Hasil untuk "Environmental effects of industries and plants"

Zahir Barahmand, Liang Wang, Marianne Eikeland

The circular economy (CE) is widely seen as a path to sustainability, yet it remains unclear whether its indicators fully reflect its overall contribution. Despite rapid growth, current classifications of CE indicators remain fragmented and are often based on limited datasets. To address this, this study maps 2701 CE indicators to provide a comprehensive overview of their thematic and structural distribution. A six-domain framework was applied (covering environmental, economic, social, circularity, technological, and legislative dimensions) and organized into 21 classes and 118 subgroups. To address inconsistencies, a hybrid labeling approach was introduced for classifying data types and economic levels. Results show that CE indicators collectively span all sustainability domains but remain unevenly distributed, with quantitative and meso-level indicators prevailing and micro-level ones underrepresented. Three key insights emerge: (1) large datasets reduce bias in CE assessment; (2) multi-level classification enables clearer interpretation; and (3) binary labeling oversimplifies contextual complexity. Overall, this mapping demonstrates that CE measurement has expanded beyond traditional circularity metrics toward broader sustainability integration, providing a foundation for more coherent indicator development and policy alignment.

Ana Maria Caceres Ruiz, Alessandro Sanches Pereira, Atiq Zaman

A Circular Economy (CE) is a promising path to realise sustainable societies across cities, regions, and nations. Yet, the realisation of effective regional circular economies (RCEs) remains underexplored. This paper contributes to advancing RCE knowledge by conducting a three-step integrative literature survey and gap analysis. Successful RCE implementation requires integrated, place-based approaches. These include clearly demarcating regional boundaries; assessing local contexts such as resources, secondary materials, specialisations, key stakeholders, barriers and drivers to CE, path dependencies, and proximity dynamics; and developing policies that support regional clusters, knowledge transfer, and fit-for-purpose indicators (e.g., sector-based), as well as the scaling-up of successful CE initiatives, and spatial planning strategies (e.g., designating land for CE pilots). Territorial governance strategies should engage diverse stakeholders, transition brokers, and interregional collaborations. Implementation should extend beyond the “R-framework” by incorporating reverse logistics, cascading, and industrial symbiosis, alongside robust monitoring mechanisms to adapt and improve initiatives while assessing climate impacts.In addition, our gap analysis reveals critical research needs: developing and testing circular strategies tailored to key local economic specialisations (e.g., agriculture, forestry, mining); bridging the divide between sufficiency, efficiency, and innovation ideals and their practical uptake; addressing the underutilisation of regenerative, reduce, and reuse strategies; clarifying how RCEs influence emission reduction pathways; and how to initiate and mobilize governance structures for CE transitions in regions.This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on CE by providing practical insights for ground-level RCE implementation and by highlighting overlooked research areas that are essential for advancing circular transitions in regional settings.

Nishita Ivy, Sayan Bhattacharya, Satarupa Dey et al.

Zheng Fang, Guangqi Xiong, Zongxuan Shao et al.

Rapid urbanization produces billions of tons of concrete waste annually, with recycled concrete powder (RCP) posing significant challenges due to its high porosity and limited reusability. To overcome RCP’s inherent limitations and maximize resource utilization, we developed a novel “Recycled Concrete Powder Electrolyzer” for selective recovery of key components. This electrochemical method efficiently extracted Ca2＋ ions from RCP, achieving a 96% calcium extraction efficiency comparable to acid leaching. The process produced high-purity portlandite (94% purity; 65.58% yield) with crystal sizes below 30μm, ideal for cement manufacturing, while also recovering fine sand powder and silica-containing products. A Ca(NO3)2 electrolyte enhanced Ca2＋ migration and prevented membrane fouling, resulting in lower energy consumption compared to the NaNO3 system. By converting RCP into a carbon-free cement precursor and recovering valuable components, this approach demonstrates the feasibility of transforming problematic waste into sustainable construction materials. It offers a circular economy solution for concrete waste recycling, reducing landfill burden while providing a low-emission alternative for cement production.

Vita Ratri Cahyani, Mohammad Iqbal Firmansyah, Ongko Cahyono et al.

Ultisols are characterized as acid soils with high exchangeable Al as the primary constraint for plant growth. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the proportion of lime and organic matter in decreasing exchangeable Al on Ultisol Bogor and continued to observe the impact on the growth and nodulation of peanuts. The pot experiment used a completely randomized design with a single treatment of the addition of ameliorant consisting of 12 levels of the treatment of lime (calcite and dolomite), organic matter (dry cow dung and rice straw compost), and their combinations with three replications. The first step was applying the ameliorant and incubating for eight weeks, then continuing the cultivation of peanuts. Results showed that during incubation, the decrease in exchangeable Al levels varied between treatments, along with an increase in soil pH and available P. The treatments of calcite 100% (T1) and dolomite 100% (T2) showed the highest increase in soil pH and available P and the highest decrease in exchangeable Al. The result of plant growth showed that the highest plant dry weight, N-uptake, and P-uptake were obtained by the treatment of dolomite 25% + rice straw compost 25% + dry cow dung 25% + NPK 25% (T10), whereas the highest number and total weight of nodules were obtained by the rice straw compost 50% + dry cow dung 50% (T7) and dolomite 25% + rice straw compost 75% (T8).

Alfredo Ricardo Zárate Valencia and Antonio Alfonso Rodríguez Rosales

Over time, predictive models tend to become more accurate but also more complex, thus achieving better predictive accuracy. When the data is improved by increasing its quantity and availability, the models are also better, which implies that the data must be processed to filter and adapt it for initial analysis and then modeling. This work aims to apply the Random Forest model to predict PM10 particles. For this purpose, data were obtained from environmental monitoring stations in Mexico City, which operates 29 stations of which 12 belong to the State of Mexico. The pollutants analyzed were CO carbon monoxide, NO nitrogen oxide, and PM10 particulate matter equal to or less than 10 μg.m-3, NOx nitrogen oxide, NO2 nitrogen dioxide, SO2 sulfur dioxide, O3 ozone, and PM2.5 particulate matter equal to or less than 2.5 μg.m-3. The result was that when calculating the certainty of our model, we have a value of 80.40% when calculating the deviation from the mean, using 15 reference variables.

Kieran McDonagh, Ruosi Zhang, Loukia-Pantzechroula Merkouri et al.

Beer is the most produced and consumed alcoholic beverage in the world, but the agricultural production of its most common ingredient, i.e. malted barley, is a significant contributor to the overall environmental footprint of beer. In addition, food wastage, particularly bread with millions of slices wasted daily, poses a waste management challenge across the globe. This study aims to address both issues through brewing beer with waste bread that would have otherwise ended up in landfill by replacing a portion of malted barley with waste bread. A sourdough pale ale was brewed at various bread percentages to understand how the inclusion of bread changed the sugar profile and fermentability of the beer. The samples were mashed at two different temperatures, 65 °C and 70 °C, to assess the impacts of mashing. It was found that the volume of alcohol produced declined with increasing bread amounts, but brewing with up to 60 wt% bread produced the same volume of alcohol as a standard beer. A life cycle assessment was performed to quantify the change in cradle to grave environmental impact for brewing beers with varying bread percentages with the view to conduct more targeted feasibility studies in the future with waste bread substitution. Significant reductions in emissions were observed as regards global warming potential, terrestrial ecotoxicity, acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion, and abiotic depletion of fossil fuels. In particular, the global warming potential for the real-life example microbrewery studied in this work was decreased by 7.13% of the total carbon dioxide equivalent annually, demonstrating the environmental advantages of brewing beer with waste bread.

Setiyo Yuli Handono, Kliwon Hidayat, Mangku Purnomo et al.

Changes in natural resources have presented major problems for farming communities in rural areas. In general, farmers diversify their livelihoods in the non-agricultural sector without paying attention to the impact on the availability of natural resources in the future. Sand mining activity has become one of the short-term solutions for farming communities in rural areas. As a result, a problem such as land degradation occurs in the village, thereby generating negative impacts on the availability of nature for the next generation. This study aimed to analyze the causes of land degradation and describe the Integrated Farming System (IFS) as a solution to address the land degradation problem in Bambang Village, Wajak District, Malang Regency. This study applied a qualitative case study research design, and the research methods included in-depth interviews with 40 informants, observation, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The location of this study was determined by purposive sampling, considering that Bambang Village is one of the villages affected by land degradation due to sand mining. The results of the study revealed that land degradation was due to the vulnerability of the farming community; thus, another alternative was proposed to utilize part of the land (20%) as a sand mining area without neglecting environmental preservation as a reward for environmental services. In addition, IFS and the actors as ecopreneurs were considered as alternative solutions to meet the needs and to prepare the farming community resilience through ecological preservation by sustaining the ecosystem balance. In practice, IFS requires integration among stakeholders, farmers and concerned institutions.

Saurabh Sahadev , G. Madhu and M. Roy Thomas

Mathematical Modeling of the activated sludge process (ASP) enhances the understanding of the process and improves the quality of the effluent released. However, as the process is complex and nonlinear, mathematical modeling of the process has been a challenge. In this study, multi-layer perceptron neural networks (MLP-ANN) are investigated to predict water quality parameters for better control of wastewater treatment plants employing an activated sludge process. The study area selected was in a central district of the southern state of India. The parameters to be investigated are biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), suspended solids (SS), and pH. The model is evaluated based on statistical parameters of correlation coefficient R and mean square error (MSE). The neural network toolbox of MATLAB 2015b is used for modeling and simulation study. It has been found that effluent biochemical oxygen demand was predicted with a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.927 and minimum mean square error of 0.0022, effluent suspended solids were predicted with a maximum correlation coefficient value of 0.947 and minimum mean square value of 0.0058, effluent pH was predicted with a maximum correlation coefficient value of 0.8299 and minimum mean square value of 0.0132.

Muhammad Salman Afzal, Furqan Tahir, Sami G. Al-Ghamdi

With the expeditious economic and population growth, trade, and tourism, artificial island development (AID) has gained interest in overcoming available land limitations in the past decades. The Arabian Gulf is characterized by extreme temperatures and high salinities and is home to diverse marine habitats comprising reefs, mangroves, swamps, and seagrass meadows. However, these ecosystems are witnessing stern pressure due to reclamation activities for AID. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) is extensively used globally to produce sustainable management standards. One such case of environmental concerns associated with the AID was focused on in this study is Qatar's island (QI). A comprehensive EIA was carried out before and during the construction activities. The analyses include meteorology, hydrodynamics, wave climate and bathymetry, seawater and sediment quality, infauna habitat and benthic species, and fish community. Results showed overall median turbidity levels recorded (5.39 NTU at buoy 1) and (2.46 NTU at buoy 2) were within the baseline survey (5.2 ± 11.8 NTU). Before construction, Se and Ba levels were higher according to the sediment quality analysis; however, during construction, the levels were within acceptable ranges per Dutch requirements. In addition, strategic measures and guidelines were proposed, which can be opted for future developments.

Alejandra García‐Alonso, M. Sánchez-Paniagua López, C. L. Manzanares-Palenzuela et al.

Abstract Polyphenols with high chemical diversity are present in vegetables both in the edible parts and by-products. A large proportion of them remains unabsorbed along the gastrointestinal tract, being accumulated in the colon, where they are metabolized by the intestinal microbiota. These polyphenols have been found to have “prebiotic-like” effects. The edible plant industry generates tons of residues called by-products, which consist of unutilized plant tissues (peels, husks, calyxes and seeds). Their disposal requires special and costly treatments to avoid environmental complications. Reintroducing these by-products into the value chain using technological and biotechnological practices is highly appealing since many of them contain nutrients and bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, with many health-promoting properties. Edible plant by-products as a source of polyphenols highlights the need for analytical methods. Analytical methods are becoming increasingly selective, sensitive and precise, but the great breakthrough lies in the pretreatment of the sample and in particular in the extraction methods. This review shows the importance of edible plant by-products as a source of polyphenols, due to their prebiotic effect, and to compile the most appropriate analytical methods for the determination of the total content of phenolic compounds as well as the detection and quantification of individual polyphenols.

Filippo Bertocci, G. Mannino

The agri-food industry generates a large amount of waste every year, which is both an environmental and economic problem, especially for the countries in charge of its disposal. Over the years, there has been a growing interest especially in plant waste, since they are rich in compounds with high nutritional and nutraceutical value. As a result, several scientific disciplines are investigating their alternative use in the formulation of dietary supplements for human or animal use, or as biostimulants for agricultural purposes. In this review, using a meta-analytical approach, we summarize the main and most recent findings related to the use of plant waste as potential ingredients in dietary supplementation for fish grown under controlled experimental conditions. In particular, in this review, it has been highlighted that plant waste may have not only positive effects on growth performance, but also beneficial effects on modulation of the innate immune system and antioxidant defenses. Finally, the bibliometric study and a mapping provide an overview of the recent publications, showing the research strength across the country, the number of potential collaborations among institutions, and the main research focus, demonstrating how this topic is growing in interest, especially in Europe.

Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi

Air pollution produces major environmental health problems with a vast number of entropies that can affect healthy, sustainable environments across the globe. Millions of people are dying prematurely each year as a direct cause of poor air quality. According to recent studies, living within 50 meters of any significant road can increase the risk of lung cancer by up to 10%. World Health Organization declares that approximately 3.7 million people died worldwide in 2012 due to outdoor air pollution. In this analysis, we analyzed air pollutants that were released into the air from a wide range of sources, such as motor vehicles, industrial combustion processes, etc. We analyzed the Sentinel-5 precursor data, which provides time series data on a multitude of trace gaseous compounds such as CO, NO2, SO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5 aerosols, etc. with efficient statistics and special resolution. For better comparison, we have trained our statistical atmospheric data with deep learning methodology and analyzed them to obtain a reference for air quality in India. This study describes the scientific aspects and probable atmospheric composition entropy due to pollution. We also presented the overall operational product outcomes and emissions from the energy sectors, which involves the advancement of data analysis in a particular coordinate system.

Julia Helena Galante Amaral, Eduardo Eugênio Spers, Dr

Second-hand clothes (SHC) emerge as an alternative for responsible consumption, towards sustainability, as a new opportunity for the fashion industry. This study aims to understand the perceptions and attitudes of Brazilian consumers regarding SHC on a comparative basis before and during the occurrence of the Covid-19 pandemic. The empirical investigation was divided into two stages. Firstly, a survey was conducted before Covid-19 (November 2019) with a sample of 513 Brazilian fashion consumers, where exploratory factorial and cluster analysis were performed. Using a structural equation model, five hypotheses were generated based on literature to test the influence of some factors in the intention to buy SHC: socio-environmental awareness, preconception with SHC, need for uniqueness, brand awareness and social prestige. Secondly, another survey was conducted during Covid-19 (August 2020) with a sample of 392 Brazilian fashion consumers. The comparative analysis demonstrated some differences in the intention to buy SHC regarding the pandemic. “Preconception with SHC” remained non-significant, “need for uniqueness” and “social prestige” remained positively correlated. “Socio-environmental awareness” has become positively correlated and “brand awareness” intensified negatively during the pandemic. New research can investigate the current transfiguration of consumer behavior in other countries considering the outbreak of coronavirus, as well as analyze the actions of institutions towards the fashion sector in view of conscious consumption, which is increasingly in vogue among the consumer population. This research contributes to the knowledge about SHC consumer behavior regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. The results assist in marketing strategies for the fashion industry, considering the growing demand for second-hand items during the pandemic, and contribute to a higher level of sustainability in the sector.

Mariam Furrer, Hamid Mostofi, Stefan Spinler

Nowadays, global economic production is organized around a complex system of highly interdependent supply chains that are currently enormously disrupted due to COVID 19. What would happen if a fast-growing risk could pose a more significant threat to our supply chains? Are our supply chains resilient to climate change? Even though governments, businesses, and climate change organizations in developed countries are forced to work together trying to mitigate and adapt to this fast-moving phenomenon, developing countries like Egypt are less concerned about this topic. This study has developed a system dynamic model based on a four-phase mixed methodology approach; we captured the complex interconnected interactions between supply chain performance and climate change physical risks. A cognitive map was first developed to capture the relationship between the climate change physical risks variables and the supply chains. Then, historical climate data and data from a ceramic manufacturing company were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). A case study of a ceramic manufacturing company located in Egypt is provided to show the applicability of our developed system dynamic model. Lastly, we simulated different scenarios to assess the ramifications and consequences of climate change extreme weather-related events on the manufacturing process of the selected case company. We have observed a negative impact; a decrease in the manufacturing inventory level and production rate, total received orders and sales. As far as our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate the impacts of climate change extreme weather events on supply chains located in Egypt. Our main contribution is to prove and establish awareness among business owners, organizations, decision-makers and the Egyptian government that climate change and related extreme weather events exist and disruptions due to this fast-moving phenomenon must be considered.

M. Millán-Linares, Sergio Montserrat-de la Paz, Maria E. Martin

Simple Summary Pectins comprise complex polysaccharides rich in galacturonic acid, that exert many functions in higher plants as components of the cell walls, together with cellulose or lignin. The food industry has traditionally used pectins as an additive due to their gelling or thickening properties. Pharmaceutical research is also taking advantage of pectin bioactivity, providing evidence of the role of these polysaccharides as health promoters. Fruits and vegetables are natural sources of pectins that can be obtained as by-products during food or beverage production. In line with this, the aim of our study is gathering data on the current methods to extract pectins from fruit or vegetable wastes, optimizing yield and environmentally friendly protocols. Updated information about pectin applications in food or non-food industries are provided. We also point to olives as novel source of pectins that strengthen the evidence that this fruit is as remarkably healthy part of the Mediterranean diet. This work exhibits the need to explore natural bioactive components of our daily intake to improve our health, or prevent or treat chronical diseases present in our society. Abstract Pectins are a component of the complex heteropolysaccharide mixture present in the cell wall of higher plants. Structurally, the pectin backbone includes galacturonic acid to which neutral sugars are attached, resulting in functional regions in which the esterification of residues is crucial. Pectins influence many physiological processes in plants and are used industrially for both food and non-food applications. Pectin-based compounds are also a promising natural source of health-beneficial bioactive molecules. The properties of pectins have generated interest in the extraction of these polysaccharides from natural sources using environmentally friendly protocols that maintain the native pectin structure. Many fruit by-products are sources of pectins; however, owing to the wide range of applications in various fields, novel plants are now being explored as potential sources. Olives, the fruit of the olive tree, are consumed as part of the healthy Mediterranean diet or processed into olive oil. Pectins from olives have recently emerged as promising compounds with health-beneficial effects. This review details the current knowledge on the structure of pectins and describes the conventional and novel techniques of pectin extraction. The versatile properties of pectins, which make them promising bioactive compounds for industry and health promotion, are also considered.

Yingying Xie, Xiaojing Wang, J. Silander

C. Keeling, Macaire M. S. Yuen, Nancy Y. Liao et al.

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is the most serious insect pest of western North American pine forests. A recent outbreak destroyed more than 15 million hectares of pine forests, with major environmental effects on forest health, and economic effects on the forest industry. The outbreak has in part been driven by climate change, and will contribute to increased carbon emissions through decaying forests. We developed a genome sequence resource for the mountain pine beetle to better understand the unique aspects of this insect's biology. A draft de novo genome sequence was assembled from paired-end, short-read sequences from an individual field-collected male pupa, and scaffolded using mate-paired, short-read genomic sequences from pooled field-collected pupae, paired-end short-insert whole-transcriptome shotgun sequencing reads of mRNA from adult beetle tissues, and paired-end Sanger EST sequences from various life stages. We describe the cytochrome P450, glutathione S-transferase, and plant cell wall-degrading enzyme gene families important to the survival of the mountain pine beetle in its harsh and nutrient-poor host environment, and examine genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism variation. A horizontally transferred bacterial sucrose-6-phosphate hydrolase was evident in the genome, and its tissue-specific transcription suggests a functional role for this beetle. Despite Coleoptera being the largest insect order with over 400,000 described species, including many agricultural and forest pest species, this is only the second genome sequence reported in Coleoptera, and will provide an important resource for the Curculionoidea and other insects.

M. Shahzad, M. Burhan, D. Ybyraiymkul et al.

For future sustainable seawater desalination, the importance of achieving better energy efficiency of the existing 19,500 commercial-scale desalination plants cannot be over emphasized. The major concern of the desalination industry is the inadequate approach to energy efficiency evaluation of diverse seawater desalination processes by omitting the grade of energy supplied. These conventional approaches would suffice if the efficacy comparison were to be conducted for the same energy input processes. The misconception of considering all derived energies as equivalent in the desalination industry has severe economic and environmental consequences. In the realms of the energy and desalination system planners, serious judgmental errors in the process selection of green installations are made unconsciously as the efficacy data are either flawed or inaccurate. Inferior efficacy technologies’ implementation decisions were observed in many water-stressed countries that can burden a country’s economy immediately with higher unit energy cost as well as cause more undesirable environmental effects on the surroundings. In this article, a standard primary energy-based thermodynamic framework is presented that addresses energy efficacy fairly and accurately. It shows clearly that a thermally driven process consumes 2.5–3% of standard primary energy (SPE) when combined with power plants. A standard universal performance ratio-based evaluation method has been proposed that showed all desalination processes performance varies from 10–14% of the thermodynamic limit. To achieve 2030 sustainability goals, innovative processes are required to meet 25–30% of the thermodynamic limit.

D. Olk, D. Dinnes, J. Rene Scoresby et al.