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Search results for: sustainable development
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Alginate-based sorbents in miniaturized solid phase extraction techniques - Step towards greenness sample preparation
PublicationIn response to growing concerns about environmental degradation, one of the main areas of research activity in recent years has been to make sample preparation methods more sustainable and eco-friendly. The increasing greenness of this step can be achieved by minimizing the usage of reagents, automating individual stages, saving energy and time, and using non-toxic, biodegradable substances. Therefore, the use of natural materials...
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Transforming urban design education through international competitions: a 20-year perspective
PublicationOver the past two decades, international urban design competitions have transformed architectural education by fostering creativity and interdisciplinary learning. This article provides a 20-year perspective by focusing on five of the most prominent competitions: Europan, UIA Student Competitions, ULI Hines Student Competitions, Arturbain.fr and the Global Schindler Award. Through a comparative analysis of these competitions, the...
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A Comprehensive Review of Phytonutrients as a Dietary Therapy for Obesity
PublicationObesity is a complex medical condition mainly caused by eating habits, genetics, lifestyle, and medicine. The present study deals with traditional diets like the Mediterranean diet, Nordic diet, African Heritage diet, Asian diet, and DASH, as these are considered to be sustainable diets for curing obesity. However, the bioavailability of phytonutrients consumed in the diet may vary, depending on several factors such as digestion...
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Analysis of the Environmental Impact of the Hull Construction of a Small Vessel Based on LCA
PublicationIn recent years, issues related to the impact of human activity on the natural environment have become pressing, and the challenge of global warming necessitates immediate action. To support environmental protection efforts, it has become imperative to adopt a broader perspective when evaluating various products and systems. A valuable tool for such assessments is a life cycle assessment (LCA), which enables a comprehensive analysis...
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Design and Performance Evaluation of the Energy Subsystem of a Hybrid Light andWave Energy Harvester
PublicationThe paper presents the design and performance of an energy subsystem (ES) dedicated to hybrid energy harvesters (HEHs): wave energy converters (WECs) combined with photovoltaic panels (PVPs). The considered ES is intended for compact HEHs powering autonomous end-node devices in distributed IoT networks. The designed ES was tested experimentally and evaluated in relation to the mobile and wireless distributed communication use case....
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The sensors-based artificial intelligence Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS) for managing the railway transport fleet
PublicationRailways deliver a safe and sustainable form of transport and are typically pointed as one the safest form of transportation. Nevertheless, train accidents still happen, and when they happen, the consequences concern serious fatalities and injuries. Since every case is unique, the most frequent causes of train accidents are mechanical derailments, failures, as well as human errors and ignorance. In order to mitigate the risks posed...
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Gender and Digital Divide - Information and Communication Technologiesand their Impact on Equality
PublicationIn the entire Europe more women than men graduate from tertiaryeducation institutes. However, they are underrepresented in scientific and engineering disciplines. Women researchers still constitute a minority in the Government and Higher Education Sectors. A number of industry reports highlight a low number of women in IT occupations49. This has led to a variety of public policy measures, such as subsidies on community provision,...
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Degradation of stiffness of building columns exposed to bending and impact load during ground motions
PublicationThe safety of civil engineering structures under external loads, including ground motions, is one of the issues related to the idea of sustainable society. The earthquake-induced soft-storey failure is a typical type of damage observed in buildings due to seismic excitation. The failure of an intermediate soft storey of a structure results in large vertical impact loading acting on the lower floors due to the fall of the upper...
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Recent applications and future prospects of magnetic biocatalysts
PublicationMagnetic biocatalysts combine magnetic properties with the catalytic activity of enzymes, achieving easy recovery and reuse in biotechnological processes. Lipases immobilized by magnetic nanoparticles dominate. This review covers an advanced bibliometric analysis and an overview of the area, elucidating research advances. Using WoS, 34,949 publications were analyzed and refined to 450. The prominent journals, countries, institutions, and...
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Stabilizing lactate production through repeated batch fermentation of food waste and waste activated sludge
PublicationBio-valorization of organic waste streams, such as food waste and waste activated sludge, to lactic acid (LA) has recently drawn much attention. It offers an opportunity for resource recovery, alleviates environmental issues and potentially turns a profit. In this study, both stable and high LA yield (0.72 ± 0.15 g/g total chemical oxygen demand) and productivity rate (0.53 g/L•h) were obtained through repeated batch fermentation....
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Enhanced photocatalytic activity of transparent carbon nanowall/TiO2 heterostructures
PublicationThe synthesis of novel tunable carbon-based nanostructure represented a pivotal point to enhance the efficiency of existing photocatalysts and to extend their applicability to a wider number of sustainable processes. In this letter, we describe a transparent photocatalytic heterostructure by growing boron-doped carbon nanowalls (B-CNWs) on quartz, followed by a simple TiO2 sol-gel deposition. The effect on the thickness and boron-doping...
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Current status and future success of renewable energy in Pakistan
PublicationMismatch between energy demand and supply from last two decades has been increasing because of the domination of expensive imported oil in energy mix of Pakistan. To import crude oil Government paid US $ 9 billion in 2008–2009 to meet the energy demands...
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Adaptable management for cooling cyclic air in ship power plants by heat conversion – Part 1: Downsizing strategy for cogeneration plants
PublicationThe ship power plants (SPP) are generally based on Diesel engines. Their fuel efficiency is gradually sensible to cyclic air temperatures and drops with their rise. A sustainable performance of ship engines with high fuel efficiency is possible by cooling intake and charge air as two objects in waste heat conversion chillers. The peculiarities of marine engine application are associated with constrained space of machine room. Whereas,...
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Mass Spectrometry-Based Direct Analytical Techniques
PublicationDirect analysis of samples is considered as one of the most environmentally sustainable solutions in analytical chemistry. In the ideal case, such solutions do not require sample preparation and analytes separation steps, therefore do not consumpt harmful substances (or consumpt only minimum amounts of them) and do not generate hazardous waste. Technical solutions for direct analysis also offer miniaturized and field-portable analyzers...
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Modal analysis of a steel grandstand
PublicationAmong the issues related to the idea of sustainable society is the safety of civil engineering structures devoted to satisfy different needs of people. One of the types of structures devoted to satisfy recreational needs are grandstands, which are used during sport events or music concerts. It is obligatory to consider interaction between structure and crowd load especially when the crowd movement involves rhythmic jumping, dancing,...
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Blended natural and synthetic coagulants for the COD and BOD removal from surface water; optimization by response surface methodology: The case of Gibe river
PublicationA novel wastewater treatment method is presented in this study. It combines natural coagulants derived from watermelon seeds with the commonly used synthetic coagulant alum. This research demonstrates a remarkable synergy between these two coagulants in removing nutrients from Gibe River wastewater. Combining natural and chemical coagulants often improves water treatment by enhancing particle destabilization, accelerating floc...
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A Residential Building Extension Prototype to face Post-Pandemic Needs: Foreseen Challenges and Impacts
PublicationThe COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of outdoor spaces for maintaining physical and mental well-being. However, many urban residents lack private outdoor areas, which led to harmful health consequences during lockdowns. The research project aims to address and solve this issue by developing a physical/digital prototype called “X-TEND” that extends living space outdoors by attaching it to existing multi-story residential...
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The Fuzzy Analysis of Western Windfarm Transportation Safety
PublicationThe previously completed route planning research of Navigational Transportation Safety in the Taiwan Western wind farm analyzed delves into the expansion of sustainable wind energy and navigation safety together along the Taiwan Western for confronting the challenge of balancing resource coexistence and displacement. Previous studies primarily focused on route planning and vessel traffic density which developed the necessary comprehensive...
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Investigating COVID-19 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) degradation using Peroxydisulfate/FeMnOx binary metal oxide/Ultrasound System
PublicationDegradation of Favipiravir using a hybrid system of peroxydisulfate, FeMnOx binary metal oxide, and ultrasound irradiation was studied. A novel catalyst was synthesized with deep eutectic solvent (DES). The effects of DES type on catalytic performance was evaluated and the catalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM, BET, XPS, and EDS. DES-based catalysts exhibited higher efficiency due to structure change, surface area enhancement...
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Is the Concept of Zero Waste Possible to Implement in Construction?
PublicationThe scientifically treated problem of reusing building materials appeared in the literature more than 50 years ago. This paper includes an analysis of the characteristics of recycled building materials, which is a prerequisite for rational recycling. The analysis and simulation of building stocks at different scales has led to the conclusion that the most important link in the transformation of the construction industry towards...
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A review on homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic microalgal lipid extraction and transesterification for biofuel production
PublicationExtracting lipids from microalgal biomass presents significant potential as a cost-effective approach for clean energy generation. This can be achieved through the chemical conversion of lipids to produce fatty acid methyl esters via transesterification. The extraction mainly involves free fatty acids, phospholipids, and triglycerides, and requires less energy, making it an attractive option for satisfying the growing demand for...
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Preparation and characterization of genipin cross-linked porous chitosan–collagen–gelatin scaffolds using chitosan–CO2 solution
PublicationNovel porous scaffolds composed of chitosan, collagen and gelatin were prepared by the multistep procedure involving final freeze-drying and characterized. To eliminate the need for residual acid removal from the material after drying, carbon dioxide saturation process was used for chitosan blend formulation. The use of CO2 for chitosan dissolution made the scaffold preparation process more reproducible and economically sustainable....
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Ultrasound assisted extraction
PublicationThe use of green and sustainable extraction techniques is very popular topic in the multidisciplinary area of chemistry, biology and technology. There is no doubt that extraction constitutes a very important step of analytical procedures of separation, detection, identification and determination of wide spectrum analytes from samples characterized by complex and very often nonhomogeneous composition of matrix. Traditional techniques...
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Extraction with environmentally friendly solvents
PublicationThe ever-increasing demand for determining compounds at low concentration levels in complex matrices requires a preliminary step of analytes isolation/enrichment in order to employ a detection technique characterized by high sensitivity at low LOQ. Sample preparation is considered as crucial part of analytical procedures. Previously the parameter of “greenness” is as important as selectivity in order to avoid using harmful organic...
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Enhancement of PUR/PIR foam thermal stability after addition of Zostera marina biomass component investigated via thermal analysis and isoconversional kinetics
PublicationIn the present work, a thorough thermogravimetric (TG) analysis of bio-based polyurethane–polyisocyanurate (PUR–PIR) foams in both nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere is performed. A sustainable element of the foam is a biopolyol obtained via acid-catalyzed liquefaction of Zostera marina and Enteromorpha Algae biomass. Based on isoconversional analysis and apparent activation energies, several conclusions are obtained. In contradiction...
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Characterization of PVDF/Graphene Nanocomposite Membranes for Water Desalination with Enhanced Antifungal Activity
PublicationSeawater desalination is a worldwide concern for the sustainable production of drinking water. In this regard, membrane distillation (MD) has shown the potential for effective brine treatment. However, the lack of appropriate MD membranes limits its industrial expansion since they experience fouling and wetting issues. Therefore, hydrophobic membranes are promising candidates to successfully deal with such phenomena that are typical...
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Jerzy H. Czembor Prof. dr hab.
PeopleYear of birth: 1965, Poland, Work address: Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute –National research Institute (IHAR-PIB), Radzikow, 05-870 Blonie, Poland. Scientific disciplines: agricultural sciences, plant pathology, plant physiology, genetics. Specialization: phytopathology, mycology, plant genetics, molecular genetics, plant breeding, breeding for disease resistance, biotechnology, evaluation of genetic resources,...
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Applying a Mesoscopic Transport Model to Analyse the Effects of Urban Freight Regulatory Measures on Transport Emissions—An Assessment
PublicationSustainable urban freight management is a growing challenge for local authorities due to social pressures and increasingly more stringent environmental protection requirements. Freight and its adverse impacts, which include emissions and noise, considerably influence the urban environment. This calls for a reliable assessment of what can be done to improve urban freight and meet stakeholders’ requirements. While changes in a transport...
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Environmental risk assessment of Polish wastewater treatment plant activity
PublicationWastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an extremely important role in shaping modern society's environmental wellbeing and awareness, however only well operated and supervised systems can be considered as environmentally sustainable. For this reason, an attempt was undertaken to assess the environmental burden posed by WWTPs in major Polish cities by collecting water samples prior to and just after wastewater release points....
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The Review of the Selected Challenges for an Incorporation of Daylight Assessment Methods into Urban Planning in Poland
PublicationThe main objectives of this research it to find out if modern daylight assessment and design methods can be useful for urban residential planning in Poland. The study gives a chance to describe and appraise modern daylight design techniques. The other purpose is to illustrate how daylight knowledge could be used as an incentive to rethink the way urban environments are created. Although daylight design is acknowledged in literature...
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Utilizing Cement Kiln Dust as an Efficient Adsorbent for Heavy Metal Removal in Wastewater Treatment
PublicationCement kiln dust (CKD), a by-product of cement manufacturing, has been largely underutilized despite its potential as an eco-friendly adsorbent for wastewater treatment. This study addresses the knowledge gap regarding CKD’s effectiveness in removing heavy metals from wastewater residuals. A comprehensive experimental program was conducted to optimize key parameters such as the pH (6–9), contact time, sorbent dosage, and initial heavy...
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An air-assisted dispersive liquid phase microextraction method based on a hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvent for the extraction and preconcentration of melamine from milk and milk-based products
PublicationIn the current research, a fast and sustainable air-assisted hydrophobic magnetic deep eutectic solvent-based dispersive liquid phase microextraction followed by UV–Vis spectrophotometry measurements was optimized for the extraction and determination of melamine in milk and milk-based products. The central composite design was applied for the optimization of factors affecting the recovery of melamine. Quantitative extraction of...
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Maillard-reaction (glycation) of biopolymeric packaging films; principles, mechanisms, food applications
PublicationBackground The biodegradable, biocompatible, sustainable, and renewable nature of biomaterials has led to increased interest in developing biopolymeric food packaging films (BFPFs) with green ingredients and strategies. To enhance the performance of these films, biopolymer molecules can be modified or combined with additives like nanomaterials, cross-linkers, bioactive compounds, and other polymers, particularly with Maillard-reaction...
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Enhancing environmental literacy through urban technology-based learning. The PULA app case
PublicationThis study addresses the need to enhance environmental literacy, focusing on urban adults through mobile applications, based on the example of PULA app that engages early adopters in gamified pro- environmental activities, offering insights into informal learning. Grounded in 'urban pedagogy,' the study combines semi-structured interviews with 17 application testers and quantitative data analysis, unveiling motivations, user feedback,...
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High resolution optical and acoustic remote sensing datasets of the Puck Lagoon
PublicationThe very shallow marine basin of Puck Lagoon in the southern Baltic Sea, on the Northern coast of Poland, hosts valuable benthic habitats and cultural heritage sites. These include, among others, protected Zostera marina meadows, one of the Baltic’s major medieval harbours, a ship graveyard, and likely other submerged features that are yet to be discovered. Prior to this project, no comprehensive high-resolution remote sensing...
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MnxCo3-xO4 spinel oxides as efficient oxygen evolution reaction catalysts in alkaline media
PublicationThe design of efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an essential task in developing sustainable water splitting technology for the production of hydrogen. In this work, manganese cobalt spinel oxides with a general formula of MnxCo3-xO4 (x=0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) were synthesised via a soft chemistry method. Non-equilibrium mixed powder compositions were produced, resulting in high electrocatalytic activity....
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Metrisable assessment of the course of stream‑systemic processes in vector form in industry 4.0
PublicationThe goal of this paper is to present an innovative conception how to use metrisable vector structure of a manufacturing process, based on quantitative relations between the activity of input streams, features of the product, and effect of losses; all of which are excellent practical solution for Industry 4.0, and in turn intelligent factories. This solution can be a usefull way in the process of building sustainable organization....
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Automatic classification and mapping of the seabed using airborne LiDAR bathymetry
PublicationShallow coastal areas are among the most inhabited areas and are valuable for biodiversity, recreation and the economy. Due to climate change and sea level rise, sustainable management of coastal areas involves extensive exploration, monitoring, and protection. Current high-resolution remote sensing methods for monitoring these areas include bathymetric LiDAR. Therefore, this study presents a novel methodological approach to assess...
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Developing a Metropolitan Transport System—Exemplified by the Gdansk–Gdynia–Sopot Metropolitan Area
PublicationAs regional centres with metropolitan functions, metropolises grow and develop depending on how well they can meet the area’s transport needs internally and externally, a result of their socio-economic relations. The transport system of a metropolitan area must ensure that people and goods can move efficiently, effectively and environmentally friendly. Over the last ten years, the transport system of the Gdańsk–Gdynia–Sopot Metropolitan...
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Quantifying the effective mobilized RAP content during hot in-place recycling techniques
PublicationThe utilization of in-place recycling techniques is capable of consuming 100% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). Hot in-place recycling (HIR) is one of the promising techniques to rehabilitate the pavements suffering from minor cracking issues through heat scarification, additive injecting, mechanical mixing, and compacting. However, the main concern of using 100% RAP in HIR remains as how much RAP can be activated and mobilized...
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Microplastics removal from aqueous environment by metal organic frameworks
PublicationThis paper provides an overview of recent research performed on the applications of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for microplastics (MPs) removal from aqueous environments. MPs pollution has become a major environmental concern due to its negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Therefore, developing effective and sustainable methods for removing them from aqueous environments is crucial. In recent years, MOFs...
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Solid and liquid fractionation of sugarcane and Agave bagasse during ozonolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis: Impact on biohydrogen and biogas production
PublicationSustainable and cost-efficient lignocellulosic biomass-to-energy bioprocesses require assessing the main components released during biomass fractionation. This study assessed the mesophilic biochemical potential of biohydrogen (BHP) and methane production (BMP) from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and cooked (CAB) and uncooked (UAB) Agave bagasse. A systematic comparative analysis was performed for the liquid and solid fractions derived...
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Assessment of Utilizing Hard-to-Recycle Plastic Waste from the Packaging Sector in Architectural Design—Case Study for Experimental Building Material
PublicationThe environmental impact of plastic waste has become a significant concern worldwide, prompting innovative approaches to address sustainability challenges, particularly within architectural design. This research paper delves into assessing the environmental impact and sustainability implications of using hard-to-recycle plastic packaging waste in architectural design practices. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, challenges,...
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AI-Driven Sustainability in Agriculture and Farming
PublicationIn this chapter, we discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in promoting sustainable agriculture and farming. Three main themes run through the chapter. First, we review the state of the art of smart farming and explore the transformative impact of AI on modern agricultural practices, focusing on its contribution to sustainability. With this in mind, our analysis focuses on topics such as data collection and storage, AI...
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Lead-free bismuth-based perovskites coupled with g–C3N4: A machine learning based novel approach for visible light induced degradation of pollutants
PublicationThe use of metal halide perovskites in photocatalytic processes has been attempted because of their unique optical properties. In this work, for the first time, Pb-free Bi-based perovskites of the Cs3Bi2X9 type (X = Cl, Br, I, Cl/Br, Cl/I, Br/I) were synthesized and subjected to comprehensive morphological, structural, and surface analyses, and photocatalytic properties in the phenol degradation reaction were examined. Furthermore,...
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Hierarchical predictive control of integrated wastewater treatment systems
PublicationThe paper proposes an approach to designing the control structure and algorithms for optimising control of integrated wastewater treatment plant-sewer systems (IWWTS) under a full range of disturbance inputs. The optimised control of IWWTS allows for significant cost savings, fulfilling the effluent discharge limits over a long period and maintaining the system in sustainable operation. Due to the specific features of a wastewater...
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Social media and efficient computer infrastructure in smart city
PublicationSocial media require an efficient infrastructures of computer and communication systems to support a smart city. In a big city, there are several crucial dilemmas with a home and public space planning, a growing population, a global warming, carbon emissions, a lack of key resources like water and energy, and a traffic congestion. In a smart city, we expect an efficient and sustainable transportation, efficient management of resources...
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Techno‐economic evaluation of a natural deep eutectic solvent‐based biorefinery: Exploring different design scenarios
PublicationThis paper presents a comprehensive techno‐economic evaluation of an integrated natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES)‐based biorefinery – a 1 ton day−1 capacity design plant. The key parameters include payback period, net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR). These were compared with the parameters of conventional biorefineries. The ‘n th plant’ results clearly revealed that the single product‐based biorefinery...
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The influence of the place of residence on the behavior and transport preferences of the inhabitants of the agglomeration
PublicationTransport behaviors and preferences have an impact on modal split, which is why they should form the basis for shaping the public transport offer. Achieving the goals of sustainable mobility requires taking into account differences in transport behavior and preferences characterizing residents from different areas of the agglomeration. Analyzing differences in behaviors and preferences, the possibilities and limitations resulting...
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COMBINATION OF ARCHITECTURAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SOCIAL ASPECTS IN URBAN STORMWATER MANAGEMENT. A CASE STUDY OF THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
PublicationIncreasing a city’s resilience against climate change is one of the major concerns of today. Sustainable stormwater management, using Green Infrastructure units (GI) integrated with an urban area, has proved to be effective in flooding control and to offer extra benefits encompassing groundwater recharge, stormwater treatment, mitigation of air pollution, and an urban micro-climate. Moreover, GI brings cultural benefits for the...