Winter-autumn air pollution control plan in North China modified the PM2.5 compositions and sources in Central China

The additional impact of emission-reduction measures in North China (NC) during autumn and winter on the air quality of downwind regions is an interesting but less addressed topic. The mass concentrations of routine air pollutants, the chemical compositions, and sources of fine particles (PM2.5) for January 2018, 2019, and 2020 at a megacity of Central China were identified, and meteorology-isolated by a machine-learning technique. Their variations were classified according to air mass direction. An unexpectedly sharp increase in emission-related PM2.5 by 22.7% (18.0 mug m-3) and 25.7% (19.4 mug m-3) for air masses from local and NC in 2019 was observed compared to those of 2018. Organic materials exhibited the highest increase in PM2.5 compositions by 6.90 mug m-3 and 6.23 mug m-3 for the air masses from local and NC. PM2.5 source contributions related to emission showed an upsurge from 1.39 mug m-3 (biomass burning) to 24.9 mug m-3 (secondary inorganic aerosol) in 2019 except for industrial processes, while all reduced in 2020. From 2018 to 2020, the emission-related contribution of coal combustion to PM2.5 increased from 10.0% to 19.0% for air masses from the local area. To support the priority natural gas quotas in northern China, additional coal in cities of southern China was consumed, raising related emissions from transportation activities and road dust in urban regions, as well as additional biofuel consumption in suburban or rural regions. All these activities could explain the increased primary PM2.5 and related precursor NO2. This study gave substantial evidence of air pollution control measures impacting the downwind regions and promote the necessity of air pollution joint control across the administration.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Using Landfill Sites and Marginal Lands for Socio-Economically Sustainable Biomass Production through Cultivation of Non-Food Energy Crops: An Analysis Focused on South Asia and Europe

Food security and energy transition are among the current major global environmental challenges. Although these issues individually are significant in their own right, they are connected to each other in a nexus with different interrelationships and dependencies. In the quest for non-fossil alternatives for energy, cultivation of bioenergy crops has become an important part of the energy policy in many countries. In this regard, the use of fertile agricultural land for growing crops for energy production rather than for food supply affects the global food security. Recent conflicts and the geopolitical crisis in Europe, leading to increased food, fuel, and fertiliser prices, the existing climate crisis, and the crisis caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have further reinforced the understanding of this nexus, with certain countries mulling limiting biofuel production from agricultural land and others banning food grain exports to safeguard food supply. The idea of growing non-food energy crops on marginal lands in general and closed landfill sites in particular is hence ever more relevant, to avoid land-use concurrence between food needs and energy needs. Landfilling has been the dominant waste management strategy until recently in European countries and is still the dominant mode of waste management in low-income regions like South Asia. This paper provides a review of the economic as well as environmental benefits of growing Ricinus communis L., Jatropha curcas L., and Populus deltoides as energy crops on closed landfill sites in the South Asian context. While as the cultivation of Miscanthus X Giganteus, Silphium perfoliatum L., and Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass) is reviewed in the European context. The cultivation of non-food energy crops like these on closed landfill sites and marginal lands is presented as a potential component of an integrated food-energy policy, with an increased relevance in the current times. In the current times of multiple crises, this measure is of increasing relevance as a part of the overall strategy to achieve resilience and environmental sustainability.

Experimental analysis of the recovery and chemical properties of pyrolytic oil derived from medical waste with varying components combined via a systematic combination approach

Pyrolysis of medical waste components combined via a novel systematic combination approach (sequentially binary, ternary, and quaternary copyrolysis) was conducted at 400°C to investigate the synergy between medical waste components in improving chemical characteristics and yields of pyrolytic oil. Pyrolysis of hydrocarbon-polymer-containing materials such as medical gloves and rubber bands produced more than 30% of liquid products with substantial compositions of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon polymers. On the other hand, moisture- and carbonyl-rich pyrolytic liquid products with low selectivity were obtained from pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass waste such as HVS paper (houtvrij schrijfpapier, meaning "writing paper made from wood pulp”) and garden waste. Binary copyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and medical gloves exhibited improvement on pyrolytic liquid yield and selectivity toward saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon polymers due to hydrogen donor as the medical glove fraction became dominant. The addition of rubber band to the mixture of HVS paper and medical face masks enhanced the pyrolytic liquid yield. The pyrolysis of the mixture of HVS paper, medical face masks, medical gloves, and either rubber bands or cotton fabrics with mixture ratio of 60:20:10:10 yielded the most optimum pyrolytic liquid yield with significant distribution of alkanes in the pyrolytic liquid products. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

New perspectives for maximizing sustainable bioethanol production from corn stover

In Egypt, the production of second-generation bioethanol from agricultural waste is a thriving method to compensate the excessive usage as a consequence of the outspread of Covid-19. The profusion and renewability of lignocellulosic biomass urge its utilization as a promising feedstock for bioethanol production. However, functional delignification without affecting the cellulose matrices remains the major obstacle to achieving effective enzyme accessibility. This paper highlights a novel physio-chemical combination for corn stover (CS) pretreatment for bioethanol production. The optimum pretreatment condition was achieved using a mixture of 5% maleic acid (MA) and 3% citric acid (CA) for 30 min at an autoclave temperature of 110 °C leading to produce a pretreated CS (MAC) with 99% hemicellulose removal, 90% cellulose recovery, and 80% lignin removal. Characteristics analyses such as;SEM, FTIR, TGA, EDX, elemental, proximate, ultimate, higher heating value (HHV), and functionalization analyses were performed to emphasize the property and structure change of CS before and after the pretreatment. Then, MAC was hydrolyzed by cellulase enzyme and produced 13.5 g/L glucose yield which was fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and produced 10 g/L bioethanol. [Display omitted] [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Renewable Energy: An International Journal is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Emerging applications of green coconut: A promising lignocellulosic biomass

Waste accumulation is a grave concern and becoming a transboundary challenge for environment. During Covid-19 pandemic, diverse type of waste were collected due to different practices employed in order to fight back the transmission rate of the virus. Covid-19 was proved to be capricious catastrophe of this 20th century and even not completely eradicated from the world. The havoc created by this imperceptible quick witted, pleomorphic deadly virus can't be ignored. Though a number of vaccines have been developed by the scientists but there is a fear of getting this virus again in our life. Medical studies prove that immunity drinks will help to reduce its reoccurrences. Coconut water is widely used among all drinks available globally. Its massive consumption created an incalculable pile of green coconut shells around the different corners of the world. This practice generating enormous problem of space acquisition for the environment. Both the environment and public health will benefit from an evaluation of quantity of coconut waste that is being thrown and its potential to generate value added products. With this context, present article has been planned to study different aspects like, coconut waste generation, its biological properties and environmental hazards associated with its accumulation. Additionally, this review illustrates, green technologies for production of different value added products from coconut waste. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

An evocative approach to utilize castoff PPE kits (Covid-19): Sustainable approach

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for causing Covid-19 has taken millions of life. Globally, combating COVID-19 pandemic is the primary aim of all the researchers working in any field of study viz. pharmaceutical, chemistry, physics, economics etc. One of the warrior against Covid-19 is Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), which is an indispensable requirement for healthcare workers and others working closely with Covid-19 patients. The kits are providing protection from direct infection. They are made of different types of plastics and their disposal is going to be a serious menace, if not taken care of properly. The disposal of PPE is being done as per the guidelines provided by World Health Organization. However, the final fate of polymer is yet to be decided. This study is critical suggestive approach to value add the disposed PPE kits by converting them to bio-oil. In addition to environmental advantages, it could also minimize the dependency on non-renewable fossil fuels.

Post-pandemic micro/nanoplastic pollution: Toward a sustainable management.

The global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in massive plastic pollution from the use of personal protection equipment (PPE), with polypropylene (PP) being a major component. Owing to the weathering of exposed PPEs, such contamination causes microplastic (MP) and nanoplastic (NP) pollution and is extremely likely to act as a vector for the transportation of COVID-19 from one area to another. Thus, a post-pandemic scenario can forecast with certainty that a significant amount of plastic garbage combined with MP/NP formation has an adverse effect on the ecosystem. Therefore, updating traditional waste management practices, such as landfilling and incineration, is essential for making plastic waste management sustainable to avert this looming catastrophe. This study investigates the post-pandemic scenario of MP/NP pollution and provides an outlook on an integrated approach to the recycling of PP-based plastic wastes. The recovery of crude oil, solid char, hydrocarbon gases, and construction materials by approximately 75, 33, 55, and 2 %, respectively, could be achieved in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, the development of biodegradable and self-sanitizing smart PPEs has been identified as a promising alternative for drastically reducing plastic pollution.

Analyzing the risk spillovers of international crude oil on China's corn and biofuel ethanol markets: A transition toward green economy and environmental sustainability

This study aims to analyze the risk spillover effects between the global crude oil market and the biofuel ethanol and corn markets in China, employing a DCC-GARCH-Copula-CoVaR model and basing the weekly price data from 2012 to 2021. The empirical results revealed that there were dynamic conditional correlations among international crude oil, China's biofuel ethanol, and corn markets. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the CoVaR and Delta CoVaR changed, which caused a sharp increase in the mean values and volatility. Additionally, China's biofuel ethanol market is more vulnerable to the risk spillovers from the international crude oil market than China's corn market. However, China's markets do not appear to have obvious risk spillover effects on the global market. The implications of the results are discussed in financial market supervision, including the risk management and portfolio adjustment.

Do biofuel production and financial speculation in agricultural commodities influence African food prices? New evidence from a TVP-VAR extended joint connectedness approach

Many African countries experienced social disorder and subsequent political instability as a result of global commodity price inflation in 2007–2008, which reaffirmed the importance of overseas factors such as biofuel production, international food and energy prices, and financial speculation. Biofuel, in particular, is often placed at the center of the debate around identifying potential determinants of food price hikes. We apply a time-varying parameter vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) extended joint connectedness approach to uncover the dynamic connectivity of African food prices, US biofuel production, global energy and food prices, and financial speculation. The key findings are;1) the results of averaged connectedness suggest that US biofuel production and financial speculation in agricultural commodities significantly influence African food prices;2) the hefty surges in the dynamic connectedness between African food prices and four cross-border factors are triggered by global events like the 2000 dot-com bubble, the 2008 global commodity boom, and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic;3) arbitrage transactions transmitted intense shocks to African food prices between 2001 and 2012, while biofuel production constantly affected African food prices between 2001 and 2021. We draw pragmatic policy implications to prevent or mitigate market shock transmissions to African food markets.

Relative Prices of Ethanol-Gasoline in the Major Brazilian Capitals: An Analysis to Support Public Policies

The use of biomass as an energy source has advanced in recent decades, given the scientific evidence that it is a solution to the environmental problems faced globally. In this context, biofuels derived from biomass have a prominent role. Among the countries where this alternative is the most promising, Brazil stands out, just behind the USA. It is, therefore, necessary to assess whether such a replacement is economically viable. For such an assessment, the behavior of the relative price of bioethanol/gasoline is crucial. In the present work, the degree of temporal persistence of relative prices, considering the existence of shocks to which they are exposed, is evaluated, considering 15 important Brazilian capitals, via the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). The degree of correlation is also evaluated through the detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) between fuel prices in São Paulo, the capital of the most populous state and main producer of bioethanol, with the capitals of the 14 states selected for the analysis. The period of analysis takes place between 2004 and 2020. The use of DCCA with sliding windows was recently proposed and we also evaluate DFA dynamically in this way, and this, together with an extended sample in the context of Brazilian fuel prices, represents the main innovations of the present work. We found that the degree of persistence varies significantly depending on the capitals analyzed, which means that price variations are localized and demand regional stimulus policies. Furthermore, it was found that the correlation with São Paulo is less intense in the most geographically distant capitals. Such evidence is important and complementary to infer how integrated the national bioethanol market is, in order to support public policies aimed at its consolidation.

Production of Hydrocarbon Liquid Fuels from waste Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) through Pyrolysis

A novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) epidemic identified in a capital of Hubei territory of China in the month of December 2019. Covid-19 was caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) and WHO announced it as pandemic. Health professionals were found at more risk due to frontline patronage during the pandemic. The only way to protect the health of frontliners is to appropriate utilization of PPEs. In this situation, there is always a concern about the shortage of PPEs;on the other hand, environmental consequence is the major issue because of its disposal. Plastic waste pyrolysis may play a major role to modify this waste. Pyrolysis is known as a tertiary recovery process which gives three recyclable end products: an oil, gas, and char. Generally, PPE waste has predominant hydrocarbon polymers which can be utilized as a fuel or feedstock by the synthetic enterprises. In this study, we have used pyrolysis method to transform 50gm PPE waste into hydrocarbons, which can be utilized either as powers or as feedstock in the petrochemical business. The maximum yield of fluid (35 %) was acquired at the reaction performed at 100 degrees C along with the cooling water at 17.59 degrees C. Maximum wax (11.02 %) was produced at 500 degrees C. The findings of this study indicate that non-biodegradable plastic waste may be transformed into useful products which may further be utilized in demanding segments. We have also tried to explore various potential applications of another product of this study i. e., oil.

LIGNIN VALORIZATION PROBLEMS

The review considers two directions of lignin valorization: valorization of technical lignins, as such, without preliminary depolymerization, and valorization through monomeric compounds formed as a result of their selective destruction. The first area includes the production of lignin hydrogels, the use of lignin in medicine and pharmacology, 3D printing, as well as in the production of carbon fibers and biofuels. Lignin hydrogels are distinguished by a high sorption capacity with respect to heavy metals such as lead, iron and copper, which, depending on the content of acidic groups in lignin and the molar mass of sorbate, is ~ 25-50% of the mass of lignin, and therefore they can be used for the purification of waste waters of chemical enterprises. Lignin has high biological activity against various pathogens, including viruses, which makes research in this area very relevant, especially against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of lignin in some composites for 3D printing can increase the mechanical strength of finished products. The industrial implementation of the technology for the production of carbon fibers from lignin will ensure a twofold reduction in the mass of vehicles. The second direction of lignin valorization - hydrogenolysis and selective oxidation - allows one to obtain monomeric compounds with a yield close to the theoretical one. The economic aspects of valorization are also considered. In addition, based on a comparison of the results of valorization of coniferous and deciduous lignins, a hypothesis on the structure of native lignin was proposed. © 2022 Altai State University. All rights reserved.

Agricultural Biomass Supply Chain Resilience: COVID-19 Outbreak vs. Sustainability Compliance, Technological Change, Uncertainties, and Policies

The COVID-19 pandemichas caused a confounding collection of transportation, supply chains, and logistical disruptions, which needs to be well addressed by businesses and governments. During this pandemic, several researchers have concentrated on the sustainability and resilience of supply chains in various industry sectors. Nevertheless, the impacts of the pandemic on sustainability pillars, technological change and uncertainties, and resilience approaches in various sectors have not been clarified yet. More specifically, the agricultural biomass sector has experienced serious disruptions induced by the COVID-19. This paper aims to analyze and assess the agricultural biomass supply and production systems during the COVID-19 and their recovery in post-COVID-19. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the economic, environmental, social, and technological change effects of the COVID-19 on Biomass Supply Chain resilience. Uncertainties of oil and palm energy demand, price, consumption, export, and production of leading producers and suppliers worldwide are analyzed considering the pre-COVID-19 and current COVID-19 period. It is then followed by recommendations for specific strategies, policies for the biomass industry, and general action plan to overcome the problems of resilience in medium, short, and long-term horizon plans. The findings from this study are valuable resources for the governments, biomass industry, and other stakeholders to provide cleaner post-pandemic energy production and supply and enhance the employees’ engagement.

Production of Jet Biofuels by Catalytic Hydroprocessing of Esters and Fatty Acids: A Review

The transition from fossil to bio-based fuels is a requisite for reducing CO2 emissions in the aviation sector. Jet biofuels are alternative aviation fuels with similar chemical composition and performance of fossil jet fuels. In this context, the Hydroprocessing of Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) presents the most consolidated pathway for producing jet biofuels. The process for converting esters and/or fatty acids into hydrocarbons may involve hydrodeoxygenation, hydrocracking and hydroisomerization, depending on the chemical composition of the selected feedstock and the desired fuel properties. Furthermore, the HEFA process is usually performed under high H2 pressures and temperatures, with reactions mediated by a heterogeneous catalyst. In this framework, supported noble metals have been preferably employed in the HEFA process;however, some efforts were reported to utilize non-noble metals, achieving a similar performance of noble metals. Besides the metallic site, the acidic site of the catalyst is crucial for product selectivity. Bifunctional catalysts have been employed for the complete process of jet biofuel production with standardized properties, with a special remark for using zeolites as support. The proper design of heterogeneous catalysts may also reduce the consumption of hydrogen. Finally, the potential of enzymes as catalysts for intermediate products of the HEFA pathway is highlighted.

A dynamic risk assessment model to assess the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the sustainability of the biomass supply chain: A case study of a U.S. biofuel industry.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is highly detrimental, and its death distribution peculiarity has severely affected people's health and the operations of businesses. COVID-19 has wholly undermined the global economy, including inflicting significant damage to the ever-emerging biomass supply chain; its sustainability is disintegrating due to the coronavirus. The biomass supply chain must be sustainable and robust enough to adapt to the evolving and fluctuating risks of the market due to the coronavirus or any potential future pandemics. However, no such study has been performed so far. To address this issue, investigating how COVID-19 influences a biomass supply chain is vital. This paper presents a dynamic risk assessment methodological framework to model biomass supply chain risks due to COVID-19. Using a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) formalism, the impacts of COVID-19 on the performance of biomass supply chain risks have been studied. The proposed model has been applied to the biomass supply chain of a U.S.-based Mahoney Environmental® company in Washington, USA. The case study results show that it would take one year to recover from the maximum damage to the biomass supply chain due to COVID-19, while full recovery would require five years. Results indicate that biomass feedstock gate availability (FGA) is 2%, due to pandemic and lockdown conditions. Due to the availability of vaccination and gradual business reopenings, this availability increases to 92% in the second year. Results also indicate that the price of fossil-based fuel will gradually increase after one year of the pandemic; however, the market prices of fossil-based fuel will not revert to pre-coronavirus conditions even after nine years. K-fold cross-validation is used to validate the DBN. Results of validation indicate a model accuracy of 95%. It is concluded that the pandemic has caused risks to the sustainability of biomass feedstock, and the current study can help develop risk mitigation strategies.

Integrated approach for enhanced bio-oil recovery from disposed face masks through co-hydrothermal liquefaction with Spirulina platensis grown in wastewater.

Currently, the enormous generation of contaminated disposed face masks raises many environmental concerns. The present study provides a novel route for efficient crude bio-oil production from disposed masks through co-hydrothermal liquefaction (Co-HTL) with Spirulina platensis grown in wastewater. Ultimate and proximate analysis confirmed that S. platensis contains relatively high nitrogen content (9.13%dw), which decreased by increasing the mask blend ratio. However, carbon and hydrogen contents were higher in masks (83.84 and 13.77%dw, respectively). In addition, masks showed 29.6% higher volatiles than S. platensis, which resulted in 94.2% lower ash content. Thermal decomposition of masks started at a higher temperature (≈330 °C) comparing to S. platensis (≈208 °C). The highest bio-oil yield was recorded by HTL of S. platensis and Co-HTL with 25% (w/w) masks at 300 °C, which showed insignificant differences with each other. GC/MS analysis of the bio-oil produced from HTL of algal biomass showed a high proportion of nitrogen- and oxygen-containing compounds (3.6% and 11.9%, respectively), with relatively low hydrocarbons (17.4%). Mask blend ratio at 25% reduced the nitrogen-containing compounds by 55.6% and enhanced the hydrocarbons by 43.7%. Moreover, blending of masks with S. platensis enhanced the compounds within the diesel range in favor of gasoline and heavy oil. Overall, the present study provides an innovative route for enhanced bio-oil production through mask recycling coupled with wastewater treatment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13399-021-01891-2.

Next biotechnological plants for addressing global challenges: The contribution of transgenesis and new breeding techniques.

The aim of this survey is to identify and characterize new products in plant biotechnology since 2015, especially in relation to the advent of New Breeding Techniques (NBTs) such as gene editing based on the CRISPR-Cas system. Transgenic (gene transfer or gene silencing) and gene edited traits which are approved or marketed in at least one country, or which have a non-regulated status in the USA, are collected, as well as related patents worldwide. In addition, to shed light on potential innovation for Africa, field trials on the continent are examined. The compiled data are classified in application categories, including agronomic improvements, industrial use and medical use, namely production of recombinant therapeutic molecules or vaccines (including against Covid-19). The data indicate that gene editing appears to be an effective complement to 'classical' transgenesis, the use of which is not declining, rather than a replacement, a trend also observed in the patenting landscape. Nevertheless, increased use of gene editing is apparent. Compared to transgenesis, gene editing has increased the proportion of some crop species and decreased others amongst approved, non-regulated or marketed products. A similar differential trend is observed for breeding traits. Gene editing has also favored the emergence of new private companies. China, and prevalently its public sector, overwhelmingly dominates the patenting landscape, but not the approved/marketed one, which is dominated by the USA. The data point in the direction that regulatory environments will favor or discourage innovation.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Global Agricultural Markets.

This paper analyses the impacts on global agricultural markets of the demand shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the first wave of lockdown measures imposed by the governments in the first semester of 2020 to contain it. Specifically, we perform a scenario-based analysis on the IMF economic growth forecasts for 2020 and 2021 using a global multi-commodity agricultural market model. According to our results, the sharp decline in economic growth causes a decrease in international meat prices by 7-18% in 2020 and dairy products by 4-7% compared to a business as usual situation. Following the slowdown of the economy, biofuel prices fall strongly in 2020, followed by their main feedstocks, maize and oilseeds. Although the income losses and local supply chain disruptions associated with the pandemic undoubtedly has led to an increase in food insecurity in many developing countries, global food consumption is largely unaffected due to the inelastic demand of most agricultural commodities and the short duration of the shock. From an environmental viewpoint, the COVID-19 impacts point to a modest reduction of direct greenhouse gases from agriculture of about 1% or 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2020 and 2021.