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Smarte Anekwe IM, Akpasi SO, Mkhize MM, Zhou H, Moyo RT, Gaza L. Renewable energy investments in South Africa: Potentials and challenges for a sustainable transition - a review. Sci Prog 2024; 107:368504241237347. [PMID: 38614460 PMCID: PMC11024586 DOI: 10.1177/00368504241237347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
The Republic of South Africa is one of the leading investors in renewable energy in Africa, despite the widespread perception that the country is trapped in the carbon age due to its high dependence on fossil fuels. Renewable energy, rooted in sustainable development, requires the creation of an appropriate framework and environmentally friendly technologies to support growth. Renewable energy sources are considered more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels, which most energy processes rely on. For this reason, the scope of this article has been narrowed to focus on the motivation for renewable energy and its potential in South Africa. Furthermore, the current developments in the South African renewable energy sector, as well as the challenges and prospects for a sustainable transition to a bioeconomy, were discussed. This study shows that a sustainable energy system can only promote the integration of renewable energy into the energy mix with the help of technology, policy, and infrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Helper Zhou
- University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | | | - Luke Gaza
- Durban University of Technology, Durban 4000, South Africa
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Mantovani S, Pintus A, Kovtun A, Gondolini A, Casadio S, Sanson A, Marforio TD, Calvaresi M, Rancan M, Armelao L, Bertuzzi G, Melucci M, Bandini M. Graphene Oxide-Arginine Composites: Efficient Dual Function Materials for Integrated CO 2 Capture and Conversion. CHEMSUSCHEM 2024; 17:e202301673. [PMID: 38227427 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202301673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
The "on-demand" capture and utilization of CO2 is effectively realized with a readily accessible dual function organic composite. The covalent and controlled derivatization of graphene oxide (GO) surface with naturally occurring arginine led to a "smart" material capable of capturing (chemisorption) CO2 from high-purity flue-gas as well as low-concentration streams (i. e. direct air capture) and concomitant chemical activation toward the incorporation into cyclic carbonates. The overall integrated CO2 capture and conversion (ICCC) strategy has been fully elucidated mechanistically via dedicated computational, spectroscopic and thermal analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiano Mantovani
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
- The Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council (CNR), via P. Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Pintus
- The Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council (CNR), via P. Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Kovtun
- The Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council (CNR), via P. Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Gondolini
- Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics (ISSMC, former ISTEC), National Research Council (CNR), via Granarolo, 64, 48018, Faenza, RA, Italy
| | - Simone Casadio
- Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics (ISSMC, former ISTEC), National Research Council (CNR), via Granarolo, 64, 48018, Faenza, RA, Italy
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandra Sanson
- Institute of Science, Technology and Sustainability for Ceramics (ISSMC, former ISTEC), National Research Council (CNR), via Granarolo, 64, 48018, Faenza, RA, Italy
| | - Tainah D Marforio
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
- Center for Chemical Catalysis - C3, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via R. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Matteo Calvaresi
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
- Center for Chemical Catalysis - C3, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via R. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marzio Rancan
- Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy (ICMATE), National Research Council (CNR), c/o Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Lidia Armelao
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy
- Department of Chemical Sciences and Materials Technologies (DSCTM), National Research Council (CNR), Piazzale Moro 7, 00185, Roma, Italy
| | - Giulio Bertuzzi
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
- Center for Chemical Catalysis - C3, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via R. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Manuela Melucci
- The Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council (CNR), via P. Gobetti 101, 40129, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Bandini
- Dipartimento di Chimica "Giacomo Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via P. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
- Center for Chemical Catalysis - C3, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, via R. Gobetti 85, 40129, Bologna, Italy
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Coccia M. Nobel laureates in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine: relation between research funding and citations.. [DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2907940/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
One of the vital problems in scientometrics is to explore the factors that affect the growth of citations in publications and in general the diffusion of knowledge in science and society. The goal of this study is to analyze the relation between funded and unfunded papers and citations of Nobel Laureates in physics, chemistry and medicine over 2019-2020 period and the same relation in these research fields as a whole to clarify the scientific development. Original results here reveal that in chemistry and medicine, funded papers of Nobel Laureates have higher citations than unfunded papers, vice versa in physics that has high citations in unfunded papers. Instead, when overall research fields of physics, chemistry and medicine are analyzed, funded papers have a higher level of citations than unfunded, with a higher scaling factor in chemistry and medicine. General properties of this study are that: a) funded articles receive more citations than unfunded papers in research fields of physics, chemistry and medicine, generating a high Matthew effect given by a higher accumulation and growth of citations with the growth of papers, b) funding increases the citations of articles in fields oriented to applied research (such as, chemistry and medicine) more than fields oriented to basic research (physics). Overall, then, results here can explain some characteristics of scientific dynamics, showing the critical role of funding to foster citations and diffusion of knowledge, also having potential commercial implications in applied research. Results here can be provide useful information to understand drivers of the scientific development in basic and applied research fields to better allocate financial resources in research fields directed to support a positive scientific and societal impact.
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Coccia M, Bontempi E. New trajectories of technologies for the removal of pollutants and emerging contaminants in the environment. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 229:115938. [PMID: 37086878 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Modern society has increasingly a diffusion of pollutants and emerging contaminants (e.g., different types of chemicals and endocrine disruptors in pharmaceuticals, pesticides, household cleaning, and personal care products, etc.) that have detrimental effects on the environment (atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and anthroposphere) and also generate diseases and disorders on the people health. Environmental science requires efforts in the detection and elimination of manifold pollutants and emerging pollutants with appropriate product and process technologies. This study aims to analyze different paths of treatment technologies to investigate their evolution and predict new directions of promising technological trajectories to support the removal of contaminants directed to reach, whenever possible, sustainable development objectives. The work is mainly devoted to wastewater treatment technologies. A proposed model analyzes the evolution of patents (proxy of innovation and new technology) on publications (proxy of science and knowledge advances) to quantify the relative growth rate of new trajectories of technologies to remove pollutants and emerging contaminants. Results reveal that new directions of treatment technologies having an accelerated rate of growth are (in decreasing order): biochar and reverse osmosis in physical-based technologies, coagulation, and disinfection water treatments in chemical-based technologies and anaerobic processes in biological-based technologies. Other main technologies, such as carbon nanotubes and advanced oxidation processes, seem to be in the initial phase of development and need learning by using processes and further science and technology advances to be implemented as effective treatments and cost-effective. The results here are in accord with global water and wastewater equipment treatment market revenues by technology, showing a similar trend. These findings bring us to the main information to extend the knowledge about new directions of technologies for the treatment and/or elimination of pollutants and microorganisms that can support decisions of policymakers towards goals of sustainable development by reducing environmental degradation and people health disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Coccia
- National Research Council of Italy, IRCRES-CNR, Turin Research Area of the National Research Council, Strada Delle Cacce, 73-10135, Torino, Italy.
| | - Elza Bontempi
- INSTM and Chemistry for Technologies Laboratory, University of Brescia, Via Branze 38, 25123, Brescia, Italy.
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