Crystalline and amorphous metal sulfide composite electrode materials with long cycle life:Preparation and performance of hybrid capacitors

Crystalline@amorphous NiCo_(2)S_(4)@MoS_(2)(v-NCS@MS)nanostructures were designed and constructed via an ethylene glycol-induced strategy with hydrothermal synthesis and solvothermal method,which simultaneously realized the defect regulation of crystal NiCo_(2)S_(4) in the core.Taking advantage of the flexible protection of an amor-phous shell and the high capacity of a conductive core with defects,the v-NCS@MS electrode exhibited high specif-ic capacity(1034 mAh·g^(-1) at 1 A·g^(-1))and outstanding rate capability.Moreover,a hybrid supercapacitor was assembled with v-NCS@MS as cathode and activated carbon(AC)as anode,which can achieve remarkably high specific energy of 111 Wh·kg^(-1) at a specific power of 219 W·kg^(-1) and outstanding capacity retention of 80.5%after 15000 cycling at different current densities.

Investigation into the Methodology and Implementation of Life Cycle Engineering under China’s Carbon Reduction Target in the Process Industry

The industrial sector is the primary source of carbon emissions in China.In pursuit of meeting its carbon reduction targets,China aims to promote resource consumption sustainability,reduce energy consumption,and achieve carbon neutrality within its processing industries.An effective strategy to promote energy savings and carbon reduction throughout the life cycle of materials is by applying life cycle engineering technology.This strategy aims to attain an optimal solution for material performance,resource consumption,and environmental impact.In this study,five types of technologies were considered:raw material replacement,process reengineering,fuel replacement,energy recycling and reutilization,and material recycling and reutilization.The meaning,methodology,and development status of life cycle engineering technology abroad and domestically are discussed in detail.A multidimensional analysis of ecological design was conducted from the perspectives of resource and energy consumption,carbon emissions,product performance,and recycling of secondary resources in a manufacturing process.This coupled with an integrated method to analyze carbon emissions in the entire life cycle of a material process industry was applied to the nonferrous industry,as an example.The results provide effective ideas and solutions for achieving low or zero carbon emission production in the Chinese industry as recycled aluminum and primary aluminum based on advanced technologies had reduced resource consumption and emissions as compared to primary aluminum production.

Growth of RB Population in the Conversion Phase of Chlamydia Life Cycle

Upon infecting a host cell,the reticulate body(RB)form of the Chlamydia bacteria simply proliferates by binary fission for an extended period.Available data show only RB units in the infected cells 20 hours post infection(hpi),spanning nearly half way through the development cycle.With data collected every 4 hpi,conversion to the elementary body(EB)form begins abruptly at a rapid rate sometime around 24 hpi.By modeling proliferation and conversion as simple birth and death processes,it has been shown that the optimal strategy for maximizing the total(mean)EB population at host cell lysis time is a bang-bang control qualitatively replicating the observed conversion activities.However,the simple birth and death model for the RB proliferation and conversion to EB deviates in a significant way from the available data on the evolution of the RB population after the onset of RB-to-EB conversion.By working with a more refined model that takes into account a small size threshold eligibility requirement for conversion noted in the available data,we succeed in removing the deficiency of the previous models on the evolution of the RB population without affecting the optimal bang-bang conversion strategy.

Life cycle assessment as a prospective tool for sustainable agriculture and food planning at a local level

Owing to the far-reaching environmental consequences of agriculture and food systems,such as their contribution to climate change,there is an urgent need to reduce their impact.International and national governments set sustainability targets and implement corresponding measures.Nevertheless,critics of the globalized system claim that a territorial administrative scale is better suited to address sustainability issues.Yet,at the subnational level,local authorities rarely apply a systemic environmental assessment to enhance their action plans.This paper employs a territorial life cycle assessment methodology to improve local environmental agri-food planning.The objective is to identify significant direct and indirect environmental hotspots,their origins,and formulate effective mitigation strategies.The methodology is applied to the administrative department of Finistere,a strategic agricultural region in North-Western France.Multiple environmental criteria including climate change,fossil resource scarcity,toxicity,and land use are modeled.The findings reveal that the primary environmental hotspots of the studied local food system arise from indirect sources,such as livestock feed or diesel consumption.Livestock reduction and organic farming conversion emerge as the most environmentally efficient strategies,resulting in a 25%decrease in the climate change indicator.However,the overall modeled impact reduction is insufficient following national objectives and remains limited for the land use indicator.These results highlight the innovative application of life cycle assessment led at a local level,offering insights for the further advancement of systematic and prospective local agri-food assessment.Additionally,they provide guidance for local authorities to enhance the sustainability of planning strategies.

A Review of the Life Cycle Analysis for Plastic Waste Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is a rapidly expanding chemical-based recyclable method that complements physical recycling. It avoids improper disposal of post-consumer polymers and mitigates the ecological problems linked to the production of new plastic. Nevertheless, while there is a consensus that pyrolysis might be a crucial technology in the years to come, more discussions are needed to address the challenges related to scaling up, the long-term sustainability of the process, and additional variables essential to the advancement of the green economy. Herein, it emphasizes knowledge gaps and methodological issues in current Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), underlining the need for standardized techniques and updated data to support robust decision-making for adopting pyrolysis technologies in waste management strategies. For this purpose, this study reviews the LCAs of pyrolytic processes, encompassing the complete life cycle, from feedstock collection to end-product distribution, including elements such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste creation. Hence, we evaluate diverse pyrolysis processes, including slow, rapid, and catalytic pyrolysis, emphasizing their distinct efficiency and environmental footprints. Furthermore, we evaluate the impact of feedstock composition, process parameters, and scale of operation on the overall sustainability of pyrolysis-based plastic waste treatment by integrating results from current literature and identifying essential research needs. Therefore, this paper argues that existing LCA studies need more coherence and accuracy. It follows a thorough evaluation of previous research and suggests new insights into methodologies and restrictions.

The Life Predictions in Whole Process Realized with Different Variables and Conventional Materials Constants for Elastic-Plastic Materials Behaviors under Unsymmetrical Cycle Loading

Author researches a lot of the mathematical models and the related conventional material constants in the traditional and the modem mechanics; to adopt two types of variables a and D, for the fatigue-damage-fracture behaviors to elastic-plastic steels contained flaws, to put forward several calculation models, which are the driving force and the life prediction expressions at each stage and in whole process; for the key parameters .A1 and ,A2 in two stages, there are functional relation with other conventional material constants σF,m1 and M2,λ2, they are defined as the new calculable comprehensive material constants, and indicate their physical and geometrical meanings. In addition, for conversion methods between two types of variables, relevant calculating example is provided. Thereby, make a linking between the fracture mechanics and the damage mechanics, communicating their relationships. This works for saving man powers and funds on fatigue-damage-fracture testing that will be having practical significance.

A Building Information Modeling-Life Cycle Cost Analysis Integrated Model to Enhance Decisions Related to the Selection of Construction Methods at the Conceptual Design Stage of Buildings

Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) provides a systematic approach to assess the total cost associated with owning, operating, and maintaining assets throughout their entire life. BIM empowers architects and designers to perform real-time evaluations to explore various design options. However, when integrated with LCCA, BIM provides a comprehensive economic perspective that helps stakeholders understand the long-term financial implications of design decisions. This study presents a methodology for developing a model that seamlessly integrates BIM and LCCA during the conceptual design stage of buildings. This integration allows for a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the design process, ensuring that the development aligns with the principles of low carbon emissions by employing modular construction, 3D concrete printing methods, and different building design alternatives. The model considers the initial construction costs in addition to all the long-term operational, maintenance, and salvage values. It combines various tools and data through different modules, including energy analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to execute a comprehensive assessment of the financial implications of a specific design option throughout the lifecycle of building projects. The development of the said model and its implementation involves the creation of a new plug-in for the BIM tool (i.e., Autodesk Revit) to enhance its functionalities and capabilities in forecasting the life-cycle costs of buildings in addition to generating associated cash flows, creating scenarios, and sensitivity analyses in an automatic manner. This model empowers designers to evaluate and justify their initial investments while designing and selecting potential construction methods for buildings, and enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions by assessing different design alternatives based on long-term financial considerations during the early stages of design.

RESIDENTIAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT MODELING: COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF INSULATING CONCRETE FORMS AND TRADITIONAL BUILDING MATERIALS

Innovative,sustainable construction products are emerging in response to market demands.One potential product,insulating concrete forms(ICFs),offers possible advantages in energy and environmental performance when compared with traditional construction materials.Even though ICFs are in part derived from a petroleum-based product,the benefits in the use phase outweigh the impacts of the raw material extraction and manufacturing phase.This paper quantitatively measures ICFs’performance through a comparative life cycle assessment of wall sections comprised of ICF and traditional wood-frame.The life cycle stages included raw materials extraction and manufacturing,construction,use and end of life for a 2,450 square foot house in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.Results showed that even though building products such as ICFs are energy intensive to produce and thus have higher environmental impacts in the raw materials extraction and manufacturing phase,the use phase dominated in the life cycle.For the use phase,the home constructed of ICFs consumed 20 percent less energy when compared to a traditional wood-frame structure.The results of the impact assessment show that ICFs have higher impacts over wood homes in most impact categories.The high impacts arise from the raw materials extraction and manufacturing phase of ICFs.But there are a number of embedded unit processes such as disposal of solid waste and transport of natural gas that contribute to this high impact and identifying the top unit process and substance contributors to the impact category is not intuitive.Selecting different unit processes or impact assessment methods will yield dissimilar results and the tradeoffs associated with every building product should be considered after studying the entire life cycle in detail.

Facilitating IT outsourcing through improving buyer-vendor interaction in outsourcing life cycle

For a clear understanding of how to foster necessary attributes of partnerships that promote a closer relationship for achieving outsourcing success,this paper tries to explore the role of interaction.Based on empirical data from a logistics and procurement flat system outsourcing case and earlier research,the industrial network approach and the international marketing and purchasing interaction model are used to analyze the nature of interaction in a three-phased outsourcing life cycle,particularly,characteristics and activities of the transition phase are identified.The findings reveal that developing a relationship between partners requires an industrial network perspective.Improving the key aspects of interaction,information and knowledge sharing,communication and collaborative participation,involved in the important events of three phases would contribute to enhance the relationships performance.The key aspects of interaction should take place among the network actors and not just between buyers and vendors.

Comparative analysis of perpetual pavement structures based on pavement performance and life cycle cost

Pavement performance and economic efficiency are researched on the perpetual test pavement of Yijiang-Suzhou Express Highway in Jiangsu province, China. Test sections were continuously monitored. The conditions and developing laws of deflection, rutting and cracking are compared among the perpetual pavement with the rich binder layer （RBL）, the perpetual pavement without the RBL, and the conventional semi-rigid asphalt pavement in the past eight years after opening for traffic. Economical evaluation is conducted via life cycle cost analysis （LCCA）. Based on the performance comparison and LCCA analysis, sections with the RBL have good crack resistance, but they are not very satisfactory in the aspect of permanent deformation; the conventional semi-rigid asphalt pavement is the least economic one due to requiring more frequent maintenance. Research results show that the perpetual pavement without RBL is a more appropriate structure for the test site.

Life Cycle Assessment of Green Buildings Based on Grey Clustering Method

To promote and develop green buildings,a standardized,applicable and easily operable index system for the assessment of such buildings was established on the basis of life cycle cost effectiveness.From the perspectives of environment-friendly materials,water resource environment,energy and environment,quality of indoor and outdoor environment,operation and management,and economical efficiency of life cycle,a modified index system was built,AHP was applied to obtain weights of indexes,evaluation methods of the grey system were used to evaluate green buildings,case study was adopted to verify the practicability and scientificity of the method.The results showed that Grey Clustering Method was an objective and reliable tool to evaluate green buildings,the calculation was simple,practical and easily operable,and moreover,the assessment process could be optimized by computer programming to improve its efficiency and precision.

Chinese life cycle impact assessment factors

The methodological basis and procedures for determination of Chinese normalization references and weighting factors according to the EDIP-method is described. According to Chinese industrial development intensity and population density, China was divided into three regions and the normalization references for each region were calculated on the basis of an inventory of all of the region's environmental emissions in 1990. The normalization reference was determined as the total environmental impact potential for the area in question in 1990(EP(j)90) divided by the population. The weighting factor was determined as the normalization reference (ER(j)90) divided by society's target contribution in the year 2000 based on Chinese political reduction plans, ER(j)T2000. This paper presents and discuss results obtained for eight different environmental impact categories relevant for China: global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, acidification, nutrient enrichment, photochemical ozone formation and generation of bulk waste, hazardous waste and slag and ashes.

Overall Life Cycle Comprehensive Assessment of Pneumatic and Electric Actuator

Pneumatic actuators and electric actuators have almost been applied to all manufacturing industries. The two kinds of actuators can replace each other in most fields, such as the point to point transmission occasion and some rotating occasions. However, there are very few research results about the advantages and disadvantages of two kinds of actuators under the same working conditions so far. In this paper, a novel comprehensive assessment method, named as overall life cycle comprehensive assessment （OLCCA）, is proposed for comparison and assessment of pneumatic and electric actuators. OLCCA contains mechanical properties evaluation （MPE）, life cycle cost analysis based on users （LCCABOU） and life cycle environmental impact analysis （LCEIA） algorithm in order to solve three difficult problems： mechanical properties assessment, cost analysis and environmental impact assessment about actuators. The mechanical properties evaluation of actuators is a multi-objective optimization problem. The fuzzy data quantification and information entropy methods are combined to establish MPE algorithm of actuators. Two kinds of pneumatic actuators and electric actuators with similar bearing capacity and similar work stroke were taken for example to verify the correctness of MPE algorithm. The case study of MPE algorithm for actuators verified its correctness. LCCABOU for actuators is also set up. Considering cost complex structure of pneumatic actuators, public device cost even method （PDCEM） is firstly presented to solve cost division of public devices such as compressors, aftercooler, receivers, etc. LCCABOU method is also effective and verified by the three groups of pneumatic actuators and electric actuators. Finally, LCEIA model of actuators is established for the environmental impact assessment of actuators. LCEIA data collection method and model establishment procedure for actuators are also put forward. With Simapro 7, LCEIA comparison results of six actuators can be obtained： Fossil fuels are the major environmental factor of pneumatic and electric actuators; Environmental impact of electric actuator is large than one of pneumatic actuator under the similar mechanical properties and working conditions of pneumatic and electric actuators. The results are correct and correspond with the actual mechanical properties of actuators. This paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation method of the actuators, which can solve the critical problem that similar electromechanical products are very difficult to be compared with each other from the angle of performance, cost and environment impact.

Review of energy consumption research for papermaking industry based on life cycle analysis

Papermaking industry is a high-energy-consuming industry with long supply chain.The growth of paper product demand further intensifies the need of energy consumption.Energy saving through the full supply chain has become a focal point for long-term sustainable development of the papermaking industry.This paper reviews the advances in life cycle analysis for the papermaking industry in recent years.All the stages from the full supply chain are involved to give a panoramic overview of the papermaking industry.The object of this paper is to provide scientific basis to industry and decision-makers with profound understanding of the energy consumption and energy saving potential in a life cycle perspective.

CNTs@S composite as cathode for all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries with ultralong cycle life

The main challenges in development of traditional liquid lithium-sulfur batteries are the shuttle effect at the cathode caused by the polysulfide and the safety concern at the Li metal anode arose from the dendrite formation.All-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries have been proposed to solve the shuttle effect and prevent short circuits.However,solid-solid contacts between the electrodes and the electrolyte increase the interface resistance and stress/strain,which could result in the limited electrochemical performances.In this work,the cathode of all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries is prepared by depositing sulfur on the surface of the carbon nanotubes(CNTs@S)and further mixing with Li10GeP2S12 electrolyte and acetylene black agents.At 60℃,CNTs@S electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performance,delivering the reversible discharge capacities of 1193.3,959.5,813.1,569.6 and 395.5 mAhg^-1 at the rate of 0.1,0.5,1,2 and 5 C,respectively.Moreover,the CNTs@S is able to demonstrate superior high-rate capability of 660.3 mAhg^-1 and cycling stability of 400 cycles at a high rate of 1.0 C.Such uniform distribution of the CNTs,S and Li10GeP2S12 electrolyte increase the electronic and ionic conductivity between the cathode and the electrolyte hence improves the rate performance and capacity retention.

Environmental impact assessment of China’s primary aluminum based on life cycle assessment

Assessing and accounting for material consumption and environmental impact are necessary to measure environmental externalities of the aluminum industry and to construct an ecological civilization.In this research,life cycle assessment(LCA)theory was used to assess the environmental impact of primary aluminum based on the lime soda Bayer process and different power generation modes,and the sources and distributions of the four selected impact categories were analyzed.The results show that,(1)Negative environmental impact of aluminum industry generally occurs from alumina extraction,carbon anode fabrication and electrolysis,particularly electrolysis and alumina extraction.Primary energy demand(PED),water use(WU),global warming potential(GWP)and freshwater eutrophication potential(FEP)are main environmental impact categories.(2)The environmental load with thermal power is higher than that with hydropower,e.g.,for the former,the greenhouse gas emission coefficient of 21800 kg CO2 eq/t(Al)will be generated,while for the latter,4910 kg CO2 eq/t(Al)will be generated.(3)Both power mode methods reflect the energy structure,whereas direct emissions reflect the technical level,indicating the potential for large energy savings and emission reductions,and some policies,related to clean power,energy efficiency and technological progress,should be made for emission reduction.

Process of aluminum dross recycling and life cycle assessment for Al-Si alloys and brown fused alumina

In 2008,around 596 000 t of aluminum dross was generated from secondary aluminum industry in China;however,it was not sufficiently recycled yet.Approximately 95% of the Al dross was land filled without innocent treatment.The purpose of this work is to investigate Al dross recycling by environmentally efficient and friendly methods.Two methods of Al dross recycling which could utilize Al dross efficiently were presented.High-quality aluminum-silicon alloys and brown fused alumina(BFA) were produced successfully by recycling Al dross.Then,life cycle assessment(LCA) was performed to evaluate environmental impact of two methods of Al dross recycling process.The results show that the two methods are reasonable and the average recovery rate of Al dross is up to 98%.As the LCA results indicate,they have some advantages such as less natural resource consumption and pollutant emissions,which efficiently relieves the burden on the environment in electrolytic aluminum and secondary aluminum industry.

Grain size based low cycle fatigue life prediction model for nickel-based superalloy

Nickel-based superalloys are easy to produce low cycle fatigue(LCF)damage when they are subjected to high temperature and mechanical stresses.Fatigue life prediction of nickel-based superalloys is of great importance for their reliable practical application.To investigate the effects of total strain and grain size on LCF behavior,the high temperature LCF tests were carried out for a nickel-based superalloy.The results show that the fatigue lives decreased with the increase of strain amplitude and grain size.A new LCF life prediction model was established considering the effect of grain size on fatigue life.Error analyses indicate that the prediction accuracy of the new LCF life model is higher than those of Manson-Coffin relationship and Ostergren energy method.

Green evaluation of microwave-assisted leaching process of high titanium slag on life cycle assessment

A greenness evaluation index and system of microwave-assisted leaching method were established.The effects of the life cycle assessment variables,such as the resource consumption,environment impact,cost,time and quality,were investigated,and the concept of green degree was applied in the production of synthetic rutile.An analytic hierarchy process was utilized to assess matrix of greenness evaluation.The Gauss-Seidel iterative matrix method was employed to solve the assessment matrix and obtain the weights and membership functions of all evaluation indexes.A fuzzy decision-making method was applied to build the greenness evaluation model,and then the scores of green degree in microwave-assisted leaching process was obtained.The greenness evaluation model was applied to the life cycle assessment of the microwave-assisted leaching process.The results show that the microwave-assisted leaching process has advantages over the conventional ones,with respect to energy-consumption,processing time and environmental protection.

A techno-economic and life cycle assessment for the production of green methanol from CO_(2): catalyst and process bottlenecks

The success of catalytic schemes for the large-scale valorization of CO_(2) does not only depend on the development of active,selective and stable catalytic materials but also on the overall process design.Here we present a multidisciplinary study(from catalyst to plant and techno-economic/lifecycle analysis)for the production of green methanol from renewable H2 and CO_(2).We combine an in-depth kinetic analysis of one of the most promising recently reported methanol-synthesis catalysts(InCo)with a thorough process simulation and techno-economic assessment.We then perform a life cycle assessment of the simulated process to gauge the real environmental impact of green methanol production from CO_(2).Our results indicate that up to 1.75 ton of CO_(2) can be abated per ton of produced methanol only if renewable energy is used to run the process,while the sensitivity analysis suggest that either rock-bottom H2 prices(1.5$kg1)or severe CO_(2) taxation(300$per ton)are needed for a profitable methanol plant.Besides,we herein highlight and analyze some critical bottlenecks of the process.Especial attention has been paid to the contribution of H2 to the overall plant costs,CH4 trace formation,and purity and costs of raw gases.In addition to providing important information for policy makers and industrialists,directions for catalyst(and therefore process)improvements are outlined.