scholarly journals Evaluation of environmental impacts of harvest residue-based bioenergy using radiative forcing analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 90 (05) ◽  
pp. 577-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Pierobon ◽  
Indroneil Ganguly ◽  
Tommaso Anfodillo ◽  
Ivan L. Eastin
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Carbon Neutrality

The “carbon neutrality” assumption plays an important role in the evaluation of the global warming potential (GWP) of bioenergy relative to fossil fuels. In the case of woody bioenergy, this assumption implies that the carbon dioxide emitted during the combustion of the biomass is equal to the carbon dioxide sequestered from the atmosphere within that biomass. However, the collection and conversion of woody biomass requires energy inputs in various forms that produce emissions to the air or water. To be able to estimate the overall environmental burdens associated with converting woody biomass to bioenergy, and the net reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the atmosphere by avoiding the use of fossil fuel, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is the internationally recognized method of choice. However, the carbon neutrality of woody biomass and the environmental impacts associated with wood-based bioenergy are hotly debated in national and international arenas. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impacts of woody biomass-based bioenergy and proposes a GWP impact assessment methodology using radiative forcing for incorporating the dynamics of carbon sequestration, decomposition of residues and biomass processing in the life cycle assessment of bioenergy.

Incorporating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Freight Transportation Infrastructure Project Evaluation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumith Kumar Oduru ◽  
Pasi Lautala
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Freight Transportation ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Simplified Lca ◽  
Modal Route

Transportation industry at large is a major consumer of fossil fuels and contributes heavily to the global greenhouse gas emissions. A significant portion of these emissions come from freight transportation and decisions on mode/route may affect the overall scale of emissions from a specific movement. It is common to consider several alternatives for a new freight activity and compare the alternatives from economic perspective. However, there is a growing emphasis for adding emissions to this evaluation process. One of the approaches to do this is through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); a method for estimating the emissions, energy consumption and environmental impacts of the project throughout its life cycle. Since modal/route selections are often investigated early in the planning stage of the project, availability of data and resources for analysis may become a challenge for completing a detailed LCA on alternatives. This research builds on such detailed LCA comparison performed on a previous case study by Kalluri et al. (2016), but it also investigates whether a simplified LCA process that only includes emissions from operations phase could be used as a less resource intensive option for the analysis while still providing relevant outcomes. The detailed LCA is performed using SimaPro software and simplified LCA is performed using GREET 2016 model. The results are obtained in terms of Kg CO2 equivalents of GHG emissions. This paper introduces both detailed and simplified methodologies and applies them to a case study of a nickel and copper mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The analysis’ are done for three modal alternatives (two truck routes and one rail route) and for multiple mine lives.

scholarly journals Life cycle assessment of the environmental impacts of transport infrastructure and individual modes of transport

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristína Kováčiková ◽  
◽  
Antonín Kazda
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Transport Infrastructure

The paper is focused on the assessment of the environmental impacts of transport infrastructure and individual types of transport using the life cycle assessment method. The paper contains a description of the basic terminology of the problem related to transport, the environment and methods of environmental impact assessment. The paper contains analysis on monitoring carbon dioxide emissions from a global perspective as well as from a regional perspective focused on Slovakia. The aim of the paper is to create a proposal for the assessment of environmental impacts of transport infrastructure, in the form of specification of areas of assessment for selected types of transport with a focus on carbon dioxide emissions. Using the knowledge and principles of the life cycle method, a proposal for relevant indicators and a proposal for a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of selected types of transport, focused on carbon dioxide emissions, is created in the paper

scholarly journals A critical review of life cycle assessment studies of woody biomass conversion to sugars

2021 ◽  
Vol 379 (2206) ◽  
pp. 20200335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niamh Ryan ◽  
Polina Yaseneva
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Chemical Industry ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Biomass Conversion ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Woody Biomass ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Inventory Data ◽  
Biomass Fractionation

Woody biomass could potentially become a viable raw material for the future sustainable chemical industry. For this, a suitable regulatory framework must exist, that would create favourable economic conditions for wood biorefineries. Such policies must be developed on the basis of scientific evidence—in this case, data supporting the environmental advantages of the bio-based feedstocks to the chemical industry. The most suitable methodology for comprehensive evaluation of environmental performance of technologies is life cycle assessment (LCA). In this review, the available LCA studies of woody biomass fractionation and conversion to bulk chemical feedstocks are critically evaluated. It has been revealed that the majority of the openly available studies do not contain transparent inventory data and, therefore, cannot be verified or re-used; studies containing inventory data are reported in this review. The lack of inventory data also prevents comparison between studies of the same processes performed with different evaluation methods or using different system boundaries. Recommendations are proposed on how to overcome issues of commercial data sensitivity by using black-box modelling when reporting environmental information. From several comparable LCA studies, it has been concluded that today the most environmentally favourable technology for wood biomass fractionation is organosolv. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 1)’.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Nitrate and Compound Fertilizers Production—A Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Georgios Gaidajis ◽  
Ilias Kakanis
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Water Eutrophication ◽  
Production Industry ◽  
Freshwater Eutrophication

The production and utilization of fertilizers are processes with known and noteworthy environmental impacts. Direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a high contribution to water eutrophication due to the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) derivatives are some of the most crucial impacts derived from the overall life cycle of fertilizer use. The life cycle assessment (LCA) has been reliable and analytical tool for the identification, quantification, and evaluation of potential environmental impacts of fertilizers related to the products, production processes, or activities throughout their lifecycle. In this paper, a gate-to-gate LCA approach was applied in order to identify and evaluate the impacts derived from the production processes of nitrate and compound fertilizers the production industry in Northeastern Greece. The results from this study prove that compound fertilizers have a greater impact compared with nitrate fertilizers, contributing up to 70% of the total production impacts. Furthermore, climate change, freshwater eutrophication, and fossil fuel depletion were identified as the most crucial impact categories. Finally, a comparison with relevant LCA studies was conducted, in order to identify the possibility of a consistency pattern of the fertilizer production impacts in general.

Life Сycle Аssessment of Management and Disposal of Oil-containing Wastes from Refineries

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
E.V. Kalinina ◽  
L.V. Rudakova
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Human Toxicity ◽  
Cobalt Chromium ◽  
Treatment And Disposal ◽  
Cancer Diseases

The results of the life cycle assessment (LCA) of oil waste (OW) management and disposal of refineries are presented, which include environmental impacts beyond the implementation of the techniques themselves, but also the production of the necessary material (reagents, materials) and energy (electricity, fuel, steam). LCA demonstrated that the most significant impacts of oil-containing waste treatment and disposal methods are in the categories Ecotoxicity (for freshwater)" and "Human toxicity" (cancer and non-cancer diseases)" resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and the emission of heavy metals (zinc, copper, vanadium, cobalt, chromium, nickel and lead).

Using a life cycle assessment method to determine the environmental impacts of manure utilisation: biogas plant and composting systems

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Hishinuma ◽  
H. Kurishima ◽  
C. Yang ◽  
Y. Genchi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Biogas Plant ◽  
Plant System ◽  
Composting Systems

The aim of this study was to use life cycle assessment methods to determine the environmental impacts of manure utilisation by a biogas plant and by a typical manure composting system. The functional unit was defined as the average annual manure utilisation on a dairy farm with 100 cows. The environmental impact categories chosen were emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and acidification gases (AG). The GHG emissions were estimated as: 345.9 t CO2-equivalents (e) for solid composting (case 1), 625.4 t CO2-e for solid and liquid composting (case 2), and 86.3–90.1 t CO2-e for the biogas plant system. The AG emissions were estimated as: 10.1 t SO2-e for case 1, 18.4 t SO2-e for case 2, and 13.1–24.2 t SO2-e for the biogas plant system. These results show that a biogas plant system produces low GHG emissions, but comparatively high AG emissions with land application. It is suggested that land application using band spread or shallow injection attachments will decrease AG emissions (NH3) from biogas plant systems.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Ocean Energy Technologies: A Systematic Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 322 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Paredes ◽  
Alejandro Padilla-Rivera ◽  
Leonor Güereca
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Impact Category ◽  
Tidal Energy ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Ocean Energy ◽  
Energy Technologies

The increase of greenhouse gases (GHG) generated by the burning of fossil fuels has been recognized as one of the main causes of climate change (CC). Different countries of the world have developed new policies on national energy security directed to the use of renewable energies mainly, ocean energy being one of them. The implementation of ocean energy is increasing worldwide. However, the use of these technologies is not exempt from the generation of potential environmental impacts throughout their life cycle. In this context, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a holistic approach used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product or system throughout its entire life cycle. LCA studies need to be conducted to foster the development of ocean energy technologies (OET) in sustainable management. In this paper, a systematic review was conducted and 18 LCA studies of OET were analyzed. Most of the LCA studies are focused on wave and tidal energy. CC is the most relevant impact category evaluated, which is generated mostly by raw material extraction, manufacturing stage and shipping operations. Finally, the critical stages of the systems evaluated were identified, together with, the opportunity areas to promote an environmental management for ocean energy developers.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment Framework for Embodied Environmental Impacts of Building Construction Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 461
Author(s):  
Mona Abouhamad ◽  
Metwally Abu-Hamd
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Production Stage ◽  
Credit Points ◽  
Construction System

This paper develops a life cycle assessment framework for embodied environmental impacts of building construction systems. The framework is intended to be used early in the design stage to assist decision making in identifying sources of higher embodied impacts and in selecting sustainable design alternatives. The framework covers commonly used building construction systems such as reinforced concrete construction (RCC), hot-rolled steel construction (HRS), and light steel construction (LSC). The system boundary is defined for the framework from cradle-to-grave plus recycling and reuse possibilities. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and life cycle assessment are integrated in the developed framework to evaluate life cycle embodied energy and embodied greenhouse emissions of design options. The life cycle inventory data used to develop the framework were extracted from BIM models for the building material quantities, verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for the material production stage, and the design of construction operations for the construction and end-of-life stages. Application of the developed framework to a case study of a university building revealed the following results. The material production stage had the highest contribution to embodied impacts, reaching about 90%. Compared with the conventional RCC construction system, the HRS construction system had 41% more life cycle embodied energy, while the LSC construction system had 34% less life cycle embodied energy. When each system was credited with the net benefits resulting from possible recycling/reuse beyond building life, the HRS construction system had 10% less life cycle embodied energy, while the LSC construction system had 68% less life cycle embodied energy. Similarly, the HRS construction system had 29% less life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while the LSC construction system had 62% less life cycle GHG emissions. Sustainability assessment results showed that the RCC construction system received zero Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credit points, the HRS construction system received three LEED credit points, while the LSC construction system received five LEED credit points.

scholarly journals Distinct microalgae species for food—part 2: comparative life cycle assessment of microalgae and fish for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and protein

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 2997-3013 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Schade ◽  
G. I. Stangl ◽  
T. Meier
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Docosahexaenoic Acid ◽  
Eicosapentaenoic Acid ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Production ◽  
World Population ◽  
Epa And Dha ◽  
Aquaculture Production

Abstract The production of food for a growing world population is a great challenge. In particular, protein and the long-chain n-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which exert a series of potential health effects, are scarce resources in the context of global food security. Fish from wild capture and aquaculture production cannot meet the current demand for EPA and DHA; therefore, a supplementation with alternative sources is crucial. Specific microalgae species have been shown to be a lucrative source of EPA, DHA, and protein, in particular, the oleaginous microalgae Nannochloropsis sp. and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. This study aimed to compare different cultivation scenarios of Nannochloropsis sp. and P. tricornutum with the production of aquaculture and capture fish as traditional sources of EPA and DHA in terms of environmental impacts. Scenarios included borosilicate glass and acrylic glass as photobioreactor (PBR) materials, two different tube diameters, and three different cultivation seasons. In these scenarios, carbon dioxide was modeled as an avoided burden. Additionally, all scenarios were modeled with the burdens resulting from carbon dioxide production. Environmental impacts of selected fish species were obtained from systematic literature research. Life cycle assessment following ISO 14040/44 was used to analyze the global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, cumulative energy demand, water footprint, and land use. The system boundaries were set from “cradle-to-store,” where the target store is located in Germany. Microalgae biomass as a source of EPA, DHA, and protein was found to have similar or lower environmental impacts than fish fillet from wild capture and aquaculture production when carbon dioxide was modeled as an avoided burden. Microalgae production that included the full burden of carbon dioxide production still caused similar or lower environmental impacts than aquaculture fish. It was found that the distinct microalgae species can significantly influence the results if the comparison is conducted based on nutritional values. Regarding the recommended daily intake of 250–500 mg EPA+DHA, microalgae are an advisable source of nutrients to lessen the environmental pressure on marine ecosystems.

scholarly journals A Content Review of Life Cycle Assessment of Nanomaterials: Current Practices, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3324
Author(s):  
Nurul Umairah M. Nizam ◽  
Marlia M. Hanafiah ◽  
Kok Sin Woon
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Characterization Model ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Content Review ◽  
Whole Life Cycle ◽  
Current Practices

This paper provides a comprehensive review of 71 previous studies on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of nanomaterials (NMs) from 2001 to 2020 (19 years). Although various studies have been carried out to assess the efficiency and potential of wastes for nanotechnology, little attention has been paid to conducting a comprehensive analysis related to the environmental performance and hotspot of NMs, based on LCA methodology. Therefore, this paper highlights and discusses LCA methodology’s basis (goal and scope definition, system boundary, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment, and interpretation) to insights into current practices, limitations, progress, and challenges of LCA application NMs. We found that there is still a lack of comprehensive LCA study on the environmental impacts of NMs until end-of-life stages, thereby potentially supporting misleading conclusions, in most of the previous studies reviewed. For a comprehensive evaluation of LCA of NMs, we recommend that future studies should: (1) report more detailed and transparent LCI data within NMs LCA studies; (2) consider the environmental impacts and potential risks of NMs within their whole life cycle; (3) adopt a transparent and prudent characterization model; and (4) include toxicity, uncertainty, and sensitivity assessments to analyze the exposure pathways of NMs further. Future recommendations towards improvement and harmonization of methodological for future research directions were discussed and provided. This study’s findings redound to future research in the field of LCA NMs specifically, considering that the release of NMs into the environment is yet to be explored due to limited understanding of the mechanisms and pathways involved.

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