Top Research Papers on Waste Management

© 2021 The Authors. On 30 June 2020, young scholars presented & discussed their work in a virtual forum, as a special session organized by The 15th International Conference on Waste Management and Technology (June 28–30), 2020 Beijing China. The forum convened researchers and attendees approaching innovative aspects of waste management from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. While their presentations spanned topics as broad as the stakeholder coordination and as specific technological approach for rapid carbonization of agricultural waste, several conceptual threads could be traced...

Olive trees are the oldest known cultivated trees in the world and present-day cultivation is widespread, with an estimated magnitude of 9 million hectares worldwide. As the olive oil industry has continued to grow, so has the environmental impact of olive oil production, such as the energy and water consumption, gas emissions and waste generation. The largest contributor to waste generation are the olive leaves, an abundant and unavoidable byproduct of olive-oil production due to the necessity of tree-pruning. It is estimated that an annual 1.25 million tons of olive leaf waste are generated ...

The issue and finding the green solution of Solid Waste Management are important challenges throughout the world.

The issue and finding the green solution of Solid Waste Management are important challenges throughout the world.

Results show that energy recovery of waste generates higher income then material recovery while overall lower system costs, and lower sensitivity of the system cost, is observed in the material recovery based scenarios.

Increasing municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and environmental concerns have sparked global interest in waste valorization through various waste-to-energy (WtE) to generate renewable energy sources and reduce dependency on fossil-derived fuels and chemicals. These technologies are vital for implementing the envisioned global "bioeconomy" through biorefineries. In light of that, a detailed overview of WtE technologies with their benefits and drawbacks is provided in this paper. Additionally, the biorefinery concept for waste management and sustainable energy generation is discussed. The id...

The proposed methodology could be a useful tool for any policy makers, consultants, engineers, urban planners, academics etc., in order to develop and apply strategy related with household and/or food waste prevention, material reuse, waste reduce, in the framework of household solid waste management and beyond.

The growing global population is posing severe stress on the earth's carrying capacity in terms of food, water, and energy supply. Biomass is the only renewable alternative that can be used for energy, liquid fuels, and bio-based materials simultaneously, which makes it an indispensable resource in the near and mid-term future as the world is slowly shifting away from fossil fuels. Wood waste (WW), agricultural waste (AW), food waste (FW), municipal solid waste (MSW), and sewage sludge waste (SSW) are identified as unavoidable biomass wastes because they are directly linked to the food-energy-...

The present review envisaged the agroforestry waste management strategy and its sustainability assessment primarily based upon Social, Economic and Environmental parameters without tormenting the future generations.

The results showed that organizational capacity, resources, and expertise; community factors such as socio-cultural beliefs and a low sense of responsibility towards solid waste management among urban residents; contextual factorssuch as regulations, and weak enforcement all influence and shape the level of efficiency and effectiveness ofSolid waste management practices in the study setting.

The findings of this research introduce policies, possible advices and solutions associated with sustainability and medical waste management that can support decision-makers in developing strategies for the sustainability by using the eco-friendly technologies for efficient medical waste treatment and disposal methods.

Food waste (FW) is a global problem and a hidden opportunity for the value-added product conversion.

En la ciudad de Bogotá - Colombia, se tiene antecedentes desde el año 1942 (Metro de Bogota, 2020) hasta el presente, frente a los proyectos, estudios y planes para la realización de la creación del metro de Bogotá. Han pasado más de 70 años en la que los capitalinos han esperado la construcción del metro Bogotá. En esta obra, se puede dilucidar que en el presente el proyecto metro es una realidad en beneficio de todos los capitalinos, generando de la misma, empleos y nuevas formas de movilidad, en pro de la capital como de los bogotanos y personas que viven en la ciudad que usan el medio de t...

Composting is the controlled conversion of degradable organic products and wastes into stable products with the aid of microorganisms. Composting is a long-used technology, though it has some shortcomings that have reduced its extensive usage and efficiency. The shortcomings include pathogen detection, low nutrient status, long duration of composting, long mineralization duration, and odor production. These challenges have publicized the use of chemical fertilizers produced through the Haber–Bosch process as an alternative to compost over time. Chemical fertilizers make nutrients readily avail...

Six areas where LCA is expected to play a role in waste management in the future are described: understanding an existing waste management system; improving existing wastemanagement systems; comparing alternative technologies/ technology performance; 4) technology development/prospective technologies; 5) policy development/strategic development; and 6) reporting.

It was found that the quantity of waste increased across countries observing the social distancing measure of staying at home, and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on waste management by observing lockdown and social Distancing measures was assessed.

This review paper is an assimilation of current developments in the areas of biodegradable polymer as well as microbial strategy towards management of polymer waste to give intimate insights into the mechanisms and factors influencing biodegradation.

The plastic waste imported by Asia declined about 72% in monetary value in 2018, and there is still a large gap between the plastic waste quantity imported to Asia and that exported from Asia.

Recent impacts, challenges and developments on waste management in the response of COVID-19 have been assessed in this update and it is highlighted that the practices or measures at each place could serve as a guideline and reference.

The pervasion of plastic and the inadequacies of the current plastic waste management processes are the premise of various studies that aimed to find sustainable solutions to the plastic waste issues. Amongst these solutions, plastic pyrolysis is particularly promising due to its commercial maturity and complementarity to mechanical recycling. In this paper, recent studies of plastic pyrolysis are reviewed and scrutinised, with particular attention given to feedstock composition, operating conditions, and catalytic choices. Our systematic review found that the success of plastic pyrolysis is d...

Excessive food waste (nearly 1.3 billion tons per annum) has exacerbated the world hunger crisis. This comprehensive review focuses on the food waste scenario, adverse effects, food waste management, existing waste management policies, and regulations in Bangladesh. Municipalities and urban centers generate 3.78 million tons of waste each year (15.96% of total food waste). This study utilized the national database to analyze food waste generation and projected growth by the year 2050. Yearly an estimated 17215.2 thousand acres of land and a significant amount of natural resources (water, energ...

This paper explores the key role of blockchain technology in managing waste within smart cities as it can offer traceability, immutability, transparency, and audit features in a decentralized, trusted, and secure manner and introduces a framework that leverages blockchain-based smart contracts to automate the key services.

The discovery of plastics as useful materials for human existence, providing comfort and ease has now turned into a menace in the society and a pain in the neck as plastics have also become co-habitat of the human ecosystem. Plastics were made by men, but plastics now live way longer than the men who gave them the privilege of existence. Since these colonies of materials cannot be eradicated, it is very pertinent to discover possible ways of useful diversion through recycling by converting plastic bottle waste into useful raw materials for other sectors of the economy. This paper has stirred t...

This review encompasses circular bioeconomy based various AW management strategies, which involve 'reduction', 'reusing' and 'recycling' of AWs to boost sustainable agriculture and minimise environmental pollution.

The world is today faced with the problem of plastic waste pollution more than ever before. Global plastic production continues to accelerate, despite the fact that recycling rates are comparatively low, with only about 15% of the 400 million tonnes of plastic currently produced annually being recycled. Although recycling rates have been steadily growing over the last 30 years, the rate of global plastic production far outweighs this, meaning that more and more plastic is ending up in dump sites, landfills and finally into the environment, where it damages the ecosystem. Better end-of-life opt...

This article focuses on the end-of-life management of bio-based products by recycling, which reduces landfilling. Bio-plastics are very important materials, due to their widespread use in various fields. The advantage of these products is that they primarily use renewable materials. At its end-of-life, a bio-based product is disposed of and becomes post-consumer waste. Correctly designing waste management systems for bio-based products is important for both the environment and utilization of these wastes as resources in a circular economy. Bioplastics are suitable for reuse, mechanical recycli...

In response to Resolution 2/7 from the second session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and reaffirmed in Resolution 4/7 from its fourth session, the Global Waste Management Outlook offers an updated assessment of global waste management and an analysis of data concerning municipal solid waste management worldwide. Jointly published with the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the report evaluates three potential scenarios of municipal waste generation and management, examining their impacts on society, the environment, and the global economy. Furthermore, it presents...

This work explores the evolution of the waste hierarchy in Europe and how it compares with the circular economy and analyzes the practice of construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in Europe.

Abstract Plastic waste is one of the world’s most pressing human health and environmental concerns. Plastic constitutes the third highest waste source globally, with the total volume of plastic waste growing in-line with increases in the global population and per capita consumption. Malaysia is tracking global trends in both the overall generation of plastic waste and the consumption of single-use plastics and since 2017 has been the world’s largest importer of plastic waste. These elements create a number of major challenges for the country’s waste management system. This review outlines the ...

The challenge of food waste in the foodservice sector of China is under-examined. This paper advances knowledge by exploring the food waste management practices adopted in a sample of Shanghai full-service restaurants. Through 22 in-depth semi-structured interviews with senior managers it establishes the significance of the food waste challenge and identifies Chinese food consumption habits as a major cause. Despite the pronounced role of consumers in food waste generation, restaurateurs largely fail to engage them in mitigation. To mitigate food waste occurring on customer plates, changes to ...

The electronic and electrical industrial sector is exponentially growing throughout the globe, and sometimes, these wastes are being disposed of and discarded with a faster rate in comparison to the past era due to technology advancements. As the application of electronic devices is increasing due to the digitalization of the world (IT sector, medical, domestic, etc.), a heap of discarded e-waste is also being generated. Per-capita e-waste generation is very high in developed countries as compared to developing countries. Expansion of the global population and advancement of technologies are m...

Growing populations and consumption drive the challenges of solid waste management (SWM); globalization of transport, food production, and trade, including waste trading, distributes risks worldwide. Using waste hierarchy (WH; reduce, reuse, and recycle) and circular economy (CE) concepts, we updated a conceptual waste framework used by international organizations to evaluate SWM practices. We identified the key steps and the important factors, as well as stakeholders, which are essential features for effective SWM. Within this updated conceptual framework, we qualitatively evaluated global SW...

Food waste is one of the challenging issues humans are facing. A third of the food produced in the world is wasted at various points along the food supply chain. Food waste can be reduced by developing technology that can be utilized in different parts of the food value chain and through education programs that focus on consumers' behavior on healthy lifestyles and sustainable consumption. This article examines the problem of food waste and provides insights into the approaches to food waste management. Different techniques, such as education-based or structure-based, are used to encourage foo...

Each year a large amount of worn synthetic and natural rubber is discarded. Due to the complex three-dimensional structure, recycling, and degradation of rubber by natural processes are proven complicated. While waste rubber disposal has become a problem globally, the current rubber waste management measures are found to be inadequate. Rubber devulcanization or degradation produces rubber with broken crosslinks or broken main chain polymer, respectively. The devulcanized or degraded rubber can be reused, recycled as a new product, or used for energy recovery in various applications. The curren...

Food is essential to our survival, yet the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that about 820 million people were undernourished in 2018. In this context, food waste generation is a particularly salient issue. Wasting food means missing opportunities to feed the growing world population and consuming scarce resources, such as land, water and energy used in the production, processing, distribution and consumption of food. Firms in HORECA (hospitality, restaurant and catering) represent a considerable share of total food waste and, more importantly, are charac...

Construction and demolition waste account for a significant part of the solid waste taking up landfills on a global scale. A considerable portion of the waste generated by the construction industry has substantial residual value, and therefore waste management and sustainability principles and techniques should be applied. Buildings consume a lot of energy during the operations phase, but decisions made during design and construction impact building operations. This study reviews sustainable building practices to explore strategies that ensure minimal effects on economy, society, and the envir...

Generating electricity from renewable and sustainable resources is one of the world's most urgent requirements because of the growing energy consumption and adverse effects of fossil fuels. Waste disposal provides a noble chance of. Currently, waste can produce energy to help conserve the environment and resources. That is why there is a need to introduce innovative WTE technologies, such as thermal, biological, and physicochemical processes, since global waste production is expected to rise by 70 percent by 2050. Such systems allow the energy to be reclaimed and reduce landfill and greenhouse...

It can be concluded that FVW management can be carried out following different processing routes, though nowadays the best solution is to find an adequate balance between conventional waste management methods and some emerging valorization technologies.

The results show that the CD waste generation and its management are influenced by several factors including population, urbanization, gross domestic product (GDP), and CDWM regulatory measures, and the USA has more developed CDWM system.

It could be concluded that combining IoT, AI, and ML approaches could enhance bioprocess monitoring and management for generating value-added products and chemicals from FW, contributing to improving environmental sustainability and food security.