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Addressing the environmental risks related to contamination of groundwater with the phenolics, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which might be potentially released from the underground coal gasification (UCG) under adverse hydrogeological and/or operational conditions, is crucial in terms of wider implementation of the process. The aim of this study was to determine the main organic pollutants present in the process condensate generated during the UCG trial performed on hard coal seam in the Experimental Mine ‘Barbara’, Poland; 8,933 L of condensate was produced in 813 h of experiment duration (including 456 h of the post-process stage) with average phenolics, BTEX and PAH concentrations of 576,000, 42.3 and 1,400.5 μg/L, respectively. The Hierarchical Clustering Analysis was used to explore the differences and similarities between the samples. The sample collected during the first 48 h of the process duration was characterized by the lowest phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene contents, high xylene content and the highest concentrations of phenolics, benzene, toluene and ethyl benzene. The samples collected during the stable operation of the UCG process were characterized by higher concentrations of naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, while in the samples acquired in the post-process stage the lowest concentrations of benzene, toluene, naphthalene, acenaphthene and fluorene were observed.

This review organizes the current state of knowledge on the role of financial markets in energy transition. The originality of the study lies in the delimitation of its scope and diagnosis of research trends concerning the role of financing, innovation, and financial development sources. The study sets out to identify the role of the financial market in the energy transition process and present the state-of-the-art and main research focuses. For this purpose, a literature review was carried out based on the search results from the Web of Science database and using VOSViewer software, version 1.6.20. The analysis of 54 papers in the final sample allowed us to pinpoint the key links between financial markets and energy transition. Capital markets support green initiatives, with green bonds as a primary funding source. Blockchain and fintech technologies also significantly contribute to transition by offering innovative solutions. Additionally, a range of papers examine the costs associated with energy transition and the role of financial instruments in managing these. Regulatory challenges are another significant focus. This comprehensive analysis underscores the multifaceted relationship between financial markets and energy transition, providing insights into the current trends and the critical role of finance in fostering a sustainable future.

Abstract This literature review was built upon recently published articles on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of agricultural biogas plants, to: enhance understanding of the relevant literature in the field and the related question by readers worldwide. It was designed to highlight methodological issues and impact indicators, which best represent this research field; consequently, they should be considered in performing environmental assessments of agro-biogas derived energy systems. The literature review highlighted the wide variability of environmental results due to the ways the feedstock mixtures were produced, managed, and supplied; and due to the regions in which the anaerobic digesters were located and operated. Differences were found to be related to the aim and function of the study and to the methodological approach used, especially for the development of the environmental impact assessments. Other differences resulted from the ways the energy produced was utilised, whether it was used as an input to the natural gas national grid, and/or if it was used within the production system. The authors of this review concluded that, although much progress has been made, many unsolved challenges and methodological choices must be addressed to further improve the robustness of LCA in relation to AD and to related approaches.

Results of tests into the energy-efficiency of belt conveyor transportation systems indicate that the energy consumption of their drive mechanisms can be limited by lowering the main resistances in the conveyor. The main component of these resistances is represented by belt indentation rolling resistance. Limiting its value will allow a reduction in the amount of energy consumed by the drive mechanisms. This article presents a test rig which enables uncomplicated evaluations of such rolling resistances. It also presents the results of comparative tests performed for five steel-cord conveyor belts. The tests involved a standard belt, a refurbished belt and three energy-saving belts. As temperature significantly influences the values of belt indentation rolling resistance, the tests were performed in both positive and negative temperatures. The results indicate that when compared with the standard belt, the refurbished and the energy-efficient belts generate higher and lower indentation rolling resistances, respectively. In order to demonstrate practical advantages resulting from the use of energy-saving belts, this article also includes calculations of the power demand of a conveyor drive mechanism during one calendar year, as measured on a belt conveyor operated in a mine. The replacement of a standard belt with a refurbished belt generates a power demand higher by 4.8%, and with an energy-efficient belt—lower by 15.3%.

The hygrothermal behaviour of an internally insulated historic wall is still hard to predict, mainly because the physical characteristics of the materials composing the historic wall are unknown. In this study, the hygrothermal assessment of an internally thermal insulated masonry wall of an historic palace located in Ferrara, in Italy, is shown. In situ non-destructive monitoring method is combined with a hygrothermal simulation tool, aiming to better analyse and discuss future refurbishment scenarios. In this context, the original U-value of the wall (not refurbished) is decreased from 1.44 W/m2K to 0.26 W/m2K (10 cm stone wool). Under the site specific conditions of this wall, not reached by the sun or rain, it was verified that even in the absence of vapour barrier, no frost damage is likely to occur and the condensation risk is very limited. Authors proposed further discussion based on simulation. The results showed that the introduction of a second gypsum board to the studied technology compensated such absence, while the reduction of the insulation material thickness provides a reduction of RH peaks in the interstitial area by 1%; this second solution proved to be more efficient, providing a 3% RH reduction and the avoidance of further thermal losses.

The topic of frost formation on the heat exchanger surface has been gaining interest since the late 1940s. Scientists and industrial engineers from many scientific and R&D units around the world have been trying to understand the nature of frosting and implement solutions to prevent such an unwanted phenomenon from having a significant impact on the performance of heat exchangers (such as a decrease in heat transfer efficiency, mechanical damage, and condensation risk). The aim of this article is to summarize the present state of knowledge dedicated to frost formation types and morphology, review, and discuss the most recent studies relevant to the challenge of frost formation, focusing on the evaporator of the domestic refrigerator. The different types of domestic refrigerators are summarized, as are the different types of evaporators inside them. Common methods of testing frost formation phenomena on the evaporator are revisited in this article, and the analysis of the most recent mathematical models is presented as well. The input and output parameters of these models are grouped, and a similar analysis is conducted for the CFD models.

Car-sharing services are developing at an ever-increasing pace. Taking into account the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and pursuit of the sustainable development of transport, implementing electric cars in car-sharing fleets is being proposed. On the one hand, these types of vehicles are referred to as emission-free, but on the other hand, their environmental friendliness is questionable due to the emission of carbon dioxide during the production of energy to power them. Although many scientific papers are devoted to the issue of reducing emissions through car sharing, there is a research gap concerning the real production of carbon dioxide by car-sharing vehicles during car-sharing trips. To fill this research gap, the objective of the article was to analyze the actual level of carbon dioxide emissions from combustion and electric vehicles from car-sharing systems produced when renting rides. The test results showed that the electric car turned out to be significantly less emitting. The use of electric vehicles in car-sharing fleets can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from 14% to 65% compared to using cars with internal combustion engines. However, the key role during car-sharing trips is played by the driving style of the drivers, which has been omitted from the literature to date. This should be properly regulated by service providers and focus on the proper use of energy from electric vehicle batteries, especially at low temperatures. The article provides support for operators planning to modernize their fleet of vehicles and fills the research gap concerning car-sharing emissions.

Generally, compounds discriminated by animals possess psychotropic effects in animals and humans. As with many other drugs of abuse, strength of the ethanol discriminative stimulus is dose related. The majority of studies show that doses close to 1.0 g/kg are close to the minimum at which the discrimination can be learned easily. Substitution studies suggest that anxiolytic, sedative, atactic, and myorelaxant effects of ethanol all play an important role in the formation of its intercoeptive stimulus. Low doses of ethanol produce more excitatory cues, similar to amphetamine-like subjective stimuli, whereas higher doses produce rather sedative/hypnotic stimuli similar to those elicited by barbiturates. Substitution studies have shown that the complete substitution for ethanol may be exerted by certain GABA-mimetic drugs acting through different sites within the GABA(A)-benzodiazepine receptor complex (e.g., diazepam, pentobarbital, certain neurosteroids), gamma-hydroxybutyrate, and antagonists of the glutamate NMDA receptor. Among the NMDA receptor antagonists both noncompetitive (e.g., dizocilpine) and competitive antagonists (e.g., CGP 40116) are capable of substituting for ethanol. Further, some antagonists of strychnine-insensitive glycine modulatory sites among the NMDA receptor complex (e.g., L-701,324) dose-dependently substitute for the ethanol discriminative stimulus. On the other hand, neither GABA-benzodiazepine antagonists nor NMDA receptor agonists produce contradictory effects (i.e., reduce the ethanol discriminative stimulus). There is influence of a particular training dose of ethanol on the substitution pattern of different compounds. For example, 5-HT(1B/2C) agonists substitute for intermediate (1.0 g/kg) but not higher (2.0 g/kg) ethanol training doses. Discrimination studies with ethanol and drugs acting on NMDA and GABA receptors consistently indicate asymmetrical generalization. For example, ethanol is able to generalize to barbiturates and benzodiazepines, but neither the benzodiazepine nor barbiturate response generalizes to ethanol. Only a few drugs are able to antagonize, at least to some extent, the discriminative stimulus of ethanol (e.g., partial inverse GABA-benzodiazepine receptor antagonist Ro 15-4513 and the opioid antagonist naloxone). The ethanol stimulus effect may be increased (i.e., stronger recognition) by N-cholinergic drugs (nicotine), dopaminergic drugs (apomorphine), and 5-HT3 receptor agonists (m-chlorophenylbiguanide). Thus, the ethanol stimulus is composed of the several components, with the NMDA receptor and GABA(A) receptor complex being of particular importance. This suggests that a drug mixture may be more capable of substituting for ethanol (or block its stimulus) than a single compound. The ability of drugs to substitute for the ethanol discriminative stimulus is frequently, although not preclusively, associated with the reduction of voluntary ethanol consumption. The examples of positive correlation are gamma-hydroxybutyrate, possibly memantine and certain serotonergic drugs such as fluoxetine. However, it remains uncertain to what extent the discriminative stimulus of ethanol can be seen as relevant in the understanding of the complex mechanisms of dependence.