Sludge Management: Integrating the Principle of Circular Economy into the Concept of Sustainability

The development of sustainable sludge management systems requires looking at them with a new vision in which the concepts of SD(Sustainable Development)must integrate those of CE(Circular Economy),both concepts subject to the principles of TD(Thermodynamics),thus allowing the adoption of actions that are all the more effective the more complete the evaluation of the social dimension has been.This involves a new“Way of thinking”which sees the sludge system as the“Locomotive”of the entire wastewater/sludge treatment train and is developed through“Ways of acting”which includes both“Technical”actions to maximize recoveries of useful materials and/or or energy,and“Socio/Institutional”actions to overcome barriers linked to local cultures and traditions,also considering that the specific local context heavily influences the choices capable of satisfying the concepts of CE.It follows the need of issuing realistic and applicable regulations and overcoming social barriers,such as lack of infrastructure and/or qualified personnel,to achieve an effective integration of the concepts of CE with the more general ones of sustainability.

Human Effects on Tabounsou’s Coastal Ecosystem and the Matoto-Conakry Case Study of Sustainable Management Practices

Humans have always engaged with their surroundings and the ecology in which they live.However,during the industrial age,this contact has been more intense and has had a substantial impact on environment and ecosystems.For example,overexploitation of natural resources,mining,pollution,and deforestation are all elements that negatively affect biodiversity and natural resources.Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the damage caused,despite the significant uncontrolled pressure from human activity.However,maintaining its environment is essential to the survival of coastal fishing.Goal:This study’s goal was to evaluate how human activity affected Tabounsou’s coastal ecology in order to suggest remedial actions for sustainable management.The following was the methodological approach used:executive consultation and archival analysis;stakeholder survey(locals,farmers,salt producers,fishers,and loggers);inventory of species;anthropogenic activity inventory;evaluation of how human activity affects aquatic life in the research region;suggestion and action for sustainable management;Outcome:Executive consultation indicated that the main issues are:construction projects that reduce the estuary’s surface area;agricultural practices such as woodcutting and salt farming;the rise in resource exploitation;noncompliance with fisheries laws;and the catching of young fish.Eighty-three percent of fisherman ditch their nets on the coast after using them,but only seventeen percent burn them.With a 75%frequency rate,the same survey indicates that most fisherman fish around the coast.In the Tabounsou area,according to loggers’survey,68%of the wood cut is Rhizophora,24%is Avicennia,and 8%is Laguncularia.Three fish stocks,representing nine families and nine species,were identified by the species inventory.At 18%and 15%,respectively,the actors most frequently capture the species Pseudotolithus elongatus and Arius parkii.According to a poll of 30 farmers,90%of them apply fertilizer to their soil,while only 10%do not.During the dry season,salt is grown.According to two actors,Bougna Toro Toro produces 100 kg of salt per day,followed by Khoumawadé,which produces 80 kg,and Toumbibougni,which produces 70 kg.

A Review on Integration of IoT as an Approach for Energy Saving in Smart Sustainable Cities

Rapid urbanization has been happening around the world,leading to many challenges and difficulties in infrastructure,communication network,transportation,environmental and organizational problems.Proper and responsible management of urban resources plays a significant role in sustainable development.Smart sustainable cities use ICTs(Information and Communication Technologies)to improve quality of life,efficiency of urban operation and services.The latest advancement in communication,technology,data management,and IoT(Internet of Things)provide a tremendous role for practical implementations and adoption of devices and entities.Smart sustainable cities can be intellectualized as an innovative approach of controlling urban resources and valuable components based on the latest advancement in ICT.Our study focuses on reviewing and discussing the literature that states the vital components of IoT associated with smart sustainable cities in general and specifically with green energy.

Towards Greener Flying China develops sustainable aviation fuel for environmentally friendly air transport

At the 15th Airshow China,held in Zhuhai,Guangdong Province,from 12 to 17 November 2024,China Southern Airlines,in collaboration with the Global Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Centre and Airbus,presented a report on the development of sustainable aviation fuel(SAF).

Beauty Restored Xiamen presents a successful case of sustainable development of a bay city

Riding along Xiamen’s Xinglin Bay Marine Bicycle Lane feels like gliding between the sea and sky.This 2.6-km-long pathway,built above the sea,links two sides of the bay.

Nano/Micro-Structural Supramolecular Biopolymers: Innovative Networks with the Boundless Potential in Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture plays a crucial role in meeting the growing global demand for food while minimizing adverse environmental impacts from the overuse of synthetic pesticides and conventional fertilizers.In this context,renewable biopolymers being more sustainable offer a viable solution to improve agricultural sustainability and production.Nano/micro-structural supramolecular biopolymers are among these innovative biopolymers that are much sought after for their unique features.These biomaterials have complex hierarchical structures,great stability,adjustable mechanical strength,stimuli-responsiveness,and self-healing attributes.Functional molecules may be added to their flexible structure,for enabling novel agricultural uses.This overview scrutinizes how nano/micro-structural supramolecular biopolymers may radically alter farming practices and solve lingering problems in agricultural sector namely improve agricultural production,soil health,and resource efficiency.Controlled bioactive ingredient released from biopolymers allows the tailored administration of agrochemicals,bioactive agents,and biostimulators as they enhance nutrient absorption,moisture retention,and root growth.Nano/micro-structural supramolecular biopolymers may protect crops by appending antimicrobials and biosensing entities while their eco-friendliness supports sustainable agriculture.Despite their potential,further studies are warranted to understand and optimize their usage in agricultural domain.This effort seeks to bridge the knowledge gap by investigating their applications,challenges,and future prospects in the agricultural sector.Through experimental investigations and theoretical modeling,this overview aims to provide valuable insights into the practical implementation and optimization of supramolecular biopolymers in sustainable agriculture,ultimately contributing to the development of innovative and eco-friendly solutions to enhance agricultural productivity while minimizing environmental impact.

Sustainable Mining in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

The mining sector historically drove the global economy but at the expense of severe environmental and health repercussions,posing sustainability challenges[1]-[3].Recent advancements on artificial intelligence(AI)are revolutionizing mining through robotic and data-driven innovations[4]-[7].While AI offers mining industry advantages,it is crucial to acknowledge the potential risks associated with its widespread use.Over-reliance on AI may lead to a loss of human control over mining operations in the future,resulting in unpredictable consequences.

Enhancing sustainability in phosphate ore processing:Performance of frying oil as alternative flotation collector for carbonate removal

Recycling waste frying oils for the synthesis of flotation reagents presents a promising avenue for sustainable waste management.Moreover,it offers a cost-effective solution for crafting a specialized collector designed to efficiently remove carbonates and enhance phosphate enrichment in froth flotation processes.This study focuses on the synthesis of an anionic collector using the saponification reaction of a frying oil sample,subsequently applied to the flotation of calcite and dolomite.To elucidate the adsorption mechanisms of the frying oil collector(FrOC)and sodium oleate,a reference collector,on fluorapatite,calcite,dolomite,and quartz surfaces,comprehensive experiments were conducted,including zeta potential measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.Results revealed diverse adsorption affinities of the molecules towards these minerals.To assess the practical performance of the collector,flotation tests were conducted using a natural phosphate ore mixture,employing a BoxBehnken experimental design.Notably,under optimized conditions(pH 9,1000 g/t of FrOC,3.5 min of conditioning,and 6 min of flotation),FrOC exhibited excellent performance,with calcite and dolomite recoveries exceeding 80%,while apatite recovery in the concentrate fraction remained below 10%.This work exemplifies both circular economy practices and the distinctive approach to sustainable mineral processing.

Sustainable land management in Mali

This study uses logistic and Poisson regression models to examine the factors influencing the adoption of sustain-able land management(SLM)practices in Mali using two rounds of the nationally representative survey Enquête Agricole de Conjoncture Intégrée aux Conditions de Vie des Ménages.The SLMs considered include the applica-tion of organic fertilizers,the application of inorganic fertilizers,the use of improved seeds,and the practice of intercropping.On average the application of organic fertilizers(39.2%),and inorganic fertilizers(28.7%)are the most frequent SLM practices among Malian farmers,and between 2014 and 2017,we observe a decline in the practice of intercropping.The regression results show that farmers’adoption of different SLMs is significantly associated with biophysical factors(average temperature,climate type,plot size,plot shape,and location),de-mographic factors(age,gender,education,household size),and socioeconomic factors(number of cultivated plots,livelihood diversification,type of crop grown,market access,credit access,economic shocks,and social capital).Our findings suggest that policymakers and agricultural development agencies in Mali need to adopt a multidimensional policy framework to unlock the untapped potential of SLM practices in promoting sustainable agriculture and food security.

Understandings of Urban Sustainability in China:a Bibliometric Analysis Using Chinese Literatures

Cities hold a critical responsibility for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)due to their high population density,extensive resource consumption,and significant economic contributions.To examine the present state of understandings regarding urban sustainability(SDG 11:Sustainable Cities and Communities)within Chinese research communities,this study collected 15950 papers from 1994 to 2022 on the 12 indicators of SDG 11,from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),a hub of Chinese academic papers,that directly relate to policymaking.Significant research topics on SDG 11 were identified for each indicator using bibliometrics analysis approaches.The high-frequency keywords and clusters of keywords over the last three decades reveal that existing studies primarily concentrated on the physical aspects,such as transportation and environment,while there is a lack of consideration of societal aspects.This indicates a limited and biased understanding of the urban sustainability within the Chinese academic community.Hence,it is crucial to prioritize the societal aspects in order to develop a research agenda that further advances urban sustainability.

Global sustainable agriculture and land management systems

The paper introduces a Special Issue based on presentations to the Agricultural Geography and Land Engineering(AGLE)Commission sessions of the International Geographical Union(IGU)at the IGU’s Congress in Paris in 2022.The sessions contrasted different approaches towards attaining greater sustainability in agricultural production to satisfy the need to feed the ever-increasing human population,currently expected to reach close to ten billion by 2050.After considering the multi-faceted problem of defining sustainable agriculture,this introduction systematically outlines broad strategies to attain the varied outcomes desired by agricultural systems.Presenting a contrast between ecocentric and technocentric approaches provides opportunities to synthesize recent literature addressing the pros and cons of these two broad alternatives.Recognition of the ecological and socio-cultural benefits accruing from the ecocentric has long been championed by proponents of a wide range of environmentally friendly farming systems,including organic farming,climate-smart agriculture,agroforestry,and permaculture.The technocentric lies at the heart of so-called Agriculture 4.0,in which innovations such as precision farming,digital technology,and genetic modification are applied to increase production per unit area.The potential for technology to‘solve’the world’s food crisis is supported by those who argue that ecocentric approaches alone cannot meet the rising demand for food.Yet,questions remain about the sustainability of new technology-based methods,so a strong and ongoing debate continues regarding how to attain greater sustainability alongside increasing agricultural output.This debate is exemplified in the contributions to the Special Issue outlined herewith.

Sustainable Water Management Through Pani Panchayats: Stakeholder Perspectives from Angul and Dhenkanal Districts of Odisha

This study evaluates the impact of the Pani Panchayat initiative, a community-based water management program, in the Angul and Dhenkanal districts of Odisha. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, we gathered qualitative and quantitative data through structured interviews with diverse stakeholders, focus group discussions, and surveys. The findings indicate that the Angul district exhibited higher levels of fair elections and improved water access due to better canal maintenance, while the Dhenkanal district faced challenges from industrial water usage. The study also examines the potential of technological advancements, such as real-time water monitoring, to enhance governance. By identifying synergies and gaps with existing water policies, the research provides policy recommendations to promote sustainable water management in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

Constructing a standard system of city sustainable development assessment technology based on the SDGs

Given the rapid development of China’s new urbanization,cities with different locations and varying functional positioning,resource endowments,and development stages have insufficient scientific and applicable technical tools for implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).City managers and policymakers must urgently establish SDG benchmarks to diagnose city development.Moreover,successful experiences from similar cities regarding sustainable development and self-improvement must be learned from to promote diversified,sustainable development across the country.Furthermore,emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,the Internet of Things,big data and 5G are widely used in smart cities.Therefore,there is a growing need for“knowledge-based,personalized and intelligent”technologies to support monitoring,evaluation,and decision-making processes facilitating sustainable development in cities.This paper uses standardization as the theoretical support and technical basis.This approach can help clarify the sustainable development processes in China and clarify the evaluation results of and provide data on horizontal city comparisons,which can be used to develop evaluation technology for sustainable development in cities and construct a standardized system.The results provide a standard framework for intelligent assessment and decision-making regarding cities’sustainable development capabilities in China.Evaluating major international standardization institutions reveals that the practices of Chinese national standards should be fully absorbed and integrated to guide the evaluation of smart,resilient,and low-carbon cities.To this end,an indicator library of city sustainable development is proposed to provide standard evaluation technology methods.Finally,analyzing the response relationship of the indicator library to SDGs reveals the need for a standardized knowledge map of sustainable development assessment techniques and methods from the perspective of integrated management for sustainable development in cities.

Recycled graphite for more sustainable lithium-ion batteries

The demand for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)is driven largely by their use in electric vehicles,which is projected to increase dramatically in the future.This great success,however,urgently calls for the efficient recycling of LIBs at the end of their life.Herein,we describe a froth flotation-based process to recycle graphite—the predominant active material for the negative electrode—from spent LIBs and investigate its reuse in newly assembled LIBs.It has been found that the structure and morphology of the recycled graphite are essentially unchanged compared to pristine commercial anode-grade graphite,and despite some minor impurities from the recycling process,the recycled graphite provides a remarkable reversible specific capacity of more than 350 mAh g^(−1).Even more importantly,newly assembled graphite‖NMC532 cells show excellent cycling stability with a capacity retention of 80%after 1000 cycles,that is,comparable to the performance of reference full cells comprising pristine commercial graphite.

Cardiac infiltration of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma manifesting as sustained ventricular tachycardia:a case report

Cardiac tumors are rare.However,cardiac metastases can occur in up to 10%of patients with cancer.Among cardiac neoplasms,metastases are much more common than primary cardiac tumors.[1]Metastatic cardiac neoplasms most frequently metastasize from the respiratory system.

Geo-spatial innovations and community engagement:Charting a new course for sustainable mining

A recent landmark report published in Nature(Maus and Werner,2024)has highlighted the extensive impact of global mining on the environment and communities,particularly in the context of increasing demand for minerals and metals driven by the rise in clean energy technologies.This report illuminates not only the wide-ranging ecological and societal ramifications of global mining but also casts a spotlight on pressing concerns such as data scarcity and the sector’s opacity.By providing a comprehensive evaluation of the mining industry’s footprint,it intricately connects the growing need for raw materials with environmental sustainability and community welfare.

‘Jelly to Joule’:Direct laser writing of sustainable jellyfish-based ‘graphenic silicon’ anodes for environmentally remediating high-performance lithium-ion batteries

The ramifications of global climate change and resource scarcities have made it imperative to re-examine the definition of sustainable energy-storage systems.It is crucial to recognize that not all renewable resources are inherently sustainable,and their full impact on the environment must be assessed.With the proliferation of invasive jellyfish species wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems and economies worldwide,utilizing overabundant jellyfish as a carbon source presents an opportunity to create energy-storage systems that are both financially beneficial and environmentally remediating.Accordingly,a comprehensive approach to sustainability also requires eco-friendly solutions throughout the entire lifecycle,from material sourcing to battery production,without compromising highperformance requirements.Currently,most electrode syntheses for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) employed are energy-intensive,multiple-steps,complex,and additive-heavy.In response,this work pioneers the straightforward use of low-energy laser irradiation of a jellyfish biomass/silicon nanoparticle blend to encapsulate the silicon nanoparticles in-situ within the as-forming conductive carbonized matrix,creating sustainable and additive-free composite anodes.The self-standing anode is directly synthesized under ambient conditions and requires no post-processing.Here,a laser-synthesized conductive threedimensional porous carbon/silicon composite anode from raw jellyfish biomass for LIBs is presented,displaying outstanding cyclic stability(>1000 cycles),excellent capacity retention(>50% retention after1000 cycles),exceptional coulombic efficiency(>99%),superb reversible gravimetric capacity(>2000 mAh/g),and high rate performance capability(>1.6 A/g),paving a new path to future sustainable energy production.

Scientific principles for accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)are significantly off-course as we reach the midpoint of their 2030 deadline.From a scientific perspective,the critical challenge in achieving the SDGs lies in the need for more scientific principles to understand the complex socio-ecological systems(SES)and their interactions influencing the 17 SDGs.Here,we propose a scientific framework to clarify the common scientific principles and the rational treatment of diversity under these principles.The framework’s core is revealing the complex mechanisms underlying the achievement of each Sustainable Development Goal(SDG)and SDG interactions.Building upon the identified mechanisms,complex SES models can be established,and the implementation of SDGs can be formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem,seeking a compromise in competition between essential costs and desired benefits.Our framework can assist countries,and even the world in accelerating progress towards the SDGs.

Synergistic integration of climate change and zoonotic diseases by artificial intelligence:a holistic approach for sustainable solutions

Artificial intelligence(AI)is a rapidly evolving field that can impel research in communicable diseases with respect to climate projections,ecological indicators and environmental impact,at the same time revealing new,previously overlooked events.A number of zoonotic and vector-borne diseases already show signs of expanding their northern geographical ranges and appropriate risk assessment and decision support are urgently needed.The deployment of AI-enabled monitoring systems tracking animal populations and environmental changes is of immense potential in the study of transmission under different climate scenarios.In addition,AI's capability to identify new treatments should not only accelerate drug and vaccine discovery but also help predicting their effectiveness,while its contribution to genetic pathogen speciation would assist the evaluation of spillover risks with regard to viral infections from animals to human.Close collaboration between AI experts,epidemiologists and other stakeholders is not only crucial for responding to challenges interconnected with a variety of variables effectively,but also necessary to warrant responsible AI use.Despite its wider successful implementation in many fields,AI should be seen as a complement to,rather than a replacement of,traditional public health measures.

Addressing inclusion,innovation,and sustainability challenges through the lens of economic geography:Introducing the hierarchical regional innovation system

The world is facing dramatic challenges related to environmental sustainability at an accelerating pace.In this context,the field of economic geography(EG)has been playing an important role in understanding both the socioeconomic and technological dimensions of these challenges,as it deals with a variety of complementary notions and perspectives.Departing from this lens,our aim is to explore a conceptual framework that can help us to understand environmental changes relating to multi-dimensional territorial development,notably in eco-nomic contexts where inequality is high,and stratification based on hierarchies regulate social and economic life.Based on the territory concept,we propose the original notion of a hierarchical regional innovation system(HRIS)that emphasises the pervasive role of hierarchies(powers)in regional innovation systems and illustrate its value with evidence and case studies from extant literature on sustainability transitions.The HRIS can help us understand and promote development paths considering the contribution of inclusive eco-innovations(another original conceptual amalgam).Through some empirical cases from other studies in low-carbon transitions,we show the application of the HRIS(and inclusive eco-innovation)framework.In conclusion,we provide incen-tives to explore new regional innovation systems,alongside the HRIS,adapted to different regions worldwide and centred on the inclusiveness of people and places.