Summary

Environmental science emerged from the fields of natural history and medicine during the Enlightenment. Today, it provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems. Environmental studies are incorporating more of the social sciences in order to understand human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. This entry collection features information about design and technology for improving environmental quality in every aspect.

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Topic Review
Application of Machine Learning for Runoff Prediction
Water resource modeling is an important means of studying the distribution, change, utilization, and management of water resources. By establishing various models, water resources can be quantitatively described and predicted, providing a scientific basis for water resource management, protection, and planning. Traditional hydrological observation methods, often reliant on experience and statistical methods, are time-consuming and labor-intensive, frequently resulting in predictions of limited accuracy. However, machine learning technologies enhance the efficiency and sustainability of water resource modeling by analyzing extensive hydrogeological data, thereby improving predictions and optimizing water resource utilization and allocation.
  • 88
  • 07 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Electrocatalysts for CO2 Reduction
Given the environmental problems caused by burning fossil fuels, it is believed that converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into chemical inputs is a great ally to generating clean energy. In this way, investigative studies related to electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RE) concerning the behavior of metal catalysts have received attention about the processes involved. CO2RE can be an important tool to mitigate the presence of this gas in the Earth’s atmosphere.
  • 92
  • 07 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Catch and Cover Crop Biomass Bioconversion into Energy
Catch and cover crops are defined as crops sown in pure or mixed sowings between two main crops. A short vegetation period is a key feature of these plants.
  • 127
  • 07 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Rare Earth Elements (REE)
The rare earth elements (REE) comprise a group of 16 chemically very similar elements that occur widespread in rocks, soils, and water bodies, share similar ionic radii to the essential element Ca2+, and consequently also occur in biota. Given that REE form mainly trivalent cations, they also share similarities to Al3+. Compared to their chemical cognate Ca, they have a higher reactivity. Thus, their accumulation in soils may constitute a severe environmental threat. Over the last decades, the increasing use of REE in modern technology and fertilizers raised concerns about the pollution of soils and water bodies, which led to a rapidly increasing number of publications dealing with REE toxicity to plants, animals and humans, the fate of REE in soil–plant systems, REE cycling in ecosystems and impacts of REE pollution on food security.
  • 167
  • 05 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Plant Growth Regulation in Cell and Tissue Culture
Precise knowledge of all aspects controlling plant tissue culture and in vitro plant regeneration is crucial for plant biotechnologists and their correlated industry, as there is increasing demand for such scientific knowledge, which results in more productive and resilient in vitro plant propagation and acclimatization in the field. Surprisingly, but so far, researchers/industry-based protocols on the 60-year-old concepts ignore new plant physiology achievements. Namely, high nitrogen and halogens used in the culture medium and exogenous auxin/cytokinin ratio regulate plant morphogenesis.
  • 338
  • 05 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Renewable Feedstocks on PHA Production by Extremophiles
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable polymers with immense potential in addressing the global plastic pollution crisis and advancing sustainable bioplastics production. Extremophiles are capable of utilizing a broad range of carbonaceous substrates for their growth and metabolism. Production of PHA using refined or pure sugar substrates leads to an increase in overall production cost (approximately 30–50%). Thus, the use of renewable feedstocks may reduce the overall cost, provided that the processing of such biomass to generate simple sugars should not be complex and/or expensive. Few studies have shown PHA production by extremophiles fed on renewable feedstocks such as those from agricultural wastes and industrial wastes. Among them, spent cooking oils, crude glycerol, and cheese whey are some of the important and low-cost substrates that come from various industries. In addition, it has been argued that the use of methane by thermophilic methanotrophs results in a reduction of up to 22% in PHA production cost. Other C1 carbon sources such as CO2 can also be used for PHA production. 
  • 80
  • 02 Feb 2024
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.
  • 96
  • 01 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Service Design of Garbage Classification Driven by AI
Compared with other countries, there are big differences in the treatment modes and actual results of garbage classification due to different economic strengths, resource demands, technical levels, and legal policies.
  • 201
  • 29 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Development of Environmental Education
Creating an environmentally aware society is not an easy task and requires knowledge about what affects the formation of environmental views. At the same time, to contribute to environmental protection, individuals with different educational backgrounds need to have environmental awareness, because their decisions as future professionals may affect the environment. In this context, environmental education can be used strategically to raise environmental awareness and ultimately to shape environmentally responsible citizens.
  • 185
  • 29 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Environmental Sorption of Additives from Microplastics
Although the impacts of plastic pollution have long been recognized, the presence, pervasiveness, and ecotoxicological consequences of microplastic—i.e., plastic particles < 5 mm—contamination have only been explored over the last decade. Far less focus has been attributed to the role of these materials and, particularly, microplastics, as vectors for a multitude of chemicals, including those (un)intentionally added to plastic products, but also organic pollutants already present in the environment. 
  • 124
  • 17 Jan 2024
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