scholarly journals A Life Cycle Assessment of reprocessing face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart van Straten ◽  
Sharina Ligtelijn ◽  
Lieke Droog ◽  
Esther Putman ◽  
Jenny Dankelman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Monte Carlo Model ◽  
Rejection Rate ◽  
Medical Products ◽  
Circular Design

Abstract Introduction/background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to threatening shortages in the healthcare of medical products such as face masks. Due to this major impact on our healthcare society, an initiative was conducted between March and July 2020 for reprocessing face masks from 19 different hospitals. This exceptional opportunity was used to study the cost impact and the effects of the CO2 footprint of reprocessed face masks relative to new disposable face masks.Aim: The aim of this study is to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess and compare the environmental impact of disposed versus reprocessed face masks.Methods: In total, 18,166 high-quality medical FFP2 face masks were reprocessed through steam sterilization between March and July 2020. CO2 emissions equivalent (kg CO2 eq) and other impact categories, such as water consumption during production, transport, sterilisation and end-of-life processes, were assessed. A Monte Carlo model was used to predict the sensitivity of different factors in the whole process on the kg CO2 eq.Results: The average kg CO2 eq appears to be 42% lower for reprocessed face masks based on a rejection rate of 20% than new ones. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the loading capacity of the autoclave and rejection rate of face masks have a large influence on kg CO2 eq. The estimated cost price of a reprocessed mask was €1,40 against €1.55.Discussion: The life cycle assessment (LCA) demonstrates that reprocessed FFP2 face masks from a circular economy perspective have a lower environmental impact on kg CO2 eq and water usage than new face masks. For policymakers, it is important to realize that the CO2 footprint of medical products such as face masks may be reduced by means of circular economy strategies.Conclusion: This study demonstrated a lower environmental impact and financial burden for reprocessed medical face masks than for new face masks without compromising qualifications. Therefore, this study may serve as an inspiration for investigating the reprocessing of other medical products that may become scarce. Finally, this study advocates that circular design engineering principles should be taken into account when designing medical devices. This may lead to more sustainable products that require less CO2, have less water consumption and lower costs.

scholarly journals A life cycle assessment of reprocessing face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bart van Straten ◽  
S. Ligtelijn ◽  
L. Droog ◽  
E. Putman ◽  
J. Dankelman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Climate Change Impact ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Medical Products ◽  
Change Impact ◽  
Circular Design

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic led to threatening shortages in healthcare of medical products such as face masks. Due to this major impact on our healthcare society an initiative was conducted between March and July 2020 for reprocessing of face masks from 19 different hospitals. This exceptional opportunity was used to study the costs impact and the carbon footprint of reprocessed face masks relative to new disposable face masks. The aim of this study is to conduct a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess and compare the climate change impact of disposed versus reprocessed face masks. In total 18.166 high quality medical FFP2 face masks were reprocessed through steam sterilization between March and July 2020. Greenhouse gas emissions during production, transport, sterilization and end-of-life processes were assessed. The background life cycle inventory data were retrieved from the ecoinvent database. The life cycle impact assessment method ReCiPe was used to translate emissions into climate change impact. The cost analysis is based on actual sterilization as well as associated costs compared to the prices of new disposable face masks. A Monte Carlo sampling was used to propagate the uncertainty of different inputs to the LCA results. The carbon footprint appears to be 58% lower for face masks which were reused for five times compared to new face masks which were used for one time only. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the loading capacity of the autoclave and rejection rate of face masks has a large influence on the carbon footprint. The estimated cost price of a reprocessed mask was €1.40 against €1.55. The Life Cycle Assessment demonstrates that reprocessed FFP2 face masks from a circular economy perspective have a lower climate change impact on the carbon footprint than new face masks. For policymakers it is important to realize that the carbon footprint of medical products such as face masks may be reduced by means of circular economy strategies. This study demonstrated a lower climate change impact and lower costs when reprocessing and reusing disposable face masks for five times. Therefore, this study may serve as an inspiration for investigating reprocessing of other medical products that may become scarce. Finally, this study advocates that circular design engineering principles should be taken into account when designing medical devices. This will lead to more sustainable products that have a lower carbon footprint and may be manufactured at lower costs.

scholarly journals Methodology for the quantification of concrete sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 174 ◽  
pp. 01006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Břetislav Teplý ◽  
Tomáš Vymazal ◽  
Pavla Rovnaníková
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Service Life ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Load Bearing Capacity ◽  
Sustainability Management

Efficient sustainability management requires the use of tools which allow material, technological and construction variants to be quantified, measured or compared. These tools can be used as a powerful marketing aid and as support for the transition to “circular economy”. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) procedures are also used, aside from other approaches. LCA is a method that evaluates the life cycle of a structure from the point of view of its impact on the environment. Consideration is given also to energy and raw material costs, as well as to environmental impact throughout the life cycle - e.g. due to emissions. The paper focuses on the quantification of sustainability connected with the use of various types of concrete with regard to their resistance to degradation. Sustainability coefficients are determined using information regarding service life and "eco-costs". The aim is to propose a suitable methodology which can simplify decision-making in the design and choice of concrete mixes from a wider perspective, i.e. not only with regard to load-bearing capacity or durability.

Life cycle assessment of organic Parmesan Cheese considering the whole dairy supply chain

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Borghesi ◽  
Giuseppe Vignali
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Parmesan Cheese

Agriculture and food manufacturing have a considerable effect on the environment emissions: holdings and farms play an important role about greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. This study aims at evaluating the environmental impact of one of the most important Italian DOP product: organic Parmesan Cheese. Environmental performances of the whole dairy supply chain have been assessed according to the life cycle assessment approach (LCA). In this analysis Parmesan Cheese is made from an organic dairy farm in Emilia Romagna, which uses the milk from three different organic livestock productions. Organic agriculture is different from conventional; the major difference is represented by the avoidance of the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides made in chemical industry process. Organic agriculture uses organic fertilizers to encourage the natural fertility of the soil respecting the environment and the agro-system. In this case, life cycle approach is used to assess the carbon footprint and the water footprint of organic Parmesan Cheese considering the milk and cheese production. The object at this level is investigating the environmental impact considering the situation before some improvement changes. The functional unit is represented by 1 kg of organic Parmesan Cheese; inventory data refer to the situation in year 2017 and system boundaries consider the inputs related to the cattle and dairy farm until the ripening (included). The carbon footprint is investigated using IPCC 2013 Global Warming Potential (GWP) 100a method, developed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and reported in kg of CO2eq. Otherwise, water footprint allows to measure the water consumption and in this work it is assessed using AWARE method (Available Water REmaining).

Life Cycle Assessment of Circular Bio-Based Construction

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Cascione ◽  
Matt Roberts ◽  
Stephen Allen ◽  
Barrie Dams ◽  
Daniel Maskell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Service Life ◽  
Renewable Resources ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Natural Materials ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Sequestration Potential

The construction sector is a large consumer of non-renewable resources and it is responsible of 44% of global energy related CO2 emissions. Circular economy is an emerging strategy that has potential to make significant improvements in the construction industry, by taking efficient and sustainable actions against climate change. The principles of circular economy are to minimise the waste of resources, by maximizing materials' performances, whilst in use, and recycle and regenerate them at the end of their service life. Natural materials can potentially be suitable in this strategy, due to the use of renewable resources, carbon sequestration potential, and high suitability for reuse and recycling. The development of bio-based wall panel is a first step into the integration of a circular economy approach in the construction sector. In this study, vapour responsive bio-based panel prototypes with low thermal transmittance (U<0.20 W/m2K) are being designed, taking into consideration the burdens and benefits of natural materials over their entire life cycle. The challenge is to assess the environmental impact of the panels during their design and production, maximise performance and life span, when in use, and regenerate and recycle panel components at the end of the service life. In this paper, a life cycle assessment of a prototype bio-based panel designed with circular economy principles is investigated. The environmental impact of the panel is analysed to investigate limitation in assessing emissions and use of resources in a circular prospective. The objective of the research is to integrate environmental impact analysis during the early stage of panel design. This will put the basis for the development of a sustainable and circular building industry and for identifying area of improvements for the development of sustainable circular panels with expected hygrothermal benefits conferred using bio-based materials.

Application of Life Cycle Assessment in Agricultural Circular Economy

2012 ◽  
Vol 260-261 ◽  
pp. 1086-1091
Author(s):  
Xiao Xian Zhang ◽  
Fang Ma ◽  
Li Wang
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Agriculture Policy ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
Agricultural Circular Economy ◽  
Technical Framework

Life cycle assessment is a technique to assess potential environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product, process or service. This paper introduces life cycle assessment into the full process of agricultural circular economy. There are increasing environmental risks associated with agricultural circular economy; however, no appropriate assessment and analysis techniques on environmental impact are available. Due to the lack of special life cycle assessment database and available methodology in agricultural circular economy, we proposed a life cycle assessment technical framework with emphasis on problems associated with traditional agricultural circular economy life cycle assessment. This paper is aimed to produce reliable information on the environmental impact assessment for agriculture policy-makers, producers and consumers to help them choose sustainable development agricultural products and processes.

scholarly journals The Improvement of Production Process Impact in Furniture Industry Toward Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 ◽  
pp. 07052
Author(s):  
Purnawan Adi Wicaksono ◽  
Choirunisa Ahmad Kadafi
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Production Process ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Consumer Demand ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Furniture Industry ◽  
Water Based

Furniture industry is the industry that processes raw or semifinished material from wood, rattan, or other natural material, into products with higher value added and benefit. Because of a rise in consumer demand each year, the furniture industries should have much attention. High consumer demand may cause production process-related problems that damage the environment. Such environmental damage may be caused by waste, raw materials, or production process. High consumer demand in furniture industry brings negative impacts not only to the environment but also to the society. Social impact assessment is needed to evaluate how a product or a process influences workers, consumers, citizen, and value chain. This study uses life cycle assessment method with the help of SimaPro software to determine the environmental impact, and social-life cycle assessment to determine the social impact. The largest contributor to environmental impact is the use of acrylic varnish. Substitution acrylic varnish with woodstain-water based aims to lead to a circular economy by reducing adverse impacts on the environment. The replacement of acrylic varnish with woodstain water based reduces the environmental impact score by 24.8%. Social impacts score on the workers and local community stakeholder are categorized as poor.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Environmental Benefits Associated with the Addition of Olive Pomace in the Manufacture of Lightweight Aggregates

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2351
Author(s):  
Manuel Uceda-Rodríguez ◽  
Ana B. López-García ◽  
José Manuel Moreno-Maroto ◽  
Carlos Javier Cobo-Ceacero ◽  
María Teresa Cotes-Palomino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Lightweight Aggregates ◽  
Technological Properties ◽  
Olive Pomace ◽  
Reduction Of Emissions

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using SimaPro software has been carried out concerning the manufacture of artificial lightweight aggregates (LWAs). The study aims to evaluate the changes in the environmental impact when an additive of residual origin, specifically olive pomace (OP), is added following the principles of the Circular Economy. This residue (commonly known as alperujo) was used as a substitute for clay in 1.25, 2.5 and 5 wt%. The environmental impact related to the use of olive pomace in the mixture was estimated using the CML 2000 methodology, yielding improvements of 3.8%, 7.7% and 15.3% for 1.25, 2.5 and 5 wt% OP added, respectively. Optimum addition results are in the range of 1.25 and 2.5 wt% OP. In this way, the reduction of emissions associated with LWA manufacture would be favored without negatively affecting the technological properties of the resulting material.

scholarly journals An Evaluation of Recycled Polymeric Materials Usage in Denim with Lifecycle Assesment Methodology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedef Uncu Aki ◽  
Cevza Candan ◽  
Banu Nergis ◽  
Neslihan Sebla Önder
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Polymeric Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Virgin Material ◽  
Material Input

Today, World economy is only 8.6% circular, which creates a huge potential in materials reuse. To close the Emission Gap by 2032, this percentage needs to be doubled. The circular economy ensures that with less virgin material input and fewer emissions. With the help of effective recycling technologies, virgin material use can be decreased and especially petroleum based materials impact can fall within planetary boundaries. This book chapter analyzes different chemical and biological recycling technologies, their advantages and challenges in denim production. Moreover, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis will be used to evaluate the environmental impact of recycled polymeric materials usage in denim fabrics. Finally, it concludes by challenges and the future of chemically recycled materials in denim production and opportunities to evaluate waste as a raw material to design circular systems.

Excellent environmental performance of beet sugar production in the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
pp. 161-165
Author(s):  
Bertram de Crom ◽  
Jasper Scholten ◽  
Janjoris van Diepen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Cane Sugar ◽  
Sugar Production ◽  
Beet Sugar ◽  
Glucose Syrup

To get more insight in the environmental performance of the Suiker Unie beet sugar, Blonk Consultants performed a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on beet sugar, cane sugar and glucose syrup. The system boundaries of the sugar life cycle are set from cradle to regional storage at the Dutch market. For this study 8 different scenarios were evaluated. The first scenario is the actual sugar production at Suiker Unie. Scenario 2 until 7 are different cane sugar scenarios (different countries of origin, surplus electricity production and pre-harvest burning of leaves are considered). Scenario 8 concerns the glucose syrup scenario. An important factor in the environmental impact of 1kg of sugar is the sugar yield per ha. Total sugar yield per ha differs from 9t/ha sugar for sugarcane to 15t/ha sugar for sugar beet (in 2017). Main conclusion is that the production of beet sugar at Suiker Unie has in general a lower impact on climate change, fine particulate matter, land use and water consumption, compared to cane sugar production (in Brazil and India) and glucose syrup. The impact of cane sugar production on climate change and water consumption is highly dependent on the country of origin, especially when land use change is taken into account. The environmental impact of sugar production is highly dependent on the co-production of bioenergy, both for beet and cane sugar.

Packaging environmental impact on seafood supply chains: A review of life cycle assessment studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheila Almeida ◽  
Philippe Loubet ◽  
Tamíris Pacheco da Costa ◽  
Paula Quinteiro ◽  
Jara Laso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Supply Chains
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