Search results for: sustainable water

Authors: Panupong Makvichian

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Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is nowadays a common technology that improves navigation functions in our life. Additionally, GNSS is also being employed on behalf of an accurate atmospheric sensor these times. Meteorology is a practical application of GNSS, which is unnoticeable in the background of people’s life. GNSS Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is a positioning method that requires data from a single dual-frequency receiver and precise information about satellite positions and satellite clocks. In addition, careful attention to mitigate various error sources is required. All the above data are combined in a sophisticated mathematical algorithm. At this point, the research is going to demonstrate how GNSS and PPP method is capable to provide high-precision estimates, such as 3D positions or Zenith tropospheric delays (ZTDs). ZTDs combined with pressure and temperature information allows us to estimate the water vapor in the atmosphere as precipitable water vapor (PWV). If the process is replicated for a network of GNSS sensors, we can create thematic maps that allow extract water content information in any location within the network area. All of the above are possible thanks to the advances in GNSS data processing. Therefore, we are able to use GNSS data for climatic trend analysis and acquisition of the further knowledge about the atmospheric water content.

Keywords: GNSS, precise point positioning, Zenith tropospheric delays, precipitable water vapor

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Authors: Fahad Al Shidi, Reginald Victor

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This study was conducted in Northern Oman to assess the physical and chemical characteristics of 40 thermal springs distributed in Al Hajar Mountains in northern Oman. Physical measurements of water samples were carried out in two main seasons in Oman (winter and summer 2019). Studied springs were classified into three groups based on water temperature, four groups based on water pH values and two groups based on conductivity. Ten thermal alkaline springs that originated in Ophiolite (Samail Napp) were dominated by high pH (> 11), elevated concentration of Cl- and Na+ ions, relatively low temperature and discharge ratio. Other springs in the Hajar Super Group massif recorded high concentrations of Ca²+ and SO^2-₄ ions controlled by rock dominance, geochemistry processes, and mineralization. There was only one spring which has brackish water with very high conductivity (5500 µs/cm) and Total Dissolved Solids and it is not suitable for irrigation purposes because of the high abundance of Na+, Cl−, and Ca²+ ions.

Keywords: alkaline springs, geothermal, HSG, ophiolite

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Authors: Nadia Hammouda, K. Belmokre

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Organic coatings are widely employed in the corrosion protection of most metal surfaces, particularly steel. They provide a barrier against corrosive species present in the environment, due to their high resistance to oxygen, water and ions transport. This study focuses on the evaluation of corrosion protection performance of epoxy paint on the carbon steel surface in sea water by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The electrochemical behavior of painted surface was estimated by EIS parameters that contained paint film resistance, paint film capacitance and double layer capacitance. On the basis of calculation using EIS spectrums it was observed that pore resistance (Rpore) decreased with the appearance of doubled layer capacitance (Cdl) due to the electrolyte penetration through the film. This was further confirmed by the decrease of diffusion resistance (Rd) which was also the indicator of the deterioration of paint film protectiveness.

Keywords: epoxy paints, carbon steel, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, corrosion mechanisms, sea water

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Authors: Sead A. Bakheet, Salah M. Elkoum, Asharaf A. Almaghribi

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Disturbance defined as activity that malfunction, intrusion, or interruption. We have to look around for the source of the disturbance affecting the inputs and outputs of engineering projects, take the necessary actions to control them. In this paper we will present and discuss a production system consisting of three elements, inputs, the production process and outputs. The production process which we chose is the production of large diameter pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipes (out puts), in reality, the outputs are the starting points of the operation (laying the concrete pipes for transporting drinkable water). The main objective also to address the controlling methods of the natural resources and raw materials (basic inputs), study the disturbances affecting them as well as the output quality. The importance of making the right decision, which effect the final product quality will be summarized. Finally, we will address the proposals regarding the managing of secure water supply to the customers.

Keywords: disturbances, management, inputs, outputs, decision

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Authors: Kongmeng Ly

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The management of transboundary river basins across developing countries, such as the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB), is frequently challenging given the development and conservation divergences of the basin countries. Driven by needs to sustain economic performance and reduce poverty, the LMB countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Viet Nam) are embarking on significant land use changes in the form hydropower dam, to fulfill their energy requirements. This pathway could lead to irreversible changes to the ecosystem of the Mekong River, if not properly managed. Given the uncertain trade-offs of hydropower development and operation, the Lower Mekong River Basin Countries through the technical support of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat embarked on decade long the development of Technical Guidelines for Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment. Through a series of workshops, seminars, national and regional consultations, and pilot studies and further development following the recommendations generated through legal and institutional reviews undertaken over two decades period, the LMB Countries jointly adopted the MRC Technical Guidelines for Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (TbEIA Guidelines). These guidelines were developed with particular regard to the experience gained from MRC supported consultations and technical reviews of the Xayaburi Dam Project, Don Sahong Hydropower Project, Pak Beng Hydropower Project, and lessons learned from the Srepok River and Se San River case studies commissioned by the MRC under the generous supports of development partners around the globe. As adopted, the TbEIA Guidelines have been designed as a supporting mechanism to the national EIA legislation, processes and systems in each Member Country. In recognition of the already agreed mechanisms, the TbEIA Guidelines build on and supplement the agreements stipulated in the 1995 Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin and its Procedural Rules, in addressing potential transboundary environmental impacts of development projects and ensuring mutual benefits from the Mekong River and its resources. Since its adoption in 2022, the TbEIA Guidelines have already been voluntary implemented by Lao PDR on its underdevelopment Sekong A Downstream Hydropower Project, located on the Sekong River – a major tributary of the Mekong River. While this implementation is ongoing with results expected in early 2024, the implementation thus far has strengthened cooperation among concerned Member Countries with multiple successful open dialogues organized at national and regional levels. It is hope that lessons learnt from this application would lead to a wider application of the TbEIA Guidelines for future water resources development projects in the LMB.

Keywords: transboundary, EIA, lower mekong river basin, mekong river

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Authors: Francesca Risplendi, Li-Chiang Lin, Jeffrey C. Grossman, Giancarlo Cicero

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Desalination is one of the most employed approaches to supply water in the context of a rapidly growing global water shortage. However, the most popular water filtration method available is the reverse osmosis (RO) technique, still suffers from important drawbacks, such as a large energy demands and high process costs. In addition some serious limitations have been recently discovered, among them, the boron problem seems to have a critical meaning. Boron has been found to have a dual effect on the living systems on Earth and the difference between boron deficiency and boron toxicity levels is quite small. The aim of this project is to develop a new generation of RO membranes based on porous graphene or reduced graphene oxide (rGO) able to remove salts from seawater and to reduce boron concentrations in the permeate to the level that meets the drinking or process water requirements, by means of a theoretical approach based on density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics. Computer simulations have been employed to investigate the relationship between the atomic structure of nanoporous graphene or rGO monolayer and its membrane properties in RO applications (i.e. water permeability and resilience at RO pressures). In addition, an emphasis has been given to multilayer nanoporous rGO and rGO flakes based membranes. By means of non-equilibrium MD simulations, we investigated the water transport mechanism permeating through such multilayer membrane focusing on the effect of slit widths and sheet geometries. These simulations allowed us to establish the implications of these graphene based materials as promising membrane properties for desalination plants and as boron filtration.

Keywords: boron filtration, desalination, graphene membrane, reduced graphene oxide membrane

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Authors: Kazuhisa Koda, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Rebecca Lorennji, Alington Robert, Halston DeBrum, Julious Lucky, Paul Paul

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Atolls are low-lying small islands with highly permeable ground that does not allow rivers and lakes to develop. As the water resources on these atolls basically rely on precipitation, groundwater becomes a very important water resource during droughts. Freshwater lenses develop as groundwater on relatively large atoll islands and play a key role in the stable water supply. Atoll islands in the Pacific Ocean sometimes suffer from drought due to El Nino. The global warming effects are noticeable, particularly on atoll islands. The Republic of the Marshall Islands in Oceania is burdened with the problems common to atoll islands. About half of its population lives in the capital, Majuro, and securing water resources for these people is a crucial issue. There is a freshwater lens on the largest, Laura Island, which serves as a water source for the downtown area. A serious drought that occurred in 1998 resulted in excessive water intake from the freshwater lens on Laura Island causing up-coning. Up-coning mixes saltwater into groundwater pumped from water-intake wells. Because up-coning makes the freshwater lens unusable, there was a need to investigate the freshwater lens on Laura Island. In this study, we observed the electrical conductivities of the groundwater at different depths in existing monitoring wells to determine the total storage volume of the freshwater lens on Laura Island from 2010 to 2013. Our results indicated that most of the groundwater that seeped into the freshwater lens had flowed out into the sea.

Keywords: Atoll islands, drought, El-Nino, freshwater lens, groundwater observation

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Authors: Batsukh Chultem, Oyunbileg Natsagdorj, Namsrai Steyrmunkh

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Many industries, tourist camps and houses, discharge aqueous effluents containing relatively high levels of heavy metals, harmful organic compounds water. Untreated effluent from these manufacturing processes has an adverse impact on the environment. A specific problem associated with waste water in the environment is accumulation in the food chain and persistence in the environment. The screening of microorganisms resistant to pollution and able to detoxification them is essential for the development of clean-up technologies. The purpose of this study is to use advanced microbiological technology products for oxidizing organic and heavy metals pollutants as a biological treatment, to reduce water pollution, which arise as a result of waste water due to day-to-day operations of industries and houses of Ulaanbaatar city and tourist camps located around the lake Hovsgol, in Hovsgol province of Mongolia. By comparing the results from tests of effective microorganism’s bio-preparation treated sewage samples and not treated sewage samples shows that the treated sewage samples pollution decreased defending on treatment period and ratio. Treated water analyses show that: the suspended solids 352 mg/l, pH 5.85-7.95, ammonium nitrate 81.25-221.2 mg NH₄/l, nitrite 0.088-0.227 mg NO₂/l, nitrate 8.5-11.5 mg NO₃/l, and orthophosphate 1.06-15.46 mg PO₄/l. Also, heavy metals were decreased and microbiological test results defined parameters, respectively show the waste water pollution was reduced.

Keywords: effective microorganims, environment, pollution, treatment

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Authors: Dewan Hasin Mahtab, Farzana Sadia

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At present, wastewater treatment has become essential to maintain a constant supply of safe water as well as to protect the environment. Due to overpopulation and overconsumption, the water quality from various surface water sources is degrading every day. Being one of the megacities in the world, Dhaka City, is going through rapid industrialization and urbanization. The effluents from these industries and factories are mostly discharged directly into the rivers without any treatment. As such, the quality of water of Buriganga is being afflicted with a noisome problem of pollution. The water of the Buriganga River has become detrimental to humans, animals, and the environment. It has become crucial to conserve the environment so that we can save both ourselves and the environment. The first step towards it should be analyzing the wastewater to decide the further steps of the treatment process. Increased population and increased consumption both contribute to water pollution. Mohammadpur is a developing area of Dhaka City, and Kamrangirchar is one of the largest slum areas in Dhaka City. The total study area is 6.13 sq. Km of Dhaka city with a population of 4,73,310 people. Of them, 86.47% had their own latrine, 47% were directly connected to the drain, 55% had septic tanks, and 70.09% of them cleaned their septic tank once a year. The pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Total Dissolved Solid, Total Suspended and total coliforms of wastewater from two samples of both Mohammadpur and Kamrangirchar was analyzed. The DO level from the water bodies of Kamrangirchar was found very low, making the water bodies inhabitable for aquatic plants and animals. The BOD and COD level was extremely high from samples collected from Mohammadpur. The total coliforms count was found too high during the wet season, making it a potential health concern in the wet season in these two areas.

Keywords: Dhaka, environmental conservation rule, sanitation, wastewater

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Authors: Lim Lie Pin, Lin Hui Wen

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Rural tourism has become popular in Taiwan, the villages based on agriculture including fishery have to follow the trend to develop the local economy and achieve the sustainable development of the rural areas. Through cultural festivals, the tourist could experience the benefit while promoting and stimulating the local development of rural tourism. Cigu is famous for salt history and abundant natural resources, such as lagoon, black-faced spoonbills and other fishery products. Digging clam has become the most special parent-child activities in Tainan and increasing awareness since it was initiated. Therefore, festival organizers and regional destination marketers need to identify visitors’ experiences attributes which lead to opportunities for industry professionals, community involvement to plan and organize regional festivals and their programmes for effective destination branding finding out more potential rural resources encouraging the local industry growth and sustainable development.

Keywords: rural tourism, cultural festival, destination branding, tourist experience, sustainable development

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Authors: P. Barreto, A. Guevara, V. Ibujes

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In this study, the removal of arsenic from synthetic solutions and natural water from Papallacta Lagoon was evaluated, by using the rhizofiltration method with terrestrial and aquatic plant species. Ecuador is a country of high volcanic activity, that is why most of water sources come from volcanic glaciers. Therefore, it is necessary to find new, affordable and effective methods for treating water. The water from Papallacta Lagoon shows levels from 327 µg/L to 803 µg/L of arsenic. The evaluation for the removal of arsenic began with the selection of 16 different species of terrestrial and aquatic plants. These plants were immersed to solutions of 4500 µg/L arsenic concentration, for 48 hours. Subsequently, 3 terrestrial species and 2 aquatic species were selected based on the highest amount of absorbed arsenic they showed, analyzed by plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and their best capacity for adaptation into the arsenic solution. The chosen terrestrial species were cultivated from their seed with hydroponics methods, using coconut fiber and polyurethane foam as substrates. Afterwards, the species that best adapted to hydroponic environment were selected. Additionally, a control of the development for the selected aquatic species was carried out using a basic nutrient solution to provide the nutrients that the plants required. Following this procedure, 30 plants from the 3 types of species selected were exposed to a synthetic solution with levels of arsenic concentration of 154, 375 and 874 µg/L, for 15 days. Finally, the plant that showed the highest level of arsenic absorption was placed in 3 L of natural water, with arsenic levels of 803 µg/L. The plant laid in the water until it reached the desired level of arsenic of 10 µg/L. This experiment was carried out in a total of 30 days, in which the capacity of arsenic absorption of the plant was measured. As a result, the five species initially selected to be used in the last part of the evaluation were: sunflower (Helianthus annuus), clover (Trifolium), blue grass (Poa pratensis), water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and miniature aquatic fern (Azolla). The best result of arsenic removal was showed by the water hyacinth with a 53,7% of absorption, followed by the blue grass with 31,3% of absorption. On the other hand, the blue grass was the plant that best responded to the hydroponic cultivation, by obtaining a germination percentage of 97% and achieving its full growth in two months. Thus, it was the only terrestrial species selected. In summary, the final selected species were blue grass, water hyacinth and miniature aquatic fern. These three species were evaluated by immersing them in synthetic solutions with three different arsenic concentrations (154, 375 and 874 µg/L). Out of the three plants, the water hyacinth was the one that showed the highest percentages of arsenic removal with 98, 58 and 64%, for each one of the arsenic solutions. Finally, 12 plants of water hyacinth were chosen to reach an arsenic level up to 10 µg/L in natural water. This significant arsenic concentration reduction was obtained in 5 days. In conclusion, it was found that water hyacinth is the best plant to reduce arsenic levels in natural water.

Keywords: arsenic, natural water, plant species, rhizofiltration, synthetic solutions

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Authors: Kudirat I. Zakariyyah, Iniobong B. John, Julius O. Faremi, David Adio-Moses

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One of the key contributors to firms’ growth, performance, and sustainability is entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Most studies on EO, however, are in other industries than construction and, more often, exploratory. The purpose of this study is thus to create an awareness on entrepreneurial orientation and its dimensions in contracting firms. Considering the need for sustainability, the study thus examined contracting firms’ entrepreneurial orientation dimensions that are required in order to keep pace with the demands for sustainable development. This was done by giving out questionnaires to a sample of 116 respondents from a population of 166 construction firms in Lagos state. Data were collected through a survey and analysed using mean scores and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result revealed the prevalence of the four dimensions of EO, though in moderate proportion. In addition, the study identified review of organisational structure as the top entrepreneurial orientation dimension needed for sustainable development. The study concludes that the firms should identify the existing orientation dimensions and its relevance with sustainability so as to be able to know the required review that will be appropriate in the industry. It is recommended that the firms need to do more on raising the level of prevalence of the various orientation dimensions in order to achieve the merits of the different constructs of sustainability.

Keywords: construction, culture, entrepreneurial-orientation, dimension, sustainability

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Authors: Mian Adnan Kakakhel, NIshita Narwal, Majid Rasta, Shi Xiaotao

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The widespread use of nanoparticles means that they are significantly increasing in the aquatic ecosystem, where they are likely to pose threat to aquatic organism. In particular, the influence of nanoparticles exposure combined with varying water velocities on fish behavior remain poorly understood. Emerging evidences suggested a probable correlation between fish swimming behavior and gut bacterial dysbiosis. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of nanomaterials in different water velocities on fish gut bacterial composition, which in results change in fish swimming behavior. The obtained findings showed that the contamination of nanoparticles was reduced as the velocity increased. However, the synergetic effects of nanoparticles and water velocity significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the bacterial composition, which plays a critical role in fish development, metabolism, digestion, enzymes production, and energy production such as Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. This group of bacterial also support fish in swimming behavior by providing them a significant energy during movement. The obtained findings of this study suggested that the presence of nanoparticles in different water velocities have had a significant correlation with fish gut bacterial dysbiosis, as results the gut dysbiosis had been linked to the change in fish behavior. The study provides an important insight into the mechanisms by which the nanoparticles possibly affect the fish behavior.

Keywords: water velocities, fish behavior, gut bacteria, secondary metabolites, regulation

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Authors: Andrés Calvillo Téllez, Marianne Martínez Zanzarric, José Cruz Núñez Pérez

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A modular system that performs basic monitoring of both water and air quality is presented. Monitoring is essential for environmental, aquaculture, and agricultural disciplines, where this type of instrumentation is necessary for data collection. The system uses low-cost components, which allows readings close to those with high-cost probes. The probe collects readings such as the coordinates of the geographical position, as well as the time it records the target parameters of the monitored. The modules or subsystems that make up the probe are the global positioning (GPS), which shows the altitude, latitude, and longitude data of the point where the reading will be recorded, a real-time clock stage, the date marking the time, the module SD memory continuously stores data, data acquisition system, central processing unit, and energy. The system acquires parameters to measure water quality, conductivity, pressure, and temperature, and for air, three types of ammonia, dioxide, and carbon monoxide gases were censored. The information obtained allowed us to identify the schedule of modification of the parameters and the identification of the ideal conditions for the growth of microorganisms in the water.

Keywords: calibration, conductivity, datalogger, monitoring, real time clock, water quality

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Authors: Mehran Nozari-Asbemarz, Italo Pisano, Simin Arshi, Edmond Magner, James J. Leahy

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Integrating electrolytic synthesis with renewable energy makes it feasible to address urgent environmental and energy challenges. Conventional water electrolyzers concurrently produce H₂ and O₂, demanding additional procedures in gas separation to prevent contamination of H₂ with O₂. Moreover, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is sluggish and has a low overall energy conversion efficiency, does not deliver a significant value product on the electrode surface. Compared to conventional water electrolysis, integrating electrolytic hydrogen generation from water with thermodynamically more advantageous aqueous organic oxidation processes can increase energy conversion efficiency and create value-added compounds instead of oxygen at the anode. One strategy is to use renewable and sustainable carbon sources from biomass, which has a large annual production capacity and presents a significant opportunity to supplement carbon sourced from fossil fuels. Numerous catalytic techniques have been researched in order to utilize biomass economically. Because of its safe operating conditions, excellent energy efficiency, and reasonable control over production rate and selectivity using electrochemical parameters, electrocatalytic upgrading stands out as an appealing choice among the numerous biomass refinery technologies. Therefore, we propose a broad framework for coupling H2 generation from water splitting with oxidative biomass upgrading processes. Four representative biomass targets were considered for oxidative upgrading that used a hierarchically porous CoFe-MOF/LDH @ Graphite Paper bifunctional electrocatalyst, including glucose, ethanol, benzyl, furfural, and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The potential required to support 50 mA cm-2 is considerably lower than (~ 380 mV) the potential for OER. All four compounds can be oxidized to yield liquid byproducts with economic benefit. The electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose to the value-added products, gluconic acid, glucuronic acid, and glucaric acid, was examined in detail. The cell potential for combined H₂ production and glucose oxidation was substantially lower than for water splitting (1.44 V(RHE) vs. 1.82 V(RHE) for 50 mA cm-2). In contrast, the oxidation byproduct at the anode was significantly more valuable than O₂, taking advantage of the more favorable glucose oxidation in comparison to the OER. Overall, such a combination of HER and oxidative biomass valorization using electrocatalysts prevents the production of potentially explosive H₂/O₂mixtures and produces high-value products at both electrodes with lower voltage input, thereby increasing the efficiency and activity of electrocatalytic conversion.

Keywords: biomass, electrocatalytic, glucose oxidation, hydrogen evolution

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Authors: S. Etaig, R. Hasan, N. Perera

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This paper analyses the heat transfer performance and fluid flow using different nanofluids in a square enclosure. The energy equation and Navier-Stokes equation are solved numerically using finite volume scheme. The effect of volume fraction concentration on the enhancement of heat transfer has been studied icorporating the Brownian motion; the influence of effective thermal conductivity on the enhancement was also investigated for a range of volume fraction concentration. The velocity profile for different Rayleigh number. Water-Cu, water AL2O3 and water-TiO2 were tested.

Keywords: computational fluid dynamics, natural convection, nanofluid and thermal conductivity

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Authors: Tirtha Raj Dhakal, Brian Davidson, Bob Farquharson

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Institutional design is an important aspect in efficient water resource management. In Nepal, the water supply in both farmers’- and agency-managed irrigation systems has become sub-standard because of the weak institutional framework. This study characterizes both forms of the schemes and links existing institution and governance of the schemes with its performance with reference to cost recovery, maintenance of the schemes and water distribution throughout the schemes. For this, two types of surveys were conducted. A management survey of ten farmers’-managed and five agency-managed schemes of Chitwan valley and its periphery was done. Also, a farm survey comprising 25 farmers from each of head, middle and tail regions of both schemes; Narayani Lift Irrigation Project (agency-managed) and Khageri Irrigation System (farmers’-managed) of Chitwan Valley as a case study was conducted. The results showed that cost recovery of agency-managed schemes in 2015 was less than two percent whereas service fee collection rate in farmers’-managed schemes was nearly 2/3rd that triggered poor maintenance of the schemes and unequal distribution of water throughout the schemes. Also, the institution on practice is unable to create any incentives for farmers for economical use of water as well as willingness to pay for its use. This, thus, compels the need of refined institutional framework which has been suggested in this paper aiming to improve the cost recovery and better water distribution throughout the irrigation schemes.

Keywords: cost recovery, governance, institution, schemes' performance

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Authors: Xukai Fu

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The concept of circular economy is interdisciplinary, intersecting environmental engineering, information technology, business, and social science domains. Over the course of its 15-year tenure in the sanitation industry, Jinkai has concentrated its efforts in the past five years on integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technology with street sanitation apparatus and systems. This endeavor has led to the development of various innovations, including the Intelligent Identification Sweeper Truck (Intelligent Waste Recognition and Energy-saving Control System), the Intelligent Identification Water Truck (Intelligent Flushing Control System), the intelligent food waste treatment machine, and the Intelligent City Road Sanitation Surveillance Platform. This study will commence with an examination of prevalent global challenges, elucidating how Jinkai effectively addresses each within the framework of circular economy principles. Utilizing a review and analysis of pertinent environmental management data, we will elucidate Jinkai's strategic approach. Following this, we will investigate how Jinkai utilizes the advantages of circular economy principles to guide the design of street sanitation machinery, with a focus on digitalization integration. Moreover, we will scrutinize Jinkai's sustainable practices throughout the invention and operation phases of street sanitation machinery, aligning with the triple bottom line theory. Finally, we will delve into the significance and enduring impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. Special emphasis will be placed on Jinkai's contributions to community stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on human rights. Despite the widespread adoption of circular economy principles across various industries, achieving a harmonious equilibrium between environmental justice and social justice remains a formidable task. Jinkai acknowledges that the mere development of energy-saving technologies is insufficient for authentic circular economy implementation; rather, they serve as instrumental tools. To earnestly promote and embody circular economy principles, companies must consistently prioritize the UN Sustainable Development Goals and adapt their technologies to address the evolving exigencies of our world.

Keywords: circular economy, core principles, benefits, the tripple bottom line, CSR, ESG, social justice, human rights, Jinkai

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Authors: S. K. Ashiquer Rahman

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The innovative knowledge threshold significantly shifted education from traditional to an online version which was an emergent state of arts for academic programs of any higher education institutions; the substantive situation thus raises the importance of deliberative integration of education, Knowledge, technology and sustainability as well as knowledge platforms, e.g., ePLANETe. In fact, the concept of 'ePLANETe' an innovative knowledge platform and its functionalities as an experimental digitized platform for contributing sustainable assessment of academic programs of higher education institution(HEI). Besides, this paper assessed and define the common sustainable development challenges of higher education(HE) and identified effective approach and tools of 'ePLANETe’ that is enable to practices sustainability assessment of academic programs through the deliberation methodologies. To investigate the effectiveness of knowledge tools and approach of 'ePLANETe’, I have studied sustainable challenges digitized pedagogical content as well as evaluation of academic programs of two public universities in France through the 'ePLANETe’ evaluation space. The investigation indicated that the effectiveness of 'ePLANETe’s tools and approach perfectly fit for the quality assessment of academic programs, implementation of sustainable challenges, and dynamic balance of ecosystem within the university communities and academic programs through 'ePLANETe’ evaluation process and space. The study suggests to the relevant higher educational institution’s authorities and policymakers could use this approach and tools for assessing sustainability and enhancing the sustainability competencies of academic programs for quality education

Keywords: ePLANETe, deliberation, evaluation, competencies

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Authors: Rama Ajineh

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Neighborhoods are defined as local zones within settlements and cities recognized by individuals who live there, with their identities and given boundaries. Neighborhoods mainly structure individual’s lives, the small box which various social groups interact with each other, develop and become one strong entity. Also, it is a platform for more activities, providing many of the social services to enhance the connections between the people, giving a sense of community. However, some of these neighborhoods were unplanned and caused many social, economical and architectural problems to its residents in the first place, and to the city. A great example of such case is in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Al-Ruwais neighborhood, where the authority is planning to regenerate the area and make it a landmark for the city. Urban Regeneration of Unplanned Settlements is a process to make people live and work, now and in the future, and meet the various needs of the current and coming inhabitants, with a high-quality life for all. Through research, it was discovered that Urban regeneration plans on Al-Ruwais were planned regardless to the collective agreement of the inhabitants, giving themselves the absolute right to demolish and reconstruct the desired locations with a low compensation. Consequently, a deep research will be done on integrating the residents with the process, by showcasing examples of successful Urban Regenerations of Unplanned settlements in different cities. The research aims to understand the sustainable, and well-planned regeneration strategies used to enhance people’s living without harming them, and give sustainable urban solutions. Moreover, the research explores the definition of Sustainable Communities. The used methods in this paper are secondary research on site analysis and the relationship between the human and the neighborhood. The conclusion reveals the most successful fashion of Urban regeneration of Unplanned settlements and applies it to Al-Ruwais neighborhood considering the human factor as a primary element.

Keywords: architecture, human integration, original residents, site analysis, sustainable communities, urban sustainable solutions, urban regeneration

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Authors: Sudirman

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Competence is a term describing capability that correlates with a person’s occupation. The competence of a teacher consists of four, i.e., pedagogical, professional, personality and social competence. These four components are implemented during interacting with students to motivate the students and improve their achievement. The objective of this qualitative study is to explore the roles and contributions of certified teachers in alleviating the issue of poverty to promote a sustainable development. The data comprise primary and secondary data which were generated from observation, interview, documentation and library research. Furthermore, this study offers in-depth information regarding the performance of the teachers in coping with poverty and sustaining development. The result shows that the teacher’s competence positively contributes to the improvement of students’ achievement. This helps the students to prepare for the real work experience by which it results in a better income and, therefore, alleviate poverty. All in all, the quality of today’s teachers can be measured by their contribution in enhancing the students’ competence prior to entering real work, resulting in a wealthy society. This is to deal with poverty and conceptualizing a sustainable development.

Keywords: competence, development, poverty, teachers

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Authors: Thanura Randula Abeywardena

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This study recognized the effectiveness of cold-water immersion recovery post exhaustive short-term exercise. The purpose of this study was to understand if 16- 20°C of cold-water immersion would be beneficial in a tropical environment to achieve optimal recovery in sprint swim performance in comparison to 10-15°C of water immersion. Two 100m-sprint swim performance times were measured along with blood lactate (BLa), heart rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) in a 25m swimming pool with full body head out horizontal water immersions of 10-15°C, 16-20°C and 29-32°C (pool temperature) for 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes of seated passive rest outside; in between the two swim performances. Twelve well-trained adult swimmers (5 male and 5 female) within the top twenty in the Sri Lankan national swimming championships in 100m Butterfly and Freestyle in the years 2020 & 2021 volunteered for this study. One-way ANOVA analysis (p<0.05) suggested performance time, Bla and HR had no significant differences between the 3 conditions after the second sprint; however, RPE was significantly different with p=0.034 between 10-15°C and 16-20°C immersion conditions. The study suggested that the recovery post the two cold-water immersion conditions were similar in terms of performance and physiological factors; however, the 16-20°C temperature had a better “feel good” factor post sprint 2. Further study is recommended as there was participant bias with the swimmers not reaching optimal levels in sprint 1. Therefore, they might have possibly fully recovered before sprint 2, invalidating the physiological effect of recovery.

Keywords: hydrotherapy, blood lactate, fatigue, recovery, sprint-performance, sprint-swimming

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Authors: Walter W. Loo

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China declared the “zero discharge rules which leave no toxics into our living environment and deliver blue sky, green land and clean water to many generations to come”. The achievement of ZWD will provide conservation of water, soil and energy and provide drastic increase in Gross Domestic Products (GDP). Our society’s engine needs a major tune up; it is sputtering. ZWD is achieved in world’s space stations – no toxic air emission and the water is totally recycled and solid wastes all come back to earth. This is all done with solar power. These are all achieved under extreme temperature, pressure and zero gravity in space. ZWD can be achieved on earth under much less fluctuations in temperature, pressure and normal gravity environment. ZWD systems are not expensive and will have multiple beneficial returns on investment which are both financially and environmentally acceptable. The paper will include successful case histories since the mid-1970s. ZWD discharge can be applied to the following types of projects: nuclear and coal fire power plants with a closed loop system that will eliminate thermal water discharge; residential communities with wastewater treatment sump and recycle the water use as a secondary water supply; waste water treatment Plants with complete water recycling including water distillation to produce distilled water by very economical 24-hours solar power plant. Landfill remediation is based on neutralization of landfilled gas odor and preventing anaerobic leachate formation. It is an aerobic condition which will render landfill gas emission explosion proof. Desert development is the development of recovering soil moisture from soil and completing a closed loop water cycle by solar energy within and underneath an enclosed greenhouse. Salt-alkali land development can be achieved by solar distillation of salty shallow water into distilled water. The distilled water can be used for soil washing and irrigation and complete a closed loop water cycle with energy and water conservation. Heavy metals remediation can be achieved by precipitation of dissolved toxic metals below the plant or vegetation root zone by solar electricity without pumping and treating. Soil and groundwater remediation - abandoned refineries, chemical and pesticide factories can be remediated by in-situ electrobiochemical and bioventing treatment method without pumping or excavation. Toxic organic chemicals are oxidized into carbon dioxide and heavy metals precipitated below plant and vegetation root zone. New water sources: low temperature distilled water can be recycled for repeated use within a greenhouse environment by solar distillation; nano bubble water can be made from the distilled water with nano bubbles of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide from air (fertilizer water) and also eliminate the use of pesticides because the nano oxygen will break the insect growth chain in the larvae state. Three dimensional high yield greenhouses can be constructed by complete water recycling using the vadose zone soil as a filter with no farming wastewater discharge.

Keywords: greenhouses, no discharge, remediation of soil and water, wastewater

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Authors: Priya Nangia, Sanchita Bansal

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As fashion cycles become more rapid, some segments of the fashion industry have adopted increasingly unsustainable production processes to keep up with demand and enhance profit margins. The growing threat to environmental and social wellbeing posed by unethical fast fashion practices and the need to integrate the targets of SDGs into this industry necessitates a shift in the fashion industry's unsustainable nature, which can only be accomplished in the long run if consumers support sustainable fashion by purchasing it. Fast fashion is defined as low-cost, trendy apparel that takes inspiration from the catwalk or celebrity culture and rapidly transforms it into garments at high-street stores to meet consumer demand. Given the importance of identity formation to many consumers, the desire to be “fashionable” often outweighs the desire to be ethical or sustainable. This paradox exemplifies the tension between the human drive to consume and the will to do so in moderation. Previous research suggests that there is an attitude-behavior gap when it comes to determining consumer purchasing behavior, but to the best of our knowledge, no study has analysed how to encourage customers to shift from fast to slow fashion. Against this backdrop, the aim of this study is twofold: first, to identify and examine the factors that impact consumers' decisions to engage in sustainable fashion, and second, the authors develop a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing and encouraging researchers and practitioners to foster sustainable consumer behavior. This study used a systematic approach to collect data and analyse literature. The approach included three key steps: review planning, review execution, and findings reporting. Authors identified the keywords “sustainable consumption” and “sustainable fashion” and retrieved studies from the Web of Science (WoS) (126 records) and Scopus database (449 records). To make the study more specific, the authors refined the subject area to management, business, and economics in the second step, retrieving 265 records. In the third step, the authors removed the duplicate records and manually reviewed the articles to examine their relevance to the research issue. The final 96 research articles were used to develop this study's systematic scheme. The findings indicate that societal norms, demographics, positive emotions, self-efficacy, and awareness all have an effect on customers' decisions to purchase sustainable apparel. The authors propose a framework, denoted by the acronym SHIFT, in which consumers are more likely to engage in sustainable behaviors when the message or context leverages the following factors: (s)social influence, (h)habit formation, (i)individual self, (f)feelings, emotions, and cognition, and (t)tangibility. Furthermore, the authors identify five broad challenges that encourage sustainable consumer behavior and use them to develop novel propositions. Finally, the authors discuss how the SHIFT framework can be used in practice to drive sustainable consumer behaviors. This research sought to define the boundaries of existing research while also providing new perspectives on future research, with the goal of being useful for the development and discovery of new fields of study, thereby expanding knowledge.

Keywords: consumer behavior, fast fashion, sustainable consumption, sustainable fashion, systematic literature review

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Authors: Milda A. Cruz-Huaranga, Natalí Carbo-Bustinza, Javier Linkolk López-Gonzales, K. Depaz, Gina M. Tito T., Soledad Torres-Calderón

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The objective of this study was to improve water quality in the “La Mansión” pond in order to irrigate green spaces on the Peruvian Union University campus (Lima, Peru) using the aquatic species Eichhornia Crassipes. Furthermore, tree trimming and cleaning activities were performed that reduced water pollution caused by organic deposits and feathers from wild birds. The impaired waterbody is located on the campus of the Peruvian Union University, 580 meters above sea level, with a volume of 6,405.336 m3, an area of 3,050.16 m2, 256.81 m perimeter, and 0.12 m3/s input flow. Seven 1.8 m2 floating systems were implemented, with 12 common water hyacinth plants in each system. Before implementing this system, a water quality analysis was performed to analyse the physical-chemical, microbiological, and organoleptic parameters. The pre-analysis revealed the pond’s critical condition, with electrical conductivity: 556 mg/l; phosphate: < 0.5; pH: 7.06; total solids: 412 mg/l; arsenic: <0.01; lead: 0.115; BOD5: 14; COD: 16.94; dissolved oxygen: 13; total coliforms: 24000 MCL/100 ml; and thermo-tolerant coliforms: 11000 MCL/100 ml. After implementing the system, the following results were obtained: EC: 495 mg/l; DO:9.2 mg/l; TS: 235 mg/l; BOD5: 7.7; COD: 8.47; Pb: 0.001 mg/l; TC: 460 MCL/100 ml; FC: 240 MCL/100 ml. Thus, we confirmed that the system is 78.79% efficient regarding the Peruvian ECA (Environmental Quality Standards) established for water according to DS #015-2015-MINAM. Therefore, the water is suitable for plant irrigation. Finally, we concluded that treating wastewater with the species Eichhornia Crassipes is efficient since an improvement was achieved in the impaired waterbody.

Keywords: Eichhornia crassipes, plantlets, cleaning, impaired waterbody, pond

Procedia PDF Downloads 140

Authors: Carola Cappa

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Chickpea cooking water (known as aquafaba, AF) is a “waste” product having interesting technological properties exploitable for sustainable plant-based food applications that can encounter a larger consumers demand. Different process conditions to obtain AF were defined; the addition of hydrocolloid (i.e., guar gum) and lactic acid to improve the techno-functionalities of aquafaba was explored, and the effects of these ingredients on the foaming properties and the quality of plant-based target confectionery products were investigated. Meringues having a solid foam structure and a simple formulation (i.e., foaming agent and sugar) and chocolate mousse were chosen as target foods. The effects of the sugar particle size reduction on the empirical and fundamental rheological properties of the foaming agent and of the mousse were evaluated. The treatment did not significantly change the viscosity of the system, while the overrun and foam stability were affected by sugar particle size, and mousse with coarse sugar was characterized by a higher consistency, confirming the importance of the particle size of the ingredients on the texture of the final product. This study proved that AF, a recycled “waste” product, possesses interesting techno-functionalities properties further enhanced by adding lactic acid and modulable according to ingredient particle size; these AF results are useable for plant-based food applications.

Keywords: foaming properties, foam stability, foam texture, particle size, acidification, aquafaba

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Authors: Igor Svishchev, Kashif Choudhry

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Progress in advanced energy technologies is not feasible without understanding how engineering materials perform under extreme environmental conditions. The corrosion behaviour of Fe-Ni-Cr and Zr alloys has been systematically examined under high-temperature and supercritical water flow conditions. The changes in elemental release rate and dissolved gas concentration provide valuable insights into the mechanism of passivation by forming oxide films. A non-intrusive method for monitoring the extent of surface oxidation based on hydrogen release rate has been developed. This approach can be used for the on-line monitoring corrosion behavior of reactor materials without the need to interrupt the flow and remove corrosion coupons. Surface catalysed thermochemical reactions may generate sufficient hydrogen to have an effect on the accumulation of oxidizing species generated by radiolytic processes in the heat transport systems of the supercritical water cooled nuclear reactor.

Keywords: high-temperature corrosion, non-intrusive monitoring, reactor materials, supercritical water

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Authors: Anish Bhargava

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By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans. 51 trillion micro-plastics pollute our waters and contaminate the food on our plates, increasing the risk of tumours and diseases such as cancer. Our product is a solution to the ever-growing problem of plastic pollution. We call it the SmartBin. The SmartBin is a cylindrical device which will float just below the surface of the water, able to move with the aid of 4 water thrusters situated on the sides. As it floats, our SmartBin will suck water into itself and pump it out through the bottom. All waste is collected into a reusable filter including microplastics measuring down to 1.5mm. A speaker emitting sound at a frequency of 9 hertz ensures marine life stays away from the SmartBin. Featured along with our product is a smartphone app which will enable the user to designate an area for the SmartBin to cover on a satellite image. The SmartBin will then return to its start position near the shore, configured through the app. As global pressure to tackle water pollution continues to increase, environmental spending increases too. As our product provides an effective solution to this issue, we can seize the opportunity and scale our company. Our product is unparalleled. It can move at a high speed, covering a wide area rather than being restricted to one position. We target not only oceans and sea-shores, but also rivers, lakes, reservoirs and canals, as they are much easier to access and control.

Keywords: water, plastic, pollution, solution, hydroclean, smartbin, cleanup

Procedia PDF Downloads 206

Authors: Shady S. Hassan, Brijesh K. Tiwari, Gwilym A. Williams, Amit K. Jaiswal

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EU is known as the destination with the highest rate of the coffee consumption per capita in the world. Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are the main by-product of coffee brewing. SCG is either disposed as a solid waste or employed as compost, although the polysaccharides from such lignocellulosic biomass might be used as feedstock for fermentation processes. However, SCG as a lignocellulose have a complex structure and pretreatment process is required to facilitate an efficient enzymatic hydrolysis of carbohydrates. However, commonly used pretreatment methods, such as chemical, physico-chemical and biological techniques are still insufficient to meet optimal industrial production requirements in a sustainable way. Ultrasound is a promising candidate as a sustainable green pretreatment solution for lignocellulosic biomass utilization in a large scale biorefinery. Thus, ultrasound pretreatment of SCG without adding harsh chemicals investigated as a green technology to enhance enzyme hydrolysis. In the present work, ultrasound pretreatment experiments were conducted on SCG using different ultrasound frequencies (25, 35, 45, 130, and 950 kHz) for 60 min. Regardless of ultrasound power, low ultrasound frequency is more effective than high ultrasound frequency in pretreatment of biomass. Ultrasound pretreatment of SCG (at ultrasound frequency of 25 kHz for 60 min) followed by enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in total reducing sugars of 56.1 ± 2.8 mg/g of biomass. Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to investigate changes in functional groups of biomass after pretreatment, while high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed for determination of glucose. Pretreatment of lignocellulose by low frequency ultrasound in water only was found to be an effective green approach for SCG to improve saccharification and glucose yield compared to native biomass. Pretreatment conditions will be optimized, and the enzyme hydrolysate will be used as media component substitute for the production of ethanol.

Keywords: lignocellulose, ultrasound, pretreatment, spent coffee grounds

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Authors: Lucia Varra, Marzia Timolo

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The interest of scholars towards corporate sustainability has strengthened in recent years in parallel with the growing need to undertake paths of cultural and organizational change, as a way for greater competitiveness and stakeholders’ satisfaction. In fact, studies on the business sustainability, while on the one hand have integrated the three dimensions of sustainability that existed for some time in the economic approaches (economic, environmental and social dimensions), on the other hand did not give rise to an organic construct that puts together the aspects of strategic management with corporate social responsibility and even less with the organizational issues. Therefore some important questions remain open: Which organizational structure and which operational mechanisms are coherent or propitious to a sustainability strategy? Existing studies appear to be fragmented, although some aspects have shared importance: knowledge management, human resource, management, leadership, innovation, etc. The construction of a model of sustainable organization that supports the sustainability strategy no longer seems to be postponed, as is its connection with the main practices of measuring corporate social responsibility performance. The paper aims to identify the organizational characteristics of a sustainable corporate. To this end, from a theoretical point of view the work examines the main existing literary contributions and, from a practical point of view, it presents a business case referring to a service organization that for years has undertaken the sustainability strategy. This paper is divided into two parts: the first part concerns a review of the main articles on the strategic management topic and the main organizational issues raised by the literature, such as knowledge management, leadership, innovation, etc.; later, a modeling of the main variables examined by scholars and an integration of these with the international measurement standards of CSR is proposed. In the second part, using the methodology of the case study company, the hypotheses and the structure of the proposed model that aims to integrate the strategic issues with the organizational aspects and measurement of sustainability performance, are applied to an Italian company, which has some organizational and human resource management interventions are in place to align strategic decisions with the structure and operating mechanisms of the structure. The case presented supports the hypotheses of the model.

Keywords: CSR, strategic management, sustainable leadership, sustainable human resource management, sustainable organization

Procedia PDF Downloads 102