How publications and patents are contributing to the development of municipal solid waste management: Viewing the UN Sustainable Development Goals as ground zero

Qing Ye; Qasim Umer; Rongting Zhou; Amna Asmi; Fahad Asmi

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116496

How publications and patents are contributing to the development of municipal solid waste management: Viewing the UN Sustainable Development Goals as ground zero

J Environ Manage. 2023 Jan 1;325(Pt B):116496. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116496. Epub 2022 Oct 21.

Authors

Qing Ye¹, Qasim Umer², Rongting Zhou³, Amna Asmi⁴, Fahad Asmi⁵

Affiliations

¹ University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; FuYang Normal Univeristy, FuYang, China. Electronic address: qingye@mail.ustc.edu.cn.
² COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Vehari, Pakistan. Electronic address: qasimumer@cuivehari.edu.pk.
³ University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China. Electronic address: rongting@ustc.edu.cn.
⁴ Technical and Further Education (TAFE), New South Wales (NSW), Orange, Australia. Electronic address: amna.asmi1@tafensw.edu.au.
⁵ University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China. Electronic address: fasmie@ustc.edu.cn.

PMID: 36279775
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116496

Abstract

Academia and industry have strengthened each other under the guidelines of regulatory institutions to contribute theoretical knowledge and practical solutions for society, which can be presented in a combination of publishing research and filing patents. In the case of municipal solid waste management (MSWM), a great transformation from a linear to a circular view has been in process. In this study, we investigated the role of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in MSWM-related development and transformation. The authors examined the contributions of academic and industrial spheres to MSWM in the past 70 years by examining Web of Science's Core Collection and Derwent Innovations Index. The results showed that SDGs not only accelerated the research on MSWM but also pulled MSWM-related knowledge and innovation to new fronts that focus on sustainable and circular methods. Based on the current findings, we derived implications for academia, industry, and policymakers.

Keywords: Circular economy; Municipal solid waste management; Patents; Scientific research; Sustainable development goals.

MeSH terms

Cities
Refuse Disposal* / methods
Solid Waste / analysis
Sustainable Development
United Nations
Waste Management* / methods

Substances

Solid Waste