Next Sustainability最新文献

Water pollution, aggravated by the release of industrial dyes into the water bodies, is a significant environmental issue. This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a MXene-based composite, MXene/CoFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄, tailored for enhanced photocatalytic dye degradation. The resulting composite is systematically analyzed through various physico-chemical and optical characterization techniques to explore the morphological features and photocatalytic efficacy. The results unveils a multilayered structure for MXene/CoFe₂O₄/g-C₃N₄, characterized by a suitable bandgap, enhanced light harvesting efficiency, as well as proficient charge carrier separation, and low recombination rate. It forms a Z-scheme/Schottky heterojunction exhibiting higher efficiency for degradation of rhodamine B (93.1 % in 180 min) under visible light. Active species like O₂^•− and ^•OH play a vital role in the photodegradation process, and the prepared catalyst exhibits a stable performance up to 5 cycles. This work reveals new possibilities for designing and fabricating heterojunction photocatalysts, showcasing excellent capabilities for efficient and sustainable environmental remediation.

This article explores the climate mitigation strategies of the 15 industries with the largest carbon dioxide emissions in Sweden. Starting from two carbon budget alternatives, we analyse the mitigation projections of the companies in relation to what can be considered their fair share of the remaining carbon budget for Sweden. We furthermore determine the uncertainties associated with the strategies. The results suggest that if the communicated mitigation plans are implemented as planned, the companies overdraft our main, 1.5-degree, budget option but stay within the alternative 1.7-degree budget. The analysis shows, however, that the timing and efficiency of emission reductions are crucial. Already small delays or lower efficiency in implementation, result in evident overdrafts of also the alternative budget. There are also substantial political and technical risks which can prevent timely mitigations. The article makes a novel contribution by analyzing industries’ mitigation strategies relative to their share of the remaining carbon budget. The article demonstrates the importance of transparent industrial climate mitigation strategies and in particular the need for policymakers to set incentive structures to promote strategy implementation.

Carbon revenues from the REDD+ projects are important to reduce deforestation and increase carbon sinks in developing countries. Such revenues are not possible without assessing the baseline emissions, the forest reference emission level (FREL), and the effectiveness of the REDD+ activities. This study aimed to assess the carbon emission reductions from reducing deforestation, carbon removals from enhancing forest carbon stocks, and carbon revenues in the Vavuniya district, Sri Lanka by assessing baseline emissions and FREL (2001 – 2020) in dry monsoon forest using the Google Earth Engine and the phenology-based threshold classification. The Vavuniya district is one of the war-affected dry zone districts showing a significant loss in forest cover. This study considered the carbon pools aboveground, belowground biomass, and litter to calculate forest carbon stocks since a significant change can be observed in these pools due to forest loss. The estimation shows that the annual depletion of carbon stocks was 45,083.6 MgC between 2001 and 2020, which accounts for the total carbon emissions of 165,306.6 MgCO₂. FREL established for the period of the Paris Agreement was at 155,187.9 MgCO₂ yr⁻¹. Around 94,331.0 MgCO₂ of annual carbon emissions could be reduced if REDD+ actions are implemented between 2020 and 2030. While annual carbon removals from the open forest could be 7731.5 MgCO₂. Based on the carbon price selected at the voluntary carbon market and the European Union emission trading system, total emission reductions and removals can be equivalent to carbon revenues ranging from approximately USD 7.3 million to USD 87.5 million. These revenues are important for the Sri Lankan government to promote conservation efforts for the remaining forests to better conserve biodiversity. The estimation suggests high carbon revenues, which can attract successful implementation of the projects through appropriate policy interventions and sectoral collaboration, which can then contribute to long-term economic development and climate change mitigation.

Transformer oil is the insulating oil that is utilized in power transformers for insulation and cooling during the operation of transformers. After a long run, the properties of the transformer oil such as breakdown voltage, and dielectric dissipation factor decrease to 32 kV, 0.41% while water content increases by 31 ppm resulting in waste oil. The disposal of waste transformer oil (WTO) is a big issue since it is contaminated with many virulent pollutants such as PCBs, PAHs, harmful gases, etc. which have adverse effects on the environment and living beings. Many scientists in this area studied to reduce its environmental impact and disposal problem by using different methods of recycling and re-use of WTO or re-refined into new transformer oil and also utilized in blended form with diesel fuel as an alternative fuel in diesel engines resulting in less smoke and hydrocarbon emission, increased BTE and NOx emission. In this review, we provide information about waste transformer oil, its toxic effects on the environment, the various techniques to recycle WTO, and its application in alternate fuels.

Lithium mining from brines raise environmental issues due to huge volumes of both saline and freshwater being constantly pumped in desertic environments. Data indicating the slow depletion of both underground water levels and lagoon surfaces in the regions where large lithium brine mining exploitations are located have recently being disclosed. Amongst different direct lithium extraction methodologies, DLE, for more sustainable lithium recovery, a few proposals aim at the recovery of freshwater from the high salinity brines. About 900 kg of freshwater could potentially be recovered per cubic meter of processed native brine. The water evaporation and freshwater production capabilities of a simple and an active solar still are compared in this work. These are two simple and relatively low-cost technologies that could be adapted to existing solar evaporation ponds. The two systems were thermodynamically modelled. Equations were derived which were fed with real meteorological data from the Olaroz salt lake location and brine properties derived from the Pitzer model for the said brine. Analysis of the heat fluxes show that the behavior of both systems is relatively similar with large heat losses that are responsible for neither of the systems reaching the evaporation rate of the evaporation ponds.

Waste plastics pose significant environmental risks due to their non-biodegradable nature and accumulation in the environment. The pandemic has exacerbated this issue by increasing the production of plastic medical waste such as surgical masks. This study developed Ni/Al-MOF-derived catalysts for pyrolysis, an effective plastic waste utilization technology. By optimizing conditions, the study successfully converted waste surgical masks, made primarily of polypropylene, into gasoline or diesel range chemicals. The oil yield from polypropylene waste reached 72.8 % using Ni/Al-MOF-derived catalysts with 5 % Ni loading at 450°C, while surgical masks yielded 58.9 % oil under the same conditions. Catalyst characterization revealed a high surface area and evenly distributed Ni particles in MOF-derived Al₂O₃, maximizing catalytic performance. This catalyst provides a promising solution for converting waste surgical masks into liquid fuels, reducing the environmental impact of plastic products, and promoting plastic waste recycling.

Formation damage mechanisms and the corresponding control technology for the tight gas reservoirs have been reported, whereas few studies have discussed ultra-deep fractured tight gas reservoirs. Ultra-deep fractured tight gas reservoirs were susceptible to be damaged owing to geological conditions and engineering status. Taking the ultra-deep fractured tight gas reservoirs located in the Tarim Basin as an example, ultra-tight, high-pressure, high temperature (HPHT), and high-salinity formation water, ultra-low water saturation and fracture networks were identified as special geological characteristics. High-density oil-based drill-in fluids and serious lost circulation were the special engineering status. Challenges in laboratory experiments to evaluate formation damage include rigorous experimental conditions and unsuitable experimental methods. In addition, improving the formation protection ability of working fluids and minimizing the formation damage induced by the sequential use of different types of working fluids were the main challenges associated with using working fluids. Challenges in lost circulation control include the failure of plugging zone due to the degradation of lost circulation materials and repeated lost circulation due to the strength reduction of the plugging zone soaked in diesel oil. Recommendations for key technologies to improve targeted formation damage control technology have been proposed. The comprehensive analysis of these issues provides a road-map for researching formation damage control technologies.

The high-entropy concept is receiving attention as an advanced design strategy to functionalize material properties by tuning the disorderliness of the system. High-entropy materials have garnered significant recognition in the realm of energy storage due to their versatile and diverse material properties. In recent times, there has been active exploration of traditional materials as positive electrodes in sodium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, under profound sodiated conditions, these materials tend to exhibit sluggish kinetics and unfavourable phase transitions, leading to significant capacity degradation and subpar rate capability. High-entropy concepts successfully tune the configurational entropy by adjusting the stoichiometric balance of active/inactive cations to address the drawbacks. The recent developments and research progress on high-entropy materials for sodium-ion batteries are reviewed in this article, with a focus on the advantages of configurational entropy modulation for improving electrochemical performances. The positive aspects of high-entropy cathode materials as well as the key challenges are finally outlined to realize practical sodium-ion batteries.

Herein we have made a comprehensive analysis for the conversion of CO₂ to fuel (CH₄) on two dimensional MXenes (M=Mo, Hf) of the type M₂C. Evaluation of parameters like Mulliken charge, adsorption energy, bond angle and bond distance demonstrated that activation is more pronounced with Hf₂C compared to Mo₂C due to transfer of higher electron density to CO₂ in the former than in the latter case. CO₂ adsorbed M₂C realizes large shift of valance and conduction band vis-a-vis free M₂C, leading to substantial charge transfer from MXenes. The enhanced activation of CO₂ over Hf₂C has been confirmed from the increased splitting of π and π* energy level of CO₂ for Hf₂C compared to Mo₂C. The dense electron localization contour maps further explained the ease of electron transfer to CO₂ involving Hf₂C. Analysis of Gibbs free energy for successive steps for the conversion of CO₂ to CH₄ revealed that fuel conversion is more feasible with Hf₂C over Mo₂C.

Energy consumption within buildings, predominantly driven by non-renewable sources, remains a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This is primarily attributed to the demand for occupant comfort, encompassing air-conditioning, lighting, and electrical usage. In response to this pressing challenge, switchable smart windows have emerged as a highly promising solution applicable to both residential and commercial structures. By effectively modulating light and heat, these windows offer a multifaceted approach to energy conservation, encompassing reduced heat loss, diminished reliance on artificial lighting, and consequential cost savings. This research paper critically evaluates the latest advancements in electrically actuated smart windows, with a specific focus on AC-powered variants such as Suspended Particles, Liquid Crystal, and DC-powered Electrochromic windows. The study meticulously delves into the operational principles, technical parameters, advantages, limitations, prospects, applications, energy-saving potential, and market penetration of these intelligent window technologies. Notably, the investigation extends to key thermal metrics like overall heat transfer coefficient and solar heat gain coefficient, alongside optical attributes including correlated colour temperature (CCT) and colour rendering index (CRI). Furthermore, the report delves into the intricate challenges associated with integrating smart windows into building infrastructure, presenting viable solutions and perspectives to address these concerns. These challenges encompass the absence of standardized regulations within the UK, elevated costs, technical intricacies, limited research and development, and uncharted compatibility with both new constructions and retrofit designs. Through a comprehensive analysis, this paper endeavours to shed light on potential avenues to surmount these obstacles, ultimately unlocking the full potential of smart windows in establishing energy-efficient built environments.