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Each year, a large amount of waste paper (WP) is generated in Japan, and due to the change in lifestyle with the COVID-19 pandemic, the WP collection and recycling system in Japan faces new challenges. Although the government of Japan has installed WP collection systems, the efficiency of these traditional WP collection systems is too low, and this causes inconvenience to the governments, residents, and other stakeholders. On the other hand, some recycling companies in Japan are trying to establish a nontraditional WP collection system by setting their own WP collection stations in cooperative supermarkets. Yet, the efficiency of this new system has not been clarified. This research aims to investigate the current status, operational characteristics, and the role of recycling companies’ WP collection stations in the Japanese WP collection system. By performing trade area analysis and stepwise OLS regression, this research will evaluate WP collection stations’ efficiency. Moreover, this research will also discuss how the new WP collection system improves WP collection efficiency and residents’ convenience. The results show that WP collection stations efficiency is particularly high in large supermarkets with many parking spaces and long business hours, as well as in areas with many families with children. Recycling companies’ WP collection system could create a system, which can satisfy resident, government, and recycling company interests at the same time.

In addition to the traditional so-called Arctic states, non-Artic states and some other international organisations are now showing a growing interest in this area. China, for example, has achieved some progress, since becoming an Arctic Council permanent observer, through participation in resource development in the region and strengthening its bilateral relations with the Arctic states. The present study examines China’s Arctic policy and its implications for the governance of the Arctic Ocean. It also provides an insight into the existing relevant international legal instruments and examines China’s interest in the participation, governance, and resource protection activities in the Arctic Ocean region, to successfully implement Chinese Arctic policy. To this end, the study examines the connection between the “white paper” and “China’s Arctic Policy”, in the context of executing the “Belt and Road Initiative”, in particular the “Arctic Silk Road”. The study concludes that China intends to perform a dynamic role in governing the Arctic Ocean, as a less challenging but cooperative partner in this region.

This article investigates the potential environmental impacts of four-layer printed circuit board (PCB) production from cradle to grave. The study starts with a lifecycle assessment of conventional PCB production. Then, the alternative materials of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid (PLA)/glass fiber composite and paper are investigated for the substrate. A conventional PCB adopts copper as the conductive material and requires an etching process. The environmental impacts of changing the conductive deposition method to an additive method by printing silver nanoparticles is studied. In a conventional PCB, electricity generation contributes 41% of the global warming potential (GWP) and 38% of the abiotic resource depletion (ADP), in the fossil category. By applying an additive manufacturing method, the GWP of PCB manufacturing can be reduced to 14% of that of the conventional method. A sensitivity analysis of silver recycling illustrates that a 40% higher silver recycling rate would decrease the GWP of silver material by about 48–60%. Uncertainty in the energy consumption of PCB production would alter the environmental impacts, however, even with the most conservative energy consumption in a conventional PCB production method, the environmental impacts of the additive method are about five times lower than those of conventional PCB production.

The fertilizer framework in the European Union has recently been reviewed by EU Regulation 1009/2019 that excluded sewage sludge from the list of the possible constituents of organic fertilizers relying on their origin, not on their quality. This paper aimed to carry out a complete characterization of sewage sludge obtained from a pharmaceutical manufacturing process (PDSS) to demonstrate that sewage sludge obtained from a standardized and controlled manufacturing process can be safely recycled as organic fertilizer. The agronomic and environmental characteristics of the PDSS product were analyzed and compared to other organic fertilizers. Its fertilizing potential was also evaluated through plant growth trials. PDSS was characterized by a high concentration of total N (6.6% w/w), which was all present in organic form. PDSS also showed a low concentration of heavy metals, an absence of pathogens and low concentrations of organic contaminants. Plant growth trials showed that the PDSS was able to improve lettuce and carrot growth (+25 and +46% of dry weight compared to the unfertilized control), as well as their physiological status. Considering all the results, the exclusion of sewage sludge relying only on its origin and not on its quality appears to conflict with the principles of the circular bioeconomy.

The potential of agroforestry to improve livelihoods and mitigate climate change and environmental degradation has been widely recognized, especially within the context of climate-smart agriculture. However, agroforestry opportunities have not been fully exploited because of several reasons, among which are adverse policies and legislations. However, many countries do not have a full understanding of how their policy and institutional environment may affect agroforestry development. We aim to fill this gap by looking at the particular case of Chad. The method used included examining data from: (i) literature reviews of important national and international polices, strategies, and legislation governing access to land and trees, among which are ‘La Loi 14’, Chad’s 2010 poverty reduction strategy paper, draft zero of the National Environmental Policy, (ii) interviews and focus group discussions with NGOs, government officials, and farmers, and (iii) surveys with 100 households. Results show that Chad has no specific agroforestry policy but opportunities for agroforestry can be found in some of the above-mentioned policy documents and government strategies. Most stakeholders interviewed had positive attitudes towards agroforestry, but uptake of the practice is handicapped by poor understanding of the forestry law by farmers and forestry officials. Gaps in existing laws give room for rent-seekers to collect individual (USD 272–909) and collective (USD 36–1818) access fees to trees on both forest and farmland. We propose that the government of Chad should unmask elements of agroforestry in existing policies and policy instruments to demonstrate its importance in responding to livelihood and environmental challenges in the country.

This work addresses the joint management of residual microalgae and pine wood waste through pyrolysis to obtain a solid product for its use as soil amendment and two other by-products (liquid and gaseous) that can be used for energy purposes. Two management routes have been followed. The first route is through the co-pyrolysis of mixtures of both residual materials in several proportions and the later use of their solid fraction for soil amendment. The second route is the pyrolysis of pine wood waste and its direct combination with dried residual microalgae, also using it as soil amendment. The solid fraction assessment shows that from seven solid products (biochar) three stand out for their positive applicability in agriculture as soil amendment. In addition, they also present the benefit of serving as carbon sink, giving a negative balance of CO2 emissions. However, caution is suggested due to biochar applicability being subject to soil characteristics. To ensure the sustainability of the overall process, the energy available in liquid and gaseous fractions has been assessed for covering the drying needs of the residual microalgae in both cases. These results suggest that the pyrolysis process is a sustainable way to manage specific evaluated residues and their products.

Environmental concern for our planet has changed significantly over time due to climate change, caused by an increasing population and the subsequent demand for electricity, and thus increased power generation. Considering that natural gas is regarded as a promising fuel for such a purpose, the need to integrate carbon capture technologies in such plants is becoming a necessity, if gas power plants are to be aligned with the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere, through understanding the capturing efficacy of different absorbents under different operating conditions. Therefore, this study provided for the first time the comparison of available absorbents in relation to amine solvents (MEA, DEA, and DEA) CO2 removal efficiency, cost, and recirculation rate to achieve Climate change action through caron capture without causing absorbent disintegration. The study analyzed Flue under different amine-based solvent solutions (monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA)), in order to compare their potential for CO2 reduction under different operating conditions and costs. This was simulated using ProMax 5.0 software modeled as a simple absorber tower to absorb CO2 from flue gas. Furthermore, MEA, DEA, and MDEA adsorbents were used with a temperature of 38 &deg, C and their concentration varied from 10 to 15%. Circulation rates of 200&ndash, 300 m3/h were used for each concentration and solvent. The findings deduced that MEA is a promising solvent compared to DEA and MDEA in terms of the highest CO2 captured, however, it is limited at the top outlet for clean flue gas, which contained 3.6295% of CO2 and less than half a percent of DEA and MDEA, but this can be addressed either by increasing the concentration to 15% or increasing the MEA circulation rate to 300 m3/h.

Cheese whey is a waste produced in the dairy industry which generates problems if it is dumped directly into the sewer due to its high organic load. An alternative for cheese whey management is anaerobic digestion, a biological process that transforms organic matter into biogas and digestate, two products with significant energy and agricultural potential. This work was aimed at contributing to the building of knowledge about the anaerobic degradation of cheese whey, developing a bibliometric analysis, and tracing trends in related research from 2010 up to the present, using PRISMA® to develop a systematic review based on Scopus® and using Excel® and bibliometric software (VosViewer® and RefViz®) for the identification of information. Our results show that the research around cheese whey is relatively recent and that the highest percentage of publications is from 2018 onwards. Twelve variables of the anaerobic cheese whey degradation process were identified and grouped into five factors: substrate, reactor configuration, digestate analysis, microbiological analysis, and inoculum. Likewise, it was identified that most of the anaerobic processes allow the implementation of the circular economy into the dairy sector. In conclusion, the application of anaerobic digestion in the dairy sector can help to close the productive cycles, produce biofuels, and reduce pollution.

The use of food additives (such as dyes, which improve the appearance of the products) has become more prominent, due to the rapid population growth and the increase in demand for beverages and processed foods. The dyes are usually found in effluents that are discharged into the environment without previous treatment; this promotes mass contamination and alters the aquatic environment. In recent years, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have proven to be effective technologies used for wastewater treatment through the destruction of the total organic content of toxic contaminants, including food dyes. Studies have shown that the introduction of catalysts in AOPs improve treatment efficiency (i.e., complete decomposition without secondary contamination). The present review offers a quick reference for researchers, regarding the treatment of wastewater containing food dyes and the different types of AOPs, with different catalyst and nanocatalyst materials obtained from traditional and green chemical syntheses.

Population displacement by extreme weather events have long plagued Bangladesh, a low-lying disaster-prone river delta. The country experiences yearly displacement of approximately one million people and losses of about 1% of its gross domestic product due to cyclones, floods, and riverbank erosion. This study examines how the Bangladesh government has managed climate-induced displacement with a particular focus on socioeconomic development policies. We analyzed the country’s 1984 Land Reform Ordinance, the 2009 climate change strategy and action plan, the 1997 agricultural Khasland settlement policy, perspective plan for 2010–2021, poverty reduction strategy paper, and five-year plans to understand governance changes for displaced communities. We found that, overall, the central government implemented four main strategies. In the first strategy, Bangladesh resettled displaced people in cluster villages on public lands. Then, it provided life skills training (e.g., leadership, disaster preparedness, income generation) to rehabilitate the residents. The third strategy was to align resettlement efforts with local-level climate change adaptation and poverty reduction activities. Here, the central government and its seventeen departments collaborated with local councils to support resettled households under the social safety program. The fourth strategy was to diversify financial resources by obtaining more fund from donors and establishing its own financial mechanism. However, we also found that the decision-making and implementation process remained top-down without need assessment and community participation. This paper intends to offer insights on how similar challenged countries and regions may respond to climate displacement in the future.

Granular organic fertilizers have been increasingly used in agriculture due to the longer delivery of nutrients to plants and the milder impact on the environment. The aim of this study was to determine the energy, environmental and economic efficiency of granular and non-granular organic fertilizers. Four technological scenarios of organic fertilizer use were used for comparative assessment: (1) manure fertilization (16.0 t ha−1), (2) manure fertilization (30.0 t ha−1), (3) manure pellet fertilization (2.0 t ha−1), and (4) fertilization with meat and bone meal pellets (0.7 t ha−1). Experimental studies using the mass flow method of laser spectroscopy were performed to evaluate the comparative environmental impact of granular and non-granular organic fertilizers. Economic assessment was performed for mechanized technological operations of loading, transportation and distribution of organic fertilizers, estimating the price of aggregates used and fuel consumed, the costs of individual technological operations and other indirect costs. The results showed that for mechanized technological operations, when fertilizing with granular organic manure and meat and bone meal fertilizer, energy consumption is 3.2 to 4.0 times lower compared to fertilization with manure. The average ammonia (NH3) emissions from granular organic fertilizers were found to be six times lower than from non-granular organic fertilizers. The lowest costs for mechanized works were incurred when using meat and bone meal pellets, the highest economic benefits of organic fertilizers by elements was when using manure 30 t ha−1, and the highest costs for organic fertilizers were incurred when using manure pellets.

Microalgae biofuel is expected to be an ideal alternative to fossil fuels to mitigate the effects of climate change and the energy crisis. However, the production process of microalgae biofuel is sometimes considered to be energy intensive and uneconomical, which limits its large-scale production. Several cultivation systems are used to acquire feedstock for microalgal biofuels production. The energy consumption of different cultivation systems is different, and the concentration of culture medium (microalgae cells contained in the unit volume of medium) and other properties of microalgae vary with the culture methods, which affects the energy consumption of subsequent processes. This review compared the energy consumption of different cultivation systems, including the open pond system, four types of closed photobioreactor (PBR) systems, and the hybrid cultivation system, and the energy consumption of the subsequent harvesting process. The biomass concentration and areal biomass production of every cultivation system were also analyzed. The results show that the flat-panel PBRs and the column PBRs are both preferred for large-scale biofuel production for high biomass productivity.

More than 124 million tons of oranges are consumed in the world annually. Transformation of orange fruit generates a huge quantity of waste, largely composed of peels. Some attempts to reuse by-products derived from citrus waste have been proposed for energy production, nutrient source or pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. However, their use in the building sector had not been researched. In this study, orange peels, in five different ratios, from 100% of wet peels to 75% and from 0% of dry peels to 25%, were submitted to a thermo-compression procedure. They were evaluated according to their physical (bulk density, water absorption, thickness swelling, surface soundness and thermal conductivity) and mechanical properties (bending strength and modulus of elasticity). The results showed that orange peels can be used as thermal insulation material. The addition of dried peels makes the structure of the board heterogeneous and thus increases its porosity and causes the loss of strength. Hence, the board with the sole use of wet peel, whose thermal conductivity is 0.065 W/mK while flexural strength is 0.09 MPa, is recommended.

Solid sago waste is a potential source of producing renewable energy in the form of biogas. This study investigated the effects of solid sago waste particle size, biological pretreatment using a microbial consortium of lignocelluloses, pretreatment with NaOH, and the ratio between solid sago waste and cow rumen based on the biogas production rate. Several variations of these conditions were used to achieve this. The anaerobic digestion process was conducted over two months at 30.42 °C ± 0.05 °C, and the biogas production rate was measured every two days. The 1:1 ratio showed better results compared to the 2:1, because it allows the bacteria to achieve metabolic balance. The highest cumulative biogas production (27.91 mL/g TS) was generated when the sago waste underwent milling (±1 mm), pretreatment with 4% NaOH g/g TS, and treatment with microbial consortium 5% v/v at a 1:1 ratio of solid sago waste to the rumen.

With the European Green Deal, the importance of recycled products and materials has increased. Specifically, for PET bottles, a high content of recycled material (rPET) is demanded by the industry and consumers. This study was carried out in a lab environment replicating real-life industrial processes, to investigate the possible impacts on rPET quality over eleven recycling loops, aiming to use high amounts of rPET repetitively. A cycle included extrusion, solid state polycondensation (SSP), a second extrusion to simulate bottle production, hot wash and a drying step. 75% rPET and 25% virgin PET were extruded in eleven cycles to simulate a recycling and production process. Samples underwent chemical, physical and biological analysis. The quality of the rPET material was not adversely affected. Parameters such as coloring, intrinsic viscosity, concentration of critical chemicals and presence of mutagenic contaminants could be positively assessed. The quality of the produced material was likely influenced by the input material’s high standard. A closed loop PET bottle recycling process using an rPET content of up to 75% was possible when following the proposed process, indicating that this level of recycled content can be maintained indefinitely without compromising quality.

Leak detection and repair (LDAR) plays an important role in controlling the fugitive emission of volatile organic compound (VOC) from chemical enterprises. At present, many policies and standards issued in China have set clear requirements for implementing LDAR in the pharmaceutical industry. In this study, the LDAR work of nine typical pharmaceutical enterprises was selected for analysis to allow investigation of the characteristics of VOC emissions from leaking equipment components. Some suggestions for controlling VOC are proposed to provide a reference for managing the fugitive emissions of VOC from pharmaceutical enterprises. The results showed that the number of equipment components used by the pharmaceutical enterprises ranged from several thousand to more than 20,000, which is lower than that in oil refining and coal chemical enterprises. The predominant leaky component was the flange, which accounted for 56.31% of the total, followed by connectors (21.51%) and valves (18.53%). Light liquid medium components accounted for the largest proportion of equipment (52.83%) on average, followed by gas medium components (45.52%, on average). Heavy liquid medium components, which are rarely used in pharmaceuticals, accounted for only 1.65%. The average leak ratio of the components in the pharmaceutical industry was approximately 0.99%. The leak ratio of the open-ended line was much higher than that of other types of components, reaching an average of 5.00%, while that value was only 0.92% for the flange, despite the numbers and proportion of them that were in use. The total annual VOC leakage from the nine pharmaceutical enterprises studied in this work was 20.11 tons, with an average of 2.23 tons per enterprise and an average of 0.22 kg/a per equipment component. Flanges, connectors, and valves were the top three contributors to leakage, generating 39.17%, 38.72%, and 16.79% of the total, respectively, and a total proportion of 94.68%. Although the number of pumps accounted for only 0.15% of the components, it generated 1.94% of the leakage. In terms of different production processes, the greatest unit product leakage came from the bulk production of chemicals used for pharmaceuticals, reaching 0.085 t/a. The production from traditional Chinese medicine enterprises was the lowest (0.011 t/a), which was only 12.80% of the leakage from the bulk production of chemicals for drugs. The leakage of VOC from the equipment components in the nine enterprises was reduced, to varying degrees, using LDAR. The overall reduction ratio was between 23.55% and 67.72%, with an average of 44.02%. The reduction in leakage was relatively significant after the implementation of LDAR, however, there is still room for improvement. Pharmaceutical enterprises should improve their implementation of LDAR and reduce VOC leakage by reducing the number of inaccessible components used and increasing the repair ratio of leaky components. Controlling the source of component leakage, which should be emphasized, can be realized by cutting down the number of components used, adopting low-leakage equipment, and putting anti-leakage measures in place.

Small-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) can be an effective organic waste management system that also provides energy for small businesses and rural communities. This study measured fuel production from digestions of single and mixed feedstocks using an unheated, 2 m3 digester operated continuously in a temperate climate for over three years. Using local food waste, brewery waste, grease waste, and agricultural residues, this study determined that small-scale AD co-digestions were almost always higher yielding than single feedstocks during psychrophilic operation and seasonal temperature transitions. Agricultural residues from Miscanthus&nbsp, x&nbsp, giganteus had the greatest impact on biomethane production during co-digestion (4.7-fold greater average biogas %CH4), while mesophilic digestion of brewery waste alone produced the most biogas (0.76 gCH4 gVS−1 d−1). Biogas production during the transition from mesophilic to psychrophilic was temporarily maintained at levels similar to mesophilic digestions, particularly during co-digestions, but biogas quality declined during these temperature shifts. Full-time operation of small-scale, unheated AD systems could be feasible in temperate climates if feedstock is intentionally amended to stabilize carbon content.

College students are the engine of the sustainability of the future, and their awareness of environmental protection and waste classification is very important for the sustainable implementation of urban solid waste separation projects. Chongqing is one of the first 46 waste separation pilot cities in China. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the municipal waste separation behavior of college students and its influencing factors. Data from a total of 814 questionnaires among college students from sixteen universities in Chongqing were collected. Results showed that most college students think it is necessary to separate waste, and they have executed it in their daily life. Students have a high accuracy in classifying perishable waste, but they are not familiar with the classification of waste lamps, bulbs (14.00%), expired drugs (30.71%), toilet paper (11.3%), peel (18.80%) and brick kilns (27.76%). Special attention should be paid to distinguishing recyclables and other wastes. The principal factors that affect students’ willingness to classify waste are attitude, situational factors and publicity and education, which are embodied in students’ attitude towards waste separation, the surrounding environmental hygiene, the convenience of waste separation, the ease of understanding of waste separation marks and the degree of publicity and education of the school. Four measures are recommended for improving students’ willingness to separate municipal waste based on this investigation.

Using woody biomass in thermochemical gasification can be a viable alternative for producing renewable energy. The type of biomass and the process parameters influence the producer gas composition and quality. This paper presents research on the composition of the producer gas from the gasification of three woody biomass species: spruce, alder, and pine. The experiments were conducted in a drop-tube reactor at temperatures of 750, 850, and 950 °C, using air as the gasifying agent, with equivalence ratios of 0.38 and 0.19. Gas chromatography with a thermal conductivity detector was used to determine the composition of the producer gas, while the production of total organic compounds was detected using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. All three wood species exhibited very similar producer gas composition. The highest concentration of combustible gases was recorded at 950 °C, with an average of 4.1, 20.5, and 4.6 vol% for H2, CO, and CH4, respectively, and a LHV ranging from 4.3–5.1 MJ/m3. The results were in accordance with other gasification studies of woody species. Higher temperatures enhanced the composition of the producer gas by promoting endothermic and exothermic gasification reactions, increasing gas production while lowering solid and tar yields. The highest concentrations of combustible gases were observed with an equivalence ratio of 0.38. Continuous TOC measurement allowed understanding the evolution of the gasification process and the relation between a higher production of TOC and CO as the gasification temperature raised.

Depletion in the levels of fossil fuels and increasing environmental concerns associated with the rise in consumption of conventional fuels are among the top global concerns. Finding an alternative sustainable fuel that matches the performance characteristics of diesel/petrol fuels as well as decreases the exhaust emissions has been a challenging task. After deliberate research, it is found that every alternative fuel is associated with different problems when they are used independently, thereby limiting its benefits. Scientists suggest that using different fuel blends might lead to sustainability. This article is the analysis of data obtained from the experimentation based on two different alternative fuels, Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME)-based biodiesel and Rapeseed Oil (RO), blended with diesel (D) and Isopropanol (P) into three different proportions each. Tests were carried out in a compression ignition (CI) engine, and comparisons are based on the resulted performance and exhaust emission characteristics. The two different alternative fuels are blended into the following proportions to make six fuel mixtures, D50RME30P20, D50RME40P10, D50RME45P5, D50RO30P20, D50RO40P10 and D50RO45P5. The tests are carried out at different loads (BMEP) and are compared to that of pure diesel. Using the experimentation results, we also obtained the combustion characteristics of all fuel mixtures for further evaluation