Chemicals recovery cycle is essential for every pulp mill producing pulp by chemical pulping. Its purpose is to recover inorganic chemicals used for pulping with the possibility of heat and electric energy cogeneration. New methods, such as white liquor oxidation or black liquor gasification can increase the efficiency of the cycle and help to decrease chemicals consumption, thus contributing to more environmentally friendly pulp and paper production. This work is focused on assessing white liquor processing methods and on evaluating the impact on chemicals consumption in further pulp processing stages. Model balances are set up for a large paper mill with a capacity of 0.75 mil. tonnes of pulp and paper production, requiring around 100 tonnes per hour white liquor for pulping. Results indicate that a major saving can be realized on chemicals purchase: more than 0.8 tonnes per hour and more than 1.2 tonnes per hour of pure sodium hydroxide in case of partial white liquor oxidation and full white liquor oxidation, respectively. Greenhouse gases emissions can be reduced by more than 10 thousand tonnes per year of CO₂ equivalent as a result. Economics of proposed technology implementation is favorable, indicating a simple payback period of less than three years for a certain combination of chemicals and utilities costs.

To valorize organic waste in order to get a potential environmental application, the characteristics of Banana peel biochar (BPB) were studied to assess the effect of temperature on the physicochemical characteristics. In this study, various biochar was synthesized from the pyrolysis of two particle sizes of banana wastes (1 and 3 mm) at eight different temperatures varying between 200 and 600 ºC. The experimental results showed that biochar yield production decreased with the increase in temperature and the decrease in banana peel particle size. Indeed, for particle size of 1 mm, these yields decreased from 45.79% at a temperature of 200º C to less than 15.24% at 600 ºC. The physicochemical characteristics of the produced biochar by using various analyses including X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the XRD analysis indicates that pyrolysis of banana peel at 500˚C is incomplete, resulting in the presence of amorphous carbon, Fullerene, and Chaolite. The FT-IR spectrum shows no difference in BPB of different sizes and pyrolysis temperatures. The BET surface areas of BPB are generally low, and the SEM investigation shows an irregular porous external surface. The XRF analysis reveals high carbon, potassium, and chlorine percentages in BPB. Moreover, this biochar could promote the adsorption of various pollutants. The test of BPB for the adsorption of copper from synthetic aqueous solutions showed that, it could be considered as a promising adsorbent with a maximum adsorption capacity of 54.9 mg/g for copper (Cu2+) removal. Increasing Cu2+ concentrations from 50 to 550 mg/L resulted in an increase in BPB's adsorption capacity by approximately 52 mg/g and an increase in metal removal efficiency by about 40%. The optimal Cu2+ concentrations for adsorption were found to be 450 and 550 mg/L.

The term "corporate social responsibility" (CSR) refers to a set of voluntary guidelines put in place by businesses to demonstrate their willingness to take responsibility for their actions and contribute to the betterment of their surrounding communities with environmental and social factors. This management action is based on the idea that businesses can and should care about the world around them by incorporating social and environmental issues into their daily activities and relationships with their stakeholders, as CSR helps companies balance economic, environmental, and social goals while meeting shareholder and stakeholder expectations. This research synthesizes the literature in the duration of 2003-2023 on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the hotel business. Articles that covered hotels with 3BL (Triple bottom line) approach were included in the current study. A total of 57 articles have been selected on the basis of “CSR-Practices,” “CSR-Reporting,” and “CSR-Impacts” with both the hotels’ and customers’ perspectives as inclusion. The internal and external CSR impacts on hotel businesses were highlighted, and customer reactions to CSR were also studied. There are some significant voids found in the understanding of the linkage between corporate financial performance (CFP) and corporate social responsibility in the hotel sector. The local community, which is an essential CSR stakeholder, was found under-researched in the existing literature. Research Gaps as linkage of CFP and CSR, role of local communities as CSR stakeholder and accordingly future research dimensions were also suggested.

Biological protection is an important part of the strategy of modern environmentally safe protection of agricultural plants from phytopathogens. The most promising in this regard are soil microorganisms, in particular representatives of the phylum Actinomycetota. Actinomycetes are producers of biological compounds of various chemical structures with antibacterial, antifungal and antitumor effects. The authors have a collection of microorganisms (120 bacterial strains) isolated from soil and water sources. When analyzing the isolates according to the morphological features of cells and mycelium, 25 bacterial cultures were selected from the collection. Studies of the ability to antimicrobial activity in strains selected have been carried out. Five cultures were selected that effectively inhibit the growth of some phytopathogens. The bacterial strains were identified by the 16S rRNA gene, and their belonging to the Streptomyces genus was shown. The analysis of antibiotic resistance to 80 antibiotics showed that most antibiotics inhibited the growth of the studied strains of streptomyces. Data on the physiological characteristics of growth were obtained: the temperature optimum of growth for all strains is in the range of 24–30°C, the optimum of NaCl concentration values for all strains is in the range of 0–3%, with the exception of the strain IPS92w, whose optimum range is wider and equal to 0–6%, the optimum of pH values is in the range of 6–8. The strains selected have biotechnological potential for the development of a biological product with antimicrobial activity against phytopathogenic microorganisms.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are crucial social organisations that foster innovation, disseminate knowledge, and train future leaders in various fields. Higher education institutions are essential to implementing the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) plan. This review article addresses HEI’s attempts to evaluate sustainability in higher education. This study analyses the literature available on the sustainability assessment of Higher education institutions to provide a review of the practices incorporated by different HEIs around the globe. Using the Scopus Database and google scholar, 88 articles were selected for this review. The analysed literature provided information that helped compile a SATs list (Sustainability Assessment Tools). The SATs identified in these articles are categorised as qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method techniques. The utilization of these SATs in real-world case studies were also presented, and their results are highlighted. This analysis aids and contributes to current research on using these SATs and other methods for evaluating and implementing the sustainability of HEIs. This study also explains the difficulties and scope of utilising these SATs in the actual world.

One of the most common sustainable energy resources that contributes a significant portion of the energy produced from renewable resources is solar photovoltaic. The research presented in this paper examines the behaviour of a 150.7 kWp grid-connected PV energy generation system to either feed electrical loads of site (a public university, GCU Faisalabad) or to feed into the utility grid when the generation from the PV system is more than the demand from the on-site load. PVSyst software is used in the system simulation together with Meteonorm produced and measured climatic information sets (solar irradiance, ambient temperature and wind speed). The analysis of the simulated energy yields includes determining the optimal energy generation photovoltaic array, the energy that is fed into the utility network, normalised energy generation per installed kWp and performance ratio. The computed annual worldwide incident energy on the collector without optical adjustments is 1764.0 kWh/m², and the annual effective global irradiance after optical losses is 1654.7 kWh/m². With this irradiation, the solar (PV) array produced 218.12 MWh of DC energy annually, whereas 211.70 MWh of AC energy was injected into the national grid. The collection of the designed PV system is 0.87 kilowatt-hour/kWp/day, system losses is 0.120 kilowatt-hour /kWp/day and produced useful energy 3.85 kilowatt-hour /kWp/day. The measured average yearly performance ratio (PR) is 79.64%. In the month of January, the highest PR value of 85.4% was achieved.

As stated by European regulations, biowaste must be source-separated and collected for its proper treatment and valorisation for resource recovery. In Spain, new legislation requires municipalities to totally separate in origin domestic biowaste by the end of 2023, highlighting the fact that domestic or community composting will be an optimal way to deal with these requirements. In this context, different communities are being engaged to perform composting as a way to valorise their own biowastes and contribute to a much more stablished circular economy. In this sense, the “Citizen Arenas for improved Resource management and Environmental quality (CARE)” project aims to bring the composting science to children at primary schools to raise their awareness on the different environmental impacts that our own biowastes can generate if we do not manage them properly, and to give them the opportunity to learn the benefits that compost represents. To achieve the goals of the CARE project, different formation and information sessions have been imparted to professors and students at a selected school in Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain) prior to the installation of a community composting system composed by four different 1 m³ composting modules. The selected school has a daily average generation of domestic-like biowaste of 50 kg, which is daily introduced in the first composting module together with shredded pruning waste supplied by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona gardening services to be treated. Along with the composting process, typical process parameters such as material temperature, interstitial oxygen, humidity and volatile solids, as well as material’s biodegradability and gaseous emissions, are being monitored continuously to ensure the proper functioning. Surveys will be done at the beginning and the end of the process to evaluate the change of the school community regarding environmental concern. The results will be presented during the conference.

Sulfamidophosphonate have a wide range of biological activities, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, herbicide and anti-tumor activities, making them useful in various fields. New sulfonamidophosphonates have been developed as selective inhibitors of COX-2 (the mediator of cell survival, proliferation and apoptosis) and anticancer candidates.

The use of nanoparticles in the synthesis of biomolecules such as phosphonate and sulfonamide is a promossing approach for green synthesis. One common approach for green synthesis is to use nanoparticles as catalyst, which can enhance the reaction rate and efficiency, and reduce the amount to toxic and hazardous chemicals used in the synthesis process. The small size of nanoparticles provides a large surface area-to-volume ratio, which enhances their reactivity and can lead ti improved reaction kinetics and yields. Additionally, the unique physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles , such as high thermal stability and biocompatibility, make them attractive for use in various organic synthesis applications including asymmetric catalysis, green chemistry, and drug delivery. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were obtained from anhydrous ZnCl₂ and NaOH with particle size between 10-30 nm under ultrasound power In FT-IR spectrum, the structure of NP ZnO is confirmed by a band between 500 to 600 cm^-1 that corresponds to the stretching vibrations of the bond (Zn-O).

In continuation to our research in the field of the synthesis of novel compounds containing sulfonamide and phosphonate moieties, we are interested to study the one-pot synthesis of α-sulfamidophosphonate under a green, clean, and environment-friendly method using microwave irradiation in the presence of zinc nanoparticles as catalyst. In this approach, sulfanilamide was reacted with various aromatic aldehydes and triethylphosphite after 30-60 minutes, the reaction was completed with an excellent yields. The target compounds were characterized by ¹H, ³¹P, ¹³C NMR, and IR.

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, encompasses a wide range of techniques for various applications, from production on demand to functional prototypes. 3D printing is mainly used in industrial sectors such as aerospace, automotive, medical, dental, construction, art and fashion. Fossil fuel-based materials such as plastics, metals, and concrete, etc. are widely used to manufacture 3D printed products. Fundamentally, innovative 3D technologies using new bio-based renewable materials have shown promising results for everyday applications, opening new opportunities for sustainable 3D printing in the future. Developments in 3D printing with biomaterials are pursuing the goal of creating a truly sustainable economy. A very important key aspect of sustainability in additive manufacturing is the fact that traditional garment production produces a lot of waste during cutting and sewing, which is completely eliminated in additive manufacturing. A major challenge of the fashion industry, which must be overcome with the introduction of 3D printing is the accessibility to normal consumer market. In addition, the convenience, wearing comfort and flexibility of 3D printed fabrics and garments should be established, because 3D printed objects are usually relatively stiff, and therefore manufacturers need to choose between material and structure-based flexibility. Some designers have also developed some techniques, such as direct-to-garment, partial garment printing and fabric-like printing. The question of whether or not 3D apparel printing is sustainable is a difficult one to answer, as many aspects need to be considered both on the material side and throughout the lifecycle of the product. Most sustainable would certainly be to focus on a cradle-to-cradle system, so that no new material needs to be produced at all and only worn-out products or other plastics are used to make new garments. Overall, 3D printing in the garment industry opens many doors towards a more sustainable production in the future by addressing customers and their consumption behavior and additionally focusing on more sustainable materials and production.

Black liquor thickening in integrated multi-effect evaporation plant consumes substantial amount of steam produced in pulp and paper mills and its efficient operation is, thus, crucial. Industrial applications of heat pumps in pulp and paper industry, especially in black liquor evaporation, show promising in terms to cut down energy consumption and in decarbonizing this industrial branch. Modelling of such plant includes momentum, heat and mass transfer issues, enriched with black liquor material specification. An existing black liquor evaporation plant which thickens inlet black liquor from 17 % to 75. % wt. dry solids with dry solids flow of 2500 tonnes per day is considered. It already includes MVR (mechanical vapor recompression) pre-evaporator as well as water condensate stripping columns. Mathematical model of this plant is created in Matlab environment and, after verification of obtained results, it serves for analyses of possible plant modifications. Among the modification options, installation of a second MVR is modeled and its impact on the whole plant is examined. As a result, differential (marginal) change in steam and electricity consumed in the plant is obtained. Model results indicate the possibility of a reduction of process steam consumption of 9.5 tonnes per hour and an increase of electricity consumption of 600 kW. A favorable simple payback period of around two years can be expected for the considered investment.