Article
Engineering, Environmental
Dieter Schuch, Jakob Lederer, Johann Fellner, Christoph Scharff
Summary: According to the EU Circular Economy Package, recycling of plastic packaging waste (PPW) needs significant improvement by 2025 and 2030. Separate collection remains the crucial process, and the performance of current systems in Austria was analyzed. Results showed that rural areas had the highest collection rates of 74-77%, while urban areas had the lowest rate of 56%. A shift to target all plastic packaging instead of just plastic bottles is crucial to improve separate collection rates.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mirela Panainte-Lehadus, Mihai Vulpe, Valentin Nedeff, Emilian Mosnegutu, Grzegorz Przydatek, Claudia Tomozei, Dana Chitimus
Summary: This research focused on household waste collection methods in the Bacau region of Romania, with findings showing that the majority of urban participants were females aged 18-29 with higher education levels. The primary method of collecting household waste was through garbage bags, and connections were found between participants' characteristics and waste collection methods.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Giulia Romano, Ginevra Virginia Lombardi, Agnese Rapposelli, Massimo Gastaldi
Summary: This study investigates the factors affecting the separate waste collection rates in Italian provinces. The results show that factors such as convictions for crimes committed against public administration, income level, education level, and percentage of female municipal administrators have a positive impact on the collection rates, while factors like household size and youth employment rate have a negative impact.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Antonius Priyo Nugroho Sulami, Takehiko Murayama, Shigeo Nishikizawa
Summary: As waste management regulations have evolved, the waste management sector in Indonesia has increasingly emphasized producer involvement, including the implementation of extended producer responsibility and community-based approaches such as waste banks. A survey conducted in two waste banks in Bandung, Indonesia, revealed that several factors, such as producer consideration and contribution, knowledge level, collection, and awareness of the importance of packaging waste, can influence producer contribution in dealing with this issue. Feedback from waste banks can provide insights to enhance producer involvement in reducing the impact of packaging waste.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kerstin Kleinhans, Michelle Hallemans, Sophie Huysveld, Gwenny Thomassen, Kim Ragaert, Kevin M. Van Geem, Martijn Roosen, Nicolas Mys, Jo Dewulf, Steven De Meester
Summary: This paper introduces the operation and performance evaluation method of household packaging waste sorting facilities, and demonstrates the flexibility and predictive capability of the model through model validation and sensitivity analysis.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Marcella Bernardo, Hugh Forehead, Isabella De Carvalho Vallin, Sylmara L. F. Goncalves-Dias
Summary: In addition to circular economy approaches, Australian municipal waste management systems face challenges due to the loss of capacity to export waste overseas. Selective Waste Collection (SWC) is crucial for effective waste sorting and collection. The study focused on SWC systems in Wollongong and investigated their organization and role in managing household plastic waste. The findings revealed low collection rates and identified challenges such as contamination and lack of data. Recommendations include transitioning to a non-commingled system.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kuat Abeshev, Florentine Koppenborg
Summary: The Waste Framework Directive of the European Union aims to achieve a recycling rate of 55 percent for municipal solid waste by 2025. However, progress towards this target has been uneven among Member States, highlighting the need to identify effective waste management systems. This study examines the effectiveness of door-to-door bio-waste collection in boosting the collection of dry recyclables, such as glass, metal, paper, and plastic. The findings suggest that cities implementing door-to-door bio-waste collection collect significantly higher amounts of dry recyclables, indicating the potential benefits of promoting this practice in EU waste management.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Maria Assunta Barchiesi, Roberta Costa, Francesca Di Pillo
Summary: Promoting Agenda 2030 through Circular Economy transition requires improving waste system management and increasing separate collection. This research investigates the effect of compliance with environmental legislation by Italian municipalities on the total cost of municipal solid waste management. The study analyzes a large dataset of 1914 municipalities and finds regional variations in the impact of environmental compliance on waste management costs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Antonio Gallardo, Francisco J. Colomer-Mendoza, Mar Carlos-Alberola, Cristobal Badenes, Natalia Edo-Alcon, Joan Esteban-Altabella
Summary: A six-month pilot scheme in Castello de la Plana, Spain, focused on biowaste recycling showed a gradual increase in the quality rate of biowaste in containers, reaching 90%, and an improvement in biowaste separation rates over time, indicating increased citizen collaboration. However, analysis revealed that as the containerization rate of biowaste decreased, the collection rate increased, suggesting the need to increase containerization for better efficiency.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Management
Stefano Landi, Salvatore Russo
Summary: The co-production paradigm has important implications for public-service delivery, introducing innovative observation methods and a new way of thinking about public service logic. This study examines the co-production processes in separate waste collection and investigates the association between public officers' attitude towards co-production and separate collection performance. The results show that a positive attitude towards enhancing users' co-production is linked to better separate collection outcomes.
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Development Studies
Juana Angelica Felipe Fernandes, Pablo Alvarez, Danilo Carvajal, Adriana C. Mera, Matias G. Garcia, Ligia de Nazare Aguiar Silva
Summary: Household medical waste is often improperly disposed of in several countries despite the presence of a collection mechanism. This study focuses on Brazil, Chile, and Colombia to identify the challenges of medical waste collection systems and the stakeholders involved. The results show that regulatory instruments for solid waste are not fully applied in the household medical waste collection process, and challenges include incorporating veterinary medicines, defining roles for stakeholders, and expanding the use of regulatory instruments. Legislation is needed to reduce the gap in stakeholder contributions for the collection of household medical waste.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenkai Li, Wenhu Cheng, Tianlong Zheng, Yingxin Men, Fan Hu, Jianguo Liu, Zhengtao Pang, Junxin Liu
Summary: This study developed a new low-cost rural sewage collection and treatment technology, namely construction waste ditch, which achieved high pollutant removal capacity and tolerance of influent concentration fluctuation through optimizing the structural parameters, showing potential for popularization and application.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ida Bagus Mandhara Brasika, I. Gede Hendrawan, I. Wayan Gede Astawa Karang, I. Gusti Agung Indira Pradnyaswari, Ni Putu Oka Mia Krisna Pratiwi, I. Gede Marta Wiguna
Summary: This research evaluates the digitalization of waste management to improve the prevention of waste leakage. The results show promising performance of digital waste banks in preventing waste from entering the ocean.
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Rasit Firat Deniz, Xiaoju Chen, Nur H. Orak
Summary: This study aims to develop an effective framework for predicting the environmental impacts of packaging waste collection rates and estimating the associated environmental emissions, energy consumption, and materials required for goods and services. The results show that as the amount of packaging waste collection increases, the sectors responsible for the most emissions are oil and gasoline production and electricity production and supply. Economic analysis results also indicate that increasing the packaging waste collection rate reduces the unit collection cost.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Betul Hande Gursoy Haksevenler, Fatma Feyza Kavak, Aydin Akpinar
Summary: This study aims to analyze the amount, composition, and recycling potential of waste generated at Marmara University in Turkey to develop a waste management strategy in line with national legislation and sustainable practices. Through daily weighing and surveys, it was found that the recycling potential of campus waste is high, but the awareness and understanding of waste separation among campus residents is low.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vitor Sousa, Jose Alexandre Bogas, Sofia Real, Ines Meireles
Summary: This study estimates the energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with a novel process for producing cement by recycling used concrete and mortars. Comparisons with traditional Portland cement production show higher energy consumption but lower carbon dioxide emissions. Optimizing the production process could potentially lead to greater benefits.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Isabel Gonzalez-Garcia, Veronica Oliveira, Beatriz Molinuevo-Salces, Maria Cruz Garcia-Gonzalez, Celia Dias-Ferreira, Berta Riano
Summary: This study investigates the feasibility of combining gas-permeable membrane technology and electrodialytic process for nutrient recovery in agricultural wastewater. The experiments were conducted using two types of livestock wastewaters. The results demonstrate the great potential of this approach in nitrogen and phosphorus recovery, promoting sustainable agricultural wastewater treatment.
BIOMASS CONVERSION AND BIOREFINERY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Walter Leal Filho, Amanda Lange Salvia, Arminda Paco, Celia Dias-Ferreira, Samara Neiva, Izabela Simon Rampasso, Rosley Anholon, Claudio Ruy Portela de Vasconcelos, Joao Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio, Charbel Jose Chiappetta Jabbour
Summary: This paper investigates the changes in consumption and waste generation in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic and finds that the amount of certain types of household waste has significantly increased, posing further challenges to the local waste management systems. The results also suggest that current waste management policies make Brazil ill-equipped to deal with the unintended effects of the pandemic.
Article
Management
Vitor Sousa, Ines Meireles
Summary: This research discusses the relation between asset and quality management, highlighting their similarities and differences in organizational management and proposing a metric to measure the quality of management decisions. In complex and uncertain environments, management decisions need to balance expected outcomes with potential variability of the outcome.
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS EXCELLENCE
(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)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Ana Ferreira, Manuel Duarte Pinheiro, Jorge de Brito, Ricardo Mateus, Vitor Sousa
Summary: This study provides water intensity indicators for retail buildings and finds that variables such as number of workers, store size, location, and sales revenue have a statistical influence on water intensity indicators.
WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Alvaro Costa, Carlos Oliveira Cruz, Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Vitor Faria Sousa
Summary: With the complementarity of road and railway systems and the integration of logistical chains, coordinating the management of these independent systems has become urgent. Portugal merged its road and railway companies, creating a large infrastructure manager responsible for overseeing the entire network, in order to capture synergies and reduce costs. This research shows that the merger had a positive impact on efficiency and improved overall performance and economic resilience.
JOURNAL OF INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Vitor Sousa, Jose Alexandre Bogas, Sofia Real, Ines Meireles, Ana Carrico
Summary: The concrete industry is committed to reducing its excessive carbon footprint, specifically through reducing clinker production. Recycled cement (RC) from the thermoactivation of hardened cement waste at low temperature shows great potential in reducing the clinker factor, reusing construction and demolition waste, and minimizing natural resource consumption. This study models the energy consumption and carbon emissions of RC production using a newly patented separation method. Results indicate that the air method (AM) and dry method (DM) significantly reduce energy consumption compared to the wet method (WM). Adopting AM or DM can lower RC's energy consumption by 30%-40% compared to clinker production, resulting in estimated carbon emission savings up to 80%.
SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACY
(2023)
Article
Management
Joao Fragoso Januario, Carlos Oliveira Cruz, Humberto Varum, Vitor Faria e Sousa
Summary: This paper analyzes the changes in housing affordability in different municipalities in Portugal and finds that despite rising real estate prices, overall affordability has improved. However, there are significant geographical differences in affordability, with most municipalities outside metropolitan areas exhibiting low levels of affordability. Additionally, markets with higher real estate values tend to have even lower affordability, surpassing income levels.
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alissandra Pessoa Almeida, Tiago Liberalesso, Cristina Matos Silva, Vitor Sousa
Summary: Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWHS) and Green Roofs are alternative solutions for increasing water supply security and reducing pressure on water resources and urban stormwater drainage systems. However, the potential of combining both solutions has not been fully explored.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ines Meireles, Vitor Sousa, Jose Pedro Matos, Carlos Oliveira Cruz
Summary: This research aims to evaluate the main determinants of real water loss per unit length of the network in the Portuguese water sector, using data covering a 10-year period. The governance model, typology of the area, type of service, management model, total water conveyed, and total network length were found to be statistically significant determinants. The methodology employed Generalized Linear Models and Artificial Neural Networks, confirming the existence of interactions and non-linearity. From a public policy perspective, setting water loss targets based only on two variables - area typology and type of service - is not a robust approach.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vitor Sousa, Andre Drumond, Ines Meireles
Summary: In waste collection system design, using a constant specific fuel consumption is a common practice, but it fails to account for the spatial and temporal variability. This research evaluates the energy intensity of waste collection service in Cascais municipality, highlighting the differences and variability in mixed waste collection service. Significant differences are found in circuits, trucks, months, and days. The study suggests that relying on average fuel consumption rates for decision-making in new waste collection systems may result in substantial errors.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Ferreira, Vitor Sousa, Manuel Pinheiro, Ines Meireles, Cristina Matos Silva, Jorge Brito, Ricardo Mateus
Summary: This study explores the technical and economic feasibility of rainwater harvesting systems as an alternative water source for a retail store in southern Portugal. The simulation shows that the system can save 32-36% of water consumption, resulting in a financial gain of 330-372 euros per month.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Remote Sensing
Luis Padua, Ana M. Antao-Geraldes, Joaquim J. Sousa, Manuel angelo Rodrigues, Veronica Oliveira, Daniela Santos, Maria Filomena P. Miguens, Joao Paulo Castro
Summary: Efficient detection and monitoring of invasive plant species in aquatic ecosystems is crucial. This study used multispectral data with different spatial resolutions to detect water hyacinth. The results showed that the random forest classifier achieved the highest overall accuracy. The high spatial resolution of UAV data allowed for the detection of small amounts of water hyacinth, while satellite data analysis enabled the identification of water hyacinth coverage.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elizabeth Alvarez-Chavez, Stephane Godbout, Mylene Genereux, Caroline Cote, Alain N. Rousseau, Sebastien Fournel
Summary: This study evaluated the effect of alternative filtering materials and bed aeration on the retention of nutrients and fecal bacteria in woodchip bedded stand-off pads for cows. The results showed that the alternative biofilters were more efficient in removing COD, SS, TN, and NO3-N, while conventional biofilters were more efficient for PO4-P removal. Aeration did not have a significant effect under the tested temperature conditions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yike Zhang, Zengyi Ma, Zhuoting Fang, Yuandong Qian, Zhiping Huang, Yilong Ye, Jianhua Yan
Summary: This study investigates the application of oxygen enrichment melting technology in the melting of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash. The results demonstrate that oxygen enrichment technology can reduce energy consumption and operating costs, as well as decrease pollution emissions.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Liangang Xiao, Mingkai Leng, Philip Greenwood, Rongqin Zhao, Zhixiang Xie, Zengtao You, Junguo Liu
Summary: This study investigates the effects of grazing exclusion on soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation and vegetation recovery. It finds that grazing exclusion can increase the potential for SOC accumulation, and higher annual precipitation is positively correlated with SOC accumulation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Beatrice Cantoni, Jessica Ianes, Beatrice Bertolo, Selena Ziccardi, Francesco Maffini, Manuela Antonelli
Summary: This study evaluates the performance of ozonation and adsorption as in-series processes compared to standalone processes for the removal of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in drinking water. The combination of both processes proves to be more effective than adsorption and ozonation alone. Ozonation improves the adsorption performance of poorly-oxidizable CECs but worsens that of well-oxidizable compounds. This research highlights the importance of considering both processes in the removal of CECs in drinking water treatment plants.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dan Li, Bingjun Liu, Yang Lu, Jianyu Fu
Summary: A new Standardized compound Drought and Saltwater intrusion Index (SDSI) was developed to detect changes in the severity of CDSEs in six estuaries. The study found that saltwater intrusion plays a dominant role in influencing SDSI severity, and CDSEs vary in frequency, duration and severity among different estuaries.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yong-Qiang Li, Rui Sun, Chong-Miao Zhang, Zi-Xuan Liu, Rui-tao Chen, Jian Zhao, Hua-dong Gu, Huan-Cai Yin
Summary: In this study, an electron beam excitation multi-wavelength ultraviolet (EBE-MW-UV) system was established and found to have significantly higher microbial inactivation effects compared to single-wavelength UV-LEDs in water. Mechanism analysis revealed that EBE-MW-UV damaged microbial DNA and proteins, and generated additional reactive oxygen species, leading to microbial inactivation.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kaili Ma, Xinxin Han, Qiujuan Li, Yu Kong, Qiaoli Liu, Xu Yan, Yahong Luo, Xiaopin Li, Huiyang Wen, Zhiguo Cao
Summary: This study reveals that the use of a tryptophan-degrading microbial consortium (TDC) can enhance the hydrolysis efficiency of waste activated sludge (WAS), increasing the yield and quality of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and improving the solubilization and release of organic substances from WAS.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ling Xiong, Rui Li
Summary: Incorporating Ecosystem Service Value (ESV) into land use planning can provide informed land management decisions. This study evaluates the ESV of Guizhou Province in China's karst region. The results show an increase in total ESV over the past two decades due to ecological restoration projects.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
M. Geetha Jenifel
Summary: This article discusses the importance of water and the pollution of freshwater resources, and introduces the use of machine learning models and blockchain technology to predict and protect water quality.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stanslaus Terengia Materu, Taotao Chen, Chang Liu, Daocai Chi, Meng Jun
Summary: The study showed that H2SO4-modified biochar can reduce P leaching, increase soil available P, and enhance plant P uptake in alternate wetting and drying irrigation systems. Biochar additions B20A and IAWDB20A-M were effective in improving yield, reducing P leaching, and increasing APB.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amir Nouri, Ali Akbar Zinatizadeh, Sirus Zinadini, Mark Van Loosdrecht
Summary: This study focuses on the development of an air-lift bio-electrochemical reactor (ALBER) with a continuous feeding regime to enhance nitrogen removal from synthetic wastewater. The effect of temperature, hydraulic retention time (HRT), N -NH+4 /TN ratio, and current density on the reactor performance was investigated, and the ALBER achieved a maximum TN removal of 73%. The results suggest that the ALBER has potential for treating industrial wastewater at low temperatures.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Peifang Wang, Guoxiang You, Yang Gao, Juan Chen, Xun Wang, Chao Wang
Summary: This study investigated the ecological processes of microbial communities and N- and P-transformation processes in multistage agricultural drainage ditches. The results showed that the microbial communities were co-shaped by agricultural practices and ditch size, which further governed the N and P removal performance.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaofeng Niu, Huan Wang, Tao Wang, Peiyu Zhang, Huan Zhang, Hongxia Wang, Xianghong Kong, Songguang Xie, Jun Xu
Summary: Microorganisms play a critical role in maintaining ecosystem balance, and environmental stressors can affect the assembly processes of microbial communities. The study found that different stressors have opposite effects on microbial community assembly in water and sediment, and warming has different influences compared to herbicides and nutrients.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuqing Tan, Qiming Cheng, Fengwei Lyu, Fei Liu, Linhao Liu, Yihong Su, Shaochun Yuan, Wenyu Xiao, Zhen Liu, Yao Chen
Summary: The exacerbation of global warming, extreme weather events, and rapid urbanization have led to increased flooding in urban areas. China has adopted sponge city as an efficient means of preventing and controlling urban floods. Using a SWMM-FVCOM model, the hydrological reduction and control effect of sponge city construction (SPCC) within a university campus were evaluated. The study found that implementing SPCC effectively mitigates surface runoff and reduces the severity of urban flooding. However, the efficacy of runoff control decreases with longer rainfall return periods.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhonghan Chen, Qiuyan Li, Shibo Yan, Juan Xu, Qiaoyun Lin, Zhuangming Zhao, Ziying He
Summary: Tidal rivers are important biochemical reaction channels, receiving carbon from wastewater and agricultural drains, affecting CO2 emissions. Through modeling and data analysis, researchers explored carbon distribution, emissions, and greenhouse effects, emphasizing the potential of river management to change global CO2 emissions under climate change.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2024)