Maejo International Journal of Energy and Environmental Communication

Towards a circular economy for end-of-life solar panels: Governance frameworks and techno-economic pathways

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Rapid growth in the deployment of photovoltaic (PV) technologies is speeding up the development of end-of-life (EoL) waste streams, resulting in governance challenges if we consider emerging economies. This study gives a comparative techno-economic and institutional evaluation of PV circularity in Taiwan using an operational extended producer responsibility (EPR) regime in Taiwan, and a policy in Thailand that is still in development and not yet complete. The integrated system of Taiwan with prepaid recycling fees, a digital life-cycle registry (PVIS), and accredited treatment facilities has allowed enforcing take-back and high mass-recovery of glass and aluminum. However, flat capacity-based fees provide poor incentives for eco-design and a poor economic return of high-value materials such as silver and high-purity silicon during the recovery phase, due to the delamination energy and refining costs. In Thailand, although the expansion of renewables and PDP 2024 (51% renewables electricity share by 2037) is known, PV-specific EoL governance has yet to be matched. The absence of EPR legislation and treatment capability creates the risk of material leakage and fiscal liabilities. Analysis of a recovery pathway through the use of solvent delamination and hydrometallurgical refinement at an industrial scale. Thai EPR framework with eco-fees, registry system and informal actor integration is proposed by the study. In absence of producer responsibility, environmental and economic risks will arise through the next decade.

Circular bioeconomy valorization of coffee bark residues: Soil chemical transformation and yield enhancement in highland arabica coffee systems

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Comparative research on the effect of coffee bark composting on the yield of Arabica coffee in Phu Oi Village, Pak Chan District, Champasak Province was conducted. The objectives of the study were as follows: 1) to evaluate the quality of coffee bark compost and 2) the impact of the application of this compost on coffee yield. The research was conducted on a farmer's coffee farm in Phu Oi Village, Paksong District, with the comparative model on a 1-hectare plantation of Arabica coffee. The trees were planted with a spacing of 1.5 m x 1 m, totaling 6,600 trees. The coffee grounds compost was analyzed and determined to have 1.42% total nitrogen (% Total N), 6.32 ppm of useful phosphorus, 0.04 ppm of useful potassium, 28.35% organic matter and pH= 7.27. When comparing with the standards of the organic fertilizer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR (2000), the nitrogen, organic matter, and pH values were close to the standards. Compost changed the chemical characteristics of the soil, including P, N, and organic matter content, etc. Nitrogen content increased from 0.17% to 0.95% and phosphorus from 15.45 ppm to 19.50 ppm of soil. Organic matter content was increased from 3.33% to 15.75%. The pH of the soil was changed from 4.67 to 6.25 by the compost. The employment of coffee bark compost resulted in an increase in the Arabica coffee yield as compared to unfertilized farms. In 2022, the yield was 12 T/ha, this yield increased to 15 T/ha in 2023 with the application of compost, whereas in unfertilized farms, the yield was 11.5 T/ha. Thus, the use of compost in coffee cultivation contributes to the enhancement of nutrients and soil fertility, and consequently to improvement in coffee production, with the content of nutrients being equivalent to organic fertilizers.

Evaluation of public understanding of renewable energy use in sub-Saharan Africa

Udo Akpan, Hogan Bassey — Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This work was on information circulation and energy economics by the evaluation of public understanding of renewable energy use, environmental impacts and investments in sub-Saharan Africa. The scope was only on Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and the Benin Republic. The objectives cover the desire to find out the most common of the types of energy consumption in the affected countries; to find out the level of public understanding about renewable energy; to find out the level of investments on renewable energy as well as to know the knowledge about the environmental impact of energy usages. The method of research was an online survey of, and 14,814,460 persons and sample size are 1000 persons. The instrument of research was the structured questionnaire proportionately shared and mailed electronically to respondents of the affected counties. Two theories were applied being the diffusion of innovations and technological determinism. The major findings were that public understanding of renewable energy was critically low in Sub-Saharan Africa though some moderate awareness exists. It was concluded that the biggest barrier in the use of RE in Sub-Saharan Africa is due to lack of public awareness, followed by regulatory barriers and cost. Unawareness is an invisible but powerful obstacle to the mainstream adoption of renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Beyond the technical and financial limitations, lack of understanding and exposure is one of the key factors that delays the energy transition. Energy education, targeted communication and grassroots outreach are important in overcoming this hurdle and ensuring that sub-Saharan Africa draws on its enormous renewable potential for sustainable development. Recommendations included that renewable energy companies, with the help of governments, could engage in awareness-raising as part of their market expansion strategies.

Comparative study of water quality and phytoplankton composition across distinct sites of Srinagar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India

Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Freshwater ecosystems are dynamic and susceptible to human effects; therefore, conducting a quality analysis in these ecosystems is essential. The article highlights the evaluation of the quality of the water as well as phytoplankton diversity of four different areas in Srinagar Garhwal: Madhi Chauras, Sri Yantra Tapu, Chauras Bridge, and Billkedar from February to July 2025. The physical parameters used in the determination of the variation include temperature, turbidity, pH, alkalinity, hardness, nitrates, calcium, magnesium, chlorides, and total dissolved solids. On the same note, phytoplankton collection was performed. A total of 47 phytoplankton species belonging to the classes of Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae and Cyanophyceae were found. Ecological metrics such as Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson Diversity index and Pielou evenness calculated by using PAST software revealed heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of algal abundance dominated by diatoms. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) also showed strong relationships of nutrient enrichment, turbidity and phytoplankton composition. Use of the Algal Genus Pollution Index (AGPI) showed high organic pollution in Sri Yantra Tapu and Chauras Bridge, but Madhi Chauras and Billkedar indicated non-polluted or less-polluted conditions. Thus, the study emphasises the potential of phytoplankton as biological indicators of water quality status and marks a first attempt to record a set of basic data on the algal composition of a particular Alaknanda River segment in Srinagar, Garhwal.