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Search results for: Sustainable Development
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Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment in Single-Family Constructed Wetlands in Kaszuby Lake District
PublicationIn the paper results of investigation upon three different configurations of single family treatment wetlands were presented. It was indicated that the application of treatment wetlands for single family effluent is a effective and sustainable solution for wastewater treatment in the rural areas. In spite of the receiving higher concentration of pollutants in comparison to the TWs operated in Europe and USA analysed TWs ensure...
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From ashes to porous hierarchical nanocarbon electrode: Upcycling secondary waste materials through self-catalytic chemical vapour deposition
PublicationMetal and metal oxide particles are abundant in various ash-based wastes. Utilizing these as catalyst sources for the fabrication of carbon nanomaterials could present a valuable approach to reduce our reliance on non-renewable and costly catalyst sources, thereby facilitating large-scale nanomaterial production. In this context, secondary waste materials (SWMs) are by-products resulting from the (complete or partial) combustion...
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Innovative strategies: Combining treatments for advanced wastewater purification
PublicationWater scarcity is a pressing global challenge, driving the urgent need for effective wastewater treatment solutions. With untreated wastewater extensively employed, particularly in agriculture, the significance of proper treatment becomes evident, as it presents a more practical and ecologically responsible alternative. This chapter explores the diverse treatment approaches encompassing chemical, physical, and biological methods,...
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LED Light Sources and Their Complex Set-Up for Visually and Biologically Effective Illumination for Ornamental Indoor Plants
PublicationOrnamental plants are often used in indoor environments as part of biophilic design to improve the health and wellbeing of occupants, and to support sustainable, green architecture. Unfortunately, many plants do not thrive and need to be continuously replaced, which is economically unsustainable. The wavelengths and spectrum ratio of commonly used light sources such as light emitting diode (LED), and the lack of an appropriate...
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Integrating conventional nitrogen removal with anammox in wastewater treatment systems: Microbial metabolism, sustainability and challenges
PublicationThe various forms of nitrogen (N), including ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2−), and nitrate (NO3−), present in wastewaters can create critical biotic stress and can lead to hazardous phenomena that cause imbalances in biological diversity. Thus, biological nitrogen removal (BNR) from wastewaters is considered to be imperatively urgent. Therefore, anammox-based systems, i.e. partial nitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (PN/anammox)...
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S-scheme heterojunction Bi2O3-ZnO/Bentonite clay composite with enhanced photocatalytic performance
PublicationThe industrial waste water is always a bottleneck problem in the modern civilization of the present era. In a quest to develop effective methods for the elimination of lethal pollutants from the waste water and water remediation, this work is focused on the development of a rapid and proficient approach for preparing supported binary metal oxide catalyst for photocatalytic advance oxidation process used in waste water treatment...
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Hydro Lubricants: Water-based lubricants for hydropower applications
PublicationSeveral different base oil types exist in the market including mineral and synthetic oils (e.g. polyalphaolefins, ester, polyglycol, etc.) and are currently widely in use. Although synthetic oils have drawn great attention over the past few decades in terms of their tribological benefits, mineral oils are still widely used in hydropower applications due primarily to their low cost and easy miscibility with other oils. However,...
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Rhodotorulic Acid and its Derivatives: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications
PublicationSiderophores are low molecular weight compounds produced by microorganisms to scavenge iron in iron-deficient environments. Rhodotorulic acid (RA), a natural hydroxamate siderophore, plays a vital role in iron acquisition for fungi and bacteria. As the simplest natural hydroxamate siderophore, RA exhibits a high affinity for ferric ions, enabling it to form stable complexes that facilitate iron uptake and transport within microorganisms....
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Creating a more conscious built environment for day- and night-time setting through interdisciplinary collaboration
PublicationThe last decades have seen an increase in the speed, scale and scope of urbanisation, fundamentally shifting the character of the built environment and engendering a radical search for new and resilient design practices. Although we, as society, live in the age of technology, inventions and almost unlimited access to information, we rarely use these opportunities to our advantage to improve the quality of life. It seems that multidisciplinary...
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Implementation of daylight design strategies in urban planning - barriers to application in Poland
PublicationThis paper reflects on studies done in the area of daylight design methods with regard to principles that can be applied in architecture and urban planning strategies. The paper addresses barriers to the application of new daylight design methods in urban planning, and in particular discusses current Polish building regulations in the context of daylight design. The results of the pilot study carried out among 82 participants show...
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Innovative Railway Stations
PublicationIn relation to modern demographic trends, evolving technologies and environmentfriendly solutions increases the potential of rail considered as sustainable form of public transport. Contemporary tendencies of designing railway stations in Europe are focused on lowering energy consumption and reducing carbon emission. The main goal of the designers is to create a friendly and intuitive space for its users and at the same time a...
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Structure-Property Relationship and Multiple Processing Studies of Novel Bio-Based Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomers
PublicationCurrently, the growing demand for polymeric materials has led to an increased need to develop effective recycling methods. This study focuses on the multiple processing of bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (bio-TPUs) as a sustainable approach for polymeric waste management through mechanical recycling. The main objective is to investigate the influence of two reprocessing cycles on selected properties of bio-TPUs....
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On the acoustic backscattering by Baltic herring and sprat
PublicationAccurate abundance estimate of Baltic clupeids, herring and sprat, is required for theirsustainable exploitation. The understanding the sound backscattering of individual fish isimportant for employing the acoustical techniques, which are widely used in the estimation.The previous studies demonstrated that the improvement of the understanding is critical forthe Baltic herring and sprat. It was the main...
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Annual changes of basic parameters of bottom sediments from the Klodnica River Catchment
PublicationThe Klodnica River Catchment is heavily contaminated ecosystem located in area of the Upper Silesia Industrial Region. In this area various forms of human activity can be observed (e.g. mining coal underground, metallurgy, power/heat plants, wastewater discharged directly into the river). The impact of industrial and municipal wastes on this aquatic system causes to changes in the hydrographic network of river and the waters quality. In...
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Behaviour of steel columns under impact
PublicationOne of import issues related to the idea of sustainable society is the safety of civil engineering structures. The safety and reliability of steel structures under impact loading is among a number of different aims during the design state. The aim of this paper is to present the results of investigation focused on dynamic behaviour of steel columns under impact loading. Modal and transient dynamic analyses using Finite Element...
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Photocatalysts for Solar Energy Conversion
PublicationPhotocatalytic oxidation over suspended solid photocatalysts (e.g., titanium dioxide) has been proposed as a sustainable process for treatment and purification of water and wastewater as well as the process for photoconversion of solar energy to hydrogen, methane, and other low hydrocarbons. Solar radiation could be used to drive heterogeneous electrochemical reactions at the surface of an optically active photocatalyst (e.g.,...
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Sewage gardens - constructed wetlands for single family households
PublicationDuring the last 30 years the increase of interest in low-cost decentralized and small wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is observed in Europe. For this purpose sand filters, stabilization ponds, mini reactors with activated sludge, trickling filters and treatment wetlands are used. Among the listed facilities treatment wetlands (TWs) offer effective and reliable treatment efficiency, being at the same time low-cost and simple...
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Digitalization of High Speed Craft Design and Operation Challenges and Opportunities
PublicationIn recent years, global demands for safe and sustainable ships led to dramatic changes in the maritime industry. Digitalization is expected to play an important part in the future. This is supported by analysis of the autonomous ships market which shows that digitalization of large ship types such as tankers and container ships is well on track. Although to date designs of autonomous High-Speed Craft (HSC) have been developed,...
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System architecture of an INSPIRE-compliant green cadastre system for the EU Member State of Poland
PublicationIn response to the need for a sustainable agricultural policy, which would support activities such as decision making in precise agriculture and mitigation of crop threats, a concept agricultural information system was developed for the area of Poland. This innovative concept, called Green Cadastre (GC), proposes to create a uniform system designed for use on a national scale by both state administration as well as local farmers....
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Digitalization of Building Site Management in the Construction Industry
PublicationWith Industry 4.0, a digital transformation has started in the construction industry. However, 4.0 technologies have difficulties in the integration of digital systems due to the diversity and complexity of the processes in the construction industry. Multidisciplinary work in architectural projects and the need for high productivity require digital renovation planning in the construction industry. The application of the technologies...
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Cadmium accumulation by Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus from stormwater in floating treatment wetlands microcosms: Insights into plant tolerance and utility for phytoremediation
PublicationEnvironmentally sustainable remediation is needed to protect freshwater resources which are deteriorating due to severe industrial, mining, and agricultural activities. Treatment by floating wetlands could be a sustainable solution to remediate water bodies. The study aimed to examine the effects of Cd on Phragmites australis and Iris pseudacorus growth (height, biomass, root length and chlorophyll contents), anatomy, Cd accumulation...
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Gender, equality, science and information systems
PublicationIn the entire Europe more women than men graduate from tertiary education institutes1. However, they are underrepresented in scientific and engineering disciplines. Women researchers still constitute a minority in the Government and Higher Education Sectors that both are related to power. A number of industry reports highlight a low number of women in IT occupations2. The EU Member States have, on political levels, committed themselves...
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Rhodotorulic Acid and its Derivatives: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications
PublicationSiderophores are low molecular weight compounds produced by microorganisms to scavenge iron in iron-deficient environments. Rhodotorulic acid, a natural hydroxamate siderophore, plays a vital role in iron acquisition for fungi and bacteria. As the simplest natural hydroxamate siderophore, it exhibits a high affinity for ferric ions, enabling it to form stable complexes that facilitate iron uptake and transport within microorganisms....
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Quadrotor Flight Controller Design Using Classical Tools
PublicationA principal aspect of quadrocopter in-flight operation is to maintain the required attitude of the craft’s frame, which is done either automatically in the so-called supervised flight mode or manually during man-operated flight mode. This paper deals with the problem of flight controller (logical) structure and algorithm design dedicated for the man-operated flight mode. The role of the controller is to stabilise the rotational...
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Effect of strain level on the stiffness of cold recycled bituminous mixtures
PublicationCold recycling is a sustainable technology for the rehabilitation of bitumi-nous pavements. This study investigates the stiffness response of cement-bitumen treated materials (CBTM)manufactured with 80% reclaimed asphalt and treated with 2.0% Portland cement and 4.0% bitumen emulsion. Indirect tensile stiffness modulus tests were carried out to assess the strain dependence of stiffness at target horizontal deformation levels between...
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Improving Social Justice, Environmental Integrity, and Geopolitical Resilience in EU Electric Mobility Transition
PublicationWe recommend improving social justice, environmental integrity, and geopolitical resilience in electric mobility transition. To achieve this policy recommendation, we propose the following: (1) Increase societal acceptance and justice of climate policies by engaging local stakeholders; (2) Prioritize sustainable mobility practices over replacement of internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) with battery electric vehicle (BEV);...
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A survey of strategies for communication networks to protect against large-scale natural disasters
PublicationRecent natural disasters have revealed that emergency networks presently cannot disseminate the necessary disaster information, making it difficult to deploy and coordinate relief operations. These disasters have reinforced the knowledge that telecommunication networks constitute a critical infrastructure of our society, and the urgency in establishing protection mechanisms against disaster-based disruptions. Hence, it is important...
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Stabilizing lactate production through repeated batch fermentation of food waste and waste activated sludge
PublicationBio-valorization of organic waste streams, such as food waste and waste activated sludge, to lactic acid (LA) has recently drawn much attention. It offers an opportunity for resource recovery, alleviates environmental issues and potentially turns a profit. In this study, both stable and high LA yield (0.72 ± 0.15 g/g total chemical oxygen demand) and productivity rate (0.53 g/L•h) were obtained through repeated batch fermentation....
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Degradation of stiffness of building columns exposed to bending and impact load during ground motions
PublicationThe safety of civil engineering structures under external loads, including ground motions, is one of the issues related to the idea of sustainable society. The earthquake-induced soft-storey failure is a typical type of damage observed in buildings due to seismic excitation. The failure of an intermediate soft storey of a structure results in large vertical impact loading acting on the lower floors due to the fall of the upper...
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Gender and Digital Divide - Information and Communication Technologiesand their Impact on Equality
PublicationIn the entire Europe more women than men graduate from tertiaryeducation institutes. However, they are underrepresented in scientific and engineering disciplines. Women researchers still constitute a minority in the Government and Higher Education Sectors. A number of industry reports highlight a low number of women in IT occupations49. This has led to a variety of public policy measures, such as subsidies on community provision,...
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Recent applications and future prospects of magnetic biocatalysts
PublicationMagnetic biocatalysts combine magnetic properties with the catalytic activity of enzymes, achieving easy recovery and reuse in biotechnological processes. Lipases immobilized by magnetic nanoparticles dominate. This review covers an advanced bibliometric analysis and an overview of the area, elucidating research advances. Using WoS, 34,949 publications were analyzed and refined to 450. The prominent journals, countries, institutions, and...
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Design and Performance Evaluation of the Energy Subsystem of a Hybrid Light andWave Energy Harvester
PublicationThe paper presents the design and performance of an energy subsystem (ES) dedicated to hybrid energy harvesters (HEHs): wave energy converters (WECs) combined with photovoltaic panels (PVPs). The considered ES is intended for compact HEHs powering autonomous end-node devices in distributed IoT networks. The designed ES was tested experimentally and evaluated in relation to the mobile and wireless distributed communication use case....
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Alginate-based sorbents in miniaturized solid phase extraction techniques - Step towards greenness sample preparation
PublicationIn response to growing concerns about environmental degradation, one of the main areas of research activity in recent years has been to make sample preparation methods more sustainable and eco-friendly. The increasing greenness of this step can be achieved by minimizing the usage of reagents, automating individual stages, saving energy and time, and using non-toxic, biodegradable substances. Therefore, the use of natural materials...
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Potential applications of crude glycerol in polymer technology–Current state and perspectives
PublicationThe increasing use of bio-based fuels and fuel additives, among them biodiesel, causes significant surplus of crude glycerol on the market which creates new challenges in terms of its sustainable utilization. A lot of ways for the incorporation of this by-product into different branches of industry requires purification by expensive and complicated processes. Therefore, researchers are seeking for applications of untreated crude...
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Enhanced photocatalytic activity of transparent carbon nanowall/TiO2 heterostructures
PublicationThe synthesis of novel tunable carbon-based nanostructure represented a pivotal point to enhance the efficiency of existing photocatalysts and to extend their applicability to a wider number of sustainable processes. In this letter, we describe a transparent photocatalytic heterostructure by growing boron-doped carbon nanowalls (B-CNWs) on quartz, followed by a simple TiO2 sol-gel deposition. The effect on the thickness and boron-doping...
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Smart Innovation Engineering (SIE): Experience-Based Product Innovation System for Industry 4.0
PublicationThis paper presents a semi-automatic system capable of facilitating product innovation process. This system, known as Smart Innovation Engineering (SIE) system, helps in decision-making by using the explicit knowledge of formal decision events. The SIE system carries the promise to support the innovation processes of manufactured products in a quick and efficient way. It stores and reuses the past decisional events or sets of experiences...
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Analysis of the Environmental Impact of the Hull Construction of a Small Vessel Based on LCA
PublicationIn recent years, issues related to the impact of human activity on the natural environment have become pressing, and the challenge of global warming necessitates immediate action. To support environmental protection efforts, it has become imperative to adopt a broader perspective when evaluating various products and systems. A valuable tool for such assessments is a life cycle assessment (LCA), which enables a comprehensive analysis...
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A Comprehensive Review of Phytonutrients as a Dietary Therapy for Obesity
PublicationObesity is a complex medical condition mainly caused by eating habits, genetics, lifestyle, and medicine. The present study deals with traditional diets like the Mediterranean diet, Nordic diet, African Heritage diet, Asian diet, and DASH, as these are considered to be sustainable diets for curing obesity. However, the bioavailability of phytonutrients consumed in the diet may vary, depending on several factors such as digestion...
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The sensors-based artificial intelligence Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS) for managing the railway transport fleet
PublicationRailways deliver a safe and sustainable form of transport and are typically pointed as one the safest form of transportation. Nevertheless, train accidents still happen, and when they happen, the consequences concern serious fatalities and injuries. Since every case is unique, the most frequent causes of train accidents are mechanical derailments, failures, as well as human errors and ignorance. In order to mitigate the risks posed...
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Current status and future success of renewable energy in Pakistan
PublicationMismatch between energy demand and supply from last two decades has been increasing because of the domination of expensive imported oil in energy mix of Pakistan. To import crude oil Government paid US $ 9 billion in 2008–2009 to meet the energy demands...
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Ultrasound assisted extraction
PublicationThe use of green and sustainable extraction techniques is very popular topic in the multidisciplinary area of chemistry, biology and technology. There is no doubt that extraction constitutes a very important step of analytical procedures of separation, detection, identification and determination of wide spectrum analytes from samples characterized by complex and very often nonhomogeneous composition of matrix. Traditional techniques...
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Blended natural and synthetic coagulants for the COD and BOD removal from surface water; optimization by response surface methodology: The case of Gibe river
PublicationA novel wastewater treatment method is presented in this study. It combines natural coagulants derived from watermelon seeds with the commonly used synthetic coagulant alum. This research demonstrates a remarkable synergy between these two coagulants in removing nutrients from Gibe River wastewater. Combining natural and chemical coagulants often improves water treatment by enhancing particle destabilization, accelerating floc...
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Mass Spectrometry-Based Direct Analytical Techniques
PublicationDirect analysis of samples is considered as one of the most environmentally sustainable solutions in analytical chemistry. In the ideal case, such solutions do not require sample preparation and analytes separation steps, therefore do not consumpt harmful substances (or consumpt only minimum amounts of them) and do not generate hazardous waste. Technical solutions for direct analysis also offer miniaturized and field-portable analyzers...
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Preparation and characterization of genipin cross-linked porous chitosan–collagen–gelatin scaffolds using chitosan–CO2 solution
PublicationNovel porous scaffolds composed of chitosan, collagen and gelatin were prepared by the multistep procedure involving final freeze-drying and characterized. To eliminate the need for residual acid removal from the material after drying, carbon dioxide saturation process was used for chitosan blend formulation. The use of CO2 for chitosan dissolution made the scaffold preparation process more reproducible and economically sustainable....
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Modal analysis of a steel grandstand
PublicationAmong the issues related to the idea of sustainable society is the safety of civil engineering structures devoted to satisfy different needs of people. One of the types of structures devoted to satisfy recreational needs are grandstands, which are used during sport events or music concerts. It is obligatory to consider interaction between structure and crowd load especially when the crowd movement involves rhythmic jumping, dancing,...
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Extraction with environmentally friendly solvents
PublicationThe ever-increasing demand for determining compounds at low concentration levels in complex matrices requires a preliminary step of analytes isolation/enrichment in order to employ a detection technique characterized by high sensitivity at low LOQ. Sample preparation is considered as crucial part of analytical procedures. Previously the parameter of “greenness” is as important as selectivity in order to avoid using harmful organic...
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Characterization of PVDF/Graphene Nanocomposite Membranes for Water Desalination with Enhanced Antifungal Activity
PublicationSeawater desalination is a worldwide concern for the sustainable production of drinking water. In this regard, membrane distillation (MD) has shown the potential for effective brine treatment. However, the lack of appropriate MD membranes limits its industrial expansion since they experience fouling and wetting issues. Therefore, hydrophobic membranes are promising candidates to successfully deal with such phenomena that are typical...
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Enhancement of PUR/PIR foam thermal stability after addition of Zostera marina biomass component investigated via thermal analysis and isoconversional kinetics
PublicationIn the present work, a thorough thermogravimetric (TG) analysis of bio-based polyurethane–polyisocyanurate (PUR–PIR) foams in both nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere is performed. A sustainable element of the foam is a biopolyol obtained via acid-catalyzed liquefaction of Zostera marina and Enteromorpha Algae biomass. Based on isoconversional analysis and apparent activation energies, several conclusions are obtained. In contradiction...
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Is the Concept of Zero Waste Possible to Implement in Construction?
PublicationThe scientifically treated problem of reusing building materials appeared in the literature more than 50 years ago. This paper includes an analysis of the characteristics of recycled building materials, which is a prerequisite for rational recycling. The analysis and simulation of building stocks at different scales has led to the conclusion that the most important link in the transformation of the construction industry towards...
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Investigating COVID-19 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) degradation using Peroxydisulfate/FeMnOx binary metal oxide/Ultrasound System
PublicationDegradation of Favipiravir using a hybrid system of peroxydisulfate, FeMnOx binary metal oxide, and ultrasound irradiation was studied. A novel catalyst was synthesized with deep eutectic solvent (DES). The effects of DES type on catalytic performance was evaluated and the catalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM, BET, XPS, and EDS. DES-based catalysts exhibited higher efficiency due to structure change, surface area enhancement...