Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Caterina Picuno, Emile Van Eygen, Marieke T. Brouwer, Kerstin Kuchta, Eggo U. Thoden van Velzen
Summary: This paper summarizes the three latest studies on the flows of plastic packaging waste in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. Despite relatively comparable product markets, the three countries have different waste management systems, leading to variations in recycling rates.
Article
Polymer Science
Martina Seier, Vasiliki-Maria Archodoulaki, Thomas Koch, Bernadette Duscher, Markus Gahleitner
Summary: Food preservation is a crucial application of polymers in packaging, with multilayer films being commonly used to extend the shelf life of sensitive foods. However, the recyclability of these films is limited. This study evaluated and compared the recycling potential of PET and PP post-consumer modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) through structure analysis and recycling simulation, finding that the PET-based packaging resulted in a brittle material unsuitable for reprocessing, while the PP-based packaging showed potential for closed-loop recycling.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chen-Hua Wang, Hsin-Tien Lin
Summary: Packaging accounts for the largest demand in global plastic consumption, with around 60% used for food and beverage packaging. Our study quantified the food packaging generation from major supermarket and convenience store chains in Taipei, Taiwan, and found that 64.99% of the packaging was recycled. Identifying limitations in different stages and designing corresponding strategies is crucial to promote plastic food packaging recycling.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Yu Zhuo, JinTao He, Wen Li, Jing Deng, QinLu Lin
Summary: Rapid economic growth and urbanization have led to significant changes in consumption patterns, particularly in the demand for the food takeaway industry. The convenience brought by the industry also results in environmental pressure from waste packaging materials. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the types of takeaway food and packaging materials, their impact on human health and the environment, relevant policies and regulations, treatment methods, and the outlook for green takeaway packaging. The review emphasizes the need for more recycling and the development of sustainable packaging materials to promote the industry's sustainable development.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Joana C. Prata, Ana L. Patricio Silva, Armando C. Duarte, Teresa Rocha-Santos
Summary: As a member of the European Union, Portugal is required to reduce plastic waste and take integrative measures to improve the use and disposal of plastics. The amount of beach litter in Portugal is higher than the EU median, with 88% of it being plastic. The recycling rate for plastic packaging in Portugal is also below the EU average and needs to be improved. Portugal could benefit from the valorization of imported waste and explore alternative methods such as pyrolysis and gasification for producing value-added substances from plastic waste.
FRONTIERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Gwenny Thomassen, Steven Van Passel, Luc Alaerts, Jo Dewulf
Summary: The management of post-consumer plastic packaging waste in Flanders was analyzed using material flow analysis. The study found that the mass recovery rate increased from 0% in 1985 to 31% in 2019, and could be further increased depending on improvement scenarios. The calculation rules and differentiation of secondary applications had a significant impact on the mass recovery rate. Achieving the recycling target of 65% by 2023 will be challenging if strict calculation methods are followed and best-case collection scenarios are not implemented. Clear calculation rules and a harmonized monitoring system are necessary for harmonizing targets.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Efrain A. Boom Carcamo, Rita Penabaena-Niebles
Summary: The development of industrial and commercial activities in developing countries has led to an increase in waste generation, resulting in complex waste management issues. Industrial symbiosis has emerged as a strategy to utilize waste in a productive chain through physical exchanges of materials and waste. However, emerging and frontier countries face challenges in solid waste management due to the lack of sustainability-focused policies, communication and trust issues among stakeholders, and technological barriers.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Katarina Novakovic, Deepashree Thumbarathy, Marloes Peeters, Mark Geoghegan, Josephine Go Jefferies, Chris Hicks, Danae Manika, Sheng Dai
Summary: Interest in recycling is high, but plastic packaging waste recycling rate has stagnated. New approaches are needed to overcome existing limitations. Proposing the use of specific types of plastic for packaging and efficient separation of individual types for recycling.
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Madalena Costa, Raquel Castro Madureira, Celia Dias-Ferreira
Summary: The implementation of smart waste management methods is complex and time-consuming, but there is a high receptivity among the Portuguese population, despite their low awareness of these methods.
SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACY
(2022)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zicheng Zhu, Wei Liu, Songhe Ye, Luciano Batista
Summary: The concept of circular economy has gained consensus as a new paradigm in the past five years. However, the linear model of the packaging industry and the nature of packaging materials have led to substantial waste, which is a growing concern for the earth ecosystem. Packaging design is recognized as the fundamental stepping-stone towards achieving a circular economy. This study reviews the state-of-the-art research on packaging design in relation to circular economy and proposes a circular packaging design framework, summarizing key factors and design tools.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
A. George Assaf, Mike Tsionas, Florian Kock, Alexander Josiassen
Summary: This paper introduces a new Bayesian non-parametric stochastic frontier model that addresses the endogeneity problem and relaxes assumptions concerning functional form and distributional properties. The model is shown to outperform its parametric counterpart in critical diagnostic tests. Efficiency results obtained from a unique sample of US hotels operating within competitive clusters are used to analyze performance spillover effects and their implications for future co-location strategies.
ANNALS OF TOURISM RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Polymer Science
Mohamad Hassan Akhras, Joerg Fischer
Summary: Given the rapid development of plastics recycling, there is a need for guidelines on sampling and material characterization. However, there is a scarcity of methods for proper material data acquisition. This paper reviews available sampling techniques for plastics recycling and proposes a sampling plan for pretreated rigid plastic waste based on selected information. The results show that stratified random sampling combined with composite sampling is a good technique for sampling rigid plastic waste.
Article
Economics
Bechir Ben Lahouel, Lotfi Taleb, Younes Ben Zaied, Shunsuke Managi
Summary: This study examines the impact of positive stakeholder management on firm competitiveness. Through analyzing data from international airlines between 2005 and 2019, the research finds that stakeholder management dimensions related to employees and product/customer responsibility have a positive effect on productivity, technological advancements, and efficiency changes, while dimensions related to community, environment, and human rights do not significantly contribute to improving airline productivity change.
ECONOMIC MODELLING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Helen Reijonen, Steven Bellman, Jamie Murphy, Henna Kokkonen
Summary: The study shows that attitudes and perceived behavioral control factors from the Theory of Planned Behavior have significant positive relationships with recycling behaviors in Finland. Factors such as age, living quarters, time spent on recycling, distance to collection points, and willingness to improve were also found to be significantly related to diligent plastic waste sorting.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Basudev Swain, Jieun Lee, Bon Woo Gu, Chan-Gi Lee, Jin-Ho Yoon
Summary: Global production of tantalum is unable to meet the increasing demand from the electronics industry, with the majority being supplied by Congo and Rwanda. To address this issue, the development of secondary resources and improvement of recycling technologies can provide a solution.
Article
Management
Diogo Cunha Ferreira, Rodrigo Soares, Maria Isabel Pedro, Rui Cunha Marques
Summary: Ensuring customer satisfaction is crucial for managers aiming to maintain or increase profits. This study proposes an alternative model for studying satisfaction and its determinants, combining Stochastic Multicriteria Acceptability Analysis and Multicriteria Satisfaction Analysis. The model is applied to a case study in the hospitality industry.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Urban Studies
Nuno F. da Cruz, Philipp Rode, Michael McQuarrie, Nicole Badstuber, Enora Robin
Summary: This paper empirically investigates urban governance in London and New York by applying social network analysis methods. The study reveals that transport governance in London is more centralized, while the institutional environment in New York is characterized by more checks and balances.
URBAN AFFAIRS REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carlos A. Novaes, Rui Cunha Marques
Summary: Stormwater systems in most cities are crucial but often overlooked infrastructure, relying on weak institutional and organizational structures. Solving the issues associated with these systems requires more than just technological solutions, but also a paradigm shift towards a new socio-institutional mentality that addresses new demands.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Mai Wardeh, Rui Cunha Marques
Summary: This article reviews the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in refugee camps in the Arab Middle East based on empirical data from Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs collected through a questionnaire. SDGs' indices were calculated using arithmetic mean and principal component analysis methods. The study finds that progress towards achieving the SDGs varies in the three locations due to different policies in the host countries. Iraq ranked highest in social and economic sustainability, Jordan ranked highest in environmental sustainability, and Lebanon lagged behind in all three dimensions. While SDG7 performed well, accelerating progress towards the remaining SDGs is crucial. Without substantial efforts from all stakeholders, the 2030 agenda will not be accomplished.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Herbert Amezquita, Pedro M. S. Carvalho, Hugo Morais
Summary: This study focuses on the development, implementation, and comparison of wind power generation forecast methods for distribution system operators. By applying a five-stage methodology including pre-processing, feature selection, forecasting models, post-processing, and validation, the accuracy of eight different models is compared using historical wind power generation data from 20 wind farms in Portugal. The extreme gradient boosting (XGBOOST) model is identified as the best-suited method, achieving an average relative root mean square error (RRMSE) of 13.48% for a 1-year training and 6-month forecast period, outperforming the predictions of the Portuguese distribution system operator by 20%.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Diogo Cunha Ferreira, Paulo Caldas, Miguel Verla, Rui Cunha Marques
Summary: This paper discusses different methods of aggregating partial performance indicators into composite indicators, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The paper proposes a new framework based on geometric aggregation of performance indicators to address the shortcomings of existing models.
EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rui Cunha Marques, Pedro Simoes, Ines Machete, Thalita Fagundes
Summary: Water access as a human right is recognized by the UN since 2010. However, economic crisis has hindered poorer households from affording water services regularly even when piped water is available. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the issues of affordability and health consequences related to disconnection policies. This study examines water subsidies and disconnection policies in medium- and high-income countries to analyze their approaches in dealing with default rates.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Evaristo Fernandes, Rui Cunha Marques
Summary: In the last three decades, water shortages have become more common and have had a significant impact on the global economy. This has led to a shift from linear water management to circular resource preservation management, with a focus on water reuse. The circular economy in the water sector has gained attention, although the potential for treated wastewater reuse is still in its early stages. This paper examines recent research on circular economy implementation in the water and wastewater sector, with a focus on motivations and geographical distribution.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ines Freire Machete, Rui Cunha Marques
Summary: Private financing in the water supply and sanitation sector is inadequate due to perceived project risks, resulting in barriers to leveraging private financing. This study analyzed 185 World Bank-funded projects from 2015 to 2021 to understand the influence of perceived risks on financing. The study identified the most prevalent risks in these projects and found that the World Bank has varying levels of tolerance for different risk types, which can impact financing decisions.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Sonia Lima, Ana Brochado, Rui Cunha Marques
Summary: This study examines the unbalanced relationships in current PPP risk management frameworks, particularly in the water sectors of developing countries. It analyzes different stakeholders' perceptions of risk management through interviews in Portugal and Mozambique. The findings reveal that experts consider managing context risks to be crucial in the success of PPPs in developing countries' water sectors. The study also proposes a complete risk management cycle based on the opinions of interviewed professionals.
Article
Regional & Urban Planning
Hugo Consciencia Silvestre, Rui Cunha Marques, Brian Dollery, Aldenisio Moraes Correia
Summary: In this paper, we empirically investigate the relationship between cooperating entities, local government institutions, and transaction costs in Brazilian local government water services through consortia. Our results show that institutional arrangements significantly affect cost efficiency, measured by total expenditure per user, between 2011 and 2019. We found that cost efficiency increases slowly under bureaucracies and faster under public enterprises, with dedicated asset specificities and contract management complexity explaining differences in water service provision cost efficiency. These findings have theoretical significance and important policy implications for intermunicipal cooperative agreements.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDIES
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Civil
Thalita Salgado Fagundes, Rui Cunha Marques, Tadeu Malheiros
Summary: Water and sanitation affordability has become an important research topic due to the economic crisis and the role of tariffs. This paper systematically reviewed previous research on affordability and critically discussed the methodologies used. The study identified four key topics and highlighted the potential role of the analysis in public financial policies.
AQUA-WATER INFRASTRUCTURE ECOSYSTEMS AND SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Carlos Novaes, Rui Marques
Summary: Circular economy means efficient resource use and creating a feasible framework to tackle climate change and economic scarcity challenges. Urban stormwater, when treated as a useful resource, can replace energy-consuming water supply systems, resulting in energy savings and emission reduction. Urban agriculture can also benefit from green infrastructures. The key lies in implementing an efficiency mentality and aligning policies, institutions, and regulations to promote circular economy in urban planning and water cycle.
Article
Water Resources
Ines Freire Machete, Rui Cunha Marques
Summary: This study analyzed 62 completed World Bank water supply and sanitation projects and found correlations and interactions between project results, bank performance, and project characteristics. It highlights the importance of assessing and mitigating project risks, as well as the significance of development bank financing.
JOURNAL OF WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE FOR DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Regional & Urban Planning
Luis de Sousa, Nuno Ferreira da Cruz, Daniel Fernandes
Summary: Much of the literature on quality of democracy focuses on nation states and uses case studies. However, there is less theoretical and comparative empirical research on the quality of local democracy. This paper aims to contribute to our understanding of democracy from a grassroots perspective. It develops a conceptual framework and uses a multidimensional index to assess the quality of democracy in all 278 municipalities in mainland Portugal. The regression analysis conducted in this study tests the usefulness of these measures and explores the associations between quality of local democracy and various political and socioeconomic factors.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yui Kawasaki, Sayaka Nagao-Sato, Misa Shimpo, Kahori Fujisaki, Emi Yoshii, Rie Akamatsu, Petra Warschburger
Summary: This study qualitatively describes sustainable dietary behaviors (SDBs) that Japanese and German adults can implement in their lives, and quantitatively compares the similarities and differences in understanding SDBs between the two samples. The study found that Japanese participants were more focused on food waste prevention, while German participants were more focused on solving environmental problems.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kechun Chen, Yuan Ding, Liming Yang, Zhihao Wang, Haoxuan Yu, Difan Fang, Yufa Feng, Liying Hu, Chenxi Xu, Penghui Shao, Xubiao Luo, Liang Chen
Summary: This study proposes a targeted repair scheme for the recovery of graphite anodes from spent LIBs by systematically characterizing and analyzing the structure and composition of spent graphite (SG). The results show that the repair scheme achieves effective SG repair and the repaired graphite anode displays excellent lithium storage performance.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Takao Ueda, Shigeki Koyanaka, Tatsuya Oki
Summary: Fires caused by accidental crushing of batteries are a serious issue in the e-waste recycling process. A new in-line sorting system that uses X-ray scanning and deep learning has been developed to accurately detect batteries. Through a validation study, the system achieved higher accuracy compared to other existing programs.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hannes Geist, Frank Balle
Summary: Research on circular economy often lacks empirical data, especially in the theory of circular process design and design for remanufacturing. This study systematically collected and analyzed engineering data on seven remanufacturing processes in the European automotive remanufacturing industry for the first time, providing empirical support for circular engineering challenges, potentials, and solutions.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaojing Li, Fan Lue, Nanlin Liao, Hua Zhang, Na Yang, Pinjing He
Summary: This study assesses and predicts the greenhouse gas emissions on the timeline as waste treatment technologies develop in Shanghai from 1991 to 2025 using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The findings demonstrate that GHG emission has reached net-zero in 2019 owing to the application of alternative technologies and waste segregation.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Bingchun Liu, Haoyang Wang, Xiaoqin Liang, Yibo Wang, Zijie Feng
Summary: The expansion of the photovoltaic market has resulted in a significant increase in PV waste. Therefore, conducting scientific research to determine the importance of the circular economy for sustainable growth in the PV industry is essential. The study demonstrates that accurate prediction of PV installed capacity and quantifying the importance of recycling in balancing the supply and demand of raw materials can be achieved through a multi-factor installed capacity prediction model and recovery potential prediction.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Chuanzhen Zhang, Baojing Gu, Xia Liang, Shu Kee Lam, Yi Zhou, Deli Chen
Summary: Reactive nitrogen is crucial for agriculture and human nutrition, but mismanagement can have detrimental effects on human health and ecosystem services, hindering the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Progress towards nitrogen-related targets varies across countries, highlighting the need for integrated management to achieve overall synergies.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Alessandro Gatto, Marijke Kuiper, Corina van Middelaar, Hans van Meijl
Summary: This study examines the economic and environmental effects of transitioning towards more circular food systems in the European Union (EU27) by feeding animals with low-opportunity-cost feed and better utilizing local feed resources. The results show that providing subsidies for circularity and promoting the use of low-cost feed can increase animal production, but also have negative impacts on land use and emissions. On the other hand, promoting domestic feed sourcing through import tariffs can decrease animal production and greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture. However, complementary policies are needed to mitigate drawbacks and enhance benefits of a more circular agri-food system.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jinbo Zhang, Liu Chen, Yulei Xie, Pingjian Yang, Zheng Li, Huaicheng Guo, Yang Zhang, Lirong Liu
Summary: This study examines the impact of carbon taxes on low-carbon development and climate change mitigation. By constructing a cross-system bi-layer model, the study finds that reasonable carbon taxes can promote the stability of the energy network, reduce carbon emissions and air pollutants, and optimize production efficiency and the structure of the energy system. This study contributes to a better understanding of the effects and implementation pathways of carbon taxes.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Konstantin Born, Mehmet Metehan Ciftci
Summary: Increasing recycling of metals is important for reducing reliance on mining, but it cannot fully meet future metal demand. Primary production of metals is expected to continue rising, highlighting the need for alternative circular economy strategies such as demand reduction and mitigating harmful impacts of primary metal production.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yinqiu Ma, Lin Huang, Jiahui Li, Wei Cao, Yumei Cai
Summary: Afforestation and reforestation, such as China's Grain for Green Program, have shown to effectively mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to carbon sink capacity. This study highlights the significant carbon potential of the program and its potential application in other countries to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Arlind Dervishaj, Kjartan Gudmundsson
Summary: This paper reviews digital tools for supporting the Circular Economy (CE) in the built environment and provides suggestions. The study identifies limitations in the functionalities of current tools, including a lack of representative data for LCA and underdeveloped circularity indicators. Further development is needed in terms of interoperability aspects, integration of more sources of data for LCA and circularity, and possibilities for a comprehensive evaluation of design choices.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mohamadreza Y. Azarfam, Anuj Maheshwari, Frank D. Blum, Siddhesh Chaudhari, Clinton Switzer, Ranji Vaidyanathan, Jay C. Hanan, Sudheer Bandla
Summary: This study introduces a feasible method for manufacturing recycled composites using post-consumer carpets and recycled resin. The resulting composites have impressive strength and modulus, surpassing commercial thermoplastics and making them suitable for structural applications. This research presents a promising approach to address carpet landfilling and reduce reliance on additives.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pujiang Shi, Tianle Huang, Hong Kit Lim, Chiew Kei Tan, Jong-Min Lee, Chor Yong Tay
Summary: This study developed a highly porous bioadaptive 3D sponge-like construct from plastic materials in discarded keyboards for advanced in vitro applications. The findings demonstrate the potential of using discarded keyboards as a waste-to-resource feedstock to achieve waste reduction and maximize value-capture.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kuo-Jui Wu, Hailing Qiu, Caiyan Huang, Anthony S. F. Chiu, Ming-Lang Tseng
Summary: Government resource allocation practices for achieving carbon neutrality should be guided by dynamic system theory to identify potential dynamics. Carbon intensity control dynamics have a significant influence on other dynamics.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2024)
