Origins of the Concept of Circular Economy and its Evolution

The first concepts connected with the material circularity have been introduced through the terms of Industrial Symbiosis and Industrial Ecology since the 1940s. In 1947 Renner, G. included in his works the term of ‘reuse – exchange’ as processes by which waste or by-products of an industry or industrial processes become the raw materials for another one (exchange). In 1966, Economy in Washington – with the paper ‘The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth’ presented the idea of a circular loop for the materials, considering open and closed systems. Moreover, in the 1970s, Stahel, W. R. introduced the concept with the expression ‘cradle-to-cradle’ in opposition with ‘cradle-to grave’. As a consequence of the environmental revolution, the industrial ecology gained more and more importance. In the 1980s, Frosh, R. A. proposed an analogy of natural ecosystems, for the eco-industrial ones: in addition to reducing the production of wastes, they should maximize the efficient use of residue materials and end-of-life products, as an input for other production processes. In 1994, Pauli, G. in ‘Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives’ divided the economic models in three: red, green and blue economy. Later, Ayres went ahead using the metaphor of the biosphere (ecology) – technosphere (economy), followed by Biomimicry of Benyus, thanks to the ‘Spiral of Life’. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, the Linear Economy based on the terms take, make, consume, throw away was introduced. Its development is connected with the technological innovations encouraged by the growing scientific development increased productivity and promoted the progress of the linear economy. The Circular Economy, was introduced in 2015 by the European Union, and its aim is connected with the concept of: a) more efficient and sustainable use of resources; b) new integrated model of production, distribution and consumption

Optimizing the Methodology of Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in EU Under a Circular Economy Perspective

Abstract The methodology for the characterization of residual municipal solid waste (RMSW) is available since decades. Some modifications have been introduced in order to modernize it. Now, in order to take into account the targets of the circular economy, an additional effort must be made to be sure of generating the right information suitable for the optimization of municipal solid waste in that frame. In that perspective, the Authors present a few proposals in order to avoid mistakes and to deepen the reliability of the data generated during the analysis performed to classify the residual municipal solid waste in fractions. A new model of characterization is thus proposed, suitable for planning waste management in the frame of the circular economy principles

The in vivo pattern of AID targeting to immunoglobulin switch regions deduced from mutation spectra in msh2−/− ung−/− mice

Immunoglobulin (Ig) class switching is initiated by deamination of C→U within the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus, catalyzed by activation-induced deaminase (AID). In the absence of uracil-DNA glycosylase (UNG) and the homologue of bacterial MutS (MSH)–2 mismatch recognition protein, the resultant U:G lesions are not processed into switching events but are fixed by replication allowing sites of AID-catalyzed deamination to be identified by the resulting C→T mutations. We find that AID targets cytosines in both donor and acceptor switch regions (S regions) with the deamination domains initiating ∼150 nucleotides 3′ of the I exon start sites and extending over several kilobases (the IgH intronic enhancer is spared). Culturing B cells with interleukin 4 or interferon γ specifically enhanced deamination around Sγ1 and Sγ2a, respectively. Mutation spectra suggest that, in the absence of UNG and MSH2, AID may occasionally act at the μ switch region in an apparently processive manner, but there is no marked preference for targeting of the transcribed versus nontranscribed strand (even in areas capable of R loop formation). The data are consistent with switch recombination being triggered by transcription-associated, strand-symmetric AID-mediated deamination at both donor and acceptor S regions with cytokines directing isotype specificity by potentiating AID recruitment to the relevant acceptor S region

Egovernment: Transforming Government Engagement in the European Union

eGovernment is not just a government service on the Internet. The strategic nature of the service relies on the objective of simplifying communication between all parties of the society: government, citizens and business. The use of ICTs can help to connect all three parties and facilitate processes and activities that support their connectivity. Therefore, eGovernment encourages good governance. However, with the nature of ICTs constantly changing, the subsequent economic and societal impact in Europe is diversified. Continued technological progress has led to a societal acceptance of the new technologies, amount to a step-change in what ICT can achieve. Rapid technological developments have altered the level of government engagement within the society. Our point of interest, European societies, has demonstrated diversified levels of government and citizen engagement. For some EU countries’ citizens, interaction with the government through online facilities is not a novelty. However, to achieve the same level of efficiency and flexibility for all the EU member-countries is going to be challenging. The experience from the eGovernment services in the European Union shows that the willingness to decentralize procedures and mainly responsibility, and upgrade the role of electronic means, can strengthen governance. Our case study from Europe 2020 will showcase the dynamic shift of political direction towards flexible public services. The diversity of eGovernment implications in the European Union remains exceptionally interesting. This article is going to examine the political issues related to governance in the European Union, from the perspective of democratic governance. Additionally, it will observe how far the European countries have been successful in implementing the EU’s action plan. The article tries to identify the current status and the progression achieved so far in EU, with regards to the eGovernment area. Specific reference is being made to the open government approach, attempting to identify the level of political creativity originated in the Europe 2020 Initiative. The article argues that there are diverse speeds and levels of policy adaptation within the EU. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s2p17

IMPORTANCE OF COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES FOR MODERN WASTE-TO-ENERGY FACILITIES IN COMPLEX GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXTS ORIENTED TO CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Although circular economy (CE) principles set material circularity, resource efficiency and waste recycling as priority targets to guarantee the sustainable development of future generations, the thermochemical valorisation of municipal solid waste (MSW) still plays a fundamental role in the transition towards the final CE targets. As a matter of fact, the waste-to-energy (WtE) sector allows recovering energy from waste, reducing the pressure on MSW landfills and their related potential environmental impacts; however, recovering material for further uses is not excluded in WtE options. Significant improvements have been achieved in the air pollution control of exhaust gases from direct and indirect MSW combustion during the last decades. The efforts focussed on reducing dioxin emissions especially, and this has let other substances emerge as priority pollutants (e.g., heavy metals). In addition, the location of WtE facilities in certain geographical contexts is still potentially critical from the point of view of human exposure and the related health risk; moreover, the public acceptance of WtE plants is still limited, in spite of their recent role in fighting SARS-CoV-2 risks from waste management. The purpose of the present paper is to underline the importance of implementing correct and complete health risk assessment procedures tailored to the exposed population living in the area of influence of a WtE plant. The paper will present two case studies regarding the projects of two WtE plants in a mountainous region, highlighting the critical issues that arose during the environmental impact assessment procedures. The paper will finally suggest possible options to improve the health risk assessment procedure and alternative measures to reduce the expected impacts of the WtE sector on the environment and human exposure

Local Actions for Reducing Global Greenhouse Gas Footprint: 10 Years of Covenant of Mayors Initiative

Covenant of Mayor was launched in 2008 as a voluntary initiative for local administrations that intend to adopt a plan of interventions concerning greenhouse gas mitigations, achieving and exceeding the EU climate and energy targets. In its first decade of activity, Covenant of Mayors has become the world\u2019s largest initiative based on actions of energy saving and local climate mitigation, involving 250+ million inhabitants and 7700+ signatories in more than 50 countries worldwide, under the denomination of Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy. Globally, a total 5996 municipalities subscribed to the above-mentioned agreement in the first decade, in addition to 1743 progress plans and a wide database of indications regarding successful actions of Greenhouse Gas footprint mitigation at a European scale. This work reports on the global statistics of the initiative in the period 2008-2017 and the geographical location of the signatories within the territory of the European Union, highlighting limits and challenges of the initiative

Critical analysis of the integration of residual municipal solid waste incineration and selective collection in two Italian tourist areas

Municipal solid waste management is not only a contemporary problem, but also an issue at world level. In detail, the tourist areas are more difficult to be managed. The dynamics of municipal solid waste production in tourist areas is affected by the addition of a significant amount of population equivalent during a few months. Consequences are seen in terms of the amount of municipal solid waste to be managed, but also on the quality of selective collection. In this article two case studies are analyzed in order to point out some strategies useful for a correct management of this problem, also taking into account the interactions with the sector of waste-to-energy. The case studies concern a tourist area in the north of Italy and another area in the south. Peak production is clearly visible during the year. Selective collection variations demonstrate that the tourists' behavior is not adequate to get the same results as with the resident population. © The Author(s) 2014

Public attitude towards nuclear and renewable energy as a factor of their development in a circular economy frame: two case studies

5siThe energy sector is one of the most important sectors of the economy and one of the polluters of the environment. Therefore, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the climate goal stated in the Paris Agreement, many countries need to carry out a full-scale eco-modernization of the energy sector and develop green energy. Nuclear and renewable energy may become key areas of global energy development in the near future, in agreement also with Circular economy concepts, but public opinion (and other controversial visions/aspects) is one of the barriers to their development. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between attitudes towards nuclear and renewable energy in two countries: EU and non-EU, considering the level of their development. The authors conducted a survey among residents regarding their attitude towards nuclear and renewable energy, as well as their attitude to the present energy policy. The cluster analysis technique was used to analyze the results. The obtained results confirmed the dependence between the level of development of nuclear and renewable energy and the public attitude towards it. The authors identified the public attitude as one of the key factors in the development of energy and the achievement of environmental and social sustainability.openopenKaraeva, Anzhelika; Magaril, Elena; Torretta, Vincenzo; Viotti, Paolo; Rada, Elena CristinaKaraeva, Anzhelika; Magaril, Elena; Torretta, Vincenzo; Viotti, Paolo; Rada, Elena Cristin

Potential of bio-drying applied to exhausted grape marc

In the present work, experimentation was carried out to study the behavior of exhausted grape marc during the bio-drying process. This process was chosen as an alternative to the typical grape marc thermal drying approach. The aim was to reduce the moisture level thanks to the biological exothermal reactions, and to increase the energy content in the biodried grape marc. The target was the generation of a product interesting for energy options. For the development of the research, a biological pilot reactor and a respirometric apparatus were used. Results demonstrated that bio-drying can decrease the water content saving the original energy content. The final material could be assumed like a solid recovered fuel, class 5:1:1 with a very low potential rate of microbial self-heating