Promising world scientific and technological areas of research in the field of "Air"

Abstract

Climate change is a major global development challenge with potentially serious threats to the global economy and international security due to increased risks related to energy security, food and drinking water, stable ecosystems, and risks to human health and life. The climate crisis continues unabated as the world community evades the full responsibility needed to overcome it. Despite the sharp reduction in human activity due to the COVID-19 crisis, which led to a 6% reduction in emissions projected for 2020, emissions are expected to increase with the lifting of restrictions. Governments and businesses must use the learned lessons and opportunities arising from this crisis to accelerate the transitions needed to reach the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework Program for Disaster Risk Reduction for 2015-2030. If the world does not act urgently now, the catastrophic effects of climate change will be far greater than the current pandemic. We need to rethink our relationship with the environment and make systemic shifts and transformational changes to become economies with low greenhouse gas emissions and resilience to climate change. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change sets out the framework for addressing this issue, including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal No. 13 "Climate Action". Ukraine, as a party to the Paris Agreement to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, is committed to making a national contribution to achieving the goals of sustainable low-carbon economic development and increasing its ability to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, in particular by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The achievement of the SDG No. 13, approved taking into account the specifics of Ukraine's development, is envisaged using innovative technologies to limit greenhouse gas emissions (National Task No. 13.1 "Limiting greenhouse gas emissions in the economy"). The Ukrainian Institute of Scientific and Technical Expertise and Information performed research for the prospects of scientific and technological areas in the field of "Air" to determine innovative technologies for limiting greenhouse gas emissions and implementing the national task No. 13.1. Identifying the world's promising scientific and technological areas of research and existing technologies is an important and necessary step in determining the topics of effective research and technological forecasting in Ukraine. To determine innovative technologies for limiting greenhouse gas emissions, scientists of the Ukrainian Institute of Scientific and Technical Expertise and Information have performed the following: 1) improving the methodology of scientific and technological forecasting using the patent landscape and intellectual property analytics; 2) determination of the world's most promising scientific and technological areas. The study was carried out on the basis of scientific publications in the international database Web of Science and patents in the international database Derwent Innovation. Promising scientific directions in the "Air" thematic field are the following Top-10 directions: utilization of carbon dioxide; air filtration; air quality monitoring; silicone membranes; multistage processes; air purification; emission inventory; dust collector; chemical cleaning; catalytic methods. Promising technological areas in the "Air" thematic field are the following Top-10 areas: air quality monitoring; air filtration; air purification; air sensors; chemical cleaning; gas drying; dust collector; flocculation; adsorption; multistage processes. Comparative analysis of the research results in scientific and technological areas gives grounds for the conclusion that in the thematic area "Air" the priority technological areas in the world are the following: air quality monitoring; air filtration; multistage processes; air purification; dust collector; chemical cleaning.