scholarly journals Environmental life cycle assessment of supercapacitor electrode production using algae derived biochar aerogel

Biochar ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixiang Jiang ◽  
Yihui Zou ◽  
Yue Li ◽  
Fanlong Kong ◽  
Dongjiang Yang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Graphene Oxide ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Damage ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Carbon Aerogel ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Supercapacitor Electrode ◽  
Nitrogen Doped

AbstractPorous carbon aerogel material has gained an increasing attraction for developing supercapacitor electrodes due to its cost-effective synthesis process and relatively high electrochemical performance. However, the environmental performances of supercapacitor electrodes produced from different carbon aerogel materials are never comparatively studied, hindering our knowledge of supercapacitor electrode production in a sustainable pattern. In this study, nitrogen-doped biochar aerogel-based electrode (BA-electrode) produced from Entermorpha prolifera was simulated to investigate the environmental performance by using life cycle assessment method. For comparison, the assessment of graphene oxide aerogel-based electrode (GOA-electrode) was also carried out. It can be observed that the life cycle global warming potential for the BA-electrode was lower than that of GOA-electrode with a reduction of 53.1‒68.1%. In comparison with GOA-electrode, the BA-electrodes endowed smaller impacts on environment in majority of impact categories. Moreover, in comparison with GOA-electrode, the environmental damages of BA-electrode were greatly decreased by 35.8‒56.4% (human health), 44.9‒62.6% (ecosystems), and 87.0‒91.2% (resources), respectively. The production stages of GOA and graphene oxide and stages of nitrogen-doped biochar aerogel production and Entermorpha prolifera drying were identified as the hotspots of environmental impact/damage for the GOA-electrode and BA-electrode, respectively. Overall, this finding highlights the efficient utilization of algae feedstock to construct a green and sustainable technical route of supercapacitor electrode production.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment to Highlight the Environmental Burdens of Early Potato Production

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 879
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Timpanaro ◽  
Ferdinando Branca ◽  
Mariarita Cammarata ◽  
Giacomo Falcone ◽  
Alessandro Scuderi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Potato Production ◽  
Conventional Agriculture ◽  
Production Models ◽  
Real Performance

Climate change, food security, and the protection of the planet’s resources require the adoption of sustainable production models. Achieving sustainable development in the agri-food sector enables the creation of new opportunities for operators, guiding farmers towards more environmentally friendly practices and offering cost-effective results. Organic farming paradigms are promoted by the transformation of some harmful practices of conventional agriculture, such as the wide use of chemical products of synthesis, the deep workings that favor the erosive processes, the excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers. There are still gaps in the knowledge of the real performance of some products that strongly support the local economic system of Sicily (Italy). The research aims to highlight the differences in environmental impact caused by the cultivation of organic early potatoes compared to the conventional regime and the same per kg of product obtained. To this end, the widely used methodology for comparing the environmental impacts of agricultural production systems is the Life Cycle Assessment, which allows us to highlight the phases in which environmental criticalities are most concentrated. An interesting agroecological picture of knowledge emerges, since organic farming is by definition an ecological model that supports the principles of the Green Deal, it often requires interventions to improve the yields obtained in order to achieve a positive result both in terms of cultivated surface and kg of product obtained.

scholarly journals Research on Carbon Emissions of Electric Vehicles throughout the Life Cycle Assessment Taking into Vehicle Weight and Grid Mix Composition

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanmei Li ◽  
Ningning Ha ◽  
Tingting Li
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Weight Class ◽  
Vehicle Weight ◽  
The Impact

To study the impact of the promotion of electric vehicles on carbon emissions in China, the full life carbon emissions of electric vehicles are studied on the basis of considering such factors as vehicle weight and grid mix composition, and fuel vehicles are added for comparison. In this paper, we collect data for 34 domestic electric vehicles, and linear regression analysis is used to model the relationship between vehicle weight and energy consumption. Then, a Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment method is used to establish the life cycle carbon emission calculation model for electric vehicles and fuel vehicles. Finally, the life cycle carbon emissions of electric vehicles and fuel vehicles under different electrical energy structures are discussed using scenario analysis. The results show that under the current grid mix composition in China, the carbon emissions of electric vehicles of the same vehicle weight class are 24% to 31% higher than that of fuel vehicles. As the proportion of clean energy in the grid mix composition increases, the advantages of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions will gradually emerge.

scholarly journals Social Life-Cycle Assessment of a Piece of Jewellery. Emphasis on the Local Community

Resources ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela D’Eusanio ◽  
Monica Serreli ◽  
Luigia Petti
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
The Social

An increasing global focus on sustainability has affected the jewellery industry by raising questions about its environmental and social impacts and ethics due to the negative impacts of gold mining. It is essential to consider the social aspects of mining activities on the socio-economic environment and the affected individuals in order to understand the sustainability of the jewellery industry in a better way. Nonetheless, this is a gap in the evaluation of the issues of jewellery in the other phases of the life cycle, observed in the literature. For these reasons, the goal of this study is to assess the social and socio-economic aspects of a piece of jewellery from the artisan’s point of view by considering the relationship between a piece of jewellery and the local community. The United National Environmental Programme/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP/SETAC) Guidelines on Social Life-Cycle Assessment, the UNEP/SETAC Methodological Sheets and the Subcategory Assessment Method were implemented. The findings show that a piece of jewellery can play an important role in supporting the local cultural heritage by innovating the traditional product, and promoting educational activities related to the history of the product and the territory. Consequently, the local community with its historical background gives an added value to the piece of jewellery. Further research on this topic is desirable in order to improve the knowledge of this particular sector and to identify other social issues that can be involved in this product.

Exergy-Based Model of the Depletion of Mineral Resources

2010 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Xue Sun ◽  
Zuo Ren Nie ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
Zhi Hong Wang ◽  
Xian Zheng Gong
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Natural Minerals ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Core Idea ◽  
Primary Problem

The primary problem of eco-materials is how to judge whether a material is environmentally friendly or not, and the method of life cycle assessment is usually used to evaluate it. The depletion of mineral resources is a very important indicator of LCA, but its characterization is still filled with dispute. At present, the most commonly used method is CML, which is put forward by Leiden University, and its core idea is that using the ratio of exploitation amount and reserves of mineral resources as the degree of scarcity. Although being accepted by most of the scholars at work on LCA, CML doesn’t grasp the essence of the depletion of mineral resources. Recently, a new assessment method, injecting new ideas to the conventional life cycle assessment, combines exergy with LCA is arising, which can be used to solve some specific problems of LCA especially the depletion of mineral resources. In this paper, two results of elements’ exergy calculated by Rivero and Szargut respectively are compared, and the exergy of some natural minerals, which can be used in LCA and other minerals-related research, is calculated based on the data of Chinese mineral resources.

scholarly journals A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Electronic Retail of Household Products

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4604
Author(s):  
Jan Matuštík ◽  
Vladimír Kočí
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Logistics Center ◽  
Variation Of Parameters ◽  
Household Products ◽  
Alternative Scenarios

Electronic shopping is getting more and more popular, and it is not only clothes and electronics that people buy online, but groceries and household products too. Based on real-life data from a major cosmetics and household products retailer in the Czech Republic, this study set to assess the life cycle environmental impact of parcel delivery. Two archetype parcels containing common household and hygiene products were designed and packed in two distinct ways, and the environmental impact was quantified using the Life Cycle Assessment method. It showed that it is environmentally beneficial to use plastic cushions to insulate the goods instead of paper. However, the most important process contributing to the environmental burden was found to be electricity consumption in the logistics center. Hence, the importance of energy efficiency and efficient space utilization was demonstrated on alternative scenarios. Since the cardboard box the goods are packed in turned out to be another important contributor, an alternative scenario was designed where a reusable plastic crate was used instead. Even though the scenario was based on several simplistic assumptions, it showed a clear potential to be environmentally beneficial. In the study, contribution of other processes was scrutinized, as well as sensitivity to variation of parameters, e.g. transportation distances. The main scientific contribution of this work is to show the importance of logistics and distribution of products to end customers in the rapidly developing field of electronic retail of household products.

The Development of Concrete Life Cycle Assessment System

2015 ◽  
Vol 752-753 ◽  
pp. 715-719
Author(s):  
Young Jin Bok ◽  
Sung Ho Tae ◽  
Taeh Young Kim ◽  
Keun Hyeok Yang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Green House ◽  
Green House Gas ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
Detailed Assessment ◽  
Green House Gas Emissions

In the present study, a concrete life-cycle assessment system (CLAS) is developed that can easily and quantitatively assess green-house gas emissions during the production of concrete by applying life-cycle assessment techniques. The CLAS is divided into simple and detailed assessment methods; a database (DB) of a standard mix design and energy consumption amount, and basic green-house units applicable to each method, was constructed. A case assessment using the developed system showed that the green-house gas emission determined by the detailed assessment method differed from that by the simple assessment method by approximately 10%. These results show that the proposed method is suitable for estimating green-house gas emissions related to concrete.

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