Search Results (97)

The agricultural and livestock sectors of Latin America produce a large number of residues that could be converted into energy through bioenergy production processes. However, the bioenergy sector still faces several limitations across the region, including fragmented logistics systems, weak coordination among institutions, and limited integration of environmental, digital, and compliance-related performance indicators. This review systematically analyses residue-based bioenergy value chains in Latin America between 2015 and 2025 using the PRISMA methodology to evaluate selected peer-reviewed studies and regional reports indexed in Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and IEEE Xplore, and institutional repositories. The final synthesis included 37 studies and institutional contributions, which were further disaggregated into 208 country–residue observations for the regional and feedstock distribution analysis. The review identified three main research gap categories: the limited integration of collection and logistics systems, the insufficient treatment of uncertainty, circularity, and traceability within optimization models, and the weak incorporation of governance and institutional coordination into bioenergy value-chain design. The analysis includes biogas, biomethane and related residue-based systems, with attention to supply-chain optimization, policy alignment, methane mitigation metrics, and traceability requirements. Results indicate that although technologies such as biomass pretreatment, process intensification, and upgrading processes continue to improve conversion performance, most studies still focus mainly on technical feasibility and biomass potential. Less attention is given to governance constraints, uncertainty analysis, and monitoring systems capable of supporting regulatory compliance. This research introduced the Sustainable Bioenergy Chain Management Framework (SBCMF) to respond to these limitations and bring together different aspects of bioenergy management within one analytical structure. The framework combines supply-chain optimization under spatial and temporal constraints, circular economy valorisation, methane-related climate performance, and digital traceability, while also linking techno-economic system design with governance and monitoring requirements. In this way, it can help support the development of more transparent and low-carbon bioenergy systems across Latin America. Full article

The intensification of urbanization, the growth in mobility demand and the multiplication of disruptions expose intelligent transport systems to new operational vulnerabilities, making resilience a central issue for the management of transport networks. By conducting a systematic literature review, in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-S recommendations, this article examines the extent to which, through which functions, under which conditions, and with what level of evidence digital twins can support the resilience of intelligent transport systems. The literature search covered the 2020–2025 period across Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and TRID and was complemented by backward and forward citation chaining, targeting research and review articles dealing with digital twins in transport, mobility, transport infrastructures, or ITS, as well as their links with resilience mechanisms. After screening and eligibility assessment, 61 studies were included in the final analytical corpus. The results show that digital twins are no longer limited to a simple virtual representation of the physical system but are increasingly established as service-oriented cyber–physical layers capable of supporting functions that may contribute to resilience, including real-time visibility, disruption anticipation, scenario simulation, dynamic optimization, decision support, service continuity, and post-disruption learning. The study also highlights several persistent limitations, notably conceptual instability, the sectoral concentration of studies, the lack of large-scale empirical validation, and the insufficient consideration of organizational, human, and governance dimensions. It concludes that digital twins should not be interpreted as automatically enhancing the resilience of ITS, but rather as having the potential to support resilience when they are associated with reliable data, interoperability, synchronization, model reliability, and the ability of stakeholders to transform digital intelligence into coordinated operational responses. Full article

This study examined the spatial carbon emission effects of new quality productive forces (NQPs) using provincial panel data from China during 2012–2021. A dynamic spatial Durbin model with instrumental variable generalized method of moments estimation was used to address endogeneity in assessing direct and spillover effects on carbon emission intensity. Results show that the direct effect (0.0072) and spatial spillover ($-0.0100$) are statistically insignificant, with no identifiable emission reduction during the sample period. Technology diffusion exhibits a J-curve left-sided feature with a short-term total effect of 0.0553, as general technology diffusion accompanies energy-intensive capacity expansion without crossing the turning point. The spatial environmental Kuznets curve reveals a positive intensification effect: neighboring per-capita gross domestic product increases local carbon emission intensity, with marginal effects rising from 0.084 to 0.168. Heterogeneity analysis shows that green-technology-oriented NQPs exhibit the most promising emission-reduction potential, while digital infrastructure generates carbon rebound. These findings challenge the presumptions that local income growth automatically reduces carbon and that technology diffusion naturally leads to reduced emissions. Cross-regional carbon compensation mechanisms, green technology market standards, and extended technology transformation evaluation periods are recommended. Full article

Freshwater resources constitute a fundamental component of coupled natural–human systems, underpinning ecosystem functioning, biogeochemical cycling, and socio-economic development. Anthropogenic climate change (i.e., climate change attributable to human activity, as distinct from natural climatic variability), driven primarily by greenhouse gas emissions and land-use change, is exerting significant pressure on the global hydrological cycle, resulting in increased hydroclimatic variability, intensification of extreme hydrometeorological events, and progressive degradation of freshwater quality and availability. This review synthesizes recent scientific evidence on climate-induced impacts on water systems together with emerging adaptation and resilience strategies. The analysis is based on a systematic assessment of 100 peer-reviewed studies indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (2010–2025) and synthesized following a PRISMA-informed (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) narrative review protocol. Beyond confirming well-established trends in precipitation regimes, cryospheric decline, increasing evapotranspiration, and the growing frequency of droughts and floods, this review quantifies the magnitude of these changes across the reviewed literature, including an approximately 134% increase in flood-related disasters since 1980 and a 29% increase in drought duration since 2000. More importantly, it provides an integrated synthesis that links physical climate impacts with adaptation strategies and socio-ecological resilience frameworks within a unified analytical perspective, thereby complementing previous domain-specific reviews that have generally examined these dimensions separately. Prominent adaptation pathways identified across the reviewed literature include nature-based solutions, integrated water resources management frameworks, and the deployment of digital water technologies. In parallel, resilience is increasingly conceptualized as the adaptive capacity of socio-hydrological systems to absorb disturbances, reorganize, and transform under changing climatic conditions. The findings highlight the need to strengthen integrated and cross-sectoral water governance, enhance climate-informed decision-making, and expand monitoring and data infrastructures to improve long-term water security and socio-ecological resilience under accelerating climate change. Full article

Cellulose is the most promising abundant renewable polymer material with the highest potential for the future low-carbon biorefineries. However, its utilization in industry is limited by the structural recalcitrance as a result of organization of crystalline domains, fibrillar architecture hierarchy and intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding which is responsible for access restriction for the catalysts and consequent cleavage of the glycosidic bonds. Therefore, efficient depolymerization of cellulose is of paramount importance as a step in biomass conversion into the low molecular products. In this review, the recent advances in cellulose depolymerization are discussed. The chemical, enzymatic, thermal, thermochemical, mechanochemical, oxidative and hybrid catalytic method is thoroughly discussed. Attention is paid to the mechanism of the depolymerization reaction steps as glycosidic bond activation as hydrolytic, radical mediated, and energy assisted pathways. Selectivity and conversion efficiency based on substrate morphology, solvent system and catalyst design are also discussed. Further, there is a comparison of key performance metrics which are relevant for the industrial process as product yield, carbon efficiency, energy demand, stability of the catalyst, solvent recyclability and impact to the environmental lifecycle. The pros and cons of the various methods are also represented. Processes based on mineral acids enable rapid conversion. However, they suffer from corrosion, waste handling issues and degradation by-products. On the other hand, enzymatic depolymerization processes offer relatively high selectivity but they are limited in terms of feedstock sensitivity and slow reaction kinetics. The downstream valorization mechanisms are also described with the result being that no single available technology is capable of satisfying all industrial requirements. Thus, future progress expects integrated circular processes where advanced catalysis, process intensification and digital optimization strategies take place. Full article

Achieving carbon neutrality requires simultaneous advances in both the quantity and quality of low-carbon technology innovation (LCTI). This paper uses a country–industry–year three-dimensional panel dataset covering 25 EU member states and 39 two-digit NACE Rev. 2 industries over the period 2003–2020 to examine the effects of energy market integration (EMI) on LCTI quantity and quality. An EMI index is constructed based on cross-national energy price dispersion, and the analysis employs Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood estimation with three-way fixed effects, complemented by a Bartik instrumental variable and double/debiased machine learning as supporting robustness evidence. Results show that: (1) EMI exerts significant positive effects on both LCTI quantity and quality; (2) Mechanism tests reveal that EMI operates through two channels: expansion of energy R&D investment and intensification of cross-border knowledge spillovers; (3) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the promoting effects are concentrated in countries with adequate R&D investment and active energy market competition, and in industries with low emission intensity and low energy intensity. These findings suggest that deepening regional energy market integration constitutes a meaningful institutional complement to conventional low-carbon innovation policy. Full article

Background: Many patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remain undertreated in routine practice. Delayed treatment intensification, poor adherence, and fragmented follow-up are common barriers. Low-cost digital support may help reduce this implementation gap. Objective: This study evaluated whether a simple digital support pathway was associated with better 6-month treatment adherence and guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) optimization in ambulatory patients with stable HFrEF. Methods: This single-center matched cohort study compared a prospective digital-support cohort with a historical usual-care cohort. The intervention combined smartphone-based telemanagement, home blood pressure and heart-rate reporting, daily weight surveillance, and scheduled video consultations. The co-primary endpoints were treatment adherence at 6 months and GDMT optimization, assessed by change in foundational HFrEF drug classes and by a prespecified exploratory GDMT optimization score. Results: After 1:1 propensity-score matching, 200 patients were included, with 100 patients in each cohort. Treatment adherence at 6 months was higher in the digital-support cohort than in usual care (82.0% vs. 64.0%, p = 0.004). The intervention cohort also had more frequent class addition, more dose escalation, a greater increase in foundational drug classes, and a larger improvement in GDMT optimization score (all p < 0.001). Heart failure hospitalization and the composite of heart failure hospitalization or all-cause death were less frequent in the digital-support cohort, but these clinical outcomes were exploratory. Conclusions: A pragmatic low-cost digital support pathway was associated with better adherence and more complete GDMT optimization in ambulatory patients with HFrEF. The findings support further prospective multicenter evaluation. Full article

Drought stress is the most pervasive abiotic constraint on global crop productivity, with projected intensification under climate change threatening the yields of staple crops including wheat, rice, maize, and legumes. Conventional breeding approaches have delivered limited gains against drought tolerance, constrained by the polygenic and multifactorial nature of stress adaptation, the complexity of genotype-by-environment interactions, and the inadequacy of field-based phenotyping under variable stress conditions. Omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, and phenomics, have substantially advanced the molecular dissection of drought tolerance by enabling high-resolution characterization of stress-responsive genes, regulatory networks, adaptive proteins, and metabolic reprogramming pathways. Specific traits targeted include root system architecture and depth, osmotic adjustment capacity through proline and glycine betaine accumulation, antioxidant defense mechanisms, ABA-mediated stomatal regulation, LEA protein accumulation, epigenetic stress memory, and yield stability under water deficit. This review systematically examines omics-based strategies for drought stress mitigation across major crops, highlighting individual omics contributions, multi-omics integration frameworks, computational tools including machine learning and AI-driven predictive modelling, and translational breeding applications. Case studies in wheat, rice, maize, and legumes illustrate how omics-driven approaches accelerate precision breeding for drought resilience through marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and CRISPR-based gene editing. Challenges including data integration complexity, high implementation costs, limited cross-species transferability, and the need for field-scale validation of microbiome-based strategies are critically addressed. Future perspectives encompassing single-cell and spatial omics, AI-driven predictive breeding, digital agriculture integration, and international data governance frameworks are discussed. By aligning with climate-smart agriculture principles, multi-omics approaches provide a robust and transformative foundation for developing drought-resilient crop cultivars suitable for water-limited production systems worldwide. Full article

The intensification of urbanization and the environmental crisis highlight the need for new paradigms of sustainable urban development, in which mobility plays a central role. This article analyzes sustainable urban mobility initiatives in Latin American knowledge territories through a comparative framework that integrates Knowledge-Based Urban Development (KBUD) and urban circularity principles. Grounded in the Fourth-Generation Knowledge Territories (TC4) perspective, the study focuses on governance models and social participation as drivers of transformative mobility practices. Methodologically, it adopts a qualitative and exploratory case study approach, combining primary data from field visits with secondary sources such as legislation, institutional documents, and technical reports. Despite the proliferation of science parks and innovation districts in Latin America, little is known about how governance and social participation shape sustainable mobility initiatives in these contexts, particularly when analyzed through the combined lenses of KBUD and urban circularity. The comparative analysis reveals varying degrees of openness and limitations in urban mobility governance across the three territories selected (distritotec—Mexico, Parque Patricios—Argentina, and Porto Digital—Brazil). The findings reveal distinct governance configurations and degrees of alignment with circular mobility principles. Distritotec stands out for its multistakeholder governance and community-led mobility initiatives, reflecting efforts to operationalize the quintuple helix model. Parque Patricios shows fragmented integration between infrastructure improvements and participatory planning, while Porto Digital presents limited articulation between innovation policies and sustainable mobility, with centralized governance and low public engagement. Persistent challenges observed throughout the cases include the weak institutionalization of citizen participation, insufficient strategies to disincentivize private car use, and a lack of data governance mechanisms. Full article

With the intensification of climate change and the acceleration of the low-carbon transition, climate policy uncertainty (CPU) has become a critical external shock shaping firms’ green innovation behavior. Using a panel of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2011 to 2023, this study constructs a firm-level measure of CPU and examines its impact on firms’ green innovation boundaries and the underlying mechanisms. The results show that CPU significantly expands firms’ green innovation boundaries, and this effect is notably obvious in areas with stronger green innovation ecosystems and robust intellectual property protection. Mechanism analyses indicate that green strategic orientation and digital–green technology integration capability play significant partial mediating roles. Moreover, green finance and peer effects significantly strengthen the positive relationship between CPU and green innovation boundaries. Further analyses reveal that expanding green innovation boundaries not only enhances firms’ sustainable green innovation capability but also increases market share, thereby transforming CPU into long-term technological and competitive advantages. Full article

Monoethanolamine (MEA) remains the predominant solvent for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture due to its rapid reaction kinetics, substantial absorption capacity, and demonstrated industrial effectiveness. Despite its established status, MEA-based systems are undergoing continuous development to lower energy requirements, enhance solvent stability, and expand operational adaptability. This review provides a critical assessment of recent progress in MEA-based CO₂ capture, encompassing molecular-level understanding, advancements in reactor and process design, solvent modification strategies, and system-wide optimization. Recent theoretical and experimental research has improved the understanding of CO₂ absorption mechanisms in MEA, highlighting the effects of reaction-product buildup, interfacial phenomena, and free amine availability on mass-transfer efficiency. Reboiler duty and comparable work have significantly decreased as a result of advances in process intensification, improved regeneration systems, and energy-integration techniques. New hybrid strategies that partially decouple capture from thermal regeneration, such as combined absorption–mineralization pathways, show promise for long-term CO₂ sequestration. To address regeneration energy, corrosion, degradation, and cyclic stability, this review examines advances in MEA-based solvents, including aqueous blends, non-aqueous and biphasic systems, ionic liquids, and deep eutectic solvent hybrids. It also critically assesses the trade-offs of developments in intensified contactors, surfactants, nanomaterials, and catalysts. The growing role of digital optimization, machine learning, and computational modeling in MEA process design and control is highlighted. Overall, this analysis underscores MEA’s continued importance as a versatile platform for next-generation carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Full article

Background/Objectives: Egypt ranks among the top ten countries globally with the highest burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), with prevalence projected to rise significantly by 2050. Despite multiple therapeutic options, glycemic control remains suboptimal due to therapeutic inertia, treatment complexity, and healthcare system limitations. Fixed-ratio combinations (FRCs) of basal insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) offer a simplified injectable strategy addressing complementary pathophysiological defects in T2DM. This study aims to develop expert consensus recommendations for the use of FRCs in Egyptian adults with T2DM, integrating international evidence with local practice. Methods: A modified Delphi technique was employed to achieve consensus among 9 diabetes experts across Egypt. Statements were formulated based on a targeted literature review and voted on using a structured Likert scale. Consensus was defined as ≥70% agreement. Results: Twenty-nine statements were endorsed with strong to very strong consensus. Recommendations covered patient selection, initiation after oral therapy or GLP-1 RA, switching from premixed or complex insulin regimens, dosing strategies, safety considerations, and intensification options. FRCs were favored for early injectable use, regimen simplification, and improved adherence, with liraglutide-based FRCs preferred for cardiovascular and renal benefits. Digital health integration was strongly recommended to enhance glycemic control and patient engagement. Conclusions: FRCs offer a simple and effective treatment simplification option for patients with uncontrolled T2DM on premix insulin, complex insulin regimens, or oral therapy. FRCs may improve glycemic control with generally favorable effects on hypoglycemia risk and body weight across many randomized and real-world studies, while reducing injection burden, simplifying the treatment regimen, and supporting patient adherence and satisfaction. Full article

Plant extracts are widely used as natural pesticides, cosmetic ingredients, and in pharmaceutical applications. However, their poor water solubility and stability limit their usability. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) offer an effective encapsulation strategy to overcome these challenges. This study demonstrates the encapsulation of three representative substances from these industries: quercetin as a pesticide, irones as a cosmetic ingredient, and nucleic acids for pharmaceutical use. Ultrasonic treatment was used for the encapsulation of quercetin and irones, and a concept for continuous encapsulation in a plug flow reactor was proposed for process intensification. Inline multi-angle light scattering and dynamic light scattering measurements proved effective for real-time monitoring and enabled the replacement of traditional batch measurements. In the pharmaceutical area, mRNA-based therapies require LNP encapsulation to prevent nucleic acid degradation. Plant-based β-sitosterol was used as an alternative helper lipid to cholesterol, resulting in an average particle diameter of 72 nm and an encapsulation efficiency of 91%, comparable to commercial formulations such as the Comirnaty vaccine. Furthermore, a novel process model based on population balances was developed to simulate the entire manufacturing process, from rapid mixing in a T-mixer to particle stabilization via buffer exchange during diafiltration. By applying a quantitative and distinctive model validation workflow, the model was shown to be as accurate and precise as the experimental data, enabling its use as a digital twin for autonomous continuous operation. In summary, this study contributes to reducing the facility footprint and cost of goods through the implementation of continuous processing and model-based control. This approach improves productivity by 20% and reduces process time by a factor of two. Full article

The expansion of China’s digital economy (DE) has begun to reshape agricultural production in ways that extend beyond efficiency gains, raising important questions about its implications for the long-term sustainable intensification of cultivated land use (SCU). Drawing on panel data from 31 provincial-level regions between 2011 and 2023, this study examines how digital development influences cultivated land sustainability from the perspectives of productivity, resource efficiency, and system resilience. The results indicate that digital advancement is closely associated with higher land productivity and more efficient input use, with digital industrialization playing a particularly pronounced role. Its contribution to land system resilience, however, appears more limited, likely because ecological stability and structural risk-buffering mechanisms respond slowly to technological change. Further analysis suggests that agricultural industrialization (AID) and Rural financing capacity (RFC) function as important transmission channels through which digital development shapes land-use outcomes. Notably, the effects are not uniform. The influence of digital development becomes more evident after 2015, when digital infrastructure and policy support deepened nationwide. Regional differences are also apparent: while the eastern region has already absorbed much of the early digital dividend, stronger marginal gains remain possible in central and western China, where agricultural modernization and digital integration are still unfolding. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening rural digital infrastructure, enhancing farmers’ digital capabilities, and improving digitally enabled financial services to support sustainable land use, particularly in less-developed regions. Full article

Screw compressors are critical equipment in oil and gas production and transportation, where efficiency losses caused by rotor geometry, inlet pressure pulsations, and harsh climatic conditions can accumulate into substantial annual energy penalties and reliability degradation. This study provides a quantitative assessment of these coupled effects within a unified multiphysics framework that combines time-accurate transient CFD simulations based on a fixed Cartesian immersed-boundary formulation with a climate-calibrated offline physics-based digital twin—functioning as a digital shadow with one-way data flow from archival SCADA records—a reduced-order seasonal model with no real-time updating, calibrated against a full calendar year of SCADA records and validated against a held-out cold-season dataset (October–December 2022, T_amb = −15 to +8 °C); summer-period predictions rely on calibrated extrapolation beyond the validation window—an integration not previously demonstrated for oil-flooded screw compressors. Two rotor profile configurations (Type A and Type B) were analyzed to quantify geometry-driven differences in static pressure distribution, leakage tendency, and pulsation sensitivity. Transient suction conditions were modeled using harmonic and quasi-random inlet pressure disturbances to evaluate pressure amplification, phase lag, leakage intensification, and efficiency degradation. Seasonal performance was assessed by integrating temperature-dependent gas properties, oil viscosity behavior, and external heat transfer into an annual climatic load framework. The results show that inlet oscillations are amplified inside the chambers (pressure amplification factor П_p ≈ 1.95; П_p up to 2.3 under quasi-random excitation), reducing mass flow and volumetric efficiency by 8–10% and decreasing polytropic efficiency from 0.78 to 0.69–0.71, while increasing leakage by up to 27% and raising peak contact pressures to 167–171 MPa. Seasonal variability (+30 to −30 °C) increased suction density by 38% but raised drive power by ~9% due to viscosity-driven mechanical losses, producing an energy penalty up to 10.8% and an estimated annual additional consumption of approximately 186 MWh per compressor, decomposed as: cold-season contribution ~113 MWh (±10 MWh, directly field-validated against October–December 2022 SCADA data) and summer-season contribution ~51 MWh (calibrated extrapolation; additional uncertainty unquantified and not included in the ±10 MWh bound). The full annual figure of 186 MWh should be interpreted as a model-based estimate rather than a fully validated result. These findings demonstrate that rotor design optimization and mitigation of nonstationary suction effects, coupled with climate-aware offline physics-based digital shadow operation, represent high-priority levers for improving efficiency and reducing energy penalties in field conditions; reliability implications require further validation against summer-season field measurements. Full article