In the present study, the potential of microwave irradiation as an innovative energyefficient alternative to conventional heating technologies in ceramic manufacturing is reviewed, addressing the advantages/disadvantages, while also commenting on future applications of possible commercial interest. Ceramic materials have been extensively studied and used due to several advantages they exhibit. Sintering ceramics using microwave radiation, a novel technology widely employed in various fields, can be an efficient, economic and environmentally-friendlier approach, to improve the consolidation efficiency and reduce the processing cycle-time, in order to attain substantial energy and cost savings. Microwave sintering provides efficient internal heating, as energy is supplied directly and penetrates the material. Since energy transfer occurs at a molecular level, heat is generated throughout the material, thus avoiding significant temperature gradients between the surface and the interior, which are frequently encountered at high heating rates upon conventional sintering. Thus, rapid, volumetric and uniform heating of various raw materials and secondary resources for ceramic production is possible, with limited grain coarsening, leading to accelerated densification, and uniform and fine-grained microstructures, with enhanced mechanical performance. This is particularly important for manufacturing large-size ceramic products of quality, and also for specialty ceramic materials such as bioceramics and electroceramics. Critical parameters for the process optimization, including the electromagnetic field distribution, microwave-material interaction, heat transfer mechanisms and material transformations, should be taken into consideration.

Promoting the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) of Good Health and Well-being of all people requires an approach that ensures that health systems are strengthened with comprehensive social support mechanisms. This interrelation has gained increasing recognition as a foundational pillar in realizing sustainable and equitable healthcare. Economic instabilities and social vulnerabilities have direct implications on health access and outcomes, making focused welfare and security measures important in entrenching SDG 3. This work combines interdisciplinary studies, bridging health policy and economic security, at a time when social policy decisions, more than ever, should be guided by real-world needs and evidence, dealing with key factors, interventions, and contributions from policymakers on strategies that can reinforce health systems. Thus, current achievements of SDG 3 and challenges to successfully integrate health and social support sectors are discussed. The study addresses future pathways to achieve this Goal, including greater public investment in inter-sectoral collaboration, innovative funding models, and data-driven policymaking as part of this next wave in advancing health systems resilience. Important ways to restructure public health with less inequality entail a reinforcement of social safety nets, mitigating health consequences through poverty and adverse economic conditions. Coordinated governance, cross-sectoral collaboration, and evidence-based monitoring frameworks assure policymakers of their effectiveness in achieving these policy priorities. This calls for prioritized planning that invests in scalability, sustainability, and adaptability for resilient health systems supported by inclusive welfare state policies. By aligning social policies with health priorities, this paper aims to contribute to a global agenda regarding universal, sustainable, and equitably achieved health outcomes within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The growing urban population and increased use of healthcare services have brought significant attention to the safe and sustainable management of medical waste. Selecting the proper technology in medical waste management (MWM) represents one of the most critical challenges for decision-makers to ensure public health. In order to evaluate and choose the best MWM methodology, the current research provides a novel multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) strategy for a variety of social stakeholders, to compute criteria weights, decision-making weights, and alternative ranking algorithms. The suggested structure addresses uncertain assessments of alternatives by extending weighting and ranking methods to acquire the decision-making weight and rank the MWM alternatives based on uncertain conditions. It also uses ‘intuitionistic fuzzy’ linguistic variables to indicate criteria weights. To assess all the factors pertaining to the sustainability of MWM actions, this study suggests the creation of a decision support system (DSS). Our DSS is built upon a novel strategy that utilizes a collection of MCDM models that are grounded on contemporary intuitionistic fuzzy logic methodologies. Alternative scenarios have been assessed for the instance of Greece, after specialists in the healthcare management field imposed 17 criteria and sub-criteria. The IF-MCDM methodologies used were the Intuitionistic Fuzzy DEMATEL, TOPSIS, and CORPAS. The alternative scenarios ranged from the prioritizing of safety laws and regulations to public acceptance and awareness, with the handling of hazardous risks and transportation playing a crucial part in the process. All ensemble methods produced the same ranking of the alternatives, demonstrating that safety and risk avoidance is the most significant scenario for sustainable urban development and public health.

In the current study, the cultivation of microalgae on wastewater-based substrates is investigated for an effective natural wastewater treatment that also generates biofuels and value-added products beneficial to human health. Additionally, the health of ecosystems can be evaluated via microalgae. The utilization of microalgae as bioindicators, biofuel producers, and wastewater treatment providers, under the biorefinery concept, is covered in this article. In fact, bioremediation is feasible, and microalgae culture can be used to efficiently process a variety of effluents. Along with wastewater processing and the creation of value-added substances, bioconversion concurrently offers a viable and promising alternative for reducing CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions to contribute to climate change mitigation. The microalgal biorefinery being considered as the third generation is unique in that it addresses all the aforementioned problems, in contrast to lignocellulosic biomass from agricultural waste in second-generation biorefineries and edible crops in first-generation biorefineries. In particular, one of the most promising natural resources for the manufacture of biofuel, including biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane, and biohydrogen, is found to be microalgae. Furthermore, products of high value, like fatty acid methyl esters, astaxanthin, β-carotene, DHA, and EPA can be made. Hence, microalgal biomass offers a substitute for the development of biofertilizers, bioplastics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, animal and aquatic feeds, and human nutrition products, thus promoting human and environmental health.