Siriluk Chiarakorn

This study explored the influence of high silver (Ag) loading (5–10 mol%) on the photocatalytic performance of zirconium (Zr) co-doped TiO₂ (AZT) with a low Zr content. Although various Ag/Zr ratios have been reported, the effect of high Ag loading combined with low Zr content remains largely unrevealed, particularly in low-temperature synthesis where the role of Zr as a phase inhibitor is less critical. To address this gap, the AZT photocatalyst was fabricated via a solvothermal method combined with organic-free peroxy route. Characterization indicated Zr⁴⁺ incorporated into the TiO₂ lattice, inducing structural distortions and promoting Ti³⁺ defect states. Simultaneously, silver existed as ternary Ag species, which functioned as visible light responsive co-catalysts that enhanced light absorption via Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and facilitated efficient charge separation. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated through Methylene Blue (MB) decolorization under household LED lamp. The optimized 7% Ag loaded catalyst achieved 99.4% removal efficiency within 6 h, with a reaction rate ten times higher than the Zr-doped sample. This superior activity was attributed to a p-n heterojunction and the SPR effect, narrowing the optical band gap to 2.60 eV. Radical scavenger experiments confirmed that the process was primarily driven by photogenerated holes.

The increasing rate of population growth and urban expansion has led to a higher demand for fossil fuels, which, in turn, directly generate greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. These emissions contribute to environmental problems such as global warming and climate change. This study aims to present the total life-cycle energy analysis (LCEA) of a single-family detached house designed with an energy conservation approach. Using a cradle-to-grave scope, this study quantifies the embodied energy in six stages of the building’s life cycle, i.e., initial, transportation, construction, operational, recurrent, and demolition. An input–output (IO)-based method was employed to construct a Thailand-specific embodied energy coefficient for 36 key building materials. This coefficient was then used to quantify both the initial embodied energy and the recurrent embodied energy in this study. The case-study house was broken down into 13 building materials. Concrete was the most consumed material, followed by fiber–cement, steel, and timber, in that order. However, the results of the embodied energy distribution for these materials revealed that fiber–cement ranked first, accounting for 29%. Steel was next, at 21%, followed by concrete at 18%, and, finally, aluminum at 12%. The case-study house had an initial embodied energy of 7.99 GJ/m² and a total life-cycle energy consumption of 0.66 GJ/m²/year. This study provides valuable information on LCEA for residential buildings, fostering public understanding of energy conservation in the Thai context. Furthermore, this study’s results can be applied to establish energy conservation guidelines for residential buildings. These guidelines can help reduce energy resource depletion, carbon emissions, and environmental problems, ultimately contributing to Thailand’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Developing universities to become green and sustainable universities is important. This is in line with the world’s sustainable development guidelines. In developing a university towards being green and sustainable, different sustainability assessment criteria have been used, including the UI GreenMetric, GRI, STARS, AUN, THE’S Impact Ranking, and AISHE. Each criterion is designed in a broad-spectrum manner that is not specific. Therefore, this research aims to develop sustainable and green university assessment indicators that suit the national context in Thailand, both in terms of the size and location of universities. Based on the criteria from the UI GreenMetric, there are six categories, totaling 51 indicators. Thus, this study aims to analyze the weaknesses and strengths of each indicator using a questionnaire distributed by the Sustainable University Network of Thailand to all 36 universities and to organize a meeting with sustainability experts (focus group) in each area. To obtain appropriate indicators and to prioritize each indicator, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted arithmetic mean (WAM) method were used to develop an index of sustainability assessment criteria (GU SI) suitable for the Thai context. The results of this study show that the newly developed GU SI comprises seven aspects, including a total of 27 indicators. These are criteria that can be used to assess the sustainability of small, medium, and large universities. They are not complex, are straightforward to use, and more importantly reflect the Thai context. By applying these new sustainability assessment criteria, it was found that the universities sampled in this study yielded significantly high scores. This study is limited by its application of sustainability assessments to only universities in Thailand. Though there are different contexts across different Thai universities, the proposed indicators can still be used to evaluate the sustainability of universities in Thailand.

This research aimed to utilise coconut shell waste as a raw material to produce compressed coconut shell sheets by using environmentally friendly adhesive from epoxidized natural latex and gelatinized tapioca starch. The coconut shells were cut into 1-mm particles and mixed with the adhesive. The mixture was then compressed in a 30×30×0.5 cm mould using a hydraulic compression machine at 5 MPa and 170°C for 5 minutes to form a compressed coconut shell sheet. The different ratios of adhesive to coconut shell particles (30, 40, and 50 g) per 100 g of coconut shell and the different ratios of gelatinized tapioca starch and epoxidized natural rubber (ranging from 1:0, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, to 4:1 by weight) were examined. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed to analyse the morphology and chemical composition of the coconut shell sheets, respectively. The physical and mechanical properties of the compressed coconut shell sheets were evaluated based on the Thai Industrial Standard (TIS) number 876-2547 for flat pressed particleboards. The results demonstrate successful production of compressed coconut shell sheets from coconut shell waste using the environmentally friendly adhesive. ENR played a role in networking between lignin and cellulose. While GTS improved the strength of the composite using hydrogen bonding. The optimal ratio of adhesive to coconut shell particles was 40 g of the green adhesive per 100 g of coconut shell. The optimal ratio of gelatinized tapioca starch to epoxidized natural rubber was 2:1 by weight. The coconut shell sheets produced from this study were uniform in shape, had unique textures, and met industry standards for wood substitute materials.

A nitrogen-doped TiO₂@SiO₂ core/shell nano-photocatalyst (N-TiO₂@SiO₂) was used as an additive in photocatalytic paint and applied for the photocatalytic degradation of gaseous acetaldehyde under light-emitting diode (LED) visible light irradiation. N-TiO₂ was synthesised via the solvothermal method and then encapsulated by SiO₂ via the sol-gel method. The incorporation of the N atom into the TiO₂ structure was observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The N-TiO₂@SiO₂ core/shell structure was determined by TEM images. The photodegradation of gaseous acetaldehyde using the prepared N-TiO₂@SiO₂ photocatalytic paint was examined in a closed chamber under LED light irradiation. The photodegradation of acetaldehyde by N-TiO₂@SiO₂ photocatalytic paint (31%) was significantly higher than that of TiO₂ paint (5%) and N-TiO₂ paint (20%) within 16 h. The chemical resistance and adhesion ability of N-TiO₂@SiO₂ photocatalytic paint were investigated following Thai Industrial Standards (TIS) no. 2321 and standard test methods for rating adhesion by tape test (ASTM D 3359-22). The N-TiO₂@SiO₂ paint showed good acid and alkali resistance, as well as high adhesion ability comparable with commercial paint (without a photocatalyst).

In this study, Zr‐Ag co‐doped TiO ₂ (ZAT) photocatalyst films having varied numbers of layers (1, 2, 3, and 4) have been developed to coat on ceramic tile substrates by sol‐gel spin coating technique. The specimens were tested to determine antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and the capability to degrade gaseous formaldehyde under visible light. X‐ray diffraction, ultraviolet and visible absorption spectroscopy, water contact angle, and scanning electron microscopy were applied to characterize the structural and morphological properties of the samples. The photocatalytic reactivity of the nanocomposite films was investigated by the decolorization of methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the two‐layer ZAT photocatalyst film on ceramic tile exhibited the highest photocatalytic decolorization of MB, with 60.36% efficiency. The ZAT tile had formaldehyde degradation efficiency up to 32.74% within only 6 h under visible light irradiation, higher than that of the bare ceramic tile (4.90%). Additionally, the ZAT thin films could enhance anti‐ E. coli activity and could be capable of degrading air pollution.

This research studies the photocatalytic conversion of methanol (25–90 µmol/L range) as a volatile organic compound (VOC) surrogate into CO₂, using a N/Ag/TiO₂ photocatalyst under visible light irradiation in a Photo-CREC Air unit. The N/Ag/TiO₂ mesh supported photocatalyst is prepared via the solvothermal method. While the bare-TiO₂ is inactive under visible light, the N/Ag/TiO₂ 2 wt.% loaded stainless-steel woven mesh displays 35% quantum yields, with 80% absorbed photons and 60% methanol conversion in a 110 min irradiation period. Results obtained are assigned to silver surface plasmon resonance, silver and nitrogen species synergistic impacts on band gap, and their influence on particle agglomerate size and semiconductor acidity. The determined quantum yields under visible light in a Photo-CREC Air unit, are the highest reported in the technical literature, that these authors are aware of, with this opening unique opportunity for the use of visible light for the purification of air from VOC contaminants.

Combined bus rapid transit and buses in a dedicated bus lane (CBBD) is a measure that bus rapid transit (BRT) operators implement to reduce overlapping routes between BRT and fixed-route buses. The CBBD measure can combine the passengers of both systems on the same route, which helps increase passenger demand for the BRT, and reduce fuel consumption and emissions from utilizing the exclusive lanes for the combined route. However, the CBBD could affect some bus and BRT passengers in terms of either losing or gaining travel time-saving benefits depending on their travel pattern. This research proposed a methodology to determine the travel distance initiating disadvantage for BRT passengers (DDB) to justify the potential success of the CBBD operations. The number of passengers gaining a benefit from the CBBD was sensitive to the distance between the CBBD stops and the operational period of the CBBD. The CBBD reform would be beneficial to transit agencies to improve the travel time of passengers and be able to promote environmental sustainability for the public transportation system in urban cities.