You're using an outdated browser. Please upgrade to a modern browser for the best experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review Video
Microplastics on the Environment
There has been mounting concern about the bearing of microplastics on human health and the comprehensive natural environment. These particles come from a variety of sources, such as soaps, personal care products, and the rundown of bigger plastic items. The impacts of microplastics on marine life and other ecosystems are substantial, including ingestion by marine animals, interference with their reproductive systems, and even death. The economic implications of microplastics are also significant, with industries, such as fishing and tourism being affected by the presence of microplastics in the environment.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Driving Factors for R&D Intensity
Research and development (R&D) has long been recognized as an important component of sustainable development, with a key role in the combatting of climate change. Moreover, R&D activity is increasingly acknowledged as an important contributing factor to global post-pandemic economic recovery. However, little is known about the determinants of R&D intensity (the share of R&D expenditure in GDP) and countries have repeatedly missed their set targets for this indicator. 
  • 1.2K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Biomass Supply Chains in Post-COVID-19 Recovery
Researchers investigates how biomass supply chains (BSChs) for bioenergy within the broader bioeconomy could contribute to the post-COVID-19 recovery in three dimensions: boosting economic growth, creating jobs, and building more resilient and cleaner energy systems in four future scenarios, in the short term (by 2023) and long term (by 2030).
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Plant Growth Promoting Microorganisms in Soilless Systems
Soilless systems, such as hydroponics and aquaponics, are gaining popularity as a sustainable alternative to traditional soil-based agriculture, aiming at maximizing plant productivity while minimizing resource use. Plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) have emerged as a promising solution to overcome these issues. Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Azospirillum are the most extensively studied genera for their effectiveness as growth promoters, inducing changes in root architecture morphology. Furthermore, PGPM inoculation, either alone or in synergy, can reverse the effects of nutrient deficiency and salt stress. The genera Pseudomonas and Trichoderma were recognized for their solid antagonistic traits, which make them highly effective biocontrol agents in hydroponic systems. The findings indicate their ability to significantly reduce disease severity index (DSI) through mycoparasitism, antibiosis, and induced systemic resistance. In aquaponic systems, the inoculation with Bacillus subtilis and Azospirillum brasilense demonstrated increased dissolved oxygen, improving water quality parameters and benefiting plant and fish growth and metabolism. 
  • 1.2K
  • 15 May 2023
Topic Review
Rehabilitation of Salt-Affected Land
Soil salinity is a major threat to the sustainability of agricultural production systems and has defeated civilisations whenever the cost of remediation exceeded the benefits. Among the reasons for this is the complexity of the plant-water-soil nexus and that the causes of salinity are often separated from the damage in time and space. a more concerted effort, perhaps initiated by a philanthropist, is needed to show merchants and agencies how a range of payments for ecosystem services can be turned into true markets in an aggregate way so the ‘knowledge of what can be done can be transformed into benefit’.
  • 1.2K
  • 20 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Combined Electrocoagulation and Adsorption Processes
The electrocoagulation (EC) process is a possible alternative to conventional wastewater treatment methods. Characteristics of the process, such as its flexibility, easy operation, no need for additional chemicals, and its ability to deal with different contaminants, have been increasing the interest in its implementation. The EC process found application in the treatment of different contaminated waters, and several studies have shown the potential of this technology. Adsorption (AD) is another attractive way of treating wastewaters due to the potential of using low-cost and environmentally friendly adsorbents. Due to their high surface area and well-developed pore structure, activated carbons are the most used adsorbents in wastewater treatment systems. The high price of activated carbon limits its application. The combination of the EC and AD processes can be used to amplify the advantages that each process presents in treating wastewaters. As a first step, the EC process reduces the pollutant loading and the suspended solids concentration, which can benefit the AD process by delaying the adsorbent saturation and preventing clogging. Additionally, each adsorption/regeneration cycle could result in the adsorbent losing some of its capacity; as a result, delaying adsorbent saturation helps to increase its useful life. 
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Circular Economy Principles for Biobased Products
To support progress towards the transition to a circular economy, the ability to measure circularity is essential. The consideration of the role biobased products can play in this transition is however still largely lacking in the development of circularity monitoring approaches. The first step in coming to a suitable monitoring framework for biobased products is to define circular economy principles.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Design of Supply Chain in Perishable Products
A perishable product (PP) is defined as one that, by natural consequence, deteriorates in terms of its quality and/or organoleptic properties. The design of supply chains for products of all kinds is a classic problem of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering as well as Cold Technology Engineering in order to provide the producer and customer with the optimal means for the manufacturing, packaging, loading, transport and download of the product with time windows.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Theoretical Model of Industrial Innovation Ecosystem
This entry takes the industrial innovation ecosystem as the research object and the realization of green development as the goal, discussing the temporal and spatial evolution of coupling coordination degree of industrial innovation ecosystem from the perspective of system view. Based on the data of 30 provinces in China from 2010 to 2021, the spatial and temporal pattern distribution and spatial connection evolution of synergy among the three subsystems of industrial innovation ecosystem are studied by using coupling coordination degree model, trend surface model and gravity model. It is found that during the study period, the coupling relationship between the three subsystems is in a dynamic upward state. The regions with high values and rapid growth are distributed in the key areas of the national economic development strategy. At the same time, they have the characteristics of “positive U-shaped first and then inverted U-shaped” in the east-west and north-south directions; the spatial connection strength of coupling coordination degree shows that the spatial connection strength of the eastern region is significantly greater than that of the western region. With the improvement of spatial connection strength, a radial coupling network centered on Beijing Tianjin Tangshan region and the Yangtze River Delta is formed, which is of core significance to promote the coordinated development of industrial innovation ecosystem. 
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Green Hydrogen Value Chain
The potential of H2 as a fuel with the highest energy density per unit mass makes it great for application in all sectors that require energy. H2 is produced from a wide range of resources using different raw materials, pathways, and technologies, including fossil fuels and renewable energy. The classical method consists of breaking or reforming fossil fuels as a profitable H2 production pathway for industrial use, which was estimated (globally) at 85 million tons in 2016 (more than 600 billion Nm3/year). Therefore, the energy value of H2 and the clean energy index were not the main factors to consider in its use at an industrial level. Industrial H2 was used for the production of fertilizers, petrochemical refining, metalworking, food processing, cooling of generators of power plant energy and semiconductor manufacturing.
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Air and Particulates in Underground Oil Shale Mine
Particulate matter (PM) in the context of underground mining results from various operations such as rock drilling and blasting, ore loading, hauling, crushing, dumping, and from diesel exhaust gases as well. These operations result in the formation of fine particles that can accumulate in the lungs of mineworkers. The lung deposited surface area (LDSA) concentration is a variant solution to evaluate potential health impacts. 
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Carbon Capture Technologies
With an increase in the global population and the subsequent rise in energy demands and waste generation, the rate of CO2 release is at a much faster rate than its recycling through photosynthesis or fixation, which increases its net accumulation in the atmosphere. A large amount of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere from various sources such as the combustion of fossil fuels in power plants, vehicles and manufacturing industries. Thus, carbon capture plays a key role in the race to achieve net zero emissions, paving a path for a decarbonized economy. 
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Regenerative Agriculture and Farmscape Function
The concept of a regenerative agriculture can be traced back to the cusp of the 1980s and discussions of sustainability. Early authors stressed that to achieve sustainable food production, the resources agriculture depended upon initially needed to be restored from the degraded state conventional agriculture had caused. For modern authors, within and outside regenerative agriculture, these resources—soil, water, biota, and the long term viability of human agricultural labor—have continued to deteriorate. To prioritise the regeneration of these resources; as has begun with the concept of ecosystem functions, goods, and services generally; researchers must specifically determine the functions people require of their farmscapes so that agricultural systems can be iteratively designed to meet these needs. 
  • 1.1K
  • 26 May 2022
Topic Review
Recycling Phosphorus from Agricultural Streams
Phosphorus (P) is a crucial element for producing crops and is widely used in both recycled manure and inorganic fertiliser. Its cycle has a high impact on the total environment, interfacing the hydrosphere and the pedosphere, and being heavily dependent on the biosphere and anthroposphere. The grey P adsorbents are based on waste materials from the steel industry, which ensure a high rate of P removal but do not allow for its direct reuse as fertiliser. Green P adsorbents are vegetable wastes; they are abundant, locally available, low-cost, and eco-sustainable, but the challenge is certainly their transport. A limitation to the reuse and recycling of agricultural by-products is seeking reusability at all costs, without evaluating the technical and economic feasibility; extra interventions are frequently proposed (i.e., applying high temperatures or adding expensive synthetic molecules to modify the pH). In general, the most promising feasibility is given by its direct use as a soil conditioner or by composting it as a by-product, as the only pre-treatment.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Application of Porous Materials for CO2 Reutilization
This entry describes the application of porous materials  in solar thermochemical reduction technologies.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Microbial-Based Flocculants to Enhance Wastewater Sludge Dewaterability
Various microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, and microalgae) are able to produce flocculating materials, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and glycoproteins. The ability of microorganisms to produce these molecules is identified based on many parameters, including the morphology and the existence of slimy extracellular polysaccharides. For this purpose, various methods (colorimetric, 16S rRNA gene sequence, etc.) and reagents (chelating agents, CuSO4 solution crystal violet, etc.) are applied to isolate suitable microorganisms from soil, rivers, seawater, sludge, etc. 
  • 1.1K
  • 09 May 2023
Topic Review
Sludge Co-Pyrolysis Technology
Pyrolysis, one of the main technologies for sludge treatment, has the advantages of thorough treatment, volume minimization, and the recovery of high-value products. However, sludge pyrolysis is often associated with problems such as high volatility and low ash content, as well as poor application performance of pyrolysis residues. Co-pyrolysis technology has reduced pyrolysis energy consumption and improved the range and quality of pyrolysis product applications.
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Business Process Re-Engineering to Digitalise Quality Control Checks
Business process re-engineering allows optimising processes within businesses. One way to do so is to use lean thinking to maximise customer value whilst minimising waste. Just-in-time is one of the core elements of lean production and is the material flow design upon which the lean production model is founded. For such a production model to succeed and achieve high efficiency and productivity levels, it needs to have a robust quality management system to accomplish the notion of ‘right first time’ and have quality controls at the source to prevent defects from entering the production system altogether. Defects occur when products are produced outside of agreed tolerances of the approved specification. Defects are a significant contributor to product waste and waste of resources, including raw materials, energy, water, and human resources. A reduction in waste generation helps to boost business performance by lowering environmental, economic and social impacts, i.e., the three pillars of sustainability. Optimised process monitoring helps identify defects in advance or as they happen in real time. A key function of the quality control (QC) process is to provide evidence that customer requirements (tolerances) of the product are met; therefore, measuring and controlling the values of the different variables that regulate the manufacturing processes is critical. However, collecting these values and handling the data manually tends to be slow, tedious, and prone to human error, as data can be misread, misplaced, or misrecorded easily. Furthermore, human judgement may not be consistent due to various factors including fatigue, mental or physical stress, as well as variability in heuristic and cognitive capabilities. Data capturing and analysing technology can be used instead to acquire such data and use it to control processes within acceptable parameters, ensuring optimum product flow and quality. Furthermore, as computing devices get smaller and cheaper, it is increasingly possible to tailor them to meet more needs on the factory floor, enabling machines to gather data, measure key performance indicators, and track operational efficiency. Data archiving is also necessary so that results can be reviewed later for auditing purposes. As cloud storage becomes safer, more affordable and with connection speeds that provide quick access, companies are increasingly moving away from paper records. This change introduces the challenge of reviewing and re-writing internal procedures to capture these new ways of data collection and reporting. It is important to know and prove who does what, when, how, and why for the purposes of traceability, accuracy, and consistency.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Green and Low-Carbon Rural Development in China
Green and low-carbon rural development (GLRD) is becoming an important way to explore sustainable development in rural areas of China. It is significant for the sustainable development of the rural economy and of society to build a rural carbon sink system, advocate low-carbon emissions in rural areas, and promote the development of rural green industries and rural transformation.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Feb 2023
Topic Review
100% Renewable Electricity in Indonesia
Researchers investigate an Indonesian energy decarbonization pathway using mostly solar photovoltaics. An hourly energy balance analysis using ten years of meteorological data was performed for a hypothetical solar-dominated Indonesian electricity system for the consumption of 3, 6 and 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) per capita per year (compared with current consumption of 1 MWh per capita per year). This research showed that Indonesia’s vast solar potential combined with its vast capacity for off-river pumped hydro energy storage could readily achieve 100% renewable electricity at low cost. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for a balanced solar-dominated system in Indonesia was found to be in the range of 77–102 USD/MWh.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Jan 2024
  • Page
  • of
  • 26
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Academic Video Service
Feedback