Industrial Carbon Emissions Research Articles

The development path of direct coal liquefaction system under carbon neutrality target: Coupling green hydrogen or CCUS technology

Direct coal liquefaction can directly transform solid coal into high-end oil products with a conversion efficiency of nearly 60 %, but still emit a certain amount of CO2 during the oil production process. The carbon neutrality target places an urgent demand on its low/zero-carbon emissions and technology transformation. In this work, based on the analysis of the main carbon emissions in a traditional oil production system, carbon neutral technology-based direct coal liquefaction systems coupled with green hydrogen, green electricity, or CCUS technologies are proposed. The technical–economic characteristics, environmental impact, and influences of key parameters (e.g., coal/oil/photovoltaic electricity prices, carbon tax) for industrial-scale low/zero-carbon oil production systems are analyzed. Compared with the traditional system, the proposed systems coupled with CCUS technology for high and full concentration CO2 capture could have competitive advantages when the carbon tax prices are higher than 159.1 and 234.7 yuan/t CO2, respectively. When coupled with green hydrogen or green electricity, the cost of hydrogen or electricity storage will have an important impact on oil production profits and scheme selection. To achieve ∼zero carbon emissions, when the photovoltaic green electricity price is > 0.28, 0.07–0.28 and < 0.087 yuan/kWh (or energy storage breakthrough), the appropriate technical options are CCUS full carbon capture, CCUS capture of high concentration carbon with photovoltaic power generation, and photovoltaic green hydrogen with the photovoltaic electric boiler replacing coal-fired boiler, respectively. The research results could provide an important reference for the net-zero carbon emissions of the coal chemical industry under the carbon neutrality target.

How energy transition promotes pollution abatement in China’s industrial sector

Without a market for pollution permits, such byproducts as carbon dioxide bear no market price, resulting in a higher environmental degradation than the socially optimal level. The contribution of this paper lies in that we model production process by resorting to a relatively novel by-production approach resembles a multi-stage process and ensure that the economic and environmental sub-technologies are properly linked. The by-production Data Envelopment Analysis model is adjusted so that positive shadow prices are obtained. Then, we derive the shadow prices of carbon dioxide emission, which can be interpreted as its marginal abatement costs, for province-level industrial sector data in China for the period 1997–2019. We demonstrate that the shadow price of carbon has increased between 1997 and 2019, suggesting the policymakers’ efforts to curb carbon dioxide emission levels in manufacturing have borne fruit. We observe a significant variation in shadow prices across the different provinces and attempt to explain it using exogenous factors such as carbon productivity, non-fossil energy consumption, and urbanization rate. The findings reveal that improving energy efficiency and carbon productivity, fully taking into account the emission reduction potential and cost differences of areas, and transitioning to non-fossil energy will be helpful for China to reduce the carbon emissions of the manufacturing industry in the future.

Constraint Mechanism of Environmental Regulation on Carbon Emission of Heavy Industry in Chengdu-Chongqing Region of China

Regional differences and development heterogeneity lead to an unbalanced distribution of heavy industry in Chengdu-Chongqing region of China. Under the background of low-carbon development, clarifying the constraint mechanism of environmental regulations on carbon emissions of heavy industry becomes more important to solve prominent problems of resources and the environment. In this work, literature analysis, comparative analysis and statistical induction are carried out to illustrate a constraint mechanism of environmental regulation on carbon emission. Based on literature reports and government yearbook data, the impacts of environmental regulations on carbon emissions of heavy industry in Chengdu-Chongqing region are studied. Analysis and demonstration are carried out from four dimensions: corporate identity, technological progress, policy constraints, and government supervision. The predicament of environmental regulation affecting heavy industry carbon emission reduction is expounded and puts forward reasonable policy suggestions. The research results can enrich the theory of environmental regulation, and provide policy suggestions for optimizing the green transformation of heavy industry.

Study on the influence of industrial intelligence on carbon emission efficiency-empirical analysis of China's Yangtze River Economic Belt.

How to achieve the goal of "carbon peak and carbon neutrality" and explore the compatibility of industrial and ecological civilization is a major challenge for China today. This study analyzes the impact of industrial intelligence on industrial carbon emissions efficiency in 11 provinces of China's Yangtze River Economic Belt, measuring the efficiency of industrial carbon emissions through the non-expected output slacks-based measure (SBM) model, selecting industrial robot penetration to measure the level of industrial intelligence, establishing a two-way fixed model to verify the impact of industrial intelligence on carbon emission efficiency, and testing for intermediary effects and regional heterogeneity. The results show that: (1) the industrial carbon emission efficiency of the 11 provinces shows year-over-year improvement, with significant differences between upstream, midstream, and downstream, where downstream is the highest and upstream is the lowest. (2) The development of industrial intelligence is highly uneven, with the upstream level being the weakest. (3) Industrial intelligence can improve the efficiency of industrial carbon emissions by enhancing green technological innovation and energy use efficiency. (4) The effect of industrial intelligence on industrial carbon emission efficiency also shows regional heterogeneity. Finally, we present policy recommendations. This research provides mathematical and scientific support for achieving carbon reduction targets at an early stage and helps accelerate the construction of a modern, low-carbon China.

Carbon allowance allocation based on comprehensive performance of carbon emissions: Case of typical industries in Zhengzhou.

Studying the comprehensive performance of industrial carbon emission has profound significance for improving carbon allowance allocation scheme and achieving the carbon neutrality target. The paper selects 181 enterprises in Zhengzhou as the case, a comprehensive carbon emission performance indicator system and a carbon allowance allocation model were established, and compared with other allocation schemes (historical/baseline method). The results showed that the overall differences in the comprehensive performance evaluation indicator of carbon emissions in typical industries in Zhengzhou were obvious, and there was a correlation with the characteristics of industrial production activities. The overall emission reduction of Zhengzhou was 244.33×103t, and the emission reduction ratio was 7.94% by simulating carbon allowance allocation under the comprehensive performance. The carbon allowance allocation method based on the comprehensive performance has the strongest restraint on the "high emission, low performance" industry, which is more equitable and more conducive to carbon emission reduction. In the future, it will be recommended to give full play to the leading role of the government, implement industrial carbon allowance allocation based on the comprehensive performance evaluation of carbon emissions, to achieve multi-objectives of resource conservation, environmental pollution abatement, and carbon reduction.

Carbon quota allocation modeling framework in the automotive industry based on repeated game theory: A case study of ten Chinese automotive enterprises

Carbon quota management system is a long-term effective mechanism to promote the sustainable development of automotive industry. However, issues such as the total amount and allocation mechanism of carbon quotas hinder countries' implementation of carbon quota policies in the automotive industry. To address these issues, this study uses the GREET model and system dynamics model to predict carbon emissions in the automotive industry and sets the total carbon quota for China's automotive industry. Furthermore, based on the ZSG-DEA model and Gini coefficient model, this study applies repeated game theory to propose a carbon quota allocation modeling framework for the automotive industry. The results show that the proposed allocation modeling framework achieves a balance between equity and efficiency while taking into account the interests of both the government and enterprises, and achieves an equitable allocation of carbon quotas among 10 representative automotive enterprises. This study can provide reference for the design of carbon quota management system in the automobile industry.

Multi-parameter optimization design method for energy system in low-carbon park with integrated hybrid energy storage

Low-carbon parks composed of concentrated and contiguous low-carbon buildings has the characteristics of the high proportion of renewable energy penetration and low-carbon operation, requiring the transformation of relevant energy supply systems from being centralized to being centralized and distributed. However, the centralized and distributed energy supply method faces low levels of renewable energy utilization. Therefore, in this study, a low-carbon park energy system is constructed with a core of photovoltaics, wind power, lithium batteries, and heat storage tanks. A multi-parameter collaborative optimization method is proposed with the goals of cost reduction, carbon reduction, and independence by considering the parameters of equipment configuration and operation. The comprehensive benefits of a low-carbon park energy system under each low-carbon park are explored. The advantages of the system in terms of monthly carbon emission intensity, operation cost, maintenance cost, and interactive power are analysed. For the system, the balance of its energy supply and demand on a typical day and the role of energy storage in improving its utilization of renewable energy are analysed. Finally, the feasibility and benefits of the system's energy supply in different climate zones are further studied. The results show that the energy supply cost, carbon emissions, and interactive power are 31.0 CNY/m2, 4.1 kg/m2, and 2.4 kWh/m2, respectively, resulting in the best benefits for a unit area in a low-carbon park energy system in a high-rise residential park (Beijing). Energy storage can effectively improve the levels of renewable energy utilization, energy conservation and carbon reduction in the system. The low-carbon park energy system proposed in this article can significantly contribute to reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry.

Low-carbon development pathways for provincial-level thermal power plants in China by mid-century

Phasing out thermal power plants is vital to combatting climate change. Less attention has been given to provincial-level thermal power plants, which are implementers of the policy of phasing out backward production capacity. To improve energy efficiency and reduce negative environmental impacts, this study proposes a bottom-up cost-optimal model to explore technology-oriented low-carbon development pathways for China's provincial-level thermal power plants. Taking 16 types of thermal power technologies into consideration, this study investigates the impacts of power demand, policy implementation, and technology maturity on energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and carbon emissions of power plants. The results show that an enhanced policy combined with a reduced thermal power demand would peak carbon emissions of the power industry at approximately 4.1 GtCO2 in 2023. Meanwhile, most of the inefficient coal-fired power technologies should be eliminated by 2030. Carbon capture and storage technology should be gradually promoted in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Jilin after 2025. Energy-saving upgrades on 600 MW and 1000 MW ultra-supercritical technologies should be emphatically carried out in Anhui, Guangdong, and Zhejiang. By 2050, all thermal power will come from ultra-supercritical and other advanced technologies.

A novel process of CO2 reduction coupled with municipal solid waste gasification by recycling flue gas during co-disposal in cement kilns

Waste-to-energy is one of the most effective methods to save energy and reduce carbon emissions in the cement industry. In this study, a novel process of CO2 reduction coupled with municipal solid waste gasification by recycling flue gas during co-disposal in cement kiln is proposed. The model of MSW gasification by recycling flue gas is developed in Aspen Plus based on Gibbs free energy minimization. Meanwhile, the techno-economic-environmental analysis of the proposed process is also evaluated via taking clinker production capacity of 5000 tones/day as the objective. Results indicate that the low heating value of syngas, the cold gasification efficiency, and total exergy efficiency are respectively 4.42 MJ/m3, 91.96%, and 82.33%, indicating a high energy conversion efficiency is obtained during MSW gasification by recycling flue gas from cement kiln. Moreover, the net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period of the proposed process are in sequence as 86.73 M$, 82.21%, and 2.67 years, assuming the coal price is 150 $/ton. The proposed process can reduce about 172.11 kg eq.CO2/ton clinker compared to the traditional cement clinker generation.

How Does the Industrial Digitization Affect Carbon Emission Efficiency? Empirical Measurement Evidence from China’s Industry

Based on the panel data of China’s industrial carbon emissions from 2015 to 2022, the S-SBM model is scientifically used to measure the industrial carbon emission efficiency, and a spatial model is constructed to empirically analyze the spatial effect of industrial digitalization on carbon emission efficiency. From the regional perspective, it is interesting to find that industrial digitization has shown an overall downward trend of the central, western and northeastern regions showing a roughly N-shaped trend of change. From an industry perspective, we also find that industrial digitization has a relatively high overall impact on the carbon emissions performance of the mining industry with significant changes in the performance of electricity and heat and gas and water production and supply industries. Therefore, the experimental results effectively provide the substantive empirical evidence for policy makers on how to best promote the development of industrial digitization and strengthen the effective application of digital technology affecting carbon emission control in China.

Analysis of China's non-ferrous metals industry's path to peak carbon: A whole life cycle industry chain based on copper

Copper is an essential nonferrous metal, and the adjustment of its whole industry chain structure is conducive to realizing a carbon peak in the nonferrous metal industry. We have performed a life cycle assessment to calculate the carbon emissions of the copper industry. Based on the carbon emissions scenarios of shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), we have utilized material flow analysis and system dynamics to analyze the structural changes in the copper industry chain from 2022 to 2060 in China. The results show that (1) the flows and in-use stocks of all types of copper resources will increase significantly. The overall copper supply may meet demand around 2040–2045 due to secondary copper production potentially replacing primary copper production to a large extent, and trade supply is the primary pathway for meeting copper demand. (2) The total carbon emissions from the regeneration system are the smallest (4 %), followed by the production and trade subsystems, accounting for 48 %. The embodied carbon emissions from copper product trade in China have expanded annually. (3) Under the SSP scenario, the copper chain carbon emission peak will be achieved by approximately 2040. Based on a balanced copper supply and demand scenario, the recycled copper recovery efficiency must reach 84.6 %, and the energy structure (the proportion of non-fossil energy in electricity) must reach 63.8 % by 2030 to achieve the carbon peak target for the copper industry chain in China. The above conclusions indicate that actively promoting adjustments in the energy structure and resource recovery processes may help encourage the carbon peak of nonferrous metals in China by realizing the carbon peak of the copper industry.

Proposal of a New Tool for Pre-Straining Operations of Sheet Metals and an Initial Investigation of CR4 Mild Steel Formability

With the increased focus on reducing carbon emissions in the automotive industry, more advanced materials are introduced to reduce the vehicle weight, and more complex component geometries are designed to both satisfy customer demands and to optimize the vehicle aerodynamically. With the increase in component complexity, the strain paths produced during the forming operation of car body components often display a highly non-linear behavior which makes the task of failure prediction during the manufacturing feasibility studies more difficult. Therefore, CAE engineers need better capabilities to predict failure induced by strain path nonlinearity. This study proposes a new tool designed for creating bi-linear strain paths, by performing a pre-strain of a sheet large enough to cut out Nakajima specimens to perform the post-straining in any direction. From five pre-straining tests the tool present a stable pre-straining operation with a uniform strain field in a radius of 100 [mm] from the centre, corresponding to the region of interest of a Nakajima specimen. From the five pre-strained samples, different Nakajima specimens are cut transverse and longitudinal to the rolling direction and a failure prediction approach in an alternative, path independent evaluation space was used to predict the onset of necking with promising results.

How does market-oriented allocation of industrial land affect carbon emissions? Evidence from China

Industrial land serves as the fundamental basis for urban economic development and significantly contributes to carbon emissions. Effective market mechanisms are crucial for reducing carbon emissions. As such, investigating the impact of market-oriented allocation of industrial land (MAIL) on carbon emissions and its pathways is of substantial practical importance for global low-carbon development. This study constructs a theoretical framework examining the influence of MAIL on carbon emissions, focusing on 285 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2020. The spatial econometric model is employed to analyze the impact of MAIL on carbon emissions. The results show that: first, from a national perspective, MAIL not only reduces carbon emissions within a region but also in neighboring regions. Higher MAIL leads to more effective carbon emission reductions, which are persistent and hysteresis in time. Path analysis demonstrates that MAIL reduces carbon emissions by promoting industrial upgrading and technological innovation. Second, there are differences in the timeliness of carbon emission reduction effects in cities of different scales and regions. For cities of different scales, the carbon reduction effect of MAIL is more stable in large and medium cities compared to megacities and small cities, but in the short term, MAIL will hinder the industrial upgrading of megacities and thus is not conducive to carbon reduction. For different regional cities, the carbon reduction effect of MAIL is more stable in other regions except northeast region, and in the short term, MAIL will inhibit technological innovation in northeast region, which is not conducive to carbon reduction. Consequently, it is essential not only to design a top-level reform plan for MAIL in China but also to establish differentiated reform policies for MAIL, tailored to the unique characteristics of cities with different scales and regions, to effectively reduce carbon emissions.

The Impact of Ecological Governance on Industrial Structure Upgrading under the Dual Carbon Target

Under China’s goal of “carbon neutrality”, appropriate ecological governance is crucial for upgrading the industrial structure, and too strict or loose governance will have a negative effect. In order to find the optimal range for ecological governance efforts, the concept of the industrial low-carbon index was defined based on the comparison of industrial carbon emissions and output value. The industrial structure was measured from two dimensions: overall upgrading and internal optimization of the industry. We innovatively use multiple indicators to represent the core explanatory variables and use the coefficient of variation method to calculate them. A threshold regression model for ecological governance and industrial structure based on the above indicator system was built, using indicator data from 288 cities in China over the past 15 years for empirical analysis. The study found that (1) ecological governance has a threshold effect on the overall upgrading and internal optimization of the industrial structure, and overall efforts need to be increased for ecological governance; (2) the governance intensity for different cities needs to be determined according to their economic levels and local conditions; and (3) the industrial structure gap among cities will gradually narrow, and the overall development tends to be balanced.

Summary of Research on Low-carbon Development of the Construction Industry under the "Dual Carbon" Goal

As an important pillar industry of the national economy, the construction industry is facing a transformation from resource dependent to green and low-carbon development. This article elaborates on the current research status at home and abroad from three aspects: the connotation of low-carbon development in the construction industry, the factors affecting carbon emissions in the construction industry, and the evaluation of low-carbon development level in the construction industry.

Carbon emissions from accumulated stock of building materials in China

The stock of building materials has critical impact on sustainable development and on the reduction of the carbon emissions of the construction industry; however, the accumulated stock of building materials and its carbon emissions remain uncertain. To clarify the stock situation regarding existing buildings in China and provide reference material to support reduction of building–related carbon emissions, the accumulated building material stock and associated carbon emissions were visualized and quantified in this study based on building vector data of 33 cities and nighttime light data. In 2017, 8.8 Gt of building materials in 161.1 billion m3 of accumulated building stock produced emissions of 17.8 Gt CO2eq. Concrete and cement represented the main material types and the greatest sources of emissions. Notable disparities were found in material stock among different regions, determined primarily by factors such as areas of urban and rural construction land, population, GDP, and landform. Spatial visualization of material carbon emission intensity in China revealed a pattern of “higher in the southeast, lower in the north and midland,” and showed three aggregation modes. The results of this study could serve as scientific reference for new policies regarding low–carbon building, thereby promoting carbon emission reduction and sustainable utilization of resources in the construction industry.

Turning black to green: Circular economy of industrial carbon emissions

Industrial carbon emissions represent both a problem and an opportunity. As part of carbon capture and utilization (CCU) strategies, they can be used as raw materials to produce value-added products. Depending on the final product, the CCU approach could delay, reduce, or completely eliminate carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Although technically feasible, the barriers to commercial sustainability of such low-carbon or net-zero circular economy models are not sufficiently explored in the literature. To bridge this gap to a certain extent, I will discuss five key areas where circular economy-based CCU ecosystems producing net-zero synthetic fuels face challenges: supply-chain security, value-chain innovation, stakeholder cooperation, supply–demand market dynamics, and policy and regulation. To overcome some of these challenges, I will share opinions on how collaboration between government, private investors, and industries could help in developing relevant policies to close cost gaps in the short- and medium-term. Finally, I will explain how public–private partnership models could be used to pool resources, share risks, and how regulatory de-risking could be used to promote alignment between regulation and private investor for circular economy-based CCU projects for producing net-zero methanol.

Impact of Environmental Regulation and Industrial Agglomeration on Carbon Emissions in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Carbon reduction is an important aspect of achieving high-quality environmental development; environmental regulation and industrial agglomeration are important ways to affect carbon emissions. Therefore, studying the relationship between industrial agglomeration, environmental regulation, and carbon emissions has important theoretical and practical significance. Firstly, this article adopts the method of location entropy to measure the indicators of industrial agglomeration. Secondly, it proposes an environmental regulation indicator system based on the experience of previous scholars and measures the environmental regulation indicators using the entropy method. Next, eight types of energy consumption are used to measure carbon emissions based on the carbon emission coefficient method provided by the IPCC. Finally, based on the Moran index, the spatial correlation of carbon emission levels in various regions of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is tested. A spatial econometric model was introduced to explore the relationship between industrial agglomeration, environmental regulation, and carbon emissions at a deeper level, and the following conclusions were drawn: (1) The regression coefficient of the spatial term of industrial agglomeration on carbon emissions is 0.848, which is significantly positive at the 10% level, indicating that under the influence of spatial effects, industrial agglomeration has a significant promoting effect on carbon emissions. (2) The regression coefficient of the spatial term of environmental regulation on carbon emissions is −0.011, which is significantly negative at the 10% level, indicating that environmental regulation has an inhibitory effect on carbon emissions under the influence of spatial effects. Based on the above conclusions, useful suggestions have been provided for optimizing industrial structure, improving environmental regulation levels, and alleviating carbon emission issues.

The impact of carbon emissions trading policy on carbon emission of China's power industry: mechanism and spatial spillover effect.

Carbon emission trading policy (CETP) is an important tool for energy savings and emission reduction. However, the effect of CETP on carbon emission reduction in power industry is still unknown. This paper uses the difference-in-differences (DID) model and the intermediary effect model to test the impact and mechanism of CETP on power industry carbon emissions. In addition, a spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) model is established to analyze the spatial spillover effect. The results show that CETP has a significant inhibitory effect on power industry carbon emissions and the results are still valid after endogenous and robust tests. The improvement of technology level and power conversion efficiency plays an intermediary role for CETP to reduce power industry carbon emissions. The optimization of power generation structure is likely to become another important way for CETP to play its role in the future. The spatial spillover effect test shows that CETP not only has a significant inhibitory effect on power industry carbon emissions in the pilot areas but also has a negative spatial spillover effect on power industry carbon emissions in the surrounding non-pilot areas. The heterogeneity tests show that CETP has the most significant reduction effect in the central region of China and the strongest spatial spillover inhibiting effect in the eastern region. The purpose of this study is to provide decision-making references for government to achieve China's dual-carbon goal.

Spatio-temporal variation and influencing factors of industrial carbon emission effect in China based on water-land-energy-carbon nexus

The industrial production requires the input of water, land and energy, and the water-land-energy interaction generates carbon emissions. Investigating the industrial water-land-energy-carbon nexus and exploring the influencing factors of the carbon emissions help promote the intensive use of water resources, land resources, and energy, as well as the low-carbon development of industry. This paper applied kernel density estimation and spatial auto-correlation analysis to explore the spatio-temporal variation of industrial carbon emission effect of water and land use and the industrial matching status of water and land resources in China, and then analyzes the influencing factors to industrial carbon emissions by introducing water and land resource factor into Kaya identity and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model. The main conclusions are: (1) From 2006 to 2020, China's industrial carbon emissions increased by 82.02%. The industrial carbon emission intensity of water use (CEIWU) and the industrial carbon emission intensity of land use (CEILU) increased by 158.02% and 55.53% respectively. The inter-provincial difference of CEIWU and CEILU expanded considerably, and the number of provinces with high CEILU had a large increase. (2) The industrial matching index of water and land resources (MIWL) in China showed a fluctuating downward trend, presenting great spatial clustering, and the provincial MIWL were mainly concentrated in the H-H and L-L regions. (3) The contributing and inhibitory effect of each influencing factor varied on regional and provincial level. The economic output of water use is a contributing factor to all regions and provinces, while the MIWL is an inhibitory factor to all regions and provinces.