Application of the IoT in the Food Supply Chain─From the Perspective of Carbon Mitigation

Fast-selective electro-driven membrane reactor in fluoride/silica crystallization for microelectronic wastewaters recycling

Rapid growth of the microelectronic industry leads to a significant increase in the generation of microelectronic wastewaters containing complex pollutants. Resource recovery technologies offer promising solutions for effective wastewater reuse in the microelectronics sector. However, how to simultaneously achieve high-efficiency crystallization and high crystal purity of ionic resources from complex wastewater remains a challenge. Here, for the first time, we propose an electro-driven membrane reactor (EMR) for the ex-situ crystallization of fluoride/silica from microelectronic wastewaters as high-purity fluorosilicates. This EMR with independent chambers combines a bipolar membrane to produce protons for SiF62- generation from the reaction between fluoride and silica. An internal ultrafiltration membrane is used to reject nanoparticles/organics while providing ion channels for protons and SiF62- migration. Selective recovery of Na2SiF6 from the coexisting ions (Cl-, SO42-, NO3- and PO43-)/nanoparticles (SiO2, Al2O3 and CeO2)/organics (tetramethylammonium hydroxide, isopropyl alcohol, bovine serum albumin, sodium alginate and humic acid) is demonstrated. Over 99.5 % Na2SiF6 purity and 64.5 % crystallization rate are verified under the optimal conditions (voltage of 8 V, UH050 membrane, operation mode Ⅰ, and forward permeate flux of 1 mL min-1). This EMR with the advantages of accurate capture capability may be an innovative strategy for enlarging the scale of pollutant elimination, ionic resources and fresh water recovery from micro-electronic wastewaters.

Aging Increases Global Annual Food Greenhouse Gas Emissions up to 300 Million Tonnes by 2100

The dietary preferences of the elderly population exhibit distinct variations from the overall averages in most countries, gaining increasing significance due to aging demographics worldwide. These dietary preferences play a crucial role in shaping global food systems, which will result in changed environmental impacts in the future such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We present a quantitative evaluation of the influence of population aging on the changes in GHG emissions from global food systems. To achieve this, we developed regional dietary coefficients (DCs) of the elderly based on the Global Dietary Database (GDD). We then reconciled the GDD with the dataset from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to calculate the food GHG emissions of the average population in each of the countries. By applying the DCs, we estimated the national food GHG emissions and obtained the variations between the emissions from aged and average populations. We employed a modified version of the regional integrated model of climate and the economy model (RICE) to forecast the emission trends in different countries based on FAO and GDD data. This integrated approach allowed us to evaluate the dynamic relationships among aging demographics, food consumption patterns, and economic developments within regions. Our results indicate that the annual aging-embodied global food GHG emissions will reach 288 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (Mt CO2e) by 2100. This estimation is crucial for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and researchers as it provides insights into a potential future environmental challenge and emphasizes the importance of sustainable food production and consumption strategies to GHG emission mitigations associated with aging dietary patterns.

A systematic review of life-cycle GHG emissions from intensive pig farming: Accounting and mitigation

Pork accounts for approximately 35 % of the global meat supply, with approximately 747 million tons of CO2e greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually. To meet the increasing demand for pork, intensive farming is becoming the priority rearing system owing to its higher productivity. Given the climate transformation ambitions of the pig industry but the lack of knowledge and data, we conducted a systematic review of studies published in the period of 2010-2022 from a life-cycle perspective, with a focus on greenhouse gas emissions accounting and mitigation. The significant variations in systematic harmonized global warming intensities (GWIs) can be primarily attributed to differences in accounting approaches, activity data, technologies and geographical conditions. To understand more, we broke down the entire life cycle and revealed the underlying reasons for modelling mechanisms and data from the main emitters (e.g., feeding, pig rearing, and manure management). These findings are expected to support and improve the transparency, consistency, and comprehensiveness of life-cycle GHG emissions accounting in pig farming. Potential mitigation measures were also reviewed and discussed to provide insights to support the sustainable development of the pig industry.

Birth of dairy 4.0: Opportunities and challenges in adoption of fourth industrial revolution technologies in the production of milk and its derivatives

Embracing innovation and emerging technologies is becoming increasingly important to address the current global challenges facing many food industry sectors, including the dairy industry. Growing literature shows that the adoption of technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (named Industry 4.0) has promising potential to bring about breakthroughs and new insights and unlock advancement opportunities in many areas of the food manufacturing sector. This article discusses the current knowledge and recent trends and progress on the application of Industry 4.0 innovations in the dairy industry. First, the "Dairy 4.0" concept, inspired by Industry 4.0, is introduced and its enabling technologies are determined. Second, relevant examples of the use of Dairy 4.0 technologies in milk and its derived products are presented. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives are given. The results revealed that robotics, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Big Data, and blockchain are the main enabling technologies of Dairy 4.0. These advanced technologies are being progressively adopted in the dairy sector, from farm to table, making significant and profound changes in the production of milk, cheese, and other dairy products. It is expected that, in the near future, new digital innovations will emerge, and greater implementations of Dairy 4.0 technologies is likely to be achieved, leading to more automation and optimization of this dynamic food sector.