We are witnessing in recent years a significant increase in the penetration of small units of distributed generation on electricity networks, motivated by a higher demand of environmental protection ...and a gradual process of liberalization on the energy market. In last decade many countries have begun a liberalization process of their electrical systems by opening access to transmission and distribution networks. This has been accompanied by a fast growth in the presence of small generators distributed, of several technologies, many of them based on renewable energy sources.
However, there are still technical, economic and regulatory barriers that limit the definitive boost of distributed generation (DG). The increase of connections in many cases, has been based on the philosophy “fit and forget” and capacity of installed DG remains limited by Distribution Network Operators. In this article are reviewed those factors that can contribute most to the necessary evolution of DG, to overcome the current paradigm of renewable distributed generation sources “integrated in a real network”, and reach a stage of DG units “embedded in the new distribution networks”.
To do this, aspects such as, Smartgrids and new information and communications technologies, microgeneration and storage technologies, Active Management Network, multiobjetive planning as an optimization tool for sizing and selection of sites DG, or regulatory issues, are examined along of this article.
A facile solvothermal epitaxial growth combined with a mild oxidation route has been developed for the fabrication of a magnetically recyclable Fe3O4/WO3 core–shell visible‐light photocatalyst. In ...this core–shell structured photocatalyst, visible‐light‐active WO3 nanoplates (the shells) with high surface area are used as a medium to harvest absorbed photons and convert them to photogenerated charges, while conductive Fe3O4 microspheres (the cores) are used as charge collectors to transport the photogenerated charges. This is a new role for magnetite. The Fe3O4/WO3 core–shell structured photocatalysts possess large surface‐exposure area, high visible‐light‐absorption efficiency, stable recyclability, and efficient charge‐separation properties, the combination of which has rarely been reported in other visible‐light‐active photocatalysts. Photoelectrochemical investigations verify that the core–shell structured Fe3O4/WO3 has a more effective photoconversion capability than pure WO3 or Fe3O4. At the same time, the visible‐light photocatalytic ability of the Fe3O4/WO3 photocatalyst has significantly enhanced activity in the photodegradation of organic‐dye materials. The results presented herein provide new insights into core–shell materials as high‐performance visible‐light photocatalysts and their potential use in environmental protection.
Tungsten‐clad iron: A solution epitaxial growth method has been developed for the fabrication of Fe3O4/WO3 photocatalysts. The core–shell structured photocatalysts (see picture) possess large surface‐exposure area, high light‐absorption efficiency, stable recyclability, and efficient charge‐separation properties, which lead to its significantly enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic activities.
We offer a potential nanocomposite of layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles and activated carbon (AC) for the elimination of water-soluble dyes from wastewater. The composite was synthesized ...through a hydrothermal treatment of magnesium and aluminum ions in the presence of AC layers which produced from Phoenix dactylifera fruit pits. The impact of different adsorption conditions were tested to collect the best conditions using LDH-AC composite as an adsorbent and methylene blue (MB) as a model of water-soluble dyes. The LDH-AC composite exhibited superior affinity towards the removal of MB molecules. The capacity for adsorption of MB reached 250.2 mg/g at pH 9. The maximum adsorption capacity reached 816 mg/g at room temperature for a monolayer of LDH-AC composites. The recyclability studies showed a five times use of LDH-AC composite as an adsorbent for MB with an efficiency of 70% at the fifth cycle. The existence of interference cations (Mg2+, K+, and Na+) or anions such as (NO3−, SO42−, and Cl−) had a limited influence on the MB adsorption.
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•Synthesis of nanocomposites for wastewater treatment.•Efficient removal of dyes from wastewater.•Adsorption, kinetic and isothermal studies of the nanocomposite.
•Total factor productivity changes and annual growth rates of sustainable development 31 regions in Mainland China from 2015 to 2018.•Technology efficiency and scale efficiency of e-agricultural ...infrastructure of 31 regions in Mainland China from 2015 to 2018.•Suggestions to enhance the management of electronic agriculture and protect the environment.
With the rapid development of the Internet and telecommunication systems, the electronic agricultural infrastructure has been continuously improved. This paper analyzes the regional differences and dynamic evolution of agricultural sustainable development and efficiency in 31 regions of Mainland China. The research is based on a data envelopment analysis-Malmquist productivity index model. The paper puts forward suggestions to help enhance the management of electronic agriculture and keep a balance between societal development and environmental protection.
The goal of these study was to present results of investigation concerning possibilities of utilization of harmful wastes in countryside area to produce ecological energy. Biogas production can be ...important from the point of view of environment protection especially in case of overproduction of animal wastes. Production and utilization of energy from agriculture residues gives a great chance for diversification and grows of income for family farms. Besides energetic and environment gains, we can obtain very valuable fertilizer, which is easy absorbed by plants in field crop production. The experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of mixing process on the parameters of methane fermentation process. Temperature inside fermentation chamber, pH of fermented material, redox potential and carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) were investigated. Utilize wastes from pig and poultry houses were used for the study. Digestion in a chamber was provided at constant temperature of 37 °C. After adding fresh substrate to the digester, the temperature of the raw material decreased by 1,0-1.5 °C depending on the location in the tank. Also, it was observed that biogas production decreased. The mixing process had a positive effect on the homogeneity of the material throughout the digester volume. The best results for biogas production were obtained when the pH value was 7.0. Research results obtained from tested biogas installation show, that from two bio reactors at total capacity of 410 m3 we can get electrical energy at cost of 34,52 € MWh-1 and thermal energy at cost of 62,54 €×MWh-1. While the cost of producing electricity in a professional power plant based on lignite was 76.23 €MWh-1. The energy produced was used for the operational activities of the farm.
This study attempts to evaluate the energy and environmental efficiency of the primary sectors of the EU member state countries. The evaluation is based on a non-radial Data Envelopment Analysis ...(DEA) model which allows for non-proportional adjustments to energy inputs and undesirable outputs and thus it provides different estimations for energy and environmental efficiency scores. The 2001–2008 time period was selected for this research. One of the most important findings is that countries like Germany, Sweden, or Austria, with strong environmental protection standards, appear to be less energy and environmentally efficient, compared with countries like Denmark, Belgium, Spain, France, or Ireland. In addition, a series of eastern European countries achieve low efficiency scores, which can be characterized as expectable, due to low technology level being implemented in the primary production process. There are also two sub-periods for this research. The first one (2001–2006) covers the fully coupled with specific cultivations period for subsidy administation, and the second (2007–2008) where the new decoupled subsidy scheme was implemented. There are significant hints for considerable changes of energy and environmental efficiency after the implementation of the the new CAP, with the new member states siginificantly differ of both energy and environmental efficiency copmared with the older ones.
By combining a system dynamics (SD) model and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP), an evaluation index system for water environment carrying capacity (WECC) in the Bosten Lake basin was developed ...that considers mutual interactions among six subsystems of industry, agriculture, population, water supply, water ecology, and water pollution. The model was tested with data including water level, surface area, water volume, chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration, total nitrogen (TN) concentration, and salinity concentration observed for 2002–2010. In addition, the model was applied to study and compare the trend of WECC under seven scenarios from 2002 to 2024. The results indicated that the WECC trends of industrial water consumption drop 0.5% each year (Scenario 2) and water transport from Bosten Lake to the Tarim River of 0.5 billion m3 each year (Scenario 6) were the same as Scenario 1 (present mode), which means that Scenario 2 and Scenario 6 cannot improve the WECC of Bosten Lake. As for the other four scenarios, the effects on the WECC of Bosten Lake were in the order of increase ground water exploitation (Scenario 7) > water-saving irrigation investment (Scenario 4) > increase reed area (Scenario 5) > increase industrial water reutilization rate (Scenario 3). Although the four scenarios can improve the WECC of Bosten Lake, only Scenario 7, i.e. increasing ground water exploitation rate by 3%, can turn the carrying status of WECC from poor to good. In addition, population and concentrations of COD, TN, and salinity will improve in the improved scheme compared to the present mode. The sensitivity of three parameters including the growth rate of water demand per 104 USD, growth of reutilization rate in industrial water, and ecological water transport were analyzed. The results indicated that both growth rate of water demand per 104 USD and growth of reutilization rate in industrial water increased the WECC of Bosten Lake. Moreover, the WECC of Bosten Lake will be negatively affected when the water quantity of ecological water transport from Bosten Lake to the Tarim River exceeds 1 billion m3. The results provide a scientific basis for a reasonable development pattern in protecting the WECC of Bosten Lake.
•Combination of system dynamics with index system integrated the water quality indicator.
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•Recent advances in the environmental applications of saponins were systematically reviewed.•The source and properties of saponins were summarized.•Organic pollutants and heavy metals ...remediation mechanism and process by saponins were analyzed.•Future research on environmental applications of saponins was proposed.
In recent years, more and more studies have devoted to investigate the application of biosurfactants to enhance the removal of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) and heavy metals from contaminated soils and water. Saponins are non-ionic surfactants derived from plants, which have special molecular structure with hydrophilic glycoside backbone and lipophilic triterpene derivative. This review introduced the source and properties of saponins, and discussed the environmental application of saponins in the remediation of organic and inorganic contaminants, especially in remediation of the hydrophobic organic compounds pollutants and heavy metals in soils or water. These advantages indicate the good prospect of applying saponins in environment remediation. Moreover, further research on full-scale pollutants remediation using saponins and potential areas for future application of saponins are also proposed.
The law on marine environmental protection is a branch of the law on environmental protection and is the basis for the conduct of marine environmental protection. Since its promulgation in 1982, ...China’s Marine Environmental Protection Law has undergone two revisions and three amendments, forming a legal system based on the Constitution, with the Environmental Protection Law as the overarching principle, the Marine Environmental Protection Law as the core, and various laws on the protection of marine elements as the gripping force. The revision of the Marine Environmental Protection Law in 2023 was based on the 2018 supervision and inspection of the enforcement inspection team of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the implementation of the construction of a strong maritime country, and the adaptation to the reform of the ocean governance system. Compared with the previous Marine Environmental Protection Law, the improvements of the newly revised law are mainly reflected in the following: optimizing the institutional mechanism, reflecting the Land and Sea Coordination, strengthening supervision and management, strengthening marine litter pollution prevention and control, enhancing the protection of marine biodiversity, strengthening the regulation of estuaries, and strict liability.
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