Scaling up catalytic synthesis from laboratory to industrial scale strongly influences its environmental profile, presenting new opportunities to integrate circular practices into catalyst manufacturing. In this study, a prospective Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is carried out to measure the environmental implications associated with the synthesis of Ni-CeO2 nanoparticles under three electricity scenarios: the current Global mix, a Business-as-Usual (BAU) pathway according to the IEA Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS), and a fully decarbonized mix aligned with the IEA Net Zero proposal. Solvents and electricity demands are identified as the dominant contributors. The environmental benefits of circular solvent management, resource-efficient process optimization, and electricity decarbonization are systematically evaluated. It is shown that scaling up with process optimization, by integrating higher synthesis yields (up to 90%), solvent recovery (67-75%), and a literature-informed industrial-scale electricity demand, leads to reductions in environmental impacts of 70-90% across most categories. Replacement of fossil-derived methanol with bioethanol and biomethanol is assessed as a strategy for improving solvent sustainability, with biomethanol emerging as the more promising solution for solvent substitution, while bio-ethanol surprisingly leads to deteriorated environmental performance, for the specific production pathways and datasets evaluated. Further comparison is applied across regional electricity mixes (European, German, and French), highlighting the influence of electricity-mix carbon intensity on the resulting impacts. The proposed framework demonstrates how prospective LCA can support the transition towards more sustainable and circular catalyst manufacturing during industrial scale-up.
Eutrophication is a major environmental problem in reservoirs, particularly in mountainous regions where shallow inflows and agricultural runoff increase nutrient loading. Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs), as a general nature-based treatment technology, have been investigated for nutrient removal. This study evaluated Floating Treatment Islands (FTIs) for improving water quality in the Zhaveh Dam reservoir, Iran, targeting total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and organic matter. Experiments were conducted under contrasting hydraulic conditions in barrel, pool, canal, and reservoir-edge systems. Results showed reductions in TP, TN, and organic matter, with observed removal efficiencies varying across hydraulic conditions and generally tending to be higher under longer retention times and lower flow conditions. Native species such as Sparganium erectum demonstrated high adaptability and effective nutrient uptake under the tested conditions. The findings indicate that FTIs may provide a sustainable approach for eutrophication control and reservoir water quality improvement. This study presents a comparative multi-condition evaluation of FTIs under contrasting hydraulic conditions in a reservoir transition zone.
Southeast Asia faces a critical energy trilemma of rapidly rising electricity demand, persistent fossil fuel dependence, and increasingly ambitious decarbonization targets. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Power Grid (APG) has emerged as a central regional initiative to address these challenges by enabling cross-border electricity trade and facilitating large-scale integration of renewable energy. This review offers a critical synthesis of the infrastructure-renewable-policy nexus shaping the evolution of the APG, moving beyond descriptive accounts toward an analytical assessment of its role in regional energy transition. First, the paper investigates the shift from bilateral interconnections toward multilateral electricity trading, highlighting the importance of geographic complementarity between hydropower-rich mainland systems and solar-and wind-dominated insular regions. Second, it evaluates the benefits and limitations of regional integration, emphasizing the reliability-sovereignty trade-off, regulatory fragmentation, and financing constraints that hinder largescale deployment. Third, the review explores the emerging role of digitalization, including smart grids, artificial intelligence-based forecasting, and advanced transmission technologies such as high-voltage direct current (HVDC), in enabling a flexible and interconnected regional power system. The findings indicate that a phased and context-specific integration pathway, combining infrastructure expansion, digital market coupling, and institutional coordination, is essential for transforming the APG into a digitally integrated regional electricity market. Beyond infrastructure, this review reveals that regional grid integration can enhance climate resilience through geographic balancing. It can also strengthen strategic energy autonomy through intra-ASEAN renewable electricity trade. The reviewed evidence further indicates that such trade can contribute to reducing system costs and accelerating decarbonization across ASEAN.
Solvents derived from renewable biomass are often viewed as inherently greener and more sustainable alternatives to petrochemicals. However, their bio-origin does not always guarantee these attributes, as they can still be energy-intensive to produce, toxic, and poorly biodegradable, with enduring trade-offs related to land competition, resource use, and technological maturity. This contribution critically examines selected commercial biosolvents for which sufficient life cycle data are available and underscores the need to verify green claims on solvents through a life cycle approach. It further challenges the assumption that structurally identical bio-based solvents are inherently greener, demonstrating that upstream environmental impacts may still occur. Common neoteric solvents, such as ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents, are also examined, highlighting the importance of measuring unresolved environmental and toxicological data. Furthermore, water, often proposed as a green solvent due to its abundance and ability to dissolve many substances, is discussed, with attention to the challenges associated with its disposal. Ultimately, this article is a call to fill the critical knowledge gap in life cycle solvent data and emphasizes that solvent greenness and sustainability cannot be presumed. Instead, they require a holistic approach that moves beyond reliance on simplified green narratives and integrates rigorous life cycle assessment, ethical feedstock sourcing, and economic viability.
