VALORISATION OF FOREST AND AGRICULTURAL BIOMASS FOR THE SPANISH CERAMIC TILE INDUSTRY

Since ceramic tile industry is an energy intensive industry, European ceramic companies are challenged to reduce their CO2 emissions in the medium and long-term. According the Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050 (European Commission, 2011) the objective is to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions of between 34 % and 40 % by 2030, and between 83 % and 87 % by 2050. In the present paper we present a study on the viability of the incorporation of biofuels in the energy mix of the Spanish ceramic industry with the objective of (1) identifying the potential use of biomass resources, with a special focus of forest and agricultural biomass, in the manufacturing process of ceramic tile products; (2) identify in what part of the production process it can be introduced; and (3) calculate the reduced environmental impact from the manufacture of ceramic materials through a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. In order to proceed we firstly present the relevant state of the art for the study of the use of biomass for the ceramic manufacturing process. We continue with the methodology for biomass resources evaluation and present relevant data on forest and agricultural biomass for the ceramic tile industry. We then present data on the evolution and actual energy demand of the ceramic tile industry to characterize its energy demand. And then we identify an opportunity for biomass use in a specific phase of the manufacture of ceramic products, estimating the savings of fossil fuels and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and therefore assessing the environmental impact reduction through the introduction of biomass in the manufacturing process of ceramic tile products.

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An Overview of Household Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Iran

Processes ◽

10.3390/pr8080994 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (8) ◽

pp. 994

Author(s):

Omeid Rahmani ◽

Shahabaldin Rezania ◽

Amin Beiranvand Pour ◽

Shahram M. Aminpour ◽

Mohammad Soltani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Liquefied Petroleum Gas ◽

Household Energy ◽

Household Energy Consumption ◽

Energy Efficiency Improvement

This review tends to obtain a deeper understanding of the methods used in household energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Iran. Issues relating to energy consumption and CO2 emissions are very complex. This complexity arises from the fact that energy demand and energy consumption in Iran are influenced by many factors, such as income, household size, age, and gender. In Iran, the relevant energy sources mostly include liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electricity, which are used for different sectors, such as transportation, industry, and residential. This overview looks at both the theories and empirical studies of household energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Iran. Since energy consumption typically results in air pollution, it is often used as an indicator of environmental degradation. Although Iran is recently faced to energy efficiency improvement from all sectors, household energy requirements have been significantly increased. In Iran, a prime motivator had been improving living standards. As Iran gradually turns into a consumer society, households have an enormous influence on the direct use of energy and related CO2 emissions as well as through indirect use, as embodied in goods and services. The findings of this study can help policymakers to focus on renewable energy projects in order to reduce energy consumption and mitigate CO2 emissions.

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Biohydrogen from Microalgae: Production and Applications

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11041616 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1616

Author(s):

Antonina Rita Limongi ◽

Emanuele Viviano ◽

Maria De Luca ◽

Rosa Paola Radice ◽

Giuliana Bianco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Alternative Energy ◽

Electricity Production ◽

Energy Sources ◽

Molecular Processes ◽

Significant Development ◽

Alternative Energy Sources ◽

Natural Way

The need to safeguard our planet by reducing carbon dioxide emissions has led to a significant development of research in the field of alternative energy sources. Hydrogen has proved to be the most promising molecule, as a fuel, due to its low environmental impact. Even if various methods already exist for producing hydrogen, most of them are not sustainable. Thus, research focuses on the biological sector, studying microalgae, and other microorganisms’ ability to produce this precious molecule in a natural way. In this review, we provide a description of the biochemical and molecular processes for the production of biohydrogen and give a general overview of one of the most interesting technologies in which hydrogen finds application for electricity production: fuel cells.

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Estimation of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from a Traditional Nutrient-Rich Cambodian Diet Food Production System Using Life Cycle Assessment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13073660 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 3660

Author(s):

Rathna Hor ◽

Phanna Ly ◽

Agusta Samodra Putra ◽

Riaru Ishizaki ◽

Tofael Ahamed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Production System ◽

Agricultural Production ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Food Production ◽

Carbon Dioxide Co2 ◽

Food Production System

Traditional Cambodian food has higher nutrient balances and is environmentally sustainable compared to conventional diets. However, there is a lack of knowledge and evidence on nutrient intake and the environmental greenness of traditional food at different age distributions. The relationship between nutritional intake and environmental impact can be evaluated using carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from agricultural production based on life cycle assessment (LCA). The objective of this study was to estimate the CO2 equivalent (eq) emissions from the traditional Cambodian diet using LCA, starting at each agricultural production phase. A one-year food consumption scenario with the traditional diet was established. Five breakfast (BF1–5) and seven lunch and dinner (LD1–7) food sets were consumed at the same rate and compared using LCA. The results showed that BF1 and LD2 had the lowest and highest emissions (0.3 Mt CO2 eq/yr and 1.2 Mt CO2 eq/yr, respectively). The food calories, minerals, and vitamins met the recommended dietary allowance. The country’s existing food production system generates CO2 emissions of 9.7 Mt CO2 eq/yr, with the proposed system reducing these by 28.9% to 6.9 Mt CO2 eq/yr. The change in each food item could decrease emissions depending on the type and quantity of the food set, especially meat and milk consumption.

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Impact of urbanization on per capita energy use and emissions in India

International Journal of Energy Sector Management ◽

10.1108/ijesm-01-2021-0010 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Stuti Haldar ◽

Gautam Sharma

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Population Density ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Energy Use ◽

Energy Intensity ◽

Series Data ◽

Content Type ◽

Per Capita

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of urbanization on per capita energy consumption and emissions in India. Design/methodology/approach The present study analyses the effects of urbanization on energy consumption patterns by using the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology in India. Time series data from the period of 1960 to 2015 has been considered for the analysis. Variables including Population, GDP per capita, Energy intensity, share of industry in GDP, share of Services in GDP, total energy use and urbanization from World Bank data sources have been used for investigating the relationship between urbanization, affluence and energy use. Findings Energy demand is positively related to affluence (economic growth). Further the results of the analysis also suggest that, as urbanization, GDP and population are bound to increase in the future, consequently resulting in increased carbon dioxide emissions caused by increased energy demand and consumption. Thus, reducing the energy intensity is key to energy security and lower carbon dioxide emissions for India. Research limitations/implications The study will have important policy implications for India’s energy sector transition toward non- conventional, clean energy sources in the wake of growing share of its population residing in urban spaces. Originality/value There are limited number of studies considering the impacts of population density on per capita energy use. So this study also contributes methodologically by establishing per capita energy use as a function of population density and technology (i.e. growth rates of industrial and service sector).

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Achieving Net Zero Carbon Dioxide by Sequestering Biomass Carbon

10.20944/preprints202007.0576.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jeffrey Amelse

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carbon Cycle ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Co2 Sequestration ◽

Fossil Fuels ◽

Scale Up ◽

Biomass Carbon ◽

Net Zero ◽

The World

Mitigation of global warming requires an understanding of where energy is produced and consumed, the magnitude of carbon dioxide generation, and proper understanding of the Carbon Cycle. The latter leads to the distinction between and need for both CO2 and biomass CARBON sequestration. Short reviews are provided for prior technologies proposed for reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuels or substituting renewable energy, focusing on their limitations. None offer a complete solution. Of these, CO2 sequestration is poised to have the largest impact. We know how to do it. It will just cost money, and scale-up is a huge challenge. Few projects have been brought forward to semi-commercial scale. Transportation accounts for only about 30% of U.S. overall energy demand. Biofuels penetration remains small, and thus, they contribute a trivial amount of overall CO2 reduction, even though 40% of U.S. corn and 30% of soybeans are devoted to their production. Bioethanol is traced through its Carbon Cycle and shown to be both energy inefficient, and an inefficient use of biomass carbon. Both biofuels and CO2 sequestration reduce FUTURE CO2 emissions from continued use of fossil fuels. They will not remove CO2 ALREADY in the atmosphere. The only way to do that is to break the Carbon Cycle by growing biomass from atmospheric CO2 and sequestering biomass CARBON. Theoretically, sequestration of only a fraction of the world’s tree leaves, which are renewed every year, can get the world to Net Zero CO2 without disturbing the underlying forests.

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Energy Consumption of Rail Baltica Project: Regional Aspects of Environmental Impact

Economics and Culture ◽

10.2478/jec-2019-0016 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 148-160

Author(s):

Olga Piterina ◽

Alexander Masharsky

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

High Speed ◽

International Energy Agency ◽

Future Research ◽

Energy Agency ◽

Load Rate ◽

Emissions Intensity

Abstract Research purpose. The high-speed railway (HSR) construction project in the Baltic States is the largest joint infrastructure project since the restoration of independence of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Rail Baltica (RB) is considered as the most energy-efficient project having the lowest environmental impact. However, the issue of energy consumption of the project was not sufficiently addressed either in the investment justification of the RB construction or in the relevant research works regarding the project. The aim of the current research is to determine the indicators of energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions intensity of the Latvian section of RB, since they are the key factors of the quantitative assessment of sustainability. Design/Methodology/Approach. Critical analysis of the academic research works and reports of the official international organizations dedicated to the topic of energy consumption and CO2 emissions of HSR was conducted prior to the calculation of the above-mentioned indicators. The method of calculation based on International Union of Railways (UIC) was used in order to conduct the cluster analysis within the framework of current work. The main points considered are electricity consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and level of passenger and freight demand. Statistical databases of UIC and International Energy Agency were used. Findings. The calculations carried out by the authors of the given article demonstrate substantial figures of CO2 emissions intensity for Latvian section of the project related to the train load rate and traffic intensity which is evened out only by the CO2 emissions factor in Latvia. Originality/Value/Practical implications. On this basis the authors present the directions for future research required for the development of the effective strategy for the Latvian Republic with the aim of achieving the increase in the RB project’s ecological efficiency.

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The travel-related carbon dioxide emissions of atmospheric researchers

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-8-7373-2008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 7373-7389 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A. Stohl

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Radiative Forcing ◽

Global Climate ◽

Air Travel ◽

Ozone Production ◽

Per Capita ◽

Carbon Dioxide Co2

Abstract. Most atmospheric scientists agree that greenhouse gas emissions have already caused significant changes to the global climate system and that these changes will accelerate in the near future. At the same time, atmospheric scientists who – like other scientists – rely on international collaboration and information exchange travel a lot and, thereby, cause substantial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). In this paper, the CO2 emissions of the employees working at an atmospheric research institute (the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, NILU) caused by all types of business travel (conference visits, workshops, field campaigns, instrument maintainance, etc.) were calculated for the years 2005–2007. It is estimated that more than 90% of the emissions were caused by air travel, 3% by ground travel and 5% by hotel usage. The travel-related annual emissions were between 1.9 and 2.4 t CO2 per employee or between 3.9 and 5.5 t CO2 per scientist. For comparison, the total annual per capita CO2 emissions are 4.5 t worldwide, 1.2 t for India, 3.8 t for China, 5.9 t for Sweden and 19.1 t for Norway. The travel-related CO2 emissions of a NILU scientist, occurring in 24 days of a year on average, exceed the global average annual per capita emission. Norway's per-capita CO2 emissions are among the highest in the world, mostly because of the emissions from the oil industry. If the emissions per NILU scientist derived in this paper are taken as representative for the average Norwegian researcher, travel by Norwegian scientists would nevertheless account for a substantial 0.2% of Norway's total CO2 emissions. Since most of the travel-related emissions are due to air travel, water vapor emissions, ozone production and contrail formation further increase the relative importance of NILU's travel in terms of radiative forcing.

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ESTIMATING ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS THRESHOLD FOR NIGERIA: A GUIDE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH ◽

10.29121/granthaalayah.v6.i9.2018.1219 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (9) ◽

pp. 178-195

Author(s):

Aliyu Alhaji Jibrilla

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide ◽

Population Change ◽

Distributed Lag ◽

Long Run ◽

Long Term Effect ◽

Short Run ◽

Pollution Emissions

This study empirically evaluates whether Green House Gases (GHGs) significantly increase with the rising population and urban growth in Nigeria. In addition, the study examine whether the energy demand also influences Nigerian contribution of global pollution emissions. The results of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration test indicated long-run and stable relationships among the variables. For affluence, we find evidence that, in the long run, domestic per capita income significantly increases carbon dioxide emissions and then falls after a certain extreme point, providing evidence of an inverted EKC hypothesis in Nigeria. The EKC finding was further supported by appropriate inverted U test. The results also demonstrated that both urbanisation and population change do not have a long term effect on emissions; although urbanisation seems to significantly raise emissions in the short-run. Energy demand has been found to have a significantly positive elasticity effect on carbon dioxide emissions both in the long- and short-run. The short-run Granger causality results indicate that, all variables make a short-run adjustment to correct any deviation from the long-run equilibrium. In addition, analysis of the error correction models reveals that all of the variables contribute to their stable long-run relationship.

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Social Impacts Due to Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions. Evidence From Sub-Sahara African Countries (SSA) Compared to Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN).

10.21203/rs.3.rs-177911/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jean Baptiste Aboyitungiye ◽

Suryanto Suryanto ◽

Evi Gravitiani

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Value Added ◽

Southeast Asian ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Asean Countries ◽

Southeast Asian Countries

Abstract The recent climatic phenomena observed in developing countries since the 2000s have raised concerns, fears, and debates within the international community and economists. Human activities are largely responsible for atmospheric warming through their emissions of CO2 and polluting substances with dramatic consequences and numerous losses of human life in some countries. Using panel data covering the 2000-2016 period, this study investigated the social vulnerability due to the CO2 emissions through an empirical study of CO2’s determinants in selected countries of sub-Sahara African and Southeast Asian countries. The STIRPAT model gave out the result that; explanatories causes of carbon dioxide emissions are different in the two regions: the agriculture-forestry and fishing value-added, and human development index have a strong explanatory power on CO2 emissions in the ASEAN countries, the per-capita domestic product has a positive and significant influence on carbon emissions in the SSA countries, ceteris paribus, but was statistically insignificant in the ASEAN countries. The growing population decreases carbon emissions in the SSA selected countries while is not statically significant in the ASEAN countries. There is therefore a kind of double penalty: those who suffer, and will suffer the most from the impacts of climate change due to CO2 emissions, are those who contribute the least to the problem. These results provide insight into future strategies for the mitigation of climatic hazards already present in some places and potential for others which will be felt on different scales across the regions. Some of the inevitable redistributive effects of those risks can be corrected by providing financial support to the poorest populations hardest hit by natural disasters.

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“Cement-Free Product” for Settlement of Ceramic Tiles: An Approach for Greener Construction

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.805.403 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 805 ◽

pp. 403-408

Author(s):

Otávio Luiz do Nascimento ◽

Alexandra Ancelmo Piscitelli Mansur ◽

Herman Sander Mansur

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Construction Industry ◽

Free Product ◽

Ceramic Tile ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Building Materials ◽

Global Climate ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Ceramic Tiles ◽

The Impact

Increased public awareness of the threats posed by global warming has led to greater concern over the impact of anthropogenic carbon emissions on the global climate associated with the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Hence, without radical market, technological, and cultural changes, the CO2 concentrations are expected to rise to unbearable levels within just few decades ahead. The production of cement is estimated to be responsible for approximately 5% of the global carbon dioxide emissions. Consequently, aiming for creating a more sustainable world, engineers and scientists must develop and put into use greener building materials that may revolutionize the entire construction industry. This study presents an innovative product for settlement of ceramic tiles as a potential alternative for replacing the conventional cement based mortar in some specific building applications. Essentially, the novel system is based on a double face polymer-adhesive sheet (“cement-free product”). Thus, the main goal was to evaluate the performance and estimate the durability of the developed system. Pull-off tests were conducted in order to compare this new system to the traditional one, with polymer modified mortar, under different procedures and conditions of cure. In addition, both systems were modeled using Finite Element Method (FEM) to obtain the stresses at the interface between ceramic-tile and adhesive. Based on the results, the recommended limits of bond strength for the innovative “cement-free product” of ceramic tile installation could be lower than those specifications used for the equivalent mortar systems. Therefore, these results give some preliminary evidence that by using the new “cement-free” product for ceramic-tile installation may lead to some increase in the productivity and, more important, in the sustainability of a relevant sector of the construction industry.

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