Advances in Recycling & Waste Management

Recycling waste has always been a top concern for the paper industry. In this study, the feasibility of using various papermaking byproducts into building materials was independently assessed. For the first time, the enhancement of sample flexibility and texture following the conversion of wastes into cementitious materials was examined. According to the findings, 20% of the waste in an alkali-activated slag slurry is the ideal percentage for manufacturing paper. Wood chips and paper sludge, in contrast to lime mud and bottom ash, considerably increased the slurry's flexibility. When taking into account how adding wood chips affected the optimization of sample texture, the most suitable amount of paper sludge was 5% when the amount of wood chips in the combination was 15%. Alkali that is most appropriate equivalent was 6% and had a 0.9 silicate modulus. The experimental findings showed that papermaking wastes have a lot of potential for use as circular materials.

Water pollution is a concern for the environment that has an impact on the ecosystem and living things. One of the finest methods for removing heavy metals is adsorption. Agro-industrial waste is becoming a low-cost alternative to traditional adsorbents for these contaminants in wastewater because waste recovery is the foundation of the circular economy. Corn, sunflower seed, and pine sawdust residues were tested as potential adsorbents for synthetic aqueous solutions of Ni(II), Zn(II), and Cd (II). To learn more about these residues' structure, content, and adsorption mechanism, characterising efforts were made. The adsorbents' and adsorbates' adsorption capabilities and efficacies were assessed and compared. The results show that all of the biomasses tested are effective substitutes for synthetic materials, with higher adsorption efficiencies. Than 50% Cd was adsorbed first, followed by Zn, and then Ni. When a mixture of all metals was taken into account, adsorption efficiency in sawdust fell at the concentration range examined (as present in real sewage). Finally, clay ceramics (the forerunners of brick) successfully immobilised the heavy metals with an efficiency of over 88.5%. This process would reduce any contamination that might result from the rarely discussed in the literature disposal of used adsorbents.