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Increased ecological land (IEL) such as forests and grasslands can greatly enhance ecosystem carbon sinks. Understanding the mechanisms for the magnitude of IEL-induced ecosystem carbon sinks is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality. We estimated the impact of IEL, specifically the increase in forests and grasslands, as well as global changes including atmospheric CO 2 concentration, nitrogen deposition, and climate change on net ecosystem productivity (NEP) in National Key Ecological Function Zones (NKEFZs) in China using a calibrated ecological process model. The NEP in NKEFZs in China was calculated to be 119.4 Tg C yr -1 , showing an increase of 42.6 Tg C yr -1 from 2001 to 2021. Compared to the slight contributions of climate change (-8.0%), nitrogen deposition (11.5%), and reduction in ecological land (-3.5%), the increase in NEP was primarily attributed to CO 2 (66.5%) and IEL (33.5%). Moreover, the effect of IEL (14.8 Tg C yr -1 ) surpassed that of global change (13.1 Tg C yr -1 ) in the land use change zone. The IEL-induced NEP is significantly associated with CO 2 fertilization, regulated by precipitation and nitrogen deposition. The high values of IEL-induced NEP occurred in areas with precipitation exceeding 800 mm and nitrogen deposition exceeding 25 kg N ha -1 yr -1 . We recommend prioritizing the expansion of ecological land in areas with sufficient water and nutrients to enhance CO 2 fertilization, while avoiding increasing ecological land in regions facing unfavorable climate change conditions. This study serves as a foundation for comprehending the NEP response to ecological restoration and global change., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The enlarge in economic activities and the urban population at the global level has brought about an increase in the demand for energy, food, and natural resources, as well as an exacerbation in global climate change concerns. In this respect, it is important to ensure the balance between global climate change and global economic activities. Therefore, a wide literature has emerged that searches for alternative solutions to improve climate change and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. The majority of existing studies emphasize the importance of renewable energy sources in environmental improvement efforts. Few studies highlight the importance of forestation in environmental improvement efforts, highlighting the non-linear effects of forestation. To fill this gap, this study uses panel data from 181 countries between 1990 and 2022 and evaluates the non-linear impact of economic growth, forest extent, energy efficiency, and urban growth on per capita CO 2 emissions using a dynamic panel threshold and dynamic panel quantile threshold methods. Furthermore, we extend the model and conduct robustness tests examining the non-linear threshold effects of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption on per capita CO 2 emissions. Our findings provide pieces of evidence that forest extents are an alternative solution to renewable energy use and energy efficiency in environmental improvement efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pb-contaminated soil poses significant environmental and health risks as well as soil stability issues. Research on sandy soils highlights CO 2 -enhanced reactive MgO as a promising solution for improving the solidification of Pb-contaminated soils. However, carbonation effects can differ markedly between soil types owing to varying soil properties. In this study, we evaluated the effects of CO 2 -enhanced reactive MgO on the engineering and environmental characteristics of Pb-contaminated red clay and explored its mechanism of carbonation solidification. The results showed that CO 2 -enhanced reactive MgO increased the strength of Pb-contaminated red clay to over 3 MPa within 1 h, which was approximately 25 times the strength of untreated soil (0.2 MPa) and significantly higher than that of reactive MgO-treated, uncarbonated soil (0.8 MPa). The pH of the carbonated soil (9-10) facilitated Pb 2+ immobilization, and the increase over the initial parameter elevated the electrical conductivity value. Moreover, CO 2 -enhanced reactive MgO reduced the Pb 2+ leaching concentration to below 0.1 mg/L, even at high Pb concentrations (10,000 mg/kg). Pb 2+ transformed into lead carbonates during the carbonation process, with the hydrated magnesium carbonates forming a dense internal structure. This solidification mechanism included chemical precipitation, physical adsorption, and encapsulation. Notably, the carbonation time should be controlled within 1 h to prevent soil expansion. Together, these findings support the potential of CO 2 -enhanced reactive MgO for efficient and low-carbon application in the solidification of Pb-contaminated red clay., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions constitute the primary contribution to global climate change. Synthetic CO 2 fixation represents an exceptionally appealing and sustainable method for carbon neutralization. Unlike the limitations of chemical catalysis, biological CO 2 fixation displays high selectivity and the ability to operate under mild conditions. The superfamily of amidohydrolases has demonstrated the ability to synthesize a range of aromatic monocarboxylic acids. However, there is a scarcity of reported carboxylases capable of synthesizing aromatic dicarboxylic acids. Among these, 4-hydroxyisophthalic acid holds significant potential for applications across various fields, yet no enzyme has been reported for its synthesis. In this study, we developed for the first time that exhibits starting activity in fixing CO 2 to synthesize 4-hydroxyisophthalic acid. Furthermore, we have devised a computational strategy that effectively enhances the catalytic activity of this enzyme. A focused library comprising only 13 variants was generated. Experimental validation confirmed a threefold improvement in the carboxylation activity of the optimal variant (L47M). The computational enzyme design strategy proposed in this paper demonstrates broad applicability in developing carboxylases for synthesizing other aromatic dicarboxylic acids. This lays the groundwork for leveraging biocatalysis in industrial synthesis for CO 2 fixation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study provides first evidence on the effects of Chinese FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) outflows on host country environments. The study draws upon a comprehensive dataset covering aggregate Chinese FDI outflows and sector specific data into 65 host nations over the 2007-2019 period. Employing a STIRPAT (Stochastic Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology) model and several different techniques including DID (Difference-in-Difference), pooled OLS (Ordinary Least Squares), quantile regression, IV (Instrumental Variable) estimation, threshold and Tobit regression, the findings suggest that Chinese FDI leads to an increase in host country CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions, aligning with the pollution haven hypothesis at the aggregate level. A closer investigation at the development regime and sectoral levels indicates that in the low development regime, FDI inflows into the financial and real estate sector increase emissions. Conversely in the high-income regime, Chinese FDI into the entertainment sector is associated with an increase in carbon emissions. Chinese FDI is further found to lead to an increase in emissions in countries with a per capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of below USD72041.7. However, as per capita income rises above USD72041.7, FDI leads to a fall in carbon emissions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Public interest in climate change-related problems has been developing with the contribution of the recent energy crisis. Accordingly, countries have been increasing their efforts to decarbonize economies. In this context, energy transition and energy-related research and development (R&D) investments can be important strategic tools to be helpful to countries in the decarbonization of economies. Among all, Nordic countries have come to the force because of their well-known position as green economies. Hence, this study examines Nordic countries to investigate the impact of energy transition, renewable energy R&D investments (RRD), energy efficiency R&D investments (EEF) on carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions by performing wavelet local multiple correlation (WLMC) model and using data from 2000/1 to 2021/12. The outcomes reveal that (i) based on bi-variate cases, energy transition and RRD have a mixed impact on CO 2 emissions in all countries across all frequencies; EEF has a declining impact on CO 2 emissions in Norway (Sweden) at low and medium (very high) frequencies; (ii) according to four-variate cases, all variables have a combined increasing impact on CO 2 emissions; (iii) RRD is the most influential dominant factor in all countries excluding Norway, where EEF is the pioneering one. Thus, the reach proves the varying impacts of energy transition, RRD, and EEF investments on CO 2 emissions. In line with the outcomes of the novel WLMC model, various policy endeavors, such as focusing on displacement between sub-types of R&D investments, are argued to ensure the decarbonization of the economies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Implementing a Carbon Peak Action Plan at the regional level requires comprehensive consideration of the developmental heterogeneity among different provinces, which is an effective pathway for China to realize the goal of carbon peak by 2030. However, there is currently no clear provincial roadmap for carbon peak, and existing studies on carbon peak pathways inadequately address provincial heterogeneity. Therefore, this paper employs the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model to decompose assess 8 factors influencing carbon emissions of 30 provinces. According to scenario analysis, the paper explores the differentiated pathways for provincial carbon peaks based on policy expectation indicators (including population, economy, and urbanization rate) and comprises policy control indicators (including the energy structure, energy efficiency, industrial structure, transportation structure, and innovation input). The results indicate that population, per capita GDP, urbanization rate, and innovation input are the primary factors for influencing (negatively) the growth of carbon emissions. In contrast, the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure, energy intensity, energy structure, and transportation structure have mitigating effects on carbon emissions, especially for the first two factors. The forecasting results reveal that robust regulations of the energy and industry can effectively accelerate carbon peak at a reduced magnitude. If developed at BAU, China cannot achieve carbon peak by 2030, continuing an upward trend. However, by maximizing the adjustment strength of energy and industrial transformation within the scope of provincial capabilities, China could achieve carbon peak as early as 2025, with a peak of 12.069 billion tons. In this scenario, 24 provinces could achieve carbon peak before 2030. Overall, this study suggests the feasibility of differentiated pathway to achieve carbon peaks in China, exploring the carbon peak potential and paths of 30 provinces, and identifying provinces where carbon peak is more challenging. It also provides a reference for the design of carbon peak roadmaps at both provincial and national levels and offers targeted recommendations for the implementation of differentiated policy strategies for the government., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, a novel methodology and extended hybrid model for the real time control, prediction and reduction of direct emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is proposed to overcome the lack of long-term data availability in several full-scale case studies. A mechanistic model (MCM) and a machine learning (ML) model are combined to real time control, predict the emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as well as effluent quality (COD - chemical oxygen demand, NH 4 -N - ammonia, NO 3 -N - nitrate) in activated sludge method. For methane (CH 4 ), using the MCM model, predictions are performed on the input data (VFA, CODs for aerobic and anaerobic compartments) to the MLM model. Additionally, scenarios were analyzed to assess and reduce the GHGs emissions related to the biological processes. A real WWTP, with a population equivalent (PE) of 125,000, was studied for the validation of the hybrid model. A global sensitivity analysis (GSA) of the MCM and a ML model were implemented to assess GHGs emission mechanisms the biological reactor. Finally, an early warning tool for the prediction of GHGs errors was implemented to assess the accuracy and the reliability of the proposed algorithm. The results could support the wastewater treatment plant operators to evaluate possible mitigation scenarios (MS) that can reduce direct GHG emissions from WWTPs by up to 21%, while maintaining the final quality standard of the treated effluent., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Global warming is the biggest threat to the entire world owing to the continuous release of greenhouse gases such as CO 2 from various sources. Herein, we have utilized renewable energy for the conversion of CO 2 to valuable feedstocks through a semiconductor-mediated photocatalytic system. The cadmium sulfide nanoflowers (CS-NFs) decorated graphitic carbon nitride (CN) through a solvothermal route to form a Z-scheme CSCN heterojunction. The as-synthesized material has been characterized by various spectroscopic and microscopic tools. The optimal CSCN-0.5 (1:0.5) photocatalyst achieves a CO production rate of 130.9 μmol g -1 under visible light irradiation of 4h (λ > 420 nm), doubling that of pristine CS-NFs and CN. CO, along with CH 4 (3.4 μmol g -1 ) and C 2 H 6 (2.9 μmol g -1 ), is the sole product detected. Experimental results indicate that the CSCN-0.5 photocatalyst spatially separates electron-hole pairs, suppresses charge carrier recombination, and maintains robust redox ability, enhancing CO 2 photoreduction. The CO 2 reduction mechanism over CSCN heterojunction was also studied through in-situ DRIFTS and electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements. Therefore, CSCN proves that it could be used as a robust photocatalyst for the CO 2 reduction reactions towards C1 and C2 feedstocks., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The path toward sustainable development is closely related to the intensification of renewable energy sources and the continual innovation of technologies. To evaluate the role of renewable energy consumption and technological innovations on carbon emissions in Australia, this study uses the Morlet wavelet approach. This study identified temporal and frequency variations by applying wavelet correlation, continuous wavelet transforms, and partial and multiple wavelet coherence methods on data from 2000 to 2021. The wavelet correlation revealed that non-renewable energy, globalization, and economic growth are positively correlated with carbon emissions at all scales. In contrast, carbon emissions are negatively correlated with renewable energy and technological innovation at all scales. Meanwhile, the wavelet coherence analysis shows that non-renewable energy contributes to increased CO 2 emissions from the short to long term, whereas renewable energy usage negatively affects CO 2 emissions across all frequency scales. The study findings indicate that increasing the proportion of renewable energy usage in the total energy mix will curb CO 2 emissions over the long run. Accordingly, the way to achieve sustainable development is shifting to a low-carbon economy centered on renewable energy sources, enhancing energy efficiency, and using carbon storage and capture technologies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the primary contributors to climate change. Addressing and mitigating climate change necessitates the effective management and utilization of renewable energy consumption, which poses a substantial challenge for the forthcoming decades. This study explores the dynamic effects of service value added (SVA) and renewable energy on environmental quality, particularly focusing on CO2 emissions. Unlike previous studies, we employ a non-parametric modeling approach to uncover the time-varying influence of service sector growth on CO2 emissions. Specifically, we apply the local linear dummy variable estimation (LLDVE) method to a panel of the 17 highest-emitting nations over the period 1980-2021. Our study uncovers a non-linear relationship between CO2 emissions and SVA. From 1980 to 2003, we observe a negative correlation. However, starting from 2005 to 2020, we witness a shift towards a positive correlation, indicating a rise in energy consumption within the service sector. The results indicate that significant emitter economies have yet to achieve sustainability, with the service sector continuing to contribute to pollution. Addressing this issue necessitates more robust climate change policies and increased investment in clean energy, specifically targeting the service sector, including buildings and transport., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Green growth is of great importance in terms of solving environmental problems and achieving sustainable development goals. However, the existing literature has not investigated how green growth affects environmental degradation and environmental sustainability variables. In light of this gap, this study aims to analyse the impact of green growth and institutional quality on CO 2 emissions, ecological footprint and inverse load capacity factor in OECD countries by constructing three different models. The results of the analysis indicate that (i) green growth exerts a significant mitigating and differentiating effect on CO 2 , ecological footprint and inverted load capacity factor in the long run. This is evidenced by a 1% increase in green growth reducing CO 2 , ecological footprint and inverted load capacity factor by 0.563%, 0.373% and 0.198%, respectively. (i) The impact of green growth on CO 2 and inverted load capacity factor in the long run is negative and statistically significant; (ii) the impact of green growth on CO 2 and inverted load capacity factor in the short run is negative and statistically significant; (iii) the impact of institutional quality on deterioration is positive and significant in the long run; (iv) the impact of population on deterioration and sustainability is significant and mixed. The findings indicate that decision-makers in OECD countries should review green energy policies when setting the sustainable development goals, as environmental sustainability is more challenging than reducing pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sustainable development addresses global challenges by promoting practices that balance economic, social, and environmental considerations. Key factors include the shifting to green energy and the integrating of green technology in the sustainable development process. This study investigates the heterogenous effects of green technology development, green energy, R&D expenditures, FDI, economic growth, and urbanization on CO 2 emissions in 25 European Union (EU) countries using panel quantile regression over the period 2000-2021. The results, based on panel quantile regression, indicate that green energy decreases CO 2 emissions from the 10th to the 90th quantiles, while green technology development increases CO 2 emissions at the lower quantiles (10th to 60th) and then turns negative. The robustness of the fixed effect model also confirms the findings of the study. Additionally, panel causality tests indicate no causal link between green technology development and CO 2 emissions, but there is bidirectional causality between green energy and CO 2 emissions. Therefore, the findings highlight that policymakers should thoroughly evaluate measures and strategies to encourage the development of green technologies and green energy sources to reduce high levels of CO 2 emissions. One strategy is to provide financial aid and support technological advances to produce green energy at reduced costs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a series of BiTeX (X = Cl, Br, I) photocatalysts were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. The synthesis process involved dissolving BiX 3 and Te powder in toluene to identify the most efficient material for photocatalytic activity. The main objective of this approach is to facilitate the conversion of carbon dioxide into sustainable solar fuels, such as alcohols and hydrocarbons, offering an appealing solution to address environmental concerns and energy crises. The BiTeX photocatalysts demonstrated significant proficiency in converting CO 2 into CH 4 , particularly BiTeCl exhibited a notable photocatalytic conversion rate of up to 0.51 μmolg -1 h -1 . The optimized BiTeX photocatalysts displayed a gradual and selective transition from CO 2 to CH 4 , ultimately producing valuable hydrocarbons (C 2+ ). Furthermore, owing to their ability to reduce CO 2 , these photocatalysts show promise as materials for mitigating environmental pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The current trend in the European biogas industry is to shift away from electricity production towards the production of biomethane for the need to replace natural gas. The upgrading of biogas to biomethane is normally performed by separating the biogas in a stream containing natural gas grid quality methane and a stream containing mostly CO 2 . The CO 2 stream is normally released into the atmosphere; however, part of the methane may still remain in it, and, if not oxidized, even a small fraction of methane released may jeopardise all the GHG emissions savings from producing the biomethane, being methane a powerful climate forcer. Scope of this work is to assess the opportunity cost of installing an Off Gas Combustion (OGC) device in biomethane upgrading plants. The currently available technologies for biogas upgrading to biomethane and the most common technology of OGC (the Regenerative Thermal Oxidisers, RTO) are described according to their performances and cost. Then the cost per tonne of CO 2 eq avoided associated to the adoption of RTO systems in relation to the upgrading performance is calculated to identify a potential threshold for an effective and efficient application of the RTO systems. It is found that, in case of upgrading technologies which can capture almost all biomethane in the upgrading off-gas (i.e. 99.9%), currently the adoption of an RTO to oxidise the methane left in the off-gas would add costs and need additional fuel to be operated, but would generate limited GHG emission savings, therefore the cost per tonne of CO 2 eq emissions avoided would result not competitive with other GHG emissions mitigation investments. While the installation of RTOs on upgrading systems with a methane slip of 0.3%, or higher, normally results cost competitive in reducing GHG emissions. The installation of an RTO on systems with a methane slip of 0.2% results in a cost per tonne of CO 2 eq emissions avoided of 50-100 euro, which is comparable to the current cost of CO 2 emissions allowances in the EU ETS carbon market, representing therefore a reasonable choice for a threshold on methane slip regulation for biogas upgrading systems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Microalgae-mediated industrial flue gas biofixation has been widely discussed as a clean alternative for greenhouse gas mitigation. Through photosynthetic processes, microalgae can fix carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and other compounds and can also be exploited to obtain high value-added products in a circular economy. One of the major limitations of this bioprocess is the high concentrations of CO 2 , sulfur oxides (SOx), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in flue gases, according to the origin of the fuel, that can inhibit photosynthesis and reduce the process efficiency. To overcome these limitations, researchers have recently developed new technologies and enhanced process configurations, thereby increased productivity and CO 2 removal rates. Overall, CO 2 biofixation rates from flue gases by microalgae ranged from 72 mg L -1 d -1 to over 435 mg L -1 d -1 , which were directly influenced by different factors, mainly the microalgae species and photobioreactor. Additionally, mixotrophic culture have shown potential in improving microalgae productivity. Progress in developing new reactor configurations, with pilot-scale implementations was observed, resulting in an increase in patents related to the subject and in the implementation of companies using combustion gases in microalgae culture. Advancements in microalgae-based green technologies for environmental impact mitigation have led to more efficient biotechnological processes and opened large-scale possibilities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In this paper, we propose a multi-RREH (Remote Renewable Energy Hub) based optimization framework. This framework allows a valorization of CO 2 using carbon capture technologies. This valorization is grounded on the idea that CO 2 gathered from the atmosphere or post combustion can be combined with hydrogen to produce synthetic methane. The hydrogen is obtained from water electrolysis using renewable energy. Such renewable energy is generated in RREH, which are locations where RE is cheap and abundant (e.g., solar PV in the Sahara Desert, or wind in Greenland). We instantiate our framework on a case study focusing on Belgium and 2 RREH, and we conduct a techno-economic analysis under uncertainty. This analysis highlights, among others, the interest in capturing CO 2 via Post Combustion Carbon Capture (PCCC) rather than only through Direct Air Capture (DAC) for methane synthesis in RREH. By doing so, a notable reduction of 10% is observed in the total cost of the system under our reference scenario. In addition, we use our framework to derive a carbon price threshold above which carbon capture technologies may start playing a pivotal role in the decarbonation process of our industries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In an exploration of environmental concerns, this groundbreaking research delves into the relationship between GDP per capita, coal rents, forest rents, mineral rents, oil rents, natural gas rents, fossil fuels, renewables, environmental tax and environment-related technologies on CO 2 emissions in 30 highly emitting countries from 1995 to 2021 using instrumental-variables regression Two-Stage least squares (IV-2SLS) regression and two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimates. Our results indicate a significant positive relationship between economic growth and CO 2 emissions across all quantiles, showcasing an EKC with diminishing marginal effects. Coal rents exhibit a statistically significant negative relationship with emissions, particularly in higher quantiles, and mineral rents show a negative association with CO 2 emissions in lower and middle quantiles, reinforcing the idea of resource management in emissions reduction. Fossil fuels exert a considerable adverse impact on emissions, with a rising effect in progressive quantiles. Conversely, renewable energy significantly curtails CO 2 emissions, with higher impacts in lower quantiles. Environmental tax also mitigates CO 2 emissions. Environment-related technologies play a pivotal role in emission reduction, particularly in lower and middle quantiles, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, highlighting the importance of tailoring interventions to different emission levels and leveraging diverse strategies for sustainable development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This research paper delves into the intricate interplay between decarbonisation and sustainability, focusing on adopting chemical looping technologies. Deep decarbonisation scenarios necessitate a profound transformation in various sectors to mitigate climate change, and oil refineries, as pivotal players, must adapt to these changes. Employing the BLUES integrated assessment model, we evaluate the evolution of the refining sector in decarbonisation pathways, emphasising its potential for sustainability through repurposing and emissions mitigation. Additionally, we delve into chemical looping technologies, including Solar Thermal Chemical Looping (STCL), Reverse Water Gas Shift Chemical Looping (RWGS-CL), Chemical Looping Reforming (CLR), and Super Dry Reforming (SDR), elucidating their principles and contributions to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) conversion. These technologies offer promising routes for CO 2 capture and present opportunities for sustainable carbon loop cycles, potentially revolutionising industries' emissions reduction efforts. In a world of climate change, this research illuminates a sustainable path forward by integrating decarbonisation and innovative CO 2 management strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing for financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This study investigates the impact of public-private partnerships investment in energy and FDI on environmental quality in global investment countries during 1995-2018. Economic growth, technological innovations and consumption of clean energy are also considered as additional determinants of environmental quality. The study applied advanced panel econometric models. Our empirical results affirm the evidence of a long-run association between environmental quality and its determinants. Specifically, economic growth as well as clean energy use improves quality of environment by lowering carbon emissions. Public-private partnerships investment in energy, FDI and technological innovations decrease carbon emissions. Energy consumption (generated from fossil fuel) increases carbon emissions. Heterogeneous causality evidence indicates the presence of a unidirectional causality relation from carbon emissions to public-private partnerships investment in energy and a feedback causality occurs between consumption of clean energy and CO 2 emissions. This empirical evidence provides new insights for both policymakers and governments to support public-private partnership investments in energy for the improvement of quality of environment in global investment countries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) production and emissions from inland waters play considerable roles in global atmospheric CO 2 sources, while there are still uncertainties regarding notable nutrient inputs and anthropogenic activities. Urban inland waters, with frequently anthropogenic modifications and severely nitrogen loadings, were hotspots for CO 2 emissions. Here, we investigated the spatiotemporal patterns of partial pressure of CO 2 (pCO 2 ) and CO 2 fluxes (FCO 2 ) in typical urban inland waters in Tianjin, China. Our observation indicated that pCO 2 values were oversaturated in highly polluted waters, particularly in sewage rivers and urban rivers, exhibiting approximately 9 times higher than the atmosphere equilibrium concentration during sampling campaigns. Obviously, the spatiotemporal distributions of pCO 2 and FCO 2 emphasized that the water environmental conditions and anthropogenic activities jointly adjusted primary productivity and biological respiration of inland waters. Meanwhile, statistically positive correlations between pCO 2 /FCO 2 and NH 4 + -N/NO 3 - -N (p < 0.05) suggested that nitrogen biogeochemical processes, especially the nitrification, played a dominant role in CO 2 emissions attributing to the water acidification that stimulated CO 2 production and emissions. Except for slight CO 2 sinks in waters with low organic contents, the total CO 2 emissions from the urban surface waters of Tianjin were remarkable (286.8 Gg yr -1 ). The results emphasized that the reductions of nitrogen loadings, sewage draining waters, and agricultural pollution could alleviate CO 2 emissions from urban inland waters., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

On the one hand, economies, particularly developing ones, need to grow. On the other hand, climate change is the most pressing issue globally, and nations should take the necessary measures. Such a complex task requires new theoretical and empirical models to capture this complexity and provide new insights. Our study uses a newly developed theoretical framework that involves renewable energy consumption (REC) and total factor productivity (TFP) alongside traditional factors of CO2 emissions. It provides policymakers with border information compared to traditional models, such as the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), being limited to income and population. Advanced panel time series methods are also employed, addressing panel data issues while producing not only pooled but also country-specific results. 20 Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) nations are considered in this study. The results show that REC, TFP, and exports reduce CO2 emissions with elasticities of 0.3, 0.4, and 0.3, respectively. Oppositely, income and imports increase emissions with elasticities of 0.8 and 0.3. Additionally, we show that RECAI countries are commonly affected by global and regional factors. Moreover, we find that shocks can create permanent changes in the levels of the factors but only temporary changes in their growth rates. The main policy implication of the findings is that authorities should implement measures boosting TFP and REC. These factors are driven mainly by technological progress, innovation, and efficiency gains. Thus, they can simultaneously reduce emissions while promoting long-run green economic growth, which addresses the complexity mentioned above to some extent., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

China proposed establishing a carbon emission trading market in its 12th Five-Year Plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through market mechanisms, promote the development of science and technology and help China become an environment-friendly country. To examine the impact of carbon emission trading on green technology innovation in Chinese energy enterprises, data from 1993 to 2020 were collected from 494 A-share-listed energy enterprises. Enterprises located in the pilot area of carbon emissions trading were assigned to the treatment group, while those in the non-pilot area were assigned to the control group. The propensity-score-matching method was utilized to match the treatment group with the control group, and the resulting samples were used as the actual sample data. The difference-in-differences method was then employed to assess the net impact of carbon emission trading and investigate its effect on green technology innovation in energy enterprises. This empirical study suggested that carbon emission trading has a positive impact on green technology innovation in energy enterprises, particularly state-owned ones. Larger enterprises are more willing to engage in green technological innovation than small enterprises. Furthermore, when faced with a carbon emission trading system, 'mature' companies tend to pay more attention to green technology innovation than younger enterprises do. This study puts forward policy measures for establishing a national-level carbon emission market in China in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, we need economic means of sequestering carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). We analyze the sequestration potential of the Intermountain West (I-West) region, US, as a primary energy transition hub through analysis of wellbore retrofit potential and emission reduction in both fugitive gas abatement and flare gas. We selected the I-West region due to its abundant energy sources and oil and gas production legacy. Preliminary analysis hints that well retrofits can breathe new life into a well at a fraction of the cost of a new drill. With millions of potential candidates in the US, even a modest fraction (1% or less) suitable for retrofit could accelerate the shift to large-scale CO 2 sequestration. Fugitive gas, the unintentional release of wellbore gases such as methane, is a significant emissions source. Through conservative analysis, it is estimated that wellhead leakage alone may account for 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e) emissions. We conclude by assessing the CO 2 emissions from flaring, which is the burning of associated gas during well operations, conservative analysis indicates flaring contributes another 2 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions to the region. We find that with targeted retrofit and better controls on emissions sources, the I-West region can make a significant impact in the nation's push to become net-zero. This study outlines economic feasibility and actionable items to achieve the critical reductions in emissions and increases in sequestration necessary to attain net zero., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Mass transfer in liquid phase is the rate-limiting step for carbon dioxide capture by ammonia water, which results in a low total mass transfer coefficient and thus a poor carbon dioxide removal efficiency. For this issue, this study established a venturi reactor with an excellent mass transfer performance to promote mass transfer rate during carbon dioxide capture, and investigated the effect of operating parameters of the venturi reactor on carbon dioxide removal efficiency and overall mass transfer coefficient. The results showed that with an increasing flow rate of the jet from 8.31 to 12.73 L/min, the carbon dioxide removal efficiency decreased due to the increase of flow rate of flue gas, and the changing trend of overall mass transfer coefficient gradually transited from increasing to decreasing with the extension of reaction time. The carbon dioxide removal efficiency and the overall mass fraction coefficient increased upon the increase of ammonia concentration from 0.1 wt% to 0.75 wt%. With the increase of inlet carbon dioxide concentration from 7% to 19%, the carbon dioxide removal efficiency and the overall mass transfer coefficient decreased. Venturi reactor was of a fast mass transfer rate during carbon dioxide capture, and the maximum CO 2 removal efficiency was 96.4% at ammonia concentration of 0.75 wt%, CO 2 volume concentration of 15%, flow rate of jet of 8.36 L/min. This study provided a theoretical value for the development of venturi reactor for carbon dioxide capture., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Consistent with the increasing environmental interest, the clean energy transition is highly critical to achieving decarbonization targets. Also, energy security has become an important topic under the shadow of the energy crisis,. Accordingly, countries have been trying to stimulate clean energy use to preserve the environment and ensure energy security. So, considering the leading role of economic size and volume of energy use, the study examines the USA to define whether energy transition helps decrease energy security risk (ESR) and curb CO 2 emissions. So, the study applies a disaggregated level analysis by performing quantile-based models for the period from 2001/Q1 through 2022/Q4. The results demonstrate that (i) the energy transition index decreases environmental ESR at higher quantiles and reliability ESR at lower and middle quantiles, whereas it is not beneficial in declining economic and geopolitical ESR; (ii) energy transition curbs CO 2 emissions in building and transport sectors at lower quantiles, whereas it does not help decrease CO 2 emissions in industrial and power sectors; (iii) energy transition is mostly ineffective on ESR, whereas it is highly effective in curbing CO 2 emissions in all sectors except for transport across various quantiles as time passes; (iv) the results differ according to the aggregated and disaggregated levels; (v) the results are consistent across main and alternative models. Hence, the study highlights the dominant effect of energy transition in curbing sectoral CO 2 emissions rather than easing ESR. Accordingly, the study discusses various policy implications for the USA., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The conversion of native vegetation to agricultural areas leads to a natural process of carbon loss but these systems can stabilize in terms of carbon dynamics depending on the management and conversion time, presenting potential to both store and stabilize this carbon in the soil, resulting in lower soil respiration rates. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the effect of converting native Cerrado forest areas to agricultural systems with a forest planted with Eucalyptus camaldulensis and silvopastoral systems on the dynamics of CO 2 emission and carbon stock at different soil depths. The experimental sites are located in the Midwest of Brazil, in the coordinates 20°22'31″ S and 51°24'12″ W. Were evaluated soil CO 2 emission (FCO 2 ), soil organic carbon, the degree of humification of soil organic matter (HLIFS), soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil chemical and physical attributes. The soil of the area is classified as an Oxisol (Haplic Acrustox). Soil samples were collected at depths of 0.00-0.10, 0.10-0.20, 0.20-0.30, and 0.30-0.40 m. The lowest FCO 2 values were found in the silvopastoral system (1.05 μmol m -2  s -1 ), followed by the native forest (1.65 μmol m -2  s -1 ) and the eucalyptus system (1.96 μmol m -2  s -1 ), indicating a 36% reduction in FCO 2 compared to the conversion of the native forest to the silvopastoral system and an increase of 19% when converting the native forest to the eucalyptus system. The soil chemical attributes (N, K + , Ca 2+ , H + +Al 3+ , CEC, and organic carbon) showed a decrease along the profile. The shallowest depths (0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m) presented no differences between systems but the subsequent depths (0.20-0.30 and 0.30-0.40 m) had a difference (95% confidence interval), relative to N, Ca 2+ , H + +Al 3 , CEC, and organic carbon stock (OCS), and the soil under silvopastoral system showed a higher concentration of these attributes than the native forest. The multivariate analysis showed that the eucalyptus and silvopastoral systems did not differ from the forest in the shallowest soil layer but differed from each other. This behavior changed from the second assessed depth (0.10-0.20 m), in which the silvopastoral system stands out, differing both from the eucalyptus system and from the native forest, and this behavior is maintained at the following depths (0.20-0.30 and 0.30-0.40 m). OCS, H + +Al 3 , CEC, and nitrogen are strongly related to land use change for silvopastoral system. Regarding the behavior/relationship of attributes as a function of depth, the silvopastoral system contributed to soil carbon accumulation and stability over consecutive years., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Russia ranks among the top five countries worldwide in terms of carbon emissions, with the energy, transportation, and manufacturing sectors as the major contributors. This poses a significant threat to both current and future generations. Russia faces challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 13, necessitating the implementation of more innovative policies to promote environmental sustainability. Considering this alarming situation, this study investigates the role of financial regulations, energy price uncertainty, and climate policy uncertainty in reshaping sectoral CO 2 emissions in Russia. This study utilizes a time-varying bootstrap rolling-window causality (BRW) approach using quarterly data from 1990 to 2021. The stability test for parameters indicates instability, suggesting that the full sample causality test may yield incorrect inferences. Thus, the BRW approach is employed for valid inferences. Our findings confirm the time-varying negative impact of financial regulations on CO 2 emissions from energy, manufacturing, and transportation sectors. Additionally, findings confirm time-varying positive impact of energy prices and climate policy uncertainty on CO 2 emissions from the energy, manufacturing, and transportation sectors. Strong financial regulations and stable energy and climate policies are crucial for achieving sustainability, highlighting significant policy implications for policymakers and stakeholders., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In order to fully understand the carbon emission from different fuels in rural villages of China, especially in the typical atmospheric pollution areas. The characteristics of carbonaceous aerosols and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) with its stable carbon isotope (δ 13 C) were investigated in six households, which two households used coal, two households used wood as well as two households used biogas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), from two rural villages in Fenwei Plain from March to April 2021. It showed that the fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) emitted from biogas and LPG couldn't be as lower as expected in this area. However, the clean fuels could relatively reduce the emissions of organic carbon (OC) and element carbon (EC) in PM 2.5 compare to the solid fuels. The pyrolyzed carbon (OP) accounted more total carbon (TC) in coal than the other fuels use households, indicating that more water-soluble OC existed, and it still had the highest secondary organic carbon (SOC) than the other fuels. Meantime, the coal combustions in the two villages had the highest CO 2 concentration of 527.6 ppm and 1120.6 ppm, respectively, while the clean fuels could effectively reduce it. The average δ 13 C values (-26.9‰) was much lighter than almost all the outdoor monitoring and similar to the δ 13 C values for coal combustion and vehicle emission, showing that they might be the main contributors of the regional atmospheric aerosol in this area. During the sandstorm, the indoor PM 2.5 mass and CO 2 were increasing obviously. The indoor cancer risk of PAHs for adults and children were greater than 1 × 10 -6 , exert a potential carcinogenic risk to human of solid fuels combustion in rural northern China. It is important to continue concern the solid fuel combustion and its health impact in rural areas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) and drip irrigation are recommended to mitigate trace gas emissions from agricultural soils. However, studies comparing the effect of different NIs on the release of trace gases from soils with contrasting textures under subsurface (SBD) and surface (SD) drip irrigation are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of three NIs in mitigating nitrous oxide (N 2 O), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and methane (CH 4 ) emissions from two soils with different textures under SBD, with pipe buried in 10 cm depth, and SD. Two greenhouse experiments were carried out with silt loam and loamy sand soil textures cultivated with wheat under SBD and SD to assess the effectiveness of the NIs Dicyandiamide (DCD), 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP), and 3-Methylpyrazol combined with Triazol (MP + TZ). Ammonium sulfate was applied at a rate of 0.18 g N kg soil -1 . The measured variables were daily and cumulative N 2 O-N, CO 2 -C, and CH 4 -C emissions, as well as soil NH 4 + -N and NO 3 - -N concentrations. The NIs and SBD had additive effects on reducing N 2 O-N emissions in the silt loam, but not in the loamy sand soil texture. Under SBD, total N 2 O-N emissions were 44% and 52% lower than under SD in the silt loam and loamy sand soil textures, respectively. Moreover, DMPP kept the highest NH 4 + -N concentrations and promoted the lowest N 2 O-N release. CO 2 -C and CH 4 -C total emissions were not affected by the treatments. Our findings supported the hypothesis that SBD decreases N 2 O-N emissions relative to SD. Among the investigated NIs, DMPP has the highest effectiveness in retarding nitrification and mitigating N 2 O-N release under the studied treatments. Finally, in coarse-textured soils, the use of NIs could be sufficient to significantly abate N 2 O-N emissions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Capturing CO 2 using clamshell/eggshell-derived CaO adsorbent can not only reduce carbon emissions but also alleviate the impact of trash on the environment. However, organic acid was usually used, high-temperature calcination was often performed, and CO 2 was inevitably released during preparing CaO adsorbents from shell wastes. In this work, CaO-based CO 2 adsorbent was greenly prepared by calcium-induced hydrogenation of clamshell and eggshell wastes in one pot at room/moderate temperature. CO 2 adsorption experiments were performed in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The adsorption performance of the adsorbents obtained from the mechanochemical reaction (BM-C/E-CaO) was superior to that of the adsorbents obtained from the thermochemical reaction (Cal-C/E-CaO). The CO 2 adsorption capacity of BM-C-CaO at 650 °C is up to 36.82 wt%, but the adsorption decay rate of the sample after 20 carbonation/calcination cycles is only 30.17%. This study offers an alternative energy-saving method for greenly preparing CaO-based adsorbent from shell wastes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Simultaneous capture of formaldehyde (HCHO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in indoor air is promising of achieving indoor-air purification. Of all potential adsorbents, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is one of the most suitable species owing to facile formation of attraction points. Therefore, in this study, performances of HCHO and CO 2 being adsorbed over pure/modified h-BN are systematically investigated via density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Minutely speaking, direct interaction between HCHO and CO 2 , single-point adsorption enhancement of HCHO over modified h-BN, co-adsorption reinforcement of HCHO/CO 2 as well as relevant thermodynamic characteristics are major research contents. According to calculation results, there is relatively strong attraction between HCHO and CO 2 owing to hydrogen bonds, which is in favor of co-adsorption of HCHO/CO 2 . As to single-adsorption of HCHO, C-doped h-BN shows better adsorption features than P-doped h-BN and C/P-doped h-BN is slightly weakened in adsorption ability due to surficial deformation caused by P atoms. For co-adsorption of HCHO/CO 2 , CO 2 is the protagonist via formation of quasi-carbonate with the help of delocalized π-orbital electrons. Regarding effects of temperatures on adsorption strengths, they depend on interelectronic interactions among dopant atoms and finally derives from dispersion of π bonds across adsorbents. Overall, this study provides detailed mechanisms for co-capture of HCHO/CO 2 to accomplish indoor-air purification., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The persistent combustion of fossil fuels has resulted in a widespread greenhouse effect attributable to the continual elevation of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels in the atmosphere. Recent research indicates that utilizing CO 2 as a pyrolysis gasification medium diminishes CO 2 emissions and concurrently augments the value of the resultant pyrolysis gasification products. This paper reviews recent advancements in the pyrolysis gasification of organic solid wastes under a CO 2 atmosphere. Meanwhile, the mechanisms of CO 2 influence in the pyrolysis and gasification processes were also discussed. In comparison to noble gases, CO 2 exhibits reactivity with char at≥710 °C, resulting in additional mass loss of the sample. In addition, CO 2 was able to increase the specific surface area and stability of biochar and reduce biooil toxicity by lowering the content of cyclic compounds in the biooil, while CO 2 was able to react with GPRs with some volatile products (e.g., light hydrocarbons) to increase biogas yield. Finally, CO 2 also prevents catalyst deactivation by reducing secondary coke formation. We also recommend directing future attention toward utilizing unpurified CO 2 in pyrolysis and gasification. This review aims to expand the utilization of CO 2 and advocate for applying pyrolysis gasification products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Onsite sanitation systems (OSS) are significant sources of greenhouse gases (GHG) including carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O). While a handful of studies have been conducted on GHG emissions from OSS, systematic evaluation of literature on this subject is limited. Our systematic review and meta-analysis provides state-of-the- art information on GHG emissions from OSS and identifies novel areas for investigation. The paper analyzes GHG emission rates from different OSS, the influence of various design, operational, and environmental factors on emission rates and proffers mitigation measures. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, we identified 16 articles which quantified GHG emissions from OSS. Septic tanks emit substantial amounts of CO 2 and CH 4 ranging from 1.74 to 398.30 g CO 2 /cap/day and 0.06-110.13 g CH 4 /cap/day, respectively, but have low N 2 O emissions (0.01-0.06 g N₂O/cap/day). CH 4 emissions from pit latrines range from 0.77 to 20.30 g CH 4 /cap/day N 2 O emissions range from 0.76 to 1.20 gN 2 O/cap/day. We observed statistically significant correlations (p < 0.05) between temperature, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, storage period, and GHG emissions from OSS. However, no significant correlation (p > 0.05) was observed between soil volumetric water content and CO 2 emissions. CH 4 emissions (expressed as CO 2 equivalents) from OSS estimated following Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines were found to be seven times lower (90.99 g CO 2 e/cap/day) than in-situ field emission measurements (704.7 g CO 2 e/cap/day), implying that relying solely on IPCC guidelines may lead to underestimation of GHG emission from OSS. Our findings underscore the importance of considering local contexts and environmental factors when estimating GHG emissions from OSS. Plausible mitigation measures for GHG emissions from OSS include converting waste to biogas in anaerobic systems (e.g. biogas), applying biochar, and implementing mitigation policies that equally address inequalities in sanitation service access. Future research on GHG from OSS should focus on in-situ measurements of GHGs from pit latrines and other common OSS in developing countries, understanding the fate and transport of dissolved organics like CH 4 in OSS effluents and impacts of microbial communities in OSS on GHG emissions. Addressing these gaps will enable more holistic and effective management of GHG emissions from OSS., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The connection between income inequality and environmental degradation remains a topic of persistent debate, marked by inconsistencies in both theoretical and empirical studies. This study offers a novel contribution to this discourse by investigating the simultaneous influences of renewable energy and income inequality on environmental degradation. Utilizing data from 158 nations from 2000 to 2017, our research reveals a crucial moderating role of renewable energy in the nexus between income inequality and environmental degradation. The study's key finding is that the impact of income inequality on environmental degradation is contingent on the level of renewable energy development. In scenarios with limited renewable energy, income equality leads to increased environmental degradation. However, when renewable energy is more developed, income equality contributes to reducing environmental degradation. This novel insight suggests that renewable energy development can mitigate the trade-off between pursuing income equality and environmental sustainability, thereby enabling their simultaneous achievement. The research also highlights that a more equitable income distribution enhances the environmental benefits of renewable energy. Further analysis demonstrates the significant role played by household consumption behavior and social norms in shaping this phenomenon. By adding these new dimensions to the existing literature, the study significantly enriches the understanding of the complex interplay among economic factors, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study examines how patents on green technologies impact Algeria's ecological footprint from 1990 to 2022 while controlling for economic growth and energy consumption. The objectives are to analyze the asymmetric effects of positive and negative shocks in these drivers on ecological footprint and provide policy insights on leveraging innovations and growth while minimizing environmental harm. Given recent major structural shifts in Algeria's economy, time series data exhibits nonlinear dynamics. To accommodate this nonlinearity, the study employs an innovative nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag approach. The findings indicate that an upsurge in green technologies (termed as a positive shock) significantly reduces the ecological footprint, thereby enhancing ecological sustainability. Interestingly, a decline in green technologies (termed as a negative shock) also contributes to reducing the ecological footprint. This highlights the crucial role of clean technologies in mitigating ecological damage in both scenarios. Conversely, a positive shock in economic growth increases ecological footprint, underscoring the imperative for environmentally friendly policies in tandem with economic expansion. Negative shocks, however, have minimal impact. In a similar vein, positive shock in energy consumption increases ecological footprint, underlining the importance of transitioning towards cleaner energy sources. Negative shock has a smaller but still noticeable effect. The results confirm asymmetric impacts, with positive and negative changes in the drivers affecting Algeria's ecological footprint differently. To ensure long-term economic and ecological stability, Algeria should prioritize eco-innovation and green technology development. This will reduce dependence on fossil fuels and create new, sustainable industries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The transition of the current fossil based chemical industry to a carbon-neutral industry can be done by the substitution of fossil carbon for defossilized carbon in the production of base chemicals. Methanol is one of the seven base chemicals, which could be used to produce other base chemicals (light olefins and aromatics). In this research, we evaluated the synthesis of methanol based on defossilized carbon sources (maize, waste biomass, direct air capture of CO 2 (DAC), and CO 2 from the cement industry) by considering carbon source availability, energy, water, and land demand. This evaluation was based on a carbon balance for each of the carbon sources. Our results show that maize, waste biomass, and CO 2 cement could supply 0.7, 2, 15 times the carbon demand for methanol respectively. Regarding the energy demand maize, waste biomass, DAC, and CO 2 from cement demand 25, 21, 48, and 45GJton MeOH separately. The demand for water is 5300, 220, 8, and 8m 3 ton MeOH . And lastly, land demand was estimated to 1031, 36, 83, and 77m 2 ton MeOH per carbon source. The high-demanding-resource production of defossilized methanol is dependent on the availability of resources per location. Therefore, we analyzed the production of defossilized methanol in the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, China, and the USA. China is the only country where CO 2 from the cement industry could provide all the demand of carbon. But as we envision society becoming carbon neutral, CO 2 from the cement industry would diminish in time, as a consequence, it would not be sufficient to supply the demand for carbon. DAC would be the only source able to provide the demand for defossilized carbon., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Foreign direct investment benefits developing countries. However, concerns have arisen that the influx of FDI potentially exacerbates environmental pollution. While this debate continues, growing attention has recently emerged on the role of institutions in mitigating FDI's potential damages, although the empirical findings remain inconclusive. This paper examines how institutional quality shapes the relationship between FDI and CO 2 , both at the aggregate level and across different income groupings, using a reduced-form CO 2 emissions model, panel data from 2000 to 2018 and the IVGMM techniques. Three key conclusions emerge. First, the findings show that FDI reduces CO 2 emissions, but its magnitude depends on the measure used. Second, institutional quality is directly associated with higher emissions across income groups, suggesting current regulations inadequately ameliorate environmental pollution. Third, we find a positive interaction effect between CO 2 emissions and institutional quality. We argue that, for FDI to consistently curb CO 2 emissions, the quality of institutions must improve to better regulate foreign investors' activities, especially in low and high-income nations. Enhancing the quality of institutions will help translate FDI into improved environmental outcomes across income groups., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the relentless battle against the impending climate crisis, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as beacons of hope in the realm of green chemistry, igniting a resurgence of scientific exploration. These versatile compounds hold the promise of revolutionizing carbon capture, effectively countering the rising tide of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions responsible for global warming and climate instability. Their adaptability offers a tantalizing prospect, as they can be finely tailored for a multitude of applications, thereby encompassing the uncharted territory of potential DESs. Navigating this unexplored terrain underscores the vital need for predictive computational methods, which serve as our guiding compass in the expansive landscape of DESs. Thermodynamic modeling and solubility prognostications stand as our unwavering navigational aides on this treacherous odyssey. In this direction, the COSMO-RS model intertwined with the captivating Stochastic Gradient Boosting (SGB) algorithm. Together, they unveil the elusive truths pertaining to CO 2 solubility in DESs, forging a path toward a sustainable future. Our quest is substantiated by two exhaustive datasets, a repository of knowledge encompassing 1973 and 2327 CO 2 solubility data points spanning 132 and 150 distinct DESs respectively, encapsulating a spectrum of conditions. The SGB models, incorporating features derived from COSMO-RS, as well as accounting for pressure and temperature variables, furnishes predictions that harmonize seamlessly with experimental CO 2 solubility values, boasting an impressive Average Absolute Relative Deviation (AARD) of a mere 0.85% and 2.30% respectively. When juxtaposed with literature-reported methodologies like different EoS, as well as Computational Solvation, and machine learning (ML) models, our SGB model emerges as the epitome of reliability, offering robust forecasts of CO 2 solubility in DESs. It emerges as a potent tool for the design and selection of DESs for CO 2 capture and utilization, heralding a sustainable and environmentally conscientious future in the battle against climate change., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fast development of farming practices in China is projected to result in additional carbon emissions and thus affect farmland ecosystems' environmental performance. Based on 454 farm surveys on the North and Northeast China Plain, the carbon footprint (CF) of two farmland ecosystems (irrigated system for wheat and maize on the North China Plain and rainfed system for maize on the Northeast Plain) were assessed and emission reduction pathways explored by quantifying greenhouse gas emissions of agricultural inputs and farm practices during the entire crop growing seasons with an agricultural footprint model. The results demonstrated that the GHG emissions from wheat and maize rotation in the irrigated system were 7.63 t CO 2 eq ha -1 and 3.17 t CO 2 eq ha -1 for single season maize in the rainfed system. While energy consumption accounted for 12.5%-21.3% of the carbon footprint in both systems, the group assessment found that the largest difference in GHG emissions between the high and low emission groups came from mechanical energy consumption. Approximately 50.6% and 39.2% of the mechanical carbon footprint of wheat and maize, respectively, were caused by irrigation practices in the irrigated system. Regarding the rainfed system, where 46.6% of mechanical carbon emissions were generated by maize tillage operations. In addition, scenario analysis indicated that the mechanical carbon footprint could be reduced to 56 kg CO 2 eq t -1 for NCP-wheat and 26 kg CO 2 eq t -1 for NCP-maize, respectively, by optimizing yields and irrigation practices in irrigated systems and that the mechanical carbon footprint of NEP-maize could be reduced to 25 kg CO 2 eq t -1 by optimizing yields and tillage practices in rainfed systems. Therefore, improvement in mechanization in irrigation and tillage practices can contribute to reduce GHG emissions in China. Water-saving irrigation technology is recommended in irrigated area and conservation tillage is recommended in rainfed agricultural area to reduce carbon footprints., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dongyu Cai reports financial support was provided by the National Key Research and Development Program of China. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The feasibility of producing activated carbon (AC) from real Household Mixed Plastic Waste (HMPW) comprising of LDPE, HDPE, PP, PS, and PET for carbon capture via direct carbonisation followed by microwave-assisted or conventional thermally assisted chemical activation was investigated. A microwave-assisted activation procedure was adopted to assess the impact on the CO 2 capture capacity of the resulting AC using both a lower temperature (400 °C vs. 700 °C) and a shorter duration (5 vs. 120 mins) than that required for conventional activation. The results obtained showed that the AC yield was 71 and 78% for the conventional and microwave-assisted samples, respectively. Microwave activation consumed five-fold less energy (0.19 kWh) than the conventional activation (0.98 kWh). Thermal stability results indicated total weight loss of 10.0 and 8.3 wt%, respectively, for conventional and microwave-activated samples over the temperature range of 25-1000 °C, with ACs from both activation routes displaying a type 1 nitrogen isotherm. The dynamic CO 2 uptake capacity at 1 bar and 25 °C was 1.53 mmol/g, with maximum equilibrium uptake ranging between 1.32 and 2.39 mmol/g at temperatures (0-50 °C) and 1 bar for the conventionally activated AC. The analogous microwave-activated sample showed a higher dynamic CO 2 uptake of 1.62 mmol/g and equilibrium uptake in the range 1.58-2.88 mmol/g under equivalent conditions. The results therefore indicate that microwave activation results in enhanced carbon capture potential. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-time microwave heating has been employed to convert household mixed plastic wastes directly into ACs for carbon capture applications. This report therefore demonstrates that the management of mixed plastics could lead to the development of a circular economy through the conversion of waste into value-added materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Population aging and global warming have become everyday concerns of all countries. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2019, this paper uses the panel fixed effect model and two-stage least square method to analyze the effect of population aging on domestic energy carbon emissions of urban and rural residents. On this basis, the threshold regression model is introduced to explore the heterogeneity of the effect under different aging levels. The results show that (1) the progress of population aging at the overall level will significantly increase the level of carbon emissions from household energy consumption. At the regional level, the effect of population aging on carbon emissions from household energy consumption in rural areas is higher than in urban areas. (2) Population aging has a nonlinear effect on the carbon emissions of residential energy consumption. For urban areas, when the level of population aging crosses the threshold, its marginal impact on living carbon emissions in urban areas is further enhanced. In contrast, the opposite is true in rural areas. (3) Heterogeneity analysis results show that the impact of population aging on residential energy carbon emissions differs in different regions at the national and rural levels but does not show regional heterogeneity at the urban level., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ninety-four percent of CO 2 emissions induced by final demand in the global construction sector stem from the supply chain. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the CO 2 emission hotspots within the supply chain and implement targeted reduction measures. This study proposed a supply chain clustering approach considering the functional unit of houses and identified CO 2 emission hotspots within the supply chain structure of wooden houses, which accounted for approximately 90% of the total housing stock in Japan. We founded that the top ten CO 2 emission clusters (i.e., emission hotspots) account for approximately 40% of the carbon footprint (38 t-CO 2 ) of a wooden house. Specifically, the iron and steel cluster, which includes the pig iron and crude steel sectors, and the cement cluster, comprising the cement and ready-mixed concrete sectors, collectively contribute to approximately 75% of the CO 2 emissions within the top 10 clusters. Therefore, the reduction of CO 2 emissions from these clusters is of paramount importance. Decision-makers should promote renovation and remodeling policies for vacant houses and prioritize the reuse of foundations, predominantly constructed using steel and cement products, to reduce the supply-chain emissions from wooden houses., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide has caused serious environmental problems and hindered the construction of a green and low-carbon society. Efficient carbon dioxide capture has become an important means to slow down global climate warming and achieve effective utilization of carbon dioxide. Membranes synthesized by electrospinning technology are becoming promising carbon capture materials due to their unique characteristics. This review describes the features of membranes prepared from available raw materials and presents their application performances in carbon capture. The preparation methods of various types of membrane materials with excellent capture performance are summarized, and the effects of electrospinning parameters on electrospun fibers are systematically analyzed. Furthermore, recommendations and expectations for further development of electrospun membranes for carbon capture applications are given. These works provide important references for an in-depth understanding of the development status of electrospun membranes in the field of carbon capture and for expanding future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In the global context, countries must reduce carbon dioxide emissions to "net zero" by 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. China's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve the carbon neutrality target by 2060. To monitor the achievements of the NDCs, establishing an annual-based accounting mechanism is necessary to record the carbon stocks in China, especially for Blue Carbon. The paper aims to present China's first national-scale systematic Blue Carbon accounting for mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses, covering the accounting subjects of physical and monetary assets, as well as relevant indicators for investors. It focuses on the design of the accounting method and system, the selection of data categories applied to this system, and the application of China's Blue Carbon accounting based on this accounting system. Taking Blue Carbon accounting as a starting point, this paper analyses the restoration prospects of these ecosystems and their application potential for NDCs in China compared with the terrestrial ecosystems. The results indicate that mangroves are the most cost-effective type of ecosystem, even compared to terrestrial forests. Thus, the paper provides policymakers with a new perspective on the decision-making of carbon sequestration relevant decisions, aiming to promote the monitoring, restoration, and expansion of China's coastal blue carbon ecosystem through the establishment of a sound Blue Carbon accounting system, and to help achieve the carbon neutrality goal in China's NDCs through regular and systematic monitoring of its national Blue Carbon inventories., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Waste concrete powder (WCP), a byproduct of construction and demolition (C&D), currently has a low degree of recycling despite its potential for environmentally friendly applications. WCP can serve as a valuable substitute for cement, offering advantages for resource conservation and carbon sequestration. However, there are very few studies that quantitatively assess the environmental impact of incorporating WCP into the circular economy as a secondary material instead of disposing of it. The energy-intensive processing of WCP raises questions about the optimal carbonation time using available equipment. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by employing carbon footprint and life cycle assessments (LCA) to optimize WCP recycling. Three recycling WCP scenarios are analyzed. The first scenario involved the conversion of WCP into compacts that absorb CO 2 during the carbonation process. The results of the first scenario revealed that the optimal carbonation time for WCP compacts was 8 h, during which 42.7 kg CO 2 -e per tonne of WCP compacts was sequestered. The total global warming potential (GWP) was -4.22 kgCO 2 -e, indicating a carbon-negative recycling process. In the second and third scenarios, LCA was conducted to compare the use of carbonated and uncarbonated WCP as a partial replacement for cement in concrete. In these scenarios, it was found that uncarbonated WCP is a more effective solution for reducing the carbon footprint of traditional concrete mixes, achieving a significant 16% reduction of GWP when 20% of cement is replaced. Conversely, using carbonated WCP as a partial cement replacement in concrete mixtures shows limited potential for CO 2 uptake. The sensitivity analysis reveals that the carbon footprint of the WCP compacts production process is strongly influenced by the electricity supplier used., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To address global climate change, achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality has become a global consensus. However, the means to simultaneously achieve carbon reduction and promote green economic development, particularly in developing countries, require further investigation. This study evaluates the impact of e-commerce on CO 2 emissions. Through an examination of the effects of the National E-Commerce Demonstration City (NEDC) policy from 2006 to 2017, this paper reveals that e-commerce growth facilitated by the NEDC policy resulted in a 7.89% reduction in total CO 2 emissions and a per capita reduction of 1.1146 tons in the pilot cities. Mechanism analysis demonstrates that the upgrading of industrial structure, development of digital finance, and the growth of innovation and entrepreneurship serve as primary pathways for this impact. The robustness of the findings is supported by parallel trend tests, placebo tests, and additional sensitivity analyses. Furthermore, the research reveals that the NEDC policy exhibits a more significant reduction in CO 2 emissions in cities with higher levels of economic development and non-resource-based cities. Welfare analyses show that the NEDC policy has significant socio-economic effects. These findings provide new evidence on the environmental effects of the digital economy and offer insights into achieving carbon neutrality., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The practice of aquaculture is associated with the generation of a substantial quantity of effluent. Microalgae must effectively assimilate nitrogen and phosphorus from their surrounding environment for growth. This study modeled the algal biomass film, NO 3 -N concentration, and pH in the membrane bioreactor using the response surface methodology (RSM) and an artificial neural network (ANN). Furthermore, it was suggested that the optimal condition for each parameter be determined. The results of ANN modeling showed that ANN with a structure of 5-3 and employing the transfer functions tansig-logsig demonstrated the highest level of accuracy. This was evidenced by the obtained values of coefficient (R 2 ) = 0.998, R = 0.999, mean squared error (MAE) = 0.0856, and mean square error (MSE) = 0.143. The ANN model, characterized by a 5-5 structure and employing the tansig-logsig transfer function, demonstrates superior accuracy when predicting the concentration of NO 3 -N and pH. This is evidenced by the high values of R 2 (0.996), R (0.998), MAE (0.00162), and MSE (0.0262). The RSM was afterward employed to maximize the performance of algal film biomass, pH levels, and NO 3 -N concentrations. The optimal conditions for the algal biomass film were a concentration of 2.884 mg/L and a duration of 6.589 days. Similarly, the most favorable conditions for the NO 3 -N concentration and pH were 2.984 mg/L and 6.787 days, respectively. Therefore, this research uses non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA II) to find the optimal NO3-N concentration, algal biomass film, and pH for product or process quality. The region has the greatest alkaline pH and lowest NO 3 -N content., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Soil respiration (Rs) is a crucial ecological process of carbon (C) cycling in the terrestrial ecosystems, and soil erosion has a significant impact on its C budget and balance. However, the variations of Rs rate and their CO 2 efflux induced by erosion are currently poorly understood. To this end, four landscape positions (top, up, middle and toe) with different erosional and depositional characteristics were selected on a typical eroded slope in southern China to conduct field experiments, aiming to explore the effects of erosion and deposition on Rs among various sites. From March 2021 to February 2022, the in-situ Rs were measured using an automated soil respiration system, together with soil temperature at 5 cm depth (T s5 ) and water content at 10 cm depth (SWC 10 ). We initially constructed various Rs models across a one-year period, based on its relationships with T s5 and SWC 10 . Subsequently, the seasonal changes of Rs at different erosional sites were simulated by the optimum models, and their annual CO 2 fluxes were further estimated. The results showed that Rs rates at all sites displayed a bimodal seasonal pattern, with the highest values in May and August. And the measured Rs of the eroding and depositional sites were 0.05-7.71 and 1.47-13.03 μmol m -2  s -1 , respectively. Also, remarkably higher T s5 and SWC 10 were observed in depositional sites versus the eroding sites (P < 0.05). Additionally, Rs rates at all sites were positively correlated with SOC and T s5 , but negatively correlated with SWC 10 . Herein, Rs models to single- and double-variable were established at different positions, and we found that the fitted R 2 and AIC differed on various sites, primarily in erosional and depositional sites. Furthermore, through the best-fitting models (higher R 2 and lowest AIC) we screened, the average Rs values of 3.03 and 4.46 μmol m -2  s -1 were quantitatively estimated for the eroding and depositional sites, respectively. Finally, it could be further assessed that the mean annual soil CO 2 -C efflux of eroded site (1104.14 g m -2 ) was significantly lower than that of depositional site (1629.46 g m -2 ). These findings highlighted the effect of erosion and deposition on Rs, which will facilitate a better understanding of C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The application of carbon fiber in the wind power industry is of great interest in declining CO 2 emissions but the carbon fiber manufacturing process is still a long way heading cleaner production. Since little to no information clarifies the dual effects from carbon fiber production to application, this study carried out a life cycle assessment (LCA) to recognize the environmental performances of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber production and explore the decarbonization effects of carbon fiber application in wind turbine blades. Based on on-site data from a leading carbon fiber production chain in China, potential environmental impacts of carbon fiber production predominantly originated from the precursor spinning stage (accounted for 13-91%). Fossil depletion (20.24 kg oil eq.), climate change (67.79 kg CO 2 eq.), terrestrial ecotoxicity (165.63 kg 1,4-DCB eq.) and photochemical ozone formation (0.14 kg NO x eq.) were the four noteworthy areas to improve the sustainable development. Different scenarios in energy and advanced technology were set to explore the potential improvement of the environmental performance of carbon fiber products. Energy structure (wind power) can improve an average of 22.58% environmental benefit compared with the background scenarios. Regarding the decarbonization effects, the energy payback time and the carbon payback time were estimated to be 0.73 and 0.37 months respectively. Therefore, carbon fiber is a trustworthy material in the strategy to achieve sustainable development from a life cycle perspective., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)