Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Curbing Environmental Degradation To Balance Sustainable Development: Evidence From China, Muneza Kagzi, Vishal Dagar, Nadia Doytch, Deepika Krishnan, Manisha Raj

Ateneo School of Government Publications

To achieve the goals of sustainable development, it is crucial to check the balance of increased level of international trade along with financial development, foreign direct investment (FDI), energy consumption, and institutional advancement with the quality of the environment. This study focuses on how these variables have caused environmental degradation in China. To achieve Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), i.e. to increase the nation's resilience to natural disasters and hazards related to climate change, to promote climate action and safeguard life as part of sustainable development, this involves the analysis of time-series data sets from 1975 to …

Energy Intensity Convergence Among Chinese Provinces: A Theil Index Decomposition Analysis, Yifan Wang, Wei Li, Nadia Doytch

Ateneo School of Government Publications

China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, has one of the most stringent provincial emissions reduction programs, incorporated into its Five-Year National Plan to reduce carbon emissions. However, the widening energy intensity gap between provinces poses a great challenge for carbon reduction. In this study, we analyze the convergence of Energy intensity (EIC), i.e., the time-dependent decrease of differences among regional energy intensity over time focusing on a data set of 30 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2015. Our goal is to identify the provinces that are responsible for the observed divergence in energy intensity and identify the factors causing that …

Satellite Observations Indicate That Chia Uses Less Water Than Other Crops In Warm Climates, Brian Kirsch, Joshua B. Fisher, Thomas Piechota, Mohammad Hassani, Diego C. Suardiaz, Radhika Puri, Joseph Cahill, Hagop S. Atamian

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Many parts of the world face severe and prolonged drought conditions, stressing the sustainability of water resources and agriculture. Transitioning to water-efficient crops is one strategy that can help adapt to water scarcity. An emerging drought-tolerant crop of interest is chia (Salvia hispanica). Yet, no study has compared its large-scale water use dynamics to those of widely established crops across the globe. Here, we use satellite data over multiple years to assess the water use efficiency of chia, alfalfa, corn, and soybean globally. Results show that chia consumed 13-38% less water than alfalfa, corn, and soy and assimilated …

Impacts Of Climate Change In The United States, Nathan T. Thompson

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Climate change, a shift in long-term climate patterns primarily driven by anthropogenic factors, poses a super wicked problem impacting every sector and region globally, including the United States. This paper explores the scientific basis of climate change, its contributing factors, and the myriad consequences on terrestrial and aquatic systems, as well as mental health. Notably, the emission of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels and agricultural activities is the primary cause, exacerbated by ideological division and psychological distance. The U.S. has seen some progress with a 7% decrease in emissions over the past 30 years and a growing shift toward renewable …

Policies And Programs For Water-Wise Residential Landscaping In Utah, Charlotte Clark, Kendall Becker, Scott Hotaling

All Current Publications

Water-wise landscaping is the practice of using plants in a landscape that are adapted to local conditions and only need small amounts of water. Converting yards to water-wise landscaping conserves water and is a climate adaptation action residents can take to benefit Utah as temperatures rise and drought becomes more common. Many policies and programs in Utah help residents use water conscientiously and make changes. This fact sheet provides information regarding current and future water-wise landscaping policies and programs in Utah.

Climate Smart Agriculture, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

There are several programs encouraging producers to reduce their carbon intensity, including United States Department of Agriculture climate-smart agriculture programs, the 2024 Nebraska Climate Action Plan, and the 2024 Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act. The hope is that producers with lower carbon intensity (CI) scores will receive a premium for their products. Producers would be well advised to learn more about these programs, as reducing carbon intensity in agriculture seems to be an emerging agricultural policy trend that will be with us for some time to come.

Economic Impacts Of Establishing A Neutron Source Facility In Windsor, Abdur Rahman

Major Papers

Cancer poses a significant health challenge in Canada, with two in five individuals likely to develop the disease. This paper explores the economic impacts of establishing a prototype compact accelerator-based neutron source (PC-CANS) facility in Windsor that will produce medical isotopes locally in Windsor, Ontario, rather than relying on centralized production and transportation from London, Ontario. Fluorine-18 medical isotopes, crucial for positron emission tomography (PET) scans, experience significant decay losses during transportation due to their short half-life of 109.8 minutes, increasing costs and restricting availability. Using a differential analysis approach, the study quantifies economic benefits, focusing on three main impacts: …

Method Of Selecting The Optimal Variant Of Mine Closure With The Possibility Of Capturing Methane From Underground Excavations, Marian Turek, Małgorzata Magdziarczyk

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The article presents a method of selecting the optimal option for the closure of a coal mine, from which it is planned to capture the methane remaining in the goaf and deposit it for many years for its economic use. Using the example of several options for the closure of one of the mines, for which the evaluation criteria have been defined, and the weights of their relevance have been determined, it is described how to create a special algorithm for the selection of the optimal option.

Application Of Haines And Terbrugge Chart For Suitable Slope Angles – A Case Study Of Artisanal And Small-Scale Mining, Carol Mgiba, Steven Rupprecht

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Significant hazards in Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) are rock failure and slope collapse caused by overly steep pit walls, poor mine design and water pressure. There is a lack of expertise and capital in ASM. Providing a simple and cost-effective slope stability analysis and designing systems that can mitigate the risk of slope collapse is essential. This article aims to assess whether stability charts and estimations can be used to establish suitable slope angles to mitigate the overwhelming cases of slope collapse in ASM. The Bieniawski’s Rock Mass Rating system and Heins and Terbrugge stability chart were used to …

Utilization Of Solar And Wind Power-Generation Systems In The Mining Industry: Recent Trends And Future Prospects, Elaheh Mohammadi Valikandi, Yosoon Choi

Journal of Sustainable Mining

In recent years, the mining industry has faced many challenges, such as rising demand, fluctuating energy prices, increasing energy consumption due to declining ore grades, and environmental concerns. According to the Paris Agreement, countries worldwide must focus on decarbonizing their economies to mitigate the global average surface temperature growth. This paper reviews how renewable energy, specifically photovoltaic and wind power systems, can be used to tackle some of these challenges. Operating mines globally, like the South Deep gold mine in South Africa and the MA'ADEN Alumina Refinery in Saudi Arabia, and abandoned mines, such as former coal mines in the …

A Step By Step Shoreline Attribute Analysis For Selected Waterbodies In The Gulf Of Mexico To Promote The Use Of Living Shorelines, Christoper Boyd, Xutong Niu, Taylor R. Horn

The Journal of Extension

Living Shorelines are being promoted by coastal extension professionals as a more resilient nature-based solution to control shoreline erosion. The Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences Living Shorelines Suitability Model was run in selected waterbodies within the Gulf of Mexico.

The locations of the selected water bodies, coastal data sets used, and shoreline protection recommendations generated by the Model are presented. A step-by-step statistical analysis conducted through ArcGIS Pro from these selected coastal shorelines will illustrate how extension professionals with novice GIS experience can use the model output to promote living shorelines to coastal property owners, city managers, and developers.

How Much Green To Keep The Garden Clean? An Analysis Of The Willingness To Pay (Wtp) Of Home Gardeners For Biowrap Technology, Gengchen Kai, Kanji Fatema, Karina Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

A research team from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, and South Dakota School of Mines are working on creating an alternative product that would use locally available materials to create a spray-on, biodegradable polymer that can suppress weeds and will biodegrade in a timeframe that is amenable to crop production. We broadly refer to this technology as BioWRAP (Bioplastics with Regenerative Agricultural Properties).

Our results show that the home garden market is potentially a significant one for a BioWRAP product. Continued work in the development of the BioWRAP technology is necessary to determine what the cost of a …

Polish Energy Sector’S Dependence On Lignite Mining: The Process Of Transition, Marek Widera, Wojciech Naworyta, Paweł Urbański

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This opinion study is devoted to the role of lignite in the Polish energy sector in recent decades, i.e., after the collapse of communism in 1989. Lignite is the primary source of electricity in Poland, second only to hard coal. More than 25–35% of Polish electricity was generated by lignite-fired power plants in 1990–2022. To meet the needs of the energy industry, 46–70 Mt of lignite was mined annually in that period. Hence, Poland was, and still is, one of the world leaders in lignite production. Despite the ongoing transition of the Polish energy sector, changes occur very slowly due …

A Petrophysical Modeling-Guided Method For Predicting Parameters Of Low-Permeability Reservoirs, Wang Rui, Li Fang, Liu Shiyou, Sun Wanyuan, Li Songling, Huang Sheng

Coal Geology & Exploration

Backgroud Accurately predicting reservoir parameters is significant for characterizing subsurface reservoirs, establishing gas accumulation patterns, releasing production capacity, and understanding fluid migration. The traditional approaches based on core measurement or mathematical-petrophysical modeling are limited by the strong multiplicity of solutions and low accuracy of elastic parameters inversion results, making it difficult to meet the demands of modern exploration.Objective and Methods To more effectively predict reservoir parameters, this study proposed a petrophysical modeling-guided method for predicting parameters of low-permeability reservoirs. With the convolutional neural network (CNN) as a deep learning framework, the proposed method can predict water saturation, clay content, …

Processing Of Impulse Noise In Magnetotelluric Data Based On Bidirectional Recurrent Imputation, Yang Kai, Liu Cheng, Li Han, He Jinglong

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Magnetotelluric sounding is an exploration method to obtain the underground electrical structure by observing the natural electromagnetic field, which is easily disturbed by noise. Impulse noise, frequently occurring in magnetotelluric sounding, generally exhibits high amplitude and wide frequency bands, producing significant impacts on the data quality. Methods To suppress such noise, this study proposed a method based on a bidirectional recurrent imputation for time series (BRITS) model. First, the data segments with noise interference were deleted. Second, for the magnetotelluric time series with missing data to be imputed, training sets were constructed for imputation training of the BRITS model. …

Structure Optimization Of Foam Generator For Soft Coal Seam And Foaming Effect Simulation, Jin Xin

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The application of air screw drilling technology in gas drainage borehole within soft coal seam presents challenges, including severe dust pollution, low drill bit lifespan, and great difficulty in borehole purification. The use of air screw foam drilling technology is an effective way to solve the problem. A foam generator with good foaming performance is one of the keys to implementing the foam drilling technology. However, most current foam generators could not meet the requirements. Methods In response to this issue, a small-sized foam generator was designed based on the spiral foam generator, with an air kinetic energy conversion …

Characteristics Of Gas Bursting And Application Of Layered Cutting Drilling In Outburst Coal Seam, Wang Yonglong, Zhao Aoqi, Yu Zaijiang, Wang Zhenfeng, Liu Xiao, Ma Denghui, Zhang Hui, Liu Chun

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The overlimit gas bursting in the drilling process of outburst coal seam is a safety hazard that threatens the efficient production of the mine. The layered cutting drilling method helps to weaken the burst gas pressure in the borehole, but the characteristics of gas release around the trapezoidal borehole formed by layered cutting are unknown, which limits the structural design and application effect of the layered cutting drilling tool. Methods Herein, study was conducted based on the layered cutting boreholes with different layer spacing and layer thickness difference. Specifically, a mathematical model was established to analyze the gas flow …

Table Of Contents, The Editors

Coal Geology & Exploration

No abstract provided.

Critical Drilling And Completion Techniques For Deep Coalbed Methane In The Shenfu Block And Their Applications, Wang Peng, Li Bin, Wang Kunjian, Zhang Hongjie, Zhang Yingchun, Du Jia, Zhang Linqiang, Wang Xiaoqi, Su Haiyan, Chen Guanghui, Yang Ruiyue

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Deep coal seams exhibit high in-situ stress, moderate to high temperatures, ultra-low permeability, high compressibility, and significant heterogeneity, leading to the absence of mature technical systems for their exploitation presently. The complex geological characteristics of deep coal seams pose new technical challenges to their drilling and completion engineering, rendering it urgent to tackle theoretical and technical challenges in drilling and completion tailored to the geological characteristics of deep coal seam reservoirs. The purpose is to achieve the reserve growth and production addition of hydrocarbons in order to guarantee China’s strategic energy security. Methods Based on the pilot tests for …

Technology For Efficient Production Of Deep Coalbed Methane In The Shenfu Block, Li Bin, Yang Fan, Zhang Hongjie, Feng Lei, An Qi, Hao Zhaobing

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Deep coalbed methane (CBM), representing one crucial resource successor for ensuring the oil and gas security of China and achieving peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality of the country, exhibits broad prospects for production. However, due to the small low universality of CBM production technologies under varying geological conditions, a technology that has been successfully applied in some blocks cannot be directly extended to other blocks. This leads to blind deployment of well types and well patterns in the early-stage exploration and development of new blocks to a certain extent. Given this, it is necessary to develop a …

Production Characteristics Of Deep Coalbed Methane Wells In The Linxing Block And Associated Their Influencing Factors, Wang Zhizhuang, Wu Peng, Sun Qiang, Liu Rui, Wang Lingbo

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The production characteristics of deep coalbed methane (CBM) are significantly distinguished from those of middle-shallow CBM, and even the production wells of deep CBM within the same block exhibit different characteristics. Given that relevant research remains in its exploratory stage, gaining a deeper understanding of the factors influencing the differences in production characteristics of deep CBM is significant for the production capacity prediction and production management of the subsequent large-scale production stage. Methods To determine the production characteristics of deep CBM in the Linxing block and their influencing factors, this study examined geological engineering factors including gas content, coal …

Optimization Of Schemes For Multi-Reservoir Commingled Fracturing Of Coal Measures In The Linxing Block, Wang Bo, Zhang Bing, Mi Honggang, Du Jia, Duan Jiajia, Cui Shuhui, Zhang Haozhe, Fu Tianyu

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The coal-bearing strata in the Linxing block on the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin exhibit the alternating occurrence of multiple sequences and vertical thin layers (interlayers). Therefore, multi-reservoir commingled fracturing is essential for the cost-effective, efficient exploitation of coal-measure gas from these coal-bearing strata. The key to successful multi-reservoir commingled fracturing is the achievement of expected fracture heights. The current challenges include the unclear vertically extended distance and morphologies of fractures, along with great deviations between the predicted and actual fracture heights, significantly affecting the volume of reservoirs for production growth. Methods Based on the in-situ stresses on …

Pore Structure And Differential Fluid Occurrence Of Deep Coal Seams, Wu Jian, Sun Qiang, Shi Xuefeng, Gao Lijun

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Breakthroughs have been achieved in deep coalbed methane (CBM) exploration along the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin, exhibiting the characteristics of local breakthroughs but regional differential CBM production in multiple blocks. The pores and fractures in deep coal reservoirs, serving as the material spaces for fluid occurrence and occurrence, are critical to the differential development across deep CBM blocks. Methods In this study, coal samples were collected systematically from the deep part of the Shenfu block located along the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin. Using conventional tests on porosity, permeability, and physical properties, as well as CO …

Periodic Roof Deformation And Failure And Associated Water Inflow Characteristics During The Mining Of Typical Coal Seams In The Inner Mongolia-Shaanxi Contiguous Area, Zhou Zhenfang, Dong Shuning, Dong Yang, Luo Shenghu, Xue Jiankun, Wang Zhizhou, Wang Shuxuan, Shang Hongbo, Wang Tiantian, Wang Yutong, Wang Tong

Coal Geology & Exploration

[Objective] The disturbance of coal mine mining damages the aquifer/aquiclude structures of the overburden, causing concentrated water inflow and further affecting safe production in mines. [Methods] Using methods of the physical simulation of similar materials, numerical simulation, and on-site in situ monitoring, this study investigated the water inflow during the mining of the dominant 3-1 coal seam, typically influenced by water in sandstones on the coal seam roof, in the Inner Mongolia-Shaanxi contiguous area. By comparing the measured data of mines with similar geological and mining conditions in the surrounding area, this study delved into the periodic evolutionary patterns of …

A Cylindrical Permeation And Diffusion Model For Bingham Grout In Water-Rich Sand Layers And Its Experimental Research, Wang Xuesong, Cheng Hua, Yao Zhishu, Rong Chuanxin, Xie Bao

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The disaster prevention and control for water-rich sand layers pose a major challenge to the safe construction of tunnels and deep foundation pits. Typically, the impermeability and bearing capacity of highly water-rich and weakly cemented sand layers are enhanced through permeation grouting via sleeve valve tubes, with resulting grouting concretions being approximately cylindrical. Methods To explore the cylindrical diffusion mechanism of permeation grouting in sand layers, this study constructed a cylindrical diffusion model of radial tube flow for the permeation grouting of Bingham grout in sand layers while considering the tortuosity effects. Subsequently, this study developed a set of …

A Non-Uniform Interpolation Method For Seismic Data Based On A Diffusion Probabilistic Model, Chen Yao, Yu Siwei, Lin Rongzhi

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective The non-uniform interpolation of seismic data is identified as a prolonged challenge in energy exploration. Since geophones cannot be precisely placed at positions corresponding to theoretical grid points, current uniform interpolation techniques frequently suffer deviations and detail distortion. Methods This study proposed a novel non-uniform interpolation method based on a diffusion probabilistic model, which is an emerging generative model in deep learning that involves the diffusion and generation processes. In the diffusion process, noise is added to the complete seismic data iteratively to train the denoising capability of the neural network. In the generation process, the neural network is …

Enrichment Patterns And Exploration Countermeasures Of Deep Coalbed Methane In The Linxing-Shenfu Block On The Eastern Margin Of The Ordos Basin, Xu Changgui, Ji Hongquan, Wang Cunwu, Zhu Xueshen

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Some insights have been gained into the enrichment and accumulation patterns of deep coalbed methane (CBM) in high-rank coal seams on the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin, represented by the Daning-Jixian block. However, the exploration of deep CBM in medium-rank coal seams in the Linxing-Shenfu block, located in the northern segment of the basin's eastern margin remains in its initial stage, leading to an inaccurate and unclear understanding of the enrichment and accumulation patterns. This necessitates summarizing these patterns to effectively guide deep CBM exploration and exploitation. Methods Focusing on the Nos.8 and 9 coal seams of the …

Discovery Of A Large Gas Field Of Deep Coalbed Methane In The Shenfu Block And Its Implications, Zhu Guanghui, Ji Hongquan, Mi Honggang, Zhang Yingchun, Sun Qiang, Zhao Wei, Zhu Xueshen, Kang Lifang, Wang Yuchuan

Coal Geology & Exploration

Background After explorations of unconventional natural gas for nearly two decades in the Shenfu block on the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin, deep coalbed methane (CBM) with reserves of 100 billion m³ was discovered in this block in 2023. However, the preliminary exploration of deep CBM in this block faces challenges of insufficient understanding of geological laws, immature fracturing technologies, and a lack of production technologies and experience.Methods and Results Driven by both management and technological innovations, encouraging exploration results have been achieved. The management innovations include: (1) The implementation of a complementary and three-dimensional exploration model …

Predicting The “Sweet Spot” Of Deep Coalbed Methane Based On Resource Conditions And Fracability, Zhao Zhigang, Zhu Xueshen, Wang Cunwu, Zhu Yanhe, Lyu Yumin, Chen Silu, Qi Yu, Tian Yongjing

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective China has made breakthroughs in the exploration of large-scale deep coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs along the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin. However, effectively converting the reserves of these reservoirs into production and achieving their efficient exploitation remain unclear. Methods Based on the geological, tests, fracturing, and production performance data, this study conducted research into the assessment of geological-engineering dual “sweet spots” of deep CBM in the southern Shenfu block by focusing on the resource conditions and fracability of deep CBM reservoirs. [Results and Conclusions] Key findings are as follows: (1) The study area hosts suitable coal-forming facies zones …

Mechanical Characteristics And Fracture Propagation Mechanism Of Deep Coal Reservoirs In The Shenfu Block, Mi Honggang, Wu Jian, Peng Wenchun, Xu Lifu, Li Yong

Coal Geology & Exploration

[Objective] Clarifying the mechanical properties and in-situ stress distributions of coal seams, along with the mechanisms behind their control over the morphologies and propagation behavior of artificially induced fractures, is crucial to the fracturing design, well pattern deployment, and coalbed methane (CBM) production of deep coal seams. [Methods] This study investigated the Nos. 8 and 9 coal seams of the Taiyuan Formation in the Shenfu block in the northern portion of the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin. Using data from sonic logging, density logging, injection/falloff well tests, and production, this study systematically analyzed the mechanical …