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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.

Abstract The variation of properties with temperature have many practical applications in the area of chemical engineering and metallurgy, in the process of extrusion, the materials moving between a feed roll and on carrier belt. Here our intention is to explore the consequences of temperature dependent viscosity and variable thermal conductivity on flow of nanoliquid in a rotating system. Fluid between parallel plates is taken. Energy expression incorporates the exponential heat source. This analysis also explores the attributes of modified Arrhenius energy function with chemical reaction. Boundary layer problems have been computed via NDSolve approach. The obtained solutions are sketched for various estimations of embedded variables of interest. Results pointed out that both axial and transverse velocities show decaying behavior for higher rotation parameter. Thermal field boosts up with an enhancement of thermophoretic and space dependent heat source variables. Moreover the rate of mass transport decays through dimensionless activation energy.

Abstract Liquefaction of poly-isoprene based rubber (PIR) was performed using ethanol as a solvent for the production of liquid fuel and chemicals. An autoclave batch reactor was used to perform the ethanolysis of PIR at different temperature ranges (250–375 °C), with different ethanol to PIR ratio (0.5:1 to 4:1), and at different reaction times (15–75mins). The experimental results showed that a maximum yield of 86 wt % was achieved at temperature of 325 °C, ethanol to PIR ratio 1/1, and reaction time of 30 min. This liquid oil yield is about 14% higher than the yield obtained from the pyrolysis of PIR at 500 °C and about 10% higher than the yield obtained from hydrothermal liquefaction of PIR at 375 °C. Moreover, the utilization of ethanol in the process was also incorporated and product yields were redefined. Furthermore, ethanol contributed to enhance the quality of liquid-oil, particularly in term of viscosity, acidity, and energy density. Furthermore, the FTIR analysis showed methyl and methylene were most dominating functional groups found in the liquid product and GCMS analysis identified that they were presented by alkenes, aromatics, and alkyls.

Abstract Energy poverty has evolved as an important issue of research from academic and policy perspectives during the last two decades. The energy poverty estimates exhibit widespread variations across regions, methodologies and datasets, making the task of energy and development policies challenging. The variations in energy poverty estimates necessitate a systematic and rigorous analysis of these empirical studies to obtain a true measure of energy poverty. The present study conducts a meta-analysis of 30 studies and 103 estimates of energy poverty. On average, 71.1 percent of the population in the overall sample studies has been identified as energy poor. High I-square statistic values suggest heterogeneity bias in the sample studies; therefore, analysis at the subgroup level has been conducted. Meta-regression analysis of overall sample and subgroups has identified type of methodology, citations, impact factor of the journal, regional dummies, average key crude oil price and gross domestic product as significant factors that explain heterogeneity in the energy poverty effect sizes. We recommend inclusion of local and regional factors in assessment of energy poverty for developing a uniform methodology to assess energy poverty across developing economies.

As an effective emission reduction approach, CO2 capture and storage (CCS) combined with enhanced water recovery (EWR) technology can not only reduce CO2 emissions, but can also recover deep saline water resources to relieve pressure on regional water resources, and can ensure the energy supply and both social and economic development. However, the environmental benefits and application costs of CCS-EWR are uncertain, and are determined by the technology level, geological conditions, and other physical factors. In this study, an optimal source-sink matching model and a techno-economic assessment model were developed to evaluate the contributions of CCS-EWR to carbon emission reduction and the increase of the water supply by considering various uncertain factors, as well as the corresponding costs. In addition, the Yellow River Basin (YRB) in China was selected as the research region because, while there are abundant coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) in the YRB, the water resources are scarce. The results revealed the following. (1) The maximum CO2 capture capacity of the 236 CFPPs in the YRB is about 738.77 Mt/a, and nearly 13.14 Gt of fresh water could be provided until the 236 CFPPs in the YRB retire, which can partially relieve the pressure on the supply of water resources. (2) With the consideration of the CCS-EWR benefits, the average cost of the 236 CFPPs in the YRB in their residual lifetime to reduce their CO2 emissions by 90% will be no more than 180 CNY/t. (3) The incentive effect of the increase of the industrial water price on the profits of CCS-EWR projects is not significant. CCS-EWR technology has better application prospects in China under the dual constraints of carbon-neutral targets and water shortages, and more policy support is required for its deployment.

Present climate change consists of global warming that is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases, generally carbon dioxide. The study examines the pollution haven, pollution halo, and environmental Kuznets curve for a number of Asian countries during the period of 1985 to 2020. Outcomes suggest that urbanization, gross domestic product per capita, energy consumption, and foreign direct investment inflow have positive effects, while gross domestic product square, foreign direct investment square, and tourism have negative effects on emissions of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, findings support the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve, pollution haven, and pollution halo hypothesis for the selected Asian countries. We also find robust results of rationality of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore; of pollution haven hypothesis for Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, and Singapore; and of pollution halo hypothesis for Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, and Singapore.

A key factor in social development and sustainable urban expansion is the establishment of sustainable and affordable transport systems. This study aims to investigate the impact of transport infrastructure investment on environmental degradation and economic growth and to test the validity of the EKC hypothesis in China, India, Russia, and Japan over the period 1995-2020. The results show that GDP has a significant positive effect, and GDP2 and GDP3 have significant adverse effects on environmental degradation, respectively. These results confirm the validity of the inverted U-shaped EKC hypothesis in selected emerging Asian economies. Rail infrastructure investment has significant adverse effects, while road infrastructure investment and aviation infrastructure investment have significant positive effects on environmental degradation. Likewise, the impact of investment in transport infrastructure system (roads, rail, and aviation) on economic growth is positive and statistically significant. Country-level estimates confirm the validity of the inverted U-shaped EKC hypothesis in China, India, and Russia, while the N-shaped EKC is only valid in Japan. Investments in rail infrastructure based on modern rail systems that run on electricity are believed to be less polluting in the transport mix, help create sustainable and safe transport systems, and reduce emissions at the urban and intercity levels in emerging Asian countries. In addition, the growing impact of free trade on environmental pollution should be strengthened to harmonize the strict enforcement of environmental conditions dominated by trade agreements.

Abstract High-performance multicrystalline silicon (HPMC-Si) wafers were produced using upgraded metallurgical-grade silicon (UMG-Si) materials in the seed-assisted growth system at the industrial scale. The HPMC-Si wafers yielded low dislocation density and fine and uniform grain size. We observed that fine grain size suppressed the segregation effect of metal impurities. The effective segregation coefficients of Fe, Al, and total metal impurities approximated 0.265, 0.492, and 0.386, respectively. The concentration of impurities within 10–90% of the solidified fraction in the ingot was relatively uniform based on the improved crystal structure control. The heterogeneous nucleation mechanism of concave and planocera nucleation was discussed intensively. HPMC-Si wafers were obtained under the crystal structure control coupled with behavior regulation of impurity segregation in the seed-assisted growth system. The average conversion efficiency of Al-BSF processed solar cells reached 18.65%.

Environmental quality indicators are crucial for responsive and cost-effective policies. The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between environmental quality indicators and financial development in Malaysia. For this purpose, the number of environmental quality indicators has been used, i.e., air pollution measured by carbon dioxide emissions, population density per square kilometer of land area, agricultural production measured by cereal production and livestock production, and energy resources considered by energy use and fossil fuel energy consumption, which placed an impact on the financial development of the country. The study used four main financial indicators, i.e., broad money supply (M2), domestic credit provided by the financial sector (DCFS), domestic credit to the private sector (DCPC), and inflation (CPI), which each financial indicator separately estimated with the environmental quality indicators, over a period of 1975-2013. The study used the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to minimize the simultaneity from the model. The results show that carbon dioxide emissions exert the positive correlation with the M2, DCFC, and DCPC, while there is a negative correlation with the CPI. However, these results have been evaporated from the GMM estimates, where carbon emissions have no significant relationship with any of the four financial indicators in Malaysia. The GMM results show that population density has a negative relationship with the all four financial indicators; however, in case of M2, this relationship is insignificant to explain their result. Cereal production has a positive relationship with the DCPC, while there is a negative relationship with the CPI. Livestock production exerts the positive relationship with the all four financial indicators; however, this relationship with the CPI has a more elastic relationship, while the remaining relationship is less elastic with the three financial indicators in a country. Energy resources comprise energy use and fossil fuel energy consumption, both have distinct results with the financial indicators, as energy demand have a positive and significant relationship with the DCFC, DCPC, and CPI, while fossil fuel energy consumption have a negative relationship with these three financial indicators. The results of the study are of value to both environmentalists and policy makers.