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.

Expand All
Entries
Topic Review
ESG in the Banking Sector
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is currently one of the main focus areas for policy makers worldwide.
  • 1.8K
  • 06 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Reutilization in China
Electrical and electronic equipment, the owner of the product no longer uses and has discarded or abandoned (including all parts/components, elements/devices and materials, etc.), as well as those substandard products, scrap products and expired products generated during the production, transportation and sales processes by “Technical Specifications for Pollution Control in the Treatment of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products (HJ527-2010)”.
  • 882
  • 06 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Demolition Waste Management
Demolition waste generation has grown throughout the years with the urbanization process. The environmental impacts of demolition waste generation and related waste treatment have attracted global attention from the government, industry, and academia. With advancements in building information modelling and life cycle assessment methods, it provides possible solutions to managing demolition waste in a more systematic way.
  • 608
  • 06 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Geosynthetics in Sustainable Engineering Solutions
Geosynthetics have proven to provide sustainable solutions for geotechnical and geoenvironmental problems when used with natural materials.
  • 779
  • 03 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Paper-Based Analytical Devices for Colorimetric
The so-called paper-based analytical devices (PADs) have arisen as an efficient, affordable, user-friendly, rapid, and equipment-free technology that is available to citizens. The development of PADs in areas such as clinical diagnostics, food safety and environmental monitoring, etc., as well as fabrication methods, target analytes and analytical performance, has been extensively reviewed during the last decade, with the scientific community showing great interest toward these appealing analytical approaches.
  • 1.0K
  • 06 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria for Sustainable Agriculture
PGPR promotes plant growth indirectly by preventing phytopathogens by producing metabolites of antimicrobial nature; the production of enzymes such as chitinase, protease, and lipase, which enable lysis of pathogenic bacteria and fungi; and induction of systemic resistance. PGPR produces low molecular weight compounds possessing antimicrobial activity even at low concentrations. Due to these compounds, PGPRs are the first choice among biological control agents for sustainable agriculture.
  • 634
  • 22 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Food Losses and Waste of Food
In recent times the issue of food losses and waste of food (FLW) has received increased academic and political attention. Although the definition of FLW is not clear, the truth is that globally roughly one-third of food is not consumed and is wasted, equivalent to 1.3. billion tonnes per year. The reasons for FLW differ between countries. In developed countries, most FLW occurs at the retail, foodservice and, home stages of the food supply chain for a variety of reasons. For instance, food not used in time, burning, spoilage, personal preferences or, leftover waste. While in developing countries FLW is mainly due to the absence of infrastructure, lack of knowledge and, investment in storage technologies.
  • 938
  • 02 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Oklahoma Hard Red Winter Wheat
Wheat breeding continues to be an important component of agricultural innovations in the Great Plains region of the US. Over the past century, Oklahoma’s wheat yields have increased but the productivity gains have been offset in part due to increased yield variability. The shift to improved wheat varieties has resulted in increased susceptibility to plant disease and pest pressure. While a few varieties introduced over the past few decades have dominated the wheat seed market, recent trends indicate producers are adopting a more diverse range of wheat varieties. Producers’ concerns have expanded beyond demands for high yielding varieties to include more market oriented needs to increase protein content and test weight.
  • 735
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Soybean Callus as a Tocopherols Source
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a key species used by the nutraceutical and functional food industries for its secondary metabolites such as polyphenolic compounds, tocopherols, tannins, lignins, and alkaloids. Particularly, soybean is an excellent source of tocopherols with about 300 μg g−1/seed total tocopherols. In fact, tocopherols exist in four forms (i.e., α, β, γ, and δ). Among them, γ-tocopherol is found in higher concentrations (more than 60%), and α-tocopherol accounts for less than 10% of total tocopherols in soybean seeds. Therefore, as the α-tocopherol is an essential nutrient that functions as a peroxyl radical scavenger in the body, the dietary reference intake for vitamin E is currently based solely on α-tocopherol. Despite the lesser presence, α-tocopherol is reported to have the most significant antioxidant activity among tocopherols and is preferred by the human body, as it is the predominant form of vitamin E found in the blood and tissues. α-tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant and serves as a peroxyl radical scavenger protecting the polyunsaturated fatty acids in membranes and lipoproteins (protects the fats in low-density lipoproteins from oxidation). Furthermore, vitamin E is of vital importance for the nervous system, as a deficiency in humans leads to ataxia and myopathy. α-tocopherol is found naturally in plant sources as RRR-a-tocopherol and synthetically manufactured as all-rac-a-tocopherol.
  • 608
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Eco-efficiency
The term eco-efficiency was first proposed in 1990 by Schaltegger and Sturm. However, it was in 1991 that the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) was responsible for introducing one of the main concepts of eco-efficiency to the world. The term was defined as the delivery of economically competitive goods and services that meet the needs of society in terms of quality of life and that the entire process of manufacturing and availability for consumption, that is, throughout its life cycle, should have the least possible impact on the environment.
  • 2.2K
  • 13 Dec 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 106

Featured Entry Collections

>>