Sustainability and environment encompass an enormous number of issues. It is, of course, impossible to cover them all in a single event. That’s why the scientific committee of STECONF hand-picks the most relevant and pressing issues that can make the biggest impact on moving the conversation forward.
The 2nd World Conference on Sustainability, Energy and Environment will provide its attendees with engaging learning opportunities, lively networking sessions, and a platform to meet and connect with potential research partners and collaborators.
Global warming is the general rise in global temperature caused by higher-than-normal amounts of greenhouse gases, which traps heat approaching the globe and allows heat waves to continue accessing the atmosphere and being unable to escape over time. Following worldwide attempts to phase out chlorinated fluids in order to preserve the ozone layer as a result of the Montreal Protocol, this study employed low-GWP alternative refrigerants to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. The Cycle-D-Hx software, which is a thermodynamic model of the refrigeration system with a graphical user interface, was used to assess the performance of household refrigerators using various types of refrigerants. Data from an R134A-charged household refrigerator was used to verify the model. The model was then used to evaluate the performance of a number of low-GWP alternative refrigerants, such as R404A, R449A, R513A, and R452A. The R452A was shown to have a high COP, a low potential for global warming, a low temperature glide, and a low potential for ozone depletion. In addition to these thermodynamic and environmental features, R452A blend is non-flammable, non-corrosive, and will not cause degradation of the metal parts of the refrigerating system's evaporator and compressor.
The current resurgence of interest in the use of renewable energy is driven by the need to reduce the high environmental impact of fossil-based energy. As people are much concerned with the fossil fuel exhaustion and the environmental problems caused by the conventional power generation, renewable energy sources and among them photovoltaic panels (PV) and wind-generators are now widely used. PV sources are used today in many applications such as battery charging, water pumping, home power supply, swimming-pool heating systems etc. They have the advantage of being maintained and pollution free but their installation cost is high and, in most applications, they require a power conditioner (DC/DC or DC/AC converter) for load interface. PV conversion still have relatively low conversion efficiency due to the fact that solar radiation and effect of cloud movement are undeterministic. However, the overall system efficiency can be improved upon and cost can be reduced using high efficiency power conditioners which, in addition, are designed to extract the maximum possible power from the PV module maximum power point (MPP). The power conditioning devices taken into consideration in the paper are DC-DC converters. The basic aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of the transient response on the duty cycle in DC-DC converters which is likely attributed to effect of atmospheric conditions. This in turn provides the need for a possible photovoltaic panel switching technique. This will help to reduce the effect of cloud movements as well as improve the overall efficiency of the system. Preliminary results which include availability of power as well correlation of the PV voltage to daily solar irradiation for a specific latitude in South Africa. Simulation using MATLAB/SIMULINK software is also presented and this would be used to draw the final conclusion. A 220-W polycrystalline prototype system is designed and built to obtain reasonable data. The effectiveness of the proposed system is presented with some simulation and experimental results.
Just a few centuries ago, when industrialization started in a big way in the west, it was believed that natural resources are available in plenty for the human beings. This understanding has now been corrected as it has been realized that a prudent utilization of natural resources is needed to save and protect the human civilization itself for which industrialization is being carried out. Human lives however, not only require physical comforts that is provided by the industrialization but they also have non-negotiable emotional requirements. They need to satisfy their emotional demands through the emotional resources that are available for them. The modern civil society has been drafting and implementing policies by assuming that law can force social institutions to provide emotional support to individuals. It is time to realize that just as the natural resources are limited, so are the emotional resources. Demanding the social institutions to provide emotional reliefs to individuals must not be overdone since that might kill those very social institutions that can provide emotional support. Family and marriage institutions are the two main sources that provide immediate emotional reliefs to individuals. The dwindling strength of family and marriage institutions in the west has continuously dried up these sources of emotional resources. This paper argues that to keep this world sustainable, there is a need to protect these Emotional Resources by extending the list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals as published in the UN resolution of 2017. Care must be then taken by the policy and law makers while formulating new policies to keep these institutions alive, healthy and flourishing.
Conversion of plastic waste into oil fuel had drawn the attention of scientists for the removal of waste from environment as well energy recovery. Pyrolsis of plastic waste had become an important technique to produce plastic waste oil as new source of energy as well as an alternative to fossil fuel. This study aimed to design a portable pyrolysis unit for the conversion of plastic waste materials into useful fuel products from local facilities. Different horizontal and vertical vessels from local materials were designed and used to convert plastic waste such as HDPE and PP into the so called plastic oil. The vertical reactor given better performance than the horizontal for producing oil. Yield around 95% was achieved. A 5-liter portable pyrolysis unit based on vertical reactor was assembled and equipped with a condenser system, temperature control and collection jar. The unit was used to convert different plastic waste into oil. 500 ml of the resulting oil was used as fuel to replace the traditional fuel of a three wheels traditional motorcycle (Tuk Tuk). Fortunately, Tuk Tuk traveled distance 30% more than the distance travelled by same amount of traditional fuel. The designed unit is suitable to be used anywhere in rural area if water supply is available and can be heated by either electrical power or cooker gas. The prototype can be easily scaled up into suitable end use size based on the volume of the waste available. The design is open for more modification and future development.
Just a few centuries ago, when industrialization started in a big way in the west, it was believed that natural resources are available in plenty for the human beings. This understanding has now been corrected as it has been realized that a prudent utilization of natural resources is needed to save and protect the human civilization itself for which industrialization is being carried out. Human lives however, not only require physical comforts that is provided by the industrialization but they also have non-negotiable emotional requirements. They need to satisfy their emotional demands through the emotional resources that are available for them. The modern civil society has been drafting and implementing policies by assuming that law can force social institutions to provide emotional support to individuals. It is time to realize that just as the natural resources are limited, so are the emotional resources. Demanding the social institutions to provide emotional reliefs to individuals must not be overdone since that might kill those very social institutions that can provide emotional support. Family and marriage institutions are the two main sources that provide immediate emotional reliefs to individuals. The dwindling strength of family and marriage institutions in the west has continuously dried up these sources of emotional resources. This paper argues that to keep this world sustainable, there is a need to protect these Emotional Resources by extending the list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals as published in the UN resolution of 2017. Care must be then taken by the policy and law makers while formulating new policies to keep these institutions alive, healthy and flourishing.
Controversial industries tend to be more sensitive to crises than uncontroversial industries mainly because of the products or services they offer. Usually, two types of industries are considered controversial: sinful industries (Tobacco, gambling, and alcohol) and industries involved in environmental, social, and ethical issues, including oil and gas, mining wastage, and defense-related weapons. The energy sector, especially, has higher exposure to controversial publicity due to the nature of the industry operations. For this reason, this study will focus on the energy sector, which comprises five industry groups: Coal, Oil and Gas, Oil & Gas Related Equipment and Services, Renewable Energy, and Uranium. A unique balanced dataset of 296 firms in the energy sector from 43 countries between 2017-2021 will be employed and path analysis will be used to analyze the data. Our paper aims to propose a new perspective in evaluating the impact of ESG controversies on corporate profitability and market value by using Refinitiv Eikon's ESGC scores, which are crucial for the energy sector. ESGC scores reflect the performance of the companies regarding Environmental Controversies, Consumer Complaints Controversies, Responsible Marketing Controversies and Product Quality Controversies. The study will investigate the relationship between ESG controversies and the financial performance of the firms operating in the energy sector with Path Analysis. We attempt to reveal the relations between various dimensions of ESG Controversies and specific measures of financial performance, especially with respect to profitability and market performance. The findings of the study may provide insights aimed at strategy development for companies operating in the energy sector for enhanced value creation.
This study is focused on two selected model taxa of invertebrates - Hymenoptera: Aculeata and Lepidoptera with nocturnal activity, recorded at the sites of 10 lignite dumps and their surroundings in the North Bohemian Lignite Basin, Czech Republic. 3 areas were selected on each landfill – primary and secondary succession and recultivation. A total of 3,202 individuals belonging to 232 species and 17 families of sagebrush insects were collected. More than twice the number of species occurred on areas of primary succession compared to recultivation. On all areas were 60 rare species. The areas of primary succession were again confirmed to be the richest in terms of rare species. A total of 3,634 moths were collected, assigned to 262 species and 10 families. The results show that the reclaimed areas host a numerically larger group and more species of moths than the successional areas. Rare species did not occur at any site. A higher number of days in locations without water bodies, wetland vegetation and locations with a high representation of woody species. It is advisable to combine individual types of landscape management in such a way as to create a colorful mosaic that supports biodiversity. Primary succession proved to be important for the occurrence of rare species.
Sustainability has emerged as a hot topic in academia and the corporate world. A large number of studies emphasizes the importance of Corporate Sustainability Performance and how it may affect various measures of corporate performance and value creation. Hence, this study investigates the impact of Corporate Sustainability Performance, which reflects Environmental, Social and Governance performance, on the Financial Performance of companies operating in 5 regions around the world: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Australia. Our empirical analysis is based on Refinitiv Eikon’s ESG Scores of companies in 8 economic sectors: energy, basic materials, industrials, consumer cyclical, consumer non-cyclical, healthcare, technology, and utilities. Our data base covers annual data of ESG scores and financial performance measures of 2094 companies from 56 countries, during 2012 – 2021. We aim to reveal how specific dimensions of Environmental, Social and Governance performance impact financial ratios related with profitability, liquidity, efficiency, leverage, market value. We conduct Path Analysis to identify which Corporate Sustainability Performance measures are critical in terms of financial performance for each sector. Sector-wise path models demonstrate statistically significant relationships between various Corporate Sustainability Performance Scores and Financial Performance measures and thus provide implications for sectoral comparisons. The findings of the study may help corporate executives in different sectors to focus on specific sustainability policies and make effective ESG investment decisions to strengthen corporate financial performance.
Groundwater is the main source for irrigation water of food crops. The salinity of the ground water exceeds the allowable limit recommended by Food and Agriculture Organization which mandates further treatment before using it for irrigation of food crops. Brackish water reverse osmosis is usually used for the treatment of the ground water due to the ease of use, and small footprint. However, brine reject is produced from the reverse osmosis process, therefore a suitable treatment process must be designed to eliminate the brine discharge to the environment. In this study, we evaluated the performance of element scale forward osmosis process for the reclamation of brine produced by the desalination of brackish ground water. Forward osmosis was used to dilute the reverse osmosis brine reject using treated municipal wastewater as feed solution. The water flux obtained in the forward osmosis process using a hollow fibre membrane module was around 1.5 LMH, while using feed solution flow rate of 2 LPM and draw solution flow rate of 0.3 LPM. The recovery rate achieved in the process was almost 20%, and the water quality of the diluted brine was similar to the brackish ground water.
This study investigated irrigation as a cushion for the effects of global warming and its soil salinity implication on crop growth in Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted, and data were electronically collected from a purposively selected 50 respondents with farming, climate, and agricultural background, and analysed using percentage and frequency count on SPSS version 20. Among others, this study revealed that irrigation-induced soil salinity leads to a reduction in productivity of crops, reduction in marketable yield of crops; reduction in plants’ water retention capacity, inhibition of photosynthesis, development of osmotic stress and disruption of cell homeostasis, root architecture destruction, wiltingness, yellowness of leaves, and stunted growth in crops; reduced crop yield value and marketability, and constrained crop production. However, adequately managed irrigation system improves and increases the quality of edible part of vegetable crops, fruit dry matter content, total soluble solids (TSS), and acid content of some crops, increased carotenoid content, and antioxidant activity of some crops. Irrigation has positive and negative implications on crop growth in Nigeria. This study concluded that these implication(s) is determined by the adequacy of irrigation methods adopted. There is a level at which crops or plants can tolerate salinity in the soil, else high, profitable yield, and productivity of the soil will be grossly affected. Thus, it is essential to ensure that while irrigation as an agricultural management practice is employed, its implications on crop growth and yield should be considered.
Currently, due to the energy crisis and the need to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, design solutions that reduce heat losses resulting from the occurrence of thermal bridges in building envelopes have become the priority. The structural solutions of walls and windows as well as the materials used to make them are well recognized and their further improvement results in only a slight improvement of technical parameters. While heat losses due to thermal bridges at the window-to-wall interface are still a problem. The article analyses the influence of window position in the wall and the window installation method on the selected thermal and humidity parameters. The traditional installation of windows with the use of polyurethane foam and the so-called “warm installation” in the thermal insulation layer with the use of a specially profiled composite frame were compared. Analytical and numerical calculations have been performed. Numerical simulations were carried out using the TRISCO program for thermal analysis of building components. The computational models were compared with regard to the temperature distribution in the cross-section of the wall and the location of the 0°C isotherm as well as the wall freezing point. The performed analyzes show that the proposed innovative method of window installation system results in eight times lower linear heat transfer coefficient Ψ and a significant reduction in heat losses. In addition, it meets the requirements of The Passive House Institute regarding to the risk of mold and fungus development in the area of thermal bridges and the effectiveness of the window-to-wall interface.
For the past 20 years, insect-resistant Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) have been commercially available all over the world [1]. For commercial agricultural applications, transgenic crops based on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) which is produced Crystalline (Cry) toxins are one of them [2]. Therefore, The environmental fate of Cry proteins has attracted more attention as a result of their widespread application in transgenic crops and pesticide formulations. These Bt crops can enter into soil and aquatic ecosystems effecting the food web for non-target organisms such as Pycnopsyche sp [3], caddis fly Lepidostoma liba [4, 5], and Caecidotia communis[6] by feeding with pollen or transgenic maize detritus which decreased growth rates and weight gain, reduced feeding, longer development time, and increased larval mortality [7]. Therefore, the need to develop an accurate and precise technique that is able to detect a low level of toxic proteins and pathogens in the early stage is the cornerstone of monitoring Cry toxins in the food and environment. Various detection techniques available to trace Cry proteins' fate in the environment, but few studies have been reported using the integration of magnetic beads with optical detection for the quantification of protein in the fluorescence image.
This study evaluates the frameworks and current situation of the Environmental and Social Inspection Mechanism, and how it affects the achievement of the solar energy targets in Taiwan. The Taiwan government has set the target to reach 29 GW of Taiwan’s electricity from renewable sources by 2025, 20 GW of which will be from solar energy. 4 GW of the solar energy target is set to achieve by promoting aquavoltaics which is to maximize the use of nearly 40,000ha of aquacultural land in Taiwan for both aquacultural production and electricity generation through ground-mounted solar photovoltaics. However, prompting solar photovoltaic installations in aquacultural lands within fishing villages and rural areas may generate environmental or social issues such as siting conflict, residents’ concerns, and changes in the landscape. Therefore, the Taiwan government developed the “Environmental and Social Inspection Mechanism” to reduce the impacts of its aquavoltaics policy and to reach its solar energy targets in a timely manner. The mechanism is designed to address both environmental and social aspects while deploying solar power in aquacultural land. The methods of environmental inspection include site surveys, ecological information mapping, and public consultation meetings, while social inspection includes document analysis, on-site interviews, etc. The findings of this study show that the Environmental and Social Inspection Mechanism, serving as a fast-sorting mechanism to better site selection, can effectively address identified local environmental and social issues. However, the process of identification may take longer time than expected when it comes to more complex issues. In conclusion, reaching solar energy target in Taiwan may benefit from such a mechanism as it enables a deeper transformation in civic consciousness and industry.
The cost of extreme weather incidents has increased in recent years and, if their frequency or severity will be higher according to scientific projections, the price will increase for life and property because of the extensive power outages and widespread asset damages. Maintaining extensive and expensive critical infrastructures of paramount importance for modern societies, today’s power utilities must hence become more climate resilient, or else they will be vulnerable to climate hazards and the implications of climate change. Therefore, engineers constantly focus on linking resilience philosophy to the power network design and operation. Electricity poles are particularly vulnerable to climate-driven disasters as they are subjected to environmental stresses from climate loads and degrading processes, and their mechanical failure is the dominant cause of overhead network-level failures that lead to short- or long-term power interruptions. Considering the large number of electricity poles that are deployed in a power system, their management is important to the economy of distribution utilities. With climate change expected to influence both the climate patterns and long-term durability of poles, the incorporation of its effects in a comprehensive asset management strategy for electricity poles becomes consequently an imperative need. In this context, Electricity Network Operators should promote investments for strengthening the overhead power networks, especially in risky locations, in order to reduce their balance sheet risk. Aiming at adapting electricity grids to climate change by enhancing their resilience, pole hardening is crucial for preventing and mitigating large-area, long-duration power outages.
In the 21st century, climate change has emerged as a serious non-traditional security threat to human lives. Climate governance is sought to address the issues posed by climate change. China considers climate change a serious challenge. Being the largest consumer of energy, China has recently shifted its policy to green energy. It is positively influencing the global drives of climate governance cooperation. A significant number of green energy projects have been launched indigenously and in the countries as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since its launch in 2013. The main objective of this study is to explore the climate governance cooperation under BRI and analyse the Green Diplomacy of China and its impacts. The green development concept must be adopted to ensure global climate governance. It will explore the mechanism of how China is ensuring environmental protection and climate governance while pursuing the BRI project. Though it is a very challenging task to accomplish in such a huge project like BRI, it is essential. To ensure green development, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China have jointly issued policy guidelines for overseas investment called "Green Development Guidelines for Overseas Investment and Cooperation". It is a good step in global climate governance and helps to protect against climate change. Alongside, China has continuously attached great importance to Green Diplomacy and actively participating in global environmental governance. China is actively cooperating with the UN environmental agencies, part of the Paris agreement and all other important global diplomatic initiatives related to climate governance cooperation and providing technologies and technical and financial support to the developing countries which are part of BRI. China has also gained remarkable success in domestic environmental governance.
The lack of fresh water and the high-cost electricity generation in remote islands leads to the investigation of hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES). In this paper, the implementation of wind energy for meeting energy and water demands on Kos, a Greek island, is examined. In particular, the energy coverage of the wastewater treatment plant (WTP) and the production of desalinated water are examined. The inability of controlled wind energy production leads to the introduction of energy storage units. The system was designed in order to store excess wind energy through pumping to an upper reservoir, and produce hydropower in order to cover the energy deficit. The HRES under study consists of a wind farm with a total capacity of 2.55 MW, which is composed of 3 wind turbines of 0.85 MW. In addition, it consists of two desalination plants with a total capacity of 1920 m3/d and a capacity of 6.5 kW/m3. The operated scenario aims to meet the energy needs of the WTP and the water needs of Kardamena, on Kos island (1650 inhabitants). The simulation model operates with hourly meteorological and energy demand data for five years. The results show that the system is reliable in covering the needs by offering low-cost energy and at the same time a large reduction of CO2 emissions is achieved on the island. Finally, the production of desalinated water solves the problem of water scarcity in the settlement of Kardamena.
Temperatures have been rising constantly and tourism has been growing, making the isolated islands of the Aegean vulnerable to the increasing need for water and energy. This study focuses on the development of a hybrid system, cooperating with a desalination unit and a pilot brine processing unit, for the arid Aegean Island Amorgos. The hybrid system developed, consists of wind turbines and a pump storage unit. The system is set to satisfy the yearly water and energy needs of the island for the next 25 years while reducing the environmental impacts. This will first be achieved by reducing the current usage of conventional fuel through the introduction of RES, and secondly by processing the brine coming from the desalination unit, through the installation of a brine treatment unit. The results were satisfactory, considering that the penetration of the RES units reached over 40% and more than half of the existing conventional units can be removed. The required selling prices of water and energy to make the investment viable, do not exceed the existing ones. With the brine processing unit introduced, the energy demands of the system became exceedingly high, which simultaneously raised the required selling price of water and energy. More specifically, treating more than 20% of the produced brine, the energy needs of the system could not be covered to a satisfactory level. Therefore, this percentage was used to explore this pilot unit’s energy needs, the quality of water and brine, and possible economic exploitation of the final product.
The environmental impact of a novel solar thermal technology called Sundial that uses rotary Fresnel collectors is investigated. Two different designs were developed; one to be used for the metal processing industry located to the high latitude country and the other one for the dairy industry located to the low latitude country. In the metal processing industry, the Sundial replaces only the electricity while in the dairy industry replaces the use of fuel for heating and electricity for cooling. Environmental impact assessment of the Sundial units was conducted using SimaPro Software 9.2 and the results showed that the unit developed for the dairy industry had a higher environmental life cycle impact, which was related to the design of the unit containing more components and materials. A key advantage of the newly developed units is its ability to provide high temperatures for the requirements of the industrial processes like a metal processing industry. The carbon-dioxide emissions reductions for the potential application of the unit to the industrial process were also calculated for the both industries. It was projected that for the future capacity of high latitude Sundial (HLS) of 2,176MWh, the GHG emissions reduction is 666 tonnes of CO2 emissions while the future capacity of the low latitude Sundial (LLS) of 2,192 MWh, the GHG emissions reduction is 904 tonnes of CO2 emissions. This demonstrates the great potential of the Sundial units to contribute to the decarbonization of industrial processes and meet the EU’s 2050 environmental targets.
Nepal is a mountainous land-locked country located in between India and China. Like rest of the world, Nepal is facing the consequences of climate change indicated by the increase in temperatures, altering pattern of precipitation, snow melting and so on. Manang district located in Trans-Himalaya (beyond the Himalaya) is characterized by arctic type of climate and rain shadow zone. Geologically, the area is composed of loose sedimentary rocks and the sediments of glacial origin. The impact of climate change is most prominent in the high-altitude regions like Manang. In June 2021, unusual torrential monsoon rainfall caused devastating landslide and flood in this region. It wreaked havoc on the road, agriculture, hydropower projects and other physical infrastructures. Physical loss of more than 1 million USD had been estimated in which the road sector self-witness the loss of 0.8 million USD. The public had never experienced such torrential rainfall in this area. The rainfall seems to melt the snow and destabilize the stable slope that are formed during glaciation. The unconsolidated sediments of this region that can only bear the snowfall and light rainfall, resulted to rapid erosion, landslide, and debris flow when it was exposed to heavy rainfall. Holistic approach of disaster preparedness should be adopted by the local government and communities to cope against the impacts of climate change induced disasters in upcoming days.
Renewable energy (RE) is rapidly booming globally due to various innovations that have made it possible to bring down the cost of energy production, and more importantly, to save the Earth’s environment. The UAE has not been left behind and presently the country is ramping up its renewables contribution to 10% of the country’s energy mix. Interest has been particularly shown in diversifying the nation’s energy sources to attain 25% total energy generation through RE by the year 2030. The Implementation of the national set strategies regarding RE projects is observed to have obvious inconsistencies between various parts of the country. Accordingly, the current research utilized a system of experts to apply the SWOT analysis mechanism to investigate the major factors which can empower or hinder the implementation of RE projects in the UAE. The analysis covered numerous types of RE including solar, wind, tidal, wave, nuclear, waste-to-energy, green hydrogen, and combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT) technologies. The current findings confirmed that the variation in the RE strategy implementation is due to variations in economic, regulatory, social, and geographical aspects of the diverse emirates of the country. The analysis further listed a set of internal and external factors to the concerned authorities that influence the introduction and spread of RE projects nationally. A set of recommendations are thus provided to enhance the RE adoption in relation to the set national energy strategies.