查看更多>>摘要：The construction industry has a critical role to play in a achieving the SDGs; construction and demolition activities generate large volumes of waste, and this requires the adoption of practices that will reduce waste generated and maximise re-use. The construction industry as a sector could influence the realisation of the SDGs by formulating policies and regulatory frameworks that drive the adoption of sustainable construction practices. The link between organisational learning and sustainability is receiving an increasing amount of attention in construction management research and practice since the ability of construction organisations to cope with the journey towards a sustainable change requires organisational learning. It is essential that construction organisations engage in organisational learning methods that embraces sustainability and innovation. This Virtual Special Issue (VSI) is on "The Sustainable Development Goals, Organisational Learning and Efficient Resource Management in Construction " (VSI: Construction & SDGs).
查看更多>>摘要：This study explores whether and how environmental regulatory pressure affects enterprise debt financing. We find that environmental regulatory pressure significantly reduces the debt financing scale of enterprises in Guangdong Province, China, listed from 2010 to 2018. Our heterogeneous analysis of enterprise size, ownership type, and industry attributes shows that the negative relationship between environmental regulatory pressure and debt financing is strong in small-scale, privately owned, and high pollution-intensity enterprises. We also explore the mechanism from the perspective of the environmental awareness of enterprises and debt funders and observe that both are improved following strong environmental regulatory pressure. We confirm that environmental regulatory pressure has a negative effect on the debt financing of listed enterprises. Our study provides implications on how to promote the rationalization and perfection of environmental policies effectively.
查看更多>>摘要：Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solution necessary to achieve net-zero-carbon-emissions goals. While the BECCS potential from large industrial emitters has been quantified, the BECCS potential of small emitters, such as biogas facilities, has not been investigated. Moreover, most BECCS solutions rely on the expected availability of large geological storage capacity for future CDR implementation, although the deployment of CO2 transport and storage supply chains is still a barrier for geological carbon storage ambitions. An alternative opportunity for permanent sequestration of CO2 is concrete, in which captured CO2 can be permanently fixed through carbon dioxide mineralization technologies. We describe and discuss this solution by quantifying the potential of a European bioenergy with carbon capture, utilization, and storage (BECCUS) supply chain, which relies on biogenic CO2 from biogas facilities as a CO2 source, and on carbon dioxide mineralization in concrete as a permanent CO2 sink. This solution is available today, can be adopted seamlessly, and does not need economies of scale for its deployment. We find that European biogas facilities produce 24 Mtons of biogenic CO2 per year, of which 4 Mtons of CO2 per year are emitted from facilities already upgrading biogas into bio-methane. We estimate that carbon dioxide mineralization in recycled concrete aggregates in Europe could permanently store up to 8 Mtons of CO2 per year. Despite the limited storage potential, BECCUS supply chains would reduce CO2 transportation distance and system complexity compared to BECCS supply chains, and would result in a marketable product, namely concrete. Overall, carbon dioxide mineralization in recycled concrete aggregates combines carbon utilization with permanent sequestration, hence contributing to carbon-neutrality goals.
查看更多>>摘要：Our economy drives on reactive nitrogen (Nr); while Nr emissions to the environment surpass the planetary boundary. Increasingly, it is advocated to recover Nr contained in waste streams and to reuse it 'directly' in the agri-food chain. Alternatively, Nr in waste streams may be removed as N2 and refixed via the Haber-Bosch process in an 'indirect' reuse loop. As a systematic sustainability analysis of 'direct' Nr reuse and its comparison to the 'indirect' reuse loop is lacking, this structured review aimed to analyze literature determining the environmental and economic sustainability of Nr recovery technologies. Bibliometric records were queried from 2000 to 2020 using Boolean search strings, and manual text coding. In total, 63 studies were selected for the review. Results suggest that 'direct' Nr reuse using Nr recovery technologies is the preferred paradigm as the majority of studies concluded that it is sustainable or that it can be sustainable depending on technological assumptions and other scenario variables. Only 17 studies compared the 'direct' with the 'indirect' Nr reuse route, therefore a system perspective in Nr recovery sustainability assessments should be more widely adopted. Furthermore, Nr reuse should also be analyzed in the context of a 'new Nr economy' that relies on decentralized Nr production from renewable energy. It is also recommended that on-par technology readiness level comparisons should be carried out, making use of technology development and technology learning methodologies. Finally, by-products of Nr recovery are important to be accounted for as they are reducing the environmental burdens through avoided impacts.
查看更多>>摘要：Many studies have explored the prospect of using Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) in rigid pavements by looking at aspects such as mechanical performance, temperature susceptibility, cost, and environmental impact. Although ECC is an excellent choice because of its high tensile capacity, its major drawback for pavement applications is that it lacks roughness because of no coarse aggregates. Recently, an ECC mix containing corundum fine aggregates has shown remarkably higher skid resistance and drainage performance for pavement applications. The current study attempts to perform a comprehensive Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Analysis (EIO-LCA) of a concrete pavement having a precast corundum-blended ECC overlay. This LCA is compared with the LCA of a conventional rigid pavement and a full-depth conventional ECC pavement. The study includes both an inventory analysis using EIO-LCA and an impact assessment at midpoint and endpoint level on selected impact categories. It is found that the pavement having a precast corundum-blended ECC overlay is more economically and environmentally sustainable than the full-depth concrete and ECC pavements, and also has lower life-cycle impacts overall.
查看更多>>摘要：Using construction and demolition waste (CDW) as the geopolymer precursor is gaining increasing interest. The milling process is required in the production of CDW-based precursor. This paper aims to investigate the impacts of milling duration on CDW-based precursors and resulting geopolymer paste. Results show that prolonged milling enhances the reactivity of CDW precursors by changing the particle size, crystal structures and surface group. A longer milling duration promotes the formation of the Si-rich gel, resulting in a higher reaction degree and a more densely packed structure of CDW-based geopolymer. Benefiting from the higher strength, geopolymer derived from CDW with longer milling can achieve a lower CO2 emission per unit strength. However, the reactivity enhancement of CDW became less apparent with the increasing milling duration since the particle aggregation and activated phases on the surface could prevent further activation. The milling for CDW-based precursor production is suggested to be appropriately prolonged but not exceed 2 h.
NSTL
Elsevier