Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A Multi-Objective Optimization Model for Multi-Facility Decisions of Infectious Waste Transshipment and Disposal

Researchers developed a multi-objective optimization model for infectious waste disposal balancing economic, social, and environmental concerns using consolidation facilities.

2023 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mitigating greenhouse gases emissions in processing fossil carbon containing industrial waste

Researchers assessed best available techniques (BAT) for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from waste treatment of fossil carbon-containing materials including oil, plastic, and rubber. The analysis found that recycling is the primary recommended method, and that effective GHG mitigation policy requires integrating waste management with full product life-cycle optimization.

2024 E3S Web of Conferences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimizing plastics recycling networks

Researchers developed mathematical optimization models — including linear programming tools — to help plan efficient plastic recycling networks that can tolerate some contamination from mixed plastic waste streams. These models could help overcome a key barrier to large-scale recycling by intelligently matching waste sources with the plants best equipped to handle them.

2023 Cleaner Engineering and Technology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of a Decision Support System Prototype for Time and Cost Reduction in Collecting Recyclable Waste

This study developed a decision support system to optimize routing for waste pickers collecting recyclable materials, reducing collection time and cost. Improving recyclable waste collection efficiency is important for diverting plastic waste from the environment where it would fragment into microplastics.

2023 Environment and Ecology Research
Article Tier 2

Optimization of Renewable Energy Supply Chain for Sustainable Hydrogen Energy Production from Plastic Waste

Researchers developed an optimization model for producing hydrogen energy from plastic waste in Iran using a renewable energy supply chain approach. They found that converting plastic waste into hydrogen fuel through gasification is economically feasible, with costs potentially decreasing over time as the system scales. The study presents a strategy for simultaneously reducing plastic waste volume and generating clean energy.

2023 Sustainability 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Reconciling Waste Management and Ecological Economics

Researchers examined how the concept of the "circular economy" — designing products and systems to minimize waste — fits within ecological economics, which emphasizes physical limits like energy and material flows. The chapter argues that effective waste management policies, such as landfill taxes, extended producer responsibility, and deposit-refund schemes, must align environmental costs with economic incentives to achieve meaningful sustainability gains.

2023 Studies in ecological economics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Impact Assessment of Plastic Waste Management Scenarios in the Canadian Context

Using life cycle assessment, this Canadian study compared current plastic waste management against two alternative scenarios and found that shifting away from landfill-dominated disposal could significantly cut environmental impacts including greenhouse gas emissions. The findings underscore that how we manage plastic waste matters as much as how much plastic we produce, with implications for future policy.

2023 Environments 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Recycling of Plastics as a Strategy to Reduce Life Cycle GHG Emission, Microplastics and Resource Depletion

This study quantified the environmental benefits of recycling widely consumed plastic polymers, demonstrating that increased plastic recycling significantly reduces life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, and resource depletion.

2023 Sustainability 38 citations
Article Tier 2

A hybrid machine learning-mathematical programming optimization approach for municipal solid waste management during the pandemic

Researchers combined machine learning forecasting with mathematical supply-chain optimization to model municipal solid waste management in New York City under COVID-19 conditions, revealing trade-offs between economic efficiency and landfill diversion that could inform planning for future pandemic scenarios.

2023 Environment Development and Sustainability 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Green Supply Chain Coordination with Considering Carbon Emissions and Product Green Level Dependent Demand

Researchers developed a green supply chain coordination model that incorporates carbon emission costs and product green-level dependent demand, finding that green development policies and cost-sharing mechanisms can incentivize enterprises to adopt more sustainable supply chain operations.

2023 Preprints.org 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of solid waste collection using RSM approach, and strategies delivering sustainable development goals (SDG’s) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Researchers used statistical optimization software to improve solid waste collection efficiency in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the country generates over 15 million tonnes of municipal waste annually. The study identifies cost-reducing strategies and highlights the urgent need for a resilient, modern waste management system aligned with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 sustainability goals.

2021 Scientific Reports 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Life cycle assessment based optimization of scenarios of reusable glass bottles using context-specific key parameters

Researchers analyzed the environmental trade-offs of switching from single-use to reusable glass bottles, finding that reusable systems can cut both carbon emissions and microplastic pollution, but only when designed with context-specific factors like local energy sources and trip distances in mind.

2024 Cleaner Environmental Systems 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Integrated Recycling and The Impact of Plastic Waste from Industry and Agriculture on The Environment

This review examined the environmental impacts of plastic waste from industrial and agricultural sources and assessed integrated recycling strategies for reducing those impacts. The paper discussed how plastic waste prevention, collection, and recycling can minimize pollution and climate contributions from the growing global plastic waste stream.

2024 Qubahan Academic Journal 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Plastic Waste Management Using a System Dynamics Approach

This study used system dynamics modeling to analyze municipal solid plastic waste management, simulating how different policy interventions affect waste generation, recycling, and environmental leakage over time. Understanding the dynamics of plastic waste systems helps identify the most effective points for intervention to reduce microplastic pollution.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Waste Management, Circular Economy and Life Cycle Assessment

This presentation examines research strategies and analytical approaches for integrating life cycle assessment methodologies with circular economy principles and waste management practices.

2024 OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information)
Article Tier 2

Determining Optimal Municipal Solid Waste Management Scenario Based on Best-worst Method

This study proposed a decision-making framework to help cities evaluate and select the best approach for managing municipal solid waste. Using a mathematical ranking method, the researchers assessed multiple waste management scenarios to identify optimal strategies for urban planners.

2021 Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Wastewater Management Decision-Making Process and Its Application to Water Resource Recovery Facilities

This study developed a sustainable decision-making framework for Water Resource Recovery Facilities to help balance competing priorities including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, managing emerging pollutants like PFAS and microplastics, protecting aquatic ecosystems, and maintaining economic feasibility while meeting regulatory requirements.

2025 Deep Blue (University of Michigan)
Article Tier 2

The Analyzing of Social Economic Impacted By Optimalization Of Recycling Waste As Supported For Circular Economy On Community-Based Tourism In Pasaran Island

Researchers investigated how waste recycling initiatives on Pasaran Island, Indonesia, created alternative livelihoods — particularly for women — finding that optimizing organic and plastic waste management generated approximately 50% profit margins and contributed to improved social and environmental conditions.

2023 JESI (Jurnal Ekonomi Syariah Indonesia) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Recycling of Plastic Waste: Comparative Evaluation of Environmental and Economic Performances of Gasification- and Incineration-based Treatment for Lightweight Packaging Waste

Chemical recycling of lightweight plastic packaging waste via gasification was compared to incineration with energy recovery using life cycle assessment and economic analysis, finding that gasification offered some environmental advantages but at higher cost and with significant technology readiness uncertainties. The study provides a comparative evaluation to inform decisions about complementary roles for chemical and mechanical recycling in plastic waste management.

2022 Circular Economy and Sustainability 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Combining industrial ecology tools to assess potential greenhouse gas reductions of a circular economy: Method development and application to Switzerland

Researchers developed a framework combining multiple environmental analysis methods to assess how circular economy strategies — like plastic recycling, food waste reduction, and carbon capture — could cut Switzerland's greenhouse gas emissions by up to 14% by 2050.

2022 Journal of Industrial Ecology 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Methodology for integrating lumped kinetic models and decision-making frameworks to enhance sustainability of plastic waste pyrolysis

Researchers developed a multi-scale methodology linking laboratory pyrolysis kinetics to high-level sustainability decision-making, demonstrating that using pyrolysis gas for heat supply maximizes circularity while selling LPG byproducts yields the highest profit, offering a replicable framework for evaluating plastic waste conversion options.

2026 Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
Article Tier 2

Beyond greenhouse gases - a natural capital-based sustainability assessment framework for the waste-to-energy approach

This study proposes a sustainability assessment framework for waste-to-energy facilities that accounts for natural capital beyond greenhouse gas emissions, providing a more comprehensive picture of environmental trade-offs.

2023 HKIE Transactions
Article Tier 2

Assessing the environmental footprint of recycled plastic pellets: A life-cycle assessment perspective

This study used life-cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of producing recycled plastic pellets from waste polyolefin plastics. While recycling reduced carbon emissions compared to making new plastic, the process still required significant energy, especially when solvent recovery was maximized. The research is relevant to the microplastics problem because it shows that even recycling processes need optimization to truly reduce the environmental footprint of plastic waste.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimisation of Process Parameters to Maximise the Oil Yield from Pyrolysis of Mixed Waste Plastics

Researchers optimized the process parameters for thermal pyrolysis of mixed waste plastics to maximize oil yield from HDPE, polypropylene, and polystyrene. The study used response surface methodology to identify ideal conditions for converting plastic waste into pyrolytic oil, supporting chemical recycling as a strategy to reduce plastic pollution.

2024 Sustainability 18 citations