Search Results (9)

To enhance agricultural soil health and soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, it is important to accurately measure SOC. The aim of this study was to compare common methods for measuring SOC in soils in order to determine the most effective approach among different agricultural land types. The measurement methods of loss-on-ignition (LOI), automated dry combustion (Dumas), and real-time near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) were compared. A total of 95 soil core samples, ranging in clay and calcareous content, were collected across a range of agricultural land types from forty-eight fields across five farms in the Southwest of England. There were similar and positive correlations between all three methods for measuring SOC (ranging from r = 0.549 to 0.579; all p < 0.001). On average, permanent grass fields had higher SOC content (6.6%) than arable and temporary ley fields (4.6% and 4.5%, respectively), with the difference of 2% indicating a higher carbon storage potential in permanent grassland fields. Newly predicted conversion equations of linear regression were developed among the three measurement methods according to all the fields and land types. The correlation of the conversation equations among the three methods in permanent grass fields was strong and significant compared to those in both arable and temporary ley fields. The analysed results could help understand soil carbon management and maximise sequestration. Moreover, the approach of using real-time NIRS analysis with a rechargeable portable NIRS soil device can offer a convenient and cost-saving alternative for monitoring preliminary SOC changes timely on or offsite without personnel risks from the high-temperature furnace and chemical reagent adopted in the LOI and Dumas processes, respectively, at the laboratory. Therefore, the study suggests that faster, lower-cost, and safer methods like NIRS for analysing initial SOC measurements are now available to provide similar SOC results as traditional soil analysis methods of the LOI and Dumas. Further studies on assessing SOC levels in different farm locations, land, and soil types across seasons using NIRS will improve benchmarked SOC data for farm stakeholders in making evidence-informed agricultural practices. Full article

The management of high-volume (HV) waste poses a persistent challenge in sustainable materials management and represents an untapped opportunity in circular economy models. This study proposes a conceptual decision-making framework to operationalise a novel circular economy strategy for HV waste, involving temporary storage to facilitate nature-based secondary resource recovery. Using an illustrative case study of a candidate HV waste (legacy mining waste), we apply a robust multi-objective spatial optimisation approach at a national scale, employing an exact solution approach. Our methodology integrates mixed-integer linear programming to evaluate the economic viability, social benefits, and impacts of climate change uncertainties on nature-based solutions (NbS) implementation across diverse scenarios. The results demonstrate that NbS can enhance economic feasibility by incorporating carbon sequestration and employment benefits while demonstrating resilience against climate change projections to ensure long-term sustainability. The findings suggest that although NbS can improve the circular economy of HV nationally, it is essential to assess additional ecosystem services and address multiple uncertainties for effective macro-level sustainability assessment of HV management. This study offers a robust decision-making framework for policymakers and stakeholders to plan and implement nature-based circular economy strategies for HV waste streams at a national level while effectively managing long-term planning uncertainties. Full article

Carbon farming practices are pivotal for enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in agricultural systems. This study focuses on evaluating the effects of spontaneous cover crops as a conservation strategy compared to conventional management practices on total, non-protected, and protected SOC fractions, as well as carbon saturation, in olive groves across 13 paired sites (26 sites in total) in Andalucía, Spain. The research evaluates organic carbon concentrations in different soil fractions: non-protected (250–2000 µm), physically protected (53–250 µm), and chemically protected (<53 µm). The results reveal that olive groves managed with temporary spontaneous cover crops (CC) over the last 8–12 years generally exhibit higher SOC concentrations compared to those managed conventionally (BS), with significant differences observed across multiple sites. CC sites exhibited higher carbon stocks, with protected carbon averaging 42.6 Mg C ha⁻¹ compared to 29.7 Mg C ha⁻¹ in BS, and non-protected carbon at 10.3 Mg C ha⁻¹ versus 4.8 Mg C ha⁻¹. A direct relationship was identified between total SOC and both protected and non-protected carbon fractions, indicating that the soil of the studies olive orchards is far from being saturated in protected SOC. Moreover, the soil of the CC olive farms had a lower carbon saturation deficit (45.3%) compared to BS (67.2%). The findings show that maintaining the cover crops in olive orchards significantly contributed to carbon sequestration and reduced carbon saturation deficits by increasing the stocks of protected SOC. Full article

The Philippines faces a significant shortage of affordable housing, and with the growing urgency brought by climate change, there is a pressing need for more sustainable and affordable building solutions. One promising option is cement bamboo frame buildings, which blend traditional bamboo building methods with modern materials. This approach is already being implemented in social housing projects in the Philippines. Dynamic lifecycle assessment (DLCA) calculations show that these bamboo buildings can effectively reduce overall CO₂ emissions. Before a building’s end of life, biogenic effects offset approximately 43% of its total production emissions, while the temporary carbon storage afforded by these biogenic materials further reduces total emissions by 14%. In comparison to concrete brick buildings, bamboo constructions reduce emissions by 70%. Transforming an unmanaged bamboo plantation into a managed plantation can potentially triple the capacity for long-term CO₂ storage in biogenic materials and further reduce net emissions by replacing concrete with bamboo as the main construction material. Thus, bamboo construction offers a potent, economically viable carbon offsetting strategy for social housing projects. Full article

The greenhouse effect caused by carbon dioxide (${\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_2$) emissions has forced the shipping industry to actively reduce the amount of ${\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_2$ emissions emitted directly into the atmosphere over the past few years. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is one of the main technological methods for reducing the amount of ${\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_2$ emissions emitted directly into the atmosphere. ${\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_2$ transport, i.e., shipping ${\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_2$ to permanent or temporary storage sites, is a critical intermediate step in the CCUS chain. This study formulates a mixed-integer programming model for a carbon storage and transport problem in the CCUS chain to optimally determine ship allocation, ship departure scheduling, and ${\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_2$ storage and transport. Taking advantage of the structure of the problem, we transform the mixed-integer programming model into a simpler model that can be computed efficiently. To evaluate the performance of the simpler model, numerous computational experiments are conducted. The results show that all small-scale instances (each with 10 power plants) and medium-scale instances (each with 30 power plants) can be solved optimality by Gurobi within 14.33 s. For large-scale instances with 60 and 65 power plants, feasible solutions with average gap values of 0.06% and 6.93% can be obtained by Gurobi within one hour, which indicates that the proposed methodology can be efficiently applied to practical problems. In addition, important parameters, including the unit fuel price, the time-charter cost, and the ship sailing speed, are examined in sensitivity analyses to investigate the impacts of these factors on operations decisions. In summary, a lower fuel price, a lower charter cost, or a higher ship sailing speed can increase the profit of the CCUS chain. Full article

During the growth of biomass, there are two carbon storage paths for plant-derived fibers. One path is to assimilate carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and temporarily store it in textile plants. Besides, the carbon can be captured and stored in soil. The carbon storage capacity of textile products made from plant-derived fibers such as cotton, flax, hemp, kenaf and bamboo fiber, etc., is a non-negligible part of greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and reporting. However, there is a lack of systematic methods to evaluate carbon storage and the delayed emission effect of plant-derived fibers. In this study, the carbon storage and emission times of 100% hemp T-shirt, 100% hemp slipcover, and 100% hemp fiber handicraft were evaluated by using the soil organic carbon method, dry weight biomass method, and modeling method. The results revealed that the CO₂ storage of 1 kg hemp fiber is 1.833 kg. Meanwhile, the delayed emission effects of carbon temporarily stored in the 3 kinds of hemp fiber products are 3.83%, 19.68%, and 41.12% at different lifespans (i.e., 5, 25, or 50 years), in which case the landfill option for hemp fiber products may be preferable from carbon storage effect perspective. The results suggest that plant-derived fibers have a positive impact on climate change due to CO₂ storage, and that the carbon storage effect improves with the continued lifespan of the product. By quantifying carbon storage and the delayed emission effect of plant-derived fibers, it is beneficial to understand the potential for reducing carbon emissions, which in turn helps to promote and develop more environmentally friendly and low-carbon production processes and products. Full article

Silvopastoral system (SPS) has been considered as a sustainable management system contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, among other benefits compared with open pasture. However, little research has been conducted on the soil and tree biomass carbon stored in traditional pasture with dispersed trees (PWT) compared with pasture in monoculture (PM). The present study was conducted in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region (EAR), along an elevational gradient from 400 to 2000 masl., within the buffer and transition zone of the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve (SBR), using 71 temporary circular plots of 2826 m², where 26 plots were stablished in PWT and 45 plots in PM. The main results in PWT show significant differences (p ≤ 0.01) between aboveground carbon biomass (AGC_trees) from 41.1 (lowlands), 26.5 (Middle hills) and 16.7 (high mountains) Mg ha⁻¹ respectively, with an average of 31.0 Mg ha⁻¹ in the whole study area. The total carbon pool along the altitudinal gradient in five components: (AGC_trees), belowground carbon (BGC_trees), pasture carbon (AGC_{litter+pasture}) and carbon in soil components (0–10 and 10–30 cm) for PWT ranged from 112.80 (lowlands) to 91.34 (high mountains) Mg ha⁻¹; while for the PM systems assessing three components (AGC_{litter+pasture}) and carbon in soil components (0–10 and 10–30 cm) ranged from 52.5 (lowlands) to 77.8 (middle zone) Mg ha⁻¹. Finally, the paper shows the main dominant tree species in pasture systems that contribute to carbon storage along elevational gradient and concludes with recommendations for decision-making aimed at improving cattle ranching systems through a silvopastoral approach to mitigate the effects of climate change. Full article

The current EU energy policy aims to diversify energy sources to ensure energy security while decarbonising the economy and promoting low carbon and clean energy technologies. These tasks are carried out under the European Green Deal Program. Therefore, the overriding goal at present is to search for new sources of energy, including energy recovery from waste. In EU countries, the legal system for waste management is adapted to the circular economy. In Poland, due to the legal possibility of temporary storage and disposal of waste, a substantial volume of industrial waste is temporarily stored and landfilled (above 40%), compared to the importance of waste subjected to treatment. Moreover, energy recovery from waste accounts for a negligible share (below 5%). It may be due to the high costs of these processes, stringent emissions and environmental quality standards. Therefore, as in certain EU countries, the problem of landfill site arson attacks has been exacerbated in Poland (177 fires in 2019). The aim of this article is to determine the relationship between the application of the existing regulations concerning closed-loop waste management and the effectiveness of methods, ways and economic instruments preventing the illegal burning of landfill waste in Poland under the current EU energy policy. Therefore, it can be assumed that this system is not complete. Based on factor force analysis at a scale 1–5, it was found that technological (3.4), legal (3.16) and economic (3.0) factors have the greatest impact on this system. The waste management system should be oriented towards increased waste recovery and a more significant reduction in the volume of temporarily stored waste and landfill waste. It should be considered whether the current move away from the incineration of waste, according to the new EU energy policy, is a better solution in environmental and economic terms than incurring very high costs due to eliminating the effects of the incineration of landfill waste that causes environmental damage. Full article

The design and study of low carbon buildings is a major concern in a modern economy due to high carbon emissions produced by buildings and its effects on climate change. Studies have investigated (CFP) Carbon Footprint of buildings, but there remains a need for a strong analysis that measure and quantify the overall degree of GHG emissions reductions and its relationship with the effect on climate change mitigation. This study evaluates the potential of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the building sector by evaluating the (CFP) of four hotpots approaches defined in line with commonly carbon reduction strategies, also known as mitigation strategies. CFP framework is applied to compare the (CC) climate change impact of mitigation strategies. A multi-story timber residential construction in Quebec City (Canada) was chosen as a baseline scenario. This building has been designed with the idea of being a reference of sustainable development application in the building sector. In this scenario, the production of materials and construction (assembly, waste management and transportation) were evaluated. A CFP that covers eight actions divided in four low carbon strategies, including: low carbon materials, material minimization, reuse and recycle materials and adoption of local sources and use of biofuels were evaluated. The results of this study shows that the used of prefabricated technique in buildings is an alternative to reduce the CFP of buildings in the context of Quebec. The CC decreases per m² floor area in baseline scenario is up to 25% than current buildings. If the benefits of low carbon strategies are included, the timber structures can generate 38% lower CC than the original baseline scenario. The investigation recommends that CO₂eq emissions reduction in the design and implementation of residential constructions as climate change mitigation is perfectly feasible by following different working strategies. It is concluded that if the four strategies were implemented in current buildings they would have environmental benefits by reducing its CFP. The reuse wood wastes into production of particleboard has the greatest environmental benefit due to temporary carbon storage. Full article