Reduction Of Environmental Impact Research Articles

The Environmental Impact of Changes in the Structure of Electricity Sources in Europe

The limited use of non-renewable energy sources facilitates a reduction in the negative environmental impact of electricity production. The policies of European countries aim to change the structure of electricity sources, focusing particularly on non-renewable sources. The aim of this study was to assess changes in the structure of electricity generation depending on the energy sources used in 34 European countries in the years 1990–2020 in terms of their environmental impact. This study was conducted using cluster analysis: a method applied in multivariate comparative analyses. Such an approach provided a new, broader outlook on changes in the structure of electric energy production in Europe. A total of nine homogeneous groups of countries were distinguished in terms of energy transformation. The ecological scarcity method 2013 was applied to assess the environmental impact of electricity production in the analyzed countries. In the investigated period, the negative environmental impact of electricity production in European countries decreased. The median of the volume of this impact, determined based on the structure of production in 1990, for the analyzed countries was 464 UBP/1 kWh. In the following years, the value of the median dropped to 413 UBP/1 kWh (2000), 322 UBP/1 kWh (2010), and 204 UBP/1 kWh (2020), respectively. The diversification of the countries in this respect also decreased, which resulted in a reduction in the number of clusters from eight in 1990 to two in 2020.

The social green economy: A perspective on a forest community project in a developing country

The social green economy prioritises the use of green technologies and sustainable practices in economic activities, resulting in a reduction in environmental impact and an improvement in social well-being (Guo et al., 2020; Söderholm, 2020). Furthermore, the efficiency evaluation of the green economy development of forestry is related to the direction of forestry development and plays an important role in balancing economic and environmental issues within it (Huang et al., 2022). This study aims to explain forest community projects as a promising example of how sustainable development and the green economy can be achieved through community-based initiatives. A qualitative approach was applied. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 key informants, employing purposive sampling. Content analysis and NVivo were adopted to analyse the data. The findings confirmed the potential benefits of community-based forestry initiatives, such as job creation, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability. A forest community project can contribute to a green economy by implementing sustainable practices and utilising green technologies in its operations. By participating in carbon credit programmes, a forest community project can contribute to a green economy, mitigate the effects of climate change, and improve the economic prosperity and social well-being of the local community.

Multicomponent Raw Mixes for Autoclave Products with Improved Properties

This article discusses a method for solving the problem of increasing the adhesion strength of silicate brick to peel with masonry mortars based on a study of the work of scientists in this direction, the physicomechanical properties of currently manufactured silicate brick from sand dunes and its production technology. Implementation of the goal of enrichment of a mixture of ultrafine active mineral additives, which allows you to effectively control the process of coagulation structure of formation and formation of the optimal structure with improved physical and mechanical properties. The properties of ultrafine active mineral additives based on local plant waste from agriculture are experimentally determined and investigated. Possible joint utilization of rice husk wastes in the resource turnover will lead to a reduction in environmental impact.

The use of miniaturised seismic sources for reduced environmental impact

Reducing the widths of seismic cutlines helps to minimise the environmental impact of acquiring seismic surveys. This can be accomplished by utilising miniaturised seismic sources, but not all small sources provide sufficient energy for imaging deeper oil sands reservoirs at the required resolution. In the winter of 2020, two independent 2D field trials were conducted to test the use of miniaturised seismic sources for imaging both shallow and deep oil sands reservoirs in Canada. This case study examines the results for frequency content and potential reduction in environmental impact as compared to conventional oil sands explosive sources. The resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of the seismic records from miniaturized seismic sources were matching and equivalent to the conventional seismic source.

Concept for life cycle oriented ecological assessment in tooling

The increasing demands of customers to use climate neutral products are leading to severe challenges for manufacturing companies in various industry sectors. The most significant issues lie in measuring and evaluating the resulting environmental impacts across the various lifecycle phases of a product. Especially for the tooling industry, it can be a decisive competitive factor, not only to measure and evaluate the environmental impact of the tool manufacturing processes, but also of the use phase of the manufactured tools. Therefore, this paper presents a concept for ecological assessment for tooling companies, taking the manufacturing phase and the use phase into account. It describes how tool manufacturers can evaluate their own processes based on material and energy inputs and outputs in order to link the environmental impacts to the manufactured product. In tool manufacturing, the digital twin is used as an essential medium for collecting ecological information and converting it into impact variables. The recorded production data from the manufacturing and use phase will be aggregated into different target dimensions: By using the target dimensions “Tool”, ”Tool component” and “Process” the evaluation concept can not only be used for a holistic report on environmental impacts of the manufactured products, but also be used to improve technology use and application from an ecological perspective. By adding the target dimension “Product” the use phase of the tool will be considered, in order to be able to visualize effects in which an ecologically intensive production can lead to reduction in environmental impact over the use phase. Furthermore, the target dimension “Company” is aggregating the derived data, which is necessary for the evaluation of the other target dimensions, to reporting types, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol or the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

Аналіз особливостей діяльності регулюючих органів ринку продажу легкових автомобілів в Україні та світі

The article analyzes the regulatory bodies of the market for sales of passenger cars in Ukraine and some countries of the world. The role and functions of the authorities regulating the market for sales of passenger cars in different countries are examined. The article contains a list of bodies of the State regulation of the the market for sales of passenger cars in Ukraine and some other countries, such as Germany, France, Slovakia, Poland, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Estonia, China, Japan, India, the USA, Canada, and others. This article examines examples of countries where regulatory bodies play an important role in ensuring road safety and consumer protection, as well as countries where such authorities play a less significant role. The main tasks of the regulatory authorities of Ukraine and some other countries responsible for ensuring free and competitive trade in cars are determined. The importance of regulatory authorities in ensuring the safety and quality of cars, as well as consumer protection, is outlined. It is determined that the main reasons for the State intervention in the market for sales of passenger cars are price regulation, quality control, support for domestic producers, reduction of environmental impact, and consumer protection. The problems and shortcomings of the activities of regulatory bodies are highlighted and recommendations for improving their work are provided. Problems in regulating the market for sales of passenger cars in Ukraine are presented. In particular, this concerns insufficient effectiveness of control, corruption issues, insufficient qualifications of employees, etc. An idea of how different countries regulate the market for sales of passenger cars is provided, which helps to understand what measures can be useful for improving the regulation of this market in Ukraine.

A comparison of strategies to extend the operating range of radial compressors for turbocharging

The operating range extension of radial compressors is a crucial aspect in turbocharging the internal combustion engines in order to extend the operating range of the system at high efficiency for fuel and environmental impact reduction. The future scenario of automotive propulsion will have the fuel cells at the top of the ranking of possible reference systems in substitution of thermal reciprocating engines. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells for automotive or aerospace vehicles are frequently turbocharged because compressed air for the fuel cell stack is required in the cathode system. Therefore, like in turbocharged internal combustion engines, a radial compressor is combined and connected with a radial turbine to exploit the thermal energy of the exhaust gas from the fuel cell. The study and the development of this sort of radial turbomachinery is still strategic to guarantee high performance of the overall propulsion system. The operating range is an important issue and current turbocharger design must be adapted to the new requirements of the fuel cells systems with a need for extending it. Various techniques to extend the operating range of the centrifugal compressor have been investigated and a summary is reported in this work, with a focus on the casing treatment. Through a CFD simulation campaign with appropriate simplified models, the effects of installing the ported shroud, the shutter or the axial groove have been calculated with respect to a baseline configuration. These simulations have supported the identification of the main limits and advantages for each of these solutions at different operating regimes. The performance maps and some physical parameters of interest have been compared.

Life-Cycle Analysis of Crystalline-Si “Direct Wafer” and Tandem Perovskite PV Modules and Systems

This article summarizes a life cycle analysis comparing “Direct Wafer” (DW) technology produced by CubicPV to conventional Czochralski wafers as well as the use of both wafer types in tandem with perovskite photovoltaic (PV). It shows that significant reduction in energy and environmental impact is achievable through the use of kerfless wafers in PV module manufacturing. Direct wafer PV production avoids ingot production, associated electricity consumption, and kerf loss and enables reduced wafer thickness. The impact is quantified in terms of life-cycle cumulative energy demand (CED), global warming potential (GWP), and energy pay back time. For single-junction PV, using US-made DW PV cells is projected to result in 47% less CED and 68% less GWP than that required for conventional Cz single-crystalline cells production in China. With direct wafer-perovskite tandem modules, a 24% CED reduction for installed system is projected for US production versus Chinese production with conventional wafering.

Family ISO 14000 standards as a tool of achieving environmental sustainability of enterprises

Environmental sustainability and its achievement at the national level is one of the key strategic development goals for most countries who are the largest environmental pollutants. Environmental sustainability implies the maximum possible reduction of negative environmental impact through the development of green energy, the increase in energy efficiency, the rational use of natural resources, the introduction of the principles of circular economy and increasing public awareness of environmental protection and climate conservation. There are many administrative tools to encourage enterprises worldwide to switch to a more environmentally friendly direction of its operating and development, among which is the introduction of international standards and subsequent certification of the enterprises. In addition to such obvious advantages as the introduction of effective environmental management systems, compliance with requirements in the field of environmental audit and monitoring, certification allows to increase credibility in the face of consumers and partners that leads to a favorable reputational effect. The objective of this study is to review and analyze the family ISO 14000 standards and assess their role in achieving environmental sustainability of enterprises. The authors determined the degree of influence of groups of standards on the achievement of environmental sustainability and identified their benefits and drawbacks.

Combining circularity and environmental metrics to assess material flows of PV silicon

A product made from virgin raw materials that ends up in a landfill presents a linear supply chain model. Today's photovoltaic (PV) industry is still largely based on this model. With the increasing volume of production, the raw materials required for it, and consequently the volume of waste, the application of circular economy principles in the PV sector can significantly increase its environmental efficiency. This study analyzes the impact of circularity on the supply chain of PV silicon used for PV module production. Four scenarios based on the combination of technological pathways and circularity options are created. Their evaluation is carried out by the methodologies of Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The State-of-art case of the PV polysilicon supply chain corresponds to the MCI score of 0.54. Closed-loop circularity solutions provide the MCI score of 0.80 presenting the potential for a circular economy approach in the industry. LCA results show the reduction of environmental impact by 12% with improved circularity. The study presents the benefits of potential circularity options within the supply chain as well as the impact of technological development on the polysilicon demand.

Methodological tools for the implementation of projects for the reconstruction of cultural heritage sites, taking into account the reduction of environmental impact

Investment and construction projects to reduce the environmental impact on cultural heritage sites are important, especially in connection with the implementation of the National Project to enhance domestic tourism in Russia. On one hand, there has been significant progress in developing regulatory and technical documentation for cultural heritage sites and their conservation. However, on the other hand, there is an issue with outdated cost estimation methods and normative frameworks for determining the costs, as well. Hence, the role of environmental impact on the cultural heritage sites is underestimated. This problem leads to the need to develop scientific and methodological tools for the implementation of projects for the reconstruction of the cultural heritage sites considering the reduction of the impact of harsh environmental conditions. The authors proposed a logical research design, developed and improved methodological tools for selecting projects for the conservation of cultural heritage sites and assessing the impact of local environment, and tested the proposed methodological tools using the example of a project for the reconstruction of a cultural heritage site in the Moscow region. The authors proposed methods and approaches to reduce the environmental impact on the local cultural heritage sites for better conservation of cultural heritage sites. Within a framework of Russian Federation in total, further study is considered.

高強度・高耐久性・高耐摩耗性を示す水添SBRの開発

In recent years, performance requirements for tires have led to sophisticated and complex due to technological changes in the automotive industry, such as electrification, and the trend toward further reduction of environmental impact to realize a sustainable society. Responding to these new market demands, we have developed a new hydrogenated SBR (HSBR). This HSBR shows significant improvement in tensile strength, ozone durability, and wear resistance compared with conventional SBR.

Lightweight aggregate: a sustainable alternative for reuse of sawdust waste in the industrial process

Sawdust generated by wood processing, both in industries processing and in tree felling, is a waste that has several applications for reuse, but, in many cases, it is still discarded irregularly in the environment, contaminating the soil, air, and water. The production of lightweight aggregate (LWA) can be an option for the reuse of this sawdust. The LWA is a gravel solution used in civil construction with the objective of reducing the weight of the structure, improving thermal and acoustic compliance, or as an option for locations where gravel is not available. In Brazil, and in most parts of the world, there are common clays available that can be used in the LWA production. The aim of this research was to produce an LWA for different applications, among them, as aggregate for civil construction, bricks, and as an adornment element. Formulations were tested to produce LWA containing illitic clay and sawdust. In the same way, for comparison, a commercial LWA was purchased, and formulations were made with clay and coal, and clay and fuel oil. The specimens were produced by pressing at 30 MPa in a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 19 mm and a height of 15 mm. After firing, the specimens were characterized by technological tests of water absorption, bulk density, compressive strength, X-ray diffraction analysis, and chemistry by X-ray fluorescence. The results indicated that the incorporation of sawdust in the formulations can be an alternative to produce LWA, once it obtained high strength and low density, compared to commercial LWA and to that produced with unattractive materials. Furthermore, it may contribute to the reduction of environmental impact, resulting from the disposal of sawdust and the generation of natural resources, necessary to produce construction materials.

Assessment of Environmental Impact Reduction through the Utilization of Remanufactured Automotive Parts

Assessment of Environmental Impact Reduction through the Utilization of Remanufactured Automotive Parts

Green Growth, Waste Management, and Environmental Impact Reduction Success Cases From Small and Medium Enterprises Context: A Systematic Mapping Study

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are essential to global green growth and are a driving force of eco-innovation. With their capability of fast pivoting, they have become critical players in emerging green industry markets. New firms can especially distinguish themselves in developing sustainable markets with novel, creative, and innovative approaches. Simultaneously, radical innovations in sustainability continue to attract increasing attention. These include the development of green energy generation and storage technologies, bioenergy solutions, the application of eco-innovations, novel municipal waste reduction models, and the wide-scale revision of existing business models. Given SMEs’ role in growing markets, this study aims to map academically studied explanations for current models that are deemed successful. We use a systematic mapping study focusing on English language publications devoted to SMEs. The studies selected were publications on environmentally sustainable waste management conducted successfully by SMEs. The studies for the mapping study analysis were selected using several relevant keywords and PRISMA methodology. The authors studied all 127 contributing publications on SMEs engaged in environmental activities, published from 2015 to 2022. This study investigated current trends and identified the most promising areas of environmental activities and sustainable business practices in the SME context. The distribution of recent research across industry sectors and locations has revealed research gaps and provided directions for future research. We have identified the eight most popular sustainability practices and environmental activities in the SME context. The practical implications of the study could help enterprise owners learn about various opportunities for the implementation and pursuit of sustainable economic, social, and environmental development.

Insights into circular material and waste flows from c-Si PV industry

A material flow model for the production of Bifacial Selective Emitter 60-cell p-type Cz PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Contacted) glass-backsheet modules with aluminium frame was built. The selected module represents mature technologies in the PV industry and their manufacturing is considered to take place in China in a production cluster with an annual module capacity of 5 GWp. In a first step, data acquisition and validation for wafer, cell and module fabs took place. The data were used to generate the reference system lifecycle inventories (LCI) and extended waste databases for the reference wafers, cells and modules. A set of potential circularity actions, such as the vertical integration of the operations and waste revalorisation strategies, had been proposed and their environmental performance and cost assessed by means of a life cycle assessment (LCA) and a total cost of ownership (TCO). Our results show that 87% of the waste can be reduced and revalorised, this represents a circular flow of raw materials of 18,756 Mg per year from a 5GWp PV module production cluster. Environmental impact reductions of 0.6–2.3% are estimated for different impact categories. We also estimate a cost reduction potential of 2.59% from total module costs.

Innovative Experimental Design for the Evaluation of Nanofluid-Based Solvent as a Hybrid Technology for Optimizing Cyclic Steam Stimulation Applications

Worldwide gas emissions are being strictly regulated, therefore processes to reduce steam injection for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) require a deeper analysis to identify the means to contribute to environmental impact reduction. Lately the usage of additives such as a solvent for steam injection processes has taken a new interest due to its positive impact on improving oil recovery and energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In that sense, the use of nanoparticles in thermal EOR has been explored due to its impact on avoiding the volatilization of the solvent, offering greater contact with the oil in the reservoir. Nanoparticles have well-known effects on asphaltenes adsorption, aquathermolysis reactions, oil upgrading, and improving energy efficiencies. This article presents a summary and ranking of the nanoparticles evaluated in nanofluid-based solvent for steam processes, specifically in the catalysis of aquathermolysis reactions. A novel experimental design is proposed for the characterization, formulation (based on catalytic activity and dispersion), and evaluation of solvent improved with nanoparticles. This new approach will be used as a guideline for the evaluation of nanoparticles dispersed in hydrocarbon-type solvents as a hybrid technology to improve steam injection processes.

Composting of Organic Solid Waste of Municipal Origin: The Role of Research in Enhancing Its Sustainability.

The organic solid waste of municipal origin stands as one of the residual streams of greatest concern: the great amounts continuously produced over time as well as its biochemical and physical characteristics require its proper handling via biological processes, pursuing the recovery of material and/or the generation of energy. At the European level, most of the industrial plants treating the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) rely on composting, which is a well-established and reliable process that is easy to operate in different socio-economic contexts. Nevertheless, when regarded in a life cycle perspective as well as in the view of the principles of circular economy underlying waste management, several issues (e.g., the presence of toxic substances in compost) can be recognized as technical challenges, requiring further studies to identify possible sustainable solutions. This work aims at discussing these challenges and figuring out the state of the art of composting in a circular perspective. Firstly, the main mentioned issues affecting compost quality and process sustainability are briefly reviewed. Next, to promote the effective use of composting in light of the circular economy principles, research experiences are critically presented to highlight the current technical challenges concerning the environmental and health impact reduction and possible scientific perspectives to overcome issues affecting the compost quality. Based on the critical analysis of reviewed studies, it emerged that further research should be aimed at unveiling the hazard potential of emerging contaminants as well as to address the understanding of the mechanisms underlying their potential removal during composting. Moreover, the adoption of a multidisciplinary perspective in the design of research studies may play a key role towards the definition of cost-effective and environmentally friendly strategies to overcome the technical issues affecting the process.

Impact of Curing Temperature on the Life Cycle Assessment of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash as a Partial Replacement of Cement in Mortars

Sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), a biomass waste resulting from sugarcane bagasse burning for electricity production, has shown to be a viable alternative option as a partial cement replacement due to its chemical composition and physical properties. Besides, previous research indicates that higher curing temperature may improve the mechanical properties of mixes containing SCBA as cement replacement. However, the environmental assessment of those mixes is lacking in the literature. This study aims to understand how curing temperature impacts the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of SCBA as a partial replacement of cement in mortars. An LCA was performed from the extraction of the raw materials to the material production part of the life cycle, including transport. This study shows that the reduction of environmental impact when using SCBA highly depends on the curing temperature. When mortars were cured at 45 °C, the use of SCBA reduced the environmental impact of mortars two times with respect to the reduction at 21 °C (31% reduction when cured at 45 °C vs. 14% at 21 °C, with a 20% replacement). This difference is mainly related to the fact that the higher the curing temperature, the better SCBA mortars perform in terms of strength, thus, net savings of cement required to achieve a given performance are higher. Results indicate that the sustainability of SCBA utilization as a partial replacement of cement will be better when mortar is poured in hot regions or during days with higher ambient temperatures. Likewise, the advantages of using SCBA in terms of sustainability will decrease if the external temperature is low.

Mapping Sustainability 4.0: contributions and limits of the symbiosis

The history of industry is marked by four industrial revolutions, and society is now in the consolidation of its fourth, which provides opportunities for sustainability, such as reduction in environmental impact and social inclusion. This article aims to identify the main authors, countries, articles, and research gaps on the theme "Industry 4.0 and Corporate Sustainability"; and to draw up a mind map with the research trends, through the analysis of the documents that are indexed in the Scopus database. Among the main trends that were identified in this article are: Industry 4.0 as a tool to support sustainability; Intersection and boundaries between sustainability and industry 4.0; Development of industry 4.0 along the lines of sustainability; Management applied in sustainable industry 4.0. The main contribution applied was the exposure of the possibilities that companies can implement, both in relation to sustainability in the development of innovative technologies, and the use of technologies to strengthen the pillars of sustainability.