SACM - United Kingdom
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9667
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Item Restricted Engineering Properties of Functionally Layered Concrete Containing Rubber Aggregate(Saudi Digital Library, 2026) Mujalli, Mohammed Abdulrahman; Theofanous, MariosConcrete remains the most widely used construction material globally due to its high compressive strength, versatility, and cost-effectiveness. This study investigates the engineering properties of Functionally Layered Crumb Rubber Concrete (FLCRC) to develop a sustainable structural material that incorporates recycled tyre rubber without significantly compromising mechanical or durability performance. The research investigates the material and durability properties of FLCRC and examines how functional gradation, when strategically positioned to place fine and coarse crumb rubber concrete below the neutral axis, can balance strength, ductility, and environmental benefits. Motivated by the need to reduce natural aggregate consumption and mitigate waste tyre accumulation, an extensive experimental programme was undertaken to assess the fresh, mechanical, durability, and microstructural properties of FLCRC using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). Furthermore, full-scale one-way reinforced slabs were tested under four-point bending to evaluate flexural behaviour. The findings indicated that the inclusion of 20% fine crumb rubber reduced compressive strength by approximately 10%, while functional gradation mitigated this reduction to about 5%. Similarly, a 15% replacement of coarse aggregate with crumb rubber resulted in a 36% reduction in compressive strength; however, the loss was reduced to approximately 21% when functional layering was adopted. Although durability analyses indicated increased porosity and carbonation in the rubberised layers (up to ~7% and ~17% for fine and coarse rubber, respectively, and ~35% and ~63% for carbonation depth), the structural behaviour remained comparable to that of conventional concrete slabs. From a sustainability perspective, modern structural design increasingly evaluates environmental performance through embodied carbon, which quantifies the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, processing, and transportation of construction materials. The partial substitution of natural aggregates with recycled rubber can contribute to reducing the embodied carbon of concrete by diverting waste tyres from landfill and decreasing the demand for natural aggregates. Consequently, despite observed changes in durability indicators, FLCRC slabs demonstrated comparable load-carrying capacity and failure mechanisms to conventional slabs, while offering potential environmental benefits, including reduced embodied carbon and improved resource efficiency. Overall, FLCRC offers a sustainable, structurally viable approach to incorporating recycled rubber into structural concrete applications.7 0Item Restricted Environmental Impact Assessment of Solid Waste Management in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and Opportunities(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Almutairi, Mohammed; Barker, Adam; Lauwerijssen, RachelThis study examines the environmental impacts of solid waste management in Saudi Arabia, focusing on the country’s continued dependence on landfilling, limited recycling, and the slow adoption of waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies. These challenges contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, and inefficient resource use. The research evaluates the performance of current waste-management strategies, identifies operational, policy, and technological gaps, and proposes solutions aligned with international best practices. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining document analysis with survey data collected from practitioners, policymakers, and academics. Descriptive statistics were used to assess operational effectiveness and policy performance, while thematic analysis provided deeper qualitative insights. Findings show that Saudi Arabia generates more than 15 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, exceeding global per-capita averages. While waste collection is perceived as moderately efficient, source segregation remains low, and recycling systems are still in early development. Barriers to implementing WtE include high costs, infrastructure limitations, and low public awareness. The study concludes that improving policy coordination, strengthening enforcement, and investing in technological innovation are essential to achieving Vision 2030 goals. It recommends expanding recycling infrastructure, increasing WtE initiatives, and enhancing public awareness to support a circular and sustainable waste-management system in Saudi Arabia.29 0Item Restricted User engagement and satisfaction , Customer Satisfaction and Efficiency in Automated Last-Mile Delivery Systems: A Survey-Based Study.(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Abu khamees, Rahaf; Rastani, SinaThis study aimed to examine the determinants of public acceptance of automated last-mile delivery (ALMD) technologies in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. To address this aim, the study investigated how demographic characteristics (age and residential area), national context, and perceptions of risks and benefits (privacy, trust, safety, job loss, efficiency, and sustainability) shape willingness to adopt ALMD. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 203 participants, using quota-based sampling to enhance representativeness across both countries. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and Spearman’s rank-order correlations in SPSS. Descriptive analysis indicated that participants were predominantly young, digitally literate, and experienced with traditional parcel delivery, with only a minority reporting prior use of automated methods. Cross-national comparisons revealed no significant differences between UK and Saudi respondents, suggesting convergence of public attitudes across contexts. Based on correlation analysis, the study identified that trust, efficiency, and emissions reduction were the strongest predictors of acceptance. By contrast, age, residential area, and concerns over safety, privacy, and job loss did not significantly reduce willingness to adopt ALMD. Notably, job-loss concern and privacy awareness were sometimes positively associated with openness to adoption, indicating that risks may coexist with acceptance rather than act as barriers. The findings highlight the importance of building trust, demonstrating efficiency gains, and communicating tangible environmental benefits to encourage adoption. This study leaves several gaps that future work should address through longitudinal and qualitative approaches, as well as broader cross-cultural sampling, to capture evolving public attitudes toward ALMD.11 0Item Restricted Agarwood Quality Classification in the Middle East: A Mixed-Methods Study of Social, Sensory, and Data-Driven Insights(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) AlSalem, Fatmah; Bembibre, CeciliaThis dissertation investigates the classification of agarwood quality in the Middle East, focusing on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where oud holds profound cultural, religious, and economic value. The market lacks a unified formal grading system leading to multiple discrepan- cies. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study first conducted a sensory panel to gain relative consumer insight. Composed of both Middle Eastern and non-Middle Eastern participants, the panel revealed how quality perception varies among non-experts. Next, semantic analysis of cultural discourse was extracted from social media that was then used to design a contextualized two-layer grading system; finally, that framework was applied on an e-commerce dataset of oud products, whereby an optimized Random Forest model leveraging TF-IDF classified quality grades using textual descriptions with 90.5% accuracy. This demonstrates how efficient machine learn- ing can effectively approximate sensory and cultural judgment from text data alone. The research concludes that digital platforms are repositories of cultural knowledge, anticipating that such frame- works can provide transparent, standardized, and scalable agarwood classification—channelling tradition and innovation for a fairer, more sustainable oud market in the region.16 0Item Restricted Sustainability in Mega-Infrastructure Projects: Pathways to Achieving Net Zero Emissions in London.(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alharbi, Fahad Saleh; Albarazi, RanaSustainability has become a critical priority in mega-infrastructure projects as the United Kingdom aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This research investigates the role of engineering management practices in enhancing sustainability and supporting net-zero emission objectives within UK mega-infrastructure projects. A quantitative research approach was adopted based on positivist philosophy, using structured survey questionnaires distributed to infrastructure professionals. A total of 42 responses were collected, with 20 valid responses used for statistical analysis. The findings indicate that engineering management practices such as energy efficiency measures, lifecycle assessment, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with environmental agencies contribute positively to sustainability outcomes. However, advanced technical solutions such as carbon capture, renewable energy integration, and low-carbon materials are not yet widely implemented. The study also identifies key implementation barriers, including regulatory coordination challenges, resource allocation conflicts, stakeholder management issues, and technical limitations. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between engineering management practices and sustainability performance in mega-infrastructure projects. An evidence-based framework is proposed to guide practitioners and policymakers in improving sustainability outcomes through early design integration, effective stakeholder coordination, and the use of digital tools. Despite limitations related to sample size and geographic focus, the findings offer valuable insights for future research and practical implementation aimed at achieving net-zero emissions in large-scale infrastructure development.15 0Item Restricted Cold chain logistics: analyse how Almarai company in Saudi Arabia manages temperature-sensitive logistics for dairy and food products(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Aljuaid, Muhannad; Agca, AhmetBackground: This research aims to critically assess cold chain logistics for Almarai Company in managing their temperature-sensitive logistics for transporting food and dairy products in Saudi Arabia. Method: The research adopts a systematic literature review (SLR) guided by specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data from 33 relevant studies were analysed through thematic analysis to identify patterns, themes, and gaps, ensuring transparency, validity, and reliability throughout. Findings: Findings reveal cold chain logistics as essential for food safety and quality, influenced by infrastructure, workforce skills, technology adoption, climate, and regulations. Almarai faces high costs, infrastructural gaps, and technological limitations. Effective improvement measures include adopting IoT and RFID systems, workforce training, regulatory support, and infrastructure investment, ensuring sustainability and resilience. Recommendations: The study recommends Almarai enhance technological integration, particularly IoT-enabled monitoring, strengthen workforce training programs, and collaborate with government bodies to improve infrastructure and regulations. Strategic investment in sustainable and energy-efficient cold logistics is vital. Partnerships with logistics firms and adoption of green practices will strengthen operational resilience, compliance, and long-term competitiveness.75 0Item Restricted GREEN SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGIES IN THE OIL INDUSTRY: ASYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW APPROACH(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Badeui, Mataz Amen; Hadeed, ReemThe research aims to identify and analyse current green supply chain strategies used in the oil industry, along with the opportunities that enable their implementation and the challenges that hinder their effectiveness. This systematic literature review focuses on identifying and analysing green supply chain strategies (GSCM) within the oil industry. The research incorporates journal articles with ABS 4 and 3-star standards according to the ABS ranking 2021. Additionally, it includes industry reports that clearly discuss practices, implementation ideas, supporters, and obstacles in GSCM for the oil sector. The research follows the interpretivism paradigm, qualitative design, and systematic data collection using PRISMA. Thematic analysis has been used for analysing the collected information. Analysis shows that technology integration, governance compliance, and human resource management are key strategies followed by businesses as part of their green supply chain process. Findings also reflect that there are multiple internal and external aspects that support the implementation of the green supply chain process. It has been identified that businesses are facing multiple challenges while implementing the green supply chain process. These resistance factors operate together or individually based on the business structure11 0Item Restricted Circular Supply Chain Management. A Review and Bibliometric Analysis(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Aljuhany, Yara; Carnell, JackThe transition toward circular economy (CE) practices positions circular supply chain management (CSCM) as a strategic means to reduce environmental impacts, boost resource efficiency, and promote economic growth that’s sustainable over the long term. Despite an ever-expanding body of literature on CSCM, the field remains diverse and fragmented while lacking a thorough overview of its intellectual structure, thematic development, and new research frontiers. This study reflects a bibliometric analysis of 544 peer-reviewed journal articles retrieved from the Scopus database using the Bibliometrix R-package (via the Biblioshiny interface) as well as VOSviewer software to map the scientific CSCM research landscape in a systematic way. More granularly, the analysis digs into publication trends, influential authors, high-impact journals, and top institutions making their mark on CSCM evolution. Co-authorship and country collaboration networks were examined to uncover patterns of scholarly cooperation, while keyword co-occurrence and thematic mapping were employed to identify dominant research themes and emerging areas of interest. The results reveal a steady increase in CSCM publications over the last decade, with particular emphasis on reverse logistics, closed-loop supply chains, sustainability performance, and digital innovation. The study pinpoints influential scholars, institutions, and publications that have shaped CSCM evolution to a significant degree and thus give valuable insight into both its theoretical foundation and practical applications. One key finding is the emergence of key research clusters showing how to strategically blend CE principles into supply chain management practices and thus shift from traditional linear models toward closed-loop systems: ones prioritising resource efficiency, waste minimisation, and value recovery across the entire product life cycle. Notably, the analysis reveals growing academic attention given to the alignment of CSCM with environmental strategy and the deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and IoT. These digital tools are enabling new levels of transparency, traceability, and operational efficiency, all recognised as critical enablers for scaling circular practices within global supply chains.19 0Item Restricted Hydrogen Supply Chain Transitions: A Literature Review of Socio-Technical Challenges and Policy Gaps(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Almelaifi, Mazen; Yazdani, NahidHydrogen is increasingly becoming a vital strategy for global decarbonisation with the potential to reduce the high carbon emissions in different sectors such as heavy industry and transportation. However, the scalability of hydrogen supply chains (HSCs) remains uncertain and is obstructed by ongoing technical, institutional and social challenges. This dissertation investigates socio-technical barriers and policy gaps that slow hydrogen transition process and how to improve governance and coordination A systematic literature review was carried out under PRISMA 2020, identifying 56 peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025. Studies were sourced from five databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and NUsearch. Data extraction and thematic synthesis methods identify studies across social, technical and policy aspects. The findings show the gap in the advancement of the technological aspect compared to other aspects. Despite that hydrogen has high production costs, low efficiency and limited infrastructure readiness. Governance and policy gaps consisting of fragmented institutions, regulatory uncertainty, and weak integration across sectors are barriers to hydrogen deployment. Research found social acceptance to be conditional, influenced by legitimacy, trust, safety, fairness and local resistance. Solutions involved national strategies, regulatory clarity, inclusive stakeholder engagement and adaptive governance mechanisms. The study's contribution to the literature is about systematically mapping socio-technical and policy gaps and identifying some underexplored areas of legitimacy, equity, and stakeholder engagement. This study highlights the Global North bias in the findings, and scaling hydrogen requires technological optimisation alongside bridging the governance and social gaps.19 0Item Restricted Assessing the Effectiveness of Saudi Environmental Awareness Week: Evaluating Its Impact on Pro-Environmental and Sustainable Behaviour, and Exploring Strategies for Improvement(Saudi Digital Library, 2025) Alsubaie, Mohammed; Dallison, RichardIn Saudi Arabia, the annual Saudi Environmental Awareness Week (SEAW) was established to foster public engagement in sustainability. However, a notable research gap exists concerning the empirical evaluation of such campaigns within this unique socio-cultural context. This study provides the first assessment of SEAW of its kind, aiming to evaluate its impact on environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behaviour, and to identify the key determinants that support or hinder sustainable actions among its participants. Adopting a pragmatic philosophy, this research employs a mixed-methods design, utilising a cross-sectional online survey with a retrospective pre-post self-assessment. The survey, completed by 100 participants of SEAW 2025, included quantitative scales and open-ended questions. Data are analysed using paired-samples t-tests, hierarchical multiple regression, and thematic analysis. SEAW is found to be highly effective in achieving its primary educational goal, with a large and statistically significant increase in self-reported environmental knowledge (p < .001). However, pro-environmental behaviour was not significantly predicted by psychosocial factors but was most strongly associated with the availability of sustainable options (β = .219, p = .053). This highlights a significant ‘intention-infrastructure gap’, where participants' motivation to act is constrained by external, structural barriers. Qualitative analysis further illuminated this gap, revealing forceful participant frustration with infrastructural deficits and economic penalties. Concurrently, the analysis identified potent, culturally specific motivators, such as the alignment of environmentalism with Islamic values (khilāfa), and a clear public desire for future campaigns to be more practical, systemic, and culturally resonant. iv While SEAW successfully builds a cognitive foundation for change, its ultimate impact is blunted by a prohibitive enabling environment. Future environmental initiatives in Saudi Arabia must evolve beyond information dissemination to focus on dismantling structural barriers and leveraging unique cultural and religious frameworks to translate awareness into sustained, meaningful action.12 0