Search Results (205)

Food loss and waste from the European Union’s dairy supply chain, particularly in the management of fresh milk, imposes significant environmental burdens. This study demonstrates that implementing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-enabled digital decision-support tools can substantially reduce these impacts across the region. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to quantify both the additional environmental burdens from RFID (tag production, usage, and disposal) and the avoided burdens due to reduced milk losses in the farm, processing, and distribution stages. Within the EU’s fresh milk supply chain, the implementation of digital tools could result in annual net reductions of up to 80,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions, 81,083 tonnes of PM_2.5-equivalent particulate matter, 84,326 tonnes of land use–related carbon deficit, and 80,000 cubic meters of freshwater-equivalent consumption. Spatial analysis indicates that regions with historically high spoilage rates, particularly in Southern and Eastern Europe, see the greatest benefits from RFID enabled digital-decision support tools. These environmental savings are most pronounced during the peak months of milk production. Overall, the study demonstrates that despite the environmental footprint of RFID systems, their integration into the EU’S dairy supply chain enhances transparency, reduces waste, and improves resource efficiency—supporting their strategic value. Full article

Urbanization is one of the most important challenges contributing to the trend of replacing agricultural land with high-value land uses, such as housing, as well as industrial and commercial activities, as a result of significant population growth. To face these challenges and improve urban sustainability, integrating an embedded concept of spatial planning, taking into account urban and peri-urban agriculture, will contribute to mitigating food security issues and the negative impact of climate change, while improving social and economic development. This project aims to analyze land use/cover changes in the Casablanca metropolitan area and its surrounding cities, which are undergoing rapid urban growth. To achieve this, time series of remote sensing data were analyzed in order to investigate the spatio-temporal changes in LU/LC and to evaluate the dynamics and spatial pattern of the city’s expansion over the past three decades, which has come at the expense of agricultural land. The study will also examine the relationship between urbanization and agricultural land use change over time. The results of this study show that Casablanca and its outskirts experience significant urban expansion and a decline in arable lands, with rates of 45% and 42%, respectively. The analysis of SDG indicator 11.3.1 has also shown that land consumption in the provinces of Mediouna, Mohammadia, and Nouaceur has exceeded population growth, due to rapid, uncontrolled urbanization at the expense of agricultural land, which highlights the need to develop a new conceptual framework for regenerating land systems based on the implementation of urban and peri-urban agriculture in vacant sites within urban and peri-urban areas. This will offer valuable insights for policymakers to investigate measures that can ensure sustainable land use planning strategies that effectively integrate agriculture into urban development. Full article

Sewage sludge, a by-product of biological wastewater treatment, poses significant environmental and health risks if not properly managed. Anaerobic digestion (AD), widely used as a stabilization technology for sewage sludge, faces challenges such as rate-limiting hydrolysis steps and difficult dewatering of residual digestate. To address these issues, thermal hydrolysis (TH) has been explored as a pretreatment or post-treatment method. This study systematically analyzes the typical sludge treatment pathways incorporating TH either as a pretreatment step to AD or as a post-treatment step, combined with incineration or land application for the final disposal. The mass balance algorithm was applied to evaluate the chemical consumption, and energy input/output calculations were conducted to assess the potential effects of TH on energy recovery. Carbon emissions were estimated using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology, considering direct, indirect, and compensated carbon emissions. The results indicate that applying TH as a post-treatment significantly reduces the carbon emissions by 65.94% compared to conventional AD, primarily due to the enhanced dewaterability and reduced chemical flocculant usage. In contrast, TH as a pretreatment step only moderates the emission reduction. The combination of post-TH with land application results in the lowest carbon emissions among the evaluated pathways, highlighting the environmental benefits of this approach. All the findings here are expected to provide insights into optimizing the technical combination mode of sludge processing pathways in terms of minimizing carbon emission. Full article

Against the backdrop of the intensifying global climate crisis, urban construction land (UCL), as a major source of carbon emissions, faces the severe challenge of balancing emissions reduction and development in its low-carbon transformation. This study is dedicated to filling the theoretical and methodological gap in the refined assessment of urban construction land carbon effects (UCLCE) spatial heterogeneity among regions, and proposes and validates an innovative block-scale prediction framework. To achieve this goal, this study takes the central urban area of Changxing, Zhejiang Province, as the study area and establishes a BP neural network model for predicting UCLCE based on multi-source data such as building energy consumption and built environment elements (BEF). The results demonstrate that the BP neural network model effectively predicts the different types of UCLCE, with an average error rate of 30.10%. (1) The total effect and intensity effect exhibit different trends in the study area, and a carbon effect table for different types of UCL is established. (2) The spatial distribution characteristics of UCLCE reveal a distinct reverse-L pattern (“┙”-shaped layout) with positive spatial correlation (Moran’s I = 0.11, p < 0.001). (3) The model’s core practical value lies in enabling forward-looking assessment of carbon effects in urban planning schemes and precise quantification of emissions reduction benefits. Optimization trials on representative blocks achieve up to 25.45% carbon reduction. This study provides theoretical foundations for understanding UCLCE spatial heterogeneity while delivering scientifically grounded tools for diagnosing built environment issues and advancing low-carbon optimization in urban renewal contexts. These contributions carry significant theoretical and practical implications. Full article

In the face of increasingly complex urban challenges, a critical question arises: can urban ecosystems maintain resilience, vitality, and sustainability when confronted with external threats and pressures? Taking Kunming—a plateau-mountainous city in China—as a case study, this research constructs an urban ecosystem resilience (UER) assessment model based on the DPSIR (Driving forces, Pressures, States, Impacts, and Responses) framework. A total of 25 indicators were selected via questionnaire surveys, covering five dimensions: driving forces such as natural population growth, annual GDP growth, urbanization level, urban population density, and resident consumption price growth; pressures including per capita farmland, per capita urban construction land, land reclamation and cultivation rate, proportion of natural disaster-stricken areas, and unit GDP energy consumption; states measured by Evenness Index (EI), Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI), Aggregation Index (AI), Interspersion and Juxtaposition Index (IJI), Landscape Shape Index (LSI), and Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI); impacts involving per capita GDP, economic density, per capita disposable income growth, per capita green space area, and per capita water resources; and responses including proportion of natural reserve areas, proportion of environmental protection investment to GDP, overall utilization of industrial solid waste, and afforestation area. Based on remote sensing and other data, indicator values were calculated for 2006, 2011, and 2016. The entire-array polygon indicator method was used to visualize indicator interactions and derive composite resilience index values, all of which remained below 0.25—indicating a persistent low-resilience state, marked by sustained economic growth, frequent natural disasters, and declining ecological self-recovery capacity. Forecasting results suggest that, under current development trajectories, Kunming’s UER will remain low over the next decade. This study is the first to integrate the DPSIR framework, entire-array polygon indicator method, and Grey System Forecasting Model into the evaluation and prediction of urban ecosystem resilience in plateau-mountainous cities. The findings highlight the ecosystem’s inherent capacities for self-organization, adaptation, learning, and innovation and reveal its nested, multi-scalar resilience structure. The DPSIR-based framework not only reflects the complex human–nature interactions in urban systems but also identifies key drivers and enables the prediction of future resilience patterns—providing valuable insights for sustainable urban development. Full article

Frequently, the viscous mixture from shield operations is disposed of because its significant water ratio and the presence of polymers like foaming agents result in subpar structural qualities, contributing to the unnecessary consumption of land and the squandering of soil assets. Therefore, these problems urgently need to be solved economically and effectively. This study relies on the shield sludge produced by Qingdao Metro Line 6 project, and sand and shield sludge were used as the raw materials for synchronous grouting. By applying the basic principles of geopolymerization, ingredients like shield sludge and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) were mixed with sodium hydroxide, serving as the activating agent, in the preparation of the simultaneous grout formulas. A broad range of laboratory tests was conducted to evaluate the performance of these grout formulations. The effects of varying material ratios on key performance indicators—namely, fluidity, water secretion rate, setting time, and 3-day unconfined compressive strength (UCS)—were systematically analyzed. Based on these findings, the optimal material ratios for shield sludge-based synchronous grouting materials were proposed. Subsequently, component geopolymer was prepared from the activated shield sludge and shield sludge without adding any additional alkaline activators by simply adding water. A geopolymer with a 28-day compressive strength of 51.08 MPa was obtained when the shield sludge dosing was 60 wt%. This study aims to provide a reference for the preparation of synchronous grouting materials for the resource utilization of shield sludge. Full article

The building sector is responsible for significant carbon emissions and energy consumption, making it a critical field for global energy-saving and emission reduction efforts to combat climate change. This study calculated the building carbon emissions (BCE) of 30 provinces in the Chinese Mainland from 2010 to 2020 using the IPCC carbon emission factor method based on the statistical data of energy consumption and building materials, and then the decoupling relationship between BCE and the construction land area (CLA) was analyzed. The results are as follows: (1) BCE exhibited an overall increase from 2010 to 2020, yet at a descending rate, with a prominent decrease in indirect BCE (IBCE); (2) BCE and direct BCE (DBCE) were higher in the north but lower in the south, while IBCE was higher along the eastern coast; (3) the provinces in North China and Northeast China possess the largest areas of construction land, but the growth of CLA was the slowest or even declined in the later stage of the study; (4) the decoupling relationship between BCE and CLA is dominated by expansive negative decoupling or strong negative decoupling. The growth of BCE is generally much faster than the expansion of construction land. The findings will have important reference for achieving energy-saving and “dual carbon” strategic development goals in China. Full article

Xinjiang is located in an inland arid area, and it faces significant challenges in water resource supply and demand, with a fragile ecological environment. Exploring the internal relationship between the time–space distribution of agricultural water–soil matching and the evolution of the ecosystem service value (ESV) in the Tailan River Irrigation District of Xinjiang from 2000 to 2020, this study provides theoretical guidance for the balance of agricultural water–soil resources and the healthy and sustainable development of the ecological environment in the irrigation district. By integrating the water–soil matching coefficient and the equivalent factor method, the spatiotemporal distribution of agricultural water–soil matching and the spatiotemporal evolution of the ESV under the change of land use (LU) in the irrigation district are analyzed. Based on the Pearson correlation, the trade-off synergy between the two is explored. The results show that the following occurred in the past 20 years: (1) Grassland and dryland are the two categories of land with the biggest transfer-out and transfer-in areas in the Tailan River Irrigation District, and the conversion areas are mostly in Jiamu Town and Guleawati Township. (2) The area and reclamation rate of the irrigation district increased gradually, among which the highest reclamation rate was 85.93% in Kezile Town and the lowest was 76.37% in Guleawati Township. The average Gini coefficient of agricultural water–soil in the irrigation district is 0.118, which is absolutely fair. (3) Kezile Town has the highest agricultural water consumption, but the matching of agricultural water–soil always fluctuates between the best and the worst. The agricultural water consumption in Communist Youth League Town is the lowest, but the matching of agricultural water–soil has remained the best for many years. (4) The ESV of the irrigation district showed an overall increasing trend, from CNY 243 million in 2000 to CNY 678 million in 2020; in addition, soil conservation, hydrological regulation, grassland, and dryland contributed the most to ESV in each period. (5) There was a significant trade-off relationship between agricultural water–soil matching and ecosystem services in the Tailan River Irrigation District, while there was a significant synergistic relationship between ecosystem services. Full article

Urban sprawl, characterized by continuous or discontinuous spatial patterns of artificial surface expansion, has been a common trend in most cities, even in those with longstanding compact features, such as cities in the northern Mediterranean region. This paper assesses the land take patterns in the peri-urban area of a typical compact city that experienced significant sprawl trends after the mid-1990s, which are closely linked to the specificities of planning regulations regarding the development in peri-urban settlements as well as outside planned areas. Using the rapidly suburbanized southern peri-urban area of Thessaloniki, Greece, as a case study, the paper analyzes the factors influencing the land cover change in the middle-class-led peri-urbanization during the period 2000–2018 and provides an estimate of the SDG indicator 11.3.1 “ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate”, a suitable indicator for monitoring spatial changes. The main conclusions of the study indicate that, during the period examined, the peri-urban zone investigated in the case study exhibited a higher rate of population growth compared to that of artificial surfaces, with the latter showing a higher change during 2006–2012. However, the spatial pattern of urban expansion displays a fragmented yet linear form, creating fragmented enclaves of agricultural land. Full article

Due to the limitations of pure electric power endurance, turbo-electric hybrid power systems, which offer a high power-to-weight ratio, present a reliable solution for medium- and large-sized vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Traditional energy management strategies often fail to minimize fuel consumption across the entire flight profile while meeting power demands under varying flight conditions. To address this issue, this paper proposes a deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based energy management strategy (EMS) specifically designed for turbo-electric hybrid propulsion systems. Firstly, the proposed strategy employs a Prior Knowledge-Guided Deep Reinforcement Learning (PKGDRL) method, which integrates domain-specific knowledge into the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm to improve learning efficiency and enhance fuel economy. Then, by narrowing the exploration space, the PKGDRL method accelerates convergence and achieves superior fuel and energy efficiency. Simulation results show that PKGDRL has a strong generalization capability in all operating conditions, with a fuel economy difference of only 1.6% from the offline benchmark of the optimization algorithm, and in addition, the PKG module enables the DRL method to achieve a huge improvement in terms of fuel economy and convergence rate. In particular, the prospect theory (PT) in the PKG module improves fuel economy by 0.81%. Future research will explore the application of PKGDRL in the direction of real-time total power prediction and adaptive energy management under complex operating conditions to enhance the generalization capability of EMS. Full article

Rice is irrigated by flooding, maintaining constant water levels and achieving high water requirements. At the outlet of the plot is a drainage canal whose monitoring using a long-throated flume to determine the flow rate leaving the plot allows for the establishment of practices to reduce highwater consumption. Since the drainage channel has a trapezoidal cross-section and is built on land, the throat of the flume is also trapezoidal to ease the transition between the two sections and to reduce head losses. Herein, a new accurate procedure is developed that provides a quick and automated design of a long-throated flume. This method allows direct calculation of the dimensions of the narrowed section, side slope, and bottom width by choosing the modular limit, the sill height, and the length of the throat based on the characteristics of the channel where the flume is to be installed. The new process is applied to the design of a long-throated flume that allows us to measure the entire range of flow rates required. The design developed based on our methodology is evaluated using the WinFlume Version 2.1 software, and the results obtained demonstrate its strength and suitability. The modular limit values considered (between 0.5 and 0.8) ensure a significant reduction in head losses as water passes through. Full article

As an important ecological barrier and economic belt in China, the sustainable development of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is of great significance to national ecological security and regional economic balance. Based on the coupled and coordinated development analysis of the water–soil–energy–carbon (W-L-E-C) system in the provinces of the Yellow River Basin from 2002 to 2022, this study systematically analyzed the interaction relationship among the various factors through WLECNI index assessment, factor identification, and driving factor exploration. Thus, it fully reveals the spatiotemporal evolution law of regional coordinated development and its internal driving mechanism. It is found that the coordinated development of the W-L-E-C system in different provinces of the Yellow River Basin presents significant spatiotemporal differentiation, and its evolution process is influenced by multiple factors. It is found that the coordination of the YRB presents a significant spatial difference, and Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi, as high coordination areas, have achieved significant improvement in coordination, through ecological restoration and clean energy replacement, arable land intensification, and industrial water-saving technology, respectively. Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi in the middle coordination zone have made some achievements in industrial greening and water-saving technology promotion, but they are still restricted by industrial carbon emissions and land resource pressure. The Ningxia and Gansu regions with low coordination are slow to improve their coordination due to water resource overload and inefficient energy utilization. Barrier factor analysis shows that the water resources utilization rate (W4), impervious area (L4), energy consumption per unit GDP (E1), and carbon emissions from energy consumption (C3) are the core factors restricting coordination. Among them, the water quality compliance rate (W5) of Shanxi and Henan is very low, and the impervious area (L4) of Shandong is a prominent problem. The interaction analysis of the driving factors showed that there were significant interactions between water resource use and ecological protection (W-E), land resource and energy use (L-E), and carbon emissions and ecosystem (C-E). Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, and Shandong achieved coordinated improvement through “scenic energy + ecological restoration”, cultivated land protection, and industrial greening. Shanxi, Henan, and Ningxia are constrained by the “W-L-E-C” complex obstacles. In the future, the Yellow River Basin should implement the following zoning control strategy: for the areas with high coordination, it should focus on consolidating the synergistic advantages of ecological protection and energy development; water-saving technology and energy consumption reduction measures should be promoted in the middle coordination area. In the low coordination area, efforts should be made to solve the problem of resource overload, and the current situation of low resource utilization efficiency should be improved by improving the utilization rate of recycled water and applying photovoltaic sand control technology. This differentiated governance plan will effectively enhance the level of coordinated development across the basin. The research results provide a decision-making framework of “zoning regulation, system optimization and dynamic monitoring” for the sustainable development of the YRB, and provide a scientific basis for achieving high-quality development of the basin. Full article

This study investigated the feasibility of a field-based gait retraining program using real-time axial peak tibial acceleration (PTA) feedback in high-impact recreational runners and explored the effects on running biomechanics and economy. We recruited eight recreational runners with high landing impacts to undertake eight field-based sessions with real-time axial PTA feedback. Feasibility outcomes were assessed through program retention rates, retraining session adherence, and perceived difficulty of the gait retraining program. Adverse events and pain outcomes were also recorded. Running biomechanics were assessed during field and laboratory testing at baseline, following retraining, and one-month post-retraining. Running economy was evaluated during laboratory testing sessions. Seven participants completed the retraining program, with one participant withdrawing due to illness before commencing retraining. An additional participant withdrew due to a foot injury after retraining. Adherence to retraining sessions was 100%. The mean (SD) perceived difficulty of the program was 4.3/10 (2.2). Following retraining, the mean axial PTA decreased in field (−29%) and laboratory (−33%) testing. The mean instantaneous vertical loading rate (IVLR) reduced by 36% post-retraining. At one-month follow-up, the mean axial PTA remained lower for field (−24%) and laboratory (−34%) testing, and the IVLR remained 36% lower than baseline measures. Submaximal oxygen consumption increased following gait retraining (+5.6%) but reverted to baseline at one month. This feasibility study supports the use of field-based gait retraining to reduce axial PTA and vertical loading rates in recreational runners without adversely affecting the running economy. Full article

The data derived from Local Climate Zone (LCZ) field measurements can contribute to the construction of regional climate datasets with urban heat island (UHI) effects and accurately present urban heat island intensity (UHII) characteristics in different areas, thereby improving the accuracy of building energy consumption simulations. This study focuses on Shenyang, a severe cold-region city, as the research area. By mapping the LCZs in the central city of Shenyang and selecting eight different types of LCZ plots for field temperature measurement, the UHI effect of various LCZs in Shenyang was analyzed. Air temperature and UHII were used to evaluate the UHII characteristics of LCZs under typical meteorological conditions. Additionally, this study investigated the temperature dynamics and heating/cooling rates of each LCZ under typical meteorological days. The results reveal significant differences in UHII characteristics among LCZ types, closely related to their surface structure and land cover characteristics. These findings further validate the effectiveness of the LCZ classification method in severe cold regions. The data obtained in this study can be used as high-precision climate model parameters for urban energy consumption models and building energy efficiency models, thus making simulation results more consistent with local characteristics and enabling more accurate energy consumption predictions. Full article

This paper provides climate feedback trends, quantifies the feedback-doubling (FD) period, considers urbanization influences, and provides related equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) estimates using data from 1880 to 2024. Data modeling is accomplished by focusing on statistically significant stable normalized correlated rates (NCRs, i.e., normalized related slopes). Estimates indicate that the global warming NCR is increasing by a factor of 1.65 to 2.33 times faster than the energy consumption NCR, from 1975 to 2024. The reason is feedback amplification. This is supported by the fact that the NCR for forcing and energy consumption shows approximate equivalency in the period studied. Results provide feedback yearly trend estimates at the 95% confidence level that key results will fall within the IPCC AR6 likely range. The projected 2017–2024 feedback amplification estimates, using the EC approach, range from 2.0 to 2.16, respectively. A feedback amplification of 2.0 (approximately equal to −2.74 Wm⁻² K⁻¹) doubles the forcing, indicating that in 2024, more than half of global warming (53.7%) is likely due to feedback. Relative to the feedback-doubling (FD) threshold (i.e., the point where feedback exceeds forcing), the FD overage is 3.7% in 2024. This is the amount of feedback exceeding the FD threshold found to have a surprisingly aggressive 3.1% to 3.9% estimated overage growth rate per decade. We now ask, shouldn’t we try to mitigate feedback as well as GHG forcing, and if forcing could be removed, how would global warming fully “self-mitigate”? Additionally, CO₂ yearly increases are complex, with poor reduction progress. Therefore, this study’s risk assessment urgently recommends supplementary “mild” annual solar geoengineering as a minimum requirement, to reduce the dominant aggressive feedback. SG reduces the primary solar warming source creating 62% higher mitigation efficiency than CDR. Urgency is enhanced since solar geoengineering must be timely and can take years to develop. This study also estimates that 75% to 90.5% (83% average) of the feedback problem is due to water vapor feedback (WVF). High WVF also plagues many cities needing local SG. Trend analysis indicates that by 2047, the earliest we may reach 10 billion people, feedback amplification could reach a value of 2.4 to 2.8. Furthermore, by 2082, the year estimated for 2× CO₂, at the current rate, feedback amplification could range from 2.88 to 3.71. This yields an ECS range from 2.4 °C to 3.07 °C, in reasonable agreement with the reported estimated range in AR6. An overview of recent urbanization forcing attribution indicates the ECS value may be lower by 10.7% if this forcing is considered. For numerous reasons, the lack of albedo urbanization Earth brightening requirements in the Paris Agreement, is unsettling and urgently needed. In addition, a model assesses effective forced feedback (EFF) temperature characteristics of up to 1.9 °C, providing interesting feedback insights that may relate to high GW land and pipeline temperature estimates. Lastly in addition to urbanization, solar geoengineering in the Arctic and Antarctic is advised. Worldwide efforts in GHG mitigation, with no significant work in SG, appears highly misdirected. Full article