RSC sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Addressing adoption barriers and accelerating market deployment of new technologies†","authors":"Greg Avery, Arpit Bhatt, Shubhankar Upasani, Julien Walzberg, Andre Fernandes Tomon Avelino, Jason DesVeaux, John Minh Quang Pham and Alberta Carpenter","doi":"10.1039/D4SU00706A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00706A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Although established technologies are technically sound and have good commercialization records, they are not always sustainable. With companies aiming to develop and deploy more sustainable technologies to the market, there are often overlooked or unidentified social, economic, and environmental risks associated with the adoption of these new technologies. This paper evaluates a new method for assessing potential barriers to market adoption for developing technologies. As a case study, an example technology was selected in the enzymatic recycling of polyethylene terephthalate to produce recycled ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. This technology was assessed for emissions to air, water, and waste streams; techno-economic viability; local economic impacts; life cycle; potential supply chain risks; and technology adoption rates using Bass diffusion curves. The framework can be used for evaluating the sustainability potential for the fast deployment of all technologies. It can also help decision makers such as investors, regulators, and manufacturers address the barriers associated with technology adoption and deployment to make informed decisions, as well as aid in technology transitions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1830-1847"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d4su00706a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incorporating hyperaccumulating plants in phytomining, remediation and resource recovery: recent trends in the African region – a review","authors":"Babatunde Joseph Akinbile and Charles Mbohwa","doi":"10.1039/D5SU00021A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00021A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Phytomining, the extraction of valuable metals from soil or waste substrates using plants, has gained increasing attention as a sustainable and economically viable alternative to conventional mining practices. Central to this approach is the use of hyperaccumulating plants, which possess the remarkable ability to uptake and concentrate metals in their biomass. The recognition and use of hyperaccumulating plants have become essential components of phytomining at numerous mine sites around the globe. Metal hyperaccumulators however, suffer setbacks such as low biomass production and limited survival in harsh environments like minefields. These limitations restrict their practical application in real-world settings. This review thus explores the biological, agronomic, and environmental aspects of incorporating hyperaccumulators in phytomining. We discuss key hyperaccumulating species, factors influencing phytomining efficiency, and recent advancements in enhancing biomass yield and metal accumulation in minefields. Additionally, we evaluate the economic and ecological implications of phytomining as a green technology for resource recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1652-1671"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d5su00021a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The importance of shape: flakes and spheres in recyclable conductive pastes for printed electronics†","authors":"David van Impelen, Dominik Perius, Lola González-García and Tobias Kraus","doi":"10.1039/D4SU00721B","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00721B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Silver microflakes and -spheres are common fillers for electrically conductive screen-printing pastes. Here, we report on the effects of filler shapes and sizes on conductivity, sintering, and recyclability. We printed pastes based on flakes and spheres, treated them at 110 °C to 300 °C, and evaluated the electrical conductivity of the resulting layers. The electrical conductivity of the layers treated at 110 °C was dominated by particle–particle contact resistances; flakes yielded layers that were five times more conductive than sphere-based layers due to differences in the particle–particle contact area. Increasing temperature led to a reduction of the resistivity of all layers through sintering. At 300 °C, prints based on spheres were 4 times more conductive than those from flakes. Tomography of the sintered structures showed that the difference was caused by a lower tortuosity factor for spheres. In a final study, we showed that silver flakes and spheres could be recycled after sintering and reused for a new generation of prints without losing electrical performance. The more porous structure of sintered flakes allowed for higher recycling yields compared to spheres. At 140 °C, 91.6% of the flakes and 69.7% of the spheres were recovered as reusable dispersions.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1800-1806"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d4su00721b?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recycling silicon photovoltaic cells into silicon anodes for Li-ion batteries using 3D printing†","authors":"Maryam Mottaghi, Apoorv Kulkarni and Joshua M. Pearce","doi":"10.1039/D4SU00808A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00808A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >With the increasing adoption of solar energy, the disposal of end-of-life photovoltaic modules has become a growing environmental concern. As crystalline silicon has significant potential as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, this study investigates recycling waste solar cell material into batteries using 3D printing. An open-source toolchain is developed to ensure accessible replication including a ball mill for grinding the waste silicon, a bottle roller for synthesizing novel stereolithography (SLA) resins and an SLA 3D printer for geometric control of the deposition of the materials. The materials were characterized at each step using spectrometry analysis, differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis of the polymer resin, optical microscopy on the printed parts, as well as scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction on the pyrolyzed parts. Electrochemical characterization, including cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, was performed on the assembled batteries. A mixture of 12% ground silicon solar cells with SLA resin was used for 3D printing the anodes and the samples were pyrolyzed at 1400 °C. The electrochemical tests from the anodes demonstrated a specific capacity of around 400 mA h g<small>⁻¹</small> with 89% capacity retention and coulombic efficiency more than 100% over 200 cycles. This study presents a promising sustainable solution by integrating recycled solar cell waste into lithium-ion battery anode production, which can address both waste management and energy storage challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1859-1869"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d4su00808a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Introduction to the circular economy themed collection","authors":"Matthew L. Davies","doi":"10.1039/D5SU90007G","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU90007G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A graphical abstract is available for this content</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 3","pages":" 1036-1038"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d5su90007g?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143553686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"General component additivity, reaction engineering, and machine learning models for hydrothermal liquefaction†","authors":"Peter M. Guirguis and Phillip E. Savage","doi":"10.1039/D4SU00737A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00737A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is the process of breaking down renewable biomass resources in hot compressed water to produce crude bio-oil. There are more than a thousand experimental biocrude yields in the literature. We use this extensive data set to parameterize new models for HTL. These new models are general in that they can handle any biomass feedstock and HTL at any set of reaction conditions. We report new component additivity, reaction engineering, and machine learning models that correlate the experimental data and predict biocrude yields with a median absolute residual of no more than 6.3 wt%. These new models predict literature biocrude yields more accurately than any of the previously published models for HTL of biomass. The new component additivity model employs coefficients that are continuous functions of reaction severity and biomass loading (wt%). The new reaction engineering model includes the possibility of portions of the initial feedstock (<em>e.g.</em>, lipids) being in one of the product fractions (<em>e.g.</em>, biocrude) at <em>t</em> = 0. The decision tree model provided the best fit of the biocrude yields, but it also had far more parameters than did the other models. The component additivity model was superior to the reaction engineering model in fitting the HTL biocrude yields. However, the reaction engineering model is statistically better than the component additivity model at predicting biocrude yields. We use the new models to identify HTL reaction conditions that would maximize yields of biocrude for different types of biomass yet to be investigated experimentally.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1788-1799"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d4su00737a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A MXene-supported single atom catalyst selectively converts CO2 into methanol and methane†","authors":"Hasan Al-Mahayni, Rongyu Yuan and Ali Seifitokaldani","doi":"10.1039/D4SU00747F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00747F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Single atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as new-generation catalysts that exhibit unique properties and catalytic activity due to their tunable coordination environment and uniform catalytic active sites. MXenes are two-dimensional inorganic materials composed of thin layers of nitrides, carbides or carbonitrides of transition metals, which have been recently used as supports for single metal atoms (SMAs) due to their superior electronic, thermal, and mechanical properties. The catalytic active sites in SACs are too far from each other to enable H–H and C–C coupling through the Tafel process, suggesting that both H<small>₂</small> production—<em>via</em> the hydrogen evolution reaction—and multi-carbon product (C<small>₂₊</small>) formation—<em>via</em> the CO<small>₂</small> reduction reaction—are significantly suppressed on these catalysts. Therefore, these catalysts are expected to be selective towards single carbon (C<small>₁</small>) products in electrochemical CO<small>₂</small>RR. However, there are few computational studies that have investigated MXene-supported SACs towards the CO<small>₂</small>RR, especially for C<small>₁</small> products such as methane and methanol. In the present study, density functional theory (DFT) is used to systematically evaluate the stability of the MXene support and SAC, and to screen different MXene structures for selective CO<small>₂</small>RR to C<small>₁</small> products. Among a combination of ten metals and four supports screened, five catalysts exhibit low limiting potentials for C<small>₁</small> products, especially methanol: Ni/Pd@Ti<small>₃</small>C<small>₂</small>O<small>₂</small> and Ru/Fe/Co@Mo<small>₂</small>CO<small>₂</small>. Ni exhibits an exceptionally low reaction energy of 0.27 eV towards methane, while all others exhibit low reaction energy toward methanol ranging from 0.3 to 0.60 eV. The novel and in-depth understanding attained in this systematic high throughput DFT study guides the experimentalist to synthesize SACs based on MXene materials, with exceptional activity and selectivity for highly reduced C<small>₁</small> products.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1729-1740"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d4su00747f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761627","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chemical bio-manufacture from diverse C-rich waste polymeric feedstocks using engineered microorganisms","authors":"Maria Franca Pitzalis and Joanna C. Sadler","doi":"10.1039/D5SU00013K","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00013K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Sustainability targets are driving the chemicals industry away from reliance upon finite fossil fuel resources for chemical synthesis. Biotechnology holds huge promise in this area and methods to convert renewable feedstocks, such as glucose, into a myriad of value-added chemicals are well-known. Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology have been transformational in enabling microbial cells to perform non-native chemistry, increasing product yields and the scope of chemical space accessible through bio-based approaches. While the development of the bioeconomy using virgin renewable feedstocks (<em>e.g.</em>, glucose) has been a significant milestone, we propose that the next major breakthrough towards a sustainable future lies in utilizing waste feedstocks through engineered microbes. In particular, C-rich polymeric materials such as lignocellulosic and plastic waste hold vast untapped potential for the circular bioeconomy. This mitigates land-use conflicts with the food industry and aligns with principles of the circular economy. This Perspective highlights progress and challenges in this emerging field of using biotic and abiotic polymers as a feedstock for chemical biomanufacture.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1672-1684"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d5su00013k?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and characterization of water hyacinth reinforced thermoplastic starch as sustainable biocomposites†","authors":"Diptiranjan Behera, Shruti S. Pattnaik, Shubhendu S. Patra, Aruna K. Barick, Jyotsnarani Pradhan and Ajaya K. Behera","doi":"10.1039/D4SU00803K","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00803K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This research endeavors to craft an innovative biocomposite by incorporating varying weight percentages of water hyacinth short fibers as a bio-filler within thermoplastic starch. Notably, composites with a 2 wt% loading of water hyacinth exhibited remarkable enhancements in mechanical properties, showcasing a 113% increment in tensile strength and a 98% rise in flexural strength as compared to virgin thermoplastic starch. Furthermore, this optimized composite exhibited an impact strength of 8.3 kJ m<small>⁻²</small> and a hardness value of 9.8, underscoring its mechanical robustness. The intricate interplay between the starch matrix and the bio-filler was meticulously analyzed through FTIR spectral analysis. Moisture sorption properties of the produced composites were evaluated under two distinct ambient humidity conditions, focusing on thermoplastic starch. The thermal stability of the optimized composite was rigorously tested, revealing stability up to 320 °C. Furthermore, a soil burial degradation assessment demonstrated the biodegradable nature of these composites, with a significant 65% reduction in original mass after 60 days in compost conditions. Cytotoxicity testing of the optimized composite confirmed its safety, solidifying the potential of water hyacinth in crafting eco-friendly, biodegradable composites as a sustainable alternative to conventional thermoplastic-based materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1807-1818"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d4su00803k?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) synthesis in a deep eutectic solvent-based biphasic system: closing the loop of solvent reuse, product isolation and green metrics†","authors":"Nico Thanheuser, Leonie Schlichter, Walter Leitner, Jesús Esteban and Andreas J. Vorholt","doi":"10.1039/D4SU00733F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SU00733F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The scale up and recycling of all process streams in the H<small>₄</small>SiW<small>₁₂</small>O<small>₄₀</small> catalyzed dehydration of <small>D</small>-fructose (Fru) to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were investigated. For this, a biphasic system based on a self-consuming deep eutectic solvent (DES) consisting of choline chloride (ChCl) and Fru in a molar ratio of 5 : 1 as the reaction phase with <em>in situ</em> extraction of HMF employing acetonitrile was employed. In addition to ChCl : Fru being a cost-effective DES of renewable origin, it provides a way to suppress side reactions to levulinic and formic acid, particularly. The scale-up of the reaction system to a total volume of 180 mL resulted in a reaction time of 12.5 minutes to achieve quantitative conversion reaching high yields of 76% and selectivities as high as 83% whilst operating temperature was only at 80 °C, while proceeding twice as fast compared to the smaller scale reaction of previous work. The system shows easy separation of the upper extraction phase from the reaction phase due to the solidification of ChCl and the catalyst H<small>₄</small>SiW<small>₁₂</small>O<small>₄₀</small> upon cooling to room temperature showing partition coefficients of about 4 to 5. HMF could be isolated from the extraction phase, recovering HMF crystals of &gt;99% purity. The system has the potential for numerous recycling runs up to a water content of 7.5 wt%, beyond which the DES phase undergoes a loss of activity due to the system transitioning to an aqueous solution. The extraction phase shows full recyclability and can be reused after simple distillation to separate HMF, showing promise for further implementation. Finally, considering the mass balance of the system, the basic green metrics of the system are calculated to show its potential compared to other similar concepts in the literature.</p>","PeriodicalId":74745,"journal":{"name":"RSC sustainability","volume":" 4","pages":" 1848-1858"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/su/d4su00733f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}