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In the era of sustainable development, glass-fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites have made their way into modern engineering, construction, and building sectors due to their exponential characteristics. While considering the rapid growth and development in this sector, this research has assessed the relative environmental and techno-economic sustainability of two sorts of GFRP composite technologies: (a) filament winding and (b) pultrusion to effectively appraise their application, merits, and demerits. This study will help low-middle-income countries like Pakistan toward cleaner production, environmental management, and sustainable industrial development. The techno-economic sustainability is determined by using life cycle costing and techno-economic indicators, i.e., benefit-cost (B/C) ratio, net present value (NVP), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period. The B/C ratio depicts the relationship between the relative cost and benefits of a technology, and NVP expresses the calculated present value of the future payback stream of a technological investment, while the IRR is an effective techno-economic indicators which can predict the efficacy of an investment, and the payback period is the time forecast for a technology to recover its investments. These techno-economic analytics showed that the net life-cycle cost performance, B/C ratio, and IRR are 5%, 7%, and 15% higher respectively for filament winding-based GFRP technology than the pultrusion-based manufacturing technology, whereas overall net life cycle benefits are about 80% greater for filament winding. Similarly, the payback time is shorter for filament winding compared to pultrusion. The environmental sustainability is determined, by employing a relative life cycle analysis (LCA) for both technologies. The system boundary for the study is "gate to gate," i.e., manufacturing phase, where these technologies are assessed for their environmental externalities. The functional unit of "1 kg finished product," i.e., manufactured by pultrusion and filament winding technology, and eight life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) categories; climate change potential (CCP), terrestrial eco-toxicity potential (TETP), ozone depletion potential (ODP), fossil resource depletion potential (FDP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), particulate matter (PM) formation, and water consumption potential (WCP) have been selected. The significant ecological impact scores are determined in the categories of CCP (kg CO2 eq.) as 10.8E + 00 and 5.01E + 00 and ETP (kg. 2,4-D eq.) as 1.26E-02 and 9.47E-03 and FDP (kg Oil eq.) as 3.96E + 00 and 2.59E + 00 for filament winding and pultrusion-based GFRP technologies, respectively. These LCIA results depicted that the ecological performance of filament winding technology is specifically better than pultrusion technology in the categories of EP, PM, and WCP, while, for all other life cycle impact categories, the pultrusion technology has depicted significantly lower impact potential and is environmentally more sustainable. The outcomes of this research will be greatly assistive for researchers, developers, manufacturers, and policymakers to effectively appraise the externalities and selection of a more sustainable GFRP technology.

The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the isolated impacts of hydroelectricity consumption on the environment in Malaysia as an emerging economy. We use four different measures of environmental degradation including ecological footprint, carbon footprint, water footprint and CO2 emission as target variables, while controlling for GDP, GDP square and urbanization for the period 1971 to 2016. A recently introduced unit root test with breaks is utilized to examine the stationarity of the series and the bounds testing approach to cointegration is used to probe the long run relationships between the variables. VECM Granger causality technique is employed to examine the long-run causal dynamics between the variables. Sensitivity analysis is conducted by further including fossil fuels in the equations. The results show evidence of an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental degradation and real GDP. Hydroelectricity is found to significantly reduce environmental degradation while urbanization is also not particularly harmful on the environment apart from its effect on air pollution. The VECM Granger causality results show evidence of unidirectional causality running from hydroelectricity and fossil fuels consumption to all measures of environmental degradation and real GDP per capita. There is evidence of feedback hypothesis between real GDP to all environmental degradation indices. The inclusion of fossil fuel did not change the behavior of hydroelectricity on the environment but fossil fuels significantly increase water footprint.

This aim of this special section is to present applications of electrical energy storage. The issue summarizes the most recent research and development and it identifies issues that must be addressed for the successful application of storage technologies. We were extremely impressed by the number of papers submitted in response to the call for papers and the spectrum of interests that the international community has for energy storage. The papers solicited discuss a broad range of environmental, economic, technical, market, and policy considerations associated with the application of energy storage on power systems. Out of 83 submissions, we were able to accept 22 exceptional contributions. The final paper selection was made based on the quality of the papers and an attempt to balance a broad topical representation. The final papers were divided into five topical areas as follows: 1) Hybrid Storage Management System and its Applications in Microgrids; 2) Storage for Active Distribution Networks; 3) Energy Storage for Provision of Ancillary Services; 4) Energy Storage for Integration of Renewable Resources; and 5) Operation of Energy Storage for Reliability.

The growth in the proportion of medium and light distillates in total petroleum product demand is forcing the oil refining industry to a process of supply adaptation by means of technological reconversion. In some countries this process is already advanced, while in others it is still at the starting point. As an alternative to technological reconversion, this adaptation may be achieved through the gasification of heavy refinery residues with electricity generation (ITGCC plants). The development of ITGCC plants represents product innovation and process innovation at one and the same time, for both the oil refining industry and the electricity sector. This article analyses the nature and importance of the innovation process itself, with emphasis on these aspects: its influence on the economic performance of oil companies and on directives concerning the technological transformation of refining systems; the competitiveness of the fuel cycle in terms of electricity generation cost and environmental impact; the prospects for future development in Europe and the construction programme in Italy.

The paper reports on the methodology and results of several studies on the long-term efficiency potentials in the two energy transformation steps from primary energy to final and useful energy and, more importantly, from useful energy to energy services. The examination of these potentials considers the lifetimes and periods of refurbishment of manufactured artefacts: Buildings and infrastructure that will save or waste energy in 2050 that are being built or restored today. The paper emphasises the enormous size of energy conservation potentials achievable not only by reducing energy losses but also by decreasing the specific activity levels for several energy services through improved material efficiency and intensified use of products, plants, and vehicles. It also reports on major definitive conclusions on R&D needs and challenges to R&D-policies as well as immediate policy action in OECD-countries in order to realise the vision of reducing primary energy use per capita by two thirds in industrialised countries within the next five decades.

AbstractThe present study was aimed to develop a membrane sparger (MS) integrated into a tubular photobioreactor to promote the increase of the carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation by Spirulina sp. LEB 18 cultures. The use of MS for the CO2 supply in Spirulina cultures resulted not only in the increase of DIC concentrations but also in the highest accumulated DIC concentration in the liquid medium (127.4 mg L−1 d−1). The highest values of biomass concentration (1.98 g L−1), biomass productivity (131.8 mg L−1 d−1), carbon in biomass (47.9% w w−1), CO2 fixation rate (231.6 mg L−1 d−1), and CO2 use efficiency (80.5% w w−1) by Spirulina were verified with MS, compared to the culture with conventional sparger for CO2 supply. Spirulina biomass in both culture conditions had high protein contents varying from 64.9 to 69% (w w−1). MS can be considered an innovative system for the supply of carbon for the microalgae cultivation and biomass production. Moreover, the use of membrane system might contribute to increased process efficiency with a reduced cost of biomass production.

The increasing pressure on freshwater resources motivates the need for exploring new water harvesting methods, critical for global sustainable development. Atmospheric water generator (AWG), or air to water, is a potential under-explored component of the water solutions portfolio. This paper offers the first bottom-up model of AWG in the environmental economics and policy literature to assess the economic potential and riskiness of a representative AWG system. The model is used to estimate the performance of a typical AWG machine in ten locations with heterogeneous climate and economic conditions. Using a 4-year time series, estimates of the value at risk for water production are provided as well. Assuming a perfect substitution between AWG machines and bottled water, the financial performance of the AWG machines demonstrates an attractive substitute product in the majority of locations. However, the results also indicate that the current state of AWG does not provide economically viable alternatives for potable tap water or nondrinking water sources. This paper provides a quantitative foundation to evaluate the AWG technology as a business practice. Our work can inform water supply debates in both developed and developing countries.

AbstractThe bioeconomy presents an amazing opportunity for developing countries to promote economic and social development. It provides a real possibility for the production, conversion, and environmentally sustainable use of natural resources. Several countries have integrated the bioeconomy into their policy strategies worldwide, encouraged by recent advances and future perspectives in bio‐science and biotechnology, with strong potential to boost economic output. However, making the most of the bioeconomy, and achieving its real benefits, will require new and innovative approaches in science, technology development, and business, and global policies and regulatory frameworks strongly focused on social development and the conservation and preservation of environmental resources. To explore this new scenario, a technological roadmapping exercise was performed during June 2015 and June 2018, involving more than 1500 experts, including researchers, technical experts from the private sector, policymakers, and stakeholders. The main results outline opportunities and technological drivers in research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D), focusing on regional development for 13 strategic areas of tropical bioeconomy in São Paulo State, Brazil, including the main public policy needs for the development of the bioeconomy. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

One of the objectives in privatising the electricity industry and introducing competition was to get it away from government and all the resulting inefficient influences. This was achieved for seven years with beneficial results and radically improved performance. With the election of New Labour and Tony Blair as Prime Minister in 1997 political interference returned with ever increasing enthusiasm and ever decreasing competence. The New Electricity Trading Arrangements for England & Wales was an ill-judged and superficial change which did not reduce prices nor achieve the majority of its clearly stated objectives. Next Blair wished to save the planet. The Renewable Obligation Scheme, which was the subsidy support for major renewables, pointlessly piled risk on risk on risk, thus increasing the cost of capital. In 2007 Blair signed up for the UK to achieve 15% consumption of all energy from renewables by 2020, which was converted into achieving 30% renewables in the electric industry.