Circular Economy and E-Waste: An Opportunity from RFID TAGs

Planar Thermoelectric Microgenerators in Application to Power RFID Tags

This paper presents an innovative approach to the integration of thermoelectric microgenerators (μTEGs) based on thick-film thermopiles of planar constantan-silver (CuNi-Ag) and calcium cobaltite oxide-silver (Ca3Co4O9-Ag) thick-film thermopiles with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The goal was to consider using the TEG for an active or semi-passive RFID tag. The proposed implementation would allow the communication distance to be increased or even operated without changing batteries. This article discusses the principles of planar thermoelectric microgenerators (μTEGs), focusing on their ability to convert the temperature difference into electrical energy. The concept of integration with active or semi-passive tags is presented, as well as the results of energy efficiency tests, considering various environmental conditions. On the basis of the measurements, the parameters of thermopiles consisting of more thermocouples were simulated to provide the required voltage and power for cooperation with RFID tags. The conclusions of the research indicate promising prospects for the integration of planar thermoelectric microgenerators with RFID technology, opening the way to more sustainable and efficient monitoring and identification systems. Our work provides the theoretical basis and practical experimental data for the further development and implementation of this innovative technology.

A Brief Review on Flexible Electronics for IoT: Solutions for Sustainability and New Perspectives for Designers

The Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining more and more popularity and it is establishing itself in all areas, from industry to everyday life. Given its pervasiveness and considering the problems that afflict today's world, that must be carefully monitored and addressed to guarantee a future for the new generations, the sustainability of technological solutions must be a focal point in the activities of researchers in the field. Many of these solutions are based on flexible, printed or wearable electronics. The choice of materials therefore becomes fundamental, just as it is crucial to provide the necessary power supply in a green way. In this paper we want to analyze the state of the art of flexible electronics for the IoT, paying particular attention to the issue of sustainability. Furthermore, considerations will be made on how the skills required for the designers of such flexible circuits, the features required to the new design tools and the characterization of electronic circuits are changing.

Environmental Burden Case Study of RFID Technology in Logistics Centre

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has established itself as an effective tool for identifying various objects in all human and business areas. There are many studies describing the use of this technology. However, scientific articles only marginally address the issue of recycling or reusing radio frequency identifiers. Radio frequency identifiers are defined as electronic waste by European Union legislation. This article deals with the environmental burden resulting from the use of radio frequency identifiers in a selected logistics centre and courier company in the Slovak and Czech Republic territories. The research and its relevance have become topical in the context of pandemics and with the increasing demand for products and courier services. In order to access the level of the above-mentioned environmental burden in a relevant way, an analysis of the circulation of transport units (pallets) and radio frequency identifiers in the selected logistics centre was carried out. The research results showed that the selected logistics centre generated annually 5.7 t of the e-waste from radio frequency identifiers placed on received pallets. The amount of 139 kg of metal was present in the e-waste quantity. The partial results of the research were applied to the e-commerce area. This article's conclusion is dedicated to the characterization of possibilities of reducing the environmental burden from the use of radio frequency identifiers in logistics.

Enabling the Polymer Circular Economy: Innovations in Photoluminescent Labeling of Plastic Waste for Enhanced Sorting

It is widely accepted that moving from a linear to circular economy for plastics will be beneficial to reduce plastic pollution in our environment and to prevent loss of material value. However, challenges within the sorting of plastic waste often lead to contaminated waste streams that can devalue recyclates and hinder reprocessing. Therefore, the improvement of the sorting of plastic waste can lead to dramatic improvements in recyclate quality and enable circularity for plastics. Here, we discuss current sorting methods for plastic waste and review labeling techniques to enable enhanced sorting of plastic recyclates. Photoluminescent-based labeling is discussed in detail, including UV-vis organic and inorganic photoluminescent markers, infrared up-conversion, and X-ray fluorescent markers. Methods of incorporating labels within packaging, such as extrusion, surface coatings, and incorporation within external labels are also discussed. Additionally, we highlight some practical models for implementing some of the sorting techniques and provide an outlook for this growing field of research.

Tackling the "last mile" problem in renovation waste management: A case study in China

Solid waste generated from building renovation, called "renovation waste" in this study, represents a major waste management problem. A particular difficulty is sourcing renovation waste arising sporadically from discrete sites for central processing. This can be characterized as a "last mile" problem in renovation waste management (RWM). This study reports good practice for dealing with the RWM last mile problem in a city in China. We conduct qualitative research comprising site investigations and interviews, organized in an in-depth case study. We discover that the city effectively solved the last mile problem by developing a multi-layer, nested waste management system, empowered further by various smart technologies and concerted collaboration from multi-stakeholders coordinated by a determined government. Nevertheless, the longevity of the RWM is contingent on confronting several challenges, including (a) achieving cost and benefit balance, (b) defining clearer standards and policies, and (c) raising stakeholders' awareness of waste management. A general RWM strategy is recommended to establish fluent channels through which to source and qualify renovation waste for central treatment. The study delves into the much neglected world of RWM and provides a valuable reference for tackling similar problems.

Energy Transitions in Western European Countries: Regulation Comparative Analysis

Shifting from fossil to renewable energy sources is a major global challenge, and in this context, the European Union has promoted sustainable and environmentally friendly growth as early as the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. To date, European institutions have promulgated a series of environmental regulations and directives aimed at promoting and imposing adoption by member states of internal regulations. This paper is focused on Western Europe, and it explores, for each state under analysis, energy policies adopted, the results achieved and recommendations for the future growth of renewable energy. The results show that in countries where energy policy is not fragmented, the yield in renewable energies has been higher, and also in the states where more and various forms of subsidies are foreseen, growth seems to be greater. Finally, the paper provides useful recommendations and future policy implications for states that have not met the 2020 targets.

Rewritable and Sustainable 2D Barcode for Traceability Application in Smart IoT Based Fault-Tolerant Mechanism

With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, two-dimensional (2D) barcodes are widely used in smart IoT applications as a perception portal. In industries with many circulations and testing links like traceability, since the existing 2D barcode cannot be changed once it is printed, it can only be replaced with more expensive radio frequency identification (RFID) labels or new 2D barcodes, causing a waste of human resources and costs. For better circulation efficiency and resource utilization, we propose a new design of the rewritable and sustainable 2D barcode based on the fault-tolerance mechanism. The ability to add new information in the 2D barcode can be achieved through data encryption and the insertion of a rewritable layer. It means the message of 2D barcodes could be changed, and increases the flexibility and liquidity of the 2D barcode application. Besides, the encoding and decoding method of the proposed 2D barcode is presented. Experimental results have illustrated the superiority of rewritable and sustainable 2D barcodes in the traceability of herbal medicine compared with the conventional 2D barcodes, and demonstrated the feasibility of the design. The findings show the potential for significant application in the field of traceability in smart IoT, as well as in the manufacturing industry and logistics.

A unified framework for assessing the readiness of European Union economies to migrate to a circular modelling

Sustainable development demands radical rethinking of national economies, now mainly based on a linear approach. The transition to a circular one requires crucial innovations and disruptive changes and, despite the interest about this topic, the circular economy is insufficiently implemented. This paper intents to demonstrate that circular economy is a manner of rearranging the economies on sustainable development economic, social and environmental requirements. The aim of this paper is to assess the readiness of the economies belonging to the European Union (EU) to migrate from the actual linear economy to a circular one through a methodology which incorporates economic, social and environmental factors and delivers a composite index. This index is based on a ready to use original unified framework, based on the three pillars of the sustainable development - economic, social and environmental, each founded on two relevant factors. The index is useful for the diagnosis of current situation and allows the identification of the best EU players in terms of readiness of EU nations to pass to a sustainable circular economy. The findings of this paper add value to the current knowledge on circular economy and portray the circularity as being grounded on a safe, rational and socially just transformation. The results of this paper provide a tool that may be used by national and European decision makers/regulators to identify the best/worst practices, which can be replicated/addressed in order to accelerate the transition of the EU to circularity.