Facing global warming and recent bans on the use of diesel in vehicles, there is a growing need to develop vehicles powered by renewable energy sources to mitigate greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions. Among the various forms of non-fossil energy for vehicles, hydrogen fuel is emerging as a promising way to combat global warming. To date, most studies on vehicle carbon emissions have focused on diesel and electric vehicles (EVs). Emission assessment methodologies are usually developed for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) which are non-durable household goods such as packaged foods, beverages, and toiletries instead of vehicle products. There is an increase in the number of articles addressing the product carbon footprint (PCF) of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the recent years, while relatively little research focuses on both vehicle PCF and fuel cycle. Zero-emission vehicles initiative has also brought the importance of investigating the emission throughout the fuel cycle of hydrogen fuel cell and its environmental impact. To address these gaps, this study uses the life-cycle assessment (LCA) process of GREET (greenhouse gases, regulated emissions, and energy use in transportation) to compare the PCF of an EV (Tesla Model 3) and a hydrogen fuel cell car (Toyota MIRAI). According to the GREET results, the fuel cycle contributes significantly to the PCF of both vehicles. The findings also reveal the need for greater transparency in the disclosure of relevant information on the PCF methodology adopted by vehicle manufacturers to enable comparison of their vehicles’ emissions. Future work will include examining the best practices of PCF reporting for vehicles powered by renewable energy sources as well as examining the carbon footprints of hydrogen production technologies based on different methodologies.

The fashion and textile industry in its current fast-rising business model has generated a huge amount of textile waste during and after the production process. The environmental impact of this waste is well documented as it poses serious threats to lives on earth. To confront the menace of this huge pollution problem, a number of research works were carried out to examine the possible re-utilization of these waste materials without further damaging the environment; for instance, reusing, generating valuable products, or regenerating fibrous materials to form a closed loop in the cotton textile waste lifecycle. This review covers different methodologies to transform cellulosic textile materials into various products with added value, such as cellulosic glucose, cellulase, etc., and finally, to regenerate the fibrous materials for re-application in textiles and fashion. This article presents an overall picture to researchers outlining the possible value addition of textile waste materials. Furthermore, the regeneration of cellulosic fibrous materials from textile waste will be brought into the limelight.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains, posing significant challenges to the textile and clothing industry. However, amidst these threats, there is a unique opportunity to rebuild a more sustainable and resilient fashion industry. This paper explores the shift from pre-COVID-19 business models and consumption values towards a renaissance characterized by real sustainability. By examining the transition from eco-efficiency to eco-effectiveness and from cradle-to-grave to cradle-to-cradle approaches, this study emphasizes the need for the active involvement of key stakeholders in co-creating value for all. Through a comprehensive analysis of the post-COVID era, this study aims to understand textile and clothing industry professionals’ perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable design practices and identify challenges in implementing such strategies. The findings contribute to the knowledge of sustainability in the post-COVID era and provide insights and strategies for textile and clothing industry players to thrive in a sustainable and transformed landscape.

In 2013, China announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to promote the connectivity of Asia, Europe, and Africa and deepen mutually beneficial economic cooperation among member countries. Past studies have reported a positive impact of the BRI on trade between China and its partner countries along the Belt and Road (B&R). However, less is known about its effect on the sectoral trade between the B&R countries and countries that show little support of the BRI. To address that gap, this study examines the changing patterns of clothing imports by the United States (US) from China and 14 B&R countries in Asia. An extended gravity model with a policy variable BRI is built to explain bilateral clothing trade flow. A panel regression model and artificial neural network (ANN) are developed based on the data collected from 1998 to 2018 and applied to predict the trade pattern of 2019. The results show a positive effect of the BRI on the clothing exports of some Asian developing countries along the B&R to the US and demonstrate the superior predictive power of the ANN. More research is needed to examine the balance between economic growth and the social and environmental sustainability of developing countries and to apply more advanced machine learning algorithms to examine global trade flow under the BRI.

The Chinese petrochemical industry is facing pressure to meet strict targets of energy consumption and carbon emission reductions. Water pumps are the primary equipment used in most chemical and agrochemical industries sectors since water is commonly used for cooling and heating purposes, but these pumps also consume a large amount of energy. Other uses of water pumps in these industries include producing steam for heating, preparing reaction media or absorptive reagents, rinsing products, and distilling. As for the electrical components of the water pump systems, current technologies of variable frequency drives and superconducting transmission lines are unable to increase the energy efficiency of these systems with a fixed load. However, the Balanced Wave Technology (BWT) is offered as a solution to overcome these limitations. In this report, a case study using a BWT optimizer is conducted on a closed loop water circulation system. Two BWTs are added to the individual motor-controlled section of each pump that is being used on the switchboard. For the first time, a detailed example was provided on how to implement option B of the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) in China by evaluating the performance of BWT as an energy conservation measure. The evaluated periods included those of the baseline, post-installation, and actual performance of the optimizers. An average saving of energy of about 10.46% is recorded in a 5-week reporting period. On this basis, that annual electricity saved is estimated to be 66,447.18 kWh, which is equivalent to the emission of 68.94 metric tons of CO₂e. This case study demonstrates in detail how option B of IPMVP can be implemented for BWTs applied on pumping systems. In addition to petrochemical production plants, other industries like textile and clothing sections, which are heavy users of water and electrical energy with fixed loads in the production processes of raw materials, fiber, yarn, and fabric, as well as textile-dyeing and final treatment, could benefit from applying this new technology.

The mechanism of the solvolysis/hydrolysis of ammonia borane by iridium (Ir), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe) and ruthenium (Ru) complexes with various PNP ligands has been revisited using density functional theory (DFT). The approach of ammonia borane (NH₃BH₃) to the metal center has been tested on three different possible mechanisms, namely, the stepwise, concerted and proton transfer mechanism. It was found that the theoretical analyses correlate with the experimental results very well, with the activities of the iridium complexes with different PNP ligands following the order: (tBu)₂P > (iPr)₂P > (Ph)₂P through the concerted mechanism. The reaction barriers of the rate-determining steps for the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane catalyzed by the active species [(^tBu)₂PNP-IrH] (Complex I-8), are found to be 19.3 kcal/mol (stepwise), 15.2 kcal/mol (concerted) and 26.8 kcal/mol (proton transfer), respectively. Thus, the concerted mechanism is the more kinetically favorable pathway. It is interesting to find that stable (^tBu)₂PNP Co-H₂O and (^tBu)₂PNP Co-NH₃ chelation products exist, which could stabilize the active I-8 species during the hydrolysis reaction cycle. The use of more sterically hindered and electron-donating PNP ligands such as (adamantyl)₂P- provides similar activity as the t-butyl analogue. This research provides insights into the design of efficient cobalt catalysts instead of using precious and noble metal, which could benefit the development of a more sustainable hydrogen economy.