Water and energy are inextricably connected as water is needed for energy development and vice versa. This linkage is referred to as water-energy nexus, which highlights the need for integrated management and study of both resources. The nexus becomes even more complicated with climate change as both resources are greatly impacted by climate change. This study is aimed to assess the impact of climate change on water demand by thermoelectric power plants. The Integrated Environmental Control Model (IECM) and the Global Climate Model (GCM) are integrated to simulate water demand under future climate scenarios. The daily, monthly, and yearly water demand by selected thermoelectric power plants in Illinois are examined to explore the temporal patterns of climate change impact on water-energy nexus. Initial results showed that water use is more sensitive to shorter timescales. Compared with water withdrawal, water consumption is more sensitive to climate change.  This approach is also coupled with a hydrological model, specifically, a HSPF model, to assess the water supply risks to thermoelectric power plants in the future climate scenarios.

How to cite: Zhang, Z., Wang, Y., De La Guardia, L., and Dang, W.: Water supply risks for thermoelectric power plants considering climate change , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-79, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-79, 2024.

Bifacial solar modules and solar trackers are experiencing worldwide rapid development, and they are proven to be effective in increase solar power generation. This study presents a comprehensive worldwide assessment on technical and economic potential of combination of mono or bifacial photovoltaic modules with different solar trackers based on a high-quality long-term solar radiation dataset and a physical model chain. Impact factors such as topography, land suitability, etc. were taken into consideration when evaluating electricity generation potential. Overall, bifacial photovoltaic modules can increase power generation and lower levelized tariffs globally. Solar trackers can increase the efficiency of PV panels, but reduce the total power generation due to lower land utilization. Fixed bifacial modules contributed the highest total global power generation of 2217 PWh and the lowest average global levelized cost of electricity of 3.6. The spatial distribution of the optimal PV module and solar tracker combination is also revealed by this study. Furthermore, there is a significant mismatch between energy generation and demand, despite the fact that total global electricity generation potential far exceeds total electricity demand. Countries with 70% of the total generation potential consume less than 20 % of the demand. Distributed PV may contribute to solving this problem. As for the environmental and ecological impact, the global carbon reduction and loss in ecosystems service values are 1205 million Mt and 3244 million dollars per year, respectively. The Sahara Desert and Western Asia, with high power generation potential and low ecological costs, serve to be hotspots for photovoltaic. This study providing guidance for selecting, sitting and deploying different solar modules combination, and emphasize the ecological and environmental impact of solar panels.

How to cite: Shao, C., Yang, K., and Zhang, X.: Global technical, economic and ecological performance of different solar photovoltaic modules , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-1956, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-1956, 2024.

As global efforts towards achieving net-zero targets continue to grow, countries experiencing a surge in demand for renewable energy infrastructure may encounter competition due to uneven production capacities. Currently, European renewable energy infrastructure depends on limited suppliers and technologies, which have the potential to be diversified and robustified. This work aims to explore the potential supply chain transition of net-zero European renewable energy infrastructure and evaluate it in terms of environmental impacts, policy robustness, and economic costs. Based on results from scenario analysis, we find that the trade-offs always exist, i.e., sustainability, reliability, and affordability cannot be simultaneously achieved in a single scenario. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the close interaction of European renewable energy infrastructure with global capacity and market, indicating the need for a holistic approach in addressing the challenges of achieving a sustainable and resilient energy future.

How to cite: Cui, C.: Sustainable, Reliable, or Affordable: The Future European Renewable Energy Infrastructure, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-12941, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-12941, 2024.

Energy storage is vital to buffer intermittency in power supplies comprised largely or wholly of variable sources (e.g. wind, solar) at large and small scale. Present technologies and those in development (e.g. electrochemical cells) have disadvantages (e.g. cost, resource use, chemical hazard) whilst the capacity required is extremely large and widely distributed. Storage is needed for burgeoning off-grid small-scale infrastructure such as sensor networks as well as larger scale power sources. To address challenges with current technologies we demonstrate the ability of the pedosphere to store electrical energy and act as a natural, biogeochemical battery. The pedosphere, consisting of porous geomaterials such as soil and sediment, is an extensive potential energy repository covering much of the Earth and underpins most infrastructure or situations where power is generated or required. This pre-existing capacity has the potential to simplify energy storage and the installation and management of power generating or consuming infrastructure.

In this study the concept of such ‘geo-batteries’ is demonstrated. Controlled microbial synthesis of simple organic molecules in natural porous media (estuarine sediment) is shown, with this organic matter acting as an accessible form of energy storage. When combined with the employment of a microbial fuel cell to extract this energy electrically through degradation of the organic molecules, a battery is formed, with external control over energy input and output through switching of charging and discharging cycles.

This project received funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, grant no. EP/X018865/1.

How to cite: Harbottle, M., Smith, H., Kennedy, J., Sapsford, D., Cleall, P., Weightman, A., and Carlos, U.-L.: Microbially mediated energy storage in the pedosphere , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-9593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-9593, 2024.

Geosystem services as a concept allow for understanding the benefits that are gained from abiotic processes and structures that contribute to human welfare. These services are obtained from the diversity of the geosystem (of which the subsurface is a part) are often overlooked and undervalued. Intense anthropogenic utilization of these finite services, emphasizes the need for pre-emptive management of the subsurface. While the concept of geosystem services allows for capturing the plurality of the subsurface (in terms of different functions and services), it is often under-emphasized in subsurface management. The objective of this paper is to systematically review the existing approaches for the management of geosystem services in literature and contextualize the principle of sustainable scale in terms of a conceptual scheme for the subsurface. The systematic review's findings reveal a lack of comprehensive discussions on the management of geosystem services. Instead, the current discourse revolves around identifying various components that require management and emphasizing the necessity for active management. Although the articles propose recommendations for the management of geosystem services, they lack a set of operationalized principles that can be used by policymakers. To establish a conceptual scheme for the sustainable management of the services obtained from the services, the principle of sustainable scale as found in the literature of Ecological Economics was contextualized. The proposed conceptual scheme resulted in the following key aspects: (a) connects the subsurface characteristics (e.g. replenishment rates, different functions) and the nature of benefits (economic, environmental, and social) (b) provides the conceptual basis for defining the scale of subsurface utilization based on the type of service and its regeneration rate.

How to cite: Eswaran, A., Compernolle, T., and Piessens, K.: Sustainable Scale for Geosystem Services Use: Addressing the missing link in subsurface management, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-19931, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-19931, 2024.

With the green transition in Europe from fossil fuels to renewable energy, it will significantly change the demand for raw materials. The European Union’s new growth strategy focuses on sustainability. While doing so, the intent is to reduce the dependency on non-EU countries regarding the raw materials supply. Access to raw materials has been questioned by the European Commission for twenty years as it is foreseen as new “oil and gas”. The transition requires using carbon-free energy resources and electric vehicles which leads to a great need for raw materials that are used in the production of wind turbines, solar panels and batteries, etc. However, Europe is mostly dependent on non-EU countries which poses a risk of supply chain disruptions, as witnessed in the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

In this study, silicon (Si) metal, one of the critical raw materials having high economic value, will be investigated in terms of its usage, substitution, supply, demand, and future strategies. Si metal is used in aluminum alloys, electronic, chemical, and photovoltaic applications. Green transition and autonomy in the mineral supply chain in Europe both require upscaling mining and supply from secondary materials/recycling of critical raw materials. However, there is almost no recycling of Si metal since it is mostly dispersive in metallic alloys and chemical applications. Thus, mining should be considered as the main activity for the security and sustainability of the Si metal supply chain. This implies that Europe will need to overcome several disadvantages such as no sufficient exploration of resources, public opposition to mining and complex permitting procedures, since it is not given the priority to produce their raw materials. Considering the disadvantages, it is estimated that the upscaling of the mining activities will take 10 to 15 years.

Today, China controls 76% of the Si metal global supply which increased by 10% since 2020 and USA shares 8 %, Brazil 7 % Norway 6 % of global production. Norway shares about 50% of the Si metal produced in Europe and there are high-purity quartz deposits distributed across the country. Furthermore, Norway possesses renewable and cheaper electricity, which is typically the most costly element in producing metals, in addition to its natural resources. The availability of affordable power will most likely become more crucial in the future as energy sources shift from hydrocarbons to green energy sources. Finland is assumed to have a high-quality reserve, while the exact quantities are unknown. In Greenland, although the purity is unknown, the reserves are thought to be substantial. Sweden is also known to have potential reserves of high-quality quartz. As a result, this study will elaborate on the potential leading role of northern countries in meeting Europe's Si metal needs in the path of green transition.

How to cite: Akyıldız, O.: The Importance of Silicon Metal on the Green Transition and the Role of Northern Countries in the Silicon Metal Market, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-4042, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-4042, 2024.

The dissolution and diffusion process of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) in aqueous solutions are critical in the formation of many metal deposits and the stability of H₂S hydrate also play an important role in natural gas exploitation and transportation due to the tendency of H₂S to form hydrate at low temperature and high pressure, which can lead to pipeline blockage. In this study, the solubility and diffusion coefficient of H₂S in water and brine as well as the stable conditions of H₂S hydrates have been determined using fused silica capillary cell, high pressure optical cell, high pressure reactor, and Raman spectrometers.The details are as follows: (1) H₂S solubility data in water were obtained at temperatures up to 573 K and pressures up to 100 MPa. These new data extend the predictable range of previous models. (2) The diffusion coefficients of H₂S in water at 0.1–2 MPa and 273.1–373.1 K and in four brine solutions (0.62, 1, 2, and 3 mol•kg⁻¹ NaCl) at 1 MPa and 273.1–373.1 K were determined. The results showed that the diffusion coefficient increased with the temperature and was inhibited by salinity. (3) The stability of H₂S hydrate in water and brine including NaCl, KCl, MgCl₂, NH₄Cl, Na₂SO₄ and K₂SO₄ at the temperature range from 273.4 to 298.8 K, pressure ranging from 1.13 to 21.90 bar, and salinity from 3.4-20.0 wt.% were investigated. The results showed that the inhibitory effect of six electrolytes on H₂S hydrate formation is in the order of MgCl₂ > NH₄Cl > NaCl > KCl > Na₂SO₄ = K₂SO₄.

How to cite: Jiang, L., Wu, C., Sun, J., and Lin, J.: Determination of the solubility, diffusion coefficient and hydrate stability of hydrogen sulfide in water and brine, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-7342, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-7342, 2024.

Precisely determining lithology and petrophysical parameters, including core-calibrated porosity and water saturation, is crucial for reservoir characterization. The traditional method of manually interpreting well-log data is not only time-consuming but also prone to human errors. To address these challenges in identifying lithology and estimating petrophysical parameters in Athabasca Oil Sands region, this study introduces a novel solution using the AutoRegressive Vision Transformer (ARViT) model for accurate prediction. ARViT improves upon the ViT framework by integrating sequential dependencies into its output. The self-attention mechanism and auto-regression are key features that enable ARViT to systematically process data, capturing detailed spatial dependencies in well-log data. This empowers the model to discern subtle spatial and temporal relationships among various geophysical measurements. In essence, ARViT's incorporation of sequential information through its auto-regression mechanism on top of ViT enhances its ability to comprehensively model complex relationships within well-log data. In this study, a multitask learning approach is embraced to enhance the model's interpretability and efficiency. This methodology involves optimizing the model's performance across multiple tasks simultaneously. By doing so, the model gains a broader understanding of diverse tasks and benefits from shared knowledge and features across these tasks. This collaborative optimization contributes to a more robust and versatile model, ultimately improving its overall perflormance and interpretability. To evaluate the effectiveness of the ARViT model, we conducted a comprehensive series of experiments and comparative analyses, contrasting its performance with conventional artificial neural networks (ANN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and ViT models. Furthermore, to illustrate the versatility of ARViT, we apply Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) to a different, smaller dataset of well-log, showcasing its ability to adapt effectively to various geological contexts. LoRA becomes particularly crucial in this context, as it not only enhances the model's adaptability but also plays a vital role in reducing the number of trainable parameters. This reduction not only contributes to computational efficiency but is essential for preventing overfitting and ensuring optimal performance across different datasets. Our findings demonstrate the consistent superiority of ARViT over ANN, LSTM, and ViT in accurately estimating lithological and petrophysical parameters. This is highlighted by ARViT's remarkable Lithological Accuracy of 96.51%, surpassing the baseline ANN's 73.18%, LSTM's 89.80%, and ViT's 93.23%. The substantial reduction in Mean Squared Error (MSE) for porosity, decreasing from 0.0007 (ANN) to 0.0004 (ARViT), and water saturation, decreasing from 0.022 (ANN) to 0.005 (ARViT), further emphasizes ARViT's exceptional performance in providing precise and reliable predictions across various metrics. The application of LoRA yields notable enhancements in ARViT's performance metrics. Specifically, in terms of Lithology Accuracy, ARViT-LoRA showcases a significant improvement, soaring from 88.74% (ARViT-Scratch) to an impressive 97.22%. Additionally, the implementation of LoRA resulted in a significant reduction of GPU consumption by 25%. While lithology prediction has been a well-explored field, ARViT distinguishes itself through its exclusive combination of features, encompassing a self-attention mechanism, auto-regressive nature, and multitask approach, coupled with effective fine-tuning using LoRA. This unique combination positions ARViT as a valuable tool for addressing intricate challenges of lithology prediction and petrophysical parameter estimation.

How to cite: Nasim, M. Q., Singha Roy, P. N., and Mitra, A.: Joint Optimization of Lithology and Petrophysical Parameters in Athabasca Oil Sands Using Self-Attention Mechanism, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-14109, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-14109, 2024.

In the context of a circular economy, increasing the durability of existing infrastructure is of paramount importance. Roads are the lifelines of the modern economy, and it is imperative to increase their lifespan as part of sustainable growth. Most conventional roads are a mixture of rock aggregate and bitumen. The region where bitumen meets aggregate in any asphalt mix experiences a complex interaction between electrostatic, chemical, and mechanical forces resulting in the formation of an Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) (Zhu et al. 2017). More specifically, there is a complex behavior of materials that could result from three different types of interaction between the aggregates, fillers, and bitumen: i) physisorption ii) chemisorption iii) mechanical interlocking (Pasandín and Perez 2015).

The integrity of the ITZ is one of the crucial factors for the overall durability of any mixture containing aggregate and binding materials. Due to the complex interaction of different minerals, present in the rock aggregate, with the bituminous binder, this junction is considered a weak link that dictates the overall structural durability of the mixture (Zhu et al. 2021). Most of the studies concerning the ITZ are based on mechanical tests at the aggregate-bitumen contact and generally do not include mineralogical observations.

The present study focuses on the ITZ within laboratory-manufactured asphalt samples utilizing rock aggregate varieties typically used in surface courses in the Republic of Ireland. Structural and petrographic observations are made using a combination of digital microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Early observations suggest that there is a strong control exerted by aggregate mineralogy on the formation of features within the ITZ, including the linear alignment of iron oxide particles in the bitumen. Iron-oxide particles could potentially create a zone of weakness in a stone-mix asphalt, especially where the key aggregate is greywacke.

References

• Zhu et al. 2017; Identification of interfacial transition zone in asphalt concrete based on nano-scale metrology techniques, Materials and Design. 129, 91-102.
• Pasadin and Perez, 2015; The influence of the mineral filler on the adhesion between aggregates and bitumen, International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives.

How to cite: Chakraborty, T., Unitt, R., and Meere, P.: Investigation of the Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) in asphalt mastic and its effect on the integrity of the mix: A Raman hyperspectral approach, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-4378, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-4378, 2024.

Delivering the goals of the Paris Agreement, including limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C requires the setting and implementation of ambitious yet viable Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs. Article 4 of the Paris Agreement establishes a responsibility on each party to ‘prepare, communicate and maintain’ successive NDCs, each more ambitious than the last. Parties are then encouraged to work at a domestic level to achieve their NDC objectives.

Based on an analysis of NDCs from eastern and northern Africa (including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda) here we outline steps that would (i) strengthen opportunities for scientific input in the development of NDCs, ensuring that the mitigation and adaptation pledges included are both comprehensive and scientifically feasible, and (ii) improve aligned implementation strategies, ensuring coherence with higher education and research and innovation, and a cross-governmental approach to addressing climate change.

A lack of engagement with appropriate expertise when developing NDCs may result in pledges that are not viable and/or the omission of feasible and impactful options. A lack of appropriate implementation planning, and policy coherence, may result in a skills shortage that hinders implementation of actions set out in NDCs and therefore the ability to deliver the mitigation and adaptation ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Collectively, the steps we propose would strengthen the NDC process, while also supporting global ambitions to improve education for sustainable development (Sustainable Development Goal 4.7), employment opportunities (Sustainable Development Goal 8.5, 8.6), and research capacity (Sustainable Development Goal 9.5).

How to cite: Gill, J., Daniels, K., Maidment, D., Salih, M., and Blythe, L.: Enhancing the Ambition and Technical Feasibility of Delivering Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-17869, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-17869, 2024.

Unprecedental and unplanned urban sprawl poses a substantial challenge for cities in developing nations, detrimentally impacting the environmental quality of the urban landscape. The key environmental factors affected by urbanization must be vigilantly monitored to ensure sustainable urban development. Consequently, it is imperative to have a sustainable framework for a comprehensive and critical assessment of the environmental parameters that are affected because of urbanization. The aim of this research is to assess the environmental quality of a developing city in India – Bhopal and to quantify the environmental damage. The environmental quality is compared at 5-year time steps from 2000 to 2020 keeping 2000 as the benchmark year. The study employs satellite-based remote sensing data to extract all the parameters that are considered. The biophysical indicators (BI), include Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST), Particulate Matter concentration (PM2.5) and actual Evapotranspiration (ETa), and the census-related parameters include the Population Density (PD) and Built-up Volume (BV). The research assesses the relation between these parameters, followed by the quantification of an Environmental Quality Index (EQI) for the years 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020 to investigate the city's environmental quality. The city's environmental quality is then categorized based on the EQI values in each year. The results reveal that there is a poorer quality of environment where the BV and PD is high, and vegetation cover is low, which also results into higher LST. PM2.5 was higher in the traffic congestion zones, industrialisation areas and major roads. The comprehensive findings indicate pronounced environmental degradation in specific areas characterized by dense urbanization, heavy traffic, industrial zones, and major highways. This study sheds light on the adverse environmental impacts of unplanned urbanization, providing valuable insights for policymakers and urban designers to enhance the quality of urban development and promote sustainability. Additionally, the research proposes strategies and policy interventions for addressing industrial and vehicular pollutants, emphasizing the crucial role of urban greening in elevating the overall urban environment.

How to cite: Singh, S., Shukla, A., and Jain, K.: A remote-sensing-based assessment of a city's urban environmental quality, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-1106, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-1106, 2024.

Constructed wetlands (CW) have emerged as sustainable and eco-friendly solutions for mitigating the impact of nutrient pollution in water bodies. Nutrient pollution, primarily caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus, poses significant threats to aquatic ecosystems, leading to issues such as algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and impaired water quality. In response to these challenges, constructed wetlands have gained prominence as innovative systems capable of efficiently removing nutrients from wastewater and stormwater. These engineered ecosystems mimic the natural processes of wetlands to effectively treat wastewater. Among the key factors influencing the efficiency of nutrient removal, the choice of plantation method in CW stands out as a crucial aspect that demands closer scrutiny. As such, understanding the impact of different plantation methods on nutrient removal becomes paramount for optimizing the performance of constructed wetlands. This study focuses on elucidating the role of diverse vegetation strategies in enhancing the performance of these systems, with particular emphasis on nutrient uptake and transformation processes. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature, this research aims to identify and analyze the impact of various plantation techniques on nutrient removal efficiency. Factors such as plant species selection, plantation type i.e., single plant in a system (monoculture) or multiple vegetation in the system (polyculture) are examined to ascertain their influence on nitrogen and phosphorus removal rates. Polyculture improved TN and TP removal in horizontal subsurface CW by around 5%. However, a very high increment in treatment efficiency of both TN and TP was observed for vertical subsurface CW being more than 20%. Polyculture provided synergistic effect of various plant and microbial species for higher removal of nutrients from wastewater. Ultimately, the research aims to delineate the effect of plantation on performance of different CW in terms of mitigation of nutrient pollution in wastewater.

How to cite: Jain, M., Sharma, B., Pilla, S. K., Ghosal, P. S., and Gupta, A. K.: Nutrient removal in constructed wetlands: Especial emphasis on type of plantation method, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-17873, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-17873, 2024.