FDI, exports, imports, and consumption-based CO2 emissions in the MENA region: spatial analysis.

MENA region is full of natural resources and has a huge mineral sector in their economies. CO2 emissions are increasing global warming and foreign trade and investments can play their roles in determining CO2 emissions in the resource-rich MENA countries. Moreover, spatial linkages are expected in the emissions and trade relationship, which could catch less attention in the environmental literature of the MENA region. Thus, the present research is motivated to capture the contributions of exports, imports, and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in consumption-based CO2 (CBC) emissions in twelve MENA economies from 1995 to 2020 by applying Spatial Autoregressive (SAR) Model. Our results exhibit the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Moreover, the impact of exports is found negative in direct and total estimates. Thus, exports of the MENA region are reducing CBC emissions in the MENA region and transferring emissions to their importing partners. Moreover, the spillovers of exports are found positive and exports of one MENA country are also responsible for the transfer of CBC emissions to other MENA neighboring countries, which corroborates the trade linkages of the MENA region. Imports have a positive effect on CBC emissions in direct and total effects. This result confirms the fact of energy-intensive imports of the MENA region, which have environmental consequences in the domestic economies and the whole MENA region. FDI increases CBC emissions in direct and total estimates. This result substantiates the pollution Haven hypothesis in the MENA region and is in line with the fact that FDI is mostly coming in the mineral, construction, and chemical sectors. The study suggests that MENA countries should promote exports to reduce CBC emissions and to reduce energy-intensive imports in the region to save the environment from CBC emissions. Moreover, FDI should be attracted to the clean production process and environmental standards should be raised to avoid the environmental problems of FDI in the MENA region.

Synthesis of a 2D copper(II)-carboxylate framework having ultrafast adsorption of organic dyes.

Two-dimensional (2D) coordination polymers are very interesting materials for their attractive applications. A novel 2D metal-organic framework (MOF) was derived from copper(II) and amino benzoic acid under both room temperature and solvothermal reaction conditions using different solvents. From both of the synthesis methods, an identical MOF was crystalized with monoclinic crystal system having P21/c space group. Hirshfeld surface analysis is carried out to explore the non-covalent interactions obtained from single crystal XRD investigation in terms of percentage contribution of each interatomic contact involved in packing of molecules into MOF structure. The microstructure analysis and surface morphology studies revealed the 2D layered regular pattern of rhombus disks of ~5 µm thickness throng together via clustering of these rhombic shaped flakes as flowers (ranging 50-100 µm in size) having uniform elemental composition. This 2D MOF efficiently adsorbed organic dyes (methylene blue, methyl orange, and methyl red) from their aqueous solutions. The 2D copper-carboxylate framework (1.2 g/L) exhibited high adsorption rates for organic dyes (0.15-0.19 mM), and >90% of these dyes could be captured as soon as they are exposed to MOF suspension (1 min) in each case. The dye removal efficiency is credited to synergy among structure, ionic strength, shapes and dimensions of dyes with respect to MOF structure. The microstructure of MOF along with electronic interactions like electrostatic, hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions and coordination to open metal sites, might contribute to the ultrafast dye adsorption process by MOF. The adsorption phenomenon is spontaneous and followed the pseudo-second order kinetic mechanism. DFT calculations revealed important electronic parameters of the dyes and model MOF systems, and novel insights with respect to possible dye-MOF interactions. The MOF remained quite stable during the dye adsorption and was regenerated easily for the successful subsequent use.