{"id":6140,"date":"2026-01-13T07:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T11:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/?page_id=6140"},"modified":"2026-01-13T07:41:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T11:41:32","slug":"sustainability","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/actualidad\/sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sustainability, Vol. 18, Pages 4341: Effective and Sustainable Waste-to-Energy Recovery Using Two-Stage Anaerobic Co-Digestion Systems: A Review<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

por Jasim Al Shehhi<\/a> en 28 de abril de 2026 a las 00:00 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing municipal solid wastes, environmental deterioration, and the world&rsquo;s increasing energy demand highlight the urgent need for effective, sustainable energy recovery solutions. Uncontrolled municipal solid wastes contribute explicitly to the global crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Food and organic waste are converted into value-added products using biochemical and thermochemical techniques. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a versatile, multi-phase waste-to-energy technology that transforms organic waste into renewable energy in an oxygen-free environment. AD uses microorganisms to break down waste, yielding biogas (mostly methane and carbon dioxide) and digestate, a nutrient-fortified by-product. Compared with traditional Single-Stage Anaerobic Digesters (SSAD), Two-Stage Anaerobic Digesters (TSAD) offer notable benefits by separating hydrolysis&ndash;acidogenesis from acetogenesis&ndash;methanogenesis. These include increased methane yield, improved process control, increased microbial stability, and resistance to inhibitory substances. According to the literature, TSAD systems have been shown to increase methane yield by about 10&ndash;30% compared to SSAD. This article covers the dynamics of the microbial population at various stages, the impact of operational factors (HRT, OLR, pH, and temperature), and novel reactor designs with modular and multi-state functions. In line with Oman&rsquo;s Vision 2040, this study discusses the continuous operation of a two-phase AD co-digestion process and the in-depth techno-economic feasibility of decentralized waste management through optimized biogas production. Optimizing the carbon-to-nitrogen (C\/N) ratio within the range of 20&ndash;30 in co-digestion systems significantly enhances microbial activity and methane production. The potential of recent developments, such as microbial immobilization, biogas generation techniques, and hybrid integration with photobioreactors or electrochemical systems, to enhance the scalability and efficiency of bioconversion is addressed in a TSAD system. In addition to encouraging circular economy principles through efficient organic waste valorization, this review identifies TSAD as a promising approach to achieving the SDGs related to sustainable cities, clean energy, and responsible consumption.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sustainability, Vol. 18, Pages 4340: A Study of the Impact of Carbon Pricing on Household Carbon Emissions from the Perspective of Sustainable Development<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

por Shuai Chen<\/a> en 28 de abril de 2026 a las 00:00 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the context of China&rsquo;s &ldquo;Dual Carbon&rdquo; goals, the composite policy mechanism combining carbon trading and carbon taxation is widely considered a key pathway to achieve emission reductions. Although households are a major source of carbon emissions, their consumption behaviour has long remained outside the mainstream carbon reduction system, as existing policies focus primarily on enterprises and lack sufficient household-level participation and incentive mechanisms. Because China has not yet implemented an actual carbon tax, this study uses household high-carbon consumption dependency (HCD) as a proxy variable to capture the hypothetical administrative pressure that a carbon tax would impose on high-carbon consumption. Based on the concept of &ldquo;Carbon Inclusion&rdquo;, we construct an analytical framework for a composite mechanism that combines the carbon trading pilot policy (ETS) with this carbon-tax proxy. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) and a two-way fixed-effects panel model, we empirically test the impact of this composite mechanism on household carbon emissions (total volume) and carbon intensity. The findings show that, while the composite mechanism does not lead to a statistically significant reduction in total household carbon emissions, it effectively lowers household carbon intensity by restraining high-carbon consumption and optimizing the consumption structure. This decoupling of intensity from total volume occurs because the mechanism reduces the share of high-carbon consumption (a compositional effect) but does not suppress total consumption growth (a scale effect). This result remains robust across multiple tests, confirming the policy effectiveness of the composite mechanism at the micro-individual level. By reducing carbon intensity without suppressing total consumption, this mechanism contributes directly to sustainable development, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 13 (Climate Action). The main contributions of this paper are threefold: (1) it moves beyond traditional single-policy or single-agent studies by linking a carbon-trading-and-proxy-carbon-tax composite mechanism with household carbon consumption; (2) it explores a Carbon Inclusion pathway that connects households, enterprises and the nation; and (3) it provides empirical support and a theoretical reference for improving household-level emission reduction policies and promoting public participation in achieving the &ldquo;Dual Carbon&rdquo; goals.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sustainability, Vol. 18, Pages 4345: Latent Profiles of Eco-Anxiety: Resilience, and Vulnerability Factors in a Portuguese-Sample<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

por Paulo Ferraj\u00e3o<\/a> en 28 de abril de 2026 a las 00:00 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eco-anxiety refers to emotional and cognitive responses to environmental degradation and can manifest in both adaptive and maladaptive forms. This study aimed to identify distinct eco-anxiety profiles and examine their associations with resilience and vulnerability factors in a sample of 917 Portuguese-speaking adults. Latent profile analysis revealed five profiles: adaptive eco-anxiety, highly impaired maladaptive eco-anxiety, psychological distress independent of eco-anxiety, non-anxious\/disengaged, and moderate I I have separated the addresses into different affiliations.have separated the addresses into different affiliations.eco-anxiety. These profiles differed significantly in psychological symptomatology, nature connectedness, pro-environmental attitudes, and prior exposure to cumulative social and environmental stressors. Higher-distress profiles were more likely among younger individuals, women, urban residents, unemployed participants, those without children, individuals with a prior psychiatric history, and those reporting direct exposure to drought. In contrast, stronger environmental identity and greater engagement with natural environments were associated with adaptive eco-anxiety, suggesting protective and resilience-promoting mechanisms. Overall, the findings highlight the multidimensional and heterogeneous nature of eco-anxiety and its complex relationship with psychological well-being and environmental engagement. Tailored interventions that promote adaptive coping, strengthen psychological resources, and facilitate access to natural environments may help mitigate maladaptive distress while supporting constructive environmental concern and action.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sustainability, Vol. 18, Pages 4343: Environmental and Technical Assessment of HVO-Based Renewable Drilling Fluid<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

por Fernando Fabris Vieira<\/a> en 28 de abril de 2026 a las 00:00 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renewable drilling fluids have attracted considerable focus due to their impact on marine ecosystems. Regulatory agencies utilize environmental evaluations to oversee the use and discharge of chemicals in marine environments. Common non-aqueous drilling fluids are derived from n-paraffin and internal olefins, with research highlighting biodiesel and ester-based fluids for their non-toxicity and biodegradability under anaerobic conditions, although their performance may vary. This study focused on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a base fluid, comparing it with an olefin fluid. Commercially sourced HVO was evaluated at a 60\/40 oil-to-water ratio, typical of inverse emulsion fluids. The analysis included rheological properties, filtration, electrical stability, and ecotoxicological aspects. The HVO-based fluid exhibited strong electrical stability (&gt;200 V), appropriate rheological behavior, thixotropic properties, and promising biodegradability, achieving 75% biodegradation in 28 days. The data show HVO&rsquo;s potential for formulating effective non-aqueous inverse emulsion drilling fluids with suitable viscosity and gel strength.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sustainability, Vol. 18, Pages 4349: Structural Shifts and Sustainable Futures: Transforming Higher Education for the Climate Century<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

por Danielle Wood<\/a> en 28 de abril de 2026 a las 00:00 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we best leverage higher education to address the pressing issues we face? While the SDGs reflect a global landscape dominated by complex, interconnected &lsquo;wicked&rsquo; problems, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) remain largely tethered to siloed, decontextualized instructional models. The inability of HEIs to shift practices to foster transversal, 21st-century skills necessary to navigate uncertain futures is a critical competency gap. This paper highlights the transformative potential of challenge-based learning (CBL) and place-based learning (PBL), high-impact experiential pedagogies, as critical tools for sustainability transformations. The Consortium for Adaptive Futures, an interdisciplinary and transnational community of practice, was launched in early 2025 to promote co-learning among faculty from North America and Europe for these practices. Drawing on insights from an inaugural symposium in Dublin, we identify three critical elements to HEI transformations that support sustainability and 21st-century skills to address grand challenges. These are: the importance of real-world relevance in education; the need for pedagogical shifts and faculty development to support these new roles; and the essential role of supportive institutional structures and resources to enable sustained engagement. In doing so, we issue a call to arms to HEIs and forward a reimagining of undergraduate education.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"parent":818,"menu_order":22,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_mc_calendar":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6140","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6140"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6144,"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6140\/revisions\/6144"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cent.uo.edu.cu\/cemzoc-uo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}