Energy and environmental issues have triggered the search for new sources of green energy alternatives in recent years. Biofuel production from renewable sources is widely considered one of the most sustainable alternatives for environmental and economic sustainability. Microalgae are currently being promoted as one of the most promising liquid biofuel feedstocks due to their rapid growth, high lipid production capacity, and carbon–neutral cycle. In this study, whole microalgae cells were utilized as raw material to produce solid biofuel, i.e., Bio-Coke, and this study aimed to investigate the possibility of microalgae Bio-Coke as an alternative to coal coke. The results show that Bio-Coke can be produced from microalgae in the temperature range of 80–100 °C. The apparent density is between 1.253 and 1.261 g/cm3, comparable to the apparent density of lignocellulosic Bio-Coke. Additionally, the calorific value is higher than the calorific value of lignocellulosic Bio-Coke and within the range of the calorific value of subbituminous coal. Therefore, microalgae Bio-Coke can be utilized to replace coal coke usage in the future.
To decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, the Chinese government proposed the circular economy (CE) strategy
as part of its 11th 5-Year Plan. This strategy expands the application of CE from individual enterprises to eco-industrial
parks (EIPs) and to the cities, provinces, and regions. We carried out field studies in three EIPs in Baotou, Suzhou, and
Shanghai. In this paper, we discuss the current state of CE and the sustainable development of EIPs in China. We first provide
detailed information on the three EIPs' infrastructures, preferential policies, CE frameworks, and eco-chains. We then examine
the status of sustainable development in the three EIPs from the perspectives of socio-economic, resource and material efficiency,
and environmental performance. The results indicate that the overall performance of the three EIPs is reasonably good with
respect to socio-economics, resources and materials, and efficiency and environmental protection, whereas green management
is rather weak and thus requires further improvement. We found that the CE frameworks along with eco-chains within the EIPs
are effectively improving resource and material efficiency. Moreover, we demonstrate that there are positive associations
among socio-economic, resource and material, and environmental indicators. Given the large presence of EIPs in the local economies,
these results suggest that EIPs play a key role in promoting sustainable development in China. 相似文献