Using a Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model, and China as the base for analytical comparison, this paper shows that there are significant economic benefits to China and the participating countries along all six Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) economic corridors. However, to maximize these benefits, the social and environmental risks need to be well managed. The analysis shows a clear sequencing in terms of priority corridors. Two corridors have minimal investments and immediate returns, two corridors have significant investments with huge returns, and two corridors have high investments with lower returns. Overall, the paper demonstrates that to ensure the sustainability of any BRI corridor development, there is a need to consider its costs and benefits from the economic, social and environmental perspectives.

Adsorption is a widely used method for the treatment of dissolved contaminants. Various agro-industrial wastes have been explored as potential adsorbents, showing high efficiency in dye removal. Each adsorbate-adsorbent pair needs kinetic, and equilibrium models to scale up this process. In this work, the equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics of the corn Tuza-Red 40 system were evaluated under batch system at ph = 2.0 at temperatures of 25, 40, and 55 °C. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models were selected for the isotherm representation, while the Lagergren, Ho, and Elovich equations for the kinetics of the process. The Freundlich model presented the best fit to the isotherms, the adsorption kinetics was best described by the Ho equation, and the values for Gibbs free energy and entropy indicated the spontaneity and feasibility of the process.

Plasma thermal gasification can be one of the most relevant and environmentally friendly technologies for waste treatment and has gained interest for its use in thethermos-conversion of biomass. In this perspective, the objective of this study is to evaluate the gasification of sugarcane bagasse by studying the effective areas of operation of this process and to establish a comparison with conventional autothermal gasification. A thermochemical equilibrium model was used to calculate the indicators that characterize the performance of the process on its own and integrated with a combined cycle. As a result, it was obtained that plasma and gasification of bagasse is technically feasible for the specific net electrical production of 4 MJ with 30 % electrical efficiency, producing a gas with higher calorific value than autothermal gasification. The operating points where the electrical energy production and the cold gas efficiency reach their highest values were determined; then the effects of the operational parameters on these performance indicators were analyzed.

The importance of improving industrial transformation processes for more efficient ones is part of the current challenges. Specifically, the development of more efficient processes in the production of biofuels, where the reaction and separation processes can be intensified, is of great interest to reduce the energy consumption associated with the process. In the case of Biodiesel, the process is defined by a chemical reaction and by the components associated to the process, where the thermochemical study seeks to develop calculations for the subsequent understanding of the reaction and purification process. Thus, the analysis of the mixture of the components using the process simulator Aspen Plus V9^® unravels the thermochemical study. The UNIFAC-DMD thermodynamic method was used to estimate the binary equilibrium parameters of the reagents using the simulator. The analyzed aspects present the behavior of the components in different temperature conditions, the azeotropic behavior and the determined thermochemical conditions.

The heat collection evaporator was modeled based on equilibrium homogeneous theory, and the Runge-Kutta calculation method was used to analyze and solve the flow in the heat collection evaporator. The influence of environmental factors such as solar irradiance, ambient temperature and wind speed on the variation of refrigerant pressure in two kinds of heat collecting evaporator was analyzed under the set working conditions. The results show that the solar energy irradiance has a great influence on the pressure drop in the tube of serpentine heat collecting evaporator, and the maximum pressure drop of the refrigerant in the tube is 16.3%, minimum pressure drop is 7.8%. However, it has little influence on the pressure drop of the tube sheet evaporator. The maximum pressure drop in the refrigerant tube of the tube sheet evaporator is 4.8%, minimum pressure drop is 1.8%. When the irradiance reaches 800 W/m², the refrigerant in the serpentine-tube evaporator has been completely vaporized at 6 m, it’s completely vaporized at 3 m.