• Energy Research
• Open Access close
• Open Source close
• 13. Climate action close
• 12. Responsible consumption close
• 15. Life on land close
• RO close
• HK close

Thermal comfort is very important for the well-being and safety of vehicle occupants, as discomfort can elevate stress, leading to distracted attention and slower reaction times. This creates a riskier driving environment. Addressing this, high-induction air diffusers emerge as a significant innovation, enhancing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) by efficiently mixing cool air from the heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system with the cabin’s ambient air. This process ensures uniform airflow, diminishes temperature discrepancies, prevents draft sensations, and boosts overall air quality by improving air circulation. In addition to enhancing thermal comfort in vehicles, the novel air diffuser also offers significant potential for personalized ventilation systems, allowing for individualized control over airflow and temperature, thereby catering to the specific comfort needs of each occupant. This study introduces a novel air diffuser that demonstrates a 48% improvement in air entrainment compared to traditional diffusers, verified through Ansys Fluent simulations and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) measurements. At a fresh airflow rate of 31.79 m3/h, the total air entrainment rate at 0.6 m for the standard air diffuser is 73.36 m3/h, while for the innovative air diffuser, it is 109.26 m3/h. This solution has the potential to increase the level of thermal comfort and air quality within vehicles, and also signals potential applications across various enclosed spaces, underscoring its importance in advancing automotive safety and environmental standards.

Abstract The rapidly growing construction industry has accelerated water and energy scarcity in China, threatening its sustainable development. This study integrates multi-regional input-output (MRIO) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to investigate the water-energy nexus in the construction industry at the provincial level through the entire industrial supply chain. Results show that the construction industry accounts for 8.97% and 27.20% of virtual water and embodied energy in China, respectively. The western area experiences the most energy- and water-intensive construction processes given its backward economy and outdated technological development. The northern area faces great challenges with regard to energy intensity improvements, whereas the central regions suffer from large pressure relating to inefficient water use. The manufacture of non-metallic mineral products, smelting, and the pressing of metals are the largest suppliers of virtual water and embodied energy. The efficiency assessment results demonstrate that Jiangsu and Zhejiang are two DEA-effective regions. China has achieved a relatively high level of scale efficiency but suffers from backward technology.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are perceived to be more energy efficient and less polluting than conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. However, increasing evidence has shown that real-driving emissions (RDE) could be much higher than laboratory type approval limits and the advantages of HEVs over their conventional ICE counterparts under real-driving conditions have not been studied extensively. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the real-driving fuel consumption and pollutant emissions performance of HEVs against their conventional ICE counterparts. Two pairs of hybrid and conventional gasoline vehicles of the same model were tested simultaneously in a novel convoy mode using two portable emission measurement systems (PEMSs), thus eliminating the effect of vehicle configurations, driving behaviour, road conditions and ambient environment on the performance comparison. The results showed that although real-driving fuel consumption for both hybrid and conventional vehicles were 44%-100% and 30%-82% higher than their laboratory results respectively, HEVs saved 23%-49% fuel relative to their conventional ICE counterparts. Pollutant emissions of all the tested vehicles were lower than the regulation limits. However, HEVs showed no reduction in HC emissions and consistently higher CO emissions compared to the conventional ICE vehicles. This could be caused by the frequent stops and restarts of the HEV engines, as well as the lowered exhaust gas temperature and reduced effectiveness of the oxidation catalyst. The findings therefore show that while achieving the fuel reduction target, hybridisation did not bring the expected benefits to urban air quality.

Spatial planning has to deal with trade-offs between various stakeholders’ wishes and needs as part of planning and management of landscapes, natural resources and/or biodiversity. To make ecosystem services (ES) trade-off research more relevant for spatial planning, we propose an analytical framework,which puts stakeholders, their land-use/management choices, their impact on ES and responses at the centre. Based on 24 cases from around the world, we used this framing to analyse the appearance and diversity of real-world ES trade-offs. They cover a wide range of trade-offs related to ecosystem use, including: land-use change, management regimes, technical versus nature-based solutions, natural resource use, and management of species. The ES trade-offs studied featured a complexity that was far greater than what is often described in the ES literature. Influential users and context setters are at the core of the trade-off decision-making, but most of the impact is felt by non-influential users. Provisioning and cultural ES were the most targeted in the studied trade-offs, but regulating ES were the most impacted. Stakeholders’ characteristics, such as influence, impact faced, and concerns can partially explain their position and response in relation to trade-offs. Based on the research findings, we formulate recommendations for spatial planning.

This study shows the impact of environmental resources conservation efforts (ERCE) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) authenticity on environmental performance (EP) in the hospitality and tourism industry. A mediating role of CSR authenticity between the ERCE and environmental performance link is also checked. A quantitative research design has been employed, and data were collected through a questionnaire. Results show that both ERCE and CSR authenticity positively influence environmental performance. Results also show that CSR authenticity act as a mediator, which enhances the positive impact of ERCE on environmental performance. Environmental performance is a broader concept, and its achievement is majorly dependent on the attraction of stakeholders. This study points out that stakeholders should be more concerned with environmental management’s initiatives in terms of resource conservation efforts and organization involvement in CSR activities for achieving the environmental performance goal. ERCE is a pre-condition for an efficient involvement in CSR-related activities to achieve environmental performance.

Salt mines, a significant category of local, regional, national, and/or European underground heritage, are becoming attractive tourism destinations. This paper examines three cases of salt mining in different European countries, namely Wieliczka in Poland, Campina de Cima in Portugal, and Turda in Romania. They are analyzed in the context of history, typical attributes of their attractiveness, and new uses after the salt extraction was or is going to be stopped, in order to detect their unique values as important assets for both Underground Built Heritage (UBH) and Salt Heritage Tourism (SHT). The results of their comparison show that despite a positive impact related to their protection as cultural and industrial heritage, there are also some negative aspects related to increasing costs of their maintenance and adaptation of salt mines to new functions and to meet the tourism needs. By putting in place measures to enhance the awareness of their values and for activating the local community, the three mines are showcases for the economic outputs for their sites and regions, as well as for increasing knowledge regarding UBH.