2-Piece Cork Stoppers as Alternative for Valorization of Thin Cork Planks: Analysis by LCA Methodology

Natural stoppers are a magnificent closure for the production of aging wines and unique wines, whose application is limited by the availability of raw materials and more specifically of cork sheets of different thickness and quality. The growing demand for quality wine bottle closures leads to the search for alternative stopper production. The two-piece stopper is an alternative since it uses non-usable plates in a conventional way for the production of quality caps. The present study has analyzed the impact of the manufacture of these two-piece stoppers using different methodologies and for different dimensions by developing an LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), concluding that the process phases of the plate, its boiling, and its stabilization, are the phases with the greatest impact. Likewise, it is detected that the impacts in all phases are relatively similar (for one kg of net cork produced), although the volumetric difference between these stoppers represents a significant difference in impacts for each unit produced.

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Global Warming Impacts Study of Tofu Products in Mampang Prapatan Small and Medium Enterprises with Life Cycle Assessment Methods

Indonesian Journal of Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability ◽

10.52394/ijolcas.v3i2.75 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Bayu Sukmana ◽

Isti Surjandari ◽

Muryanto . ◽

Arief A. R. Setiawan ◽

Edi Iswanto Wiloso

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Small And Medium Enterprises ◽

Liquefied Petroleum Gas ◽

Fuel Wood ◽

Medium Enterprises ◽

The Impact

Firstly global warming issue caused by greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) which comes from human activities. Along with increasing of daily need, that humans of activities food produce is also increase, include of tofu. Tofu is a traditional Indonesian specialty made from soybeans and used as a side dish. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of global warming from tofu products on Mampang Prapatan's Small Tofu and Medium Enterprises. The method used in this study is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method with the help of Simapro 8.4 software with a 1 kg tofu functional unit. The data collected in this study is the average data of tofu production for 3 months, namely January - March 2018. The LCA data in this study include the process of soybean cultivation, transportation processes for shipping soybeans, water, fuel wood, and electricity use. The limitations of this study are from cradle (soybean cultivation) to gate (tofu products).The results showed that UKM Mampang Prapatan has the potential impact of global warming with a value of 3.84 kg CO2-eq, while the value of global warming in the production process knows the scenario of wastewater treatment and the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as fuel for boiling pulp 4.49 kg CO2-eq soybeans. Based on the results of this study, greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions are issued; the intervention that can be done is to optimize the use of raw materials for production to reduce the impact of CO2-eq kg global warming.

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Valuing Biodiversity in Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11205628 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (20) ◽

pp. 5628 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jan Lindner ◽

Horst Fehrenbach ◽

Lisa Winter ◽

Judith Bloemer ◽

Eva Knuepffer

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Impact Assessment ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Value Chains ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Impact Assessment Method ◽

The Impact

In this article, the authors propose an impact assessment method for life cycle assessment (LCA) that adheres to established LCA principles for land use-related impact assessment, bridges current research gaps and addresses the requirements of different stakeholders for a methodological framework. The conservation of biodiversity is a priority for humanity, as expressed in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing biodiversity across value chains is a key challenge for enabling sustainable production pathways. Life cycle assessment is a standardised approach to assess and compare environmental impacts of products along their value chains. The impact assessment method presented in this article allows the quantification of the impact of land-using production processes on biodiversity for several broad land use classes. It provides a calculation framework with degrees of customisation (e.g., to take into account regional conservation priorities), but also offers a default valuation of biodiversity based on naturalness. The applicability of the method is demonstrated through an example of a consumer product. The main strength of the approach is that it yields highly aggregated information on the biodiversity impacts of products, enabling biodiversity-conscious decisions about raw materials, production routes and end user products.

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A Life Cycle Assessment Study on a New Countertop Material

Key Engineering Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.897.137 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 897 ◽

pp. 137-142

Author(s):

Luiza Silva ◽

Elisabete Silva ◽

Isabel Brás ◽

Idalina Domingos ◽

Dulcineia Wessel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Water Scarcity ◽

Fossil Fuels ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Photochemical Oxidation ◽

Impact Categories ◽

Product Packaging ◽

The Impact ◽

Abiotic Depletion

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the most important analytical tools available to provide the scientific basis of engineering solutions for sustainability. The focus of this study was a LCA (cradle to gate) of a product intended to be used in countertops. The functional unit chosen was 1 m2 of finished panel (countertop) and the boundary system involved the study of raw materials and product packaging and the panel’s production process. The chosen method for impact assessment was EPD (2018) available in SimaPro PhD software and Acidification, Eutrophication, Global Warming, Photochemical Oxidation, Abiotic Depletion (elements), Abiotic Depletion (fossil fuels), Water Scarcity and Ozone Layer Depletion were the impact categories considered. Results showed that the panel’s manufacturing is the process that presented the highest influence in all categories analyzed ranging from 88% on Abiotic Depletion to approximately 101% on Water Scarcity. Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is the greatest contributors to all impact categories except to Photochemical Oxidation that is the Polyester.

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Life-Cycle Assessment of the Breezhaler® Breath-Actuated Dry Powder Inhaler

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126657 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6657

Author(s):

Brett Fulford ◽

Karen Mezzi ◽

Andy Whiting ◽

Simon Aumônier

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Dry Powder Inhaler ◽

Resource Depletion ◽

Life Cycle Stage ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Dry Powder ◽

The Impact

The Breezhaler® dry powder inhaler (DPI) has a low carbon footprint compared with other inhalation therapies, consistent with the literature on other DPIs. This life-cycle assessment was conducted in France, Germany, the UK, and Japan using a “cradle-to-grave” technique to evaluate six environmental impact categories (global warming potential; acidification; ozone depletion; use of resource, minerals, and metals; eco-toxicity; and freshwater use) associated with the use of the Breezhaler®. Three variants of the Breezhaler® (30-day packs with and without the digital companion and a 90-day pack without the digital companion) were evaluated to identify major hotspots in the device life-cycle and to provide realistic solutions to reduce the environmental impact. Although no single life-cycle stage dominated the climate change impact of the 30-day device with the digital companion, the inhaler’s raw materials and packaging contributed to 96% of the resource depletion impact for the 30-day device without the digital companion. For the 90-day device without the digital companion, packaging contributed 42–62% of the impact across all categories. Overall, the Breezhaler® inhaler with the 90-day pack had the lowest environmental impact. The environmental impact of the device did not vary significantly among the considered markets. Further studies are needed to assess the impact of active pharmaceutical ingredients and improvement in clinical outcomes on the environment.

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Application of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology and economic evaluation for construction and demolition waste: a Colombian case study

Earth Sciences Research Journal ◽

10.15446/esrj.v25n3.82815 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 341-351

Author(s):

Sindy Sofía Suárez Silgado ◽

Lucrecia Janneth Calderon Valdiviezo ◽

Leandro Fernando Mahecha Vanegas

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Construction And Demolition Waste ◽

Lca Methodology ◽

Environmental Implications ◽

Demolition Waste ◽

Secondary Sources ◽

Management Processes

The construction industry consumes more raw materials and energy than any other economic activity and generates the largest fraction of waste, known as construction and demolition waste (CDW). This waste has significant environmental implications, most notably in South American countries such as Colombia, where it is handled inappropriately. This study evaluated the management processes currently used for fractions of construction and demolition waste generated in Ibagué (Colombia). The environmental impacts of the management of 1 kg of CDW were also calculated. Other CDW management alternatives were evaluated. The percentage of the fraction of the waste and the treatment or management processes used were modified to determine its environmental and economic viability. The information was obtained through telephone interviews and visits to recycling plants, construction companies, quarries, government entities, and inert landfills. It was completed with secondary sources and the Ecoinvent v.2.2 databases. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology and the SimaPro 8 software were used to calculate the environmental impacts. An economic study of each management process and each alternative was also carried out. A comparison of the other options revealed the current choice contributes most to the environmental impacts in all categories. This study indicates that the most beneficial alternative in environmental and economic terms in Ibagué (Colombia) is where 100% of the metals are recovered, 100% of excavated earth is reused, and 100% of the stone waste is recycled (alternative 3). This alternative remained the most favorable when a sensitivity analysis was carried out with different distances (30 km and 50 km).

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Investigating the wastewater treatment system of the Tehran Oil Industry Research Institute using the Life Cycle Assessment Method

The Journal of Tolooebehdasht ◽

10.18502/tbj.v19i2.3399 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Afsaneh Eskandari Ashgofti ◽

Maryam Morovati ◽

Ebrahim Alaiee ◽

Kamelia Alavi

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Industrial Effluent ◽

Treatment Plant ◽

Industrial Effluents ◽

Assessment Method ◽

The Impact ◽

Research Institute

Introduction: Due to population growth and subsequent limited water resources, the use of treatment plant effluents is of particular importance. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the environmental effects of the treatment plant and also to identify critical points or weaknesses of the treatment plant system and provide corrective action to reduce the severity of the effects. Methods: After visiting the research institute and collecting data (during the years 2017-2018), the energy, consuming materials and output of the system were calculated using the life cycle assessment method. Finally, information on the spread of pollution and consumption was included in the list of index effects. To analyze the obtained information, Simapro software (using ILCD 2011 Midpoint V1.03 method) version 8.5.0.0. was applied. Results: Based on the research findings, the software depicted the evaluation of the effects in 13 categories and all the information entered in the software according to the impact, has participated in each category of effects, the most effective factors related to chloride, energy consumption and oil. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the main critical point identified in the treatment plant is related to electricity and the sanitary effluent is in a worse condition than the industrial effluent. However, the environmental impact of industrial effluents should not be neglected. Due to the fact that the MBR method is considered as one of the best methods of wastewater treatment, it is not recommended to change the treatment method, but with continuous monitoring and management of the system, it is possible to reduce the consumption of raw materials.

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Life cycle assessment of fermented milk: yogurt production

Ovidius University Annals of Chemistry ◽

10.2478/auoc-2020-0010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 49-54

Author(s):

Cristina Ghinea ◽

Ana Leahu

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Functional Unit ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Fermented Milk ◽

Milk Product ◽

Acidification Potential ◽

The Impact ◽

Fermented Milk Product

AbstractYogurt is a fermented milk product, resulted through milk acidification by lactic acid bacteria, highly appreciated worldwide. In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was applied for modelling of environmental impacts associated with yogurt production. The system boundaries include the following activities: milk processing, transport, solid waste and wastewater treatments. Functional unit set for this study is 1 kg of produced yogurt. The input and output data were collected from various sources like reports, databases, legislation. All these data were used further in the impact assessment stage performed with GaBi software which includes LCA methods like CML2001 - Jan. 2016, ReCiPe 1.08, UBP 2013, EDIP 2003 and others. Results showed that the global warming potential (GWP) determined for yogurt was 2.92 kg CO2 eq. per kg of yogurt, while acidification potential (AP) was approximately 0.014 kg SO2 eq. per kg of yogurt. It was observed that the main contributor to all impact categories is consumption of electricity during the yogurt production, mainly in the pasteurization, evaporation and cooling stages. 61.4% of the emissions resulted from transportation of raw materials contributes to GWP, while 38.3% to photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP). Emissions from wastewater treatment are contributing especially to the eutrophication potential (EP), while emission from solid waste landfilling are contributing mainly to POCP.

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Comparison of life cycle assessment for different volume polypropylene jars

Acta periodica technologica ◽

10.2298/apt1243159k ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 159-167

Author(s):

Nevena Krkic ◽

Vera Lazic ◽

Danijela Suput

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Injection Molding ◽

Fresh Water ◽

Mass Flow ◽

Global Warming Potential ◽

Life Cycle Inventory ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Impact

When deciding what packaging is the most appropriate for a product there are many factors to be considered. One of them is the impact of the packaging on environment. In this work, life cycle inventory and life cycle assessment of two different volume packagings were compared. The data were collected on the types and amounts of materials and energy consumption in the process of packaging and distribution of hand cream packed in polypropylene jars of 200 and 350 mL. Life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle impact assessment (LCA) were calculated. It was found that the total mass flow was higher for the jars of 350 mL. After analyzing individual flows, it was found that in both cycles (polypropylene jars of 200 and 350 mL),the consumption of fresh water was a dominant flow. This fresh water flow is mostly (95%) consumed in the injection molding process of manufacturing jars from polypropylene granules. The LCA analysis showed no significant difference in global warming potential between different volume jars. The process that mostly affected global warming was the production of polypropylene jars from polypropylene granules by injection molding for both jar volumes. Judging by the global warming potential, there is no difference of the environmental impact between investigated jars, but considering the mass flow and water consumption, more environmental friendly were the 200 mL jars.

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A framework for life cycle assessment of concrete bridge decks

10.32920/ryerson.14646111 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fouad Taki

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Construction Industry ◽

Bridge Deck ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Bridge Decks ◽

Concrete Bridge ◽

Lca Methodology ◽

Concrete Bridge Decks ◽

Concrete Bridge Deck ◽

The Impact

he construction industry is the largest contributor to environmental loading, and while development will require more infrastructure to achieve its goals, this will require more construction and hence more pollution. In order to achieve a sustainable development, the construction industry has to reduce its environmental loading and consumption of energy and raw materials. The methodology of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can help in quantifying the cradle to grave impact of construction on the environment. This study was performed to develop a model that uses LCA methodology to estimate the environmental impact of concrete bridge decks in North America. The model traces the emissions during the life cycle of a concrete bridge deck, and then calculates the impact of these emissions on the environment. This study was performed to develop a model that uses LCA methodology to estimate the environmental impact of concrete bridge decks in North America. The model traces the emissions during the life cycle of a concrete bridge deck, and then calculates the impact of these emissions on the environment. The model also calculates the energy and raw materials that are consumed during the life cycle of a concrete bridge deck. This model can be used by designers to evaluate alternative bridge deck designs to select the environmentally sound one.

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Life cycle assessment of electric and conventional cars energy consumption and CO2 emissions

MATEC Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/matecconf/201823402007 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 234 ◽

pp. 02007 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ivan Evtimov ◽

Rosen Ivanov ◽

Georgi Kadikyanov ◽

Gergana Staneva

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Electric Energy ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Electric Cars ◽

Electric Car ◽

Electric Traction ◽

The Impact

This paper presents an analysis concerning the effectiveness of electric traction in comparison with conventional cars. The Life Cycle Assessment method is used. It estimates the energy spent for the extraction of the raw materials/sources, manufacturing and transportation of the components and the vehicle, motion, maintenance and repair during exploitation period and the recycling process. The impact of the production technology of the electric energy, needed for charging the battery, is taken into account. The energy consumption and CO2 emissions for the life cycle of electric and conventional cars are presented on graphs. Examples for Bulgaria and EU countries are given. The exploitation conditions in which the electric car is more effective regarding CO2 equivalent emissions are shown. The main influence on the effectiveness of electric cars has the structure of the energy mix of the country where the electric car is produced and is used in exploitation.

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