Agapi Vasileiadou

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Verified

Agapi verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• PhD. MSc. MSc. BSc. BSc.
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Thessaly

The biodegradable fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is commonly composted to be used as fertilizer, but it also contains high value products in terms of energy content. The study of compost of MSW as a potential fuel, has rarely been reported in the literature while the study of its seasonal variation, in terms of fuel characteristics, has ne...

EU and US implementation of the Agenda for sustainable development by 2030 has directed research in the exploration of alternative sustainable fuels together with their assessment tools of energy production. A Fuel Quality Index (FQI) and a Fuel Quality Label (FQL) could assist in expressing the overall fuel quality of biomass residues, and in gene...

Biomass combustion generates considerable amounts of ash that are related to slagging/fouling problems in combustors. Numerous indices have been proposed in the literature for the evaluation of slagging/fouling tendencies. This paper is focused on the characterization of various biomass ashes in terms of their slagging/fouling tendency. For this pu...

Olive oil production is accompanied by the generation of large amount of solid wastes. In order to achieve a sustainable practice for olive mill solid wastes, the combustion of extracted olive pomace, olive stone, and their blends with lignite at different proportions was studied via several methods. Energy content, proximate, ultimate, and thermog...

In Greece, 5.8 million tons of municipal solid wastes (MSW) are produced annually, of which 2.47 million tons are bio-wastes. Composting is an alternative treatment of bio-wastes instead of landfill. Τwo composting plants operate in Greece, one in Ano Liossia (capacity 1,200 tons/day, producing 120 tpd compost) and another in Chania (capacity 70,00...

Call for Papers Special Issue: Emerging Technologies for Waste Treatment, Reuse and Energy Production Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2025 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/9Y59D20M37

Energy is a crucial factor for urban development. Cities have a crucial role in climate change, as they use 2/3 of the world's energy, producing 70% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In order to reduce the large ecological footprint of the utilization of conversional energy sources (coal, gas, and oil) and enhance a nation's energy independence (s...

Due to the increased demand for sustainable renewable bioenergy and the need for a better waste management system with the 9Rs strategies (refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, and recover), it is essential to seek alternative environmentally friendly fuels. Biomass fuel is a major global source of cl...

Large volumes of organic waste, such as agricultural, industrial, and urban solid waste, remain unused and are discarded as waste. Due to the sustainable development goals, the circular economy, and the policy for reduced and zero CO2 emissions until 2030 and until 2050, respectively, it is crucial to find alternative ways to treat these wastes. Bi...

Globally, from the production of agricultural products, significant amounts of agricultural wastes are generated, (such as barley waste-straw, sunflower seeds, stem, disk florets, and stalk, and husk corn) which remains unexploited or burned uncontrolled in the fields. Although, agricultural wastes are considered to be in smaller amounts than other...

A global interest can be observed in alternative management of agro-industrial wastes in the context of the accomplishment of the 2030 sustainable development goals. Reducing these wastes by turning them into solid biofuels for energy production is a viable solution for global environmental issues. In this work, brewers’ spent grain (BSG) and its b...

Coal bottom ash is used globally in various applications in the construction industry to reduce its negative environmental impacts. In this study, the potential utilization of lignite bottom ash from four power plants in Greece in concrete manufacturing was evaluated through granulometric, chemical, and mineralogical analyses. The particle-size dis...

The application of the sustainable development agenda leads to a worldwide effort for searching for alternative sustainable fuels. However, in order for the utilization of alternative fuels (e.g. wastes, agricultural by-products, blends of two or more fuels, etc.) to be feasible in the energy market, they should have a label indicating the quality...

Managing winery solid waste remains a challenge. The aim of this work is to experimentally study grape marc (GM) as a possible sustainable biofuel and/or as an auxiliary fuel with lignite. GM co-combustion with lignite has never been reported. Several thermo-analytical techniques (Calorific Value, Proximate Analysis, Ultimate Analysis, Thermogravim...

The management of plastic waste is considered to be among the major environmental problems that must be urgently addressed. For various reasons, recycling of plastic waste is not always feasible. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation of a mixture of plastic wastes (of the municipal solid wastes, MSW) as potential fuel is performed. Precisely, t...

The purpose of this paper is to find alternative ways to upgrade public school buildings in order to consume smaller amount of energy. Under this scope, a case study of installing a photovoltaic system on the roof of the school building of the Argyropoulio Junior High School of Larisa was conducted. The energy needs of the building were examined, a...

In order to investigate slagging characteristics of olive mill solid wastes, two samples were used as fuels (EOP: Extracted olive pomace, OLS: Olive stone). The experiments of the ash characterization of samples were carried out by a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer. Moreover, several ash indices that wer...

In order to investigate emissions of the combustion of olive mill solid wastes as fuels (EOP: Extracted olive pomace, OLS: Olive stone) the ANSYS Chemkin PRO modelling software was used along with several analytical experimental results of the samples: energy content determination, ultimate analysis, and proximate analysis. The maximum potential em...

Recently, coal power plants across Europe have been reopened. Alternative fuels are needed for energy autonomy purposes, for a smoother transition to the post-lignite era and for sustainable development. In this work, different categories of municipal solid wastes (MSW) and their blends with lignite were studied for their potential use as alternati...

Wastes are heterogeneous material whose origin comes from wide variety of materials deriving from several fields (yard residues, paper wastes, food wastes etc.). The continuous increase of waste production along with the fossil fuel severe environmental impact, make the Waste-to-Energy (WtE) practice a very attractive option in the frame of circula...

The reactivity of compost like-outputs of MSW was evaluated in this study in order to assess their combustibility for potential energy recovery. Four seasonal MSW compost (fall, summer, spring, winter) samples, and a lignite sample were collected from northern Greece. Calorific Value determination, Thermogravimetric and Derivative Thermogravimetric...

Δεδομένου ότι το 50 % των αερίων του θερμοκηπίου προέρχονται από την εξόρυξη και την επεξεργασία των πόρων, η Ευρώπη συμφώνησε να μειώσει το αποτύπωμα της κατανάλωσης και να αυξήσει το ποσοστό χρήσης κυκλικών υλικών για μια βιώσιμη ανάπτυξη. Τα απόβλητα που παράχθηκαν στην Ευρώπη το 2018 αναλογούν σε 5 τόνους/κάτοικο/έτος. Στην Ευρώπη, κάθε κάτοικο...

Bottom ash samples were collected during four seasons from the largest lignite-fired power plant of Greece, named Agios Dimitrios. Dry sieving and particle size analysis were performed for all samples. Coarse fractions were initially examined by a stereo-microscope. Four fractions (>1.25, 0.63-1.25, 0.18-0.63, <0.18 mm) of each sample were created...

Bottom ash samples were collected from four lignite power plants of Greece, i.e. Agios Dimitrios, Kardia, Meliti (Western Macedonia, northern Greece) and Megalopolis (Peloponnese, southern Greece). Granulometric analysis was executed and different fractions (>2.5 mm down to <0.036 mm) were obtained. The coarse particles (>1.25 mm) of each sample we...

The aim of the present study is the assessment of the energy efficiency of two lignite-fired power plants of northern Greece (Kardia and Meliti), based on the analysis of bottom ash samples. Therefore, bottom ash samples were collected and granulometric analysis was executed, obtaining different fractions (>2.5mm down to <0.036 mm). The coarse frac...

The world energy relies on fossil fuels. Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is a renewable source with various benefits (independence of fossil fuels, zero CO2 and reduced SOx emissions, better management of agricultural residues, etc.). Combustion is an economical and simple thermal treatment for biomass utilization. This study focuses on the evaluation...

Agricultural residues represent a renewable energy source. Thermochemical processes compose a promising option for agricultural residues utilization. The devolatilization is a crucial part of thermochemical processes. Thermogravimetric technique gives important details for a fuel. In this study, two biomass residues (almond shell and walnut shell)...

Τα απόβλητα τροφίμων αποτελούν παγκόσμιο και πολύπλοκο πρόβλημα το οποίο επηρεάζει τη βιώσιμη ανάπτυξη περιβαλλοντικά, οικονομικά αλλά και κοινωνικά. Σύμφωνα με τον Οργανισμό Τροφίμων των ΗΠΑ περίπου το 1/3 των τροφίμων που παράγονται για ανθρώπινη κατανάλωση στον κόσμο, απορρίπτεται (~ 1,6 δισ. Τόνοι/έτος). Τα απόβλητα τροφίμων καταλαμβάνουν το 19...

This paper tries to find out an effective recycling treatment associated with the agriculture residues of almond and walnut, in order to produce energy. For that reason, two samples of agricultural wastes (almond and walnut residues) and a domestic lignite sample from Greece were collected, dried and chopped to grain size less than 1 mm. These agri...

Bottom ash samples were collected from four lignite power plants of Greece. Granulometric analysis was executed and after homogenization four distinct fractions (>1.25, 0.63-1.25, 0.18-0.63, 1.25 mm), certain differences in the characteristics of the bottom ash of the younger and the three older power plants were observed. High amounts of unburnt c...

In Greece 5.8 million tons of municipal solid wastes (MSW) are produced annually, of which 2.6 ton are bio-wastes. Composting is an alternative treatment of bio-wastes. In Greece there are two composting plants in Ano Liossia (capacity 1,200 tons/day, it operates 250 days per annum and also producing 120 tpd compost) and in Chania (capacity 70,000...

The combustion behavior of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is evaluated in this study in order to assess their potential for energy recovery. Different types of MSW (i.e. compost-like outputs, green waste, food waste, organic fraction of MSW), as well as lignite sample were collected from the Western Macedonia region, northern Greece. Proximate analysi...

The introduction of stereo-microscope viewing to primary school pupils is addressed in this work. A trinocular stereoscope from Euromex company, which is capable for observation under both incident and transmitted light was employed. The stereoscope was connected to a laptop via a CMEX-1 digital colour camera, all images were retrieved with the Ima...

Η αξιοποίηση των αστικών στερεών αποβλήτων (ΑΣΑ) για την παραγωγή ενέργειας έχει εφαρμοστεί παγκοσμίως εδώ και πολλές δεκαετίες. Η Ελλάδα, ωστόσο, εξακολουθεί να εξαρτάται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από τους χώρους υγειονομικής ταφής (ΧΥΤΑ) για τη διαχείριση των ΑΣΑ. Η ταχεία ανάπτυξη της οικονομίας και του πληθυσμού στην Ελλάδα έχει προκα-λέσει πολλαπλασιασμ...

In Greece, there are annually produced more than 5.8 million tons of municipal solid wastes (MSW). The greater part (approximately 80%) of the latter are organic-rich (combustible) wastes and include paper, plastic, organic (biodegradable) and LWTR (leather, wood, textile, rubber). On the other hand, the share of the electricity production of Greec...

The electricity production of Greece based on lignite burning is currently about 55%. The average quantity of sewage sludge produced in municipal wastewater treatment plants of Greece is estimated to be approximately 175,000 tons/year. The annual production of sludge in Kozani’s wastewater treatment plant amounts to 1580 tons. Converting this waste...

The use of agricultural waste for energy production contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases and it may include combustion (incineration), pyrolysis and gasification. Combustion is the most economical and simplest heat treatment and may include co-combustion with other solid fuels or organic waste. This paper explores the energy utilization...

This study deals with the energy efficiency and thermal properties of the municipal solid wastes from the Western Macedonia region. For this purpose, different types of waste (plastic, organic, paper, fabric) were collected from the landfills of study area. The samples were analyzed by thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), using a LECO TGA701 apparatus. Sampl...

The aim of this study is the assessment of energy recovery from municipal solid waste from the Western Macedonia region, northern Greece, using co-combustion methods with domestic lignite. The results of proximate analysis and calorific value determination of municipal solid waste (paper, plastic, textile, organic), sewage sludge and sunflower resi...

Huge amounts (approximately 700,000 tones/year) of bottom ash are produced in the lignite-fired power plants of Greece. The utilization of the bottom ash in a co-combustion process with several solid waste samples, in an attempt to evaluate the energy recovery form such blends, is the aim of this study. Different municipal solid waste (MSW) samples...

The combustion characteristics of blends of lignite with various organic waste materials are evaluated in this study in order to assess their potential for energy recovery. Different types of municipal solid waste (i. e. paper, plastic, textile, organic), as well as sewage sludge and agri-residues (sunflower shells) samples were collected from the...

Major factor for the technological development of materials is the improvement of composite materials. Composite materials constitute a big step towards optimizing materials. The construction industry demands materials with better mechanical properties (weight, strength, hardness, etc.). This book presents basic data of metal matrix composites (MMC...