The purpose of this discussion is to highlight the essential role that solid waste management must play in a humanitarian response towards disasters, in particular the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We highlight a number of potential avenues for scholarly investigation into the waste impacts of our response to Covid-19, but in particular, briefly unpacks the relationship between disasters, consumption and disposability as one potential research topic. The discussion is intended to start a conversation that is, at the moment, critically relevant, and to contribute to a more inclusive, and less normatively Western waste management studies discourse.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.05.006 | DOI Listing |
Viruses
December 2024
APC Microbiome Ireland, School of Microbiology, University College Cork, College Road, T12 K8AF Cork, Ireland.
Access to safe water and food is a critical issue in sub-Saharan Africa, where microbial contamination poses significant health risks. Conventional water treatment and food preservation methods have limitations in addressing water safety, particularly for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms. This review explores the potential application of bacteriophages as an innovative solution for water treatment and food safety in the region.
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December 2024
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
This study presents a novel approach for monitoring waste substrate digestion under high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes in sewage treatment plants. The method integrates infrared thermal imaging with a clustering algorithm to predict the distribution of various substrates beneath Traditional outdoor large-scale opaque geomembranes, using solar radiation as an excitation source. The technique leverages ambient weather conditions to assess the thermal responses of HDPE covers.
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December 2024
Department of Technology and Entrepreneurship in Wood Industry, Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
This study investigates the properties of composites produced using post-consumer polypropylene (PP) reinforced with lignocellulosic fillers from (black cumin) and rapeseed pomace. Using agri-food by-products like pomace supports waste management efforts and reduces the demand for wood in wood-plastic composites. The composite production method combined extrusion and hot flat pressing.
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December 2024
Faculty of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautics, Space Engineering and Transport Institute, Riga Technical University, LV-1011 Riga, Latvia.
This study investigates the potential of reusing punched-steel waste, a significant component of solid inorganic waste, in composite materials for construction applications. Driven by the growing global demand for raw materials (which is projected to quadruple by 2050) and the need for sustainable waste management practices, this research explores the creation of a composite material (PPLK) incorporating punched-steel tape (LPM-4 grade) embedded in a polypropylene matrix. Experimental testing of PPLK specimens (310 × 90 × 6.
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December 2024
Faculty of Engineering Mechanics, Khmelnytskyi National University, Instytuts'ka Str., 29016 Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.
Life cycle analysis (LCA) is a popular tool for determining the environmental impacts of a product in use. The aim of this study is to carry out a life cycle analysis, gate-to-gate, of a mass packaging process using a polyethylene shrinking film with a focus on energy consumption, raw material use and associated emissions, and film post-consumer disposal scenarios. Two different scenarios for the disposal of the shrinking film used in the packaging process were analyzed, namely recycling and landfills.
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