Consideration Of Environmental Protection Research Articles

Assessing the Climate Commitments of the European Union in Energy Challenges Due to the Russia-Ukraine War 2022

This research examines the European Union’s (EU) climate commitments during the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. EU as a proactive international organisation in global climate management, has made various efforts through policy and strategy formulation and implementation mechanisms, as well as by playing an important role in international climate negotiations. However, the Russia- Ukraine War has affected the EU’s energy security and energy transition agenda. This research uses a qualitative approach and case study analysis method, with secondary data sources obtained through library research collection techniques. To answer the research questions, the conceptual framework of ‘environmental security’ is used to analyse the energy response in the EU based on environmental protection considerations, which then illustrates the climate commitments in the EU during the Russia-Ukraine War. The research found that while some of these measures may come at the expense of the EU’s climate mitigation efforts in the short term, the EU’s overall energy response to avoid an energy crisis in its member states still demonstrates a strong commitment to the fight against global climate change.

Carbon-based Anode Nanomaterials for Lithium-Ion Battery

In consideration of environmental protection, more and more countries in the world put the issue of sustainable development on the agenda while lithium-ion battery (LIB) plays a crucial part in this process. In addition, carbon based nanomaterials are characterized as diverse types of materials that are produced in a variety of characteristics. Due to the large specific surface area, great electronic and mechanical qualities, variable chemical functionality as well as wide potential window they own, carbon nanomaterials have been studied and developed as anode materials for LIB to enhance its performance. In this paper, the basic structure, main properties together with the synthesis methods that are related to carbon nanomaterials including CNTs, graphene and CNSs are presented. In addition, these potential candidate materials for anode materials of LIBs are also summarized and discussed. The main functions and the importance of synergy between active electrode species and carbon nanomaterials are emphasized.

Malaysia’s Forest Pledges and The Bornean State of Sarawak: A Policy Perspective

Malaysia deforested 6.3 million hectares since independence; 91% of which occurred before Malaysia pledged, at the Earth Summit in 1992, to maintain a minimum 50% of its terrestrial area under forest cover. However, under economic and population pressure, Sarawak—the largest contributing state to the country’s current forest cover of 54.8%—shows continuing deforestation even after 1992. This paper reviews land use policies underpinned by economic development and environmental protection considerations, land rights issues that complicate land use planning, and legislation that regulates land use change. The objective is to investigate the adequacy of existing policies and legislation in governing forest cover in Sarawak and to recommend improvement measures. If the Sarawak Land Use Policy that allocates seven million hectares for forest is realized, Malaysia’s forest cover would drop to 53%, assuming other states maintain their forests. It is recommended that legislation governing the designation of permanent forest and conversion of forest for other land use to be strengthened, civil society to be enlisted to enhance knowledge level, and carbon credit production to be promoted as alternative land use that keeps forests standing. With these measures, it is hopeful that Malaysia’s aspirations regarding forest cover can be achieved.

Circular economy implementation in the development of fire-retardant materials used in construction, industry, and general-purpose products

During a fire, passive fire protection systems are designed to prevent the spread of flames, smoke, and toxic gases. The new fire-retardant (FR) material, used for passive fire protection, is created by combining copolymers (VC–co–VAc) (Slovinyl KV 173) and PVC K70 with expanded graphite and plasticizers/modifiers such as diisononyl phthalate - DINP, diisononyl terephthalate - DINTP, dioctyl adipate - DOA, as well as plasticizers that are synthesized based on tertiary recycling of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), 1-hexadecene, azodicarbonamide (ADC), tri(p-cresyl phosphate), epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and acrylate emulsion (DH50, Ecrylic, or Flexryl, etc.). The obtained material's morphology was examined using an emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) field. Tensile testing was used to determine the mechanical properties of the obtained samples, as well as Shore A hardness and toughness using the Charpy impact test. All samples obtained were tested according to non-flammability standards. To conform to the new trend of "green economy," the development of novel eco-friendly FRs with improved thermal and mechanical properties will include careful consideration of environmental protection and sustainable development.

Large electrostrictive coefficients of BaTiO<sub>3</sub>-based lead-free ceramics

AbstractMicro-displacement actuators have important applications in aerospace, semiconductor, industry and other fields. Now most of the lead-based piezoelectric ceramics are used in the market. In consideration of environmental protection and legal restriction, it is urgent to develop lead-free ceramic materials with excellent electrostrictive properties. As a kind of ABO<sub>3</sub>-type ferroelectrics, (Ba,Ca)(Ti,Zr)O<sub>3</sub> lead-free ceramics have attracted a lot of attention because of their high piezoelectricity. In this work, (Ba<sub>0.85</sub>Ca<sub>0.15</sub>)(Ti<sub>0.9</sub>Zr<sub>0.1</sub>)O<sub>3</sub> (BCTZ) ceramics with high electrostrictive coefficient are prepared by the solid-state method. The effects of sintering temperature on the structures and electrical properties of BCTZ ceramics are studied. The results show that the sintering temperature can help to improve density and grain growth of BCTZ ceramic.There are no impurity phases in the BCTZ ceramic systems, and all samples show ABO<sub>3</sub>-type perovskite structures. At room temperature, the crystal structure of BCTZ ceramic forms coexistence of orthogonal (O)-tetragonal (T) phase. The dielectric peak of BCTZ ceramic is widened, and the Curie temperature reaches a maximum value of 110 ℃ when <i>T</i><sub>s</sub> = 1300 ℃. With the increase of sintering temperature, the dielectric peak of BCTZ ceramic gradually becomes narrowed, and the Curie temperature of ceramic moves toward low temperature.As the sintering temperature is 1300 ℃, the grain size of BCTZ ceramic is 1 μm, the large electrostrictive coefficient <i>Q</i><sub>33</sub> (5.84 × 10<sup>–2</sup> m<sup>4</sup>/C<sup>2</sup>) can be obtained, which is about twice that of traditional PZT ceramic. This may be attributed to combination of the surface effect caused by grain size of BCTZ ceramic with the strong ionic nature of A-O chemical bond. In addition, although BCTZ ceramic has an O-T phase boundary near room temperature, the electrostrictive coefficient <i>Q</i><sub>33</sub> of ceramic has good temperature stability in a range of 25–100 ℃. It shows that the crystal phase and temperature have no effect on the electrostrictive coefficient of BCTZ lead-free ceramic. It provides a new idea for designing the high electrostrictive properties of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with potential applications.

President's Page: Advancing sustainability in SEG

In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In this framework, development is conceived as an integrated approach to elevate the quality of life by raising economic progress with environmental protection considerations. This vision evolved into the formulation in 2015 of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to mitigate the hazards of climate change and to contribute to the development of society in every aspect, establishing targets to be attained by 2030. As an example, SDG 13: Climate Action calls for initiatives to moderate climate change within development frameworks. SDG 14: Life Below Water and SDG 15: Life on Land also call for more sustainable practices in using the earth's natural resources. The world is not making progress against the SDGs fast enough to achieve all the goals within the established timeline, yet with international agreements and specific actions, the success rate is growing incrementally.

Unraveling nonlinear and interaction effects of various determinants on bus gaseous emissions

Urban transit buses equipped with large-displacement engines operate on circular routes several times throughout the day, emitting large amounts of environmentally hazardous exhaust. Hence, understanding the intricate associations between bus emissions and multiple contributors is beneficial for creating sustainable transportation systems, while previous studies focusing on statistical methods fail to unravel them. This paper innovatively leverages the bagged decision tree approach to delineate such complex relationships based on the data collected from CNG-fueled and diesel-powered buses. Relative importance indicates that velocity appears to be the primary factor and is therefore selected as the research objective. Results suggest that the effects of different contributors on bus emissions present nonlinear patterns. More specifically, the influence of speed on CO, CO2, and NOx exhaust generally reveals an increasing-stabilizing tendency while that of HC represents a decreasing-stabilizing mode. Besides, the phenomenon of synergies between determinants is also prevalent, for instance, buses within high-speed and large-slope conditions tend to produce more emissions. These findings can provide nuanced guidance for policy-making and bus route planning issues in consideration of environmental protection and pollution mitigation.

Access to Justice for the Protection of Environmental Rights in Ukraine

The article deals with specific issues of access to justice relating to the protection of environmental rights. The harmonization and approximation of national legislation with international standards is an essential factor in the development of environmental rights. Particular attention is paid to public participation in the consideration of environmental protection by administrative authorities and in judicial proceedings.

Occurrence and mobility of trace elements during oxidant stimulation of shales in Yichang, Hubei province of China

Oxidant stimulation is a promising technology for shale permeability enhancement, but it is still faced with the problem of produced water with high total dissolved solids. For the consideration of environmental protection and water reuse, the mobility of trace elements (TEs) should be evaluated before the in-situ application of this technology. In this study, carbonate-rich shale and silicate-rich shale, collected in Yichang, Hubei province of China, were used to react with sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8) at different experimental conditions. The sequential chemical extraction was used to analyze the occurrence of TEs in shales and their mobilization mechanism. Influence factors including oxidant concentration, solid:liquid ratio, initial pH and temperature were systematically investigated to explore their effect on the mobility of TEs. Results showed that a similar affinity between TEs and fractionation phases was observed in both two shales. Tough the TEs associated with residual fraction was most obvious in shales, various associations between TEs and other extractable fractions were also apparent, such as Co (61.7% on average) and Cu (59.2% on average) in organic matter-bound fraction, and Sr (53.2% on average) in carbonates-bound fraction. The occurrence of TEs determined their extent of mobilization during oxidant stimulation, and the complex interactions including acidization, oxidation, adsorption and precipitation influence the mobility of TEs as well. The carbonate minerals and pyrite were both critical minerals for decreasing the mobility of TEs. Carbonate minerals in shale could effectively buffer the pH of the system to mitigate the acidization reaction. The near-neutral environment was also beneficial for the Fe(OH)3 precipitation then resulted in the fixation of TEs through adsorption. Besides, the generated gypsum from carbonate dissolution also contributed to the incorporation of TEs. Meanwhile, sulfate generated from pyrite oxidation and persulfate hydrolysis also directly precipitated with TEs such as Ba and Sr to reduce their dissolved content in the reaction system. Influence factors analysis showed that the mobility of TEs was strongly dependent on the oxidant concentration and solid: liquid ratio and to a lesser extent on the temperature and initial pH. Considering the environmental risk and water management cost, systematic investigation on shale composition and associated TEs, and optimization of engineering parameters should be carried out before the in-situ application of this technology.

An Assessment of How Australian Fisheries Management Plans Account for Climate Change Impacts

For Australian fisheries to remain productive and sustainable (environmentally and commercially), there is a need to incorporate climate change considerations into management and planning, and to implement planned climate adaptation options. Here, we determine the extent to which Australian state fisheries management documents consider issues relating to climate change, as well as how frequently climate change is considered a research funding priority within fisheries research in Australia. We conduct a content analysis of fisheries management documents investigating categories and themes relating to Australian state fisheries, climate, and environmental change. We also reviewed recent Research Priorities from the major fisheries research funding body for reference to climate change related themes, and the number of subsequently funded projects which considered climate change or related topics. Results show that commercial state fisheries management documents consider climate only to a limited degree in comparison to other topics, with less than one-quarter of all fisheries management documents having content relating to climate. However, we find that the south-east and south-west regions of the Australian coastline have the highest incorporation of “climate” and “environmental protection considerations” in their fisheries management documents, and that fisheries are more likely to have more “climate-related mentions” within their related management documents, if they (i) primarily target species with higher economic commercial catch values, (ii) commercial catch weights, or (iii) a greater number of commercial fish stocks existing. Only a small number of recently funded fisheries research projects considered climate change, representing only a small proportion of fisheries research investment. Given the extensive climate-driven impacts recently documented among key Australian fisheries species and associated ecosystems, we conclude that there is a clear need for fisheries management in Australia to consider longer-term climate adaptation strategies for Australian commercial state fisheries to remain sustainable into the future. We suggest that without additional climate-related fisheries research and funding, many Australian agencies and fisheries may not be prepared for the impacts and subsequent adaptation efforts required for sustainable fisheries under climate change.

The effect of functionalization in elastomers: Construction of networks

With greater consideration of environmental protection and resource conservation, the manufacture of high-performance tires with high modulus and low energy loss has become a pursuit of scientists in the elastomer industry. The manufacturing strategy is primarily based on improvement of reinforced filler dispersion in the elastomer matrix or enhancement of the interfacial interaction with elastomer chains, which is arguable for improvement of elastomer performance via the functionalization method. To profoundly re-recognize the effect mechanism of functional groups on the performance of elastomers, three styrene-isoprene-butadiene solution rubbers reinforced with carbon black (CB/SIBR, CB/α-SIBR, and CB/α,ω-SIBR) with different functional sites and amounts were prepared using 1,1-bis(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-ethylene (DPE(NMe2)2) as the functional group in this work. The results showed that after introducing the DPE(NMe2)2 unit, the dispersion improvement of CB was nondistinctive. The improvement in the modulus and reduction of energy loss are primarily attributed to the construction of a strong network of the CB filler with neighbouring functional groups in the elastomer chains and passivation of the free terminals of the elastomer chain. Based on these results, this process might offer new scientific understanding of the mechanism of high modulus and low energy loss in a functional elastomer compound and a strategy for manufacture of a high-performance tire.

Study on field demonstration of high‐sensitivity SF6 leakage detection method for gas insulated switchgear

AbstractSF6 gas is widely used in power equipment such as gas insulated switchgear or gas circuit breaker. However, its global warming potential is 23,500 times higher than that of CO2. In consideration of environmental protection, detection of SF6 gas leakage with high sensitivity is necessary. The authors proposed an algorithm to accurately estimate the average gas temperature from the tank surface temperature for establishing a high‐sensitive SF6 slow leak detection technology. Since the gas temperature depends on the temperature of the conductor, the algorithm was characterized by estimating the gas temperature from the tank surface temperature and the load current. The relationship among the tank surface temperature, the gas temperature, and the current was preliminarily investigated by the use of the thermal fluid analysis and stored in the database. By use of this method, the fluctuation of the converted pressure in the basic examination test was suppressed to 20% as compared with that without considering the current. In addition, database was also created from the machine learning of field test result in substitution. In the field test, it was confirmed that the detection time of 0.5%/year slow leak could be detected in about 8 months by considering the load current.

Issues related to creation of borders of the agricultural production space in land consolidation processes in Poland with consideration of soil, water and agricultural landscape protection

The idea of rural areas development in the European Union has been implemented according to sustainable development rules. This approach is also valid in case of Polish rural areas, in particular when arrangement of borders of the agricultural production space is considered. Changes in density and sizes of farms in Poland exposed and intensified situation when agricultural production resources are not utilised, as well as degradation of the natural environment. From the perspective of the agricultural policy it has been estimated that in Poland the process of land concentration should be combined with the process of reduction of the number of farms. This process is performed in Polish conditions in the form of surveying works - in particular, as land consolidation operations. The necessity to follow the sustainable development rules proved that land consolidation works cover too narrow scope of conventional solutions. This process should not ignore ecological, environmental aspects, as well as other aspects related to spatial arrangement and landscape. The paper will discuss solutions of conventional land consolidation works performed in Poland, their scopes and estimation of demands. The land consolidation process is most important in transformation of the agricultural production space, where the basic objective is to improve the farm organisational space with consideration of environmental protection and landscape arrangements. The paper will also present and characterise the possibilities of solutions in the field of soil, water and agricultural landscape protection from the perspective of land consolidation works performed in Poland.
 Keywords: land consolidation, agricultural production space, borders.

Construction of S-scheme g-C3N4/ZrO2 heterostructures for enhancing photocatalytic disposals of pollutants and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

In consideration of environmental protection and energy conversion, the development of semiconductor photocatalytic technology is as first choice. But the photocatalytic performance of typical ZrO2 catalyst is seriously inhibited since it can only been driven by ultraviolet light. Herein, constructing S-scheme g–C3N4–modified ZrO2 heterostructures can be conducive to enhance photocatalytic performance by separating rapidly the photogenerated carriers. In this work, a series of S-scheme g-C3N4/ZrO2 heterostructures were constructed via the simple calcination, and their photocatalytic performances were evaluated by degradating Rhodamine B (RhB), Methyl orange (MO) and Acid orange II (AO II) under visible light irradiation. Importantly, 15% g-C3N4/ZrO2 heterostructures exhibited superior photocatalytic activities (degradating 82% RhB, 50% MO and 98% AO II in 150 min) and electrocatalytic performance (possessing lower overpotential, Tafel slope as well as more exposed active sites). The enhanced performances were ascribed to the intensive light absorption, the larger specific surface area, more exposed active sites as well as the higher separation of photogenerated electrons/holes pairs, which were confirmed by UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, electrochemical and radicals trapping experiments. This research provides the platform for the application in environmental protection and energy conversion via constructing S-scheme heterostructures.

Vertically-challenged? Interrogating intergovernmental coordination in Kenya’s municipal solid waste management (MSWM) for sustainability

The concept of environmental integration offers a viable paradigm for realisation of sustainability through incorporation of environmental protection considerations in policy and legislation. Pursuing optimal environmental integration between various levels of governance – a concept known as vertical environmental integration (VEI) – is contingent on effective and adequate intergovernmental coordination. Using municipal solid waste management (MSWM) as a reference case, this paper explores the pursuit of VEI through intergovernmental coordination in Kenya. The paper argues that the prospects of entrenching VEI are undermined by inadequate and incongruent intergovernmental coordination mechanisms and strategies as well as by the lack of clarity in distribution of regulatory responsibilities in MSWM between the national and county levels of government. This is despite the adoption of a transformative Constitution in 2010 with a focus on devolution that emphasises coordinated and consultative relationships between the two levels of government. Lessons from South Africa offer prospects for improving intergovernmental coordination to achieve sustainability in MSWM.

Ergonomics-Based Factors or Criteria for the Evaluation of Sustainable Product Manufacturing

The issue of sustainability has received substantial attention internationally. It is spreading widely through policy, industry, commerce, research, academia, and other arenas. However, most previous studies on product sustainability were conducted based on a consideration of environmental protection, economic prosperity, and social wellbeing criteria, but there was less representation of specific social wellbeing criteria. The main objective of this study was to formulate well-defined ergonomics-based criteria for product sustainability evaluation and to validate the importance of the identified factors using a fuzzy Delphi method. In this paper, ergonomics-based product sustainability factors are organized by sustainability categories and grouped into employee wellbeing, the economy, and the environment. In the context of manufacturing, evaluating product sustainability from an ergonomics perspective provides more comprehensive social dimension criteria by addressing human characteristics, behavior, performance, human interaction with a product, workplace, working environment, and the product across its life cycle. In addition, a Delphi questionnaire, designed with a nine-point scale, was applied to obtain expert opinions on the importance of each factor; the opinions were combined for each factor by considering the degree of importance assigned to the experts, and the similarities and differences between expert opinions. Finally, high-priority factors were screened from the sustainability categories based on their respective threshold value. Knowing these high-priority factors will help manufacturing industries allocate their resources accordingly for sustainability improvement.

Examination of selected electric vehicles in respect of optional safety

Environmental protection considerations as well as the predicted running out of global crude oil resources force the manufacturers of vehicles with internal combustion (IC) engines to search for alternative propulsion sources. In difficult road conditions, vehicle occupants are exposed to various hazards, especially to health and life. This forced the Automotive Industry Institute (PIMOT) to attack the important problem named “Electric Vehicles’ Operational Safety (EVOS)”. In the paper published previously at Conference KONMOT 2016, the authors presented an EVOS examination and assessment concept.The paper presents results of comparative tests and EVOS assessment carried out for four electric vehicles of various sizes: OPEL Ampera, RENAULT ZOE, MITSUBISHI MiEV and SAM EV. The presented results of testing the sample EVs show how much the vehicles differ from each other and how much work still has to be done for improvement of the safety of their operation. Based on the work results, detailed EVOS assessment criteria may be prepared. The criteria prepared and test results obtained may be utilized in research works on electric vehicles, in the production of such vehicles and their components, and in the selection of vehicles, especially by transport companies.

Optimization of Machining Parameters Using Fuzzy Taguchi Method for Reducing Tool Wear

Manufacturing industries are gradually changing to green production due to the increasing production cost. Reducing tool wear in production can not only decrease production cost but also the effect the environment. Thus, it becomes a crucial issue for the machining industry. This study investigates the optimal machining parameters for the computer numerical controlled turning process of S45C steel in minimizing tool wear. The correlation between control parameters (speed, cutting depth, and feed rate) and production quality were constructed by using semantic rules and fuzzy quantification. The Taguchi method was additionally employed to determine the optimal turning parameters. Under the consideration of environmental protection and tool cost, the optimal machining parameters were furthermore derived from the fuzzy semantic rules. The practicability of the optimal parameters was moreover verified through turning experiments. It is found that the proposed method in this study is appropriate and applicable to universal applications.

Structural and Morphological Studies of Nanocrystalline Ceramic BaSr<sub>0</sub>.<sub>9</sub>Fe<sub>0</sub>.<sub>1</sub>TiO<sub>4</sub>

The development of lead-free piezoelectric materials have gained great attention for the consideration of environmental protection. Nanosized BaSr0.9Fe0.1TiO4, a lead free perovskite phase structured ceramic was prepared via a high-energy ball milling process through mechanically assisted synthesis. The sample was analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), SEM and EDX. The XRD results and XPERT-PRO software analysis confirmed the orthorhombic system of the sample. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that its crystallite size is in the nanometer range. The grain size was less than 100 nm and showed a strong tendency for agglomeration. It also confirmed with the calculated value from Debye Scherrer’s formula. EDX spectrum shows the elemental composition of the sample. Williamson-Hall Plot method was used to evaluate the size and lattice strain. The dislocation density and the morphology index of the sample were also calculated.

Structural and Morphological Studies of Nano-Crystalline Ceramic BaSr<sub>0</sub>.<sub>9</sub>Fe<sub>0</sub>.<sub>1</sub>TiO<sub>4</sub>

The development of lead-free piezoelectric materials have gained great attention for the consideration of environmental protection. Nanosized BaSr0.9Fe0.1TiO4, a lead free perovskite phase structured ceramic was prepared via a high-energy ball milling process through mechanically assisted synthesis. The sample was analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), SEM and EDX. The XRD results and XPERT-PRO software analysis confirmed the orthorhombic system of the sample. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that its crystallite size is in the nano meter range. The grain size was less than 100 nm and showed a strong tendency for agglomeration. It also confirmed with the calculated value from Debye Scherrer’s formula. EDX spectrum shows the elemental composition of the sample. Williamson-Hall Plot method was used to evaluate the size and lattice strain. The dislocation density and the morphology index of the sample were also calculated.