Global warming, caused by a significant increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as CO2, has become a concern all over the world. The whole process carbon emissions of the civil engineering industry account for nearly 40% of global energy and process-related CO2 emissions, more than half of which come from the process of producing, using, constructing and dismantling in civil engineering materials and structures, resulting in the embodied carbon emissions. With the acceleration of global warming, warmer and uncertain climates will make engineering materials and structures subject to more severe environmental conditions. A series of durability issues will occur more frequently, such as the significant variations of humidity in air, the chloride-induced corrosion caused by the severe chloride ingress, concrete cracking caused by the expansion of rusts, and more severe carbonation of concrete structures due to the increase in CO2 concentration. The adoption of positive measures to address climate change has become a global consensus, as global warming has led to serious threats and challenges to the survival and development of humankind.

Supercapacitors can both hold large amounts of energy and charge up almost instantly. They have higher energy densities, higher efficiencies and longer lifetimes so can be used in a wide range of energy harvesting and storage systems including portable power and grid applications. Despite offering key performance advantages, many device components pose significant environmental hazards, often containing fluorine, sulfur and cyanide groups which are harmful when discarded. In recent years, there has been increasing research into more sustainable electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. In this book, readers are introduced to the extensive and ongoing research on the rationalization of low-carbon supercapacitor materials, their structures at varying scales and dimensions, the development of effective and low-cost synthesis techniques, design and architecture of green materials, as well as clarification of their electrochemical performance. It is an ideal book for researchers and industry professionals at the energy–environment nexus, searching for new advancements in supercapacitor science and technologies.

This important study focuses on the way in which structures and materials can be best designed to absorb kinetic energy in a controllable and predictable manner. Understanding of energy absorption of structures and materials is important in calculating the damage to structures caused by accidental collision, assessing the residual strength of structures after initial damage and in designing packaging to protect its contents in the event of impact. Whilst a great deal of recent research has taken place into the energy absorption behaviour of structures and materials and significant progress has been made, this knowledge is diffuse and widely scattered. This book offers a synthesis of the most recent developments and forms a detailed and comprehensive view of the area. It is an essential reference for all engineers concerned with materials engineering in relation to the theory of plasticity, structural mechanics and impact dynamics. - Important new study of energy absorption of engineering structures and materials - Shows how they can be designed to withstand sudden loading in a safe, controllable and predictable way - Illuminating case studies back up the theoretical analysis

Fundamentals and Recent Advances in Nanocomposites Based on Polymers and Nanocellulose brings together the latest research in cellulose-based nanocomposites, covering fundamentals, processing, properties, performance, applications, and the state of the art. The book begins by explaining the fundamentals of cellulose and cellulose-based nanocomposites, including sources, extraction, types, classification, linkages, model structure, model compounds, and characterization techniques. The second part of the book covers the incorporation of cellulose fillers to improve the properties or characteristics of nanocomposites, organized by composite category, including in aerogels, thermoplastic composites, thermoset composites, bioplastic composites, carbon nanofibers, rubber composites, carbon fibers, and foaming materials. Throughout these chapters, there is an emphasis on the latest innovations and application potential. Finally, applications are explored in more detail, notably focusing on the utilization of nanocellulose in biodegradable composites for biomedical applications, along with other important industrial application areas. This book is of great interest to researchers, scientists, and advanced students working with bio-based materials, and across polymer science, nanomaterials, composite materials, plastics engineering, chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, as well as R&D professionals, engineers, and industrialists interested in the development of bio-based materials for advanced applications or material commercialization. - Presents the fundamentals of cellulose-based nanocomposites, including sources, extraction, types, classification, linkages, structure, compounds, and characterization. - Discusses and analyzes the most suitable fabrication methods and processing techniques for cellulose as a reinforcement in a range of composites. - Opens the door to a range of cutting-edge applications and considers key aspects such as cost, lifecycle, and biodegradability.

This book presents an authoritative account of the potential of advanced composites such as composites, biocomposites, composites geopolymer, hybrid composites and hybrid biocomposites in aerospace application. It documents how in recent years, composite materials have grown in strength, stature, and significance to become a key material of enhanced scientific interest and resultant research into understanding their behavior for selection and safe use in a wide spectrum of technology-related applications. This collection highlights how their unique combination of superior properties such as low density, high strength, high elastic modulus, high hardness, high temperature capability, and excellent chemical and environmental stability are optimized in technologies within these field.

Advances in Carbon Management Technologies comprises 43 chapters contributed by experts from all over the world. Volume 1 of the book, containing 23 chapters, discusses the status of technologies capable of yielding substantial reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from major combustion sources. Such technologies include renewable energy sources that can replace fossil fuels and technologies to capture CO2 after fossil fuel combustion or directly from the atmosphere, with subsequent permanent long-term storage. The introductory chapter emphasizes the gravity of the issues related to greenhouse gas emissionglobal temperature correlation, the state of the art of key technologies and the necessary emission reductions needed to meet international warming targets. Section 1 deals with global challenges associated with key fossil fuel mitigation technologies, including removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and emission measurements. Section 2 presents technological choices for coal, petroleum, and natural gas for the purpose of reducing carbon footprints associated with the utilization of such fuels. Section 3 deals with promising contributions of alternatives to fossil fuels, such as hydropower, nuclear, solar photovoltaics, and wind. Chapter 19 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Research on alternative energy harvesting technologies, conversion and storage systems with high efficiency, cost-effective and environmentally friendly systems, such as fuel cells, rechargeable metal-air batteries, unitized regenerative cells, and water electrolyzers has been stimulated by the global demand on energy. The conversion between oxygen and water plays a key step in the development of oxygen electrodes: oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), processes activated mostly by precious metals, like platinum. Their scarcity, their prohibitive cost, and declining activity greatly hamper large-scale applications. This issue reports on novel non-precious metal electrocatalysts based on the innovative design in chemical compositions, structure, and morphology, and supports for the oxygen reaction.