Category archives: Economics

Electricity cheaper than diesel for heavy goods vehicles

Electricity cheaper than diesel for heavy goods vehicles

EconomicsEnergy

By César Tomé

Electrifying long-haul cargo-carrying trucks was deemed financially unviable. However, recent findings from researchers at Chalmers University of Technology demonstrate that operating electric heavy goods vehicles can be more cost-effective than using diesel. The shift from fossil fuel-powered to electric vehicle fleets has primarily been noticeable in lighter vehicles like private cars and delivery vans. However […]

Is the valorization of marine organic-waste into chitin environmentally sustainable?

Is the valorization of marine organic-waste into chitin environmentally sustainable?

Chemical engineeringEconomicsFood processingMaterials

By Invited Researcher

Authors: Mireia Martín, Life Cycle Thinking Group, Department of Graphic Design and Engineering Projects. University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and Erlantz Lizundia, Life Cycle Thinking Group and BCMaterials One of the consequences of global population growth is an increase in food waste. This is a relevant issue not only in terms of the waste […]

Marine organic waste has a promising future via biorefinery valorisation

Marine organic waste has a promising future via biorefinery valorisation

ChemistryEconomicsFood processingMaterials

By Invited Researcher

Food waste represents a serious problem associated with today’s society to which a solution should be found. A notable share of the impacts originates from the fishing sector. It hardly results acceptable that, in a world with shrinking food resources, 25% of the total fishing catches end up being discarded as waste. It should be […]

The dangers of agricultural big data

The dangers of agricultural big data

Computer scienceEconomicsEthicsSociology

By Invited Researcher

Most internet users are by now aware of the vulnerability of their personal data. When the news broke that tech companies misuse and manipulate our personal data, there was a widespread “techlash” against the corporate giants Facebook, Amazon and Google. The explicit motive for data harvesting is the prediction of consumer wants and needs. And […]

Child slavery in West Africa: understanding cocoa farming is key to ending the practice

Child slavery in West Africa: understanding cocoa farming is key to ending the practice

EconomicsSociology

By Invited Researcher

In 2000 and 2001, the use of child slaves on cocoa farms in West Africa was exposed in a series of documentaries and pieces of investigative journalism, sparking an international outcry . This series of events was far from unprecedented. As discussed in my paper, since the 19th century, when cocoa was first introduced to […]