Hydrodistillation is traditionally a green technology for the manufacturing of natural products that are volatile. As well as acknowledged process intensification methods such as microwave support for energy efficiency to move towards climate neutral operation, digital twins combined with process analytical technology for advanced process control enables reliable operation of an optimal operation point regarding lowest cost of goods, as well as lowest global warming potential equivalent. A novel process control enabled by digital twin technology has shown to reduce the ecological footprint of the extraction by up to 46.5%, while reducing the cost of extraction by 22.4%. Additionally, skilled operator time is reduced, and the sustainable plant material is utilized most efficiently. The approach is ready to apply, but broad industrialization seems to be held back by unclear business cases and lack of comprehension of decision makers. This is in drastic contrast to the political demand fo... [more]

A waste material cannot truly be called waste when the procedures and technologies have been invented and developed to exploit and utilize it [...]

In geopolymer bricks (GPBs), fly ash content, which is waste from power plants, is converted into bricks by chemical treatment. GPBs can be dried by using appropriate curing methods. Conventionally, electric oven curing is one of the prominent methods. Using a solar dryer instead of an electric oven provides the added advantage of saving high-grade electrical energy. So, in this work, a solar dryer with the phase change material (PCM) paraffin wax and without a PCM is used for curing applications. GPBs gain an added advantage when compared to conventional bricks like cement and sand bricks in terms of strength. A GPB has been taken as a specimen for comparing the compressive strength, tensile split strength, and flexural strength of electrical-energy-based curing and solar-energy-based curing. It has been experimentally observed that solar-energy-based curing with and without a PCM exhibits higher compressive strength, higher tensile split strength, and flexural strength when compared... [more]

Dry machining has gained significant importance in the last few years due to its promising contribution towards sustainability. This review study introduces dry machining, presents its benefits, and summarizes the recent technological developments that can facilitate dry machining. It aims to provide a concise overview of the current state of the art in dry machining to promote sustainability. This article synthesizes and emphasizes the useful information from the existing literature, and summarizes the methods and tools used to implement it. It also identifies some of the major problems and challenges and their potential solutions to make dry machining more viable and efficient. It concludes with some future research directions important for the scholars and researchers to establish the field further. From this review study, the major findings are: (1) tools with textures or patterns can enhance the cutting performance of dry machining for various materials, (2) tool coating is an eff... [more]

In the wake of Industry 4.0, the ubiquitous internet of things provides big data to potentially quantify the environmental footprint of green products. Further, as the concept of Industry 5.0 emphasizes, the increasing mass customization production makes the product configurations full of individuation and diversification. Driven by these fundamental changes, the design for sustainability of a high-mix low-volume product−service system faces the increasingly deep coupling of technology-driven product solutions and value-driven human-centric goals. The multi-criteria decision making of sustainability issues is prone to fall into the complex, contradictory, fragmented, and opaque flood of information. To this end, this work presents a data-driven quantitative method for the sustainability assessment of product−service systems by integrating analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods to measure the sustainability of customized products and promote the Ind... [more]

Industrial process heating furnace operations consume considerable energy in the U.S. manufacturing sector, making it crucial to identify energy efficient strategies due to the growing need to minimize energy usage and emissions. It is important to identify the potential impact of these factors to enable process engineers to operate process heating systems at the maximum possible efficiency. This study examines and identifies the key impact factors that influence the efficiency of process heating systems using MEASUR (v1.4.0), the DOE software tools such as the insulation effectiveness, the burner stoichiometry, cooling medium, thermal storage, and atmospheric gases. Data from a two-fuel-fired heat treatment furnace and an electric arc furnace (EAF) for steelmaking were employed to establish the baseline heat balance models in MEASUR. The fractional factorial design experiment was developed with two-level parameter values and energy efficiency strategies for the heat input into industr... [more]

Recently, an improvement of the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), named the Thermodynamic Human Development Index (THDI), has been introduced to link socio-economics to environmental and technical pillars of sustainable development. In this paper, the THDI is linked to the Kaya identity to bring out the quantities useful in energy economics and to obtain a clearer tool for the evaluation of sustainability. Moreover, the THDI has been normalized for use as an index for the analysis of sustainability. The component related to environmental emissions, which is included in the THDI, can be linked to the Kaya identity. This linkage allows us to use the THDI for the analysis of scenarios, which is useful for evaluating the possible impacts of any future actions on the development of countries.

Sustainability as a concept is present in most aspects of our everyday life, and industry is no exception. Likewise, there is no doubt that the necessity to produce goods in a sustainable way and to ensure that products are sustainable is gaining more and more attention from producers, customers, governments, and various organizations. Understandably, there are several ways to increase the sustainable development of industrial production. One effective tool is simulation, which can have a significant impact on improving environmental, economic, and social sustainability. This paper explores the role of simulation as a powerful scientific and engineering solution in advancing sustainability within industrial ecosystems. Its main scope is to map the existing literature on the usage of simulation as a supportive tool for achieving this goal. For this purpose, a bibliometric analysis was conducted, allowing for tailored insights into the use of simulation in sustainable production.

In the contemporary era, conventional energy sources like oil, coal, and natural gas overwhelmingly contribute 89.6% to global CO2 emissions, intensifying environmental challenges. Recognizing the urgency of addressing climate concerns, a pivotal shift towards renewable energy, encompassing solar, wind, and biofuels, is crucial for bolstering environmental sustainability. Bioethanol, a globally predominant biofuel, offers a versatile solution, replacing gasoline or integrating into gasoline−ethanol blends while serving as a fundamental building block for various valuable compounds. This review investigates the dynamic landscape of biomass generations, drawing insightful comparisons between the first, second, third, and fourth generations. Amid the drive for sustainability, the deliberate focus on the initial generation of biomass, particularly corn, in bioethanol production is grounded in the current dependence on edible crops. The established utilization of first-generation biomass, e... [more]

Companies actively seek innovative tools and methodologies to enhance operations and meet customer demands. Maintenance plays a crucial role in achieving such objectives. This study identifies existing models that combine Lean Philosophy and Industry 4.0 principles to enhance decision-making and activities related to maintenance management. A comprehensive literature review on key concepts of Lean Philosophy and Industry 4.0, as well as an in-depth analysis of existing models that integrate these principles, is performed. An innovative model based on the synergies between Lean Philosophy and Industry 4.0, named the Maintenance Management in Sustainable Operations (MMSO) model, is proposed. A pilot test of the application of the MMSO model on a conveyor belt led to an operational time increase from 82.3% to 87.7%, indicating a notable 6.6% improvement. The MMSO model significantly enhanced maintenance management, facilitating the collection, processing, and visualization of data via int... [more]

There is a growing interest in green hydrogen, with researchers, institutions, and countries focusing on its development, efficiency improvement, and cost reduction. This paper explores the concept of green hydrogen and its production process using renewable energy sources in several leading countries, including Australia, the European Union, India, Canada, China, Russia, the United States, South Korea, South Africa, Japan, and other nations in North Africa. These regions possess significant potential for “green” hydrogen production, supporting the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and promoting environmental sustainability through the electrolysis process, a common method of production. The paper also examines the benefits of green hydrogen as a future alternative to fossil fuels, highlighting its superior environmental properties with zero net greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, it explores the potential advantages of green hydrogen utilization across various industrial, c... [more]

Chemical effluents generated by the isolation of fish gelatin and collagen hydrolysates produced from the enzyme proteolysis of skin wastes are protein-rich substrates that could be used as nutrients in bacterial bioprocessing. In this study, the suitability of such nutrients in supporting the growth of a marine probiotic bacterium, Phaeobacter sp. DIFR 27-4, was studied. Both gelatin effluents and collagen hydrolysates were obtained from the skins of shark, tuna, salmon and turbot. The chemical composition of the substrates included the complete presence of all quantified amino acids. Low-cost marine culture media were formulated with these protein materials alongside a very low concentration of yeast extract and marine water. In batch cultures with gelatin effluents, the growth rates of the strain DIFR 27-4 were somewhat lower than those found in the control marine commercial media. In the case of the hydrolysates, the bacterial production of biomass was similar or higher than that o... [more]

Currently, China is the largest consumer of titanium (Ti), yet the development of its Ti industry is limited by numerous factors, such as industrial structure imbalance. This study aimed to evaluate the security of China’s Ti industry from 2010 to 2020, seeking to identify relevant issues and propose policy strategies. Firstly, a comprehensive evaluation system for Ti industry security was established, encompassing aspects of availability, economics, and sustainability. Secondly, the entropy weight technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) combination method and gray correlation method were employed to assess the safety level of China’s Ti industry chain in each year from 2010 to 2020. Additionally, the coupling degree and sensitivity were used to analyze the dimension layers and index system to determine those that negatively impact the safety level of the Ti industry chain. The analysis results reveal that the economic level exerts a significant influ... [more]

The ocean economy plays a critical role in global economic growth, yet it confronts substantial environmental risks. This study employs topic modeling of South Korean news articles to analyze the evolving trends of environmental risks and sustainability in ocean economy. A dataset comprising 50,213 articles from 2008 to 2022 is examined, revealing prevalent environmental concerns that have persisted over the years. The findings demonstrate an increasing emphasis on sustainability and marine environmental issues, as evidenced by prominent keywords related to construction, safety, plastic pollution, and ecosystem conservation. Through Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) in topic modeling, 10 distinct themes are identified, encompassing sustainable fisheries management, accident and disaster response, polar environment, carbon neutrality, microplastic pollution, habitat ecosystems, cruise tourism development, nuclear power plant pollution, and infectious diseases. The outcomes highlight the... [more]

This paper focuses on the sustainable exploration of building systems, which combines ecological concepts and low-carbon designs for a comprehensive sustainability assessment investigation. The study employed the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-Emergy and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-Carbon emission methods to discuss a range of topics, including the main contributing factors, sustainability index verification, sensitivity analysis, and potential improvement measures. From an ecological sustainability perspective, the results indicate that the building operation stage plays a critical role, accounting for approximately 45% of the entire emergy in the building commercial complex. The sustainable index (ESI) is 0.354, which is below the standard of 1. Moreover, the building operation stage also significantly contributes to carbon emissions, particularly in the 50th anniversary of operation. Based on these findings, the study recommends two potential strategies to improve the ecological state... [more]

The paper presents an innovative concept of the fluidization of an adsorption bed carried out under low-pressure conditions. Additionally, different bed mixes were used to test the effects of the bed composition on fluidization. Fluidization was caused by the pressure difference and the velocity of the flowing water vapor. These features make the research presented in this article significantly different from other studies known in the literature and constitute the main novelty of the paper. Silica gel with a particle diameter of 200−250 µm (Geldart group B) with aluminum and carbon nanotube additives was fluidized under reduced pressure (10−25 mbar). The pressure difference results in the flow of water vapor and, consequently, induces fluidization. The pressure in the evaporator was approx. 10 mbar, while in the reaction chamber it was approx. 25 mbar. The pressure difference of about 10−15 mbar allows for a flow of water vapor between the evaporator and the reaction chamber. During t... [more]

Coffee cultivation in the Department of Cauca, Colombia, is vital for much of the department’s economy. Coffee processing generates waste, such as pulp, which accounts to about 40% of the fresh fruit. Currently, in most cases in Cauca, coffee byproducts are discarded, and, in other cases, the coffee pulp is used for fertilizers, generating environmental problems due to its decomposition. This research aims to design a process for supplying a functional food in the form of an energy bar based on coffee pulp and other components of the region, such as quinoa and panela, helping to mitigate the environmental impact of coffee production. Our research included four phases. First, we determined the study area; in the second phase, we studied an energy bar’s nutritional and physical characteristics. Then, the requirements and specifications of the bar were defined, and the authors documented the process diagram, variables within the process, and the quality plan. Finally, the authors conducte... [more]

Achieving plastic circularity is imperative to using plastics without adverse effects. Today, only 9% of global plastic waste is recycled, signifying the need for more substantial advancements to accelerate our progress toward achieving plastic circularity. This article contributes to our collective efforts to accelerate plastic circularity by critically assessing the state-of-the-art, gaps, and outlook of the pathways and processes to circular plastics. It employs qualitative methods to derive new insights that empower scholars and practitioners to prescribe effective strategies to shape the future of plastic circularity and its research agenda. This article concludes that today’s circularity pathways for plastics are not economically viable, significantly hindering their scalability and widespread adoption. It further validates that focusing on the product design and effectiveness of the available collection and sorting systems can considerably improve our progress in achieving plast... [more]

As a result of the dissemination of the sustainability concept, social disclosures have become an important area of non-financial reporting, and the energy sector is no exception. The purpose of our article is a multi-faceted evaluation of sustainability reports published by companies operating in the Polish energy sector, from the perspective of social disclosures. The study involved the Polish listed companies that made up the WIG-Energia index. The time scope of the study covers the 2017−2021 period. In total, 54 non-financial reports were analyzed. In the first place, a comparative analysis was carried out to assess the social disclosures made by the WIG-Energia companies against the background of the biggest and the most liquid (blue chip) WIG20 companies. All the applied tools: ESG rating, NFR_S index, and multidimensional data visualization, have confirmed that the energy companies year by year have been presenting larger and larger extents of social disclosures. At the same tim... [more]

The regional parliament of Tyrol in Austria adopted the climate, energy, and resources strategy “Tyrol 2050 energy autonomous” in 2014 with the aim to become climate neutral and energy autonomous. “Use of own resources before others do, or have to do” is the main principle within this long-term strategic approach, in which the “power on demand” process is a main building block and the “power-to-hydrogen” process covers the intrinsic lack of a long-term, large-scale storage of electricity. Within this long-term strategy, the national research and development (R&D) flagship project WIVA P&G HyWest (ongoing since 2018) aims at the establishment of the first sustainable, business-case-driven, regional, green hydrogen economy in central Europe. This project is mainly based on the logistic principle and is a result of synergies between three ongoing complementary implementation projects. Among these three projects, to date, the industrial research within “MPREIS Hydrogen” resulted in the fir... [more]

Good practices are among the direct/indirect components that influence agrofood safety knowledge, and occupying quality assurance control facets within the (agrofood) product industry. Cleaner production involves an integrated preventive environmental strategy applied to processes, products, and services, which increases overall efficiency, and reduces risks to humans/environment. However, ‘cleaner food production’ appears neither yet clearly defined nor well established. In this preliminary survey analysis, how good practices would contribute towards achieving cleaner food production in the context of food retail sector was performed. Specifically, Wrocław-Poland served as a case reference targeting managers/supervisors given their expected service, experience, and expertise. The sampling technique used was the judgment/purposive type, and the research instrument took the form of a questionnaire. Managers’/supervisors’ responses revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) across va... [more]

The United States (U.S.) has a nearly USD 17 billion seafood trade deficit annually. However, the U.S. aquaculture industry faces strict micronutrient (e.g., phosphorus and nitrogen) level mandates that negatively impact fish production, especially for the state of Idaho, which produces 70−75% of the nation’s rainbow trout. This study investigates the sustainability benefits of producing engineered biomaterials from lignocellulosic-based feedstocks near collection sites via portable biorefineries for use by fish farms to reduce eutrophication (oversupply of micronutrients) impacts. In this study, sustainability assessments are performed on a case study in southern Idaho, the largest U.S. commercial producer of rainbow trout. The results show that 20 and 60 min of water treatment, using small particle size biomaterial from lodgepole pine, has the highest total phosphorus removal rate, at 150−180 g of phosphorus per 1 metric ton of engineered biomaterials. The results of techno-economic... [more]

Second-generation biodiesel, which is produced from essential oil plants, has important advantages, including a high yield of biofuels and the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal of this research was to examine the profile of original and review articles on biodiesel production from essential oils using bibliometric analysis. The search strategy identified 186 relevant and available peer-reviewed publications from 1981 to 2023, which were downloaded from the Web of Science (WoS) database. The retrieved documents were analyzed using VOSviewer. China was the predominant country publishing those documents, followed by the United States, India, Australia, and France. The keyword cluster analysis indicated the presence of 10 main research topics: diesel, fuel, and engine performance; extraction of lipids from microalgae; biofuel production from essential oils; green chemistry; the pyrolysis process; bioethanol production from renewable raw materials; obtaining biodiesel f... [more]

Due to the fact that the European Union is striving to achieve its sustainable development goals, in particular goal No. 7, which is to provide users with low-emission, and cheap access to, energy, this article’s aim is to verify whether there is a relationship between R&D expenditure and key energy variables in the EU countries in 2010−2020. Data on R&D expenditures incurred by the EU Member States in the period 2010−2020 were used for the research and were tested using the Autoregressive Distributed Lags Model (ARDL). The study identified a strong positive relationship between total R&D expenditure and the increase in energy consumption from renewable energy sources, and a smaller impact of total R&D expenditure as well as enterprise R&D expenditure on the increase in fossil energy consumption. Also noted was a weak relationship between R&D expenditure and electricity and gas prices for both household and non-household customers. The obtained results prove that in the context of the... [more]

The conventional energy source in cement industries is fossil fuels, mainly coal, which has a high environmental footprint. On average, energy expenditures account for 40% of the overall production costs per ton of cement. Reducing both the environmental impact and economic expenditure involves incorporating alternative energy sources (fuels) such as biomass, solid-derived fuel (SDF), refuse-derived fuel (RDF) etc. However, within cement plants, the substitution of conventional fossil fuels with alternative fuels poses several challenges due to the difficulty in incorporating additional fuel-saving techniques. Typically, an additional 3000 MJ of electricity per ton of clinker is required. One of the most effective solutions to this is thermal optimization through co-processing and pre-processing, which makes it possible to implement additional fossil-fuel-saving techniques. In developing nations such as Togo, waste-management systems rely on co-processing in cement factories through a... [more]