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The application of anaerobic digestion is mounting worldwide because of its economic and environmental benefits. As a concern, the rate and extent of the anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill sludge was tested using the biochemical methane potential (BMP) with different food/microorganisms (F/M) ratio. The study was evaluated at five different F/M ratios (i.e. 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5). In addition to that reaction kinetics and the influence of biodegradability were also evaluated for the biomethane potential of substrates. The highest cumulative methane yield was obtained in F/M ratio 2.0 with 3.4 L followed by F/M ratio 1.5 and 2.5 with 3.3 L and 2.9 L, respectively. The maximum methane production rate 3.66 L CH 4 was perceived as per kinetics. The biomass activity may be affected due to the high substrate concentration during BMP test of lower F/M ratios. On the other hand, F/M ratio greater than 2.0, methane yield was decreased due to increased volatile fatty acid production reduces the reactor pH and inhibits methanogens activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited water supply of the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City has become a challenge for local companies. The region's aquifer is listed as closed due to pressure on the water supply as a result of growth in manufacturing as well as increased domestic water use. The environmental, economic and legal benefits of a cleaner production scenario studied were highly encouraging; implementation of cleaner technologies reduces water extraction by up to 16 times. While initial investment is high, the internal rate of return rate is approximately 35% per year, implying a three year return on initial investment. Under this scenario, the business complies with environmental regulations, avoiding great amounts of water extraction and future wastewater discharge, thus conserving this vital resource. This study proves what Silvo et al. (2009) states that In the longer run the combination of the Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control permit approach with other regulatory and voluntary policy instruments taking into account the results of system assessments such as Life Cycle Assessment could potentially produce eco-efficient solutions. Thus, for this industry, cleaner production pays off in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Product-oriented policies gain more and more attention in environmental policies. In this framework, we studied cases (here presented only housing and computers and paper) in a life cycle perspective in order to determine their environmental impacts (in terms of GHG emissions, resource use and waste production) over the period 1990–2010. We also evaluated their potential for improvement up to 2010 by applying product-oriented strategies. We identified clear technical (theoretical) potential for improvement, especially for housing, packaging and computers and paper in offices. We then carried out a Delphi-based survey among stakeholders in order to investigate potential measures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Environmental economics assumes that reliance on price signals, adjusted for externalities, normally leads to efficient solutions to environmental problems. We explore a limiting case, when market volatility created ‘mixed signals’: prices of waste paper and other recycled materials were suddenly extremely high in 1994–1995, then plummeted back to traditional low levels in 1996. These rapid reversals resulted in substantial economic and political costs. A review of academic and business literature suggests six possible explanations for abrupt price spikes. An econometric analysis of the prices of wood pulp and waste paper shows that factor which explained price changes in 1983–1993 contribute very little to understanding the subsequent price spike. From the econometric analysis and from other sources, we conclude that speculation must have played a major role in the price spike, perhaps in combination with modest effects from changes in government policy and in export demand. If speculatively driven price spikes can disrupt an environmentally important industry such as recycling, what is the appropriate role for public policy? When price volatility is sufficiently disruptive, then measures to control or stabilize prices, rather than interfering with the market, might help to make it more efficient. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Internalizing environmental costs is a necessary condition for an effective environmental policy. Since the majority of socio-economic activities cannot be free of environmental impacts, the noninternalized (external) environmental costs impose a peculiar thievery of welfare. Charging environmental costs through environmental taxes and other economic instruments is a necessary condition for avoiding welfare thievery. In this context, the anti-tax approaches emerging within ecological economics are found to be misleading and directing away from an effective environmental policy. Environmental responsibility is a different issue from the charging of the environmental costs. Therefore, environmental taxes should not be considered as an induction to less environmental responsibility and, hence, to environmental degradation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents research performed on set-based multi-criteria optimization for the preliminary design of slab frame bridges. As a result of immense CO2 emissions emerging from concrete production, there is a need for optimization methods decreasing the volume of concrete without affecting the function of the structure. Previous research suggests a general correlation between CO2 footprint- and cost reduction, due to minimized material use. However, the aspect of buildability may conflict with lessened material, as optimized designs might simultaneously be less buildable. This research aimed to develop an optimization method with respect to the investment cost and environmental impact while also considering buildability cost aspects. The optimization algorithm shows the possibilities of reducing the environmental impact by up to 13.7% for a slightly increased cost of 2.3%. Thus, by implementing optimization procedures in the early stages of the planning process the holistic cost effects related to green solutions can be presented, favoring the choice of sustainable designs amongst clients during tendering procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing awareness of the need to enhance environmental performance resonates across various industrial sectors. However, efforts toward sustainability remain inadequate, especially given the pressing issue of Climate Change. To address this, this paper introduces a novel preliminary approach grounded in Lean Thinking principles, featuring a structured three-step process enhanced with visual tools. Step one involves pinpointing the green sustainability measures and their deployment locations, facilitating the identification of urgent actions. Step two delves into identifying potential barriers that could hinder measure adoption, resulting in a refined set of implementable actions for greater improvements. Finally, in the third step, we select and prioritize the most viable measures, accounting for case-specific factors like costs and their impact on environmental performance. This study culminates in a real-world application within a luxury plywood production company, illustrating the framework's ability to align environmental objectives with economic success by avoiding unprofitable choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the changes in energy structure and system configuration, the uncertainty on both the supply and demand sides of the power system will significantly increase. The approach of increasing reserves to cope with the uncertainty is becoming unsustainable both technically and economically. It is necessary to accurately characterize system flexibility and propose flexibility-oriented dispatching optimization strategies. Based on this, this paper conducts research on the evaluation system for flexibility supply-demand balance and the coordinated optimization dispatch strategy of generation-load-storage resources. Firstly, a flexibility demand-supply balance evaluation system is proposed, which covers the quantification of flexibility demand, the quantification of flexibility supply capability, and the design of flexibility metrics. Secondly, a two-stage optimization dispatching model for generation-load-storage resources is constructed. In stage 1, the optimization obtains the operating power of generation, load and storage resources to meet the load demand, while in stage 2, the flexibility supply potential is considered to optimize the redispatch power of the flexibility resources to meet the flexibility demand. Finally, simulations are conducted in a typical industrial park with generation, load, and storage resources, and the results show: 1) The quantification of flexibility demand based on the polytope form is more accurate, ensuring that the obtained flexibility supply-demand balance evaluation results can effectively support system flexibility dispatching; 2) Compared with the traditional dispatching strategy that consider reserve capacity, the operational cost of the dispatching strategy considering flexibility supply-demand characteristics in this paper decreased by 3.31%, environmental costs decreased by 4.56%, and the penalty cost for flexibility deficiency decreased by 17.37%. The research results can leverage the synergistic effect of generation -load-storage resources, achieving a scientific balance between the economy, low-carbon, and adequacy of the generation-load-storage system, and provide a scientific approach for considering flexible supply-demand balance in the power system dispatching, supporting the stable and sustainable operation of the high-penetration new energy system. • A comprehensive evaluation system for flexible supply-demand balance is designed; • The flexibility demand quantification model based on the polytope form is constructed; • A two-stage coordinated optimization dispatching model for generation-load-storage resources is constructed; • The two-stage dispatching power and costs of the generation-load-storage resources in 24 period are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing global energy demand and limited production of conventional crude oil, the extraction of unconventional heavy and extra-heavy oil is receiving unprecedented attention. China is the fourth largest producer of heavy oil. High viscosity and complex formation environments increase the difficulty of exploiting heavy oil. To alleviate the economic cost and environmental pollution pressure brought by heavy oil production, China has achieved significant advancement in the innovation of heavy oil recovery, including accelerating the transformation of thermal technology to non-thermal technology and the use of new energy technology to achieve the goal of low-carbon economy and green environmental protection. Based on the background of heavy oil in China, this paper recharacterizes the high-viscosity mechanism of heavy oil. From different aspects, including basic principles, main characteristics, applicability, limitations, and challenges, this paper comprehensively reviews existing heavy oil recovery technologies, including thermal recovery, in-situ upgrading, cold recovery, and new energy technologies. Currently, in China, the main target of heavy oil recovery is achieving the "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" goals, which can be described as low energy consumption, low emission, and low pollution. To facilitate the low-carbon transition in the extraction of heavy/extra-heavy oil and attain environmental sustainability goals, it is essential to increase the proportion of non-thermal factors in thermal recovery technologies, develop efficient in-situ catalysts, adopt clean cold extraction techniques, and advance the development of new energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Propose an end-of-use condition estimation method based on reliability and warranty policy. • Present a two-stage optimization model for the Re -X decision-making problem. • Develop a condition-based end-of-use processing policy under demand uncertainty. • Reduce lifecycle cost and environmental impact for product family. • Demonstrate the methodology with case study and result analysis. The concept of circular economy has been diffused in recent decades to promote economic growth that does not add to the burden on natural resource extraction. Re -X options (e.g., reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, recycle) have been gradually adopted in the product development process and optimized to reduce or eliminate waste and pollution. Although manufacturing incorporating Re -X options can be more environmentally friendly, it involves more sources of uncertainty than traditional manufacturing since the end-of-use products can be collected from multiple origins with various quantities and qualities, and the market demand for both new and remanufactured products cannot be forecasted perfectly. Thus, there is a need to optimize the Re -X policy to alleviate the negative impacts of the higher uncertainty. One option is using the reliability information of new products to estimate the end-of-use conditions and applying multi-stage stochastic optimization to capture multiple demand scenarios. This paper develops a two-stage stochastic optimization model to optimize the quality thresholds for reuse, recycling, and remanufacturing options. Our objective is to minimize the total cost, energy consumption, and environmental impact of producing and providing warranty service for a product family. The model employs reliability information of product components to estimate the warranty service cost and the end-of-use conditions of the returned resources. A case study on a general product family is implemented to illustrate the efficacy of the optimization model. Results show that the two-stage optimization can achieve cost and environmental impact reduction for a hybrid manufacturing and remanufacturing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Incinerator can be optimized without new investment by changing its operation setup. • Waste composition determines energy balance, cost and environmental impact. • Steady-state termination saves time and results reliable solutions in optimization. • Parameter sensitivity differs for economic, efficiency and environmental aspect. This paper presents a multi-objective optimization (MOO) of waste-to-energy (WtE) to investigate optimized solutions for thermal, economic, and environmental objectives. These objectives are represented by net efficiency, total cost in treating waste, and environmental impact. Integration of the environmental objective is conducted using life cycle assessment (LCA) with endpoint single score method covering direct combustion, reagent production and infrastructure, ash management, and energy recovery. Initial net efficiency of the plant was 16.27% whereas the cost and environmental impacts were 75.63 €/ton-waste and −1.21 × 108 Pt/ton-waste, respectively. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is applied to maximize efficiency, minimize cost, and minimize environmental impact. Highest improvement for single objective is about 13.4%, 10.3%, and 14.8% for thermal, economic, and environmental, respectively. These improvements cannot be made at once since the objectives are conflicting. These findings highlight the significance role of decision makers in assigning weight to each objective function to obtain the optimal solution. The study also reveals different influence among decision variable, waste input, and marginal energy sources. Finally, this paper underlines the versatility of using MOO to improve WtE performance regarding the thermal, economic, and environmental aspects without requiring additional investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GHG emissions of Arctic LNG transportation are estimated. • Emissions related environmental costs are accounted. • Unit cost of LNG transportation via Northern Sea Route is estimated. • LNG may be the most efficient fuel in total cost saving and emission reduction. • Policy suggestions for energy use on Arctic routes have been recommended. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) might be a promising route for LNG transportation from the LNG plants in Russia's Yamal Peninsula to Northeast Asia countries with significant savings in sailing distance and time compared to traditional Suez Canal Route (SCR). However, surging transportation activities along NSR might harm the environment with the greenhouse gas (GHG) and atmospheric pollutant emissions. Little research has been done to investigate the environmental and techno-economic potential of transporting LNG via NSR. Furthermore, this paper analyses the relevance of an Arc4 ice-class vessel, not currently used for this route. This paper targets to address the question that how much GHGs and atmospheric pollutants does a carrier emit and how is the feasibility of different fuel types for the summer and winter transportation considering environmental impacts. An environmental and techno-economic model quantifying the emissions and total costs have been developed and 3 scenarios of using different fuel types (HFO, MDO, LNG) are proposed to investigate the environmental and economic performances in summer and winter respectively. Our results reveal that the unit cost of transporting LNG via NSR is around 90 U.S. $ cents/GJ in summer and 120 $ cents/GJ in winter considering environmental cost. The findings also show that in the short run when regardless of environmental cost, HFO is still the preferable option for ships by its competitive cost. While when considering the environmental cost, LNG has better economic and environmental performance than other fuel types. So, for the long run, LNG might be encouraged to be the main fuel used in Arctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable microgrid is a feasible approach to handle environmental impacts and satisfy customer demand due to its economic, environmental, and social benefits. Due to the high initial investment cost, the installation rate of microgrids has been limited. Various studies investigated the influence of government subsidies on sustainable microgrid design to increase the installation rate. However, the effect of government subsidies, financial factors, and elasticity coefficient of demand under peer-to-peer energy trading has not been explored in the current sustainable microgrids design literature. To overcome this limitation, this paper investigates the sustainable microgrid design problem to simultaneously consider the effect of government subsidies, peer-to-peer energy trading, time value of money, elasticity coefficient of demand, and uncertainties. The objectives are to maximize total profit and minimize the total environmental cost to satisfy electric energy demand. Fuzzy multi-objective programming is applied to determine the optimal decisions on the number, location, type of renewable energy, the capacity of renewable distributed generation sources, electricity flows, price for selling electricity to demand areas and P2P energy trading, and government subsidy rates. A genetic algorithm and its hybrid versions to include tabu search and simulated annealing are then used to solve the proposed model. Numerical experiments used to evaluate the performance of the proposed model and algorithms show that the proposed genetic algorithm is most effective in maximizing total profit and minimizing environmental cost. Computational results demonstrate that on average, the inclusion of the peer-to-peer trading and government subsidies in the proposed model increases total profit by 13.23% and reduces total environmental cost by 6.29%. [Display omitted] • Sustainable microgrid design problem under impacted factors is investigated. • The effect of government subsidies and peer-to-peer energy trading are assessed. • Economic, environmental, and social objectives are considered under impacted factors. • Fuzzy multi-objective programming model is developed to handle the uncertainty. • Genetic algorithm and its hybrid versions are used to solve the propose model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While previous studies have pointed to their economic significance, terminal operations are frequently ignored in transport appraisal and policy analysis. This paper develops a generic model framework for estimating noise emissions from container terminal operations to derive key metrics for port policy analysis. A novel microeconomic production model that accommodates basic acoustics is proposed. Based thereon, abatement costs are derived using optimization and marginal external costs and efficiency scores are estimated using panel data frontier estimation. The virtues of the modeling approach are illustrated using noise meter readouts combined with port activity and meteorological data from the port of Oslo, Norway. • Fills research gap regarding marginal external noise costs of terminal operations. • First treatment of non-material pollutants in environmental production analysis. • Development of a generic production analysis framework for noise pollution. • Empirical analysis of container handling within the port of Oslo, Norway. • Estimation of marginal external and abatement costs and environmental efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Artisanal and small-scale mining has both positive benefits and negative costs. • Mapping impacts of ASM on to the SDGs shows the positive and negative contributions it can have to achieving these goals. • Valuing ecological, economic and social impacts of ASM in Guyana shows the value the industry can have to the country. The artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector in Guyana has, over the last decade, become the main engine for economic growth, the key source of foreign exchange and a vital source of employment across the country. It has therefore served as a vital driver in alleviating poverty and helping the country to make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relating to poverty and economic growth. At the same time, however, the sector has contributed to significant levels of deforestation and water pollution, threatening progress on other SDGs. In this paper we develop a framework that allows an evaluation of the impact of the sector upon progress towards a variety of the relevant SDGS and their accompanying targets and indicators. We extend this framework by presenting valuations of the environmental and social impacts from the ASM sector and compare this to the economic benefit from the sector in terms of contribution to GDP, foreign exchange, taxation and indirect employment benefits, allowing us to understand the trade-offs involved in the use of the ASM sector as a tool for achieving the SDGs. Our assessment shows prominent economic benefits crucial for the country to achieve the economic related SDG targets but at a significant social and environmental cost that will hinder the country achieving the social and ecological SDG targets. The framework presented in this paper can thus be used to identify policy areas that need prioritizing in order to address the social and ecological costs associated with ASM whilst maintaining and possibly improving the economic prosperity it provides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we develop a modified production model to calculate changes in pollution abatement costs (PAC) when both data on bad outputs and information on the inputs assigned to pollution abatement activities are not available. To calculate the PAC of reducing bad output, we introduce a measure that captures variation in the abatement intensity of technologies used to reduce water discharges. We then decompose the change in PAC into three components to identify their relative contribution to changes in PAC: (1) changes in the level of inputs, (2) changes in pollution abatement intensity, and (3) technological change. We demonstrate how to calculate PAC and these three components using data from 1997 to 2007 on a sample of pulp mills required to comply with the effluent limits for dioxin set by the U.S. EPA's Cluster Rule. We find regulation-induced technological change is consistently associated with declining PAC, while both changes in inputs and abatement intensity are associated with increasing PAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disciplines of environmental and resource economics have been developed over decades as a substantial specialisation of economic theory and application. Environmental economics evaluates environmental goods while resource economics analyses scarce resource allocation. Given that climate change, biodiversity loss, water crisis and other aspects of environmental change are clearly evident to society, it is only natural that economists should also focus on economic sustainability. Therefore, nowadays environmental economics has become a more integrated sustainability science with a focus on resources and resource productivity and the part it plays in the circular economy. In this paper then, we consider recent developments of stock measures of capital, where investment plays a key role. Then, we introduce this special issue development and how policy and investments interact with the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using cutting fluids has the potential to increase tool life and workpiece quality by reducing loads during cutting. However, cutting fluids lead to additional costs and environmental impacts. To effectively utilise cutting fluids, it is important to gain insights into their working mechanisms, in particular via direct observations of the tribology at the contact surfaces. This paper presents methods to investigate lubrication in cutting, focusing on a new approach for accessing the distribution of cutting fluids at the tool's rake face. This technique of visualising a lubricating film between chip and rake face allows to deeply understand tribological effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) can produce either hydrogen or accumulate PHB. • PHB production depends on the pH, high C/N ratios, and N, S, P, limitation. • An excess of carbon from acetate or butyrate favors PHB production. • R. sphaeroides and R. capsulatus accumulate more PHB than other PNSB. • Wastewater and consortia are recommended to reduce economic costs. Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB), most commonly called photobacteria, are a group of photoheterotrophic bacteria well known for their ability to produce hydrogen while degrading several carbon substrates, such as organic acids and carbohydrates, as well as organic matter in wastewater and effluents from other processes, such as dark fermentation. Given that this group of photobacteria is also capable of accumulating polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) as a storage compound, this review paper aims to present and discuss the different operational and nutritional conditions reported in the literature that favor PHB production by PNSB in order to guide the process conditions that should be used. A comparison of the accumulated PHB content among different PNSB strains on several carbon and nitrogen sources and concentrations is also outlined. This paper also addresses some future perspectives for PHB production, such as the use of wastewater as a substrate and mixed cultures to reduce economic costs and the environmental impact and make the PHB production process more profitable, sustainable and attractive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The AA is used to represent the uncertainty of DGs and loads, which significantly avoids the interval overestimation problem. • The AA power flow calculation is implemented to obtain the affine value of network loss. It facilitates the solution of multi-objective uncertainty optimization. • A multi-objective interval decision-making model and bi-layer optimization method based on D-S ET and GA is proposed. • GA is used as an outer layer optimization and the ET method is used as the inner layer optimization to guide the evolution direction of GA in the outer layer. • The paper considers (1) the weights of decision makers, (2) the uncertainty of DGs and load (3) the penetration of DGs. Many efforts on distributed generation (DG) allocation are based on deterministic methods in previous studies. However, the influence of stochastic fluctuation characteristics of DGs and loads is enormous. Therefore, affine arithmetic (AA) is used to represent the uncertainty, and a multi-objective uncertainty optimization model for DG allocation with minimum investment cost, highest income, lowest environmental cost, and minimal network loss is built in this paper. Then multi-objective interval decision-making and bi-layer optimization method based on D-S evidence theory (ET) and genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to achieve the optimal allocation of DGs. In the proposed method, GA is used as an outer layer optimization for multi-point searches to generate different allocation schemes. Moreover, the ET method is employed as the inner layer to evaluate the candidate allocation schemes which from the outer layer optimization. Also, the ET method guides the evolution direction of GA in the outer layer. For validating the effectiveness and performance, the proposed method is applied to a typical 33-bus distribution system. The comparison with the existing TOPSIS method demonstrates the advantages when handling the uncertainty of the proposed method and achieves a more robust optimal solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the costs and benefits associated with microgrid development relative to the costs and benefits of conventional generation interconnected to a bulk transmission and distribution grid. The costs and benefits are classified as: environmental (avoided environmental damage costs); economic (mainly employment multiplier effects); deferral or avoidance of transmission and distribution investment costs; and greater access to electricity supply that is highly reliable and resilient. Deficiencies due to the lack of relevant available data and of research on economic modeling of microgrids at the societal level are discussed. The context in which these costs and benefits are measured is the Israeli electricity market, which features a highly centralized, vertically integrated electricity company (Israel Electric Corporation, IEC) with some legacy distribution companies. Moreover, because Israel's transmission and distribution infrastructure investment have declined significantly over the past several years, the Israeli market provides a useful basis for analyses of microgrids as an alternative to such large-scale investments. The analysis reveals that under reasonable assumptions reflecting the current state of microgrid technologies, microgrids may constitute a viable, cost-effective alternative to additional central- station generation requiring new investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure. Specifically, using reasonable assumptions regarding 10-MW incremental investments in a microgrid and in central-station generation with necessary transmission and distribution investments, the analysis indicates that, when considering the reliability, T&D investment deferral, local economic, environmental, and social costs and benefits of each alternative, the net benefits to the Israeli economy from selecting the incremental 10-MW investment in a representative Israeli microgrid may exceed $13,000,000 per year. However, when local economic benefits are not considered, the net benefits decline to approximately $260,000 per year. For perspective, generation capacity additions by the Israel Electric Corporation have averaged 166 MW from 2008 through 2018, reaching 13,775 MW of installed capacity by the end of 2018. Total annual capital investment has averaged approximately $1 billion since 2015, about $400 million of which has been in the generation sector. The paper concludes with future research directions, with an emphasis on integrating engineering analysis, scenario simulation, flexibility, and quantifying social/equity ("fairness") effects of microgrids. • Sustainability multi-criteria evaluation for microgrid deployment is proposed. • Environmental, economic and social costs and benefits are evaluated for microgrids. • Microgrids are cost-effective alternative to central-station generation in Israel. • Net benefits to the Israeli economy may exceed $13 million per year. • If economic multiplier benefits not considered, net benefits are around $260 thousand per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study investigates the environmental efficiency and shadow price of China's chemical sector. • Increased environmental regulation have substantial effect on environmental efficiency. • Estimated shadow prices show an increasing trend, especially after 2006. The chemical industry is a key energy-consuming sector in China. This paper aims to examine total-factor green growth performance, including energy efficiency and carbon shadow price of China's chemical sector from 1980 to 2013. On the basis of no-radial directional distance function, this paper takes into account both desirable and undesirable outputs. To investigate policy effects, we check the Granger causality test between shadow prices of emission and total-factor green energy efficiency. The results demonstrate that increased environmental regulation costs have substantial effect on total-factor green energy efficiency of the chemical industry in the last decade. The latter also causes significant improvement of the former. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This paper presents a critical review on sustainable 3D printing concrete (3DPC). • The performance of 3DPC based on recycled aggregate and fibre is investigated. • Effect of fibre on mechanical and anisotropic properties of 3DPC is evaluated. • Structural behaviour, environmental impact and cost of 3D printed strucrure is given. This paper presents a critical review of reducing the life-cycle environmental impact of 3D printing concrete (3DPC) systems from the perspectives of material preparation, construction process and structure level. The material requirements of 3DPC are first introduced, then the utilization of low-carbon cementitious materials, recycled aggregates, admixture and fibres in 3DPC is explored, along with their effect on workability and mechanical property. The potential for improving the environmental benefits by applying better design and printing parameters are discussed in the subsequent part. Two main delivery systems and the effect of printing parameters (including printing speed, standoff distance) are presented. Finally, the behaviour of 3D printing components (beam, slab and column) is examined at the structural level. 3D printing technology has a high degree of freedom, thus better understanding of the component behaviour can save materials and improve strength. Finding a balance between component's performance and environmental impact is a crucial work in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the regional production restriction policy in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas (BTH2+26) -- Chinese off-peak production (COPP) policy in heating season from 2017 -- as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper adopts the DID method to explore how the COPP policy impacts firms' green transition from the dual perspective of pollutant emissions reduction and efficiency gains and its internal mechanism. The results show that: (1) The COPP policy can significantly reduce air pollutant emissions without decreasing the TFP of Chinese heavy-polluting listed companies in BTH2+26. (2) Mechanism analysis find that the COPP policy can achieve firms' green transition that combined emission reduction and efficiency gains, which is due to the promotion effect of technological innovation activities and the reduction effect of environmental costs. (3) Further analysis shows that the COPP policy on the innovation output ability of Chinese heavy-polluting companies in BTH2+26 is greater than that on the innovation input ability. (4) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the COPP policy has a more significant promoting effect on the green transition of private enterprises. Our paper can provide empirical evidence and policy recommendation for the Chinese government to promote pollution control in specific regions. • The COPP significantly reduces pollution without reducing the productivity of Chinese heavy-polluting enterprises. • The COPP affects the innovation output ability of Chinese heavy-polluting enterprises is greater than input. • The COPP mainly affects the TFP of enterprises by promoting green innovation and improving environmental cost efficiency. • The COPP can promote the TFP of non-state-owned enterprises more than that of state-owned enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The additive manufacturing (AM) paradigm, especially in the distributed manufacturing setting, is a novel paradigm that can bring production of components closer to the consumers, at potentially lower economic and environmental costs. In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of AM with conventional manufacturing (CM) from the energy consumption perspective to assess under what conditions AM is better—a key gap in the area. Leveraging an energy consumption survey between CM and AM supply chains, this paper analyzes the significance of transportation in a cradle-to-gate partial life cycle analysis. Though the decentralization of AM has been discussed in energy consumption assessments, it has not been discussed in terms of how the distributed components and their transportation would affect the two supply chains' scenarios. This gap motivated this research to conduct energy efficiency assessment of AM and its comparison with CM in a distributed supply chain. Our analysis showed that transportation contributed 3x to 4.5x increase in the overall energy impact in CM compared to corresponding transportation in the AM setting. In effect, from our analysis, for every three CM parts, the transportation energy consumption approximately equaled the energy needed to manufacture one similar part in AM. Our analysis leverages the solid-to-envelope ratio "α", defined as the volume of solid material within a part's envelope. Based on our analysis, AM would be the preferred production method for α values falling within the range of 0.08–0.22 (8–22% of raw material efficiency in CM). Hence part geometry, where AM has greater potential for energy savings by reduction in the amount of material waste, is a good indicator for using AM over CM for energy efficiency. We also discuss several future directions for better assessment of AM versus CM under different settings and upcoming innovations such as Industry 4.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The transition to renewable energies is a multidimensional process. • Experience curves illustrate the need for an initial market to reduce costs. • Regulatory measures and economic instruments are necessary in the initial stages. • Legal and institutional framework is of great importance in the transition process. • Social acceptance is a very prominent factor in the renewable energy diffusion process. Fossil fuels are dominating the market and presenting a serious peril to the climate and the ecosystem. Hence, achieving sustainable development requires the development of new sources of energy that are clean and non-exhaustible. However, the transition to green energies is a gradual, complicated, and onerous proceeding that encompasses multiple stakeholders and dimensions. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze how the transition to renewable energies was addressed in the literature in order to identify all aspects and features of this complicated process. This analysis will be of great interest by allowing the comprehension and the concretization of such a complicated and multi-dimensional process. Although technical factors are prominent, the economic, institutional, social, and even psychological aspects of the transition to renewable energies should not be neglected. All these aspects are at the heart of environmental economics, institutional economics, and the psychosocial approach which will be detailed in the current review paper. We will present a different and new classification that encompasses almost all existing studies. In fact, we will classify research studies into five categories: the experience curve approach, the innovation diffusion approach, the environmental economics approach, the institutional economics approach, and the psychosocial approach. Moreover, we will try to analyze in-depth the advantages and limitations of each approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exergy-based methods consist of at least an exergetic analysis, which can be combined with an economic analysis and a life cycle assessment in order to evaluate and improve energy-intensive processes. The author coined the term exergoeconomics in 1984 to replace the term thermoeconomics when exergy costing is used in the combination of an exergetic analysis with a cost analysis and to emphasize the role of exergy in the efforts to reduce the product cost. He also developed a general exergoeconomic methodology based on exergy-based variables and on appropriate definitions of the "product" and "fuel" for each component of an energy conversion system. These definitions and the application of exergoeconomics were generalized by A. Lazzaretto and the author in 2006 in an approach based on specific costs (SPECO approach). L. Meyer and the author coined the term exergoenvironmental analysis in 2009 for the combination of an exergy analysis with a life-cycle analysis when exergy is used to assign environmental impacts to streams. An exergoenvironmental analysis uses the methodological background of exergoeconomic methods. Starting in 2002, to reduce the limitations of the conventional exergy-based methods, and to facilitate system optimization, the author, and later in cooperation with T. Morosuk and co-workers at TU Berlin, developed the advanced exergy-based methods, which are based on the notion that the inefficiencies (exergy destruction and exergy loss), the costs, and the environmental impacts can be split into avoidable/unavoidable and endogenous/exogenous parts, to improve understanding of the formation process of inefficiencies, costs and environmental impacts within an energy conversion system. As often happens, after their introduction, all the above terms and methods have been misused and misinterpreted by some other authors. This paper briefly reviews past contributions by the author and some other exergy practitioners and discusses future developments. It concludes, that the advanced exergy-based methods need further development to be generalized, and integrated and to reduce their subjectivity in addition to the efforts and time required for their application. Development of appropriate software and shortcut methods will facilitate their use by researchers and engineers in industry and the application of exergy-based methods in energy-intensive industrial processes for multiobjective optimization purposes. • The most promising exergy-based methods are briefly reviewed. • Expected future developments are discussed. • More industrial applications are needed. • Misinterpretations and misuses of the methods limit their development. • The methods can be used to fairly apportion pollutants among countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread use of non-renewable energy has caused serious environmental problems such as global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels. Hydrogen, as a well-known carbon-free gaseous fuel, has become the most promising energy carrier for future energy. Hydrogen has an excellent mass-basis calorific value and no carbon atom contained, which makes it to be an attractive fuel for various power devices (like the internal combustion engine, gas turbine, and fuel cell). Nowadays, the production of hydrogen is still predominated by fossil-based techniques, which is considered undesirable due to low conversion efficiency and release of greenhouse gases. It is necessary to find green and sustainable hydrogen production routes with low energy consumption and cost. In this paper, the different hydrogen production technologies via fossil routes or non-fossil routes are reviewed in general, and it is found that bio-hydrogen production has certain environmental advantages and broad prospects compared with other hydrogen production technologies. Then, the characteristics and research status of different bio-hydrogen production technologies are discussed in depth. It is found that each bio-hydrogen production technique has its own advantages, challenges, and applicability. The economic analysis of bio-hydrogen energy is also performed from the aspects of production, storage, and transportation. The results show that bio-hydrogen production technology could be a good possibility way for producing renewable hydrogen, which is of high efficiency and thus competitive over other hydrogen production methods both in economics and environmental benefits. [Display omitted] • Renewable hydrogen production is crucial to achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. • Bio-hydrogen production is of reliable stability, decent efficiency and high generation rate. • Chemical hydrogen storage shows the advantages of high efficiency and low environmental impact. • Promising prospects are expected by incorporating biomass technology into hydrogen utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Assessment of solid–liquid separation techniques applied to three digestate types. • Analysis of climate impact, energy use, and cost of digestate management scenarios. • Climate impact mainly from field application of end products and storage. • Treatment of liquid fraction has a major effect on climate impact and cost. • Integrated approach to support decision making for higher sustainability of biogas sector. In this paper, we performed technology assessment and systems analysis of primary digestate processing techniques to provide a comprehensive analysis of their environmental and cost performance. We compiled more than 100 observations from large-scale biogas plants and considered digestate based on manure, crops and agro-wastes, and food waste under the geographical contexts of Sweden and Belgium. Centrifuge, screw press, and rotary drum were identified as suitable primary processing techniques. We analyzed the climate impact, energy use, and operational cost of digestate management under these scenarios: no processing , partial processing (solid–liquid separation) and full processing (solid–liquid separation followed by ammonia stripping). As expected, the suitable digestate processing varied with the context, transport was often the most critical cost factor, and emissions from storage reduced the climate savings from the use of biofertilizers. However, treating liquid fraction became a main contributor to cost and climate impact under the Belgian conditions. Consequently, the possibility for local application of liquid fraction as biofertilizer could prevent costs and impacts associated with its further treatment. The main novelty of this work is in its integrative and comprehensive approach toward the choices and impacts of primary processing of digestate. We tried to bridge many individual case studies, drew from experiences of biogas plants in different geographical contexts, assessed suitable processing techniques for different digestate types, and analyzed the environmental impacts and cost of digestate management from a life cycle perspective. We believe that such integrated approaches would help decision-making for increased sustainability of the biogas sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as due to the rapidly increasing use of renewable energy sources in the electricity generation over the last years, interest in hydrogen is rising again. Hydrogen can be used as a storage for renewable energy balancing the whole energy systems, and contributing to the decarbonization of the energy system, especially of the industry and the transport sector. The major objective of this paper is to discuss various ways of hydrogen production depending on the primary energy sources used. Moreover, the economic and environmental performance of three major hydrogen colors, as well as major barriers for faster deployment in fuel cell vehicles, are analyzed. The major conclusion is that the full environmental benefits of hydrogen use are highly dependent on the hydrogen production methods and primary sources used. Only green hydrogen with electricity from wind, PV and hydro has truly low emissions. All other sources like blue hydrogen with CCUS or electrolysis using the electricity grid have substantially higher emissions, coming close to grey hydrogen production. Another conclusion is that it is important to introduce an international market for hydrogen to lower costs and to produce hydrogen where conditions are best. Finally, the major open question remaining is whether – including all external costs of all energy carriers, hydrogen of any color may become economically competitive in any sector of the energy system. The future success of hydrogen is very dependent on technological development and resulting cost reductions, as well as on future priorities and the corresponding policy framework. The policy framework should support the shift from grey to green hydrogen. • Technical, economics and environmental discussion on green hydrogen. • Different colors of hydrogen provide different environmental benefits. • To date, grey hydrogen production is still the most economical way to produce hydrogen. • With technological learning, costs for green hydrogen will substantially decrease. • Green hydrogen could support flexibility and decarbonization of the whole energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply chain effectiveness and general societal prosperity, as well as economic and ecological productivity will be highly affected in the next decades, entailing challenges for the supply chain and logistics sector. Thereby this sector plays a significant role within the transformation process of economic systems, yet the capacities of it remain up till now underestimated. This paper suggests a holistic approach to assess transformation potential of the supply chain and logistics sector towards more sustainable economic systems while defining innovative business strategies to meet future macroeconomic developments. This is achieved through an integrated assessment of production and consumption systems, considering the interests of the key stakeholders. Moreover, the paper combines advanced methods to develop future macroeconomic scenarios and to assess the strategic business opportunities of the supply chain and logistics sector addressing societal developments, e.g. new consumption patterns. The analysis relies on modern theories of Environmental and Ecological Economics, contributing to transformation theories. Moreover, the innovative role of supply chain and logistics management in achieving sustainable macroeconomic goals at regional and international levels is addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Utilization of renewable energy sources (RESs) has been increased due to economic-environmental aspects. However, uncertain nature of wind, solar power, market clearing price (MCP), and load complicates the energy management (EM) process of microgrids. This paper studies the EM problem of a grid-connected microgrid from the generating side's perspective. Firstly, the mathematical formulation of microgrid components including wind turbine (WT), photovoltaic (PV), micro turbine (MT), fuel cell (FC) and energy storage system (ESS) has been presented. An improved incentive-based demand response program (DRP) is applied to provide generation-consumption balance by modifying the load pattern. Considering the intra-day market in the formulation of EM is the first contribution of this paper. Furthermore, a new hybrid copula-scenario based uncertainty modeling technique has been presented in this paper. Formulating operational cost and environmental pollution as the objective functions, the proposed EM problem will be solved by multi-objective group search optimization (MOGSO) algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate the good performance of the proposed method in solving microgrid EM problem. Highlights • A new hybrid uncertainty modeling technique is proposed which combines copula function and scenario generation method. • The proposed method has generated conditional PDF for real and forecasted values using copula. • An equivalent weighted scenario is introduced. • Application of an improved incentive-based DRP in EMS of microgrid has been studied. • Microgrid EMS problem is solved in both intra-day and day-ahead markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper aims to shed light on the challenges and opportunities of promoting farmers' participation in agro-environmental programs at reasonable monetary cost in intensively used agricultural landscapes. On the one hand, the study assesses the costs of coordinating farmers for the implementation of the programs, as a complement or alternative to increasing the amount of land set aside for said programs. On the other hand, the paper responds to recent calls about the need to identify incentives other than monetary payments to promote farmers participation. Methodologically, the study consists of a choice experiment exploring the willingness of farmers in Germany, Switzerland, and Spain to participate in a tree planting measure. According to our findings, the resistance of farmers to participate in coordinated programs is not insurmountable and has to do with transaction costs as well as beliefs about other farmers' behavior. Similarly, having conservation programs recommended by farmers can encourage other farmers to participate. Finally, different conservation framings can affect the resistance of farmers to participate depending on the emphasis put on the environmental benefits that farmers obtain from the programs. Overall, the findings illustrate the interest of further integrating farmers in the design of agro-environmental schemes and, further testing the feasibility of coordinated schemes in light of the influence of both monetary and social incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural decline is an inevitable process as human society transforms from the agrarian to the urban-industrial economy, and further on to the knowledge economy. Through an extensive literature review, this paper aims to interpret why some rural areas decline while some others do not. The findings show that it is by the interactions between rural areas and the external environment that rural communities either grow, decline or even vanish. The paper emphasizes the necessity to improve rural communities' resilient capacity through adjusting their internal components' function and structure to survive the external changes. In this process, rural livelihood diversification, the creation of market oriented institutions and strong social capital are considered to enhance rural resilience and build up sustaining rural communities. Finally, three conditions for sustainable rural development in the knowledge economy are discussed: 1) development of new economic activities that can respond to potential urban demand; 2) local entrepreneurship that can establish and expand these new activities; and 3) social capital that can support the entrepreneurship in new activities with access to credits, labor, human capital, external markets and external knowledge for learning and innovation. • Rural decline is an inevitable phenomenon as human society transforms. • Interactions between rural areas and the external environment decide rural evolution. • Rural communities' resilient capacity must be enhanced against external challenges. • Collaboration within & between local actor groups is needed for rural revitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The objective of this paper is to understand how industrial symbiosis initiatives can contribute to the emergence of regional industrial ecosystems for sustainability transitions of local industrial production systems. We offer a conceptual framework that integrates industrial ecology literature and strategic niche management perspective from the sustainability transitions research field. The framework provides a conceptual foundation for analysing the individual industrial symbiosis initiatives and their aggregated contribution to the emergence of regional industrial ecosystems. Analytically, we conceptualise two different heuristic levels – the local industrial symbiosis experiments level and the regional industrial ecosystems niche level – which are interlinked through three niche processes. We represent the merits of our conceptualisation through a case study in an empirical setting where we selected a highly industrialised and rarely explored region; namely, the Autonomous Region of Catalonia in Spain. We identify and analyse eight industrial symbiosis initiatives that evolved during 18 years in the region. In the light of our conceptual framework, the results show that interlinked initiatives from the region have been gradually adding up to emerging regional industrial ecosystems. However, the region is still missing a broad regional network with articulated expectations and visions and shared cognitive, formal and normative rules. If emerging regional network provides support and protection for new initiatives, a regional culture change can be realised to achieve sustainability transition of local industrial production systems employing closed industrial production loops. The theoretical contribution of this paper is that we combine two different research streams that have not often learned from each other and we also develop a novel conceptual approach for ex-post evaluation of regional industrial ecosystem development. Moreover, our conceptual framework can be extended as a prescriptive management tool for planning and implementation of industrial symbiosis initiatives in Catalonia as well as in other regions. Highlights • Industrial ecology and sustainability transitions fields were integrated. • A conceptual framework building on the SNM processes was developed. • Eight industrial symbiosis initiatives from the same region were analysed. • Interlinked initiatives have gradually contributed to the regional niche level. • Results suggested continuous support and protection for the new initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sustainable business model innovation is about creating superior customer and firm value by addressing societal and environmental needs through the way business is done. Business models require intentional design if they are to deliver aspired sustainability impacts. Scant research has been done on 'ecologies' of different business models in order to understand and improve these and create positive impact on the environment, society, economy and other key stakeholders. Hence, in this paper a novel framework is presented to enable a systemic form of sustainable business model experimentation. The framework is based on the recognition of three key issues which have not yet been sufficiently incorporated in the literature on sustainable business models: construct clarity, boundary setting and uncertainty about outcomes. These concepts are discussed first. Building on earlier work, the resulting framework incorporates potential side-effects and boundary setting based on the concept of an 'ecology of business models'. Second, an approach is proposed that could stimulate more profound forms of sustainable business model innovation: The Ecology of Business Models Experimentation map. Third, the approach is illustrated through two cases. The approach could help minimise symbiotic dependency on less sustainable business models; help destroy unsustainable business models by outcompeting them; and maximise contributions to favourable institutional infrastructures for more sustainable business models. This paper contributes to research on sustainable business model innovation, design and experimentation by providing a potential approach for 'business model ecology redesign'. Highlights • 3 issues in sustainable business model design are identified: • Construct clarity, boundary setting and uncertainty about outcomes. • A framework to enable systemic business model experimentation is presented: • The Ecology of Business Models Experimentation (EBME) map. • The cases of THANKS and HOMIE are used to illustrate the EBME map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper deals with the efficiency of the 28 European Union (EU) Member States for the years 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 by employing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and directional distance function to tackle undesirable outputs. Eight parameters are used, namely municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, employment rate, capital formation, gross domestic product (GDP), population density and for the first time sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from the waste sector for the relevant countries. The innovation of this paper lies in the fact that both new parameters are taken into account and that diverse modelling techniques have been employed in terms of the outputs and inputs used. The empirical results obtained were bias corrected in order to get the correct efficiency scores for each country studied. Overall the most efficient countries were shown to be Germany, Ireland and the UK. These results were then reviewed against the recycling rate of each country for the examined time periods. The recycling rate actually depicts the DEA results, namely more efficient countries seem to have a higher recycling rate too. Moreover the DEA efficiency results were contrasted to the overall treatment options used in the countries under consideration. Overall it is noticed that countries employing all four treatment options with high use of more sustainable ones and decrease in the use of landfill are the ones that also proved to be efficient according to DEA. These results resemble the image of a financial crisis hit Europe which tried to take advantage of the more sustainable treatment options in order to achieve a transition to a circular economy, whereas the value of products, materials and resources needs to be maintained in the economy for as long as possible and the generation of waste minimised. This can be a valuable lesson for policy makers in the design and application of national and EU legislations and directives in order to achieve also the targets towards a circular economy driven Europe. Highlights • Employing DEA to assess national waste generation. • Three novel environmental production frameworks designed. • Directional distance function to tackle undesirable outputs. • Comparison of results with treatment options and recycling rates. • Policy implications under a circular economy approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Concerns about environmentally sustainable supply chain management have increased widely in recent years. As a consequence, supply chain members have cooperated with one another to make efficient contracts, frequently called green supply-chain management contracts. The purpose of this paper is to investigate one such contract between a single manufacturer and multiple retailers with limited resources for several types of products under greenhouse-gas emission regulations. Each retailer orders the products regularly within a limited budget and warehouse capacity. In response to orders, the manufacturer produces products and ships them after inspections. Demand for the products can be either known or have some uncertainty, which can best be represented using fuzzy number demand. To reflect demand properties, this paper introduces two nonlinear integer programming models, a crisp model and a fuzzy model. A genetic algorithm (GA) and hybrid genetic algorithm-pattern search (HGAS) are developed to solve the models. Numerical experiments evaluating the efficiency of the algorithms showed that the HGAS method performed better than the GA. Also observed is that the crisp model's average total costs were lower than those of the fuzzy model. The results as a whole indicate that the models can evaluate the performance of contracts and optimize cooperative green supply chain management. Highlights • We formulate two NIP models for GSCM with GHG emissions constraints, assuming constant and fuzzy demand, respectively. • The extension principle is used to apply the fuzzy set theory to the fuzzy model. • GA and HGAS methods are proposed. • HGAS performs better than GA in accuracy. • The total cost of GSCM is changing in accordance with the upper limit of GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Lean manufacturing has proven its positive effects on operational and economic performance in multiple cases. However, growing consciousness regarding sustainability and the Triple Bottom Line approach requires an integral performance based on three main goals: economic growth, environmental preservation, and social responsibility. Given the relevance that lean manufacturing has acquired, it is important to understand its effects on sustainability. Thus, this paper presents a literature review, discussing the most relevant findings of research in this sphere, and identifying current trends concerning the effect of lean manufacturing on sustainable performance. A total of 69 papers were reviewed, following a five-step synthesis methodology. Common and contrasting results were categorized according to each pillar of the triple bottom line, which allowed for the identification of not only growing research trends, but also of knowledge gaps. Unlike previous literature reviews, this study approaches lean manufacturing's effect on performance from a multidimensional point of view, accounting for all three triple bottom line pillars. It contributes on the identification of the main current research trends, which favors branches: one which supports complementary interactions between lean manufacturing and all three pillars of the triple bottom line, and the other, which evidences trade-offs among them. According to the results of the review, knowledge gaps on the matter remain, which require further research. Highlights • A systematic literature review of investigations linking lean manufacturing and sustainable performance is presented. • Presents effects of lean manufacturing on each triple bottom line pillars (operational, environmental and social). • There is a short of theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence on how LM practices affect sustainable performance. • Future lines of research from the identified gaps in the literature are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract High-tech minerals are essential for strategic emerging industries, and urban mines have become principal potential reservoirs of secondary high-tech mineral resources. In order to evaluate high-tech urban mines to understand their criticality and determine their potential and priority for high-tech minerals recovery, this paper develops a model with three dimensions - resource index, technology index, and environmental index. This model is applied to data from China, and a Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to estimate uncertainty. The results show that high-tech urban mines in China are divided into three clusters. The first cluster includes urban mines which have high scores in all three indices, they should be the top priority of collection and recycling. The second cluster covers high-tech urban mines with middle scores in resource index and technology index, and environmental index span from low to high. They are important second resources reservoirs of high-tech metals and should be paid significant attention. In the third cluster, high-tech urban mines have low scores in all three indices, they are not the focus of development but can't be ignored. Spent batteries, mobile phones and magnet motors are key reservoirs of high-tech metals. Furtherly, this paper presents that the evaluation model construction and evaluation results are deeply affected by consumption behavior, technology level, industrial development and the policy direction of the country. Based on the results, this paper proposes that urban mining should be treated as a national strategy to release the dual constraints of resources and environment, catalogue of key urban mining should be made, and to build a dynamic evaluation system and adjust the catalogue over time, and develop technologies for more effective and environment-friendly extraction material of urban mines. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • A three-dimension model is developed to evaluate high-tech urban mines in China. • High-tech urban mines in China are divided into three clusters. • Spent batteries, mobile phones and magnet motors are key reservoirs of high-tech metals. • The evaluation is deeply affected by country's actual conditions, and industrial characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study presents a literature review of environmental reports based on papers published in 20 accounting journals between 2006 and 2015. A majority of the papers were published in journals, such as Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Accounting Forum, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, and Accounting, Organizations and Society. For each article, the aims and results obtained, methodologies adopted, data sources, industrial sectors, and countries involved were identified. Most of the studies present a longitudinal approach and use content analysis as their methodology. The most extensively used theories are the legitimacy and stakeholders theories. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the reflection of the state of the art of research in social and environmental accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study aimed to identify and analyze the environmental management practices in the industry carried out in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in the period from 2011 to 2015, with the aid of scientific literature published in the Scopus database. Due to the expansion of the bloc's development, these countries presented a high potential to impact the environment. Therefore, this study is relevant because it identifies trends about the Environment Management Practices that have been followed in industries of BRICS, increasing the theoretical allowance for discussions concerning Environment Management Practices in these countries. Consequently, a survey on environmental management practices was conducted using the keyword "industrial environmental management practices" and the name of each country. Besides that, a "second quest" was added with the term "case study" to refine the results. We found out that China, India, South Africa and Brazil have been studying solutions for the CO 2 emissions by employing different environmental management practices. In addition, in the studies on China, India and Brazil, environmental management practices recurrently approached topics concerning the supply and water quality, the regulatory standards of environmental management and the practice of Green Supply Chain Management. However, we did not find papers concerning the environmental management practices in Russia through the employed methodology. We concluded that China, India and Brazil tend to present papers on the issue of environmental management (in English and in the database, from which they were gathered) because these countries show a more sustainable development, thus publishing a higher number of researches in this field, whereas Russia and South Africa do not follow this trend due to a weaker environmental engagement. With regard to that, it is suggested that further studies investigate the environmental management practices in other developing and developed countries, which would allow to draw a comparison with other groups. Graphical abstract Source: Authors (2017). Image Highlights • The BRICS environmental management practices were investigated. • The case study articles found in the Scopus database were considered. • The environmental management practices concerning the CO 2 emission were the main focus of attention of the BRICS. • Practices concerning water quality were recurrent in China, India and Brazil. • Each country presents environmental management practices specific to their realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With the focus on sustainable development, the value recovery from End-of-Life (EOL) and End-of-Use (EOU) products has been given considerable attention by the whole society. Reverse logistics is the process for value recovery and re-creation through a series of activities, i.e., repair, remanufacturing, recycling and energy recovery. However, due to the stochastic reverse product flow, unstable quality of used products, and the price fluctuation of recycled and remanufactured products, the planning of a reverse logistics system is more complex compared with that of a forward supply chain. In this paper, we propose a two-stage stochastic bi-objective mixed integer programming model for the network design problem of a multi-product multi-echelon sustainable reverse logistics system under uncertainty, which aims at providing a set of Pareto solutions between profitability and environmental performance. Furthermore, due to the heterogeneous nature, the processing operations performed at remanufacturing and recycling centers for different products are by no means identical. Different from the previous modelling efforts derived from a genetic "capacitated location problem", this paper considers the impact from the system flexibility on sustainable reverse logistics network design. Thus, the model is formulated in two parallel ways with either efficiency-focused non-flexible capacity or effectiveness-focused flexible capacity. The experimental analysis illustrates that increasing environmental requirement will decrease the profitability of the reverse logistics system, while, increasing flexibility may yield positive impacts on both economic and environmental performance when the efficiency loss is kept at a proper level. Highlights • Incorporating flexibility in sustainable reverse logistics network design. • Formulating mathematical model for decision support under uncertainty. • Different solution methods were tested, compared and discussed. • Results were analyzed for providing managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To alleviate the high risks to oil supply caused by high dependency on oil imports, China is actively seeking alternative energy sources to reduce its imported oil (IO). Coal-to-liquid (CTL) is regarded as an option in China. However, few analyses have examined the net energy impact of substituting IO with CTL and determined how effective the substitution would be. Energy return on investment (EROI) analysis, an important index to characterise the viability of a natural resource from an energy standpoint, can provide insights into these issues. This paper first introduces new methods to calculate the EROIs between CTL and IO from a life-cycle perspective. Then, based on the EROI values, a new, simple method is provided to calculate the net energy change resulting from the substitution of IO with CTL. The results show that without considering the environmental inputs, the mean EROI of CTL with/without internal energy inputs is 0.29/1.44, and that of IO is approximately 5.60. When environmental inputs are considered, these values decrease to 0.27/1.09 and 5.07, respectively. In general, IO has a better net energy return than CTL. Moreover, substituting 1 MJ IO with CTL would lead to a net energy loss of 0.3–4.6 MJ. The above results suggest that China should be more cautious in developing the coal liquefaction industry from a net energy perspective. Highlights • New methods are provided to estimate the EROI of IO and CTL from a life-cycle perspective. • This paper considers the impact of the energy inputs to control GHG emissions on EROI. • The EROIs of IO and CTL are about 0.86–1.79 and 4.28–6.50 respectively. • Substituting 1 MJ IO with CTL would lead to a net energy loss of 0.3–4.6 MJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, data is increasingly becoming a crucial production factor and strategic resource for economic development. However, there is no consensus on whether data plays a significant role in promoting city green development. This paper examines the effect and the mechanism of big data on carbon emission reduction based on a quasi-natural experiment of Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zones (BDCPZ) in China, using a difference-in-difference approach and combining panel data from 261 cities in China from 2010 to 2019. The study found that: (1) The policy of BDCPZ significantly reduced carbon emissions, which confirms the critical importance of the digital dividend in China's green development process. (2) We find the emission reduction effect of BDCPZ is achieved in three main ways: promoting industrial upgrading, improving energy use efficiency and increasing green TFP in manufacturing. (3) Further analysis reveals that the carbon emission reduction effect of BDCPZ varies depending on city population size, levels of manufacturing development, resource endowments, and pilot cities with low carbon related policies. This paper empirically confirms the digital dividend in city green transformation, provides evidence and policy guidance for the broad application of the digital economy in the field of green and low-carbon development, and enriches research in development economics and environmental economics. It helps to provide novel policy insights for the government to implement proactive policies of carbon reduction, and to build a diversified carbon reduction governance system to successfully achieve "carbon peak" and "carbon neutral" targets. • We empirically identified the digital dividend in China's green transformation using the BDCPZ policy. • We explored three mechanisms of BDCPZ construction for green development. • The digital dividend is greater in large cities, advanced manufacturing bases and non-resource-based cities. • The digital dividend is amplified in pilot cities for carbon trading and low-carbon cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the one hand, wind power production on land seems necessary for decarbonizing the electricity sector. On the other hand, we risk replacing one environmental problem with other environmental problems. The present paper provides a novel contribution to the literature on how to regulate the development of wind power plants on land (WPPs). Current regulation is largely based on a concession system, where both ecological taxes and offset schemes are left unexplored. We develop a theoretical model of WPP development with offsets and ecological taxes. We show that if additional loss of pristine nature and biodiversity is acceptable at some monetary price, establishing an offset market for WPP development and combining it with an ecological tax will be socially desirable. In fact, this solution is preferable to both only having an ecological tax or only having a compulsory offset market. Compared to only an ecological tax, it leads to lower environmental costs and more electricity from wind power production. By looking at a WPP project and two restoration cases, we demonstrate how an offset scheme could be conducted and conclude that offsetting WPPs could be possible. However, since wind power, to our knowledge, never have been exposed to an offsetting scheme, high quality measurement methods and thorough regulations must first be in place to ensure equivalence in the values of ecosystem services lost and gained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a combination of the contingent valuation method (CVM) and value transfer (VT) to estimate the value of non-market benefits associated with the achievement of good (marine) environmental status (GES) as specified in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) for Atlantic member states. The increased use of geographic information systems in VT means that many VT exercises now include spatial elements such as distance decay and population density. This paper explores impact of distance decay on welfare estimates as well as the impact from the modifiable area unit problem (MAUP) when population density is included as an explanatory variable. These issues can have a large effect on a VT estimate. In this study the overall value for achieving GES for Atlantic member states varied between €2.37billion and €3.64 billion. It was found that the different distance decay specifications changed values between −3% and 82% with a mean absolute difference of 25% and by adjusting the spatial scale in an effort to overcome the MAUP changed aggregate values between 13% and 25% with a mean of 17%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses EU nature conservation and EU climate protection policies within the context of their local implementation in Vienna/Austria in order to gain insights into the decision-making process as well as to show the extent of achievements and experienced difficulties. In this connection, this paper also investigates based on published knowledge and the perceptions of stakeholders the awareness of nature conservation measures as climate-change adaptation and possibly ways of improvement. In order to address these issues, additionally to an in-depth literature review, 16 experts working in Vienna in the field of either nature conservation or climate protection were interviewed. The transcriptions of these interviews were then used in a qualitative content analysis. The findings show that the vast majority of the interviewed stakeholders see EU climate policy and nature conservation policy separately. Furthermore, the implementation of EU climate and nature conservation policy in Vienna is indicated as a “learning by doing” process. There the currently limited cooperation between stakeholders can be improved. Our study also finds that the awareness of different stakeholder groups of the possibility to use nature conservation as a measure against climate change is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of its rapid economic development, China is faced with serious issues of resource shortage and environmental pollution. This paper is aimed at exploring the issues of resource shortage and environmental pollution in Chinese cities by means of efficiency evaluation. Through the Super-efficiency general directional distance function (GDDF) model, this paper calculates the urban efficiencies of resource-saving (UERS) of 197 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2015. Furthermore, considering the environmental problems, it applies the Super-efficiency GDDF model with undesirable outputs, and accesses the urban efficiencies containing environmental factors (UEEF). The empirical results are listed as follows. (1) Most of the Chinese cities exhibited comparatively low UERS and UEEF, indicating great potential for the reduction of resource consumption and environmental pollution; (2) Those groups with higher levels of resource-saving efficiency tend to have poorer environmental efficiency. This means that many cities achieve good economic performance at the expense of the environment; (3) In order to realize the sustainable economic and social development, we should not only save resources, but also reduce the emission of pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Circular Economy (CE) is currently a popular notion within the policy and business advocacy groups. Despite being visionary and provocative in its message, the research on the CE concept is emerging. The two intertwined objectives of the paper are; first to identify, discuss and develop the various definitions provided by the emerging literature. Secondly, to suggest an initial research approach with which research on CE can be conducted. Our analysis shows that the existing CE work is mainly done on the practical and technical levels of the actual physical flows of materials and energy in production-consumption systems. The focus of the extant literature is on concrete metrics, tools, instruments and computations. Therefore, the basic assumptions concerning the values, societal structures, cultures, underlying world-views and the paradigmatic potential of CE remain largely unexplored. We argue that CE has already become what Gallie (1955) more than six decades ago termed as an “essentially contested concept” (ECC). The paper further suggests a model for CE research that helps in the categorization, classification and organization of research and investigation on CE. The model can help in limiting the observed unbalance and enhance the contribution of the CE approach to a more sustainable global society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]