In this paper, the issue of the deliberate aging of products by manufacturers is discussed. Deliberate aging consists in intentionally planning or designing a product with an artificially limited lifetime in order to force consumers to replace it faster. The resulting rapid acceleration of the cycle of obtaining and utilizing consumer goods has serious consequences in the form of negative externalities. For this reason, the conscious aging of products is now recognized as the cause of unjustified consumption, generating huge economic and social costs and leading to the devastation of the natural environment and excessive exploitation of natural resources. Thus, it is in clear contradiction to the model of sustainable development. The aim of this paper was to identify the purchasing attitudes of buyers in the durable goods market. For its implementation, a pilot questionnaire study, which covered a representative group of 354 respondents, was carried out. The results indicate that the f... [more]

District heating (DH) is an alternative technology to Individual Heating (IH) for satisfying end-user’s needs. This paper assesses the competitiveness of a DH network in the center of Italy from energy, environmental, and economic points of view considering both thermal power plant and end-users’ sides. On the thermal power plant side, the energy analysis considers the Primary Energy Saving (PES) and the specific energy (Esp) of the fuel actually exploited in the thermal power plant compared to its Low Heating Value (LHV), while the environmental analysis considers the avoided CO2 and the economic analysis considers the Energy Efficiency Certificates (EECs). Results showed that the current thermal power plant configuration with two boilers and a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit reaches a yearly PES of 21.3% as well as 1099 tCO2 avoided. From the economic analysis of the thermal power plant side, 829 EECs with an economic return of 207,222€ are obtained, while from the end-users’ side... [more]

In the paper, we present a method of automatic evaluation and optimization of production processes towards low-carbon-emissions products. The method supports the management of production lines and is based on unsupervised machine learning methods, i.e., canopy, k-means, and expectation-maximization clusterization algorithms. For different production processes, a different clustering method may be optimal. Hence, they are validated by classification methods (k-nearest neighbors (kNN), multilayer perceptron (MLP), binary tree C4.5, random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM)) that identify the optimal clusterization method. Using the proposed method with real-time production parameters for a given process, we can classify the process as optimal or non-optimal on an ongoing basis. The production manager can react appropriately to sub-optimal production processes. If the process is not optimal, then during the process the manager or production technologist may change the productio... [more]

Advanced brush seal technology has a significant impact on the performance and efficiency of gas turbine engines. However, in highly inlet swirling environments, the bristles of a brush seal tend to circumferentially slip, which may lead to aerodynamic instability and seal failure. In this paper, seven different front plate geometries were proposed to reduce the impact of high inlet swirl on the bristle pack, and a three-dimensional porous medium model was carried out to simulate the brush seal flow characteristics. Comparisons of a plane front plate with a relief cavity, plane front plate with axial drilled holes, anti-“L”-type plate and their relative improved configurations on the pressure and flow fields as well as the leakage behavior were conducted. The results show that the holed front plate can effectively regulate and control the upstream flow pattern of the bristle pack, inducing the swirl flow to move radially inward, which results in decreased circumferential velocity compo... [more]

This paper presents probabilistic methods to estimate the quantity of carbon dioxide (CO2) that can be stored in a mature oil reservoir and analyzes the uncertainties associated with the estimation. This work uses data from the Farnsworth Field Unit (FWU), Ochiltree County, Texas, which is currently undergoing a tertiary recovery process. The input parameters are determined from seismic, core, and fluid analyses. The results of the estimation of the CO2 storage capacity of the reservoir are presented with both expectation curve and log probability plot. The expectation curve provides a range of possible outcomes such as the P90, P50, and P10. The deterministic value is calculated as the statistical mean of the storage capacity. The coefficient of variation and the uncertainty index, P10/P90, is used to analyze the overall uncertainty of the estimations. A relative impact plot is developed to analyze the sensitivity of the input parameters towards the total uncertainty and compared with... [more]

Petroleum-derived substances (PDSs), which are one of the most significant sources of energy, have become key factors that affect soils and, consequently, plants. The aim of this study was to determine the subsequent effects of soil contamination by PDSs such as petrol (P), diesel fuel (DF) and used engine oil (EO), in addition to its bioremediation using a ZB-01 biopreparation, on the activities of antioxidising enzymes as well as on the content of antioxidants in the leaves of Vicia faba L. The effects on the growth of the plants and their chemical composition were also determined. The results showed that as many as five years after contamination, engine oil and diesel fuel adversely affected the growth of plants. PDSs caused a significant increase in the activity of peroxidase and an increase in the content of proline. The contamination of the soil with oils (EO and DF) resulted in a decrease in the content of nutrients (Ca, Mg and P) in the plants. DF also decreased the content of... [more]

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze and address the challenges of implementing green energy in Ukraine, in particular, to identify its advantages and disadvantages. The implementation of solar renewable sources—stations, panels, and batteries—is emphasized. The results of sociological surveys of Ukrainian public opinion on environmental issues, in particular, energy issues, are presented. The existence of public demand for renewable energy and the readiness of the population to use renewable energy sources are identified. A strategy for strengthening the country’s energy independence in the face of new globalization challenges is defined. General scientific methods as well as special methods were used in this paper: statistical analysis, secondary analysis of data from sociological studies of public institutions, and desk analysis of documents and reports from public services. In this paper, it is concluded that Ukraine is geographically and territorially attractive for green... [more]

The present investigation aims to devise a thermal management system (TMS) for electric vehicles able to improve on limitations like charging time and all-electric range, together with the safety and environmental impact of the chosen thermal medium. A research gap is identified, as focus is often on addressing system thermal performance without considering that the thermal medium must not only provide suitable performances, but also must not add risks to both passengers and the environment. Thus, this work proposes an innovative cooling system including graphite sheets and a Loop Heat Pipe, filled with Novec™ 649 as working fluid, due to its exceptional environmental properties (GWP = 1 − ODP = 0) and safety features (non-flammable, non-toxic, dielectric). A three-cell module experimental demonstrator was built to compare temperatures when the proposed TMS is run with Novec™ 649 and ethanol. Results of testing over a bespoke fast charge driving cycle show that Novec™ 649 gave a faster... [more]

Modern building materials must fulfill not only functional performance criteria but also reduce the environmental impact accompanied by their production. Within the past decades, fiber-reinforced materials have been found to be promising and durable materials that can be utilized in various fields. Among a wide range of reinforcement types, basalt fibers have been introduced as an alternative to broadly used steel fibers. As informed by the available literature, benefits linked with less energy-intensive production indicate a very good potential application of this material in terms of functional properties and, at the same time, a reduction in environmental burden. However, only a very limited amount of information is available on the actual impact of using basalt fibers in terms of environmental impact. In order to fill this gap, the present study describes, using Life Cycle Assessment, the environmental impacts associated with the production of basalt fibers. In order provide a more... [more]

As the number of users increased over the years, pioneering technologies and solutions in given areas ceased to be sufficient even in terms of performance. Therefore, there was a need for their development or even redesign and redefinition. One of the issues that undoubtedly has a huge impact on the current shape of the global network and the way information is processed in it is the issue of traffic balancing, especially the one in the server infrastructure related to the WWW service, providing users with the possibility of efficient and reliable web browsing. The paper presents a comparative analysis of selected open-source solutions used for traffic balancing in server infrastructures providing WWW service based on selected criteria. The designed architecture of the test environment and the test results of selected tools implementing the traffic-balancing functionality are presented. Methodologies, test plans, and comparison criteria are proposed. A comparative analysis of results b... [more]

Decarbonizing the world economy, before the most damaging effects of climate change become irreversible, requires substantially increasing renewable energy generation in the near future. However, this may be challenging in mature wind energy markets, where many advantageous wind locations are already engaged by older wind farms, potentially generating suboptimal wind harvesting. This research developed a novel method to systematically analyze diverse factors to determine the level of maturity of wind markets and evaluate the adequacy of wind farm repowering at regional and individual levels. The approach was applied to wind markets in the United States (U.S.), in which several states were identified as having diverse levels of maturity. Results obtained from case studies in Texas indicated a consequential number of wind farms that have reached their twenty-year end-of-life term and earlier obsolescence levels. The proposed approach aided in determining wind farms that may benefit from... [more]

The aim of this study was to determine the role of an installation based on biodrying of municipal waste in a Circular Economy by taking into account the quantitative and qualitative changes in its selectively collected waste stream. As a case study, the Mechanical-Biological municipal waste treatment installation in Olsztyn, Poland, was selected, which is equipped with a separate section for valorizing the selectively collected waste stream. The scope of the work included a complete mass balance of the waste treatment plant, an assessment of the technological efficiency of the municipal waste biodrying installation, and determination of the changes in the main waste from 2016 to 2020. This paper proposes an empirical method for estimating process loss during biodrying and provides many technological results. The average process loss was 23.47%, and on average, 88.9% of the waste produced by biodrying consisted of the Refuse-Derived Fuel fraction. The recovery of commercial assortments... [more]

Water is increasingly taking center stage when it comes to coping with climate change. Especially in urban areas, negative consequences from heavy rainfall events and prolonged dry periods are rising worldwide. In the past, the various tasks of urban water management were performed by different departments that often did not cooperate with each other (water supply, wastewater disposal, green space irrigation, etc.), as the required water supply was not a question of available water volumes. This is already changing with climate change, in some cases even dramatically. More and more, it is necessary to consider how to distribute available water resources in urban areas, especially during dry periods, since wastewater treatment is also becoming more complex and costly. In the future, urban water management will examine water use in terms of its various objectives, and will need to provide alternative water resources for these different purposes (groundwater, river water, storm water, tre... [more]

In this paper we examined the interaction between greenhouse gas emissions, nuclear energy, coal energy, urban agglomeration, and economic growth in Pakistan by utilizing time series data during 1972−2019. The stationarity of the variables was tested through unit root tests, while the ARDL (autoregressive distributed lag) method with long and short-run estimations was applied to reveal the linkages between variables. A unidirectional association between all variables was revealed by performing a Granger causality test under the vector error correction model (VECM) that was extracted during the short-run estimate. Furthermore, the stepwise least squares technique was also utilized to check the robustness of the variables. The findings of long-run estimations showed that GHG emissions, coal energy, and urban agglomeration have an adversative association with economic growth in Pakistan, while nuclear energy showed a dynamic association with the economic growth. The outcomes of short-run... [more]

This paper deals with the problem of the design and configuration of a distribution system that supports the delivery of goods to customers using various commercial channels. In this sense, a modelled distribution system, called an omni-channel distribution system, should ensure the delivery of the same products in different ways while guaranteeing its highest efficiency. The authors propose a single-criterion mixed-integer programming model for the configuration of a complex distribution system of goods in an omni-channel environment. A minimized cost function, composed of key logistics elements including transport, warehouse location, and manipulation processes, is the objective function. The model was experimentally verified, and as a result, potential savings of around 5−8% of the omni-channel design distribution system costs versus the multi-channel distribution system costs were identified. In the paper, an extended sensitivity analysis is also performed to show how specific para... [more]

Industry 4.0 challenges facilities entrepreneurs to be competitive in the market in terms of energy by rational decision making. The goal of the paper is aimed at introducing Prospect Theory (PT) in Industry 4.0 for making decisions in order to select an optimal energy technology. To reach this goal, an approach for decision making on energy investment has been developed. In this paper, the authors have also provided a new opportunity to apply the new decision making method for strengthening Industry 4.0 by addressing energy concerns based on which rational decisions have been made. The study uses a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process for weighting the evaluation sub-criteria of energy technologies and a modified PT for making decisions related to the selection of one of the investigated technologies. The results show that it is possible to implement PT in Industry 4.0 via a decision making model for energy sustainability. Decision probability was achieved using a behavioral approach ak... [more]

This paper explores relationships among CSR practices in the social, economic and environmental dimensions and digitization in the Polish energy companies. The study used the CATI method, and the data obtained from 110 companies was analyzed using a set of methods starting with correlation analysis, through regression analysis, including backward stepwise regression. Obtained results led to the formulation of SEM (Structural Equitation Modelling) model that has been tested. Results confirm the influence of social CSR practices on practices in economics and environmental CSR dimensions and on the level of digitalization. Research also suggests that there is essentially no significant impact of the size of the enterprise on the level of digitalization, as well as on any of the analyzed types of CSR practices.

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated multiple impacts. In particular, in the educational sector, the virtual class modality generated changes in the patterns of energy consumption at the institutional level; the identification of this consumption will allow us to reflect on new energy saving and efficient use strategies. In this research, we present a case study of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity consumption in 13 state universities in Michoacán, Mexico. Electric energy consumption has been evaluated before and during the presence of the COVID-19 between 2019 and 2020. The comparative analysis estimated the reduction in energy consumption and its economic and environmental impact. The results show a considerable decrease in electricity consumption, generating an average saving of 76.24 MWh/month, which translates into an annual emission reduction from 2019 to 2020 of approximately 497 TnCO2e, and in economic terms of $8,882.25 USD each month. In general, it was ident... [more]

Construction of offshore gas wells is characterized by increased requirements for both the technological process in general and the technological parameters of drilling fluids in particular. Parameters and properties of the used drilling muds must meet a large number of requirements. The main one is the preservation of the permeability of the reservoirs, in addition to the environmental and technological concerns. At the same time, pressures in the productive formation at offshore fields are often high; the anomaly coefficient is 1.2 and higher. The use of barite in such conditions can lead to contamination of the formation and a decrease in future well flow rates. In this regard, the development and study of the compositions for weighted drilling muds is necessary and relevant. The paper presents investigations on the development of such a composition based on salts of formic acid (formates) and evaluates the effect of the molecular weight of the polymer reagent (partially hydrolyzed... [more]

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) jets are a promising method to assist drilling, enhance oil−gas production, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To further improve the drilling efficiency of SCO2 jet-assisted drilling, organ-pipe nozzles were applied to generate a self-excited oscillation SCO2 jet (SEOSJ). The impact pressure oscillation and rock erosion capability of SEOSJs under both supercritical and gaseous CO2 (GCO2) ambient conditions were experimentally investigated. It was found that the impact pressure oscillation characteristics of SEOSJs produced by organ-pipe nozzles are dramatically affected by the oscillation chamber length. The optimum range of the dimensionless chamber length to generate the highest impact pressure peak and the strongest pressure oscillation is within 7−9. The dimensionless pressure peak and the pressure ratio decreases gradually with increasing pressure difference, whereas the pressure oscillation intensity increases with increasing pressure differ... [more]

To use lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs in the supply systems of any electric mining equipment and/or machines, the required conditions of work safety must be met. This applies in particular to coal mines endangered by fire and/or explosion. To meet the spark-safety conditions, the cells (together with the battery management system—BMS) must be isolated from the influence of the environment, and therefore placed in special fire-tight housings. This significantly degrades the heat dissipation, thus affecting the operating conditions of the cell-packs. Therefore, their usage without the so-called BMS is not recommended, as shown in the authors’ preliminary research. In practice, various BMS are used, most often with the so-called passive balancing. However, their application in mines is uncertain, due to the effect of heating under operation. When it comes to active BMS, they usually possess a quite complex structure and hence, are relatively expensive. Therefore, the authors conduct... [more]

Meeting the Paris Agreement on climate change requires substantial investments in low-emissions energy and significant improvements in end-use energy efficiency. These measures can also deliver improved air quality and there is broad recognition of the health benefits of decarbonising energy. Monetising these health benefits is an important part of a robust assessment of the costs and benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency programs (clean energy programs (CEP)) and a variety of methods have been used to estimate health benefits at national, regional, continental and global scales. Approaches, such as unit damage cost estimates and impact pathways, differ in complexity and spatial coverage and can deliver different estimates for air pollution costs/benefits. To date, the monetised health benefits of CEP in Australia have applied international and global estimates that can range from 2−229USD/tCO2 (USD 2016). Here, we calculate the current health damage costs of coal-fired po... [more]

The global energy mix is shifting from fossil fuels to combinations of multiple energy storage and generation types. Hybrid energy system advancements provide opportunities for developing and deploying innovative green technology solutions that can further reduce emissions and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This study examined the impact of an increasing share of wind and solar electricity production on reducing carbon intensity by controlling coal and lignite domestic consumption and the production of refined oil products in a world aggregated data panel. Data covering the last three decades were used for the analysis by the ARDL bounds testing approach. The results showed that an increasing share of wind and solar electricity production would be helpful to decrease carbon intensity in the short and long term. On the other hand, a 1% increase in coal and domestic lignite consumption increased carbon intensity by 0.343% in the short run and 0.174% in the long run. The production o... [more]

Carbon storage in soil increases along with remediation of post-mining soils. Despite many studies on the issue of carbon sequestration in soils, there is a knowledge gap in the potential and mechanisms of C sequestration in post-mining areas. This research, including nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, determines the soil organic carbon formation progress in a long-term study of limestone (S1), and lignite (S2) post-mining soil under different remediation stages. The main remediation target is reforesting; however, S2 was previously amended with sewage sludge. The study showed that for S1, the O-alkyl groups were the dominant fraction in sequestered soil. However, for S2, increased fractions of acetyl-C and aromatic C groups within remediation progress were observed. The remediation of S1 resulted in improved hydrophobicity and humification; however, the decrease in aromatic groups’ formation and C/N ratio was noted. For S2, we noticed an increase for all indicators for sequestered C... [more]

All the urban areas of developed countries have hydric distribution grids and sewage systems for collecting municipal wastewater to treatment plants. In this way, the municipal wastewater is purified from human excreta and other minor contaminants while producing excess sludges and purified water. In arid and semi-arid areas of the world, the purified water can be used, before discharging, to enhance the energy efficiency of seawater desalination and solve the problems of marine pollution created by desalination plants. Over the past half-century, seawater desalination has gradually met demand in urbanized, oil-rich, arid areas. At the same time, technological evolution has made it possible to significantly increase the energy efficiency of the plants and reduce the unit cost of the produced water. However, for some years, these trends have flattened out. The purified water passes through the hybridized desalination plant and produces renewable osmotic energy before the final discharge... [more]