Environmental Control Technology Research Articles

Assessing the Damage to Environmental Pollution: Discerning the Impact of Environmental Technology, Energy Efficiency, Green Energy and Natural Resources

The existing literature covers the topic of environmental pollution, but there is a scarcity of research that specifically examines the factors contributing to financial losses caused by carbon emissions. In this perspective, this ongoing analysis provides an understanding of the impact of environmental technology, energy efficiency, renewable energy consumption, natural resources, and economic growth on carbon dioxide damage in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries from 2000 to 2021 using the “Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR)”, and “Dumitrescu–Hurlin (D-H)” causality test. The findings from the MMQR revealed that environmental control technology, renewable energy consumption, and energy efficiency contribute to reducing carbon dioxide damage at different quantiles. It was also found that economic growth and natural resources contribute to the increase in carbon dioxide damage in various quantities. Additionally, a one-way causality result was obtained from environmental technology, energy efficiency, renewable energy consumption, natural resources, and economic growth towards carbon dioxide damage. These results indicate that policymakers in OECD nations should provide suggestions on the efficient utilization of renewable energy sources and environmentally friendly technologies to minimize carbon dioxide damage.

Advances and future directions of environmental risk research: A bibliometric review

Environmental risk is one of the world’s most significant threats, projected to be the leading risk over the next decade. It has garnered global attention due to increasingly severe environmental issues, such as climate change and ecosystem degradation. Research and technology on environmental risks are gradually developing, and the scope of environmental risk study is also expanding. Here, we developed a tailored bibliometric method, incorporating co-occurrence network analysis, cluster analysis, trend factor analysis, patent primary path analysis, and patent map methods, to explore the status, hotspots, and trends of environment risk research over the past three decades. According to the bibliometric results, the publications and patents related to environmental risk have reached explosive growth since 2018. The primary topics in environmental risk research mainly involve (a) ecotoxicology risk of emerging contaminants (ECs), (b) environmental risk induced by climate change, (c) air pollution and health risk assessment, (d) soil contamination and risk prevention, and (e) environmental risk of heavy metal. Recently, the hotspots of this field have shifted into artificial intelligence (AI) based techniques and environmental risk of climate change and ECs. More research is needed to assess ecological and health risk of ECs, to formulize mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change risks, and to develop AI-based environmental risk assessment and control technology. This study provides the first comprehensive overview of recent advances in environmental risk research, suggesting future research directions based on current understanding and limitations.

Influences of thermal stratification and chemical reaction on MHD free convective flow along an accelerated vertical plate with variable temperature and exponential mass diffusion in a porous medium

AbstractThis study examines the impacts of thermal stratification and chemical reaction on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) free convective flow along an accelerated vertical plate with variable temperature and exponential mass diffusion, set within a porous medium. Analytical solutions, utilized, are obtained through the Laplace transform technique to accurately represent the flow's physical mechanism. The research employs advanced mathematical models to analyze the intricate interplay between MHD and convective processes under varying thermal and exponential mass diffusion conditions, offering insights into fluid dynamics that closely simulate real‐world conditions. The study draws a significant conclusion by contrasting the effects of thermal stratification with a nonstratified environment. It has been noted that when stratification is applied to the flow, the steady state is achieved more quickly. The study reveals that thermal stratification reduces fluid velocity and temperature but increases skin friction and the Nusselt number, diverging from nonstratified conditions. It also shows that parameters, like, , and significantly influence velocity, temperature, and concentration in fluid dynamics. This research could be driven by a need to enhance the understanding of fluid flow in various engineering and environmental contexts, where such conditions are prevalent, including geothermal energy extraction, thermal management, chemical processing industries, and environmental control technologies. This novel approach enhances understanding of flow processes in both natural and engineered porous environments.

Natural and anthropogenic impacts on mercury accumulation in Xiaohai Lagoon, South China over the last 1200 years

Anthropogenic use and release of mercury (Hg) have profoundly affected the global Hg cycle since preindustrial times. However, it is often difficult to quantify the relative contributions of natural and anthropogenic factors to environmental Hg accumulation. Here, we have presented a 1200-year record of Hg deposition in a sediment core from the Xiaohai Lagoon (South China), in combination with multiple environmental indicators (e.g., geochemical elements, grain size and total organic carbon, etc.). Using principal component analysis (PCA) and stepwise regression analysis (SRA), we aimed to explore the latent processes governing the accumulation of Hg over time and to quantitatively assess the natural and anthropogenic impacts on Hg deposition over the last millennium in Xiaohai Lagoon. Our results have demonstrated that between ∼ 870 and ∼ 1860 CE, natural factors were the main drivers controlling Hg concentrations in the lagoon. These were directly driven by higher soil erosion and increased inputs of fine-grained matter. However, from 1860 to 2013 CE, enhanced anthropogenic activities played a significant role in Hg accumulation in Xiaohai Lagoon. Anthropogenic Hg fluxes increased significantly from ∼ 1860 CE, peaked several times during the 1860s to the 1950s, accelerated from the late 1950s to the early 2000s, and then declined gradually owing to the stringent environmental protection strategies and efficient pollutant control technologies. Our results have suggested that the increased anthropogenic Hg inputs between the 1860s and mid-1970s were mostly attributed to wars, the “Westernization Movement”, and global industrial activity, with a surge mainly after the 1980s dominated by industrial activities in China and numerous developing countries in Southeast Asia. This study has shown the natural and anthropogenic influences associated with mercury pollution through quantitative analysis and can deepen our understanding of the processes and mechanisms of mercury deposition in natural environments under the influence of human activities.

Energy system and resource utilization in space: A state-of-the-art review

<p>Deep space exploration expands our understanding about the evolution history of solar system, while the future development heavily relies on the construction of energy systems and utilization of resources on the planet. This paper systematically reviewed the progress in the environmental control and construction technologies of space bases, extraterrestrial in situ resource utilization technology, energy systems, key technologies for planetary transportation platforms, and geological explorations. The current status, pros and cons of these technologies and systems are introduced and discussed. As an important artificial microenvironment in the space base, the environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) provides necessary resources for human. Sintering and additive manufacturing technologies demonstrate the potential to construct a space base with lunar regolith or simulants. The extraction and in situ utilization of resources on the Moon, including water ice, oxygen, and helium-3, are crucial to maintain life support for lunar exploration. Typical energy systems that can be used on the Moon include photovoltaic cell, Stirling power generation technology, closed Brayton cycle (CBC) system, Rankine cycle system, heat storage system, and integrated energy system. The CBC system has the highest thermal efficiency (39%) among them, making it suitable for late-period energy supply. The performance of various planetary rovers, the most important transportation platforms, are summarized. Through geological explorations, the resource distribution, content, and occurrence can be obtained. Perspectives on the future, promotions of environment adaptation, resource recovery, energy efficiency, and intelligence of the existing technologies are still needed to move forward on space explorations.</p>

Eco-friendly strategy for CO2 enrichment performance in commercial greenhouses based on the CO2 spatial distribution and photosynthesis

CO2 enrichment is an essential environmental control technology due to its significantly enhancing effect on crop production capacity. Despite being a key energy consumer in protected agriculture (i.e. greenhouse systems), CO2 enrichment remains at a low energy use efficiency level, highlighting the need for developing more energy-efficiency strategies for CO2 enrichment. Therefore, this study employed the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation method to replicate the CO2 diffusion process resulting from CO2 enrichment in three commercial strawberry greenhouses with varying geometric characteristics. Based on the CFD-simulated CO2 concentration distributions, the leaf photosynthetic rate was calculated using a mathematical model group. The CO2 enrichment efficiency was then analysed by calculating the ratio of increased photosynthesis across the cultivation area to the amount of energy (in CO2 equivalent) used. The efficiency peaked when the average CO2 concentration was approximately 500 μmol mol−1, thereby providing guidance for determining the target concentration of CO2 enrichment in production. Although this study is limited as the CFD simulation only considered a typical short-period CO2 enrichment event, future research will provide a broader analysis by considering changes throughout the day.

Study on thermal health and its safety management mode for the working environment.

Thermal health concerns have gained significant attention due to the heightened health risks faced by workers who are exposed to extreme thermal environments for prolonged periods. To ensure the occupational health and safety of such workers, and to enhance work efficiency, it is imperative to examine the characteristics of thermal health in the working environment. This study proposes three key elements of thermal health in the working environment, namely thermal health states, absence of heat-related illnesses, and heat adaptability, which can be used to develop a safety management framework for thermal health. By exploring the interconnections between these elements, the study summarizes their features and outlines the necessary precautions to safeguard them. The PDCA (plan/do/check/action) cycle management mode is utilized as a framework, with the three components of thermal health forming the core, to establish a safety management mode for thermal health. To ensure that employees work in a safe, healthy, comfortable, and productive environment, the assessment and control objectives of the thermal environment are regularly revised through the use of labor protection technology and thermal environment control technology. This paper presents a PDCA cycle safety management mode based on the characteristics of thermal health, which offers novel insights and approaches for assessing and managing workers' thermal health.

On-orbit Space Technology Experiment and Verification Project Outlook of China’s Tiangong Space Station

China’s Tiangong space station has been completed in 2022 to support large-scale multidisciplinary space science research and technology experiments. With a large payload capacity and long operating time, Tiangong space station has many irreplaceable advantages over other spacecraft, such as space transportation, global tracking, on-orbit care for astronauts, and the ability to replace and upgrade experiment equipment. The resources available to the space station and its affiliated spacecraft provide an excellent open verification platform for experimental programs. The modular design of the intravehicular experiment rack can support different combinations of normal payloads for experiment, and an extravehicular exposed platform is planned to support different sizes of normal payloads for experiment. This paper firstly discusses the mission objectives of China’s Tiangong space station and the development of new space systems. Secondly, it sorts out the conditions for China’s Tiangong space station to conduct experiments for space technology. On this basis, a systematic layout for the missions of space technology experiments on China’s Tiangong space station is made. Five research topics are proposed, i.e., robotics and autonomous system technology, on-orbit assembly and construction technology for spacecraft, environmental control and life support system technology, new energy and propulsion technology, and new generic technology for spacecraft. Centering on the key technologies that restrict the development of China’s future space missions and systems, this study gives an outlook on the on-orbit space technology experiment and verification project for China’s Tiangong space station. Finally, development strategy and suggestions are put forward for China’s space technology.

Can Mechanization Promote Green Agricultural Production? An Empirical Analysis of Maize Production in China

This study systematically analyzes the impact of China’s maize Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) and mechanization on GTFP, providing a reference for reasonably playing the role of mechanization and improving China’s agricultural GTFP. Based on the difference in crop types and regional applicability of agricultural mechanization, this study selects maize as the research crop to analyze the impact of agricultural mechanization level on GTFP. In this study, the SBM-ML model is used to measure China’s maize GTFP, reveal the temporal and regional change characteristics of maize GTFP, and clarify the optimization direction of maize GTFP from the perspective of regional differences and resource endowment differences. This study uses the threshold regression model to systematically analyze the impact of agricultural mechanization on GTFP and its mechanism. Results are given as follows: (1) The growth of China’s maize production GTFP fluctuates greatly in each year, and the growth of maize GTFP depends on the alternate promotion of technical efficiency and technical progress. Greenhouse gas emissions have a significant impact on GTFP. Excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers is the biggest obstacle to the improvement of maize GTFP. (2) There are also specific regional differences in the factors that affect the improvement of maize GTFP efficiency in different regions. The impact of mechanization on agricultural GTFP varies among regions. (3) The development level of agricultural mechanization at different stages has different promotion effects on maize GTFP. Agricultural mechanization has a two-way effect on maize GTFP. The factors of land type and land area will not limit the promotion of agricultural mechanization to maize GTFP. (4) Agricultural financial investment, environmental pollution control efforts, agricultural science and technology expenditure and other factors play a positive role in improving GTFP. (5) In future production, we should pay attention to the combination of agricultural mechanization and regional production characteristics, optimize the allocation of agricultural machinery, and strengthen the coordination between agricultural mechanization and moderate scale operation. The findings of our study provide useful policy implications for the promotion and development of agriculture in China.

Navigating the paths to sustainable environments via energy security, renewable energy and economic complexity: Evidence from array of pollution metrics

Empirical narratives pertaining to the implications of energy security (ENS) on environmental quality (EQ), particularly in the context of Emerging Seven (E7) countries, are currently understudied. Likewise, the influence of renewable energy (RWN), economic complexity (ECI) and environmental control technology (EVT) on EQ is still unsettled. Thus, based on arrays of pollution metrics (ecological footprint (ECF), carbon emission damage (CO2D) and consumption-based carbon emissions (CCO2) and annual panel series spanning 1990–2018, this study provides fresh insights into the implications of the listed variables on EQs in E7 countries. Accordingly, the following empirical narratives were established: (i) The effects of the enlisted panel series on EQ are sensitive to the peculiarities of each pollution metric. (ii) Estimates of the pool mean group autoregressive distributed lag (PMG-ARDL) model and those of cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) underscore the important roles of ENS and RWN on EQ, particularly on ECF; and ECI on CO2D. While EVT provides insignificant carbon emission reducing effects across all variants of EQ indicators, population and economic growth are all time-significant pollution enablers. (iii) The outcomes of the panel quantile regression demonstrate that ENS enhances EQ only at the 25th and 50th quantiles and accelerates pollution at the 75th and 95th quantiles. RWN enhances EQ across all quantiles while ECI deaccelerates ECF and CO2D and accelerates CCO2 across all quantiles. Furthermore, EVT accelerates ECF and CO2D while it deaccelerates CCO2 across all quantiles. Meanwhile, the unpleasant effects of growth and population are reemphasized. Policy strategies to ensure a sustainable environment in E7 have been highlighted.

Carbon dots for all-in-one detection and degradation: The role of photoinduced electron transfer

Using organic pollutants as natural electron transfer mediators and carbon dots (CDs) as photosensitizers for integrated monitoring and purification of contaminants is a new game-changing idea. We herein first reported a novel dual-functional platform of detection and degradation based on the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process between tetracycline (TC) and CDs. On the one hand, CDs can be used as fluorescence probes for TC detection with good sensitivity and selectivity. On the other hand, they display an excellent photodegradation ability for TC without any external photosensitizer or cocatalyst. Studies suggested that the PET process is beneficial for the transfer of electrons from TC to CDs, which further accelerates electron transfer and suppresses the recombination of electron-hole pairs, thereby improving the fluorescence quenching efficiency and photocatalytic activity. We believe this study can offer referable directions and theoretical guidance for the development of effective environmental pollution control and remediation technologies using CDs.

Technologies for the prevention and extinguishing of wildfires in Russia and the world: the dynamics of patent activity and patentological prospects

Рresents a patent review of technologies for the prevention and extinguishing of wildfires in the Russian Federation and the world over the last 30 years. The analysis of patent documents shows that there have been around 300 patent applications per year throughout the study period. The patent offices of China and the United States possess the largest number of patent families. In addition, China has a large number of patents with little legal protection, i.e. to protect specific technical solutions. In the Russian Federation, research organizations in the regions with extensive forest resources and a complex fire situation focus on developments in the field of prevention and extinguishing of wildfires. Technical solutions of Russian developers are relevant since they correspond to global patenting trends and have the thoroughly studied application materials. However, Russian patent holders experience difficulties when their developments enter into civil circulation, which decreases the number of valid protective documents. Thus, the transfer of technologies for the prevention and extinguishing of forest fires needs to be developed. The main technological areas of application are Environmental Technologies, Control, Transport, Measurement, and Computer and Telecommunication Technologies. The distribution shows that traditional ways of fighting fires are being improved, mainly fire-fighting equipment with the most active development of technologies for detecting, monitoring and controlling forest fires. Additional analysis of records has identified software products, registered in the Russian Federation, which are designed to prevent and extinguish wildfires. The prospects of patenting have been assessed and the features of conducting a patent search on this subject have been indicated.

Analytical study of fluid flow and thermal characteristics of flow in micro channel heat sinks with working fluid as water and alumina & water nanofluid

The electronic industry is looking at microchannel based MEMS technology to resolve the issue of increasing heat dissipation from electronic circuits. Micro-channels play an important role in development of small scale fluid flow devices. The internal flow configuration represents a convenient geometry for heat transfer between fluids used in chemical processing, environmental control, and energy conversion technologies. In order to fabricate such micro devices effectively, it is extremely important to understand the fundamental mechanisms involved in fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in microchannels. This paper presents an analytical study of flow mechanism in microchannels, with a focus on effect of geometric dimensions and flow rate on the various flow parameters of a Rectangular microchannel. An attempt is also made to determine optimum microchannel dimensions based on the analysis. Basic flow equations are used for modelling the flow and determining various parameters. Further, the study analyses the effect of using Alumina & Water nanofluid on flow and thermal characteristics as compared to using water alone. The results observed show a deeper and wider microchannel would keep the pressure drop across the microchannel lower. Also using nanofluid as working fluid would result in lower pressure drop.

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics to Evaluate High Tunnel Roof Vent Designs

Freestanding high tunnels are cost-effective, plastic film-covered growing structures that use very little to no modern environmental control technology. Natural ventilation is used to control temperature and humidity. Typically, ventilation openings are created along the sides by manually rolling up a section of the plastic film cover. While common on greenhouses, roof vents are not typically part of high tunnel designs used in the United States. This paper focuses on high tunnel ventilation during the summer, when maximizing the air exchange rate results in a low differential between inside and outside air temperatures. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were used to evaluate the effects of several roof vent designs on the air flow rate through the high tunnel and the inside air temperature. The CFD models were developed and validated using environmental data collected at the Pennsylvania State University High Tunnel Research and Education Facility (Rock Springs, PA, USA). Five ventilation designs were simulated using a commercial CFD software package that was augmented with a radiation and crop architecture model. A root mean square error of 0.87 °C was found between the measured and simulated high tunnel temperatures (n = 144). The designs with roof vents were found to increase mass-based ventilation rates through the high tunnel by 20% to 78%. However, they did not lower inside air temperature more than 0.1 °C compared to the traditional design with roll-up side vents only. Additional research is needed to evaluate whether the control of other environmental parameters and weather conditions warrants the use of high tunnel roof vents, especially for humidity control and the combination of high temperature with low wind speed conditions.

Preface

The 4th International Conference on Environmental Prevention and Pollution Control Technologies (EPPCT 2022) was planned to be held in Zhangjiajie, China from April 22 to 24, 2022. However, it is uncertain when the COVID-19 will end, so it remains unclear for postponement time, while many scholars and researchers wanted to attend this long-waited conference and have academic exchanges with their peers. Therefore, in order to actively respond the call of the government, and meet author’s request, EPPCT 2022 was organized in a virtual mode. This approach not only avoids people gathering, but also meets their communication needs.The meeting focused on the research fields of “environmental prevention” and “environmental pollution prevention and control”. The primary goal of the conference is to provide an exchange platform for experts and scholars in “environmental prevention” and “pollution prevention” as well as enterprise developers, to promote the exchange of new technologies for environmental pollution prevention and control at home and abroad, to explore the development path of ecological civilization construction, and to cope with new opportunities and challenges.This scientific event brings together more than 70 national and international researchers in environmental prevention and pollution control technologies. On top of the local participants coming from different national universities, international participants are also registered from different countries, namely India, Malaysia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Australia. During the conference, the conference model was divided into three sessions, including oral presentations, keynote speeches, and online Q&A discussion. In the first part, some scholars, whose submissions were selected as the excellent papers, were given about 5-10 minutes to perform their oral presentations one by one. Then in the second part, keynote speakers were each allocated 30-45 minutes to hold their speeches.List of Committee member is available in this pdf.

1970년대 미국 환경규제정책과 오염통제기술의 공동형성: 가솔린 자동차 배기가스 저감장치에 대한 미국환경보호청 내부 논쟁을 중심으로

The Co-production of Environmental Regulation and Pollution Control Technology in 1970s America: The Controversy over Catalytic Converters at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Environmental Regulation;Pollution Control Technology;Air Pollution;Catalytic Converter;EPA

Optimal design of sealing structure of vehicular radar case door

The quality of antenna array environment control technology directly affects the reliability and service life of vehicular radar. The structure design of case door sealing is an important part of the environmental control technology of vehicular radar. The stress distribution analysis of case door sealing structure of vehicular radar antenna is carried out in this paper. Maximum stress of double-peaked sealing ring and stress distribution and deformation of case door panel are investigated through finite element analysis based on ABAQUS. In order to increase the reliability of sealing structure, the section size of double-peaked sealing ring and the spacing length of fasteners are optimized by the way of co-simulation optimal design method using ISIGHT. Through radial basis function neural network surrogate model, which is built based on Latin hypercube sample algorithm, the sensitivity of each optimization variable is analyzed. Meanwhile the optimal section size of double-peaked sealing ring and spacing length are obtained through non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm.

Analysis on Causes of Air Pollution and Application of Environmental Monitoring and Control Technology

Analysis on Causes of Air Pollution and Application of Environmental Monitoring and Control Technology

Research on Application of Environmental Monitoring and Control Technology in Air Pollution

Research on Application of Environmental Monitoring and Control Technology in Air Pollution

Photochemistry of Nitrate Ion: Reduction by Formic Acid under UV Irradiation.

Mutual transformations of various nitrogen compounds and their reaction mechanisms have been a subject of great concern to the chemical, ecological and environmental communities. In the paper, the reactions of ion with small organic acids such as formic acid (HCOOH), acetic acid (CH3 COOH) and lactic acid (C3 H6 O3 ) under ultraviolet illumination were investigated systematically. It was found that ion is easily reduced into and NOx and then further into N2 and NH3 (in the form of ) in the process. The carboxyl anion radicals and hydrogen formed by photodecomposition of formic acid are responsible for the rapid photoreduction reaction of nitrate. The initial pH and the nitrate concentration considerably affect the product distribution and nitrate conversion. Based on a preliminary simulation study, we speculated that the photoinduced reaction may effectively proceed in oceans, lakes and rivers because of ever-increasing nitrate and organic emissions. This research is helpful to understand nitrogen cycle mechanism and develop water environmental control technologies.