Environmentalism Research Articles

Fabrication of Copper(II)-coated Magnetic Core-shell Nanoparticles an Engineered Nano-magnetic Catalyst for the Synthesis of Pyrano Pyrazole and Pyrazole Derivatives

Pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and 5-amino-1H-Pyrazole-4-carbonitrile derivatives were used in the presence of new copper(II)-coated magnetic core-shell nanoparticles Fe3O4@SiO2@Si(OEt)(CH2)3@melamine@TC to synthesize an engineered nanomagnetic catalyst in a mild green environment. The synthesized nanocatalyst was well characterized using different techniques. Fe3O4@SiO2@Si(OEt)(CH2)3@melamine@TC@Cu(OAc)2 is an environmentally friendly procedure to synthesize some novel Pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and 5-amino -1H-Pyrazole-4-carbonitrile. Relevant products were produced in green conditions with high to excellent yields. Interestingly, the catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction medium by an external magnet and can subsequently be used for successive reaction cycles (at least four times) without a significant reduction in catalytic activity. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) was taken from the recovery catalyst for further investigation. The results showed no significant change in the percentage of synthesized catalyst elements. In this study, reaction conditions, i.e. the effect of temperature and amount of catalyst, were optimized using a systematic approach, namely, the design of experiment (DoE). The structures of the synthesized Pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and 5-amino-1H-Pyrazole-4-carbonitrile compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and FT-IR spectra.

Can fiscal decentralization be the route to the race to zero emissions in South Africa? Fresh policy insights from novel dynamic autoregressive distributed lag simulations approach.

There has been a plethora of debate on the link between fiscal decentralization and a drop in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, even though the evidence supporting this assertion is relatively sparse. Although the precise nature of this relationship is still up for discussion, economic hypothesis postulates that fiscal decentralization has an impact on environmental sustainability. Some researchers claim that fiscal decentralization could potentially result in a race to the top, while some believe it would lead to a race to the bottom. This analysis intends to shed light on the precise processes by which this connection may work in South Africa between 1960 and 2020 in light of current discussions in environmental and development economics. In contrary to previous studies, this paper employs a cutting-edge dynamic autoregressive distributed lag simulations methodology to evaluate the positive and negative variations in fiscal decentralization on CO2 emissions. Our findings demonstrate the prevalence of the race to the top strategy by illustrating how fiscal decentralization has a bearing on CO2 emissions reduction in the short and long terms. In accordance with the findings, greater fiscal decentralization should be implemented through the transfer of more powers to regional authorities, especially in the realm of environmental legislation considerations, in a bid to preserve South Africa's environmental integrity. By establishing a lower tier of government and defining roles at the federal and provincial divisions, South Africa could adopt strategies to improve green environment in an effort to fulfill the energy-saving tasks of fiscal expenditures.

Research on key factors of public green space environment in Macau community based on sustainable development

Nanotechnology has great theoretical and application value. Nanomaterials have the characteristics of radiation, absorption, sterilization, and adsorption. Numerous studies have shown that nanotechnology plays an important role in protecting and planning public green spaces. In recent years, with the continuous improvement of Macau’s status as an international city, the development of tourism has led to the northward shift of the centre under the "spillover effect" of the residential space in the historical city. As a typical high-density community, the Macau Peninsula has a serious shortage of public green space. This paper selects Macau’s community public green spaces as research objects, takes environmental perception as the evaluation perspective, takes the supply capacity of public green space and the degree of demand of urban residents as evaluation indicators, as well as the subjective and objective factors that affect the layout of public green space, combined with relevant theories to construct A complete set of comprehensive index system. Based on the analysis results, from the attractiveness and utilization rate of public green space, the layout of public green space, urban road traffic network, land use planning, nanotechnology materials, etc., to explore effective ways to promote the sustainable development of high-density cities in Macau.

Synthesis, characterization and adsorption behavior of modified cellulose nanocrystals towards different cationic dyes

Green and efficient removal of polluted materials are essential for the sustainability of a clean and green environment. Nanomaterials, particularly cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), are abundant in nature and can be extracted from various sources, including cotton, rice, wheat, and plants. CNCs are renewable biomass materials with a high concentration of polar functional groups. This study used succinic anhydride to modify the surface of native cellulose nanocrystals (NCNCs). Succinic anhydride has been frequently used in adhesives and sealant chemicals for a long time, and here, it is evaluated for dye removal performance. The morphology and modification of CNCs studied using FTIR, TGA & DTG, XRD, SEM, AFM, and TEM. The ability of modified cellulose nanocrystals (MCNCs) to adsorb cationic golden yellow dye and methylene blue dye was investigated. The MCNCs exhibited high adsorption affinity for the two different cationic dyes. The maximum adsorption efficiency of NCNCs and MCNCs towards the cationic dye was 0.009 and 0.156 wt%. The investigation for adhesive properties is based on the strength and toughness of MCNCs. MCNCs demonstrated improved tensile strength (2350 MPa) and modulus (13.9 MPa) using E−51 epoxy system and a curing agent compared to 3 wt% composites. This research lays the groundwork for environmentally friendly fabrication and consumption in the industrial sector.

Do Environmental Innovation and Green Energy Matter for Environmental Sustainability? Evidence from Saudi Arabia (1990–2018)

Climate change and global warming, caused by excessive carbon emissions from transportation and other environmentally hazardous activities, are serious problems for many countries nowadays. Therefore, while some countries are not making optimal use of their resources, others are working hard to preserve a green and clean environment in order to foster long-term growth. Governments and policymakers throughout the world are finally starting to take the risks of climate change and global warming seriously. This paper extends previous literature related to environmental design practices by investigating the impacts of environmental innovation and the deployment of green energy on decreasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for Saudi Arabia during the period 1990–2018. Different CO2 emission measures are incorporated in the analysis, namely per capita CO2 emissions, CO2 intensity, CO2 emissions from liquid fuel use, and CO2 emissions from heat and electricity generation. Overall, the outcomes of the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique demonstrate the presence of a long-term association between our two main variables (green energy use and environmental innovation) and the different measures of CO2 emissions, except CO2 emissions from liquid fuels consumption for green energy use and CO2 intensity for environmental innovation. In another sense, the use of renewable energies and technologies linked to environmental patents proves to be a good alternative if they do not contribute to environmental pollution. On the basis of the results, this study offers several policy recommendations.

Techno-economic analysis of PV systems installed by using innovative strategies for smart sustainable agriculture farms.

Hybrid renewable energy sources are sustainable and eco-friendly and challenge the alternative sources of conventional energy production facilities. Pakistan's present energy dilemma is a serious impediment to its economic progress. This paper proposes a techno-economic analysis of commercial-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems for commercial agricultural farms in Punjab, Pakistan. A survey was conducted to gather the load data of the farms from major cities of north, center, and south Punjab. For the PV system design, the K-means approach was used to cluster data from 93 farmers into nine clusters with similar electrical consumption. A complete technical, economic, and environmental study is undertaken of the PV systems deployed in five selected cities. The most practical locations are Attock and Multan, which have the lowest Levelized Cost of Energy at 5.52 and 5.37 cents/kWh, respectively. PV installations are nevertheless technically, economically, and environmentally feasible for all cities. Throughout its lifespan, the planned PV system has the potential for Faisalabad and Chiniot to minimize 154 metric tons of emissions, resulting in a greener environment.

A Sensitive Hydroquinone Amperometric Sensor Based on a Novel Palladium Nanoparticle/Porous Silicon/Polypyrrole-Carbon Black Nanocomposite.

Exposure to hydroquinone (HQ) can cause various health hazards and negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, we developed an efficient electrochemical sensor to detect and quantify HQ based on palladium nanoparticles deposited in a porous silicon-polypyrrole-carbon black nanocomposite (Pd@PSi-PPy-C)-fabricated glassy carbon electrode. The structural and morphological characteristics of the newly fabricated Pd@PSi-PPy-C nanocomposite were investigated utilizing FESEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, XRD, and FTIR spectroscopy. The exceptionally higher sensitivity of 3.0156 μAμM-1 cm-2 and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.074 μM were achieved for this innovative electrochemical HQ sensor. Applying this novel modified electrode, we could detect wide-ranging HQ (1-450 μM) in neutral pH media. This newly fabricated HQ sensor showed satisfactory outcomes during the real sample investigations. During the analytical investigation, the Pd@PSi-PPy-C/GCE sensor demonstrated excellent reproducibility, repeatability, and stability. Hence, this work can be an effective method in developing a sensitive electrochemical sensor to detect harmful phenol derivatives for the green environment.

How Does Sustainable Energy System, Creativity, and Green Finance affect Environment Efficiency and Sustainable Economic Growth: Evidence from Highest Emitting Economies

In present times, sustainability is to be demanded to attain high economic growth in longer run. Thus, countries are obliged to scrutinize the factors which balance the economic growth and prove to be efficient indicator of environment. This study, knowing the significance of such indicators, the study formulates a framework in which a role of sustainable energy system, creativity, and green finance on the environmental efficiency and sustainable economic development intends to be examined in the context of high carbon emission economies such as Iran, Canada, China, Indonesia, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United States, Russia, and South Korea. In order to tackle the abovementioned issue, the study used the data extracted from world development indicators (WDI) covering the period from 2010 to 2020. The study employed Random fixed model to test the proposed hypotheses. Obtained results expose that sustainable energy systems, creativity and green finance share negative association with carbon emissions, hence, revealing this point that the indicators are useful to increase sustainable economic development and environmental efficiency. Thereby, in order to achieve sustainable economic growth, governments are liable to implement policies with a long-term approach. The outcomes are also helpful for the upcoming researchers and regulators while formulating the policies about environmental efficiency.

Suitability Study of Using UAVs to Estimate Landfilled Fly Ash Stockpile.

The decrease in fly ash production due to the shift in coal industries toward a green environment has impacted many concrete industries as fly ash is a significant component in cement and concrete. It is critical for concrete industries to identify the availability of fly ash in landfills to meet their demand if the supply decreases. This paper aims to analyze the suitability of UAVs in determining the fly ash stockpile volumes. A laboratory test is performed to validate the proposed UAV method. Then, a real quarry site is selected to demonstrate the suitability in a large scale. The results indicate that the UAVs estimate the most accurate volume of the stockpile when the flight height is about five times the stockpile height. A considerable range of 3.5-5 times the stockpile height is most suitable for quantity takeoff. The findings of this study provide a recommendation for choosing the most appropriate technology for the quantitative estimation of fly ash in existing landfills on a large scale.

Green Human Resource Management and Employee Green Behaviour: Participation and Involvement, and Training and Development as Moderators

The current study is aimed at exploring the effect of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on employee green behaviour (EGB). We conducted this research in the context of one of the countries in the South Asian sub-continent, India. First, we developed a conceptual model based on the ability, motivation, and opportunity (AMO) framework and Social Identity Theory (SIT). Then, we tested the model with data collected from 191 faculty members in higher educational institutions in southern India. We first checked the instrument’s psychometric properties and tested the hypotheses using hierarchical regression. The results indicate that: (a) green recruitment strategies (GRS), green institutional initiatives (GII), and green performance management and appraisal (GPMA) positively impact EGB; and (b) EGB is positively related to employee green compensation and rewards (EGCR). The results also reveal that employee green participation and involvement (EGPI) and employee green training and development (EGTD) moderate the relationship between GRS, GII, GPMA, and EGB. The motivation stems from the need for present-day organisations to focus on a green environment and contribute to sustainability. The role of GHRM practices in stimulating employees to exhibit green behaviour is highlighted. The implications for GHRM theory and practice are discussed.

A shift to green cybersecurity sustainability development: Using triple bottom-line sustainability assessment in Qatar transportation sector

Green cybersecurity is the emerging trend in the new era and this green cybersecurity technology minimizes the negative effects of IT operations and implements a green sustainable environment. Therefore, the study conceptually draws the concept of green cybersecurity by applying the theory of reasoned action (TRA) assumptions that logically support green information technology acceptance. Using a convenient sampling, the data were collected from Qatar transport industries, particularly the IT experts and managers, to get responses on the implementation of green cybersecurity and sustainability of 5 transport companies in Doha, Qatar. Using Smart PLS-SEM, the study employed the SEM technique to test the proposed hypotheses. The results reported that green cybersecurity’s control/position, integrity, and authenticity significantly and positively influenced TBL sustainability, but confidentiality, availability, and utility do not. The implementation of industry 4.0 makes them accessible and more effective to ensure TBL sustainable development in the transport industries in Qatar. Applying green cybersecurity in this setting will improve services in transportation sector. A green cybersecurity platform will make it a point to systematically search for and promote innovations made possible by smart green technologies to avoid carbon-emission vehicles. Through the efficient and cutting-edge green, cybersecurity will be Qatar’s transportation sector’s primary responsibility to contribute to Qatar’s sustainable development. In order to accomplish this goal, the regulator must create and implement it. In addition, it emphasizes the importance of adopting green cybersecurity to confront the difficulties facing city transportation all over Qatar as a foundational component of achieving long-term sustainable development.

Raising Healthy Children: Promoting the Multiple Benefits of Green Open Spaces through Biophilic Design

Several studies have indicated that children who grow up in green environments enjoy beneficial impacts on their development. However, to date, very little attention has been paid to the types and characteristics of dedicated public open green space for children. In addition, studies on biophilic design that could help landscape architects to design open spaces for children are limited. In order to fill this gap, this perspective examines the scientific literature on the relationship between open spaces and children. The authors specifically discuss and analyze the following points: (1) pathways to and effects on children’s health and well-being; (2) types and characteristics of open spaces for child-dedicated facilities (e.g., schools, hospitals, fitness camps, playgrounds, etc.), as well as for child-friendly urban open spaces. Finally, the authors provide inspiring examples and case studies of biophilic design for children’s health and well-being. Conclusions from this perspective show that biophilic design could benefit both the physical and mental health of children, as well as improve children’s overall resilience to pandemics and other diseases. This perspective provides, for the first time, new insights for designing biophilic and child-friendly cities, and explores areas of future research.

A neuro-cognitive perspective on urban behavior of people with different moods

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the neurocognitive status of people with different moods (depressed and non-depressed) both in a typical urban environment (TUE) and in an urban green environment (UGE).Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted with the participation of 210 individuals in a real environment. Heart rates of the participants were measured together with EEG and eye-tracking measurements while they were walking in a real urban environment (TUE and UGE). The participants were divided into depressed and non-depressed groups according to different moods. Movements within the city based on these two distinctions and different cognitive moods were investigated, together with the effects of the city plan on these people.FindingsAs a result, the green urban fabric was found to have a positive effect even on people with depression. Yet, it was found that the non-depressed group also spent more time in a green urban environment.Originality/valueThe study shows that urban planners and designers should assume an important role in the design of green spaces, which have a more intense visual and cognitive impact than structures.

Application of aluminum oxide nanoparticles in asphalt cement toward non-polluted green environment using linear regression

In order to decrease the greenhouse gas emissions generated by regular Portland cement (OPC), additional cementitious ingredients have been frequently employed, even while building road bases. OPC's susceptibility to moisture and lack of flexibility make it ineffective for stabilizing road bases. This research used alkali-activated materials (AAM) with fly ash to investigate the mechanical properties of cold asphalt binder (freeze-thaw cycles) including the compressive, flexural strength, workability and porosity of cement. Dry specimens and specimens in distilled water have both been used in the experiments to study these temperature correlations. One sample was tested at 20 °C, and the other was frozen and thawed five times at a temperature of −5 °C (cold region environment). The resulting mixtures' morphologies and microstructures were analyzed via SEM images. During the 7 to 28-day curing period, the mixture's growth ratio rose. The combination registered both the greatest and lowest robust elastic modulus. The total compressive strength of the material decreased as the water-to-cement ratio increased due to the greater amount of free water accessible with a higher cationic asphalt emulsion (CAE) content. The moderate loss of flexural strength with increasing CAE concentration after 7 and 28 days of curing was seen. There is not a major impact on flexural strength in the materials by looking at the very modest gaps in flexural strength between 7 and 28 days curing periods. Due to the particle shape and size of this precursor, FA's inclusion allowed for a lower water to binder rate while maintaining a similar level of workability. The porosity and water absorption values rose with FA substitutions. Further studies might clarify the lower flexural strength observed in this study by adding other hybrids plus fly ash such as lime or nanoparticles.

Development of State Green Sukuk as A Government Effort to Realize Green Environment

Development of State Green Sukuk as A Government Effort to Realize Green Environment

An optimization study on a biosynthesized nano-particle and its effect on the performance-emission characteristics of a diesel engine fueled with parsley biodiesel blend

In this present research work, a central composite design (CCD) embedded in RSM (response surface methodology) was employed to optimize a biodiesel blend containing different concentrations (50 and 100 ppm) of a green synthesized nanoparticle. Afterward, the B20 blend (containing the green nanoparticle) with the best performance and emission characteristics was compared with pure diesel fuel. Experiments were performed in a single-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled direct-injection diesel engine. Parsley biodiesel blend (B20) was prepared and the synthesized nanoparticles were dispersed in various proportions (50 and 100 ppm) into the B20 parsley biodiesel blend labeled as B20TNP50 and B20TNP100. The physicochemical properties of the prepared fuels were examined using established methods from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The obtained results showed that the B20TNP50 blend gave the best performance and emission characteristics of 325.862 g/kWh, 28.021%, 5.008 MJ/kW, 0.021 g/kWh, 327.725 g/kWh, 0.0013 g/kWh, and 1.760 g/kWh for brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), brake specific energy consumption, (BSEC), hydrocarbon (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) respectively. Furthermore, when B20TNP50 was compared to pure diesel, BTE and BSEC were increased by 5.7% and 4.62% while BSFC, HC, CO2, CO, and NOx were reduced by 7.82%, 4.74%, 23.88%, 29.42%, and 21.19%, respectively. Hence, biodiesel made from parsley (B20) with a nano additive (TNP50) can be utilized as an alternative fuel for a green environment.

Utilisation of Plastic Waste as Synthetic Fiber and Aggregate in Concrete –A Review

Plastic waste materials are non-biodegradable and therefore require safe and economic disposal to have a green environment. The use of plastic waste in the construction industry holds a big potential in minimizing the global environmental burden. For this purpose a comprehensive review of published research works was done which disclosed the use of plastic waste materials like polypropylene (PP), high-density polypropylene (HDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in concrete as partial or full replacements for cement and aggregates. This paper reviewed various properties like workability, compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, temperature effect, elastic modulus, drying shrinkage, carbonation and structural behavior of concrete with stated plastic waste materials. The review revealed that the strength, durability and structural characteristics of such concrete improved while the workability was reduced. The review gave information that the footpath panels with HDPE, PP and PET fibre can be used as a substitute for steel-reinforced panels. The review also indicated that further detailed investigations on various strength and durability properties are required on concrete made using plastic wastes like HDPE, PP and PET with various aspect ratios.

Functional durability evaluation of asphalt mixture containing ecologically friendly hydrophobic anti-icing additives

The ecologically friendly hydrophobic anti-icing fillers have gained great prominence due to the increasing demand for the green environment. However, two major challenges are the durability of hydrophobic anti-icing performance and the pavement skid resistance when incorporated to asphalt mixtures. Therefore, the aims of this work are to introduce three new ecologically friendly hydrophobic anti-icing additives (EFHAAs), that is, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Polyurea (PU) as well as Polyethylene wax microparticles (PEWMP) and to evaluate the durability of hydrophobic anti-icing performance and the skid resistance evolution rule. In detail, the long-term hydrophobic performance of EFHAAs was investigated by water droplets sliding time test. The long-term anti-icing performance was evaluated by ice-breaking test and water droplets condensation time test. In addition, the skid resistance evolution rule was studied through the sand patch method, British Pendulum Tester (BPT) as well as Walking Frictional Tester (WFT). Moreover, the consideration of long-term performance was achieved by simulating the actual service condition of the pavement through subjecting the specimens to 60d of outdoor exposure and 10,000 times of accelerated abrasion. The results obtained pointed out that the three EFHAAs can effectively enhance the hydrophobic and ice-suppression performance of asphalt mixtures. The durability of hydrophobic anti-icing performance of three EFHAAs can be ranked as PTFE > PU > PEWMP. Whereas the skid resistance of the mixture deteriorated due to the loss of partial pavement micro-texture caused by the addition of EFHAAs.

Green school outdoor environments, greater equity? Assessing environmental justice in green spaces around Dutch primary schools

Green spaces around schools contribute to children's health and wellbeing. However, only a few studies have examined whether green space provision around schools in urban and rural areas are equally available across socioeconomic groups. We assessed whether and to what extent the green space provision of public primary schoolyards differs cross-sectionally across demographic and socioeconomic neighborhood profiles in the Netherlands. A fine-grained measure of green space (e.g., lawns, hedges, and trees) was applied to 5,773 school locations centering buffers at 50 m, 100 m, and 500 m. Fitting spatial lag regression models to the data, our results showed robust and inverse associations between available green school outdoor environments and low-income and less-educated neighborhoods. The percentage of non-Western migrants was positively associated. No evidence showed greenness around schools differing across levels of urbanization; however, schools with subsidy schemes supporting schoolyard greening tended to be greener. Our overall findings highlight socioeconomic disparities in green school outdoor environments across the Netherlands. To bridge this gap in environmental justice, we advocate for each child to have the ability to benefit equally from schoolyard green spaces by enabling more comprehensive greening subsidy schemes.

Resisting spread of environmental-pollution diseases due to Portland-cement industries: green nanoclay applications

New eco-friendly thermal-casting ductile CPNC-concrete and CPNC-mortar materials have been developed without Portland-cement or water-use. It needs three hours for thermal synthesis. It contains 5%, 10% or 15% green natural nanoclay–polymer nanocomposite CPNC as a bonding-agent instead of Portland-cement for mixing with sand and crushed-stones by heating at 250 °C in electric ovens. CPNC is a dry powder consisting of 5% montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay and 95% high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The study includes mixing, thermal synthesis, mechanical, fracture, and ductility property testing, and characterizations of the chemical composition, microstructure morphology and homogeneity using EDAX, SEM and XRD. It has new properties, such as a homogenous-microstructure with bonding, self-compaction abilities, no-cracks, ductility, good compressive and tensile strengths, and good fracture properties. It does not exhibit steel corrosion; it has rapid processing, no-water curing, low-density, no-shrinkage cracks, no-sudden failure, no-pollution utilizing a new manufacturing technique. CPNC-concrete is developed to stop the Portland-cement industry problems, to produce a clean and green environment without Portland-cement damage for human beings and to conserve drinking water. It has potential for different applications in construction, and it is suitable for 3D techniques with fast construction. Furthermore, this material requires new special codes for design and construction.