There are four main waste products produced during the harvesting and milling process of sugarcane: cane trash, molasses, bagasse and mill mud−boiler ash mixture. This study investigates the value proposition of different techniques currently not being adopted by the industry in the utilisation of these wastes. The study addresses the technical challenges and the environmental impact associated with these wastes and comes up with some recommendations based on the recent findings in the literature. All the biomass wastes such as bagasse, trash (tops) and trash (leaves) have shown great potential in generating higher revenue by converting them to renewable energy than burning them (wet or dry). However, the energy content in the products from all the utilisation methods is less than the energy content of the raw product. This study has found that the most profitable and challenging choice is producing ethanol or ethanol/biogas from these wastes. The authors recommend conducting more rese... [more]

Food choices are complex and highly variable, even over short periods, as they are influenced by numerous psychological, social, and cultural factors, in addition to biological and economic ones. Consumer choices are increasingly complex because of the growing quantity and variety of available food products, which also affects individuals’ environments. This paper is part of a larger study on health-related food choices, and it discusses how food choices affect the environment. To achieve the research goal, classes of respondents that are homogeneous in their food choices were identified. The authors used an algorithm to build classification trees and found that health status is determined by respondents’ age and food consumption habits. The paper demonstrates that understanding individual nutritional choices is a prerequisite for changing consumption habits and shaping healthy behavior, which is in line with the principle of sustainable development through sustainable consumption. The... [more]

Production of energy and chemicals from biomass resources has been regarded as one promising method to address the challenge of global warming. In this research, production of acrylic acid from fumaric acid, one of the biomass-derived building blocks, is proposed. CuO was employed as a solid oxidant, which showed excellent activity and selectivity for the production of acrylic acid, and water played an essential role in acting as not only a solvent but also a catalyst in this process. An optimum acrylic acid yield of 76.4% was successfully obtained after the reaction of fumaric acid with CuO at 300 °C for only 60 s.This research provides a green and highly efficient way to produce value-added chemicals from biomass-derived building blocks, and thus is promising for practical application.

Safety is a critical feature for all passenger vehicles, making fail−safe operation of the traction drive system highly important. Increasing demands for traction drives that can operate in challenging environments over wide constant power speed ranges expose permanent magnet (PM) machines to conditions that can cause irreversible demagnetization of rotor magnets. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis of the demagnetization vulnerability in PM machines for an electric vehicle (EV) application is presented. The first half of the paper presents rotor demagnetization characteristics of several different PM machines to investigate the impact of different design configurations on demagnetization and to identify promising machine geometries that have higher demagnetization resistance. Experimental verification results of rotor demagnetization in an interior PM (IPM) machine are presented in the latter half of the paper. The experimental tests were carried out on a specially designed locked... [more]

The paper evaluates the rural development (RD) contribution of local economic activities (LEAs), whether generated or affected by the proximity of renewable energy plants (REPs). The study also informs about LEAs’ role as co-players in the fight against climate change. Semi-structured research interviews have been applied to identify LEAs’ BM (business model) in Andalusia, Murcia, and Catalonia, autonomous communities of Spain. Most LEAs present a BM based on the RE plant, and others do not, but they still contribute to RD, rural communities’ well-being and global sustainability. Results show, first, that certain LEAs, due to their inter-connection with large REPs, can innovate and create a significant number of stable jobs. Second, land leasing to REPs allows for temporary farms’ diversification, which is conditioned to its bargaining power. Third, advice on integration RE projects in RD strategies should be provided. Conclusions suggest the need for new governance to favor energy tra... [more]

Industrial human activity has led to the release of substantial amounts of heavy metals into the environment. Contamination of water with heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, chromium, or nickel represents a serious problem. As part of the circular economy, it is appropriate to use biowaste from agriculture, fisheries, and the timber industry as biosorbents. In this literature review, the potential of using these biowaste groups as biosorbents for metal removal is presented. This biowaste is characterized by the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl, carbonyl, amide, amine, sulfydryl, and other groups on their surface, which form complexes and chelates with metals present in water. Biosorption seems to be a potential alternative to conventional technologies for removing or recovering heavy metals from water or wastewater, which are uneconomical and generate additional waste. The paper demonstrates that harnessing the potential of biowaste to remove metals is beneficial to the env... [more]

The objective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the consumer adoption of renewable energy in Thailand. The study adopted an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) by including three additional variables. The study applied a quantitative study methodology, with primary data collected using a survey of consumers in five major cities in Thailand. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings of the study indicated that perception of self-effectiveness, environmental concern, renewable energy awareness, and beliefs about renewable energy benefits have a significant and positive effect on consumers’ intention to adopt renewable energy. The cost of renewable was found to have a negative but non-significant influence on consumers’ adoption of renewable energy, while risk/trust perception was found to have a positive but non-significant influence on consumers’ adoption of renewable energy. The study concluded that stakeholders should... [more]

A number of empirical correlations have been achieved between the hydraulic properties measured through geoelectrical methods and water well data of Arak Aquifer located in Markazi province, Iran. The geoelectrical method of Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) technique was used to calculate the hydraulic properties of the aquifer. Through the VES technique, the pivotal hydraulic properties such as porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and specific yield of the layers were calculated. The results of VES technique were compared with the data obtained from seven observation water wells that were already drilled as exploratory coring boreholes in the region. The results demonstrate that as the porosity and hydraulic conductivity of the water-bearing layer increase, the results of VES technique appear much identical to the water well records. Furthermore, the specific yield was calculated as 4.6% that was very close to the value of 3.5% measured through the previous pumping tests. Moreover, VES... [more]

During the last decade, the application of pretreatment has been investigated to enhance methane production from lignocellulosic biomass such as wheat straw (WS). Nonetheless, most of these studies were conducted in laboratory batch tests, potentially hiding instability problems or inhibition, which may fail in truly predicting full-scale reactor performance. For this purpose, the effect of an alkaline pretreatment on process performance and methane yields from WS (0.10 g NaOH g−1 WS at 90 °C for 1 h) co-digested with fresh wastewater sludge was evaluated in a pilot-scale reactor (20 L). Results showed that alkaline pretreatment resulted in better delignification (44%) and hemicellulose solubilization (62%) compared to untreated WS. Pilot-scale study showed that the alkaline pretreatment improved the methane production (261 ± 3 Nm3 CH4 t−1 VS) compared to untreated WS (201 ± 6 Nm3 CH4 t−1 VS). Stable process without any inhibition was observed and a high alkalinity was maintained in th... [more]

The built environment is the global sector with the greatest energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, building energy savings can make a major contribution to tackling the current energy and climate change crises. Fluid dynamics models have long supported the understanding and optimization of building energy systems and have been responsible for many important technological breakthroughs. As Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, fluid dynamics models are proving to be more essential than ever for exploring airborne transmission of the coronavirus indoors in order to develop energy-efficient and healthy ventilation actions against Covid-19 risks. The purpose of this paper is to review the most important and influential fluid dynamics models that have contributed to improving building energy efficiency. A detailed, yet understandable description of each model’s background, physical setup, and equations is provided. The main ingredients, theoretical interpretatio... [more]

In this study, a collaborative simulation method is proposed to predict dynamic variations of the thermal environment in an air-conditioned room. The room thermal environment was predicted and analyzed by varying the structural and control parameters of the air conditioner considering the dynamic coupling effect. Connections and regularities were established between the applicable parameters and evaluation indices of the thermal environment. The simulation results demonstrated the interactions among the system structural parameters, control parameters, and the thermal environment. Within a certain parameter range, the evaporator structure exhibited a significant effect on temperature uniformity and vertical air temperature difference, followed by predicted mean vote (PMV) and draught rate (DR). The associated evaluation indices were sensitive to fin spacing, tube spacing, and tube outer diameter, in the same order, which were structural parameters of the evaporator. The effect of the a... [more]

Crop-based biogas energy production, in combination with electricity generation under subsidy schemes, is no longer considered a favourable business model for biogas plants. Switching to low-cost or gate fee feedstocks and utilising biogas via alternative pathways could contribute to making existing plants fit for future operations and could open up new space for further expansion of the biogas sector. The aim of this study was to combine a holistic and interdisciplinary approach for both the biogas production side and the utilisation side to evaluate the impact of integrating the biogas sector with waste management systems and energy systems operating with a high share of renewable energy sources. The geospatial availability of residue materials from agriculture, industry and municipalities was assessed using QGIS software for the case of Northern Croatia with the goal of replacing maize silage in the operation of existing biogas plants. Furthermore, the analysis included positioning... [more]

Modernisation of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) should be carried out, taking into account its impact on global warming, e.g., through carbon footprint (CF) analysis. An important industrial sector in Poland is the dairy industry. In dairy WWTPs, the aerobic sewage sludge stabilisation applied thus far is being replaced by the anaerobic process. This change is positive due to the possibility of energy production, but it is unclear how it affects greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The aim of the research was to perform CF analysis for two scenarios of dairy WWTP operation. The analysis was based on the real operating data of the current system (current scenario) and project of its modernisation (alternative scenario). The current scenario consists of mechanical and dissolved air flotation (DAF) treatment, biological treatment in sequence batch reactors (SBRs), aerobic sewage sludge stabilisation and its final farmland usage. The alternative scenario assumes... [more]

In this article, the conditions and determinants of the introduction and development of the circular economy (CE) in Poland were presented against the background of the widely discussed essence of circular economy, with particular emphasis on the Polish mining sector. In addition, the European Green Deal—an action plan for a sustainable economy for the entire European Union, was discussed. Particular attention was paid to the role of human resources in the area of supporting research and stimulating innovation, and in the area of activating education and training. These issues are further discussed in the next chapter by presenting the forms, ways and scope of education for sustainable development in the international context. Another chapter describes the EIT Raw Materials KAVA 5 RIS competition in Poland (in Kraków) at AGH-UST from 2019 to 2022, an international project in a consortium of four universities whose main objective is to strengthen entrepreneurship in the V4 countries in... [more]

Improving national electricity mixes and increasing a share of renewable energy covered by credible and reliable tracking systems are vital topics, also in a context of life cycle assessment. There are many publications devoted to the relevance of energy in the life cycle of products, but only few LCA examples applying residual mixes have been found in the literature. The paper presents the results of an LCA study for a refrigerator calculated with using different electricity mixes and technologies. The life cycle was divided into eight stages and the electricity consumption was modelled as renewable energy, national residual mix, or national supplier mix. Electricity mixes for three different countries were selected and used. The study aimed to answer the following questions: “what are the most relevant elements in the life cycle of the analysed refrigerator?”, “do the elements change if various electricity mixes are applied?”, and “what differences are there in the environmental impa... [more]

Green energy by PV systems reduces the dependence on fossil fuel-based power plants. Maximizing green energy to meet the demand reduces the burden on conventional power plants, hence lesser burning and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. For this purpose, this study draws a relationship between tracking schemes of the PV systems to GHG mitigation potential. The best fit location for detailed analyses is selected among the 15 most populous cities of Australia. The solar radiation potential is increased to 7.78 kWh/m2/d through dual axes tracking compared to 7.54, 6.82, 5.94, 5.73 kWh/m2/d through the one axis, azimuth based, fixed-tilted, and fixed-horizontal surface schemes, respectively. Through the dual axes tracking scheme, a 1 MW PV system per annum energy output avoids the burning of 796,065.3 L of gasoline, 4308.7 barrels of crude oil which is equal to the mitigation of 1852.7 tCO2 equivalent GHGs. Concisely, the PV system, through its green energy output, can avoid the release of... [more]

The present study shows the effects of environmental conditions (atmospheric temperature, pressure and relative humidity) due to altitude changes on performance, fuel consumption and emissions in a naturally aspirated diesel engine. Due to changes in altitude, the atmospheric conditions are altered, mainly the air density, associated to hydrostatic pressure, temperature profile and humidity and relative nitrogen/oxygen ratio, thus modifying the engine intake conditions. The study considers changes in altitude from sea level to 2500 m above sea level, which are representative of the orographic conditions in Ecuador. As a main part of this research, a parametric study of variation of atmospheric temperature, pressure and relative humidity is carried out in AVL BOOST™, showing the effects on mean effective pressure, fuel consumption and specific pollutant emissions (CO2, NOx, CO and soot). The study considers effects at regional level (change from an altitude to another) and local level (... [more]

The article is devoted to the four-year (2017−2020) monitoring of gas emissions from the bottom of the Seyakha Crater, located in the central part of the Yamal Peninsula (north of Western Siberia). The crater was formed on 28 June 2017 due to a powerful blowout, self-ignition and explosion of gas (mainly methane) at the site of a heaving mound in the river channel. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of expeditionary geological and geophysical data (a set of geophysical equipment, including echo sounders and GPR was used) and remote sensing data (from space and with the use of UAVs), the continuing nature of the gas emissions from the bottom of the crater was proven. It was revealed that the area of gas seeps in 2019 and 2020 increased by about 10 times compared to 2017 and 2018. Gas in the cryolithosphere of the Arctic exists in free and hydrated states, has a predominantly methane composition, whereas this methane is of a biochemical, thermogenic and/or mixed type. It was conclu... [more]

TMAH is quaternary ammonium salt, consists of a methylated nitrogen molecule, and is widely used in the electronics industry as a developer and silicon etching agent. This substance is toxic and fatal if ingested. It can also cause skin burns, eye damage, and organ damage. Moreover, TMAH exhibits long-lasting toxicity to aquatic systems. Despite this known toxicity, the authorities currently do not provide emission limits (i.e., discharge concentrations) for wastewater by EU regulation. The current scenario necessitates the study of the processes for industrial wastewater containing TMAH. This work aims to present a successful example of the treatment process for the degradation of TMAH waste solutions of the E&S industry. Research was conducted at the pilot scale, and the process feasibility (both technical and economic) and its environmental sustainability are demonstrated. This process, which treats three exhausted solutions with a high concentration of toxic substances, is consider... [more]

This study relates to developing future alternative fuels and focuses on the effects of a fuel’s molecular structure on its properties and performance in advanced propulsion systems. The tribological performance of various biomass-derived oxygenated alternative fuels, including butanol, pentanol, cyclopentanol, cyclopentanone, and gasoline and their blends with diesel, was investigated. Lubricity tests were conducted using a high-frequency reciprocating rig (HFRR). Cyclopentanone-diesel and cyclopentanol-diesel blends result in smaller wear scar sizes compared to using their neat forms. A lower steel disc contaminated with the alternative fuels during the HFRR tests resulted in worn surface roughness values lower than those of the neat diesel by up to 20%. It is believed that these reductions are mainly due to the presence of the hydroxyl group and the carbonyl group in alcohols and ketones, respectively, which make them more polar and consequently helps the formation of the protective... [more]

The aim of the conducted research was to assess the effectiveness of the nitrification process, at different concentrations of ammonium nitrogen, in biologically treated wastewater in one of the largest municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants in Poland. The studies also attempted to acclimate nitrifying bacteria to the limited concentration of ammonium nitrogen and determined the efficiency of nitrification under the influence of acclimated activated sludge in the biological wastewater treatment system. The obtained results indicate that the concentration of ammonium nitrogen above 60.00 mg·dm−3 inhibits nitrification, even after increasing the biomass of nitrifiers. The increase in the efficiency of the nitrification process in the tested system can be obtained by using the activated sludge inoculated with nitrifiers. For this purpose, nitrifiers should be preacclimated, at least for a period of time, allowing them to colonize the activated sludge. The acclimated activate... [more]

The idea of sustainability has been exerting an impact on public awareness for nearly five decades. However, representatives of various sciences interpret it in many different ways, and there were several hundred definitions of it already at the end of the 20th century. There is no doubt that a proper understanding of the essence and meaning of sustainable development by opinion leaders representing various scientific disciplines determines transformations in particular sectors of the economy, especially in the energy sector. Economics, which considers the relationship between the economy and the environment, seems to have a special role with regard to this issue. Models and concepts of managing limited environmental resources are considered based on this science. Thus, economists have a kind of greater responsibility for the shape and direction of development, and especially for whether it will be durable and balanced. With these issues in mind, the aim of this paper is to review and... [more]

The article describes a compression-ignition engine working with a dual-fuel system installed in diesel locomotive TEP70 BS. The model of the locomotive engine has been created applying AVL BOOST and Diesel RK software and engine performance simulations. Combustion characteristics have been identified employing the mixtures of different fuels. The paper compares ecological (CO2, NOx, PM) and energy (in-cylinder pressure, temperature and the rate of heat release (ROHR)) indicators of a diesel and fuel mixtures-driven locomotive. The performed simulation has shown that different fuel proportions increased methane content and decreased diesel content in the fuel mixture, as well as causing higher in-cylinder pressure and ROHR; however, in-cylinder temperature dropped. CO2, NOx and PM emissions decrease in all cases thus raising methane and reducing diesel content in the fuel mixture.

In microgrid projects, social ownership involves aspects beyond their operation that may compromise the sustainability of the system. For this reason, the development of analysis methods to assess the feasibility and impact during the design stages of these solutions is of growing interest. Recent studies have proposed methods that allow an individual analysis of technological components and social behaviors. However, a complete evaluation of the performance and the impact of these projects should allow the simultaneous evaluation of the behavior of these subsystems, allowing the analysis of their interactions and effects in a dynamic way. Accordingly, this paper presents simulation and emulation models to evaluate the impact of a microgrid in isolated communities. These models contemplate sublevels that consider the energetic, automation and computational aspects in the microgrids and a multi-agent system (MAS) that is used to study the environmental and economic impact of the microgr... [more]

When looking for energy-saving solutions, one should bear in mind the savings that can be obtained through behavioral changes. The article shows that a simple incentive can have a statistically significant impact on employees’ pro-ecological behavior. First, the introduction refers to the general perspective of striving for a global implementation of the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs). Additionally, the stakeholders’ point of view is presented, based on reports submitted to the Responsible Business Forum competition (Poland). The two motivating trends are referenced, which include increasing the contribution of powering office buildings to the overall energy demand and increasing the appreciation of behavioral changes as alternatives or complements to technological solutions in pursuit of the SDGs. The following sections of the article present an experiment carried out at one faculty of the University of Warsaw, which consisted of checking the effect of the incentive to lower th... [more]