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The chemical deicing method and the conventional asphalt pavement deicing method by microwave have low efficiency, large construction pollution, and serious energy waste. This paper proposes an eco-friendly microwave deicing method based on the heat generation of the pavement's upper surface. In order to achieve the effect of heat generation on pavement's upper surface, four kinds of waste materials were selected to be mixed with asphalt mixture for experiments. Among these experiments, the temperature field distribution coefficient N was proposed to judge the appropriate types of admixtures, and the ice layer-pavement separation coefficient E was proposed to determine the admixtures' optimum content. Meanwhile, the effect of the heating equipment's moving speed on deicing and snow-melting was studied. Finally, a case study demonstrates this method has the effect of improving deicing efficiency, and comprehensive environmental assessments demonstrate this method has the effects of energy-saving and emission reduction. The results show that waste steel wool is the appropriate type of admixture for microwave deicing and snow-melting. The optimum waste steel wool content is 6%(by asphalt's volume). In addition, emissions are reduced by 5.34 kg in a unit of pavement (2 km long,7.5 m wide with 2 cm thickness of ice layer). The deicing speed can reach 9.7 km/h (36 kW). While improving the operating speed, the method protects the environment and also saves energy. • An eco-friendly asphalt pavement deicing method based on the heat generation of the pavement's upper surface is proposed. • A method for determining the type and content of additives for microwave deicing asphalt pavement is presented. • The environmental benefits of eco-friendly asphalt pavement deicing method were evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying and mitigating the environmental impact of livestock sector is of global interest as it has an important role in the global climate change. Although accurate estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock production systems is complex, there are several available tools to assist with the emissions estimation. These tools differ in many ways, such as in terms of accessibility, methodology, assumptions, and scope. Such tools are important because they help farmers know where their farms and livestock production processes stand in terms of sustainability. This information also helps farmers in devising and implementing mitigation strategies. In this paper, we review and assess popular and available open-access decision-support tools (DSTs) for estimating farm-level GHG emissions from livestock production systems. We noted that most of the available tools are built based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 guidelines, and relevant region- and product-specific assumptions. Only a very few tools, such as GLEAM and CFT, are suitable for all geographic locations. Apart from GHG emissions estimation, some tools, such as AgRECalc, provide static general recommendations to support decision-making in GHG emissions mitigation, and other tools, such as Holos, include scenario analysis. We also observed that most of the tools are lacking concrete recommendation provisions to assist in developing mitigation strategies. Such recommendation engines can be of great help to farmers in identifying potential focus areas to prioritize while developing mitigation strategies. We, furthermore, present a high-level framework of a decision support system that addresses the discovered gaps and can be adopted for sustainable livestock farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes a continuum approximation-based optimization model, considering vehicle emissions, to jointly optimize a bimodal transit network service in a heterogeneous environment where the passenger demand is not uniformly distributed over space and time. Correspondingly, the designed transit service characteristics, including the spacing of lines and stations, line headways and lengths, may vary over space and time to better cater for variable passenger demands. A successive substitution solution approach and an endpoint method are employed to generate an optimal solution. Experiments are conducted to illustrate the properties of the model and validate the solution methods. The results indicate that a trunk-feeder bimodal transit network is preferable under a higher-level heterogeneous demand. A rail-bus system is much more desirable compared to a bus rapid transit (BRT)-bus bimodal system in a larger and more developed city. Another interesting finding is that the scale of at-stop emission cost reduction is significantly larger than that of inter-stop emission. Compared to the conventional bimodal transit network design models without accounting for vehicle emissions, the incorporation of an emission factor into the optimization model can reduce both the total system and emission costs, which consequently achieves a more sustainable bimodal transit system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the world's electricity systems are decarbonising, driven in most cases by the deployment of variable renewable energy technologies. This paper studies such systems using generation expansion planning in the form of a linear program to determine and understand least-cost pathways to deep decarbonisation of existing wholesale electricity markets over a 30-year horizon. This work extends previous generation expansion modelling with several, additional options that now enable the substitution of woody biomass for coal and biomethane for natural gas, the retrofit of carbon capture and storage to existing and new build fossil plant, and different constraints on variable renewable energy that differentiate between renewable resource adequacy, system security and economic performance. The most recent, independent, and authoritative technical and financial input data are also used. In all decarbonisation pathways studied, emission reductions are primarily driven by the replacement of the existing coal fleet with utility-scale solar photovoltaic and wind generation. Nonetheless, systematic application of these additional options gives rise to a wide range of different technologies for 'firming' renewable-rich, decarbonised systems, with batteries, pumped hydroelectric energy storage, fossil plant with co-fired biomass and biomethane, carbon capture and storage and nuclear small modular reactors all playing significant roles in different cases. This range of observed pathways is thought to have several implications for system planning, with variable renewable energy tending to be economically competitive up to an imposed technical limit, but with that limit being uncertain and therefore requiring continuous re-evaluation as our understanding evolves. The results of an extensive range of sensitivity studies also suggest that deep decarbonisation is achievable without large increases in costs for consumers, that we should embrace the optionality and competition between different technologies, and that stakeholders have significant choice about non-cost related impacts and preferences, which are manifold. • Generation expansion demonstrates diverse pathways of power system decarbonisation. • ∼90% abatement projected to be achieved via renewables competing solely on cost. • Constraints on VRG integration impact prospects of firm-low carbon technologies. • Additional costs of decarbonisation are relatively insensitive to technology mix. • We should embrace optionality and competition between different technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The irreversible impacts of human activities on the Earth have led to the introduction of planetary boundaries that define a safe operating space for humanity to act within. Subsequently, Science-Based Targets (SBTs) have been set for companies as Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets consistent with the required decarbonisation level to limit the temperature rise to less than 2 °C above the pre-industrial level. On the other hand, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been applied as a suitable decision-making tool to integrate the environmental impacts of products in strategic and long-term planning. Many Future-oriented LCA approaches with relatively short-term perspectives have been published. However, the operationalisation of SBTs requires quantification of companies' Environmental Impacts in the far future. There are a few studies on the future-oriented Environmental Impact Assessment of companies with SBTs consideration. This paper aims to develop a framework for future-oriented Environmental Impact assessment of companies towards operationalisation of SBTs. The proposed framework employs scenario analysis and SBTs for Future-oriented Environmental Impact Assessment of product families and companies. Accordingly, it quantifies companies' Environmental Impact Reduction Requirement (EIRR) to provide Environmental impact Targets (ETs) for product families and proposes pathways for product families to reach SBTs. In this research, Apple Inc. is considered as the case study and the application of the proposed methodology. It is concluded that the 86.51% Environmental Impact Reduction Requirement (EIRR) of Apple Inc. will not be satisfied considering different scenarios. [Display omitted] • The research offers a dynamic supportive tool to operationalise ScienceBasedTargets • The research applies the logistic model to predict product families' market changes. • Offering Environmental Impact Reduction Requirement concept for operationalising SBTs. • The research offers a supportive tool for companies' strategic and long-term planning. • The case study offers 86.51% Environmental Impact Reduction Requirement for Apple Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectively addressing the impact of aviation on climate change may prove a major challenge for policymakers. Τhe European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is one of the main instruments used to reach the statutory reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This paper examines policy issues regarding the implementation of the EU ETS in aviation. A two-round Delphi study was undertaken based on a sample of 31 experts from Airlines and the International Air Transport Association; Air Navigation Service Providers; Civil Aviation Authorities; Government Institutions; and informed individuals (consultants and academics). The different allocation methods of allowances; the linking of EU ETS to similar schemes in other counties/continents; and the interconnection of the scheme with related environmental policies in Europe are found to significantly affect the efficiency of the EU ETS. Simpler monitoring, reporting and verification processes; streamlining and increased transparency of the auctions and penalties revenue policy; and achievement of balance in the allowance market are recommended to rectify caveats of the EU ETS from a policy perspective. • The inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) has not realised its full potential so far. • Issues of concern are the: allowance allocation; implementation process; Monitoring, Reporting and Verification mechanism. • The linking of EU ETS to other emission schemes is feasible if grounded on factors identified in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in the city has caused a serious problem to the authority, especially for emerging countries. Improper management of MSW will increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Apart from landfill, there are other options to convert MSW into valuable products or energy, such as recycling and incineration. This paper presents crisp and fuzzy optimization models for designing optimal supply chain networks for sustainable MSW management, considering economic (cost minimization) and environmental objectives (emissions reduction). The crisp model is based on a superstructure and consists of material balances, capacity limits and planning constraints for MSW transfer stations, disposal sites and treatment technologies. Fuzzy optimization with max-min aggregation is then incorporated to handle conflicting economic and environmental objectives, as well as uncertainties in GHG emission factors and cost coefficients of MSW treatment. A case study for the design of an optimal MSW supply chain network in the city of Qingdao, China is presented to illustrate the proposed approach. The conflicting objectives of minimizing the total net cost and GHG emissions for MSW transport and treatment are analyzed using the crisp model, yielding a set of Pareto optimal solutions. A compromise solution achieving a 21.6% cost reduction and a 28.4% emissions reduction is identified using the fuzzy model. An inferior solution is also found with smaller cost (19.1%) and emissions reductions (25.1%) due to the use of conservative estimates of uncertain cost coefficients and emission factors. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed models in dealing with the MSW management problem. • Crisp and fuzzy models for optimal waste management network synthesis are developed. • Fuzzy set theory is used for multi-objective optimization with uncertain parameters. • A case study of optimal waste supply chain network synthesis in Qingdao is presented. • Pareto analysis is carried out to explore the trade-off between cost and emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the rational use of water and energy resources by optimising the heat supply system using P-Graph tools and additional analysis is discussed in this paper. The proposed approach is based on the decomposition of the heat supply system of a city/settlement into separate districts and optimisation of the thermal energy network between consumers and energy sources. The determination of the optimal structure for the distribution of thermal energy between consumers in each district is carried out using the P-Graph approach and accounting import/export of energy and water resources. An additional analysis of the structure of heat supply systems allows for determining the structure with minimum operating cost, water consumption and emissions. The proposed approach was applied to optimise the heat supply system of Tomsk city. Three configurations of the heat supply system, characterized by different objective functions, were determined as a result of the study. The structure of the heat supply system obtained based on the operating cost minimisation reduces operating costs by 69 million RUB/y; water consumption minimisation decreases water consumption by 27.3 thousand m3/y; emission minimisation has cut emissions by 6,000 tCO 2 /y and 517 tSO 2 /y compared to the base case. The approach proposed may be used for the design of heat supply systems by finding the trade-off between the operating cost and the environmental footprint of the heat supply system. It makes it possible to optimise heat supply systems based on the economic and environmental capabilities of the region. [Display omitted] • Increasing the rational use of energy and water resources. • Optimisation of heat distribution network accounting energy and water consumption. • The P-Graph approach and inter-cluster connection model was used. • OPEX minimisation, water use and environmental impact were assessed. • The case study analysis of the heat distribution system of Tomsk city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prefabricated buildings (PBs) are recognized as an effective solution to reduce emissions in the construction industry. Existing researches reveal abatement potential of prefabrication comparing to traditional construction methods, but overlook low-carbon practices adopted by stakeholders during prefabrication processes which can unlock green opportunity for PBs. This paper develops a game-based system dynamics (SD) model to explore the implementation effects of low-carbon practices from prefabricated building supply chain (PBSC) perspective. SD model describes the equilibriums of game model and reflects the sources of carbon emissions during prefabrication processes, including prefabricated components production, transportation and on-site assembly. Major variables influencing carbon emission reduction level of PBSC are also discussed. The results demonstrate that 1) low-carbon practices can effectively mitigate carbon emissions while the participants' profits are improved; 2) with gradual enhancement of developers' environmental awareness and continuous promotion of prefabrication, effects of low-carbon practices can be further strengthened; 3) carbon taxes cannot always stimulate implementation of low-carbon practices, especially in the initial development stage of prefabricated buildings. This research can provide the PBSC members with supports for adopting low-carbon practices and help government formulate a prospective carbon-reduction policy. • Game-based system dynamics model is built to explore effect of low-carbon practices. • Low-carbon practices can profitably reduce emission during prefabrication processes. • Environmental awareness of developers significantly influences low-carbon practices. • Carbon tax should be dynamically adjusted to strengthen carbon abatement effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy system modeling is highly relevant to support policymakers in defining strategies to achieve the European Green Deal targets towards carbon neutrality in 2050. Therefore, marginal CO 2 abatement cost curves are widely used in climate policy to assess the relationship between total cost changes and CO 2 emission reductions. Various methods exist for deriving abatement cost curves, leading to different results and policy implications. Most model-based methods derive smooth curves that can be transformed into step-wise curves through decomposition analysis, lacking system interactions at high temporal, sectoral, and techno-economic resolution. This paper overcomes these limitations by presenting a linear optimization approach with an hourly resolution to derive step-wise marginal CO 2 abatement cost curves for the German sector-coupled power system in 2030. Next to methodological insights, results indicate that early adoption of vehicle-to-grid ensures faster photovoltaic rooftop integration by reducing CO 2 abatement costs. Further, vehicle-to-grid replaces storage systems and decreases electricity generation costs while having no impact on CO 2 abatement costs of ground-mounted photovoltaic and onshore wind. Additionally, results show a high level of techno-economical detail and the least-cost sequential order of an optimal technology portfolio, allowing policymakers to formulate appropriate measures to achieve decarbonization targets. • A linear optimization model derives step-wise marginal CO 2 abatement cost curves. • Results show interdependencies and substitution effects of decarbonization measures. • Hourly sector-coupling analysis is performed for the German energy system in 2030. • Early VtG adoption ensures PV rooftop integration by reducing CO 2 abatement costs. • VtG replaces storage and decreases short-term electricity generation costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling carbon emissions and sustaining growth constitute essential concerns in the post-financial crisis era combined with low-carbon sustainable development. However, the impact of financial development on carbon emissions remains controversial and lacks mechanisms investigation covering finance spatial attributes. Relying on China province's data during 2005–2019, this paper contributes to the literature by constructing multi-spatial models to investigate how financial geo-density mitigates carbon emission intensity and explore the spatial transmission mechanisms. The results reveal that there is a balance between financial geo-density and carbon emission intensity. The intrinsic mechanisms include: (1) raising financial geo-density is accompanied by the law of marginal diminishing carbon emission intensity tendency; (2) high financial geo-density accelerates technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading, thereby decreasing carbon emission intensity, but drives industrial-scale expansion, thereby increasing carbon emission intensity; and (3) financial institution competition and inter-industry linkage notably influence the relationship between financial geo-density and carbon emission intensity, promoting the emission reduction effect of financial geo-density in accelerating technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading, and suppressing the emission increase effect of financial geo-density in driving industrial expansion. Our findings provide new insights for developing systemic emission reduction policies for employing financial sectors as catch-all and integrating industries and competition. • Mechanism analysis of financial geo-density affects carbon emission intensity (IC). • Propose an integrated spatial model including spatial mediated moderating effects. • Financial geo-density drives IC by industrial-scale expansion. • Reduce IC by technological innovation and industrial upgrading. • Financial institution rivalry and inter-industry link mitigate total driven effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon sequestration of blue carbon ecosystems worldwide is as high as 237.6 Tg C/a. China is one of the countries with the most resources of blue carbon, with carbon sequestration of 0.835 Tg C/a. To develop blue economy and facilitate the fulfillment of carbon neutrality, it is of great significance for China to build the blue carbon trading market (BCTM). This paper aimed to improve the participation probability of stakeholders to construct an effective BCTM through evolutionary game theory. First, we constructed a tripartite evolutionary game model including the governments, the suppliers of blue carbon (SBC) and the demanders of blue carbon (DBC), based on the corresponding cost and benefit in BCTM. To further reveal the factors affecting the cooperation of above parties, we analyzed the sensitivity of the stakeholders through five parameters, i.e., proportion of subsidies, unit carbon tax, blue carbon credits, unit price of blue carbon credits, and the cost of carbon emission reduction unit. To verify the game model, a case study of blue carbon credits of mangrove trading was performed. The main conclusions are as follows. In the initial stage of BCTM, the governments need to play a leading role in regulating and incentivizing motivation of the SBC and DBC. Subsidies and carbon taxes are conducive to promoting BCTM to develop into the middle stage. In the middle stage, price and quota of BC credits are two primary parameters to affect the evolutionary results of above three groups. Thus, it's necessary for the governments to adjust these parameters in time. When the trading scale and operation mode of BCTM approaching stable, the market will enter into the mature stage. Then, the governments can reduce subsidies to save fiscal expenditure and lessen the intervention, so as to gradually withdraw from the market. The above conclusions can provide a theoretical basis and reference for the construction of efficient BCTM and promote the integration of blue carbon into the carbon market in China. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cleantech projects can significantly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions globally. However, they often lack investments from the conventional finance sector. Crowdfunding represents an alternative for financing cleantech projects. By using a Qualitative Comparative Analysis, this paper explores the combinational effect of the six success factors identified in the general crowdfunding literature for cleantech projects published on Kickstarter platform. The results indicate that crowdfunding success of cleantech projects is highly contextual, and identify a set of core conditions that cleantech entrepreneurs are advised to consider for their crowdfunding campaign design. • Crowdfunding represents an alternative for financing cleantech projects. • It is important to understand the combined effect of crowdfunding success factors. • Crowdfunding success of cleantech projects is context dependent. • Communication, short campaign duration and use of emotional appeal enables success. • Entrepreneurs make use of five different types of updates for communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under low-carbon circular economy, how the government and low-carbon closed-loop supply chain (LC-CLSC) members make decisions to achieve carbon neutrality and recycling of waste resources becomes a prominent part of the study. This paper studies the altruistic mode selection and coordination of the LC-CLSC under the compound subsidy of the government from a long-term dynamic perspective. The results show that the altruistic behavior of the manufacturer as the leading party can promote emission reduction and recycling activities, and increase the retailer's profit and total profit while avoiding damage to its profit when its altruistic intensity is maintained at a reasonable level. The altruistic behavior of the retailer as the subordinate party will inhibit emission reduction and recycling activities, and increase the manufacturer's profit by damaging its profit, therefore leading to a decline in the total profit. The emission reduction subsidy rate decreases as the mutual altruistic intensity increases. The recycling subsidy rate decreases as the manufacturer's altruistic intensity increases, but it will increase as the retailer's altruistic intensity increases. Compared with other altruistic modes, the leading party manufacturer's unilateral altruistic mode can achieve a higher level of emission reduction, recycling rate, total profit, consumer surplus and social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's Jing-Jin-Ji urban agglomeration shows exceptionally high urbanization and resource utilization problems that require to identify hot paths and sectors of energy metabolism, thus recognizing key links of cleaner production, and supporting energy conservation and emission reduction. In this paper, an energy metabolic network model was built for the urban agglomeration to simulate energy transfers between sectors using ecological network analysis, and path analysis was performed starting from initial production to identify critical paths and sectors. The chain of paths through 0–3 intermediate nodes dominated the energy metabolic processes, becoming the key to diagnosing problems. The critical paths in the urban agglomeration evolved from joint dominance by intra- and inter-city paths to inter-city paths, indicating increasingly coordinated development. Intra-city paths from Beijing's and Tianjin's Industry were always critical, whereas inter-city paths mainly started from Shijiazhuang's, Handan's, Tangshan's or Baoding's Industry; Beijing's, Tianjin's, Shijiazhuang's, Tangshan's and Handan's Industry played export roles, with Beijing's, Tianjin's, and Shijiazhuang's Industry also playing transfer roles and the other sectors (especially Construction) playing import roles. Above results will serve for the agglomeration's cleaner, more sustainable and more coordinated development. [Display omitted] • A sector-scale energy metabolic network of Jing-Ji-Ji urban agglomeration was developed. • Path analysis was conducted to identify key paths and nodes. • Paths with length ≤4 accounted for around 70% of the integrated metabolic intensity. • Critical paths evolved from joint dominance by intra- and inter-city paths to inter-city paths. • Industry sector often played export and transfer role, the other sectors played import roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission reduction has become a critical and urgent issue in marketing. We notice that some companies develop new products to exclusively solve the pollution emission from the existing polluting products. This paper aims to research the optimal bundling problem of a monopoly seller who offers a polluting product and the new green product when considering consumer environmental awareness. First, by comparing the maximum profit of bundling strategies, we reveal that bundling strategies always dominate the pure component (PC) strategy. More specifically, the pure bundling (PB) strategy dominates when the marginal costs are low and the green product performs well in emission reduction; otherwise, mixed bundling dominates. Second, by analyzing the net pollution emission of different strategies, we show that although bundling strategies benefit the seller economically, they may not be optimal environmentally when the green product is not effective. Numerical studies are constructed to show our findings intuitively. Further, this provides useful managerial insights to enterprises and government regulators. To help achieve emission reduction target, government regulators should implement emission regulations to regulate enterprises' behavior. Besides, the enterprise should be more cautious when the emission regulation exists or when the enterprise itself is also environmentally aware since more profit may also mean more pollution. • A bundling (pure bundling or mixed bundling) strategy can always benefit the seller economically. • The pure bundling strategy will dominate mixed bundling when marginal costs are low and pollution emission-reducing power of the green product is weak. • A bundling strategy may also harm the environment when the green product's PERP is weak. Government regulators should implement emission regulations to regulate firms' behavior. • We constructed numerical studies to check the robustness of our findings due to the complexity of the model framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the Hydropower-Silicon-Photovoltaic (HSPV) industrial chain in China. The Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Index in the 13th Five Year Plan of China (ECER-135) is calculated based on the software eBalancev4.7 (eB) and eFootprint (eF). The total environmental impact index of ECER-135 of the HSPV industrial chain is 2.61E-06. The uncertainty result of the comprehensive index is 15.21% and the uncertainty of the inventory data is no more than 30%. The Energy Payback Time (EPBT) of the HSPV industrial chain is calculated as 1.68 years, accounting for only 5.60% of the operating cycle of the PV station. There are 7 impact category indexes of ECER-135, which are Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Primary Energy Demand (PED), CO 2 , SO 2 , Ammonia Nitrogen Content (NH 3 –N), NO x and Industrial Water Use (IWU). Considering the contribution of characteristic indexes to ECER-135, the contribution of PED index accounts for 22.93% of ECER-135, which is the major factor to environmental impact, and it is followed by COD, which accounts for 18.40%. Considering the contribution of each stage to ECER-135, PV module manufacturing, BOS manufacturing and SoG-Si manufacturing stages have significantly contributed to ECER-135, in which the PV module manufacturing stage has the greatest contribution to ECER-135, accounting for 97.63%, which is the main stage of impact on the environment. The sensitivity analysis reveals that the highest sensitivity is copper wire consumption, which is 47.83%. It is followed by aluminum consumption during the BOS manufacturing and the PV module manufacturing, which are 41.70% and 29.75% respectively. Finally, compared the total environmental impact of the HSPV industrial chain and the Thermalpower-Silicon-Photovoltaic (TSPV) industrial chain, the results reveal that the HSPV industrial chain has the energy-saving and emission reduction benefits of 2.89E-06, whose comprehensive indexes account for 47.39% of that of the TSPV industrial chain, proving that the HSPV industrial chain has significant energy saving and emission reduction benefits in all indexes. The EPBT of the HSPV industrial chain is only 38.17% of that of the TSPV industrial chain. • Conducting a life cycle assessment of Hydropower-Silicon-Photovoltaic(HSPV). • The contribution, sensitivity and uncertainty analyses of HSPV were conducted. • Serving as to put forward corresponding improvement measures. • The results of Thermalpower-Silicon-Photovoltaic(TSPV) and HSPV were Compared. • The Energy Payback Time of HSPV is only 38.17% of that of TSPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic Rankine cycles have been identified as a suitable technological option for converting low-grade heat into electricity with relatively high efficiency, and the organic Rankine cycle technology has been successfully implemented in different power production systems and in recovering heat in industrial processes. This paper studies the greenhouse gas emission reduction potential by using organic Rankine cycles for recovering exhaust gas heat of biogas engines. The study concentrates especially on the biogas engine power plants in Europe. Life cycle assessment methods are used and various waste heat utilization scenarios are compared. According to the results, greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced significantly if the thermal energy of the exhaust gases, otherwise lost in the process as waste heat, is utilized for additional electricity production by means of organic Rankine cycle. However, there may already be use for the exhaust gas heat in biogas plants in the form of heat power. In these cases, the use of organic Rankine cycle does not necessarily lead to greenhouse gas emission reductions. The results also indicate, that the working fluid leakages and production as well as the organic Rankine cycle construction materials and production have only marginal effects on the results from greenhouse gas perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite considerable mitigation efforts, global emissions from the electricity sector continued to grow in recent years. In Australia, the electricity sector is the largest CO 2 -emitting industry, contributing 35% of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions. The Australian government targets an 80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 relative to 2010. With a large variety and quantity of renewable energy resources, it is technically feasible and seems indispensable that Australia's electricity sector be largely decarbonised by 2050 in order to achieve this target. In this paper, scenario-based hybrid Life-Cycle Assessment is applied to calculate the economy-wide carbon footprints of seven electricity generation technologies in scenarios with differing renewable electricity penetration. This work is the first to apply a full life-cycle approach to scenario analysis of electricity generation in Australia. The findings are at the higher end of previously reported carbon footprint intensity ranges and above median values. However, even when taking into account indirect emissions along the technologies' life-cycles, the results indicate that the employment of different renewable energy technologies can potentially save a considerable fraction of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. This makes renewables an essential option for climate change mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 7.5% total nutritional value, pork is a staple food for many members of the Austrian population. Among members of the general public, little is known about the environmental impacts “from farm to fork” in the production of pork. This paper identifies three main impact categories for the environmental profile of Austrian pork using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. In a transparent and comprehensive manner, this LCA studied environmental impacts occurring throughout the production chain of pork, also including the transport and consumption stages. The results are expressed in terms of the global warming potential (GWP), soil acidification and eutrophication, specifically in CO 2 -equivalents, SO 2 -equivalents and NO 3 -equivalents normalized to one kg of fresh Austrian pork (carcass weight) as the functional unit. The main results of the study indicated that the environmental burden is primarily related to the farming stage: 92.3% of GWP, 98.4% of soil acidification and 95.4% of eutrophication. The processes taking place after the agriculture stage (i.e., during the slaughtering stage, retail market and consumption) play a minor role, except for the relative impact of eutrophication during the slaughtering stage. The transportation that took place between the different life cycle stages only marginally influenced the emissions analysed, with private transport from the retail market to the household contributing most of the emissions considered in this part of the life cycle. These results point to the farming stage as the main focus for future improvements. Due to its high contribution to the GWP, soil acidification and eutrophication potential, enhancing the efficiency and environmental protection measures implemented during the farming stage (or improving the choice of commodities used from feed production) could generate the highest reductions in impacts on soil acidification, eutrophication and potentially on the global climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the reality of climate change facing the planet, industry is being challenged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Due to the large number of industrial parks around the world, they are an important and arguably, an appropriate level at which to manage GHG. The question being considered in this paper is whether a multi-disciplinary, muti-dimensional and integrated approach could result in a practical and cost-effective management plan for a carbon neutral eco-industrial park. Taking Debert Air Industrial Park (DAIP), Nova Scotia as an example, a combination of tenant and park strategies, which companies can adopt both individually and collectively in concert with industrial park planners and management are identified and are already being implemented in parks to reduce GHG emissions. The study also involved a survey of business managers. While we agree that some individual strategies such as enhancing renewable energy sources and energy efficiency initiatives will have significant impact, we conclude that a wider mix of strategies including land use planning will be necessary to result in a low carbon, resilient and ecologically sustainable park. Implementing these strategies will be helpful to reduce or offset GHG emissions at an industrial park level and facilitate the transition of industrial parks towards an eco-industrial development in both regenerative and preventative ways through planning, design and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of thin-film electrolytes to operate solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) at a temperature range <500 °C is an active area of research for reducing the costs and improving the reliability of SOFCs for a broad range of applications. This paper examines the cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of thin-film-based SOFCs considering scale effect and compares them with conventional planar and tubular SOFCs based on high-temperature sintering. The GHG impact of ultra-thin-film cells generating 1 kW total power was estimated to be <400 kg. Despite the use of relatively energy intensive semiconductor-based manufacturing steps, the GHG impact of thin-film SOFCs was found to be lower than that of conventional SOFCs based on high-temperature-ceramic manufacturing methods. The simpler balance of plant design for low-temperature SOFCs and the benefit of the low GHG impact of thin-film SOFCs suggest that the GHG impact of the entire system could be lower than that of conventional SOFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biomass for energy production fosters sustainable development by saving fossil-based energy and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Alberta's wealth of biomass resources is estimated at 458 PJ potential. However, biomass-based energy development has been slow, and its contribution for provincial energy supply has so far been low. Recognizing the role of biomass for sustainability, the use of potentially available resources should be supported by provincial policy makers. The energy substitution and emission mitigation potential by biomass for Alberta is not fully understood and accounted. In this paper, energy and emission analysis approach was applied to assess the biomass resources potential; and analyse the GHG mitigation and energy substitution potential of biomass in the context of Alberta's final energy demand on a near term planning range, i.e. 15 years. The results demonstrate that utilization of agricultural and forest biomass resources for energy production can avoid 11–15% of GHG emissions and also substitute 14–17% of final energy demand by 2030. In addition, biomass has the potential to substitute 29% of total electricity consumption or 28% of Alberta total internal load. Agriculture is a major source for biomass feedstock supply in Alberta. Policy makers should give due recognition to the potential of biomass-derived energy in developing energy strategies. Further quantification of the economic removal of biomass feedstocks for energy production is needed to facilitate biomass integration to the provincial energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions, the Kyoto Protocol identifies a number of activities that are closely related to land use, included in the category called Agriculture, Forestry and Land Uses (AFOLU). While forests and agricultural systems result in CO 2 absorptions (live biomass, dead biomass and soil), every process undertaken for their management requires energy and resources, which can lead to a significant reduction of the environmental benefits. The study analyzes three tree plantations managed at different cultivation intensities in Italy, from an extensively managed plantation (a pure oak plantation) and a semi-intensively managed plantation (walnut and poplar plantation with nurse plants), to an intensively managed olive grove. Permanent and non-permanent biomass were accounted for in order to get the carbon stock of every plantation, estimated at the same age of 14 years old. The numerous processes operated for management of different cultivated species, e.g. planting, soil management, fertilization, phytosanitary treatments, pruning, harvesting, etc. were monitored and their impacts were quantified by applying the methodology known as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Removals (carbon sequestrations) were compared to emissions on a time scale, in order to assess the net CO 2-eq balance. Impacting treatments and processes were identified and further analysis on the individual phases and materials were conducted. Olive trees showed an unexpected capacity to store CO 2-eq , but this ability was evident only if annually harvested fruits and prunings were considered in the calculation. The plantation that demonstrated its ability to store most CO 2-eq at the age of 14 was the semi-intensively managed plantation, showing a higher efficiency in the energy spent by man. The paper offers a contribution for an innovative environmental performance evaluation of different tree cultivation management systems, including the assessment of potential benefits in terms of sequestered CO 2-eq for the studied tree plantations and possible avoided emissions thanks to sustainable agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food supply chain operations contribute significantly to Greenhouse Gas emissions. In the United Kingdom (UK), supermarkets are leading operators in the food retailing sector. With 75–90% of a typical food product's “carbon footprint” occurring in the supply chain upstream of the point of sale, socially responsible retailers need to influence supplier behaviour to reduce emissions. This paper aims to examine the role of Supplier Relationship Management, including the use of formal Supplier Engagement Programmes, in the UK supermarket sector towards this end. We use secondary data analysis techniques to examine their Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability reports. This analysis finds that progress is being made in Sustainable Supply Chain Management, but the use of Supplier Relationship Management for emissions reduction is variable in application. Some Supplier Engagement Programmes operated by UK supermarkets could, nevertheless, act as exemplars of best practice, demonstrating how to achieve emissions reduction alongside other sustainability objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative impact of greenhouse gases emissions on the environment has recently received considerable attention by both industry and academia. Companies and researchers strive to find new and innovative methods to reduce greenhouse gases emissions across all the stages of their green supply chains. The previous studies generally, employed integrated models for greenhouse gases emissions management in green supply chains. These models neglected the conflict and coordination among different supply chain members. Furthermore, as important practices to make the companies more adapted for the environment, product design, supplier selection, and logistics process are seldom studied in previous research. In this paper, we consider a green supply chain with multiple suppliers, a single manufacturer and multiple retailers. A game-theoretic model is established to simultaneously investigate the impacts of the product line design, supplier selection, transportation mode selection and pricing strategies on profits and greenhouse gases emissions. Genetic algorithm is applied to obtain the solution of this model. The proposed model and generated results can provide decision makers with a better tradeoff between profit and environmental impacts. A case study of air conditioner manufacturer in China is performed to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. Several interesting findings are accordingly obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of global warming is shaping building procurement, with much of the effort aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions through a preferential bidding mechanism. However, only a limited number of studies have quantitatively estimated the potential impact of bid preference on the emission reduction from building construction. The aim of this paper is to improve our understanding of how bid discounts change owners' procurement costs and the magnitudes of emission mitigation. A two-stage optimization model is designed to help the owner determine the discount rate that would automatically control the emission of the awarded contract within a desired level. The goal is for bidders to regard emission reduction efforts as an investment, with returns coming in the form of an increased chance of winning the bid. Our results imply that for the building retrofit project studied herein, a discount rate of 0.6 is suggested for every percentage of emission reduction. This discount level reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 28.2% while raising procurement costs by 3.7% relative to a non-preference mechanism. The increased procurement costs can be partially compensated under existing cap-and-trade scheme. The results show that the choice of discount significantly alters bidders' efforts on emission mitigation, and emission control cost can be minimized with the proposed optimization algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework for a green economy transition in tourism destinations. While the literature has suggested many models to guide sustainable tourism, very few studies have investigated the green economy in a tourism context. The main distinguishing factor between the green economy and sustainable development may be described as the acknowledgement of climate change as an existential threat to society and the aim to avoid policy, management and governance fragmentation (which has been common for environmental issues) by addressing greenhouse gas emissions, resource efficiency and social inclusiveness holistically at the economic level. This study frames the green economy concept from a tourism perspective and presents a model for translating the green economy concept into a tourism stakeholder engagement process. The model was tested in the case study of Bali, Indonesia, involving research methods such as visioning group techniques with tourism stakeholders, tourism economy and employment forecasting, resource efficiency estimates as well as resident and visitor surveys. This was followed by an analysis from a green economy stance to develop a Green Growth 2050 Roadmap for Bali tourism. The result is a framework which may be particularly relevant for tourism destinations experiencing rapid change without the capacity to respond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial scale production of biodiesel, the most common biofuel, requires innovative solutions to become more and more competitive with a reduced environmental impact. Microalgae are the most promising feedstock for biodiesel production since they are grown on non-arable areas and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions as well. The oil extraction is the competitiveness bottleneck, largely impacting the overall process cost. Oil extraction using ionic liquids is considered a promising technique, which has the chance to become a benchmark for large scale applications. In this paper a novel process simulation of ionic liquid operation is developed, implemented by Aspen Hysys V7.3 ® . The chosen ionic liquid is Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, a green solvent; since it is a non-conventional compound, a method to compute its properties through a thermodynamic model is provided. Moreover, a process scheme has been set up and simulated, composed of a lysis reactor, in which the ionic liquid is added for oil extraction, and a three phase separator, with recycle lines and several heat exchangers for heat recovery. Mass and energy balances have been carried out. The main results allowed to calculate the recovered oil as a function of the ionic liquid to dry biomass weight ratio (with assuming a bio-oil extraction yield of 100) and as expected, the bio-oil recovery yield increased at decreasing temperature. However, a complete recovery is not feasible, due to the physical constraints in the thermodynamic model hypotheses. Albeit some simplifying hypotheses for the thermodynamic properties, the novelty of this work is that it reports results of a process simulation, providing indication for industrial technological implementation coming from a professional tool for process simulation and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assets under management involved in socially responsible investing almost trebled from 2007 to 2011 in Europe, led by pension funds. Such growth has encouraged the implementation of socially responsible activities by companies, which have improved their cleaner production methods in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, total water used, energy consumption and waste generated, among others. Integrating environmental, social and governance policies for cleaner production into the investment strategy of pension plans could increase their cost deriving from the screening process and/or increase the benefits, because socially responsible companies in which pension funds invest might achieve a better financial performance than traditional companies, which could in turn affect pension plans' financial performance. For this reason, the aim of this paper is two-fold: firstly, to examine the financial performance of Spanish pension plans compared to market benchmarks taking into account the category to which they belong, and the socially responsible business strategy implemented by the manager; and secondly, to analyze whether differences in financial performance exist between solidarity pension plans, ethical pension plans and traditional pension plans. To do this, we have a sample of 651 individual system pension plans. Using these sample data, we implement the robust random effects panel data methodology. The results show that ethical pension plans, which invest in companies that improve their cleaner production methods, achieve a similar financial performance to conventional pension plans, while solidarity pension plans significantly outperform conventional pension plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the perceptions of some of the key stakeholders related with the European automotive manufacturers, automotive related industries – oil, tyres, electric batteries and information technology industries – and academia, about the technological contributions to lower greenhouse gas emissions of individual passenger vehicles. A qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews, was used in order to identify and explore possible relationships, causes, effects and dynamic processes. Technological and behavioural aspects were identified as crucial for the decrease of fossil fuels consumption and hence reducing carbon dioxide emissions. It was concluded that there is a strong focus on lowering the greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions in the automotive sector and related industries concerning innovation process; furthermore there is a need for major stakeholders, including policy makers, to look at sustainable mobility using a more holistic and inclusive approach to achieve an effective delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the European Union, the share of renewable energy has increased significantly over the past few years. Among renewable energy options, bioenergy is considered to be the dominant energy source. Previous literature is inconclusive regarding the suitability of bioenergy to mitigate greenhouse gases. The goal of this paper is to address this research gap. Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of biomass systems for electricity generation were gathered via a systematic literature review and form the empirical basis of this study. A quantitative exploratory analysis and a Qualitative Comparative Analysis were carried out to identify the greenhouse gas mitigation potential of different biomass systems used for electricity generation. Significant variations in LCA results are due to the heterogeneity of these systems; therefore, the transferability of LCA results to similar systems must be investigated on a case-by-case basis. Results show that electricity from biomass can be an appropriate measure for greenhouse gas mitigation in the European Union. To mitigate greenhouse gases, it is recommended to promote the employment of (1) non-dedicated lignocellulosic biomass with thermochemical conversion, (2) dedicated lignocellulosic biomass with thermochemical conversion, and (3) dedicated lignocellulosic biomass with direct combustion. For a more holistic assessment, future research should focus not only on greenhouse gas emissions, but also on other environmental, economic, and social impact categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are simultaneously exhausting the world's supply of fossil fuels and threatening the global climate. In many developing countries, significant improvement in living standards in recent years due to the accelerating development of their economies has resulted in a disproportionate increase in household energy consumption. Therefore, a major reduction in household carbon emissions (HCEs) is essential if global carbon reduction targets are to be met. To do this, major Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states have already implemented policies to alleviate the negative environmental effects of household behaviors and less carbon-intensive technologies are also proposed to promote energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. However, before any further remedial actions can be contemplated, though, it is important to fully understand the actual causes of such large HCEs and help researchers both gain deep insights into the development of the research domain and identify valuable research topics for future study. This paper reviews existing literature focusing on the domain of HCEs. This critical review provides a systematic understanding of current work in the field, describing the factors influencing HCEs under the themes of household income, household size, age, education level, location, gender and rebound effects. The main quantification methodologies of input–output models, life cycle assessment and emission coefficient methods are also presented, and the proposed measures to mitigate HCEs at the policy, technology and consumer levels. Finally, the limitations of work done to date and further research directions are identified for the benefit of future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluations of the environmental sustainability of lifestyles and consumption practices have been taking centre stage in European research projects in recent years. Considerable work has been undertaken on the environmental assessment of food consumption patterns, and several analytical tools and methodologies have been proposed to quantify the environmental burden of production and consumption. Claims have been made in several international reports that the Mediterranean diet offers the best consumption pattern in terms of both the environment and health, but there has never been a specific assessment of the Mediterranean diet in comparison with other food consumption behaviours. This paper explores the environmental burdens of the Mediterranean diet applied in the Italian context. The environmental performance of this diet is compared to the national average diet in Italy, as well as to two empirical scenarios of healthy and vegetarian food consumption patterns. The environmental burdens of the different diets are assessed in terms of their energy consumption and their carbon footprint using a hybrid IOA-LCA method. This method considers the positive aspects of both bottom-up methodologies (e.g. life cycle assessment – LCA) and top-down methodologies (e.g. input–output analysis – IOA). The results allow several comparisons to be made between the different diets. When compared with the national average diet, the Mediterranean diet reveals an improvement in environmental performance of 95.75 MJ (2.44%) and 27.46 kg CO 2 equivalent (6.81%) per family. The best overall environmental performance can be found with the vegetarian diet in which energy consumption is 3.14% lower and the carbon footprint 12.7% lower than the national average diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust understanding of possible trade-offs and synergies between climate change, energy and water sector policies is critical to achieving economically viable and environmentally sound agricultural production systems in a low-carbon water-constrained economy, in which greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are penalized and water savings rewarded. Accurate assessment of the potential costs/benefits of investment decisions can help to optimize the economic efficiency of agricultural production while minimizing environmental impacts. This paper presents a novel integrated framework, based on carbon and water accounting, which enables analysis of potential trade-offs between water savings, energy consumption, GHG emissions and economic costs/benefits associated with the adoption of new water efficient irrigation technologies. The framework was applied to an irrigated lucerne cropping system in eastern Australia and compares the costs/benefits of old roll-line sprinkler irrigation systems against new pressurized systems. Positive synergies were found with the adoption of the new technology, which saved both water and energy use, reduced total GHG emissions and resulted in net economic returns across a range of carbon prices. The results of this study provide support for an integrated evidence-based approach to policy development and strategic decision-making and for the prioritization of investments on both economic and environmental grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an increasing interest in the application of membranes to flue gas separation, primarily driven by the need of carbon capture for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Historically, there has not been general consensus about the advantage of membranes against other methods such as liquid solvents for carbon capture. However, recent research indicates that advances in materials and process designs could significantly improve the separation performance of membrane capture systems, which make membrane technology competitive with other technologies for carbon capture. This paper mainly reviews membrane separation for the application to post-combustion CO 2 capture with a focus on the developments and breakthroughs in membrane material design, process engineering, and engineering economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions is often used to compare products in the global crude market. While Alberta's oil sands face particular pressure to improve performance, a lack of consensus on methods, data, and assumptions specific to the LCA of products derived from crude oil weaken such comparisons. This paper investigates the potential for a Canadian product category rules standard to enhance the credibility of life cycle emissions estimates of products derived from Alberta's oil sands. Increasing comparability of Canadian crudes to those of other countries in such a way would make this an attractive tool with the potential to be adopted internationally. The potential of the standard is investigated through a case study, based on in-depth expert interviews, focusing first on the potential of the standard to mitigate specific data and communication issues with respect to Alberta's oil sands, and second on strategies to mitigate predicted process issues in its development by a Canadian standards development organization. Findings indicate that while there is a consensus on the need to further standardize LCA methods and data quality requirements for crude oil products to make comparisons more accurate, participants in the standards-setting process may be unwilling to share the information that would make this possible. It was found that a credible standards-setting process may help to overcome this challenge, only if the ability to revise the standard can be anticipated in its initial development process, particularly with respect to its long-term effects on the development of new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geoengineering, which is the intentional large-scale manipulation of the environment, has been suggested as an effective means of mitigating global warming from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, we will review and assess technical and theoretical aspects of land-based, atmosphere-based, ocean-based and space-based geoengineering schemes as well as their potential impacts on global climate and ecosystem. Most of the proposed geoengineering schemes carried out on land or in the ocean are to use physical, chemical or biological approaches to remove atmospheric CO 2 . These schemes are able to only sequester an amount of atmospheric CO 2 that is small compared with cumulative anthropogenic emissions. Most of geoengineering schemes carried out in the atmosphere or space are based on increasing planetary albedo. These schemes have relatively low costs and short lead times for technical implementation, and can act rapidly to reduce temperature anomalies caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The costs and benefits of geoengineering are likely to vary spatially over the planet with some countries and regions gaining considerably while others may be faced with a worse set of circumstances than would be the case without geoengineering. Since current research on geoengineering is limited and various international treaties may limit some geoengineering experiments in the real world, the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) provides a framework of coordinated experiments for all earth system modeling groups to test geoengineering schemes. However, these experiments used on a global scale have difficulty with accurate resolution of regional and local impacts, so future research on geoengineering is expect to be done by combining earth system models with regional climate models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-metallic minerals industry is the third-largest industrial energy consumer, and it constitutes around 7% of global CO 2 emissions due to the high energy intensity of production processes. Although the substantial improvement of the energy efficiency of this industry in the EU observed since 1995, the energy intensity of this sector is still relatively high. To reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, it is necessary to implement further steps towards the decarbonization of this sector. Previous works do not provide information about research trends in this field or the current development of technologies. To fill this gap, the following research questions have been asked: (Q1) which decarbonization measures are already applied or under development in the non-metallic minerals sector?; (Q2) which of these measures might bring breakthrough to this sector?; (Q3) what is the impact of these measures on costs, energy consumption and GHG emissions? To this end, this paper performs a systematic literature review of GHG emission mitigation options of the non-metallic minerals industry by screening 2964 articles and performing an in-depth analysis of 48 full-text relevant articles following the PRISMA approach. The results show that the carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is the most popular research topic and has the highest decarbonization potential for the industry (up to 60%). However, more research is needed for the full-scale implementation. Further lowering the clinker to cement ratio to at least 75% is also of major importance, however, it is a mature technology, and not much research is required in this field. Despite the relatively low representation in scientific literature, heat electrification is an unavoidable direction for the industry in the long term, resulting from the global shift towards sustainable energy from renewables. The article also sets directions for future research, especially in terms of further development of the most promising technologies and on the industry transition pathways that would be legally adopted at the international level. • The non-metallic minerals industry constitutes around 7% of global CO 2 emissions. • A systematic literature review of GHG emission mitigation options of the industry. • 2964 articles screened and 48 full-text articles analyzed. • CCS is the most discussed mitigation option, yet not ready for commercialization. • Heat electrification is an unavoidable direction, resulting from the climate policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is not only an environmental problem, but also an economic problem. Faced with the deteriorating air pollution, the role of financial institutions is increasingly valued. Because different air pollutants come from diverse sources, the same economic means have different impacts. To investigate this question, this paper adopts difference-in-differences to test China's green finance policy issued in 2017. The results indicate that green finance policy is capable of controlling overall situation of air pollution. As for the specific six pollutants, it shows superiority in reducing SO 2 , NO 2 and PM 2.5 , but inferiority in reducing CO, O 3 and PM 10. Besides, the control effects of green finance policy are through local companies' economic behaviors. Compared with the economically developed regions, the emission reduction effects of green finance policy in the economically underdeveloped regions are better. These findings offer references for how to control air pollution with economic means from the perspective of micro practice. • Pilot provinces have taken the lead in exploring green finance. • Air pollution is not only an environmental problem, but also an economic problem. • The green finance policy can reduce the air pollution. • The effect of green finance is better in the underdeveloped regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions limits for coal-burning power plants are gradually being tightened around the world, with additional requirements and consequently significant costs placed on existing power plants. Design that conforms to regulatory requirements require credible estimation of the associated abatement costs. However, the existing methods for estimating abatement costs do not estimate those costs using microeconomic data or take the need to retrofit current abatement technologies into sufficient consideration. Therefore, they fail to calculate the actual costs of compliance accurately and thus are not suitable for assessment of cost proportionality, which is the key principle of regulatory design. This paper introduces a straightforward and innovative methodological approach to quantification of abatement costs that can reflect the real-world situation at an individual power plant and allows assessment of proportionality in meeting emission standards. The approach is based on collection of detailed data at the level of individual plants and on the comparison of costs associated with various levels of emission reduction in defined scenarios. The approach is demonstrated by application to nearly 50% of the installed thermal power capacity of the Czech Republic. The results show that recent European regulations for coal-burning plant emissions incur high abatement costs for most power plants, despite having very little effect in terms of emission reductions. • Marginal abatement cost analysis under tightening IPPC emission standards conducted. • Reasonable technology modification and replacement scenarios were analysed. • Technology replacement significantly increases cost with little impact on emissions. • Commonly used approach fails to reflect the real costs of regulation. • Current regulation ignores innovation cycles without allowing for long-term vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-hydropower (MHP) presents new opportunities to generate electricity from within existing water infrastructure. This paper quantifies the environmental impacts of electricity generation from three MHP case studies (15–140 kW) in the water industry, using a life cycle assessment approach. Environmental burdens were calculated per kWh electricity generated over nominal turbine operational lifespans. Compared with marginal UK grid electricity generation in combined cycle turbine natural gas power plants, normalised life cycle environmental burdens for MHP electricity were reduced by: >99% for global warming potential (GWP); >98% for fossil resource depletion potential; >93% for acidification potential; 50–62% for human toxicity potential. However, the burden for abiotic resource depletion potential was 251–353% higher for MHP than marginal grid-electricity. Different quantities of raw materials and installation practices led to a range in GWP burdens from 2.14 to 4.36 g CO 2 eq./kWh. One case benefitted from very low site preparation requirements while others required substantial excavation works and material quantities. Carbon payback times ranged from 0.16 to 0.31 years, extending to 0.19–0.40 years for worst-case scenarios examined as part of a sensitivity analysis. The carbon payback period for future MHP installations was estimated to increase by 1% annually, as the carbon intensity of marginal grid electricity is predicted to decline. This study demonstrates that MHP installations in the water industry have a strongly positive environmental balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been shown that silicate-derived geopolymers can be manufactured with lower greenhouse gas emissions than can Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). This is assuming that transport methods and distances are equal. In this paper, we have used published and newly-determined data, following closely with accepted life cycle assessment procedures, to evaluate the embodied energy of a new class of geopolymers, namely Bayer-derived geopolymers. These geopolymers utilise concentrated sodium aluminate solutions (Bayer liquor) with fly ash and other aluminosilicates to form geopolymers. Significantly, utilising this combination of industrial by-products can dramatically lower the embodied energy of Bayer-derived geopolymer. Under current industrial operations, Bayer liquor is recycled into the process after intensive treatment, in order to retain alumina and caustic soda however, under alternative configurations this impurity-laden stream could be removed, potentially enhancing environmental performance of both geopolymer and alumina production. In a reconfigured-system, with no allocation of embodied energy to the Bayer waste stream, this could reduce the embodied energy of the derived geopolymer concrete to as little as 0.33 GJ/t. Embodied energies of between 6 and 33% of those associated with OPC have been achieved depending on the process configuration and allocation assumptions used. Most importantly, such assessment indicates that for the first time, Bayer-derived geopolymer binders could be produced with embodied energy intensity at levels comparable to manufactured or recycled sand, gravel and stone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes a socio-technical perspective on Swedish biogas production and use, in order to identify characteristics which may improve and increase biogas production. Biogas could potentially reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Swedish road transport by 25%, and to that end transport policy endorses the use of biogas as vehicle fuel. Currently, however, only a small fraction of the biogas production potential is utilised. By analysing how social and technological context has influenced production and use of biogas over the past 70 years, using concepts from the theory of Large Technical Systems (LTS), features of importance for increasing biogas production are identified. Biogas is shown to be a complex issue, with different functions within the energy, transport and waste management systems. As there is not one coherent biogas system but many individual systems, with different objectives, local and sectorial measures are required in order to increase biogas production. In particular, the importance of biogas production as waste management is identified. In order to utilise the biogas potential and reduce GHG emissions from road transport, policy-makers and researchers are advised to address the plurality in biogas systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite strong correlation between Lean and Green, companies have found it challenging to integrate and implement Lean and Green practices simultaneously especially when resources are limited. Although there are existing model, framework, and methodologies, some limitations and challenges still exist. This paper aims to overcome some of the limitations and challenges from the existing works. Specifically, one of the objectives is to propose a methodology that aims to integrate Lean and Green practices, and enables the implementation of the integrated Lean and Green practices in an easy and practical manner. To achieve this objective, the proposed methodology will adopt and streamline some of the approaches used in existing works. In this methodology, an easy-to-track metric called Carbon-Value Efficiency, which aims to integrate metrics derived from Lean and Green implementation, is introduced. The other key objective is to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology using a case study of metal stamped parts production. The results show that Carbon-Value Efficiency can be improved by 36.3%, given an improvement in production lead time by 64.7% and a reduction in carbon footprint by 29.9%. This case study demonstrates that the proposed methodology helps to overcome the challenge in integrating and implementing Lean and Green practices, and achieve beneficial results. Future work could study other cases and explore other case specific supporting tools and techniques in order to enhance the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturing accounts for 37% of the global energy demand. Few researchers have conducted a holistic energy assessment of factories where energy beyond production equipment is accounted for, and environmental impact assessments of machine tool manufacturing are even more limited. All the while, factories need to understand where energy is used, how to allocate it to their products, and where savings lie. This paper quantifies the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of a machine tool manufacturer located in Iga, Japan. Six plants within the factory are investigated whose primary operations range from precision machining to product assembly. Furthermore, a model of the energy consumption of each plant's HVAC system is developed and used to evaluate the environmental impacts and operating costs at alternative sites in China, Germany, and the US. Location was found to have a significant influence on the environmental impacts and resulted in changes in the annual energy consumption relative to the Iga baseline that ranged from −10% to 8%. Additionally, opportunities for improvement were identified by comparing the energy intensities of the equipment within the plants to industrial averages. Since the plants in this study use widespread manufacturing processes and varied climates were investigated, the methods and strategies that were developed can be extended to other discrete manufacturing facilities to identify opportunities for cleaner production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, the mitigation potential of waste sector in developing countries is three times higher than the one of developed countries, which highlights the role of this sector for mitigation action in the developing world. In this paper, the analytical framework for assessment of climate change mitigation potential of waste sector, which is based on GHG Costing Model (GACMO), is adapted in order to incorporate the specifics of developing countries regarding waste generation, waste disposal and population growth. The methodology is further modified to generate marginal abatement cost curves based on achievable cumulative GHG emissions reduction (over the whole period), thus taking into account the timing of mitigation measure implementation. The adapted analytical framework is applied for the case of Macedonia's waste sector, evaluating the following four mitigation scenarios: Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) with an aerobic treatment (composting), MBT with an anaerobic treatment (anaerobic digesters with energy production), MBT with an anaerobic treatment-anaerobic digesters with energy production and refused derived fuel (RDF) utilization and MBT with an aerobic treatment (composting with RDF utilization). Each mitigation scenario includes also a gas extraction with flaring for the existing non-compliant landfills. The resulting marginal cost curve indicates a total achievable reduction of cumulative emissions for the period 2013–2030 of around 20 Mt, or nearly 80% lower than Business-As-Usual (BAU) waste sector cumulative emissions, at average specific reduction cost in the range 8.9–12.44 US$/t. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The final disposal of the Municipal Solid Waste is still a problem in many countries. The lack of space, the generation of leachate, and the emission of greenhouse gases as well as the requirements of the new legislation on waste dissuade the administrations involved from using the landfill option as a possible means of final disposal of MSW. The terms of the European Legislation on waste management and energy encourage member states to develop waste recovery techniques before sending it to a landfill. Therefore, member states have introduced source separation and mechanical-biological treatment to separate biodegradable recovery fractions (organic, paper-cardboard, plastic packaging, and glass) from the reject fraction, which is afterwards disposed of in landfills. One of the main aims of this study is to analyse the energy recovery properties of the reject fraction from a biological-mechanical treatment plant in Spain. For this purpose, this work presents a physical and chemical characterization of waste reject fraction from a real mechanical-biological treatment plant as well as the metal and halogen content. Additionally, the quality standards of the refused derived fuel processed at the laboratory and the atmospheric emissions of this type of fuel have been determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose consistent Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing metrics and indices and to test them to assess an anaerobic digester on a dairy farm. The method is based on a graphic representation of the environmental Life Cycle Impact and economic Life Cycle Cost Differentials. Performance indices are the Internal Rate of Return (discount rate that makes the total cost differential over the lifetime equal to zero), the Breakeven Price of Electricity (unit price of electricity that makes the total cost differential over the life time equal to zero) and the Impact Savings Ratio (the total impact reduction divided by the detrimental impacts generated). A dairy digester producing electricity, chosen as case study yields a substantial carbon footprint reduction close to 0.2 kg CO2e per liter of milk (25% improvement of milk carbon footprint), corresponding to a high Impact Savings Ratio of 34-37. Life Cycle Cost Differentials ranges from -$545 (most favorable) to $808 (least favorable) per cow, depending on electricity price, heat recovery and upfront grant. Economic performances are reflected in the Internal Rates of Return (IRR), that range from -1% to 12%. The Breakeven Price of Electricity ranges from $0.07 to $0.13 per kWh. The effective economic performance is measured by choosing the discount rate equal to the Weighted Average Cost of Capital of the stakeholder. Comparing the IRR to his target rate of return enables the decision maker to check whether its own economic targets are met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Construction processes may produce environmental pollutions, such as noise and emissions of greenhouse gas and air pollutants that are studied in the paper, and estimation of them is essential to planning the construction process regarding pollution-reduction. Based on the calculating models developed from the EPA NONROAD model and the noise theory, a discrete-event simulation method is developed to estimate the emissions and noise by reflecting the uncertainty, randomness and dynamics in construction. The simulation framework concerning the modeling features for the environment-related factors and the simulation strategy incorporated with the calculating models is described. A case study for an earthmoving project is presented to demonstrate and validate the proposed simulation method for predicting the pollutions. In contrast to field measurement and existing estimating methods, the proposed simulation is more convenient and accounts for more particularities such as uncertainty, randomness and dynamics in quantifying the emissions and equivalent continuous noise from a construction process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]