scholarly journals Environmental Impacts of Building Construction Using Cross-laminated Timber Panel Construction Method: A Case of the Research Building in Kyushu, Japan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuyuki Nakano ◽  
Masahiko Karube ◽  
Nobuaki Hattori
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Photochemical Oxidation ◽  
Cross Laminated Timber ◽  
Biogenic Carbon

In Japan, there has been an increase in the number of buildings built using cross-laminated timber (CLT) in order to utilize the abundant forest resources in the country. However, no studies have evaluated the environmental impact of the construction of CLT buildings in Japan. This study evaluates the environmental impacts from the start of construction to the completion of a real CLT building in Kumamoto city, Kyushu region, southern Japan. We investigated the input of the materials and energy used in the construction of the building. The environmental impact categories evaluated include climate change, ozone layer depletion, eutrophication, acidification, and photochemical oxidation. We found that the concrete used for the foundations, and the cement-based soil stabilizer used for ground reinforcement accounted for 42% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The construction site was previously used as a seedbed field, necessitating ground reinforcement. Furthermore, the large foundations were designed in order to raise the low height of the wooden structure from the ground level. Developing and applying methods with lower environmental impacts for ground reinforcement and building foundations is recommended. In addition, we found that by using biomass-derived electricity in CLT manufacturing, the environmental impacts of CLT manufacturing could be reduced, thus reducing the environmental impacts of the entire building. The biogenic carbon fixed in the wooden parts during the building usage accounted for 32% of the total GHG emissions of the building construction. Since this biogenic carbon will be released to the atmosphere at the end-of-life stage of the building, a long-term usage of the CLT buildings and/or reuse of the CLT is recommended.

scholarly journals The effects of improved performance in the U.S. dairy cattle industry on environmental impacts between 2007 and 2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith L Capper ◽  
Roger A Cady
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Dairy Industry ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Environmental Modeling ◽  
Nutrient Excretion ◽  
The U.S

Abstract The U.S. dairy industry considerably reduced environmental impacts between 1944 and 2007, primarily through improved dairy cow productivity. However, although milk yield per cow has increased over the past decade, whole-system environmental impact analyses have not been conducted over this time period, during which environmental modeling science has improved considerably. The objective of this study was to compare the environmental impact of U.S. dairy cattle production in 2007–2017. A deterministic model based on population demographics, metabolism, and nutrient requirements of dairy cattle was used to estimate resource inputs, nutrient excretion, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per 1.0 × 106 t (one million metric t or MMT) of energy-corrected milk (ECM) produced in 2007 and 2017. System boundaries extended from the manufacture and transport of cropping inputs to milk at the farm gate. Milk transport, processing, and retail were not included. Dairy systems were modeled using typical management practices, herd population dynamics, and production data from U.S. dairy farms. Cropping data were sourced from national databases. The resources required to produce 1.0 MMT ECM in 2017 were considerably reduced relative to those required in 2007, with 2017 production systems using 74.8% of the cattle, 82.7% of the feedstuffs, 79.2% of the land, and 69.5% of the water as compared to 2007. Waste outputs were similarly reduced, with the 2017 U.S. dairy industry producing 79.4%, 82.5%, and 85.7% of the manure, N, and P excretion, respectively. Dairy production in 2017 emitted 80.9% of the CH4 and 81.5% of the N2O per 1.0 MMT ECM compared to 2007. Enteric and manure emissions contributed the major proportion (80%) of GHG emissions per unit of milk, with lesser contributions from cropping (7.6%) and fertilizer application (5.3%). The GHG emissions per 1.0 MMT ECM produced in 2017 were 80.8% of equivalent milk production in 2007. Consequently, although total U.S. ECM production increased by 24.9% between 2007 and 2017, total GHG emissions from this milk production increased by only 1.0%. In line with previous historical analyses, the U.S. dairy industry has made remarkable productivity gains and environmental progress over time. To maintain this culture of continuous improvement, the dairy industry must build on gains made to date and demonstrate its commitment to reducing environmental impacts while improving both economic viability and social acceptability.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment Framework for Embodied Environmental Impacts of Building Construction Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 461
Author(s):  
Mona Abouhamad ◽  
Metwally Abu-Hamd
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Production Stage ◽  
Credit Points ◽  
Construction System

This paper develops a life cycle assessment framework for embodied environmental impacts of building construction systems. The framework is intended to be used early in the design stage to assist decision making in identifying sources of higher embodied impacts and in selecting sustainable design alternatives. The framework covers commonly used building construction systems such as reinforced concrete construction (RCC), hot-rolled steel construction (HRS), and light steel construction (LSC). The system boundary is defined for the framework from cradle-to-grave plus recycling and reuse possibilities. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and life cycle assessment are integrated in the developed framework to evaluate life cycle embodied energy and embodied greenhouse emissions of design options. The life cycle inventory data used to develop the framework were extracted from BIM models for the building material quantities, verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for the material production stage, and the design of construction operations for the construction and end-of-life stages. Application of the developed framework to a case study of a university building revealed the following results. The material production stage had the highest contribution to embodied impacts, reaching about 90%. Compared with the conventional RCC construction system, the HRS construction system had 41% more life cycle embodied energy, while the LSC construction system had 34% less life cycle embodied energy. When each system was credited with the net benefits resulting from possible recycling/reuse beyond building life, the HRS construction system had 10% less life cycle embodied energy, while the LSC construction system had 68% less life cycle embodied energy. Similarly, the HRS construction system had 29% less life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while the LSC construction system had 62% less life cycle GHG emissions. Sustainability assessment results showed that the RCC construction system received zero Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credit points, the HRS construction system received three LEED credit points, while the LSC construction system received five LEED credit points.

scholarly journals Assessing costs and environmental impacts of municipal food waste treatment options in Columbia, Missouri : a decision support tool integrating life cycle analysis and robust optimization

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lydia Schreiber
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Average Case ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Feed Production

Many municipal governments currently have goals in place to align with global efforts and policy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions and take advantage of waste as a resource for renewable energy and nutrients. To meet specified goals and targets, decisionmakers need data-driven analysis to understand both the costs and environmental impacts of their plans. This study develops a decision support tool applied in Columbia, Missouri, USA, with aims to model the economic and environmental tradeoffs in solid waste management decisions for the collection and treatment of food waste in the municipal solid waste stream while considering existing infrastructure and uncertainty in environmental impact data. The tool uses life cycle analysis environmental impact data from literature and cost data from case-studies to simulate both a FW collection route and the processing of FW through various potential and existing treatment options (anaerobic digestion, anaerobic co-digestion with sewage sludge, composting, landfilling, dry animal feed production, wet animal feed production). The model calculates the cost and greenhouse gas emissions of the transportation and treatment processes in each simulation. The tool can choose the best FW management scenario for the objective of minimizing cost or minimizing GHG emissions. Robust optimization incorporates uncertainty into the model by allowing environmental impacts for any FW treatment option to assume a maximum or minimum of a range of values from literature, representing the worst- and best-case values for environmental performance, respectively. Average case results indicate that a minimum cost scenario uses a combination of landfilling and composting FW that results in net positive GHG emissions. To minimize environmental impact, the average case results favor anaerobic digestion, a scenario which results in net negative GHG emissions. Compared to the minimum cost scenario, the transportation costs in the minimum impact scenario are similar, while the costs to treat the FW are nearly nine times higher. Robust results focus on variability in environmental impacts. In the model results, anaerobic digestion is favored when assuming its minimum environmental impact value but is outperformed by other options when anaerobic digestion assumes the maximum of its possible range. All considered options outperform landfilling, but the rankings among landfilling alternatives depend highly on assumptions regarding offsets estimated in life cycle assessment. Without any offsets, wet animal feed production is the best FW treatment solution. Environmental impact of transportation in this model is not influential. The results demonstrate the importance of model assumptions, uncertainty in life cycle GHG estimates, and consideration of existing infrastructure in determining the optimal scenarios.

scholarly journals Optimization of Electricity Generation Technologies to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions in Egypt

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 8788
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdel-Hameed ◽  
Juyoul Kim ◽  
Joung-Hyuk Hyun ◽  
Hilali Hussein Ramadhan ◽  
Soja Reuben Joseph ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Damage Costs ◽  
Vision 2030

In February 2016, the Egyptian government introduced Egyptian Vision 2030. An important pillar of this vision is energy. Egyptian Vision 2030 presented renewable energy as the best solution to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the energy sector. Egypt’s electricity comes from various power plants; conventional thermal plants generate over 90% in which gas-fired generation accounts for 75% of the total output. Following the increase in natural gas (NG) projects in Egypt, NG is the dominant electricity source. Based on the pillars of the sustainable development strategy of Egypt, the county can increase dependence on renewable energies, and reduce CO2 emissions and bound electricity production from natural gas. We aim to determine future energy generation strategies from various power plant technologies depending on these three principles. To make the picture more clear and complete, we compared the environmental impacts and external costs of fossil, hydro, and nuclear power plants in Egypt. We used two computer codes: the model for energy supply strategy alternatives and their general environmental impacts (MESSAGE) and the simplified approach for estimating environmental impacts of electricity generation (SIMPACTS). The MESSAGE code modeled the energy-supply systems to determine the best energy-supply technology to meet future energy demands. SIMPACTS estimated the environmental impact and damage costs associated with electricity generation. The results indicated that nuclear power plants and gas power plants are long-term electricity supply sources. Nuclear power plants entail low total external-damage costs, in addition to low environmental impact during normal operation. We conclude that nuclear power plants are the best alternative long-term electricity-generation choice for Egypt to meet future electricity demands.

scholarly journals RESÍDUOS DA CONSTRUÇÃO CIVIL: O NOVO OLHAR PARA A RECICLAGEM

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (205) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Gustavo Perpetuo Serinolli
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
New Products ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Final Destination ◽  
Materials Used

The waste of materials used in building construction are the main responsible for generating CCW on construction sites. Recycling CCW is an option to minimize the environmental impact caused by it, so that these residues can return as new products for civil construction. The final destination of CCW must be done in dumps, controlled landfills or sanitary, the latter being the most favorable option to the environment, when the disposal is irregular the damage to the environment is significant, due to the variety of materials discarded. The recycling of CCW provides the reuse of waste, which previously would be discarded, in products that have the advantage of reducing spending on the purchase of inputs, and contribute to sustainable. With this, this article aims to discuss sustainability through the recycling of CCW and its final destination. A literature review was carried out through the bibliographic research of articles, scientific works and books according to the theme in the last 20 years. It is concluded that it is essential to have a CCW Management Plan in future works in order to control the generation, recycling and disposal of waste, thus minimizing environmental impacts.

scholarly journals Life cycle assessment and eco-efficiency Indicator for ulos weaving using loom machine in Toba Samosir Regency of North Sumatra

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 05002
Author(s):  
Yuli Yanthi Siagian ◽  
Rizal Sinaga ◽  
Christoper Sinaga ◽  
Yosef Manik
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Functional Unit ◽  
Efficiency Index ◽  
Oxidation Potential ◽  
Photochemical Oxidation ◽  
Index Measurement ◽  
North Sumatra

Toba Samosir Regency is one of the centers of ulos weaving in North Sumatera. Most of the weaving processes are carried out traditionally by small-size enterprises. However, it is identified that there are 8 ulos weaving industries that utilize loom machine. To date, no holistic environmental impact assessment has yet been conducted on weaving industry in Toba Samosir. This study aims to assess potential environmental impact caused by weaving industry in Toba Samosir. The scope of this study covers gate-to-gate stages in ulos production, consisting mangiran, washing, dipping, drying, dying, boiling, sun-drying, weaving, and manirat. The functional unit of this study is 182 kg of ulos, representing one batch of production. The assessments are conducted by two approaches; these are Life Cycle Assessment and Eco-efficiency Index measurement. The LCA modeling and computation of environmental impacts are aided by openLCA software. From LCA, it is revealed that the potential environmental impacts associated with ulos weaving are Eutrophication Potential (5.28E+01 kg PO4 eq - 8.41E+01 kg PO4 eq), Climate Change Potential (7.17E+02 kg CO2 eq - 5.74E+02 kg CO2 eq), and Photochemical Oxidation Potential (3.40E+00 kg CFC-11 eq - 4.68E+01 kg CFC-11 eq). The major stressors causing these impacts are using firewood. The calculation result of Eco-Efficiency Index (EEI) for weaving industry in Toba Samosir Regency falls between 0,1 and 0,4, which indicates the product is affordable but not sustainable..

scholarly journals End-of-Life Alternatives of Glass Reinforced Polyester Boat Hulls Compared by LCA

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 096369351802700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Önal ◽  
Gökdeniz Neşer
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Photochemical Oxidation ◽  
Human Toxicity ◽  
Vacuum Infusion ◽  
Infusion Method

Glass reinforced polyester (GRP), as a thermoset polymer composites, dominates boat building industry with its several advantages such as high strength/weight ratio, cohesiveness, good resistance to environment. However, proper recovering and recycling of GRP boats is became a current environmental requirement that should be met by the related industry. In this study, to propose in a cost effective and environmentally friendly way, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been carried out for six scenarios include two moulding methods (namely Hand Lay-up Method, HLM and Vacuum Infusion Method, VIM) and three End-of-Life (EoL) alternatives(namely Extruding, Incineration and Landfill) for a recreational boat's GRP hulls. A case study from raw materials purchasing phase to disposal/recycling stages has been established taking 11 m length GRP boat hull as the functional unit. Analysis show that in the production phase, the impacts are mainly due to the use of energy (electricity), transport and raw material manufacture. Largest differences between the methods considered (HLM and VIM) can be observed in the factors of marine aquatic ecotoxicity and eutrophication while the closest ones are abiotic depletion, ozon layer depletion and photochemical oxidation. The environmental impact of VIM is much higher than HLM due to its higher energy consumption while vacuum infusion method has lower risk than hand lay-up method in terms of occupational health by using less raw material (resin) in a closed mold. In the comparison of the three EoL techniques, the mechanical way of recycling (granule extruding) shows better environmental impacts except terrestrial ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidation and acidification. Among the EoL alternatives, landfill has the highest environmental impacts except ‘global warming potential’ and ‘human toxicity’ which are the highest in extrusion. The main cause of the impacts of landfill is the transportation needs between the EoL boats and the licenced landfill site. Although it has the higher impact on human toxicity, incineration is the second cleaner alternative of EoL techniques considered in this study. In fact that the similar trend has been observed both in production and EoL phases of the boat. It is obvious that using much more renewable energy mix and greener transportation alternative can reduce the overall impact of the all phases considerably.

scholarly journals Improving the Sustainability of Dairy Slurry by A Commercial Additive Treatment

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Borgonovo ◽  
Cecilia Conti ◽  
Daniela Lovarelli ◽  
Valentina Ferrante ◽  
Marcella Guarino
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Mineral Fertilizer ◽  
Cattle Slurry ◽  
N Loss ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Environmental Impact Categories ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from livestock farms contribute to negative environmental impacts such as acidification and climate change. A significant part of these emissions is produced from the decomposition of slurry in livestock facilities, during storage and treatment phases. This research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the additive “SOP LAGOON” (made of agricultural gypsum processed with proprietary technology) on (i) NH3 and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, (ii) slurry properties and N loss. Moreover, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied to assess the potential environmental impact associated with stored slurry treated with the additive. Six barrels were filled with 65 L of cattle slurry, of which three were used as a control while the additive was used in the other three. The results indicated that the use of the additive led to a reduction of total nitrogen, nitrates, and GHG emissions. LCA confirmed the higher environmental sustainability of the scenario with the additive for some environmental impact categories among which climate change. In conclusion, the additive has beneficial effects on both emissions and the environment, and the nitrogen present in the treated slurry could partially displace a mineral fertilizer, which can be considered an environmental credit.

scholarly journals Assessing the Environmental Impact and Cost of the Tourism-Induced CO2, NOx, SOx Emission in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 604
Author(s):  
Yalan Shi ◽  
Miaojing Yu
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Correlation Effect ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Travel Agency ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Direct Emission

Tourism, as one economic activity, results in a full range of environmental impacts globally as well as in China. However, the evaluation of environmental impacts is insufficient because of the strong correlation effect between tourism and other industries. This study attempted to assess the environmental impact and cost of the tourism-induced pollutant emissions (in a broad sense) at the national scale through constructing the environmental-economic input-output model. Our results suggested that the China’s total emission of CO2, NOx, SOx related to tourism industry increased from 42 × 106 t, 162 kt, 345 kt in 1995 to 157 × 106 t, 527 kt, 854 kt in 2009. The indirect CO2, NOx, and SOx emissions of tourism and related industries were nearly 6.8–11 times of their direct emission in travel agency. Most of these indirect emissions (73% of CO2 in 2009, 54% of NOx in 1995, 62% of SOx in 2009) are derived from the energy plants and industrial sectors. The sustainable tourism should largely depend on the realization of sustainable mobility and transportation, through the low-emission behavior and energy-saving technology. The emission reduction cost of tourism industry in China was 30,170 and 172,812 million CNY in 1995 and 2009, accounting for nearly 14% of the total tourism revenue.

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