Valorization of hazardous plastic wastes into value-added resources by catalytic pyrolysis-gasification: A review of techno-economic analysis

Plastic waste pollution has grown exponentially since the 1950s. This situation was exacerbated when the volume of personal protective equipment (PPE)-based plastic waste surged after the COVID-19 pandemic. Plastic waste management such as landfills and incineration have adverse effects on the environment and human health due to the leaching of hazardous chemicals and the emission of toxic gases. Modern solutions such as biodegradable plastics and green brick technology are expensive and not well developed to valorize the current accumulation of plastic waste. This has led to the emergence of thermal degradation processes, which is faster and more realistic to solve the PPE-based plastic waste buildup. Pyrolysis and gasification systems to valorize plastic waste into hydrocarbons and fuels are discussed and compared with examples respectively. Scoping review approach is employed to conduct this study. To further increase the value of the final product of plastic waste management, the integrated pyrolysis system to upcycle plastic waste to carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) and the factors affecting the production of non-condensable gases are critically reviewed. The importance of feedstock composition, catalyst type, pyrolysis operating condition (including gas condition and temperature profiles) based on various studies is discussed. The potential and limitation of an integrated pyrolysis system are assessed from kinetic analysis, economic analysis and life-cycle assessment. This review is expected to contribute to the industrial-scale development of sustainable upcycling of plastic waste and enhance the production of desirable gas components for CNM synthesis for environmental sustainability.

Public Health Measures to Address the Impact of Climate Change on Population Health-Proceedings from a Stakeholder Workshop.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization identified climate change as the 21st century's biggest health threat. This study aimed to identify the current knowledge base, evidence gaps, and implications for climate action and health policymaking to address the health impact of climate change, including in the most underserved groups. METHODS: The Horizon-funded project ENBEL ('Enhancing Belmont Research Action to support EU policy making on climate change and health') organised a workshop at the 2021-European Public Health conference. Following presentations of mitigation and adaptation strategies, seven international researchers and public health experts participated in a panel discussion linking climate change and health. Two researchers transcribed and thematically analysed the panel discussion recording. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: (1) 'Evidence is key' in leading the climate debate, (2) the need for 'messaging about health for policymaking and behaviour change' including health co-benefits of climate action, (3) existing 'inequalities between and within countries', and (4) 'insufficient resources and funding' to implement national health adaptation plans and facilitate evidence generation and climate action, particularly in vulnerable populations. CONCLUSION: More capacity is needed to monitor health effects and inequities, evaluate adaptation and mitigation interventions, address current under-representations of low- or middle-income countries, and translate research into effective policymaking.

Scenarios for mitigating CO2 emissions from energy supply in the absence of CO2 removal

Key policy insights This paper investigates the effectiveness of different energy scenarios for achieving early reductions in global energy-related CO2 emissions on trajectories to zero or near-zero emissions by 2050. To keep global heating below 1.5°C without overshoot by 2050, global CO2 emissions must decline by about half by 2030. To achieve rapid, early emission reductions entails substantially changing recent pre-COVID (2000–2019) observed trends, which comprise increasing total primary energy supply (TPES) and approximately constant fraction of TPES derived from fossil fuels (FF fraction). Scenarios are developed to explore the effects of varying future trends in these variables in the absence of substantial CO2 removal, because relying on the latter is speculative and risky. The principal result is that, to reduce energy-related emissions to at least half the 2019 level by 2030 en route to zero or near-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, either TPES must be reduced to at least half its 2019 value by 2050 or impossibly rapid reductions must be made in the FF fraction of supply, given current technological options. Reduction in energy consumption likely entails economic degrowth in high-income countries, driven by policies that are socioeconomic, cultural and political, in addition to technological. This needs serious consideration and international cooperation. If global energy consumption grows at the pre-COVID rate, technological change alone cannot halve global CO2 emissions by 2030 and hence cannot keep global heating below 1.5°C by 2050. In the absence of substantial CO2 removal, policies are needed to reduce global energy consumption and hence foster degrowth in high-income economies. Policies to drive technological and socioeconomic changes could together cut global energy consumption and thus total primary energy supply and associated emissions by at least 75% by 2050. If global energy consumption grows at the pre-COVID rate, technological change alone cannot halve global CO2 emissions by 2030 and hence cannot keep global heating below 1.5°C by 2050.In the absence of substantial CO2 removal, policies are needed to reduce global energy consumption and hence foster degrowth in high-income economies.Policies to drive technological and socioeconomic changes could together cut global energy consumption and thus total primary energy supply and associated emissions by at least 75% by 2050. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Climate Policy (Taylor & Francis Ltd) is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

University leadership in climate mitigation: reducing emissions from waste through carbon pricing

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate potential impact of internal carbon pricing in emission reduction in Higher education institutions (HEIs). Over the past century, human activities have increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere. If GHG emissions continue their upward trend, this will disturb the natural balance and trigger abrupt changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting climate change would require a substantial and sustained reduction in GHG emissions from all sectors. HEIs, as major emitters, indeed need to respond to the demand to become more sustainable by making practical changes to the way their institution is run.Design/methodology/approachUsing emission data associated with campus waste, this study describes how HEIs can take the lead on emission reduction through the implementation of carbon pricing.FindingsSpecifically, this study estimates the cost of emissions from campus waste to illustrate the primary benefits of internal carbon pricing for scaling up campus carbon neutrality initiatives and describes practical implications for enhancing sustainable waste management in a university setting. This study will contribute to identifying the potential for emissions reduction through waste management using a carbon pricing mechanism in university settings.Originality/valueWhile carbon pricing has long been regarded as an alternative approach to tackling carbon pollution, it has not been thoroughly explored with regard to waste management.

Decarbonizing the oil refining industry: A systematic review of sociotechnical systems, technological innovations, and policy options

The oil refining industry, which was established in the mid-19th century, has become a foundation of modern society. While the refining of crude oil to produce transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and a variety of other products has brought manifold benefits, it has also led to the global proliferation of greenhouse gas emissions as well as local air pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels. The industry is therefore confronted with a growing need to decarbonize its operations, as well as to support decarbonization of the end use sectors that it directly enables. This paper provides a systematic and critical literature review to uncover the means by which the oil refining industry can decarbonize and evolve as part of an increasingly carbon constrained future. A sociotechnical perspective is used to understand the full range of industrial and economic activities where a decarbonized oil refining industry is expected to remain important and to provide the framework to assess key technical, economic, social and political factors that will likely impact the evolution of the oil refining industry. We highlight key opportunities for this industry to decarbonize while also exposing gaps in the existing literature concerning its decarbonization. The insights provided are expected to support policy makers, researchers and practitioners with the tools needed advance a low-carbon transition of the oil refining industry.