Waste Paper Research Articles

Paper waste from instructions for use brochures in cataract surgery implant packaging in Europe and the United States.

To assess the extent of paper waste generated per year by instructions for use (IFUs) brochures included in intraocular lens (IOL) packaging in Europe and the U.S. Rothschild Foundation Hospital, Paris, France; Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust; Center for Sight, London, United Kingdom. Experimental study. A sample of IOLs were collected and each IFU was weighed. In addition, the cumulative weight of these brochures used in cataract surgeries performed annually in Europe and the U.S. was estimated, and the potential annual paper conservation that could be achieved if all manufacturers adopted electronic IFUs (e-IFUs) in Europe and the U.S. was determined. The mean and standard deviation of the weight for overall IFUs, classic IFUs, and e-IFUs were 17.6 ± 13.8 g, 23.5 ± 13.2 g, and 2.9 ± 1.9 g, respectively. The estimated cumulative weight of paper generated from the IFUs accompanying implants used in European and U.S. cataract surgeries is 153 tons. If all manufacturers transition to e-IFUs, the cumulative weight saved would be 128 tons (-84%), equivalent to 120 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and the preservation of more than 2000 trees annually. The classic IFUs in IOL packaging result in a significant amount of paper waste annually. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a rapid transition to e-IFU technology. The adoption of e-IFUs has already been authorized in Europe and the U.S., and it is crucial to expedite this process.

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.

Functional Materials from Waste Paper. IV. Comparative Study of the Functional Composition, Supramolecular Structure, and Morphology of the Powder Celluloses Isolated from Waste Paper, Plant Celluloses, and Nonconventional Raw Materials

Functional Materials from Waste Paper. IV. Comparative Study of the Functional Composition, Supramolecular Structure, and Morphology of the Powder Celluloses Isolated from Waste Paper, Plant Celluloses, and Nonconventional Raw Materials

Saccharification of Various Wastepaper Materials by Cellulase from Brown Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum) at Different Incubation pH Values

Increased solid waste pollution and the negative effect of fossil fuel consumption on the environment are issues that would require more scientific attention and application to deal effectively with these phenomena. Wastepaper, a major component of solid waste, is classified as organic waste due to the presence of cellulose, a glucose-based biopolymer that is part of its structural composition. The saccharification of cellulose into glucose, a fermentable sugar, can be achieved with a hydrolytic enzyme known as cellulase. Although cellulase from fungal species such as Trichoderma, Aspergillus, and Penicillium are well described, knowledge about cellulase isolated from the brown garden snail is limited as it has not been the subject of many research endeavors. The waste paper has been described as a suitable resource for bio-energy development due to cellulose, a structural component of this bio-material that can be degraded into glucose, a fermentable sugar. Although paper materials such as newspaper, office paper, filter paper, Woolworths and Pick and Pay (retailers) advertising paper, as well as foolscap paper, were saccharified by different cellulases, the degradation of these paper materials by garden snail cellulase is a novel investigation from our laboratory. With the effects of temperature and incubation time on this cellulase action when degraded paper materials have already been investigated and reported, this study dealt with the garden snail cellulase action when degraded paper materials at different pH values. Most of the paper materials were degraded optimally at a pH value of 6.0, while optimum saccharification was observed at pH 4.5 when newspaper and brown envelope paper were degraded, with office paper showing maximum bioconversion at pH 7.0. The difference in the structural composition of the paper materials also affects the degree of saccharification, as the amount of sugar released from the various paper materials at optimum pH values is not similar. Together with other catalytic parameters, the pH value of this enzymatic catalysis is also to be considered when designing the development of waste paper as a bio-product resource, with limiting environmental pollution as an additional advantage of this process.

Planning a Waste Processing Site with the 3r Plus Principle in Kapur Village, Sungai Raya District, Kubu Raya Regency

Kapur Village is located in Sungai Raya District, Kubu Raya Regency. The existing condition of waste management has not been implemented properly due to the lack of waste management facilities, namely temporary waste disposal and other communal waste containers, so efforts are needed to handle the waste management system, by planning temporary waste disposal 3R plus. The aim of planning is to know, analyse existing condition of management waste, generation size, density, waste composition and planning the 3R temporary waste disposal design. The research method is sampling generation, density and composition of waste according to SNI-19-3964-1994, conducting interviews and questionnaires to obtain selected locations. The resulting waste generation is 0.35 kg/person/day. The density of domestic source waste is 142.09 kg/m3, while the largest density of non-domestic source waste is produced from restaurants at 113.32 kg/m3. The composition of domestic waste is dominated by organic waste with a percentage of 49.3%, while non-domestic waste is dominated by paper waste with a percentage of 30.60%. This 3R plus temporary waste disposal planning requires land of 1,112.3 m2. The planned waste management is is processing organic waste into composting using the hollow brick method, while inorganic waste in the form of plastics and bottles is processed into handicraft products.

Impacts of China's import ban on US state-level paper waste exports

The import ban by China on paper waste has reshaped waste export dynamics in the United States. Using U.S. Census data between 2002 and 2022, the study quantifies a 10.4 % average decline in U.S. paper waste exports post-ban, while spotlighting emerging export destinations like India, Southeast Asia, and the EU. Within this landscape, California stood out with a per capita export drop from 170 to 140 kg/person. Additionally, the export composition changed, favoring unbleached kraft or paperboard at 69.8 % of total exports. When simulating the environmental and social outcomes of shifting to domestic waste management, potential reductions in ozone depletion by up to 4000 %, global warming by 90 %, and social costs from $55 billion to $5 billion were observed. The findings underscore the need for strategic domestic waste management policies to optimize environmental, economic, and social outcomes.

Use of Waste Paper Recycling as a Sorption Material for Methylene Blue Dye Removal from Model Solutions

Use of Waste Paper Recycling as a Sorption Material for Methylene Blue Dye Removal from Model Solutions

A dual wastes-based aerogel with inverse beetles-like structure for enhanced oily wastewater treatment

Oily wastewater and solid wastes such as waterworks sludge (WS) and waste paper (WP) are usually treated separately. With the continuous promotion of the concept of waste-control-waste, the exploration of the collaborative treatment is worth considering. To address this gap, herein, a green and scalable strategy was developed to fabricate a hierarchical porous waterworks sludge and waste paper-based cellulose aerogel (WS0.6/WPC aerogel) with inverse beetles-like structure for enhanced and rapid oily wastewater treatment. Low-cost raw material and facile fabrication process allowed large-scale application of WS0.6/WPC aerogel. Significantly, underwater superoleophobic background composed of WS and WPC and hydrophobic bumps constructed of acrylic resin formed an inverse beetles-like structure. During emulsion separation, besides the high pore tortuosity of as-designed aerogel, the special hydrophobic bumps could capture and aggregate oil droplets, thus enhancing the interception ability of the aerogel, resulting in desirable separation efficiency for both immiscible oil/water mixtures and surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with high fluxes. Therefore, this work provides insights for the exploration of wastes-based advanced membranes for efficient and rapid oily wastewater remediation, as well as recycling and utilization of solid wastes.

Decomposition dynamics of cooking-oil-soaked waste paper in media with low inorganic nitrogen content

Decomposition dynamics of cooking-oil-soaked waste paper in media with low inorganic nitrogen content

Viability of calcinated wastepaper sludge ash geopolymer in the treatment of road pavement subgrade materials

Problematic ground conditions constituted by weak or expansive clays are commonly encountered in construction projects and require some form of chemical treatment such as lime and cement to re-engineer their performance. However, in the light of the adverse effects of these traditional additives on the climate, alternative eco-friendlier materials are now sourced. In the current study, the viability of calcinated wastepaper sludge ash geopolymer in enhancing the engineering behaviour of a problematic site condition is evaluated. A highly expansive clay (HEC) constituted with a blend of kaolinite and bentonite clays is treated with calcinated wastepaper sludge ash (CPSA) geopolymer. Activation of the precursor is actualised at room temperature using a combination of NaOH and Na2SiO3 at various activator to soil + binder ratios (AL/P), and molarity (M). The mechanical, microstructural, and mineralogical characteristics of the treated clay were investigated through unconfined compressive strength (UCS), swell, water absorption, SEM, and EDX analysis. The performance of the stabilised samples was then compared with the requirements for road subgrade and subbase materials and that of OPC and lime-GGBS treatment. The results showed that CPSA-geopolymer enhanced the engineering properties of the treated clay better than traditional binders (OPC and Iime-GGBS). UCS improvement of 220 % was observed in the CPSA-stabilised soil over that of OPC-treated ones, while the swell potential and water absorption were drastically reduced by over 95 and 97 % respectively after 28-day soaking. The SEM and EDX results showed improved crystallisation of earth-metal-based cementitious flakes (NASH) with increasing CPSA, molarity, and AL/P ratios, which enhanced the inter-particle bonds with simultaneous reduction in porosity. The modified characteristics of the stabilised materials meet the requirements for pavement subgrades. Further, the equivalent carbon emission (CO2-e) from the stabilised materials were also evaluated and compared with that of traditional binders. The results also showed that CPSA-geopolymer had lower CO2-e at higher subgrade strengths than OPC, making it more eco-friendly. Therefore, wastepaper sludge, a common landfill waste from paper recycling is a viable geopolymer precursor that could be utilised in enhancing the engineering properties of subgrade and sub-base materials for road and foundation construction.

Morphology analysis and microbial diversity in novel anaerobic baffled reactor treating recycled paper mill wastewater

Morphology analysis and microbial diversity in novel anaerobic baffled reactor treating recycled paper mill wastewater

Comprehensive treatment and disposal of logistics waste in China: Prospects of biomass resource conversion

The exponential growth of China’s economy, coupled with the surge in online commerce, has led to a significant expansion of the logistics industry. In 2022, China’s express delivery industry generated approximately 9 million tons of waste paper and 1.8 million tons of plastic. This study analyzed the current composition and utilization of logistics waste in China, with suggestions for recycling. Logistics waste can be defined as the packaging waste generated in the logistics industry. Corrugated paper and plastic waste were chosen as the objects for utilization. Due to its high cellulose content, corrugated paper can be utilized along with other paper waste for biomass resourcing. Biodegradable plastics can also be converted into biomass resources through the action of specific microorganisms. These polymers can be enzymatically depolymerized by certain bacteria and fungi, yielding valuable organic products. In general, logistics wastes all have potential for biomass resource recovery. By adopting appropriate recovery and conversion technologies, these waste streams can be transformed into high-value bio-based products, such as biofuels, biochemicals, and biopolymers, thus contributing to the development of a circular and sustainable economy.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate production from food packaging waste paper

This study evaluated the production of marine biodegradable plastics, specifically polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), using waste paper from food containers as a novel material source. The results showed that adding dilute sulfuric acid as a pretreatment may have a negative impact on enzyme hydrolysis efficiency. Without pretreatment, the highest glucose concentration was observed in the 50-min heating group. In the experimental group with 1% dilute sulfuric acid as a pretreatment, the highest average glucose concentration was observed in the 25-min treatment group. In flask scale experiments, the C/N ratio was controlled at 10, 20, and 30. The results showed that when the C/N ratio was 10, the PHA/CDM ratios were 16.3 and 23.6 at 48 and 72 h, respectively. After 96 h of cultivation using hydrolysis liquid from the waste paper container as the sole carbon source in a 5-L scale experiment, the PHA/CDM ratio was 28.7 and the PHA concentration was 0.95 g/L. The potential bacterial strain in this study was confirmed to be a Bacillus genus bacterium after strain identification. The signal peaks indicated that the PHA obtained from the Bacillus sp. production process was PHB.

Sustainable production of bioethanol from office paper waste and its purification via blended polymeric membrane

One potential replacement for fossil fuels is the generation of biofuel from biomass feedstock. To reach the global sustainability goals, it is also necessary to address a number of issues, such as reducing environmental pollution, climate change, and carbon emissions. This work was aimed to convert the office paper waste as biomass feedstock into bioethanol through a sustainable pathway. The office paper waste was hydrolyzed via physiochemical and enzymatic hydrolysis, the liberated glucose was estimated at 15.72 g/L using the optimum conditions of 15 % HCl and 6 % office paper waste followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. The yeast isolate B2 that was applied for the fermentation process was isolated from rotten banana, identified as Hanseniaspora uvarum (STDF-B2) and submitted to GenBank with accession number (OP800106). The Box-Behnken design was applied to estimate the optimal conditions for the three most significant variables depending on the one variable at a time results. A blended membrane of sulphonated polyvinyl chloride with poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (SPVC-PAMPS) was applied for the purification of both standard ethanol and produced bioethanol via pervaporation technique (PV). The morphology, chemical composition, mechanical properties and permeability of the membrane were all analyzed in various ways. Following purification using a membrane-integrated amicon cell, the total permeate flows of the laboratory-prepared ethanol and generated bioethanol were 289.54 and 253.06 (g/m2 h), respectively.

Environmental sustainability assessment of different end-of-life scenarios for the pulper rejects produced in the paper recycling process

Resource recovery from wastes through recycling processes promotes near-zero-waste residue business models and supports the circular economy's goals by facilitating the closure of loops in industrial systems and reducing energy and resource consumption as well as pollutant emissions. However, the approach is sustainable only when the waste can be valorized, and the environmental impact of the recycling is lower with respect to other end-of-life (EOL) scenarios. Due to the diversity and complexity of wastes streams, these aspects need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.This study focuses on a mechanical recycling process for pulper rejects, a mixed waste stream generated during recycled paper production, with two aims: (1) to define a feasible mechanical recycling process and (2) to evaluate its environmental performance through life cycle assessment (LCA) compared to the most common EOL treatments, such as incineration with energy recovery and landfilling. ReCiPe 2016 H method was used to estimate the environmental impacts of all scenarios, adopting both midpoint and endpoint approaches, on a functional unit (FU) defined as 1000 kg of pulper rejects. The LCA results indicate that the pulper rejects recycling is always preferable to landfilling across all impact categories considered. On the contrary, in comparison to incineration, the best environmental option depends on the specific impact category considered. In particular, recycling is the best EOL alternative in terms of impacts on global warming, with an impact 33 % lower, but it is not the most sustainable one in terms of fossil resource consumption, mainly due to the amount of energy required during all steps of the recycling process, while allowing the recovery of materials that would otherwise be lost. Currently, it is not possible to identify an overall ‘winner’ between incineration with energy recovery and recycling for the pulper rejects because the most environmentally sound alternative varies depending on the priority given to different environmental issues. Therefore, further improvements of the pulper rejects recycling pathway performances are required to make the process even more efficient and competitive.

Household Waste Reduction Practices in Ibadan, Nigeria

With an average of 42 million tons of waste produced annually and no effective structure for managing solid waste in Nigeria, indiscriminate disposal of waste poses a serious danger to the constituents of the environment. Waste reduction at source is one of the potent strategies for reducing disposable waste, thereby, making non-reused waste at the household level manageable by municipal authority. Therefore, this study examines household waste reduction practices in Ibadan. A random selection of 281 respondents was conducted using a sampling ratio of 3% among three places within the Ibadan North East Local Government Area. Buying packaging-less products, targeting reusable and not items that are disposable in nature, using reusable bags made of recyclable materials for shopping, reducing food remnants and waste, and maintaining and repairing household items are the five household waste reduction practices that have been identified. Results showed that plastic accounted for more than half (54.4%) of the garbage produced, 14.6% was kitchen waste, 19.2% was glass and bottle, and 11.7% was paper waste. The study suggests an aggressive sensitisation programme by Oyo State Waste Management Authority to raise awareness of the benefits of reducing waste before disposal in Ibadan, to curb indiscriminate disposal of waste.

Reinforced water hyacinth based biodegradable cutlery: Green alternative to single-use plastics

Water hyacinth (WH) is an invading water plant that severely threatens biodiversity. The aim of this study was to utilize fibres from this underutilized plant to develop binderless biodegradable plates, in combination with different proportions (10%, 20% and 30%) of waste paper (WP), sugarcane leaf (SC), and banana stem fibre (BF), added as reinforcing agents. The properties of these products are compared with WH plates with starch as a binder (ST). The use of an epoxidized castor oil-based coating to enhance hydrophobicity was also studied. Analytical tests including functional group analysis, mechanical property, wettability, surface morphology, thermal stability and biodegradability studies were performed. It was observed that BF samples had the best mechanical properties, followed by SC, WP and ST, with BF-20 showing the maximum tensile strength (6.23 MPa) and elongation (10.09%). The thermogravimetric analysis showed the reinforced samples to be suitable for high-temperature applications, with SC-30 having a T5 value of 269.75 °C. The contact angles indicated that WH could be considered a suitable raw material for manufacturing biodegradable products with low wettability, and the addition of cellulose-rich reinforcing agents can further enhance its water resistance. SC-30 showed the highest hydrophobicity with a contact angle of 124.3°. Coating using an epoxidized castor oil-based solution can reduce the wettability of even super hydrophilic surfaces. All the samples showed good biodegradability, with most samples degrading completely within 20 days. Hence, water hyacinth reinforced with cellulose-rich reinforcing agents can be regarded as a superior raw material for manufacturing biodegradable cutlery.

Kiai Pesantren Leadership in Internalizing the Independence Attitude of Students

Background: Indonesia is one of the countries that is prone to earthquakes, especially tectonic earthquakes, because of its geographical location between three large plates. As an Indonesian society, studying natural phenomena from an early age is very important. Therefore, the involvement of educated young people is needed to minimize the impact of earthquakes. Stacked (Stacko for Education) is present as a learning medium for earthquake disaster preparedness based on card games derived from paper waste. The Uno card comes from recycled paper. After that, paper is used to print cards containing questions about earthquake disaster preparedness. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze programs, program implementation, elaborate on internalization and contribution, leadership impact, program evaluation and supporting and inhibiting factors of kiai pesantren efforts in internalizing the independence attitude of students. Method: The approach chosen in this study is a qualitative approach with analytical descriptive methods. Results: shows that: First, the kiai leadership program consists of learning programs, training programs and practice in the field. Second, the implementation of the program is carried out by providing exemplary attitudes, providing motivation, and instilling positive behaviors, especially in the individuals of students. Third, internalization and contribution of kiai leadership by adhering to the values of honesty through, candid and objective speech impacts the attitudes and behaviors of saritri to be honest not manipulative, especially in entrepreneurship. Fourth, the impact is the growth of the spirit of independence of students through the management process of pesantren education to foster and realize the independence attitude and entrepreneurial skills of students. Fifth, program evaluation is carried out through non-attitude scale tests. Sixth, Inhibiting factors, there is a public view that pesantren are not to give birth to entrepreneurs but to produce scholars, the lack of resources (human and natural), equipment, raw materials and capital / finance pesantren, lack of partnership institutions and business capital pesantren. And the supporting factors, there are: support of facilities and infrastructure; support from kiai and ustadz for their students to become independent students; through education and training; The learning process from the pesantren experience that began with direct practical activities in the field students also wanted to follow in the footsteps of the founder kiai. Conclusion: Pesantren as an education provider has advantages compared to other educational institutions.

Utilizing rejected contaminants from the paper recycling process in fired clay brick production

Building materials drive the global economy, yet face severe environmental hurdles: resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation. In order to mitigate the impact from these challenges, authorities seek sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives as an urgent need. This study focuses on the utilization of as-received rejected contaminated fines (RCF) obtained from the yellow bins' waste (paper) recycling process, in brick production. Diverse tests assessed the brick performance, including compressive strength, absorption rate, thermal conductivity, 3D CT scanning for morphological analysis, and durability analysis. Additionally, a leachate analysis was performed to evaluate the environmental implications. Economic benefits, particularly the reduction of CO2 emissions, were also evaluated. The findings confirmed that as-received waste can be utilized for fired clay brick production without the need for pulverization. The novel brick product made with as-received RCF waste exhibited superior thermal characteristics (up to a 31.25 % reduction compared to control bricks) while meeting the essential compliance requirements outlined by national standards. Moreover, each firing cycle led to a potential value of up to USD 158,460 through a reduction of 417 tonnes of CO2, resulting from a 9.5 % reduction in firing temperature (1000 °C). The results from this study offer valuable insights into the potential of using RCF waste as a sustainable alternative in the brick manufacturing industry. This alternative could address the soaring demand in the current market, resolve the escalating solid waste crisis, and mitigate clay shortages, while providing a sustainable solution for the brick industry.

Can Paper Waste Be Utilised as an Insulation Material in Response to the Current Crisis

Recently, the climate and landfill crises have raised concerns in the UK as the country is struggling to meet the sustainability goal it set to achieve. One of the major reasons is due to the inadequate recycling rate of waste paper. Therefore, as an alternative solution to the issue, the aim of our research was to exploit the potential of waste paper as an insulating material to see whether it can be feasible to improve the recycling rate of waste paper in the country. Waste paper has already been in the construction industry for a while, and the use of cellulose insulation is a standard in the Passivhaus construction approach. The study examines cellulose’s performance as an insulation material and its potential to combat the climate crisis by creating four separate comparisons and calculations using Life-Cycle Assessment and Standard Assessment Procedures. The study will investigate the benefits and limitations of the material as well as a case study to justify the use of it. A pioneer project in the field is a retrofit and new-built building project—54–58 Akerman Road in London. It utilises cellulose fibre insulation as the main material for the new-built part. The study will use this project as a context to compare whether cellulose fibre insulation is the best solution for the project. Also, the study will compare cellulose insulation with other conventional insulation materials in a more general setting as well as with the traditional paper recycling approach, by providing an indication of the carbon footprint of the insulation, the energy resources involved and the amount of raw material. By conducting the study, we can know whether recycling waste paper into cellulose insulation is the best solution to the crisis we face. This research can guide the UK’s recycling and use of waste paper, reduce paper waste and energy consumption and improve the sustainability of building insulation materials.