The objective of the work is to evaluate the thermal behaviour and the environmental impact of selected building biowaste-based materials, mainly biomass from agrowaste. An evaluation of the state of the art of the materials used from waste or biomass in the construction of buildings is carried out. The selected building materials are based on data availability: hemp concrete, isotex, bricks with olive core flour (OCF), bricks with wheat straw (WS). Subsequently, thermal behaviour is evaluated as a function of decrement factor, time lag and as an application in the thermal envelope of a building. Finally, a life cycle assessment of each material is carried out, including the calculation of the following indicators: non-renewable energy, cumulative energy demand and global warming potential. Hemp concrete and isotex are the materials with better thermal behaviour (lower decrement factor and greater time lag) like conventional materials, but with lower environmental impact. Regarding bricks, mixtures of 8% OCF and 7%WS generate more stable indoor temperatures than 4% OCF and 3%WS. Compared with conventional materials, building materials with incorporated biomass have better thermal behaviour and allow the construction of buildings with lower life cycle impact. Graphical Abstract

Mercury (Hg) mobilization and accumulation in the environment is directly related to forest fires. Biomass burning accounts for about 13% of the total contribution of Hg from natural sources. The aim of this work is to contribute to the knowledge of how wildfires modify mercury compounds behaviour and the effects it has in the Hg cycle, based on a systematic bibliographic review and analysis. Systems dynamics is an adequate focus to analyze the mobilization of Hg due to wildfires, which meets all the requirements to be studied by multimedia modelling. The development and application for the first time of a dynamic multimedia model of Hg taking into account specifically the influences of wildfires is one of the novelties of this work. Different scenarios show that an increase in the number of fires will consequently increase the mercury emitted into the atmosphere, modifying its natural cycle, producing a long-term modification of Hg compositions and concentrations in the different media. Hg movement caused by wildfires can cause complications in living beings and alter the ecosystems. This study found that the Hg soil content could as well be an indicator to measure the impact of fire on the environment. This model can also be generalized to conduct additional studies under comparable conditions, helping to understand the importance of forest fires in global Hg cycles. Graphical abstract

Zero-pollution goals and the reduction in environmental pressures related to production and consumption have become a priority in recent environmental policies such as the 8th European Environment Action Program proposal. Adapting current industrial processes is essential to this transition towards a regenerative economy. This work presents a redesign plan for an industrial system that includes mechanical workshops and a hazardous waste intermediate management plant, covering all management activities (both off-site and on-site), such as collection, transport, and treatment. The waste management hierarchy is modified/amplified considering the original definition and the circular economy focus. This includes the improvement of existing processes and/or the design of new sustainable processes from waste to energy and useful materials, with different foci (integrated pollution prevention and control, industrial ecology, the circular economy, system dynamics, and life-cycle thinking (LCT)) and different tools employed (Best Available Techniques inventory (BAT), process simulation, BAT analysis, industrial symbiosis, dynamic material and energy flow analysis, and LCT tools). These tools help us to improve the sustainability of waste to energy and useful materials processes and improve symbiotic behaviour in the industrial system. This study shows the real possibility of achieving the circularity of products, transforming the waste sector into a productive one. Meanwhile, it contributes to the extinction of the traditional concept of waste.