Environmental Impacts of Renewable Insulation Materials

According to the IEA Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2019, one of the main industry sectors causing environmental impacts is the construction sector. Hence, construction materials from renewable resources are expected to have a large potential to decrease these impacts. In this study, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted for four different insulation materials from renewable feedstock: insulation made from pasture grass, seaweed, reed, and recycled jute fibres. Additionally, the effects on land use change were evaluated for pasture grass insulation using the LANCA® methodology. To put the LCA results in relation to those of non-renewable resources, a comparison of standardized LCA values for conventional insulation materials is presented. In general, the renewable insulation materials show fewer environmental impacts than their conventional counterparts. In particular, these materials have advantages regarding greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on climate change. Of the analyzed materials, seaweed showed the overall lowest emissions. It can be concluded that insulation materials from non-mineral, non-fossil, and non-wooden resources are still fairly niche in terms of market share, but they have extraordinary potential in decreasing the environmental impacts of construction ventures.

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Fungal Based Biopolymer Composites for Construction Materials

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14112906 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 2906

Author(s):

Iuliana Răut ◽

Mariana Călin ◽

Zina Vuluga ◽

Florin Oancea ◽

Jenica Paceagiu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Insulation ◽

Renewable Resources ◽

Heat Exposure ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Bacterial Spores ◽

Fungal Mycelium ◽

Insulation Material ◽

Construction Sector ◽

Low Costs ◽

Microscopy Images

Environmental contamination, extensive exploitation of fuel sources and accessibility of natural renewable resources represent the premises for the development of composite biomaterials. These materials have controlled properties, being obtained through processes operated in mild conditions with low costs, and contributing to the valorization of byproducts from agriculture and industry fields. A novel board composite including lignocelullosic substrate as wheat straws, fungal mycelium and polypropylene embedded with bacterial spores was developed and investigated in the present study. The bacterial spores embedded in polymer were found to be viable even after heat exposure, helping to increase the compatibility of polymer with hydrophilic microorganisms. Fungal based biopolymer composite was obtained after cultivation of Ganoderma lucidum macromycetes on a mixture including wheat straws and polypropylene embedded with spores from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy images showed the fungal mycelium covering the substrates with a dense network of filaments. The resulted biomaterial is safe, inert, renewable, natural, biodegradable and it can be molded in the desired shape. The fungal biocomposite presented similar compressive strength and improved thermal insulation capacity compared to polystyrene with high potential to be used as thermal insulation material for applications in construction sector.

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IT Governance in Romania: A Case Study

Global Economy Journal ◽

10.2202/1524-5861.1441 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 1850158 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mirela Gheorghe ◽

Pavel Nastase ◽

Dana Boldeanu ◽

Aleca Ofelia

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Financial Institutions ◽

It Governance ◽

Status Report ◽

Policies And Procedures ◽

Governance Practices ◽

Global Status ◽

Using Data ◽

And Control

Relatively new in Romania, IT governance is defined as procedures and policies established in order to assure that the IT system of an organization sustains its goals and strategies. This bundle of policies and procedures, following the best practices in the area, intends to guide and control the IT function in order to add value to the organization and to minimize IT risks. The purpose of the research is to identify the measure in which the IT governance practices are implemented to the level of the financial institutions in Romania. The goal of this paper is a comparative analysis for implementing IT governance using data offered by the IT Governance Institute. This institute makes every year a study (IT Governance Global Status Report – 2006) to determine a sense of priorities and to develop actions for implementing IT governance, using data which acknowledges once more the need for all organizations to have tools and services to assure an efficient IT governance. In this way, the research will analyze, in the field of Romanian financial institutions, the most serious IT problems pointed out by the respondents from the last year, the most efficient measures considered by top management for resolving problems pointed out, the best used practices in IT governance and the most used frameworks for implementing IT governance practices.

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Application of Wall and Insulation Materials on Green Building: A Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10093331 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 3331 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Hao Wang ◽

Pen-Chi Chiang ◽

Yanpeng Cai ◽

Chunhui Li ◽

Xuan Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Insulation ◽

Construction Material ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Green Building ◽

Development Trend ◽

Plant Fibers ◽

Sustainable Resources ◽

Insulation Materials ◽

Green Construction ◽

Wall Materials

The construction materials utilized in the building sector have accounted for a large amount of natural resource and energy consumption. Green building, which has developed over three decades, can be regarded as a management and technical approach for building and construction sectors to achieve resource and energy sustainability in building sectors. Therefore, the development and deployment of green construction materials play an important role in the green building field due to the contribution of sustainable resources and energy. To realize the barriers of energy and resources utilization on green building, the development trend, application, and some case studies on wall materials and thermal insulation materials are described. A summary of plant fibers, recycled wastes, and photochromic glass is developed to show applications of green construction materials, which contributes to sustainable development. The challenges and barriers from business, technical, and policy aspects are also reviewed. Finally, perspectives and prospects of green construction material life-cycle framework are illustrated. This paper presents a snapshot review of the importance of wall materials and thermal insulation materials from the point of view of energy and resources consumption.

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PELATIHAN KADER POSYANDU PTM (PENYAKIT TIDAK MENULAR) DIWILAYAH TELUK BOGAM

Jurnal Borneo Cendekia ◽

10.54411/jbc.v2i1.112 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 111-113

Author(s):

Yogie Irawan ◽

Riky Riky ◽

Rastia Ningsih

Keyword(s):

World Health Organization ◽

World Health ◽

Status Report ◽

Global Status ◽

Health Organization

Penyakit tidak menular (PTM) sudah menjadi masalah kesehatan masyarakat secara global, regional,nasional dan lokal. Global status report on NCD World Health Organization (WHO) tahun 2010 melaporkan bahwa 60% penyebab kematian semua umur di dunia adalah karena PTM. Kegiatan ini berupa pelatihan kader posyandu mengenai penyakit tidak menular diwilayah kerja Puskesmas Teluk Bogam. Penyuluhan dilaksanakan di Puskesmas Teluk Bogam. Tujuan kegiatan ini adalah untuk untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilannya dalam mendeteksi dini dan mengontrol hipertensi dengan cara memberikan penyuluhan tentang hipertensi, pentingnya mengontrol hipertensi dan bagaimana cara mengukur tekanan darah. Kata kunci : Lansia

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Life Cycle Assessment of viticultural technical management routes (TMRs): comparison between an organic and an integrated management route

OENO One ◽

10.20870/oeno-one.2016.50.2.783 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Anthony Rouault ◽

Sandra Beauchet ◽

Christel Renaud-Gentie ◽

Frédérique Jourjon

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metal ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Plant Protection ◽

Resource Depletion ◽

Impact Categories ◽

Nitrogen Emissions ◽

Technical Management ◽

Lca Results

Aims: Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), this study aims to compare the environmental impacts of two different viticultural technical management routes (TMRs); integrated and organic) and to identify the operations that contribute the most to the impacts.Methods and results: LCA impact scores were expressed in two functional units: 1 ha of cultivated area and 1 kg of collected grape. We studied all operations from field preparation before planting to the end-of-life of the vine. Inputs and outputs were transformed into potential environmental impacts thanks to SALCA™ (V1.02) and USETox™ (V1.03) methods. Plant protection treatments were a major cause of impact for both TMRs for fuel-related impact categories. For both TMRs, the main contributors to natural resource depletion and freshwater ecotoxicity were trellis system installation and background heavy metal emissions, respectively.Conclusion: This study shows that the studied organic TMR has higher impact scores than the integrated TMR for all the chosen impact categories except eutrophication. However, the chosen TMRs are only typical of integrated and organic viticulture in Loire Valley and some emission models (heavy metal, fuel-related emissions, and nitrogen emissions) have to be improved in order to better assess the environmental impacts of viticulture. Soil quality should also be integrated to LCA results in viticulture because this lack may be a disadvantage for organic viticulture.Significance and impact of study: This study is among the first to compare LCA results of an integrated and an organic TMR.

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Analysis of New Construction Materials and its Development

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.204-208.4119 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 204-208 ◽

pp. 4119-4123

Author(s):

Bo Wang ◽

Ji Cheng ◽

Xiao Han Zhang

Keyword(s):

Thermal Insulation ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Insulation Materials ◽

New Construction ◽

Wall Materials ◽

Basic Concepts ◽

Countermeasures And Suggestions ◽

Traditional Construction ◽

Sealing Materials

New construction materials are the new generations of construction materials which are on the basis of the traditional construction materials, including the new wall materials, thermal insulation materials, water sealing materials, decoration materials and etc. New construction materials industry is developed with the deeply reforming and opening of China. This paper introduces the basic concepts and characters of the new construction materials, analyzes the development and application of the new construction materials, and then discusses countermeasures and suggestions of the development of the new construction materials.

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LCA-Based Investigation of Environmental Impacts for Novel Double-Beam Floor System Subjected to High Gravity Loads

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12219193 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (21) ◽

pp. 9193

Author(s):

Insub Choi ◽

JunHee Kim ◽

DongWon Kim

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Environmental Performance ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Structural Effect ◽

Structural Systems ◽

High Gravity ◽

Underground Structures ◽

Double Beam ◽

Floor System

In populated downtown areas, a floor system with secured environmental performance is needed to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and global warming problems related to buildings. This study aims to assess environmental impacts on a novel double-beam floor system subjected to high gravity loads. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to investigate the environmental impacts on the reduction in construction materials by calculating global warming potential (GWP) in the structural design phase. For different structural systems, the environmental performance was compared based on the GWP, and the contributions of structural elements to the GWP in each structural system were analyzed. The rotational constraints induced by the beam-end concrete panel can significantly reduce the GWP of the double-beam floor system by up to 13.8% compared to the conventional beam-girder system. Thus, the double-beam floor system reinforced with the concrete panel can be a candidate for eco-friendly structural systems in underground structures requiring high gravity loads. This result provides valuable findings that the structural effect on the rotational constraint of the concrete panel was quantitatively evaluated by converting it into an environmental impact.

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Unraveling Green Information Technology Systems as a Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Game-Changer

Administrative Sciences ◽

10.3390/admsci9020043 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 43 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Katundu Imasiku ◽

Valerie Thomas ◽

Etienne Ntagwirumugara

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Information Technology ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Renewable Resources ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Green Growth ◽

Green Information Technology

Green information technology systems (Green ITS) are proposed as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and other environmental impacts while supporting ecological sustainable development. The Green ITS concept combines both Green information technology (IT) and Green information system (IS) applications. The Green ITS concept has the potential to combat the carbon emission problem globally, beyond simply Green IT, because it combines management, organizational, and technology dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation, especially if supported by global policy. Examples include life cycle assessment software for measuring GHG emissions, and software for monitoring GHG emissions. Previous studies on environmental burdens such as GHGs, water and air pollution, energy losses and other forms of waste alongside socio-economic dependent variables including renewable resources and climate change policies are reviewed and synthesized. The research analysis conjointly points to the usage of renewable resources such as solar and wind as a critical strategy to scale back GHG emissions and enhance green growth. Empirical evidence shows that developed countries can reduce their carbon emissions while developing countries can utilize carbon emission-free technologies as they aspire to achieve development. The two significant benefits of the Green ITS strategy are first, to provide the environmental benefits of reducing greenhouse emissions and other environmental impacts and second, to enhance global green growth, which supports achievement of ecological sustainable development. Green ITS tools support achievement of the UN SDG 7, 13 and 15, which emphasize clean energy, climate action and ecological sustainable development, respectively. Future research directions include the formulation of a strategy to combat GHGs and design of a system to monitor carbon emissions and other waste remotely.

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Global status report on violence prevention 2014

Injury Prevention ◽

10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041640 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 213-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Alexander Butchart ◽

Christopher Mikton ◽

Linda L Dahlberg ◽

Etienne G Krug

Keyword(s):

Violence Prevention ◽

Status Report ◽

Global Status

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Cost and environmental impacts reduction through building compactness

Engineering Construction & Architectural Management ◽

10.1108/ecam-03-2020-0147 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Andrea Parisi Kern ◽

Renata Postay ◽

Eduardo Reuter Schneck ◽

Mauricio Mancio ◽

Marco Aurélio Stumpf González ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Embodied Energy ◽

Constructive Method ◽

Emission Data ◽

Content Type ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Cost ◽

Research Stage ◽

Compactness Index

PurposeThe central motivation for this study was to examine alternatives against the apartment area reduction as a safe way to reduce construction costs, adopted by many construction companies. From the building economic compactness index concept, it was studied the cost and environmental impacts (material consumption, embodied energy – EE and CO2 emission).Design/methodology/approachThe research strategy takes advantage of a case study aiming to investigate the relation between design characteristics related to area (m²) and building economic compactness index (%) with cost (Research Stage 1) and with environmental impacts: (Research Stage 2). The study involved real data from social housing projects, chosen in terms in terms of very similar features like size, area and constructive method (constants), however, with dissimilar compactness (variable).FindingsThe lack of direct relation between area and cost signs the importance of including the cost of vertical plans considered in the economic compactness building. The higher the economic compactness index, the lower the cost, the lower the amount of material, EE and CO2 emission parameters. However, due to the wide range of EE and CO2 values available, the reduction in the amount of materials achieved by increasing building economic compactness index may not be reflected in EE and CO2 gains.Research limitations/implicationsAs the limitation of this study, it must be taken into account a limited number of case buildings and the fact that the analysis is dependent on the reliability and accuracy of the data provided by constructors and the available information of EE and CO2 emission. As well discussed in the literature, the consistent database is a great challenge for the construction sector.Originality/valueThere might be alternatives to higher areas with relatively low-cost increments since results from buildings with the same area present different cost estimative and suggest a strong relationship with the economic compactness index. The large variation of EE and CO2 emission data indicates that reductions obtained by compactness increase may be impaired if the construction materials are produced with high levels of EE and CO2 emission. Thus, there must be an integrated effort on the part of designers (design and material specification) and manufacturers (material production), since isolated solutions may not be enough.

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