A comparative cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of geopolymer concrete produced from industrial side streams in comparison with traditional concrete.

Traditional concrete production is a major contributor to global warming. Industrially produced geopolymer concrete is a viable substitute to limit the negative impacts of concrete production. Thus, this study developed novel geopolymer concrete mix designs using industrial side streams, such as bark boiler ash, construction and demolition waste (CDW), fibre waste, and mine tailings.

Long-term evolution of the climate change impacts of solid household waste management in Lappeenranta, Finland.

Waste management processes have developed significantly in recent decades and will continue to change alongside the associated environmental impacts. This paper examines the climate change impacts of historical development in waste management, which has not received significant attention in the existing literature, while also exploring possible future developments. The city of Lappeenranta in Finland was selected as a case study, and the climate impacts of household waste (HW) management were calculated for the actual situations in 2009 and 2019 and the foreseen situation in 2029.

Consequential life-cycle assessment of treatment options for repulping reject from liquid packaging board waste treatment.

Liquid packaging board is one of the highly demanded packaging mediums for liquid food and beverages, generating substantial waste each year. Even though the fibre part of the liquid packaging board is recycled through a repulping process, the plastic and aluminium are usually used for energy recovery and as alternative raw materials in cement factories. This practice reduces the life span and economic value of plastic and aluminium, which does not fit within a circular economy.

Life Cycle Assessment of a Thermal Recycling Process as an Alternative to Existing CFRP and GFRP Composite Wastes Management Options.

There are forecasts for the exponential increase in the generation of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite wastes containing valuable carbon and glass fibres. The recent adoption of these composites in wind turbines and aeroplanes has increased the amount of end-of-life waste from these applications. By adequately closing the life cycle loop, these enormous volumes of waste can partly satisfy the global demand for their virgin counterparts.

Indicators for resource recovery monitoring within the circular economy model implementation in the wastewater sector.

The European Union is currently in the process of transformation toward a circular economy model in which different areas of activity should be integrated for more efficient management of raw materials and waste. The wastewater sector has a great potential in this regard and therefore is an important element of the transformation process to the circular economy model. The targets of the circular economy policy framework such as resource recovery are tightly connected with the wastewater treatment processes and sewage sludge management.

Environmental performance of dewatered sewage sludge digestate utilization based on life cycle assessment.

Due to the global trend of urbanization, the amount of sewage water is increasing in cities. This calls for efficient treatment of the resulting sewage sludge. To date, in the 27 European Union member countries (EU-27), the prevailing treatment method is application on arable land.

Carbon footprint of different recovery options for the repulping reject from liquid packaging board waste treatment process.

Liquid packaging board (LPB) is an integral part of storing and transporting liquid food. In addition to its significant advantages, LPB has been challenging the existing waste management sector since its introduction into the market. In most European countries, LPB waste is either incinerated or recycled in the recycling facilities where fibre is recycled, and the repulping reject is separated for incineration.

Challenges and practices on waste management and disposal during COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a global emergency and also has raised issues with waste management practices. This study emphasized the challenges of increased waste disposal during the COVID-19 crisis and its response practices. Data obtained from the scientific research papers, publications from the governments and multilateral organizations, and media reports were used to quantify the effect of the pandemic towards waste generation.

Impact of utilizing solid recovered fuel on the global warming potential of cement production and waste management system: A life cycle assessment approach.

Cement production is responsible for a significant share of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A potential option to reduce the cement production emissions is to use alternative fuels which can have also an impact on emissions from the waste management sector. This work investigates the change in global warming potential (GWP) of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) production and affected waste management systems when conventional fuels are partially replaced by solid recovered fuel (SRF) made from commercial and industrial waste (C&IW).

Systematic assessment of critical factors for the economic performance of landfill mining in Europe: What drives the economy of landfill mining?

Landfill mining (LFM) is a strategy to mitigate environmental impacts associated with landfills, while simultaneously recovering dormant materials, energy carriers, and land resources. Although several case study assessments on the economy of LFM exist, a broader understanding of the driving factors is still lacking. This study aims at identifying generically important factors for the economy of LFM in Europe and understanding their role in developing economically feasible projects in view of different site, project and system-level conditions.

Technical implications and global warming potential of recovering nitrogen released during continuous thermal drying of sewage sludge.

Thermal drying and consequent incineration of sewage sludge result in an absolute loss of an important macronutrient - nitrogen. To fulfill the growing food demand, humanity relies more on industrial fixation of nitrogen, primarily via the Haber-Bosch process. The present paper examines the nitrogen release during continuous thermal drying of municipal sewage sludge and its consequent recovery for fertilization.

Applicability of a field portable X-ray fluorescence for analyzing elemental concentration of waste samples.

Determining the chemical properties of waste is crucial to ensure the most effective utilization of waste. The standard laboratory measurements can produce accurate results, but analysis is labor- and time-consuming. The variety of elements that field portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (FPXRF) can detect from selected waste materials was studied, including how the results compared with those of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements.

Modeling and comparative assessment of bubbling fluidized bed gasification system for syngas production - a gateway for a cleaner future in Pakistan.

The present study explores the potential of MSW gasification for exergy analysis and has been recently given a premier attention in a region like Pakistan where the urbanization is rapidly growing and resources are few. The plant capacity was set at 50 MW based on reference data available and the total exergetic efficiency was recorded to be 31.5 MW.

Nitrogen behaviour during thermal drying of mechanically dewatered biosludge from pulp and paper industry.

An ongoing call to implement a circular economy is underway in the European Union, and a specific attention has been placed on the forest industry, which seeks additional recycling routes for its side streams, including biosludge. Biosludge is often dried and incinerated, thus wasting the nitrogen contained therein. This paper describes a study in which the release of nitrogen during thermal drying, the impact of the drying temperatures of 130°C, 180°C, and 210°C on the mass of ammonia released, and the potential for recovery of nitrogen from biosludge were examined.

Potential of phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge and manure ash by thermochemical treatment.

All life forms require phosphorus (P), which has no substitute in food production. The risk of phosphorus loss from soil and limited P rock reserves has led to the development of recycling P from industrial residues. This study investigates the potential of phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge and manure ash by thermochemical treatment (ASH DEC) in Finland.

Method for residual household waste composition studies.

The rising awareness of decreasing natural resources has brought forward the idea of a circular economy and resource efficiency in Europe. As a part of this movement, European countries have identified the need to monitor residual waste flows in order to make recycling more efficient. In Finland, studies on the composition of residual household waste have mostly been conducted using different methods, which makes the comparison of the results difficult.

Technical potential of electricity production from municipal solid waste disposed in the biggest cities in Brazil: landfill gas, biogas and thermal treatment.

This article presents an analysis of possibilities for electrical energy production by using municipal solid waste disposed in the biggest Brazilian cities. Currently, the municipal solid waste in Brazil is collected and disposed of at landfills, but there are also other technologies, which in addition to dealing with the garbage can also provide benefits in terms of energy provision. The following scenarios were studied in this work: electricity production from landfill gas (reference scenario); incineration of all municipal solid waste; anaerobic digestion of organic waste and incineration of refuse-derived fuel fractions after being separated in separation plants.

Understanding biorefining efficiency--the case of agrifood waste.

The aim of this study was to determine biorefining efficiency according to the choices made in the entire value chain. The importance of the share of biomass volume biorefined or products substituted was investigated. Agrifood-waste-based biorefining represented the case.

Potential of energy and nutrient recovery from biodegradable waste by co-treatment in Lithuania.

Biodegradable waste quantities in Lithuania and their potential for the co-treatment in renewable energy and organic fertilizer production were investigated. Two scenarios were formulated to study the differences of the amounts of obtainable energy and fertilizers between different ways of utilization. In the first scenario, only digestion was used, and in the second scenario, materials other than straw were digested, and straw and the solid fraction of sewage sludge digestate were combusted.

Feasibility of energy recovery from municipal solid waste in an integrated municipal energy supply and waste management system.

A decision-support model for determining the feasibility of a planned energy-from-waste (EfW) investment for an integrated waste management and energy supply system is presented. The aim is to present an easy-to-understand, inexpensive and fast-to-use tool to decision-makers for modelling and evaluating different kinds of processes. Special emphasis is put on forming the model and interpretation of the results of the example case.