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Annually, industries related to agricultural products generate substantial volumes of waste biomass, presenting critical challenges for solid waste management due to its environmental and health implications. Pyrolysis emerges as a significant technique for converting such waste into biochar (BC), a material with notable internal microstructure, porosity, and chemical properties, contingent on the feedstock and processing conditions. BC is recognized for its exceptional water retention and alkalinity, primarily utilized for soil enhancement and fertilization. Its application across various fields, particularly in enhancement for sustainability, has gained momentum. This review meticulously explores BC's role in sustainable composites, focusing on geopolymers and alkali-activated binders through a comprehensive examination of existing literature, underscored by bibliometric analysis. This pioneering review, leveraging the PRISMA framework and VOSviewer for bibliometric insights, aims to bridge the research gap in this evolving domain, offering a critical assessment of BC's integration in sustainable construction materials, its challenges, and future research directions. Hence, this pioneering systematic review represents the first-ever exploration within the research domain of BC's applications in geopolymers and alkali-activated materials, marking a foundational step toward understanding its potential and challenges in sustainable engineering practices. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural hazards foster the need for resilience in the built environment, but resilient structures must not interfere with sustainability. The potential trade-offs are increasingly being investigated using performance-based assessments combined with life cycle assessments (LCA) to translate probable building or bridge damage into environmental losses. Leveraging 102 publications intersecting sustainability and resilience in the built environment, this review sheds light on the current methodological challenges and opportunities for integrating natural hazard-induced damage with environmental losses in the built environment. The reviewed literature primarily focused on buildings exposed to seismic hazards, deriving their losses using the best-known LCA mode, attributional LCA. Building and bridge frameworks showed notable methodological distinctions, along with a near absence of consideration of the interactions between climate change and natural hazards or structural vulnerabilities. Based on the findings, 22 opportunities for future research were synthesized. Future research should seek to better assess the total life cycle sustainability of resilient structures by exploring advanced modes of LCA, widening the scope of their assessments, and better integrating uncertainty and sensitivity. Achieving a more sustainable and resilient built environment also requires upcoming research to investigate the practicalities of aligning modeling frameworks, tools, data, and case studies. Addressing these research gaps will assist in anticipating how the built environment can be adapted and shaped to positively contribute to a resilient and sustainable future. [Display omitted] • Shows opportunities to improve measuring sustainability in structural engineering. • Reviews crossings of life cycle assessment with structural performance assessment. • Identifies methodological and practical challenges in tackling the research gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A teaching approach of programming experiment courses with a new education process is proposed in this study to improve the sustainability of engineering education and extend the accessibility of lab experiments across experiment courses, with the goal of encouraging innovative and scientific thinking among students. The Millikan Oil-Drop experiment combined with Java object-oriented programming is demonstrated as a case study to validate the feasibility and advantages of this teaching approach. The new education process of the experiment course is designed based on Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory, which has high practical potential for popularization among tertiary institutions without additional cost. Additionally, this work discussed the relevance of the general criterion of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology on student outcomes to educational accreditation, further indicating that introducing programming into experiment education can improve students' all-round ability and strengthen the triangular relationship among the three main subjects in tertiary education, namely, students, faculty, and higher educational institutions. This study may serve as an educational guide for teachers and tertiary institutions to pursue innovative and sustainable education. [Display omitted] • Introducing programming to course can enhance sustainability for education. • Programming can help students facilitate the data-processing of experiments. • Introducing programming can better ignite students' interest in the course. • The innovation-oriented approach can help improve the teaching quality. • The approach can make for clean production and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to evaluate the engineering students' perception regarding sustainability. For this, a survey was developed based on sustainability parameters from a detailed analysis of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance (BICG). The parameters were initially divided into seven groups: Financial and Productivity Aspects (FPA); Concern With Employees (CWE); Support for Local Communities (SLC); Ethical and Corporate Governance Issues (ECI); Environmental Aspects (ENA); Sustainable Aspects in the Operations Network (SON); Customers, Development of New Products and Services (CPS). The survey was conducted with engineering undergraduate students from two Brazilian universities. The data were analyzed through structural equation modeling technique, namely the PLS-SEM algorithm. The collected 162 answers enabled the validation of the model tested, and showed that the students, in general, do not consider SLC and CWE when they are analyzing sustainability. Additionally, the most important construct was the CPS. This is an exploratory study and we believe that these findings may contribute to expand the debate about the sustainability insertion in engineering courses, helping educators in their didactic activities. There were not found similar studies in the literature, which highlight the originality of the research. The statistical validation of the results and the contribution to expand the debate regarding sustainability in engineering education justify the value of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data centers are estimated to have the fastest growing carbon footprint from across the whole information and communication technology (ICT) sector. Evaluating the performance of data centers in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability is becoming an increasingly important matter for organizations and governments (e.g., for regulation or reputation purposes). It nonetheless remains difficult to achieve such evaluation, as data centers imply to take into consideration a wide range of dimensions and stakeholders. Even though a wide range of sustainability performance indicators exist in the literature, there is still a lack of frameworks to help data center stakeholders (spanning from data center owners, governmental regulators to engineers/field operators) to evaluate and understand how a data center performs in terms of sustainable development/behavior. Our research work proposes such a framework, whose originality lies in the combination of state-of-the-art sustainability metrics with the biomimicry commandments of eco-mature system, which enables holistic sustainability assessment of data centres. From a theoretical perspective, the proposed model is designed based on a benefit-cost analysis using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. This approach allows data center stakeholders for specifying their own preferences and/or expertise in the comparison process, whose practicability is demonstrated in this paper considering three data center candidates, which are respectively located in France, Germany and Sweden. • A new model for comparing data center sustainability performance is proposed. • The model makes use of state-of-the-art sustainability metrics together with biomimicry lessons. • The model is designed based on a benefit-cost approach using the AHP technique. • A comparison study is carried out with three distinct data center candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle engineering (LCE) targets product development and manufacturing activities in a life cycle perspective, with the aim to create more sustainable solutions. Coined approximately 30 years ago, it was adopted by the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP, from the French title), which established annual conferences on life cycle engineering to further develop the concept and its operationalisation. With the recent advent of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), engineering is now provided with specific targets to steer societies towards sustainable production and consumption. But how can LCE contribute to meeting the UN SDGs? Here, we report on a consultation process conducted as part of the 25th CIRP LCE conference, organised in Copenhagen, DK, in 2018. Approximately 175 participants reflected on a list of ten pre-identified challenges for implementing the SDG agenda that LCE could help tackle, and were solicited to propose solutions. A total of 118 solutions were proposed, and the main messages and recommendations are summarised and reported in the paper. Overall, they voice the need for stronger action from academia (e.g. research needs related to addressing trade-offs across SDGs), business and governments (e.g. transparent and harmonised reporting on sustainability performances, internalisation of external costs) and society at large (e.g. consumer behaviour, role of education). • Experts were consulted on how life cycle engineering can contribute meeting the UN SDGs. • An interactive session was organised in an international LCE conference. • Solutions to pre-defined challenges to achieve SDGs were proposed by 175 participants. • Specific key messages from the proposed solutions are reported here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backfilling, a widely used technology for green and sustainable underground practice, is an environmentally sustainable engineering approach. This study comprehensively investigates the mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of backfills maintained underground for three years to avoid overburden failure, considering the static and dynamic mechanical characteristics, creep characteristics, permeability, and microporous structures under dry, natural, and saturated states. The experimental results indicate that the backfill can maintain a high residual stress after peak stress with a very low permeability under triaxial compression. The strength of backfill worked three years under dry, saturated and natural states show a slight difference, indicating a slight water effect on the long-term backfill. The triaxial compression strength of the backfill is greater than the value of stresses in the goaf of panel, indicating that the backfill strength has been achieved an standard value that can support the surrounding rock mass and maintain the stability of themselves in a long term. The porous structure of the backfill show a micro basis for the macro mechanical properties. All the results show that backfills possess the low permeability, strong strength, stable microstructure characteristics under complex environment and indicating an improving function and strength in supporting the surrounding rock mass and maintaining the stability themselves. The findings indicate that the backfills can serve as a useful reference for the control mechanism, waterproof effect, and safety evaluation of the backfill on the deformation of the surrounding rock mass underground. Furthermore, the successful applications show a good verification, indicating a significant practical application in other coal mines with the similar engineering geological conditions, which also contribute to other underground practice. [Display omitted] • The backfill underground can maintain a high residual stress after peak stress. • The saturated backfill has poor resistance to cyclic deformation. • The creep deformation is characterized by 3 stages. • The porous structure reduces the permeability of the backfill. • The network structure makes the pore structure more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The engineering profession has been highlighted in the context of a growing need for professionals capable of addressing the pressing challenges of sustainability. The purpose of this study is to present innovative experiences in engineering education for sustainable development in Brazil. This research was conducted in three stages: first, innovative initiatives were mapped through document research, literature review, grey literature, and the press; second, 37 academics who created and/or participated in these initiatives were interviewed, including professors, program coordinators, department heads, engineering school directors, and university chancellors; and third, the initiatives were analyzed and discussed with a team of specialists. The initiatives can be categorized into two types: innovative actions, projects, and structures (i.e., isolated actions, institutional projects, and institutional structure) and engineering programs with innovative characteristics (i.e., innovative curricula and pedagogical approaches, and new organizational paradigms to support engineering schools). Key characteristics, conceptual foundations, examples, and contributions to the sustainable development goals are discussed for each type of initiative. Emerging topics related to engineering education for sustainable development were identified and related to real cases. A shift towards a sustainability paradigm in engineering education is dependent on university top management commitment and can be accelerated by integrating initiatives at multiple levels of the university system. [Display omitted] • Innovative EESD initiatives in Brazilian universities are mapped. • Interviewees held key positions in the main Brazilian engineering schools. • Contributions from EESD initiatives to achieve SDGs are discussed. • Emerging EESD-related topics are identified and linked to real cases. • A systems perspective on innovative EESD initiatives is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, organizations deal with numerous economic, environmental, and social problems. To have sustainable operations, they have begun to incorporate environmental and social concerns into conventional economic objectives. A combined cycle power plant (CCPP) is a good instance of an open system with multistage processes and interconnected activities. Efficiency evaluation of CCPPs is a complex task since there exist a variety of inputs (outputs) which enter into any stages of network. Additionally, there might be intermediate products which are consumed by the same power plants. We call such factors “loop” intermediate measures. To measure efficiency of CCPPs, network data envelopment analysis (NDEA) is used. This paper proposes new NDEA models to evaluate efficiency of CCPPs. The proposed models calculate the efficiency of power plants and their sub-sectors under both CRS (constant returns to scale) and VRS (variable returns to scale) assumptions. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis for returns to scale. We apply the new NDEA models to measure relative efficiency of CCPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Baltic region comprises countries of great diversity. They have in common that they all face the challenge to combine a sound economic development with the stewardship for their environmental, social and economic resources. Using the Sustainable Value approach we first analyze their overall sustainability performance. We then further develop the value drivers of Sustainable Value to enhance the explanatory power of our analysis. We find that there are significant differences between countries. We show both conceptually and using our examples that there is no unambiguous link between economic growth, environmental and social stewardship and the efficient use of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper describes the life cycle engineering of an integrated desktop computer system from the perspective of a small to medium enterprise (SME). Using a novel approach which considers the motivations of actors at various stages during the life cycle of the PC it attempts to engineer the lifecycle through design features which have been chosen to influence these critical decision points leading to more desirable pathways from an environmental perspective. Using these motivations it extracts design principles and ultimately design and service features to (1) promote long lifetime with the original user (2) facilitate refurbishment and reuse (3) be easy to disassemble and (4) contain minimal valueless fractions at end of life. This has been achieved largely through two specific design features and supported by post-sale services to the consumer. The first of these features is a high quality finish using a solid hardwood chassis to create an emotionally durable product that is easy to refurbish and eliminates negative value plastic fractions at end of life. The second feature is a strong focus on ease of disassembly to facilitate upgrade, refurbishment and deep disassembly at end of life. The service offering is also crucial and upgrade services and buy back are available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Rammed earth is an ancient construction technique that has been gaining renewed attention due to its potential to produce more environmentally sustainable constructions. Yet, studies that quantify the gains in strength by varying key parameters (binder content, dry unit weight) are still limited, hindering an efficient use of resources (materials and energy) when adopting this technique. Seeking to fulfil this gap, this paper presents equations that quantify the effect of parameters (dry unit weight, lime content, and fly ash content) on the compressive strength of Botucatu residual soil – fly ash – lime blends. Such equations allow different values to be assigned to each of these parameters (resulting in distinct strength results). This enables dosages that minimize resource consumption and maximize resource reuse/recycling to be devised. To illustrate that, eight dosages options are proposed for a target strength using the proposed equations and assessed against a number of criteria. The results indicate that dosages that are able to simultaneously minimize resources consumption and maximize resource recycling can be produced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The field of engineering is changing rapidly as the growing global population puts added demands on the earth''s resources: engineering decisions must now account for limitations in materials and energy as well as the need to reduce discharges of wastes. This means educators must revise courses and curricula so engineering graduates are prepared for the new challenges as practicing engineers. The Center for Sustainable Engineering has been established to help faculty members accommodate such changes through workshops and new educational materials, including a free access website with peer-reviewed materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper aims to construct a sustainability evaluation framework based on the extended VIsekriterijumska optimizacija i KOmpromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method under a picture fuzzy environment. First, a sustainability evaluation index system for water environment treatment public-private-partnership (WET-PPP) projects is constructed from the perspectives of the economy, engineering, environment, management, and society, including five criteria and 20 sub-criteria. The constructed index system considers engineering sustainability and management sustainability, and can thus more comprehensively evaluate the "sustainability" of the project and meet the requirements of the new economic environment. Second, a corresponding method for the sustainability evaluation of WET-PPP projects is proposed based on the picture fuzzy similarity-based VIKOR method. The main advantages of the proposed method include the following: (1) the sustainability evaluation process for WET-PPP projects involves linguistic terms and picture fuzzy numbers (PFNs), which can not only more comprehensively describe the uncertainty of human cognition and decision-making processes in the form of positive, neutral, and negative membership functions, but can also reduce the difficulty for decision-makers (DMs) to provide evaluation information; (2) the proposed evaluation method combines picture fuzzy similarity and the traditional VIKOR method, and can therefore not only obtain compromise solutions but can also ensure the stability and feasibility of the evaluation results. Finally, a case study of WET-PPP projects in China is provided to testify the feasibility and effectiveness of the constructed framework. The results indicate that the proposed framework can improve the accuracy of decision-making and can be applied for handling evaluation problems. Image 1 • This paper constructs a sustainability assessment index system for WET-PPP projects from five perspectives. • This paper uses PFNs to quantify the uncertainty of information provided by DMs. • This paper defines the picture fuzzy biparametric similarity measures and explores the related properties. • This paper constructs an extended picture fuzzy similarity-based VIKOR method. • This paper proposes an integrated evaluation framework to assess the sustainability of WET-PPP projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide an eco-friendly disposal way of increasingly accumulated waste tyres and reduce the environmental impact caused by the production of industrial fibres, this study explores the feasibility of using recycled tyre materials as substitutes for natural fine aggregates and manufactured fibres in cementitious mortar. The effects of crumb rubber (CR) replacement ratio (5%–15% by volume of fine aggregates), recycled tyre steel (RTS) fibre content (0.5–1.5 vol%) and recycled tyre polymer (RTP) fibre content (0.5–1.0 vol%) on the engineering properties of fibre reinforced cementitious composite (FRRC) were experimentally investigated. Results indicate that the pre-treated CR using NaOH solution is feasible to combine with a high dosage of recycled fibres without considerably weakening the workability, bulk density, ultrasonic pulse velocity and compressive strength of FRRC. The incorporation of CR, RTS fibre and RTP fibre together can reduce the drying shrinkage by up to 41.6% and enhance the flexural strength by at most 174% as compared to the plain mortar. The production cost, embodied carbon and embodied energy of FRRC are decreased by 13.3%–68.2% when replacing the manufactured fibres with recycled tyre fibres. The optimal content of CR and RTS fibre and RTP fibre is 5%–10%, 1.0 vol% and 0.5 vol%, respectively, considering the engineering properties, cost and environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first, and probably the most determining, decision that engineering teams need to make when facing the structural design of any infrastructure is the choice of both an appropriate material and the suitable structural typology for its components. Each component is required to satisfy technical and functional aspects imposed by standards and stakeholder. Currently, the aspects that are most frequently considered in decision-making processes are economic. Nevertheless, environmental and social criteria are also required if one aims at making sustainability-based decisions. In this regard, to the best of the authors' knowledge, very few tools or studies exist that can support decision-makers. The few that do exist, are rather limited, either because they fail to incorporate many relevant factors in the sustainability assessment of a project or because they only evaluate environmental and social impacts of a project as a whole. Although a global assessment is useful to gain a holistic understanding of impacts of a project and to compare them to other projects, it does not necessarily help engineering teams understand the impact of fundamental decisions made when designing individual structural components. Therefore, the aim of the present research paper is to develop a new method for the sustainability analysis of building structural components which has been specifically oriented to beams and girders. This is done by means of the Integrated Value Model for the Evaluation of Sustainability method, which is known by its Spanish acronym, MIVES (Modelo Integrado de Valor para una Evaluación Sostenible). This method draws on multi-attribute utility theory and that allows building an integrated value model as an approach for multi-criteria decision-making. The developed model has been applied to assess the sustainability of different alternatives of beams and trusts to support the non-accessible roof of a sports hall in Vila-seca, Spain. Different material types and structural typologies are analysed. The findings show that the most sustainable alternatives are timber and reinforced concrete trusses, which are actually two options that are seldom used in practice. • A model to evaluate the sustainability of structural elements is developed. • MIVES is proved to be an adequate sustainability assessment tool in these cases. • Girders and trusses made of timber, concrete and steel are analysed. • Timber and concrete trusses achieve the highest global sustainability indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated emergy and economic evaluation of a 7-step ecological engineering system (7-step EES) located in Jiangsu Province, China was carried out. This 7-step EES was constructed to fully utilize existing S. alterniflora production through a low waste, clean production process and to help control the expansion of this invasive grass. First, the above ground S. alterniflora biomass removed for invasion control is used as the feedstock for the extraction of a bio-mineral liquid and its encapsulation, both of which provide a health supplement to treat gout and angiocardiopathy patients. Next, the residues left after extraction are used as a medium for mushroom cultivation, and then for raising earthworms. Finally, the remaining residues become the main component of a microbe enriched organic fertilizer, which is then returned to the soil. A suite of emergy indices were constructed on multiple temporal and spatial scales to examine the operation of the whole system and its subsystems. The results showed that the temporal sustainability of the 7-step EES was relatively high at different spatial scales, especially at the local scale as indicated by its EISD LS (1.55E+03). Full implementation of the 7-step EES for S. alterniflora currently residing on the coast of China can result in a potential economic output that is greater than 2% of the national GDP, with an economic output/input ratio over 29. In addition, the 7-step EES had an environmental loading ratio lower than that of the regional system. Sensitivity analysis showed that decreasing the cost of the purchased inputs needed to make the capsules is the key problem that needs to be solved to optimize the system, both for its sustainability and economic viability, on all spatial and temporal scales. • Indices were developed on multiple temporal and spatial scales for use in emergy evaluation. • The efficacy of a 7-step EES to utilize exotic S. alterniflora with low waste was evaluated. • Specific optimization points for the process were explored by sensitivity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the dynamics of engineering innovation by building a novel, extensive metaphor between engineering innovation and biological evolution. In a metaphor, a phrase literally denoting one kind of idea is used in place of another in order to suggest an analogy between them. In this metaphor, the insights gleaned from biological evolution were applied to engineering innovation. Biological evolution and engineering innovation are similar in that both exhibit creative destruction as evidenced by Darwin and Schumpeter. In the research analyses, special attention is given to the current multipolar world, with the poles consisting of societies based on different cultural traditions and to the emerging renaissance of decentralized production and its current iteration, Co-Engaging Production. The metaphor used in this paper challenges and even contradicts conventionally explicit and embedded beliefs in six ways. First, the dominance of Occidental science and engineering cannot be expected to last indefinitely. Second, the current dominance of Occidental science and engineering can have detrimental effects on engineering innovation. Third, free trade leads to inefficiency. Fourth, successful engineering innovation requires societal legitimacy and environmental conformity. Fifth, human cognition forms the basis of multipolar types of science and engineering. Sixth, past and current dominance reduces absorptive capacity in the Occidental. • Successful engineering innovation requires societal legitimacy. • Societal legitimacy requires environmental conformity. • Unfolding health and environmental crises undermine extant dominance. • Free trade leads to cultural dominance detrimental to multi-polarity. • Cultural dominance reduces absorptive and engineering innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since their creation, tires have been constantly improved to fulfil the numerous applications they have been employed in. Although tires consisted of simple rubber bands in the late 20th century, nowadays tires are a highly more complex piece of technology. Due to this more complex structure induced by the presence of other components (like metals and textiles) and a wide variety of polymers used in tire manufacturing, recycling and reclaiming processes are constantly more difficult. Taking into account the global tire demand as well as the amount of rubber involved and their end-of-life fate is mandatory for a sustainable development. The aim of this review is to present and explore physical and chemical processes that are employed in order to recycle tire and reclaim rubber. Well settled techniques such as mechanical, thermo-mechanical, cryo-mechanical grinding and sulfide processes are presented as well as more sustainable technologies such as ionic liquid, eutectic solvents and microwave and catalysis. Image 1 • Greener devulcanization and reclaiming rubber from waste tire. • Enhance and cleaner production with emerging techniques and technologies. • Mechanical properties improved for recycled products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]