Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108728
Natanael Bolson , Masoud Ahmadinia , Rossi Setchi , Sam Evans , Jonathan Cullen
As the UK advances toward its 2050 net-zero target, moving beyond energy efficiency to comprehensive resource management is essential. This study evaluates how circular economy principles can reshape the use of aluminium, lead, steel, glass, and paper in the UK’s foundation industries. Using a circularity index, we assess current performance and identify improvement pathways, quantifying the potential of enhanced recycling and material reuse. Results show that circularity strategies alone could reduce emissions by 42% and energy use by 17%, with reductions rising to 69% and 56% respectively, when combined with best-practice energy intensities. While aluminium and steel offer the largest gains, barriers remain for lead, glass, and paper due to technical and quality constraints. These findings highlight the opportunities and the complexities of industrial circularity, providing evidence to guide policymakers and industry leaders in accelerating the transition to a more sustainable and resource-efficient economy.
{"title":"Material circularity in the UK’s foundation industries","authors":"Natanael Bolson , Masoud Ahmadinia , Rossi Setchi , Sam Evans , Jonathan Cullen","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108728","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108728","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the UK advances toward its 2050 net-zero target, moving beyond energy efficiency to comprehensive resource management is essential. This study evaluates how circular economy principles can reshape the use of aluminium, lead, steel, glass, and paper in the UK’s foundation industries. Using a circularity index, we assess current performance and identify improvement pathways, quantifying the potential of enhanced recycling and material reuse. Results show that circularity strategies alone could reduce emissions by 42% and energy use by 17%, with reductions rising to 69% and 56% respectively, when combined with best-practice energy intensities. While aluminium and steel offer the largest gains, barriers remain for lead, glass, and paper due to technical and quality constraints. These findings highlight the opportunities and the complexities of industrial circularity, providing evidence to guide policymakers and industry leaders in accelerating the transition to a more sustainable and resource-efficient economy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108728"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145658104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108713
Zhiqin Ni , Hing Kai Chan , Zhen Tan
Although China’s official e-waste recycling rate has been higher than the global average over the past decade, the certified reverse logistics network, primarily composed of licensed disassemblers, faces fierce competition from uncertified channels due to limited community access to the certified network. This paper develops a robust bi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model to help certified network decision-makers establish community collection and treatment centers that address the ‘last mile’ deficiency, aiming to provide accessible services to communities competing with uncertified channels while maintaining economic viability. The robust bi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model considers maximizing the collection rate and the profit of the three-echelon reverse logistics network. A piecewise function is proposed to simulate competition between community collection and treatment centers and uncertified channels based on prior literature. Two realistic uncertainty parameters—the lower boundary of the entire collection and the reuse rate—are incorporated into the model, which deliberately addresses the dynamics of collection and processing complexity. A real-world case is presented to validate the model's effectiveness in supporting location decision-making for community collection and treatment centers. The Gurobi optimizer is used to solve the robust model, and the resulting optimal solutions are presented on the Pareto front. ArcGIS software illustrates the eight selected community collection and treatment centers, which achieved a 61.6 % collection rate and a profit of 0.15 million RMB, as shown on the map. This study presents a reliable and effective model for location decisions for community collection and treatment centers under realistic uncertainties, facilitating licensed disassemblers’ decision-making that balances regulatory and economic objectives.
{"title":"Addressing the ‘last mile’ deficiency: A bi-objective model for e-waste reverse logistics network design","authors":"Zhiqin Ni , Hing Kai Chan , Zhen Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108713","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108713","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although China’s official e-waste recycling rate has been higher than the global average over the past decade, the certified reverse logistics network, primarily composed of licensed disassemblers, faces fierce competition from uncertified channels due to limited community access to the certified network. This paper develops a robust bi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model to help certified network decision-makers establish community collection and treatment centers that address the ‘last mile’ deficiency, aiming to provide accessible services to communities competing with uncertified channels while maintaining economic viability. The robust bi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model considers maximizing the collection rate and the profit of the three-echelon reverse logistics network. A piecewise function is proposed to simulate competition between community collection and treatment centers and uncertified channels based on prior literature. Two realistic uncertainty parameters—the lower boundary of the entire collection and the reuse rate—are incorporated into the model, which deliberately addresses the dynamics of collection and processing complexity. A real-world case is presented to validate the model's effectiveness in supporting location decision-making for community collection and treatment centers. The Gurobi optimizer is used to solve the robust model, and the resulting optimal solutions are presented on the Pareto front. ArcGIS software illustrates the eight selected community collection and treatment centers, which achieved a 61.6 % collection rate and a profit of 0.15 million RMB, as shown on the map. This study presents a reliable and effective model for location decisions for community collection and treatment centers under realistic uncertainties, facilitating licensed disassemblers’ decision-making that balances regulatory and economic objectives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108713"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145683380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108717
Dong Xia , Kok Yuen Koh , Raunaq Nayar , Colin Locoge , Nicolas M. Charpentier , Mya Mya Khin , Tien Hoa Nguyen , Guillaume Zante , Hicham Khodja , Jean-Christophe P. Gabriel
Tantalum’s supply chain instability demands efficient urban mining from e-waste. Here, we present an AI-enhanced process that combines intelligent sorting with sustainable hydrometallurgy for high-yield/high-purity Ta recovery. A hybrid sorting system, cascading an interpretable convolutional neural network (CNN) with automated multi-energy X-ray transmission (MEXRT) spectroscopy, achieved 99.6 % precision and 96.9 % recall at 3000 components/hour, resolving the Ta/Nb ambiguity. Spatial activation mapping illustrated the visual sorting mechanism, facilitating feature-driven upgrading. Meanwhile, Canny edge detection and K-edge detection enabled real-time and pixel-wise spectral analysis under multithreaded processing. Downstream, streamlined physical separation and thermodynamically guided reverse leaching selectively recovered Ta with 98.2 % efficiency under mild conditions. Advanced characterization using transmission electron microscopy and ion beam analysis revealed a quantifiable core-shell Ta/Ta2O5 structure in leached products, guiding calcination into >99.8 % pure Ta2O5. This work establishes a closed-loop urban mining framework, demonstrating how AI and tailored refining enable a circular economy for critical metals.
{"title":"AI-enhanced sorting enabling direct high-purity tantalum urban mining: a novel pathway from e-waste to critical materials","authors":"Dong Xia , Kok Yuen Koh , Raunaq Nayar , Colin Locoge , Nicolas M. Charpentier , Mya Mya Khin , Tien Hoa Nguyen , Guillaume Zante , Hicham Khodja , Jean-Christophe P. Gabriel","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108717","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108717","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tantalum’s supply chain instability demands efficient urban mining from e-waste. Here, we present an AI-enhanced process that combines intelligent sorting with sustainable hydrometallurgy for high-yield/high-purity Ta recovery. A hybrid sorting system, cascading an interpretable convolutional neural network (CNN) with automated multi-energy X-ray transmission (MEXRT) spectroscopy, achieved 99.6 % precision and 96.9 % recall at 3000 components/hour, resolving the Ta/Nb ambiguity. Spatial activation mapping illustrated the visual sorting mechanism, facilitating feature-driven upgrading. Meanwhile, Canny edge detection and K-edge detection enabled real-time and pixel-wise spectral analysis under multithreaded processing. Downstream, streamlined physical separation and thermodynamically guided reverse leaching selectively recovered Ta with 98.2 % efficiency under mild conditions. Advanced characterization using transmission electron microscopy and ion beam analysis revealed a quantifiable core-shell Ta/Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> structure in leached products, guiding calcination into >99.8 % pure Ta<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>. This work establishes a closed-loop urban mining framework, demonstrating how AI and tailored refining enable a circular economy for critical metals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108717"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108716
Zhengwen Zhang , Mohammed Tahmid , Hyuck Joo Choi , Marta C. Hatzell , Roger H. French , Chris Yuan
Electrodialysis technology is a promising technology for recovering ammonium ions from anaerobic digestion digestate. In this study, a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment model was developed to evaluate the environmental performance of electrodialysis for ammonium recovery, with system boundary encompassing upstream production, use, and end-of-life phases. The environmental impacts of the electrodialysis technology were assessed using the ReCiPe 2016 midpoint method and benchmarked against those of the baseline air stripping (AS) technology. The cradle-to-grave energy consumption of electrodialysis is 28.74 MJ per kilogram of ammonium recovered, representing a 32.3 % reduction compared to that of AS technology. Additionally, electrodialysis exhibits lower impact values across all 13 evaluated environmental categories, with reductions ranging from 13.1 % to 90.4 %. With continued technological advancement, electrodialysis offers significant potential as an environmental-friendly technology for industrial-scale ammonium recovery.
{"title":"Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of electrodialysis for ammonium recovery","authors":"Zhengwen Zhang , Mohammed Tahmid , Hyuck Joo Choi , Marta C. Hatzell , Roger H. French , Chris Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108716","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108716","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Electrodialysis technology is a promising technology for recovering ammonium ions from anaerobic digestion digestate. In this study, a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment model was developed to evaluate the environmental performance of electrodialysis for ammonium recovery, with system boundary encompassing upstream production, use, and end-of-life phases. The environmental impacts of the electrodialysis technology were assessed using the ReCiPe 2016 midpoint method and benchmarked against those of the baseline air stripping (AS) technology. The cradle-to-grave energy consumption of electrodialysis is 28.74 MJ per kilogram of ammonium recovered, representing a 32.3 % reduction compared to that of AS technology. Additionally, electrodialysis exhibits lower impact values across all 13 evaluated environmental categories, with reductions ranging from 13.1 % to 90.4 %. With continued technological advancement, electrodialysis offers significant potential as an environmental-friendly technology for industrial-scale ammonium recovery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108716"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Global food production drives planetary-boundary transgressions, including nitrogen and phosphorus cycle disruption, land use change, and climate change. Increasing nutrient circularity can improve sustainability. This study explores an integrated approach that combines a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) with biochar from forestry-residue pyrolysis to improve process-level nutrient retention while producing carbon-rich biochar with potential for soil-carbon storage upon land application. In RAS, biochar acts as a filter, capturing nutrients and transforming waste into nutrient-enriched biochar for agriculture. Substance Flow Analysis shows that integration increases nitrogen retention from 30.6 % to 44.6 % and phosphorus retention from 25.5 % to 99.6 % versus separate RAS and pyrolysis. This demonstrates the potential of linking aquaculture, forestry, and agriculture with biochar to support more circular and sustainable food production. This early-stage study examines how and to what extent the approach influences nutrient flows under different assumptions and evaluates a simple recovery-efficiency indicator for assessing circularity in integrated systems.
{"title":"Creating circular pathways for nutrients in aquaculture using biochar","authors":"Efstathios Reppas-Chrysovitsinos , Marta Behjat , Niklas Wennberg , Gregory Peters , Magdalena Svanström","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108707","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108707","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global food production drives planetary-boundary transgressions, including nitrogen and phosphorus cycle disruption, land use change, and climate change. Increasing nutrient circularity can improve sustainability. This study explores an integrated approach that combines a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) with biochar from forestry-residue pyrolysis to improve process-level nutrient retention while producing carbon-rich biochar with potential for soil-carbon storage upon land application. In RAS, biochar acts as a filter, capturing nutrients and transforming waste into nutrient-enriched biochar for agriculture. Substance Flow Analysis shows that integration increases nitrogen retention from 30.6 % to 44.6 % and phosphorus retention from 25.5 % to 99.6 % versus separate RAS and pyrolysis. This demonstrates the potential of linking aquaculture, forestry, and agriculture with biochar to support more circular and sustainable food production. This early-stage study examines how and to what extent the approach influences nutrient flows under different assumptions and evaluates a simple recovery-efficiency indicator for assessing circularity in integrated systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108707"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145658106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108700
Kaixuan Wang , Shuo Sun , Youbang Guan , Chong Huang , Pei Xiao , Ming Xu , Lirong Liu
As the rollout of 5G accelerates, its soaring energy demand poses a growing climate challenge. According to a World Bank Group report, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is responsible at least 1.7 % of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study examines an intelligent suite of energy-saving methods—particularly deep reinforcement learning sleep modes, adaptive RIS, and cluster-zooming cell-free MIMO at the network edge, alongside dynamic power adjustments on user devices—and quantifies their environmental impact using an ICT-focused environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) model. Anchored in the UK’s 2019 economic and emissions data, the model captures both production and consumption effects across 33 sectors. Results spotlight two standout strategies—AI-powered base station sleep control and refined user device signaling—as catalysts for deep, economy-wide CO2 reductions. Notably, the financial, IT services, and programming sectors benefit most from these ripple effects. Our findings outline practical paths towards greener 5G deployments and underscore policy opportunities to amplify their socioeconomic value.
{"title":"Beyond connectivity: How smart 5G technologies affect carbon emissions across industries","authors":"Kaixuan Wang , Shuo Sun , Youbang Guan , Chong Huang , Pei Xiao , Ming Xu , Lirong Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the rollout of 5G accelerates, its soaring energy demand poses a growing climate challenge. According to a World Bank Group report, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is responsible at least 1.7 % of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study examines an intelligent suite of energy-saving methods—particularly deep reinforcement learning sleep modes, adaptive RIS, and cluster-zooming cell-free MIMO at the network edge, alongside dynamic power adjustments on user devices—and quantifies their environmental impact using an ICT-focused environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) model. Anchored in the UK’s 2019 economic and emissions data, the model captures both production and consumption effects across 33 sectors. Results spotlight two standout strategies—AI-powered base station sleep control and refined user device signaling—as catalysts for deep, economy-wide CO<sub>2</sub> reductions. Notably, the financial, IT services, and programming sectors benefit most from these ripple effects. Our findings outline practical paths towards greener 5G deployments and underscore policy opportunities to amplify their socioeconomic value.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108700"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108715
Huanyu Wang , Qiang Yue , Huimin Chang , Xiang Fu , Wei Ji , Changqing Xu , Heming Wang
The transparency, standardization, and comparability of LCA data remain global challenges for quantifying and reducing the carbon footprint of the steel industry. To address these issues, the transparent and standardized Tiangong Steel Datasets provide development framework for China’s steel sector. The datasets were compiled through a systematic process involving comprehensive literature review, snowball sampling, expert validation, and data extraction. They provide process-level information on energy use, material inputs, and emissions across three major steelmaking routes: BF-BOF, DRI-EAF, and Scrap-EAF. Each dataset includes explicit definitions of system boundary, functional unit, allocation rule, and temporal-spatial coverage, ensuring methodological consistency. Statistical and correlation analyses reveal the relationships between raw material consumption and CO2 emissions, highlighting key emission drivers and efficiency gaps among production routes. By unifying modeling boundaries and calculation methods, the datasets improve the credibility and international comparability of product carbon footprint, support integration with carbon trading and export compliance, and provide a foundation for China’s low-carbon steel transition.
{"title":"Toward a standardized and comparable life cycle dataset system for steel production in China","authors":"Huanyu Wang , Qiang Yue , Huimin Chang , Xiang Fu , Wei Ji , Changqing Xu , Heming Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108715","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108715","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transparency, standardization, and comparability of LCA data remain global challenges for quantifying and reducing the carbon footprint of the steel industry. To address these issues, the transparent and standardized Tiangong Steel Datasets provide development framework for China’s steel sector. The datasets were compiled through a systematic process involving comprehensive literature review, snowball sampling, expert validation, and data extraction. They provide process-level information on energy use, material inputs, and emissions across three major steelmaking routes: BF-BOF, DRI-EAF, and Scrap-EAF. Each dataset includes explicit definitions of system boundary, functional unit, allocation rule, and temporal-spatial coverage, ensuring methodological consistency. Statistical and correlation analyses reveal the relationships between raw material consumption and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, highlighting key emission drivers and efficiency gaps among production routes. By unifying modeling boundaries and calculation methods, the datasets improve the credibility and international comparability of product carbon footprint, support integration with carbon trading and export compliance, and provide a foundation for China’s low-carbon steel transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108715"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108712
Mingxuan Tuo , Ming Yang , Yifan Gu , Guangwen Hu , He Peng , Rui Li , Tong Liu , Yufeng Wu
The plastic packaging industry is the largest and fastest-growing industry in plastic consumption, bringing significant economic profits while also facing multiple pressures from greenhouse gases emission (GHGs) and environmental pollution. To reveal the synergistic mechanisms of GHGs reduction, pollution control, and economic development, this study constructs a dynamic carbon-pollution-economy nexus model. Based on eight scenarios, we explore synergistic strategies for the plastic packaging industry. Results show that in 2060, China’s plastic packaging consumption will initially rise and then decline, reaching 43.4 million metric tons (Mt). GHGs from the plastic packaging industry will reach 140.4 Mt, while environmental pollution and economic profit is expected to increase by 32.3 % and 53.7 % compared to 2020, respectively, leading to a sustainability coordination index of 56.0. Through synergistic scenario analysis, it is recommended that promoting the substitution of secondary plastics with increasing recycling rates and improving energy recovery efficiency are crucial to establish a closed-loop supply system for the plastic packaging industry. It is the basis for synergistic GHGs reduction, pollution control, and economic development. Moreover, the use of biodegradable plastics should be approached with caution. The chemical recycling technologies should be promoted based on their maturity. Compared to the business as usual scenario, the optimal scenario can increase economic profit by 24.5 % while reducing GHGs by 60 % and pollution by 21.2 % in 2060.
{"title":"Synergistic mechanism for greenhouse gases reduction, pollution control, and economic development in the plastic packaging industry: A coupled analysis of material, value, and environmental flows","authors":"Mingxuan Tuo , Ming Yang , Yifan Gu , Guangwen Hu , He Peng , Rui Li , Tong Liu , Yufeng Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108712","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108712","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The plastic packaging industry is the largest and fastest-growing industry in plastic consumption, bringing significant economic profits while also facing multiple pressures from greenhouse gases emission (GHGs) and environmental pollution. To reveal the synergistic mechanisms of GHGs reduction, pollution control, and economic development, this study constructs a dynamic carbon-pollution-economy nexus model. Based on eight scenarios, we explore synergistic strategies for the plastic packaging industry. Results show that in 2060, China’s plastic packaging consumption will initially rise and then decline, reaching 43.4 million metric tons (Mt). GHGs from the plastic packaging industry will reach 140.4 Mt, while environmental pollution and economic profit is expected to increase by 32.3 % and 53.7 % compared to 2020, respectively, leading to a sustainability coordination index of 56.0. Through synergistic scenario analysis, it is recommended that promoting the substitution of secondary plastics with increasing recycling rates and improving energy recovery efficiency are crucial to establish a closed-loop supply system for the plastic packaging industry. It is the basis for synergistic GHGs reduction, pollution control, and economic development. Moreover, the use of biodegradable plastics should be approached with caution. The chemical recycling technologies should be promoted based on their maturity. Compared to the business as usual scenario, the optimal scenario can increase economic profit by 24.5 % while reducing GHGs by 60 % and pollution by 21.2 % in 2060.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108712"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108711
Zhao Yang , Sheng Wang , Bi Chen , Fan Yang , Ping Xiang , Li Wang , Jianlong Wang
Spent grains, as a by-product of Chinese Baijiu brewing, are increasing with the industrial development of Chinese Baijiu. The resource utilization of spent grains is crucial for the sustainable development of Chinese Baijiu enterprise and the realization of the dual carbon goal. This review firstly introduced the brewing process of solid-state fermented Baijiu, as well as the sources and composition of spent grains. Subsequently, the research progress of main twenty distinct methods for the resource utilization of spent grains was comprehensively summarized and evaluated based on recent studies, and categorized into three aspects: (1) direct utilization methods of nutrients and functional components in spent grains, (2) applications of spent grains in functional materials and energy supply, and (3) extraction and utilization methods of high value-added functional components in spent grains. Further, the latest progress in the industrial-scale resource utilization of spent grains implemented by Chinese Baijiu enterprises was reviewed. Finally, the challenges hindering the scaled-up production of spent grains resource utilization technologies were discussed, along with proposed future research directions. Only by integrating methods from diverse studies, optimizing high-value component extraction processes, and establishing multi-level cascading resource utilization systems-while minimizing waste emissions and resource loss during processing-can the full value of spent grains be realized. Coupled with policy incentives and market-driven promotion, such an integrated framework can drive the green and sustainable development of Chinese Baijiu industry and serve as a replicable model for global distilled spirits sectors.
{"title":"Resource utilization of spent grains, an underutilized by-product from Chinese Baijiu brewing: Recent advances and prospects","authors":"Zhao Yang , Sheng Wang , Bi Chen , Fan Yang , Ping Xiang , Li Wang , Jianlong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108711","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108711","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spent grains, as a by-product of Chinese Baijiu brewing, are increasing with the industrial development of Chinese Baijiu. The resource utilization of spent grains is crucial for the sustainable development of Chinese Baijiu enterprise and the realization of the dual carbon goal. This review firstly introduced the brewing process of solid-state fermented Baijiu, as well as the sources and composition of spent grains. Subsequently, the research progress of main twenty distinct methods for the resource utilization of spent grains was comprehensively summarized and evaluated based on recent studies, and categorized into three aspects: (1) direct utilization methods of nutrients and functional components in spent grains, (2) applications of spent grains in functional materials and energy supply, and (3) extraction and utilization methods of high value-added functional components in spent grains. Further, the latest progress in the industrial-scale resource utilization of spent grains implemented by Chinese Baijiu enterprises was reviewed. Finally, the challenges hindering the scaled-up production of spent grains resource utilization technologies were discussed, along with proposed future research directions. Only by integrating methods from diverse studies, optimizing high-value component extraction processes, and establishing multi-level cascading resource utilization systems-while minimizing waste emissions and resource loss during processing-can the full value of spent grains be realized. Coupled with policy incentives and market-driven promotion, such an integrated framework can drive the green and sustainable development of Chinese Baijiu industry and serve as a replicable model for global distilled spirits sectors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108711"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108710
Kefan Li, Shanyong Wang
Under the earnings pressure, corporate managers are prone to make short-sighted decisions and commit misconducts, leading to the frequent occurrence of corporate violations. This paper aims to investigate how earnings pressure affects corporate environmental violations by using 35,466 firm-year observations in China from 2009 to 2023. The findings indicate that earnings pressure has a significant positive impact on corporate environmental violations, and earnings pressure increases corporate environmental violations mainly by cutting environmental protection expenditure and curtailing green innovation. Furthermore, mitigation strategy analysis suggests that environmental regulation, environmental legislation and enforcement, a sound legal environment, media attention, executive green perception and the existence of independent directors can mitigate this effect. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the effect of earnings pressure on corporate environmental violations is more pronounced for firms in heavily polluting and less competitive industries, and with higher litigation risks. Our findings not only help to recognize the motivation of firms to make environmental violation decisions, but also offer insights to encourage firms under earnings pressure to proactively embrace their environmental social responsibilities and work towards sustainable development.
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