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Prof. ANASTASIA ZABANIOTOU
Aristotle Univeristy of Thessaloniki, Greece

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Research Keywords & Expertise

0 Gender Equality
0 Circular Bioeconomy
0 Bioenergy and sustainable valorization of wastes
0 sustainabilitiy
0 Resilience to climate change hazards

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Short Biography

Anastasia Zabaniotou is a Full Professor at the Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece and Vice-president of RMEI (Network of Mediterranean Engineering Schools). She holds a PhD and Master's from the Ecole Centrale de Paris, France, and has worked at the European Commission, DG R&I. She is chairperson of Biomass–Bioenergy at the International Renewable Energy Network and Conference (WREN/WREC), and member of the Chinese Network on Energy and Environment (BEE-RCN), She is interested in interdisciplinary research and education on Bioenergy with a focus on pyrolysis and Gasification technology, Circular Economy, Bioeconomy, Sustainability, Resilience to Climate Change Hazards, Gender Equality. She has been involved in and coordinated many national and international R&I projects and been awarded for innovation, excellence in her work and international recognition 15 times. Her academic credits are H-index 50, Citations 10839 (30 April 2021), authored 170 papers in international journals and presented in 300 conferences.

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Full paper
Published: 15 July 2021 in Circular Economy and Sustainability
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This study aims at embedding sustainability practices by exploring sustainable actions of individuals consisting the educated workforce of Greece. A tailored questionnaire was created and sent via e-mails to 500 respondents, to identify a snapshot of participants daily buying and consuming actions. 483 responses received and analyzed using statistical tools. They respond to recommendations for enhancing sustainability consciousness at individual level, inspiring people to buy sustainable, creating new consumption attitudes that are key factors for moving towards a sustainable citizenship. The findings will further provide information for a second paper on developing the ‘Go Sustainable Living’ digital application to be uploaded in individuals’ mobile phones, for rewarding users with points that correspond to each sustainable action and can later be used for discounts in all participating stores. The analysis showed that <30% of consumers are considered sustainability-conscious, 57.6% are in a transition phase, while 13% fell into the category of non-conscious. To make sustainable decisions and actions in every daily life, individuals need to have knowledge of sustainability, awareness, consciousness of their actions, and be active citizens. An educated workforce armed with sustainability perceptions and competencies is an asset for societies and businesses poised to respond to the sustainability call. Sustainability should not be only an ‘utopia’ in our societies but an ‘eutopia’ entailing a life with ecological and social health and prosperity at a local, regional, and global level.

ACS Style

Eirini Triantafyllidou; Anastasia Zabaniotou. From Theory to Praxis: ‘Go Sustainable Living’ Survey for Exploring Individuals Consciousness Level of Decision-Making and Action-Taking in Daily Life Towards a Green Citizenship. Circular Economy and Sustainability 2021, 1 -27.

AMA Style

Eirini Triantafyllidou, Anastasia Zabaniotou. From Theory to Praxis: ‘Go Sustainable Living’ Survey for Exploring Individuals Consciousness Level of Decision-Making and Action-Taking in Daily Life Towards a Green Citizenship. Circular Economy and Sustainability. 2021; ():1-27.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eirini Triantafyllidou; Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2021. "From Theory to Praxis: ‘Go Sustainable Living’ Survey for Exploring Individuals Consciousness Level of Decision-Making and Action-Taking in Daily Life Towards a Green Citizenship." Circular Economy and Sustainability , no. : 1-27.

Journal article
Published: 10 June 2021 in Open Research Europe
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The foundation of gender equality was built some decades ago, but higher education institutions are far from achieving it. Perhaps the leadership needs to integrate new narratives for a greater commitment especially, in engineering and new tools for the existing toolbox. This study aims to share the outcomes of soft female leadership (SFL) development for gender equality at the RMEI network, entailing the commitment of top-managers from engineering schools, creation of new leaders to lead the change at their institutions, students acting as change-agents, and an active community of practice. The SFL toolbox comprises self-awareness, humanistic care, intuition, creativity, and trust. The transformation of mindset, skillset, and culture entails using Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ‘Systemic View of Life’ arguments, and drawing knowledge from organizational learning frameworks, scientific phenomena, and mechanisms, such as a) The 4I-Intuiting-Interpreting-Integrating-Institutionalizing organizational learning process starting from intuition to achieve an institutional change; b) The ‘Stigmergy’ scientific mechanism of self-organized collective schemes with coordinated actions and interactions, in which the action performed by an agent leaves a trace in the environment that stimulates subsequent actions; c) The ‘Spillover’ phenomenon advocating that the behavior of an agent can bring the adoption of related behaviors by other agents. RMEI gender equality plan was evaluated by the HORIZON2020 TARGET project consortium. The SFL excelled as successful in setting goals, articulating a policy that integrates systems approach frameworks, insights from science and technology, innovation, ecology, philosophy, self-awareness, ethics, and values. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted physical meetings, but the process of change was not ceased at the network because we disrupted the disruption by boosting collaborative knowledge consolidation and dissemination processes. The SFL framework integrates context, regional, and temporal characteristics, alongside cognitive, affective, and motivational outcomes over behavioral outcomes, new mindsets beyond organizational skills, and collaborative learning over individual learning.

ACS Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. Soft female leadership (SFL) framework for driving the gender equality change in engineering education: learning outcomes of leader and leadership development. Open Research Europe 2021, 1, 63 .

AMA Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. Soft female leadership (SFL) framework for driving the gender equality change in engineering education: learning outcomes of leader and leadership development. Open Research Europe. 2021; 1 ():63.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2021. "Soft female leadership (SFL) framework for driving the gender equality change in engineering education: learning outcomes of leader and leadership development." Open Research Europe 1, no. : 63.

Journal article
Published: 21 May 2021 in Processes
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To better understand pyrolysis for upscaling purposes, a kinetic characterization of the process is necessary for every feedstock. Laboratory experiments allow identification of apparent kinetic models. This paper aims at the apparent kinetic investigation of peach seeds’ slow pyrolysis. Peach seeds from Greek peach fruits pyrolyzed under inert atmospheric conditions at different temperatures (475–785 °C), heating rates (100–250 °C/min) and N2 flow rates (25–200 cc/min). Prior to pyrolysis, they submitted to hexane extraction for the recovery of 36.8% wt. of the contained oils. Determination of the specific rate constant (k) and activation energy (Ea) for each considered reaction was made by using the Coats–Redfern integral non-isothermal fitting model that requires an assumption of the reaction order (n). Results revealed that a 3rd order reaction model best fits the process, the increasing of the pyrolysis temperature leads to a decrease of the activation energy (E) and pre-exponential factor (A), while nitrogen flow rate and heating rate had an opposite impact. E and A values ranged from 23 to 56 kJ/mol and 1.82 × 106 to 1.13 × 106 min−1, respectively, at different pyrolysis conditions. Furthermore, estimation of combustion and pyrolysis indexes were made to assess the suitability of peach seeds as a fuel, using isothermal thermogravimetric analyses (TGA). Results revealed that peach seeds are a suitable feedstock for pyrolysis, while prior submission of peach seeds to oils extraction, in a cascade biorefinery approach, can increase the energy and material recovery efficiency and potentially the environmental and economic benefit of the agri-food industrial sector.

ACS Style

Angelos-Ikaros Altantzis; Nikolaos-Christos Kallistridis; George Stavropoulos; Anastasia Zabaniotou. Apparent Pyrolysis Kinetics and Index-Based Assessment of Pretreated Peach Seeds. Processes 2021, 9, 905 .

AMA Style

Angelos-Ikaros Altantzis, Nikolaos-Christos Kallistridis, George Stavropoulos, Anastasia Zabaniotou. Apparent Pyrolysis Kinetics and Index-Based Assessment of Pretreated Peach Seeds. Processes. 2021; 9 (6):905.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Angelos-Ikaros Altantzis; Nikolaos-Christos Kallistridis; George Stavropoulos; Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2021. "Apparent Pyrolysis Kinetics and Index-Based Assessment of Pretreated Peach Seeds." Processes 9, no. 6: 905.

Journal article
Published: 13 May 2021 in Open Research Europe
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Although job opportunities, recruitment criteria, health insurance and social welfare are equally available regardless of sex, academic promotion at higher education institutions (HEIs) has so far been a challenging issue for women more than men. Even though there are not legislative policies or political strategies proscribing gender discrimination, the under-representation of women in high profile positions is thought-provoking as it was found by this study on collecting segregating data at the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences of Sousse (FAHSS) and to a lesser degree at the National Engineering School of Sousse (ENISO). Given insufficient research in the area under investigation, and despite the shortage of data needed for examination, this study makes use of and analyses the available data collected from Sousse University. Built upon the findings, this paper sets forth to examine impediments as challenges to progress which are encountered by women. Despite the belief that gender parity has been acquired, it is still a challenge to progress to endorse the culture of gender equality at higher education institutions. The study entails the activities of the gender equality committee created at Sousse University in 2018 with the support of the Mediterranean Network of Engineering Schools (RMEI) and under the framework of the EU TARGET project entitled ‘Taking a reflexive approach to gender equality at Institutional transformation’.

ACS Style

Monia Chouari; Moncef Ghiss; Anastasia Zabaniotou. Academic promotion and leadership: ‘moving the needle’ for the enhancement of gender equality in Tunisian higher education institutional members of the RMEI network following the TARGET framework. Open Research Europe 2021, 1, 14 .

AMA Style

Monia Chouari, Moncef Ghiss, Anastasia Zabaniotou. Academic promotion and leadership: ‘moving the needle’ for the enhancement of gender equality in Tunisian higher education institutional members of the RMEI network following the TARGET framework. Open Research Europe. 2021; 1 ():14.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Monia Chouari; Moncef Ghiss; Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2021. "Academic promotion and leadership: ‘moving the needle’ for the enhancement of gender equality in Tunisian higher education institutional members of the RMEI network following the TARGET framework." Open Research Europe 1, no. : 14.

Journal article
Published: 05 April 2021 in Energies
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This study explored the suitability of simulation tools for accurately predicting fluidized bed gasification in various scenarios without disturbing the operational system, and dedicating time to experimentation, in the aim of benefiting the decision makers and investors of the low-carbon waste-based bioenergy sector, in accelerating circular bioeconomy solutions. More specifically, this study aimed to offer a customized circular bioeconomy solution for a rice processing residue. The objectives were the simulation and economic assessment of an air atmospheric fluidized bed gasification system fueled with rice husk, for combined heat and power generation, by using the tools of Aspen Plus V9, and the Aspen Process Economic Analyzer. The simulation model was based on the Gibbs energy minimization concept. The technological configurations of the SMARt-CHP technology were used. A parametric study was conducted to understand the influence of process variables on product yield, while three different scenarios were compared: (1) air gasification; (2) steam gasification; and (3) oxygen-steam gasification-based scenario. Simulated results show good accuracy for the prediction of H2 in syngas from air gasification, but not for the other gas components, especially regarding CO and CH4 content. It seems that the RGIBBS and Gibbs free minimization concept is far from simulating the operation of a fluidized bed gasifier. The air gasification scenario for a capacity of 25.000 t/y rice husk was assessed for its economic viability. The economic assessment resulted in net annual earnings of EUR 5.1 million and a positive annual revenue of EUR 168/(t/y), an excellent pay out time (POT = 0.21) and return of investment (ROI = 2.8). The results are dependent on the choices and assumptions made.

ACS Style

Diamantis Almpantis; Anastasia Zabaniotou. Technological Solutions and Tools for Circular Bioeconomy in Low-Carbon Transition: Simulation Modeling of Rice Husks Gasification for CHP by Aspen PLUS V9 and Feasibility Study by Aspen Process Economic Analyzer. Energies 2021, 14, 2006 .

AMA Style

Diamantis Almpantis, Anastasia Zabaniotou. Technological Solutions and Tools for Circular Bioeconomy in Low-Carbon Transition: Simulation Modeling of Rice Husks Gasification for CHP by Aspen PLUS V9 and Feasibility Study by Aspen Process Economic Analyzer. Energies. 2021; 14 (7):2006.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Diamantis Almpantis; Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2021. "Technological Solutions and Tools for Circular Bioeconomy in Low-Carbon Transition: Simulation Modeling of Rice Husks Gasification for CHP by Aspen PLUS V9 and Feasibility Study by Aspen Process Economic Analyzer." Energies 14, no. 7: 2006.

Journal article
Published: 24 March 2021 in Open Research Europe
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Although job opportunities, recruitment criteria, health insurance and social welfare are equally available regardless of sex, academic promotion at higher education institutions has so far been a challenging issue for women more than men. Even though there are not legislative policies or political strategies proscribing gender discrimination, the under-representation of women in high profile positions is thought-provoking as it was found by this study on collecting segregating data at the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences of Sousse (FAHSS) and to a lesser degree at the National Engineering School of Sousse (ENISO). Given insufficient research in the area under investigation, and despite the shortage of data needed for examination, this study makes use of and analyses the available data collected from Sousse University. Built upon the findings, this paper sets forth to examine impediments as challenges to progress which are encountered by women. Despite the belief that gender parity has been acquired, it is still a challenge to progress to endorse the culture of gender equality at higher education institutions. The study entails the activities of the gender equality committee created at Sousse University in 2018 with the support of the Mediterranean Network of Engineering Schools (RMEI) and under the framework of the EU TARGET project entitled ‘Taking a reflexive approach to gender equality at Institutional transformation’.

ACS Style

Monia Chouari; Moncef Ghiss; Anastasia Zabaniotou. Academic promotion and leadership: ‘moving the needle’ for the enhancement of gender equality in Tunisian higher education institutional members of the RMEI network following the TARGET framework. Open Research Europe 2021, 1, 14 .

AMA Style

Monia Chouari, Moncef Ghiss, Anastasia Zabaniotou. Academic promotion and leadership: ‘moving the needle’ for the enhancement of gender equality in Tunisian higher education institutional members of the RMEI network following the TARGET framework. Open Research Europe. 2021; 1 ():14.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Monia Chouari; Moncef Ghiss; Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2021. "Academic promotion and leadership: ‘moving the needle’ for the enhancement of gender equality in Tunisian higher education institutional members of the RMEI network following the TARGET framework." Open Research Europe 1, no. : 14.

Journal article
Published: 05 March 2021 in Evaluation and Program Planning
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With more than 28 active members, the Mediterranean Engineering Schools Network (RMEI) is the most active network on gender equality in the Mediterranean area. Supported by the HORIZON2020 TARGET project ‘Taking a Reflexive Approach to Gender Equality for Institutional Transformation’, in conceptualizing gender equality learning and system change, the network took a context-specific approach based on a theory of change and other STEM organizational frameworks, to design a self-assessment framework and indicators, considering the systemic view of SDG5 horizontally connected to all SDGs, national context complexity, and transdisciplinary requirements. 95 simple, practical, user-friendly indicators were designed, fitting in the specificities of the Mediterranean-Engineering context. The analysis showed that the network realized its vision, made the ‘passage’ from theory to praxis on gender equality change, effectively developed meaningful processes/structures, formulated a policy statement, built a community of practice and inspired members. It also achieved trustful relationships and inspired outputs, effective communication, sharing of information and resources, and top management commitment. Critical aspects are a) the analysis in depth of issues linked to the existence of gender-based stereotypes and bias in engineering schools of the Mediterranean that entails tackling gender ideologies considering the whole national social system and existing structures; b) sustainability of gender equality structures created at the member institutions with the support of TARGET project which is depending on the willingness of each institution’s leaders to continue/advance with gender-sensitive strategies in their institution.

ACS Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou; Oumaïma Boukamel; Aigli Tsirogianni. Network assessment: Design of a framework and indicators for monitoring and self-assessment of a customized gender equality plan in the Mediterranean Engineering Education context. Evaluation and Program Planning 2021, 87, 101932 .

AMA Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou, Oumaïma Boukamel, Aigli Tsirogianni. Network assessment: Design of a framework and indicators for monitoring and self-assessment of a customized gender equality plan in the Mediterranean Engineering Education context. Evaluation and Program Planning. 2021; 87 ():101932.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou; Oumaïma Boukamel; Aigli Tsirogianni. 2021. "Network assessment: Design of a framework and indicators for monitoring and self-assessment of a customized gender equality plan in the Mediterranean Engineering Education context." Evaluation and Program Planning 87, no. : 101932.

Journal article
Published: 02 February 2021 in Sustainability
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The study takes an equality justice perspective to compare resilience against the controlled management of wildfires, for an effective preparedness, which is a prerequisite for equitable mitigation. The objectives were (a) conceptualizing wildfire mitigation by exploring the ties with gender equality to wildfire hazards, (b) taking the case of wildfire 2018 in Mati, Greece, to contribute reducing the country’s gender inequality, and (c) increasing resilience to climate change hazards by considering lessons learnt. The authors underscore the benefits of a workshop-based and instrumental case study methodology for unravelling evidence on the need for gender-sensitive approaches and tools for future planning at local, regional, and global scales. The case study unravels women’s lack of preparedness to wildfires in Greece, their absence in decision-making for fire management, and the need for capacity building to transform communities’ resilience. The literature research and the specific interviews conducted helped bring awareness to the wildfire’s dynamics, in alignment with the fundamental aspect of gender equality, and to ground recommendations for socio-ecological resilience transition and gender-sensitive approaches in fire management, from reactive fire-fighting to proactive integration. Although in the geographical-context, the study can bring widespread geographical awareness, bringing insights for relevance to similar areas worldwide.

ACS Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou; Anastasia Pritsa; E-A Kyriakou. Observational Evidence of the Need for Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Wildfires Locally and Globally: Case Study of 2018 Wildfire in Mati, Greece. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1556 .

AMA Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou, Anastasia Pritsa, E-A Kyriakou. Observational Evidence of the Need for Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Wildfires Locally and Globally: Case Study of 2018 Wildfire in Mati, Greece. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (3):1556.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou; Anastasia Pritsa; E-A Kyriakou. 2021. "Observational Evidence of the Need for Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Wildfires Locally and Globally: Case Study of 2018 Wildfire in Mati, Greece." Sustainability 13, no. 3: 1556.

Journal article
Published: 13 October 2020 in Sustainability
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Economic and environmental interventions in the Anthropocene have created disruptions that are threatening the capacity of socio-ecological systems to recover from adversities and to be able to maintain key functions for preserving resilience. The authors of this paper underscore the benefits of a workshop-based methodology for developing a vision and an approach to the inner processes of creation that can be used to increase resilience, to cope with societal vulnerabilities and to develop the tools for future planning at local, regional and global scales. Diverse areas of discourse ranging from climate science and sustainability, to psychoanalysis, linguistics and eco-philosophy, contributed meaningfully to the transdisciplinary approach for enhancing resilience. A framework is proposed that can be used throughout society, that integrates the importance of human subjectivity and the variability of human contexts, especially gender, in shaping human experiences and responses to climate change impacts and challenges such as the covid-19 pandemic. Within the domain of socio-economic research, the authors challenge researchers and policy makers to expand future perspectives of resilience through the proposed systemic resilience vision. Movement towards transformative thinking and actions requires inner exploration and visualization of desirable futures for integrating ecological, social, cultural, ethical, and economic dimensions as agencies for catalyzing the transition to livable, sustainable, equitable, ethical, and resilient societies.

ACS Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou; Christine Syrgiannis; Daniela Gasperin; Arnoldo De Hoyos Guevera; Ivani Fazenda; Donald Huisingh. From Multidisciplinarity to Transdisciplinarity and from Local to Global Foci: Integrative Approaches to Systemic Resilience Based upon the Value of Life in the Context of Environmental and Gender Vulnerabilities with a Special Focus upon the Brazilian Amazon Biome. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8407 .

AMA Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou, Christine Syrgiannis, Daniela Gasperin, Arnoldo De Hoyos Guevera, Ivani Fazenda, Donald Huisingh. From Multidisciplinarity to Transdisciplinarity and from Local to Global Foci: Integrative Approaches to Systemic Resilience Based upon the Value of Life in the Context of Environmental and Gender Vulnerabilities with a Special Focus upon the Brazilian Amazon Biome. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8407.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou; Christine Syrgiannis; Daniela Gasperin; Arnoldo De Hoyos Guevera; Ivani Fazenda; Donald Huisingh. 2020. "From Multidisciplinarity to Transdisciplinarity and from Local to Global Foci: Integrative Approaches to Systemic Resilience Based upon the Value of Life in the Context of Environmental and Gender Vulnerabilities with a Special Focus upon the Brazilian Amazon Biome." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8407.

Case report
Published: 15 August 2020 in Sustainability
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Educating students to understand the dynamics of complex systems and acting with responsibility and equality in their professional/private life is pivotal. Implementing social changes in higher engineering education institutions is a challenge. This work is grounded empirically in the tailored practices of the gender equality Change Lab embedded in the network of Mediterranean engineering schools, which is a collective organizational integrity. We used action research and practical learning in our methodology. Design principles are provided, and methodological setup is included. We advocate that in order to mainstream gender equality, develop structures, and overcome some of the known limitations, we need to have conceptual clarity, well-targeted interventions, reflexivity, and empirical evidence. Moving from separate bureaucratic centrally-managed higher education institutions to interconnected networks that can organize self-assembling collaboration in the form of labs, with mutually beneficial partnerships contemplating social innovations, can challenge the melting of the traditional boundaries towards inclusive education. This can be done amidst university reforms conducive to such a transformation. Particular attention is paid to the role of HORIZON 2020 Training Augmented Reality Generalised Environment Toolkit (TARGET) project in conceptualizing gender equality learning and system change in Mediterranean engineering schools.

ACS Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. New Forms of Social Learning in Mediterranean Higher Engineering Education: Change Lab for Gender Equality Transformation, Methodology, Design Principles. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6618 .

AMA Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. New Forms of Social Learning in Mediterranean Higher Engineering Education: Change Lab for Gender Equality Transformation, Methodology, Design Principles. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (16):6618.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2020. "New Forms of Social Learning in Mediterranean Higher Engineering Education: Change Lab for Gender Equality Transformation, Methodology, Design Principles." Sustainability 12, no. 16: 6618.

Journal article
Published: 18 July 2020 in Global Transitions
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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a worldwide disruption. Most people have never witnessed such a global threat, and the world’s leaders have not dealt with a crisis of this magnitude; moreover, Research & Innovation (R&I) teams have little time to invent new pharmaceutical therapies. Nations are trying to implement controlling strategies for avoiding significant losses, but this pandemic has already imprinted itself upon their citizens’ psyche, created social anxiety, and disrupted national economies. The complexity of the psychological, social, and economic interrelations of this new source of stress cannot be appropriately understood by scientific reductionism and specialised thinking only. It needs to be considered how the current pandemic links to questions of ecological sustainability and resilience. Further, we must rethink the complex interactions of human-nature health that drove the crisis, as proof of an unsustainable human civilisation. Accordingly, this paper aims to contribute to the transdisciplinary resilience dialogue on the health maintenance and life-supporting processes of the biosphere by focusing on the COVID-19 crisis. It explores various frameworks that are contributing to the transdisciplinary meta-perspective of resilience. Moreover, it proposes a humanistic approach based on not only controlling strategies involving containment and social isolation but also the ecological balance considering the human, societal, and ecological health as a system-wide emergent property. Conceptual frameworks of resilience are discussed—as mapping methodologies to structure the discourse—focusing on the role of leadership and empowerment. Furthermore, some positive insights are discussed, as a transdisciplinary integrator and solidarity facilitator of coping, mitigation, and decision-making in the time of uncertainty and anxiety created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ACS Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. A systemic approach to resilience and ecological sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic: Human, societal, and ecological health as a system-wide emergent property in the Anthropocene. Global Transitions 2020, 2, 116 -126.

AMA Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. A systemic approach to resilience and ecological sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic: Human, societal, and ecological health as a system-wide emergent property in the Anthropocene. Global Transitions. 2020; 2 ():116-126.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2020. "A systemic approach to resilience and ecological sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic: Human, societal, and ecological health as a system-wide emergent property in the Anthropocene." Global Transitions 2, no. : 116-126.

Journal article
Published: 06 June 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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We demonstrate a challenge-based innovation of End of Life Tyres (ELTs) pyrolysis for magnetic pyrochar production and synthesis with evidence of its use as low cost, novel adsorbent for pharmaceuticals removal from aqueous solutions. Magnetic tyre pyrochar (MTC) derived from ELTs at Technology Readiness Level 3-7 (TRL3-7), was tested for the removal of ciprofloxacin (CIP), propranolol (PRO) and clomipramine (CLO), from water, at varied pH and ionic strengths. The morphological and chemical properties of the adsorbents were assessed using Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) surface area, Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDS), elemental analysis and zeta potential measurements. MTC showed excellent adsorption efficiency of 85%, 90% and 92% for CIP, PRO and CLO respectively, higher than that of the non-magnetic tyre pyrochar (TC), due to the larger surface area, and porosity and lower polarity. Adsorption of the compounds onto MTC was highly pH dependent, and favourable at low ionic strength. The experimental data were well described by pseudo-second order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. Based on FTIR and zeta potential analysis, the interaction mechanisms were explained by cation-π, π-π EDA, cation exchange, electrostatic repulsion and hydrophobic effect. In the context of the circular economy, this ELTs based low cost magnetic adsorbent (estimated at $299/t) can be potentially used at full-scale industrial wastewater treatment for elimination of drugs from aqueous solutions, offering sustainable environmental remediation.

ACS Style

Farzaneh Feizi; Febelyn Reguyal; Nikos Antoniou; Anastasia Zabaniotou; Ajit K. Sarmah. Environmental remediation in circular economy: End of life tyre magnetic pyrochars for adsorptive removal of pharmaceuticals from aqueous solution. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 739, 139855 .

AMA Style

Farzaneh Feizi, Febelyn Reguyal, Nikos Antoniou, Anastasia Zabaniotou, Ajit K. Sarmah. Environmental remediation in circular economy: End of life tyre magnetic pyrochars for adsorptive removal of pharmaceuticals from aqueous solution. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 739 ():139855.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Farzaneh Feizi; Febelyn Reguyal; Nikos Antoniou; Anastasia Zabaniotou; Ajit K. Sarmah. 2020. "Environmental remediation in circular economy: End of life tyre magnetic pyrochars for adsorptive removal of pharmaceuticals from aqueous solution." Science of The Total Environment 739, no. : 139855.

Review
Published: 22 May 2020 in Atmosphere
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Mediterranean ecosystems are threatened by water and nutrient scarcity and continuous loss of soil organic carbon. Urban agglomerations and rural ecosystems in the Mediterranean region and globally are interlinked through the flows of resources/nutrients and wastes. Contributing to balancing these cycles, the present study advocates standardized biochar as a soil amendment, produced from Mediterranean suitable biowaste, for closing the nutrient loop in agriculture, with parallel greenhouse gas reduction, enhancing air quality in urban agglomerations, mitigating climate change. The study’s scope is the contextualization of pyrolytic conditions and biowaste type effects on the yield and properties of biochar and to shed light on biochar’s role in soil fertility and climate change mitigation. Mediterranean-type suitable feedstocks (biowaste) to produce biochar, in accordance with biomass feedstocks approved for use in producing biochar by the European Biochar Certificate, are screened. Data form large-scale and long-period field experiments are considered. The findings advocate the following: (a) pyrolytic biochar application in soils contributes to the retention of important nutrients for agricultural production, thereby reducing the use of fertilizers; (b) pyrolysis does not release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, contributing positively to the balance of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, with carbon uptake by plant photosynthesis; (c) biochar stores carbon in soils, counterbalancing the effect of climate change by sequestering carbon; (d) there is an imperative need to identify the suitable feedstock for the production of sustainable and safe biochar from a range of biowaste, according to the European Biochar Certificate, for safe crop production.

ACS Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou; Katerina Stamou. Balancing Waste and Nutrient Flows Between Urban Agglomerations and Rural Ecosystems: Biochar for Improving Crop Growth and Urban Air Quality in The Mediterranean Region. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 539 .

AMA Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou, Katerina Stamou. Balancing Waste and Nutrient Flows Between Urban Agglomerations and Rural Ecosystems: Biochar for Improving Crop Growth and Urban Air Quality in The Mediterranean Region. Atmosphere. 2020; 11 (5):539.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou; Katerina Stamou. 2020. "Balancing Waste and Nutrient Flows Between Urban Agglomerations and Rural Ecosystems: Biochar for Improving Crop Growth and Urban Air Quality in The Mediterranean Region." Atmosphere 11, no. 5: 539.

Communication
Published: 20 May 2020 in Energies
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The fixed-bed gasification of lignin-rich and -deficient mixtures was carried out to probe the synergistic effects between two model compounds, Lignin Pink (LP) rich in Na and Cellulose Microcrystalline (CM). Reaction conditions utilized the most commonly used air ratios in current wood gasifiers at 750 and 850 °C. It was found that by increasing the lignin content in the mixture, there was a selectivity change from solid to gas products, contrary to a similar study previously carried out for pyrolysis. This change in product mix was promoted by the catalytic effect of Na edge recession deposits on the surface of the char. As a result, the water gas shift reaction was enhanced at 850 °C for the LP48CM52 mixture across all air ratios. This was evidenced by a strong correlation between the produced H2 and COx. Meanwhile, by lowering the lignin content in the mixtures, the reactivity of cellulose microcrystalline was found to generate more char at higher temperatures, similar to lignin mixtures when undergoing pyrolysis.

ACS Style

Martin J. Taylor; Apostolos K. Michopoulos; Anastasia A. Zabaniotou; Vasiliki Skoulou. Probing Synergies between Lignin-Rich and Cellulose Compounds for Gasification. Energies 2020, 13, 2590 .

AMA Style

Martin J. Taylor, Apostolos K. Michopoulos, Anastasia A. Zabaniotou, Vasiliki Skoulou. Probing Synergies between Lignin-Rich and Cellulose Compounds for Gasification. Energies. 2020; 13 (10):2590.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Martin J. Taylor; Apostolos K. Michopoulos; Anastasia A. Zabaniotou; Vasiliki Skoulou. 2020. "Probing Synergies between Lignin-Rich and Cellulose Compounds for Gasification." Energies 13, no. 10: 2590.

Journal article
Published: 14 February 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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There is a need for eco-social business models in the food waste sector that are more cascading and circular-based, while having economic, environmental and social benefits. The aim of this study is to bring insights and data of spent coffee grounds large-scale slow pyrolysis, to seize new opportunities for eco-innovative solutions in the circular economy, by identifying upcycling opportunities for resource recovery of this waste. First, an experimental study was conducted, and a set of pyrolysis experiments were carried out at a temperature range from 450 to 750 °C, with a heating rate of 50°/s, under helium atmosphere, to explore the products' yields and the best process' conditions. Second, an economic study was conducted for a standalone pyrolysis plant fueled with the spent coffee grounds streams from coffee shops of a city with 150,000 inhabitants, in central Greece, aiming at the cost and the profitability of the endeavor estimation. The calculations were based on the features of a slow pyrolysis rotary kiln technology designed at Aristotle University, and co-developed with an Irish company, under the funding of an EU LIFE+ project. For an estimated capacity of 2566 t/yr of SCG, the revenue of the endeavor was calculated at 47€/t of SCG. The economic indicators ROI and POT (ROI = 0.24, POT = 2.6), are very positive, suggesting pyrolysis of SCG as an efficient circular economy management solution, providing an eco-social innovation business in the coffee shop industry, engaging also consumers in the circular economy.

ACS Style

V.K. Matrapazi; A. Zabaniotou. Experimental and feasibility study of spent coffee grounds upscaling via pyrolysis towards proposing an eco-social innovation circular economy solution. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 718, 137316 .

AMA Style

V.K. Matrapazi, A. Zabaniotou. Experimental and feasibility study of spent coffee grounds upscaling via pyrolysis towards proposing an eco-social innovation circular economy solution. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 718 ():137316.

Chicago/Turabian Style

V.K. Matrapazi; A. Zabaniotou. 2020. "Experimental and feasibility study of spent coffee grounds upscaling via pyrolysis towards proposing an eco-social innovation circular economy solution." Science of The Total Environment 718, no. : 137316.

Case report
Published: 11 January 2020 in Global Transitions
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Gender equality is a critical goal because its implementation can foster positive cascading effects on the achievement of all SDGs, and it is directly connected to the nexus of education-sustainability. This study discusses how the Mediterranean Engineering Schools Network achieved a learning potential, inspired informal and structural changes for gender equality to its members, through a tailored strategy by: a) unraveling the link between gender equality and sustainability, b) harvesting synergies of SDG5 from other SDGs and integrating gender equality in interventions for sustainable development of the region, c) mobilizing network’s human resources from professors and students to academic leaders, d) with the support of an EU project. A community of practice was created, the gender equality policy statement unanimously approved, grace due to the commitment of member-institutions leaders to SDGs. Finally, the study reflects on the network’s co-creation processes and interventions, challenges, barriers, and lessons learned, and suggests networking, collaborative learning, ethical commitment to SDGs and the synergetic effects arising from appropriately designed tailored policy mixes, as drivers for advancing gender equality in typical male-dominated engineering institutions, where females in leadership and senior positions are in low percentages. Cognitive, affective trust and joy shared among the members of the working group, and the feeling of belonging to the same family were the emotional drivers of paving the way for gender equality. The insights of the study may be useful to leaders, academic and administrative staff of other institutions in advancing gender equality and improving sustainability in their institution.

ACS Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. Towards gender equality in Mediterranean Engineering Schools through networking, collaborative learning, synergies and commitment to SDGs-The RMEI approach. Global Transitions 2020, 2, 4 -15.

AMA Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. Towards gender equality in Mediterranean Engineering Schools through networking, collaborative learning, synergies and commitment to SDGs-The RMEI approach. Global Transitions. 2020; 2 ():4-15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anastasia Zabaniotou. 2020. "Towards gender equality in Mediterranean Engineering Schools through networking, collaborative learning, synergies and commitment to SDGs-The RMEI approach." Global Transitions 2, no. : 4-15.

Journal article
Published: 15 November 2019 in Sustainability
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A techno-economic assessment of two circular economy scenarios related to fluidized bed gasification-based systems for combined heat and power (CHP) generation, fueled with rice processing wastes, was conducted. In the first scenario, a gasification unit with 42,700 t/y rice husks capacity provided a waste management industrial symbiosis solution for five small rice-processing companies (SMEs), located at the same area. In the second scenario, a unit of 18,300 t/y rice husks capacity provided a waste management solution to only one rice processing company at the place of waste generation, as a custom-made solution. The first scenario of a cooperative industrial symbiosis approach is the most economically viable, with an annual revenue of 168 €/(t*y) of treated rice husks, a very good payout time (POT = 1.05), and return in investment (ROI = 0.72). The techno-economic assessment was based on experiments performed at a laboratory-scale gasification rig, and on technological configurations of the SMARt-CHP system, a decentralized bioenergy generation system developed at Aristotle University, Greece. The experimental proof of concept of rice husks gasification was studied at a temperature range of 700 to 900 °C, under an under-stoichiometric ratio of O2/N2 (10/90 v/v) as the gasification agent. Producer gas’s Lower Heating Value (LHV) maximized at 800 °C (10.9 MJ/Nm3), while the char’s Brunauer Emmet Teller (BET) surface reached a max of 146 m2/g at 900 °C. Recommendations were provided for a pretreatment of rice husks in order to minimize de-fluidization problems of the gasification system due to Si-rich ash. With the application of this model, simultaneous utilization and processing of waste flows from various rice value chain can be achieved towards improving environmental performance of the companies and producing energy and fertilizer by using waste as a fuel and resource with value.

ACS Style

I. Vaskalis; V. Skoulou; G. Stavropoulos; A. Zabaniotou. Towards Circular Economy Solutions for The Management of Rice Processing Residues to Bioenergy via Gasification. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6433 .

AMA Style

I. Vaskalis, V. Skoulou, G. Stavropoulos, A. Zabaniotou. Towards Circular Economy Solutions for The Management of Rice Processing Residues to Bioenergy via Gasification. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (22):6433.

Chicago/Turabian Style

I. Vaskalis; V. Skoulou; G. Stavropoulos; A. Zabaniotou. 2019. "Towards Circular Economy Solutions for The Management of Rice Processing Residues to Bioenergy via Gasification." Sustainability 11, no. 22: 6433.

Journal article
Published: 30 October 2019 in Global Transitions
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Bioenergy, an interdisciplinary and region-specific sector, constitutes a strong market player with high growth prospects in the energy transition field. Bioenergy engineering education is essential in building a knowledgeable workforce that can drive the bioenergy sector, understand societal needs, and provide solutions to complex, interconnected challenges, with breakthroughs in technology. This paper aims to investigate the awareness of and readiness for bioenergy that Greek engineering and technology education undergraduate students have. A tailor-made questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 200 students at two institutions located in two regions of Greece. Students demonstrated positive perceptions regarding bioenergy implementation in their regions, regardless of their place of origin, family status, or gender. Based on the findings, students believed that, if plants and systems are sustainable and well-designed, bioenergy does not present environmental or health risks. However, students lacked awareness regarding existing bioenergy plants, and the media appeared to be the primary source of information for most respondents. Since these students will be engineers and managers in the future, their perceptions and communication can largely determine the success of implementing bioenergy plants and can have a positive impact on their social acceptance. Recommendations were provided for revisions to university curricula, integrating holistic sustainability and creativity (innovation and entrepreneurship) so as to develop a transformative bioenergy education course. For a country still recovering from the trauma of the financial crisis, bioenergy can offer new job opportunities and limit the brain drain of young engineers, as long as the socio-technical system (with its current resources and configurations) can create transition pathways along with education.

ACS Style

Α. Zabaniotou; D. Fytili; Ε. Lakioti; V. Karayannis. Transition to bioenergy: Engineering and technology undergraduate students’ perceptions of and readiness for agricultural waste-based bioenergy in Greece. Global Transitions 2019, 1, 157 -170.

AMA Style

Α. Zabaniotou, D. Fytili, Ε. Lakioti, V. Karayannis. Transition to bioenergy: Engineering and technology undergraduate students’ perceptions of and readiness for agricultural waste-based bioenergy in Greece. Global Transitions. 2019; 1 ():157-170.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Α. Zabaniotou; D. Fytili; Ε. Lakioti; V. Karayannis. 2019. "Transition to bioenergy: Engineering and technology undergraduate students’ perceptions of and readiness for agricultural waste-based bioenergy in Greece." Global Transitions 1, no. : 157-170.

Journal article
Published: 16 May 2019 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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The objective of this paper is to provide insights of a Workshop entitled ‘Inner Processes of Creation’ which was held at the Global Conference on Cleaner Production and Sustainable Consumption, in Barcelona, Spain, in November 2015, with further perceptions on a presentation of the topic at ARTEM Conference on Creativity and Sustainability, in Nancy, France, in Septemper 2017. The Workshop was designed to catalyze the development of perceptions and consciousness of the inner wisdom, as it emerges in self-expression, by focusing upon the processes of awakening the wisdom from within, which can help all of us achieve better understanding of our reponsibility in helping societies to live sustainably, within planetary boundaries. The Workshop included four movements, with the themes : a) creation, b) definition, c) a specific way, and d) achievement with self realization. The research envolved the interdisciplinary, autopoïetic, and complex thinking view of the subject. During the Workshop, an environment of trust was created by regarding the participants with reverence and respect to their individual rhythms. The participants experienced and catalyzed new versions and plans for creative and sustainable organizational approaches of learning and development, in an environment of trust. Participants consciousness was enlarged towards envisioning sustainable proposals, in which we need to become more actively engaged. It was concluded, that the inner knowledge can be experienced through creative, meditative, visioning processes. When effectively facilitated, this process can bring deep understanding of meaning about different issues and can support the effective decision-making towards a constructive change-making, through sustainable proposals made individually and collectivelly.

ACS Style

Christine Syrgiannis; Anastasia Zabaniotou; Ivani Fazenda. Inner Processes of Creation towards awareness of own worth for sustainable proposals. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 230, 767 -774.

AMA Style

Christine Syrgiannis, Anastasia Zabaniotou, Ivani Fazenda. Inner Processes of Creation towards awareness of own worth for sustainable proposals. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 230 ():767-774.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christine Syrgiannis; Anastasia Zabaniotou; Ivani Fazenda. 2019. "Inner Processes of Creation towards awareness of own worth for sustainable proposals." Journal of Cleaner Production 230, no. : 767-774.

Conference paper
Published: 12 December 2018 in Materials Today: Proceedings
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The aim of the paper is to investigate the recovery of useful material and energy from waste, in the context of circular economy, by studying pyrolysis of spent coffee grounds, for the production of fuels and carbon materials such as biochar, to be further used as fertilizer in arid fields, thus closing loops in agriculture. Pyrolysis was carried out at temperature ranging from 400 to 700 ° C with a heating rate of 50 °C/s, at atmospheric pressure and inert atmosphere. The results have shown that a maximum yield of biooil can be achieved at 540° C (36 wt%) where the gas reached a yield 9 wt% and the char reached the 29 wt%. At 700 ° C, where oxidation reactions mainly take place against of cracking (gasification), gas yield reached 29 wt%, while biooil and char reached 20 wt% and 26 wt%, respectively. These preliminary data can challenge decision making in introducing sustainable food waste management strategies where pyrolysis can be the conversion pathway.

ACS Style

R. Ktori; P. Kamaterou; A. Zabaniotou. Spent coffee grounds valorization through pyrolysis for energy and materials production in the concept of circular economy. Materials Today: Proceedings 2018, 5, 27582 -27588.

AMA Style

R. Ktori, P. Kamaterou, A. Zabaniotou. Spent coffee grounds valorization through pyrolysis for energy and materials production in the concept of circular economy. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2018; 5 (14):27582-27588.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Ktori; P. Kamaterou; A. Zabaniotou. 2018. "Spent coffee grounds valorization through pyrolysis for energy and materials production in the concept of circular economy." Materials Today: Proceedings 5, no. 14: 27582-27588.