Microbial Desalination Cell for Sustainable Water Treatment: A Critical Review

In view of increasing threats arising from the shortage of fresh water, there is an urgent need to propose sustainable technologies for the exploitation of unconventional water sources. As a derivative of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), microbial desalination cell (MDC) has the potential of desalinating saline/brackish water while simultaneously generating electricity, as well as treating wastewater. Therefore, it is worth investigating its practicability as a potential sustainable desalination technology. This review article first introduces the fundamentals and annual trends of MDCs. The desalination of diverse types of solutions using MDCs along with their life cycle impact assessment (LCIA)  and economic analysis is studied later. Finally, limitations and areas for improvement, prospects, and potential applications of this technology are discussed. Due to the great advantages of MDCs, improving their design, building materials, efficiency, and throughput will offer them as a significant alternative to the current desalination technologies.

Development of a Knowledge Graph for Automatic Job Hazard Analysis: The Schema

In the current practice, an essential element of safety management systems, Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), is performed manually, relying on the safety personnel's experiential knowledge and observations. This research was conducted to create a new ontology that comprehensively represents the JHA knowledge domain, including the implicit knowledge. Specifically, 115 actual JHA documents and interviews with 18 JHA domain experts were analyzed and used as the source of knowledge for creating a new JHA knowledge base, namely the Job Hazard Analysis Knowledge Graph (JHAKG). To ensure the quality of the developed ontology, a systematic approach to ontology development called METHONTOLOGY was used in this process. The case study performed for validation purposes demonstrates that a JHAKG can operate as a knowledge base that answers queries regarding hazards, external factors, level of risks, and appropriate control measures to mitigate risks. As the JHAKG is a database of knowledge representing a large number of actual JHA cases previously developed and also implicit knowledge that has not been formalized in any explicit forms yet, the quality of JHA documents produced from queries to the database is expectedly higher than the ones produced by an individual safety manager in terms of completeness and comprehensiveness.

Identifying factors affecting the low uptake of reprocessed construction materials: A systematic literature review

The success of demolition waste reverse logistics supply chains (DWRLSCs) depend on the market uptake of reprocessed construction materials (RCMs) since resource recovery will not be viable without a well-developed consumption process. However, usage of RCMs is sparse while there is also limited focus in existing research on their market uptake. Therefore, this systematic literature review (SLR) attempts to discern trends in research on the use of RCMs and identify factors that limit their uptake. 52 articles from three databases published between 2000 and 2021 were selected for descriptive and content analyses. Descriptive analysis showed growing research interest in the area over the last 5 years. Content analysis was underpinned by Attitude-Behaviour-Context (ABC) Theory which focuses on pro-environmental consumer decisions. As predicted by the theory, a mix of personal and contextual factors affect the low uptake of RCMs. Negative attitudes, reluctance to change the status quo and limited decision-making capabilities were identified as personal factors that limit the use of RCMs. Similarly, contextual factors such as price, quality, information availability, market availability, sourcing lead times and lack of regulations, standards, and specifications inhibit the use of such materials. The review also proposes several future research directions to expand knowledge around this domain.

Wastewater inflow time series forecasting at low temporal resolution using SARIMA model: a case study in South Australia

Forecasts of wastewater inflow are considered as a significant component to support the development of a real-time control (RTC) system for a wastewater pumping network and to achieve optimal operations. This paper aims to investigate patterns of the wastewater inflow behaviour and develop a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) forecasting model at low temporal resolution (hourly) for a short-term period of 7 days for a real network in South Australia, the Murray Bridge wastewater network/wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Historical wastewater inflow data collected for a 32-month period (May 2016 to December 2018) was pre-processed (transformed into an hourly dataset) and then separated into two parts for training (80%) and testing (20%). Results reveal that there is seasonality presence in the wastewater inflow time series data, as it is heavily dependent on time of the day and day of the week. Besides, the SARIMA (1,0,3)(2,1,2)₂₄ was found as the best model to predict wastewater inflow and its forecasting accuracy was determined based on the evaluation criteria including the root mean square error (RMSE = 5.508), the mean absolute value percent error (MAPE = 20.78%) and the coefficient of determination (R² = 0.773). From the results, this model can provide wastewater operators curial information that supports decision making more effectively for their daily tasks on operating their systems in real-time.

Diverting demolition waste toward secondary markets through integrated reverse logistics supply chains: A systematic literature review

Construction industry has adopted reverse logistics (RL) concept to manage high volumes of demolition waste (DW). However, DW RL supply chains (RLSCs) were found to be suffering from uncertainties, information deficiencies, and uncoordinated material flows. Improving supply chain integration (SCI), specifically external integration, across DW RLSCs was identified as a possible solution to overcome such problems. Despite this, studies that focus on external integration in DW RLSCs are limited. Using a systematic literature review (SLR), this study explores external integration in DW RLSCs. Sixty-six articles from three databases published between 2006 and 2020 were subjected to descriptive and content analysis. Arrangement of material, information, and financial flows across DW RLSCs, inhibitors of external integration, and potential measures for improving external integration were analyzed. Accordingly, material, information, and financial flows across DW RLSCs were mapped, and inhibitors of external integration, along with potential measures for improving external integration were identified. As the key outcome of this SLR, these findings were developed into a conceptual framework, which shows the main factors that inhibit and improve external integration in DW RLSCs. The framework will be useful in guiding further empirical research and informing industry practice. Several future research directions are also proposed to expand knowledge around the research domain.

Information-centric influence strategies for quality assurance in reverse logistics supply chains: external stakeholders' perspective

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, to identify the information-centric strategies of external stakeholders that influence the quality assurance (QA) in the reverse logistics supply chains (RLSC) of demolition waste (DW) and, secondly, to recognize the determinants for using each strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 professionals representing five external stakeholder groups: state and local government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), forward supply chain upstream and downstream actors. The data was analyzed based on Creswell's five-step process, and the conventional content analysis was used for coding and generating themes.

Findings

The study found seven information-centric influence strategies: regulating, monitoring, leading, incentivizing, demolition approval, forming contracts and specifications. The state government organizations were the most dominant in influencing the QA in RLSC. All external stakeholders use both aggressive and cooperative strategies. The urgent, legitimate and economic core of the issue decides the type of strategy to exert an information-centric influence over the QA in RLSC of DW.

Originality/value

To the author's best knowledge, this study is one of the first investigations performed based on a theoretical basis within the context of RLSC in the construction industry (CI). This study used empirical data to elaborate the stakeholder theory while providing new knowledge on stakeholder influence, particularly those relevant to information sharing. Thus, this study developed a theoretical base that future researchers in the study domain could use.

Quality assurance in reverse logistics supply chain of demolition waste: A systematic literature review

The reverse logistics supply chain (RLSC) facilitates the greening of the traditional construction industry supply chain. Despite the growing interest in this approach, limited studies focus on quality assurance (QA) in RLSC, which is crucial to resolve the issue of the low quality in reprocessed products. This study aims to explore the elements which contribute to the QA of RLSC of demolition waste (DW) by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR). A total of 91 articles available in six search engines between 2000 and 2019 were exposed to descriptive and content analysis. The descriptive analysis revealed that most of the articles were experimental studies (35%) and published during the recent period of 2013-2019 (64%). Furthermore, 60% of articles were originated from developed countries while 32% originated from developing countries. The results of the content analysis established that an information-centric integrated system of process, people, policy and technology is needed for QA in RLSC, which is supported by government, regulatory bodies, industry and universities/research institutions. The study addresses the existing gap by proposing a conceptual framework, which could be considered as the foundation in enforcing QA in the RLSC of DW. Finally, the implications for research and practice and some recommendations for further research were presented. The study facilitates in paving the path to sustainable development through building the foundation to enforce QA in RSLC of DW.

Information-based quality management in reverse logistics supply chain

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the synergies among reverse logistics supply chain (RLSC), quality management (QM) and information management (IM) concepts to enhance the effectiveness of demolition waste management (DWM) practices.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted using 70 articles published between the years of 2006 and 2017, which were subjected to descriptive and thematic analysis.

Findings

The descriptive analysis established that the RLSC concept was dealt within the majority of the publications (61 per cent), followed by concepts related to quality in RLSC (24 per cent). Only 14 per cent of the articles were based on IM concepts related to RLSC. Quality and information are interrelated in the effective implementation of RLSC. The thematic analysis demonstrated that there is a need for using quality parameters in a regulatory environment in an information-based environment. Based on the findings, future research directions were developed.

Research limitations/implications

The study encourages researchers to identify novel directions by combining these three concepts. The study developed a future research agenda regarding use of building information modelling (BIM) for existing buildings under novel technologies; analysis of secondary market demand and supply; and assessment of cost and safety management with quality in a BIM-enabled environment.

Practical implications

The practical implications include the application of sustainable management principles based on stakeholders and the regulatory environment.

Originality/value

Integration of the three concepts is an emerging area. This integration developed a robust approach to achieve QM in RLSC operations under a sound information flow enabling the optimisation of DWM.

Ensuring environmental performance in green leases: the role of facilities managers

Purpose

A green lease incorporates sustainability practices to reduce a building’s negative impact on the environment. Facilities managers play an important role in ensuring these best practices are implemented during the operational stage of a building; however, green leasing is an under-researched area in the emerging field of sustainable facilities management (SFM). This paper aims to investigate the common barriers encountered in ensuring environmental performance when a green lease agreement is in operation between a landlord and tenant.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was conducted in three stages using the principal-agent problem as the theoretical foundation for data collection. Stages 1 and 2 used semi-structured interviews to collect data with policy/corporate-level professionals, landlord and facilities management representatives who have considerable experience in green leases. Stage 3 used document reviews based on summative content analysis to further evaluate the extent of the contextual use of green leasing concepts as used within the facilities management community.

Findings

The study confirmed a strong incentive gap and information asymmetry between the landlord and facilities manager, forming a typical double principal-agent problem when the split incentives between the landlord and tenants are also taken into consideration, which results in agents acting on their own self-interest rather than the interests of the principal. Goal alignment is found to be key for the successful operation and management of a building throughout its life; when present, these goal conflicts can lead to disharmony between the parties to the contract.

Research limitations/implications

The study proposes a few practical measures to close the gaps in incentive and information asymmetry that create the principal-agent problem, while providing recommendations to the facilities management professional community. These recommendations could be included in future revisions of the SFM guidelines or code of practices used by the industry. Although this study exposed a rather neglected area of the facilities manager’s role in green leases, the findings are limited by the relatively small sample size used for the interviews.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the SFM body of knowledge from a green lease perspective, and the theoretical framework in the double principal-agent problem introduced in the study could be used in future research endeavours.

Characteristics of public concern on haze in China and its relationship with air quality in urban areas

Severe air pollution associated with the rapid urbanization is a pressing issue in China. Moreover, the public awareness of environmental protection in China is awakening, which poses enormous pressure on governments to enforce environmental regulations. The study of environmental problems from the public perspective plays a crucial role in effective environmental governance. The Baidu search engine is the China's largest search engine. The search index of haze based on Baidu search engine reflects the public concern on air quality in China. The aim of this study is to uncover important relationships between public concern and air quality monitoring data based on the case study of haze pollution crisis in China. The results indicate that: (1) the year 2013 is the turning point of the public concern on air quality in China; (2) according to daily data analysis, the search index of haze has increased progressively with increased PM_2.5 concentration with a time lag of 0-4 days and the lag time has a declining tendency from 2013 to 2017; (3) according to annual data analysis, the public concern showed a weak correlation with air quality and they showed an opposite temporal trend. However, when the long-term annual trend was removed, the strong positive correlation emerges between the fluctuation parts of the search index of haze and monitoring data of air quality. This indicates the public is more sensitive to the short-term fluctuation of air quality. The results of this paper provide statistical evidence on the evolution of public concern on air quality from 2013 to 2017. This study will help policy makers to better understand the patterns of the public's perception of environmental problems and consequently improve the government's capability to deal with these challenges.

Factors driving the implementation of reverse logistics: A quantified model for the construction industry

In the light of increased environmental concerns and the unsustainability of current construction practices, 'reverse logistics' (RL) has emerged as a remedial strategy, whereby decommissioned buildings are salvaged and returned back through the value chain for recovery, refurbishment and reuse. The drivers that impact the uptake of RL are known, but if sustainability outcomes are to be enhanced, the strength of those drivers must be quantified in order to ascertain where efforts should be focused. This study aims to quantify the effects of known drivers on RL, and in so doing identify action items with the greatest potential to positively improve RL outcomes. RL drivers are culled from extant research, and categorized as economic, environmental, or social forces. A conceptual model is developed and tested against questionnaire results drawn from 49 expert respondents active in the South Australian construction industry. The results are analyzed using structured equation modeling. Economic and environmental drivers, such as the continuing relative high cost of salvaged items, along with expediency of cost, time and quality objectives overshadowing regulatory demands for use of such salvaged items, are shown to predict 34% of the variations in implementing RL. Of particular interest is the finding contradicting previous studies, showing that social drivers, such as perceived benefits from 'going green' had no significant impact. Thus, the road-map to improving RL outcomes lies in reducing costs of salvaged materials, augmenting environmental policies that promoted their use, and to initiate a regulatory framework to generate compliance. This insight will be of interest to industry policymakers and environmental strategists alike.

Modelling the relationship between green built environment and occupants’ productivity

Purpose

The purpose of the study presented in this paper is to determine the relationship and effect of built environment on occupants’ productivity in green-certified office buildings in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach

Two research hypotheses were tested by approaching the survey method under the quantitative phenomenon. The questionnaire survey was conducted among randomly selected occupants in three selected green-rated office buildings in Sri Lanka. The survey data were analysed by using the Spearman correlation and ordinal logistic regression analysis techniques to model the relationship existing between the variables. The SPSS v20 software was used in data analysis.

Findings

The findings confirm the relationship between built environment and occupants’ productivity. As it further proves that, there is a significant effect of built environment on occupants’ productivity in green-certified office buildings. Thus, critical built environment factors influencing occupants’ productivity and their effect were determined.

Practical implications

The findings could be practically implied as bases to strengthen the evaluation criteria of indoor environmental quality in GREENSL® national green-rating system.

Originality/value

The evaluation of occupants’ productivity and the built environment factors has been at the focal point of research; however, most studies have focused on single aspects of the built environment. Further, no evidences were found on “which factors” can critically influence the occupants’ productivity in green buildings. The paper, therefore, seeks to fill this gap by proving the relationship between green built environment and occupants’ productivity.

Construction insolvency in Australia: reining in the beast

Insolvency has become endemic in the Australian construction industry. The scale of the problem has reached such proportions that both the NSW Parliament and the Senate have, in recent times, commissioned inquiries into construction insolvency. This paper aims to identify the reasons as to why the construction industry is so susceptible to insolvency, evaluate the effectiveness of any existing insolvency protection measures available to construction firms, and to identify proposed future measures to address the factors causing construction insolvency. The results of a questionnaire survey designed to discover the extent of the construction insolvency problem, as well as building contractors’ views with respect to the causes and regulation of construction insolvency, in South Australia are presented. The research found that there is an appetite amongst building contractors for the introduction of further regulation to address construction insolvency. Further, although the research found underbidding to be the biggest contributory factor towards construction insolvency, it appears to be the most difficult factor to address through regulation which explains the paucity of recommendations which directly address underbidding emanating from the Senate inquiry in 2015.

BIM adoption within Australian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs): an innovation diffusion model

Despite the envisaged benefits of BIM adoption for SMEs, BIM in SMEs has remained an underrepresented area within the available academic literature. This study proposes and draws upon a framework grounded on innovation diffusion theory (IDT) to provide an illuminating insight into the current state of BIM and the main barriers to BIM adoption within Australian SMEs. Based on analyses of 135 questionnaires completed by SMEs through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and grounded on the proposed framework, the current state of BIM adoption and barriers to BIM adoption for SMEs are discussed. The findings show that currently around 42% of Australian SMEs use BIM in Level 1 and Level 2 with only around 5% have tried Level 3. It comes to light that lack of knowledge within SMEs and across the construction supply chain is not a major barrier for Australian SMEs. In essence, the main barriers stem from the risks associated with an uncertain return on investment (ROI) for BIM as perceived by key players in SMEs. The findings also show the validity of the framework proposed for explaining BIM adoption in Australian SMEs.

Analysis of reverse logistics implementation practices by South Australian construction organisations

Purpose

– A large number of benefits have been reported when reverse logistics (RL) is fully implemented in the construction industry. However, RL is yet to become common place in the construction sector, particularly in Australia. The particular sub-sector in which RL operates is small and weak and the remainder of the sector must embrace and accommodate it comfortably. Research is lacking on how to promoting RL in the construction industry. Very little has been done to identify the current practices that have the potential to promote RL industry-wide. The purpose of this paper is to identify the practices that work well in the sector, a strategy could be mapped out to promote RL to all stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to fill the above gap, the present study used a mixed method approach to gather and evaluate current practices and their potential to promote RL in South Australia’s construction industry. Practices that were identified using a comprehensive literature review were evaluated with a questionnaire survey and series of interviews involving construction professionals.

Findings

– The findings are that practices facilitating deconstruction is the most important, followed by practices facilitating the use of salvaged materials in new construction to promote RL in South Australia. Awareness of deconstruction benefits, challenges and procedures at the organisation level and facilities and services at industry level were associated with RL implementation. Availability of salvaged materials in the market was found to influence its use in new construction and as a consequence its demand. Designing for reverse logistics is another practice that could facilitate deconstruction and the onus of its promotion lies mainly with the designers.

Research limitations/implications

– This research was confined to one state in Australia. As such the generalisation to other states and other countries should be treated cautiously.

Practical implications

– The findings of this study can help inform the industry and its stakeholders on areas that they need to concentrate more on to make the South Australian construction industry a fully RL integrated one. To that end the authors propose some recommendations arising from the findings reported here.

Originality/value

– This study makes a contribution to the body of knowledge on reserve logistics within a previously unexplored South Australian context. In addition, the study provides valuable insights into the contribution of RL practices to the construction industry.

Reverse logistics in the construction industry

Reverse logistics in construction refers to the movement of products and materials from salvaged buildings to a new construction site. While there is a plethora of studies looking at various aspects of the reverse logistics chain, there is no systematic review of literature on this important subject as applied to the construction industry. Therefore, the objective of this study is to integrate the fragmented body of knowledge on reverse logistics in construction, with the aim of promoting the concept among industry stakeholders and the wider construction community. Through a qualitative meta-analysis, the study synthesises the findings of previous studies and presents some actions needed by industry stakeholders to promote this concept within the real-life context. First, the trend of research and terminology related with reverse logistics is introduced. Second, it unearths the main advantages and barriers of reverse logistics in construction while providing some suggestions to harness the advantages and mitigate these barriers. Finally, it provides a future research direction based on the review.

Modifications to standard forms of contract: the impact on readability

Lack of clarity in contract documents can lead to disputes between contracting parties. Standard form contracts have evolved due to construction business becoming increasingly complex and the difficulty in drafting bespoke conditions of contract for each project. Numerous advantages have been identified in using standard forms of contract. However, clients often modify some clauses in order to include specific requirements for a project. While the consequences of ill-modifications to standard forms have been researched, no study has been done on the impact of these modifications on the clarity and readability of the document. Using 281 modified clauses from large infrastructure projects implemented in Sri Lanka, this study found that on balance modifications generally make the document more difficult to read; 60% of the sample clauses were more difficult to read compared to 40% becoming easier. More than 50% of the original and modified clauses were still at the ‘very difficult’ level of readability, which requires the equivalent of post-graduate level to understand. The study contends that modifications have not resulted in improved readability. The study highlights the necessity of clear and plain language when modifying contract documents.

Factors associated with the severity of construction accidents: The case of South Australia

While the causes of accidents in the construction industry have been extensively studied, severity remains an understudied area. In order to provide more evidence for the currently limited number of empirical investigations on severity, this study analysed 24,764 construction accidents reported during 2002-11 in South Australia. A conceptual model developed through literature uses personal characteristics such as age, experience, gender and language. It also employs work-related factors such as size of organization, project size and location, mechanism of accident and body location of the injury. These were shown to discriminate why some accidents result in only a minor severity while others are fatal. Factors such as time of accident, day of the week and season were not strongly associated with accident severity. When the factors affecting severity of an accident are well understood, preventive measures could be developed specifically to those factors that are at high risk.

Textual complexity of standard conditions used in the construction industry

Clearly written communication aids the understanding of construction contracts, resulting in less disputation. Past research, using opinion surveys rather than objective criteria, shows that construction contracts lack clarity and standard forms have become complex over time. The study outlined in this paper uses three objective measures of clarity developed by linguists to establish the readability of construction contracts. In addition, thirty industry professionals participated in a Cloze Test which measured the level of comprehension of clauses concerning disputes. The study verifies that contract conditions are very difficult to read, with college level reading skills needed to comprehend half of the clauses. However, the hypothesis that standard forms have become complex over time was not supported by the study. The study establishes a linear relationship between readability and comprehension, proving the hypothesis that improved readability increases the comprehension of a contract clause. 

Organisational Culture in Construction: An Employee Perspective

A large number of stakeholders in construction projects makes the construction industry prone to disputes. The historical separation between design and construction add to this phenomenon by having a consultant for design and a contractor for construction. Communication breakdown, frequently, is the first sign of problems, notably in the relationship between the Contractor and the Consultant. Therefore, it appears that the split between design and construction has given rise to two separate cultures in the construction industry. This paper attempts to identify whether there is a difference in organisational culture between Consultants and Contractors taken as two groups and determine whether a specific attribute was related to the cultural differences between the two entities. Based on case studies it was found that consultants are biased towards Clan culture while contractors are biased towards Market culture. However, both groups show similar affinity to Adhocracy and Hierarchy cultures.