Resources Conservation and Recycling最新文献

{"title":"Environmental intensities of consumption reveal synergy between welfare and environmental policies beyond income effect","authors":"Juudit Ottelin,&nbsp;Julia Sborz,&nbsp;Meng Jiang,&nbsp;Konstantin Stadler","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108791","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108791","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The efficiency of public versus private sectors has interested policymakers and researchers for decades. Management research has highlighted that private ownership can improve the efficiency of production. However, regarding environmental efficiency, the public sector often outperforms the private sector. Furthermore, the so-called <em>synergy hypothesis</em> suggests that countries with a strong public sector might be better positioned to address environmental problems than other countries, because of their already existing governance related to welfare. Yet, empirical evidence so far has mostly suggested otherwise. Here, we contribute to these debates by 1) providing an analysis of the consumption-based environmental intensities of government versus household consumption and 2) testing the <em>synergy hypothesis</em> using the environmental intensities as the measure of environmental performance. Our results show that government consumption has lower carbon, material, and land use intensities compared to household consumption – particularly in services, and in most countries, also in energy. Yet, in several countries, households have lower intensities for tangible goods and food, potentially pointing to shortcomings in public procurement policies. We also find support for the <em>synergy hypothesis</em>: countries with higher public social expenditure (% of GDP) tend to have lower environmental intensities, even when controlling for final demand per capita.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108791"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145995613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global production potential and environmental benefits of alternative proteins from biowaste","authors":"Xue Bai ,&nbsp;Yi Gong ,&nbsp;Wei Wei ,&nbsp;Wen Wang ,&nbsp;Minghao Zhuang ,&nbsp;Yi Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108818","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108818","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Upcycling biowaste into insect and microbial proteins can enhance food system circularity; however, their global production potential and environmental benefits remain uncertain. In 2020, global biowaste could generate 58 Mt of insect protein or 146 Mt of microbial protein—exceeding global meat protein or meeting 53%–100% of soybean meal protein demand. Using Life Cycle Assessment combined with global scenario analysis, substituting soybean meal with alternative proteins yields moderate GHG reductions (-13 to -25 kg CO₂e kg⁻¹ protein). Substituting meat protein yields larger GHG reductions (-107 to -1230 kg CO₂e kg⁻¹ protein), alongside decreases in terrestrial acidification (-0.003 to -1.2 kg SO₂e), eutrophication (-0.2 to -1.2 kg PO₄e) and fine particulate matter (-0.03 to -0.24 kg PM_2.5e). Globally replacing soybean meal first and then progressively meat could mitigate 0.9–12.2 Gt CO₂e yr⁻¹ by 2050. However, achieving higher mitigation levels require greater technological innovation, institutional support, and cultural shifts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108818"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146071739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recycling lithium-ion-battery cathode oxides into master alloys for stainless steel via hydrogen reduction","authors":"Na Gong,&nbsp;David C. Dunand","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108809","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108809","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We present a sustainable pyrometallurgical strategy for recycling spent LiNi₀_.₆Co₀_.₂Mn₀_.₂O₂ (LNCMO) and LNCMO + 10% LiFePO₄ (LFP) through direct hydrogen reduction to Ni-Co-Mn(-Fe) master alloys for steelmaking. In LNCMO, Ni and Co oxides reduce concurrently at ∼480 °C, while Mn oxide reduces more gradually via a MnO intermediate before dissolving into the Ni-Co matrix to form a face-centered-cubic (FCC) Ni-Co-Mn alloy, with ∼2–4 wt.% of Mn lost by volatilization. Li₂O forms at ∼600 °C then volatilizes by 900 °C. With 10% LFP, decomposition begins at lower temperature (∼310 °C), and Fe enters the FCC alloy near 400 °C. Li₂O forms at ∼560 °C and either volatilizes or forms Li₃PO₄ inclusions. Metallography confirms a nearly fully reduced, interconnected FCC metallic network facilitating H₂/H₂O transport. Reduced Ni-Co-Mn(-Fe) is remelted with Fe and Fe-Cr to produce a Fe-(18–19)Cr-(8–9)Ni-3Co-(2–3)Mn alloy matching 304-grade stainless steel, with Co expected to enhance mechanical and corrosion resistance. This hydrogen-based route offers a scalable, low-CO₂ alternative to carbothermic recycling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108809"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modelling material flows and cost-benefit of sorting PLA packaging waste in material recovery facilities under different market penetration scenarios","authors":"Wang Li ,&nbsp;Alexandra Schmuck ,&nbsp;Louis Van Caelenberg ,&nbsp;Virginie Decottignies ,&nbsp;Hy Boui Chang ,&nbsp;Adeline Dupas ,&nbsp;Peter Ragaert ,&nbsp;Shreyash Anil Gujar ,&nbsp;Marcel C P van Eijk ,&nbsp;Steven De Meester","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108811","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108811","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Currently, bio-based and compostable plastic packaging is generally not sorted at material recovery facilities (MRFs) due to its limited market penetration. Instead, such bioplastics are criticised for contaminating other target streams, such as PET bottles at MRFs, yet there is limited evidence to support these claims. This work aims to fill this knowledge gap with a focus on polylactic acid (PLA) packaging waste, by applying a mathematical model to predict the material flow of PLA within MRFs and evaluates the economic viability of bioplastic sorting under different market penetration grades. Our model shows that under current market penetration, the predicted presence of PLA in the PET bottle stream is 7.8 ppm, which is below the suggested threshold concentration without degrading PET recycling (1000 ppm). This still holds true even under high market penetration conditions (200 ppm), assuming that the sorting sequence is adapted to accommodate variations in input waste composition at MRF. The sorting cost of PLA decreases from 906 EUR/t at current market penetration to 170 EUR/t when 1% of post-consumer PLA packaging material is reached at MRF input streams, with an expected break-even point at 2.4%. Moreover, the required PLA volume decreases with increasing near-infrared spectroscopy NIR sorting efficiency alongside the expansion of PLA packaging applications. Furthermore, labour cost, market demand for recovered PLA, and landfill/incineration gate fees are key parameters that substantially affect the cost model result. Overall, the findings from this work suggest that PLA present at MRFs pose no significant issue in current sorting practices, whereas investing in PLA sorting only makes economic sense under strong market growth scenarios of PLA, to achieve circular bioeconomy goals and recycled content targets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108811"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of negative carbon sustainable aviation fuels from paper sludge","authors":"Jiawei Huang,&nbsp;Yinqiao Wang,&nbsp;Sunkyu Park,&nbsp;Kai Lan","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108824","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108824","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Paper sludge, a solid waste from paper mills, is a promising feedstock for producing sustainable bioproducts and decarbonizing the pulp and paper industry. This study developed a life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis to explore the environmental and economic feasibility of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced from paper sludge with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The analysis is integrated with full-scale process design and rigorous simulation models developed in Aspen Plus. Our results show that, with CCS, the global warming potential (GWP) of SAF reaches negative carbon at –166.4 to –108.7 g CO₂eq/MJ with a minimum fuel selling price (MFSP) of $8.0–$10.0/gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE). Without CCS, the GWP increases to 38.8–71.6 g CO₂eq/MJ, but the MFSP decreases to $5.2–$7.0/GGE. SAF production from paper sludge with CCS offers a potential solution to advance the decarbonization of the aviation sector and pulp and paper industries toward net-zero emissions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108824"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From e-waste to resource: Identifying the optimal pre-treatment for copper recovery from waste PCBs","authors":"Moisés Gómez ,&nbsp;Daniel Peña-Torres ,&nbsp;Melanie Colet-Lagrille ,&nbsp;Katherine Jaramillo ,&nbsp;I.M.S.K. Ilankoon ,&nbsp;Xianlai Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108821","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108821","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The effective recovery of copper from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) is crucial for promoting circularity in the electronic sector and mitigating resource loss. This study identifies and evaluates thirteen pre-treatment methods—classified as mechanical, thermal, chemical, and innovative—using 23 technical, environmental, and economic indicators. A multi-criteria decision analysis (based on the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions, TOPSIS) was applied under four weighting scenarios to reflect different prioritisation strategies. Results show that automated disassembly consistently ranks highest when technical and environmental performance is prioritised, while manual dismantling prevails under cost-sensitive conditions. Sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of these rankings, highlighting trade-offs between efficiency, environmental impact, and economic feasibility. Although still mostly at the laboratory scale, automated disassembly shows strong potential for efficient, low-impact copper recovery, and scaling with artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics could drive sustainable e-waste management and ease copper supply constraints.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108821"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lifetime effects on wood waste generation and the cascading potential of waste wood from Finnish houses","authors":"Bahareh Nasiri,&nbsp;Mark Hughes","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108804","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108804","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study integrates an inflow-driven dynamic material flow model to estimate both the quantity and quality of wood outflows using lifetime distributions. It also assesses the cascading potential of wood under two scenarios: one with cascading and one without. The model builds upon the dynamic-stock-model Python package, which the authors further developed to incorporate material quality. As input, the model uses the gross floor area of houses built in Finland between 1966 and 2020.</div><div>The findings underscore the crucial role of decay functions and the selection of their variables, highlighting the need for continued research to refine these aspects. The scenarios and lifetime effects reveal that wood cascading has a greater effect on reducing total wood outflows than merely extending the lifetime of buildings. Furthermore, the cascade scenario (30 % reuse and 70 % recycling) shows a great potential for cascading in the wood sector, highlighting its effectiveness in minimizing wood waste compared to the non-cascading scenario.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108804"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146014922","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconfiguring China’s interprovincial rice distribution to support low-carbon goals under climate change","authors":"Jintao Yang ,&nbsp;Fang-He Zhao ,&nbsp;Manchun Li ,&nbsp;Penghui Jiang ,&nbsp;Zhepeng Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108816","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108816","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Current understanding of low-carbon food distribution is limited by the lack of observed grain flow data and forward-looking scenario analysis. In this study, we construct China’s interprovincial rice distribution network for 2020 using 30,524 observed trade records. We then project provincial rice supply and demand dynamics for 2030 under four Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios, employing the Global Agro-Ecological Zones (GAEZ) and Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) models. Subsequently, a scenario-based linear programming framework is applied to explore optimized low-carbon trade configurations. Results indicate that, compared to simulations focused solely on minimizing transport costs, observed trade flows capture substantial long-distance interprovincial exchanges that cost-based models tend to overlook. Moreover, optimized flows could reduce total carbon emissions from rice distribution by 16.1%-20.5% in 2030. These findings offer robust empirical and modeling evidence to inform the reconfiguration of grain distribution systems and support region-specific adaptation strategies under future climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108816"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Addressing global environmental consequences of China's grain imports","authors":"Wang Jian ,&nbsp;Li Fei ,&nbsp;Wang Yibin","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108827","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108827","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing grain import strategies to alleviate the pressure of China’s imports on global environment is an important sustainability challenge in the coming decades; however, insufficient attention has been paid to the net impact on the global environment and the trade-off between different environmental consequences. Therefore, this study employed the WITCH-GLOBIOM and GAEZ models to evaluate the net environmental impact of China's future grain imports under different import strategies—keep status quo (KSQ), greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction (GER), and aims at cropland saving (CLS)—and proposed a sustainable import strategy. It is found that China’s grain imports will peak in 2035 at around 26.07∼160.8 Mt. Compared with domestic production, import of grains excluding rice (CER) is projected to cumulatively reduce GHG emissions by 59.96∼75.52 Mt CO₂eq during 2021–2050, while rice imports will lead to an increase of -5.32∼59.83 Mt CO₂eq. Imported grains will consume about 1.86–12.6 Mha more cropland than domestic production, which increases the risk of global deforestation and grassland clearing. The trade-offs between GHG emissions and cropland saving can be addressed by adopting a cropland-saving strategy for CER imports and a GHG emission reduction strategy for rice imports. Producing more rice domestically would both reduce stress on the global environment and increase China’s food self-sufficiency. This study aims to identify and compare environmentally preferable import patterns and propose a more sustainable strategy portfolio under multiple scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108827"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146110280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping the global flow of fiber-reinforced polymer composites and supply chain energy requirements","authors":"Zhuoer Li,&nbsp;Mihaela Banu,&nbsp;Daniel R. Cooper","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108787","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2026.108787","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Production of fiber-reinforced polymer composites is materially-inefficient and energy-intensive. This study identifies improvement opportunities by conducting a material flow and energy analysis of the 2024 global composite supply chain. Bayesian inference is used to reconcile production material flow data extracted from academic and grey literature (e.g., industry reports) with data noise assigned using a Pedigree Matrix, generating balanced mass flows with quantified uncertainty. Supply chain energy requirements are determined by coupling the material flows with feedstock and process energy intensities collected from LCA literature and databases.</div><div>In 2024, around 12.2 Mt of composites entered use, requiring around 2030 PJ_primary to produce and generating approximately 2.5 Mt of manufacturing scrap. Component production from feedstocks accounted for 45% of primary energy demand (60:40, thermoset:thermoplastic), followed by resin (40%) and fiber (15%) production. This study discusses opportunities and challenges in transitioning to lower-energy production, including alternatives to energy-intensive oil-based feedstocks and more efficient manufacturing processes. Energy attributable to system material losses (determined using input–output analysis) rivaled those of the largest end-use sectors. This study examines strategies to increase system-level material utilization by boosting closed-loop recycling of mass-production scrap (e.g., from injection molding) and shifting from low-yield (semi-)manual processes to automated manufacturing (e.g., pultrusion).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 108787"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145929111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}