Terms Of Environmental Effects Research Articles

Environmental impacts evaluation and promotion measures of wood-based composite doors

China is one of the biggest producers of wooden doors all over the world, and the wood-based composite doors are the most popular wooden door type in the country. In the context of energy-efficient and environment-friendly, assessing the environmental impacts of wood-based composite doors has become a necessity. The aim of this study was to comprehensively estimate the cradle-to-grave environmental effects of wood-based composite doors by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Using the eFootprint software, LCA study of wood-based composite doors was conducted according to the rules of ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The selected environmental indicators were: respiratory inorganics (RI), global warming potential (GWP), eutrophication potential (EP), water use (WU), primary energy demand (PED), acidification potential (AP), photochemical oxidation formation potential (POFP), abiotic depletion potential (ADP), and ozone depletion potential (ODP). The results indicated that the production phase of raw and auxiliary material was the largest contributor to the environmental effects in terms of ADP, AP, PED, EP, GWP, RI, WU, ODP, and POFP, with the relative share ranging from 49 % to 99 %. The medium density fiberboard was the largest environmental hotspot because of the use of urea-formaldehyde resin. The end-of-life disposal also had a noticeable influence on environmental impact of the door. While the door manufacturing phase and transport phase had less environmental effects. The improvement measures were put forward from two aspects of door manufacturers and their suppliers. In addition, the feasibility and environmental benefits of door recycling was also discussed. The current results can help wood-based composite door manufacturers understand and improve the environmental performance of products.

Techno-Econo-Enviro Assessment of Photovoltaic-Thermal (PV-T) System for Residential Use in Iran Based on Köppen Climate Classification

The reason for utilizing PV-T systems is their capability to generate both electricity and heat at the same time, which enhances energy efficiency and decreases the need for multiple energy sources. Considering the potential of solar energy and different climates in Iran, in this research, the feasibility, modeling, and comparison of the PV-T system to supply electricity and heat to residential units were investigated in 28 cities with 9 climates of Iran. A thorough evaluation of performance was conducted using the software Polysun 9.0 and PVsyst 6.6.8 for a duration of one year. The scientific novelty of this study relies on the simultaneous utilization of two analytical software, the thoroughness of the research, and taking into account the impact of climate on the findings. Investigations showed that the best performance of the designed system is related to Bandar Abbas and Zahedan, and the worst performance is related to Rasht and Sari. In general, according to the amount of electricity and heating produced by the PV-T system, it showed that Shiraz and Rasht stations have the highest and lowest production of energy. In terms of environmental effects, Birjand station will have the most and Rasht the least reduction in CO2 emissions. In terms of heating energy demand for the investigated building, Ardabil has the highest amount and Bandar Abbas has the lowest amount.

Dynamic of microbial community in simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process: A review

The simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) process requires little to no external carbon or oxygen sources; thus, it is a revolutionary approach for treating municipal wastewater because of both economic and environmental benefits. This review provided an overview of the microbial communities, techniques to detect them in nitrogen removal systems, and SND mechanisms related to functional microorganisms and enzymes in flocs as well as biofilms. A thorough discussion of the dynamics of microbial communities under important conditions such as dissolved oxygen and C/N ratio was provided. The environmental effects in terms of greenhouse gas emission and energy consumption, as well as the difficulties and potential future applications of adopting SND in municipal wastewater treatment for environmental sustainability, were also covered.

Performance and environmental improvements of a geothermal power plant by using structural and operational modification techniques

Performance data from a geothermal power plant that uses a dry-type working fluid (n-Pentane) was evaluated. The experimental working conditions of the geothermal power plant were recorded. By using these recorded data the structural and parametrical optimisation of the plant was applied. As a structural modification, the probable performance of the plant was scrutinised by considering the integration of a superheater into the plant. For both present and structurally optimised cases, parametric optimisations were made as an operational modification. During the analyses, the high and low pressure Organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs) of the energy converter plant were optimised for varying turbine inlet temperatures and pressures. After comprehensive analyses, it was concluded that superheating the working fluid by structural modification (superheater integration) had a negative effect on the system performance. On the other hand, together with parametric analyses, a considerable improvement in system performance was obtained. For all cases and parametric values, the system was also evaluated in terms of environmental effect.

A review of the advanced treatment techniques for enriching the recycled concrete aggregates for recycled-based concrete: economic, environmental and technical analysis

PurposeThis study aimed to review various existing methods for improving the quality of recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) as a possible substitution for natural aggregates (NAs) in concrete. It is vital as the old paste attached to the RCA weakens its structure. It is due to the porous structure of the RCA with cracks, weakening the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) between the RCA and binding material, negatively impacting the concrete's properties. To this end, various methods for reinforcement of the RCA, cleaning the RCA's old paste and enhancing the quality of the RCA-based concrete without RCA modification are studied in terms of environmental effects, cost and technical matters. Furthermore, this research sought to identify gaps in knowledge and future research directions.Design/methodology/approachThe review of the relevant journal papers revealed that various methods exist for improving the properties of RCAs and RCA-based concrete. A decision matrix was developed and implemented for ranking these techniques based on environmental, economic and technical criteria.FindingsThe identified methods for reinforcement of the RCA include accelerated carbonation, bio deposition, soaking in polymer emulsions, soaking in waterproofing admixture, soaking in sodium silicate, soaking in nanoparticles and coating with geopolymer slurry. Moreover, cleaning the RCA's old paste is possible using acid, water, heating, thermal and mechanical treatment, thermo-mechanical and electro-dynamic treatment. Added to these treatment techniques, using RCA in saturated surface dry (SSD) mixing approaches and adding fibres or pozzolana enhance the quality of the RCA-based concrete without RCA modification. The study ranked these techniques based on environmental, economic and technical criteria. Ultimately, adding fibres, pozzolana and coating RCA with geopolymer slurry were introduced as the best techniques based on the nominated criteria.Practical implicationsThe study supported the need for better knowledge regarding the existing treatment techniques for RCA improvement. The outcomes of this research offer an understanding of each RCA enrichment technique's importance in environmental, economic and technical criteria.Originality/valueThe practicality of the RCA treatment techniques is based on economic, environmental and technical specifications for rating the existing treatment techniques.

Assessing the Co, Bi, and Mg Contents of Some Mineral Concrete Additives in terms of Environmental Effects

Concrete additives started to be used commonly in order to reduce the cost of concrete, which is widely used in construction industry, and to recycle some wastes that are harmful to the environment. However, these additives might include heavy metals that are very harmful to human and environmental health and the number of studies on this subject is very limited. Besides the health of individuals working in this industry, it also creates a lack of knowledge about the environmental effects of construction activities. In the present study, among the heavy metals that can be very harmful to human and environmental health, Co, Bi, and Mg concentrations in some concrete additives were examined. The results showed that heavy metal concentrations in various concrete additives including copper slag, vermiculite, brick dust, Cem III cement, and blast furnace slag were very high. It might pose a risk to the health of individuals working in this industry, as well as the environmental health.

The Social Efficiency of Electricity Transition Policies Based on Renewables. Which Ways of Improvement?

Climate and energy policies use to be embedded in joint packages with seeming coherent goals on which the electricity sector is targeted. However, the complexity of power systems is rarely fully apprehended while setting up such packages, particularly when technical externalities from variable renewable energies (VRE) become widespread and different sources of flexibility need to be considered. We use a detailed power system model subject to a combination of RE goals and CO2 caps to seize their interplays and propose a methodology to rank the resulting equilibriums in terms of environmental effectiveness and economic efficiency. We show that: only modest levels of VRE develop without subsidies regardless the level of the CO2 cap; technical externalities create trade-offs between VRE penetration and environmental effectiveness; new flexibility technologies may correct or exacerbate these externalities, impacting effectiveness, costs, and coherence of such packages, requiring a sensitive target hierarchization and fine-tuning of such instruments.

Short run “rebound effect” of COVID on the transport carbon footprint

The COVID-19 pandemic completely transformed the mobility of cities. The restrictions on movement led to “empty cities” throughout the world, with some environmental effects in terms of clean air and the reduction of CO2 emissions. This research considers how COVID-19 mobility restrictions have affected the carbon footprint of four medium-sized Chilean cities (Coronel, Temuco, Valdivia, and Osorno) that have environmental problems and are highly dependent on motorized systems. The study uses data from 2400 household surveys at three distinct times: pre-pandemic - T0 (winter 2019), the time of implementation of restrictive mobility policies to contain the pandemic - T1 (winter 2020), and six months later when those restrictions were gradually lifted - T2 (summer 2021). The analysis suggests that CO2 emissions actually went up, declining in the winter 2020, but then increasing with the greater use of cars in the summer 2021 due to the temporary effects of commuting to work, ultimately reaching levels higher than the pre-pandemic values, known as the “rebound effect.”

Tetracyanoborate anion–based ionic liquid for natural gas sweetening and DMR-LNG process: Energy, exergy, environment, exergo-environment, and economic perspectives

In this study, less viscous 1–hexyl–3–methylimidazolium tetracyanoborate is used to capture CO2 from the natural gas. The obtained sweet gas was liquefied through dual mixed refrigerant technology. Energy,exergy,environment, exergo–environment, and economic analysis were performed to estimate the feasibility of the process. Energy of CO2 capture process was optimized through artificial neural network using feed forward model of 2*10*3 structural design. The results revealed that the carbon capture process provides 82.1 % of exergy efficiency while MEA–based process has 58 %. The NG liquefaction process was optimized based on three case studies using 3, 4, and 5 combinations of mixed refrigerants (MRs) to minimize the specific energy consumption (SEC). The results indicated that the combination of 5 MRs provide a least SEC of 9.6 kW/kmol of LNG. Furthermore, proposed process shows less specific CO2 emissions of 0.91 kg of CO2/kmol with a carbon capture rate of ≥99 %. Exergo–environment analysis reveals that the proposed process is an environmentally benign process in terms of environmental effectiveness and exergy stability factors. Economic analysis of this process provides total cost savings of 62.7 %, 55.37 %, and 52.77 % relative to MEA in combination of 3, 4 and 5 MRs, respectively.

Experimental study on notched concrete beams with externally-bonded CFRP under repeated environmental treatments

• A novel environmental effects in terms of heating, freezing, and humidity. • The bond behaviors under temperature elevation and repeated environmental effects. • Analysis and determination of interfacial shear traction stress and separation. • Numerical simulation under temperature elevation and repeated environmental effects. This paper investigated the influences of the temperature elevation and the repeated environmental effects on the bond behavior of the notched concrete beams with CFRP externally bonded through four-point bending tests. The corresponding numerical model was established and the FE results were compared with the test results. Two failure modes were observed in the test, both of which occurred to be sudden and brittle. The failure mode of the specimens changed from concrete failure to CFRP debonding after the temperature exceeded 150 °C or the cycle number reached 50 times. The ultimate loads of the specimens decreased linearly with the increase of both the temperature and the cyclic number, and the slopes of load-displacement curves in the first phase of the specimens were also reduced by both heating and cycling. Before CFRP debonding, the average maximum interfacial shear stresses at 0–30 mm from the mid-span decreased linearly with the increase of both the temperature and the cyclic number. The average shear traction stresses and the average interface stiffnesses were decreased with the increase of both the temperature and the cyclic number. The results obtained from the FE were similar to that from the test, which confirms the suitability of the FE model in the test conditions.

Agriculture, food and global value chains: issues, methods and challenges

Agriculture, food and global value chains: issues, methods and challenges

How will sectoral coverage in the carbon trading system affect the total oil consumption in China? A CGE-based analysis

The increasing oil demand in China has brought negative issues, such as energy security risk, carbon emissions, and air pollution. Therefore, it is of considerable significance to rationally control total oil consumption and push it to peak as soon as possible to ensure national energy supply security and deal with climate change and environmental pollution. To this end, based on a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, this study constructs a detailed carbon trading module to evaluate the socio-economic and environmental effects of the inclusion of different high oil-consuming industries in the emission trading system (ETS). Results show that, first, regarding total oil consumption control, when the ETS includes all high oil-consuming industries the total oil consumption and oil external dependence decrease most significantly. Second, in terms of environmental effects, the inclusion of the four high oil-consuming industries (i.e., Chemical, Non-Metal, Transportation, and Construction) has the best effect. It has the largest cumulative reduction of carbon emissions and the second-largest cumulative reduction of SO2 and NOX. Third, as for economic impact, the negative impact on GDP and the oil industry chain are the smallest when including the Chemical and Non-Metal industries in the ETS. Finally, this study conducted a series of sensitivity analyses, including key substitution elasticities and high international oil price, to verify the robustness of corresponding policy recommendations.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Sustainable Pig Farm via Management of Nutrient and Co-Product Flows in the Farm

This study evaluates the environmental impact assessment of sustainable pig farm via management of nutrient and co-product flows in the farm. Manure management and biogas production are among the most promising pathways towards fully utilizing organic waste within a circular bioeconomy as the most environmentally friendly solution mitigating gaseous emissions and producing bioenergy and high-quality bio-fertilizers. The concept of farm management includes rearing pig, growing all the feeds needed, and managing the nutrients and co-product flows in the farm. A consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to examine three scenarios in which all the generated manure is used as fertilizer for barley cultivation and mineral fertilizer is used where necessary (SC1); produced surplus straw is used for thermal energy generation and maize is used for sale, substituting maize biomass in the market (SC2); and all co-products are circulated in a closed system (SC3). The functional unit (FU) was defined as a “farm with 1000 fattening pigs at farm gate”. The analysis showed that heat generation from wheat, barley and legumes straw has a significantly higher positive environmental impact than the use of these cereal straw for biogas production. The partial replacement of mineral fertilizers with digestate has positive environmental effects in terms of abiotic depletion, photochemical oxidation, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity, and marine aquatic ecotoxic aspects. The amount of digestate generated on a farm is not sufficient to completely eliminate the use of mineral fertilizers for plant fertilization. The generated pig manure (SC1) and digestate (SC2) is only enough for the fertilization of 8.3% of the total cultivated land of farm applying 22.9 t/ha rate.

Avoiding Food Wastage: The Net Impact of Maisto Bankas Activities. A Carbon Footprint Approach

Abstract Food wastage is a complex global issue. Its solution requires a multi-pronged effort and the use of diversified strategies. Since the impacts are on an environmental, social and economic level, solutions can take shape in one of these areas, knowing that there are often trade-offs between one and the other. This paper aims to evaluate the net environmental effects in terms of Carbon footprint of the activities of the Lithuanian Food Bank (Maisto Bankas). Food banks are charities that work to reduce the negative social effects associated with food waste and food insecurity. They work on the food recovery, avoiding the transformation of food surplus in food waste. The present paper assessed the positive impact generated by the Lithuanian Food Bank thanks to its activities as the non-impact of recovered food and the non-disposal of food in landfills. At the same time, also the negative impact in term of emission due to the management of all its activities has been estimated. The net impact has been derived by the comparison of the two flows. The results of the study proved that, behind the social benefit, the Food Banks, as Maisto Bankas, produce also a net positive environmental impact.

Hydrogen energy supply to remote communities in Australia’s Northern Territory: a feasibility study

ABSTRACT Current practice around, and challenges facing, energy provision in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) remote communities are discussed: hydrogen energy is introduced as a solution to alleviate the challenges therein. Options for hydrogen supply in NT remote areas are economically evaluated and their feasibility is discussed. While current capital expenditure limits pose the main barrier to hydrogen supply in remote areas of the NT, it was found promising in terms of environmental effects, long-term economic return, reliability of energy supply, and community empowerment.

Effects of cotton genotype, defoliation timing and season on fiber cross-sectional properties and yarn performance

Cotton fiber cross-sectional properties influence the performance of ring spun yarns. The spinning performance of two Gossypium hirsutum L. Upland cotton genotypes known to have inherently different fiber fineness properties were compared. Genotypes were grown together in field experiments conducted over two growing seasons, and crops were subjected to early and late defoliation treatments. The aim was to quantify the differences in yarn properties following changes targeting fiber fineness properties in isolation from other fiber properties. For the first time, the percentage difference in yarn properties was captured along with the associated changes made to alternative fiber fineness properties within the base micronaire 3.50 to 4.90 G5 range. As expected the genotype with lower fiber micronaire, linear density, and perimeter, spun yarns that were stronger and more even. Late defoliated cotton plants produced fibers that were higher in micronaire and maturity ratio, and were bigger in perimeter, which demonstrated that the fibers had expanded during the secondary wall thickening phase of development. However, the defoliation treatment effect on fiber fineness properties was smaller compared with the effect of genotype, and no change to any yarn property was detected. In terms of environmental effects, the first season cotton had smaller perimeter finer fibers that spun stronger and more even yarns. In contrast, the second season cotton had bigger perimeter fibers that spun weaker and less even yarns.

Political Coloring of Adjectives in German Political Discourse

The article analyzes the functional potential of basic adjective color-coding in modern German political discourse, illustrating cases of its political connotation. Using a variety of linguistic research methods, the authors examine functional peculiarities of color adjectives such as rot, orange, gelb, grün, blau, and violett in German-language texts related to politics. Specific examples show that all these adjectives are politically colored, demonstrating the realization of both traditional and contemporary meanings that reflect modern realities of German socio-political life. The research also reveals the frequency of conveying specific values through the usage of color adjectives in the German political discourse. It is established, for instance, that the most frequent is the color adjective grün, used in non-fiction political texts to designate the political party Die Grünen and shedding some light on its style of governing and the political position of its electorate. Within the political discourse of modern Germany this color designation is also a verbal marker of ecological and environmental concerns as well as the color of hope. The authors also discuss such additional meanings of grün as “extracted from natural sources, renewable” in the phrase grüne Energie and “misleading in terms of environmental effects or environmental influence something causes” in the phrase grün waschen. The second most frequently used basic color meaning in German political dis-course is the color designation rot, traditionally symbolizing blood, terror, revolution, and war, as well as struggle, protest movements, mass demonstrations, and campaigns. It also denotes a specific form of a country’s political system and remains the main color of left-wing parties, expressing adherence to certain political parties and the style of their government. In addition, this color code serves as a strong warning in situations of grave danger and, in texts on political topics, often symbolizes the Russian Federation and everything related to it. The least frequent is the color designation violett, which can express membership in the political party Die Violetten. It is the color of the German public association Aktionsbündnis Amoklauf Winnenden and retains vital importance as a sign of warning in emergency situations (such as natural disasters, etc.). The results of the study contribute new information on the semantic space of color codes to the field of political linguistics and modern German studies, illustrating political connotations of basic color codes in German.

3D Concrete Printing Sustainability: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Four Construction Method Scenarios

Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) has become recognized as a possible alternative to conventional concrete construction, mainly due to its potential to increase productivity and reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry. Despite its up-and-coming popularity within the field, limited research has quantitively investigated the environmental benefits that 3DCP brings. This paper investigates the environmental tradeoff of utilizing 3DCP over conventional construction by conducting a detailed cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) study of four case-scenarios (conventional concrete construction, 3DCP with reinforcement elements, 3DCP without any reinforcement, and 3DCP without any reinforcement and utilizing a lightweight printable concrete material.) These case-scenarios were carefully selected to quantify the environmental impact of 3DCP while emphasizing the importance of the material composition. The LCA was conducted for a 1 m2 external load-bearing wall in all four scenarios. The LCA analysis showed that 3DCP significantly reduced environmental effects in terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), smog formation potential (SFP), and fossil fuel depletion (FFD), as compared to conventional construction methods. However, these environmental improvements diminished when 3DCP was coupled with the use of conventional reinforcement elements. Moreover, the use of an alternative concrete mixture in 3DCP showed a further decrease in the GWP, AP, EP, and FFD impact. Ultimately, the findings in this paper support the advantages of 3DCP technology and recommend the investigation of the development of (i) sustainable printable concrete materials and (ii) novel reinforcement techniques that are suitable for 3DCP rather than adopting conventional reinforcement techniques.

Sustainability and performance assessment of binary blended low-carbon concrete using supplementary cementitious materials

This study was carried out to apply low-carbon concrete at actual construction site. For this purpose, there was a necessity for the study that could be tested to adjust the water unit quantity to ensure the constructability as well as the sustainability and performance assessment of concrete according to the quality characteristics of local raw materials. For a designed compressive strength (fck) of 24 MPa, which is commonly applied to 29-story apartment structures, the compressive strength properties of binary blended low-carbon concrete were investigated for replacement with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) and fly ash (FA). The results of the study were as follows: The compressive strength at 28 days for 5 and 20 °C was linearly reduced by approximately 1.7 and 0.9 MPa when the replacement ratio of GGBS increased by 10% and by 2.5 and 3.8 MPa when the FA replacement ratio increased by 10%, respectively. For a mixing strength of 32.5 MPa at 28 days under 20 °C, the GGBS and FA replacement ratios were below 39.7% and 16.6%, respectively. In terms of environmental effect, when the GGBS and FA replacement ratio increased by 10% each, the life cycle environmental impact of GGBS decreased by 0.6 US$, while FA decreased by 1.1 US$. Through this study, the compressive strength properties of binary blended low-carbon concrete were investigated according to the replacement ratios, and the applicable range of mixing proportions was derived. The results of this study are expected to be utilized as data for the commercialization of low-carbon concretes.

Simulation of progressive failure in laminated composites under variable environmental conditions

This paper presents the development, calibration and finite element implementation of a novel set of phenomenological equations describing the effect of temperature and moisture on the stiffness, strength and toughness properties of fibre-reinforced plastics. An extension of the classical Zhurkov's kinetic approach is proposed to describe the effect of temperature and moisture on the ply-level matrix-dominated strength properties. The phenomenological equations are implemented into a finite-element simulation framework, consisting of a smeared crack approach for modelling intralaminar and translaminar failure, coupled with a bi-linear cohesive zone approach to describe delamination onset and progressive growth. The modelling approach is calibrated by means of experimental data in the open literature for the carbon-epoxy material IM7/8552. Validation case studies for the simulation strategy include quasi-isotropic short beam shear coupons and open-hole specimens subject to tension. It is demonstrated that the proposed simulation framework provides a comprehensive quantitative description of the role played by environmental effects in terms of development and interaction of intralaminar, interlaminar and translaminar damage processes.