Search Results (21,434)

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) serve as exceptional multifunctional supports for metal phthalocyanine (MPc)-based electrocatalysts, effectively addressing the inherent limitations of molecular catalysts such as poor conductivity and aggregation. This review systematically summarizes the recent advances in engineering the interface between MPcs and CNTs to optimize performance in sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation. We categorize the engineering strategies into three synergistic dimensions: (1) dispersion and modification engineering, introducing the most direct physical anchoring dispersion strategy via non-covalent interactions and targeted modifications to yield highly active catalysts; (2) chemical bonding engineering, in which robust axial coordination or covalent grafting creates stable, well-defined active sites and prevents leaching; and (3) geometric and spatial engineering, which exploits CNTs’ unique curvature, atomic defects, inner cavities and one-dimensional architecture to induce strain, symmetry breaking, and nanoconfinement, thereby steering reaction pathways or to construct conductive nanocomposites. These strategies highlight that CNTs are not merely passive scaffolds but active regulators that geometrically and electronically modulate MPcs. By balancing molecular dispersion, charge transfer, and mass transport, CNT-supported MPcs exhibit superior activity, selectivity, and stability for critical electrochemical reactions, including the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR), and nitrate reduction reaction (NO₃RR), demonstrating substantial potential for advancing sustainable energy technologies and environmental applications. Full article

Clarifying how ecosystem services (ESs) change over time and space, and how their trade-offs and synergies evolve, is essential for regional ecological protection and high-quality development. Using Shandong Province as a case study, this research quantified carbon storage (CS), water yield (WY), soil conservation (SC), and habitat quality (HQ) with the InVEST model. GeoDetector, geographically weighted regression (GWR), XGBoost-SHAP, Spearman’s rank correlation, bivariate spatial autocorrelation, and spatial overlay analysis were then combined to examine ES patterns, driving mechanisms, and interaction relationships. The main findings are as follows. (1) During 2000–2020, the most evident land-use changes occurred in cropland, grassland, built-up land, and water bodies. (2) The dominant drivers varied markedly among services: CS and HQ were mainly shaped by land-use type and human activity, WY was chiefly controlled by precipitation, and SC was most sensitive to topographic conditions. Factor interactions were generally stronger than single-factor effects, with two-factor enhancement being the prevailing interaction type. (3) ES trade-off/synergy relationships were relatively stable through time. A strong synergy persisted between CS and HQ, whereas CS and SC exhibited a moderate synergistic relationship. By contrast, WY showed evident trade-offs with both HQ and CS, with the WY–HQ trade-off being particularly pronounced. (4) Spatial overlay results showed that the overall ES synergy level remained low. Low-synergy areas accounted for 69.23–70.94% of the study area across the study period. Although strong-trade-off areas expanded overall, high-synergy areas remained limited, indicating considerable room to improve the coordinated provision of ESs in Shandong Province. Full article

The increasing discharge of pharmaceutical contaminants, particularly antibiotics like metronidazole (MNZ), into water systems poses significant ecological and public health risks due to their high solubility and low biodegradability. This study developed and characterized a highly porous activated carbon derived from maize cob (MC-AC). The synthesized material was characterized using FTIR, FESEM, PXRD, HRTEM, and BET analysis. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted, and the removal efficiency of MC-AC for MNZ was 98.6%. Optimization and modeling of the process variables of pH (3–11), contact time (0–75 min), concentration (0–70 mg/L), temperature (25–35 °C), and adsorbent dosage (0.5–1.5 g/L) were investigated using the Box–Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology, and 29 runs were obtained. The BBD model determined an optimal removal efficiency of 94.6 for metronidazole. Furthermore, non-linearized kinetic and isotherm models were used to determine the adsorption mechanism and mode of metronidazole from water. From the investigation, it was observed that both the Freundlich and pseudo-second-order models exhibited high correlation coefficients. The models with the best performance and low error metrics were determined by R², MSE, RMSE, SAE, and SSE. Therefore, the adsorption mode was multilayer heterogeneous, and the mechanism was chemisorption. Therefore, this study provides a unique alternative for using the Box–Behnken design, kinetic, and isotherm models to understand the removal of metronidazole from water using maize cob-activated carbon. Full article

Sustainable development views energy as a determinant of the interdependence between economic growth and ecosystem protection, which influences the specificity of energy-production relationships in the hospitality and catering sectors (HoReCa) and the Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) sector. The primary goal of this study is to identify and assess the structural relationships between environmental, fiscal, production, and energy factors in industrial enterprises and their impact on production and resource potential within the intersectoral network of the HoReCa and MRO sectors, taking into account emission burdens and fiscal instruments. The research procedure utilized partial least squares coherent structural equation modeling (PLSc-SEM). The model was built using Eurostat data from 2008 to 2020 for companies in 23 countries of the European Union. The analysis showed that the energy consumption of the hospitality and catering establishments (HoReCa) is the strongest predictor of MRO sector activity (β = 0.910), whereas the emission intensity of MROs exerts a comparatively minor effect. The results document the dominance of scale over emission intensity in shaping environmental burdens. Furthermore, they confirm the negative impact of environmental taxes on the remuneration fund of highly qualified specialists. The full mediation of operational scale was also demonstrated in the relationships between energy demand, emissions levels, and labor costs. The results of the study clearly indicate the need to integrate building energy policy with the decarbonization of technical services. From a macroeconomic perspective, this approach supports the achievement of sustainable development goals. Implementing predictive maintenance demonstrates a dual synergistic effect, combining maximized resource productivity with a simultaneous reduction in carbon footprint. Full article

Ensuring adequate indoor air quality (IAQ) in industrial environments is essential for protecting worker health, particularly in facilities characterized by chemical emissions and complex layouts, such as automotive painting lines. This study presents the implementation and field evaluation of a low-cost multisensory electronic system prototype designed for continuous, long-term monitoring of six key environmental parameters: temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂ eq), total volatile organic compounds (VOC), and an overall Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) index. The system consists of autonomous sensing stations with integrated multi-parameter MEMS sensors and a centralized data aggregation hub. The system was engineered to ensure metrological stability across power cycles, adaptive energy management, and robust long-range wireless communication, thereby addressing common limitations of conventional industrial monitoring solutions. The prototype was deployed in an operational automotive manufacturing plant, where seven sensing stations were installed along the painting line for a two-week continuous monitoring campaign, identifying process-dependent peaks in CO₂ and VOC concentrations and corresponding reductions in IAQ values. The system was able to identify CO₂ peaks as high as 2997.7 ppm (Sensor 3) in localized industrial zones, significantly exceeding standard indoor thresholds. At the same time the system demonstrated the ability to detect VOC fluctuations with a resolution capable of capturing peaks up to 144.1 ppb (Sensor 3) during high-activity shifts. All sensors provided continuous and reliable data over an extended monitoring period. The measured trends and value ranges were consistent with expected industrial conditions, indicating satisfactory system performance under real operating conditions. Overall, the results demonstrate that the developed multisensory prototype is a promising, portable, and economically sustainable solution for distributed continuous IAQ assessment in complex industrial environments, with strong potential for scalable large-scale implementation in occupational health protection and environmental sustainability frameworks. Full article

It was recently postulated that neural microtubules (neuro-MTs), which are densely packed inside axons and dendrites, are vacuum cylindrical nanotubes that can mediate neuroelectrical transmission with a unique form of quasi-superconductivity. In this work, the behaviors of free electrons inside a theoretical neuro-MT are modeled using computational analysis and calculations. We reveal that neuro-MTs can function as nanosized physiological devices that mediate neuroelectrical transmission with a super-high energy efficiency in a quasi-superconducting manner. Under physiologically relevant conditions, the binding of cytosolic cations (e.g., K⁺ and Na⁺) to the surface residues of a neuro-MT triggers its transition from a resting state to an active state, and the rapid dissociation of these cations triggers the opposite. The dipole ring structures of a neuro-MT will help terminate the free electron conduction inside the vacuum tunnel with high efficiency. The proposed neuro-MT-mediated electrical transmission offers a potential mechanistic explanation for the saltatory conduction of action potentials along an axon or a dendrite. This theoretical exploration also offers unique insights into the rational design of biomimetic room-temperature quasi-superconducting materials, such as carbon or silicone-based quasi-superconducting nanotubes. Full article

Accurate carbon price for ecasting is crucial for the management of emission trading schemes and the formulation of low-carbon policies. However, existing models face three intertwined challenges: the interdependent multi-agent strategies among market participants, the long-term time dependence of high-dimensional environmental and economic covariates, and the severe nonlinearity under the constraint of small samples. This paper proposes the novel hybrid framework EvoGame-CAKNet. Firstly, an evolutionary game theory (EGT) is proposed to simulate the evolution of dynamic strategies of different market participants (enterprises, regulatory agencies, financial institutions), and policy effect signals are embedded as structured prior information. Secondly, a knowledge network (CAKNet) combining multi-head context attention is designed for adaptive long-distance feature aggregation across climate, macroeconomy, and policy dimensions. Finally, a Kolmogorov–Arnold network (KAN) is proposed to replace the traditional multi-layer perceptron decoder, using learnable unary activation functions to achieve better nonlinear fitting under data scarcity conditions. Experiments on four major carbon markets in Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei, and Guangdong from 2014 to 2023 show that EvoGame-CAKNet achieves the most advanced performance, with an average absolute percentage error (MAPE) reduced by 18.3% to 31.6% compared to the best base model. Abandonment studies confirm that each component works collaboratively, with the prior knowledge of EGT having the most significant impact during the regulatory transition period. CAKNet not only provides theoretical progress in multi-agent market modeling but also offers practical decision support for stakeholders in the carbon market. Full article

Constructing catalytic materials with specific morphologies is an effective approach to boosting and optimizing their catalytic performances. Herein, SnO₂ supports with diverse morphologies of nanosphere, nanosheet and nanorod were separately synthesized for the fabrication of supported Ru catalysts. Catalytic evaluation results for vinyl chloride (VC) oxidation reveal that the nanosphere-shaped catalyst (Ru/SnO₂-Sp) exhibits the optimum catalytic activity (achieving 90% of VC conversion at 268 °C), exceptional long-term catalytic durability, and cyclic stability comparable to nanosheet-shaped and nanorod-shaped catalysts (Ru/SnO₂-Sh and Ru/SnO₂-Rd). Additionally, Ru/SnO₂-Sp presents promising applicability with regard to its impressive resistance behavior towards carbon dioxide and water vapor interference. Characterization results clearly demonstrate the close structure–activity relationship, primarily depending on the physicochemical parameters of specific surface area, redox capacity, surface oxygen species and valence state distribution of Ru. In situ infrared spectroscopy clarifies the key catalytic pathways of VC oxidation over Ru/SnO₂-Sp, evidencing that the enol species from C-Cl bond cleavage and initial activation of VC molecules and the carboxylic acid species resulting from the subsequent oxidation of enol are both recognized as the crucial organic intermediates. Full article

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a key role in shaping lake microbiomes and water quality, yet its spatial variability and regional links to microbial activity remain unclear. Using three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix and self-organizing map analysis on 38 samples from a human-impacted lake network in Hubei (affected by tourism, agriculture, and urban areas), this study clarifies DOM heterogeneity and its environmental connections. Microbial metabolic activity represented by total bacterial content (BC) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) activity was rapidly and automatically measured with a ColiMinder device. Random forest (RF) modeling and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to identify key drivers of microbial activity and to clarify correlations between DOM characteristics and microbial activitiy. Results indicated that although DOM in all three sectors primarily originated from microbial activities during the flat-water period, Tuanhu (TH) exhibited a higher degree of DOM humification and a larger average relative molecular mass, reflecting stronger terrestrial source characteristics. RF analysis identified NH₄⁺ as the main predictor of both BC and E. coli levels, while total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were also important predictors. PCA further revealed clear differences in DOM composition across the lakes. DOM in TH was predominantly autochthonous, whereas DOM in Miaohu (MH) and Guozheng (GZ) was mainly of humic origin. This study adopts an integrated method combining rapid microbial detection, EEM and DOM–microbe correlation analysis to analyze human disturbances across segmented connected lakes in Hubei. It provides scientific support for targeted water quality management of human-influenced freshwater. Full article

Environmental uncertainty (EU) has become one of the key determinants influencing corporate decision-making, yet the existing literature has not sufficiently explored its effects. Based on the data from Chinese non-financial public companies during the period from 2010 to 2023, we examine the impact of EU on carbon emission. The empirical results show that EU has a significant negative impact on corporate carbon emission. Specifically, a one-unit increase in EU leads to approximately a 9.13 percent decline in carbon emission. Furthermore, we find that EU increases firms’ financing constraints, thereby reducing capacity-utilization and carbon emission. Meanwhile, EU can spur innovation, resulting in active decarbonization. Finally, the finding is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises (N-SOEs). The above findings shed light on promoting carbon reduction for policymakers and corporate operators. Full article

Terracing is widely used for soil conservation in hilly tea plantations, yet its influence on tea quality formation across landscape positions remains insufficiently understood. This study compared terraced and sloping tea gardens at summit, midslope, and footslope positions in a subtropical tea-growing region of Hunan Province, China. Soil nutrients, leaf nitrogen (LeafN) status, nitrogen-assimilation enzyme activities, chlorophyll characteristics, and amino acid profiles were evaluated to explore the ecological links between terrace management and tea quality formation. Terracing significantly increased soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN), exhibiting peak increases of 18.1% and 32.8%, respectively, at the midslope position. These soil nutrient improvements significantly altered leaf carbon-nitrogen balance, resulting in lower leaf C/N ratios, a 49.3% increase in chlorophyll content, and a marked enrichment of total free amino acids (particularly glutamic acid and arginine) at the midslope position. While sloping gardens showed a conventional decline in fertility and quality from footslope to summit, terraced gardens exhibited a distinct midslope optimum. Redundancy analysis indicated that TN accounted for a substantial proportion of variation in tea quality indicators. These patterns are primarily driven by terrace-mediated nutrient redistribution and improved hillslope drainage conditions at the midslope position. Overall, the findings suggest that terracing may modify hillslope nutrient redistribution patterns and contribute to optimized nitrogen utilization and tea quality stability in mountainous tea-growing systems. Full article

The brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens) is a major insect pest of rice (Oryza sativa L.) causing severe yield losses across Asia. Although the resistance gene OsBph32 from the cultivar Ptb33 enhances BPH resistance, its molecular and physiological mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated its function using OsBph32-overexpressing lines combined with physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses. Overexpression of OsBph32 in the susceptible cultivar 9311 significantly increased resistance to BPH, as indicated by reduced plant damage and suppressed insect growth. This was associated with increased reactive oxygen species accumulation and callose deposition, suggesting activation of early defense responses. Multi-omics analyses revealed that OsBph32 is associated with transcriptional changes in genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis, phenylpropanoid metabolism, and carbon metabolism. Metabolomic profiling further showed increased accumulation of flavonoids, phenolamides, and lignin-related metabolites under BPH infestation, together with changes in carbon metabolism and starch accumulation. Collectively, these results suggest that OsBph32 is associated with coordinated changes in structural reinforcement, secondary metabolism, and carbon metabolism during insect attack, which may contribute to enhanced rice resistance and provide new insights into non-NLR-mediated insect defense mechanisms in plants. Full article

The development of bioactive surgical sutures capable of delivering therapeutic agents directly at the wound site has gained increasing attention in biomedical research. Functionalized sutures may provide localized antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory activity, potentially reducing postoperative complications and promoting tissue healing. In this study, absorbable surgical sutures were impregnated with carvacrol, a natural phenolic compound with well-known antimicrobial properties, using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) technology. The impregnation process was carried out at 35 °C and 10 MPa for 120 min, allowing for the incorporation of carvacrol into the polymeric matrix of the sutures. The in vitro release behavior of the impregnated sutures was evaluated in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) at 37 °C over an 8-day period. The concentration of released compounds was determined by UV–Vis spectrophotometry using previously established calibration curves. An analysis of the experimental release data demonstrated that both carvacrol and benzydamine hydrochloride (HCl) (Tantum Verde^®) exhibited a sustained release profile throughout the incubation period. Carvacrol release increased progressively from 2.02 ± 0.15 ppm on day 1 to 7.45 ± 0.15 ppm on day 7, followed by a slight stabilization on day 8 (7.25 ± 0.31 ppm). Similarly, benzydamine HCl (Tantum Verde^®) release increased from 1.83 ± 0.11 ppm on day 1 to 3.29 ± 0.13 ppm on day 8. Release kinetics were analyzed using the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, indicating that the release mechanism was predominantly diffusion-controlled during the initial stage of the experiment. The results demonstrate that supercritical CO₂ impregnation is an effective solvent-free technique for incorporating bioactive compounds into absorbable sutures, enabling controlled release under physiological conditions. Full article

The global proliferation of plastic waste has made the search for sustainable chemical recycling strategies imperative to transition toward a circular bioeconomy. This study presents a dual-valorization approach for polylactic acid (PLA) waste, utilizing it both as a sustainable precursor for g-C₃N₄ catalyst synthesis and as a sacrificial agent for green hydrogen production via photoreforming. Platinum-modified graphitic carbon nitride catalysts were synthesized and evaluated using pure lactic acid and commercial PLA waste under solar-simulated irradiation. Results identified C₃N₄-NaOH-Pt as the most active material, while the simultaneous one-pot depolymerization/photoreforming of macroscopic PLA fragments exhibited a peak H₂ production rate of 1.5 mmol·h⁻¹·g⁻¹, remarkably surpassing both the pure monomer model and pre-depolymerized solutions. This enhanced performance is tentatively attributed to a “controlled release” mechanism that prevents catalyst surface saturation and minimizes light scattering effects inherent to fine powders. The study concludes that maintaining the macroscopic integrity of PLA waste provides a strategic advantage for chemical reforming by eliminating energy-intensive grinding and pretreatment. Future research into diverse operational and chemical parameters, including temperature and base-addition strategies, will be essential for scaling solar-driven upcycling technologies. Full article

Iron (Fe) contamination of water sources has become an increasing environmental concern, creating the need for effective, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective technologies for Fe(III) removal from aqueous systems. In the present work, the possibility of using the sulfuric acid-activated carbon made of Vigna trilobata rind waste for treating water contaminated with Fe ions was explored. The characteristics of the synthesized material were identified by physical, chemical, and spectroscopic methods, and its Fe ion sorption efficiency was studied experimentally in batch mode under various conditions. Equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamics of Fe ion removal by the prepared adsorbent were determined. The obtained adsorbent had a BET surface area of 20.55 m² g⁻¹ and showed high experimental adsorption capacity with the highest observed uptake of 19.81 mg g⁻¹. Based on the experimental results, the equilibrium data could be best described by the Langmuir equation (R² = 0.978). Kinetic analysis showed that the rate-limiting step in Fe ion sorption was intraparticle diffusion (R² = 0.921). Thermodynamic calculations indicated that the adsorption process occurred spontaneously (ΔG° = −4.31 to −6.53 kJ mol⁻¹) and endothermically (ΔH° = +7.11 kJ mol⁻¹). A comparative analysis showed that the sorption capacity of the studied adsorbent corresponded to that reported for the analogous materials produced from other biomasses. Full article