Israt Jahan

Wall plaster production induces significant environmental impacts during its entire life as it consumes a high amount of cement and natural resources. Therefore, in sustainable development, industrial wastes are partially replaced to produce cementitious material to reduce environmental impacts. This study aims to identify the optimal environmental benefits from the waste-based cementitious materials that are used to produce wall plaster. Thus, this study involved conducting a comprehensive review of the mechanical and sustainable performance of industrial waste-based cementitious materials focused on wall construction. Then, an experimental test was conducted to ensure the appropriate mix design to enable the required compressive strength. A comparative analysis of mortar showed that it contained 15% (by weight) of fly ash, blast furnace slag, bottom ash, recycled glass, ferronickel slag, expanded polystyrene and wood ash using life-cycle assessment. The results show that mortar containing fly ash has lower environmental impacts in almost all impact categories (i.e., human health, the ecosystem and natural resources). Endpoint damage assessment of mortar mixtures expresses resource extraction cost as the most affected impact criteria. The replacement of globally consumed cement with 15% fly ash can contribute to monetary savings of up to USD 87.74 billion. The assessment clarifies the advantage of incorporating waste products in cement mortar, which allows policymakers to interpret the analysis for decision making. This study also found that the production of industrial wastes for mortar mixes has a significant impact on the environment.

Effective waste management has become a crucial factor in Australia because, from 1996 to 2015, the population increased by 28%, while Australia’s annual waste increased by 170%. In the period 2018–2019, Australia generated 27 Mt of construction demolition waste (44% of all waste). Although 76% of this waste is recycled, there has been a 61% increase in the rate of waste since 2006–2007. Therefore, minimising waste and prioritising waste management are necessary to build a circular economy. This study aims to identify the current waste minimisation perceptions in the Australian construction industry. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 50 industry experts focusing on four sectors (design/planning, building information modelling (BIM), material logistics, and prefabrication). The data were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively (Severity index). The result disclosed that the designers are the first contributor to waste minimisation, followed by the material suppliers/manufacturers. It is revealed that subjective attitude and the personal reluctance to exercise waste mitigation strategies are crucial. The outcome also indicated that BIM has the potential to minimise waste significantly. Overall, 15 key points were highlighted to consider for waste minimisation, and a conceptual framework was proposed. Therefore, identifying waste management’s current practices and the responsibility of industry personnel will help minimise waste and bring sustainable development.

A considerable amount of construction and demolition wood waste (CDWW) is generated, mostly landfilled, contributing to severe environmental effects. The management of CDWW is a significant challenge as it is a hazardous contaminated waste. In this context, the circular economy (CE) concept is a solution as it comprises waste minimisation and efficient recovery of resources. Although much research is found in the literature on CDWW end-of-life management, research on CE implementation considering every life cycle stage is still scarce. In this review, we endeavour to integrate CE in CDWW to identify the waste management strategies involved in the life cycle phases. The databases were searched from 2009 to 2020 and were analysed using CiteSpace version 5.7.R1 software. Forty-nine articles were identified, and the six life cycle stages were explored. The analysis shows that CE for wood waste is essential and has greater growth potential. While the LCA studies are limited to environmental viewpoints, combining economic and social perspectives is necessary for sustainable development. Overall, based on the research findings, a theoretical framework was proposed. This study, as a consequence, promotes the application of recycled wood into multiple valuable products and thus encourages waste management to boost CE and sustainability.

Multiple jet was successfully generated from a convex needle spinneret based on a conventional electrospinning setup. A convex channel was created in the front part of the needle to generate a limited free surface in the electrospinning process. A high flow rate was implemented with more than one polymer jet being produced, resulting in the production rate 2–3 times higher than conventional electrospinning. Finer nanofibers were produced from the convex needle when the applied voltage was 19 kV. The electric field intensity distribution of this spinneret was analyzed and compared with conventional needle spinneret by Comsol Multiphysics modeling. The research work has demonstrated that scaling up the production rate of nanofibers from needle‐based free surface electrospinning is possible. It will benefit further development of electrospinning with enhanced throughput and more precise controlling. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 48014.

Enhancing the production rate while maintaining control in electrospinning has been a challenge for years. This work proposes a novel spinneret from a tube with a single wire loop embedded in its one end. With the feeding of solution precisely controlled and the spinning process stablized, multiple polymer jets can be continuously generated from the wire loop. The as‐spun fibers show nanofibrous structure and its fiber diameter is greatly affected by the applied voltage and polymer concentration. As compared to needle electrospinning, the wire loop spinneret generates a stronger electric field with a larger spinnable area due to its special geometrical structure and a higher applied voltage it is connected to. Slightly coarser nanofibers are fabricated as compared to the nanofibers from needle electrospinning and the production rate is as high as 0.48 g h ⁻¹ .

Understanding the fabric performance is important to investigate the working process. The fabric properties depend to a great extent on constructional parameters, methodology and machine conditions. This paper shows the variation of mechanical properties (Tensile strength, Tearing strength, Abrasion resistant, Pilling resistance & stiffness) of cotton woven fabric from different weave structures. It was assumed to have variations in properties due to different weave structures and by this work we found a bridge on the theoretical conceptions to the practical work. It was found that the tensile strength of plain weave is higher than twill weave, but tearing strength is more in twill than in plain weave. The stiffness, abrasion& pilling resistance is higher in plain weave than in twill weave. The results are shown in the further progression with the necessary data and graphs.