Integrating energy across different sectors is an efficient solution for improving energy systems to meet energy demands with low CO2 emissions. Such integration includes combining the supply and demand of heating, cooling, and electricity by implementing appropriate equipment, as well as combining the energy systems of civic and industrial sectors. This thesis develops various optimization approaches to identify the optimal design and operation of distributed energy systems and the integration of energy systems across commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors, which minimize CO2 emissions and costs of the systems. Available equipment of the energy systems includes combined cooling, heating, and power system, absorption chiller, solar thermal collector, photovoltaic, boiler, electric chiller, battery, ground source heat pump, and air source heat pump. This thesis provides the following contributions to this area. (1) Identify optimal structures of distributed energy systems under different electric grid CO2 footprints. The work implements representative periods when formulating the energy system, which reduces computation time. (2) Differentiate heating demands of entities in the integrated system at different temperature levels to ensure feasible heat transfer. It removes the simplified assumptions in existing studies on the integrated energy system that assume all heating demands are at a uniform temperature. (3) Optimize production rates of plants instead of assuming steady industrial production rates. The switchable production rates lead to a further reduction in CO2 emissions of the integrated system. (4) Identify the environmental and economic benefits of the integrated operation under different electric grid CO2 footprints. It presents that integrated operation reduces more CO2 emissions when the electric grid has higher CO2 footprints. (5) Identify the optimal relative sizes of entities in the integrated system that maximize the CO2 emissions reduction benefits brought by the integrated system. (6) Prove the integrated system has lower CO2 emissions than individual energy systems both under deterministic and stochastic scenarios. Overall, the work in this thesis contributes to developing energy systems and integrated energy systems with the lowest possible CO2 emissions under various scenarios. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / As the total population continues to increase worldwide, it is necessary to improve community energy systems to reduce CO2 emissions when meeting energy demands. An efficient solution is integrating energy systems across different sectors. This work explores novel structures of energy systems – integrated energy systems that combine the supply and demand of heating, cooling, and electricity in residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors. The optimal energy system configurations, sizes of subsystems, production rates of plants, heat transfer and electricity transfer, as well as capacity and operation of the equipment, have been identified by developing optimization approaches that minimize CO2 emissions and costs of the integrated system. The optimal design and operation are found under both deterministic and stochastic scenarios and different grid electricity generation scenarios, which provide references for developing community energy systems with the lowest possible CO2 emissions under various scenarios.

In 2019, the cement industry used 280 million tons of oil equivalent, contributing to 7% of totalindustrial energy consumption. This resulted in 2.4 billion tons of CO2 emissions, constituting26% of the industrial sector’s CO2 output and 7% of global energy-related emissions. On theother hand, It is affordable, safe, and readily available, thanks to its construction error resistance. C3C is a company that takes advantage of waste concrete that has been produced and useit to mold concrete blocks that has different functions. This is a big environmental benefit. Themain function of these blocks has been to function as temporary or permanent partitions walls orsafety walls for accidental loads. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility and performance of a temporary office structure that is built majorly out of these C3C lego blocks froma comfort, stability and sustainability point of view. This data aids construction professionalsseeking cost-effective alternatives to traditional methods. Retrofitting and cascading offer economic and environmental benefits. Our goal is to discover innovative, sustainable constructionapproaches for future generations. The results show the importance of insulation positioning forthe comfort point of view. To ensure stability and analyse if the separation of the blocks occur,four RFEM models are made with focus on the tensile stresses and uplifting deflection of thewalls. In conclusion, this study provides ideas on how to design a temporary structure usingC3C lego blocks.Keywords: Concrete blocks, C3C blocks, FE models, life cycle analysis, mechanical connections, CO2 emissions.

Human-caused emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are an established reason for the climate changes that affect planet Earth. Negative emission technologies (NETs), for example, bio-accelerated silicate weathering bioreactors, seek to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere. Bio-acceleratedsilicate weathering utilizes microorganisms to increase natural silicate weathering processes.This project aimed to evaluate the potential bio-accelerated weathering of two silicate rock types, Basalt Lavagestine, and La Palma lapilli, using a mixture of microorganisms, Bacillus Subtilis, Cupriavidus Metallidurans, Aureobasidium Pullulans, and Suillus Variegatus. Straw was used as an organic carbon and nutrient source for the organisms. There were six types of reactors, biotic, abiotic,and mineral controls for each of the two minerals, with triplicates. The reactors were watered five times a week with 50 mL of autoclaved distilled water, after each week the leachate from each reactor wascollected. Geochemical analyses of all leachates were performed, these were pH, conductivity, alkalinity, and carbon analyses. After the experiment, the mineral grains and straw were examined in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to observe the growth of organisms and the differences between reactor types.The biotic reactors for both minerals showed signs of enhanced weathering compared to their controls. The geochemical analyses showed that the alkalinity was doubled between the abiotic and biotic reactors for the basalt, and increased by roughly a third for the lapilli. The DIC was tripled for thebiotic basalt and doubled for the biotic lapilli. This indicated increased weathering rates and more sequestered carbon for the biotic reactors. SEM showed growth of fungi and bacteria in all biotic reactors. The extensive growth of fungi and biofilm formation was prominent in the basalt Lavagestineand a possible reason for the increased weathering compared to lapilli. The contrast in the surface structure of the minerals could be a second reason for the result. The two bacteria were colonizing one mineral each, which indicates differences in chemical composition. The C.Metallidurans were observed on the basalt grains and B.Subtilus on the lapilli. This report concludes that bio-enhanced weathering isa promising aspirant for NETs and that the selection of minerals is an important factor.

Yes / This article explores the relationship between sustainability strategies and future energy needs, supply chains need to reduce their CO2 emissions through developing their green credentials and improving performance. Knowledge management (KM) is an enabler to support collaboration efforts. The SCM and KM areas have largely focused on improving organisational performance. While the latter has yielded successful outcomes in different sectors, there is still a scarcity of research on identifying influential factors highlighting those aspects which may enable green supply chain collaboration (GrSCC), thus leading to sustainable energy futures and carbon-efficient production. This paper examines the role of KM in facilitating GrSCC. Through the identification of key factors extrapolated from the literature, a model for implementing GrSCC using a futures-based perspective is proposed. This paper inductively demonstrates the relationship between identified GrSCC factors through fuzzy cognitive mapping technique. Findings support a futures-based perspective that enhances understanding and refines forward-looking strategies for GrSCC.

Yes / This paper introduces a novel measure of the energy transition, i.e., the green quality of energy mix (GREENQ) across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Then, the paper examines the impact of the GREENQ on CO2 emissions in the panel dataset of 36 OECD countries from 1970 to 2021. The explanatory variables include per capita income, institutional quality and technology. Long-run panel data estimations indicate that per capita income, institutional quality and technology increase CO2 emissions. The novel evidence is that the GREENQ is negatively related to the level of CO2 emissions. These findings are robust to employ different panel data estimation techniques. Potential policy implications are also discussed. / The project was funded by the “Foreign Cultural and Educational Experts Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China” (Project Number: DL2022180001L).

Yes / This paper analyses the impact of geopolitical risk on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions inequality in the panel dataset of 38 developed and developing economies from 1990 to 2019. At this juncture, the empirical models control for the effects of globalisation, capital-labour ratio, and per capita income on CO2 emissions inequality. The panel cointegration tests show a significant long-run relationship among the related variables in the empirical models. The panel data regression estimations indicate that geopolitical risk, capital-labour ratio, and per capita income increase CO2 emissions inequality. However, globalisation negatively affects CO2 emissions inequality in the panel dataset of 38 developed and developing countries. The pairwise panel heterogeneous causality test results align with these benchmark results and indicate no reverse causality issue. Potential policy implications are also discussed. / The authors acknowledge the grant from the Major Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Colleges (Grant Number: 2023SJZD027).

“Waste of resources is a mortal sin at IKEA.” – Ingvar Kamprad IKEA, as one of the biggest furniture companies in the world (Alänge, 2015), makes it interesting to have a look into their practices to gain a deeper insight by looking at how they work on a more sustainable and environmental friendlier world. Since Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of this company, mentioned sustainability from the earliest years, this work will provide an insight on how the sustainability annual reports of IKEA present their sustainability strategies to the reader every year. The researchers use the secondary analysis method to provide the theoretical framework and apply a case study to conduct the empirical data of the company IKEA. Since (Harte et al., 1991) pointed out that annual reports are an important source of environmental information. The database is in form of annual reports from the year 2010 till 2018 that were provided by the company IKEA itself. Through the pattern matching method the numbers over the years are compared and discussed due to their development. Furthermore, the areas “production” and “supplier” are selected from the supply chain management and also included in the analyzes section, since both, the development of other organizational relationships in the supply chain and the environmental corporation can become an integral part of the company (Seuring & Müller, 2008). Through diagrams in the empirical chapter this work will provide a comparison between the different factors in the mentioned areas of the supply chain management and discuss the actual development and partly improvements of the factor’s “energy”, “waste”, “production” etc. and the promises and goals from the IKEA’s side.

L’étude de la mobilité domicile-travail fait l’objet de nombreuses recherches visant à décrire et analyser les caractéristiques des actifs et de leurs déplacements. En France, ces études se concentrent principalement sur les individus vivant dans les espaces fonctionnels construits autour des agglomérations, les aires urbaines. Cette thèse vise à fournir une lecture complémentaire de ces travaux en étudiant les personnes qui se déplacent entre aires urbaines : les actifs interurbains.À partir d’une approche quantitative à l’échelle de la France continentale, menée principalement grâce aux bases de données du recensement de la population, une qualification des actifs interurbains est proposée. Nos résultats montrent une diversité des profils d’actifs en matière de caractéristiques sociodémographiques, ainsi qu’une pluralité de types de liaisons réalisées entre les différents espaces des aires urbaines. Nos travaux mettent également en évidence l’importance de l’usage de la voiture, principal mode de transport utilisé par les actifs interurbains. Aussi, malgré leur poids relativement faible dans la population des aires urbaines grandes et moyennes en France, ces actifs qui se déplacent sur de grandes distances en voiture sont alors responsables d’un volume important d’émissions de CO2.Ce dernier résultat a conduit à quantifier des potentiels de report modal des déplacements des interurbains de la voiture vers le réseau ferroviaire afin de réduire le volume de ces émissions. Nos résultats démontrent l’existence de leviers permettant de réduire théoriquement ces émissions liées à l’usage de l’automobile. Le facteur spatial, à différentes échelles, joue un rôle important dans les différences entre potentiels. Enfin, nous avons également montré que ces mesures ont des conséquences sociales distinctes, en matière de coût, en fonction des professions et catégories socioprofessionnelles / Commuter mobility is the subject of numerous studies meaning to describe and analyze the characteristics of commuters and their movements. In France, these studies focus primarily on people living in the functional area built around cities, called French urban areas. This thesis aims to provide supplementary insight on this topic by studying people moving between those French urban areas: intercity commuters.Analysing the French mainland population thought a quantitative approach conducted using census databases, measurement and qualification of long-distance commuters are proposed. Our results show a diversity of commuters in terms of demographic profile and spatial connections. The important use of the car as the primary mode of transport is emphasized. Despite their relatively low weight in the population of large and medium-sized urban areas in France, those commuters, who travel over long distances by car, are responsible for significant volumes of CO2 emissions.This result led to quantify the potential modal shift from car to rail. Our results demonstrate the existence of levers to theoretically reduce car use and thus the importance of its emissions. The influence of the spatial factor, at different scales, is attested. Furthermore such policies would have different consequences in terms of cost for the various professions and socio-professional categories

O aumento da concentração de gases de efeito estufa na atmosfera levou a uma preocupação de como se reduzir as emissões destes gases. Desta preocupação surgiram instrumentos de regulação a fim de reduzir ou controlar os níveis de poluição. Dentro deste contexto, esta pesquisa analisou o setor de transportes de cargas, com ênfase no transporte de soja. No Brasil, o setor de transportes é um dos principais responsáveis pelas emissões de gases de efeito estufa provenientes da queima de combustíveis fósseis. No setor de transportes, as emissões diferem entre os modais, sendo que as ferrovias e hidrovias poluem menos que as rodovias. Desta forma, simulou-se por meio de um modelo de programação linear se a adoção de medidas regulatórias sobre as emissões de CO2 traria uma alteração no uso das ferrovias e hidrovias. Uma das constatações, ao se utilizar o modelo de Minimização de Fluxo de Custo Mínimo para o transporte de soja em 2013, foi que a capacidade de embarque nos terminais ferroviários e hidroviários desempenha um papel fundamental na redução das emissões de CO2. Se não houver capacidade suficiente, a adoção de uma taxa pode não provocar a redução das emissões. No caso do sistema de compra e crédito de carbono, seria necessária a compra de créditos de carbono, numa situação em que a capacidade de embarque nos terminais intermodais seja limitada. Verificou-se, ainda, que melhorias na infraestrutura podem desempenhar um papel mitigador das emissões. Um aumento da capacidade dos terminais ferroviários e hidroviários existentes, bem como o aumento da capacidade dos portos, pode provocar a redução das emissões de CO2. Se os projetos de expansão das ferrovias e hidrovias desenvolvidos por órgãos governamentais saírem do papel, pode-se chegar a uma redução de pouco mais de 50% das emissões de CO2. Consideraram-se ainda quais seriam os efeitos do aumento do uso de biodiesel como combustível e percebeu-se que seria possível obter reduções tanto das emissões quanto do custo de transporte. Efeitos semelhantes foram encontrados quando se simulou um aumento da eficiência energética. Por fim, percebeu-se nesta pesquisa que a adoção de uma taxa não traria tantos benefícios, econômicos e ambientais, quanto a melhoria da infraestrutura logística do país. / The increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to a concern of how to reduce emissions of these gases. From this concern, regulatory instruments were conceived in order to reduce or control pollution levels. Within this context, this research examined the freight transport sector, with emphasis on the soybean transport. In Brazil, the transportation sector is a major contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. In the transportation sector, emissions differ among transportation modes, with the railways and waterways polluting less than the highways. Thus, it is simulated by means of a linear programming model if the adoption of regulatory measures on CO2 emissions would bring a change in the use of railways and waterways. One of the findings, using the model of Minimum Cost Flow Minimization for soybean transport in 2013, was that the loading capacity on rail and waterway terminals plays a key role in reducing CO2 emissions. If there is an insufficient capacity, the adoption of a tax may not cause the reduction of emissions. In the case of the cap and trade system, this would require the purchase of carbon credits in a situation where the loading capacity in intermodal terminals is limited. It was found further that improvements in the infrastructure could play a mitigating role for emissions. An increase in capacity of existing rail and waterway terminals, as well as increasing the capacity of ports, can cause the reduction of CO2 emissions. If the expansion projects of railways and waterways developed by government agencies leave the paperwork, it can be reached a reduction of over 50% of CO2 emissions. It was still considered what would be the effects of increased use of biodiesel as fuel, being realized that it would be possible to obtain reductions in both emissions and the shipping cost. Similar effects were found when it was simulated an increase of energy efficiency. Finally, it was noted in this study that the adoption of a tax would not bring so many benefits, including the economic and environmental ones, to improve the country\'s logistics infrastructure.

O paradigma atual do uso da energia no setor industrial brasileiro é fruto da conjuntura histórica do setor energético no país e permite explicar algumas de suas características particulares, a utilização intensiva de eletricidade em processos térmicos, a eletrotermia, algo que perdura até hoje. O cenário nacional de produção de gás natural é promissor, no contexto do Pré-Sal, o que sinaliza uma oportunidade para aplicar esse recurso natural para usos energéticos com maior valor agregado, como por exemplo como energia final para a indústria. É neste contexto que se insere esta dissertação onde foi desenvolvida e aplicada uma técnica de análise de dados com objetivo de avaliar a inserção do gás natural no setor industrial brasileiro e seus impactos. A técnica de análise de dados desenvolvida constitui-se na avaliação de quatro indicadores: Demanda Adicional (DA); Impacto em Energia Primária (IEP); Impacto em Emissões de Carbono (IEC) e Impacto em Custo Energético (ICE). Nos resultados obtidos, o Setor de Metais Não-Ferrosos teve maior destaque ao apresentar a maior demanda adicional por gás natural e as maiores reduções em demanda de energia primária, emissões de CO2 e custo energético. Outros setores que se destacaram foram o Setor de Ferro e Aço e Setor de Alimentos e Bebidas. Tomando 2013 como ano-base, a demanda adicional por gás natural resultante da substituição de óleo combustível e eletricidade em processos térmicos representaria um aumento entre 37% a 42% na demanda de gás natural no setor industrial brasileiro, equivalente a 12% a 14% da oferta interna de gás natural no Brasil, ou ainda 35% a 40% da capacidade máxima do Gasbol. O impacto em energia primária representaria uma redução de 1% a 2% da demanda de energia primária do setor industrial brasileiro. O impacto em emissões de CO2 representaria uma redução de 4% a 5% das emissões de CO2 associadas ao uso de energia do setor industrial brasileiro. O impacto em custo energético representaria uma redução de 2% a 4% dos custos energéticos associados a eletricidade e óleo combustível do setor industrial brasileiro. Assim, considera-se que existe uma oportunidade de inserção do gás natural no setor industrial brasileiro resultante da substituição de óleo combustível e eletricidade por gás natural em processos térmicos. De forma geral, seus impactos reduzem a demanda de energia primária, as emissões de CO2 e o custo energético. Entretanto, trata-se de uma iniciativa de economia de energia via substituição energética, desse modo, ressalta-se necessidade de se fomentar a eficiência energética, para todos os usos finais e tipos de energia final em uso, de modo a se obter um maior impacto em termos de redução no consumo de energia e mitigação de emissões, dois elementos importantes no debate atual sobre combate a mudanças climáticas. / The present energy use structure in the Brazilian industrial sector is a consequence of its historical context within the Brazilian energy sector. This historical background helps to explain some characteristics, like the intensive use of electricity in heating processes, the electrothermia, that lasts until today. The current natural gas production scenario in Brazil is promising, considering the Pre-Salt production, which signals an opportunity to apply this natural resource to final energy uses with higher value, such as final energy for industry. In this context was structured this dissertation, comprising a data analysis technique development and its application to evaluate the insertion of natural gas in the Brazilian industrial sector and its impacts. The developed data analysis technique is constituted by the assessment of four indicators: Additional Demand (DA); Impact on Primary Energy (IEP); Impact on Carbon Emissions (IEC) and Impact on Energy Cost (ICE). In the results obtained, the Non-Ferrous Metals Sector was more prominent as it presented the greater additional demand for natural gas and the largest reductions in primary energy demand, CO2 emissions and energy costs. Other sectors that stood out were the Iron and Steel Sector and the Food and Beverages Sector. Considering 2013 as the base year, the additional demand for natural gas resulting from the substitution of fuel oil and electricity in heating processes would represent a 37% to 42% increase in the demand for natural gas in the Brazilian industrial sector, equivalent to 12% to 14% of Brazil\'s domestic natural gas supply, or 35% to 40% of Gasbol\'s maximum capacity. The impact on primary energy would represent a reduction of 1% to 2% of the primary energy demand of the Brazilian industrial sector. The impact on CO2 emissions would represent a reduction of 4% to 5% of the CO2 emissions associated to energy use of the Brazilian industrial sector. The impact on energy cost would represent a reduction of 2% to 4% of the energy costs associated with electricity and fuel oil of the Brazilian industrial sector. Thus, it is considered that there is an opportunity for the insertion of natural gas in the Brazilian industrial sector resulting from the substitution of fuel oil and electricity by natural gas in thermal processes. Overall, the substitution impacts reduce primary energy demand, CO2 emissions and energy costs. However, this is an energy-saving initiative through energy substitution, being necessary to further promote energy efficiency, for all end uses and types of final energy in use, to multiply the impacts in terms of reducing energy consumption and mitigating emissions, two important elements in the current debate on combating climate change.