Promoting sustainable agriculture through circular hydrogen production, storage and utilization.

Development and scale-up of pulsed electric field for seafood processing in small and medium industries

• Developed a multi-scale modelling framework for e-methanol production. • Analysed one-, two-, and three-step hybrid CO2 electrolysis routes. • Harmonised TEA and LCA to compare economic viability and sustainability. • Linked electrolyser efficiency, durability and scale-up to system outcomes. • Identified bottlenecks and priorities for industrial e-methanol deployment. Methanol is central to the decarbonisation of chemicals and fuels, yet current production is almost entirely reliant on fossil syngas. This review contrasts mature thermocatalytic routes with three emerging green pathways that incorporate electrolysers: 1). one-step direct electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to methanol, 2). two-step schemes in which CO 2 is hydrogenated using electrolytic hydrogen, and 3). three-step syngas-based system design in which CO 2 is first converted to CO with co-produced H 2 , then supplemented with electrolytic H 2 for conventional methanol synthesis. Published data are reconciled consistently across technology readiness, energy and carbon efficiency, levelised methanol cost, and life cycle impacts to identify robust trends rather than case-specific results. The analysis shows that conventional steam reforming remains the lowest-cost option at present, while green electrochemical routes can reduce cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80% at the expense of significantly higher production costs, dominated by electricity prices, electrolyser performance, and capacity factors. Direct electrochemical pathways are at a low level of technological readiness but offer the prospect of compact, modular plants that avoid intermediate hydrogen handling. In contrast, the two- and three-step concepts are closer to deployment but incur the energy penalties associated with separate hydrogen generation and CO 2 capture. By integrating techno-economic, life-cycle, and scale-up considerations, the review delineates the operating windows, renewable energy prices, and methanol premiums required for economic competitiveness. It highlights research priorities in catalyst durability, large-area stack design, system integration, and policy support that are most likely to close the remaining performance and cost gaps.

Asynchronous alterations in bacterial composition and function increased functional redundancy related to greenhouse gas emissions following coastal habitat transitions.

Synergistic effects of pyrite and sludge biochar enhancing performance and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells.

Transitioning diets towards more plant and novel protein sources is essential for achieving environmental goals but may pose nutritional challenges. This study evaluated the nutritional and environmental impacts of shifting dietary protein ratios by substituting meat and dairy products with analogues based on alternative proteins – including plants, crickets, microalgae and microbial mass – in four diverse European dietary contexts. Using nationally representative dietary data from Finland, Germany, Italy and Serbia, linear programming was applied to model 1:1 substitutions that maintained existing meal structures. Diets were optimized to reach protein ratios of 50:50 and 30:70 (animal:plant/novel), while minimizing the number of product substitutions. A median of 0.0-0.5 and 0.5-3.0 substitutions per day were needed to achieve the respective targets, resulting in average reductions of 3-29% and 19-50% in both greenhouse gas emissions and land use. Average utilizable protein intake exceeded requirements in the modelled diets, but declined to >93% of the dietary reference value in the 30:70 scenarios relying solely on plant-based analogues. Changes in nutrient intakes showed both benefits (increased fiber, mono-unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, iron and magnesium and decreased saturated fatty acids) and drawbacks (decreased vitamins A, B2, B6, B12 and D, calcium, iodine, potassium, selenium and zinc and increased sodium), with some inadequacies mitigated by fortification. These findings demonstrate that shifting dietary protein ratios through modest and realistic substitutions with analogues can yield notable environmental gains. However, potential inadequacies in nutrients primarily provided by animal products should be addressed by establishing fortification and reformulation strategies for analogues.

The influence of benthic faunal diversity on the stability of nitrogen removal and greenhouse gas emissions in constructed wetlands under antibiotic disturbance

Rapid urbanization and limited disposal capacity have intensified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) management in Bangkok, Thailand. Despite growing policy attention, integrated assessments linking waste composition, treatment pathways, and emission outcomes remain limited. To address this, a system dynamics (SD) model was developed to quantify and compare GHG emissions under five management scenarios toward the city’s 2032 mitigation goals. The model incorporated localized waste composition data and three disposal routes including landfill, incineration, and composting, validated with field data from three transfer stations and IPCC emission factors. The simulation was divided into five scenarios to explore mitigation options. Results indicate that expanding incineration (S1) would increase emissions by 43.5% due to high fossil-based waste. In contrast, reducing food waste by 50% (S2) yields the largest reduction (16.3%), while a 5% plastic waste reduction (S3) and combined food–plastic reduction (S4) offer marginal benefits. Notably, S4 does not outperform food waste reduction alone. The baseline scenario (S0) reflects current practices. These findings highlight that source-level waste reduction, particularly of organic waste, is more effective than capacity expansion. The SD framework provides a decision-support tool for designing low-carbon and resilient urban waste management policies adaptable to similar contexts. • System dynamics model links waste composition to GHG emissions in urban MSW. • Expanding incineration raises GHG due to high plastic-based fossil content. • Reducing food waste by 50% yields the highest GHG mitigation. • Reducing plastic waste has a relatively limited effect on GHG emissions compared to other waste reduction strategies. • The model supports localized strategies for urban low-carbon waste systems.

Assessing water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus policy trajectories under uncertainty in the Inkomati-Usuthu water management area, South Africa

Synergistic impact of the green economy and financial technologies on environmental sustainability in the United States

Microbial and environmental regulation of greenhouse gas fluxes from marine ranching sediments under seasonal hypoxia.

The rapid growth of organic waste streams, often contaminated with heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and microplastics (MPs), poses significant challenges for waste management and environmental safety. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL; Hermetia illucens L.) bioconversion is gaining recognition as an innovative approach for waste valorization. Yet, there are still notable gaps in understanding how pollutants are detoxified within BSFL systems and how these processes fit into circular bioeconomy goals. This review explores these mechanisms by describing the fate of pollutants during BSFL composting, emphasizing how detoxification happens through: (i) larval bioaccumulation and enzymatic breakdown, (ii) changes in the gut microbiome, and (iii) interactions with microbial communities in compost. The review analyzes how these pathways influence the immobilization of heavy metals, the breakdown of organic pollutants, and the fragmentation of MPs, thereby affecting the safety of frass. Crucially, these detoxification processes were connected to the valorization of larval biomass (proteins and lipids) and processed frass (as soil amendments), demonstrating a pathway to implement a circular bioeconomy that reduces reliance on landfills and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Although BSFL bioconversion offers many environmental advantages, challenges such as process scalability, incomplete understanding of contaminant fate, and changing regulations must be addressed. Future research should focus on meta-analyses to evaluate effect sizes and determine key factors influencing results. By clarifying these mechanisms and the potential for valorization, this review advocates for the safe, scalable adoption of BSFL technology as a vital part of sustainable waste management aligned with the global Sustainable Development Goals. • BSFL reduced heavy metals, pesticides, and microplastics during composting. • Composting with BSFL reduces waste volume by half and cuts greenhouse gas emissions. • BSFL frass combined with compost acts as a nutrient-rich and safe organic fertilizer. • Review outlines pollutant removal mechanisms in the BSFL bioconversion process. • Key gaps and future directions in BSFL composting are systematically reviewed.

Climate-smart rice production using treated municipal wastewater: A two-year microcosm evaluation of surface and subsurface fertigation impacts on greenhouse gas emissions and productivity

Pasture production and nutrient cycling through grazed pastures are inherently difficult to model with process-based simulation models. This arises because the urine depositions from grazing livestock create extreme heterogeneity in soil nutrient concentrations and dynamics. They result in relatively small patches of soil with very high mineral nitrogen (N) concentrations with the remainder of the soil with low N concentrations. These variations are such that simply averaging over them will somewhat overestimate pasture production and vastly underestimate environmental losses such as N leaching and greenhouse gas emissions. Explicit representation of the heterogeneity will allow correct simulation of environmental losses, but this comes at the expense of long runtimes in simulations - runtimes that can make the model intractable to use. Here we outline an update to an existing method that preserves the most important part of the heterogeneity while still allowing tractable runtimes for simulations. While we applied this method to grazed pasture systems, it could be extended to other sources of heterogeneity such as spatially variable fertiliser management. A method to model non-uniform applications of nutrients to soils in simulation models Captures the major implications of the non-uniformity on soil and plant processes The method is computationally efficient resulting in tractable simulations.

Environmental sustainability is a major priority in modern anaesthesia [1]. Currently, total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) is often considered more environmentally friendly than volatile inhalational anaesthesia because it has reduced greenhouse gas emissions. However, this view ignores the potential water pollution caused by intravenous drugs. Propofol, used widely in TIVA, is a phenol derivative that is detected frequently in hospital wastewater due to significant clinical wastage [2]. As a lipophilic compound, propofol may accumulate in aquatic organisms, posing a risk to the ecosystem. The introduction of remimazolam, an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine, offers a potential alternative for TIVA. Unlike propofol, remimazolam is hydrolysed rapidly by tissue esterases into a carboxylic acid metabolite (CNS 7054) [3]. The environmental impact of this metabolite is not well understood. The aim of this study was to utilise in-silico quantitative structure–activity relationship modelling to compare the predicted aquatic toxicity of propofol and the remimazolam metabolite, providing a more complete ecological assessment. Aquatic toxicity was evaluated using the Ecological Structure Activity Relationships Class Program (Version 2.2; United States Environmental Protection Agency) [4]. This in-silico methodology aligns with ‘replacement, reduction and refinement’ principles, offering an ethical alternative to in-vivo animal testing for risk assessment [5]. We retrieved the chemical structures of propofol and the remimazolam metabolite (CNS 7054) from the PubChem database and converted them into Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System codes. The model predicts toxicity based on structure-specific regression equations derived from measured data. We analysed the octanol–water partition coefficient (LogKow) to estimate bioaccumulation potential and calculated standard acute toxicity endpoints (LC50 and EC50) for fish, daphnids and green algae. Propofol is characterised by a high octanol–water partition coefficient (LogKow 3.79), classifying it as a lipophilic substance with significant bioaccumulation potential. In contrast, CNS 7054 exhibits a low LogKow of 1.25, indicating high water solubility and minimal risk of bioaccumulation. In terms of acute toxicity, propofol was predicted to be toxic to aquatic organisms, with 96-h LC50 values of 4.6 mg.l-1 for fish and 48-h LC50 values of 0.85 mg.l-1 for daphnids. Conversely, CNS 7054 was predicted to be practically non-toxic across all trophic levels, with estimated lethal concentrations exceeding 100 mg.l-1 (Table 1). While propofol is favoured for its lack of greenhouse gas emissions, our data suggest it poses a persistent threat to aquatic ecosystems due to its lipophilic nature and potential for bioaccumulation. In recent years, remimazolam has emerged as a valuable drug for procedural sedation and general anaesthesia [6, 7]. As its clinical use expands, its environmental profile becomes increasingly relevant. Remimazolam appears to exemplify the principles of ‘benign-by-design’ pharmaceuticals. Its rapid hydrolysis into a highly polar, hydrophilic metabolite ensures that the excreted compound does not accumulate in aquatic organisms and is virtually non-toxic. We acknowledge several limitations in this study. First, the results are based on in-silico predictions rather than in-vivo biological assays. However, the quantitative structure–activity relationship is a validated tool for initial risk screening [5]. Second, we focused solely on the excretion phase. A complete life-cycle assessment is necessary to determine the total carbon footprint. Crucially, such future comparisons must ensure clinical equipotency. Since remimazolam often exhibits higher bispectral index values than propofol at equivalent sedation levels [7], strictly adhering to traditional bispectral index targets may lead to overdosing and an unfair inflation of its environmental impact. We recommend that future comparative studies standardise anaesthetic depth using multiparametric monitoring to ensure a fair ecological comparison. In conclusion, while propofol remains a cornerstone of TIVA, its environmental footprint extends into the water cycle. Remimazolam offers a promising alternative with a significantly more favourable aquatic safety profile. Future ‘green anaesthesia’ strategies should adopt a holistic view, balancing carbon mitigation with the protection of water resources. No external funding or competing interests declared.

Accurate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimations from hydropower reservoirs are critical for ensuring that this renewable energy source effectively contributes to climate mitigation. In this paper, we critically review and compare a range of methodologies, including direct field measurements (e.g. floating chambers and eddy covariance), empirical/statistical models (like G-res and HydroCalculator), process-based simulations, satellite remote sensing, machine learning (ML) techniques, and hybrid modelling frameworks that integrate these components. Our analysis evaluates each approach against key criteria: accuracy and uncertainty, scalability and transferability, and data requirements and transparency. Direct measurements remain the gold standard for site-specific validation; however, they are limited by spatial and temporal coverage and demand substantial resources. Empirical models offer simplicity but struggle to capture dynamic environmental drivers, often leading to under- or overestimation of emissions. Process-based models provide critical mechanistic insights but require extensive input data and computational resources. While satellite observations and ML enhance spatial and temporal coverage and predictive capability, explainable AI can overcome the “black-box” nature of ML Hybrid approaches that combine in-situ data, remote sensing, ML, and process-based elements show the most significant promise for an accurate and scalable emissions estimation. As the European Union and other regions work to meet stringent climate targets, robust reservoir GHG accounting is essential for guiding investments and driving mitigation actions in genuinely low-carbon hydropower. Our findings highlight the necessity of integrated monitoring networks, open-access data, and interdisciplinary collaboration to develop next-generation tools that bridge precise measurement with large-scale modelling for informed climate and energy policy. • Critical review of GHG estimation methods for hydropower reservoirs conducted. • Traditional and emerging approaches are systematically analysed and compared. • Evaluation focuses on accuracy, scalability, uncertainty and data needs. • Hybrid models with ML and remote sensing show highest potential. • Research gaps and future directions identified for policymakers and stakeholders.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of leptospirosis in Europe: a retrospective observational study with prospective projections.

Valine overproduction in Methanothermobacter marburgensis with temperature-induced promoter system and allosteric resistant acetolactate synthase variants.

Financed emissions and climate alignment of an LNG carrier with regard to investment portfolio achieving net-zero for international shipping

Applying the polluter-pays principle to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in shipping: potential and challenges