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.
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Denise Tellbach, Fatima Villa-Gonzalez, Heyi Li, Rahul Bhattacharyya, Sanjay Sarma
Summary: This paper examines the utility of chipless RFID technology in identifying eight materials (seven plastic types and glass) in the recycling chain. The frequency response of circular ring resonators (CRRs) is used to encode material IDs, and a random forest classifier achieves up to 93% accuracy in material identification. The paper also presents a technique for improving the detection speed by reducing resolution at the cost of accuracy, and discusses future research directions.
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tetiana Shevchenko, Jakub Kronenberg, Yuriy Danko, Jana Chovancova
Summary: This study develops a methodological approach to allocate available circularity potential in order to maximize material looping in a circular economy by modeling the optimal chain of products and ensuring the widest application range of specific materials. The findings contribute to operationalizing a recycling strategy that limits the use of primary materials to avoid wastage and present a novel future research agenda for managing circularity potential to save the value of material in the system as long as possible by increasing its number of revolutions.
CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jozef Dobransky, Martin Pollak, Lubos Behalek, Jozef Svetlik
Summary: The main objective of the study is to define the mechanical properties of polypropylene homopolymer with a specified percentage of recycled granulate. The study focuses on the impact of different concentrations of recycled material on mechanical properties and microstructures of the testing materials.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Joelle Kleib, Mouhamadou Amar, Georges Aouad, Xavier Bourbon, Mahfoud Benzerzour, Nor-Edine Abriak
Summary: This paper investigates the possibility of using Callovo-Oxfordian argillite as a raw material for Portland cement clinker production. The chemical and mineralogical composition of the produced clinker is characterized, and its reactivity and compressive strength are evaluated.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Gediminas Skarbalius, Algis Dziugys, Edgaras Misiulis, Robertas Navakas
Summary: This paper proposes a novel approach to describe the convective drying process of deep fixed porous material beds during the constant-rate drying period. It also introduces a new iterative method to solve the equation and validate the approach using experimental and numerical modeling data. The analysis of the conservation equation shows that the drying rate of the bed is proportional to the inlet air mass flow rate and is a function of the initial moisture content of the bed.
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Wang Zhankui, Pang Minghua, Liang Mingchao, Wang Jianbin, Ma Lijie, Liu Haixu, Han Jianhai, Zhu Yongwei, Su Jianxiu
Summary: The different microstructures and hardness characteristics between single-crystal spinel (SS) and polycrystalline spinel (PS) result in different average cutting depths, which ultimately affect the lapping debris sizes, fixed abrasive pad (FAP) surface conditions, and machinability.
JOURNAL OF MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Clara Dominguez Islas, Kenneth M. Rice
Summary: Bayesian methods are a natural choice for combining evidence in meta-analyses, but their sensitivity to the choice of prior distribution, especially for parameters describing heterogeneity, is less attractive. A recent non-Bayesian approach to fixed-effects meta-analysis provides new ways of estimating an average effect and the variability around it. In this paper, we describe the Bayesian equivalents of these results, demonstrating that Bayesian inference on fixed-effects parameters is more stable and less sensitive than standard random-effects approaches.
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS METHODS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yan Wang, Yadong Zheng, Luqman Azhari, Zifei Meng, Guanhui Gao, Yimo Han, Zhenzhen Yang
Summary: The presence of phosphate impurities in the hydrometallurgical recycling of NCM cathode materials has a detrimental effect on the diffusion and electrochemical properties of the recycled materials, hindering their performance. Therefore, these impurities need to be excluded from the recycling process.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sangjun Kim, Sanghyuk Park, Minsang Jo, Mincheol Beak, Jangho Park, Goojin Jeong, Ji-Sang Yu, Kyungjung Kwon
Summary: The study synthesized cathode active materials with varying Al content and examined the effects on physicochemical, thermal, and electrochemical properties. Results showed that increased Al content in the materials led to irregular particle shape and distribution, reduced initial charge/discharge capacity and cyclability, but improved rate capability. Residual Al was found to adversely affect capacity and cyclability, suggesting that trace amounts of Al in the materials can be tolerated.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jan Kovanda
Summary: This article applies a newly developed method (EW-MSA) to analyze the flow of food-related primary materials and products in the economic system, and discusses it in relation to Czech policies. The results show that the Czech Republic is self-sufficient in the manufacturing of food-related products, but has lower self-sufficiency in the use of these products. To reduce environmental impacts, the Czech Republic needs to increase environmental efficiency or decrease food exports, while also increasing waste recycling.
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Jiapeng Chen, Yanan Peng
Summary: Currently, inefficient fixed abrasive lapping (FAL) for super hard and brittle material wafers is hindering the development of the semiconductor industry. The mechanisms of FAL processes remain unclear and are often analyzed based on chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) models, which are not suitable for the lapping processes of super hard and brittle material wafers with a fixed abrasive pad (FAP). In this study, a modified spherical crown model was applied to investigate the material removal mechanism in FAL processes.
TRIBOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Victor S. Cecon, Greg W. Curtzwiler, Keith L. Vorst
Summary: Plastic recycling rates in the United States are low, with majority of unrecycled plastics ending up in landfills or waste-to-energy facilities. This study evaluated the composition of bales containing plastics marked as #3-7, and found significant differences between Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in terms of composition and sorting technology. The research suggests the potential for mechanically recycling currently unrecycled mixed plastic waste and emphasizes the need for upgraded sorting systems to prevent contamination.
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Yongnam Kim, Peter M. Steiner
Summary: This paper translates the conventional algebraic formalization of fixed effects (FE) and random effects (RE) models into causal graphs, providing intuitive explanations on how they consider different data-generating models and eliminate unmeasured confounding bias. The visualized causal graphs show that FE and RE estimators offset confounding bias by creating new non-causal paths and associations of opposite sign, in contrast to standard regression or matching estimators. Despite their similar mechanisms, subtle differences highlighted in the graphs can result in different biases in observational studies.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL & STATISTICAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ahmed E. Amer, Mohamed M. Elsakka, Vladimir A. Lebedev
Summary: This study numerically investigated the enhancement of melting rate inside an accumulator unit for a phase change material using circular fins in a shell-and-tube arrangement. It was found that the optimal number and parameters of fins can maximize the thermal performance of the selected accumulator unit. Additionally, the study concluded that variations in heat transfer fluid flow rate and inlet temperature significantly affect the melting rate of the phase change material.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andreea Constantinescu, Victor Platon, Marius Surugiu, Simona Frone, Daniela Antonescu, Raluca Mazilescu
Summary: Waste electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest growing waste stream internationally and an important area for the implementation of the circular economy. This paper analyzes the relationship between e-waste recycling and eco-investment, focusing on European countries. The results show that while all EU member states benefit from eco-investment, there are countries that have achieved high e-waste recycling capacity and others that need to increase eco-investment further.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Victor Platon, Florin Marius Pavelescu, Marius Surugiu, Simona Frone, Raluca Mazilescu, Andreea Constantinescu, Florina Popa
Summary: The main objective of this paper is to determine the impact of eco-innovation and recycling on raw material consumption in the European Union member-states. The authors hypothesize that eco-innovation and recycling have a significant influence on reducing raw material consumption. By using the material footprint per capita as an indicator, the study examines the influence of eco-innovation and recycling on material consumption in the EU countries from 2010 to 2019. The results reveal that eco-innovation and recycling play a crucial role in decreasing material consumption and should be prioritized in policies aiming to decouple economic growth from raw material consumption.
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Dumitru Florin Frone, Simona Frone
Summary: This paper presents research results on environmental challenges and priorities of climate resilience. The study focuses on the transcendence character of environmental policies and its impact on the water sector in Romania. The findings highlight the importance of water security for building climate resilience in agriculture and rural development, and provide recommendations for implementing the European Green Deal and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS-SERIES MANAGEMENT ECONOMIC ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Area Studies
Daniela Antonescu
Summary: The regional development policy aims to reduce territorial inequalities and promote a balanced process of economic growth by supporting the modernization and rehabilitation of social infrastructure. The social and health sectors play a crucial role in improving quality of life and promoting social inclusion, but lag behind in terms of investment and development prospects.
HARNESSING TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND GLOBALIZATION: CHALLENGES AHEAD, VOLS I-II
(2021)
Proceedings Paper
Area Studies
Simona Frone
Summary: This paper summarizes the research results on the efficiency of investments in the development of water and wastewater infrastructure in Romania. The study evaluates the size and efficiency of investments in the sector from a macroeconomic and historical perspective, highlighting both progress and shortcomings. The methodology includes literature review, data processing, conceptual relationship description, and comparative analysis of the industry's development status.
HARNESSING TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND GLOBALIZATION: CHALLENGES AHEAD, VOLS I-II
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Dumitru Florin Frone, Simona Frone, Victor Platon, Andreea Constantinescu
Summary: This article analyzes the concept, evolution, and current situation of climate vulnerability in the European Union, focusing on Romania's vulnerability to climate change and its impact on agriculture. Results show Romania in a relatively good position globally, but with high agricultural climate vulnerability. Further analysis and policy recommendations are needed to improve national policies.
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS-SERIES MANAGEMENT ECONOMIC ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Dumitru Florin Frone, Simona Frone
Summary: Research has shown significant disparities in the development of water supply and sanitation networks in Romania, highlighting the importance of a holistic approach to achieving sustainability. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 reaffirmed the crucial importance of public health and hygiene, emphasizing the synergies between SDG1 and SDG6. Investment in WSS projects in Romania, particularly in rural areas, is key to continuing efforts for sustainable development in the water and wastewater infrastructure sector.
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS-SERIES MANAGEMENT ECONOMIC ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
