Concern For Environmental Protection Research Articles

Characterization and application of LDH with chitosan composites investigated by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and surface texture for the adsorption of methyl orange

With a rapid increase in industrial growth around the world, the demand for an entirely novel category of nanoparticles and technologies for wastewater treatment has become a key concern for environmental protection. Recently, hybrids of layered double hydroxides (LDH), particularly those containing LDH, have gained attention as potential nanoscale adsorbents for water treatment. Recent research has shown that LDH-containing composites are interesting versatile materials with the ability to be used in energy storage, photocatalysis, nanocomposites, and water treatment. In the current work, LDH-containing composites were utilized as adsorbents for the purpose of purifying water. The adsorbents investigated are Zn–Co–Fe/LDH/Chitosan-in situ sample preparation (LDH/CS1) and Zn–Co–Fe/LDH/Chitosan-ex situ sample preparation (LDH/CS2). Furthermore, LDH/CS1 and LDH/CS2 were investigated for wastewater treatment from methyl orange dye (MO) with various adsorption conditions. When the initial MO concentration was 20 mg/L and the amount of adsorbent was 0.1 g, the removal efficiency reached 72.8 and 91.7% for LDH/CS1 and LDH/CS2, respectively. The MO’s maximum adsorption capabilities are 160.78 and 165.89 mg/g for LDH/CS1 and LDH/CS2, respectively, which is much greater than that of comparable commercial adsorbents. MO adsorption onto LDH/CS1 and LDH/CS2 was best characterized by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium adsorption data was followed by the Freundlich and Langmuir models. The adsorption is favorable as evidenced by the equilibrium parameter RL values for MO adsorption onto LDH/CS1 and LDH/CS2, which were 0.227 and 0.144, respectively. Using the free volume distribution method and the positron annihilation lifetime technique, the nanostructure of the materials was examined.

Can green finance improve eco-efficiency? New Insights from China.

Achieving economic development and ecological protection simultaneously is an inevitable selection for sustainable development in today's world, so it is crucial to improve eco-efficiency (EE). According to Chinese panel data at the provincial level between 2010 and 2020, this research explores the nexus between green finance (GF) and EE. The results denote that GF can significantly improve EE, and the higher the level of EE, the stronger the effect of improvement. The upgrading of industrial structure, optimization of energy structure, enterprises' concern for environmental protection and the public's attention to the environment are all favorable factors that can enhance the promotion effect of GF on EE. Additionally, this facilitation can only be played under a good external environment and mature internal conditions. Our findings can provide new insights for improving EE by developing GF.

From Theory to Practice: Applying the Markowitz Model in Stock Portfolio Management under ESG

The study consisted of a month-long simulated stock market operation focusing on the comprehensive analysis of equity portfolio creation and management. Against the backdrop of growing concern for environmental protection, the S&P 500 Net Zero 2050 Climate Transition ESG Index was deemed the appropriate benchmark for the portfolios due to the average level of risk tolerance of customers. The investigation began with an in-depth assessment of macroeconomic and sector conditions, followed by careful selection of securities using both fundamental and technical analysis techniques. The portfolio was then optimized using the Markowitz model and subsequently managed using a variety of strategies, including trading, monitoring, and rebalancing. The subsequent phase of the research involves a rigorous evaluation of performance utilizing various metrics including single-period returns and the Sharpe ratio. The study culminates in a reflective analysis of the overall investment project. Despite the portfolio's underperformance against the benchmark, the project provides invaluable insights into the intricacies of stock market investment and portfolio management, accentuating the impact of market volatility and the significance of strategic asset allocation.

The application of RAGA-PP model in environmental accounting information disclosure of enterprises in heavy pollution industries

The global concern for environmental protection has driven the demand for corporate environmental accounting information, especially in heavily polluting industries. Currently, there are deficiencies in China's research on environmental accounting information and its institutional development, and there is an urgent need for improved evaluation systems and models. The study proposes the RAGA-PP model, which is an environmental accounting information disclosure evaluation model that combines accelerated genetic algorithm and projection tracing algorithm. The model is based on 28 secondary evaluation indicators and aims to optimize the projection tracing through the accelerated genetic algorithm with real number coding to improve the stability and accuracy of data analysis. The experiment proves that the evaluation error value of the RAGA-PP model is 3.45 % on average, which is significantly lower compared to 9.55 % of the ant colony algorithm. The results show that the RAGA-PP model has significant advantages in accurately evaluating the quality of corporate environmental information disclosure, which confirms its application value in environmental accounting information disclosure in heavy pollution industries. The purpose of the study is to promote the improvement of the environmental accounting information disclosure system and to provide support for enhancing corporate environmental awareness and social responsibility.

Influencing factors and environmental feasibility analysis of agricultural waste preprocessing routes towards biofuel production – A review

Valorizing the production of massive amounts of agricultural waste into valuable products is an immediate concern for environmental protection and bioeconomy advancement. Recently, agricultural waste has become a popular raw material for bioethanol production could reduce environmental pollution and strengthen the local circular bioeconomy. Its preprocessing is an essential and critical step in making the free carbohydrate molecules for the final conversion. Major influencing preprocessing factors are the nature of biomass, feed loading, operating pH, temperature, and time. The merits and demerits of each preprocessing method in different aspects should be well studied before selecting them to obtain a maximum yield of fermentable sugars. Hence, this review provides comprehensive information on potential agricultural waste availability, chemical composition, and various preprocessing techniques. In addition, the essential factors influencing preprocessing performance and the environmental feasibility of biomass conversion into value-added products are discussed in detail.

Batch adsorption study in liquid phase under agitation, rotation, and nanobubbles: comparisons in a multi-parametric study

Concern for environmental protection has increased throughout the years from a global perspective. To date, the predominance of adsorption as treatment technique in environmental chemistry remains unchallenged. Moreover, the scientific attention for investigating nanobubbles due to their unique properties has turned the search for their application in environmental processes with special emphasis on water treatment. This study is aimed at investigating the effect of rotation on batch adsorption process using commercial activated carbon as adsorbent material, compared with the widely used method of agitation. As liquid medium, deionized water and deionized water enhanced with nanobubbles (of air) were used. The wastewater was simulated by dissolving a common dye as model pollutant, methylene blue, at concentration of 300 mg/L in the tested liquid. The results indicated that the utilization of nanobubbles resulted in an improvement on adsorption rate, compared to the corresponding values of deionized water solutions. These results may lead to promising applications in the future, since just 1 h of operation increases the water purification and thus provides a simply applied, cost-effective, and rapid alternative.

Biodegradable Conductive Layers Based on a Biopolymer Polyhydroxybutyrate/Polyhydroxyvalerate and Graphene Nanoplatelets Deposited by Spray-Coating Technique

In light of the growing concern for environmental protection and the alarming amount of waste produced due to hygiene regulations, this study suggests a biodegradable and eco-friendly solution that could make a significant contribution to the preservation of our planet. The developed solution was based on a polyhydroxybutyrate/polyhydroxyvalerate biopolymer, which has been tested regarding its physicochemical parameters and possible use in printed electrically conductive structures. Graphene nanoplatelets have been used as the conductive functional phase, due to literature reports of their potential use in biomedical applications and due to the potential of providing cytocompatibility in electrical structures by carbon nanomaterials. Prepared composites have been spray-coated onto PET film and paper substrates and then subjected to electrical, adhesion and optical measurements. In order to establish the conductivity of the developed composite, its resistance, layer thickness and surface topography were measured. Optical parameters have been specified using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging and spectrophotometry. The conducted research opens a wide path for the use of the polyhydroxybutyrate/polyhydroxyvalerate biopolymer with graphene nanoplatelets in biomedical applications, ensuring good conductivity, biocompatibility and stability.

An Evaluative Study of the B.Ed. Curricula Operative in Universities with Specific Reference to Environmental Education

The present study elaborates on the environment and its basics, the history and growth of environmental education and the relevance ofenvironmental education in teacher education. Theoretical orientations of the present study elaborates on contemporary environmental issuesaround the world, contemporary environmental issues in India, people’s concern for environmental protection and preservation, environmentalmovements in India and environmental movements around the world. The design of the study includes the title of the research, objectives,operational definition of the key terms, delimitations of the study, population and sample, tools for data collection and procedure for analysisof the data in the context of the present study. The details of data collection, analysis and interpretations has been presented in two parts; thefirst part includes the analysis of the Syllabi Document of environmental education as prescribed in B.Ed. The curriculum of B.Ed. Institutionsand the second part include analysis of Pre-service Teachers’ Responses obtained from the self-constructed questionnaire in order to explorethe awareness, knowledge and attitude (sensitivity) of pre-service teachers in relation to environmental education syllabi as prescribed in B.Ed.The curriculum of B.Ed. Institutions.

Bio-Based Impregnated Resin Preparation for Aldehyde-Free Decorative Paper Production

With the growing concern for environmental protection and personal health, utilizing bio-based impregnated resin has become a sustainable approach for producing aldehyde-free decorative paper and in-house decorations. Our current work focuses on the preparation of an aldehyde-free resin (AFR) by formulating quaternized cellulose nanofibrils (QCNFs, Ave. width 10 ± 3 nm, Ave. length of and >500 nm) with aqueous acrylate emulsion. We analyzed the synthesized QCNFs, acrylate emulsion, and AFR by using various methods, including FTIR, XPS, XRD, TGA/DTG, and rheometer, to evaluate their applicability for impregnated paper processing. At a low coating weight of 4.0 g/m2, a 30.8% increase and 4.9-times increase in tensile strength and contact angle were detected, respectively. Meanwhile, the free aldehyde emission from the AFR-coated paper was found to be 0.1 mg/L even at a high coating weight of 18.8 g/m2, which is far below the E0 level requirement in the JAS 234:2003 criteria. Therefore, the surface coating of the decorative base paper was found to be competitive in covering the porous structure of the paper, reinforcing its mechanical strength, and providing high water resistance. Moreover, the lower free aldehyde emission from the AFR-coated paper ensures its safety and potential application in house decoration products.

Green & bio-solvents global market to 2027: Increasing concern for environmental protection drives growth

Green & bio-solvents global market to 2027: Increasing concern for environmental protection drives growth

A facile approach toward the synthesis of terephthalic acid via aminolytic depolymerization of PET waste and studies on the kinetics of depolymerization

AbstractIn this polymer‐governing era, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has become one of the most demanding consumables. This growing interest in the production and consumption of plastic products results in an increase in the volume of post‐consumer plastic waste. However, due to the growing concern for environmental protection, recycling PET waste to the valuable ones has become one of the hot topics in contemporary research. In this study, PET waste was depolymerized using ethanolamine as a depolymerizing agent. N,N′‐Bis(2‐hydroxyethyl)terephthaldiamide (BHETA) (yield 77%) was obtained after depolymerization of PET via ethanolamine. The characterization of the monomer BHETA was done using FTIR, 1H NMR, and FE‐SEM. The thermal stability of PET and BHETA was done using TGA analysis. To avoid the extreme reaction condition (high temperature and high pressure) of conventional way to form terephthalic acid (TPA) via hydrolysis of PET waste, in this study, a facile way is performed. The monomer BHETA was converted to a main building block of PET (TPA) (yield 67%) using strong oxidizing agent KMnO4 in mild reaction conditions at room temperature and pressure. The synthesized TPA was characterized using FTIR and 1H NMR. This work also focuses on the anticipation of the reaction progress of aminolysis of PET using simple analytical tools namely, FTIR and TGA.

Experimental study on supercritical carbon dioxide gasification of biomass

With the excessive use of fossil energy and concern for environmental protection, biomass gasification as an effective means of biomass energy utilization has received widespread attention worldwide. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) (T ≥ 31.26 °C, P ≥ 72.9 atm) has the advantages of near liquid density and high solubility, and the supercritical carbon dioxide gasification of biomass will be a promising technology. However, there has been no research on the technology at present. In this work, experimental study on supercritical carbon dioxide gasification of biomass were carried out in a batch reactor. The influences of temperature, residence time, the amount of carbon dioxide and catalyst on gas yield and fraction were investigated. Experimental results showed that the gas yield and carbon gasification efficiency (CE) of biomass gasification increased with increasing temperature, reaction time or the amount of carbon dioxide. As the gasification temperature increased from 700 °C to 900 °C, the gas yield increased from 23.53 to 50.24 mol/kg biomass and CE increased from 47.26% to 94.53% in CO2 atmosphere at 30 min. The gasification efficiency of biomass was greatly improved with catalyst, and the effect of impregnated catalyst was better than that of mechanical mixing. The gas yield increased from 23.72 to 50.24 mol/kg biomass with the increasing of the equivalent ratio from 0 to 1 at 900 °C and 30 min. Finally, a detailed supercritical carbon dioxide gasification mechanism of biomass was proposed.

Influence of Human Activity on Hg Transportation

Hg pollutes the environment, living organisms, and humans; hence, studying Hg content is essential for human health security. Using the dataset in May, September, and October, the Hg content, horizontal distribution, sources and transportation paths in the waters of Jiaozhou Bay were easily determined. These results indicate that the Hg content changing range in the waters in May, September and October was 0.015-0.150 μg/L, corresponding to the national seawater quality standards of Class I and Class II. The Hg content in the water body mainly arises from two sources, the transportation of rivers and offshore ocean currents. It from rivers' offshore ocean currents was 0.019-0.150 μg/L and 0.020 μg/L, respectively. Among them, the transportation of rivers includes the transportation of Haibo River, Licun River and Loushan River. So, a model block diagram has been built to unveil Hg contents and its different paths during the transportation to Jiaozhou Bay. Thus, it becomes easy to quantitively determine the migration process of Hg content through human activities to the ocean and rivers. Hg's different paths and contents reveal four rules for entering Jiaozhou Bay. In May, the offshore ocean currents and Haibo River did not affect by Hg pollution. In September, the Laoshan River was not polluted by it. In October, the Licun River was not, while the Haibo River exhibited light Hg pollution. When the Hg content transported by rivers was relatively low, it by offshore ocean currents became visible. From May to October, three rivers were transporting Hg content. Hg mildly polluted only one river in October, depicting that human activity is a key concern for environmental protection. It discharged by humans to land was relatively low, meanwhile only once was river transportation slightly polluted by it.

Banking Support for Energy Security: The Customer Aspect

Within the increased concern for environmental protection, an important aspect is related to renewable energy not only because of the potential for carbon emission reductions but also because of energy security. Relying on renewable energy sources can be a basis for less dependence of the economy on limited energy sources, especially when considering their potential price fluctuations. The role of banks has already been recognized in the context of supporting the greater use of renewable energy solutions. In this paper, the focus is on green banking (GB) services and customers’ intention to adopt them. For its analysis, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was applied. It was extended with environmental consciousness, as a predictor of attitude and behavioral intention. Moreover, relations between customer intention and its predictors were examined separately for the male and female gender. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research in which behavioral intention toward green banking services was investigated by including mentioned variables from the gender aspect. According to the obtained results, environmental consciousness, attitude and perceived behavior control have the largest influence on customers’ intention. In addition, from the gender aspect, unlike male, the intention of female customers is significantly affected by perceived behavior control.

Effects of physical and chemical activations on the performance of biochar applied in supercapacitors

Recently, there has been a growing concern for environmental protection. Herein, an economical, sustainable, and green method for synthesizing activated carbon from waste using Sapindus peels and oyster shell powder is reported. Oyster shell powder decomposes into CO2 at high temperatures and can be used as a physical activator. In this study, we discuss the difference between physical, chemical, and hybrid activation. Through proper treatment, the original specific surface area of 12.8 m2 g−1 for Sapindus peel biochar was increased to 1175–1537 m2 g−1. In addition, activated carbons rich in 4 nm mesopores can be obtained by simple physical activation with oyster shell powder. In applications, the prepared electrodes showed a high specific capacitance of 258.1 F g−1 at 5 mV s−1. The assembled supercapacitor also exhibited excellent electrochemical performance with a capacitance retention of 81.9 % after 5000 test cycles and a coulombic efficiency close to 100 % during the test.

Insights into the effects of direct injection timing on the characteristics of deposited fuel film and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions from a Dual-Fuel Spark Ignition (DFSI) engine

Particulate Matter (PM) emissions have been a global concern for environmental protection and public health. By utilising Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF) method and PM spectrometer analyser, this study provided new insights into the effects of direct injection timing (tDI) on the characteristics of deposited fuel film and engine PM emissions. The experimental results show that deposited fuel with a close impingement distance (D) has a more irregular edge and nonuniform distribution. Both deposited film mass and area would be decreased by increasing D or decreasing the injection duration (tinj). For a fixed tinj, a steady reduction can be found in the deposited mass ratio (Rdf) with the increase of D. Moreover, the impact of D on Rdf becomes a bit stronger by increasing tinj from 1.2 ms to 3.0 ms. An appropriate direct injection timing is very beneficial to reduce PM number (NP) and PM mass (MP) of DFSI engine. By delaying tDI from −340 °CA to −300 °CA, the maximum reduction of total NP and MP can be up to 63.77% and 90.68%, respectively. By further delaying tDI to −280 °CA is difficult to provide a sufficient time for fuel-air mixture prior to ignition, which would cause a considerable increase of PM emissions.

Research on Cyanobacterial-Bloom Detection Based on Multispectral Imaging and Deep-Learning Method

Frequent outbreaks of cyanobacterial blooms have become one of the most challenging water ecosystem issues and a critical concern in environmental protection. To overcome the poor stability of traditional detection algorithms, this paper proposes a method for detecting cyanobacterial blooms based on a deep-learning algorithm. An improved vegetation-index method based on a multispectral image taken by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was adopted to extract inconspicuous spectral features of cyanobacterial blooms. To enhance the recognition accuracy of cyanobacterial blooms in complex scenes with noise such as reflections and shadows, an improved transformer model based on a feature-enhancement module and pixel-correction fusion was employed. The algorithm proposed in this paper was implemented in several rivers in China, achieving a detection accuracy of cyanobacterial blooms of more than 85%. The estimate of the proportion of the algae bloom contamination area and the severity of pollution were basically accurate. This paper can lay a foundation for ecological and environmental departments for the effective prevention and control of cyanobacterial blooms.

Preparation of highly hydrophobic sepiolite for efficient oil removal

Oil spill cleanup has aroused increasing concern in environmental protection, which makes the development of a low-cost absorbent with good hydrophobicity to be a task of high practical significance. In this work, a novel and highly hydrophobic absorbent based on natural clay minerals was prepared and used for oil removal from water. The originally hydrophilic sepiolite was modified by tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS) through a one-pot direct modification. The pristine and modified sepiolite (MS) were characterized for hydrophobicity, morphology, and composition. The results showed that the modify agent was successfully grafted onto the sepiolite surface, improved the roughness and disaggregation of fibers. And MS exhibited higher contact angle compared to the pristine sample. The diesel oil removal efficiency of MS was significantly higher compared to pristine sepiolite. The surface roughness and high hydrophobic properties played important role in the retention of oil from water. This study presented a facile method to produce promising absorbent based on clay minerals with excellent properties for oil spill cleanup.

Research and Application of Polypropylene Carbonate Composite Materials: A Review.

The greenhouse effect and plastic pollution caused by the accumulation of plastics have led to a global concern for environmental protection, as well as the development and application of biodegradable materials. Polypropylene carbonate (PPC) is a biodegradable polymer with the function of “carbon sequestration”, which has the potential to mitigate the greenhouse effect and the plastic crisis. It has the advantages of good ductility, oxygen barrier and biocompatibility. However, the mechanical and thermal properties of PPC are poor, especially the low thermal degradation temperature, which limits its industrial use. In order to overcome this problem, PPC can be modified using environmentally friendly materials, which can also reduce the cost of PPC-based products to a certain extent and enhance their competitiveness in terms of improving their mechanical and thermal properties. In this paper, we present different perspectives on the synthesis, properties, degradation, modification and post-modification applications of PPC. The modification part mainly introduces the influence of inorganic materials, natural polymer materials and degradable polymers on the performance of PPC. It is hoped that this work will serve as a reference for the early promotion of PPC.

On the determination of the distillation curve of fatty acid methyl esters by gas chromatography

Given the increased concern for environmental protection and the need for finding viable alternatives for replacing fossil fuels in internal combustion engines, the research carried out in the recent past on the use of biodiesel has increased.Out of the physico-chemical characteristics of fuels, the volatility has a great influence on the combustion process. It is therefore important to accurately obtain all the data related to the volatility of the fuels. A way to assess the fuel’s volatility is the distillation curve (DC). The simplest way to determine DC is at atmospheric pressure. However, for low volatility fuels such as biodiesel, atmospheric distillation is not indicated, therefore, using of alternative methods is needed. One method that can be used in this case is the determination of the boiling range distribution by gas chromatography (GC). The GC equipment used for this purpose is specifically designed for this aim, meaning that the determination of DC by the GC itself is a given or standard feature of the equipment. However, in many labs, such specifically designed GC equipment is not available.In this context, the paper aims at providing a GC based method for finding the boiling points of fatty acid methyl-esters (FAME) on standard FID based GC instrument for those researchers wishing to add new capabilities to their existing GC instruments. To validate the method, five different samples of pure biodiesel were analyzed, and the results obtained by applying this method were confirmed by comparison with the distillation curve obtained via vacuum distillation.