Analysis of economy, thermal efficiency and environmental impact of geothermal heating system based on life cycle assessments

2021 ◽  
Vol 303 ◽  
pp. 117671
Author(s):  
Z.H. Xia ◽  
G.S. Jia ◽  
Z.D. Ma ◽  
J.W. Wang ◽  
Y.P. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Heating System ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Geothermal Heating

A Decision Support Model for the Life-Cycle Design of a Family of Oil Filters

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto A. Ortega ◽  
Uma-Shankar Kalyan-Seshu ◽  
Bert Bras
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Environmentally Benign ◽  
Decision Support Model ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Life Cycle Design ◽  
Oil Flow ◽  
Competitive Prices

Abstract In this paper, a decision support approach for designing a family of environmentally benign products for a ranged set of customer requirements is presented. More specifically, we incorporate environmental issues in order to minimize the environmental impact of products without sacrificing their performance characteristics and keeping competitive prices in comparison to existing products. The example problem consists of the design of a family of environmentally benign oil filters based on a variety of oil flow rate ranges. Environmental issues are represented by Life Cycle Assessments and comparisons of the existing alternatives based on their environmental impact. Emphasis is placed on highlighting the trade-off analysis for including environmental considerations in the design of a family of products and not on the results of the problem, per se.

scholarly journals Life cycle assessment and energy comparison of aseptic ohmic heating and appertization of chopped tomatoes with juice

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Ghnimi ◽  
Amin Nikkhah ◽  
Jo Dewulf ◽  
Sam Van Haute
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Uncertainty Analysis ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Global Warming Potential ◽  
Ohmic Heating ◽  
Heating System

AbstractThe energy balance and life cycle assessment (LCA) of ohmic heating and appertization systems for processing of chopped tomatoes with juice (CTwJ) were evaluated. The data included in the study, such as processing conditions, energy consumption, and water use, were experimentally collected. The functional unit was considered to be 1 kg of packaged CTwJ. Six LCA impact assessment methodologies were evaluated for uncertainty analysis of selection of the impact assessment methodology. The energy requirement evaluation showed the highest energy consumption for appertization (156 kWh/t of product). The energy saving of the ohmic heating line compared to the appertization line is 102 kWh/t of the product (or 65% energy saving). The energy efficiencies of the appertization and ohmic heating lines are 25% and 77%, respectively. Regarding the environmental impact, CTwJ processing and packaging by appertization were higher than those of ohmic heating systems. In other words, CTwJ production by the ohmic heating system was more environmentally efficient. The tin production phase was the environmental hotspot in packaged CTwJ production by the appertization system; however, the agricultural phase of production was the hotspot in ohmic heating processing. The uncertainty analysis results indicated that the global warming potential for appertization of 1 kg of packaged CTwJ ranges from 4.13 to 4.44 kg CO2eq. In addition, the global warming potential of the ohmic heating system ranges from 2.50 to 2.54 kg CO2eq. This study highlights that ohmic heating presents a great alternative to conventional sterilization methods due to its low environmental impact and high energy efficiency.

scholarly journals The Effect of Different Concrete Designs on the Life-Cycle Assessment of the Environmental Impacts of Concretes Containing Furnace Bottom-Ash Instead of Sand

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana Pushkar
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Bottom Ash ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Furnace Bottom ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Concrete Production ◽  
Single Score

The results of life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of concrete are highly dependent on the concrete design method. In this study, LCAs were conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts of the replacement of sand with furnace bottom-ash (FBA) in concrete. In the FBA-based concretes, sand was replaced with FBA at proportions of 0, 30, 50, 70, and 100 wt%. Two design methods were studied: (i) concrete with fixed slump ranges of 0–10 mm (CON-fix-SLUMP-0-10) and 30–60 mm (CON-fix-SLUMP-30-60); and (ii) concrete with fixed water/cement (W/C) ratios of 0.45 (CON-fix-W/C-0.45) and 0.55 (CON-fix-W/C-0.55). The ReCiPe2016 midpoint and single-score (six methodological options) methods were used to compare the environmental damage caused by the FBA-based concretes. A two-stage nested (hierarchical) analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to simultaneously evaluate the results of six ReCiPe2016 methodologies. The ReCiPe2016 results indicate that replacing sand with FBA decreased the environmental impact of the concretes with fixed slump ranges and increased the environmental impact of the concretes with fixed W/C ratios. Therefore, using FBA as a partial sand replacement in concrete production is of debatable utility, as its impact highly depends on the concrete design method used.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Functional Food: Improving Sustainability in the Biotechnology Industry through Transparency

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2130
Author(s):  
Alisha Lee ◽  
Yini Wang ◽  
Shih-Fang Lo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Zero Carbon

With the advancement of biotechnology, consumers are demanding more scientifically advanced products as well as being more concerned with the environmental impact of products. A life cycle carbon footprint assessment is an important tool in reaching net-zero carbon production goals. This paper presents the greenhouse gas emissions of functional foods by highlighting TCI Co., Ltd. as a case study. TCI conducted life cycle assessments (LCAs) on two mainstream products that utilize common manufacturing processes to examine their carbon footprint and gain a better understanding of their environmental impact. The main finding shows that while the manufacturing stage accounts for around 20–30% of emissions, the raw material stage accounts for 70–80% for both products. This suggests that TCI needs to work closely with its suppliers to ensure a low emissions supply chain and to achieve its net-zero target. Not only do these LCAs allow TCI to increase the products’ transparency, but they can also be offered as a reference to other businesses producing similar products. Sharing of knowledge and practices in the biotechnology industry benefits the entire ecosystem and improves corporate sustainability.

scholarly journals Scientainment for Sustainability: The Eco-Confessional as a New Approach for Life Cycle Thinking

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5686
Author(s):  
Isabel Jaisli ◽  
Petra Bättig-Frey ◽  
Lea Eymann ◽  
Ennio Mariani ◽  
Matthias Stucki
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Wide Audience ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sustainable Lifestyles ◽  
Sustainable Behavior ◽  
The Impact

For educating a wide audience on the environmental impact of their daily life decisions, the Eco-Confessional has been developed as an interactive exhibit and a serious game. In this, the effectiveness of promoting sustainable lifestyles through life cycle thinking was explored. Based upon life cycle assessments, the eco-confessional reveals the environmental impact of eco-sins and good deeds performed in everyday life in a playful way. As the Eco-Confessional was being exhibited, it was evaluated to measure the impact of the new communication format. The goal of the project was to increase sustainable behavior by influencing both the desire and the ability to make sustainable decisions. The evaluation revealed that these goals were mostly achieved. By combining life cycle data with gamification elements, the Eco-Confessional succeeded in implementing a new scientainment approach to environmental education, which promotes life cycle thinking among the public.

Environmental impact of insect rearing.

2021 ◽  
pp. 53-59
Author(s):  
Dennis G. A. B. Oonincx
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Climate Control ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Insect Rearing ◽  
The Eu

Abstract This chapter discusses the environmental impact of insect rearing. Direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from insects used as feed or food are discussed and data from life cycle assessments (LCAs) on commercially farmed insects are discussed per species. The relevance of the utilized feed on the environmental impact of insects and their derived products, including suggestions to lower this impact are also discussed. It is concluded that land use associated with insect production generally seems low, compared to conventional feed and food products. The EU (expressed as fossil fuel depletion) of insect production is often high compared to conventional products. To a large extent this is because several LCAs have been conducted for systems in temperate climates, which require extensive climate control.

Leveraging Crop Budgets to Assess the Environmental Impact of Agricultural Operations

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 573-582
Author(s):  
Luke E Monhollon ◽  
Deepak R Keshwani
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Impact Category ◽  
The United States ◽  
List Type ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Agricultural Operations

Highlights Agriculture Extension Resources should be used for regional life cycle assessments of agriculture. Fertilizer is the major contributing factor of environmental impact, when using a spatial functional unit. Ecoinvent may under-estimate the environmental impact of maize production. Abstract . Current attempts to quantify the sustainability of agricultural operations are hampered by the lack of information to adequately address variation of farming operations. Differences in weather, soil, local consumers, and transportation pathways affect the agricultural operation of a given parcel of land. These differences may significantly influence life cycle assessments involving agricultural systems. Agricultural extension publications and human expertise may fill gaps present in commonly utilized databases for environmental impact calculations. A methodology was developed integrating information from Nebraska Crop Budgets with Ecoinvent 3.6 in OpenLCA, to investigate pesticide production contribution and compare environmental impacts on a per acre and per bushel basis. Seven budgets were selected, outlining no-till corn production under no-rotation, soybean/corn rotation, and ecofallow schemes. Of thirteen tested pesticides, only five were greater than 5% of the total impact relative to 19-Corn in at least one impact category. Pesticide contribution was greatest for products containing multiple active ingredients and with higher yearly applied amounts. Exclusion of pesticide production in agricultural life cycle assessments may not significantly impact results. Relative impacts between budgets were greater than 83% on a per acre and per bushel basis compared to Ecoinvent, demonstrating life cycle assessments can be impacted by operational differences within similar production systems. Per acre impacts were 4% less to 227% greater than published maize grain production in Ecoinvent 3.6 for the United States. Per bushel impacts were similar at 6% to 280% greater. Result differences are dependent on the crop budget used and impact category considered. Fertilizer was the greatest contributor toward all tested categories. Per acre calculations were defined by applied nitrogen while per bushel calculations followed nitrogen productivity. With simple integration and specificity granted with crop budgets, extension resources should be used for region-specific life cycle assessments of agricultural and bio-based products to replace general assumptions. Keywords: Crop production, Extension, Food energy water nexus, Life cycle assessment, Sustainability.

scholarly journals Identifying the Major Construction Wastes in the Building Construction Phase Based on Life Cycle Assessments

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 8096
Author(s):  
Won-Jun Park ◽  
Rakhyun Kim ◽  
Seungjun Roh ◽  
Hoki Ban
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Concrete Block ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Life Cycle Assessments ◽  
Environmental Impact Categories ◽  
Acidification Potential ◽  
Contribution Level ◽  
Depletion Potential

The purpose of this study was to identify the major wastes generated during the construction phase using a life cycle assessment. To accomplish this, the amount of waste generated in the construction phase was deduced using the loss rate and weight conversions. Major construction wastes were assessed using six comprehensive environmental impact categories, including global warming potential, abiotic depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential, and photochemical ozone creation potential. According to the analysis results, five main construction wastes—concrete, rebar, cement, polystyrene panel, and concrete block—comprehensively satisfied the 95% cutoff criteria for all six environmental impact categories. The results of the environmental impact characterization assessment revealed that concrete, concrete block, and cement waste accounted for over 70% of the contribution level in all the environmental impact categories except resource depletion. Insulation materials accounted for 1% of the total waste generated but were identified by the environmental impact assessment to have the highest contribution level.

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