Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother 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
Forest Machine Hybridization
Global climate change is currently taking place, and the change is associated with strong weather fluctuations, which result in calamities, whether of biotic or abiotic origin. During these calamities, there is a glut of wood in the market, and thus its price falls. The falling price requires a reduction in the costs associated with its harvesting. Deployment of hybrid machines can present a solution for this issue and hybrid machines have lower fuel consumption, which contributes to the total costs by up to 82% . The solution correlates with the global trend of reducing emission limits for working machines. The Stage V emission standard is currently valid in the EU.Hybrid drives of forest machines (harvester, forwarder, and skidder) are based on solutions that come from the automotive industry. From the sector of machine hybridization, Sellgren mentioned so-called “engine downsizing”, when engine sizes are scaled down and emissions are thus reduced. The most common hybrid drive design currently utilizes electricity with an aim to solve the issue of a lack of the required power of a smaller engine, for example in harvesters. Such hybridization is referred to in the literature as the electro-hybrid drive.
  • 1.3K
  • 01 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Functional Fiber-Based Wearable Triboelectric Nanogenerators
The quality of human life has improved thanks to the rapid development of wearable electronics. Previously, bulk structures were usually selected for the fabrication of high performance electronics, but these are not suitable for wearable electronics due to mobility limitations and comfortability. Fibrous material-based triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) can provide power to wearable electronics due to their advantages such as light weight, flexibility, stretchability, wearability, etc. Fiber materials, multiple fabrication methods, and fundamentals of TENGs are described. Moreover, advances in functional fiber-based wearable TENGs are introduced. Furthermore, the challenges to functional fiber-based TENGs are discussed, and possible solutions are suggested. Finally, the use of TENGs in hybrid devices is introduced for a broader introduction of fiber-based energy harvesting technologies.
  • 1.3K
  • 20 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Climate-Adaptive Construction
Creating climate-adaptive energy-efficient structures is also facilitated by using innovative materials, such as phase-change materials (PCM). The energy-saving potential was considered using the example of a three-story office building in China. It was modeled under different climatic conditions. The energy-saving potential of Shenyang, located in a harsh cold climate, was the most sustainable. 
  • 1.3K
  • 01 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Waste Biorefineries
Sustainable biofuel production is the most effective way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuels while preserving food security and land use. In addition to producing bioenergy, waste biorefineries can be incorporated into the waste management system to solve the future challenges of waste disposal. Biomass waste, on the other hand, is regarded as a low-quality biorefinery feedstock with a wide range of compositions and seasonal variability. In light of these factors, biomass waste presents limitations on the conversion technologies available for value addition, and therefore more research is needed to enhance the profitability of waste biorefineries. Perhaps, to keep waste biorefineries economically and environmentally sustainable, bioprocesses need to be integrated to process a wide range of biomass resources and yield a diverse range of bioenergy products.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 May 2022
Topic Review
Biofuels for Spark Ignition Engines
Biofuels are receiving increased scientific attention, and recently different biofuels have been proposed for spark ignition engines. Different biofuels, mainly ethanol, methanol, i-butanol-n-butanol, and acetone, are blended together in single dual issues and evaluated as renewables for SIE. Each blend showed some advantaged and drawbacks in terms of emissions and performance. 
  • 1.3K
  • 17 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Battery Thermal Management of Electric Vehicles
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), as energy storage devices, are considered to have a significant role in determining the performance of electric vehicles (EVs). LIBs depend vastly on temperature for facilitating an optimum performance and lifetime, with the commonly suggested operating temperature being in the range from 25 to 40 °C. Operation at lower or higher temperatures than the range can adversely affect or degrade the performance and lifetime of LIBs. Lower-temperature operation with a high current rate leads to lithium plating on the anode, capacity loss, impedance rises, ionic conductivity decreases, and internal short circuits due to metallic lithium dendrites. Meanwhile, higher-temperature operation could reduce the active materials and increase the internal resistance, even for overly high temperatures, potentially causing thermal runaways that might prompt fires and explosions.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Energy-Efficient Building in European States
National legal and political regulation in the field of energy efficiency is closely connected to minimizing energy consumption in buildings. Within the framework of implementing Directive 2018/844/EU on the energy performance of buildings in Europe, the practice of its application differs from country to country. To achieve the sustainable development scenario, all countries of the world must switch to mandatory building energy efficiency laws by the year 2030. Improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings and sustainable development of renewable energy are a must in terms of overcoming the ever-growing energy consumption and the consequences of climate change.
  • 1.3K
  • 30 May 2022
Topic Review
Organic Rankine Cycles and Absorption Cooling Systems
One of the main consequences of the irrational use of energy systems, mainly of those with direct or indirect use of fossil fuels, is climate change, whose effects on the planet have been studied in recent decades and today are well known. In the last decades, a strategy well promoted to counteract such effects is the transition to systems using renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, which can be used to produce electricity through the well-known photovoltaic technologies, or heat through the different solar thermal devices. These energy sources are of interest to the present research work.
  • 1.3K
  • 01 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Perovskite Solar Cells
Charge transporting materials (CTMs) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have played an important role in improving the stability by replacing the liquid electrolyte with solid state electron or hole conductors and enhancing the photovoltaic efficiency by the efficient electron collection. Many organic and inorganic materials for charge transporting in PSCs have been studied and applied to increase the charge extraction, transport and collection, such as Spiro-OMeTAD for hole transporting material (HTM), TiO2 for electron transporting material (ETM) and MoOX for HTM etc. However, recently inorganic CTMs are used to replace the disadvantages of organic materials in PSCs such as, the long-term operational instability, low charge mobility. Especially, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has many advantages in obtaining the conformal, dense and virtually pinhole-free layers. 
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Biogas Steam Reforming in Wastewater Treatment Plants
Hydrogen as an energy vector is going to play an important role in the global energy mix. On the other hand, wastewater management has become a worldwide concern, as urban settlements have been considerably increasing for decades. Consequently, biodigestion to produce biogas (rich in methane) in water treatment plants could be an interesting starting point to obtain a valuable gas that can be converted into hydrogen through steam reforming. 
  • 1.3K
  • 15 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Building Energy and Urban Microclimate Simulations
Considering the latest research findings as well as trends in energy policies that necessitate building energy design with accurately predicted performance indicators, building simulation techniques, taking into account the external microclimate effects, should no longer be considered as “for research purposes only” and move to the practitioner level at the early design stages.
  • 1.3K
  • 02 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Technological Innovations in In Situ Leaching
Uranium, a cornerstone for nuclear energy, facilitates a clean and efficient energy conversion. In the era of global clean energy initiatives, uranium resources have emerged as a vital component for achieving sustainability and clean power. To fulfill the escalating demand for clean energy, continual advancements in uranium mining technologies are imperative. Currently, established uranium mining methods encompass open-pit mining, underground mining, and in situ leaching (ISL). Notably, in situ leaching stands out due to its environmental friendliness, efficient extraction, and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, it unlocks the potential of extracting uranium from previously challenging low-grade sandstone-hosted deposits, presenting novel opportunities for uranium mining.
  • 1.3K
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Structure-Borne Noise in Offshore Piling
The growing demand for renewable energy supply stimulates a drastic increase in the deployment rate of offshore wind energy. Offshore wind power generators are usually supported by large foundation piles that are driven into the seabed with hydraulic impact hammers or vibratory devices. The pile installation process, which is key to the construction of every new wind farm, is hindered by a serious by-product: the underwater noise pollution. 
  • 1.3K
  • 14 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Energy Storage Systems
Energy storage is one of the essential components of grid-independent green power generation units. These energy storage units modulate the unpredictable changes in power generation renewable energy sources. For better performance of energy storage and off-grid green microgrids, these units must be economically and reliably in suitable condition, meaning that the size of the components of the clean power generation units should be optimized to be cost-effective.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Biomass-Derived Carbon Electrocatalyst
Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has attracted considerable attention for clean energy conversion technologies to reduce traditional fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Although platinum (Pt) metal is currently used as an electrocatalyst to accelerate sluggish ORR kinetics, the scarce resource and high cost still restrict its further scale-up applications. In this regard, biomass-derived carbon electrocatalysts have been widely adopted for ORR electrocatalysis in recent years owing to their tunable physical/chemical properties and cost-effective precursors.
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interface in Anode Materials
Due to the ever-growing importance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the development of electrode materials and their processing techniques remains a hot topic in academia and industry. Even the well-developed and widely utilized active materials present issues, such as surface reactivity, irreversible capacity in the first cycle, and ageing. Thus, there have been many efforts to modify and coat the surface of active materials to enhance the electrochemical performance of the resulting electrodes and cells. This type of coating stands out because of the possibility of acting as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase (A-SEI), serving as an anode protective layer. 
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Energy Efficiency of Tall Buildings
Design priorities for tall and supertall buildings have for some time shifted to achieving more energy efficiency to address the energy needs of the increasing global population. Engineers and architects aim to achieve energy conservation through active and passive approaches, pursuing technological innovations and adopting climate-responsive design. The advent of recent building technologies in facade design, mechanical and electrical systems, new materials including smart materials, and computer-based intelligent systems has greatly impacted the design of tall buildings. It is expected that the incorporation of newer and more sophisticated technologies into the design process in the future will result in novel solutions mitigating the challenge of achieving optimal energy efficiency of tall buildings.
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Gas Turbines to the Hydrogen Energy Move
Land-based gas turbines (GTs) are continuous-flow engines that run with permanent flames once started and at stationary pressure, temperature, and flows at stabilized load. Combustors operate without any moving parts and their substantial air excess enables complete combustion. These features provide significant space for designing efficient and versatile combustion systems. In particular, as heavy-duty gas turbines have moderate compression ratios and ample stall margins, they can burn not only high- and medium-BTU fuels but also low-BTU ones. Hydrogen is an energy carrier and not a primary energy as there are very scarce natural sources thereof; the rare reservoirs of hydrogen originate from chemical reactions inside the earth crust and are sometimes referred to as “natural H2”or “white H2”.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Fuel Cell Power Systems
Fuel cells as clean power sources are very attractive for the maritime sector, which is committed to sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas and atmospheric pollutant emissions from ships. 
  • 1.2K
  • 23 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Bismuth-Graphene Nanohybrids
Photocatalysis is a classical solution to energy conversion and environmental pollution control problems. In photocatalysis, the development and exploration of new visible light catalysts and their synthesis and modification strategies are crucial. It is also essential to understand the mechanism of these reactions in the various reaction media. Recently, bismuth and graphene’s unique geometrical and electronic properties have attracted considerable attention in photocatalysis. 
  • 1.2K
  • 08 May 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 33
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback

Quick Survey

Encyclopedia MDPI is conducting a targeted survey to identify the specific barriers hindering efficient research. We invite you to spend 3 minutes defining the priorities for our next generation of structured knowledge tools.
Take Survey