Cleaner production of polyurethane (PU) foams through use of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) spent catalyst.

Due to the increased population in the urbanized areas, considerable attention is being paid on the development of energy-efficient buildings. In construction, the use of insulating foams has grabbed considerable attention in recent decades due to their porous structure that can reduce thermo-acoustic conductivity leading to higher energy efficiency. Nonetheless, the production of certain foams (e.g., polymer foams) is based on harmful chemical substances, such as isocyanate, as well as having difficulty being recycled. In this regard, this study adopted the use of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) spent catalyst, which is a byproduct of petroleum industry and is known to be a hazardous solid waste material, to produce a more environmentally friendly composite foam with lower thermal conductivity. In this sense, a series of material property tests, as well as thermal conductivity test, have been conducted. In addition, to further confirm the impact of HDS inclusion in the produced foams, energy cost savings and CO2 emission reduction based on their actual application in four different environments and four different fuel types for heating have been evaluated. The results are found to be highly promising and point to the great potential of utilizing HDS spent catalyst as a hazardous waste to enhance the efficiency of foams leading to CO2 emission and energy use reduction by up to 68.79 kg/m2 and 8.6 kWh/m2, respectively. Finally, this would reduce the heating cost, up to 0.69 $/m2 in an idealized building. In the end, suggestions for future studies in this area are also provided.

Economic complexity and CO2 emissions in OECD countries: sector-wise Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis.

This study examines the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis by estimating the relationship between economic structure and economic complexity with the environmental pollution in OECD countries during 1971-2016. In that respect, this research investigates how various economic sectors affect environmental pollution differently. The results confirm the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis, which implies the influential role of economic structure and complexity in socio-economic developmental phases. In addition, the results show that most of the OECD countries are on the left side of the curve, implying positive connection between economic complexity and CO2 emissions. In contrast, only 3 OECD countries (Japan, Switzerland, and Germany) are close to the turning point, indicating that their patterns are sustainable for socio-economic development. The sectoral economic results affirm the most pollutant structure of the service sector, compared with the other economic sectors. Hence, new projects should attach great attention to their environmental impacts, specifically in the service sector planning. Regarding the complexity analysis, policymakers are advised to embrace knowledge-intensive restructuring of economic sectors.

Sustainability spillover effects and partnership between East Asia & Pacific versus North America: interactions of social, environment and economy.

The three sustainability pillars of social, environment and economy were initially introduced by the United Nations in 2002, addressing major global sustainability issues including economic problems, income inequality, environmental pollution and social shortcomings. Comparing East Asia & Pacific with North America, there is a growing concern over economic, political and even social competition as a result of recent development and industrialization that is taking place in Asian countries. This might lead to an unhealthy conflict that favors regional independency as opposed to the current globalization and trade facilitation trend. As a result, this study aims to assess the effects of development in three main pillars of sustainability (social, environment and economy) in the East Asia and Pacific on that of North America and vice versa. To estimate this interactive or spillover effects of sustainable development (or sustainability elasticities), our research employs Econometric methodologies including Simultaneous Equations System, Vector AutoRegressive (VAR) and Granger Causality approaches during 1971-2016. The results show that most of the sustainability elasticities are positive between and inside the two regions, supporting the synergetic character of the sustainability spillover effects and confirming constructive role of globalization and openness in the sustainability progress. Based on the results, this research suggests policy-makers to follow cooperative and flow-based governance rather than the placed-based or regional independent thinking that supports integrated sustainable development benefiting not only the two parties but also the overall global sustainability.