Circular Economy for the Sustainable Disposal and Reuse of Pruning Waste for Generating New Selective Materials

Gal Shwartz and Gideon Oron ()
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Gal Shwartz: The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410500, Israel
Gideon Oron: The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410500, Israel

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: Pruning waste (PW) and agricultural timber residue are rarely treated, creating environmental pollution issues. The lack of regulations and environmental control criteria has led to poor ecosystems. In this study, it is proposed to transform PW and turn it from a nuisance into a valuable energy source and other alternative resources under environmental constraints. Current reuse and recycling options include turning the waste into a food source or using it to generate energy, compost, soil fertilizer, and other products. A linear programming model with Boolean variables and a management model are defined and run for the reuse of PW. The management model defines the diverse options for PW reuse in terms of resource recovery. These options depend, to a considerable extent, on the country’s production capacity and the preferred applied alternatives. The country of Israel is split into separate regions, which are classified according to the preferred alternatives for PW treatment and reuse. These alternatives include factors such as the annual amounts of trash generated, transportation expenses, energy demands, and requirements based on annual and daily needs. An optimization model (based on operations research methods) is defined, solved, and subjected to a series of constraints. The goal of the study is to find out the best location for PW treatment facilities and optimal recycling product technology using linear programming software with Boolean variables. The results show that a net profit of approximately 3.5 million USD/year for a total community of close to 10 × 10 6 residents could be derived from the amounts of waste, including improved environmental control, in addition to the additional energy source. This work raises an urgent need to control and regulate recycling policies for PW in various environmental regions worldwide.

Keywords: pruning biomass; environmental control; circular economy; sustainable; management modeling; energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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