Passenger vehicles are responsible for significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which calls for accurate and up-to-date estimates of the comparative emissions of the main types of alternative power trains, to enable evidence-based policy recommendations. This paper provides a systematic review and harmonization of the recent scientific literature on this topic. The results show that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represent the most promising option to decarbonize the passenger vehicle fleet in all considered world regions, with up to −70% reductions in GHG emissions possible, vs. conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) running on petrol. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs and PHEVs) are less effective strategies, but they may be useful in bridging the gap between ICEVs and BEVs, especially in those markets that are harder to electrify quickly. Finally, fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) may also be a viable option, but only if the hydrogen fuel is produced via water electroly... [more]

In this paper, the response surface methodology (RSM) is used to predict the flashover voltage of a cap and pin 1512L insulator used by SONELGAZ Algerian Power Company (SPE). The pollution and conductivity are studied using a two-level central composite design. MINITAB 19 software is used to perform the regression analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the data, from which the full quadratic model is developed. The results show that both the pollution and conductivity have a significant effect on the response. The model validation shows the good agreement between the experiment’s obtained results and the predicted results. Therefore, the model could be used to predict the flashover voltage.

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, people all around the globe have seen its effects, including city closures, travel restrictions, and stringent security measures. However, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic extend beyond people’s everyday lives. It impacts the air, water, soil, and carbon emissions as well. This article examines the effect of energy and the COVID-19 pandemic on China’s carbon dioxide emissions in light of the aforementioned context, using the daily data from 20 January 2020 and ending on 20 April 2022. Using the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model for empirical analysis, the findings indicate that COVID-19 pandemic confirmed cases and renewable energy advance environmental sustainability due to their negative effects on carbon dioxide emissions, whereas fossil fuel energy hinders environmental sustainability due to its positive effect on carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, these results are also supported by the results of the frequency domain... [more]

Sustainability has become a broad societal goal, aiming to ensure that human beings coexist safely and harmoniously with nature over a longer time. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy is coming to an end. The development and merits of sustainable energy supply, advanced technology, and economic features have received significant attention over the last few decades. However, significant gaps still exist with respect to how to design, construct, and implement hybrid and optimal energy systems with the lowest investment and cost. Since 2002, the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water, and Environment Systems (SDEWES) conferences have become a significant meeting venue for researchers to introduce, discuss, share, and disseminate novel concepts and ideas. This paper presents an overview of published articles in the Special Issues (SIs) dedicated by the series SDEWES conferences, especially those published in Energies recommended by the 16th SDEWES Conference, whi... [more]

The aim of the work is to develop a mechanism for cross-border carbon regulation for countries importing products to the EU, which will equally allow importing countries to fulfill the conditions of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), encourage manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions, and also provide importing countries with opportunities to replenish their budget by introducing paid emission quotas greenhouse gases. The work makes a significant contribution to stimulating the reduction of CO2 emissions by producers due to the proposed tax mechanism and preventing the leakage of greenhouse gases on the territory of third countries according to the CBAM policy. The EU evaluates double taxation, so if a carbon tax has been withdrawn in the territory of the exporting country, then such a tax will not be levied again in the EU. All this involves stimulating exporting countries by creating their own taxation systems, which will have international qualifications and be recognized b... [more]

Though the literature on inclusive growth is rich, further well-founded studies are required on the issue of sustainable inclusive growth. This paper seeks to summarize the role of environmental degradation in inclusive growth based on carbon dioxide emissions, and its interaction with factors such as social inclusion, digital inclusion, and institutions. One of the findings derived from the generalized method of moments (GMM) model is that sustainable inclusive growth can be achieved in all three income groups from the global data while focusing on institutional quality, digital inclusion, and social inclusion. Simultaneously, the harmful effects of carbon dioxide emissions can be circumscribed. The major recommendations of this study are that efforts to achieve sustainable inclusive growth should combine mutually reinforcing policies, namely: (i) promoting environmentally focused sustainable inclusive growth with socio-digital inclusivity; (ii) ensuring a strong institutional playing... [more]

This work investigates the energy efficiency and carbon reduction potential of self-powered residential building heating equipment using a thermodynamic modeling approach. An integrated thermophotovoltaic power module and residential scale furnace system (40,000 Btu/h) were modeled and studied in detail to assess the influence of different design configurations on primary energy efficiency. Operational characteristics such as total power generation, electrical efficiency, and heat recovery were examined in a self-powered system configuration. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the influence of the electric grid’s carbon dioxide footprint (carbon intensity) and the cost of electricity on the environmental, as well as the economic, benefit associated with the self-powered configuration. Compared with a traditional furnace powered by an electric grid at a carbon intensity of 0.5 kg CO2eq/kWhEL, the self-powered furnace was shown to decrease the annual carbon dioxide emissio... [more]

The use of green and renewable energies undeniably plays an essential role in today’s society. Energy from these sources plays a key role in transforming the energy sector and significantly impacts the way of life and the quality of life of different social groups. The main aspects of this study are to briefly describe the situation of clean and renewable energy in Hungary and to investigate the extent to which the younger generation of different social groups is involved in using renewable energy sources in their everyday lives and their attitudes towards environmental awareness. In our research, we also investigate whether there is a strong statistical correlation between environmental awareness, environmentally damaging activities and the perceptions of different environmental problems among the target groups and, if so, how these affect the research topic. Our primary research can be considered representative, as we surveyed all primary and secondary school students in the Gyöngyös... [more]

One of the approaches widely used today to intensify processes is their miniaturization. Small, compact, portable devices that can be used directly in the field will become popular in the near future. The use of microstructured devices is becoming more widespread in diagnostics, analytics, and production, so there is no doubt that the same approach is being applied to energy production. The question is whether it is possible to create an energy production system that has all the external characteristics of a miniaturized device but is sustainable, durable, environmentally friendly, based on renewable sources, and cost-effective. The first challenge is to choose a production route, an energy source that has the required characteristics, and then to adapt this production on a microscale. Among the different energy sources, biohydrogen meets most of the requirements. The carbon emissions of biohydrogen are much lower, and its production is less energy-intensive than conventional hydrogen... [more]

In recent years, the advantages of nonlinearity in vibration isolation and energy harvesting have become increasingly apparent. The quasi-zero stiffness (QZS) of the nonlinear term provided by the negative stiffness element can achieve vibration isolation under low-frequency environments while improving the efficiency of energy harvesting. The QZS provides a new research idea for simultaneous vibration isolation and energy harvesting. The main purpose of this paper is to review past research results, summarize possible problems, and discuss trends. After briefly analyzing the basic principle of QZS vibration isolation, the progress of QZS in vibration isolation and energy harvesting in recent years is reviewed. At the same time, main challenges of QZS in realizing synchronous vibration isolation and energy harvesting are also discussed. Finally, according to the existing QZS challenges, the future development trend of QZS is proposed. This paper would provide a quick guide for future n... [more]

The aim of this paper was to examine whether the COVID-19 epidemic has slowed the fulfilment of one of the core tasks of the energy sector “Ensure Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable and Modern Energy for All” (SDG7) taking into account corporate social responsibility. Four research questions and hypotheses were posed, relating to the perspectives of local authorities, the activities of large energy companies, the impact of the epidemic on the implementation of the SDG7 and, in addition, to the understanding of CSR principles from the point of view of ordinary entrepreneurs. A qualitative descriptive analysis based on two reliable databases and a survey procedure (Question 4) was used to answer the research questions posed. The goal was achieved by positively confirming three hypotheses and testing one negatively, relating to COVID-19’s slowing role in SDG7 implementation. The analysis showed that the 2020−2021 epidemic in Poland has led to more initiatives in this area, contra... [more]

The water-flooded zone in a sandstone reservoir with a complex porosity−permeability relationship is difficult to interpret quantitatively. Taking the P Formation of Kalamkas Oilfield in Kazakhstan as an example, this paper proposed a reservoir classification method that introduces the J-function into the crossplot of resistivity and oil column height to realize the classification of sandstone reservoirs with a complex porosity−permeability relationship. Based on the classification results, the initial resistivity calculation models of classified reservoirs were established. The oil−water seepage experiment was performed for classified reservoirs to measure the lithoelectric parameters and establish the relationship between water production rate and resistivity for these reservoirs, and then water production was quantitatively calculated according to the difference between the inverted initial resistivity and the measured resistivity. The results show that the reservoirs with an unclea... [more]

Reducing energy consumption while providing a high-quality environment for building occupants has become an important target worthy of consideration in the pre-design stage. A reasonable design can achieve both better performance and energy conservation. Parametric design tools show potential to integrate performance simulation and control elements into the early design stage. The large number of design scheme iterations, however, increases the computational load and simulation time, hampering the search for optimized solutions. This paper proposes an integration of parametric design and optimization methods with performance simulation, machine learning, and algorithmic generation. Architectural schemes were modeled parametrically, and numerous iterations were generated systematically and imported into neural networks. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) were used to predict environmental performance based on the simulation results. Then, multi-object optimization can be achieved th... [more]

Recently, we identified two types (A and B) of energy processes that naturally occur on Earth. Type-A energetic process such as the classical heat engines follows well the thermodynamic second law; Type-B energy process follows the first law of thermodynamics, but does not have to be constrained by the second law, owning to its special asymmetric function. The identification of type-B process inspired a novel invention on isothermal electricity production through an asymmetric function-gated power generation system. This article highlights the fundamental embodiments, scientific principles, and physics equations for the asymmetric function-gated isothermal electricity generator that comprises an exceptionally low electron-work-function surface as an isothermal electron emitter and a space gap that permits the isothermally emitted electrons to travel ballistically to a collector. The physics equations for the density of isothermal electricity current, voltage and power all clearly show... [more]

A qualitative evaluation was performed by comprehensively considering the lighting environment of each staircase of 20 railway stations in Tokyo, the width of the stairs, the type of ceiling, wall lighting fixtures, and the color. As a result of the quantitative evaluation of 20 stairs, it was found that a difference of up to 400 lx occurred in the measurement results of the entrance, exit, and middle landing, even for the same stairs. As a result of qualitative evaluation, it was found that the quantitative evaluation result and the simple proportional relationship were not established. It was found that simply physically brightening a space cannot make a comfortable and safe space, and in some cases, glare is likely to occur. As a result of the analysis of variance and correlation analysis, it was found that the characteristics of the space, especially the material of the wall and the location of the lighting equipment, had a large effect on the impression of the space. As a result o... [more]

Among the different alternatives for the production of biofuels, food waste could be a favorable bioenergy source. Using food waste as a feedstock has the potential to meet the expectations of the second generation of biofuels, in terms of environmental savings and revenue-generation, and which, along with other valuable co-products, can contribute to biorefinery profits. This study aimed to investigate the early stages of life-cycle assessment (LCA) for restaurant food waste processed into bioethanol, biomethane, and oil, split over different scenarios. Based on a life cycle inventory analysis, the environmental impacts were assessed using an IMPACT 2002+ methodology. The characterized impacts were then normalized against the average impacts, and the normalized results were weighted and aggregated to provide single score LCA results. The overall findings showed that electricity consumption and condensates included VFAs, as well as enzymes, yeast, and n-hexane, were the main contributo... [more]

The organic-rich shale of the Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation is an important hydrocarbon source rock in Northeast China. In this study, taking the lacustrine shale in the Qingshankou Formation as an example, geochemical analysis, including total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-Eval pyrolysis, maceral compositions, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and biomarker analyses, were carried out on twenty-four shale samples to evaluate the geochemistry and environmental features of this shales. The Qingshankou lacustrine shales contains mainly Type I/II1 organic matter and is oil prone, with a good to excellent source rock. Vitrinite reflectance and Rock-Eval pyrolysis parameters show that the Qingshankou lacustrine shales is mainly in the mature stage and within the oil window. Biomarker composition of the shales provide evidence that the Qingshankou lacustrine shales was formed in a reductive sedimentary environment with relatively high salinity water. The organic matter came from a mixture of pla... [more]

This article aims to calculate, analyse and compare the optimal powertrain sizing solutions for a long-haul plug-in series hybrid coach running on diesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) using a co-design optimisation approach for: (1) lowering lifetime carbon footprint; (2) minimising the total cost of ownership (TCO); (3) finding the right sizing compromise between environmental impact and economic feasibility for the two fuel cases. The current vehicle use case derived from the EU H2020 LONGRUN project features electrical auxiliary loads and a 100 km zero urban emission range requiring a considerable battery size, which makes its low carbon footprint and cost-effective sizing a crucial challenge. Changing the objective between environmental impact and overall cost minimisation or switching the energy source from diesel to renewable HVO could also significantly affect the optimal powertrain dimensions. The approach uses particle swarm optimisation in the outer sizing loop while e... [more]

Slovenia is a Central European country with a long history of hydropower. This paper gives a brief introduction to the current status of hydropower utilization and informs about some selected successful examples of hydropower plant operation. One such example is fish passage and flood risk reduction on the lower reaches of the Sava River at the Brežice hydroelectric power plant, taking into account a complex of morphological, hydrological, hydraulic, and anthropogenic factors. Future development is considered against the background of the National Energy and Climate Plan, which does not envisage any significant expansion in the capacity or function of the hydropower sector. The envisaged capacity increase is from the current 4430 GWh to around 4580 GWh by 2030. It is shown that the current energy storage capacity of Slovenia’s only pumped storage plant will be sufficient to offset the introduction of new non-dispatchable renewable energy sources by 2030. By around 2028, the country wil... [more]

Due to the increasing relevance and importance of sustainable development pursuit, it can be assumed that organizations are striving to develop in a green direction. This is not only related to raising awareness of modern society but also to legal regulation and strategic documents for achieving the goals of sustainable development at the international level, especially affecting certain fields of activity such as energy or manufacturing. It is noticed that there is still a lack of definition in the scientific literature of what kind of organization is considered green. Therefore, it is appropriate to create a green organization benchmark against which organizations can assess their current level of greenness and identify areas for improvement. This research aimed to choose the most suitable approach for developing a green organization benchmark by examining the methods for evaluating an organization’s performance in terms of greenness according to defined attributes. Applying the meth... [more]

Bioadsorbent, obtained as a result of the processing of bio-waste, has recently gained popularity as a material that adsorbs greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide. Bio-waste, mainly residues from food industry operations, is a waste to be landfilled or composted and can be a potential substrate for bioadsorbent production. Bioadsorbents used for carbon capture must, above all, have low production costs and high adsorption efficiency. This review covers popular bioadsorbents that have been tested for their ability to adsorb carbon dioxide. The paper compares bioadsorbent production methods, physicochemical properties, adsorption isotherms, surfaces, and their porosity. There is a lack of data in the literature on the topic of carbon dioxide adsorption on large-scale plants in the target environment. Therefore, further research needs to fill in the gaps to identify the promised potential of these bioadsorbents.

The aim of our study is to delineate the characteristics of fluid flow comprising single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs and MWCNTs) along the surface of a Riga plate fixed in a porous environment. We carried out in-depth comparative analysis to depict the behavior of SWCNTs and MWCNTs when water and kerosene oil are used as base fluids. Homogeneous−heterogeneous reactions generated a significant impact on flow dynamics; furthermore, we also discuss the impact of viscous dissipation. We assembled numerical solutions for non-dimensionalized ordinary differential equations with the help of the shooting technique; moreover, by employing the same procedure, we report the conduct of dominating parameters on velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles. The results show highly desirable skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number values, which we exhibit in terms of tabular data.

The presented study describes proprietary calculation methods that simulate the process of storing nitrogen dioxide elevation in a catalytic LNT reactor. The first section’s points of reference are the achievements of the article’s authors and the possibility of modeling NO2 adsorption processes in LNT reactors. The rest of the article presents model calculations (proposed by the authors) of the course of the NO2 storage process in LNT reactors. It considers one in its transition period, affecting the improvement and duration of the adsorption process. The conclusion presents selected results of simulation calculations obtained with the help of the equations’ authors and an evaluation of the results. A review of theoretical considerations is consistent with the experimental data, suggesting that the proposed computational solution may be used in future analytical validity assessments of LNT reactor tools under operating conditions.

With the proliferation of e-commerce, the field of last-mile logistics has grown increasingly, highlighting the need to manage the environmental consequences of this phenomenon, especially to achieve decarbonization targets for cities and to improve citizens’ quality of life. Within this framework, the authors carried out a last-mile logistics life cycle assessment, to analyse and compare different logistics vehicle options performing the same service in an urban context: an electric four-wheel cargo bike, an electric van, a plug-in hybrid van, and a diesel van. The assessment shows that the e-cargo bike performs better for all the impact categories considered. The second-best option is the e-van, while the diesel van shows the worst environmental results. Focusing on decarbonization, the replacement of a diesel van with an electric one or with an e-cargo bike allows a reduction of 173 g CO2 eq/km and 250 g CO2 eq/km, respectively. Similar results are obtained for Photochemical Ozone F... [more]

The Rapid reduction of energy resources and the escalated effects of global warming have created a strong motivation to find some new techniques in the field of paving construction. Adopting new technologies, such as warm-mix asphalt (WMA) or the recycling process of asphalt can be very helpful for the economy and have a significant impact on the environmental footprint. Thus, this research aimed to study the mechanical and durable characteristics of modified WMA mixtures using (1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%) Sasobit REDUX®, (0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.5%) Aspha-Min®, and (0.07%, 0.1%, and 0.125) ZycoTherm® additives corresponding to three percentages of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) (20%, 40%, and 60%). Three mixing temperatures have been conducted in this study to generate WMA mixtures at (135 °C, 125 °C, and 115 °C) corresponding to three compacting temperatures (125 °C, 115 °C, and 105 °C). The mechanical properties of the developed WMA mixtures have been evaluated using the Superpave volumetric... [more]