School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing (SATM)

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Browsing School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing (SATM) by Subject "13 Climate Action"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    A critical review of the decarbonisation potential in the U.K. cement industry
    (MDPI, 2025-01-10) Sherif, Ziyad; Sarfraz, Shoaib; Jolly, Mark R.; Salonitis, Konstantinos
    As urbanisation and infrastructure development continue to drive rising cement demand, the imperative to significantly reduce emissions from this emissions-intensive sector has become increasingly urgent, especially in the context of global climate goals such as achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This review examines the status, challenges and prospects of low-carbon cement technologies and mitigation strategies through the lens of the U.K. cement industry. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining structured literature searches across academic databases with analyses of industry reports, market data and technological roadmaps to ensure a comprehensive evaluation. Following an outline of cement production, resource flows and the sector’s landscape in the U.K., the review delves into an array of decarbonisation pathways. This includes deploying the best available technologies (BATs), fuel switching, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), clinker substitution and low-carbon cement formulations. A critical assessment is provided on the technological readiness, costs, resource availability considerations and scalability aspects governing the widespread implementation prospects of these approaches within the U.K. cement industry. Furthermore, this study proposes a roadmap that considers priority avenues and policy needs essential for facilitating the transition towards sustainable cement production aligned with the U.K.’s net zero obligations by 2050. This evaluation contributes significantly to the ongoing decarbonisation discourse by holistically mapping technological solutions and strategic imperatives tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the U.K. cement sector.
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    Digital twin architecture for a sustainable control system in aircraft engines
    (Springer , 2024-08-08) Farsi, Maryam; Namoano, Bernadin; Latsou, Christina; Subhadu, Vaishnav Venkata; Deng, Haoxuan; Sun, Zhen; Zheng, Bohao; D’Amico, Davide; Erkoyuncu, John Ahmet; Karakoc, T. Hikmet; Colpan, Can Ozgur; Dalkiran, Alper
    Over the past decades, climate change has remained one of the major global challenges in the world. In the aviation and aerospace industry, the environmental sustainable development strategies towards carbon-neutral mainly focus on efficiency and demand measures, sustainable fuels, renewable energies, and removal and carbon offsetting. The carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions footprint of an aircraft is primarily determined by energy and fuel efficiency. The advanced engine control systems of an aircraft can optimise the engine performance to achieve energy efficiency, fuel optimal consumption, and emission reduction. This paper proposed a digital twin architecture of a sustainable aircraft control system that allows the system to collect, analyse, and optimise sustainability-related data and to provide insight to operators, engineers, maintainers, and designers. The required information, knowledge and insight databases across flight environment, engine specification, and gas emissions are identified. The research argued that the proposed architecture could enhance engine energy efficiency, fuel consumption, and CO2e footprint reduction and enable (near) real-time data monitoring, proactive anomaly detection, forecasting, and intelligent decision-making within an automated sustainability control system. This research suggests ontology-based digital twin as an effective approach to further develop a cognitive twin that facilitates automated decision-making within the aircraft control system.
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    Enabling net-zero GHG emissions in the UK metals and transport industries through a circular supply chain framework
    (Elsevier, 2024-05) Adeyemi, Olabisi I.; Sarfraz, Shoaib; Salonitis, Konstantinos
    The UK metals industry is indispensable in achieving the country’s net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target by 2050, especially considering the heavy reliance of the transport sector on metals. This paper proposes strategies based on recycling and refining locally sourced scrap metals to build a robust circular supply chain. Findings revealed that 16% of global crude steel is used in transport and this accounts for 8% of the world’s GHG emissions. Domestically, iron and steel account for 14% of the UK industrial emissions, with over 8 million metric tons of scrap metals exported annually. Insights from stakeholders revealed export dependency and infrastructure gaps impeding circularity. Collaborative efforts between industry, government, and recyclers are vital. Investing in electric arc furnaces and storage can enable the processing of domestic metal scrap for high-quality yield. A closed-loop flow of battery-critical metals will also support sustainable manufacturing of electric vehicles. Ultimately, this paper advocates systemic efforts across policy, technology, infrastructure, and partnerships to realise a sustainable supply chain in the metals industry aligned with the decarbonisation and circular economy goals.
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    Integrating digital technologies in agriculture for climate change adaptation and mitigation: state of the art and future perspectives
    (Elsevier, 2024-11-01) Parra-López, Carlos; Ben Abdallah, Saker; Garcia-Garcia, Guillermo; Hassoun, Abdo; Sánchez-Zamora, Pedro; Trollman, Hana; Jagtap, Sandeep; Carmona-Torres, Carmen
    Agriculture faces a major challenge in meeting the world's growing demand for food in a sustainable manner in the face of increasing environmental pressures, in particular the growing impact of climate change. Agriculture is also a major contributor to climate change. Digital technologies in agriculture can contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation. This paper examines the interactions between climate change and agriculture, reviews adaptation and mitigation strategies, explores the application of digital technologies in this context, and discusses future challenges and opportunities for sustainable and resilient agriculture. The final aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and future prospects of digital agriculture in the context of climate change. A comprehensive literature review was conducted on adaptation and mitigation strategies in agriculture, and on the current state and future prospects of digital agriculture in the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation. The identified applications of digital technologies in agriculture include Remote Sensing for crop monitoring, Big Data for predictive modelling of water shortages and pest outbreaks, Artificial Intelligence for pest identification and tracking, the Internet of Things for precision fertiliser management, nanotechnology for soil improvement, robots for targeted spraying, and blockchain for improved soil management and supply chain transparency, among others. These technologies facilitate the precise management of resources, improve decision-making processes and enable more efficient agricultural practices. Digital technologies also help mitigate climate change by optimising inputs such as water and fertiliser, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting carbon sequestration. However, there are significant barriers to the adoption of these technologies, including the digital divide, high up-front costs and complexity, as well as privacy and security concerns and the environmental impact of technology use. Future action must address these barriers by investing in infrastructure and training, ensuring financial incentives, developing scalable digital solutions tailored to local agricultural conditions, increasing digital literacy among farmers, developing comprehensive governance frameworks, and exploring the integration of multiple digital technologies. The paper contributes to advancing scientific understanding and guiding practice and policy towards sustainable agriculture in the face of climate change. It provides a call to action for a more sustainable future in the context of climate change and highlights the urgency of multi-stakeholder collaboration to create an enabling environment for the widespread adoption of these innovations, ensuring that they are accessible, cost-effective and suitable for different farming environments.
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    Integration of renewable energy sources in tandem with electrolysis: a technology review for green hydrogen production
    (Elsevier, 2024) Nnabuife, Somtochukwu Godfrey; Hamzat, Abdulhammed K.; Whidborne, James; Kuang, Boyu; Jenkins, Karl W.
    The global shift toward sustainable energy solutions emphasises the urgent need to harness renewable sources for green hydrogen production, presenting a critical opportunity in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Despite its potential, integrating renewable energy with electrolysis to produce green hydrogen faces significant technological and economic challenges, particularly in achieving high efficiency and cost-effectiveness at scale. This review systematically examines the latest advancements in electrolysis technologies—alkaline, proton exchange membrane electrolysis cell (PEMEC), and solid oxide—and explores innovative grid integration and energy storage solutions that enhance the viability of green hydrogen. The study reveals enhanced performance metrics in electrolysis processes and identifies critical factors that influence the operational efficiency and sustainability of green hydrogen production. Key findings demonstrate the potential for substantial reductions in the cost and energy requirements of hydrogen production by optimising electrolyser design and operation. The insights from this research provide a foundational strategy for scaling up green hydrogen as a sustainable energy carrier, contributing to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance toward carbon neutrality. The integration of these technologies could revolutionise energy systems worldwide, aligning with policy frameworks and market dynamics to foster broader adoption of green hydrogen.
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    Potentials for energy savings and carbon dioxide emissions reduction in cement industry
    (Springer, 2025-01-07) Sarfraz, Shoaib; Sherif, Ziyad; Drewniok, Michal; Bolson, Natanael; Cullen, Jonathan; Purnell, Phil; Jolly, Mark R.; Salonitis, Konstantinos
    Cement production accounts for 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions, 3 to 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, and 7% of global industrial energy use. Cement demand is continuously increasing due to the rising worldwide population and urbanisation trends, as well as infrastructure development needs. By 2050, global cement production is expected to increase by 12 to 23% from its current level. Following the net-zero carbon 2050 agenda, both energy and emissions must be significantly reduced. Different production routes exist to produce cement that differs in energy intensity as well as carbon intensity. Similarly, a range of values exists related to energy and emissions for the major cement production stages i.e., raw meal preparation, clinkerisation and cement grinding. The same is the case with cement types produced. This study presents a literature review-based investigation and comparison of cement production practices in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This will provide perspectives to the cement industry by identifying approaches that are the least energy and emissions intensive.
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    Strategic flood impact mitigation in developing countries’ urban road networks: application to Hanoi
    (Elsevier, 2024-12-16) Phouratsamay, Siao-Leu; Scaparra, Maria Paola; Tran, Trung Hieu; Laporte, Gilbert
    Due to climate change, the frequency and scale of flood events worldwide are increasing dramatically. Flood impacts are especially acute in developing countries, where they often revert years of progress in sustainable development and poverty reduction. This paper introduces an optimization-based decision support tool for selecting cost-efficient flood mitigation investments in developing countries’ urban areas. The core of the tool is a scenario-based, multi-period, bi-objective Mixed Integer Linear Programming model which minimizes infrastructure damage and traffic congestion in urban road networks. The tool was developed in collaboration with Vietnamese stakeholders (e.g., local communities and government authorities), and integrates data and inputs from other disciplines, including social science, transport economics, climatology and hydrology. A metaheuristic, combining a Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure with a Variable Neighborhood Descent algorithm, is developed to solve large scale problem instances. An extensive computational campaign on randomly generated instances demonstrates the efficiency of the metaheuristic in solving realistic problems with hundreds of interdependent flood mitigation interventions. Finally, the applicability of the interdisciplinary approach is demonstrated on a real case study to generate a 20-year plan of mitigation investments for the urban area of Hanoi. Policy implications and impacts of the study are also discussed.
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    Toward net zero: an engine electrification strategy approach of fuel cell and steam injection
    (American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2024-08-24) He, Zhengfei; Pontika, Evangelia; Laskaridis, Panagiotis
    The turbofan engine electrification is a promising element in the global effort to achieve the 2050 net-zero emission target. This transformative shift embraces alternative energy sources and amplifies system efficiency. Power injection, using the electric motor to provide power assistance for the gas turbine, is a promising concept. Batteries and fuel cells are emerging as prime candidates for replacing traditional fossil fuel power requirements, offering compelling advantages, particularly with electric powertrains offering superior efficiency compared to conventional gas turbines. This direct power injection assistance reduces the power requirement from the combustion, thus reducing the fuel flow and Turbine Entry Temperature (TET). As an outcome, this alteration yields favourable consequences, notably in the form of diminished Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions and lower engine fuel consumption. However, this transition comes at the cost of a potential thermal efficiency penalty, impacts engine stability, and adds extra weight. These drawbacks compromise the power injection’s benefit, highlighting the necessity for introducing electrification strategies in future engine designs. This paper presents an innovative electrification strategy using fuel cells as the power source for engine electrification. The strategy highlights the collection of water as a by-product, followed by treatment processes involving condensation, pressurisation, and superheating. In this configuration, the fuel cell is designed to provide power to the electric motor, which injects power into the low-pressure shaft of the engine and provides assistance. Additionally, steam injection, leveraging the by-product water, enhances the benefits derived from electrification by recovering and redirecting the waste heat from exhaust gases into the combustor. To evaluate the potential impact of this electrification strategy, this research selected and modelled three representative engines, each representative of typical thermodynamic cycles. Two different approaches to steam management were considered, including instantaneous injection with production and storage of steam during production for release during specific flight segments. This research established the synergy between steam injection and different engine thermodynamic cycles, providing a visualised evaluation method. The impact of fuel cell electrification on fuel consumption has been quantified. An estimation of the weight penalty, including fuel cells, hydrogen storage and heat exchanger, is also provided. Furthermore, the sizing of the superheating heat exchanger is analysed to assess its influence on the electrification strategy. This research discovered the impact of steam injection on different engine cycles, established the benefits and constraints, and explained the physics. This research has captured the physics of recovering the waste heat from exhaust pipes, which could compromise fuel consumption benefit and impose a penalty on electrification. This research also indicated under what conditions and phases it is better to use the fuel cell with steam injection. The results and assessments reach the conclusion that the electrification strategy of fuel cell and steam injection is preferable for high-temperature, low-specific thrust engines. An improper deployment could lead to a penalty instead of a benefit. The temperature of the steam is the dominant factor in bringing fuel consumption benefits. Thus, the preferable steam management approach is to inject during T/O and climb.