Environmental Feasibility Research Articles

How Does the Degree of Competition in an Industry Affect a Company’s Environmental Management and Performance?

Environmental management, which was recognized as a functional part of corporate management, has recently been recognized as a strategic element of all business activities. It can be defined as a series of management activities to improve environmental performance throughout the business process and simultaneously achieve profitability and sustainability. Accordingly, businesses are now abandoning the existing management philosophy that economic and environmental feasibility are inevitably in conflict and establishing strategies and methods to achieve both. Meanwhile, industry affects the business performance of individual companies. Since the performance of a company tends to be influenced by the intensity of competition in an industry, it is necessary to analyze the structural factors that determine the intensity of competition in an industry in order to predict the future performance of a company. Therefore, we studied how environmental management affects corporate performance given the level of industry competition. The results are as follows. First, environmental management positively impacts corporate performance. Second, a high level of competition within an industry moderates the relationship between environmental management and corporate performance. By verifying the influence of the industry to which a company belongs, that is, the level of competition within the industry, we confirm that a company’s environmental management can be used strategically to gain a competitive advantage. With the finding that the impact of a company’s environmental practices differs by industry in line with the degree of competition, we expect this study to be helpful for future research into strategic ESG activities.

Utilization of calcium-rich groundwater desalination concentrate in aquaculture

Global production of desalinated water increased greatly over the past three decades. Brackish water desalination is energetically favorable compared with seawater desalination, but high treatment costs and negative environmental impact of the concentrate byproduct hinders its development in semi-arid regions. The present study assessed key considerations associated with potential commercial aquaculture in high-flowrate calcium-rich groundwater desalination concentrate. European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fingerlings, weighing 20–40 g were cultivated in brackish water (control), raw concentrate, and partially softened concentrate under flow-through conditions. Aside from two disease-related mortality events, fish survival exceeded 92% during 70 days of cultivation in all water types. The highest average growth rate of 0.26 g d−1 was obtained in the partially softened concentrate, which was 27% and 83% higher than in the raw concentrate and in the control, respectively. Substantial mineral precipitation on equipment and minor gill damage were observed in fish tanks receiving raw concentrate, projecting serious operational issues under commercial application. Preliminary aeration-softening of the concentrate relieved CO2 supersaturation and prevented precipitation issues. Several implementation options in a case study fish farm predict commercial and environmental feasibility in specific locations.

Utilizing plastic waste in the building and construction industry: A pathway towards the circular economy

The study attempts to investigate the economic and environmental feasibility of linking the plastic waste recycling industry with the construction sector as a circular economy model (CE), particularly for Egypt. The result figured out that adopting the CE approach has several substantial environmental and economic benefits. It can turn plastic waste into eco-friendly and affordable building materials besides aligning with sustainable development goals (SDGs). The study contributes to raising local awareness about the potential of waste recycling. Moreover, promoting local stakeholders to widely apply the CE model in the construction and recycling plastic waste industry for a better sustainable environment

Wind Power Potential Assessment at Different Locations in Lebanon: Best–Fit Probability Distribution Model and Techno-Economic Feasibility

The objective of the current paper is to evaluate Lebanon's wind energy generation potential as an alternative solution to the electricity supply to households and to enhance sustainable technological development. Firstly, the paper aims to investigate the appropriateness of 44 distribution function models for the evaluation of wind speed characteristics and compared them with popular models at 12 locations in Lebanon for the first time. The results showed that Wakeby and Beta distribution functions gave the best fit to the actual data for most locations. Secondly, the techno-economic and environmental feasibility assessment for 10MW grid-connected wind farms was developed based on variations in financial parameters using RETScreen Experts software. The findings demonstrate that the proposed power plant is both technically and financially feasible. It was found that Ain ed Dabaa is the most viable location for the installation of a wind farm.

Assessment for the installation of a solar PV system in Pakistan for a sustainable environmental and economic development

In this study, a photovoltaic system with RETScreen software is simulated to see its economic and environmental feasibility in the one of the remote locations in Pakistan. Our proposed photovoltaics power system is installed south Asia: particularly, Pakistan which receives a high amount of solar irradiance throughout the year. The proposed location has an electricity demand of 28.70 MWh/month, and our simulated PV system generates 31 MWh/month which is more than the amount of required electricity demand. The 25 years long life project will have energy payback time of 7.4 years and the net greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction will be 3,942 tCO2 for the whole project life. These results summarize that installation of this solar power system is not only economically feasible, but also reduces the emission of greenhouse gases in that selected location.

The Environmental Feasibility of Decentralised Solar Ammonia.

Intense efforts have been devoted to developing green and blue centralised Haber-Bosch processes (gHB and bHB, respectively), but the feasibility of a decentralised and sustainable scheme has yet to be assessed. Here we reveal the conditions under which small-scale systems based on the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrogen (eN2R) powered by photovoltaic energy (NH3-leaf) could become a competitive technology in terms of environmental criteria. To this end, we calculated energy efficiency targets based on solar irradiation atlases to guide research in the incipient eN2R field. Even under this germinal state, the NH3-leaf technology would compete favourably in sunny locations relative to the business-as-usual production scenario. The disclosed sustainability potential of NH3-leaf makes it a strong ally of gHB toward a non-fossil ammonia production.

Application of leached iron ore tailings to produce sustainable cements

The use of iron ore tailings (IOT) is a trend for the future of mining. The adoption of alternatives that minimise the disposal of natural resources and add value to production processes strongly supports this effort. Hydrometallurgy, by means of acid leaching, has been investigated as a processing route for iron recovery from IOT. After the separation of the liquor, a solid fraction of insoluble quartz and kaolinite remains (the main mineralogical phases). In the same way, the cement industry is an intensive consumer of raw materials and a major emitter of greenhouse gases. As one of the main alternatives for reducing these impacts, clinker substitution by wastes from other industries is being extensively considered. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the properties of the solid product of IOT leaching (L-IOT) and its potential to produce sustainable cements. L-IOT main composition is based on silicon (≈35%), aluminium (≈8%) and iron (2%). After thermal activation, the L-IOT was incorporated into pastes, replacing the cement by up to 20 wt%. The rheological parameters, hydration kinetics, compressive strength, mineralogy through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of cement pastes were assessed. L-IOT increased cement pastes' dynamic yield stress and viscosity and anticipated its main heat flow peak by up to three hours. Replacement contents of up to 20 wt% showed an equivalent 28-d compressive strength in the control sample, associated with carboaluminates formation. Finally, a simplified carbon dioxide equivalent emission (CO2-eq) analysis was conducted to evaluate the L-IOT’s environmental feasibility. Reductions of up to 21% CO2-eq emissions were observed for an L-IOT content of 20 wt%, compared to plain cement. The hydrometallurgical route allowed the recovery of 95% of the iron content in IOT, and its by-product presented technical and environmental feasibility for cement replacement in cementitious matrices.

Review and Opinions on the Research, Development and Application of Microalgae Culture Technologies for Resource Recovery from Wastewater

Wastewater is an abundant source of nutrients and energy. Under the circumstances of circular economy and carbon neutrality, resource recovery from wastewater has recently been motivated. The microalgal process is a promising alternative for resource recovery from wastewater, and it possesses potential for the cost reduction of wastewater treatment and fertilizer production, energy generation, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. This paper reviews and discusses state-of-the-art microalgal process development, including microalgal species screening, configuration, biotic consortia construction, infection avoidance, nutrients balancing, operational parameter optimization, and biomass harvesting enhancement. Due to the lack of literature on practical applications, the microalgal process lacks economic and environmental feasibility assessments. Life cycle assessments from the perspective of circular economy and carbon neutrality on upscaled microalgal processes are required for various wastewater scenarios. To promote the upscaled application and successful implementation, efforts are also suggested to establish utilization guidelines, advanced recommendations, reliable standards, and proper safety evaluation criteria. This work could provide a reference and direct the follow-up research, development, and application of microalgae (MA)-based processes for resource recovery from wastewater.

Techno-Economic and Environmental Feasibility Study of a Hybrid Photovoltaic Electrification System in Back-up Mode : A Case Report

In developing countries, institutions that have to operate continuously during daylight hours consume relatively large amounts of electrical energy for lighting and air conditioning, leading to high bills. Untimely power cuts lead to a fluctuation in the voltage delivered by the conventional network, which induces the malfunctioning of electrical equipment and the discontinuity of judicial work. The use of photovoltaic solar energy makes it possible, on the one hand, to ensure continuity of service in the event of damage, and on the other hand to stem greenhouse gas emissions through the sustainable nature of this energy. Solar installations also make it possible to maintain the permanent power supply in the event of instability of the electrical network and to correct the voltage variations undergone by the energy equipment. Thus, this (case) study is based on the energy balances evaluated on the buildings of the jurisdiction of the city of Kandi (Benin) to propose effective solutions of electrification according to six (6) technical scenarii. Each component of the back up system has been sized considering technical requirements and an economic and environmental study has been carried out. The results indicate that the integrated scenario 6 of a "back-up" system with a solar fraction of up to 37% (49.5 kWc) seems to be the most suitable conf iguration for the current needs of the Kandi jurisdiction due to the shortest time to return on investment (5.1 years) and the maximum annual savings generated (33,674 USD). The environmental impact study has made it possible to determine the CO2 emissions avoided as well as the contribution of Carbon credits that this jurisdiction would reap has been evaluated at 115.8 tCO2 equivalent, or 10.6 hectares of forest carbon preserved over the life of the project. This configuration is therefore strongly recommended for a sustainable energy mix in the jurisdictions of Benin as well as for administrative or similar sites where electricity consumption is maximum during the day.

Designing a GIS‐based supply chain for producing carinata‐based sustainable aviation fuel in Georgia, USA

AbstractCarinata is a potential crop for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in the southern USA. However, as a novel crop, the cost‐effectiveness and environmental feasibility of carinata feedstock are unknown, and there are questions about the optimal supply chain configuration for carinata‐based SAF production. This study aims to design a supply chain model for carinata‐based SAF production by optimizing the location of farms and facilities (e.g. storage units, crushing mills, biorefineries) for a minimum transportation cost under a set of supply and demand conditions. An integrated mixed‐integer linear programming (MILP) model was combined with geographical information system (GIS) analysis to design a spatially explicit supply chain configuration. The GIS‐based network analysis considered all of the counties in Georgia to set the candidate locations of carinata farms and facilities, and determined minimum cost and emission routes between those counties and the airport using existing transportation networks and modes (e.g. road, rail and pipeline). The MILP model determined the final selection of the farms and the number of facilities and their locations over those minimum‐cost routes. With this supply chain configuration, the minimum price of SAF was $0.92 L−1, which is $0.44 higher than conventional aviation fuel (CAF). The associated carbon intensity of SAF was estimated at 940.7 g CO2e L−1, a reduction of 66% relative to the carbon intensity of equivalent CAF. The study found that a carbon tax (or subsidy) of $230.48 t CO2e−1 would be needed to overcome the cost differential with CAF and promote carinata‐based SAF in Georgia.

Sustainable regeneration of high-performance LiCoO2 from completely failed lithium-ion batteries

Utilising the solid-state synthesis method is an easy and effective way to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries. However, verifying its direct repair effects on completely exhausting cathode materials is necessary. In this work, the optimal conditions for direct repair of completely failed cathode materials by solid-state synthesis are explored. The discharge capacity of spent LiCoO2 cathode material is recovered from 21.7 mAh g−1 to 138.9 mAh g−1 under the optimal regeneration conditions of 850 °C and n(Li)/n(Co) ratio of 1:1. The regenerated materials show excellent electrochemical performance, even greater than the commercial LiCoO2. In addition, based on the whole closed-loop recycling process, the economic and environmental effects of various recycling techniques and raw materials used in the battery production process are assessed, confirming the superior economic and environmental feasibility of direct regeneration method.

Quantitative sustainability assessment of remanufacturing waste reinforcing steel

AbstractConstruction is a major contributor to the solid waste stream globally and various recycling strategies are being evaluated to recover valuable resources. As a novel strategy, remanufacturing waste reinforcing steel bar (rebar) pieces from concrete waste to produce nails was applied on an industrial scale to prove the technical feasibility, where a group of alternatives were developed based on commercially available industrial machinery. The calculated economic and environmental feasibility values are sufficiently high for industrial application, and the most appropriate remanufacturing technological alternative was identified. The sustainability equation was solved to find the social feasibility and overall remanufacturing sustainability index. Rebar waste remanufacturing has a high triple‐bottom‐line sustainability index of 0.885. Based on the proposed process, small remanufacturing companies can be developed, thereby aiding employment and human development by earning profit of 1904–8880 USD/day. The findings of this study are beneficial to decision makers in government and industry and are globally relevant because concrete waste is ubiquitous worldwide.

Isomerization of Galactose to Tagatose: Recent Advances in Non-enzymatic Isomerization.

The valorization of galactose derived from acid whey to low-calorie tagatose has gained increasing attention. Enzymatic isomerization is of great interest but faces several challenges, such as poor thermal stability of enzymes and a long processing time. In this work, non-enzymatic (supercritical fluids, triethylamine, arginine, boronate affinity, hydrotalcite, Sn-β zeolite, and calcium hydroxide) pathways for galactose to tagatose isomerization were critically discussed. Unfortunately, most of these chemicals showed poor tagatose yields (<30%), except for calcium hydroxide (>70%). The latter is able to form a tagatose-calcium hydroxide-water complex, which stimulates the equilibrium toward tagatose and prevents sugar degradation. Nevertheless, the excessive use of calcium hydroxide may pose challenges in terms of economic and environmental feasibility. Moreover, the proposed mechanisms for the base (enediol intermediate) and Lewis acid (hydride shift between C-2 and C-1) catalysis of galactose were elucidated. Overall, it is crucial to explore novel and effective catalysts as well as integrated systems for isomerizing of galactose to tagatose.

Environmental sustainability and economic viability of the Compost Barn system in Brazilian dairy farming

Dairy farming has great socioeconomic importance in Brazil, and the last decades have registered a constant evolution of the production chain, seeking to increase quality and production efficiency. In this context, the production systems have intensified and adopted new technologies. The Compost Barn system has stood out as a confinement option for dairy cattle, for its lower implementation cost than other confinement systems and the possibility of giving an adequate destination to the animals' waste. Besides the search for greater production efficiency, the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems has been increasingly discussed, and dairy cattle farming is associated with many potential environmental impacts. It is essential to identify and mitigate them for the consolidation of a production chain socially fair, economically viable and environmentally correct. Thus, this literature review aims to evaluate the economic and environmental feasibility of the Compost barn system within the national dairy farming scenario.

Transition into Net-Zero Carbon Community from Fossil Fuels: Life Cycle Assessment of Light-Driven CO2 Conversion to Methanol Using Graphitic Carbon Nitride

Direct conversion of waste CO2 into CH3OH by solar irradiation has emerged as the most enthralling alternative to conventional steam methane reforming, which reduced the concentration of greenhouse gases and the consumption of fossil resources. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment was carried out to assess the environmental feasibility of implementing the current g-C3N4-based photocatalytic CO2 reduction system based on 1 kg CH3OH production. It was observed that the emerging photocatalytic CH3OH system induced 68 and 53% less carbon footprint and fossil usage, respectively, in producing the same amount of CH3OH as compared to the conventional approach. The CO2 reduction reaction step was identified as the main contributor in photocatalytic system, which accounted for more than 50% of the total environmental impact scores. In the conventional system, the score points of global warming and fossil depletion contributed the most by the product purification and desulfurization step, respectively. In addition, sensitivity analysis manifested that the lowest environmental burden of 46.50 kg of CO2 equiv carbon emission and 15.27 kg oil equiv fossil consumption was obtained in the photocatalytic CH3OH system upon replacing fossil-based energy with hydro-powered electricity. These results suggest a potent replacement of the incumbent industry system for the amelioration of climate benefits and resource conservation with the advanced development of the photocatalytic system.

Micro Fluidics for Food, Agriculture and Biosystems Industries

Microfluidics is the technological know-how and computing in small blocks or controlling Systems Technology fluids (10−nine to 10−18L) using channels measuring tens to hundreds of micrometers. Microfluidics in the early 1980s appeared and used in technology development. One of the fashionable, micro methods following capabilities: small volumes United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization CSA techniques include planting drought-tolerant seeds, using drip irrigation, and using shade trees in integrated agriculture. Integrated biological procedures their price-powerful conversion into excessive-price bio molecules is vital to attaining the technical, monetary and environmental feasibility of bio resource era development. New techniques for the manufacturing containing periodic habitats of bio molecules need food and pharmaceutical industries Agri-Food Supply Chain This research aims to explore block chain era with a focal point on meals and agriculture research. Therefore, a bibliometric approach changed into followed to become aware of key developments and topics in this domain by studying substantive articles, authors, countries and keywords. This study attempts to expand a graphical map of bibliographic facts in food and agriculture

Economic and environmentally viable preparation of a biodegradable polymer composite from lignocellulose

Composites consisting of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) produced from corn grains and additives produced from corn stover (cellulose and lignin) exhibit excellent economic and environmental feasibility. The generated composites were studied through experiments and simulations. The inclusion of cellulose and lignin increases the ductility of PLA and reduces its tensile strength because of the reduction in the crystallinity of PLA. PLA composites show similar hydrolytic stability to PLA. Additionally, the antioxidant properties of the composites increase with their lignin content. The minimum selling price (MSP) and global warming potential (GWP) of all PLA composites were investigated. The possible ranges of MSP and GWP of each PLA composite were validated through uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo simulation. The MSP and GWP of the optimized PLA composite (PLA with 20 % cellulose + lignin) were 1.62 $/kg and 2.6 kg-CO2eq/kg, respectively. The PLA price and ratio in the proposed composites are the major factors affecting their economic and environmental potentials.

Economic and environmental feasibility of recycling flexible plastic packaging from single stream collection

As demand for plastic increases, there is an urgent need to ramp up its collection and recycling rate. This study reports results of a pilot study in the United States to recycle flexible plastic packaging (FPP) from single stream curbside collection focusing on both the economic feasibility and carbon footprint. To explore the marketability of recycled FPP, four downstream market pathways were studied, including roof coverboard, plastic pellets, pallets, and film. Results indicated that (1) the cleaning and pelletizing process at reclaimers contributed the most to the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of recycled FPP products, and (2) the GHG emissions of recycled FPP products in all four pathways are lower than the comparator products. Therefore, using a higher percentage of recycled FPP substituted in a product can result in greater GHG emission reductions. All the recycled FPP products also showed favorable economics compared to their direct competitors.

Energy, Cost, and Environmental Assessments of Methanol Production via Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 from Biosyngas

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 removed from biosyngas into value-added methanol (CH3OH) provides an attractive way to mitigate climate change, realize CO2 utilization, and improve the overall process efficiency of biomass gasification. However, the economic and environmental feasibilities of this technology are still unclear. In this work, economic and environmental assessments for the stand-alone CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2R) toward CH3OH with ionic liquid as the electrolyte and the integrated process that combined CO2R with biomass gasification were conducted systematically to identify key economic drivers and provide technological indexes to be competitive. The results demonstrated that costs of investment associated with CO2R and electricity are the main contributors to the total production cost (TPC). Integration of CO2R with CO2 capture/purification and biomass gasification could decrease TPC by 28%–66% under the current and future conditions, highlighting the importance of process integration. Energy and environmental assessment revealed that the energy for CO2R dominated the main energy usage and CO2 emissions, and additionally, the energy structure has a great influence on environmental feasibility. All scenarios could provide climate benefits over the conventional coal-to-CH3OH process if renewable sources are used for electricity generation.

Solar‐wind hybrid energy system to supply electricity for offshore oil and gas platforms in the Caspian Sea: A case study

In this research, the environmental feasibility of a hybrid renewable source of wind-solar energy has been assessed and the amount of this energy on offshore oil and gas platforms has been estimated in three basins of the Caspian Sea. Extractable wind-solar energy around the Caspian oil and gas platforms was investigated using the Medium-range Weather Forecast database by applying a resolution of 0.125° and a time step of 6 h for 10 years (2005–2014). The findings showed that the average wind energy in the northern, middle, and southern basins at the height of 10 m are 1.10, 0.89, and 0.43 MWh / m 2 . year ${\rm{\;MWh}}/{{\rm{m}}^2}.{\rm{year}}$ , respectively. Centralnoy field with an average energy of 2.398 MWh/m2.year is the most suitable oil and gas offshore platform for a hybrid application of wind-solar energy. Inkie Moor field has the lowest amount of hybrid energy (1.432 MWh/m2.year) in the Caspian Sea.