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New Paradigm of Sustainable Urban Mobility: Electric and Autonomous Vehicles—A Review and Bibliometric Analysis. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14159525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The growing relevance of sustainability, as well as the necessity to replace traditional forms of transportation with sustainable ones, has made sustainable urban mobility an imperative. In order to respond to the ever-increasing need to develop sustainable modes of transport, the importance of electric, autonomous, and electric autonomous vehicles is increasingly emphasized. In addition, as trends of growth and development in electric autonomous vehicle technology are increasing, one of the questions that has appeared is whether autonomous electric vehicles represent one of the mechanisms that will be used to increase the sustainability of urban mobility. With this in mind, the results of a systematic analysis of existing research in the WOS and Scopus databases using the keywords “urban mobility”, “electric vehicles”, and “autonomous vehicles” was carried out to identify research trends in the use of autonomous electric vehicles in urban areas. The research showed that authors focus on the advantages and disadvantages of autonomous electric vehicles and their usage in the urban mobility system, but an insufficient number of authors consider and define the need to plan the transition towards incorporating autonomous electric vehicles into the urban system. The results of this research also indicate an insufficient number of papers that research and describe the application of autonomous electric vehicles in distribution logistics. This paper provides an overview of existing research related to autonomous electric vehicles and the challenges of transition in the context of infrastructure and the development of a culture of sustainability among urban residents.
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Engels S, Fong LSRZ, Chen Q, Leng MJ, McGowan S, Idris M, Rose NL, Ruslan MS, Taylor D, Yang H. Historical atmospheric pollution trends in Southeast Asia inferred from lake sediment records. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 235:907-917. [PMID: 29353806 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Revised: 01/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Fossil fuel combustion leads to increased levels of air pollution, which negatively affects human health as well as the environment. Documented data for Southeast Asia (SEA) show a strong increase in fossil fuel consumption since 1980, but information on coal and oil combustion before 1980 is not widely available. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) and heavy metals, such as mercury (Hg), are emitted as by-products of fossil fuel combustion and may accumulate in sediments following atmospheric fallout. Here we use sediment SCP and Hg records from several freshwater lentic ecosystems in SEA (Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore) to reconstruct long-term, region-wide variations in levels of these two key atmospheric pollution indicators. The age-depth models of Philippine sediment cores do not reach back far enough to date first SCP presence, but single SCP occurrences are first observed between 1925 and 1950 for a Malaysian site. Increasing SCP flux is observed at our sites from 1960 onward, although individual sites show minor differences in trends. SCP fluxes show a general decline after 2000 at each of our study sites. While the records show broadly similar temporal trends across SEA, absolute SCP fluxes differ between sites, with a record from Malaysia showing SCP fluxes that are two orders of magnitude lower than records from the Philippines. Similar trends in records from China and Japan represent the emergence of atmospheric pollution as a broadly-based inter-region environmental problem during the 20th century. Hg fluxes were relatively stable from the second half of the 20th century onward. As catchment soils are also contaminated with atmospheric Hg, future soil erosion can be expected to lead to enhanced Hg flux into surface waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Engels
- Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; School of Geography, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
| | - L S R Z Fong
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117570, Singapore
| | - Q Chen
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117570, Singapore
| | - M J Leng
- Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; NERC Isotope Geosciences Facilities, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK
| | - S McGowan
- Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - M Idris
- Tasik Chini Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Malaysia
| | - N L Rose
- Environmental Change Research Centre, Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - M S Ruslan
- Tasik Chini Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Malaysia
| | - D Taylor
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117570, Singapore
| | - H Yang
- Environmental Change Research Centre, Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
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He X, Dai J, Wu Q. Identification of Sporopollenin as the Outer Layer of Cell Wall in Microalga Chlorella protothecoides. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1047. [PMID: 27446068 PMCID: PMC4928020 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlorella protothecoides has been put forth as a promising candidate for commercial biodiesel production. However, the cost of biodiesel remains much higher than diesel from fossil fuel sources, partially due to the high costs of oil extraction from algae. Here, we identified the presence of a sporopollenin layer outside the polysaccharide cell wall; this was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy, 2-aminoethanol treatment, acetolysis, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. We also performed bioinformatics analysis of the genes of the C. protothecoides genome that are likely involved in sporopollenin synthesis, secretion, and translocation, and evaluated the expression of these genes via real-time PCR. We also found that that removal of this sporopollenin layer greatly improved the efficiency of oil extraction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Junbiao Dai
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua UniversityBeijing, China
| | - Qingyu Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua UniversityBeijing, China
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Rose NL, Jones VJ, Noon PE, Hodgson DA, Flower RJ, Appleby PG. Long-range transport of pollutants to the Falkland Islands and Antarctica: evidence from lake sediment fly ash particle records. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2012; 46:9881-9. [PMID: 22891669 DOI: 10.1021/es3023013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
(210)Pb-dated sediment cores taken from lakes on the Falkland Islands, the South Orkney Islands, and the Larsemann Hills in Antarctica were analyzed for fly ash particles to assess the temporal record of contamination from high temperature fossil-fuel combustion sources. Very low, but detectable, levels were observed in the Antarctic lakes. In the Falkland Island lakes, the record of fly ash extended back to the late-19th century and the scale of contamination was considerably higher. These data, in combination with meteorological, modeling, and fossil-fuel consumption data, indicate most likely sources are in South America, probably Chile and Brazil. Other southern hemisphere sources, notably from Australia, contribute to a background contamination and were more important historically. Comparing southern polar data with the equivalent from the northern hemisphere emphasizes the difference in contamination of the two circumpolar regions, with the Falkland Island sites only having a level of contamination similar to that of northern Svalbard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil L Rose
- Environmental Change Research Centre, Department of Geography, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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Li G, Liu G, Zhou C, Chou CL, Zheng L, Wang J. Spatial distribution and multiple sources of heavy metals in the water of Chaohu Lake, Anhui, China. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2012; 184:2763-2773. [PMID: 21701891 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-011-2149-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Accepted: 05/25/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In this study, a survey for the spatial distribution of heavy metals in Chaohu Lake of China was conducted. Sixty-two surface water samples were collected from entire lake including three of its main river entrances. This is the first systematic report concerning the content, distribution, and origin of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Cd, Hg, Zn, and Ni) in the Chaohu Lake water. The results showed that heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Zn, and Ni) concentrations in the estuary of Nanfei River were relatively higher than those in the other areas, while content of Hg is higher in the southeast lake than northwest lake. Moreover, Cd has locally concentration in the surface water from the entire Chaohu Lake. The heavy metal average concentrations, except Hg, were lower than the cutoff values for the first-grade water quality (China Environment Quality Standard) which was set as the highest standard to protect the social nature reserves. The Hg content is between the grades three and four water quality, and other heavy metals contents are higher than background values. The aquatic environment of Chaohu Lake has apparently been contaminated. Both the cluster analysis (CA) and correlation analysis provide information about the origin of heavy metals in the Lake. Our findings indicated that agricultural activities and adjacent plants chimneys may contribute the most to Cd and Hg contamination of Chaohu Lake, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guolian Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
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Martins CC, Bícego MC, Rose NL, Taniguchi S, Lourenço RA, Figueira RCL, Mahiques MM, Montone RC. Historical record of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) in marine sediment cores from Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2010; 158:192-200. [PMID: 19665270 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2009] [Revised: 07/06/2009] [Accepted: 07/17/2009] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
This paper describes the first results of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) in sediment cores of Admiralty Bay, Antarctica. These markers were used to assess the local input of anthropogenic materials (particulate and organic compounds) as a result of the influence of human occupation in a sub-Antarctic region and a possible long-range atmospheric transport of combustion products from sources in South America. The highest SCPs and PAHs concentrations were observed during the last 30 years, when three research stations were built in the area and industrial activities in South America increased. The concentrations of SCPs and PAHs were much lower than those of other regions in the northern hemisphere and other reported data for the southern hemisphere. The PAH isomer ratios showed that the major sources of PAHs are fossil fuels/petroleum, biomass combustion and sewage contribution generally close to the Brazilian scientific station.
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Affiliation(s)
- César C Martins
- Centro de Estudos do Mar da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Caixa Postal 50.002, 83255-000 Pontal do Sul, Pontal do Paraná - PR, Brazil.
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Cooke CA, Abbott MB. A paleolimnological perspective on industrial-era metal pollution in the central Andes, Peru. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2008; 393:262-272. [PMID: 18261764 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2007.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2007] [Revised: 12/21/2007] [Accepted: 12/30/2007] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
To date, few studies have investigated the environmental legacy associated with industrialization in the South American Andes. Here, we present an environmental archive of industrial pollution from (210)Pb-dated lake cores recovered from Laguna Chipian, located near the Cerro de Pasco metallurgical region and Laguna Pirhuacocha, located near the Morococha mining region and the La Oroya smelting complex. At Laguna Chipian, trace metal concentrations increase beginning ~1900 AD, coincident with the construction of the central Peruvian railway, and the rapid industrial development of the Cerro de Pasco region. Trace metal concentrations and fluxes peak during the 1950s before subsequently declining up-core (though remaining well above background levels). While Colonial mining and smelting operations are known to have occurred at Cerro de Pasco since at least 1630 AD, our sediment record preserves no associated metal deposition. Based on our (14)C and (210)Pb data, we suggest that this is due to a depositional hiatus, rather than a lack of regional Colonial pollution. At Laguna Pirhuacocha, industrial trace metal deposition first begins ~1925 AD, rapidly increasing after ~1950 AD and peaking during either the 1970s or 1990s. Trace metal concentrations from these lakes are comparable to some of the most polluted lakes in North America and Europe. There appears to be little diagenetic alteration of the trace metal record at either lake, the exception being arsenic (As) accumulation at Laguna Pirhuacocha. There, a correlation between As and the redox-sensitive element manganese (Mn) suggests that the sedimentary As burden is undergoing diagenetic migration towards the sediment-water interface. This mobility has contributed to surface sediment As concentrations in excess of 1100 microg g(-1). The results presented here chronicle a rapidly changing Andean environment, and highlight a need for future research in the rate and magnitude of atmospheric metal pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin A Cooke
- Department of Geology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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