Pub Date : 2026-03-01Epub 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.
{"title":"More pressure less compliance: The effect of earnings pressure on corporate environmental violations","authors":"Kefan Li, Shanyong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108710","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108710","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>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.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108710"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623375","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108770
Imane Belyamani , Layla Gripon , Laurent Cauret
The removal of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene derived from e-waste was investigated using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). A Taguchi experimental design evaluated the effects of solvent type, particle size, and solvent-to-polymer ratio on extraction performance. Optimal conditions (diethyl ether, <500 µm particles, 1:10 ratio) enabled 98.5 % BFR removal, thus reducing persistent organic pollutants content below regulatory limits. Ethanol, while more environmentally favorable, achieved lower removal efficiencies. Structural and thermal analyses confirmed the integrity of the polymer and supported effective debromination, with increased glass transition temperatures and reduced thermal degradation. Life cycle assessment identified solvent use, drying, and micronization as the most environmentally impactful stages. Incineration showed the lowest impacts, within a system boundary excluding metal recovery, outperforming UAE combined with mechanical recycling. Despite its drawbacks, incineration remains the most sustainable option for high-BFR plastics under current conditions, highlighting the need for a realistic evaluation of circular strategies.
{"title":"Optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of brominated flame retardants from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) derived from e-waste: Efficiency and life cycle assessment","authors":"Imane Belyamani , Layla Gripon , Laurent Cauret","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108770","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108770","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The removal of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene derived from e-waste was investigated using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). A Taguchi experimental design evaluated the effects of solvent type, particle size, and solvent-to-polymer ratio on extraction performance. Optimal conditions (diethyl ether, <500 µm particles, 1:10 ratio) enabled 98.5 % BFR removal, thus reducing persistent organic pollutants content below regulatory limits. Ethanol, while more environmentally favorable, achieved lower removal efficiencies. Structural and thermal analyses confirmed the integrity of the polymer and supported effective debromination, with increased glass transition temperatures and reduced thermal degradation. Life cycle assessment identified solvent use, drying, and micronization as the most environmentally impactful stages. Incineration showed the lowest impacts, within a system boundary excluding metal recovery, outperforming UAE combined with mechanical recycling. Despite its drawbacks, incineration remains the most sustainable option for high-BFR plastics under current conditions, highlighting the need for a realistic evaluation of circular strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108770"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884084","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108768
Chao Wang , Kangyu Tan , Ming K. Lim , Pezhman Ghadimi
The accelerating global energy transition has created unprecedented demand for critical minerals essential for batteries and clean energy technologies. While existing research has examined individual metal trade networks, the core scientific question of how these minerals jointly evolve as an integrated “energy transition web” remains unanswered. This study addresses this gap by constructing a multi-layer aggregated trade network for lithium-cobalt-nickel spanning 2010–2024. It uses complex network and quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) regression to identify mechanisms shaping network dynamics and their implications for supply-chain resilience. The results show that the network has transformed from sparse to a dense “small-world” structure, dominated by an intensifying Asian core. Traditional drivers such as economic scale have weakened, whereas environmental and strategic factors have emerged as primary drivers. These findings demonstrate that the global critical-mineral system is evolving into more interconnected yet more politically segmented energy-transition web, highlighting emerging vulnerabilities and informing future resource-security strategies.
{"title":"Weaving the energy transition web: Structural dynamics and drivers of the global lithium-cobalt-nickel trade network","authors":"Chao Wang , Kangyu Tan , Ming K. Lim , Pezhman Ghadimi","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108768","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108768","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The accelerating global energy transition has created unprecedented demand for critical minerals essential for batteries and clean energy technologies. While existing research has examined individual metal trade networks, the core scientific question of how these minerals jointly evolve as an integrated “energy transition web” remains unanswered. This study addresses this gap by constructing a multi-layer aggregated trade network for lithium-cobalt-nickel spanning 2010–2024. It uses complex network and quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) regression to identify mechanisms shaping network dynamics and their implications for supply-chain resilience. The results show that the network has transformed from sparse to a dense “small-world” structure, dominated by an intensifying Asian core. Traditional drivers such as economic scale have weakened, whereas environmental and strategic factors have emerged as primary drivers. These findings demonstrate that the global critical-mineral system is evolving into more interconnected yet more politically segmented energy-transition web, highlighting emerging vulnerabilities and informing future resource-security strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108768"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884224","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108765
Wenli Qiang , Jiayi Liu , Xing Ma , Khizar Abbas , Lifei Feng , Gang Liu
Global food and nutrition production has undergone significant changes over the past few decades. Yet the inequality of nutrition and its sources on various scales remains poorly understood. By analyzing detailed production and nutrition coefficient data for 80 food categories across 182 countries and regions from 1986 to 2020, we reveal varying trends in inequality across each food category. The inequality in oil crops, vegetables, stimulants, pulses, and sugars has increased, whereas inequality in fruits, livestock, and aquatic products has decreased over time. The primary source of global food production inequality in 1986 was the difference between income groups. However, by 2020, the focus had shifted to internal inequality within income groups. Cereals had contributed most to inequalities in energy, protein, mineral, and vitamin production, while oil crops were the main driver of fat inequality. Our results suggest that it is essential to implement nutrition-oriented food production strategies and trade policies to effectively improve global food security.
{"title":"The changing trend of global food and nutrition production inequality","authors":"Wenli Qiang , Jiayi Liu , Xing Ma , Khizar Abbas , Lifei Feng , Gang Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108765","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108765","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global food and nutrition production has undergone significant changes over the past few decades. Yet the inequality of nutrition and its sources on various scales remains poorly understood. By analyzing detailed production and nutrition coefficient data for 80 food categories across 182 countries and regions from 1986 to 2020, we reveal varying trends in inequality across each food category. The inequality in oil crops, vegetables, stimulants, pulses, and sugars has increased, whereas inequality in fruits, livestock, and aquatic products has decreased over time. The primary source of global food production inequality in 1986 was the difference between income groups. However, by 2020, the focus had shifted to internal inequality within income groups. Cereals had contributed most to inequalities in energy, protein, mineral, and vitamin production, while oil crops were the main driver of fat inequality. Our results suggest that it is essential to implement nutrition-oriented food production strategies and trade policies to effectively improve global food security.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108765"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145884225","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108742
Pablo Saralegui-Díez , Sebastián Villasante , Andrés Ospina-Álvarez , Montserrat Ramón , Joan Moranta
The global food system is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and there is increasing interest in identifying sustainable protein alternatives. Mussels are often promoted as an environmentally friendly source of seafood. However, comprehensive assessments of its carbon footprint, which consider the entire food chain, remain limited. This study estimates the carbon footprint of the mussel food chain in Spain, focusing on its product forms—fresh, frozen, and canned— by reconstructing the mussel supply chain, integrating national production and trade data, and modelling its logistics across international, national, and intraprovincial transport. The relationship between fresh, frozen and processed mussel allows to articulate a consumption approach taking into consideration the interconnections between industrial processing, global supply chains and mussel production. Total GHG emissions reached 287.8 GgCO₂eq.yr-1, with the main contributions from aquaculture production (45 %), industrial processing (43 %), and transport (12 %). Emissions linked to domestic consumption are 190.1 GgCO₂eq.yr-1, representing 6.3 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat, with pickled mussels representing the most impactful product (8.5 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat), followed by mussels in brine (6.7 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat), fresh mussels (4.1 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat), and frozen mussels (3.6 kgCO₂eq.kg-1 edible mussel meat). Although Galicia accounts for 99 % of domestic mussel production, only 25 % of available fresh mussels are destined for direct domestic consumption. The remainder feeds industrial processing or is exported, revealing a structure highly dependent on international trade and interprovincial transport. Our findings show that processing and transport are key contributors, and that the most consumed forms present the highest carbon footprints. We highlight the need to promote more sustainable consumption patterns, enhance local consumption of lower-impact forms, and reconfigure industrial and trade strategies to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining the sector’s economic viability.
{"title":"The carbon footprint of the mussel food chain in Spain","authors":"Pablo Saralegui-Díez , Sebastián Villasante , Andrés Ospina-Álvarez , Montserrat Ramón , Joan Moranta","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108742","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global food system is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and there is increasing interest in identifying sustainable protein alternatives. Mussels are often promoted as an environmentally friendly source of seafood. However, comprehensive assessments of its carbon footprint, which consider the entire food chain, remain limited. This study estimates the carbon footprint of the mussel food chain in Spain, focusing on its product forms—fresh, frozen, and canned— by reconstructing the mussel supply chain, integrating national production and trade data, and modelling its logistics across international, national, and intraprovincial transport. The relationship between fresh, frozen and processed mussel allows to articulate a consumption approach taking into consideration the interconnections between industrial processing, global supply chains and mussel production. Total GHG emissions reached 287.8 GgCO₂eq.yr<sup>-1</sup>, with the main contributions from aquaculture production (45 %), industrial processing (43 %), and transport (12 %). Emissions linked to domestic consumption are 190.1 GgCO₂eq.yr<sup>-1</sup>, representing 6.3 kgCO₂eq.kg<sup>-1</sup> edible mussel meat, with pickled mussels representing the most impactful product (8.5 kgCO₂eq.kg<sup>-1</sup> edible mussel meat), followed by mussels in brine (6.7 kgCO₂eq.kg<sup>-1</sup> edible mussel meat), fresh mussels (4.1 kgCO₂eq.kg<sup>-1</sup> edible mussel meat), and frozen mussels (3.6 kgCO₂eq.kg<sup>-1</sup> edible mussel meat). Although Galicia accounts for 99 % of domestic mussel production, only 25 % of available fresh mussels are destined for direct domestic consumption. The remainder feeds industrial processing or is exported, revealing a structure highly dependent on international trade and interprovincial transport. Our findings show that processing and transport are key contributors, and that the most consumed forms present the highest carbon footprints. We highlight the need to promote more sustainable consumption patterns, enhance local consumption of lower-impact forms, and reconfigure industrial and trade strategies to reduce environmental impacts while maintaining the sector’s economic viability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108742"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145730844","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-06DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108779
Meiqi Yang , Hongxu Chen , Kaijie Yang , Zhiyong Jason Ren
Global lithium demand is rising rapidly, but the environmental performance of industrial-scale extraction remains poorly understood. The costs, freshwater requirements, chemical inputs, and energy use of multistage evaporation ponds and direct lithium extraction (DLE) are rarely assessed under real operating conditions, and DLE is seldom examined as a complete industrial process. Here, we present a comprehensive data-driven assessment of industrial lithium brine projects worldwide, applying hierarchical clustering, correlation analysis, and Bayesian statistics to compare evaporation ponds and DLE. Our results show that brine chemistry plays a decisive role in process feasibility and environmental burdens. High-quality brines enable evaporation ponds with lower water and energy use but limited recovery, while low-quality brines require DLE, which achieves higher recovery at much higher resource costs. By linking impurity ratios, recovery efficiency, and chemical demand, this work establishes a systematic framework connecting brine quality to environmental impacts, providing guidance for sustainable lithium production.
{"title":"Data-driven environmental and operational assessment of industrial lithium brine extraction","authors":"Meiqi Yang , Hongxu Chen , Kaijie Yang , Zhiyong Jason Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global lithium demand is rising rapidly, but the environmental performance of industrial-scale extraction remains poorly understood. The costs, freshwater requirements, chemical inputs, and energy use of multistage evaporation ponds and direct lithium extraction (DLE) are rarely assessed under real operating conditions, and DLE is seldom examined as a complete industrial process. Here, we present a comprehensive data-driven assessment of industrial lithium brine projects worldwide, applying hierarchical clustering, correlation analysis, and Bayesian statistics to compare evaporation ponds and DLE. Our results show that brine chemistry plays a decisive role in process feasibility and environmental burdens. High-quality brines enable evaporation ponds with lower water and energy use but limited recovery, while low-quality brines require DLE, which achieves higher recovery at much higher resource costs. By linking impurity ratios, recovery efficiency, and chemical demand, this work establishes a systematic framework connecting brine quality to environmental impacts, providing guidance for sustainable lithium production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108779"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145903422","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108756
Ying Zheng , Ziwen Dai , Fan Yang , Zhaoyang Li , Guang Hu , Sha Liang , Wenbo Yu , Shushan Yuan , Huabo Duan , Liang Huang , Jingping Hu , Huijie Hou , Jiakuan Yang
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have revolutionized portable electronics, electric vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage. However, the resulting surge in spent LIBs poses severe challenges to environmental sustainability and resource security. Conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling technologies are hindered by fundamental limitations, including high energy consumption, the generation of secondary pollution, complex processes, and inefficient lithium recovery. These challenges have driven the development of short-route, efficient, and green recycling technologies. Among these, selective lithium recovery strategies targeting lithium extraction while preserving valuable transition metal cathode structure, show exceptional promise. This review critically assesses recent advancements in selective lithium recovery technologies, including selective leaching, roasting–leaching hybrid processes, mechanochemical methods, and electrochemical approaches. By analyzing their underlying mechanisms, comparing the techno-economic and environmental trade-offs across pathways, and identifying key research challenges, we provide a forward-looking perspective on future research directions for designing next-generation sustainable LIBs recycling processes.
{"title":"Advanced strategies for selective lithium extraction from spent lithium-ion battery cathodes","authors":"Ying Zheng , Ziwen Dai , Fan Yang , Zhaoyang Li , Guang Hu , Sha Liang , Wenbo Yu , Shushan Yuan , Huabo Duan , Liang Huang , Jingping Hu , Huijie Hou , Jiakuan Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108756","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108756","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have revolutionized portable electronics, electric vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage. However, the resulting surge in spent LIBs poses severe challenges to environmental sustainability and resource security. Conventional pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical recycling technologies are hindered by fundamental limitations, including high energy consumption, the generation of secondary pollution, complex processes, and inefficient lithium recovery. These challenges have driven the development of short-route, efficient, and green recycling technologies. Among these, selective lithium recovery strategies targeting lithium extraction while preserving valuable transition metal cathode structure, show exceptional promise. This review critically assesses recent advancements in selective lithium recovery technologies, including selective leaching, roasting–leaching hybrid processes, mechanochemical methods, and electrochemical approaches. By analyzing their underlying mechanisms, comparing the techno-economic and environmental trade-offs across pathways, and identifying key research challenges, we provide a forward-looking perspective on future research directions for designing next-generation sustainable LIBs recycling processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108756"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145823271","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 : 2026-03-01Epub 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":"2026-03-01","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 : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108704
Ning Ding , Han Cui , Meng Gao , Qiulin Chen , Sicheng Zhao , Ran Zhuo
Modern power system development drives electrical infrastructure upgrades, creating substantial recyclable waste, notably transformers, demanding enhanced lifecycle management and circular resource strategies. In this study, a computational methodology was developed for evaluating the stock and waste of transformers across China from 1978 to 2050, quantifying the resource recovery potential, evaluating environmental impacts and measuring pollution control and carbon reduction effects of recycling waste transformers. The annual waste generation of ≥35 kV transformers is projected to demonstrate temporal growth patterns. Low-voltage transformers offer substantially greater potential for resource recovery than high-voltage systems. Among them, 110 kV units contribute most significantly to carbon reduction, conserving energy, and enhancing environmental outcomes. In contrast, transformers rated at 750 kV and above exhibit relatively modest gains in environmental performance. This study lays a scientific groundwork for managing waste from power equipment and provides vital strategic guidance for fostering circular economy initiatives in the energy industry.
{"title":"Assessment of the resource recovery potential, pollution control, and carbon reduction effects of waste transformers","authors":"Ning Ding , Han Cui , Meng Gao , Qiulin Chen , Sicheng Zhao , Ran Zhuo","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108704","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108704","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modern power system development drives electrical infrastructure upgrades, creating substantial recyclable waste, notably transformers, demanding enhanced lifecycle management and circular resource strategies. In this study, a computational methodology was developed for evaluating the stock and waste of transformers across China from 1978 to 2050, quantifying the resource recovery potential, evaluating environmental impacts and measuring pollution control and carbon reduction effects of recycling waste transformers. The annual waste generation of ≥35 kV transformers is projected to demonstrate temporal growth patterns. Low-voltage transformers offer substantially greater potential for resource recovery than high-voltage systems. Among them, 110 kV units contribute most significantly to carbon reduction, conserving energy, and enhancing environmental outcomes. In contrast, transformers rated at 750 kV and above exhibit relatively modest gains in environmental performance. This study lays a scientific groundwork for managing waste from power equipment and provides vital strategic guidance for fostering circular economy initiatives in the energy industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 108704"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145785187","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 : 2026-03-01Epub 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":"2026-03-01","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}
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