Reduce Waste Disposal Research Articles

Recycling Waste Practice in Campus towards a Green Campus and Promotion of Environmental Sustainability

A study has been conducted to determine the amount of recycle waste and the effective method of recycling management at Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) using the recycling bins system to reduce waste disposal at landfills. The primary data were collected through daily waste collection in Faculty of Engineering, UPNM. Several recycle waste bins have been located at specific areas to ease student and staff the throw the recycle waste. The result showed that the recycling bin system successfully recovered recycle waste item by 3 000 to 5 000 gram. Thus, it is believing that the implementation of waste separation at source can improve the current waste management system in UPNM and helps to support the sustainability and green campus environment campaign.

Lessons learnt from the rapid implementation of reusable personal protective equipment for COVID-19 in Malawi

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has challenged health systems and healthcare workers worldwide. Access to personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to mitigate the risk of excess mortality in healthcare providers. In...

PENINGKATAN KESADARAN MASYARAKAT UNTUK PENGELOLA SAMPAH MANDIRI MELALUI IMPLEMENTASI TEKNOLOGI TEPAT GUNA

Currently the condition of Magelang Muncipality is said to be a "waste emergency" considering the rate of waste production (waste volume) which continues to increase every year is inversely proportional to the rate of waste reduction programs and the decreasing capacity of TPSA. At the upstream level, various waste reduction program efforts have been carried out by the Magelang Municipality Government, including the Waste Bank program, Organic Village, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Waste Disposal Sites (TPS3R), and Integrated Waste Processing Sites (TPST) which have been carried out since 2012 was only able to reduce waste generation by 9.3% of the total waste generated. The main problem of waste management in Magelang Municipality lies in limited land. Therefore, it is necessary to study the efforts that will be developed as far as possible that do not require a large area of ​​land but can produce optimal waste management. In addition, these efforts involve various parties, especially those that focus on community empowerment. This research uses desk research method. The results of the study explain that waste management is not only the duty and responsibility of the Regional Government but also the duty and responsibility of the community. The role of various parties, including local governments, stakeholders, and most importantly the community, is the largest producer of waste. Hereinafter known as community-based waste management or Community Based Solid Waste Management (CBSMW). CBSMW is a waste management system that is planned, compiled, operated, managed, and owned by the community. The goal is to create community independence in maintaining environmental cleanliness through environmentally friendly waste management. The principles of CBSMW are community participation, independence, efficiency, environmental protection, and integration.

Office Paper-Based Electrochemical Strips for Organophosphorus Pesticide Monitoring in Agricultural Soil.

Although the use of pesticides has highlighted obvious advantages on agricultural yields, intensive and widespread pesticide use raises serious environmental and health concerns. In particular, organophosphate pesticides represent >40% of the totality used in the field of agriculture, and developing countries face the issue of agricultural poisoning, also due to scarce monitoring programs. In this work, a decentralized, miniaturized, sustainable, and portable paper-based electrochemical biosensor for the quantification of organophosphorus pesticides' level has been realized. The proposed approach highlights the use of a very common paper-based substrate, namely, office paper. Office paper offers several advantages due to its nature: it allows one to print conductive strips for electrochemical connection, loading bio-hybrid nanosized probes (Prussian blue, carbon black, and butyrylcholinesterase), evaluating pesticides and reducing waste disposal compared to plastic-based strips. The portable system has been characterized by a low detection limit of 1.3 ng/mL, and accordingly to total discovered pesticide contents in EU agricultural soils, up to ca. 3 μg/mL, it can offer a valuable tool for fast monitoring. To demonstrate its effectiveness, soil and fruit vegetables have been used to perform in situ quantification. Good recovery percentages between 90 and 110% have been achieved in different matrices, highlighting to be suitable for field measurements, and a good correlation has been obtained in comparison with LC-MS analysis.

Water disposal minimization of a screw press in the tissue manufacturing process

Dewatering is a major process in a wide range of manufacturing industries. One of the most commonly used technologies for dewatering is the screw press. The optimized setting of the screw press increases the amount of recycled water for further production. Additionally, it reduces waste disposal costs by lowering the weight of discharged sludge. In this paper, we used the design of experiments to determine the parameters that affect the dryness of the final waste. Our study showed the significant parameters were the pump speed, the screw rotation speed, and the properties of inflowing sludge. Using the significant factors, a regression model was developed to predict the dryness of the final waste. Then, the regression model was used as the objective function of an optimization model to find the optimal settings of the screw press that maximizes the dryness of sludge. The optimum setting of the screw press increased the dryness of sludge by 2.3%, saving 387 metric tons of water annually. The financial effects of improving the dryness of the sludge leaving the screw press were calculated showing a reduction in disposal costs and reduction in water usage costs because the water extracted from the sludge is recycled. Further investigations showed that the amounts and types of chemicals used to pretreatment the inflowing sludge to the head box can affect the dryness of the sludge leaving the screw press.

Investigation of integrated municipal solid waste management strategies for Oman: an assessment of waste diversion, electricity generation and greenhouse-gas emissions

The need of an integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management system to maximize resource recovery and simultaneously reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions is rising in Oman. Therefore, three waste management scenarios are proposed and assessed in this study based on their potential to reduce waste and GHG emissions, and recover energy and recyclables in Oman from 2020 to 2040. The first scenario included recycling, anaerobic digestion (AD), and landfill disposal; while second scenario entailed recycling, incineration, and ash disposal. The third scenario involved incineration and AD plants, and landfilling of residues. The analysis indicated that the disposal of waste in scenario 2 will be the lowest during the entire study period (30–24%), followed by scenario 3 (32–41%) and scenario 1 (94–58%). Moreover, during the assessment period, scenario 3 will generate a total of 47 TWh electricity, higher than scenario 2 (29 TWh) and scenario 1 (4.7 TWh). Disposal of MSW is estimated to produce 309,803 GgCO2e from 2020 to 2040; however, these emissions can be reduced by 53, 94 and 90% by the implementation of scenarios 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Furthermore, the average global warming factors after energy and material recovery further indicate that scenario 2 and scenario 3 result in net GHG emission savings of − 0.4 and – 0.28 GgCO2e/Gg of MSW, except for scenario 1 which will produce 2.37 GgCO2e/Gg of MSW. The analysis showed that in terms of reducing waste disposal and GHG emissions, scenario 2 is the best performing option; however, scenario 3 has the highest energy output.

Compressive Behavior of Concrete Incorporating Clay Brick Fines Added by Paste Replacement Method

Urbanization in China has been producing a huge quantity of construction and demolition waste, of which clay brick waste accounts for a substantial proportion. For reducing waste disposal, the clay brick waste has been reutilized in concrete production by employing the aggregate replacement or cement replacement methods. However, with these methods, the clay brick waste tends to have an adverse effect on the mechanical performance of the concrete produced, especially at high replacement rate. Herein, a novel method, the paste replacement method (PRM), was applied, in which clay brick fines (CBF) were made by crushing and grinding clay brick waste and reused to partially replace the cementitious paste (water + cementitious materials). The compressive behavior of the concrete produced was tested. The results showed that the CBF added based on PRM increased compressive strength and elastic modulus, caused little change to Poisson’s ratio, and decreased the lateral dilation of the concrete. More importantly, it reduced the cement content by up to 29.4% and the cement factor (cement content to strength ratio) by up to 62.3%.

Schiff's base (SB) modified zirconium dioxide reinforced PLA bio-composite film for industrial packaging applications

Two materials commonly called as the material of choice – Polylactic acid (PLA) and material of interest - zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) are ground using a planetary ball mill into powder to form a continuous thin film that is used for packaging applications. This organic-inorganic hybrid bio-composite shall challenge the existing materials in terms of its enhanced degradability, barrier properties, and performance. Apparently, this research work will also be a paradigm in contributing to the development of biomaterials that are useful in reducing waste disposal and replacing the diminishing resources. The results obtained from contact angle test demonstrate that 3% loaded ZrO2 - PLA bio-composite film with a contact angle value of 75.2° is adequate for packaging application. The DSC and mechanical tests prove that the SB modified ZrO2 has increased the flexibility of the bio-composite film of PLA. The glass transition (Tg) was slightly shifted to the lower side and found at 51.9 °C, which is 4.1 °C lesser than the neat PLA (56 °C). Hence, the ultimate outcome of this research seems to cater the overall societal demands for feasibility and environmental safety, paving a way to studies directed towards the progress of biopolymers in industrial applications in general. Additionally, the tensile and other mechanical tests have yielded superior values due to the incorporation of this filler.

Taxing household waste: Intended and unintended consequences

Biodegradable waste constitutes the largest single fraction of municipal solid waste and is subject to specific targets in European Union member states. The present study examines the potential of waste taxes to reduce household disposal of biodegradable waste and encourage substitution into composting. With a view to examining the wider potential effects of the tax, the study also tests labelling effects and possible unintended consequences, namely the potential to stimulate illegal waste disposal. Data is drawn from a nationally representative whole country survey (n = 1037), in which respondents were randomly assigned to different tax treatments. The study finds that in the absence of a tax, composting uptake is mainly predicted by access to a garden or rural land and perceptions of nuisance. The introduction of a nominal fee for waste disposal significantly reduces waste disposal intent and encourages substitution into home-composting. Substitution responds to both higher fees as well as to a “Pay as You Throw Tax” tax label, particularly among garden owners. However, the introduction of a waste disposal fee also induces illegal waste disposal intent, particularly among households that hold government in low trust. These findings, which are robust to several model specifications, are relevant both to science and to policy makers.

Industrial Symbiosis: Beer Brewery Wastewater-Based Biorefinery

The scope of this theoretical study is to investigate the concept of biorefinery applied to the use of brewery wastewater as feedstock for bioconversions for lactic acid production using lactic acid bacteria (LAB), while examining the theoretical design, development, and costing of brewery wastewater treatment plant within the scope of wastewater recovery and reuse as formulated waste-derived nutrient media-assimilated effluents. Beer is the fifth of the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world, nowadays, with well-established large production sites across the world, while its wastewater generation for breweries for example in China, reaching 300 million m3/year. The system design is based on sedimentation and membrane technology, within the scope of removal of pollutants that would be resulting in the generation of relatively abundant inexpensive liquid feedstock able to be recycled to produce high-value chemicals such as lactic acid while reducing the carbon footprint of the fermentation and reducing waste disposal.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF FEED CHEMICAL COMPOSITION WITH THE ADDITION OF DRAGON FRUIT SKIN FLOUR (Hylocereus polyrhizus)

Providing high-quality feed is one of the efforts to increase fish productivity and growth and reduce fish mortality. One of the additional alternative feed ingredients as a source of vegetable protein is dragon fruit peel which can be used as an additional ingredient in fish feed. The study of the chemical composition of feed with the addition of dragon fruit peel flour is essential information to determine the effect of addition and the benefits of by-products (waste) from food processing in aquaculture development. This study aims to evaluate the quality of the chemical composition of feed after being treated with the addition of dragon peel flour through proximate analysis. The test was carried out at the Agricultural Product Technology Laboratory of Lampung State Polytechnic, from June to August 2020. The test results showed that dragon fruit peel flour had a carbohydrate content of 50.74%, crude fiber 26.22%, ash 21.35%, protein 5.08%, and fat 4.80% (dry weight). The test results showed that the addition of dragon fruit peel flour increased the protein content in the feed, which increased with the increase in the added dragon fruit flour. The highest protein content in treatment was 1.5%, namely 37.79% (dry weight), and decreased in the addition of dragon fruit flour by 2.0%. The highest ash content in the addition of 2.0% was 11.32% (dry weight). The content of crude fiber, carbohydrates and fat has decreased with the increasing dose of dragon fruit flour. The addition of dragon fruit peel flour can increase the protein content in the feed to substitute in the manufacture of fish feed. This also increases the utilization of dragon fruit peel waste, especially in aquaculture, to reduce waste disposal into the environment.

Techno-economic analysis of a grape pomace biorefinery: Production of seed oil, polyphenols, and biochar

Processing grape pomace (GP), a major waste from the wine industry, into multiple value-added products based on the biorefinery concept has a potential to reduce waste disposal and promote a sustainable bioeconomy. However, its economic feasibility at a commercial scale remains unknown. The present study aims to evaluate the economics of a biorefinery process of GP, by performing comparative techno-economic analysis of three processing scenarios: (1) a whole biorefinery process that fully utilizes GP biomass and produces grape seed oil, polyphenols, and biochar (GSO+GSKP+GB), (2) a process that produces grape seed oil and polyphenols (GSO+GSKP), and (3) a process that produces only grape seed oil (GSO). A plant capacity of about 33,000 metric tons/year was considered in the analysis. Among the three scenarios, the whole biorefinery process (GSO+GSKP+GB) showed the highest economic performance with the net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period of 111.7 million US-$, 34.3%, and 2.5 years, respectively, due to the diverse revenues and minimized waste disposal cost. The GSO plant showed the lowest economic performance with a negative NPV. Sensitivity analysis revealed that plant capacity, polyphenol price, polyphenol concentration (percentage) in grape pomace, and biochar price had dominating influences on the economic performance of the biorefinery process.

Waste to health: A review of waste derived materials for tissue engineering

This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the utilization of waste-derived materials in tissue engineering applications. Waste-derived materials that have been transformed into various bio-ceramics and natural polymer materials have exhibited outstanding biocompatibility and biodegradability in tissue engineering applications. Interestingly, using waste-derived materials could significantly contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing waste disposal. Using waste materials significantly increases source availability while minimizing the cost of manufacturing. The desirable properties and potentials of waste materials have created great opportunities for exploring their implementation in tissue engineering. Thus, this review has summarized the recent research on waste materials in terms of the current progress, limitations, and prospects for tissue engineering applications.

PRODUCTION AND USE OF BIOENERGY RESOURCES OF THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR OF UKRAINE ON THE BASIS OF SUSTAINABILITY

The article deals the analysis of production and consumption of bioenergy resources in agriculture. It is established that the assessment of resource potential is carried out with regard to the following energy trilemma: decarbonization, energy security and affordability, which significantly increases the interest in alternative fuels derived from renewable sources. In order to achieve sustainable development in the context of providing businesses with affordable and clean energy, national indicators relevant to the agricultural sector have been developed. Biomass production utilizes both land and human resourse to a greater extent than any other renewable energy technology, and can create sustainable supply chains. It has been proven that the use of biomass improves the supply and access to energy at the local and national levels, but also reduces waste disposal, provides an alternative use of biomass or fossil resources. It is noted that the main products of biomass processing are solid and liquid biofuels, biogas. Ukraine's energy strategy 2035 suggests an increase in the use of biomass in energy generation up to 11,5 %, and the main stimulus for growth is the use of green tariff. Biomass production requires the largest amount of land resources compared to other alternative sources. It limits the use of sown areas for food crops in favor of bioenergy crops. In particular, the raw materials for the production of bioethanol in Ukraine are sugar, starch crops and cellulose materials, which are converted into the final product by alcohol and sugar factories. Biodiesel production is not widespread enough, and more than 95 % of the gross harvest of rapeseed and soybeans used for its production in 2019 was exported. In the structure of solid biofuels, agricultural waste, in particular straw, stalks and husks, has the greatest potential for the use. Thus, biomass is an alternative energy resource that creates significant prospects for sustainable agriculture, but wholesale energy tariffs need to be revised to take into account external factors that consider insurance risks and increased environmental taxation, which is low in Ukraine.

Non-sterile fermentation of food waste using thermophilic and alkaliphilic Bacillus licheniformis YNP5-TSU for 2,3-butanediol production

Conversion of food waste into 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) via microbial fermentation provides a promising way to reduce waste disposal to landfills and produce sustainable chemicals. However, sterilization of food waste, an energy- and capital-costly process, is generally required before fermentation to avoid any contamination, which reduces the energy net output and economic feasibility of food waste fermentation. In this study, we investigated the non-sterile fermentation of food waste to produce 2,3-BDO using a newly isolated thermophilic and alkaliphilic B. licheniformis YNP5-TSU. Three unitary food waste samples (i.e., pepper, pineapple, cabbage wastes) and one miscellaneous food waste mixture were respectively inoculated with B. licheniformis YNP5-TSU under non-sterile conditions. At 50 °C and an initial pH of 9.0, B. licheniformis YNP5-TSU was able to consume all sugars in food waste and produce 5.2, 5.9, 5.9 and 4.3 g/L of 2,3-BDO within 24 h from pepper, pineapple, cabbage and miscellaneous wastes, respectively, corresponding to a yield of 0.40, 0.38, 0.41 and 0.41 g 2,3-BDO/g sugar. These 2,3-BDO concentrations and yields from the non-sterile fermentations were comparable to those from the traditional sterile fermentations, which produced 4.0–6.8 g/L of 2,3-BDO with yields of 0.31–0.48 g 2,3-BDO/g sugar. Moreover, B. licheniformis was able to ferment various food wastes (pepper, pineapple and miscellaneous wastes) without any external nutrient addition and produce similar 2,3-BDO quantities. The non-sterile fermentation of food waste using novel thermophilic and alkaliphilic B. licheniformis YNP5-TSU provides a robust and energy-efficient approach to convert food waste to high-value chemicals.

Amorphous silica wastes for reusing in highly porous ceramics

AbstractThe paper analyzes a solution in green manufacturing of foamed or cellular ceramics. The objective of this study was to determine the technical solution for rice husk ash and “tales” of mixed glass cullet reusing based on the specific properties of these materials for creation of spherical holes inside ceramic using the process of coalescence of cellular glass. The paper reports on experimental results obtained from the production of lightweight cellular glass granules produced using glass cullet and rice husk ash. Lightweight cellular glass granules were mixed with clay, pressed and fired in air at 920°C. Clay sintering and the formation of ceramic were followed with the coalescence of cellular structure of glass granules and with the formation of spherical hollows inside the matrix. Density and strength of the fired ceramic bodies were determined. It is observed that the lightweight ceramics with density 900 ÷ 920 kg/m3 possess a compressive strength of about 5 MPa that is acceptable for bricks or tiles manufacture. The utilization of amorphous silica waste for lightweight ceramics manufacture helps in reducing waste disposal concerns and costs associated, and also transforms the waste into an alternative raw material with added value, moreover making the final product cheap.

Biomaterials based on chitosan/orange peel as a controlled release matrix for KNO3: synthesis, characterization and their performance evaluation

Controlled release fertilizers are chemical products provided with a polymeric layer that offers control over the release rate as one of its main characteristics and are an alternative to traditional fertilization methods. The use of biopolymers like chitosan and food industry residues like orange peel is a viable for the development of biomaterials that can be used as a controlled release medium for fertilizers. Considering the current interest in the development of environmentally friendly materials, biomaterials based on chitosan and orange peel considered an agro-industrial waste were synthesized in this study, which can give added value to the biomaterial by reducing waste disposal and pollution. Biomaterials were synthesized using the ionic gelation method with different concentrations of sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP 1, 3 and 5% w/v) and tested as controlled release matrices of KNO3. Biomaterials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface charge distribution and zero charge point (PZC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to elucidate their structural properties and to know the release mechanisms. Biomaterials synthesized with 1% TPP showed a 27.3% load and a KNO3 release yield of 12.28 mmol L−1 in a 12-day evaluation period. As a result of the increase in the concentration of TPP, the direct influence on the swelling, loading and release properties of KNO3 was observed, for its part, the use of orange peel as mechanical support did not affect the performance of biomaterials.

Radiological analysis and transmutation calculation of representative castable nanostructured alloys

Radiological analysis regarding the waste management was performed on two current reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steels Eurofer 97 and F82H and two castable nanostructured alloys (CNAs) CNA1 and CNA3 using the European DEMO first wall spectrum. CNA1 and CNA3 are a new generation of RAFM steels, which have increased amounts of nanoscale carbonitrides and carbides precipitates, respectively, via small composition modifications. The increased nitrogen in CNA1 leads to higher activity at ≥50 years, and thus to the disposal concern under the current NRC regulation. However, the calculation using Fetter’s evaluation leads to reduced waste disposal rating (WDR) of down to 0.25 depending on the damage dose from ∼0.05 wt percent nitrogen in CNA1, and thus less concern on the waste disposal. Contact dose rate after 10 years from the first wall replacement primarily depends on the initial Co and Nb impurity levels. Other added elements, such as V and Si in CNA1 and Ti and Mn in CNA3, do not have significant effect on the specific activity, contact dose rate, or decay heat. Composition limits of CNAs are given based on the shallow burial disposal and materials recycling. In addition, composition evolution of typical precipitates in the CNAs was calculated using the DEMO first wall and the HFIR spectra. Larger transmutation-induced composition evolution occurs in the V/Ta-rich carbonitrides in CNA1 than that in the Ti-rich carbides in CNA3.

Material stock development of the transport sector in the city of Vienna

AbstractSocieties aim to reduce primary raw material consumption, enhance waste recycling, and reduce waste disposal. In this regard, the circular‐economy concept has gained attention and is applied in policy papers, also on the urban level. However, to assess set targets and their achievement, a sound knowledge of anthropogenic material flows and stocks is required. The material turnover of transport systems has not been sufficiently investigated yet, although they have a significant impact on overall material turnover and have a high potential for making use of recycled construction materials. To close this gap, the present study investigates the anthropogenic stocks and flows related to an urban transport system, whereby both infrastructure and vehicles are included. A bottom‐up, multiyear material‐flow analysis was employed to calculate the material stock and the related input and output flows of Vienna's transport system for the period 1990–2015. The results indicate the increasing importance of more environmentally friendly modes of transport. The stock of motorized individual transport has increased in absolute terms since 1990, but the stock per capita remains unchanged at 34 t/cap, whereas the per capita stock of public transport (20 t/cap; +8%) and of non‐motorized individual transport (4 t/cap; +10%) has increased. However, the primary source of material consumption (>65%) is maintenance of infrastructure. This provides a potential for more circularity because outputs and inputs are equal in terms of mass and material. The study provides a systematic analysis for developing policy and management options for sustainable resource‐saving urban transport systems.

Underwater laser cutting of stainless steel up to 100 mm thick for dismantling application in nuclear power plants

For dismantling nuclear power plants, an underwater cutting study was conducted using a high power fiber laser. With a laser power of 9 kW, cutting tests were performed on stainless steel with a thickness of 50–100 mm. For this study, a waterproof cutting head consisting of a focusing element with a long focal length of 600 mm and a supersonic nozzle was used for high cutting efficiency. For thicknesses of 70 mm or less, it was possible to cut only with a single supersonic nozzle, while for a thickness of 80 mm or more, an initially pierced specimen or a double nozzle was required for successful cutting. Through these techniques, we were able to perform the cutting underwater up to a thickness of 100 mm. Furthermore, the kerf widths were as small as 1–2 mm, the amount of secondary waste will likely be small, which will reduce waste disposal costs.