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Photonic and electronic devices currently face challenges in terms of improved efficiency of energy harvesting and light emission, renewable energy and materials, and the development of eco‐friendly materials. Owing to the emergence of world‐wide concerns about environmental degradation and the ensuing regulations, demand for environmentally friendly technology has been increasing in recent years. As the current technology of creating electronics and photonics devices based on semiconductors heavily relies on processes that produce a series of hazardous chemicals, development of renewable and eco‐friendly materials has become immensely important. Two of the most promising materials in this respect are silk and paper, and this progress report will investigate their unique properties for both photonic and electronic applications. These two natural materials have been intensively studied in the last decades and have shown promising aspects for use in future green technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breakthrough research may signal shifts in science, technology, and innovation systems. Early identification of breakthrough research is important not only for scientists, but also for policy makers and R&D experts in developing R&D strategies and allocating R&D resources. Researchers mostly use scientific papers data to identify potential breakthrough research, but they rarely make use of Twitter data related to scientific research and machine learning methods. Analysis of Twitter data is of great significance for us to understand the public's perception of potential breakthrough research and to identify potential breakthrough research. Machine learning methods can assist us in predicting the trend of events by utilizing prior knowledge and experience. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework for identifying potential breakthrough research using machine learning methods with scientific papers and Twitter data. We select solar cells as a case study to verify the valid and flexible of this framework. In this case, we use machine learning method to discover potential breakthrough research from scientific papers, and we use Twitter data mining to analyze Twitter users' sense of and response to the discovered potential breakthrough research, which aims to achieve a more extensive and diverse assessment of the discovered potential breakthrough research. This paper contributes to identifying potential breakthrough research, as well as understanding the emergence and development of breakthrough research. It will be of interest to R&D experts in the field of solar cell technology. • We proposed a framework for identifying potential breakthrough research using machine learning method. • We found 8 potential breakthrough researches in the field of solar cell technology in 2015. • Twitter data mining could be used to assist in identifying potential breakthrough research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formaldehyde‐free resin impregnated paper is expected to be applied to interior decoration materials and furniture. This is not only conducive to the development of indoor environment toward green and environmental protection, but also beneficial to people's health. In this work, the formaldehyde‐free resin (waterborne polyurethane and waterborne acrylic acid) mixed with cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) were separately coated on a raw decorative paper by a dipping method to obtain formaldehyde‐free impregnated paper with outstanding surface bound strength and abrasion resistance. The surface bound strength and abrasion resistance were tested by means of universal ability test machine and abrasion tester. The results showed that waterborne polyurethane and waterborne acrylic acid enhanced by CNC had excellent dispersion, and the bonding properties of formaldehyde‐free impregnated paper were improved by 41.3 and 33.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the abrasion resistance of formaldehyde‐free impregnated paper was improved by the crystal effect of CNC. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48931. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world in the 21st century is confronted with multifaceted challenges against rapid climate change and continuous ecological disturbances caused by revolutionary socio‐economic developments, accelerated expansion of disposable electronic gadgets, and growing dependence on unrecyclable raw materials, among others. The ever‐increasing consumer demand for electronic devices is significantly contributing to the world's fastest‐growing waste stream, known as electronic waste (e‐waste), which is becoming an environmental threat at an alarming rate due to its toxic legacy. The ever‐shortening lifespan of smart technologies has created a "tsunami of e‐waste," as the United Nations has characterized it, with 50 million tons accumulated each year, of which only 20% undergo formal e‐recycling. Therefore, the challenge of optimizing the current resources management models with an aim of improving the manufacturing processes and lifecycles of electronic devices, as well as building a circular economy, has become significantly prominent. Paper/cellulose, which covers a wide range of essential needs in everyday scenarios (from packaging to writing utilities), constitutes promising candidates for the effective achievement of a circular economy. Particularly, cellulose is revealed as an advantageous material for electronic applications because of its abundant availability, which contributes to its cost‐effectiveness, straightforward fabrication process, and high recyclability and reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest tree had become beneficial as the major source of raw materials for paper production. However, the main concern is the dwindling forest tree resources. Fibre substitution from non-wood sources can overcome this problem. The abundance of napier grass is characterized as agro waste material, and has a high potential to become one of the substitution fibres. The objective of this work was to analyse the chemical composition of napier grass and to investigate the morphological properties of napier grass fibre. The chemical composition of the fibre was analysed by the TAPPI test method, chlorination method and Kuchner-Hoffner method. The results indicate the potential of napier grass as a fibre. The napier grass morphology showed a condensed composition of fibre structure under a scanning electron microscope. This study of napier grass indicated the suitability for promoting the green technology in developing an eco-friendly product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper industry is a traditional industry with extensive consumption of resources and energy and more pollutant discharge. This industry is closely related to production and life activities. Under the general requirement of "to step up conservation of the Yangtze River and stop its over development", the paper industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt should urgently undergo green transformation and development. Based on the undesirable slack-based measure model, spatial gravity center, Kernel density function, Theil index, and panel model, this study examines the green development efficiency and its influencing factors of the paper industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2001 to 2016. Results showed the following: (1) from 2001 to 2016, the green development efficiency of the paper industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt had been steadily improved, but the overall efficiency value is not high, which has a great potential for improvement. The green development efficiency of the paper industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt presents the regional differentiation law of gradient increasing in the upper, middle, and lower reaches. (2) According to the gravity center trajectory, the efficiency center of the green development of the paper industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is located in the middle reaches of Hunan Province and Hubei Province and moves to the southwest. This case indicates that the green development efficiency of the paper industry in provinces and cities in the southwest has been improved. (3) The regional differences in the green development efficiency of the paper industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt show the characteristics of narrowing fluctuations. The regional differences are the primary sources of the difference in the green development efficiency of the paper industry. (4) The enterprise scale, science and technology investment, and industrial structure have significant positive effects on the green development efficiency of the paper industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. On the contrary, environmental regulation and foreign investment intensity have significant negative effects. However, the above factors have different effects on the green development efficiency of the paper industry in the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines community, environmental, and human rights activists’ influence on adoption of environmentally-friendly technologies in Indonesia’s pulp and paper industry. The story begins with conflict over the development of an export pulp mill in North Sumatra in the 1980s and continues with the adoption of environmental technologies in Indonesia’s pulp and paper industry in the 1990s. Organising around a number of specific events associated with pulp industry development, activists drew attention to the industry which led to a strengthening of government environmental regulation and enforcement, and hastened the adoption of cleaner production technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulp and paper industry is one of the eight critical industries for controlling carbon emissions in China. As the paper productions increase, the pulp and paper industry may fail in achieving the emission reduction target due to the rapid growth of greenhouse gas emissions. The study uses life cycle assessment to evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions of China's papermaking industry chain in order to propose emission reduction targets and find ways to achieve the emission reduction targets for China's papermaking industry. Considering the net carbon absorption of plant raw materials and the extensive paper industrial chain, this study obtained that the greenhouse gas emission of major paper types under corresponding pathways ranges from 1.96 t CO 2 eq/t paper to 6.55 t CO 2 eq/t paper. Plant carbon sink can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14.3%–42.9% under virgin fiber-based pathways. This study found that the greenhouse gas emissions caused by terminal products of 814 papermaking enterprises counted in China were 282.23 Mt CO 2 eq in 2015, accounting for 10.23% of the total greenhouse gas emissions of manufacturing industries and construction. To achieve the emission reduction target by 2050, emissions of the pulp and paper industry in China have been investigated from the perspective of three ideal energy structures. The research findings show that the emission reduction target of Intended Nationally Determined Contribution will be achieved in 30 years if the energy structure of the pulp and paper industry is adjusted only based on the optimal 450 scenario. In terms of other energy structures, the pulp and paper industry should assume afforestation areas ranged from 5900 km2 to 223,000 km2 at least to make up for the greenhouse gas emissions beyond allowance, which accounts for 0.85%–32.16% of the existing areas of plantation forestry in China. • Statistics in this work reveal the problem of excess capacity in China's pulp and paper industry. • GHG emission of paper products in different pathways range from 1.95 to 6.52 t CO 2 eq/t paper. • Energy supply mode transition is conductive to green development of pulp and paper industry. • Pulp and paper enterprises should assume afforestation areas to achieve emission reduction targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The consumption of 'fast fashion', which is expedited by costeffective e-commerce systems, represents one of the major factors contributing to the acceleration of climate change. An emerging approach to steer consumers in the direction of more sustainable purchase decisions is digital nudging. This paper explores digital nudging in the context of green fashion e-commerce by testing the effectiveness of two nudging strategies on the decision to choose green fashion products (GFP) over regular fashion items. Method: This study was conducted as a between-subject online experiment (n=320) with four conditions simulating an e-commerce scenario. The participants were presented with different products: one was ecologically friendly, and another was the regular option. Depending on their randomized group allocation, the participants experienced a default nudge, a social norm nudge, a combination of both strategies, or no nudge. In addition, we conducted 10 qualitative interviews to gain a deeper understanding of consumers' decision process. Results: Our experiment failed to demonstrate statistically significant relationships between the various nudging strategies and GFP purchase decisions. However, additional explorative analyzes confirmed a backfire effect for the combination of nudging strategies. This reveals the previously overlooked influence of participants' identification on the effectiveness of digital nudging strategies. In addition, qualitative interviews revealed individual factors that influence sustainable e-commerce purchase decisions. Conclusion: This study contributes to information systems research by explaining the differences in the effectiveness of different nudging strategies regarding highinvolvement compared to low-involvement products. Moreover, it provides empirical evidence of a backfire effect resulting from a combination of digital nudging strategies (i.e., digital nudge stacking). Finally, the study underscores the leverage that individual factors have on both GFP purchase decision and the effectiveness of nudges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new biotechnological sequence for decolorizing red and black colored paper was developed to reduce the environmental impact of the chemicals used in paper recycling processes. Commercially available low-redox potential laccase from Myceliophthora thermophila , which operates optimally under alkaline conditions, was used in combination with natural mediators to make the process even greener. Based on the optical properties of the resulting decolorized paper, red and black dyes were efficiently removed by all laccase–mediator systems. The best results were provided by the laccase–methyl syringate combination, followed by the laccase–acetosyringone system and the laccase–syringaldehyde system. The decolorization rate for red paper achieved with the laccase–methyl syringate treatment exceeded that obtained with ozone. Red was removed by about 98% by combining two enzymatic stages and hydrogen peroxide stage, and black by 65%, without altering the physical properties of the colored paper in either case. A sequence combining oxidative and reductive (formamidine sulfinic acid) chemical treatments led to comparable optical and physical properties for the two types of paper. The effects of Myceliophthora thermophila laccase and methyl syringate were similar to those of high-redox potential laccase from Trametes villosa combined with either methyl syringate or the synthetic mediator violuric acid. Image 1 • The laccase-natural mediator system was able to remove red and black dyes from paper. • Methyl syringate was the best mediator to decolorize papers. • Higher dye removal was produced by biotechnological stages than by chemical stages. • Both, low and high-redox potential laccases can be used to produce decolorization. • Several optical parameters were measured to assess paper decolorization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]