Article
Thermodynamics
Alexandra Duarte, Juan Carlos Uribe, William Sarache, Andres Calderon
Summary: This study evaluates the economic, environmental, and social feasibility of producing bioethanol from multiple coffee crop residues, showing comparable production costs to market prices and identifying positive impacts on the environment and society.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Minal P. Deshmukh, Ashwini Pande, Vishnu Choudhari, Dhanashri S. Pendse
Summary: This paper describes the process of extracting ethanol from Jatropha curcas and its various blending effects on spark-ignited engine performance. The study found that bioethanol enrichments reduce CO and CO2 emissions but increase nitrogen oxide emissions. Among the fuel blends tested, JDCE 15 had the best engine performance.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Asma Chaudhary, Ali Hussain, Qurat-ul-Ain Ahmad, Areeba Shehzadi, Maleeha Manzoor, Muhammad Shahbaz, Balakrishnan Deepanraj
Summary: In this study, ethanol-producing bacteria that ferment xylose were isolated and screened from rotten fruit wastes. Sixteen bacteria were isolated from apple, banana, guava, and grape wastes on a solid medium supplemented with 5% xylan. The selected bacterial isolates showed the ability to degrade xylose and produce ethanol. Bacterial isolate XG2 produced the highest ethanol production of 3.069 +/- 0.738 g/L on day 8.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSESSMENTS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kenneth R. Szulczyk, Sayyed Mahdi Ziaei, Changyong Zhang
Summary: Commercial bioethanol production in Malaysia can have economic and environmental benefits, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, meeting emission reduction commitments, and driving agricultural industry development.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tao Hai, Farhan A. Alenizi, Abdullah H. Alshahri, Bhupendra Singh Chauhan, Ahmed Sayed Mohammed Metwally, Hamad R. Almujibah
Summary: Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is crucial for reducing environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. MSW-to-energy systems can provide a sustainable solution for waste management. This study aims to design an integrated energy system for converting MSW to hydrogen, utilizing gas turbine cycle, proton exchange membrane, and supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle. The system is optimized using the Taguchi technique, producing power, hydrogen, oxygen, heated air, and heated water. The optimum conditions result in 472 kW of power, 57.7 g/min of hydrogen, 458 g/min of oxygen, 480 m3/min of heated air, and 12.2 L/min of heated water, with an efficiency of 79.3% and carbon dioxide emissions of 8.32 g/kW.min.
PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Andreas Christofi, Dionysis Tsipiras, Dimitris Malamis, Konstantinos Moustakas, Sofia Mai, Elli Maria Barampouti
Summary: The orange juice industry produces a large amount of waste, which can be utilized as animal feed or for biogas and bioethanol production. Fresh orange waste has the highest energy yield, while pressed orange waste and silage have lower energy yields. By using enzymatic hydrolysis and ethanolic fermentation, fresh orange waste can produce a higher energy output.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Luz Marina Florez Pardo, Natalia Valencia Castillo, Yoly Mileidy Velez Duran, Javier Arturo Jurado Rosero, Jairo Alexander Lozano Moreno
Summary: This study analyzed an emerging technology for producing bioethanol from coffee mucilage under sustainable development constraints. The results showed the importance of adding an antibiotic to prevent bacterial contamination of the mucilage, as well as the necessity of adding pectinase for converting cellulose and hemicellulose into simple reducing sugars. The study also found that cellulase dose is the most significant factor in the hydrolysis process, and determined optimal enzyme doses for the process.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND PROCESSING-PROCESS INTENSIFICATION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Matthew Thompson, Sussan Moussavi, Shaobin Li, Philip Barutha, Bruce Dvorak
Summary: This study evaluated the environmental life cycle impact and land use tradeoffs of different lagoon and mechanical water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) across diverse climates in Nebraska, finding that lagoon treatment systems have a smaller environmental impact in most categories but require significantly more land use compared to mechanical WRRFs.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Omprakash Sarkar, Ranaprathap Katakojwala, S. Venkata Mohan
Summary: This study demonstrates the pilot-scale production of bio-H2 and VFA from food waste as a renewable feedstock, and integrates the acidogenic process with a biorefinery platform to derive multiple biobased products. The life cycle assessment results indicate that the waste biorefinery approach offers lower environmental impact compared to standalone bio-H2 production, helping reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Jaewon Byun, Jeehoon Han
Summary: A rigorous life cycle assessment was conducted to analyze two different technological process configurations for producing bioethanol from corn stover, and the results showed that nonenzymatic chemical hydrolysis and subsequent fermentation (P2) is the most promising strategy in terms of reducing climate change, fossil depletion, and air pollutants.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marina Fernandez-Delgado, Esther del Amo-Mateos, Susana Lucas, M. Teresa Garcia-Cubero, Monica Coca
Summary: The study evaluated the economic and environmental feasibility of an industrial plant producing liquid fertilizers from organic waste, showing that conventional extraction with alkaline solvent is the most favorable scenario for scaling up. It was found that the fertilizer production under alkaline conditions is ten times higher than for water-based extraction, leading to a lower selling price and reduced environmental impact.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Homa Hosseinzadeh-Bandbafha, Abdul-Sattar Nizami, Soteris A. Kalogirou, Vijai Kumar Gupta, Young-Kwon Park, Alireza Fallahi, Alawi Sulaiman, Meisam Ranjbari, Hassan Rahnama, Mortaza Aghbashlo, Wanxi Peng, Meisam Tabatabaei
Summary: This article reviews the existing literature on the life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis of waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel production and identifies the state-of-the-art, research gaps, and future research opportunities in this field. Although environmental assessment of biodiesel production using LCA is well-established, there are still limitations and concerns, such as neglecting waste management and inadequate data.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Nazia Hossain, Teuku Meurah Indra Mahlia, Monirul Islam Miskat, Tamal Chowdhury, Pranta Barua, Hemal Chowdhury, Sabzoi Nizamuddin, Nurhamim Binti Ahmad, Nurul Azreen Binti Zaharin, Shaukat Ali Mazari, Manzoore Elahi M. Soudagar
Summary: The study demonstrated the production of pure bioethanol from waste biomass in Malaysia, specifically oil palm and rubber-wood, and conducted a life cycle cost analysis of bioethanol-gasoline blend in the transportation sector. It showed that waste biomass could be converted into value-added bioethanol and biomass content for commercial biofertilizer, leading to fuel savings by partially replacing gasoline with bioethanol produced from forest residues in Malaysia.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xiaoli Xiong, Wenxing Zhang, Xia Ha, Ning Li, Shengming Chen, Hongwei Xing, Jing Yang
Summary: Kitchen waste is both harmful and rich in resources, with approximately 1.3 billion tons being produced worldwide every year. Conventional treatments such as landfilling and incineration cause environmental, economic, and social problems. Therefore, there is an urgent need for harmless and resource-based treatment technology.
FERMENTATION-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Macdonald Kitson-Hytey, Bernard Fei-Baffoe, Lyndon N. A. Sackey, Kodwo Miezah
Summary: In recent years, the efficient utilization of agro-waste to produce value-added products has become more popular. This study aimed to explore the use of different enzymes and microorganisms for the production of ethanol from plantain and yam peels. The results showed that fermentation of yam and plantain with Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae resulted in significant ethanol production, with higher concentrations observed in yam peels.
BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kentaro Abe, Xianpeng Yang, Hiroyuki Yano, Lei Wang
Summary: In this study, a low-energy, zero-waste process for cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) production was achieved through the design of a novel reactive deep eutectic solvent (DES). The pretreatment with DES allowed cellulose fibers to self-delaminate into pseudo-CNFs, which exhibited comparable strength, toughness, and transmittance to CNFs. Additionally, the resulting CNFs could form freestanding sub-micrometer films with strong, full coloration, demonstrating their potential in various applications.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shijie Yu, Xinyue Dong, Peng Zhao, Zhicheng Luo, Zhuohua Sun, Xiaoxiao Yang, Qinghai Li, Lei Wang, Yanguo Zhang, Hui Zhou
Summary: This study presents a hydrothermal system that allows independent control of temperature and pressure, enabling fast synthesis of carbon sub-micron spheres from cellulose. By decoupling temperature and pressure, the degradation temperature of cellulose is significantly reduced, leading to accelerated production of carbon sub-micron spheres and reduced carbon emissions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chenyuan Zhang, Xianpeng Yang, Shuang Yang, Zhongqi Liu, Lei Zhang, Hailong He, Wenmin Qiu, Renying Zhuo, Jing Xu, Lei Wang
Summary: Phytoremediation is a viable method for treating heavy metal contaminated soil, but the resulting biomass is hazardous waste that is typically incinerated, leading to secondary pollution. This study developed a novel DES-based pretreatment and metal extraction process to utilize the biomass obtained from phytoremediation as a renewable feedstock. The DES effectively removed 98.3% of Cd from genetically modified poplar and produced cellulose-rich pulp with trace heavy metals, as well as Cu-containing lignin nanoparticles. The electrochemical properties of the DES allowed for efficient cleaning and recycling. This DES-based treatment technology was also successfully applied to Sedum alfredii, demonstrating its broad applicability and potential for scaling-up.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rocio Martinez-Cillero, Ben Siggery, Richard Murphy, Alvaro Perez-Diaz, Ian Christie, Sarah Jane Chimbwandira
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhongqi Liu, Xiaosong Hu, Xinyue Dong, Shu Zhao, Yinjuan Chen, Biaobiao Zhang, Liaoyong Wen, Lei Wang
Summary: This study proposes a sustainable upcycling strategy by using seafood waste to chelate heavy metals in contaminated water and produce metal-doped graphene composites. The composites are prepared by scalable one-step laser scribing and can efficiently catalyze carbon dioxide electroreduction and organic micropollutant degradation.
CELL REPORTS PHYSICAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Minghui Wu, Jhuma Sadhukhan, Richard Murphy, Ujjwal Bharadwaj, Xiaofei Cui
Summary: The purpose of this study is to develop an integrated life cycle assessment and life cycle costing framework for composite materials in the aviation industry. By using a case study of replacing an aluminium door with a composite door, the study simulated the integrated environmental and economic performances using the proposed framework. Results showed that energy consumption was the hotspot, and the choice of composite waste treatment routes had a negligible effect on the life cycle assessment outcomes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Andries, Stephen Morse, Richard J. Murphy, Jhuma Sadhukhan, Elias Martinez-Hernandez, Myriam A. Amezcua-Allieri, Jorge Aburto
Summary: Satellite-observed night-time light (NTL) data can be used to explore lighting brightness at different spatial and temporal scales, but most applications have been on larger scales. This paper analyzes the potential of NTL data for local indicators and finds that it can support many social indicators but has mainly been explored at global or country scales. A case study in Durango State, Mexico shows that lower NTL radiance is associated with higher levels of social deprivation, but more research is needed to establish the link at local scales.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Timothy M. Chukwu, Stephen Morse, Richard J. Murphy
Summary: The study investigated the perceived health impacts of poor air quality in two cities in Nigeria and found that it not only has an association with COVID-19 infection but also worsens the infection and intensity of the disease. The research also revealed that older individuals are more vulnerable to the health impacts of poor air quality and that most respondents, especially younger ones, obtain air quality information through electronic media. Proper waste management was identified as the primary action to address poor air quality.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Shuang Yang, Yuanyu Wang, Xiheng Kang, Xianpeng Yang, Chenyuan Zhang, Lulu Deng, Xianzhi Meng, Xueping Song, Lei Wang
Summary: Novel organosolv pretreatments using biobased green solvents have gained attention for sustainable biorefinery. In this study, dimethyl isosorbide/water co-solvent was used to fractionate Eucalyptus biomass, and the effects of various Bronsted and Lewis acid catalysts, as well as their combinations, were explored. The presence of AlCl3 inhibited lignin binding to cellulase, resulting in lower delignification efficiency but similar cellulose conversion efficiency compared to H2SO4. The H2SO4-AlCl3 co-catalyst pretreatment achieved high lignin removal efficiency and complete enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose pulp.
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
J. Suckling, S. Morse, R. Murphy, S. Astley, C. Boy, J. C. G. Halford, J. A. Harrold, A. Le-Bail, E. Koukouna, H. Musinovic, A. Raben, M. Roe, J. Scholten, C. Scott, C. Westbroek
Summary: Due to the negative health effects of excessive sugar consumption, there is increasing interest in replacing added sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners and sweetness enhancers. This study assesses the environmental impacts of the sweetness enhancer thaumatin, produced from Thaumatococcus daniellii fruit, through a life cycle assessment. Results show that thaumatin can reduce the environmental impact of providing sweet taste in food and beverage products.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
J. Suckling, S. Morse, R. Murphy, M. Raats, S. Astley, J. C. G. Halford, J. A. Harrold, A. Le-Bail, E. Koukouna, H. Musinovic, A. Raben, M. Roe, J. Scholten, C. Scott, C. Westbroek
Summary: This study quantitatively assesses the environmental impact of aspartame and neotame as non-nutritive sweeteners, finding that they have great potential to replace added sugar with reduced environmental impact. However, there are significant uncertainties related to life cycle inventory data and data derivation method.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chunxiao Gong, Xianzhi Meng, Lisbeth Garbrecht Thygesen, Kuichuan Sheng, Yunqiao Pu, Lei Wang, Arthur Ragauskas, Ximing Zhang, Sune Tjalfe Thomsen
Summary: Replacing fossil fuels with renewable biofuels derived from lignocellulosic biomass is important for addressing environmental challenges. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the application of densified biomass in biorefineries and discusses the effects of densification on the quality of densified products, physiochemical modifications of biomass, and the viability of using pellets as starting feedstocks.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Fang Liu, Liqing Xin, Hang Tang, Yong Qin, Lei Zhang, Xinyue Dong, Yi Zhang, Weixiang Wu, Lei Wang
Summary: Innovative recycling technologies can help reduce food waste, but their implementation involves trade-offs among different environmental, economic and social issues. Monetization provides a solution to evaluate the environmental impacts of food waste and enable economic assessment. The study applied a Chinese regionalized monetization model to assess ten typical rural food waste recycling technologies in Zhejiang province, revealing promising solutions and potential risks.
Review
Plant Sciences
Michael Gargaro, Richard J. Murphy, Zoe M. Harris
Summary: Climate change impacts have reduced agricultural productivity, affecting global food security. Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA), using technology-based production systems, can mitigate climatic and pest threats, ensuring consistent crop development. This meta-analysis identifies key factors influencing CEA crop production, particularly in lettuce cultivation. On average, CEA systems yield twice as much as field-based agriculture, with influencing factors including cultivar variety, season, nutrient delivery method, and lighting type. Vertical farming studies show even higher yields per area. These findings contribute to our understanding of CEA growth and highlight its ongoing research in the agricultural industry.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Minghui Wu, Jhuma Sadhukhan, Richard Murphy, Ujjwal Bharadwaj, Xiaofei Cui
Summary: The purpose of this study is to develop an integrated framework for assessing the environmental impacts and economic costs of carbon fibre-reinforced composite materials in the aviation industry. The study focuses on the displacement of conventional metal products with composite products and provides a graphical tool for visualising the integrated environmental and economic performances. The results show that energy consumption is a major concern and the choice of waste treatment routes has minimal effects on the outcomes. Labour cost is the most significant factor in door production costs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kecheng Long, Shaozhen Huang, Han Wang, Anbang Wang, Yuejiao Chen, Zhijian Liu, Yu Zhang, Zhibin Wu, Weikun Wang, Libao Chen
Summary: This study proposes a low-cost Li foil surface-reconstruction strategy using a mechanochemistry reaction between fumed silica and Li to achieve dendrite-free Li metal anode. The reconstructed surface enhances the electrode dynamics and constructs an anionphilic interface, leading to significantly improved low-temperature and cycling performance of Li metal batteries while maintaining high energy density and stable cycle performance.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Changchun Ye, Zhenghui Pan, Qinghua Zhang, Fang Yin, Yanan Wang, Yifei Li, Guangxu Chen, Jia Li, Yongcai Qiu, Geoffrey I. N. Waterhouse, Lin Gu, Zhang Lin, Lin Guo
Summary: A facile synthesis route for heterostructured metal oxides via quenching-induced structural transformation was developed. Multiple quenching triggered the transformation from NiMoO4 to NiFe2O4, creating a novel heterostructure, and the pre-quenching generated disordered defect structure can promote subsequent quenching regulation.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yang Liu, Xufei An, Ke Yang, Jiabin Ma, Jinshuo Mi, Danfeng Zhang, Xing Cheng, Yuhang Li, Yuetao Ma, Ming Liu, Feiyu Kang, Yan-Bing He
Summary: The lack of understanding of ion transport in the cathode of PVDF-based solid-state lithium metal batteries limits their performance. The use of carbon-coated Li1.4Al0.4Ti1.6(PO4)3 nanowires as a cathode filler improves the diffusion of ions in the thick cathode, leading to enhanced battery performance and stability.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zixing Wang, Kang Luo, Jian-Fang Wu, Peng Gao, Kexuan Wang, Shi Chen, Jian Tu, Xiulin Fan, Jilei Liu
Summary: This study improves the performance limitations of potassium-ion batteries at extreme temperatures by regulating the ion-solvent-coordinated structure, leading to enhanced cycling performance and capacity retention.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shan Jiang, Ruyue Wang, Minghua Li, Runnan Yu, Fuzhi Wang, Zhan'ao Tan
Summary: This study developed a synergistic electrical and light management strategy to maximize the voltage output in monolithic perovskite/organic tandem solar cells. By optimizing the interface contact and regulating the donor/acceptor ratio, the fabricated cells achieved remarkable power conversion efficiency and high open-circuit voltage.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Gwanho Kim, Jae Won Lee, Kaiying Zhao, Taebin Kim, Woojoong Kim, Jin Woo Oh, Kyuho Lee, Jihye Jang, Guangtao Zan, Jong Woong Park, Seokyeong Lee, Yeonji Kim, Wei Jiang, Shengyou Li, Cheolmin Park
Summary: In this study, a new type of complementary energy harvester that can simultaneously generate moisture-induced and triboelectric power is introduced. This device exhibits high resilience, high energy output, and potential applications in emergency guidance systems.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2024)
