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The collection of papers in this special issue examines empirical evidence from Asia, Europe, and North America, analyzes how climate change affects the spatial economy, and explores the feasibility of carbon neutrality as a countermeasure to climate change. It begins by discussing the research background, the motivation for emphasizing spatial considerations, and the analysis in climate change studies. Each accepted paper is then elaborated upon regarding topic selection, methodology, and findings. The issue highlights the crucial role of spatial elements in climate studies and aims to inspire further research in this direction. By leveraging regional science and analytical tools, the goal is to develop more effective and equitable policies for carbon abatement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective and just industrial transition is necessary both to mitigate climate change and protect jobs, and as a precursor to enable other sectors to decarbonise. Activity is at an early stage and examples of successful sector-wide interventions to decarbonise industry do not yet exist. Governments of industrialised countries are beginning to develop policy and provide funding to support deployment of carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen infrastructures into high-emitting industrial clusters, but options for sites outside of clusters, denoted here as 'dispersed sites', are also required. This paper takes a mixed methods approach to provide the first analysis of the issues facing dispersed industrial sites on their route to decarbonisation and to suggest solutions to the challenges they face. Using the UK as a case study, it first characterises dispersed sites in terms of location, emissions released, sectors involved, and size of companies affected. It then shows how these features mean that simply expanding the geographical scope of the present UK decarbonisation strategy, which focuses on the provision of carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen, would face a number of challenges and so will need to be broadened to include a wider range of abatement options and other considerations to meet the needs of dispersed sites. While the solutions for each place will be different, these are likely to include some combination of the expansion of shared infrastructure, the development of local zero-carbon hubs, research into a wider range of novel abatement technologies and facilitating local participation in energy planning. The paper concludes with a discussion of remaining knowledge gaps before outlining how its findings might apply to industrial decarbonisation strategies in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated a novel electrocatalyst with a core–shell structure of CoNiP@N,P-C. The unique carbon shell of this catalyst serves a dual purpose: exposing numerous active sites and safeguarding CoNiP nanoparticles from dissolution caused by the electrolyte. As a result, the CoNiP@N,P-C nanoparticles exhibit exceptional electrochemical properties. The CoNiP@N,P-C catalyst displays overpotentials of 234 and 314 mV for the HER and OER, respectively, within a simulated seawater solution (1 M KOH + 0.5 M NaCl), indicating its outstanding catalytic performance. Moreover, when subjected to full seawater splitting, the CoNiP@N,P-C catalyst exhibited high activity, achieving a 1.71 V cell voltage at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. As revealed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the CoNiP@N,P-C catalyst exhibits Gibbs free energy for hydrogen adsorption (ΔGH* = −0.19 eV) that is decreased in comparison with CoP@N,P-C, NiP@N,P-C, and N,P-C (−0.321 eV, −0.434 eV, and 0.723 eV, respectively). This finding confirms that the core–shell structure plays a role in enhancing the HER kinetics and improving the catalytic performance, which is consistent with the experimental observations. Consequently, this study introduces the concept of utilizing bimetal phosphide core–shell structures for overall seawater splitting, offering a novel approach in this field of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and urbanization have led to an increase in the amount of water flowing into traditional drainage systems, which results in frequent urban flooding. Low–Impact Development (LID) facilities, with their distributed feature, are one of the important means to mitigate flooding and have been widely used. In this paper, based on integrated catchment management (ICM), we compare the abatement of runoff, flooding, and ponding under two durations of rainfall and eight different return periods with runoff as the control objective (RACO) and flooding as the control objective (FACO) for the deployment of LID facilities. The waterlogged area of FACO is higher by a range of 92.462 m2 to 24,124.39 m2 compared to RACO. Both percentage reduction of overflow volume and runoff volume tend to decrease gradually with the increase in the return period. For the percentage reduction of runoff volume per unit area, sometimes RACO is greater than FACO, and sometimes vice versa, while for the percentage reduction of overflow volume per unit area, the range where FACO exceeds RACO is between 0.29 to 10.95 (%/ha). The cost of FACO has decreased by 4.94% to 46.20% compared to RACO. This shows that FACO's LID deployment method can fully utilize the capacity of LID facilities to mitigate inundation, reducing the cost of LID facilities to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environ Resource Econ. 2021; 80: 1-20. 10.1007/s10640-021-00576-8 4 Gersbach H, Hummel N, Winkle R. Long-Term Climate Treaties with a Refunding Club. For over a decade, at its annual conference the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) has awarded a prize generously donated by Springer, for the best paper published within its journal Environmental and Resource Economics (ERE). Bans on discarding fish are a feature of EU fisheries policy that have created some controversy. [Extracted from the article]

Numerical optimization models are used to develop scenarios of the future energy system. Usually, they optimize the energy mix subject to engineering costs such as equipment and fuel. For onshore wind energy, some of these models use cost-potential curves that indicate how much electricity can be generated at what cost. These curves are upward sloping mainly because windy sites are occupied first and further expanding wind energy means deploying less favorable resources. Meanwhile, real-world wind energy expansion is curbed by local resistance, regulatory constraints, and legal challenges. This presumably reflects the perceived adverse effect that onshore wind energy has on the local human population, as well as other negative external effects. These disamenity costs are at the core of this paper. We provide a comprehensive and consistent set of cost-potential curves of wind energy for all European countries that include disamenity costs, and which can be used in energy system modeling. We combine existing valuation of disamenity costs from the literature that describe the costs as a function of the distance between turbine and households with gridded population data, granular geospatial data of wind speeds, and additional land-use constraints to calculate such curves. We find that disamenity costs are not a game changer: for most countries and assumptions, the marginal levelized cost of onshore wind energy increase by 0.2–12.5 €/MWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents evidence that financial constraints increase firms' toxic emissions given that firms actively trade off abatement costs against potential legal liabilities. Exploring three quasi-natural experiments in which firms' financial resources are likely exogenously affected, we find that relaxing financial constraints reduces U.S. public firms' toxic releases. The effects of financial constraints on toxic releases are amplified when regulatory enforcement and external monitoring weaken. Overall, our evidence highlights the real effects of financial constraints in the form of environmental pollution, which is a costly negative externality imposed on society and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upcoming network investment decisions and regulatory framework adopted by distribution system operators (DSOs) are most likely to be impacted by the integration of fluctuating distributed generation. The economical hosting capacity (HC) improvement method is investigated in this paper as a trade‐off between curtailment and upgrade using a Monte Carlo simulation procedure. The associated costs of both methods are vital indicators for network operators that are trying to maximize the HC and minimize cost. In addition, the breakeven point where curtailment and upgrade costs intersect is the decisive point at which network upgrade becomes sensible as marginal curtailment cost exceeds upgrade cost. A shift in global climate conditions can impact the photovoltaic (PV) levels that motivate network operators to investigate PV penetration, especially in colder climate regions. Thus, the primary objective of this paper is to investigate the shift of the breakeven point to guide DSOs to either adopt PV curtailment as a temporary measure or grid upgrade as a risk aversion strategy considering Finnish climate and load patterns. The real‐time load and PV generation data are utilized for the simulations to consider the dynamic performance indication of three Finnish distribution networks. Curtailment remains a low‐cost option to obtain a percentage HC rise of 13%, 7%, and 8% for rural, suburban, and urban regions, respectively, beyond which curtailment compensation cost surpasses upgrade cost. In essence, PV curtailment serves as an immediate and least‐cost solution to relieve network violations and defer network investment until the HC level (118%, 106%, 97%) making the upgrade a practical option afterwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the optimization of the flow channel structure of the U-shaped air distributor is proposed. Fluent meshing was used to mesh the multipatch meshing of the original model of the grid air distributor, and then the CFD numerical simulation was carried out by using Fluent 2022R1 to obtain the internal air flow state of the air distributor flow channel. Through the orthogonal experimental design and a comprehensive analysis method, the optimal size structure for resistance performance is obtained as S = 60 mm, RL = 125 mm, L = 160 mm, D = 100 mm, the resistance coefficient of the new structure as 1.375, and the pressure loss as 56.87 Pa, by using 3D modeling software (SOLIDWORKS 2015) and Fluent. Compared with the initial scheme, the resistance coefficient and pressure loss are reduced by 3.03% and 6.29%, respectively. To summarize, the research in this paper offers a substantial contribution to the realm of energy conservation and emission abatement in ship air conditioning systems, simultaneously furnishing invaluable guidance for the design of air distributors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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CO2 conversion is gradually seen as a better way for society to effectively use carbon sources and avoid climate crisis associated with fossil CO2 emissions. And the decision to deploy CO2 technology scale should be relied on its environmental impact. In this work, life cycle assessment model evaluates the environmental performance of CO2 conversion by photocatalytic reaction process with two different catalysts (NiAl-LDH and Co-ZIF-9). Six impact categories considered in this analysis, including climate change, acidification potential, depletion of abiotic resources, eutrophication potential, ozone layer depletion potential, and photochemical oxidation potential. Results indicated that CO2 conversion with Co-ZIF-9 photocatalyst has a better environmental impact than the NiAl-LDH photocatalyst route. Moreover, the Co-ZIF-9 catalyst scenario also has a lower total environmental burden than the conventional CO production route. Sensitivity analysis shows that recycle performance of the catalyst is highly sensitive to the production process in two scenarios. This study could provide a framework for robust decisions in CO2 conversion by photocatalytic reaction, which is useful for policymakers to decide the feasibility of industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), including all 209 congeners, are designated as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) due to their high toxicity and bioaccumulation in human bodies and the ecosystem. The need for PCB remediation still remains long after their production ban. In this study, a catalytic hydro-dechlorination (HDC) method was employed to dechlorinate 2,4,4'-trichlorobiphenyl (PCB 28), a congener found ubiquitously in multiple environmental media. The HDC of PCB 28 was experimentally studied at mild temperatures viz. ~20, 50, and ~77°C and atmospheric pressure. Et3N (triethylamine) was added as a co-catalyst. The dechlorination rates increased with temperature as well as Et3N dosage, and the HDC pathway was hypothesized based on the product and intermediates observed. The less chlorinated intermediates suggested that the position of the chlorine strongly impacted HDC rates, and the preference of HDC at para positions can be orders of magnitudes higher than the ortho. The activation energy was estimated in the range of 12.4–13.9 kJ/mole, indicating a diffusion-controlled HDC system. Implications: The remediation need for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) still remains long after their production ban around the world. The development of low-cost methods is highly desirable, especially for developing countries, in response to the Stockholm Convention. In this study, the dechorination of a ubiquitously present PCB congener was studied using a catalytic hydro-dechlorination (HDC) method in low temperatures up to ~77°C and was able to achieve near 100% dechlorination in 6 hr. Results indicated that the HDC process can be performed under mild temperatures and atmospheric conditions and can be a potential solution to real world PCB contamination issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the issues of the low usage efficiency and illogical structure in rural regions, this study builds a rural integrated energy system (RIES) that incorporates the complementary use of biogas, wind, and light. For resolving the RIES optimum-low-carbon-economic-dispatch problem, a source–load-cooperative optimal-dispatch strategy is proposed. Firstly, a multi-energy integrated demand response (IDR) model based on time-of-use tariffs and time-varying biogas costs is established on the demand side. Secondly, power-to-gas devices are added on the supply side to optimize the system's electricity–gas-coupling relationship and increase the wind power output space. Thirdly, an RIES-oriented carbon-trading model is constructed by considering the actual carbon emissions of gas loads and the stepped-carbon-trading mechanism. Finally, an optimal-dispatch model is built with the objective function of reducing the total energy cost, wind abandonment cost, IDR cost, and carbon emission cost, while the problem is transformed into a mixed-integer linear problem and solved using CPLEX 12.9. By setting up four scenarios for example analysis, the results show that on typical days in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the total operating costs of the stepped-carbon-trading system (Scenario 1), taking into account the source-side power-to-gas (P2G) device and the load-side IDR, are reduced by 12.25%, 11.25%, 12.42%, and 11.56%, respectively, compared to the system without the introduction of the IDR (Scenario 3). In contrast to the system that lacks a P2G device at the source end (Scenario 2), the overall costs are decreased by 4.97%, 3.07%, 5.02%, and 5.36%, but the wind power consumption rates are increased by 11.63%, 7.93%, 11.54%, and 11.65%, respectively. Stepped emission trading (Scenario 1) reduces the total operating costs by 5.12%, 3.15%, 5.21%, and 6.84%, respectively, while reducing the biogas costs by 9.75%, 7.74%, 9.67%, and 9.57%, respectively, in comparison to traditional emission trading (Scenario 4). The example results demonstrate the economics, effectiveness, and reliability of a stepped-carbon-trading system with an integrated P2G load-side energy demand response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of renewable energy resources (RERs), such as wind energy, makes them highly unstable, unpredictable, and intermittent. As a result, they must be optimized to reduce costs and emissions, increase reliability, and also to find the optimal size and location for RERs and energy storage systems (ESSs). Microgrids (MG) can be modified using ESSs to gradually reduce traditional energy use. In order to integrate RERs in a financially viable scheme, ESSs should be sized and operated optimally. The paper presents an enhanced biogeography-driven optimization algorithm for optimizing the operations and sizes of battery ESSs (BESSs) taking into account MGs that experience wind energy penetration in a way that migration rates are adaptively adjusted based on habitat suitability indexes and differential perturbations added to migration operators. An optimization problem was applied to a BESS to determine its depth of discharge and lifespan. This paper considers three different scenarios in using simulations and compares them to existing optimization methods for the purpose of demonstrating the effectiveness of the offered scheme. Out of all the case studies examined, the optimized BESS-linked case study was the least expensive. We also show that a BESS must be of an optimum size to function both economically and healthily. For economic and efficient functioning of MGs, it has been shown that finding the optimum size of the ESS is important and potentially extends battery lifespan. The IBBOA obtained a more precise size for BESS's volume, and the final outcomes are compared in this paper with other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increase in policy ambition is needed to close the gaps related to climate change mitigation and those required to meet the targets of Paris Agreement. This article examines the contemporary situation of carbon pricing and suggests how carbon costs would help countries adopt comprehensive climate policies. This paper explores the carbon pricing imitative across different regions and the associated issues and proposes how to format holistic, ambitious approaches for effective implementation of carbon pricing. The carbon taxes and emission trading programs are the primary tools for implementation costs. Carbon taxes, fuel taxes, subsidies for fossil energy, and emission trading systems (ETSs) all contribute to these costs. Different countries have adopted different approaches to adopt and mitigate the adverse effect of carbon emissions, but coordinated and integrated efforts are needed. This paper emphasizes the effective carbon pricing and integrating role of finance departments in climate policy; new synergies can be developed to boost government agencies' ability to implement climate policy. Governments may increase their involvement in carbon pricing beyond direct carbon pricing if they implement efficient carbon pricing. Governments, international organizations, and civil society can all play a role in pushing for effective carbon prices to encourage more ambitious targets. Furthermore, the article stresses the need for open communication and a proper understanding of carbon pricing potential to implement climate policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the energy sector is the largest global contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector account for up to 80% of GHG emissions in the least developed countries (LDCs). Despite this, the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of LDCs, including Nepal, focus primarily on climate mitigation in the energy sector. This paper introduces green growth—a way to foster economic growth while ensuring access to resources and environmental services—as an approach to improving climate policy coherence across sectors. Using Nepal as a case country, this study models the anticipated changes in resource use and GHG emissions between 2015 and 2030, that would result from implementing climate mitigation actions in Nepal's NDC. The model uses four different scenarios. They link NDC and policies across economic sectors and offer policy insights regarding (1) energy losses that could cost up to 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, (2) protection of forest resources by reducing the use of biomass fuels from 465 million gigajoules (GJ) in 2015 to 195 million GJ in 2030, and (3) a significant reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 relative to the business‐as‐usual (BAU) case by greater use of electricity from hydropower rather than biomass. These policy insights are significant for Nepal and other LDCs as they seek an energy transition towards using more renewable energy and electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first paper of this special issue, "Climate Policy and Wealth Distribution" by Dao, [[1]] develops a model with intergenerational bequest transfers and climate damage on the wealth of heterogeneous households. A sound climate policy would have to reduce this "option value of waiting" due to commodity price uncertainties. According to scientific data, climate change and environmental deterioration have become severe issues threatening human society and sustainability. [Extracted from the article]

In areas where hot gases and nanoparticulate materials are released uncontrollably from pollutants generating sources which are human population density dependent, the rainfall is significantly affected. When these hot gases and nanoparticulate materials mix with clouds, the cloud droplets evaporate, causing no rain or less intense rain. For increasing rain, the abatement of these pollutants is necessary and the washout of these pollutants by water drops is one of the effective removal mechanisms. Taking this into account, in this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed to analyse the effect of hot pollutants on rainfall and its control by washout of hot pollutants at sources of emission using spraying water droplets. To model the phenomenon, five nonlinearly interacting variables are considered namely densities of water vapours, clouds droplets, raindrops, the cumulative concentration of hot pollutants and the density of water drops introduced in the atmosphere to washout the hot pollutants. On analysing the model, using the stability theory of differential equations, it is found that the rain fall decreases as the cumulative concentration of hot pollutants increases. The spraying of water drops at the sources of emissions in the industrial area reduces the cumulative concentration of hot pollutants, which ultimately stimulates an increase in the density of raindrops in the atmosphere. Numerical simulation is also done to validate analytical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green credit encompasses financial instruments and services utilized to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and facilitate adaptation to global climate change. Establishing a long-term stable green credit institution is crucial to promoting carbon abatement goals. This study uses the difference-in-difference (DID) model to discuss the impact of green credit policy (GCP) on environmental performance based on the China industrial enterprise data. Our results show that GCP inhibits the pollution emissions and improve firm environmental performance. This improvement effect is attributed to a reduction in production scale, and financing constraints. Moreover, GCP increases the firms' exit risk from market and promotes the technological innovation of incumbent firms. Economic growth target constraints trigger a positive moderation role in the implementation of GCP. Heterogeneity results show that such improvement effect is more pronounced in state-owned firm, large-scale firms, and high R&D intensity firms. Importantly, our findings also suggest the environmental monitoring effect of green credit is dependent on the institutional quality. Only in a sound market environment can GCP effectively improve firm environmental performance. Finally, we propose to build a systematic incentives and constraints mechanism to achieve the sustainable development. The conclusions of this paper provide empirical evidence and policy implications for the implementation of GCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the imperative to address climate change intensifies, understanding the effectiveness of policy interventions becomes paramount. In the context of addressing these urgent challenges and given the inadequacy of current policies to address this issue, this study examines the extent to which Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Targets (LTTs) can contribute to achieving ambitious climate goals. Recognizing the critical need for effective climate action, we employ the advanced modelling tools PROMETHEUS and GCAM to assess the implications of different scenarios–Current Policies (CP), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), and combination of NDCs with Long-Term Targets (NDC_LTT)–on the future development of energy system and emission. This study, by employing these well-known models, seeks to provide an improved understanding of the impacts of NDCs on global emission trajectories and whether the integration of NDCs and LTTs can help close the gap towards Paris-compatible pathways. The study analyzes various sectors including buildings, transportation, electricity generation, and industry to provide insights into the limitations of existing policies and the potential of enhanced commitments to drive transformative changes in a global scale. The effectiveness of these policies varies across different sectors, highlighting the challenges that need to be addressed for achieving the required emission reduction targets in the medium- and long-term. Key findings indicate significant shifts in energy consumption, fuel mix, technology adoption, and emission trajectories, particularly under the synergistic action represented by the NDC_LTT scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographically distributed cloud data centers (DCs) consume enormous amounts of energy to meet the ever-increasing processing and storage demands of users. The brown energy generated using fossil fuels is expensive and significantly contributes to global warming. Considering the environmental impact caused by the high carbon emissions and relatively high energy cost of brown energy, we propose the integration of renewable energy sources (RES), especially solar and wind energy, with brown energy to power cloud data centers. In our earlier study, we addressed the intermittency of renewable energy sources, where we replaced the random initialization of artificial neural network (ANN) edge weights with the harmony search algorithm (HSA)-optimized assignment of weights. This study incorporated reliably forecast solar and wind energy into the input parameters of our proposed green energy manager (GEM), for cost minimization, carbon emission minimization, and better energy management of cloud DCs, to make our current study more reliable and trustworthy. Four power sources, on-site solar energy and wind energy, off-site solar energy and wind energy, energy stored in energy storage devices, and brown energy, were considered in this study and simulations were carried out for three different cases. The simulation results showed that case 1 (all brown) was 58% more expensive and caused 71% higher carbon emissions than case 2.1 (cost minimization). Case 1 (all brown) was 39% more expensive and had 80% higher carbon emissions than case 2.2 (carbon emission minimization). The simulation results justify the necessity and importance of the GEM, and finally the results proved that our proposed GEM is less expensive and more environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a summary of various studies and research on the impact of air pollution on human health. It emphasizes the association between exposure to fine particulate matter and health outcomes, such as neurodegenerative diseases, and the role of oxidative stress in toxicity. The document also highlights the need for targeted strategies to mitigate health effects and the importance of understanding the combined effects of gaseous and particulate pollutants. It includes 16 publications covering topics such as traffic-related pollution, indoor air pollutants, and the influence of ship traffic on air quality. The findings underscore the need for new approaches to studying air pollution and its health effects, as well as the importance of considering multiple factors in assessing and monitoring air pollution. The document acknowledges the authors of the contributions and expresses appreciation for their work. [Extracted from the article]

Efficient carbon emission reduction technologies in buildings are necessary for achieving the "Dual carbon" goal in China. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation model is proposed to assess the effect of carbon emission reduction based on the analytic hierarchy process–entropy weight–coefficient of variation model which takes newly built residential buildings in Zhuzhou City as the research object. The results show that the preferred materials for the roof and exterior walls of the building's envelope structure were flame-retardant extruded polystyrene boards, and porous shale bricks were preferred as the main materials for the exterior walls. In addition, the rooftop solar photovoltaic system and energy-saving air conditioning technology were suitable in terms of being renewable and were better utilized. In the end, carbon emissions were significantly reduced when using the building decarbonization technologies. This study provides a new reference for choosing materials and technologies for the design of residential buildings in Hunan Province and even other regions with hot summers and cold winters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, the existing literature lacks any studies that compare timber and concrete apartment buildings in the Finnish context regarding their carbon footprint, handprint, and the cost of frame structures. This study rigorously analyzes and calculates the carbon footprint, carbon handprint, and costs associated with various structural solutions in a proposed multi-story building located in Laajasalo, Helsinki, Finland. While the primary focus is on wooden frame construction, exploring both its challenges and opportunities, this study also includes a comparative assessment with concrete frame construction. In Finland, regulations require a sprinkler fire extinguishing system to be installed inside. Also, weather protection is typically added to the top of building in connection with the construction of wooden apartment buildings. When the costs of a sprinkler system and weather protection are taken into account, the cost of achieving positive climate effects through a concrete frame is 290% higher than that of a solid wood frame. Our findings will provide a robust basis for assessing the sustainability and feasibility of construction methods, offering valuable insights into environmental and economic considerations for decision-makers in Finland and beyond as regulations evolve and awareness of climate impacts grows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) refers to the release of fugitive methane (CH4) emissions into the atmosphere during underground coal mining operations. Growing concerns regarding the greenhouse effects of CH4 have led to a worldwide effort in developing efficient and cost-effective methods of capturing CH4. Among these, absorption-based processes, particularly those using Ionic Liquids (ILs) are appealing due to their advantages over conventional methods. In this study, the solubility of CH4 in various ILs, expressed by Henry's law constant, is first reviewed by examining a wide range of experimental techniques. This is followed by a review of thermodynamic modelling tools such as the extended Henry's law model, extended Pitzer's model, Peng–Robinson (PR) equation of state, and Krichevsky−Kasarnovsky (KK) equation of state as well as computational (Artificial Neural Network) modelling approaches. The comprehensive analysis presented in this paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of the factors that significantly influence the process of interest. Furthermore, the study provides a critical examination of recent advancements and innovations in CH4 capture by ILs. ILs, in general, have a higher selectivity for methane compared to conventional solvents. This means that ILs can remove methane more effectively from VAM, resulting in a higher purity of the recovered methane. Overall, ILs offer several advantages over conventional solvents for the after treatment of VAM. They are more selective, less volatile, have a wider temperature range, are chemically stable, and can be made from renewable materials. As a result of their many advantages, ILs are becoming increasingly popular for the after treatment of VAM. They offer a more sustainable, efficient, and safe alternative to conventional solvents, and they are likely to continue gaining market share in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and environmental protection have a significant impact on thermal plants. So, the main principles of combined economic-emission dispatch (CEED) problem are indeed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel costs. Many approaches have demonstrated their efficacy in addressing CEED problem. However, designing a robust algorithm capable of achieving the Pareto optimal solutions under its multimodality and non-convexity natures caused by valve ripple effects is a true challenge. In this paper, chaos-enhanced multi-objective tunicate swarm algorithm (CMOTSA) for CEED problem. To promote the exploration and exploitation abilities of the basic tunicate swarm algorithm (TSA), an exponential strategy based on chaotic logistic map (ESCL) is incorporated. Based on ESCL in CMOTSA, it can improve the possibility of diversification feature to search different areas within the solution space, and then, gradually with the progress of iterative process it converts to emphasize the intensification ability. The efficacy of CMOTSA is approved by applying it to some of multi-objective benchmarking functions which have different Pareto front characteristics including convex, discrete, and non-convex. The inverted generational distance (IGD) and generational distance (GD) are employed to assess the robustness and the good quality of CMOTSA against some successful algorithms. Additionally, the computational time is evaluated, the CMOTSA consumes less time for most functions. The CMOTSA is applied to one of the practical engineering problems such as combined economic and emission dispatch (CEED) with including the valve ripples. By using three different systems (IEEE 30-bus with 6 generators system, 10 units system and IEEE 118-bus with 14 generating units), the methodology validation is made. It can be stated for the large-scale case of 118-bus systems that the results of the CMOTSA are equal to 8741.3 $/h for the minimum cost and 2747.6 ton/h for the minimum emission which are very viable to others. It can be pointed out that the cropped results of the proposed CMOTSA based methodology as an efficient tool for CEED is proven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasingly strict regulations for the energy-saving and emission-reduction technology of ships, minimizing fuel cost and thus reducing the carbon intensity index (CII) is one of the most critical issues in the design and operation of merchant ships. More recently, many wind-assisted devices, such as rotors, wind sails, etc., have been investigated and designed to utilize renewable wind energy. With the equipment of wind-assisted rotors, the optimization of ship routes becomes more important because the effect of this wind-assisted device highly depends on the local wind field along the shipping route. In this paper, an improved ship weather routing framework based on the A* algorithm has been proposed to determine the optimal ship route and ship operations with wind-assisted rotors. The proposed framework effectively utilizes different sources of data, including ship design, weather forecasting and historical sailing information, to produce a better estimation of fuel consumption under the effect of sea states. Several improvements on the classic A* algorithm, including directed searching and three-dimensional extension, are proposed to improve the routing effect and efficiency. Finally, the proposed method was applied to test cases of a VLCC operating from China to the Middle East and the results show that the total fuel consumption could be reduced compared to the minimum distance route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to vast territory and disparate regional energy varieties and efficiency in China, the spatial and temporal distribution of CO2 emissions in regions is quite different. But the formulation of previous carbon reduction policies was mainly based on national or provincial emissions data, lacking of refined scale data. This paper first collected Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) night light datasets from 1992 to 2013 and constructed a CO2 emissions inversion estimation model. Then, the spatiotemporal dynamics were analyzed by global and local spatial autocorrelation methods. Findings are as follows: (1) Total CO2 emissions in the Yangtze River Delta showed an overall growth trend from 396 million tons in 1992 to 1.825 billion tons in 2013, with an average annual growth rate of 17.18%. (2) The relatively slow growth accounted for the highest proportion in five growth types of CO2 emissions and were mainly concentrated in the underdeveloped southwestern regions of the Yangtze River Delta. The rapid-growth were agglomerated in the eastern coast areas. (3) Hot spots and sub-hot spots were concentrated in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Ningbo. Cold spots and sub-cold spots included southwest part of Anhui and Zhejiang. The findings provided a decision-making basis for mitigating CO2 emissions more reasonably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has made the decarbonization of the different domestic economies a widely accepted and urgent priority. Yet, this is a very challenging task in a largely uncharted territory. In this context, in this paper, we address the issue of energy taxation reform with an environmental focus in Portugal. We do so using a multi-sector and multi-household dynamic computable general equilibrium model of the Portuguese economy. We analyze the environmental, macroeconomic, and distributional effects of different policies replacing current energy taxation with carbon taxation and, then, extend the carbon taxation to the levels necessary to achieve the IPCC 2018 emissions reduction targets. Our analysis indicates a clear path in the quest for decarbonization. First, replace energy taxes with a carbon tax; second, adopt the levels of carbon taxation necessary to achieve the emissions goals; third, use extra tax revenues from the carbon tax to reverse any potential adverse macroeconomic and distributional effects of carbon taxation. In the process, this would be a way around the pervasive problem of perverse fossil fuel subsidies, which would effectively disappear and, as such, would improve the efficiency of the tax system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a kind of common nitrogen pollutants, ammonia seriously pollutes water and soil environments and threatens human health. The treatment of water contaminated with ammonia was carried out in an electrochemical-adsorption system (ECAS). This paper discusses the capacity, kinetics, and mechanism of ammonia electrosorption, which is accurately described by a pseudo-first-order model, indicating that physical adsorption is the dominating mechanism. A high adsorption capacity of 4.086 mg N/g was attributed to the formation of a large number of adsorption sites and the highly acidic nature of dealumination of zeolites during electrolysis. Fast directional migration of ammonia in the electric field weakened the negative effect of boundary layer on adsorption and accelerated adsorption procedure. Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller measurements and scanning electron microscopy indicated that the formation of new channels and surface erosion, which resulted in a large surface area and pore volume of zeolites and a low resistance towards ion migration. As a whole, this study achieved efficient ammonia removal without the addition of chemical reagents to avoid secondary pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding ways to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius is urgent and will need a portfolio of solutions. Seaweeds are marine photosynthetic organisms that humans harvest either from the wild or farm, to be used in many applications and providing various ecosystem services. Large scale farming of seaweeds for absorbing carbon has lately been promoted as a climate "fix". The major shortcomings of this argument relate to the idea that a carbon sink function should exist through carbon accumulation in seaweed biomass simultaneously as seaweeds are consumed as food by humans, fed to animals, or used in many alternative applications. This carbon instead enters the fast carbon cycle and does not provide any "carbon sink" function. Radical suggestions of intentionally transfer of farmed seaweeds to the deep-sea to accomplish a longer removal are highly questionable from feasibility, economic, ecosystem effects and ethical resource use perspectives. Development of "ocean forests" for carbon capturing through farming should not be compared to forests on land as these provide carbon removal from the atmosphere at sufficiently long time scales to be qualified as carbon sequestration - thus making a difference related to reducing atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Seaweeds can, however, play a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the overall food system through carbon offset - i.e. if replacing food, feed, and/or materials that have larger carbon footprints. The fate/cycling of carbon as particulate and dissolved matter from both farmed and wild seaweeds, are however not fully understood, especially with respect to pathways and time scales relevant for carbon removal/storage. Another potential pathway for their role in decarbonization may be through reducing enteric methane emissions from ruminants and also through bioenergy production. More research is, however, needed for understanding the contributions from such interventions. Presenting seaweed farming as a quick fix for the climate risks facilitating misdirected investments (for carbon abatement solutions) and reducing demand for specific research and technological development that will be needed for increasing our understanding about seaweeds' contribution to food/feed systems and additional sustainability services and benefits. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2022.2048792. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon economy has become a topic of great concern to the international community. Sea level rise caused by climate change, flood disasters, biodiversity reduction, global famine, and other issues have begun to threaten the normal survival of human beings, and the climate problem needs to be solved urgently. While ensuring rapid economic development, in order to better control the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions, this paper, based on the theory of low-carbon economy, takes control of total carbon emissions for low-carbon economic development, as a perspective, and selects the optimization for the development of low-carbon economy. From the aspects of structural emission reduction technology and emission reduction, a carbon emission control optimization index system for low-carbon economic development based on total carbon emission control is constructed. Under the framework of the index system, construct an optimization model for the total amount of carbon emissions in a low-carbon economy and use the BP neural network model to seek the balance point between economic development, energy consumption, and carbon emissions so as to promote the rational and scientific development of the low-carbon economy. Planning and development. First of all, on the premise of maintaining the same economic growth rate, the optimization plan will reduce carbon emissions. Secondly, on the premise of keeping the cost of energy consumption unchanged, it is more reasonable to adjust the energy consumption structure. Taking the optimization plan as the suggestion for the development direction of the low-carbon economy, it provides scientific and feasible technical support for achieving the emission reduction target of reducing the unit greenhouse gas emission to 40%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The framework of this paper is the study of gas treatments (NOx abatement) by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure. To investigate the impact of various solutions for electrical energy injection on the treatment process, two diagnostic methods are considered to evaluate the discharging ratio on the reactor surface: an image processing method and a DBD equivalent circuit analysis, both presented in this paper. For the image analysis, the discharge area is first translated into gray levels, then segmented using the Otsu's method in order to perform the discharging ratio diagnostic. The equivalent circuit approach, derived from the classical Manley's diagram analysis, includes the behavior of the part of the reactor in which no discharge is happening. The identification of its parameters is used to estimate the discharging ratio, which evaluates the percentage of the reactor surface covered by the discharge. Experimental results with specifically developed power supplies are presented: they show a good agreement between the two methods. To allow a quantitative comparison of the discharge uniformity according to the operating conditions, the statistical analysis of gray level distribution is performed: non-uniform discharges with intense energy channels are shown to be clearly distinguished from more diffuse ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimates of the environmental impacts of constructing and operating buildings are critical for improving the sustainability of construction. To identify the best design, a holistic approach is necessary, considering emissions, energy use, direct costs, potential earthquake costs, etc. Accordingly, this paper addresses a multitude of lifecycle impacts associated with the manufacturing, construction, operations, damage, and demolition of buildings. All impacts are translated into a common utility, measured in dollars. A collection of cost models is developed, and detailed building models are created from BIM, i.e., building information modelling. A comprehensive analysis is conducted for a six-story building. Results show that the steel material option results in the lowest construction cost. The wood option results in the lowest cost of emissions, while the concrete option contributes the most to climate change. Earthquake damage accounts for about 3% of the total expected cost, but the worst-case earthquake cost exceeds the building value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, threats to humankind as driven by the emissions of different greenhouse gases (GHGs) including carbon dioxide (CO2), is becoming a great concern to deal with the vagaries of climate. Plantation ecotypes with greater carbon(C) sink capability are leading among the potential abatement strategies for sequestration of terrestrial C. The present investigation emphasizes on total C stock and litter C status under 13 years old Swietenia macrophylla (Mahogany) pure plantation in Terai belt of West Bengal, India. Stratified tree technique was adopted to estimate the above ground biomass through non-destructive method whereas quadrate method of sampling was followed for estimating leaf litter. The present investigation showed that the total above ground biomass (AGB) of the plantation was 179.73 Mg ha−1 including 95.02 Mg ha−1 (52.83%) shared by stem and in other hand the branch contributed 55.37 Mg ha−1 (30.81%) and the remaining 29.34 Mg ha−1 (16.32%) by leaves. The below ground (root) biomass (BGB) was assessed to be 53.91 Mg ha−1. The biosphere part recorded C was 109.81 Mg ha−1, comprising the total C of AGB and BGB of 84.47 Mg ha−1 and 25.34 Mg ha−1, respectively. Soil C stock (at 0–60 cm) of 40.36 Mg ha−1 comprised 25.30 Mg ha−1 at 0–20 cm followed by 10.46 Mg ha−1 at 20–40 cm and 4.60 Mg ha−1 at 40–60 cm depth, respectively. The total litter production was 6.92 Mg ha−1 yr−1 in 2016–17 and 8.39 Mg ha−1 yr−1 in 2017–18, respectively. The amount of total C storage of plantation was observed to be 150.17 Mg ha−1, comprising 109.81 Mg ha−1 in biosphere and 40.36 Mg ha−1 in soil. The litter C stock of 3.48 Mg ha−1, was excluded from the ecosystem carbon budgeting (ECB), because it acts as a transitional between lithosphere and biosphere. Conclusively, the mahogany-based plantation is not only remunerative to the farmers but also provisions significant improvement in soil fertility along with C sequestration which deploys a crucial part in the sustainable maintenance of the ecosystem in addition to providing a guideline for ECB of the plantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving ambitious climate targets, such as the 1.5 °C goal, demands significant financial commitment. While technical feasibility exists, the economic implications of delayed action and differing scenarios remain unclear. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the investment attractiveness and economic risks/benefits of different climate scenarios through a novel emissions cost budgeting model. A simplified model is developed using five global scenarios: announced policies (type 1 and 2), 2.0 °C, and 1.5 °C. A unit marginal abatement cost estimated the monetary value of avoided and unavoided emissions costs for each scenario. Net present value (NPV) and cost–benefit index (BI) were then calculated to compare the scenario attractiveness of the global emission budgets. The model was further applied to emissions budgets for China, the USA, India, and the European Union (EU). Increasing discount rates and gross domestic product (GDP) led to emission increases across all scenarios. The 1.5 °C scenario achieved the lowest emissions, while the baseline scenario showed the highest potential emissions growth (between 139.48% and 146.5%). Therefore, emphasis on the need for further financial commitment becomes important as the emissions' abatement cost used as best case was estimated at USD 2.4 trillion per unit of 1 Gtons CO2 equivalent (eq.). Policy delays significantly impacted NPV and BI values, showcasing the time value of investment decisions. The model's behavior aligns with real-world observations, including GDP growth influencing inflation and project costs. The simplified model could be coupled to existing integrated assessment frameworks or models (IAMs) as none offer cost–benefit analysis of climate scenarios to the best of our knowledge. Also, the model may be used to examine the economic attractiveness of carbon reduction programs in various nations, cities, and organizations. Thus, the model and analytical approach presented in this work indicate promising applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the depollution activity of a photocatalytic cementitious composite comprising various compositions of n-TiO2 and CaCO3. The photocatalytic activity of the CaCO3–TiO2 composite material is assessed for the aqueous photodegradation efficiency of MB dye solution and NOx under UV light exposure. The catalyst CaCO3–TiO2 exhibits the importance of an optimal balance between CaCO3 and n-TiO2 for the highest NOx removal of 60% and MB dye removal of 74.6%. The observed trends in the photodegradation of NOx removal efficiencies suggest a complex interplay between CaCO3 and TiO2 content in the CaCO3–n-TiO2 composite catalysts. This pollutant removal efficiency is attributed to the synergistic effect between CaCO3 and n-TiO2, where a higher percentage of n-TiO2 appeared to enhance the photocatalytic activity. It is recommended that CaCO3–TiO2 photocatalysts are effectiveness in water and air purification, as well as for being cost-effective construction materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as an imperative decarbonization technology relies on the sealing capacity of a fine‐grained caprock to permanently store CO2 deep underground. Uncertainties in assessing the caprock sealing capacity increase with the spatial and temporal scales and may delay CCS deployment at the gigatonne scale. We have developed a computationally efficient transport model to capture the dynamics of basin‐wide upward CO2 migration in a multi‐layered setting over geological time scales. We find that massive capillary breakthrough and viscous flow of CO2, even through pervasively fractured caprocks, are unlikely to occur and compromise the storage security. Potential leakage from the injection reservoir is hampered by repetitive layering of overlying caprocks. This finding agrees with geologic intuition and should be understandable by the public, contributing to the development of climate policies around this technology with increased confidence that CO2 will be indefinitely contained in the subsurface. Plain Language Summary: Massive and timely deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at the gigatonne scale is a critical component of the majority of pathways toward reaching the Paris Agreement emissions abatement targets to mitigate climate change. Although CCS has been successfully deployed at multiple sites around the world, concerns about long‐term containment, especially for gigatonne‐scale storage, are causing uncertainty about the ability of geological layers to permanently store CO2 underground. This uncertainty is delaying the widespread deployment of CCS. This paper focuses on assessing the possibility of basin‐wide CO2 leakage through a typical multi‐layered geological setting with a sequence of aquifers and fine‐grained caprocks (e.g., shales). Numerical transport models, constrained by hydraulic properties of intact and pervasively fractured caprocks (as the best‐ and worst‐case scenarios, respectively), enable us to draw unambiguous limits on the CO2 leakage rates over previously unexplored temporal and spatial scales. We show that CO2 leakage to shallow sediments in both extreme scenarios is quite unlikely and the injected CO2 will be contained in the subsurface over millions of years. These findings should offer confidence to industrial developers, policy‐makers, investors, and most importantly, the public that CCS provides a secure and environmentally sound carbon removal option. Key Points: We develop a numerical transport model to understand the long‐term fate of CO2 in gigatonne‐scale geologic carbon storageCO2 leakage is dominated by molecular diffusion at inherently slow rates, hardly approaching a meter per several thousands of yearsThe long‐term potential for CO2 leakage from a multi‐layered system is low, making geologic storage a secure decarbonization technology [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In markets with strict emission legislations Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) has become the industry standard for NO x abatement in heavy-duty vehicles, and therefore modeling and control of these systems are vital. Many SCR catalyst models are available in the literature and in this paper different models are discussed and classified into groups. Two models, based on the two most popular classes for control-oriented models, are implemented and compared with each other, one based on the continuously stirred-tank reactor approximation, and the other on a quasi-static behavior of the gas phase. The results show that assuming a quasi-static behavior of the gas phase in the catalyst gives better results in terms of accuracy and simulation time, especially when it comes to predictions of ammonia slip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how enhanced flexibility across space, time, and a regulatory dimension affects the economic costs and CO 2 emissions of integrating large shares of intermittent renewable energy from wind and solar. We develop a numerical model which resolves hourly dispatch and investment choices among heterogeneous energy technologies and natural resources in interconnected wholesale electricity markets, cross-country trade (spatial flexibility), energy storage (temporal flexibility), and tradable green quotas (regulatory flexibility). Taking the model to the data for the case of Europe's system of interconnected electricity markets, we find that the appropriate combination of flexibility can bring about substantial gains in economic efficiency, reduce costs (up to 13.8%) and lower CO 2 emissions (up to 51.2%). Regulatory flexibility is necessary to realize most of the maximum possible benefits. We also find that gains from increased flexibility are unevenly distributed and that some countries incur welfare losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ship's power system is one of the most important systems on board. It is designed for uninterrupted power supply to all ship consumers under different conditions of exploitation. When designing a ship, various optimizations are conducted to build the ship as economically and environmentally friendly as possible. The paper aims to analyze the possibility of applying renewable energy sources (RES), particularly solar and wind energy, on an existing vessel by conducting technical and economic analysis. Data for the solar hour's number and wind distribution are gathered from the six locations in the Adriatic Sea over 32 years period. Firstly, it was investigated if data were position dependent or independent. Performing a Pearson correlation coefficient and an ANOVA analysis with F-test, it was concluded that the RES analysis is position-independent (p > 0.05, p = 0.826). Secondly, the energy system model created in Simulink was used for the analysis of the electrical network fundamental parameters. Finally, the object of the analysis is the total costs of procurement, installation, and maintenance of the system within a period of 25 years. Consequences are savings in the cost of exploitation and reduction of harmful gas emissions. The use of solar energy would result in savings of 111,556 L of diesel fuel, while the savings from wind energy would be 170,274 L of diesel fuel for 25 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper is devoted to the intensification of processes for nitrate removal. First, the developments of microfluidic sensors for nitrate detection and analysis have addressed. Second, the process variables of photocatalytic nitrate removal have been categorized according to their relationship with activity, selectivity and stability of the catalyst. The objective of this classification is to generate guidelines toward the photocatalytic process optimization. Third, because of the fact that a single method for nitrate removal faces some challenges, hybrid methods have been presented, and the best choice for nitrate removal can be referred to as photocatalytic – reverse osmosis method. Finally, brine management strategies have also been stated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical water splitting is a potential green hydrogen energy generation technique. With the shortage of fresh water, abundant seawater resources should be developed as the main raw material for water electrolysis. However, since the precipitation reaction of chloride ions in seawater will compete with the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and corrode the catalyst, seawater electrolysis is restricted by the decrease in activity, low stability, and selectivity. Rational design and development of efficient and stable catalysts is the key to seawater electrolysis. Herein, a high-activity bimetallic phosphide FeCoP, grown on a reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-protected Ni Foam (NF) substrate using FeCo Prussian Blue Analogue (PBA) as a template, was designed for application in alkaline natural seawater electrolysis. The OER activity confirmed that the formed FeCoP@rGO/NF has high electrocatalytic performance. In 1 M KOH and natural alkaline seawater, the overpotential was only 257 mV and 282 mV under 200 mA cm−2, respectively. It also demonstrated long-term stability up to 200 h. Therefore, this study provides new insight into the application of PBA as a precursor of bimetallic phosphide in the electrolysis of seawater at high current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thailand's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) aims to reduce 20 to 25% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with respect to the projected reference level of NDC in 2030, respectively, in its unconditional and conditional scenarios. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C would require net zero carbon dioxide emissions globally by around 2050. Thailand's current energy system is highly fossil fuel dependent and requires enormous transformations to achieve more stringent GHG emission reduction targets beyond its NDC. This paper seeks to estimate the level and the intensities of Thailand's energy system and their economy-wide effects post-2030 under the business as usual and 16 GHG emission reduction scenarios ranging from 30 to 100% by 2050. A computable general equilibrium analysis using the AIM/Hub model is employed to estimate the macroeconomic impacts of meeting the unconditional and conditional emission reductions of Thailand's NDC in 2030 along with varying GHG emission reductions in 2050. Results show that renewables – constituting solar, wind, biomass and hydro and carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies account for more than 95% in the power generation mix by 2050, if 100% GHG emission reduction from the 2010 level is to be achieved. Electricity generation based on biomass both with and without CCS will occupy a major share in the investments by 2050 in all the conditional and unconditional NDC scenarios. A rapid increase in carbon sequestration occurs from 2040 onwards through the deployment of CCS and bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) technologies in all the conditional and unconditional NDC scenarios. Carbon prices lie in the range of 3.4–266.2 US$/tCO2eq during 2025–2050 to achieve 100% GHG emission reductions in 2050. Imposition of early stringent mitigation target lowers the carbon prices in the conditional scenarios towards 2050 when compared to the unconditional scenarios. The rapid uptake of CCS, energy efficiency improvements and electrification of the end-use technologies are identified to be the key measures to transform the energy system of Thailand. By 2050, the Thai economy would face a higher fall in both the GDP and household consumption in the unconditional scenarios than those in the conditional scenarios at all levels of GHG emission reduction. Results indicate that early mitigation efforts can be less costly than the delayed ones in the long-term. The cumulative investment needed to achieve decarbonization in Thailand is estimated to exceed 355 billion US$2005 over the period 2010–2050 in the 100% GHG reduction scenarios. The transmission and distribution investments in the power sector need to increase by 30–35% to attain 100% GHG emission reductions during 2010–2050. The trade deficit improves by up to 23–29% in the various GHG mitigation scenarios in 2050. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combined economic emission dispatch (CEED) problems are among the most crucial problems in electrical power systems. The purpose of the CEED is to plan the outputs of all production units available in the electrical power system in such a way that the cost of fuel and polluted emissions are minimized while respecting the equality and inequality constraints of the system and efficiently responding to the power load required. The rapid depletion of these sources causes limitation and increases the price of fuel. It is therefore very important that scientific research in the last few decades has been oriented toward the integration of renewable energy systems (RES) such as wind and PV as an alternative source. Furthermore, the CEED problem including RES is the most important problem with regard to electrical power field optimization. In this study, a classification of optimization techniques that are widely used, such as traditional methods, non-conventional methods, and hybrid methods, is summarized. Many optimization methods have been presented and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages for solving this complex CEED problem, including renewable energy. A review of different optimization techniques for solving this CEED problem is explored in this present paper. This review will encourage researchers in the future to gain knowledge of the best approaches applicable to solve CEED problems for practical electrical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving low-carbon development of the cement industry in the developing countries is fundamental to global emissions abatement, considering the local construction industry's rapid growth. However, there is currently a lack of systematic and accurate accounting and projection of cement emissions in developing countries, which are characterized with lower basic economic country condition. Here, we provide bottom-up quantifications of emissions from global cement production and reveal a regional shift in the main contributors to global cement CO2 emissions. The study further explores cement emissions over 2020-2050 that correspond to different housing and infrastructure conditions and emissions mitigation options for all developing countries except China. We find that cement emissions in developing countries except China will reach 1.4-3.8 Gt in 2050 (depending on different industrialization trajectories), compared to their annual emissions of 0.7 Gt in 2018. The optimal combination of low-carbon measures could contribute to reducing annual emissions by around 65% in 2050 and cumulative emissions by around 48% over 2020-2050. The efficient technological paths towards a low carbon future of cement industry vary among the countries and infrastructure scenarios. Our results are essential to understanding future emissions patterns of the cement industry in the developing countries and can inform policies in the cement sector that contribute to meeting the climate targets set out in the Paris Agreement. The rapid deployment of low-carbon measures is urgently needed to reduce cement emissions as cement CO2 emissions from developing countries will almost deplete the remaining cement emissions budget within climate targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, advanced technologies have been developed to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The fact that the building envelope causes energy losses of up to 73% leads to the search for the right solutions in the design of building systems. Providing human comfort in interiors with current design strategies would decrease the need for using active systems and bring along energy gains. As a result, less fuel will be consumed, and fewer emissions will be generated, contributing to a healthier environment on a global scale. In the scope of this study it is aimed to evaluate different facade applications on a reference building for three provinces located in different climate zones, which are Karabük, Konya, and Mersin in Turkey. In addition, façade scenarios in the direction of east-west and north-south axes were evaluated to determine the energy waste or gains caused by orientation. The scenarios were analyzed considering heating-cooling energy demand, thermal comfort, carbon emissions, and payback periods. REVIT and Design Builder were used for 3D modeling and simulations. Results indicated that an opaque ventilated wall is the most advantageous scenario for the Mediterranean climate zone in all parameters. This façade system performs better than the others in reducing carbon emissions and saving costs for all the regions. Although the solar chimney makes a significant contribution to the reduction of especially heating loads for all regions, this system is not applicable when the payback period is considered. In terms of thermal comfort, southward orientation minimizes the humidity and temperature fluctuations indoors throughout the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of toxic heavy metals in water bodies is a subject of international concern due to the deleterious effects caused by these contaminants on both humans and the ecosystem. Adsorption is among the most successfully used methods for the abatement of heavy metals from water and low-cost adsorbents are sought after. Coffee waste is generated in ton volumes and its inherent chemical structural groups have elicited interest from researchers to investigate it for developing low-cost adsorbents for heavy metal removal. Functional groups of interest are the dominant carboxyl and hydroxyl groups which have been explored for metal ion binding. In this review, we attempt to correlate the treatment methods (physical (pyrolysis) and chemical) of charred and uncharred adsorbents with adsorption efficiency. The adsorption efficiencies of the different classes of modifications are not clearly distinguishable, which then dwarfs the purpose of surface modification. There have been some studies where excellent adsorption performances were reported, with adsorption capacity reaching 302 mg/g for chromium six but these are very few. The comprehensive comparison data provided in this review shows that more work still needs to be done in extending the adsorption to other metal ions and improving the surface modification reactions to include grafting, crosslinking, and the fabrication of composite materials incorporating nanoparticles other than magnetite to improve the adsorption efficiency as well as analyzing the cost-effectiveness of coffee waste adsorbents. Valorization of coffee wastes for applications in water treatment is reviewed Carboxyl and hydroxyl surface functional groups improve metal adsorption Adsorption capacity as high as 302 mg/g for Cr(VI) has been reported Gaps and recommendations are provided for future research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]