Analýza a následná vizualizace změn v produkci odpadu vztažená k různým úrovním územních celků odráží základní trendy ve změnách struktury poskytované péče v letech 2020−2021. Problematika rizik vyplývající z nakládání s odpady ze zdravotní péče je na světové úrovni posouvána směrem k cirkulární ekonomice ve smyslu managementu materiálových toků ve specifickém prostředí zdravotnictví a jeho nárokům na bezpečnost. Role orgánu ochrany veřejného zdraví v této oblasti spočívá v dozoru, jehož obsah lze prakticky strukturovat do podoby kontrolních listů a tím nalézt bezpečné způsoby pro zavedení principů oběhového hospodářství do zdravotnických zařízení. Tlak na společenskou a environmentální odpovědnost ve zdravotnictví ve spojení s řízením materiálových toků a zvýšením míry recyklace vede v současné době k intenzivní diskuzi nejen v akademické sféře, ale i na úrovni politik jednotlivých výrobců zdravotnické techniky a zdravotnických prostředků. Hledání bezpečné cesty pro recyklaci materiálů, které jsou v současnosti převážně spalovány, je úkolem pro všechny zúčastněné aktéry.
The analysis and subsequent visualisation of changes in waste production related to different levels of territorial units reflect the basic trends of changes in the structure of healthcare provision between 2020 and 2021. The issue of risks arising from healthcare waste management is shifting towards a circular economy at the global level in terms of managing material flows in the specific environment of healthcare and its safety requirements. The role of the public health authority in this matter resides in supervision, the content of which can be practically structured into the form of checklists enabling to find safe ways of introducing the principles of circular economy into healthcare facilities. The pursuit of social and environmental responsibility in the healthcare sector in association with the management of material flows and increased recycling rates is currently being intensively discussed not only in academia but also at the policy level of individual manufacturers of medical devices and equipment. Finding a safe way to recycle materials that are currently predominantly incinerated is a challenge for all stakeholders.
The extensive exploitation of natural resources, together with an inefficient use of end-of-life materials, results in the generation of vast amounts of waste. The current material streams are to be reconsidered to mitigate the environmental burdens and achieve the sustainability goals. However, these intentions usually lead to material downcycling, which does not provide significant environmental benefits. In this paper, the potential of waste brick recycling is assessed from the environmental point of view as the recycling options of waste bricks attract an eminent attention due to rationalization and optimization of material streams, including transformation to the circular economy model according to the EU commitments. Three different scenarios are taken into account in that respect: replacement of natural aggregate, partial replacement of cement binder, and alkaline activation. The life cycle methodology is used at the assessment and the obtained results are presented on both midpoint and endpoint levels. The analysis of environmental impacts shows only minor improvements resulting from the replacement of natural aggregates by recycled waste bricks. The partial replacement of cement by waste bricks in powdered form can provide the most substantial benefits including decarbonization of the construction sector. The application of alkaline activators can harm the potential of alkali-activated materials considerably due to their negative effects on human health. A complex assessment of recycling scenarios is found to preferable to one-sided analyses aimed at carbon dioxide emission reduction only if a real sustainability without any hidden risks is to be achieved.
- MeSH
- Construction Materials MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Waste Management * MeSH
- Industrial Waste MeSH
- Recycling MeSH
- Construction Industry * MeSH
- Environment MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Food packaging is of high societal value because it conserves and protects food, makes food transportable and conveys information to consumers. It is also relevant for marketing, which is of economic significance. Other types of food contact articles, such as storage containers, processing equipment and filling lines, are also important for food production and food supply. Food contact articles are made up of one or multiple different food contact materials and consist of food contact chemicals. However, food contact chemicals transfer from all types of food contact materials and articles into food and, consequently, are taken up by humans. Here we highlight topics of concern based on scientific findings showing that food contact materials and articles are a relevant exposure pathway for known hazardous substances as well as for a plethora of toxicologically uncharacterized chemicals, both intentionally and non-intentionally added. We describe areas of certainty, like the fact that chemicals migrate from food contact articles into food, and uncertainty, for example unidentified chemicals migrating into food. Current safety assessment of food contact chemicals is ineffective at protecting human health. In addition, society is striving for waste reduction with a focus on food packaging. As a result, solutions are being developed toward reuse, recycling or alternative (non-plastic) materials. However, the critical aspect of chemical safety is often ignored. Developing solutions for improving the safety of food contact chemicals and for tackling the circular economy must include current scientific knowledge. This cannot be done in isolation but must include all relevant experts and stakeholders. Therefore, we provide an overview of areas of concern and related activities that will improve the safety of food contact articles and support a circular economy. Our aim is to initiate a broader discussion involving scientists with relevant expertise but not currently working on food contact materials, and decision makers and influencers addressing single-use food packaging due to environmental concerns. Ultimately, we aim to support science-based decision making in the interest of improving public health. Notably, reducing exposure to hazardous food contact chemicals contributes to the prevention of associated chronic diseases in the human population.
- MeSH
- Food Contamination analysis MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Hazardous Substances adverse effects MeSH
- Food Packaging methods MeSH
- Plastics adverse effects MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
The world has been grappling with the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year. Various sectors have been affected by COVID-19 and its consequences. The waste management system is one of the sectors affected by such unpredictable pandemics. The experience of COVID-19 proved that adaptability to such pandemics and the post-pandemic era had become a necessity in waste management systems and this requires an accurate understanding of the challenges that have been arising. The accurate information and data from most countries severely affected by the pandemic are not still available to identify the key challenges during and post-COVID-19. The documented evidence from literature has been collected, and the attempt has been made to summarize the rising challenges and the lessons learned. This review covers all raised challenges concerning the various aspects of the waste management system from generation to final disposal (i.e., generation, storage, collection, transportation, processing, and burial of waste). The necessities and opportunities are recognized for increasing flexibility and adaptability in waste management systems. The four basic pillars are enumerated to adapt the waste management system to the COVID-19 pandemic and post-COVID-19 conditions. Striving to support and implement a circular economy is one of its basic strategies.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Waste Management * MeSH
- Refuse Disposal * MeSH
- Pandemics MeSH
- Solid Waste analysis MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Review MeSH
The relationship between economic growth and waste generation is a major global concern. Previous studies provided no conclusive evidence as to the causality between these two concepts, which can be attributed to at least two problems. First, R&D intensity is increasingly recognized as being an important determinant of environmental quality. Second, the regional level is considered to be important for the implementation of waste management policies, as regions and municipalities, among others, are responsible for separate collection systems and for establishing and managing treatment facilities. Previous studies failed to reflect the heterogeneity of the regions, which may lead to biased results. To address these problems, the panel vector error correction model was employed to examine the Granger causality in EU regions. The results provide empirical support for the existence of short- and long-run bidirectional causality between waste generation and economic growth in EU regions. A bidirectional link among waste generation, heating energy, and R&D intensity was also observed. The policy implication is that traditional economic development policies are not enough to reduce waste generation in EU regions. Economic tools, such as charges and incentives, and eco-innovation policies should be introduced to promote the region's shift towards a circular economy model.
- MeSH
- Economic Development * MeSH
- Waste Management * MeSH
- Carbon Dioxide analysis MeSH
- Policy MeSH
- Cities MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Cities MeSH
Metody zelené syntézy nanočástic zaznamenávají v současnosti významný rozvoj, především díky velké efektivitě, ekonomickým a eko‐ logickým aspektům včetně šetrnosti těchto metod k životnímu prostředí. Tyto metody využívají pro přípravu nanočástic látky s organic‐ kým původem, které zajišťují redukující a stabilizující funkce pro přípravu disperze nanočástic spektra kovů. Zvláště výhodné je využití rostlinných odpadů pro zisk extraktů obsahujících celou řadu látek s redukční a biologickou aktivitou. V závislosti na druhu rostliny, ze kterého se získal extrakt lze rychle připravit stabilní nanočástice s různou velikostí, tvarem a z různých prvků. Takto získané nanočástice mají významný potenciál jak z hlediska srovnání jejich výroby s metodami fyzikálně‐chemickými, tak z hlediska srovnání jejich antimikro‐ biálních aktivit s tradičními desinfekčními činidly. Potenciál těchto metod spočívá v možnosti zapojení do principů cirkulární ekonomiky za snižování nákladů produkce, efektivnějšího využití odpadů a celkově příznivým ekonomickým i ekologickým aspektům.
The methods of green synthesis of nanoparticles are currently undergoing important development, mainly due to high efficiency, eco‐ nomic, ecological and environmentally friendly approach. Green methods use for the preparation of nanoparticles organic compounds, which provide reducing and stabilizing functions for the dispersion of metal nanoparticles. The use of plant waste materials is especially advantageous, as they contain a wide range of substances with reducing and biological activity. Different plant species and parts provide extracts for quick and reliable methods for preparation of stable dispersions with various sizes and shapes of nanoparticles. These na‐ noparticles have significant potential both their comparison with with physico‐chemical methods of production and in their antimicrobial activities. The potential of green biosynthesis methods lies in their contribution to the principles of circular economy for reducing produ‐ ction costs, efficient use of waste materials and overall favorable economic and ecological aspects.
The consequence of the massive increase in population in recent years is the enormous production of mainly industrial waste. The effort to minimize these waste products is, therefore, no longer sufficient. Biotechnologists, therefore, started looking for ways to not only reuse these waste products, but also to valorise them. This work focuses on the biotechnological use and processing of waste oils/fats and waste glycerol by carotenogenic yeasts of the genus Rhodotorula and Sporidiobolus. The results of this work show that the selected yeast strains are able to process waste glycerol as well as some oils and fats in a circular economy model and, moreover, are resistant to potential antimicrobial compounds present in the medium. The best-growing strains, Rhodotorula toruloides CCY 062-002-004 and Rhodotorula kratochvilovae CCY 020-002-026, were selected for fed-batch cultivation in a laboratory bioreactor in a medium containing a mixture of coffee oil and waste glycerol. The results show that both strains were able to produce more than 18 g of biomass per litre of media with a high content of carotenoids (10.757 ± 1.007 mg/g of CDW in R. kratochvilovae and 10.514 ± 1.520 mg/g of CDW in R. toruloides, respectively). The overall results prove that combining different waste substrates is a promising option for producing yeast biomass enriched with carotenoids, lipids, and beta-glucans.
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters of significant interest due to their biodegradability and properties similar to petroleum-derived plastics, as well as the fact that they can be produced from renewable sources such as by-product streams. In this study, brewer's spent grain (BSG), the main by-product of the brewing industry, was subjected to a set of physicochemical pretreatments and their effect on the release of reducing sugars (RS) was evaluated. The RS obtained were used as a substrate for further PHA production in Burkholderia cepacia, Bacillus cereus, and Cupriavidus necator in liquid cultures. Although some pretreatments proved efficient in releasing RS (acid-thermal pretreatment up to 42.1 gRS L-1 and 0.77 gRS g-1 dried BSG), the generation of inhibitors in such scenarios likely affected PHA production compared with the process run without pretreatment (direct enzymatic hydrolysis of BSG). Thus, the maximum PHA accumulation from BSG hydrolysates was found in the reference case with 0.31 ± 0.02 g PHA per g cell dried weight, corresponding to 1.13 ± 0.06 g L-1 and a PHA yield of 23 ± 1 mg g-1 BSG. It was also found that C. necator presented the highest PHA accumulation of the tested strains followed closely by B. cepacia, reaching their maxima at 48 h. Although BSG has been used as a source for other bioproducts, these results show the potential of this by-product as a no-cost raw material for producing PHAs in a waste valorization and circular economy scheme.
Many organizations in Europe collect data and perform research on municipal solid waste and the secondary raw materials that can be produced from them through recycling, urban mining, or landfill mining. However, the information generated and presented thereby is often highly aggregated, while research activities are many a time isolated. Both reduce the usability of the data and information generated. In order to better structure the knowledge generation on secondary raw materials production from municipal solid waste, we suggest to learn from the traditional raw materials mining industry how to perform an integrated assessment and reporting of anthropogenic resources. This is exemplarily shown for the case of the anthropogenic resource municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash and air-pollution control residues. A network of expert institutions from countries throughout Europe was build up to compile the information on legal and technological aspects for the recovery of different secondary raw materials from these residues, including construction minerals, metals, and salts. We highlight in our article the strength of the combined knowledge of an expert network not only on legal and technological, but also local and site-specific aspects of the recovery of secondary raw materials. By doing so, we hope to kick-off a discussion for how to organize and implement a structure for a better management of knowledge on anthropogenic resources, in order to provide a sustainable supply of secondary raw materials for a greener and more circular economy.
- MeSH
- Waste Management * MeSH
- Refuse Disposal * MeSH
- Recycling MeSH
- Waste Disposal Facilities MeSH
- Incineration MeSH
- Solid Waste analysis MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Europe MeSH
