Waste Emissions Research Articles

Biochar with Inorganic Nitrogen Fertilizer Reduces Direct Greenhouse Gas Emission Flux from Soil.

Agricultural waste can have a catastrophic impact on climate change, as it contributes significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if not managed sustainably. Swine-digestate-manure-derived biochar may be one sustainable way to manage waste and tackle GHG emissions in temperate climatic conditions. The purpose of this study was to ascertain how such biochar could be used to reduce soil GHG emissions. Spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and pea crops in 2020 and 2021, respectively, were treated with 25 t ha-1 of swine-digestate-manure-derived biochar (B1) and 120 kg ha-1 (N1) and 160 kg ha-1 (N2) of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer (ammonium nitrate). Biochar with or without nitrogen fertilizer substantially lowered GHG emissions compared to the control treatment (without any treatment) or treatments without biochar application. Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) emissions were directly measured using static chamber technology. Cumulative emissions and global warming potential (GWP) followed the same trend and were significantly lowered in biochar-treated soils. The influences of soil and environmental parameters on GHG emissions were, therefore, investigated. A positive correlation was found between both moisture and temperature and GHG emissions. Thus, biochar made from swine digestate manure may be an effective organic amendment to reduce GHG emissions and address climate change challenges.

Energetic, Economic and Environmental (3E) Analysis of a RES-Waste Gasification Plant with Syngas Storage Cooperation

Today, the increasing amount of waste is a growing ecological and financial problem. Another issue is the need to limit the share of controllable sources powered by fossil fuels. A hybrid generation system (HGS) is proposed to solve both problems. The system consists of renewable energy sources (RES) and a waste gasification system. Contrary to many papers, it is proposed to include syngas storage and use gas turbines as balancing sources. The HGS was modeled, and electricity generation, capacity factors, and efficiencies were calculated. The economic (LCOE and PP) and environmental parameters (CO2 emission and reduction) were analyzed and calculated for different RES capacities. The results show that the proposed HGS covered 45.7–80% of municipal demand. The HGS was characterized by high CO2 emissions, due to the low efficiency of gasification-gas turbine installation and the need to compress syngas. However, the HGS can be environmentally beneficial due to the reduction in waste disposal in landfills. The LCOE was EUR 174–191 with a minimum at the RES capacity of 14 MW. Any change in waste disposal costs and emission allowances would cause significant changes in the LCOE. It was found that it can be beneficial to use a gasification system as a balancing source in a HGS.

ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT FACTORS OF COAL MINING BY MEANS OF CORRELATION-REGRESSION ANALYSIS

A study was conducted on the evaluation of the factors of influence of coal mining on the environment by means of correlation-regression analysis. The study analyzed the relationships between indicators of mine development rates (volume of coal production) and the degree of impact of coal production on environmental pollution. For this purpose, the correlation coefficients calculated by the method of correlation-regression analysis of multidimensional data were used for the first time in the "mining volume - pollution indicator" system, and a ranking of the impact intensity indicators was created using the example of the Buzhanska mine. Excel software, its built-in tools and the "analysis" add-on were used for calculations.As a result of the conducted research, a multiple correlation matrix was calculated, a ranking of pollution indicators was developed by the value of correlation coefficients, models were verified, and mathematical formulas for calculating interrelated indicators were developed. The models obtained in our calculations have an average error of approximation from 16 to 22% (at a significance level of 0.5, reliability of 0.99).The obtained calculations indicate that the most influential indicator of pollution (has a significant correlation with the volume of production) concerns the atmosphere - "Emissions of coal dust" (R=0.9897). Emissions of hazardous waste into the atmosphere also have a large correlation coefficient (R=0.9681). Greenhouse gas emissions are less dependent on mining (R=0.8685), because coal seams are emission-free. The most important impact on the land is "extraction of rock" (R=0.9314). As for the influence of the coal industry on the water basin, from the obtained data, we have that the indicators of pollution and water consumption have an insufficient relationship with the indicators of production: "Volume of mine water discharged into surface water bodies" (R= 0.7751) and "Discharged into surface water bodies of ZR" (R=0.7833). The increase in extraction practically does not correlate with the amount of fresh water intake (R=0.5753). The same situation exists with the volume of household waste (R=0.5524). Ways of greening the impact are proposed.

Sustainable Economic Production Quantity Model Considering Greenhouse Gas and Wastewater Emissions

Pursuing sustainability in the production inventory model has motivated researchers to reconsider carbon emission costs. In this study, we develop an economic production quantity (EPQ) inventory model to consider greenhouse gas and wastewater emission costs. This study aims to optimize the production quantity, the total costs per production cycle, and the waste emissions. To validate and test the model, data from a pulp and paper mill industry was used. The effectiveness of the model was determined by comparing the costs generated under three (3) scenarios: (1) an EPQ model that considers the costs of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; (2) an EPQ model considering shortages; and (3) a multiproduct EPQ model considering shortages. Our proposed sustainable EPQ models can provide decision-makers with insights to visualize how certain factors affect the manufacturing system. Future research can be conducted to consider the product life cycle as well as deteriorating items.

H2S Emission and Microbial Community of Chicken Manure and Vegetable Waste in Anaerobic Digestion: A Comparative Study

In order to solve the problem of H2S corrosion in biogas utilization, it is necessary to understand the characteristics and mechanisms of H2S production in chicken manure anaerobic digestion (CMAD) and vegetable waste anaerobic digestion (VWAD). In this study, lab-scale batch tests of CMAD and VWAD were conducted for 67 days at 35 °C. The results showed that sulfide was found to be the major form of sulfur in CMAD (accounting for 90%) and VWAD (70%). The average concentration of H2S was 198 ± 79 ppm in CMAD and 738 ± 210 ppm in VWAD. Moreover, 81% of total H2S was produced at 20 days of methane production in CMAD, but 80% of total H2S was produced in the first day in VWAD because of the rapid production of biogas and fermentation acidification. The sulfide ion equilibrium model could universally and feasibly predict the H2S production in CMAD and VWAD. The abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Euryarchaeota accounted for about 95% of the total microbes in both CMAD and VWAD; the influence of the fermentation stage on the microbial community was greater than that of the difference between CM and VW; the abundance of SRB was 0.01~0.07%, while that concerning organosulfur compounds fermentation was 22.8~30.5%. This study indicated that the H2S concentration of CMAD biogas was more than five times that of VWAD because CM is alkalescent but VW is acidic.

The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Plant Response to Radiation.

Radiation is widespread in nature, including ultraviolet radiation from the sun, cosmic radiation and radiation emitted by natural radionuclides. Over the years, the increasing industrialization of human beings has brought about more radiation, such as enhanced UV-B radiation due to ground ozone decay, and the emission and contamination of nuclear waste due to the increasing nuclear power plants and radioactive material industry. With additional radiation reaching plants, both negative effects including damage to cell membranes, reduction of photosynthetic rate and premature aging and benefits such as growth promotion and stress resistance enhancement have been observed. ROS (Reactive oxygen species) are reactive oxidants in plant cells, including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anions (O2•-) and hydroxide anion radicals (·OH), which may stimulate the antioxidant system of plants and act as signaling molecules to regulate downstream reactions. A number of studies have observed the change of ROS in plant cells under radiation, and new technology such as RNA-seq has molecularly revealed the regulation of radiative biological effects by ROS. This review summarized recent progress on the role of ROS in plant response to radiations including UV, ion beam and plasma, and may help to reveal the mechanisms of plant responses to radiation.

Carbon nanotubes@fly ash Janus composite membrane prepared from fly ash and waste plastics for efficient solar membrane distillation

Janus membranes have attracted many attentions due to their unique and excellent properties endowed by their asymmetric structure and chemical composition. In this study, a novel carbon nanotubes (CNTs)@fly ash Janus composite membrane with hierarchically oriented straight pores, prepared in two steps using industrial solid waste fly ash and white pollutant waste plastic as raw materials, is introduced into the field of solar membrane distillation. The fly ash membrane is fabricated by the combined phase tape inversion casting and sintering method, and CNTs are then in-situ grown on one side of the as-sintered fly ash membrane via the chemical vapor deposition technique to form CNTs@fly ash Janus membrane. The as-prepared Janus inorganic membrane exhibits good hydrophobicity with a contact angle of 133° as well as excellent gas permeability of 0.51 ± 0.01 × 107 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. When this membrane is used for solar membrane distillation, its interfacial evaporation rate can reach to 1.94 ± 0.01 kg m−2h−1 under one solar intensity, which is 2.19 times that of traditional natural evaporation. Coupled with its lower cost and environmental benefits, this novel Janus membrane is a potential hydrophobic separation membrane to achieve near-zero solid waste emission and efficient seawater desalination.

Theoretical and practical aspects of corporate social responsibility tools usage by aviation companies

Corporate Social Responsibility (SCR) in aviation refers to the responsibilities and actions that airlines and other aviation-related companies have towards their social, economic, and environmental impacts. These responsibilities can include reducing carbon emissions, promoting sustainable practices, ensuring passenger safety and comfort, and supporting local communities. Airlines can also take part in philanthropic initiatives and volunteer work, such as donating to disaster relief efforts or supporting educational programs. By embracing CSR principles, aviation companies can enhance their reputation and contribute to a more sustainable and socially responsible industry. And the implementation of CSR instruments can positively impact the environment and local communities, while also improving the company's reputation and relationship with stakeholders. The article describes several CSR instruments that can be applied in the aviation industry, including social campaigns, socially responsible marketing strategies, corporate ethics programs, corporate volunteering, social reporting, and propaganda of reducing waste emissions, contamination, and greenhouse gases. The focus is on the practical and theoretical particularities of each instrument, and the article also highlights the increasing public scrutiny that companies are subject to, especially those that operate globally.

Assessing Physiochemical Characteristics of Agricultural Waste and Ready Compost at Wadi Al-Far'a Watershed of Palestine.

The Wadi Al-Far'a Watershed (WFW) is one of the most important agricultural lands in Palestine where considerable amounts of organic wastes are generated. Yet, mismanagement of agricultural waste, including random disposal and/or burning, is a prevalent practice in the WFW. Such a practice might result in greenhouse gas emissions and leachate penetration into underlying soil and groundwater. To encourage compost production in the WFW as an efficient way for organic agricultural waste treatment and emission reduction, this study aims at evaluating the quality of both raw organic agricultural waste and ready compost, locally produced or imported. The evaluation considers the physiochemical characteristics as well as the heavy metal contents. The analysis of 17 samples of raw organic agricultural waste showed a good potential for compost production due to the high content of organic matter and other nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The analysis of 15 ready compost samples, however, showed that compost quality is relatively low due to the high electrical conductivity and low moisture content measurements as well as the high levels of sodium, chloride, and potassium. Furthermore, heavy metal contents of both raw organic agricultural waste and ready compost samples are less than the limits specified by the Palestinian and international standards. Therefore, local farmers can safely use raw organic agricultural waste generated in the WFW for compost production. Composting will not only enhance soil reclamation and crop production but also protect human health and the environment and promote sustainable economic development.

Constructing Flexible Film Electrode with Porous Layered Structure by MXene/SWCNTs/PANI Ternary Composite for Efficient Low‐Grade Thermal Energy Harvest

AbstractThermal energy, constituting the majority of the energy lost through various inefficiencies, is abundant and ubiquitous. With thermogalvanic effect, thermocells (TECs) can directly convert thermal energy into electricity without producing vibration, noise or other waste emissions. This work presents a rational design of flexible film electrodes constructed on a ternary composite of Ti3C2Tx MXene (Tx represents surface terminations), polyaniline (PANI) and single‐wall carbon nanotubes for TECs, which exhibit notably enhanced thermoelectrochemical performance compared to the widely adopted noble platinum electrodes. The ternary composite electrodes form a porous layered structure with a large electrochemical‐active surface area. Experiment and simulation results reveal that synergistic effects of Ti3C2Tx and PANI are induced for promoting both mass and charge transport at the electrolyte‐electrode interface, resulting in a TEC with an output power of 13.15 µW cm−2 at the ΔT of 40 K. The TEC also shows a rapid response to the small temperature difference between the human body and the ambient, demonstrating high potential in harvesting low‐grade heat to power small electronics.

Discussion on key technologies of big data in financial budget performance management in low-carbon economy

Reducing energy consumption, pollution and waste emissions are the basic elements of the concept of low-carbon economy. There is an inseparable link between low-carbon economy and financial work in enterprises. In terms of financial work, it is an indispensable element in the development of enterprises. In order to help enterprises improve their financial performance with pertinence, comparability and applicability, this paper selects clear enterprise performance evaluation indicators for analysis from the financial perspective. It aims to help enterprises save energy in a low-carbon economic environment. In this study, the performance evaluation system and financial allocation method of Anhui enterprises’ financial expenditure are studied. In the empirical analysis, 10 ordinary enterprise undergraduate colleges in Anhui Province are selected as samples. This model covers the performance evaluation scope of most financial expenditures of general enterprises in Anhui Province, and is analyzed in the process of DEA model analysis. In the process of DEA model analysis, it can better explain the input-output performance of Anhui enterprises. In this paper, financial expenditure performance evaluation indicators designed based on principal component analysis, data envelopment analysis and other analysis methods can focus on reflecting the input and output of enterprises. It can realize the standardization of evaluation results and better compare the efficiency of financial capital expenditure between enterprises. In other words, the concept of low carbon in enterprises has given a certain standard for the development of financial work. The financial department of the enterprise must fully implement the concept of low carbon during the budget period. Only in this way can we effectively promote the development of enterprises towards low-carbon and environmental protection. Finally, it will lay a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the enterprise.

A Comprehensive Review of the Multiple Uses of Water in Aquaculture-Integrated Agriculture Based on International and National Experiences

Multiple uses of water aquaculture-integrated agriculture systems (AIAS) are inevitable to produce more food per drop of water to address water shortage, food insecurity, and climate change. This survey intends to outline the multiple-use water in pond-based AIAS in light of legal regulations and water salinity. Scenarios for pond-based AIA and their impact on the environment were presented and discussed. Pond-based AIA has been demonstrated to have many social, economic, and environmental benefits. Moreover, international and national experiences and attempts for genuine applications were exhibited. Throughout, pond-based AIA farming practices are seen as a proficient utilization of water that aids food sustainability. It was concluded that pond-based AIA could aid in increasing productivity, income for food producers and soil fertility, ecosystem maintenance, and adaptation to environmental change. AIAS helps adapt to and mitigate climate change by reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions, reducing pressure on water resources, and recycling nutrients. Finally, developing and promoting the expansion of rotation of wheat-fish and pond-based AIA in the desert and encouraging global collaboration for information and knowledge transfer among different countries were discussed.

Potential energy production from organic waste and its environmental and economic impacts at a tertiary institution in Palestine

AbstractMunicipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the most well‐known biomass resources that can be utilized to produce renewable energy. Numerous countries are plagued by the proliferation of waste, particularly organic waste that can be utilized for energy recovery. Palestine suffers from inefficient solid waste management, and only recently have a few projects focused on bioenergy production been implemented. Throughout the years, the city of Tulkarm experiences power outages which cause a challenge to the Palestine Technical University‐Kadoorie campus in Tulkarm. Thus, the possibility of energy recovery from the organic portion in Palestine Technical University‐Kadoorie was evaluated. The analysis of an economic impact included discussions of a number of economic aspects, including Levelized cost of energy, internal rate of return, present worth, annual worth, and payback period. On the other hand, a carbon dioxide savings analysis and gas emission were evaluated. The outcomes of the energy optimization demonstrated that the suggested system could supply the institution with an average of roughly 7 MWh of electrical energy. According to the economic study, this project offers 0.25 million dollars in present value, 0.144 million dollars in annual value, a 13 percent internal rate of return, a payback period of 6 years, and a levelized cost of energy of 0.11 dollars for each kWh generated. Additionally, the environmental assessment revealed that this system might reduce CO2 emissions by around 8,343,778 tons. For effective waste management, energy recovery, and emission reduction, it is advised to implement anaerobic digestion technology.

A Sustainable Location Model of Transshipment Terminals Applied to the Expansion Strategies of the Soybean Intermodal Transport Network in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil

The transport system is one of the main bottlenecks of the world’s largest producer and exporter of soybeans, Brazil. Long-distance truck transportation of grains increases costs, food waste, and CO2 emissions. To handle these problems, the Brazilian government seeks to expand the transportation system through the national transport logistics plan (PNLT), promoting efficient operations. Collaborating on the environmental aspect, this paper proposes sustainable logistic infrastructure for soybean transportation. Investigating the largest grain-producing state in the world, Mato Grosso (Brazil), we show the optimal location for capacitated transshipment terminals untangling the relationship between logistics and sustainability. Besides handling cargo truck costs and CO2 emission, the optimization model considers cities, road distances, transshipment terminals existents, terminals capacities, implementing costs, and locations near waterways and railways. In five scenarios with different combinations of waterways and railways, we contrast the cost of installing terminals and the total road distance traveled under different weights for the environmental components. The results indicate that it is possible to simultaneously obtain the minimum cost of installing transshipment terminals and to reduce emissions by 20% in all analyzed scenarios. We conclude that obtaining strategic solutions at lower costs can be combined with proper environmental responsibility. As contributions, the results allow for advances in the area of sustainable logistics, encouraging the development of new research in Brazil involving the dimensions of sustainability. In addition, the study supports the government’s strategic decisions regarding ongoing discussions on expanding the intermodal soy transport network in the country.

The Environment–Economy Synergistic Improvement Effect of the “Two-Oriented Society” Pilot Area in China

The establishment of the "two-oriented society" pilot zone is China's effort to explore an economic-environmental synergistic growth approach, and it is an important basis on which to solve the dilemma between economic development and environmental protection in less developed countries. By constructing an inter-provincial panel dataset and taking the "two-oriented society" pilot area as a policy intervention event, a quasi-natural experiment was conducted to evaluate the observed differences in economic growth and pollutant emissions using counterfactual estimation. The results show that, during the policy intervention period, the emission of solid waste in Hubei and Hunan provinces was significantly reduced, and the level of haze particles in Hunan province was also remarkably suppressed; however, the environmental emission problems such as water pollution were not improved in comparison to the national level. At the same time, the economic growth rate of Hubei and Hunan provinces was clearly better than the counterfactual control group after the policy pilot, showing the economic promotion effect of the construction of the "two-oriented society" pilot zone. We conclude that the establishment of the "two-oriented society" provides a reference for a successful path to sustainable growth, and there is no absolute contradiction between economic growth and environmental friendliness.

Quantifying regional feed utilization, production and nutrient waste emission of Norwegian salmon cage aquaculture

We analyzed growth performance and waste emissions of cage aquaculture responding to biophysical conditions that vary along the coastline of Norway. The analysis is based on a published mass balance model predicting waste emissions and open quality-assured data from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries between 2016 and 2020. Results showed significant regional variation in feed conversion rate, with a steady increase from the Northern to Southern region (p < 0.001) and a co-occurring reduction in waste emission. The retention rate of feed carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in tissues of farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758 varied from 39 to 43% of consumed nutrients across regions. The estimated defecation rate of C, N and P was 18% of consumption, whereas excretion or respiration varied from 39 to 43% across regions. This variability, along with farming methods and location characteristics, could potentially impact regional differences in benthic ecosystems. The regional differences in feed and environmental cost could potentially attract salmon farming to shift towards the Northern region, and this trend might become strengthened as water temperatures rise due to climate change. Additionally, salmon growth and feed intake rate interacted significantly with temperature (p < 0.001) and showed regular seasonal variation. The regulation of maximum allowed biomass restricts salmon farmers from increasing biomass beyond their maximum allowed level at any time. Nevertheless, the same biomass may cause higher waste in the summer. Therefore, we suggest an awareness of the seasonal increase in waste emissions and consideration of implementing environmental assessment for surface waters, which might be beneficial for decreasing the risk of reduced water quality.

Study on the Unexpected Loss Measurement of Environmental Pollution from Energy Consumption Waste Emissions in Industrial Parks Based on Extreme Value VaR Model

The waste emission of energy consumption in industrial parks causes huge expected environmental pollution loss but also causes serious environmental pollution losses in the form of accidents. To explore the measurement method of the environmental pollution losses of waste emissions from energy consumption in industrial parks and the effective way of its application, based on the literature review and theoretical analysis, extreme value theory and VaR theory was introduced to construct the extreme value VaR model for the measurement of environmental pollution losses of wastes emission from energy consumption in industrial parks. The maximum likelihood estimation method was used to estimate the parameters of the measurement model. Then, the application test was carried out with the case data of waste emission from energy consumption in Nanjing MV industrial park, which verifies the effectiveness of the research method and its application.

Waste emission reduction decision-making for industrial symbiosis chains in a competitive market considering environmental regulations

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>We develop a perfect competitive upstream and downstream manufacturers model in an industrial symbiosis chain that produces partially differentiated products and generates pollution as a byproduct. We investigate the waste emission reduction decision-making of the industrial symbiosis chain in a competitive market while considering environmental regulations imposed by policy-makers or the government in the form of waste emission taxes and subsidies for waste usage. We prove that environmental regulation and market competition positively affect manufacturers' strategies to implement industrial symbiosis. In addition, we discover that implementing industrial symbiosis requires government leadership, while the market mainly plays a supporting role. Similarly, we show that the degree of competition plays a critical role in determining the economic consequences of environmental regulation. Our results suggest that the government or policy-makers should consider market competition when making environmental regulations. Through our simulations, when the upstream and downstream market sizes are the same, we discover that regardless of the market size, as the market competition becomes fiercer, the profit of the centralized model always dominates that of the other models. At the same time, a waste emission contract can be the technique to improve the performance of the decentralized industrial symbiosis chain. We further find that the market size does not affect the manufacturers' final strategies but only has a specific impact on the value.</p>

Eco-econo-efficiency Based Quota Allocation towards Coal De-capacity Reform Implementation: Case Study from China

Reducing coal capacity is an essential part of China’s energy transition, with the formulation of a coal de-capacity quota allocation plan the key to achieving its coal overcapacity reductions. This paper presents a coal decapacity quota allocation mechanism based on a comprehensive consideration of the ecological, economic, and efficiency concerns at the enterprise level to deal with China’s coal overcapacity problems. A multi-objective optimization quota allocation model based on equilibrium strategy is established for the decision makers, in which the ecological concerns are measured by three waste emissions, the economic concern assessed based on the coal de-capacity costs, and the efficiency measured using a DEA method. By introducing a membership function method, the model is transformed into its equivalent single form and solved using LINGO software. To prove the practicality of the model, a case analysis was conducted. The results indicate that due to the different ecological and economic level in each coal mine, the allocation ratio of each coal mine for coal de-capacity is quite different. Compared with the government plan to reduce overcapacity in the mining area, the ecological benefits of the enterprise’s strategy increases by 4.69 million tonnes, and the economic costs has reduced 42.79 million CNY. A sensitivity analysis under different parameters for the decision maker preferences implemented, and the production efficiency changes in the mining areas analyzed and compared. It was found that although coal capacity reduction quota allocations can be affected by the decision makers preferences, the comprehensive ecological, economic, and efficiency objectives at small scale, low-efficiency coal mines should take on additional coal capacity reduction tasks. After the optimal allocations, the efficiencies in all mining areas reached an optimal value.

Dynamical behaviour of a prey-predator system in a destructive environment incorporating prey refuge

Degradation of habitat is a direct outcome of anthropogenic activities, which includes urbanization, mining, the emission of industrial waste, and many others. Many living organisms experience severe surviving challenges as a result of habitat degradation. Here, we have studied the impact of habitat destruction caused by human activities on the dynamics of a prey-predator interaction with prey refuge. Our analyses reveal that a higher rate of habitat destruction than the habitat regeneration rate is always detrimental to the survival of predators. Predator species may still be threatened with extinction even if the rate of habitat degradation is slightly lower than the habitat recovery rate. So, in order to maintain biodiversity, we must appropriately step up our efforts to slow down the rate of habitat degradation as well as accelerate the habitat restoration. Further, our investigation suggests that in order to achieve cohabitation, we should effectively control the habitat deterioration caused by human activity, rather than artificially introducing or eliminating the hiding places of prey species.