Global Challenges最新文献

The use of organic pesticides to reduce insect and disease infestations and boost agricultural productivity can minimize the health and environmental costs of synthetic pesticides. However, adoption remains slow, and barriers and drivers influencing their uptake among cocoa farmers across different ecological zones are unclear. Grounded in the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, this study investigated perceptions, drivers, barriers, and strategies to enhance organic pesticide adoption among cocoa farmers in two ecological zones. A mixed-methods approach is employed, collecting data from 450 farmers in eight cocoa-growing communities through questionnaire-led interviews. Data are analyzed using linear mixed-effects regression, probit regression, ANOVA, Chi-Square, and thematic analysis. Findings revealed that adopters have a 7%-32% more favorable perception of the environmental and health benefits of organic pesticides, influencing their adoption. Farm characteristics, farming experience, incomes, land tenure, and ecological zone significantly influenced adoption. Non-adopters cited barriers such as high transportation costs, offensive odors, and limited information access. Suggested strategies to enhance adoption included capacity building, financial incentives, improved product availability, institutional support, and awareness campaigns. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to address demographic and socio-economic barriers and promote organic pesticide use. Future research should explore longitudinal impacts on productivity and soil health.

The increasing global population and concomitant rise in food demand lead to significant challenges in sustainable agricultural practices and food waste management. This review explores a promising solution to these challenges by examining the potential of utilizing food waste in hog farming as a sustainable feed resource. The paper highlights the environmental, economic, and social benefits of diverting food waste from landfills and repurposing it for livestock nutrition. Nutritional adequacy, safety, and regulatory frameworks surrounding the use of food waste in hog diets, as well as technological advancements and logistical considerations necessary for the widespread adoption of this practice, are discussed along with pilot projects that have successfully implemented food waste feeding programs, assessing their outcomes in terms of feed efficiency, animal health, and environmental impact. Using food waste as animal feed provides a cost-effective alternative to traditional feedstuffs. It also contributes to the global goal of reducing the food, land, and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation gaps by 12%, 27%, and 15%, respectively, by 2050. This practice will significantly lower the carbon footprint of hog farming by redirecting 45% of GHG emissions from conventional feed production to promote a circular economy within the agricultural sector. However, successfully implementing food waste feeding programs requires stringent monitoring and adherence to safety standards to prevent contamination and ensure animal welfare.

During the desalination process, scaling, fouling, and degradation are associated issues that lead to a drop in the separation performance of membranes. Membrane regeneration emerges as a critical technology in which upcycling and downcycling can offer a promising avenue for promoting sustainable membrane lifecycle management. Multiple research papers and reviews have critically analyzed the regeneration of membranes, which explains the end-of-cycle assessment and cost analysis of membrane recycling. However, challenges associated with the conventional and innovative regeneration processes are not yet analyzed. The potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on membrane regeneration is not explained in the literature. This review paper aims to explore the synergistic relationship between AI and membrane regeneration, elucidating the principles, challenges, opportunities, and emerging trends in this rapidly evolving field. By examining the role of AI techniques in enhancing the understanding, monitoring, and control of regeneration membrane processes, as well as their applications in optimizing regeneration strategies and addressing end-of-life considerations, this paper seeks to provide insights into the transformative potential of AI in reshaping the landscape of membrane regeneration.

This study proposes a novel approach to enhance the performance of solar water heating systems by integrating molten salt thermal energy storage (MSTES) and evaluating its effectiveness under varying tilt angles (15°, 30°, 45°, and 60°). While prior research has extensively explored solar collectors and conventional storage media, there have been limited studies that experimentally assessed the combined effect of MSTES and tilt angle optimization on thermal performance. To address this gap, a parabolic trough collector system is employed using a eutectic mixture of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate, known for its high thermal stability and energy retention. Key performance metrics, including collector efficiency, heat transfer coefficient, and storage efficiency, are analyzed under different tilt configurations. Results revealed that a 60° tilt angle offered the best performance, achieving a collector efficiency of 75%, a heat transfer coefficient exceeding 880 W m⁻² K, and a storage efficiency of 61% during peak solar radiation. These findings highlight the effectiveness of MSTES in maximizing solar energy absorption and storage, thereby contributing to the development of high-efficiency solar thermal systems that are adaptable to diverse climatic conditions and energy demands.

The concept of mirror life is first introduced by Louis Pasteur, referring to biological systems composed of enantiomeric biomolecules. Although nowadays technologies are making a mirror life theoretically achievable, its potential risks remain uncertain. Here, an integrated multi-tier computational pipeline is employed to address the potential environmental threat posed by the hypothetical mirror-image of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium relevant to environmental and food safety. The findings suggest that amoxicillin, and perhaps other conventional antibiotics, should not be effective against their mirror targets. On the other hand, the enantiomeric amoxicillin may be a successful counteracting measure, although the risks for the biosphere remain unknown. Overall, this study highlights the need for further dedicated investigations in this field, while emphasizing in silico methods, in particular molecular modeling, as a versatile and effective first-line approach for analysis, free from biohazards and technical limitations of reagents supply.

In this study, phenol removal by ozonation under strong alkaline conditions in a continuously operated jet loop reactor (JLR) is investigated. The effects of inlet ozone gas concentration, hydraulic retention time (HRT), and influent phenol concentration on phenol, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total organic carbon (TOC) removal in the JLR effluent are evaluated. When the inlet ozone gas concentration is 17.5 gO₃ m⁻³, the steady-state phenol, COD, and TOC removal efficiencies are determined as 97.8%, 61.1%, and 32.2%, respectively. When the inlet ozone concentration increases from 17.5 to 56.5 gO₃ m⁻³, phenol is not detected in the JLR effluent. The system operates at different HRTs, and the highest removal efficiency at steady-state is obtained at 8 h HRT. While phenol is completely removed at this HRT, COD and TOC removals are 76.8% and 48.2%, respectively. An increase in phenol concentration in the JLR influent leads to a reduction in the phenol, COD, and TOC removal efficiencies in the steady-state effluent.

The 21st century faces a planetary crisis, where biodiversity loss, climate change, resource depletion (caused by human activities), technological disruptions, and economic inequality intersect to challenge sustainable development.^{[1, 2]} These interconnected issues have brought sustainability to the forefront as a critical concept.^[3] What began as a focus on environmental issues has evolved into a rich, multidimensional concept, and sustainability now integrates economic and social considerations alongside ecological concerns, giving rise to a broad and dynamic range of sustainability discourses. Sustainability has become a central ambition across policy, business, and academia, with a substantial and enduring influence that continues to shape national and international agendas and drive action across sectors.^[4]

Sustainability and sustainable development emphasise that human development and economic growth should occur without threatening people, animals, ecosystems, or the Earth's stability.^[5] However, current indicators starkly challenge this ideal. In 2024, Earth Overshoot Day, marking the date when resource consumption exceeds Earth's capacity to regenerate those resources, fell on August 1, highlighting the ongoing ecological deficit.^[6] Further, as of 2023, six of the nine planetary boundaries have been transgressed, placing humanity outside the Earth's safe operating space. These include climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater use, land change, biogeochemical flows, and novel entities.^[2]

Tackling these sustainability challenges is complex, and it requires collaboration across fields, as no single discipline can fully grasp or resolve these systemic issues and develop innovative, viable, and practical solutions. Despite the recognised need for interdisciplinary approaches to help solve these complex problems, the integration of different disciplines remains bound to barriers and challenges.^{[7, 8]}

In the context of research and academia, the concept of sustainability appeared in the mid-1980s.^[9] However, disciplines such as business, economics, law, science, design, and engineering have traditionally operated within distinct silos, with limited potential for cross-disciplinary synergy. As a result, the interest and focus of these fields often differ, with each discipline prioritizing unique questions to shape their approach to sustainability. For instance, business scholars focus on sustainability through the lenses of management, economics, international business, strategy, organizational and consumer behavior, and econo

In this work, the applicability of surgical glove waste pyrolysis oil (SGWPO) combined with pentanol and nano-additives (silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and nano-graphene) as a substitute fuel for a 5.2 kW-diesel engine is experimentally conducted, aiming to analyze the test engine's performance and emission characteristics. Neat SGWPO could reach 8.6% less BTE, 32.24%, 18.27%, 36.17%, and 9.72% higher NOx, smoke, CO, and HC emissions than diesel at full load. However, blending SGWPO with 25% pentanol by volume and 100 ppm of SiO₂ nanoparticles or 100 ppm of nanographene could improve the engine results. The obtained results of the nanographene-included SGWPO/pentanol blend are lower than SiO₂-included SGWPO/pentanol blend compared to neat SGWPO. Indeed, the nano-SiO₂-added SGWPO/pentanol blend demonstrated 9.72% higher BTE and 36.81%, 29.1%, 33.06%, and 25.67% reduced NOx, smoke, CO, and hydrocarbon emissions, respectively, compared to neat SGWPO. Therefore, nano-SiO₂-included SGWPO/pentanol is recommended as an alternative fuel for diesel engine operation without any modifications. The recommended nanofuel blend usage in engines simultaneously supports much higher engine performance along with reduced emissions, showing the dual benefits of the waste-to-wealth strategy of surgical glove waste.

Due to their high energy density, thionyl chloride technology are used in a wide range of applications in the aerospace industry. These cells consist of a lithium metal anode and a SOCl₂ liquid cathode. The safety problems posed by these cells received particular attention in the 70 and 80s. However, the generation of shock waves during thermal runaway has never been demonstrated. In this article, for the second time, aerial shock waves are characterized for cells composed of lithium metal. Although the TNT equivalent of thionyl chloride cells is widely dispersed between 0.008 and 0.3 g. Its impact on the mechanical structures of the battery module should not be neglected, nor should its impact on people.

The heightened spread of pathogens due to population growth, urbanization, and climate change presents significant health challenges, exacerbated by high transmission, virulence, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and novel variants. Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) affect 1 in 31 hospitalized patients, costing $28.4 billion annually. This study introduces a novel approach to pathogen control by integrating copper and zinc oxide nanoparticles into 3D printed Stereolithography (SLA) materials. The 3D impregnated material demonstrates reproducibility and efficacy across different 3D platforms, showcasing complete bactericidal/fungicidal effects against twelve diverse species and a 4 log virucidal activity on eight clinically relevant viral species within 2 h. No significant cytotoxicity is observed in primary human keratinocytes after 2 h of contact. The material maintains its antipathogenic activity after a year of accelerated ageing, suggesting enhances stability and performance over time. This method addresses the limitations of conventional cleaning and surface spraying, which often fall short in efficacy and longevity; for the first time, the incorporation of commercially available nanoparticles into 3D printable materials offers a versatile long-lasting antipathogenic and biocompatible solution for high-contact surfaces in public and clinical settings, reducing the need for cleaning surfaces while limiting infection rates, the threat of AMR, and other future infectious outbreaks.