Il Progetto EnCoRe : una iniziativa sovranazionale per promuovere il concetto di sostenibilità del calcestruzzo e dei materiali cementizi

Environmental issues are getting more and more relevant in several fields of human activities and the building industry is fully concerned by these concerns. Recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) can be produced by existing concrete members resulting by either industrial processes (i.e., precast structures) or demolitions of existing structures as a whole. Moreover, waste resulting from industrial processes other than the building industry (i.e., production of steel, management of glass, powders resulting from other depuration processes) could be efficiently disposed as concrete aggregates or employed as reinforcement for Fiber-Reinforced Concretes (FRC). The use of natural fibres can also result into an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective solution, especially in developing countries, because of the local availability of raw materials. In order to promote the use of concretes with recycled and/or natural constituents as construction materials, the compatibility between the non conventional constituents and the concrete matrix have to be deeply investigated and correlated to the resulting mechanical and durability properties of the composite. This is the main goal of the EnCoRe Project (www.encore-fp7.unisa.it), a EU-funded initiative, whose activities and main findings will be summarized in this paper

The encore project: sustainable solutions for cementitious materials

Since concrete is the most widely utilized construction material, several solutions are currently being developed and investigated for enhancing the sustainability of cementitious materials. One of these solutions is based on producing Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCA) from existing concrete members resulting by either industrial processes or demolitions of existing structures as a whole. Moreover, waste resulting from industrial processes other than the building construction (i.e., tire recycling, production of steel, powders resulting from other depuration processes) are also being considered as possible low-impact constituents for producing structural concrete and Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites (FRCC). Furthermore, the use of natural fibers is another option for producing environmentally-friendly and cost-effective materials, depending on the local availability of raw materials. To promote the use of concretes partially composed of recycled constituents, their influence on the mechanical and durability performance of these concretes have to be deeply investigated and correlated. This was the main goal of the EnCoRe Project (www.encore-fp7.unisa.it), a EU-funded initiative, whose activities and main findings are summarized in this paper.The authors wish to acknowledge the support to the networking activities provided by "EnCoRe" project (www.encore-fp7.unisa.it) (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IRSES, n. 295283) funded by the European Union as part of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

Sustainability in supply and value chain management

This chapter presents the case for integrating sustainability principles into supply and value chain management provision at higher education level as an urgent matter for consideration. It draws on the key declarations including Global Action Programme (GAP) of UNESCO that support the incorporation of sustainability values and practices into all aspects of learning to underscore the need for embedding supply and value chain management curriculum with sustainability. The shared experience and insights from scholarly engagement with integrating sustainability principles at three levels in higher education facilitates sustainability knowledge transfer. Grounded in the extant literature, a critical discussion of the integration process including pedagogical practices reveals prospects and challenges to scaling up of sustainable supply and value chain management education

Mathematical models of supersonic and intersonic crack propagation in linear elastodynamics

This paper presents mathematical models of supersonic and intersonic crack propagation exhibiting Mach type of shock wave patterns that closely resemble the growing body of experimental and computational evidence reported in recent years. The models are developed in the form of weak discontinuous solutions of the equations of motion for isotropic linear elasticity in two dimensions. Instead of the classical second order elastodynamics equations in terms of the displacement field, equivalent first order equations in terms of the evolution of velocity and displacement gradient fields are used together with their associated jump conditions across solution discontinuities. The paper postulates supersonic and intersonic steady-state crack propagation solutions consisting of regions of constant deformation and velocity separated by pressure and shear shock waves converging at the crack tip and obtains the necessary requirements for their existence. It shows that such mathematical solutions exist for significant ranges of material properties both in plane stress and plane strain. Both mode I and mode II fracture configurations are considered. In line with the linear elasticity theory used, the solutions obtained satisfy exact energy conservation, which implies that strain energy in the unfractured material is converted in its entirety into kinetic energy as the crack propagates. This neglects dissipation phenomena both in the material and in the creation of the new crack surface. This leads to the conclusion that fast crack propagation beyond the classical limit of the Rayleigh wave speed is a phenomenon dominated by the transfer of strain energy into kinetic energy rather than by the transfer into surface energy, which is the basis of Griffiths theory

Higher Education Curriculum for Sustainability: Course Contents Analyses of Purchasing and Supply Management Programme of Polytechnics in Ghana

Events such as worsening droughts, flooding, global warming, poverty and famine, civil unrest, humanitarian crisis, and human rights violations which now characterise human existence are proof enough that passivity is no longer an option, and certainly not an option for higher education; all must stand and be counted for their contributions towards a more sustainable world. Higher education has over the years been seen as an agent for addressing the problems of sustainability, and the curriculum is regarded as a critical tool for delivering related educational objectives. The research reported in this article is an attempt to determine the degree of attention to sustainability present in the curriculum of the Higher National Diploma (HND) Purchasing and Supply Management programme in Ghana, and also to ascertain the nature of sustainability issues addressed by the curriculum. Documentary research is the methodology used in conducting this study. Findings of the study suggest that sustainability has a low presence in the curriculum. A greater proportion of the sustainability sub-topics in the curriculum addressed issues of social justice, while economic sustainability issues featured the least. More deliberate and greater effort is recommenced to integrate sustainability in the curriculum, and also sensitise and train all relevant stakeholders in issues of sustainability

Management of End-of-life Library Resources in Ghana: Strategies and Sustainability Implications

Academic libraries are home to substantial quantity of books, furniture, and electronic equipment. At a point in time of their lifecycle, these library resources outlive their usefulness and need to be disposed of. In this age of increased sustainability awareness, it has become necessary for individuals and organisations to take into consideration the environmental, economic, and social implications of their product disposal practices. Interestingly, the issue of management of obsolete library resources has received little research attention, though libraries are confronted with these issues. The purpose of this paper therefore is to investigate the management of end-of-life resources in Ghanaian academic libraries. Semi-structured interview was the method for data collection. The findings highlight variety of methods employed by the libraries to dispose of their obsolete materials, the drivers of these methods of disposal, and related environmental implications

Financial capacity and sustainable procurement: the mediating effects of sustainability leadership and socially responsible human resource capability

NoThis study examines the effects of organizational financial capacity on sustainable procurement and the extent to which socially responsible human resource capability and sustainability leadership mediate this relationship. Data obtained from 322 organizations through quantitative surveys were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results suggest the following: financial capacity has a significant positive effect on sustainable procurement; financial capacity has a significantly positive effect on socially responsible human resource capability; sustainability leadership and socially responsible human resource capability mediate the positive effect of financial capacity on sustainable procurement. The research contributes to the literature a perspective on the mechanisms through which organizational financial capacity influences sustainable procurement via socially responsible human resource capability and sustainability leadership. The insights provided will inform management decisions and actions regarding how organizational finance can be leveraged strategically to optimize sustainable corporate practices and outcomes