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ABSTRACT This paper presents a detailed analysis of embodied carbon (EC) in various case studies using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Through comprehensive assessments, including modules A, B and C, the study evaluates EC across different stages of building life cycles. This study also considers the EC savings achievable through current end‐of‐life strategies in the UK context. As Module A accounts for the highest EC in the case studies, the majority of reduction strategies should focus on this stage. The most impactful strategy for reducing EC emissions involves incorporating Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) as a replacement for cement. This approach has the potential to achieve a substantial reduction in the EC of concrete within the buildings under investigation, ranging from 60% to 70%. The study reveals that specification strategy can lead to significant Whole Life Embodied Carbon (WLEC) reductions, with the residential building achieving a 30.59% reduction, the college building a 46.86% reduction, and the hotel building a reduction of 23.69%. Effective mitigation strategies, such as utilizing recycled and reclaimed materials, demonstrate promising results, showcasing significant reduction in WLEC emissions in the buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functionalization of food products with agri-industial residues is of great interest. Apple and beetroot pomace flour, abundant in dietary fiber and antioxidants, were incorporated into jelly candies using agar, pectin, or gelatin. Three functional formulations were devised for each flour type at the pilot scale, resulting in jelly candies with desirable sensory properties and texture. The high content of total polyphenolics, flavonoids, betacyanins, and betaxantines was determined upon in vitro digestion. The influence of different matrices on these bioactives, crucial for exerting antioxidant activity, was evaluated using DPPH and FRAP assays on both fresh and nine-month stored jelly candies, showcasing good bioavailability and retention. Enrichment with APF and BPF also led to reduced postprandial glucose levels, glycemic index, and load determined in vivo. These findings affirm that compositionally optimized innovative formulations of jelly candies facilitate the efficient delivery of compounds with anti-obesity effect from upcycled raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights The increasing awareness in environmental safety has led to rapid development in production of electricity using wind energy with wind turbines. The widespread deployment of wind turbines has outpaced the effective recycling of End‐of‐Life wind turbines. This study explores the potential of mechanically recycling decommissioned wind turbine blades (WTB) as reinforcement material in 3D printing processes. Utilizing mechanical grinding, materials were extracted from the waste blades and subsequently analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis to determine optimal processing conditions. The reclaimed materials were then blended with recycled polypropylene through single‐screw extrusion to fabricate tensile test samples via Fused Deposition Modeling. The impact of print orientation on mechanical strength was examined at 0°, 45°, and 90° angles. Morphological analysis was conducted on the fractured specimens to assess the failure characteristics. The findings indicate that samples printed at a 90° orientation exhibited superior mechanical properties, suggesting a viable pathway for incorporating wind turbine waste into sustainable manufacturing cycles. A decentralized‐mechanical recycling technique to the waste WTB. The necessary material parameters for the operations employed in this study. Reinforced 3D printable filaments from waste WTB. Stronger reinforced filaments obtained from proper fiber alignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the mechanical evaluation of recycled PETG filament for 3D printing. The authors emphasize the importance of plastic recycling and the potential of 3D printing in manufacturing. They focus on PETG as a leading material for 3D printing and examine the feasibility of recycling PETG for additive manufacturing. The study demonstrates that PETG 3D printing waste can be effectively recycled into new filament with promising mechanical properties. The research aims to contribute to the understanding of sustainable usage of PETG in 3D printing and inform future efforts in optimizing recycling processes. Another document provides information on the mechanical properties and testing of a specific material used in 3D printing. The material is tested in two different forms, filament and pellets, to compare their characteristics. The testing includes tensile, compression, and impact tests, with results showing slight differences between the two forms of the material. The document also describes the equipment used for the testing process. Additionally, another document presents the results of a study on the behavior of PETG filament in 3D printing when comparing specimens printed from new material versus recycled material. The study conducted compression, tensile, and impact tests on the specimens. The findings indicate a marginal difference in stiffness, with recycled material exhibiting slightly higher stiffness and increased brittleness. However, caution is advised in drawing definitive conclusions based on this initial data, as the sample size was small and only one recycling cycle was examined. Further research is needed to understand the effects of recycling on material [Extracted from the article]

The fashion industry's heightened focus on sustainable production has enhanced the emergence of varied eco-conscious procedures such as re-upcycling. Nonetheless, the multiple steps required for such procedures often lead to more expensive products, consequently lowering consumers' motivation to purchase such products. Do-it-yourself (DIY) fashion videos can motivate individuals to try DIY fashion, while promoting sustainable production and consumption of clothing. This study tested if DIY fashion videos could be used to change the perception among Thai youth on the DIY sustainable fashion. An Instagram profile named 'Broke Vogue' was created and it shared a variety of DIY fashion-related contents and activities. The page gained 300 followers during the six weeks it was active. The profile also invited participants to take a survey to evaluate their attitudes towards DIY fashion. This served as the data source of this study. The majority of participants in the survey were university students (N = 102, 73.5 per cent women). The results confirmed that participants developed a positive opinion concerning DIY fashion after visiting the page. However, it also strengthened some negative stereotypes as participants were more confident that DIY fashion was not appropriate for senior citizens or citizens with financial issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do consumers react to products assembled from existing components? Nine studies in both the lab and the field demonstrate that consumers evaluate products as more creative and more appealing when they consist of components that originally served entirely different functions. When consumers realize that the intended functionality of a component is not fixed, but versatile, they experience an aha! moment, which in turn enhances perceived product creativity and product appeal. This research bridges engineering and consumer research providing theoretical contributions to the product design and creativity literature. The findings of this research have substantive implications for designing sustainable products, especially for product upcycling, the process of transforming old or used components into new products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asphalt pavement is demolished and milled at the end of its service life, resulting in an enormous amount of waste material known as reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). Using cold recycling techniques, it is possible to reuse RAP for base course construction. However, using a high amount of RAP could have negative effects on the mechanical properties and durability of the base course. In this study, to improve the performance of asphalt emulsion recycled base course prepared with RAP, asphaltenes derived from Alberta oil-sands bitumen was added to the mixture. The performance properties of the selected mixtures were investigated at high, intermediate, and low temperatures. Testing results and statistical analysis revealed that asphaltenes enhances the high and intermediate temperature performance of the modified mixes significantly. The low-temperature creep compliance of asphaltenes-modified mixtures was slightly lower than the unmodified mixtures, however, the low-temperature properties of the modified mixes were not significantly affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During iron ore process, a substantial amount of iron ore tailings (IOT) are generated, which can be caused environmental challenges. To mitigate this issue, the stabilised IOT can be repurposed as road material. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) parameter is typically used to assess the quality control and mix designing of stabilised materials, which its measurement is time-consuming due to the required curing time (CT). Consequently, implementing machine learning techniques to determine and predict UCS values can significantly streamline the process and reduce mix design as well as quality control costs. This research aims to evaluate various machine learning models to predict the UCS of cement-stabilised IOT. Four input variables including cement percentage, CT, compaction moisture content (MC) and compaction energy were considered for UCS modelling. A comparison of the statistical results from the developed models revealed that the artificial neural network (ANN) method exhibited superior accuracy for both training and testing data, with R2 values of 0.96 and 0.97, respectively. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis of the ANN model demonstrated that cement percentage had the most significant impact on the UCS, while compaction MC had the least. Lastly, a parametric study was conducted to evaluate the influence of various variables on the UCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advancements in the construction industry, 3D printing technology is poised to emerge as the predominant method of construction in the future. By implementing effective regulations, waste resources can be repurposed as raw materials for 3D printing. This study examines the substitution of solid waste powder for cement, investigating various factors impacting the 3D printing performance of cement-based materials. It was observed that the water-binder ratio, fly ash content, and steel slag content consistently influenced the setting time, with fly ash exerting a greater impact. As water consumption increases, extrusion time decreases, while higher levels of fly ash and steel slag powder lead to longer extrusion times. Although the addition of fly ash and steel slag powder can reduce deformation rates, it may compromise extrudability. The deformation rate in terms of stackability aligns with that of buildability. Fly ash significantly affects the 1-day compressive strength, followed by steel slag powder, with water consumption having the least impact. Mercury intrusion porosimetry reveals similar effects of steel slag powder and fly ash on pores. At a content of 5%, gel pores increase, but higher substitution rates result in a greater proportion of harmful pores. Within appropriate ranges, solid waste powder can be effectively utilized in 3D printing for building construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valorization technique successfully transformed waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into valuable carbon nanomaterial (CN)/graphene, while doped and undoped ZnO nanopowders were synthesized via sol–gel methods. Utilizing XRD, BET, TEM, EDX, FTIR, and TGA analyses, the synthesis of sp2 2D sheet, pristine, and doped ZnO nanostructures was confirmed. Solid-state gas sensor devices, tested under 51% relative humidity (RH), 30 °C ambient temperature, and 0.2 flow rate, exhibited a 3.4% enhanced response to H2 gas compared to CO2 at 50 ppm concentrations over time. Notably, the ZnO/CN sensor surpassed CN and ZnO alone, attributed to CN dopant integration with decreasing order of response performance as ZnO/CN > CN > ZnO. This study underscores the efficacy of valorization techniques in generating high-value carbon nanomaterials and their efficacy in bolstering gas sensor performance, with ZnO/CN demonstrating superior response capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latex clearing proteins (Lcps) catalyze the oxidative cleavage of the C = C bonds in cis-1,4-polyisoprene (natural rubber), producing oligomeric compounds that can be repurposed to other materials. The active catalytic site of Lcps is buried inside the protein structure, thus raising the question of how the large hydrophobic rubber chains can access the catalytic center. To improve our understanding of hydrophobic polymeric substrate binding to Lcps and subsequent catalysis, we investigated the interaction of a substrate model containing ten carbon-carbon double bonds with the structurally characterized LcpK30, using multiple computational tools. Prediction of the putative tunnels and cavities in the LcpK30 structure, using CAVER-Pymol plugin 3.0.3, fpocket and Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations provided valuable insights on how substrate enters from the surface to the buried active site. Two dominant tunnels were discovered that provided feasible routes for substrate binding, and the presence of two hydrophobic pockets was predicted near the heme cofactor. The larger of these pockets is likely to accommodate the substrate and to determine the size distribution of the oligomers. Protein-ligand docking was carried out using GOLD software to predict the conformations and interactions of the substrate within the protein active site. Deeper insight into the protein-substrate interactions, including close-contacts, binding energies and potential cleavage sites in the cis-1,4-polyisoprene, were obtained from MD simulations. Our findings provide further justification that the protein-substrate complexation in LcpK30 is mainly driven by the hydrophobic interactions accompanied by mutual conformational changes of both molecules. Two potential binding modes were identified, with the substrate in either extended or folded conformations. Whilst binding in the extended conformation was most favorable, the folded conformation suggested a preference for cleavage of a central double bond, leading to a preference for oligomers with 5 to 6 C = C bonds. The results provide insight into further enzyme engineering studies to improve catalytic activity and diversify the substrate and product scope of Lcps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asphalt mixture recycled technology (Al-Saffar et al. 2021) is an efficient method for achieving asphalt pavement sustainability. The optimum asphalt content of recycled asphalt mixture is first determined by the Marshall test in this paper. Second, Materials Studio software was used to simulate the interface effect between three different asphalts and aggregate, and the adhesion between asphalt and aggregate was characterised based on the interface energy. The mesoscopic structural characteristics of three asphalt mixtures were then analysed using digital image processing technology. Finally, through three macro experiments, the influence of old asphalt on the mechanical properties of recycled asphalt mixture was studied from a macro perspective. At the microscopic level, the results show that the presence of the old asphalt reduces the adhesion between the asphalt and the aggregate. At the mesoscopic level, the presence of old asphalt reduces the porosity of the asphalt mixture. At the macroscopic level, the addition of old asphalt improves the high temperature and water stability of recycled asphalt mixture while decreasing the low temperature crack resistance. The microscopic and mechanical properties of old asphalt on recycled asphalt mixture are explained on three levels, and new ideas for research on recycled asphalt mixtures are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A resource-effective society considers a circular economy, and this attitude enters the construction industry as well. Various circular building approaches and strategies are introduced to promote a circular economy. However, the design process is complex because it evolves from available components. To address such a gap, in this article, we address design adjustments with the aim of maximizing the reusing of components from an architectural viewpoint, utilizing an applied research method. To achieve the goal, mathematical programming is suggested to make the best use of available components bearing a system approach in circular design in mind. The objective function is the allocation of reclaimed building materials and the decision variables are the needed components. The issue was categorized as integer nonlinear programming (INLP) solved for global optimality utilizing a genetic algorithm (GA). Design variants define different component allocations; thus, the optimum allocation defines the evolved design. Mathematical programming permits defining component allocation variants and the constraints associated with the project. The result of optimization defines the optimum allocation; consequently, it defines the evolved design. The presented procedure is an innovative method that aims to simplify the complexity associated with adjusting the design based on available components. It promotes procurement efficiency because it makes the best use of available material. Moreover, the minimum energy consumption for transportation due to local material usage leads to reuse efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article in the Archives of American Art Journal features oral histories with artists Charles Gaines, Ernesto Palomino, and Terry Braunstein, highlighting their contributions to art in the United States. Gaines explores the intellectual and ethical core of images, Palomino reflects on Chicano activist art, and Braunstein discusses her use of collage and assemblage. These artists have redefined traditions through conceptual, political, and technical lenses, with Gaines and Palomino having ties to California State University, Fresno. The article provides insights into the artists' creative processes and the social contexts that influence their work. [Extracted from the article]

Inverse vulcanization of waste or renewable dienes has generated materials with phenomenal properties across a spectrum of applications. Nevertheless, the use of these materials for structural applications remains a challenge. Here, the use of an inverse vulcanized cyclopentadiene polymer as a resin for carbon fiber reinforced composites is explored. The dynamic S─S bonds in the polymer matrix are used to repair composite specimens over 5 generations by heating the material to 140 °C. A range of composites are manufactured and evaluated for their flexural properties, using a range of fiber orientations. Finally, this polymer is used to reinforce a carbon fiber fabric composed entirely of reclaimed materials, constituting a composite entirely composed of waste materials and second life carbon fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of composite materials in construction has recently exerted a significant impact on society, particularly concerning ecological responsibility and environmental considerations. On a daily basis, proposals advocating the use of emerging materials crafted from discarded or repurposed items are put forth to transcend the limitations posed by conventional resources. One notable aspect of this movement revolves around textile components, encompassing fibres such as wool, cotton, cannabis, and flax. Over the past decade, there has been a heightened focus on worn clothing, as it represents an unprocessed product that holds both commercial viability and ecological benefits. Approximately 1.5 percent of the global waste generated daily comprises textile scraps, with blue jeans, crafted from cotton, standing out as the most prevalent type of apparel worldwide. Textile scraps find new life through recycling, serving various purposes such as the creation of electrical wires, the production of pulverized substances for temperature and acoustic insulation materials, and the incorporation as filler or reinforcement in concrete construction. This paper delves into multiple themes, covering (i) the adverse environmental impacts stemming from the extensive use of clothing; (ii) the recycling and reclamation of textile waste; and (iii) the utilization of waste and reclaimed materials from textiles as building components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating quantities of waste are coming from old bituminous road pavements in Thailand has led to significant environmental and economic challenges. This research explores an innovative solution by investigating the feasibility of using Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) as a substitute for natural coarse aggregate in roller compacted concrete (RCC). This study explores optimal proportions between cement to RAP-specifically at ratios of 1:6, 1:8, and 1:10-to achieve maximum dry density. The research includes essential tests, such as dry density and maximum compressive strength assessments, to determine the suitability of the material for compacted concrete production. Intriguingly, the research reveals that the 1:6 ratio not only has the highest dry density and maximum compressive strength but also may minimize environmental impact. These findings align with the ACI 325.10R-95 standard (1995), presenting a promising alternative for engineering applications and contributing to the responsible use of reclaimed materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a natural process whereby microorganisms break down organic material in the absence of -oxygen. Biodigesters (sealed tanks where AD occurs) are complex ecological systems where different microorganisms work together to produce biogas (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide). They are used to produce energy and fertilizers from organic wastes, such as food waste, crop residues, and animal manure. This article describes the use of simple model -biodigesters, built from low-cost or repurposed materials, as a way to introduce students to physical and conceptual models while learning about resource recovery, waste management and sustainability. This article provides an overview of how teachers can implement this in their science classrooms to engage students in science and engineering practices (SEPs). When used in schools in Ghana and the US, students learned about AD, developed research questions, and built a model biodigester as a tool for scientific inquiry. They collected and analyzed data (e.g., daily biogas and methane production), and they interpreted their results to answer their research questions and make recommendations for local -biodigester construction. More complete information about engaging students in authentic science using biodigesters is available on our website. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the diverse contributions of El Anatsui, a prominent African artist, to the advancement of sculpture at the Nsukka Art School and in the international art community. Anatsui's Ghanaian heritage and academic experiences influenced his artistic development and inspired him to challenge conventional sculptural limitations. He promoted the "Career of Natural Synthesis" idea in Nsukka, advocating for using unorthodox materials such as wood, ceramics, and everyday objects as an artist and a lecturer. This method enhanced the school's artistic discussion and motivated a new cohort of sculptors. Anatsui's large-scale artworks, frequently made from upcycled materials like bottle caps, go beyond traditional standards and incorporate stories of African history and culture directly into the sculptures, expanding the limits of the art form. He is internationally celebrated and considered in contemporary sculpture, with an influence far beyond Nsukka. This study examines Anatsui's impact as an educator, innovator, and cultural intermediary, showcasing his skill in reinterpreting African aesthetics, promoting discussion, and questioning traditional views of sculpture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]