Environmental life cycle assessment of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) production for human consumption in Austria – a comparison of mealworm and broiler as protein source

Abstract Purpose Global food production needs to increase to provide enough food for over 9 billion people living by 2050. Traditional animal production is among the leading causes for climate change and occupation of land. Edible insects might be a sustainable protein supply to humans, but environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on them are scarce. This study performs an LCA of a small-scale production system of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) in Central Europe that are supplied with organic feedstuff. Methods A combined ReCiPe midpoint (H) and CED method is used to estimate the potential environmental impacts from cradle-to-gate. Impact categories include global warming potential (GWP), non-renewable energy use (NREU), agricultural land occupation (ALOP), terrestrial acidification potential (TAP) and freshwater eutrophication potential (FEP). The robustness of the results is tested via sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations. Results and discussion Impacts related to the production of 1 kg of edible mealworm protein amount to 20.4 kg CO2-eq (GWP), 213.66 MJ-eq (NREU), 22.38 m2 (ALOP), 159.52 g SO2-eq (TAP) and 12.41 g P-eq (FEP). Upstream feed production and on-farm energy demand related to the heating of the facilities are identified as environmental hot-spots: Depending on the impact category, feed supply contributes up to 90% and on-farm heating accounts for up to 65% of overall impacts. The organic mealworm production system is contrasted with a selected Austrian organic broiler production system, to which it compares favourably (18–72% lower impacts per category), with the exception of freshwater eutrophication (6% higher impacts). Conclusions This case study shows that the Austrian mealworm production system compares favourably to traditional livestock systems. Compared to LCAs from large-scale T. molitor rearing facilities in France and in the Netherlands, however, the Austrian production system cannot compete for the reasons of production scale, feed conversion efficiency and type of production system. Nevertheless, the investigated mealworms represent a sustainable protein alternative that should be added to the Western diet.

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Case study of a water bioengineering construction site in Austria. Ecological aspects and application of an environmental life cycle assessment model

International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering ◽

10.1007/s40095-021-00419-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

M. von der Thannen ◽

S. Hoerbinger ◽

C. Muellebner ◽

H. Biber ◽

H. P. Rauch

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Assessment Model ◽

Construction Site ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment ◽

The Impact ◽

Soil And Water

AbstractRecently, applications of soil and water bioengineering constructions using living plants and supplementary materials have become increasingly popular. Besides technical effects, soil and water bioengineering has the advantage of additionally taking into consideration ecological values and the values of landscape aesthetics. When implementing soil and water bioengineering structures, suitable plants must be selected, and the structures must be given a dimension taking into account potential impact loads. A consideration of energy flows and the potential negative impact of construction in terms of energy and greenhouse gas balance has been neglected until now. The current study closes this gap of knowledge by introducing a method for detecting the possible negative effects of installing soil and water bioengineering measures. For this purpose, an environmental life cycle assessment model has been applied. The impact categories global warming potential and cumulative energy demand are used in this paper to describe the type of impacts which a bioengineering construction site causes. Additionally, the water bioengineering measure is contrasted with a conventional civil engineering structure. The results determine that the bioengineering alternative performs slightly better, in terms of energy demand and global warming potential, than the conventional measure. The most relevant factor is shown to be the impact of the running machines at the water bioengineering construction site. Finally, an integral ecological assessment model for applications of soil and water bioengineering structures should point out the potential negative effects caused during installation and, furthermore, integrate the assessment of potential positive effects due to the development of living plants in the use stage of the structures.

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Life Cycle Assessment of Households in Santiago, Chile: Environmental Hotspots and Policy Analysis

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052525 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2525

Author(s):

Camila López-Eccher ◽

Elizabeth Garrido-Ramírez ◽

Iván Franchi-Arzola ◽

Edmundo Muñoz

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Household Income ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Life Cycles ◽

The Impact ◽

Freshwater Eutrophication

The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of household life cycles in Santiago, Chile, by household income level. The assessment considered scenarios associated with environmental policies. The life cycle assessment was cradle-to-grave, and the functional unit considered all the materials and energy required to meet an inhabitant’s needs for one year (1 inh/year). Using SimaPro 9.1 software, the Recipe Midpoint (H) methodology was used. The impact categories selected were global warming, fine particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, mineral resource scarcity, and fossil resource scarcity. The inventory was carried out through the application of 300 household surveys and secondary information. The main environmental sources of households were determined to be food consumption, transport, and electricity. Food consumption is the main source, responsible for 33% of the environmental impacts on global warming, 69% on terrestrial acidification, and 29% on freshwater eutrophication. The second most crucial environmental hotspot is private transport, whose contribution to environmental impact increases as household income rises, while public transport impact increases in the opposite direction. In this sense, both positive and negative environmental effects can be generated by policies. Therefore, life-cycle environmental impacts, the synergy between policies, and households’ socio-economic characteristics must be considered in public policy planning and consumer decisions.

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Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of Arable Crop Production Technologies Compared to Different Harvesting Work Systems in Short Rotation Energy Plantations

Acta Silvatica et Lignaria Hungarica ◽

10.2478/aslh-2019-0005 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 55-68

Author(s):

András Polgár ◽

Zoltán Kovács ◽

Veronika Elekné Fodor ◽

András Bidló

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Crop Production ◽

Short Rotation ◽

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Arable Crop ◽

Production Technologies ◽

Energy Plantations ◽

The Impact ◽

Rotation Energy

Abstract Environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) was developed as a tool for sustainable, decision-supporting environmental management. Applying agricultural sector-LCA in order to achieve both internal (comparative) and external (efficiency enhancing) benefits is a priority. Since the life-cycle assessment of products and processes attracts great interest, applying the method in agriculture is relevant. Our study undertakes a comparative environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) of local arable crop production technologies used for the main cultivated plants: maize, sunflower, lucerne, cereals, and canola (environmental data in the territorial approach calculated on a 1 ha unit and in the quantitative approach calculated on 1 t of produce). We prepared an environmental inventory of the arable crop production technologies, constructed the life-cycle models, and executed the impact assessment. We also compiled an environmental ranking of technologies. In the impact interpretation, we compared the results with the values of short rotation energy plantations in each impact category. We analysed carbon footprints closely. The obtained results help better assess environmental impacts, climate risks, and climate change as they pertain to arable crop production technologies, which advances the selection of appropriate technologies adjusted to environmental sensitivities.

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Environmental life cycle assessment of cow milk in a conventional semi-intensive Brazilian production system

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-021-17317-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Laurine Santos Carvalho ◽

Camila Daniele Willers ◽

Bruna Borges Soares ◽

Alex Rodrigues Nogueira ◽

José Adolfo de Almeida Neto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Production System ◽

Cow Milk ◽

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment

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Life cycle assessment of a small-scale methanol production system: A Power-to-Fuel strategy for biogas plants

Journal of Cleaner Production ◽

10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122476 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 271 ◽

pp. 122476 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lea Eggemann ◽

Neus Escobar ◽

Ralf Peters ◽

Peter Burauel ◽

Detlef Stolten

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Production System ◽

Small Scale ◽

Methanol Production ◽

System A ◽

Biogas Plants

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Study of Life Cycle Assessment of Bricks and the Impacts to the Environment in Malaysia

IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering ◽

10.1088/1757-899x/1200/1/012012 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1200 (1) ◽

pp. 012012

Author(s):

H Adnan ◽

A T Balasbaneh

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Fine Particulate Matter ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Clay Brick ◽

The Impact ◽

Freshwater Eutrophication ◽

Goal And Scope

Abstract Life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted in order to evaluate the environmental impacts of products chosen from the manufacturing phase and the end-of life cycle of the material and in clay brick and concrete were chose as the observed products. Brick is one of the important construction materials that can be seen at the surrounding. Main objective for this study is to investigate the impact of production of different types of brick to the level of emissions of carbon dioxide to the environment. Four stages of life cycle assessment were conducted before the result for the study analysis can be obtained and that stages including goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory (LCI), life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) and the interpretation part. The results obtained from the simulation of the Simapro shown that the concrete contributes more negative impact compared production of clay brick in terms of global warming, ozone depletion, formation of fine particulate matter and ozone formation. Manufacture of clay brick contributes more negative impact to the ionizing radiation, freshwater eutrophication and mineral resource scarcity.

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The impact of the consumer’s decision on the life cycle assessment of organic pasta

SN Applied Sciences ◽

10.1007/s42452-021-04822-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Anna Elisabeth Gnielka ◽

Christof Menzel

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Grocery Store ◽

Impact Categories ◽

Freshwater Ecotoxicity ◽

Last Mile ◽

The Impact ◽

Freshwater Eutrophication

AbstractEvery consumer’s decision has an impact on the environment, and even basic food products such as pasta have an impact due to their high consumption rates. Factors that can be influenced by the consumer include the preparation (cooking), last mile and packaging phases. The last mile has not been considered in most studies but contributes considerably to the environmental impact of pasta. The three phases and their environmental impact on the life cycle of pasta are analyzed in this cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment. The focus of the study lies on the impact categories climate change, agricultural land occupation, fossil depletion, water depletion, freshwater eutrophication and freshwater ecotoxicity. Inventory data were taken from other studies, were collected in cooperation with a zero-packaging organic grocery store in Germany or were gained in test series. Our results show that the preparation of pasta has the greatest environmental impact (over 40% in the impact categories climate change and fossil depletion and over 50% in the impact category freshwater eutrophication), followed by the last mile (over 20% in the impact categories climate change and fossil depletion) and lastly the packaging (nearly 9% in the impact categories freshwater eutrophication and freshwater ecotoxicity). Based on our study´s results, we provide some recommendations for minimizing the environmental impacts of pasta.

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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of biobased packaging solutions for Extended Shelf-Life (ESL) milk

10.21203/rs.3.rs-432310/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Giulia Cappiello ◽

Clizia Aversa ◽

Annalisa Genovesi ◽

Massimiliano Barletta

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Shelf Life ◽

End Of Life ◽

Life Stage ◽

Packaging System ◽

The Impact ◽

Total Impact ◽

Glass Packaging ◽

Freshwater Eutrophication

Abstract The dairy market is one of the most important sectors worldwide and milk packaging contributes to over one third of the global dairy packaging demand. The end-of-life of the disposable packages is a critical stage of their life cycle, as demonstrated by the fact that disposable bottles are one of the litter items that are most found on beach shores. The aim of this paper is to analyse the performance of Bio-plastic bottles compared to other alternatives currently in use in the milk packaging sector, using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Bio-compostable plastic can be a powerful means to create a circular economy for disposable items. A PLA-based bottle is compared to a PET bottle, a HDPE bottle, a Multilayer carton and a Glass bottle. In the analysis, also secondary and tertiary packaging is included. The functional unit chosen is “the packaging needed to contain 1 litre of ESL milk and to guarantee a shelf life of 30 days”. Two sensitivity analysis are also performed in order to assess the influence of the end-of-life stage on the total impact. The results show that Bioplastic system has a better performance than fossil-based systems and Multilayer carton in the categories of Climate Change, Ozone Depletion, Human toxicity and Freshwater Eutrophication. The recycling scenario strongly changes the impact of the Glass packaging system in the considered categories.

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Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Alternative Fuels for Western Australia’s Transport Sector

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10070398 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 398 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Najmul Hoque ◽

Wahidul Biswas ◽

Ilyas Mazhar ◽

Ian Howard

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Energy Security ◽

Alternative Fuels ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Impact Categories ◽

Hydrogen Fuel ◽

Production Of Hydrogen ◽

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment ◽

The Impact

Alternative fuels for the transport sector are being emphasized due to energy security and environmental issues. Possible alternative fuel options need to be assessed to realize their potential to alleviate environmental burdens before policy formulations. Western Australia (WA) is dominated by private cars, accounting for around 72% vehicles with 87% of those using imported gasoline, and resulting in approximately 14% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector. There is an urgent need for WA to consider alternative transport fuels not only to reduce the environmental burden but also to avoid future energy security consequences. This study assesses the environmental life cycle assessment (ELCA) of transport fuel options suitable for WA. The study revealed that ethanol (E65), electric (EV) and plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) options can decrease global warming potential (GWP) by 40%, 29% and 14%, respectively, when compared to gasoline. The EV and PHEV also performed better than gasoline in the fossil fuel depletion (FFD) and water consumption (WC) impact categories. Gasoline, however, demonstrated better environmental performance in all the impact categories compared to hydrogen and that was mainly due to the high electricity requirement during the production of hydrogen. The use of platinum in hydrogen fuel cells and carbon fibre in the hydrogen tank for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCV) and Li-ion battery for EVs are the most important sources of environmental impacts. The findings of the study would aid the energy planners and decision makers in carrying out a comparative environmental assessment of the locally-sourced alternative fuels for WA.

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How (Carbon) Negative Is Direct Air Capture? Life Cycle Assessment of an Industrial Temperature-Vacuum Swing Adsorption Process

10.26434/chemrxiv.12833747.v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Deutz ◽

André Bardow

Keyword(s):

Energy Source ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Small Scale ◽

Scale Production ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Direct Air Capture ◽

Negative Emissions ◽

Air Capture

Current climate targets require negative emissions. Direct air capture (DAC) is a promising negative emission technology, but energy and materials demands lead to trade-offs with indirect emissions and other environmental impacts. Here, we show by Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that the first commercial DAC plants in Hinwil and Hellisheiði can achieve negative emissions already today with carbon capture efficiencies of 85.4 % and 93.1 %. Climate benefits of DAC, however, depend strongly on the energy source. When using low-carbon energy, as in Hellisheiði, adsorbent choice and plant construction become important with up to 45 and 15 gCO2e per kg CO2 captured, respectively. Large-scale deployment of DAC for 1 % of the global annual CO2 emissions would not be limited by material and energy availability. However, current small-scale production of amines for adsorbent production would be needed to be scaled up by an order of magnitude. Other environmental impacts would increase by less than 0.057 %. Energy source and efficiency are essential for DAC to enable both negative emissions and low-carbon fuels.

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