• Energy Research
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As is known, sustainability issues represent one of the main challenges companies have to face. Among all, the fashion industry is considered one of the most impactful, both in terms of resource utilization and pollution. Fashion renting is a recent business model for companies to reduce their environmental footprint, following a circular economy approach. The study aims to develop and discuss the proposed hybrid approach to effectively support fashion companies in designing new business models, taking into account both the customer and the company perspective. On the one hand, agent-based modeling (ABM) allow us to represent customers’ behaviour and interaction. On the other hand, discrete event simulation (DES) paradigm is used to model fashion renting processes. Because customers’ attitude to that service reflects its successful implementation, motivators and barriers have been investigated to be included in the model. The practical implication is defining a model to support fashion companies in designing rental business models before implementing them. From a theoretical point of view, it overcomes the literature gap about the definition of a unique model for fashion renting, including processes, customers and interactions between agents. Follow-up research will include the presentation of simulation results.

AbstractFriction Stir Welding (FSW) and Friction Stir Processing (FSP) are solid-state joining and material processing techniques that have garnered considerable attention for their versatility and industrial applicability. In the present work, FSP was performed on AA 6056 T4, dealing with the issue of monitoring tool wear and assessing its impact on the process. The impact of tool wear on power requirements was analyzed, and it was expanded the understanding of tool behavior and its implications for the overall process performance. Specifically, variations in energy consumption, temperatures, and vibrations are observed with changing tool conditions. Further insights are provided by analyzing the microhardness and the pin volume ratio, which show distinct trends as the tool wears. Two tool maintenance ways are proposed, that are cleaning the tool with a sodium hydroxide solution and increasing the tool’s rotational speed. Both the strategies exhibit the potential to partially restore the tool’s initial characteristics. This study highlights the critical importance of assessing tool condition, energy consumption, and process sustainability, particularly in industrial settings where material processing requires efficiency and quality assurance.

Abstract Postcombustion capture (PCC) by means of mono-ethanolamine and hydrogen co-firing, combined with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), were applied to a typical 2 × 1 combined cycle (CC) with the goal of reaching net-zero CO2 emissions. The novelty lies in integrating decarbonization solutions into the daily operation of the CC, when power generation is adjusted according to fluctuations in electricity demand, throughout two representative days in summer and winter. More specifically, off-design thermodynamic modeling was adapted to incorporate a multivariable optimization problem to find the maximum power plant efficiency as a function of the following decision variables: (1) load of each gas turbine (GT), spanning from minimum turndown to full load; (2) EGR rate, in a range that depends on the fuel type: [0; 0.4] for 100% natural gas (NG) versus [0; 0.55] when hydrogen is fed to the combustor; with the constraint of net power output equal to electricity demand, for given environmental conditions. Suggestions were made to mitigate the energy penalty due to decarbonization in the load-following operation mode, taking the integration of mono-ethanolamine CO2 capture into the NG-fired CC as a benchmark. The solution in which EGR combines optimally with hydrogen in the fuel mixture, with the addition of PCC to abate residual CO2 emissions, has proven to be the most efficient way to provide dispatchable clean energy, especially in cold climates.

Abstract To reach net-zero while ensuring grid reliability and resiliency, gas turbine (GT) technology has a place for years to come. However, shifting to low-carbon fuels, such as hydrogen, is the key to maintain positive returns in combined cycle (CC) power plants. By recirculating a fraction of the exhaust gas exiting the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) back to the inlet of a natural gas (NG) and hydrogen cofired GT, the gas flow passing through the compressor and entering the combustor has a reduced oxygen concentration thus lowering flame temperature, hence NOx formation. Hydrogen reactivity is then turned into a benefit since the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rate can be higher than that with NG, without facing flame stability issues. In light of this, a thermodynamic assessment of EGR effects on a 2 × 1 large-scale CC is presented considering GT with hydrogen capability up to 65%. The impact of partially replacing NG with hydrogen on GT behavior and overall CC performance was first evaluated at both full and part load, with no EGR. Then EGR was simulated for a rate up to 0.5 for different fuel mixtures, under the assumptions of GT inlet flow at low (ISO) and high (up to 47 °C) temperature. The analysis was again carried out at full and part load. In the latter case, EGR was exploited to improve CC efficiency at very low loads. For each scenario, CO2 emission intensity was computed thus highlighting the environmental benefits of hydrogen-NG blends.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda includes gender equality as one of its 17 goals and emphasizes the importance of supporting women’s empowerment to meet the SDGs. Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) can help achieve gender equality in organizations, but there continue to be limitations on exploiting its full potential. Further research is needed, especially in the public sector and at higher education institutions. This paper investigates the development of the GRB process and the related reporting practices, as well as the potential to fully integrate it into the university’s strategic policies at the University of Ferrara. The paper is based on a qualitative content analysis of annual GRB reports from 2011 to 2018. The results show that, during this period, GRB at the university changed from playing an accountability role to having a performance measurement role. Although GRB has become more relevant inside the organization, the extent of the integration with the university strategy and the budgeting cycle remains limited, which hampers the strategic relevance of GRB.

In the TripleA-reno project, a new combined labelling scheme was developed for dwellings. The combined labelling includes the evaluation of the energy performance, indoor environmental quality and well-being of occupants in dwellings. In this paper, the method of the TripleA-reno combined labelling scheme, the necessary calculations and measurements and the labelling process are introduced. In the TripleA-reno project, the developed combined labelling was successfully applied to different demonstration cases. The main results and experiences of the combined labelling for four demonstration cases located in Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy are presented.