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Consumer dissatisfaction and damage are increasing worldwide due to the increase in defects caused by the decline in housing quality, and disputes over housing defects are expanding. The number of housing units, a representative standard related to housing quality, is used in Canada, Japan, and Korea. Generally, quality costs increase as the number of housing units increases, and each country's laws apply stricter management standards. Therefore, the quality is expected to be better as the number of units increases. In 2020, South Korea added a new regulation requiring inspections by a quality inspection team by a public institution only when building housing complexes with more than 300 households. There is a debate about whether this direction of regulation is appropriate. This study examines whether the number of households is being used appropriately as a criterion related to housing quality. It aims to determine whether the limit of 300 households is appropriate for distinguishing housing quality. In addition, since the contractor's role is vital in housing construction, the contractor's capabilities and supply–demand relationship were also considered as factors affecting housing quality. The ratio of defect repair costs to construction costs was used as a quality measure for 285 housing complexes in Korea. Generally, the lower the defect repair–construction costs ratio, the better the quality. A comparative study was conducted through a variance analysis on the scale of 300 households and the status of the contractor's capability, whether they were among the top 10 construction companies with excellent construction performance, and whether a sole contract was made. The results showed that the quality was better in the cases with 300 or more households than in the cases with fewer than 300 households. The quality was better in the cases built by higher-ranking contractors than in those built by other contractors, but there was no difference according to supply-and-demand relationships. The results of the comprehensive analysis indicated that the quality was better when higher-ranking contractors built housing complexes with 300 or more households than when lower-ranking contractors built housing complexes with fewer than 300 households. Therefore, the direction of the Korean regulation requiring quality inspections for housing complexes with more than 300 households is incorrect and should be improved to regulate housing complexes with fewer than 300 households, and of low quality. In addition, the standard of determining housing quality based solely on the number of households should be revised, and the direction should be changed to strengthen quality control and the public supervision of housing built by low-capacity contractors. If the results of this study are utilized with this view in mind, a reasonable system to protect housing consumers will be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horizontal flow constructed wetland (HFCW) is a method mimicking natural processes in which plantations are used to treat wastewater. This method demonstrates superior efficacy in the removal of organic pollutants and total nitrogen. Furthermore, it offers the advantage of reduced operational and maintenance expenses. This research employs a household-scale HFCW unit, utilizing water hyacinths (Eichornia crassipes) to treat greywater from a single house. The study aims to assess the HFCW unit's performance in treating greywater at a household scale, with effluent quality compared against Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation (Regulation Number 68/2016 on Domestic Wastewater Quality Standard) using testing methods in accordance with the Indonesian National Standards (SNI). The results indicate that the HFCW unit removal efficiencies after two days retention time are: BOD5 (74%-93%), COD (47%-80%), TSS (55%-97%), oil and grease (50%-94%), and ammonia (46%-99%). After three days, the unit generally demonstrates improved performance, which are: BOD5 (67%-96%), COD (57%-91%), TSS (51%-97%), oil and grease (11%-99%), and ammonia (35%-99%). Overall, the effluent quality meets government standards for both two- and three-days retention time, establishing the HFCW unit as an effective household-scale greywater treatment solution.

Dry bamboo leaves are selected as a planting medium for ornamental plants to enhance nutrient content and improve soil drainage. Before being processed into fertilizer, dry bamboo leaves need to be shredded first. The leaf counting process for planting ornamental plants in villages still relies on manual methods such as using knives and scissors, which can be time-consuming and less effective. In response to this issue, a device for shredding dry bamboo leaves has been developed to improve efficiency and facilitate the leaf counting process. The innovation created is a household-scale dry bamboo leaf shredder that is more affordable and easy to mobilize due to its compact dimensions and lighter weight. The device is also easy to operate, as the shredding occurs when it is closed, and the process stops when it is opened, ensuring safe use for various users. The manual control of bamboo leaf weight and counting duration results in inconsistent shredding outcomes. Therefore, development has been carried out on the dry bamboo leaf shredder with artificial intelligence capabilities, specifically using fuzzy logic to automate the counting duration based on the size and weight of the bamboo leaves being inputted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food waste treatment technology should be simple to maintain, quick, economical, environmentally friendly, and socially acceptable. This research aims to accelerate food waste treatment and produce high‐quality fertilizer using a smart food recycling bin (S‐FRB). S‐FRB is a portable household‐appropriate technology, consisting of a semiautomatic chopper, stirrer, and drying unit. In this smart bin, a highest matrix temperature of 57 °C can be achieved. To start compost production, addition of a combination including a bioactivator (16 g) + dolomite lime (1 g) + bulking agent to the food waste in a ratio of 70:30, v/v is needed. During utilization, the water content decreases from 78.94% to 30% in 7 days, and the pH matrix turns from initially 7.5 to 8.0. Compost produced from food waste using the S‐FRB has matured within 7 days and meets quality standards of SNI 19‐7030‐2004. The produced compost has 18.41% C‐organic, 1.23–1.63% total N, smells like soil, and is black. The used combination of bulking agent/bioactivator/lime is effective for processing food waste into compost. The S‐FRB system is a practical way to solve the problem of recycling food waste into compost without having to be taken to a final processing plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biotechnology harbors stunning potential to provide cutting-edge solutions that can mitigate arising environmental issues which impact developing countries more severely. Although considerable projects have been implemented in these developing nations to reduce the consequences of climate change, global warming, and food insecurity, most of the initiatives are deemed unsustainable or unfulfilling. Consequently, millions of individuals are still suffering from unhealthy environments and others have limited access to clean technologies. Accordingly, this manuscript is developed to act as a one-stop source for technical perspectives of microalgae cultivation and proposes the potential of scaling down of a photobioreactor (PBR) from industrial to household level to alleviate adverse environmental implications. The household PBR proposal is concerned with microalgae cultivation that contributes to mitigating CO2 from the surrounding environment and synthesizing a product that could be of high nutritional value. Additionally, the business model of household PBR is developed in accordance to low and middle-income countries’ demands to facilitate future projects in this scope. The value proposition of this model relies on decreasing climate change impacts, enhancing wellbeing, and providing natural supplements. Scale of economy, appropriate technology, and socio-economic challenges for household PBR are highlighted. HIGHLIGHTS Technical perspectives of microalgae cultivation (species selection, design parameters, types of photobioreactor, downstream processing technologies).; Resources recovery that exists in wastewater through algae cultivation.; Potential of scaling down the industrial PBR to household level.; Challenges and opportunities for algae cultivation industry on a small scale including technical and socio-economic aspects.;

Tujuan penelitian adalah (1) Menganalisis faktor - faktor internal dan eksternal bagi kelembagaan Koperasi Nira Satria di Kecamatan Cilongok Kabupaten Banyumas, (2) Merumuskan model strategi Koperasi Nira Satria dalam mendukung agroindustri gula kristal skala rumah tangga di Kecamatan Cilongok Kabupaten Banyumas. Penelitian berupa penelitian deskriptif kualitatif yang dilakukan melalui kegiatan observasi dan wawancara secara mendalam dengan informan kunci yang dianggap mengetahui secara detail tentang faktor internal dan eksternal bagi kelembagaan Koperasi Nira Satria, selain itu guna mendapatkan informasi yang akurat dilakukan FGD (Focus Discusion Group). Lokasi penelitian ditetapkan secara sengaja (Purposive Sampling) di Kecamatan Cilongok. Sampel penelitian mencakup responden pengrajin gula kristal sekaligus anggota koperasi sejumlah 20 pengrajin dan informan kunci meliputi Manager, Ketua dan Pengurus Koperasi Nira Satria ditambah PPL. Jenis data berupa data primer dan sekunder. Selanjutnya data dianalisis dengan teknik analisis deskriptif kualitatif dan kuantitatif sederhana. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa hasil evaluasi faktor – faktor internal menunjukkan nilai skor untuk kekuatan (Strengths) sebesar 1,925 dan skor kelemahan (Weaknesses) sebesar 0,805. Dengan demikian nilai skor pada sumbu horisontal (sumbu X) adalah : 1,925 – 0,805 = 1,120. Sementara faktor eksternal skor untuk peluang (Opportunities) sebesar 1,620 dan jumlah skor untuk ancaman (Threaths) sebesar 0,533. Nilai skor sumbu vertikal (sumbu Y) adalah sebesar 1,620 – 0,533 = 1,087. Dengan demikian strategi kelembagaan Koperasi Nira Satria pengajin gula kristal di Kecamatan Cilongok berada pada posisi kuadran I, sebagai Strategi Agresif yaitu strategi pengembangan kelembagaan Koperasi Nira Satria pengrajin gula kristal dilakukan dengan cara memaksimalkan potensi atau kekuatan yang dimiliki guna meraih peluang secara optimal yang dilakukan dengan menciptakan hubungan yang kondusif, demokratis dan kekeluargaan antara pengrajin, manager beserta pengurus koperasi guna mendukung peningkatan kuantitas dan kualitas produk gula kristal sehingga dapat memenuhi permintaan pasar nasional dan internasional secara kontinue (S3,4 ; O1,2,3). Memaksimalkan semua unit usaha yang dikelola Koperasi Nira Satria supaya dapat berkembang pesat dengan memanfaatkan teknologi SIM (S5 ; O6)

This paper undertakes a systematic review of the literature to understand current trends in the food–energy–water (FEW) nexus for development-oriented policy support. The paper follows three steps: (a) a bibliometric analysis of FEW nexus research, (b) a content analysis of FEW nexus research, and (c) development of a framework that fills existing gaps in FEW nexus research. The review found that FEW nexus approaches have gained ground in academia as a resource management tool and policy guide; however, the process does not have a robust conceptualization. The current FEW nexus approaches focus on national, regional, and international scales of analysis to understand the three sectors’ interactions. Further, these approaches underline the nexus processes, which have been researched in detail, including synergies and tradeoffs. However, research on the FEW nexus has not adequately explored the social factors that form part of the nexus, especially at the local household scale. Factors such as the gender dynamics of resource ownership, work roles at different scales, household incomes, and culture are essential components that are yet to be explored in FEW nexus research. Most of the existing frameworks on the FEW nexus overemphasize models and the quantitative measurement of processes while paying limited attention to social aspects. Still, these social aspects are crucial, especially on the household scale; therefore, to overcome these gaps, this paper proposes a FEW nexus framework at the local household scale that includes socio-economic determinants.

The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of biggest challenges that developing countries are currently facing. Despite several environmental friendly alternatives being available, in Chile 90 % of MSW is disposed of in landfills, which produces large amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG) by the uncontrolled anaerobic digestion of its organic fraction. In addition, the way in which MSW is collected and transported increases the negative impact to the environment, especially when wastes classification is not properly performed at the generation point. On the other hand, the use of resulting biogas, in a decentralized off-grid form, at the generation point, could directly reward to waste producers with economic saving. This strategy will reinforce population motivation and an important reduction of the GHG emissions can be expected. Thus, this paper explores the biogas potential of food wastes by using reactors with no heating and stirring devices, with the aim of assessing the minimum expectable energy and CO2,eq savings. Based on laboratory tests at batch and semi-continuous mode and Chilean historical data, it is concluded that more than 1,704 Gg of CO2,eq can be avoided per year and an average of 425 GWh primary energy may be saved by Chilean householders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve a sustainable supply and effectively manage water, energy and food (WEF) demand, interactions between WEF need to be understood. This study developed an integrated model, capturing the interactions between WEF at end-use level at a household scale. The model is based on a survey of 419 households conducted to investigate WEF over winter and summer for the city of Duhok, Iraq. A bottom-up approach was used to develop this system dynamics-based model. The model estimates WEF demand and the generated organic waste and wastewater quantities. It also investigates the impact of change in user behaviour, diet, income, family size and climate. The simulation results show a good agreement with the historical data. Using the model, the impact of Global Scenario Group (GSG) scenarios was investigated. The results suggest that the ‘fortress world’ scenario (an authoritarian response to the threat of breakdown) had the highest impact on WEF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bandung City is one of the big cities in Indonesia that grappled with waste problem. There is 1,500 ton of waste produced daily, of which 65% is organic. In addition, the water content of the waste could reach 80% during rainy season, given that the waste is commonly collected in open space before transported to the final disposal area. In order to tackle this issue, the municipality of Bandung has started to implement anaerobic digesters to treat kitchen waste since 2013 in an attempt to reduce organic waste. There are three scales of bio-digesters that have been implemented: city 2 ton, communal (20-1000 kg) and household scale (20 kg), which comprise of 1 unit, 15 units and 100 units respectively. This study evaluate the efficiency and biogas productivity of each bio-digesters type. We analyzed 30 unit and 14 unit of household and communal biodigesters respectively. The waste input, slurry output and biogas production were estimated based on average of daily basis. Both the input and output of the biodigesters were characterized (TS, VS, COD) to gain further understanding. This study provide facts and figures to improve the further implementation of household bio-digesters in Bandung City.

Grassland-based animal husbandry is the dominant economic activity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and livestock production is the main contributor to livelihood creation for pastoralists. In recent years, changes in food markets and climate variables bring the need to develop livestock production into sharp focus. By using the Cobb–Douglas production function, we defined the per capita meat production of rural households as dependent variable, while the proportion of accumulated precipitation from April to September in annual average precipitation (PCI), the productive fixed assets per capita, the number of labor force per household were considered as independent variables in order to model the relationship between the per capita meat production and the PCI at micro level of household. Based on the time series data of rural household survey (1986–2012) and observed meteorological data (1978–2010) across Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet, China, we estimated the sensitivity of per capita meat production to the PCI. We also quantified the adaptation effects of the productive fixed assets and labor productivity in improving per capita meat production of rural households respectively. Our results indicate that: (i) the per capita meat production of rural households exhibits a high sensitivity to three key variables: the productive fixed assets per capita, the number of labor force per household, and the PCI. It increases by 0.938 and 0.218 times when the productive fixed assets per capita and the PCI increase by one unit respectively. On the contrary, it decreases by 0.268 times when the number of labor force per household engaged in grass-fed livestock sector increases by one unit; (ii) on the basis of parameter estimates and Cobb–Douglas modeling, the losses of meat production due to decrease in the PCI can be offset by increasing productive fixed assets. And a decrease in the labor force engaged in grass-fed livestock sector can help improve the productivity of grassland-based animal husbandry. Therefore, adaptation options of rural households, based on the productive fixed assets and labor productivity, will be most effective in the long term when they are complemented by appropriate public policies such as infrastructure construction, water conservancy project, subsidies of livestock production material, professional training and innovation of pastoralists’ perception at different scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A household scale UVC/TiO 2 based advanced oxidation process (AOP) reactor was developed for drinking water treatment. A 3D UVC absorption model to predict light energy absorbed by the photocatalyst coatings was developed and agreed with direct light irradiance measurements. The tubular reactor was used with and without titanium dioxide (TiO 2) coated plates lining inside and was found to simultaneously inactivate a high initial concentration of Escherichia coli and degrade uracil, which was used as a synthetic water pollutant. The reactor, lined with replaceable TiO 2 coated plates, degraded uracil by 34.2% and natural organic matter in raw lake water by 33.2% within 24 minutes. An additional low dose of hydrogen peroxide also demonstrated an advantage to a reactor without TiO 2 coated plates. The electrical energy per order value was evaluated for this UVC/TiO 2 reactor to be 8.13 kWh/m3, which is in the competitive range for a photocatalytic reactor. The UV/photocatalyst based AOP water treatment reactor design shows practical application potential for remote households and communities that do not have access to municipal water treatment. [Display omitted] • A UVC/TiO 2 photoreactor of a household scale was designed. • A 3D UVC absorption mathematic model agreed light irradiance measurement. • Enhanced disinfection and degradation of uracil and lake water natural organic matter. • Electrical energy per order of the process was in the competitive range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-input, household-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) is practical for rural energy generation, but the heating and maintenance of such systems has prevented the use of this technology in temperate climates. This study quantified the temporal variation of fuel production from an unheated, pilot-scale (2 m3) anaerobic digester in southeastern Ohio, USA. The feedstock for the digester consisted of ground, mixed pre- and post-consumer food waste collected daily and diluted to 10% solids with rainwater collected on site. Fuel production varied from 7.96 × 10−6 to 8.45 × 10−2 m3 CH 4 kgVS added −1 following three separate inoculations over the course of two years. The positive relationship between ambient air temperature, biogas yield, and biomethane production rates for both years was a dominant driver affecting fuel quantity and quality. Biogas quality produced from variable feedstocks in these conditions was poor, with an average volumetric methane (CH 4) content of 20% and an average CO 2: CH 4 ratio of 7.8. Methane yields did reach 50% during the warm seasons, but this yield was not consistently maintained. Despite low energy yields that resulted from the wide range of ambient temperatures (−18 °C–33 °C) and variable feedstocks, we achieved a moderate energy return on investment relative to previously published results describing AD system energy requirements. Pilot-scale, unheated AD systems using mixed food waste can be effective in temperate regions, but the systems should be managed to compensate for seasonal temperature changes and feedstock chemistry. • Low-input, home-scale AD could be effective for rural distributed energy production. • Variable food waste is abundant and is a feasible feedstock for home AD systems. • Unheated AD systems can return a positive energy balance in temperate climates. • Inoculum can affect biomethane yields as much as seasonal temperature shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]