by Marina Maier  , Amela Ajanovic  and Reinhard Haas

Received: 23 June 2024;  Published: 06 December 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404026

The transport sector currently contributes to about 25% of total CO2-emissions in the EU as well as in Austria. The largest share is caused by individual passenger car transport, primarily powered by fossil fuels. It is imperative to replace conventional cars with sustainable alternative technologies and explore alternative modes of transportation, all while reducing the overall vehicle kilometres driven. To meet climate targets, the implementation of effective policies is crucial, and phasing out fossil fuel vehic [...]

by G.-Fivos Sargentis  , Romanos Ioannidis  , Panayiotis Dimitriadis  , Nikolaos Malamos  , Olga Lyra  , Olga Kitsou  , Matina Kougkia  , Nikos Mamassis  and Demetris Koutsoyiannis

Received: 28 August 2024;  Published: 05 December 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404025

The modern globalized civilization is sustained by interactions, trade, the transportation of goods, and energy. Energy self-sufficiency is crucial in rural and disaster-prone areas like North Euboea because dependence on external energy supplies can leave regions vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, price volatility, and geopolitical risks. In such isolated regions, energy independence ensures resilience in natural disasters and economic instability. The alternative to self-sufficiency often involves reliance o [...]

by Clint Sutherland  and Beverly S. Chittoo

Received: 29 July 2024;  Published: 28 November 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404024

Global efforts to develop low-cost solutions for the treatment of contaminants in wastewater continue unabated. The conversion of eggshells, a waste material, into a high-value product can be economical and environmentally sustainable. The recent developments in applying eggshells towards the biosorption of contaminants are presented. Eggshells effectively remove pollutants such as metal cations, metal anions, and reactive, basic, and direct dyes. Promising advances in modifying eggshells, elucidating the critical [...]

by Fubara Gift Evans  , Ukoima Hudson Nkalo  , Dokuboba Amachree  and Morufu Olalekan Raimi

Received: 12 May 2024;  Published: 05 November 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404023

The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of various bioremediation approaches on microbial diversity in crude oil-contaminated soil over three to six months in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The objective was to assess the impact of different bioremediation strategies on microbial populations, particularly focusing on hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria and fungi. Microbial populations were quantified using serial dilution and microbial count techniques. The vapor phase transfer mechanism was employed to estimate hydrocarbon-u [...]

by Mahmood Haji-Rahimi  , Kiana Bahmanzad  and Hamed Ghaderzadeh

Received: 06 August 2024;  Published: 31 October 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404022

Current production and distribution models in agriculture primarily operate based on the 'linear economy' approach. This means that after the exploitation of natural resources and the production of the final product, a significant portion of these resources and products, now contaminated or turned into waste, exit the economic cycle. The circular economy approach in agriculture seeks to reuse waste products and depleted inputs, thereby reducing the intensity of resource exploitation and taking a step towards sustai [...]

by Ana Teresa Rodrigues de Sousa  , Gustavo Coxev Wolski  , Max Filipe Silva Gonçalves  and Marcos Paulo Gomes Mol

Received: 16 May 2024;  Published: 21 October 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404021

Using thermal treatment in the waste management process has advantages such as reducing volume and the possibility of energy recovery. There are several incineration technologies with different characteristics and potential. Incineration, however, requires efficient environmental control to reduce associated risks, such as the emission of harmful compounds. The paper aims to compare solid waste treatment processes in grate and fluidized bed incinerators based on technical and environmental characteristics. For this [...]

by Fuad Bin Nasir  and Jin Li

Received: 30 July 2024;  Published: 17 October 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404020

Increasing urban wastewater and rigorous discharge regulations pose significant challenges for wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) to meet regulatory compliance while minimizing operational costs. This study explores the application of several machine learning (ML) models specifically, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), Gradient Boosting Machines (GBM), Random Forests (RF), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and hybrid RF-GBM models in predicting important WWTP variables such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Tot [...]

by Rukiye Öztekin  and Delia Teresa Sponza

Received: 27 August 2024;  Published: 17 October 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2404019

The aim of this study was to photodegrade the Polyethersulfone (PES), Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microplastics using Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8/Zinc oxide/Carbon (ZIF-8/ZnO/C) nanocomposite generated under laboratory conditions. The produced nanocomposite was analysed using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Photo Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectra (DRS) and Electron Spin R [...]

by Christiana Chioma Efe-Onakpojeruo  , Mehdi Seraj  and Huseyin Ozdeser

Received: 11 March 2024;  Published: 26 September 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2403018

This study addresses the critical issue of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, focusing on understanding the intricate interplay between four major variables Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDPC), Renewal Energy (RE), Fossil Fuel energy consumption (FF), and Patent application (PTS). This research is crucial due to the emerging negative impacts of climate change, which will create a disastrous future for human beings. It focuses on three decades from 1990 to 2020 and compares the results between the United States an [...]

by Kristin Drexler  and Ed Boles

Received: 02 March 2024;  Published: 25 July 2024;  doi: 10.21926/aeer.2403017

Watershed health and integrity are essential to human and ecosystem health and well-being. New River watershed communities in northern Belize, Central America are vulnerable to annual ‘cultural eutrophication’ - natural eutrophication exacerbated by human activity. Human-caused pollution from agriculture, septic effluent, and industrial drainage, in combination with extended drought and the slow flow of New River, has caused more frequent and prolonged periods of eutrophication. In this qualitative study, 42 New Ri [...]