Environmental and Climate Technologies最新文献

{"title":"Analysing Metal Melting Methods for Green Transformation of Scrap Metal: Case Study of Latvia using MCDA and SWOT Analysis","authors":"Viktorija Terjanika, J. Pubule, Elina Mihailova, Beate Zlaugotne","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0001","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Metal is one of the most widely used materials in the world. It was a crucial driving force in technological development since the industrial age and continues to push us forward to this day. As metal consumption grows, so does the amount of scrap metal generated. Proper utilization of this waste is crucial in mitigating the negative environmental impacts of the metalworking industry. The processing and use of raw materials is often associated with high resource consumption and high emissions. The utilisation of scrap metal instead of raw metal can lead to up to 10 times less electricity consumption and up to 30 times fewer CO2 emissions. However, selecting the most suitable scrap metal processing technology is crucial, particularly in the case of the metal melting furnace which is the backbone of the industry. The efficiency of this process determines the environmental indicators for the entire scrap metal melting process. This paper conducts an analysis of 8 types of metal melting furnaces based on 11 environmental criteria. Furthermore, a SWOT analysis is conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the metal smelting process in Latvian metalworking enterprises and the potential for future expansion.","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140527262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of Water-Amine Combined Process for CO2 Extraction from Biogas","authors":"H. Zhuk, Yuriy Ivanov, L. Onopa, S.P. Krushnevych, Mehrzad Soltanibereshne","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0012","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The EU countries are implementing biomethane production projects from biogas, supplying it to the natural gas distribution grid, or using it as motor fuel. It is also extremely relevant for Ukraine, supposing the problems with gas import due to Russian aggression. Biogas production from landfills, agriculture waste, and sewage is already implemented in Ukraine, so the next step must be biomethane production on an industrial scale and the selection of biogas separation technology is important. Using 11 years of industrial experience in biogas production from landfills, wide experience of the different methane-containing gases separations, and small companies’ industrial possibilities, the most applicable separation technologies for Ukraine were selected: amine, water, and combined water amine carbon dioxide separation. These technologies had compared using computer simulation with real landfill biogas flow rate debt. Results of a software simulation of the most applicable water-amine absorption technology were verified using a laboratory setup. For carbon dioxide concentration in biogas at 32–42 % vol., the specific energy consumption when using water absorption is on average 2 times less compared to amine absorption, but at the same time, the loss of methane due to its solubility in water during water absorption amounted to 7.1–7.6 %, with practically no losses in amine absorption, and minor losses at 0.17–2.8 % in combined water-amine technology. The energy consumption of combined water-amine absorption is comparable to that of water absorption due to: a) reduction of heat losses for the regeneration process of saturated amine absorbent, as part of carbon dioxide has already been removed with water technology; b) using the methane excess to compensate power consumption of the biogas compressor during the preliminary water absorption of carbon dioxide and/or to compensate heat costs of the saturated amine absorbent regeneration","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140520737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Influence of Young People on Household Decisions on Energy Efficiency in Latvia","authors":"Vita Brakovska, A. Blumberga","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0005","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Young people are the future members of the energy communities, who play a role in shaping a climate-responsible society. However, in the context of the geopolitical and economic events of 2022, the awareness of young people in Latvia about energy efficiency issues and the readiness to engage in climate change mitigation processes, as well as the influence of their attitude on the decisions of adult household members in the field of energy efficiency have not been sufficiently studied. The issue is crucial within the framework of the European Green Deal, where various serious games for building energy communities are being developed, and young people are the ones who can influence the decision-making process. The purpose of the study is to provide serious game developers with an insight into young people's knowledge of energy efficiency issues, associations with a climate responsible society, attitudes towards daily habits in the field of energy efficiency, as well as whether climate change issues are discussed in families and whether young people believe that they can influence views and habits of their family members. 71 participants from four contrasting geographical regions in Latvia took part in the study. The study was conducted using qualitative research methods, including questionnaires and interviews. The results have shown that young people in the regions of Latvia are aware of energy efficiency measures, and the answers provide an insight into the various experiences they have had in their households. The research also highlighted negative aspects, such as young people’s unwillingness to strongly support household comfort level reduction in the name of climate change – only a little more than half would be willing to live in cooler rooms. Young people believe that they can influence the attitude and behaviour of other household members in an energy resource management matter. The results of the study lead to the conclusion that more attention should be paid to messages addressed to young people in public spaces, so that they associate themselves as an existing and future part of energy communities. They should be given examples and explanations regarding the importance of their actions in reducing climate change. Developers of serious games are encouraged to integrate aspects related to youth as participants in decision-making into the content of simulation tools, based on the results of the study.","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140516055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research of Insertion Loss of Multilayered Construction with Devulcanized Waste Rubber","authors":"Tomas Vilniškis, T. Januševičius","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0011","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 In this study, the insertion loss of devulcanized waste rubber baffles were evaluated. Acoustic baffles are suitable to reduce noise from the devices or machines by interfering with their emitting sound waves. Knowledge of the acoustic properties of the material used is of significant importance in ensuring the effectiveness of the acoustic properties of the baffle. Basic properties include airborne sound insulation, which is usually determined during laboratory tests. Baffles consists of sound absorbing and sound insulating materials. In this study, plasterboards were used as sound insulating material and devulcanized waste rubber as sound absorbing material. During the devulcanization process, porous granules are obtained, which can be used as an acoustic material. In this study, two types of rubber granules were devulcanized by grinding method and one other type was chemically devulcanized. Three types of rubber granules were mixed together in increasing 25 % proportion steps and glued with patented polyurethane glue. A total of 15 different composition devulcanized waste rubber granule boards were made. Rubber boards were attached together with the plasterboards. Insertion loss of the different composite baffles was measured in semi-anechoic chamber in a purposefully designed stand in 1/3rd octave bands. The results showed that the insertion loss of the baffles was mostly dependent on the rubber granule board density. When the density of the rubber board increased, the insertion loss also increased. The 5–6 dB insertion loss difference was measured between the most and least dense rubber granule board baffles.","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140520636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Case Study of EPS Aggregate Insulation Material Used in Construction Sites","authors":"G. Bumanis, D. Bajare","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0003","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Thermal insulation materials used in civil engineering have been developing throughout time. One of the latest thermal insulation used in construction sites with gained popularity is EPS aggregate and mineral binder-based composite. Waste recycling potential, low cost, and ease of installation have brought popularity to the material. This research investigates such material which is formulated by EPS aggregates and pure Portland cement binder thus making EPS aggregate concrete (EAC). Many contractors use such untested and uncertified EAC material due to the low cost of the raw materials. In this research, EAC was taken directly from the construction site. Material physical and mechanical properties are evaluated and compared to commercial counterparts. The drying of the material was investigated, following the practice in the construction sites where upper covering layers are built according to the time schedule ignoring material drying process. Results were compared with commercial EAC. Results indicate that rapid construction schedule with layer-to-layer covering of wet EAC results in dramatically slow drying of such composites, which is one of the main problems for safe use in civil engineering. EAC density from 113 to 169 kg/m3 was measured with an average compressive strength of 49 kPa. The thermal conductivity of the tested EAC was from 0.050 to 0.055 W/(mK).","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140519591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supercritical CO2 Extraction of Fish Roe","authors":"Ilze Luksta, Taras Mika, K. Spalvins","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0002","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Seafood is rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the good emulsifying properties of phospholipids make them suitable for use in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. This study attempted to evaluate different fish species obtained using supercritical carbon dioxide without and with and ethanol as co-solvent extraction and organic solvent (ethanol) extraction. Supercritical CO2 extraction was performed at 30–50 °C and at different pressures (17.7–33.0 MPa), maintaining a CO2 flow rate of 0.6 mL/min for 3 hours. Gas chromatography and Bligh & Dyer methods were used to analyze the extracts. The results showed that only one species of fish roe (rainbow trout) produced oil, but it was concluded that improvements were needed to be able to extract oil from African catfish roe using supercritical CO2 extraction. Rainbow trout roe contains the most monounsaturated fatty acids (44 %).","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140525891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of New Bio-Based Building Materials by Utilising Manufacturing Waste","authors":"Pauls P. Argalis, M. Sinka, M. Andžs, A. Korjakins, D. Bajare","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0006","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Over the last decade, research has increasingly focused on reducing the use of natural resources and improving waste management in the construction industry. Various possibilities exist for reducing waste in this sector, ranging from using waste as filler materials to developing new binders and building materials. This study focuses on the development of bio-based building materials using waste from the manufacturing of wood-wool cement boards. The binder and filler materials were obtained from the manufacturing waste and used in this research. The developed materials were tested for their visual appearance, macrostructure, material density, thermal conductivity coefficient and compressive strength. The results showed promising data for the self-bearing bio-based building materials, which had similar thermal properties to other bio-based materials and could be used as thermal insulation materials with a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.0827–0.1172 W/(mK). The material density of the developed bio-based composites was found to be 430–617 kg/m3. By incorporating manufacturing waste into the production process of bio-based building materials, it becomes evident that overall waste from manufacturing plants can be significantly reduced, and the sustainability aspect of wood-cement board manufacturers can be enhanced.","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140518675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Temperature, pH, and Agitation on Growth and Butanol Production of Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium beijerinckii, and Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum","authors":"Linda Feldmane, S. Raita, Indra Berzina, Zane Geiba, Taras Mika, Iveta Kuzmika, K. Spalvins","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0007","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Butanol is a promising alternative to fossil-derived fuels. Clostridium genus bacteria are known for their ability to produce butanol as one of the metabolites, however, at the moment this solution is not economically viable. To solve it, the process of butanol production should be optimized. While ABE fermentation has been extensively studied, information about the optimal growth conditions for specific microorganisms often differs from one study to another. Therefore, this study aims to search for optimal growth conditions in sealed serum bottle tests for three widely used strains in ABE fermentation. In this study effects of temperature, pH, and agitation were tested on Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium beijerinckii, and Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum. The optimal temperature for C. beijerinckii growth and butanol production was 32 °C, the optimal agitation speed for growth was 0 rpm, but for butanol production, it was 200 rpm. For C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum growth and butanol production pH 7.5, 30 °C temperature and an agitation rate of 100 rpm were optimal, however, this effect was slight. For C. acetobutylicum cultivation optimal temperature, pH, and agitation rate were respectively 37 °C, 6.5, and 200 rpm.","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140520895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization Study of Carbon Emissions in Wind Power Integrated Systems Based on Optimal Dispatch Algorithm","authors":"Xiaohui Zhu, Lisan Zhao","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0010","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 With the integration of wind power into the power system, dispatch becomes more complex and existing algorithms are no longer applicable. This paper focuses on optimizing carbon emissions in wind farm generation while considering issues related to wind power integration and carbon trading. An optimal dispatch algorithm was designed with the objective of minimizing total costs, which was then solved using the cuckoo search (CS) algorithm. Additionally, an adaptive improvement was made to the CS algorithm to obtain the improved cuckoo search (ICS) algorithm. An analysis was conducted on a case study with 10 units. The ICS algorithm obtained higher quality solutions, with a total cost of $ 632 719 and a calculation time of 0.51 minutes, which was superior to the solutions obtained by the particle swarm optimization and CS algorithms. Fluctuations in the confidence level of system rotation reserve capacity could lead to variations in the final system cost, which needs to be adjusted according to actual conditions. The dispatch scheme obtained by the ICS algorithm showed reduced carbon emissions, total costs, and better performance when compared with the optimal dispatch algorithm in different scenarios. The results show that the proposed methods are reliable and practical.","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140517154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the Sustainability Impact of Improving Secondary Steel Production: Lessons Learned from an Italian Plant","authors":"Giuseppe Tomasoni, F. Marciano, Elena Stefana, P. Cocca","doi":"10.2478/rtuect-2024-0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2024-0004","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 This work presents a sustainability assessment approach to evaluate technological innovations in secondary steel production making use of Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) technology. The assessment covers the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability by combining different tools (Life Cycle Assessment and Analytic Hierarchy Process), and also provides an integrated assessment of the overall sustainability. The approach, which can also be used to support decision-making, has been applied to a real case study of a steel plant located in Northern Italy. In the case study, environmental sustainability is positively impacted mainly by increased metal yield and reduced furnace energy consumption. The greatest social sustainability benefits are mainly related to improved ergonomic and safety conditions for workers (reduced demand for physical effort, manual handling and repetitiveness, and lower risk of accidents), as a consequence of the introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies. Regarding economic sustainability, a positive impact related to reduced cycle time, increased metal yield and quality yield, reduced maintenance and quality control costs was observed. The integrated assessment of the overall sustainability has proven to be a viable approach to manage trade-offs between the different dimensions of sustainability.","PeriodicalId":46053,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Climate Technologies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140523420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}