Sustainability Analysis of Active Packaging for the Fresh Cut Vegetable Industry by Means of Attributional & Consequential Life Cycle Assessment

In order to enlarge the shelf life and avoid the waste of fresh-cut (FC) products, novel packaging techniques with antimicrobial properties have been proposed. In this work, we analyzed the potential environmental benefits of using films reinforced with bactericidal ZnO nanoparticles (NP) for FC produce packaging, when compared to the traditional polypropylene (PP) films. A biodegradable, polylactic acid (PLA) package and a non-biodegradable, polypropylene package, both coated with ZnO NP, were considered as novel technologies. The eco-profile of the considered alternatives was assessed via two life cycle assessments (LCAs). Firstly, an attributional LCA was performed in order to compare the materials in terms of their production and end of life (EOL) processes, allowing us to extend the conclusions to different food products. Secondly, a consequential LCA was performed taking into account the whole life cycle of the fresh vegetable, with special attention to the environmental implications of the produce losses among the chain. The uncertainties of the models were assessed via Monte Carlo approach. In both cases, the scenarios concerning the PLA and PP active packages with ZnO NP showed a better profile than the traditional techniques, specifically when considering the full supply chain of the FC vegetables in the consequential LCA. As agricultural production is the main contributor to the environmental impact of the cycle, the avoidance of wastes by extending the shelf life through the novel packages leads to the impact reduction of FC products.

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Life Cycle Sustainability Assessments of an Innovative FRP Composite Footbridge

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su132313000 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (23) ◽

pp. 13000

Author(s):

Timothy Jena ◽

Sakdirat Kaewunruen

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

End Of Life ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Raw Material ◽

Suitable Alternative ◽

Frp Composite ◽

Reinforced Plastic ◽

The Impact ◽

Whole Life Cycle

Sustainable construction and the design of low-carbon structures is a major concern for the UK construction industry. FRP composite materials are seen as a suitable alternative to traditional construction materials due to their high strength and light weight. Network Rail has developed a prototype for a new innovative footbridge made entirely from FRP with the aim of replacing the current steel design for footbridges. This study conducted a life cycle analysis of this novel composite footbridge design to quantify the cost and environmental benefits. An LCA and LCC analysis framework was used to analyse the environmental impacts and cost savings of the bridge throughout its lifespan from raw material extraction to its end of life. From the results of the LCA and LCC, the FRP footbridge sustainability was reviewed and compared to a standard steel footbridge. Due to the uncertainty of the fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) structure’s lifespan, multiple scenarios for longevity at the assets-use stage were studied. The study revealed that the FRP bridge offered substantial economic savings whilst presenting potentially worse environmental impacts, mainly caused by the impact of the production of FRP materials. However, our study also demonstrated the influences of uncertainties related to the glass-fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) material design life and end-of-life disposal on the whole life cycle analyses. The results show that if the FRP footbridge surpasses its original estimation for lifespan, the economic savings can be increased and the environmental impacts can be reduced substantially.

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Environmental potential of carbon dioxide utilization in the polyurethane supply chain

Faraday Discussions ◽

10.1039/c5fd00067j ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 183 ◽

pp. 291-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Niklas von der Assen ◽

André Sternberg ◽

Arne Kätelhön ◽

André Bardow

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Supply Chain Optimization ◽

Environmental Evaluation ◽

Impact Reduction ◽

Carbon Dioxide Utilization ◽

Systematic Exploration ◽

The Impact

Potential environmental benefits have been identified for the utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a feedstock for polyurethanes (PUR). CO2 can be utilized in the PUR supply chain in a wide variety of ways ranging from direct CO2 utilization for polyols as a PUR precursor, to indirect CO2 utilization for basic chemicals in the PUR supply chain. In this paper, we present a systematic exploration and environmental evaluation of all direct and indirect CO2 utilization options for flexible and rigid PUR foams. The analysis is based on an LCA-based PUR supply chain optimization model using linear programming to identify PUR production with minimal environmental impacts. The direct utilization of CO2 for polyols allows for large specific impact reductions of up to 4 kg CO2-eq. and 2 kg oil-eq. per kg CO2 utilized, but the amounts of CO2 that can be utilized are limited to 0.30 kg CO2 per kg PUR. The amount of CO2 utilized can be increased to up to 1.7 kg CO2 per kg PUR by indirect CO2 utilization in the PUR supply chain. Indirect CO2 utilization requires hydrogen (H2). The environmental impacts of H2 production strongly affect the impact of indirect CO2 utilization in PUR. To achieve optimal environmental performance under the current fossil-based H2 generation, PUR production can only utilize much less CO2 than theoretically possible. Thus, utilizing as much CO2 in the PUR supply chain as possible is not always environmentally optimal. Clean H2 production is required to exploit the full CO2 utilization potential for environmental impact reduction in PUR production.

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Life Cycle Assessment of Maize-Germ Oil Production and The Use of Bioenergy to Mitigate Environmental Impacts: A Gate-To-Gate Case Study

Resources ◽

10.3390/resources8020060 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 60 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Mattias Gaglio ◽

Elena Tamburini ◽

Francesco Lucchesi ◽

Vassilis Aschonitis ◽

Anna Atti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Food Industry ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Impact Categories ◽

Industrial Processing ◽

The Impact

The need to reduce the environmental impacts of the food industry is increasing together with the dramatic increment of global food demand. Circulation strategies such as the exploitation of self-produced renewable energy sources can improve ecological performances of industrial processes. However, evidence is needed to demonstrate and characterize such environmental benefits. This study assessed the environmental performances of industrial processing of maize edible oil, whose energy provision is guaranteed by residues biomasses. A gate-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was applied for a large-size factory of Northern Italy to describe: (i) the environmental impacts related to industrial processing and (ii) the contribution of residue-based bioenergy to their mitigation, through the comparison with a reference system based on conventional energy. The results showed that oil refinement is the most impacting phase for almost all the considered impact categories. The use of residue-based bioenergy was found to drastically reduce the emissions for all the impact categories. Moreover, Cumulative Energy Demand analysis revealed that the use of biomass residues increased energy efficiency through a reduction of the total energy demand of the industrial process. The study demonstrates that the exploitation of residue-based bioenergy can be a sustainable solution to improve environmental performances of the food industry, while supporting circular economy.

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Optimizing the Environmental Profile of Fresh-Cut Produce: Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Decontamination and Sanitation Techniques

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12093674 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 3674

Author(s):

Miguel Vigil ◽

Maria Pedrosa Laza ◽

Henar Moran-Palacios ◽

JV Alvarez Cabal

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

The Novel ◽

Water Stream ◽

Novel Technologies ◽

Subsequent Decrease ◽

Pulsed Corona ◽

Cellulose Acetate Membranes ◽

Water Recirculation ◽

Fresh Cut

Fresh-cut vegetables, namely those that undergo processes such as washing, sorting, or chopping while keeping their fresh state, constitute an important market element nowadays. Among those operations, the washing step becomes really important due both to the extensive use of water resources and to the utilization of controversial water sanitizing agents, such as chlorine. To ideally eliminate those chlorinated compounds while decreasing water consumption, four novel filtrating technologies (pulsed corona discharge combined with nanofiltration, NF-PCD; classical ultrafiltration, UF; nanofiltration membranes integrating silver nanoparticles, NF-AgNP; and microfiltration with cellulose acetate membranes containing chitin nanocrystals, ChCA) have been proposed to eliminate any contaminating agent in recirculated water. Here, we performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental effects of introducing these new solutions and to compare those impacts with the burden derived from the current strategy. The novel technologies showed a decreased environmental burden, mainly due to the enhanced water recirculation and the subsequent decrease in energy consumption for pumping and cooling the water stream. The environmental gain would be maintained even if a certain amount of chlorine was still needed. This analysis could serve as an aid to decision-making while evaluating the introduction of new sanitizing techniques.

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Environmental Implications of Taiwanese Oolong Tea and the Opportunities of Impact Reduction

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11216042 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (21) ◽

pp. 6042

Author(s):

Yi-Wen Chiu

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Footprint ◽

Environmental Implications ◽

Natural Gases ◽

Oolong Tea ◽

Mixed Scheme ◽

Impact Reduction ◽

Production And Consumption ◽

Cooking Energy ◽

Tea Production

Tea is the second most consumed beverage globally, yet its environmental implications are largely unknown. To overcome this knowledge gap, life-cycle analysis was conducted aiming to quantify the environmental impacts associated with tea production and consumption. To achieve this objective, Oolong tea production in Taiwan was selected to investigate the life-cycle impact in global warming potential (GWP) and eutrophication potential (EP) associated with one serving of hot tea consumed in Taiwan domestically and the international market in the U.S. and U.K. The results indicate that each serving of Oolong tea can result in a total of 28.6 g CO2-equivalent of GWP and 0.09 g N-equivalent of EP. Over 52% of GWP and 44% of EP are associated with the tea’s cultivation, in which the application and production of agrochemicals accounts for 90% of GWP and 98% of EP. International consumption can increase GWP and EP by 19% and 26%, respectively, which is largely attributable to the change of cooking energy from natural gases to an electric-gas mixed scheme. The findings from this study articulate the environmental portfolio of Oolong tea. More importantly, we can identify opportunities to mitigate the environmental footprint of Oolong tea in order to advance future sustainability.

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Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Valuation of Biochar Production: Two Case Studies in Belgium

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12112166 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 2166 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Sara Rajabi Hamedani ◽

Tom Kuppens ◽

Robert Malina ◽

Enrico Bocci ◽

Andrea Colantoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Production Systems ◽

Point Of View ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Pig Manure ◽

Future Research ◽

Life Cycle Perspective ◽

The Impact

It is unclear whether the production of biochar is economically feasible. As a consequence, firms do not often invest in biochar production plants. However, biochar production and application might be desirable from a societal perspective as it might entail net environmental benefits. Hence, the aim of this work has been to assess and monetize the environmental impacts of biochar production systems so that the environmental aspects can be integrated with the economic and social ones later on to quantify the total return for society. Therefore, a life cycle analysis (LCA) has been performed for two potential biochar production systems in Belgium based on two different feedstocks: (i) willow and (ii) pig manure. First, the environmental impacts of the two biochar production systems are assessed from a life cycle perspective, assuming one ton of biochar as the functional unit. Therefore, LCA using SimaPro software has been performed both on the midpoint and endpoint level. Biochar production from willow achieves better results compared to biochar from pig manure for all environmental impact categories considered. In a second step, monetary valuation has been applied to the LCA results in order to weigh environmental benefits against environmental costs using the Ecotax, Ecovalue, and Stepwise approach. Consequently, sensitivity analysis investigates the impact of variation in NPK savings and byproducts of the biochar production process on monetized life cycle assessment results. As a result, it is suggested that biochar production from willow is preferred to biochar production from pig manure from an environmental point of view. In future research, those monetized environmental impacts will be integrated within existing techno-economic models that calculate the financial viability from an investor’s point of view, so that the total return for society can be quantified and the preferred biochar production system from a societal point of view can be identified.

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Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of a Structural Battery

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11205679 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (20) ◽

pp. 5679 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zackrisson ◽

Jönsson ◽

Johannisson ◽

Fransson ◽

Posner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Electric Vehicle ◽

Mechanical Load ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

The Body ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Environmental Implications ◽

Main Challenge ◽

Structural Battery

With increasing interest in reducing fossil fuel emissions, more and more development is focused on electric mobility. For electric vehicles, the main challenge is the mass of the batteries, which significantly increase the mass of the vehicles and limits their range. One possible concept to solve this is incorporating structural batteries; a structural material that both stores electrical energy and carries mechanical load. The concept envisions constructing the body of an electric vehicle with this material and thus reducing the need for further energy storage. This research is investigating a future structural battery that is incorporated in the roof of an electric vehicle. The structural battery is replacing the original steel roof of the vehicle, and part of the original traction battery. The environmental implications of this structural battery roof are investigated with a life cycle assessment, which shows that a structural battery roof can avoid climate impacts in substantive quantities. The main emissions for the structural battery stem from its production and efforts should be focused there to further improve the environmental benefits of the structural battery. Toxicity is investigated with a novel chemical risk assessment from a life cycle perspective, which shows that two chemicals should be targeted for substitution.

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The Green Degrees of Single Construction Technology Assessment System Using AHP-Fuzzy

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.671-674.2636 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 671-674 ◽

pp. 2636-2643 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cheng Yi ◽

Jun Yi Huang ◽

Fu Yan Sun ◽

Meng Lan Lin ◽

Qiang Liu

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation ◽

Green Technology ◽

Assessment System ◽

Construction Technology ◽

Construction Technique ◽

Green Construction ◽

The Impact ◽

Whole Life Cycle

According to the idea of the life cycle assessment method (LCA), the consumption of the energy and material, which is involved in the whole life cycle in each phase of single green construction technique, and the impact on the environment, is discussed. Based on the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation theory, a green degree evaluation system is established. The Analytic Hierarchy Process method (AHP) is adopted to establish green assessment system of the hierarchical structure model, and by means of 10/10-18/2 scaling method through pairwise comparison on tectonic judgment matrix of each level, the weight of each affecting factor is ultimately determined. Finally, VB program is used to compile visual programs of green degrees assessment. The quantitative assessment of integrated green degree for green construction technology is obtained, after inputting the score of the corresponding index, with reference to the influence of the factors assessment standards. By verifying rationality of the assessment system, the study proves that the system plays a guidance role in the self-assessment and reasonable construction for the construction of green technology.

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Life-cycle assessment of decentralized solutions for wastewater treatment in small communities

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2021.379 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

N. Lourenço ◽

L. M. Nunes

Keyword(s):

Wastewater Treatment ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Activated Sludge ◽

Constructed Wetlands ◽

Economies Of Scale ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Impact Categories ◽

Standard Life ◽

The Impact

Abstract This study benchmarks vermifiltration (VF) as secondary wastewater treatment in three nature-based decentralized treatment plants using life-cycle assessment. The comparison is justified by the comparatively easier and cheaper operation of VF when compared to more traditional technologies, including small rate infiltration (SRI), constructed wetlands (CW), and activated sludge (AS). Standard life cycle assessment was used and applied to three case studies located in southern Europe. Material intensity during construction was highest for VF, but impacts during operation were lower, compensating those of the other phases. Impacts during the construction phase far outweigh those of operation and dismantling for facilities using constructed wetlands and activated sludge, when the number of served inhabitants is small, and due to lack of economies of scale. VF used as secondary treatment was shown to contribute to reducing the environmental impacts, mainly in constructed wetlands and activated sludge. The replacement of CW by VF seems to bring important environmental benefits in most impact categories, in particular in the construction phase. The replacement by VF in facilities with SRI seems to result in the improvement of some of the impact categories, in particular in the operation phase. As for dismantling, no conclusive results were obtained.

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A case based, combined LCA and S-ROI methodology for sustainable mining in the Suceava County, Romania

Present Environment and Sustainable Development ◽

10.15551/pesd2021152017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 209-2020

Author(s):

Ruxandra Ionce ◽

Iuliana Gabriela Breaban

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Value Chain ◽

Return On Investment ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Great Opportunity ◽

Mining Sites ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

Impact Reduction

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a useful tool in decision-making for most businesses that opt for sustainability and offers the possibility to compare different products, processes, and value chain scenarios, both real and hypothetical. Coupled with S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), the LCA has a great potential in using available data for existing mining sites in the North-East Region of Romania to assess the economic, social and environmental benefits of certain sustainability measures on a local and regional level. The article will explore this approach of combining the two methodologies: LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), with necessary adjustments according to the characteristics of the local mining activities, to show key investment areas that can improve the value chain of copper exploitation and preparation in the mining perimeter Mănăila. The case of the copper mine in Mănăila offers a great opportunity to apply the current LICYMIN (Life Cycle of Mining) research and to use available Ecoinvent data for the copper ore by comparing the current value chain scenario with a proposed scenario that includes a different location for a mining ore preparation unit, closer to the quarry. The results will give an insight into the potential social and economic impact (the measure can translate into a higher local employment rate, better social stability, lower transportation costs, etc.) as well as the environmental impact (reduction of GHG emission, pollution, and energy efficiency) of the suggested changes.

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