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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B: Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 34911

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios A. Georgakellos

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Department of Business Administration, University of Piraeus, 18534 Piraeus, Greece
Interests: technology systems; environmental management; technology and innovation management; business plans and feasibility studies; energy management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. We consume more resources than the planet can generate, and growing rates of pollution and waste only worsen the problem. In this context, globally, a significant number of frameworks and programs on sustainable consumption and production have been introduced. Most of them concern the environmentally sound management of energy and raw materials and all wastes throughout their life cycle; the substantial reduction of waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse; the adoption of sustainable practices and the integration of sustainability information into their reporting cycle; the promotion of procurement practices that are sustainable; the enhancement of scientific and technological capacity intending to achieve more sustainable patterns of consumption and production; etc. This call for papers on “Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption” takes a broad view of all these issues and aims to inform about ways contributing to sustainable consumption and production by reducing our environmental impact, promoting the use of renewable sources of energy, and encouraging responsible purchasing decisions. Papers can take the form of either regular research papers or reviews of relevant research.

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios A. Georgakellos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Sustainable production and efficient use of natural resources
Design for environment and sustainability
Life cycle energy consumption
Smart energy management
Green marketing and greenwashing
Energy management and information systems
Sustainable supply chain
Sustainable operations
Sustainable tourism

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4570 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Forward Modeling of Natural Fractures within Carbonate Rock Formations with Continuum Damage Mechanics and Its Application in Fuman Oilfield

by Ming Yi, Xinpu Shen, Lixin Jin, Jianliang Wang, Zhiqiang Huang and Guoyang Shen

Energies 2022, 15(17), 6318; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15176318 - 30 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1066

Abstract

Accurate information about the distribution of natural fractures is a key factor for the success of the exploration and development of oil and gas in carbonate rock formations. Forward modeling of natural fractures generated by tectonic movement within carbonate rock formations was investigated by jointly using the continuum damage model and finite element numerical technology. Geological analysis of natural fractures was used as the basis of the geomechanical finite element calculation. A workflow of numerical calculations for natural fractures was proposed. These achievements were applied to investigate natural fractures’ distribution within Ordovician carbonate rock formations of the Fuman Oilfield, Xinjiang, in the west of China. Finite element sub-modeling technology was used to further investigate natural fractures within key target reservoir formations with a finer mesh. The contour of natural fractures represented by the localization band of continuum damage variables was obtained. A comparison of the numerical results of the natural fractures’ distribution represented by continuum damage variables with those of natural fractures interpreted from seismic data shows that: (1) the numerical solution of natural fractures matches the measured data, and their orientations are in good accordance; (2) their distribution and locations are basically the same, with some small differences in local details; (3) the numerical results indicate that the maximum value of the damage variable SDEG within the zones of natural fractures is 0.2686, and the widths of the bands of natural fractures/faults are in the range of 500 m to 1000 m. Validation of the results of the distribution of natural fractures was performed indirectly via the distribution of the minimum horizontal stress gradient ShG. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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17 pages, 3750 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Undergraduates’ Environmentally Friendly Behavior: Case Study of Tzu Chi University Environmental Education Program

by Angela Yi Jing Tsai and Alex Yong Kwang Tan

Energies 2022, 15(13), 4853; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15134853 - 01 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1440

Abstract

The Tzu Chi University Environmental Education Program, based on a theory of change, consisted of four weeks of lessons involving environmental and sustainability topics, followed by hands-on sorting of recyclables and four weeks of weekly documenting of environmentally friendly behavior. The Program was analyzed using written thoughts from the Experimental Group, as well as 78 and 116 valid survey responses of the Control and Experimental Groups, respectively. The survey consisted of questions regarding demographics and five constructs: environmental awareness, attitudes, norms, efficacy and behavior. No significant average differences were found between the pre-tests of the Control and Experimental Groups, or between the pre- and post-test of the Control Group. The post-test of the Experimental Group displayed a significantly higher average value when compared to both the pre-test of the Experimental Group and the post-test of the Control Group, as the means of the self-reported environmental awareness, attitudes, norms, efficacy and behavior significantly improved statistically after participating in the Program. Analysis revealed that lessons from the Program increased undergraduates’ environmental awareness and attitudes; “hands-on recyclables sorting” and “weekly documentation of environmentally friendly behavior” strengthened undergraduates’ environmental norms and efficacy, while their combination resulted in a significant improvement toward environmentally friendly behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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14 pages, 2826 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rapid Quantitation of Coal Proximate Analysis by Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

by Yulin Liu, Dongming Wang and Xiaohan Ren

Energies 2022, 15(8), 2728; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15082728 - 08 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1523

Abstract

Proximate analysis of coal is of great significance to ensure the safe and economic operation of coal-fired and biomass-fired power generation units. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) assisted by chemometric methods could realize the prediction of coal proximate analysis rapidly, which makes up for the shortcomings of the traditional method. In this paper, three quantitative models were proposed to predict the proximate analysis of coal, including principal component regression (PCR), artificial neural networks (ANNs), and principal component analysis coupled with ANN (PCA-ANN). Three model evaluation indicators, such as the coefficient of determination (R²), root-mean-square error of cross-validation (RMSECV), and mean square error (MSE), were applied to measure the accuracy and stability of the models. The most accurate and stable prediction of coal proximate analysis was achieved by PCR, of which the average R², RMSECV, and MSE values were 0.9944, 0.39%, and 0.21, respectively. Although the R² values of ANN and PCA-ANN were greater than 0.9, the higher RMSECV and MSE values indicated that ANN and PCA-ANN were inferior to PCR. Compared with the other two models, PCR could not only achieve accurate prediction, but also shorten the modeling time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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16 pages, 1010 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Interchangeability of Fuels Used in the Process of Heat Production and Comparison of Their Selected Characteristics: A Case Study

by Martina Hlatká, Vieroslav Molnár, Gabriel Fedorko, Beáta Stehlíková and Gabriela Bogdanovská

Energies 2022, 15(1), 124; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15010124 - 24 Dec 2021

Viewed by 1727

Abstract

Exchangeability means the possibility of the fuel changing, with conservation of the required energy and environmental criteria. The assessment of fuel exchangeability should be realized by a suitable method, which must reliably present the possibility of the exchangeability of fuels, or reject it. In the presented paper, research on the exchangeability of solid fuels in the field of heating production is surveyed by the case study. Based on the available published knowledge from previous studies on fuel exchangeability, the statistical method was chosen for evaluation. The application of this method is useful. For example, by evaluating the exchangeability of natural gas, the manuscript will describe its application for the field of solid fuels in heat production. The research evaluated and analyzed the sample of 12 fuels. For each fuel sample, 35 gas attributes were measured, which were classified into separate flue gas attribute groups: ash content, combustion heat, heating capacity, sulfur content, combustible content, water content, emission factor, carbon content, hydrogen content, and oxygen content. Attributes of flues were evaluated and grouped according to the fuel properties—ash content and combustion heat, sulphur content, water content, emission factor, carbon content, hydrogen content, nitrogen content, oxygen content, and combustible content. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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16 pages, 412 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prosumers’ Needs Satisfied Due to Cooperation with Offerors in the Context of Attitudes toward Such Cooperation

by Agnieszka Izabela Baruk

Energies 2021, 14(22), 7821; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14227821 - 22 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1473

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to determine final purchasers’ needs satisfied due to cooperation with offerors and the dependencies between these needs and previous behaviors and attitudes toward this cooperation. The results of the world literature analysis indicate a cognitive and research gap regarding the aspects mentioned. In order to reduce the gap, empirical studies were conducted, in which an online questionnaire was used to gather primary data. The research was implemented in the second half of 2020 among 1150 respondents representing Polish adult final purchasers. The data were subjected to quantitative analysis using statistical analysis and statistical testing, including exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis, Pearson chi-square independence test, V-Cramer contingency coefficient analysis, and Kruskal–Wallis test. The results of the statistical analysis made it possible to verify six research hypotheses. Dependencies were found between needs satisfied due to cooperation with offerors and the following aspects: (1) purchasers’ previous participation in cooperation with offerors, (2) purchasers’ willingness to cooperate with offerors, and (3) the assessment of contemporary purchasers’ readiness to cooperate with offerors. Willingness to cooperate with offerors differentiated all eleven needs satisfied due to cooperation with offerors analyzed in this study. Two other variables differentiated only a few of the needs analyzed. The results obtained from the research have a cognitive and applicability value. They contribute to theory of marketing and market behavior. They can also facilitate establishing and strengthening cooperation between offerors and final purchasers as important partners cooperating in the process of creating a marketing offer. This effect is very important in the case of shaping the cooperation between final purchasers and offerors of different products including energy ones. The originality of the approach proposed is evidenced by the fact it is the first time final purchasers’ needs that can be satisfied due to cooperation with offerors have been analyzed in the context of attitudes and behavior reflecting purchasers’ (1) previous participation in this cooperation, (2) willingness to cooperate with offerors, and (3) the assessment of contemporary final purchasers’ readiness to cooperate with offerors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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21 pages, 504 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Culture-Based Green Workplace Practices as a Means of Conserving Energy and Other Natural Resources in the Manufacturing Sector

by Helena Bulińska-Stangrecka and Anna Bagieńska

Energies 2021, 14(19), 6305; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14196305 - 02 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2546

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the role of organizational culture in fostering green practices in the workplace while investigating the mediating role of intrinsic motivation in the context of energy conservation. Based on a cross-sectional quantitative study with a sample of 203 employees from the manufacturing sector, the hypothesized relationships were verified. Based on the mediation analysis, statistical analyses revealed positive relationships between organizational culture and green workplace practices, as well as organizational culture and intrinsic motivation. Additionally, the study found that intrinsic motivation mediates the relationship between organizational culture and green workplace practices. This study supported the importance of organizational culture in enhancing green workplace practices aimed at conserving energy and natural resources. The underlying mechanism behind the significant positive effect of intrinsic motivation on proenvironmental behavior in the workplace was also identified. The research demonstrates the importance of an organizational culture to reinforce green practices in the workplace. Furthermore, based on the used models, this study illustrates the importance of each organizational culture dimension: leadership, sense of community, communication, collaboration, and structure in promoting green behavior. Additionally, the research suggests a key role of intrinsic motivation in this relationship. This study provides valuable guidance for the implementation of specific environmental measures in companies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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14 pages, 779 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Food Choices and Their Impact on Health and Environment

by Katarzyna Szalonka, Elżbieta Stańczyk, Anna Gardocka-Jałowiec, Paweł Waniowski, Agata Niemczyk and Zofia Gródek-Szostak

Energies 2021, 14(17), 5460; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14175460 - 02 Sep 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3583

Abstract

Food choices are complex and highly variable, even over short periods, as they are influenced by numerous psychological, social, and cultural factors, in addition to biological and economic ones. Consumer choices are increasingly complex because of the growing quantity and variety of available food products, which also affects individuals’ environments. This paper is part of a larger study on health-related food choices, and it discusses how food choices affect the environment. To achieve the research goal, classes of respondents that are homogeneous in their food choices were identified. The authors used an algorithm to build classification trees and found that health status is determined by respondents’ age and food consumption habits. The paper demonstrates that understanding individual nutritional choices is a prerequisite for changing consumption habits and shaping healthy behavior, which is in line with the principle of sustainable development through sustainable consumption. The findings are relevant to public health researchers and practitioners who wish to understand the relationship between nutritional practices and health in line with sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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39 pages, 10326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prioritizing Energy-Intensive Machining Operations and Gauging the Influence of Electric Parameters: An Industrial Case Study

by Ardamanbir Singh Sidhu, Sehijpal Singh, Raman Kumar, Danil Yurievich Pimenov and Khaled Giasin

Energies 2021, 14(16), 4761; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14164761 - 05 Aug 2021

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 2005

Abstract

Increasing the energy efficiency of machining operations can contribute to more sustainable manufacturing. Therefore, there is a necessity to investigate, evaluate, and optimize the energy consumed during machining operations. The research highlights a method employed to prioritize the most energy-intensive machining operation and highlights the significance of electric parameters as predictors in power estimation of machining operations. Multi regression modeling with standardized regression weights was used to identify significant power quality predictors for active power evaluation for machining operations. The absolute error and the relative error both decreased when the active power was measured by the power analyzer for each of the identified machining operations, compared to the standard power equation and that obtained from the modeled regression equations. Furthermore, to determine energy-intensive machining operation, a hybrid decision-making technique based on TOPSIS (a technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) and DoM (degree of membership) was utilized. Allocation of weights to energy responses was carried out using three methods, i.e., equal importance, entropy weights, and the AHP (analytical hierarchy process). Results revealed that a drilling process carried out on material ST 52.3 is energy-intensive. This accentuates the significance of electric parameters in the assessment of active power during machining operations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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23 pages, 338 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Using Social Media in the Modern Marketing Communication on the Shaping an External Employer’s Image

by Agnieszka Izabela Baruk and Grzegorz Wesołowski

Energies 2021, 14(14), 4177; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14144177 - 10 Jul 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3437

Abstract

The aim of this article was to determine the significance of modern marketing communication channels used in the process of shaping the external image of an enterprise as an employer. An analysis of the world literature on marketing, management, marketing communication and human resource management was used to prepare the theoretical part. The results of the analysis indicate a cognitive and research gap regarding the use of modern communication channels for building the external image of an enterprise in the role of an employer. In order to reduce the gap, empirical studies were conducted among young Polish potential employees, in which the survey method was used to gather primary data. The collected data were subjected to statistical analysis, during which the following methods and statistical tests were applied: the analysis of average values, exploratory factor analysis, Kruskal–Wallis test (KW), Pearson chi-square independence test and V-Cramer coefficient analysis. The results of the analyses conducted indicate, inter alia, that statistically significant diversity was identified in the case of non-professional media in terms of respondents’ opinions on whether the employer’s image created by modern media is better than the employer’s image created on the basis of classical marketing communication channels. In the case of professional and non-professional media, the age of the respondents was not a differentiating feature. Moreover, neither for professional media nor for non-professional media were statistically significant dependencies identified between respondents’ opinions on the impact of actions undertaken by enterprises on shaping their positive external image as an employer and respondents’ opinions on whether the employer’s image created on the basis of modern marketing communication channels is more beneficial than the employer’s image created on the basis of classical marketing communication channels. The results obtained on the basis of the research have a cognitive and applicability value, characterized by originality. Until now, the importance of using modern marketing communication channels in shaping the employer’s external image has not been analysed. This also applies to enterprises operating on the energy market. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

28 pages, 708 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Segmentation of Food Consumers Based on Their Sustainable Attitude

by Michał Gazdecki, Elżbieta Goryńska-Goldmann, Marietta Kiss and Zoltán Szakály

Energies 2021, 14(11), 3179; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14113179 - 29 May 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5256

Abstract

The proposed study aims to segment consumers based on a sustainable approach to the consumption of food. The shift in consumers’ attitudes towards more balanced food consumption can be one of the sustainability drivers for entire food chains and may result in more sustained energy usage in the whole food chain and implementation of farm to fork strategy to the practice. We considered consumers’ attitudes as a multidimensional construct. Under this assumption, we asked respondents a series of questions related to the cognitive, behavioral, and affective components of an attitude. Data were collected from a market survey run among 433 consumers. We identified three consumer segments. The “Doers” segment exhibits sustainable behavior to a greater extent than the others. At the same time, they have less knowledge about the concept of food sustainability while the affective dimension was developed on an average level. The “Conscious” segment had well-developed cognitive and affective dimensions (which might indicate their openness to the information about sustainability positive feelings), however, it was not reflected in their behavior. Finally, the “Reluctant” segment, did not show a sustainable attitude towards food consumption in any of the analyzed dimensions. Answering the question of how common sustainable attitudes are may help in determining the market potential and in developing product and promotion strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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Review

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20 pages, 1197 KiB

Open AccessReview

Microorganisms as New Sources of Energy

by Jasminka Talapko, Domagoj Talapko, Anita Matić and Ivana Škrlec

Energies 2022, 15(17), 6365; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15176365 - 31 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6062

Abstract

The use of fossil energy sources has a negative impact on the economic and socio-political stability of specific regions and countries, causing environmental changes due to the emission of greenhouse gases. Moreover, the stocks of mineral energy are limited, causing the demand for new types and forms of energy. Biomass is a renewable energy source and represents an alternative to fossil energy sources. Microorganisms produce energy from the substrate and biomass, i.e., from substances in the microenvironment, to maintain their metabolism and life. However, specialized microorganisms also produce specific metabolites under almost abiotic circumstances that often do not have the immediate task of sustaining their own lives. This paper presents the action of biogenic and biogenic–thermogenic microorganisms, which produce methane, alcohols, lipids, triglycerides, and hydrogen, thus often creating renewable energy from waste biomass. Furthermore, some microorganisms acquire new or improved properties through genetic interventions for producing significant amounts of energy. In this way, they clean the environment and can consume greenhouse gases. Particularly suitable are blue-green algae or cyanobacteria but also some otherwise pathogenic microorganisms (E. coli, Klebsiella, and others), as well as many other specialized microorganisms that show an incredible ability to adapt. Microorganisms can change the current paradigm, energy–environment, and open up countless opportunities for producing new energy sources, especially hydrogen, which is an ideal energy source for all systems (biological, physical, technological). Developing such energy production technologies can significantly change the already achieved critical level of greenhouse gases that significantly affect the climate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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19 pages, 2659 KiB

Open AccessReview

An Analysis of Research Trends in the Sustainability of Production Planning

by Mohamed Saeed Khaled, Ibrahim Abdelfadeel Shaban, Ahmed Karam, Mohamed Hussain, Ismail Zahran and Mohamed Hussein

Energies 2022, 15(2), 483; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15020483 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2948

Abstract

Sustainability has become of great interest in many fields, especially in production systems due to the continual increase in the scarcity of raw materials and environmental awareness. Recent literature has given significant attention to considering the three sustainability pillars (i.e., environmental, economic, and social sustainability) in solving production planning problems. Therefore, the present study conducts a review of the literature on sustainable production planning to analyze the relationships among different production planning problems (e.g., scheduling, lot sizing, aggregate planning, etc.) and the three sustainability pillars. In addition, we analyze the identified studies based on the indicators that define each pillar. The results show that the literature most frequently addresses production scheduling problems while it lacks studies on aggregate production planning problems that consider the sustainability pillars. In addition, there is a growing trend towards obtaining integrated solutions of different planning problems, e.g., combining production planning problems with maintenance planning or energy planning. Additionally, around 45% of the identified studies considered the integration of the economic and the environmental pillars in different production planning problems. In addition, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are the most frequent sustainability indicators considered in the literature, while less attention has been given to social indicators. Another issue is the low number of studies that have considered all three sustainability pillars simultaneously. The finidings highlight the need for more future research towards holistic sustainable production planning approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Production and Environmentally Responsible Consumption)

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