Green Aspects Research Articles

Are lignin-derived monomers and polymers truly sustainable? An in-depth green metrics calculations approach

The green aspects of the lignin-derived monomers and polymers have been analysed. A different viewpoint has been provided to encourage researchers to use simple and yet effective green metrics calculations in the development of sustainable syntheses.

Сообщества с кустарниковыми ивами в подзоне типичных тундр восточноевропейского сектора Арктики

Сообщества с кустарниковыми ивами в подзоне типичных тундр восточноевропейского сектора Арктики

Synthesis of new azo‐dispersive dyes with benzo[d]imidazole moiety and new bis benzo[d]imidazoles using DABCO‐diacetate as a green media

AbstractDABCO‐diacetate (1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octaniumdiacetate) was synthesized and applied as a green media for the synthesis of new derivatives of benzo[d]imidazole with azo‐linked core and bis benzo[d]imidazoles via condensation reaction of aldehydes and 1,2‐diaminobenzene under solvent‐free conditions. This procedure has benefits such as: good productivity with high yield, short reaction times, easy and efficient process, environmental friendliness, and green aspect of chemistry. DABCO‐diacetate is reusable and can be used for eight runs without notable loss of activity. All of synthesized compounds are new and were characterized completely.

Mechanochemically Induced Chalcogenation of Bicyclic Arenes under Solvent‐, Ligand‐, Metal‐, and Oxidant‐Free Conditions

AbstractA convenient method has been developed for the synthesis of biarenyl chalcogenides through the interaction of bicyclic arenes and diaryl dichalcogenides on the surface of basic alumina under ball milling without any metal catalyst or solvent. This methodology shows wide substrate scope and is of high potential in organic synthesis due to its green aspects of ease of operation, shorter reaction time, ambient conditions and high yields.

Impact of personality traits and university green entrepreneurial support on students' green entrepreneurial intentions: the moderating role of environmental values

PurposeThe earth needs to go green as it clarifies that humans should adopt a sustainable lifestyle that will be friendly to the environment and society. The emerging stream of academic literature on “go green” adds a new perspective to the deep-rooted conception of entrepreneurship. The objective of green entrepreneurship is to follow the traditional concepts of entrepreneurship but also brings the additional potential for society and the environment. The present paper is designed to study the impact of personality traits and university green entrepreneurial support on green entrepreneurial intentions along with the moderating role of environmental values.Design/methodology/approachThe data are collected by using the survey method, and the five-point Likert scale is used for this purpose. The statistical techniques applied to the dataset were confirmatory factor analysis and partial least square structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results revealed that personality traits are positively and significantly associated with green entrepreneurial intention, but risk-averse students depict insignificant results towards green entrepreneurial intention. Also, university green entrepreneurial support results in positive green entrepreneurial intention. Environmental values also strengthen the association.Originality/valuePreviously, researchers emphasized the entrepreneurial intentions for the sake of improving the economy, decreasing unemployment and promoting small ventures, but none focused on the green aspects of entrepreneurship. To date, we still lack knowledge regarding students' green entrepreneurial intentions and how personality traits and green support affect the intention. The focus of the present study is to sustain nature and ecosystems through green entrepreneurship by providing directions and economic and noneconomic gains for investors, entrepreneurs, students, universities and societies.

Rurbanization—Making the City Greener: Young Citizen Implication and Future Actions

City life has become the norm for most of the global population and building sustainable cities is a growing trend, together with an increased focus on healthier lifestyles in urban settings. Given this framework, the concept of ‘rurbanization’ is gaining momentum as more and more people are interested in bringing natural green spaces within the urban setting. For this purpose, a research (online survey on a sample of 500 respondents) was developed to discover youths’ perceptions on what a sustainable city means, their perspectives on the urbanization problems, and willingness to take action towards improving the green aspects of their urban life. Results revealed that sustainable life perception vary a lot across the young generation, but opinions on what are the city life issues tend to converge to similar points, such as air quality, disconnection with nature, greenhouse effect, urban heat islands, and water quality. When it comes to rurbanization solutions for a greener urban life, young people lean more towards individual solutions, be it an easy and short-term one, such as endowing their home with more green plants, or a more drastic one, such as moving altogether from the city area towards greener locations. Results were also used in designing a conceptual model for actions towards rurbanization.

Recent advances in the iron‐catalysed multicomponent reactions

Iron‐catalysed reactions are widely used in organic synthesis owing to its benefits over other metals. Among the important organic reactions, multicomponent reactions play a significant role due to its greener aspects like high atom economy, minimal amount of by‐product, economic feasibility etc. For the past few years, iron‐catalysed multicomponent reactions have attracted the attention of several chemists which lead to the invention of some fine chemistry. The majority of iron‐catalysed multicomponent reactions results in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds having biologically active natural products, pharmaceutical etc. These developments in the iron‐catalysed multicomponent reactions are the focus of this review. This is the first review in this topic which covers the literature up to 2020, and it encompasses the different methods for the synthesis of acyclic, carbocyclic and heterocyclic compounds.

Green Hotel as a Competitive Product: A Case Study at 5-Star Hotel in Bali

Today, tourists tend to choose hotels that consistently implement environmentally friendly practices. In accordance with this phenomenon, the concept of sustainable accommodation needs to apply the principles of environmental conservation, ecology, community empowerment, and the use of local products. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze Green Hotel as a Competitive Product. The problem of this study is “What green aspects do the hotel have that differentiate them from other competitors”? The population was 57 of five stars hotel in Bali that received THK Tourism Award. Meanwhile, 10 percent of the sample was determined by purposive sampling, and the data analysis method used was qualitative descriptive technique. The results showed that the product was developed from an ordinary characteristic to a greener specification. In response to green business practices, 100 per cent stated that adopting the practices can maintain the image of the hotel brand, serve as a competitive advantage, and make the company and employee performance more effective and efficient. Furthermore, the results showed that implementing environmentally friendly business practices are achieved by adopting local wisdom values.

H6P2W18O62·14H2O as an efficient catalyst for the green synthesis of α-aminophosphonates from α-amino acids

A simple, efficient and eco-friendly protocol has been described for the synthesis of α-aminophosphonates via Kabachnik-Fields reaction, catalyzed by H6P2W18O62·14H2O as a reusable catalyst. The reaction was realized by condensation of amino acids, various aromatic aldehydes and triethylphosphite under solvent-free conditions, the corresponding α-aminophosphonates were formed in good yields. All the new products were characterized by IR, 1H, 13C and 31P-NMR analyses. This method offers advantages such as simplicity workup with the green aspects, good yields and short reaction times.

Mathematical modeling for green supply chain considering product recovery capacity and uncertainty for demand.

Competition in today's market is the most important concern of companies and producers in free markets. Buyers are also looking for higher quality and lower prices. Manufacturers should, therefore, reduce production costs and increase budgets for research and product development. On the other hand, the limitation of mineral resources in each country and in the world in general is a very important factor for increasing the price of raw materials which increases the cost of production of a product. In this study, a green aspect of decision-making, concurrent modeling for inventory-routing, and application of maximum entropy (ME) method for overcoming uncertainties of demands are applied to optimize the usage of raw materials and returning of defective products to the production cycle in a closed-looped supply chain under multi-period planning horizon. Also, dynamic modeling is used to balance the inventory level in all stages of the network that leads to optimum usage of the raw materials. For this purpose, the first objective function reduces production, transportation-routing, and inventory costs, and the second objective reduces greenhouse gas emissions through all levels of the network. Finally, this model is solved by using the exact solution method with the help of Gams software as well as the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGAII) and multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm. Sensitivity analysis has been performed on failure rates, greenhouse gas emissions during recycling and production, and the optimistic-pessimistic coefficient of the ME solution method. Solution methods have been compared using several criteria, and the NSGAII method has finally obtained the best result. The results show that the manager should pay more costs in order to prevent backorder demands. Also, collecting the more defective products leads to increasing production amount since the collective products can return to the production line. Finally, it is required for the managers to control products' failure rate to optimize capacity usage in the model.

Practice and Thinking on the Architectural Design of Kindergartens in Jingkai District of Nanchang

Based on the concept of “focusing on children’s development”, this paper discusses the architectural design of kindergarten in Jingkai district of Nanchang, and from the aspects of architectural form, shape combination, architectural color, space extension and landscape greening, four design methods are proposed: “FOLD”—variations in heights; “COURTYARD”—multi-tiered enclosure structure; “COLOR”—color interspersion; “GREEN”—green surrounding.

Implementation of Green Campus-Based Curriculum Model at Islamic Universities in Indonesia

This study is aimed to investigate the implementation of green campus-based curriculum model at Islamic universities in Indonesia. In depth interview was conducted to the top leader of universities in order to confirm the application of green campus-based curriculum especially on vision and mission. A set of interviews was also questioned to lecturers to obtain important information regarding with the employment of the model of curriculum related to environmental health they used in classrooms. In addition, supporting data about students from lecturers’ information was also occupied to enrich the data. As a result, the researcher found that all Islamic universities observed in this study imply green campus or environmental aspect points in university’s vision and mission. Less than 100% of lecturers are able to design learning materials related to environmental health as well as implementing it in classrooms. Less than 60% of students can produce environmental work arts as well as having problem solving skills toward surrounding environment. Above all, hose Islamic universities determine similar goals on green campus-based curriculum model i.e. to preserve the environment and aware of surrounding natural issues. At the end, a few suggestions were suggested to the top manager of the Islamic universities concerning with vital element regarding with lecturers’ competencies in developing environmental health learning design that should be noticed and increased.

Supplier Selection for the Adoption of Green Innovation in Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices: A Case of the Chinese Textile Manufacturing Industry

Globally, increasing environmental issues are gaining attention to facilitate the adoption of green innovation for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). Sustainable environmental practices have been well-considered in the literature; however, no study has focused on adopting green innovation practices for sustainable development. Thus, environmental management authorities are putting pressure on industries to implement green innovation criteria for SSCM operations. Moreover, it is important to select traditional suppliers to transform its practices to that of sustainable supply chains in order to achieve the industry’s sustainable supply chain goals. In response, this research identified and analyzed the green innovation criteria for SSCM and then selected a supplier that could implement green aspects in the SSCM. This study developed an integrated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS). The objective of this study was to analyze suppliers to implement green innovation criteria for SSCM practices in the textile manufacturing companies of China. This study reviewed and identified three green innovation criteria and seventeen sub-criteria. Then, the FAHP technique was employed to analyze and rank green innovation criteria and sub-criteria. Finally, the FTOPSIS method was used to investigate and rank eight suppliers. The findings of the FAHP indicated that economic (EC) criteria were the most vital green innovation criteria in the SSCM. Furthermore, the FTOPSIS results revealed that supplier 5 was the most suitable supplier for implementing green innovation criteria in the SSCM. These findings will help managers, practitioners, and policymakers implement green innovation criteria in sustainable manufacturing supply chains.

Sustainable Synthesis and Polycondensation of Levoglucosenone-Cyrene-Based Bicyclic Diol Monomer: Access to Renewable Polyesters.

The already-reported, low-yielding, and non-sustainable Et3 N-mediated homocoupling of levoglucosenone (LGO) into the corresponding LGO-CyreneTM diketone has been revisited and greened-up. The use of methanol as both a renewable solvent and catalyst and K2 CO3 as a safe inorganic base improved the reaction significantly with regards to yield, purification, and green aspects. LGO-CyreneTM was then subjected to a one-pot, H2 O2 -mediated Baeyer-Villiger oxidation/rearrangement followed by an acidic hydrolysis to produce a new sterically hindered bicyclic monomer, 2H-HBO-HBO. This diol was further polymerized in bulk with diacyl chlorides to access new promising renewable polyesters that exhibit glass transition temperatures (Tg ) from -1 to 81 °C and a good thermostability with a temperature at which 50 % of the mass is lost (Td50 % ) of 349-406 °C.

Environmentalism, Ecologism, and Basic Income

AbstractThe Greens are the political group in which the support for the implementation of a basic income is stronger. Nevertheless, the reasons for that support are not always clear and quite often not related to environmental issues. For this reason, two different approaches to a green BI – environmental and ecological – are discussed in this article. The first could be part of a green growth strategy, whereas the second would require structural changes to the economic model, in support of a post-productivist economy. Although showing some overlaps, these models are in conflict in some central aspects, such as the role of economic growth in promoting sustainability. For this reason, it might be incorrect to assume that an environmental BI is a step toward an ecological BI. We will focus on the green aspects as a consequence of implementing a BI and independently of its sources of funding – namely by looking into the amount a BI needs to be in order to support shifting activities from the market to the autonomous sphere – and on the green potential of its sources of financing.

How Green the Human Resource Managers Are?: Perspectives of HR Managers From a Climate Change Victim Region

Current environmental crises make us vulnerable to disasters and tragedies. With environmental problems mounting up, unless immediately addressed with care, we are surely to be doomed. The objective of this qualitative study is to figure out the level of concern as well as understanding that the organizations have on green aspect of Human Resource Management (Green HRM) and also to get an idea about the real implications of green HRM practices. The aim is to interview HR managers from different organizations, manufacturing in nature as Green concept mostly affect this particular area the most and to get a clear picture about their perspectives on Green HRM practices. HR managers from 10 organizations were interviewed, where the respondents were asked questions for 45-60 minutes by a team of 4-5 members. The questions asked during the interview were probed and found that most of the organizations although seemed well informed about the importance of going green concept, but only a few practice it through their actions in day to day HRM functions. The prime limitation is the size of the sample, an extensive study could be carried out in future. The signal from this study is very evident that organizations are familiar with green concepts, but they lack the motivation and top management support as well as monitoring to put this green concept into action for passing on a sustainable, and healthier environment for the generations to come. This study provides an extensive review of literature where the Green HRM practicality examination was needed to be applied into a climate change victim region and the paper successfully finds out the extent of HR managers perspectives and their actions and also provides guidelines to the manufacturing industry and policy makers.

Container depot location problem in the frame of the Polish part of the New Silk Road

The Chinese project One Belt One Road, in Europe often referred to as the New Silk Road, triggers infrastructural investments enabling seamless transportation of goods on the Eurasian route. Since most of these goods are transported in containers, the optimal location of inland container depots, where containers wait for future repositioning after they had been emptied at the importers, is an interesting problem. In this paper conditions determining the optimal location of inland container depots in the Polish part of the NSR are analysed. They include proximity of container transhipment terminals located on the Polish stretch of the NSR, structure of highway network enabling distribution of containers by trucks to other destinations, as well as green aspects mainly referring to avoidance of city congestion caused by trucks transporting containers.

Blue–green architecture: A case study analysis considering the synergetic effects of water and vegetation

Blue–green infrastructure is a network of natural and near-natural areas that has a positive effect on the quality of urban environment. This multifunctional planning approach addresses different issues and objectives depending on whether the focus is on the blue (water) or the green (vegetation) elements. Green-motivated projects aim to densify urban vegetation and include the growing sector of building greening. A good climatic effect of vegetation can be achieved by sufficient irrigation. In many cases, this approach results in additional water requirements. Blue-motivated projects consider water accumulation in cities (e.g., by heavy rainfall) as a waste product and look for solutions for local drainage and evaporation. These planning approaches offer only one-sided solutions and create no sufficient interfaces between water availability and water demand. Based on four case studies, this work examines the extent to which blue–green projects take advantage of the possibilities for the synergetic use of resources. The projects are analyzed graphically by applying the daily tools of architects as a scientific method. A graphic presentation of the blue and green components makes existing solutions and missing links visible. Analytical results show that buildings can be considered to be an interface for blue–green systems. Moreover, the possible synergies are often overlooked during the planning process. This fact highlights the need for a new planning approach that interlinks blue and green aspects that are already in the early planning stages.

Application of D-Limonene as a Bio-based Solvent in Low Density-Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction of Acidic Drugs from Aqueous Samples.

This study deals with the application of different monoterpenes as relatively green bio-based solvents for low density-dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (LD-DLLME) of different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from aqueous samples in comparison with conventional halogenated solvents. Results indicated that D-limonene could extract the hydrophobic compounds with higher %recovery compared with other bio-based and halogenated solvents. The LD-DLLME procedure was optimized by applying one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) followed by central composite face-centered design (CCF) of the response surface methodology (RSM). Under the optimal conditions, the method exhibited good linearity with r ≥ 0.9950 with low LOD as well as LOQ levels in the range of 0.11 to 0.81 and 0.36 to 2.69 ng/mL, respectively. The method was efficiently applied to a variety of real aqueous samples. Finally, the green aspect of our procedure was compared with some reported methods using two green metric tools.

Vlogging and the discursive co‐construction of ethnicity and beauty

AbstractTaking as its data set beauty tutorials on YouTube, considered to be audio‐visual discursive products that combine speech, body performance, and text (posted comments) to relay specific meanings (Bhatia, 2018), this paper investigates both production of text on part of the sender (vlogger) and interpretation of the text on part of the recipient (viewers) in the joint creation of identity. I analyze the data by employing van Dijk's (2015) socio‐cognitive approach to critical discourse analysis, which emphasizes that the relationship between discourse and society is ‘cognitively mediated’ (p. 64), and aspects of Gee and Green's (1998) MASS System in treatment of discourse as social practice. More specifically, this paper focuses on how British‐Indian vlogger Kaushal discursively constructs the role of expert YouTuber and Indian diaspora in her tutorials to attract a niche viewership within the mass audience of beauty consumers to boost both her unique and conforming identities.