scholarly journals Assessment of the Life Cycle Environmental Impact of the Olive Oil Extraction Solid Wastes in the European Union

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Cossu ◽  
Stefania Degl’Innocenti ◽  
Monica Agnolucci ◽  
Caterina Cristani ◽  
Stefano Bedini ◽  
...  

There is an increasing interest in developing sustainable systems in the European Union (EU) to recover and upgrade the solid wastes of the olive oil extraction process, i.e. wet husk. A Life Cycle Environmental Impact Assessment (LCIA) of wet husk has been carried out aiming at facilitating an appropriate Life Cycle Management of this biomass. Three scenarios have been considered, i.e. combustion for domestic heat, generation of electric power, and composting. The Environmental Product Declaration and the ReCiPe method were used for Life Cycle Impact Assessment. Domestic heating and power generation were the most important impact factors in damaging human health, ecosystems, and natural resources depletion. Composting was 2-4 orders of magnitude less impacting than domestic heat and power generation. Considering human health, the impact of climate change, human toxicity and particulate matter formation represented the main impact categories. Considering ecosystems, climate change and natural land transformation were the main impact categories. Within natural resources, fossil fuel depletion was impacted three orders more than metal depletion. Within domestic heating and power generation scenarios, storage of wet husk along with the extraction by organic solvent, and the waste treatment were the most impacting phases for global warming potential, ozone layer depletion, acidification and non renewable fossil resources depletion. The results obtained for the waste disposal have been comparatively assessed with respect to the environmental impact of the olive oil production chain.

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Elisabeth Gnielka ◽  
Christof Menzel

AbstractEvery consumer’s decision has an impact on the environment, and even basic food products such as pasta have an impact due to their high consumption rates. Factors that can be influenced by the consumer include the preparation (cooking), last mile and packaging phases. The last mile has not been considered in most studies but contributes considerably to the environmental impact of pasta. The three phases and their environmental impact on the life cycle of pasta are analyzed in this cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment. The focus of the study lies on the impact categories climate change, agricultural land occupation, fossil depletion, water depletion, freshwater eutrophication and freshwater ecotoxicity. Inventory data were taken from other studies, were collected in cooperation with a zero-packaging organic grocery store in Germany or were gained in test series. Our results show that the preparation of pasta has the greatest environmental impact (over 40% in the impact categories climate change and fossil depletion and over 50% in the impact category freshwater eutrophication), followed by the last mile (over 20% in the impact categories climate change and fossil depletion) and lastly the packaging (nearly 9% in the impact categories freshwater eutrophication and freshwater ecotoxicity). Based on our study´s results, we provide some recommendations for minimizing the environmental impacts of pasta.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
Gábor Hornyák ◽  
Péter Bencs

One of the most debated topics of our time is climate change. For this reason, the European Union and the countries of the world are taking several steps to reduce and reverse the effect. When we talk about climate change or sustainable development, it is very important to also talk about the energy sector. The European Union aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, which will require significant changes in our lives, it will be a major challenge for mankind. In 2019, fossil fuels accounted for 80% of the world’s energy production. The production of energy from fossil fuels has several negative effects aside from climate change. When fossil fuels are burned, gases and particles harmful to human health are released into the air and some of the fossil fuels are raw materials to produce plastics, for example. If we use it for energy production, we waste our raw materials. What are the options for reducing the environmental impact? How can coal-based energy production be replaced? What are other ways to reduce the environmental impact? These topics are discussed in the article.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3394
Author(s):  
Kim Maya Yavor ◽  
Annekatrin Lehmann ◽  
Matthias Finkbeiner

The number of pet animals in the European Union is increasing over the last decades. Few studies with a limited focus in terms of impacts and life cycle stages exist that assess the environmental impacts of dogs. This paper addresses the entire life cycle of a dog. An LCA study on an average dog was conducted considering the pet food and dog excrements, i.e., urine and feces. Fifteen impact categories were analyzed. An average dog has a climate change and freshwater eutrophication potential of around 8200 kg CO2eq and 5.0 kg Peq., respectively. The main contribution to most impact categories over the dog’s life is caused by pet food. Freshwater eutrophication is mainly determined by the dog´s urine and feces. Feces also have a significant contribution to the category of freshwater ecotoxicity. Impacts increase significantly with increasing weight and a longer lifetime of the dog as well as low collection rates of the feces. This LCA study reveals that pet dogs can have a significant environmental impact, e.g., around 7% of the annual climate change impact of an average EU citizen. Optimizing pet food and increasing the feces´ collection rate can reduce the impacts.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3140
Author(s):  
Iryna Lanko ◽  
Laura Flores ◽  
Marianna Garfí ◽  
Vladimir Todt ◽  
John A. Posada ◽  
...  

In this study the environmental impact of the anaerobic digestion (AD) of sewage sludge within an activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was investigated. Three alternative AD systems (mesophilic, thermophilic, and temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD)) were compared to determine which system may have the best environmental performance. Two life cycle assessments (LCA) were performed considering: (i) the whole WWTP (for a functional unit (FU) of 1 m3 of treated wastewater), and (ii) the sludge line (SL) alone (for FU of 1 m3 of produced methane). The data for the LCA were obtained from previous laboratory experimental work in combination with full-scale WWTP and literature. According to the results, the WWTP with TPAD outperforms those with mesophilic and thermophilic AD in most analyzed impact categories (i.e., Human toxicity, Ionizing radiation, Metal and Fossil depletion, Agricultural land occupation, Terrestrial acidification, Freshwater eutrophication, and Ozone depletion), except for Climate change where the WWTP with mesophilic AD performed better than with TPAD by 7%. In the case of the SL alone, the production of heat and electricity (here accounted for as avoided environmental impacts) led to credits in most of the analyzed impact categories except for Human toxicity where credits did not balance out the impacts caused by the wastewater treatment system. The best AD alternative was thermophilic concerning all environmental impact categories, besides Climate change and Human toxicity. Differences between both LCA results may be attributed to the FU.


2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Užšilaitytė ◽  
Vytautas Martinaitis

Climate change became a priority issue on the agenda of the energy and environmental policy of the European Union. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are the main pillars to cope with climate change. Buildings consuming 40% of final energy in the European Union play a vital role here. This is the reason for changing attitude towards evaluation of the benefits of the renovation of existing buildings. Previously before making a decision on building renovation solutions the main factor was cost‐efficiency. Today life‐cycle approach taking into account energy consumption and abatement of greenhouse gases is more relevant. The goal of the paper is to compare different alternatives for the renovation of buildings taking into account energy, economic and environmental criteria while evaluating impact of renovation measures during their life cycle. The first alternative is renovation of a building up to the requirements of existing building codes. The second alternative is renovation of a building making its thermal characteristics of the envelopes by 25% better. The third alternative is renovation of a building making its thermal characteristics of the envelopes by 50% better. Possibility to use renewable energy in all the three alternatives is also investigated. The results of analysis show that in the case under consideration replacement of district heating, mostly based on fossil fuel, with a biomass boiler has an advantage in terms of environment and energy. However, economic attractiveness of these alternatives is rather moderate. Final choice of the alternatives depends on the priorities of a decision‐maker. Santrauka Klimato kaita tapo prioritetiniu punktu Europos Sajungos energetikos ir aplinkosaugos politikos darbotvarkeje. Energijos vartojimo efektyvumas ir atsinaujinantys energijos ištekliai ‐ pagrindines nuostatos siekiant iveikti klimato kaitos keliamas problemas. Pastatams, kuriuose suvartojama 40 % Europos Sajungos galutines energijos, čia tenka pagrindinis vaidmuo. Tai yra priežastis keisti požiūri, vertinant esamu pastatu renovavimo nauda. Anksčiau prieš priimant sprendima del pastatu renovacijos pagrindinis faktorius buvo ekonominis efektyvumas. Šiandien tikslingiau yra atsižvelgti i gyvavimo cikla, ivertinant energijos suvartojimo mastus ir šiltnamio duju išmetius. Šio darbo tikslas ‐ palyginti skirtingas pastatu renovavimo alternatyvas, atsižvelgiant i energetinius, ekonominius ir aplinkos apsaugos kriterijus, vertinant renovacijos priemoniu itaka per ju gyvavimo laika. Pirmoji renovacijos alternatyva ‐ pastatas renovuojamas, kad atitiktu reikalavimus, keliamus pastatu atitvaru šiluminems charakteristikoms. Antroji renovacijos alternatyva ‐ pastato atitvaru šilumines charakteristikos, palyginti su galiojančiais reikalavimais, gerinamos 25 %. Trečioji alternatyva ‐ pastato atitvaru šilumines charakteristikos, palyginti su galiojančiais reikalavimais, gerinamos 50 %. Papildomai ivertinama galimybe visais trim atvejais naudoti atsinaujinančius energijos išteklius. Analizes rezultatai parode, kad nagrinejamu atveju gaunama energetine ir aplinkosaugine nauda, kai vietoje esamos centralizuotai tiekiamos šilumos sistemos, kurioje šilumai gaminti pagrindinai naudojamas iškastinis kuras, irengiamas biomases katilas. Ekonomiškai šios alternatyvos yra mažiau patrauklios. Galutinis alternatyvu pasirinkimas priklauso nuo sprendimu priemejo prioritetu. Резюме Изменение климата стало приоритетным вопросом на повестке дня энергетической и экологической политики Европейского Cоюза. Энергетическая эффективность и возобновляемые источники энергии являются основными мерами для уменьшения изменений климата. С этой точки зрения большое значение имеют здания, так как они в Европейском Союзе потребляют 40% энергии. Это является причиной изменения отношения к оценке выгод от реновации существующих зданий. Ранее для принятия решения о реновации здания основным фактором являлась экономическая эффективность. Сегодня более актуальным является учет потребления энергии и сокращения выбросов парниковых газов. Целью настоящей работы было сравнить различные варианты реконструкции здания с учетом энергетических, экономических и экологических критериев при оценке воздействия мер по реконструкции во время их жизненного цикла. Первый вариант – это реновация здания с целью улучшения его тепловых характеристик, доводя их до требований существующих строительных норм. Второй вариант – реновация здания с целью улучшения его тепловых характеристик на 25% по сравнению с требованиями существующих строительных норм. Третий вариант – реновация здания с целью улучшения его тепловых характеристик на 50% по сравнению с требованиями существующих строительных норм. Кроме этого, во всех трех вариантах исследована возможность использования возобновляемых источников энергии. Результаты анализа показали, что замена централизованного теплоснабжения, основaнного главным образом на использовании ископаемых видов топлива, на котел с биомассой имеет преимущество с точки зрения окружающей среды и энергетики, однако экономическая привлекательность такой альтернативы довольно умеренна. Окончательный выбор вариантов зависит от приоритетов субъекта, принимающего решение.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Ahmad Mohamed S. H. Al-Moftah ◽  
Richard Marsh ◽  
Julian Steer

Gas products from gasified solid recovered fuel (SRF) have been proposed as a replacement for natural gas to produce electricity in future power generation systems. In this work, the life cycle assessment (LCA) of SRF air gasification to energy was conducted using the Recipe2016 model considering five environmental impact categories and four scenarios in Qatar. The current situation of municipal solid waste (MSW) handling in Qatar is landfill with composting. The results show that using SRF gasification can reduce the environmental impact of MSW landfills and reliance on natural gas in electricity generation. Using SRF gasification on the selected five environmental impact categories—climate change, terrestrial acidification, marine ecotoxicity, water depletion and fossil resource depletion—returned significant reductions in environmental degradation. The LCA of the SRF gasification for the main four categories in the four scenarios gave varying results. The introduction of the SRF gasification reduced climate change-causing emissions by 41.3% because of production of renewable electricity. A reduction in water depletion and fossil resource depletion of 100 times were achieved. However, the use of solar technology and SRF gasification to generate electricity reduced the impact of climate change to almost zero emissions. Terrestrial acidification showed little to no change in all three scenarios investigated. This study was compared with the previous work from the literature and showed that on a nominal 10 kg MSW processing basis, 5 kg CO2 equivalent emissions were produced for the landfilling scenarios. While the previous studies reported that 8 kg CO2 produced per 10 kg MSW is processed for the same scenario. The findings indicate that introducing SRF gasification in solid waste management and electricity generation in Qatar has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission load and related social, economic, political and environmental costs. In addition, the adoption of the SRF gasification in the country will contribute to Qatar’s national vision 2030 by reducing landfills and produce sustainable energy.


2020 ◽  
pp. 161-165
Author(s):  
Bertram de Crom ◽  
Jasper Scholten ◽  
Janjoris van Diepen

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.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4148
Author(s):  
Estrella Trincado ◽  
Antonio Sánchez-Bayón ◽  
José María Vindel

After the Great Recession of 2008, there was a strong commitment from several international institutions and forums to improve wellbeing economics, with a switch towards satisfaction and sustainability in people–planet–profit relations. The initiative of the European Union is the Green Deal, which is similar to the UN SGD agenda for Horizon 2030. It is the common political economy plan for the Multiannual Financial Framework, 2021–2027. This project intends, at the same time, to stop climate change and to promote the people’s wellness within healthy organizations and smart cities with access to cheap and clean energy. However, there is a risk for the success of this aim: the Jevons paradox. In this paper, we make a thorough revision of the literature on the Jevons Paradox, which implies that energy efficiency leads to higher levels of consumption of energy and to a bigger hazard of climate change and environmental degradation.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1347
Author(s):  
Kyriakos Maniatis ◽  
David Chiaramonti ◽  
Eric van den Heuvel

The present work considers the dramatic changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the global economy, with particular emphasis on energy. Focusing on the European Union, the article discusses the opportunities policy makers can implement to reduce the climate impacts and achieve the Paris Agreement 2050 targets. The analysis specifically looks at the fossil fuels industry and the future of the fossil sector post COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis first revises the fossil fuel sector, and then considers the need for a shift of the global climate change policy from promoting the deployment of renewable energy sources to curtailing the use of fossil fuels. This will be a change to the current global approach, from a relative passive one to a strategically dynamic and proactive one. Such a curtailment should be based on actual volumes of fossil fuels used and not on percentages. Finally, conclusions are preliminary applied to the European Union policies for net zero by 2050 based on a two-fold strategy: continuing and reinforcing the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive to 2035, while adopting a new directive for fixed and over time increasing curtailment of fossils as of 2025 until 2050.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document