Poland’s Proposal for a Safe Solution of Waste Treatment during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Circular Economy Connection

Recycle Option for Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash (MSWIFA) as a Partial Replacement for Cement in Mortars Containing Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement (CSA) and Portland Cement to Save the Environment and Natural Resources

Reduction of emissions, energy consumption, and use of substitutes for natural resources is an element of sustainable development and the circular economy. Cement production is a process with a high carbon footprint; therefore, minimizing the use of this material has a significant impact on reducing environmental costs. A substitute for cement is municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA). The article presents a method of making an eco-concrete with the use of municipal solid waste incineration hazardous fly ash. The use of secondary waste for the production of building materials additionally contributes to achieving climate neutrality established by the European Union and China. The article analyzes the physicochemical properties of various MSWIFAs, the amount and leachability of heavy metals, and selected elements from MSWIFA and concrete properties. The technical properties of mortars containing MSWIFA were investigated. Consistency is not affected by MSWIFA content, although the workability time is prolonged. Air entraining admixture efficiency is lowered, but the effect lasts longer. The initial setting time is prolonged, and the flexural and compressive strengths are decreased in early terms because of the zinc presence in MSWIFA. MSWIFA does not influence the water demand, volume stability of mortars, or microstructure of cement's hydration products.

COVID-19, waste production and municipal recycling programs: Insights from Chile to the global south

The amount and characterization of municipal and industrial waste generated in numerous cities worldwide have changed dramatically in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, assessing the impact of COVID-19-related policies is important to provide decision-makers with adequate knowledge to respond effectively to future events and create successful policies that respond to specific contexts. This study focuses on Chile, Latin America's second-largest municipal and industrial solid waste producer, with tight quarantine procedures placed to prevent the virus from spreading, and a series of monetary incentives implemented to minimize the economic and social impact of the quarantines. The time series of municipal solid waste (MSW) and recycling in the metropolitan region show a decrease in the amount collected during the initial months of lockdown and a subsequent increase during monetary incentive implementation. The country recovered and exceeded pre-pandemic MSW generation and recycling levels. Furthermore, the lockdown and the withdrawal of retirement funds (WRF) had a varied impact on each municipality in the region. However, WRF had a larger direct impact than a lockdown, indicating that purchasing power has a greater impact than mobility in waste generation and recycling, at least in this region of Chile.

Circularity in waste management: a research proposal to achieve the 2030 Agenda

Waste management is the main challenge in the transition away from the linear "take-make-dispose" economy. Incorporating the principles of circularity in waste management would facilitate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. This paper aims to provide state-of-the-art research about circular waste management in the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda. For this purpose, bibliometric analysis by VOSviewer and SciMat software is used to define the evolution and to detect research trends. Based on the main gaps identified in studies, a research agenda to guide for further opportunities in this field is suggested. The results obtained four clusters that address sustainable industrial infrastructure, biological waste management, recycling in developing countries and recovery processes. Four research propositions are established, focusing on plastic waste management and generation trends, circular municipal waste management, more sustainable landfill management, and enablers such as indicators and legislation. The transformation towards more bio and ecological models requires social, regulatory and organizational tools that consider the best interests and capacity of companies, public authorities and consumers. In addition, policy implications are considered.

Circular Economy Research in the COVID-19 Era: a Review and the Road Ahead

The onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a major crisis that has severely impacted numerous economic, environmental, and social aspects of human life. During the pandemic, the potential of the circular economy (CE) has gained increasing attention as a prospective remedy for numerous sustainability problems. This systematic literature review charts CE research in the COVID-19 era. To this end, 160 journal articles were selected from the Scopus database. The performance indicators of the literature were determined and described through a bibliometric analysis. Moreover, the conceptual structure of CE research was identified via a keyword co-occurrence network. Based on bibliographic coupling, the focus of CE research in the COVID-19 era revolves mainly around five thematic areas, including: (1) waste management; (2) digitalization and sustainable supply chain management; (3) the impact of COVID-19 on food systems; (4) sustainable development goals, smart cities, and bioeconomy; and (5) closed-loop supply chains. Overall, this review contributes to enriching the literature by determining the main thematic areas and future research directions that can help to advance the transition to the CE and reduce the impact of COVID-19 and similar disasters in the future.

Waste management beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Bibliometric and text mining analyses

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the demand for personal protective equipment, in particular face masks, thus leading to a huge amount of healthcare waste generated worldwide. Consequently, such an unprecedented amount of newly emerged waste has posed significant challenges to practitioners, policy-makers, and municipal authorities involved in waste management (WM) systems. This research aims at mapping the COVID-19-related scientific production to date in the field of WM. In this vein, the performance indicators of the target literature were analyzed and discussed through conducting a bibliometric analysis. The conceptual structure of COVID-19-related WM research, including seven main research themes, were uncovered and visualized through a text mining analysis as follows: (1) household and food waste, (2) personnel safety and training for waste handling, (3) sustainability and circular economy, (4) personal protective equipment and plastic waste, (5) healthcare waste management practices, (6) wastewater management, and (7) COVID-19 transmission through infectious waste. Finally, a research agenda for WM practices and activities in the post-COVID-19 era was proposed, focusing on the following three identified research gaps: (i) developing a systemic framework to properly manage the pandemic crisis implications for WM practices as a whole, following a systems thinking approach, (ii) building a circular economy model encompassing all activities from the design stage to the implementation stage, and (iii) proposing incentives to effectively involve informal sectors and local capacity in decentralizing municipal waste management, with a specific focus on developing and less-developed countries.

Determining the Mechanical Properties of Solid Plates Obtained from the Recycling of Cable Waste

In this article, the possibility of obtaining a solid plate from waste cable sheaths, by mechanical recycling, i.e., grinding, plasticising and pressing, is discussed-waste cable sheaths being pure PVC with a slight admixture of silicone. Press moulding was carried out under the following conditions: temperature 135 °C, heating duration 1 h and applied pressure 10 MPa. The yield point of the obtained solid plate obtained was 15.0 + -0.6 MPa, flexural strength 0.94 MPa, yield point 0.47 MPa and Charpy's impact strength 5.1 kJ/m^2. The resulting solid plate does not differ significantly from the input material, in terms of mechanical strength, so, from the point of view of strength, that is, from a technical point of view, such promising processing of waste cables can be carried out successfully in industrial practice.

To what extent do waste management strategies need adaptation to post-COVID-19?

The world has been grappling with the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year. Various sectors have been affected by COVID-19 and its consequences. The waste management system is one of the sectors affected by such unpredictable pandemics. The experience of COVID-19 proved that adaptability to such pandemics and the post-pandemic era had become a necessity in waste management systems and this requires an accurate understanding of the challenges that have been arising. The accurate information and data from most countries severely affected by the pandemic are not still available to identify the key challenges during and post-COVID-19. The documented evidence from literature has been collected, and the attempt has been made to summarize the rising challenges and the lessons learned. This review covers all raised challenges concerning the various aspects of the waste management system from generation to final disposal (i.e., generation, storage, collection, transportation, processing, and burial of waste). The necessities and opportunities are recognized for increasing flexibility and adaptability in waste management systems. The four basic pillars are enumerated to adapt the waste management system to the COVID-19 pandemic and post-COVID-19 conditions. Striving to support and implement a circular economy is one of its basic strategies.

Green Deal and Circular Economy of Bottom Ash Waste Management in Building Industry-Alkali (NaOH) Pre-Treatment

This study aims to investigate the possibilities of municipal waste incineration bottom ash (MSWIBA) utilization in the construction sector. MSWIBA development fits into the European Green Deal, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Circular Economy (CE). This manuscript describes current MSWIBA treatment such as solidification, ceramization, vitrification, chemical activation (NaOH, CaOH2, NA2SiO3 + NaOH, Na2CO3 + NaOH, NH4OH), acid treatment with diluted solutions (HCl, H2SO4), chemical stabilization (FeSO4, PO43-), chelation, etc. For the purpose of comparative research, MSWIBA before valorization, after valorization, and after NaOH pre-treatment was investigated. In terms of their physico-chemical properties, the tested samples were examined. Three kinds of MSWIBA were used as a substitute for 30% of cement in mortars. The mortars were tested for 28-day strength. Leachability tests were performed in acid, aggressive, alkali, and neutral water environments. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was carried out, which presented the environmental benefits of MSWIBA management in construction.

Optimization of Energy Recovery from Hazardous Waste in a Waste Incineration Plant with the Use of an Application

Recovering energy from waste is a positive element in the operation of a waste incineration plant. Hazardous waste is a very diverse group, including in terms of its fuel properties. Carrying out the thermal process in this case is associated with the difficulty in maintaining stable conditions. This may translate into the efficiency of energy recovery from waste. The article presents a tool supporting the work of hazardous waste incineration plant operators, the aim of which is to select waste for a batch of input material in a manner that ensures process stability and efficient energy recovery. The tool is an application in which the bee algorithm is implemented. It selects the optimal solution to the problem, in accordance with the assumed parameters. The application tests in laboratory conditions were satisfactory and indicated compliance with the assumptions and stability of the solution.

Recycling of Plastics from Cable Waste from Automotive Industry in Poland as an Approach to the Circular Economy

This paper presents the contemporary problems of polymer waste recycling, mainly recycling cables from end-of-life vehicles. The authors developed a new material based on mixed polymer waste (ASR) modified with a ductile polymer, mainly recycled low-density polyethylene (rLDPE), to produce moisture-resistant boards with beneficial mechanical properties. The ASR-based compositions without and with homogenization process-including physical, chemical, and shear-assisted compatibilization-were successfully applied and verified by evaluating final recycled product properties. The results showed that recycled polyethylene (rLDPE) was effective as a modifier increasing tensile modulus and flexural strength compare to an ASR mixture. It was found that the adding 5 wt % of polyethylene-grafted maleic anhydride (PE-g-MAH) as a compatibilizer to the ASR mixture significantly increases the homogenization of the components in the ASR matrix. The optimal solution for management cable waste is the manufacture of ASR composites with homogenization using an internal mixer the adding 20 wt % of rLDPE and 5 wt % of PE-g-MAH to the mixed plastics cable waste. The results obtained demonstrate that the hot-pressing with the pre-blending with rLDPE and compatibilizer of the ASR based waste provides a high gain in mechanical and usage properties, enabling the circular economy of plastics from automotive cables.

Technology Entrepreneurship and the Performance of Enterprises in the Conditions of Covid-19 Pandemic: The Fuzzy Set Analysis of Waste to Energy Enterprises in Poland

This article’s aim is to explain the impact of technology entrepreneurship phenomenon on waste management enterprise performance in the conditions of COVID-19 pandemic. The concept of technology entrepreneurship according to the configuration approach and the category of high-performance organization are the theoretical bases of empirical investigation. For the implementation of empirical research, Fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (FsQCA) was adopted. The research sample included a group of producers of Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) as a central part of the waste to energy industry located in Poland. The research results showed that the waste to energy sector is highly immune to pandemic threats. While during COVID-19, the basic economic parameters (i.e., sales, profitability and employment) of the entire industry in Poland clearly decreased, the same parameters in the case of the waste to energy industry remained at the same level. The research results allow the formulation of two high-performance models of technology entrepreneurship in the waste to energy industry under COVID-19 conditions. The first model is based on traditional technologies and hierarchical organizational structures, and the second is using innovative technologies and flexible structures. Both technology entrepreneurship models are determined by their emergence as complementary to implementation strategies and the opportunity-oriented allocation of resources within business model portfolios.