Progress in electrocatalytic nitrate reduction for green energy:Catalyst engineering,mechanisms,and techno-economic feasibility

Ammonia(NH_(3))is an irreplaceable chemical that has been widely demanded to keep the sustainable development of modern society.However,its industrial production consumes a huge amount of energy and releases extraordinary greenhouse gases(GHGs),leading to various environmental issues.Achieving the green production of ammonia is a great challenge,which has been extensively pursued in the last decade.In this review,the most promising strategy,electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction(e-NO_(3)RR),is comprehensively investigated to give a complete understanding of its development and mechanism and provide guidance for future directions.However,owing to the complex reactions and limited selectivity,a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms is crucial to further development and commercialization.Moreover,NO_(3)^(-)RR is a promising strategy for simultaneous water treatment and NH_(3)production.A detailed overview of the recent progress in NO_(3)^(-)RR for NH_(3)production with nontransition and transition metal based electrocatalysts is summarized.In addition,critical advanced techniques,future challenges,and prospects are discussed to guide future research on transition metal-based catalysts for commercial NH_(3)synthesis by NO_(3)^(-)reduction.

Atomic Dispersed Hetero‑Pairs for Enhanced Electrocatalytic CO_(2)Reduction

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)involves a variety of intermediates with highly correlated reaction and ad-desorption energies,hindering optimization of the catalytic activity.For example,increasing the binding of the*COOH to the active site will generally increase the*CO desorption energy.Breaking this relationship may be expected to dramatically improve the intrinsic activity of CO_(2)RR,but remains an unsolved challenge.Herein,we addressed this conundrum by constructing a unique atomic dispersed hetero-pair consisting of Mo-Fe di-atoms anchored on N-doped carbon carrier.This system shows an unprecedented CO_(2)RR intrinsic activity with TOF of 3336 h−1,high selectivity toward CO production,Faradaic efficiency of 95.96%at−0.60 V and excellent stability.Theoretical calculations show that the Mo-Fe diatomic sites increased the*COOH intermediate adsorption energy by bridging adsorption of*COOH intermediates.At the same time,d-d orbital coupling in the Mo-Fe di-atom results in electron delocalization and facilitates desorption of*CO intermediates.Thus,the undesirable correlation between these steps is broken.This work provides a promising approach,specifically the use of di-atoms,for breaking unfavorable relationships based on understanding of the catalytic mechanisms at the atomic scale.

Integrated device for multiscale series vibration reduction and energy harvesting

A multi-degree-of-freedom device is proposed,which can achieve efficient vibration reduction as the main objective and energy harvesting as the secondary purpose.The device comprises a multiscale nonlinear vibration absorber(NVA)and piezoelectric components.Energy conversion and energy measurement methods are used to evaluate the device performance from multiple perspectives.Research has shown that this device can efficiently transfer transient energy from the main structure and convert a portion of transient energy into electrical energy.Main resonance and higher-order resonance are the main reasons for efficient energy transfer.The device can maintain high vibration reduction performance even when the excitation amplitude changes over a large range.Compared with the single structures with and without precompression,the multiscale NVA-piezoelectric device offers significant vibration reduction advantages.In addition,there are significant differences in the parameter settings of the two substructures for vibration reduction and energy harvesting.

Efficient Energy and Delay Reduction Model for Wireless Sensor Networks

In every network,delay and energy are crucial for communication and network life.In wireless sensor networks,many tiny nodes create networks with high energy consumption and compute routes for better communication.Wireless Sensor Networks(WSN)is a very complex scenario to compute minimal delay with data aggregation and energy efficiency.In this research,we compute minimal delay and energy efficiency for improving the quality of service of any WSN.The proposed work is based on energy and distance parameters as taken dependent variables with data aggregation.Data aggregation performs on different models,namely Hybrid-Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy(H-LEACH),Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy(LEACH),and Multi-Aggregator-based Multi-Cast(MAMC).The main contribution of this research is to a reduction in delay and optimized energy solution,a novel hybrid model design in this research that ensures the quality of service in WSN.This model includes a whale optimization technique that involves heterogeneous functions and performs optimization to reach optimized results.For cluster head selection,Stable Election Protocol(SEP)protocol is used and Power-Efficient Gathering in Sensor Information Systems(PEGASIS)is used for driven-path in routing.Simulation results evaluate that H-LEACH provides minimal delay and energy consumption by sensor nodes.In the comparison of existing theories and our proposed method,HLEACH is providing energy and delay reduction and improvement in quality of service.MATLAB 2019 is used for simulation work.

Regulation of excitation energy transfer in Sb-alloyed Cs_(4)MnBi_(2)Cl_(12) perovskites for efficient CO_(2) photoreduction to CO and water oxidation toward H_(2)O_(2)

Lead(Pb)-free halide perovskites have recently attracted increasing attention as potential catalysts for CO_(2) photoreduction to CO due to their potential to capture solar energy and drive catalytic reaction.However,issues of the poor charge transfer still remain one of the main obstacles limiting their performance due to the overwhelming radiative and nonradiative charge-carrier recombination losses.Herein,Pb-free Sb-alloyed all-inorganic quadruple perovskite Cs_(4)Mn(Bi_(1-x)Sb_(x))_(2)Cl_(12)(0≤x≤1)is synthesized as efficient photocatalyst.By Sb alloying,the undesired relaxation of photogenerated electrons from conduction band to emission centers of[MnCl6]^(4-)is greatly suppressed,resulting in a weakened PL emission and enhanced charge transfer for photocatalyst.The ensuing Cs_(4)Mn(Bi_(1-x)Sb_(x))_(2)Cl_(12) photocatalyst accomplishes efficient conversion of CO_(2)into CO,accompanied by a surprising production of H_(2)O_(2),a high valueadded product associated with water oxidation.By optimizing Sb^(3+) concentration,a high CO evolution rate of 35.1μmol g^(-1)h^(-1)is achieved,superior to most other Pb and Pb-free halide perovskites.Our findings provide new insights into the mixed-cation alloying strategies for improved photocatalytic performance of Pb-free perovskites and shed light on the rational design of robust band structure toward efficient energy transfer.

Rational catalyst design and mechanistic evaluation for electrochemical nitrogen reduction at ambient conditions

Ammonia(NH3), a carbon-free hydrogen carrier, is an important commodity for the food supply chain owing to its high energy capacity and ease of storage and transport. The Haber-Bosch process is currently the favored industrial method for large-scale ammonia production but requires energy-intensive and sophisticated infrastructure which hampers its utilization in a sustainable and decentralized system of manufacture.The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction(eNRR) at ambient conditions holds great potential for sustainable production of ammonia using electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. However, this approach is limited by a low rate of ammonia production with high overpotential and the competing hydrogen evolution reaction(HER). For a better understanding and utilization of eNRR as a sustainable process, insight into rational catalyst design and mechanistic evaluations by a theoretically-directed experimental approach is imperative. Herein, recent insights into rational catalyst design and mechanisms, based on intrinsic and extrinsic catalytic activity are articulated.Following the elucidation of basic principles and mechanisms, a framework supplied by theoretical studies that lead to the optimal selection and development of eNRR catalysts is presented. Following a discussion of recently developed electrocatalysts for eNRR, we outline various recently-used theoretical and experimental methodologies to improve the intrinsic and extrinsic catalytic activity of advanced electrocatalysts.This review is anticipated to contribute to the development of active, selective, and efficient catalysts for nitrogen reduction.

Energy conservation and emissions reduction strategies in foundry industry

Current energy conservation and emissions reduction strategies in iron and steel industry were reviewed. Since foundry industry is one of the major source of energy consumption and pollution emission (especially CO 2 ), issues concerning energy-saving and emission-reduction have been raised by governments and the industry. Specialists from around the world carried out multidimensional analyses and evaluation on the potentials in energy conservation and emissions reduction in iron and steel industry, and proposed various kinds of analyzing models. The primary measures mainly focus on the targeted policies formulation and also on clean and highefficient technologies development. The differences and similarities in energy conservation and emission reduction in foundry industry between China and other countries were discussed, while, the future development trend was also pointed out.

Impacts of optimization strategies on performance,power/energy consumption of a GPU based parallel reduction

In the era of modern high performance computing, GPUs have been considered an excellent accelerator for general purpose data-intensive parallel applications. To achieve application speedup from GPUs, many of performance-oriented optimization techniques have been proposed. However, in order to satisfy the recent trend of power and energy consumptions, power/energy-aware optimization of GPUs needs to be investigated with detailed analysis in addition to the performance-oriented optimization. In this work, in order to explore the impact of various optimization strategies on GPU performance, power and energy consumptions, we evaluate performance and power/energy consumption of a well-known application running on different commercial GPU devices with the different optimization strategies. In particular, in order to see the more generalized performance and power consumption patterns of GPU based accelerations, our evaluations are performed with three different Nvdia GPU generations(Fermi, Kepler and Maxwell architectures), various core clock frequencies and memory clock frequencies. We analyze how a GPU kernel execution is affected by optimization and what GPU architectural factors have much impact on its performance and power/energy consumption. This paper also categorizes which optimization technique primarily improves which metric(i.e., performance, power or energy efficiency). Furthermore, voltage frequency scaling(VFS) is also applied to examine the effect of changing a clock frequency on these metrics. In general, our work shows that effective GPU optimization strategies can improve the application performance significantly without increasing power and energy consumption.

The Five-Year Plan: A new tool for energy saving and emissions reduction in China

China has achieved economic growth while great carbon emissions reduction in recent years. Amid China＇s effort to reduce emissions, the Five-Year Plans have guided and motivated local and foreign forces from the government, industries, and society to work together. This paper showed that a mediumehigh economic growth gate, industry structure adjustment, and energy structure adjustment, which are guaranteed under the Five-Year Plan, all contribute to energy saving in China. The economy entered a stable growing phase during the 12 th Five-Year Plan, while the economic growth rate declined to 7.8% from 11.2% in the 11 th Five-Year Plan. Simultaneously, the CO2 emissions growth rate declined from8.32%（2009-2012 mean） to 1.82%（2012-2014 mean）. Industrial structure adjustment canceled out nearly one-third of the CO2 emissions caused by economic growth. Under the 13 th Five-Year Plan, China will continue its energy saving efforts on the green development path, with greener quotas, a stricter implementation process, and more key projects.

Rapid and durable oxygen reduction reaction enabled by a perovskite oxide with self-cleaning surface

The growth of electrochemically inert segregation layers on the surface of solid oxide fuel cell cathodes has become a bottleneck restricting the development of perovskite-structured oxygen reduction catalysts.Here,we report a new discovery in which enriched Ba and Fe ions on the near-surface of Nd_(1/2)Ba_(1/2)Co_(1/3)Fe_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O_(3-δ)spontaneously agglomerate into dispersed Ba_(5)Fe_(2)O_(8) nanoparticles and maintain a highly active and durable perovskite structure on the surface.This unique surface selfcleaning phenomenon is related to the low average potential energy of Ba_(5)Fe_(2)O_(8),which is grown on the near-surface layer.The electrochemically inert Ba_(5)Fe_(2)O_(8) segregation layer on the near-surface of the perovskite catalyst achieves self-cleaning by regulating the formation energy of enriched metal oxides.This self-cleaned perovskite surface exhibits an ultrafast oxygen exchange rate,high catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction,and good adaptability to the actual working conditions of solid oxide fuel cell stacks.This study paves a new way for overcoming the stubborn problem of perovskite catalyst surface deactivation and enriches the scientific knowledge of surface catalysis.

Comparative evaluation of energy and resource consumption for vacuum carbothermal reduction and Pidgeon process used in magnesium production

With the fast development of the application of magnesium based alloys,the demand for primary magnesium is increasing dramatically all over the world.The Pidgeon process is the most widely used process for producing magnesium in China,but suffers from problems such as high energy,resource consumption and environmental pollution.While the process of vacuum carbothermal reduction to produce magnesium(VCTRM)has attracted more and more attention as its advantages,but it has not been well-practiced in industrial applications and there also is no comprehensive and quantitative analysis of this process.This study quantified the flows of resource and energy for the Pidgeon process and the VCTRM process,then compared and analyzed these two processes with each other from three aspects.The VCTRM process results in 63.14%and 69.16%lower of non-renewable mineral resources and energy consumptions when compared to the Pidgeon process,respectively.Moreover,the low energy consumption(2.675 tce vs.8.681 tce)and material to magnesium ratio(2.953:1 vs.6.429:1)of the VCTRM process,which lead to lower greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions(8.777 t vs.26.337 t)and solid waste generation(0.522 t vs.5.465 t)with a decrease of 66.67%and 90.45%,respectively.Results indicate that the VCTRM process is a more environmentally friendly process for magnesium production with high efficiency but low cost and low pollution,and it shows a good potential to be industrialized in the future after solving the bottleneck problem of the reverse reaction.

Are energy conservation and emission reduction policy measures effective for industrial structure restructuring and upgrading?

The use of energy conservation emission reduction policies to promote industrial restructuring and upgrading and thus facilitate energy conservation and emission reduction is one of the 10 important strategies of environmental management in China. The use of energy conservation emission reduction policies to promote industrial restructuring and upgrading and thus facilitate energy conservation and emission reduction is one of the important strategies of environmental management in China. Based on the systematic collection of 1,195 energy conservation emission reduction policies, we discuss the influence of individual measure and measure synergy of energy conservation and emission reduction policies respectively. The results show that the energy conservation and emission reduction policies have a significant effect on the overall promotion of industrial upgrading. The financial measures and guidance measures have a positive impact;the financial measures and guidance measures have significantly positive effect; however, the administrative measures, fiscal tax measures, and other economic measures do the opposite; the positive effect of the synergy of guidance measures and financial measures is greater than the negative effect of considering only the synergy of fiscal tax measures and other economic measures, and significantly greater than the negative effect of the synergy of administrative measures, fiscal tax measures, and other economic measures. We should strengthen and emphasize the use of the measure that has positive effect on industrial structure restructuring and upgrading individually and synergistically.

Life Cycle Assessment-based method of Excessive Commodity Packaging on Energy Conservation and Emissions Reduction

Based on a Life Cycle Assessment model, the effect of the whole life cycle of excessive commodity packaging on the environment was analyzed by eBalance Evaluation LCA software from production through circulation. The cost evaluation system and environment impact model of its three main processes, that is, material production, product machining and waste manufacturing, were established to identify the main environmental impact corresponding indicators and the influence on energy conservation and emissions reduction of excessive packaging life cycle. And packaging of moon-cakes was taken as an example to analyze the difference between the ordinary packaging and excessive packaging of moon-cakes in terms of life cycle assessment and costs analysis. Meanwhile some measures are put forward to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Energy Efficiency and Emissions Reduction Potential of China's Industrial Sector

Based on the total-factor energy efficiency framework,this paper calculates China's industrial energy efficiency and CO2 emissions reduction potential from 2000 to 2009 by utilizing the directional distance function and data envelopment analysis.The empirical results show that:China's industrial overall energy efficiency is relatively lower while the emis-sions reduction potential is relatively greater,given the optimum production frontier.Significant indus-trial disparities of energy efficiency and emissions reduction potential exist.Energy efficiency and emis-sions reduction potential significantly show different tendencies of industrial dynamic variation.This paper suggests the Chinese government impose differential carbon taxes,flexibly utilize carbon market mecha-nism,strengthen energy-saving technological R&D,promote the utilization of renewable energy,and strengthen environmental supervision and regulation,so as to improve China's industrial energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

Impact of Renewable Energy on Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction in Bangladesh

Economic growth and industrialization often default to a great dependency on fossil fuels (FF) to supply power needs. The carbon rich nature of FF combustion can impact global warming. Therefore, it is conducive to transition from FF to renewable energy (RE). The present study aimed to address if replacement of a single FF by RE can mitigate carbon emissions. We conduct the study in a country undergoing mass urbanization and challenging energy demands. Data from energy resources in the Power & Energy Sector Master Plan (PSMP2016;Bangladesh) are analyzed over the 2017-2021 trajectory. Two scenarios for imports, oil and coal are assessed. Environmental input output (E-IO) analysis and percentage equivalence analysis measured data variables. The data is then further disaggregated into an emission reduction (ER) model with sensitivity analysis to measure carbon emission reduction when each FF source is substituted by RE. Results show the percentage share of energy generation capacity by both coal and RE increase over time. Solar and wind power contribute to the increase in RE. When oil is imported a 1% increase in oil, coal, and gas-based energy generation capacity increases carbon emissions by 1.25%, 1.48% and 0.93%, respectively. 1% increase in RE produces negligible carbon emissions (0.0042%). There was little difference in the percentages of carbon emissions when coal is imported. Substituting any FF with RE of equal energy capacity does not, in the short term, reduce carbon emissions in either scenario. Therefore, we conclude that for long term clean energy prospects in Bangladesh, RE needs to be developed to operate at greater capacity in conjunction with other carbon management factors. The research findings herein offer insights for clean energy implementation in developing nations.

Green ICT Impact on Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction

The direct and indirect effect of ICT on energy conservation and emission reduction is described. The energy consumption per unit GDP in the ICT industry is lower than that in other industries. The application of ICT in such fi elds as industrial design, manufacturing, management, logistics, sales and service can be helpful for energy conservation and emission reduction in the industrial and transportations industry; however, the issue of energy waste and environmental pollution caused by voluminous deployment of ICT products should never be overlooked. This paper presents the lat- est development of communications products in energy conservation and exemplifi es the roles of ICT in energy conservation and consumption reduction. The issue of electromagnetic radiation of ICT products and the recycling and reuse of e-wastes are explored.

Lightweight innovation ADIs help development of renewable energy and new technology industries in China

The world is undergoing profound changes in energy and technology.Countries are vigorously developing new sustainable energy sources and technologies.Renewable energy sources encompass various technologies such as wind turbines,solar energy,nuclear energy,and bioenergy.Additionally,emerging technology fields include new energy vehicles,robots,and artificial intelligence devices,among others.The renewable energy industries and implementation of new technologies necessitate the development and adoption of new equipment and components.Austempered ductile iron(ADI)is renowned for its unique microstructure and superior properties.By utilizing ADI,lightweight and innovative castings can be designed to not only reduce weight but also save energy and decrease emissions.More importantly,these castings enhance the efficiency and reliability of new energy equipment and emerging technology installations.This paper describes the development,applications,and future prospects of lightweight and innovative ADI castings within sectors such as solar photovoltaic(PV),wind power generation,industry robots,and trucks in China.

Integration of earth-abundant cocatalysts for high-performance photoelectrochemical energy conversion

Photoelectrochemical(PEC)energy conversion has emerged as a promising and efficient approach to sustainable energy harvesting and storage.By utilizing semiconductor photoelectrodes,PEC devices can harness solar energy and drive electrochemical reactions such as water splitting or carbon dioxide(CO_(2))reduction to generate clean fuels and value-added chemicals.However,PEC energy conversion faces several challenges such as high overpotential,sluggish reaction kinetics,charge carrier recombination,and stability issues,which limit its practical implementation.Recently,significant research has been conducted to improve the overall conversion efficiency of PEC devices.One particularly promising approach is the use of cocatalysts,which involves introducing specific cocatalysts onto the photoelectrode surface to promote charge separation,improve reaction kinetics,and reduce the overpotential,thereby enhancing the overall performance of PEC energy conversion.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in the earth-abundant cocatalysts for PEC water splitting and CO_(2) reduction.The main earth-abundant catalysts for the PEC water splitting include transition-metal dichalcogenide(TMD)-based materials,metal phosphides/carbides,and metal oxides/hydroxides.Meanwhile,PEC-CO_(2)RR was divided into C_(1) and C_(2+)based on the final product since various products could be produced,focusing on diverse earth-abundant materials-based cocatalysts.In addition,we provide and highlight key advancements achieved in the very recent reports on novel PEC system design engineering with cocatalysts.Finally,the current problems associated with PEC systems are discussed along with a suggested direction to overcome these obstacles.

Research on a TOPSIS energy efficiency evaluation system for crude oil gathering and transportation systems based on a GA-BP neural network

As the main link of ground engineering,crude oil gathering and transportation systems require huge energy consumption and complex structures.It is necessary to establish an energy efficiency evaluation system for crude oil gathering and transportation systems and identify the energy efficiency gaps.In this paper,the energy efficiency evaluation system of the crude oil gathering and transportation system in an oilfield in western China is established.Combined with the big data analysis method,the GA-BP neural network is used to establish the energy efficiency index prediction model for crude oil gathering and transportation systems.The comprehensive energy consumption,gas consumption,power consumption,energy utilization rate,heat utilization rate,and power utilization rate of crude oil gathering and transportation systems are predicted.Considering the efficiency and unit consumption index of the crude oil gathering and transportation system,the energy efficiency evaluation system of the crude oil gathering and transportation system is established based on a game theory combined weighting method and TOPSIS evaluation method,and the subjective weight is determined by the triangular fuzzy analytic hierarchy process.The entropy weight method determines the objective weight,and the combined weight of game theory combines subjectivity with objectivity to comprehensively evaluate the comprehensive energy efficiency of crude oil gathering and transportation systems and their subsystems.Finally,the weak links in energy utilization are identified,and energy conservation and consumption reduction are improved.The above research provides technical support for the green,efficient and intelligent development of crude oil gathering and transportation systems.

Jet Noise Reduction of Double-Mixing Exhaust System

A jet noise reduction technique by using the external chevron nozzle with lobed mixer in the double-mixing exhaust system is investigated under cold conditions.The computations of jet field and the experiments of noise field are conducted with scaled model of high-bypass-ratio turbofan engine mixing exhaust system composed of external chevron nozzle with lobed mixer.The computational results indicate that comparing with the baseline nozzle with lobed mixer,the external chevron nozzle with lobed mixer increases mixing of jet and ambient air near the nozzle exit.The experimental results show that the external chevron nozzle with lobed mixer has better jet noise reduction at low frequencies,and this reduction rises with the increase of chevron bend angle.The experimental results also show that the external chevron nozzle with lobed mixer has sound pressure level(SPL)increase which is not obvious at high frequencies.With chevron bend angle increasing,SPL has relatively marked increase at 60°(directivity angle measured from upstream jet axis)and little fluctuations at 90°and 150°.The external chevron nozzle with lobed mixer has overall sound pressure level(OASPL)reduction in varying degrees at 60°and 150°,but it has little OASPL increase at 90°.