Resources, conservation & recycling advances最新文献

This study evaluated the economic viability of Sargassum management strategies in southeast Florida. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants, beach managers and potential users. To compare the strategies, a cost and market analysis was conducted to assess the value of Sargassum compost relative to other compost products available in the market. The findings indicate that composting Sargassum is an economically viable option and suggests the potential for recouping some of the costs associated with beach cleaning through the sale of compost. Furthermore, the utilization of Sargassum compost could offer a cost-effective alternative as a soil amendment, especially in the face of rising fertilizer costs. However, it is crucial to address concerns regarding compost quality due to contaminants such as plastics and arsenic before implementing a composting operation. This aspect necessitates thorough investigation and remediation to ensure that the resulting compost meets quality standards and is free from potentially harmful contaminants.

The hydrogen economy is driven by the growing share of renewable energy and electrification of the transportation sector. The essential components of a hydrogen economy are fuel cells and electrolysis systems. The scarcity of the resources to build these components and the negative environmental impact of their mining requires a circular economy. Concerning disassembly, economical, ergonomic, and safety reasons make a higher degree of automation necessary.

Our work outlines the challenges and prospects on automated disassembly of fuel cell stacks. This is carried out by summarizing the state-of-the-art approaches in disassembly and conducting manual non-/destructive disassembly experiments of end-of-life fuel cell stacks. Based on that, a chemical and mechanical analysis of the fuel cell components is performed. From this, an automation potential for the disassembly processes is derived and possible disassembly process routes are modeled. Moreover, recommendations are given regarding disassembly system requirements using a morphological box.

In circular economies, it is imperative to implement effective environmental management solutions to address resource depletion. Over the past few years, there has been a growing recognition of the potential of agricultural crop waste in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promoting global carbon neutrality. Despite lacking practical management options, open-field burning of crop residue contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. This challenge may be addressed by producing biochar through the pyrolysis of agricultural crop residues. A biochar application in agriculture can contribute to reducing global warming through the sequestration of atmospheric carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the soil. As part of the life cycle assessment of biochar, the yield and greenhouse gas emissions during its production are critical factors, which emphasize the importance of selecting a production method suitable for producing biochar. The objective of this paper is to present a comprehensive overview of the environmental and agronomic advantages associated with biochar, along with a detailed analysis of its life cycle assessment (LCA). Furthermore, it provides an overview of how biochar can facilitate local energy production and contribute to sustainable resource management within the nexus of agroecosystems, environment, and energy.

The commitment to preserve the environment has altered consumption mode. Therefore, ethical consumption has become a legal obligation to contribute to reducing environmental risk in modern society as green consumption is required to promote sustainable practices and develop green products to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). Therefore, the study aims to investigate the correlative influence of consumer ethical beliefs (e.g. idealism and relativism), environmental ethics, moral obligation, and willingness to use green products on green consumption. We draw on self-identity theory and the theory of planned behavior. A convenience sampling technique and analyzes from 262 responses were applied through structural equation modeling. The results disclose that idealism, relativism, environmental ethics, moral obligation and willingness to use green products have a positive influence on green consumption. In addition, environmental ethics and moral obligation relatively influence the willingness to use green products. This study contributes to existing research and provides new insights for policymakers and green businesses on how to promote green consumption by leveraging appropriate strategies that align with SDG*12, ensuring responsible consumption.

Metal recovery from electroplating wastewater presents a promising alternative approach for Cu/Ni resource procurement, alleviating traditional mineral mining shortages. This article reviews diverse metal recovery technologies, including adsorption, electrocoagulation, chemical precipitation, resin adsorption, extraction, membrane separation, and electrodeposition. Most studies successfully transfer Cu²⁺ or Ni²⁺ from electroplating wastewater to intended metal carriers in lab-scale technologies, thus purifying the wastewater and concurrently enriching desired metals. However, these studies primarily focus on lab-scale heavy metal enrichment and purification, often yielding a mixture of metals with impurities or concentrated salt solution. The importance of reutilization of the recovered metal mixture or metal salt solution, largely unexplored in existing research, is pivotal for sustainability. We propose that future works prioritize pilot-scale experiments, emphasizing reutilization strategies for recovered materials. Consequently, a comprehensive environmental impact evaluation of metal recovery from electroplating wastewater could be made via life cycle assessment, underscoring the importance of reuse in this process.

Construction is one of the most impactful sectors in the use of resources, while having a complex network of stakeholders. To drive towards sustainable development, implementing circular economy (CE) principles in construction projects by connecting stakeholders has become a priority. This research explores the current trends in CE-research in construction and identifies gaps for future directions in connecting stakeholders for CE. Hence, a systematic literature review (quantitative and qualitative) was undertaken. The quantitative analysis identified a gradual increase of CE research in construction. The qualitative content analysis revealed that there is a tendency to adapt various models/frameworks, actions for CE adaption, strategies for stakeholder collaboration, and, digital technologies to connect stakeholders for CE. Lack of promoting CE is a key challenge that needs to be addressed for efficient stakeholder collaboration. Blockchain, could be an enabler for effective stakeholder collaboration for CE in construction and will be the way forward.

This study investigated mono-digestion of ammonia-rich chicken manure (CM) in a high-solids anaerobic-digester (HSAD) at low-temperature (20±1°C) adopting the recirculation-percolation mode of operation using liquid-inoculum. HSAD was operated for about 282 days in batch-runs under different organic loading rates (4.3-8.7 gVS/L.d), total solids (65-70%) and total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) (23.3- 32.8 g/L) concentrations. It was noted that acclimation of the liquid inoculum to a high concentration of TKN (6.9 g/L) facilitated CM digestion, thereby reducing the start-up phase. The maximum cumulative biogas production rate and specific methane yield were found to be 20 L/d and 0.80±0.12 LCH₄g/VS_fed, respectively with a methane content over 60% without any signs of inhibition. Operating HSAD at low temperature prevented the accumulation of free-ammonia, which is toxic to methanogens. A techno-economic analysis was also conducted as part of this study to determine the profitability of the system and a 9-year tentative payback period was estimated.

The enormous amount of plastic waste produced by mankind pollutes the environment, harms human health, and, associated with organic wastes such as malt bagasse and pine sawdust, causes the filling of sanitary landfills. The present study proposed the development of fungal composites using organic waste and non-recyclable plastics as substrates. A strain of P. ostreatus was isolated and identified, and the growth of this fungus was evaluated in these wastes. Composites were produced using a mixture design, and their compressive strength was assessed. During the growth of the microorganism, ligninolytic enzymes were released, causing molecular and morphological changes to the plastic waste, as observed in infrared spectra and scanning electron micrographs of plastic materials incubated with the fungus. Our results demonstrated that the isolated strain of P. ostreatus shows promise in the production of composites using organic waste and non-recyclable plastics as substrates and the bioremediation of synthetic polymers.

Society's increasing demand for metals led to the discussion as to whether scarcity of raw materials could lead to supply shortages and to which extend circularity can prevent resource depletion. This study investigates the need for and availability of secondary and primary zinc resources under moderate demand growth. A dynamic MFA model simulates future potentials of 9–14 Mt/a zinc recycling and the necessity of 17–22 Mt/a zinc mining in 2050. The MFA model estimates a cumulative required mine production of 500–560 Mt between 2020 and 2050, which equals less than 1% of the extractable global zinc resources estimated within a geological analysis. With continuous exploration contributing to new discoveries, primary zinc is sufficiently physically available. In contrast, recycling is limited to the amounts of post-consumer waste generation. Recycling capacities need to be extended, collection systems optimized and processing efficiencies increased worldwide to realize the full extent of modelled potentials.

The transition towards a more circular development requires the activation of several key Circular Economy (CE) enablers. Their combination generates a complex system that aims to advance towards a more sustainable development. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has created many changes in this global economy, altering the interactions between nature, people, governments, and businesses. The effects were mainly felt by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This study analyzes the present state of CE enablers for SMEs considering a sustainability assessment overview. Eight CE enablers that have changed because of the pandemic were especially identified through an exhaustive literature review and have been analyzed by the involvement of 29 scholars and practitioners. The results generated with the application of a fuzzy TOPSIS methodology, evidence that ‘digital technologies’, ‘green consumption’, and ‘circular entrepreneurship’ are the CE enablers with the greatest potential to contribute to a more circular and sustainable development in the post-pandemic.