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Sustainability
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Waste Management and Recycling: Towards a Sustainable Future
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Waste Management and Recycling: Towards a Sustainable Future

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2024) | Viewed by 4884

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Amro Hassanein

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742, USA
Interests: bioenergy engineering; biohydrogen; biogas; microbial electrolysis cell; microbial fuel cell; anaerobic digestion; pyrolysis; solar energy; life cycle assessment; electrochemical; nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jianbin Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, 100083 Beijing, China
Interests: biogas; anaerobic digestion; waste treatment; solid waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Waste management involves collecting, treating, and disposing of waste materials in a safe and efficient manner. It is an important aspect of creating a sustainable future, as it helps minimize the negative impact of waste on the environment and human health and disposing it can be costly. To improve waste management and promote sustainability, there are several strategies that can be utilized, including reducing waste, recycling, reusing products, and/or converting organic waste into energy. Implementing these strategies can help create a more sustainable future and decrease the negative effects of waste on the environment. This Special Issue focuses on waste management technologies, which can process organic waste stream and generate renewable energy in the form of heat, electricity, or gas, via various methods, such as anaerobic digestion, combustion, pyrolysis, gasification, or landfill gas recovery, or turn organic waste into fertilizer via composting. Waste management technologies offer a potential alternative to fossil fuels and can help reduce the cost of landfill disposal worldwide. There is a pressing need for innovative approaches that can increase the efficiency of existing technologies while reducing the expense of disposal, so enabling the provision of long-term, cost-effective waste treatment solutions.

The goal of this Special Issue is to compile scholarly articles discussing the most cutting-edge and innovative waste management technologies. In order to advance the development of novel, effective waste management systems, we are seeking research and review articles that explain fresh insights on renewable energy production from biomass and its usage processes. Studies can be conducted on any scale, from the laboratory to the field.

This topic will include a series of research and review articles covering, but not limited to, the following subjects:                                                                              

  • The production of bioenergy from waste stream via dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion, microbial fuel cells, microbial electrolysis cells, and photo fermentation.
  • The improvement in energy production from solid waste through gasification, combustion, and pyrolysis.
  • The improvement in wastewater treatment processes via integration with renewable energy production.
  • The development of pretreatment processes to enhance energy production from feedstocks.
  • The conversion of biomass into bioplastic and the enhancement of volatile fatty acid production.
  • The different techniques to produce compost or fertilizer.
  • Life cycle assessment analysis, including mass balance and energy balance, of waste management technologies.
  • Technoeconomic analysis of waste management technologies

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Amro Hassanein
Dr. Jianbin Guo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • anaerobic digestion
  • biodiesel
  • gasification
  • microbial electrolysis cell
  • biohydrogen
  • methane
  • microbial fuel cell
  • fermentation
  • mechanical biological treatment
  • pyrolysis
  • renewable energy
  • energy recovery

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 7254 KiB  
Article
Deformation Characteristics of Rubber Waste Powder–Clay Mixtures
by Davood Akbarimehr, Alireza Rahai, Abolfazl Eslami and Moses Karakouzian
Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12384; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612384 - 15 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 948
Abstract
With the increasing accumulation of rubber waste, the potential reuse of rubber fillers offers a promising solution to enhance the engineering properties of low-plasticity soils while promoting environmental sustainability. In this study, the effect of rubber waste powders (RWPs) on the consolidation and [...] Read more.
With the increasing accumulation of rubber waste, the potential reuse of rubber fillers offers a promising solution to enhance the engineering properties of low-plasticity soils while promoting environmental sustainability. In this study, the effect of rubber waste powders (RWPs) on the consolidation and deformation properties of low-plasticity clay soil (CS) was investigated using a fully automated consolidation testing procedure for clay–rubber mixtures. The study involved adding 2% up to 30% RWPs to Tehran clay, and various parameters were evaluated through consolidation, compaction, and uniaxial strength tests. The results revealed that the consolidation volume of the mixture differed from that of the CS due to the elastic nature of the rubber wastes (RWs). To achieve higher precision, a new equation was proposed to determine the void ratio, along with modified e-log p’ curves for the clay–rubber mixture. Furthermore, the addition of RWPs to the CS resulted in moderated free swelling of the soil while enhancing ductility, compression index (Cc), swelling index (Cs), and recompression index (Cr). However, it was observed that the strength and modulus of elasticity of the mixture decreased with the increase in rubber content. Considering the variations in geotechnical parameters with different rubber contents, the appropriate rubber content can be selected based on specific applications in soil and rubber mixtures, considering the required geotechnical parameters. This study highlights the potential applications of RWPs as a material in civil and geotechnical engineering projects, providing valuable insights for sustainable and eco-friendly engineering practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Management and Recycling: Towards a Sustainable Future)
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22 pages, 1137 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Recycling Classification Behavior of Express Packaging Based on UTAUT under “Dual Carbon” Targets
by Ying Zhan, Yue Sun and Junfei Xu
Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11622; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511622 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1231
Abstract
The rapid development of e-commerce has brought about a sharp increase in the demand for express packaging materials, which in turn has led to problems such as resource waste and environmental pollution. Under the target of “dual carbon”, the urgency and importance of [...] Read more.
The rapid development of e-commerce has brought about a sharp increase in the demand for express packaging materials, which in turn has led to problems such as resource waste and environmental pollution. Under the target of “dual carbon”, the urgency and importance of effective classification and recycling of express packaging waste cannot be ignored. Based on the unified theory of technology acceptance and use (UTAUT) model and the characteristics of express packaging, this study selected performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and perceived value as core variables, and gender, age and frequency as moderating variables, and established a structural equation through survey and analysis to study the factors influencing consumers’ willingness to recycle express packaging. The results of the study showed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and perceived value had a significant positive effect on consumers’ willingness to classify. Classification willingness had a significant positive effect on consumers’ classification behavior. In addition to directly influencing classification intention, performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence also have mediating effects. In addition, gender played a moderating role in the effects of performance expectancy and social influence on classification intention. Based on the findings, this study proposes targeted measures to promote the green and healthy development of the express delivery industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Management and Recycling: Towards a Sustainable Future)
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20 pages, 4587 KiB  
Article
Developing an Optimal Ensemble Model to Estimate Building Demolition Waste Generation Rate
by Gi-Wook Cha, Won-Hwa Hong, Se-Hyu Choi and Young-Chan Kim
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10163; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310163 - 27 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 854
Abstract
Smart management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is imperative, and researchers have implemented machine learning for estimating waste generation. In Korea, the management of demolition waste (DW) is important due to old buildings, and it is necessary to predict the amount of [...] Read more.
Smart management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is imperative, and researchers have implemented machine learning for estimating waste generation. In Korea, the management of demolition waste (DW) is important due to old buildings, and it is necessary to predict the amount of DW to manage it. Thus, this study employed decision tree (DT)-based ensemble models (i.e., random forest—RF, extremely randomized trees—ET, gradient boosting machine—GBM), and extreme gradient boost—XGboost) based on data characteristics (i.e., small datasets with categorical inputs) to predict the demolition waste generation rate (DWGR) of buildings in urban redevelopment areas. As a result of the study, the RF and GBM algorithms showed better prediction performance than the ET and XGboost algorithms. Especially, RF (6 features, 450 estimators; mean, 1169.94 kg·m−2) and GBM (4 features, 300 estimators; mean, 1166.25 kg·m−2) yielded the top predictive performances. In addition, feature importance affecting DWGR was found to have a significant impact on the order of gross floor area (GFA) > location > roof material > wall material. The straightforward collection of features used here can facilitate benchmarking as a decision-making tool in demolition waste management plans for industry stakeholders and policy makers. Therefore, in the future, it is required to improve the predictive performance of the model by updating additional data and building a reliable dataset. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Management and Recycling: Towards a Sustainable Future)
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13 pages, 3604 KiB  
Article
Promotion of Producer Contribution to Solve Packaging Waste Issues—Viewpoints of Waste Bank Members in the Bandung Area, Indonesia
by Antonius Priyo Nugroho Sulami, Takehiko Murayama and Shigeo Nishikizawa
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6268; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076268 - 06 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 983
Abstract
As regulations have developed, the waste management sector in Indonesia has increasingly expected producer involvement in waste reduction activity through the enactment of new regulations. In addition, the recent development of the waste management sector now involves community-based approaches such as waste banks. [...] Read more.
As regulations have developed, the waste management sector in Indonesia has increasingly expected producer involvement in waste reduction activity through the enactment of new regulations. In addition, the recent development of the waste management sector now involves community-based approaches such as waste banks. This study aims to determine the relationship between extended producer responsibility implementation and the waste bank concept. A questionnaire survey was designed and applied to waste bank members of two waste banks in the Bandung municipality, Indonesia. Several factors were identified that can be considered by producers to promote their contribution in dealing with the packaging waste issue, such as producer consideration and contribution, knowledge level, collection, and awareness of the importance of packaging waste issue. The result also shows that involving feedback from waste banks can provide some insights to expand and develop producer contribution in reducing the impact of packaging waste. Producers can improve collection and recyclability of their product packaging while increasing public knowledge on their activity at the post-consumer stage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Management and Recycling: Towards a Sustainable Future)
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