Kadriye Elif Maçin | Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Kadriye Elif Maçin | Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Istanbul Technical University | Turkey

Dr. Kadriye Elif Maçin is an active environmental engineering researcher whose scholarly contributions focus on solid waste management, life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, zero-waste strategies, and the development of sustainable and circular systems for institutions and urban environments. She has produced impactful research spanning international journals, national publications, book chapters, and numerous conference proceedings. Her work advances techno-economic evaluation of digestate management, MFA-LCA frameworks for zero-waste institutions, campus decarbonization models, circular bioeconomy applications, and comprehensive waste characterization studies. Through extensive analyses of food waste, construction and demolition waste, municipal waste logistics, hospital waste, and biogas enhancement strategies, she contributes evidence-based insights supporting efficient waste minimization and resource recovery. Her publications also address sustainability performance metrics in universities, transportation-related GHG emissions, and environmental impacts of energy and industrial processes. Additionally, her research has been disseminated through more than twenty international symposiums and conferences, where she has presented findings on decarbonization strategies, life cycle impacts of waste-to-energy systems, campus sustainability, zero-waste education, and solid waste systems under changing environmental conditions. Overall, her body of work strengthens scientific understanding of circular economy approaches and supports practical pathways toward sustainable waste management.

Profiles : Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publications

Macin, K. E., & Özbayram, E. G. (2025). Assessing the water footprint of tea: Implications on Türkiye's freshwater ecosystems. Aquatic Research.

Macin, K. E., Özcan, F. K., Acuner-Turet, E., & Kose-Mutlu, B. (2025). Carbon footprint and decarbonization of university buildings: Operational and embodied emissions at Istanbul Technical University. Building and Environment.

Macin, K. E. (2025). Türkiye’nin karbonsuzlaşma politikaları kapsamında Düzce ili katı atık yönetiminin yaşam döngüsü değerlendirmesi. Doğal Afetler ve Çevre Dergisi.

Macin, K. E. (2025). Malzeme ve madde akış analizi ile illerin katı atık yönetiminin döngüselliğinin incelenmesi: Düzce ili örneği. Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi.

Musluoğlu, A., Dereli, R. K., Arıkan, O. A., Guven, H., & Macin, K. E. (2025). Techno-economic assessment of digestate management for full-scale continuous dry anaerobic digestion plant. Bioresource Technology.

Macin, K. E., Arıkan, O. A., & Damgaard, A. (2024). An MFA–LCA framework for goal-oriented waste management studies: ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ strategies for institutions. Waste Management and Research.

Macin, K. E. (2024). Circular food waste management in Türkiye to stay within planetary boundaries. E3S Web of Conferences.

Macin, K. E., Arıkan, O. A., Altınbaş, M., & Damgaard, A. (2024). Decarbonizing university campuses: A business model for food waste management at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) Ayazağa Campus, Turkey. Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy.

Macin, K. E., Özçelik, K., Güven, H., & Arıkan, O. A. (2024). Waste characterization and recycling potential in a university campus: ITU Ayazağa Campus zero waste management practices. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management.

Macin, K. E. (2018). Kentsel dönüşüm sürecinde İstanbul’da inşaat ve yıkıntı (İY) atıkları yönetimi. Adıyaman Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi.

Ling Han | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ling Han | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

Peking University | China

Author Profile

Scopus

🌱 Early Academic Pursuits

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ling Han began her academic journey with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from East China Normal University. She then pursued both her Master’s and Ph.D. in Environmental Planning and Management at Peking University. Her early research laid the foundation for her lifelong focus on environmental sustainability, circular economy, and industrial ecology.

🏛️ Professional Endeavors

Dr. Han is an Associate Professor at the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University. She has dedicated her career to advancing urban and industrial sustainable transitions, emphasizing circularity and inclusion. As one of the pioneering scholars in China to study material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), she has influenced national waste management policies and industrial sustainability strategies.

🔬 Contributions and Research Focus

Dr. Han has been at the forefront of research on post-consumer waste management. In 2000, she and her advisor proposed treating the waste recycling industry as the "fourth industry," advocating for a new industrial system aligned with circular economy principles. Over the past five years, she has used coupled MFA-LCA, agent-based modeling (ABM), and optimization methods to analyze material flow evolution in solid waste generation, mobility, and utilization.

Her major research projects include:
📌 National Key R&D Program on solid waste, studying the interaction between environmental resources and solid waste.
📌 Sino-Dutch NSF collaboration on inclusive circular economy, proposing a community-driven post-consumption waste management system.
📌 Research on urban kitchen waste composting, integrating garden waste for carbon sequestration and soil improvement.

🏅 Accolades and Recognition

Dr. Han’s innovative contributions have earned her numerous research grants and prestigious roles in international collaborations. She has played a key role in national sustainability policies, advising on carbon peak strategies and low-carbon certification technologies.

🌍 Impact and Influence

Beyond academia, Dr. Han has significantly influenced sustainable education. In 2018, she launched the "Sustainable Campus Practice" course at Peking University, guiding students to identify and solve real-world sustainability challenges. Her efforts have fostered a new generation of environmentally conscious leaders.

🔮 Legacy and Future Contributions

Dr. Han continues to shape the future of industrial sustainability and circular economy models. She remains committed to advancing research on biomass resource utilization and decision-making support for waste management. Her work will play a crucial role in achieving global sustainability goals and fostering a greener, more inclusive world.

Publications


📄 "Does the Household Clean Energy Transition Benefit the Mental Health of the Elderly in Rural China? Evidence from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study"

  • Authors: Hengxing Yin, Ling Han, Li Yan, Chenhao Liu

  • Journal: Environment International

  • Year: 2025


📄 "Assessing the Sustainability Performances of the Supply Chain of Decentralized Urban Food Waste Composting for Urban Green Spaces"

  • Authors: Wenrui Shen, Haoran Qiao, Xin Tong, Yilong Xiao, Ling Han

  • Journal: Resources, Conservation and Recycling Advances

  • Year: 2025