Bronsted acidic surfactants: efficient organocatalysts for diverse organic transformations

Organic transformations using efficient, atom-economical, cost-effective and environmentally benign strategies for the construction of diversified molecules have attracted synthetic chemists worldwide in recent years. These processes often minimize the waste production and avoid the use of hazardous flammable organic solvents. Among various green protocols, the procedures using surfactant-based catalytic systems have received a considerable attention in organic synthesis. In this context, Bronsted acidic surfactants have emerged as efficient catalysts for various C–C, C–O, C–N and C–S bond forming reactions. Many of these reactions occur in water, as Bronsted acidic surfactants have a unique ability of creating hydrophobic pocket through micelle formation in aqueous medium and the substrate molecules react efficiently to afford the targeted products in good yields. In the past, Bronsted acidic surfactant combined catalysts successfully displayed their potential to accelerate the reaction rates of diverse organic transformations. This chapter presents a complete overview on Bronsted acidic surfactants catalyzed organic reactions to construct a variety of aromatic and heteroaromatic molecular frameworks.

The Agro-Waste Production in Selected EUSAIR Regions and Its Potential Use for Building Applications: A Review

The purpose of this study is to provide a snapshot of the agro-waste production in Puglia, Molise, Albania and Montenegro, some of the regions belonging to EUSAIR (ADRIATIC-IONIAN REGIONS) correlating this aspect to the possible use of agro-waste in the building sector. EUSAIR is a functional area, facing the Adriatic sea, treating the marine, coastal and terrestrial areas as interconnected systems. In the first part of the paper, the state of the art about the current consumption of agricultural biomass is carried out referring to the ongoing research lines. It was shown that a great number of international studies have demonstrated that the agro-waste plays an important role in several fields. Moreover, several researchers conducted studies on hygrothermal, physical and acoustical properties of building materials made with biomass proving the potentiality to use this kind of by-product. Then, the state of the art regarding the production and current way of disposal of the agro-waste in the regions of the EUSAIR above mentioned was performed in order to outline the possible by-products which are suitable to be re-used in the building sector. The correlation existing between the agro-waste and the possible use in the building sector is finally presented, focusing on the legislative framework currently existing in each of the regions.

The Current State of Management and Disposal of Wastes Related to COVID-19 : A review

Objectives : This paper summarizes effective waste management and disposal methods for plastic and medical wastes during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.Methods : We reviewed the literatures reporting and identifying the current status and characteristics of wastes related to COVID-19, and the management and treatment guidelines for those wastes. We also investigated various technologies for waste treatment and disposal, and assessed the current status and future direction of the technologies in Korea.Results and Discussion : In the first half of 2020 in Korea, the amount of plastic waste produced had increased by 15.6% year-on-year, and medical waste production also increased significantly from 0.6 ton in January 2020 to 2,928 ton in August 2021. All of the infectious wastes are currently being incinerated in Korea, but there are concerns on air pollutant emissions and insufficient treatment facilities. Municipal solid waste also suffers from a lack of landfill capacity and low price competitiveness in the recycling industry.Conclusions : Policy and system need to be improved to reduce the infectious waste generation from the sources, and treatment and disposal technologies for produced wastes also need to be developed. Furthermore, hospitals and health care facilities should establish their own waste reducing systems which may include chemical treatment and sterilization units.

Cultivation of maggot from organic waste to increase economic value at TPS 3R Enggal Comfort, Gondosuli, Muntilan

Gondosuli Village is located in Muntilan District, Magelang Regency, and has a high population growth rate, economy, and development, all of which contribute to increased community activities. This causes waste production to continue to rise; additionally, there are issues with waste management from upstream to downstream, namely a lack of waste reduction, which leads to waste accumulation in landfills. This is due to a lack of proper management, which consists of only collection, disposal, and transportation. As a result, the community service is carried out by planning for a solid waste management system capable of reducing waste from upstream. The cultivation of maggots from organic waste is an upstream system approach that can be used to solve the waste problem. BSF maggot cultivation has several advantages, including the production of pre-puppa, which can be used as a source of protein for animal feed, and aiding in the resolution of the community's organic waste processing problem. The concept of integrated waste management (TPS 3R) can be combined with a waste bank to reduce waste disposal in the TPA while also providing economic value.

Sustainable Development Indicators—Untapped Tools for Sustainability and STEM Education: An Analysis of a Popular Czech Educational Website

Environmental education has been included in Czech curricula since the 1980s, albeit without clear evidence of education for sustainable development (SD), which addresses complex socio-economic issues using SD indicators (SDIs), such as charts, single numbers, tables, maps, and (interactive) images. However, understanding such a comprehensive topic requires developing basic mathematical knowledge and skills. In this study, we aimed to analyse the nature, quality, and availability of teaching materials for SD, primarily using SDIs, which could be applied by Czech teachers. For this purpose, we performed a qualitative and basic quantitative content analysis of several descriptors of documents retrieved from a website for teachers, provided by the National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic. A full-text search identified 1376 records, which were analyzed for SD pillars and SDIs. Our results showed that most records (95%) do not contain SDIs in teaching materials. Only 59 records mentioned (128) SDIs, mostly covering the environmental pillar, 26 of which contain a single SDI. The most frequent issues were waste production, treatment, savings, water parameters, and energy consumption. Mathematical skills were used in 56 SDIs, primarily for evaluating data sets and quantitative expressions of an amount. Overall, only a small number of SDIs are used in education for SD, economic and social SDIs are in the minority, and the STEM potential remains untapped.

Households Waste Management Practices and Associated Factors in Tain District, Ghana

Objective: Rapid population growth has increased tons of waste generated daily in the various Ghanaian districts. A total of 9,331kg of household waste is generated daily in the Tain District, but managing it becomes a challenge. The aim of the study was to investigate households’ waste management practice in the Tain District of Ghana. Method: A concurrent mixed method design was used to select four major communities in the Tain District for the study. A sampled of 1,037 female household heads were selected by convenient sampling for the qualitative and quantitative data collection. A questionnaire, participant and community observation were used to collect the data. Frequencies, percentages, logistic regression and observational interpretations were applied in analysing the data. Results: Many gutters at homes were clogged, bushy environment and littering of home, and that, there were limited waste bins and containers available, and waste dumpsites were near community gathering places. Furthermore, the main household generated wastes included food scraps (41%), but majority of the participants use public dumpsite (76.37%) for waste disposal. Meanwhile, 825(8%) of the households have high level of knowledge on the health effects of indiscriminate waste disposal. Conclusions: It is necessary to demarcate dumpsites away from community gathering places. The crude dumping places cannot contain the increase in waste production, which results in indiscriminate dumping of waste. Proper measures including regulations and standards are expected to be implemented for a more effective and efficient integrated waste management system in the district.

Waste Management Strategy Through Community Participation In Realizing Good Governance In Kupang City

This study aims to formulate a strategy for waste management through community participation in realizing good governance in Kupang City. This type of research is quantitative descriptive using a questionnaire with SWOT analysis. Respondents are residents of Kupang City. The results found that the increase in the population of the city of Kupang has an impact on increasing waste production. Even though waste production continues to increase, as the central government of NTT, stakeholders are trying to improve waste management and make Kupang a healthy, friendly and clean city. The strategies used are 1) synchronizing waste management programs and budgets between the City Government and stakeholders, 2) expanding the collaboration between the City Government and Universities in designing effective and efficient waste management technology, 3) advocating to build public awareness of waste management, 4) exploring opportunities for collaboration between The municipal government with third parties who are concerned with waste management including the preparation of waste processing volunteers, 5) soft skill trainings on waste management and joint budget waste management, 6) build and facilitate coordination with stakeholders and regular communication to the community through Kelurahan and RT/ RW, 7) budget allocation in the APBD to recruit field workers who are committed to managing waste, and the City Government budget allocation for spending on the procurement of public area trash cans that separate organic and non-organic waste.

Reframing Recycling Behaviour through Consumers’ Perceptions: An Exploratory Investigation

Despite the increasing awareness of the consequences of waste, there is no consensus on how and why consumers engage in recycling, making it challenging to design behavioural interventions that might promote recycling, especially in organisational settings. This study is designed to explain consumers’ recycling behaviour and how it differs across contexts, particularly between home and work settings. Using personal accounts of 367 employees from different organisations in the UK, this study explores recycling behaviour at home and work including its motivations and barriers. The findings show that recycling behaviour is different across contexts due to many disparate factors underlying people’s waste generation and recycling behaviours from one context to another. According to the findings, buying and consumption behaviour and waste generation patterns influence the way consumers engage in recycling. The study further demonstrates that contextual factors and individual circumstances are important contributors to consumption behaviour, waste production, and recycling behaviour. While recycling behaviour has been investigated extensively, the findings of this study indicate the need for consumption and waste production patterns to be taken into consideration when designing recycling interventions, enhancing the prospect of a circular economy. This study contributes to theory and practice by associating recycling behaviour with buying and consumption behaviour, including waste generation patterns.

Closing the Loop - Recycling Plastic Waste

<p>New Zealand is ranked among the top nations in waste production, including a million tonnes of plastic waste. Currently, there are methods for recycling plastic within New Zealand but these methods can be expensive and time-consuming, resulting in most of the plastic being thrown into the landfill. Because plastic does not fully degrade, it ends up in the ocean and other waterways, poisoning the water with toxins. The purpose of this research is to provide a solution to reducing plastic waste by creating an alternative method of recycling that utilises new technologies such as additive manufacturing, to create a building material that fits into the concept of the circular economy. The findings of this research explored the recycling of plastic by collecting plastic waste such as PLA (Polylactic Acid) from old 3D printed models. The plastic was recycled into filament for additive manufacturing (AM) and used to print building tile, establishing an initial proof of concept for the use of recycled plastic as a potential building material.</p>