scholarly journals Mineral resource dissipation in life cycle inventories

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Beylot ◽  
Fulvio Ardente ◽  
Serenella Sala ◽  
Luca Zampori
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Resource ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Temporal Perspective ◽  
Life Cycle Inventories ◽  
Unit Process ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Purpose The assessment of potential environmental impacts associated to mineral resource use in LCA is a highly debated topic. Most current impact assessment methods consider the extraction of resources as the issue of concern, while their dissipation is an emerging concept. This article proposes an approach to account for mineral resource dissipation in life cycle inventories (LCIs), with application to a case study. Methods The definition of mineral resources is first discussed considering both current main LCA practice and the context of resource dissipation. Secondly, the approach is described: considering a short-term perspective (25 years), any flow of resources to (i) environment, (ii) final waste disposal facilities, and (iii) products-in-use in the technosphere, with the resources not providing any significant function anymore (including due to non-functional recycling), is suggested to be reported as dissipative at the level of unit processes. This approach first requires to map the flows of mineral resources into and out of the unit processes under study (“resource flow analysis”), before identifying the dissipative flows and reporting them in LCI datasets. Results and discussion The approach is applied to analyze the direct dissipation of mineral resources along the primary production of copper, using Ecoinvent (v3.5) datasets. The production of 1 kg of copper cathode generates 0.88 kg of direct dissipative flows of resources (primarily calcium carbonate, copper, and to a lower extent iron), with important contributions of “tailings disposal,” “pyrometallurgy,” and “mining and concentration.” Moreover, this article discusses (i) how the developed approach would change the interpretation of results regarding mineral resources in LCA, (ii) how far some key methodological aspects of this approach (e.g., the temporal perspective) can affect the inventory results (e.g., in the case of the primary production of copper, considering a long-term perspective implies a significant shift in main contributions regarding both unit processes and resource flows), and finally (iii) the issue of new data requirements, in terms of availability and adequacy. Conclusions As demonstrated in the case study, existing LCI datasets and supporting documentation contain at least part of the data and information required to consistently compile the dissipative flows of resources at the unit process level, yet with the need for some complementary data and assessments. This approach may be particularly relevant to better support the development of more resource-efficient techniques or product designs. It is still open how to adapt characterization approaches to account for the impact induced by these resource dissipative flows.

scholarly journals Devising Mineral Resource Supply Pathways to a Low-Carbon Electricity Generation by 2100

Resources ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Boubault ◽  
Nadia Maïzi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Integrated Assessment ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Integrated Assessment Model ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Life Cycle Inventories ◽  
The Impact

Achieving a “carbon neutral” world by 2100 or earlier in a context of economic growth implies a drastic and profound transformation of the way energy is supplied and consumed in our societies. In this paper, we use life-cycle inventories of electricity-generating technologies and an integrated assessment model (TIMES Integrated Assessment Model) to project the global raw material requirements in two scenarios: a second shared socioeconomic pathway baseline, and a 2 °C scenario by 2100. Material usage reported in the life-cycle inventories is distributed into three phases, namely construction, operation, and decommissioning. Material supply dynamics and the impact of the 2 °C warming limit are quantified for three raw fossil fuels and forty-eight metallic and nonmetallic mineral resources. Depending on the time horizon, graphite, sand, sulfur, borates, aluminum, chromium, nickel, silver, gold, rare earth elements or their substitutes could face a sharp increase in usage as a result of a massive installation of low-carbon technologies. Ignoring nonfuel resource availability and value in deep decarbonation, circular economy, or decoupling scenarios can potentially generate misleading, contradictory, or unachievable climate policies.

scholarly journals Mineral Resource Depletion Assessment: Alternatives, Problems, Results

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 862
Author(s):  
Tatiana Ponomarenko ◽  
Marina Nevskaya ◽  
Izabela Jonek-Kowalska
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Resource ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Mining Company ◽  
Social Wellbeing ◽  
Renewable Natural Resources ◽  
Tin Deposit ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Local Levels

The depletion of non-renewable natural resources (primarily mineral and energy resources) and its assessment is a problem that is analyzed based on the concept of sustainable development. Mineral resource depletion assessment is particularly important for resource-based economies. It provides for assessing the impact of mineral asset disposal that results from the suspension or termination of operations conducted by a mining company due to insurmountable circumstances. The results of such an event will be manifested at the national, regional, and local levels and felt by mining companies, suppliers, workers, the population of the territory, and other stakeholders. The study clarifies the attributes and essence of mineral resource depletion, analyzes the advantages and limitations of the existing tools for assessing mineral resource depletion, identifies depletion factors, describes a methodology for assessing mineral resource depletion, and contains a case study of a tin deposit. The results of the study contribute to the development of the theory on the depletion of non-renewable natural resources. They provide for assessing losses to social wellbeing that can be caused by stopping the use of profitable mineral reserves.

THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF THE MINERAL RESOURCE COMPLEX OF THE REGION, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS

2021 ◽  
pp. 40-43
Author(s):  
Е.В. Кузнецова
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Resource ◽  
Management System ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Active Systems ◽  
Mining Project ◽  
Mining Projects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Important State

При моделировании системы управления минерально-сырьевым комплексом региона необходимо учитывать влияние рисков на реализуемость горного проекта, как элементов внешней среды. В работе выполнено моделирование системы управления минерально-сырьевым комплексом региона с учетом рисков горных проектов. One of the most important state tasks in the management system of the mineral resource complex, both at the national and regional levels, is to ensure the reproduction of mineral resources. The solution of this problem can be modeled using the theory of control of active systems, which, of course, can be attributed to the mineral resource complex. When modeling the management system of the mineral resource complex of the region, it is necessary to take into account the impact of risks on the feasibility of a mining project, as elements of the external environment. In this paper, the authors have modeled the management system of the mineral resource complex of the region, taking into account the risks of mining projects.

scholarly journals Blockchain in Health Care Innovation: Literature Review and Case Study From a Business Ecosystem Perspective (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuchih Ernest Chang ◽  
YiChian Chen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Business Ecosystem ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Blockchain technology is leveraging its innovative potential in various sectors and its transformation of business-related processes has drawn much attention. Topics of research interest have focused on medical and health care applications, while research implications have generally concluded in system design, literature reviews, and case studies. However, a general overview and knowledge about the impact on the health care ecosystem is limited. OBJECTIVE This paper explores a potential paradigm shift and ecosystem evolution in health care utilizing blockchain technology. METHODS A literature review with a case study on a pioneering initiative was conducted. With a systematic life cycle analysis, this study sheds light on the evolutionary development of blockchain in health care scenarios and its interactive relationship among stakeholders. RESULTS Four stages—birth, expansion, leadership, and self-renewal or death—in the life cycle of the business ecosystem were explored to elucidate the evolving trajectories of blockchain-based health care implementation. Focused impacts on the traditional health care industry are highlighted within each stage to further support the potential health care paradigm shift in the future. CONCLUSIONS This paper enriches the existing body of literature in this field by illustrating the potential of blockchain in fulfilling stakeholders’ needs and elucidating the phenomenon of coevolution within the health care ecosystem. Blockchain not only catalyzes the interactions among players but also facilitates the formation of the ecosystem life cycle. The collaborative network linked by blockchain may play a critical role on value creation, transfer, and sharing among the health care community. Future efforts may focus on empirical or case studies to validate the proposed evolution of the health care ecosystem.

The Impact of Students’ Temporal Perspectives on Time-On-Task and Learning Performance in Game Based Learning

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-92
Author(s):  
Margarida Romero ◽  
Mireia Usart
Keyword(s):  
Learning Performance ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Game Based Learning ◽  
Temporal Perspective ◽  
Game Dynamic ◽  
The Impact

The use of games for educational purposes has been considered as a learning methodology that attracts the students’ attention and may allow focusing individuals on the learning activity through the SG game dynamic. Based on the hypothesis that students’ Temporal Perspective has an impact on learning performance and time-on-task, this paper aims to analyze the relation between these variables in the SG MetaVals. The authors expect students’ TP to relate to higher performance, both for individual and collaborative GBL. Moreover, they analyze the relation between the time-on-task and the students’ temporal perspectives. A case study was conducted in a Masters course in finance. Results showed no significant differences in game performances among individuals with different TP. However, present-oriented students showed a higher time-on-task, both for individual and collaborative phases of the game. These results could point to the fact that including SG in the curriculum could help leveraging students learning performance.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE TECHNIQUE IN REDUCING COSTS AND ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, A CASE STUDY IN THE RUSTAN STEEL STRUCTURE PRODUCTION COMPANY IN ERBIL

2021 ◽  
Vol 03 (07) ◽  
pp. 314-328
Author(s):  
Ghazi Abdulazeez SULAIMAN BAG ◽  
Rafiq Faraj MAHMOOD
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Steel Structures ◽  
Product Life ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

This research was - case study in Rstin company for the steel structures in Erbil- addressed the cost technique of product life cycle, as discussed the kinds, relevance and the stages of the life cycle of the product, also it referred to the corporate governance of discussing its inception the concept and importance of the principles, objectives, and mechanisms was addressed to the technical aspects of the overlap between the cost of the product life cycle corporate governance and show the appropriate techniques used in each stage of the life cycle of the product and how it achieved by a reduction of costs. The result of this study indicates that the integration between the product life cycle cost and corporate governance works on reduce costs through the various stages of product life cycle. It also concluded that this integration increases the company ability to compete in market which leads to rise in its market share and eventually lead to maximize the profit which has been achieved through the optimal use of a company available resources. It also found that the techniques of life cycle cost of the product cannot be applied without support of the company directors, throughout the technical requirements of the application. Corporate governance ensures directors of the company to utilize firm resources which makes the company to achieve several stakeholders' objectives.

scholarly journals Environmental Assessment of the Life Cycle of Bovine Compound Feeds from a Feed Milling Plant in a Large Commercial Farm in Wielkopolska Region, Poland

2019 ◽  
Vol 19(34) (1) ◽  
pp. 22-36
Author(s):  
Jerzy Bieńkowski ◽  
Małgorzata Holka
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Impact Category ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

In recent years, the importance of environmental threats associated with intensive livestock production has been emphasized. Compound feeds make up a part of the animal production chain. A complete assessment of the animal production system with regard to environmental criteria is therefore impossible without considering the environmental consequences of feed production. The goal of this research is to fill the gap in an environmental assessment of production processes of compound feeds in Poland. The study presents an assessment of production impacts of bovine compound feeds according to Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology. The data for analysis were based on the set of information obtained from the feed milling plant located in a commercial agricultural enterprise in the Wielkopolska region in the years 2015-2016. An inventory table of inputs was prepared in relation to the functional unit of 1 ton of compound feeds and two phases of production processes, i.e. upstream and core. For average compound feed, the impact category indicators for the global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, photochemical ozone formation, consumption of mineral resources, fossil fuel resources and the emission of the respirable particles were respectively: 605.9 kg CO2 eq, 8.73 kg SO2 eq, 3.32 kg PO4 eq, 0.73 kg ethylene eq, 3.4x10-3 kg antimony eq, 5141.1 MJ and 2.25 kg PM2.5 eq. The upstream phase had the greatest effect on investigated impacts, while the core processes phase had a relatively low impact on environmental threats. It is recommended to broaden the scope of the research for a larger group of feed milling plants with more complex manufacturing processes, with a more branched supply structure and a wide range of compound feeds for different animal types. The obtained data can be a valuable source base in prospective analyses of the life cycle of various animal products in Poland.

Optimizing Part Sourcing Strategies for Low-Volume, Long Life Cycle Products Using Second Sourcing and Part Hoarding

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varun J. Prabhakar ◽  
Hannah Allison ◽  
Peter Sandborn ◽  
Bo Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Supply Chain Disruptions ◽  
Sourcing Strategies ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Future Time Period ◽  
Long Life ◽  
The Impact

Long life cycle products, commonly found in aviation, medical and critical infrastructure applications, are often fielded and supported for long periods of time (20 years or more). The manufacture and support of long life cycle products rely on the availability of suitable parts, which over long periods of time, leaves the parts susceptible to supply chain disruptions such as suppliers exiting the market, allocation issues, counterfeit part risks, and part obsolescence. Proactive mitigation strategies exist that can reduce the impact of supply chain disruptions. One solution to mitigating the supply chain risk is the strategic formulation of part sourcing strategies (optimally selecting one or more suppliers from which to purchase parts over the life of the part’s use within a product or organization). Strategic sourcing offers a way of avoiding the risk of part unavailability (and its associated penalties), but at the expense of qualification and support costs for multiple suppliers. An alternative disruption mitigation strategy is hoarding. Hoarding involves stocking enough parts in inventory to satisfy the forecasted part demand (for both manufacturing and maintenance requirements) of a fixed future time period. This excess inventory provides a buffer that reduces the effect of supply chain disruptions on the part total cost of ownership (TCO), but increases the total holding cost. This paper presents a method of performing tradeoff analyses and identifying the optimal combination of second sourcing and hoarding for a specific part and product scenario. A case study was performed to examine the effects of hoarding on both single and second sourced parts. The case study results show that hoarding can contribute to a decrease in the cumulative TCO and a decrease in its variance.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Complex Forestry Enterprise: A Case Study of a Forest–Fiberboard Integrated Enterprise

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4147
Author(s):  
Xuyao Zhang ◽  
Weimin Zhang ◽  
Dayu Xu
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Electric Power ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Wood Fuel ◽  
Forestry Production ◽  
The Impact

The complex forestry enterprises incorporate the production activities of different links in the value chain of forest products and should be the mainstay for the sustainable forestry production of China in the foreseeable future. This case study was carried out and main data were collected in a forest–board integrated enterprise of South China. A life cycle model using the impact 2002+ method was applied to identify the resource consumption and environmental impacts of different production stages along the industrial chain. This study incorporates the calculation of carbon sequestration per unit output into the standard LCA to evaluate the effect of the forest cultivation stage. The objective of this study is two-fold. The first objective is to gain a better understanding of the environmental impacts of the complex forestry enterprises. The second objective is to put forward environmental management suggestions for the identified hotspots along the forest value chain. Factors affecting the environment include carbon sequestration and seedlings, electric power, and the use of wood fuel. Improvement suggestions are put forward from three perspectives: Changing the type and application method of fertilizer, reducing electric power consumption, and reducing wood fuel consumption.

scholarly journals The importance of embodied energy in carbon footprint assessment

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaid Alwan ◽  
Paul Jones
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Design Team ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Operational Energy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

Purpose – The construction industry has focused on operational and embodied energy of buildings as a way of becoming more sustainable, however, with more emphasis on the former. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the impact that embodied energy of construction materials can have on the decision making when designing buildings, and ultimately on the environment. This is an important aspect that has often been overlooked when calculating a building's carbon footprint; and its inclusion this approach presents a more holistic life cycle assessment. Design/methodology/approach – A building project was chosen that is currently being designed; the design team for the project have been tasked by the client to make the facility exemplary in terms of its sustainability. This building has a limited construction palette; therefore the embodied energy component can be accurately calculated. The authors of this paper are also part of the design team for the building so they have full access to Building Information Modelling (BIM) models and production information. An inventory of materials was obtained for the building and embodied energy coefficients applied to assess the key building components. The total operational energy was identified using benchmarking to produce a carbon footprint for the facility. Findings – The results indicate that while operational energy is more significant over the long term, the embodied energy of key materials should not be ignored, and is likely to be a bigger proportion of the total carbon in a low carbon building. The components with high embodied energy have also been identified. The design team have responded to this by altering the design to significantly reduce the embodied energy within these key components – and thus make the building far more sustainable in this regard. Research limitations/implications – It may be is a challenge to create components inventories for whole buildings or for refurbishments. However, a potential future approach for is application may be to use a BIM model to simplify this process by imbedding embodied energy inventories within the software, as part of the BIM menus. Originality/value – This case study identifies the importance of considering carbon use during the whole-life cycle of buildings, as well as highlighting the use of carbon offsetting. The paper presents an original approach to the research by using a “live” building as a case study with a focus on the embodied energy of each component of the scheme. The operational energy is also being calculated, the combined data are currently informing the design approach for the building. As part of the analysis, the building was modelled in BIM software.

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