The article presents the possibilities of effective management of lignocellulosic waste by including it in the circular economy. The pyrolysis process was chosen as the thermal conversion method. This approach, due to a high flexibility of the obtained products, better quality of the solid residue (char), and the lower emission of pollutants into the atmosphere, e.g., SO2 and NOx, is a competitive solution compared to combustion process. Wood waste from alder and pine were analyzed. As part of laboratory tests, the elementary composition was determined, i.e., C, H, N, S, and O. The pyrolysis process was carried out at a temperature of 600 °C on an experimental stand for the conversion of solid fuels in a stationary bed. For the obtained data, using the Ansys Chemkin-Pro calculation tool, the detailed chemical composition of gaseous products of the pyrolysis process was modeled for a varying temperature range and residence time in the reactor. The studies have shown that for certain pro... [more]

The building sector is one of the key energy consumers worldwide. Fuel cell micro-Cogeneration Heat and Power systems for residential and small commercial applications are proposed as one of the most promising innovations contributing to the transition towards a sustainable energy infrastructure. For the application and the diffusion of these systems, in addition to their environmental performance, it is necessary, however, to evaluate their economic feasibility. In this paper a life cycle assessment of a fuel cell/photovoltaic hybrid micro-cogeneration heat and power system for a residential building is integrated with a detailed economic analysis. Financial indicators (net present cost and payback time are used for studying two different investments: reversible-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and natural gas SOFC in comparison to a base scenario, using a homeowner perspective approach. Moreover, two alternative incentives scenarios are analysed and applied: net metering and self-consumers’ gro... [more]

The main part of mankind’s ecological footprint is the carbon footprint, a measure of the environmental impact of humanity’s energy release from fossil fuels. The use of fossil fuels will have to change in the forthcoming decades to a largely climate-neutral use of solar energy enabled by dramatic cost reductions for PV and wind energy systems. The impact of this trend on world society has been discussed in a previous paper. In connection with these important technical developments, the role of electricity, its transport and storage will alter in the coming decades, allowing the design and use of larger and larger electricity grids and a parallel use of hydrogen for both storage and energy transport. This will further change the energy landscape of the world. All these developments and their relationship to global sustainable development are elaborated in this cross-disciplinary paper by specifically analyzing whether the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations are an effec... [more]

Environmental issues, sustainability, and climate change have become the targets of many policies from international and governmental organizations including the EU’s European Green Deal action plan. This plan provides tools to address them—which include support for the circular economy, implementation of energy and environmental taxes, and investment in environmental protection—with the aim of favoring the well-being of EU citizens. In this context, this study analyses the impact of several parameters (environmental matters, global warming, circular economy, energy and environmental taxes, and expenditure and investment on the environment) on life satisfaction, or subjective well-being, and their effects on 33 European countries. For this purpose, four econometric models were carried out using data collected from the World Values Survey (WVS), the European Values Study (EVS), and the World Bank and Eurostat, reflecting subjective citizen satisfaction data. The findings present a highl... [more]

The increasing use of road vehicles has caused a number of transport and environmental issues throughout the world. To cope with them, traffic calming schemes are being increasingly implemented in built-up areas. An example of such schemes are Tempo-30 zones. The traffic calming measures applied as part of this scheme must be carefully planned in terms of location and design details in order to obtain the desired reduction in speed, traffic volume and exhaust emissions and, last but foremost, to increase the safety and facilitate the movement of vulnerable road users. The coexistence and combined effect of these measures and their design details must also be taken into account. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the applied traffic calming measures had a considerable bearing on the reduction in speed to the desired level, as assumed in the traffic calming plan. Three street sections starting and ending with different intersection types were chosen to examine the syner... [more]

Even where physical conditions appear perfectly suited for wind power production, there is significant variation in the number of turbines installed. This pattern suggests that physical conditions are a pre-requisite for, but not a determinant of, that production. This study reports the results of an analysis of the county-level correlates of wind power installations in the north−south corridor of the central United States, which contains much of the country’s greatest land-based wind resources. This study focuses on the relative effects of social capital, global climate change concern, and local biodiversity, while controlling for other potential explanations that previous research has identified as leading to support for or to opposition to turbine installation. We find (1) that greater local biodiversity is associated with fewer turbine installations; (2) that the percent of the public who believe humans are causing climate change is not associated with the number of installed turbi... [more]

The paper presents a spatial approach to the analysis of the relationship between air pollution, economic growth, and renewable energy consumption. The economic growth of every country is based on the energy consumption that leads to an increase in national productivity. Using renewable energy is very important for the environmental protection and security of the earth’s resources. Promoting environmentally friendly operations increases awareness of sustainable development, which is currently a major concern of state governments. In this study, we explored the influence of economic growth and the share of renewable energy out of total energy consumption on CO2 emissions. The study was based on the classical environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and enriched with the spatial dependencies. In particular, we determined the spatial spillovers in the form of the indirect effects of changes in renewable energy consumption of a specific country on the CO2 emissions of neighboring countries. A nei... [more]

Entrepreneurs have long been convinced about the power and possibilities of the Internet. Nowadays, the Internet is an integral tool for the functioning of a company, not only as an alternative distribution channel, but also as a channel of information and communication flow, a means of interaction with the environment. The increasing use of the Internet, and especially of social media, made it possible to escalate the activity of various social groups in various areas of the company’s activity, including innovation, leading to the development of crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing has redefined the existing production rules and ways of using labor resources. Its potential lies in openness, partnership, resource sharing and global action. There are already many studies on crowdsourcing and innovation, but little attention is paid to the relationship between crowdsourcing and the determinants of innovation activity. Thus, the aim of this research is examining whether the use of crowdsourcing w... [more]

Chlorine demand as a disinfectant for water utility impacts on unintended energy consumption from electrolysis manufacture; thus, diminishing the chlorine consumption also reduces the environmental impact and energy consumption. Problems of disinfectant distribution and uniformity in Water Distribution Networks (WDN) are associated with the exponential urban growth and the physical and biochemical difficulties within the network. This study optimizes Chlorine Booster Stations (CBS) location on a network with two main objectives; (1) to deliver minimal Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) throughout all demand nodes according to country regulations, and (2) to reduce day chlorine mass concentration supplied in the system by applying an hour time pattern in CBS, consequently associated economic, energy and environmental impacts complying with regulatory standards. The application is demonstrated on a real-world WDN modeled from Guanajuato, Mexico. The resulting optimal location and disinfectant... [more]

Wheel flat can cause a large impact between the wheel and rail and excites a forced vibration in the locomotive and track structure systems. The working conditions and fatigue life of the motor bearings are significantly affected by the intensified wheel−rail interaction via the transmission path of the gear mesh. In this study, a fatigue life prediction method of the traction motor bearings in a locomotive is proposed. Based on the L−P theory or ISO 281 combined with the Miner linear damage theory and vehicle−track coupled dynamics, the irregular loads induced by the track random irregularity and gear mesh are considered in this proposed method. It can greatly increase the accuracy of predictions compared with the traditional prediction models of a rolling bearing life whose bearing loads are assumed to be constant. The results indicate that the periodic impact forces and larger mesh forces caused by the wheel flat will reduce the fatigue life of the motor bearings, especially when th... [more]

The reference characteristics of complex permittivity of the transformers insulation solid component were determined for use in the precise diagnostics of the power transformers insulation state. The solid component is a composite of cellulose, insulating oil and water nanoparticles. Measurements were made in the frequency range from 10−4 Hz to 5000 Hz at temperatures from 293.15 to 333.15 K. Uncertainty of temperature measurements was less than ±0.01 K. Pressboard impregnated with insulating oil with a water content of (5.0 ± 0.2) by weight moistened in a manner maximally similar to the moistening process in power transformers was investigated. It was found that there are two stages of changes in permittivity and imaginary permittivity components, occurring for low and high frequency. As the temperature increases, the frequency dependencies of the permittivity and imaginary permittivity component shifts to the higher frequency region. This phenomenon is related to the change of relaxa... [more]

The rising usage of carbon and glass fibers has raised awareness of scrap management options. Every year, tons of composite scrap containing precious carbon and glass fibers accumulate from numerous sectors. It is necessary to recycle them efficiently, without harming the environment. Pyrolysis seems to be a realistic and promising approach, not only for efficient recovery, but also for high-quality fiber production. In this paper, the essential characteristics of the pyrolysis process, their influence on fiber characteristics, and the use of recovered fibers in the creation of a new composite are highlighted. Pyrolysis, like any other recycling process, has several drawbacks, the most problematic of which is the probability of char development on the resultant fiber surface. Due to the char, the mechanical characteristics of the recovered fibers may decrease substantially. Chemically treating and post-heating the fibers both help to reduce char formation, but only to a limited degree.... [more]

The present methodological study aims to assess boundary layer ingestion (BLI) as a promising method to improve propulsion efficiency. BLI utilizes the low momentum inflow of the wing or fuselage boundary layer for thrust generation in order to minimize the required propulsive power for a given amount of thrust for wing or fuselage-embedded engines. A multi-segment parallel compressor model (PCM) is developed to calculate the power saving from full annular BLI as occurring at a fuselage tail center-mounted aircraft engine, employing radially subdivided fan characteristics. Applying this methodology, adverse effects on the fan performance due to varying inlet distortions depending on flight operating point as well as upstream boundary layer suction can be taken into account. This marks one step onto a further segmented PCM model for general cases of BLI-induced inlet distortion and allows the evaluation of synergies between combined BLI and active laminar flow control as a drag reductio... [more]

In order to boost the use of shallow geothermal energy, reliable and sound information concerning its potential must be provided to the public and energy decision-makers, among others. To this end, we developed a GIS-based methodology that allowed us to estimate the resource, energy, economic and environmental potential of shallow geothermal energy at a regional scale. Our method focuses on closed-loop borehole heat exchanger systems, which are by far the systems that are most utilized for heating and cooling purposes, and whose energy demands are similar throughout the year in the study area applied. The resource was assessed based on the thermal properties from the surface to a depth of 100 m, considering the water saturation grade of the materials. Additionally, climate and building characteristics data were also used as the main input. The G.POT method was used for assessing the annual shallow geothermal resource and for the specific heat extraction (sHe) rate estimation for both h... [more]

This study examines the mechanism by which pro-environmental self-identity (PESI) affects green energy purchase intention (GEPI) through different dimensions of consumption values. The concept of pro-environmental self-identity is rarely discussed in the context of green energy purchase intention. Additionally, the amount of research concerning consumers’ attitudes and behaviours towards photovoltaic panels is limited. We fill this cognitive gap by testing a relation between pro-environmental self-identity and green energy purchase intention. The data collection was carried out based on an indirect method of gathering information—using an online survey. Research was conducted among 250 Polish customers. The partial least squares structural equation modelling technique was applied. The research results show that the relations between PESI and GEPI is mediated totally by social and partially by emotional values. The mediating impact of functional values was not confirmed. The results of... [more]

This paper analyzes the impact of the fall in household consumption after an economic crisis in Spain on greenhouse gas emissions. To this end, household consumption is differentiated by the age of the main provider by using a conversion matrix that relates consumption groups to activity sectors. A multisectoral model was used to quantify and compare the environmental impact caused by the consumption of each age group, indicating that the older the age of the main household provider, the smaller the reduction in GHG emissions associated with their consumption. The results facilitate an analysis of how the greenhouse gas emissions of the different sectors of the Spanish economy, associated with the population under study, varied before and after the 2008 crisis, and confirm that the sectors with the greatest reduction in emissions were, in this order, extractive industries, construction, manufacturing industry, wholesale and retail trade and transport and storage. This is relevant for d... [more]

As in other countries of the world, the Turkish government is implementing many preventive partial and total lockdown practices against the virus’s infectious effect. When the first virus case has been detected, the public authorities have taken some restriction to reduce people and traffic mobility, which has also turned into some positive affect in air quality. To this end, the paper aims to examine how this pandemic affects traffic mobility and air quality in Istanbul. The pandemic does not only have a human health impact. This study also investigates the social and environmental effects. In our analysis, we observe, visualize, compare and discuss the impact of the post- and pre-lockdown on Istanbul’s traffic mobility and air quality. To do so, a geographic information system (GIS)-based approach is proposed. Various spatial analyses are performed in GIS with the statistical data used; thus, the environmental effects of the pandemic can be better observed. We test the hypothesis tha... [more]

We carried out several numerical experiments to analyze how different boundary conditions affect the ability to detect small pipeline leaks. Our method is based on determining the soil temperature gradient above a buried district heating channel. The equivalent thermal conductivity of a wet insulation (λeq) value of 0.5 W/(m·K) was used to mimic a small water leakage. To evaluate the heat loss through the channel cross section, the heat conduction model was used for the pipe insulation, the concrete, and the soil, while the convection model was considered within the channel. The following effects were used to simulate different operating conditions: heat convection at the soil surface, leakage only from the supply or return pipe, soil height above the channel, soil thermal conductivity, and pipe diameter. With the exception of leakage only from the return pipe and low soil thermal conductivity 0.4 W/(m·K), the results showed a doubling of the soil temperature gradient when compared wit... [more]

This study is an investigation of air pollutant emission abatement in the electricity generation sector from fossil-fuel power plants in Taiwan in 2014 and 2018. PM concentrations are determined by the results of regular tests, while SOx and NOx are determined by continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) of flue gas from power plants. The results indicate that electricity generation from fossil-fuel power plants increased by 13.8% from 2014 to 2018. However, emissions of air pollutants from fossil-fuel power plants declined during this period. The results indicate that the annual emissions of SOx, NOx, and PM were 40,826, 59,196, and 5363 tons per year (TPY), respectively, in 2014. The emissions decreased to 30,097 TPY (28% reduction) for SOx, 48,530 TPY (18% reduction) for NOx, and 4496 TPY (16% reduction) for PM in 2018. The ensemble mean values of each air pollutant emission factor also decreased significantly. SOx emissions decreased from 0.2443 to 0.1583 mg/kWh (35% reduction)... [more]

The Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) Flight Path 2050 focuses on ambitious and severe targets for the next generation of air travel systems (e.g., 75% reduction in CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre, a 90% reduction in NOx emissions, and a 65% reduction in the noise emissions of flying aircraft relative to the capabilities of typical new aircraft in 2000). Degradation is an inevitable phenomenon as aero-engines age with significant impacts on the engine performance, emissions level, and fuel consumption. The engine control system is a key element capable of coping with degradation consequences subject to the implementation of an advanced management strategy. This paper demonstrates a methodological approach for aero-engine controller adjustment to deal with degradation implications, such as emission levels and increased fuel consumption. For this purpose, a component level model for an aero-engine was first built and transformed to a block-structured Wiene... [more]

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from electricity generation has been recognized as one of the most significant contributors to global warming. The GHG emission factor of electricity (hereafter, electricity emission factor) can be expressed as a function of three different (average, minimum, and maximum) fuel emission factors, monthly fuel consumption, and monthly net power generation. Choosing the average fuel emission factor over the minimum and maximum fuel emission factors is the cause of uncertainty in the electricity emission factor, and thus GHG emissions of the power generation. The uncertainties of GHG emissions are higher than those of the electricity emission factor, indicating that the uncertainty of GHG emission propagates in the GHG emission computation model. The bootstrapped data were generated by applying the bootstrap method to the original data set which consists of a 60-monthly average, and minimum and maximum electricity emission factors. The bootstrapped data were us... [more]

The purpose of the presented research is to assess pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in European Union countries in 2009 and 2019. The study used a synthetic measure developed using the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) benchmark method. This method enables distinguishing classes and ranks of countries depending on the adopted characteristics. Basic measures of descriptive statistics, i.e., average, standard deviation and the coefficient of variation, were used in the analysis of the data set. The main research question addressed in this study concerns the relationship between the level of PEB and economic, demographic, and educational factors—not only on a micro scale but also from the macroeconomic perspective. The research has revealed a wide variety throughout the European Union (EU-27) countries in terms of pro-environmental behaviour. Sweden, Finland, and Denmark top the ranking, while Malta, Greece, Spain, and Romania are at the bottom of... [more]

This paper focuses on the loss estimation for the multiphase induction machine (IM) operating under fault-tolerant conditions through the field−circuit coupling finite element method (FEM). Both one-phase and two-phase open-circuit faults of a seven-phase IM are researched, and different spatial positions of the fault phases are taken into consideration. The magnitudes and phase angles of the residual phase’s current are deduced based on the principle of equal magnitude of the residual phase currents and unchanged fundamental magnetic motive force (MMF). The magnetic fields’ coupling between the fundamental and harmonic planes is analyzed. Then, the time-stepping electromagnetic fields calculation of the seven-phase IM are carried out under the commercial software Simplorer−Maxwell environment. The transient and steady performance for both the health and fault conditions are obtained based on the rotor field-oriented control (RFOC) strategy. The Joule loss and iron loss are calculated... [more]

Rapid changes in electricity power markets have increased the production costs of coal-fired power plants and pushed their production to the limits of profitability. For power plants currently in operation, a possible approach to cope with this issue is to introduce novel methods that increase the plant’s reliability and availability. Coal mills are a subsystem that should ensure a plant’s availability without unexpected breakdowns. Remediation-based maintenance is defined as a set of actions performed after fault detection that do not require instant shutdown due to safety reasons. The aim of this paper was to provide a scientific confirmation that by implementing a novel remediation-based maintenance strategy, electricity production breakdowns can be significantly reduced. First, the performance of the proposed maintenance method was proved in simulation where coal mills were modeled by generalized stochastic Petri nets. The maintenance strategy was then experimentally verified in a... [more]

The intensive increase of global warming every year affects our world negatively and severely. The use of renewable energy sources has gained importance in reducing and eliminating the effect of global warming. To this end, new technologies are being developed to facilitate the use of these resources. One of these technological developments is the floating wind turbine. In order to evaluate the respective environmental footprint of these systems, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is herein applied. In this study, the environmental impact of floating wind turbines is investigated using a life cycle assessment approach and the results are compared with the respective ones of onshore and jacket offshore wind turbines of the same power capacity. The studied floating wind turbine has a square foundation that is open at its centre and is connected to the seabed with a synthetic fibre-nylon anchorage system. The environmental impact of all life cycles of such a structure, i.e., the manufacture, t... [more]