The aviation sector is essential for global connectivity and economic growth but remains one of the most difficult industries to decarbonize due to its reliance on energy-dense liquid fuels and the anticipated increase in both carbon dioxide (CO2) and non-CO2 climate impacts. As the industry pursues net-zero emissions by 2050, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) have emerged as the most practical near- and medium-term decarbonization pathway because they are compatible with existing aircraft and fuel infrastructure. However, uncertainties persist regarding the sustainability, scalability, economic viability, and long-term climate benefits of different SAF production routes. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of SAFs by integrating feedstock availability, conversion technologies, fuel properties, life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, techno-economic performance, and future deployment prospects within a unified sustainability framework. Major SAF pathways, including Oil-to-Jet (OTJ), Gas-to-Jet (GTJ), Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ), and Sugar-to-Jet (STJ), are critically evaluated, with particular focus on ASTM D7566-certified fuels such as Fischer–Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (FT-SPK), Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA-SPK), and Hydroprocessed Algae-Based Fuels (HC-HEFA). Comparative analysis reveals significant differences in feedstock requirements, process efficiencies, production costs, fuel composition, and scalability. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies indicate GHG emission reductions ranging from 60% to over 100% relative to conventional jet fuel, with FT-SPK and FT-SPK/A offering the highest mitigation potential. Feedstock cultivation, resource extraction, and fuel conversion are identified as the most emission-intensive stages, underscoring the need for upstream process optimization. The review further examines critical barriers to large-scale SAF deployment, including feedstock scarcity, supply variability, high energy and hydrogen requirements, infrastructure constraints, and high production costs. While HEFA dominates current commercialization, scalable aviation decarbonization will require accelerated deployment of FT, ATJ, and Power-to-Liquid (PtL) pathways, supported by technological innovation, sustainable feedstock expansion, and enabling policies.
The development model adopted by Latin American countries has been increasingly questioned due to the sustained deterioration of environmental quality. The region has experienced a significant increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with resource-intensive production structures. This study analyzes the impact of economic growth, governance quality, green energy, financial efficiency, human capital, and natural resource rents on total GHG emissions in seventeen Latin American economies during 1990–2021. Unlike research focused exclusively on carbon dioxide, this study uses total GHG emissions to more comprehensively capture regional environmental dynamics. The results confirm a long-term cointegration relationship in the presence of structural breaks, demonstrating the persistence of environmental pressures associated with structural factors. Quantile regressions based on moments identify a nonlinear, U-shaped relationship between economic growth and emissions, suggesting that the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis does not hold for the region. Green energy does not fully replace fossil fuels, while institutional quality and human capital show heterogeneous impacts across the emissions distribution; in contrast, financial efficiency exhibits a mitigating effect. The results are robust under specifications that control for heterogeneity and cross-cutting dependencies. Consequently, achieving SDG 13 requires a structural transformation of the region’s production and energy matrix, as well as the integration of binding environmental criteria into natural resource governance.
The sorghum aphid (Melanaphis sorghi), a phloem-feeding insect, is a major pest affecting sorghum production. Despite advances in understanding plant resistance mechanisms, the molecular responses of aphids to resistant host plants remain poorly characterized. Here, we aimed to elucidate transcriptional changes in sorghum aphids feeding on the resistant sorghum variety HN16 and to identify key aphid regulatory genes involved in host adaptation. RNA-seq analysis identified 1,388 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in aphids feeding on HN16. Expression profiling revealed coordinated regulation of genes involved in apoptosis and detoxification. Through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), 10 candidate response genes were identified. Notably, knockdown of the DEG MsCathB1, encoding a cathepsin B-like protease, significantly impaired aphid fitness on resistant plants. Functionally, MsCathB1 also suppressed cryptogein-induced plant cell death and hydrogen peroxide accumulation. These findings suggest that sorghum aphid responses to host resistance are closely linked to apoptosis-related pathways, and that MsCathB1 may function as a virulence effector modulating both aphid performance and plant immunity. This work provides new insights into aphid-host interactions and supports the development of RNAi-based strategies for aphid control.
Organic-mineral fertilizer combination is a core sustainable agricultural strategy, but its regulatory mechanisms on soil quality and ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) remain unclear. This study examined 20
Gpi7 gene, encoding the catalytic subunit of GPI ethanolamine-phosphate (Etn-P) transferase II, is primarily involved in the synthesis, maturation, and sorting of GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs), thereby playing a crucial part in cell wall functions and host-pathogen interactions. This study aimed to investigate the role of Gpi7 (here designated CcGpi7) in Corynespora cassiicola, a devastating fungal pathogen causing leaf spot in cucumber and many other cash crops. We systematically identified and inventoried 138 GPI-APs in C. cassiicola, followed by a detailed structural characterization of the CcGpi7 protein that is strongly induced during infection. Homologous recombination was employed to construct a CcGpi7-deleted mutant (ΔCcGpi7) and its corresponding complementary strain (cCcGpi7). Compared with the wild type and cCcGpi7, deletion of CcGpi7 led to markedly reduced vegetative growth and conidia formation. The ΔCcGpi7 mutant displayed obvious defects in cell wall architecture, manifested as enhanced susceptibility to cell wall-perturbing agents and degrading enzymes. Under stress conditions, ΔCcGpi7 exhibited increased sensitivity to KCl but reduced sensitivity to sorbitol and H2O2. Pathogenicity assays revealed a dramatic attenuation in the virulence of ΔCcGpi7 on cucumber leaves, directly correlating with its impaired ability to form invasive hyphae. Transcriptome profiling identified a total of 3,604 differentially expressed genes in ΔCcGpi7, which were enriched in multiple processes including cellular growth and development, cell wall organization, sporulation, and unexpectedly, transcription and translation. Together, our findings demonstrate that CcGpi7 exerts pleotropic effects on vegetative growth, reproduction, cell wall integrity, and pathogenesis of C. cassiicola. This work lays a theoretical foundation for developing CcGpi7-targeted control strategies against cucumber target spot disease.
