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Facing green trade barriers from developed nations, particularly the EU, based on product carbon footprints, China's renewable energy industries confront significant challenges in transitioning towards sustainability and low carbon emissions. This study delves into the carbon footprint of China's renewable infrastructure, evaluating wind turbines, photovoltaic (PV) panels, and lithium batteries across varied decarbonization scenarios, emphasizing both production and international trade transportation. The initial findings for 2022 indicate baseline carbon footprints of 990,701 kg CO2-eq/MW for wind turbines, 2994.97 kg CO2-eq/kWp for PV panels, and 67.53 kg CO2-eq/kWh for batteries. Projections for 2050 suggest that decarbonization advancements could slash these footprints by up to 36.1% for wind turbines, 76.7% for PV panels, and 72.5% for batteries, closely mirroring the EU's 2050 low-carbon benchmarks. Considerable carbon footprints from both domestic and international transportation have been quantified, underscoring the importance of logistic decarbonization. Based on these results, it is concluded that China's steadfast commitment to a sustainable and climate-ambitious development path can provide globally competitive, low-carbon renewable infrastructure after 2030. The study advocates for a collaborative approach to product decarbonization across international trade, as opposed to erecting barriers, to effectively contribute to global climate objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-oxidation treatment (POT) is an important step in the preparation of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic membranes via recrystallization sintering, which is generally considered to remove any possible free carbon. It is found, however, that increasing the temperature of POT improves not only the hydrophilicity and flux of SiC ceramic membranes but also their mechanical properties, chemical stability, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to study the principle of POT in order to obtain SiC ceramic membranes with optimal properties. In this study, the principle of POT was characterized via scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, synchronous thermal analysis, and metallographic microscopy. According to the principle, the conditions, such as the temperature and air flow rate, of the post-oxidation process were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, POT improved the flux of SiC ceramic membranes from 1074 to 5118 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1, increased the bending strength from 26 to 35 MPa, and provided SiC ceramic membranes with high stability under acid and alkali conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mn 3 O 4 powders with nanometer size are successfully synthesized by a simple one-step method via flame spray pyrolysis. The precursor droplet is generated by heating under high temperature flame with fixed flow rate, and the exothermic reaction is induced to form nanosized Mn 3 O 4 powders. When used as anode material for lithium-ion battery, the Mn 3 O 4 exhibits good cycling capacity and rate performance. It delivers a specific capacity of 1,182 mA h g -1 over 110 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g -1 , and has a high capacity of 140 mA h g -1 at 5,000 mA g -1 ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Zhao, Xie, Huang, Rao and Mao.)

Information on the environmental impact of magnetic TiO 2 -based nanophotocatalysts is scarce. This study evaluated the potential effects of an innovative magnetic nanophotocatalyst N-TiO 2 /Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 (NTFS) on plants using Arabidopsis thaliana grown in a hydroponic system. NTFS was detected in the vascular tissues and mesophyll of plants, thus confirming the uptake and upwards transport of NTFS from roots to leaves. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was applied to determine compositional and structural alterations in plant tissues exposed to NTFS, or its two main components (N-TiO 2 and Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 ), at concentrations ranging from 0 to 1000 mg/L, but no changes were detected in the lipids, pectins, proteins, cellulose, hemicellulose, and carbohydrates. The morphology and biomass of the plants were not affected by the NTFS or its components either. Biosensors for inorganic phosphate (Pi) and MgATP 2- were used to monitor the in vivo Pi and MgATP 2- levels in the plant cells. The results showed that NTFS and its components did not induce any adverse effects on the cytosolic Pi level or ATP synthesis, indicating the energy physiology of Arabidopsis was unaffected. In general, NTFS has inconsequential toxic effects on Arabidopsis, but can be taken up by plants, enter the food chain, and cause potential exposure and bioaccumulation in animals and human beings., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)