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Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), a promising third-generation photovoltaic technology, have drawn considerable attention. Yet, their conventional metal back electrode layer, often composed of gold or silver, presents environmental and stability challenges. In this study, we conducted a lab-scale optimization of perovskite solar cells utilizing gold and carbon electrodes. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed using primary data from Thailand's National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC) and the Sima Pro 9.3.0.2 software with the ReCiPe 2016 impact methodology, consisting of 18 midpoint and three endpoint impact categories. Our analysis reveals that transitioning from gold electrodes (PSC-Au) to carbon electrodes (PSC-CB) fabricated through a low-temperature process not only maintains equivalent power conversion efficiency but also enhances stability, resulting in significantly reduced environmental impacts across all categories, with an impressive 86% reduction in global warming potential (GWP) per 1 kWh of energy produced. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis underscores PSC-CB's superiority in GWP compared to other established renewable energy technologies, provided its operational lifespan extends to 15 years. These findings highlight PSC-CB's substantial potential for commercialization as a sustainable renewable energy technology. • Cradle-to-Gate LCA for the same architecture and performance of PSCs between the Gold electrode and Carbon electrode • Thermal evaporation and gold material loss in the process were indicated as hotspot and commercialization barriers • Carbon electrodes cut environmental impact by over 79% or an average of 93.9% across all categories versus gold electrodes • PSCs with carbon electrodes surpass other renewables in global warming impact when a device lifespan exceeding 15 years [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on green and sustainable innovation with efficient utilization concepts for enhancement of catalyst performance and energy conservation, an external magnetic field has been applied in CO 2 hydrogenation reaction in order to improve catalytic activity and reduce the energy consumption. In this research, the performances of Cu-ZnO/ZrO 2 catalyst under magnetic field with different magnetic field intensities (0, 20.8, and 27.7 mT) and orientations (north-to-south (N-S) and south-to-north (S-N) directions) in CO 2 hydrogenation were investigated. Cu-ZnO/ZrO 2 catalysts operated under magnetic field gave higher CO 2 conversions, compared to that of without magnetic field at all reaction temperatures. The highest CO 2 conversions were obtained under the magnetic field condition at 20.8 mT in S-N direction which was 1.8–3.0 times higher than that of without magnetic field. Accordingly, the operating temperatures were significantly lower than those of without magnetic field at the same reaction rate. This outstanding performance could be attributed to the fact that the external magnetic field facilitated adsorption of CO 2 reactant gas molecules over the surface of magnetized catalysts. Accordingly, the challenge in application of magnetic field in CO 2 hydrogenation process help reduce CO 2 emission into the atmosphere compared to the convention reactor, and therefore led to the carbon-neutral CO 2 conversion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-hydrogenated diesel (BHD) is a second generation biofuel that can be produced from vegetable oil and hydrogen via hydroprocessing. BHD is considered as one of alternative and renewable energy. This work presents evaluation of environmental impacts of BHD produced from palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) compared to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). Greenhouse gas emission, energy consumption, and overall environmental impacts are assessed. System boundary is from palm oil cultivation to BHD production. The functional unit is defined as 1 kg of fuel produced at the plant. The results indicate that energy consumption of BHD-PFAD is 1.18 times higher than that of BHD-FAME, while giving GHG emission 13.56 times lower than that of BHD-FAME. The results of overall environmental impacts indicated that BHD-PFAD was 3.58 greater than that of BHD-FAME. • Environmental impact of BHD from PFAD and from FAME were assessed and compared. • Palm oil cultivation and production were included as system boundary. • BHD-PFAD was 1.18 times higher than BHD-FAME in energy consumption. • GHG emission from BHD-PFAD was 13.56 times lower than BHD-FAME. • Overall environmental impacts from PFAD was 3.58 times greater than that from FAME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green GDP is an indicator of economic growth with the environmental impact on that growth factored into the traditional GDP. This study aims to develop a Green GDP model for Thailand using the EIO-LCA method. Green GDP is calculated by subtracting environmental costs from the traditional GDP. Environmental cost can be further divided into three components based on the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) which include depletion cost, degradation cost and defensive cost. Life cycle assessment is a tool for evaluating the environmental impact which, in this study, focuses on GHG emissions. The total direct GHG emissions for Thailand are calculated for 1990–2020 based on the 2006 IPCC guidelines and Thailand public statistical data for each economic sector. It was found that the amount of GHG emissions are 242–459 million tonnes CO 2 eq/yr which come from 10 economic sectors, comprised of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, petroleum refinery, power generation, gas separation, construction, commercial, residential and transportation. More than 80% of the total direct emissions come from four sectors: manufacturing (28%), power generation (26%), transportation (16%) and agriculture (15%). The portion of total GHG emissions (direct and indirect emissions) contributions is different from direct GHG emissions because the proportion of emissions from upstream processes in each sector is different. The portion of total GHG emissions of manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and residential are 60%, 22%, 13% and 5% respectively. The total Thailand Green GDP is consolidated from the results of each sector’s Green GDP. The difference between Thailand’s GDP and Green GDP is about 2% due to the degradation cost of GHG emissions with variability in the ratio of GDP to Green GDP across different sectors. The forecast of Green GDP by sector for 2015–2020 can be used as business-as-usual (BAU) scenarios to support policy making as well as the NAMA and INDC Action Plan for Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]