Examining the Provincial-Level Difference and Impact Factors of Urban Household Electricity Consumption in China—Based on the Extended STIRPAT Model

With increasing urbanisation, urban household electricity consumption (UHEC) has become the most dynamic aspect of China’s energy growth. However, existing studies suffer from outdated data, a small scope, and a lack of research into new influencing factors. There are significant challenges to the promotion of urban household energy-efficiency strategies, which may arise from the intervention of several new inter-provincial differences and other influencing factors. To better understand the variability, volatility characteristics, and influencing factors of change in provincial UHEC, this study analyses and assesses the influencing factors based on an extended STIRPAT model of Chinese provincial panel data from 2005 to 2020. The findings revealed rapid increases in provincial urban household electricity consumption and significant provincial differences in UHEC in China stemming from variation in economic level and energy use. Urbanisation, income, the size of the older population, and area per capita contributed to household electricity consumption. Conversely, household size, heating days (HDD), and air conditioning dampened household electricity consumption. However, television and cooling days (CDD) did not accurately explain the variation in household electricity use in this study. Finally, this study suggests targeted policy recommendations that could promote the implementation of energy-efficiency strategies in Chinese urban households

Challenges and Thoughts on the Development of Sodium Battery Technology for Energy Storage

Energy storage safety is an important component of national energy security and economic development; it has significant impacts on national security, sustainable development, and social stability. The sodium battery technology is considered as one of the most promising grid-scale energy storage technologies owing to its high power density, high energy density, low cost, and high safety. In this article, we highlight the technical advantages and application scenarios of typical sodium battery systems, including sodiumsulfur batteries and sodium-metal chloride batteries. Moreover, we propose the possible development directions of sodium battery technology in China. Furthermore, we suggest supporting the fundamental research and engineering development for sodium batteries, promoting the aggregation of related upstream and downstream industries, and establishing related standards and a performance evaluation platform. These aim to improve the R&D level and technology maturity of China’s sodium battery technologies and provide alternative and reliable choices for the safe energy supply in China

Magnetic Pt Catalyst for Selective Hydrogenation of Halonitrobenzenes

Surfactant-free, H₂-reduced Pt NPs were successfully fabricated on the surface of Fe₃O₄. Characterizations disclosed that Pt NPs (3.1 nm on average) dispersed evenly on Fe₃O₄. This catalyst is extremely active and selective for hydrogenation of chloronitrobenzenes, convenient, and suitable for cyclic utilization. The study showed that the activity of Pt depended mainly on its particle size and that the Fe₃O₄ support is most favorable for this reaction

Spatiotemporal variations of “triple-demic” outbreaks of respiratory infections in the United States in the post-COVID-19 era

Background: the US confronted a “triple-demic” of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 in the winter of 2022, leading to increased respiratory infections and a higher demand for medical supplies. It is urgent to analyze these epidemics and their spatial-temporal co-occurrence, identifying hotspots and informing public health strategies.Methods: we employed retrospective and prospective space-time scan statistics to assess the situations of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV in 51 US states from October 2021 to February 2022, and from October 2022 to February 2023, respectively. This enabled monitoring of spatiotemporal variations for each epidemic individually and collectively.Results: compared to winter 2021, COVID-19 cases decreased while influenza and RSV infections significantly increased in winter 2022. We found a high-risk cluster of influenza and COVID-19 (not all three) in winter 2021. In late November 2022, a large high-risk cluster of triple-demic emerged in the central US. The number of states at high risk for multiple epidemics increased from 15 in October 2022 to 21 in January 2023.Conclusions: our study offers a novel spatiotemporal approach that combines both univariate and multivariate surveillance, as well as retrospective and prospective analyses. This approach offers a more comprehensive and timely understanding of how the co-occurrence of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV impacts various regions within the United States. Our findings assist in tailor-made strategies to mitigate the effects of these respiratory infections

Etherification of Biodiesel-Based Glycerol with Bioethanol over Tungstophosphoric Acid To Synthesize Glyceryl Ethers

Etherification of biodiesel-based glycerol with bioethanol was investigated over a series of catalysts. The etherification of glycerol performed on acid catalysts, such as H-ZSM5, H-β, tungstophosphoric acid (HPW), FeCl₃, AlCl₃, and H₂SO₄, was found. Basic catalysts (such as alkaline earth oxides, MgO) are inactive for the reaction. Bulk HPW and SiO₂-supported HPW catalysts exhibited the highest activity among the tested catalysts, with a 97.1% conversion of glycerol. Over the HPW catalyst, the etherification reactions were carried out at different temperatures, varied ratios between ethanol and glycerol, different catalyst amounts, and different reaction times. The SiO₂-supported HPW catalyst has a high initial activity, but it deactivated gradually because of the leaching of HPW