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In the field of intelligent transportation, the planning of traffic flows that meet energy-efficient driving requirements necessitates the acquisition of energy consumption data for each vehicle within the traffic flow. The current methods for calculating vehicle energy consumption generally rely on longitudinal dynamics models, which require comprehensive knowledge of all vehicle power system parameters. While this approach is feasible for individual vehicle models, it becomes impractical for a large number of vehicle types. This paper proposes a digital model for vehicle driving energy consumption using vehicle speed, acceleration, and battery state of charge (SOC) as inputs and energy consumption as output. The model is trained using an optimized CNN-BiLSTM-Attention (OCBA) network architecture. In comparison to other methods, the OCBA-trained model for predicting PHEV driving energy consumption is more accurate in simulating the time-dependency between SOC and instantaneous fuel and power consumption, as well as the power distribution relationship within PHEVs. This provides an excellent framework for the digital modeling of complex power systems with multiple power sources. The model requires only 54 vehicle tests for training, which is significantly fewer than over 2000 tests typically needed to obtain parameters for power system components. The model's prediction error for fuel consumption under unknown conditions is reduced to 5%, outperforming the standard error benchmark of 10%. Furthermore, the model demonstrates high generalization capability with an R2 value of 0.97 for unknown conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry (PPI) has several opportunities to contribute to meeting prevailing climate targets. It can cut its own CO2 emissions, which currently account for 2% of global industrial fossil CO2 emissions, and it has an opportunity to produce renewable energy, fuels, and materials for other sectors. The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of the decarbonization prospects of the PPI. The study provides insights on the magnitude of needed annual renewal rates for several possible net-zero target years of industrial fossil CO2 emissions in the PPI and discusses decarbonization opportunities, namely, energy and material efficiency improvement, fuel switching, electrification, renewable energy production, carbon capture, and new products. The effects of climate policies on the decarbonization opportunities are critically evaluated to provide an overview of the current and future business environment of the European PPI. The focus is on Europe, but other regions are analyzed briefly to widen the view. The analysis shows that there are no major technical barriers to the fossil-free operation of the PPI, but the sector renovates slowly, and many new opportunities are not implemented on a large scale due to immature technology, poor economic feasibility, or unclear political environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-of-the-art manufacturing of tissue paper by Through Air Drying provides excellent product performance, although at a high production cost and energy use. In this work, a laboratory scale vacuum suction box was used to mimic the initial dewatering and the Through Air Drying molding, together with a pilot-scale trial. The purpose was to investigate both how the laboratory scale corresponds to pilot scale testing and investigate how fabric design, basis weight, beating, and fibers affect dewatering and sheet caliper. This study reevaluates dewatering mechanisms during molding, challenging the previous hypothesis of pure air displacement dewatering. Results show a parallel mechanism of compression dewatering and air displacement. The influence of rush transfer is examined, impacting the sheets' visual appearance, thickness, and solids content. Correlations between molding box solids content and headbox freeness emphasize significance of fibers and beating levels. Pilot results confirm the link between former solids and molding box solids. Pilot trials validate the laboratory results, facilitating comprehensive simulation of full-scale manufacturing. This research reveals dewatering mechanisms, highlights operational parameters, and enables effective Through Air Drying process design and refinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy needed for the dewatering and drying of wet paper web represents around half of the energy consumption of papermaking processes. The present work examined whether the dewatering and drying of paper could be enhanced during a previous pulp drying process by pretreating the fibers with polyamide-epichlorohydrin (PAE). According to the hypothesis, the cured PAE restrains swelling and water absorption of water-wetted fibers by forming a fiber-bound, self-crosslinked polymernetwork on the fiber surfaces. The hypothesis was tested by adding PAE to never-dried kraft pulp slurry followed by pulp thickening, drying, and final curing of the PAE-resin. After this, the PAE-treated fibers were dispersed in water, and their water retention values (WRV) and Shopper-Riegler values (°SR) were measured. The PAE pretreatments notably decreased the fibers' WRV and °SR, indicating improved water removal of paper web in the paper machine forming and drying section. Compared to chemical crosslinking pretreatments, which also can be used to decrease fibers WRV and °SR-value, a notable advantage of PAE-pretreatment is milder required curing conditions of the PAE, which makes implementation of the method easier in practice. Due to decreased fiber-to-fiber bonding capability, the PAE-treated specialty fibers could take advantage especially as a bulking aid of paperboard, tissue, and absorbent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents studies on the impact of the significant process parameters of a paper machine with a Yankee cylinder on its production capacity and heat energy consumption for drying the paper web. Parameters such as machine speed, web moisture content before and after pressing, parameters of steam supplied to the cylinder and parameters of hot air flowing from the nozzles of the hood were analyzed. The study's results were used to optimize production to improve the energy efficiency and performance of the machine. In order to use the possible methods of improving the production capacity and heat energy consumption, the parameters of the production process were measured and the basic indicators characterizing the operation of the machine were calculated in the Yankee cylinder–dryer hood system. The correct functioning of the machine components and the possibility of their modernization were also analyzed. Technological and construction changes introduced based on the research results made it possible to increase the production capacity by 10% and to reduce the consumption of heat energy per 1 ton of produced paper by 16.3%. The article presents a description of changes in the technology of paper production and modernization of the tissue machine made in the years 2013–2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions from the Yangtze River Economic Belt are an important element of China's carbon emission endeavor, and a study of its emission reduction pathway can provide a reference for the country's overall management of carbon emission reduction. From the perspective of energy consumption, this paper uses the carbon emission factor method to estimate the carbon emissions of the transportation industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt during 2006–2020, based on the extended STIRPAT model, considering the influence of seven factors, i.e., population size, urbanization rate, GDP per capita, transportation added value, energy structure, energy intensity, and transportation intensity, on carbon emissions. Based on these factors, a scenario analysis, combined with a forecasting model, is used to predict the peak carbon performance of the transportation industry under different development scenarios. The results show that the overall carbon emissions of transportation in the YEB from 2006 to 2020 show a fluctuating upward trend, and the downstream carbon emissions are significantly higher than those in other regions. The main factors influencing carbon emissions from transportation in different upstream, midstream, and downstream regions vary, with both population and economic factors contributing to carbon emissions, while technical factors affect them differently. There are significant differences in the peak carbon performance of transportation under different development scenarios, and the government should take effective measures to work towards achieving the goals of the low-carbon or enhanced low-carbon scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are opportunities to reduce electrical energy demand in unit processes of mechanical pulp-based paper and paperboard production, this may not be financially beneficial. This is generally because energy optimization opportunities connected to reduced refiner electricity demand in mechanical pulping systems also results in less steam available for the drying of the paper. As modern high consistency refiner systems produce approximately one ton of steam for each MWh of electricity when producing one ton of pulp, a reduction in electric energy demand leads to increased fuel demand in steam boilers to compensate for the steam shortage. In this study, we investigated what the financial and environmental situation would look like if we were to expand the system border from a paper mill to a larger system consisting of a mechanical pulp-based paper or paperboard mill, a district heating system with an incineration boiler and a chemical pulp mill. Mechanical pulp production has a wood to product yield of >90%, a high electric energy demand to separate woodchips to pulp and is a net producer of heat and steam while chemical pulp-based production has a wood to product yield of 50%, a low electric energy demand and is a net heat and electricity producer due to the combustion of dissolved wood polymers. The aim of this research is to create useful and robust models of how to use excess heat from certain industry sites to cover the steam shortage in other industry sites by means of utilizing and optimizing the district heating systems connecting these sites. For this purpose, we used a simulation tool which dynamically allows us to evaluate different scenarios. Our results shows that there is great potential to reduce both carbon dioxide emissions and production costs for industry sites and society by means of these tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Producing tissue paper is an energy-demanding process; a significant amount of energy is expended when removing water by vacuum, mechanical pressing, and thermal drying. Because the water is most energy-demanding to remove in drying, making the preceding step of vacuum dewatering more efficient would benefit the whole process. This article focuses on developing a laboratory-scale method for verifying the nature of diminishing returns of water removal and investigating efficiency strategies of the vacuum dewatering. The theoretical concept of successive vacuum suction boxes with progressing vacuum levels was tested at the laboratory scale in order to show quantifiable results of the previously solely theoretical concept. The results confirmed that vacuum dewatering can be improved by adding progressively higher vacuum levels and that such a practice can benefit both outgoing dryness levels and expended vacuum pump energy. To truly examine the power of progression of vacuum levels, rewetting can be included in the calculations, by using an approximate value collected from pilot or fullscale measurements. For any new fiber mix, pulp type, vacuum level setup, basis weight, etc. the vacuum levels, rewetting, and dwell times need to be tuned to that specific case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet of Things (IoT) architectures generally focus on providing consistent performance and reliable communications. The convergence of IoT, edge, fog, and cloud aims to improve the quality of service of applications, which does not typically emphasize energy efficiency. Considering energy in IoT architectures would reduce the energy impact from billions of IoT devices. The research presented in this paper proposes an optimization framework that considers energy consumption of nodes when selecting a node for processing an IoT request in edge-fog-cloud layered architecture. The IoT use cases considered in this paper include smart grid, autonomous vehicles, and eHealth. The proposed framework is evaluated using CPLEX simulations. The results provide insights into mechanisms that can be used to select nodes energy-efficiently whilst meeting the application requirements and other network constraints in multi-layered IoT architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, as the use of wearable devices and the demand for eco-friendly energy have increased, many studies have been conducted on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which can economically harvest energy. Paper is considered a promising substrate and frame material that can be used to manufacture self-powered TENGs, owing to its flexibility, low cost, and accessibility. Herein, we present a sandwich-structured foldable paper-based TENG (FP-TENG) that comprises flexible materials and uses paper as a substrate. The FP-TENG can generate up to 572 mW/m2 of power via contact–separation of the triboelectric electrified body at the top and bottom. With more folds of the FP-TENG, the triboelectric cross-sectional area increases, and, thus, the electrical output increases. In addition, the proposed TENG exhibits excellent durability without signal degradation under 5000 cycles of repeated pushing motions. To demonstrate its practicality, the FP-TENG was manufactured in the form of a wristwatch Velcro and connected to an electronic watch panel to supply power. Various deformations are possible with origami, and they can drive wristwatches through external forces. Therefore, the FP-TENG is expected to be utilized as a sustainable and promising eco-friendly energy source for small electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve an increase in the profitability of tissue paper production, this research aimed to identify factors that affect the degree of pulp refinement and the tension index of the tissue paper when using short fiber, long fiber and Quimizine B enzyme. The methodology considered laboratory experiments, obtaining refining curves, multilevel factorial design and response surface diagrams. The results indicated that the most significant common factor in the pulp refining degree and tension index is the specific energy consumption for both types of fiber, and that optimal operating parameters can be known by analyzing the refining degree and tension index independently and simultaneously. It was concluded that the multilevel factorial design allowed to identify significant factors that influence the properties of the refining degree and the resistance of tissue paper when looking for an individual and simultaneous optimum and, that the influence of the enzyme increased the properties of the refining degree and the tensile strength of the paper when using raw material of short and long fiber from Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus radiata, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has revealed the existence of an energy-efficiency gap – the difference between optimal and actual energy end-use, suggesting that energy efficiency can be improved. Energy management (EnM) is a means for improving industrial energy efficiency. However, due to various barriers, the full potential of EnM is not realised. Several studies have addressed drivers and barriers to energy efficiency but few to EnM. This study aims to identify EnM practices, the most important perceived drivers and barriers for EnM, and relations among them in the energy-intensive Swedish pulp and paper industry (PPI), which has the longest experience internationally of practising EnM systems, and has worked according to the standards since 2004. Our results show that, altogether, the PPI works regularly and continuously with EnM, with a clear division of responsibilities. The highest maturity for EnM practices was for energy policy, followed by organization, investments, and performance measurement. The study also shows that communication between middle management and operations personnel has potential for improvement. The most important categories of drivers were economic, whereas for barriers they were organizational. Nevertheless, knowledge-related barriers and drivers were amongst the most important, suggesting that the absorptive capacity for energy issues could be improved. Image 1029 • Energy is managed continuously, with clear policies and responsibilities. • The main drivers are economical while main barriers are organizational. • Knowledge related barriers and drivers are amongst the next most important. • Employees' absorptive capacity for energy issues could be improved. • Link between energy policy and performance measurement could be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the surging energy price and environmental concerns, measures to improve energy efficiency have attracted increasing concerns of the manufacture sector, especially energy-intensive manufacturing industries such as tissue paper mills. Energy-efficiency scheduling, as a novel energy-efficient method, has attracted the attention of an increasing number of researchers in recent years. Drying process is the most energy-intensive production process in tissue paper mills, which has a great energy-saving potential. This paper aims to reduce the energy costs for the tissue paper mill, consisting of processing energy cost and set-up energy cost, through integrating drying process optimization with energy-efficient scheduling. First, the energy cost model and the scheduling model were built. Then, the energy cost of the drying process of every job in a given scheduling problem was optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO). Afterwards, the energy cost was further optimized using energy-efficiency scheduling. In addition, a hybrid non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) was utilized to solve the energy-efficiency scheduling problem. Finally, several real scheduling problems from a real tissue paper mill were addressed using the proposed approach to demonstrate its effectiveness in energy saving. The experiment result showed that there is a great energy-saving potential in the drying process, accounting for up to 12.53% of the total energy consumption. Moreover, the maximum energy saving ratio of the proposed approach could reach 9.03%. On the whole, the proposed approach can provide a new energy-saving method for tissue paper mills or other manufacturing industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Papermaking enterprises are currently under both environmental pressure and economic pressure for sustainable development in China. Thus, the efficiency, effectiveness, and benefits of resource utilization need to be improved. High-consumption and high-pollution companies should manufacture paper using sustainable methods. This study highlights a resource value flow analysis from the circular economy perspective, developing an extension of material flow cost accounting and modifying it by accounting for environmental damage as well as economic benefits. With reference to the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, this specific case study was conducted to verify the comprehensive utility of resource value flow analysis by establishing decision-making prioritization according to the dualistic diagnosis of "internal resource loss–external environmental damage costs." In general, applying a resource value flow analysis can both reduce resource consumption and minimize environmental damage, enhancing the sustainable development of a process industry with limited resources. Highlights • Material flows and value flows form an interactive unit in the resource value flow analysis model. • The resource value flow analysis model extends the environmental dimension of material flow cost accounting. • A dualistic diagnosis of "internal resource loss and external environmental damage costs" can achieve both economic profits and environmental benefits. • The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle was introduced to strengthen the practical application of the resource value flow analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excellent mechanical and electrical properties of graphene-based paper-like materials are essential for applications in flexible conductors, energy-storage devices, etc. The graphene oxide (GO) supernatant separated by centrifugation and ultrasonication has been used to prepare graphene oxide paper and reduced graphene oxide paper (rGOP) with high strength and conductivity. However, this method has cumbersome steps and low supernatant concentration, which greatly increases time and energy consumption, and is not suitable for rapid batch preparation of high-strength and high-thickness rGOP. Herein, a high-speed mechanical shearing method has been used to efficiently exfoliate graphite oxide suspension into high-concentration GO slurry with large lateral size, and rGOP has been further prepared by blade coating and HI acid chemical reduction. Compared with the product prepared by ultrasonic exfoliation method, the average area of GO sheets obtained via the mechanical shear exfoliation method can reach around 16.31 μm2. As a result, the mechanical properties and conductivity of the prepared rGOP have been increased by 30% and 23.5%, respectively, with the tensile strength and electrical conductivity of 478.2 MPa and 208.4 S/cm being obtained. The developed method is of great significance for the large-scale production and emerging applications of lightweight and high-performance rGOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guiding industries to produce in an effective and environmentally sustainable manner has become a key issue for governments around the world. Over the past 15 years, series of regional and industrial development policies have been introduced by the Chinese government. This has influenced the geographical distribution and energy efficiency performance of China’s industries. This paper quantifies the influence of enterprises geographical distribution on energy efficiency improvement in the paper industry and aims at providing some helpful suggestions on industrial development to policy makers. The main results show that, firstly, the paper industry in eastern China shows obvious characteristic of agglomeration. The average location quotient is 1.2278. However, following the industrial and regional development policies, the characteristic of agglomeration is weakening. Secondly, only when agglomeration reaches a certain level (location quotient is above 0.5447) will industrial agglomeration positively impact on industrial energy efficiency improvement (a 1% increase in agglomeration will increase dynamic energy efficiency by at least 0.23%). Thirdly, the regional development policies carried out by the government slow the pace of energy efficiency improvement in China’s paper industry. The empirical results indicate that the government needs to consider regional characteristics and consciously guide industrial enterprises to concentrate in the dominant area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s paper industry consumes a lot of energy and emits huge amounts of pollutions. The Chinese government over the past decades has done a lot to promote energy efficiency of the industry. This paper studies the impact of industrial polices to improve energy efficiency. The energy efficiency change is firstly studied under a framework of total factor efficiency. On this basis, different econometric models are built to discuss the detailed energy efficiency characteristics of the paper industry. The main results are as follow: (i) ownership structure did influence the energy efficiency, but the influence is different in different conditions; (ii) energy efficiency of the paper industry can be improved by economies of scale; (iii) market competition can to some extent overcome the motivation and supervision problem that often occur in state-owned companies; (iv) energy price cannot play the role of resource allocation well in China. Finally, based on our findings, some suggestions are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the pulp and paper industry has changed a lot and products have been constructed in quite different methods using new technologies. It can be due to the emergence of challenges and constraints such as shortage of raw materials, energy consumption (fossil fuels, electric, etc.), management of the resulting pollutants, environmental issues, ongoing legal requirements and cleaner production strategies. In Iran, the pulp and paper industry's technological development is not keeping pace with global growth. Iran's pulp and paper mills supply a small fraction of domestic market. The reasons can be due to old technologies being used in factories, aging machinery, low productivity of production systems and lack of coordination with modern technologies. It leads to low-quality of paper products and willingness to buy local products. The aim of this study is to select the most appropriate technologies in the pulp section, due to high impact of pulp quality on the quality of final paper. Using a 2-filterd fuzzy decision-making, hierarchical structure of research is designed to assess technological alternatives according to the selected criteria. Findings show that after passing through two filters, Kraft method was chosen as the most appropriate method. The Kraft process has still many advantages like the high quality of the produced pulp and self-sufficiency in energy supply. This framework offers an appropriate procedure for identifying and selecting technologies that has not been used in past researches. Using this framework facilitates using a clear procedure for evaluating and selecting technology and prevents future losses for organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's paper industry accounts for a larger proportion of the global paper industry and consumes large amounts of energy. Energy conservation and pollution reduction of the industry have become the focus of China's national development strategy. Energy efficiency is an important index which directly determines the amounts of energy consumption and pollution emissions. To understand the energy efficiency evolution of China's paper industry, this paper establishes an input-output data of the paper industry for 29 provinces in China and applies DEA method and econometric models to estimate and comprehensively discuss the energy efficiency issues based on the framework of total factor efficiency. Our results indicate that China's paper industry has a large energy saving potential even though its energy efficiency has improved during the period 1990–2013. The saving potential is about 65% under the meta-frontier and 44% under the group-frontier. Moreover, there are significant differences between different regions in production technology and energy efficiency. The performance of eastern China is better than other regions. But the technology gaps between the different regions are shrinking and converging over time. Finally, some policy recommendations are proposed to improve the energy efficiency of the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research assessed waste-based briquettes consumption compared to conventional fuels in the Andes. Laboratory tests were conducted together with on-field analysis in Colquencha (Bolivia). The laboratory study shows that the performances of briquettes are better in terms of PM2.5 (933.4 ± 50.8 mg kg−1) and CO emissions (22.89 ± 2.40 g kg−1) compared to animal dung (6265.7 ± 1273.5 mgPM2.5 kg−1 and 48.10 ± 12.50 gCO kg−1), although the boiling time increased due to the lower fuel consumption rate and firepower compared to shrubs. The social survey organized with 150 Bolivian citizens suggested that low-income households are not able to pay for an alternative fuel: about 40% would pay less than 4 USD per month, while methane use for cooking is positively correlated with the income level (r = 0.244, p < 0.05). On field analysis suggested that local cookstoves are not appropriate for briquettes combustion since indoor air pollution overcomes 30 ppm of CO and 10 mgPM2.5 m-3. On balance, local small manufactures can be the main target for selling waste-based briquettes to reduce shrubs and wood consumption. However, briquettes production costs seem not yet competitive to natural easy-to-obtain fuels (i.e., animal dung). The research encourages the use of cellulosic and biomass waste-based briquettes in the Andean area for cooking, heating, or manufacturing and strongly advises policy-makers to introduce economic incentives for the recovery of secondary raw materials. • Analysis of waste-based briquettes use in Andean areas were conducted. • Laboratory analysis, social surveys, and on field evaluations are the methods. • Briquettes can be employed for reducing about 30% of the conventional fuels. • The research encourages the employment of waste-based briquettes in the Andes. • Incentives to briquettes production and consumption should be introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has become the world largest paper and paperboard producer. However, pulp and paper industry has involved high resource consumption and severe pollution especially for water. This research has assessed the eco-efficiency of China's pulp and paper industry at the national level and provincial level. An overview regarding the cleaner production of China's pulp and paper industry was presented to reveal the measures for reducing environmental impact in the last two decades. Slacks-based measure was used to analyze the efficiency levels of 16 provinces' pulp and paper industries. To uncover the underlying causes of eco-efficiency performance, Malmquist–Luenberger index was calculated to discover the drivers of productivity growth of pulp and paper industries. Our results showed that the pollution treatment of China's pulp and paper industry has made progress in terms of water consumption and water pollution, although the absolute amount of pollution discharge is still large. Chemical oxygen demand emissions are still the first critical influencing factor of pulp and paper industry's inefficiency. Furthermore, efficiency progress was the dominating contribution of the industry's productivity growth between 2010 and 2013. The policies for adjusting the industrial structure of pulp and paper industry have resulted in the scale effects through eliminating backward production capacity and accelerating merger and acquisitions. Moreover, the productivity of pulp and paper industry was underestimated when the undesirable outputs were ignored. It indicates that the stricter environmental regulations have positive effects on paper companies to internalize environmental pressures in the production activities through environmental management. In the future, pulp and paper companies should further internalize the cost of pollution treatment through scale effects and technology improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry accounts for approximately 5% of total industrial energy consumption and contributes 2% of direct carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from industries. World paper and paperboard demand and production are increasing significantly, leading to an increase in this sector's energy use and CO 2 emissions. Although current studies identify a wide range of energy-efficiency technologies that have already been commercialized for the pulp and paper industry, information is limited or scattered regarding new energy-efficiency technologies that are not yet fully commercialized. Development of emerging or advanced energy-efficiency technologies and their deployment in the market will be crucial for this industry's mid- and long-term energy saving and climate change mitigation strategies. This paper compiles available information on energy savings, environmental and other benefits, costs, and commercialization status for 25 emerging technologies to reduce the energy use and CO 2 emissions. The purpose is to provide a well-structured comprehensive review on these emerging energy-efficiency technologies for engineers, researchers, investors, policy makers, pulp and/or paper companies, and other interested parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry is a high energy consuming and polluting sector, and carbon emissions emitted from this sector are worthy of attention. This article, based upon an analysis of China’s Pulp and Paper Industry (CPPI), provides estimates of each of the following: carbon emissions from energy consumption, pre-treatment sector, combustion of condensed black liquor, and methane emitted from incomplete aerobic digestion during sewage treatment of CPPI. During the study period (2005–2012), total CO 2 emissions ranged from 126.0 Mt to 155.4 Mt. Energy consumption was estimated to be the largest source of carbon emissions, however, due to the application of the local emission inventory rather than the IPCC inventory, energy consumption decreased by 4.7%, a lower percentage than was calculated in a previous study. According to this study’s estimation, the emissions caused by the recovery of biomass energy contributed 26–29% of the total CO 2 emissions. CH 4 generated from sewage treatment accounted for 9–11% of the total carbon emissions. The CO 2 intensity dropped during the study period, which reflected the improvement of energy efficiency in the pulp and paper industry. The outcome of this study provides not only detailed information about CPPI’s carbon emissions, but also a calculation framework for studying carbon emissions from pulp and paper sector in the other regions. It suggests that the local carbon emissions inventory should be used for estimating carbon emissions and to reduce the fossil fuel energy, increase energy recovery from biomass, and that promoting cleaner production is essential to achieve a low carbon development of the pulp and paper industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The University of Alcalá in Madrid will organize the "III International Congress on Green Public Procurement and Climate Change" on October 4th and 5th, 2023. The congress aims to receive oral communications on topics related to green public procurement and climate change, as well as tangential aspects such as sustainable food, legislation on climate change, public procurement and depopulation, sustainable infrastructure and energy efficiency, and sustainable or low-emission mobility. The Scientific Committee will review the communications and select the best ones for possible publication in the journal Actualidad Jurídica Ambiental. The deadline for submitting abstracts is May 15th, 2023. [Extracted from the article]

This research addresses the issue of the heritage preventive conservation in the perspective of energy sustainability, for contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and towards the EU Green Deal. The study analyses and compares four cases associated with different microclimate thresholds as suggested by the standard EN 16893:2018 (Cases 1–3) and as derived from the outputs of three degradation models for preserving paper, wood, and canvas paintings (Case 4). Weather-based indices (degree and gram days) were calculated to estimate trends in the potential energy demand of collection facilities in three European cities belonging to different Köppen-Geiger climate zones (Cfb, Csa, and Dfb), under recent past (1981–2010) and near/far future climate scenarios (2021–2050 and 2071–2100) from two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). The findings suggest that adapting facilities' management strategies to focus on collections preservation can facilitate the achievement of 5 out of 17 SDGs, offering a viable alternative to costly energy retrofits and encouraging the development of shared solutions for similar facilities in the same climate zone. The results can contribute to inform the revision of EN 16893 and to face major challenges such as the preservation of paper collections in southern latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the power supply reliability of the microgrid cluster consisting of AC/DC hybrid microgrids, this paper proposes an innovative structure that enables backup power to be accessed quickly in the event of power source failure. The structure leverages the quick response characteristics of thyristor switches, effectively reducing the power outage time. The corresponding control strategy is introduced in detail in this paper. Furthermore, taking practical considerations into account, two types of AC/DC hybrid microgrid structures are designed for grid-connected and islanded states. These microgrids exhibit strong distributed energy consumption capabilities, simple control strategies, and high power quality. Additionally, the aforementioned structures are constructed within the MATLAB/Simulink R2023a simulation software. Their feasibility is verified, and comparisons with the existing studies are conducted using specific examples. Finally, the cost and efficiency of the application of this study are discussed. Both the above results and analysis indicate that the structures proposed in this paper can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enhance power supply stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy has emerged as a promising solution to address the challenges of climate change, energy security, and socio-economic development. South Africa, with its abundant renewable energy resources, has made significant strides in the utilization of renewable energy over the past decade. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the progress of renewable energy advancement in South Africa, examining the policies, initiatives, and achievements in various renewable energy sectors. This study explores the country's transition from a heavily coal-dependent energy system to a diversified and sustainable energy mix. It analyses the growth of renewable energy technologies, such as wind power and solar photovoltaic (PV), highlighting the key milestones, challenges, and opportunities. Furthermore, this paper discusses the role of government support, regulatory frameworks, and private sector investments in driving renewable energy deployment in South Africa. Finally, it identifies the prospects and potential areas for further advancement in the renewable energy sector. This review aims to contribute to the understanding of South Africa's renewable energy journey and provides valuable insights for policy-makers, researchers, and stakeholders involved in the sustainable energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, Saudi Arabia has experienced a significant surge in energy consumption as a result of population growth and economic expansion. This has presented utility companies with the formidable challenge of upgrading their facilities and expanding their capacity to keep pace with future energy demands. In order to address this issue, there is an urgent need to implement energy-saving solutions such as energy storage systems (ESSs) and renewable energy sources, which can help to reduce demand during peak hours. To ensure optimal use of ESSs, it is crucial to integrate a load forecasting model with the ESS in order to control charging and discharging rates and schedules. The irregular load profile is a particularly significant consumer of energy, consuming approximately 2.5 GWh annually at the cost of USD 3 billion in Saudi Arabia. In light of this, this paper develops a load forecasting model for the irregular load profile with a high degree of accuracy: achieving 95%. One of the key applications of this model is load peak shaving. Given the region's abundance of solar irradiation, the paper propose an integration of a solar PV system with a battery energy storage system (BESS) and analyzes various scenarios to determine the efficacy of the proposed approach. The results demonstrate significant savings when the proposed forecasting model is integrated with a BESS and PV system, with the potential to reduce monthly imported power by more than 22% during the summer season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa is currently experiencing an energy crisis because of a mismatch between energy supply and demand. Increasing energy demand necessitates the adequate operation of generation and transmission facilities to maintain the reliability of the power system. Transmission line compensation is used to increase the ability to transfer power, thereby enhancing system stability, voltage regulation, and reactive power balance. Also, in recent years, the introduction of renewable energy sources (RES) has proven to be effective in supporting the grid by providing additional energy. As a result, the dynamics of power systems have changed, and many developing nations are adopting the integration of renewable energy into the grid to increase the aspect ratio of the energy availability factor. While both techniques contribute to the grid's ability to meet energy demand, they frequently introduce technical challenges that affect the stability and protection of the systems. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the challenges introduced by transmission line compensation and the integration of renewable energy, as well as the various techniques proposed in the literature to address these issues. Different compensation techniques, including fault detection, classification, and location, for compensated and uncompensated transmission lines, including those connected to renewable energy sources, are reviewed. This paper then analyzes the adaptive distance protection schemes available in the literature to mitigate the impact of compensation/integration of RES into the grid. Based on the literature reviewed, it is essential for protection engineers to understand the dynamics introduced by network topology incorporating a combination of RES and heavily compensated transmission lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a compilation of research papers that explore the topics of Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). The papers cover a range of subjects including energy efficiency, renewable energy communities, smart urban management, and financial schemes for sustainable neighborhoods. The findings emphasize the importance of energy renovation, potential energy and financial savings, and the need for collaborative approaches and policy direction to achieve sustainable urban development. The papers also provide insights into innovative solutions and technological advancements that can contribute to the realization of carbon-neutral and sustainable cities. This document serves as a valuable resource for library patrons conducting research on energy efficiency and sustainable building practices. [Extracted from the article]

To reduce energy consumption, a new pulping process called A-D-E-RC (acidification/desalination/electrolysis/recycle-cooking) was developed by a research group in Guangxi University of China. The present work focuses on the step of recycle cooking (RC) to further investigate the technical feasibility of A-D-E-RC methods. Golden bamboo grass was considered as fiber source material for pulp, and it was cooked with the acidic treating of wastewater from black liquor. Then, the pulp obtained from each cooking was made into paper to test the changes in its physical properties. As a result, the pulp yield increased from 43.9% to 50.2%, after re-using acidified black liquor, and the paper's tear index and tensile index were improved. Therefore, this study demonstrated the feasibility of recycle cooking (RC) fiber materials for pulp applied the acidic treating wastewater from black liquor, and thereby, it further identifies the technical feasibility of A-D-E-RC pulping methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of sustainability, the integration of renewable energy into industrial processes not only minimizes dependence on fossil fuels but also contributes to the efficient management of industrial waste. By transforming organic waste, including agri-food and urban waste, into biogas, green energy can be generated, thus reducing the impact on the environment and closing the loop of material used in the economic circuit. Thus, a sustainable system can be promoted, where resources are continuously reused and exploited. Statistical methods and a decision tree with the Classification and Regression Trees (CRT) algorithm were employed to analyze data. The paper focuses on the importance of industrial waste and biogas for the generation, transformation, and consumption of energy in the EU (European Union)-27 countries. To provide a thorough analysis, we have divided these countries based on real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, grouping them above/below the annual average for the period 2012–2021/2022. Descriptive statistics revealed observable differences between the two groups, but the paper aimed to provide evidence regarding the existence of these differences as statistically significant. Using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, the non-normal distribution of the data was confirmed, requiring non-parametric inferential methods. The Mann–Whitney U test revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups for all the studied variables. This comprehensive approach highlights the distinct energy-related characteristics influenced by economic development in the EU-27. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of mechanical crushing is a key metric for evaluating machinery performance. However, traditional contact-based methods for measuring this efficiency are unable to provide real-time data monitoring and can potentially disrupt the production process. In this paper, we introduce a non-contact measurement technique for mechanical crushing efficiency based on deep learning algorithms. This technique utilizes close-range imaging equipment to capture images of crushed particles and employs deeply trained algorithmic programs rooted in symmetrical logical structures to extract statistical data on particle size. Additionally, we establish a relationship between particle size and crushing energy through experimental analysis, enabling the calculation of crushing efficiency data. Taking cement crushing equipment as an example, we apply this non-contact measurement technique to inspect cement particles of different sizes. Using deep learning algorithms, we automatically categorize and summarize the particle size ranges of cement particles. The results demonstrate that the crushing efficiencies of ore crushing particles, raw material crushing particles, and cement crushing particles can respectively reach 80.7%, 70.15%, and 80.27%, which exhibit a high degree of consistency with the rated value of the samples. The method proposed in this paper holds significant importance for energy efficiency monitoring in industries that require mechanical crushing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research addresses the pressing need to understand wind conditions for optimal wind energy utilization, a crucial aspect of achieving global energy sustainability. While previous studies have focused on assessing wind energy potential and terrain roughness, gaps persist in understanding how wind and spatial conditions affect blade geometry. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of local wind conditions on wind turbine blade geometry, integrating nonuniform wind inflow due to wind shear into the theoretical model. Through the paper, it explores blade design for varying inflow conditions and analyses the relationship between terrain type and blade designs. A novel approach to wind turbine blade design, utilizing a theoretical model that combines the local momentum theorem with insights from propeller vortex theory was adopted. Through the analysis, the authors demonstrate that variations in terrain significantly influence blade geometry, underscoring the necessity for tailored turbine designs based on local conditions. The findings reveal discrepancies in blade geometry across different turbine capacities and terrain types, offering novel insights into wind turbine performance optimization. By tailoring blade geometry to specific locations enhances resource utilization, offering insights for energy policymakers. The research provides validated methods for optimizing turbine geometric parameters, opening avenues for increased local investment in wind energy and promoting distributed energy development. Illustrated with wind plants examples, the paper concludes by outlining future research directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric review and visualization of smart and sustainable energy consumption, delving into the challenges and opportunities of developing renewable and non-renewable energy sources. The study examines research trends and emerging themes about integrating smart solutions and sustainable energy resource consumption. The analytical methods used involve thoroughly analyzing empirical data, case studies, and review papers to map the research landscape. The results highlight dominant research topics, influential authors, and publication timelines in this field. The review identifies the key challenges in harnessing renewable and non-renewable energy sources, including the need for reliable energy sources, energy storage systems, and smart grid technologies. The paper concludes with insights into the most effective practices for promoting smart and energy-efficient methods while emphasizing the complexity of sustainable energy solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning to clean cooking fuels is not only part of achieving SDG7 but also makes a significant contribution to mitigating climate change by reducing carbon emissions. Research projects and pilots across a number of countries in Africa and South Asia have been exploring the suitability and energy performance of different cooking appliances and fuels. The paper presents the first statistical analysis across these multiple datasets to determine the range of energy required to cook dishes using different technologies and fuels. The paper draws out distinctions between African and Asian dishes, notably the impact of energy-intensive dishes prepared mostly in Africa. The paper demonstrates that the standard efficiency-based approaches to comparing the performance of stoves are not appropriate to modern electric cooking devices, so a novel alternative approach based on specific energy consumption and termed energy ratios is developed. Charcoal stoves are shown to use 15 times as much energy as electric pressure cookers (EPCs) to cook African dishes, and a detailed review of how the EPC works explains why this should be. Energy ratios provide a basis for estimating carbon emission reductions associated with transitioning to modern cooking fuels and also for estimating household cooking costs. Fuel and electricity prices from studies show that the cost of cooking with an EPC can be only 20% of the cost of cooking with charcoal, which highlights the potential for modern, energy-efficient electric cooking devices to defy the conventional wisdom of the energy ladder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the significant role of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) in achieving environmental sustainability, with a particular focus on enhancing energy efficiency, resource recovery, and water reuse. WWTPs are crucial for removing pollutants and recovering resources from wastewater, thereby protecting public health and biodiversity. However, they are also associated with high operational costs, substantial carbon footprints, and energy-intensive processes. This article delves into various strategies and technologies to overcome these challenges, aiming to transform WWTPs from energy consumers to energy-efficient resource recovery hubs. Techniques such as anaerobic digestion and the use of advanced oxidation processes and microbial fuel cells are investigated for their potential in energy recovery and efficiency enhancement. Success stories from around the globe are highlighted to demonstrate the feasibility of transitioning to energy-positive WWTP operations. The integration of water reuse systems is also discussed, highlighting recent advancements that enable treated wastewater to be repurposed for agricultural, industrial, and potable uses, thereby promoting sustainability and water conservation. This paper emphasizes the importance of integrating cutting-edge energy management practices to minimize environmental impacts, reduce operational costs, and contribute to a more sustainable water sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the maturity of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, applications of AI in edge computing will greatly promote the development of industrial technology. However, the existing studies on the edge computing framework for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) still face several challenges, such as deep hardware and software coupling, diverse protocols, difficult deployment of AI models, insufficient computing capabilities of edge devices, and sensitivity to delay and energy consumption. To solve the above problems, this paper proposes a software-defined AI-oriented three-layer IIoT edge computing framework and presents the design and implementation of an AI-oriented edge computing system, aiming to support device access, enable the acceptance and deployment of AI models from the cloud, and allow the whole process from data acquisition to model training to be completed at the edge. In addition, this paper proposes a time series-based method for device selection and computation offloading in the federated learning process, which selectively offloads the tasks of inefficient nodes to the edge computing center to reduce the training delay and energy consumption. Finally, experiments carried out to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are reported. The model training time with the proposed method is generally 30% to 50% less than that with the random device selection method, and the training energy consumption under the proposed method is generally 35% to 55% less. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a structural design which has superior energy harvesting ability. The proposed structure is based on the ability of most periodic structures to prohibit elastic waves from propagating in a specific frequency range of the phonon band gap. By leading into acoustic black hole (ABH) units and utilizing the energy concentration characteristics of the ABH structure, the filtering effect can be made more significant. These two characteristics can produce significant strain and energy localization, which is conducive to energy harvesting. In this paper, we obtained ABH unit capable of producing broadband gaps by adjusting the geometric parameters of the ABH structure, and chose a cantilever as the research object for energy harvesting, by applying a piezoelectric patch on the unit located near the fixed end to gain a broader application in the actual situation. The results show that the beam combining the energy concentration characteristics of band gap and ABH structure has a significant improvement in energy harvesting efficiency. Optimization on the parameters of ABH unit shows that the band gap characteristic of the periodic ABH structure can further optimize the energy harvesting efficiency of practical energy harvesters, and opens up a new possibility of energy harvesting of ABH structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New‐type professional farmers are new‐type rural talents with scientific and cultural literacy and professional knowledge of agriculture under the background of rural revitalization. The new type of professional farmers is of great significance for accelerating agricultural modernization and promoting the construction of a powerful modern socialist country. In the process of cultivating new types of professional farmers in rural areas, it is necessary to break through the previous informatization constraints of poor information flow, and give full play to the role of advanced information technology to promote the sustainable economic development. This paper proposes a new type of professional farmer cultivation platform based on edge computing architecture to improve the cultivation efficiency of new type of professional farmers, so as to better promote the development of rural informatization. Aiming at the challenges of energy consumption under the edge platform architecture, this paper proposes a dynamic scheduling method for semi‐online tasks for edge computing platforms. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the algorithm, the method in this paper is compared with the classic scheduling algorithm, and simulated and verified on the CloudSim platform. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms other algorithms in the task completion time metric. With the expansion of task scale, more energy consumption can be saved by using the algorithm proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union, in pursuit of the goal of reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050, is deploying different actions, with industry decarbonization as a key strategy. However, increasing electricity demand requires an intensification of energy generation from clean technologies, and the energy system's expansion is hindered by renewable generation's climatic dependencies and the imperative for substantial electrical infrastructure investments. Although the transmission grid is expected to grow, flexibility mechanisms and innovative technologies need to be applied to avoid an overwhelming growth. In this context, this paper presents a thorough assessment, conducted within the FLEXINDUSTRIES project, of the flexibility potential across seven energy-intensive industries (automotive industry, biofuel production, polymer manufacturing, steel manufacturing, paper mills, pharmaceutical industry, and cement production). The methodology followed during the analysis entails reviewing the state-of-the-art existing flexibility mechanisms, industries' energy markets engagement, and technical/operational readiness. The results highlight the feasibility of the proposed actions for enabling energy market flexibility through demand-response programs, quantifying energy opportunities, and pinpointing regulatory and technical barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing use of renewable energy sources and decentralized power systems, certain challenges have emerged in meeting consumers' electrical energy demands. The intermittent nature of renewable energy generation means that it cannot always align with consumers' needs, resulting in periods of excess energy production when it is not required. To bridge this gap between production and consumption, energy storage systems are necessary. This paper defines the work of an isolated microgrid, which consists of renewable sources (wind and PV) for energy production, households with electric vehicles as consumers, and a combined storage system. This storage system is made from batteries, hydrogen storage, and a control system that defines the best use of the storage. Stored energy is utilized through fuel cells to generate electricity for consumption when renewable sources cannot meet the demand. This paper presents the principles of electrolysis and models of individual elements within such a system, as well as the definition and principle of control of the system functionality based on rules and conditions. The proposed control system aims to increase the energy storage lifecycle by deciding when and how to utilize which type of storage and define a self-sufficient microgrid based on renewable sources of production. An economic analysis of the storage part of the system was carried out in which the levelized cost of energy stored and the NPC of the storage systems are calculated. A simulation of the system's operation is conducted using one-hour measurements of wind turbines, solar panels, and household consumption in Serbia. To analyze the system's behavior, a one-week time horizon is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural institutions hold a unique position of influence, serving as hubs of education and knowledge dissemination for the people they serve. Embracing sustainable energy use in buildings in zoos and botanical gardens is a commitment to environmental responsibility that reinforces these institutions as trusted sources of information and community leaders on climate change, one of the most vital issues of our time. Sustainable energy solutions can synergize operations with educational missions, allowing zoos and botanical gardens to lead by example and inspire visitors to adopt eco-friendly practices in their own lives. In this opinion paper, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens President and CEO Richard Piacentini discusses key elements in developing a sustainable building energy plan, reviews potential barriers to implementation, and makes a case for adopting regenerative thinking and new metrics for measuring success—citing example cases from Phipps' Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) project. Additionally, the paper demonstrates how green building certification systems and peer-based resource networks like The Climate Toolkit can help guide institutions in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the intensifying global energy crisis and environmental issues, the energy consumption and environmental impact of the construction sector have garnered significant attention. The development and application of green building materials have become crucial research areas. Traditional building materials cause substantial resource waste and environmental pollution during production, usage, and disposal. In contrast, green building materials based on thermodynamic principles, owing to their superior thermal performance and energy storage capabilities, have gradually gained attention. This paper aims to systematically optimize the thermal performance of green building materials through a research approach grounded in thermodynamic principles. The study consists of two main parts: first, constructing the control equations for the phase change thermal storage process of green building materials, and analyzing the thermodynamic characteristics during the phase change process in detail; second, conducting an in-depth analysis of the heat transfer process in phase change thermal storage green building materials to explore their thermal performance in practical applications. Despite extensive research on the thermal performance of green building materials, there are still shortcomings in the systematic analysis and optimization of material thermal performance, and existing research methods often fail to comprehensively and accurately reflect the actual thermal behavior of materials. This paper aims to provide a scientific basis for the optimized design of green building materials, further promoting their application and development in the construction field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The software-defined network paradigm, ensembled with a wireless sensor network, has emerged as a promising phenomenon to enable multi-tasking, re-configuration, and scalability. Termed the software-defined wireless sensor network (SDWSN), it divides the network into two planes: data and control. The data plane consists of software-defined sensor nodes (SDSN) that sense monitoring activity and generate data. On the other hand, the control plane has controller/control Nodes (CN) which collect data from SDSN, perform data aggregation, and then transmit toward the sink node. These CNs consume more amount of energy as compared to SDSNs as they perform multiple tasks. Following this scenario, this paper proposes an energy-efficient multi-objective optimization approach to solve the CNs placement problem through a meta-heuristic algorithm by considering the nodes' location, energy, and load distribution. This paper presents a particle swarm optimization-based controller placement and re-placement (PSO-CPR) algorithm for SDWSN. The PSO-CPR elects SDSNs to become CN based on their distance, residual energy, and capacity in the network. Moreover, the placement of a CN rotates within the cluster to avoid its failure and balance energy consumption. The simulation results show improved CN placement with respect to the state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of average delay by 23.5–37.4%, energy consumption by 18.6–32.6%, and probabilistic load distribution by 17.7–54.1%. Moreover, the comparative study also indicates that PSO-CPR achieve promising result by reducing packet loss by 14.4–27.5% and network re-clustering period by 32.3–68.3% and enhance the network lifetime by 22.6–42.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]