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Daraio C, Di Leo S, Simar L. Viable eco-efficiency targets for waste collection communities. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15038. [PMID: 38951621 PMCID: PMC11217406 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66077-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Waste management is crucial for advancing the circular economy, and Italy has begun to address this issue by organizing municipalities into collaborative communities of municipalities, named ATOs. In this paper, we propose a quantitative approach based on conditional efficiency analysis to estimate viable eco-efficiency targets for these waste collection communities. The proposed targets are both eco-efficient, because they reflect optimal resource allocation within the eco-efficiency framework, and viable, because they consider the unique specificities of each waste community. The methodology determines a pathway or direction for municipalities to reach the eco-efficiency frontier based on specific external factors, ensuring that each municipality is benchmarked against others with similar contexts within the same community. Our analysis focuses on 89 Italian municipalities within the ATO "Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale" in 2021, revealing that size and economic development significantly contributed to viable eco-efficiency within the community during this period. The proposed approach is general and flexible and can be applied to other municipalities in Italy or across Europe. It can also be extended to meso (regional) or macro (country) levels of analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Daraio
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering Antonio Ruberti (DIAG), University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Ariosto 25, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Simone Di Leo
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering Antonio Ruberti (DIAG), University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via Ariosto 25, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Institut de Statistique, Biostatistique et Sciences Actuarielles (ISBA), LIDAM, Université Catholique de Louvain, Voie du Roman Pays 20, B1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Léopold Simar
- Institut de Statistique, Biostatistique et Sciences Actuarielles (ISBA), LIDAM, Université Catholique de Louvain, Voie du Roman Pays 20, B1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Wu Y, Li Y, Zhang X. The Future of Graphene: Preparation from Biomass Waste and Sports Applications. Molecules 2024; 29:1825. [PMID: 38675644 PMCID: PMC11053808 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29081825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
At present, the main raw material for producing graphene is graphite ore. However, researchers actively seek alternative resources due to their high cost and environmental problems. Biomass waste has attracted much attention due to its carbon-rich structure and renewability, emerging as a potential raw material for graphene production to be used in sports equipment. However, further progress is required on the quality of graphene produced from waste biomass. This paper, therefore, summarizes the properties, structures, and production processes of graphene and its derivatives, as well as the inherent advantages of biomass waste-derived graphene. Finally, this paper reviews graphene's importance and application prospects in sports since this wonder material has made sports equipment available with high-strength and lightweight quality. Moreover, its outstanding thermal and electrical conductivity is exploited to prepare wearable sensors to collect more accurate sports data, thus helping to improve athletes' training levels and competitive performance. Although the large-scale production of biomass waste-derived graphene has yet to be realized, it is expected that its application will expand to various other fields due to the associated low cost and environmental friendliness of the preparation technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueting Wu
- Graduate School, Harbin Sport University, Harbin 150008, China; (Y.W.)
| | - Yanlong Li
- Academic Theory Research Department, Harbin Sport University, Harbin 150008, China
| | - Xiangyang Zhang
- Graduate School, Harbin Sport University, Harbin 150008, China; (Y.W.)
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Zhu L, Huang C, Li W, Wu W, Tang Z, Tian Y, Xi B. Ammonia assimilation is key for the preservation of nitrogen during industrial-scale composting of chicken manure. WASTE MANAGEMENT (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 170:50-61. [PMID: 37544234 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen loss from compost is a serious concern, causing severe environmental pollution. The NH4+-N content reflects the release of NH3. However, the nitrogen conversion pathway that has the greatest impact on NH4+-N content is still unclear. This study attempted to explore the key pathways, core functional microorganisms, and mechanisms involved in the transformation of ammonia nitrogen during composting. KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) metabolic pathways revealed that ammonia assimilation was dominated by the glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) pathway (53.4%), which is crucial for nitrogen preservation. The combined analysis of KEGG, NR species annotation, and co-occurrence network identified 20 easy-to-regulate obligate core nitrogen-transforming functional microorganisms, including 18 ammonia-assimilating bacteria. Furthermore, the effects of environmental parameters on the obligate core functional microorganisms were investigated. The present study results provided a theoretical basis for the utilization of ten ammonia-assimilating bacteria, such as Paenibacillus, Erysipelatoclostridium, and Defluviimonas to improve the quality of compost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Caihong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
| | - Wei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Weixia Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541006, China
| | - Zhurui Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yu Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Beidou Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
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Moreno Solaz H, Artacho-Ramírez MÁ, Cloquell-Ballester VA, Badenes Catalán C. Prioritizing action plans to save resources and better achieve municipal solid waste management KPIs: An urban case study. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (1995) 2023; 73:705-721. [PMID: 37548613 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2023.2244461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in cities is one of the most complex tasks facing local administrations. For this reason, waste management performance measurement structures are increasingly implemented at local and national levels. These performance structures usually contain strategic objectives and associated action plans, as well as key performance indicators (KPIs) for organizations investing their resources in action plans. This study presents the results of applying a methodology to find a quantitative-based prioritization of MSW action plans for the City Council of Castelló de la Plana in Spain. In doing so, cause-effect relationships between the KPIs have been identified by applying the principal component analysis technique, and from these relationships it was possible to identify those action plans which should be addressed first to manage public services more efficiently. This study can be useful as a tool for local administrations when addressing the actions included in their local waste plans as it can lead to financial savings.Implications: This paper introduces and implements a methodology that uses principal component analysis to analyze real data from waste management KPIs and provide municipal solid waste managers with a decision-making tool for prioritizing action plans. The methodology saves financial resources and time, as well as reinforcing the probability of reaching the meta values of the main performance system KPIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Héctor Moreno Solaz
- Project Management, Innovation and Sustainability Research Center (PRINS), Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Miguel-Ángel Artacho-Ramírez
- Project Management, Innovation and Sustainability Research Center (PRINS), Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
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Molinos-Senante M, Maziotis A, Sala-Garrido R, Mocholi-Arce M. The eco-efficiency of municipalities in the recycling of solid waste: A stochastic semi-parametric envelopment of data approach. WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTES AND PUBLIC CLEANSING ASSOCIATION, ISWA 2023; 41:1036-1045. [PMID: 36544368 PMCID: PMC10170579 DOI: 10.1177/0734242x221142223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Eco-efficiency assessment of municipal solid waste (MSW) suppliers is a useful tool in the transition to a circular economy. Furthermore, it provides evidence of the economic and environmental performance of municipalities that can be used for decision-making and/or elaboration of regulatory policies. In this study, eco-efficiency scores were computed for a sample of 140 Chilean municipalities in the provision of MSW services. In doing so, the stochastic semi-parametric envelopment of data method was applied. It is a novel technique which overcomes the limitations of parametric (stochastic frontier analysis) and non-parametric (data envelopment analysis) methods previously employed to evaluate the eco-efficiency of MSW services. The average eco-efficiency of the 140 assessed municipalities was 0.332 which indicates that they could save 66.8% of their operational costs and recycling the same amount of waste. Moreover, 61.4% of the evaluated municipalities presented an eco-efficiency score which was lower than 0.4, whereas the other municipalities (38.6% of the sample) exhibited an eco-efficiency which raged between 0.4 and 0.80. Hence, none of the municipalities assessed was identified as eco-efficient which, implies that there is room for all municipalities to reduce operational costs in the management of MSW. Population density, tourism and location of the municipality were identified as factors influencing the eco-efficiency of the municipalities in MSW management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Molinos-Senante
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable, Santiago, Chile
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Alexandros Maziotis
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ramón Sala-Garrido
- Departamento de Matemáticas para la Economía y la Empresa, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Mocholi-Arce
- Departamento de Matemáticas para la Economía y la Empresa, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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Tabassum Z, Mohan A, Mamidi N, Khosla A, Kumar A, Solanki PR, Malik T, Girdhar M. Recent trends in nanocomposite packaging films utilising waste generated biopolymers: Industrial symbiosis and its implication in sustainability. IET Nanobiotechnol 2023; 17:127-153. [PMID: 36912242 DOI: 10.1049/nbt2.12122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Uncontrolled waste generation and management difficulties are causing chaos in the ecosystem. Although it is vital to ease environmental pressures, right now there is no such practical strategy available for the treatment or utilisation of waste material. Because the Earth's resources are limited, a long-term, sustainable, and sensible solution is necessary. Currently waste material has drawn a lot of attention as a renewable resource. Utilisation of residual biomass leftovers appears as a green and sustainable approach to lessen the waste burden on Earth while meeting the demand for bio-based goods. Several biopolymers are available from renewable waste sources that have the potential to be used in a variety of industries for a wide range of applications. Natural and synthetic biopolymers have significant advantages over petroleum-based polymers in terms of cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and user-friendliness. Using waste as a raw material through industrial symbiosis should be taken into account as one of the strategies to achieve more economic and environmental value through inter-firm collaboration on the path to a near-zero waste society. This review extensively explores the different biopolymers which can be extracted from several waste material sources and that further have potential applications in food packaging industries to enhance the shelf life of perishables. This review-based study also provides key insights into the different strategies and techniques that have been developed recently to extract biopolymers from different waste byproducts and their feasibility in practical applications for the food packaging business.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeba Tabassum
- School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
| | - Anand Mohan
- School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
| | - Narsimha Mamidi
- Department of Chemistry and Nanotechnology, The School of Engineering and Science, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.,Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystmes, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ajit Khosla
- School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Anil Kumar
- Gene Regulation Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India
| | - Pratima R Solanki
- Special Center for Nanoscience, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Tabarak Malik
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Madhuri Girdhar
- School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
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Molinos-Senante M, Maziotis A, Sala-Garrido R, Mocholí-Arce M. Factors influencing eco-efficiency of municipal solid waste management in Chile: A double-bootstrap approach. WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTES AND PUBLIC CLEANSING ASSOCIATION, ISWA 2023; 41:457-466. [PMID: 36196845 PMCID: PMC9925897 DOI: 10.1177/0734242x221122514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Improving eco-efficiency in the provision of municipal solid waste plays an important role for a sustainable economy. Eco-efficiency of municipal solid waste service providers (MSWSPs) has been generally assessed using the conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) method. However, this approach is sensitive to data noise and has no statistical properties. To overcome these limitations, in this paper, we adopt the double-bootstrap DEA model to derive robust eco-efficiency scores. This nonparametric method allows conducting statistical inference to explore environmental factors affecting the eco-efficiency of MSWSPs. The empirical approach focused on a sample of 298 MSWSPs in Chile, a middle-income country whose policies for promoting waste recycling are incipient. The results indicated that based on the bias-corrected eco-efficiency scores, the potential saving in costs and unsorted waste could be up to 37.8% on average to generate the same level of output (recycled waste). The findings showed that dealing with data noise and uncertainly is of great importance when conducting benchmarking analysis. The region where the municipality is located, tourism, population density and waste per capita are environmental variables that significantly influenced eco-efficiency of Chilean MSWSPs. Several policy implications are discussed based on the findings of this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Molinos-Senante
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y
Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Matemáticas para la
Economía y la Empresa, Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alexandros Maziotis
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y
Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ramón Sala-Garrido
- Departamento de Matemáticas para la
Economía y la Empresa, Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Mocholí-Arce
- Departamento de Matemáticas para la
Economía y la Empresa, Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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Sala-Garrido R, Mocholi-Arce M, Molinos-Senante M, Maziotis A. Monetary valuation of unsorted waste: A shadow price approach. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 325:116668. [PMID: 36343396 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Improving the management of municipal solid waste (MSW) is fundamental to promote circular economy and sustainability. Unsorted waste involves negative environmental impacts which often are ignored in economic feasibility studies due to its difficult valuation. In this study the shadow price of unsorted waste using the directional distance function was estimated. This methodological approach also allowed us to compute eco-efficiency scores of a set of municipalities in the provision of MSW services. The empirical application focused on a sample of 119 Chilean municipalities. The results showed that the average shadow price of unsorted waste was 297.66 €/ton which means that the environmental cost of left waste as unsorted was 297.66 € per ton. A regression tree model illustrated that population density, tourism intensity and the generation of waste per capita significantly influenced the shadow price of unsorted waste. Moreover, it was illustrated that Chilean municipalities were very inefficient in the management of MSW since the average eco-efficiency score was 0.272. The findings from this study reveal that additional and alternative policies should be adopted to improve the management of MSW and increase its recycling rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Sala-Garrido
- Department of Mathematics for Economics, University of Valencia, Avd. Tarongers S/N, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Mocholi-Arce
- Department of Mathematics for Economics, University of Valencia, Avd. Tarongers S/N, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Molinos-Senante
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avda. Vicuña Mackenna, 4860 Santiago, Chile; Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, C/Mergelina, S/N, Valladolid, Spain.
| | - Alexandros Maziotis
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avda. Vicuña Mackenna, 4860 Santiago, Chile
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