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The paper deals with the reuse of fibers from textile waste for the development of innovative and sustainable materials applied in the construction field. Currently, managing the high volumes of textile waste produced, and reducing the damage this waste does to the ecosystem, involves finding solutions for its reuse. Meanwhile, the construction sector has a great impact on the environment, and there is an urgent need to design innovative, sustainable building materials to reduce energy consumption and prevent the depletion of resources. In this context, the objective of the MOBIOTEX project is to develop new materials to replace the petrochemical-made vapor-barrier (VB) and rain-screen (RS) generally used in timber-frame construction (TFC). For that, nonwoven (NW) fabrics from textile waste were manufactured. Then, measurements based on standards for VB and RS were carried out on untreated and functionalized NW fabrics, to test their sealing and mechanical properties. Lamination of NW gives satisfactory results and some modified materials meet the requirements for both VB and RS applications and have similar properties as commercial products. These first results are quite promising as they show that, with some treatment, nonwoven from textile waste can be as technically efficient as commercial products. The different processes used during the MOBIOTEX project made it possible to build up the system boundary for the production of functionalized nonwoven in order to carry out future Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and to compare with commercial products' LCA. In a circular economy approach, other characteristics such as durability, fire resistance and recyclability of such materials should be studied and optimized in order to reduce energy consumption and environmental impacts. Still, the main benefit of the developed materials, compared to commercial petrochemical rain-screens and vapor barriers, is on the production of raw materials, because it involves less exploitation of non-renewable resources, as an important part of materials come from waste, and the application in timber-framed construction can be a positive way in which to reuse a non-negligible volume of waste from the textile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal and spatial dynamic change of energy water footprint reflects the use of water resources in the process of supplying energy. The spatio-temporal mismatch between energy and water resources in the Ji-shaped bend of the Yellow River has seriously restricted its development. In this paper, spatio-temporal variation in the water footprint of energy in the Ji-shaped bend of the Yellow River from 2000 to 2019 was characterized using the energy water footprint evaluation model. The spatial relationship between energy water footprint and regional water resources was analyzed using the standard deviation ellipse. Finally, the energy-water constraints in the study area were evaluated based on the water footprint stress index. The results were as follows. (1) The energy water footprint increased rapidly, and the energy structure has become more equitable. (2) The spatial distribution of energy water footprint is unbalanced, and the water footprint of fossil energy was higher in the east, but electricity was higher in the west. (3) Due to the growth of hydropower, electricity matches the available water resources to a greater extent than fossil energy. (4) The energy-water nexus is tense in the Ji-shaped bend of the Yellow River, so it is urgent to explore a sustainable transition path. Therefore, improving energy and water efficiency, optimizing the energy structure, and promoting low energy and water resource consumption patterns will be essential for facilitating sustainable development in the Ji-shaped bend of the Yellow River. • Comprehensively understanding the relationship between energy and water in China's energy rich areas. • Uncovering the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of energy water footprint. • Discovering the spatial matching degree of regional energy and water. • Comparing the inter provincial energy and water constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key challenge of the 21st century is to transform society into one that features sustainable patterns of production and consumption. To achieve this, transition processes need to be designed in key areas such as housing, mobility and nutrition. The design and large-scale implementation of sustainable product service systems (PSS) is regarded a promising approach for sustainability transitions. Real-life socio-technical experiments are an important infrastructure for designing PSS in collaboration with stakeholders and users. In this paper, we argue that transdisciplinary and action research methods are required for institutionalising an experimental set-up and developing PSS within such infrastructures. We present the Sustainable LivingLabs (SLL) research infrastructure and its methodology as an example of such experimental settings. It was collaboratively developed with key stakeholders in three consecutive research projects and applied to e.g. heating and space heating. We show new qualities of SLL in relation to existing LivingLabs and approaches for PSS design and present its methodological three-phase model (insight research, prototyping, field testing) of research. Our article contributes to knowledge on a methodological framework and tool-kit for PSS development in SLL with a clear focus on socio-ecological sustainability. Intermediate findings confirm the high influence of user practices on heating energy consumption and show starting points for PSS development: e.g. transformational products, home-automation combined with consulting along value chains. We hypothesise that developing PSS in user- and stakeholder-integrated settings supports acceptance and diffusion and, by taking into account users' social practices of utilising novelties, reduces rebound effects caused by incorrect application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the current status and trends over time in the environmental performance of European ports. The research is based on the provision of data from 79 European ports on issues related to their environmental management, environmental priorities and current environmental monitoring practices. This study updates previous environmental reviews, so that the trends over time are drawn. For instance, 90% of respondent ports stated that they have an environmental policy and 94% of ports have designated environmental personnel. The percentage of ports that have an Environmental Management System has increased by +33% in the last 9 years. Air quality, port waste and energy consumption emerged as the three major environmental priorities of the European port sector in 2013. The research also reveals the diversity amongst European ports in terms of size and physical surroundings. Some examples are presented on specific initiatives carried out by sector organisations about the Top-10 port priority issues. The future expectations of European ports on data collection and reporting are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for sustainable alternatives to industrial farming has led to a revival of interest in traditional agro-ecosystems. Whilst it is well recognised that traditional agro-ecosystems are both social and physical–technical – few case studies have examined interactions between both these dimensions in a single system. For a system to be considered sustainable it needs to be shown to have retained key characteristics over several generations. Case studies therefore demand a location where intergenerational transmission of agro-ecological knowledge and practice is ongoing. This paper examines the intergenerational transmission of social and physical–technical dimensions of a traditional agro-ecosystem of the Loma people in NW Liberia. We engage an innovative interdisciplinary combination of methodologies in analyzing interactions between: (i) energy efficiencies (yield to labour) in 3 different Loma food production systems, using longitudinal quantitative surveys, and, (ii) the social institutions that mediate food production practice, using qualitative methods. Our energy efficiency calculations show that AfDE cultivation is more than twice as efficient at producing calories as either shifting cultivation or forest and river extractivism, yet GPS mapping demonstrates that AfDE cultivation is highly spatially restricted despite clear opportunities for expansion and optimisation. This raises an important question: why have the Loma not expanded AfDE cultivation? We propose that despite being fully aware of the opportunities AfDEs present, a Loma ‘ancestral habitus’ and substantive economic rationality restrict areal expansion and optimisation of AfDE cultivation, curtailing growth and structuring a social-ecological system in dynamic equilibrium. Our findings underline that sustainability is not simply a physio-technical issue; social and belief issues appear to be far more important in framing behaviour in traditional agro-ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption has always been a central issue for sustainable urban assessment and planning. Different forms of energy analysis can provide various insights for energy policy making. This paper brought together three approaches for energy consumption accounting, i.e., energy flow analysis (EFA), input–output analysis (IOA) and ecological network analysis (ENA), and compared their different perspectives and the policy implications for urban energy use. Beijing was used to exemplify the different energy analysis processes, and the 42 economic sectors of the city were aggregated into seven components. It was determined that EFA quantifies both the primary and final energy consumption of the urban components by tracking the different types of fuel used by the urban economy. IOA accounts for the embodied energy consumption (direct and indirect) used to produce goods and services in the city, whereas the control analysis of ENA quantifies the specific embodied energy that is regulated by the activities within the city’s boundary. The network control analysis can also be applied to determining which economic sectors drive the energy consumption and to what extent these sectors are dependent on each other for energy. So-called “controlled energy” is a new concept that adds to the analysis of urban energy consumption, indicating the adjustable energy consumed by sectors. The integration of insights from all three accounting perspectives further our understanding of sustainable energy use in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the energy performance of existing building refurbishment has been identified as one of the key measures to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and combat climate change. However, little has been done to uncover how human behaviours would affect the selection of refurbishment solutions selection. The problem is particularly obvious for high-rise residential buildings as they are owned and/or occupied by different peoples with idiosyncratic behaviour and preference. In this research, 46 potential methods commonly used for major sustainable building refurbishment in high-rise residential buildings located in cities with sub-tropical climate like Hong Kong were identified through literature review. These sustainable building refurbishment methods are classified under five groups namely energy user pattern, domestic, high-rise building, climate feature and other building characteristics. A questionnaire survey was conducted to examine the feasibility of the identified refurbishment methods based on the perception of owners and occupants. The results show that those methods classified under building services category such as lighting, appliance, ventilation and lift received greater support from owners and occupants. It is interesting to note that owners and occupants did not favour those sustainable refurbishment options which are related to the building envelop when it comes to major building refurbishment. As for the renewable energy refurbishment methods, their acceptability was moderate indicating that there is huge potential for being incorporated into the major building refurbishment. This paper should help improve our understanding on what factors contribute to the satisfaction of owners and occupants of high-rise residential building in a major sustainable refurbishment scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental concerns, water and energy availability and costs as well as the public's license to operate all contrive to demand more efforts targeting sustainability. In this paper we discuss the broad lessons learnt in the wider mining industry that may be relevant to the phosphate rock industry. In particular, we suggest that it is innovation, particularly in technology that holds the key to more sustainable mining. Breakthrough developments in automation, in sorting, comminution and flotation are highlighted together with some suggestions as to how a more collaborative approach is needed to bring through step changes in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy and environmental issues have become pertinent to all industries in the globe because of sustainable development issues. However, the ever increasing demand of customers for quality has led to better surface finish and thus more energy consumption. The energy efficiency of machines tools is generally very low particularly during the discrete part manufacturing. This paper provide a multi-objective predictive model for the minimization of power consumption and surface roughness in machining, using grey relational analysis coupled with principal component analysis and response surface methodology, to obtain the optimum machining parameters. The statistical significance of the proposed predictive model has been tested by the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. The obtained results indicate that feed is the most significant machining parameter followed by depth of cut and cutting speed to reduce power consumption and surface roughness. The constructed response surface contours can be used by the shop floor people to find and use the best combination of machining parameters for the given situation. The reduction of peak load through optimization will results in lowering the power consumption of the machine tools during non-cutting idling time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the substantial effort on almost all levels during the last decades, the buildings' renovation rate needs to be at least doubled from the current 1% to meet ambitious energy efficiency goals. In the same way, the energy-intensive material replacement did not reach yet the desired grade in terms of sustainability measures and outlined goals heading to a low-carbon economy. This paper summarizes principles of sustainable development together with the current methodological framework relevant to the civil engineering and construction industry. The main part is devoted to the identification and understanding of principal factors preventing faster adoption of energy efficiency measures. High initial financial costs, investment risk over a long-term period, poor acceptance of sustainable measures, lack of information, and limited methodological framework for a reliable evaluation of environmental projects with the intergeneration context or understanding of externalities of human activities are identified as the main barriers to the sustainable building retrofits. These barriers are closely related each other and can be merged into several groups according to the stakeholders or scientific disciplines to amplify their primary impact. Notwithstanding, solution strategies based on narrow boundary conditions and limited multidisciplinary approach prevent substantial advances towards the sustainable building sector. In this regard, the major obstacles preventing the achievement of energy efficiency goals can be remedied by interdisciplinary cooperation. • Lacking multidisciplinary approach hinders sustainable measures adoption. • Limited public acceptance prevents a stronger political commitment. • Methods of social measures need to be studied for decision support. • Sustainable building industry transition is not a technical issue only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is there a trade-off between spending on the green economy and an economy's strength? This paper addresses this question by estimating output multipliers for spending in clean energy and biodiversity conservation, and by comparing these to multipliers of spending on non-ecofriendly energy and land use activities. Using a new international dataset, we arrive at two key results. First, we find that every dollar spent on key carbon-neutral or carbon-sink activities can generate more than a dollar's worth of economic activity, whereas non-green spending returns less than a dollar. Second, for categories of spending where formal comparisons are possible, like renewable versus fossil fuel energy, we find that multipliers on green spending are about twice as large as their non-green counterparts. The point estimates of the multipliers are 1.1–1.7 for renewable energy investment and 0.4–0.7 for fossil fuel energy investment, depending on horizon and specification. These findings survive several robustness checks and lend support to bottom-up analyses that find that stabilizing climate and reversing biodiversity loss go hand in hand with economic prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid economic growth and social development in China have led to serious water pollution problems and water resource shortages, limiting the sustainable and coordinated development that could support both the socio-economy and water environment (WE). However, the spatial heterogeneity and evolutionary characteristics of the coordination between economic development (ED) and WE have not been adequately explored in China's provinces. In this study, we use the spatial global (local) autocorrelation and geographically weighted regression (GWR) model to explore the relationship between ED and WE subsystems and its influencing factors in China's provinces from 2010 to 2019. The main results are as follows, (a) The coupling coordination degree (CCD) between the two subsystems in southern China is higher than that of northern China. Transitional development areas have gradually spread to the middle of China, and there has been an increase trend in the number of moderate and high coordination provinces. (b) The ED-led (WE lags behind ED) type is mainly concentrated in central and eastern China, and the WE-led (ED lags behind WE) type is concentrated in the northeastern and western regions. The areas with synchronous development are relatively small in number and are mainly concentrated in east coastal China. (c) There is an obvious spatial dependence of the coordination between ED and WE from the perspective of global correlation, but this dependence is weakened with increasing geographical distance. The local mode of agglomeration shows a trend towards the evolution of high-high clustering in the eastern region. (d) The GWR analysis indicates that the factors of population density, energy consumption, fixed investment, and research and development (R&D) expenditure significantly influence the coordination between ED and WE. Fixed investment and R&D expenditure are mainly positive driving factors, while the impacts of population density and energy consumption vary among different regions as time evolves. Changes in driving force in a region can extend spatial effects to adjacent regions through the spatial transmission mechanism. Finally, we close the paper by recommending the different policy implications according to the GWR results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current economic situation in Ukraine, the operation of heat supply systems occurs at a reduced temperature of circuit water. The increased temperature graph of 95/70 °C due to the high cost of fuel is impractical. The experience of such countries as Denmark, Germany, Finland, Sweden and Holland with developed centralized heat supply indicates the need for the first-class equipment of an individual heating point (IHP) of a building with an automatic control system, and then the transition to technology with a reduced temperature graph is carried out. Therefore, the modernization of heat supply systems in Ukraine aimed at the use of a reduced temperature graph will require a transition to closed independent heating systems, to qualitative and quantitative regulation and to automation of consumer IHP systems. A lot of district heating systems in Poland also require modernization to meet the requirements of the European Directive EED 2018/2002. This paper presents the results of numerical study of the influence of design and operating parameters of the heat supply network on the choice of the optimal temperature and flow- rate of circuit water of a distric heating system (DHS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stamping industry is critical in the automotive and aerospace industries, and the environmental impacts and sustainability of stamping systems have attracted considerable attention. To analyze the environmental impact and sustainability of stamping systems quantitatively, this paper presents an emergy-based evaluation method considering all the associated environmental impact factors of a pressing workshop including material and energy consumption, waste flows, time and mass losses, and processing costs. On the basis of analyzing the stamping processes and sustainability, this method comprises data collection, emergy based sustainability evaluation model and the development of sustainable evaluation indexes and systems. Based on the proposed method, the environmental impact of an industrial vehicle stamping workshop was evaluated. The results show that the net emergy yield ratio of the stamping system was greater than 2, and the waste emergy output ratio was very low, indicating that the system had high productivity levels, high yields, and low pollution discharge rates. However, its sustainability index was less than one owing to its high energy and material consumption during the production processes. To reduce the environmental impact of this stamping system and improve its sustainability, we investigated the potential improvements that could be achieved in energy consumption, productivity, and environmental impact by implementing energy-saving scheduling in the stamping workshop. The results show that the corresponding net emergy yield ratio and sustainability index of the system were both improved. The proposed emergy-based method could be used to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impacts and sustainability of stamping systems and facilitate efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of pressing workshops while improving their productivity and economic profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the main components of a smart city, the energy system plays a vital and core role in the transition towards a sustainable urban life. Furthermore, the utilization of renewable energy sources has been demonstrated as a significant contribution to reducing pollutant emissions and enhancing the quality of the living environment. Therefore, designing the energy systems based on clean and renewable criteria is considered a sustainable solution for smart cities. Indeed, the deep and rapid penetration of renewable energy-based technologies have been believed to very well fit into a smart city under various scales, this could supply a secure basis for a modern society with a low-carbon economy. In this review paper, the main components and roles of renewable energy resources (such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, and biofuels) for the smart city were fully introduced. Besides, integrating the renewable sources form into the energy systems of smart cities was thoroughly analyzed on the basis of technical and economic criteria. Finally, existing challenges and future scenarios were also discussed in detail to clarify the progress and perspective of smart renewable energy systems for the smart city. In general, the integration of renewables into energy systems of the smart city is a sagacious perspective and solution aiming to achieve cleaner process and more sustainable development. However, the optimization issues of the energy system for integrating of renewable components, ensuring good stability, maximizing the operating range, and minimizing the investment costs should be critically evaluated in the future works. • Designing tools and key criteria for smart renewable energy systems. • Efficiency and prospect of integrating renewables into energy system for smart city. • Existing problems and challenges for renewable-based energy system in smart city. • Future scenarios for the sustainable development of energy system in smart city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this review paper is to present the historical development, current utilization, practices and opportunities of geothermal energy in Algeria. Algeria has relatively abundant geothermal resources of low-enthalpy type that could form part of the total energy network of the country. Algeria is the leading country of the direct use of geothermal energy in Africa with a total amount reaching 54.64 MW t installed thermal power, and also among the first five countries in the world in air conditioning application. The main utilization field of geothermal energy in Algeria is balneology, which accounts for about 82% of the total geothermal power utilization, the remaining 18% of the energy is consumed for other purposes such as space heating, heat pumps and fish farming. In this study, the existing literature and current practices of the Algeria's geothermal resources are reviewed and it is revealed that geothermal energy development remained almost stagnant over the past two decades in Algeria although there is a large potential and resources available in the country. Furthermore, geothermal energy use and latest technologies around the world have been summarized. This study elucidates the influencing factors in the development of geothermal energy in Algeria and suggests the development roadmap and a number of measures that can enhance the development of this significant energy source. • Previous researches on geothermal energy in Algeria are reviewed. • Geothermal energy utilization and advanced technologies around the globe are summarized. • Current geothermal energy utilization in Algeria is discussed. • Exploitation opportunities of geothermal energy in Algeria are addressed. • Countermeasures to promote geothermal energy development in Algeria are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pyramidal approach for the analysis and decomposition of energy intensity. • Definition of structural and efficiency indicators for the whole energy system. • Impact of transformation processes and fuel types on supply side energy efficiency. • Emerging nations needed to worsen the efficiency of the supply side to thrive. • Renewable electrification simultaneously benefits energy and carbon intensities. Energy efficiency remains as the main mitigation factor to slow down the growth of energy consumption and related CO 2 emissions, undoubtedly the major responsible for climate change. Gaining insights into the driving forces that make efficiency change is a keystone to define energy policies and examine pathways to sustainable development. To this aim, this paper proposes a pyramidal approach for the analysis and decomposition of energy intensity, the main global efficiency indicator, using the LMDI method. First, the effects related to supply and demand sides of the energy system are separated in Primary Energy Factor and final energy intensity, respectively. Then, supply side is further decomposed to progressively reveal structural effects associated to transformation processes and fuel types. The approach is applied to the most emitting and consuming nations (China, United States, European Union, India, Russia, Japan) to provide a meaningful cross-country analysis over the period 1995–2017. Results show that energy intensity gains have been mainly driven by widespread demand side efficiency improvements from 25% to 61%. Regarding the supply side, unfavourable structural changes due to electrification, up to 12% in China, have only been offset by transformation efficiency gains about 6% in developed countries. Consequently, emerging economies have worsened their energy sector efficiency as they thrive. Changes in fuel mixes have generally contributed to energy intensity reductions (up to 4%) mainly due to shifts from coal and nuclear power towards gas and renewables plants. The proposed methodology could help stakeholders to effectively analyse the energy system and to develop policies to reduce its environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] This paper evaluates the cost benefits of combining energy efficiency practices and hybrid photovoltaic-biomass distributed generation systems to design standalone rural housing in Morocco. This integrated analysis approach seeks an enhancement of the economic and environmental sustainability of rural housing units in the Fez region. It utilizes optimization selection procedures to identify both, the energy efficient and renewable energy technologies readily available in the region to reduce the cost and energy use of the housing units. The results of the integrated design indicate that an optimally designed house can reduce life cycle costs by 25% and carbon emissions by 47.13% compared to the current practices. Applying the optimized design to 30-residential houses can result in a decrease of the cost of energy (COE) for the proposed system from 0.155 US$/kW h to 0.125 US$/kW h. However, a sensitivity analysis confirmed that the availability of biomass resource influences greatly the economic viability of the proposed hybrid system. Increasing the daily collected biomass resources from 2.5 to 8.5 tons/day causes a drop in the COE by 46.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable energy policy and tackling climate-change-related issues require exploring energy consumption patterns. This paper proposes an integrative methodological approach called grounded survey for understanding behavioral factors behind household energy consumption. The study aims to overcome the restrictions of both quantitative and qualitative studies by combining participatory-systems-mapping (PSM) based focus group research with a quantitative survey. Focus groups were used to highlight common patterns, which helped formulate survey questions specifically into understudied areas of energy-related behavior. The survey helped validate these qualitatively grounded questions, while generating generalizable quantitative results based on a representative sample. Finally, a comparative assessment contrasted the comprehensive qualitative analysis with the survey findings. Two causal loop diagrams of common patterns are employed to illustrate the methodological model. This integrative approach deepens understanding of behavioral factors behind energy consumption and provides policy recommendations to strengthen the relationship between heating-related behavior and heating costs. The grounded survey method can be utilized in studying wicked or paradox problems in which the relationship between behavioral and technical factors are complex and possibilities for intervention are limited. The application of the model is suggested in areas where development can only be achieved through behavioral change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is one of the fastest growing segments of energy consumption and wind energy is one of the most widely used sources of renewable energy. There is, however, much less known about the main drivers of wind energy consumption at the country level. This paper uses the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method to study the driving factors in wind energy consumption for a group of 17 countries (Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States) that are major consumers of wind energy. The renewable energy share component has the largest impact on wind energy consumption. Improvements in energy intensity are the largest driver of reductions in wind energy consumption. Wind energy consumption forecasts for each country in the business as usual (BAU) scenario for the years 2018–2025 show that compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) for wind energy consumption are highest for Canada, Sweden, China, and Germany. Countries that have high shares of renewable energy like Spain, Portugal, and Denmark have low forecast values of CAGRs. Wind energy forecasts are also calculated for a high growth rate scenario and a low growth rate scenario. Future increases in wind energy consumption are going to depend upon the continued increase in renewable energy share which in turn is affected by energy policy designed to promote fuel switching from fossil fuels to renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low carbonization is an inevitable pathway toward the sustainable development of gear machining. Reliable and reasonable prediction of hobbing parameters can effectively reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. The initial value of process parameters is often generated in a large range, which has a negative effect on the subsequent parameter prediction and the improvement of carbon emission, cutting time and cost. In this paper, a three-stage parameter prediction approach is proposed based on the similarity retrieval method, ε-support vector regression (ε-SVR) and an improved Harris hawks optimization for reducing the cutting time, cost and carbon emissions under data-driven conditions. The first stage is responsible for searching past machining cases similar to hobbing process problems. The ε-SVR and Harris hawks optimization hybrid approach (SVR-HHO) is applied to predict the hobbing parameters in the second stage. Finally, the hobbing process parameters obtained in the second stage are revised using the improved multi-objective Harris hawks optimization for reducing carbon emissions, cutting time and cost. Compared with several well-established algorithms, SVR-HHO is evaluated against 9 benchmark datasets, performing better than 7 of them. A practical case of hobbing prediction is used to perform the feasibility verification and comparison study for the entire approach. The proposed approach achieved a relative carbon emission reduction of 9.3%, when compared to multi-objective HHO. The proposed approach obtained the optimum carbon emission, cutting time and cost compared with other approaches; therefore, it can adequately resolve the problem of the low-carbon hobbing parameter prediction. The performance of prediction stability and running time is slightly weak. Therefore, improving it is a major challenge for future research. Image 1 • Harris hawks optimization is applied to improve the parameters of ε-SVR and hobbing. • Prediction accuracy of ε-SVR is greatly improved with Harris hawks optimization. • Multi-objective Harris hawks optimization is realized using Pareto optimization. • Hobbing parameters are revised for carbon emissions, cutting time and cost. • The proposed method achieved a relative carbon emission reduction of 9.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive design strategies such as orientation, shading, sealing, glazing, and insulation can significantly reduce the necessity of an artificial heating-cooling system, accounting for 40% of total energy usage in the residential building. However, none of the previous studies have quantified the energy reduction and their environmental impacts simultaneously for these passive design parameters to achieve the national standard requirements for house rating. Hence, this study focuses on the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM- Autodesk Revit), energy rating tool (FirstRate5), and BIM-enabled life cycle assessment (LCA- Tally) to quantify, compare, and improve the building design options to reduce carbon footprint and energy consumptions in residential dwellings. Sensitivity analysis has been performed with the @ Risk Palisade decision tool for optimizing operational energy efficiency. The sensitivity indices show the ceiling (0.84–0.96) and the wall (0.22–0.37) are the most influential predictors for passive design strategies to reduce energy consumption. A moderate correlation exists with windows, floors, and orientations (0.13–0.29), where the relationship with eave projection, air infiltrations is relatively weak. BIM has been used as a platform of interconnectivity between optimized operational energy of @ Risk optimizer and consequent embodied phases. A comparative study of insulation performance identifies that 95% of the ceiling's total operational energy consumption can be minimized using R3 rather than R6 of the national thermal code. For the wall, 90% of energy minimization can occur using R2 rather than R4 of the national thermal code. The study reveals that while insulation is only 1% of the total building mass, and the corresponding carbon footprint and primary energy demand are 4% and 7%, respectively, LCA explains a significant amount of energy, about 76% reduction at its operational stage. In this paper, an evidence-based analytical framework provides a BIM-based optimization platform to validate and justify the impact categories of environment-friendly, energy-efficient design of houses. Image 1 • Energy rating tool (FirstRate5) is used to incorporate passive design strategies to estimate operational energies. • A BIM-based framework is proposed to integrate FirstRate5 and LCA (Tally) to optimize design scenarios. • Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to obtain the sensitivity indices for design optimization. • In the BIM platform, energy and emissions from the operation and embodied phases are linked to select the best design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We measure the green growth degree of China's industrial sectors by considering the constraint of total energy consumption. • We proposed a new common equilibrium efficient frontier, which considers each DMU's own adjustment strategy on fixed-sum energy input. • The proposed approaches are applied to analyze the green growth and energy and environmental efficiency of 36 of China's industrial sectors. Tight energy constraints and severe environmental pollution are two main problems affecting economic growth and sustainable development. As an important economic growth mode, green growth seeks to achieve both economic growth and environmental sustainability. Previous studies on the efficiency evaluation of green growth ignored fixed-sum energy consumption; this is a significant omission because this constraint is general in China: the government has set targets to reduce energy consumption by 20% and 16% per unit of GDP during its the eleventh (2006-2010) and twelfth (2011-2015) five-year plans. To fill this gap, we propose a new data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to analyze the green growth degree of China's industrial sectors. The proposed DEA model considers the constraint of total energy consumption in order to conform to the policy of energy and emission reduction. Previous theoretical studies on fixed-sum output construct the common equilibrium efficient frontier (CEEF) only by considering the minimal reduction strategy for the fixed-sum output of all decision making units (DMUs), while ignoring each DMU's adjustment strategy for fixed-sum input/output. In this paper, we construct a new CEEF by considering each industrial sector's adjustment of energy consumption. The new CEEF not only guides the industrial sectors to alter their energy consumption structure to achieve green growth but also allows a more accurate evaluation of the energy and environmental efficiency (EEE) of industrial sectors. Last, our proposed model is applied to analyze the green growth and EEE of 36 of China's industrial sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent historical increase in energy-related CO 2 emissions globally have put the United States of America's (USA) transportation sector in the spotlight, courtesy of the significantly high pollutant emissions from this particular sector. Taking a cue from this, this paper follows sustainable development goals of the United Nations, and investigates the impact of biomass energy consumption, fossil fuel energy consumption, and economic growth (GDP) on carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions in the transportation sector of the USA. In doing so, this study also employs the Gregory-Hansen cointegration, Hatemi-J cointegration, cointegration regression (FMOLS, DOLS, and CCR), and Spectral Breitung-Candelon causality test for the period between 1981Q1 and 2019Q4. The findings reveal that (i) a significant nonlinear cointegration among the environmental quality determinants is observed, using the threshold cointegration test. This test determines the structural breaks endogenously and combines two cointegration tests, namely the Gregory-Hansen Cointegration and Hatemi-J Cointegration tests; (ii) while the use of biomass energy consumption and real GDP have a negative effect on CO 2 emissions in the transportation sector, the rising fossil fuel energy consumption is associated with increasing the CO 2 emissions that are stemming from the transportation sector; (iii) in the long-run, biomass energy consumption, fossil fuel energy consumption, and real GDP cause CO 2 emissions to stem from the transportation sector in the USA at different frequency levels. In general, the current study offers policy insights for the transportation sector of the USA and other similar economies that replicate the same conditions. Image 1 • We explore the driving forces of CO 2 emissions in the transport sector for the USA. • We employ advanced time series econometric techniques for empirical analysis. • Biomass energy and real GDP help to mitigate CO 2 emissions in the transport sector. • Fossil fuel energy has a positive impact on CO 2 emissions in the transport sector. • All variables have a causative relationship with CO 2 emissions in the long-run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the economic is rapidly developing, human beings are facing a serious ecological problems, sustainable-development has got attention from more and more countries and has been treated as an economic and social development strategy. The development and utilization of renewable energy can realize the transformation of regional economic development mode and promote the long-term sustainable development of regional economy. One of the latest concepts that has attracted a lot of attention in the power systems is the energy hub (EH). In this paper, a combined energy system (CES) known as the EH consisting of electrical, cooling and heating equipment along with the demand response programs (DRPs) as well as renewable energy resources (RERs) optimization study have been proposed. Moreover, the uncertainty modeling and electrical scenario creation of cooling, heating, wind speed, solar irradiation and the energy carriers prices including electricity and natural gas is presented. The objective of the optimization problem is maximizing the profit of the EH with the existence of DRPs and RERs under four scenarios which is solved by enhanced grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm. In order to avoid such deficiencies and to realize a stabilized relationship between exploration and exploitation, a new modified grey wolf optimization (MGWO) algorithm is proposed. The implementation results show high accuracy and power levels of this method to solve the aforementioned problem under different uncertain parameters and various scenarios. The simulation results of proposed EH profit maximization model shows a reduction in purchased electricity from the main grid and a reduction of the overall operation costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Method for measuring progress towards accessible, green and efficient energy. • Evaluation relative to idiosyncratic parameters (targets and thresholds). • Multidimensional and flexible approach to evaluate access and use of energy. • Empirical analysis of 157 countries relative to Sustainable Development Goal 7. • Positive dynamics across the world but still much to be done. This paper presents an index to evaluate progress in achieving the key dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goal 7, which entails ensuring "access to affordable, sustainable and modern energy for all." The key aspects of this index, called the Inclusive Green Energy index, are: (i) it focuses on changes, rather than on levels, of the access, greenness and use of energy; (ii) it exhibits a decomposability feature that permits integrating several dimensions, both positive and negative, in a friendly way; and (iii) the evaluation of progress is made relative to some reference values (targets and thresholds) that can differ between countries. We calculate the Inclusive Green Energy index of progress for 157 countries using data from 2004 to 2014 on three indicators intended to capture inclusiveness, greenness, and efficiency of energy use. The results show that progress has, on average, been positive across the world, with more than 87 per cent of the sample of countries experiencing some degree of progress. However, progress is smaller for the Middle East and North African and Sub-Saharan African countries and it is negative for most of the countries that exhibit low levels of human development, as measured by the Human Development Index. Furthermore, fewer than one in four of the countries in the sample have an Inclusive Green Energy index commensurate with having met their targets. This suggests that much remains to be done globally with regard to being on track towards meeting their Sustainable Development Goal 7 by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional synthesis gas (syngas) production process in the coal chemical field encounters the problems of high cold energy consumption and difficulty in effectively capturing CO 2. This limits the clean production and sustainable development of coal chemical industry. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel process for capturing and separating CO 2 from syngas using [bmim][Tf 2 N]. This process can effectively reduce the cold energy consumption and improve the CO 2 capture efficiency, which will help relieve the global concerns over CO 2 emissions. Energy, economic, and environmental analyses of the process were conducted based on accurate modeling and simulation results. To balance the conflict between the economic and environmental performances, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II method was used for the multi-objective optimization of the process. The CO 2 escape flow rate and total annual cost were the objective functions of the multi-objective optimization scheme and had values that were 5.9% and 1.5% higher than their minimum values, respectively. Moreover, the multi-objective optimization scheme for this process was compared with the Rectisol process and CO 2 capture from syngas using [emim][Tf 2 N]. This work provided new ideas for clean production of coal chemical industry, and also provided reference for the green sustainable development of relevant work. • A novel [bmim][Tf 2 N]-based CO 2 capture and separation process at 25 °C is proposed. • Energy, economic, environmental comprehensive analyses are used to study the process. • Multi-objective optimization balances the conflicting objectives of this process. • The multi-objective optimization process has feasible CO 2 capture ratio (96.34%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in awareness of energy conservation and emission reduction in the manufacturing sector, the energy efficiency optimization of the production process is considered an effective way to promote cleaner production and environmentally sustainable development. Moreover, the transportation process and its energy consumption are non-negligible during the entire workshop production process. In practice, cutting tool degradation during operation is inevitable, which causes the actual processing time of work to be extended, so it is necessary to consider the degradation effects and imperfect maintenance. To reduce the total energy consumption in the manufacturing workshop with degradation effects and imperfect maintenance, this paper constructs a novel integrated optimization model including the flexible job-shop scheduling problem (FJSP), forklift transportation and imperfect cutting tool maintenance. First, an imperfect cutting tool maintenance with degradation effect strategy is presented, which makes the actual processing time of each operation more closely approximate the real-world processing situation. Second, an integrated multi-objective optimization model is formulated to simultaneously minimize the makespan, total tardiness, total production cost and total energy consumption. Third, a hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm with Pareto elite storage strategy (HMOEA/P) is proposed to address the model. More precisely, three improved operations are presented: hybrid dominance principle, local search algorithms and Pareto elite preservation strategy. The effectiveness and feasibility of the parameter setting, improved operations and the proposed algorithm are separately demonstrated by the comparative experiments. Last, the superiority of the integrated multi-objective optimization model is proven by comparing different maintenance strategies and energy consumption models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Studying on dynamic ecological footprint (EF) in Jing-Jin-Ji from 1996 to 2020. • Six impact factors for driving EF is decomposed. • The EF in Jing-Jin-Ji will increase of 10% from 2015 to 2020. The ecological footprint (EF) describes the complex relationship between the eco-environment and economic development. EF dynamics can better reflect the appropriation of natural resources in various countries or regions compared with previous studies. This paper identified six dominant factors including population, per capita GDP, three major industrial added values, and energy consumption using grey correlation model for the EF changes of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji) region from 1996 to 2015. Then, we predicted the EF of the Jing-Jin-Ji region from 2016 to 2020 based on support vector machine model. (1) Since 1996, the EF and per capita EF of the overall Jing-Jin-Ji region have increased, of which those of Hebei Province and Tianjin increased while Beijing decreased. (2) Energy consumption dominated the EF of Jing-Jin-Ji region. The population of Beijing had a high correlation coefficient of 0.735 with the local EF, and the degree of correlation between the EF and per capita GDP was 0.812 in Hebei Province. In Tianjin, the added value of the tertiary industry was closely correlated with its EF, with a correlation coefficient of 0.741. (3) The EF of the Jing-Jin-Ji region will reach 778.30 million hectares by 2020, an increase of 10% compared with the value in 2015. Finally, suggestions for the development of industrial structure and energy consumption are listed for the sustainable development of Jing-Jin-Ji region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the current national conditions of China, developing coal-to-liquid process is an attractive way to alleviate the domestic oil crisis. Coal-to-liquid process mainly includes six subsystems and the most essential unit of the system is the gasification unit. This paper aims to provide suggestions for the cleaner production and sustainable development of coal-to-liquid technology. Lurgi, Texaco, and Shell coal-to-liquid process are modelled and simulated. The techno-economic analysis is conducted to investigate their performance using simulation-based results. Results showed that the greenhouse gas emissions of Lurgi, Texaco, and Shell coal-to-liquid process are 5.26 t/t fuel, 4.86 t/t fuel, and 3.49 t/t fuel. Lurgi coal-to-liquid has better performance on reducing oxygen cost and total investment; Texaco coal-to-liquid is advantageous in saving steam cost and production cost; Shell coal-to-liquid shows better performance in terms of energy efficiency, reducing the consumption of coal and water, and greenhouse gas emission. Shell gasifier is recommended in water-deficient areas. Texaco gasifier is recommended when access to water and coal is sufficient. Lurgi gasifier is recommended in pilot-scale projects. In the view of sustainable development, Shell gasifier is prior to Texaco gasifier and Lurgi gasifier because of the low greenhouse gas emission and well resistance to high coal price and high carbon taxes. Gasification unit occupies the largest proportion of total capital investment of coal-to-liquid processes and significantly affects the syngas composition. Coal gasification technology is potentially limiting the overall acceptance and practice of coal-to-liquid process in the future. Image 1 • Techno-economic analysis of coal-to-liquid processes are conducted. • Lurgi coal-to-liquid has a better performance on oxygen cost and total investment. • Texaco coal-to-liquid is shown to have a better performance on steam cost and production cost. • Shell coal-to-liquid has a better performance on energy efficiency, coal and water consumption. • Suggestions for cleaner production and future development of coal-to-liquid are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific combinations of energy flows, material flows and stocks are responsible for those services that support societal function and development. In this paper, we develop the concept and accounting method for material services, which we define as "those functions that materials contribute to personal or societal activity with the purpose of obtaining or facilitating desired end goals or states, regardless of whether or not a material flow or stock is supplied by the market". In this respect, material services are an intermediate step that incorporates stock to bridge the gap between resource consumption, accumulation and aspects of wellbeing. We provide a material service case study, which identifies the level of lighting experienced by urban Ancient Romans relative to that enjoyed by inhabitants of 1820s London (the Georgians). Our results show that the average Roman experienced 41,102 lm-hour/year, which is more lighting than the Georgian value per capita (at 35,698 lm-hour/year). In terms of fuel consumption, Georgians were four times more efficient than their Roman counterparts, but there was a trade-off between materials and energy, given that stock efficiency was 53 times lower than that of the Romans. This trend of improving fuel efficiency at the expense of materials appears to have continued into the 21st century, which holds important implications for sustainable development. Further research needs to be undertaken to ascertain whether this holds true for other material services such as heating, transport and shelter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general policy of the European Union in reducing greenhouse gas emissions is such that the increased average global temperature is kept below 2 °C. Many countries are looking for more effective solutions and methods to reduce carbon emissions. There are effective factors in the scheduling passenger and freight trains in the inter-city rail transport industry such as number of trains requested at the station, the number of stops, delays and waiting times for trains at the station which lead to increased fossil fuel consumption and carbon emission. In this paper, we want to present a new mixed integer non-linear model that can choose the best schedule for movement of passenger and freight shuttle trains on a single-line route of the railway network with the least environmental pollution. In this model, the carbon emission factor is based on the weight and prioritization of passenger and freight trains. Also, the average number of demands for using trains at a station and the number of planned or non-planned stops and delays at the middle stations are considered. Also, the proposed model selects the best plan for moving trains with the lowest carbon emissions caused by fuel consumption. To validate the proposed model, a case study of a crowded passenger and freight route of an inter-city railway network in Iran will be solved. We solve the real studied problem using the GAMS v24.9.1 optimization software with BARON solver. Finally, after sensitivity analysis of the results, we demonstrate the convenient and efficient performance of the same model in solving the raised problems in an applied manner. Image 10162 • A new model for reducing Carbon emissions through optimal scheduling of trains is developed. • We apply the carbon emission factor based on the weight and prioritization of passenger and freight trains. • We consider the number of planned and non-planned stops, delays, and waiting times of trains. • A real case study is applied for validating the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions and energy consumption have serious impacts on humans and ecosystems. This paper investigates the effects of industrial reconstructuring on energy conservation and emission reduction. A multi-objective optimization model was established. The model classifies industrial sectors into four groups according to their carbon emission levels and contributions to economic growth, then non dominated sorting genetic algorithm is applied to solve the model and the Pareto frontier is obtained. The best solution is selected from the Pareto frontier by using a super data envelopment analysis model which measures the degree of coordination between economy and environment. The model is used to analyze the effects of industrial reconstructuring in Beijing during 2018–2020. The results show that industrial reconstructuring enabled economic growth to reach the government's planned rate while the carbon intensity and energy intensity surpassed the goal of the 13th Five-Year Plan. This case can provide decision-making basis for the sustainable development of ecology and economy in other regions. Fig. 6. Pareto front in Beijing region in 2020 The optimal Pareto solution for carbon emissions, energy consumptions and GDP targets after industrial structure reconstructuring. Image 1 • Classifying industrial sectors into four groups according to carbon emission levels and economic growth contributions. • A multi-objective optimization model was established and solved by the genetic algorithm. • A super DEA model evaluates the final plan which reflects the coordination of the economy and environment. • The analysis of each group can help achieving maximum benefits of economic and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sanitary ware industry consumes vast amounts of energy and materials; however, little is known about the environmental impacts and economic costs associated with the production of sanitary ware. Selecting a factory of a leading Chinese sanitary ware company, Huida Co. Ltd., this paper employs a combined "cradle-to-gate" life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methodology to evaluate the environmental impacts and economic costs related to the production of one tonne of sanitary ware. The LCA results indicate firing and drying are the processes with the greatest environmental impacts, attributing to the combustion of coke oven gas. The LCC results show that casting, body preparation and firing are the greatest contributors to the total equipment, material and energy costs, respectively. The results of sensitivity analysis confirm that increasing fuel efficiency, natural gas usage and recycling rates can reduce the overall environmental impacts, but the total costs would be increased by 13.8% if coke oven gas is fully replaced by natural gas, even considering carbon tax. Based on the findings, recommendations such as using green materials and improving energy efficiency, are provided to promote both the environmental and economic sustainability of sanitary ware production. Image 1 • Environmental impacts and economic costs of sanitary ware production are evaluated. • Firing and drying have the greatest environmental impacts due to fuel consumption. • Casting and body preparation contribute most to the equipment and material costs. • Using natural gas as fuel reduces environmental impacts while rises costs. • Recommendations are provided to foster the sustainable production of sanitary ware. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CO 2 emission that accompanies significant consumption of energy raises concern as for whether economies that require such path like Ghana can also achieve sustainable economic development. In this paper, the driving factors of energy-related CO 2 emissions and its future trend for Ghana is studied using a time series data spanning from 1980 to 2016 in an Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model with Extended Kaya Identity framework. First Kaya identity was adopted and extended to decomposed CO 2 emission driving factors into carbon intensity, energy intensity, economic activity, and substitution effect. The estimates were further used to forecast CO 2 emissions through to 2030. The results indicate the major driver for historical CO 2 emissions increase in Ghana has been the transition from biomass to petroleum fuel consumption. This is followed by the energy intensity of economic output, carbon intensity changes and overall economic activity. Carbon-free energy consumption currently does not lead to a reduction of CO 2 in Ghana. The forecasting results show the current trend of energy consumption and economic development path have the potential for CO 2 emissions reduction. Some targeted policy suggestions in relation to the estimate results are also provided. • Energy consumption structure in Ghana favour CO 2 emissions increase towards 2030. • Major driver of CO 2 emissions in Ghana is a transition from biomass to petroleum. • The energy intensity for Ghana does not offer low CO 2 emission path. • Economic development path in Ghana leads to CO 2 emissions increase. • CO 2 emissions reduction potential exist for Ghana towards 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the deepening understanding of the concept of sustainable development in the world, the roasting method of concentrated sulphuric acid with high pollution and energy consumption adopted by Bayan Obo rare earth ore has become a technical bottleneck and pollution source that seriously restricts the development of rare earth production enterprises. This paper proposes a new clean smelting technology for Bayan Obo rare earth ore, which mainly includes oxidative roasting, NaOH roasting, water washing and acid dissolution. The experimental results show that under the optimum experimental conditions, the washing rate of F and P can reach 63.21% and 17.24%, and the extraction of rare earth can reach 88%. Compared with the existing technology, the new smelting technology has greatly reduced the pollution of three wastes, which can not only realize the recovery of P and F, but also fundamentally alleviate the damage of P and F to the subsequent extraction process. Moreover, the amount of NaOH is less and Th resources are relatively concentrated. Both of them can be recovered economically and reasonably. The new smelting technology has the advantages of short process flow, simple operation and predictable environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]