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This article explores the assortment and primary methods of waste collection within the Reichskommissariat Ukraine during the occupation by Nazi forces. The Ukrainian occupational press serves as the primary source for this article. It demonstrates that the extraction of various resources and the plundering of material valuables were directed towards supporting the economic and military power of the Third Reich, with waste collection policies being one of its facets. To facilitate this activity in this realm, the Nazis utilized existing infrastructure within the territory of Ukraine, including warehouses, factories, and offices of Soyuzutyl, established on the eve of the Second World War, as well as the infrastructure of the consumer cooperative system. It is shown that the specificity of Ukraine lies in assigning waste collection duties to consumer cooperatives, which transformed into the primary suppliers of various raw materials for the needs of the Third Reich. Local administrations and individual cooperatives actively participated in this endeavor, and special associations were also established. Additionally, the occupying authorities sought to involve schoolchildren and the broader population, developing various incentive systems for this purpose, although the participation of these actors was minimal. The article examines the peculiarities of waste collection propaganda within the territory of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine, which was based on ideological motives such as gratitude for liberation from Soviet rule, as well as economic motives related to the need for waste to produce consumer goods for the local population by enterprises of the Nazi regime. It is argued that primary attention was given to collecting scrap black and colored metals, as well as bones, paper, and rags. The author suggests that the scale of economic plundering of Ukraine was much larger than commonly believed, yet acknowledges that this requires further in-depth research involving a wide range of archival sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper, as a foldable, pollution-free, and low-cost material, has become a suitable support substrate for producing flexible thermoelectric (TE) generators to realize waste heat recycling and the application of human-powered electronic devices. We propose a facile fabrication method to modify cellulose paper with inorganic TE powders via vacuum filtration, making a modified paper that possesses good thermoelectric properties. By connecting the modified paper to copper foils, flexible paper-based TE generators (PTGs) are fabricated. The obtained PTG with three units of P–N modules can generate an output voltage of ∼41.2 mV at a temperature difference of 50 K. Based on this modified paper, a thermal sensor that responds to heat sources, such as fingers, is proposed with a rapid response time of 0.25 s. This work offers a promising strategy for the simple fabrication of PTGs, paving the way for achieving the commercial application of self-powered wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the UNHCR, in 2019 there were 70.8 million refugees worldwide. Due to war, catastrophes, and emergency situations a great demand for temporary accommodation has arisen within the last couple of years. The main requirements for these shelters are protection for the inhabitants, easy transportability, and quick construction. In addition, in terms of resource efficiency, the recyclability of the construction materials is of great importance. Paper materials have a high potential for this, due to their strong structure, cost-effective production, and optimised recycling processes. The following paper presents a case study of a prototype for a temporary paper house that meets the static and technical requirements for a comfortable and hygienic living space by combining different paper materials. The overall objective of this research was the constructive development of building elements made of paper materials, which meet the requirements for temporary residential use over a period of at least 3 years. The main advantages of using paper materials for this purpose are easy processing, cost-effective production, and a high probability for its sustainable disposal after usage. The main challenges of the material are fire protection and moisture protection, which affect the recyclability, as well as the gluing and joining techniques. An overview of possible solutions for these disadvantages and their applicability will be demonstrated and discussed. The paper aims to emphasise that simplicity and performance do not need to be diametrically opposed. The envelope, which provides all the functions required of a modern building through its multi-layered structure, represents the performance of this project. Transportation, construction, and joining, on the other hand, were kept as simple as possible in order to make assembly possible even by unskilled workers and under very basic conditions. The paper is divided into four sections. First, the technical and regulatory requirements for temporary emergency shelters, as well as the decisive characteristics of paper materials are described and analysed. In the second part, the architectural design and the construction typology are defined. The third part focusses on the elaboration and evaluation of building elements with regard to joining technologies, statics, building physics, and production technologies. Finally, the results of the prototype and their transferability are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Paper is still regarded as the most common carrier of information. Encouraged by environmental policies, the papermaking technology recently changed, resulting in an increased production of recycled paper. Two types of contemporary paper, non-recycled and recycled, were thus investigated to evaluate possible differences in their rate of degradation. The analyses were carried out using unaged paper to evaluate acidity, dry matter and ash content, lignin presence, and fibre furnish. Accelerated ageing experiments were performed at different temperatures (50-80 °C) and water vapour pressures (90.5-227.5 torr). Viscometric measurements were carried out to evaluate the extent of paper degradation as a function of time, upon various accelerated ageing conditions. The results indicate that the rates of degradation follow first-order kinetics with respect to scission of glycosidic bonds, the rate constants for recycled paper being found to be slightly higher than the corresponding constants for non-recycled paper, but comparable within experimental limits. The kinetic constants did not display a monotonic trend with increasing water vapour pressures. The Arrhenius dependence of the rate constants on temperature for both kinds of paper supplied the activation energies, which fall in the typical range expected for paper degradation. Finally, the measured rate constants fit fairly well the recently modelled dose-response function for historic paper. Colour changes were found to be visible to the human eye for samples aged for more than 40 days at 60, 70 and 80 °C.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Despite major improvements in recycling over the last decades, the pulp and paper sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental pressures. Further reduction of virgin material requirements and environmental impacts requires a detailed understanding of the global material flows in paper production and consumption. This study constructs a Sankey diagram of global material flows in the paper life cycle, from primary inputs to end‐of‐life waste treatment, based on a review of publicly available data. It then analyzes potential improvements in material flows and discusses recycling and material efficiency metrics. The article argues that the use of the collection rate as a recycling metric does not directly stimulate avoidance of virgin inputs and associated impacts. An alternative metric compares paper for recycling (recovered paper) with total fibrous inputs and indicates that the current rate is at just over half of the technical potential. Material efficiency metrics are found to be more useful if they relate to the reuse potential of wastes. The material balance developed in this research provides a solid basis for further study of global sustainable production and consumption of paper. The conclusions on recycling and efficiency should be considered for improving environmental assessment and stimulating a shift toward resource efficiency and the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A simple, facile and low-cost method for recycling of supercapacitor materials is proposed. This process aims to recover some fundamental components of a used supercapacitor, namely the electrolyte salt tetraethyl ammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF4) dissolved in an aprotic organic solvent such as acetonitrile (ACN), the carbonaceous material (activated charcoal, carbon nanotubes) purified, the current collector (aluminium foil) and the separator (paper) for further utilization. The method includes mechanical shredding of the supercapacitor in order to reduce its size, and separation of aluminium foil and paper from the carbonaceous resources containing TEABF4 by sieving. The extraction of TEABF4 from the carbonaceous material was based on its solubility in water and subsequent separation through filtering and distillation. A cyclic voltammetry curve of the recycled carbonaceous material revealed supercapacitor behaviour allowing a potential reutilization. Furthermore, as BF4− stemming from TEABF4 can be slowly hydrolysed in an aqueous environment, thus releasing F− anions, which are hazardous, we went on to their gradual trapping with calcium acetate and conversion to non-hazardous CaF2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six tonnes of discards and recyclables from three waste districts in a New York suburb were sorted in 2012. The districts were chosen because one had a higher recycling percentage, one had median performance, and one was a low performing district. ASTM standards were followed for the waste composition sorting. The results showed, as expected, that the waste district with the highest recycling rate appeared to have the highest separation efficiencies, leading to greater amounts of recyclable materials being source separated. The waste districts also had different overall waste generation, both in terms of the amounts of wastes generated, and their composition. The better recycling district generated less waste, but had a higher percentage of recyclables in the waste stream. Therefore, in some sense, its waste stream was enriched in recyclables. Thus, although the residents of that district recovered materials at a higher rate, they also left large amounts of recyclables in their discards – as did the residents of the other districts. In fact, the districts only recycled between one quarter and less than half of all available recyclables, so that their discards were comprised of up to one third recyclable materials. This level of performance does not appear to be unique to this Town; therefore, we believe that additional recovery efforts through post-collection sorting for recyclables may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the application of DNA computing in recyclable waste paper sorting. The primary challenge in paper recycling is to obtain raw materials with the highest purity. In recycling, waste papers are segregated according to their various grades, and these are subjected to different recycling processes. Highly sorted paper streams facilitate high quality end products, while saving on processing chemicals and energy. In the industry, different sensors are used in paper sorting systems, namely, ultrasonic, lignin, gloss, stiffness, infra-red, mid-infra red, and color sensors. Different mechanical and optical paper sorting systems have been developed based on the different sensors. However, due to inadequate throughput and some major drawbacks related to mechanical paper sorting systems, the popularity of optical paper sorting systems has increased. The automated paper sorting systems offer significant advantages over the manual systems in terms of human fatigue, throughput, speed, and accuracy. This research has two objectives: (1) to use a web camera as an image sensor for the vision system in lieu of different sensors; and (2) to develop a new DNA computing algorithm based on the theme of template matching techniques for segregating recyclable waste papers according to paper grades. Using the concepts of replication and massive parallelism operations, the DNA computing algorithm can efficiently reduce the computational time of the template matching method. This is the main strength of the DNA computing algorithm in actual inspections. The algorithm is implemented by using a silicon-based computer to verify the success rate in paper grade identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Victorian Britain rags were not only associated with the inadequate clothing of the poor, they were also viewed as a valuable commodity, widely collected for recycling into paper. This essay examines rags as simultaneously despised and precious objects, tracing the connections between Victorian accounts of poverty, the industrial recycling of rags into paper, and the redemption narratives created by Charles Dickens about rescued children. A supporter of Ragged Schools and champion of rags recycling, Dickens drew on the idea of the transformation of dirty rags into clean paper in his representations of ragged children. To him, the recycling of rags indicated the civilizing forces of modernity, and reading Dickens's representations of ragged children in this context reveals how cloth recycling became a paradigm for society's duties towards destitute children. This essay explains Dickens's juxtaposition of ragged children with references to rag-dealing in his novels; by this means he suggested that street children, like their ragged clothing, were capable of being purified and transformed into social usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study aims to investigate how resource strategies, which intend to reduce waste and increase recycling, influence on human exposure to hazardous chemicals from material recycling. In order to examine the flows of hazardous chemicals in recycled material, a mass flow analysis of plastics and paper at European level, including the flow of phthalates, i.e. di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), and benzyl-butyl phthalate (BBP), has been performed. The result for the year 2012 shows that 26% of plastic wastes and 60% of paper consumed in Europe were recycled. This corresponds to the finding that approximately 4% of DEHP and BBP and 18% of DBP annual demands in Europe as raw material re-enter the product cycle with recycled plastics and paper. To examine the potential contribution of the phthalate exposure through recycled plastics and paper, a case study assessing the childhood exposures to phthalates from foods packed in recycled paper and plastics has been performed for 2-year-old children in Denmark. The result verifies that an increase in recycled paperboard and PET bottles in food packaging material causes a significant increase in childhood exposure to DBP corresponding to an additional exposure of 0.116–0.355 μg/kg bw/day; up to 18% of the total DBP exposure in Danish 2-year-olds. While most of the DEHP exposure can be explained, more than 50% of DBP and 70% of BBP exposure sources still remain to be identified. Finally, a conceptual framework for a circular economy based on sustainable and clean resource flows is proposed in order to increase material recycling without increasing adverse health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]