Intercontinental Transportation Research Articles

Techno-economic assessment of liquid carrier methods for intercontinental shipping of hydrogen: A case study

As global economies seek to transition to low-carbon energy systems to achieve net zero targets, hydrogen has potential to play a key role to decarbonise sectors that are unsuited to electrification or where long-term energy storage is required. Hydrogen can also assist in enabling decentralized renewable power generation to satisfy higher electricity demand to match the scale-up of electrified technologies. In this context, suitable transport, storage, and distribution networks will be essential to connect hydrogen generation and utilisation sites. This paper presents a techno-economic impact evaluation of international marine hydrogen transportation between Canada and the Netherlands, comparing liquid hydrogen, ammonia, and a dibenzyl toluene liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) as potential transport vectors. Economic costs, energy consumption and losses in each phase of the transportation system were analysed for each vector. Based on the devised scenarios, our model suggests levelised costs of hydrogen of 6.35–9.49 $2022/kgH2 and pathway efficiencies of 55.6–71.9%. While liquid hydrogen was identified as the most cost-competitive carrier, sensitivity analysis revealed a merit order for system optimisation strategies, based upon which LOHC could outperform both liquid hydrogen and ammonia in the future.

Gaidai multimodal risk evaluation methodology based on cargo vessel onboard measurements, given structural damage accumulation

Intercontinental transportation relies heavily on medium-to-large cargo vessels, constituting an essential component of the global trade. Thus, it is of paramount importance for trading companies, engineers, designers to advance innovative, economically viable logistical and structural schemes, that are safe and reliable. Full-scale onboard recorded data, when available, serves as valuable diagnostic tool that is hard to overestimate. An operating medium-size cargo ship TEU2800 had been selected for the current investigation. TEU2800 hull dynamics is by excessive deck panel strains, occurring during ship's intercontinental sailings through potentially adverse weather conditions. Inherent risks of damaging vessel hull and losing containers, caused by excessive motions/loads, being one of the primary concerns for the cargo transportation industry. Primary novelty of this investigation is twofold: for the first, a unique onboard measured representative dataset had been analyzed; for the second, novel multimodal reliability methodology had been employed to analyzed raw measured onboard data.Presented study advocates the state-of-the-art Gaidai multimodal spatiotemporal risks assessment methodology, enabling conservative structural hazard/damage/failure risk forecasting for nonstationary, nonlinear, multimodal cargo vessel hull dynamics, under accumulated fatigue damage. Note that the advocated novel multimodal risks evaluation methodology being of generic nature and may be straightforwardly applied to a wide range of contemporary complex naval, offshore, marine systems, hence not being limited to cargo vessels only.

Unlocking the potential of cryogenic biogas upgrading technologies integrated with bio-LNG production: A comparative assessment

Biogas has gained increasing consideration as a competitive, environmentally benign, and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. These benefits of biogas necessitate the need for intercontinental transportation, which is challenging because of its low energy density. Liquefaction is a viable approach to increase energy density, but this approach is energy and cost-intensive and requires high purity of biomethane. Cryogenic biogas upgrading integrated with the biomethane liquefaction (or bio-LNG) process is an efficient technique to meet these challenges due to its dual benefits: separation with high purity/recovery and precooling of biomethane. This study evaluates different cryogenic technologies (distillation, controlled freeze zone (CFZ), and anti-sublimation) and their integration potential with the bio-LNG production process from a technical and economic perspective. This type of comparative assessment is not found in the open literature. In addition, the CFZ process has not been investigated previously for biogas upgrading. The processes are designed and simulated in Aspen Hysys v14. Among all these processes, the CFZ performs better due to its single-column operation, which reduces cost and energy requirements. The results reveal that the CFZ process is an efficient and economical integrated process, boasting high exergy efficiency (40%), competitive energy consumption (0.30 kWh/kg), and a low production cost (6.3 $/MMBtu). This study can help process engineers design an improved biogas supply chain in terms of cost and energy.

РОЗВИТОК КООПЕРАЦІЙНИХ ВІДНОСИН АВІАТРАНСПОРТНИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ В СИСТЕМІ ГЛОБАЛЬНОЇ ІНФРАСТРУКТУРИ РИНКУ АВІАЦІЙНИХ ПЕРЕВЕЗЕНЬ

The purpose of the article is to study the peculiarities of the construction and functioning of modern cooperation mechanisms of air transport enterprises, to substantiate the advantages and risks of cooperation based on the analysis of key trends of international cooperative relations in the global infrastructure system of the air transportation market. Scientific theories of international division of labour, international specialization and internationalization of cooperative relations form the methodological basis of the research. Both general scientific and special methods of scientific knowledge were used – historical-logical, descriptive-analytical, analysis and synthesis, methods of quantitative and qualitative comparisons. The informational basis of the article is monographic studies and periodical publications of domestic and foreign economists, analytical reports of international organizations, international consulting companies and analytical centres. The article examines the global experience of implementing international cooperative relations of air transport enterprises, highlights the main forms of airline cooperation. It was established that the degree and conditions of involvement of airlines in cooperative relations differ in the markets of domestic and international transportation, intercontinental air transportation. The most common mechanisms of interaction between airlines are the conclusion of interline agreements and codeshare agreements. It was revealed that global aviation alliances occupy a dominant position in the structure of the world air transport market. It is also stated that the highest level of cooperation between airlines is the creation of joint ventures, which makes it possible to avoid mergers and acquisitions. Within the framework of the study, the advantages and risks of various forms of cooperation for both air passengers and subjects of international aviation business are substantiated. Research results can be used for scientific substantiation and further creation of proper conditions for effective international cooperation of domestic air transport enterprises during the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

Correlation analysis of factors affecting piggyback transportation in Uzbekistan

Rail transport is traditionally used in the implementation of international and intercontinental piggyback transportation. Despite a significant level of computerization and informatization, the level of delays in the delivery of goods in the field of piggyback intermodal transportation is not decreasing. The unsatisfactory speed of piggyback trains is a significant factor in these delays. This situation has developed due to the lack of effective approaches to building management systems that would demonstrate a high level of efficiency in the face of uncertainty, which is a natural component of the transportation process. The article is devoted to the correlation analysis of factors affecting the cargo turnover of piggyback transportation in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The main factors affecting the cargo turnover of piggyback transportation were identified; the degree of the effect was established by statistical methods. Based on data obtained for the last ten years, a correlation matrix and a regression model of cargo turnover were built. The results obtained make it possible to build forecasts for the cargo turnover of piggyback transportation for 2–4 years with a 95% confidence interval.

The single-layer readout electronics design and development for CEPC scintillator analog hadronic calorimeter prototype

With the progress in modern high-energy physics, the Standard Model is constantly being refined. As the last brick of the Standard Model, the Higgs boson was confirmed to be discovered in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012. For the further exploration of the Higgs boson, the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) is proposed. The baseline detector concept of CEPC is guided by the particle flow principle. The Particle Flow Algorithm (PFA) reconstructs a list of low-level particles and associates every detector hit with these particles. The high granularity hadronic calorimeter (HCAL) represents an essential component of PFA-based detectors. This paper mainly presents the single-layer electronics design and development for the scintillator analog hadronic calorimeter prototype (AHCAL). The single-layer readout electronics consists of front-end electronics board (FEB) and data interface (DIF) board. The FEB carries the silicon photomultipliers (SiPM), plastic scintillators, and the SiPM signal readout circuit. A single SiPM coupled with a scintillator constitute the basic detection unit. The size of scintillator used here is 4 cm×4 cm. A sensitive area of 72×72 cm2 can be covered by the design presented here. 324 SiPMs coupled with scintillators are mounted on each FEB. Besides the huge sensitive area, The AHCAL prototype must also meet strict requirements on the integration and robustness of the electronics. This paper develops a complete single-layer readout electronics design that meets the requirements for use in the AHCAL. The results of beam test shows that the peak of the minimum ionizing particle (MIP) is separated from the pedestal evidently and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is better than 20. The volume required for the electronics is less than 4 cm3 per channel. In addition, the FEB is sufficiently robust to avoid damage during intercontinental transportation. The development of the single-layer electronics represents significant progress in the design of a prototype device that meets the requirement for use in the CEPC.

Emerging waste-to-wealth applications of fly ash for environmental remediation: A review

The considerable increase in world energy consumption owing to rising global population, intercontinental transportation and industrialization has posed numerous environmental concerns. Particularly, in order to meet the required electricity supply, thermal power plants for electricity generation are widely used in many countries. However, an annually excessive quantity of waste fly ash up to 1 billion tones was globally discarded from the combustion of various carbon-containing feedstocks in thermoelectricity plants. About half of the industrially generated fly ash is dumped into landfills and hence causing soil and water contamination. Nonetheless, fly ash still contains many valuable components and possesses outstanding physicochemical properties. Utilizing waste fly ash for producing value-added products has gained significant interests. Therefore, in this work, we reviewed the current implementation of fly ash-derived materials, namely, zeolite and geopolymer as efficient adsorbents for the environmental treatment of flue gas and polluted water. Additionally, the usage of fly ash as a catalyst support for the photodegradation of organic pollutants and reforming processes for the corresponding wastewater remediation and H2 energy generation is thoroughly covered. In comparison with conventional carbon-based adsorbents, fly ash-derived geopolymer and zeolite materials reportedly exhibited greater heavy metal ions removal and reached the maximum adsorption capacity of about 150 mg g−1. As a support for biogas reforming process, fly ash could enhance the activity of Ni catalyst with 96% and 97% of CO2 and CH4 conversions, respectively.

Sailing Through Totalitarian Regimes. The Profile of a Shipping Company at the Lower Danube: Maritime Intercontinental

ABSTRACT This study presents the context of the emergence and evolution of the Maritime Intercontinental shipping company in Brăila. The methodological approach rests on novel methods used entrepreneurship history researchers, who have developed patterns of analysis of entrepreneurs. In this article, the shipping company and its shareholders are superimposed on the template developed by the researcher Carlos Dávila. In writing this study, beyond the theoretical and statistical information known to specialists in the history of economics and entrepreneurship, we have managed to identify unpublished sources stored in the archive collections of Romanian ports. The archival materials analysed took us through the borderless universe of entrepreneurship around the Second World War. Based on the sources consulted, we sailed the Danube and the seas of the world to reach from Brăila to Naples, the port where ‘Il Comandante’ Achille Lauro thrived.

Intercontinental shipping in the European Union emissions trading system: A ‘fifty–fifty’ alignment with the law of the sea and international climate law?

AbstractThe European Commission has proposed to extend the European Union (EU) emissions trading system to 50% of the carbon dioxide emissions from intercontinental maritime voyages that start or end at European ports. Yet, it remains unclear why this ‘fifty–fifty’ scope was selected and whether it is compatible with international law. This article disentangles the proposal's rationale and maps the EU's jurisdictional possibilities and limitations from the perspective of the law of the sea and international climate law. The findings suggest that, although there are sufficient jurisdictional grounds for implementing the extended emissions trading system as a port entry condition, the applicable legal limitations require certain amendments to the EU proposal. Concrete legal suggestions are formulated to increase alignment with the enforcement restrictions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in international climate law, while complying with the obligations of nondiscrimination, good faith, and nonabuse of rights.

Cambioxylophagous Pests of Scots Pine: Ecological Physiology of European Populations—A Review

Climatic extremes have been gathering momentum since the 1880s and are believed to be a long-term factor increasing the mortality of Scots pine trees, Pinus sylvestris (L.) in Europe. Weather monitoring over the past 120 years shows that, in Central Europe, surface air temperatures grow at a rate of 0.18°C per decade. Many changes due to these abiotic stressors are already visible in the forests’ canopy and biodiversity. But the influence of the rise in temperature and in precipitation deficiency brings one more player into this die-back scheme. Bark beetles, and their increasing outbreaks, are further agents acting to accelerate and expand the impacts of weather on trees. While P. sylvestris react to abiotic stressors by decreasing functions of the hydraulic system, mainly the defense system, for bark beetles, warming is a profitable condition. Various bionomy processes are modified: vegetation seasons prolong, larval growth and development rates accelerate, reproductive potential rises, and overwintering success increases. Thus, the insect populations grow, and the infestation pressure on weakened hosts intensifies. Finally, even species of small ecologic importance can cause extensive losses of forest cover. Furthermore, international trade and intercontinental transportation support the potential threat of spreading forest pests far away from their original geographic range. Together with climatic amelioration, pests may adapt to new conditions, establish new prosperous populations, disperse rapidly, and cause prodigious losses. However, detailed information about cambioxylophagous pests on P. sylvestris in Central Europe is still missing. The purpose of our review is to map the bionomy and behavior of six bark beetle species—in particular, the sharp-dentated bark beetle, Ips acuminatus (Gyllenhal, 1827), the six-toothed bark beetle, Ips sexdentatus (Börner, 1767), the common pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (Linnaeus, 1758), the lesser pine shoot beetle, Tomicus minor (Hartig, 1834), the pine shoot beetle, Tomicus destruens (Wollaston, 1865), the Mediterranean pine engraver, Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston, 1857) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), and the steel-blue jewel beetle, Phaenops cyanea (Fabricius, 1775) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)—on P. sylvestris in Central Europe, to compare and summarize the available data on European populations, and to try to propose ideas and directions for future research.

Sufficiency, Consistency, and Efficiency as a Base for Systemizing Sustainability Measures in Food Supply Chains

Due to severe biodiversity and climate crises, there is now a need for sustainable supply chains. Food supply chains contribute to biodiversity loss, especially through land use and agriculture. In addition, energy-intensive storage for refrigeration and intercontinental transportation lead to high emission along chains due to seasonality. Selecting and prioritizing decarbonization actions is a key task for decision makers along food supply chains this decade. Often, modernizing supply chains by integrating information and digital technologies is seen as beneficial for environmental goals. The aim of this work is to develop a new systematization of sustainability measures based on archetypal sustainability strategies (sufficiency, consistency, and efficiency) that support the prioritization and thus the selection of decarbonization measures. Existing measures will be researched through a structured literature review. At the same time, it is recorded how they are categorized or systematized. Forty-eight different systematizations are analyzed. The majority relate to specific sectors and are not generally transferable. Sustainability is often addressed using the triple bottom line. In particular, efficiency and consistency measures are often included in the categories found but are rarely used for systematization. A new systematization of sustainability measures is proposed and applied to a set of digitalization and logistics 4.0 measures using the example of a fresh apple supply chain. The advantages of the proposed systematization are discussed, and further research directions are given. The presented method has not been examined in the literature so far; this concerns both the width and depth of the consideration of supply chains.

Structures of port connectivity, competition, and shipping networks in Europe

In this study, we use service-based centrality measures to evaluate 29 major European ports' centrality levels and apply them to both the China-connection and intra-Europe networks. The largest European container ports are primarily centrally positioned in the China-connection network, but relatively weak in the intra-network unless capacities are considered. An important insight into the impacts of Chinese influence has been revealed by Piraeus: its strikingly high ranking with closeness centrality in the China-Europe network and in all the three indices in the intra-Europe network suggest the strong influence of Chinese presence. However, its “normal” degree and betweenness measures in the China-Europe network, ranking below the first tier ports, indicates that the impacts are not comprehensive enough to fundamentally shift the established China-Europe shipping system. The major ports along the Hamburg-Le Havre range remain as hubs within the intercontinental shipping networks, with Piraeus rapidly catching up. The influences of relationships with the liners and even countries are not just revealed by Piraeus, but also by Hamburg, which has obtained high ranking in the China-connection network due to its strong bonds with Chinese trade. Finally, we illustrate that port centrality comparisons must be made with a clearly defined network, as their positions within different networks can be very different.

OPTIMAL NAVAL PATH PLANNING IN ICE-COVERED WATERS

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic and it is critical for global trade as it provides a route between Asia and Europe that is significantly shorter than the alternatives. NSR is soon expected to open for intercontinental shipping due to global warming and thus presents tremendous opportunities for reductions in shipping time, cost, and environmental impacts. On the other hand, facilitating this route requires innovative approaches due to the navigation risks associated with its ice-covered waters. This study presents a graph-theoretical approach for optimal naval navigation in ice-covered sea routes with flexible turn angles based on the idea of large-adjacency grid graphs. Our model allows for asymmetric left and right turn radii as well as turn speeds that vary as a function of the turn angle and it offers natural-looking navigation paths.

Presumed Exposure to Chemical Pollutants and Experienced Health Impacts among Warehouse Workers at Logistics Companies: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

During intercontinental shipping, freight containers and other closed transport devices are applied. These closed spaces can be polluted with various harmful chemicals that may accumulate in poorly ventilated environments. The major pollutants are residues of pesticides used for fumigation as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from the goods. While handling cargos at logistics companies, workers can be exposed to these pollutants, frequently without adequate occupational health and safety precautions. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among potentially exposed warehouse workers and office workers as controls at Hungarian logistics companies (1) to investigate the health effects of chemical pollutants occurring in closed spaces of transportation and storage and (2) to collect information about the knowledge of and attitude toward workplace chemical exposures as well as the occupational health and safety precautions applied. Pre-existing medical conditions did not show any significant difference between the working groups. Numbness or heaviness in the arms and legs (AOR = 3.99; 95% CI = 1.72–9.26) and dry cough (AOR = 2.32; 95% CI = 1.09–4.93) were significantly associated with working in closed environments of transportation and storage, while forgetfulness (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.18–0.87), sleep disturbances (AOR = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.17–0.78), and tiredness after waking up (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.20–0.79) were significantly associated with employment in office. Warehouse workers who completed specific workplace health and safety training had more detailed knowledge related to this workplace chemical issue (AOR = 8.18; 95% CI = 3.47–19.27), and they were significantly more likely to use certain preventive measures. Warehouse workers involved in handling cargos at logistics companies may be exposed to different chemical pollutants, and the related health risks remain unknown if the presence of these chemicals is not recognized. Applied occupational health and safety measures at logistics companies are not adequate enough to manage this chemical safety issue, which warrants awareness raising and the introduction of effective preventive strategies to protect workers’ health at logistics companies.

On COVID-19-safety ranking of seats in intercontinental commercial aircrafts: A preliminary multiphysics computational perspective.

The evolution of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) into a pandemic has severely hampered the usage of public transit systems. In a post-COVID-19 world, we may see an increased reliance on autonomous cars and personal rapid transit (PRT) systems, with inherent physical distancing, over buses, trains and aircraft for intracity, intercity, and interstate travel. However, air travel would continue to be the dominant mode of intercontinental transportation for humans. In this study, we perform a comprehensive computational analysis, using ANSYS Fluent, of typical intercontinental aircraft ventilation systems to determine the seat where environmental factors are most conducive to human comfort with regards to air quality, protection from orally or nasally released pollutants such as CO2 and coronavirus, and thermal comfort levels. Air velocity, temperature, and air pollutant concentration emitted from the nose/mouth of fellow travelers are considered for both Boeing and Airbus planes. In each plane, first class, business class, and economy class sections were analyzed. We present conclusions as to which is the optimum seat in each section of each plane and provide the data of the environmental conditions to support our inferences. The findings may be used by the general public to decide which seat to occupy for their next intercontinental flight. Alternatively, the commercial airliners can use such a model to plan the occupancy of the aircraft on long-duration intercontinental flights (viz., Airbus A380 and Boeing B747).Electronic Supplementary MaterialSupplementary material is available for this article at 10.1007/s12273-021-0774-y and is accessible for authorized users.

ОБҐРУНТУВАННЯ НЕОБХІДНОСТІ КАПІТАЛІЗАЦІЇ ЗАЛІЗНИЧНОГО ТРАНСПОРТУ

The article examines the need for capitalization of railway transport and notes that a stable railway transport is a guarantee of development of all sectors of the economy, and its effectiveness is determined by the dynamics of recovery of fixed assets, growth of demand for rail transport, structural reform, efficiency of tariff policy, state-regulated natural monopoly sectors, the intensity of use of international transport corridors. The contribution of railway transport to the economic development of the country is determined, which is manifested in the effect of the network, improvement of results, reliability, market size and productivity. The main factors that prompted railway transport to capitalize are identified, which include: restructuring (involves market introduction and competition in areas that are not a natural monopoly), market liberalization and the creation of joint ventures or public-private partnerships. These factors were considered on the example of railway transport in European countries, in particular, the restructuring was considered on the basis of the experience of Polish Railways, market liberalization - Lithuanian Railways, and public-private partnership - French National Railways. Consideration of the capitalization of railway transport took into account its attribution to the critical infrastructure and the commitment to perform socially important tasks. The analysis allowed to identify a number of advantages (relative efficiency, the possibility of using different types of packaging and forms of transportation, flexibility of delivery, independence from climatic conditions and seasonality) and disadvantages (large infrastructure, increased costs in case of increasing transportation distance, transshipment in case of intercontinental transportation etc.). It is substantiated that the formation of a systematic approach to the capitalization of railway transport will increase the efficiency of equity use, maximum satisfaction of demand in the market of transport services, the formation of economically sound management structure and maximize the efficiency of financial investments.

An Icelandic Perspective: Opening the Arctic Ocean

This essay provides an Icelandic perspective on the opening of the Arctic Ocean. It provides an overview of the historic evolution of Arctic shipping divided into three distinct stages: The initial stage was driven by search for alternative shipping routes during the expansionist era of modern Europe. The Soviet stage was driven by Soviet strategic interests during the Cold War. The contemporary stage is driven by new technologies, resource development in the Arctic and tourism. A second section focuses on Iceland’s reaction to climate change linking it to Iceland’s role in the Arctic Council, and the need for action and adaptation. The final section connects the two first sections and highlights Iceland’s potential role in future trans-Arctic shipping. It heralds the beginning of the fourth stage of the evolution of Arctic shipping with the imminent opening of the Arctic Ocean for intercontinental shipping, This stage will be driven by the need for increased connectivity in a globalized economy, decreasing sea ice, capacity constraints of current shipping routes and security concerns

Перевезення продукції органічного землеробства в повітряних коридорах

Стаття присвячена актуальній проблемі забезпечення процесу перевезень повітряними коридорами продукції органічного характеру.Метою даного дослідження є розробка теоретико-методологічних положень організації перевезення швидкопсувної продукції органічного походження.Предметом дослідження статті є логістика перевезень швидкопсувних вантажів в повітряних коридорах.Актуальність теми полягає у тому, що сьогодні найкращим способом доставки є міжнародні транспортні коридори. Для покращення доставки швидкопсувних вантажів необхідно обирати найдоцільніший вид транспортування зберігаючи якість самих товарів. Складність повітряного перевезення органічної продукції полягає у тому, що під час посадки на вантажі діють значні динамічні навантаження, а в польоті – різкі перепади температури. Це може негативно відображатися на якості продукції, що перевозиться. У статті висвітлена проблема перевалки з одного борту на інший, яка ускладняється тим, що мають бути дотримані всі умови забезпечення температурних режимів та відсутності навіть незначних ударних перевантажень.На сьогоднішньому ринку все частіше набувають популярності свіжі продукти, але через неправильне транспортування органічні продукти можуть втратити свої властивості, їх якість вже буде сумнівною. Відповідно до рівня міжнародних стандартів потрібно покращувати логістичне обслуговування таких вантажів. Вирішення цієї проблеми дає досвід розвинених країн, в яких активно створюються і удосконалюються регіональні, національні та транснаціональні транспортно-логістичні системи, що забезпечують ефективні транспортні, науково-виробничі та постачальницько-збутові комунікації між економічними агентами.В результаті виконаних досліджень визначено методичні засади управління логістикою перевезень швидкопсувних вантажів в авіаційних повітряних коридорах, що може забезпечити оптимізацію бізнеспроцесів постачань продукції органічного землеробства безпосередньо замовникам із збереженням якості та своєчасності доставки.Практичне значення отриманих результатів полягає в тому, що вони можуть бути використані при прийнятті управлінських рішень та розробці умов та вимог перевезення продуктів з метою підвищення якості їх логістичного обслуговування.

Metadata Analysis of mcr-1-Bearing Plasmids Inspired by the Sequencing Evidence for Horizontal Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes Between Polluted River and Wild Birds.

We sequenced the whole genomes of three mcr-1-positive multidrug-resistant E. coli strains, which were previously isolated from the environment of egret habitat (polluted river) and egret feces. The results exhibit high correlation between antibiotic-resistant phenotype and genotype among the three strains. Most of the mobilized antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are distributed on plasmids in the forms of transposons or integrons. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) regions of high homology are detected on plasmids of different E. coli isolates. Therefore, horizontal transfer of resistance genes has facilitated the transmission of antibiotic resistance between the environmental and avian bacteria, and the transfer of ARGs have involved multiple embedded genetic levels (transposons, integrons, plasmids, and bacterial lineages). Inspired by this, systematic metadata analysis was performed for the available sequences of mcr-1-bearing plasmids. Among these plasmids, IncHI2 plasmids carry the most additional ARGs. The composition of these additional ARGs varies according to their geographical distribution. The phylogenetic reconstruction of IncI2 and IncX4 plasmids provides the evidence for their multiregional evolution. Phylogenetic analysis at the level of mobile genetic element (plasmid) provides important epidemiological information for the global dissemination of mcr-1 gene. Highly homologous mcr-1-bearing IncI2 plasmids have been isolated from different regions along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, suggesting that migratory birds may mediate the intercontinental transportation of ARGs.

Life cycle assessment of emerging technologies on value recovery from hard disk drives

Value recovery from end-of-life hard disk drives (HDDs) is a promising strategy to promote a circular economy due to the valuable material content, large availability, and regulated disposal for data security. However, current business practices are limited to reuse or shredding of HDDs for base metal recovery, which are not optimal for environmental sustainability. In particular, the neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, which contain rare earth elements (REEs) that have significant environmental impacts and supply chain risks, are not recovered. To address this challenge, technologies are emerging to enable REE recovery from HDDs. This work focuses on comparing novel technologies, including direct reuse of magnet assemblies, magnet-to-magnet recycling, and recovery of REEs. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed on each recovery pathway to quantify and compare the environmental impacts. Primary data were collected from Seagate and other key stakeholders in the HDD value chain. LCA results showed that reusing HDDs is the most environmentally friendly option in terms of global warming potential, reducing CO2 eq. emissions by 5∼18 kg per drive life cycle, when compared to the virgin production and shredding for aluminum recovery. Reuse of magnet assembly is the next best option (reducing ∼1.9 kg of CO2 eq. emissions), followed by magnet-to-magnet recycling (∼1.2 kg of CO2 eq. emissions), and metal recycling (∼0.02 kg of CO2 eq. emissions). Environmental hotspots were also identified, revealing the significant contribution of intercontinental transportation mode for the reverse logistics. Future research is suggested on optimizing the reverse supply chain to reduce the environmental footprint of HDD value recovery.