Tracking the evolution of waste recycling research using overlay maps of science

Abstract

Tracking the evolution of research in waste recycling science (WRS) can be valuable for environmental agencies, as well as for recycling businesses. Maps of science are visual, easily readable representations of the cognitive structure of a branch of science, a particular area of research or the global spectrum of scientific production. They are generally built upon evidence collected from reliable sources of information, such as patent and scientific publication databases. This study uses the methodology developed by to make a "double overlay map" of WRS upon a basemap reflecting the cognitive structure of all journal-published science, for the years 2005 and 2010. The analysis has taken into account the cognitive areas where WRS articles are published and the areas from where it takes its intellectual nourishing, paying special attention to the growing trends of the key areas. Interpretation of results lead to the conclusion that extraction of energy from waste will probably be an important research topic in the future, along with developments in general chemistry and chemical engineering oriented to the recovery of valuable materials from waste. Agricultural and material sciences, together with the combined economics, politics and geography field, are areas with which WRS shows a relevant and ever increasing cognitive relationship.

Clusterization and mapping of waste recycling science. Evolution of research from 2002 to 2012

“…In addition to this, collection and separation work form part of WR, these being steps of the utmost importance in the recovery of many types of waste (Demirbas, 2011). Previous bibliometric works in this field have indicated its high level of interdisciplinarity, together with the increasing importance of energy issues in research concerning WR (Garechana, Rio-Belver, Cilleruelo, & Gavilanes-Trapote, 2012b), so the broad scope of this definition seems to be accurate for the research presented in this article. Additional explanations for the choice of this definition have been given by Garechana, Rio-Belver, Cilleruelo, and Gavilanes-Trapote (2012a).…”

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment: The Anthropocene Knocks on Our Door

“…Talvez uma das mais relevantes seja estabelecer uma modelagem matemática dos fluxos de EEE em um país ou mesmo pelo mundo (o que exige uma grande quantidade de dados nem sempre disponíveis ou confiáveis). 56,57,60,82,[92][93][94] Estimativas de geração de resíduos eletroeletrônicos são difíceis de serem obtidas devido à velocidade e circulação de produtos novos e usados. 52 Afora isso, os componentes de um EEE podem provir de várias partes do mundo, numa cadeia complexa desde a extração dos recursos naturais até a montagem do produto final.…”

“…Nas novas gerações de EEE, na China, já não aparece bromo nos retardantes usados em celulares, mas ainda aparece em computadores e TVs. 166 Um exemplo são os retardantes à base de compósito de ácido polilático-óxido de alumínio, 93 cuja interferência no processo de reciclagem das frações plástica e metálica das PCI parece ser bem menor.…”

A pre-assessment of past research on the topic of environmental-friendly electronics

“…The term frequency and principal component analysis methods were used in the evaluation. In another study, global map of science and text mining methods were used to extract valuable information from waste recycling related research between 2005 and 2010 (Garechana et al, 2012). There are also hybrid methodologies that are combining two or methods.…”