scholarly journals Biodegradation of Hemicellulose-Cellulose-Starch-Based Bioplastics and Microbial Polyesters

Recycling ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Mateus Manabu Abe ◽  
Marcia Cristina Branciforti ◽  
Michel Brienzo
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Natural Plant ◽  
Final Disposition

The volume of discarded solid wastes, especially plastic, which accumulates in large quantities in different environments, has substantially increased. Population growth and the consumption pattern of societies associated with unsustainable production routes have caused the pollution level to increase. Therefore, the development of materials that help mitigate the impacts of plastics is fundamental. However, bioplastics can result in a misunderstanding about their properties and environmental impacts, as well as incorrect management of their final disposition, from misidentifications and classifications. This chapter addresses the aspects and factors surrounding the biodegradation of bioplastics from natural (plant biomass (starch, lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and starch) and bacterial polyester polymers. Therefore, the biodegradation of bioplastics is a factor that must be studied, because due to the increase in the production of different bioplastics, they may present differences in the decomposition rates.

scholarly journals Gasification of Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) Biomass–Energy Recovery and Environmental Impacts

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 4960
Author(s):  
Adam Koniuszy ◽  
Małgorzata Hawrot-Paw ◽  
Cezary Podsiadło ◽  
Paweł Sędłak ◽  
Ewa Możdżer
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Root Elongation ◽  
Biomass Yield ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Liquid Waste ◽  
Calorific Value ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Gas Generator ◽  
Phytotoxic Effect

Biomass from cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) is considered a renewable energy source that can be converted into alternative fuel. Calorific syngas, a promising type of advanced fuel, can be produced through thermochemical biomass gasification. In this study, the suitability of cup plant biomass for gasification was assessed, including the process energy balance and environmental impacts of waste from syngas purification. Silphium perfoliatum L. was cultivated as a gasification feedstock in different conditions (irrigation, fertilization). The experiments were performed in a membrane gasifier. All obtained energy parameters were compared to the biomass yield per hectare. The toxic effects of liquid waste were assessed using tests analyzing germination/seed root elongation of Sinapsis alba. Leachates collected from condensation tanks of a gas generator were introduced to soil at the following doses: 100, 1000 and 10,000 mg kg−1 DM of soil. The usefulness of Silphium perfoliatum L. for gasification was confirmed. The factors of plant cultivation affected the biomass yield, the volume and calorific value of syngas and the amount of biochar. It was determined that the components found in condensates demonstrate a phytotoxic effect, restricting or inhibiting germination and root elongation of Sinapsis alba. Due to this potential hazard, the possibility of its release to the environment should be limited. Most of the biomass is only used for heating purposes, but the syngas obtained from the cup plant can be used to power cogeneration systems, which, apart from heat, also generate electricity.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Dietary Patterns in the United States: A Full Food Supply Chain Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daesoo Kim ◽  
Ranjan Parajuli ◽  
Gregory J. Thoma
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vegetarian Diet ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Consumption Pattern

A tiered hybrid input–output-based life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to analyze potential environmental impacts associated with current US food consumption patterns and the recommended USDA food consumption patterns. The greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) in the current consumption pattern (CFP 2547 kcal) and the USDA recommended food consumption pattern (RFP 2000 kcal) were 8.80 and 9.61 tons CO2-eq per household per year, respectively. Unlike adopting a vegetarian diet (i.e., RFP 2000 kcal veg or RFP 2600 kcal veg), adoption of a RFP 2000 kcal diet has a probability of increasing GHGEs and other environmental impacts under iso-caloric analysis. The bigger environmental impacts of non-vegetarian RFP scenarios were largely attributable to supply chain activities and food losses at retail and consumer levels. However, the RFP 2000 vegetarian diet showed a significant reduction in the environmental impacts (e.g., GHGEs were 22% lower than CFP 2547). Uncertainty analysis confirmed that the RFP 2600 scenario (mean of 11.2; range 10.3–12.4 tons CO2-eq per household per year) is higher than CFP 2547 (mean of 8.81; range 7.89–9.95 tons CO2-eq per household per year) with 95% confidence. The outcomes highlight the importance of incorporating environmental sustainability into dietary guidelines through the entire life cycle of the food system with a full accounting of the effects of food loss/waste.

scholarly journals Potential energy of plant biomass: banana, coconut, cacao and corn

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
Genial Belvine Epeni Tombo ◽  
Edison Cedeño Zambrano ◽  
Jair Loor Barreiro ◽  
Jordi Medranda Posligua
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Potential Energy ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Energy Potential

In this document, a study was carried out on the energy potential of plant biomass in the Portoviejo canton, since climate change is not a utopia, but the reality. Throughout this study, an overview of the capacity in biomass at the national, provincial and cantonal level (Portoviejo) was presented, a study on the culture of banana, cocoa, coconut, and corn was made since it is important to know if the canton can respond to the biomass demand of the selected plants. Then the socio-economic and environmental impacts were analyzed in a general way.

A green solution for the rehabilitation marginal lands: the case of Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Manuela Abreu ◽  
Fernando Monteiro ◽  
Patrícia Vidigal
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Translocation Factor ◽  
Contaminated Sites ◽  
Contaminated Site ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
Lablab Purpureus ◽  
Marginal Lands ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Wide Range

<p>With the increasing population growth rate, and in order to attain the goals set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is necessary to find solutions that can ensure food security and food safety. Population growth implies not only increasing food demand, but also land use for housing, which ultimately results in the need to claim more land. However, with only 30% land available in the world, it is crucial to find strategies to answer the demands for the near future. A potential strategy could be the reclaiming/recovery of marginal lands, such as salt and drought prone lands, or even abandoned mining areas, that are not suitable for farming. The latter is still a controversial approach, because of the knowledge void, as to determining pollution level, environmental and health risk assessment protocols, contaminated sites identification, all factors that can diminish the success of sustainably recover abandoned mining areas. Mining activities result in land degradation, environmental contamination and thus ecosystem disruption. Soils/wastes from mining areas are rich in potentially hazardous elements (PHE) that cannot be degraded, thus there has been recent efforts to create sustainable ecotechnologies that could rehabilitate these areas, creating conditions for agriculture activities while assuring food safety. Phytostabilization is a prospective rehabilitation strategy that uses adapted/tolerant plants towards PHE immobilization in the rhizosphere and most especially with low PHE translocation factors from soil/roots to shoots. Allying with this, one can improve soil properties (e.g. fertility, water-holding capacity, structure) to promote plant growth and PHE availability decrease, by engineering a soil (Technosol) using organic and/or inorganic amendments together with soils/wastes from the contaminated site. The combination of phytostabilization with geotechnologies can minimize the risk to both human health and the environment, while promoting solutions for waste management and circular economy. Although the combination of these strategies seems ideal, it is not without issues that have to be addressed, such as the highly important task of identifying the nature/amount of PHE, soil proprieties, climatic conditions and the PHE translocation factor of the species that could be stablished in a specific mining site for rehabilitation. In other words, for each contaminated site it is necessary to design a specific phytotechnology tailor-made for each situation. In the present study, it was evaluated the response of a highly drought tolerant legume, <em>Lablab purpureus</em> (L.) Sweet, which due to its multifunctionality (forage, food, ornamental and medicinal), can offer a wide range of revenue to areas that otherwise would be neglected for agricultural activities as is the case of São Domingos abandoned mine area, our study area. After Lablab growing in Technosols made with high contaminated soils (e.g. As, Pb, Cu, Zn) and organic/inorganic wastes, our findings show that Lablab accumulates PHE in the roots and the concentrations present in the shoots are safe for animal consumption, thus presenting a potential plant to rehabilitate highly contaminated sites using Technosols.</p>

scholarly journals Environmental impact assessment of a METRO infrastructure facility construction by modelling water and soil pollution

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 640-652
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Infrastructure Projects

<p>The construction of large infrastructure projects such as highways, railroads, landfills, airports, harbours offers great social-economic opportunities for the development of a region; it is also mainly responsible for the deterioration of natural environment in the greater areas where these projects are located. The goal of environmental impact assessment (EIA) that is carried out before the construction of such a project is to propose measures and actions that will limit negative environmental impacts during its construction and operation phases. The common perception is that large scale infrastructure projects can only damage natural environment even though very strict environmental requirements are imposed by the Authorities. This was not the case in Eleonas Attikis region in Greece where METRO facilities were built. During the construction phase, hazardous solid wastes were found buried in the urban area where METRO facilities (station, tunnel and depot) were located, raising serious environmental issues in natural and human environment in the region.</p> <div> <p>The protection and restoration of environment in an uncontrolled waste dumpsite require accurate estimation of subsurface pollution extent and intensity. The scope of the present analysis is to map the contamination in the aquifer of Eleona Attikis where METRO facilities (station, tunnel and depot) were built. Numerical modelling approaches were used to estimate environmental impacts of this project to soil and water resources in the greater region. The results have shown that the removal of buried solid wastes to construct METRO station and depot was crucial in order to eliminate negative impacts in soil and subsurface water resources. An impact assessment of hazardous solid wastes buried for many years in the aquifer was also performed. The findings of this analysis proved that the implementation of a large infrastructure project such as the one in Eleona Attikis Greece was environmentally beneficial for the region.</p> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p>

scholarly journals The role of urban vegetable production in Jos (Nigeria) as a source of livelihood

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (103) ◽  
pp. 18533-18551
Author(s):  
Solomon Wuyep ◽  
◽  
IT Rampedi ◽  
AP Ifegbesan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Vegetable Farmers ◽  
Vegetable Farming

Many cities of developing countries experience widespread poverty due to accelerated migration of people from rural to urban areas as well as high population growth rates. The city of Jos in Plateau State is experiencing rapid population growth as well, with the attendant problems of food insecurity, insufficient income, unemployment and environmental degradation. This study assessed the role that urban vegetable production plays in providing a source of livelihood to small-scale farmers in Jos. The farmers were registered with the third Fadama Project in Nigeria. Such projects derive their name from the native Hausa word ‘fadama’ which means irrigable lands on flood-prone and low-lying plains. Forty percent (40%) of urban vegetable farmers were randomly selected to have a sample size of 94 participants. A mixed method approach was used and this involved questionnaire-administered interviews. The primary data obtained were transcribed and subjected to ANOVA and t-test analysis. From the results obtained, most of the vegetables farm plots are located predominantly in the southern part of the study area. Results indicated that vegetable farming is playing an important role in providing 84% part-time and 5% full-time employment opportunities as well as reducing food insecurity among the study participants. In addition, most farmers achieved an income of more than the minimum wage of ₦30, 000 (US$ 72. 24) as approved by the Nigerian Government. The results also showed that lack of credit facilities, seasonal variations and the high cost of farm inputs and equipment are the most serious problems faced by participants. Other challenges associated with small-scale urban farming entailed the negative environmental impacts that may lead to the decline of environmental quality, thus undermining long term sustainability. Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences among participants in terms of the relationship between the type of vegetables they produce, incomes generated, environmental impacts and their demographical attributes. These attributes are the age, gender, marital status, and educational background of participants. Based on these findings, and the socio-economic importance of vegetable farming in this study area, governments and financial institutions should establish better policies in order to solve the problems faced by small-scale vegetable farmers in urban areas.

scholarly journals Holistic assessment of solid wastes and their environmental impacts in Osogbo city, Southwestern Nigeria with the application of GaBi6 modeling tool

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (Issue 1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S.O Ojoawo ◽  
A.A Amoo ◽  
O.M Adisa
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
The United States ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Waste Generation ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
The Impact

Environmental impacts and attendant nuisance of solid wastes escalate in the 21st Century. Effective management of the wastes in a holistic manner is a proven way out of the menace. This research focuses on accessing the life cycle of solid wastes in Osogbo. The main objective is to evaluate the physical and chemical constituents of the wastes and determine their best disposal method in the study area. In the study, wastes were collected over a period of 2 weeks, wastes composition was determined for the randomly selected residential buildings, and the per capital waste generation rate was evaluated for the area. Potable gas detectors were used to detect and measure the gases present at this dumpsite. The emission of gases and energy consumption was evaluated using the methodology of life cycle in calculating life cycle inventory of the waste strategies. The measured gases include; Sulphur (IV) oxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon (iv) oxide (CO2), ammonia (NH4). The Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other Environmental Impacts (TRACI) of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Methodology of the Centre for Environmental Studies (CML) of the University of Leiden are the two approaches applied as provided for in the GaBi6 (Holistic Balancing) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software database, to classify and characterize environmental impacts of municipal wastes in Osogbo. The Impact Indices measured from both scenarios were: Global Warming Potential (GWP), Acidification Potential (AP), Eutrophication Potential (EP) and Ozone Layer Depletion Potential (ODP). For the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), two waste management scenarios were developed and compared using GaBi6 software. Scenario one involves collection, transportation and incineration, while Scenario 2 ends with landfilling. Findings showed that the overall mean percent (%) wastes composition for paper, biodegradable, plastic, glass, metal, wood and textile were respectively found to be 4.32, 67.53, 5.07, 4.90, 6.54, 8.74 and 2.90. The per capita waste generation in the study area was found to be 1.09 kg/capita/day. From the results of LCIA methods studied using the ODP index, Scenario one with the TRACI method gives the total values for GWP, AP, EP, ODP as 4.18, 1.08, 1.392E-4, 3.147E-8 respectively. With the CML method, the values are 4.18, 1.3E-3, 3.771E-4, 2.878E-8 respectively. The respective results from scenario two with the TRACI method and CML methods showed total values for GWP, AP, EP, ODP as 9.64, 0.112, 3.108E-3, 1.447E-11 and 9.64, 1.77E-3, 7.247E-3, 1.361E-11. It is concluded that of the two management scenarios considered, landfilling of wastes is more environmentally friendly as compared to incineration, and is therefore recommended for use in the study area.

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