Waste Burden Research Articles

Estimating the weight of consumed tobacco product waste in various Indian states: a novel method to assess the potential burden of tobacco product waste

IntroductionThe direct morbidity and mortality caused by tobacco are well documented, but such products also contribute to a range of environmental pollutants resulting from tobacco product waste. No previous studies...

Attaining material circularity in recycled construction waste to produce sustainable concrete blocks for residential building applications

Construction waste poses a major environmental problem owing to traditional building methods, resulting in a huge global waste burden that ultimately ends up in landfills. The development of sustainable methods is necessary not only to reduce environmental problems but also to encourage material circularity and promote the effective recycling and reuse of construction waste. Yet, previous research has largely focused on using recycled construction waste as a single or double additive ingredient. However, this study aims to assess the development of sustainable concrete blocks for residential building applications with a novel blend of two or more waste ingredients, with each additive contributing to a specific characteristic. Physical properties (bulk density, porosity, water absorption, thermal conductivity, compressive strength, fire resistance, and mass loss), cost, and CO2 emissions were determined to evaluate the efficiency of the block. Subsequently, the energy savings were assessed using block samples as single-layer building envelopes within a full-scale room simulated using EnergyPlus. The results showed a reduction in density of up to 24.32 %, and thermal conductivity and heat transfer of up to 56.8 % compared to typical blocks, which satisfied the compressive strength requirements of load- and non-load-bearing walls. The sustainability assessment revealed that the developed concrete blocks could significantly lower production costs by up to 31.75 % and reduce carbon emissions by up to 27.15 % compared to typical concrete blocks. It was found that the best single-layer building envelope in a full-scale residential room improved energy efficiency by up to 9.17 % when the produced blocks were used. This enhancement could lower the cost of energy consumption from 88.34 to 80.24 kWh/m2/year. This research contributes to the utilization of circular building blocks, which reduce the need for typical raw materials while improving their functional properties and lowering the production cost, carbon emissions, and energy consumption in a single-layer residential building.

A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Video-Assisted Teaching Programme on Knowledge Regarding Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Waste among School Children in Selected School, Namakkal District

Background: Worldwide burden of waste increases day-through- day results in environmental issues including pollutants, climatic exchange and so forth. Video-assisted coaching programme concerning biodegradable and non- biodegradable waste improves the knowledge amongst faculty youngsters.  Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of video assisted teaching software on expertise regarding biodegradable and non- biodegradable waste among faculty children. design: Pre- experimental one organization pretest posttest design.Setting: selected school, Namakkal. 50 college kids, pleasing the inclusion standards had been selected via handy sampling method.  Selection Criteria: Decided on school, Namakkal. 50 college children, pleasing the inclusion standards have been decided on thru on hand sampling approach  Methods: The take a look at turned into carried out with 50 school children. based questionnaire turned into used because the evaluation tool.  Results: The look at findings concluded that the video- assisted teaching become powerful on improving know- how regarding biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste among college youngsters with paired t-check rating fifty four.25 which turned into statistically giant to p<0.001. No massive association between the school children’s knowledge and their demographic variables.  Conclusion: The locating of the have a look at concluded that the video-assisted teaching was very powerful in enhancing the level of know-how of school children regarding biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. there was an awesome development in knowledge rating between pre-take a look at and post-test 57.6% (forty three.6% - seventy one.6%) among college kids χ2=20.seventy four with statistical significance at p=zero.00011. therefore, video-assisted teaching has proved as a method to improve the knowledge of college kids regarding biodegradable and non-biodegradable wast.

Interventions to Reduce Surgical Waste Burden: A Systematic Review.

Operating suites are significant drivers of waste, pollution, and costs. Surgeons can help fight the climate crisis by implementing innovative strategies aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of surgical procedures and decreasing operational costs, and moving toward a more sustainable healthcare system. This study aims to review the literature describing interventions that reduce surgical waste. PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase were searched. Studies reporting interventions to reduce operative waste, including emissions, energy, trash, and other, were included. Case reports, opinion-based reports, reviews, and meta-analyses were excluded. Study quality was rated using MINORS and Jadad scales. Data were extracted from each study to calculate waste on a per case basis. Narrative review of studies was performed rather than meta-analysis. The search yielded 675 unique hits, of which 13 (level of evidence: I-III) met inclusion criteria. Included studies were categorized by intervention type in relation to the operating and procedure room. Three studies evaluated provider education initiatives, three evaluated setup of instruments, two evaluated single-use items, four evaluated technique changes, and one evaluated surgical venue. Seven studies reported significant reductions in disposable surgical waste throughput, and seven reported significant reductions in cost. The results of this systemic review demonstrated the effectiveness of surgical waste reduction initiatives in reducing waste volume, cost, and carbon emissions. Within plastic surgery, minimal surgical packs resulted in reduced gross waste and cost while promoting patient satisfaction in hand surgery, supporting the continued development and implementation of such initiatives in a surgical context.

Preparation of high-performance bitumen carbon-based microwave absorbing materials from different coal bitumens toward efficient treatment of industrial waste bitumen

The increasing development of communication technology and electromagnetic pollution have accelerated the research and optimization of electromagnetic microwave absorbing materials. There are few studies and reports on the creation electromagnetic microwave absorbing materials from industrial waste, despite the abundance and promise of research preparing of microwave absorbing materials utilizing sustainable resources from biomass. Herein, we prepared carbon-based microwave absorbing materials GCB-800, HTCB-800, and CDLB-800 using three different industrial solid waste bitumens, namely, coal direct liquefaction bitumen, high-temperature coal bitumen, and globular coal bitumen, as raw materials by using the thermal activation method. Due to the excellent porous carbon skeleton structure and the Fe2O3 contained in its internal ash after the heat treatment, which enhances the internal dielectric properties, the CDLB-800 was found to perform very well at the filler amount of 10 wt% obtained minimum reflection loss (RLmin) is −52.41 dB at 10 wt% filler and matched thickness d = 2.1 mm, and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is 4.88GHz, with 87.14% absorption for X-band in the 2-18GHz. This work not only promotes the development of the comprehensive utilization of solid waste in this field, effectively reduces the burden of solid waste on the environment, but also points out the direction for the development of microwave absorbing materials in the future.

Development and Application of Reactive Dye Microcapsules for Cotton Fabric Dyeing

Reactive dyestuffs used in textile efficiency cotton dyeing are generally applied as a triple mixture. Most of these dyestuffs are supplied to HT machines in powder form without being suitable for automation. 100% of the dyestuffs used in the dyeing recipe applied in reactive dyeing cannot adhere to cotton. Maximum 70% of it adheres to cotton. If the remaining 30% is dye, the substances pass into the water phase. And the dyestuffs that pass into this water phase include substances that are insoluble in water and difficult to purify. It also increases environmental waste burdens. In project scope; By encapsulating reactive dyes with microcapsule technology, it is aimed to reduce the limits of dyes used and reduce environmental waste. And in this context; Dye saving will be achieved.

From waste to resource: demystifying the policy challenges and identifying opportunities for a circular economy in Zambia

Policy plays a significant role in accelerating or hindering a circular shift; Governments can set long-term visions and drive legislative change to create an enabling environment. Reflecting the regional picture, Zambia is experiencing increasing waste burdens due to a growing population and economic development. The current management approach is linear, characterized by low collection rates, inadequate disposal, and limited waste revalorization. From a sustainable development perspective, how waste is managed impacts pressing issues such as climate change and public health. The concept of the Circular Economy (CE) has gained global and regional interest given its potential to transform how resources are viewed and managed. Circular strategies may help to reduce waste burdens and create local socioeconomic opportunities while safeguarding the environment. This qualitative study uses document review and expert interviews to explore the current waste management regime in Zambia and understand if and how circularity is embedded into the policy approach. The findings suggest that the CE is potentially highly relevant for Zambia, but there are various policy challenges that could impede its successful integration into the national agenda. These challenges relate to ownership and coordination; gaps in implementation and enforcement; a restrictive licensing approach; obstacles to innovation and new entrants; as well as the role of informal sector actors. The challenges point to opportunities to overturn these policy shortfalls, which also presents future research avenues.

Multifunctional Pomegranate Peel Microparticles with Health-Promoting Effects for the Sustainable Development of Novel Nutraceuticals and Pharmaceuticals.

Recovering the bioactive components from pomegranate peel (PP) in the fruit-processing industry has attracted great attention in terms of minimizing the waste burden, as well as providing a new source of a multitude of functional compounds. The present study aimed to develop a feasible microencapsulation process of PP extract by using pectin and a pectin/2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) blend as coating materials. Microsized powders obtained by a spray drying technique were examined in terms of technological characteristics, exhibiting high powder yield and desirable moisture content, flowability, and cohesive properties. Assuming that the interactions with the used biopolymers occur on the surface hydrophobic domain, their presence significantly improved the thermal stability of the microencapsulated powders up to 200 °C. The health-promoting effects of PP have been associated with its high content in ellagitannins, particularly punicalagin. The obtained PP powders exhibited strong antioxidant and hypoglycemic potential, while an antimicrobial assay revealed their potent activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Additionally, an in vitro release study suggested that the used biopolymers can modify the release of target bioactive compounds, thus establishing a basis for developing an oral-controlled release system. Altogether, biowaste valorization from PP by the production of effective multifunctional microsized powders represents a sustainable way to obtain novel nutraceuticals and/or pharmaceuticals.

Self-evolutionary recycling of flame-retardant polyurethane foam enabled by controllable catalytic cleavage.

Polyurethane (PU) foams, pivotal in modern life, face challenges suh as fire hazards and environmental waste burdens. The current reliance of PU on potentially ecotoxic halogen-/phosphorus-based flame retardants impedes large-scale material recycling. Here, our demonstrated controllable catalytic cracking strategy, using cesium salts, enables self-evolving recycling of flame-retardant PU. The incorporation of cesium citrates facilitates efficient urethane bond cleavage at low temperatures (160 °C), promoting effective recycling, while encouraging pyrolytic rearrangement of isocyanates into char at high temperatures (300 °C) for enhanced PU fire safety. Even in the absence of halogen/phosphorus components, this foam exhibits a substantial increase in ignition time (+258.8%) and a significant reduction in total smoke release (-79%). This flame-retardant foam can be easily recycled into high-quality polyol under mild conditions, 60 °C lower than that for the pure foam. Notably, the trace amounts of cesium gathered in recycled polyols stimulate the regenerated PU to undergo self-evolution, improving both flame-retardancy and mechanical properties. Our controllable catalytic cracking strategy paves the way for the self-evolutionary recycling of high-performance firefighting materials.

Ammonia scavenger and glutamine synthetase inhibitors cocktail in targeting mTOR/β-catenin and MMP-14 for nitrogen homeostasis and liver cancer.

The glutamine synthetase (GS) facilitates cancer cell growth by catalyzing de novo glutamine synthesis. This enzyme removes ammonia waste from the liver following the urea cycle. Since cancer development is associated with dysregulated urea cycles, there has been no investigation of GS's role in ammonia clearance. Here, we demonstrate that, although GS expression is increased in the setting of β-catenin oncogenic activation, it is insufficient to clear the ammonia waste burden due to the dysregulated urea cycle and may thus be unable to prevent cancer formation. In vivo study, a total of 165 male Swiss albino mice allocated in 11 groups were used, and liver cancer was induced by p-DAB. The activity of GS was evaluated along with the relative expression of mTOR, β-catenin, MMP-14, and GS genes in liver samples and HepG2 cells using qRT-PCR. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the NH3 scavenger phenyl acetate (PA) and/or GS-inhibitor L-methionine sulfoximine (MSO) and the migratory potential of cells was assessed by MTT and wound healing assays, respectively. The Swiss target prediction algorithm was used to screen the mentioned compounds for probable targets. The treatment of the HepG2 cell line with PA plus MSO demonstrated strong cytotoxicity. The post-scratch remaining wound area (%) in the untreated HepG2 cells was 2.0%. In contrast, the remaining wound area (%) in the cells treated with PA, MSO, and PA + MSO for 48 h was 61.1, 55.8, and 78.5%, respectively. The combination of the two drugs had the greatest effect, resulting in the greatest decrease in the GS activity, β-catenin, and mTOR expression. MSO and PA are both capable of suppressing mTOR, a key player in the development of HCC, and MMP-14, a key player in the development of HCC. PA inhibited the MMP-14 enzyme more effectively than MSO, implying that PA might be a better way to target HCC as it inhibited MMP-14 more effectively than MSO. A large number of abnormal hepatocytes (5%) were found to be present in the HCC mice compared to mice in the control group as determined by the histopathological lesions scores. In contrast, PA, MSO, and PA + MSO showed a significant reduction in the hepatic lesions score either when protecting the liver or when treating the liver. The molecular docking study indicated that PA and MSO form a three-dimensional structure with NF-κB and COX-II, blocking their ability to promote cancer and cause gene mutations. PA and MSO could be used to manipulate GS activities to modulate ammonia levels, thus providing a potential treatment for ammonia homeostasis.

Characterization changes and research waste in randomized controlled trials of global bariatric surgery over the past 20 years: cross-sectional study.

The results of several large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have changed the clinical practice of bariatric surgery. However, the characteristics of global RCTs of bariatric surgery have not been reported internationally and whether there was research waste in these RCTs is unknown. Search ClinicalTrials.gov for bariatric surgery RCTs registered between January 2000 and December 2022 with the keywords 'Roux-en-Y gastric-bypass' and 'Sleeve Gastrectomy'. The above analysis was conducted in January 2023. A total of 326 RCTs were included in this study. The number of RCTs registered for sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass surgery increased year by year globally. Europe has always accounted for the largest proportion, Asia has gradually increased, and North America has decreased. A total of 171 RCTs were included in the analysis of waste, of which 74 (43.8%) were published. Of the 74 published RCTs, 37 (37/74, 50.0%) were judged to be adequately reported and 36 (36/74, 48.6%) were judged to have avoidable design defects. In the end, 143 RCTs (143/171, 83.6%) had at least one research waste. Body weight change as the primary endpoint (OR: 0.266, 95% CI: 0.103-0.687, P =0.006) and enrolment greater than 100 (OR: 0.349, 95% CI: 0.146-0.832, P =0.018) were independent protective factors for research waste. This study for the first time describes the characteristic changes of the mainstream RCT of bariatric surgery globally in the last 20 years and identifies a high research waste burden and predictive factor in this area, which provides reference evidence for carrying out bariatric surgery RCTs more rationally.

Transformation of rust iron into a sustainable product for applications in the electronic, energy, biomedical, and environment fields: Towards a multitasking approach

Utilization of waste material for value-added applications is a sustainable approach towards reduction of global waste. Herein, the waste rust iron is transformed into useful Fe2O3 nanoparticles (FNPs). Here for the first time, FNPs were uniquely utilized in multiple applications, including resistive switching (RS), tribo and piezo-electric nano-generators, magnetic hyperthermia, and toxic dyes adsorption from water. The RS characteristics of the Ag/FNPs/ITO device emphasized bipolar switching with excellent cyclic stability, endurance, and memory retention. Afterward, the FNPs based tribo and piezo-electric nanogenerator device demonstrated greater instantaneous power (5200 µW) at 10 MΩ, surpassing previously reported inorganic or garbage materials. Furthermore, the pertinency of FNPs was explored for biomedical application by induction heating studies for magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH). MFH revealed an increase in temperature of 14.9 °C and 23.4 °C for 5 mg and 10 mg FNPs ferrofluid, respectively, thus indicating the potential of FNPs for possible cancer treatment with biocompatibility suggestions. Finally, the adsorption study reveals that the FNPs are a promising candidate for the adsorption of safranin M.S., methylene blue, malachite green, and lemon yellow powder, (77, 78, 59, and 56 mg/g, respectively). We believe that our current study will result in a significant impact to reduce the future burden of global waste and thus encourage its utilization for value-added applications.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Solid Waste Management Systems in African Countries: A Systematic Review

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a vital tool for evaluating the environmental burden of solid waste. This study investigated the outcomes of selected studies that applied the LCA methodology in assessing the environmental consequences of solid waste management (SWM) systems in Africa. Thirteen process-based LCA studies on SWM were reviewed, drawing from established criteria in databases such as SCOPUS, Elsevier, and Google Scholar. These studies were distributed across various African countries, with three conducted in Mauritius and Nigeria each, two in Zimbabwe and South Africa each, and one in Tanzania, Ghana, and Uganda, respectively. The evaluated parameters included aspects such as goal and scope, functional unit, system boundary, impact assessment categories, and sensitivity analysis. The findings revealed that majority of the studies employed similar waste management scenarios to determine the most environment-friendly, yet they differed considerably in some parameters. Climate change and global warming were the most assessed impact categories. Municipal solid waste (MSW) and plastic waste were the leading waste categories. MSW typically comprises paper, bottles, metal, plastics, glass, organics, and mixed waste proportions. The study also stated that the lack of reliable data on solid waste was a significant challenge faced by African countries in LCA studies. The paper’s findings highlighted that a significant number of the studies, particularly in Nigeria, did not incorporate sensitivity analysis into their assessments, a crucial component for result interpretation. Consequently, the study emphasizes the importance of conducting more LCA research studies in African countries to produce pertinent data on SWM.

Acceptability of an Indigenous Therapeutic Food in Children with Severe Wasting in Karnataka, India

To reduce the burden of severe wasting, an energy- and nutrient-dense food similar in nutrient composition to F-100 is essential to ensure catch-up growth. A culturally acceptable, therapeutic food prepared with adequate shelf life is desirable. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of three flavours of a food product in severely malnourished children aged 6 to 59 months. The primary outcomes measured included the amount consumed in 15 minutes and time taken until the child stopped eating and secondary outcome, the mother’s sensory rating on appearance, aroma, flavour, and consistency and perception on the child’s liking of the food product. Acceptability was defined as the consumption of 60% of the quantity of food calculated at 150 kcal/kg/day. Mother’s sensory evaluation and her perception of child’s liking for the product were recorded on a 5-point hedonic scale. At 15 minutes and at end of observation, 78.6% and 94.3% of regular, 68.6% and 81.4% of cardamom, 63.0% and 80.8% of apple-cardamom flavours of the food product were consumed respectively. Time taken for completion of the product was 27.5±14.3, 27.5±12.1 and 27.0±15.3 minutes for regular, cardamom and apple-cardamom flavours. The sensory rating by mothers and their perception of the child’s liking was around 4 to 5 (“like it a little” to “like it a lot”) for the various parameters. The designed food was thus, found to be acceptable. Further plans are to evaluate the effectiveness of the food product in promoting weight gain in severely wasted children.

Tobacco industry accountability for marine pollution: country and global estimates

BackgroundCommercial cigarette filters are single-use plastics and the main component of cigarette butts, the most common trash item collected worldwide. Governments bear the economic burden of managing the waste and...

Burden of Solid Waste, and Control Measures for Health Hazards Emanating from Its Mismanagement in a Populous Country Like India; with Special Reference to Odisha Slums and Rural Areas

The article summarizes the growing burden of solid wastes across the world and closer in relation to the Bhubaneswar city. Rapid urbanization and human habitation is not matched with efficient solid waste handling and disposal. This is posing a serious threat to environment and even becoming the root cause of spread of infectious diseases as well as reemerging diseases. The review opens up the pandora box of the types of waste, how they need to be segregated and legislations and policies that have evolved to manage this issue. Of late newer forms of solid waste like e-waste and construction waste are also being added. A wide public as well as political awareness and urgent action is needed to prevent environmental damage and calamities.

Converting Waste Plastic to Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers

AbstractThe accumulation of waste plastics in landfills and the environment, as well as the contribution of plastics manufacturing to global warming, call for the development of new technologies that would enable circularity for synthetic polymers. Thus far, emerging approaches for chemical recycling of plastics have largely focused on producing fuels, lubricants, and/or monomers. In a recent study, Junde Wei and colleagues demonstrated a new catalytic system capable of converting oxygen‐containing aromatic plastic waste into liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), which can be used for hydrogen storage. The authors utilized Ru−ReOx/SiO2 materials with zeolite HZSM‐5 as a co‐catalyst for the direct hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of oxygen‐containing aromatic plastic wastes that yield cycloalkanes as LOHCs with a theoretical hydrogen capacity of ≈5.74 wt % under mild reaction conditions. Subsequent efficiency and stability tests of cycloalkane dehydrogenation over Pt/Al2O3 validated that the HDO products can serve as LOHCs to generate H2 gas. Overall, their approach not only opens doors to alleviating the severe burden of plastic waste globally, but also offers a way to generate clean energy and ease the challenges associated with hydrogen storage and transportation.

Converting Waste Plastic to Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers.

The accumulation of waste plastics in landfills and the environment, as well as the contribution of plastics manufacturing to global warming, call for the development of new technologies that would enable circularity for synthetic polymers. Thus far, emerging approaches for chemical recycling of plastics have largely focused on producing fuels, lubricants, and/or monomers. In a recent study, Junde Wei and colleagues demonstrated a new catalytic system capable of converting oxygen-containing aromatic plastic waste into liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs), which can be used for hydrogen storage. The authors utilized Ru-ReOx /SiO2 materials with zeolite HZSM-5 as a co-catalyst for the direct hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of oxygen-containing aromatic plastic wastes that yield cycloalkanes as LOHCs with a theoretical hydrogen capacity of ≈5.74 wt % under mild reaction conditions. Subsequent efficiency and stability tests of cycloalkane dehydrogenation over Pt/Al2 O3 validated that the HDO products can serve as LOHCs to generate H2 gas. Overall, their approach not only opens doors to alleviating the severe burden of plastic waste globally, but also offers a way to generate clean energy and ease the challenges associated with hydrogen storage and transportation.

Properties and Applications of Self-Healing Polymeric Materials: A Review.

Self-healing polymeric materials, engineered to autonomously self-restore damages from external stimuli, are at the forefront of sustainable materials research. Their ability to maintain product quality and functionality and prolong product life plays a crucial role in mitigating the environmental burden of plastic waste. Historically, initial research on the development of self-healing materials has focused on extrinsic self-healing systems characterized by the integration of embedded healing agents. These studies have primarily focused on optimizing the release of healing agents and ensuring rapid self-healing capabilities. In contrast, recent advancements have shifted the focus towards intrinsic self-healing systems that utilize their inherent reactivity and interactions within the matrix. These systems offer the advantage of repeated self-healing over the same damaged zone, which is attributed to reversible chemical reactions and supramolecular interactions. This review offers a comprehensive perspective on extrinsic and intrinsic self-healing approaches and elucidates their unique properties and characteristics. Furthermore, various self-healing mechanisms are surveyed, and insights from cutting-edge studies are integrated.

The environmental and economic burden of surgical waste in ophthalmology operating rooms.

The environmental and economic burden of surgical waste in ophthalmology operating rooms.