Search results for " Circular Economy."
showing 10 items of 50 documents
Agro-tourism Structures, SARS-CoV-2: the Role of Water
2022
The agro-tourism environmental sustainability and its circular economy approaches represent the keys for the future development of the sector and in term of tourist presences, thanks to their growing attractivity. Water is one of the most used inputs in agro-tourism structures for internal (drinking, cooking, cleaning, etc.) and outdoor use (for agriculture and green areas management). In the scientific literature, the outdoor water use was more studied with regard the agro-tourism structures. The aim of the present paper is first to check and understand how the water consumption of an agro-tourism structure is managed and to propose solutions for its reduction, all in agreement with circul…
Multiple Scenario Analysis of Battery Energy Storage System Investment: Measuring Economic and Circular Viability
2022
Circular business models for batteries have been revealed in earlier research to achieve economic viability while reducing total resource consumption of raw materials. The objective of this study is to measure the economic performance of the preferred business model by creating different scenarios comparing second life (spent) and new battery investment for seven different European regions and four energy management strategies. Findings reveal levels of economic ability for a total of 34 scenarios simulated, including direct savings per kWh, a total change in energy costs per year, battery charge/discharge cycles, and comparative breakeven analyses. Regional effects are also measured based …
Dried-fruit shell reuse in green construction and building materials
2023
Bio-architecture is a new way of designing and building in line with the European Green Deal and in light of the circular economy principles. This new green approach is guiding the entire construction life cycle toward eco-sustainability and environmental friendliness, from the beginning to the end of the building process. In addition to the use of environmentally-friendly and high-performance building and construction materials, it is necessary to use new technologies that can reduce the environmental footprint. This paper aims to examine the possible reuse of biological wastes of agricultural origin of the Mediterranean basin, whose massive production generates a number of problems for th…
Biochar Particles Obtained from Agricultural Carob Waste as a Suitable Filler for Sustainable Biocomposite Formulations
2022
In the context of sustainable and circular economy, the recovery of biowaste for sustainable biocomposites formulation is a challenging issue. The aim of this work is to give a new life to agricultural carob waste after glucose extraction carried out by a local factory for carob candy production. A pyrolysis process was carried out on bio-waste to produce biofuel and, later, the solid residual fraction of pyrolysis process was used as interesting filler for biocomposites production. In this work, biochar particles (BC) as a pyrolysis product, after fuels recovery of organic biowaste, specifically, pyrolyzed carobs after glucose extraction, were added on poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalat…
A Different Role of Taxation. From a One-Sided Taxation To a Circular Taxation
2020
The essay explores a possible different use of tax revenue, that is a perspective in which taxation is linked to a public choice in a circular way, thus determining a shift from the traditional “one-side taxation” process to a “circular taxation” process. Starting from the widely studied juridical phenomenon, known in Italy as regeneration of common spaces and goods or simply “regeneration”, and addressing the case of the regeneration of a brownfield, the Author argues that this phenomenon shows some common points with the so-called “circular economy”, since they are both inspired by the same principle of making resources usable in a circular context, exploiting already existing goods and r…
Obsolescenza precoce e garanzia di durabilità nella vendita di beni di consumo: note comparatistiche
2023
The essay analyses the legal guarantee of contracts for the sale of consumer goods under Directive (EU) 2019/771, which has expressly introduced durability as an objective requirement for conformity to achieve more sustainable consumption patterns and a circular economy in an increasingly digital-driven market. Such regulatory innovation, however, does not lengthen products' lifespans nor raise consumer protection against premature obsolescence. In anticipation of the revision of the directive by the first half of 2024, the Author underlines the main weaknesses of the legal guarantee of durability and, assisted by the use of a comparative method, suggests that only a pre-contractual informa…
Environmental Assessment of an Innovative High-Performance Experimental Agriculture Field
2022
To increase food availability, optimizing production systems and reducing burdens related to human activities is essential in a scenario of population growth and limited natural resources. In this context, the life cycle methodology can represent a valuable asset for assessing the environmental performance of agricultural products and services. This study sought to investigate and characterize potential impacts of an experimental tomato field at the University of Perugia and evaluate if the production increment obtained using high-reflective mulching compensated for the emissions caused by this extra component. The first-year crop campaign was the baseline reference to measure the system’s …
Investigating the Multi-Recyclability of Recycled Plastic-Modified Asphalt Mixtures
2023
Although the benefits of asphalt recycling have been scientifically proven and several best practices are being implemented, further research is required in specific and specialized areas. One of these circumstances is the recycling of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavements (RAPs) that contain asphalt modifiers such as elastomers and/or plastomers. Following the principles of the circular economy and considering the sustainability implications of asphalt mixtures, this paper deals with the multi-recyclability of asphalt mixtures containing 50% RAP with and without a recycled plastic asphalt modifier and rejuvenating agent. The recycled plastic asphalt modifier was made of hard recycled plastics and wa…
A different role of taxation. Using fiscal leverage as an incentive to foster regeneration of common goods and improve the performance of public gove…
2019
The paper analysis the possibility of using fiscal leverage as an incentive to foster policy of regeneration of common goods. Regeneration of urban goods and spaces not only shows some points in common with the so-called circular economy, but – trough the role played by private citizens who, by substituting or collaborating with public administrations, participate in reuse of goods and urban spaces – may also be considered as an efficient example of public and private cooperation, aiming to improve the level of well-being of the community. Thus, it may be argued that regeneration and taxation have an, at least partially, coinciding aim. Both pursue a general interest: regeneration in a most…
Biopolymer Recovery from Aerobic Granular Sludge and Conventional Flocculent Sludge in Treating Industrial Wastewater: Preliminary Analysis of Differ…
2022
The recovery of biopolymers from sewage sludge could be a crucial step in implementing circular economy principles in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). In this frame, the present study was aimed at evaluating the simultaneous production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) obtainable from the treatment of agro-industrial wastewater. Two biological enrichment systems, aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and a conventional activated sludge operating as a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), were monitored for 204 and 186 days, respectively. The maximum biopolymers accumulation capacity was close to 0.60 mgPHA-EPS gVSS−1 in the AGS when operating at 3 kgCODm…