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Peatlands cover only 3–4% of the Earth's surface, but they store nearly 30% of global soil carbon stock. This significant carbon store is under threat as peatlands continue to be degraded at alarming rates around the world. It has prompted countries worldwide to establish regulations to conserve and reduce emissions from this carbon rich ecosystem. For example, the EU has implemented new rules that mandate sustainable management of peatlands, critical to reaching the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. However, a lack of information on the extent and condition of peatlands has hindered the development of national policies and restoration efforts. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge on mapping and monitoring peatlands from field sites to the globe and identifies areas where further research is needed. It presents an overview of the different methodologies used to map peatlands in nine countries, which vary in definition of peat soil and peatland, mapping coverage, and mapping detail. Whereas mapping peatlands across the world with only one approach is hardly possible, the paper highlights the need for more consistent approaches within regions having comparable peatland types and climates to inform their protection and urgent restoration. The review further summarises various approaches used for monitoring peatland conditions and functions. These include monitoring at the plot scale for degree of humification and stoichiometric ratio, and proximal sensing such as gamma radiometrics and electromagnetic induction at the field to landscape scale for mapping peat thickness and identifying hotspots for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Remote sensing techniques with passive and active sensors at regional to national scale can help in monitoring subsidence rate, water table, peat moisture, landslides, and GHG emissions. Although the use of water table depth as a proxy for interannual GHG emissions from peatlands has been well established, there is no single remote sensing method or data product yet that has been verified beyond local or regional scales. Broader land-use change and fire monitoring at a global scale may further assist national GHG inventory reporting. Monitoring of peatland conditions to evaluate the success of individual restoration schemes still requires field work to assess local proxies combined with remote sensing and modeling. Long-term monitoring is necessary to draw valid conclusions on revegetation outcomes and associated GHG emissions in rewetted peatlands, as their dynamics are not fully understood at the site level. Monitoring vegetation development and hydrology of restored peatlands is needed as a proxy to assess the return of water and changes in nutrient cycling and biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has been increasing rapidly since the Industrial Revolution, which has led to unequivocal global warming and crucial environmental change. It is extremely important to investigate the interactions among atmospheric CO2, the physical climate system, and the carbon cycle of the underlying surface for a better understanding of the Earth system. Earth system models are widely used to investigate these interactions via coupled carbon-climate simulations. The Chinese Academy of Sciences Earth System Model version 2 (CAS-ESM2.0) has successfully fixed a two-way coupling of atmospheric CO2 with the climate and carbon cycle on land and in the ocean. Using CAS-ESM2.0, we conducted a coupled carbon-climate simulation by following the CMIP6 proposal of a historical emissions-driven experiment. This paper examines the modeled CO2 by comparison with observed CO2 at the sites of Mauna Loa and Barrow, and the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) CO2 product. The results showed that CAS-ESM2.0 agrees very well with observations in reproducing the increasing trend of annual CO2 during the period 1850–2014, and in capturing the seasonal cycle of CO2 at the two baseline sites, as well as over northern high latitudes. These agreements illustrate a good ability of CAS-ESM2.0 in simulating carbon-climate interactions, even though uncertainties remain in the processes involved. This paper reports an important stage of the development of CAS-ESM with the coupling of carbon and climate, which will provide significant scientific support for climate research and China's goal of carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and land-use are deeply interconnected and integrated solutions are needed. This paper presents results from 11 contributions to a special issue covering topics of integrated modeling and spatial prioritization, mass-balance studies, Earth Observation techniques, research infrastructure developments, and evaluation of policy measures and economic compensation schemes. The spatial scale of the studies ranges from detailed site-specific to a European scale. This paper briefly summarizes the main findings of these studies, makes some general overall conclusions, and identifies topics for further research and methods developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the gradual increase of international willingness to reach the carbon peak and carbon neutrality, this paper decomposes the influencing factors of China's carbon emission changes from 2008 to 2019 using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model (LMDI), and analyzes the contribution amount and rate of each influencing factor. The results found that: for the whole country, the cumulative growth of carbon emissions during the study period is about 416,484.47 (104 tons), among which the economic growth effect plays a major role in promoting, with a cumulative contribution rate of 284.16%; The increase in regulation intensity and the optimization of industrial structure, however, suppress carbon emissions well, with a cumulative contribution rate of about – 199.21% and − 64.75%, respectively, during the study period. For economic regions, the cumulative influence direction of each driver is the same as that of the whole country, while the population size effect in the northeast economic region and the regulation input effect in the eastern coastal economic region act in the opposite direction from other economic regions, and the carbon emission reduction direction of the energy intensity effect varies from one economic region to another. Accordingly, this paper proposes policy recommendations to enhance regulatory intensity, optimize industrial and energy consumption structure, implement localized emission reduction strategies, and promote synergistic emission reduction in economic zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the escalating global concerns surrounding climate change have placed a growing emphasis on achieving dual objectives: reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. Businesses and organizations are under mounting pressure to align their operations with these crucial environmental goals. This paper introduces the concept of an enterprise carbon performance evaluation index system (ECPIS) to strike a balance between economic development and environmental protection and enhance overall enterprise management and development strategies. The ECPIS framework is constructed using machine learning and advanced data mining techniques, particularly support vector machines (SVM). Its core purpose is to provide enterprises with a systematic tool to gauge, analyze, and enhance their carbon performance, addressing dual carbon objectives. ECPIS development hinges on data mining techniques, extracting insights from diverse data sources to construct a comprehensive system that accommodates these dual carbon goals' intricacies. Its methodology includes data collection, preprocessing, feature selection, and data mining algorithms to unveil vital patterns and relationships within data. It conforms to international standards, establishing a tailored carbon performance index system aligned with China's national conditions. It validates carbon-related enterprise data and employs data mining's association rules to uncover pertinent carbon performance information. The results obtained from ECPIS are auspicious, boasting an experiential accuracy rate of 97.5%. This level of accuracy surpasses that achieved by other algorithms like K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Random Forest (RF), Decision Trees (DT), Naïve Bayes (NB), and Logistic Regression (LR). ECPIS stands out by considering various factors, including carbon emissions reduction, energy consumption, supply chain efficiency, and financial performance indicators. This multifaceted approach enables enterprises to gain a comprehensive understanding of their carbon performance and identify areas for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An estimate of the processes of afforestation and forest restoration after fires is relevant for a significant territory of Russia, including due to the issue of carbon neutrality. In this paper we examine the possibilities of radar monitoring of the afforestation process based on the Cloude–Pottier decomposition of dual-polarization L-band data time series. Preliminary segmentation is performed based on the minimal radar backscatter values for the entire observation period. This makes it possible to separate into a separate class treeless areas and open forests, both those that existed before the beginning of the study and those that formed later. Next, polarimetric decomposition is performed by the Cloude–Pottier method to obtain parameters H (entropy) and α (scattering angle) and form time series from them. Research showed the fundamental possibility of monitoring forest dynamics on the H-α plane, where the points of the test plots form characteristic time tracks. A mature dense forest, the characteristics of which are assumed to be constant, was used as a reference for estimating the rate of change on the H-α plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays environmental issues have been of great concern to the world, among which the problem of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions is particularly prominent. All countries in the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement have committed to control greenhouse gas emissions, and China, as the largest carbon emitter, has assumed a heavier burden. China has been striving to develop low-carbon technologies such as hydrogen, nuclear, wind, and solar energy, but the most attention should be paid to CCUS, which many scholars have high expectations that CCUS can help China reduce emissions to some extent. Therefore, this paper presents a prediction that CCUS can reduce 3.8% of carbon emissions for China in 2040 when CCUS emission reductions increase at a rate of 30%. The power and chemical industries could reduce carbon emissions by 2.3% and 17.3%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing terrestrial ecosystem carbon sink is an effective way to mitigate the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and achieve the goal of "carbon neutrality". Mycorrhizal fungi are beneficial microorganisms that can form symbiotic relationships with 90% of plants in terrestrial ecosystems, and the symbiont contributes significantly to soil and plant carbon sink. In the review, we take arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF), which are the most extensively studied currently, as the narrative objects, and discuss the carbon sink enhancement potential of mycorrhizal fungi from the following four aspects. The first, mycorrhizal fungi indirectly increase the plant carbon sink by promoting photosynthesis and increasing biomass in the host plant, and this advantage can be maintained even under stressful conditions. The second, the process of carbon source transportation between AMF-plant symbionts and EMF-plant symbionts is described in this paper. The third, review describes that mycorrhizal fungi contribute to soil carbon sink by increasing carbon input as well as decreasing carbon output. The fourth, we point out the shortcomings of the current study and provide a prospect for future research, with the aim to provide theoretical support for increasing terrestrial carbon sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metakaolin (MK) is one of the most sustainable cementitious construction materials, which is derived through a direct heating procedure known as calcination. Calcination process takes place substantially lower temperatures than that required for Portland cement, making it a more environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional cement. This procedure causes the removal of hydroxyl water from the naturally occurring kaolin clay (Al2Si2O5(OH)4 with MK (Al2O3·2SiO2) as its product. Kaolin naturally exists in large amount within 5°29′N–5°35′N and 7°21′E–7°3′E geographical coordinates surrounding Umuoke, Obowo, Nigeria. Alumina and silica are the predominant compounds in MK, which provide it with the pozzolanic ability, known as the 3-chemical pozzolanic potential (3CPP), with high potential as a cementitious material in concrete production and soil stabilization. Over the years, researchers have suggested the best temperature at which MK is derived to have the highest pozzolanic ability. Prominent among these temperature suggestions were 800 °C (3CPP of 94.45%) and 750 °C (3CPP of 94.76%) for 2 h and 5 h' calcination periods, respectively. In this research paper, 11 different specimens of Kaolin clay obtained from Umuoke, Nigeria, were subjected to a calcination process at oven temperatures from 350 to 850 °C in an increment of 50 °C for 1 h each to derive 11 samples of MK. The MK samples and Kaolin were further subjected to X-ray fluorescence), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) tests to determine the microstructural behaviour and the pozzolanic properties via the 3CPP as to exploit the best MK with the highest cementing potential as a construction material. The results show that the MK heated at 550 °C and 800 °C produced the highest pozzolanic potentials of 96.26% and 96.28%, respectively. The enhancement in pozzolanic potential at optimum calcination temperature is attributed to an increase in the specific surface area upon calcination of kaolinite confirmed by BET results. The SEM and XRD results further supported the above result with the strengthened crystal structure of the MK at these preferred temperatures. Generally, 550 °C is more preferred due to the less heat energy needed for its formulation during 1 h of calcination, which outperforms the previous results, that suggested 750 °C and 800 °C in addition to longer hours of heat exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays environmental issues have been of great concern to the world, among which the problem of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions is particularly prominent. All countries in the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement have committed to control greenhouse gas emissions, and China, as the largest carbon emitter, has assumed a heavier burden. China has been striving to develop low-carbon technologies such as hydrogen, nuclear, wind, and solar energy, but the most attention should be paid to CCUS, which many scholars have high expectations that CCUS can help China reduce emissions to some extent. Therefore, this paper presents a prediction that CCUS can reduce 3.8% of carbon emissions for China in 2040 when CCUS emission reductions increase at a rate of 30%. The power and chemical industries could reduce carbon emissions by 2.3% and 17.3%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in energy demand and carbon emission requirements, energy management and CO2 emission reduction on the user side are significant for integrated energy system (IES) scheduling. This paper constructs a two-stage optimal dispatching model combining active/passive demand response (DR) and reward and punishment ladder-type carbon trading. In the first stage, the electricity/gas load was optimized by adding a logistics function to the active DR model. A passive DR model is built based on the optimized electric load and the heat/cooling–electricity ratio of the cogeneration unit to optimize the heat/cooling load. In the second stage, a multi-objective IES model based on the optimized load and reward and punishment ladder carbon trading was solved by the golden eagle multi-objective optimization (MOGEO). Analyzing the scheduling results from different scenarios, the active/passive DR model can reduce the load peak-to-valley difference and improve user satisfaction and grid revenue. At the same time, the combination of reward and punishment ladder carbon trading makes the system gain more carbon revenue, reduces system operating costs and carbon emissions, and improves energy utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transition to carbon neutral mobility will require a lot of carbon neutral energy, but a lot of space as well. In many countries, it will be a challenge to find this space or to import enough energy. Land use indicators related to sustainable mobility usually focus on space for transport infrastructure and parking, i.e. direct land use, and do not include energy supply. Existing literature on the emerging research field of 'energy landscapes' has not covered the transport sector. Objective: The aim of this paper is to estimate the order of magnitude of land or sea area required for carbon neutral mobility. Method: In a well-to-wheel analysis, we investigate the land use for the production, transport, storage, distribution, and charging/refuelling of carbon neutral energy carriers for various modes of transport. The analysis focuses on the Netherlands, but part of the results are expected to be broadly applicable to other countries as well. Findings: The results show that electricity from wind or solar energy supplied to electric vehicles is the most space efficient. Use of hydrogen and synthetic fuels in vehicles takes 2–5 times more land, while use of biofuels from energy crops takes 100 times more land compared to the electricity route. We also conclude that the indirect land use for energy supply for carbon neutral road transport in the Netherlands is in the same order of magnitude as the current direct land use of road mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are recognized as widely available and cost-effective mechanisms for sequestering carbon and offsetting carbon emissions. Realistic NbS implementations for carbon neutrality need to be effective at the global level and also appropriate for the socio-economic and physical conditions prevailing at the local level. This paper presents a framework that can help stakeholders identify demands, locations, and types of NbS interventions that could maximize NbS benefits at the local scale. Key processes in the framework include (1) interpolating carbon emissions data at larger spatial scales to high-resolution cells, using land use and socio-economic data; (2) assessing NbS effects on carbon reduction and their location-related suitability, through qualitative literature review, and (3) spatially allocating and coupling multiple NbS interventions to land use cells. The system was tested in Stockholm, Sweden. The findings show that the urban center should be allocated with combinations of improving access to green spaces and streetscapes, while the rural and suburban areas should prioritize preserving and utilizing natural areas. Our proposed method framework can help planners better select target locations for intended risk/hazard-mitigating interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's coalbed methane (CBM) industry is in an extremely important "climbing period" and "strategic opportunity period", which can be generally characterized by "three low and one small": low degree of exploration and development, low adaptability of main technology, low return on investment and small development scale. Under the "carbon peak and neutrality" background, the development status of CBM industry is systematically combed. The resources, technology, management problems and reasons are analyzed. Strategies and countermeasures to accelerate the industrial development are put forward according to the factors such as efficient development of resources, major technical breakthrough, talent team training, policy formulation and implementation, return on investment and so on. The existing problems are as follows: (a) The overall occurrence conditions in China are complicated and the development is difficult compared with the other countries. (b) The research precision accuracy of CBM resource conditions is not enough. (c) The adaptability of technology is poor. (d) The management mode is not suitable. In view of these problems, this paper puts forward the "two steps" development strategy and the technical and management countermeasures of "five in one". The corresponding "five in one" technology and management countermeasures are the formulation and implementation of relevant safeguard measures in accordance with the principle of collaborative innovation in five aspects: resources, technology, talents, policies and investment. Through the above measures, the dream and grand blueprint of CBM industry shall be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing carbon emissions have been a major concern for most countries around the world. And as a result, every country is concerned about developing appropriate strategies to curtail it. As a major economy and the largest carbon emitter in the world, China has pledged to reduce the carbon intensity by 60–65% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels, and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. Therefore, the analysis of the impact of China's carbon intensity is becoming an increasing important topic. Due to the spatial heterogeneity of carbon intensity, various spatial econometric models have been applied in this field. However, the existing literatures failed to consider the cross-products of relevant factors. This paper constructs our dynamic general nesting spatial panel model (GNS) with common factors to deal with the dilemma, and examines the direct and spatial–temporal spillover effects of industrial structure, GDP per capita, investment in anti-pollution projects as percentage of GDP and energy price on carbon intensity in China over the period 2003–2017. Our analysis shows that: (1) China's carbon intensity showed the spatial agglomeration and temporal "inertia" from 2003 to 2017. (2) From the time dimension, the long-term effect of industrial structure first increased and then gradually decreased. (3) From the spatial dimension, industrial structure and investment in anti-pollution projects as percentage of GDP accounted for the main spatial heterogeneity. Furthermore, this paper attempts to provide policy implications to help reduce carbon intensity and achieve carbon neutrality in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of green finance and the quantitative evaluation of its impact on the ecological environment provide empirical evidence for the construction of the carbon trading accounting system. Among them, carbon trading is an important part of green finance, and the accounting of businesses related to carbon emission rights has promoted the development of regional green finance. In order to explore the relationship between green finance and carbon emissions, this paper builds an analysis model of the relationship between green finance and carbon emissions based on big data and machine learning based on big data technology and machine learning technology. Moreover, this paper conducts simulation tests through the system and compares the output results with the actual situation after system simulation to verify the effectiveness of the model in this paper. From the experimental research results, it can be seen that the correlation analysis model of green finance and carbon emissions based on big data and machine learning constructed in this paper has a good performance in the correlation analysis of green finance and carbon emissions. Moreover, it is not difficult to see through the model of this paper that there is a clear correlation between green finance and carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve carbon peak targets, realize carbon neutrality vision, and tackle global climate change, China must improve the carbon emission performance at the city level. Based on the carbon emission performance of 191 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997 to 2017, this paper analyses the evolution characteristics of urban carbon emission performance from three aspects: the overall spatial and temporal evolution, the differences according to both region and city size, and the differences among clusters categorized by carbon emission performance at the city level. This paper also reveals the impact of the social and economic transition on China's carbon emission performance. The results show that: (1) The overall level of carbon emission performance of Chinese cities is low, and there is a downward trend during the study period. The differences in carbon emission performance among cities are convergent, but there is a wide gap between high and low values. (2) The carbon emission performance of cities in eastern coastal areas is higher than that in non-coastal areas cities. Large urban agglomerations and economically developed regions, such as provincial capitals, are the agglomeration areas of high urban carbon emission performance values. (3) The carbon emission performance level of cities with similar sizes will converge. At the same time, such changes will enhance the differences among carbon emission performances at the city level within the same region. (4) Cities that belong to high urban carbon emission performance clusters are mainly distributed in the eastern region. Such cities are classified into large cities, supercities, and megacities. Compared with low urban carbon emission performance clusters, cities in high urban carbon emission performance clusters show a higher proportion in the medium-high level and high level of carbon emission performance. Moreover, cities in high urban carbon emission performance clusters are more likely to improve theirurban carbon emission performance. (5) The economic agglomeration effect, industrial structure adjustment and carbon intensity reduction have a significant impact on improving urban carbon emission performance. Population agglomeration has an incremental effect, and the anticipated benefits of environmental regulation have yet to be fully realized. The impacts of different clusters and different regions are variable. Finally, this paper advances policy enlightenment according to its research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) adoption on the country-level reduction rate of carbon emission. We first used Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) tests to group countries into three categories: inverse U-shaped and gamma-shaped EKC for decoupled countries, and a positive linear EKC for non-decoupled countries. We then examined the effectiveness of ETS adoption. We found ETS was effective for both post-industrial and pre-industrial economies. Compared to countries that have not adopted ETS, the carbon emission reduction (increment) rate of decoupled (non-decoupled) countries that have adopted ETS is faster (slower). Furthermore, ETS adoption significantly reduces overall carbon emissions per capita compared to other global events, such as oil crises. The results imply that a market-based mechanism is an effective strategy for achieving sustainable development, thus, providing insights for policymakers and governments to design effective carbon neutrality policies to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing initiatives on "clean power plan" and "carbon neutrality," gasification is one of the most promising ways toward cleaner energy production using a diverse range of feedstocks. However, prior to gasification, the feedstock must be thoroughly analyzed. The characteristics of various feedstocks, including coal, biomass, petcoke, municipal solid waste (MSW), and their blends, are studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA is widely employed to examine the effect of various parameters, such as time, temperature, heating rate, residence time, pressure, gas composition, and particle size, on the gasification reactivity and kinetics of different carbonaceous feedstocks. Since it is realistic, rapid, reliable, and cost-effective, it is a widely used technique. This review details various thermal analysis techniques, including TGA, differential thermal analysis, and derivative thermogravimetry that can be used for feedstock characterization. The objective of this review is to compare and analyze the reactivity and kinetics behavior of various feedstocks during gasification using TGA. It was observed that the reactivity of biomass is found to be greater than that of MSW, coal, and petcoke with their activation energy in the range of 56–230 kJ mol−1, 100–275 kJ mol−1, 58–250 kJ mol−1, and 120–640 kJ mol−1. This paper will also help in predicting the suitability of different feeds for gasification as well as selecting/designing suitable gasifier. It does highlight different feedstocks used in gasification, along with several thermal analysis techniques. Additionally, in this overview directions of future progress are anticipated for its sound development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transition to carbon neutral mobility will require a lot of carbon neutral energy, but a lot of space as well. In many countries, it will be a challenge to find this space or to import enough energy. Land use indicators related to sustainable mobility usually focus on space for transport infrastructure and parking, i.e. direct land use, and do not include energy supply. Existing literature on the emerging research field of 'energy landscapes' has not covered the transport sector. Objective: The aim of this paper is to estimate the order of magnitude of land or sea area required for carbon neutral mobility. Method: In a well-to-wheel analysis, we investigate the land use for the production, transport, storage, distribution, and charging/refuelling of carbon neutral energy carriers for various modes of transport. The analysis focuses on the Netherlands, but part of the results are expected to be broadly applicable to other countries as well. Findings: The results show that electricity from wind or solar energy supplied to electric vehicles is the most space efficient. Use of hydrogen and synthetic fuels in vehicles takes 2–5 times more land, while use of biofuels from energy crops takes 100 times more land compared to the electricity route. We also conclude that the indirect land use for energy supply for carbon neutral road transport in the Netherlands is in the same order of magnitude as the current direct land use of road mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate the role of decision-making and coordination related to carbon reduction within humanitarian supply chain. Accordingly, a two-stage supply chain consisting of a single manufacturer and a single retailer has been designed, within which three strategies for carbon emission reduction have been considered, namely direct procurement of carbon emission right, investment in fixed carbon reduction targets, and investment in reducing carbon emissions per unit product. The game model under decentralized decision-making, centralized decision-making, and coordinative status has been established. The influences of both consumer carbon sensitivity coefficient and carbon trading price on investment decision based on carbon emission reduction within supply chains, as well as the optimal decision of supply chain operations, are all discussed in this paper. Our study shows that the choice of supply chain carbon reduction strategies depends on carbon trading price and fixed emission reduction target, both the wholesale price and selling price of products are positively correlated with carbon trading price, and both optimal production volume of supply chain and optimal expected profit of supply chain operations are negatively correlated with consumer carbon sensitivity coefficient. The price discount contract may realize coordination within a supply chain, but the value of discount price depends on respective negotiation ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land cover change affects the carbon emissions of ecosystems in some way. The qualitative and quantitative understanding of carbon emissions from human activities (e.g., land cover change, industrial production, etc.) is highly significant for realizing the objective of carbon neutrality. Therefore, this paper used GlobeLand30 land cover maps, annual average normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, annual average net ecosystem productivity (NEP) data and statistical yearbook data from 2000 to 2020 to explore the relationship between land cover change and carbon emissions. Specifically, it included land cover change, carbon storage changes influenced by land cover change, spatial and temporal analysis of carbon sources and sinks, land use intensity change and anthropogenic carbon emissions. The results of the study show that the main land cover changes in Shandong province during 2000–2020 was cultivated land conversion to artificial surfaces. Among them, the area of cultivated land converted to artificial surfaces from 2000 to 2010 was 4930.62 km2, and the proportion of cultivated land converted to artificial surfaces from 2010 to 2020 was as high as 78.35%. The total carbon stock of vegetation affected by land cover change decreased by 463.96 × 104 t and 193.50 × 104 t in 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 respectively. The spatial and temporal distribution of carbon sources and sinks differed more markedly from 2000 to 2020, and land use intensity changes in Shandong Province showed an upward trend. Of the total energy production, industry has the largest energy consumption, followed closely by total energy consumption in transportation, storage and postal services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River basin spans nine provinces and autonomous regions and plays an important role in China's economic and social development and ecological security. However few studies have integrated the concept of carbon neutrality into research to evaluate the carbon-neutral development level. This paper calculates the comprehensive evaluation value of the provincial carbon-neutral capacities comprehensive evaluation index in the Yellow River basin through the driving-force-pressure-state-impact-response (DFPSIR) index system and the global entropy method based on provinces data between 2008 to 2019. The final results indicated that from 2008 to 2019, the carbon-neutral capacities of the provinces in the Yellow River basin were in a state of rapid development and had achieved a grade leap. However, seven provinces had carbon-neutral capacity levels at the Grade III standard in 2019, thereby leaving scope for substantial improvement. Through the above research, we identified the changes in the trend and driving mechanisms of the carbon-neutral capacity of the Yellow River basin and provide a theoretical reference value for a comprehensive realization of carbon neutrality in China in 2060. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) composites are one of the current research hotspots. Rice residues (RR) and glass fiber (GF) are commonly used as raw materials for strengthening PLA composites. In this paper, the mechanical properties, thermal properties and degradation properties of RR/PLA and GF/PLA composites were reviewed. The results showed that the defect in fiber (RR, GF) reinforced PLA is significantly improved by modification and the mechanical properties are improved by about 40%. The main reason is the unification of the surface polarity of fibers and PLA, as well as the role of connection established by the functional groups. Meanwhile, the surface modification of RR/PLA and GF/PLA composites can also improve their thermal and degradation properties. RR/PLA composites has worse heat resistance than pure PLA, whereas GF/PLA composites has better thermal stability than pure PLA. The crystallinity of RR/PLA composites was generally higher than that of pure PLA, indicating that natural fibers played the role of nucleating agent and promoted the nucleation of PLA. The pyrolysis loss of natural fiber reinforced PLA composites begins at 100 °C and can be divided into three stages: evaporation of water within the fiber, degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose, and degradation of non-fiber components. At about 300 °C, the degradation rate is the highest, and the weight loss ratio is above 90% at the end of the pyrolysis process. In terms of degradation performance, RR/PLA composites has excellent biodegradability, and its biodegradability increases with the increasement of RR content. Degradation of GF/PLA composites is only degradation of PLA, so the decline of mechanical properties of GF/PLA composites is weakened. It can be predicted that with the advent of the era of carbon neutrality, the green degradable PLA composite technology will be developed deeply and quickly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many developing countries are facing the difficulty of choosing between economic growth and energy conservation and emission reduction (ECER). China has strengthened the implementation of ECER by setting environmental accountability as the development goal of local governments, hoping to have better governance effects. To evaluate the actual intervention effect of this approach, this paper constructs panel data covering 46 countries from 1995 to 2014 and uses the difference-in-differences (DID) method and the composite control method to quantitatively analyse the policy effect. The results show that China can effectively curb energy consumption and carbon emission intensity per unit of GDP by adding ECER targets to the government's five-year plan, which has significant effects on ECER. Furthermore, we use an intermediary mechanism to test and identify low-carbon alternatives and an ECER promotion mechanism for technological advancement. The conclusion shows that economic development is compatible with low carbon and energy consumption. Combined with China's long-term goals for ECER, it can be considered that on the road to achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in the future, the economy and tertiary industry should be rationally developed, the degree of urbanization should receive more attention, and the proportion of thermal power generation should be reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of gradual development of power grid, the role of service support and technical support of dispatching secondary system is becoming increasingly prominent, and the operation and maintenance work is also increasing with the number and types of dispatching secondary system, which makes the limitations of traditional monitoring methods more prominent. In this paper, a task unloading and resource allocation optimization (TORA) algorithm is proposed, which decomposes the task unloading decision and resource allocation problem into two subproblems and solves two optimization subproblems, respectively. The feasibility of the algorithm is demonstrated, and the calculation method of the theoretical lower bound of the original problem is given. Experimental results show that TORA, RTO and UTO algorithms can get results close to the theoretical lower bound. When the number of unit tasks is too large, the average task completion time of TORA algorithm is more than 20% less than that of RTO algorithm. When the user task uploads a large amount of data, the average completion time of TORA algorithm task is more than 15% less than that of RTO and UTO algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though interfirm collaboration on carbon emission reduction, the cross-enterprise flow of emission reduction resources and improved efficiency in greenhouse gas reduction can be realized. Especially in the context of big data, enterprises can find suitable partners for emission reduction faster and more accurately through interfirm collaboration. However, similar to other cooperative modes, revenue allocation is the key to ensuring the stability of the collaborative emission reduction system. Based on the premise of carbon trading, this paper discusses revenue allocation among enterprises participating in the collaborative emission reduction process under complete information in a big data context. Specifically, we constructed a Shapley value analysis model of revenue allocation for interfirm collaboration on carbon emission reduction, and amended this model with investment cost and risk-bearing. Consequently, this research provides not only a theoretical basis for solving the problem of revenue distribution in the process of collaborative emission reductions among enterprises but also a theoretical guide for enterprises countermeasures following the completion of China's future carbon trading mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held in Glasgow a year later than scheduled, with expected outcomes achieved under a post-pandemic background. Based on the Issue-Actor-Mechanism Framework, this paper systematically evaluates the outcomes achieved at COP26 and analyzes the tendency of post-COP26 climate negotiations. Overall, with the concerted efforts of all parties, COP26 has achieved a balanced and inclusive package of outcomes and concluded six years of negotiations on the Paris Rulebook. It is fair to say that COP26 is another milestone in climate governance following the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, the Glasgow Climate Pact has cemented the consensus on a global commitment to accelerating climate action over the next decade and reached a breakthrough consensus on reducing coal, controlling methane, and halting deforestation. In the post-COP26 era, we still need to take concrete actions to implement the outcomes of the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact, innovate ways to speed up CO2 emissions reduction, and continue to strive for breakthroughs in important issues such as finance, technology, adaptation, and collaboration. In addition to avoiding the escalation of international conflicts, we need to collectively and properly handle the relationship between energy security, carbon reduction, and development and facilitate the efforts of countries to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including climate-related goals. China will continue to maintain the existing multilateral mechanisms and processes for climate governance, unremittingly take concrete actions to address climate change, promote a domestic comprehensive green transition and global cooperation on carbon neutrality, and contribute constructively to global climate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's recently announced directive on tackling climate change, namely, to reach carbon peak by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, has led to an unprecedented nationwide response among the academia and industry. Under such a directive, a rapid increase in the grid penetration rate of solar in the near future can be fully anticipated. Although solar radiation is an atmospheric process, its utilization, as to produce electricity, has hitherto been handled by engineers. In that, it is thought important to bridge the two fields, atmospheric sciences and solar engineering, for the common good of carbon neutrality. In this überreview, all major aspects pertaining to solar resource assessment and forecasting are discussed in brief. Given the size of the topic at hand, instead of presenting technical details, which would be overly lengthy and repetitive, the overarching goal of this review is to comprehensively compile a catalog of some recent, and some not so recent, review papers, so that the interested readers can explore the details on their own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of sustainable manufacturing technologies is the new challenge faced by enterprises, industries, and researchers under the background of supporting carbon peak and carbon neutral. This paper studies how to reduce the energy consumption of hole machining through optimizing tool path and cutting parameters simultaneously. The integrated optimization methodology can further reduce the energy consumption comparing with optimizing the tool path or cutting parameters separately. Firstly, the energy model of hole machining is established based on machine tools' energy composition, tool path planning, and process parameters. Due to the fact that tool path planning as air cutting process has big relationship with reducing energy, especially for hole group with a big proportion, the tool path of hole processing is optimized by the improved ant colony algorithm to solve the issue considering the distance from one hole to the next hole. Based on this optimized path, a multi-objective optimization model for one hole cutting parameters is established, considering the spindle speed and feed rate as the optimization variables and machining time, energy consumption, and surface roughness as the objective function. The non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is employed to solve the multi-objective optimization problem of hole machining. Finally, the case study with 50 holes is used to testify the application of the proposed method to provide the practical energy efficiency strategy for hole group or multi-hole parts on CNC machines assisting in achieving sustainable production in manufacturing sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and highlighted the problems and opportunities within the book publishing industry's distribution practices. This is a summary of the Publishing Distribution Practices report, researched and produced in collaboration with Portland State University, Independent Book Publishers Association, and PubWest. This article addresses research and recommendations for becoming carbon neutral, delivering books cost effectively, utilizing print-on-demand, minimizing returns, and examining supply chain issues raised by the pandemic. Findings include starting with paper and emissions assessment for more eco-friendly publishing; emphasizing pre-orders, local and discounted delivery, trade organization membership, and POS systems for cost-effective delivery; limiting outsourcing to restrict supply chain disruptions; reducing print runs and promoting books more effectively to minimize returns; and utilizing print-on-demand for proof copies and gap runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land cover change affects the carbon emissions of ecosystems in some way. The qualitative and quantitative understanding of carbon emissions from human activities (e.g., land cover change, industrial production, etc.) is highly significant for realizing the objective of carbon neutrality. Therefore, this paper used GlobeLand30 land cover maps, annual average normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, annual average net ecosystem productivity (NEP) data and statistical yearbook data from 2000 to 2020 to explore the relationship between land cover change and carbon emissions. Specifically, it included land cover change, carbon storage changes influenced by land cover change, spatial and temporal analysis of carbon sources and sinks, land use intensity change and anthropogenic carbon emissions. The results of the study show that the main land cover changes in Shandong province during 2000–2020 was cultivated land conversion to artificial surfaces. Among them, the area of cultivated land converted to artificial surfaces from 2000 to 2010 was 4930.62 km2, and the proportion of cultivated land converted to artificial surfaces from 2010 to 2020 was as high as 78.35%. The total carbon stock of vegetation affected by land cover change decreased by 463.96 × 104 t and 193.50 × 104 t in 2000–2010 and 2010–2020 respectively. The spatial and temporal distribution of carbon sources and sinks differed more markedly from 2000 to 2020, and land use intensity changes in Shandong Province showed an upward trend. Of the total energy production, industry has the largest energy consumption, followed closely by total energy consumption in transportation, storage and postal services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional processes on land-water-air interface carbon (C) budget and balance that interconnect the land and sea are in fact C neutrality critical processes within the earth system. It is therefore essential to quantitatively analyze synergistic land-water-air interface C transport and C exchange processes to gain a deep understanding of the important role that terrestrial ecosystems play in "missing C sink". This paper systematically analyzes global land-water-air interface C migration processes as well as C budget changes and associated impact mechanisms. It also investigates the important role that these C budgets and C cycling processes play in inland water bodies, respective to C budgets at the land-water-air interface. Moreover, this study reveals the regulatory mechanisms of land-water-air interface C budgets and balances under a background of global climate change. It also quantitatively evaluates the status of China's regional land-sea-air interface C budgets as well as the C sequestration potential of its lake systems. Finally, this study concludes that the explicit quantification of anthropogenic activity impacts on land-water-air interface C transport and exchange processes is of great significance to global C balances and C neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of distributed energy resources and natural gas power generation, multi-energy microgrid (MEMG) is considered as a critical technology to increase the penetration of renewable energy and achieve the target of carbon emission reduction. Therefore, this paper proposes a low-carbon economic dispatch model for MEMG to minimize the daily operation cost by considering integrated demand response (IDR) and multistep carbon trading. Specifically, IDR operation includes shifting of shiftable electric load, adjusting of flexible thermal load and cooling load, and it is employed to decrease operation cost. Besides, the multistep carbon trading means that different carbon trading prices correspond to different carbon trading volumes, which is applied to stringently restrict carbon emission. The simulation results show that the proposed model can effectively reduce the carbon emission while greatly decrease the operation cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph Dear Reader, In January, I received the great news sent out by the organizers of this year's IMWA conference that, barring another wave of COVID, they plan to host us in person, rather than virtually, in Christchurch, New Zealand, in early November 2022. Meanwhile, to whet your appetite, the first paper in this issue addresses mine water problems in New Zealand. [Extracted from the article]

This paper considers a remanufacturing system in which the remanufacturer uses both the fresh raw material and recycled material to produce new products. Only partial information of the demand distribution, including the mean and variance, is available in this system. The operational activities of the remanufacturer are major contributors to carbon emissions, and a government agency imposes a cap-and-trade (carbon emission trading) policy on the remanufacturer. In the context of the distributionally robust newsvendor model, a maxmin approach is used to solve the optimal joint collection and production quantities. To study whether implementation of a cap-and-trade policy improves the remanufacturer's expected profit and reduces corresponding carbon emissions, the case where the government agency does not impose cap-and-trade policy is considered and compared. Finally, numerical analysis is conducted to illustrate and complement the analytical results and to investigate the influences of several main parameters on the distributionally robust newsvendor model for the remanufacturing system under a cap-and-trade policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the influence of carbon emissions trading, the fuzzy stochastic programming model was established to cut back the total cost of carbon trading balance. Modeling this chain is carried out by accounting for carbon cap-and-trade considerations and total cost optimization. In this paper, we analyze the low-carbon integrated forward/reverse logistics network and made relevant simulation tests. The results show that the changes of the confidence level and carbon emission limits have obvious influences on logistics costs. If the emission limit is large, carbon trading mechanism has little effect on the total logistics cost in the same scenario. Therefore, the government needs to use the appropriate emission limits to guide enterprises to reduce carbon emissions, and enterprises can make coping strategies according to the different limit at the same time. Therefore, the fuzzy random programming model proposed in this paper is practical. Its decision making applying the proposed algorithm is reasonable and applicable and could provide decision basis for enterprise managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in cloud-based services has made the cost of energy a major concern for cloud service providers. On the other hand, there is an increasing global concern on the carbon footprints of data centers. Shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is essential to reduce operational costs in data centers while keeping carbon and greenhouse emissions to a minimum. However, considering dynamic electricity pricing, dynamic PUE of data centers, intermittent renewable energy sources and the heterogeneity in workloads and data centers, determining the best data center to host a given VM request is very challenging. Moreover, the fragmentation caused by the placement which increases the energy cost may add to this complexity. This paper presents GreenPacker, a renewable- and fragmentation-aware geographical load balancing method to minimize the energy cost of data centers. This is done by introducing a cost metric that quantifies the suitability of a data center based on its green energy availability, electricity price, PUE, and the fragmentation caused by the placement. Comprehensive analyses using various workload scenarios show that the proposed algorithm can achieve up to 7.2% energy cost savings while maintaining the quality of service at an acceptable level, compared to the state-of-the-art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terrestrial carbon cycle is an important component of global biogeochemical cycling and is closely related to human well-being and sustainable development. However, large uncertainties exist in carbon cycle simulations and observations. Model-data fusion is a powerful technique that combines models and observational data to minimize the uncertainties in terrestrial carbon cycle estimation. In this paper, we comprehensively overview the sources and characteristics of the uncertainties in terrestrial carbon cycle models and observations. We present the mathematical principles of two model-data fusion methods, i.e., data assimilation and parameter estimation, both of which essentially achieve the optimal fusion of a model with observational data while considering the respective errors in the model and in the observations. Based upon reviewing the progress in carbon cycle models and observation techniques in recent years, we have highlighted the major challenges in terrestrial carbon cycle model-data fusion research, such as the "equifinality" of models, the identifiability of model parameters, the estimation of representativeness errors in surface fluxes and remote sensing observations, the potential role of the posterior probability distribution of parameters obtained from sensitivity analysis in determining the error covariance matrixes of the models, and opportunities that emerge by assimilating new remote sensing observations, such as solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence. It is also noted that the synthesis of multisource observations into a coherent carbon data assimilation system is by no means an easy task, yet a breakthrough in this bottleneck is a prerequisite for the development of a new generation of global carbon data assimilation systems. This article also highlights the importance of carbon cycle data assimilation systems to generate reliable and physically consistent terrestrial carbon cycle reanalysis data products with high spatial resolution and long-term time series. These products are critical to the accurate estimation of carbon cycles at the global and regional scales and will help future carbon management strategies meet the goals of carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of new technologies with high efficiency and low emissions is of great importance in achieving sustainable development. Most studies of technology adoption have been criticized for idealistically assuming only one global decision agent. In this paper, an optimization model of technology adoption with heterogeneous agents is proposed. These agents have different market shares, and each one attempts to identify the optimal technology adoption for a portion of the entire system. The carbon emission trading mechanism is implemented to reduce carbon emissions. Agents' acceptance of uncertain carbon prices is characterized by calculating their willingness to pay, and a bargaining process is introduced to reasonably allocate the profit. Computational tests are conducted with different market shares and different discounting factors. Numerical results show that implementing the carbon emission trading mechanism is an effective way to promote technology adoption and carbon emission reduction, although it does not certainly lead to less carbon emissions than implementing only a carbon cap. A small gap between agents' market shares and an increase in the seller's discounting factor will lead to more adoption in the entire system. A seller's market may lead to less carbon emissions than implementing only a carbon cap, while a buyer's market may lead to more carbon emissions. Moreover, it is suggested that governments can propose incentive policies to support small companies to develop and maintain carbon prices at a reasonable level to benefit sellers to promote technology adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the possibility to reduce the carbon footprint of exported products by implementing forest climate offset projects amid the introduction of the carbon tax on imports of high-carbon products, including those exported from Russia, by the European Union. The role of forests as absorbers of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions differs significantly in Russia and in the EU. It is suggested that the EU's climate neutrality policy aimed primarily at the reduction of direct CO2 emissions by sectors such as power, industry, and agriculture is a consequence of the insignificant role of European forests in greenhouse gas absorption. By contrast, Russia can achieve climate neutrality not only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also by increasing their absorption by forests and implementing forest climate projects (FCPs). Taking into consideration the UNFCCC baseline and additionality requirements, three FCP types can be proposed for implementation in the Russian Federation. The possibility to monetize the carbon sequestration function of Russian forests in the framework of carbon offset projects is assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retail stores are amongst the building typologies with the highest carbon (CI) and energy intensities (EI). However, previous studies have only explored best practice EI of food and non-food retailers, without identifying best practice CI threshold values. This paper presents a five-step analysis of CI and EI amongst the highest revenue retailers, benchmarking best and worst performing CI and EI retailers, analysing their nationality, performing a content analysis on their CSR reports and comparing results in terms of differentiation policies, strategies and building practices that can lead to increased environmental performance. Combined CI and EI best practice threshold values were found simultaneously under 346 kWh/m2/y and 115 kg CO2eq/m2/y for food retailers and under 146 kWh/m2/y and 70 kg CO2eq/m2/y for non-food retailers. In terms of policy, best-performing retailers shared a strong top-down management commitment towards sustainability across all business areas (p = 0.04) and an increased use of referential reporting standards, particularly of GRI standards (p = 0.05) and of the GHG protocol (p = 0.01). In terms of strategy, they established ambitious energy goals, such becoming 100% supplied by renewable energy (p = 0.05) or carbon neutral by 2020. As for building practice, LED and photovoltaic technology were the most popular high-performance solutions, but only the use of natural refrigerants (p = 0.001) and gas transfer to CO2 (p = 0.0007) were related to best-performing practice. The variability of CI and EI found in this study shows that it is already possible to reduce the retail sector's contribution to global GHG emissions considerably. The proposed best practice CI and EI reference levels, linked to corporate policy, strategy and building practice, are useful new tools for retail energy-management, which can further promote sustainability in retail buildings, thus allowing a deeper understanding of how to decarbonize the retail building sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is globally available and sustainable feedstock containing sugar-rich platform that can be converted to biofuels and specialty products through appropriate processing. This review focuses on the efforts required for the development of sustainable and economically viable lignocellulosic biorefinery to produce carbon neutral biofuels along with the specialty chemicals. Sustainable biomass processing is a global challenge that requires the fulfillment of fundamental demands concerning economic efficiency, environmental compatibility, and social responsibility. The key technical challenges in continuous biomass supply and the biological routes for its saccharification with high yields of sugar sources have not been addressed in research programs dealing with biomass processing. Though many R&D endeavors have directed towards biomass valorization over several decades, the integrated production of biofuels and chemicals still needs optimization from both technical and economical perspectives. None of the current pretreatment methods has advantages over others since their outcomes depend on the type of feedstock, downstream process configuration, and many other factors. Consolidated bio-processing (CBP) involves the use of single or consortium of microbes to deconstruct biomass without pretreatment. The use of new genetic engineering tools for natively cellulolytic microbes would make the CBP process low cost and ecologically friendly. Issues arising with chemical characteristics and rigidity of the biomass structure can be a setback for its viability for biofuel conversion. Integration of functional genomics and system biology with synthetic biology and metabolic engineering undoubtedly led to generation of efficient microbial systems, albeit with limited commercial potential. These efficient microbial systems with new metabolic routes can be exploited for production of commodity chemicals from all the three components of biomass. This paper provides an overview of the challenges that are faced by the processes converting LCB to commodity chemicals with special reference to biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of agricultural wastes for energy conversion has been widely studied as renewable and carbon neutral energy sources. This paper aims to evaluate the energetic potential of six agricultural wastes—sugarcane bagasse, bean pods, corn stover, pineapple crown leaves, white cotton and natural coloured cotton stalks, through their characterization and pyrolysis kinetic study. The energetic potential of biomasses was evaluated by ultimate and proximate analysis, higher heating value (HHV), apparent density, and kinetic parameters of conversion and apparent activation energy (Ea) determined by Model-Free kinetics though thermogravimetric analysis data. The results indicate energetic density for dry basis biomasses, such as moisture content less than 7%, volatiles higher than 77% and moderate ash content. The HHVs were higher for the biomass with low O:C ratio. The Ea values increased with increasing O:C ratio and were also influenced by the biomass ash content. Among the studied biomasses, PCL are less explored for energy application, although the results confirm its potential for application in thermochemical processes such as pyrolysis or combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to examine energy efficiency, carbon dioxide (CO2) emission efficiency, and related abatement costs of China's regions in 2012 by considering embodied carbon caused by trade. To this end, a combined approach with environmentally extended input–output analysis (EEIO) and DEA is proposed. We first apply the EEIO model to measure CO2 emissions of 30 China's regions from the consumption perspective, which can identify the described embodied carbon. According to the amounts of CO2 emissions with respect to the production-based and consumption-based principles, 30 regions are divided into two groups, i.e., emission-importing regions and emission-exporting regions. For emission-importing regions, CO2 emissions from the consumption perspective exceed that from the production-based perspective. The emission-exporting regions exhibit the opposite case. Our results show that energy efficiency and CO2 emission abatement costs will be underestimated in both groups when ignoring the embodied carbon emissions. The emission-importing regions evidence higher efficiency scores and abatement costs than those emission-exporting regions, and there is a significant difference between these two groups in terms of energy efficiency and CO2 emission efficiency, whereas there is no significant difference with respect to CO2 emission abatement costs. It is interesting that emission-exporting regions enjoy a slight increase in CO2 emission efficiency whereas emission-importing regions suffer from a decrease. Some useful policy implications are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional self-interest hypothesis is far from perfect. Social preference has a significant impact on every firm’s decision making. This paper incorporates reciprocal preferences and consumers’ low-carbon awareness (CLA) into the dyadic supply chain in which a single manufacturer plays a Stackelberg-like game with a single retailer. This research intends to investigate how reciprocity and CLA may affect the decisions and performances of the supply chain members and the system’s efficiency. In this study, the following two scenarios are discussed: (1) both the manufacturer and the retailer have no reciprocal preferences and (2) both of them have reciprocal preferences. We derive equilibriums under both scenarios and present a numerical analysis. We demonstrate that reciprocal preferences and CLA significantly affect the equilibrium and firms’ profits and utilities. First, the optimal retail price increases with CLA, while it decreases with the reciprocity of the retailer and the manufacturer; the optimal wholesale price increases with CLA and the retailer’s reciprocity, while it decreases with the manufacturer’s reciprocity. The optimal emission reduction level increases with CLA and the reciprocity of both the manufacturer and the retailer. Second, the optimal profits of the participants and the supply chain increase with CLA, the participants’ optimal profits are concave in their own reciprocity and increase with their co-operators’ reciprocity. Third, the participants’ optimal utilities increase with CLA and their reciprocity. Finally, the supply chain efficiency increases with the participants’ reciprocity, while the efficiency decreases with CLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical parts, especially large mechanical structures, consume a lot of resources and energy in manufacturing stage and produce large amounts of carbon emissions. To reduce the carbon emissions of mechanical parts from the perspective of manufacturing system, an approach integrating structural optimization and material selection is studied. A hybrid optimization model for low-carbon design of mechanical parts is established. The objective function of the model is built by quantifying the carbon emissions of mechanical parts. To improve the efficiency of carbon emissions analysis, a new concept “variable carbon emission” is proposed to identify part of carbon emissions, the amount of which will change with design variables. In this paper, variable carbon emissions of mechanical parts are quantified and parameterized by the relevant parameters of design variables. Two types of design variables (material variable and structural variable) are included in the model. The qualitative constraints and quantitative constraints for the low-carbon design optimization are both taken into consideration. Furthermore, an integrated numerical solving method is used to search for the optimal design scheme considering the coupling among material and structural parameters in low-carbon design. It foresees the synergic use of finite element model (FEM) and several numerical solution algorithms. The low-carbon design of a hydraulic slider is given as an example to demonstrate the approach. The results show that the approach has good potential to be applied in the low-carbon design of mechanical parts even with complex structural features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutting tools are extensively used in subtractive manufacturing systems for achieving the desired products. The advancement of cutting tool technology promotes the development of efficient and green machining. However, as one of the auxiliary consumptive materials, cutting tools have a crucial impact on the sustainability of machining systems. Thus, the development of sustainability urgently requires characterizing the impacts of cutting tools. This paper investigates the environmental impacts of cutting tools from the life cycle aspect based on the material and energy consumption during the material extraction, manufacturing, use, and recycling of cutting tools. Carbon emission is applied to measure the impacts of cutting tools on the sustainability of the machining system. Then a life cycle carbon efficiency approach based on the service life of the cutting tool is presented to characterize the life cycle carbon emission characteristics of cutting tools. A gear hobbing system with five kinds of hobs was introduced as a case study to characterize the life cycle carbon emissions and efficiency of hobs. It indicates that substrate and coating material type, manufacturing process, coating method, and regrinding times all influence the carbon emissions and efficiency of hobs to different extents. A high-speed dry-cutting hob exhibits excellent carbon efficiency in addition to carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low carbon gear hobbing is an environmentally friendly way to machine massive workpieces. The appropriate process parameter decision-making is of great significance to improve processing quality, reduce the machining time, production cost, and carbon emission in gear manufacturing. This paper first proposes a support vector machine/ant lion optimizer/gear hobbing (SVM/ALO/GH) integrated approach to do the multi-objective optimization of machining parameters for solving small sample problem of batch production. The first population of process parameters is generated by the multi-class SVM method. Pareto improvement and ALO algorithm are employed to obtain the optimal process parameters. Finally, the case study is presented to give a clear picture of the application of the optimization approach. The results uncover that the proposed SVM/ALO/GH method has better performance than the improved back propagation neural network/differential evolution (IBPNN/DE) algorithm over the small sample problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a two-stage stochastic programming model to design a green supply chain in a carbon trading environment. The model solves a discrete location problem and determines the optimal material flows and the number of carbon credits/allowances traded. The study contributes to the existing literature by incorporating uncertainty in carbon price and product demand. The proposed model is applied to a real world case study and the numerical results are carefully analyzed and interpreted. We find that the supply chain configuration can be highly sensitive to the probability distribution of the carbon credit price. More importantly, we observe that carbon price and budget availability for supply chain reconfiguration can both have a positive but nonlinear relationship with greening of the supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]