Tons Of Waste Research Articles

Exergoeconomic evaluation of a banana waste pyrolysis plant for biofuel production

Health and environmental problems arise in the world due to gases produced during the combustion of fossil fuels. This problem has focused on researching the production of renewable fuels from biomass. One type of biomass is the waste produced during banana cultivation. In this industry, for every ton of banana harvested, there are on average four tons of waste that also pollute the environment. This paper aims to evaluate the economic and exergetic viability of a banana waste pyrolysis plant in Colombia. The plant processes were simulated in Aspen Plus®, which resolved the material and energy balance. The yield of products was validated with experimental results from literature, where differences could be attributed to biomass composition and reactor type. The results obtained revealed yields of 40.20%, 24.75% and 35.07% from bio-oil, char and gas respectively. Additionally, economic and exergy data were combined for an exergy costing method to carry out the exergoeconomic analysis. The overall exergy efficiency of the plant was 61.76%. The highest exergy destruction is located in the dryer and the pyrolysis reactor, which accounts for 35.84% and 32.96%. The combustion chamber has the highest exergy destruction cost (180.19 $/h) and a low value of the exergoeconomic factor (5.96%), indicating that an improvement of the equipment is required, even if it means an increase in investment cost. The study reveals that the analysis made demonstrates the potential of bio-oil production from banana waste, and the possibility of using gaseous products in a combined heat and power plant. The novelty of this paper is the methodology that can be applied to design of energy generation projects, supported by process simulators, combining economic and exergetic analysis, which are useful in developing countries.

Green extraction processing of lutein from Chlorella saccharophila in water-based ionic liquids as a sustainable innovation in algal biorefineries

A billion tonnes of waste are generated every year in the food industry. Green extraction of natural antioxidants and therapeutics like carotenoids from microalgae using ionic liquids may help in improving the process efficiency and reducing the dependency on petroleum-based chemicals in the food industry. The extraction of carotenoids is solvent specific, and extraction efficiency varies greatly. The effect of 4 different ILs on carotenoid profiles of C. saccharophila was assessed and compared to a conventional solvent, methanol, to check their extractability. We found 40 % (w/v) Tetrabutyl phosphonium hydroxide as the best IL to extract the carotenoids. Tetrabutyl phosphonium hydroxide selectively extracts 2.26 mg g−1 dry cell weight (DCW) of lutein from wet biomass of C. saccharophila, whereas methanol extracts 0.10 mg g−1 DCW of lutein at room temperature-based extraction. Also, the combinatorial effect of temperature, extraction time, solvent: biomass ratio and ionic liquid concentration was investigated using a statistical modelling technique, Response Surface Modelling (RSM). It was found that lutein extraction is further improved by 10 % to 2.49 mg g−1 under the optimal extraction conditions [40 % (w/v) Ionic liquid concentration, 5 min extraction time, 0.5 (mL mg−1) Solvent: Biomass Ratio and 25 °C temperature]. Lutein remains 3 times more stable in IL than in conventional solvent methanol at 60 and 90 °C. Hence, Tetrabutyl phosphonium hydroxide can prospectively substitute conventional organic solvents in the downstream processing of bioactive compounds from microalgae.

Pengolahan Sampah Kertas Menjadi Bahan Baku Industri Kertas Bisa Mengurangi Sampah di Indonesia

Garbage is an actual problem faced by Indonesia along with the increasing population. Paper is one of the most generated wastes. Indonesia produces 67.8 million tons of waste annually. And produces 8.1 million tons of paper waste annually. The volume of paper waste every 2 years increases by 1%. Paper waste can be recycled by the paper industry. With this research, the management of paper waste is used as a raw material for the paper industry by utilizing the fiber contained in paper waste. In this effort it can be see that recycling waste management can reduce waste in Indonesia by up to 10.2% per year. By recycling paper waste, we maintain the balance of nature and prevent global warming.

The influence of organizational and economic methods of household waste management on the volumes and structure of its formation: the experience of the Netherlands

In the context of global consumption growth, the amount of household waste is increasing, the management of which should be based on the choice of those methods that ensure the growth of its processing and do not increase the financial burden on the population. This study examines the most common methods of organizing the management of solid domestic waste and the formation of tariffs for its disposal in the Netherlands. The effect of the applied method on the composition of the generated waste and the degree of separation of their components is analyzed. The cost of handling each ton of waste using each of the three most common methods is calculated. The different influence of the method of payment for household waste management on the volume of mixed waste generation per capita and the volume of waste generation in general has been proven. The largest volumes of mixed waste were generated in those municipalities that introduced an annual fee per inhabitant. The smallest are when using payment by the volume of the garbage bag. Depending on the method used in determining the payment for household waste management, the financial burden per tenant is calculated. In municipalities that have implemented a fixed fee for waste disposal per inhabitant, the load was 1.04 % of the annual income of the person, and when paying depending on the volume of garbage bags, 4.65 %. It is established that the existing waste management system in the Netherlands has ensured a high level of organization of separate collection of household waste. As a result of the study, no direct relationship was found between the method of calculating payment for waste disposal and the generation of mixed waste. It is concluded that the effectiveness of the implementation of the household waste management policy depends on the level of public awareness of the negative consequences of its impact on the environment

Differences in Antioxidant Potential of Allium cepa Husk of Red, Yellow, and White Varieties.

The effective management of agro-industry organic waste for developing high-commercial-value products is a promising facet of the circular economy. Annually, more than 550,000 tons of waste that is potentially rich in biologically active substances is generated worldwide while processing onions (Allium cepa L.). The antioxidant potential of red, yellow, and white onion husks was studied using FRAP, ORAC, chemiluminescence, and UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS analysis methods. The extraction of phenolic compounds from onion husks was more effective when using an aqueous solution of 70% ethanol as compared with water. Ethanolic extract from red onion husks exhibited the highest TACORAC and TACFRAP values, averaging 2017.34 µmol-equiv. Trolox/g raw material and 2050.23 µmol-equiv. DQ/g raw material, respectively, while the white onion exhibited much lower levels of antioxidants. According to the chemiluminescence results, it was determined that the red and yellow onion husks contained antioxidants of three types of power, while white onion husks only contained medium and weak types. The highest content of flavonoids was found in red onion husks, averaging 1915.90 ± 9.92 µg-eq. DQ/g of raw material and 321.42 ± 2.61 µg-eq. DQ/g of raw material for ethanol and water, respectively, while yellow onion husks exhibited 544.06 ± 2.73 µg-eq. DQ/g of raw material and 89.41 ± 2.08 for ethanol and water, respectively. Quercetin and its glycosides were the most representative flavonoids, and a number of substances with different pharmacological and biological properties were also identified.

Capitalizing on a Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Shortage to Design a More Functional and Sustainable Isolation Gown

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic caused a global PPE shortage. Across our health system, the type of disposable isolation gowns we were accustomed to using were not as readily available. As a result, we used new varieties of isolation gowns of inconsistent quality. With isolation gowns being the second most used type of PPE at our organization, we used and disposed of almost 3.1 million single-use isolation gowns, amounting to approximately 213 tons of waste in a year. An opportunity arose to design and implement a consistently high quality and reusable isolation gown that would both be protected from supply chain disruptions and reduce our health system's ecological footprint.MethodsAfter trialing several varieties of disposable and reusable gowns, a substantial amount of feedback was gathered over several months from end-users, Infection Prevention, and Supply Chain. This feedback informed the design of a custom reusable isolation gown that resolves identified problems in functionality, particularly barrier effectiveness, comfort, fit, and ease of donning and doffing. The new design meets current healthcare protection clothing standards and specifications.ResultsThe custom reusable isolation gowns are being implemented at all hospitals across our health system. There is adequate supply of the reusable gowns, as the product is not susceptible to PPE shortages. There is overwhelmingly positive feedback from end-users on functionality and effectiveness. The gowns are safely laundered according to healthcare standards, resulting in less waste when compared to single-use isolation gowns.ConclusionsPPE shortages leave frontline healthcare workers ill-equipped to care for patients. Design and implementation of a more functional and sustainable product, that is not vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, helps ensure our healthcare workers have the resources needed to protect themselves and others from spreading infectious pathogens.

Sustainable practices and green competencies

Hospitality industry especially hotels consumes lots of water, energy, generates tons of waste and ultimately leads to environmental degradation. In order to reduce the impact on environment hoteliers should implement and follow the sustainability practices and focus on the competencies related to sustainability. Hotel industry can play an important role towards sustainability of environment.So, it is an utmost and foremost responsibility of the hoteliers to implement sustainable practices in daily routines of their business. Acknowledging this very fact, the present study focuses on two dimensions i.e. Sustainability Practices and Green Competencies and tries to explore to the existing Sustainability practices and Green competencies exercised by category “A” hotels of Kashmir. Semi-structured interviews and checklists have been formulated based on which In-depth interview has been conducted from 20 respondents. The study concluded with the fact that, in order to implement sustainability practices the employees must be competent. The findings also revealed green competencies required for sustainability development that technical skills regarding energy management, energy assessment, Information technology skill, behavioral change and motivation, Communication, Project management Skills, facilitative leadership, ability to grasp legislation, analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills, and understanding of environment and sustainability issues and good IT and general office skills

Case of Issue. The Use of the Contributive Analysis Methodology on the Case of the “Clean Games” Project

The Clean Games project started in St. Petersburg in 2014 as a simple volunteer initiative. The project leader Dmitry Ioffe once went hiking with his friends on Lake Vuoksa, but his vacation was spoiled by a landfill on one of the islands. That is how he came up with an idea for the first waste collection contest, which over eight years evolved into a series of eco-quests uniting 90,000 players in 26 countries. The participants collect up to 5 tons of waste in one game, most of which is then recycled. The project organizers had an ambitious goal: to raise the awareness and increase public engagement in the environmental agenda. How can one assess the social impact of the Clean Games and whether their ambitious goal has actually been met? One tool that can be used for this purpose is the qualitative approach based on analyzing the participants’ contributions — the contribution analysis method.

Wide-Awake Hand Surgery Has Its Benefits: A Study of 1,011 Patients

Wide-awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet has dramatically changed hand surgery practice. Using lidocaine with epinephrine and no tourniquet has allowed many procedures to be moved from the main operating room to an in-office procedure room. Previous studies have shown that using local anesthesia is safe and cost effective, with high patient satisfaction. This study evaluated patient satisfaction and complications for the first 1,011 elective hand surgeries performed using wide-awake anesthesia in an in-office procedure room. The first 1,011 patients who underwent elective hand surgery in an in-office procedure room were surveyed regarding their satisfaction. The patients were monitored for postoperative complications. Patient survey results and complications were logged in a database and analyzed. Single-digit trigger finger release was the most common procedure performed (n= 582), followed by mass excision (n= 158), multiple-digit trigger finger releases (n= 109), and carpal tunnel release (n= 41). There were 43 (4.3%) superficial skin infections, with the majority seen in single-digit trigger finger releases (n= 27). There were no deep wound infections. All infections were managed nonsurgically with oral antibiotics and local wound care. Ninety-nine percent of the patients rated the in-office procedure room experience as the same as or better than a dental visit, would recommend wide-awake anesthesia to a friend or family member, and would undergo the procedure again. Using "lean and green" hand packs saved our institution more than $65,000 and saved 18.4 tons of waste during this study period. Surgical procedures performed with wide-awake local anesthesia with no tourniquet in an in-office procedure room can be performed safely with a low infection rate, are cost effective, and have high patient satisfaction. Minor hand surgery done in an in-office procedure room is safe, is cost effective, and has high patient satisfaction.

STUDY OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN RANCHI, JHARKHAND

Solid waste management (SWM) have becomes a very serious concern globally. The lack of individual responsibilities as well as proper attitude and approach leads to this issue. Rapid industrialization, increase in population and further increase in standard of living and poor waste management have increased the serous health issue. In India we generate about one 1 lakh ton of MSW per day. Almost every ton of MSW is disposed of unscientifically. Though the compostable organic waste ranges between 34-70 percent, improper segregation or no segregation at source has challenged the further treatment and disposal experiments. Ranchi city need to be taken care by various new SWM techniques, proper management skill and adequate care the diseases and improve medical conditions. This paper deals with the proper description of the current MSWM process and the real time scenario where every individual is a source of waste creation. The effect of growing population of last ten years outcome of waste quality and quantity generated throughout these years have been discussed. It is observed that more than 4000 tons of waste per month is being generated. Researches shows that the disposal of solid waste requires 2,700,000 m2 area for the land up to the year 2030. Far sustainable development and effective management it is suggested that implementation of newer technologies, training of common people, and effective implementation of government policies will help to come out of these current issues.

THE PROBLEM OF HOUSEHOLD SOLID WASTE IN THE TERRITORY OF THE CHECHEN REPUBLIC

The article deals with the problem of municipal solid waste is typical for the entire territory of the Russian Federation. In 2018 alone, more than 7 million tons of waste were generated, which is 16.8% more than in 2017. Accordingly, this problem is also typical for the Chechen Republic

Improved strength performance of rubberized Concrete: Role of ground blast furnace slag and waste glass bottle nanoparticles amalgamation

Production of high strength and sustainable concrete by recycling various industrial wastes in an eco-friendly way to reduce the landfill problems remains challenging. Ever-increasing disposal of million tons of waste tyres worldwide posed serious environmental concern. The reuse of waste tyres in concrete as fine and coarse aggregates was shown to enhance its strength performance and solve the landfills-related environmental issues. Thus, new types of rubberized concrete mixes with improved bond zone and strength performance were produced by combining the waste rubber tyre aggregates (WRTAs), waste glass bottle nanoparticles (WGBNPs) and ground blast furnace slag (GBFS) with ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The designed concrete mixes contained 30% of crumb rubber as substitute of the natural fine and coarse aggregates wherein OPC was replaced by 20% of GBFS and various WGBNPs contents (3, 6, 9 and 12%). The workability performance, microstructures, and strength properties of the proposed mixes were evaluated using various tests. Concrete containing 6% of WGBNPs showed significant enhancement in the bond zone between cement paste and crumb rubber surface wherein the compressive strength was increased by 14% compared to the control specimen. The microstructures analyses of WGBNPs blended concretes displayed the formation of dense gels and less pores with acceptable engineering properties. It was asserted that concretes obtained by blending GBFS, WGBNPs and WRTAs with less OPC can be the potential green construction materials with immense benefits for the environment, thus minimizing the greenhouse gases emission and landfill requirements.

Compositional Analysis of Street Market Food Waste in Brazil

Current understanding of food waste quantities in the Brazilian retail sector is limited. In order to develop efficient measures for food waste prevention and valorisation, reliable data on waste generation and composition are necessary. In this study, a compositional analysis of street market waste was conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. In total, 4.1 tonnes of waste were sorted into 27 waste fractions, categorised using a three-level approach. The average waste generation in the studied street markets was 23.7 kg per stall, of which 12.8 kg was classified as unavoidable food waste, 3.6 kg as packaging waste, and 7.4 kg as avoidable waste. The results show large amounts of unavoidable food waste, comprised of coconut, sugarcane bagasse, and peels. A large share of the avoidable food waste is comprised of single leaves, tomatoes, oranges, and bananas. Large variations were observed among the street markets analysed, both in terms of the food waste generation rate, and composition. The results from scaling up the data at the city level indicated a total wastage of 59,300 tonnes per year, of which 18,400 tonnes are classified as avoidable food waste.

A framework to assess the impact of flooding on the release of microplastics from waste management facilities

The impact of flood on waste management facilities can induce the release of micro pollutants to freshwater systems with concerning impacts on the marine environment, agricultural ecosystems, and human health. Almost 30% of the total waste managed in the UK in 2019 was characterised by Microplastic Releasers (MPRs): plastic waste, synthetic textile, rubber waste, and mix/undifferentiated materials that are able to or contain items that can deteriorate and fragment into micro components. In recent years, the management of solid waste and its contribution to flood-driven microplastic pollution has been limited with a focus on plastic waste mismanagement specifically, and the assessment of the risk is long overdue. We present a new methodology combining publicly available data on waste with pluvial and fluvial flood extent maps. The methodology was applied to the UK where the impact of pluvial flood on waste management facilities shows a 3-fold increment between 20 and 50-year return period in waste at risk of releasing microplastics during inundation resulting in almost 5 million tonnes per day. The methodology was applied to the UK where the impact of pluvial flood on waste management facilities shows a 3-fold increment between 20 and 50-year return period resulting in almost 5 million tonnes of waste per day at risk of releasing microplastics during inundation. We conclude that further studies at the local scale are necessary to establish site-specific mitigation measures and containment systems able to decrease the flood-induced microplastic mobilisation from waste management facilities.

Utilization of municipal solid waste into electricity energy: A performance of PLTSa Bantargebang pilot project

Municipal solid waste (MSW) has become a serious problem for cities in Indonesia. The increasing population and economic activity as well as the increasing difficulty in obtaining land for landfills are the real problems faced. Waste generation from urban areas currently reaches 29.4 million tons annually and that has been managed reaches 62.29%. The Indonesian government has targeted 100% waste management by 2025 by processing 70% and reducing it by 30%. To accelerate the achievement of this target, Presidential Regulation No. 35/2018 concerning installation construction acceleration of waste processing into electricity energy based on environmentally friendly technology has been issued. MSW in Indonesia contains 62.4% of biomass in the form of food waste, wood, vegetables and fruits which have the potential to be a source of energy. This paper describes the performance of PLTSa Bantargebang based on operating data in 2020. PLTSa Bantargebang was designed to be able to burn 100 tonnes of waste/day with an average calorific value of 1,500 kcal/kg and an electricity output of 700 kW. This plant was also equipped with a pre-treatment plant to reduce water content and air pollution control devices that can emit exhaust that met national emission standards. When this study was conducted, the WtE plant electricity production was around 350 kW which was only used for the internal operational needs of the WtE plant. In this condition, the WtE plant burns waste on average 65 tons waste per day. During 2020, the plant had burned 9,878 tonnes of waste by generating electricity of 784 MWh or an electricity conversion rate of 110.66 kWh/ton waste. Both exhaust gas emission and liquid waste have met national quality standards, so that it is an environmentally friendly WtE plant. The plant also produced fly ash and bottom ash around 19.41% of the weight of the waste burned.

Utilization of Coconut Shell as Greener Concrete

Abstract: Every year, the world produces millions of tons of waste. Nowadays the production of waste material is increasing day by day. Disposal of these waste materials is very difficult. Recycling garbage also requires energy and emits pollutions. Thus need to find some alternative coarse material that can be used as replacement of coarse aggregate. In this study coconut shell is using in place of coarse aggregate. It is easily available in nature in low cost. It is a agricultural waste which pollute the environment. Coconut shell has their own potential to use as a construction material in construction industry. A large amount of coconut shell is generated in India from temples and industries of coconut product. It’s non degradable material. It takes 100- 200years to dispose in nature. In this study coconut shell is taken as a greener concrete. Greener concrete can be defined as concrete which is made up of waste of material. Coconut shell is easily available in nature. It’s eco friendly and cost effective material. According to laboratory test result carried out using coconut shell as a replacement of coarse aggregate used in concrete. In this particular study M20 grade of concrete was prepared by using coconut shell as coarse aggregate. In this study for experimental work coarse aggregate is replaced by 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% and 35% of coconut shell. Keywords: Coconut shell, Greener concrete.

Operating room waste management: A case study of primary hip operations at a leading National Health Service hospital in the United Kingdom

This research examines current waste management within an operating room at a large United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) hospital. The study measured the volume and type of waste produced for primary hip operations (PHOs) and estimated the total waste produced across the United Kingdom by the procedure. Three PHOs were audited to measure and compare the waste volumes generated. The average volume of waste per surgical procedure was 10.9kg, consisting of clinical (84.4%), recyclable (12.8%) and bio-bin (2.8%) waste. This research also found that single-use devices contribute significantly to operating room waste. In addition, it was estimated that there is a missed opportunity to reduce clinical waste volume in each procedure, where approximately 15% of clinical waste disposal consisted of visibly clean recyclable waste material, including cardboard and plastics. It was estimated that in the NHS approximately 1043 tonnes of waste is produced annually by PHOs alone. A significant volume of this waste could be prevented through improved recycling and reduced use of single-use devices.

Cement mortars with ceramic molds shells and paraffin waxes wastes: Physical and mechanical behavior

Foundry industry produces millions of tons of wastes discarded in landfills. Many studies have focused on foundry sands, however other wastes are generated during the casting process and no reuse solutions are known. The main objective of this study was the incorporation of paraffin waxes and ceramic mold shells in cement mortars, evaluating the influence of different paraffin wax contents in the mortars physical and mechanical properties. The obtained results showed a decrease in the workability, water absorption, flexural and compressive strengths of the mortars. However, the mortars presented a satisfactory physical and mechanical behavior, evidencing a possible practical application.

Positive biochemical, physiological and nutritional evidence from the use of biochar in the growth of eucalyptus plants

ABSTRACT Brazil has approximately 7.8 million hectares of planted forest, with 72% of the total area being occupied by species of the genus Eucalyptus. Brazil is the main producer of Acai fruit (Euterpe oleracea) in the world; however, for every 100 tonnes of processed fruit, it generates approximately 80 tonnes of waste, and this waste is considered an environmental problem. This research seeks to investigate whether the application of biochar (BC) derived from Acai agroindustry waste can improve nutritional status and biomass by testing different proportions of BC and evaluating anatomical, physiological, biochemical, and morphological aspects of young Eucalyptus urophylla plants. BC had the best effect on nutritional status and biomass at a concentration of 7.5% (w/w), inducing increases of 67%, 37%, 90%, 61% and 20% in the dry matter content of leaf, root, stem, total and stem diameter, respectively. This study demonstrated that BC derived from Acai agroindustry waste improved nutritional status, and this result was explained by improvements in root development, mainly the vascular cylinder diameter (52%). Interestingly, BC also stimulated the photosynthetic machinery, as evidenced by the effective quantum yield of photosystem II photochemistry (36%) and net photosynthetic rate (59%), positively contributing to biomass accumulation.

Estimating processing cost for the recovery of valuable elements from mine tailings using dimensional analysis

The mining industry generates thousands of tons of waste every day. Some types of waste pose environmental risks, while others can be considered important sources of valuable materials. Nowadays, the re-processing of mine tailings starts to be seen as an increasingly more critical operation because of the need to shift from the current linear economy model to the circular one. However, full-scale mine tailings processing is still in the early stages. One of the important factors that could contribute to its spreading would be developing a simple method of preliminary assessment of the profitability of mine tailings processing. Therefore, the aim of this study is to propose a method that could be used to estimate the cost of mine tailings processing for the recovery of valuable elements. The proposed approach deploys dimensional analysis, as well as sensitivity analysis. In order to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method, data from 48 Chilean mining operations were analyzed. Since copper is the element whose concentration in Chilean mine tailings is the highest, and vanadium is the main critical raw material that can be obtained from the same source, both were selected to be recovered. The results show that a plant that processes mine tailings to recover vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) via hydrometallurgical processes would incur a processing cost of 6,218 US$/t of V2O5. On the other hand, a processing cost for a plant engaged in copper recovery would be 2,953 US$/t of Cu. This represents a reduction by 40.87% and 44.20%, respectively, compared to the operating costs of similar mining operations. In addition, the sensitivity analysis determined that the unit price of electricity and electricity consumption are the two variables having the highest impact on the total processing cost. The obtained results are valid for Chilean mines, however, the proposed approach could be widely used to estimate mine tailing processing cost for the recovery of other elements in other countries.