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This fundamental research on end-of-life automotive glasses, which are difficult to recycle, is aimed at understanding the chemical and physical characteristics of waste glasses as a resource of silica to produce ferrosilicon. Laboratory experiments at 1550°C were carried out using different automotive glasses and the results compared with those obtained with pure silica. In situ images of slag-metal separation showed similar behaviour for waste glasses and silica-bearing pellets. Though X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed different slag compositions for glass and silica-bearing pellets, formation of ferrosilicon was confirmed. Synthesized ferrosilicon alloy from waste glasses and silica were compared by Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Silicon concentration in the synthesized alloys showed almost 92% silicon recovery from the silica-bearing pellet and 74-92% silicon recoveries from various waste glass pellets. The polyvinyl butyral (PVB) plastic layer in the windshield glass decomposed at low temperature and did not show any detrimental effect on ferrosilicon synthesis. This innovative approach of using waste automotive glasses as a silica source for ferrosilicon production has the potential to create sustainable pathways, which will reduce specialty glass waste in landfill., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

The escalating use of glass in an ever-evolving world poses a waste management challenge, with glass waste contributing to non-biodegradable landfill growth. Recycling glass waste emerges as a viable solution, combating the need for additional landfills and the environmental repercussions. This study employs a scientometric and content analysis from the Scopus bibliometric database and explores the functional feasibility and performance characteristics of recycled glass waste (RGW) in sustainable concrete production. Results indicate that Asia dominates research contributions to RGW for concrete production compared to other continents. Glass-mixed concrete properties depend on glass type, particle size, shape, surface texture, replacement ratio, and curing age. The pozzolanic reactivity of recycled glass is correlated with its relative fineness. Finer glass particles were considered more suitable for use due to the enhanced alkali-silica interaction. Utilizing glass powder and fine aggregates improves mechanical properties, but high replacement levels could affect concrete strength development. Additionally, using RGA as a cement and fine aggregate replacement reduces concrete's thermal conductivity. This scientometric analysis not only aids in understanding a comprehensive overview of incorporating recycled glass waste into concrete production but also identifies knowledge gaps, guiding sustainable concrete research and development for addressing waste management challenges linked to the growing use of glass in our contemporary society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study proposes a model to consider quality degradation in glass recycling. • The model is based on technical quality substitutability and market applicability. • The model was applied to a case study on glass waste treatment. • Accounting for quality degradation, only 83% of cullet can replaces raw materials. • The decrease of recycling benefits was of 13–23% for the examined impact categories. The sustainability assessment of waste management systems requires tools capable of evaluating material quality degradation during recycling. Existing research has predominantly focused on the development of substitutability models for plastics, leaving a gap in addressing other materials like glass. Glass is commonly regarded as endlessly recyclable, even though its actual recyclability depends on several crucial factors, such as colour and pollutant contamination. Many Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies in this field assume a one-to-one substitution coefficient, neglecting material deterioration and inaccurately representing real-world scenarios. This study proposes and assesses a substitutability model for glass, aiming to measure the replacement extent between virgin materials and recycled crushed glass (cullet). The methodology is based on two key factors: technical quality substitutability, considering impurities and colour contaminations in cullet, and market applicability, accounting for market demand. Once formulated, the model was applied to a European case study on glass waste treatment. Two scenarios were considered: one assuming complete substitution between cullet and raw materials, the other incorporating quality degradation. Findings indicate that, accounting for quality degradation, only 83% of cullet effectively replaces raw materials, resulting in a decrease of the benefit associated with recycling of 13–23% for the different examined impact categories, compared to complete replacement assumption. This underscores the importance of considering quality deterioration in glass recycling impact assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste segregation is an essential aspect of a smoothly functioning waste management system. Usually, various recyclable waste types are disposed of together at the source, and this brings in the necessity to segregate them into their categories. Dry waste needs to be separated into its own categories to ensure that the proper procedures are implemented to treat and process it, which leads to an overall increased recycling rate and reduced landfill impact. Paper, plastics, metals, and glass are just a few examples of the many dry waste materials that can be recycled or recovered to create new goods or energy. Over the past years, much research has been conducted to devise effective and productive ways to achieve proper segregation for the waste that is being produced at an ever-increasing rate. This article introduces a multi-class garbage segregation system employing the YOLOv5 object detection model. Our final prototype demonstrates the capability of classifying dry waste categories and segregating them into their respective bins using a 3D-printed robotic arm. Within our controlled test environment, the system correctly segregated waste classes, mainly paper, plastic, metal, and glass, eight out of 10 times successfully. By integrating the principles of artificial intelligence and robotics, our approach simplifies and optimizes the traditional waste segregation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that wastes are harmfull for the environment and human health due to certain physical, chemical and biological reasons; the necessity of systematic implementation of waste management comes to the fore. Waste management provides advantages to for industrial manufacturing with less pollut on, cheaper and competitively superior products. With the waste recycling, the needs for raw materials and the impact of production on the environment will decrease. This study proposed to produce low-cost sintered glass-ceramic composite by adding a mixture of molten mining tailings, recycled glasses and alumina platelets at different rates. The results showed that glass-ceramic composite made by 50 wt % molten tailings, 25 wt % recycled borosilicate glass and 25 wt % alumina platelets exhibited the best properties (2.39 g/cm3 bulk density, 0.22 ± 0.01% water absorption and 84± 9 MPa bending strength). In this study, considering the consumptions of raw material resources, it was seen that glass and mine residues can be used as secondary raw materials in glass ceramic composite production when cost and environmental issues are matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of recycled waste glass powder (RWGP) as a partial substitute for cement in cement-based materials offers a promising solution for reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable waste management practices. An experimental study was conducted on a reference material made with Portland-limestone cement CEMII/A-LL42.5R and three other materials containing 50 wt% RWGP with different mean diameters, d50: 16, 18, and 25 µm. The main objective was to analyze the role of RWGP granularity in the short- and medium-term properties of the cement-based materials. The results showed that coarser RWGP granularity led to an increase in fluidity and Portlandite content, while water demand and mechanical properties decreased. However, the range of RWGP granularities tested did not significantly affect the initial setting time, fresh and dry density, hydration temperature, and water porosity. These findings suggest that the choice of RWGP granularity should depend on the desired properties of the cement-based material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Radiation shielding abilities of concrete which is good in environmental protection. • Recycling and reusing of waste glass in a useful way addresses waste management. • The use of waste glass as additive, which solved the material selection problem. • Solution to problem of finding optimal composition to for best shielding in concrete. • Solution to problem of identifying most efficient shielding material composition. • Use of local materials align with aim of SDG, addressing environmental sustainability. In this work, the local low-cost materials from Nigeria were companied together to produce a lead-free concrete that can be used in shielding the ionizing γ-rays. This work investigated the impacts of partially replacing coarse aggregates (crushed granite) with a crushed waste glass on the chemical, physical, and radiation shielding characteristics. The developed concretes' density was measured experimentally, and the fabricated concretes' elemental chemical composition was determined utilizing a Thermo-Scientific X-ray fluorescence connected to an ARL-QUANT'X-EDXRF-Analyzer. The increase in the waste glass/granite (WG/G) substitution ratio between 0 and 17.6 % decreases the density of the produced concrete from 2.4 g/cm3 to 2.33 g/cm3. On the other hand, the absorption per unit mass (MAC) of the produced concretes increased by raising the WG/G ratio, where there was a 0.217–0.247 cm2/g increase in the MAC at 0.081 MeV, by raising the WG/G ratio between 0 and 17.6 %. Simultaneously, the study shows that the radiation protection efficiency (RPE) at 2.506 MeV for a 10 cm thickness of the fabricated concrete reaches 53.49, 61.14, 54.98, and 55.29 % for concretes with WG/G content of 0.0, 5.3, 11.1, and 17.6 % with the same order, respectively. Therefore, the thicker thicknesses of the developed concretes can offer high shielding capacity to be applied in radiation protection applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caring for the environment, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, as well as the increase in the standard of living of society, introduces the need to conduct proper waste management. Construction is an industry with great potential for the management of glass waste as part of material recycling. The construction sector is characterized by high material consumption, with a limited amount of natural resources, meaning that research is constantly being performed on the possibility of replacing them with other common ingredients. A feature of the building materials industry is also the pursuit of continuous improvement of the properties of manufactured materials. The paper presents the research results on the impact of the partial replacement of Portland cement and aggregate with glass waste on strength parameters and frost resistance. For the purpose of experimental work, a concrete mix based on the C20/25 standard concrete with CEM I 42.5R Portland cement, in which from 0 to 20% of the cement or aggregate weight is replaced with glass waste (i.e., glass flour and glass cullet), is designed. In the test range, the glass flour slightly affected the deterioration of the compressive strength, while the glass cullet had no effect on the compressive strength after 56 days of maturation. Moreover, the addition of glass flour increases the bending strength, while the addition of glass cullet maintains a comparable bending strength compared to the reference concrete. The obtained concretes are frost-resistant concrete F150. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Methodology to automatically generate geo-located waste container maps. • Use of Computer Vision algorithms to detect waste containers. • Automatic division into locations with and without containers in city maps. • Robust model with consistent performance disregarding the container type. • System evaluated in eleven Spanish cities with an average accuracy of 89%. This paper describes the scientific achievements of a collaboration between a research group and the waste management division of a company. While these results might be the basis for several practical or commercial developments, we here focus on a novel scientific contribution: a methodology to automatically generate geo-located waste container maps. It is based on the use of Computer Vision algorithms to detect waste containers and identify their geographic location and dimensions. Algorithms analyze a video sequence and provide an automatic discrimination between images with and without containers. More precisely, two state-of-the-art object detectors based on deep learning techniques have been selected for testing, according to their performance and to their adaptability to an on-board real-time environment: EfficientDet and YOLOv5. Experimental results indicate that the proposed visual model for waste container detection is able to effectively operate with consistent performance disregarding the container type (organic waste, plastic, glass and paper recycling,...) and the city layout, which has been assessed by evaluating it on eleven different Spanish cities that vary in terms of size, climate, urban layout and containers' appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work we have carried out two benign routes to recycle ITO coated glass substrates of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) using diluted potassium hydroxide (KOH) or citric acid solutions. After removal of the different layers of the cells structural, optical and electrical properties of ITO recycled substrates were characterized and compared with virgin ones. Sheet resistance and roughness measurements indicate that diluted KOH treatment is the preferred method as it leads to no detectable damage to the ITO coating. We also evaluate the factor of merit of ITO substrate taking into account transmittance and conductivity results obtaining similar values for KOH ITO recovered and original substrates. A new PSC device (with a wide bandgap perovskite absorber) using this recycled ITO was manufactured with identical power conversion efficiencies to the ones achieved with pristine substrates, in this case approx. 18 %. • Environmentally friendly methods for recycling ITO-coated glass substrates of PSC. • Reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable implementation of PSC panels. • Recovery and reuse ITO reducing device costs, solving limited availability of indium. • Devices on recovered substrates led to PCE of 18 % as a pristine reference substrate. • Addressing critical waste management challenges in emerging photovoltaic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste management is a critical problem for every country, whether it is developed or developing. Selecting and managing waste are a critical part of preserving the environment and maximizing resource efficiency. In addition to reducing trash and disposal, reusable items are predicted to be of great benefit since they lessen our dependence on raw materials. The usage of compostable trash may be expanded outside fertilizers and dung after the metallic, chemicals, and glass items have been recycled. After a good scrubbing, the glass may be broken down and remelted to create new items. Reusing waste items via garbage recovery is one of the best methods to do so. This document outlines the steps that must be taken to maximize the use of garbage. This work describes a reusable industrial robot arm for grasping and sorting things depending on the resources they contain. Gripping, motion control, and object material categorization are all integrated into a full-automation, reusable system architecture in this study. LeNet also was adjusted to classify garbage into cartons and plastics using an artificial intelligent technique, with the use of a customized LeNet model. Movement in terms of moving the robot in the most efficient way possible, the robot's grabbing, and categorization were incorporated into the movement design process. The system's grabbing and object categorization success rates and computation time are calculated as metrics for evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to design a supply chain network for producing double glazed glass from the recycling of waste glass. All three pillars of sustainability are taken into consideration. The economic objective tries to maximize total profits. The environmental objective considers the energy consumption, the generated waste, the greenhouse gas emission, the water consumption, and the fuel consumption of vehicles. The social objective addresses created job opportunities, the worker safety, the regional development, the worker benefit, and training hours. To solve the model, a two-stage framework based on the group best-worst method and an interactive fuzzy programming approach is developed. The proposed model is validated through a real case study based on waste glass management in the city of Shiraz. It is revealed that when sustainable development goals are approached, a great degree of improvement will be attained in environmental and social aspects without a significant decrease in the economic sustainability. The results also demonstrate that the locations of glass recycling centres are different under economic, environmental, and social pillars, and the proposed model yields an optimal system configuration with a proper satisfaction degree of all objectives. Moreover, applying the proposed solution procedure enables system designers to obtain the most desirable trade-off between different aspects of sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

· Developed model to estimate waste costs and environmental impacts in Florida. · Explored various alternative changes to recycling programs. · Recycling programs costs $28–78/HH-yr. and provide large environmental offsets. · Targeted recycling programs reduce both environmental impacts and costs. In a global context, recycling initiatives are undergoing significant transformations, with some programs facing the possibility of discontinuation. This shift is attributed to the recycling industry grappling with historically high processing fees and record-low commodity prices in recent years. Notably, certain local governments, such as those in Florida, have responded by implementing measures to either restrict the range of materials accepted in their recycling programs or completely terminate these initiatives. Addressing these challenges, this study focused on developing a model designed to estimate waste management costs and assess the associated lifecycle environmental impacts for residential households in Florida. The model utilized region-specific data, including landfill and Waste-to-Energy (WTE) fees, costs and frequency of waste and recyclables collection, Material Recovery Facility (MRF) processing fees, composition of recyclables and waste, contamination rates in recyclables, and revenue generated from recyclables sale. This data were used to explore various alternative changes to recycling programs, such as the complete removal of the program, increased recycling rates, exclusion of glass from recycling, and targeting specific high-value commodity materials. Discontinuing recycling programs can save households $28-$78 per year, but in cases with strong markets and high MRF revenue sharing, economic benefits may be lost. Dependent on the environmental indicator, this decision can also result in increased environmental impacts, with 0.34–2.4 times higher greenhouse gas emissions. Our analysis found that a targeted recyclables program, focusing on high-value materials, reduced both environmental impacts and system costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass recycling reduces the amount of waste to be treated or disposed in landfills, allowing both to limit environmental damage and to save on the costs of transportation and disposal of waste. In this paper, an advantageous method for recycling glass containers (bottles, jars, jars for food, glasses, and cans for drinks, etc.) is presented. The glass is crushed and without being washed or separated from any foreign bodies it is safely incorporated into a metakaolin (MK)‐based geopolymeric matrix. Pure MK and mixtures obtained by adding different percentages (30–50 wt%) of glass cullet are consolidated via alkali activation at 50°C. Infrared spectroscopy is able to reveal the formation of bonds in the mixtures between the geopolymeric matrix and the glass. Leaching tests are carried out to evaluate the eventual release of toxic metals, while the antibacterial tests complete the environmental evaluation of the final consolidated products that show how the mechanical performance are modified by adding different amount of glass cullet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been recognized as one of the most efficient methods of waste management in terms of environmental benefits. This study investigates the energy savings and other environmental benefits of recycling of dry MSW collected in Shiraz, Iran (2018). The impact of different recycling rates (current = 15%, desirable = 50%, ideal = 80%) on environmental benefits and energy savings were assessed. The annual quantity of recycled components were defined as glass (735 tons), plastic carrier bags (555 tons), cardboard (3,874 tons), paper (3,806 tons), disposable plastic containers (287 tons), other types of metals (785 tons), disposable metallic containers (aluminum) (171 tons), other types of plastics (812 tons) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (887 tons). The results confirmed that recycling of paper and glass in three different scenarios resulted in a reduction of 1.01, 2.14, and 3.43 million tons of air pollutant emissions, respectively. By improving the recycling rates from 15 to 80%, overall energy savings can improve by between a factor of 3.5 to 5.5. Also, a reduction of approximately 2–3.5% in air pollutant emissions can be achieved by upgrading the current recycling program (15% recycling rate) to favorable and ideal conditions. Implications: In recent years, recycling of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been recognized as one of the most efficient methods of waste management in terms of environmental benefits. This study investigates the energy savings and other environmental benefits of recycling of dry MSW collected in Shiraz, Iran (2018). According to available data, there has been little effort for recycling in developing countries, and waste landfilling is recognized as the most favorable option in MSW management. The aim of this study was to characterize MSW components in Shiraz, Iran, and to quantify the environmental benefits and energy savings as result of paper, glass, and aluminum recycling. This work is novel in that there are no reports to our knowledge of the environmental benefits and energy savings resulting from different recycling scenarios including current (15%), desirable (50%), and ideal (80%) recycling for aluminum, paper, and glass. The results of this work have broad implications both for other regions owing to the pervasiveness of recycling facilities and also for developing countries that can strive towards the infrastructure needed to reach improved recycling scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a high-speed gripper designed to enhance the efficiency of recycling, specifically for sorting reusable glass bottles. Traditional sorting methods often suffer from slow gripper operation, leading to limited throughput. To address this issue, a passive gripper mechanism is presented that minimizes operation time, thereby significantly improving sorting rates. The presented gripper utilizes a spring-based system, leveraging its energy storage capabilities. The force exerted by the gripper on glass bottles increases proportionally with their diameter, demonstrating force amplification through the spring mechanism via static analysis. Experimental validation across diverse glass bottles confirms to the gripper's effectiveness. Comparative studies with two commercially available grippers validate our design's high-speed. The result show a substantial increase in sorting time, suggesting its potential to revolutionize glass recycling. Furthermore, our proposed gripper exhibits minimized operational time as the manipulator's speed increases. By introducing mechanism, high-speed gripper, this work not only accelerates glass bottle sorting but also contributes to sustainable waste management. The synergy between innovative design and practical efficiency holds promise for advancing recycling technology. [Display omitted] • A high-speed gripper system tailored for sorting reusable glass bottles. • Gripper mechanism minimizes operation time, enhancing efficiency and sorting rates. • Experimental validation prove the gripper's effectiveness and faster sorting speed. • Accelerating sorting with innovative efficiency for sustainable waste management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical characterization of waste from commercial activities and services was carried out during two seasons (dry season, summer and rainy season, winter) in 2017. A sample for each activity was selected for waste collection at source, taking into account the division of Annaba municipality into 5 administrative sectors and 315 districts. On average over the two seasons, commercial activities and services in Annaba produce a daily quantity of 9,54 Tons/Day, it is composed mainly of organic matter with 45% of the quantity, paper: 23%, plastic: 18%, 7% metal and 3% glass, as well as minute quantities of fine matter, combustibles, textiles, special waste, composites and non-combustible materials. The quantity and composition of waste vary according to the type of activity, catering, and food trade activities are the most important generators of waste. Variations in the daily quantities and waste composition of certain activities according to sectors and seasons have been observed; these variations could be influenced by several factors, such as the number of inhabitants, the attractiveness of the city center and the attractiveness of tourism. Organic matter, plastic, paper/cardboard, metal, glass, and textiles are considered as waste to be valorized, composting organic waste and paper remains the first solution to be implemented in waste management plans. Nevertheless, recycling for the other components seems just as interesting. This study highlights the sources of waste production and makes local authorities aware of the need to better organize waste management. Implications: A physical characterization of solid waste from commercial and service activities in the municipality of Annaba has made it possible to provide a database on an unknown source of commercial waste, to determine its recovery potential and to identify its source of generation, which should help to overcome data gaps and enable local decision-makers to better assess and anticipate waste management: The aim is to resize collection methods by focusing on selective sorting and to consider new perspectives for waste recovery in order to reduce landfilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Framework was developed for efficient waste management in construction industry. • Mechanical performance was evaluated for glass-incorporated concrete. • CO 2 footprint and volume of non-renewable raw materials were also assessed. • Sustainable concrete was selected by mechanical-environmental performance. • Analytical techniques were applied for verification of proposed framework. Abstract This work was designed to incorporate glass waste as partial replacement of coarse aggregate in concrete through optimization of its amount by assessment of mechanical and environmental performances. Fresh and hardened properties of glass waste concrete were evaluated and compared with the conventional concrete. Moreover, compressive strength was evaluated experimentally as well as analytically at different ages. While, environmental performance was evaluated with an assessment of CO 2 footprint and volume utilization of raw materials for both types of concrete; conventional and glass waste concrete. Consequently, a sustainable concrete was selected that possesses high workability and mechanical performance, minimum CO 2 footprint and least utilization of conventional natural raw materials. For optimization, corresponding values of designed parameters were translated into a framework for glass waste management by application of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Similar prioritization for all types of mixtures was achieved through proposed framework by applying such multi criteria decision making techniques. Proposed framework may further be used for adjusting the priority weights for each criterion according to the requirement as well as for extended evaluation of additional criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]