Prof. Dr. Helenice Oliveira

Institution: São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil

Optimal location of sewage sludge processing centers for biogas production

The conversion of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) into bioenergy represents a sustainable alternative for both energy generation and efficient waste management. This process occurs through anaerobic digestion in biodigesters, resulting in biogas production. However, due to the diversity of WWTPs and the costs and logistical challenges associated with sludge transportation, identifying the most suitable locations for the installation of processing centers becomes essential. In this lecture, a methodology for determining the optimal location of WWTP sludge processing centers for biogas production will be presented, aiming to minimize the economic, environmental, and social costs involved. This methodology contributes to advancing sustainable solutions by promoting the generation of bioenergy from sludge and fostering more efficient and less polluting waste management.

Prof. Dr. Claudia Archetti

Institution: University of Brescia, Italy

The traveling salesman problem with release dates and drone resupply

Joint work with: Maurizio Boccia, Adriano Masone, Claudio Sterle.

Drones are increasingly used in last-mile logistics to streamline the final, and often complex, delivery stage. While synchronized truck-and-drone systems have been widely studied, direct drone deliveries face regulatory and safety challenges. An emerging alternative is to use drones to resupply delivery trucks in transit, bypassing some regulatory barriers and enhancing efficiency without direct-to-customer deployment. This new system reduces reliance on centralized depots, improves delivery speed, supports real-time order fulfillment, and enhances flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. By delivering new packages to trucks on the road, drones can cut detours and fuel use, especially in rural areas, while better matching fluctuating demand. In this context, we tackle the Traveling Salesman Problem with Release Dates and Drone Resupply (TSP-RD-DR), which consists of determining the truck route and the drone resupply schedule to serve all customers in accordance with their release dates while minimizing the delivery completion time. We propose a novel formulation for the TSP-RD-DR and a matheuristic approach that exploits this formulation. The proposed methods are tested on benchmark instances and compared with the state of the art for the TSP-RD-DR. The results demonstrate that our formulation outperforms the one proposed in the literature, and our heuristic approach is competitive with former approaches while being faster.

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Uchoa Barboza

Institution: Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil

Title to be announced

Abstract to be announced.