Biomedical waste generation at Ayurveda hospitals in South Asia: A mini review of the composition, quantities and characteristics

Ayurveda hospitals generate biomedical wastes (BMW). However, details on composition, quantities and characteristics are very scarce, details which are important to formulate a proper waste management plan for subsequent implementation and continual improvement. Therefore, this article presents a mini review of the composition, quantities and characteristics of BMW generated from Ayurveda hospitals. Additionally, this article presents some best possible treatment and disposal procedures. Most of the information was gleaned from peer-reviewed journals, although some information was collected by the author and from grey literature available to the author; 70-99% (by wet weight) of the solid waste is non-hazardous; biodegradables contributing to 44-60% by wet weight due to more used Kizhi (medicinal bags for fomentation) and other medicinal/pharmaceutical wastes (excluding waste medicated oils, which is 12-15% of the liquid medicinal waste stream and are not readily biodegradable) largely derived from plants. The hazardous waste component includes infectious wastes, sharps, blood as pathological wastes (from Raktamoksha - bloodletting), heavy metal containing pharmaceutical wastes, chemical wastes and heavy metal rich wastes. Quantities of infectious wastes followed by sharps and blood form a major portion of hazardous wastes. Most of the infectious waste material contaminated with blood or other body fluids and sharps from Raktamoksha are very similar (appearance, moisture content and bulk density) to what is generated from hospitals practicing Western medicine. However, hospital-specific waste studies are required in future to better understand the sources, areas of generation, types, quantities and characteristics of BMW, and hence to formulate more accurate waste management plans.

Digital threads in turbulent times: unraveling technostress and cleaner production in the food industry

Introduction: In the current landscape marked by swift digital transformations and global disruptions, comprehending the intersection of digitalization and sustainable business practices is imperative. This study focuses on the food industries of China and Pakistan, aiming to explore the influence of digitalization on cleaner production. Methods: Employing a cross-sectional design, data were gathered through online surveys involving a diverse group of employees. Special attention was given to the emergent phenomenon of technostress and its subsequent implications for individuals in the workplace. Results: The findings of the study demonstrate a significant impact of digitalization on both resource mobilization and interaction quality within the surveyed food industries. Notably, technostress emerged as a mediating factor, shedding light on the psychological challenges associated with digital transitions. The study further reveals the moderating role of the COVID-19 pandemic, altering the dynamics among the variables under investigation. Discussion: From a theoretical perspective, this research contributes to the cleaner production literature by bridging it with the human-centric nuances of technological adaptation. On a practical level, the study emphasizes the importance of aligning digital strategies with resource mobilization to achieve sustainable outcomes. For the food industry and potentially beyond, the research offers a roadmap for integrating digital tools into operations, ensuring efficiency, and promoting cleaner production.

Does Digitization Promote Green Innovation? Evidence from China

Green innovation is an important strategy in seeking sustainable competitive advantages. This paper investigates the impact of enterprise digitization on green innovation and its mechanisms. We find that enterprise digital transformation has a significant effect on the promotion of green innovation. This positive effect mainly stems from the advantage of resource reallocation generated by enterprise digitalization that can alleviate financing constraints and raise risk-taking levels. Furthermore, the level of economic development strengthens the impact of enterprise digitization on green innovation, and the positive relationship between enterprise digitization and green innovation is stronger in regions with stronger environmental regulation and higher intellectual property protection, as well as in state-owned and heavily polluting enterprises. Digitization can optimize resource utilization, strengthen the capacity of green innovation in pollution reduction and promote the clean production of enterprises. Our results show that enterprise digitization plays a positive role in innovation activities. Furthermore, our results show that enterprise digitization plays a positive role in innovation activities.

Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis for Cleaner Production of Diprotic Malic Acid: Separation Mechanism and Performance Evaluation

Bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) is a promising process for the cleaner production of organic acid. In this study, the separation mechanism of BMED with different cell configurations, i.e., BP-A, BP-A-C, and BP-C (BP, bipolar membrane; A, anion exchange membrane; C, cation exchange membrane), to produce diprotic malic acid from sodium malate was compared in consideration of the conversion ratio, current efficiency and energy consumption. Additionally, the current density and feed concentration were investigated to optimize the BMED performance. Results indicate that the conversion ratio follows BP-C > BP-A-C > BP-A, the current efficiency follows BP-A-C > BP-C > BP-A, and the energy consumption follows BP-C < BP-A-C < BP-A. For the optimized BP-C configuration, the current density was optimized as 40 mA/cm² in consideration of low total process cost; high feed concentration (0.5-1.0 mol/L) is more feasible to produce diprotic malic acid due to the high conversion ratio (73.4-76.2%), high current efficiency (88.6-90.7%), low energy consumption (0.66-0.71 kWh/kg) and low process cost (0.58-0.59 USD/kg). Moreover, a high concentration of by-product NaOH (1.3497 mol/L) can be directly recycled to the upstream process. Therefore, BMED is a cleaner, high-efficient, low energy consumption and environmentally friendly process to produce diprotic malic acid.

The transformation and outcome of traditional cassava starch processing in Guangxi, China

To improve the resource utilization, reduce the pollution generation, and increase the economic benefits of enterprises, a cleaner process to produce cassava starch was proposed based on potato starch processing, and it was applied to the transformation of a traditional cassava starch processing factory in the Guangxi Province in China. The transformation involves the implementation of several new techniques/facilities, including a rasper, horizontal centrifuge, and hydrocyclone. Based on the transformation, typical cassava starch factories in Guangxi were evaluated. The results show that, through the application of a series of cleaner techniques/facilities, the starch recovery rate increased to 84.5%. The water consumption, wastewater generation, and chemical oxygen demand generation decreased by 53.8%, 49.0%, and 20.7%, respectively. Based on the cleaner process, the wastewater can be treated to meet the national discharge standard by using common wastewater treatment technology.

Carbon deposition mechanism of molten salt cleaning and optimization of multicomponent molten salt formula for remanufacturing

In remanufacturing engineering, cleaning is the key factor for subsequent blank inspection and parts repair. Molten salt has the characteristics of low viscosity, good fluidity, and strong chemical stability. Salt bath cleaning can be comprehensively applied to remove various organic pollutants. Molten salt has the function of self-cleaning. The dirt in the cleaning pool can be decomposed and reused. Moreover, the waste molten salt is massive, and the waste residue is easy to treat. The formation and adsorption mechanism of carbon deposition was explored, and the formation mechanism of carbon deposition was verified by experiments. Then, the existing formula was improved by mixing experiment and compared with the current cleaning method; the cleaning effect was excellent. A new molten salt formula is proposed on the basis of the research on solar thermal storage medium. The composition percentage and the optimal process parameters of the new molten salt formula were determined on the basis of the experimental design of mixture. The cleaning effect of the new formula is good.

Assessment of the environmental impact and economic benefits of the adoption of cleaner production in a Brazilian metal finishing industry

The Metal Finishing Industry (MFI) use water and several chemicals in its production chain, which generatesboth liquid and solid hazardous waste. The present study evaluatesthe economic and environmental advantages of implementing cleaner production (CP) in a Brazilian MFI specialized in chrome and zinc. For the economic assessment, we adopted the measures of return on investment and internal rate of return. In order to measure the environmental impact, we used the Mass Intensity Factor. A case study methodology was adopted, with datacollectedthrough observation and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that the adoption of CPin this sector encourages the deployment of a Rising Cascades System in Counterflow (RCSC) to minimize water consumption through the reuse and segregation of hazardous solid waste (sludge). The sludge generated may be sold as a byproduct for the production of ceramics. We identifiedopportunities to reduce costs by minimizing waste, although this does require investment. However, the return on such investments mayenable the implementation of CP. The reduction in environmental impact on the ecosystem was significant, with large reductions in hazardous components contained in the sludge being dumped in the environment. The results may guide the development of public policies in Brazil, particularly in the adoption of CP in MFI to disseminate environmental education and increase governmental control.

Pulp and paper mill effluent management

This is a review of the literature published in 2018 related to the prevention of water pollution by or recovery of beneficial materials from wastewater produced in the pulp and paper industry. This review includes the following main sections: cleaner production, biological treatment, and physico-chemical treatment. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Converting pulp and paper treatment sludges to value-added materials can be efficient cleaner production technique. Modeling and dynamic simulation techniques of biological treatment along with optimization methods can improve the effluent quality out of a paper mill. Hybrid treatment systems can have a synergistic effect on the treatment of pulp and paper effluents.

Cleaner production in a remanufacturing process of air compressors

This article provides relevant results of a cleaner production program conducted in a company dedicated to remanufacturing air compressors in the city of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. The overall study design was based on an integration of acknowledged cleaner production and pollution prevention programs. Although this kind of program also involves environmental issues, this study focused on occupational health and safety by addressing different aspects of the work environment: ergonomic, physical (noise and lighting), and chemical. Particularly, ergonomic aspects were evaluated through the Modular Arrangement of Predetermined Time Standards (MODAPTS) method. For physical aspects, noise and lighting were addressed through Standard No. NOM-011-STPS-2001 and Standard No. NOM-025-STPS-2008 respectively. In addition, chemical aspects were analyzed through material safety data sheets and different search tools. Root causes of each risk were identified, and options to prevent, eliminate, and/or reduce each risk have been provided.

Treatment and biotransformation of highly polluted agro-industrial wastewater from a palm oil mill into vermicompost using earthworms

In this laboratory-scale study, earthworms were introduced as biodegraders of palm oil mill effluent (POME), which is a wastewater produced from the wet process of palm oil milling. POME was absorbed into amendments (soil or rice straw) in different ratios as feedstocks for the earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae. The presence of earthworms led to significant increases in pH, electrical conductivity, and nutrient content but decreases in the C/N ratio (0.687-75.8%), soluble chemical oxygen demand (19.7-87.9%), and volatile solids (0.687-52.7%). However, earthworm growth was reduced in all treatments by the end of the treatment process. Rice straw was a better amendment/absorbent relative to soil, with a higher nutrient content and greater reduction in soluble chemical oxygen demand with a lower C/N ratio in the vermicompost. Among all treatments investigated, the treatment with 1 part rice straw and 3 parts POME (w/v) (RS1:3) produced the best quality vermicompost with high nutritional status.

Did the CP audits promote the enterprises' CP? A case study in Beijing

Seven enterprises that have had recent Cleaner Production (CP) audits in Beijing were interviewed to identify whether these enterprises implemented the audit recommendations. If enterprises did implement the recommendations, their reasons and the results were analyzed. Finally, some suggestions on how to promote enterprise-wide CP were given.