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Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and haze pollution are often thought to have the same origin, the burning of fossil fuels. However, their relationship is not always synergistic and may even exhibit mutual constraints. Carbon-biased technological progress has emerged as a promising approach for simultaneously achieving three goals - to reduce CO2 emissions, alleviate the haze pressure, and keep economic growth. This study empirically investigates the impact and mechanisms of carbon-biased technological progress on carbon haze collaborative governance using data from 286 Chinese cities during 2006-2021. The results indicate that: (1) Carbon biased technological progress positively influences carbon haze collaborative governance. (2) This progress achieves coordination by enhancing element allocation efficiency, carbon efficiency, and responding to public environmental demands. (3) The facilitating role of carbon biased technological progress to carbon haze collaborative governance will work better if external conditions are met. Moreover, the effectiveness of carbon-biased technological progress in promoting coordination is contingent upon high levels of marketization, government intervention, environmental regulation, and technical advancements. Local and regional governments should foster conducive conditions for carbon dioxide and haze pollution coordination, optimize the allocation and flow of carbon resources, ensure harmonization between environmental regulation policies and other sectors, and bolster international cooperation and technical knowledge exchange to collectively address global environmental challenges., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrogen (N 2 ) to value-added products is a substantial area of research in the fields of sustainable chemistry and renewable energy that aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the production of alternative fuels and chemicals. The current work deals with the synthesis of pyrochlore-type europium stannate (Eu 2 Sn 2 O 7 : EuSnO), tungsten disulfide (WS 2 :WS), and novel EuSnO/WS heterostructure by a simple and facile co-precipitation-aided hydrothermal method. Using different methods, the morphological and structural analyses of the prepared samples were characterized. It was confirmed that a heterostructure was formed between the cubic EuSnO and the layered WS. Synthesized materials were used for photocatalytic CO 2 and N 2 reduction under UV and visible light. The amount of CO and CH 4 evolved due to CO 2 reduction is high in EuSnO/WS (CO = 104, CH 4  = 64 μmol h -1 g -1 ) compared to pure EuSnO (CO = 36, CH 4  = 70 μmol h -1 g -1 ) and WS (CO = 22, CH 4  = 1.8 μmol h -1 g -1 ) under visible light. The same trend was observed even in the N 2 fixation reaction under visible light, and the amount of NH 4 + produced was found to be 13, 26, and 41 μmol h -1 g -1 in the presence of WS, EuSnO and EuSnO/WS, respectively. Enhanced light-driven activity towards CO 2 and N 2 reduction reactions in EuSnO/WS is due to the efficient charge separation through the formation of type-II heterostructure, which is in part associated with photocurrent response, photoluminescence, and electrochemical impedence spectroscopic (EIS) results. The EuSnO/WS heterostructure's exceptional stability and reusability may pique the attention of pyrochlore-based composite materials in photocatalytic energy and environmental applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to methane (CH 4 ) is a strategy for sequestering CO 2 . Zero-valent iron (ZVI) has been proposed as an alternative electron donor for the CO 2 reduction to CH 4 . In this study, the effects of ZVI concentrations on the abiotic production of H 2 (without the action of microorganisms) in the first part and on the biological conversion of CO 2 to CH 4 using ZVI as a direct electron donor in the second part were examined. In the abiotic H 2 production, the increase in the ZVI concentration from 16 to 32, 64, and 96 g/L was found to have positive effects on both the amounts of H 2 generated and the rates of H 2 production because the extent of ZVI oxidation positively correlates with increasing surface area. Nevertheless, the increase in ZVI concentration from 96 to 224 g/L did not benefit the H 2 production because the ZVI dissolution was suppressed by the increasing aqueous pH above 10. In the bioconversion of CO 2 to CH 4 using ZVI as an electron donor, the main methanogenesis pathway occurred via hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis at pH 8.7-9.5 driven by the genus Methanobacterium of the class Methanobacteria. At ZVI concentrations of 64 g/L and above, the production of volatile fatty acid (VFA) became clear. Acetate was the main VFA, indicating the induction of homoacetogenesis at ZVI concentrations of 64 g/L and above. In addition, the presence of propionate as the second major VFA suggests the production of propionate from CO 2 and acetate under conditions with high H 2 partial pressure. The results indicated that the pathway for ZVI/CO 2 conversion to CH 4 was competitive between hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and homoacetogenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The hydrogenation of CO 2 to CH 4 has gained considerable interest in terms of sustainable energy and environmental mitigation. In this regard, the present work aims to investigate the adsorptive concentration and CO 2 methanation performance over CoFe and NiFe bimetallic catalysts supported on fumed alumina-silica SA96 support at 170-450 °C and under atmospheric pressure. The catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation method, subjected to calcination and further reduced with hydrogen, and their performance in CO 2 methanation was investigated in a hydrogen-rich 2%CO 2 -55%H 2 -43%He gas mixture. In this study, we describe the crystal and mesoporous structures of the prepared catalysts by in-situ XRD and ex-situ nitrogen adsorption, evaluate the NiFe and CoFe metal surface states before and after catalysis by XPS, visualize the surface morphology by SEM, estimate the catalytic activity by gas chromatography, and investigate the adsorbed surface species, showing the presence of *HCOO/*HCO and *CO intermediates, determine two possible pathways of CH 4 formation on the studied catalysts by temperature-programmed desorption mass spectrometry, and correlate the structural and surface properties with high CO 2 conversions up to 100% and methanation selectivities up to 72%. The latter is related to changes in the elemental chemical states and surface composition of CoFe and NiFe nanocatalysts induced by treatment under reaction conditions, and the surface reconstruction during catalysis transfers the part of active 3d transition metals into the pores of the SA96 support. Our thorough characterization study with complementary techniques allowed us to conclude that this high activity is related to the formation of catalytically active Ni/Ni 3 Fe and Co/CoFeO x nanoscale crystallites under H 2 reduction and their maintenance under CO 2 methanation conditions. The successfully applied combination of CO 2 chemisorption and thermodesorption techniques demonstrates the ability to adsorb the CO 2 molecules by supported NiFe and CoFe nanocatalysts and the pure alumina-silica SA96 support., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The impact of CO 2 fertilization on enhancing global forest gross primary productivity (GPP) is acknowledged, but its interaction with climate factors-air temperature (Tem), precipitation (Pre), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and radiation (Rad)-remains unclear. In this study, global forest GPP trends from 1982 to 2018 were examined using BEPS, NIRv, FLUXCOM, and revised EC-LUE datasets, with interannual trends of 5.618 (p < 0.01), 5.831 (p < 0.01), 0.227, and 6.566 g C m -2 yr -1 (p < 0.01), respectively. Elevated CO 2 was identified as the primary driver of GPP trends, with the dominant area ranging from 51.11% to 90.37% across different GPP datasets. In the NIRv and revised EC-LUE datasets, the positive impact of CO 2 on GPP showed a decrease of 0.222 g C m -2 yr -1 , while the negative impact of Rad increased by 0.007 g C m -2 yr -1 . An inhibitory relationship was found between the actual effects of elevated CO 2 and climate change on GPP in most forest types. At lower latitudes, Tem primarily constrained CO 2 fertilization, while at higher latitudes, VPD emerged as the key limiting factor. This was mainly attributed to the potential trade-off or competition between elevated CO 2 and climate change in influencing GPP, with strategic resource allocation varying across different forest ecosystems. This study highlights the significant inhibitory effects of elevated CO 2 and climate change on global forest GPP, providing insights into the dynamic responses of forest ecosystems to changing environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Environmental pollution has been increasing since last decade due to increasing industrialisation and urbanisation. Various kinds ofenvironmental pollutants including carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), dyes, pharmaceuticals, phenols, heavy metals along with many organic and inorganic species have been discovered in the various environmental compartments which possess harmful impacts tox human health, wildlife, and ecosystems. Thus, various efforts have been made through regulations, technological advancements, and public awareness campaigns to reduce the impact of the pollution. However, finding suitable alternatives to mitigate their impacts remained a challenge. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are one of the advanced materials with unique features such as high porosity and stability which exhibit versatile applications in environmental remediation. Their composites with titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 ) have been discovered to offer potential feature such as light harvesting capacity and catalytic activity. The composite integration and properties have been confirmed through characterization using surface area analysis, scanning electron/transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and others. Thus, this work rigorously discussed potential applications of the MOF@TiO 2 nanomaterials for the CO 2 capture and effective utilization in methanol, ethanol, acetone, acetaldehyde, and other useful products that served as fuel to various industrial processes. Additionally, the work highlights the effective performance of the materials towards photocatalytic degradation of both organic and inorganic pollutants with indepth mechanistic insights. The article will offer significant contribution for the development of sustainable and efficient technologies for the environmental monitoring and pollution mitigation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Anthropogenic influences significantly modify the hydrochemical properties and material flow in riverine ecosystems across Asia, potentially accounting for 40-50% of global emissions. Despite the pervasive impact on Asian rivers, there is a paucity of studies investigating their correlation with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. In this study, we computed the partial pressure of CO 2 (pCO 2 ) using the carbonate equilibria-based model (pCO 2 SYS) and examined its correlation with hydrochemical parameters from historical records at 91 stations spanning 2013-2021 in the Ganga River. The investigation unveiled substantial spatial heterogeneity in the pCO 2 across the Ganga River. The pCO 2 concentration varied from 1321.76 μatm, 1130.98 μatm, and 1174.33 μatm in the upper, middle, and lower stretch, respectively, with a mean of 1185.29 μatm. Interestingly, the upper stretch exhibited elevated mean pCO 2 and FCO 2 levels (fugacity of CO 2 : 3.63 gm 2 d -1 ) compared to the middle and lower stretch, underscoring the intricate interplay between hydrochemistry and CO 2 dynamics. In the context of pCO 2 fluctuations, nitrate concentrations in the upper segment and levels of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO) in the middle and lower segments are emerging as crucial explanatory factors. Furthermore, regression tree (RT) and importance analyses pinpointed biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) as the paramount factor influencing pCO 2 variations across the Ganga River (n = 91). A robust negative correlation between BOD and FCO 2 was also observed. The distinct longitudinal patterns of both parameters may induce a negative correlation between BOD and pCO 2 . Therefore, comprehensive studies are necessitated to decipher the underlying mechanisms governing this relationship. The present insights are instrumental in comprehending the potential of CO 2 emissions in the Ganga River and facilitating riverine restoration and management. Our findings underscore the significance of incorporating South Asian rivers in the evaluation of the global carbon budget., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The mesoporous metal oxide semiconductors exhibit unique chemical and physical characteristics, making them highly desirable for catalysis, electrochemistry, energy conversion, and energy storage applications. Here, we report the facial fabrication of mesoporous gray SnO 2 (MGS) electrocatalysts employing an evaporation-induced co-assembly (EICA) approach, utilizing poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers Pluronic P123 (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymer as a template for electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (eCO 2 RR). By sustaining the co-assembly conditions and utilizing a thermal treatment technique based on carbon, gray mesoporous SnO 2 materials with a high density of active sites and oxygen vacancies can be constructed. The MGS materials were employed in eCO 2 RR in a flow cell type, which exhibits excellent catalytic activity and selectivity toward formate with a high partial current density of -234 mA cm -2 and Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 93.60 % at -1.3 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Interestingly, the mesoporous SnO 2 with a 1.5 wt% ratio of Sn precursor to P123 surfactant (MS-1.5@350N-400A) electrode exhibits a high level of Faradaic efficiency (FE) of (98%) at a low overpotential of -0.6 V RHE , which is a seldom recorded performance for similar systems. A stable FE of 96 ± 1% was observed in the range of -0.6 to -1.2 V RHE , which is the result of a large surface area (184 m 2 /g) and a high number of active sites and oxygen vacancies within the mesostructured framework., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Exploring whether informal environmental regulations (INER) can achieve carbon reduction in the context of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, as well as how to achieve carbon reduction, can help solve the dual failures of the market and government in environmental protection. Based on the polycentric governance theory and considering the characteristics of social subject environmental participation, the Stackelberg game is used to demonstrate the impact mechanism of INER on CO 2 . In addition, using the panel data of China's 30 provinces from 2003 to 2018, this paper validates the effectiveness of INER by Pooled Ordinary Least Square (POLS) and threshold panel model. Then, the mediating effect model is used to test the mechanism of INER's effect on carbon reduction. The results show that corruption is not conducive to CO 2 reduction. The reduction effect of INER on CO 2 exhibits heterogeneity with changes in other non-greenhouse gas pollutants. While INER effectively reduces local corruption, its more substantial indirect impact on CO 2 reduction is prominent when levels of other pollutants are lower. Comparative analysis reveals that there are still biased governance behaviors to cope with INER's pressure in some regions nowadays. The findings show that for countries facing the dual task of pollution control and carbon reduction, the key to leveraging the supervisory role of INER should be focused on mitigating information asymmetry caused by the characteristics of CO 2 . Therefore, in the process of environmental protection, the public environmental participation system should be improved, and the process of disclosing polluters' carbon information should be accelerated., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The digital economy is a crucial focus for realizing the transformation of old and new kinetic energy in China. It is widely integrated with various fields of the economy and society, constantly providing a new dynamic mechanism with synergetic control of environmental pollution and carbon emissions (SCEPCE). Based on panel data from 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021, this study discusses the spatial effects and mechanisms of the digital economy on the coordinated control of pollutants and carbon emissions. The study found that: (1) The digital economy has direct and indirect influences on the coordinated control of pollutants and carbon emissions. The digital economy can drive reductions in pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions by upgrading industrial structures and transforming energy structures. (2) Green innovation plays an active regulatory role in the digital economy and structural optimization, particularly in the context of SCEPCE. This interference helps mitigate the impact of the digital economy on pollution and carbon emissions. (3) The digital economy has a significant spatial spillover effect on the coordinated control of pollutants and carbon emissions. (4) The influence mechanism of the digital economy on pollution reduction and carbon reduction synergy exhibits geographical heterogeneity, resource endowment heterogeneity. To enhance the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, it is essential to bolster support and optimise the digital economy at various levels. This includes reinforcing regional balance, considering spatial spillover effects, and enhancing the leading role of developed cities in the region., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Revealing the magnitude, dynamics, and influencing factors of CO 2 emissions across the water-air interface in karst water with high frequency is crucial for accurately assessing the carbon budget in a karst environment. Due to the limitations of observation methods, the current research is still very insufficient. To solve the above problems and clarify the main influencing factors of CO 2 emission in karst water, this study selected Dalongdong (DLD) Reservoir, located in the typical karst peak and valley area in southwest China, to carry out a multi-parameter high-frequency monitoring study from January to December 2021, and used the thin boundary model method to estimate the CO 2 flux across the water-air interface (CF). The average annual flux of DLD reservoir is 84.48 mmol·(m 2 ·h) -1 , which represents a CO 2 source overall. However, during the stratification period in August, there is a transient carbon sink due to negative CO 2 emission. The alteration of thermal stratification in water is crucial in regulating the seasonal variation of CF. Meanwhile, the diurnal variation is significantly influenced by changes in hydrochemical parameters during the thermal stratification stage. Compared to low wind speeds (<3 m/s), high wind speeds (≥3 m/s) have a greater impact on the CO 2 flux. Furthermore, high-frequency continuous data revealed that the reservoir triggered a CO 2 pulse emission during the turnover process, primarily at night, leading to unusually high CO 2 flux values. It is of great significance to monitor and reveal the process, flux, and control factors of CO 2 flux in land water at a high-frequency strategy. They will help improve the accuracy of regional or watershed carbon budgets and clarify the role of global land water in the global carbon budget., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study addresses critical gaps in supply chain management (SCM) by integrating emission-risk minimization (ERM), green purchasing (GP), and profit maximization (PM). The research focuses on the optimal behaviors of manufacturers, agents, and retailers within the SCM framework to achieve carbon neutrality and reduce carbon dioxide emissions (CO 2 e). This study considers Guangdong province, China, a region facing challenges in optimizing energy systems and meeting CO 2 e reduction targets. Simulation-based optimization techniques within mathematical models are employed. A design of experiment (DOE) method was used to explore the dynamics of key variables in the SCM environment. Results reveal optimal behaviors for manufacturers, agents, and retailers, demonstrating the ideal values for profit and pricing decisions. Manufacturers optimize production quantity, achieving CO2e reduction and PM through ERM. Agents exhibit a strong commitment to GP practices, enhancing PM and carbon-neutral goals. Retailers get more PM than manufacturers and agents, contributing to a clean environment. Interestingly, retailers make contributions to the clean environment without considering ERM and GP in SCM. The study contributes novel insights by addressing the identified gap in SCM research, emphasizing the joint consideration of ERM, GP, and PM. This research assists manufacturers, agents, and retailers in terms of PM for economic objectives. It cleans the environment through carbon-neutral SCM in society., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jafar Hussain reports was provided by Nanchang Institute of Technology. Chien Chiang lee reports a relationship with Nanchang University that includes:. Data availability statement: Data are available from the authors upon reasonable request. Declaration of competing interest: None. Ethical approval: This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. Funding: All authors are grateful to the National Social Science Foundation Key Project of China for financial support through Grant No: 22AJL004, National Natural Science Fund of China (Grant No: 71831005), and Shenzhen Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences (Grant No: P191001). This research is supported by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (Grant No: KCXST20221021111404010) and Shenzhen Humanities & Social Sciences Key Research Bases (Grant No: KP191001). If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The advancement in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sequestration technology has received significant attention due to the adverse effects of CO 2 on climate. The mitigation of the adverse effects of CO 2 can be accomplished through its conversion into useful products or renewable fuels. In this regard, microalgae is a promising candidate due to its high photosynthesis efficiency, sustainability, and eco-friendly nature. Microalgae utilizes CO 2 in the process of photosynthesis and generates biomass that can be utilized to produce various valuable products such as supplements, chemicals, cosmetics, biofuels, and other value-added products. However, at present microalgae cultivation is still restricted to producing value-added products due to high cultivation costs and lower CO 2 sequestration efficiency of algal strains. Therefore, it is very crucial to develop novel techniques that can be cost-effective and enhance microalgal carbon sequestration efficiency. The main aim of the present manuscript is to explain how to optimize microalgal CO 2 sequestration, integrate valuable product generation, and explore novel techniques like genetic manipulations, phytohormones, quantum dots, and AI tools to enhance the efficiency of CO 2 sequestration. Additionally, this review provides an overview of the mass flow of different microalgae and their biorefinery, life cycle assessment (LCA) for achieving net-zero CO 2 emissions, and the advantages, challenges, and future perspectives of current technologies. All of the reviewed approaches efficiently enhance microalgal CO 2 sequestration and integrate value-added compound production, creating a green and economically profitable process., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The advancement and engineering of novel crystalline materials is facilitated through the utilization of innovative porous crystalline structures, established via KOH-treated monolithic graphene oxide frameworks. These materials exhibit remarkable and versatile characteristics for both functional exploration and applications within the realm of CO 2 capture. In this comprehensive study, we have synthesized monolithic reduced graphene oxide-based adsorbents through a meticulous self-assembly process involving different mass ratios of GO/malic acid (MaA) (1:0.250, 1:0.500, and 1:1 by weight). Building upon this foundation, we further modified MGO 0.250 through KOH-treatment by chloroacetic acid method, leading to the creation of MGO 0.250&#95;KOH, which was subjected to CO 2 capture assessments. The comprehensive investigation encompassed an array of parameters including morphology, specific surface area, crystal defects, functional group identification, and CO 2 capture efficiency. Employing a combination of FT-IR, XRD, Raman, BET, SEM, HR-TEM, and XPS techniques, the study revealed profound insights. Particularly notable was the observation that the MGO 0.250&#95;KOH adsorbent exhibited an exceptional CO 2 capture performance, leading to a significant enhancement of the CO 2 capture capacity from 1.69 mmol g -1 to 2.35 mmol g -1 at standard conditions of 25 °C and 1 bar pressure. This performance enhancement was concomitant with an augmentation in surface area, elevating from 287.93 to 419.75 m 2  g -1 (a nearly 1.5-fold increase compared to MGO 1.000 with a surface area of 287.93 m 2  g -1 ). The monolithic adsorbent demonstrated a commendable production yield of 82.92%, along with an impressive regenerability of 98.80% at 100 °C. Additionally, adsorbent's proficiency in CO 2 adsorption, rendering it a promising candidate for post-combustion CO 2 capture applications. These findings collectively underscore the capacity adsorbents to significantly amplify CO 2 capture capabilities. The viability of employing this strategy as an uncomplicated pre-treatment technique in various industrial sectors is a plausible prospect, given the study's outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A series of adsorbents (activated carbons, ACs) were synthesized by physical and chemical activation of olive stones (OS) and their textural and chemical characteristics determined by complementary techniques such as N 2 and CO 2 physisorption, pH of the point zero of charge (pH PZC ), HRSEM or XPS. Samples with a wide range of physicochemical properties were obtained by fitting the activation procedure. The performance of these adsorbents in filters working under dynamic conditions was studied by determining the corresponding breakthrough curves for the ethylene removal. The physicochemical transformations of OS during activation were related with the adsorptive performance of derivative ACs. Results were compared to those obtained using commercial carbons, in particular ACs, carbon black or carbon fibers, in order to identify the properties of these materials on influencing the adsorptive performance. In general, ACs from OS perform better than the commercial samples, being also easily regenerated and properly used during consecutive adsorption cycles. CO 2 -activation showed to be the best synthesis option, leading to granular ACs with a suitable microporosity and surface chemistry. These results could favour the integration of this type of inexpensive materials on devices for the preservation of climacteric fruits, in a clear example of circular economy by reusing the agricultural residues., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Within the syngas production from biomass gasification, tar removal constitutes a chief issue to overcome for advanced catalytic systems. This work investigates the performance of Ni and Ni-K catalysts for reforming of derived-biomass producer gas using toluene as model tar. At 750 °C and 60Lg -1 h -1 , the stability test (70 h) revealed stable performances (CO 2 , CH 4 and C 7 H 8 conversions of 60, 95 and 100%, correspondingly) uniquely for the Ni-K catalyst. Although the efficient protection towards coking let by K was demonstrated, TPO studies over the post-reacted systems still evidenced the presence of carbon deposits for both samples. Conducting three successive reaction/regeneration cycles with different gasifying agents (air, steam and CO 2 ) at 800 °C for 1h, the capability towards regeneration of both catalytic systems was assessed and the spent catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. While none of the regeneration treatments recovered the performance of the unpromoted catalyst, the Ni-K catalysts demonstrated the capability of being fully regenerated by air and CO2 and exhibited analogous catalytic performances after a series of reaction/regeneration cycles. Hence, it is proved that the addition of K into Ni catalysts not only enhances the resistance against deactivation but enables rather facile regenerative procedures under certain atmospheres (air and CO 2 )., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The existing literature has extensively examined the impact of green innovations, such as patents, on pollution and carbon emissions. However, there has been comparatively less emphasis on the debt financing of green innovation by using patents as collateral. This oversight may have implications for the realization of pollution and carbon emissions reduction goals. Using a natural experiment based on the patent pledge pilot policy in China, this study investigates the impact of patent pledge on pollution and carbon emissions. We find that a significant reduction in the emissions of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide attributable to the patent pledge pilot policy, particularly in cities with lower initial green patent rates, and these results still hold after an array of robustness checks. We show that the encouragement of green innovation and the stimulation of environmental entrepreneurship are the mechanisms underlying these emission reduction effects. Furthermore, our analysis indicates that the impact of patent pledges on emission reduction is more pronounced in cities characterized by higher levels of government-reported environmental concern, public engagement in environmentally related searches, pollution information transparency indices, and green development evaluation indices., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the present work, the construction, and operation of a pilot-scale biogas upgrading system is presented, employing 2 commercial polyimide (PI) membranes. The Upgrading system treats biogas produced via anaerobic digestion of the sludge, produced from the treatment of municipal wastewater in the facilities of Thessaloniki's Wastewater Treatment Plant. The goal of the separation unit is the production of high purity biomethane (>95%) for potential reuse in terms of energy. The fabrication of the pilot scale system includes the scale up of a laboratory setup separating CO 2 from binary CH 4 -CO 2 gas mixture. After the stability tests of the process, for the operation of 5 months (February to June 2023) the purity and recovery of CH 4 in the final gas product. The experimental results showed an average recovery of CH 4 of 95.7% for an average 55% feed composition, whereas the average purity in the final product was equal to 82.4%. The purity results were lower because of the N 2 presence in the product stream (average 17.5%). After normalization with the help of the lab-scale binary results, the expected results assuming N 2 absence would be 99.8% CH 4 purity and 67% CH 4 recovery. Finally, 3 different membrane configurations are compared in terms of their energy production, concluding to the efficiency of 2-stage configuration with recycling stream for the optimal combination of theoretical stage cut fractions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Environmental changes such as seasonality, decadal oscillation, and anthropogenic forcing may shape the dynamics of lower trophic-level organisms. In this study, 9-years (2010-2018) of monitoring data on microscopic protists such as diatoms and dinoflagellates, and environmental variables were analyzed to clarify the relationships between plankton and local/synoptic environmental changes. We found that time-series temperature increased in May, whereas it decreased in August and November. Nutrients (e.g., phosphate) decreased in May, remained unchanged in August, and increased in November from 2010 to 2018. The partial pressure of CO 2 increased in May, August, and November over time. It is notable that the change in seawater temperature (-0.54 to 0.32 °C per year) and CO 2 levels (3.6-5.7 μatm CO 2 per year) in the latest decade in the eastern Tsugaru Strait were highly dynamic than the projected anthropogenic climate change. Protist abundance generally increased or stayed unchanged during the examined period. In August and November, when cooling and decreases in pH occurred, diatoms such as Chaetoceros subgenus Hyalochaete spp. and Rhizosoleniaceae temporally increased from 2010 to 2018. During the study period, we found that locally aquacultured scallops elevated soft tissue mass relative to the total weight as diatom abundance increased, and the relative scallop soft tissue mass was positively related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation index. These results indicate that decadal climatic forcing in the ocean modifies the local physical and chemical environment, which strongly affects phytoplankton dynamics rather than the effect of anthropogenic climate change in the eastern Tsugaru Strait., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study assessed the photoactivity of amorphous and crystalline TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TNA) films in gas phase CO 2 reduction. The TNA photocatalysts were fabricated by titanium anodization and submitted to an annealing treatment for crystallization and/or cathodic reduction to introduce Ti 3+ and oxygen vacancies into the TiO 2 structure. The cathodic reduction demonstrated a significant effect on the generated photocurrent. The photoactivity of the four TNA catalysts in CO 2 reduction with water vapor was evaluated under UV irradiation for 3 h, where CH 4 and H 2 were detected as products. The annealed sample exhibited the best performance towards methane with a production rate of 78 μmol g cat -1 h -1 , followed by the amorphous film, which also exhibited an impressive formation rate of 64 μmol g cat -1 h -1 . The amorphous and reduced-amorphous films exhibited outstanding photoactivity regarding H 2 production (142 and 144 μmol g cat -1 h -1 , respectively). The annealed catalyst also revealed a good performance for H 2 production (132 μmol g cat -1 h -1 ) and high stability up to five reaction cycles. Molecular dynamic simulations demonstrated the changes in the band structure by introducing oxygen vacancies. The topics covered in this study contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), involving affordable and clean energy (SDG#7) and industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG#9)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study investigates the synergistic role of carbon dioxide nanobubbles (CNBs) and biochar (BC) on seed germination, plant growth, and soil quality, employing Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and Phaseolus vulgaris (beans) as test plant species. CNBs, generated and dispersed in both distilled water (DW) and tap water (TW), exhibited distinct characteristics, with TW-CNBs being larger and more stable (peak values of around 18.17 nm and 299.5 nm, zeta potential (ZP) of -5.91 mV), while DW-CNBs have peak values of around 1.63 nm and 216.1 nm, ZP of -3.23 mV. The results suggest CNBs enhance seed germination by upto 20%. CNBs in BC amended soil further promoted plant height and leaf number. CNBs increased dissolved CO 2 levels to 2-24 ppm within 40 min, while BC enriched soil organic carbon from 19.20 to 24.96 ppm in beans and 18.33 to 22.35 ppm in tomatoes. The pH levels decreased from 7.68 to 3.78 for TW-CNBs and from 7.41 to 2.13 for DW-CNBs. Additionally, the electrical conductivity (EC) decreased from 112.1 to 99.6 for TW-CNBs, while it increased from 4.15 to 32.1 for DW-CNBs. Together they significantly increased soil available phosphorus and potassium to 4.03-8.06 and 3.58-7.16 kg ha -1 ; and 5.67-55.74 and 17.57-43.79 kg ha -1 in bean and tomato, respectively. Variations in nutrient concentrations were observed, with substantial increase in Na (16.27% and 6.58%), Zn (3.39% and 0.46%), and Mg (5.05% and 1.44%) content for beans and tomatoes, respectively. Structural equation model and principal component analysis revealed differences between CNB and BC treated soils, highlighting positive impact on soil quality and plant growth compared to control. Integration of CNBs and BC presents a multifaceted approach to enhance soil quality and promote plant growth, offering promising solutions for sustainable agriculture and environmental management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interestsor personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Energy transition policies are of great significance in adjusting the structure of energy supply and demand and coping with climate change. The new energy demonstration city pilot (NEDCP) policy, as an important pilot project in China's energy transition process, lacks a scientific assessment of the carbon reduction effect of the NEDCP policy and an in-depth explanation of the mechanism of the NEDCP. Based on panel data of 209 Chinese cities at the prefectural and higher levels from 2007 to 2019, this study takes the NEDCP policy as a quasi-natural experiment, using a difference-in-differences model combined with firm-level data to identify the impact of the NEDCP policy on urban carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. This study analyzes the impact of heterogeneity of urban characteristics on the policy effect from multiple perspectives, and further investigates its mechanism. The conclusions are shown in the following aspects. (1) The implementation of the NEDCP policy decreases urban CO 2 emissions significantly. Meanwhile, a series of robustness tests, including the instrumental variables method, propensity score matching difference-in-differences method, placebo test, exclusion of policy interference test, and machine learning method, support this conclusion. (2) The NEDCP policy achieves carbon reduction effects mainly through scale and structure effects. (3) The results of the heterogeneity test show that the NEDCP policy is more effective in cities with higher administrative levels, energy-demanding cities, cities in the southeast of Hu-line, and cities with a higher degree of nationalization. Therefore, the Chinese government should summarize the implementation experience of the NEDCP policy and expand its scope of application. The evaluation of the NEDCP policy in China has important reference value for the energy transition of other developing countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the backdrop of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, carbon emissions have always been a major concern. The approach of the heterogeneity grey model is proposed, aiming to predict carbon emissions of 30 provinces in China. This model combines the manta ray foraging optimization algorithm to search for the optimal heterogeneity coefficient. By using the heterogeneity grey model, the carbon emissions are analyzed in 30 provinces of China from 2022 to 2030 considering different environmental protection investment scenarios. The results indicate that in 19 provinces from 2022 to 2030, there is a significant decrease in carbon emissions as government investment increases. In 11 provinces during the same period, there is a rising trend in carbon emissions with the increase of government investment. Hence, achieving a reduction in carbon emissions necessitates not only relying on government investment in environmental protection but also exploring alternative approaches to mitigate carbon emissions. The methodologies and conclusions proposed in this study can provide technical references and making decision references for provincial carbon emission efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Olefin industry as a vital part in economic development is facing a problem of high CO 2 emission. In this work, for the global and China's olefin industry under different development scenario, the carbon emission is predicted after the revealing of carbon footprint in different olefin routes. The results show that the carbon footprint of the natural gas liquids (NGLs)-derived route is highly lower than that of the oil- and coal-derived routes. The carbon emission from the global olefin industry in 2015 is 553 million ton CO 2 (MtCO 2 ). In 2030, it will be ranged between 739 and 924 MtCO 2 under different scenarios. Under sustainable development scenario, 15% reduction space is existed, whereas 6% growth is observed under the hybrid-development scenario compared to the business-as-usual situation. In the case of China, its carbon emission is 120 MtCO 2 in 2015. Its potential carbon emission in 2030 will increase to 264-925 MtCO 2 , depending on the rest new capacity from low-carbon or high-carbon routes. The large gap implies the significant influence of the development route choice. However, if most new capacity is from the existed planned olefin projects, the carbon emission will be ranged between 390 and 594 MtCO 2 . Finally, the low-carbon roadmaps as well as polices are proposed for sustainable development of olefin industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Algae have great application prospects in excess sludge reclamation and recovery of high-value biomass. Chlorococcum humicola was cultivated in this research, using sludge extract (mixed with SE medium) with additions of 10%, 20%, and 30% CO 2 (v/v). Results showed that under 20% CO 2 , the dry weight and polysaccharide yield reached 1.389 ± 0.070 g/L and 313.49 ± 10.77 mg/L, respectively. 10% and 20% CO 2 promoted the production of cellular antioxidant molecules to resist the toxic stress and the toxicity of 20% CO 2 group decreased from 62.16 ± 3.11% to 33.02 ± 3.76%. 10% and 20% CO 2 accelerated the electron transfer, enhanced carbon assimilation, and promoted the photosynthetic efficiency, while 30% CO 2 led to photosystem damage and disorder of antioxidant system. Proteomic analysis showed that 20% CO 2 mainly affected energy metabolism and the oxidative stress level on the early stage (10 d), while affected photosynthesis and organic substance metabolism on the stable stage (30 d). The up-regulation of PSII photosynthetic protein subunit 8 (PsbA, PsbO), A0A383W1S5 and A0A383VRI4 promoted the efficiency of PSII and chlorophyll synthesis, and the up-regulation of A0A383WH74 and A0A2Z4THB7 led to the accumulation of polysaccharides. The up-regulation of A0A383VDH1, A0A383VX37 and A0A383VA86 promoted respiration. Collectively, this work discloses the regulatory mechanism of high-concentration CO 2 on Chlorococcum humicola to overcome toxicity and accumulate polysaccharides., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Biogas methanation emerges as a prominent technology for converting biogas into biomethane in a single step. Furthermore, this technology can be implemented at biogas plant locations, supporting local economies and reducing dependence on large energy producers. However, there is a lack of comprehensive studies on biogas methanation, particularly regarding the technical optimization of operational parameters and the profitability analysis of the overall process. To address this gap, our study represents a seminal work on the technical optimization of biogas methanation obtaining an empirical model to predict the performance of biogas methanation. We investigate the influence of operational parameters, such as reaction temperature, H 2 /CO 2 ratio, space velocity, and CO 2 share in the biogas stream through an experimental design. Based on previous research we selected a nickel supported on ceria-alumina catalyst; being nickel a benchmark system for methanation process such selection permits a reliable data extrapolation to commercial units. We showcase the remarkable impact of studied key operation parameters, being the temperature, the most critical factor affecting the reaction performance (ca. 2 to 5 times higher than the second most influencing parameter). The impact of the H 2 /CO 2 ratio is also noticeable. The response surfaces and contour maps suggest that a temperature between 350 and 450 °C and an H 2 /CO 2 ratio between 2.5 and 3.2 optimize the reaction performance. Further experimental tests were performed for model validation and optimization leading to a reliable predictive model. Overall, this study provides validated equations for technology scaling-up and techno-economic analysis, thus representing a step ahead towards real-world applications for bio-methane production., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The thermocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into high value-added chemicals provides a strategy to address the environmental problems caused by excessive carbon emissions and the sustainable production of chemicals. Significant progress has been made in the CO 2 hydrogenation to long chain α-olefins, but controlling C-O activation and C-C coupling remains a great challenge. This review focuses on the recent advances in catalyst design concepts for the synthesis of long chain α-olefins from CO 2 hydrogenation. We have systematically summarized and analyzed the ingenious design of catalysts, reaction mechanisms, the interaction between active sites and supports, structure-activity relationship, influence of reaction process parameters on catalyst performance, and catalyst stability, as well as the regeneration methods. Meanwhile, the challenges in the development of the long chain α-olefins synthesis from CO 2 hydrogenation are proposed, and the future development opportunities are prospected. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive perspective on long chain α-olefins synthesis from CO 2 hydrogenation to inspire the invention of novel catalysts and accelerate the development of this process., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Photocatalytic CO 2 reduction to valuable fuels has proved to be a favourable process to produce renewable energy and reduce CO 2 emissions, which mostly depends on designing effective photocatalysts with the rapid separation rate of charge carriers. In this contribution, mesoporous n-n heterojunction Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 nanocomposites were designed via a simplistic sol-gel process for CO 2 reduction utilizing visible illumination (λ > 420 nm). XRD and TEM measurements confirmed the synthesized Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 nanocomposite is a monoclinic structure, and its particle size is 25 ± 5 nm. The obtained Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 exhibited narrower bandgap energy (1.74 eV), larger surface area (212 m 2 g -1 ), exceedingly visible absorbing, and lower recombination of electron and hole. The yield of CH 3 OH was determined about 198, 871, 1140, 1550 and 1570 mmolg -1 for bare WO 3 and 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 nanocomposites, respectively. These results evidenced that the 15% Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 photocatalyst exhibited the best reduction ability compared to other nanocomposites. The CO 2 reduction over 15% Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 photocatalyst achieved a maximal CO 2 conversion with the substantially boosted CH 3 OH, i.e., 1550 mmolg -1 after 9 h, which was enhanced 7.8 folds great than of WO 3 NPs. Mesoporous Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 nanocomposites, in comparison with bare WO 3 NPs, created more active sites for facilitating CO 2 and had a specific electric field to more effectively separate charge carriers. The Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 photocatalyst has superior photostability during the continuous reduction of CO 2 for 45 h with no remarkable decrease. The possible direct S-scheme mechanism for electron transfer over Li 2 MnO 3 /WO 3 photocatalyst with the enhanced CO 2 reduction ability was discussed. The present work demonstrates an avenue for building highly effective heterostructure photocatalysts in solar-energy-induced potential applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A majority of the primary contributors of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions into the environment have really been out of human-made activities. The levels of CO 2 in the atmosphere have increased substantially since the time of the industrial revolution. This has been linked to the use of fossil fuels for energy production, as well as the widespread production of some industrial components like cement and the encroaching destruction of forests. An extreme approach is now necessary to develop the right policies and address the local and global environmental issues in the right way. In this regard, CO 2 capturing, utilization, and storage are reliable options that industrial facilities can initiate to overcome this problem. Therefore, we have evaluated the two leading technologies that are used for carbon capture: direct (pre-combustion, post-combustion, and oxy-combustion) and indirect carbon (reforestation, enhanced weathering, bioenergy with carbon capture, and agricultural practices) capturing to provide their current status and progresses. Among the considered processes, the post-combustion techniques are widely utilized on a commercial scale, especially in industrial applications. Technology readiness level (TRL) results have showed that amine solvents, pressure-vacuum swing adsorption, and gas separation membranes have the highest TRL value of 9. In addition, the environmental impact assessment methods have been ranked to evaluate their sustainability levels. The highest global warming potential of 219.53 kgCO 2 eq./MWh has been obtained for the post-combustion process. Overall, through this comprehensive review, we have identified some critical research gaps in the open literature in the field of CO 2 -capturing methods where there are strong needs for future research and technology development studies, for instance, developing stable and cost-effective liquid solvents and improving the adsorption capacity of commercialized sorbents. Furthermore, some research areas, like novel process design, environmental and economic impact assessment of capturing methods with different chemicals and modeling and simulation studies, will require further effort to demonstrate the developed technologies for pilot and commercial-scale applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This review discusses the importance of mitigating CO 2 emissions by valorizing CO 2 through high-pressure catalytic processes. It focuses on various key processes, including CO 2 methanation, reverse water-gas shift, methane dry reforming, methanol, and dimethyl ether synthesis, emphasizing pros and cons of high-pressure operation. CO 2 methanation, methanol synthesis, and dimethyl ether synthesis reactions are thermodynamically favored under high-pressure conditions. However, in the case of methane dry reforming and reverse water-gas shift, applying high pressure, results in decreased selectivity toward desired products and an increase in coke production, which can be detrimental to both the catalyst and the reaction system. Nevertheless, high-pressure utilization proves industrially advantageous for cost reduction when these processes are integrated with Fischer-Tropsch or methanol synthesis units. This review also compiles recent advances in heterogeneous catalysts design for high-pressure applications. By examining the impact of pressure on CO 2 valorization and the state of the art, this work contributes to improving scientific understanding and optimizing these processes for sustainable CO 2 management, as well as addressing challenges in high-pressure CO 2 valorization that are crucial for industrial scaling-up. This includes the development of cost-effective and robust reactor materials and the development of low-cost catalysts that yield improved selectivity and long-term stability under realistic working environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)