Search Results (527)

Nuclear energy has undergone a significant transformation over the past decades, driven by technological innovation, shifting safety priorities, and the urgent need to mitigate climate change. This study presents a comprehensive review of the historical evolution, current developments, and future prospects of nuclear energy as a strategic low-carbon resource. A structured literature review was conducted following Kitchenham’s methodology, covering peer-reviewed articles and institutional reports from 2000 to 2025. Key advances examined include the deployment of Small Modular Reactors, Generation IV technologies, and fusion systems, along with progress in safety protocols, waste management, and regulatory frameworks. Comparative environmental data confirm nuclear power’s low life-cycle CO₂ emissions and high energy density relative to other generation sources. However, major challenges remain, including high capital costs, long construction times, complex waste disposal, and issues of public acceptance. The analysis underscores that nuclear energy, while not a standalone solution, is a critical component of a diversified and sustainable energy mix. Its successful integration will depend on adaptive governance, international cooperation, and enhanced social engagement. Overall, the findings support the role of nuclear energy in achieving global decarbonization targets, provided that safety, equity, and environmental responsibility are upheld. Full article

Rapid growth of electric vehicles has increased demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), raising concerns regarding their end-of-life management. This study comprehensively evaluates the closed-loop recycling of cathode materials from spent LIBs by integrating life cycle assessment (LCA), technoeconomic analysis, and technological comparison. Typical approaches—including pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and other processes such as organic acid leaching and in situ reduction roasting—are systematically reviewed. While pyrometallurgy offers scalability, it is hindered by high energy consumption and excessive greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrometallurgy achieves higher metal recovery rates with better environmental performance but requires complex chemical and wastewater management. Emerging methods and regeneration techniques such as co-precipitation and sol–gel synthesis demonstrate potential for high-purity material recovery and circular manufacturing. LCA results confirm that recycling significantly reduces GHG emissions, especially for high-nickel cathode chemistry. However, the environmental benefits are affected by upstream factors such as collection, disassembly, and logistics. Technoeconomic simulations show that profitability is strongly influenced by battery composition, regional cost structures, and collection rates. The study highlights the necessity of harmonized LCA boundaries, process optimization, and supportive policy frameworks to scale environmentally and economically sustainable LIB recycling, ensuring long-term supply security for critical battery materials. Full article

Oil camellia (Camellia oleifera) residues from low-yield forests offer significant potential for carbon emission reductions across multiple product pathways—fibreboard, pulp, and bioelectricity. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) were conducted for these three products, revealing distinct carbon footprints driven by energy use, chemical inputs, and combustion processes. Fibreboard production showed a carbon footprint of 244.314 kg CO₂e/m³, primarily due to diesel use and electricity consumption. Pulp production exhibited the highest carbon intensity at 481.626 kg CO₂e/t, largely driven by chemical consumption and fossil fuels. Bioelectricity, with the lowest carbon footprint of 41.750 g CO₂e/kWh, demonstrated sensitivity to transportation logistics and fuel types. Substitution and scenario analysis showed that emission reductions can be achieved by optimizing energy structure, substituting high-carbon chemicals, and improving transportation efficiency. The findings highlight the substantial reduction potential when oil camellia residues replace conventional feedstocks in these industries, contributing to the development of low-carbon strategies within the bioeconomy. These results also inform the design of targeted mitigation policies, enhancing carbon accounting frameworks and aligning with China’s dual-carbon goals. Full article

Corrosion has a significant impact on the economic and environmental sustainability of metal-based infrastructure and products. This position paper explores the intrinsic relationship between corrosion protection and sustainability, examining the economic costs, environmental impacts and technological strategies involved. While corrosion results in resource waste, energy loss, and increased CO₂ emissions, effective corrosion management can extend the service life of metallic components, thus preserving resources and minimizing environmental burden. The approaches such as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) can provide a framework for selecting the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly corrosion protection method in view of the required lifetime. The paper emphasises the crucial role of material selection, design optimization, recyclability and environmentally friendly coatings. Regulatory pressures and new trends such as machine learning are also discussed. Achieving sustainability goals requires greater awareness, education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and continued innovation in corrosion protection strategies. Full article

Hong Kong faces critical construction challenges, including workforce aging, land shortages, and near-capacity waste disposal. Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) offers a promising solution. As Hong Kong has just recently adopted the MiC, quantitative studies that explore the actual performance differences between MiC projects and conventional on-site construction projects in Hong Kong are lacking. To fill this knowledge gap, this study utilizes an extended life cycle assessment–Life Cycle Performance Assessment to conduct on-site investigations and case studies on a MiC pilot residential project and a conventional on-site construction residential project in Hong Kong from multiple dimensions: cost, time, safety, and environment. The assessment indicators include five types of greenhouse gas emissions, cost performance, schedule performance, and safety-level index. This study found that the greenhouse gas emissions of the MiC project during the entire construction period were reduced by approximately 21.60% compared to traditional on-site construction projects. The most significant part of the greenhouse gas emissions of the two methods was the embodied emissions of construction materials, accounting for 83.11% and 87.17%. Compared with the conventional construction project, the factors that actively promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the MiC project are the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of building materials, the transportation of construction waste, and the resource consumption of equipment. In addition, there is no significant difference in the safety performance index of the two construction methods, but MiC projects have more efficient schedule performance management. Surprisingly, the cost control of MiC projects is not as good as that of conventional construction projects, which differs from existing research results in other regions. Full article

Coupled grey and green infrastructure (CGGI) offers a promising pathway toward sustainable stormwater management in historic urban environments. This study compares CGGI and conventional grey infrastructure (GREI)-only strategies across four degrees of layout centralization (0%, 33.3%, 66.7%, and 100%) in the Quanzhou West Street Historic Reserve, China. Using a multi-objective optimization framework integrating SWMM simulations, life-cycle cost (LCC) modeling, and resilience metrics, we found that the decentralized CGGI layouts reduced the total LCC by up to 29.6% and required 60.7% less green infrastructure (GI) area than centralized schemes. Under nine extreme rainfall scenarios, the GREI-only systems showed slightly higher technical resilience (Tech-R: max 99.6%) than CGGI (Tech-R: max 99.1%). However, the CGGI systems outperformed GREI in operational resilience (Oper-R), reducing overflow volume by up to 22.6% under 50% network failure. These findings demonstrate that decentralized CGGI provides a more resilient and cost-effective drainage solution, well-suited for heritage districts with spatial and cultural constraints. Full article

Mangoes are an important part of Hainan’s tropical characteristic agriculture. In response to the requirements of building an ecological civilization pilot demonstration zone in Hainan, China, green and sustainable development will be the future development trend of the mango planting system. However, the economic benefits and environmental impact during its planting and management process remain unclear. This paper combines emergy, life cycle assessment (LCA), and economic analysis to compare the system sustainability, environmental impact, and economic benefits of the traditional mango cultivation system (TM) in Dongfang City, Hainan Province, and the early-maturing mango cultivation system (EM) in Sanya City. The emergy evaluation results show that the total emergy input of EM (1.37 × 10¹⁶ sej ha⁻¹) was higher than that of TM (1.32 × 10¹⁶ sej ha⁻¹). From the perspective of the emergy index, compared with TM, EM exerted less pressure on the local environment and has better stability and sustainability. This was due to the higher input of renewable resources in EM. The LCA results showed that based on mass as the functional unit, the potential environmental impact of the EM is relatively high, and its total environmental impact index was 18.67–33.19% higher than that of the TM. Fertilizer input and On-Farm emissions were the main factors causing environmental consequences. Choosing alternative fertilizers that have a smaller impact on the environment may effectively reduce the environmental impact of the system. The economic analysis results showed that due to the higher selling price of early-maturing mango, the total profit and cost–benefit ratio of the EM have increased by 55.84% and 36.87%, respectively, compared with the TM. These results indicated that EM in Sanya City can enhance environmental sustainability and boost producers’ annual income, but attention should be paid to the negative environmental impact of excessive fertilizer input. These findings offer insights into optimizing agricultural inputs for Hainan mango production to mitigate multiple environmental impacts while enhancing economic benefits, aiming to provide theoretical support for promoting the sustainable development of the Hainan mango industry. Full article

Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems account for the largest share of energy consumption in European Union (EU) buildings, representing approximately 40% of the final energy use and contributing significantly to carbon emissions. Latent thermal energy storage (LTES) using phase change materials (PCMs) has emerged as a promising strategy to enhance HVAC efficiency. This review systematically examines the role of latent thermal energy storage using phase change materials (PCMs) in optimizing HVAC performance to align with EU climate targets, including the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). By analyzing advancements in PCM-enhanced HVAC systems across residential and commercial sectors, this study identifies critical pathways for reducing energy demand, enhancing grid flexibility, and accelerating the transition to nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs). The review categorizes PCM technologies into organic, inorganic, and eutectic systems, evaluating their integration into thermal storage tanks, airside free cooling units, heat pumps, and building envelopes. Empirical data from case studies demonstrate consistent energy savings of 10–30% and peak load reductions of 20–50%, with Mediterranean climates achieving superior cooling load management through paraffin-based PCMs (melting range: 18–28 °C) compared to continental regions. Policy-driven initiatives, such as Germany’s renewable integration mandates for public buildings, are shown to amplify PCM adoption rates by 40% compared to regions lacking regulatory incentives. Despite these benefits, barriers persist, including fragmented EU standards, life cycle cost uncertainties, and insufficient training. This work bridges critical gaps between PCM research and EU policy implementation, offering a roadmap for scalable deployment. By contextualizing technical improvement within regulatory and economic landscapes, the review provides strategic recommendations to achieve the EU’s 2030 emissions reduction targets and 2050 climate neutrality goals. Full article

This study investigates the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a decision-support mechanism for managing complex sustainability issues in industrial settings, specifically within the framework of circular economy principles. Focusing on a case from the brewery sector, developed under the EU ECOFACT initiative, this research evaluates ten distinct configurations for the must cooling process. These alternatives are assessed using environmental, economic, and technical criteria, drawing on data from life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methodologies. The findings indicate that selecting an optimal scenario involves balancing trade-offs among electricity and water consumption, operational efficiency, and overall environmental impacts. Notably, Scenario 3 emerges as the most balanced option, consistently demonstrating superior performance across the primary evaluation criteria. The use of AHP in this context proves valuable by introducing structure and transparency to a multifaceted decision-making process where quantitative metrics and sustainability objectives intersect. By integrating empirical industrial data with an established multi-criteria decision approach, this study highlights both the practical utility and existing limitations of conventional AHP, particularly its diminished ability to discriminate between alternatives when their scores are closely aligned. These insights suggest that hybrid or advanced AHP methodologies may be necessary to facilitate more nuanced decision-making for circular economy transitions in industrial environments. Full article

To address the limitations of conventional single-stack fuel cell hybrid systems using equivalent hydrogen consumption strategies, this study proposes a multi-stack energy management strategy incorporating fuel cell health degradation. Leveraging a fuel cell efficiency decay model and lithium-ion battery cycle life assessment, power distribution is reformulated as an equivalent hydrogen consumption optimization problem with stack degradation constraints. A hybrid Genetic Algorithm–Particle Swarm Optimization (GA-PSO) approach achieves global optimization. The experimental results demonstrate that compared with the Frequency Decoupling (FD) method, the GA-PSO strategy reduces hydrogen consumption by 7.03 g and operational costs by 4.78%; compared with the traditional Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, it reduces hydrogen consumption by 3.61 g per operational cycle and decreases operational costs by 2.66%. This strategy ensures stable operation of the marine power system while providing an economically viable solution for hybrid-powered vessels. Full article

The growing imperative to mitigate climate change and accelerate the shift toward energy sustainability has called for a critical evaluation of heat and electricity generation methods. This article presents a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of solar and biogas energy systems on a common basis of 1 kWh of useful energy using SimaPro, the ReCiPe 2016 methodology (both midpoint and endpoint indicators), and cumulative energy demand (CED) analysis. This study is the first to evaluate co-located solar PV, solar thermal compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) and biogas combined heat and power (CHP) systems with in situ data collected under identical climatic and operational conditions. The project costs yield levelized costs of electricity (LCOE) of INR 2.4/kWh for PV, 3.3/kWh for the solar thermal dish and 4.1/kWh for biogas. However, the collaborated findings indicate that neither solar-based systems nor biogas technology uniformly outperform the others; rather, their effectiveness hinges on contextual factors, including resource availability and local policy incentives. These insights will prove critical for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and local communities seeking to develop effective, context-sensitive strategies for sustainable energy deployment, emissions reduction, and robust resource management. Full article

The increasing complexity of the hotel industry necessitates the implementation of sophisticated cost systems capable of delivering accurate and relevant cost information to support managerial decision-making. Investigating the determinants of cost system design is crucial, given that no single accounting system is universally applicable across all business contexts. This study addresses a critical gap by examining the key drivers of cost system sophistication through the theoretical frameworks of contingency and upper echelons theories, focusing specifically on the Greek hotel sector. Employing multiple regression analysis, the findings reveal that firm size, cost structure, the importance of cost information in decision-making, and the integration of information technology significantly influence the complexity of cost systems. Conversely, factors such as competition, service diversity, business strategy, organizational life cycle, and executive characteristics showed no statistically significant impact. These findings contribute to management accounting and hospitality literature by integrating theoretical perspectives and identifying key determinants of cost system sophistication. Moreover, the study offers practical insights for designing cost systems that meet the specific needs of the hotel industry. Full article

This study systematically compares the environmental and economic performance of three wastewater treatment systems: constructed wetlands (CWs), microbial fuel cells (MFCs), and their integration (CW–MFC). Lab-scale units of each system were constructed using a multi-media matrix (gravel, zeolite, and granular activated carbon), composite native wetland species (Juncus effusus, Iris sp., and Typha angustifolia), carbon-based electrodes (graphite), and standard inoculum for CW and CW–MFC. The MFC system employed carbon-based electrodes and proton-exchange membrane. The experimental design included a parallel operation of all systems treating domestic wastewater under identical hydraulic and organic loading rates. Environmental impacts were quantified across construction and operational phases using life cycle assessment (LCA) with GaBi software 9.2, employing TRACI 2021 and ReCiPe 2016 methods, while techno-economic analysis (TEA) evaluated capital and operational costs. The key results indicate that CW demonstrates the lowest global warming potential (142.26 kg CO₂-eq) due to its reliance on natural biological processes. The integrated CW–MFC system achieved enhanced pollutant removal (82.8%, 87.13%, 78.13%, and 90.3% for COD, NO₃, TN, and TP) and bioenergy generation of 2.68 kWh, balancing environmental benefits with superior treatment efficiency. In contrast, the stand-alone MFC shows higher environmental burdens, primarily due to energy-intensive material requirements and fabrication processes. TEA results highlight CW as the most cost-effective solution (USD 627/m³), with CW–MFC emerging as a competitive alternative when considering environmental benefits and operational efficiencies (USD 718/m³). This study highlights the potential of hybrid systems, such as CW–MFC, to advance sustainable wastewater treatment technologies by minimizing environmental impacts and enhancing resource recovery, supporting their broader adoption in future water management strategies. Future research should focus on optimizing materials and energy use to improve scalability and feasibility. Full article

Cost reduction has always been a high priority target in modern management. Concentrating on material strength, the huge potential is recognized for cost reduction in finding the material fatigue coefficients by reduction the number and time required for testing specimens. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of several fatigue parameter estimation methods by comparing them with reference test data obtained for six different steel materials. In the literature, several estimation methods can be found. Those methods rely on tension or hardness tests. The concern is about the accuracy of those methods; therefore, a basic case was investigated involving estimation methods and comparing them to reference data from a physical test. The case was selected in a manner that allowed the verification of combined low and high cycle fatigue. As a result, the estimation methods produced a very wide range of fatigue life predictions, but some of them were quite accurate. This leads to the conclusion that estimation methods can be a step forward for finding the fatigue material properties; however, a study should be undertaken on which methods are the most suitable for the material family used. Full article

Rural road programs are essential for enhancing connectivity in remote areas, yet they frequently encounter schedule delays and budget overruns. This study explores the extent to which specific project characteristics influence these deviations in Colombian rural road contracts. A dataset comprising 229 projects was extracted from the national SECOP open-procurement platform and processed using the CRISP-DM protocol. Following the cleaning and coding of 14 project-level variables, statistical analyses were conducted using Spearman correlations, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and post-hoc Wilcoxon comparisons to identify significant bivariate relations I confirm I confirm I confirm hips. A Random Forest model was subsequently applied to determine the most influential multivariate predictors of cost and time deviations. In parallel, a directed content analysis of contract addenda reclassified 22 recorded deviation descriptors into ten internationally recognized categories of causality, enabling an integrated interpretation of both statistical and documentary evidence. The findings indicate that contract value, geographical region, and contractor configuration are significant determinants of cost and time performance. Additionally, project intensity and discrepancies between awarded and bid values emerged as key contributors to cost escalation. Scope changes and adverse weather conditions together accounted for 76% of all documented deviation triggers, underscoring the relevance of robust front-end planning and climate-risk considerations in rural infrastructure delivery. The findings provide information for stakeholders, policymakers, and professionals who aim to manage the risk of schedule and budget deviations in public infrastructure projects. Full article