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Topic Review
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) Destruction Technologies
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a family of highly toxic emerging contaminants that have caught the attention of both the public and private sectors due to their adverse health impacts on society. The widely adopted separation technologies can remove PFASs from being in contact with humans; however, they remain in the environment and continue to pose health risks. On the other hand, the destructive technologies can effectively destroy PFAS compounds and fully address society’s urgent need to remediate this harmful family of chemical compounds. 
  • 859
  • 06 Jan 2023
Topic Review
PEC Reactors for Water/Wastewater Treatment
Now and in the coming years, how we use and treat water, greywater and wastewater will become more important. A suitably designed photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) reactor is one potential solution. The photoexcitation of suitable semiconducting materials in aqueous environments can lead to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS can inactivate microorganisms and degrade a range of chemical compounds. In the case of heterogeneous photocatalysis, semiconducting materials may suffer from fast recombination of electron–hole pairs and require post-treatment to separate the photocatalyst when a suspension system is used. To reduce recombination and improve the rate of degradation, an externally applied electrical bias can be used where the semiconducting material is immobilised onto an electrically conducive support and connected to a counter electrode. These electrochemically assisted photocatalytic systems have been termed “photoelectrocatalytic” (PEC). The term is stated in the IUPAC Recommendations 2011 as “electrochemically assisted photocatalysis. The role of the photocatalyst is played by a photoelectrode, often a semiconductor”. A short description of photocatalysis is included as it can be beneficial for those unfamiliar with the topic, before moving onto PEC. This entry is adapted from https://doi.org/10.3390/w13091198
  • 2.1K
  • 20 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Passenger Cars Driven on Hilly Roads in Austria
Previous studies of road or railway infrastructures have shown that traffic emissions outweigh the environmental impacts of the product stage and construction stage over the entire life cycle. Traffic usage is therefore the main emitter over the life cycle (A1–C4). Due to the small number of sustainability assessment systems, the question of how to consider traffic emissions in detail in an integral life cycle assessment has arisen.
  • 219
  • 01 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Paper-Based Sensors Application
Paper-based sensors are getting increasing attention for reliable indoor/outdoor onsite detection with non-expert operation due to low cost, portability, easy disposal, and high accuracy, as well as bulky reduced laboratory equipment. They have become powerful analysis tools in trace detection with ultra-low detection limits and extremely high accuracy, resulting in their great popularity in biological detection, environmental inspection, and other applications. However, the current paper-based sensors still encounter insufficiencies such as harsh storage, short shelf time, singleplex analyte detection, disability of holographic strain detection, and low reproducibility for direct detection of the actual sample without pretreatment. Efforts should be made to paper-based sensors with those concerns before their broad commercial application. 
  • 1.7K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Packaging Based on Design for Life Cycle
Though solutions are needed across all sectors, a material considered to have one of the highest potentials and needs for improvement is plastic. The problems resulting from incorrect handling of plastic waste have been identified to be threatening the environment in a variety of ways. Insufficient collection and waste treatment following the disposal lead to leakage directly into the environment, incineration, or landfilling of the ubiquitous material. The topic of plastic pollution and other end-of-life issues have also been picked up by the public since many products made from this material are used by private households. An example in this context is plastic packaging. With packaging having the largest share amongst plastic production and it being a fast-rotating consumer good, a societal focus has been set on plastic packaging as an environmental threat. Despite the immense benefits of plastic packaging to society, the accumulation and treatment of end-of-life plastics are creating a global environmental challenge. To reduce plastic debris in the environment, for example, in the oceans, it has become clear that a focus on design for life and end-of-life is a priority. This concept, also called Design for Life Cycle (DfLC), has been identified to play a major role in minimizing environmental impacts of all kinds of consumer products.
  • 518
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Overview of Metal-Ion Battery Recycling Methods
Metal-ion batteries (MIBs), particularly lithium- and sodium-ion ones (LIBs and SIBs, respectively), are an essential part of portable and stationary electronics due to their energy density characteristics and long-term cycling ability. The expected growth of the MIBs market unavoidably leads to the generation of tons of spent batteries, this in turn dictates the necessity of a proper life cycle management of used cells and packs.
  • 376
  • 19 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Optimizing Smart Energy Infrastructure in Smart Ports
To lessen the environmental impact of the maritime industry, ports must decarbonize in conformity with various standards such as the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this regard, they must demonstrate integrated low-emission energy production, distribution, and supply, as well as sustainable alternative infrastructure for refueling ships, cargo handling equipment, and other vehicles inside port boundaries. To address this issue, ports must progress toward smartening their operations. This requires intelligent infrastructure and components, with smart energy infrastructure being one of the most crucial ones. It is a part of port energy management systems (EMSs) and works based on modern technology to balance energy demand, distributions, and supply while transitioning to renewable energies. 
  • 284
  • 06 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Operationalizing SLR Resilience with Leading Indicators
Over the last century, eustatic sea-level rise (SLR) has increased more rapidly than it has at any time over the past three millennia. This rapid change, compounded by additional changes in relative vertical elevation at specific locations due to subsidence and isostatic effects, poses a significant threat to coastal communities. The potential impacts to communities include coastal and inland flooding, salt-water intrusion, and coastal erosion. These risks, which are expected to be exacerbated by continuing and accelerating rates of SLR in the future, have precipitated a need to design and implement adaptation measures to curtail future losses and make communities more resilient
  • 417
  • 31 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Online Pipeline Characterisation on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
Nowadays, more frequently, it is necessary to perform underwater operations such as surveying an area or inspecting and intervening on industrial infrastructures such as offshore oil and gas rigs or pipeline networks. The use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) has grown as a way to automate these tasks, reducing risks and execution time. One of the used sensing modalities is vision, providing RGB high-quality information in the mid to low range, making it appropriate for manipulation or detail inspection tasks. This research presents the use of a deep neural network to perform pixel-wise 3D segmentation of pipes and valves on underwater point clouds generated using a stereo pair of cameras. In addition, two novel algorithms are built to extract information from the detected instances, providing pipe vectors, gripping points, the position of structural elements such as elbows or connections, and valve type and orientation. The neural network and information algorithms are implemented on an AUV and executed in real-time, validating that the output information stream frame rate of 0.72 fps is high enough to perform manipulation tasks and to ensure full seabed coverage during inspection tasks. The used dataset, along with a trained model and the information algorithms, are provided to the scientific community.
  • 527
  • 11 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Odors Abatement
Traditionally, odor abatement has been carried out using physical–chemical technologies such as chemical absorption (scrubbing) and adsorption. However, biological technologies for odor treatment such as biofilters or biotrickling filters have become more relevant in the last years for many reasons, such as their high odor removal performances and the low operational costs associated.
  • 489
  • 27 May 2022
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