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Abstract Hydrothermal treatment (HT) is one of the efficient approaches for upgrading municipal solid waste (MSW). In the present study, emission characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from hydrothermally treated municipal solid waste (H-MSW) combustion alone and H-MSW/coal co-combustion were investigated at different temperatures. The results showed that for all fuel combustion, the majority of PAHs were 3- or 4-ring PAHs. In addition, flue gas had the highest yields of PAHs followed by fly ash and bottom ash, while the ring number of dominated PAHs in fly ash was higher than those in flue gas and bottom ash. Compared to MSW, H-MSW combustion generated less PAHs at the value of 1131.95–7649.24 μg/g. The blending of H-MSW and coal reduced total PAH emissions and positive interactions were observed between H-MSW and coal during co-combustion. The toxicity equivalent quantity (TEQ) values of the PAHs from combustion were in the order MSW > H-MSW > H-MSW/coal, which was consistent with the total PAH emissions. The present study illustrated that significant reduction of PAH emissions and toxicity from combustion could be achieved by HT and the blending of H-MSW and coal.

Effectively analyzing and then treating energy-related air pollution requires examining every factor, from the pollution source to the end of treatment. This paper applies index decomposition analysis and a whole process treatment perspective to identify the factors facilitating air pollution reduction across three stages: source prevention, process control, and end-of-pipe treatment. Empirical research using data from China’s Jiangsu Province and its 13 cities reveals differences in local approaches to pollution prevention. At the provincial level, end-of-pipe treatment remains the primary approach to control air pollution emissions, indicating that the pattern of “pollute first, govern later” has not yet been fundamentally reversed. At the city level, 13 cities can be divided into four types, based on their approach to air pollution treatment: the leading type, process-dependent type, end-dependent type, and lagging type. Of these, 7 cities are using multiple control approaches, reflecting the comprehensive effect of whole process treatment. The Jiangsu Province should consider further strengthening effective whole process air pollution treatment models, by transitioning to pollution control, adjusting industrial structure, promoting technological progress, and consuming clean energy.

Carbon emission reduction is a long-term strategy for China to promote its economic and social development. However, emission reduction often involves a huge amount of technological investment, which could vary substantially across different provinces due to their discrepancy in economic and technological development levels. Emission trading as a useful policy instrument may help different provinces achieve their emission reduction targets cost-effectively. This paper models the economic performance of an interprovincial emission reduction quota trading scheme in China. The marginal abatement cost curve of each province in China is first estimated. A nonlinear programming model is further developed to evaluate the economic performance of interprovincial emission reduction quota trading. Five equity criteria are used to conduct the initial allocation of emission reduction targets between different provinces. Our modeling results show that China’s total emission abatement cost could decrease by over 40% through implementing such an interprovincial emission reduction quota trading scheme. Of the five alternative criteria, the CO2 emissions and population criteria look fairer and are recommended for use in the initial allocation of CO2 emission reduction targets.

Abstract A novel magnesia-stabilized carbide slag (MSCS) was synthesized with carbide slag, magnesium nitrate hydrate and by-product of biodiesel by combustion, which was used as a CO 2 sorbent during the calcium looping process. The effects of preparation condition (combustion temperature, combustion duration, by-product of biodiesel addition and magnesia addition) and CO 2 capture condition (carbonation and calcination atmosphere) on CO 2 capture capacity of MSCS were investigated during the calcium looping cycles. The main compositions of MSCS are CaO and MgO. The addition of by-product of biodiesel in the preparation of the sorbent leads to the uniform mix of MgO and CaO grains in MSCS, which shows an obviously positive effect on its CO 2 capture capacity. Only on the condition of the addition of by-product of biodiesel, MgO derived from magnesium nitrate hydrate improves the cyclic CO 2 capture capacity and durability of MSCS during the multiple cycles. MSCS with a mass ratio of CaO to MgO of 80:20 combusted at 850 °C for 60 min exhibits higher CO 2 capture capacity and greater durability. The CO 2 capture capacity of MSCS can retain 0.42 g/g after 20 cycles, which is 60% higher than that of carbide slag. MSCS calcined under the high concentration of steam displays much higher CO 2 capture capacity and better sintering resistance during the cycles, compared to MSCS calcined under the high concentration of CO 2 . The addition of steam in the carbonation enhances CO 2 capture capacities of MSCS and carbide slag. MSCS consists of CaO–MgO grain groups and the support of MgO sustains the high sintering resistance of the sorbent. MSCS remains much larger surface area and pore volume than carbide slag during the cycles, compared to carbide slag. MSCS appears promising as an effective and low-cost CO 2 sorbent during the calcium looping.

Abstract In this study, batch tests were performed to evaluate the effects of different thermal pretreatment temperatures (55–160 °C) and durations (15–120 min) on the anaerobic digestion of kitchen waste (KW). Two commonly used approaches, namely the modified Gompertz model and the approach developed by Koch and Drewes, were applied to assess the effects of the different pretreatment parameters on the biomethane yield, lag time and hydrolysis rate constant via data fitting. The subsequent anaerobic digestion of KW pretreated at 55–120 °C presented greater efficiency, and longer treatment durations resulted in increased methane production and higher hydrolysis rate constants. These findings were obtained due to the lower nutrient loss observed in KW treated at lower temperature treatments compared with that found with higher temperature treatments. In general, the effects of thermal pretreatment on the lag phase and hydrolysis rate differed depending on the treatment parameters leading to the variations in the KW compositions. The soundness of the two model results was evaluated, and higher statistical indicators (R2) were found with the modified Gompertz model than with the approach developed by Koch and Drewes.

Abstract An industrial heat pump can upgrade heat from a low temperature level to a high temperature level with the aid of an external energy source. It has received considerable attention as an efficient means of waste energy recovery in the recent years in China. This paper summarizes the research work done and advances in the application of industrial heat pump systems in China, including advances in refrigerants, multistage system, double-effect absorption system, compression–absorption system, solar assisted system, and chemical heat pump system. Industrial heat pumps used in three industrial fields (drying of wastewater sludge, crude oil heating in oil field, and process heating in printing and dyeing) are discussed in detail. Three basic problems in designing an engineering heat pump system, i.e., selection of the type of heat pump and determination of its capacity, energetic and exergetic analyses of the heat pump, and estimation of investment payback time are discussed in the above three industries, respectively. Further research needs in China on industrial heat pumps are proposed, which may also be beneficial to the international community.

Abstract Agriculture plays an important role in global climate change. The interaction and efficiency of use of land, water, and energy in agricultural activities are the principal factors affecting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and food production. However, comprehensive analysis exploring the mechanism of the land–water–energy system in agricultural production remains lacking. This study developed such a framework based on regional agricultural GHG emissions by combining top-down analysis that considered cross-sectoral interactions with bottom-up analysis that addressed the context-specific conditions of resources and technology. We employed the proposed framework to analyze the interaction of land–water–energy and factors influencing agricultural GHG emissions and to explore mitigation measures based on a case study of the Sanjiang Plain (China). Results showed cropland on the Sanjiang Plain produced 1.8 million tonnes of protein and released 10.9 million tonnes of CO2eq in 2015 using 3.0 million ha of arable land, 12.1 billion m3 of water, and 100.4 PJ of energy. Owing to their high input of resources and flooded cultivation, rice fields produced 29% of total crop protein but consumed 51% of total crop water use, 43% of total crop energy use, and emitted 54% of total crop GHG (CO2eq). Structural adjustment through conversion of half the paddy fields into dryland crops (e.g., wheat) could mitigate GHG emissions by 18.8% in 2020 compared with the baseline scenario. However, such change would be almost impossible given the Sanjiang Plain is one of China’s most important rice-producing areas. If integrated technology improvements were adopted, e.g., advanced crop–soil nutrition management, groundwater protection measures, water-saving irrigation technology, and low-carbon energy technology, GHG emissions could be reduced by 23.9% without sacrificing food production. This study used the nexus approach to analyze agricultural GHG emissions, providing a framework for sustainable agricultural management and a reference for understanding the land–water–energy nexus.

Abstract The use of agricultural residues to produce biomass briquette fuel (BBF) can reduce waste of resources and consumption of fossil fuels. We report the first detailed environmental impact assessment of cornstalk-based BBF in China using a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA). The LCA study was conducted based on a typical large-scale cornstalk BBF demonstration project in China with an integrated and automated production system. The key life cycle stages such as cornstalk growth, cornstalk transportation, BBF production, transportation and utilisation were investigated. Our results suggest that cornstalk BBF in China is much more environmentally friendly than coal and is favourable when compared with other types of solid fuels produced from different biomass feedstock. For example, the climate change and fossil depletion impacts of cornstalk BBF in China (11 g CO2 eq./MJ and 2 g oil eq./MJ, respectively) are an order of magnitude lower than those of coal (146 g CO2 eq./MJ and 26 g oil eq./MJ, respectively). The results of this study can assist policy makers in evaluating the potential benefits of the large scale use of BBF made from agricultural residues.

Energy-intensive manufacturing industries are characterised by high pollution and heavy energy consumption, severely challenging the ecological environment. Fortunately, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) can promote energy-intensive manufacturing enterprises to achieve smart and sustainable production. In Industry 4.0, various advanced technologies are used to achieve smart manufacturing, but the sustainability of production is often ignored without considering ESG performance. This study proposes a strategy of edge-cloud cooperation -driven smart and sustainable production to realise data collection, preprocessing, storage and analysis. In detail, kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) is used to decrease the interference of abnormal data in the eval-uation results. Subsequently, an improved technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) based on the adversarial interpretative structural model (AISM) is proposed to evaluate the production efficiency of the manufacturing workshop and make the analysis results more intuitive. Then, the architecture and models are verified using real production data from a partner company. Finally, sustainable analysis is discussed from the perspective of energy consumption, economic impact, greenhouse gas emissions and pollution prevention. Funding Agencies|Youth Innovation Team of Shaanxi Universities ?; Special ConstructionFund for Key Disciplines of Shaanxi Provincial Higher Education; Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China [2022JQ-37]; Shaanxi Provincial Education Department [22JK0567]; Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China [62271390, 51905399]; Postgraduate Innovation Fund of Xian University of Posts and Telecommunications [CXJJDL2022012]