Resources

Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer, resulting in the production of 1 kg of husk and 0.5 kg of parchment for every 1 kg of coffee beans. Given the large amount of biomass and the constant need for energy production, this study raises the possibility of using waste for pellet production. Samples of coffee husks and parchment were characterized by moisture content (dry basis), proximate analysis (volatile matter, ash and fixed carbon), calorific value, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetry, and the pellets were characterized by moisture content (dry basis), bulk density, energy density, mechanical durability, percentage of fines, and hardness. The results were compared with the ISO 17225-6. The parchment had a higher carbon, 49.5%, C/N 45.1%, and lignin 26.2% and lower ashes 2.8% and extractives 14.2%, resulting in higher calorific value, while coffee husks obtained 46.5%, 26.3%, 24.6%, 5.5%, and 34.3%, respectively. Pellets produced with parchment had a higher density 622 kg/m³ and lower moisture content 10.5%, resulting in higher energy density. The parchment pellets met all the parameters of the ISO 17225-6, while the coffee husk pellets did not meet the parameters for moisture, which is less than 15%, and bulk density, greather than 600 kg/m³. Both types of biomass showed potential for pellet production, with further studies needed on coffee husks.

This paper examines the impact of natural resource rents on the economic growth of Tunisia between 1990 and 2023, emphasizing the aspect of resource diversification. The annual time-series data extracted from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators were analyzed using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model to outline both the short- and long-run dynamics. The results confirm the existence of a long-term relationship between economic growth and oil, natural gas, mineral, and forest rents. Among them, oil and forest rents have strong positive long-term impacts, whereas natural gas and mineral rents contribute relatively moderately due to the structural inefficiencies and absence of value-added activities in these sectors. It was also found that the labor force participation has been affecting growth adversely with continuous impacts, which are driven by skill mismatches, low productivity, and high unemployment, hence indicating structural labor market imbalance that weakens the growth effect of labor. On the other hand, capital formation is still one of the key drivers of long-term growth. The findings highlight the rationale for diversification of the economy, governance reforms, and sustainable management of resources. However, the study suffers from some limitations due to data availability and excluded institutional variables, apart from being narrowed to a single-country case study, which might affect the generalizability of the results. Future works could consider incorporating the indicators of governance, examining nonlinear effects, or expanding the analysis into a multi-country framework.

The global shift towards sustainable development and low-carbon growth has intensified the need for efficient management of natural resources. This study proposes an integrated economic assessment framework to evaluate how ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) integration and circular economy strategies influence resource productivity and long-term economic performance. The research focuses on the water–energy–land nexus as a critical driver of global economic systems. Using a combination of multi-criteria decision analysis (AHP/TOPSIS), material flow analysis (MFA), life-cycle assessment (LCA), and panel econometric modeling on a broad dataset of countries (2018–2023), we examine the relationship between resource efficiency, ESG adoption, and economic competitiveness. The results indicate that circular business models and strong ESG practices significantly reduce resource intensity, enhance total factor productivity, and strengthen economic resilience. Scenario modeling demonstrates that transitioning from linear to circular resource flows can yield substantial economic and ecological benefits, including a ~1–3% rise in GDP and a ~15–20% drop in resource intensity under a high-circularity scenario. These findings provide actionable insights for policymakers and businesses, emphasizing that sustainable resource governance is not only an environmental necessity but also a key driver of global economic transformation.