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China has committed to carbon neutrality by 2060 by necessitating a comprehensive transformation of its building sector, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas such as the Greater Bay Area (GBA), where subtropical climates, urban heat island effects, and extreme weather events present distinct challenges for achieving carbon reduction objectives through green building practices. The goal of this study is to establish an analysis method for green building success in the GBA’s subtropical environment, paying attention to the challenging goals of reducing carbon and making buildings more climate-resilient. Research techniques involved performing building energy simulations with EnergyPlus and DesignBuilder, applying LightGBM models for machine learning, using case studies from 32 buildings in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Guangzhou and carrying out an evaluation of the policy using a PEI. Energy usage in green buildings was 45.3% less than in conventional structures, with Energy Use Intensity ranging from 65.1 to 72.4 kWh/m²/year, while traditional buildings used between 118.5 and 124.2 kWh/m²/year. Also, the carbon footprint during the life cycle of buildings was decreased by 38.4% and they became more resilient to typhoons, giving residents 72.4 h of power during storms, while conventional buildings gave only 8.3 h. HVAC system efficiency was the leading factor, accounting for 24.3% of the difference in energy performance. A detailed approach is developed for optimizing subtropical green buildings, based on unique design features and helpful policy ideas to promote carbon neutrality in swiftly growing metropolitan areas around the world. Full article

Magnesium slag (MS) is a solid by-product during magnesium production using the Pidgeon process. Around 5–6 million tons of magnesium slag was produced in China in 2023, which accounted for 83% of the total disposal of magnesium slag worldwide. To explore the innovative and high-end application of MS in building materials, this study investigated the preparation of calcium carbonate cementitious composites produced by high-volume (80%) MS and 20% of traditional ordinary Portland cement (OPC), low-carbon cement–calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA), or green cement–alkali-activated materials after CO₂ curing. The effects of OPC, CSA, and AAM on the performance evolution of MS blends before and after carbonation curing were analyzed. The results indicated that AAM contributed to a superior initial strength (7.38 MPa) of MS composites after standard curing compared to OPC (1.18 MPa) and CSA (2.72 MPa). However, the lack of large pores (around 1000 nm) in the AAM-MS binder caused the slowest CO₂ penetration during the carbonation curing period compared to the OPC- and CSA-blended samples. Less than 3 days were required for the full carbonation of the CSA- and OPC-blended MS mortar, while 7 days were required for the AAM blends. After carbonation, the OPC-blended MS exhibited the highest strength performance of 51.58 MPa, while 21.38 MPa and 9.3 MPa were reached by the AAM- and CSA-blended MS mortars, respectively. OPC-blended MS composites exhibited the highest CO₂ uptake of 13.82% compared to the CSA (10.85%) and AAM (9.41%) samples. The leaching of Hg was slightly higher than the limit (<50 µg/L) in all MS mortars, which should be noticed in practical application. Full article

At present, the decarbonization of the public transport sector plays a key role in international and regional policies. Among the various energy vectors being considered for future clean bus fleets, green hydrogen and electricity are gaining significant attention thanks to their minimal carbon footprint. However, a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is essential to compare the most viable solutions for public mobility, accounting for variations in weather conditions, geographic locations, and time horizons. Therefore, the present work compares the life cycle environmental impact of different powertrain configurations for urban buses. In particular, a series hybrid architecture featuring two possible hydrogen-fueled Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) is considered: an H2-Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and a Fuel Cell (FC). Furthermore, a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) is considered for the same application. The global warming potential of these powertrains is assessed in comparison to both conventional and hybrid diesel over a typical urban mission profile and in a wide range of external ambient conditions. Given that cabin and battery conditioning significantly influence energy consumption, their impact varies considerably between powertrain options. A sensitivity analysis of the BEV battery size is conducted, considering the effect of battery preconditioning strategies as well. Furthermore, to evaluate the potential of hydrogen and electricity in achieving cleaner public mobility throughout Europe, this study examines the effect of different grid carbon intensities on overall emissions, based also on a seasonal variability and future projections. Finally, the present study demonstrates the strong dependence of the carbon footprint of various technologies on both current and future scenarios, identifying a range of boundary conditions suitable for each analysed powertrain option. Full article

As operational emissions decrease due to improved energy efficiency, reducing embodied carbon in buildings has become increasingly important. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a widely used method to quantify these impacts. However, its implementation often remains data-intensive and time-consuming due to the need for detailed material inventories. This study analyzes 100 LCA reports submitted for G-SEED certification in South Korea to identify a core set of construction materials that accounts for most of the total material mass. Unlike previous approaches that relied on 99% cumulative mass thresholds, this study introduces a function-based classification framework considering both material roles and environmental impact intensity, offering a novel pathway for simplifying LCA. The findings reveal 12 key material categories, such as ready-mixed concrete, cement-based products, structural steel, wood, and interior finishes, that dominate embodied carbon contributions, with concrete alone composing over 85% of the total mass based on the analyzed G-SEED dataset. A material classification framework is then developed, organized by functional role and carbon impact. By focusing on these high-impact materials, future LCA efforts can be significantly streamlined without compromising accuracy. This approach offers data-driven guidance for LCA practitioners, designers, and green building certification bodies aiming for efficient and reliable carbon assessments. Full article

Port seaside scheduling, involving berth allocation, quay crane, and tugboat scheduling, is central to intelligent port operations. This survey reviews and statistically analyzes 152 academic publications from 2000 to 2025 that focus on optimization techniques for port seaside scheduling. The reviewed methods span mathematical modeling and exact algorithms, heuristic and simulation-based approaches, and agent-based and learning-driven techniques. Findings show deterministic models remain mainstream (77% of studies), with uncertainty-aware models accounting for 23%. Heuristic and simulation approaches are most commonly used (60.5%), followed by exact algorithms (21.7%) and agent-based methods (12.5%). While berth and quay crane scheduling have historically been the primary focus, there is growing research interest in tugboat operations, pilot assignment, and vessel routing under navigational constraints. The review traces a clear evolution from static, single-resource optimization to dynamic, multi-resource coordination enabled by intelligent modeling. Finally, emerging trends such as the integration of large language models, green scheduling strategies, and human–machine collaboration are discussed, providing insights and directions for future research and practical implementations. Full article

The increasing awareness of the need for sustainable solutions to secure future energy supplies has spurred the search for innovative approaches. Energo-Efekt Sp. z o.o. has prepared a project for the green transformation of the energy system at a producer of spirits through the rectification of raw alcohol. An installation was conceptualised to develop the system to convert energy from biomass fuels into electricity and heat. The innovation of the installation is the use of an expander—a Heliex system which is the twin-screw turbine generator converting energy in the form of wet steam into electrical power integrated with pressure-reducing valve. This system captures all or part of the available steam flow and reduces the steam pressure, not only delivering steam at the same, lower pressure but also generating rotary energy that can be used to produce electricity with the power output range of 160 to 600 kWe. Currently, the company utilises natural gas as a fuel source and acquires electricity from the external grid. Implementing the system could reduce the carbon footprint associated with the production of vodka at the plant by 97%, to 102 t CO₂ annually. This reduction would account for approximately 21% of the total carbon footprint of the entire alcohol production process. The system could also be applied to other low-power systems that produce < 250 kW, making it a viable option for use in distributed energy networks, and can be used as a model solution for other distillery plants. The transformation project dedicated to Polmos Żyrardów involves a comprehensive change in both the energy source and its management. The fossil fuels used until now are being replaced with a renewable energy source in the form of biomass. The steam and electricity cogeneration system meets the rectification process’s energy demand and can supply the central heating node. Heat recovery exchangers recuperate heat from the boiler room exhaust gases and the rectification cooling process. Potentially, all of these changes lead to the company’s energy self-sufficiency and reduce its overall environmental impact with almost zero CO₂ emissions. Full article

This paper addresses the synergy between environmental and economic benefits in the green power trading market by constructing a collaborative game model for environmental rights value and electricity energy value. Based on this, a model for maximizing the benefits of flexible resource operation is proposed. Through the combination of non-cooperative and cooperative games, the conflict and synergy mechanisms of multiple stakeholders are quantified, and the Shapley value allocation rule is designed to achieve Pareto optimality. Simultaneously, considering the spatiotemporal regulation capability of flexible resources, dynamic weight adjustment, cross-period environmental rights reserve, and risk diversification strategies are proposed. Simulation results show that under the scenario of a carbon price of 50 CNY/ton (≈7.25 USD/ton) and a peak–valley electricity price difference of 0.9 CNY/kWh (≈0.13 USD/kWh), when the environmental weight coefficient α = 0.5, the total revenue reaches 6.857 × 10⁷ CNY (≈9.94 × 10⁶ USD), with environmental benefits accounting for 90%, a 15.3% reduction in carbon emission intensity, and a 1.74-fold increase in energy storage cycle utilization rate. This research provides theoretical support for green power market mechanism design and resource optimization scheduling under “dual-carbon” goals. Full article

With increasing wastewater treatment demands and decarbonization goals, synergistic reduction in pollutants and green house gas (GHG) emissions is crucial. High process emissions like N₂O pose significant challenges, yet optimized carbon reduction strategies for conventional plants are lacking. This study developed three mathematical models to quantify the impact of dissolved oxygen (DO), influent salinity, and C/N ratio on direct emissions (CH₄, N₂O) and indirect emissions. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) optimized these factors to minimize GHG emissions under three accounting scenarios: (1) plants with CH₄ reuse systems: salinity = 0.5 g L⁻¹, DO = 3.67 mg L⁻¹, C/N = 12.75; (2) plants focusing solely on direct emissions: salinity = 0.5 g L⁻¹, DO = 3.35 mg L⁻¹, C/N = 3; and (3) plants assessing total emissions: salinity = 0.5 g L⁻¹, DO = 2.5 mg L⁻¹, C/N = 7.18. Key findings indicated that increasing salinity exacerbated greenhouse gas emissions. Elevated DO levels in the aerobic stage reduced N₂O emissions but increased indirect emissions in the A²/O process. Higher C/N ratios promoted anaerobic CH₄ production, but sufficient carbon reduced N₂O by enabling complete heterotrophic denitrification. A 60−day continuous GHG emissions monitoring campaign was conducted at a WWTP to validate the actual emission reductions achievable under the identified optimal control conditions. An analysis and comparison of operational and economic costs were also performed. The findings provide practical insights into sustainable GHG emission management and offer potential solutions to advance the synergistic reduction in GHG emissions and pollutants. Full article

Urban expressway interchanges, though primarily engineered for traffic efficiency, also serve as crucial ecological nodes within urban landscapes. This study evaluates the ecological functions of arborous vegetation across four typical interchange configurations—cloverleaf, single trumpet, double trumpet, and irregular—along the Nanjing Ring Expressway. Using the i-Tree Eco model, we quantified key ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and storage, air pollutant removal, and stormwater mitigation. Field surveys documented 7985 trees from 45 species, with the 10 most abundant accounting for over two-thirds of total individuals. Results revealed that the trees sequester around 115 tons of carbon annually and store nearly 1850 tons in total, equivalent to an estimated economic benefit of ¥5.8 million. Trees also removed more than 1.5 tons of air pollutants and intercepted nearly 2400 cubic meters of stormwater each year. Species such as Sophora japonica, Phoebe zhennan, and Cinnamomum camphora emerged as key contributors to ecological performance. Among interchange types, double trumpet configurations yielded the highest overall service value, while single trumpet interchanges demonstrated superior efficiency per unit area. These findings highlight the underutilized ecological potential of transport-adjacent green spaces and underscore the importance of species selection and spatial design in maximizing multifunctional benefits. Full article

The Middle East and North Africa region has not played a major role in climate action so far, and several countries depend economically on fossil fuel exports. However, this is a region with vast solar energy resources, which can be exploited affordably for power generation and hydrogen production at scale to eventually reach carbon neutrality. In this paper, we elaborate on the case of the United Arab Emirates and explore the aspirations and feasibility of its net-zero by 2050 target. While we affirm the concept per se, we also highlight the technological complexity and economic dimensions that accompany such transformation. We expect the UAE’s electricity demand to triple between today and 2050, and the annual green hydrogen production is expected to reach 3.5 Mt, accounting for over 40% of the electricity consumption. Green hydrogen will provide power-to-fuel solutions for aviation, maritime transport and hard-to-abate industries. At the same time, electrification will intensify—most importantly in road transport and low-temperature heat demands. The UAE can meet its future electricity demands primarily with solar power, followed by natural gas power plants with carbon capture, utilization and storage, while the role of nuclear power in the long term is unclear at this stage. Full article

Air pollution has a significant impact on the housing market, both in terms of property prices and buyer preferences, as well as urban development. Below, we present the main aspects of this impact. These may include a decline in property values in polluted areas, a change in buyer preferences (more buyers are taking environmental factors into account when choosing a home, including air quality—both outdoor and indoor—which translates into increased demand in ‘green’ neighborhoods), the development of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings, the impact on spatial planning and urban policy, health effects, and the rental market. The study showed that air pollution has a significant negative impact on housing prices in Warsaw, particularly in relation to two pollutants: nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter (PM_2.5). As their concentrations decreased, housing prices increased, with the highest price sensitivity observed for smaller flats on the secondary market. The analysis used GRM and OLS statistical models, which confirmed the significance of the relationship between the concentrations of these pollutants and housing prices (per m²). NO₂ had a significant impact on prices in the primary market and on the largest flats in the secondary market, while PM_2.5 affected prices of smaller flats in the secondary market. No significant impact of other pollutants, meteorological factors, or their interaction on housing prices was detected. The study also showed that the primary and secondary markets differ significantly, requiring separate analyses. Attempts to combine them do not allow for the precise identification of key price-determining factors. Full article

The increasing recognition of historical emissions and uneven financial capacities among developed and developing nations has highlighted the need to look for equity and fairness in global climate action. This study aims to present a revised method that enables mapping the current state of fairness in the global energy transition, addressing both the contribution to the climate crisis and the burden that different countries face in coping with the climate disasters resulting from it. For this purpose, we revise various methods and indices used to measure the progress of energy transition efforts, as well as existing methodologies to appraise the responsibility for climate change and the resulting financial capacity. We propose changes to the existing methods to allow for a clearer analysis of the fairness of the global energy transition. An exemplary use of the proposed modified methodology is applied to six countries that represent developing and developed countries using publicly available data from renowned sources such as IRENA, EM-DAT, and the World Bank, showing the applicability of the method. The main trends in the results highlight the added value of the proposed method. The progress in the energy transition is evaluated in terms of fairness as a transition index by taking into account historical responsibility and financial capacity. Damage from climate-induced disasters and contribution towards climate financing are added as contextual considerations. The country’s historical emissions, GDP, NDC, financial costs of climate-induced disaster, and financing from the Green Climate Fund are used as the basis for the analysis. The findings underscore the differences in energy transition achievement, as well as the differences in pledged and deposited funds among various types of countries. The results demonstrate a disproportionate burden experienced by lower-income nations and depict the ongoing challenges in translating principles of “common but differentiated responsibilities” into concrete outcomes. This study provides an open-source and data-driven perspective that highlights the need for change in global policy discourse and also advocates for the creation of more nuanced, just, and effective approaches to accelerate the clean energy transition worldwide. Full article

To achieve energy conservation, emission reduction, and green low-carbon goals for gas storage facilities, it is crucial to efficiently recover and utilize waste heat during gas injection while maintaining natural gas cooling rates. However, existing sensible and latent heat storage technologies cannot sustain long-term thermal storage or seasonal utilization of waste heat. Thermal chemical energy storage, with its high energy density and low thermal loss during prolonged storage, offers an effective solution for efficient recovery and long-term storage of waste heat in gas storage facilities. This study proposes a novel heat recovery method by combining a moving bed with mixed hydrated salts (CaCl₂·6H₂O and MgSO₄·7H₂O). By constructing both small-scale and full-scale three-dimensional models in Fluent, which couple the desorption and endothermic processes of hydrated salts, the study analyzes the temperature and flow fields within the moving bed during heat exchange, thereby verifying the feasibility of this approach. Furthermore, the effects of key parameters, including the inlet temperatures of hydrated salt particles and natural gas, flow velocity, and mass flow ratio on critical performance indicators such as the outlet temperatures of natural gas and hydrated salts, the overall heat transfer coefficient, the waste heat recovery efficiency, and the mass fraction of hydrated salt desorption are systematically investigated. The results indicate that in the small-scale model (1164 × 312 × 49 mm) the outlet temperatures of natural gas and mixed hydrated salts are 79.8 °C and 49.3 °C, respectively, with a waste heat recovery efficiency of only 33.6%. This low recovery rate is primarily due to the insufficient residence time of high-velocity natural gas (10.5 m·s⁻¹) and hydrated salt particles (2 mm·s⁻¹) in the moving bed, which limits heat exchange efficiency. In contrast, the full-scale moving bed (3000 × 1500 × 90 mm) not only accounts for variations in natural gas inlet temperature during the three-stage compression process but also allows for optimized operational adjustments. These optimizations ensure a natural gas outlet temperature of 41.3 °C, a hydrated salt outlet temperature of 82.5 °C, a significantly improved waste heat recovery efficiency of 94.2%, and a hydrated salt desorption mass fraction of 69.2%. This configuration enhances the safety of the gas injection system while maximizing both natural gas waste heat recovery and the efficient utilization of mixed hydrated salts. These findings provide essential theoretical guidance and data support for the effective recovery and seasonal utilization of waste heat in gas storage reservoirs. Full article

Background: Understanding the psychological drivers of the energy transition is essential for accelerating the shift to low-carbon societies. The aim of this study is to examine how green consumer values (GCV), energy-saving knowledge (KES) and consumer energy awareness (CEA) jointly shape pro-environmental energy behaviors (EEB), while accounting for citizens’ perceived cost barriers (PESC). Methods: We conducted a nationally representative Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) survey of 1405 Polish households and employed structural-equation modeling to test an integrated framework linking values, awareness, knowledge, perceived costs and two behavioral domains: high-commitment efficiency investments and low-cost curtailment actions. Results: The structural-equation model confirms that green consumer value significantly enhance both knowledge of energy-saving (β = 0.434) and consumer energy awareness (β = 0.185), thereby driving two distinct pro-environmental pathways: high-commitment efficiency investments (energy efficiency behavior) (β = 0.488) and curtailment behaviors (β = 0.355). Green consumer value also reduces perception of energy-saving costs (β = −0.344), yet these costs themselves exert strong inhibitory effects on both energy efficiency behavior (β = −0.213) and curtailment behaviors (β = −0.302). Conclusions: Our findings validate an integrated value–awareness–behavior framework, demonstrating that fostering green values and improving informational access are critical to enhancing energy-saving practices, while cost-reduction measures remain indispensable. Policymakers should combine value-based education, transparent feedback tools and targeted financial incentives to unlock citizens’ full potential in driving the energy transition. Full article

A method for selecting the optimal shape of holes, taking into account the strength anisotropy of composites, is proposed. The methodology includes the following: an algorithm for stress determination based on singular integral equations and Green’s solutions; a strength criterion for the boundary of unloaded holes, which takes into account the anisotropic mechanical and strength properties of composites; an algorithm for determining hole shapes by a formulated nonlinear programming problem. The results of the research are presented for holes of various shapes, including single- and double-periodic hole systems. It is established that the calculated allowable loads for composite plates with holes based on stress concentration factors can be significantly overestimated. At the same time, by designing holes of optimal shape, the allowable loads can be many times greater than those for circular holes. Full article