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Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in tunnel construction has the potential to transform the industry by improving efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness. This paper presents a comprehensive literature review and analysis of hotspots and frontier topics in artificial intelligence-related research in tunnel construction. A total of 554 articles published between 2011 and 2023 were collected from the Web of Science (WOS) core collection database and analyzed using CiteSpace software. The analysis identified three main study areas: Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) performance, construction optimization, and rock and soil mechanics. The review highlights the advancements made in each area, focusing on design and operation, performance prediction models, and fault detection in TBM performance; computer vision and image processing, neural network algorithms, and optimization and decision-making in construction optimization; and geo-properties and behaviours, tunnel stability and excavation, and risk assessment and safety management in rock and soil mechanics. The paper concludes by discussing future research directions, emphasizing the integration of AI with other advanced technologies, realtime decision-making systems, and the management of environmental impacts in tunnel construction. This comprehensive review provides valuable insights into the current state of AI research in tunnel engineering and serves as a reference for future studies in this rapidly evolving field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: By the end of 2050, it is expected that 68% of the population will live in urban areas. A higher density of people living in cities generates an increased urban heat island. Radiative cooling (RC) materials are proposed as a key strategy to mitigate global warming and urban heating. The Horizon 2020 project MIRACLE aims at developing a new RC material based on conventional concrete. This paper presents a framework developed for comparing both the cradle-to-gate environmental impact and cooling potential of the newly developed photonic meta-concrete (or any other new RC material) with existing RC materials. The framework is applied to various RC materials using the generic Ecoinvent v3.6 database. The impact assessment method is in line with the Belgian life cycle assessment method for buildings and covers the 15 environmental impact categories of the EN15804:A2. The cooling performance is assessed by implementing the material spectral emissivity into a thermal model for Brussels and Madrid. Results: The study shows that the sputtering process contributes over 75% to the cradle-to-gate environmental impact of several RC materials, while materials produced without this process, have significantly lower impacts. The assessment of the cooling potential showed that convection heat gains make it difficult to create an all-year round cooling material. The comparison with a conventional building material, a concrete roof tile, hence shows great potential for these RC materials as heating gains during summer are significantly reduced. Analysing cooling performance alongside environmental impact, the study identified two RC materials, i.e. D6 and D10, as the most preferred in both Brussels and Madrid, considering their lower environmental impact and superior performance. Conclusions: The literature review revealed that a standardised way to assess and benchmark RC materials based on their cradle-to-gate environmental impact and cooling performance is lacking to date. This paper hence presents, for the first time, a method to compare RC materials considering these two characteristics. This method allows to identify the most competitive RC materials, which will serve in our study to benchmark the newly developed photonic meta-concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food waste is a global challenge, with profound implications for food security, resource utilization, and sustainability. A circular economy represents a promising solution in addressing food waste effectively by keeping food materials and products in use and circulating them within the economy. To provide an overview of the research on food waste and the circular economy model in the past decade, this study examines 1022 documents on food waste and circular the economy to ascertain the state, themes, and knowledge structure of the field. The results showed that the number of publications has increased greatly in the past decade. "Circular economy of food", "bioenergy", "waste valorization", "waste management", "resource recovery", and "environmental assessment" were the major research themes. Earlier studies focused on resource recovery from organic waste and the bioeconomy of bio-products; recent research interests shifted to sustainability and the valorization of agri-food waste. On the other hand, some highly cited documents and productive authors were important in the development of research on food waste and the circular economy. Furthermore, three groups of journals—"food and environmental sciences", "open access", and "environmental sustainability and resource management"—and five clusters of international collaboration—"European Union Group", "advanced economy group", "agricultural economies", "global influencers", and "isolated countries"—were identified. This study provides readers with an overview of the research field of food waste and the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a detailed literature review of the environmental implications of vehicle platooning, a topic gaining significant attention in transportation. While previous reviews have focused on the safety, planning, fuel economy, and microsimulation aspects of platooning, this paper delves into environmental aspects. It identifies a lack of research adopting a holistic approach to transport and environmental benefits and emphasizes the need for further research to enhance vehicle efficiency and improve air quality and health conditions. This study traces the historical evolution of platooning, highlighting the shift in research focus over the decades. It advocates for more research on platooning's environmental aspects, particularly pollutant emissions and air quality. The primary contributions of this work are threefold and include the following: firstly, it delineates simulation methodologies for platooning and the associated pollutant emissions; secondly, it offers a critical assessment of the existing literature on vehicle emissions, fuel consumption, and energy savings; and thirdly, it illuminates the prospective research challenges within the specialized domain of vehicle platooning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of low quality, wet biogenic residues into intermediate bioenergy carriers can potentially contribute to a more flexible and stable renewable energy system and reduce environmental impacts compared to current residue disposal practices. This study quantifies the environmental impacts via life cycle assessment (LCA) of a novel hydrothermal process for the treatment on an industrial scale of application of three wet biogenic residues (paper bio-sludge, olive pomace, and orange peel) into bioenergy carriers, i.e., solid pellets and biogas. A comprehensive attributional cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted; the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) utilised the ReCiPe impact assessment method. A selection of 10 significant impact categories was prioritised. Reliability of this categorization was also ensured through a sensitivity analysis carried out using Monte Carlo simulation. Climate change, particulate matter formation and terrestrial acidification impact categories showed the highest reliability, while for freshwater ecotoxicity and freshwater eutrophication impact categories in the study suggest the need for more robust data and further investigation. The climate change impact category presents the following values, as kg CO2eq/tresidue: pulp and paper bio-sludge (PPB), 17.9; olive pomace (OP), −1290; orange peel (ORP), −1301. The LCA study compared electricity yields of the hydrothermal treatment process with conventional treatment processes for each of the target residue streams. The environmental performance of the proposed hydrothermal treatment benefits significantly from the combination of intermediate bioenergy carriers (pellets) from the solid fraction with biogas production from the liquid fraction. Avoided emissions due to the heat recovery provide further environmental benefits. The LCIA results show that the carbon footprint of the F-CUBED production system, as kgCO2eq/kWhe, accounts for –4.56, −0.63, and −0.25 for paper bio-sludge, olive pomace and orange peel, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mariculture has not fundamentally reduced its dependence on resources and the environment; ecological and economic efficiency has become an important target of concern for the sustainable and healthy development of China's mariculture industry. Environmental regulation (ER) is a core tool to realize the synergistic development of economic development and environmental resource protection in mariculture. In this paper, the provincial panel data of China's coastal areas from 2007 to 2020 was selected, and the level of ecological and economic efficiency of mariculture in different provinces of China was measured by using the super slacks‐based measurement–data envelopment analysis model considering the undesirable output of mariculture, and the impact of different ERs on ecological and economic efficiency was explored. It was found that the impacts of different ER methods on the eco‐economic efficiency (EEF) of mariculture may be non‐linearized, and there is also regional heterogeneity in the optimal choice and combination of ER methods to improve the EEF of mariculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the potential for the smart integration of waste and renewable energy sources to supply industrial heat at temperatures between 150 °C and 250 °C, aiming to decarbonize heat demand in European industry. This work is part of a European project (SUSHEAT) which focuses on developing a novel technology that integrates several innovative components: a Stirling cycle high-temperature heat pump (HTHP), a bio-inspired phase change material (PCM) thermal energy storage (TES) system, and a control and integration twin (CIT) system based on smart decision-making algorithms. The objective is to develop highly efficient industrial heat upgrading systems for industrial applications using renewable energy sources and waste heat recovery. To achieve this, the specific heat requirements of different European industries were analyzed. The findings indicate that industrial sectors such as food and beverages, plastics, desalination, textiles, ceramics, pulp and paper, wood products, canned food, agricultural products, mining, and chemicals, typically require process heat at temperatures below 250 °C under conditions well within the range of the SUSHEAT system. Moreover, two case studies, namely the Pelagia and Mandrekas companies, were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the system. An analysis of the annual European heat demand by sector and temperature demonstrated that the theoretical potential heat demand that could be met by the SUSHEAT system is 134.92 TWh annually. Furthermore, an environmental impact assessment estimated an annual significant reduction of 19.40 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. These findings underscore the significant potential of the SUSHEAT system to contribute to the decarbonization of European industry by efficiently meeting heat demand and substantially reducing carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, an exponentially growing number of meta-analyses (MAs) synthesize thousands of peer-reviewed studies on the environmental impacts of farming practices (FPs). This paper describes the iMAP-FP evidence library, a comprehensive dataset on the effects of 34 categories of FPs (such as agronomic practices, cropping and livestock systems, land management options and mitigation techniques) on 34 impacts including climate mitigation, soil health, environmental pollution, water use, nutrients cycling, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity. Through systematic screening, 570 MAs published since 2000 were selected and categorized according to the type of FP. We assessed their impacts, the geographic regions covered, and their quality. We extracted 3,811 effects and their statistical significance associated with sustainable FPs (intervention) compared to a control (typically conventional agriculture) across 223 different intervention-control pairs. Our dataset is accompanied with an online free-access library, which includes a catalogue of synthetic reports summarizing the available evidence on each evaluated FP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the bridge's structural component is directly subjected to vehicle loads, the stress performance of the bridge deck has a significant impact on the safety, durability, and driving comfort of the bridge. In order to improve the bending performance of the bridge deck in the negative moment zone, a new type of steel grating–UHPFRC composite bridge deck was proposed in this paper. Firstly, structural details and advantages of the new steel grating-UHPFRC composite bridge deck were introduced. Secondly, the finite element program ABAQUS was used to establish a refined solid finite element model of the new bridge deck. The mathematical program MATLAB (PYTHON) was also used to analyze the effects of the structural parameters on bending bearing capacity and put forward reasonable structural parameters of the new bridge deck, considering the technical and economic indexes. Thirdly, the simplified plasticity theory was applied to analyze the bending bearing capacity of the new bridge deck, and the corresponding formula for bending bearing capacity calculation was derived and verified by numerical model results. In addition, the cost–benefit analysis and environmental impact assessment of the new bridge deck were also conducted. The results show that the bending bearing capacity of the new bridge deck in the negative moment zone increases with the increase of the width of the bridge deck, the thickness of the wing plate, and the height of the web plate, with a trend of increasing and then decreasing when the horizontal inclination of the web plate decreases. The bridge deck width does not have a significant effect on improving the bearing capacity. The bearing capacity calculated by theoretical formulas is close to that calculated by numerical models and the maximum relative deviation is 9.1%. The new steel grating-UHPFRC composite bridge deck proposed in this paper is superior to conventional steel-UHPC composite bridge deck in terms of cost-benefit and environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method is widely applied in research on carbon emissions, urban energy consumption, and the building sector, and is useful for theoretical research and evaluation. The approach is especially beneficial for combating climate change and encouraging energy transitions. During the method's development, there are opportunities to develop advanced formulas to improve the accuracy of studies, as indicated by past research, that have yet to be fully explored through experimentation. This study reviews previous research on the LMDI method in the context of building carbon emissions, offering a comprehensive overview of its application. It summarizes the technical foundations, applications, and evaluations of the LMDI method and analyzes the major research trends and common calculation methods used in the past 25 years in the LMDI-related field. Moreover, it reviews the use of the LMDI in the building sector, urban energy, and carbon emissions and discusses other methods, such as the Generalized Divisia Index Method (GDIM), Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), and Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) techniques. This study explores and compares the advantages and disadvantages of these methods and their use in the building sector to the LMDI. Finally, this paper concludes by highlighting future possibilities of the LMDI, suggesting how the LMDI can be integrated with other models for more comprehensive analysis. However, in current research, there is still a lack of an extensive study of the driving factors in low-carbon city development. The previous related studies often focused on single factors or specific domains without an interdisciplinary understanding of the interactions between factors. Moreover, traditional decomposition methods, such as the LMDI, face challenges in handling large-scale data and highly depend on data quality. Together with the estimation of kernel density and spatial correlation analysis, the enhanced LMDI method overcomes these drawbacks by offering a more comprehensive review of the drivers of energy usage and carbon emissions. Integrating machine learning and big data technologies can enhance data-processing capabilities and analytical accuracy, offering scientific policy recommendations and practical tools for low-carbon city development. Through particular case studies, this paper indicates the effectiveness of these approaches and proposes measures that include optimizing building design, enhancing energy efficiency, and refining energy-management procedures. These efforts aim to promote smart cities and achieve sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The meteorological parameters, e.g., wind direction, wind speed and atmospheric stability, affect greatly the diffusion of pollution and radiological environmental impact assessment. Based on the hourly meteorological data obtained from an automatic monitoring station, the radiological impact indicated by the air concentration, individual dose and maximal individual effective dose were analyzed and compared between 2020 and 2021. The paper concluded that children are the main group to be the most easily infected, and the critical exposure path is internal exposure from inhalation. This paper offers a new window for timely decision-making for radiological safety under different climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining is a widely adopted method for pipeline renewal, offering advantages such as rapid installation and cost-effectiveness. However, concerns regarding the environmental impacts of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions during the installation process have raised issues regarding the CIPP method. The literature review conducted in this paper indicated the need for stringent monitoring and management practices to mitigate adverse effects, emphasizing the importance of safe installation protocols. This paper presents the initial results of a case study focusing on VOC emissions, specifically investigating non-styrene vinyl ester resins and water curing. To capture emissions from CIPP activities, the methodology involved air sampling using various equipment, including photoionization detectors (PID), summa canisters, passive worker sampler sorbent tubes, and method 13 cartridges. The preliminary findings indicate that non-styrene vinyl ester resins resulted in VOC emissions well below the exposure limits set by OSHA and USEPA, with the highest measured concentration being 2.54 ppm. This demonstrates that non-styrene resins can significantly reduce environmental and health risks. The future phases of this project will explore different resins and curing methods to further validate these findings and develop comprehensive guidelines for safe CIPP installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The global turkey market represents a sector of increasing growth in the previous decade, and projections for the next decade reflect the probable continuation of this growth. Industry trends also indicate the globalization of turkey meat production, as the loci of production has continually shifted from one dominated by the United States to one with an increasing number of production units globally. In contrast with other popular meat products, comparatively fewer resources have been devoted to academic research concerning the growth, production, distribution, and sale of turkey and turkey products. This lack of research is particularly notable in the area of supply chain management and environmental sustainability. Given the increasing volume of turkey production and lower volume of academic interest, it stands to reason that there remain many opportunities for improvement across the value chain in this industry. Methods: In this paper, we take a "green logistics" approach and use data provided by one of the largest turkey producers in the United States to formulate a mixed-integer program aimed at minimizing the environmental impact of turkey products in a segment of the product supply chain. Results: Implementation of the resulting brooder-finisher farm assignments developed by the model would yield an average 50% decrease (184 metric ton) in greenhouse gas emissions at the operation under investigation while also addressing other areas of significant vulnerability for the industry (production costs, biosecurity risk, and animal wellbeing). Discussion: As consolidated turkey meat production systems continue to expand globally, we argue that a similar approach could readily be deployed by these growing and emerging production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing circular economy principles in the built environment significantly reduces raw material extraction and generated waste. A transition is essential, especially as it accounts for 40-60% of global raw material extraction and 33% of total waste in the European Union. This paper shows the methodological approach to generating a digital Building model to enable circular economy in the early design stage by coupling Generative Design methods, enabling automated variant generation of Digital building models, Building Information Modelling objects, and assessment algorithms to evaluate the environmental impact and circularity. By visualising the assessments of the generated variants of (so-called) Circular Twins in a Virtual Reality environment, including user interaction with a voice-controlled Virtual Agent, the digital Circular Twin ecosystem enables the early implementation of the goals of the circular economy and sustainability in Architecture, Engineering and Construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a specific method of environmental impact assessment applied in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the National Emission Reduction Plan (NERP) in the Republic of Serbia, based on air quality. The specificity of the approach is in the application of a semiquantitative method of multicriteria evaluation based on air dispersion modeling and the integration of SEA goals, indicators and criteria for assessing the impact of the NERP on the quality of air and other environmental elements in this method. When predicting changes in air quality for the planning horizon to 2028, the physical, geographical and climatic characteristics of the area were taken into account, as well as technical measures to reduce SO2 emissions, since this was the dominant pollutant from the Serbian coal-fired power plants studied by the NERP. Air pollution modeling was carried out using the AERMOD software package based on the data collected, and the quantitative results obtained were used in a multicriteria evaluation as part of the SEA. The results of the research indicated the importance of applying this approach in order to significantly increase objectivity in the SEA process, since it is an important element of decision making at the strategic level. In addition, a comparative presentation of the modeling results before and after application of the NERP was an important part of the SEA process, and it provided a clear insight into expected changes in the air quality. This is a key argument for making appropriate policy decisions on spatial, energy, environmental and socio-economic development in the Republic of Serbia, which, like other developing countries, is sluggishly following global trends in energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the environmental impacts (EI) produced by novel nickel-zinc battery (RNZB) technology, which is a promising alternative for energy storage applications. The paper develops mathematical models for estimating the life cycle environmental impacts of RNZB from cradle to grave, based on an extensive literature review and the ISO standards for life cycle costing and life cycle analysis. The paper uses the ReCiPe 2016 method of life cycle analysis (LCA) to calculate the EI of RNZB in terms of eighteen Midpoint impact categories and three Endpoint impact categories: damage to human health, damage to ecosystem diversity, and damage to resource availability. The paper also compares the EI of RNZB with those of other battery technologies, such as lead-acid and lithium-ion LFP and NMC. The paper applies the models and compares results with those provided by the software openLCA (version 1.11.0), showing its reliability and concluding that NiZn batteries contribute approximately 14 MJ for CED and 0.82 kg CO2 eq. for global warming per kWh of released energy, placing them between lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. This study suggests that NiZn battery technology could benefit from using more renewable energy in end-use applications and adopting green recovery technology to reduce environmental impact. Further developments can use these models as objective functions for heuristic optimisation of the EI in the life cycle of RNZB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the nature of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), considered as one of the most important concepts to ensure effective functioning in a modern society. It comprises a set of continually developing methods and procedures providing the geospatial base supporting a country's governmental, environmental, economic, and social activities. In general, the SDI framework consists of the integration of various elements including standards, policies, networks, data, and end users and application areas. The transformation of previously paper-based map data into a digital format, the emergence of GIS, and the Internet and a host of online applications (e.g., environmental impact analysis, navigation, applications of VGI data, governmental efficiency drives) have led to huge leaps forward in SDI development. However, SDI progress can be held back by numerous challenges, both technical and non-technical. The paper outlines these challenges from the perspective of the country of Iraq, where there is an absence of a clear direction towards efficient SDI operation and a lack of knowledge for establishing and managing effective SDI. These challenges could be met by considering and resolving generic issues, identified by the experiences of other nations, by researchers, and by organisations. These issues are investigated and assessed by means of a questionnaire survey and interviews, directed towards important participants in the field of SDI development in the country. The results present the SDI issues in order of relevance to assist developers and users in solving potential SDI and data integration problems within Iraq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturers increasingly recycle end-of-life products to realize residual economic value and mitigate environmental impacts on the economic system. Concurrently, with the burgeoning growth of the product-service system, leasing models offer an alternative method to complete the material loop without direct collection. While prior research has delved into recycling channels, incentive mechanisms, and remanufacturing within closed-loop supply chain management, a comparative analysis between recycling and leasing strategies remains under-explored. This study seeks to bridge this gap by elucidating the manufacturer's strategic decision-making process, factoring in consumers' product ownership perceptions. We propose a manufacturer decision model anchored on consumer choices and segment it into three scenarios based on varying ownership perceptions. Our analysis contrasts market demand and profit outcomes across these scenarios. Notably, we discern that a hybrid strategy is optimal when ownership perception is low; however, when such perception is heightened, a dedicated recycling strategy proves more advantageous. Importantly, introducing a leasing option does not entirely overshadow the conventional sales market but is susceptible to being overshadowed itself. From a managerial standpoint, while integrating a leasing program might augment revenue streams, sole reliance on it is inadvisable. Furthermore, reshaping consumption paradigms to emphasize product functionality over ownership can pave the way for more expansive leasing strategies, optimizing revenue generation within a closed-loop framework. Plain Language Summary: This paper uses the consumer choice model and the decision model to analyze the two approaches for closing the loop, leasing and recycling. In contrast to previous studies of closed-loop supply chains, this paper considers leasing as another way of closing the loop and takes into account its cannibalization effect on the market for new products and its priming effect on consumers with lower willingness to pay. The paper concludes that the leasing strategy cannot completely cannibalize the selling market and is conditional on implementation, while the recycling strategy can completely cannibalize the leasing market and is always effective. This paper has some applications for closed-loop decision making for manufacturers to improve economic and environmental gains. Manufacturers and policy makers should advocate new forms of consumption that encourage consumers to care more about product function than property rights, thus leaving more room for the rental market to acquire greater benefits. This paper does not consider the supply of P2P platforms when portraying the leasing program and does not use empirical studies to verify the conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airports, the essential hubs of global travel, have to cater for the increasing demands for air travel, with growing passenger numbers and the associated growth in resource consumption. While the aviation sector prioritizes reducing environmental impact in the air, substantial waste is generated at airports. This necessitates a critical examination of waste management practices, especially since a Circular Economy (CE) approach is gaining momentum within the aviation sector. This article introduces the Baseline Circular Airports Method (BCAM), a methodology developed and rigorously tested at Schiphol Amsterdam airport. BCAM systematically analyzes resource streams, considering composition and relevant stakeholders, treatment processes, and environmental impact. By doing so, it establishes strategic prioritization of resource streams for airports to perform focused and effective interventions. BCAM analysis reveals that the highest impact of operational resource streams are Residual, Plastic, Swill, Paper, and International Catering Waste (CAT1), and that corresponding waste management efficiencies can be determined. These outcomes serve as a baseline for ongoing monitoring, offering airports a starting point for strategic planning and assessing progress towards sustainable waste management and CE transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The research introduced in the paper develops an automatic bird species recognition system powered by feature enhancement and contrast learning, aimed at advancing ecological conservation and biological research. This system bolsters the precision of identifying bird species, aiding in the protection of endangered birds and automating the monitoring of bird populations and their migratory behaviors. It also supports in-depth behavioral and ecological research and evaluates the impact of human activities on avian life. The technology's potential applications are vast, including its use in citizen science initiatives, environmental impact assessments, educational programs, and the tourism sector, where it can provide real-time species identification, thereby enriching eco-tourism experiences and raising biodiversity awareness. Accurate bird species recognition is crucial for ecological conservation, wildlife monitoring, and biological research, yet it poses significant challenges due to the high variability within species and the subtle similarities between different species. This paper introduces an automatic bird species recognition method from images that leverages feature enhancement and contrast learning to address these challenges. Our method incorporates a multi-scale feature fusion module to comprehensively capture information from bird images across diverse scales and perspectives. Additionally, an attention feature enhancement module is integrated to address noise and occlusion within images, thus enhancing the model's robustness. Furthermore, employing a siamese network architecture allows effective learning of common features within instances of the same class and distinctions between different bird species. Evaluated on the CUB200-2011 dataset, our proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance, surpassing existing methods with an accuracy of 91.3% and F1 score of 90.6%. Moreover, our approach showcases a notable advantage in scenarios with limited training data. When utilizing only 5% of the training data, our model still achieves a recognition accuracy of 65.2%, which is significantly higher than existing methods under similar data constraints. Notably, our model exhibits faster execution times compared to existing methods, rendering it suitable for real-time applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely recognized tool for environmental assessment, which has experienced a strong development both in methodology and applications. This paper aimed to perform a bibliometric analysis of LCA research during 2000-2022, considering publication types, publication trends, subject categories, journals, institutions, countries, and author keywords. Social Network Analysis was applied to recognize mapping trends, status, and hot spots in LCA research and to discover co-authorship relations and international collaborations among countries worldwide. The results of this study showed that the number of LCA publications has remarkably increased by more than tenfold over the study period. The United States, with 5885 publications (17.3%), was the most productive country in terms of the number of publications. The keywords "sustainability," "environmental impact," "carbon footprint," "circular economy," "recycling," and "climate change" were the most occurred keywords in the literature. The keyword "sustainability," growing from 221 in 2000-2011 to 2013 in 2011-2022, was the most trending keyword. The keywords "water footprint," "biogas," and "GHG emissions" exhibited the highest increase in frequency, with growth rates of 18.5, 11.2, and 7.1 times, respectively. The outcomes of this study showed the cumulative progression of the literature, thereby establishing a framework for future works in LCA research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trade-in (TON) and trade-old-for-remanufactured (TOR) programs are commonly used to boost consumer demand and recycle old products, and can generate significant economic benefits from disassembling or reusing old products. However, the influence of channel structures on the TON and TOR optimal decisions of closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs) is rarely discussed. To explore the impact of the implementation of the TOR program on the optimal pricing and demand strategy, enterprise profit, environment, and social welfare when the enterprise has applied the TON program, we develop four models with different power structures and market decisions to maximize enterprise profits based on consumer utility and the Stackelberg game: (1) manufacturer-led model with TON (Model M); (2) retailer-led model with TON (Model R); (3) manufacturer-led model with TON and TOR (Model TM); (4) retailer-led model with TON and TOR (Model TR). The manufacturer-led models may benefit consumers more and stimulate the replacement consumers' demand for TON and TOR programs. Both TON and TOR demand for the Model TM are considerable. However, when the retailer is in the driver's seat, the retailer can profit more due to government subsidies for the TOR programs. Our analysis provides insights into the choice of corporate power structures, reducing environmental impacts and improving social welfare. This paper studies for the first time the influence of different power structures and government subsidies on TON and TOR programs in CLSCs. Future research could consider the impact of old products quality or multi-period models on TON and TOR programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Mine closure is a growing concern in mining countries around the world due to the associated environmental and social impacts. This is particularly true in developing countries like South Africa where poverty, social deprivation and unemployment are widespread and environmental governance is not strong. South Africa has 230 operating mines located in diverse natural and social settings. Over 6 million people live in urban and rural mining host communities who will be significantly affected by mine closure. The national, provincial and local governments need guidance in identifying high-risk areas and relevant policy and programmatic interventions. This paper describes the development of a quantitative mine closure risk rating system that assesses the likelihood of mine closure, the risk of social impact and the risk of environmental impact of mine closure for every operating mine in the country. The paper visualises the high likelihood of closure and environmental impacts for numerous coal and gold mines, and the significant social risks in the deprived rural platinum and chrome mining areas. The rating system was tested with 10 mines and 19 experts, and the resulting maps are communicated in an online South African Mine Closure Risk and Opportunity Atlas. The risk ratings could be used in mine closure planning and management by mining companies, consultancies, governments and affected communities. While this risk rating system has been designed for South Africa, the methodology and framework could be applied to any mining country in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in the growing rate of municipal solid waste throughout the world and due to the high moisture and organic components of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, dry anaerobic digestion has become the future direction to cope with this waste while reducing the impact on the environment, including climate change. Dry anaerobic digestion has become a promising technology that converts the organic fraction of municipal solid waste into combustible biogases, which can be used as an alternative energy source. However, the technology faces several challenges that must be addressed to enhance its performance and adoption. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the current technologies used for dry anaerobic digestion in OFMSW and delves into the various factors that influence the performance of these technologies. This review paper also identifies and discusses the challenges faced in optimizing and scaling up these technologies, such as feedstock pretreatment requirements, characteristics of inoculum, and other crucial parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world, medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) play a fundamental role in the economic, social, cultural, and ecological ambits of local communities. Today, the most important uses of MAPs are their applications in the pharmaceutical, perfume, cosmetics, toothpaste, soap, beverage, and food industries. At the same time, the expression MAPs is often used with a plurality of meanings that are not always clear and well-defined. Thus, the paper aims to answer two research questions: (1) to understand how the expression MAPs has been meant over time by scholars, and (2) to realize the weight that socio-economic research regarding MAPs has assumed in this context. To these ends, a literature review was conducted using the scientific database Scopus. The results highlight that researchers started talking explicitly about MAPs in the 1950s, and the geographical focus of the literature on this theme is in India, followed by China. Researchers have published studies concerning the agronomic aspects, cultivation, characterization, and germination techniques of MAPs, but the most cited articles concern the health and beneficial properties of their essential oils. At the same time, nobody has ever wondered what MAPs are, and since 1977, the World Health Organization definition has been taken for granted, and any species with medicinal or aromatic functions is considered to be a MAP. Regarding the socio-economic weight of the research conducted on MAPs, they represent only 1% of the total academic publications, but from them, it has emerged that, especially in rural areas, MAPs depict important sources of income for several local communities. At the same time, there is a need to increase the estimation of the ecosystem services that MAPs offer, the analyses of consumer preferences in the search for new business opportunities, and the environmental impact assessment of the entire supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights  This special issue explores when, why and how demolition occurs with the aim to understand its environmental, socio-economic and cultural drivers, and consequences in policy and practice alike. Based on previous research, demolition is known to have many adverse effects. The potential for avoiding building replacement (demolition and subsequent new build) and favouring retention is also in this special issue's interest. The papers in the issue contribute insights from different scales, from the level of a building to that of a city. As a whole, the articles touch upon all types of impacts, i.e. environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects. Eight case studies from various contexts, mainly Europe, but also the US and Australia, contribute novel methods, findings and policy insights. This editorial sets the need and background for research into demolition, classifies the included papers to three categories, explains their contributions to research and practice, and outlines outstanding research gaps and agenda for further research. The papers are categorised as: (1) drivers and policies on demolition versus retention; (2) environmental and social impact assessment at building level; and (3) practical demolition decision-making. The contributions suggest, among other findings, positive environmental impacts from building retention as opposed to demolition, and discuss how policy designs from the city to the building level can either encourage or discourage retention. Due to its implications, many of which remain understudied, demolition and its alternatives should gain importance on research, design, planning, construction and real estate agendas in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is it more environmentally friendly to replace an existing building with a new one or to renovate the existing property? This paper addresses how to frame and evaluate this question. Although several previous studies exist, their methods lack a harmonised set of practice. A new framework is introduced that adopts the concept of consequential replacement framework (CRF) for life cycle assessment (LCA) which had previously been applied to vehicles. The application of the CRF to buildings is demonstrated with case studies on school buildings in Finland. Three alternative cases are examined: the refurbishment of a 1950s school; extending it with an annex; and demolition and replacement with a new concrete or timber building. As the European environmental impact regulation of buildings pertains to CO2 emissions, the paper also focuses on CO2. The case studies demonstrate that refurbishment in Finland is a more climate-friendly alternative to demolition and new build. The studied new buildings' better energy efficiency is set off for decades by the carbon spike caused by the embodied CO2 in their materials. The CRF is shown to be a methodologically sound, easily approachable framework for evaluating immediate environmental consequences of decision-makers' retention or replacement choices, suitable to different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of global aviation operations has made its negative environmental impact an international concern. Accurate modeling of aircraft fuel burn, emissions, and noise is the prerequisite for informing new operational procedures, technologies, and policies towards a more sustainable future of aviation. In the past decade, due to the advances in big data technologies and effective algorithms, the transformative data-driven analysis has begun to play a substantial role in aviation environmental impact analysis. The integration of statistical and machine learning methods in the workflow has made such analysis more efficient and accurate. Through summarizing and classifying the representative works in this intersection area, this survey paper aims to extract prevailing research trends and suggest research opportunities for the future. The methodology overview section presents a comprehensive development process and landscape of statistical and machine learning methods for applied researchers. In the main section, relevant works in the literature are organized into seven application themes: data reduction, efficient computation, predictive modeling, uncertainty quantification, pattern discovery, verification and validation, and infrastructure and tools. Each theme contains background information, in-depth discussion, and a summary of representative works. The paper concludes with the proposal of five future opportunities for this research area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing deep-sea mining is challenging due to limited data on species and habitat distribution, hindering decision-making. In less-explored polymetallic nodule sites in the Indian Ocean, management approaches are deemed unfeasible due to a substantial lack of data. In this study, we aim to bridge the knowledge gap through a detailed analysis of the macrobenthos (fauna > 300 µm) obtained with two sampling gears (multi- and box corer) in potential impact, preservation, and reference zones in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. In total, 337 individuals were categorized into 106 morphospecies and 18 higher taxa. The lowest abundance was reported in the box corer. Nematodes and copepods dominated the macrobenthos community, whereas polychaetes and tanaidaceans were the more prevalent macrofaunal taxa. Carbohydrates and total organic carbon showed a notable positive correlation with polychaetes, isopods, and bivalves, indicating their influence on larger-sized taxa. Various functional traits, i.e., less motile, discretely motile, biodiffusors, and upward/downward conveyers, were dominant in the study area. The comparative analysis of multi- and box corer sampling reveals distinct patterns in macrobenthic diversity, emphasizing the importance of employing both gears for accurate functional analysis. The paper underscores the significance of including large meiofaunal taxa in macrofauna analyses for assessing deep-sea ecosystem functioning and services. Additionally, the findings contribute significantly to environmental baseline and impact assessment, a crucial aspect of sustainable management in a highly promising polymetallic nodule mining area, aligning with the goals of exploring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the processes which should be taken to establish debris indices that assess the orbital environmental impact of spacecraft or missions in orbit. The first process is establishing a methodology and criteria for evaluating an impact on the orbital environment. This study proposed an assessment method to evaluate the cumulative environmental changes during an evaluation period. It evaluated the impact of an uncontrolled LC mission abandoned in orbit. This study used Near-Earth Orbital Debris Environment Evolutionary Model (NEODEEM), an orbital environmental evolutionary model that Kyushu University and JAXA developed. The second process is the debris index formulation. This study considered four steps to establish the debris index. To reveal the establishing process of a debris index, this study used debris indexes as candidates which consider expected number of fragments generated from an object. The calculated debris index values were compared to the impact on the environment assessed by the evolutionary model to see if there was any correlation. Further, this study conducted numerical simulations of un-controlled large-constellation satellites abandoned in low earth orbit in different scenarios, and of active debris removals of large intact objects by NEODEEM. This paper discusses the applicability of proposed environmental assessment methods and the debris index. • Two processes to establish a debris index are proposed. • A methodology and criteria for evaluating environmental impacts is discussed. • Four steps to formulate a debris index is discussed. • Correlations between debris indexes and environmental impacts are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies have the potential to reduce the carbon emissions in the economy and energy sector. The growing significance of solar energy sources in addressing climate change highlights the necessity for thorough assessments of their environmental impacts. This paper explores two different life-cycle impact assessment methods, ReCiPe and Product Environmental Footprint, using CSP plants with various receiver systems and heat-transfer fluids as a case study. In terms of the overall life-cycle impact, solar towers are shown to have advantages over parabolic troughs. Most of the life-cycle impacts of solar towers are lower than those of parabolic troughs, ranging from 8% to 112%, except for human toxicity and land use impacts. However, there is not much difference between the studied heat-transfer fluids, with the variance of most impacts being less than around 1%. The single-score results indicates that the ReCiPe method assigns significance to human health impacts, while the product environmental footprint method gives equal attention to all aspects. Meanwhile the comparison of components' contributions quantified by the two methods shows the same results for more than half of the impact categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Although additive manufacturing (AM; 3D printing/3DP) is presently in its infancy, once it becomes economically viable for mass production, it would revolutionize the operation and supply chain network of traditional businesses and manufacturing industries. To this end, approaches for ensuring a smooth transition of the economy, businesses, manufacturing centers and related services are being investigated. This review paper assesses the existing literature on the impact of AM on the maritime transportation sector. Design/methodology/approach - This paper provides a systematic literature review through three methodological phases: (1) a comprehensive review of the number of English language literature studies published on the topics of AM or 3DP (1970-2021); (2) a bibliometric analysis of selected keyword combinations and (3) a detailed review on the impact of AM on different sectors. Findings - The key findings are that existing studies do not attempt to forecast shipping volume and tonmiles that can be affected by the mainstreaming of the technology. Additionally, existing literature that focuses on the impact of the technology on different shipping categories is limited to studies on container ships. Originality/value - The review identifies some potential areas of research that since maritime transportation will be affected by mainstreaming AM, it will have economic, social and environmental impacts on global trade that require future assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan is discharging nuclear contaminated water from the 2011 Fukushima incident into the sea after treatment with the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). This process is expected to continue for decades, as planned by the Japanese government. This decision sparks opposition from many countries and international organizations, as well as constant protests from people in Japan and neighboring countries. Although there are no international documents specifically addressing the discharge of contaminants from a nuclear accident, it is found that the LOS Convention, treaties on nuclear safety, and international environmental laws provide the basis and legal framework for requiring Japan to implement environmental impact assessments throughout the entire process of Fukushima contaminated water discharge. First, this paper evaluates the consistency between the measures taken before Japan's decision to discharge contaminated water into the sea and the requirements under international laws. Second, this paper further examines the substantive and procedural requirements under international law for the entire process of Fukushima contaminated water discharge. It identifies substantive criteria to be applied in assessing the environmental impact of Fukushima contaminated water discharge based on international documents and explores the procedural requirements to assure transparency, prudence, and accountability of the assessment. Finally, given the potential transboundary damage caused by the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, this paper proposes that a new multi-stakeholder cooperative mechanism is necessary to achieve effective and credible monitoring and respond to the claims of potentially affected parties. In addition to providing a legal framework for the environmental impact assessment in the Fukushima case, this paper may also contribute to the proper disposal of nuclear contaminants in future nuclear accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electricity market is evolving from the traditional unidirectional model into a bidirectional one in which households also generate and sell energy. This new scenario requires technology able to manage the available energy and guarantee that all the participants pay or are paid appropriately. Unfortunately, fine-grained monitoring of energy production and consumption makes it possible to infer sensitive information about confidential aspects of people's private life. In this paper, we propose a system designed for privacy-preserving electricity trading in a connected microgrid. The system guarantees that at the end of a billing period, the distribution system operator can compute the quantity to be charged or paid to each household while being unable to trace its consumption details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Households are an important sector in carrying out human development activities, accounting for more than 30% of the total global energy consumption. The continued growth of household energy consumption (HEC) and carbon emissions is threatening economic and environmental sustainability. This review focuses on the research in the field of HEC and conducts a bibliometric analysis of research articles from the Web of Science Core Collection since 2000. The results show that: 1) HEC research has undergone rapid development since 2014, and interdisciplinary fusion and collaborative research have become dominant trends. 2) Keyword co-occurrence analysis clearly identifies the current urgent themes, including energy demand and its determinants, environmental impact factors and assessments, and energy-saving technologies and emission reduction measures. 3) The analysis of citations reveals that economic models, such as input-output models and life cycle assessment, are frequently employed in the field of HEC. Based on a summary of household energy-saving and emissions reduction work, this paper critically discusses the limitations of existing measures such as smart home technology, sustainable energy systems, and behavioral interventions. The main directions for promoting household energy-saving development in the future are identified: including improving the security and customer engagement of smart home technology, focusing on the availability and stability of sustainable energy, and paying more attention to low-income and aging households in behavioral intervention measures. One of the important obstacles facing research is how to reduce energy management efficiency and usage costs through technology and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of a smart grid in Jordan offers many potential advantages, such as improved reliability and efficiency of the power grid, expanded integration of renewable energy sources, enhanced control and monitoring capabilities for the utility, as well as cost savings and economic benefits. However, significant challenges must be addressed, such as high implementation costs, technical requirements, privacy and security concerns, regulatory and legal challenges, and potential job displacement. This research paper provides an overview of the current state of Jordan's energy sector, an explanation of smart grid technology, as well as an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a smart grid in Jordan. The paper also reviews case studies of successful smart grid implementations in other countries and offers recommendations for future research and policy decisions. Overall, the research suggests that while there are significant challenges to be addressed, the potential benefits of a smart grid in Jordan are substantial, and the country should continue to explore this technology to enhance its energy infrastructure as well as reduce its environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2021, the Flemish government published their plans for the redevelopment of the R0, the larger ring road around Brussels. These plans include a social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA) and an environmental impact assessment report (EIA) in which the pros and cons of various plan alternatives are weighed against each other. The current paper is a critical analysis of both official documents, and assesses to what extent recent academic insights regarding induced travel are being dealt with in the planning process for this motorway redevelopment project. Drawing upon a literature review, it is concluded that the existing body of knowledge on induced travel is largely ignored by the planning documents scrutinised, which suggests that the SCBA overestimates the economic benefits of the project, while the EIA underestimates the environmental impacts. While a road pricing scheme would potentially support the achievement of the stated planning objectives, it is not included in any of the proposed plan alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations conducting global environmental assessments (GEAs) face the challenge of not only producing trustworthy and policy-relevant knowledge but also recruiting and training experts to conduct these GEAs. These experts must acquire the skills and competencies needed to produce knowledge assessments. By adopting an institutional approach, this paper explores IPBES's epistemic infrastructure that aims to communicate and form the expertise that is needed to conduct its assessments. The empirical material consists of IPBES's educational material, which teaches new experts how to perform the assessment. The analysis finds three crucial tasks that experts introduced in the assessments are expected to learn and perform. The paper concludes by discussing the broader importance of the findings that organizations that conduct GEAs are not passive intermediaries of knowledge but instead, through their epistemic infrastructure, generate ways to understand and navigate the world, both for those who create and those who receive the assessment report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in-depth study and analysis of the impact of foreign trade on cement products and the ecological environment in China through Granger causality analysis. Based on the theoretical basis of foreign trade, ecological environment, and the relationship between them, a general equilibrium model is used to empirically analyze the "three effects" of foreign trade in Chinese cement products on the ecological environment, and the effects of import and export trade on ecological environment and the net effects are calculated, respectively. Then, based on the data of domestic and foreign cement product production and trade, the purpose, scope, and environmental impact factors of the ecological impact of foreign trade of Chinese cement products were determined by the life cycle assessment method, and the inventory analysis was carried out in phases based on the six aspects of nonrenewable resource depletion, global warming, photochemical ozone generation, acidification, eutrophication, and human health damage. The results were characterized and standardized, and the hierarchical analysis method was used to weight the evaluation of each environmental impact type, and finally, the resource consumption coefficient and environmental impact load index values and corresponding ratios were determined based on the green product evaluation method. This paper establishes an index system for the ecological and environmental impacts of foreign trade of cement products, which is a guide for the ecological and environmental impacts of foreign trade of other products in China. The results of the study on the ecological and environmental impacts of foreign trade of Chinese cement products also have important practical significance for the formulation of regulations and standards related to the cement industry, the adjustment of the import and export structure of cement products, and the improvement of production equipment and processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Northwest Arid Region faces the most serious resource-based water shortage in China, with challenges from engineering-, structural- and management-based water shortages. This water scarcity critically limits the socio-economic development of the region. Rational allocation of scarce water resources to achieve sustainable development of the ecological environment and economy has become a key issue in water resources research in the Northwest Arid Region. South-Central Ningxia, part of the Northwest Arid Region, exemplifies these challenges. This paper examines the urban and rural water supply projects in South-Central Ningxia. The current scheduling scheme focuses primarily on the distribution of water demand, with inadequate attention paid to water-quality requirements. Localized exceedances of water-quality standards indicate the existing scheduling scheme has failed to effectively control water-quality issues while ensuring water quantity. This study is the first to systematically evaluate the impact of the South-Central Ningxia Water Supply Project on water quality alongside field surveys and data analysis and propose an optimized scheduling scheme that addresses both water quantity and quality needs. The main findings are as follows: 1. Overall water quality is good, except for consistently high total nitrogen levels. 2. The optimized scheme significantly reduced total nitrogen levels, achieving a maximum reduction rate of 78.81%, and met all Class III standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper refines an optimized array lateral logging tool designed for small boreholes, leveraging existing technologies. The tool features four investigation depth curves, and resistivity response curves are derived through finite element model simulations considering variables such as borehole size, mud characteristics, invasion zone features, resistive annuli, formation rock properties, and formation resistivity anisotropy. The findings included the following: (1) Increasing the wellbore diameter uniformly decreased resistivity across all four investigation depths, positively correlating with borehole size. When mud resistivity (Rm) exceeded formation resistivity (Rt), resistivity curves became distorted. (2) For high- and low-invasion models, the ratio of the deepest to the shallowest investigation depth curves ranged from 1 to 8 and 0.6 to 0.9, respectively, with maximum separation at an invasion depth of 0.5–0.8 m. (3) Under invasion conditions with annuli, an invasion zone depth and annulus width around 0.4 m yield well separated the resistivity curves for all depths. Low- and high-resistivity annuli of 2 m and 0.7 m, respectively, can cause curve intersections. (4) When the formation thickness exceeded 0.2 m, the tool accurately reflected formation resistivity variations and demonstrated effective layer identification in multi-layer conditions. (5) In anisotropic formations, resistivity was negatively correlated with the anisotropy coefficient (λ) as it changed from 2 to 4. The instrument can be fully utilized in the exploration of thin interlayers in oil and gas, significantly enhancing the accuracy of resource identification and extraction technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal solid waste management in developing countries faces limitations, especially concerning technologies for treatment and disposal, which is crucial for achieving environmental and economic sustainability goals. This paper investigates municipal solid waste management in Laos, compared with the ASEAN-Japan regions, focusing on background information, waste characteristics, environmental impact, and treatment technologies for resource utilization. The findings indicate a continuous rise in municipal waste generation in Laos, particularly in the capital Vientiane, from 0.21 million tons in 2012 to 0.37 million tons in 2021. Treatment methods include unsanitary landfilling, basic recycling, and open dumping, as well as burning or discharge into rivers, posing potential risks to the environment and human health. Japan and Singapore have shown decreasing trends, with Japan reducing from 45.23 million tons in 2012 to 40.95 million tons in 2021 and Singapore from 7.27 million tons in 2021 to 6.94 million tons in 2021. Laos encounters challenges in managing municipal waste, especially in waste recovery and waste-to-energy practices, crucial elements of integrated solid waste management aimed at promoting environmental and economic sustainability. Enhancing waste management in Laos involves developing a waste management act with segregation, recycling, and extended producer responsibility policies. Implementing mechanical biological treatment facilities, waste-to-energy plants, and upgraded landfills is crucial. Capacity building and public awareness campaigns on waste management will improve sustainability, reduce environmental impacts, and advance sustainable development goals for sustainable cities and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the fabrication, characterization, and environmental impact analysis of a super-oleophobic (under water) and super-hydrophilic mesh membrane for oily water treatment. In order to prepare mesh membrane, Titania nanoparticles (NPs) were spray coated on mesh stainless steel followed by calcination at 500 °C. After that, the Titania-coated mesh membrane was characterized using contact angle goniometry (CA), XRD, FE-SEM, EDX and elemental mapping. The FE-SEM, EDX, elemental mapping and XRD results confirmed that the Titania NPs were successfully coated on the surface of mesh membrane. CA results demonstrated that the prepared mesh membrane is super-hydrophilic and super-oleo phobic under water conditions, making it suitable for oil/water separation. Subsequently, life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to determine the environmental impacts of Titania NPs-coated mesh membrane fabrication process. LCA results indicate that electricity and nitrogen contributed the most toward the eighteen environmental impact categories considered for this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increasing dominance of technology across various sectors, it is not surprising that education has also adopted narratives supporting and sustaining its importance in humanity's daily lives. In Malaysia Education Blueprint, narratives partial towards technology, known as techno- optimism, are commonly sighted. The concern with these narratives lies in the environmental impact a techno-optimistic education blueprint would perpetuate; that is, a partiality that enables the continuity of a consumptive status quo that induced the climate crisis in the first place and the maintenance of an unrealistic expectation of continuous comfort in an increasingly challenging ecosystem fuelled by misplaced optimism on technology. To break free from such a lifestyle and promote sustainability, education must support the effort by providing an alternative perspective that prioritises the sustainability of Earth and the well-being of its people. This paper argues for the Malaysia Education Blueprint that serves to guide the nation after 2025 to be based on a holistic approach that takes into account the sustainable interdependence between humans and the environment, as well as the cultivation of a mindset that fosters mutual flourishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many European countries with plentiful forest resources, novel forest‐based businesses play a key role in the transition from our current fossil‐based economy towards a circular bioeconomy. For example, kraft lignin, a by‐product from the pulping industry, is produced in large amounts globally. To date, however, it is still only offered on the market by a small number of pulping companies. The successful innovation diffusion of related new technologies and businesses requires establishing a collective effort among multiple societal actors to motivate the sharing of value creation processes. In this paper, potential innovation diffusion pathways are modeled and simulated by means of an agent‐based approach (Biorefinery Products Innovation Diffusion model, BioPID). The paper investigates the conditions needed to encourage the diffusion of kraft lignin innovations as a (partial) replacement for fossil‐based feedstock in selected applications. The results reveal the basic mechanisms behind potential innovation diffusion pathways. The major barriers were found to be the high level of uncertainty surrounding the additional costs arising in lignin processing, the small number of lignin providers, and the presence of relatively homogeneous pricing strategies based on opportunity and basic preparation costs. The analysis of two product categories revealed different patterns in terms of innovation diffusion and potential greenhouse gas emissions. A novelty of BioPID is that it allows for iterative technology evaluation and technology foresight analysis of biorefinery projects (e.g., by combining techno‐economic, socio‐technical, and environmental aspects). This produces knowledge for diverse stakeholders involved in the lignin innovation ecosystem, thus enabling better communication on shared values and furthering innovation diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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