scholarly journals Policy Options for Deep Decarbonization and Wood Utilization in California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. Sanchez ◽  
Kevin Fingerman ◽  
Claudia Herbert ◽  
Sam Uden
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Policy Options ◽  
Fuel System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Ancillary Benefits ◽  
Transportation Fuel ◽  
Forest Residue ◽  
Wood Utilization ◽  
Lower Carbon ◽  
Do So

California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is one of the most important policies to develop and deploy low-carbon and carbon-negative fuels. Yet, because the LCFS is designed to deliver the lowest-cost carbon intensity (CI) reductions possible in the transportation fuel system, it may fail to deliver technologies that would be poised to offer deeper decarbonization or other ancillary benefits to California's people and environment. We contemplate administrative changes to the LCFS to further stimulate the commercialization of promising low-carbon and carbon-negative fuels. To do so, we examine promising technical pathways, their barriers to commercialization, and recent administrative actions by the CA Air Resources Board (ARB) under the LCFS to promote novel lower-carbon fuels. We propose three actions that ARB could undertake to promote commercialization within existing authorities. To commercialize low-carbon and carbon negative fuel, including those derived from forest residue feedstocks, ARB could: (1) embrace the most up-to-date science regarding lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, (2) create additional, targeted incentives for very low-carbon or carbon-negative fuels through a volumetric technology carve-out or credit multiplier, and (3) ensure that the LCFS stimulates the best-performing fuels across a variety of sustainability parameters.

scholarly journals Sequestration of solid carbon in concrete: A large-scale enabler of lower-carbon intensity hydrogen from natural gas

MRS Bulletin ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaqi Li ◽  
Leonardo Spanu ◽  
Jeffrey Heo ◽  
Wenxin Zhang ◽  
David W. Gardner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Portland Cement ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Industrial Wastes ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Solid Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Cement Production ◽  
Methane Pyrolysis ◽  
Lower Carbon

Abstract Methane pyrolysis is an emerging technology to produce lower-carbon intensity hydrogen at scale, as long as the co-produced solid carbon is permanently captured. Partially replacing Portland cement with pyrolytic carbon would allow the sequestration at a scale that matches the needs of the H2 industry. Our results suggest that compressive strength, the most critical mechanical property, of blended cement could even be improved while the cement manufacture, which contributes to ~ 9% global anthropogenic CO2 emissions, can be decarbonized. A CO2 abatement up to 10% of cement production could be achieved with the inclusion of selected carbon morphologies, without the need of significant capital investment and radical modification of current production processes. The use of solid carbon could have a higher CO2 abatement potential than the incorporation of conventional industrial wastes used in concrete at the same replacement level. With this approach, the concrete industry could become an enabler for manufacturing a lower-carbon intensity hydrogen in a win–win solution. Impact Methane pyrolysis is an up-scalable technology that produces hydrogen as a lower carbon-intensity energy carrier and industrial feedstock. This technology can attract more investment for lower-carbon intensity hydrogen if co-produced solid carbon (potentially hundreds of million tons per year) has value-added applications. The solid carbon can be permanently stored in concrete, the second most used commodity worldwide. To understand the feasibility of this carbon storage strategy, up to 10 wt% of Portland cement is replaced with disk-like or fibrillar carbon in our study. The incorporation of 5% and 10% fibrillar carbons increase the compressive strength of the cement-based materials by at least 20% and 16%, respectively, while disk-like carbons have little beneficial effects on the compressive strength. Our life-cycle assessment in climate change category results suggest that the 10% cement replacement with the solid carbon can lower ~10% of greenhouse gas emissions of cement production, which is currently the second-largest industrial emitter in the world. The use of solid carbon in concrete can supplement the enormous demand for cement substitute for low-carbon concrete and lower the cost of the low-carbon hydrogen production. This massively available low-cost solid carbon would create numerous new opportunities in concrete research and the industrial applications.

scholarly journals Reducing Working Hours as a Means to Foster Low(er)-Carbon Lifestyles? An Exploratory Study on Swiss Employees

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Hanbury ◽  
Christoph Bader ◽  
Stephanie Moser
Keyword(s):  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Discretionary Time ◽  
Saving Effect ◽  
Lower Carbon

In the ongoing discussions on the transition to low-carbon systems a reduction of working hours has gained increased interest. A shift to lower incomes coupled with more discretionary time might promote low(er) individual carbon lifestyles without impairing individual well-being. Lower carbon emissions have been linked to shorter working hours on a macroeconomic level and to lower income, and thus less carbon-intensive activities on an individual level. However, little empirical research has been done on the effects of a self-determined reduction of working time on an intra-individual level. The aim of this paper was to explore whether and how a reduction of working hours facilitates low(er)-carbon lifestyles. We do this by means of 17 qualitative guideline interviews with Swiss employees that had recently reduced their working hours. Our results suggest that the underlying motives behind the employees’ decisions to reduce their working hours are crucial. A beneficial climate-saving effect arose only for those employees who dedicated their newly gained time to binding activities, that require a certain degree of commitment, such as parenting and further education. In contrast, those who reduced their working hours due to a desire for more recreational time risked increasing the carbon intensity of their lifestyles due to carbon-intensive leisure activities.

SANDVIK PRESSURFECT

Alloy Digest ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Corrosion Resistance ◽  
Direct Injection ◽  
Heat Treating ◽  
Gasoline Direct Injection ◽  
Fuel System ◽  
Bend Strength ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Steel Company

Abstract Sandvik Pressurfect is an austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel with low carbon content used for high-pressure gasoline direct injection (GDI) fuel system. This datasheet provides information on composition, physical properties, hardness, elasticity, tensile properties, and bend strength. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as heat treating and machining. Filing Code: SS-1195. Producer or source: Sandvik Steel Company.

scholarly journals Does the Opening of High-Speed Railway Lines Reduce the Carbon Intensity of China’s Resource-Based Cities?

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4648
Author(s):  
Zhipeng Tang ◽  
Ziao Mei ◽  
Jialing Zou
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
National Average ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
High Speed Railway ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Endogenous Selection ◽  
Mode Of Development ◽  
The Impact

The carbon intensity of China’s resource-based cities (RBCs) is much higher than the national average due to their relatively intensive mode of development. Low carbon transformation of RBCs is an important way to achieve the goal of reaching the carbon emissions peak in 2030. Based on the panel data from 116 RBCs in China from 2003 to 2018, this study takes the opening of high-speed railway (HSR) lines as a quasi-experiment, using a time-varying difference-in-difference (DID) model to empirically evaluate the impact of an HSR line on reducing the carbon intensity of RBCs. The results show that the opening of an HSR line can reduce the carbon intensity of RBCs, and this was still true after considering the possibility of problems with endogenous selection bias and after applying the relevant robustness tests. The opening of an HSR line is found to have a significant reducing effect on the carbon intensity of different types of RBC, and the decline in the carbon intensity of coal-based cities is found to be the greatest. Promoting migration of RBCs with HSR lines is found to be an effective intermediary way of reducing their carbon intensity.

Does low-carbon pilot city program reduce carbon intensity? Evidence from Chinese cities

2021 ◽  
pp. 101450
Author(s):  
Tong Feng ◽  
Zhongguo Lin ◽  
Huibin Du ◽  
Yueming Qiu ◽  
Jian Zuo
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Chinese Cities

An Optimal Model for Low-Carbon Urban Agglomeration Based on Energy Structure Reduction under Uncertainty

2012 ◽  
Vol 599 ◽  
pp. 211-215
Author(s):  
Lun Wang ◽  
Zhao Sun ◽  
Jing Ya Wen ◽  
Zhuang Li ◽  
Wen Jin Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Planning ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Urban Agglomeration ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Energy Structure ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Optimal Model ◽  
The Sustainable Development

This paper developed an optimal model of low-carbon urban agglomeration on the base of energy structure under uncertainty. The case study shows that the carbon intensity was decreased by [32.19, 41.20] (%) and energy intensity was reduced by [34.08, 43.19] (%) compared with those in 2010; meanwhile, the carbon intensity and energy intensity in the core area was reduced by [50.88, 54.11] (%) and [51.24, 54.57] (%) respectively, compared with those in 2010. The optimized scheme could not only meet the requirements of 12th Five-Year Planning Outline of Controlling Greenhouse Gas Emission, but also complied with the requirements of regional planning targets. The established model also provided more decision-making space for the sustainable development of low-carbon urban agglomeration.

scholarly journals Urbanization, Public Finance and Carbon Intensity – Based on Panel Data and Error Correction Model

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Shih-Feng Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Correction Model ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
World Development ◽  
Carbon Economy

<span lang="EN-US">Aiming at six big emerging economies in the world, namely, China, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan, this paper analyzes their carbon emission conditions based on the data of carbon emission, energy consumption and economic development during 1970—2008 from the statistics in the World Development Index Database (WDI) of the World Bank, and carries out empirical analyses based on theories &amp; policies and driving factors of their low carbon economy. It is found that energy intensity, economic growth and urbanization progress exert more remarkable influences on carbon intensity, and the effect of carbon emission reduction depending on government fiancé is not sustainable. Thus, this paper is intended to explain that China needs more actively promoting green sustainable towns with its sustainable development, and developing urban low carbon industries and buildings for more civilized ecological towns.</span>

scholarly journals Thermal system-specific and net-zero carbon least-cost design of new houses in Canadian cold climates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Wilbur
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Heating System ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Zero Carbon

Whole-building model optimizations have been performed for a single-detached house in 5 locations with varying climates, electricity emissions factors, and energy costs. The multi-objective optimizations determine the life-cycle cost vs. operational greenhouse gas emissions Pareto front to discover the 30-year life-cycle least-cost building design heated 1) with natural gas, and 2) electrically using a) central air-source heat pump, b) ductless mini-split heat pump c)ground-source heat pump, and d) electric baseboard, accounting for both initial and operational energy-related costs. A net-zero carbon design with grid-tied photovoltaics is also optimized. Results indicate that heating system type influences the optimal enclosure design, and that neither building total energy use, nor space heating demand correspond to GHG emissions across heating system types. In each location, at least one type of all-electric design has a lower life-cycle cost than the optimized gas-heated model, and such designs can mitigate the majority of operational GHG emissions from new housing in locations with a low carbon intensity electricity supply.

scholarly journals Enterprise Low-Carbon Behavior, Financial Performance and Economic Transformation——Data from Listed Companies in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 275 ◽  
pp. 02004
Author(s):  
Hongmei Sun ◽  
Shuqi Yao ◽  
Mucun Zhai
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Industrial Structure ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Positive Relationships ◽  
Chinese Listed Companies ◽  
Low Carbon Development ◽  
Optimization And Upgrading

The low-carbon development of enterprises is an important breakthrough in Chinese economic transformation and the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure. Based on a sample of Chinese listed companies involved in the low-carbon industry from 2010 to 2018, this paper empirically analyzes the correlation between the low carbon behavior, economic transformation and financial performance of listed companies. The results show that a company’s carbon intensity and financial performance are negatively related, and this relation is more significant when the financial performance is measured using the ROA (return on asset) of listed companies. The level of economic transformation in places where enterprises are located can significantly strengthen the positive relationship between enterprise low-carbon behavior and financial performance, including in central and western areas, where positive relationships are strengthened, and areas with heavy polluting industries, where positive relationships are weakened. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen carbon emission supervision for non-heavy polluting industries and enterprises in the central and western regions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document