Innovative Green Technologies Research Articles

Brassica oleracea var italica and Their By-Products as Source of Bioactive Compounds and Food Applications in Bakery Products.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) is one of the most consumed cruciferous crops in the world, with China and Spain acting as the main producers from outside and within the EU, respectively. Broccoli florets are edible, while the leaves and stalks, discarded in the field and during processing, are by-products. Therefore, the objective of this study was to conduct a comprehensive review of the nutrient and phytochemical composition of broccoli and its by-products, as well as its beneficial effects. In addition, the study highlights the revalorization of broccoli by-products through innovative green technologies and explores their potential use in bakery products for the development of functional foods. The studies suggested that broccoli is characterized by a high content of nutrients and bioactive compounds, including vitamins, fiber, glucosinolates, and phenolic compounds, and their content varied with various parts. This high content of value-added compounds gives broccoli and its various parts beneficial properties, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, metabolic disorder regulatory, and neuroprotective effects. Furthermore, broccoli and its by-products can play a key role in food applications by improving the nutritional profile of products due to their rich content of bioactive compounds. As a result, it is essential to harness the potential of the broccoli and its by-products that are generated during its processing through an appropriate agro-industrial revalorization, using environmentally friendly techniques.

Green regeneration and recycling technology for spent graphite in lithium batteries: Biofilm coating-heat treatment repair process

With the explosive growth in graphite demand and the blowout retirement of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the recycling of spent graphite (SG) in anode materials has gradually become a hotspot due to its potential for achieving economic and environmental benefits, as well as contributing to the sustainable development of LIBs industry. An innovative green regeneration technology of SG based on bio-cycle leaching is proposed, and its repair and regeneration mechanism is discussed. The results show that bio-cycle leaching can effectively remove and enrich the metal impurities from SG while utilizing the extracellular polymeric substances secreted by strains to mediate and aggregate strong adhesion of strains on the surface, forming a biofilm to coat graphite and smooth its surface. Heat treatment can repair the crystal structure of SG while breaking down the biofilm into amorphous carbon to create a carbon core-shell structure. Under the optimal conditions, the regenerated graphite exhibits electrochemical properties similar to commercial graphite, with the initial charge capacity, initial coulomb efficiency, and cyclic capacity stability after 100 cycles at 0.1 C rate of 329.11 mAh/g, 92.9 %, and 96.4 %, respectively. This study represents a new thinking in SG recycling and contributes to realizing a complete closed-loop LIB recycling process.

The Role of Fiscal Support in Promoting the Application of Green Technologies in Sustainable Agriculture in China

This paper aims to explore the relationship between fiscal support and the promotion of sustainable agriculture, with a specific focus on development in China. Also, this paper aims to explore and research challenges during the process of carrying out fiscal support. It also examines how fiscal support can be effectively utilized to encourage and incentivize the adoption of innovative green agriculture technologies in sustainable agriculture. This research is meaningful to the development of sustainable agriculture on the future and enlightening to the future research on cooperation among governments, farmers, and agricultural technology companies. This paper gathers information from China and the author conducts field visit to get the result in this paper. The author reviews the findings of the literature of fiscal support and sustainable agriculture. The author finds that the combination of subsidies, tax incentives, loan programs, and research funding is widely and effectively utilized in fiscal support of sustainable agriculture in China generally. However, there are challenges during the process of carrying out fiscal support and the author analyzed out several suggestions for them. The result of this research of this paper can foster the development of fiscal support and broaden this field.

The impact of green innovations on firm’s sustainable operations: Process innovation and recycling innovation

As the urgency and importance of global carbon emission reduction have escalated in recent years, numerous firms are considering ideas to develop innovative green technologies in order to contribute to the low-carbon economy. This paper examines two types of green innovations adopted by firms, namely process innovation (improving production processes to enhance energy efficiency) and recycling innovation (establishing a circular economy to recycle and re-manufacture waste products). By developing a game-theoretical model, our analytical results reveal the following findings. First, we find that both process and recycling innovations can attract more consumers and improve the firm’s profitability under specific conditions. Second, when the cost advantage of remanufacturing is sufficiently low, the adoption of process innovation is always more profitable than recycling innovation. Otherwise, the profitability largely depends on the trade-off between consumers’ perception of the two green innovations. Third, compared to a single innovation, the adoption of both process and recycling innovations (dual green innovation) leads to a further increase in consumer demand and firm’s profit when the cost advantage of remanufacturing exceeds a certain threshold. Furthermore, the optimal pricing set by the firm and consumer demand become more sensitive to consumers’ perception of greenness when dual green innovation is adopted. Finally, the equilibrium result suggests the existence of a “synergistic promoting effect” when the firm implements dual green innovation, which indicates that the advantages of each innovation are amplified when the firm adopts dual green innovation. These results can serve as guidelines for firms aiming to utilize green innovations in order to reduce carbon emissions.

Optimization of Enzymatic Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Olea europaea Leaves

Nowadays, the circular economy trend drives researchers in the recovery of various bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products. Enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) has been shown to be an innovative green technology for the effective extraction of various phytochemicals from agri-food section by-products; therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the application of EAE as green technology to obtain extracts from olive leaves (Olea europaea) for potential industrial production. The used enzymes were Celluclast, Pectinex XXL and Viscozyme L. EAE was conducted under various enzyme dose combinations and an incubation time of 120 min. Obtained extracts were characterized in terms of total polyphenols (TP) and total antioxidant activity (AA). Firstly, the enzyme synergistic effect in the enzymatic extraction of polyphenols was evaluated. TP optimal extraction conditions (468.19 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalent)/L of extract) were achieved after EAE using Pectinex and Viscozyme enzymes (50–50 v/v) and for AA (69.85 AA%). According to the above results, a second experiment investigated the effect of incubation time (min.) and enzyme dose (mL) on the optimal extraction conditions of olive leaves. The final results after optimization were 75% higher than the control sample for the TP content (605.55 mg GAE/L) and 8% higher for the AA (70.14 AA%). These results indicated that EAE is an excellent choice for the green extraction of polyphenols from the olive leaves.

Diagnosing Incipient Faults for a Faster Adoption of Sustainable Aerospace Technologies

Next-generation aircraft require the development and integration of a deal of innovative green technologies to meet the ambitious sustainability goals set for aviation. Those transformational efforts are associated with a tremendous increase in the complexity of the onboard systems and their multiphysics-coupled behaviors and dynamics. A critical aspect relates to the identification of the coupled faults resulting from the integration of those green technologies, which introduce damage identifiability issues and demand new approaches for the efficient and accurate identification of non-nominal fault conditions. Model-based fault detection and identification (FDI) methodologies have been proven essential to identify onboard the damages affecting the systems from physical signal acquisitions, but existing methods are typically computationally expensive and fail to capture incipient coupled faults, which prevents their adoption and scaling with the increasing complexity of novel multiphysics systems. This work introduces a multifidelity framework to accelerate the identification of fault modes affecting complex systems. An original two-stage compression computes an optimally informative and highly reduced representation of the monitoring signals for the minimum demand of onboard resources. A multifidelity scheme for Bayesian inversion is developed to infer multidomain fault parameters from the compressed signals: variable cost and fidelity models are optimally queried for a major reduction of the overall computational expense. The framework is demonstrated and validated for aerospace electromechanical actuators affected by incipient multimodal faults. Remarkable accelerations of the FDI procedure are observed, and the exact identification of the incipient fault condition was achieved one order of magnitude faster than with standard algorithms.

Navigating economic and legal compliance in digital resource management: Technological Pathways to sustainability with digital government

The study examines the effects of financial technology and the regulatory environment on reliance on natural resources using panel data from 276 cities collected between 2010 and 2020 and a fixed-effect model. The findings indicate that the legal framework restricts reliance on natural resources, and financial technology plays a role in reducing the impact of the legal framework on natural Regulatory compliance index. The influence of financial technology on resource reliance is more evident in locations with high levels of technological development as opposed to areas with moderate and low degrees of technology. Reducing dependency on resources may be achieved via both high-level and low-level legal frameworks. The Legal compliance level has a higher inhibitory influence on resource reliance in the eastern area compared to the central-western regions. When it comes to lessening the impact of the legal system on reliance on resources, innovative green technology becomes very beneficial. When its minimum significance exceeds 5.278. These findings have significant policy consequences in digital government and sustainable resource management. This study highlights the crucial importance of technology routes in digital governance for assuring economic and legal adherence in managing digital resources, eventually promoting sustainability.

Управление человеческими ресурсами в условиях формирования «зеленой» экономики

n the context of the transition of Russian organizations to the active use of green technologies, special requirements are imposed on the managers and employees of these organizations for their professional qualifications, mastering new green competencies. The proposed article examines the processes of transformation of the human resource management system during the transition of enterprises to a green economy. The authors substantiate the expediency of integrating innovative green technologies into the practice of human resource management of an organization, contributing to increase their competitiveness in both domestic and foreign markets. The results obtained are of practical value for the heads of domestic organizations making managerial decisions during the formation and transition to a green economy.

Innovation waves: Analysis and modeling of patents on ultrasound applications in food processing

AbstractUltrasonication is an innovative green technology with various applications in the food industry. Notably, patent analysis from a technological perspective is essential for monitoring market trends and identifying the technological stage through life cycle modeling. Thus, this study aimed to conduct an investigation using patent documents on the application of ultrasound in the food sector. The Espacenet® database was used with the keywords “Food Processing,” “Ultrasound,” and “Ultrasonication,” along with the code A23. A total of 140 documents were evaluated, with China being the main applicant country. Fruits and vegetables and bioactive compounds were the key technological sectors. Food preservation and extraction processes emerged as the primary applications. The involvement of ultrasound technology in the food industry is entering the maturity stage, as demonstrated by the function adjusted to the BiDoseResp model. This result implies further technological and market development in the food industry in the coming years.Practical applicationsThis review addressed the evolution and the current scenario of ultrasound applications in food processing through patent documents deposited between 1979 and 2022, which are rich technological information sources. This approach identified the main technological sectors of food and applications in which ultrasound is most used, as well as the main institutions, inventors, and patent‐filing countries. The major challenges, impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic, and market trends were also discussed. Through mathematical modeling of patent mapping, it was detected that ultrasonication is integrated into the food sector while maintaining a highly competitive impact. This development indicates a future with significant advancements in the development of ultrasound in the food industry, with increasing participation of emerging countries in technological monopolies and a trend of associating ultrasound with non‐thermal emerging technologies in patented inventions. Food waste, food printing, and food for people with swallowing difficulties are potential areas for further development.

A numerical investigation on the influence of trench holes upon the film cooling effectiveness of hydrogen- and ammonia-enriched gas turbine vanes

Hydrogen- or ammonia-enriched gas turbines are gaining increased attention for their environmentally friendly operation. To comprehend the effect of low-carbon fuels on vane cooling, this study employs numerical simulations to investigate for the first time the film cooling performance of a C3X turbine vane under hydrogen or ammonia combustion, with the mainstream water vapor content (MWVC) ranging from 0% to 100%. The simulations are conducted with the SST γ-θ transition model in the commercial software Ansys CFX. The results reveal a tendency of decreasing cooling effectiveness with increasing MWVC. However, serrated trench exhibits an effective guiding effect, thus enhancing the coolant lateral diffusion. Additionally, the serrated trench design minimizes the risk of coolant separation from the wall. The simulations indicate that the serrated trench significantly mitigates the decline in film cooling effectiveness caused by the MWVC increment, resulting in a noteworthy enhancement of cooling effectiveness by 122.49% to 193.54% over conventional cylindrical film holes. This study represents a preliminary exploration of turbine vane cooling for hydrogen- or ammonia- enriched gas turbines, establishing a foundation for subsequent turbine vane film cooling structure design. Its significance lies in facilitating the efficient operation of these turbines towards achieving zero-carbon emission targets and advancing innovative green technologies.

The productivity paradox in carbon‐intensive companies: How eco‐innovation affects corporate environmental and financial performance

AbstractEmpirical studies analyzing the relationship between strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and firms' environmental and financial performance often fail to find significant effects when firms invest in innovative green technologies. Indeed, as efficiency and productivity gains of new technologies can often be reaped only after a certain time gap, cross‐sectional studies are bound to ignore the time component, thus becoming subject to the productivity paradox. Employing an integrative approach, drawing on eco‐efficiency theory, productivity paradox, and innovation diffusion principles, this longitudinal study observes companies with high GHG emissions during and after the first two European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) trading periods (2005–2019). It analyzes (1) the dynamics of carbon reduction practices over time, (2) the impact of GHG reduction strategies on environmental performance, (3) the positive effect of GHG‐related efficiency improvements on firm performance, while considering (4) the moderating effect of GHG emissions type on the latter relationship.

The Impact of the Digital Economy on Urban Ecological Resilience: Empirical Evidence from China’s Comprehensive Big Data Pilot Zone Policy

The present study examines the effects of China’s comprehensive big data pilot zone policy on urban ecological resilience. This is achieved through the utilization of a quasi-natural experiment, employing panel data from 217 prefecture-level cities in China spanning the years 2010 to 2021. The research revealed that China’s extensive policy on big data pilot zones has a notable and favorable influence on the ecological resilience of urban areas. This impact is both constant and subject to variation across different regions. The aforementioned impact is attained by means of progressions in industrial structure and the introduction of innovative green technologies. Furthermore, the strategy exerts a beneficial impact on the ecological resilience of urban areas in adjacent regions by means of spatial spillover effects.

An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Green Investment on China's Green Development Level: Based on Mediating and Spatial Spillover Effects

This study, based on panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2007 to 2020, employs the Super Efficiency SBM model to measure the green total factor productivity of each province. By constructing mediating effect models and spatial econometric models, it conducts an empirical investigation into the mechanisms and spatial characteristics of how green investments promote China's green development. The results reveal that, at an overall level, green investments play a positive role in influencing China's green development. Regarding the influence pathways, innovative green technology advancements, both in terms of inventions and improvements, are important mediating channels through which green investments promote green development, with inventions having a stronger mediating effect. In terms of regional heterogeneity, green investments significantly promote green development in the eastern and central regions, while their promotion effect in the western regions is less pronounced. Concerning spatial spillover characteristics, green investments not only drive local green development levels but also stimulate the green development in surrounding areas through spatial spillover effects.

Harnessing Hyper-Accumulator Plants for an Innovative Green Technology to Recover Nickle from Serpentine Soils in Sri Lanka

Phyto-mining is an environmentally sound green technique that has been employed for metal recovery from low-grade sources using hyperaccumulator plants. Due to its economic viability and wide social acceptance, this technology has been favoured over many conventional mining applications. Nickel (Ni) phyto-mining was introduced to the world with the identification of many Ni hyperaccumulator species grown in Ni-enriched metalliferous soils like serpentine, where they accumulate more than 1,000 mg/kg of Ni. Along the boundary of Highland and Vijayan Complexes in Sri Lanka, Ginigalpelessa, Indikolapelessa, and Ussangoda serpentinite deposits are closely located by showing similar geographical features. According to previous studies, these deposits contain a high concentration of Ni in the soil causing the evolution of serpentinite flora unique to these areas. This study aimed to identify the diversity and the presence of hyperaccumulator species that can be employed in Ni phyto-mining. More importantly, the study focused on identifying annual or biannual crop species with short lifespans that can be used in phyto-mining. The plant diversity and abundance analysis were carried out using a grid sampling method (3×3 m), and the highly abundant species were harvested and subjected to aqua regia digestion to determine hyperaccumulator levels using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Ginigalpelessa and Indikolapelessa showed similar diversity, abundant with grass and small herb species, such as Apluda mutica, Imperata cylindrica, Eupatorium odoratum, and Tephrosia villosa, where the A. mutica was dominant. In addition, plants like Morinda tinctoria, Vitex pinnata, and Azadirachta indica were dispersed throughout the deposit. Ussangoda deposit exhibited few herb species, including Hybanthus enneaspermus, Evolvulus alsinoides, and Desmodium triflorum, and localized thick vegetation patches. Diversity analysis of all the deposits showed very low plant diversity, ranging from 0.1 to 1.3. Moreover, the areas containing high Ni concentrations (6,000- 10,000 mg/kg) were abundant with stunted trees and grass species. The present study identified the Apluda grass species as a potential Ni hyperaccumulator for phytomining since it accumulates a high concentration of Ni (900-2,800 mg/kg) and can be grown biannually. Even though the grass species was dominant in both Ginigalpelessa and Indikolapelessa deposits, it was not observed in Ussangoda deposit, probably due to the arid climate and the deposition of salt spray from the coast. The findings of this study would be promising to establish phytomining in serpentine soils to support the increasing demand for Ni in the global market, especially for clean energy transition.
 
 Keywords: Low-grade soils, Clean energy transition, Ni phyto-mining, Serpentinite deposits
 
 Financial assistance from SR/LT/2021/15 grant from University of Moratuwa is acknowledged

Sustainable thermal energy harvest for generating electricity

Electricity is the lifeblood of modern society. However, the predominant source of electricity generation still relies on non-renewable fossil fuels, whose combustion releases greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. The increasing demand for energy and escalating environmental concerns necessitate proactive measures to develop innovative green energy technologies capable of both cooling the Earth and generating electricity. Here, we look forward to an interdisciplinary power system integrating solar absorbers, radiative coolers, and thermoelectric generators. This system can simultaneously harvest thermal energy from the sun and from cold space, thereby transforming the challenges posed by global warming into opportunities for the production of clean electricity. We underscore recent advancements in this field and address key challenges while also exploring forward-looking opportunities in the foreseeable future. The proposed integrated energy technology achieves uninterrupted power supply through the unrestricted capture of thermal energy, offering a robust alternative pathway for next-generation sustainable energy technologies.

Modernization of the Heating System in Uzbekistan: Transition to Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Green Technologies

The article examines the problems and prospects of modernization of the heating system in Uzbekistan in the context of the transition to a green economy. The authors analysed the current state of the heating system and proposed solutions aimed at increasing its efficiency through the introduction of innovative green technologies, such as solar collectors and other renewable energy sources. The study substantiates the need to use energy-saving technologies and improve the energy efficiency of buildings to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Calculations of the economic efficiency of the proposed measures, including an assessment of the return on investment, are carried out. Recommendations are given for the development and support of green technologies in the heating sector at the state level.

Environmental Management and Green Practices in the Construction Industry Across ASEAN Countries: A Comparative Study

The construction industry in Southeast Asian countries especially Association of Southeast Asian Nations receive substantial attention and investment for the high return value of the industry. This review aims to assess the environmental impact of the construction industry in ASEAN countries, analyzing current status, government policies, and innovative green materials and technologies to mitigate environmental effects and promote sustainability. It is important to note that construction industry is currently identified as one of the greatest waste production businesses which can cause adverse impacts and pollution to the environment that degrade the environmental quality. Construction and demolition wastes are emphasized and studied in the following context. The status and government policy on environmental management practices in ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore are reviewed and summarised in this article. Furthermore, green construction materials and green material technologies that are practised in ASEAN countries are examined throughout the study. The green materials include bamboo, recycled concrete aggregate, coconut husk and bagasse while the green material technologies include hydrogen energy, carbon capture and storage, and solar energy are discussed and evaluated with respective advantage and disadvantages.

The Q-Tube-Assisted Green Sustainable Synthesis of Fused Azines: New Synthetic Opportunities via Innovative Green Technology

An efficient, economical, and green, sustainable synthesis of fused azines using Mg-Al hydrotalcite under a high-pressure Q-Tube reactor has been developed. This reaction proceeds through the aza-Michael addition of α,β-unsaturated ketone with different aminoazoles. This method offered excellent yields in a short reaction time that economically saved energy in addition to the protocol showing the reuse of the catalyst seven times without losing its catalytic activity.

Approach of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide for the Extraction of Kleeb Bua Daeng Formula.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is an innovative green technology for the extraction of phytochemicals from plants. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the application of SFE and to optimize the extraction conditions of the Thai herbal formula, Kleeb Bua Daeng (KBD). A Box-Behnken design (BBD) with response surface methodology (RMS) was used to determine the effect of the extraction time (30-90 min), temperature (30-60 °C), and pressure (200-300 bar) on response variables including the extraction yield, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total carotenoid content (TCC), and total anthocyanin content (TAC) of the KBD formula. The highest percentage extraction yield (3.81%) was achieved at 60 °C, 300 bar, and 60 min of the extraction time. The highest TPC (464.56 mg gallic acid equivalents/g extract), TFC (217.19 mg quercetin equivalents/g extract), and TCC (22.26 mg β-carotene equivalents/g extract) were all achieved at 60 °C, 250 bar, and 90 min of the extraction time. On the contrary, it was not possible to quantify the total anthocyanin content as anthocyanins were not extracted by this method. The results indicated that SFE-CO2 is a suitable method of extraction for a green recovery of phytochemicals with low and moderate polarity from the KBD formula.

Smart city pilots, marketization processes, and substantive green innovation: A quasi-natural experiment from China.

The world's major economies are striving to control carbon emissions and avoid irreversible impacts on the natural environment. Therefore, innovative green technologies are crucial for both government departments and the private sector as an important way to address carbon emissions. This study aims to investigate the link between the government's smart city construction and corporate green innovation and optimize the policy guidelines that drive green innovation in enterprises. This study analyzes 6,104 panels of Chinese listed companies from 2007-2019. An approach called the Differences-in-Differences model was applied to evaluate hypotheses. The empirical results suggest that smart city pilots drove substantial green innovation in businesses. The marketization process has a moderating effect on the impact of smart city pilots on substantive green innovation in enterprises. Moreover, marketization process has a threshold effect in smart city pilots influencing the substantive green innovation of enterprises, and the effect of smart city drivers influencing the substantive green innovation of enterprises increases significantly when regional marketization process reaches a certain level. The findings of this study provide valuable guidance for policy designers to promote corporate green innovation at both the hardware facility level and the market system level of cities when developing policies related to green innovation.