BACKGROUND: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a multifactorial disease in which environmental factors could play a role. The purpose of this scoping review was to map the published literature that assessed the association between the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which tried to make cities and human settlements safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable, and ECC.
METHODS: This scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. In July 2023, a search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus using tailored search terms related to housing, urbanization, waste management practices, and ECC. Studies that solely examined ECC prevalence without reference to SDG11 goals were excluded. Of those that met the inclusion criteria, a summary highlighting the countries and regions where the studies were conducted, the study designs employed, and the findings were done. In addition, the studies were also linked to relevant SDG11 targets.
RESULTS: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria with none from the African Region. Six studies assessed the association between housing and ECC, with findings suggesting that children whose parents owned a house had lower ECC prevalence and severity. Other house related parameters explored were size, number of rooms, cost and building materials used. The only study on the relationship between the prevalence of ECC and waste management modalities at the household showed no statistically significant association. Five studies identified a relationship between urbanization and ECC (urbanization, size, and remoteness of the residential) with results suggesting that there was no significant link between ECC and urbanization in high-income countries contrary to observations in low and middle-income countries. No study assessed the relationship between living in slums, natural disasters and ECC. We identified links between ECC and SDG11.1 and SDG 11.3. The analysis of the findings suggests a plausible link between ECC and SDG11C (Supporting least developed countries to build resilient buildings).
CONCLUSIONS: There are few studies identifying links between ECC and SDG11, with the findings suggesting the possible differences in the impact of urbanization on ECC by country income-level and home ownership as a protective factor from ECC. Further research is needed to explore measures of sustainable cities and their links with ECC within the context of the SDG11.

Amid the urgent global imperatives concerning climate change and resource preservation, our research delves into the critical domains of waste management and environmental sustainability within the European Union (EU), collecting data from 1990 to 2022. The Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) results reveal a resounding commitment among EU member states to diminish their reliance on incineration, which is evident through adopting green technologies and environmentally conscious taxation policies, aligning with the European Union\'s sustainability objectives. However, this transition presents the intricate task of harmonizing industrial emissions management with efficient waste disposal. Tailoring waste management strategies to accommodate diverse consumption patterns and unique circumstances within individual member states becomes imperative. Cointegrating regressions highlighted the long-run relationship among the selected variables, while Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) and Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) estimates roughly confirmed MMQR results. ML analyses, conducted through two ensemble methods (Gradient Boosting, GB, and Extreme Gradient Boosting, XGBoost) shed light on the relative importance of the predictors: in particular, environmental taxation, consumption-based emissions, and production-based emissions greatly contribute to determining the variation of combustible renewables and waste. This study recommends that EU countries establish monitoring mechanisms to advance waste management and environmental sustainability through green technology adoption, enhance environmental taxation policies, and accelerate the renewable energy transition.

The increasing trend of using agricultural wastes follows the concept of \"waste to wealth\" and is closely related to the themes of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Carbon-neutral technologies for waste management have not been critically reviewed yet. This paper reviews the technological trend of agricultural waste utilization, including composting, thermal conversion, and anaerobic digestion. Specifically, the effects of exogenous additives on the contents, fractionation, and fate of phosphorus (P) and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) during the composting process have been comprehensively reviewed in this article. The composting process can transform biomass-P and additive-born P into plant available forms. PTEs can be passivated during the composting process. Biochar can accelerate the passivation of PTEs in the composting process through different physiochemical interactions such as surface adsorption, precipitation, and cation exchange reactions. The addition of exogenous calcium, magnesium and phosphate in the compost can reduce the mobility of PTEs such as copper, cadmium, and zinc. Based on critical analysis, this paper recommends an eco-innovative perspective for the improvement and practical application of composting technology for the utilization of agricultural biowastes to meet the circular economy approach and achieve the SDGs.

Red mud and phosphogypsum have long been a focus and challenge in global industrial waste management, and their low-cost and large-scale utilization technology has always been an urgent need. This study is based on the strong acid-base neutralization reaction between red mud and phosphogypsum, which contain an elemental composition similar to that of natural soil, red mud itself has characteristic of clay minerals, and other auxiliary materials (i.e. rice husk powder, bentonite, fly ash, polyacrylamide flocculant and microbial suspension) were added, so as to explore the potential of synergistically prepared artificial soil for vegetation restoration. The results showed that the artificial soils exhibited physicochemical characteristics (e.g., pH, moisture content, cation exchange capacity) similar to those of natural soil, along with abundant organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents, meeting the growth requirements of plants. The artificial soils were able to support favorable growth of suitable plants (e.g., sunflower, wheat, rye grass), accumulating high levels of diverse enzymatic activities, comparable to those in natural soils (e.g., catalase, urease, phosphatase), or even surpassing natural soils (e.g., sucrase), and rich microorganism communities, such as Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria in the bacteria domain, and Ascomycota in the fungi domain, were initially developed. It\'s suggested that preparing 1 ton of artificial soil entails synergistic consumption of 613.7 kg of red mud and 244.6 kg of phosphogypsum, accounting for mass proportions of 61.4 % and 24.5 %, respectively. In future, more evaluations on the leaching loss of nutrients and alkalinity and the environmental risks of heavy metals should be conducted to more references for the artificial soil application. In summary, the preparation of artificial soil is a very simple, efficient, scalable and low-cost collaborative resource utilization scheme of red mud and phosphogypsum, which has great potential for vegetation restoration in some places such as tailings field and soil-deficient depression.

This study aimed to create a comprehensive evaluation method for sewage sludge (SS) treatment and disposal technologies, considering carbon emission and environmental impacts. Life cycle assessment (LCA) were conducted on six SS treatment and disposal technologies in China. The assessments used the IPCC emission factor approach to calculate carbon emissions and the CML2001 method to determine environmental impact factors. Additionally, a colour-coded method was implemented to quantify the evaluation results. The study found that S1 (anaerobic digestion + land application) had the lowest carbon emissions and environmental impact, making it the optimal technology. The S1 scenario had carbon emissions of 669 kg CO2(t DS)-1 and environmental impacts of 5.20E-10. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to show the impacts of each unit in the six technologies on total carbon emissions and environmental impacts. The results showed that landfilling has a high sensitivity to carbon emissions and environmental impacts. Therefore, controlling greenhouse gases and toxic substances in sludge landfills is crucial for reducing carbon emissions and environmental pollution.

Electronic waste (E-waste) production worldwide is increasing three times faster than the growth of the global population, and it is predicted that the total volume of E-waste will reach 74 million tonnes by 2030. United Nations warned that unless emissions of heat-trapping gases are drastically reduced, humanity will face catastrophic climate change. We created a bibliometric analysis and discussed the life cycle and techno-economic assessments of the current E-waste situation. We found trending E-waste topics, particularly those related to industrial facilities implementing a circular economy framework and improving the recycling methods of lithium-ion batteries, and this was linked to the topic of electric vehicles. Other research themes included bioleaching, hydrometallurgy, reverse logistics, heavy metal life cycle assessment, and sustainability. These topics can interest industrial factories and scientists interested in these fields. Also, throughout techno-economic assessments, we highlighted several economic and investment opportunities to benefit stakeholders from E-waste recycling. While the rate of E-waste is increasing, consumer education on the proper E-waste management strategies, a collaboration between international organizations with the industrial sector, and legislation of robust E-waste regulations may reduce the harmful effect on humans and the environment and increase the income to flourish national economies.

In recent years, construction and demolition waste (CDW) landfills landslide accidents have occurred globally, with consequences varying due to surrounding environmental factors. Risk monitoring is crucial to mitigate these risks effectively. Existing studies mainly focus on improving risk assessment accuracy for individual landfills, lacking the ability to rapidly assess multiple landfills at a regional scale. This study proposes an innovative approach utilizing deep learning models to quickly locate suspected landfills and develop risk assessment models based on surrounding environmental factors. Shenzhen, China, with significant CDW disposal pressure, is chosen as the empirical research area. Empirical findings from this study include: (1) the identification of 52 suspected CDW landfills predominantly located at the administrative boundaries within Shenzhen, specifically in the Longgang, Guangming, and Bao\'an districts; (2) landfills at the lower risk of landslides are typically found near the northern borders adjacent to cities like Huizhou and Dongguan; (3) landfills situated at the internal administrative junctions generally exhibit higher landslide risks; (4) about 70 % of these landfills are high-risk, mostly located in densely populated areas with substantial rainfall and complex topographies. This study advances landfill landslide risk assessments by integrating computer vision and environmental analysis, providing a robust method for governments to rapidly evaluate risks at CDW landfills regionally. The adaptable models can be customized for various urban and broadened to general landfills by adjusting specific indicators, enhancing environmental safety protocols and risk management strategies effectively.

In the context of China\'s efforts to combat climate change and promote sustainable development, the solid waste treatment industry\'s environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) performance is receiving significant attention. To comprehensively assess the ESG performance of the solid waste treatment industry and identify company types, this study constructs a targeted ESG evaluation index system based on existing literature, SASB industry standards, and company reports and utilizes a random forest approach combined with K-means clustering to determine indicator weights. Based on this index system, the paper evaluates the ESG performance of 71 solid waste disposal companies (SWDCs) from 2013 to 2021 and identifies their ESG types from static and dynamic perspectives. In the static view, company types are determined based on annual ESG performance, while the dynamic view considers time-series changes to observe the evolution of company ESG types. The results show that the overall ESG performance of SWDCs falls within the 2-8-point range, indicating a noticeable high-low imbalance. Key initiatives to improve ESG performance in this industry include enhancing waste management measures, developing emergency plans, and reinforcing ESG disclosure. From a static perspective, this paper can identify companies into three categories: delayed development, single-wheel-driven, and coordinated development. Finally, from a dynamic perspective considering the time factor, companies are further subdivided into five types: continual leading, growth catch-up, slow progress, fluctuating change, and retrogressive inertia. This study not only provides targeted recommendations for different types of ESG companies but also helps various sectors of society better understand the ESG conditions of this high environmental risk industry, thereby enhancing the regulation and support for its sustainable development.

The explosive growth of China\'s express delivery industry has greatly increased plastic waste, with low-value plastics not effectively utilized, such as PE packaging bags, which are often not recycled and end up in landfills or incinerators, causing significant resource waste and severe plastic pollution. A gate -to- grave life cycle assessment was adopted to assess the impacts of express delivery plastic waste (EDPW) management models (S1, landfill; S2, incineration; S3, mechanical pelletization), with Suzhou, China as a case. Results showed that mechanical pelletization, was the most environmentally advantageous, exhibiting a comprehensive environmental impact potential of -215.54 Pt, significantly lower than that of landfill (S1, 78.45 Pt) and incineration (S2, -121.77 Pt). The analysis identified that the end-of-life disposal and sorting stages were the principal contributors to environmental impacts in all three models, with transportation and transfer stages of residual waste having minimal effects. In terms of all environmental impact categories, human carcinogenic toxicity (HTc) emerged as the most significant contributor in all three scenarios. Specifically, S1 exhibited the most detrimental effect on human health, while S2 and S3 showed positive environmental impacts. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the application and innovation in mechanical recycling technologies be enhanced, the promotion of the eco-friendly transformation of packaging materials be pursued, and a sustainable express delivery packaging recycling management system be established. These strategies are essential for achieving more eco-friendly management of EDPW, reducing its environmental pollution, and moving towards more sustainable express delivery management practices.

The direct recovery of high-purity PbO from spent lead paste without a pre-desulfation process has significant industrial promise. Herein, we propose a recyclable, ultra-fast, and high value-added closed-loop of high-purity PbO recovery process by intensive multidentate coordination of histidine with crude 2PbO·PbSO4 by a rotating liquid-film (RLF) reactor and CO2 carbonation-dissociation. Parameter optimizations and kinetic calculations show the leaching time is shortened from 40 min to 60 s with 99.14 % leaching rate and 99.99 % PbO purity by internal diffusion control, where the RLF reactor promotes mass transfer and reaction rates by instantly renewing the surface of crude 2PbO·PbSO4. Furthermore, all 5 batches reveal that the separation of SO42- ions from the regenerated mother liquid with Ba(OH)2 significantly improves the recycling rate of the mother liquid and high-purity PbO product. This new strategy reveals a bright prospect of a highly efficient, high value-added, and environmentally friendly recycling route for solid waste resources.