Search Results (37)

This work presents an effective design of a strategy to manage biomass waste (empty fruit bunch—EFB, kernel shell, and fiber) available from the processing of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) in Colombia as a renewable energy source. This type of study is conducted for the first time in the country, and the proposed strategy is structured in four phases. Firstly, an inventory of available biomass waste was prepared based on information from 45 African palm oil companies of the approximately 70 that exist in the country. It was determined that the country had about 2762 kt of available waste (63.64% EFB, 12.55% kernel shell, and 23.81% fiber) for the year 2023. The estimates were conducted using a model that correlates processing capacity, the biomass generated, and the biomass demanded. The validation was performed using national reports. Subsequently, the minimum number (six) of storage centers in Colombia, where the largest amount of biomass can be stored, was determined. The center of gravity method was used to find the geographical location of each bulk storage center (municipality of Aracataca, Agustín Codazzi, San Martín, Puerto Wilches, Castilla La Nueva, and Cabuyaru). The next step was to determine the transportation costs as a decision criterion to select the best bulk storage center. When the required storage capacity does not exceed 211 kt·year⁻¹, Agustín Codazzi is the best option because it has the lowest transportation cost (USD 1.01·t⁻¹). When the storage capacity requirements exceed 211 kt·year⁻¹ but are less than 423 kt·year⁻¹, then Puerto Wilches and/or Aracataca are the best options (transportation cost of USD 1.7·t⁻¹). In all cases, Cabuyaru has the highest costs (USD 6.56·t⁻¹). Finally, an energy potential of 50,196 × 10⁶ GJ·year⁻¹ for the collected biomass was estimated, which makes this kind of waste an environmental alternative that could replace coal in Colombia. Full article

Brazil has made progress in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management through national legislation focused on integrated waste handling. However, challenges persist, particularly regarding MSW overproduction. A sustainable alternative is Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), generated from MSW with or without biomass addition. To be viable for combustion, RDF must meet established energy and environmental quality standards. In this context, a mathematical model based on fuzzy logic was developed to classify RDF quality and support decision-making. Five RDF samples were tested, evaluating their Lower Heating Value (LHV), chlorine, and mercury contents using calorimetry, atomic absorption, and X-ray fluorescence. Results indicate that RDF produced solely from MSW tends to have inadequate LHV, necessitating drying pretreatment. Even with the addition of peanut shells, the highest classification achieved was “Regular”, suggesting limited suitability for combustion in furnaces or boilers without pretreatment. Since the general composition of MSW in Brazil is consistent with the characteristics analyzed, RDF may remain unviable for energy recovery under similar conditions. Economic feasibility studies on drying are recommended, especially in urban centers with limited landfill space. Full article

In the Anthropocene era, climate change highlights the need to abandon the centralized energy generation model using large installations located far from consumption centers, and to move towards an urban energy transition based on decentralized self-consumption models—both individual and collective—and local energy communities. These approaches reduce emissions and external dependency, strengthening resilience, urban sustainability, and promoting energy justice and citizen participation. This work aims to develop a model for integrating photovoltaic solar systems in urban centers of high heritage value, combining the protection of cultural legacy with climate change adaptation strategies. A methodology is designed to integrate solar energy into urban areas while respecting cultural heritage in the most reasonable way possible. The proposed methodology consists of carrying out a characterization of the municipalities under study, considering legal, demographic, energy, and heritage aspects. Next, a territorial zoning is proposed that differentiates between protected and unprotected areas in each municipality. Visibility maps are developed to assess the impact of the installations by sector from the main visual consumption points, facilitating differentiated decisions to protect the most sensitive environments. In addition, specific measures are proposed, such as locating the installations in non-visible areas and using materials and techniques adapted to the construction typology, to preserve areas of higher cultural value and to implement energy communities and collective self-consumption outside culturally protected zones. This methodology is applied to two urban areas in the province of Jaén (South of Andalusia): Alcalá la Real and Cazorla, which, due to their different characteristics, demonstrate its versatility and adaptability. It is concluded that the transition toward decentralized models is an effective way to adapt cities to climate change, reinforcing social cohesion, contributing to the fight against energy vulnerability, and protecting historical heritage. Full article

Effective weather analysis is a very important scientific, social, and economic issue, because weather directly affects our lives and has a significant impact on various sectors, including agriculture, transport, energy, and natural disaster management. Weather analysis is therefore the basis for the operation of many decision-making support systems, especially in transport (air, sea), ensuring the continuity of supply chains for industry or the delivery of food and medicines, but also municipal economies or tourism. Its role and importance will grow with the worsening of climatic phenomena and the development of the Industry5.0 paradigm, which puts humans and their environment at the center of attention. This article presents issues related to fuzzy sets and systems and presents a weather analysis model based on them. The fuzzy system was created using Matlab, in the Fuzzy Logic Designer application, focusing on fuzzy logic. With Fuzzy Logic Designer, users can define fuzzy sets, rules, and carry out fuzzification and defuzzification processes, thereby offering great possibilities in data management. Full article

In this study, the potential impact of wind farm locations on the sustainable development of cities in Poland was evaluated, considering the availability of wind-generated electricity. We analyzed 37 cities in Poland with populations over 100,000. Research indicates that wind farms located 30–80 km from large cities perform best in terms of generating capacity, while greater distances increase transmission costs and energy losses. In Poland, wind farms are primarily situated in the northwestern regions, posing challenges for energy transmission to the southern cities, which are the main centers of energy consumption. The findings show that wind farms with the highest generating capacity are generally about 50 km from major cities. Key factors influencing wind farm locations include technical criteria, economic feasibility, environmental impact, public opinion, and the availability of transmission networks. Sustainable development of wind farms requires strategic cooperation between urban and rural municipalities, joint spatial planning, coordinated land acquisition, and the exchange of know-how. Full article

Waste management in large urban centers is one of the main challenges for public administration. Two of the most abundant wastes in cities are waste solid and municipal wastewater (MWW). Their management can be optimized if they are treated together. This work analyzed an anaerobic–aerobic system for the treatment of fruit and vegetable wastes (FVWs) and MWW. Firstly, FVWs were collected and characterized; once in the laboratory, they were placed in a tank with the MWW, aiming at transferring to the water those solids with a particle size below 105 µm; then, they were separated by sieving. The mixture of MWW and FVWs with a particle size below 105 µm was fed into an up-flow anaerobic sludge reactor (UASB); in the latter, dissolved and suspended organic matter was transformed into methane and carbon dioxide. The water that left the UASB was sent to be post-treated in an activated sludge reactor (ASR). The chemical oxygen demand (COD) was used as an evaluation parameter of the anaerobic–aerobic system; a removal efficiency higher than 80% was achieved, whereas it was 60% in the ASR. Another evaluation parameter was methane (CH₄) productivity, with an average of 3.0 L_CH4 L⁻¹ d⁻¹. VWF leaching achieved an average COD extraction of 7.68 kg∙m⁻³. The UASB efficiency was on average 70% for the assayed loads (2–8 kg COD·L⁻¹·d⁻¹). The energy potential calculated for the anaerobic–aerobic system was 510.2 kW∙h∙d⁻¹ Full article

In recent years, negative phenomena of an external and internal nature have been observed that threaten the security of Polish municipalities. The increase in energy prices had a negative impact on the situations of consumers and companies. Strengthening energy security can be achieved through the development of an energy community based on renewable energy. The aim of the article is to demonstrate that energy cooperatives have a negligible impact on the energy and economic security of Polish municipalities. The article is based on literature studies and analysis of data obtained from the National Center for Agricultural Support and the Central Statistical Office, as well as our own qualitative research. Based on the research, three hypotheses were formulated: Firstly, energy cooperatives participate to a limited extent in building local energy security. Secondly, cooperatives should be treated as a complement to coal power plants. Thirdly, only the involvement of municipal authorities in the energy cooperatives can strengthen local energy security. The research shows that there has been a quantitative development of energy cooperatives, but this has not significantly improved local energy security. Only the active participation of local authorities is a condition for strengthening the role of energy cooperatives in ensuring economic and energy security. Full article

An in-depth, longitudinal examination of carbon emissions and decoupling within the Yangtze River Economic Belt, supplemented by a dynamic assessment of its evolutional trajectory, provides a scientifically grounded framework and pragmatic value for the drafting of regional carbon emission mitigation strategies. Using the Yangtze River Economic Belt as a context, this study formulates a carbon emission model spanning provincial, city, and county levels. The model serves to uncover the spatiotemporal characteristics of carbon emissions within the Yangtze River Economic Belt from a multi-scalar vantage point. The Tapio decoupling model is then invoked to examine the extent and nature of decoupling between economic advancement and carbon emissions across these disparate scales. The outcomes divulge the following: (1) At the provincial echelon, the progression of carbon emissions born from energy consumption within the Yangtze River Economic Zone presents an escalating then stabilizing trend line. The carbon emissions growth rate transitions from a swift ascension of 8.44 percent initially, subsequently tapering to a moderate increment of 0.42 percent at the period’s culmination. The trajectory of carbon decoupling at the provincial scale tends to be generally propitious. (2) At the municipal scale, the overall carbon emission level shows a gradual upward trend, and then gradually forms a pattern of centripetal aggregation and peripheral diffusion. The decoupling status during the study period is mainly weak and strong decoupling, with the number of weak decoupling showing a fluctuating change in increasing and then decreasing, while the strong decoupling shows a slow and orderly growth trend, and is mainly distributed in most of the municipalities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. (3) At the county scale, centripetal aggregation and peripheral diffusion were already present at the beginning of the study period, followed by the gradual expansion and formation of several carbon emission centers of different sizes. The temporal evolution of county-level decoupling is more significant, with weak and strong decoupling dominating the county-scale decoupling during the study period, especially in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, but the overall trend shows signs of gradual decoupling. Full article

The urban carbon footprint (UCF) is an important tool for assessing an organization’s ecological impacts and in guiding sustainability efforts. This calculation is usually measured in tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂-eq). Calculations provide important data to determine strategies to reduce the carbon footprint and establish sustainability targets. Various standards and protocols guide UCF calculation, and many organizations aim to make these data transparent to their stakeholders and the public. This study aims to calculate the UCF of Sarıçam Municipality (SM) in the Adana Province of Türkiye. This study includes the greenhouse gas emission inventories resulting from all activities of the SM main service building, guest house, construction site service building, Cultural Center service building, and additional service buildings between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022. The calculations include generator fuel consumption, electricity consumption, the refrigerant gas leaks and refills resulting from these activities, the fuel consumed in vehicles owned by the company or whose fuel consumption is under company control, emissions originating from personal travel, emissions originating from customers and visitors, emissions originating from business travel, purchases, etc. Emissions from products purchased and emissions from waste transportation are included. The findings show that, in 2022, the total UCF of SM was equal to 10,862.46 tons of CO₂-eq. The Paris Agreement aims to reduce the per capita emissions to approximately two tons of CO₂-eq by 2030. The carbon footprint per employee within the municipality was calculated at 12.43 tons of CO₂-eq, as derived from the analyzed data. The results reveal the importance of implementing sustainable practices and strategies within SM, such as energy efficiency measures, waste reduction, and the adoption of renewable energy sources, to mitigate its carbon footprint. This study plans to provide a basis for SM’s reduction efforts by keeping greenhouse gas emissions under control. Full article

The electric vehicle deployment, due to the plans defined according to the energy transition objectives, produces new challenges for the electrical system. These challenges are associated with the charging infrastructure of these vehicles since they require a high current during specific periods, which can increase losses in the network, overload the lines, or cause voltage drops that affect the system’s stability. To solve these challenges, one of the possible solutions is the investment in new network infrastructure to face the increase in demand, such as the construction of new transformation centers or new medium and low-voltage lines. However, in the case of rural networks with a small number of users, these investments may not be viable. This article analyzes the possible impacts of connecting electric vehicles in a rural low-voltage network located in a Spanish municipality, as well as possible implementable solutions that do not require investment in new infrastructure. The number of connected vehicles has been calculated based on the national plan for 2030, and the network model used is based on actual data provided by the distribution company that operates in the area. Full article

The concept of a smart city is becoming increasingly popular to improve citizens’ quality of life. Institutions are also committed to enhancing the sustainability of cities by implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper presents a Balaguer case study investigating energy demand monitoring, decreasing energy demand, and citizen acceptance in a municipality district. The study collected data from three sources: (1) quantitative data coming from on-site sensors; (2) quantitative data from a simulation of the area; and (3) qualitative data from questionnaires developed with a totem located in the city center. This study shows the importance of citizen science in contributing towards the increased awareness of energy demand, renewable energy, and climate change. But it also shows how citizen science can improve research quality involving the municipality authorities. This study also was instrumental in contributing to the increase in awareness among municipality authorities and capacity building on the topic. This activity may also contribute towards the implementation of actions to reduce the energy demand in public buildings and helping them in deploying policies to decrease energy demand in buildings, increase the use of renewable energy, and increase awareness among citizens. The government will use the information gathered to develop policies for citizen improvement. Full article

The northern region of Portugal has the largest number of companies manufacturing granite and stone products, which has become the region’s trademark. In the municipalities of Marco de Canaveses and Penafiel, the economic activity of this area is important. However, the lack of attractiveness of this activity, combined with the high prevalence of silicosis and tuberculosis in this population, has led to a growing shortage of labor. In order for this project to be the result of collaborative, integral work centered on the people who are the target of health promotion, we used the Participatory Health Research (PHR) approach, based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, to implement a mixed-methods study, including participant observation, interviews and document analysis. These data were used to co-create a study design. In 2021, a total of 102 interviews were carried out and self-completion surveys were distributed: the Fantastic Lifestyle Questionnaire (FLQ) and the EQ-5D-3L. Within the scope of occupational health nursing and in the field of action of public health nurses, with the interviews and self-completed surveys carried out, we identified potential focuses for occupational health nursing intervention to promote the health of stone industry workers: adherence to protective measures, energy balance deficit, tobacco and alcohol consumption and access to health services. Data analysis made it possible to assess the prevalence of risk behaviors by order and to involve managers and workers in the co-creation of a health promotion program. The accurate identification of the focuses for nursing intervention not only improves the effectiveness of occupational health services, allowing for targeted interventions adapted to workers’ needs, but also contributes considerably to health promotion in the workplace, resulting in safer working environments, a reduction in occupational diseases and, consequently, a healthier and more productive workforce. This protocol of this study was not registered. Full article

With burgeoning economic development, a surging influx of greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide (CO₂), has precipitated global warming, thus accentuating the critical imperatives of monitoring and predicting carbon emissions. Conventional approaches employed in the examination of carbon emissions predominantly rely on energy statistics procured from the National Bureau of Statistics and local statistical bureaus. However, these conventional data sources, often encapsulated in statistical yearbooks, exclusively furnish insights into energy consumption at the national and provincial levels, so the assessment at a more granular scale, such as the municipal and county levels, poses a formidable challenge. This study, using nighttime light data and statistics records spanning from 2000 to 2019, undertook a comparative analysis, scrutinizing various modeling methodologies, encompassing linear, exponential, and logarithmic models, with the aim of assessing carbon emissions across diverse spatial scales. A multifaceted analysis unfolded, delving into the key attributes of China’s carbon emissions, spanning total carbon emissions, per capita carbon emissions, and carbon emission intensity. Spatial considerations were also paramount, encompassing an examination of carbon emissions across provincial, municipal, and county scales, as well as an intricate exploration of spatial patterns, including the displacement of the center of gravity and the application of trend analyses. These multifaceted analyses collectively contributed to the endeavor of predicting China’s future carbon emission trajectory. The findings of the study revealed that at the national scale, total carbon emissions exhibited an annual increment throughout the period spanning 2000 to 2019. Secondly, upon an in-depth evaluation of model fitting, it was evident that the logarithmic model emerged as the most adept in terms of fitting, presenting a mean R² value of 0.83. Thirdly, the gravity center of carbon emissions in China was situated within Henan Province, and there was a discernible overall shift towards the southwest. In 2025 and 2030, it is anticipated that the average quantum of China’s carbon emissions will reach 7.82 × 10² million and 25.61 × 10² million metric tons, with Shandong Province emerging as the foremost contributor. In summary, this research serves as a robust factual underpinning and an indispensable reference point for advancing the scientific underpinnings of China’s transition to a low-carbon economy and the judicious formulation of policies governing carbon emissions. Full article

Introduction: Insufficient nutrient intake is a strong independent predictor of mortality in elderly patients with heart failure. However, it is unclear to what extent energy intake affects their prognosis. This study investigated the association between patient outcomes and actual measured energy intake in elderly patients (≥65 years) with heart failure. Methods: This study enrolled 139 elderly patients who were hospitalized with worsening heart failure at Shingu Municipal Medical Center, Shingu, Japan, between May 2017 and April 2018. Energy intake was evaluated for three days (from three days prior to the day of discharge until the day of discharge). Based on basal energy expenditure calculated using the Harris–Benedict equation, the patients were classified into a low-energy group (n = 38) and a high-energy group (n = 101). We assessed the prognosis in terms of both all-cause mortality and readmission due to worsening heart failure as a primary outcome. Results: Compared to the patients in the high-energy group, the patients in the low-energy group were predominantly female, less frequently had smoking habits and ischemic heart diseases, and had a higher left ventricular ejection fraction. The low-energy group had higher mortality than the high-energy group (p = 0.028), although the two groups showed equivalent event rates of the primary outcome (p = 0.569). Conclusion: Calculations based on the Harris–Benedict equation revealed no significant difference in the primary outcome between the two groups, with a secondary outcome that showed worse mortality in the low-energy group. Given this result, energy requirement-based assessments using the Harris–Benedict equation might help in the management of elderly heart failure patients in terms of improved life outcomes. Full article

This paper addresses the riverine flood events that have occurred in Greece over the last 136 years (i.e., during the 1886–2022 period), focusing, amongst others, on the case of urban floods. The flood record of various sites of the country has been collected and analyzed to determine their spatial and temporal distribution. Greece is a country where flood data and records are very scarce. Therefore, as there is not an integrated catalog of Greek floods spanning from the 19th century to recently, this is the first attempt to create an integrated catalog for Greece. The sources used include published papers, local and regional newspapers and public bodies (mainly the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the official websites of Greek municipalities). Additionally, the main factors responsible for their occurrence have been issued, regarding the country’s climatic, geological and geomorphological setting, as well as human interventions. In addition, the atmospheric circulation driving factors of floods are assessed via an unsupervised neural network approach (i.e., Self-Organizing Maps). Based on the results of this research, an online GIS-based database has been created, depicting the areas that have been struck by riverine floods in Greece. By clicking a flood event in the online database, one can view several characteristics, depending on data availability, such as duration and height of the rainfall that caused them and number of fatalities. Long-term trends of mean and extremes seasonal precipitation also linked to the spatial distribution of floods. Our analysis shows that urban floods are a very large portion of the overall flood record, and they mainly occur in the two large urban centers, Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as near large rivers such as Pineios. Autumn months and mainly November are the periods with higher flood hazards, based on past records and cyclonic atmospheric circulation constitutes the principal driving factor. Our results indicate that a flood catalog at national level is of fundamental importance, as it can provide valuable statistical insights regarding seasonality, spatial distribution of floods, etc., while it can also be used by stakeholders and researchers for flood management and flood risk analysis and modelling. Full article