scholarly journals Turning Agricultural Wastes into Biomaterials: Assessing the Sustainability of Scenarios of Circular Valorization of Corn Cob in a Life-Cycle Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6281
Author(s):  
Enrica Santolini ◽  
Marco Bovo ◽  
Alberto Barbaresi ◽  
Daniele Torreggiani ◽  
Patrizia Tassinari
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Agricultural Wastes ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Corn Cob ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective

Circular economy plays a key role in increasing the sustainability of the agricultural sector, given the countless possibilities of transforming crop residues and recycling precious resources. The maize cultivation process produces a significant amount of residual organic materials, commonly left on the field, as a soil conditioner and source of nutrients even if some parts, such as the cob, play a minor role in these actions. The solutions for the valorization of this remnant depend on economic and environmental factors and the evaluation of the environmental performances of the processes in a life-cycle perspective is important to compare the overall sustainability of the valorization alternatives, maximizing their environmental added value. This work reports the results of Life Cycle Analysis, from cradle-to-gate of corn cob valorized as a raw material in two scenarios: corn cob pellet and corn cob abrasive grits to use as blasting or finishing media. A comparative study has been performed with two products available on the market and with the same functions. The results show that cob-based products have lower impact than those currently used. The work provides indication for evaluating the benefits of turning agricultural wastes in natural-based materials and intends to promote circular economy processes in agriculture production.

scholarly journals Design of Consumables in a Resource-Efficient Economy—A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1036
Author(s):  
Siri Willskytt
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Specific Design ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
General Product

Consumable products have received less attention in the circular economy (CE), particularly in regard to the design of resource-efficient products. This literature review investigates the extent to which existing design guidelines for resource-efficient products are applicable to consumables. This analysis is divided into two parts. The first investigates the extent to which general product-design guidelines (i.e., applicable to both durables and consumables) are applicable to consumables. This analysis also scrutinizes the type of recommendations presented by the ecodesign and circular product design, to investigate the novel aspects of the CE in product design. The second analysis examines the type of design considerations the literature on product-type specific design guidelines recommends for specific consumables and whether such guidelines are transferable. The analysis of general guidelines showed that, although guidelines are intended to be general and applicable to many types of products, their applicability to consumable products is limited. Less than half of their recommendations can be applied to consumables. The analysis also identified several design considerations that are transferable between product-specific design guidelines. This paper shows the importance of the life-cycle perspective in product design, to maximize the opportunities to improve consumables.

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.

Introduction to an Approach to Performing Sustainability Quantification of Concrete Structures

2018 ◽  
Vol 272 ◽  
pp. 273-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Břetislav Teplý ◽  
Tomáš Vymazal ◽  
Pavla Rovnaníková
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Waste Recycling ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Load Bearing Capacity ◽  
Sustainability Management ◽  
The World ◽  
Whole Life Cycle

Efficient sustainability management requires the use of tools that enable the quantification, measurement or comparison of material, technological and construction variants. Tools of this kind which have been developed around the world in recent years include various indicators, indexes, etc. Generally, technical, economic, ecological and socio-cultural areas must all be included. Such a tool can be used as a powerful marketing aid and as support for the transition to the “circular economy”. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) procedures are also used, alongside other approaches. LCA is a method that evaluates the life cycle of a structure from the point of view of its effect on the environment. Processes starting with the mining of mineral resources and including their transport, production and use up to their final processing as waste (recycling) are all taken into account. In addition, consideration is given to energy and raw material costs, and to environmental impact throughout the whole life cycle – e.g. through emissions. The presented contribution focuses on the quantification of sustainability connected with the use of various types of concrete with regard to their resistance against the effect of degrading influences. Sustainability factors are also determined using information regarding service life and “eco-costs”. The aim is to present a suitable methodology which can simplify decision-making concerning the design and choice of concrete mixes from a wider perspective, i.e. not only from the aspects of load-bearing capacity or durability.

scholarly journals Advances and Breakthroughs in Titanium forgings for critical structural parts

2020 ◽  
Vol 321 ◽  
pp. 02005
Author(s):  
J. Lecadet ◽  
R. Forestier ◽  
P. Delaborde
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Subsequent Transformation ◽  
Die Forging ◽  
Near Net Shape ◽  
Structural Parts ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Cost

Assuming the high level of properties and reliability of titanium forgings, strong drivers of research and development for forgings are the pressure on cost, the buy to fly ratio reduction and the life cycle. This presentation discusses the potential of optimizations to address these challenges. The first way to concretely answer the question of the cost and of the life cycle is the recycling of manufacturing scrap and end-of-life products, using the concept of circular economy and implementing a short loop from end user to melters. This is a considerable opportunity to mitigate the risks related to the supply of primary material and to the erratic fluctuations of raw material prices. The second step to optimize both the added value and the material consumption consists in adapting accurately the melting and ingot conversion processes to the actual needs of the application and the subsequent transformation processes. Considering the close die forging step, the use of the concept of Design for forging has also a great potential to optimize the cost and the functions of the forgings. Near Net Shape Forging of titanium, using high temperature close die forging is a great opportunity to make a breakthrough in terms of buy to fly ratio. In addition to all these improvements, the use of high-power hydraulic presses is a key element to take full advantage of them and to manufacture large critical parts with more functions. All together these levers could provide drastic cost reductions, and a considerable reduction in the environmental impact, keeping the advantages of titanium forgings in terms of metallurgical integrity, residual stresses and properties. The implementation of these improvements will require continuous efforts of development from the whole titanium supply chain, and collaboration between integrated titanium forgings suppliers and the OEMs.

scholarly journals Life cycle perspective on tourism management: the case of Borobudur village economic chamber

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 04003
Author(s):  
Zulfahmi Ilman Hindami ◽  
Hayati Sari Hasibuan ◽  
Ellyna Chairani
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Tourist Destinations ◽  
Tourism Management ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
World Cultural Heritage ◽  
Tourism Potential ◽  
Lodging Services ◽  
Different Characteristics

Borobudur Temple is one of the world cultural heritage owned by the Indonesian nation. The existence of this Borobudur temple has an impact for the surrounding community, one of which led to new tourist destinations. This study aims to analyze the tourism potential of the area around Borobudur Temple in the concept of sustainable tourism. This research was conducted by using life cycle assessment perspective on tourism activity in the district level, including: the primary inputs (resources), process and outputs. The data collected from one of the Village Economic Chambers in the districts surrounding the Borobudur Temple regions, named Borobudur VEC. The Borobudur VEC has provided two products and services: tempe mendoan and lodging services. Those two business products have different characteristics. The tempe mendoan business process requires more raw material than the lodging service business process. Based on the result, emission tempe mendoan production is more than from lodging services.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Environmental Sustainability of Hemp as a Building Material, through Life Cycle Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1215-1228
Author(s):  
Salvatore Emanuele Di Capua ◽  
Luisa Paolotti ◽  
Elisa Moretti ◽  
Lucia Rocchi ◽  
Antonio Boggia
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Building Material ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Ecological Design ◽  
Sustainable Procurement

Abstract Environmental issues, especially those related to the over-exploitation of natural resources, are leading towards considering alternative solutions and new approaches, such as the circular economy. Currently, some key elements of the circular economy approach are sustainable procurement of raw materials, improvement of production processes and ecological design, adoption of more sustainable distribution and consumption models, development of secondary raw material markets. This work aims to analyse the use of hemp as a building material, replacing traditional construction materials, but respecting at the same time the thermal, insulating and acoustic characteristics required in the construction of a building. The methodology used was Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which considered the hemp cultivation phase and the production phase of hemp-lime (“hempcrete”) walls. The hempcrete product was compared with two different solutions: a hemp and lime block, and a traditional perforated brick block with external insulation in polystyrene. In particular, the differences among the products in terms of embodied energy and net CO2 emissions were analysed. Results showed that the hempcrete wall had better environmental performances than the other two solutions.

scholarly journals Diversification as a strategic direction for sustainable development of enterprises in the agricultural sector of the economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (99) ◽  
pp. 326-336
Author(s):  
S. Sokolyuk ◽  
◽  
M. Koroteev ◽  
O. Zharun ◽  
O. Tupchiy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Industrial Processing ◽  
Agricultural Enterprises ◽  
Rational Combination

The diversification of the activities of agricultural enterprises is considered as a process of mastering the production of new or expanding the range of traditional types of products, which makes it possible to more fully realize the existing natural, biological, resource, production potential and helps to strengthen financial, economic and environmental safety, increases the competitiveness and efficiency of economic entities. Today, the need to diversify the activities of domestic agricultural enterprises is determined by a set of prerequisites, both general economic and specific. In modern realities, the overwhelming majority of farmers are focused on the production of the most liquid and least capital- and labor-intensive types of products with a short payback period. The economic results of agricultural enterprises in most cases directly depend on the efficiency of production of grain and oilseeds. Narrow specialization, and sometimes practically monoculture, increases the threats of agrobiological, ecological, and economic nature Diversification of their activities allows minimizing the risks of agricultural enterprises from unfavorable phenomena of agrotechnical and weather-climatic nature and unforeseen changes in market conditions. Optimization of the sectoral structure on the basis of a rational combination of the main, additional, and subsidiary industries ensures more efficient use of land and means of production, leads to the leveling of seasonality, and creates conditions for an enterprise to receive a guaranteed stable income. The priority for the diversification of large-scale agricultural production is its investment and innovative development with a rational combination of crop and livestock industries, the revival of the traditional for Ukraine industries of beet growing, vegetable growing, horticulture, cattle breeding, pig breeding, sheep breeding. Diversification of the activities of small and medium-sized producers provides for an orientation towards the production of products with a high level of labor intensity, environmentally friendly organic products, niche agriculture, the production of non-traditional agricultural products, green, agritourism, etc. The need to change the raw material nature of the agricultural sector of the Ukrainian economy determines the need to increase the industrial processing of agricultural raw materials. This will not only make it possible to obtain greater added value, but will also ensure the creation of additional jobs, will contribute to the growth of incomes of the population, and an increase in the revenues of budgets of all levels. The development of diversification processes guarantees a stable income and an increase in the profitability of agricultural producers and will also contribute to the implementation of national priorities for ensuring the country's food security, increasing employment, and solving social and material problems of peasants.

scholarly journals A Multi-Criteria Evaluation Method of Product-Level Circularity Strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yohannes A. Alamerew ◽  
Marianna Lena Kambanou ◽  
Tomohiko Sakao ◽  
Daniel Brissaud
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Business Decision ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
Product Level ◽  
Multi Criteria Evaluation ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
Need To Evaluate

The circular economy (CE) can drive sustainability. For companies to select and implement circularity strategies, they need to evaluate and compare the performance of these strategies both in terms of progress towards CE but also based on their feasibility and business outcomes. However, evaluation methods for circularity strategies at the product level are lacking. Therefore, this research proposes a multi-criteria evaluation method of circularity strategies at the product level which can be used by business decision-makers to evaluate and compare the initial business of the company, transformative and future circularity strategies. This multi-criteria evaluation method aims to assist business decision-makers to identify a preferred strategy by linking together a wide variety of criteria, i.e., environmental, economic, social, legislative, technical, and business, as well as by proposing relevant indicators that take into consideration, where possible, the life cycle perspective. It also allows for flexibility so that criteria, sub-criteria, and weighing factors can be altered by the business decision-makers to fit the needs of their specific case or product. Two illustrative examples based on case companies are presented to verify and illustrate the proposed method.

scholarly journals The Potential of Selected Agri-Food Loss and Waste to Contribute to a Circular Economy: Applications in the Food, Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 515
Author(s):  
Lady Laura Del Rio Osorio ◽  
Edwin Flórez-López ◽  
Carlos David Grande-Tovar
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Pharmaceutical Products ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Food Loss ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industries ◽  
Scarcity Of Resources ◽  
By Products

The food sector includes several large industries such as canned food, pasta, flour, frozen products, and beverages. Those industries transform agricultural raw materials into added-value products. The fruit and vegetable industry is the largest and fastest-growing segment of the world agricultural production market, which commercialize various products such as juices, jams, and dehydrated products, followed by the cereal industry products such as chocolate, beer, and vegetable oils are produced. Similarly, the root and tuber industry produces flours and starches essential for the daily diet due to their high carbohydrate content. However, the processing of these foods generates a large amount of waste several times improperly disposed of in landfills. Due to the increase in the world’s population, the indiscriminate use of natural resources generates waste and food supply limitations due to the scarcity of resources, increasing hunger worldwide. The circular economy offers various tools for raising awareness for the recovery of waste, one of the best alternatives to mitigate the excessive consumption of raw materials and reduce waste. The loss and waste of food as a raw material offers bioactive compounds, enzymes, and nutrients that add value to the food cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. This paper systematically reviewed literature with different food loss and waste by-products as animal feed, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products that strongly contribute to the paradigm shift to a circular economy. Additionally, this review compiles studies related to the integral recovery of by-products from the processing of fruits, vegetables, tubers, cereals, and legumes from the food industry, with the potential in SARS-CoV-2 disease and bacterial diseases treatment.

scholarly journals CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN TERMS OF THE CLOSED-CYCLE ECONOMY

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-331
Author(s):  
Natalia A. Prodanova ◽  
Alexander A. Savin ◽  
Sergey N. Kosnikov ◽  
Ilya V. Sorgutov
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Closed Cycle ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
General Plan ◽  
Cycle Economy

The current stage of development of the agricultural industry is characterized by high rates of automation of production processes. In this regard, the problem of rationalizing the process of distributing agricultural resources and organizing the production chain with added value is becoming more acute. An effective solution to this problem can be a closed-cycle economy model. This model can contribute to the rational use of resources, reduce production losses, and, as a result, improve the quality of products and their volumes. It is necessary to develop a general plan for the implementation of the main postulates of the closed-cycle economy in agriculture, gradually implement the circular economy strategy and include new industrial circular economy in the process of modernization of a particular branch of agriculture. In some areas of agriculture, a cycle of production systems should be established as soon as possible. With the basic implementation of new industrial technologies and industrial development, as well as the stability of the reserves of social resources, it is necessary to steadily increase the new cycle of industrialization in agriculture.

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