Technology

Technology plays a central role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The transformative power of technology can accelerate progress towards all the SDGs by driving economic growth, reducing inequalities, enhancing access to basic services, and promoting sustainability.

Under SDG 9, technology, particularly in terms of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is a key enabler of industrial innovation and infrastructure development. ICT has the potential to drive economic growth by enhancing productivity, creating jobs, and fostering entrepreneurship. Moreover, it can contribute to making industries more sustainable by facilitating the transition towards smart manufacturing and circular economy models.

Regarding SDG 4, technology can greatly enhance access to quality education. Digital technologies, including e-learning platforms, can break down barriers to education, such as geographical distance, socio-economic status, and physical disabilities. They can also enrich the learning process by enabling personalized, student-centered learning experiences.

In the context of SDG 3, technology has a profound impact on health outcomes. Medical technologies, from simple devices like thermometers to complex systems like MRI machines, have revolutionized healthcare delivery. Furthermore, digital health technologies, such as telemedicine and mobile health apps, can enhance access to health services, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs.

For SDG 13, technology offers powerful tools for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Renewable energy technologies can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while climate information services can enhance resilience to climate impacts. Furthermore, digital technologies can facilitate the monitoring and reporting of climate actions, contributing to greater transparency and accountability.

However, the benefits of technology are not automatic, and there are significant challenges to overcome, including the digital divide, cybersecurity threats, and ethical issues related to privacy and data ownership. Thus, policy interventions and multi-stakeholder partnerships are needed to ensure that technology serves as a catalyst for sustainable development and does not exacerbate inequalities.

The National Biogas Policy of Ethiopia introduces plans for the implementation of biogas technologies in rural areas. However, rural households' decision to adopt biogas energy technology has been influenced by different socio-economic and institutional factors. This research was therefore undertaken to determine the actual energy consumption status and factors impacting the adoption of biogas technology by rural households in northwestern Ethiopia. Primary data from 182 randomly chosen households and 15 key informants were obtained.
Elsevier, Global Environmental Change, Volume 67, March 2021
Our carbon-intensive economy has led to an average temperature rise of 1 °C since pre-industrial times. As a consequence, the world has seen increasing droughts, significant shrinking of the polar ice caps, and steady sea-level rise. To stall these issues’ worsening further, we must limit global warming to 1.5 °C. In addition to the economy's decarbonization, this endeavour requires the use of negative-emissions technologies (NETs) that remove the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, from the atmosphere.
Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) energy harvester's research interests have been increasing rapidly, indicating that the topic has given significant contributions to the sustainable development of energy alternatives. Although many research activities have been conducted and reported since several years ago, only limited efforts have been made to analyze the research's impact in this area. In this paper, we report a bibliometric analysis on the research progress in MEMS for energy harvester.
Elsevier, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 92, March 2021
Vehicle driving patterns greatly impact the sustainability of the transportation system. Based on V2X communication, the ecological cooperative adaptive cruise control (Eco-CACC) is proposed combing the advantages of eco-driving and car-following to minimize the energy consumption of the connected automated vehicles platoon. Herein, the vehicle platoon behavior in the scenario of driving through a signalized intersection exhibits great benefits for sustainability which is even improved along corridors with more traffic lights.
The fast-expanding electric vehicle market demands eco-friendly, high-performance, and low-cost energy storage systems. Lithium-sulfur battery with higher theoretical specific capacity and lower cost is regarded as a promising successor to lithium-ion battery. However, lithium-sulfur battery's polysulfide shuttling and lithium degradation have hindered its practical applications. In this study, cellulose fibers (CFs) were extracted from recycled paper hardboards by a simple alkaline treatment and then coated onto polypropylene separators by vacuum filtration.
Greenhouse gas emissions are directly associated with climate change issues. Part of the emissions originates from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil used as an energy source for the performance of agricultural machinery's internal combustion engines. However, discussions relevant to the topic are under development in Brazil, and there is a lack of research in the academic field on the intellectual property of agricultural technologies.
Elsevier,

Sustainable Materials for Oil and Gas Applications, Volume 1 in Advanced Materials and Sensors for the Oil and Gas Industry, 2021, Pages 125-174

This book chapter addresses SDG 7 and 9 by explaining how nanotechnology can play a role in allievating environmental impact within enhancing oil recovery.
Elsevier,

Sustainable Materials for Transitional and Alternative Energy, Volume 2 in Advanced Materials and Sensors for the Oil and Gas Industry, 2021, Pages 1-51

This book chapter addresses SDG 7 and 9 by explaining state of the art technology that is improving environmental impact in oil and gas operations including nanotechnology and supramolecular assembly solutions.
Elsevier,

Materials and the Environment, Third Edition: Chapter 11 - Renewable materials, natural materials, Volume , 2021

This book chapter advances SDGs 9 and 12 by exploring whether renewable materials, derived wholly or in part from nature, can play a larger role in the engineering economy of the 21st century.
Elsevier, Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, Volume 4, January 2021
Porous liquids form a new class of materials, which are liquid at room temperature and possess permanent porosity. The latter is a characteristic generally associated with solid-state only. Since the idea of porous liquid was exploited over a decade ago, the researchers see an opportunity of solving the solid material's limitation in gas capture and separation. In this discussion, we present the most recent developments on porous liquids and, in our perspectives, how they can tackle energy and environmental issues by their coupling with membrane technology.

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