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Abstract To achieve the EU climate and energy objectives, a transition towards a future sustainable energy system is needed. The integration of the huge potential for industrial waste heat recovery into smart energy system represents a main opportunity to accomplish these goals. To successfully implement this strategy, all the several stakeholders' conflicting objectives should be considered. In this paper an evolutionary multi-objective optimization model is developed to perform a sustainability evaluation of an energy system involving an industrial facility as the waste heat source and the neighbourhood as district heating network end users. An Italian case study of heat recovery from a steel casting facility shows how the model allows to properly select the district heating network set of users to fully exploit the available waste energy. Design directions such as the thermal energy storage capacity can be also provided. Moreover, the model enables the analysis of the trade-off between the stakeholders’ different perspectives, allowing to identify possible win-win solutions for both the industrial sector and the citizenship.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of increasing sulfate concentrations on chromium removal, to evaluate the effect of the presence of Cr(VI) on sulfate removal by Streptomyces sp. MC1 and to analyze the differential protein expression profile in the presence of this metal for the identification of proteins repressed or overexpressed. In the presence of Cr(VI) but in the absence of sulfate ions, bacterial growth was negligible, showing the Cr(VI) toxicity for this bacterium. However, the sulfate presence stimulated bacterium growth and Cr(VI) removal, regardless of its concentrations. Streptomyces sp. MC1 showed ability to remove chromium and sulfate simultaneously. Also, the sulfate presence favored the decrease of total chromium concentration from supernatants reaching a decrease of 50% at 48 h. In presence of chromium, seven proteins were down‐expressed and showed homology to proteins involved in protein biosynthesis, energy production and free radicals detoxification while two proteins involved in oxidation‐reduction processes identified as dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase and S‐adenosyl‐l‐methionine synthase were overexpressed.

Since long ago, pelagic Sargassum mats have been known to be abundant in the Sargasso Sea, where they provide habitat to diverse organisms. However, over the last few years, massive amounts of pelagic Sargassum have reached the coast of several countries in the Caribbean and West Africa, causing economic and environmental problems. Aiming for lessening the impacts of the blooms, governments and private companies remove the seaweeds from the shore, but this process results expensive. The valorization of this abundant biomass can render Sargassum tides into an economic opportunity and concurrently solve their associated environmental problems. Despite the diverse fields where algae have found applications and the relevance of this recurrent situation, Sargassum biomass remains without large scale applications. Therefore, this review aims to present the potential uses of these algae, identifying the limitations that must be assessed to effectively valorize this bioresource. Due to the constraints identified for each of the presented applications, it is concluded that a biorefinery approach should be developed to effectively valorize this abundant biomass. However, there is an urgent need for investigations focusing on holopelagic Sargassum to be able to truly valorize this seaweed.

Interest in the highly efficient energy hub (EH) model has been growing despite the high computational requirements of planning for a multi-energy, multi-device operation. To address both the device size limitation and the multi-scenario issue, we propose a new solution methodology for solving the EH planning problem. In the method, the decision variables are device sizes. First, a dimension reduction technique is proposed to address the curse of dimensionality based on the correlation of unknown variables such as the capacities of different devices in an EH. Second, to avoid local convergence, a solution method called the variable-sized unimodal searching (VUS) approach is proposed to assure a global optimal planning scheme for the one-dimensional non-convex optimization model obtained from the preceding dimension reduction process. The case study indicates that the proposed approach has a higher computing efficiency than the Benders decomposition (BD) algorithm to deal with a scenario-based stochastic planning problem with a large number of scenarios. Thus, the effectiveness of the EH planning approach is verified.

Abstract This study sought to quantify and characterize cassava waste as fuel. The wastes from three cultivars were collected to study and were divided into three distinct parts of the cassava plant: seed stem, thick stalks, and thin stalks. Physical and chemical analyzes were carried out to determine the elemental composition of the waste: volatile matter; fixed carbon; ash; moisture; lignin; cellulose; hemicellulose; ash composition and higher heating value were determined. We conducted a thermogravimetric analysis in oxidizing and inert atmospheres to study the behavior of the waste as fuel. The root productivity obtained ranged from 7.7 to 13.0 t ha−1 yr−1 on a dry basis (db), and the ratio between waste and roots varied from 0.36 to 0.91. The physical and chemical properties of cassava waste are analogous to those of woody biomass regarding the elemental composition, the higher heating value, and thermogravimetric analysis. Ash content varied from 2.5% to 3.5%, reaching around 6.0% in samples unwashed. Approximately 60% of the ashes are alkali oxides, especially P2O5, K2O, and CaO, which have low melting points. The alkali index calculated suggests that there is a strong tendency that the combustion process leads to ash fouling and the formation of ash deposits.

Changes in the main weather features are becoming perceivable in Italy. In the last years, the average temperature and the intensity of rainstorms are increasing. Such phenomena could lead to changes in the earth-atmosphere interaction. Accounting for the high vulnerability of the Italian territory, an obvious consequence would concern the effects on the hydro-geological hazards, including landslides and floods. As a matter of fact, the higher frequency of high magnitude flood and landslide events represent an alarm bell. It is necessary to explore with all available instruments the consequences of the potential climate changes. Since quantitative predictions are not possible, the only way to run is depicting rational scenarios for the most vulnerable contexts adopting a multidisciplinary approach. Based on projections of potential climate changes in the 21st century, the report examines their potential impact in the context of the Italian peninsula. After a general overview about typical slope responses to weather changes, some quantitative scenarios have been depicted for representative geomorphological contexts. The last part of the paper examines changes in the expected risk, based on the characteristics of the Italian territory and its vulnerability, looking at the initiatives to undertake for its mitigation.

Abstract Microorganisms used in syngas fermentation require nutrients to grow and convert syngas (CO, H2 and CO2) into various products. Many of the essential nutrients can be provided by biochar. Poultry litter biochar (PLBC) contains minerals and trace metals and has a high pH buffering capacity, making it suitable as a nutrient supplement. The effects of PLBC loadings from 1 to 20 g L−1 on syngas fermentation were determined in 250 ml bottle assays. Results showed that 10 and 20 g L−1 PLBC significantly increased ethanol production compared to standard yeast extract (YE) medium. Fermentations in a 3L continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with 10 g L−1 PLBC with and without 4-morpholineethanesulfonic acid (MES) showed 64% and 36% more ethanol production, respectively, than standard medium. The acetic acid accumulated at the beginning of fermentation was completely converted to ethanol in all media tested in the CSTR. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using PLBC medium without costly MES in the CSTR to enhance ethanol production from syngas for potential use at commercial scale.

Purpose This study aims to consider environmental sustainability, a global challenge under the preview of sustainable development goals, highlighting the significance of knowledge economy in attaining sustainable aggregate demand behavior globally. For this purpose, 155 countries that have data available from 1995 to 2021 were selected. The purpose of selecting these countries is to test the global responsibility of the knowledge economy to attain environmental sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Results are estimated with the help of panel quantile regression. The empirical existence of aggregate demand-based environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) was tested using non-linear tests. Moreover, principal component analysis has been incorporated to construct the knowledge economy index. Findings U-shaped aggregate demand-based EKC at global level is validated. However, environmental deterioration increases with an additional escalation after US$497.945m in aggregate demand. As a determinant, the knowledge economy is reducing CO2 emissions. The knowledge economy has played a significant role in global responsibility, shifting the EKC downward and extending the CO2 reduction phase for every selected country. Further, urbanization, energy intensity, financial development and trade openness significantly deteriorate the environmental quality. Originality/value This study contains the empirical existence of aggregate demand-based EKC. The role of the knowledge economy is examined through an index which is calculated by using four pillars of the knowledge economy (technology, innovations, education and institutions). This study is based on a combined panel of all the countries for which the data was available.