Advances in characterization and evaluation of oil shale based on terahertz spectroscopy

Researchers from China University of Petroleum (Beijing) offer a holistic insight into applying terahertz spectroscopy to characterize oil shale

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ENERGY REVIEWS

 

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RESEARCHERS COMPREHENSIVELY REVIEW THE APPLICATION OF TERAHERTZ SPECTROSCOPY FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF OIL SHALE

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CREDIT: KUN ZHAO FROM CHINA UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM (BEIJING)

The current understanding of the oil generation potential of oil shale and the dynamic process of organic matter pyrolysis is still unclear, leading to the relatively slow progress in its development technology. Due to the characteristics such as fingerprint property, low energy, penetration, and broadband, terahertz (THz) spectroscopy as an emerging evaluation method in the field of oil and gas resources has demonstrated research and application value in multiple aspects. “These include THz dating, THz exploration, crude oil identification, crude oil emulsion demulsification process, pattern transitions of oil-water two-phase flow, disaggregation of crude oil in a magnetic field, PM2.5 monitoring, and grading,” explains Professor Kun Zhao, who works at the Beijing Key Laboratory of Optical Detection Technology for Oil and Gas at the China University of Petroleum (Beijing), China.

 

To meet the requirements of new theories and methods for efficient utilization of oil shale resources, Prof. Zhao and his “oil and gas optics” team from China University of Petroleum (Beijing), China, recently reviewed the advances and challenges in THz spectroscopy for the evaluation of oil shale. Their findings were made available online on 16 August 2023 and will be published in Volume 2, Issue 4 of Energy Reviews in December 2023. In the review article, the team summarizes the applications of THz spectroscopy in characterizing anisotropy, organic distribution, fingerprint spectrum of kerogen, oil yield, pyrolysis process, and THz wave absorption of oil shale. In addition, they propose the potential pathway for THz technology, considering oil shale’s actual development in future.

 

Taking advantage of the features of THz wave, a new concept of thermal THz analysis was developed to rediscover the pyrolysis model of kerogen. “The most important discovery of THz wave exploration is that the main oil generation zone and natural gas zone can be characterized simultaneously using THz spectroscopy, which is difficult to achieve using other standard methods,” points out Prof. Zhao.

 

The characteristic absorption peak of kerogen in the THz range provides a new insight into the research of kerogen in the micro and nano scale. The researchers also realized direct evaluation of the oil yield without pyrolysis due to the strong dependence of the anisotropic THz parameters on the oil yield to avoid environmental pollution.

 

“Although the important progress of THz wave characterization of oil shale has been achieved, the research breadth and depth are still lacking, and many challenges need to be solved,” highlights Prof. Zhao. As for practical application, in situ conversion is an inevitable trend for large-scale commercial development of oil shale in the future. It is expected for THz spectroscopy to monitor the downhole cracking process of oil shale and productivity of oil and gas in real-time.

 

“THz wave is expected to become a sharp edge to overcome the bottleneck problem of oil shale exploitation after some specific problems are addressed, such as high-power light source, high sensitivity detection, fast scanning and imaging, micro-nano THz device, and strong environmental adaptability,” concludes Prof. Zhao.

 

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Reference

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enrev.2023.100041

Authors: Xuecong Liua,c,d, Kun Zhaob,c,d,*, Xinyang Miaob,c,d, Honglei Zhanb,c,d

Affiliations:            

aCollege of Information Science and Technology, China University of Petroleum

bCollege of New Energy and Materials, China University of Petroleum

cBeijing Key Laboratory of Optical Detection Technology for Oil and Gas, China University of Petroleum

dKey Laboratory of Oil and Gas Terahertz Spectroscopy and Photoelectric Detection, Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, China University of Petroleum

 

*Corresponding author email id: zhk@cup.edu.cn

 

About Professor Kun Zhao from China University of Petroleum (Beijing)

Dr. Kun Zhao currently works as a Professor at the Beijing Key Laboratory of Optical Detection Technology for Oil and Gas at the China University of Petroleum (Beijing), China. He received his B.S. degree in magnetic materials from Nanjing University, China, in 1992, M.S. degree in condensed matter physics from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, in 1994, and the Ph.D. degree in thin-film physics from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China, in 2001. His research interests include oil and gas optics technology, mineral functional materials, and quantum exploration. He has published over 400 international journal papers and several book chapters.

 

About Energy Reviews

Energy Reviews is an international, interdisciplinary, high-quality, open-access academic journal in the field of energy, which is sponsored by Shenzhen University and published by the Elsevier publishing group. Energy Reviews invites high-quality reviews at the forefront of research in a broad range of topics covering not only materials, chemistry, and engineering, but also new energy devices, applications, methods, tools, theories, policy and management. The following areas will be prioritized, but not exclusively:

1. New theories, methods, and technologies for energy research

2. Interdisciplinary research of materials, physics, chemistry, and biology in energy

3. Low-carbon utilization of fossil fuel and CCUS

4. Advanced hydrogen, renewable energy, and energy storage technologies

5. Exploration and applications of novel energy conversion

6. Applications of AI, big data in energy

Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/energy-reviews

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JOURNAL

Energy Reviews

DOI

10.1016/j.enrev.2023.100041 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Literature review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Characterization and evaluation of oil shale based on terahertz spectroscopy: A review

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

1-Dec-2023

 

New method verifies carbon capture in concrete

Confirming CO2 origins could be useful for emissions trading

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

 

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CARBON EMISSIONS FROM BURNING FOSSIL FUELS CONTAINS VERY LITTLE CARBON-14 (14C) BECAUSE IT HAS DECAYED SO MUCH OVER TIME. THIS MAKES CARBON-14 VERY USEFUL FOR TRACING CARBON EMISSIONS FROM NATURAL COMPARED TO HUMAN SOURCES.

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CREDIT: 2023, IPPEI MARUYAMA

Carbon capture is essential to reduce the impact of human carbon dioxide emissions on our climate. Researchers at the University of Tokyo and Nagoya University in Japan have developed a method to confirm whether carbon in concrete originates from the raw materials, or from carbon in the air which has been trapped when it reacts with the concrete to form the mineral calcium carbonate. By measuring the ratio of certain carbon isotopes in concrete that had been exposed to the air and concrete that hadn’t, the team could successfully verify that direct air carbon capture had occurred.  This method could be useful for the industrial sector and countries looking to offset their carbon emissions.

2023 is on the way to becoming the hottest year on record. Rice crops wilted in Japan and roads melted in the U.S. Despite international agreements and calls to action, greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels have continued to increase. If we are to prevent the planet from tipping over the critical threshold of a 2-degree-Celsius temperature rise by 2100 (compared to preindustrial levels), we need to do more. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, reducing and preventing further emissions alone is not enough. We must also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere if we are to hit our target.

Direct air capture (DAC) pulls carbon dioxide from the air using chemicals or physical processes. Increasing the use of DAC technologies is part of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) net-zero emissions scenario, a proposed range of methods to enable the global energy sector to remove as much carbon dioxide (CO2) as it emits by 2050. According to the IEA, industry was responsible for a quarter of global energy system CO2 emissions in 2022. Cement is the second-most widely used industrial product (after water), and it comes with a high environmental burden. 

“As much as 800 kilograms of CO2 is emitted per ton of cement during its production, so reducing emissions has become a significant issue in the concrete industry,” explained Professor Ippei Maruyama from the Department of Architecture at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering. “Concrete has long been known to react with CO2 in the air to form calcium carbonate, an undesirable phenomenon because it induces corrosion of the steel bars inside concrete structures. However, the concrete industry is now considering ways to make effective use of this reaction.”

Although problematic for construction, the reaction which causes calcium carbonate to form fixes or traps CO2, removing the gas from the atmosphere. Calcium carbonate is also found naturally in rocks, such as limestone, which are used in concrete manufacturing. “This makes it difficult to distinguish whether or not CO2 identified in concrete has been freshly extracted from the air or comes from rocks,” said Maruyama. “So we developed a method to verify this, which could be used to determine whether the concrete produced can be certified as offsetting CO2 emissions.”

Researchers carried out the study by making hydrated cement paste samples as a concrete replica. After getting sufficiently hydrated, they ground the paste sample into powder, keeping the nonexposed powder contained and leaving the exposed powder open to the air. After seven and 28 days, they dissolved the powder in acid to collect the gas and using a technique called accelerator mass spectrometry analyzed the ratio of several carbon isotopes (atoms with the same chemical properties but different physical properties), namely carbon-12, carbon-13 and carbon-14. This enabled the team to evaluate where the carbon came from, and whether it was already present in the raw materials, as the carbon ratios reflected the known proportion of carbon isotopes in the air at the time the gas was sealed. 

Next the researchers want to apply this lab-based method to real-world locations and test how the varied quantities of raw materials used in local concrete production may affect results. “Fixing carbon dioxide from the air is certified as an act of offsetting CO2 emissions, so it is economically valuable in terms of emissions trading. Digging up calcium carbonate for use in concrete is not, so the distinction is very important and this research can help to support a healthy market,” said Maruyama. “We believe that the carbon neutrality and a circular economy in the construction industry are essential to our future, particularly in Japan where this industry has a role in supporting business continuity and recovery from natural disasters.”

 

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Paper Title:

Zhenzhen Wang, Abudushalamu Aili, Masayo Minami and Ippei Maruyama. Verification method of Direct Air Capture by Cementitious Material Using Carbon Isotopes. Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology Vol. 21, 934-941 Nov 2023. doi: 10.3151/jact.21.934

Funding:

This article is based on results from a project, JPNP21023, by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Useful Links
Graduate School of Engineering: https://www.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/soe

Building Material Engineering Lab: https://bme.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eng/

Journal paper: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jact/21/11/21_934/_article/-char/en

 

Research Contact:

Professor Ippei Maruyama

Graduate School Engineering, The University of Tokyo

Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654

Email: i.maruyama@bme.arch.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Tel.: +81-30-5841-6196

 

Press contact:
Mrs. Nicola Burghall
Public Relations Group, The University of Tokyo,
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
press-releases.adm@gs.mail.u-tokyo.ac.jp

About the University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo is Japan's leading university and one of the world's top research universities. The vast research output of some 6,000 researchers is published in the world's top journals across the arts and sciences. Our vibrant student body of around 15,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students includes over 4,000 international students. Find out more at www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/ or follow us on Twitter at @UTokyo_News_en.

 

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JOURNAL

Journal of Advanced Concrete Technology

DOI

10.3151/jact.21.934 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Verification method of Direct Air Capture by Cementitious Material Using Carbon Isotopes.

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

22-Nov-2023

 

Molecular cooperation at the threshold of life

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ETH ZURICH

 

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NUCLEIC ACIDS AND AMYLOIDS BOTH HAVE A PERIODIC STRUCTURE.

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CREDIT: ETH ZURICH

How organisms develop from inanimate matter is one of the biggest questions in science. Although many possible explanations have been proposed, there are no definitive answers. That’s no surprise: these processes took place three to four billion years ago, when the conditions on Earth were completely different from today.

Justifying hypotheses with experimental data

“Over this vast period of time, evolution has thoroughly obliterated the traces that lead back to the origins of life,” says Roland Riek, Professor of Physical Chemistry and Associate Director of ETH Zurich’s new interdisciplinary Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life. Science has no choice but to formulate hypotheses – and to substantiate them as thoroughly as possible with experimental data.

For years, Riek and his team have been pursuing the idea that protein-​like aggregates, known as amyloids, might have played an important role in the transition between chemistry and biology. Riek’s research group’s first step was to demonstrate that such amyloids can be formed relatively easily under the conditions that probably prevailed on the early Earth: in the laboratory, all it takes is a little volcanic gas (as well as experimental skill and a lot of patience) for simple amino acids to combine into short peptide chains, which then spontaneously assemble into fibres.

Precursor molecules of life

Later, Riek’s team demonstrated that amyloids can replicate themselves – which means that the molecules fulfil another decisive criterion for being considered precursor molecules of life. And now the researchers have taken the same line for a third time with their latest study, in which they show that amyloids are able to bind with molecules of both RNA and DNA.

These interactions are partly based on electrostatic attraction, since some amyloids are – at least in places – positively charged, while the genetic material carries a negative charge, at least in a neutral to acidic environment. However, Riek and his team have also noticed that the interactions also depend on the sequence of the RNA and DNA nucleotides in the genetic material. This means they might represent a kind of precursor to the universal genetic code that unites all living beings.

Increased stability as a major advantage

And yet: “Although we see differences in how the RNA and DNA molecules bind with the amyloids, we don’t yet understand what these differences mean,” Riek says. “Our model is probably still too simple.” That’s why he sees another aspect of the results as particularly important: when the genetic material attaches itself to amyloids, both molecules gain stability. In ancient times, this increased stability may have proved to be a great advantage.

This is because back then, in the so-​called primordial soup, biochemical molecules were very dilute. Contrast this with today’s biological cells, within which these molecules are tightly packed together. “Amyloids have the proven potential to increase the local concentration and order of nucleotides in an otherwise dilute disordered system,” write Riek’s researchers in their recently published article.

Riek points out that although competition is central to Darwin’s theory of evolution, cooperation has also played a major evolutionary role. Both classes of molecules benefit from the stabilising interaction between amyloids and RNA or DNA molecules because long-​lived molecules accumulate more strongly over time than unstable substances. It may even be that molecular cooperation, rather than competition, was the decisive factor in the emergence of life. “After all, there was likely no shortage of space or resources back then,” Riek says.

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Reference

Rout SK, Cadalbert R, Schröder N, Wang J, Zehnder J, Gampp O, Wiegand T, Güntert P, Klingler D, Kreutz C, Knörlein A, Hall J, Greenwald J, and Riek R. An Analysis of Nucleotide-​Amyloid Interactions Reveals Selective Binding to Codon-​Sized RNA. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2023, 145: 21915, doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c06287

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JOURNAL

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI

10.1021/jacs.3c06287 

ARTICLE TITLE

An Analysis of Nucleotide-​Amyloid Interactions Reveals Selective Binding to Codon-​Sized RNA

 

Revolutionary idea by Lithuanian scientists: recycling cigarette waste to produce green fuel

Lithuanian scientists discovered a way to reduce the cost of biodiesel production by adding the by-product of cigarette waste recycling.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

KAUNAS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

 

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DR SAMY YOUSEF, CHIEF RESEARCHER AT KAUNAS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, LITHUNIA

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CREDIT: KTU

Lithuanian scientists discovered a way to reduce the cost of biodiesel production by adding the by-product of cigarette waste recycling.

Stricter environmental norms and fossil fuel pollution call for cleaner fuels such as biodiesel. This vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel is biodegradable – up to 4 times faster than petroleum diesel – and nontoxic.

However, the high production cost of biodiesel remains a major barrier to its wider applicability, and, depending on the biomass source, using it may cause pollution. Adding a blender such as a triacetin compound, can solve both of these issues, according to research. Unfortunately, triacetin is usually produced chemically, consuming a lot of chemicals, and resulting in waste and toxic residues.

“Triacetin is used as a plasticiser in cigarettes’ filter, so, naturally, cigarette butts are rich in it,” says Samy Yousef, a chief researcher at Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania.

Together with his colleagues from the Lithuanian Energy Institute (LEI), he conducted a series of experiments where they used pyrolysis to thermally decompose cigarette waste. The experiments were carried out in a 200 g reactor at different reaction temperatures (650, 700, and 750°C). The biggest quantity of triacetin (43 per cent) was synthesised at 750°C.

Original approach to toxic waste

Smokers around the world buy roughly 6.5 trillion cigarettes each year. The average weight of a cigarette butt is 0.2 g; more than 1.1 million tons of them are produced annually. Cigarette waste contains extensive amounts of toxic chemicals, carcinogens, microplastic fibres, and radioactive elements that need special attention.

“In our research group, we are working on the topics of recycling and waste management, therefore we are always looking for the waste, which is present in huge amounts and has a unique structure. Cigarettes are made of three components – tobacco, paper and a filter made of cellulose acetate fibres – and are a good source of raw materials and energy. Plus, cigarette butts are easy to collect as there are many systems and companies for collecting this waste in place,” explains Yousef.

Although there have been attempts to recycle cigarette waste for the extraction of raw materials, the majority of studies focused on the investigation of thermal degradation of the individual components. Lithuanian scientists in their experiments were treating cigarette butts as a mixture, and, according to them, it is an original approach.

“There are studies which, similarly to us, are using pyrolysis as a method but they are applying it to filter components only. In this case, the pre-treatment of the material is needed to separate all components. Since tobacco is a toxic waste, the disposal of it requires special care, and due to the technologically complicated process to separate the components of the cigarette waste, this is not economically feasible,” says Yousef, a chief researcher at KTU Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design.

All products have real applications

After a series of pyrolysis at different temperatures experiments, the researchers were able to extract oil (38–39.5 wt%), char (25.7–27.7 wt%) and gas (33–36.4 wt%) from cigarette waste. The char product with a porous structure was very rich in calcium (up to 32 wt%).

“All the products have real applications. Char, which, in our case is porous and very rich in calcium can be used for fertilisers, or wastewater treatment as an absorbent, and energy storage. Gas can be used for energy purposes. Last, but not least is oil, rich in triacetin, which can be used as an additive to biodiesel to reduce the cost,” says Yousef, who believes that the technology has great upscaling possibilities.

For any emerging waste treatment technology to be integrated into a circular economy system, there must be a waste collection system and recycling strategy, as well as infrastructure present.

Cigarette butts’ collection systems, e.g. metal wastebasket and ashtrays are used widely to collect them separately from solid waste. As for the recycling strategy, the researchers propose using pyrolysis treatment at 750°C, which thermally converts cigarette butts into char, gas, and oil. Gaseous products can be used to generate electricity and to power the conversion plant, char can be used as absorbents, while oil can be added to biofuels at a rate of up to 25 per cent since the allowable triacetin rate is 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, KTU researcher Yousef says that the group is researching other possibilities for using cigarette waste.

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JOURNAL

Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis

DOI

10.1016/j.jaap.2023.106167 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Pyrolysis of cigarette butts as a sustainable strategy to recover triacetin for low-cost and efficient biodiesel production

 

Exceptional embryonic dinosaur eggs from the Early Jurassic of China indicate leathery egg origin of the earliest dinosaur

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

 

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PHOTOGRAPH (A) AND LINE DRAWING (B) OF THE SKULL IN RIGHT LATERAL VIEW. A WELL-PRESERVED EMBRYO (C) AND ITS 3D (D) RECONSTRUCTION SHOWING THE PREHATCHING POSTURE.

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CREDIT: ©SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

Dinosaur reproductive biology is a well-attended but highly debated area. In the past 30 years, the discovery of several exceptionally well-preserved fossils related to reproduction has greatly improved our knowledge in this field. However, due to the scarcity of fossil evidence and the lack of quantitative analysis within a broad phylogenetic scale, much of this area remains unknown, especially the pre-Cretaceous evolutionary history.

The current study reported a new Early Jurassic sauropodomorph dinosaur discovered in Guizhou, northwestern China. The specimens contain three skeletons from adult individuals and five egg clutches (Figs. 1, 2). The genus name is the combination of the Mandarin Chinese “Qian” (an alternative name for Guizhou Province) and “long” (dragon), and the species name “shouhu” means “guarding” in Chinese, referring to the associated preservation of adult skeletal fossil and embryo-containing egg fossils. Qianlong is a medium-sized basal sauropodomorph dinosaur, which is about six meters long and one ton in weight. The embryos display some differences from the adults, like a proportionally longer postdentary bone, a more vertical anterior margin of the snout, and fewer teeth. Allometric analyses of limb ratios among adult and embryonic specimens indicate that adult Qianlong was bipedal, but the babies were likely to be quadrupedal. The general taphonomical and sedimentary features indicate that Qianlong might possess reproductive behavior such as colonial nesting, similar to other basal sauropodomorphs including Massospondylus and Mussaurus.

Extant reptiles and birds lay eggs and are protected by eggshells. Eggshells can be divided into three types: soft-shelled eggs, hard-shell eggs, and leathery eggs. Soft-shelled eggs possess a soft shell membrane that lacks or has a very thin calcareous layer (generally less than 60 μm), and modern lizards (except some geckos) and snake eggs are soft-shelled eggs. Hard-shelled eggs bear a thick calcareous layer, such as bird eggs, crocodile eggs, and some turtle eggs. The eggshell thickness of leathery eggs is between the soft shell and the hard shell, but it shows flexible properties, such as the eggshell of Chelydra serpentina. The researchers employed multiple techniques to examine the eggshell microstructure of Qianlong (Fig. 2), including histological thin-section, electron backscatter diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope. The results show that Qianlong possesses eggshell microstructures similar to other Cretaceous dinosaur egg fossils, consisting of the mammillary layer and continuous layer with well-developed eggshell units. The calcareous layer of Qianlong is about 160 μm, which is much thicker than that in most soft-shelled eggs (usually less than 60 μm), but thinner than that in hard-shelled eggs (usually more than 200 μm). A comparison of eggshell fragmentation among different eggshell types suggests that the eggshell surface of Qianlong bears extremely small fragments, similar to those found in leathery eggshells but distinct from the folded surface in soft-shelled eggs and surface with large fragments in hard-shelled eggs. These observations indicate that Qianlong laid leathery eggs.

To test the macroevolutionary patterns of selected reproductive traits across the dinosaur-bird transition, the researchers assembled a dataset that includes the data from 210 fossil and extant species among all major reptilian clades. The dataset was then used to test the evolutionary trends with multiple time-scaled phylogenies. “Our ancestral state reconstruction with different time-scaled phylogenies supported that the first dinosaur egg was leathery.” Yu said. This differs from the previous hypophysis that the earliest dinosaur eggs are soft or hard-shelled. Archosaurs, the most recent common ancestor of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and crocodiles, also originated from leathery eggs, whereas pterosaur eggs originated from soft-shelled eggs (Fig. 3). Quantitative analysis of the relative egg size showed that crocodiles, dinosaurs and pterosaurs had an increasing trend in the process of evolution, with the most significant change occurring during the origin stage of theropods (Fig. 4). For egg morphology, the earliest dinosaurs were subcircular or oval, and ornithischian and sauropods were more rounded. Theropods tended to be elongated, especially oviraptorosaurs. In addition, through the analysis of the relative (egg size) thickness of the eggshell (only calcareous layer), it was found that most reptiles tended to thicken eggshells during the process of evolution except for pterosaurs and lepidosaurs. Finally, the morphological changes of the eggshell units in archosaurs were analyzed, and it was found that most groups of dinosaurs exhibited an elongated overall evolutionary trend, especially in theropod dinosaurs. The bird eggshell unit became longer and then shorter, unlike other reptiles such as crocodiles and turtles, which became shorter and broader.

“These results provide important information for understanding the productive biology of early dinosaurs and the evolution of dinosaur egg size, egg shape, and eggshell type.” Xu said.

The comprehensive study has spanned over eight years. Xing Xu and Fenglu Han (associate professor at China University of Geosciences) initiated their research on these materials in 2016. However, the embryonic eggs were not fully prepared until 2019, when Shukang Zhang joined the team to study the eggshell microstructure. Xing Xu, Yilun Yu and Fenglu Han began to do Quantitative analyses of dinosaur egg fossils from 2020. “The dataset was collected and checked carefully to ensure its accuracy. Study of these materials was hard and time-consuming, but fortunately, we persevered with the research and obtained some convincing results!.” Han said.

Egg clutch, eggs and eggshell microstructure of Qianlong shouhu. 

A. an  

Eggshell type ancestral state reconstruction under hierarchal Bayes framework.egg clutch preserving 16 eggs and a fragmentary bone. B. A complete egg. C. Close-up of eggshell fragments showing cracked eggshell. Radial thin section under normal light showing the entire eggshell microstructure (D) and its line drawing (E).

Simplified time-calibrated diapsid tree showing the egg size evolution (A). egg elongation index (B), eggshell thickness evolution (C) and eggshell unit (D) based on our ASR analyses.

Restoration of life-scene of the sauropodomorph Qianlong from the Early Jurassic of southwestern China.

CREDIT

Image credit: Minghui Ren.

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See the article:

Exceptional Early Jurassic fossils with leathery eggs shed light on dinosaur reproductive biology

https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwad258

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JOURNAL

National Science Review

DOI

10.1093/nsr/nwad258 

 

Green Climate Fund fails to strengthen private sector engagement

Peer-Reviewed Publication

RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABILITY (RIFS) – HELMHOLTZ CENTRE POTSDAM

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s largest dedicated multilateral climate fund, and aims to support climate mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries. Mobilizing financial resources from the private sector is an important priority for the donor countries backing the GCF. However, so far the GCF has underperformed in this respect. According to a new study by Thomas Kalinowski (Ewha Womans University, Seoul, and Research Institute for Sustainability - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam) this is due to numerous shortcomings in the GCF’s strategy.

The Green Climate Fund was established in 2010 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It currently administers some 200 projects with a total value of USD 40 billion, of which the private sector accounts for only a small share. This is due to a number of reasons, as Thomas Kalinowski explains: "This shortfall in private sector engagement is largely driven by the perception that investments are unlikely to be profitable. There is a lack of attractive business models, especially when it comes to climate adaptation, and investments in particularly vulnerable countries in the Global South are considered excessively risky."

An exception to this is the renewable energy sector, where private sector engagement with the GCF is concentrated. According to Kalinowski, this suggests that private climate financing from the Global North is unlikely to play a decisive role in enabling the paradigm shift towards sustainable development in the Global South. In light of this, public funding for development cooperation should not be reduced.

Private sector projects are financed from public funds

In September 2022, the Green Climate Fund had 47 approved private sector projects (out of a total of 207 projects). Five of these 47 projects had lapsed and were no longer under implementation, which is a much higher rate of failure compared to the public sector, where only two of 160 projects failed. This leaves 42 private sector projects, with a volume of USD 16.9 billion, out of a total of USD 40.2 billion in GCF funds. This means that 21 per cent of all projects and 42 per cent of all project funds are allocated to private sector projects.

This is not the full picture, however, as Kalinowski's analysis shows. In fact, 22 per cent of the total volume of USD 16.9 billion invested in private sector projects are funds provided by the Green Climate Fund itself. The remainder comes from other, largely public institutions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and other regional or national development banks. "In other words, a large proportion of the Green Climate Fund's project financing for the private sector does not come from the private sector, but from public sources," explains the political scientist.

Short-term profit interests vs. long-term transformation

More important than the quantity of private projects, however, is their quality. Kalinowski highlights the urgent need to ensure that private sector projects are compatible with the principles of the GCF and of good development cooperation in general. "It is critical that climate projects in the Global South are embedded in national development and climate strategies. Efforts to strengthen the involvement of private sector actors and civil society in the Global South, and to improve the broader business environment in recipient countries, are more important than maximizing private capital flows."

If these aspects are not properly considered, the GCF and private climate finance risk adding to the already high external debt burden of countries in the Global South, further destabilizing financial markets and exacerbating economic dependency. Kalinowski concludes that although renewable energy generation is preferable to the continued exploitation of natural resources, this alone will not provide a pathway to sustainable development in the Global South.

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JOURNAL

Climate Policy

DOI

10.1080/14693062.2023.2276857 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Systematic review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

The Green Climate Fund and private sector climate finance in the Global South

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

21-Nov-2023

Non-profit organisations can act as drivers of sustainability for multinational companies

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

For successful non-profit impact on business governance, it is essential to advocacy non-profit organisations to engage key business stakeholders, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. These stakeholders, such as employees, investors, politicians and the media, can be influenced by non-profit organisations in various ways.

“With a Strategic Confrontation and Collaboration Interaction Model (SCCIM), non-profit organisations can plan their strategy and figure out how to engage these important business partners effectively,” Doctoral Researcher Maike A. Diepeveen of the University of Eastern Finland says.

Advocacy non-profit organisations aim to protect, promote and support interests, often recommending new practices. They focus on issues like climate change, ecosystems and biodiversity. Additionally, they assist vulnerable or marginalised groups who may struggle to voice their concerns. The study examined how resource-strapped non-profit organisations can effectively promote their interests or causes by influencing the practices of multinational businesses.

As global issues like climate change become more urgent, everyone is expected to contribute by adopting more sustainable practices. Certain forward-thinking companies, driven by their stakeholders, quickly establish new guidelines to lead the way in adopting sustainable practices.

“When non-profit organisations work closely with these responsible businesses, it creates a chance to create excellent best practice examples,” Diepeveen concludes.

With the help of the SCCIM, these best practices can then be applied to other companies either through collaboration or influence, and they can also inform improved government policies.

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JOURNAL

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly

DOI

10.1177/08997640231203629 

ARTICLE TITLE

How Advocacy Nonprofits Interact With and Impact Business: Introducing a Strategic Confrontation and Collaboration Interaction Model (SCCIM)

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE