• Energy Research
• Closed Access close
• Open Source close
• Embargo close
• other engineering and technologies close
• 9. Industry and infrastructure close
• 15. Life on land close

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 proposed innovative approach identifies a new application for biomass. Bioenergy is used to drive a desalination unit which produces water for irrigating energy crops. Biomass is cultivated on artificial soil made by a mixture of local soil and organic compost from MSW (Municipal Solid Wastes). This agro-energy farm scheme aims at rescuing arid lands near to the sea. The study defines a techno-economic compromise among energy crops, biomass generator, desalination unit and irrigation system, considering an arid area (10 ha) of Tenerife as reference case study. A small experimental activity (100 m 2 ) has also been performed on site. A Sweet Sorghum cultivation, a bioenergy generator, a reverse osmosis plant and drip irrigation system have been chosen. The main result of the study is that the possibility of retaining some 14–20% surplus (in terms of biomass or energy or water) exists. The system is energetically feasible: rescued land can be doubled in approximately 4 yr. This approach is applicable to many Mediterranean coastal areas, as well as other similar situations elsewhere.

It's a slow death, but bolts still slay rainforest trees.

This paper explores how market and regulatory factors affect stakeholders' investments in smart grid projects in Europe. Distribution System Operators (DSOs), universities, and technology manufacturers are leading investors, with a cumulative 2286 M€ financed since 2002. Statistical tests were conducted on these groups' investments in smart grid projects in the EU-28, Norway, and Switzerland from 2008-2015, to evaluate the influence of the following factors on investment: the level of distribution sector concentration, the regulatory mechanism in place, and the existence of innovation stimulus mechanisms. The level of distribution sector concentration did not significantly influence investments by these three groups. Market-minded stakeholders, such as DSOs and technology manufacturers, invested more in countries that employed hybrid, incentive, or innovation-stimulus mechanisms; meanwhile, collaborative knowledge-seeking institutions, such as universities, were not swayed by these factors. Taking these findings into consideration will help policy makers design adequate incentives for stakeholders.

The delayed harvest system for grass crops in which the harvest of the previous year's crop is undertaken after it has over-wintered in the field significantly improves the fuel quality for both combustion and gasification. The critical elements that cause fouling and corrosion problems in boilers are alkali and chlorine which are released during combustion. The concentrations of these are reduced by a factor of 2 to 6 by using the delayed harvest system rather than harvesting in the end of the growing season. The loss of some leaf material and leaching of alkali also contributes to an increase in the ash fusion temperature from 1070°C to 1400°C. This work is part of a project in progress involving 14 different field trials distributed all over Sweden. Results are presented demonstrating that ash content is influenced by the type of soil. The most extreme variations are between reed canary grass grown on high clay content soils and those produced on very humic soils, with ash contents of 10.1% and 2.2%, respectively.

Abstract A change in the thermal environment of an urban area affects health, living conditions, and energy consumption. In urban planning, urban parks are one of the methods for improving the thermal environment and saving cooling energy. Urban park construction can mitigate temperature, but it also causes urban development by increasing local attractiveness. To achieve efficient energy saving through parks in urban planning, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between building energy consumption and urban characteristics both before and after the construction of an urban park. This study targeted Seoul's Gyeongui line forest, which was recently converted into a linear park on the former railway as an urban regeneration project. We analyzed the relationship between energy consumption and urban characteristics using a regression model, focusing on the changes before and after the construction. In this study, urban characteristics include environment, building physical characteristics, and economic variables. The results show that the construction of the urban park reduced not only temperature but also building energy consumption. The energy reduction effect of the park was limited to a marginal distance. Meanwhile, the urban park construction caused land prices to rise and prompted new development, and this changed the urban characteristics of the area and affected energy consumption. Despite changes in urban characteristics, urban park planning is an effective methods of reducing the energy consumption involved in cooling urban areas. We recommend comprehensive consideration of the urban factors when making park policy to reduce urban temperature and energy consumption.

Clean-tech industry, also identified as the advanced stage of eco-friendly industry and typical high-tech, has to gain enough financial support to develop. Meanwhile, it has provided substantial market opportunities as well as investment options for venture capitalist. In an attempt to form a comprehensive understanding of VC policy preferences in clean-tech sector, relevant studies have been done by researchers from organizations, universities, and firms, from various perspectives, forming an independent “niche” research field. Based on the interactive relation between industry development and clean-tech investing, this paper performs a time-sharing, multidimensional, and dynamic review on international clean-tech policies literatures, focusing primarily on investor preferences. We aim to provide references to the lenses and methods currently used for future research including policy tool design, investment attraction effects, and policy efficiency. Moreover, the findings facilitate the innovation and expansion of related research for China, by which it can form effective financial support for domestic clean-tech industry.

AbstractConcrete is a valuable construction material with high mechanical strength and durability, used extensively in the construction industry. It is produced by mixing sand, stones, cement, and water in different proportions depending on the desired quality of the final product. Water reducers are additional chemical ingredients used in concrete to reduce the quantity of water required in the concrete mixture. When added to concrete, water reducers increase the workability and flowability of concrete in the freshly mixed state and improve the mechanical strength and durability of the final hardened product. This review paper describes the different types and applications of concrete water reducers used in the construction industry including their working mechanisms and fluidity effects on concrete properties. It discusses the production of synthetic and bio‐based concrete water reducers and reviews the present challenges involved in the preparation of bio‐based concrete water reducers from renewable resources. © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The article contains laboratory data comparing the rate of gasification of five types of woody plants—beech, oak, willow, poplar and rose. The gasification rate was determined thermogravimetrically. Carbon dioxide and steam were used as gasification gases. Willow wood was the most gasifiable, whereas rose wood the least.