scholarly journals Energy Optimization and Environmental Impact of an Office Building at Biskra City, Algeria: Life Cycle Assessment, Applied to the Building Envelope in Hot and Dry Climate

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-297
Author(s):  
Azzedine Dakhia ◽  
Noureddine Zemmouri
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Insulation System ◽  
Recycled Materials

This work assesses the environmental impact generated by an office building in arid region throughout its life cycle (cradle to grave), by means of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This study focuses on a comparison of different external wall systems that are conventionally used in building. With recycled materials and thermal insulation system, it’s possible to reduce demand of energy consumption, evaluate their environmental indicators impacts, and also reduce them, throughout the building life cycle. In doing so, this work can contribute not only to control energy, long-term economic growth, but also to address pressing social issues, and mainly environmental impacts. We use an environmental analysis with a thermal dynamic simulation, to test the hypothesis on a data base of hot and dry climate of Biskra city. The last part consists of a technical approach, indicating the economy is the use of ecological and recycled materials. The results of this study show that the exterior insulation system, obtained the best environmental scores, being 30% less than the interior insulation system and 50% less than the distributed insulation system. Also, recycled materials save energy in their manufacture, and building energy consumption for its use and have a reduced building impact on the environment throughout its life cycle (cradle to grave). This work shows how LCA application is not only feasible, but recommended because it is a decision support tool in the search for sustainability and make use of recycled materials.

scholarly journals LCA and LCC of Emerging and Incumbent Technologies on Energy Harvesters

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Ada Malagnino ◽  
Maddalena Rostagno ◽  
Giuseppe Gaspare Amaro ◽  
Anestis Vlysidis ◽  
Anastasia Gkika ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Thermoelectric Materials ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Energy Harvesters ◽  
Rare Elements ◽  
Environmental Friendly

In this study, life cycle assessment and life cycle costing results about piezoelectric and thermoelectric materials for energy harvesters (EHs) are extracted from the literature and evaluated. This study serves as a basis for comparing current EHs with innovative EHs that will be developed within the Horizon 2020 FAST SMART project. FAST—SMART aims at increasing the performance of current EHs while reducing at the same time: The use of rare elements and toxic substances; resources and energy consumption; environmental impact and costs; paving the way for the adoption of new and more environmental-friendly systems for energy harvesting.

scholarly journals Improving Energy Efficiency of Barley Production Using Joint Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Evaluation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Optimization Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6082
Author(s):  
Zahra Payandeh ◽  
Ahmad Jahanbakhshi ◽  
Tarahom Mesri-Gundoshmian ◽  
Sean Clark
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Data Envelopment Analysis ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Data Envelopment ◽  
Aquatic Ecotoxicity ◽  
Environmental Emissions

Eco-efficiency has become a cornerstone in improving the environmental and economic performance of farms. The joint use of life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA), known as LCA + DEA methodology, is an expanding area of research in this quest. LCA estimates the environmental impacts of the products or services, while DEA evaluates their efficiency, providing targets and benchmarks for the inefficient ones. Because energy consumption and environmental quality are highly interdependent, we carried out a study to examine energy efficiency and environmental emissions associated with rain-fed barley farms in Kermanshah Province, Iran. Fifty-four rain-fed barley farms were randomly selected, and production data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. DEA and LCA were used to quantify and compare environmental indicators before and after efficiency improvements were applied to the farms. To accomplish this, efficient and inefficient farms were identified using DEA. Then environmental emissions were measured again after inefficient farms reached the efficiency limit through management improvements. The results showed that by managing resource use, both energy consumption and environmental emissions can be reduced without yield loss. The initial amount of energy consumed averaged 13,443 MJ/ha while that consumed in the optimal state was determined to be 12,509 MJ/h, resulting in a savings of 934 MJ/ha. Based on the results of DEA, reductions in nitrogen fertilizer, diesel fuel, and phosphate fertilizer offered the greatest possibilities for energy savings. Combining DEA and LCA showed that efficient resource management could reduce emissions important to abiotic depletion (fossil fuels), human toxicity, marine aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming (GWP100a), freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, and terrestrial ecotoxicity. This study contributes toward systematically building knowledge about crop production with the joint use of LCA + DEA for eco-efficiency assessment.

scholarly journals Energy, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of Coriander Seed Production Using Material Flow Cost Accounting and Life Cycle Assessment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Dekamin ◽  
Kamran Kheiralipour ◽  
Reza Keshavarz Afshar
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Cost Accounting ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
World Population ◽  
System Productivity ◽  
Coriander Seed

Abstract The agricultural sector in the world is facing social expectations to reduce energy consumption and environmental impacts; and at the same producing enough food and fiber for the growing world population. The purpose of the present research to determine the economic, energy consumption, and environmental indicators in coriander seed production using novel approach of material flow cost accounting (MFCA) along with classical life cycle assessment (LCA). The positive output and negative energy were 25485 and 6742 MJ ha−1, respectively. Energy efficiency, net energy gain, specific energy, and energy productivity indicators were calculated as 0.6, -11944 MJ ha−1, 17.4 MJ kg−1, and 0.06 kg MJ−1, respectively. The average production cost was calculated as 588 $ ha−1 (334 $ ton−1) whereas gross income was 1267 $ ha−1 (720 $ ton−1). The value of negative products in coriander production was estimated as 239 $ ha−1 (136 $ ton−1). Seed shedding at harvest and water loss due to inefficient irrigation system were found to be the major negative products (economic and energy) in the system that can enhance the system productivity upon improvement. The values of benefit costs ratio and economic productivity were 1.74 and 3 kg $−1, respectively. The acidification potential (58.2 kg SO2 eq ton−1), global warming potential (510 kg CO2 eq ton−1), photochemical oxidation potential (0.13 kg C2H4 eq ton−1), and eutrophication potential (23 kg PO4 −3 eq ton−1) indicators were evaluated. The hotspots in point of economic (labor and seed shedding), energy use (nitrogen fertilizer and machinery) and energy loss (seed shedding), and environment (diesel fuel consumption) were determined which can be used to optimize coriander production through decreasing the material and energy consumption in the field. The results showed that MFCA combined with LCA is a powerful tool in identifying hotspots in crop production systems and can be used in developing more sustainable systems as well as in developing sustainability models.

Life Cycle Assessment of Nickel Production in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 913 ◽  
pp. 1004-1010
Author(s):  
Shu Ya Deng ◽  
Xian Zheng Gong
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Load ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Smelting Process ◽  
Assessment And Evaluation ◽  
Nickel Production ◽  
Technical Framework

Nickel is widely used in stainless steel and other industries, while there are a lot of energy consumption and environmental pollution in the process of nickel production. Based on the technical framework of life cycle assessment and evaluation model of ReCiPe, the aim of this paper is to find out the environmental hotspot and make suggestions for improvement by researching the environment inpact of nickel production from the process of mining, beneficiation, smelting and transportation. The result shows that: Smelting is the most important environmental effect stage in which the environmental impact load accounts for 52.18% of total environmental impact, because a lot of electricity is consumed in electrolysis process, while the Fossil Depletion Potential (FDP) is the largest environmental impact type, accounting for 42.32% of total environmental impact, which is due to the consumption of a number of fossil energy in the mining and smelting process of nickel ore. It is necessary to use advanced mining technology and mine backfill technology to reduce the consumption of auxiliary materials, which is of great significance for reducing energy consumption and emission.

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.

Study on Building Information Modeling Based Life Cycle Assessment of Environmental Impacts and Decision Making Analysis for Building Construction

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 7212-7225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Xu ◽  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Heng Li ◽  
Qiming Li
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Impact Factors

Energy consumption by and emissions from buildings contribute greatly to environmental degradation. Currently, an important tool in the study of architectural conservation design is LCA (life-cycle assessment), with the goal of minimizing energy consumption and environmental impact. The research suggests a method to apply LCA analysis and BIM technology to design 3D BIM models and define the relationship between BIM elements and architectural materials. The obvious advantages of combining BIM with LCA have resulted in its wide use for building life cycle assessment. The study propose here quantitative analysis of environmental impact by construction and build an index database for environmental impact assessment of building projects based on analytical hierarchy process. The design plan of the Teaching and Research Building of a University in Nanjing China is taken as the example to calculate energy consumption in response models formed from construction data. From these modeled calculations, then the key environmental impact factors were analyzed. The objective is to suggest an integrated solution to BIM-based environmental impact assessment of building construction and also provide a theoretical support for optimized building design. This case study demonstrates the utility of BIM when performing LCA, providing most of the information needed to perform LCA.

scholarly journals Examining Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions of Microbial Induced Carbonate Precipitation Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4856
Author(s):  
Xuejie Deng ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
Hao Liu ◽  
Yile Zhao ◽  
Yinchao Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Carbonate Precipitation ◽  
Application Process

Microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a new geotechnical engineering technology used to strengthen soils and other materials. Although it is considered to be environmentally friendly, there is a lack of quantitative data and objective evaluation to support conclusions about its environmental impact. In this paper, the energy consumption and carbon emissions of MICP technology are quantitatively analyzed by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The environmental effects of MICP technology are evaluated from the perspectives of resource consumption and environmental impact. The results show that for each tonne of calcium carbonate produced by MICP technology, 1.8 t standard coal is consumed and 3.4 t CO2 is produced, among which 80.4% of the carbon emissions and 96% of the energy consumption come from raw materials. Comparing using MICP with cement, lime, and sintered brick, the current MICP application process consumes less non-renewable resources but has a greater environmental impact. The major environmental impact that MICP has is the production of smoke and ash, with secondary impacts being global warming, photochemical ozone creation, acidification, and eutrophication. In five potential application scenarios of MICP, including concrete, sintered brick, lime mortar, mine cemented backfill, and foundation reinforcement, the carbon emissions of MICP are 3 to 7 times greater than the emissions of traditional technologies. The energy consumption is 15 to 23 times. Based on the energy consumption and carbon emissions characteristics of MICP technology at the current condition, suggestions are given for the future research of MICP.

scholarly journals Effect of Climate Change and Occupant Behaviour on the Environmental Impact of the Heating and Cooling Systems of a Real Apartment. A Parametric Study through Life Cycle Assessment

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8356
Author(s):  
Gianmarco Fajilla ◽  
Emiliano Borri ◽  
Marilena De Simone ◽  
Luisa F. Cabeza ◽  
Luís Bragança
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Occupant Behaviour ◽  
Cooling Systems ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
The Impact

Climate change has a strong influence on the energy consumption of buildings, affecting both the heating and cooling demand in the actual and future scenario. In this paper, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to evaluate the influence of both the occupant behaviour and the climate change on the environmental impact of the heating and cooling systems of an apartment located in southern Italy. The analysis was conducted using IPCC GWP and ReCiPe indicators as well as the Ecoinvent database. The influence of occupant behaviour was included in the analysis considering different usage profiles during the operational phase, while the effect of climate change was considered by varying the weather file every thirty years. The adoption of the real usage profiles showed that the impact of the systems was highly influenced by the occupant behaviour. In particular, the environmental impact of the heating system appeared more influenced by the operation hours, while that of the cooling system was more affected by the natural ventilation schedules. Furthermore, the influence of climate change demonstrated that more attention has to be dedicated to the cooling demand that in the future years will play an ever-greater role in the energy consumption of buildings.

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