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Cellulose and paper produce significant waste such as ash, activated sludge, and sludge from the pulp and paper industry. Depending on the raw material, legislation, and subprocesses, these sludges contain around 30–50% organic matter, mainly composed of less than 0.02 mm cellulose fibers and hemicellulose and lignin. This work used sludge from the pulp and paper industry as a substrate for manufacturing mycelium-based biomaterials using the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor. Chemical and surface analyses revealed the formation of new materials. Acoustic impedance analyses revealed that these materials have a noise reduction coefficient and sound absorption average comparable to extruded polystyrene and polyurethane. In addition, the material's thermal conductivity was near that of sheep wool. Therefore, the biomaterials fabricated using sludge and Trametes versicolor have the potential to be a game-changer in the industry as promising thermoacoustic insulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, there are many studies with a significant focus on affordable housing. The relevance of this theme, which is usually the central object of public housing policies, requires an updated review of the problems and challenges to be overcome, especially in terms of sustainability, in favor of an improvement in the quality of products delivered to beneficiaries. This research concentrates on applying the sustainability concept to affordable housing, emphasizing technical, social, and governance aspects. A novel classification framework is introduced, encompassing these aspects in the context of sustainability integrated with affordable housing. A systematic literature review is conducted and more than 100 articles are examined based on bibliometric and bibliographic analyses to highlight the main dimensions and topics involved in the housing public policy sphere. The study has been elaborated based on collecting relevant materials, building a descriptive analysis of the literature examined, highlighting the classification structure that categorizes the studies examined, and evaluating the material identified based on the classification structure. The outcomes aim to spotlight the diverse dimensions of sustainable affordable housing and associated research themes. Furthermore, the research outlines deficiencies in current approaches and outlines a future research agenda for implementing sustainability in affordable housing. It establishes a strong connection between technical, social, and governance aspects of affordable housing and sustainability, considering anticipated approaches, techniques, and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project management has incorporated sustainability concepts, but their relationship is still widely discussed. In this article, we research key practices for incorporating sustainability in project management from the perspective of 919 Brazilian professionals with experience in the field. We used factor analysis to explore the relationship between 37 sustainability practices. The results showed that these sustainability practices can be grouped into five key practices: environmental efficiency, compliance, social responsibility, continuous improvement and lessons learned, and project success. We also used word clouds to highlight the main themes in the practices encompassed by each key practice. The results contribute to project leaders and other project management professionals directing their efforts toward improving sustainability actions related to these practices in project management processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social, economic, and environmental impacts associated with fuels used to power cities cause the sustainability of energy produced and consumed in our urban environment to be constantly challenged. In order to address the issue of urban energy sustainability, we propose a Framework for Assessing Urban Energy Sustainability (FAUES), whose main approach relies on defining a method for determining critical indices associated with the major criteria of sustainable energy generation and consumption. The framework is based on developing a three-step process that integrates historical data regarding energy consumption and production and forecasted parameters on energy sustainability and can be used both in urban energy operations and in planning new urban settlements. The framework was implemented in Brazil as a representative case study, given that its cities lack social inclusion, economic stability, and environmental protection when it comes to energy. The framework functions so that policy makers and managers can assess the sustainability of energy produced and consumed in urban environments on the basis of relevant criteria for the city in which the energy is being evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]