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Improving urban air quality is a pressing challenge in the Global South. A key source of air pollution is the informal burning of household waste. Reducing informal burning requires governments to develop formal systems for waste disposal and for residents to adopt new disposal behaviors. Using a randomized experiment, we show that social competitions between pairs of neighborhoods in Nansana municipality, Uganda, galvanized leadership and inspired collective action to reduce informal burning. All 44 neighborhoods in the study received a public health campaign, while 22 treated neighborhoods were paired and competed to reduce waste burning over an 8-mo period. Treated neighborhoods showed a 24 percent reduction (95% CI: 11 to 35 percent) in waste burning relative to control neighborhoods at the end of the competition period. There is no evidence that treated neighborhoods experienced a rebound in waste burning several months after the competitions. Community leaders reported greater effort in coordinating residents and more pride in their neighborhood when assigned to the competition treatment. These results suggest that creating focal points for leadership and collective action can be an effective and low-cost strategy to address policy problems that require broad participation and costly behavior change.

Leachates from dumpsites have been known to pollute the environment with deleterious effects. The study examined the levels of the sixteen United States Environmental Protection Agency polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in leachates from an unlined solid waste dumpsite using a gas chromatography incorporated with a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID). Possible sources of the PAHs were identified using diagnostic pair ratios. Toxicity and mutagenic health-related risk were extrapolated. The average levels of PAHs ranged from 0.03–147.85 µg/L. The anthracene value of 147.85 µg/L was the maximum PAH concentration recorded. The lowest PAH observed was 0.03 µg/L, which was found in benzo(k)fluoranthene. The 3 – ring PAHs matrix was the highest PAH observed and it followed a ring size decreasing order of 3 > 4 > 5 > 2 > 6 in the leachate sample. The diagnostic pair ratio suggested mixed sources with a slightly dominant petrogenic source identified. The cluster analysis showed different sources of the congeners in the leachate. The benzo(a)pyrene toxic and mutagenic risk quotients showed that the greater concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene and dibenz(a,h)anthracene can induce carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic related health risks to a living organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caesium, strontium, and iodine radionuclides are produced from uranium fission and they are easily soluble in water through accidents or leakages, such as those occurred at Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima. Thus, developing an economical and effective process for removing these radioisotopes from real water is a progressively important issue. Hence, adsorption of 137Cs, 85Sr, and 131I radionuclides was achieved using a solid waste adsorbent. The solid waste adsorbent is granular activated carbon (GAC) gained from the wasted household water filters. The gained data illustrated that the percentages of uptake for 137Cs, 85Sr, and 131I were 87.6, 85.6, and 82.7%, respectively. Application of GAC for the decontamination of real water as groundwater, river water, tap water, and seawater was achieved. The findings revealed that GAC has the ability to be employed effectively as a hopeful material for the decontamination of radioactive 137Cs, 85Sr, and 131I from the environmental water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To alleviate the environmental pollution caused by the stockpile of mining-based, such as coal-based solid waste, mining solid waste-based CaO-MgO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 (CMAS) glass-ceramics with a diopside phase as the main crystalline phase was developed by one-step sintering method, and the effect of different solid waste content on the network structure and properties were investigated. The results show that, with the diversification of solid waste content, the crystallization temperature (T p), the amount of Fe3+ concentration, and diopside crystalline, the main structure of glass Q2 changed also. Accordingly, significant changes have occurred in properties such as the bending strength, Vickers hardness, and density. Optimizing the raw material ratio, crystallization mechanism, a mining solid waste-based glass-ceramic with unique network structure is well developed and the bending strength, Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, and density reaches maximum values of 175.19 MPa, 10.47 GPa, 2.03 MPa m1/2, and 3.00 g/cm3, respectively. The findings contribute significantly to the development of durable and reliable materials for the utilization of mining solid waste resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Simultaneously utilizing a variety of solid wastes to prepare ceramsites. • High temperature sintering is an effective method to solidify heavy metals. • The artificial acceleration of aging in ceramsites has been effectively achieved. • Strong acid and light yield the most optimal results in artificial aging. The escalating global issue of soil pollution by heavy metals, particularly incinerated municipal solid waste fly ash (IMSWFA), necessitates effective remediation strategies. The prevailing approach for safely disposing and utilization of IMSWFA involves high-temperature sintering. In this work, we propose a cost-effective method to produce ceramsites by utilizing IMSWFA, municipal sludge (MS), contaminated soil (CS), and iron tail slag (ITS). After conducting a comprehensive analysis and comparison of outcomes obtained from orthogonal experiments and single-factor experiments, it was determined that the optimal preparation conditions for achieving desirable results are preheating at a temperature of 400 °C for 15 min followed by sintering at a temperature of 1150 °C for 10 min. The optimal ratio of raw materials for ceramsites is 15 % IMSWFA, 15 % MS, 58 % CS, and 12 % ITS. The ceramsites, prepared in accordance with the specified process and raw material ratio, exhibit remarkable properties including robust stability, minimal water absorption, reduced weight, and elevated cylindrical compressive strength. The ceramsites demonstrate an exceptionally high heavy metal loss ratio ranging from 91 % to 100 %, while exhibiting significantly lower leaching quantities of these metals compared to the raw materials. Additionally, aging tests of ceramsites were performed under UV light and acid/alkaline etching to simulate the real-world environment. This work can be utilized to investigate the long-term environmental impact of ceramsites derived from municipal solid waste (MSW), thereby making a valuable contribution to the advancement of solid waste management technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Incomplete feature information is a challenge to multi-target detection. • An improved YOLOX-S model is proposed for identification of waste categories. • The model enhances the extraction ability of feature information. • The model adapts to different interferences with good detection performance. • The model has a high detection accuracy of 85.02 %. The identification of waste composition based on target-detection is crucial in promoting sustainable solid waste management. However, discrimination of different solid waste categories in the presence of incomplete and insufficient feature information remains a challenge in multi-target detection. This paper proposes an improved You Only Look Once (YOLOX-S) model that enables the effective recognition of different waste components in complex environments, which enhances feature-information extraction ability regarding different dimensions by introducing a convolutional block attention module, an adaptive spatial feature fusion module, and an improved efficient intersection-over-union loss function. The improved model was trained on a self-constructed image dataset with multiple waste components and targets in various complex scenarios, including interference from similar color backgrounds, similar waste localization, and mutual waste occlusion. The experimental results showed that the improved model achieved a mean average precision (mAP) of 85.02 %, an increase of 5.32 % over the original YOLO model's mAP, and that it reduced incidents related to inaccurate positioning and false and missed detection. Moreover, the improved model outperformed classical detection models including support vector machine, RestNet-18, and RestNet-50 on a public dataset, achieving a mAP of 94.85 %. The improved model is expected to be applied to intelligent monitoring for waste components in scenarios including indiscriminate waste disposal and illegal dumping, providing decision support for emergency management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Landfill quarters and composting facilities identified as high CH 4 emission zones. • Atmospheric 13C-depleted CH 4 indicates contamination from emission hotspots. • δ13C-CH 4 signatures identify no predominant CH 4 production pathway. • δ13C-DIC of leachates is linked to the initial methanogenesis phase of active quarter. • Difference in traces concerns NO 2 , SO 2 , chlorocarbons, alkanes, benzene and alcohols. Landfill operations and waste processing facilities are important and highly heterogeneous sources of both greenhouse gases (GHGs) and non-GHG air pollutants in the atmosphere. This arises the need for detailed apportionment of waste sources in order to locate and subsequently reduce emissions from landfills. Here, a time series of in situ measurements of atmospheric trace gases and spatial allocation of specific emission source types under different processing phases and environmental conditions were conducted in and in the surroundings of a Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Plant (MSWTP) in south-western Poland. Results revealed that several individual GHG sources dominated across the waste processing facility and that GHGs concentrations displayed spatial seasonality. An increase in the ground-level CH 4 concentrations, from ∼ 30.3 to 56.3 ppmv, was observed close (∼5 – 10 m) to the major emission sources within the MSWTP. While hotspot areas generally yielded elevated CH 4 concentrations near the soil surface, these were relatively low (2.4 to 8.9 ppmv) along the facility's fence line. The study of the corresponding δ13C delineated the extent of dispersion plumes downwind emission hotspots, characterized by a 13C depletion (around 4.0 ‰) in the atmospheric CH 4 and CO 2. For CH 4 , emissions were isotopically discriminated between the extraction wells at active quarters/cells (δ13C = –58.3 ± 1.1 ‰) and biogas produced in the biological waste treatment installation (δ13C = –62.7 ± 0.7 ‰). Most of the trace compounds (non-methane hydrocarbons, halocarbons, oxygen-bearing organic gases, ketones, nitrogenous and sulphurous gases, and other admixture compounds) detected at the ground surface were linked to the CH 4 - and CO 2 -rich spots. Despite the relatively high variability in the concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds observed at the MSWTP active zones, our results suggest that they do not have a meaningful impact on the surrounding air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gasification-combustion reduces the volatilization rate of heavy metals. • The ideal gasification temperature to control heavy metal volatilization is 700 °C. • The ideal RA to control heavy metal volatilization is 0.5. • Composition is the key factor affecting heavy metal migration of RSW. • An evaluation index of heavy metal volatilization risk was proposed. The miniaturized gasification-combustion model has potential advantages in treatment of rural solid waste (RSW) in China. In this study, the gasification-combustion technology concerning air-staged technology was employed in the treatment of seven combustible components in RSW, focusing on the analysis of heavy metal migration characteristics. Firstly, a comparison was made between combustion and gasification-combustion regarding the migration characteristics of heavy metals, demonstrating that gasification-combustion effectively reduces the volatilization rate of heavy metals. The largest reduction in volatility was 12.99 % for Cu. Secondly, this study explored reaction temperatures and oxygen concentration in the gasification zone, concluding that under experimental conditions mentioned herein, optimal gasification temperatures for curing heavy metals were determined to be 700 °C while maintaining an optimal ratio of air (RA) at 0.5 during gasification. Finally, the interaction of inorganic elements with different components on heavy metal migration was revealed by co-gasification-combustion of equal mass mixture of two components. The P, S, Cl contents and the inorganic mineralogical composition of the RSW are the key factors influencing the transport properties of heavy metals. The two-component synergistic effect of RSW studied in this paper has guiding significance for limiting the proportion of RSW components to control heavy metal emission in gasification-combustion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The settlement response of different models was examined with respect to field data. • The field data showed resistance to compressibility under increasing applied stress. • Waste disposal under freezing temperatures delayed biodegradation-induced settlement. • Improved predictions by making mechanical creep coefficient stress-dependent. • MCC model's yield surface must account for the time-dependent volumetric strain. • Extended MCC model showed unrealistic increase in the pre-consolidation pressure. Evaluating model parameters through laboratory experiments presents challenges due to waste heterogeneity and scale effects. This study investigates the settlement response of selected models using field-scale data collected from the filling and post-closure phases of the Ste. Sophie landfill in Canada. The first model was based on primary and secondary compression ratios, which could capture the overall settlement but ignored the effect of freezing temperatures on biodegradation-induced settlement. The second model was a composite model with a primary compression ratio, and rheological and first-order decay equations. The model failed to accurately simulate mechanical creep and account for the effect of freezing temperatures. A modified version, with mechanical creep expressed as a function of the applied stress, was proposed and showed improved settlement predictions. The third model was a Generalized Kelvin-Voigt (GKV) model with biodegradation-induced strain expressed as a function of waste expended energy. This model could simulate the field settlement by considering resistance to compressibility and effects of freezing temperatures. The final model was based on the Modified Cam-Clay (MCC) model. Several studies in the literature have extended the MCC yield surface by incorporating specific mechanical and biological creep models. In this study, a general procedure was proposed to integrate time-dependent strain into the MCC yield surface, irrespective of the mechanical and biological creep models used. The extended MCC model revealed an unrealistic increase in preconsolidation pressure, resulting in an initial elastoplastic response followed by a pure elastic response. It also provided a poor estimation of the field settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The fate of PFAS in the water treatment of a Waste-to-Energy plant was investigated. • PFAS were transferred from the wet flue gas treatment to the water treatment system. • Nine of eleven PFAS were detected in at least one of the five sampled compartments. • PFAS were not removed by the in-house Waste-to-Energy process-water treatment. This study investigated the fate of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the in-house process-water treatment (PWT) of a 65 MW Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant. PFAS are used in a wide variety of applications, but are persistent and will end up in waste streams when products reach the end of their lives. The study aimed to identify the pathway of PFAS from flue-gas treatment to the PWT, and to assess the efficiency of the PWT in removing PFAS. Sampling was conducted over five days at five different locations in the PWT. Nine of the eleven target PFAS were detected in at least one sample. The total concentration of PFAS exhibited day-to-day variations, likely caused by fluctuations in the composition of the waste fuel. The highest average PFAS concentration was observed in foam, and was around 130 times that found in the treated water. However, the mass flow of PFAS in the foam was substantially lower, on average 20 times, than that in the treated water. It was found that the condensate scrubber acts as a PFAS transfer step, carrying over certain PFAS from the flue gases into the condensate and PWT. The mass flow rate of PFAS in the PWT after the addition of condensate was six times that before the addition. The study concludes that, while there are some key changes that could be made to enhance the PFAS removal capacity of the in-house PWT, in its current configuration the PWT is not able to efficiently remove PFAS from process-water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sludge-derived slag indicates compatible physical properties to a common aggregate. • Slag is considered as environmentally safe with its superior leaching performance. • Long term compressive strength of the slag mortar is desirable and stable. • Geotechnical properties of sludge-derived slag are comparable to the natural sand. • LCA showed slag can be used as a sustainable alternative construction material. Tremendous amount of sludge is generated annually from freshwater treatment or sewage. The high temperature slagging co-gasification converts the sludge to slag showing the potential application for construction material. In this study, the physico-chemical properties of 4 types of slags generated from the co-gasification of municipal solid waste (MSW) with sludge from freshwater treatment or sewage, and ashes from sludge incineration are comprehensively analyzed. Leaching performance of the sludge-derived slag and mortar (with slag as the fine aggregate), as determined based on Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), batch leaching and column leaching tests, indicates the slag can be considered safe for reutilization. Compressive strength test demonstrates that the mortars perform excellently and have the potential to replace sand in concrete production. The consolidation coefficient of slag (1.6 – 39.1 m2/year) is lower than the sandy silt but higher than clay. Additionally, the coefficient of permeability (∼1.96 × 10-3 m/s), angle of shearing resistance (∼39°), and undrained shear strength (375.5 ± 54.8 kPa) of the slag are comparable to sand. The life cycle assessment (LCA) is also conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts and benefits of reutilizing sludge-derived slag as an alternative material for concrete production and land reclamation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The non-linear evolutions of HSI spectra caused by water and oil were confirmed. • Autoencoder methods were compared based on their performance on spectral unmixing. • Endmember content maps were predicted for solid waste affected by impurities. • HU shows promise in promoting waste management by quantifying pollutants or purity. Rapid characterization of solid waste using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (HSI) coupled with machine learning models has been increasingly investigated to replace the traditional time- and labor-intensive methods. However, contamination by waste-derived leachates or other fractions etc., can cause the spectra evolutions and significantly influences the identification performance, which has not been investigated before. The first attempt was made by using hyperspectral unmixing (HU) to extract the endmember components and demonstrate their contributions (abundance) to solid waste, taking the non-linear reflectance changes due to the O–H vibration of water and unclear variation associated with oil and leachates as an example. The HSI spectra of various solid waste components influenced by pure water, oil and three kinds of leachates were acquired. A novel method based on HU models, including multivariate curve resolution with alternating least squares and state-of-the-art autoencoder architectures (deep learning models), was developed to estimate the spectra of endmembers as well as their abundances in individual pixel. Their spatial distribution overview in solid waste was then yielded. The selected models were validated via an independent test data set, with lower spectral angle distance, 12.3° ± 6.5°, indicating the similarity of the predicted endmembers with real components. And the lowest root of mean square error on endmember distribution maps was 0.17. The non-linear liquid's effects by water and oil on spectra variations of solid waste were clearly illuminated. Additionally, the proposed method can extract information from mixed spectroscopic images and generate reconstructed spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • IWOA-BiLSTM model is proposed to predict coal and solid waste co-firing performance. • CFD simulation data have been used to improve the accuracy of the prediction model. • Effect of coal mass ratio and first stage stoichiometry on gas emission is studied. • The novel approach is shown to be accurate to predict temperature and gas emission. The co-firing technology of combustible solid waste (CSW) and coal in the supercritical CO 2 (S-CO 2) circulating fluidized bed (CFB) can effectively deal with domestic waste, promote social and environmental benefits, improve the coal conversion rate, and reduce pollutant emission. This study focuses on the co-firing characteristics of CSW and coal under S-CO 2 power cycle, and simulations are conducted by employing Multiphase Particle-in-cell (MP-PIC) method integrated with the comprehensive chemical reaction models in a 300 MW S-CO 2 CFB boiler. Effects of operating parameters including fuel mixture proportion and first stage stoichiometry on the gas emission characteristics are further analyzed. Based on training and testing database based on the simulation results, a novel Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm and Bi-dictionary Long Short-Term Memory (IWOA-BiLSTM) algorithm model is established to predict CFB temperature, NOx emission concentration, and SO 2 emission concentration, respectively. Results show that CO and SO 2 decrease with the coal mass ratio of the fuel mixture increasing, while NOx increases. With the increase of first stage stoichiometry, CO increases, NOx declines, and the change of SO 2 is not obvious. Compared with two other basic algorithm models, the prediction error of the proposed algorithm model for the three targets is minimal with the average relative error of 0.032 %, 0.231 %, and 0.157 %, respectively, which can meet the prediction requirements with acceptable accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of short-lived climate pollutions (SLCPs) has been developed as part of global warming mitigation policies to identify the human-made atmospheric compounds that contribute to positive radioactive forcing. Numerous evident shows that there are those pollutants cause negative impact like climate change. Despite the extensive research in this area, the potential emissions of SLCPs from the waste management sector at the city level have not been thoroughly explored. This study aimed to reveal the material flow of domestic waste in Semarang City. The waste management system was assessed using a literature survey and the potential emissions of SLCPs from waste management were analysed from a life cycle assessment perspective. This study used emission quantification tool (EQT), developed by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions from domestic solid waste management. While collecting data from existing literature, the author performed a MFA for the current conditions, which is based on the latest available data from 2022. The result showed that the current waste management system in Semarang City has several issues, such as a significant amount of unmanaged waste and the burning of waste, which contribute to high emissions of SLCPs. For the first time, this study demonstrated that by implementing advanced technologies such as incinerators and separating organic from inorganic waste, it is possible to achieve a substantial reduction in black carbon and methane emissions in Semarang City. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and contribute to the development of tailored waste management strategies that effectively mitigate SLCP emissions, setting a precedent for other urban areas facing similar challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethylene (PE), including high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), makes up a significant part of post‐consumer plastics in municipal solid waste, presenting challenges for traditional recycling methods due to a wide range of melt flow properties and poor interfacial adhesion between the different resin, which often leads to low quality products (downcycling). In this study, a method is proposed to modify the molecular structure of post‐consumer PE (rHDPE and rLDPE) and their blends by using a straightforward organic peroxide crosslinking technique with 1 phr of dicumyl peroxide (DCP). Different rHDPE/rLDPE blend weight ratios (0/100, 20/80, 40/60, 50/50, 60/40, 80/20, and 100/0) were prepared using a combination of co‐rotating twin‐screw extrusion and pulverization. The final parts were produced via rotomolding where both the forming and crosslinking processes occurred concurrently. Subsequently, the materials were characterized in terms of chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties. It was found that the tensile strength (228%), tensile modulus (345%), flexural strength (145%), and flexural modulus (251%) increased by crosslinking the 80% wt. rHDPE (x‐rHDPE). Conversely, the gel content increased by 17%, thermal resistance by 37.2%, and the impact strength by 93% with 80% wt. rLDPE (x‐rLDPE). It can be concluded that a balance between the properties occurs as the addition of DCP improved both the interfacial adhesion and melt properties of rHDPE/rLDPE blends. This innovative approach represents a simple and straightforward method to upcycle mixed plastics (PE) streams, especially for rotomolding applications. It also offers promising avenues for sustainable waste management and material reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing high-performance carbon-based materials for environmental and energy-related applications produces solid waste with secondary pollution to the environment at the end of their service lives. It is still challenging to utilize these functional materials in a sustainable manner in different fields. In this study, we demonstrate a cascaded utilization of an Fe3O4@onion-like carbon (Fe3O4@OLC) structure from wastewater adsorbents to a supercapacitor electrode. The structure was formed by carbonizing Fe3O4@oleic acid monodisperse nanoparticles into interconnected Fe3O4@OLCs and subsequent insufficient acid etching. The hollow OLCs in the outside region of the hybrid structure provide high surface area and the encapsulated Fe3O4 nanoparticles in the inside region offer high ferromagnetism. The three-dimensionally interconnected graphitic layers are advantageous for efficient separation and high conductivity. As a result, the maximum saturation adsorption capacity of insufficiently etched interconnected Fe3O4@OLCs can reach up to 90.2 mg g−1 and they can be efficiently separated under a magnetic field. Furthermore, the hybrid structure is thermally transformed into N-doped HOLCs, which are demonstrated to be a high-performance supercapacitor electrode with high specific capacitance and high electrochemical stability. The cascaded utilization of the hybrid structure in this study is meaningful for eco-friendly development of functional materials for environmental and energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaO-MgO-SiO 2 insulating refractories were prepared using phosphorus tailings through in-situ pore-forming technology in this work, aiming to achieve the efficient utilization of solid waste phosphorus tailings. microsilica was used to react with free CaO generated by the decomposition of dolomite from phosphorus tailings during the calcination in order to prevent the hydration of CaO in the materials. The influence of microsilica addition and heating temperature on the properties of insulating refractories prepared from phosphorus tailings was investigated. The results showed that CaO-MgO-SiO 2 insulating refractories with 8.8 wt% microsilica addition exhibited excellent comprehensive performance after heating at 1300 °C for 3 h. The insulation refractories prepared from phosphorus tailings were anti-hydration, had lower thermal conductivity, and could be used as insulation refractories for high-temperature kilns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we developed a facile method for the synthesis of battery-grade ferric phosphate (FePO4·2H2O) using high-pressure hydrolyzed precipitates of cobalt–iron alloy acid solution. The size of the prepared FePO4·2H2O samples was about 5–10 μm, and the microstructure of FePO4·2H2O was polyhedral. The FePO4·2H2O samples exhibited a high Fe/P ratio (1.03) compared with standard ferric phosphate (0.98–1.02), indicating potentially good electrochemical performance. The significance of the current work is that we have developed an effective method for the resource utilization of solid waste containing iron. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valorisation of urban biowaste can contribute to a circular and sustainable resource management. However, biowaste valorisation is not inherently sustainable. This study employs the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to investigate the sustainability implications of biowaste valorisation. A narrative literature review provided an overview of the current scientific knowledge on interactions between biowaste valorisation and selected SDG targets. Then stakeholder interviews yielded insights into such interactions in a national context. Our findings show the potential for 19 synergies and 11 trade-offs between biowaste valorisation and 20 selected SDG targets that are addressed in detail. Although the synergies outnumber the trade-offs, different context-dependencies influence the nature and strength of the interactions. We highlight three types of context-dependencies relating to governance. This study informs the scientific community and decision-makers on planning for sustainable biowaste valorisation that addresses context-dependencies. The insights can guide countries and cities at early transition stages towards biowaste valorisation. Keypoint Highlights: Evidence to support the scientific community and decision-makers towards sustainable biowaste valorisation (BV) Analysis of BV context-dependencies relating to governance Horizontal and vertical policy coherence are prerequisites for sustainable BVInterdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration essential towards sustainable BV BV and bioeconomy strategies must address context-dependencies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the acceleration of industrialization and population growth, there has been a notable surge in municipal solid waste (MSW) production globally. This necessitates the development of efficient waste management strategies that align with sustainable economic, environmental, and social goals. Implementing sorting and source separation policies serves as foundational steps toward optimizing material flow and resource utilization. In industrial areas, waste generation around a primary source may improve policy implementation and participation. Given the unique strategic context of port environments, Bahregan Port in Iran was selected as a case study to evaluate the proposed methodology. Three integrated scenarios were formulated and prioritized using the ELECTRE-I model: currently practiced collection method, and segregated collection followed by source separation of MSW into two or three groups. The analysis identified the third scenario as the most effective approach. Remarkably, when evaluating the results under optimistic and pessimistic conditions, the ranking of preferences remained consistent across scenarios in the optimal state. Under pessimistic conditions, all scenarios received identical scores, indicating significant uncertainty in criteria weights. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis revealed that criteria such as the raw material sources protection, emissions in the waste separation sector, and greenhouse gas emissions were highly influential. Interestingly, criteria with the highest weighting did not always dictate the final scenario selection. External factors, such as expert opinions on specific criteria, played a pivotal role in scenario prioritization. This research serves as a foundational study for source separation initiatives, offering practical and technically viable strategies to enhance environmental sustainability within industrial settings. Implications: Rising industrialization and population growth have led to increased municipal solid waste (MSW) production worldwide. To address this, efficient waste management strategies are essential, focusing on sustainability and resource optimization through sorting and source separation policies. By prioritizing the scenario of segregated collection followed by source separation – industrial areas can optimize material flow and resource utilization. The study highlights the influence of criteria like raw material protection, emissions, and greenhouse gases, making this research foundational for enhancing environmental sustainability in industrial settings. This study provides practical strategies for enhancing environmental sustainability in industrial settings through source separation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing shotcrete materials using coal gangue is an effective method of disposal and use of gangue solid waste, while testing the Poisson's ratio of coal gangue-based shotcrete materials (CGSM) is an important step in evaluating the mechanical properties of such materials. Therefore, to study the evolution of the Poisson's ratio of CGSM under different influencing factors, detailed test schemes and procedures were designed based on the non-contact test method of Poisson's ratio. The accuracy of the non-contact test method is verified. In addition, changes in the Poisson's ratio of CGSM under different factors were studied. Results show that the Poisson's ratio of CGSM tends to reduce with prolonged curing. When the particle sizes of coal gangue are 0 ~ 2.5 and 2.5 ~ 5 mm, fine particles can fill interstitial voids in shotcrete materials. As the mass concentration and cement content increase, the Poisson's ratio of CGSM gradually decreases; as the sand content rises, the Poisson's ratio gradually increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The co-pyrolysis behavior of pine sawdust (PS) biochar doped with copper slag (CS) and the adsorption performance of the prepared CS catalyzed composite adsorbent is studied. Thermogravimetric, SEM, and BET are used to analyze the co-pyrolysis characteristics and the adsorption performance of PS and its mixed samples with different ratios of PS and CS. The co-pyrolysis of CS and PS effectively improves the pyrolysis characteristics. Compared with PS pyrolysis alone, with little change in activation energy, the reaction order changed from 1.5 to 0.5. When the mixing ratio PS:CS = 3:1, the pyrolysis release characteristics were the highest; the most favorable for the pyrolysis reaction. The H3PO4, KOH, and ZnCl2 used to modify PS biochar improved its adsorption capacity. The results show that the modified PS biochar has a larger specific surface area and provides more adsorption sites, effectively improving the adsorption effect. The adsorption capacity of the PS biochar is inversely proportional to the concentration of the Cr(VI) solution. Under the conditions of modified PS at 1:1 based on H3PO4, KOH, and ZnCl2, the concentration of the Cr(VI) solution is 20 mg, and the adsorption effect is best in an acidic environment with pH = 1. The high value-added utilization of metallurgical solid waste and agricultural waste was realized, namely the governance concept of "treating danger with waste." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of rare earth oxide CeO 2 on the physical properties of ceramsite and its efficiency in treating ammonia-nitrogen wastewater. Ceramsite was prepared from solid waste with 10 % coal gangue added as a pore-forming agent. Ceramsite sample I with CeO 2 and sample II without CeO 2 were prepared using pure reagents. The process parameters for both samples were optimized using an orthogonal test. Additionally, the effects of CeO 2 on ceramsite performance and the treatment of ammonia-nitrogen wastewater were studied, and the adsorption mechanism of CeO 2 on ammonia-nitrogen wastewater was clarified. The process parameters for preparing ceramsite sample Ⅰ were: preheating for 30 min at 600 °C, followed by roasting for 20 min at 1090 °C. The parameters for preparing ceramsite sample Ⅱ were: preheating for 30 min at 600 °C, followed by roasting time for 15 min at 1090 °C. The presence of CeO 2 increased the porosity of the ceramsite by 0.89 % and the specific surface area by 0.66 m2/g. Under neutral environmental conditions of water samples, CeO 2 increased the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen by 1.85 %. Ceramsite has a high porosity and specific surface area, indicating that it has abundant internal pores, a large contact area with ammonia-nitrogen, a strong ability to remove ammonia nitrogen, and resistance to erosion and water flow shear, which are conducive to the treatment of ammonia-nitrogen wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using steel slag in architectural three-dimensional (3D) printing not only enhances its utilization efficiency but also significantly reduces cement consumption, thereby mitigating carbon emissions. This study evaluated the substitution of steel slag for cement in 3D printing and examined its impact on rheological properties, fluidity, green strength, and early hydration microstructure based on alkalinity level, particle-size distribution, and blending quantity. The relationship between the early properties of 3D-printed steel slag cementitious materials and their pore microstructures was investigated using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests. The results showed that high-alkalinity steel slag has superior rheological characteristics and generates a larger amount of gel water within the initial 30 min of hydration. Steel slag particles ranging from 5 to 20 μm had the most significant influence on enhancing the rheological properties of 3D-printed steel slag cementitious materials by facilitating the formation of a flocculated mesh structure during early hydration. Optimal rheological performance was achieved with a dosage level of 10% steel slag, effectively reducing porosity and improving compactness in the mortar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing hazardous solid waste to produce autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) has been a prominent area of research in the building materials industry. This paper proposes the preparation of AAC by substituting quartz sand with solid waste textile-dyeing sludge incineration ash, which met A5.0 (compressive strength ≥5 MPa) and B07 (Bulk density ≤750 kg/m3) grade requirements. The hydration products in AAC by using textile-dyeing sludge incineration ash (TDSIA) were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that CaSO4,Fe3O4 , and others in TDSIA were generating hydrogarnet, calcium aluminate hydrate, ettringite, and calcium iron aluminum silicate. Grinding was found to promote the autoclaved hydration of CaSO4 and Fe3O4 in TDSIA. The AAC process effectively immobilized heavy metals from TDSIA and led to a lower concentration of heavy metals in the leachate. These findings offer a promising and environment-friendly method for the resource utilization of TDSIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, polyaluminum sulfate (PAFS), an inorganic flocculant, was synthesized using municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash. The morphology and structure of PAFS were characterized using x-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A single-factor flocculation experiment explored the impact of polymerization duration, temperature, stirring speed, and pH on the preparation of PAFS. Optimal removal of kaolin turbidity was achieved with a polymerization time of 60 min, a stirring speed of 100 rpm, a temperature of 40°C, and a pH of 10, resulting in a maximum turbidity removal rate of 32.75%. To enhance the turbidity reduction capability of PAFS, upgraded experiments were conducted using FeSO4·7 H2O as an additive. These experiments demonstrated that the modified flocculant significantly improved turbidity removal, achieving 74.95% under consistent conditions with a pH of 3.5 and an FeSO4·7 H2O addition of 1 g, corresponding to a 1∶5 ratio to fly ash. The characterization of the flocculant revealed that PAFS is a composite material containing hydroxyl groups, iron ions, and chloride ions, forming a network structure of interconnected molecular chains with a dense configuration. The adsorption bridging by high-molecular-weight iron sulfate polymers with branch-like structures plays a critical role in turbidity elimination. This study presents a novel method for the utilization of MSWI fly ash in environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household medical waste is often improperly disposed of in several countries, despite the presence of a collection mechanism. This study attempts to identify the challenges of medical waste collection systems, focusing on the regulatory instruments and the stakeholders involved in this process in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. A descriptive analysis was conducted to identify the differences between these countries. The results reveal that, in general, only 7 out of the 20 regulatory instruments for solid waste are applied in the household medical waste collection process, focusing on the direct stakeholders in the human medicines market, from manufacturers to consumers. The main challenges identified are incorporating veterinary medicines, defining roles for all stakeholders involved, such as healthcare providers and health teaching institutions, and expanding the use of regulatory instruments. These findings support the use of legislation to reduce the stakeholder contributions gap for the collection of household medical waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• LC fitting of the XANES data determined the proportion of ecotoxic copper and zinc. • The majority of ecotoxic Zn in all bottom and fly ash is elemental zinc and ZnO. • For the ecotoxic Cu fraction no specific compound could be identified. • The selective extraction overestimates the HP14 value for copper. The analysis of the presence and content of substances that are toxic to aquatic life in waste is essential for classification of waste with regard to hazard property (HP) 14 'ecotoxic'. For the determination of HP14 classified copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) compounds in various municipal solid waste incineration bottom ashes (IBA) and one fly ash (FA) from Germany we applied X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy in combination with linear combination fitting. The analysis showed that approx. 50–70% of Cu in the IBA are Cu(I) compounds and elemental Cu(0), but these compounds were not equally distributed in the different IBA. In contrast, the majority (approx. 50–70%) of Zn in all IBA is elemental zinc, which originates from brass or other alloys and galvanized metals with a large content of zinc in the waste. The FA contain higher mass fraction on Zn and other toxic elements, but similar Cu and Zn species. Additional performed selective extraction at a pH of 4 with an organic acid of some IBA showed that the ecotoxic Zn fraction is mainly elemental zinc and zinc oxide. In contrast, for the ecotoxic Cu fraction within the IBA no specific compound could be identified. Furthermore, the XANES analysis showed that the HP14 properties of especially Cu in IBA is overestimated with current best-practice guidelines for sample processing for the current substance-related approach with the 0.1% cut-off rule for each substance. However, it should be considered whether it would not be better from an environmental point of view to take the ecotoxicologically leachable copper and zinc as a reference value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new method for comprehensively evaluating GHG emissions from HFWC-MSW landfills. • HFWC and LFWC MSW have greatly different time distributions of GHG emissions. • Method for assessing unmonitored fugitive LFG emissions. • Collecting LFG in advance is essential for reducing GHG emissions with HFWC MSW. • HFWC-MSW landfills have great GHG emissions reduction potentials. This study proposes a comprehensive evaluation method based on a two-stage model to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reductions in high-food-waste-content (HFWC) municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. The proposed method considers typical processes such as fugitive landfill gas (LFG), LFG collection, flaring, power generation, and leachate treatment. A case study of an HFWC MSW landfill in eastern China is considered to illustrate the evaluation. The findings revealed that the GHG emissions equivalent of the case landfill amounted to 21.23 million tons from 2007 to 2022, averaging 1.03 tons CO 2 -eq per ton of MSW. There was a potential underestimation of LFG generation at the landfill site during the initial stages, which led to delayed LFG collection and substantial fugitive LFG emissions. Additionally, the time distribution of GHG emissions from HFWC MSW was significantly different from that of low-food-waste-content (LFWC) MSW landfills, with peak emissions occurring much earlier. Owing to the rapid degradation characteristics of HFWC MSW, the cumulative LFG production of the landfill by 2022 (2 years after the final cover) was projected to reach 77 % of the total LFG potential. In contrast, it would take until 2030 for LFWC MSW landfills to reach this level. Furthermore, various scenarios were analyzed, in which if the rapid LFG generation characteristics of HFWC MSW are known in advance, and relevant facilities are constructed ahead of time, the collection efficiency can be improved from 31 % to over 78 %, resulting in less GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Comparison of different physical and enzymatic OFMSW pre-treatments. • Study of the pre-treatment effects on both the AD products: biogas and digestate. • Evaluation of the most energetically sustainable AD configurations. • Analyses of digestate quality in terms of nutrient content for the application as fertilizer. • UPP2 and cavitation are the best enzymatic and physical pre-treatments, respectively. This study optimized the anaerobic digestion (AD) of separated collected organic fractions of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) to produce energy and digestate as biofertilizer. Due to OFMSW's partial recalcitrance to degradation, enzymatic (UPP2, MCPS, USC4, USE2, A. niger) and physical (mechanical blending, heating, hydrodynamic cavitation) pre-treatments were tested. Experimental and modeling approaches were used to compare AD performance regarding energy sustainability and digestate quality. Digestate was separated into solid and liquid fractions, and then chemically and physically characterized by investigating the nutrient release mechanisms. Principal Component Analysis was applied, equally weighing energy and digestate productions. Unlike previous studies focusing only on biogas, this study evaluated the effects of pre-treatments on both biogas and digestate production, viewing AD as a biorefinery process for urban waste valorization. Results showed that all pre-treatments were energetically sustainable, but enzymatic pre-treatments yielded digestates richer in nutrients (increase of 80% N, 200% P and 150% K as compared to OFMSW) and with greater organic matter degradation compared to physical pre-treatments. The liquid fraction of digestate from enzymatic pre-treatments had higher nutrient concentrations, while those from physical pre-treatments had more balanced nutrient content, making them more suitable for fertigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The melting potential of CFB fly ash far exceeds that of MGF fly ash. • The MGF fly ash + 50 % MGF bottom ash significantly enhances melting potential. • Built the horizontal swirl melting furnace to melt MSWI fly ash on the scale. • The particle size distribution of MSWI fly ash affects the melting effect in the furnace. This study used the horizontal tubular heating furnace to explore the melting potential of circulating fluidized bed (CFB) incinerator fly ash and mechanical grate furnace (MGF) incinerator fly ash. The horizontal cyclone melting furnace was then built to explore further the feasibility of scale melting of MSWI fly ash. The melting characteristic temperature, amorphous content, and heavy metal leaching concentration characterized the melting potential and solidification effect of MSWI fly ash. The experimental results show that the amorphous content of CFB fly ash after melting is up to 92.37%, and the volatilization rate of heavy metals Zn, Pb, and Ni does not exceed 30%. MGF fly ash exhibits the "sintering into shells" phenomenon during heating, and the leaching concentrations of heavy metals Pb in the sintered products still exceed the standard limits. In addition, the volatilization rates of heavy metals Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni in Slag II are above 50%, and the volatilization rate of Cr reaches 85%. So, slag's amorphous content also affects heavy metals' volatilization rate. The MSWI fly ash melting characteristic temperature decreases with the decrease of alkalinity value. When the alkalinity value drops to 0.6, the melting characteristic temperature reaches its lowest value. Mixing 80% CFB fly ash or 50% MGF bottom ash into MGF fly ash can significantly enhance the melting potential to reduce hazardous waste. When using the horizontal cyclone melting furnace to process MSWI fly ash on a large scale, MSWI fly ash achieves an excellent melting effect with an amorphous content of over 93% at the positions of the furnace middle section, inner tail cone, slag discharge outlet, and flue gas outlet. The fly ash particles are in motion in the melting furnace, so the particle size distribution affects the melting effect of MSWI fly ash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Chemical profiling of different paper grades was performed along the recycling chain. • Untargeted analysis of semi-volatiles and non-volatiles using GC- and LC-MS. • Chemometrics application to identify specific features by paper grade and site. • Exploration of the possible sources of detected compounds in the paper recycling chain. • Numerous chemical compounds associated with plastics have been detected. Paper packaging made with recycled paperboard is used to pack various consumer goods that can include amongst others, electronics, toys, food, cosmetics, and stationery. Chemical profiling of the various paper recycling grades used in the manufacture of recycled paperboard was undertaken to investigate possible sources of contaminants and their propagation in the paper recycling chain. Pre-consumer, retail and post-consumer paper-based materials were collected at papermills, corrugators, grocery stores, household waste, solid waste disposal sites and recycling facilities. In the GC-MS analysis, phthalates, long-chain aliphatic compounds, and fatty acids were the most commonly detected compounds whilst phthalates and bisphenols featured most prevalently in the LC-MS analysis. The factors that were identified as likely contributors to the detection of the different chemical compounds included the presence of wood derivatives, the use of certain chemical additives during manufacturing, and exposure of paper to contaminants from consumers, other goods and the environment. Waste mingling, recovery, sorting and reprocessing into recycled paper were also shown to influence the chemical profile of paper materials. Sparse partial least squares-discriminate analysis indicated that newspaper and office paper had unique chemical constituents, whilst cartons were shown to have higher variability. By looking at key stages of paper recycling, this study showed that the possible persistence and transformation of chemical compounds in additives must be evaluated when considering the recyclability of paper-based materials. Further, it highlighted that different separation approaches may be required to reduce contaminant exposure opportunities in post-consumer paper materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introduced an online system for monitoring ash deposition and corrosion rates. • Demonstrated rapid adaptability to condition changes in solid waste combustion. • Indicated enrichment of NaCl/KCl in submicron particles and inner deposit layer. • Useful for real-time operational adjustments and guiding maintenance decisions. Solid waste incineration is a clean and sustainable approach for solid waste management. However, ash deposition and corrosion remain a critical issue due to fuel's inherent enrichment of alkali chlorine. This study develops an integrated online deposition and corrosion monitoring system to enhance the operational safety and efficiency of solid waste incineration boilers. This system combines linear polarization resistance (LPR) for corrosion rate estimation with heat flux measurements for ash deposition analysis. It can offer a novel approach for real-time monitoring of heat exchangers' safety during solid waste combustion. It was deployed in a full-scale circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler that purely combust solid wastes. Key findings demonstrate the system's capability to deliver continuous, real-time data, crucial for the dynamic control of combustion processes and the maintenance of heat transfer surfaces. Its robust diagnostic capabilities were evident across various scenarios. Specially, initial corrosion rates sharply increase with deposition rates due to the enrichment of alkali chlorine on inner deposit layer, in which chlorine serves as a catalyst, facilitating the rapid penetration and aggravation of corrosion by other agents. As deposit further buildup, the corrosion rate steadily decreases along with surface temperature, highlighting a dynamic interaction. Moreover, measured corrosion rates can quickly response to temperature variations. Such multi-process online monitoring system provide more possibilities to investigate the inherent interaction between deposition and corrosion. Therefore, this work offers insights that could significantly influence operational strategies, maintenance protocols, and the overall reliability of waste-to-energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Remote sensing and GIS based techniques for solid waste detection are discussed. • An overview of satellites and public datasets for solid waste detection is provided. • The most relevant open issues and research directions are identified and discussed. • The solid waste detection field lacks a benchmark for comparing existing approaches. • Most work focuses on specific case studies rather than methods for global adoption. The detection and characterization of illegal solid waste disposal sites are essential for environmental protection, particularly for mitigating pollution and health hazards. Improperly managed landfills contaminate soil and groundwater via rainwater infiltration, posing threats to both animals and humans. Traditional landfill identification approaches, such as on-site inspections, are time-consuming and expensive. Remote sensing is a cost-effective solution for the identification and monitoring of solid waste disposal sites that enables broad coverage and repeated acquisitions over time. Earth Observation (EO) satellites, equipped with an array of sensors and imaging capabilities, have been providing high-resolution data for several decades. Researchers proposed specialized techniques that leverage remote sensing imagery to perform a range of tasks such as waste site detection, dumping site monitoring, and assessment of suitable locations for new landfills. This review aims to provide a detailed illustration of the most relevant proposals for the detection and monitoring of solid waste sites by describing and comparing the approaches, the implemented techniques, and the employed data. Furthermore, since the data sources are of the utmost importance for developing an effective solid waste detection model, a comprehensive overview of the satellites and publicly available data sets is presented. Finally, this paper identifies the open issues in the state-of-the-art and discusses the relevant research directions for reducing the costs and improving the effectiveness of novel solid waste detection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper explores the role of AI in sorting solid waste in service building. • The developed virtual assistant supports verbal and visual input from users. • The developed virtual assistant provides immediate directions based on policies. • The developed virtual assistant permits facility manger to track sorting behaviour. • Using a virtual assistant can increase occupants engagement in waste sorting plans. Waste management researchers have identified that the correct disposal of solid waste is better addressed upstream, where people properly sort their solid waste. Sorting solid waste is a practice that requires a behaviour friendly to sorting and willingness to continuously comply with waste management policies. However, the dynamic and ever-changing nature of service buildings' users makes fostering such behaviour challenging, potentially jeopardizing solid waste sorting efforts. Therefore, in this paper, we explore the possible role of artificial intelligence in alleviating the cumbersome process of sorting solid waste, by developing a virtual assistant that interacts with tenants via verbal and visual inputs to provide them with waste management services and instructions. The virtual assistant utilizes Natural Language Processing and computer vision techniques to enable voice and image recognition functionalities and achieved accuracy levels of 85% and 88% for verbal and visual inputs, respectively. The present work can be a solid foundation to investigate further implementation of virtual assistants to support sustainability practices in Facility Management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A simple construction strategy is proposed for hierarchical porous foam carbon (NOAC-5 K-750). • NOAC-5 K-750 are prepared by the mild-homogeneous activation process under low precursor/KOH mass ratio (about 1: 0.8). • NOAC-5 K-750 has a high specific surface area (S BET = 1753 m2/g) with multistage nanopore structure. • NOAC-5 K-750 obtains an excellent H 2 storage density (2.92 wt%) and CO 2 capture capacity (5.28 mmol/g). Currently, carbon-based porous materials for hydrogen (H 2) storage and carbon dioxide (CO 2) capture are mostly applied at higher pressures (30–300 bar). However, applications for H 2 storage and CO 2 capture under ambient pressure conditions are significant for the development of portable, household, and miniaturized H 2 energy technologies. This demands a higher standard for the interface microenvironment of adsorbents. Derived from polyurethane foams (PUFs) solid waste, the hierarchical porous foam carbon with interpenetrating-type pore structures exhibits high specific surface area (S BET = 1753 m2/g), abundant oxygen and nitrogen functional groups, and a hierarchical nanopore structure (V Ultra = 0.232 cm3/g, V Micro = 0.628 cm3/g and V Meso = 0.186 cm3/g) through the mild-homogeneous sonication-assisted activation process. Under the limited adsorption of pore interface microenvironment composed by hierarchical nanopore structure and dipole-induced interaction (H(Ⅱ)-H(Ⅰ)···N/O and O(Ⅱ) = C(Ⅰ) = O(Ⅱ)···N/O), it exhibits an excellent H 2 storage density (2.92 wt% at 77 K, 1 bar) and CO 2 capture capacity (5.28 mmol/g at 298 K, 1 bar). This research approach can serve as a reference for the dual-functional design of porous foam carbon, and promote the development of adsorption materials for CO 2 capture and energy gas storage under ambient conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we have devised the notion of neutrosophic cubic spherical fuzzy sets (NCSFSs) for the first time and discussed their basic binary operations along with important properties. This proposition has been framed superimposing the existing notions of spherical neutrosophic set (SNS) as well as the interval-valued neutrosophic spherical fuzzy set (IVNSFS). This proposition computationally helps in handling incompatible situations where each element has been addressed by truth, indeterminacy, and false membership values. Next, some important exponential operational laws have been relationally established for NCSFSs, highlighting their significant properties. Furthermore, to address decision-making challenges in the NCSFS environment, we have developed exponential weighted aggregate operators based on the proposed & defined operational laws with important results. Finally, an algorithm for solving a decision-making problem has been presented by using the proposed exponential weighted aggregate operators, where the best site for waste material has been identified with the help of a numerical example by keeping the environmental factors into account. In the numerical example, we created a decision matrix based on experts' opinions and then applied the suggested NCSFWEA operators to a waste disposal site selection issue that has five alternatives and four attributes. At last, by utilizing the scoring function, the alternatives have been ranked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides new empirical evidence on the role of landfill taxes in reducing landfill waste and promoting recycling. We focus on the impacts of the 2017 landfill tax law reform in Catalonia, a Spanish region, which increased the tax rate from 18 to 47 euros per tonne over the period 2017–20. Using municipality‐level data for Catalonia from the 2013–20 period, we contrast municipalities that differed in the use of door‐to‐door waste collection by the beginning of our study period. As door‐to‐door waste collection is advocated as especially efficient at reducing landfill waste, we hypothesise that municipalities that had not yet adopted this system had greater leeway in responding to the tax changes. Based on a two‐way fixed effects design, our findings reveal large differential responses to the tax hike. Compared with municipalities that had implemented door‐to‐door waste collection by 2013, we estimate that those that had not done this responded to the tax hike by reducing landfill waste by an additional 12 per cent, reducing total waste by 4 per cent, and increasing the share of recycled waste and waste that is sorted as organic by 6 and 2.5 percentage points, respectively. We provide suggestive evidence that the adoption of door‐to‐door waste collection is the main mechanism driving these responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study collected data on waste generation and management in China between 1979 and 2020 from government statistics and literature and reviewed the development of municipal solid waste (MSW) management in China. The extended stochastic impact by regression on population, affluence and technology (STIRPAT) model was employed to identify the driving forces of MSW generation, and the cointegration analysis showed that economy (0.35, t = −3.47), industrial structure (3.34, t = −20.77) and urbanization (−1.5, t = 5.678) were the significant socioeconomic driving forces in the long run. By employing the framework of evolutionary economics, this study then investigated the internal rules of long-term interaction between socioeconomic factors and MSW management. The results indicate that, in the long run, MSW management development can be viewed as an evolutionary process that includes a continuous adaptation to external socioeconomic factors and the co-evolution of internal institutions and technologies. Adaptation and diversity of institutions and technologies play an important role in achieving sustainable waste management and circular economy (CE). This study offers a novel evolutionary perspective for explaining dynamic changes of MSW management in China, as well as recommendations for emerging economies to achieve sustainable waste management and CE goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid population growth has led to more municipal solid waste (MSW), which can be turned into energy. But direct MSW utilisation generates tar in gasification, produces water and acid contents in pyrolysis bio-oil, and releases secondary pollutants during combustion. Torrefaction solves the issues associated with direct MSW utilisation. This work optimised torrefaction process parameters (T: 220–300°C and t: 10–50 min) for torrefied solid fuels (TSF) production using response surface methodology and studied the characteristics, grindability, and pyrolysis behaviour of the optimised TSF. Temperature and time influenced the TSF calorific value (CV) and mass yield (YS), with temperature effect more compared to time. The CV increased with torrefaction severity. 25.94 MJ/kg and 17.94 MJ/kg CV were obtained at T300-50 (300°C, 50 min) and T222-13 (222°C, 13 min), respectively. YS gave an opposite trend with 97.52% and 51.58% at T222-13 and T300-50, respectively. The optimum condition was achieved at T282-19 with 21.97 MJ/kg CV and 70.10% YS. T300-50 and T282-19 CV and carbon content increased, while O/C and H/C ratios reduced. The removal of the OH group hindered H bond formation, consequently improving MSW hydrophobicity. T300-50 and T282-19 pyrolysis kinetics activation energy decreased from 240.44 to 104.34 and 195.46 kJ/mol, respectively, confirming optimised TSF pyrolysis reactivity improvement. The Criado and Coats Redfern models showed that all the samples followed the second-order reaction mechanism. Torrefaction improved the thermal, reactivity, and grindability properties of MSW. These findings showed the potential of torrefaction to transform MSW into a renewable and sustainable energy source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The serial compound fluidized bed gasification process of HMSW (high moisture solid waste) is studied, and the semi-empirical kinetic model is established by combining hydrodynamics and reaction kinetics. The model include combustion sub-model and gasification sub-model, which are divided into dense phase and dilute phase for simulation. The dense phase is simulated by the three-phase bubble bed theory, and the dilute phase is simulated by Wen-Chen entrainment elutriation model combined with the ring-core model. The pyrolysis model is based on the empirical relationship. The effects of gasification temperature, S/HMSW (steam/high moisture solid waste) ratio, HMSW/C (high moisture solid waste/coal) ratio, and moisture on the gasification process are studied. The results show that the gasification temperature of 1000 °C, S/HMSW of 1.13, HMSW/C of 3, and moisture of 26% are the optimal gasification parameters. The study can guide the design, operation, and optimization of the serial compound gasification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluations of public service collaborations tend to ignore time and timing as potential explanatory variables. Drawing on theories of environmental dynamism, organizational inertia, accountability 'drift', and isomorphism, we test whether the timing of inter-municipal cooperation, and its duration, affect financial performance for solid waste collection inter-municipal partnerships in the Spanish region of Catalonia over the period 2000–2019. Though still present and significant, the cost advantages of cooperation declined over this period due to population growth and reduced interdependence between municipalities. Timing of cooperation has no effect on savings; although early-adopter and follower groups differ in policy objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics like tetracyclines, quinolones, sulfonamides, and β-lactams are commonly used in human and animal health. They have been widely detected in aquatic environments, with concentrations reaching several mg/L. Due to their persistence and resistance to natural degradation, this can lead to severe environmental issues (e.g., resistance genes, resistant bacteria). Consequently, there is an urgent need to remove them from water. Biochar, a porous carbon-based material derived from waste biomass, has been proven effective in removing a wide range of water pollutants (e.g., heavy metals, dyes, persistent organic compounds) due to its favorable physical and chemical properties. Therefore, it has emerged as a promising adsorbent for antibiotics. However, the variability in biochar feedstock (e.g., wood-based biomass, animal manure, aquatic biomass, and municipal solid waste) and the lack of mature modification strategies (e.g., acid/base treatment, oxidation, metal or non-metal doping, and physical methods) pose challenges to its large-scale application. To date, the adsorption efficiency of biochar for antibiotics remains unstable, with removal rates ranging from 40 to 90%. Thus, a timely review of current research progress is crucial. This review summarized the recent advances in biochar modification and its adsorption studies for commonly used antibiotics. The influencing factors, adsorption characteristics and specific adsorption mechanism were comprehensively discussed, and the directions for future research were also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to choose appropriate solid waste disposal sites based on environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and socially responsible factors using geospatial technology. To achieve the study's objectives, factor maps such as slope, settlement, road, stream, land use/land cover, geology, borehole, protected area, and soil maps were used and prepared using GIS. The most appropriate solid waste disposal sites were identified and categorized as highly suitable, suitable, less suitable, or unsuitable using a weighted linear combination (WLC) analysis. Through ArcMap overlay analysis, the final suitability map was created. The AHP pairwise comparison module helped establish the weight of factor parameters. The findings reveal that out of the total area, 51.32 hectares are highly suitable, 54.86 hectares are suitable, 34.99 hectares are less suitable, and 3171.22 hectares are unsuitable for solid waste disposal. The use of GIS and remote sensing data has allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of multiple factors and their weighted importance, resulting in a final suitability map that can guide decision-makers in selecting appropriate sites for solid waste disposal. In conclusion, the study provides a practical solution to the problem of solid waste disposal by using geospatial technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the ideal location for an abattoir in Adola Woyu town, taking into account environmental considerations by utilizing remote sensing and GIS, and collaborated with Ethiopia's national urban planning agency for guidance on urban land use planning. The study analyzed various factors such as land use, cover, elevation, slope, streams, distance from roads, high-tension lines, social services, and boreholes. Researchers found acceptable areas with a highly attractive location of 1.27%, 28.42% being suitable, 21.54% being somewhat suitable, and 48.75% being unsuitable by hierarchical weighting utilizing the MCE approach. The highly desirable areas are in the north-west, north-east, and south-east, classified as bare land. The suitable areas are near the edges of built-up zones, while the unsuitable sites are in developed areas. The study's main objective is to have the abattoir situated in an ideal location to minimize environmental impact from liquid and solid waste, airborne waste, and noise pollution while promoting sustainable land-use practices. The results are readily applicable for land-use planners and managers to make informed decisions on the strategic placement of the abattoir. By implementing the study's recommendations, we can effectively minimize negative impacts on adjacent ecosystems while promoting responsible and sustainable development practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-combustion in pulverized coal boilers is one of the best methods to achieve harmlessness, reduction and resource disposal for carbon-containing solid wastes. This work aims to study the effect of dried dust (DD) generated from CaC2 production on the combustion and slagging characteristics of Zhundong (ZD) coal blend. The combustion of ZD coal blend with different ratios (0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%) of DD was conducted in a thermal gravimetric analyzer under air atmosphere. The ash fusion temperature tests and slagging experiments were carried out to understand the effect of the addition of DD on the slagging behavior of ZD coal blend. The results showed that the ignition and burnout temperatures of ZD coal showed different varying tendency with the blending ratio of DD increasing. Increasing the adding ratio of DD could raise the ash fusion temperatures of ZD coal blend. The addition of 5% DD promotes the formation of gypsum in deposited slags, and it also alters the chemical components of fine particles adhered onto the surface of molten particles. Meanwhile, in comparison with raw ZD coal blend, more Ca would combine into silicates in sampled slags. After the overall evaluation, a low blending proportion of DD (<5%) is suggested for pulverized boilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies multicriteria mathematical modeling to optimize municipal solid waste (MSW) management across a three bottom-line (BL) framework: environmental, social and economic. The interrelationships and the ripple secondary impacts among the three BLs are examined systematically using an augmented simplex lattice mixture (ASLM) method. Detailed waste and waste treatments, including pyrolysis (PY), anaerobic digestion (AD), animal feed (AF), composting (CP), recycling (RE), incineration (INC) and landfilling (LF), are constructed based on waste stream fractions and treatment allowable limits. The environmental BL is assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA). The economic BL is determined by calculating the per ton capital recovery with return, and the social bottom line is assessed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The three bottom lines are optimized through a mathematical model using CPLEX solver. The results indicate that CP abates 973 kgCO2eq/t compared to 61.8 kgCO2eq/t from AD and 28.3 kgCO2eq/t from AF. CP generates $23.5/t despite its low social desirability. Plastic waste PY credits ethylene by 364 kg/t, however, it costs $226.7/t despite the subtraction of credited energy and recovered byproducts. Metal RE carbon and water footprints are −236 kgCO2eq/t and 268 m3/t, respectively. AF is the second-best economic scenario after metal RE as it generates up to $122.6/t in profit. AF production scores are second highest within the social BL after plastic PY; however, the supporting legislation sub-indicator is low. The ASLM support policy that assigns 66% to the environmental BL and 16.7% to the economic and social BL to achieve carbon neutrality within the MSW sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term planning of municipal solid waste management systems (LPMSWMS) is a multi-layered problem that seeks answers to different decisions (i.e., method selection for the collection, transfer, treatment, and disposal of wastes, technology selection for the methods, capacity selection for the technologies, location selection for the processes, and allocation of the waste masses between locations). Since each of these decision layers has a dynamic impact on the others, all decision layers must be evaluated simultaneously in order to achieve the most accurate and effective results for the LPMSWMS. On the other hand, it is difficult to develop a mathematical model that can evaluate all decision layers simultaneously due to the complexity of the problem. Hence, almost all existing cost optimization models proposed for the LPMSWMS use a multi-step approach for the decision layers that restricts the mass balance of the waste by assuming all layers are independent from each other. However, such approaches may lead to giving up on the global optimality for the models. In this context, this study introduces a new mixed-integer nonlinear programming model for the LPMSWMS that provides an integrated mass balance for the waste streams. Regarding the current technological condition of municipal solid waste management systems, the proposed model provides integrated decisions for the LPMSWMS considering the location, technology, capacity, and waste flow plans. The proposed optimization model was tested at various spatial and temporal scales for the Bursa province of Türkiye. The optimal results obtained for the model clearly show that this new model may be the first nonlinear mathematical model capable of overcoming the above-mentioned mathematical challanges. This new model has the potential to be easily used for any region of the world and to give decision-makers the most appropriate system option for all decision layers simultaneously, as long as the site-specific waste management parameters required by the model are correctly configured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]