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Effective peer effects and their influence channels play a crucial role in a focal firm's decision to pursue sustainability. This article analyzes a dataset comprising 2,098 sample firms over the period from 2011 to 2020, utilizing both textual analysis technology and the reverse maximum matching method to gauge transitions into sustainability (referred to as "sustainable transformation") based on annual financial reports. Our empirical findings demonstrate significant and positive peer effects within individual industries, as revealed through panel data analysis. Sustainable transformation in peer firms markedly impacts a focal firm's sustainable transformation, primarily through changes in the tone of cross-industry communications, gaps in sustainability among different firms, and the increased attention of analysts. This study may provide valuable insights into the effects of sustainability-related information disclosure among peer firms in certain industries, as well as the mechanisms of information transmission and external pressure associated with peer effects in emerging markets. The results of this work may also offer guidance for policymakers, and market regulators, and firm managers. • This study measures firm's sustainable transformation using textual analysis method. • Firms' sustainable transformation (ST) has a significant and positive peer effect. • Peer firms' ST has significant information and competitive transmission mechanism. • MD&A tone and analyst attention exhibit significant peer effects on firm's ST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal lands are crucial arable land reserves that play a vital role in ensuring future global food security. In arable coastal lands, low soil quality often results in limited crop yield and soil organic carbon (SOC), making them promising sites for enhancing both soil carbon sequestration and agricultural production. However, a scarcity of long-term site experiments has led to a research gap regarding SOC sequestration in coastal arable lands, leaving potential uncertainties due to variations in planting systems, crop yields, and the influence of climate change. In this study, we focused on the Yellow River Delta (YRD) in China, which is a typical coastal agricultural area. We verified the adaptability of the Denitrifcation-Decomposition (DNDC) model in coastal farmlands based on an 11-year long-term observation experiment and continuous sampling survey data. We further explored the spatiotemporal changes of regional SOC stocks under two Shared Socio-Economic Pathways (SSPs) scenarios based on five Global Climate Models (GCMs) derived from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6), along with three yield increase scenarios from 2020 to 2100. The results indicated that promoting single-cotton cultivation in coastal saline–alkali lands would result in at least 88.2% of farmland being converted into carbon sinks. In contrast, promoting the cultivation of a wheat–maize rotation system can promote regional SOC sequestration as a whole, with a maximum increase of 31.90 Mg C ha−1. By 2100, the SOC stocks decreased in cotton and wheat–maize rotation farmland by 3.9% and 11.6%, respectively, in the SSP585 scenario compared with that in the SSP126 scenario. Except for farmlands with wheat-maize rotation cropping system under the SSP126 scenario, the SOC stocks in all other scenarios are projected to reach their theoretical maximum values before 2050. Additionally, when reaching the North China Plain (S1) and national (S2) high-yield levels of farmland, the SOC stocks in cotton farmland by 2100 increased by 16.7% and 21.6%, respectively, whereas the SOC stocks in wheat-maize farmland increased by 1.8% and 4.8%, respectively. Our study revealed the mutually beneficial relationship between yield increment and SOC sequestration in coastal farmlands under climate change, as well as the potential for future SOC sequestration. We provided scientific support for land management and climate change mitigation strategic decision-making in coastal saline–alkali farmlands. • Crop yields and SOC stocks both increased significantly in the Yellow River Delta (YRD) over the past 40 years. • Under climate change, wheat-maize rotation farmlands sequester more SOC than the single cotton farmlands. • Rising crop yields to the national level increased YRD's SOC stocks by up to 21.6% in 2100. • Warming reduced the SOC stocks of arable lands in YRD by up to 11.6% in 2100. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most African countries have developed their economies without causing large-scale ecological damage, yet they face severe challenges from global climate change and COVID-19 epidemic. To address this paradox, explainable machine learning coupled with panel data models are proposed to examine the different performances of Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Eritrea in terms of environmental sustainability measured by visibility. The results show that all countries except Zimbabwe have inverted N-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curves (EKCs), suggesting that the economic development works against environmental sustainability. Based on the modified TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution), Cameroon's environmental sustainability performance is particularly poor, while Eritrea's is better. Meanwhile, Eritrea is not exogenously threatened by epidemics, while Cameroon and Ghana are. By integrating the multidimensional Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) achievement pathway assessment system, Zimbabwe may be moving towards green growth. More importantly, the Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) technique is applied to quantify and visualize the socio-economic drivers of environmental sustainability. The results depict that, in addition to meteorological drivers, per capita income plays a leading role. In conclusion, we can validate the contribution of artificial intelligence algorithms to the SDGs and employ a comprehensive method for assessing SDG performance linking environment, economy, and public health. This could lead to some key recommendations for policymakers and international investors to better contribute to the SDGs. • We create an SDG evaluation system linking the environment, economy, and health. • Explainable ML can contribute to the SDGs. • Besides meteorological factors, GDP per capita plays a key role in visibility. • All selected areas exist inverted N-shape EKCs. • The COVID-19 pandemic led to environmental degradation in Ghana and Cameroon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on the principles of thermodynamics and utilizes the Hansen solubility parameter theory and molecular dynamics simulation techniques. By introducing solubility parameters and interaction parameters, modified molecular models for rubber and aged asphalt are constructed. The study systematically investigates the mechanisms underlying the effects of polyphenolic chemical modification and oxidative aging on the performance and compatibility changes of rubber asphalt. The results show that the solubility parameter (δ T) of the asphalt system decreases gradually with increasing temperature. At a temperature of 160 °C, the solubility parameter difference (Δ δ T) between the asphalt and rubber power (RP) is minimized, indicating the highest degree of compatibility between the two materials. After chemical modification, the solubility parameter of the RP increases, the difference in solubility parameter between the RP and asphalt decreases, and the chemical modification improves the compatibility of the two phases. Oxidative aging causes a shift in the composition ratio of asphalt towards asphaltene, leading to an increase in the solubility parameter of asphalt and a larger difference in solubility parameter between the system. As a result, the compatibility of modified asphalt decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the interdependent relationship between economic development, and environmental and human well-being in China. We evaluate panel data of the carbon intensity of human well-being (CIWB) to measure environmental sustainability and human well-being for 30 Chinese provinces from 1995 to 2016. We then employ a spatial model to test the environmental Kuznets curve. The CIWB is an important indicator that incorporates the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. The coefficients of GDP, squared GDP, and cubic GDP are −1.043, 0.123, and −0.0045, respectively, indicating that the relationship between CIWB and economic growth is an inverted-N shape. In other words, as GDP increases from low to high, the CIWB first decreases, then increases for a long period until it reaches a turning point, and declines thereafter. GDP per capita at the two turning points are 850 yuan and 110,000 yuan, respectively. In the long run, economic growth is expected to have a positive effect on sustainable development; however, currently, environmental policies are needed to offset unintended environmental harm. Analysis of spatial evolution and multiplier spatial effects show that spatial disparity and clustering exist simultaneously. This suggests that overall planning for the big picture and cooperative development between adjacent provinces could help to handle regional environmental problems. • This study evaluates the carbon intensity of human well-being (CIWB) in China. • The relationship between CIWB and economic growth is an inverted-N shape. • Turning point curve transfers from eastern provinces to northwestern provinces. • Currently, environmental policies are needed to offset the environmental harms. • Overall planning and cooperative development are helpful to promote CIWB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manure generated from livestock farming is currently the focus of attention of global scientific community. China's livestock manure is extremely rich with a high potential for heavy metal contamination. Here, data were collected for 2000–2018.6 from China's National Statistical Data, Elsevier, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and other literature databases and analyzed for "feed–feces–soil" chain of heavy metals. An integrated analysis was done to explore the reductive effect of existing technologies on heavy metals in cattle manure. Excessive addition of heavy metal elements to feed is widespread in China. High amounts of undigested heavy metals are excreted through animal manure. The study showed that spatial variability of heavy metal contents in cattle manure was extremely large. The excess cupper (Cu) was higher than that of zinc (Zn), and was higher in southern than in northern China. Chemical treatments were more effective than physical and biological ones in controlling heavy metal pollution. The optimal reduction ratios of the effective Zn and Cu contents were 21.72% and 33.11%, respectively. The Zn and Cu contents could be reduced by 1.96 × 107 and 5.92 × 106 kg per year, respectively. This could reduce the risks posed by heavy metals after manure-based fertilizer applications in crop cultivation. Image 1 • Additions of heavy metals to cattle feed are generally excessive in China. • The heavy metal contents' spatial variability in cattle manure was extremely large. • Excess of Cu was greater than that of Zn, being higher in southern than northern. • Optimal passivator's reduction ratio was up to 33.11% of the effective Cu contents. • The effective Zn contents may be reduced over 1.96 × 107 kg per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to the 21st century, China's industrialisation was mainly driven by investment; by contrast, it now relies on innovation-driven and environmentally friendly technology to achieve sustained and healthy growth. Spanning China's 11th-13th Five-Year Plans (2006–2020), chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen emissions have been the key pollutants that require monitoring for waste water pollution management. To fit well into one of the focus areas under China's government policy direction, the main objectives of this study are to measure input- and output-based technological progress and their determinants for 30 provinces and regions in China from 1999 to 2015. A green-biased technological progress model based on the directional distance function is adopted in this study. The results reveal that sustainable growth in total factor productivity was primarily due to green-biased technological progress. Most provinces and regions in China overused water resources for industrial production, as demonstrated by the high water consumption over the study period, while output-biased technological progress exacerbated the discharge of water pollutants before the implementation of China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006–2010). Technological progress in the eastern region was more likely to promote industrial growth, while progress in the central and western regions was likely to promote increased pollutant emissions. Furthermore, industrial research and development investment, governance of waste water treatment investment, the educational level of the labour force, and water prices contributed significantly to biased technological progress in China over the study period. Overall, this study has important policy implications and can provide guidance for emissions reductions to promote cleaner production and optimise resource allocation in China's industrial sector. • The green-biased technological progress of China's industrial sector is measured. • A modified directional distance function-based data envelopment analysis model is adopted. • Sustainable growth in TFP is primarily due to green-biased technological progress. • Technological progress in the eastern region promotes industrial growth. • The central and western regions in China emit more pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural ecosystem services (CES) have garnered significant attention due to their capacity to comprehensively evaluate the influence of ecosystem degradation on human well-being. It is very important to evaluate the spatial coordination relationship between the supply and demand of urban CES and explore its spatial flow mechanism for guiding the sustainable development of urban regions. However, research on the relationship between supply and demand of urban CES and their spatial flows is still in the conceptual exploration stage, and its quantitative assessment methods are not yet mature. Taking Shenzhen as an example, this study uses the Social Values for Ecosystem Services model to evaluate the supply of CES based on environmental background and survey statistics; Uses the topic model of natural language processing, quantify the demand of CES based on social media data. The Bivariate Local Indicators of Spatial Association index is utilized to examine the correlation between supply and demand, while a crowd activity extraction method based on mobile phone signaling data is developed to simulate the spatial flow pattern of CES. The results show that: (1) The supply of urban CES shows obvious spatial differentiation; There are differences in the perception of the needs of various CES. Among them, the beneficiaries have higher needs for Aesthetic and Recreation. (2) The relationship between supply and demand of urban CES shows different degrees of spatial mismatch, with the proportion of the supply-demand matching area to the total area being less than 20%, and the main type of supply-demand mismatch being low supply-high demand. (3) All kinds of CES flow from the center of the study area to the east, among which the flow of recreation and Aesthetic is more active, with the highest flow of 189.7 and 135.3, respectively. Overall, the coordination between various types of CES in the region is still insufficient. We should encourage the establishment and improvement of a diversified transportation system connecting the central urban area and other regions while enhancing the condition of the local ecological conditions, to improve the capacity of urban ring roads and rail transit, to promote the sustainable development of the regional ecological environment and social economy, and to enhance human well-being. • Topic model can effectively study cultural ecosystem services (CES) demand. • The CES flow is characterized by the movement of supply and demand agents. • The use of mobile signal data allows for the assessment of the CES flow. • A framework for supply, demand, and flow assessment by urban CES. • The distribution of supply and demand for CES and its flows are highly localized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of soil by meso- and microplastics (MMPs) has been drawing increasing attention. However, the pollution characteristics of MMPs in mulching cultivated soil across China remain unclear. This study investigated the distribution of MMPs in long-term mulched soils in 29 provinces of China. MPs were found in all soil samples, while mesoplastics were found in only 29.6% of soil samples. The abundance of MPs in soil was 20.00–640.0 items·kg−1, and the average abundance was 213.0 items·kg−1. The average abundance of mesoplastics in the soil was 10.00 items·kg−1. MMPs were found to be primarily film-shaped (37.2%), blue in color (23.4%), and less than 1000 μm in size (39.7%), and the primary polymer was polyethylene (PE, 37.2%). Mulching times and crop types were important factors affecting MMP abundance in soil. These findings reveal the nationwide pollution pattern of MMPs in mulching cultivated soil over the long term, provide basic data for MMP pollution at the national scale, and provide a scientific basis for the rational use and management of plastic films and the treatment of soil MMP pollution. [Display omitted] • National-scale distribution of meso- and microplastic was demonstrated in soil. • Meso- and microplastic abundance varied in different regions. • Meso- and microplastic were found to be primarily film-shaped. • Mulching time, and crop types will affect the meso- and microplastic abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on photovoltaic (PV) waste recycling in China have focused on predicting waste volumes and the technical and economic feasibilities of recycling. However, those studies lack an assessment of balance of system (BOS) waste in a PV system and a macro-level assessment of the variation in the net benefits of waste recovery. This paper establishes a multi-factor gray neural network model, combined with the Weibull distribution model, to predict the total PV waste, including modules and BOS. By considering the learning curve of recycling technology and the future projected share of three mainstream technologies (mechanical, chemical, and thermal treatment), we also analyze the changes in net PV recycling benefits across the industry. The results show that total cumulative PV waste is expected to reach about 100 million tons by 2050; of this, 56.13% may be PV modules and 43.87% may be BOS. Three metals, Fe (26%), Al (21%), and Cu (4%), are expected to account for the largest proportion of total metals. Compared with direct landfill disposal, by 2050, the recycling of PV waste could potentially reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions by 1.1E+11 kg, save 1.1E+12 kg of industrial water, and generate 3.6E+11 MJ for primary energy use. The change in net benefits indicates that the benefit could start to generate a positive return by 2026 and total net benefits are expected to reach 90 billion CNY by 2050. [Display omitted] • Forecasting PV waste with a multi-factor gray neural network model. • Analyzed 23 waste materials generated by PV modules and BOS. • China is expected to generate 214.68 GW–579.76 GW of PV waste by 2050. • Waste PV recovery can bring massive energy saving and emission reduction benefits. • Net benefits of waste PV recycling start to be positive in 2026. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) power systems are confronted with many failure risks threatening operational security and leading to adverse impacts on the sustainable development. This paper identified the potential PV system failures and extended the traditional failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) that has been questioned due to its inadequacy in industrial applications. First, the risk factor evaluation system was expanded from the original 3 indicators to 7 indicators associated with PV system failures, including personal safety, power loss, property damage, frequency of failure, visualization, maintenance expense, and technical difficulty. Second, a modified FMEA approach combining rough set theory, cloud model theory and multiplicative Multi-objective Optimization by Ratio Analysis (MULTIMOORA) method was developed. The proposed approach could not only settle various uncertainties (i.e., intrapersonal uncertainty, interpersonal uncertainty, and randomness) by integrating cloud model and rough sets, but also introduce the triple subordinate method MULTIMOORA to obtain a final risk ranking of PV system failures. Finally, the improved FMEA model was adopted to a PV system failure risk assessment case, verifying its effectiveness and superiority. It revealed that hot spots and disconnection of underground cables were the riskiest potential failures in PV systems. Essential risk mitigation measures should be implemented in advance to maintain the safety and promote the sustainable development of PV systems. • A risk analysis of the entire PV power systems is conducted in this study. • Potential failures of PV power systems including modules and BOS are identified. • A risk factor assessment system for PV system failures is developed. • A hybrid FMEA improved by rough cloud-based MULTIMOOR is proposed for risk ranking. • Cloud model and rough sets are combined to handle various uncertainties during evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With the increased sustainable awareness and pressures from stakeholders, enterprises have realized the importance to implement sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices to pursue economic, environmental, and social benefits. In this paper, a novel framework is proposed, which identifies SSCM practices as the evaluation criteria for supplier evaluation. Because vague and subjective information often exists in decision-making of supplier evaluation, fuzzy-based approaches are frequently used to manipulate such vagueness and subjectivity. However, the previous fuzzy methods do not consider randomness in decision making and they require prior information. Thus, an extended TOPSIS (Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method is developed in this paper for sustainable supplier selection, which integrates the advantage of cloud model theory in manipulating uncertainty of randomness (intrapersonal uncertainty) and the merit of rough set theory in flexibly handling interpersonal uncertainty without extra information. Additionally, an integrated weighting method considering both subjective and objective weights is proposed to determine comprehensive weights of criteria. Finally, a case study of sustainable photovoltaic modules supplier selection is conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. Highlights • Sustainable supply chain management practices are identified as evaluation criteria. • Uncertainty of randomness and fuzziness is dealt with cloud model theory. • Rough number is introduced to manipulate interpersonal uncertainty in decision making. • An integrated weighting method is used to determine weights of supplier selection criteria. • The method's effectiveness is validated with photovoltaic module supplier selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Coke production is a significant source of ambient volatile organic compound emissions; thus, stringent control measures must be applied. We fully characterized the trends in volatile organic compound emissions by the coking industry in China between 1949 and 2016 based on a factory-based database and process-specific emission factors. We then projected the reduction potentials in these emissions if different control policies were implemented in 2020 based on three emission scenarios. The results indicate that: (1) the emission factor of volatile organic compounds for coke plants under uncontrolled conditions was 3.065 g/kg coke, and benzene, toluene, and acetone were the most abundant emission species. (2) The annual volatile organic compound emissions from the coking industry increased by an order of magnitude from 3.38 Gg in 1949 to 1376.54 Gg in 2016. The emissions show distinct spatial characteristics, with significantly higher emissions in northern China than in other areas. (3) Compared to the uncontrolled scenario, if basic or more stringent control measures were fully implemented in China in 2020, then volatile organic compound emissions would be reduced by 59% or 82%, respectively. (4) Controlling coke oven flue gases through efficient combustion, sealing and cleaning the openings of coke ovens, and using gas blanketing or carbon absorbers in by-product facilities were the most effective technologies for controlling volatile organic compound emissions from coke production. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • VOC emissions by the coking industry in China were estimated. • 102 kinds of VOC species were analyzed for nine types of emission sources. • The largest VOC emission source for coke plants was coke oven gas. • The emissions had increased from 1.69 Gg in 1949 to 1376.54 Gg in 2016. • The emissions would be reduced by 82% in 2020 with stringent control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development has gained much attention from various organizations. To improve competitiveness, enterprises often consider sustainability in their supply chain management (SCM) process. One of the critical issues in sustainable SCM is supplier selection and evaluation. However, accurate judgment is difficult to be made for decision makers due to the subjective and vague information in the process of supplier evaluation. Although fuzzy-based methods are developed to deal with the subjectivity and vagueness, they need priori information. Moreover, the influence of decision makers' bounded rationality on evaluation is often omitted in the uncertain environment. To deal with the problems, a novel approach integrating rough set theory and TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese of Interactive and Multicriteria Decision Making) method is proposed in this paper. The proposed method integrates the strength of rough set theory in flexibly handling vagueness, and the advantage of TODIM method in manipulating bounded rationality. Lastly, the proposed method is applied into a case study about evaluating sustainability of photovoltaic module suppliers, to verify the feasibility and usefulness of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiesel has become a popular alternative fuel to fossil diesel. However, compared to conventional diesel engines, the adoption of pure biodiesel often leads to higher NOx though soot emissions can be reduced. In this study, the alcoholic fuel n-octanol was chosen as the blending fuel in biodiesel. The modeling study was carried out to investigate the effects of blending n-octanol on the combustion characteristics and emissions formation process in a diesel engine. At first, a multi-component reaction mechanism involving 115 species and 489 reactions was constructed to better predict the combustion process of biodiesel and n-octanol. This mechanism was then coupled with KIVA-CHEMKIN to implement a three-dimensional simulation of the engine. The developed mechanisms and adopted models were validated under a variety of conditions. At last, to examine the effects of n-octanol, simulations were carried out by gradually increasing the percentage of n-octanol from 0% to 100% with an interval of 10%. Analysis of the simulation results revealed that blending more n-octanol with biodiesel could lead to a prolonged ignition delay. Due to the high latent heat of vaporization of n-octanol, the temperature at the initial stage of combustion can be reduced which subsequently mitigated the formation of NOx. The higher oxygen content of n-octanol was beneficial for the improvement in power output and the decrease of soot emissions. Overall, B20/O80 blends were found to be capable of achieving more efficient and cleaner combustion in the diesel engine at both speeds. • A multi-component reaction mechanism was developed for biodiesel/n-octanol blends. • Blending more n-octanol can deliver more output with reductions in CO, NOx, and soot. • Blending n-octanol suppresses the formation of NOx at the early stage of combustion. • The higher oxygen content of n-octanol facilitates the oxidation process of soot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid organosilica membrane, with a unique 3-dimensional planetary crosslinked network was fabricated for investigating the effect of in-situ crosslinked network synthesis on the membrane structure. Herein, a dual reaction approach was introduced for the copolymerization. 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) consisting of amide acts as a shell covering the core cage polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). Epoxy POSS was selected to construct a tough and 3D free volume as the host for organosilica, to promote gas transport and facilitate a mild reaction with the amide functional group, through the ring-open polymerization without a catalyst. As a branched-chain modified unit, APTES can increase the crosslink density to form the final structure such as a planetary orbit. As a result, it was confirmed that the as-prepared M-0.1A1P(a) formed a planetary structure, from the Si–C main structure surrounded by N using FE-TEM. Moreover, M-0.1A1P(a) showed a maximum selectivity of 77.71 towards CO 2 /N 2 , 93.79 towards CO 2 /CH 4 , 121.32 towards H 2 /N 2, and 144.86 towards H 2 /CH 4 , and an adequate hydrogen permeance of 1.41 × 10−8 mol/(m2sPa) at around 25 °C, confirming that this type of cross-linked network has full potential for the application of small molecular gas separation, especially for CO 2. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activated sludge-based biochar modified by metals performs well for the phosphate adsorbent. The cost of the modification materials and the follow-up treatment of the spent adsorbents are significant limits for the large-scale application of the developed adsorbent. In this study, wasted egg shells and oyster shells, rich in calcium (Ca), were employed to load Ca onto the surface of the activated sludge-based biochar. The results revealed that different forms of Ca on egg shell-modified activated sludge biochar (ESB) and oyster shell modified activated sludge biochar (OSB) induced different adsorption performances. ESB had a greater phosphate adsorption capacity than OSB, where the maximum adsorption capacities were 154.18 mg/g and 129.03 mg/g, respectively. The saturated biochar could slowly release phosphate at different levels of pH; in fact, the phosphate release efficiency of ESB exceeded that of OSB. Economic analysis suggested that the cost of phosphate removal by ESB was $1.13 per kg, and by OSB was $1.22 per kg. The phosphate adsorption using the Ca-loaded biochar revealed good prospects for sustainable development with the advantages of the high efficiency of phosphate removal, low cost and resourceful employment of wastes. [Display omitted] • Solid wastes were used resourcefully to prepare the adsorbent for phosphate. • Egg shell and oyster shell produce different Ca species on the surface of the biochar. • The maximum adsorption capacity of ESB is 154.18 mg/g and OSB is 129.03 mg/g. • Adsorbed phosphate can be slowly released from the spent ESB and OSB within 14 days. • ESB has a lower cost of 1.13 $/kg P than OSB of 1.22 $/kg P for phosphate removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a potential precursor, the utilization of sugarcane bagasse ash imparts enormous technical and environmental benefits to human society. However, its rich crystal content challenges the mix design of sugarcane bagasse ash-sourced geopolymers. The present study is aimed to contributing towards the substantial utilization of sugarcane bagasse ash in geopolymers and to developing a guideline for designing binary geopolymers from metakaolin and sugarcane bagasse ash. The experimental results show that when suitably designed, the compressive strength of metakaolin-sugarcane bagasse ash geopolymers satisfied the structural use for building materials, and the sugarcane bagasse ash proportion could substantially reach up to 50%. Moreover, through a combination of mechanical, economic and environmental assessments, the optimal mixing proportions fall into the following ranges: SiO 2 /Al 2 O 3 = 4.63–5.60, Na 2 O/Al 2 O 3 = 1.5–2.0 and H 2 O/Na 2 O = 8–10. Companion characterizations using XRD, FTIR and SEM show that the binary geopolymers produced within the above ranges register the greatest amorphicity, the highest degree of geopolymerization alongside the densest microstructure. Further, multi-factor models are proposed to regulate the mix design of binary geopolymers, with a R 2 value beyond 0.9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong's construction industry is currently facing problems involving a rapidly aging workforce and labor shortage. With Hong Kong as the case study, this paper illustrates how existing residential buildings can be repaired and maintained using alternative materials, in order to minimize life-cycle labor inputs, costs, or carbon emissions. With different combinations of repair and maintenance materials, two of the three objectives can be achieved at any one time, when labor inputs, costs, and carbon emissions are set as separate constraints. With our methodology, we are able to identify materials that would cost the least, emit minimum carbon levels, and require the right levels of labor resources in relation to residential building maintenance. These can support the adoption of green technologies that suit the socio-economic and physical environment of Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury ions pose a serious threat to human health and there is an urgent need to control mercury pollution. In this study, we explored a new adsorbent (defined as Zn-IDC-AMT) to achieve the purpose of controlling mercury pollution. Batch experiment showed that the optimal pH, maximum adsorption quantity and thermodynamics of Zn-IDC-AMT were 3.0, 2763.87 mg/g and spontaneous endothermic, respectively. The adsorption type was chemisorption and was consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Hill isothermal model. The selectivity of Zn-IDC-AMT to mercury ions was investigated by selective experiments. The stability of Zn-IDC-AMT was studied by XRD analysis under different pH and three adsorption-desorption experiments. The results showed that Zn-IDC-AMT had excellent stability and good repeatability (the removal rate of all three times was more than 85%). In addition, XPS analysis, DFT calculation and frontier molecular orbital theory (FMO) were used to investigate the reaction mechanism, and the results confirmed that the reaction between Zn-IDC-AMT and mercury ions was chelation and ion exchange, which depended on the N and S atoms reacting with mercury ions together, and the reaction product containing N–Hg bond was more stable. In short, the Zn-IDC-AMT could be a promising adsorbent for effectively treating mercury pollution. • A novel adsorbent functionalized by 2-amino-5-mercapto-1, 3, 4 thiadiazole was synthesized. • The adsorbent has a large adsorption capacity of 2763.87 mg/g. • The adsorbent showed excellent selectivity and high stability for removal of mercury ions. • The adsorption mechanism was studied by DFT calculation and frontier molecular orbital theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources and food are the most important and basic resources for human beings and society. In recent decades, due to the growth of global population and economy, water resources and food shortages have become a global resource problem. Under this background, the significance of exploring the relationship between water-food in ecosystem services becomes more and more prominent. In view of this, this study used the SWAT model and the spatialized food production model to quantitatively evaluate the supply, demand, and supply-demand ratio of water and food production in the Jinghe River Basin in 2020, and built a system dynamics model of the watershed ecosystem services to simulate the coupling of water and food. According to the socio-economic conditions, nine different population economic development scenarios were set up to simulate the development of the water-food relationship between the ecosystem services of the river basin in 2030. The results showed that ① the spatial differences in water supply-demand ratio and food self-sufficiency rate in Jinghe River Basin in 2020 were obvious, and the supply-demand ratio in the upper reaches of the basin was significantly higher than that in the lower reaches. ② Through model simulations of three water supply-demand ratios and three food self-sufficiency rates, it was found that the water supply-demand ratios and food self-sufficiency rates showed obvious synergistic relationships both in time and in spatial distribution. ③ Under nine economic and demographic development scenarios, the optimal simulation effect was achieved under scenario E1P3 for both water-food supply and demand in the Jinghe River Basin in 2030. That was, when the economy and population develop in opposite directions, the supply-demand ratio of the two achieved the best simulation effect. The results provided a scientific basis for the sustainable development of water-food relationship in Jinghe River Basin in the future. [Display omitted] • Spatial assessment of the ratio of supply to demand for ecosystem services. • System dynamics was used to analyze the coupling of water-food relationship. • Reveal the impact of population and economic development to water-food relationship. • It connects ecosystem services and human society excellently through scenario setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decades, reducing and recycling of construction and demolition waste (CDW) has been gaining an increasing attention in infrastructure development for both economic and environmental benefits. Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) from demolishing of old structures is one major type of construction waste. Many researchers have studied the resultant physical and mechanical properties of concrete made with RCAs. In a continued effort of material recycling, this study explored the feasibility of using demolished concrete blocks (DCBs) in the production of concrete. Compared to conventional RCA, DCB is characterized by its relatively large size. In this study, DCBs were used with self-compacting concrete (SCC) to produce DCB-filled-concrete (DCBFC) since SCC can easily fill up the voids between DCBs. The compression tests conducted in the study indicated that concrete with only SCC and DCB had low compressive strength – which, however, exhibited an increasing trend as the DCB was replaced with natural rocks. Among the three types of DCBFC, DCBFC60 (i.e., 60% DCBs with 40% natural rocks by mass) exhibited the highest compressive strength that was comparable to the compressive strength of SCC. Additionally, three reinforced concrete (RC) beams made of SCC with different proportions of DCBs and natural rocks were tested in the bending loading mode to characterize their flexural strength and cracking resistance potential. While the bending behavior was similar to normal RC beams, the yielding and ultimate moments of SCC beams increased with an increase in the natural rock content, which was consistent with the test results from the compression tests. Similarly, crack mapping also indicated an increase in more tortuous and secondary cracks with an increase in the ratio of the natural rock content. Life cycle assessment also yielded significant environmental benefits with the use of DCBs over conventional concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental emissions embodied in supply chains have received increasing attention, but relatively little attention has been paid to common contributors to both greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions. Taking China as an example and applying the environmentally extended multiregional input–output (MRIO) model and the structural path analysis method, this study investigated both the GHG and air pollutant emissions embodied in the common supply chains in 2012. The results show that co-control of both GHGs and pollutants fell into two categories: carbon dioxide (CO 2)and pollutants (sulfur dioxide (SO 2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC), and carbon monoxide (CO)), and non-CO 2 (methane (CH 4) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O)) and pollutants (BC, OC, and ammonia (NH 3)). The key paths for the former category include "Nonmetal products → Construction → Fixed Capital Formation" in 18 provinces and "Electricity and heat → Urban Household Consumption" in 7 provinces. The key paths for the latter category include agricultural production driven by different final demands, especially urban household consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With slowing economic growth and outstanding environmental problems in China, the government proactively adopting environmental regulation (ER) to promote green technology advancement is the key to solving the dilemma of environment and economy, which is of great significance to the sustainable development, also set an example for other emerging economies. This study probed the impact of ER on the green innovation efficiency (GIE) from the perspective of spatial correlation of the prefecture-level cities in China on the base of theoretical analysis. Firstly, the GIE of the cities was calculated by a special data envelopment analysis (DEA) called super slacks-based measure (Super-SBM) and taking undesirable output in account, and the comprehensive index of the ER was calculated by entropy method. Secondly, this study established a spatial model to test the effect of ER on the GIE in a city, and examined the direct, indirect and total spatial effects. Finally, this study attempted to explain the spatial effect from the perspective of financial ability between enterprises and fiscal decentralization between regions. The empirical results showed as flowing: (1) GIE has declined first and then increased from 2008 to 2015 in China, which is highest in the east and lowest in the central. (2)The spatial spillover effect of ER on the GIE is significant, which was a U-shaped impact that suppressed firstly and then promoted, regardless of local-effect or neighboring-effect. (3) Shorter official tenure and lower enterprises' profitability have weaken the impact of ER on the GIE. The government should strengthen regional cooperation, improve the public environmental supervision mechanism, and formulate stringent but differentiated ER based on local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of terrestrial ecosystem and the most sensitive to environmental changes, mountainous areas are rich in biodiversity and high value of ecosystem productivity. However, due to the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, most of the world's mountain ecosystems are being subjected to soil erosion and biodiversity is rapidly being lost, so the establishment of mountain ecological reserves is of great importance. In view of this, this paper used the Qinling-Daba Mountain, Qinling Mountain and Daba Mountain of China as the research area. On the basis of various simulated ecosystem service from 2000 to 2015, the root mean square deviation analysis and ordered weighted averaged model were used to determine the spatial changes of ecosystem service on environmental gradients, the tradeoff between ecosystem services and the selection of optimal protection areas. Our results proved that ① net primary production, soil conservation and habitat quality were increase significantly with increasing altitude and vegetation cover fraction gradient, but were weaken water yield and grain production. ② The change in the trade-off between multiple pairs of ecosystem services in the Daba Mountain was stronger than in the Qinling-Daba Mountain and the Qinling Mountain, especially the trade-off relationship related to water yield. ③ Considering various scenarios and conservation efficiency, it was found that scenario 7 was the best solution. The net primary production, soil conservation, habitat quality, grain production, and water yield protection efficiency were 1.261, 4.845, 1.059, 1.333, and 1.390 respectively. Priority conservation areas were mainly distributed in mid-altitude, high-vegetation, and high-mean annual precipitation areas. In this study, the combination of ecosystem services and priority conservation areas can play an important role in the management of the Qinling-Daba Mountain, and provides a meaningful reference for the selection of nature reserves. • Mountain ecosystem services have large spatial heterogeneity on different environmental gradients. • The priority protection area was selected by comparing the protection efficiency of different areas. • Explore the mechanism analysis and the trade-off relationship between mountain ecosystem services. • The combination of ecosystem services and protected areas can provide reference for mountain ecological planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water management has increasingly become a hotspot in shale gas supply chains. This study develops a comprehensive modeling framework for the mixed noise-driven shale gas-water supply chains, which is integrated with techniques of system dynamics model and two-stage stochastic risk-aversion programming. White and colored noises are used for addressing stochastic characterization of shale gas productivity. Regional water resources carrying capacity is reflected based on the system dynamics model. The developed model cannot only effectively address stochastic parameters in the objective and constraints, but also offer a linkage between the pre-regulated policies and corresponding economic implications raised from improper policies. A Marcellus-based case in Pennsylvania is then performed to validate the applicability of the developed model. Results reveal that shale gas production curve is more sensitive to colored and mixed noises than white noise. High flowback and recycle rates would increase carrying capacity of shale wells by 1.8% in 2023. An increase in weighting factor (e.g., from 0 to 30) would induce a rise in system cost (e.g., from $1.22×1011 to $1.34×1011) but a reduction in conditional value-at-risk value (e.g., from $6.83×1010 to $3.83×1010). Weighting factor thus can be served as an indicator to show how much the decision makers' attention to system risk. Image 1 • Mixed noises are used for expressing stochastic uncertainties in shale gas productivity. • Tradeoffs in shale gas-water nexus are evaluated based on the system dynamics model. • An agent equation is established to reflect the nonlinear characteristics within supply chains. • Flexible decisions of shale gas-water supply chains are obtained under multiple uncertainties. • Uncertainty, scenario, and risk analyses are applied for enhancing the solutions' robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local microclimate and human thermal comfort are very sensitive to urban form. This study proposes an integrated strategy for urban infrastructures in different urban forms to investigate the importance of green-blue-grey infrastructure design in passive cooling and improving thermal comfort. Field measurements and model simulations have been conducted in three urban functional areas (i.e., a cultural square, park, and residential district) in Guangzhou. Twelve scenarios in two categories (i.e., adding and replacing) were investigated. The results show that, with the lowest coverage ratio of green infrastructure, the cultural square had a higher air temperature, which was 0.9 °C and 1.3 °C higher than the air temperatures in Ershadao park and the residential area, respectively. After removing the trees, the proportion of "extremely hot" thermal sensations in the park and residential area increased by 12.0% and 10.4%, respectively. Additionally, the types of infrastructures suitable for different urban forms are site specific. Specifically, in terms of cooling, the grey infrastructures performed better in the square and park, while the green infrastructures were most suitable for residential districts. The integrated scenarios (adding grey infrastructures and replacing green with grey infrastructures) revealed that the daily average air temperature in the square and park could be reduced by 0.63 °C and 0.26 °C, respectively, yet replacing the current green infrastructures with blue and grey infrastructures would aggravate heat stress in the residential area. The results of this study suggest that, in urban design, various infrastructures should be integrated and coordinated based on the characteristics of the specific urban form. This study can also assist urban designers in designing and planning green-blue-grey infrastructures that are more effective in maximizing thermal comfort in different urban functional areas. Image 1 • Cooling effects of blue, green and grey infrastructures were analyzed. • Optimal designs of infrastructures for different functional areas were proposed. • Grey infrastructure showed better cooling performance in square and park. • Green infrastructure was the most suitable type for residential district. • Integrated design of infrastructures should be applied in different functional areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological environment of the mining area has always been one of the focuses for its strong disturbance by human activities. The goals of this study were to ascertain the succession trajectory types of revegetation in the surface mining area and evaluate whether the revegetation in 3 coal-waste-dump sites with different reclamation methods were restored to the pre-disturbance status. We proposed an analysis method that combines machine learning method with traditional statistical analysis method by using the multi-temporal Landsat images and surveying data. The results showed that the trajectories of modified soil-adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI2) and normalized difference infrared index (NDII) of the south dump (D3) performed better than that of the north dump (D2) and the west dump (D1), which means the revegetation of D3 had reached or even exceeded its pre-mining level judging by those remote sensing indicators. In terms of bio-diversity, the reclamation effect of D3 had also improved significantly than other 2 dumps, especially in the Caragana microphylla planting area, while the species structure of the revegetation of D3 was also relatively simple and was susceptible to be disturbed. Besides, we also found that the contents of total nitrogen (TN), available potassium (AK) and soil organic matter (SOM) in the waste dumps were still lower than those of undisturbed grassland, at the same time soil properties content raised with the increase of planting density of Caragana microphylla. Study showed the time-series remote sensing trajectory analysis and field investigation analysis were complementary to each other and can reflect the mining influence and reclamation effect in a more comprehensive and effective way, which could be applied to gain further insight concerning ecosystems and other essential environmental features in similar disturbed area. • Vegetation successional trajectory over 30 years of different reclamation types was detected and mapped. • Characterize the spatial difference of bio-diversity among the different reclamation types. • Quantifying the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties in different reclamation years and types. • A comprehensive evaluation method of reclamation effect based on remote sensing and field sampling is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimization of fertilizer and tillage management in agroecosystems can be an effective strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and improve carbon sequestration. Using a system boundary that started at winter wheat seeding and ended at summer maize harvest, a field experiment was conducted in Shandong Province (North China) to determine the effect of microbial fertilization and tillage on the carbon footprint (CF). The climate-based ecosystem services were evaluated in wheat-maize cropping systems. Also the optimal microbial fertilization and tillage with the lowest CF, highest climate-based ecosystem services and highest crop yield were determined. The results showed that compared with microbial organic fertilization, the use of microbial decomposing agents increased soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration (2582.1–2909.9 kg CO 2 -eq ha−1 yr−1) and reduced CF (0.11–0.12 kg CO 2 -eq kg−1 grain). Chemical fertilization was the largest contributor to total CF (27.5–56.7%), which decreased with decreasing chemical fertilization. Climate-based ecosystem services of microbial fertilization with rotary tillage (1689.9–1795.6 US$ ha−1 yr−1) were significantly higher than those of chemical fertilization. In the limited system boundary of wheat-maize cropping, microbial decomposing agent MA (of 30 L ha−1) with rotary tillage had the highest grain production, GHG emission mitigation and climate-based ecosystem services enhancement. • Carbon footprint was reduced by replacement of chemical with microbial fertilizers and changing of tillage practice. • Crop yield, GHG emission and carbon sequestration optimized by microbial decomposition under rotary tillage. • A large proportion of wheat-maize carbon footprint driven by chemical fertilization. • Rotary tillage, more than deep tillage, increased ecosystem services of wheat-maize system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large amount of salt waste accompanied with contaminants (e.g., organic pollutants) is produced in chemical production process, causing serious environmental hazards and waste of salt resources. However, there have been few satisfactory treatments for this hazardous waste until now. In this work, a novel strategy for NaCl recovery and organic pollutants removal from the salt waste containing pyridine derivatives was developed by using acetone in salt waste solution. The results showed NaCl was effectively recovered (recovery rate, 99.12%), and the TOC value of its saturated solution was reduced from 806.2 to 145.4 mg/L, below the limits (200 mg/L) for chlorine gas and caustic soda production in chlorine alkali plant. Moreover, no pyridine derivatives can be identified through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test. Mechanism analysis demonstrated the dual effects of acetone as following: 1) acetone and NaCl formed aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) to remove organic pollutants; 2) acetone, as a crystal regulator, induced NaCl crystals to recrystallize in cubic morphology with a smooth surface, which enhanced the removal of pollutants. Besides, the acetone-water phase split facilitated the separation of organic pollutants as well as the reuse of acetone. This work proposes a promising and feasible method for salt waste to remove organic pollutants and recover recrystallized NaCl solids, and also provides new insights into the function of acetone on the crystal regulation of salts. • A novel treatment using acetone for effective NaCl recovery (99.1%) from salt waste was developed. • Almost all pyridine derivatives were removed by the acetone/NaCl aqueous two-phase systems. • Acetone induced cubic and smooth NaCl crystals hindered the secondary absorption of organics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable agricultural production technologies such as formula fertilizer and soil testing have caught attentions from government agencies and scholars as a potential solution to environmental problems associated with overuse of fertilizers. A lack of motivation from farmers has slowed the adoption of sustainable technologies in China, resulting in continued deterioration of the rural environment. Recently, China's agriculture is experiencing rapid consolidation due to structural adjustments and labor migration. Large scale farming is becoming a major force for promoting sustainable rural development and agricultural production. This study applies the theory of planned behavior to explain the adoption of formula fertilizer and soil testing technology among 690 large scale producers in Eastern China. The path analysis shows the attitude, subjective norm (perceived social pressure), and perceived behavior control (perceived ability or risk) significantly increase farmers' adoption intention. The only path that determines the actual behavior directly is behavioral intention. These findings suggest that, in addition to social, economic and institutional factors, policies aiming at promoting sustainable agricultural production should address the psychological dimensions of technology adoption. Effective approaches should be developed to cultivate farmers' positive attitudes, social norms consciousness, perceived abilities, as well as reduce perceived risks to increase their interests in adopting the technology. The framework of the theory of planned behavior regarding the formula fertilizer and soil testing technology among large scale producers in East China. Image 106790 • Psychological factors affecting farmers' technology adoption are explored. • Attitude, social pressure and perception affect farmers' adoption intention. • Perceived control only has indirect impact on adoption behavior via intention. • Cultivating farmers' positive attitude toward technology could increase adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Process integration has been widely applied to hydrogen networks for resource conservation. Traditional methods almost focus on the component-less quantitative allocation between hydrogen streams and processing units but hardly component related properties, such as hydrogen partial pressure, to account for pressure energy and hydrogenation reactions. Sulfur is an important contaminant in crude oil to be removed and its content greatly influences on both fresh hydrogen demand and hydrogen stream properties. Therefore, this paper employs thermodynamic principles to correlate component related properties and combines it with component-less quantitative integration for the optimization of hydrogen networks with variational sulfur content. A mixed integer nonlinear programming model is formulated to minimize total exergy including fresh hydrogen and compression work. A practical refinery case is employed and results show the fresh hydrogen is from 17120.8 Nm3/h on 0.5 wt% sulfur to 18818.8 Nm3/h on 2.5 wt% sulfur and the error range of total pressure is from 4.5% to 5.8% at the above lower and upper sulfur content bounds. This approach is more scientific and reliable in both mass and energy conservation. Image 1 • Basic thermodynamic principles are employed to perform process integration. • A MINLP model with component-less and component related constraints is set up. • Sulfur content variation dominates both fresh hydrogen and compression work exergies. • The error range of total pressure is from 4.5% to 5.8% at lower and upper levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an insight into the structure of CO 2 emissions in China through transitions in economic and environmental policies for the period of 1957–2017 by using input-output and network analysis with newly compiled environmentally-extended historical input-output tables of China. These tables, which include firm-level, industry-level, and macro-level statistical data, are the first environmentally-extended input-output tables covering the years in the early stage of the People's Republic of China. The results present the following two main findings. The first is due to the stable economic structure associated with the independent economic policy, China's emission structure has been stable for more than 60 years. Heavy industry has contributed about 80% of CO 2 emissions since the 1950s. On a second account, although the emission structure was stable, stricter environmental controls and regulations led to a decrease of the growth rate of CO 2 emissions after 2010. Against this background, as a policy choice of China, instead of carbon leakage that could break up the stable economic structure, balanced technology upgrading across all sectors induced by stricter environmental controls is a realistic way for China to achieve increased energy efficiency, emission mitigation and economic development, so that the country can keep the promise of reducing CO 2 emissions after they peak around 2030. • Newly complied historical IO tables are used to study emission structure 1957–2012. • Heavy industry is the main contributors of CO2 emission for six decades. • China's CO2 emission structure has maintained a relatively stable status for more than 60 years. • Because of the "independence" ideology, China could not adopt carbon leakage policy. • Technology upgrading is a realistic way for China to achieve emission mitigation and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological livestock husbandry tends to be popular in China but the real situation is many models appeared without scientific analysis. And very limited theoretical researches compared ecological breeding systems and livestock species on environmental and economic and carrying capacity aspects. To choose the best pig-raising method and compare it with the goat raising system, this study combined emergy evaluation methods and economic analysis methods and livestock carrying capacity evaluation methods to gain the objective results. Pigs raising systems all performed little weaker than the goats raising system in the environment-friendly aspect. But the pigs raising systems were good at the aspects of economy and livestock carrying capacity. The 80% maize silage added fodder in the pigs fattening period (Pig-raising system Group A (PA)) performed excellently. The yield-based economic profit (Py) and profit rate (BCR) of PA increased by 2%–13% and 7 %-48%, respectively, compared to the other two pig-raising systems (Pig-raising system Group B (PB) & Group C (PC)). Meanwhile, the emergy yield ratio (EYR) and the emergy loading ratio (ELR) of PA were 0.2%–2% and 1%–3% lower than the other two systems (PB&PC), respectively. And emergy sustainability index (ESI) of PA was about 1% better than PB and PC. Furthermore, the livestock carrying capacity based on planting area (L1) and fertilized area (L2) of PA performed 18%–210% and about 14% better than PB and PC, respectively. To some extent, pigs could tolerate extreme high concentration of the maize silage added into the fodder. Moreover, a high concentration of maize silage added to the fodder of pigs did not result a sharp drop in the yield. On the contrary, the higher concentration of maize silage added to the fodder increased more economic benefits and gained more sustainability and improved the livestock carrying capacity of the ecological pigs raising system. • Emergy evaluation, economic analysis and livestock carrying capacity evaluation were combined. • The environment impacts of ecological breeding systems and livestock species were quantitatively interpreted. • Up to 80% dried maize silage was added to the fodder for the pigs above 40 kg. • Pigs performed better on the economic aspect, but weaker on environment and sustainability aspects than goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-reservoir system has remarkable advantages that mostly come from benefit compensation among reservoirs. However, no in-depth studies on dynamic benefit compensation in a multi-reservoir system have been conducted. This study presents a comprehensive framework to quantitatively evaluate reliability of the multi-reservoir system, which is integrated with techniques of importance analysis, compensation mechanism, and uncertainty analysis. Two simplified series-parallel connections of the multiple reservoirs and three major reservoirs are introduced to demonstrate the application of the proposed framework. The importance-based system reliability analysis and benefit compensation strategy are then given. The importance level can be served as an evaluation indicator for providing answers to a set of questions with respect to which connection mode should be used, how many members should be integrated; and how long the operational time should be ensured. Results show that a low member's failure rate would result in a low importance level and then to an insignificant effect on system reliability. The effect induced by the connection mode would be most significant than that induced by the failure rate. An optimal compensation proportions for the three major reservoirs would be achieved according to the member's importance level and characteristic index with an overall satisfaction degree of 0.7380. Image 1 • This study transfers from the traditional system analysis to the member analysis. • Joint importance analysis is used for enhancing reliability of the multi-reservoir system. • Dynamic benefit compensation is given based on the symmetric Nash negotiation model. • Questions associated with connection mode and operational time can be answered. • Findings can be in support of system design, safety assessment, and reliability analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel consumption by agricultural vehicles presents a financial burden on operators, and an environmental burden on the community – so any reduction of fuel usage is of interest to all. Dividing fuel usage into functional components – working and non-working – allows prioritization of optimization efforts that also considers multiple vehicle types, capacities and fuel consumption rates. A general framework, including the mathematical model and solution approach, is proposed to optimize the fuel consumption for the non-working distance and is implemented by vehicles in intra- and inter-fields. A mixed integer model is formulated and combined with a search algorithm to find an optimal solution. Subsequently, a case study related to wheat harvesting is presented to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the search. Compared with the operational schedule, fuel consumed by harvesters in non-working activities is reduced significantly by 19.5%. Furthermore, total fuel consumed by harvesters is reduced by 16.3%. This paper provides a general framework for reducing the fuel consumption of agricultural vehicles and makes these agricultural vehicles more environmentally friendly. Image 10640 • We contribute a schedule for intra- and inter-fields logistics to reduce fuel use. • A two stage algorithm is presented to find the schedule of agricultural vehicles. • A case study is proposed to reduce fuel consumption caused by harvesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting sulfoxide in sediment and water is an essential channel in understanding redox processes and maintaining water quality. Therefore, the creation of quick and efficient sulfoxide detection techniques is crucial to comprehending the ecotoxicity of sulfoxides. However, sulfur oxides were mainly detected in a pure water system, which greatly limited their potential practical applications. Difficulties related to selecting a detection system are a common bottleneck for applications. Herein, a brand-new fluorescent probe called BZ-QL was designed. This probe emits different fluorescence intensities in the sediment and water samples from a natural lake (China's Dianchi Lake). For the first time, the detection of sulfoxide in natural lake was realized on the basis of the correlation of the gene abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) with fluorescence intensities. Results indicated a significant negative correlation between the fluorescence intensities of BZ-QL and the abundance of dsrA for the water samples (R 2 = 0.35, P < 0.01) and sediments (R 2 = 0.16, P < 0.05). The combination of fluorescence intensities and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of SRB could provide unique techniques for detecting sulfur oxides in water samples. Compared with other sulfur dioxide fluorescent probes, the fluorescence detection method in this study introduces the parameter of gene abundance, and applies the probe technology to detect sulfur oxides in natural lakes. In the future, this simple and rapid detection technology could be converted into kits for promotion. In addition, other compounds could be detected by changing the recognition site of the probe. [Display omitted] • BZ-QL could emit different fluorescent signals in the water body and sediments. • Realized the detection of sulfoxide in natural lake based on a unique technology. • A novel tool for the direct detection of sulfur dioxide will be established. • The fluorescence and qPCR will provide a new way for detection of sulfur dioxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smallholder farmers produce one-third of the world's food and over 80% of China's; therefore, they must be at the forefront of developing a sustainable food system. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these farms cannot be ignored. In this study, we created an agricultural environmental impact evaluation framework for China based on a localized database through an extensive survey. The survey was based on face-to-face interviews by 120 investigators with 1015 smallholders in 100 villages within Chinese major agricultural regions. The GHG emissions of each smallholder farmer's staple grain production was assessed on a case-by-case basis. Structural equation models were used to analyze the influence paths of production behavior. The results showed that GHG emissions from smallholder grain production exceeded average global levels. Despite some regional differences, synthetic fertilizers were the main source of GHG emissions from all farm inputs. Increased farm size can reduce nitrogen fertilizer use. The GHG emissions can be reduced by 203.59–279.90 Tg CO 2 eq, and profits would increase by 62.05–92.42 billion CNY in China, when all smallholders are managed in the same way as the top 25% or 10% of outstanding producers without applying higher nitrogen fertilizer application than the national recommendation. It is urgent and necessary for smallholders to change production practices to reduce their reliance on fertilizers to achieve climate goals. [Display omitted] • A Life-cycle assessment based on a localized parameter database was developed to quantify greenhouse-gas emissions of smallholders' staple grain production. • The current emissions were higher than the world's and China's average levels, more than 35.81%. • The average input of fertilizers exceeded 250.90 kg N/hm2, which was 31.58% higher than the nationally recommendations. • Synthetic fertilizer was the major contributor to greenhouse-gases, more than 48.58%. • After fertilizer reduction, the greenhouse-gases can be reduced by 47.75%, and profit will increase by 72.73%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphate is an important non-renewable resource. Over the recent years, due to the rapid explosion in world population the demand for phosphate fertilizer for use in grain production is burgeoning, resulting in the phosphate resources becoming increasingly scarce. Therefore, phosphate recovery from wastes has been drawing much attention. In this study, an attempt was made to recover phosphate from swine wastewater through struvite crystallization using plant ash as the alkali reagent. An increase in the solution pH and potassium concentration induced a drop in the struvite purity and a corresponding rise in the K-struvite purity. The maximum K-struvite purity was obtained at pH 10. The competitiveness of the K-struvite formation induced a significant relationship with the potassium concentration. When the K is to TAN molar ratio was 6, the competition ratio between the K-struvite and struvite reached 93.7%. The experimental results with actual wastewater revealed the feasibility of utilizing plant ash as the alkali reagent in struvite crystallization. Under optimal conditions, ˃96% of phosphate could be recovered from swine wastewater. An economic analysis revealed that the recovery cost of the proposed process was 1.27 $/kg PO 4 -P, which includes the costs incurred for chemicals, energy, manpower and maintenance. In fact, 0.31 $/kg PO 4 -P can be saved with the proposed process compared to the one using NaOH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI) proposed by China in 2013 aims to create more opportunities for common development and cooperation in accordance with infrastructure development and trade activities worldwide. Previous studies have evaluated the impacts of BRI countries on the economy or PM 2.5 emissions but have overlooked the impacts caused by PM 2.5 emissions, and have seldom combined economic impacts and PM 2.5 -related health impacts (PHI) for analysis. This study compared embodied PHI (EPHI) and embodied value added of BRI countries with those of China based on a global multiregional input-output model. First, it was found that considering the EPHI was beneficial for revealing existing problems that there were great differences between the embodied PM 2.5 emissions and the EPHI between BRI countries and China. China imported embodied PM 2.5 emissions from BRI countries (2,584,400 kg), but exported EPHI to them (132,864 disability-adjusted life year losses (DALY)). Second, it was revealed that the BRI countries as a whole were net EPHI importers (51,426.83 DALY) but net embodied value added exporters (gaining US$773,570,000). Finally, it was indicated that when considering EPHI intensity, there was a significant difference among BRI countries in gaining equal economic benefits from China (ranging from 0.12 DALY/104 US$ for Singapore to 2110.24 DALY/104 US$ for Ukraine). This study may promote policies regarding trade structure optimization in BRI countries and PHI mitigation, while maximizing economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehensive utilization of straw plays an important role in GHG emissions reduction. The main breakthrough point of promoting straw resource utilization in China is on staple crops. In this study, the current straw utilization and treatment status of staple crops in rural China were studied based on data from the 2019 China Rural Development Survey, which included five provinces, 100 villages, and 1015 households. A life cycle assessment was conducted to identify the GHG emissions of the various crop straw utilization and treatment methods. The GHG emissions per unit area from the crop and household perspectives were also observed. Furthermore, the trend in GHG emissions from crop straw utilization and treatment was predicted through scenario simulation. The results showed that the comprehensive utilization rates of rice straw and wheat straw in rural China were 85.30% and 98.41%, respectively, in 2018, whereas the comprehensive utilization rate of maize straw was only 40.25%. Rice straw has the highest GHG emission level of 11771.90 kgCO 2 -eq/ha from a long-term perspective. On a national scale, the average GHG emissions per unit area of household is 1229.56 kgCO 2 -eq/ha, with significant differences between provinces, from a maximum of 12033.77 kgCO 2 -eq/ha in Jiangsu to a minimum of −3599.77 kgCO 2 -eq/ha in Jilin. According to the results of the scenario simulation, if the ambitious measures in reducing the straw incorporated into paddy soil are not taken, future GHG emissions of staple crop straw may persist and even rise rapidly in rural China. [Display omitted] • Realizing the resource utilization of straw in China mainly depends on staple crops. • Straw utilization rates of rice and wheat exceed 85%, but only 40.25% for maize. • The order of GHG emission intensity of straw of staple crops is rice > wheat > maize. • The GHG emissions of crop straw at household level is 1229.56 kgCO 2 -eq/ha in China. • Without measures, the life-cycle GHG emissions of crop straw will continue to rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the largest contemporary platform for international cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) may carry the risk of increasing pressure on water, energy and food (WEF) resources while driving economic development. WEF nexus analyses can help promote green and sustainable management of the BRI's resources, but has received little attention. Based on a multi-regional input-output model, this study identifies key points of WEF nexus management in the BRI from WEF utilization efficiency, final demand behavior and trade inequality. On the supply side, the common points of inefficiency in WEF use were primarily manufacturing and transport and communication in China and India, chemicals and manufacturing in Russia, and chemicals, manufacturing, and transport and communication in Iran. Water and food systems were closely linked through the planting industry. The focus for adjustment was the direct water and land use efficiency of the planting industry in India and Pakistan. On the final demand side, household consumption drove 73.6%, 50.0%, and 80.1% of WEF, respectively; particularly richer countries (e.g., South Korea and Italy) had more serious overconsumption problems. The macro-control points of investment behavior primarily include manufacturing, construction, and transport and communication in China, South Korea, Italy, and Russia. With the reduction of trade barriers, countries with a propensity to export, particularly those with resource scarcity, face trade-offs in export behavior (e.g., exports of crops, and food and tobacco from China, India and Pakistan). Notably, for certain resource-rich economies, such as Southeast Asia, Russia, and West Asia, improving the efficiency of relevant sectors, rather than restricting exports, is the priority. In bilateral trade, richer countries acquired both economic and resource advantages, whereas countries such as China, India, and Pakistan faced serious trade inequalities. Greener and more equitable WEF development in the BRI could be better promoted through strengthening dialogue and cooperation regarding supply and demand at these key points. • WEF nexus and trade inequality were analyzed to promote BRI's green development. • Key WEF efficiency improvement points in the BRI were identified on the supply side. • Important final demand behaviors in the BRI requiring macro-control were determined. • Unequal trade pairs related to resource costs and economic benefits were revealed. • Improved co-management of WEF between unequal trade pairs should be prioritized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are used to remove nitrogen-containing organic pollutants based on the roles of plant and microbial communities. However, the rhizosphere nitrogen removal process and microbial response to cold stress in CWs in winter remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the potential denitrification rate and microbial mechanisms of two CWs with different water levels in response to decreasing temperatures in winter. Our study sites were located at Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, the low surface water level site (LCW, 0–10 cm) and Cuihu Wetland Park, the high surface water level site (HCW, 40–50 cm). Denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) and functional microbial diversity were significantly reduced at LCW, but at HCW, the decreases were not as significant as that in LCW due to the insulating effect of ice. There was no significant difference in the composition of functional microbial communities in the rhizosphere of plants from these sites. We observed changes further in the co-occurrence networks of denitrifiers with decreasing temperature. With increasing cold stress, the co-presence links between the same nir gene (nirS - nirS or nirK - nirK) and the mutual exclusion nirS - nirK links gradually increased, indicating that similar denitrifiers tend to accumulate in response to cold stress. In addition, Bradyrhizobium (nirS / nirK), Azoarcus (nirS), Azospira (nirS), Pseudomonads (nirS) and Rhizobium (nirK) as the keystone species are the primary contributors to the denitrification process in winter. Overall, denitrification was stronger in CWs with high water levels (HCW, 40–50 cm) during the freezing period in winter, and the more similar nirK - or nirS - denitrifiers collaborated to maintain denitrification under cold stress. [Display omitted] • The denitrifier community composition was inhibited by temperature in winter. • The denitrifying enzyme activity was much higher in high water level CWs in winter. • The same nir-type denitrifiers closely interacted with each other under cold stress. • Five species of denitrifiers were considered as keystone taxa in winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface ozone (O 3) pollution is an emerging concern in China. Hangzhou Bay (HZB), where the petrochemical industry is clustered, has become one of China's most O 3 polluted areas due to exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions and land-sea breezes. It is urgently need to investigate the multiple drivers of surface O 3 generation in HZB more specifically. The spatial distribution of O 3 trends from April to September (2015–2022) in HZB depicts a general upward trend, with an observed trend of 0.26 μg/m3 a−1, where meteorological factors contribute to 54°% based on the stepwise multiple linear regression (MLR). Ensembled machine learning is more efficient and accurate, especially the Light Gradient Boosting model (LightGBM, R2 = 0.84) outperforms other machine learning algorithms. The Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) technique allows for more in-depth quantification of the contribution of specific factors to O 3 trends. The results of the LightGBM-SHAP algorithm present that solar radiation plays a leading role in O 3 generation. More importantly, stronger solar radiation can still lead to high O 3 concentration accumulation even at lower temperature based on the interaction of SHAP values. For the precursor's emissions, the ratio of formaldehyde-to-NO 2 (HCHO/NO 2) obtained from the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) satellite observations, shows the study area is located in the VOCs-limited and transitional regimes, highlighting that VOCs control is more cost-effective. • Meteorological drivers contribute 54°% to the O 3 increase in HZB. • Stronger solar radiation can lead to high O 3 pollution even at lower temperature. • HZB is in the VOCs-limited and transitional regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of spent cathode carbon blocks (SCCB) from aluminum electrolysis has become challenging due to their content of highly toxic cyanides and environmentally harmful fluorides. To achieve reliable recovery and utilization of hazardous waste, targeted research has been conducted on the treatment of waste cathode carbon blocks and their potential application in asphalt pavement. Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) is employed to remove cyanides from the waste cathode carbon blocks, meeting the construction requirements for transportation areas. Anhydrous calcium chloride is used as a calcium source to precipitate soluble fluorides in the solution. Finally, the waste cathode carbon blocks are gel-crosslinked using polyvinyl alcohol-polyvinyl pyrrolidone, addressing the release of fluorides beyond environmental tolerance. This results in the synthesis of a composite material consisting of calcium fluoride deposits and gel-encapsulated waste cathode carbon blocks (PSB), which exhibits good thermal stability in the temperature range of 0–217 °C. Through DSR and MSCR testing, it has been demonstrated that the gel-crosslinked waste cathode carbon block composite material improves the asphalt's sensitivity to temperature and enhances its resistance to rutting at high temperatures. The 1% PSB/SBS modified asphalt shows the best performance, compared to SBS, the complex modulus (G*) of the modified asphalt increased by 117.4% at 46 °C, and the recovery indices for creep at 64 °C improved by 39.28% (at 0.1 kPa) and 55.65% (at 3.2 kPa), and thermal gravimetric analysis of the asphalt confirms that the addition of PSB improves the asphalt's thermal stability. Fluorescence microscopy analysis reveals that the inclusion of PSB does not affect the morphological development of SBS swelling and plays a stabilizing and supporting role in the asphalt mixture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling and utilization of plastic waste are receiving more and more attention, and the combination of spectroscopic techniques and machine learning is expected to solve the problem of efficiently identifying and classifying plastic waste at the front end of high-value recycling. Currently, the spectroscopic techniques used for plastic waste classification include near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, etc., and the machine methods combined with them include traditional machine methods and deep learning methods. This paper mainly summarizes the research progress in the application of spectroscopic techniques combined with machine learning in the rapid identification of plastic waste in the past five years, focusing on the innovative research of machine learning methods in plastic identification, the relative advantages and disadvantages of various spectroscopic techniques, and the influencing factors of spectroscopic techniques in plastic identification. In addition, this paper describes the application of spectroscopic instrumentation in the plastic waste recycling industry. In the end, the paper presents an outlook on the future trajectory and potential of this field and proposes recommendations for its advancement in three key dimensions: spectroscopy, machine learning algorithms, and practical engineering applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current environmental and economic challenges of the application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer on crops are not only to provide an adequate food supply but also to reduce the resulting environmental pollution. A comprehensive understanding of the multiple effects of N fertilizer application on crops will help to more accurately guide the application of N fertilizer to meet current challenges, and to promote sustainable crop production. It is widely known that excessive N fertilizer applied to crops can lead to N-related direct environmental effects, including reactive N (Nr) losses, greenhouse gas emissions, and high environmental costs. However, few studies have revealed the hidden indirect environmental effect of crop N fertilizer application and its impact on the net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB), which may be triggered by a N-crop-pest cascade pathway. In this study, we conducted three-year wheat field experiments at five N fertilizer application rates (0, 70, 140, 210, and 280 kg ha−1) in a city on the North China Plain. Excluding wheat yield and direct N-related environmental effects, the indirect effects of N fertilizer application, including the occurrence of cereal aphids (the most important wheat insect pests), the use of chemical pesticides for pest control, the impacts on the environmental and human health damage costs and NEEB were studied. Our results showed that the abundances of cereal aphids positively correlated with the N fertilizer application rates. At each N fertilizer application rate (70, 140, 210, 280 kg ha−1), 0.447 kg of active ingredients of chemical pesticides (0.222 kg insecticides and 0.225 g fungicides) per hectare per season were used to control insect pests and pathogens, while no pesticides were used at 0 kg ha−1(i.e., no N fertilizer was applied). The environmental and human health damage costs of pesticides for pest control increased $8 per hectare for wheat at four N fertilizer application rates and then reduced NEEB by the same amount. Our work extends previous studies and reveals the indirect negative environmental effect of N fertilizer application on crops triggered by a N-crop-pest cascade pathway. This effect undercuts the contribution of crop N fertilizer application on NEEB. • Crop N fertilizer application increases yields but produces N-related pollutants. • Indirect environmental effect of crop N application have not been reported yet. • Crop N application increases pesticide use by the N-crop-pest cascade pathway. • Increased pesticide use weakens the net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB). • New pathway for the indirect environmental effect of crop N application is revealed and this effect undercuts NEEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The petroleum refining industry in China is a major contributor to the national economy and a significant source of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The development history of China's refineries was investigated for the period 1949–2018, and future development trends were predicted until 2030. The historical VOC emissions from 1949 to 2018 were estimated based on source-specific emission factors, and the emissions in 2025 and 2030 were predicted under the business-as-usual (BAU), alternative control (AC), and accelerated control (ACC) scenarios. Each scenario consisted of a policy and a technical scenario. VOC emissions from refineries increased from 0.53 Gg in 1949 to 1.12 Tg in 2018; fugitive emissions were always the most significant sources of VOCs (40.0–43.9%), followed by end-of-pipe (28.4–31.3%), tank storage (18.3–25.3%), and wastewater treatment (5.8–6.6%) emissions. Provinces in the coastal area have experienced more VOC emissions than inland areas, and Eastern China currently has the highest VOC emissions from refineries. By 2030, China could reduce its current VOC emissions by 5.4%, 35.7%, and 62.5% under the BAU, AC, and ACC scenarios, respectively. The main pressure for reducing VOC emission from China's refineries will come predominantly from Northeastern China, followed by Eastern and Northern China. The improvement of the production processes, enhancing the airtightness of equipment and containers, and implementation of improved leak detection and repair system are the more effective measures in reducing VOC emissions, accounting for more than 40% of the total reduction. In addition, the penetration and removal rate of control measures for end-of-pipe sources should be further strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The packaging and printing industry has become an important source of industrial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions in China, due to the abundant consumption of organic materials. Effective control measures must be developed which rely on a comprehensive understanding of both current emission characteristics and future emission projections. However, representative VOCs source profiles and updated EFs of packaging and printing industry in China are still lacking. In order to fully explore the VOCs emissions characteristics of packaging and printing industry, field measurements including 17 processes in five packaging and printing factories were conducted in this study. The emission factors (EFs), VOCs source profiles, ozone formation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosols potential (SOAP) of 110 VOCs species were acquired. Speciated VOCs emission inventory of packaging and printing industry was compiled based on the activity data in 2020. The future reduction perspectives of packaging and printing industry in China were projected. The VOCs EFs of different materials were estimated, including solvent-based ink (287 g/kg), water-based ink (117 g/kg), soybean oil ink (44 g/kg), UV curing ink (22 g/kg), solvent-based adhesive (420 g/kg), and water-based adhesive (139 g/kg). The VOCs EFs of products were 35.58 kg/t for plastic wrapper, 7.28 g/m2 for soft package plastic, 0.083 g/piece for carton, 0.54 g/piece for tin case, and 0.14 g/piece for aluminum can. The total VOCs emissions in Chinese packaging and printing industry was estimated to 634.32 Gg in 2020. Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Shandong, and Sichuan contributed 73% to total VOCs emissions. Printing workshop was the main contributor to both primary emission and secondary pollutant generation. OVOCs was the most abundant specie in three sub-industries. The key VOCs species in PF were ethylacetate, ethanol, 2-pentanone, methyl ethyl ketone, and i-propanol. I-propanol, ethanol, m-tolualdehyde, and dichloromethane were dominated in PP. Ethanol, m/p-xylene, i-propanol, o-xylene, and acetaldehyde were the key species in MC. The key VOCs species to OFP and SOAP were ethanol, methyl ethyl ketone, 2-pentanone, ethyl methacrylate, acetaldehyde, toluene, and xylene, which should be prioritized. The VOCs emissions would be reduced by 46.5% in 2025 and 66.4% in 2030 with stringent control measures. Increasing the usage proportion of low-VOCs-contained raw material and improving treatment efficiency are the key technologies to reduce the VOCs emissions in the packaging and printing industry. • 110 VOCs species from 17 pollution-discharged links of five factories were measured. • VOCs sources profiles based on multiple pollution-discharged links were first established. • Raw material-based and product-based VOCs EFs were explored. • Speciated VOCs emission inventory was compiled. • The VOCs emissions would be reduced by 46.5% in 2025 and 66.4% in 2030 under stringently controlled scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupling crop and livestock production (CCLP) is considered to be an effective way to mitigate the excessive use of chemical fertilizers. However, this is based on the assumption that organic fertilizer and manure has the substitution effect on fertilizer use (SEF). Is the assumption universal across all scenarios? In order to explore this question, this paper uses 1295 pieces of agricultural production data at crop type level in China and the econometric model to study the impact of CCLP on fertilizer application rate. The results showed that CCLP significantly promoted the organic fertilizer and manure application rate and the chemical fertilizer application rate at the same time, showing an anti-substitution effect on fertilizer use (anti-SEF). Further, anti-SEF was mainly appeared in large-scale farms, head of household with male-headed, older, and less-educated, and maize planting. This study provides a counter-evidence to challenge CCLP's assumption of SEF from smallholder farms. [Display omitted] • In general, CCLP is supposed to promote agricultural sustainability. • An anti-substitution effect on fertilizer use by CCLP is found in smallholder farms. • This phenomenon is mainly in the relatively large-scale farms and maize planting. • It is also appeared in head of household with male-headed, older, and less-educated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]