scholarly journals A review on sustainable production of graphene and related life cycle assessment

2D Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Munuera ◽  
L. Britnell ◽  
C. Santoro ◽  
R. Cuéllar-Franca ◽  
Cinzia Casiraghi

Abstract Advanced materials such as graphene and the family of 2-dimensional (2D) crystals are very attractive because of the myriad of applications that could be developed based on their outstanding properties. However, as soon as material development reaches enough maturity for production to be scaled up and to enter the market within products, it is crucial to place the technology in the context of possible risks to economic well-being, social equity and environmental harm. This review aims at highlighting the current state of art on sustainable development of graphene-based materials and related environmental impact assessment studies using life cycle assessment. We show that sustainable development has focused mostly on the use of waste or low cost materials as precursors. However, the findings from relevant life cycle assessment studies reveals the limits of this approach, which does not take into account that waste recycling is often very energy intensive. We provide an overview on the life cycle environmental impact assessment, with a focus of global warming potential and energy demand, carried out on different graphene productions methods for specific applications, ranging from composites to electronics. Finally, an outlook is given focussing on the comparison of the different production routes and the results from the life cycle assessment.

Environments ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Kavya Madhu ◽  
Stefan Pauliuk

Planning urban expansion under the interconnected Sustainable Development Goals requires a systemic analysis of its environmental impacts. The benefits of integrating the widely used system analysis tool life cycle assessment (LCA) into the planning process tool environmental impact assessment (EIA) are described in the literature. However, not many applications of such an integration have been conducted. The aim of this study is to refine the framework for integrating LCA into the process of EIA and to apply this framework to an example of urban expansion: Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. The integrated framework builds on the complementarity between the scope and assessment steps of the tools and assesses the impacts for the areas of protection: human health, ecosystem, and resources. The framework is then applied to the vehicles, buildings, and infrastructure in the city’s first development phase (DP1). Major environmental stressors include the loss of existing desert ecosystem and the utilization of non-renewable sources of energy at various development stages of DP1. Substituting natural gas-based electricity with solar power could potentially save 46% of current carbon emissions. To mitigate the land transformation impacts, construction of “close-to-nature” artificial habitats, and increased use of low-carbon fuels is suggested.


2018 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 11003
Author(s):  
Andreas Pramudianto

Basically each product or service has its own life cycle. Life Cycle Analysis Method can be used to assess the impact of an activity both production and service activities. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Analisis Mengenai Dampak Lingkungan (AMDAL) is one of the activities that must be fulfilled in order to obtain an environmental permit. EIA activities have a life cycle process that needs to be known and understood so that environmental permits can be obtained. Therefore this study aims to find out the use of the LCA method in EIA procedures. In addition, with the LCA method, EIA activities are expected to be well studied according to the function of this service. LCA can provide to reduce the least impact from environmental damage. This research will be useful for the development of environmental science, especially related to the study of environmental impacts, especially EIA. It is expected that the results of the study will provide a complete picture of the relevance of the LCA method with EIA and the benefits that can be taken. The results of this study will be an important recommendation for decision makers regarding the importance of EIA in development, especially sustainable development through the method used, namely LCA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anda Fridrihsone ◽  
Francesco Romagnoli ◽  
Ugis Cabulis

There is a major international effort to improve the availability of data for life cycle assessment (LCA), as these assessments have become one of the main pillars driving European policy with respect to the sustainable use of resources. However, there is still a lack of data even for Europe. This study presents a cradle-to-farm gate assessment, or LCA, of winter and spring rapeseed produced in the northern European country of Latvia. The LCA model is based on an in-depth and up-to-date agricultural practice used in the region and covers the time span of 2008–2016. An LCA of rapeseed oil produced by cold pressing was carried out. The environmental impact assessment was calculated with the ReCiPe impact assessment method version 1.03, a hierarchical (H) perspective, along with the cumulative energy demand method v1.11. Cultivation of winter rapeseed has a lower environmental impact than cultivation of spring rapeseed due to higher agricultural inputs and higher yield. The greatest impact is on human health. Mineral fertilizers (production and application) and agricultural machinery are responsible for the greatest environmental impact. The results for the mill stage of rapeseed oil demonstrated that the choice of the allocation method has a significant impact on the environmental performance results.


AMBIO ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 316-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias Papatryphon ◽  
Jean Petit ◽  
Sadasivam J. Kaushik ◽  
Hayo M. G. van der Werf

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