Development of a sustainability-oriented university laboratory: Insight into adsorption kinetics models for the removal of pollutants from aqueous solution.

The aim of the present research is to show the development of a sustainability-oriented lab that teaches adsorption concepts in a virtual environment based on the premise "learning-through-play". Kinetic results in the virtual environment are contrasted to those obtained experimentally when diverse adsorbents prepared from Agave Bagasse (Raw Fibers, Hydrothermal Fibers, and Activated Fibers) were synthesized. Comparison between virtual and real-life experiments involving removal of methylene blue in solution showed that a pseudo-first-order model could describe adsorption kinetics satisfactorily. The study is complemented with a characterization of the adsorbents through SEM, nitrogen adsorption isotherms, FTIR and Raman. In addition, the environmental impact of the synthesis of adsorbents was evaluated through well-known methodologies (GAPI, NEMI, and Eco-Scale), which agree that raw fibers are the most eco-friendly material. This research provides an exciting opportunity to advance our knowledge on developing new technologies for teaching in engineering and to compliment real-life practices that consider environmental impacts with virtual experiments.

"Social learning, innovation, and sustainability: The search for directions beyond a systematic literature review".

The literature frames social learning as a critical concept when searching for sustainability and innovation. Its prominent position in various studies has raised questions about the role played by such a theory and the possibility of new research perspectives. Therefore, this paper analyzed future research directions in social learning, sustainability, and innovation through a systematic literature review. By using four guiding questions, this qualitative study conducted a systematic literature review in the Web of Science, Scopus, and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) databases using the search terms "social learning," "sustain*," and "innovation." to identify, evaluate, and interpret relevant available studies. For the analysis, hermeneutic units were created to construct relationships between papers of different perspectives and subjects, namely social learning for sustainability and innovation. The results demonstrated that instrumentalizing social learning theory has been essential to promoting sustainability and innovation. Regarding innovation, social learning creates opportunities for innovation because it motivates change and questions rules and norms. Studies on social learning for sustainability were the most representative although few studies have focused on what individuals become after an intervention based on social learning; they only applied the concept and demonstrated the processes of carrying out interventions, who participates, and how and why it happens. Additionally, the highlighted changes are not ontological, but epistemological, even though social learning and innovation seem to intertwine to change and promote sustainability. This study's contribution lies in the theoretical perspective since a kind of taxonomy was produced with the results from the databases, enabling advances for future research. The uniform treatment attributed to innovation was a limitation, refraining from differentiating its various nuances. Nevertheless, the originality of this article is the intersection between two theoretical perspectives - social learning and innovation - in the common and complex field of sustainability.

Stakeholders, innovative business models for the circular economy and sustainable performance of firms in an emerging economy facing institutional voids.

The literature on the diffusion of the circular economy (CE) rarely provides empirical evidence from emerging economies that face institutional voids and sustainability paradoxes. In contrast, drawing on stakeholder theory, in this paper we test a research framework capable of capturing the imbricated and complex relations among stakeholder pressure, barriers to and motivators of the CE, circular business models, and firms' sustainable performance. Survey-based primary data was gathered from Brazilian industrial companies which lack regulatory clarity regarding the implementation of a CE. Our research results comprise both expected and unexpected outcomes: (i) differing from other countries, the relevance of regulatory stakeholders in Brazil could not be fully confirmed, adding complexity to the topic; (ii) unexpectedly, in this research, company owners/shareholders were the most salient stakeholders; (iii) stakeholders do indeed exert influence on how firms deal with barriers to and motivators of a CE; (iv) we found that internal barriers and internal motivators were perceived as more intense than external ones, which may create organizational tensions; (v) the adoption of a CE by firms tends to improve their sustainable performance; (vi) the previous possession of ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certifications may control the way companies perceive the benefits of a CE.

Saponins and microbial biosurfactants: Potential raw materials for the formulation of cosmetics.

The cosmetic industry is currently one of the fasting growing sections of the economy in many countries. The recent tendency toward the use of cosmetics of a natural origin has driven the industry to seek alternatives to synthetic components in the formulation of products. Biosurfactants are natural compounds that have considerable potential for application in the formulation of safe, effective cosmetics as a replacement for commonly used chemical tensioactive agents. The present review provides essential information on the physicochemical and biological properties of saponins and microbial biosurfactants employed in cosmetic products, with a focus on the use of these natural compounds in shampoos, addressing the current state of research and patents involving biosurfactants for this purpose. The challenges and prospects of this cosmetic application are also discussed. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:1482-1493, 2018.

Inovação tecnológica para a sustentabilidade: aprendizados de sucessos e fracassos / Technological innovation for sustainability: learning from successes and failures

RESUMO O estudo analisa casos de empresas multinacionais em diferentes setores: bens de consumo, sucroenergético, químico, e transportes. A principal contribuição da pesquisa é focada na discussão em como diferentes instrumentos de políticas públicas e ambientes institucionais direcionam projetos de ecoinovação em empresas, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento de uma economia de baixo carbono.

ABSTRACT This study analyzes cases of multinationals companies in different sectors: consumer goods, energy and sugarcane, chemical and transportation. Its main contribution is focused on how different public policy instruments and institutional environments are driving eco-innovation projects in companies, contributing to the development of a low-carbon economy.