Suchergebnisse

One of the major problems associated with the negative environmental impact of vehicles is the significant level of CO 2 emissions. The increasing concentration in CO 2 in the atmosphere as a result of vehicle emissions is accompanied by both an increase in the consumption of petroleum fuels, which have limited resources, and global climate change. The aim of this work is to improve the mechanism of economic stimulation to reduce CO 2 emissions from vehicles through changes in the system of taxation of oil products. Analytic investigation by the authors and the systematization of the main methods of reducing vehicle CO 2 emissions have revealed the required government direction to improve the economic management of their implementation and the necessity for priority stimulation to produce and consume fuel that is more environmentally acceptable. One effective instrument for such stimulus is an improved method of taxing oil products through the introduction of a new tax which takes into account the level of CO 2 emissions from fuel combustion while also taking state measures to limit the growth in prices for gasoline and diesel fuel. The authors have found the dependence of vehicle CO 2 emissions on the qualitative characteristics of consumed fuel (gasoline and diesel) and have substantiated a methodological approach to the tax calculation. © 2013 WIT Press. ; WIT Transactions on the Built Environment;International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning

Mono-olefins produced in the process of pyrolysis of the hydrocarbon feedstock are one of the main sources for petrochemical synthesis, that accounts for the importance of searching for methods to improve the process. The aim of the work is to develop a method for increasing efficiency of the pyrolysis process on the basis of the allene effect on thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons, which are the pyrolysis feedstock constituents and also form in the process. Effect of the allene addition on thermal decomposition of hexene-1, hexane and gasoline fraction of oil was studied. It was shown that in the presence of allene the rate of thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons significantly increases. Carrying out the pyrolysis process in the presence of allene additionves allows one to lower the temperature of the process at a given time or the reaction time at a given temperature. ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02. A03.21.0006.

The energy industry is a leader of introduction and development of energy supply technologies from renewable energy sources. However, there are some disadvantages of these energy systems, namely, the low density and inconsistent nature of the energy input, which leads to an increase in the cost of the produced electric energy in comparison to the traditional energy complexes using hydrocarbon fuel resources. Therefore, the smart grid technology based on preliminary calculation parameters of the energy system develops in cities. This area should also be used to organize the charging infrastructure of electric vehicles, as the electrification of road transport is one of the global trends. As a result, a current task of the transport and energy field is the development of scientifically based approaches to the formation of the urban charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The purpose of the article is to identify the features of the application flow formation for the charge of the electric vehicle battery. The results obtained provide a basis for building a simulation model for determining the required number of charging stations in the city, taking into account the criteria of minimizing operating costs for electric vehicle owners and energy companies. © 2020 by the authors. ; Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego, MNiSW: 0825-2020-0014 ; Government Council on Grants, Russian Federation ; Acknowledgments: The work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, contract № 0825-2020-0014. The work was supported by Act 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

In the context of transition to a circular economy, one of the strategic priorities is the development of technological innovations aimed at waste processing. In this study, the foundations have been developed for a low-temperature, environmentally safe method for efficient processing of organic municipal solid waste, which may be further applied for processing both municipal and industrial waste organics in order to obtain liquid products. The maximum yield of liquid products is ensured when conducting the coking of a mixture of organic waste with long residuum in the temperature range of 400-420 °C, with a heating rate of 5-70 °C/min, and with an optimal heating time to the coking temperature of 80 min. Recommendations on the use of the waste recycling products are given. The proposed process is consistent with the principles of circular economy and does not require external energy costs because the energy needed for the process is generated by burning the gas produced during the waste coking. The process does not produce emissions into the environment and, in combination with standard refining processes, can be used to obtain commercial petroleum products. © 2019 by the authors. ; Government Council on Grants, Russian Federation ; Funding: This research received no external funding. Funding: This research received no external funding. Acknowledgments: The work was supported by Act 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation, contract Acknowledgments: The work was supported by Act 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation, contract

According to the annual world statistics, primary energy consumption demonstrated a steady growth over the past decade but in 2018, its average value was doubled. A rapid development of energy sector will not only lead to the growth of CO2 emissions and other negative consequences, but also to more intensive use of natural resources in the immediate future. Growing pressure on resources might give rise to a number of challenges in virtually all branches of human activity. The energy sector's impact on the environment is increasing at a high speed, which necessitates the efficiency assessment of investments in energy projects applying a system of technical, economic and environmental indicators. Nowadays, most of the energy projects comprise eco-friendly technological solutions that significantly decrease the use of natural resources but at the same time they might affect financial costs that dampen the attractiveness of investment projects at all. Despite that fact, the economic and environmental evaluation allows identifying the total exposure of the project in the long term and aids in measuring its multiplier effect on the region economy as lots of energy projects have a considerable innovative potential. The present study provides a system of environmental indicators that improves the efficiency assessment process of investment projects in the energy sector. © 2020 WIT Press. ; This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract number 02.A03.21.0006.

Rectification process is widely used in oil and gas processing and petrochemistry. The composition of the bottom product of the rectification column usually differs from the equilibrium composition due to significantly higher content of light components or fractions. This stipulates a necessity to include into the technological schemes of several oil refining processes a stabilization unit that are meant to ensure separation of gases and liquid products. A highly relevant task is to explore new possibilities for improving the stabilization process. The aim of the present work was to improve the stabilization process by changing the operating pressure. It was found that increasing the pressure in the stabilization column enhanced the sharpness of separation of butanes from pentanes, which resulted in improving the quality of the products. The experimental-industrial runs confirmed the possibility of increasing the efficiency of stabilization columns in various processes by increasing the pressure within acceptable limits. © 2019 WIT Press ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

In modern chemistry pyrolysis is the principal process and large-tonnage provider, primarily, of lower olefins - ethylene, propylene - as well as butadiene, benzene and other products. The level of efficiency of the pyrolysis process largely determines the development of the petrochemical industry in whole, therefore rationalization of the process is an ongoing task of high relevance. The aim of this work is to develop a method for increasing the efficiency of the pyrolysis for lower olefins on the base of the analysis of the mechanism of the process with the possibility of controlling it. The kinetics of the interaction of the hydrocarbons with hydrogen atoms, methyl radicals and their mixtures were determined. The data on the relative reactivity of bonds of different types in reactions with hydrogen atoms and methyl radicals and the data on the effective relative reactivity when using an inert diluent increase our knowledge of the pyrolysis of feedstock of any given composition. A method based on the influence of hydrogen on the thermal reactions of alkanes and alkenes was developed to increase the selectivity of the process for the target product (lower olefins) and to reduce the yield of the liquid products of condensation and specific energy consumption. © 2018 WIT Press. ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

Nowadays, the energy sector faces a lot of challenges because of environmental issues, the potential depletion of fossil fuels in the future, problems of technological development, etc. Despite the fact that alternative energy is a key factor of the energy sector's development, it still has several controversial questions, and one of them is "to what extent is nuclear energy safe for the world?" As a consequence, public acceptability has a role to play as it significantly affects the way nuclear energy should be developed in the next decades. In this paper, we provide the main results of the research made in December 2018 in Italy and Russia on students' attitude towards nuclear energy and its development in their homelands. The research method is a questionnaire which was carried out at the University of Trento, Italy, and at Ural Federal University, Russia. According to the given results, most of the students from both countries do not have a negative perception of nuclear energy. However, the opinions on its development in Italy and Russia are completely different: Russian students support the government's energy program in which nuclear energy is one of the most promising trends for the future, whereas Italian students do not accept the possibility that nuclear energy could come back into the Italian energy sector. © 2019 WIT Press. ; № 02.A03.21.0006. ; This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been conventionally regarded as a global problem, due to the well-known effects of fossil fuel combustion to the climate of our planet. However, this paper aims at highlighting the role of CO2 from another perspective, i.e. by considering the effects of CO2 on the health and well-being of the occupants of indoor spaces. The exposure to CO2 air concentrations > 1,000 ppm causes symptoms like headache, dizziness, sleepiness and loss of attention, which may negatively influence the learning capability and the productivity of students and workers. In this sense, schools and universities are particularly vulnerable, due to the high density of occupants in classrooms and to the importance of the role of education in training the future members of the society. In the light of this issue, the present paper will provide examples of the incorrect design of indoor environments and, meanwhile, will propose simple solutions to monitor the problem of indoor CO2 concentration and improve the indoor environmental quality of public places. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2019. ; The work was partly supported by Act 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation, contract No 02.A03.21.0006.

Climate change and anthropogenic pollution have put limited water resources under pressure. Lack of basic sanitation services as well as the discharge of improperly treated effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) result in the deposition of large amounts of organic matter and nutrients, which have major detrimental effects on health. Wastewater treatment (WWT) can reduce water pollution but at the cost of increasing energy consumption and the corresponding atmosphere and climate problems. Sustainable WWT management is a global challenge to preserve fresh water and decrease energy consumption. Nowadays it becomes obvious that existing WWTP operation model, based on the linear "take-make-dispose" pattern, is no longer sustainable. Furthermore, disposal of a product in landfill means that all residual energy is lost. The adoption of circular economy (CE) practices with its 3R principles of reducing, reusing and recycling material appears as a timely, relevant and practical option to meet the goals of sustainable development. WWTP is a critical element in CE implementation policy and to measure the degree of "circularity" there is a need for indicators. This study considers the holistic overview of measuring the progress of CE implementation at WWTP under 3R principles using life cycle analysis (LCA) and material flow analysis (MFA) frameworks. The paper presents the principles of CE indicators set construction using managerial approach. The proposed set of indicators and integral circularity index are studied under three scenarios, based on real performance of northern and southern WWTP in Ekaterinburg, Russia. This study provides an efficient assessment tool of CE progress, which is rather simple for calculation and interpretation and suitable for the use of wide range of stakeholders. © 2019 WIT Press. ; № 02.A03.21.0006 ; This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

The growing vehicle fleet, which is the largest consumer of the hydrocarbon fuels and the emitter of toxic substances and greenhouse gases, creates the serious environmental challenges that require an integrated approach to solve them. Simulation of the alternative scenarios for the traffic flows distribution allows evaluating the impact of various schemes of the road traffic organization and changes of the road infrastructure on the state of atmospheric air. It is necessary to consolidate the application of the legislative, economic and management mechanisms, orienting parties responsible for the negative consequences of the car operation to implement the optimal technological solutions. Possible economic incentives for the manufacturers of the vehicles, fuel producers, and the car owners are discussed, which enable to improve the environmental safety of the motor vehicles operation. The proposed model of an environmental fuel tax has been tested in the evaluating of the annual value of the possible additional tax revenues from a number of Russian refineries. The introduction of the proposed tax model can significantly reduce the negative consequences of vehicles operation. © 2017 WIT Press. ; Government Council on Grants, Russian Federation ; The work was supported by the Act 211 of the Russian Federation Government, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

Nowadays, most countries of the world are implementing the transition to the low-carbon economy which implies the need to carry out a full-scale eco-modernization of the energy sector. Green energy may be identified as one of the core concerns of energy sector modernization as it allows a considerable decrease in emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Therefore, nuclear and renewable energy may become key areas of global energy development in the near future, which is also in agreement with circular economy concepts. However, public opinion (and other controversial visions/aspects) is one of the barriers to their development. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between attitudes towards nuclear and renewable energy in two countries: a EU country (Italy) and a non-EU country (Russia), considering the level of their development. The authors conducted a survey among residents regarding their attitude towards nuclear and renewable energy, as well as their attitude to the present energy policy. The cluster analysis technique was used to analyze the results. The obtained results confirmed the dependence between the level of development of nuclear and renewable energy and the public attitude towards it. The national energy policy also might influence public opinion on the development of nuclear or renewable energy. The authors identified public attitude as one of the key factors in the development of energy and the achievement of environmental and social sustainability. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. ; Funding: The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 22-28-01740, https://rscf.ru/en/project/22-28-01740/ (accessed on 6 December 2021).

Anaerobic digestion contributes to the implementation of circular economy (CE) concepts. This process is assuming an increasingly important function in the treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW), that is, food waste, where selective collection is optimised. The possibility of combining the recovery of matter with energy makes this approach interesting for the concepts of circular economy. Specifically, the extraction of biomethane from biogas and the following refining of the residual off-gas from impurities gives as result the extraction of CO2 that can also be used for food industry applications. A high-quality source separation of food waste gives the chance to generate a good product, compost, coherently with the aims of the circular economy principles. The use of dry processes of anaerobic digestion allows avoiding the discharge of (treated) water in the environment. Co-digestion is another option that deserves a wider adoption, because of the possibility to exploit existing volumes of digestion. This paper presents a bibliographic research based on current CE progress and MSW anaerobic digestion infrastructure in Italy and Russia. Perspectives of the sector are discussed too. © 2021 WITPress. All rights reserved. ; This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

The development of renewable energy is one of the strategic directions of eco-modernization of the Russian energy sector, which will not only reduce the negative impact of the industry on the environment, but also provide remote territories with the stable access to electricity. Despite the fact that the Russian regions have a great potential for the development of renewable energy, the full transition of the energy sector to the "green" vector of its development is currently impossible. Moreover, most of current studies consider the development of renewable energy without reference to the regions, which, according to the authors, does not provide an objective assessment of the potential for the use of renewable energy in Russia. The purpose of the present research is to evaluate the potential for the introduction of various renewable energy sources (RES) in the energy sector of the Sverdlovsk region — one of the largest industrial regions of Russia. The full-scale assessment of their potential use at the regional level helps to accelerate the process of their introduction into the energy sector, since during the assessment, scientists analyze not only the possibilities of use, but also the barriers to development. Authors applied various research methods among which analysis of state programs, analysis of the official statistical reports, analysis of natural conditions on the territory of the region, etc. As a result, authors developed a map of potential use of renewables in the territory of Sverdlovsk region, evaluated prospects of their development and revealed key barriers. The proposed algorithm of assessment might be applicable for other Russian regions. © 2021 The Authors. ; This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

The implementation of investment projects has an important role to play in the development of the economy and also to be in concordance with the Circular Economy concepts, as it causes not only the flows of financial and labor resources into the regional economy, but also stimulates the development of scientific and technological progress and the emergence of innovations. A comprehensive assessment is essential approach of any investment project to achieve sustainable development and to close the loop as requested be the Circular Economy through balancing between social and economic development, as well as preservation of environment. The assessment of ecological and economic efficiency of investment projects is one of the most significant stages of project implementation as it allows to uncover the potential negative effects and possible failure of the project. So far, there are no unified approaches to assessing the effectiveness of investment projects, especially its environmental component. That fact leads to a biased assessment of the impact of an investment project on the environment. The problem is caused not only by the lack of a common, internationally accepted methodology, but also by the complexity of accounting for externalities and negative financial impact. The purpose of the study is to examine and systemize existing approaches to the assessment of ecological and economic efficiency and provide recommendations for its enhancement. The article highlights two conceptual approaches to the efficiency assessment of the project and their benefits and drawbacks. © 2021 WITPress. All rights reserved. ; This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.