eBCTC: Energy-efficient hybrid blockchain architecture for smart and secured K-ETS

The Korean Emission Trading Scheme (K-ETS) is vital for reducing carbon emissions in South Korea. However, issues in transparency, security, and computational overhead limit its effectiveness. This work proposes an energy-efficient blockchain-based framework (eBCTC) to enhance the system with a decentralized blockchain architecture, Purechain. The framework leverages an improved consensus mechanism, the Proof of Authority and Association (PoA 2 ). This is to address key challenges in the current K-ETS, such as centralization, lack of transparency, and high energy consumption. The PoA 2 significantly reduces gas usage, with experimental results showing a 22 % reduction in gas consumption compared to traditional Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Authority (PoA) mechanisms. Also, PoA 2 recorded a ×6 and ×2 reduction in gas price compared to PoW and PoA. The system also achieves faster transaction finality and lower computational costs, with transaction costs reduced by up to 83 % across the key K-ETS activities, including emissions reporting, credit allocation, and trading. Also, the system achieved moderate throughput, high latency, doubling scalability, high reliability, and a high success rate compared with DPoS and PBFT based on transaction stress validation tests. With an improved smart contract, intelligent automation of key functions, the system achieved a high energy gain for improved incentives. The proposed framework not only enhances the scalability and transparency of K-ETS but also aligns with South Korea's carbon neutrality goals by minimizing the environmental impact of blockchain operations. This study provides a solid foundation for sustainable carbon trading systems and an accountable carbon economy, contributing to global efforts to combat climate change in achieving the 2050 net-zero carbon emissions goal. • Purechain PoA2 enables secure, low-energy carbon trading in K-ETS. • 22 % less gas usage and 83 % lower costs than PoW and PoA. • Smart contracts automate K-ETS compliance and incentives. • Improves scalability, transparency, and network reliability. • Supports South Korea's 2050 net-zero carbon goal.