Drivers of sustainable waste management in Asia

Drivers of sustainable waste management are defined as groups of related factors that influence the development (or lack thereof) of industry. There has been no attempt to reasonably list the drivers that influence sustainable waste management in Asia. In this review, four groups of drivers of sustainable waste management, specifically of Asia, are explained. The four groups of drivers consist of three human elements (human, economic and institutional) and the environment as a single driving group. Typically, the first three groups have been very influential, with the environment driver, noticeably, only considered when preceded by other groups of drivers. The interconnectedness of the drivers and neglect of the environment driver is discussed. It is concluded that while the essence of the four groups of drivers can be found all over Asia, each driving group must be investigated in a local context and all information combined to devise sustainable waste management policies or strategies

Brewery spent grain: chemical characteristics and utilization as an enzyme substrate

Grains in a brewery that have been removed of their sugar content is classified as a byproduct known as spent grain. It is a low-cost material and is available year-round. In Malaysia, approximately 15% of brewery spent grain (BSG) that is produced is salvaged and sold as feedstock supplement, while the remainder is discarded in landfills. This is a waste of a potentially useful resource. The chemical composition of fresh BSG was studied. Nine species of fungi were individually inoculated onto sterile BSG and solid state fermentation occurred without chemical adjustment or supplementation. Activity of lacease, lignin peroxidase, xylanase, amylase, carboxymethyl cellulase, protease and tannase was assayed. BSG consists of lignin and cellulose. High enzyme activity of lacease was shown by Pleurotus sajor-caju, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Aspergillus niger. This study is possibly the first to report lacease activity by solid state fermentation of spent grain