enhancing the circular economy with nature based solutions in the built urban environment green building materials systems and sites

Abstract The objective of this review paper is to survey the state of the art on nature-based solutions (NBS) in the built environment, which can contribute to a circular economy (CE) and counter the negative impacts of urbanization through the provision of ecosystem services. NBS are discussed here at three different levels: (i) green building materials, including biocomposites with plant-based aggregates; (ii) green building systems, employed for the greening of buildings by incorporating vegetation in their envelope; and (iii) green building sites, emphasizing the value of vegetated open spaces and water-sensitive urban design. After introducing the central concepts of NBS and CE as they are manifested in the built environment, we examine the impacts of urban development and the historical use of materials, systems and sites which can offer solutions to these problems. In the central section of the paper we present a series of case studies illustrating the development and implementation of such solutions in recent years. Finally, in a brief critical analysis we look at the ecosystem services and disservices provided by NBS in the built environment, and examine the policy instruments which can be leveraged to promote them in the most effective manner – facilitating the future transition to fully circular cities

Estimation of Air Emissions Externalities Due to Shipping: Analytical Methodological Framework

The main objective of this paper is to present an analytical methodological framework for the estimation of the external costs of air emissions from passenger ships. We used as a case study the two main ports of Crete (Souda and Heraklion) and studied all passenger ferries and cruise vessels that visited these ports in the last 5 years (2017–2021). A detailed inventory was created containing all technical details for 10 passenger ferries (owned by three different shipping companies) operating every day, following various itineraries all year around, and 88 different cruise vessels (which approached both ports mainly during the summer period). The estimated external costs due to air emissions cover health effects, materials and building damages, biodiversity and crop losses. Two levels of calculations for the total external costs per pollutant were implemented. At the first level, a bottom-up approach was applied to accurately calculate the total annual air emissions (CO2, SOX, NOX, PM2.5, PM10), while for the second level, the cost factors per pollutant were used as input values to estimate the annual total external costs. One of the most important findings is that externalities comprise a significant amount of shipping companies’ revenues (about 25–35%), thus, implying a substantial revenue loss in the case that they would be asked to bear these costs. Assuming that ship owners will pass these costs on to ticket fares, an attempt is made to allocate the “externalities surcharge” (i.e., the burden of external costs) to ticket fares per transportation category

Towards AI driven environmental sustainability: an application of automated logistics in container port terminals

Artificial intelligence and data analytics capabilities have enabled the introduction of automation, such as robotics and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), across different sectors of the production spectrum which successively has profound implications for operational efficiency and productivity. However, the environmental sustainability implications of such innovations have not been yet extensively addressed in the extant literature. This study evaluates the use of AGVs in container terminals by investigating the environmental sustainability gains that arise from the adoption of artificial intelligence and automation for shoreside operations at freight ports. Through a comprehensive literature review, we reveal this research gap across the use of artificial intelligence and decision support systems, as well as optimisation models. A real-world container terminal is used, as a case study in a simulation environment, on Europe’s fastest-growing container port (Piraeus), to quantify the environmental benefits related to routing scenarios via different types of AGVs. Our study contributes to the cross-section of operations management and artificial intelligence literature by articulating design principles to inform effective digital technology interventions at non-automated port terminals, both at operational and management levels

Evaluating the Environmental Performance of Solar Energy Systems Through a Combined Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Analysis

The paper presents a holistic evaluation of the energy and environmental profile of two renewable energy technologies: Photovoltaics (thin-film and crystalline) and solar thermal collectors (flat plate and vacuum tube). The selected renewable systems exhibit size scalability (i.e., photovoltaics can vary from small to large scale applications) and can easily fit to residential applications (i.e., solar thermal systems). Various technical variations were considered for each of the studied technologies. The environmental implications were assessed through detailed life cycle assessment (LCA), implemented from raw material extraction through manufacture, use, and end of life of the selected energy systems. The methodological order followed comprises two steps: i. LCA and uncertainty analysis (conducted via SimaPro), and ii. techno-economic assessment (conducted via RETScreen). All studied technologies exhibit environmental impacts during their production phase and through their operation they manage to mitigate significant amounts of emitted greenhouse gases due to the avoided use of fossil fuels. The life cycle carbon footprint was calculated for the studied solar systems and was compared to other energy production technologies (either renewables or fossil-fuel based) and the results fall within the range defined by the global literature. The study showed that the implementation of photovoltaics and solar thermal projects in areas with high average insolation (i.e., Crete, Southern Greece) can be financially viable even in the case of low feed-in-tariffs. The results of the combined evaluation provide insight on choosing the most appropriate technologies from multiple perspectives, including financial and environmental

Electrochromic devices operating with electrolytes based on boronate ester compounds and various alkali metal salts

Various polymer electrolytes based on boronate esters and different lithium and sodium salts have been evaluated in electrochromic (EC) devices based on WO3 films. The results showed that the ionic conductivity of the electrolytes was not the most important parameter for the colouration performance of these devices. The use of solid electrolytes containing LiClO4 resulted in a higher colouration performance than the corresponding liquid electrolytes, even though the latter exhibited a significantly higher conductivity. The results also showed that the transfer process at the interface between the WO3 layer and the electrolyte played a major role for the colouration process. The presence of Lewis acidic boronate ester groups in the electrolytes significantly improved the performance of the EC devices. The incorporation of boron in the composition of the electrolytes allowed the use of solid electrolytes instead of liquid ones, thus avoiding leakage problems. Furthermore, the highest colouration performance was found in EC devices operating with inexpensive salts. Because of their poor stability, the electrolytes based on LiCl and LiBr were not suitable, while those incorporating LiClO4 salt exhibited excellent overall characteristics

Alternative approaches to electrochromic devices for optical applications

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Could Market Making be Profitable in The European Carbon Market?

International audienc

Solar water heating for social housing: Energy analysis and Life Cycle Assessment

This work presents the study of two innovative solar water heating systems, integrated on the facades and the roof of a social house building. One of the systems combines collector and storage tank in a single unit, called Integrated Collector Storage solar water heater; the other one comprises a photovoltaic and a thermal collector known as Hybrid Photovoltaic/Thermal device, in which the produced energy support both thermal and electrical needs. The analysis has considered the integration of the studied solar systems on building's envelope, investigating the effect of these systems in terms of building's thermal load along with their capacity to cover the hot water and electrical needs. The energy behavior of the building, as well as the energy output of the solar systems are investigated through simulation analysis for two cities (Nicosia, Cyprus and Athens, Greece) and three orientation modes (South, East and West). The results show that, after the interventions, the energy demands of the building for space heating and cooling are decreased at about 10%, while the hot water and electrical demands are covered up to 80 and 50%, respectively. The energy contribution of the respective solar systems with regard to the buildings’ energy demand is evaluated through Life Cycle Assessment; the respective analysis allows the evaluation of the environmental impacts during the entire life cycle of the considered systems

Evaluating the Technical and Environmental Capabilities of Geothermal Systems through Life Cycle Assessment

In these days of heightened environmental consciousness, many countries are shifting their focus towards renewable energy sources for both large-scale uses (such as power plants that generate electricity) and smaller-scale applications (e.g., building heating and cooling). In this light, it is not surprising that there is a growing interest in technologies that are reliant on non-conventional sources of power, such as geothermal energy. This study is making an effort to provide a comprehensive understanding of the possible advantages and multiple uses of geothermal energy systems, in the context of their technical and environmental evaluation through Life Cycle Assessment. A brief description of the analyzing methods and the tools used to study a particular system or application is presented. The geothermal technologies and the applications of specific systems are discussed in detail, providing their environmental advantages and their technical barriers as well. District and domestic heating systems cover a significant fraction of the geothermal energy potential. The majority of the discussed studies cover the electricity production as the most important application of geothermal energy. The overall conclusion of the current work is that geothermal energy is an extremely viable alternative that, combined with other renewable energy systems, may mitigate the negative effects of the existing energy mix worldwide