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Highlights: [•] Estimation of GHG emission and energy consumption in wastewater treatment plants. [•] On-site and off-site emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. [•] Higher GHG emission in anaerobic and hybrid plants due to higher CH4 generation. [•] Recovery and use of biogas satisfy the energy demands of treatment systems. [•] Higher off-site than on-site GHG emissions due to the use of fuel and material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of a suite of technology options that might play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, outside of traditional enhanced oil and gas recovery operations with a well established business model, CCS project deployments are struggling with adoption of a federal or international climate policy driver appearing unlikely for the foreseeable future. As part of a feasibility study for an industrial CCS project at the Boise White Paper mill in Washington State, a business model and CCS system design was developed that provided financial surety for the project developers while recognizing that uncertainty in revenue forecasts for CO2 storage would persist for the foreseeable future. Key to the business model was installation of a new 37MWe biomass-fueled power island at the plant that would replace antiquated boilers and that could still supply the necessary steam to run pulp and paper production operations when capturing CO2 emissions under favorable market conditions for monetizing CO2 storage credits. Under unfavorable market conditions, CO2 capture would be suspended and excess power generated from the plant would reduce external electrical energy purchases required for paper mill operations. The net CO2 reduction for the project versus current operations is 1.0MMT of CO2 per year with the CCS system online, and 139ktons per year with the CCS system offline due to reduced natural gas co-firing. So, both operational modes offered a significant net reduction in CO2 emissions. Based on assumptions regarding electricity and natural gas pricing, and CO2 storage revenue generated through an open market mechanism priced at $15 per metric ton CO2, the payback period for the project capturing 0.5MMT/yr (62% of total CO2 production) was estimated at 6.7 years versus 7.4 years with the CCS system offline. Geologic storage was evaluated in the deep flood basalt formations that dominate the storage capacity in Eastern Washington. Sub-basalt sediments were also examined at the site to provide alternative or supplemental storage capacity in the event that storage in the basalt sequences did not prove technically or economically feasible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Climate adaptation actions can be energy-intensive, but how adaptation feeds back into the energy system and the environment is absent in nearly all up-to-date energy scenarios. Here we quantify the impacts of adaptation actions entailing direct changes in final energy use on energy investments and costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution. We find that energy needs for adaptation increase considerably over time and with warming. The resulting addition in capacity for power generation leads to higher greenhouse gas emissions, local air pollutants, and energy system costs. In the short to medium term, much of the added capacity for power generation is fossil-fuel based. We show that mitigation pathways accounting for the adaptation-energy feedback would require a higher global carbon price, between 5% and 30% higher. Because of the benefits in terms of reduced adaptation needs, energy system costs in ambitious mitigation scenarios would be lower than previous estimates, and they would turn negative in well-below-2-degree scenarios, pointing at net gains in terms of power system costs., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is the most prevalent greenhouse gas that triggers climate change, which in turn leads to catastrophic effects on trade, business, human health, and other areas. Understanding the characteristics and tendency of CO 2 emissions will improve policy making and mitigation strategies. Understanding the linearity or nonlinearity and convergence or divergence of CO 2 emissions is essential for selecting appropriate modeling techniques and for designing reliable policies. Therefore, this paper investigates the nonlinearity and nonlinear convergence of CO 2 emissions among the world's top 20 highest emitting countries, which account for 80% of the world's total emissions. To check the nonlinearity of CO 2 emissions, the McLeod-Li nonlinearity test, the Terasvirta nonlinearity test, and the Brock-Dechert-Scheinkman-LeBaron nonlinearity test are employed. The convergence or divergence of CO 2 emissions is checked by using the Kilic nonlinear unit root test, the Hu and Chen nonlinear unit root test, and the Park and Shintani nonlinear unit root test. The findings revealed that the CO 2 emissions process in all the 20 countries is nonlinear; 17 countries exhibit convergence in CO 2 emissions while the other 3 countries diverged from 1960 to 2018. Based on the results, the nonlinear nature of CO 2 emissions requires special attention from scholars when selecting estimation techniques for CO 2 emissions. For countries with convergence, emissions trends can be used to forecast future values of CO 2 emissions. Moreover, strong policy actions are required to achieve convergence in the countries with divergence., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Although many variables that have adverse impacts on the sustainable environment are investigated from many aspects, some variables are missing. In this study, it will be simultaneously focused on the relation between refugees, governance, sustainable environment, economic growth, energy consumption, and supplementary explanatory variables, HDI, the trade deficit, and financial development, for Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, and Uganda using the panel quantile autoregressive distributed lag (PQARDL) and causality methods for the 1996-2019 period. Long-run coefficients found by PQARDL method showed the evidence of the long-run relationship between the sustainable environment, refugee population, governance, economic growth, energy consumption, and explanatory variables. Both traditional and Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) causality tests determined the evidence of a unidirectional causality from political and economic governance to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and deforestation, as well as a unidirectional causality from refugees to GHG emissions and deforestation., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been established for recycling of paper waste with focus on a material recovery facility (MRF). The MRF upgrades the paper and cardboard waste before it is delivered to other industries where new paper or board products are produced. The accounting showed that the GHG contributions from the upstream activities and operational activities, with global warming factors (GWFs) of respectively 1 to 29 and 3 to 9 kg CO2-eq. tonne-1 paper waste, were small in comparison with the downstream activities. The GHG contributions from the downstream reprocessing of the paper waste ranged from approximately 490 to 1460 kg CO2-eq. tonne-1 of paper waste. The system may be expanded to include crediting of avoided virgin paper production which would result in GHG contributions from -1270 to 390 kg CO2-eq. tonne-1 paper waste. It may also be assumed that the wood not used for virgin paper production instead is used for production of energy that in turn is assumed to substitute for fossil fuel energy. This would result in GHG contributions from -1850 to -4400 kg CO2-eq. tonne-1 of paper waste. These system expansions reveal very large GHG savings, suggesting that the indirect upstream and operational GHG contributions are negligible in comparison with the indirect downstream emissions. However, the data for reprocessing of paper waste and the data for virgin paper production are highly variable. These differences are mainly related to different energy sources for the mills, both in regards to energy form (heat or electricity) and fuel (biomass or fossil fuels). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fibres & Textiles in Eastern Europe is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Urban sprawl in context to transportation is a matter of serious concern. It creates unusual environmental challenges for an emerging economy like India, known for geographical spread, population, and use of fossil fuel-based automobiles on road. Indian automotive sector is often held responsible for the emission of greenhouse gasses causing serious environmental deterioration. Government at both central and state levels is dealing with this challenge in two ways-adding more infrastructure for public transport and encouraging electrical vehicles (EVs). Adoption of EVs for public mobility is eco-friendlier and economic. But it is observed that EV penetration in many pockets is not growing and is yet to mature for usage. Regardless of subsidies, it is not picking up as expected and needs to be investigated. Earlier research mainly focused on reporting barriers and did not guide EV penetration enablers. This study bridges the research gap and offers useful insights about EV penetration phenomenon and makes use of both qualitative and quantitative treatments. Accordingly, it models thirteen enablers, guides about tangling interrelationships using an interpretive structural modeling (ISM), and validates it using best worst method (BWM) approach. The study reports six key enablers, which are-developing high-capacity batteries with short recharge time, improving service support, framing promotive government policies, lowering electricity tariffs using sustainable and reliable sources, and reducing dependence on imported raw materials. These enablers need an urgent attention from the industries and researchers for successful EV penetration in Indian context. Authors hope the findings will be useful for other developing countries as well and will influence both researchers and practitioners., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Nitrous oxide is a useful inhaled analgesic. Due to its high global warming potential and ozone-depleting properties, the nitrous oxide emissions related to health care are being increasingly scrutinized. In this narrative review, we will discuss the clinical uses of nitrous oxide relevant to anesthetists, in addition to its contribution as a greenhouse gas. Using available data from Australia, we will explore potential strategies for reducing the impact of those emissions, which are likely to be applicable in other countries. These include destruction of captured nitrous oxide, minimizing nitrous oxide waste and reducing clinical use. Anesthesia clinicians are well placed to raise awareness with colleagues and consumers regarding the environmental impact of nitrous oxide and to promote cleaner alternatives. Reducing use is likely to be the most promising reduction strategy without large-scale changes to infrastructure and subsequent delay in action., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 International Anesthesia Research Society.)

One of the industries that makes a significant contribution to the overall amount of greenhouse gas emissions around the globe is agriculture. In this regard, the use of bioenergy in the agricultural and food processing industries might benefit from the implementation of circular economy techniques. Despite the fact that just roughly 9% of the global economy is circular, there have been worldwide efforts to improve that reality. The linear economy, commonly known as the "take-make-use-dispose" model, is in sharp contrast to the circular economy, also known as "grow-make-use-restore," which seeks to influence the flow of materials and energy in order to maximize the benefits to the environment and minimize any associated costs. Garbage-to-energy, also known as WTE, is the focus of both academics and businesses as a direct result of the increasingly diminishing number of energy supplies and the ever-increasing amount of garbage. This project intends to turn trash into profit, lessen the impact waste has on the environment, and generate energy from biowaste by conceptualizing a focus on the supply chain characteristics of waste-to-energy processing. The adoption of a waste-to-energy (WTE) supply chain as a district energy system should be a viable solution toward a circular industrial economy that can solve energy consumption, waste management, and greenhouse gas emission concerns all at once. In the framework of a "circular economy," this study investigates how the management of waste-to-energy supply chains impacts the performance of businesses. The present investigation makes use of life cycle assessments, technical innovation, waste-to-energy conversion, and capacities related to circular economies. The study makes use of data obtained from an online survey that was administered between March 2021 and November 2021 to employees of 285 representative samples drawn from 457 European enterprises and firms that have accepted the concepts of the circular economy. The data is examined using a technique known as partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM for short). The findings indicate that waste-to-energy serves as a mediator between the life cycle assessment and the capabilities of the circular economy and that sustainable supply chain management, sustainable supply chain design, technological progress, and waste-to-energy all have positive effects on these metrics., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

ICTs and access to Internet use are considered vital for the achievement of sustainable development goals. So, this study explored the effect of the global digital divide, trade openness, renewable energy consumption, and forestation on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 42 high-income countries (HICs) and high-middle-income (HMICs), low-income countries (LICs), and low-middle-income countries (LMICs) of Africa from 1990 to 2018. TheDumitrescu-Hurlin causality results confirmed a unidirectional causality from GHG emissions to the global digital divide (HICs and HMICs), global digital divide to GHG emissions (LICs), and GHG emission to trade openness (LICs and LMICs). Moreover, the long-run results of the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model showed an increase in GHG due to an increase in the global digital divide in all three panels. Further, ARDL results showed reduced GHG emissions due to increased trade openness in LIC and LMICs, renewable energy consumption, and forestation in all three panels. Thus, to encounter pollution from Internet use, the government should start environment-friendly projects through public and private investment in smart and modern environment-friendly technology and reduce the taxes and tariffs on them. Moreover, the governments of African countries should create public awareness through print and electronic media for raising the forestation area., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the Quebec pulp and paper industry fell by more than 30 percent from 1990 to 2006. We use an energy demand model to analyze the contributions to this decrease of energy prices, product mix, technological change, and biomass use. The product mix is made of pulp, and cardboard, and paper. Pulp is an intermediate product for the industry, but not necessarily so for mills; vertical integration varies across mills and presents different opportunities to transfer heat between stages of production. Chemical and mechanical pulping processes are used to form two groups of pulp and paper mills. We find that changes of product mixes contributed the most to reduce GHG emissions, followed to a lesser extent by increases of fuel prices relative to electricity. The estimated electricity and fuel price elasticities are low. However it is still possible to significantly reduce GHG emissions by substituting natural gas for heavy fuel oil; such a substitution could be brought about by a small change of their relative price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the world has faced environmental disasters mainly due to global warming. One of the main reasons for global temperature imbalances is the greenhouse gases (GHG) that soar the atmosphere's heat. The major aim of the current study is to explore whether the livestock population is the main contributor to GHG emission through econometric estimations. In this study, we examine the impact of livestock population with other explanatory variables-GDP per capita, Economic Complexity Index (ECI), ecological balance, and total patent applications-over GHG emission of 25 countries responsible for 76% of GHG emission between 1990 and 2017. To investigate the relationship of variables, Fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) are used, as well as panel causality. Also, the relationship is examined by using the responsiveness scores (RS) approach. The empirical results reveal that all variables have a causal relationship with GHG emission. GDP per capita, ECI, and livestock population enhance the GHG emission whereas square of GDP per capita and ecological balance decline the environmental degradation. The paper demonstrates that the environmental Kuznets curve is valid and supports the literature. Lastly, the RS estimation results reveal that the livestock population is causing higher GHG emissions for all countries in the analysis, contrary to other independent variables. Governments should promote carbon-neutral meat production facilities instead of traditional beef farms to live in a more sustainable world. In the future, countries that invest in research and development (R&D) for less emission meat production will have a comparative advantage in the sustainable international meat market., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Abstract: Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was installed to replace the conventional anaerobic lagoon treating bagasse wash wastewater from agro-based pulp and paper mill, to generate bio-energy and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plant was designed to treat 12MLd−1 of wastewater having two 5ML capacity reactors, 5.75kgCODm−3 d−1 organic loading rate and 20h hydraulic retention time. In the plant 80–85% COD reduction was achieved with biogas production factor of 520Lkg−1 COD reduced. In 11 months 4.4 millionm3 of biogas was generated from bagasse wash wastewater utilizing UASB process. Utilization of the biogas in the Lime Kiln saved 2.14ML of furnace oil in 9 months. Besides significant economic benefits, furnace oil saving reduced 6.4GgCO2 emission from fossil fuel and conversion of the anaerobic lagoon into anaerobic reactor reduced 2.1Gg methane emission which is equal to 43.8Gg of CO2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of China Pulp & Paper is the property of China Pulp & Paper Magazines Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of the ornamental stone wastes, such as the originated from granite or marble, has been the subject of technological studies that evaluated its application in ceramic and cement materials; however, some complementary assessments, such as its life cycle assessment, are still not well explored in the literature. Therefore, the objective of this study was to discuss the main environmental impacts related to the manufacture of ceramic specimens, comparing conventional production versus the production of specimens incorporated with ornamental stone wastes. For this, the life cycle assessment was conducted in accordance with ISO 14.040 and 14.044. For this research, the ornamental stone wastes from the municipality of Cachoeiro do Itapemirim-ES and clay from the municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ were used. The system was modeled, using the SimaPro 9.0 software and the Ecoinvent database 3.3, for the life cycle assessment of the ceramic specimens and the potentiality regarding the use of ornamental stone wastes in ceramic materials using alternative input energy for burning, contributing to the effectiveness of the solid wastes reuse by the ceramic industry. The evaluation identified that the ornamental stone wastes incorporated into the ceramic specimens had significant potential in reducing environmental impacts and that the alternative input energy in burning stage makes them even more relevant. The study points out as the main result, the reduction of 35.74% of the impacts related to the category of the emission of greenhouse gases, and scarcity of mineral resources, 14.83% reduction, when compared to specimens to conventional brick production and alternative brick production, which emphasizes that the ceramic materials with wastes contribute to the mitigation of impacts., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The disastrous consequences of climate change for human life and environmental sustainability have drawn worldwide attention. Increased global warming is attributed to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity loss, and deforestation due to industrial output and huge consumption of fossil fuels. Financial inclusion can be acted as an adaptation or a mitigation measure for environmental degradation. This study analyzed the impact of financial inclusion on environmental degradation in OIC countries for the period 2004-2018. A novel approach, "Dynamic Common Correlated Effects (DCCE)" is used to tackle the problem of heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence (CSD). Various GHG emissions along with deforestation and ecological footprint are used as indicators of environmental degradation. Long-run estimation confirms that financial inclusion is positively and significantly linked with CO 2 emission, CH 4 emission, and deforestation while negatively correlated with ecological footprint and N 2 O emission in overall and higher-income OIC economies. An inverted U-shaped environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) is validated when ecological footprint, CO 2 , and CH 4 are used in all panels of OIC countries. An inverted U-shaped EKC is also observed for deforestation in lower-income and overall OIC countries. In the case of N 2 O emission, however, a U-shaped EKC appears in lower-income and overall OIC countries. It is suggested that the governments of OIC countries should continue to have easy access to financial services and maintain sustainable use of forests and biocapacity management to address environmental challenges., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The paper-recycling process of paper mills generates reject waste in the region of 525% of its raw material, depending on the recovered fiber quality and process used in the mill. We carried out an assessment of the paper industry's reject waste pellets (RWP) as a boiler fuel. Reject waste was identified by means of sorting. The pelletizing of paper mills' reject waste is a solidification process, as it is easier to store, handle, and transport solid waste. We analyzed the approximate calorific value and the sulphur content of reject waste pellets. The results showed that the components of reject waste are largely comprised of 51% fibers and 49% plastic. The plastic components of are dominated by the high density poly ethylene (HDPE) plastic type. RWP contains a lot of organic matter and has a high calorific value and low sulphur content, which gives it the potential of being used as fuel. Utilization of 10% RWP mixed with 90% coal as boiler fuel could reduce CO2 gas as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by about 9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most fundamental and prevalent agronomic practices, crop rotation is of great significance for the optimization of regional planting structure and sustainable agricultural development. Therefore, crop rotation has attracted continuous attention from both researchers and producers worldwide. In recent years, many review articles have been published in the field of crop rotation. However, since most reviews usually focus on specialized directions and topics, only few systematic quantitative reviews and comprehensive analysis can fully determine the state of research. To address this knowledge gap, we present a scientometric review to determine the current research status of crop rotation by using CiteSpace software. The main findings were as follows: (1) From 2000 to 2020, five knowledge domains were identified as representing the intellectual base of crop rotation: (a) synergism and comparison of conservation agriculture measures or other management measures; (b) soil microecology, pest control, weed control, and plant disease control; (c) soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions; (d) organic crop rotation and double cropping patterns; and (e) soil properties and crop productivity. (2) Six notable research fronts were identified: (a) plant-soil microbial interactions under crop rotation; (b) integrated effect with minimum soil disturbance and crop retention; (c) carbon sequestration and GHG emission reduction; (d) impact on weed control; (e) heterogeneity of rotation effects under different weather and soil conditions; and (f) comparison between long-term and short-term rotation. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive overview of crop rotation and proposes some future development trends for the researchers., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Due to the increasing emission of greenhouse gases and global warming, the development of renewable energy has become very important. The availability of fossil fuels and the low cost of their extraction compared to renewable energy projects reduce the motivation of countries, especially countries that have abundant natural resources, to develop this technology. Renewable energy deployment has become crucial in response to rising greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Policies supporting renewable energy play a significant role in this. This study examines the effect of such policies on the deployment of renewable energy technologies, considering the role of natural resources. Two groups of countries were analysed: 20 oil developed countries and 20 oil developing countries. Given the availability of data and the achievement of balanced panels to evaluate short-term and long-term relationships between variables, in current research Data from 2010 to 2020 was used, and various panel data estimators such as Feasible Generalized Least Squares and Generalized Method of Moments were employed. The Quantile estimator was also used to assess the accuracy of the results. The findings suggest that renewable energy policies consistently lead to increased deployment of renewable energy technologies, regardless of a country's group. Of course, this positive effect is different according to the level of development in countries. Due to the higher efficiency of renewable energy policy, developed oil countries have more capacity to support renewable energy projects than oil developing countries. The abundance of natural resources in oil developed countries did not negatively impact renewable energy capacity, but in oil developing countries, the "resource curse" hindered the development of installed renewable energy., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Agricultural activities contribute 7% to Sri Lanka's economy and account for 20% of the national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The country aims to achieve zero net emissions by 2060. This study was aimed at assessing the present state of agricultural emissions and identifying mitigation strategies. The assessment involved estimating agricultural net GHG emissions from non-mechanical sources in the Mahaweli H region, Sri Lanka, in 2018 using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2019) guidelines. New indicators were developed to measure emissions for major crops and livestock and used to show the flow of carbon and nitrogen. The region's agricultural emissions were estimated to be 162,318 t CO 2 eq y -1 , of which 48% was from rice field methane (CH 4 ) emissions, 32% from soil nitrogen oxide emissions, and 11% from livestock enteric CH 4 emissions. Biomass carbon accumulation offset 16% of the total emissions. Rice crops exhibited the highest emission intensity of 4.77 t CO 2 eq ha -1 y -1 , while coconut crop had the highest abatement potential of 15.58 t CO 2 eq ha -1 y -1 . Approximately 1.86% of the carbon input to the agricultural system was released as carbon-containing GHG (CO 2 and CH 4 ), whereas 1.18% of the nitrogen input was released as nitrous oxide. The findings of this study suggest extensive adaptations of agricultural carbon sequestration strategies and increased nitrogen use efficiency to achieve GHG mitigation targets. The emission intensity indicators derived from this study can be used for regional agricultural land use planning to maintain designated levels of emissions and implement low-emission farms., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints of oriented strand boards (OSB) have been gaining growing concern. China is one of the largest manufacturers and traders of OSB in the world. However, little data are available concerning the GHG footprint of Chinese OSB production. The purpose of this study is to quantify and compare the GHG footprints of three types of OSB produced in China. Cradle-to-gate GHG footprints assessment models were built for OSB according to PAS 2050 guidelines. The results showed that the cradle-to-gate GHG footprints of OSB/2, OSB/3, and OSB/4 were 142.7 kg CO 2 e/m 3 , 173.2 kg CO 2 e/m 3 , and 374.2 kg CO 2 e/m 3 , respectively. Raw material acquisition was the largest contributor to GHG footprint for three types of OSB (52.6~57.6%), followed by the production process of OSB (25.6~27.3%) and transportation (15.3~20.1%). The consumption of wood, MDI, electricity, and the transportation of wood were main emission hotspots in Chinese OSB production. Ultimately, four feasible GHG emission reduction measures were put forward from the perspective of reducing the usage of wood and MDI adhesive, decreasing the electricity consumption, and shortening the transport distance of wood., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Ecological sanitation combined with thermophilic composting is a viable option to transform human excreta into a stabilized, pathogen-free, and nutrient-rich fertilizer. In combination with suitable bulking materials such as sawdust and straw, and additives such as biochar, this could also be a suitable waste management strategy for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, we conducted a 143-days thermophilic composting of human excreta or cattle manure together with teff straw, organic waste, and biochar to investigate the effect that biochar has on GHG (CO 2 , N 2 O, and CH 4 ) and NH 3 emissions. The composting was performed in wooden boxes (1.5 × 1.5 × 1.4 m 3 ), GHG were measured by using a portable FTIR gas analyzer and NH 3 was sampled as ammonium in an H 2 SO 4 trap. We found that the addition of biochar significantly reduced CH 4 emissions by 91% in the cattle manure compost, and N 2 O emissions by 56%-57% in both humanure and cattle manure composts. Overall, non-CO 2 GHG emissions were reduced by 51%-71%. In contrast, we did not observe a significant biochar effect on CO 2 and NH 3 emissions. Previous data already showed that it is possible to sanitize human fecal material when using this composting method. Our results suggest that thermophilic composting with biochar addition is a safe and cost-effective waste management practice for producing a nutrient-rich fertilizer from human excreta, while reducing GHG emissions at the same time., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Environmental Quality published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.)

Biochar is one of the few nature-based technologies with potential to help achieve net-zero emissions agriculture. Such an outcome would involve the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from agroecosystems and optimization of soil organic carbon sequestration. Interest in biochar application is heightened by its several co-benefits. Several reviews summarized past investigations on biochar, but these reviews mostly included laboratory, greenhouse, and mesocosm experiments. A synthesis of field studies is lacking, especially from a climate change mitigation standpoint. Our objectives are to (1) synthesize advances in field-based studies that have examined the GHG mitigation capacity of soil application of biochar and (2) identify limitations of the technology and research priorities. Field studies, published before 2022, were reviewed. Biochar has variable effects on GHG emissions, ranging from decrease, increase, to no change. Across studies, biochar reduced emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) by 18% and methane (CH 4 ) by 3% but increased carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) by 1.9%. When biochar was combined with N-fertilizer, it reduced CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O emissions in 61%, 64%, and 84% of the observations, and biochar plus other amendments reduced emissions in 78%, 92%, and 85% of the observations, respectively. Biochar has shown potential to reduce GHG emissions from soils, but long-term studies are needed to address discrepancies in emissions and identify best practices (rate, depth, and frequency) of biochar application to agricultural soils., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Environmental Quality published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.)

Climate change and air pollution are critical challenges that humanity is currently facing. Understanding the sources of emissions released into the atmosphere is of great importance to evaluate the local footprint, the impacts of human activities, and the opportunities to develop and implement solutions to mitigate emissions and adapt to climate change particularly in vulnerable places like the Galapagos Islands. In this study, we present an anthropogenic emissions inventory for Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Isabela Islands in which emissions were spatially mapped for greenhouse gasses (GHGs) and primary pollutants (PP). Emissions were estimated for the energy stationary sources, energy mobile sources, waste, and other sectors, and emissions for 2019 were spatially distributed along with an uncertainty assessment. Results demonstrated that energy mobile sources which are aerial, terrestrial, and maritime transportation generated the most significant emissions in the Galapagos Islands in terms of PP and GHGs. In fact, maritime transportation was the highest one in 2019, at 41% of total CO 2 emissions for Galapagos, with the most predominant PP being NOx and CO. The aerial transportation made up 36% of emissions, and the electricity generation contributed 15%. Emissions from waste and other sectors comprise a smaller percentage relative to the rest of the emission sectors. These results highlight the strong dependency of the islands on fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation. Alternatives to mitigate and reduce emissions from the islands are discussed. This spatially mapped emissions inventory for the Galapagos Islands represents a powerful tool to make informed decisions to contribute to the long-term sustainability of the archipelago., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A lot has been discussed about the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the existing studies; the study on the club convergence of GHG emissions is limited particularly for the agriculture sector. This study tries to investigate the convergence hypothesis across 93 countries spanning 1980-2017. To examine the convergence hypothesis, we implement the novel Phillips and Sul test. Results obtained from this test show the evidence of divergence when we consider all 93 countries as a group. This implies that GHG emissions across the countries are following different convergence paths. To capture this, we further apply clustering algorithms and results show the existence of five clubs of convergence and one group stating the need for altering the policies at the club level to achieve a single steady state in GHG emissions. Moreover, our findings recommend that the mitigation policies should be considered in the presence of different clubs of regions with different convergence paths in terms of GHG emissions and account for the distributional effect of transfers across countries., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

• Land application of pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) was compared to landfilling. • Impact of each scenario on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions was assessed. • PPMS landfilling at pilot scale was a substantial source of GHG (N 2 O and CH 4). • Short-term emission factors from land application may be higher than from landfilling. • Long-term emission factors from landfilling could be the highest. Land application of pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) may replace landfilling in certain jurisdictions. However, the consequences of this change in management on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from PPMS are unknown. Land application may also entail temporary storage by landfilling due to a timing mismatch between PPMS production and application. We quantified direct GHG emissions from landfilled PPMS (pilot scale; N-rich and N-poor types) over two snow-free seasons, and after application of previously landfilled PPMS (LPPMS; < 6-month landfilled) to a clay loam soil cropped to wheat over one snow-free season. Landfilling of N-rich PPMS induced the highest GHG emission factor (EF; 0.26 Mg CO 2 -equivalent Mg−1 dry PPMS) and generated substantial N 2 O emissions (2% of landfilled N), which are neglected by the current assessment methods. Landfilling of N-rich PPMS also resulted in the highest CH 4 emissions (0.6% of landfilled C). Replacing urea with LPPMS to fulfill wheat N requirements did not change field N 2 O-N EFs (1.1–3.5% of applied N) and did not generate CH 4. Short-term (1–2 years) GHG (CO 2 -equivalent) EFs with landfilled N-rich PPMS were 0.54 to 4.48 times the EFs reported in the literature for land-applied PPMS. Long-term EF estimates suggest that landfilled PPMS may increase GHG emissions by up to three times compared to land application. Further research at the industrial scale is warranted to reduce uncertainty on GHG emissions from PPMS landfill sites, fulfill sustainable development goals and determine accurate carbon credits associated with changes in PPMS management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry, which provides cellulose pulp and paper, bio-based energy and chemicals, is one of the largest energy consumers, greenhouse gases (GHG) and pollutant emitters among manufacturing industries. Although the environmental impact of the pulp and paper industry has been extensively studied, life cycle assessment (LCA) results have not yet reached a consensus. By means of a systematic review and meta-analysis, this article contributes to the quantification and harmonization of the life cycle environmental impacts of pulp making and paper making systems. Based on the screening of 45 cases of paper making and 18 cases of pulp making, we found that 1 t of paper results in about 950 kg carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) equivalent (CO 2 -eq) GHG emissions on average. However, there are distinct differences between countries and pulp and paper categories. The dominant factor influencing GHG emissions is energy use. In paper making, the pulp making process is responsible for 62% of energy use, 45% of GHG emissions, 48% of acidification potential, and 49% of eutrophication potential. The kg CO 2 -eq emissions of three different types of pulp were as follows: Kraft, 508 kg CO 2 -eq/t; chemi-mechanical, 513 kg CO 2 -eq/t; and recycled pulp, 408 kg CO 2 -eq/t. Excluding emissions from electricity and steam production, the convergence of carbon emissions is observed within the same categories of pulp. Straw-based pulp caused far more environmental impact than any other type because of the intensive inputs in agricultural activities as well as in the pulp making process. This research highlighted the inconsistencies in functional units, system boundaries, and methodologies and carbon neutrality assumptions in different LCA studies of pulp and paper making. Future studies should focus on the environmental impact of straw-based pulp making, system boundary unification, and calculation of biogenic carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a compilation of research papers that explore the topics of Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts (PEDs). The papers cover a range of subjects including energy efficiency, renewable energy communities, smart urban management, and financial schemes for sustainable neighborhoods. The findings emphasize the importance of energy renovation, potential energy and financial savings, and the need for collaborative approaches and policy direction to achieve sustainable urban development. The papers also provide insights into innovative solutions and technological advancements that can contribute to the realization of carbon-neutral and sustainable cities. This document serves as a valuable resource for library patrons conducting research on energy efficiency and sustainable building practices. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the role of hydrogen and ammonia technology in promoting clean energy. Hydrogen is seen as a clean energy carrier that can help reduce air pollution. However, most hydrogen production still relies on natural gas, which leads to greenhouse gas emissions. Ammonia gas, which contains more hydrogen than hydrogen itself, is also being explored as a clean alternative to fossil fuels. There are challenges to overcome in transitioning to hydrogen technology, such as safety concerns and high production costs. Despite these challenges, there is increasing investment and commitment to integrating hydrogen into national energy strategies. The article also highlights the potential of green ammonia as a derivative of hydrogen for storage and transport, particularly in sectors where traditional battery storage is not feasible. Ongoing advancements in hydrogen production and the development of green ammonia offer promising opportunities for achieving a sustainable and clean energy future. [Extracted from the article]

This study explores the impact of environmental degradation on output volatility for eight South Asian economies over the time span 1971-2017. Environmental degradation is measured by CO 2 emissions, nitrous oxide (N 2 O), methane emissions (CH 4 ), greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and environmental pollutants index (EPI), whereas output volatility is constructed using a rolling window of five-year moving standard deviation. The results of cross-sectional dependence (CSD) tests indicate the presence of CSD among South Asian economies. For empirical analysis, second-generation panel time series approaches are employed. Also, the findings of panel unit root tests (URTs) signify that the variables are stationary at the first difference and have a long-run relationship. Westerlund cointegration test is used to assess the long-run relationship among the variables. Moreover, this study has used a fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and dynamic modified ordinary least square (DOLS) methods to examine the relationship between environmental degradation and output volatility. In the long run, all indicators of environmental degradation are positive and significant signaling the harmful effects of environmental degradation on output volatility. However, the impact of nitrous oxide is larger relative to other indicators used in the study. The outcome, therefore, suggests that promoting clean investment in nitric acid plants might help improve the environmental quality in the region which in turn fosters the process of economic stability.