Life cycle assessment of biomass chains: Wood pellet from short rotation coppice using data measured on a real plant

AbstractThe establishment of new value chains raises expectations in economic and social benefits. To determine whether these expectations can be fulfilled or whether there are also negative consequences, social aspects should be assessed as early as the R&D phase. Potential social impacts can be assessed with the help of a social life cycle assessment (SLCA). A common problem in SLCA studies is the large number of social aspects. Thus, it is important to prioritize the most relevant aspects. Scholars agree that socioeconomic indicators should not be selected on a purely intuitive and common sense basis and that a standardized approach is missing. A three-step process has been developed to identify the most vulnerable and relevant social aspects. These three steps were implemented into a case study to empirically test the method. Short-rotation-coppice as an alternative form of agricultural dendromass production is one possibility to obtain wood resources for the processing of bio-based products. The use of agricultural land for dendromass production promises additional income for the region’s farmers and job opportunities for the local population. The extant literature shows that the most frequently addressed impacts are related to workers’ health and safety aspects. The outcome of this study aims to support future research by identifying an appropriate approach for the selection of indicators in SLCA. For studies with a similar focus, the proposed set of indicators can be used as a framework in itself or serve as a basis for the choice of relevant social indicators.

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Life cycle assessment of thermal energy production from short-rotation willow biomass in Southern Ontario, Canada

Applied Energy ◽

10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.07.051 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 204 ◽

pp. 343-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Goretty M. Dias ◽

Nathan W. Ayer ◽

Kumudinie Kariyapperuma ◽

Naresh Thevathasan ◽

Andrew Gordon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Energy Production ◽

Southern Ontario ◽

Short Rotation

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Biomethane from Short Rotation Forestry and Microalgal Open Ponds: System Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment

Bioresource Technology ◽

10.1016/j.biortech.2018.11.038 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 273 ◽

pp. 468-477 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Andrea Luca Tasca ◽

Riccardo Bacci di Capaci ◽

Leonardo Tognotti ◽

Monica Puccini

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

System Modeling ◽

Short Rotation

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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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Decision to paving solutions in road infrastructures based on life-cycle assessment

The Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering ◽

10.3846/bjrbe.2016.05 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 43-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maria de Lurdes Antunes ◽

Vânia Marecos ◽

José Neves ◽

João Morgado

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Decision Process ◽

Life Cycle Cost ◽

Road Network ◽

Construction Costs ◽

Road Pavement ◽

Pavement Structures ◽

Using Data ◽

Term Performance

The construction and maintenance of a road network involve the expenditure of large budgets. In order to optimize the investments in road infrastructures, designers and decision makers should have the instruments to make the most suitable decision of paving solutions for each particular situation. The life-cycle assessment is an important tool of different road pavement solutions with this purpose. This paper presents a study concerning the life-cycle cost analysis of different flexible and semi-rigid paving alternatives, with the objective to contribute for a better support in the decision process when designing new pavement structures. The analysis was carried out using data on construction costs of certain typical pavement structures and taking into consideration appropriate performance models for each type of structure being selected. The models were calibrated using results from long term performance studies across Europe and the maintenance strategies considered have taken into account the current practice also found in the European context. Besides the life-cycle administration costs, the proposed methodology also deals with user and environmental costs through its inclusion in the decision process using multi-criteria analysis. It was demonstrated that this methodology could be a simple and useful tool in order to achieve the most adequate paving solutions of a road network, in terms of construction and maintenance activities, based simultaneously on technical, economic and environmental criteria.

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