ABSTRACT Regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) is a widely used device for reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) generated in the industry. As an essential component of VOCs, o-xylene undergoes a complex multistep combustion process in RTO. A simplified combustion mechanism (SCM) containing 62 species and 296 elementary reactions is derived from the detailed combustion mechanism (DCM) of o-xylene. A comprehensive validation of the SCM is performed by comparing its predictions with experimental measurements of ignition delay times, laminar flame speeds, and species concentration distributions. Subsequently, an integrated RTO–SCM coupled combustion model is formulated and rigorously verified against experimental date. Simulation results reveal distinct distribution regions for o-xylene combustion intermediates within the RTO. The primary reaction zone is localized at the junction area connecting the regenerator and the combustion chamber. However, low concentrations of o-xylene cannot be completely oxidized to the final products in the RTO. During the initial operating cycle of the RTO, VOC emission peaks with o-xylene, C6H6, and C6H5CH3 as the dominant components. As combustion chamber temperature increases in subsequent cycles, the o-xylene concentration at the outlet gradually decreases to below 40% of the total emissions, with overall VOC levels maintained below 10 mg/m3.

To assess changes in greenhouse gas emission rates associated with the use of anaesthetic gases (desflurane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane) in Australian health care during 2002-2022, overall and by state or territory and hospital type. Retrospective descriptive analysis of IQVIA anaesthetic gases purchasing data. All Australian public and private hospitals, 1 January 2002 - 31 December 2022. Absolute carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions and CO2e emissions rate per 100 000 population by gas and year, overall and by state/territory and hospital type (public or private). The overall emissions rate increased from 74 t CO2e per 100 000 population in 2002 to 328 t CO2e per 100 000 population in 2012, most rapidly during 2002-2004 (annual percentage change [APC], 51%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 38-62%). The rate then declined to 83 t CO2e per 100 000 population in 2022, most rapidly during 2017-2022 (APC, -21%; 95% CI, -23% to -20%). Patterns of emissions rate change were similar for all states and territories. More units of sevoflurane than of desflurane or isoflurane were purchased each year throughout 2002-2022, but desflurane provided the largest proportion of total emissions from anaesthetic gases during 2002-2022: 33% in 2002, 88% in 2013, and 68% in 2022. Mean emission rates per 100 000 population during 2002-2022 were highest for South Australia/Northern Territory (276 t CO2e per year) and lowest for Victoria/Tasmania (196 t CO2e per year). The desflurane emissions rate was consistently higher for private than public hospitals; it declined for public hospitals during 2009-2018 (APC, -8%; 95% CI, -10% to -5%) and 2018-2022 (APC, -43%; 95% CI, -48% to -37%), but for private hospitals only during 2017-2022 (APC, -20%; 95% CI, -24% to -17%). In Australia, the CO2e emissions rate for anaesthetic gases increased during 2002-2008 but declined during 2017-2022, at first primarily in public hospitals. Continuing to reduce the use of anaesthetic gases, particularly desflurane, will advance the decarbonisation of clinical practice in Australian health care.

Rural buildings in northwestern Hunan face multiple challenges in achieving a green and low-carbon transition, including fragile ecological environments, limited access to resources, and strong cultural preservation demands-rendering existing urban-based green building strategies largely inapplicable. To address these issues, this study develops an integrated evaluation framework combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), aiming to facilitate the green transformation of rural architecture in the region. Based on field surveys and simulation modeling of 24 sample buildings, findings indicate that carbon emissions across the building lifecycle are predominantly concentrated in the material production and operational phases, jointly accounting for over 85% of total emissions. Among the three building types, traditional timber dwellings exhibit the lowest total carbon footprint (34,875.5-47,184.0 kg CO₂-eq), followed by modern energy-efficient houses (91,284.0-117,908.5 kg CO₂-eq), while brick-timber hybrid structures show the highest emissions (99,300.0-139,020.0 kg CO₂-eq). AHP-based weight analysis identifies "Resource Efficiency" and "Environmental Livability" as the two most influential dimensions, with a combined weight of 0.699, underscoring their pivotal role in shaping green performance. Accordingly, the study proposes differentiated low-carbon optimization pathways: traditional buildings should focus on utilizing locally sourced low-carbon materials and passive ventilation strategies; modern structures should prioritize operational energy efficiency; and brick-timber hybrids require targeted energy retrofit interventions. The results validate the scientific robustness of the LCA-AHP hybrid model and enhance its regional applicability through localized parameter adjustments, offering a quantitative foundation and optimized pathway for advancing sustainable rural building design in ecologically sensitive areas.

Agricultural non-point source pollution (ANPSP) is one of the important factors leading to water environmental pollution. Identifying the spatial distribution of ANPSP and implementing regional control measures are, therefore, important for ensuring effective pollution prevention and control. However, analyzing regional ANPSP using a single approach is challenging due to the impacts of geographical, economic, and policy differences. In this context, the present study aims to assess the long-term spatiotemporal characteristics of pollutants and their sources in Henan Province over the 2001–2023 period using inventory analysis, equal standard pollution load method, and cluster analysis. In addition, we investigated the decoupling relationship between ANPSP and agricultural output value using the Tapio decoupling model. The results showed that: (1) distinct variation stages of total pollution, including total emission reduction, structural transition, and emerging conflicts. Specifically, there was a increase in total pollution over the 2001–2006 period, followed by a fluctuation, continuous decrease, and stabilization in the 2007–2013, 2014–2019, and 2020–2023 periods, respectively. The pollution loads of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were reduced by 26.2, 23.5, and 18.2%, respectively. In addition, increases in the contribution rates of livestock and farmland straw. On the other hand, rural households and livestock were the main sources of COD and TP emissions, respectively. The main source of TN emissions has shifted from livestock to farmland straw; (2) the total pollutant load exhibited a distinct spatial distribution pattern. Specifically, the southern part of the study area had the highest pollutant loads, followed, respectively, by the eastern, northern, and western parts; (3) the decoupling relationship between ANPSP emissions and agricultural output values showed fluctuating changes, dominated by weak and strong decoupling status, with gradual improvement. (4) Henan Province was divided into three primary non-point source pollution control zones using cluster analysis, namely high, moderate, and low-risk zones. The high, moderate, and low risk areas had average equivalent pollution indices of 61.89, 40.44, and 15.37, respectively. In this study, we proposed targeted prevention and control measures for ANPSP in Henan Province. These findings provide a reference for the governance and planning of ANPSP in Henan Province, as well as a novel perspective for investigating the relationship between rural development and the environment.

This study presents a comprehensive thermodynamic and environmental assessment of apple cultivation across three major production regions in Türkiye: Antalya, Isparta and Niğde. This study is the first to provide an integrated energy, exergy and environmental assessment of agricultural voltaic systems by conducting a resource efficiency and sustainability assessment for open field apple production in Türkiye. Using a functional unit of one ton of apple production, the analysis integrates cumulative energy consumption (CEnC), cumulative exergy consumption (CExC) and cumulative carbon dioxide emissions (CCO2E) to reveal the sustainability performance of regional farming systems. The results indicate significant spatial variations linked to climatic and operational factors. Niğde exhibited the highest total energy (3098MJ/ton) and exergy (2975MJ/ton) consumptions, mainly due to diesel-powered irrigation and mechanization, resulting in a cumulative carbon footprint of 125kg CO2/ton. Conversely, Antalya recorded the lowest total emissions (33kg CO2/ton) with a balanced energy profile dominated by fertilizers and electricity use. Isparta demonstrated the most thermodynamically efficient and renewable system, achieving the highest cumulative degree of perfection (CDP) (3.80) and Renewability Index (RI) (0.74) values. The integration of agrivoltaic systems (AVS) has further enhanced sustainability across all provinces, particularly in Niğde, by increasing CDP by up to 97%. These findings highlight the significant role that renewable energy integration plays in reducing carbon intensity and increasing resource efficiency in apple cultivation. By providing a region-specific perspective on agricultural thermodynamics, the study provides strategic insights into the transition to sustainable and climate-resilient food production systems in Türkiye.

Buildings are responsible for a significant proportion of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union, accounting for approximately 36% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions. The EU’s objective is to achieve zero-emission buildings by 2050, a goal that applies not only to new buildings but also to existing ones. This transformation represents a significant challenge, with a number of risks and difficulties. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, possible approaches to its transposition and implementation. Concurrently, it draws attention to the difficult issues of transposition and the possibility of using the transformation of buildings into zero-emission buildings to convert buildings into not only zero-emission but also environmentally sustainable buildings.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most significant anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG), accounting for approximately 81% of total emissions, with methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases contributing the remainder. Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, driven primarily by fossil fuel combustion, industrial processes, and transportation, have surpassed the Earth’s natural sequestration capacity, intensifying climate change impacts. Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) offers a portfolio of solutions to mitigate these emissions, encompassing pre-combustion, post-combustion, oxy-fuel combustion, and direct air capture (DAC) technologies. This review synthesizes advancements in CO2 capture materials including liquid absorbents (amines, amino acids, ionic liquids, hydroxides/carbonates), solid adsorbents (metal–organic frameworks, zeolites, carbon-based materials, metal oxides), hybrid sorbents, and emerging hydrogel-based systems and their integration with utilization and storage routes. Special emphasis is given to CO2 mineralization using mine tailings, steel slag, fly ash, and bauxite residue, as well as biological mineralization employing carbonic anhydrase (CA) immobilized in hydrogels. The techno-economic performance of these pathways is compared, highlighting that while high-capacity sorbents offer scalability, hydrogels and biomineralization excel in low-temperature regeneration and integration with waste valorization. Challenges remain in cost reduction, material stability under industrial flue gas conditions, and integration with renewable energy systems. The review concludes that hybrid, cross-technology CCUS configurations combining complementary capture, utilization, and storage strategies will be essential to meeting 2030 and 2050 climate targets.

Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) is regulated by Stockholm Convention and United States Toxic Substances Control Act because of its toxicity and potential for long-range transport. Despite these restrictions, HCBD concentrations in the air are increasing. A major source of unintentional HCBD emissions is trichloroethylene (TCE)/perchloroethylene (PCE) coproduction. In this study, three TCE/PCE coproduction plants were investigated and their HCBD emissions were quantified. Among the plants, the plant using direct chlorination technology had a lower emission factor (0.279 g/t) than the others, which used tetrachloroethane transformation (1.20-15.1 g/t). The TCE/PCE produced was primarily used in refrigerants and detergents. Product use was identified as the main HCBD emission pathway (≥96% of total emissions), with refrigerants contributing to approximately 70% of the total emissions. Waste liquid incineration accounted for ≤4% of the total HCBD emissions. With current technology, the total unintentional emissions of HCBD from TCE/PCE coproduction plants in China and globally were estimated to be 2.97 × 103 and 3.11 × 103-5.52 × 103 kg/a. Our results show that restricting the use of TCE/PCE-containing refrigerants and developing sustainable substitutes may be effective strategies for minimizing unintentional HCBD emissions.

Wildfire activity has increased dramatically in the western United States over the last three decades, having a significant impact on air quality and human health. However, quantifying the drivers of trends in wildfires and subsequent smoke concentrations is challenging, as both natural variability (NV) and anthropogenic climate change (ACC) play important roles. Here, we devise an approach involving observed meteorology and vegetation and a range of models to determine the relative roles of ACC and NV in driving burned area across the western United States. We also examine the influence of ACC on smoke concentrations. We estimate that ACC accounts for 33 to 82% of observed total burned area, depending on the ecoregion, yielding 65% of total fire emissions on average across the western United States from 1992 to 2020. In all ecoregions except Mediterranean California, ACC contributes to a greater percentage of burned area in lightning-ignited wildfires than in human-ignited wildfires. On average, ACC contributes 49% to smoke PM2.5 concentrations in the western United States from 1997 to 2020, and explains 58% of the increasing trend in smoke PM2.5 from 2010 to 2020. Northern California and areas in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho experience the greatest smoke concentrations attributable to ACC, averaging 40 to 66% of total PM2.5 over 2010-2020. Our work highlights the significant role of ACC in degrading air quality in the western United States and identifies those regions most vulnerable to wildfire smoke and thus adverse health impacts.

Introduction The printing industry in China, with an annual output value of ¥1.43 trillion, is a significant source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, which are key precursors to ozone formation. However, a comprehensive national-scale assessment linking VOC emissions to ozone formation potential (OFP) across major industrial zones has been lacking. Methods This study conducted a meta-analysis of VOC emissions and their OFP from China's printing industry, encompassing data from 14 major cities across three key regions: the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and Bohai Rim. The analysis integrated data on VOC speciation, concentrations, and pollution control technologies through a systematic review and harmonization of existing literature and industry data. Results Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds (OVOCs) dominated the emission profiles, accounting for 44.6%–81.1% of total VOC emissions. Isopropanol and ethyl acetate were identified as the predominant species, contributing 28.7% ± 5.3% and 24.1% ± 4.8% of total VOCs, respectively. Significant regional variations were observed, strongly linked to differences in ink types and printing processes. OFP values exhibited a wide range from 78.5 to 643.5 mg m −3 , with Changsha exhibiting the highest OFP, attributable to its prevalent use of gravure printing. Evaluation of pollution control technologies revealed widespread inefficiency, with 68% of enterprises relying on granular activated carbon (GAC), which typically achieves 40%–75% removal efficiency. In contrast, regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTOs) demonstrated superior performance, exceeding 90% efficiency. Discussion The findings highlight substantial regional disparities in emission profiles and OFP, driven by varying industrial practices and regulatory environments. The prevalence of inefficient control technologies like GAC underscores a critical gap in current pollution mitigation efforts. To effectively address VOC emissions and ozone formation, we recommend: (a) mandating the use of water-based inks in high-emission processes such as gravure and flexible packaging printing; (b) upgrading to advanced treatment technologies with >80% collection efficiency; and (c) implementing real-time VOC monitoring systems. This study provides a scientific basis for formulating targeted, region-specific VOC control strategies within China's crucial printing industry.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from drained peatlands account for about 7% of the total anthropogenic GHG emissions in the European Union (EU). Yet, a lack of high-resolution spatial data hampers targeted mitigation. We combined soil and land use data to generate detailed maps of land use, GHG emissions, and emission hotspots for EU+ peatlands. Undrained peatlands and those drained for forestry dominate at high latitudes, while drained Grassland and Cropland prevail around latitudes 50°−55°. Four main emission hotspots emerge: the North Sea region, eastern Germany, the Baltics together with eastern Poland, and north Ireland. The North Sea region is the largest, accounts for 20% of EU+ peatland emissions on just 4% of the peatland area. Our findings highlight the urgency of reducing emissions from drained peatlands to meet EU climate targets and reveal substantial underreporting in National UNFCCC inventories, amounting to 59–113 Mt CO2e annually. Our analysis provides a robust and spatially explicit evidence base for policymakers to prioritize peatland rewetting to reduce GHG emissions.

Enrichment of anthropogenic organic matter and acetoclastic pathway dominates ebullition CH4 production in urban river.

Diesel particle filter regeneration: Impact on the physicochemical composition and toxicity of diesel exhaust emissions.

Towards greenhouse gases mitigation for liquid pig slurry management with solid-liquid separation technologies.

Quantifying the carbon footprint of canine breed-specific surgical care in a veterinary referral setting.

Emission characteristics of full-volatility organic compounds from China's aluminum-products industry and their impacts on secondary organic aerosol and ozone potentials.

Characterization of atmospheric arsenic wet deposition transport pathways and potential sources areas in the Pearl River Delta region

Spatial distribution and sectoral characteristics of particulate matter-permitting emissions from heavy metal-emitting enterprises in China: Policy implications and environmental management strategies.

Decarbonizing urology: Carbon footprint assessment of a minimally invasive vasectomy in a French private hospital.

Carbon costs on the Menu: The environmental and nutritional impact of Chinese dishes.