Search Results (9,795)

Recent innovations with the aid of nanotechnology are more frequently seen in the industrial sectors. Lubricants are a high-end commodity resource used in many manufacturing processes; unfortunately, most of these lubricants are petroleum-based, which come with certain drawbacks, such as environmental aspects, handling issues and high costs. With the incorporation of nanostructures within fluids and lubricants, novel material alternatives are replacing conventional lubrication systems, maintaining the required thermophysical and tribological characteristics. This research provides an analysis of vegetable lubricant, castor oil (CO), and the effects of the incorporation of WS₂ nanofiller at diverse filler fractions. A TEMPOS thermal analyzer device and a four-ball tribotester are used for the analysis of thermal conductivity and tribological assessments, respectively. Results showed the enhancement of thermal conductivity as the filler concentration and the evaluation temperature of the nanolubricants increased. The best thermal conductivity improvement was 27%, at 60 °C with merely 0.20 wt.% of nanofillers. For tribological performance, a decrease of 6% in the coefficient of friction (COF) and 31% in the wear scar diameter (WSD) was observed at 0.10 wt.% and 0.20 wt.%, respectively. Adhesion of the nanostructures to the steel surfaces creates a protective layer, preventing direct contact of the friction pairs. These results are an outcome of applied theoretical concepts such as Brownian motion and nano-layering of the lubricant–nanostructure interface. Full article

Rapid urban expansion and industrial development have significantly increased waste generation while simultaneously intensifying the demand for construction materials. This dual pressure has accelerated the depletion of natural resources and raised serious environmental concerns. To address these challenges, considerable research efforts have focused on developing sustainable cementitious materials with reduced environmental impact and improved durability performance. One promising approach involves partially substituting Portland cement (PC) with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), which can enhance material performance while reducing environmental footprint and production costs. Recently, recycled powder (RP) derived from construction and demolition waste (CDW) has attracted growing attention as a sustainable alternative binder component. This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the durability performance of Portland cement mortars incorporating RP obtained from concrete waste. Key durability indicators, including water absorption, capillary transport, chloride penetration resistance, freeze–thaw behavior, carbonation resistance, sulfate attack resistance, and drying shrinkage, are critically examined under various activation methods. In addition, the environmental and economic implications associated with RP utilization, including cost efficiency and CO₂ emission reduction potential, are analyzed. The findings provide a structured understanding of RP activation strategies and their effectiveness in improving the durability and sustainability of cement-based materials. Full article

Additive manufacturing (AM) is increasingly recognized as a critical enabler for sustainable space exploration, offering on-demand fabrication, reduced reliance on Earth-based resupply, and enhanced mission autonomy. Over the past decade, in-space AM has progressed from early polymer extrusion experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to the demonstration of multi-material capabilities involving polymers, metals, ceramics, recycling systems, and in situ resource utilization (ISRU) concepts. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of AM technologies developed for space applications, with emphasis on demonstrated flight heritage, process behavior under microgravity and vacuum conditions, and materials validated in orbit. The paper surveys major AM process families relevant to space, including fused filament fabrication, directed energy deposition, ceramic stereolithography, bioprinting, and closed-loop recycling systems. Key ISS-based platforms—such as the Additive Manufacturing Facility, Ceramic Manufacturing Module, and Refabricator—are reviewed to assess technological maturity and system-level integration. Materials performance across polymers, metals, ceramics, and regolith-based feedstocks is discussed, highlighting the influence of microgravity, thermal transport, and environmental exposure. By comparing in-space results with terrestrial and reduced-gravity studies, this review identifies consistent trends, critical limitations, and remaining knowledge gaps, providing a structured perspective on the readiness of in-space additive manufacturing for future orbital and deep-space missions. Full article

Rising global municipal solid waste (MSW) generation poses severe environmental and resource challenges, necessitating sustainable management strategies beyond landfilling. This review critically synthesizes thermochemical waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies, including incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, and hydrothermal carbonization, as viable pathways for converting heterogeneous MSW into energy (electricity, heat, syngas, bio-oil) and valuable materials (biochar, ash for construction). Drawing on recent literature, it highlights their superior greenhouse gas reductions, energy recovery efficiencies, and residue valorization potential compared to traditional disposal, while addressing persistent limitations such as feedstock variability, tar formation, high capital costs, and stringent emission controls. Advanced variants and integration with circular economy principles enhance feasibility, particularly in diverse regional contexts. Despite technical and economic barriers, thermochemical WtE offers a transformative approach to resource-efficient waste management, supporting zero-waste goals and renewable energy transitions when combined with optimized pre-treatment, policy incentives, and ongoing innovation in process efficiency and pollutant mitigation. Full article

The rapid digitalization of power systems and the growing penetration of variable renewable energy sources have intensified the need for flexible and resilient smart-grid architectures capable of coordinating cross-sector energy flows. This review aims to provide a system-level synthesis of the artificial-intelligence-enabled integration of smart grids and green hydrogen, explicitly addressing coordination across physical infrastructure, digital control layers, market mechanisms, and environmental constraints. Following the PRISMA 2020 framework, 142 high-relevance studies published between 2010 and 2025 were systematically screened and classified into five interdependent thematic pillars: demand-side flexibility, ICT and IoT infrastructures, cybersecurity and resilience, communication and control performance, and AI-based optimization and decision-making. The synthesis reveals three principal findings. First, while core technologies such as photovoltaics, battery storage, and proton exchange membrane electrolyzers exhibit high component-level maturity, system-integration readiness remains limited by interoperability, communication latency, cybersecurity compliance, and market eligibility constraints. Second, electrolyzers can technically provide fast-response and multi-timescale flexibility services, yet their economic viability depends strongly on market product granularity, settlement intervals, and regulatory frameworks. Third, environmental and resource constraints, including water availability and material criticality, are emerging as binding factors that must be embedded directly into planning and optimization models. Overall, the review positions artificial intelligence as a cross-layer coordination mechanism that links operational control, digital observability, market participation, and sustainability boundaries, providing an integrated architecture to guide scalable and resilient smart grid–hydrogen deployment. Full article

Textile-to-textile recycling is increasingly recognised as essential to reduce the environmental footprint of the textile sector, yet fibre-to-fibre routes remain constrained by complex composition of fibre blends, chemical finishes and the degradation of fibre quality during repeated processing. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recycling strategies for major textile fibres, cotton, polyester, viscose, polyamide, and wool, from a fibre-level perspective, highlighting the relationships between fibre chemistry, structure, and recyclability. Mechanical, chemical, and biological recycling routes are analysed with a particular focus on fibre integrity, yarn and fabric performance, and their suitability for industrial textile applications rather than solely on waste management aspects. The review also examines industrial initiatives and emerging technologies driving the transition towards circular textile systems, critically identifying key barriers such as feedstock heterogeneity, fibre blending, and downcycling. Building on existing review articles on textile recycling, this work synthesises current knowledge on fibre-to-fibre routes, compares different process options in terms of recycled-fibre quality and scalability, and highlights remaining technological and implementation gaps. To advance textile circularity, integrated recycling frameworks are proposed that align material design, process optimisation, and policy instruments. This work contributes a cross-disciplinary understanding of how fibre-level innovation can enable resource-efficient, closed-loop textile production, offering a roadmap for future sustainable materials engineering in industrial textile systems. Full article

Shell middens of Guyana’s northwestern coast are a tangible stratified archive of prehistoric occupation and land use during the Holocene, an era of increased human impacts on the landscape. This study integrates stable isotope and zooarchaeological evidence to understand prehistoric land use, shell midden function, and the complex relationship between archaic populations and their landscape. We synthesize recently excavated data and archival museum collection for seven sites dating between 7500 and 2000 BP including stable isotope results of 37 individuals. Zooarchaeological materials are pooled to provide long-term patterns of human predation during the Holocene while reducing site-specific noise. This we believe highlights patterns of prey selection and exploitation intensity. We conclude that climate fluctuations during the mid Holocene influenced fishing intensification and subsequently a shift in human predation, which affected small to medium-sized fauna, estuary productivity and changes in vegetation patterns including mangrove expansion. These changes were shaped by landscape manipulation and influenced by shoreline movement and population mobility and seasonal resource use. Altogether, these processes left enduring ecological legacies along the northwestern coast of Guyana. Full article

Analyzing the hydrochemical characteristics and formation mechanism of metasilicic acid (H₂SiO₃) enrichment in the groundwater of Sanjiang Plain is conducive to guiding the rational development and utilization of mineral water resources in this region. Taking the groundwater in the typical black soil area of the northeastern Sanjiang Plain (from Qindeli Farm to Chuangye Farm) as an example, 104 groups of groundwater samples were collected to analyze enrichment and controlling factors of H₂SiO₃ by comprehensive methods such as hydrochemical analysis, rock geochemistry, water–rock interaction analysis, and ion ratio analysis. The results showed that the groundwater was generally in a reducing environment with low mineralization and weak acidity. The main cations were Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, and the main anion was HCO₃⁻. The hydrochemical types were mainly HCO₃–Ca and HCO₃–Ca·Mg, followed by HCO₃·Cl–Ca·Mg mixed type, and the H₂SiO₃ enrichment rate of groundwater reached 80.77%. The enrichment of H₂SiO₃ in the groundwater was related to the local geological structure and specific hydrogeochemical processes, and mainly controlled by the hydrolysis process of silicate rock minerals (such as albite, plagioclase, and olivine). The silicates and aluminosilicates contained in the basalt, diorite, and gneiss distributed in the area provided a rich material basis for the enrichment of H₂SiO₃. Its migration and distribution were simultaneously affected by leaching and cation exchange, while NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻ input from anthropogenic sources also participated in the rock weathering, specifically the enrichment process of H₂SiO₃ in the groundwater. From the perspective of mineralization conditions, Qinglongshan Farm and Qindeli Farm are potential areas for developing H₂SiO₃-rich mineral water. However, the main direction for the development and utilization of groundwater in this area should be to explore natural H₂SiO₃-rich groundwater with good comprehensive water quality. Full article

The transition toward a circular economy is essential for reducing the environmental impacts of post-consumer packaging waste. In Colombia, the Circular Vision Collective operates a nationwide Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for packaging recovery and recycling. This study applies a life cycle assessment (LCA), in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards, to evaluate the environmental performance of the Circular Vision system during 2024. Using a functional unit of one metric ton of post-consumer packaging, three scenarios were assessed: landfill disposal, circular management and transformation, and avoided impacts from virgin material substitution. Seven packaging material streams were analyzed using SimaPro 9.6 and the Ecoinvent 3.10 database, supported by primary operational data. The results show that the circular management system delivers net environmental benefits across all evaluated impact categories, achieving reductions exceeding 10% in key indicators, such as global warming potential, energy demand, and resource use, particularly for plastics, metals, and paper-based materials. Full article

In thermal power plants, fly ash produced from coal combustion is a solid waste that requires large storage areas and poses environmental risks. In addition, coal ash can contain significant amounts of critical elements, including rare earth elements and yttrium (REY). Despite high supply risks, demand for REY is increasing in parallel with technological developments. Therefore, the recovery of REY from coal ash is becoming increasingly important for both solid waste disposal and as a raw material source. This study presents an integrated geochemical assessment of REY in fly ashes from coal-fired thermal power plants in Türkiye, based on systematically compiled and harmonised datasets. The REY concentration of fly ash varies between 134.00 and 429.48, with an average of 230.06 ppm. Light REY are predominant in all samples. The proportion of critical REY averages 34.75, with the highest value calculated at 42% in fly ash from the Yatağan thermal power plant. While most fly ashes show L-type enrichment, there are also samples showing M-type and H-type enrichment. According to initial national-scale estimates, coal fly ashes in Türkiye may contain approximately 3.7–5 kt of rare earth oxides per year. Despite their low REY content, Turkish fly ashes can be considered a potential source for REY recovery when considering the large waste volume, in conjunction with an integrated evaluation strategy. This study establishes a geochemical basis for future process-oriented and recovery-focused investigations. Full article

Low-temperature stress is a major factor limiting the development of the chrysanthemum industry. Chrysanthemum indicum L., wild germplasm with strong cold tolerance within the genus, is an ideal material for mining cold resistance genes. Through preliminary transcriptome analysis of C. indicum under low-temperature stress (PRJNA1391062), we found that multiple R2R3-MYB family members were significantly differentially expressed (|log₂FC| ≥ 1, p < 0.05), suggesting that this family may play important roles in cold stress responses. Within the C. indicum genome, we identified 63 R2R3-MYB members (CiMYBs) through HMMER and BLAST searches combined with domain validation. Phylogenetic analysis classified these genes into 19 subgroups, with most key nodes supported by bootstrap values > 80%. Promoter cis-element analysis revealed enrichment of elements related to light responsiveness, hormone signaling, and stress responses, including 41 low-temperature responsive elements distributed across 28 genes and 32 drought-induced MYB-binding sites present in 23 genes. Synteny analysis identified 13 duplicated gene pairs within the C. indicum genome and 41 collinear gene pairs between C. indicum and Arabidopsis thaliana L. Transcriptome data under low-temperature stress showed that 22 of the 63 CiMYB members were differentially expressed under 4 °C acclimation and −4 °C freezing stress, and they could be classified into three response patterns: acute stress-responsive (rapid upregulation upon initial stress), acclimation-induced (significant activation after 4 °C acclimation), and freezing-suppressed (downregulation after −4 °C freezing). Six differentially expressed genes were randomly selected for RT-qPCR validation, and the results showed consistent trends with the transcriptome data. This study provides a comprehensive identification of R2R3-MYB family members in C. indicum and reveals their expression divergence under low-temperature stress, offering candidate gene resources for deciphering the cold adaptation mechanisms of C. indicum and breeding new cold-resistant chrysanthemum cultivars. Full article

As a critical step in industrial quality control, surface defect detection in aluminum materials remains challenging for minor defects despite advances in deep learning. To address this, this paper proposes an enhanced YOLOv8-based model, BFI-YOLO, that incorporates a Bidirectional Multi-scale Residual Network. Specifically, we design a Bidirectional Multi-scale Feature Pyramid Network (BM-FPN) based on BiFPN to strengthen cross-scale feature fusion. The parameter-free SimAM attention module is embedded to enhance subtle defect responses while suppressing background texture interference, without introducing additional computational overhead.Furthermore, we develop a Multi-scale Residual Convolution (MSRConv) module to capture defects of varying sizes on aluminum surfaces comprehensively. MSRConv utilizes multi-scale convolutional kernels to adapt to cross-scale defect features and retains shallow details via residual connections, thereby strengthening the model’s representation of fine defects. Extensive experiments on the public TAPSDD dataset show that BFI-YOLO achieves a precision of 91.3%, a recall of 89.8%, and mAP@0.5 of 92.1%, with only 1.8 M parameters. Compared to the baseline, BFI-YOLO reduces parameters by 40% while increasing mAP@0.5 by 4.2%, effectively balancing detection accuracy and lightweight performance. Optimized for resource-constrained industrial platforms such as embedded systems and mobile robots, BFI-YOLO meets real-time monitoring requirements while achieving competitive detection accuracy, providing an efficient and practical solution for metal surface defect detection. Full article

Sweeteners occupy a pivotal role in the global transition toward sustainable, health-aligned, and resource-efficient food systems. Conventional sucrose production carries significant environmental burdens, while escalating metabolic health concerns intensify demand for viable alternatives. This paper reframes sweeteners not as commodity ingredients, but as digitally engineered, biologically manufactured, and circularity-optimized materials within the emerging bioeconomy. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), metabolic engineering, precision fermentation, and lignocellulosic valorization are fundamentally reshaping sweetener innovation. We introduce the Sweetener Innovation 4.0 framework, in which AI functions as the integrative engine linking molecular design, bioprocess optimization, and system-level sustainability. Across diverse sweetener classes, including steviol glycosides, mogrosides, rare sugars, sweet proteins, and forestry-derived polyols, AI accelerates discovery, improves metabolic flux control, optimizes downstream processing and enables more adaptive manufacturing systems. This digital–biological convergence is progressively decoupling sweetness production from land-intensive agriculture, reducing dependence on geographically constrained crops, and enabling resilient, low-carbon manufacturing pathways. Comparative life-cycle assessments highlight substantial sustainability gains, but also reveal persistent methodological gaps, particularly in accounting for downstream-processing energy and digital infrastructure emissions. Socioeconomic analysis further underscores the importance of equitable transitions, transparent labeling, and effective consumer communication as fermentation-derived sweeteners enter global markets. Looking forward, we identify key frontiers for Sweetener Innovation 4.0, including de novo AI-designed sweeteners, autonomous fermentation systems, carbon-negative feedstocks, personalized sweetness modulation, and integrated circular biorefineries. Together, these developments position sweeteners as a top domain for demonstrating how AI, biotechnology, and sustainability principles can jointly reshape ingredient development and industrial systems within the 21st-century circular-economy. Full article

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) and brewer’s yeast (surplus yeast) account for approximately 85–90% of total solid residues generated in beer production and represent strategic resources within circular bioeconomy frameworks. This review synthesizes 38 peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024, identified through a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-aligned screening process using Google Scholar. Valorization pathways across food, feed, biotechnology, environmental applications, and energy recovery were assessed with regard to sustainability performance, technology readiness levels (TRL), and techno-economic feasibility. Reported data indicate methane yields of approximately 200–400 m³ methane (CH₄) t⁻¹ volatile solids (VS) for anaerobic digestion of BSG, while protein contents range from 19 to 30% in BSG and 45–55% in yeast (dry matter basis). Technology readiness is highest for feed applications and anaerobic digestion (TRL 7–9), whereas advanced biochemical and material applications remain at intermediate levels (TRL 4–7). Sustainability outcomes are strongly influenced by stabilization energy demand, logistics, and substitution effects. Overall, BSG is primarily suited to high-volume, mass-based and energy-oriented pathways, whereas brewer’s yeast enables lower-volume, higher-value applications. Based on comparative assessment, three strategic development trajectories—energy-oriented integration, material and feed valorization, and advanced biochemical pathways—are identified as key transition routes toward brewery-centered circular biorefinery systems. Full article

This paper studies how impact assessment can be used in social entrepreneurship to support learning and improve sustainability impact. Drawing on a two-stage qualitative study in Sweden, the research combines exploratory interviews with consultants in an entrepreneurial support organisation and early-stage entrepreneurs with in-depth interviews with social entrepreneurs. It shows that impact ambitions are shaped by both internal motives and external expectations, but that assessment practices are constrained by limited resources, knowledge, and stage of enterprise development. Key challenges relate to identifying negative or unintended impacts and conceptualising impacts as long-term and systemic. While entrepreneurial support and stakeholder interaction can broaden impact perspectives, both entrepreneurs and consultants struggle to translate established frameworks into practical applications, suggesting that barriers to impact assessment also relate to the support system. The findings indicate that, under such conditions, prioritising basic impact management over comprehensive assessment may be more appropriate. An implication is to apply a staged approach to the result chain and materiality analysis that can evolve with organisational capacity and stakeholder demand. Full article