This study evaluates the Allergen Segregation Wheel (ASW) as a decision-support framework for improving production and operational efficiency in a multi-product food manufacturing environment. Facilities handling multiple allergen categories often experience frequent changeovers, extended cleaning times, and complex production sequencing, leading to increased downtime, higher costs, and reduced throughput. The ASW integrates allergen-based sequencing into production planning while maintaining effective allergen control.
A simulation-based, quasi-experimental design using six months of historical production data from a chocolate manufacturing facility was employed. Performance before and after ASW implementation was assessed using metrics for allergen-related changeover downtime, equipment availability, production output, and operational efficiency. Statistical significance was evaluated using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test.
Results indicate that ASW implementation significantly reduced changeover downtime, improved equipment availability, and increased production output, while also enhancing operational efficiency without compromising allergen control practices.
The study concludes that the ASW is an effective production planning tool for improving efficiency and supporting cost-effective operations in multi-product food manufacturing environments.

Additive manufacturing (AM) of aluminum alloys offers significant potential for lightweight structural applications; however, concerns regarding mechanical reliability, particularly under cyclic loading, continue to limit widespread adoption in fatigue-critical components. This study shows an experimental investigation into the tensile and fatigue behavior of aluminum structural specimens produced via traditional, subtractive manufacturing and additive, laser-based manufacturing, with specific emphasis on the effects of build orientation and post-processing heat treatment. Tensile testing was performed on traditionally manufactured aluminum specimens extracted from the same casted stock material, as well as on additively manufactured specimens fabricated in multiple build orientations. Fatigue testing was conducted under different load amplitudes to evaluate low-cycle fatigue performance. Radiographic testing was performed to characterize internal defects and porosity. Results show that additively manufactured aluminum specimens exhibited higher ultimate tensile strength than traditionally manufactured aluminum; however, this increase in strength did not translate to improved fatigue performance. Despite lower tensile strength of cast aluminum, the traditionally manufactured samples demonstrated superior fatigue life compared to additively manufactured, topology optimized samples across all loading conditions. Post-processing heat treatment did not improve tensile strength nor fatigue performance.

Mismanagement of post-consumer plastics is a global issue wherein plastics end up in landfills and bodies of water after their useful life posing significant threat both to human health and to the environment. Most of the existing circularity tools rely primarily on quantitative data throughout the life cycle, giving much focus to the use phase and end-of-life, not so much on the pre-production phase. Extensive records of data at the product level are uncommon among developing countries like the Philippines which makes it even more difficult to evaluate circularity at the product level. The study aims to quantify the circularity of household furniture and construction products from plastic wastes in the Philippines. The quantification of the circularity of the upcycled plastic products began by identifying the considerations and preferred circular strategies of the manufacturers in upcycling plastics through a series of questionnaires during online interviews among local plastic product manufacturers and members of the academia. The relative potential product circularity scores were calculated after based on the responses using the Concept Circularity Evaluation Tool (CCET) (Albaek et al., 2020). Economy related production considerations had 35% of the total considerations. Environmental and technological considerations followed each with 25% of the total considerations. Societal and human considerations had 10% and 5% of the considerations, respectively. From the 26 circular production strategies, the good environmental profiling of materials was the most relevant strategy to both household furniture and construction products with an average performance score of 2.91 out of 3.00. Among the 13 stages of the product lifecycle, the raw materials sourcing was the top priority. The compression-molded school chairs got the highest potential circularity among the household furniture with a score of 43.57 out of 100 followed by injection-molded school chairs with 40.63, and lastly, trash bins with 28.78. For the products used in the construction industry, eco-pavers and ecobricks obtained the highest circularity scores of 32.95 and 32.63, followed by plastic lumbers, plastic tiles, and eco-boards with the scores of 29.98, 28.82, and 23.27, respectively. Household furniture had a higher average potential product circularity score of 37.66 out of 100 compared to that of the construction products with 29.53. Most of the production considerations identified were aligned with published circular strategies as well as with the solid waste management frameworks in the Philippines. The triple bottom line: economy, environment, and society as well as the technological and human aspects of circular economy were considered as well. The early stages of the product lifecycle and the applicable circular strategies during those stages were the most crucial and should be prioritized according to the manufacturers. The CCET was effective in determining the relative potential product circularity scores of household furniture and construction products in the Philippine setting. The manufacturers can use the outcome of the study as a guide in determining which life cycle stages they should focus on to improve the circularity of their products, and to identify which secondary products should be manufactured first in adhering to the Extended Producer’s Responsibility (EPR) Law in the Philippines.

Electroplating wastewater is a significant source of copper and nickel contamination, often generating large volumes of unstable sludge when treated using conventional precipitation methods. This study developed a tunable crystallization platform based on the Fluidized-Bed Homogeneous Crystallization Process (FBHCP) to achieve phase-selective recovery of these metals from synthetic electroplating wastewater. Two systems were designed using carbonate and phosphate precipitants to evaluate the interactive effects of pH, molar ratio, and influent flow rate on removal and granulation efficiencies through factorial and Central Composite Design (CCD) optimization. The carbonate system achieved optimal recovery at pH 9.0, molar ratio 1.5, and flow rate 20 mL min⁻¹, yielding 98.84 % copper and 90.13 % nickel removal with crystalline phases dominated by glaukosphaerite and malachite. The phosphate system, operated at pH 9.5, molar ratio 1.5, and flow rate 10 mL min⁻¹, attained > 99.9 % simultaneous recovery of both metals, producing dense, hollow granules primarily composed of Ludjibaite (Cu₅(PO₄)₂(OH)₄). Kinetic and thermodynamic analyses revealed precipitant-dependent crystallization pathways governed by supersaturation control and hydrodynamic stability. Both systems minimized sludge formation and energy use. Overall, FBHCP demonstrates a sustainable, phase-selective crystallization platform that transforms metal-laden wastewater into reusable resources—advancing circular economy and zero-waste goals.

Corrosion is an inevitable and irreversible phenomenon defined as the degradation of a material due to its interaction with the environment, either alone or in combination with mechanical forces. It is a serious concern affecting various industrial sectors worldwide because of its detrimental impact on the performance, safety, and service life of metallic components. To mitigate corrosion, the application of protective coatings combined with appropriate surface pretreatment methods has proven to be an effective approach. In this study, the effect of plasma nitriding as a pretreatment technique on the structural, mechanical, and corrosion behavior of titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN)-coated American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) D2 steel samples was evaluated. Plasma nitriding, a surface hardening process that promotes the diffusion of nitrogen (N) into metallic substrates to form hard nitrides, was conducted using a direct current (DC) bias while varying substrate temperature, bias voltage, and exposure time. An increase in surface hardness of up to 95% was achieved following nitriding. Subsequently, TiSiN coatings were deposited via cathodic arc evaporation. The influence of plasma nitriding parameters on phase composition, surface hardness, nitriding depth, coating morphology, elemental composition, and corrosion performance was investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Vickers microhardness profiling, coating thickness and adhesion tests, and accelerated corrosion testing. Structural analysis revealed α-Fe as the dominant phase in nitrided substrates and titanium nitride (TiN)-based phases in coated samples, with peak shifts indicating lattice distortion resulting from N incorporation. Higher bias voltages produced more pronounced peak shifts and surface hardening, suggesting enhanced nitrogen uptake. SEM-EDS analysis showed improved coating retention and surface morphology under selected nitriding conditions, while microhardness profiling indicated comparable nitriding depths across samples. Corrosion testing demonstrated that plasma nitriding prior to TiSiN coating significantly reduced the corroded surface area by up to 42% compared to the untreated substrate. Overall, the results indicate that plasma nitriding is an effective pretreatment for TiSiN film deposition, leading to improved surface hardness, coating integrity, and corrosion protection. Among the investigated parameters, a higher bias voltage combined with moderate temperature and sufficient treatment time produced the most balanced combination of properties.