Resources Environment and Sustainability最新文献

Improved energy efficiency is a key factor in the shift towards sustainable energy systems and net zero emissions, both locally, regionally and globally. The total energy efficiency potential in industrial SMEs is high, but despite this large potential for improved energy efficiency, the full potential is not realized due to several barriers to implementation of energy efficiency measures. The barriers vary based on e.g., geographic location, company size, sector, etc., but for industrial SMEs the main barriers are other priorities, lack of time and lack of information about energy efficiency measures. Energy efficiency networks help companies with the support needed to successfully work with energy efficiency on site, such as conducting an energy audit, making an energy and implementation plan, and monitoring the results. However, there is so far a scarcity of ex-post evaluations of energy efficiency network policy programmes. The aim of this paper is to provide an ex-post impact evaluation of a Swedish regional energy efficiency network programme and propose a general method on how to evaluate energy efficiency networks. Results show that the achieved energy efficiency for the evaluated network policy programme is higher than previously evaluated stand-alone energy audit programmes, and that the majority of deployed energy efficiency measures are found among the support processes, such as space heating, ventilation and lighting.

The largest wine producers globally are located in Southern Europe and climate is a major factor in wine production. The European Union aims to complement the consumer’s choice for wine with information about environmental sustainability. The carbon footprint is a worldwide-standardized indicator that both wine producers and consumers perceive as the most important environmental indicator. So far, environmental life cycle assessment studies show variability in the system boundaries design and functional unit selection, and review papers do not include life cycle inventory data, and consider vineyards in various locations worldwide. This study aimed to investigate what are the key factors affecting the carbon footprint of red and white wine production in South European countries with the same climatic conditions, and benchmark both wine types. The results showed that the carbon footprints of white and red wines are comparable. The average carbon footprints were 1.02, 1.25, and 1.62 CO₂ eq. bottle of wine ⁻¹ for organic red wine, conventional red wine, and conventional white wine, respectively. The viticulture, winemaking, and packaging stages affect greatly the carbon footprint. Diesel consumption at the viticulture stage, electricity consumption at the viticulture and winemaking stages, and glass production at the packaging stage are the largest contributors to the carbon footprint. Wine consumption stage was omitted from most studies, even though it can increase the carbon footprint by 5%. Our results suggest that consumers should choose (conventional or organic) red wine that is produced locally.

In the recycling sector, the transition in system networks from centralization to decentralization is an emerging concept. The feasibility to decentralize the recycling of e-waste needs to be analyzed, considering the different characteristics of each municipality. We propose a distributed recycling system for obsolete alkaline batteries using microwave apparatus as a small-scale recycling technology. Firstly, the reactivity of obsolete alkaline batteries with microwave irradiation was empirically examined. In lab-based experiments, pyrometallurgical microwave-based heating successfully separated a mixed sample of Mn₃O₄ and ZnO contained in obsolete alkaline batteries and recovered MnO and Zn separately, achieving a recovery rate of 97% under an ambient atmosphere. It was also found that the recovery rate of zinc obtained by microwave-based heating is 1.5-fold that using conventional electric furnace-based heating, with less than half of the heating time required. The experimental results were then used to analytically determine the energy efficiency of the distributed recycling system for the treatment of obsolete alkaline batteries with microwave apparatus compared with the centralized recycling system. In an analytical study which considered the characteristics of 1710 municipalities in Japan, it was found that an annual energy and greenhouse gas reduction of 26,500 GJ and 1.54 Gg-CO₂eq, respectively, can be achieved at the national level by creating a well-balanced harmony between the centralized and distributed systems. The method applied in this study to determine the effectiveness based on population and intercity transport distance can be readily implemented in any city for the adoption of a distributed recycling system.

The fate of indicator bacteria and wastewater micropollutants (WWMPs) discharged from water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) needs to be understood for the protection of drinking water sources. This study investigated the partitioning behavior in wet and dry weather of Escherichia coli and 6 WWMPs including acetaminophen (ACET), caffeine (CAF), theophylline (THEO), carbamazepine (CBZ), 2-hydroxycarbamazepine (CBZ-2OH), and the artificial sweetener aspartame (ASP) between the water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediments. ACET, CAF, THEO and CBZ were detected in all matrices. In contrast, CBZ-2OH and ASP were strongly associated with suspended particles, being exclusively detected in SPM and sediments. When comparing dry to wet weather concentrations, three main patterns were observed depending on the compounds and CSO locations: (i) compounds with low removal efficiency by wastewater treatment (CBZ, CBZ-2OH and ASP) are diluted with the addition of stormwater in the aqueous and SPM phases; (ii) contaminants with high removal efficiency (E. coli, ACET, CAF, THEO) saw an increase in their particle associated fraction (39 to 59% for E. coli, and from 12%–43% to 42%–91% for WWMPs); and (iii) no significant difference was observed for surficial sediment concentrations after rainfall events, although spatial variability was observed. Results highlight the importance of monitoring the SPM phase to overcome dilution effects in the dissolved phase. Analyzing SPM with regards to micropollutants and indicator bacteria may be more relevant for risk assessment and the assessment of the relative contribution of CSO bypass flows and treated wastewater effluents loads.

Major environmental and climate changes are driven by changes in socioeconomic development. The problem of food waste, its unsustainable management, and associated environmental consequences are becoming great concerns due to the rapid socioeconomic development in many Chinese provinces. This study assessed the current and future status of food waste and its management, and the associated environmental impact in all Chinese provinces from life cycle perspective. Based on result, food waste in China was estimated as 61.37 Mt in 2020 and could be as high as 100.95–139.82 Mt by 2040, under various socioeconomic pathways. Average per capita food waste has increased by 29.67% from 2016 and Tianjin was found to have the highest per capita food waste. Correspondingly, GHG emission of food waste in China was estimated as 149.25 Mt CO₂eq in 2020, and is largely influence by the varieties of food wasted in each province. The environmental burden of food waste is projected to increase by 70%–148% under different socioeconomic development pathways. Anaerobic digestion demands freshwater and may pose challenges for Chinese provinces facing water scarcity. Diverting food waste to anaerobic digestion can reduce GHG emissions of food waste by $\sim$74% by 2040. China’s transition to sustainable waste management may be impeded and unsustainable economic-wise if many Chinese provinces continue to build on their current food waste management trend. These findings could be pivotal in setting food waste reduction goals at provincial level and devising strategies to ensure active involvement of community in food waste reduction programs.

The tracking of electronic waste (e-waste) flows through and within pre-processing facilities plays a crucial role in determining the fate of resources contained in e-waste. This study maps material and economic flows of e-waste through manual and mechanical processes at the pre-processing facility using material flow analysis. Both daily and annual material flows were accounted for, and daily flow outputs were also translated into economic flows. Each day the facility mainly processed printers and peripheral devices, laser cartridges, and refurbishable flatscreen displays. The main material outputs were glass, mixed plastics, and computer and communication wires containing copper. The most valuable products were refurbished goods and the highest revenue material was copper, whereas the highest cost item was glass from cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, due to its lead content. From 2016–2018 the facility received fewer CRT displays due to both global e-waste trends, by selling and trading CRTs to other Ontario pre-processors in exchange for flatscreen displays. This approach helped the facility to capitalize new specialized equipment for the processing of flat screens and reduced downstream leaded glass processing costs. The changing product and material profile of e-waste in Canada, and globally, needs advanced technological solutions by the pre-processors to maximize resource recovery in economically feasible manner.

The information and communication technology (ICT) plays an important role in improving energy consumption efficiency and reducing the emission level in the urban transport sector. ICT-based mobility services like ridesourcing provide smart tools and algorithms for matching travel demand and supply and more convenient door to door services. However, there is a concern that the convenience and competitive service fares of these new mobility modes encourage people to make more car travel or shift from more sustainable mobility modes like public transport to car travels. Therefore, it is necessary to study the frequency use and modal shift to this new mobility mode, particularly in the cities (like Cairo), where the ICT-based mobility services contain more ridesourcing of fossil fuel cars than other modes like online bikes/scooter sharing. A survey was conducted in Cairo, and logit models were developed to analyze the associations of socioeconomic, travel behavior variables with the frequency use and modal shift to ridesourcing. The results of ordinal logistic regression indicate that people who live near a metro station, with higher income, and with more non-work trips per week are more likely to be high-frequent users of ridesourcing. Moreover, women are more likely to use ridesourcing frequently than men in Cairo. The findings indicate that the most replaced mode by ridesourcing is traditional taxis (by 33 %), and the second and third shifted modes are private cars and public transport by 30% and 24 %, respectively. The results of multinomial logistic regression show that the socioeconomic parameters have significant associations with the probability of modal shift from public transport, taxis, and private cars to ridesourcing services.

Irrigation water can increase tree biomass production, but it is often unavailable near grove locations. Alternative water resources, such as treated wastewater (TWW), offer a potential solution, while additionally contributing to a circular economy. To assess environmental sustainability, the impact of residual wastewater contaminants on soil microorganisms must be understood. This study compared soil microbial communities from purpose-grown tree groves irrigated with TWW for at least ten years, with communities from unirrigated control plots. Short-term batch testing was conducted to compare the degradation capabilities for five trace-level organic contaminants (TOrCs) associated with reclaimed wastewater. Microbial community composition was examined using 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing. Microbial biomass and abundance of a putative bisphenol A (BPA) degradation gene were quantified via droplet digital PCR. Principal component analysis of the sequencing results revealed distinct clustering of the irrigated and non-irrigated communities at two sites. Control soils from all sites exhibited intrinsic degradation of BPA and ibuprofen. Additionally, several OTUs of the Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria were correlated with soil organic carbon and TOrC degradation. Together, these results suggested that rhizosphere microbial communities were altered in long-term wastewater infiltration galleries, though the impacts of increased soil moisture due to irrigation and the effects of exposure to residual contaminants are difficult to separate. A greater understanding of TWW impacts on soil microbial communities will help expand the prevalence of wastewater reuse for biomass production, contributing to the growth of the circular economy.