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.

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 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.

Integrating life cycle costing and life cycle assessment using extended material flow cost accounting

2015 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 1289-1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annett Bierer ◽  
Uwe Götze ◽  
Lilly Meynerts ◽  
Ronny Sygulla
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Cost Accounting ◽  
Life Cycle Costing

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment and Material Flow Analysis: Two Under-Utilized Tools for Informing E-Waste Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7939
Author(s):  
Sohani Vihanga Withanage ◽  
Komal Habib
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Depth Analysis

The unprecedented technological development and economic growth over the past two decades has resulted in streams of rapidly growing electronic waste (e-waste) around the world. As the potential source of secondary raw materials including precious and critical materials, e-waste has recently gained significant attention across the board, ranging from governments and industry, to academia and civil society organizations. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the last decade of e-waste literature followed by an in-depth analysis of the application of material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), i.e., two less commonly used strategic tools to guide the relevant stakeholders in efficient management of e-waste. Through a keyword search on two main online search databases, Scopus and Web of Science, 1835 peer-reviewed publications were selected and subjected to a bibliographic network analysis to identify and visualize major research themes across the selected literature. The selected 1835 studies were classified into ten different categories based on research area, such as environmental and human health impacts, recycling and recovery technologies, associated social aspects, etc. With this selected literature in mind, the review process revealed the two least explored research areas over the past decade: MFA and LCA with 33 and 31 studies, respectively. A further in-depth analysis was conducted for these two areas regarding their application to various systems with numerous scopes and different stages of e-waste life cycle. The study provides a detailed discussion regarding their applicability, and highlights challenges and opportunities for further research.

scholarly journals Life-Cycle Assessment of Carbon Footprint of Bike-Share and Bus Systems in Campus Transit

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Sishen Wang ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Pengyu Xie ◽  
Xiaodan Chen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Co2 Emission ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Transit System ◽  
Two Systems ◽  
Bus System ◽  
Bike Share

Low-carbon transport system is desired for sustainable cities. The study aims to compare carbon footprint of two transportation modes in campus transit, bus and bike-share systems, using life-cycle assessment (LCA). A case study was conducted for the four-campus (College Ave, Cook/Douglass, Busch, Livingston) transit system at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ). The life-cycle of two systems were disaggregated into four stages, namely, raw material acquisition and manufacture, transportation, operation and maintenance, and end-of-life. Three uncertain factors—fossil fuel type, number of bikes provided, and bus ridership—were set as variables for sensitivity analysis. Normalization method was used in two impact categories to analyze and compare environmental impacts. The results show that the majority of CO2 emission and energy consumption comes from the raw material stage (extraction and upstream production) of the bike-share system and the operation stage of the campus bus system. The CO2 emission and energy consumption of the current campus bus system are 46 and 13 times of that of the proposed bike-share system, respectively. Three uncertain factors can influence the results: (1) biodiesel can significantly reduce CO2 emission and energy consumption of the current campus bus system; (2) the increased number of bikes increases CO2 emission of the bike-share system; (3) the increase of bus ridership may result in similar impact between two systems. Finally, an alternative hybrid transit system is proposed that uses campus buses to connect four campuses and creates a bike-share system to satisfy travel demands within each campus. The hybrid system reaches the most environmentally friendly state when 70% passenger-miles provided by campus bus and 30% by bike-share system. Further research is needed to consider the uncertainty of biking behavior and travel choice in LCA. Applicable recommendations include increasing ridership of campus buses and building a bike-share in campus to support the current campus bus system. Other strategies such as increasing parking fees and improving biking environment can also be implemented to reduce automobile usage and encourage biking behavior.

scholarly journals Impact of Cycle Time and Payload of an Industrial Robot on Resource Efficiency

Robotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Florian Stuhlenmiller ◽  
Steffi Weyand ◽  
Jens Jungblut ◽  
Liselotte Schebek ◽  
Debora Clever ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Resource Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle Costs ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Cycle Times ◽  
The Individual

Modern industry benefits from the automation capabilities and flexibility of robots. Consequently, the performance depends on the individual task, robot and trajectory, while application periods of several years lead to a significant impact of the use phase on the resource efficiency. In this work, simulation models predicting a robot’s energy consumption are extended by an estimation of the reliability, enabling the consideration of maintenance to enhance the assessment of the application’s life cycle costs. Furthermore, a life cycle assessment yields the greenhouse gas emissions for the individual application. Potential benefits of the combination of motion simulation and cost analysis are highlighted by the application to an exemplary system. For the selected application, the consumed energy has a distinct impact on greenhouse gas emissions, while acquisition costs govern life cycle costs. Low cycle times result in reduced costs per workpiece, however, for short cycle times and higher payloads, the probability of required spare parts distinctly increases for two critical robotic joints. Hence, the analysis of energy consumption and reliability, in combination with maintenance, life cycle costing and life cycle assessment, can provide additional information to improve the resource efficiency.

A Life Cycle Assessment of Biofuel Produced From Waste Cooking Oil

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sierra Spencer ◽  
Malia Scott ◽  
Nelson Macken
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Waste Cooking Oil ◽  
Oil Refining ◽  
Soy Oil ◽  
Waste Oil ◽  
Cumulative Energy ◽  
Cooking Oil

Biofuels have received considerable attention as a more sustainable solution for heating applications. Used vegetable oil, normally considered a waste product, has been suggested as a possible candidate. Herein we perform a life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impact of using waste vegetable oil as a fuel. We present a cradle to fuel model that includes the following unit processes: soybean farming, soy oil refining, the cooking process, cleaning/drying waste oil, preheating the oil in a centralized heating facility and transportation when required. For soybean farming, national historical data for yields, energy required for machinery, fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), herbicides, pesticides and nitrous oxide production are considered. In soy oil refining, steam production using natural gas and electricity for machinery are considered inputs. Preprocessing, extraction using hexane and post processing are considered. In order to determine a mass balance for the cooking operation, oil carryout and waste oil removal are estimated. During waste oil processing, oil is filtered and water removed. Data from GREET is used to compute global warming potential (GWP) and energy consumption in terms of cumulative energy demand (CED). Mass allocation is applied to the soy meal produced in refining and oil utilized for cooking. Results are discussed with emphasis on improving sustainability. A comparison is made to traditional fuels, e.g., commercial fuel oil and natural gas. The production of WVO as fuel has significantly less global warming potential but higher cumulative energy consumption than traditional fuels. The study should provide useful information on the sustainability of using waste cooking oil as a fuel for heating.

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