Biodegradable electrospun fibers enriched with struvite crystal seeds for the recovery of phosphorous and nitrogen

Second-Generation Phosphorus: Recovery from Wastes towards the Sustainability of Production Chains

Phosphorus (P) is essential for life and has a fundamental role in industry and the world food production system. The present work describes different technologies adopted for what is called the second-generation P recovery framework, that encompass the P obtained from residues and wastes. The second-generation P has a high potential to substitute the first-generation P comprising that originally mined from rock phosphates for agricultural production. Several physical, chemical, and biological processes are available for use in second-generation P recovery. They include both concentrating and recovery technologies: (1) chemical extraction using magnesium and calcium precipitating compounds yielding struvite, newberyite and calcium phosphates; (2) thermal treatments like combustion, hydrothermal carbonization, and pyrolysis; (3) nanofiltration and ion exchange methods; (4) electrochemical processes; and (5) biological processes such as composting, algae uptake, and phosphate accumulating microorganisms (PAOs). However, the best technology to use depends on the characteristic of the waste, the purpose of the process, the cost, and the availability of land. The exhaustion of deposits (economic problem) and the accumulation of P (environmental problem) are the main drivers to incentivize the P’s recovery from various wastes. Besides promoting the resource’s safety, the recovery of P introduces the residues as raw materials, closing the productive systems loop and reducing their environmental damage.

Sustainable Materials and their Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Critical Review Based on an Italian Example

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been proposed to give a possible future to humankind. Due to the multidimensional characteristic of sustainability, SDGs need research activities with a multidisciplinary approach. This work aims to provide a critical review of the results concerning sustainable materials obtained by Italian researchers affiliated to the National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM) and their contribution to reaching specific indicators of the 17 SDGs. Data were exposed by using the Web of Science (WoS) database. In the investigated period (from 2016 to 2020), 333 works about sustainable materials are found and grouped in one of the following categories: chemicals (33%), composites (11%), novel materials for pollutants sequestration (8%), bio-based and food-based materials (10%), materials for green building (8%), and materials for energy (29%). This review contributes to increasing the awareness of several of the issues concerning sustainable materials but also to encouraging the researchers to focus on SDGs’ interconnections. Indeed, the mapping of the achievements can be relevant to the decision-makers to identify the opportunities that materials can offer to achieve the final goals. In this frame, a “Sustainable Materials Partnership for SDGs” is envisaged for more suitable resource management in the future.