The International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Green Technology 2023 (SEGT 2023) took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 10 to 13 December 2023.
A group of scientists of “Panacea” project , professor Dagnija Blumberga and professor Julija Gusca, has joined the conference and presented the results of the project in three presentations:
- Anda Zandberga, Julija Gusca, Dagnija Blumberga and Silvija Nora Kalnins. Review on circularity framework for textile waste in healthcare.
- Julija Gusca, Petrarka Fomenko, Ulla Milbreta, Anda Zandberga, Dagnija Blumberga, Silvija Nora Kalnins. Beyond the circular mainstream in healthcare: identifying and characterising hard to reach consumer groups.
- Gusca J., Zandberga A., Kalnins S.N. “Compositional analysis of infectious healthcare waste: insights and implications”.
First two of the presented topics were also submitted in the form of scientific papers publishing in “IOP: Earth and Environmental Science” Book series.
SEGT 2023 aims to promote sustainable energy research and green technologies. SEGT 2023 encourages international co-operation and facilitates the exchange of new ideas among scientists and practitioners to contribute towards the achievement of SDGs.
The 18th International Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) took place from 24 to 29 September 2023 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The conference brought together 646 scientists, researchers and experts in energy and resource management from 58 countries and six continents, of which 507 participated on-site and 137 online.
The conference was also attended by the PANACEA project team member, RTU VASSI professor Dr.sc.ing. Julija Gusca. In her presentation “Unlocking Resource Potential: Circular Economy Strategies for Healthcare Waste Management – a review on barriers and drivers”, she shared the project’s findings on the existing technical, economic, environmental, regulatory challenges and drivers for the transition of the healthcare waste sector to circular economy principles.
After the presentation, there was an opportunity to continue the discussions with several conference participants, to exchange experiences and knowledge internationally on the challenges to improve the healthcare waste management sector at national level. It can be concluded that European countries have different approaches (e.g. regulatory requirements, requirements for recycling methods) to healthcare waste management at national level.
Visit RTU VASSI on 27 September 2023 as part of the European Scientists’ Night 2023 and explore the future of the medical waste economy!
“Panacea” project will join the activities organised by the Riga Technical University Institute of Energy systems and Environment during the European Scientists’ Night 2023, which will take place on 27 September 2023 from 18.00-22.00 at Āzenes iela 12/1.
We invite everyone to join us on an exciting journey of discovery, innovation and sustainability during the European Researchers’ Night and explore the future of the medical waste circular economy.
Through a workstation, organised within the Latvian Council of Science Fundamental and Applied Research Programme project “Panacea”, you will uncover the hidden story of hospital waste and shed light on circular economy solutions for healthcare waste management, highlighting environmental and public health objectives.
See also post-event photos attached.
On June 6, 2022, Baiba Melnikova defended her bachelor’s thesis on the topic “Impact of social factors on the choice of economic alternatives to the waste disposal of healthcare institutions”, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in environmental science (B.sc.).
From May 11 to 13, 2022, the international scientific conference The International Scientific Conference of Environmental and Climate Technologies took place in Riga, Latvia, where the following research was presented:
- Baiba Meļņikova: Bibliometric analysis of health care waste management;
- Beate Zlaugotne: Impact of COVID-19 on healthcare waste: a case study of Latvia.
On May 2, 2022, researcher Beate Zlaugotne and professor Dagnija Blumberga gave an interview on the Latvian Radio 1 program “Known in unknown” on the topic “Covid-time dump – where does the waste produced by the pandemic remain”. We recommend listening to the program here: https://lr1.lsm.lv/lv/raksts/zinamais-nezinamaja/covid-laika-izgaztuve-kur-paliek-pandemijas-sarazotie-atkritumi.a159421/
On February 14, 2022, a scientific article on “Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Healthcare Waste and Resource Potential Assessment” was published in the internationally cited scientific journal Environmental and Climate Technologies. The authors of the article are Beate Zlaugotne, Jeļena Pubule, Jūlija Gušča and Silvija Nora Kalniņš.
The article is available in open access format here: https://www.sciendo.com/article/10.2478/rtuect-2022-0006
On June 3, 2021, Beate Zlaugotne defended her master’s thesis on the topic “Quantitative and qualitative assessment of healthcare waste and resource potential assessment”, obtaining a master’s degree in environmental science (M.sc.).
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS
- Zlaugotne B., Pubule J., Gusca J., Kalnins S.N. Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Healthcare Waste and Resource Potential Assessment (2022) Environmental and Climate Technologies, 26 (1), pp. 64 – 74. https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2022-0006 (Published: 2022.02.14.)
PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCES
2022
- May 11-13 | international scientific conference The International Scientific Conference of Environmental and Climate Technologies | Riga, Latvia | Baiba Melnikova | Bibliometric analysis of health care waste management;
- May 11-13 | international scientific conference The International Scientific Conference of Environmental and Climate Technologies | Riga, Latvia | Beate Zlaugotne | Impact of COVID-19 on healthcare waste: a case study of Latvia.
