Closing the loop: A case study on pathways for promoting sustainable waste management on university campuses

Jakimiuk, Aleksandra; Matsui, Yasuhiro; Podlasek, Anna; Koda, Eugeniusz; Goli, Venkata Siva Naga Sai; Voběrková, Stanislava; Singh, Devendrá; Vaverková, Magdalena Daria

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164349

Cited by 11 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 44 publications

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“…The compost can serve as a substrate for the green roof and then be added as fertilizer, ending the waste cycle. Applying this type of waste strategy brings campuses closer to the goals of carbon neutrality and sustainability [53].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmentally Sustainable Green Roof Design for Energy Demand Reduction

et al. 2023

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Green roofs are artificial ecosystems that provide a nature-based solution to environmental problems such as climate change and the urban heat island effect by absorbing solar radiation and helping to alleviate urban environmental, economic, and social problems. Green roofs offer many benefits in terms of heat and water conservation as well as in terms of energy costs. This work proposes the design of an extensive and environmentally sustainable green roof for the Faculty of Engineering building in Bilbao. The green roof will be made from the composting of food waste generated in the building’s own canteen. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to calculate the solar efficiency of a sustainable green roof, evaluate its thermal performance, and quantify the impact that its implementation would have on energy consumption and the thermal comfort of its users. The results obtained confirm that an environmentally sustainable green roof has a positive effect on summer energy consumption and that this effect is much greater when there is water on the roof, as shown by the difference in energy savings between the dry (−53.7%) and wet (−84.2%) scenarios. The data show that in winter the differences between a green roof and a non-vegetated roof are not significant. In this case, the estimated energy consumption penalty (0.015 kWh/m2) would be 10% of the summer gain.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmentally Sustainable Green Roof Design for Energy Demand Reduction

et al. 2023

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Decarbonizing university campuses: A business model for food waste management at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Ayazağa Campus, Turkey

Maçin,

Arıkan,

Altınbaş

et al. 2023

Env Prog and Sustain Energy

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Food waste is a significant environmental issue today, as it contributes to depleting natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions from improper management. To address this, alternative food waste management and recovery strategies must be developed to promote nutrient recirculation and move towards decarbonization. University campuses could play a crucial role in pioneering such strategies, through pilot studies and implementation of effective waste management. The aim of this study is to devise a food waste management strategy that provides a more circular and decarbonized economy. A case example was developed based on ITU Ayazağa Campus, Turkey, with annual separated food waste of 577 tonne per year. A Life Cycle Assessment was conducted using the EASETECH software. Four scenarios were evaluated: anaerobic digestion, composting, incineration, and landfill. Of these, incineration resulted in the highest CO2‐eq savings, but lacked decoupling and circularity of resources. Conversely, anaerobic digestion demonstrated the highest circularity and lowest toxicity. Based on these findings, anaerobic digestion was selected for further investigation. Economic transactions for the anaerobic digestion system's business models were analyzed, including revenues, municipality fees, and operating costs. The new economic model is expected to align with circular economy strategies and promote stakeholder collaboration as a significant social outcome.

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