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Efficient urban land use is a cornerstone of sustainable city development, yet the drivers of such efficiency are increasingly complex in an era of spatial transformation. As industrial specialization and collaboration deepen, cities are becoming interconnected through complex networks. These “invisible threads” are redefining the dynamics of land use and spatial efficiency. This study examines the influence of intercity industrial networks on urban land use efficiency by constructing urban networks from multi-regional input–output data and evaluating city performance using a super-SBM model. We employed Tobit regression and mediation analysis to identify the mechanisms. Results indicate that both the quantity and quality of urban network connections significantly enhance land use efficiency, with notable differences across city types. The positive effect of industrial network centrality is most pronounced in large cities. In growing cities, both the number and quality of industrial linkages promote efficiency, whereas in shrinking cities, connection quality is more critical than quantity. Mechanism analysis reveals that industrial networks improve land use efficiency primarily by expanding intermediate goods markets and fostering technological innovation. Full article

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is expected to play a relevant role in decarbonising our cities, both in new buildings and retrofit projects, making them more sustainable, resilient and pleasant. However, BIPV remains a niche market. To understand the reasons and help boost its development, this paper provides insights into BIPV through a holistic and systematic analysis that considers BIPV’s dual nature as both photovoltaic and building product. The methodology is based on the analyses of several BIPV technological innovation systems (TISs) developed in six countries, as well as extensive comparative assessments and investigations to identify key global features of BIPV. Social aspects, market status and forecast, perspectives from the photovoltaic and building sectors, and related regulations and standardisation are key aspects analysed to develop recommendations for policymakers. Outcome examples are low to moderate acceptance of BIPV among building owners, who give cost reasons for choosing building-added photovoltaics (BAPV) over BIPV, as well as a need for information, official guidance, skilled personnel, improved cross-sector collaboration, availability of BIPV products, proper digital tools and specific regulation to improve BIPV’s legitimacy in the construction sector. Essential is developing policies that encourage the adoption of BIPV, including standardisation, promotion and financing. Full article

The construction industry is a major contributor to environmental degradation, primarily due to the substantial volumes of construction waste (CW) generated on-site. As sustainability becomes a global imperative aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda, identifying and mitigating the root causes of CW is essential. This study adopts a cross-disciplinary approach to explore the drivers of CW and support more effective, sustainable waste reduction strategies. A systematic literature review was conducted to extract 25 key CW source factors from academic publications. These were analyzed using Social Network Analysis (SNA) to reveal their structural relationships and relative influence. The results indicate that the lack of structured on-site waste management planning, accumulation of residual materials, and insufficient worker training are among the most influential CW drivers. Comparative analysis with industry data highlights theoretical–practical gaps and the need for improved alignment between research insights and site implementation. This paper recommends the adoption of tiered waste management protocols as part of contractual documentation, integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM)-based residual material traceability systems, and increasing attention to workforce training programs focused on material handling efficiency. Future research should extend SNA frameworks to sector-specific waste patterns (e.g., pavement or demolition projects) and explore the intersection between digital technologies and circular economy practices. The study contributes to enhancing waste governance, promoting resource efficiency, and advancing circularity in the built environment by offering data-driven prioritization of CW sources and actionable mitigation strategies. Full article

In the context of the rapid development of e-commerce, the selection of optimal land plots for the construction of warehouse complexes that meet environmental, technical, and political requirements has become increasingly relevant. This task requires a comprehensive approach that accounts for a wide range of factors, including transportation accessibility, environmental conditions, geographic features, legal constraints, and more. Such an approach enhances the efficiency and sustainability of decision-making processes. This article presents a solution to the aforementioned problem that employs the use of land suitability maps generated by aggregating multiple evaluation criteria. These criteria represent the degree to which each land plot satisfies the requirements of various stakeholders and are expressed as suitability functions based on attribute values. Attributes describe different characteristics of the land plots and are represented as layers on a digital terrain map. The criteria and their corresponding attributes are classified as either quantitative or binary. Binary criteria are aggregated using the minimum operator, which filters out plots that violate any constraints by assigning them a suitability score of zero. Quantitative criteria are aggregated using the second-order Choquet integral, a method that accounts for interdependencies among criteria while maintaining computational simplicity. The criteria were developed based on statistical and environmental data obtained from an analysis of the Samara region in Russia. The resulting suitability maps are visualized as gradient maps, where land plots are categorized according to their degree of suitability—from completely unsuitable to highly suitable. This visual representation facilitates intuitive interpretation and comparison of different location options. These maps serve as an effective tool for planners and stakeholders, providing comprehensive and objective insights into the potential of land plots while incorporating all relevant factors. The proposed approach supports spatial analysis and land use planning by integrating mathematical modeling with modern information technologies to address pressing challenges in sustainable development. Full article

This study develops a four-dimensional value-assessment framework encompassing economic, innovation, social, and cultural dimensions to evaluate the multidimensional performance of family firms in China. Drawing on the entropy weighting method, we construct a composite value index for 251 A-share listed family firms from 2014 to 2023 and apply spatial statistical techniques—including Dagum Gini coefficients, Theil indices, and coefficients of variation—to examine temporal evolution and regional disparities. We further estimate explanatory panel models with firm and year fixed effects (Hausman test favoring FE) to identify the firm-level determinants of composite value. Leverage exhibits a significantly negative association with value, while firm size and innovation capacity are positively related; no significant moderating effect of technology-intensive industry is found. A robustness check using equal weights (0.25 for each dimension) yields an almost perfect correlation (0.9999) with the entropy-weighted index, confirming that the dominance of the innovation dimension in the weighting scheme does not materially affect the overall conclusions. The results highlight the importance of integrating multidimensional value perspectives into both academic research and policy design to promote balanced, inclusive, and sustainable development trajectories for family enterprises. Full article

Alkanolamine additives play a critical role in enhancing the early process performance of cement slurries, thereby improving construction efficiency and structural durability. This study systematically evaluates the effects of ethanolamine (EA), diethanolamine (DEA), and triethanolamine (TEA) on cement slurry properties, including the thickening time, rheology, density, shrinkage, and hydration kinetics. Clear structure–activity relationships are established based on the findings. The experimental analysis demonstrated that increasing the hydroxyl group count in the alkanolamines significantly accelerated cement hydration. At a dosage of 1.0%, the thickening time of the cement slurry was significantly shortened to 125 min (EA), 15 min (DEA), and 12 min (TEA), respectively. Concomitantly, a reduction in fluidity was observed, with flow diameters measuring 15.8 cm (EA), 14.6 cm (DEA), and 14.1 cm (TEA). The rheological analysis revealed that the alkanolamine additives significantly increased the consistency coefficient (K) and decreased the flowability index (n) of the slurry, with TEA exhibiting the most pronounced effect. The density measurements confirmed the enhanced settlement stability, as the density differences diminished to 0.1 g/cm³ at the optimal dosages (0.6% TEA and 0.8% DEA). The hydration degree analysis indicated a hydration rate acceleration of up to 32% relative to plain slurry, attributed to the hydroxyl-facilitated promotion of Ca(OH)₂ formation and C₃S dissolution. The XRD analysis confirmed that the alkanolamines modified the reaction kinetics without inducing phase transformation in the hydration products. Crucially, the hydroxyl group count governed the performance: a higher hydroxyl density intensified Ca²⁺/Al³⁺ complexation, thereby reducing ion mobility and accelerating setting. These findings establish a molecular design framework for alkanolamine-based additives that balances early process performance development with practical workability. The study advances sustainable cement technology by enabling targeted optimization of rheological and mechanical properties in high-demand engineering applications. Full article

The increasing adoption of industrialized offsite construction (IOC) offers substantial benefits in efficiency, quality, and sustainability, yet presents persistent challenges related to data fragmentation, real-time monitoring, and coordination. This systematic review investigates the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced digital twins (DTs) in addressing these challenges within IOC. Employing a hybrid re-view methodology—combining scientometric mapping and qualitative content analysis—52 relevant studies were analyzed to identify technological trends, implementation barriers, and emerging research themes. The findings reveal that AI-driven DTs enable dynamic scheduling, predictive maintenance, real-time quality control, and sustainable lifecycle management across all IOC phases. Seven thematic application clusters are identified, including logistics optimization, safety management, and data interoperability, supported by a layered architectural framework and key enabling technologies. This study contributes to the literature by providing an early synthesis that integrates technical, organizational, and strategic dimensions of AI-driven DT implementation in IOC context. It distinguishes DT applications in IOC from those in onsite construction and expands AI’s role beyond conventional data analytics toward agentive, autonomous decision-making. The proposed future research agenda offers strategic directions such as the development of DT maturity models, lifecycle-spanning integration strategies, scalable AI agent systems, and cost-effective DT solutions for small and medium enterprises. Full article

Energy security has emerged as a critical concern amid intensifying climate risks and surging energy demand driven by economic growth. This study examines the impact of climate risk on energy security by constructing a panel dataset covering 30 Chinese provinces from 2006 to 2022. Using the instrumental variable generalized method of moments (IV-GMM) model, we estimate the marginal impact of climate risk on energy security and further investigate its asymmetric, direct, and indirect relationships via panel quantile regression and mediation analysis. Our key findings are as follows: (1) Climate risk exerts a significant negative impact on energy security, indicating an inverse relationship. (2) The effect of climate risk is asymmetric, with a stronger adverse impact in regions with lower levels of energy security. (3) Climate risk undermines energy security by reducing energy accessibility, affordability, sustainability, and technological efficiency. (4) Energy transition and energy efficiency serve as critical mediators in the relationship between climate risk and energy security, offering insights into potential mitigation pathways. Unlike previous studies that primarily examine energy security in isolation or focus on single dimensions, this research integrates a multidimensional indicator system and advanced econometric techniques to uncover both direct and mediated pathways, thereby filling a key gap in understanding the climate–energy nexus at the provincial level in China. Based on these findings, we propose targeted policy recommendations to enhance energy security by improving climate resilience, accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, and optimizing energy infrastructure investments. Full article

Synergizing soil quality improvement and greening for increased yields are essential to ensuring grain security and developing sustainable agriculture, which has become a key issue in agricultural cultivation. This study considers a contract farming supply chain composed of a risk-averse farmer and a risk-neutral firm making green and efficient technology (GET) investments, which refers to the use of technology monitoring to achieve fertilizer reduction and yield increases with yield uncertainty. Based on the CvaR (Conditional value at Risk) criterion, the Stackelberg game method is applied to construct a two-level supply chain model and analyze different cooperation mechanisms. The results show that when the wholesale price is moderate, both sides will choose the cooperative mechanism of cost sharing to invest in technology; the uncertainty of yield and the degree of risk aversion have a negative impact on the agricultural inputs and GET investment, and when yield fluctuates greatly, the farmer invests in GET to make higher utility but lowers profits for the firm and supply chain. This study provides a theoretical basis for GET investment decisions in agricultural supply chains under yield uncertainty and has important practical value for promoting sustainable agricultural development and optimizing supply chain cooperation mechanisms. Full article

With the ongoing transformation of the energy structure and the advancement of smart grid development, green and sustainable development of substations has become an inevitable trend. As the core driving force of substation transformation, novel technologies remain at the pilot application stage, and their performance evaluations are yet to be clarified. In view of this, this paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation framework for the application effectiveness of novel technologies in green construction for substations. Firstly, based on the feature for the whole life cycle of the technologies, an evaluation index system is established covering multiple dimensions and stages, including resource conservation, technical performance enhancement, and economic benefits. Secondly, on the basis of AHP group decision and EWM combination weights, a variable-weight model is constructed by combining projection gray target evaluation to enable significant differentiation in cross-technology comparative analysis. Finally, a case study is conducted on pilot applications of multiple novel technologies in substations within a specific region, and the results indicate that novel technologies which demonstrate better sustainable development effects throughout the entire life cycle have a broader prospect for promotion. Full article

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), as an eco-friendly biomineralization technology, has opened up an innovative path for the green and low-carbon development of the mining industry. Unlike conventional methods, its in situ solidification minimizes environmental disturbances and reduces carbon emissions during construction. This article reviews the research on MICP technology in various scenarios within the mining industry, summarizes the key factors influencing the application of MICP, and proposes a future research direction to fill the gap of the lack of systematic guidance for the application of MICP in this field. Specifically, it elaborates on the solidification mechanism of MICP and its current application in the solidification and storage of tailings, heavy metal immobilization, waste resource utilization, carbon sequestration, and field-scale deployment, establishing a technical foundation for broader implementation in the mining sector. Key influencing factors that affect the solidification effect of MICP are discussed, along with critical engineering challenges such as the attenuation of microbial activity and the low uniformity of calcium carbonate precipitation under extreme conditions. Proposed solutions include environmentally responsive self-healing technologies (the stimulus-responsive properties of the carriers extend the survival window of microorganisms), a one-phase low-pH injection method (when the pH = 5, the delay time for CaCO₃ to appear is 1.5 h), and the incorporation of auxiliary additives (the auxiliary additives provided more adsorption sites for microorganisms). Future research should focus on in situ real-time monitoring of systems integrated with deep learning, systematic mineralization evaluation standard system, and urea-free mineralization pathways under special conditions. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, MICP offers significant potential for integrated scientific and engineering solutions in mine waste solidification and sustainable resource utilization. Full article

Human activities undoubtedly increase greenhouse gases (GHG), negatively influencing global climate change. The building and construction sector uses at least 40% of the total energy consumption and produces the same percentage of GHG emissions. Therefore, the development of sustainable building materials is a crucial key factor for environmental protection. The study contributes to the development of bio-based façade materials using available raw biomass like wheat straw, grey alder, and softwood (a mix of spruce and pine), to promote reduced emissions of CO₂. Two technologies were used to produce high-density particleboards based on (1) steam explosion treatment and (2) the addition of bio-based suberinic acids as a binder. In addition to the biomass species and board type, the influence of conventional and mold hot-pressing was investigated on produced board properties: density, thickness swelling, modules of rupture and elasticity in bending, and internal bonding. The obtained particleboards demonstrate significant differences in terms of the tested properties depending on all variable factors. The best performance, in terms of physical–mechanical properties, was achieved by the conventionally hot-pressed board of steam-exploded grey alder particles, being influenced by the highest density (1380 kg/m³). Mold hot-pressing in most cases resulted in decreased performance of obtained boards. Full article

The excessive emission of cadmium (Cd²⁺) poses a serious threat to the aquatic environment due to its high toxicity and bioaccumulation potential. This study constructed three types of vertical-subsurface-flow constructed wetlands configured with iron–carbon–zeolite composite substrates, including an iron–carbon–zeolite constructed wetland (TF-CW), a zeolite–iron–carbon constructed wetland (FT-CW), and an iron–carbon–zeolite mixed constructed wetland (H-CW), to investigate the purification performance and mechanisms of constructed wetlands for cadmium-containing wastewater (0~6 mg/L). The results demonstrated that iron–carbon–zeolite composite substrates significantly enhanced Cd²⁺ removal efficiency (>99%) through synergistic redox-adsorption mechanisms, where the iron–carbon substrate layer dominated Fe-Cd co-precipitation, while the zeolite layer achieved short-term cadmium retention through ion-exchange adsorption. FT-CW exhibited superior NH₄⁺-N removal efficiency (77.66%~92.23%) compared with TF-CW (71.45%~88.05%), while iron–carbon micro-electrolysis effectively inhibited NO₃⁻-N accumulation (<0.1 mg/L). Under cadmium stress, Typha primarily accumulated cadmium through its root systems (>85%) and alleviated oxidative damage by dynamically regulating antioxidative enzyme activity, with the superoxide dismutase (SOD) peak occurring at 3 mg/L Cd²⁺ treatment. Microbial community analysis revealed that iron–carbon substrates promoted the relative abundance of Bacteroidota and Patescibacteria as well as the enrichment of Saccharimonadales, Thauera, and Rhodocyclaceae (genera), enhancing system stability. This study confirms that iron–carbon–zeolite CWs provide an efficient and sustainable technological pathway for heavy metal-contaminated water remediation through multidimensional mechanisms of “chemical immobilization–plant enrichment–microbial metabolism”. Full article

The aim of the study was to evaluate the digital business transformation across EU countries and its relationship with key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The Digital Business Transformation Index, developed from eleven digital technology indicators related to e-business and e-commerce, is constructed using Principal Component Analysis to provide a comprehensive framework for assessing digitalization at the enterprise level. The results reveal substantial disparities among member states, with northern and western countries leading, while southern and eastern countries are lagging behind. Regression analyses show a strong positive relationship between digital business transformation and SDG 9 and a negative association with SDG 13. Cluster analysis identifies six groups of countries with varying levels of digital and sustainability performance and emphasizes the need for tailored policy responses. Evidence confirms a digital–green trade-off in many EU countries; however, strategic policy integration can mitigate this challenge. The findings underline the importance of targeted investments in R&D, digital infrastructure, and ICT training, particularly in underperforming regions. Tailored measures are essential to ensure that digital business transformation aligns with inclusive and sustainable development across the EU. Full article

Innovative technologies have been helping to improve comfort and safety at work in high-risk sectors for years. The study analysed the impact, along with an assessment of potential implementations (opportunities and limitations) of innovative technological solutions for improving occupational safety in two selected sectors of the economy: mining and construction. The technologies evaluated included unmanned aerial vehicles and inspection robots, the Internet of Things and sensors, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, innovative individual and collective protective equipment, and exoskeletons. Due to the extensive nature of the obtained materials, the research description has been divided into two articles (Part I and Part II). This article presents the first three technologies. After the scientific literature from the Scopus database was analysed, some research gaps that need to be filled were identified. In addition to the obvious benefits of increased occupational safety for workers, innovative technological solutions also offer employers several economic advantages that affect the industry’s sustainability. Innovative technologies are playing an increasingly important role in improving safety in mining and construction. However, further integration and overcoming implementation barriers, such as the need for changes in education, are needed to realise their full potential. Full article