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The production process of nitroaromatic hazardous compounds, with the generation of acidic wastewater, represents a significant danger for the health and safety of the workers and the environment. The present study is focused on the development of an efficient installation to treat acidic wastewater resulting from the synthesis process of nitroaromatic compound, considering workers safety and environmental criteria. In this research, a detailed study of the different alternatives that can be used for effective and safe treatment of acidic wastewater was performed. The analysis of several technological schemes for the acidic wastewaters neutralization and the selection of the most feasible alternative from a technical-economic point of view were carried out. The simulation and mathematical modeling developed in this research represent a significant advance in the knowledge of this process for working in a much more secure form. The technological scheme of the process was defined, and the design of the main and auxiliary equipment as well as the piping system was carried out using different computational programs. Finally, this paper proposes a technological design for the treatment of acidic wastewater generated by the production process of nitroaromatic compound, which represents the basic criteria for the further design, construction, and equipment installation of the plant.

Abstract This paper employs a new class of computable general–equilibrium (CGE) models, developed in the context of energy-economy-environmental models to simulate the impacts of the EU economy of internal and multilateral instruments for regulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. Climate change due to emissions gases of greenhouse gases is a long-term global environmental problem. While specific impacts on different regions as well as their timing are yet uncertain, it is reasonable to suppose that unilateral voluntary action by individual countries to reduce their net emissions of GHGs is unlikely. This is because significant reduction of net GHGs emissions by a single major net emitter, say, for example the EU, is unlikely to substantially slow down the rate of increase in concentration in the atmosphere because the emissions of GHGs worldwide is increasing rapidly with spreading industrialization. On the other hand, unilateral changes in energy use patterns are widely perceived to have adverse effects on a country’s economic growth, consumer welfare and trade competitiveness. This perception is shared by both developing (DCs) and industrialized countries (INCs). Some major policy instruments have been assessed on the basis of experiments with the CGE model. The use of each of the policy instrument for direct GHGs regulation is promising. The results of the above experiments seem to show, that first, emission standards accomplish significant decreases in net GHGs emissions with negligible relative GDP and Welfare index changes and without major distributional impacts in the sense of relative changes in factor rewards. They seem to work through major reduction in coal and natural gas use and slight overall reduction in the use of petroleum. Second, auctioned tradeable permits also accomplish large decreases in net GHGs emissions, with, however a perceptible increase in the Welfare Index and significant distributional impacts in higher rewards to land owners and labor relative to capital owners. They appear to work primarily by expansion to the forest sector and associated increases offsets generation. Third, the use of a GHGs tax on positive net emissions of GHGs by industries accomplishes large reductions in net GHGs emissions with significant increase in GDP and the Welfare Index. The relative changes in factor rewards are also important and favor land owners over labor and capital owners. This instrument too appears to work primarily through considerable expansion of the forest sector and consequent increases offsets generation. Each of these instruments show sufficient promise as effective policy tools for GHGs reduction, that it would be advisable to conduct further research in each case. The choice between standards on the one hand, and market-based domestic regulatory instruments on the other, is not straightforward. These results need verification through further analysis.

Abstract The term biofuel is referred to liquid, gas, and solid fuels predominantly produced from biomass. Biofuels include bioethanol, biomethanol, vegetable oils, biodiesel, biogas, bio-synthetic gas (bio-syngas), bio-oil, bio-char, Fischer-Tropsch liquids, and biohydrogen. Biomethanol can be produced from biomass using bio-syngas obtained from steam reforming process of biomass. Biomethanol is considerably easier to recover than the bioethanol from biomass. Ethanol forms an azeotrope with water so it is expensive to purify the ethanol during recovery. Methanol recycles easier because it does not form an azeotrope. Gasoline and ethanol mixtures are called gasohol. Diesohol is a mixture of diesel fuel and hydrated ethanol that is blended using a chemical emulsifier. Diesohol is used in compression ignition engines as an alternative diesel fuel. The reductions of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide were 32 and 29% for CO emissions and 43 and 45% for CO2 emissions of E15 gasohol and diesohol, respectively. ...

Abstract In the 21st century, global climate change and the high level of fossil energy consumption have introduced changes affecting all sectors of the economy, including the building industry. Reducing energy consumption has become an important task for engineers because 30% of the total energy consumption is used for heating our buildings. Recycling the huge amount of industrial and agricultural by-products has also become urgent because due to their CO2 emissions, their combustion is not a state-of-the-art alternative. Besides rediscovering some long-known, nature-based insulating materials, there are also several research projects that have resulted in new products. In the last century it was relatively easy to review this product range, but nowadays there are so many kinds of nature-based thermal insulating products, there is a need for systematization, and more in-depth knowledge about them is required. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new systematization of nature-based thermal insulation materials, summarize the main knowledge about them, and indicate the direction of recent research and development.

East Lisbon is being exposed to large-scale urban regeneration processes, where luxury residential projects and mixed-use spatial developments are already underway. Thus, it is a living laboratory for “smart”, “creative” and “green” projects, as well as related urban public space interventions. Braço de Prata is an urban space overlooked by developers, being surrounded by obsolete industrial buildings. Concerning the recent interest in international investments in brownfield regeneration and greenfield developments, it represents an attractive urban terrain as a post-industrial working-class neighbourhood, where “smart” and “green” suggest transforming space so that both new and old residents can live and work together and share public space regardless of analysis on their environmental recognitions. The aim of this paper is to present an empirical evaluation model that examines the possible impacts of environmental negligence through the reorganisation of the physical and social fabric. The analyses focus on dwellers’ moral understanding of their changing environment as site-specific domains to address the unique conditions that affect transiently defined presumptions about the collective needs. Taking an evaluative approach in the Braço de Prata case, this paper demonstrates the specific socio-ecological implications of urban inequality in post-industrial neighbourhoods that could be threatened by new decisions, both through urban planning approaches and instruments.

Abstract Forests can help mitigate climate change in different ways, such as by storing carbon in forest ecosystems, and by producing a renewable supply of material and energy products. We analyse the climate implications of different scenarios for forestry, bioenergy and wood construction. We consider three main forestry scenarios for Kronoberg County in Sweden, over a 201-year period. The Business-as-usual scenario mirrors today's forestry while in the Production scenario the forest productivity is increased by 40% through more intensive forestry. In the Set-aside scenario 50% of forest land is set-aside for conservation. The Production scenario results in less net carbon dioxide emissions and cumulative radiative forcing compared to the other scenarios, after an initial period of 30–35 years during which the Set-aside scenario has less emissions. In the end of the analysed period, the Production scenario yields strong emission reductions, about ten times greater than the initial reduction in the Set-aside scenario. Also, the Set-aside scenario has higher emissions than Business-as-usual after about 80 years. Increasing the harvest level of slash and stumps results in climate benefits, due to replacement of more fossil fuel. Greatest emission reduction is achieved when biomass replaces coal, and when modular timber buildings are used. In the long run, active forestry with high harvest and efficient utilisation of biomass for replacement of carbon-intensive non-wood products and fuels provides significant climate mitigation, in contrast to setting aside forest land to store more carbon in the forest and reduce the harvest of biomass.

Abstract Light wells in the centers of high-rise apartment buildings in Japan are called ‘Voids’. Gas water-heaters built into Voids discharge exhaust gas so a large enough opening has to be designed at the bottom of a Void to keep the indoor air quality (IAQ) acceptable. In order to secure the IAQ in the Void from contamination, a simple calculation method of the ventilation rate induced by wind force and thermal buoyancy through openings at the bottom, along with heat sources such as water-heaters, is presented. The accuracy of this calculation method was examined by wind tunnel testing. As a result, it turned out that the simple calculation methods introduced in this study were valid for predicting the vertical temperature distribution and ventilation rates in Voids.

With China’s urban renewal, parks have developed into significant green recreational areas in cities. This paper analyzed social media texts and compared the evaluation outcomes of the 50 most popular urban parks in Beijing from various perspectives, such as the characteristics of various groups of people, park types, and the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of recreational activities. The importance–performance analysis method was used to analyze the main factors affecting visitors’ satisfaction with parks. The research found the following: (1) Positive evaluation of parks was related to environmental construction, event organization, etc., and negative evaluations focused on ticket supply, consumer spending, etc. (2) Visitors of different genders and from different regions focused on different aspects of parks. (3) In terms of traffic accessibility, historical and cultural display, parent–child activity organization, and ecological environment experience, people had diverse demands from various types of parks. (4) People were more likely to visit parks located within the range of all green belts in springs and parks located in the second green isolation belt in the fall. (5) The number of non-holiday reviews of parks was higher than that of holiday reviews. (6) Managers could improve visitor satisfaction by improving the infrastructure and management of parks.