Next Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Sustainable fuel from agricultural waste: Mixture design optimization of refuse-derived fuel for enhanced energy output","authors":"N.Y. Abd Halim,&nbsp;N.I.S. Muhammad,&nbsp;F.Z. Mansur,&nbsp;N. Ahmad","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing demand for sustainable energy sources drives interest in utilizing agricultural waste for energy production. Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) offers a promising opportunity to convert this waste into a valuable alternative fuel comparable to coal. This study employs a statistical approach to identify the optimal combination of mixed agricultural waste for producing RDF while maximizing its energy content. RDF is formulated using empty fruit bunch (EFB), coconut shell (CS), coconut husk (CH) and palm kernel shell (PKS) in varying ratios ranging from 10 % to 50 %, comprising 20 combinations. Moisture content (MC, 5–8 %) was treated as a variable parameter in the model. The proximate analysis of RDF is conducted using a Thermo-Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) to estimate the Higher Heating Value (HHV). Experimental data are fitted into a linear polynomial model using Design Expert Software V7 with D-optimal analysis to enhance statistical significance. The results indicate that HHV values range from 20.19 MJ/kg to 22.21 MJ/kg, depending on RDF composition and moisture content. Overall, this study highlights the potential of RDF derived from agricultural waste as a viable solid biofuel, providing both energy security and environmental benefits. The findings support the development of sustainable energy solutions by optimizing agricultural waste utilization for cleaner and more efficient fuel production. The model achieved an R² of 0.95 with a prediction error below 3 %, confirming its reliability and strong statistical evidence. These findings have practical applications for guiding RDF formulation strategies in industry to maximize calorific value while reducing dependence on coal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100196"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainability assessment of additive manufacturing end-of-life material management","authors":"John D. Chea ,&nbsp;Gerardo J. Ruiz-Mercado ,&nbsp;Raymond L. Smith ,&nbsp;Michael A. Gonzalez ,&nbsp;David E. Meyer","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100085","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100085","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Additive manufacturing (AM) methods enable complex, customized, and on-demand production of many products from different material types across various industries. The growing demand for flexible and more sustainable manufacturing solutions places AM in the mix of processes considered for non-commodities. However, AM processes also present unintentional environmental releases in end-of-life (EoL) material management, compromising overall sustainability. Data availability to assess the sustainability of individual EoL material management from individual AM processes is limited. Even so, EoL materials generated across AM practices frequently overlap, supporting high-level assessment as an alternative approach. Therefore, a holistic AM EoL material management sustainability analysis was completed using a customized list of efficiency, environmental, energy, and economic indicators from the <u>G</u>auging <u>R</u>eaction <u>E</u>ffectiveness for the <u>E</u>nvironmental <u>S</u>ustainability of <u>C</u>hemistries with a multi-<u>O</u>bjective <u>P</u>rocess <u>E</u>valuator (GREENSCOPE) methodology. Subsequently, this assessment identified low material recycling rates and high energy costs in some EoL material management processes, such as incineration and recovery. Subsequently, a trade-off analysis was performed to determine process modification opportunities, including implementing recycling to reduce the amount of hazardous waste at the expense of additional energy and cost investment. The AM EoL-specific sustainability analysis serves as a resource to offer insights and empower policymakers and stakeholders to enhance pollution prevention strategies and optimize the existing EoL material management processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100085"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142531221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced physicochemical properties of Himalayan Weeping Bamboo-biochar for rapid multicomponent textile dyes uptake under classical and ultrasound irradiation: A comparative study","authors":"Sumit Kumar ,&nbsp;Chetna Tewari ,&nbsp;Ligy Philip ,&nbsp;Nanda Gopal Sahoo","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100089","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100089","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study focused on synthesizing a low-cost adsorbent via a unique two-step solvothermal slow pyrolysis of <em>Drepanostachyum falcatum</em> plant biomass. It evaluated its adsorption capabilities for removing various textile dyes, including methylene blue (MB), basic fuchsin (BF), and methyl orange (MO), from aqueous solutions. Under conventional and ultrasound-assisted conditions, the adsorption performance was assessed for single, binary, and ternary dye systems. Comprehensive investigations examined the effects of environmental factors such as temperature, pH, humic acid, and interfering ions on adsorption. The findings revealed that ultrasonication significantly accelerated the adsorption process, making it up to six times faster than classical adsorption methods, and equilibrium was reached in one-tenth the time required without ultrasound. The experimental data best fit the pseudo-second-order kinetics model, indicating that chemisorption was the dominant adsorption mechanism. Additionally, the Freundlich isotherm suggested multilayer sorption on the biochar surface. Maximum adsorption capacities under ultrasound were found to be 139.34 mg/g for MB, 75.09 mg/g for MO, and 98.13 mg/g for BF dyes, with a higher affinity observed for cationic dyes compared to anionic dyes. The study provides insights into an efficient, novel synthesis method for converting waste biomass into a valuable adsorbent for dye removal. It also highlights the role of ultrasound in enhancing physicochemical properties, facilitating improved mass transfer, and promoting better interaction between the dyes and the adsorbent.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100089"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142700058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High energy and rate capable supercapacitor of polyaniline / vanadium pentoxide nanocomposite and its green electrolyte","authors":"Aranganathan Viswanathan,&nbsp;Adka Nityananda Shetty","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The concept of hybrid supercapacitors of combining the high energy density (<em>E</em>) of batteries and high power densities (<em>P</em>) of supercapacitors is better achieved with the PANI53.84 %/V₂O₅46.15 % nanocomposite (PV). As it exhibited a supercapacitor performance on par with that of Li – ion batteries. This high energy features of PV are achieved by the green approach of using the by-product obtained in the synthesis of electrode material as its electrolyte with and without modification. The energy storage parameters of PV in the presence of 1 M H₂SO₄ (SA) as electrolyte, are very unique as they increased in quantity with increase in No. of energy storage/delivery cycles. The PV displayed an exceptional durability up to 20,500 cycles at 0.4 V s^<img>1, and specific capacity (<em>Q</em>) of 592.4 C g^<img>1, an <em>E</em> of 98.73 W h kg ^<img>1 (in the order of Li-ion batteries) and a <em>P</em> of 1.200 kW kg^<img>1 at 1 A g^<img>1 after 10,800 cycles in the presence of SA. A highest rate capability of 65.45 % up to 15 A g^<img>1 is achieved when the by-product of PANI (SL of PANI) is used as the electrolyte for PV. When the by-product of PV is used as its electrolyte after its acidification with conc. methane sulphonic acid (MSA+SLPV), the <em>Q</em> of 388.0 C g^<img>1, an <em>E</em> of 64.66 W h kg^<img>1 and a <em>P</em> of 1.200 kW kg^<img>1 were achieved at 1 A g^<img>1. The MSA+SLPV also features the energy enhancement with increase in number of days.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 100088"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142700059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing groundwater quality and pollution hotspots using simple fuzzy classification in a rapidly urbanizing region","authors":"Olayiwola Akin Akintola ,&nbsp;Opeyemi Samuel Sajo ,&nbsp;Oluwatobi Solomon Olaleye","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100171","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100171","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the absence of centralised water supply infrastructure, groundwater serves as the primary source of water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use in Ekiti State, Nigeria. However, its quality is increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pollution. This study evaluated the quality of groundwater in selected areas of Ekiti State, identified pollution levels and potential hotspots. It addresses the critical gap in regional groundwater quality assessment by applying a simple fuzzy classification (SFC) model to 22 groundwater samples collected from four local government areas. Twenty Physicochemical and heavy metal parameters were analysed and compared with regulatory guidelines (WHO, USEPA and the Nigerian Standard for drinking water quality). Findings revealed widespread contamination, with elevated turbidity, chlorine, manganese, and iron levels, e.g., Fe and Mn levels reached 2.1, and 0.55 mg/L against a 0.3, and 0.05 mg/L limit, respectively, posing health risks. The fuzzy model classified water from all sampling points as having membership functions of more than 90 % in pristine category (C₁). Presence of about 38, 30 and 27 % membership functions in contaminated (C₂), polluted (C₃) and extremely polluted (C₄) categories in sampling points 5, 20, and 7, respectively calls for concern, indicating localised contamination. The study highlights the urgent need for continuous groundwater quality monitoring, the implementation of pollution control strategies, and targeted water treatment interventions to ensure the safe and sustainable use of groundwater resources in Ekiti State.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100171"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144903237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuous electrocoagulation treatment of chromium from tannery wastewater in a cylindrical column","authors":"Nahid M. Genawi ,&nbsp;Nafis Mahmud ,&nbsp;Elfatih A. Hassan ,&nbsp;Muftah H. El-Naas","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Discharging tannery wastewater into the water resources can lead to several environmental implications due to its high chromium and pollutants content, adversely affecting both aquatic and human life. Consequently, researchers are focusing on the development of efficient treatment methods for post-tanning effluents with the target of removing chromium to alleviate this pollution problem. In this regard, electrocoagulation has emerged as a leading technology for chromium removal from tannery wastewater. In this study, a continuous electrocoagulation column was applied for the removal of chromium ions from tannery wastewater collected from local industry. The effect of current density, pH, and effluent chromium concentration were studied for the removal of chromium ions. The results showed that a maximum chromium removal (99.94 %) was achieved within one hour in batch mode at current density, pH, and effluent concentration of 10 mA/cm², 6.5, and 500 mg/L, respectively. The continuous electrocoagulation system was used to evaluate the process dynamics and steady-state stability of the reactor system by introducing step changes in operating conditions (flow rate, pH, current density, and concentration). The experiments of the continuous electrocoagulation reactor system were conducted at a flow rate of 50 ml/min (HRT = 34 min) with the results promise effective removal of chromium ions from tannery wastewater using the electrocoagulation system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100113"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143377916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ab initio and experimental study of sulphur/samarium codoped-TiO2 and its visible light photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of orange II dye","authors":"Moro Haruna ,&nbsp;Charles Kwame Bandoh ,&nbsp;Francis Opoku ,&nbsp;Eric Selorm Agorku","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100155","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100155","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent research efforts have been focused mostly on using semiconductor photocatalysts to degrade hazardous organic contaminants from wastewater. Numerous nanomaterials have thus been investigated and applied to the treatment of wastewater. In this work, a series of samarium (Sm) and sulphur (S) codoped Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) photocatalysts have been prepared using the coprecipitation method for the photocatalytic degradation of orange II dye in wastewater. Moreover, the experimental findings were confirmed by First-Principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), UV-Visible spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterized the photocatalysts. The XRD analysis revealed the successful incorporation of S and Sm nanoparticles into the anatase crystal structure of TiO₂ with no change in the phase and an average particle size of 9 nm. A theoretical study using DFT revealed an indirect band gap of 3.56 eV as compared to the experimental value of 3.04 eV for virgin TiO₂. Codoping significantly influenced the optical properties of the virgin TiO₂ and resulted in a redshift in the absorption edge, leading to a bandgap decrease from 3.04 to 2.70 eV. S/Sm^3 + modified TiO₂ exhibited substantial catalytic activity induced by visible light towards orange II dye relative to the singly doped S-TiO₂ or Sm³⁺-TiO₂. The S-TiO₂-Sm³⁺ (0.6 %) photocatalyst obtained the maximum degradation efficiency of 100 % in 2.5 h with a rate constant (k) of 61 × 10⁻³ min⁻¹. The improved photocatalytic activity of synthesized nanomaterials was credited to the synergistic effects of S and Sm³⁺ in TiO₂, which resulted in a narrow band gap energy, strong absorption of visible light, small crystallite size, and decreased recombination rate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144703638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced water and cooling production from a polygeneration process using biomass: Usefulness of the polygeneration","authors":"Kuntal Jana","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100154","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100154","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multiple utility production in a single plant is the objective of polygeneration. However, properly designed polygeneration gives the flexibility to change the production rate of utility outputs relatively. This change in utility output production rate may affect the thermodynamic and economic performances of the polygeneration. In many cases, economic parameter may not give same result as thermodynamic parameters. Economic parameter is important to design and measured the acceptability of the plant. In this study ‘usefulness of polygeneration’ is defined to optimize the plant operation. This is an important parameter to find the optimum design parameter from the viewpoint of socio-economics. In this paper, CCGT based polygeneration and ST based polygeneration is simulated by Aspen Plus®. To reduce the operational problem of tar and to increase the flexibility of polygeneration, ST based cycle is explored. Effect of steam generation pressure, steam bleed pressure, and steam bleed amount is shown in this paper. A defined parameter i.e. ‘usefulness of polygeneration’ without and with priority is used to show the importance of the designed polygeneration. Higher the steam generation pressure, increases the usefulness of the polygeneration. With the increase of steam bleed pressure, usefulness with priority decreases and usefulness without priority increases. 20 % steam bleed is the optimum for maximization of usefulness with priority.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100154"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144671003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization of waste plastic reutilized polymeric membrane fabrication for efficient wastewater treatment","authors":"Yeit Haan Teow ,&nbsp;Aerry Ting Wei Huan ,&nbsp;Zhen Hong Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100117","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2025.100117","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The escalating global production of plastic waste and the urgent need for clean water presents profound environmental and sustainability concerns. Repurposing waste plastic into value-added products, such as polymeric membranes for ultrafiltration applications, offers a promising avenue for addressing these challenges. This study focuses on utilizing waste polystyrene (PS) to synthesize membranes via non-solvent induced phase separation method. Through a systematic optimization process utilizing Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the effects of solvent type, PS concentration, and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) loading on membrane performance were explored. The fabricated PS polymeric membranes were evaluated for their effectiveness in humic acid removal using a dead-end membrane filtration system. The optimal PS polymeric membrane formula, achieved at PS concentration of 16.31 wt% and TiO₂ concentration of 0.10 g/L using NMP as the solvent, exhibited a permeate flux of 166.55 L/m² h and HA rejected of 84 %. The study also demonstrates the suitability of RSM as a statistical tool for membrane formulation optimization, with low percentage errors (5.04 % for permeate flux and 0.69 % for HA rejection). Furthermore, fouling mechanism analysis utilizing the Hermia’s model confirmed the prevalence of cake filtration in the optimized PS polymeric membrane filtration. This study contributes to the advancement of sustainable membrane technology for wastewater treatment, offering insights into the potential of waste plastic reutilization in membrane fabrication and addressing critical environmental and water resource challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100117"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143453094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crayfish shell biochar for methyl violet adsorption: Equilibrium and kinetic studies","authors":"Azrul Nurfaiz Mohd Faizal ,&nbsp;Chew Hui Wen ,&nbsp;Nicky Rahmana Putra ,&nbsp;Ahmad Syahmi Zaini ,&nbsp;Augustine Agi ,&nbsp;Abu Hassan Nordin ,&nbsp;Muhammad Abbas Ahmad Zaini","doi":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100093","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxsust.2024.100093","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work was aimed to establish the equilibrium and kinetics of methyl violet removal onto crayfish shell biochars. The biochars were prepared through pyrolysis at 500, 650 and 800 <span><math><mi>℃</mi></math></span> for 1.5 h. The biochars were labelled as CS500, CS650 and CS800, respectively. All biochars are highly mesoporous with CS650 exhibits a higher surface area of 665 m²/g. The adsorption results are tied up with the physiochemical properties of biochars. The CS800 displays the maximum dye capacity at 1079 mg/g. The performance of biochars is given in the order of, CS800 &gt; CS650 &gt; CS500. The equilibrium of methyl violet adsorption was best described by modified Langmuir isotherm, while the kinetic data obeyed pseudo-second-order model. The removal of methyl violet is governed partly by precipitation onto crayfish shell biochars. To conclude, the crayfish shell is a potential feedstock of biochar for dye wastewater treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100960,"journal":{"name":"Next Sustainability","volume":"6 ","pages":"Article 100093"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143163059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}