2.71 mmol/g. Acetamidoxime also featured a dimerization, which leads to an enhanced adsorption with an increase in temperature. Moreover, polymeric amidoxime showed superior adsorption per surface area when compared to a well-known activated carbon.