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The direct sulfonation of methane to methanesulfonic acid was achieved in an electrochemical reactor without adding peroxide initiators. The synthesis proceeds only from oleum and methane. This is possible due to in situ formation of an initiating species from the electrolyte at a boron-doped diamond anode. Elevated pressure, moderate temperature and suitable current density are beneficial to reach high concentration at outstanding selectivity. The highest concentration of 3.7 M (approximately 62 % yield) at 97 % selectivity was reached with a stepped electric current program at 6.25-12.5 mA cm

Chemistry - a European journal 27(49), 12558 - 12565 (2021). doi:10.1002/chem.202101260, echanochemistry, as a synthesis tool for inorganic materials, became an ever-growing field in material chemistry. The direct energy transfer by collision of the educts with the milling media gives the possibility to design environmental-friendly reactions. Nevertheless, the underlying process of energy transfer and hence the kinetics of mechanosynthesis remain unclear. Herein, we present in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies coupled with pressure measurements performed during the formation of ZnS and the subsequent phase transition (PT) from the hexagonal to the cubic modification. Milling Zn and S$_8$ results in the sublimation of S$_8$, observed by a sudden pressure increase. Simultaneously, the hexagonal metastable ZnS-modification (wurtzite) forms. Via detection of the pressure maximum, the exact start of the wurtzite formation can be determined. Immediately after the formation of wurtzite, the structural PT to the thermodynamic stable cubic modification sphalerite takes place. This PT can be described by the Prout-Tompkins equation for autocatalytic reactions, similar to thermally induced PT in sulfur vapor at high temperatures (T>1133 K). The increase in the reactivity of the wurtzite formation is explained by the reaction in sulfur vapor and the induction of defect structures by the collisions with the milling media., Published by Wiley-VCH, Weinheim

Blockchain-Lösungen für Supply Chain und Logistik können die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit von Unternehmen stärken. Aber wie sollten sich insbesondere KMU diesem Thema nähern? Basierend auf 26 Experteninterviews arbeiten wir in diesem Beitrag zunächst Einsatzpotenziale für Blockchain heraus. Zur Realisierung der Potenziale leiten wir anschließend drei idealtypische Rollen ab. Diese Typologie kann Praktiker bei der Entwicklung eines unternehmensindividuellen Blockchain-Ansatzes unterstützen.**)

Increase in consumer awareness, and criticism from a multitude of stakeholders are often the cause of enormous pressure on organizations to take sustainability initiatives in order to minimize the ...

Seaports are critical links within supply chains that are often located near residential areas. These seaports can be directly affected by the consequences of operational risk sources and natural disasters such as undeclared dangerous goods and flood, respectively. The diversity and large number of stakeholders at seaports add another level of complexity for risk management that requires a standard approach and clear guidelines. This paper aims to develop a prescriptive process model for cooperative risk management (CoRiMaS) in seaports to enable the stakeholder to manage different sources of risk during risk prevention and response. The prescriptive process model builds on two previous published papers which focused on developing a conceptual framework and a descriptive model based on an ontology for CoRiMaS, respectively. A detailed requirement analysis based on focus groups and a survey study in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) provide important inputs to integrate the required elements into the CoRiMaS prescriptive process model. The model requires an overall input represented by the type of seaport and structure. The prescriptive process model presents all steps and aspects related to stakeholder analysis, risk governance, risk management, and knowledge management. Implications for theory and practice, as well as an agenda for future research, are presented. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI)

The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and its resulting developments over the past year have demonstrated the importance of both shipping (manufacturing and trading) companies and logistics service providers in everyday economic activities. The following article deals with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on shipping companies as well as logistics service providers. To this end, a general description of the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on economic events, as well as specifically on logistics, trade, and manufacturing companies is provided. These descriptions are then followed by a presentation of the empirical results of a survey on the effects of the Covid-19 crisis as well as on supply chain management and logistics in the Hamburg metropolitan region. The survey was conducted in August 2020. Based on the results of the survey, the authors derive future corporate recommendations before concluding with a short summary.

The need to digitally transform is omnipresent in almost every company. Nevertheless, many companies are currently still failing to holistically apply the implications of increasing digitalization to their business model. Thus, this paper aims to analyze drivers, technological elements as well as the success of companies on their way from digitization efforts to a digital business model. This study utilizes a representative longitudinal online survey that covers key stakeholders in logistics and SCM. Our findings show that on the way from digitization (simply transferring analog processes to digital ones) to a digital business model, companies perceive increased opportunities and reduced risks. They expand their focus on cost reductions to new ways of increasing revenues. Technological concepts that contribute to generate a digital twin of the material flow, as well as the usage of platforms/IT services and forecasting methods, are of essential and increasing importance. Companies in the early stages of their way to a digital business model seem to misjudge the potential of concepts like predictive analytics. We finally can show that it is worth taking the long way. The further companies are on their path, the higher is their adaptability to key trends. Our results contribute to the research on digital business models and provide insights for practitioners on how to effectively tread the path to a digital business model.

Kurzfassung Blockchain ist eine neue Technologie, mit deren Hilfe Transaktionen dezentral, manipulationssicher und transparent für alle Mitglieder eines Netzwerks abgewickelt werden können. Besonders im Finanzsektor wird Blockchain derzeit als disruptive Schlüsseltechnologie gehandelt, deren Anwendungsmöglichkeiten jedoch weit über die Branche hinausgehen. Um das Potenzial von Blockchain für Produktion und Logistik zu verdeutlichen, werden in diesem Beitrag exemplarische Anwendungsfälle vorgestellt.

Bioplastics play an increasingly important role for consumer products. These new materials might increase product sustainability but they are currently confined to niche markets. While research has gained important insight into the technical challenges, few studies to date explore the behavioral aspects for product developers as they move to employ bioplastics in their development efforts. This manuscript reports the findings of a grounded inductive study based on interview data with 32 product developers in the consumer goods industry. The Theory of Planned Behavior is employed to guide the research and provide a theoretical background to derive implications. The study finds that behavioral challenges impede the increased use of bioplastics. Product developers experience a lack of perceived behavioral control and struggle with doubts about the environmental benefits and incurring trade-offs of bioplastics with respect to the Triple Bottom Line. While product developers are intrinsically motivated to make more use of bioplastics, they often refrain from bringing products to the mass market due to uncertainties of customer receptiveness and fears of greenwashing allegations. Implications for industry and research are detailed.

Purpose– Regulatory pressure, consumer awareness, and the quest for competitive advantage place sustainable products in today’s decision-making spotlight. The purpose of this paper is to explore supply chain dynamics as they relate to sustainable product programs and to empirically develop a framework to align efforts across the supply chain to bring sustainable products to market.Design/methodology/approach– Grounded in systems design, stakeholder theory, and the theory of planned behavior, the authors conduct an inductive empirical study of 28 European and US companies.Findings– The authors make three contributions. First, the authors identify six dimensions of product sustainability, which map to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s sustainability scope model. Second, the authors model relational dynamics using systems diagrams to provide a framework that: first, communicates a common understanding of product sustainability; and second, facilitates tradeoff analysis. Third, the authors elaborate behaviors needed to reduce ambiguity and compliance costs.Practical implications– Managers can use the framework to assess product sustainability and evaluate tradeoffs across product dimensions and supply chain participants. Using this insight, managers can design sustainable product programs that engage supply chain participants.Social implications– By identifying dimensions, defining costs, and uncovering tradeoffs, managers can more effectively implement sustainable product programs.Originality/value– The framework provides a much needed source of clarity to mitigate role ambiguity, reduce compliance costs, and promote collaborative behavior in bringing sustainable products to market.

Nowadays, consumer-to-consumer communication and its impact on purchase decisions have gained substantial consideration owing to digitalization and the emergence of internet-based social media platforms. Social media allows consumers to communicate with thousands of people well beyond their network. Consequently, the demand for transparency from industrial corporations has increased. It even becomes more important to understand how sustainability-related information on social media holds organizations accountable for their wrongdoings and reward them for taking sustainability-related initiatives. In this research work, the authors investigate how information that is available on social media influences consumers’ purchase behavior with regard to sustainable products in the context of developing countries. Therefore, the authors surveyed social media users residing in Pakistan and used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data. The results established that positive and negative sustainability-related information on social media significantly influences consumers’ intention to purchase sustainable products. Furthermore, this study explains that consumers’ willingness to seek sustainability-related information makes them dependent on social media and this dependency on social media affects their intention to purchase.

Blockchain technology is associated with greatly beneficial applications for supply chain and logistics (SC&L), two of which are to trace goods across many actors, and to decentralize asset transfers without needing an intermediary. As a first use-case, actors from the Port of Hamburg are planning to implement blockchain to improve the sea freight container release by providing a common data platform for sea freight carriers, terminals, truck companies, and freight forwarders. Currently, releasing containers from the port’s terminals to trucks requires proof of ownership for the recipient to take custody. In practice, this proof passes through many hands causing duplication of information flow and ownership evidence. We conducted workshops and short interviews with experts providing first-hand insight into the use-case. Using blockchain in the process provides improvements such as traceable proof of ownership. The technology also faces barriers, with privacy concerns as one of the most prominent obstacles. A decentralized system could lead to business networks and company information being disclosed through data triangulation. We argue that privacy is a vital design consideration that affects the use of blockchain in SC&L generally.

Kurzfassung Die Verwendung von Biokunststoffen kann Möglichkeiten bieten, die Nachhaltigkeit von Produkten zu verbessern. In der Praxis ist jedoch zu beobachten, dass diese von Produktentwicklern nur zögerlich eingesetzt werden. Der vorliegende Beitrag diskutiert in diesem Kontext die Ergebnisse einer qualitativen Studie in der Konsumgüterindustrie. In Anlehnung an die „Theorie des geplanten Verhalten“ wird untersucht, welche Voraussetzungen für den Einsatz von Biokunststoffen gegeben sein müssen und wie derzeit existierende Hemmnisse überwunden werden können.

Im digitalen Zeitalter wird eine starkere Vernetzung der Unternehmen uber die Funktionssowie Organisationsgrenzen hinweg intensiver denn je diskutiert (vgl. z. B. Bischoff et al. 2015, S. 102; Kagermann/Wahlster/Helbig 2013, S. 36f.). Dies lasst erwarten, dass dem Supply Chain Management (SCM) sowie der Logistik als klassische Schnittstellenfunktionen eine wachsende Bedeutung zuteilwerden wird und sich die traditionellen Rollen grundlegend verandern werden. Das Management und die operative Abwicklung von physischen Warenstromen werden erganzt durch umfangreichere digitale Datenflusse (vgl. Chopra/ Meindl 2016, S. A9; Bowersox/Closs/Cooper 2010, S. 3).

Anin situdiffraction cell is presented which has been designed and constructed for in-house powder diffraction experiments under high gas pressures up to 30 MPa. For a proof of principle, thein situcell has been tested for several hydrogenation experiments under elevated pressures and temperatures. LaNi5was chosen as an example for hydrogenation, applying simultaneously 5.5 MPa H2pressure at a temperature of 423 K. For testing the high-pressure–temperature suitability of thein situcell, pressure–temperature experiments up to 14 MPa at 373 K were performed, studying the rehydrogenation of NaH and Al to NaAlH4. The experimental setup enables recording ofin situX-ray diffraction data on laboratory instruments with short data acquisition times at elevated hydrogen pressures and temperatures.

Here we present the development of an aluminium alloy based hydrogen storage tank, charged with Ti-doped sodium aluminium hexahydride Na3AlH6. This hydride has a theoretical hydrogen storage capacity of 3 mass-% and can be operated at lower pressure compared to sodium alanate NaAlH4. The tank was made of aluminium alloy EN AW 6082 T6. The heat transfer was realised through an oil flow in a bayonet heat exchanger, manufactured by extrusion moulding from aluminium alloy EN AW 6060 T6. Na3AlH6 is prepared from 4 mol-% TiCl3 doped sodium aluminium tetrahydride NaAlH4 by addition of two moles of sodium hydride NaH in ball milling process. The hydrogen storage tank was filled with 213 g of doped Na3AlH6 in dehydrogenated state. Maximum of 3.6 g (1.7 mass-% of the hydride mass) of hydrogen was released from the hydride at approximately 450 K and the same hydrogen mass was consumed at 2.5 MPa hydrogenation pressure. 45 cycle tests (rehydrogenation and dehydrogenation) were carried out without any failure of the tank or its components. Operation of the tank under real conditions indicated the possibility for applications with stationary HT-PEM fuel cell systems.

The findings from an inductive study conducted in the United States and Europe focused on sustainability implementation efforts across supply chains are reported. In particular, the study focuses on developing a better understanding of: “how do companies involve other members of their supply chain into their sustainability efforts?” Building upon themes that emerged from the data, a typology for the supply chain implementation of sustainability initiatives is proposed. A lack of supply chain integration was identified and companies reported a tendency toward a “mandated” implementation when extending efforts across companies. These efforts are generally initiated by the dominant companies and then forced onto the weaker upstream members. The data suggests that the merits of these initiatives are viewed as being disproportionately awarded to the dominant firm and thus did not receive full buy-in from the other party. A common vision by both sides of this relationship is to develop a more collaborative implementation that can be supported by all the involved parties. In theoretical implications, empirical findings are viewed through the lens of several prominent management theories in order to augment and elaborate current theory. Managerial implications, limitations, and opportunities for further research are detailed.

Die fortschreitende Digitalisierung von Produktion und Logistik – im deutschsprachigen Raum unter dem Begriff „Industrie 4.0“ zusammengefasst – fuhrt durch echtzeitfahige Kommunikation und hochauflosende Prozessdaten zu einer veranderten Wertschopfung in Supply Chains. Ihre duale Wirksamkeit spiegelt sich einerseits in der Funktion des „Enablers“ (Befahiger) fur neue Losungsansatze wider, andererseits gehen mit ihr veranderte und neue Risiken einher, die eine Modifikation bestehender Managementansatze erfordern. Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrags ist es, die Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung auf das Supply Chain Risikomanagement (SCRM) zu analysieren, um aufbauend auf den Ergebnissen Potenziale fur dessen Anpassung und Umsetzung abzuleiten. Ferner werden resultierende Aufgaben fur die Wissenschaft und die Praxis diskutiert. Basis der Analyse ist eine empirische Erhebung, in der untersucht wird, wie sich verschiedene Risiken unter dem Einfluss der Digitalisierung zukunftig entwickeln konnen. Anschliesend erfolgt neben der Auswertung von Aussagen zum veranderten Ablauf des SCRM die Analyse, inwiefern sich durch die Digitalisierung neue Moglichkeiten fur die Implementierung eines SCRM ergeben. Der Beitrag schliest mit Implikationen fur die Wissenschaft sowie die Unternehmenspraxis im Hinblick auf die Anpassung und Umsetzung des SCRM im Rahmen von Industrie 4.0.

The aim of this article is to chart likely futures of transport and logistics in the Baltic Sea Region in 2025. The research draws on a Delphi study data collection process, which included an international panel of experts. Several sector-related factors are identified that affect competitiveness of the region by 2025 from transport and logistics perspective: fuel and operational efficiencies, technology diffusion, labor productivity, low-cost country subcontracting, under-capacity in road and rail infrastructure, blue-collar labor scarcity, and sector regulation. Competitiveness oriented policy recommendations are presented accordingly.

In this paper we show a methodology to derive recommendations for the optimization and controlling of complexity in logistics systems, taking the example of the distribution. Based on an assessment and a visualization of the complexity, a structured deduction of multiple approaches is conducted and subsequently applied in the case study of a 3rd party logistics provider.