U.S. plastic waste exports: A state-by-state analysis pre- and post-China import ban.

This study analyzes the regional implications of China's 2017 import ban on plastic waste by examining U.S. census data.

Air Pollutant Emission Inventory of Waste-to-Energy Plants in China and Prediction by the Artificial Neural Network Approach.

The waste-to-energy (WTE) plant has been deployed in 205 cities in China. However, it always faces public resistance to be built because of the great concerns on flue gas pollutants (FGPs). There are limited studies on the socioeconomic heterogeneity analysis and prediction models of WTE capacity/ FGP emission inventories (EIs) based on big data.

Performance of structural concrete using Waste-to-Energy (WTE) combined ash.

In the U.S., about 27 million metric tons of municipal solid waste are used as fuel in Waste-to-Energy (WTE) power plants, generating about seven million tons of mixed bottom ash and fly ash (combined ash) annually, which are disposed of in landfills after metal separation.

Interaction between mechanosensitive channels embedded in lipid membrane.

The study of the gating mechanism of mechanosensitive channels opens a window to the exploration of how different mechanical stimuli induce adaptive cellular behaviors of both the protein and the lipid, across different time and length scales. In this work, through a molecular dynamics-decorated finite element method (MDeFEM), the gating behavior of mechanosensitive channels of small conductance (MscS) in Escherichia coli (E. coli) is studied upon membrane stretch or global bending.

Review on fate of chlorine during thermal processing of solid wastes.

Chlorine (Cl) is extensively present in solid wastes, causing significant problems during the thermal conversion of waste to energy or fuels, by combustion, gasification or pyrolysis. This paper introduces the analytical methods for determining the Cl content in solid materials and presents the concentrations of Cl in various types of wastes, as reported in literature. Then, it provides a comprehensive analysis on the Cl emission behavior and Cl species formed during the thermal processing of the inorganic and organic Cl sources.

A step by step selection method for the location and the size of a waste-to-energy facility targeting the maximum output energy and minimization of gate fee.

This study attempts the development of an algorithm in order to present a step by step selection method for the location and the size of a waste-to-energy facility targeting the maximum output energy, also considering the basic obstacle which is in many cases, the gate fee. Various parameters identified and evaluated in order to formulate the proposed decision making method in the form of an algorithm. The principle simulation input is the amount of municipal solid wastes (MSW) available for incineration and along with its net calorific value are the most important factors for the feasibility of the plant.

Properties of ceramics prepared using dry discharged waste to energy bottom ash dust.

The fine dust of incinerator bottom ash generated from dry discharge systems can be transformed into an inert material suitable for the production of hard, dense ceramics. Processing involves the addition of glass, ball milling and calcining to remove volatile components from the incinerator bottom ash. This transforms the major crystalline phases present in fine incinerator bottom ash dust from quartz (SiO(2)), calcite (CaCO(3)), gehlenite (Ca(2)Al(2)SiO(7)) and hematite (Fe(2)O(3)), to the pyroxene group minerals diopside (CaMgSi(2)O(6)), clinoenstatite (MgSi(2)O(6)), wollastonite (CaSiO(3)) together with some albite (NaAlSi(3)O(8)) and andradite (Ca(3)Fe(2)Si(3)O(12)).

Production of pyroxene ceramics from the fine fraction of incinerator bottom ash.

Incinerator bottom ash (IBA) is normally processed to extract metals and the coarse mineral fraction is used as secondary aggregate. This leaves significant quantities of fine material, typically less than 4mm, that is problematic as reuse options are limited. This work demonstrates that fine IBA can be mixed with glass and transformed by milling, calcining, pressing and sintering into high density ceramics.