Digital technologies have been used to support mental health services for two decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic created a particular opportunity for greater utilization and more data-driven ...assessment of these digital technologies. This research aims to offer a scoping review of the characteristics and effectiveness of digital interventions that were employed to improve mental health in the real context of COVID-19 pandemic. A combination of search terms was applied for automatic search of publications in the relevant databases. The key features of included studies were extracted, including the intervention, participant, and study details. A total of 20 eligible studies were included in the final review, which were conducted across different geographic regions and among diverse cultural groups. Among them, fourteen studies mainly reported the impact of digital technologies on general population, while only one published study developed specific interventions for the isolated COVID-19 depressed patients in hospitals. Digital technologies identified in this review were mainly developed via web-based and mobile-based platforms, such as social networking and video conferencing applications. But less than half of them were aligned with theoretical approaches from standardized psychological treatments. Most of the studies have reported positive effects of digital technologies, either on improving general mental and emotional well-being or addressing specific conditions (e.g., depression, stress, and anxiety). This scoping review suggests that digital technologies hold promise in bridging the mental health-care gap during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and calls for more rigorous studies to identify pertinent features that are likely to achieve more effective mental health outcomes.
Globally, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is now a part of daily life. When this equipment becomes waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE or E-waste), however, it needs to be ...properly processed, for use as a source of materials for future production and renewable energy, and to minimize both the exploitation of raw materials and the deleterious effects on both the environment and human health. A large quantity of e-waste is generated in both India and China, and both countries still suffer from an entrenched informal e-waste processing sector. Consequently, valuable materials in e-waste are disposed in open land, rather than being properly extracted for reuse and recycling. In this article we note that the major portion of e-waste in China and India is collected by the informal sector and treated with primitive methods. Additionally, illegal shifting agents also play a role by mislabeling e-waste and exporting them to developing countries. This article proposes that: the implementation of e-waste management laws and policies for proper e-waste collection, treatment and recycling, better educate consumers on the dangers of e-waste contamination, restrict the illegal movement of e-waste across borders, and support the development of a formal, regulated e-waste processing industry by funding incentive programs constructing recycling infrastructure. These measures should increase the recycling capacity and decrease the amount of WEEE contaminating the environment and endangering human health.
Guided by the risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model, this study aims to examine the key determinants that predispose individuals’ online information seeking behavior and prevention ...intent during the COVID-19 outbreak. Through an online survey with 741 respondents in China, results indicate that affective responses, informational subjective norms, and information insufficiency are positively related to online information seeking about COVID-19. Furthermore, online information seeking is positively associated with prevention intent, and attitude toward prevention partially mediates this association. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed in the context of COVID-19.
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•A low-toxicity, high-efficiency, and low-cost deep eutectic solvent was synthesized.•Choline chloride-glycerol deep eutectic solvent was applied to separate Al foil and cathode ...materials of spent LIBs.•The deactivation of PVDF can be attributed to an alkali degradation process of PVDF in deep eutectic solvent.
The separation of cathode materials from aluminum (Al) foil is a key issue worthy of attention in the process of resource utilization of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Traditional technologies for the Al foil and cathode materials separation have the disadvantages of the use of corrosive acid/alkali, release of HF hazards, and environment and healthy risks of the toxicity reagent. In this study, a low-toxicity, high-efficiency, and low-cost deep eutectic solvent (DES), choline chloride-glycerol, was synthesized and applied to solving the separation dilemma of Al foil and cathode materials in spent LIBs. The experimental results show that separation of the Al foil and cathode materials can be achieved under optimal conditions designed by the response surface method: heating temperature 190 ℃, choline chloride: glycerol molar ratio 2.3:1, and heating time 15.0 min; the peeling percentage of cathode material can reach 99.86 wt%. Mechanism analysis results confirm that the separation of Al foil and cathode materials was the result of the deactivation of the organic binder polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), which can be attributed to an alkali degradation process caused by the attack of the hydroxide of choline chloride on the acidic hydrogen atom in PVDF.
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•Short-cut recovery of cobalt and lithium was directly obtained using oxalic acid.•Short-cut recovery process was optimized for a high recovery rate.•Leaching process was controlled ...by chemical reaction.•Leaching order of the sampling LiCoO2 using oxalic acid was first proposed.
With the booming of consumer electronics (CE) and electric vehicle (EV), a large number of spent lithium-ion battery (LIBs) have been generated worldwide. Resource depletion and environmental concern driven from the sustainable industry of CE and EV have motivated spent LIBs should be recovered urgently. However, the conventional process combined with leaching, precipitating, and filtering was quite complicated to recover cobalt and lithium from spent LIBs. In this work, we developed a novel recovery process, only combined with oxalic acid leaching and filtering. When the optimal parameters for leaching process is controlled at 150min retention time, 95°C heating temperature, 15gL−1 solid–liquid ratio, and 400rpm rotation rate, the recovery rate of lithium and cobalt from spent LIBs can reach about 98% and 97%, respectively. Additionally, we also tentatively discovered the leaching mechanism of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) using oxalic acid, and the leaching order of the sampling LiCoO2 of spent LIBs. All the obtained results can contribute to a short-cut and high-efficiency process of spent LIBs recycling toward a sound closed-loop cycle.
The rapid development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in emerging markets is pouring huge reserves into, and triggering broad interest in the battery sector, as the popularity of electric vehicles ...(EVs)is driving the explosive growth of EV LIBs. These mounting demands are posing severe challenges to the supply of raw materials for LIBs and producing an enormous quantity of spent LIBs, bringing difficulties in the areas of resource allocation and environmental protection. This review article presents an overview of the global situation of power LIBs, aiming at different methods to treat spent power LIBs and their associated metals. We provide a critical review of power LIB supply chain, industrial development, waste treatment strategies and recycling, etc. Power LIBs will form the largest proportion of the battery industry in the next decade. The analysis of the sustainable supply of critical metal materials is emphasized, as recycling metal materials can alleviate the tight supply chain of power LIBs. The existing significant recycling practices that have been recognized as economically beneficial can promote metal closed-loop recycling. Scientific thinking needs to innovate sustainable and cost-effective recycling technologies to protect the environment because of the chemicals contained in power LIBs.
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•The comprehensive information of power lithium-ion batteries and associated critical metal recycling was summarized.•The inductive structure of the development of the power lithium-ion battery industry including the impact factors was built.•Recycling critical metal materials can alleviate the tight supply of raw materials for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries.•The existing recycling technologies and practices can push the spent power lithium-ionbattery closed-loop recycling.
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•The amount of plastic waste generated by Asian countries is estimated about 121 Mt.•Asia’s share of the world imports of plastic waste was about 74% (11 Mt) in 2016.•In 2017, ...equivalent to 98% of the plastic waste imported was left in Asia for treatment and disposal.•Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Malaysia, Taipei (China) acted as Transferers in 2016.•As policy changed Hong Kong (China), Thailand, etc. became main Importers in 2018.
It is well known that Asia generates and receives large quantities of plastic waste. Through a detailed study of plastic waste generation and trade, the management and treatment of plastic waste in Asia were analyzed from the regional perspective. The amounts of plastic waste in municipal solid waste and in industrial solid waste were estimated to be 79 Mt and 42 Mt, respectively, in Asia. The overall treatment and recycling status in Asia are unsatisfactory. Asia imported 74% of the plastic waste in the world in 2016, and China (mainland) imported the most plastic waste until 2017, with 5.8 to 8.3 Mt. In 2017, about half the plastic waste imported by Asia came from other regions, and after subtracting the exported quantity, 98% of the plastic waste was left in Asia for treatment and disposal. The plastic waste imported by Asia declined about 72% in monetary value in 2018. There is still a large gap between the plastic waste quantity imported to Asia and that exported from Asia. China’s ban of plastic waste imports caused import quantities to drop to 52 kt in 2018, simultaneously, exports from the largest exporting countries or regions such as Hong Kong (China), the USA, Japan, and Germany decreased. While Vietnam, Malaysia and some other Asian countries and regions saw significant increases in plastic waste imports from 2016 to 2018. Considering this situation, countries in Asia are starting to strictly limit plastic waste imports from other countries.
As China is one of the countries facing the most serious pollution and human exposure effects of e-waste in the world, much of the population there is exposed to potentially hazardous substances due ...to informal e-waste recycling processes. This report reviews recent studies on human exposure to e-waste in China, with particular focus on exposure routes (e.g. dietary intake, inhalation, and soil/dust ingestion) and human body burden markers (e.g. placenta, umbilical cord blood, breast milk, blood, hair, and urine) and assesses the evidence for the association between such e-waste exposure and the human body burden in China. The results suggest that residents in the e-waste exposure areas, located mainly in the three traditional e-waste recycling sites (Taizhou, Guiyu, and Qingyuan), are faced with a potential higher daily intake of these pollutants than residents in the control areas, especially via food ingestion. Moreover, pollutants (PBBs, PBDEs, PCBs, PCDD/Fs, and heavy metals) from the e-waste recycling processes were all detectable in the tissue samples at high levels, showing that they had entered residents' bodies through the environment and dietary exposure. Children and neonates are the groups most sensitive to the human body effects of e-waste exposure. We also recorded plausible outcomes associated with exposure to e-waste, including 7 types of human body burden. Although the data suggest that exposure to e-waste is harmful to health, better designed epidemiological investigations in vulnerable populations, especially neonates and children, are needed to confirm these associations.
•This study reviewed exposure routes and body burden markers of e-waste in China.•The pollutants of e-waste had entered residents’ bodies.•We recorded plausible outcomes associated with exposure to e-waste.•Children and neonates are the groups most sensitive to e-waste exposure.
•This study reviewed environmental effects of heavy metals from e-waste in China.•High concentrations of heavy metals from e-waste were present in the surrounding.•The four kind of heavy metals (Cu, ...Pb, Cd and Cr) attracted more attention.•The exceedance of various standards imposed negative effects to the environment.
As the world’s leading manufacturing country, China has become the largest dumping ground for e-waste, resulting in serious pollution of heavy metals in China. This study reviews recent studies on environmental effects of heavy metals from the e-waste recycling sites in China, especially Taizhou, Guiyu, and Longtang. The intensive uncontrolled processing of e-waste in China has resulted in the release of large amounts of heavy metals in the local environment, and caused high concentrations of metals to be present in the surrounding air, dust, soils, sediments and plants. Though the pollution of many heavy metals was investigated in the relevant researches, the four kinds of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Cd and Cr) from e-waste recycling processes attracted more attention. The exceedance of various national and international standards imposed negative effects to the environment, which made the local residents face with the serious heavy metal exposure. In order to protect the environment and human health, there is an urgent need to control and monitor the informal e-waste recycling operations.
Recycling metals from wastes is essential to a resource-efficient economy, and increasing attention from researchers has been devoted to this process in recent years, with emphasis on ...mechanochemistry technology. The mechanochemical method can make technically feasible the recycling of metals from some specific wastes, such as cathode ray tube (CRT) funnel glass and tungsten carbide waste, while significantly improving recycling efficiency. Particle size reduction, specific surface area increase, crystalline structure decomposition and bond breakage have been identified as the main processes occurring during the mechanochemical operations in the studies. The activation energy required decreases and reaction activity increases, after these changes with activation progress. This study presents an overall review of the applications of mechanochemistry to metal recycling from wastes. The reaction mechanisms, equipment used, method procedures, and optimized operating parameters of each case, as well as methods enhancing the activation process are discussed in detail. The issues to be addressed and perspectives on the future development of mechanochemistry applied for metal recycling are also presented.
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