The aim of this article has been to investigate the impact of supply chains on sustainable forest development. The results of the research carried out by the authors show that the supply chain ensures more sustainable use of forests and saves lumber from energy production. The article outlines the synergy between supply chain performance and the sustainable use of forest resources. With balanced supply chain processes, it is possible to achieve the sole usage of wood waste and non-productive wood for the production of energy. The authors of the article have compared the data on Lithuanian and Polish border regions and have developed a model for the supply chain effect on orests' preservation. The model demonstrates that supply chain reduces the amount of energy used in energy production and increases the use of wood waste to meet the energy needs of society.
Summary
The aim of the study was to estimate the optimum method to obtain water‐soluble (WS‐DF) and alkali‐soluble (AS‐DF) dietary fibres fibres from defatted rice bran (DRB) to develop functional components for food. The different pre‐treatments of DRB, such as ultrasound (US) treatment, hydrolysis by cellulase (HC) and combined treatment (HC‐US), were compared with hot‐water (HWT) treatment on yields, and structural, physicochemical, and functional properties of WS‐DF and AS‐DF. Results showed that amounts of WS‐DF (5.54–9.03 g/100 g) and AS‐DF (7.22–9.58 g/100 g), and total dietary fibre (TDF) (42.21–45.44 g/100 g) obtained from the DRB after US, HC and HC‐US treatments were significantly higher than that after HWT (6.36, 5.65 and 31.92 g/100 g, respectively). The FT‐IR indicated that the effect of applied treatments on the changes of the chemical structure of polysaccharides was stronger for the WS‐DF than that for the AS‐DF. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the surfaces of US‐treated DFs particles were much more fractured than those after the HWT and HC. The combined HC‐US treatment at 50°C for 30 min significantly enhanced the purity (85–91%) and homogeneity of RB DFs structure resulting in increased water‐holding, swelling and glucose adsorption capacities compared to conventional processes maintaining acceptable bioactivity. Our study showed that conventional hot water extraction could be replaced with the ultrasonication technology as an effective tool for the modification of rice bran DFs’ structure and functional properties.
The shadow economy is a significant factor in impoverishing the economies of countries and unequal operating and competitive conditions distort the market economy system, as opaque parallel activities impoverish socially responsible business units. The biomass energy sector faces this risk because the biomass supply chain is not yet fully secure and balanced. The study conducted by the authors showed that the manifestations of the shadow economy in the biomass energy sector are possible in the biomass production and transportation sub-sectors. Lack of digitization and poor resource management can lead to the problem of misuse of resources, which has non-transparent economic activities. The evaluation methodology developed by the authors allows to investigate the directions of shadow economy in the biomass energy sector and to measure the possible extent of such activities. The measurements were made in order to compare the official activities of enterprises with the factors attributable to the shadow economy. This is also due to the lack of innovation and digital solutions. The application of innovative solutions would help to reduce the size of the shadow economy, which would increase the income of regions and the state, and reduce the level of poverty.
As the conjuncture of the energetic system in countries or different regions changes, renewable energy sources play a significant role. Thanks to them, it is possible to move from pollute fossil fuels to sustainable use of clean resources. It is widely acknowledged that the use of biomass waste promotes better environmental state and sustainable development because the waste that cannot be recycled is used for energy production. This article describes the usage of blockchain technology-based biomass systems that not only allows tracing the emergence of biomass, but also contributes to the development of sustainable energy. The research shows that a biomass blockchain enables simplification of biomass production process, thus saving resources and contributing to the expansion of forests and the development of common energy system.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.