Environmental Impact Of Industrial Activities Research Articles

Design of a supply chain network for chemicals from biomass using green electrochemistry

Increasing concern about the environmental impact of industrial activities has prompted a shift to renewable energy sources and the development of environmentally conscious supply chains. In this regard, electrochemistry has shown promise for converting biomass into specialty chemicals in distributed facilities that exploit renewable energy resources. To examine the impact of electrochemistry technology on optimal supply chain configuration, we formulate a mixed-integer linear programming model to optimize the locations and capacities of distributed facilities for converting biomass to chemicals. The economic objective of the supply chain design model is to minimize the totalannualcost of producing chemicals from biomass-derived glucose and delivering them to market. To analyze the trade-off between environmental andeconomicconsiderations, we also consider an environmental objective of minimizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results of a US case study indicate that, while cost is minimized by constructing one large facility, GHG emissions are lowered by a distributed configuration. Varying the setting of a process design parameter expands the Pareto frontier along which decision-makers can choose a configuration according to their preferences between economic and environmental criteria.

Environmental impacts of industrial activities on floral coverage with special emphasis on detoxification enzyme activities in Cataglyphis savignyi as pollution biomarker

The present study investigates the environmental impact of industrial activities on floral coverage within the major industrial district of Borg El-Arab City, Egypt. Additionally, it aims to evaluate the detoxification enzymatic activity of Cataglyphis savignyi as a pollution biomarker. To achieve this objective, seasonal soil samples were collected from the studied sites to determine soil properties and heavy metal concentrations. Furthermore, a seasonal specimen of C. savignyi was collected to study the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). Heavy metal contamination pollution indices were calculated, and fourteen plant species were identified at the investigated sites for four successive seasons from 2020 to 2021. The soil physicochemical parameters significantly varied in the industrial sites compared to the control site. The accumulation of heavy metal contamination in soil for investigated sites followed the order Ni > As > Pb > Hg. Calculated Cdeg and PLI for industrial 3 revealed a very high degree of contamination, attributed to increased industrial activity from the chemical and silicate factories that characterize this region. The current results highlight the inhibition of GST levels in C. savignyi at the industrial site compared to the control site. In contrast, AChE increases, which might be due to heavy metals enhancing acetylcholine activity at synapses. Consequently, the antioxidant enzymatic activities are useful as biomarkers for assessing and monitoring environmental contamination. In conclusion, this study underscores insects as potent biomarkers for heavy metal contamination, marking a significant advancement in environmental monitoring. These bioindicators offer crucial insights into the impacts of climate change and industrial pollution. The research reveals distinct plant diversity variations and higher heavy metal content in industrial sites, indicating pronounced contamination. Additionally, the study highlights altered enzyme activities in insects, emphasizing their utility as biomarkers for assessing environmental contamination. This work represents a substantial leap forward in comprehending the complex dynamics between contamination and ecological balance.

Flow and heat transfer performance of bionic heat transfer structures with hybrid triply periodic minimal surfaces

Efficient energy conversion technologies are essential for mitigating the environmental impact of industrial activities. The development and application of high-efficiency heat exchangers are key components in this endeavor. Heat exchangers based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) are widely acknowledged for their exceptional thermal-hydraulic performance. However, current research mainly focuses on the design and optimization of heat exchangers with standard TPMS structures. In this study, a hybrid process is utilized to construct ten novel heat exchangers, followed by comprehensive investigations of their internal flow fields using three-dimensional numerical simulations. In order to establish a baseline, five standard TPMS structures are also introduced as reference cases. The results reveal that complex secondary flow distributions and velocity variations are critical factors influencing the thermal-hydraulic performance. Moreover, the influence of different standard TPMS cells on the flow and heat transfer characteristics varies during the hybridization process. Specifically, the inclusion of the Schwarz cell generally leads to an improvement in heat transfer, while the presence of the Lindinoid cell may result in a deterioration of heat transfer. The Diamond and Lindinoid cells have an adverse impact on the flow characteristics, while the Gyroid and Neovius cells enhance the flow characteristics. To evaluate the overall thermal-hydraulic performance of different channels, a comprehensive performance assessment is introduced. The Diamond channel and the Gyroid-Neovius channel show superior overall performance in their respective Reynolds number regions, with the former exhibiting better flow characteristics and the latter has outstanding heat transfer performance.

Creating a comprehensive mechanism of financial and economic incentives for environmental investments as an imperative for sustainable growth of the Russian economy

Subject. We consider progressive tools and mechanisms to stimulate environmental investment. Objectives. The study aims, in the context of the global ESG agenda, to underpin the need to create and give a theoretical idea of decomposition of a comprehensive mechanism for financial and economic incentives for environmental investment, in the interests of progressive growth of total factor productivity (TFP) and sustainable development of the Russian economy. Methods. We employ traditional methods of cognition (analysis and synthesis, analogy, generalization, combination of historical and logical, etc.), and multivariate regression analysis. Results. The study proves the need to create a comprehensive mechanism of financial and economic stimulation of environmental investment in Russia, which optimally combines methods of State support with market instruments of its regulation, incentives, and responsibility. Particular attention is paid to financing environmental protection costs in Russia during 2005–2021. Based on the best practices of the world’s leading economies, we give recommendations on creating a comprehensive mechanism to encourage environmental investments in Russia. Conclusions. A comprehensive mechanism of financial and economic incentives for environmental investment should be focused on mitigating the negative environmental impact of industrial activity as a whole, maximizing the involvement of waste resources in economic turnover, reducing environmental pollution. The findings can be used by public authorities and management to formulate investment strategy.

Design of the CO2 Removal Section for PSA Tail Gas Treatment in a Hydrogen Production Plant

CO2 Capture, Storage and, recently, Utilization (CCSU) is considered effective for achieving the target of 2°C established to reduce the gradual increase in global warming. In the literature, most of research has focused on the removal of carbon dioxide from power plants, particularly those fed by coal, which account for higher amounts of CO2 emissions if compared to those fed by natural gas. CCSU in other non-power sectors is still not fully considered, while its importance in mitigating the environmental impact of industrial activities is equivalent to the one of power plants. In the field of hydrogen production, treatment of gaseous streams to remove carbon dioxide is performed for producing a stream of almost pure H2 starting from syngas and for reducing the carbon dioxide emissions, so that CO2 removal units can be part of different sections of the plant. In this work, a state-of-the-art Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) plant for production of 100 000 Nm3/h of hydrogen has been considered. Hydrogen is produced from syngas by employing the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology and the exiting tail gas is fed to the burners of the SMR unit, after removal of carbon dioxide. This work focuses on the design of the units for the treatment of the PSA tail gas by employing an aqueous solution of MethylDiEthanolAmine (MDEA). Simulations have been performed with the commercial process simulator ASPEN Plus®, customized by the GASP group of Politecnico di Milano for best representing both the thermodynamics of the system and the mass transfer with reaction. For the scheme composed of the absorber and the regenerator, several column configurations have been considered and the optimal solution, which minimizes the operating costs of the plant, has been selected.

Zero-waste process for the transformation of a hazardous aluminum waste into a raw material to obtain zeolites

A potential route to minimize the environmental impact of industrial activities is, among other approaches, the use of hazardous wastes as less-common raw materials for the preparation of other materials. Realistic technologies for waste management should include simple and low-cost processes as well as the nonproduction of new wastes. Thus, the total conversion of a type of hazardous aluminum waste into zeolite was achieved at the pilot-scale (200 l autoclave reactor) under mild hydrothermal operating conditions. In a one-step process, 3.2 tons of zeolite, 76.4 Nm3 of ammonia and 105.9 Nm3 of hydrogen can be produced per ton of aluminum waste. The process does not generate other wastes. The recycling of process effluents (mother liquor and rinse water), along with the process gases capture and its subsequent commercialization, would increase the environmental impact and the economic yield. The obtained Linde type-A zeolite, exhibited structural, textural and morphological characteristics similar to those of zeolites prepared from commercial reagents. A conceptual design for zero-waste process is proposed. The sustainable process developed can contribute to reduce the high environmental impact of aluminum industry waste, and contribute to the circular economy by converting a hazardous waste into a raw material.

Development of a novel electrochemical coagulant dosing unit for water treatment

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe design of new approaches that help to decrease both the environmental impact of industrial activities and the cost of existing water treatment technologies is becoming a key aspect of research. In the present work, an efficient and easy‐to‐use electrochemical device designed to dose iron coagulants is presented.RESULTSThe proposed device (the Electrochemically‐assisted Coagulant – production & dosing Unit, ECU) exhibits an efficient performance in the dosing of coagulants regardless of the ionic conductivity of the water matrixes tested (within the range 100 to 1000 µS cm−1), covering a wide range of potential real surface waters. The behaviour of the ECU device was compared to that of a conventional chemical dosing of iron, and showed better pH (pH ≈ 8 for ECU but < 4 for equivalent chemical dosing) and conductivity (decrease for ECU but increase up to 60% for equivalent chemical dosing) control. Moreover, the ECU unit produced a noticeable amount of Fe2+ ions, due to the limited access of atmospheric oxygen inside the device.CONLUSIONThe device developed overcomes traditional chemical iron dosing and could be potentially applied in uses different from electrocoagulation, as it is the case of Fenton‐related technologies. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

Analysis and decomposition of energy consumption in the Chilean industry

With rising energy costs and climate change concerns, energy efficiency will be important in maintaining competitiveness and reducing the environmental impact of industrial activities. In this paper we study the Chilean industrial sector, which is the largest consumer of energy within the country. Energy demand and CO2 emissions in Chile have grown rapidly in recent years while energy supply is mostly imported and subject to disruption. Therefore, it is important to understand energy consumption in this sector and determine which sub-sectors have the greatest potential to reduce energy consumption. We used the Index Decomposition Analysis (IDA), applying the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index method I (LMDI-I), to quantify the impact of diverse driving factors on energy consumption. Furthermore, a panel data analysis was used to determine whether there are differences in energy intensity across firms with different characteristics. Our results show that energy intensity has risen over time although energy consumption remains stable. This fact supports the idea that energy efficiency policies could play an important role for the industrial sector. Additionally, energy consumption and energy intensity follow different patterns in each sub-sector; therefore we conclude that the application of differentiated sectoral policies is preferable over a single global policy.

Elimination of micronutrients from winery wastewater using entrapped grape marc in alginate beads

Nowadays, there exists a major concern about the requirement of decreasing the environmental impact of industrial activities. In general, the food industry produces high amount of effluents that must be treated. There are two ways of focusing on the treatment of effluents and residues from food industry. One interesting strategy consists of the revalorization of residues in order to obtain valuable products, and the other approach is the treatment of these effluents using eco-friendly technologies. In this work, a residue of winery industry consisting of grape marc was entrapped in calcium alginate beads in order to obtain a valuable product that could be used as an adsorbent to remove micronutrients from winery effluents in order to avoid eutrophication. Biodegraded grape marc entrapped in calcium alginate beads was able to remove most of the total nitrogen, NH4, and NO3 present in the water and around 60% of Mg, P, K, and total carbon.

Energy recovery and environmental concerns addressed through emergy–pinch analysis

Presented paper shows the power of emergy analysis and its ability for simultaneous consideration of different industrial resources, goods and services for the purposes of decision-making. Accompanied by the pinch concept, which by now tries to deal separately with each of the resources (energy, water, hydrogen, oxygen, etc.), the combined emergy–pinch analysis provides wide range of benefits boosted with extra inside and design guidelines improving the integration of processes and the ability to consider the ‘past’ and the ‘future’ of the resources (the effort of making them available and the effort of minimising their environmental impact). The paper presents the theoretical background of the emergy and pinch combination into general resources management technique and proves this concept on classical emergy and pinch examples accompanied with a combined resources management industrial problem considering the environmental impact of industrial activities.

Targeting for pollution prevention through process simulation

The majority of environmental legislators advise pollution prevention (P2) for reducing the environmental impact of industrial activities. This approach calls for assessing different methods to reduce the final concentration of environmentally harmful species in process effluents; one method is source reduction, e.g. by modifying process conditions to hinder production of pollutants. There are methods for predicting (targeting) furnace CO 2, NO x and SO x emissions in an industrial site indirectly and via the level of energy consumed in the process. However, no method exists for targeting process-related emissions when they are not related directly to energy use. In this paper, a method is proposed for achieving this goal. The method combines a model of the process under consideration with a description of the behavior of pollutants beyond battery limits of the process. It is possible with this method to better determine the level of environmental impact of the process in hand. This method, therefore, is a targeting method for planning a retrofit on the process.

Comparison of five physiological parameters to assess the vitality of the lichen Ramalina lacera exposed to air pollution

To determine the environmental impact of industrial activity, we examined and compared the following parameters of physiological integrity in the epiphytic fruticose lichen Ramalina lacera. (1) Potential quantum yield of PSII expressed as the chlorophyll fluorescence ratio Fv/Fm. (2) Spectral reflectance expressed as values of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). (3) Production of ethylene. (4) Electrolyte leakage brought about by degrading cell membranes in terms of electric conductivity. (5) The ratio A435nm/A415nm indicating the disintegration of chlorophyll. The amounts of Ba, Cu, K, Ni, S, V and Zn contained in the lichen thallus were measured to quantify the degree of pollution. Some of the lichen‐carrying twigs collected at a relatively unpolluted control site were resuspended on the original trees as controls. Other lichens were transplanted to 19 biomonitoring sites. Transplanted lichens in polluted sites contained higher amounts of Ba, Ni, S, V and Zn than lichens in the control site and in most of the rural sites upon an exposure period of 8 months. Statistical analysis revealed negative correlations between Fv/Fm ratios and Ba contents of transplants. High Ba, Cu, Ni and Zn contents correlated negatively with NDVI values. NDVI values correlated with A435nm/A415nm, Fv/Fm and K. The ratio A435nm/A415nm correlated positively with K and negatively with Ba, Cu and Zn. The production of ethylene correlated positively with Cu and Ba and negatively with A435nm/A415nm, Fv/Fm and NDVI. Electric conductivity values correlated positively with Ba, Cu, Na, S, V and Zn and negatively with NDVI. Both elemental content and physiological alterations in transplants of R. lacera point to a high degree of contamination in the Haifa Bay region, which is polluted by fuel‐oil combustion apart from other industrial activities. The present work suggests that in our specific study area, the most sensitive parameter to assess the vitality of the lichen thallus is electric conductivity whereas ethylene production is less sensitive.

Legal Strategies for Control and Prevention of Environmental Impact

In order to counteact negative environmental impact of industrial activities, the law plays an important role, but its effects appear rather ambigious. This article focuses on internal and external control systems for controlling environmental impact. The lack of feedback between the systems may strengthen the discrepancy between the two legal strategies for control. The first is concerned with permits and the second with criminal sanctions. Both strategies will face problems in the control function. The promotion of feedback between internal and external control is presented as a presupposition for developing environmental standards of limits and improving the legal control.

Setting Priorities in Occupational Health Research in Vietnam.

To set priorities for occupational health research in Vietnam, the authors developed a questionnaire, using a consensus-conference approach. The questionnaire, which was composed of two parts (five main categories with subgroups), was distributed to 51 specialists in occupational safety and health (OSH) in Vietnam. The responses from 50 persons were analyzed. Among the main categories, the environmental impact of industrial activity was rated the most important, followed by ergonomics and engineering of OSH, incidence/prevalence of work-related diseases and identification of susceptible groups, social impact of industrial activity, and OSH problems of agricultural workers. Among the three problems in the subgroup "environmental impact of industrial activity," individual health effects was considered the most important. These results were evaluated to arrive at an understanding of the actual situation of OSH problems in Vietnam.

ECO-LABELLING IN THE EU: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY IN THE UK AND SWEDEN

A feature of the EC's Fifth Environmental Action Programme is the move away from the use of legislative measures towards the adoption of voluntary and economic market-based instruments to control the environmental impact of industrial activities. Eco-labelling has been adopted by the EC to promote products with reduced environmental impacts throughout their life cycle and to provide consumers with reliable information about the impact of products on the environment. Products that are deemed to be more environmentally friendly than their competitors are identified by a single, distinctive eco-label. The use of one main eco-label across the EU should reduce the confusion that has been created by the use of a large number of labels and environmental claims by producers and retailers. This ESRC-funded research aims to assess whether an eco-award system is an effective means of improving environmental performance, with specific reference to the pulp and paper industry. Comparisons of attitudes to the eco-labelling scheme are being made in France, Germany, Sweden and the UK. Interviews are being conducted with industry, national governments, the EC, competent bodies, consumer organizations and environmental pressure groups. In this way, it will be possible to assess whether an EU-wide scheme is either practical or desirable in one economic sector. Research to date indicates that although the concepts underlying eco-labelling are sound, the existing scheme has several serious weaknesses. If these are not addressed, the credibility of the scheme will be reduced and the real commitment of the EC to environmental policy questioned.

Research priorities in occupational medicine: a survey of United Kingdom medical opinion by the Delphi technique.

An attempt to achieve an agreed set of priorities for research in occupational medicine was undertaken by the Delphi technique. Fifty three senior practitioners of occupational medicine in academe (25) and industry or government (28) were canvassed about their views and choices for priority activity. Forty six (86%) responded to the initial enquiry and 48 (91%) provided rank order choices from a second, more detailed questionnaire. The first priority for more research on the natural history of work related ill health identified musculoskeletal disorders of the back and upper limbs followed by asthma, accidents, skin disorders, vibration induced disease, suicide and depression, and finally hearing loss. The second priority area was audit and particularly the need for its use in occupational health screening procedures. Environmental impact of industrial activity was third with the community health effects being more important than individual health effects. Stress related disease was fourth with emphasis on risk factors. The fifth area was neuropsychological effects of work exposures particularly the need for more research on diagnostic tests. Other assorted areas of concern were the cost effectiveness of occupational health, risk assessment, reproductive hazards, the effects of pharmacological agents, and the development of biomarkers as early evidence of an exposure effect. The remarkable degree of unanimity on the issues and choices and the general agreement between physicians from academe and industry on what constitute the priorities warrants further discussion and positive action.