Negative Environmental Impact Research Articles

From rush to responsibility: Evaluating incentives on online fashion customers’ willingness to wait

Online retail is characterized by an increasing emphasis on shorter delivery times, which often comes with high logistics costs and a negative environmental impact. Conversely, longer order fulfillment times improve cost and eco-efficiency. This paper investigates whether customers in German-speaking countries are willing to wait longer for their online orders in the fashion, shoes, and accessories sector when offered incentives in return. The research employed an online survey using a within-subjects design. Results indicate that incentives significantly extend customers’ patience. Savings on shipping costs and information on the reduction in CO2 emissions greatly impact willingness to wait. Personal traits like gender, age, eco-awareness, and order urgency affect incentive responses. This demonstrates customers’ readiness to make trade-offs in delivery time and emphasizes the importance of explicitly addressing the ecological impact of delivery. Suggestions for online retailers and logistics include slower delivery choices and customized incentives aligned with target audience and market.

Recent advances in packaging materials for food products

AbstractThe food industry is adapting to evolving consumer demands for “healthy” and premium quality food by reducing the adverse effects of food packaging through innovative advancements in active and intelligent packaging technologies. These smart innovations offer diverse and creative ways to enhance food product quality and safety while extending shelf life. Emerging techniques are also improving the passive aspects of food packaging systems, such as thermal stability, barrier effectiveness, and mechanical strength. Notably, the use of plants, biodegradable materials, and nanomaterials in sustainable food packaging helps mitigate its negative environmental impact. By integrating intelligent, environmentally friendly, and active packaging technologies, a multipurpose food packaging system can be developed that maintains the integrity of all its components, representing the pinnacle of technological advancement in food packaging. This article reviews the fundamentals of food packaging systems, recent advancements in various packaging techniques, commercialized patents, future research trends, and the challenges that need to be addressed in food packaging.

Selection of optimal draw solution recovery technology for forward osmosis desalination system using analytical hierarchy process

Water scarcity poses a significant threat to global food and water security, prompting a need for practical solutions. With 97% of Earth’s water situated in oceans, desalination emerges as a viable option. Among desalination technologies, forward osmosis (FO) using membrane-based technology stands out for its potential to reduce costs and energy requirements. The focus on energy consumption in FO has prompted an exploration of optimal technology selection through the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making method. Value judgments were collected through a questionnaire in consultation with two experts. Environmental aspects emerged as the most critical factor, weighted at 0.3963. The AHP analysis revealed nanofiltration (NF) as the optimal system, attaining a total weight of 0.2612. The NF scored highest in terms of environmental impact (C3), operating and maintenance costs (S6), and energy requirements (S4). Conversely, membrane distillation ranked as the least preferred alternative, with a total score of 0.1335, mainly due to lower maturity of technology (S3), higher capital costs (S5), and negative environmental impact (C3). Sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate how changing weights for sub-criteria might affect the preferred technology. Notably, Reverse Osmosis became the most favored technology when efficiency (S1) and S3 weights were set at 0.3 and 0.2, respectively. Conversely, thermal separation gained preference when the weights for resistance to scaling and fouling (S2) and S5 were set at 0.3. Changes in S4, S6, and C3 have showed the most minor sensitivity.

Revolutionizing electrospinning: Sustainable solutions through deep eutectic solvents in biopolymer processing

AbstractElectrospinning is currently one of the most used techniques for obtaining various types of nanofibers. In the era of sustainable development, it is essential to utilize environmentally friendly raw materials and solvents. This review summarizes the current state of the art in biopolymer electrospinning using deep eutectic solvents. To date, there have not been too many studies on the simultaneous application of these mixtures and biopolymers in the electrospinning process. Nevertheless, the use of natural origin raw materials and the replacement of conventional organic solvents with deep eutectic solvents appear promising in this technique due to many attractive properties of both the mixtures and biopolymers. This article aims to inspire scientists to further research in this direction, related to the development of electrospinning techniques aimed at reducing the negative environmental impact.

Feasibility Analysis of Solar Energy and Role of Lithium-Ion Battery Reserved in Electric Vehicle Market: A Path Towards Green Transportation

Solar-based vehicular electrification is bound to play a vital role in Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction from conventional transports and supporting the fight against environmental degradation. This paper presents the feasibility of solar-based electric vehicle charging (SEVC) in India, a shift of the transportation sector to renewable energy implementation. Solar-electric vehicles may transform the scenario in the coming future in India on a larger scale. Extensive negative environmental impact is produced by transport activities as it pours out 14% of global GHG emissions. The transportation sector is the second major contributor to pollution in India. Currently, dealers of non-renewable resources like coal, petroleum, etc. are facing a tough time meeting increasing demand. This results in limited resources which are being suppressed by the dealers and producers to meet this need which leads us to an insecure future, having scarcity of minerals and fuel. In this paper, we perform a graphical analysis of fuel consumption in India, the growing demand for green transportation in the Indian market and solar potential in our country. In Feb 2023, India’s government revealed the finding of a 5.9 million tons stockpile of unexplored lithium deposits in the Jammu and Kashmir state. So, the price of batteries would be significantly impacted by this, making EVs more accessible to customers. This paper also includes challenges in adopting solar-based transportation, steps of the Indian Government towards green transportation and recommended policies.

Exploring green solvents for the sustainable fabrication of bio-based polylactic acid membranes using nonsolvent-induced phase separation

Green and sustainable membrane technology has recently gained attention from the membrane community to minimize the negative environmental impacts associated with conventional membrane production in industries, which rely on petrochemical engineering plastics and toxic organic solvents. While the fabrication of biobased and biodegradable polymeric membranes using common organic solvents has been reported, eco-friendly membrane-fabrication techniques using greener solvents are required to improve sustainability and reduce the negative environmental impact of the membrane industry. For the first time, this study comprehensively investigates the potential use of green solvents for preparing polylactic acid (PLA) membranes via the phase separation technique. PLA solubility and phase separation experiments, employing various green solvents were conducted to examine the potential applicability of these solvents for membrane fabrication. Porous PLA membranes exhibit different surface and pore structures depending on the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the green solvents. Based on the phase separation study, both fine PLA ultrafiltration membranes with controllable molecular weight cut-off and mechanically robust PLA microfiltration membranes with bi-continuous pore structure were successfully prepared using methyl lactate. The prepared green membranes showed a competitive filtration performance implying that the fully bio-based PLA membranes could substitute the conventional engineering plastic-based membranes in versatile membrane filtration and separation processes, especially single-use or consumable membrane products in environmental and healthcare industries.

Sustainable agricultural practices: Volcanic rock potential for soil remineralization

Brazil is one of the world's largest importers of agricultural inputs, with 84% of fertilizers used in the country originating from imports. The widespread use of soluble chemical fertilizers leads to various adverse environmental impacts, such as the eutrophication of water bodies. The development and improvement of techniques and agricultural products capable of providing a variety of macro and micronutrients to crops with the least negative environmental impact have been intensified. Soil remineralization through the addition of ground rocks represents a low-negative environmental impact alternative and clean food production, aligning with the second goal of sustainable development proposed by the United nations agenda 2030. This study aimed to determine the viability of outcropping andesitic in the municipality of Jaguarão, in the extreme south of Brazil, for soil remineralization. For this purpose, mineralogical and geochemical characterization, as well as an analysis of availability of nutrients using citric acid as an extracting solution indicated a significant availability of macronutrients (Ca, K, Mg, and Mn) and micronutrients (Fe and Cu), essential for the development of various crops., were performed. The free quartz content and the levels of K2O, MgO, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb comply with the parameters established by Normative Instruction No. 5 of 2016 from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply (MAPA), which regulates the commercialization of soil remineralizers. The analysis of availability of nutrients using citric acid as an extracting solution indicated a significant availability of macronutrients (Ca, K, Mg, and Mn) and micronutrients (Fe and Cu), essential for the development of various crops.

Nugget Processing with Addition of Egg Shell Flour in Kotabaru Village, Jambi

Calcium is an essential micronutrient for children to the postmenopausal women. In practice, consumption of calcium-rich foods sourced from animal protein foods for family members, especially children, is still low. Egg shells contain calcium which can be fortified into nuggets to produce calcium-rich nuggets. Thus, the high benefits of egg shells will be obtained and reduce the negative environmental waste impact. Kota Baru Village, Geragai Subdistrict, Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency was chosen as the location for community service because apart from being an UNJA’s integrated laboratory village, this area is one of the location for stunting reduction in Jambi Province. This community service project has target of producing nugget products with the addition of egg shell flour, as well as increasing the knowledge and skills of village business group members. Evaluation of participants' knowledge and skills was carried out using pre-test and post-test questionnaire and checklist of nugget-making procedures. The results of this community service showed that there was a difference in 10 participants' knowledge compared to before the training (test score from 72 to 88). The hedonic test showed that more participants really liked the eggshell and carrot nuggets formulation in terms of smell, texture, and taste. Processing of nuggets with the addition of eggshell flour can be an alternative local food source of animal protein which is also of economic value.

Toward Sustainable Polymer Materials for Rechargeable Batteries: Utilizing Natural Feedstocks and Recycling/Upcycling of Polymer Waste.

The ever-increasing demand for rechargeable battery systems in the era of electric vehicles has spurred extensive research into developing polymeric components for batteries, such as separators, polymer electrolytes, and binders. However, current battery systems rely on expensive and nonrenewable resources, which potentially have a negative environmental impact. Therefore, polymer materials derived from natural resources have gained significant attention, primarily due to their cost-effective and environmentally sustainable features. Moreover, natural feedstocks often possess highly polar functional groups and high molecular weights, offering desirable electro-chemo-mechanical features when applied as battery materials. More recently, various recycling and upcycling strategies for polymeric battery components have also been proposed given the substantial waste generation from end-of-life batteries. Recycling polymeric materials includes an overall process of recovering the components from spent batteries followed by regeneration into new materials. Polymer upcycling into battery materials involves transforming daily-used plastic waste into high-value-added battery components. This review aims to give a state-of-the-art overview of contemporary methods to develop sustainable polymeric materials and recycling/upcycling strategies for various battery applications.

AgEvidence: a dataset to explore agro-ecological effects of conservation agriculture

Conservation agriculture (CA) is a set of principles thought to be able to enhance crop productivity while minimizing impacts on the environment. The evidence base for CA can be challenging to synthesize because it encompasses many different practices and social and agroecological outcomes. To facilitate synthesis of CA evidence we have created a dataset organizing 218 response variables from five common categories of CA: cover crops, tillage management, pest management, nutrient management, and crop diversification. These data cover the Midwestern United States (U.S.) from 1980–2020. The dataset is also summarized and visualized on the AgEvidence website, which enables users to interactively explore, filter, and download data. We hope this dataset will help a wide variety of stakeholders, including researchers, policy makers, advocacy groups, and growers access the evidence needed to make informed and impactful decisions about how to produce food with less negative environmental impact.

Study of Botanical Music Integration using the Touché method

This study explores the integration of Touché's Swept Frequency Capacitive sensing technique with plant biology to understand plant responses to touch and to generate music from these interactions. The research involves the collection of various indoor plants such as Money Plant, Bamboo Plant, Oyster Plant, and Philodendron Plant, each with unique properties and benefits. Capacitive sensors are integrated with the plants, and Arduino boards are utilized to measure changes in capacitance upon touch. The electrical signals from plants are converted into musical notes using Max8 software, providing a dynamic interface for plant interaction. Results indicate that plants with thicker stems, such as bamboo and oyster plants, exhibit heightened sensitivity, potentially due to their higher water content and conductivity. The study also suggests succulent plants show promise in this regard. Through this interdisciplinary approach, insights are gained into plant sensory mechanisms and adaptive responses, bridging the gap between technology, biology, and music. Further investigations could delve into the specific mechanisms underlying plant sensitivity and explore the impact of music on plant growth and behaviour, offering new perspectives on plant communication and environmental responsiveness. Ultimately, this integration of technology with nature aims to promote growth without negative environmental impact.

Microwave-assisted ammonia decomposition over metal nitride catalysts at low temperatures

The negative environmental impact of fossil fuel-based energy systems has unveiled the need to develop a COx-free sustainable hydrogen (H2) economy. Employing a microwave-assisted route, a ternary metal nitride catalyst (i.e., Co2Mo3N), and a low-temperature-pressure NH3 decomposition process, this study investigated the possibility of developing a distributed H2 production process. This study not only explored lower cost-based catalyst systems but also the use of a microwave reactor to increase the energy efficiency of the process. Results from catalytic NH3 decomposition experiments, performed in microwave reactors on Co2Mo3N catalyst, demonstrated the peak energy efficiency (of ∼0.006 kgH2/kWh) at 400 °C in ambient pressure (with an NH3 conversion >90%) which was around ninety times (∼90 x) more efficient than a conventional system. Activation energy calculation also displayed a 20% less energy requirement for the microwave-based process (∼31 kJ mol−1) than the conventional system (∼37 kJ mol−1), indicating the advantage of the microwave-based process. Further microwave-assisted catalytic measurements and characterization of the Co2Mo3N catalyst, using x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images, revealed the excellent stability of this material at its peak performance (at 400 °C) and illustrated the potential of using this catalyst for a sustainable, economic, and energy-efficient approach for producing COx-free H2.

Changes in the Composition of Olive Pomace after Fermentation: A Preliminary Study

Because olive pomace (the main by-product of olive oil production) is phytotoxic, new applications must be investigated to minimize its negative environmental impact. In this work, olive pomace was fermented for 4 and 32 days at room temperature, having in view its valorization as a novel food, thereby creating opportunities for the food industry and addressing a challenge of the olive oil sector. The chemical and microbiological modifications that occurred along the fermentation were followed. The results showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) in total protein between the control and the fermented samples; however, the latter exhibited higher levels of essential amino acids. The major nonessential and essential amino acids were glutamic acid and leucine in all samples. There was a significant increase in the total fat of the 32-day sample and the main fatty acid was oleic acid in all samples. There were considerable reductions in total vitamin E, phenolics, and antioxidant activity values post-fermentation. Hydroxytyrosol replaced oleacein as the main phenolic in the 32-day sample. A sharp increase in total microorganisms occurred (2.20 × 102 to 3.00 × 104–2.01 × 107 colony forming units/mL) but no pathogenic microorganisms were detected. Overall, olive pomace fermentation creates novel products for the food industry with a balanced nutritional composition.

Assessment of Negative Impact of Operating Environment of the Enterprise on Business Processes and Economic Security

Assessment of Negative Impact of Operating Environment of the Enterprise on Business Processes and Economic Security

Advanced Nanostructured All‐Waterborne Thiol‐Ene/Reduced Graphene Oxide Humidity Sensors with Outstanding Selectivity

AbstractThe current‐state of polymer‐based humidity sensors faces numerous limitations, including energy‐costly synthesis, low sensitivity, and slow response times. This study presents innovative approach to overcome these challenges, based on a robust all‐water‐borne in situ miniemulsion polymerization. The use of water throughout the entire process mitigates the negative environmental impact. Thiol‐ene polymers reinforced with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with concentrations ranging from 0.2–1.0 wt% are selected to fabricate these chemoresistive sensors. The selected thiol‐enes present high hydrophobicity and a semicrystalline nature, suggesting resistance to early delamination even under prolonged exposure to humidity. Incorporating rGO not only imparts electrical conductivity but also enhances mechanical and water resistance of the composite films. The 0.6% rGO composite exhibits optimal resistance for humidity sensing, demonstrating rapid and consistent responses across three exposure cycles to water vapor concentrations ranging 800–5000 ppm. Moreover, the sensor exhibits remarkable selectivity toward water vapors over these of toluene, propanol, and 4‐methyl‐2‐pentanol, attributed to the high surface hydrophilicity and inherent porosity of the waterborne film, and network structuring of rGO platelets within the matrix. In summary, this study pioneers a novel approach to polymer‐based humidity sensing, addressing key limitations while offering enhanced sensitivity, rapid response times, and superior selectivity.

Theoretical aspects of innovative technologies in pig production

In the context of the globalization of the economy, the development of pig breeding enterprises is possible based on the highly efcient production of livestock products. A constraining factor for development is the lack of innovative technologies in most enterprises and the insignifcant impact of the introduction of innovative activities on improving production efciency. There is an important need to implement innovative transformations that would improve the economic performance of pig breeding enterprises, saturate the market with domestically produced products, and satisfy the social demand for cheap pork. The innovative model of pig production development ensures the competitiveness of enterprises in the industry, increases the level of food security of the state, and helps to solve problems related to environmental pollution and uncontrolled use of various additives in pork production. These issues necessitate substantiation of approaches to innovative development of enterprises in the pig industry and improvement of their efciency. The experience of domestic enterprises and foreign pork producers shows that in times of economic instability, it is important to be prepared for changes in the meat market. Such readiness is ensured by the planning and implementation of innovative approaches to the pig industry at enterprises. The innovative activity of enterprises in modern conditions should be aimed at social and economic satisfaction of the population's needs and environmental safety. The article focuses on theoretical and methodological aspects of the innovative development of the pig industry. The issues of modern technologies, innovations, and innovative activity are highlighted, and the defnition of "innovative development of enterprise" is analyzed. The article analyses the direction of development of competitive pig farms, taking into account the level of technological development of production and changes in the market share of enterprises. A special approach to the formation of the development of pig enterprises based on the transition to an innovative model of ensuring their competitiveness and modernisation of production according to the criteria that meet the capital replenishment, satisfaction of market demand for pork, and a slight negative environmental impact on the environment is noted. Key words: innovations, innovative activity, innovative development of pig breeding enterprises, economic indicators, innovative approaches, pork market, food security, environmental pollution, environmental safety.

#2769 The impact of carbon footprint in advanced chronic kidney disease treatments

Abstract Background and Aims Climate change has been classified as “the greatest global threat to health in the 21st century”. The quantification of the carbon footprint (CF) currently stands as the most accepted model for assessing the ecological impact of various businesses and healthcare systems. Renal treatments have a significant impact on the CF of healthcare systems, especially in terms of supple chains and waste management. The choice of the most environmentally friendly treatment for pathologies arising from advanced chronic kidney disease (ACKD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) can impact the amount of waste generated and energy consumed. The objective was to analyze the carbon footprint (CF) impact resulting from the use of two different drugs in patients with the same medical condition: advanced chronic kidney disease (ACKD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD). One group received cinacalcet and another group received subcutaneous darbepoetin. Method Transversal observational study including 41 patients (19 receiving cinacalcet and 22 received darbepoetin alfa) that collected medication from the hospital pharmacy from February 1 to March 30, 2023. The CF was calculated using analytical techniques from hybrid life cycle models of the analyzed medications. For this analysis, three groups were considered: patient travel (distance traveled, trips/year, pickup, mode of transportation, and type of fuel), energy (energy consumption for refrigeration), and waste disposal and transportation (self-administration or administration by a family member, disposal location, and recycling information received). Quantification was performed using the formula: activity x emission factor (activity = sum of CF of the variables composing each group, emission factor = constant provided by the “Ministerio de transición ecológica” database: https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/cambio-climatico). Results Forty-one patients were included with a median age of 72 years [IQR 63-80]. Twenty-seven patients (65%) were male and 28 (68%) were on PD. Nineteen patients (46%) were on treatment with cinacalcet and 22 (54%) with darbepoetin alfa. There were no differences in calcium, phosphorus, parathormone or hemoglobin within the groups. Overall impact: The overall impact of the CF derived from the subcutaneous treatment process with darbepoetin alfa was 95,512.93 kg of CO2/year compared to that derived from cinacalcet treatment, which was 12,199.85 kg of CO2/year (p< 0.001) (Fig. 1). Patient travel to hospital and transportation of supplies Group-wise analysis did not detect significant differences in consumption derived from patient's travel to collect darbepoetin alfa or cinacalcet in the hospital (15.97 [IQR 5.25-28.66] vs 10.20 [IQR 2.08-24.5] kg CO2/year, p = 0.45). The CF of transporting supplies of darbepoetin alfa was 41,526.15 kg CO2/year compared with 10,361.54 kg CO2/year in cinacalcet group. Waste generation and transportation The waste derived CF of patients treated with darbepoetin alfa was 132 kg CO2/year [IQR 93.5-143] compared to patients treated with cinacalcet 36.4 kg CO2/year [IQR 36.3-36.5] with p-value < 0,001. Moreover, the transportation of waste for darbepoetin alfa resulted in a carbon footprint of 42,224.55 kg CO2/year, mainly attributable to the disposal of sharp waste. Energy: The refrigeration of darbepoetin alfa was calculated with a total emission of 8,286.96 kg CO2. Cinacalcet treatment did not require any refrigeration. Conclusion The CF derived from the subcutaneous administration of darbepoetin alfa was significantly greater than the CF derived from oral medication like cinacalcet. This may represent a negative environmental impact of the administration of medications via the subcutaneous route compared to oral medications in this group of patients. The use of drugs that do not require subcutaneous administration could be more sustainable, reducing the carbon footprint by 85%, as they do not require refrigeration or waste incineration.

Основные подходы в информационном обеспечении проектов на получение государственной поддержки компаниями несырьевого сектора

The relevance of the chosen topic is justified by the need to research and develop measures aimed at reducing the negative impact of the unpredictable environment of the Russian economy in the face of overcoming economic sanctions. One of such measures of state support could be an information system for participants in foreign economic activity, taking into account the main approaches in information support of projects funded from the federal budget. The development of the system is based on marketing research of participants in foreign economic activity. As part of the development of measures of state support, market research includes expert assessment, methods of comparison and grouping, index method, and matrix algebra, i.e., it is based on methods of comprehensive analysis of economic activities. The tools under consideration allow forecasting practical results of project evaluation and analysis receiving state support. In conclusion, by integrating theoretical insights with practical methodologies, stakeholders can navigate complex economic environments and capitalize on emerging opportunities. Moving forward, continued research and innovation in information support systems will be essential for promoting sustainable development and resilience in the face of economic challenges.

A Comprehensive Overview of Network Slicing for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Fifth-Generation Networks.

The introduction of fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks leads to an increase in energy consumption and higher operational costs for mobile network operators (MNOs). Consequently, the optimization of 5G networks' energy efficiency is crucial, both in terms of reducing MNO costs and in terms of the negative environmental impact. However, many aspects of the 5G mobile network technology itself have been standardized, including the 5G network slicing concept. This enables the creation of multiple independent logical 5G networks within the same physical infrastructure. Since the only necessary resources in 5G networks need to be used for the realization of a specific 5G network slice, the question of whether the implementation of 5G network slicing can contribute to the improvement of 5G and future sixth-generation networks' energy efficiency arises. To tackle this question, this review paper analyzes 5G network slicing and the energy demand of different network slicing use cases and mobile virtual network operator realizations based on network slicing. The paper also overviews standardized key performance indicators for the assessment of 5G network slices' energy efficiency and discusses energy efficiency in 5G network slicing lifecycle management. In particular, to show how efficient network slicing can optimize the energy consumption of 5G networks, versatile 5G network slicing use case scenarios, approaches, and resource allocation concepts in the space, time, and frequency domains have been discussed, including artificial intelligence-based implementations of network slicing. The results of the comprehensive discussion indicate that the different implementations and approaches to network slicing pave the way for possible further reductions in 5G MNO energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions in the future.

The carbonation resistance of concrete on the basis of blended binders containing milled limestone

The current building industry is essentially changing due to implementation of new approach, which is predominantly motivated by the need to reduce its negative environmental impact. The paper is focused on the experimental evaluation of carbonation resistance in terms of accelerated tests performed on the concrete on the basis of blended binding system incorporating milled limestone. The used commercially produced cement was additionally modified by the limestone powder. The obtained results confirmed, that currently used design standards are convenient to real carbonation process, however further clinker replacement by the milled limestone causes significant loss of the durability of the hardened concrete.