Drivers of knowledge accumulation in electronic waste management: An analysis of publication data

Exploring the industrial dynamics of waste management and recycling: A call for research and a proposed agenda

The waste management sector is undergoing profound transformations that challenge its structures and institutions. The function and position of waste management and recycling companies have been changing, and this process accelerates as the circular economy consolidates as part of the strategy to implement green shifts. This article argues that scholars, practitioners and policymakers interested in waste management could benefit from building bridges with the field of industrial dynamics. Industrial dynamics is concerned with the driving forces of economic transformation, with focus on not just outcomes but processes and structures. This type of research is crucial in face of transformations going on in the sector. Three crucial themes for cross-disciplinary investigation are: (i) industry evolution and institutions, (ii) business organization and management, and (iii) technological change, innovation and entrepreneurship. Waste management is a lively, complex and diverse sector, whose process of reinvention present the opportunity to research profound industrial transformations in real time. By systematically investigating the industrial dynamics of waste management, it becomes possible to uncover the structural changes underpinning the transformation of waste into resources, their driving forces and the directions to which they point, while mindful of the evolving discourses and the wider technological and institutional landscape.

Peer-Reviewed Literature on Grain Legume Species in the WoS (1980–2018): A Comparative Analysis of Soybean and Pulses

Grain-legume crops are important for ensuring the sustainability of agrofood systems. Among them, pulse production is subject to strong lock-in compared to soya, the leading worldwide crop. To unlock the situation and foster more grain-legume crop diversity, scientific research is essential for providing new knowledge that may lead to new development. Our study aimed to evaluate whether research activity on grain-legumes is also locked in favor of soya. Considering more than 80 names grouped into 19 main grain-legume species, we built a dataset of 107,823 scholarly publications (articles, book, and book chapters) between 1980 and 2018 retrieved from the Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) reflecting the research activity on grain-legumes. We delineated 10 scientific themes of interest running the gamut of agrofood research (e.g., genetics, agronomy, and nutrition). We indexed grain-legume species, calculated the percentage of records for each one, and conducted several analyses longitudinally and by country. Globally, we found an unbalanced research output: soya remains the main crop studied, even in the promising field of food sciences advanced by FAO as the “future of pulses”. Our results raise questions about how to align research priorities with societal demand for more crop diversity.

Economic and Environmental Cost Analysis of Incineration and Recovery Alternatives for Flammable Industrial Waste: The Case of South Korea

As the generation of industrial wastes increases, waste treatment is steadily becoming a serious economic and environmental issue. Existing waste has mainly been treated by landfilling after incineration. A shortage of landfill sites necessitates waste management alternatives other than traditional incineration and landfill. This paper focuses on a cost-benefit analysis that evaluates the economic and environmental performances of five treatment strategies for flammable industrial wastes: incineration, refuse plastic fuel (RPF) boiler, RPF cement furnace, cement furnace after shredding of wastes, and paper incineration after shredding of wastes. For such purposes, our model considered the entire process of each waste treatment, which involves collection, transportation, treatment, recovery, and the disposal of flammable industrial wastes that pose risks to their surroundings. Case studies of each treatment processes are reviewed, and a cost-benefit analysis is performed to evaluate and identify the selection of treatment and disposal facilities, along with an allocation of flammable industrial wastes and waste residues from generators to treatment and disposal facilities and transportation routes, in order to achieve the minimum economic and environmental costs.