The role of solid waste composting in mitigating climate change in Jordan

Developing an extended producer responsibility system for solid waste management in Jordan using multi-criteria decision-making approach

To move from a traditional end of pipe approach into a more sustainable solid waste management system, the Jordanian Government has recently passed a set of new regulations The National Solid Waste Management Strategy has put a road map to encourage circular economy practices. One of the considered policy instruments is the adoption of the extended producer responsibility (EPR). The current study aimed to adopt a multi-criteria decision-making method to select the most convenient EPR structure within the Jordanian context. The study used analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy AHP (FAHP) techniques to select the suitable type of producer responsibility organization (PRO) structure. A four-level hierarchy model was constructed with 4 criteria, 10 sub-criteria and 3 PRO alternatives. The analysis revealed that the legal and administrative criteria is the most important one (0.47) followed by environmental criteria (0.22), whereas the least important ones were socio-economic (0.17) and technical criteria (0.13). The most preferable PRO alternative was found to be PRO with profit. There were slight differences between all weight values under AHP and FAHP. Despite the availability of several laws, there is a need to develop the legal and administrative framework to enable the adoption of EPR in Jordan. Research should be the first step in the process of EPR system design. None of the previous studies conducted used the AHP and FAHP in assessing and selecting the EPR systems.

Identification of nutritional composition and antioxidant activities of fruit peels as a potential source of nutraceuticals

Fruit peels comprise several biologically active compounds, but their nutritional composition and antioxidant potential of different fruit varieties are limited. This study aimed to determine the nutritional composition and antioxidant properties of 12 peels of different fruit varieties such as apples, pomegranates, guavas, strawberries, grapes, and citrus fruits using a ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer, an inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and an amino acid analyzer. The highest values of TPC, TFC, lycopene, ascorbic acid [total carotenoids and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)], reducing sugars, non-reducing sugars, and total soluble proteins were reported in grapes (Black seedless) 54,501.00 ± 0.82 μM/g dry wt., guava (Gola) 198.19 ± 0.46 Rutin equivalent dry wt., strawberry (Candler) 7.23 ± 0.33 mg/g dry wt., citrus (Mausami) 646.25 ± 0.96 ug/g dry wt., apple (Kala kulu-Pak) 14.19 ± 0.38 mg/g dry wt. and 12.28 ± 0.39 μM/g dry wt., strawberry (Candler) 25.13 ± 0.40 mg/g dry wt., pomegranate (Badana) 9.80 ± 0.43 mg/g dry wt., apple (Kala kullu-Irani) 30.08 ± 0.11 mg/g dry wt., and guava (Gola) 638.18 ± 0.24 mg/g dry wt. compared with its opponent peels of fruits, respectively. All 12 peels of the fruit verities had 20 amino acids and presented as dry matter basis%. The highest trend of glutamic acid + glutamine, glycine, and aspartic acid + asparagine was observed in pomegranate (Badana) 1.20 DM basis%, guava (Surhai and Gola) 1.09 and 1.09 DM basis%, and strawberry (Desi/local and Candler) 1.15 and 1.60 DM basis% in response to other fruit peels, respectively. Regarding the mineral profile, the highest values of nitrogen (764.15 ± 0.86 mg/100 g), phosphorus (53.90 ± 0.14 mg/100 g), potassium (3,443.84 ± 0.82 mg/100 g), ferric (1.44 ± 0.00 mg/100 g), magnesium (1.31 ± 0.00 mg/100 g), and manganese (0.21 ± 0.00 mg/100 g) were found in pomegranate (Badana), grapes (Black seedless), apple (Kala kulu-Pak), and pomegranate (Badana), respectively, in context to other fruit peels' extract. Principal component analysis (PCA) and agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) were analyzed for determining the correlation among different peels of fruits. Significantly, high levels of variation were noticed among different variables of peels of fruit. Fruit variety and its peels have been distinctive variables in selecting genotypes. The dendrogram obtained from cluster analysis was distributed into two groups and consisted of eight varieties in the same group, and four fruit varieties were in second group. Overall, the results conclude that fruit peels have the abundant antioxidants and some minerals, which can effectively be utilized for nutraceuticals as well as for food security.

A review on waste management and compost production in the Middle East-North Africa region

Over the last two decades, solid waste management in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region has been one of the major challenges due to increasing solid waste quantities and poor waste management practices. With the tremendously increasing amounts of organic waste, MENA countries are under great pressure and are facing the threats of acute air pollution, contamination of water bodies and climate change. As a result, these countries are adopting different methods to cope with this rising challenge of waste management, including composting. This review reports on the different MENA countries' organic waste quantities, disposal methods, organic waste management practices and challenges, along with the potential use and demand of compost, where information is available. The reported data are from 2009 to 2021, with the bulk of the papers being from 2014 and onwards. The total amount of municipal waste collected in the 21 countries ranged from 0.56 million tons in Mauritania to 90 million tons in Egypt, with an average of 16.42 million tons, equivalent to 1.08 kg per capita waste generation per day. Around 55% of this material is biogenous. Many treatments and repurposing methods of this material are adopted in the MENA region, mainly through composting, as it presents one of the most sustainable solutions that lead to immediate climate change mitigation. This article also presents the biotic and abiotic stressors faced by this region, which in turn affect the successful implementation of composting solutions, and proposes some solutions based on different studies conducted.

The Role of Eco-Industrial Parks in Promoting Circular Economy in Russia: A Life Cycle Approach

As an approach to move towards a sustainable waste management system, circular economy (CE) is gaining an increased interest by most countries. Russia is among the countries where the CE is one of the priorities of the country’s economy, with a market value of the CE is USD$ 755.05 billion. However, such a strategy is facing challenges and barriers which are country specific. This study aimed to review the status of the CE in Russia and to identify the obstacles that are hindering the country from achieving its objectives. Moreover, the study aimed to evaluate the role of eco-industrial parks (EIP) in Russia in promoting the CE model. The study findings indicate that the CE adoption in Russia is still in its early stages. To create an enabling environment for CE promotion in Russia, there is a need to overcome several institutional, technical, and social barriers. Russian higher educational institutions are playing a major role to create the critical mass of experts that will help the country transition towards a CE model. Using life cycle assessment (LCA) to analyze the environmental performance of one of the EIPs in Russia revealed that such enterprises are more sustainable than the business-as-usual scenarios, under which the generated solid waste is buried into landfill. The comparison shows that by diverting 1.813 million tons of mixed municipal solid waste that is generated in Moscow to EIP would lead to a reduction in environmental impacts. The total global warming potential of the EIP scenario is less, by 59%, than the direct landfilling scenario, while the eutrophication, acidification, smog, and ozone depletion are less, and fossil fuel depletion impacts under the second scenario are less, by 81%, 26%, 18%, and 81%, respectively. Furthermore, the health impacts including carcinogenic, non-carcinogenic, eco-toxicity were found to be 92%, 96%, and 96%, respectively, less than the baseline scenario.

Profiling of Phenolic Compounds of Fruit Peels of Different Ecotype Bananas Derived from Domestic and Imported Cultivars with Different Maturity

Banana is one of the most produced and consumed fruits in the world and its fruit peel accounts for about 40% of the total fresh quantity of ripe fruit, which is usually regarded as waste and poses serious environmental hazards. However, it is a promising source of natural bioactive compounds including phenolic compounds. Determination of the phenolic compounds in fruit peel from different cultivars and subgroups over a range of maturities provides convincing information for making full use of them. This study developed a sensitive and reliable analytical method—ultra-high performance liquid chromatography—coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for measuring phenolic compounds in fruit peel from different ecotype cultivars and subgroups with different maturity. The results showed that quinic acid had the highest concentration ratio among the main phenolic compounds in the green/ripe peel of all banana cultivars; among all banana cultivars, the total phenolic compound contents of green banana peel were significantly higher than that of ripe banana peel; the total phenolic compound contents in the green/ripe fruit peel of non-dessert bananas were significantly higher than that of dessert bananas (green: non-dessert banana 1.48 ± 0.44 mg/g vs. dessert banana 0.97 ± 0.12 mg/g; ripe: non-dessert banana 0.26 ± 0.13 mg/g vs. dessert banana 0.19 ± 0.06 mg/g). These data provide a basis for the rational utilization of phenolic compound extractions from banana peel with huge biomass in the next step.

Solid Waste Management in the Context of a Circular Economy in the MENA Region

Solid waste management in most MENA countries is characterized by lack of planning, improper disposal, inadequate collection services, inappropriate technologies that suit the local conditions and technical requirements, and insufficient funding. Therefore, waste management is mainly limited to collection, transportation, and disposal. As the circular economy has recently been given high priority on the MENA region’s political agenda, all MENA member states are seeking to move away from old-fashioned waste disposal, “waste management”, towards a more intelligent waste treatment, “resource efficiency”. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of national systems for municipal solid waste (MSW) management, and material and energy recovery as an important aspect thereof, in the context of the circular economy in selected countries in the MENA region. Since policy, regulation, and treatment technologies are traditionally connected to MSW management, the focus of this article is twofold. Firstly, it aims to identify the different practices of solid waste management employed in selected MENA region countries and their approaches to embracing the circular economy and, secondly, it examines the extent to which policies and technologies applied play any role in this context. The study revealed that most waste management issues in the countries analyzed appear to be due to political factors and the decentralized nature of waste management with multi-level management and responsibilities. In fact, material and energy recovery in the context of municipal solid waste management does not differ significantly in the countries in the MENA region considered. In most cases, “waste” is still seen as “trouble” rather than a resource. Therefore, a fresh vision on how the solid waste management system can be transformed into a circular economy is required; there is a need for paradigm shift from a linear economy model to a circular-economy model.

Screening and Characterization of Phenolic Compounds and Their Antioxidant Capacity in Different Fruit Peels

Fruit peels have a diverse range of phytochemicals including carotenoids, vitamins, dietary fibres, and phenolic compounds, some with remarkable antioxidant properties. Nevertheless, the comprehensive screening and characterization of the complex array of phenolic compounds in different fruit peels is limited. This study aimed to determine the polyphenol content and their antioxidant potential in twenty different fruit peel samples in an ethanolic extraction, including their comprehensive characterization and quantification using the LC-MS/MS and HPLC. The obtained results showed that the mango peel exhibited the highest phenolic content for TPC (27.51 ± 0.63 mg GAE/g) and TFC (1.75 ± 0.08 mg QE/g), while the TTC (9.01 ± 0.20 mg CE/g) was slightly higher in the avocado peel than mango peel (8.99 ± 0.13 mg CE/g). In terms of antioxidant potential, the grapefruit peel had the highest radical scavenging capacities for the DPPH (9.17 ± 0.19 mg AAE/g), ABTS (10.79 ± 0.56 mg AAE/g), ferric reducing capacity in FRAB (9.22 ± 0.25 mg AA/g), and total antioxidant capacity, TAC (8.77 ± 0.34 mg AAE/g) compared to other fruit peel samples. The application of LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS tentatively identified and characterized a total of 176 phenolics, including phenolic acids (49), flavonoids (86), lignans (11), stilbene (5) and other polyphenols (25) in all twenty peel samples. From HPLC-PDA quantification, the mango peel sample showed significantly higher phenolic content, particularly for phenolic acids (gallic acid, 14.5 ± 0.4 mg/g) and flavonoids (quercetin, 11.9 ± 0.4 mg/g), as compared to other fruit peel samples. These results highlight the importance of fruit peels as a potential source of polyphenols. This study provides supportive information for the utilization of different phenolic rich fruit peels as ingredients in food, feed, and nutraceutical products.

Turning waste management into a carbon neutral activity: Practical demonstration in a medium-sized European city

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with focus on carbon footprint, followed by Life Cycle Costing (LCC) of municipal solid waste (MSW) management were conducted in a residential area of a medium-sized European city of 80,000 inhabitants. The initial results showed high environmental impacts and lack of economic sustainability, due to the high amounts of waste landfilled, the low extent of separate collection, low performance of mechanical-biological treatment as well as absence from alternatives to landfilling of non-recyclable materials. Taking this result as a baseline scenario, three improvement.s were tested with the aim of turning the carbon footprint of the local MSW management system into a neutral value: (i) increased separate collection of recyclables, (ii) enhanced biogas production and (iii) refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production. Successively adding the improvements, three alternative improved scenarios were defined, until reaching a negative carbon footprint, meaning that an optimised system would avoid GHG emissions. The proposed changes were sufficient to achieve carbon neutrality, as well as reduce overall environmental impacts, but were not enough for achieving economic sustainability due to the great influence of collection costs, especially for separate collection. It was concluded that by using an adequate combination of several treatment options and increasing the separate collection of recyclable materials it is possible to turn MSW management into a carbon neutral activity as well as improve its economic balance.