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Abstract Sustainability is an important and difficult consideration for the stakeholders/decision-makers when planning a biofuel supply network. In this paper, a Mixed-Integer Non-linear Programming (MINLP) model was developed with the aim to help the stakeholders/decision-maker to select the most sustainable design. In the proposed model, the emergy sustainability index of the whole biodiesel supply networks in a life cycle perspective is employed as the measure of the sustainability, and multiple feedstocks, multiple transport modes, multiple regions for biodiesel production and multiple distribution centers can be considered. After describing the process and mathematic framework of the model, an illustrative case was studied and demonstrated that the proposed methodology is feasible for finding the most sustainable design and planning of biodiesel supply chains.

In the last years, the concept of “smart city” has been the subject of increasing attention in urban planning and governance due to the sustainability challenges and great technological advancements. Although the relevant literature highlights those smart cities can create a fertile environment to drive innovation from a technological, managerial and organizational, and policy point of view how smart cities function, in terms of their value chain and in light of sustainability and circularity is still an open question. Based on these considerations, this work aims to investigate how smart cities deliver value by combining environmental, societal, and financial priorities to re-imagine their core business models and shift the boundaries of urban competition in light of circular economy principles. To reach this goal, the tool Sustainable Business Model Innovation Canvas has been applied in the urban context with the aim to create and leverage an environmental and societal surplus in light of circularity in the smart city framework. Preliminary results shed light on new vistas on the future and new challenges of smart cities particularly relevant for facing the current complexity of the economy, social, and environmental changes.

AbstractThe implementation of a circular economy is a fundamental step to create a greater and more sustainable future for a better use of resources and energy. Wastes and in particular municipal solid waste represent an untapped source of carbon (and hydrogen) to produce a large range of chemicals from methane to alcohols (as methanol or ethanol) or urea. The waste to chemical process and related economics are assessed in this concept article to show the validity of such solution both from an economic point of view and from an environmental perspective considering the sensible reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with respect to conventional production from fossil fuels.

CSR theories and practices which have been diffusing in the management world until very recently refer mainly to reactive strategies of (re-)legitimation of companies vis-a-vis their stakeholders. However, even in light of the challenges posed by today’s economic crisis, the present period can be an extremely favourable moment to move beyond this adaptive approach and to formulate and realize a more advanced view of the social dimension of business as sustainable innovation , i.e. a business model based on a twofold dynamic of ‘valorization of the context’: on the one hand, the inclusion in enterprises’ strategies of social instances and resources oriented to the natural environment and quality of life in and around the workplace; on the other hand, the ability to generate economic value through the creation of social value. Drawing on the findings of a research conducted on a sample of Italian organizations, the paper identifies and discusses three distinctive mechanisms which seem to sustain the production of ‘integrated value ’ in these companies: the balance between cultural tradition and exploration; the tendency to expand in the context and, at the same time, to include it; and human resource practices establishing a direct link between citizenship behaviours in and of the organization. In conclusion, the analysis suggests a wider-ranging perspective on the strategic and competitive implications of CSR practices.

Bioenergy crops are well known for their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the soil carbon stock. Although such crops are often held to be in competition with food crops and thus raise the question of current and future food security, at the same time mitigation measures are required to tackle climate change and sustain local farming communities and crop production. However, in some cases the actions envisaged for specific pedo-climatic conditions are not always economically sustainable by farmers. In this frame, energy crops with high environmental adaptability and yields, such as giant reed (Arundo donax L.), may represent an opportunity to improve farm incomes, making marginal areas not suitable for food production once again productive. In so doing, three of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations would be met, namely SDG 2 on food security and sustainable agriculture, SDG 7 on reliable, sustainable and modern energy, and SDG 13 on action to combat climate change and its impacts. In this work, the response of giant reed in the marginal areas of an agricultural district of southern Italy (Destra Sele) and expected farm incomes under climate change (2021-2050) are evaluated. The normalized water productivity index of giant reed was determined (WP; 30.1gm-2) by means of a SWAP agro-hydrological model, calibrated and validated on two years of a long-term field experiment. The model was used to estimate giant reed response (biomass yield) in marginal areas under climate change, and economic evaluation was performed to determine expected farm incomes (woodchips and chopped forage). The results show that woodchip production represents the most profitable option for farmers, yielding a gross margin 50% lower than ordinary high-input maize cultivation across the study area.

Abstract A key challenge for efficient thermal management of civil buildings is the development of shape-stabilized phase change materials (PCM) for thermal energy storage and release. Nevertheless, some issues related to the disposal of such devices are arising as they are generally not biodegradable and recyclable. In this work, we developed two new renewable and biodegradable thermal energy storage composites obtained from renewable resources. These are based on the use of bio-derived alcohol as PCM and on porous biogenic structures, namely cuttlebone and pomelo peel, as shape stabilizers, which are currently waste materials. The results point out that both cuttlebone and pomelo peel can spontaneously absorb huge amounts of the considered PCM and retain it in the liquid state. The thermal energy storage capacity of the composites is about 70% that of neat PCM, whereas the volumetric efficiency (i.e., the ratio between the thermal energy storage capacity of the composite and the neat PCM in J cm−3) approaches 90% and 70% in cuttlebone and pomelo peel composites, respectively. The properties appear stable over at least 100 melting/solidification cycles.

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