At present, environmental problems are becoming increasingly severe, and sustainable development concerns the common destiny of all mankind around the world. Leveraging ecological footprint and ecological carrying capacity data for Eurasia from 2000 to 2022, this study employs a three-dimensional ecological footprint model to conduct a multi-scale sustainability assessment. Further applying a difference-in-differences model, we analyze the impact mechanisms of the Belt and Road Initiative on Eurasia's ecological footprint. Quantile regression and heterogeneity analysis reveal Belt and Road Initiative's differential effects across countries. Key findings indicate that: (1) Eurasia's unsustainable development intensified from 2000 to 2022, with ecological footprint depth rising from 1.966 to 2.513 ha/cap, while per capita ecological footprint size declined slightly from 1.092 to 1.023 ha/cap. (2) Classifying 83 countries into 9 sustainability types based on ecological footprint depth and size, Asia showed weak sustainability (low size-medium depth and low size-low depth types), while Europe was primarily low size-medium depth with relatively stronger sustainability. Six countries experienced weakened sustainability and six improved. (3) The Belt and Road Initiative significantly increased ecological footprint in Eurasian countries, mediated by industrial structure, technological innovation, and foreign direct investment. Quantile regression indicates Belt and Road Initiative's effect is stronger in nations with lower initial ecological footprint. Heterogeneity analysis further shows Belt and Road Initiative disproportionately impacts countries with lower ecological footprint depth, smaller per capita ecological footprint size, and weaker sustainability. These insights provide critical guidance for implementing the UN 2030 Agenda and formulating Belt and Road Initiative policies to enhance long-term sustainability.

The refining-chemical industry is a key sector to support social development by providing chemical and energy products. However, it is facing a complex and challenging situation in terms of energy conservation and carbon reduction. In this paper, the carbon reduction pathways in the refining-chemical industry and the technological development of electrification in the chemical and power supply sectors were explored and analyzed. The results reviewed the industry characteristics, processing technology routes, and energy consumption in the domestic refining-chemical industry, highlighted the challenges in energy conservation and carbon reduction, and summarized the transformation and upgrading directions that have achieved consensus. The opportunities brought by the development of the new green electricity and green hydrogen energy industries were discussed, the role of energy storage technology and green electricity-to-hydrogen production technology were analyzed, and the current development status of electrification technology in the chemical and power supply sectors were emphasized. It was confirmed that process improvement is the key core, zero-carbon energy coupling is the primary prerequisite, electrification is the connecting hub, and decarbonization technologies are the ultimate guarantee for the green and low-carbon transformation of the refining-chemical industry. The article also provides recommendations for the future technological development of the refining-chemical industry and related sectors, serving as a reference for guiding the green and low-carbon transformation of the domestic refining-chemical industry.

Low-temperature oxidation (LTO) is the main reaction that affects fuel formation in the in-situ combustion process, which has important significance for the subsequent combustion propulsion and the successful extraction of crude oil. In this study, heavy oil was subjected to LTO reactions at different temperatures. Three types of reaction products with varying oxidation depths were characterized in terms of the number of oxygen atoms and the polarity of the molecule to reveal the low-temperature oxidation process of the heavy oil. Ketone compounds and acid polyoxides in the oil phase and deep oxidation products with a higher number of oxygen atoms in the coke were identified with increasing oxidation depth. The experimental results showed that the oxidation reaction of the heavy oil changed from kinetic-controlled to diffusion-controlled in the open oxidation system of the heavy oil as the oxidation depth increased. The oxidation reaction of the oil phase reached a maximum and stable value in oxygen content. The molecular compositions of the ketone compound and acid polyoxide did not change significantly with further increase in reaction temperature. The molecular compositions of the deep oxidation products with a higher number of oxygen atoms in the coke phase changed significantly. The coke precursor molecules with a lower oxygen content and condensation degree participated in the coke formation, and the oxidation reaction pathway and the complexity of the oxidation product component also increased.

Methylcyclohexane (MCH) serves as an ideal hydrogen carrier in hydrogen storage and transportation process. In the continuous production of hydrogen from MCH dehydrogenation, the rational design of energy-efficient catalytic way with good performance remains an enormous challenge. Herein, an internal electric heating (IEH) assisted mode was designed and proposed by the directly electrical-driven catalyst using the resistive heating effect. The Pt/Al₂O₃ on Fe foam (Pt/Al₂O₃/FF) with unique three-dimensional network structure was constructed. The catalysts were studied in a comprehensive way including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-mapping, in situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), and in situ CO-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements. It was found that the hydrogen evolution rate in IEH mode can reach up to above 2060 mmol·g_Pt⁻¹·min⁻¹, which is 2–5 times higher than that of reported Pt based catalysts under similar reaction conditions in conventional heating (CH) mode. In combination with measurements from high-resolution infrared thermometer, the equations of heat transfer rate, and reaction heat analysis results, the Pt/Al₂O₃/FF not only has high mass and heat transfer ability to promote catalytic performance, but also behaves as the heating component with a low thermal resistance and heat capacity offering a fast temperature response in IEH mode. In addition, the chemical adsorption and activation of MCH molecules can be efficiently facilitated by IEH mode, proved by the operando MCH-FTIR results. Therefore, the as-developed IEH mode can efficiently reduce the heat and mass transfer limitations and prominently boost the dehydrogenation performance, which has a broad application potential in hydrogen storage and other catalytic reaction processes.