input
stringlengths 345
3.28k
| instruction
stringclasses 1
value | output
stringclasses 2
values |
|---|---|---|
Plastic is one of the most basic materials for many industries. Enterprise, as an important stakeholder in plastic pollution control, still lack methodology for investigating the performance of mitigating its plastic pollution. In this work, we proposed a methodology, integrating material flow analysis, life cycle analysis, and scenario analysis for analyzing plastic footprint (incl., material and environmental footprint) at enterprise level and from the perspective of supply chain. A clothing enterprise was chosen as the studied case, and three pathways of plastic reduction were analyzed, incl., reducing unnecessary plastic packaging, using alternative materials, and using recycled materials. The indexes of the plastic footprint of the case enterprise were obtained. In 2019, the weight of plastic packaging used by the case enterprise was 1,949.10 t. The average weight of plastic packaging used for each garment was 19.67 g. The weight of plastic packaging consumed per 10,000 USD of revenue was 0.25 kg. It was found that promoting lightweight plastic materials in supply chain (∼14% reduction in thickness of plastic packaging bags), reducing unnecessary plastic use within the enterprise, increasing the number of plastic packaging cycles (∼50% reused), and using recycled plastic materials (∼15%) are effective ways for enterprises to achieve environmental benefits. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
From an environmental perspective, a separate collection and recycling system for post-consumer discards could contribute to improved environmental protection as well as economic benefits. This paper investigates the environmental potential of a business model proposed in Sweden in order to improve the utilization of plastic shopping bags. The business model aims to reduce the consumption of plastic shopping bags and to collect and recycle discarded bags more effectively. Results from a life cycle assessment show that the proposed system could significantly reduce the carbon, energy and water footprints of the current system, even for very pessimistic scenarios for bag purchase and recovery rates. However, wider implementation of the proposed business model depends on the accessibility of the deposit/collection system, acceptance of such a ‘take-back’ system by retail managers, greater environmental awareness among customers and regulatory mechanisms. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
The environmental impact of a multilayer polymer film, Low Density Poly Ethylene/Polyamide system (LDPE/PA), generally used on food packaging field, was estimated using life cycle assessment (LCA). The aim of the work was to understand how to reduce the environmental pressure from plastic packages for its lower recovery and reuse, which can be improved by developing material recovery or other appropriate recycling technology to improve the cyclic materials flows and recycling ratio. LCA is a tool specifically developed for assessing the overall environmental burden of a product, including the system used for manufacturing it and its end-of-life treatment. This work provides a cradle-to-grave LCA study of a food packaging envelope made with a multilayer polymer film, with two different depth of 70 and 90 micron, and a study of the possibility to utilize a 50% of recycled LDPE and PA polymer pellets in order to reduce the environmental impact. A one square meter envelope is used as functional unit. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
It is imperative to study and scrutinize the vapor–liquid phase equilibrium in ternary combinations of methanol in order to optimally design, enhance the efficiency of these industries and processes optimization due to the escalating production and consumption of methanol in various industries. In this chapter, first, the thermodynamic models for correlation VLE of ternary mixtures of methanol encompass: Wilson, ERK, NRTL, UNIQUAC, UNIFAC, SAFT, CPA, DISQUAC, Sanchez-Lacombe and PR are investigated. Considering that the results of review reveal that researchers employ various experimental techniques such as static method for acquiring VLE diagram in ternary combinations of methanol, then, the experimental techniques and procedures are studied. Finally, several ternary mixtures of methanol that is most use in industrial processes are introduced. VLE in ternary combinations of methanol is the principal focal point of this chapter. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol has gained considerable interest for its significant role in CO2 utilization using heterogeneous catalysts. This study is the first to propose a kinetic model based on Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) mechanism for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol over a highly effective indium oxide (In2O3) catalyst. The work focuses on different reaction conditions mainly revolving around the variation of operating temperature, total reactor pressure, H2/CO2 molar feed ratio and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of the system. The experimental data were modeled using a competitive single-site kinetic model based on LHHW rate equations. A parameter optimization procedure was undertaken to determine the kinetic parameters of the developed rate equations. The model predicts that when the methanol synthesis reaction becomes equilibrium limited, the progress of the RWGS reaction forces the methanol yield to decrease due to the reversal of the methanol synthesis reaction. A mixture of CO2 and H2 has been used as the reactor feed in all the cases. Significantly w.r.t. the CO2 partial pressure, the reaction rate for methanol synthesis initially increased and then slightly decreased indicating a varying order. The single-site model accurately predicted the trends in the experimental data which would enable the development of reliable reactor and process designs. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
In this paper, a novel process is proposed which converts coke oven gas (COG) and blast furnace gas (BFG) from steel refineries into methanol. Specifically, we propose to use blast furnace gases (BFG) as a carbon source, which is a fuel with a low heating value that contains CO2 and other gases. CO2 is stripped from the BFG and blended with H2-rich COG to adjust the (H2 - CO2)/(CO + CO2) molar ratio for methanol conversion. We also propose an advanced desulphurization process to remove certain sulphur compounds from the COG which can poison the methanol synthesis catalysts. The process design and simulation results using Aspen Plus are reported and used in a feasibility analysis to determine the potential environmental and energy benefits. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Molecular nanoclusters comprising a heterometallic 3d-4f stoichiometry are an interesting class of compounds. In this paper, a chloro-containing Schiff base 4-chloro-2-(2-hydroxy-3-ethoxybenzylideneamino)phenol (H2L) was prepared by condensation reaction of 3-ethoxysalicylaldehyde with 2-amino-4-chlorophenol in methanol. The Schiff base is predisposed to chelate within a cluster core both 3d and 4f metal ions. Reaction of H2L with nickel salts afforded a tetranuclear NiII complex [Ni4L4(MeOH)4] (1), while with nickel salts and lanthanide(III) nitrate three tetranuclear NiII-LnIII complexes [Ni2Eu2L4(NO3)2(DMF)2] (2), [Ni2Er2L4(NO3)2(DMF)2] (3), [Ni2Tb2L4(CH3COO)2(DMF)2]·4DMF (4) were obtained. H2L and the complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV–Vis spectra. H2L has also been characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectra. Molecular structures of the compounds have been determined by single crystal X-ray determination. In the complexes, the Schiff base ligands coordinate to the metal atoms via ether oxygen, imino nitrogen and two phenolate oxygen atoms. All the Ni atoms in the complexes are in octahedral coordination. The rare earth metal atoms are eight coordinated by the phenolate and ether oxygen of the Schiff base ligands, and anionic and solvent oxygen atoms, forming square antiprismatic coordination. The compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activities on Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens, and antifungal activities on Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger, and gave interesting results. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
The objective of this paper is to examine the recycling rates for mechanical and thermochemical recycling of postconsumer polyethylene flexible packaging after the implementation of different policy instruments. The study uses a supply chain equilibrium model that incorporates market data and techno-economic assessments to simulate market equilibrium. It combines this with a life cycle assessment to explore the environmental implications of implementing different policy instruments. The results show that instruments that do not target a specific technology are more likely to increase thermochemical recycling than mechanical recycling. Furthermore, a higher recycling rate is not equivalent to a better environmental outcome. An increased collection target that ensures a supply of plastic waste would increase the overall recycling rates the most. A recycled content standard for mechanical recycling would lead to the highest increase in mechanical recycling, with top results for environmental indicators, but low results for economic indicators. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Currently, the management of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays waste is still challenging since this packaging affects the consolidate recycling of PET bottles. It is important to separate PET trays from the PET bottle waste stream to avoid its contamination during recycling process and to recover a higher amount of PET. Hence, the present study aims to evaluate the environmental (by means of Life Cycle Assessment, LCA) and economic sustainability of sorting PET trays from the plastic waste streams selected by a Material Recovery Facility (MRF). For this scope, the case of a MRF in Molfetta (Southern Italy) was chosen as reference, and different scenarios have been evaluated by assuming different schemes of manual and/or automated PET trays sorting. The alternative scenarios did not achieve very pronounced environmental benefits over the reference case. Upgraded scenarios resulted in overall environmental impacts approx. 10 % lower as compared to the current scenario, with the exception of the climate and ozone depletion categories where differences in impacts were much higher. From an economic point of view, the upgraded scenarios achieved slightly lower costs (<2 %) than the current one. Electricity or labour costs were necessary in upgraded scenarios, but in this way fines for PET trays contamination in PET streams for recycling were avoided. Implementing any of the technology upgrade scenarios is then environmentally and economically viable, when the PET sorting scheme is performed in appropriate output streams through optical sorting. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Plastic pollution is an environmental emergency and finding sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics has become a pressing need. Seaweed-based bioplastic has emerged as a promising solution, as it is biodegradable and made from renewable biomass, while seaweed cultivation itself provides various environmental benefits. However, the feasibility of implementing a brown seaweed-based bioplastic supply chain in a realistic setting remains unclear, as previous research focused either on single processing steps or on virtual supply chains aggregating data from different studies. This study describes a case study for seaweed-based bioplastic within the PlastiSea research project: from seaweed cultivation to biomass processing and bioplastic and composite material development at the lab and pilot scale, thus providing insights into its feasibility. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the study employs multiple methods to characterize each stage in the supply chain and provides an overall life cycle assessment (LCA) as well as lessons learned throughout the process. The analysis showed potential for producing and utilizing multiple co-products from the same seaweed source, including biopolymer extracts with varying degrees of refinement for use in low-cost (bioplastic films) and high-cost (microfiber composites) applications. The use of residual biomass as a source of alginates for producing bioplastics offers a low-cost and sustainable biomass supply currently not competing with other markets. The LCA results indicate the potential for reducing the environmental impact of seaweed-based bioplastic production through upscaling and increasing process efficiency. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Food packaging was created to facilitate trade and transportation of commodities over long distances. These commodities include both perishable as well as non-perishable foods. The packaging industry has transformed into a highly sophisticated and intelligent service industry, particularly for perishable foods. Extrusion, baking, thermoforming, casting, blow molding, injection molding, lamination, calendaring, and coating are some of the major plastic processing methods that are currently utilized by the plastic industry in producing food packaging. Biochemical and engineering tools are being used to improve and optimize the properties of biopolymers. Approaches include: chemical cross-linking, chemical grafting, chemical substitutions/derivatizations, biocatalysis, plasticization, novel processing, blending and compatibilization with other polymers and additives. Research efforts on the use of starch-, Polylactic acid (PLA) and PHBV-based blends and hybrid composites for food packaging applications will be reviewed in the subsequent sections along with the future outlook for these materials. Life cycle assessment (LCA) documents the environmental profile over the life of the product, also known as ‘cradle to grave' analyses of the environmental impact or the product's ‘environmental footprint'. This information helps to evaluate the product's overall sustainability and the entire environmental economy. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Packaging is essential in logistics processes. All products consumed in a supply chain from fresh berries to large containership-parts are packed during their transportation and storing processes. Often plastics are used as a basic component for the bins. These synthetic materials are produced from crude oil. After their use plastic packaging is often burned to receive thermal energy. To measure and analyse the environmental impact a life cycle assessment can be carried out. In this paper the assessment is done for a Kanban bin made out of sunflower granulate. A typical supply chain situation is simulation. Different system boundaries are used. The production and the use/ maintenance phase are analysed with the help of a framework. The highest impact on the environment is during the use phase. The transportation and the recycling phase can be neglected in terms of the environmental impact. Using a sunflower-granulate the emissions during the production phase can be reduced. The impact is less strong considering a life cycle process. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Over the last few years, waste management strategies are shifting from waste disposal to recycling and recovery and are considering waste as a potential new resource. To monitor the progress in these waste management strategies, governmental policies have developed a wide range of indicators. In this study, we analyzed the concept of the recyclability benefit rate indicator, which expresses the potential environmental savings that can be achieved from recycling the product over the environmental burdens of virgin production followed by disposal. This indicator is therefore, based on estimated environmental impact values obtained through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practices. We quantify the environmental impact in terms of resource consumption using the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment method. This research applied this indicator to two cases of plastic waste recycling in Flanders: closed-loop recycling (case A) and open-loop recycling (case B). Each case is compared to an incineration scenario and a landfilling scenario. The considered plastic waste originates from small domestic appliances and household waste other than plastic bottles. However, the existing recyclability benefit rate indicator does not consider the potential substitution of different materials occurring in open-loop recycling. To address this issue, we further developed the indicator for open-loop recycling and cascaded use. Overall, the results show that both closed-loop and open-loop recycling are more resource efficient than landfilling and incineration with energy recovery. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Ionic liquids on ordered mesoporous silica were prepared and their catalytic performance in the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) was investigated. The ionic liquids were immobilized on chloropropyl-functionalized MCM-41 (CP-MS41) through the quaternization of trialkylamines. The supported ionic liquids were proven to be an effective heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of DMC from transesterification of ethylene carbonate (EC) with methanol. The immobilized quaternary ammonium salt (QCl-MS41) catalysts with longer alkyl chains showed higher EC conversion and turnover number (TON). Higher temperatures and longer reaction times were favorable for the reactivity of QCl-MS41. However, carbon dioxide pressure showed a maximum for catalytic activity. The catalyst can be reused for reactions in up to three consecutive runs with only a slight decrease in catalytic activity. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Ni-Ga alloy catalysts were synthesized by a surfactant-assisted co-precipitation method and were tested in CO2 hydrogenation to methanol at 10 bar and at ambient pressure. The presence of surfactant in the synthesis led to a decrease in particle size, with the catalyst produced using 1% of surfactant (C_1%) presenting the smallest and most homogeneous particle size. A difference between the catalysts was also observed in the change of the crystalline phase after the reaction, where the C_1% catalyst presented the lowest loss of the Ni5Ga3 active phase. Methanol productivity showed positive relations with smaller particle size and higher quantity of Ni5Ga3 crystalline phase remaining after the reaction, with the C_1% catalyst presenting the highest methanol productivity. Catalytic evaluation under different conditions showed that higher temperature and GHSV values led to poorer selectivity to methanol. The C_1% catalyst also presented good activity at ambient pressure and remained stable after 5 h, with no deactivation. A mechanistic study employing DRIFTS analyses found that the reaction pathway on Ni-Ga alloy involved both the RWGS and formate routes, as shown by the presence of formate, methoxy, and CO intermediates. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Cellulose nanofibril (CNF) is regarded as one of the world's advanced biomaterials. However, its production consumes high energy, making it unappealing for many applications. The life cycle assessment studies conducted on CNF indicate that a high environmental impact is mainly due to its novel nature and unexplored future directions. This study aims to analyze the cradle to gate life cycle assessment of a CNF film via four flexible production routes (two-spray deposition and two vacuum filtration processes) for small-scale production. The baseline and high impact scenarios for these films were also used to perform a sensitivity analysis. The results indicate that refined, homogenized and vacuum filtered CNF film (2 g) having a basis weight of 100 g/m2 showed the highest embodied energy (0.426 MJ), global warming potential (0.034 kg CO2 equiv.) and water usage values (1.033 L), while refined and spray deposited film has the least life cycle impacts (0.241 MJ, 0.018 kg CO2 equiv. & 0.264 L). Although, these films showed approximately 15%–20% higher environmental impacts as compared with the conventional plastic films such as polyethylene terephthalate, however, the expected impact could be much lower if “cradle to grave” or “cradle to cradle” cycles are considered instead and the scale of production is increased. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
PdM/RGN (M = Co, Cu) self-supporting composite electrodes were synthesized via a simple two-step spontaneous reduction process using Ni foam as the substrate and reduced graphene oxide as support layer. The composites were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were performed to study the electrocatalytic activities of the prepared electrodes for methanol and ethanol oxidation. The performances of PdM/RGN for methanol and ethanol oxidation increased and then decreased as the atomic ratio of Pd to M (Co, Cu) increased. The Pd6Co1/RGN and Pd6Cu1/RGN electrodes exhibited markedly superior catalytic activity and long-term stability. The peak current densities of Pd6Cu1/RGN and Pd6Co1/RGN electrodes reached 0.36 and 0.29 A/cm2 for methanol electrooxidation and which reached 0.8 and 0.5 A/cm2 for the ethanol electrooxidation, respectively. This excellent performance is owing to the three-dimensional structure of nickel foam, the improving specific surface area and the synergistic effect between Pd and M. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
An environmental life cycle assessment was performed to investigate the environmental consequences of the life cycle of Hushållsost, a semi-hard cheese. The assessment identified those activities that contribute most to the cheese's environmental impact throughout its life cycle from extraction of ingredients to waste management. Milk production at the farm was identified as having the greatest environmental impact, followed by cheesemaking at the dairy, retailing, and the production of plastic wrapping. The environmental impact could be reduced by minimising wastage of milk and cheese throughout the life cycle, without any effect on the quality of the product. Increasing the yield of cheese would also bring about substantial improvements as less milk would have to be produced on farms. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Ethanol production is one of the most important activities in the Brazilian economy and its production has been increasing during the last decades. On average, 10-15L of vinasse (main liquid wastewater obtained after distillation) are generated per liter of ethanol. Typically, vinasse is used for fertirrigation of sugarcane crop; however, if it is produced in excess, might bring several economic problems and environmental impacts. Vinasse is though a suitable feedstock for anaerobic digestion, producing biogas, which is a versatile gas fuel that may replace fossil fuels in power and heat generation plants and can be a raw material to produce other biofuels such as methanol. This work provides the simulation and validation of an ethanol distillery plant located in the South of Brazil to propose a new scenario of a coupled methanol plant using vinasse-derived biogas. This biogas is converted through steam-methane reforming to a mixture of mostly carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which in turn are input for the methanol production. The evaluation of this new methanol plant proposed allows ones to identify its technical feasibility. It also gives cost estimates describing the economic performance for each step of this new proposed route. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
The sustainable engineering of water treatment processes is critical for reducing the environmental impact of the bottled water industry, a sector experiencing growth parallel to rising standards of living. This study focuses on the environmental footprint of two membrane processes—ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO)—used in the production of bottled drinking water. By employing life cycle assessment (LCA), we compare the carbon footprints of mineral water production via UF from high-quality sources against purified water production using RO technology. Initial findings indicate minor differences in the carbon footprints for one 550-mL bottled water produced by each method. However, the incorporation of green manufacturing practices reveals a significant reduction in the carbon footprint. Specifically, our analysis shows that with the deep decarbonization of the power grid and freight electrification, the carbon footprint of mineral water can be reduced by 36.04 %. Additionally, through the adoption of renewable energy and the recycling of plastic packaging after consumption, the carbon footprint of mineral water could be lowered to 0.0295 kg CO2-eq per 550-mL bottled water, demonstrating that mineral water offers low-carbon potential. This study further explores the roles of production location, transportation, and the adoption of various decarbonization strategies in optimizing the environmental footprint of bottled water. Our findings reveal the quantitative decarbonization potential of membrane processes, coupled with sustainable practices, for bottled drinking water production, supporting the industry's shift towards greater environmental sustainability. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Examples of biochar as an alternative to traditional plastic fillers, like carbon black, are numerous and growing. However, in the agricultural mulch film application, both the polymer and its fillers are pushed to their mechanical limit to obtain an effective product, using the least amount of plastic. Through a combined techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), this study characterizes the use of carbon-negative biochar as an opacity filler in mulch film applications. Due to its larger particle size, the biochar demands additional thickness to achieve equivalent opacity as carbon black in films. A thicker film translates to additional polymer demand, and a significant increase in price and environmental impact. A comparable formulation for an equal price ($623 per mulched ha) as a 2.6 wt % carbon black with 25 μm thickness was derived, needing 15 wt % biochar and a thickness of 30 μm. The biochar formulation resulted in a slightly higher global warming potential (3% increase), but much larger impact in the land use category (+339%), and the sample was deemed not fit for use in the intended mulch application. These results indicate that in applications where the polymeric matrix and its fillers are pushed to their mechanical limit, the displacement of traditional fillers by biochar is challenging. However, biochar derived from waste biomass (thus reducing land use impact) remains a valid, environmentally beneficial solution to displace traditional fillers for non-extreme plastic uses (commodity plastics) and thicker composites. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
This paper investigates the transesterification of propylene carbonate with methanol to form dimethyl carbonate and propylene glycol in preparation for integrating this reaction into a reactive distillation column. The investigation of suitable catalysts matching the operating window of a reactive distillation column is essential to design a feasible process. Hence, a screening of nine heterogeneous and two homogeneous catalysts to identify a suited catalyst for this reaction is presented. Afterwards, the chemical equilibrium and reaction kinetics are investigated using an experimental and theoretical approach. Molar- and activity-based chemical equilibrium constants were determined from the experimental results, and their temperature dependency was described using the van't Hoff equation. The reaction kinetics was measured using the homogeneous catalyst sodium methoxide to enhance the reaction rate. The theoretical description of the reaction kinetics was established using an activity-based approach to account for the non-ideal thermodynamic liquid-phase behavior. The well-known Arrhenius equation was used to describe the temperature dependency of the reaction rate constant. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Long-term product improvement requires detailed analysis that includes information from the entire product life cycle. Life cycle assessment according to the standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 provides information on the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle. The aim of the study is to analyze the environmental impact of a multicomponent plastic product in two variants and the associated customized tools using life cycle assessment. The subject of this analysis is the previous and the improved design of a multicomponent plastic cap for 19 l water bottles and the associated custom-manufactured tools. The main improvements of the custom-made tools are in the larger number of cores, and the new cap design was improved with fewer components and mass. The results show that the production and packaging of the improved multicomponent plastic cap has more than two times lower environmental impacts in the categories of global warming potential, freshwater eutrophication, terrestrial acidification ozone formation, human health and non reneweable, fossil. The environmental impact of custom injection moulding tools is strongly influenced by the capacity of the injection moulding machine and the number of cores or number of products that can be produced in a batch. In addition, the results of the improved 19 l multicomponent plastic cap showed a lower environmental impact compared to previous studie of the 5 l plastic cap. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Renewable dimethyl ether (DME) is expected to contribute to the decarbonization of several sectors, including domestic heat supply and transport. The shift of the carbon source used for the production of DME from fossil to renewable, such as biomass, waste or captured CO2, entails an industrial challenge in terms of reactors, operation regimes, catalysts and product purification, with strong technical and economic repercussions. In this work, we review the latest developments on this topic, focusing on the direct synthesis of DME, and especial attention has been paid to the separation-enhanced technologies for DME production, including the Sorption Enhanced DME Synthesis (SEDMES). We address other aspects that are often neglected, such as the impact of heat and mass transfer phenomena, which become increasingly relevant in processes in which several reaction and sorption stages occur in the same reactor. We also include a techno-economic section that gives insight in the feasibility of several renewable DME production processes. Finally, we review the most recently deployed installations for renewable DME production, at commercial or pilot scale, as a model of the near-future of the DME industry. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Returnable container networks have caught the eye of those companies that aim to reduce waste generation and environmental impact. The literature already includes studies on the environmental impact (i.e. Life Cycle Assessment, LCA) of these networks. However, the major part is based on secondary data since the collection of primary data is complex and time-intensive. This paper proposes an object-relational database dedicated to the storage of data from a closed-loop reusable plastic crates (RPC) networks for fruits and vegetables. The goal is supporting scholars and managers during the LCA through a user-friendly data architecture, while suggesting structured guidelines for the primary data collection. Each node of the RPC network is characterized by a similar set of entity types, such as machines, which allows to process the RPCs with respect to specific cycles. Each entity, process and cycle are therefore reflected in the database by objects that are connected with relations. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
The takeaway food industry, involving more than 0.4 billion consumers in China, has brought mass of packaging waste and salient environmental burden. Here we mapped the distribution of takeaway food industry across China including the industry scale, diet structure and order time based on the analysis of more than 35 million takeaway food orders. The real use situation of various packaging materials in the takeaway food industry market has been clarified. The life cycle assessment of “a piece of takeaway food delivery order” has been carried out in different regions. Results show that in addition to plastic waste generation, takeaway food industry causes more types of environmental impacts. In terms of the national resource consumption, greenhouse gases emission, water pollution and health damage risk, the top 5 ranked provinces in each accounted for 44%, 48%, 43% and 49%, respectively. Under the latest Chinese plastic pollution control policy, the industry needs to reduce 1.12 million tons of non-degradable plastic packaging by the end of 2025, and 65% of the pressure is clustered in the metropolis and provincial capitals. However, without targeted and regionally differentiated plastic pollution control policies, the environmental impact control of takeaway food industry is still ineffective. It is urgent to explore the control measures applicable to different regions. Overall, packaging reduction is more effective than material substitution. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
This study explores the impact of varied synthesis times on the properties and performance of zinc sulfide (ZnS) in the photocatalytic hydrogen production. Validating the synthesis of ZnS from hydrozincite, our investigation extends to diverse solvothermal synthesis durations (0.5, 5, 24 and 72 h). X-ray diffraction analyses confirm a direct correlation between synthesis time and crystallite size growth. Mesoporosity and consistent functional groups characterize all materials. Prolonged synthesis times induce ethylenediamine-Zn2+ complexes, elevating defect density and causing a red shift in materials, impacting electronic structure and reducing band gap. Paradoxically, extended synthesis times correlate with diminished hydrogen production, emphasizing the role of surface area over electronic properties in photocatalytic performance. The 05H catalyst produces an average of 2.11 times more hydrogen than 24H and 72H catalysts with a hydrogen production rate of 276 µmolg−1h−1 The study underscores the intricate interplay of parameters, providing insights into achieving optimal photocatalytic performance. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Growing interest has been paid to the importance of the capability of a material to self-heal, since it can extend the service period and reduce the replacement cost of the product. Thus, proton exchange membrane (PEM) was designed to self-heal in this study. Freezing-thawing method was used to impart physical crosslinking without the incorporation of crosslinkers in the preparation of a self-healable PEM with Nafion and PVA. Nafion-PVA membrane was found to be able to repair the damage and restore its original properties. The results also showed that the addition of PVA in Nafion reduced the methanol permeability by 40.33% as compared to recast Nafion membrane. A good methanol blocker with self-healing capability, Nafion-PVA membrane is a promising PEM for use in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
A framework, SecµPlast, to include secondary microplastic (MP) formation due to photooxidation into current Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) from cradle-to-grave of products. The framework details how to incorporate secondary MP formation into the plastic's life cycle as related to the plastic's use phase, and location specific waste treatment and how to connect the impacts with current life cycle impact assessment methodologies (LCIA). Plastics, now ubiquitous in the environment are a potential source of emerging pollution and have been shown to have negative effects of various species. Thus, the framework consist of 1) a degradation module, which accounts for micro- and nano- plastic formation with dynamic degradation of microparticles, 2) an emissions module accounts for the potential of the plastic particles to be emitted to air, and 3) an impacts module which connects the various emissions to existing LCIA methods. The framework allows for quantification of secondary microplastic in an LCA context and for further characterization of the impacts at endpoints in terms of human health, and allows for a high level of regionalization, both in terms of input data and characterization of impact damages. SecµPlast was tested on a case study of mulch film which showed that the per kg contribution to particulate matter (PM) and other impacts is low. The impacts vary largely depending on the degradation rate and ranged from 9.24×10−6 to 0.00043 kg PM equivalents per kg of mulch film, depending on either a slow or fast degradation rate, respectively. The impact came mostly from the littered fraction, which was estimated to be 10% of the products weight after the use phase, in Europe. The degradation rates due to UV degradation were low, 0.034 µg/year for a slow degradation rate, compared to values derived from the literature, 0.345 µg/year for a fast degradation rate during littering, that included other sources of degradation, such as abrasion. However, when these impacts are scaled up to the European consumption of plastics and monetized, it is evident that even small increases of PM are costly for society and could potentially amount to millions of dollars per year in human health damages. Further research efforts should focus on filling data gaps, such as microplastic losses during production, recycling and potentially incineration, as well as degradation kinetics including other degradation factors such as freeze/thawing, wet/drying in combination with UV degradation. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Today, the efficient use of energy is a significant critical issue in various industries such as petrochemical industries. Hence, it seems essential to apply proper strategies to reduce energy consumption in such processes. A methanol production plant at a live Petrochemical Complex was selected as the case study in this research. The plant was first evaluated with combined pinch and exergy analysis from exergetic dissipation point of view. Owing to high temperature and pressure of reactor outlet stream, methanol synthesis reactor products contain considerable content of exergy. For the purpose of the present survey, the available content of exergy was used for power production by integrating a turbine expander with methanol reactor product. Utilization of reactor product’s high pressure in turbine reduces the temperature of turbine outlet stream to levels lower than those required for heating demands of existing streams in methanol synthesis cycle. Therefore, to keep the stream thermally balanced, the required hot utility of the process is increased and to compensate this increase, the heat exchanger network of the process was retrofitted based on pinch analysis concepts. The results showed that in gas turbine integrated scheme, approximately a net power of 7.5MW is produced. Also, the total investment of turbine, compressor and heat exchangers area equals to 18.2×106 US$, and the annual saving value is about 6.1×106 US$/y. Based on economic data, payback period is estimated to be 3years. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Plastic films can be considered as a high-value auxiliary material in agriculture with multiple important uses to fulfil, including covering films in greenhouse cultivation system. Such an application enables several benefits and, therefore, it is going through an important upsurge, especially in regions where protected crop cultivation is highly widespread. However, the increased demand for these covering films arouses concerns for their post-use treatment with regard to both the consumption of Non-Renewable Primary Energy (NRPE) resources and the emission of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). Therefore, environmental analysis is needed to find and follow cleaner paths for the management and treatment of this kind of Agricultural Plastic Waste (APW), especially in the light of the gap currently existing in the specialised literature. In this context, this paper reports upon findings from a combined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of single environmental issues (i.e., energy and water consumption, and GHG emissions) applied to a Sicilian firm, representative of APW collection and recycling to obtain Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) granules. The results showed that electricity consumption for the whole recycling process is the most NRPE resource demanding and the most GHG emitting input item. Moreover, the washing phase of disused covering films is the highest water demanding within the recycling process. Potential improvements could be achieved by shifting from fossil energy source to renewable one. The installation of a wind power plant would lead to around 56% and 85% reduction in NRPE resource exploitation and GHG emission, respectively. Finally, despite the huge consumption of water and NRPE resources and the resulting GHG emissions, the production of recycled-LDPE granules is far more sustainable than the virgin counterpart. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Atmospheric carbon dioxide is still a concern though few technologies have demonstrated capturing and utilization. CO2 utilization with H2 seems to be promising, but the necessity for new technology to enhance the economical sourcing of H2 is critical. In this regard, an attempt is made to realize H+ and OH− in-situ on the catalyst surface for the reaction with activated CO2 molecule using thermal methods. A multi-metallic catalyst has been studied to verify the feasibility of such a reaction path. The metal oxides such as Ni, Mn, Mo, Ru, etc., are known for disassociating vapor phase H2O molecule to H+ and OH−. It is also known for CO2 to form an activated metal complex with Ni, Ti, Co, etc. In this context, a combination of selected metal oxides could result in activated CO2 reacting with H+ or OH− to form hydrocarbons. The hydrothermal synthesis method was employed for the catalyst synthesis, consisting of Ru, Ni, and Mn oxides with TiO2 nanorod as substrate material. The catalyst analysis was done using characterization techniques like XRD, FESEM, EDAX, XPS, PSA, TGA, and FTIR. The influence of the heterogeneous metal-oxides catalyst on the reduction of carbon dioxide with steam is studied to determine the effective temperature of the reaction and products. It is observed that the conversion is effective for temperatures above 400 °C. It is found that the production rate of methanol is approximately 2 mmol/gcat /hr at 425 °C, indicating the feasibility of such reaction pathway by sourcing Hydrogen on the catalyst site. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Food waste oil (FWO) is the most suitable raw material for economic biodiesel (BD) production, owing to its low price, sufficient supply, and waste disposal diversion. However, water in FWO inhibits BD production by Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) which must be overcome. Here, a mutant lipase CALB1422 that catalyzes the ester synthesis in the presence of water was developed. The CALB1422 showed 91.1 % and 72.6 % BD conversion rates for soybean oil containing 2 % and 8 % water, respectively; wild-type CALB was inhibited to 29.8 % in the presence of 2 % water. It is presumed that the water attraction of the mutation site freed the catalytic site from water, which was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation. From crude FWOs, the CALB1422 exhibited up to a 2.1-fold increased BD conversion yield against commercial lipase (Novozym 435). The mutant lipase is an efficient and reusable biocatalyst to produce sustainable BD from waste oils. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Nowadays, the most important tool to evaluate the environmental impact of both petro-plastics and bioplastics is the life cycle analysis (LCA). LCA determines the overall impact on the environment by defining, calculation and analyzing all the input and output directly related to production, utilization, and disposal of a product or a process. In this work, a LCA (cradle to grave) of bottles for drinking water was developed on three scenarios: polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, as conventional packaging material for outdoor drinking water, polylactic acid (PLA) bottles, as alternative and innovative biodegradable packaging and aluminum bottle, as reusable and almost infinitely refilling packaging. As a result of LCA, ten impacts categories have been accounted for, among which the global warming potential (GWP, measured as kgCO2 eq), the eutrophication potential (EP, measured as kgPO4 eq.), human and eco-toxicity (HTP and ETP, measured as kg 1,4-DB eq.). The average drinking water consumption in Italy has been estimated in 1.5 L per day, corresponding to three 500 ml-plastic bottles and 1 refillable aluminum bottle. LCA has been firstly applied to a single bottle production and use, then to the daily and annual bottles consumption. PET bottles production and use assure the lower environmental impacts compared to PLA bottles, burdened by agricultural phase for corn cultivation, and to aluminum bottles, when the every-day washing with hot water or water and soap is comprehended. Moreover, including the end-of-life options into the analysis, PET recycling permits to reduce up to about 30% the GWP, whereas PLA composting does not lead to any GWP savings. In this study, aluminum bottle has been considered reusable for 2.5 years. The microbiological quality of water in one-way PET and PLA bottles has been compared with the refillable bottle rinsing with hot water and soap and only hot water, highlighting that the level of contamination is alarmingly increased in the latter case. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
In a global framework of growing concern for food security and environmental protection, the selection of food products with higher protein content and lower environmental impact is a challenge. To assess the reliability of different strategies along the food supply chain, a measure of food cost through the environmental impact-protein content binomial is necessary. This study proposes a standardized method to calculate the Green Protein Footprint (GPF) index, a method that assesses both the environmental impact of a food product and its protein content provided to consumers. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to calculate the environmental impact of the selected food products, and a Life Cycle Protein Assessment (LCPA) was performed by accounting for the protein content along the supply chain. Although the GPF can be applied to all food chain products, this paper is focused on European anchovy-based products for indirect human consumption (fishmeal) and for direct human consumption (fresh, salted and canned anchovies). Moreover, the circular economy concept was applied considering the valorization of the anchovy residues generated during the canning process. These residues were used to produce fishmeal, which was employed in bass aquaculture. Hence, humans are finally consuming fish protein from the residues, closing the loop of the original product life cycle. More elaborated, multi-ingredient food products (salted and canned anchovy products), presented higher GPF values due to higher environmental impacts. Furthermore, the increase of food loss throughout their life cycle caused a decrease in the protein content. Regarding salted and canned products, the packaging was the main hotspot. The influence of the packaging was evaluated using the GPF, reaffirming that plastic was the best alternative. These results highlighted the importance of improving packaging materials in food products. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Characterizing material flows and environmental impacts of plastic value chain is crucial for sustainable plastic management. Here, we combine material flow analysis and life cycle assessment methods to map the flows of eight major plastics and investigate the multiple environmental impacts of China’s plastic value chain. We find that packaging and textile sectors dominate plastic consumption and are responsible for the value chain environmental burdens, but with low recycling rates. Major environmental impacts are generated in plastic production and product manufacturing stages because of the consumption of coal-based feedstocks and electricity. We therefore set up six scenarios by considering carbon neutrality energy pathway, plastic recycling improvement, and technology updating, finding that the value chain environmental impact can be reduced by 14%–57% in 2060 under combined scenario. Particularly, carbon neutrality renewable energy pathway plays an important role. These findings provide valuable insights to identify key mitigation pathways for plastic value chain. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Background Basal ganglia lesions are typical findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain in survivors of acute methanol poisoning. However, no data are available on the association between the magnitude of damaged brain regions, serum concentrations of markers of acute methanol toxicity, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and the rate of retinal nerve ganglion cell loss. Objectives To investigate the association between MRI-based volumetry of the basal ganglia, retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness and prognostic laboratory markers of outcomes in acute methanol poisoning. Methods MRI-based volumetry of putamen, nucleus caudatus and globus pallidus was performed and compared with laboratory parameters of severity of poisoning and acute serum markers of oxidative damage of lipids (8-isoprostan, MDA, HHE, HNE), nucleic acids (8−OHdG, 8−OHG, 5−OHMU), proteins (o-Thyr, NO-Thyr, Cl-Thyr) and leukotrienes (LTC4, LTD4, LTE4, LTB4), as well as with the results of RNFL measurements by optic coherence tomography (OCT) in 16 patients with acute methanol poisoning (Group I) and in 28 survivors of poisoning two years after discharge with the same markers measured within the follow-up examination (Group II). The control group consisted of 28 healthy subjects without methanol poisoning. Results The survivors of acute methanol poisoning had significantly lower volumes of basal ganglia than the controls. The patients with MRI signs of methanol-induced toxic brain damage had significantly lower volumes of basal ganglia than those without these signs. A positive correlation was found between the volume of putamen and arterial blood pH on admission (r = 0.45; p = 0.02 and r = 0.44; p = 0.02 for left and right putamen, correspondingly). A negative correlation was present between the volumes of putamen and acute serum lactate (r = -0.63; p < 0.001 and r = -0.59; p = 0.01), creatinine (r = -0.53; p = 0.01 and r = -0.47; p = 0.01) and glucose (r = -0.55; p < 0.001 and r = -0.50; p = 0.01) concentrations. The volume of basal ganglia positively correlated with acute concentrations of markers of lipoperoxidation (8-isoprostan: r = 0.61; p < 0.05 and r = 0.59; p < 0.05 for left and right putamen, correspondingly) and inflammation (leukotriene LTB4: r = 0.61; p < 0.05 and r = 0.61; p < 0.05 for left and right putamen, correspondingly). The higher the volume of the basal ganglia, the higher the thickness of the RNFL, with the strongest positive association between global RNFL and the volume of putamen bilaterally (all p < 0.01). In the follow-up markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, only o-Thyr concentration negatively correlated with the volume of putamen bilaterally (r = –0.39; p < 0.05 and r = –0.37; p < 0.05 for left and right putamen, correspondingly). Conclusion In survivors of acute methanol poisoning with signs of toxic brain damage, the magnitude of affected areas correlated with acute parameters of severity of poisoning, markers of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. There was a positive association between the basal ganglia volume and the thickness of RNFL, making OCT an important screening test and MRI-based volumetry the confirmative diagnostic method for the detection of CNS sequelae of methanol poisoning. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Annually, 115.000 tons of plastic tableware are used in Italy. The end of life of these objects is particularly troubled because no efficient way of recycling or reusing exist. Studies performed by the European Union demonstrate that about 80% of sea waste is made of plastic, representing a danger to human health and ecosystem. The aim of this paper is to analyse substitutes to disposable plastic tableware using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The alternatives are objects made of bio compostable plastic, both disposable and reusable. This article compares single-use and multi-use tableware made of a Polylactic acid (PLA) - Polybutylene succinate (PBS) blend with traditional disposable tableware made of polypropylene and of polystyrene. In order to perform an effective assessment, the objects are grouped in place settings, each made of a cup, a plate and cutlery. The use of tray mat and napkin is also taken into account. It was assumed that the fossil-based items are sent to landfill whereas the bio-based ones are sent to a compost plant. The functional unit chosen was “the service of 1000 meals”. The impact categories taken into account are Global Warming 100a, Ozone Depletion, Ozone Formation (Vegetation), Acidification, Aquatic Eutrophication, Human Toxicity water and Ecotoxicity water chronic. The results show that the compostable table sets have lower impact than the sets made of fossil-based plastic in all the categories except in Ozone Depletion and in Aquatic Eutrophication. In the categories of Human Toxicity water and Ecotoxicity water chronic, fossil-based materials have higher impact than multi-use one mainly due to the landfill scenario chosen as end of life. Disposable and reusable systems give a different contribution to total impact in different life stages. For disposable systems, the production and the end of life are the critical stages in terms of environmental burden, whereas for reusable systems washing is the most impactful phase. Further improvements can be obtained in the production of bio-based materials by using renewable energy to power the facilities whereas the washing phase can be improved by adopting certified ecopower. The impact of the reusable system strongly depends on the assumptions made on the number of reuses and on the washing modality. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
This study addresses the techno-economic analysis and comparison of systems for power and methanol production from biomass combined with solar and wind energy, from both technical and economic perspectives. Three different systems, based on Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle (IGCC), Oxy-fuel combustion, and syngas gasification, were evaluated. The hydrogen required for methanol production comes from water electrolysis driven by solar and wind energy. In addition, the effect of location was discussed. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
The catalytic activity of ceria-supported Pd for selective hydrogenation of CO is well preserved in the presence of 30 ppm H2S due to the parallel oxidation of sulfur by CeO2 under standard methanol synthesis conditions. The bifunctional nature of this catalyst opens a route for the conversion of sulfur-contaminated gas streams such as the integrated gasification combined cycle syngas or biogas into liquid fuels if desulfurization by conventional means is not practical. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Recycling end-of-life (EoL) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane modules into forward osmosis (FO) membranes is an innovative alternative to approach membrane science into Circular Economy (CE). Membrane modules are chemically modified and disassembled. This strategy achieves the valorisation of 69% of the membrane area and 63.7% of the plastic components. This study aims to assess the environmental potential of the above-mentioned recycling strategy. Therefore, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted with a substitution approach. The recycling strategy was compared with commercial Thin Film Composite (TFC) and Cellulose Triacetate (CTA) membranes at two different solution concentrations. To introduce the membrane performance comparison, a substitutability factor (SF) was developed with the flow ratio. OpenLCA 1.7.4 with Ecoinvent v3.4 and ILCD-midpoint and endpoint impact methods were used. The inventories of the commercial membranes were developed through membrane surface characterisation techniques, patents and lab protocols. One critical point during the inventory development was the estimation of solvent losses through BREF documents. However, a sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate its relevance in decision making. Results pointed out the interest in almost all ILCD-midpoint categories and all the ILCD-endpoint categories. IR-hh, IR-e and Feu Categories were unfavourable coinciding with low environmental credits of the plastic valorisation. Sensitivity analysis identified solvent losses as a source of error. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
β-Glucosidase is a biological macromolecule that catalyzes the hydrolysis of various glycosides and oligosaccharides. It may also be used to catalyze the synthesis of glycosides under suitable conditions. Carrier-bound β-glucosidase can enhance the enzymatic activity in the synthesis of glycosides in organic solvent solutions, although the molecular mechanism regulating activity is yet unknown. This study investigated the impact of utilizing montmorillonite (Mmt), attapulgite (Attp), and kaolinite (Kao) as carriers on the activity of β-glucosidase from Prunus dulcis (PdBg). When Attp was used as carriers, the molecular dynamic (MD) simulations found the distance between pNPG and the active site residues E183 and E387 was minimally impacted by the adsorptions, hence PdBg maintained about 81.3 ± 0.89 % of its native activity. Out of the three clay minerals, the relative activity of PdBg loaded on Mmt was the lowest because of the highest electrostatic energy. The substrate channel of PdBg on Kao is directed towards the surface, limiting the accessibility of substrates. Secondary structure and conformation studies revealed that the conformational stability of PdBg in solvent solutions was enhanced by coupling to Attp. Unlike dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME), tert-butanol (t-BA) did not penetrate into the active site of PdBg interfering with its binding to the substrate. The maximum yield of n-octyl-β-glucoside (OGP) synthesis catalyzed by Attp-immobilized PdBg reached 48.3 %. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Undoubtedly, plastic products are widely used by nearly everyone, either in plastic bags, bottles, household items, and many others. Hence, plastic products are replacing almost all other items, and as a result, they are causing environmental hazards as well. Polypropylene (PP) is a common plastic used to create end goods for customers, such as plastic packaging, and it accounts for 16 % of the entire plastics industry. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has emerged as a global exporter of petrochemical products, including chemicals, consumer care products, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, textiles, and agricultural products in the past few years. This has led to the growing demand for PP production and raises the environmental concerns associated with PP waste. In this work, the life cycle assessment (LCA) studies are consolidated to analyze the environmental impacts related to PP production and waste. Furthermore, several options of utilizing plastic waste have been presented and discussed from the environmental perspectives and for the GCC region. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
In this study, hydrogen production was carried out in microreactor by methanol steam reforming process. Electro etching method was used to obtain microchannels with different channel width and depth. Although there are different traditional methods for the catalyst to be used in hydrogen production, the spray pyrolysis method was chosen due to its many advantages. This method is a very effective and innovative when it is considered that microreactors are coated for hydrogen production. The system for spray pyrolysis coating was designed and setup. Thanks to this method, the coating of the reactor with nanocatalyst was carried out in a single step. Synthesis and coating with spray pyrolysis in a single step provided some advantages in terms of coating quality as well as saving time besides the durability tested by ultrasound experiments. In the last stage of the study, a methanol steam reforming system was setup to carry out the experiments in a catalyst-coated microreactor. Hydrogen production was carried out different steams / carbon ratios, different reactor temperatures, different feed rates. As a result, 94 % methanol conversion, 3% CO and 69 % H2 content were obtained for 275 °C reactor temperature, 1.8 steam/carbon (S/C) ratio and 0.02 cm3/min feed rate. In the literature, there are similar results in transformation and H2 selectivity. However, in this study, the synthesis and coating with catalyst spray pyrolysis in one step provided both financial and time advantages. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
An environmentally benign procedure has been developed for the synthesis of sugar orthoesters using anhydrous sodium acetate in poly (ethylene glycol)dimethyl ether (DMPE). Various sugar orthoesers were prepared without using volatile organic solvent and quaternary ammonium salt. The sugar orthoesters were obtained in good to excellent yields. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Antimicrobial resistance is a complex global health challenge today. Discovery and development of new natural alternates with novel targets is utmost priority. In this experiment, alternative antibiotic agents in the form of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) and Achillea millefolium L. extracts were evaluated for antibacterial and antioxidant activity. The SNPs were synthesized using aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts of A. millefolium and were monitored by a color change and UV–vis spectroscopy. The size and shape of the nanoparticles were determined through scanning electron microscopy and phase was assessed through X-ray diffraction. The SNPs were shown to have an average diameter of 20.77, 18.53 and 14.27 nm with spherical, rectangular and cubical shapes, synthesized from aqueous, ethanol and methanol extract respectively. The response of biomolecules present in plant extract during the formation of SNPs was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, showing polyphenols, proteins, carboxylic acid and alcohol are involved in the formation of SNPs. The plant extracts and SNPs were then studied for their antibacterial potential against common human pathogens such as gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), displaying a very good activity against both types of bacteria. The Methanol-SNPs exhibit greater inhibition of DPPH radicals with IC50 7.03 ± 0.31 μg/mL. This green method of synthesis of SNPs would support the production of SNPs with considerably boosted antibacterial and antioxidant properties and significantly enhanced therapeutic performance. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Piperazine is two nitrogen containing heterocyclic compound. The fundamental activity of the piperazine is due to the 1,4-position of nitrogen atoms and their substitutions. The SN1 reaction is followed by the others alkylation and substitution reactions. Substituted piperazine derivatives hold an important position for the development of crucial drugs. They exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities e.g. antitubercular, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, antidiabetic and antimalarial. Immense numbers of biological activities displayed by disubstituted piperazine derivatives are due to the presence of two nitrogen atoms in the ring. Keeping in mind their biological activity profile, a series of novel 1,4-substituted piperazine synthesized derivatives were collected. All the prepared derivatives are expected to show different biological activities particularly enzyme inhibition activities against α-Amylase. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
In view of the importance of multifunctional catalysts that can drive different electrocatalytic reactions in the same electrolyte solution, we designed and prepared a series of multicomponent nanohybrids composed of Co9S8 and MoS2 derived from cobalt-doped polyoxometalate (Co-POMs) by one-pot calcination method. The obtained Co9S8@MoS2 nanohybrids were composed of Co9S8, MoS2, Co-Mo-S phases and assembled nanosheets, and therefore were explored as trifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in an alkaline medium. The nanostructure and chemical components of the series of Co9S8@MoS2 nanohybrids can be modulated by changing the mole ratios of H5Mo12O41P to Co(NO3)2 precursor. Compared with the sole component and other reported Co9S8@MoS2 nanohybrids, the Co9S8@MoS2 nanohybrid prepared from the 1:1 ratio of PMo12 and Co(NO3)2 exhibited superior MOR catalysis efficiency (121.4 mA cm−2) and an extremely low overpotential (1.49 V) for overall water splitting at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 owning to the effective synergism among Co9S8, MoS2, and Co-Mo-S phase. Overall, this study provides a feasible approach to developing efficient and stable trifunctional bimetal electrocatalysts for clean-energy applications. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Food packaging maintains the food safety and ensures the quality of food throughout the supply chain. Both are achieved by the protective function of the packaging against negative ambient influences such as mechanical damage, light or water vapour. Material, form and concepts of packaging vary widely, which thus also differentiates the environmental impact for packaging. This paper provides an overview of the current research of European consumer perception and how this correlates with the environmental impact of loose foodstuffs and packaged food. Considered materials are plastic, glass, metal, and paper/cardboard. These perceptions are compared to the objective environmentally friendliness based on the selected assessment criteria carbon footprint, recycling rate, reuse rate and biological degradation/decomposition in Europe. The purpose of this paper is to discover whether there is any link between the consumer perception and the scientific assessed environmental sustainability. Consumers judge packaging material by criteria of circular economy, natural looking material, and design. The environmental impact of paper/cardboard and metal are rated in line with the scientific measure by consumers, whereas plastic packaging is underestimated and glass and biodegradable plastic packaging are highly overestimated. These results indicate that the rating of European consumers and scientific life cycle assessments turn out differently. The differences are mainly linked by theoretical concepts of recyclability, biodegradability, and reuse rate of the packaging. Consumers evaluate food packaging by affective feelings than using cognitive reasoning. Their knowledge about the practical implementation of recyclability, biodegradability and reusability as well as additional environmental impact factors are low. Consequently, consumers’ buying behaviour is in most cases less environmentally sustainable than intended. Awareness trainings based on scientific facts, clear product and packaging information based on labelling schemes (“eco-labelling”) and nudging for sustainable behaviour can potentially support consumers in their sustainable buying behaviour. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Methanol is a very valuable chemical with a variety of uses, either as a fuel or as building block for the synthesis of other chemicals. In the last years, interest was growing in the production of methanol from CO2, based on the so called “Power-to-Fuel” concept. In this research, an equilibrium analysis of a methanol reactor with pure CO2 and H2 in the feeding stream was developed. Three novel reactor configurations at equilibrium conditions were considered: once-through reactor, reactor with recycle of unconverted gases after separation of methanol and water by condensation; reactor equipped with membrane permeable to water. An additional important feature of this work was the development of a methodology that assists in comparison of different process schemes by simulation of two different methanol plants configurations in ChemCad®. An adiabatic kinetic reactor with recycle of unconverted gases was considered and simulated in Aspen Plus®, while the performance of a methanol reactor with heat exchange at the pipe wall was simulated in MATLAB. Results show that at equilibrium conditions a reactor with the recycle of unconverted gases ensures the highest CO2 conversion: 69% at 473 K and 55 bar. In addition, the use of pure CO2 and H2 in the feeding stream allows an overall reaction enthalpy change lower than that obtained by the use of syngas in the feed. The kinetic simulation of the methanol reactor in MATLAB showed that axial dispersion phenomena are negligible and the effect of the global heat exchange coefficient on reactor performance is less important than the effect of isothermal heat exchange fluid temperature. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
A crystalline mesoporous cobalt phosphate (meso-CoPi) electrocatalyst is prepared using liquid crystal template of non-ionic surfactant of Brij®78. The physicochemical investigations of the electrocatalyst executed by surface area analyzer, XRD, transmission electron microscope submits creation of a mesoporous crystalline nanostructured of meso-CoPi with a surface area of 124 m2 g−1. This is an 10-fold greatness superior than that for bulk-CoPi particles produced without surfactant template. The meso-CoPi electrocatalyst comprises of metallic cobalt layered with a cobalt-oxo/hydroxo-phosphate layer which facilitates the electro-oxidation of methanol at modest overpotential of < 1.2 V vs RHE in alkaline solution. The methanol oxidation activity of the meso-CoPi catalyst shows more than 20-fold current increase at 1.4 VRHE in comparison to bulk-CoPi counterpart which due to the enhancement of the electroactive specific surface area. Liquid crystal template chemical approach provides a reproducible stage to synthesize mesoporous metal phosphates with improved electrocatalytic activities. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Multiple recent reports showed accelerated biodegradation of polyethylene by employing macro-organisms such as mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and larvae of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella), which seemingly chew and digest the plastic. Nevertheless, doubts regarding analytical data were published, and results are not universally transferrable. This paper aims at gaining mechanistic insights and exploring the technological prospects of potential future optimized biodegradation. We used a variety of experimental setups with both species, using both live specimens and homogenated paste, to cover a broad spectrum of potential technological setups, and performed gravimetric, microscopic and spectroscopic analyses. Live larvae showed a preference for specific substrates, yet we argue by comparison to other food sources, evidenced also by energetic uptake, that a diet of LDPE is insufficient for growth. We did not detect mass loss when homogenate paste is brought in contact with LDPE films, nor significant traces of ethylene glycol. We demonstrated that the morphology of the substrate changes after contact with live larvae, indicating some plasticizing action by an excreted liquid. This indicates a mechanism of degradation involving more than the gut microbiome alone. Using streamlined life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis (LCA/TEA) methods, we showed that the application of these findings as either a remediation or management technology for waste plastics is highly unlikely, given the conversion to microplastics, the absence of valuable products, and the high energy cost. However, the conversion mechanism should be further elucidated for bio-functionalization of liquid alkanes as high-value application, or to mitigate plastic anomalies in composting/digesting food waste. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
A massive rise in single-use plastic consumption has resulted in uncontrollable terrestrial and marine plastic pollution. Waste management systems currently do not have sufficient capacity to safely dispose of waste plastic. Apart from the plethora of negative environmental impacts due to mismanaged plastic waste both inland and in the oceans, landfilled plastics represents a significant recoverable energy footprint disposed of after a single use or a very short lifetime. Recovering these materials could reduce their carbon footprint by displacing the production of virgin plastic. The goal of this research is to develop a plastics circular economy framework that includes critical technological, economic, and policy constraints to help decision makers compare end of life options and inform investment decisions. In addition to implementing metrics for measuring circularity, the framework employs life cycle assessment to compare the environmental impact of pathways for improving circularity in the plastics economy. A case study exploring the recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles from 2020 to 2049 reveals that chemical recycling using glycolysis along with improved collection systems through drop-off recycling centers will significantly improve the circularity of PET bottles as well as reduce carbon footprints by displacing virgin PET manufacture. While waste incineration rather than recycling shows improved landfill-diversion-based circularity potential, it results in a significant increase of greenhouse gas emissions due to the combustion process. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Biodiesel is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels due to the energy and environmental concerns. In this paper, seven different multi –SO3H functionalized ILs based on the low-cost less-substituted amines, which contained massive sites for functionalization of sulfonic acid groups and further treatment of sulfonate-based anions, were prepared as catalysts with high acidity and desirable catalytic activity for the synthesis of biodiesel from the esterification of oleic acid with methanol. The physicochemical properties of these acidic ILs were characterized by a variety of analytical techniques such as FT-IR, EA, TGA, and the Brønsted acidity was well determined by UV–vis. Among the ILs prepared, [EDA-PS][P-TSA] showed the highest catalytic activity for esterification due to its high acidity and appropriate miscibility with reactants, with an ultrahigh 97.58% conversion of oleic acid under the optimum conditions (i.e. reaction time, 1.8 h; catalyst amount, 3 wt%; alcohol/acid molar ratio, 13:1, temperature 70 °C) acquired from the Box–Behnken response surface methodology. With the novel strategy of multi –SO3H modification on ILs, our catalyst had an approaching or even superior oleic acid conversion rate compared to other reported catalysts with considerably lower catalyst dosage and shorter reaction time. More importantly, it also exhibited high generality for converting various FFA feedstocks into biodiesel with considerable conversion within 93.59–94.33% under a rather lower catalyst dosage, which showed the valuable potential for converting low-cost oils into biodiesel from an economic and environmental perspective. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Ecodesign, Life cycle assessments (LCAs), environment, sustainability, pollution, renewability are rising concerns for designers, needing innovative thinking. Plastic sustainability is based on native resource preservation, renewable sources, energy saving, pollution and carbon footprint reduction, recycling, end cost optimization… Well-established routes relate to long-lasting parts, design optimization by modeling, weight and cost savings, and smart coatings. Repairing and use of recycled plastics save money, energy, resources, and pollution, but must satisfy technical requirements and comply with specific rules. Replacement of fossil polymers by bioplastics includes thermoplastic starch, PLA, cellulosics, aliphatic polyesters (PHA, PHB), liquid wood, proprietary alloys, and biocomposites. Conventional polymers synthesized from bio-sourced chemical bricks offer more innovative ways including polyolefins, polyamides, thermoplastic polyesters, polyurethanes, acrylics. Reinforcement with natural fibers and additives from renewable resources contribute to higher biocontents. Thermoplastics versatility allows energy savings during the use phase, which is pointed out through examples related to energy-efficient house, car industry, and packaging. Main environmental indicators and benchmarks relating to LCA are reviewed in relation with the impacts of polymer production, fiber production, polymer processing, end-product manufacturing and recycling. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Although PdRh-based bimetallic nanocrystals have been demonstrated as effective catalysts for methanol electrooxidation, the impact of introduced Rh on CO poisoning resistance and consequently the catalytic activity is still lacking in-depth studies. In this work, defective PdRh bimetallic nanocrystals (PdRh NAs) with different composition ratios are synthesized. The prepared Pd3Rh1 NAs exhibit much higher peak current density and greater durability in comparison with the control sample of Pd1Rh1 NAs, Pd5Rh1 NAs, and the Commercial Pd/C. In addition, we observe that the introduced suitable amount of Rh plays a critical role in promoting the activity and stability of PdRh NAs for methanol electrooxidation reaction (MOR). This work provides an advanced MOR catalyst, and highlights that modulating both surface structure and chemical composition of catalysts is an effective route to realize catalytic property optimization. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that allows assessing the potential environmental impacts of processes, products, or systems along its entire life cycle. LCA is a standardized methodology that follows the ISO 14040/14044 standards, which constitutes a power decision-support tool for engineers, scientists, governments and industry in the quest for sustainability. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of LCA. Throughout this chapter, the importance of LCA is motivated and explained by assessing an illustrative example that compares the environmental performance of two alternative water bottles, that is, plastic bottle versus aluminum bottle. The first part presents an introduction to the phases of LCA, which involves (1) defining the goal and scope of the study, (2) performing the inventory of all the material and energy inputs and outputs related to the studied system, (3) translating the inventories into potential environmental impacts and (4) drawing conclusions and recommendations. Then, LCA applications in different areas are briefly discussed, including the sustainable design of processes/products, strategic planning and public policy-making, among others. Finally, in the last section, this chapter includes a case study of the application of LCA in practice to assess the carbon footprint of biodiesel. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
In the current European regulatory environment, there is a growing emphasis on the need to develop fourth range and dairy packaging materials. which are more environmentally sustainable. In response to this need, a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) was conducted to assess the suitability of replacing traditional polystyrene foam boxes and polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays with packaging made of corrugated cardboard and coated with bioplastic. Life cycle analysis shows that bioplastic coated cardboard packaging has a lower environmental impact, despite the impact of corn and sugar cane bioplastic production. In the case of dairy packaging, an improved disposal scenario or scenario has been considered, in particular in terms of recycling. In the second case, raw materials that are totally or partially recyclable were considered. For the cardboard tray, recyclability is 100%, while for PET and PP respectively 50% and 4%, due to insufficient recycling and decontamination processes. In this scenario, the impact of fossil plastics decreases substantially, although corrugated and bioplastic packaging is again the best choice. To confirm these results, a multi-criteria decision analysis (multi-criteria Decision Analysis) was conducted, which corroborated the conclusions obtained through life cycle analysis. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Based on a Greenpeace International survey, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies are the dominant force behind the single-use economic model that drives the plastic waste crisis originating from consumption and production by producing industrial waste that must be handled appropriately with the concept of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). This study discusses SSCM practices in one of the FMCG companies, namely PT XYZ, and focuses on sustainable packaging supply chains, intending to know the application of SSCM in the supply chain and improvements that can be made to reduce waste and its negative impacts. The exploratory research was done with a case study type and used a mixed-method approach to formulate the development that can be done to reduce the waste and negative impact of the packaging supply chain. The assessment resulted from calculating the Life Cycle Assessment software, Simapro, with the CML-IA baseline V3.06/EU25 method. This method represents the environmental impact using 11 indicators. The most significant adverse environmental impacts are global warming, human toxicity, and marine aquatic ecotoxicity. The most significant contribution to the cause of the negative environmental impact is the consumption of electricity and water, which produce excess CO2 and boiler engines which produce excess NO2. Improvements can be made by reducing CO2 gas and using alternative fuels for environmentally friendly boilers. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
ZSM-5 zeolites were modified by desilication with sodium acetate and sodium citrate. The physicochemical properties of ZSM-5 zeolites, such as crystal structure, acid content, surface area and pore volume, were characterized by XRD, SEM, NH3-TPD, 27Al MAS NMR, pyridine adsorption infrared spectroscopy and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. Theresultsindicatethat pore size of the zeolite increases and mesoporous structures are formed by alkali modification, and the amount of Lewis and Brönsted acid contents decreased obviously. When the concentration of sodium acetate solution is 0.5 mol/L, the modified zeolite has a suitable B/L value for the aromatization of methanol while forming a large number of mesoporous structures. Compared with microporous ZSM-5, the catalyst life is increased from 20 h to 74 h, and the highest yield of aromatics is increased from 20.97% to 40.05%. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
A new Schiff base compound N,N’-bis(4-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-hydroxy-1,3-propanediamine (H2L) has been prepared. With the Schiff base as ligands, two new nickel(II) compounds [NiL] (1) and [Ni3L2(CH3COO)2(CH3OH)2] (2), and two new zinc(II) compounds [ZnL(OH2)] (3) and [Zn3L2(CH3COO)2]·CH3OH·2dmf (4), were synthesized. The Schiff base and the four coordination compounds have been characterized by means of elemental analysis, IR and UV–Vis spectra, as well as 1H and 13C NMR spectra (for H2L). Structures of H2L and the coordination compounds were further determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The Ni atom in compound 1 is in square planar coordination, and those in compound 2 are in octahedral coordination. The Zn atom in compound 3 is in square pyramidal coordination. The outer and inner Zn atoms in compound 4 are in square pyramidal and octahedral coordination, respectively. The self-assembly of the coordination compounds is discussed. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is a highly recyclable thermoplastic comprising 17% of all plastic produced. Yet, demand for recycled HDPE (r-HDPE) has outrun availability, partly due to manufacturers’ interest in meeting sustainability goals and recycled content mandates. Given that HDPE has a variety of uses, understanding optimal allocation of the constrained r-HDPE supply across product categories and lifespans will support the challenge of addressing broader sustainability goals and establishing circular economy (CE). By utilizing systems dynamic (SD) and life cycle analysis (LCA) modeling, this work studies whether prioritizing r-HDPE for longer-life products is more environmentally beneficial, compared to shorter-life products (e.g., food-grade packaging). Specifically, this work compares the production of milk containers and drainage pipes using virgin and r-HDPE as examples of HDPE applications through three scenarios. Key findings emerged from this study including the demonstration of a slight advantage to prioritizing allocating the constrained r-HDPE supply to the longer-life product vs the shorter-life product and a distinct challenge in hitting recycled content targets with current recycling rates and 2030 goals for the United States. This highlights a need to expand current recycling infrastructure in tandem with other CE practices to reduce plastic consumption and sustain environmental health for all. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
This work investigates possible design advances in the series of fixed-bed reactors for methanol and dimethyl ether synthesis. Specifically, the systematic staging design proposed by Hillestad [1] is applied to the water-cooled and gas-cooled series of reactors of Lurgi's technology. The procedure leads to new design and operating conditions with respect to the current best industrial practice, with relevant benefits in terms of process yield, energy saving, and net income. The overall mathematical model for the process simulation and optimization is reported in the work together with dedicated sensitivity analysis studies. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
The consumption of fossil fuels has increased CO2 emissions. Therefore, methods for effectively reducing CO2 emissions have been actively developed. In addition, as fossil fuels are a limited resource, it is necessary to find an alternative carbon source. Methanol is a promising chemical raw material and fuel for internal combustion engines and fuel cells. CO2 can be used as a raw material that reacts with hydrogen to synthesize methanol, which is expected to lead to a reduction in atmospheric CO2 concentration. In recent years, the discovery of catalysts that generate hydrogen via the dehydrogenation of methanol has allowed the combination of methanol synthesis and dehydrogenation for facilitating efficient chemical hydrogen storage. In this paper, we summarize the homogeneous catalysts that demonstrate catalytic activity in methanol synthesis via CO2 hydrogenation and the generation of hydrogen via methanol dehydrogenation. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
The excellent thermal stability of tetrahydroquinoline (THQ) under reducing conditions [1] has led to its use as a slurry liquid for several catalytic reactions: the synthesis of methanol over “zinc chromite” catalyst [2], the synthesis of higher alcohols over promoted “zinc chromite” [3], and the dehydrogenation of methanol to formaldehyde over various copper-containing catalysts [4,5]. However, the rate and selectivity of alcohol synthesis over zinc chromite catalyst was much different with THQ as the slurry liquid than with several similar compounds. It also was found that THQ was alkylated during both alcohol synthesis and methanol dehydrogenation. To understand the behavior of THQ-derived slurry liquids, various analyses were carried out on a sample of this liquid that was obtained after 240h of continuous operation under methanol synthesis conditions. Silica gel liquid chromatography (LC) and high performance LC (HPLC) were used to fractionate the “spent” slurry liquid, while gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy were applied to identify the major compounds. Methyl-, dimethyl-, and trimethyl-THQ comprised more than 80% of the “spent” slurry liquid. The balance primarily was various methylated indoles. A methyl group always was attached to the N atom in the ring structure. There was no evidence of further alkylation of methyl groups. These results appear to eliminate the possibility that the observed differences between THQ and similar hydrocarbon slurry liquids result from the nucleophilicity of secondary amines in the liquid. They also suggest that alkylation of THQ will eventually stop as the ring positions in THQ become saturated. A mechanism for the alkylation of THQ is proposed. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Packaging decreases food losses during transportation and the loss-related environmental load. However, excessive packaging can increase the environmental load for package production. We assessed environmental impacts throughout the peach life cycle and predicted the relationship between food loss reduction via packaging and environmental impact with certain models. Life cycle assessment was employed to evaluate the environmental loads from peach cultivation and package production to waste management. The relationships for certain impact categories indicate that the minimization of food losses did not necessarily lead to a minimization of environmental loads. This highlights the importance of assessing both food loss reduction and environmental influence in producing environmentally optimized packaging. A reusable plastic box and single-use cardboard box were compared on an environmental basis. The environmental loads throughout the life cycle were nearly similar between these two packaging conditions because the environmental load of reusable box production was lower but the associated food loss ratio was higher. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Two in situ methods are presented to study phase transformations in the synthesis of Cu/Zn hydroxycarbonates as catalyst precursors for industrial methanol production. In contrast to the well-established application of in situ FTIR probes in the detection of liquid phase concentrations, we evaluated spectra arising from the structural changes in the solid phase during the transformation of amorphous georgeite to nanocrystalline zincian malachite. Further, a novel microreaction system is employed to gain statistical insight on the scattering of the reaction time as a function of various process parameters. The obtained transformation kinetics during aging are described by a model based on the theory of solvent-mediated phase transformations showing excellent agreement with experimental results. The quantitative impact of temperature, concentration and zinc content on dissolution, nucleation and growth of the respective phases is discussed. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
In this report, a simple, facile, controllable, and green one-step electrochemical co-deposition method was developed for the preparation of hierarchical wheat-like Au–Pd heterostructures on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) without any template or surfactant, only using l-glutamic acid as a growth directing agent. The control experiments associated with the applied potential, the molar ratio of HAuCl4 to PdCl2, electrodeposition time, and concentration of l-glutamic acid were investigated in details. Meanwhile, the electrochemical experiments demonstrate the superior electrocatalytic activity of the Au–Pd heterostructures toward methanol oxidation, achieving a maximum catalytic current density of 45.8mAcm−2 in the presence of 0.5M methanol, much larger than those on pure Au (5.4mAcm−2) or Pd (25.0mAcm−2) under the same conditions. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Converting solar energy in desert bases into electricity or methanol for cross-regional energy supply is one promising pathway toward carbon neutrality. One of the current challenges of this approach is how to increase solar electricity dispatchability and reduce dependence on local water and CO2 resources for solar methanol production. In this study, we propose a near-zero-emission multifunctional system for combined electricity and methanol with synergistic conversion of solar energy and natural gas. Water-electrolysis-based solar methanol production serves as a flexible load to use surplus solar power, and the pure oxygen from water electrolysis is used in the natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) flexible power generation to supplement solar deficits and produce high-purity methanol feedstocks. H2-doped NGCC can provide an additional low-carbon power supplement. A year-long case study is conducted to analyze the performance of the proposed system and assess the benefits of system integration. A new surrogate optimization problem is formulated to find the optimal system size configuration. The levelized cost of methanol is 442.38 $/tonne, and CO2 emissions are reduced by 83.13 % per year. The research findings provide a promising route for places with abundant solar and natural gas resources but water scarcity to produce electricity and methanol. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Anchoring platinum (Pt) catalysts on appropriate supports through nanoarchitectonics is crucial in achieving a desirable high-performance electrode with low Pt content for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). This manuscript presents the development of two low Pt-content electrocatalysts, Pt-NP@CNR and Pt-NP@CNF, synthesized from the same precursor MOF via two different pyrolysis techniques. Comparative experimental results demonstrate that the Pt-NP@CNR exhibits superior bifunctional activity for the Methanol Oxidation Reaction (MOR) and Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) compared to Pt-NP@CNF. This enhanced performance is attributed to the synergistic effect between Pt-NPs and the high-surface area of porous carbon rod, which serves as the base material in Pt-NP@CNR. Pt-NP@CNR displays an impressive mass activity of 2.12 A mgPt−1, with exceptional cycle stability and minimal catalytic poisoning during MOR. Additionally, it achieves a remarkable E1/2 value of 0.71 V (vs. RHE), a maximum kinetic current density of approximately 2.13 mA cm−2, and low peroxide production, outperforming Pt-NP@CNF and commercial 10 % Pt/C in an alkaline medium. These findings demonstrate Pt-NP@CNR as a promising candidate for future commercializing of an efficient electrode for DMFCs due to its outstanding catalytic performance and versatile characteristics. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
The Circular Economy (CE) movement is inspiring new governmental policies along with company strategies. This led to the emergence of a plethora of indicators to quantify the “circularity” of individual companies or products. Approaches behind these indicators builds mainly on two implicit assumptions. The first is that closing material loops at product level leads to improvements in material efficiency for the economy as a whole. The second assumption is that maximizing material circularity contributes to mitigate environmental impacts. We test these two assumptions at different scales with a case study on the circularity of PET in the USA market. The Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) reveals that closing the material loops at the product level increases material circularity in one brand and in the USA plastic bottle market but not in the USA PET market as a whole. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results reveal that increasing closed loop recycling of PET bottles is environmentally beneficial from product-level assessment scope. When expanding the scope to the whole PET market, recycling PET into film, fiber and sheet industrial sectors results being more material efficient and environmental preferable, unless the postconsumer reclamation rate is significantly improved. Thus, we demonstrate that adopting a systemic approach for CE assessment is essential ; instead of looking at one particular product and seeking the best circular case with respect to a specific material content, we suggest to looking at the whole set of products served by the specific material, and to seek the best material market-wide circular case. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Quantifying product impact is one way to make the environmental consequences of purchases clear to consumers and retailers. This paper provides a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the environmental impacts of common children's toys. We compare 3 Lego™ sets, 1 Barbie™, 1 Jenga game, 1 plush dog, 1 plush dog with battery components, and 1 Marble Frenzy™ game, each representing a larger category of toy. After determining the materials in each toy, we built these toys in OpenLCA with existing materials data from LCA databases. Our results showed that a Lego Star Wars set had the highest eutrophication potential with the largest single contribution to impact from injection molding. This Lego set also had the highest GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions due to the use of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. Jenga had the highest acidification impact but the lowest GWP of all the toys despite having the highest mass. Our results indicate low GHG emissions and eutrophication potential of wood as a toy material. Wood's acidification potential, however, was the highest of all studied toy materials since impacts included land management for forestry though final wood processing. While plastic had a higher impact per mass than wood, the type of plastic used was important in determining the GHG emissions: ABS and polyvinylchloride (PVC) composition was lower impact than nylon granulate, and other plastics. Since our functional units determined impact per twenty hours of use over 2 years, increased toy longevity was one option to reduce toy impact, though even increased toy longevity should be combined with design for sustainability coupled with transparent environmental labeling to communicate the environmental value of low impact toys to consumers. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Polylactic acid (PLA) is a compostable bio-based plastic that can be used for food packaging, potentially increasing separation of (packaged) food waste for targeted, more circular organic waste management via anaerobic digestion, industrial composting, or (in the future) insect protein meal feed production. Consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) was undertaken to rigorously assess the environmental impact of displacing petrochemical plastic packaging of fresh fruit and vegetables with PLA. Eight end-of-life scenarios of bioplastic packaging were evaluated against a business-as-usual petrochemical packaging scenario, expanding LCA boundaries to include end-of-life impacts of fruit and vegetable food waste within a UK context. PLA production has a higher impact compared with petrochemical plastic production across many impact categories, but diversion of PLA-packaged food waste to organic recycling can compensate for this, improving the overall environmental performance of bioplastic packaging scenarios. Future diversion of organic waste streams to insect feed (following regulatory change) would lead to the best environmental outcomes, followed by anaerobic digestion. Impact categories ameliorated in bioplastic scenarios include human health effects, climate change, freshwater eutrophication, ionising radiation, photochemical ozone formation, resource use energy carriers, and respiratory inorganics. On the other hand, petrochemical plastic scenarios generate smaller burdens for acidification, marine and terrestrial eutrophication, ozone depletion, and water scarcity. Sensitivity analyses indicate high improvement potential for bioplastic scenarios if the energy efficiency of PLA production can be increased, or if globalised production shifts to industrialised countries with cleaner energy mixes (that currently import most of their plastics). Whilst end-of-life management of the fruit and vegetable food waste has a considerable influence on environmental outcomes, plastic packaging represents a surprisingly large share of the dry matter material flow (about 25%) in fresh produce waste streams. Therefore, it is imperative that future LCA studies of food packaging account for both packaging and (diverted) food waste end-of-life flows. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
The state of the world urgently calls for a transition toward production and consumption partners that can support a carbon-neutral, circular and sustainable economy. Green and sustainable chemicals, especially, biodegradable and bio-based plastics, are key components of this transition. However, significant financial investments are required for the implementation of green and sustainable chemistry principles and the broader promotion of sustainability. In this regard, the financial sector needs sound approaches to assess the sustainability of investments. With this paper, we show an approach to assess the environmental performance of investments through key performance indicators calculated based on life cycle assessment. The approach is applied for the assessment of a fictitious investment aimed at financing bio-based and biodegradable plastic mulch films. The performance is assessed by comparing changes induced by the investment, compared with what would have happened without the investment (i.e., using fossil-based plastic mulch films). The application of the approach shows that the investment could be in general favourable from an environmental point of view, in particular for the promotion of a more circular and low-carbon economy. The approach could be easily adapted to reflect the specificities of a wide range of investments. However, it should be noted that other environmental, economic, and social aspects may need to be integrated to depict the sustainability performance of investments in a more comprehensive manner. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
The accumulation of plastic waste in the environment is rising and poses a significant environmental and health threat. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), used mainly in single-use plastic bottles, accounts for a substantial fraction of this waste. The currently employed recycling strategies are inadequate to deal with the global plastic waste problem. PET glycolysis is a promising depolymerization method but has mainly been conducted using homogeneous catalysts; developing active and sustainable catalysts, and more energy-efficient processes remain challenges. Here, we implement microwave heating in PET glycolysis and identify ZnO as an excellent heterogeneous catalyst. We demonstrate the influence of ZnO's particle size and facet and hydrogen bonding on its activity. Finally, we demonstrate excellent performance for real-world post-consumer PET waste deconstruction with rapid depolymerization into bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET), achieving > 95% yields in less than 10 min. Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment also indicates that BHET produced by ZnO-catalyzed glycolysis has lower global warming potential than the petrochemical-based production and homogeneously-catalyzed glycolysis. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Optimization of the component and structure is a powerful strategy to enhance electrocatalytic performance of metallene. Herein, a facile and effective thermal-solvent approach is proposed for the synthesis of defect-rich and wrinkled PdRh bimetallene. The PdRh bimetallene exhibits superior electroactivity and durability in alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Benefiting from defect-rich and curved metallene structure, the PdRh bimetallene possesses ultrahigh specific surface area, exposed active sites, high conductivity and atomic utilization. Moreover, the bimetallic component effectively adjusts the electronic structure, optimizing the adsorption and dissociation of substances during electrocatalysis. The HER-MOR two-electrolysis system for PdRh bimetallene exhibits high energy conversion efficiency, requiring an only 0.657 V to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for energy-efficient hydrogen (H2) production, which significantly decreases energy consumption compared with conventional water electrolysis. The proposed approach provides a promising strategy to design bimetallic metallene for energy electrocatalytic applications. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
While demand for plastic increases because of its broad application base, the negative environmental consequences of plastic production must be minimized through effective value chain design. Plastic production creates GHG emissions, and its inadequate disposal can generate water or air pollution. Plastic packaging makes up over 40 percent of all plastic made, and within that category, plastic grocery bags have been a focal point for reduction of impacts. This paper explores the types of innovations needed to make grocery bags more circular, i.e., increased recycling and reuse. In similar studies, researchers have used one type of model or theoretical frame to address the question, such as life cycle assessment or economics. In this paper, we use the multi-disciplinary approach of convergence science to address this question. We consider a baseline scenario involving single-use plastic grocery bags, and then explore alternatives from the perspectives of life cycle assessment (LCA), policy, economics, and supply chain management. Integration of these perspective highlights the necessary interdependency of circular innovations needed to bring about systemic improvement. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
The development of new biodegradable plastic materials from renewable sources is a major challenge for plastic industries to provide sustainable alternatives to petroleum plastic. Bio-based plastics are generally obtained from photosynthetic biomass such as higher plants, crops and more recently algae. This review aims to summarise the current state of bioplastic production in general with particular emphasis on algal cellulose and its derivatives (nanocellulose) for bioplastic applications. Despite the potential of algae as a feedstock for nanocellulose, little information is available on strain selection regarding cellulose content and downstream processing. This study lists possible optimization opportunities to increase the cellulose yield of algal biomass and the current status of its conversion to nanocellulose. Moreover, the findings of this review provide insight into existing knowledge and future direction in the algal cellulosic bioplastic domain based on algal bioplastic life cycle assessment studies. Finally, the review gives an overview of the main standards used for biodegradability certifications in view to limit the access to the biodegradable label when the required quality is not reached. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
The work investigated the development of thermally stable and cheap catalysts without noble metals for the high temperature combustion of methanol in low emission burners for heat and power generation units. LaMnAl11O19, La0.8Sr0.2MnAl11O19, and LaMn0.5Mg0.5Al11O19 hexaaluminates were prepared by two alternative, relatively cheap methods, namely the Solution Combustion synthesis with Urea, and the Carbonates Coprecipitation route. Calcination temperature as high as 1300°C was selected in order to assess the stability of the catalytic deep oxidation activity which is required to keep the combustion reaction self-sustained. All of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, BET, and H2-TPR, and the intrinsic catalytic activity and selectivity for the deep oxidation of methanol were investigated in light of their structural and redox properties. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Single-use packaging generates millions of tonnes of plastic waste per year – a circular economy waste-reduction strategy is to implement reusable container systems for restaurant takeout. We developed a parametric life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost model and used scenario analysis to study customer behavior effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primary energy, water use, and cost of a reusable container system in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Under our base case scenario, the primary reusable container has lower impacts across most metrics than comparable single use containers. Benefits are sensitive to excess customer transportation; if 5% of customers make trips solely to return used containers, the reusable system has higher life cycle GHG emissions and primary energy use than single-use. Additionally, if a large fraction (close to 100%) of customers practice excess at-home washing of containers, the life cycle primary energy impacts will be greater than those of most single-use containers. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Plastic film waste can cause a variety of environmental impacts and pose a significant challenge for the consumer product industry. Understanding the environmental tradeoffs of various end-of-life strategies for plastic film waste is thus important for developing and deploying appropriate sustainable solutions. In this paper, we use life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental impacts of various plastic film waste treatment systems. We consider four different waste treatment scenarios for plastic films: landfill disposal of mixed waste; incineration of mixed waste; recycling of mixed waste; and recycling of recyclable waste. The results demonstrate a considerable advantage of recycling over landfill disposal or incineration. The main environmental benefit is from the recycle of plastics that can substitute for the production of plastics from virgin materials. From a sensitivity analysis, five key parameters are identified that affect the aggregate environmental impact including mass fraction of films in the waste, recycling rate, utilization rate, waste-to-energy conversion rate, and the type of energy can be substituted by the recovered energy from incineration. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
The effects of chromium, zinc and cobalt additives on the properties of skeletal copper catalysts for the reactions of methanol synthesis (MS), water gas shift (WGS) and methanol steam reforming (MSR) have been studied. Catalysts were prepared by doping Cr, Zn and Co additives on the surfaces of fully leached skeletal copper. Small amounts of Cr2O3 were found to significantly enhance the activity for the water gas shift reaction. Improvements were also observed for methanol steam reforming and methanol synthesis reactions. The presence of ZnO on the surface of skeletal copper was shown to greatly enhance methanol synthesis, suggesting that very active Cu-ZnO sites were created. ZnO also enhanced the activity for both the water gas shift and methanol steam reforming reactions. On the other hand, addition of Co had no effect on methanol synthesis activity and gave poor selectivity for methanol steam reforming. More significantly, the Co additive reduced the activity of skeletal Cu to the extent that more than 1.1wt.% Co additive on the surface resulted in negligible activity for the WGS reaction. The reason for the different performance with the Co additive is thought to be the reduction of surface CoO to metallic cobalt under the reducing conditions of catalyst pretreatment and reaction. Temperature programmed reduction (TPR), titration with N2O, and CO chemisorption measurements support this reasoning. This investigation of the role of additives in methanol steam reforming and the water gas shift reactions provides support for a recently proposed pathway for methanol steam reforming reaction over Cu catalysts via a formaldehyde or methyl formate intermediate. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Despite the current methanol distillation system (MDS) touching a highly energy-efficient level, there are still opportunities to cut more corners when moving eyesight from heating media to electricity and work efficiency of rotary equipments. To simultaneously optimize this process for higher overall energy efficiency, methodologically an improved substitute pathway is herein proposed of corresponding process superstructure. In detail, it is an all-in-one integration of heat and work exchanger networks (HEN-WEN), exemplified by a 4-column double-effect methanol distillation scheme popular among Chinese coal-based factories. The completion of this work indicates a hope of potential reductions of pump electricity and reboiler steam consumption of the whole unit by further 68.38% and 15.83%, respectively. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
The EU Green Deal aims at solving the challenges related to plastic production, (mis-)use, and pollution. While the bioplastic industry is identified as one of the possible avenues to tackle the problem, bioplastic waste collection and management practices are still far from full-development and harmonisation. To inform policy makers on the best practices and their feasibility, this study quantifies environmental and economic impacts of compostable plastic packaging (CPP) waste management schemes by means of Life Cycle Assessment and Costing. Results show that, with respect to climate change and financial costs, the scheme leading to the highest benefits is collecting CPP with conventional plastic waste followed by mechanical sorting and recycling (saving ca. 306 kg CO2eq. t−1 at a net income of 3.7 EUR t−1). The second best option is collecting CPP with bio-waste followed by biological treatment (saving ca. 69 kg CO2eq. t−1 at a cost of 197 EUR t−1). Collecting CPP with conventional plastics followed by sorting and biological treatment is to be avoided. The trend on the other impact categories generally follows climate change. Ideally, closed loop is therefore preferred, but conditioned by (i) having high share of CPP in municipal waste (else sorting is economically unfeasible), (ii) good citizen’s behaviour at source-segregation, and (iii) an established market for secondary material. Currently, overall benefits are limited by the low amounts, suggesting that the management choice could ultimately be based on rather simple technical and economic feasibility criteria while regulatory and management efforts should be focused on other waste streams with greater implications on environment. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
In this work, Cu–CeO2 co-impregnated 8 mol.% Y2O3–ZrO2 (YSZ) has been synthesized and characterized as an integrated catalyst layer for methanol-fueled Ni-YSZ anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). With the addition of the integrated catalyst layer, single cell fueled by methanol demonstrates 55.2% reduction of polarization resistance (from 0.67 to 0.30 Ω·cm2) and 42.32% incensement of peak power density (from 501 to 713 mW·cm−2) at 800 °C. Moreover, under constant current output mode, the cell with an integrated catalyst layer exhibits good stability for more than 45 h. The enhanced electrochemical performance proves that the integrated catalyst layer is helpful to catalytic the methanol fuel for Ni-YSZ anode-supported SOFCs. The reforming ability of the integrated catalyst layer for methanol is studied by analyzing the microstructural and composition of the anode and catalyst layer after the stability test. This work proves that the adding of an integrated catalyst layer is a promising strategy to directly utilize methanol for Ni-YSZ anode-supported SOFCs. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Chicken fillets, predominantly encased in disposable plastic packaging, represent a common perishable commodity frequently found in the shopping baskets of British consumers, with an annual slaughter exceeding 1.1 billion chickens. The associated environmental implications are of considerable significance. However, a noticeable gap exists concerning the household-level ramifications of chicken meat consumption, which remains a prominent driver (165 kg CO 2 e yr − 1 per capita) of environmental impacts in the United Kingdom (UK). This study's primary objective is to integrate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology with insights derived from a spectrum of interventions simulated within the Household Simulation Model (HHSM). The interventions that are simulated are influenced by various consumer behaviours related to the purchase, consumption, storage and disposal of chicken fillets. The overarching aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the environmental consequences associated with each intervention. The research encompasses eight distinct household archetypes and the UK average, with a focus on discerning differences in their environmental influence. The introduction of shelf-life extension measures leads to a reduction in the overall environmental impacts (in μ Pt ) , with reductions ranging from 1 % to 18 %. Concurrently, waste treatment's environmental burdens can be curtailed by 9 % to 69 % for the UK average. Of the 12 interventions tested, the intervention that combines a one-day extension in the shelf life of open packs and a three-day extension for unopened packs leads to the greatest reduction in environmental impacts, at 18 % for the entire process and 69 % for the waste treatment. This intervention is estimated to yield annual reductions of 130,722 t of CO2 emissions across the entire process and 34,720 t of CO2 emissions from waste treatment, as compared to the default scenario. These findings demonstrate the importance of integrating consumer behaviour, food waste, and packaging considerations within the domain of food LCA research. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Direct synthesis of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from syngas was carried out over hybrid catalyst consisting of methanol synthesis catalyst and Y zeolite modified with Pd and Ca by different methods. The decrease of CO conversion was mostly attributable to the sintering of Cu in methanol synthesis catalyst. On the other hand, coke deposition on the Y zeolite was the main reason for the decrease of LPG selectivity. The introduction of Ca decreased the strong acid sites of Y zeolite, suppressed coke formation, and thus improved the stability of hybrid catalyst. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
A series of novel carbon nanofibers (CNFs) supported bimetallic copper/zirconia catalysts are synthesized by deposition precipitation method and calcined at different temperatures. Calcined catalysts are characterized by various techniques like X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption, N2O chemisorption, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, temperature programmed reduction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption (CO2 & NH3). The structure–activity correlation is discussed in details. The results demonstrate 450 °C as optimum calcination temperature for methanol synthesis rate with CO2/H2 feed volume ratio of 1:3. CO2 conversion is found to be directly proportional to copper metallic surface area (S Cu), while a linear relationship is observed between methanol synthesis rate and fraction of dispersed Cu. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Plastics are essential in our economy and everyday life. However, plastic pollution is a global concern. To address this issue, the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy was adopted in January 2018. Attention has been raised to the entire life cycle of products, with legislation stating that plastic used throughout the design phase to manufacturing and packaging phases needs to be recyclable by 2030. This study evaluates selected plastic material categories and technologies carrying out a review of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis from literature. The literature review was carried out, the indicator units for impact categories among the investigated mid-point methodologies as well as the conversion factors for the metrics harmonization were provided and finally a detailed analysis of the environmental impact of several types of plastics was carried out for two options in the waste hierarchy, which are through disposal by sending waste to landfills and incineration with energy recovery. The disposal, treatment and recycling of 2.2 tonnes of general plastic waste including non-recyclable material delivered to a recycling facility was considered for comparison with these methods. An assessment of the comparative advantages of each practice was conducted. The potential for energy recovery was highlighted. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
Several are the challenges related to plastic waste, spanning from littering, high collection costs, and low recycling rates. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is considered a key initiative to tackle some of these issues. To evaluate EPR role and effectiveness, 40 management scenarios focused on plastic packaging waste generated by Italian households were investigated, and their environmental performance (via a consequential life cycle assessment) and the economic sustainability of their waste value chain (via a cost-benefit analysis for each stakeholder) were compared to the recycling targets. Overall, packaging waste management represented an environmental burden. Yet, environmental benefits can be achieved by maximizing the collection rate, while minimizing the impurities collected with the source-segregated plastic and the processing losses in the recycling chain. Furthermore, the cost-benefit analysis showed that the recyclers are the weakest link in the value chain, and recycling of soft plastic and mixed polyolefin is generally not profitable. This increases the risk of exporting low-quality materials outside Europe, where their fate is uncertain. Finally, the results demonstrate that improving plastic packaging recyclability and strengthening the market for secondary plastic is critical for reaching the European recycling targets of 55% in 2030. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
By using the cotton stalk as the feedstock, a polygeneration system for generating methanol and power with solar thermal gasification of biomass is proposed in this work. The endothermic reaction of biomass gasification is driven by the high temperature solar thermal energy with the range of 800∼1200°C. The flat-plate solar collector and the parabolic trough solar steam generator are used to preheat biomass and generate steam as gasification agent, respectively. The thermodynamic performance of the polygeneration system is investigated. The compressed syngas, produced by the biomass gasification, is used to produce methanol via the synthesis reactor. The un-reacted gas is used for power generation through a combine cycle power unit. The results indicate that the methanol output rate and the output power in steady operation condition is 41.56kg/s and 524.88 MW, respectively, and the maximum total exergy efficiency is 49.50% when the solar gasification temperature is 900°C. Furthermore, the highest exergy efficiency of the optimized scheme by recycling partial un-reacted syngas for methanol production reaches to 50.69%. The above studies provide a feasible way to exploit the abundant solar energy and biomass in the Western China. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Waste heat recovery holds significant importance in the context of natural gas power plants, as it facilitates the utilization of energy loss, leading to enhanced overall performance and mitigating adverse environmental effects. By harnessing and employing waste heat, power plants possess the capability to modify and optimize their operation, making a substantial contribution toward sustainable power/energy generation. Therefore, this study proposes a novel and eco-friendly approach to utilizing the flue gas emitted by a natural gas power plant. In addition to recovering waste heat, this method involves harnessing the flue gas for methanol production. The proposed system consists of an organic Rankine cycle, and absorption chiller, heating provider units, an electrolyzer for hydrogen generation, and a methanol synthesis unit. The novel method is implemented through computer-aided simulation using the Aspen HYSYS software and is subjected to an extensive analysis encompassing energy, exergy, environmental, and economic viewpoints. The simulation results exhibit producing 2712 kg/h of methanol with a purity of 99.97 mol%, 395.67 kg/s of hot water, 378 kg/s of chilled water, and 12253.57 kW of power. In this process, the energy and exergy efficiencies are 94.35% and 31.74%, respectively. Parametric study results demonstrate that reducing the gas turbine pressure and increasing the working fluid temperature in the evaporator of the absorption chiller cycle leads to improved exergy efficiency. Moreover, the multigeneration scenario shows a carbon dioxide footprint of 0.1564 kg/kWh and a total unit cost of product of 0.0485 $/GJ. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
High performing and cost effective nanocomposite membranes for DMFC application are synthesized by incorporating hygroscopic layered double hydroxides (LDH) particles into sulfonated polysulfone (sPSU). A significant improvement in the dimensional stability as well as in the water and methanol molecular dynamics of the sPSU_LDH composite membrane is observed in comparison with both pristine sPSU and Nafion 212. The strong electrostatic interaction occurring between positively charged LDH platelets and negatively charged polymer chains of sPSU alters the microstructure of the ionic domains, allowing an effective reduction of the methanol permeability whilst improving the proton conductivity. The methanol crossover measurements confirmed that sPSU_LDH membranes are able to withstand high methanol concentration without significant aftermath on the chemical stability of the electrolyte. The features enable the single DMFC assembled with the sPSU_LDH nanocomposite to achieve the remarkable power density of 150 mW cm−2 at 80 °C in 5 M methanol solution. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Carbon dioxide hydrogenation to produce methanol has the potential to liberate humanity from its reliance on fossil fuels, while simultaneously reducing carbon dioxide and developing the economy. This paper focuses on the effect of catalyst type and the process conditions such as temperature, pressure, H2/CO2 feed ratio, and space velocity on CO2 conversion and CH3OH selectivity. The net generated CO in the reaction system results in the loss of CO2 and H2 to the purge gas, which reduces the utilization efficiency of carbon and hydrogen. The specially designed catalysts and processes with recycling can improve CO2 conversion and CH3OH selectivity, and the CO flow rate difference can be close to zero in the total recycling condition. Starting from these ideas, the two kinds of near-zero carbon emission processes with total recycling (respectively named total recycling process after flash separation and named total recycling process after stripping separation) are proposed. The utilization efficiency of carbon and hydrogen are similar in the two processes, but hot and cold utilities in the latter are 17.96% and 15.11% lower than in the former, respectively. Through the process integration between reaction heat and double-effect distillation, the energy consumption is further reduced in the total recycling process after stripping separation. The utilization efficiency of CO2 is 99.88% in the total recycling process after stripping separation with double-effect distillation of the light split/reverse configuration, and the proposed process just requires cold utility. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
This study aims to develop two economically viable processes with high thermodynamic efficiency for the cogeneration of methanol and electricity from coke oven gas and blast furnace gas. In process A, syngas is obtained from coke oven gas reforming, and blast furnace gas, after providing the required heat for the reformer, is injected into the methanol synthesis reactor as a rich carbon source. In process B, in addition to coke oven gas and blast furnace gas, additional hydrogen produced by the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer is injected into the methanol reactor to enhance CO2 conversion. The performance of the proposed systems is evaluated using parameters like energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, net CO2 emission, and total production cost. Results show that energy efficiencies for processes A and B are 53.53% and 67.4%, and their exergy efficiencies are 23% and 25.12%, respectively. Moreover, environmental analysis demonstrates that process B has a net CO2 emission of −1.818 k g C O 2 / k g m e t h a n o l , while for process A, this parameter is relatively higher, and it is positive. From the economic viewpoint, it is concluded that process B is more feasible, and the total production cost of methanol decreases by 55.51% compared to process A. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Bioplastics have been used as alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics to lessen the burdens on marine and terrestrial environments due to their non-biodegradability and toxicity. However, recent studies have shown that not all bioplastics may be environmentally friendly. Microalgae, such as Spirulina that do not require arable land, have been identified as a potential bioplastic source. In this study, cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out in openLCA program using the Agribalyse database, to evaluate the environmental impacts of Spirulina bioplastic, formed from plasticization of Spirulina powder with glycerol. Two processes were created for the inventories of (i) Spirulina powder and (ii) Spirulina bioplastic, where the output of the former served as an input for the latter. The extruded bioplastic sheets were food-grade and could be used as edible packaging materials. The bioplastic was also compared to conventional plastics and it was found that the energy consumption was 3.83 ± 0.26 MJ/kg-bioplastic, which was 12% and 22% higher than that of LDPE and PVC plastic films, respectively. The impacts on the environment showed that the chemical growth medium (Zarrouk medium) and electricity were the main contributors in most of the categories. Compared to the PVC and LDPE films, the Spirulina bioplastic's impacts on the aquatic ecosystems were 2–3 times higher. The global warming potential of the Spirulina bioplastic was 1.99 ± 0.014 kg CO2 eq, which was 23% and 47% lower than that of LDPE and PVC films, respectively. Sensitivity analysis was carried out by changing the electricity source and using alternative growth media. Except for the case of switching to solar energy, the results for other cases did not differ significantly from the base case scenario. Future studies were suggested to identify different greener alternatives to the growth medium as well as different energy mixes for more environmentally benign solutions. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
An integrated system for converting carbon dioxide to methanol is proposed, and four of its main components (carbon capture absorber, carbon capture stripper, photoreactor, and methanol synthesis reactor) are analyzed thermodynamically, focusing on exergy destruction. The carbon capture unit provides carbon dioxide extracted from industrial flue gas while the photocatalysis unit produces hydrogen from visible light via photocatalytic water splitting. Both, carbon dioxide and hydrogen are supplied to a methanol synthesis reactor at a specific feed rate, temperature and pressure. The thermodynamic analysis shows that the largest exergy destruction rate occurs in the photoreactor (706kW). The second largest exergy destruction rate occurs in the methanol synthesis reactor (24.7kW), while the exergy destruction rates are smaller in the carbon capture stripper (23.5kW) and absorber (17.9kW). | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
Due to the great concern about plastic marine pollution, the demand for glass packaging has significantly increased since many people consider it more sustainable than plastic or multilayer packaging. However, evaluating the environmental impacts that occur in all life cycle phases (production, distribution, use and end of life), glass is often the worst packaging alternative. In particular, this study applied the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to compare the environmental performance of the traditional single-use glass bottle for wine with four packaging alternatives (aseptic carton, bag-in-box, refillable glass bottle and multilayer PET bottle) for the Italian market. Primary data about wine packaging systems (weight, size and composition of all components of primary, secondary and tertiary packaging), mode of transport and distribution and disposal scenarios of each packaging system component were provided by the packaging companies, Italian wineries and Italian Packaging Consortia as well as obtained from published literature and technical documents. Life cycle impacts of the wine packaging systems considered were assessed with the ReCiPe 2016 H evaluation method, adopting both midpoint and endpoint approaches. The results obtained highlighted that the most environmentally sound alternative is the bag-in-box, which is slightly better than the aseptic carton. The greater sustainability of bag-in-box and aseptic cartons was essentially due to the composition of the containers, lower packaging weight relative incidence and greater palletizing efficiency. The analysis of alternative scenarios, obtained by the variation of the three sensitive parameters identified (weight of containers, wine distribution distance and packaging disposal scenario), showed that upon decreasing the distribution distance, the environmental performances of refillable glass bottles became comparable to those of aseptic cartons and bag-in-box. These results pointed out that glass bottle reuse in Italy is a convenient alternative only when considering the local market (i.e. for drinks distribution at distances less than 100 km). | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |
We have demonstrated a new and simple methodology to quantify the amount of metallic Ni present in the mixed nickel hydroxide/nickel surface using galvanic replacement reaction. This method was also used to manipulate the formation of nanocomposite, NiPd on Ni(OH)2 support by controlling the extent of galvanic replacement of Ni by Pd. The bimetallic NiPd nanoparticles supported on Ni(OH)2 prepared by galvanic reaction showed better electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation than commercial Pd/C. This approach can be extended to synthesize various nickel containing bimetallic nanoparticles essential for different catalysis. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| non-relevant |
The main purpose of this study was first to estimate the carbon footprint (CF) of packaged fluid milk through life cycle assessment (LCA), using regional data in Tehran, and then to identify opportunities for lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The system boundary for cradle to gate assessment was divided into three life cycle stages: agronomy, animal farm and dairy plant, and data were gathered from multiple sources, e.g. questionnaire, published studies and dairy plant database in 2011–2012. Through the study, the IPCC 2006 methodology and the International Dairy Federation (IDF) Carbon Footprint Guide were used to calculate the CF of milk. The functional unit (FU) was one litre of pasteurized milk packaged in a plastic pouch. The average CF for 1 kg of fat-protein corrected milk (FPCM) at the farm gate was 1.57 kg CO2-eq, however, for the FU, it was 1.73 kg CO2-eq. The main contributors to overall CF of milk product were enteric methane 30%, electricity 14%, diesel 8.9%, manure emissions 8.8% and transportations 8.6%. The average CF of FPCM at farm gate was higher than the previous European reports, but lower than the previous estimate of 3–5 kg CO2-eq/kg milk. Developing the infrastructure to utilize renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, may be a solution for high share of energy-related emissions from the dairy sector. We call for more research on CF and other environmental impacts like eutrophication, and impacts from water consumption in different regions of the country both in traditional and industrial dairy farm systems. | Categorize the text article into one of the two categories:
relevant
non-relevant
| relevant |