Analysis of Calculation Methods for Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Road Sector

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoras Vorobjovas ◽  
Algirdas Motiejunas ◽  
Tomas Ratkevicius ◽  
Alvydas Zagorskis ◽  
Vaidotas Danila
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
The Road ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
The Impact

Climate change is one of the main nowadays problem in the world. The politics and strategies for climate change and tools for reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and green technologies are created and implemented. Mainly it is focused on energy, transport and construction sectors, which are related and plays a significant role in the roads life cycle. Most of the carbon footprint emissions are generated by transport. The remaining emissions are generated during the road life cycle. Therefore, European and other countries use methods to calculate GHG emissions and evaluate the impact of road construction methods and technologies on the environment. Software tools for calculation GHG emissions are complicated, and it is not entirely clear what GHG emission amounts generate during different stages of road life cycle. Thus, the precision of the obtained results are often dependent on the sources and quantities of data, assumptions, and hypothesis. The use of more accurate and efficient calculation-evaluation methods could let to determine in which stages of road life cycle the largest carbon footprint emissions are generated, what advanced road construction methods and technologies could be used. Also, the road service life could be extended, the consumption of raw materials, repair, and maintenance costs could be reduced. Therefore the time-savings could be improved, and the impact on the environment could be reduced using these GHG calculation-evaluation methods.

scholarly journals A Case Study of Industrial Symbiosis to Reduce GHG Emissions: Performance Analysis and LCA of Asphalt Concretes Made With RAP Aggregates and Steel Slags

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Bonoli ◽  
Anna Degli Esposti ◽  
Chiara Magrini
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Asphalt Pavement ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Industrial Symbiosis ◽  
Current Case ◽  
Recycled Materials ◽  
The Road ◽  
Emilia Romagna Region

The concept of sustainability in the road construction sector is a complex issue because of the various steps that contribute to the production and release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Addressing this issue, the European Commission has put various policy initiatives in place to encourage the construction industry to adopt circular economy (CE) and industrial symbiosis (IS) principles e.g., the use of recycled materials. Cooperativa Trasporti Imola (CTI), a company located in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy), has been chosen for the current case study to examine practices, management, and the industrial symbiosis network among various companies in the road construction and rehabilitation sector. In this regard, the use of steel slags, obtained by an electric arc furnace (EAF), and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), obtained by the deconstruction and milling of old asphalt pavement have been investigated. Two mixtures of recycled hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) i) were prepared incorporating different recycled material percentages for the wearing and binder course, respectively, ii) were characterized in terms of size distribution, strength modulus and volumetric properties, iii) and finally were compared to the performances of two mixtures entirely designed by virgin materials for the wearing and binder course, respectively. Therefore, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool was chosen to evaluate the environmental impacts that affect the designed road life cycle. The results show that recycling RAP and EAF slags in a CTI batch plant provides benefits by reducing the consumption of virgin bitumen and aggregates and by reducing CO2eq emissions. Finally, practical implications on the use of recycled materials in new asphalt mixtures from a life cycle and industrial symbiosis perspective are provided.

Carbon Footprint Analysis of an Educational Institution

2015 ◽  
Vol 787 ◽  
pp. 187-191
Author(s):  
P.M. Sivaram ◽  
N. Gowdhaman ◽  
D.Y. Ebin Davis ◽  
M. Subramanian
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Liquefied Petroleum Gas ◽  
Diesel Generator ◽  
Working Paper ◽  
Corporate Carbon Footprint ◽  
The Impact

Global warming and climate change are the foremost environmental challenges facing the world today. It is our responsibility to minimize the consumption of energy and hence reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. Companies choose ‘Carbon Footprint’ as a tool to calculate the greenhouse gas emission to show the impact of their activities on the environment. In this working paper, we assess the carbon foot print of an educational institution and suggest suitable measures for reducing it. Greenhouse gas emitting protocol for an academic institution in terms of tones of equivalent CO2 per year is projected using three basic steps includes planning (assessment of data’s), calculation and estimation of CO2 emitted. The estimation of carbon foot print is calculated by accounting direct emission from sources owned/controlled by the educational institution and from indirect emission i.e. purchased electricity, electricity produced by diesel Generator (DG), transport, cooking (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and other outsourced distribution. The CO2 absorbed by trees are also accounted. Some of the options are identified in order to reduce CO2 level. The information of corporate carbon footprint helps us identifying the Green House Gases (GHG) emission “hot spots” and identifies where the greatest capacity exists in order to reduce the GHG emissions. The main prioritization goes to transport and then followed by DG, cooking and then electricity. The per capita CO2 emission and the total CO2 emission for a typical educational institution are estimated.

scholarly journals Reducing environmental risks in the construction of roads from asphalt concrete

2021 ◽  
Vol 258 ◽  
pp. 09073
Author(s):  
Marina Shevtsova ◽  
Alexey Evdokimov ◽  
Ivan Konopelko ◽  
Alexandra Bozhenko ◽  
Arina Ryzhko
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Spider Web ◽  
The Road ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Russian State ◽  
The Impact

Roads, like a spider web, intertwine our world up and down, and every day people build hundreds of kilometers of roadway, sometimes without even thinking about the environmental friendliness of road construction methods. The urgency of the problem of dirty road construction should not raise questions in our time, and especially in the Russian state. The article highlights the issue of reducing the risks of environmental pollution during the construction of the road network, the issue of green building is touched upon. Focal points are highlighted, which are worth paying attention to during the preparation of documentation to reduce the risks of environmental pollution. As a result, conclusions were drawn on the list of materials that should be used in order to reduce the impact on the environment.

scholarly journals Determining the 2019 Carbon Footprint of a School of Design, Innovation and Technology

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1750
Author(s):  
Guillermo Filippone ◽  
Rocío Sancho ◽  
Sebastián Labella
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Renewable Sources ◽  
Innovation And Technology ◽  
Design Innovation

As a contribution to the fight against climate change, ESNE’s 2018/19 carbon footprint has been evaluated using the CarbonFeel methodology, based on ISO 14069 standards. In the scenario studied, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by direct and indirect emissions have been included. For comparative purposes, a second scenario has been analyzed in which fossil fuels used for heating are replaced by electrical energy from renewable sources. A decrease of 28% in GHG emissions has been verified, which could even reach 40% if the energy for thermal conditioning was replaced by renewables.

scholarly journals Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of microalgal fuel from thin-layer cascades

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin W. Portner ◽  
Christian H. Endres ◽  
Thomas Brück ◽  
Daniel Garbe
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Thin Layer ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Algal Biomass ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Aviation Fuel ◽  
Cultivation Systems ◽  
The Impact

Thin-layer cascades (TLCs) enable algae cultivation at high cell densities, thus increasing biomass yields and facilitating the harvest process. This makes them a promising technology for industrial-scale algal fuel production. Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), we calculate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of aviation fuel produced using algal biomass from TLCs. We find that the impact (81 g CO2e per MJ) is lower than that of fuel from algal biomass cultivated in open race way ponds (94 g CO2e). However, neither of the two cultivation systems achieve sufficient GHG savings for compliance with the Renewable Energy Directive II. Seawater desalination in particular dominates the TLC impact, indicating a trade-off between carbon and water footprint. In both cultivation systems, the mixing power and fertilizer consumption present further significant impacts. There is uncertainty in the correlation between mixing power and algal oil yield, which should be investigated by future experimental studies.

Identifying energy and carbon footprint optimization potentials of a sludge treatment line with Life Cycle Assessment

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Remy ◽  
B. Lesjean ◽  
J. Waschnewski
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Sludge Treatment ◽  
Treatment Line ◽  
The Impact

This study exemplifies the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool to quantify the environmental impacts of processes for wastewater treatment. In a case study, the sludge treatment line of a large wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is analysed in terms of cumulative energy demand and the emission of greenhouse gases (carbon footprint). Sludge treatment consists of anaerobic digestion, dewatering, drying, and disposal of stabilized sludge in mono- or co-incineration in power plants or cement kilns. All relevant forms of energy demand (electricity, heat, chemicals, fossil fuels, transport) and greenhouse gas emissions (fossil CO2, CH4, N2O) are accounted in the assessment, including the treatment of return liquor from dewatering in the WWTP. Results show that the existing process is positive in energy balance (–162 MJ/PECOD * a) and carbon footprint (–11.6 kg CO2-eq/PECOD * a) by supplying secondary products such as electricity from biogas production or mono-incineration and substituting fossil fuels in co-incineration. However, disposal routes for stabilized sludge differ considerably in their energy and greenhouse gas profiles. In total, LCA proves to be a suitable tool to support future investment decisions with information of environmental relevance on the impact of wastewater treatment, but also urban water systems in general.

Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through the Shift From Fossil Fuels to Electricity in the Mass Transport System in Guayaquil, Ecuador

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel D. Ramirez ◽  
Danilo Arcentales ◽  
Andrea Boero
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Partial Replacement ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Gas Emissions

Climate change is a serious threat to sustainability. Anthropogenic climate change is due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere beyond natural levels. Anthropogenic GHG emissions are mostly associated with carbon-dioxide (CO2) originated in the combustion of fossil fuels used for heat, power, and transportation. Globally, transportation contributes to 14% of the global GHG emissions. The transport sector is one of the main contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions of Ecuador. In Guayaquil, the road mass transportation system comprises regular buses and the bus rapid transit (BRT) system. Electricity in Ecuador is mostly derived from hydropower, hence incurs relatively low GHG emissions along its life cycle. Therefore, electrification of transport has been seen as an opportunity for mitigation of GHG emissions. In this study, the effect of partial replacement of the bus rapid system fleet is investigated. Feeders have been chosen as the replacement target in five different scenarios. GHG emissions from diesel-based feeders have been calculated using the GREET Fleet Footprint Calculator tool. The GHG emissions associated with the electricity used for transportation is calculated using the life cycle inventory of the electricity generation system of Ecuador. Three energy mix scenarios are used for this purpose. The 2012 mix which had 61% hydropower; the mix of 85% hydropower and the marginal electricity scenario, which supposed the extreme case when the new demand for electricity occurs during peak demand periods. Results indicate that mitigation of GHG emissions is possible for almost all scenarios of percentage fleet replacement and all mix scenarios. Electric buses efficiency and the carbon intensity of the electricity mix are critical for GHG mitigation.

scholarly journals Carbon Footprint and Related Production Costs of Pot-in-Pot System Components for Red Maple Using Life Cycle Assessment

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dewayne L. Ingram ◽  
Charles R. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Acer Rubrum ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Red Maple ◽  
Bare Root ◽  
The Impact

Component input materials and activities of a model pot-in-pot (PIP) production system were analyzed using life cycle assessment methods. The impact of each component on global warming potential (GWP; kilograms of CO2-equivalent), or carbon footprint, and variable production costs was determined for a 5 cm caliper Acer rubrum L. ‘October Glory’ in a #25 container. Total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) of inputs and processes at the nursery gate for a defined model system were 15.317 kg CO2e. Carbon sequestration weighted over a 100-year assessment period was estimated to be 4.575 kg CO2, yielding a nursery gate GWP of 10.742 kg CO2e. The major contridbutors to the GWP at the nursery gate were the substrate, production container, the 1.8 m (6 ft), branched, bare root liner, PIP system installation, and fertilization while the liner and production container also contributed significantly to the variable costs. Input materials and labor constituted about 76 and 21% of variable costs, respectively. Unlike field production systems, equipment use in PIP production accounted for only 13% of GHG emissions and 2% of variable costs.

scholarly journals Afforestation of abandoned peat extraction sites with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) as a solution of climate change mitigation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelina Skrastina ◽  
◽  
Inga Straupe ◽  
Andis Lazdins ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Peat Extraction ◽  
Ghg Reduction ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Change Mitigation

On a global scale, ambitious climate change mitigation targets are set. By 2050, the European Union is expected to be climate neutral which means that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will not exceed removals. This initiative is also supported by Latvia. For businesses and carbon intensive industries transition to climate neutral economy will be provided by Just Transition Fund. The direction of the peat sector towards climate neutrality will promote research and innovation as well as restoration of peat extraction sites. These are also the objectives of implementing the Just Transition Fund for investments in Latvia. Studies on management of peat soils to improve the calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been carried out in Latvia within LIFE REstore project. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of afforestation of abandoned peat extraction sites with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) on GHG emissions compared to retaining of the existing situation (abandoned peatlands with poorly developed vegetation). Afforestation of degraded peatlands can contribute to significant GHG reduction in wetlands – up to 20% of the net GHG emissions due to wetlands management. The most of the GHG mitigation potential is ensured by accumulation of CO2 in living biomass.

scholarly journals The Effects of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Cereal Production in the European Union

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihaela Simionescu ◽  
Yuriy Bilan ◽  
Stanisław Gędek ◽  
Dalia Streimikiene
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
European Union ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Slow Increase ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Cereal Production ◽  
The Impact

Considering food security and climate change mitigation as the main sustainability challenges for agriculture, the main goal is to achieve agricultural production at an acceptable level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this paper, the effects of GHGs are described. Panel data models are built to assess the impact of greenhouse gases on harvested production of cereals in EU countries. The study is focused on the climate change cause by GHG emissions that have a direct impact on agriculture in what concerns cereal production. Therefore, the impact of GHGs on cereal production in the European Union, except Malta, in the period 2000–2016 was assessed. Moreover, the effects of GHGs on agricultural irrigated land in Denmark and Hungary, two EU countries with the large agricultural surface, were computed. The results indicated a positive impact of GHGs from agriculture and fertilizer consumption in the previous year on cereal production in the EU. Moreover, only in Hungary did the increase in GHG emissions determined a slow increase in the volume of agricultural irrigated lands in the period of 2000–2016.

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