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[Display omitted] • Chemical profiling of different paper grades was performed along the recycling chain. • Untargeted analysis of semi-volatiles and non-volatiles using GC- and LC-MS. • Chemometrics application to identify specific features by paper grade and site. • Exploration of the possible sources of detected compounds in the paper recycling chain. • Numerous chemical compounds associated with plastics have been detected. Paper packaging made with recycled paperboard is used to pack various consumer goods that can include amongst others, electronics, toys, food, cosmetics, and stationery. Chemical profiling of the various paper recycling grades used in the manufacture of recycled paperboard was undertaken to investigate possible sources of contaminants and their propagation in the paper recycling chain. Pre-consumer, retail and post-consumer paper-based materials were collected at papermills, corrugators, grocery stores, household waste, solid waste disposal sites and recycling facilities. In the GC-MS analysis, phthalates, long-chain aliphatic compounds, and fatty acids were the most commonly detected compounds whilst phthalates and bisphenols featured most prevalently in the LC-MS analysis. The factors that were identified as likely contributors to the detection of the different chemical compounds included the presence of wood derivatives, the use of certain chemical additives during manufacturing, and exposure of paper to contaminants from consumers, other goods and the environment. Waste mingling, recovery, sorting and reprocessing into recycled paper were also shown to influence the chemical profile of paper materials. Sparse partial least squares-discriminate analysis indicated that newspaper and office paper had unique chemical constituents, whilst cartons were shown to have higher variability. By looking at key stages of paper recycling, this study showed that the possible persistence and transformation of chemical compounds in additives must be evaluated when considering the recyclability of paper-based materials. Further, it highlighted that different separation approaches may be required to reduce contaminant exposure opportunities in post-consumer paper materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The recycling of paper and board (PB) yields economic and environmental advantages compared to primary paper production. However, PB from lightweight packaging (LWP) waste is currently not comprehensively reintegrated into the paper value stream. To develop an adapted recycling process for PB from LWP, PB quantities, qualities, and fluctuations ranges in LWP are required. Currently, no sufficient database is available. Therefore, we developed a methodical approach and conducted a case study to access the PB potential in LWP sorting plants using manual analysis and sensor-based material flow monitoring. Differences resulting from seasonal variations, materials from different settlement structures, and fluctuation ranges in LWP composition over two weeks have been investigated. PB contents in the input of 6.5 wt% (ww) and 5.9 wt% (ww) were determined for winter and summer sampling campaigns, respectively. The PB product stream amounted to 5.7 wt% (ww, winter) and 4.8 wt% (ww, summer). Around 45 wt% (ww) of PB from the PB product stream was classified as misplaced by the consumer and should have been discarded in separate paper collections. Based on the determined PB quantities and qualities, a potential of usable and in the PB product stream available PB in LWP was determined. The technically available and usable PB potential in German LWP waste amounts to 89,000 to 100,000 tons per year (average PB yield of around 65 wt% (ww)). The methodical approach can be adapted for sorting plant balances. The results can contribute to developing an adapted recycling process for PB from LWP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sensitivity analysis in packaging EoL modeling to evaluate influence in EoL impacts. • Take-back presents environmental benefits due to paper and glass recycling. • Incineration with energy recovery reduces EoL impacts from pharmaceutical packaging. • Smaller pharmaceutical packaging and EoL valorization reduces impacts. • Decisions at packaging early design stage influence EoL impacts. Pharmaceutical packaging waste has increased due to a higher global demand for pharmaceutical products, leading to more waste generation and associated environmental impacts. The main goal of this article is to present a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of pharmaceutical packaging, evaluating end-of-life (EoL) alternatives, aiming to identify hotspots and opportunities for improvement. A life cycle model was implemented for three types of pharmaceutical packaging (blisters, sachets, bottles; 23 packaging). The functional unit is the storage and delivery of medicines containing the same active pharmaceutical ingredient, dosage, and amount of medicines. Two EoL analyses were performed: 1) compare take-back (recycling and incineration) with domestic waste collection (landfill or incineration); and 2) assess different EoL situations of pharmaceutical packaging in Europe. A life cycle impact assessment was performed for 13 categories. Analysis 1 shows that take-back presents lower environmental impacts than domestic waste collection for seven out of 13 categories due to paper and glass recycling benefits. Analysis 2 shows that in the take-back, higher amounts of packaging are recycled or incinerated, which leads to lower EoL impacts. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of parameters and assumptions in packaging EoL impacts. Packaging production contributes significantly to life cycle impacts, followed by transportation, EoL, and packing process. Ecodesign initiatives are recommended, such as packaging with less material and volume, using materials with lower impacts to significantly reduce the impacts of pharmaceutical packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Recycling of jarosite residues by a one-step hydrothermal method was proposed. • Transformation process included jarosite pyrolysis and hematite crystal formation. • Entrained valuable metal resource dissolved into aqueous solution for recycling. • Hematite product met requirements of raw material for ironmaking after roasting. • Hematite product possessed superior characteristics of iron oxide red pigment. Jarosite [MeFe 3 (SO 4) 2 (OH) 6 ] is a typical non-ferrous smelting slag produced in the process of iron removal from hydrometallurgical solution, which contains a large number of valuable and toxic metal elements. Treating the complex and hazardous jarosite residue in an economically and environmentally sound way has always been an urgent problem. A novel one-step hydrothermal treatment method was proposed in this paper for recycling of jarosite residues. It can be seen from the XRD and TEM results that jarosite residues could be completely transformed into hematite crystal particles under hydrothermal conditions at temperature above 220℃. Meanwhile, other valuable metal components (such as nickel sulfate hexahydrate) entrained in the residue will be dissolved in the aqueous solution, which can be reused in the hydrometallurgical process. Through phase composition analysis of the hydrothermal process, it is concluded that jarosite was firstly pyrolyzed to generate Fe3+. The obtained Fe3+ was then hydrolyzed to Fe (OH) 3 , which was transformed into Fe 2 O 3 through dehydration condensation and directional arrangement. Further roasting the hematite particles, the obtained product contained 62.57 % of Fe, but only 0.21 % of S and 0.04 % of As, which meets the requirements of raw materials for iron making. In addition, compared with the current international standard ISO 1248:2006 (E), the obtained hematite particles with nanometer size and single crystal structure can be used as iron oxide red pigment. Overall, the one-step hydrothermal treatment of jarosite residues followed by reduction roasting not only realizes the economic recycling of the metal resources, but also solves the stacking problem of those hazardous residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Wood waste collected at mechanical treatment plant in various periods of the year. • Organosolv treatment to produce a cellulose pulp for manufacturing containerboard. • Results show good reproducibility of the organosolv process applied to wood waste. • Obtained a pulp with an average cellulose content of about 76%. Wood waste is a valuable material that could constitute an abundant and inexpensive source for the production of new materials the recovery of energy. In Europe, about 46% of wood waste is recycled to particleboard and fiberboard, while the other fraction is incinerated. However, a considerable quantity of wood waste shows potential for its transformation into value-added products due to its compositional quality. In this work, wood waste collected at a mechanical treatment plant underwent organosolv treatment to produce a cellulose pulp suitable for manufacturing containerboard. Three variables (temperature, acid concentration, and ethanol concentration) were investigated to find an optimal solution to produce wood pulp by means of Design of Experiment. Wood waste was microwave-heated at 160 °C for 15 min using an acidified ethanol–water solution (2% w/w H 2 SO 4 and 0.8 w/w ethanol concentration), producing pulp with an average cellulose content of 76% where 93% of initial cellulose was retained. Thanks to a one-pot approach, ethanol was totally recovered, 62% of initial lignin was precipitated, and 20 g/l of hemicellulose-derived sugars solution was obtained. Finally, three wood waste samples collected in different periods of the year yielded comparable outcomes, suggesting a good reproducibility of the organosolv process. ANOVA test with a significance level of 0.01 showed a p-value of 0.029 and 0.235 for cellulose content and cellulose recovery, respectively. This study paves the way for an industrial symbiosis between recycling centers and paper mills located in the same territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy and environmental performances of strawberry supply chain. • Field measurement and interviews of professional stakeholders. • Non-plastic packaging showed significantly better environmental performance. • Most impactful processes are packaging production and refrigerated transport. Berries are highly perishable fruits and require both low storage temperature and suitable packaging throughout the supply chain to preserve their organoleptic qualities. However, the energy consumption of refrigerated equipment and the use of packaging materials, plastic in particular, might generate important environmental impacts. Besides, there is a strong commitment to reduce the use of plastic in the food industry. The aims of the current work are first to assess the energy consumption of refrigerated equipment and second to analyze the environmental performance of the strawberry supply chain. Various stages of the supply chain from transport from growers to retail storage were modeled using data from field measurement and interviews with professional stakeholders. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed for the strawberry supply chain. Different packaging materials, plastic (PET, RPET) and alternatives (molded pulp, recycled paper, cardboard), were used. The processes that generated the most important environmental burden were the packaging production and the long-distance refrigerated transport. To limit the impact related to packaging production, it is necessary to consider not only the type of packaging material but also the processes and energy consumption used in their manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper crumb (PC) is a type of paper sludge residue from the wastepaper recycling industry. It is a by-product from the various fiber purification stages that is particularly composed of short cellulose fibers, lignin, organic compounds and inorganic filler residues. Despite representing a reject material for the paper recycling sector, this feedstock can be turned into a bioresource to enable cross-sector industrial symbiosis in the form of a more sustainable concrete, hence an opportunity for novel Net Zero supply chains. This study sought to valorise the PC by the sequential anaerobic digestion to produce methane (CH 4) from the organic compounds, followed by utilization of the digestate as a water replacement in concrete. The 21-day digestion of PC yielded 163 ml CH 4 per gram volatile solids and the resulting digestate improved concrete compressive strength up to 50% water replacement grade, meeting the requirements for structural grade (C32/40) applications with substitution grades up to 50% and 25%, with and without the addition of plasticiser respectively. In a minor capacity, the digestate reduced workability of the concrete mix, however we demonstrate this issue can be resolved by the addition of plasticiser or increased water to cement ratios. The admixture addition is important to facilitate pumpability on site and ensure satisfactory compaction. This study highlights the potential of anaerobic digestate as a concrete supplement (additive), which would improve the sustainability of both the construction and the paper sector. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decades, the German paper industry has been increasing the sustainability of paper production by continuously using more recovered paper. Today, recovered paper is an essential secondary raw material to produce new paper. Nevertheless, around 20 % of the paper produced in Germany is still not returned to the recovered paper stream and instead is mostly thermally used. To further increase the use of fibers from recovered paper as secondary raw material and thus, to reduce primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, new approaches to recycle recovered paper from mixed waste streams are needed. In the research project "Energy savings in paper production by opening up the value chains of recovered paper from lightweight packaging, residual waste and commercial waste" (EnEWA), a treatment process is developed to recover and recycle recovered paper from the mentioned waste streams. The advanced mechanical process to be newly developed consists of dry-mechanical sorting, the manufacturing of economically usable secondary raw materials (defibration), their wet-mechanical dissolution, separation and hygienization and finally their reuse in paper production. This enables the exploitation of new waste streams in material recycling and thus contributes to reduced energy consumption as well as CO2 emissions within the circular economy. Initial material characterization analyses show that on the one hand the quality of the paper discarded in mixed waste streams is sufficient to be used as secondary raw material and that on the other hand up to 50 % of the paper discarded could have been disposed of within the separate paper collection. The results are incorporated in the development of a sorting process for pre-concentrates, which serves as input material for the treatment process to recover paper fibers. In further steps, the results generated will be integrated, for instance, into the future development of the minimum standard for packaging recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To replace petroleum-derived polymers with cellulose fibres, it is desirable to have the option of melt processing. However, upon heating, cellulose degradation typically starts before the material reaches its softening temperature. Alternatives to plastics should also, ideally, be recyclable via existing recycling streams. Here, we address the problem of melt processing cellulose as fibres while preserving recyclability. Native cellulose fibres were partially modified to dialcohol cellulose to impart thermoplastic characteristics. We demonstrate melt processing of these modified fibres with only water as plasticiser. Processability was investigated at selected processing temperatures and initial moisture content by monitoring the axial force of the extruder screws as a rheological indicator. The effects on molecular structure, fibre morphology and material properties were characterised by NMR spectroscopy, microscopy, tensile testing, fibre morphology analysis and X-ray diffraction. When comparing the melt-processed extrudate with handsheets, the already exceptional ductility was further increased. Moderate losses in tensile strength and stiffness were observed and are attributable to a loss of crystallinity and fibre shortening. This is the first report of strong and durable extrudates using cellulosic fibres as the only feedstock. Finally, the potential for recycling the processed material with unmodified fibres by paper recycling procedures was demonstrated. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste paper is a significant waste resource that is part of waste polymer materials in vast quantities, and there is now a lot of focus on the development of high-value conversion and use technologies for waste paper. High-quality waste paper fibers (WF) were extracted in this work from the deinked waste paper pulp by mechanical process. Then, waste paper fiber/polylactic acid (WF/PLA) composites were synthesized using hybrid forming technique to investigate the modification impact of WF on WF/PLA composites. The results showed that a certain additive amount of WF could improve barrier property of WF/PLA composites. When WF was added of 3.5 %, a water vapor transport rate was only of 59 g/(m2d), and the barrier property was increased by 82.8 %. Besides, WF/PLA composites also possessed good thermal stability. With the additive WF ranging from 3 % to 4 %, the initial decomposing temperature of WF/PLA composites increased by 19℃. Importantly, the transparency of PLA was slightly improved with a certain addition of WF. Hence, this work realized the performance enhancement of WF/PLA composites by a small addition of WF, and reduced the production cost of PLA to some extent, which had a good application prospect. [Display omitted] • Achieved the recycling and high value utilization of waste paper. • Realized high efficiency modification of PLA with low additive waste paper fiber. • Produced barrier transparent PLA composite films. • Produced green biodegradable material with low cost and high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the beneficial effects of the synergistic deinking and delignification process on the quality of recycled pulp. By utilizing a mixture of neutral sodium sulfite, sodium carbonate, and fungal hemicellulase enzyme, the research demonstrated that the paper achieved enhancements in brightness, whiteness, tensile and burst indices, while also exhibiting reduced yellowness and ERIC in comparison to paper derived from chemically deinked pulp. The high-resolution ESCA analysis demonstrated a reduction in lignin surface coverage, and enhancement in the O/C atomic ratios. FTIR spectra indicated notable alterations in the structure of fibers and the functional groups of deinked pulp fibers. XRD spectra confirmed a higher cellulose crystallinity index and FESEM micrographs illustrated a rougher surface with the emergence of new fibrils. Additionally, UV analysis of the pulp effluents indicated significant lignin absorbance, while post-bleaching with H 2 O 2 further enhanced the reactivity of the pulp and the overall quality of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Semi-automated generation of regionalized paper recycling life-cycle inventories. • National impacts on climate change of recycling three paper grades in 191 countries. • Life-cycle assessment case study of Quebec's mixed wastepaper recycling system. Recycling is a commonly acknowledged strategy to reduce the environmental impacts linked to primary resource exploitation. Large regional variations can be observed in recycling processes' parameters, like efficiency, energy mix and treatment of rejects. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used to evaluate the environmental impacts of recycling processes, but existing studies are neither harmonized nor sufficient to provide a comprehensive geographical and technological coverage of recycling processes. The purpose of this research is to develop an efficient and iterative approach for the parametrized generation of semi-automated regionalized life-cycle inventories that take into account technological and geographical variabilities in the recycling sector. The regionalization framework is then applied to create a parametrized paper recycling regionalization tool. This tool is used in the results section to compare the national climate change impacts of recycling three paper grades. Results show a significant global warming impact variability between countries for recycled graphic paper (0.36 to 2.25 kg CO 2 -Eq/kg wastepaper recycled), newsprint (0.27 to 1.84 kg CO 2 -Eq/kg wastepaper recycled) and corrugated cardboard (0.28 to 1.68 kg CO 2 -Eq/kg wastepaper recycled) productions. A regionalized LCA of the international recycling of the mixed wastepaper exported from Quebec's (Canada) sorting centers is also performed with the tool and compared to the non-regionalized mixed wastepaper recycling process available in the ecoinvent database. Only nine midpoint ReCiPe impact categories remain environmentally advantageous compared to virgin paper production when applying the regionalization methodology, compared to sixteen when using the ecoinvent process, illustrating how regionalization can substantially influence LCA results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a binary reinforcement system of polyamide polyamine epichlorohydrin with nanocellulose (PAE-NC) for effectively modification of the reclaimed fibres for paper production, and based on the improvement of physical and mechanical properties of cellulosic fibres together with PAE-NC self-crosslinking networks, the strengthening mechanisms of recycled papers are examined. The PAE-NC binary system was applied directly to old corrugated container (OCC) and softwood bleached kraft pulp (SWBKP), and handsheets are prepared with varying amounts of PAE/NC/PAE-NC, namely 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 wt% (dry pulp). The results showed that the studied additives improved the performance of recycled fibres, whether SWBKP or OCC pulp, and handsheets in solely or combined mechanisms except for the air permeability of the handsheets. The treatment of PAE-NC combination was significantly more effective than those of PAE or NC alone for both OCC and SWBKP, although the combined PAE-NC treatment results in better performance enhancement for OCC than SWBKP handsheets, and the NC alone is more effective than PAE for SWBKP recycled paper and conversely for OCC recycled paper. SEM observations further confirmed that the combined PAE-NC addition treatment imparted a relatively uniform surface structure to the handsheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Methodology to automatically generate geo-located waste container maps. • Use of Computer Vision algorithms to detect waste containers. • Automatic division into locations with and without containers in city maps. • Robust model with consistent performance disregarding the container type. • System evaluated in eleven Spanish cities with an average accuracy of 89%. This paper describes the scientific achievements of a collaboration between a research group and the waste management division of a company. While these results might be the basis for several practical or commercial developments, we here focus on a novel scientific contribution: a methodology to automatically generate geo-located waste container maps. It is based on the use of Computer Vision algorithms to detect waste containers and identify their geographic location and dimensions. Algorithms analyze a video sequence and provide an automatic discrimination between images with and without containers. More precisely, two state-of-the-art object detectors based on deep learning techniques have been selected for testing, according to their performance and to their adaptability to an on-board real-time environment: EfficientDet and YOLOv5. Experimental results indicate that the proposed visual model for waste container detection is able to effectively operate with consistent performance disregarding the container type (organic waste, plastic, glass and paper recycling,...) and the city layout, which has been assessed by evaluating it on eleven different Spanish cities that vary in terms of size, climate, urban layout and containers' appearance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy brings sustainability benefits but also causes potential food safety issues as recycling can introduce new contaminants to food contact materials. These circular food safety issues cause changes in the risk analysis network. So far, social network analysis studies relevant to food safety investigated specific parts of the risk analysis network (such as risk assessment) and its formal stakeholders such as Food Safety Authorities. However, the risk analysis network also consists informal stakeholders, each with their own knowledge and views. A comprehensive analysis of risk analysis networks addressing circularity-related food safety issues from a multi-stakeholder perspective is yet lacking. This study aimed to explore the complex risk analysis network for paper recycling in Belgium. An adjusted and digitalised network mapping methodology, Net-Mapping, was developed to identify the stakeholders, to assess their goals and influence, to determine the different linkages types between them, and to elicit constraints. Forty-one identified stakeholders from science, policy, and society were interconnected through four linkage types ('legally required information sharing', 'voluntary information sharing', 'data generation request', and 'public communication'). Results show federal policy stakeholders are central in all networks, whereas science and society stakeholders gain influence in the informal networks. Barriers hindering collaboration in the networks are a lack of data and challenges in information exchange. The Net-Mapping insights can assist scientists in gathering risk assessment data, guide policymakers in targeting interventions, and raise stakeholder awareness of collaborations. Future research could compare risk analysis networks across countries for the same food safety issue, or examine the risk analysis networks for different food safety issues in the same country. • Net-Map methodology digitalised and modified using a multi-actor approach. • 41 stakeholders identified in risk analysis network for paper recycling in Belgium. • Federal policy stakeholders are central in risk analysis activities assigned by law. • Science and society stakeholders play a key role in informal networks. • Lack of information exchange identified as major barrier in risk analysis network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The existing recycling technologies for SNCM are systematically reviewed. • The in-situ reduction of anode is applied to enhance cathode recovery. • The proposed innovative process can ensure both recovery and eco-friendly. The overall crushing of spent ternary lithium-ion batteries (SNCM) makes the mix of the anode and cathode electrode materials. Multiple separation not only wastes energy, causes secondary pollution but also fails to achieve the excellent separation of the valuable component. Therefore, this paper reviewed the recycling methods of SNCM from three aspects, including the single recycling of anode electrode materials, the single recycling of cathode electrode materials and the overall collaborative recycling of anode and cathode electrode materials. The necessity of high-purity separation of the anode and cathode electrode materials was discussed by evaluating the difference between single recycling and overall collaborative recycling. A process that used collaborative reclaim to realize efficient and green resource utilization of electrode materials was proposed based on the review. In this process, the mixed electrode materials were first divided into rich cathode-poor anode materials and rich anode-poor cathode materials by flotation. Two kinds of materials were regenerated to prepare NCM. The recovery of the cathode was enhanced through the reduction properties of the anode. The electrochemical properties of the regenerated anode were enhanced by the in-situ self-utilization behavior of the cathode. The recovery process was optimized by simplifying the process and improving efficiency. The economic and green of the recovery process was ensured by treating the SNCM with readily available and environmentally friendly agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commercial recycled paperboard was double coated with poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) films by using hot pressing aiming the production of a laminated material compatible with food packaging. The proposed new approach allowed to smooth the paperboard surface and to obtain a material with low oxygen permeability, low wettability, and excellent resistance to grease (kit value of 12). The observations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a homogeneous surface with a high degree of coverage, suggesting good compatibility of the PBAT with the cellulose fibers. Some of the mechanical properties of the PBAT-coated paperboard were also greatly improved, such as ply-bonding, bending resistance and bursting strength, which are important for packaging applications. Remarkably, it was possible to firmly bond two pieces of paperboard coated with PBAT by simply hot-pressing at an appropriate temperature. This method created a reinforced coated paperboard that showed high potential to be used in the production of laminated food packaging with different structures without the need of adhesives. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economies have become a strong candidate for addressing environmental challenges by managing end-of-life products to reduce landfill waste. We herewith focus on the recycling of PET from plastic waste and textiles. This paper focuses on recycling PET from plastic waste and textiles and proposes a model for controlling plant operations, emphasizing Quality-Based Changeovers over cleaning to ensure production continuity. This paper also identifies technological and managerial challenges in PET recycling plants as raised in the related literature, such as the need for technology improvement, more effective collection routes and sorting processes, and devoted managerial strategies. Since a relevant industrial need is to manage the changeovers, we develop a model to control the operative management of the plant and to find the feedstock quality to be processed at a given time for profit maximization. A discrete event simulation model is built to represent the behavior of the system under an approximate state-based control policy, i.e. a two-threshold policy. Numerical results and sensitivity analysis highlight the impact of cleaning costs on system behavior, offering insights into optimal operational conditions. • Highlighting the challenges of recycling and circular economies by systematic literature search. • Managing a PET recycling plant by controlling production processes with varying quality feedstocks. • Decision-making regarding product variant selection and system reconfiguration. • Quality-Based Changeovers as a means to ensure production continuity. • Insights into conditions favorable to operational optimality with a simulation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive use of fossil fuels and chemicals has resulted in substantial emissions of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO 2), which in turn have triggered global warming. As a proactive response, converting waste into energy and chemicals is a paramount importance. To maximize carbon utilization, implementing a thermo-chemical process for waste valorization is a promising approach owing to its high tolerance for the intrinsic heterogeneity of waste materials. Thus, the development of thermo-chemical processes that exhibit high productivity and selectivity for valorized products should be prioritized. In this study, we focused on the pyrolysis of paper packaging waste (PPW) as a case study to address these challenges. To enhance the production of syngas and furfural, PPW was pretreated with ferrous sulfate (FeSO 4) before undergoing pyrolysis. Slow and fast pyrolysis were conducted to characterize the production of syngas and bio-oil, respectively. The pretreatment of PPW with FeSO 4 increases syngas production, attributed to the catalytic properties of iron (Fe). Bio-oil derived from FeSO 4 -treated PPW contained more homogenized chemicals compared with that from untreated PPW. Furfural selectivity reached 51.1 % when PPW pretreated with FeSO 4 (10 wt% of Fe relative to PPW) was pyrolyzed at 600 ˚C. Additionally, biochar produced from FeSO 4 -treated PPW exhibited a porous carbon structure with a high surface area (123.8 m2 g−1) and was rich in minerals, such as Fe and calcium (Ca). This biochar catalytically enhanced the reaction kinetics of thermally induced transesterification of soybean oil, resulting in a biodiesel yield of 88.7 % at 350 ˚C. The findings of this study offer a practical approach to establishing a sustainable and carbon-neutral platform for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products. [Display omitted] • Paper packaging waste (PPW) was valorized into value-added products through pyrolysis. • PPW was pretreated with FeSO 4 and pyrolyzed under N 2 condition. • Fe-species in FeSO 4 contributed to improving the production of syngas (H 2 and CO). • Pretreatment of PPW with FeSO 4 leads to a high selectivity for furfural (51.1 %). • Biochar acted as a catalyst in transesterification of soybean oil into biodiesel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The cloud-pipe-edge-end operation and communication architecture: aiming at the data privacy problems caused by multi-subject operation in the district integrated energy system, the cloud-pipe-edge-end operation and communication architecture is introduced into the district integrated energy system, which not only protects the data privacy, but also solves the problem that the terminal device information data is large and difficult to collect in real-time, and improves the efficiency of real-time collection, calculation and transmission of multi-energy data information in the system. • Waste heat recovery of energy coupling equipment: aiming at the problem that further reuse of internal waste energy that is not considered in the hierarchical optimization process of district integrated energy system, this paper recycles the heat generated by the combined heat and power and the power to gas during operation, and finds that when 1 kWh of electric energy is used, the heat that can be recycled is 0.1187 kWh, which improves the utilization rate of energy. • A two-layer distributed scheduling model of the district integrated energy system: aiming at the problem that the hierarchical optimization of district integrated energy system, only the economy is considered, and the low-carbon nature of the system and the multi-energy interaction between subsystems are not considered. A two-layer distributed scheduling model of the district integrated energy system is established based on a laddered carbon trading mechanism, which reduces carbon emissions, and maximizes benefits for all parties. • ATC algorithm: aiming at the problem that the optimized sub-objectives in the two-layer model are strongly coupled and cannot be solved quickly and accurately, a two-layer model solving method based on ATC is proposed, which decouples the upper and lower layers by adding augmented Lagrange penalty function, which is very suitable for the decentralized computational architecture of this paper, and realizes the energy mutualization and the balance of interests among multiple subjects while taking into account the data privacy protection. The district integrated energy system has the characteristics of multi-layer and multi-subjects. Aiming at the problems of data privacy, conflict of interest, and mismatch of interaction power among these multi-subjects, a hierarchical distributed optimal scheduling decision-making method for district integrated energy system based on analysis target cascade is proposed. Firstly, the operational communication architecture of the district integrated energy system based on the cloud-pipe-edge-end is constructed to solve the problems of data transmission, data computation, and data privacy. Secondly, a two-layer distributed scheduling model of district integrated energy system considering waste heat recovery is established based on a laddered carbon trading mechanism. At the upper level, an optimal scheduling model targeting low-carbon and economic performance is developed by considering the participation of district integrated energy system in demand response and the purchase and sale of electricity. At the lower level, an optimal scheduling model considering waste heat recovery for subsystem energy-coupled equipment is developed. Then, the analytical target cascade is used to realize the decoupling of the two-layer model, and the efficient solution is achieved in the process of multiple iterations. Finally, by analyzing the arithmetic examples, it is verified that the proposed method can improve the economy of system operation by 4.38% and the absorption capacity of wind power by 9.89%, while protecting the privacy and interest claims of multiple parties. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-targeted analysis and suspect screening of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in various matrices have gained traction with advancements in accurate mass analytical instruments. This study employed ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry for PFAS suspect screening of paper grades used in the paper recycling chain. The samples were prepared using two extraction techniques; selective accelerated solvent extraction with weak anionic exchange solid-phase extraction and non-selective ultrasonic-assisted extraction. A suspect screening protocol was established to tentatively identify suspected PFAS against spectral databases using a systematic approach of peak filtering and study-specific thresholds for reporting, linked to a confidence level. The possible prevalence of previously unreported PFAS in several paper materials across the various collection sites in the paper recycling chain was inferred by the common detection of short-chain polyfluoroalkyl ketones and diketones in the paper recycling chain. The suspect screening tentatively identified 41 unique PFAS, with 3 common to both pre-treatment techniques. The detection of unique PFAS by the two sample pre-treatment techniques highlighted the significance of both selective and non-selective extraction in PFAS screening endeavours. Further, it showed the importance of understanding the acquisition mechanisms employed in mass spectrometry where data-dependent acquisition triggered fragmentation in certain identified compounds, and not in others. The tentatively identified PFAS indicated that there were several previously unreported PFAS in the paper recycling chain and that additional studies were required to investigate their abundance, possible persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity, in relation to their functional groups and carbon chains. [Display omitted] • Two extraction techniques were employed for PFAS suspect screening of paper. • ASE with WAX SPE for selective extraction and UAE for non-selective extraction. • 41 unique PFAS tentatively identified with 3 common to both pre-treatment techniques. • Per- and polyfluoroalkyl ketones, diketones and amines were predominantly identified. • Study showed the influence of method selectivity in the detected PFAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Particulate matter (PM) emitted from waste sorting plant (WSP) were studied. • Health risks to plant workers regarding exposure to PM were quantified. • The ratio of indoor PM to outdoor PM (I/O PM) ranged from 0.8 to 46.3. • LTCRs for PM via inhalation exposure route ranged from 3.41 × 10−6 to 9.43 × 10−5. • Exposure to PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the WSP lead to possible risk. Solid waste components can be recycled in waste paper and cardboard sorting plants (WPCSP) through a multistep process. This work collected 15 samples every six days from each of the 9 points selected to study the processes taking place in a WPCSP (135 particulate matter samples total). Examining the concentration and size fraction of particulate matter (i.e., PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10) in WPCSP is an essential issue to notify policy makers about the health impacts on exposed workers. The major activities for increasing of the concentration of PM in various processing units in the WPCSP, especially in hand-picking routes I and II were related to manual dismantling, mechanical grinding, mechanical agitation, and separation and movement of waste. The results of this work showed that a negative correlation between temperature and particulate matter size followed the order PM 10 > PM 2.5 > PM 1. Exposure to PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the WPCSP lead to possible risk (HI = 5.561 and LTCRs = 3.41 × 10−6 to 9.43 × 10−5 for PM 2.5 and HI = 7.454 for PM 10). The exposure duration and the previous concentrations had the most effect on the ILCRs and HQs for PM 2.5 and PM 10 in all sampling sites. Hence, because WPCSP are infected indoor environments (I/O ratio > 1), the use of control methods such as isolation of units, misting systems, blower systems equipped with bag houses, protective equipment, a mechanical ventilation system, and additional natural ventilation can reduce the amount of suspended PM, enhance worker safety, and increase the recycling rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cone angle had great influence on plastic separation. • The recovery of particles with wide size distribution was studied. • The discrepancy of settlements of PET/PVC were significant. • The optimum cone angle and L/D were obtained. The cone angle of a hydrocyclone is believed to be an important parameter to affect the separation performance. For the recycling of waste plastics, this paper focused on the study of the influence of cone angles on the separation of light dispersed plastics (PET) and heavy dispersed plastics (PVC) by experiments and numerical simulations. The cone angle was changed from 3° to 28° either at given length of the cylindrical section or at fixed total length of the hydrocyclone. The separation performance varied with cone angles at given length of the cylindrical section more greatly than that at fixed total length of the hydrocyclone. Results show that particles with different sizes in mixture exhibited discrepant separation behaviors at various cone angles. There was an optimum cone angle at which the Newton efficiency peaked as 90.2%, while the purity of PET could also reach the highest. The proportion of cylindrical section could be properly small for the enhancement of Newton efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an effective and sustainable treatment method for recycling chromium from sludge produced by magnetic flocculation was established. Chromium was extracted from sludge with hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite, and then, superparamagnetic ferroferric oxide nanoparticles (MPs) were recovered by magnetic separation. The recovery percentage of chromium with sodium hypochlorite was higher than that with hydrogen peroxide, and the maximum was 99.12%. With increasing MPs use times, the adsorption percentage of chromium decreased, but there was no significant change in the recovery percentage of chromium in sludge. The purity of the recovered sodium chromate crystals was 96.28%. The back-propagation algorithm was used to model chromium recovery. The correlation coefficient between the model prediction data and experimental data was 0.9990, and the average absolute error was 0.51. The maximum recovery percentage of chromium obtained from model prediction was 99.27%, and the corresponding optimal conditions were consistent with those of experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and sustainable paper template-based method was developed for the fabrication of advanced niobium carbide (NbC)-based free-standing films for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding application. Through employing the porous structure of paper template, the simultaneous optimization of thickness, flexibility, density and shielding effectiveness (SE) of NbC-based films was facilely achieved. The pyrolytic carbon (PyC) derived from paper worked as a carbon source for the growth of the NbC phase. A hierarchically porous structure with a porosity of ∼80 vol % was established to optimize the flexibility and density of the resultant films. Adjusted heterogeneous NbC-PyC nano-interfaces were formed by controlling the amount of NbC and the remaining PyC phase in the films, which significantly improved the absorption capability of EM waves. At the highest NbC content, the film possesses shielding effectiveness of 50 and 86 dB when the sample thickness is ∼55 and ∼220 μm, respectively compared to 32 dB of pristine paper-derived PyC film (∼55 μm). These results provide guidance to explore more eco-friendly and commercially effective routes for the recycling of used paper through developing their application in the EM field. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A Goal Programming model to optimize a waste paper recycling network was elaborated. • The model considers objectives related to sustainability, multiple products and periods. • Vehicle routing, different-capacity vehicles and multiple trips are highlights. • The possibility of storing material at the collection points is considered. • The formulation provides relevant solutions to assist decision-makers. Organization and planning of reverse logistics networks make sustainable processes more efficient. Thus, an important sector for connecting the collection and waste paper recycling echelons is the intermediate center. In this study, a Mixed Integer Linear Programming model, which is multi-objective, multi-product, multi-level and multi-period, was developed to optimize the waste paper logistics processes of intermediate centers. The formulation includes the following echelons: collection, considering vehicle routing with different capacities; inventory of non-baling materials; baling sorted waste and inventory of bales; selling bales; disposal of non-recyclable waste. The aims of the model include: maximizing the collected waste; minimizing distances; maximizing both the production and sale of bales, and minimizing costs. According to research carried out in the literature, the developed model is a new proposal and to implement it, the Weighted Goal Programming and Revised Multi-Choice Goal Programming approaches were used to deal with multiple objectives and incorporate uncertainty into the quantity of waste available for collection. To analyze the proposed model, computational tests were executed with instances based on real data from a Brazilian company in the sector. For all performed tests, General Algebraic Modeling System 23.6.5 modeling language and CPLEX 12.2.0.2 solver were used for modeling and optimization. The results show that this study presents formulation and technological approaches that represent real situations and provide competitive solutions to the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Amorphous carbon was facilely obtained via the treatment of waste papers with sulfuric acid. 2 The combination of amorphous carbon with graphitic carbon nitride leads to an increased photo-catalytic H 2 generation. 3 The enhancement in H 2 generation is resultant from the efficient separation of electrons and holes owing to the excellent electrical conductivity of amorphous carbon. Up-cycling of waste papers to value-added carbon products has significant environmental and economic benefits in real life. This work aims to recycle the waste papers to construct amorphous carbon modified graphitic carbon nitride composite photocatalysts for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water under visible light. Amorphous carbon (labeled as a-C) was yielded from the office waste papers by simple sulphuric-acid treatment and then combined with graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) to form the g-CN/a-C composite photocatalysts by the thermolysis of a-C and melamine mixture. The addition of a-C enlarges the surface area of g-CN from 11.52 m2 g−1 of pristine g-CN to 28.12 m2 g−1 of g-CN/a-C-100. In addition, the a-C incorporation can significantly separate the electrons from the photoexcited g-CN owing to the excellent conductivity of a-C. As a result, an increased photocatalytic H 2 generation was realized under visible light exposure. The g-CN/a-C-100 sample with optimized a-C contents offers the highest photocatalytic H 2 generation rate of up to 17.1 μ mol h−1, which is ∼12 times higher than that of pristine g-CN under the same condition. The present study manifests the great potential of the recycling of office waste papers for increased photocatalytic H 2 generation. Graphical Abstract [Display omitted]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper industry produces large volumes of wastewater causing environmental pollution due to containing high levels of organic matter. In the present study, native yeasts of one of the paper and cardboard recycling industries wastewater were isolated and identified, and their efficiency in the wastewater bioremediation was investigated. In this experimental study, after sampling, the yeast strains of the wastewater were isolated and identified. After preparing the yeast suspension, experiments were performed on the main sample of the wastewater and the modified samples with pH 5, 6, and 7, dilution of 25% and 50%, and incubation time of 48 and 96 h. The efficiency of these yeasts in removing chemical oxygen demand (COD) was also investigated. The results showed that this industrial wastewater contains high levels of turbidity and COD. Two types of yeast, including Candida glabrata and Candida albicans, were identified. The optimal pH for C. albicans was 6 and for C. glabrata was 5. According to the results of the experiments, COD removal efficiency by these yeasts was 71% and 81.8%, respectively, at incubation time of 96 h and dilution of 25% of the wastewater at optimal pH. It seems that according to the characteristics of these isolated yeast species and their ability to remove COD, they can be considered as an economic and eco-friendly option for the treatment of the mentioned industrial wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mild-acidic regulation impeded calcium accumulation in the bioreactor by over 60%. • The protonated granule surface has a lower Ca2+ affinity. • Weaker surface binding reduced the Ca2+ supply from liquid to granule. • A feasible solution for controlling AnGS calcification was validated. Controlling CaCO 3 precipitation within anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS) is crucial for the anaerobic treatment of paper recycling wastewater. A viable strategy was proposed to control calcification by adjusting a mild acidic condition in an anaerobic reactor without hindering organic degradation. The results indicated that lowering the bulk pH (6.5 to 6.8) reduced calcium precipitation by 60.1 % in calcium-rich influent (Ca2+ 1200 mg/L) and eradicated CaCO 3 deposition on AnGS. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have proven to be crucial participants in Ca2+ migration. The acidic solution weakens the interactions between EPS and Ca2+ and then diminishes the EPS adsorption capacity and affinity for Ca2+. The mild acidic environment goes beyond reducing CaCO 3 formation in wastewater. EPS protonation reduced the probability of Ca2+ adhering to the AnGS surface, which halted calcium transportation from bulk liquid to granule. This work offers a feasible strategy to prevent AnGS calcification in high-calcium wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance aramid papers are ideal insulating materials in the electric industry, due to their superior mechanical strength and insulation capabilities. However, when subjected to prolonged high-voltage and high-power operations, these papers are prone to electrical damage, such as breakdown or corona aging. Unfortunately, most damaged aramid papers are viewed as mere waste, discarded through landfill or other unsustainable disposal methods. It is not only contrary to circular economy principles but also poses a significant environmental threat due to the potential for pollution. Herein, a closed-loop recycling strategy is proposed that efficiently and effectively reclaims electrically damaged meta-aramid papers. Using the DMAc/LiCl deprotonation system, waste aramid papers are completely decomposed into molecular chains, exposing carbon residues resulting from electrical breakdown. These carbon residues are removed through a step-by-step purification process. A reprotonation treatment is then applied to regenerate new meta-aramid papers by reforming the intermolecular hydrogen bonds. This approach not only fully restores the original honeycomb-like structure but also ensures the crystallization and hydrogen bond content, maintaining both electrical and mechanical properties at above 90 % of their original values. Notably, our recycling method is also compatible with aramid-based composites, achieving exceptional recycling efficiency. [Display omitted] • Electrically damaged meta-aramid paper can be recycled in a closed loop. • The DMAc/LiCl system completely dissolves waste aramid into PMIA molecular chains. • Carbon residues induced by electrical breakdown can be removed by purification. • The synergistic conservation of electrical and mechanical properties exceeds 90 %. • Closed loop recycling strategy is also viable for inorganic-aramid composite paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of paper products by various chemicals has been reported on a global level, but to date, no published research has investigated pharmaceutical contamination of paper-based products. In this study, pharmaceutical analysis was conducted on 42 samples collected from various points of the recycled paper value chain in Cape Town, South Africa, which included the various grades that may be included in the manufacturing of recycled paperboard. The analysis was achieved by ultrasonic-assisted extraction of paper samples before detection by UHPLC-Q Orbitrap. Quantification limits ranged from 1.15 pg/g for ketoprofen to 46.07 pg/g for methocarbamol. Pharmaceuticals identified in newspaper samples were dexamethasone, ketoprofen, and 17β-estradiol. The latter was also detected in paper shopping bags (up to 697.49 ng/g), infant bathtub packaging (280.62 ng/g), battery packaging (137.43 ng/g), and an egg carton (170.47 ng/g). Carbamazepine was also prominent with its concentration reaching 13.02 ng/g in a vegetable box. Suspect screening tentatively identified 14 additional pharmaceuticals in paper samples, with minocycline, prazepam, and anabolic steroids appearing more prominently. This pioneering study indicated that unintentional pharmaceutical exposure had expanded beyond environmental media to consumer products. [Display omitted] • The first reported occurrence of pharmaceuticals contamination in paper samples. • Targeted and suspect screening of various paper grades was performed. • Sensitive analytical method developed using UHPLC- Q Orbitrap. • Reveals the propagation of emerging contaminants beyond environmental matrices. • Consumer usage and waste management protocols contributed to pharmaceutical occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the market size of all materials and products presently produced from (organic) carbon and we present a method to estimate the intrinsic recycling potential of these materials/chemicals as a function of their respective applications. The method is based on the expert assessment of a number of variables that are important within the different application categories and markets of the carbon-based materials/chemicals. Applying the method, the paper presents the recycling potential of all carbon-based products. Following, an estimation of the amount of new products that can be produced each year through recycling of discarded products is presented and the amount of carbon that needs to come from other sustainable sources to fulfil our demand for new products is calculated. We distinguish nine different categories of (organic) carbon-based materials/chemicals: plastics, textile fibres, thermoset resins, rubbers, surfactants, solvents, fine chemicals, paper/board and wood products. Within these nine categories the most important materials/chemicals types were taken into account. Fossil-based and bio-based materials/chemicals were assessed separately. For each of the materials/chemicals types, the market size in terms of mass (Mt) was calculated for the main applications in which they are applied. Next, for all materials/chemicals types in these applications, the maximum recycling potential, in case mechanical or physical recycling methods are applied, was assessed, using an expert panel. Also, inevitable leakage of materials/chemicals in the different applications was assessed. Finally, the amount of feedstock coming from recycling streams that may be made available for chemical recycling or carbon capture and utilisation technologies was derived. From this, the magnitude of carbon-based materials/chemicals that need to be replaced each year by other renewable feedstock than recycled content in terms of Mton carbon was calculated. The analysis is relevant in view of implementation of a circular economy and reuse and recycling of materials, to combat depletion of raw materials. Next, it is relevant in view of phasing out fossil-feedstock to combat climate change. Our analysis indicates that the recycling potential of carbon-based materials and products through mechanical or physical methods lies around 50%, even in a system that is fully optimised for recycling. Chemical recycling and carbon capture and utilisation may provide another 25% of the renewable-carbon feedstock needed, but they generally require far more energy and other inputs to produce new materials and chemicals than the mechanical and physical recycling methods. The remaining demand for renewable-carbon feedstock thus needs to come from either biomass or CO 2 through carbon capture and utilisation technologies. Based on our findings, we argue that the composition of our present carbon-based products pool needs to be redesigned on a fundamental molecular level, towards material types that contain more oxygen. Carbon-based materials that contain more oxygen generally can be recycled more efficiently, and are also easier to produce from the alternative feedstocks biomass and CO 2 through CCU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A single pulsed discharge enabled peeling of cathode particles from Al foil. • As a recycling technology, a pulsed discharge could reduce life cycle impacts. • Recovery of cathode particles reduced LC-GHG and resource consumption. • Life cycle assessment results changed due to a shift in battery chemistry. This series of papers addresses the recycling of cathode particles and aluminum (Al) foil from positive electrode sheet (PE sheet) dismantled from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by applying a high-voltage pulsed discharge. As concluded in Part I of the series (Tokoro et al., 2021), cathode particles and Al foil were separated in water based on a single pulsed power application. This separation of LIB components by pulsed discharge was examined by means of prospective life cycle assessment and is expected to have applications in LIB reuse and recycling. The indicators selected were life cycle greenhouse gas (LC-GHG) emissions and life cycle resource consumption potential (LC-RCP). We first completed supplementary experiments to collect redundant data under several scale-up circumstances, and then attempted to quantify the uncertainties from scaling up and progress made in battery technology. When the batch scale of pulsed discharge separation is sufficiently large, the recovery of cathode particles and Al foil from PE sheet by pulsed discharge can reduce both LC-GHG and LC-RCP, in contrast to conventional recycling with roasting processes. Due to technology developments in LIB cathodes, the reuse of positive electrode active materials (PEAM) does not always have lower environmental impacts than the recycling of the raw materials of PEAM in the manufacturing of new LIB cathodes. This study achieved a proof of concept for resource consumption reduction induced by cathode utilization, considering LC-GHG and LC-RCP, by applying high-voltage pulsed discharge separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Evolutionary game theory is used to study the dynamic behaviors in WEEE recycling. • Fund Relief Policy can motivate the producers' green innovation behavior. • Fund Relief Policy can to some extent alleviate the government financial pressure. In an effort to regulate waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling, the Chinese government has issued China-WEEE regulations and a fund policy. In accordance with the 2012 fund policy, the government collects funds from producers and subsidizes recycling enterprises. However, this policy has encountered difficulties. The 2016 White Paper on WEEE Recycling, Treatment and Reuse states that while the funds collected from producers were 2.61 billion Yuan, the subsidies provided to recycling enterprises were 4.714 billion Yuan, which is a gap of 2.104 billion Yuan. In addition, this policy did not incentivize producers to invest in WEEE recycling. Our paper aims to answering the following questions: (1) What is the impact of the current WEEE processing fund policy? (2) How can producers' green innovation in WEEE recycling be promoted? We use evolutionary game theory to investigate the strategies used by producers and recyclers and explore their evolutionary behaviors under two policies: the 2012 fund policy (the current policy) and the Fund Relief Policy (a newly designed policy). The results indicate that the Fund Relief Policy can motivate producers' green innovation behavior, improve the profitability of recyclers, and alleviate the financial pressure on government to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of energy fuels (ethanol, char, oil/wax and gas) was produced from fibre waste contaminated with plastic through the application of a fermentation-pyrolysis route. The fibre component was first converted to ethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), achieving an ethanol concentration of 39.8 g/L. The residue, enriched in lignin and plastics, was subjected to fast pyrolysis at temperatures between 350 and 550 °C. A wax product with a higher heating value (HHV) higher than 28 MJ/kg was obtained for temperatures higher than 450 °C, while values lower than 15 MJ/kg were observed for the oils produced from the untreated waste stream. Pyrolysis at 550 °C produced a wax with an HHV as high as 32.1 MJ/kg, where 51.8% of the energy content of the fermentation residue was transferred. The attractive energy contents of the pyrolysis products were enabled by oxygen removal from the feedstock during fermentation to ethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• All three discussed recycling types are profitable under current policy measures. • Chicken manure is more cost-effective for composting. • Pig manure is more cost-effective for energy recycling. • Without FITs, biogas power generation of livestock manure is not profitable. • RDF of rice straw is the most cost-effective. Agricultural waste can be recycled in different ways. Cost-effectiveness is important information for investment decision-making of enterprises and policy-making of government to choose a profitable way to recycle agricultural waste. Therefore, this paper aims to present a cost-benefit analysis to assess and compare the cost-effectiveness between feasible recycling methods, and further propose cost-effective ways for recycling agricultural waste in Taiwan. Three recycling types of agricultural wastes, namely, composting, biogas power generation and biomass fuel are selected for cost-benefit analysis based on related regulations and policy supports of agricultural waste management in Taiwan. Primary data collected by sampling surveys conducted in 2018 supplemented by secondary data from national statistics are used for this study. Study results show that all three recycling types of agricultural wastes discussed in this study are profitable under corresponding economic conditions in 2018 with benefit/cost ratio greater than 1 and positive net present value; as expected, the cost-effectiveness of agricultural waste recycling varies depending on the recycling types, composition of input materials, and economic scales. Mixing chicken manure with other agricultural wastes for composting and using rice straw to make biomass fuel rods are estimated to have higher cost-effectiveness; livestock farms with small farming scale have relatively low biogas energy recovery efficiency; the cost-effectiveness of biogas power generation highly depends on fixed-in tariffs (FITs). Results imply that policy support for establishing co-processing centers of agricultural waste and differentiated FITs would be good measures to stimulate recycling efficiency of agricultural waste in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, recycling and re-use of materials is extremely important due to the diminishing of natural resources. The objective of the European Union’s circular economy strategy is to increase recycling and the use of industrial waste materials and side streams as secondary raw materials. In this study, a chemical precipitation method to simultaneously remove ammonium nitrogen and phosphate from the liquid phase of anaerobic digestate using calcined paper mill sludge was studied. Papermill sludge is a waste material that forms in the paper-making process. In addition, commercial calcium oxide (CaO) was used as a reference precipitant. The suitability of the formed precipitate’s composition for recycled fertilizer use was also considered. The study results indicated that calcined paper mill sludge was as effective precipitant as commercial CaO in the removal of ammonium nitrogen and phosphate from the synthetic wastewater. In addition, the results indicated that calcined paper mill sludge removed efficiently phosphate from the liquid phase of anaerobic digestate, which led to the formation of hydroxyapatite, Ca5(PO4 )3 (OH). In this research we have shown, that calcined paper mill sludge can be used to produce recycled, slow-release, solid fertilizer. Another possible reaction, such as adsorption was also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane bioreactor (MBR) offers significant advantages for effluent quality, footprint, sludge production, and operation. In this study, the performance of an MBR was evaluated in a hybrid airlift membrane bioreactor (HAMBR) operating under various hydraulic retention times (HRTs). Results demonstrated that HAMBR could effectively remove organic and nutrient pollutants. The removal percentages of chemical oxygen demand, ammonium and total nitrogen for permeate and supernatant were in the range of 87%–99%, 44%–96%, and 45%–95%, respectively. The results indicated that the HAMBR can be used effectively for simultaneous nitrification-denitrification in the treatment of wastewater, even at low HRTs. Regarding membrane fouling rate, HRT of 36 h could significantly mitigate membrane fouling compared with the shorter HRTs and it was an optimal HRT value for removal of organic matter. Therefore, HAMBR was introduced as a superior MBR regarding performance efficiency and membrane fouling in the treatment of wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Index of recycling sustainability for assessing waste paper recycling. • Integrating methodology of GIS and value chain model. • Historical changes of informal recyclables distribution sites in Beijing. • Value chain of waste paper recycling in Beijing may face challenges in the future. • Policy implications to improve waste paper recycling in Beijing. China established a self-organized and market-driven recycling system, which was dominated by the informal sectors. In recent years, the amount of domestically-recycled waste paper grew slower than expectation in China, which may be resulted from a decline in economic sustainability of current recycling system. For understanding the waste paper recycling system in most cities in China, the economic mechanism remains unclear and the city-level data is extremely insufficient. In this work, an index of recycling sustainability (IRS, benefit divided by cost) is analyzed with a resolution of 1 km2 grid in Beijing City, by adopting value chain and GIS methodology. Five degrees of IRS are defined, from high-degree (IRS > 1.10) to low-degree (IRS < 0.95). Different stakeholders in the informal waste paper recycling system were interviewed to fill the data gap. Results show that: (1) from 2015 to 2018, the informal recycling of waste paper accounted for approximate 80% in Beijing; (2) the number of informal recyclables distribution sites decreased from 27 to 11, and their average distance to the city-center rose from 27.5 km to 40.9 km; (3) in 2015 and 2018, the grids with high-degree IRS accounted for 99.5% and 89.2%, respectively, indicating a sustainable waste paper recycling industry in Beijing; and (4) according to the scenario analysis, if the operating cost rises by 30%, the grids with low-degree IRS accounts for 98.5%, indicating a nontrivial challenges when the recycling cost keeps increasing in the future. Policy recommendations are put forward for a more sustainable paper waste recycling system in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge of global climate change has drawn people's attention to the issue of carbon emissions. Reducing the use of petroleum-derived materials and increasing the use of biodegradable materials is a current focus of research, especially in the packaging materials industry. This study focused on the use of environmentally friendly plastics and waste paper as the main materials for packaging films. Poly(butylene succinate- co -lactate) (PBSL) was modified with maleic anhydride (MA) to form a biobased compatibilizer (MPBSL), which was then blended with a mixture (WPS) of waste-paper powder (WP) and silica aerogel powder (SP) to form the designed composite (MPBSL/WPS). The modification of PBSL with MA improved interfacial adhesion between PBSL and WPS. The structure, thermal, and mechanical properties, water vapor/oxygen barrier, toxicity, freshness, and biodegradability of MPBSL/WPS films were evaluated. Compared with the PBSL/WP film, the MPBSL/WPS film exhibited increased tensile strength at break of 4–13.5 MPa, increased initial decomposition loss at 5 wt% of 14–35 °C, and decreased water/oxygen permeabilities of 18–105 cm3/m2·d·Pa. In the water absorption test, the MPBSL/WPS film displayed about 2–6 % lower water absorption than that of the PBSL/WP film. In the cytocompatibility test, both MPBSL/WPS and PBSL/WP membrane were nontoxic. In addition, compared with PBSL/WP film and the control, the MPBSL/WPS film significantly reduced moisture loss, extended the shelf life, and prevented microbial growth in vegetable and meat preservation tests. Both MPBSL/WPS and PBSL/WP films were biodegradable in a 60-day soil biodegradation test; the degradation rate was 50 % when the WP or WPS content was 40 wt%. Our findings indicate that the composites would be suitable for environmentally sustainable packaging materials. [Display omitted] • An environmentally friendly PBSL/WPS film for packing material is successfully fabricated. • Increase of recycling waste paper and PBSL utilization can reduce carbon emissions. • MPBSL/WPS films have comparable properties to pure PBSL. • A formula of MPBSL/WPS products are sustainable and economic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Life cycle assessment of mineral processing byproducts. • Environmental benefits of repurposing processing wastes. • Lithium battery elements and their environmental footprint. • Strengths and weaknesses of current LCA for by-product recycling. The increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has accelerated the extraction and processing of numerous critical minerals embedding lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, and graphite. Extracting these elements from the earth's crust is inevitably associated with the generation of by-products, leading to various environmental impacts that need to be carefully considered. It is essential to integrate these by-products into sustainable value chains and demonstrate their environmental benefits. Life cycle assessment (LCA) provides a systematic approach for analysing the integration of by-products in a circular economy and assessing their environmental impact throughout the product's life cycle. Although LCA enables decision-makers to evaluate the potential benefits and trade-offs associated with using by-products in the circular economy, its acceptance by the mining and processing community is limited. This literature survey shows that increasing attention is being directed towards LCA-based research in order to foster the circular economy of mineral processing by-products related to LIBs. While more authoritative and effective information channels are opening up for researchers and end-users to learn about LCA in this context, two main issues are present in current research, namely the lack of equilibrium (i.e. focus on small and isolated areas that may not represent the whole market) and the lack of systematic criteria of assessment (i.e. environmental impacts are difficult to compare). Through the analysis of 79 relevant LCA papers, we realized that the current research on mineral processing by-product recycling is limited to specific areas, such as by-product selection, recycling method qualification, and assessment of environmental impact categories. These areas are often studied in isolation, leading to a fragmented understanding of the broader environmental impacts of recycling by-products in the context of lithium-ion battery production. Furthermore, comparing LCA results across different studies on the same research topic can be challenging. To improve future LCA research on mineral processing by-product recycling, greater attention should be paid to non-hotspot fields, and systematic criteria of sustainability evaluation specifically cast for critical minerals should be established to improve decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Image quality metrics in the context of movie restoration. • Use and test of some metrics as tool for restorers. • A single metric is not sufficient to assess the quality of a frame. This paper describes the digital acquisition and restoration of a Super 8 documentary on the origins of citizens' awareness on paper recycling in the city of Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy. This film is currently stored in Fondazione ASM archives, and its acquisition is part of a larger project of preservation of industrial memories in Italy. Here we describe the tools used for the acquisition and the post-processing with a Spatial Colour Algorithm (SCA) for unsupervised colour and contrast enhancement. This method provides a semi-automatic image restoration, whose quality has been tested through different evaluations. In this paper, some advantages of the use of SCAs in the restoration pipeline are presented, together with a preliminary discussion on the problem of assessing frame restoration results. To this aim, we present objective vs. subjective evaluation, and some issues associated with this complex task. The most used full-reference and no-reference metrics have been used, together with alternative low-level descriptors. Data and examples are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allocating environmental impacts within life cycle assessment (LCA) is a recognised methodological problem. Different allocation methods have been developed to fulfil the various goals of LCA studies. At present, there is neither a consensus regarding the method to be used nor a one-fits-all method for dealing with recycling in LCA. The paper discusses some of the main allocation procedures practised in the pulp and paper industry, namely those covered by ISO/TS 14067:2018, GHG Protocol/PAS 2050, and the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF). All in all, the allocation method described in the ISO/TS 14067:2018 standard was considered the most appropriate to account for open-loop recycling of paper products. However, the method neither considers the number of subsequent uses of recycled fibres, nor the recycled fibre age. Yet, both of them are considered especially important in the open-loop recycling of paper products. In order to account for these aspects, the present study proposes an advanced, step-wise approach to handle allocation in LCAs accounting for the open-loop recycling of paper products. The advanced approach is based on the fibre mass flow model used to calculate the mean fibre age and the mean number of uses of paper products within the European context. The approach was validated with the data from the pulp and paper industry, particularly examining the newsprint paper grade with different contents of recycled fibre and fibre age. The paper, however, introduces all the parameters required to perform allocation based on the proposed method for other paper grades. The categpory of global warming potential was considered in the study as an illustrative example. yet the method could be applied to other impact assessment categories. The results calculated using the proposed allocation approach were compared to those obtained with the allocation methods described in the GHG Protocol/PAS 2050 and the PEF. The proposed allocation method can be used to guide further development of available standards and the product category rules, which will contribute to increased harmonisation and consistency of LCA studies in the pulp and paper sector, as well as to the enhanced practical implementation of LCA in industry. • A science based method for open loop recycling in life cycle assessment. • European fiber flow model used for calculation of fiber age and mean number of uses. • For product environmental footprint calculations of paper and board products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper examined the relations between three managerial factors and multi-family dwelling recycling • Significant association was found between housing type and MFD recycling • No significant association was found between recycling mode and MFD recycling. • There was a significant association between initiative of property manager and MFD recycling. Solid waste is an acute environmental problem in most big cities around the world. Like other highly compact cities, Hong Kong developed a recycling program that primarily targets multi-family dwellings (MFDs). This paper intends to examine the relations between three managerial factors—housing type, recycling mode, and initiative of the property manager—and MFD recycling using data collected from a territory-wide telephone survey (n = 1,016) conducted in 2017. The results indicated that housing type and initiative of the property manager had significant relations with the recycling behavior of residents. The findings may supplement previous recycling studies and provide a reference for the improved implementation of the MFD recycling program in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Black liquor, an industrial waste, also generally called spent liquor is a promising feedstock for production of bio-carbon due to its high lignin and energy contents. Mild processing conditions and sustainable resource utilization can drive commercial utilization of this industrial waste. A novel oxidative procedure using hydrogen peroxide as a green liquid oxidant at room temperature for processing of paper recycling neutral sulphite semi-chemical spent liquor was established and evaluations were carried out for its efficiency. Standard hydrothermal carbonization was carried out for comparing bio-carbon production qualitatively and quantitatively using the same spent liquor. The oxidation procedure was performed at room temperature using 5% of H 2 O 2 followed by washing in diluted sulfuric acid (0.15 N) while hydrothermal carbonization was performed at 250 °C. The bio-carbon produced were similar in terms of ash percentage and ranged from 1.25 ± 0.05 to 1.48 ± 0.05% for oxidation method and from 1.11 ± 0.03 to 1.45 ± 0.04% for hydrothermal carbonization. The carbon contents for the oxidation method ranged from 60.54 to 61.50% and 66.81–67.31% for hydrothermal carbonization while higher heating values ranged from 25.32 to 26.11 MJ/kg and from 28.68 to 29.34 MJ/kg respectively. The mass yield ranged from 29.98 to 31.88% by the oxidation, while it was 15.02–16.08% by hydrothermal carbonization. Highlights • Bio-carbon is generated from byproduct of plant that uses recycled paper feedstock. • Oxidation method is a promising approach to obtain pure bio-carbon from spent liquor. • Hydrothermal carbonization demands energy for pure bio-carbon production. • Bio-carbon from both methods differ quantitatively but are similar qualitatively. • Bio-carbon can be a potential platform for environmental friendly fuel and materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A strong hydrogel coating was constructed on the carboxylated MXene sheets surface to prepare the MXene membrane. • The membrane demonstrated excellent superhydrophilic, anti-oil adhesion, chemical stability, and antimicrobials properties. • The membrane showed excellent separation performance for a wide range of emulsions with high levels. • Good separation performance (3979.5 L m–2h−1 bar−1 and 99.96 %) was maintained even in the later stages of separation. • The ability to deal with a wide range of complex emulsions enhanced its industrial application possibilities. Membrane separation technology can effectively address the issues of high energy consumption and low efficiency encountered in traditional separation processes. However, oil fouling hinders the widespread adoption of membrane technology in the field of oil-water separation. Therefore, preventing membrane fouling is crucial for overcoming this bottleneck. Titanium carbide (Ti 3 C 2 T x , MXene), a recent addition to the two-dimensional material family, has garnered significant interest in the domain of water treatment owing to its controllable surface groups, hydrophilic nature, antimicrobial properties, and high electrical conductivity. Hence, we proposed a strategy to construct hydrogel coatings on carboxylated MXene surfaces. Moreover, the rigidity of the hydrogel framework was further improved by introducing CaCO 3 nanoparticles. A stronger hydrogel layer ensured that the hydration layer is difficult to contaminate with oil and the fastness of the membrane material. Naturally, the as-prepared membrane showed excellent separation performance for a wide range of emulsions, maintaining high levels (3979.5 L m–2 h−1 bar−1 and 99.96 %) after 5 consecutive separation cycles of 200 min. Additionally, the membrane separated emulsions containing acids, salts, or alkali with a permeability of 2982.8 L m–2 h−1 bar−1 after 40 min; it also treated actual oily wastewater achieving a permeability of 238.9 L m–2 h−1 bar−1 and showed high removal efficiency (>99.9 %) for several heavy metals (Cu, Li, Pb, Se, and V), as well as antimicrobial (92.5 %) properties that enhance its potential for industrial applications. This study offers a new idea for designing anti-oil-fouling MXene oil-water separation membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is highly desirable to synergistically remove heavy metal ions and organic pollutants by low-cost, easy-access and high-performance technique. Here, we demonstrate a facile "adsorbent-to-catalyst" conversion strategy for Fenton-like degradation of organic pollutants using hierarchically nanosheet-assembled calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) architectures, which are prepared in large scale by a simple one-step room-temperature solid-phase method. The hierarchical CSH architectures exhibit excellent adsorption capacity for Ni2+, Cu2+, Co2+ with adsorption capacities of 406, 330 and 264 mg·g−1, respectively. The excellent adsorption capability results from the ion exchange between heavy metal ions and Ca2+ released by CSH architectures. Furthermore, as a case study, the collected CSH-Cu can be converted into a catalyst by simply heating at 450 °C. The resulted catalyst exhibits an excellent Fenton-like degradation ability for Rhodamine B with an efficiency of about 90% within 60 min. This study provides an environmentally friendly strategy of "adsorbent-to-catalyst" for efficient water purification. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent trends of microbial fuel cells or MFC research have targeted the ability of such technologies to become economically and technically viable. It is important to address the critical scientific inquiries in this area using research metrics. The reported MFC systems have shown applicability towards bioremediation and bioelectricity production, however, the need for creating scalable architecture which can treat real time wastewater has extended the research further. It is therefore important to provide a comprehensive analysis of the networks that has allowed these developments. The most important publications, authors, papers, countries, and keywords in the context of wastewater treatment using MFCs have been examined in this article. This covers the timeline between January 2013 to August 2023. This article also highlights the trends and developments that have arisen because of these examinations in the last decade. The visualization for the bibliometric analysis was done using VOSViewer with the publication data retrieved from the SCOPUS database. The analysis will help better understand current MFC research statistics for wastewater treatment and would help new researchers identify leading communities in this field for developing key insights. The highest number of publications are from China, United States, and India. • This work provides a comprehensive network analysis of MFC research developments. • Developments in the area of wastewater treatment and scaling up MFCs are visualized. • VOSViewer created visualization connecting researchers, keywords and contexts. • Analysis presents a clear MFC research statistics for developing viable technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen Economy and Cyclic Economy are advocated, together with the use of perennial (solar, wind, hydro, geo-power, SWHG) and renewable (biomass) energy sources, for defossilizing anthropic activities and mitigating climate change. Each option has intrinsic limits that prevent a stand-alone success in reaching the target. Humans have recycled goods (metals, water, paper, and now plastics) to a different extent since very long time. Recycling carbon (which is already performed at the industrial level in the form of CO 2 utilization and with recycling paper and plastics) is a key point for the future. The conversion of CO 2 into chemicals and materials is carried out since the late 1800s (Solvay process) and is today performed at scale of 230 Mt/y. It is time to implement on a scale of several Gt/y the conversion of CO 2 into energy products, possibly mimicking Nature which does not use hydrogen. In the short term, a few conditions must be met to make operative on a large scale the production of fuels from recycled-C, namely the availability of low-cost: i. abundant, pure concentrated streams of CO 2 , ii. non-fossil primary energy sources, and iii. non-fossil-hydrogen. The large-scale production of hydrogen by Methane Steam Reforming with CO 2 capture (Blue-H 2) seems to be a realistic and sustainable solution. Green-H 2 could in principle be produced on a large scale through the electrolysis of water powered by perennial primary sources, but hurdles such as the availability of materials for the construction of long-living, robust electrochemical cells (membranes, electrodes) must be abated for a substantial scale-up with respect to existing capacity. The actual political situation makes difficult to rely on external supplies. Supposed that cheap hydrogen will be available, its direct use in energy production can be confronted with the indirect use that implies the hydrogenation of CO 2 into fuels (E-fuels), an almost ready technology. The two strategies have both pros and cons and can be integrated. E-Fuels can also represent an option for storing the energy of intermittent sources. In the medium-long term, the direct co-processing of CO 2 and water via co-electrolysis may avoid the production/transport/ use of hydrogen. In the long term, coprocessing of CO 2 and H 2 O to fuels via photochemical or photoelectrochemical processes can become a strategic technology. • Hydrogen Economy and Cyclic Economy are discussed as an option for defossilizing anthropic activities and mitigating climate change. • In the short term, a few conditions must be met to make operative on a large scale the production of fuels from recycled-C. • In the medium-long term, the direct co-processing of CO 2 and water via co-electrolysis may avoid the production/transport/ use of hydrogen. • In the long term, coprocessing of CO 2 and H 2 O to fuels via photochemical or photoelectrochemical processes can become a strategic technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under carbon cap-and-trade regulation, to control carbon emissions and improve the recycling efficiency of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) from the traditional offline recycling channel, more enterprises attempt to simultaneously combine the online recycling platform with the digital transformation of the supply chain. Based on a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) with dual recycling channels and considering recycling advertising invested both in offline and online recycling channels, this paper attempts to explore the optimal recycling advertising mode which can both achieve economic and environmental performance under cap-and-trade regulation. Therefore, game models including a manufacturer and above either recycler are established, which are respectively correspond to four recycling advertising modes: manufacturer cooperates with neither recycler (MO mode), manufacturer only cooperates with the offline retailer (MR mode), manufacturer only cooperates with the online recycling platform (MT mode), and manufacturer cooperates with either recycler (MRT mode). Consequently, this paper solves the optimal decisions of the tripartite and focuses on the analysis of the impact of cooperative (competitive) recycling advertising under cap-and-trade regulation. By comparing the profits and total carbon emissions of the whole CLSC under four recycling advertising modes, the results indicate that: cooperative advertising between the manufacturer and two recyclers can achieve economic and environmental performance for the whole CLSC if the free-riding phenomenon occurs in recycling advertising. Otherwise, influenced by competitive recycling advertising, the above mode turns to the suboptimal one for the profits of two recyclers and the total carbon emissions of the CLSC. Moreover, driven by economic benefits, cooperative advertising will eventually become a consensus, but the total carbon emissions may not always be the least. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]