scholarly journals Environmental Sustainability of Building Retrofit through Vertical Greening Systems: A Life-Cycle Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4886
Author(s):  
Katia Perini ◽  
Fabio Magrassi ◽  
Andrea Giachetta ◽  
Luca Moreschi ◽  
Michela Gallo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Baseline Scenario ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
Complete Life Cycle ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Use Phase ◽  
Vertical Greening

Urban greening provides a wide range of ecosystem services to address the main challenges of urban areas, e.g., carbon sequestration, evapotranspiration and shade, thermal insulation, and pollution control. This study evaluates the environmental sustainability of a vertical greening system (VGS) built in 2014 in Italy, for which extensive monitoring activities were implemented. The life-cycle assessment methodology was applied to quantify the water–energy–climate nexus of the VGS for 1 m2 of the building’s wall surface. Six different scenarios were modelled according to three different end-of-life scenarios and two different useful lifetime scenarios (10 and 25 years). The environmental impact of global-warming potential and generated energy consumption during the use phase in the VGS scenarios were reduced by 56% in relation to the baseline scenario (wall without VGS), and showed improved environmental performance throughout the complete life cycle. However, the water-scarcity index (WSI) of the VGS scenarios increased by 42%. This study confirms that the installation of VGSs offers a relevant environmental benefit in terms of greenhouse-gas emissions and energy consumption; however, increased water consumption in the use phase may limit the large-scale application of VGSs.

Addressing Environmetal Issues for the Automotive Industry

2005 ◽  
Vol 895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Papasavva
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Life Cycle Analysis ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Automotive Paint ◽  
Use Phase ◽  
Environmental Burdens

AbstractThe integration of environmental, social, and economic (ESE) objectives into business decisions and future planning is the path towards sustainable development. The goal of this paper is to address the environmental component of sustainable development within the automotive industry based on the Life Cycle Analysis and Well-to-Wheels approach.Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is very relevant for making the concept of environmental sustainability operational because environmental impacts have to be examined from a 'cradle-to-grave' perspective. Life cycle analysis is an analytical tool that quantifies energy consumption and emissions associated with the raw material extraction, processing of materials, manufacturing, use phase, and end-of-life (reuse, recycling, and disposal) of products. The potential impact of current production and consumption patterns, on the future availability of non-renewable resources, can also be evaluated within the LCA framework. Thus, LCA provides an effective way for industry to support better management of natural resources, in order to maximize economic benefits and minimize environmental burdens.Well-to-Wheel (WtW) analysis is a subset of a complete LCA because it quantifies the environmental burdens associated only with the fuel production and its consumption during the driving time of a vehicle. Well-to-Wheel studies mainly provide energy use and air emissions inventories.This paper provides the results obtained from two major studies conducted at General Motors R&D Center. The first is a LCA study that assesses the environmental emissions associated with four alternative automotive paint processes and seven different paint formulations. The second is a WtW study that addresses 18 different combinations of alternative fuels and vehicle engines.Considering that the use phase of the vehicle contributes more than 80% of its life cycle energy consumption, and that the automotive paint process is the most energy intensive component of the manufacturing phase in any given vehicle, the results presented in this paper are noteworthy for environmental sustainability considerations relevant to the automotive industry.

scholarly journals A partial life cycle assessment approach to evaluate the energy intensity and related greenhouse gas emission in dairy farms

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lelia Murgia ◽  
Giuseppe Todde ◽  
Maria Caria ◽  
Antonio Pazzona
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Feeding Management

Dairy farming is constantly evolving towards more intensive levels of mechanization and automation which demand more energy consumption and result in higher economic and environmental costs. The usage of fossil energy in agricultural processes contributes to climate change both with on-farm emissions from the combustion of fuels, and by off-farm emissions due to the use of grid power. As a consequence, a more efficient use of fossil resources together with an increased use of renewable energies can play a key role for the development of more sustainable production systems. The aims of this study were to evaluate the energy requirements (fuels and electricity) in dairy farms, define the distribution of the energy demands among the different farm operations, identify the critical point of the process and estimate the amount of CO2 associated with the energy consumption. The inventory of the energy uses has been outlined by a partial Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, setting the system boundaries at the farm level, from cradle to farm gate. All the flows of materials and energy associated to milk production process, including crops cultivation for fodder production, were investigated in 20 dairy commercial farms over a period of one year. Self-produced energy from renewable sources was also accounted as it influence the overall balance of emissions. Data analysis was focused on the calculation of energy and environmental sustainability indicators (EUI, CO2-eq) referred to the functional units. The production of 1 kg of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) required on average 0.044 kWhel and 0.251 kWhth, corresponding to a total emission of 0.085 kg CO2-eq). The farm activities that contribute most to the electricity requirements were milk cooling, milking and slurry management, while feeding management and crop cultivation were the greatest diesel fuel consuming operation and the largest in terms of environmental impact of milk production (73% of energy CO2-eq emissions). The results of the study can assist in the development of dairy farming models based on a more efficient and profitable use of the energy resources.

Asset Life Cycle Plans

2017 ◽  
pp. 259-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. (Richard) Ruitenburg ◽  
A. J. J. (Jan) Braaksma ◽  
L. A. M. (Leo) van Dongen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Life Cycle Management ◽  
Business Value ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
Complete Life Cycle ◽  
Physical Assets ◽  
Multidisciplinary Perspective

Effective management of physical assets should deliver maximum business value. Therefore, Asset Management standards such as PAS 55 and ISO 55000 ask for a life cycle approach. However, most existing methods focus only on the short term of the asset's life or the estimation of its remaining life. These methods do not consider alignment to changing corporate objectives in a variable context, nor do they adopt a multidisciplinary perspective. This chapter argues that, to create maximum value, Asset Management should be a multidisciplinary and strategic practice that considers the complete life cycle of the asset: Asset Life Cycle Management. A practical twelve-step approach is presented to develop an Asset Life Cycle Plan (ALCP) in which expert sessions are used to identify the main lifetime impacts that influence the creation of business value from the use of the asset. The steps are illustrated with an example from practice. The chapter concludes that the ALCP supports asset managers in making long-term strategic decisions in a timely and effective manner.

Reengineering Maintenance for Dependability

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Risdon ◽  
Thomas Van Hardeveld
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Life Cycle Management ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
Reliability Centered Maintenance ◽  
Maintenance Program ◽  
Complete Life Cycle ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Operations And Maintenance ◽  
Solid Foundation

Maintenance is undergoing a major revolution. The management of maintenance is being impacted by business-driven changes that are forcing fundamental improvements to the maintenance function. Maintenance planning and execution are now considered as a strategic component of asset life cycle management. The link between maintenance and design is being furthered by placing emphasis on considering reliability and maintainability during the design phase. The application of Reliability-Centered Maintenance is becoming an important method for determining the optimum maintenance program for facility assets, while at the same time providing a solid foundation for triggering selective system improvements and design changes and managing life cycle cost and risk associated with assets. The concept of dependability provides the focus for integrating design, operations and maintenance into a coherent and complete life cycle approach to facilities. Dependability is strongly linked to quality standards since, for many companies, dependability is the major component of quality that has to be satisfied to meet customer needs. This paper describes the practical application of a quality approach to a gas transmission company which has recently undergone a reengineering of its design, operations and maintenance processes.

ENERGY ANALYSIS OF THE USE PHASE OF CONVENTIONAL TIRES COMPARED TO GUAYULE NR TIRES

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 578-588
Author(s):  
Ranjani B. Theregowda ◽  
Pragnya L. Eranki ◽  
Amy E. Landis
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Fuel Efficiency ◽  
Rolling Resistance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Resistance Coefficient ◽  
Critical Parameters ◽  
Linear Change ◽  
Rubber Tire ◽  
Use Phase

ABSTRACT Guayule NR can be grown in the United States and offers a potentially more secure and sustainable alternative to the substantial Hevea NR that is imported from Southeast Asia. This paper presents the first rolling resistance and use-phase energy consumption estimates for guayule tires. The results of this study show that use-phase life cycle energy reductions can be achieved with NRs and that the rolling resistance coefficient (RRcnew) and reference service life (RSL) of the new tire are the critical parameters that pertain to energy and fuel efficiency. A tire's use phase accounts for approximately 86% of its life cycle energy consumption and thus is an important consideration in sustainability assessments. We calculated the use-phase energy consumption for two types of NR tires: a 100% guayule rubber tire and an experimental epoxidized NR tire. These two NR tires were compared against a conventional passenger tire made by Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. The ISO product category rules for passenger tires were used to determine energy consumption, while relevant data were measured from concept tires built in collaboration with Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. The results of this analysis showed that both experimental NR tires have improved use-phase energy consumption compared to conventional rubber tires. Although the epoxidized NR tire with low RRcnew consumes the least energy during the use phase, it is currently not being considered for commercial manufacture. The 100% guayule rubber tire shows a 6% reduction in energy consumption compared to the conventional rubber tire. Results of the sensitivity analysis showed a linear change in use-phase energy consumption with the relevant tire load and RRcnew and an inverse change with the average vehicle fuel efficiency and the RSL.

scholarly journals Energy consumption in the life cycle of plumbing fixtures

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-78
Author(s):  
A. Kalbusch ◽  
E. Ghisi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
The Self ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Production Phase ◽  
Use Phase

Abstract The main objective of this paper is to propose a method for quantifying the energy consumption in the life cycle of different plumbing fixtures. The method can be used to estimate the energy consumption in the production, use and disposal phases of plumbing fixtures. This allows for the comparison between the performances of different plumbing fixtures and the identification of the share of each phase on the energy consumption over the life cycle. The method was applied in a case study in Southern Brazil to quantify the energy consumption in the life cycle of two types of taps installed on a university campus. The total energy consumption in the life cycle of ordinary and self-closing taps used in the study was respectively, 177.71 MJ and 164.11 MJ over 4 years. Production accounted for 33% of the energy consumption share of the ordinary tap, while the use phase accounted for 65% and the disposal phase for 2%. For the self-closing tap, the production phase accounted for 46% of the energy consumption share, the use phase for 52% and the disposal phase for 2%. Therefore, considering the energy consumption in the life cycle, self-closing taps should be preferred over ordinary taps.

scholarly journals Generating Building’s Operating Energy Automatically by Energy Plus and C#

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Yiming Song
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Great Influence ◽  
Air Gap ◽  
Insulating Layer ◽  
Energy Plus ◽  
Use Phase ◽  
Wall Materials

Abstract—The use phase of buildings always contributes to the largest share of life cycle energy consumption and life cycle environmental impacts. This paper selects different wall materials, provides a possible method to calculate operating energy consumption of alternative wall assemblies automatically, and suggests the influences that different layers have on operating energy. The results show that the operating energy consumption varies according to the insulating layer while the thickness of air gap has a negligible impact on the operating energy. And it can be seen that the material and thickness of insulation has a great influence in the building’s operating energy and there should be more research focusing on the method to generate life cycle energy in order to optimize the buildings performance in the architectural design.

scholarly journals Gender and life cycle approach in social protection to improve environmental managemet for urban sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 10002
Author(s):  
Donna Asteria ◽  
Budidarmono ◽  
Retty Dwi Handayani ◽  
Dyah Utari ◽  
Elok Faiqotul Mutia
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Urban Sustainability ◽  
Urban System ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
The City

The purpose of this study is to describe the environmental management strategy using gender and life cycle approach through social protection activities. Social protection activities are important in urban areas that undergo a transformation post-disaster in their urban system, related to the life cycle of people in the city and the framework of urban sustainability. The social protection will also increase people's access to environmental resouces so that people are able to participate in environmental management. Vulnerabilities and risks due to environmental degradation of cities require social protection efforts for the community, especially women includes household (family) to strenghten human skill in life cycle. The research used the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) method. This method utilized the expert judgments in the form of options that must be done by the stakeholders. The results of this study show that social protection with gender mainstreaming will increase the ability of citizens to participate and strengthen communities in managing the urban environment that achieve social justice for the community for the sustainability of the city. The contribution of this study can be an alternative strategy for environmental management in the city and more gender responsive policy making.

China's energy consumption in the building sector: A life cycle approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
pp. 240-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Chen-Qi He ◽  
Bao-Jun Tang ◽  
Yi-Ming Wei
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
Building Sector
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