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Environments
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Waste Management and Life Cycle Assessment
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Waste Management and Life Cycle Assessment

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2024 | Viewed by 3845

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yixuan Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Systems Assessment Center, Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Interests: waste management; LCA; landfill; sustainability
Prof. Dr. Manuel Soto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Universidade da Coruña, A Coruna, Spain
Interests: circular economy; education for sustainability; separate collection at source; composting; anaerobic digestion
Dr. Yingqian Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
System Science & Engineering Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA
Interests: renewable energy; techno-economic assessment; life cycle assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, "Waste Management and Life Cycle Assessment", aims to explore the intersection of waste management practices and life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies. This combination offers a holistic approach to understanding the environmental impacts of waste management processes. Please note that economic and social aspects are separate topics and excluded from the scope of this Special Issue.

Through the exploration of life cycle assessment tools, we seek to provide a comprehensive overview of the sustainability and efficiency of waste management strategies across multiple waste streams, including municipal solid waste, animal manure, and wastewater sludge.

LCA methodologies should be developed and integrated in the studies submitted to this Special Issue when assessing the environmental aspects of waste handling processes. We invite contributions that address the following topics of interest:

  1. LCA methodologies: LCA developed and applied to waste management systems; the goal and scope MUST be clearly defined and justified, especially when a simplified scope is involved (a subjective simplified scope definition without justification is not acceptable); uncertainty and/or sensitivity analysis should be included for results robustness.
  2. Advanced technologies in waste management: evaluate the life cycle environmental impacts of emerging novel technologies for waste collection, sorting, recycling, and disposal.
  3. Circularity economy: LCA for strategies and initiatives for promoting circular economy principles in waste management
  4. Waste reduction: LCA for strategies and initiatives for promoting waste reduction.
  5. Case studies: real-world case studies and practices that illustrate the integration of LCA to inform waste management strategies and best practices of waste handling to reduce environmental burdens. Case studies are encouraged to include benchmark analysis or comparison with other business-as-usual practices to identify the sustainability of the proposed case.

Dr. Yixuan Wang
Prof. Dr. Manuel Soto
Dr. Yingqian Lin
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. Environments is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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

  • LCA methodologies
  • advanced technologies in waste management
  • circularity economy
  • waste reduction
  • case studies

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 1667 KiB  
Article
Analyses of the Environmental Sustainability of Two Infectious Hospital Solid Waste Management Systems
by Alessia Amato, Mario Caroli, Susanna Balducci, Giulia Merli, Gianluca Magrini, Eleonora Zavoli and Francesca Beolchini
Environments 2024, 11(12), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11120284 - 10 Dec 2024
Viewed by 336
Abstract
The priority during an emergency, regardless of the type, is to rescue as many lives as possible. Field hospitals are usually installed to provide the primary relief to the affected population when hospitals are compromised or absent. There are several sanitary units worldwide [...] Read more.
The priority during an emergency, regardless of the type, is to rescue as many lives as possible. Field hospitals are usually installed to provide the primary relief to the affected population when hospitals are compromised or absent. There are several sanitary units worldwide ready to be transported to disaster areas. An average field hospital is equipped with an operating room, laboratory, and radiological equipment, but it does not include a unit for the infectious hospital solid waste treatment, which results in improper management with high infection risks and emissions due to incorrect operations (e.g., open incineration). Therefore, the present study identified two market-available solutions (an incinerator and a sterilizer) designed to be transported even under the challenging conditions typical of disasters and are suitable for treating infectious waste. The systems were assessed by a life cycle assessment (LCA), proving an emission savings >90% (considering all impact categories) using the sterilization system. The avoided combustion allows to halve the effect on climate change due to a portable incinerator. This study supplies interesting food for thought for the emergency managers, proving the possibility of integrating the sustainability also in the planning of the response to catastrophic events. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Management and Life Cycle Assessment)
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18 pages, 3908 KiB  
Article
Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Landfilling with Sustainable Waste Management Methods for Municipal Solid Wastes
by Angelika Sita Ouedraogo, Ajay Kumar, Robert Frazier and Khaled A. Sallam
Environments 2024, 11(11), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11110248 - 11 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1081
Abstract
Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation continues to increase exponentially, leading to the need for better disposal methods. Approximately 50% of the MSW is landfilled in the United States (US). Landfilling is known for its negative effects on the environment and human health. The [...] Read more.
Municipal solid waste (MSW) generation continues to increase exponentially, leading to the need for better disposal methods. Approximately 50% of the MSW is landfilled in the United States (US). Landfilling is known for its negative effects on the environment and human health. The objective of this study was to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) of some of the most common waste treatment methods and propose an alternative and environmentally friendly integrated waste management method (IWM). The LCA was conducted using OpenLCA. Replacing landfilling, incineration, and composting with recycling, gasification, and anaerobic digestion (IWM) reduced the global warming potential from 899 kg CO2 eq to −14.6 kg CO2 eq. The same trend was observed for acidification (from 0.21 kg SO2 eq to −1.1 kg SO2 eq), ecotoxicity (from 2363.8 CTUe to 1.22 CTUe), eutrophication (from 0.5 kg N eq to 0.3 kg N eq), smog formation (from 4.4 kg O3 eq to 1.85 kg O3 eq), ozone depletion (from 2.1 × 10−5 kg CFC-11 eq to 0 kg CFC-11 eq), respiratory effects (from 2.8 × 10−3 kg PM2.5 eq to −7.25 × 10−3 kg PM2.5 eq), cancer (from 2 × 10−5 CTUh to 1.2 × 10−7 CTUh), and non-cancer effects (from 6 × 10−5 to 1.4 × 10−5 CTUh). The results show that an integrated waste management approach with recycling, gasification, and anaerobic digestion can dramatically reduce the environmental and health impacts of municipal solid waste disposal. Policy reforms, technical innovation, economic investment, and social engagement are needed to change waste management paradigm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Management and Life Cycle Assessment)
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30 pages, 7807 KiB  
Article
Validating Circular End-of-Life Strategies for Domestic Post-Consumer Materials in the Latin American Region: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach
by J. Hidalgo-Crespo, Pasiano Rivas-García, Ever Efraín García-Balandrán, Alonso Albalate-Ramírez, Samuel Quintero-Herrera, Andrés Velastegui-Montoya, J. L. Amaya Rivas and Manuel Soto
Environments 2024, 11(11), 228; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11110228 - 22 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1336
Abstract
This study examines the domestic solid waste management system in the LATAM region, using the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador as a case study. Through the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, the study compares domestic and external recycling processes, evaluating their effects on [...] Read more.
This study examines the domestic solid waste management system in the LATAM region, using the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador as a case study. Through the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, the study compares domestic and external recycling processes, evaluating their effects on global warming potential, fossil resource scarcity, and terrestrial ecotoxicity. The results reveal that increasing recycling rates significantly reduces environmental impacts, with domestic recycling offering slightly higher environmental benefits than external options. A demographic analysis using machine learning techniques identifies distinct patterns of waste generation across different population clusters, highlighting the need for tailored waste management strategies. The study also emphasizes the importance of accurate local data and the integration of recycling initiatives with market realities, particularly in the light of policies mandating recycled content in products like PET bottles. A sensitivity analysis of the waste recovery indicator (WRI) demonstrates the potential for substantial environmental and economic benefits with higher recycling rates. The findings suggest that, to advance towards a circular economy, Latin American cities like Guayaquil must enhance their recycling infrastructure, refine waste management policies, and focus on demographic-specific strategies. This research contributes to the broader understanding of sustainable waste management in developing regions, offering insights for future policy and infrastructure development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Management and Life Cycle Assessment)
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