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Advances in Energy, Industry, and Low-Carbon Systems: Science, Technology, and Policy

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B: Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2026 | Viewed by 4178

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chao-Lung Chiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Tamkang University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Interests: carbon capture, storage & utilization (CCSU); net-zero carbon emission policy; resource recycling technologies; photoelectrochemical hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER) materials; synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS); metal heterogeneous catalysis; cement and concrete chemistry
Dr. You-Sheng Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Net Zero Industry Development Research Center, Taiwan Research Institute, Taipei City, Taiwan
Interests: hydrogen energy; energy development policy; chemical engineering; catalysis; material application; environmental technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The urgent need to address climate change and achieve carbon neutrality has become one of the most pressing challenges of our time. With global greenhouse gas emissions continuing to rise and the impacts of climate change becoming increasingly evident, governments, industries, and research institutions worldwide are accelerating their efforts toward net-zero carbon emission targets. The Paris Agreement’s commitment to limit global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels has catalyzed unprecedented innovation in clean technologies, sustainable practices, and policy frameworks. This transformation requires a multidisciplinary approach that integrates cutting-edge scientific research, advanced technological solutions, comprehensive environmental sustainability strategies, and effective policy design. The convergence of these fields has led to breakthrough developments in renewable energy systems, carbon capture and storage technologies, energy efficiency solutions, and circular economy principles. Furthermore, the growing recognition that environmental sustainability extends beyond carbon neutrality to encompass biodiversity conservation, resource management, and ecosystem protection has broadened the scope of research in this critical area.

This Special Issue thus aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances related to net-zero carbon emission strategies, environmental sustainability solutions, innovative energy technologies, and policy frameworks that support the global transition to a low-carbon economy. We seek contributions that bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical implementation, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists, engineers, policymakers, and industry practitioners.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • CCUS Technologies and Applications
    • Carbon capture technologies: post-combustion, pre-combustion, oxy-fuel combustion, and direct air capture (DAC).
    • CO2 utilization and conversion: chemicals, fuels, building materials, and enhanced oil recovery.
    • Geological and alternative CO2 storage: site selection, monitoring, and long-term security assessment.
    • CCUS system integration: industrial clusters, hub development, and infrastructure optimization.
  • Resource Recycling and Circular Economy
    • Circular economy principles and waste-to-energy technologies.
    • Industrial symbiosis and by-product utilization strategies.
  • Energy Efficiency and Conservation Technologies
    • Energy efficiency in buildings, transportation, and industrial processes.
    • Smart energy systems and demand-side management.
  • Net-Zero Carbon Policy Design and Implementation
    • Carbon pricing mechanisms, regulatory frameworks, and economic instruments for green transition.
    • Policy evaluation and socio-economic impact assessment.

Dr. Chao-Lung Chiang
Dr. You-Sheng Lin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • carbon capture and storage
  • CCUS
  • direct air capture
  • CO2 utilization
  • circular economy
  • resource recycling
  • energy efficiency
  • carbon policy
  • net-zero emissions
  • industrial decarbonization

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 2434 KB  
Article
Environmental Benefit Assessment of Biomass Power Generation Supply Chain: A Case of Substituting Coal with Straw in China
by Baichuan Lin, Huizhen Guo, Zhanwu Wang, Guangyin Xu and Jin Li
Energies 2026, 19(6), 1537; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19061537 - 20 Mar 2026
Viewed by 428
Abstract
Straw substitution for coal in direct-fired power generation can significantly reduce pollutant emissions. However, there are numerous challenges to using straw in direct-burning power generation, and the question of benefits also looms large. In this study, an environmental benefit assessment model for the [...] Read more.
Straw substitution for coal in direct-fired power generation can significantly reduce pollutant emissions. However, there are numerous challenges to using straw in direct-burning power generation, and the question of benefits also looms large. In this study, an environmental benefit assessment model for the straw power supply chain was developed using the life cycle assessment method from an environmental emission cost perspective. Pollutant emissions and environmental benefits were analyzed for four straw power supply chain models under the assumptions of this study. The results indicates that the CO2 in the straw power generation supply chain system mainly comes from the straw collection and transport stages, which account for 29% and 70%, respectively. The SO2 and PM10 emissions mainly originate from the power generation stage. The environmental benefits of substituting straw for coal-fired power generation range from 1,859,895.02 to 1,875,326.36 USD. Further sensitivity analysis suggests that fertilizer application rates and transport distance are negatively correlated with the system’s environmental benefit, whereas the adoption of advanced dust removal technologies, increases in the charge standards and improvements in energy efficiency are positively correlated. These results can promote the sustainable development of the biomass power generation industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy, Industry, and Low-Carbon Systems: Science, Technology, and Policy)
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26 pages, 325 KB  
Article
Decarbonizing Energy-Intensive Steel Production: Dynamic Analysis of CO2 Emission Persistence in Poland’s Basic Oxygen Furnace Sector
by Bożena Gajdzik, Wiesław-Wes Grebski and Radosław Wolniak
Energies 2026, 19(2), 527; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19020527 - 20 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 673
Abstract
This paper analyses the factors that affect CO2 emissions in the BF-BOF steelmaking process using a dynamic econometric approach based on annual data from the Polish steel industry. The analysis commences with the estimation of a baseline dynamic model that describes the [...] Read more.
This paper analyses the factors that affect CO2 emissions in the BF-BOF steelmaking process using a dynamic econometric approach based on annual data from the Polish steel industry. The analysis commences with the estimation of a baseline dynamic model that describes the relationship between CO2 emissions in the industry and investment allocations, crude steel production, and lagged CO2 emissions. The baseline analysis illustrates the dominant feature of strong emission level persistence and poor tracking of selected conventional production-related factors. The analysis proceeds by extending the baseline results through additional consideration of technological factors, material composition factors, and resource use factors in the generation of CO2 emissions. The additional factors include the use of coke, electricity consumption, fixed asset value, and the scrap ratio. The analysis indicates that these additional factors are essential in improving the accuracy of the modeling process and in clarifying the significance of material composition in CO2 emissions in particular. The analysis further illustrates the critical result that increased use of electricity leads to high CO2 emissions in the BF-BOF process. Further analysis indicates that increasing the use of steel scrap leads to substantial CO2 reductions in the BF-BOF route and other steelmaking technologies. The results also show that CO2 emissions in the BF-BOF process depend not only on production volume, but also on material composition and the technological structure of the process. In the context of the WFESF project, these findings provide evidence-based guidance for metal industry research by identifying priority levers for mitigation, particularly through improvements in process technology and scrap-based material substitution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy, Industry, and Low-Carbon Systems: Science, Technology, and Policy)
16 pages, 2816 KB  
Article
Multi-Objective Optimization for Refined Oil Resource Allocation: Towards Energy and Carbon Saving
by Jingjun Chen, Bozhuo Dong, Zhen Bao, Guangtao Fu, Jingkai Lu, Zhengfang Qi, Haochong Li and Rui Qiu
Energies 2025, 18(22), 6075; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18226075 - 20 Nov 2025
Viewed by 905
Abstract
In light of the ambitious “dual carbon” targets, the refined oil supply chain faces challenges in balancing economic viability with environmental sustainability. Traditional resource allocation methods predominantly prioritize cost minimization, often overlooking significant environmental impacts and leading to carbon-intensive transportation practices. This paper [...] Read more.
In light of the ambitious “dual carbon” targets, the refined oil supply chain faces challenges in balancing economic viability with environmental sustainability. Traditional resource allocation methods predominantly prioritize cost minimization, often overlooking significant environmental impacts and leading to carbon-intensive transportation practices. This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization model to simultaneously minimize total logistics costs and carbon emissions across the entire refined oil supply chain. The model encompasses key stages, including refinery production, external procurement, multimodal transport operations, and inventory management. The proposed framework integrates practical con straints such as sending and receiving capacities, inventory balance, and supply and demand requirements. The ε-constraint method is employed for model solution to generate a set of Pareto optimal solutions, highlighting the inherent trade-offs between economic and environmental objectives. A case study is carried out, involving a refined oil logistics system in Central China, which comprises five refineries, 31 depots, and two external purchasing nodes. Compared to a purely economic optimization, a balanced scenario (e.g., with an ε-constraint of 9000 tons/season for carbon emissions) achieves a substantial 10–15% reduction in emissions with only a marginal 1–2% increase in logistics costs. Furthermore, the optimization significantly reconfigures the transport structure, increasing pipeline utilization from 27.3% to 35% and leading to a 26.1% reduction in waterway-related carbon emissions. This study can offer an efficient decision-making tool that facilitates the green transformation of the refined oil supply chain, bridging the gap between corporate logistics cost efficiency and ambitious carbon neutrality targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy, Industry, and Low-Carbon Systems: Science, Technology, and Policy)
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Review

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22 pages, 3235 KB  
Review
Policy and Strategic Perspectives on the Application of Cold Plasma Technology for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in Indonesia
by Agus Setiawan, Vivi Fitriani, Almas Aprilana, Tegar Kharisma Putra, Merreta Noorenza Biutty, Muhammad Redo Ramadhan, Aditya Kurniawan and Avido Yuliestyan
Energies 2026, 19(7), 1716; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19071716 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 400
Abstract
Controlling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions remains a central challenge in Indonesia’s energy transition and its commitment to achieving net-zero emission targets. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) are widely recognized as important mitigation pathways, particularly [...] Read more.
Controlling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions remains a central challenge in Indonesia’s energy transition and its commitment to achieving net-zero emission targets. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) are widely recognized as important mitigation pathways, particularly for energy and industrial sectors where rapid decarbonization remains difficult. In parallel, cold plasma technology has emerged in the recent scientific literature as an early-stage, non-thermal approach for CO2 activation under relatively low bulk temperature conditions, attracting interest as a potential long-term research pathway. This paper examines cold plasma technology within the broader CCS/CCUS landscape in Indonesia from a policy and technology perspective. The study adopts a qualitative and descriptive approach, synthesizing the selected academic literature on plasma-based CO2 conversion, global CCUS development trends, and Indonesia’s regulatory, infrastructural, and energy system context. Rather than assessing techno-economic feasibility, the analysis focuses on identifying structural constraints, performance trade-offs, and policy-relevant considerations. The findings indicate that across plasma configurations, including dielectric barrier discharge, gliding arc, microwave, and radio frequency plasmas, current research outcomes remain constrained by low energy efficiency, limited scalability, and low technology readiness for large-scale applications. Reported performance metrics are largely derived from laboratory-scale studies under controlled conditions and cannot yet be extrapolated to real-world emission sources without a comprehensive system-level evaluation. Compared with established CCS and CCUS pathways, cold plasma technologies remain exploratory and lack the maturity required for near-term deployment. From a policy and research perspective, cold plasma should therefore be regarded as a long-term research option rather than an implementable mitigation solution for Indonesia, with its potential contribution lying in informing future research agendas, technology monitoring, and innovation planning, particularly in relation to CO2 utilization concepts and decentralized energy systems, contingent upon significant advances in energy performance, system integration, and standardized evaluation frameworks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy, Industry, and Low-Carbon Systems: Science, Technology, and Policy)
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54 pages, 2046 KB  
Review
Data-Driven Tools and Methods for Low-Carbon Industrial Parks: A Scoping Review of Industrial Symbiosis and Carbon Capture with Practitioner Insights
by Zheng Grace Ma, Joy Dalmacio Billanes and Bo Nørregaard Jørgensen
Energies 2026, 19(3), 755; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19030755 - 30 Jan 2026
Viewed by 894
Abstract
Industrial symbiosis and carbon capture are increasingly recognized as critical strategies for reducing emissions and resource consumption in industrial parks. However, existing research remains fragmented across tools, methods, and case-specific applications, providing limited guidance for effective real-world deployment of data-driven approaches. This study [...] Read more.
Industrial symbiosis and carbon capture are increasingly recognized as critical strategies for reducing emissions and resource consumption in industrial parks. However, existing research remains fragmented across tools, methods, and case-specific applications, providing limited guidance for effective real-world deployment of data-driven approaches. This study addresses this gap through a PRISMA-guided scoping review of 116 publications, complemented by a targeted practitioner survey conducted within the IEA IETS Task 21 initiative to assess practical relevance and adoption challenges. The review identifies a broad landscape of data-driven tools, ranging from high-technology-readiness simulation and optimization platforms to emerging visualization and matchmaking solutions. While the literature demonstrates substantial methodological maturity, the combined evidence reveals a persistent gap between tool availability and effective implementation. Key barriers include fragmented and non-standardized data infrastructures, confidentiality constraints, limited stakeholder coordination, and weak policy and market incentives. Based on the integrated analysis of literature and practitioner insights, the paper proposes a conceptual framework that links tools and methods with data infrastructure, stakeholder governance, policy, and market enablers, and implementation contexts. The findings highlight that improving data governance, interoperability, and collaborative implementation pathways is as critical as advancing analytical capabilities. The study concludes by outlining focused directions for future research, including AI-enabled optimization, standardized data-sharing frameworks, and coordinated pilot projects to support scalable low-carbon industrial transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Energy, Industry, and Low-Carbon Systems: Science, Technology, and Policy)
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