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Contribution to the Circular Economy Through the Reuse of Material Waste and Energy Use in Industrial Processes and Domestic Uses

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 8644

Special Issue Editors

Departemnt of Naval and Industrial Engineering Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of A Coruña, 15008 A Coruña, Spain
Interests: materials science; surfactants; thermodynamics; recycled materials
Department of Civil Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, University of A Coruña, 15008 A Coruña, Spain
Interests: sustainable development; construction; civil engineering; materials; building materials; construction materials; sustainable construction; cement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the European Commission points out: “The transition to a more circular economy, where the value of products, materials and resources is maintained in the economy for as long as possible, and the generation of waste minimized, is an essential contribution to the EU's efforts to develop a sustainable, low carbon, resource efficient and competitive economy”. For this reason, researchers must make an effort to find ways to reuse waste materials from many fields to give them a second useful life.

The energy dependence of our societies should also be the object of analysis and study. It is not only necessary to save individual energy, but to be able to develop mechanisms that allow implementing a use which is less harmful to the environment.

For This purpose, this Special Issue shall gather contributions that help to develop new uses for recycled materials, such as construction and demolition waste, plastics and polymers, agroforestry waste, and pavement waste. Likewise, studies on energy efficiency and new industrial developments that imply lower processing costs are also of interest.

In recent years, circular economy studies have experienced a considerable boom, so this Special Issue will also incorporate work in this field.

Dr. Juan Jose Galan
Prof. Ana R. Pasandín
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

  • recycled concrete aggregate
  • construction and demolition waste
  • circular economy
  • globalization
  • energy and environmental impacts
  • agroforestry and climate change

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3921 KiB  
Article
Circularity of Bioenergy Residues: Acidification of Anaerobic Digestate Prior to Addition of Wood Ash
by Alejandro Moure Abelenda, Kirk T. Semple, George Aggidis and Farid Aiouache
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 3127; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053127 - 07 Mar 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2585
Abstract
The present study investigated the acidification treatment of an agrowaste digestate and a food waste digestate, which is necessary before the addition of the wood ashes to attain the pH of zero point of charge in the blend intended to behave as a [...] Read more.
The present study investigated the acidification treatment of an agrowaste digestate and a food waste digestate, which is necessary before the addition of the wood ashes to attain the pH of zero point of charge in the blend intended to behave as a slow-release fertilizer. The 336-h acidification treatments of the 2.39 ± 0.35 g of digestates were performed with high and low doses of four commercial acids (sulfuric, hydrochloric, nitric, and lactic acids) in 50-mL capped Corning® tubes. For analytical purposes, after the incubation, ultrapure milli-Q® water was added at a rate of 10 mL for each gram of digestate to create a water-soluble phase that allowed the measurement of the pH and the electric conductivity. The results showed that the optimum dose and type of acid were very dependent on the nature of the anaerobic digestate. The maximum buffer capacity of the agrowaste digestate was 0.07 mmol H+-H2SO4/g, but this increased by adding the food waste digestate with a greater content of ammoniacal nitrogen. The agrowaste digestate with a greater content of undigested fiber was more easily oxidized by nitric acid. On the other hand, sulfuric acid oxidized the food waste digestate to a greater extent than the other acids did. Since a high dose of acid was required to achieve a greater efficiency in the solid–liquid separation, which would ease any subsequent handling of the digestates, hydrochloric acid was considered to be the most suitable acid. Lactic acid promoted the growth of filamentous microbes in the agrowaste digestate and microbial colonies in the food waste digestate, which is an indication of the poor preservation of the organic matter under these conditions. Full article
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10 pages, 1705 KiB  
Article
Optimizing NOM Removal: Impact of Calcium Chloride
by Alfredo Gonzalez-Perez, Kristofer Hägg and Fabrice Duteil
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6338; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116338 - 03 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2739
Abstract
Understanding the character of natural organic matter (NOM) and assessing its impact on water quality is paramount for managers of catchments and water utilities. For drinking-water producers, NOM affects disinfectant demand and the formation of by-products which can have adverse health effects. NOM [...] Read more.
Understanding the character of natural organic matter (NOM) and assessing its impact on water quality is paramount for managers of catchments and water utilities. For drinking-water producers, NOM affects disinfectant demand and the formation of by-products which can have adverse health effects. NOM content in raw waters also has an impact on water treatment processes by increasing required coagulant dosages, reducing the effectiveness of adsorption processes and fouling membrane systems. This study investigated the effects of calcium chloride (CaCl2) as a co-coagulant in Al3+ and Fe3+ assisted coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation processes for NOM-removal from raw water collected from Lake Bolmen, in southern Sweden. Jar tests were conducted at Ringsjö Water Works (WW), a surface water treatment plant (WTP), to investigate the potential reduction in primary coagulants aluminum sulphate (Al2(SO4)3) and ferric chloride (FeCl3). This work shows that CaCl2 can, in certain situations, reduce the need for primary coagulants, which would reduce the environmental impact and costs associated with primary coagulant consumption. Full article
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Review

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16 pages, 3910 KiB  
Review
Physical and Hydraulic Properties of Porous Concrete
by Carlos Sánchez-Mendieta, Juan Jose Galán and Isabel Martinez-Lage
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10562; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910562 - 23 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2497
Abstract
The work presented includes a review of the state of art of porous concrete. Its purpose is to evaluate the potential use of porous concrete in constructions where the level of surface runoff justifies it. A review of the literature presented here has [...] Read more.
The work presented includes a review of the state of art of porous concrete. Its purpose is to evaluate the potential use of porous concrete in constructions where the level of surface runoff justifies it. A review of the literature presented here has been necessary where parameters of special consideration have been defined in the dosage of permeable mixtures. The study includes the definition of porous concrete in terms of its main components: cement, coarse aggregate, water, additives, and sand, in little or no quantity, to cause the generation of an effective content of interconnected voids that allow rapid storm drainage. Given the reports of variables of high incidence in the mechanical behavior of porous concrete (resistance/permeability relationship), an investigation is warranted to synthesize the effects of the variables in the preparation of the mixture: water–cement ratio, granulometry, and morphology of the aggregates, compaction pressure, and curing techniques, among others. Likewise, the protocols for the characterization of porous concrete and additional aspects relevant to support the experimental phase are exposed, constituting a reference or anchor point for developing technologies associated with the manufacture of this material and the possibilities of its implementation in constructions. Full article
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