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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on almost all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leaving no country unaffected. It has caused a shift in political agendas, but also in lines of research. At the same time, the world is trying to make the transition to a more sustainable economic model. The research objectives of this paper are to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the fulfilment of the SDGs with regard to the research of the scientific community, and to analyze the presence of the Circular Economy (CE) in the literature. To this end, this research applies bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of the literature, using VOSviewer for data visualization. Five clusters were detected and grouped according to the three dimensions of sustainability. The extent of the effects of the health, economic and social crisis resulting from the pandemic, in addition to the climate crisis, is still uncertain, but it seems clear that the main issues are inefficient waste management, supply chain issues, adaptation to online education and energy concerns. The CE has been part of the solution to this crisis, and it is seen as an ideal model to be promoted based on the opportunities detected.

This article is a dimensioning study of the landfill locker dike of the city of Casablanca, where the geotechnical parameters of waste have particular limitations, theses limitation are a common characteristic for most developing countries. Considering the very small available land area in general, the objective is to achieve an optimal dimensioning of the locker to maximize the volume to be buried, while respecting the requirements of stability of the structure; namely, the model whose safety factor will be greater than 1.5. The Factor of Safety (FoS) was calculated by the Finite Element Method (FEM) using “PLAXIS 2D” software. The results show that, for both cases (with and without final cover), FoS, as obtained from both the analysis, show a similar pattern, with the maximum FoS for low inclinations, especially those lower than 15.95°. The critical FoS (< 1), was obtained for slopes strictly greater than 21.80°. The study also demonstrated that the 3.5H 1V model could be considered as the optimal one that satisfies the structural stability requirements (FoS> 1.5) and maximizes the volume to be buried. Nevertheless, the validation of this model is conditioned by a geometric modification (weakening the lateral slope of the landfill, by moving the dikes by 3 m) and the improvement of the mechanical characteristics of the soil of the peripheral dike, through replacing the material with the compacted clay. This model was validated by PLAXIS, which showed that the FoS for the phase preceding the anchoring of the final cover is 1.577, which reaches 1.604 after anchoring.

The management of fecal sludge is a recurrent problem for the actors in charge of the urban environment of Sokodé. Often, the sludge emptied is poured on empty spaces or used, without treatment, on urban and suburban agricultural land and for market gardening; in fact, a survey of market gardeners in the city of Sokodé found that around 40% of them directly use untreated dried sludge to amend their production areas. Consequently, bacteria and worm eggs can adhere to vegetable products and infect consumers. In view of these potential risks, the objective of this work was then to stabilize the organic matter of dried sludge with a view to their hygienic use for the agricultural amendment. In this research it has been developed compost obtained from fermentable fractions of household waste and compost obtained from the fermentable fractions of household waste with sludge (co-composting). Results have shown that both types of compost have a high content of nutrients, which is an advantage for use in the agriculture. Therefore, the assessment of stability and maturity parameters shows that co-composted sludge produces mature compost and can improve soil fertility without biological risk.Keywords: Bacteria, worm eggs, sludge, organic materials, market gardening.

The authors would like to thank Jose Miguel Lao-Egea from “Promoción de Empleo Joven e Implantación de la Garantía Juvenil en I+D+I” of Spanish Ministry for Science Innovation and Universities, the Departments of Building Construction and Civil Engineering and Research Group TEP-968 “Tecnologías para la Economía Circular” (Technologies for Circular Economy) of Granada University for their contribution to this research., The environmental problems associated with the construction sector have promoted the worldwide scientific community to pay attention to the use of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste. SciMAT and VOSviewer bibliometric tools have been applied in order to analyse, quantify and visualise the conceptual and social aspects of this scientific field, as well as its evolution between 1973 and 2019. The study of 843 scientific papers in this field has shown that the most important thematic area has been Recycling. In general, the common objective of the published papers was to study the efficient use of resources contained in construction and demolition waste due to their treatment to produce recycled aggregates, particularly for use in concrete. Likewise, some lacks have been observed in other areas of the analysed field, e.g. the use recycled aggregates in applications subject to less demanding regulations (mortars, precast concrete products, or green roofs)., Los problemas medioambientales asociados al sector de la construcción han promovido que la comunidad científica mundial preste una mayor atención al uso de áridos reciclados procedentes de residuos de construcción y demolición. Para analizar, cuantificar y visualizar los aspectos más relevantes de este campo científico, así como su evolución entre 1973 y 2019, se han aplicado las herramientas bibliométricas SciMAT y VOSviewer. La revisión bibliométrica de 843 trabajos científicos publicados en este campo ha mostrado que el área temática más importante ha sido el Reciclaje. El objetivo común de los mismos ha sido el estudio del uso eficiente de los recursos contenidos en los residuos de construcción y demolición para producir áridos reciclados y ser usados en hormigón. Asimismo, se han observado algunas carencias en otros ámbitos del campo analizado, como el uso de áridos reciclados en aplicaciones sujetas a normativas menos exigentes (morteros, prefabricados no estructurales o cubiertas verdes)., Spanish Ministry for Science Innovation and Universities, Departments of Building Construction and Civil Engineering, Research Group TEP-968 “Tecnologías para la Economía Circular” (Technologies for Circular Economy) of Granada University

Energy recovery, according to circular economy and sustainable principles, has established itself as an inevitable field of action in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Energy costs are forcing the optimization of processes and increases in the development of applicable waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies. This study aims to analyze the existing knowledge on WtE research in municipal WWTPs using a systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis from 1979 to 2021. For this purpose, Science Mapping Analysis Tool (SciMAT) and VosViewer, two softwares for analyzing performance indicators and visualizing scientific maps, were used to identify the most relevant figures in the research. The results show an exponential increase in the number of publications over time, which has yet to reach a stage of maturity. The analysis of the evolution of the topics exposes variability in the keywords over the years. The main field of WtE research has focused on sludge treatment, with technologies ranging from anaerobic digestion to more recently-emerging ones such as microalgae or membrane technologies. The analysis also identified the need for more publications on other wastes in WWTPs, which are necessary to achieve zero waste., EMASAGRA S.A 4325

Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. The authors also appreciate the support of the research group TEP-968 (Technologies for Circular Economy) of the University of Granada (Spain) ., The effectiveness of impact assessment (IA) methods has been a neglected topic in procedural effectiveness research, which has placed higher relevance on the quality of Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and the environment impact assessment (EIA) process in general. This study analysed the effectiveness of methods used in IA in Colombia to demonstrate that they have been used in compliance with the Terms of Reference (ToR) but did not analyse their effectiveness. A total of 131 EIS were analysed using a revised version of the Effectiveness Index for Environmental Impact Assessment Methods (EIM) proposed by Caro and Toro (2016). It is concluded that, even if the environmental authority has accepted the EIS as a requirement for obtaining an environmental license, most of the methods that have been used in these technical documents, obtained a medium or low degree of effectiveness. The parameters regulated for the law have a higher percentage of compliance. The analysis suggests that the guidelines provided for the law, related to the design and implementation of the methods, should be improved to develop an effective EIA., Universidad de Granada/CBUA, University of Granada (Spain) TEP-968

Development must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability; it is for this reason that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are integrated, in fact, action in one of them will affect outcomes in others. In consequence, research on the SDGs is broad, complex, and fragmented due to the great diversity of disciplines and approaches involved, making it difficult to obtain valuable and unbiased information for future studies. As a result, a comprehensive review of contributions could provide a comprehensive critical perspective. This article applies SciMAT software to analyze the evolution of this field of research through a systematic literature review of bibliographic records on the SDGs and a review based on bibliometric analysis of 10,272 selected records. Additionally, hidden themes and their development in this field from 1990 to 2020 have been identified to produce strategic diagrams, graphs of thematic evolution and performance indicators of the research field in different periods. The results obtained show a constantly evolving scientific field, from its initial focus on the millennium goals to the gradual inclusion of the current SDGs. They provide field experts with a comprehensive overview of the status quo and predict the dynamic directions of future research, serving as a basis for the development of new strategies for the implementation of the SDGs., FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Economía y Conocimiento, thanks to the project “Design of strategists to face the impact of COVID-19 on the compliance with the SDGs in Andalusia”, reference number CV20-01172

This research was supported by research group TEP-968 Tecnologias para la Economia Circular (Technologies for Circular Economy) of the University of Granada., The circular economy (CE) concept applied to construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a developing field of research that entails a large amount of complex and disjointed information; thus, a comprehensive review of scientific contributions could provide a completed perspective. This article aims to analyse the existing knowledge of CE research applied to CDW, using a double integrated analysis, a systematic literature review and a bibliometric analysis. For this purpose, Science Mapping Analysis Tool (SciMAT), a software for the analysis of performance indicators and visualisations of scientific maps, has been used, which offers a complete approach to the field and evaluates the most cited and productive authors and subject areas related to this discipline. The results obtained from the 1440 bibliographic records from 1993 to 2020 show a still-developing scientific field, evolving from concerns about economic aspects to the most recent progresses in the evaluation of sustainable deconstruction. This work will contribute to the existing body of knowledge by establishing connections, mapping networks of researchers and recommending new trends., Tecnologias para la Economia Circular (Technologies for Circular Economy) of the University of Granada TEP-968

In recent years, research findings and pronouncements by international organisations have recognised the usefulness and timeliness of advancing public policies to promote sustainable building. However, in many parts of the world, governmental measures have limited their scope mainly to energy efficiency in housing use. In the same vein, some experiences in different countries have revealed the need to study further governmental or stimulation drivers that can boost sustainability in building, renovation, and dwellings. This paper aims to contribute to the design of public policies that promote sustainable building. Our paper seeks to identify specific drivers that can help governments boost sustainability in building, renovation, and dwellings through a multi-stakeholder survey. Our findings show the specific drivers to be of three types: fiscal, financial, and government interventions. It is the respondents’ opinion that public policies can help promote sustainable housing. Financial drivers are the most highly rated, followed by fiscal drivers and then government interventions., ERDF project with reference B1-SEJ-217- UGR18, Department of Economic Transformation, Industry, Knowledge and Universities (Regional Government of Andalusia), Technologies for Circular Economy of the University of Granada - Research group TEP-968

This research was supported by the Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID) of Chile, through the projects: ANID FONDECYT 1201052; ANID PFCHA/DOCTORADO BECAS CHILE/2019—21191227; and research group TEP-968 Tecnologías para la Economía Circular of the University of Granada, Spain., The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10 .3390/app11073251/s1, Table S1: Studies of Cluster 1; Table S2: Studies of Cluster 3; Table S3: Studies of Cluster 4; Table S4: Studies of Cluster 9; Table S5: Studies without cluster., Many factors and aspects of the construction and operation of buildings depend on climatic parameters and climatic zones, so these will be fundamental for adapting and mitigating the effects of climate change. For this reason, the number of climate-oriented publications in building is increasing. This research presents an analysis on the most-cited climate-oriented studies in building in the period 1979-2019. The main themes, the typologies of these investigations and the principal types of climatic zoning used in these studies were analysed through bibliographic and manual analysis. A broad spectrum of themes directly and indirectly related to climate and climatic zones and buildings was demonstrated. It was found that 88% of all climate-oriented investigations, to one degree or another, are within the scope of the general topic of energy conservation. A thorough understanding of all climate-dependent aspects will help in designing dwellings appropriately in different climate zones. In addition, a methodology that facilitates the establishment of a typology of climate-oriented research is presented. This typology can be used in future research in different scientific areas. It was also revealed that the climate zones of the National Building Codes of China, the USA and Turkey prevailed in the studies analysed., Agencia Nacional de Investigacion y Desarrollo (ANID) of Chile ANID FONDECYT 1201052 ANID PFCHA/DOCTORADO BECAS CHILE/2019-21191227, research group TEP-968 Tecnologias para la Economia Circular of the University of Granada, Spain

Increased use of concrete in the construction industry worldwide, along with the negative impact of the use of nonrenewable materials such as aggregates and cement for making concrete, has led to a growing production of greener concrete. Excessive use of aggregates depletes natural resources, and inconsiderate quarrying and mining activities to extract these materials could lead to environmental issues such as damage to landscapes, disruption of the ecosystem, and contamination of water, soil, and air. There are various types of ecoefficient concrete, including concrete with partial to total replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as a binder, and/or concrete incorporating waste and recycled materials as aggregates. This chapter analyzes biomass used as aggregates in the manufacturing of cement based concrete. It presents an extended bibliometric analysis to highlight the importance of using biomass as a replacement for aggregates in production of cement based materials (CBM). Also included is an analysis of the incorporation of biomass residues for use in mortars and concrete.

Valorization of municipal solid waste (MSW) plays a crucial role in a sustainable society and provides an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions. The economic and social viability of the treatment of the organic fraction of MSW (OFMSW) with a multi-scenario analysis (composting and anaerobic digestion for renewable electricity or for biomethane injection into natural gas networks) was studied using a Monte Carlo simulation. The cost of treating organic fraction of MSW to neutralize financial net present value (NPV) and social NPV through greenhouse gas emissions avoided was determined for each scenario. The costs considered were the investment and the operating and maintenance costs. The financial benefits from the revenue of subproducts depended on the scenario. The lowest average fee to neutralize the financial NPV was 6.38 &euro, /tonne treated in anaerobic digestion for biomethane injection into natural gas networks, therefore, it was the most financially viable. The average social NPV calculated for biomethane injection into natural gas networks (16.60 &euro, /tonne) was higher than that obtained for renewable electricity (13.59 &euro, /tonne). According to the results, anaerobic digestion for biomethane injection into natural gas networks is the most socially and economically viable alternative for the treatment of OFMSW.

Although the need for sustainability of waste disposal sites (WDS) is largely agreed upon by various stakeholders, there is still a limitation in evaluating sites' sustainability. This study aimed to define ecological sustainability for WDS and develop a framework for its assessment. A WDS's ecological sustainability was defined as the site's capacity to take up waste without compromising the surrounding ecosystems' health and their abilities to self-regenerate or provide other ecosystem services. A model, called EcoSWaD, was developed in this study to assess the ecological sustainability of WDS. The model has 35 indicators divided into five major themes: (i) location suitability; (ii) operational sustainability; (iii) environmental sustainability; (iv) socioeconomic sustainability; and (v) site capacity sustainability. The EcoSWaD brought together all the different interpretations and indicators in the diverse fields of sustainability study or practice to facilitate a comprehensive and meaningful WDS assessment. Testing the model at the Kiteezi landfill showed that the location, environmental, socioeconomic and site capacity themes at the landfill had low values: 18.7, 19.1, 16.9 and 15, respectively. The operation theme had a very low value of 13.5, showing that the landfill's biggest sustainability concerns stem from site operation and the resultant impact on the environment, local community and site capacity. The overall Sustainability Score of 83.1 showed that the landfill's sustainability is low. A tool for the application of the EcoSWaD can be found at https://ecoswad.org/app/console/ .

The need for new energy sources and the problems associated with waste in the agroforestry industry are an opportunity for the recovery of this waste. For the use of this agricultural waste as energy, different pretreatments, such as torrefaction, can be carried out. Torrefaction is a thermochemical treatment involving energetic densification of biomass at temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 &deg, C under an inert and anaerobic environment. This study developed a numerical model to evaluate the effect of temperature and residence time of torrefaction on biomass from olive tree waste to determine optimum operative conditions for the process. Four temperatures and four residence times, in the operation range of the process, were tested to determine the weight loss and the higher heating values (HHVs) of the torrefied sample. From these data, a numerical model was developed to infer the complete behavior of the process in the temperature range between 200 and 300 &deg, C and in the residence time range of a few minutes to 2 h. The HHV of the torrefied sample increased at a temperature between 200 and 275 &deg, C. However, from 275 to 300 &deg, C, there was an HHV decrease. The effect of the residence time depended on the torrefaction temperature. At low temperatures, there were no statistically significant differences, although an increase of HHV was detected under 120 min. However, at 250 &deg, C this effect was reversed, and statistically significant differences were not observed between 30 and 120 min. Overall, the increase of temperature in the torrefaction process reduces the residence time needed to achieve the maximum HHV. As a result, the optimum conditions of torrefaction for this biomass were, approximately, 275 &deg, C and 30 min of residence time. This reaction yielded an optimum 5830 cal/g HHV.

In the present study, residue from olive groves has been used for the manufacture of clay ceramic bricks as a new environmentally-friendly solution. For this purpose, waste products of olive cultivation, such as olive prunings, leaves and wood, were ground to obtain a particle size of 0-2 mm; 7.5%, 15% and 25% of olive waste was added to the clay, clay bodies were moulded in pastes with the incorporation of 7.5, 15 and 25% by volume of waste; and finally, the green bodies were fired at 850 degrees C. The influence of the type and ratio of waste on the physical and mechanical properties of waste clay bricks was studied and compared with clay bricks without waste following standard procedures. Ceramic samples were characterized using a series of technological tests, such as linear shrinkage, bulk density, apparent porosity, water absorption, suction, compressive strength and thermal conductivity. The best results were obtained from the samples containing 7.5% olive waste showing that these organic pore-forming wastes have the potential for producing lighter bricks that could be marketed as low density clay masonry units with adequate mechanical properties and higher thermal insulating capacity. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The main aim of this study has been to determine the influence of total water to cement ratio, recycled fine aggregate from construction and demolition waste, and air entraining/plasticizer admixture on the properties of masonry mortar. Two mortar series were prepared using varying percentages of dry or pre-soaked recycled fine aggregate to replace natural fine aggregate, and four different dosages of air entraining/plasticizer admixture. Data were analysed using three-way and one-way ANOVA, in order to determine the effect of the factors and to compare the means of the mortars manufactured. The results showed the technical feasibility of masonry mortars manufactured with up to 100% of recycled fine aggregate. In addition, total water to cement ratio was the most determining factor for consistency, dry bulk density, and compressive and flexural strength; the recycled fine aggregate for bulk density; and the air entraining/plasticizer admixture for air content and capillary water absorption coefficient. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

The authors appreciate the support of the research group TEP-968 (Technologies for Circular Economy) of the University of Granada., The organic fraction is usually the predominant fraction in municipal solid waste, so its recycling is a potential alternative to disposal in landfill sites, as well as helping to reach targets included in the European Circular Economy Package. The existing body of knowledge in this research field is very large, so a comprehensive review of the existing scientific literature has been considered of interest to provide researchers and professionals with a detailed understanding of the status quo and predict the dynamic directions of this field. A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis have been performed to provide objective criteria for evaluating the work carried out by researchers and a macroscopic overview of the existing body of knowledge in this field. The analysis of 452 scientific articles published from 1980 to 2019 has shown that the application of composting technologies is relevant, especially since 2014, when policies aimed at reducing emissions to the atmosphere were increased and focused on the use of this waste fraction to produce biogas. Nevertheless, the scientific field is still evolving to impose a model of a circular economy; in fact, emerging studies are being conducted on the production of biomethane, contributing to the decarbonised energy system., Research group TEP-968 (Technologies for Circular Economy) of the University of Granada

La insostenibilidad del modelo actual de producción-consumo, unido a una creciente demanda de energía en todo el mundo ha derivado en un importante incremento de los impactos ambientales, como producción de residuos, contaminación de aguas, agotamiento de la capa de ozono y acidificación, junto al agotamiento de los recursos naturales y efectos sobre el clima, entre otros.Una de los principales sectores de aceleración del cambio climático y el agotamiento de recursos naturales es la industria de la construcción, que causa una importante carga ambiental a lo largo de su ciclo de vida (ACV) y que varía considerablemente en función del tipo de edificio y su ubicación. Toda esta problemática ha llevado a autoridades, organizaciones, profesionales y ciudadanos, a apostar por una industria de la construcción sostenible, con la finalidad de abordar los problemas ambientales y de salud que surgen de los edificios, reducir los impactos del sector en el medio ambiente natural, así como en las personas y las huellas ambientales del entorno construido; bajo las tres dimensiones, ambiental, social y económica, que constituyen el marco de referencia de la filosofía del desarrollo sostenible.En los últimos años se ha multiplicado exponencialmente el desarrollo de metodologías que permiten la evaluación de los edificios desde el punto de vista ambiental. Estos métodos podrían clasificarse en tres grandes grupos atendiendo a sus características, esquemas y objetivos comunes: sistemas de evaluación; estándares, y herramientas de evaluación ambiental; así como Level(s), el primer instrumento de este tipo desarrollado para su uso en toda Europa que permitirá establecer un nuevo marco de la UE para la sostenibilidad de los edificios.En consecuencia, el objetivo de este trabajo es la clasificación de las diferentes metodologías en tipologías o grupos, así como la redacción de un catálogo de las mismas. En este análisis se incluirá, además, la metodología más reciente, Level(s), no estudiada hasta el momento, lo que permitirá estudiar y graduar los diferentes impactos ambientales en los que se centran cada uno de estos grupos de metodologías y Level(s).

According to the recommendations of European Directive 2002/91/EC and its subsequent modifications in European Directives 2010/31/EU and 2012/27/EU, all of which refer to energy efficiency, consideration of the source of energy used to drive a heating system is essential when trying to optimise energy efficiency and also in reducing its cost and the environmental impact caused. In this context the use of biomass is an interesting alternative to fossil fuels. A study was made of 6,234 records of the thermal systems most frequently used in the province of Granada, classified according to the source of energy used. The energy study is focused on energy efficiency in building systems. The results show the predominance of fossil fuels: gasoil is the option most frequently chosen for heating (39%), while natural gas accounts for the highest percentage overall (49%), if we add together the power used for heating, cooling and domestic hot water. The replacement of fossil fuels by renewables would lead to a reduction in the environmental footprint, cutting CO2 emissions by 17% if 23% of equipment were replaced, this being the target set in the 2030 programme. The economic savings for consumers from using renewables according to 2030 targets could be as high as 6.24%. Keywords: Energy; Building; Renewables; Boiler; CO2 emissions; Energy efficiency.

The DPSIR framework helps to identify and situate stressors, drivers and pressure variables within a dynamic environmental process composed of cause-effect relations. However, an important aspect related to its structural deficiency implies the use of unidirectional causalities between variables. In this work, we extend the capacities of the DPSIR framework by addressing three important points. Firstly, causal networks are built instead of unidirectional causalities, the former based on paths represented by sequences of cause-effect relations between involved variables. These paths are derived from the population growth as a driving force variable, along with CO 2 emissions, waste, water and loss of vegetation cover as pressure variables. Trends of these paths are combined to determine and quantitatively assess a global environmental state trend whose impacts on the environment require corrective management actions as a response. Secondly, quantitative assessments of environmental trends are transformed into fuzzy-qualitative data to facilitate their interpretation. Thirdly, a method based on weighted environmental management actions is presented to decision-makers who aspire to change current path trends in order to approach desirable scenarios similar to those put forth by the OECD outlook towards 2030. The results obtained applying this framework to the State of Morelos, Mexico, show that it can be a useful support tool in the selection and monitoring of management actions capable of reaching favorable environmental trends.

It is essential to design buildings that take on the dynamics of the climate throughout their entire life cycle, guaranteeing the development of a building stock that is certainly sustainable and resilient. This study's main objective is to demonstrate that the official Spanish climate zones for building do not represent the current climatic conditions and to show how these climate zones will evolve due to the impact of climate change. Given the significant impact that climate change will have on this country, as well as its climatic variety, the proposed methodology can be used as a reference in other regions. Updating of the climate zones of peninsular Spain for 49 cities has been carried out, through the adaptation of these zones to the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. The results show that two-thirds of these cities are currently designing and constructing buildings with obsolescent climate data that do not take into account the current or future climate reality, which is significantly affecting previous calculations on the thermal performance of buildings. This work represents a significant scientific contribution in terms of reflecting on the current capacities and the possibilities of improving the building stock.

The Kiteezi landfill is the only landfill in Uganda, and it is currently facing significant environmental and sustainability challenges. The comprehensive quantification of the landfill's impact was needed to guide decision making regarding management and remediation. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify the environmental impact of the Kiteezi landfill on the surrounding water bodies, soil, flora, fauna and air and to identify suitable management options. An environmental diagnosis was conducted using the EVIAVE (Evaluacion del Impacto Ambiental en Vertederos ) methodology with adaptation to Uganda's socioeconomic conditions and legal requirements. The results showed that the Kiteezi landfill is located in an environmentally sensitive area for surface water, groundwater, atmosphere and soils, making conservation of these elements of most significant concern in this landfill's immediate environment. All values of the Environmental Risk Index due to operation (ERIo) were higher than those due to the landfill siting (ERIs), indicating that the landfill's continued operation will create more environmental problems. The overall probability of contamination for each element was high, apart from human health and soil, which had a very high probability (>0.8). Human health had the highest (4.688) ERIo, followed by the atmosphere with an ERIo of 3.571, while flora had the lowest ERIo of 0.926. The high values of ERIo, coupled with the exceeded landfill capacity, indicate that it is not environmentally friendly to continue operating the landfill. Hence, the most sustainable course of action is its closure.

Chemical, physical, mineralogical and radiological characterization of olive biomass fly ash (OBFA) and bottom ash (OBBA) was main objective to determine their potential use as alkaline activators in the preparation of alkali-activated materials or geopolymers. Water solubility tests showed that they released K and Na ions, affording a high pH and alkaline content. Pastes made with 70 wt% vitreous blast furnace slag (SL) and 30 wt% of OBFA or OBBA yielded alkali-activated materials with 28 days mechanical strength of 33 to 18 MPa. In pastes prepared with 30 wt% OBFA, strength values were comparable to those developed by slag pastes activated with a commercial KOH. However, the pastes made with 70 wt% coal fly ash and 30 wt% OBFA or OBBA proved to be inviable because the pH reached was not high enough to activate the precursor. The radiological calculations of OBFA- and OBBA-SL bearing pastes would conform to European legislation on protection against exposure to ionising radiation, for the activity concentration index (ACI) found in the final product was less than 1 in all cases. The pastes leached primarily K. The presence of elements such as 210Po and 210 Pb at the end of the decay chain in the eluates would not limit the use of biomass ash and slag blends. These findings have confirmed the feasibility of using olive oil biomass ashes as an alternative alkaline activator in blast furnace slag systems to produce alkali-activated materials or geopolymers, with properties that make them apt for use as building materials., Funding for the tests conducted in this study was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness under projects BIA2013-47876-C2-1-P and BIA2016-77252-P.

Biomass comes from organic material such as trees, agricultural and urban waste, plants and shrubs, etc., and it can be used both for electricity production, for example, for heating, and as fuel for transport, and presents important advantages. The use of this resource promotes important economic and social development in rural areas, as well as having environmental benefits due to the elimination of waste and the reduction of CO2 emissions. Biomass energy is close to ‘carbon neutral’. The process of energy production through the combustion of biomass is considered to have important environmental advantages, but it also has the disadvantage of generating large amounts of ash that affect the efficiency in the conversion process of obtaining electrical energy or heating. Ash formed during biomass combustion can be divided into bottom ash and fly ash (FA). Biomass bottom ash is the fraction produced on the grate during primary combustion and is composed of the sand particles purged from the original bed, inorganic components of the feed and the unburned biomass fraction. Biomass FA is a finely divided residue that results from the combustion of biomass and that is transported by flue gasses. The use of ash from the combustion of biomass is conditioned by its physico-mechanical properties, but there is not much literature on the use of these ashes in construction materials.

In the current context of the climate crisis, it is essential to design buildings that can cope with climate dynamics throughout their life cycle. It will ensure the development of sustainable and resilient building stock. Thus, this study's primary objective has been to demonstrate that the current climatic zones for buildings in peninsular Spain do not represent the current climatic reality and are not adapted to climate change and the impact on the energy demand of buildings. For this reason, the climatic zones of 7967 peninsular cities have been updated and adapted to the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios by using the data measured in 77 meteorological reference stations. The results obtained have shown that in more than 80% of the cities, buildings are designed and constructed according to an obsolete climatic classification that does not take into account the current or future climatic reality, which will significantly affect the thermal performance of a building and highlights the need to review the climatic zoning in the country. The results obtained can be extrapolated to other regions. The methodology defined in this work can be used as a reference, thus making an essential scientific contribution in reflecting on current capacities and the possibilities of improving the building stock. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

In the context of climate change, it is difficult to maintain the energy performance of houses, especially in countries with building codes that regulate the maximum allowed amount of energy that a building can consume. For this reason, there is a need for a review of building standards and adaptation to the context of energy performance in planning future projects. The objective of this research was to ascertain the thermal transmittance of external walls for single-family homes and to establish the energetically optimal thickness of thermal insulation by using an energy simulation to maintain heating energy consumption in conditions of climate change while following the state regulations in the Los Rios region of Chile. It was demonstrated that for each time period and in each geographical location of the region the optimal U-value of the external walls is different. For a house to have a heating energy consumption corresponding to 90 kWh/m2/year, it must have an optimal average U-value of the walls of 0.49 ± 0.11 W/m2K (year 2006 in the study region); however, for the period 2035–2050, this value is expected to reach 0.78 ± 0.14 W/m2K. In addition, it was shown that designing the house with an energy performance perspective of 15 years helps to reduce the carbon footprint of the use of thermal insulation in the walls by 20%. The results obtained demonstrate the importance of considering the effects of future climate change in the housing design process in terms of both energy and environmental.