Designing a circular carbon and plastics economy for a sustainable future.

The linear production and consumption of plastics today is unsustainable. It creates large amounts of unnecessary and mismanaged waste, pollution and carbon dioxide emissions, undermining global climate targets and the Sustainable Development Goals. This Perspective provides an integrated technological, economic and legal view on how to deliver a circular carbon and plastics economy that minimizes carbon dioxide emissions. Different pathways that maximize recirculation of carbon (dioxide) between plastics waste and feedstocks are outlined, including mechanical, chemical and biological recycling, and those involving the use of biomass and carbon dioxide. Four future scenarios are described, only one of which achieves sufficient greenhouse gas savings in line with global climate targets. Such a bold system change requires 50% reduction in future plastic demand, complete phase-out of fossil-derived plastics, 95% recycling rates of retrievable plastics and use of renewable energy. It is hard to overstate the challenge of achieving this goal. We therefore present a roadmap outlining the scale and timing of the economic and legal interventions that could possibly support this. Assessing the service lifespan and recoverability of plastic products, along with considerations of sufficiency and smart design, can moreover provide design principles to guide future manufacturing, use and disposal of plastics.

Country-specific net-zero strategies of the pulp and paper industry.

The pulp and paper industry is an important contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions1,2. Country-specific strategies are essential for the industry to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, given its vast heterogeneities across countries3,4. Here we develop a comprehensive bottom-up assessment of net greenhouse gas emissions of the domestic paper-related sectors for 30 major countries from 1961 to 2019-about 3.2% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions from the same period5-and explore mitigation strategies through 2,160 scenarios covering key factors. Our results show substantial differences across countries in terms of historical emissions evolution trends and structure. All countries can achieve net-zero emissions for their pulp and paper industry by 2050, with a single measure for most developed countries and several measures for most developing countries. Except for energy-efficiency improvement and energy-system decarbonization, tropical developing countries with abundant forest resources should give priority to sustainable forest management, whereas other developing countries should pay more attention to enhancing methane capture rate and reducing recycling. These insights are crucial for developing net-zero strategies tailored to each country and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 for the pulp and paper industry.

Nursing entrepreneur care in social inequity contexts.

OBJECTIVES: to identify emancipatory strategies to strengthen the social protagonism of recyclable materials collectors in the light of entrepreneurial Nursing care. METHODS: qualitative study carried out in two stages: field approach from healthcare interventions in a Recycling Materials Association, and individual interviews conducted between October and December 2018. RESULTS: the analysis resulted in three thematic categories: Social contribution of recyclable materials collectors; From the assistentialist perception to entrepreneurial Nursing care; Emancipatory strategies of recycling work. Final Considerations: the emancipatory strategies to strengthen the social protagonism of recyclable materials collectors in the light of entrepreneurial Nursing care are related to the appreciation, recognition and enhancement of social work that has been already performed by these professionals, and to the creation of spaces for the socialization of experiences, expectations and perspectives.

Nursing entrepreneur care in social inequity contexts / El cuidado emprendedor de enfermería en contextos de inequidades sociales / O cuidado empreendedor de enfermagem em contextos de iniquidades sociais

ABSTRACT Objectives: to identify emancipatory strategies to strengthen the social protagonism of recyclable materials collectors in the light of entrepreneurial Nursing care. Methods: qualitative study carried out in two stages: field approach from healthcare interventions in a Recycling Materials Association, and individual interviews conducted between October and December 2018. Results: the analysis resulted in three thematic categories: Social contribution of recyclable materials collectors; From the assistentialist perception to entrepreneurial Nursing care; Emancipatory strategies of recycling work. Final Considerations: the emancipatory strategies to strengthen the social protagonism of recyclable materials collectors in the light of entrepreneurial Nursing care are related to the appreciation, recognition and enhancement of social work that has been already performed by these professionals, and to the creation of spaces for the socialization of experiences, expectations and perspectives.

RESUMEN Objetivos: identificar estrategias emancipadoras para el fortalecimiento del protagonismo social de recolectores de materiales reciclables, a la luz del cuidado emprendedor de Enfermería. Métodos: estudio cualitativo realizado en dos etapas: aproximación de campo en una Asociación de Materiales Reciclables, a partir de intervenciones de cuidado y, en la segunda, la realización de entrevistas individuales, entre los meses de octubre y diciembre de 2018. Resultados: el análisis ha resultado en tres categorías temáticas: Contribución social del recolector de materiales reciclables; De la percepción asistencialista al cuidado emprendedor de Enfermería; Estrategias emancipadoras del trabajo de reciclaje. Consideraciones Finales: las estrategias emancipadoras para fortalecer el protagonismo social de recolectores de materiales reciclables, a la luz del cuidado emprendedor de Enfermería, están relacionadas con la valorización, el reconocimiento y la potenciación del trabajo social que ya vienen siendo realizados por estos profesionales, y con la creación de espacios para la socialización de vivencias, expectativas y perspectivas futuras.

RESUMO Objetivos: identificar estratégias emancipadoras para fortalecer o protagonismo social de colecionadores de materiais recicláveis à luz do cuidado empreendedor de Enfermagem. Métodos: estudo qualitativo realizado em duas etapas: aproximação de campo em uma Associação de Materiais Recicláveis, a partir de intervenções de cuidado; e, na segunda, a realização de entrevistas individuais entre os meses de outubro e dezembro de 2018. Resultados: a análise resultou em três categorias temáticas: Contribuição social do colecionador de materiais recicláveis; Da percepção assistencialista ao cuidado empreendedor de Enfermagem; Estratégias emancipadoras do trabalho de reciclagem. Considerações Finais: as estratégias emancipadoras para fortalecer o protagonismo social de colecionadores de materiais recicláveis à luz do cuidado empreendedor de Enfermagem estão relacionadas com a valorização, o reconhecimento e a potencialização do trabalho social que já vem sendo realizado por estes profissionais, e com a criação de espaços para a socialização de vivências, expectativas e perspectivas futuras.

Plastic waste as a global challenge: are biodegradable plastics the answer to the plastic waste problem?

The strength, flexibility and light weight of traditional oil-derived plastics make them ideal materials for a large number of applications, including packaging, medical devices, building, transportation, etc. However, the majority of produced plastics are single-use plastics, which, coupled with a throw-away culture, leads to the accumulation of plastic waste and pollution, as well as the loss of a valuable resource. In this review we discuss the advances and possibilities in the biotransformation and biodegradation of oil-based plastics. We review bio-based and biodegradable polymers and highlight the importance of end-of-life management of biodegradables. Finally, we discuss the role of a circular economy in reducing plastic waste pollution.

The search for an alternative to piped water and sewer systems in the Alaskan Arctic.

Forty-two communities in rural Alaska are considered unserved or underserved with water and sewer infrastructure. Many challenges exist to provide centralized piped water and sewer infrastructure to the homes, and they are exacerbated by decreasing capital funding. Unserved communities in rural Alaska experience higher rates of disease, supporting the recommendation that sanitation infrastructure should be provided. Organizations are pursuing alternative solutions to conventional piped water and sewer in order to maximize water use and reuse for public health. This paper reviews initiatives led by the State of Alaska, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation to identify and develop potential long-term solutions appropriate and acceptable to rural communities. Future developments will likely evolve based on the lessons learned from the initiatives. Recommendations include Alaska-specific research needs, increased end-user participation in the design process, and integrated monitoring, evaluation, and information dissemination in future efforts.

An innovative approach to predict technology evolution for the desoldering of printed circuit boards: A perspective from China and America.

The printed circuit boards basis of electronic equipment have seen a rapid growth in recent years and played a significant role in modern life. Nowadays, the fact that electronic devices upgrade quickly necessitates a proper management of waste printed circuit boards. Non-destructive desoldering of waste printed circuit boards becomes the first and the most crucial step towards recycling electronic components. Owing to the diversity of materials and components, the separation process is difficult, which results in complex and expensive recovery of precious materials and electronic components from waste printed circuit boards. To cope with this problem, we proposed an innovative approach integrating Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) evolution theory and technology maturity mapping system to forecast the evolution trends of desoldering technology of waste printed circuit boards. This approach can be applied to analyse the technology evolution, as well as desoldering technology evolution, then research and development strategy and evolution laws can be recommended. As an example, the maturity of desoldering technology is analysed with a technology maturity mapping system model. What is more, desoldering methods in different stages are analysed and compared. According to the analysis, the technological evolution trends are predicted to be 'the law of energy conductivity' and 'increasing the degree of idealisation'. And the potential technology and evolutionary state of waste printed circuit boards are predicted, offering reference for future waste printed circuit boards recycling.

Developments in life cycle assessment applied to evaluate the environmental performance of construction and demolition wastes.

This paper provides a review of the literature that applies the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to the assessment of the environmental performance of the life cycle of construction and demolition waste (CDW) management systems. This article is focused on generating a general mapping of the literature and on identifying the best practices in compliance with LCA framework and proposing directions for future LCA studies in this field. The temporal evolution of the research in this field and the aim of the studies have grown in parallel with the legal framework related to waste and energy efficiency of buildings. Most studies have been published in Europe, followed by USA. Asia and Australia, being at an incipient application stage to the rest of the world. Topics related to "LCA of buildings, including their EoL" and "LCA of general CDW management strategies" are the most frequently analysed, followed by "LCA of EoL of construction elements" and "LCA of natural material vs recycled material". Regarding the strategies, recycling off-site and incineration, both combined with landfill for the rejected fractions, are the most commonly applied. Re-use or recycling on-site is the strategy least applied. The key aspect when LCA is applied to evaluate CDW management systems is the need to normalise which processes to include in the system boundary and the functional unit, the use of inventory data adapted to the context of the case study and the definition of a common set of appropriate impact assessment categories. Also, it is important to obtain results disaggregated by unit processes. This will allow the comparison between case studies.

An in-depth literature review of the waste electrical and electronic equipment context: trends and evolution.

The consumption of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is continuously increasing worldwide and, consequently, so is the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) it generates at its end-of-life. In parallel to this growth, legislation related to this issue has been passed in different countries with the aim of improving the management of WEEE. In order to raise awareness about the situation in which the generation, composition, management or final treatment of this kind of waste currently finds itself, an extensive number of articles have been published around the world. The aim of this paper is to define and analyse the main areas of research on WEEE by offering a broader analysis of the relevant literature in this field published between 1992 and August 2014. The literature researched comprises 307 articles, which are analysed according to the topic they focus on (WEEE management, WEEE generation, WEEE characterisation, social aspects of WEEE, re-use of EEE or economic aspects of WEEE). In addition, a deeper analysis is also presented, which takes into account the temporal evolution (globally and by topic), location of the study, categories and subcategories analysed, etc.