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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. 
  • 1.2K
  • 09 May 2023
Topic Review
Application of Porous Materials for CO2 Reutilization
This entry describes the application of porous materials  in solar thermochemical reduction technologies.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Dec 2021
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.
  • 1.2K
  • 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.
  • 1.2K
  • 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.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Environmental Taxes
The environmental tax is designed to motivate companies and citizens to seek solutions that limit the negative aspects of running a business. Environmental taxes or ecological taxes are defined in various ways. They can be defined as a non-returnable payment to the state that is levied on the object of taxation. The functions to be fulfilled by the environmental tax can be divided into three categories, i.e., redistributive, incentive, and fiscal. Redistribution consists of the division of the obtained funds and their allocation, for example, to environmental funds. The fiscal function allows the accumulation of funds for the state budget.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Non-Thermal Plasma for Microbial Decontamination and Chemical Removal
Plasma is a quasi-neutral system in a gaseous or fluid-like form that can be artificially generated in an electromagnetic field and a flow of neutral gases such as helium, argon, nitrogen, oxygen, or atmospheric air. It contains a mixture of radicals, H2O2, O3, ultraviolet radiation, charged particles, exited metastable atoms, and electric fields. Non-thermal atmospheric plasma has recently attracted great research interest as an alternative for operative solutions to problems related to safety and quality control. It is a powerful tool for the inactivation of different hazardous microorganisms and viruses, and the effective decontamination of surfaces and liquids has been demonstrated. Additionally, the plasma’s active components are strong oxidizers and their synergetic effect can lead to the degradation of toxic chemical compounds such as phenols and azo-dyes. 
  • 1.1K
  • 02 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Recycling of Spent Li-Ion Batteries
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are a widely used energy storage technology as they possess high energy density and are characterized by the reversible intercalation/deintercalation of Li ions between electrodes. The rapid development of LIBs has led to increased production efficiency and lower costs for manufacturers, resulting in a growing demand for batteries and their application across various industries, particularly in different types of vehicles. In order to meet the demand for LIBs while minimizing climate-impacting emissions, the reuse, recycling, and repurposing of LIBs is a critical step toward achieving a sustainable battery economy.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Antibiotic Synthesis in Flow Mode
Continuous-flow chemistry has become a mainstream process and a notable trend among emerging technologies for drug synthesis. It is routinely used in academic and industrial laboratories to generate a wide variety of molecules and building blocks. The advantages it provides, in terms of safety, speed, cost efficiency and small-equipment footprint compared to analog batch processes, have been known for some time. What has become even more important is its compliance with the quality objectives that are required by drug-development protocols that integrate inline analysis and purification tools. There can be no doubt that worldwide government agencies have strongly encouraged the study and implementation of this innovative, sustainable and environmentally friendly technology.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Carbon Content in Biochar and GHG Emissions
Agricultural soils are a primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Biochar is commonly used as a soil amendment to prevent climate change by reducing GHG production, increasing soil carbon storage, improving soil moisture retention, and enhancing crop productivity. However, the effect of biochar’s carbon content under subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has not been well studied.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Reducing Inequalities within and among EU Countries
Reducing inequalities within and among countries is one of the main tenets of the sustainable development paradigm and has become an important pillar at the European Union level. By adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, EU countries have committed themselves to meeting targets against which progress in reducing inequalities can be measured. Through the present research, it can analyze and assess the extent to which EU countries will achieve the specific SDG 10 targets. Based on data published by Eurostat for the period 2010-2020, it can forecast the trends of the indicators until the year 2030, using a model based on AAA (Holt-Winters) version of the exponential smoothing (ETS), to assess the degree to which the assumed targets will be reached. For more detailed information, dynamic indices were used to analyze the dynamics of the progress achieved. The results showed that it is difficult to clearly distinguish one or more countries as part of a group of high or low performers in terms of the efforts made and the effects achieved in reducing inequalities. However, it can be mentioned that Poland as a good and very good performer on most of the indicators analyzed. At the opposite, Bulgaria and Greece, for which more attention and involvement is needed in adopting measures to correct the negative trends forecast.
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Graffiti, Paintings and Other Modifications of Tree Bark
By the word ‘graffiti’ one usually indicates messages, scribbles, patterns, or drawings written, carved, or painted on different types of surfaces including walls, monuments, and tree bark. Consequently, a ‘graffitist’ is a person who creates graffiti. Graffiti has existed as long as human society but has become a public issue in recent decades, being often considered as a recurrent and unacceptable form of vandalism especially when the victims are trees. The entry reports the problem of graffiti on tree barks and reviews some methodologies proposed by urban forestry specialists to remove graffiti and other paintings from the trees without damaging the plant itself.
  • 1.1K
  • 02 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Rainwater Harvesting Systems
Rainwater harvesting (RWH) can be used to mitigate global water crises; however, they have been poorly received by communities because of the unsuitable quality of stored rainwater. Heterotrophic bacteria present in the water can degrade the water’s microbiological quality and create health issues. Moreover, exposure to visible light can affect both suspended and surface-attached heterotrophic bacteria, a phenomenon that is poorly investigated.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Twin Transition through Implementation of Industry 4.0 Technologies
Key Enabling Technologies (KET) support the adoption of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and are also considered the main drivers of the Circular Economy (CE) transition. In this respect, the guidelines and real use cases to inspire enterprises and industry to lead the twin digital and green transition are still poor.
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Developing Indoor Temperature Profiles of Albanian Homes
Oversimplifying occupant behaviour using static and standard schedules has been identified as a limitation of building energy simulation tools. Three statistically different profiles were developed for each summer and winter, indicating that homes are used in different ways, as well as revealing possible comfort requirements. A statistically significant association was found between the presence of children and the clusters in winter, suggesting that families with dependents use more energy. Building-related factors including building type, building age, and wall insulation were found to be statistically significantly associated with clusters in summer. 
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Sustainability Standards and Ecolabeling in the Textile Industry
The textile and fashion industry is a major polluter, contributing significantly to the pollution of water and air and producing solid waste. Textile manufacturing occurs in many steps, such as pretreatment, dyeing, and finishing; involves the use of several harmful chemicals that generate a significant amount of toxic waste and greenhouse gases; and consumes a large amount of water.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Biosurfactants as Multifunctional Remediation Agents of Environmental Pollutants
Fuel and oil spills during the exploration, refining, and distribution of oil and petrochemicals are primarily responsible for the accumulation of organic pollutants in the environment. The reduction in contamination caused by hydrocarbons, heavy metals, oily effluents, and particulate matter generated by industrial activities and the efficient recovery of oil at great depths in an environmentally friendly way pose a challenge, as recovery and cleaning processes require the direct application of surface-active agents, detergents, degreasers, or solvents, often generating other environmental problems due to the toxicity and accumulation of these substances. Thus, the application of natural surface-active agents is an attractive solution. Due to their amphipathic structures, microbial surfactants solubilize oil through the formation of small aggregates (micelles) that disperse in water, with numerous applications in the petroleum industry. Biosurfactants have proven their usefulness in solubilizing oil trapped in rock, which is a prerequisite for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Biosurfactants are also important biotechnological agents in anti-corrosion processes, preventing incrustations and the formation of biofilms on metallic surfaces, and are used in formulations of emulsifiers/demulsifiers, facilitate the transport of heavy oil through pipelines, and have other innovative applications in the oil industry. The use of natural surfactants can reduce the generation of pollutants from the use of synthetic detergents or chemical solvents without sacrificing economic gains for the oil industry.
  • 1.1K
  • 15 Feb 2023
Topic Review
The Sustainable Consumption
Sustainable consumption (SC) is the concept surrounding the use of products and services with minimal impact on environmental safeguarding resources for current and future generations.
  • 1.1K
  • 01 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Applications of Electromicrobiology
Electromicrobiology is concerned with the interplay of microbes with electronic equipment and the electrical characteristics of microorganisms. Bioelectrochemical systems are those in which an organism provides electrons. Bioelectrochemical systems are pretty similar to electrochemical methods in their fundamentals. Electrochemical systems generally use electricity to begin a chemical reaction or create power via a chemical reaction.
  • 1.1K
  • 21 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Efficiency of the Chinese Cement Industry
China’s cement production has been the highest in the world, but the extensive development model, which has been formed for a long time, has brought serious damage to the natural environment. The overall environmental efficiency of China’s cement industry is low, and there is still much room for improvement. Moreover, there are serious imbalances from very low to very high between different regions.
  • 1.1K
  • 31 May 2022
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