Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ziyi Zhuang, Badr A. Mohamed, Loretta Y. Li, Omar Swei
Summary: This study develops a life cycle assessment model to evaluate the environmental and economic impact of four common sewage sludge treatment methods in the North American context. The findings suggest that pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion coupled with agricultural land application have lower global warming impact, while composting and pyrolysis have lower life cycle costs compared to alternative treatments.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Huaping Xiao, Kai Li, Dongqing Zhang, Zhihua Tang, Xiaojun Niu, Linzi Yi, Zhang Lin, Mingli Fu
Summary: This study evaluates different management strategies for sewage sludge disposal based on their environmental, energy, and economic impact. The findings suggest that co-incineration in cement kiln is the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective option, while mono-incineration is the least favorable in terms of environmental impact, energy demand, and cost.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Rourou Zhang, Xiao Liu, Renglu Chen, Zijing Wang, Wei Lin, Huu Hao Ngo, Jun Nan, Guibai Li, Jun Ma, An Ding
Summary: The Fenton process shows potential in reducing organic and toxic components in sludge, but doubts remain about its environmental benefits when incorporated into traditional sludge management systems. The study found that the Fenton process coupled with incineration system can significantly reduce environmental load, but it fails to promote environmental benefits in the anaerobic digestion system.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jouni Havukainen, Ali Saud, Thomas Fruergaard Astrup, Petteri Peltola, Mika Horttanainen
Summary: With the trend of urbanization, the importance of sewage and sludge treatment is increasing. The method of treatment and utilization of digestate has a significant impact on environmental performance, with combustion and composting showing more advantages over pyrolysis. However, further development and assessment are needed for the pyrolysis technology.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Phoebe-Zoe Morsink-Georgali, Angeliki Kylili, Paris A. Fokaides, Agis M. Papadopoulos
Summary: This paper assesses and compares the environmental impact of using sewage sludge for compost production versus biogas production. The study finds that utilizing sludge for biogas production can save energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared to compost production. Life Cycle Assessment shows that the anaerobic digestion process has a lower environmental impact than the composting process. Therefore, exploiting waste materials to produce useful products adds environmental value to the final product.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hui Jiang, Qiang Jin, Panpan Cheng, Ming Hua, Zhen Ye
Summary: The study found that anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (AAO) was the optimal treatment scheme with relatively small potential environmental impact and economic load. The trends of the four technologies on eleven environmental impact categories were basically the same, with marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential accounting for more than 70% of the overall environmental impact. Electricity consumption was identified as the biggest hot spot in terms of environmental and economic burden.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Weixing Liu, Cristina Maria Iordan, Francesco Cherubini, Xiangping Hu, Dafang Fu
Summary: Improving sewage discharge standards can reduce the eutrophication potential of the system, but increases the impacts on fossil energy depletion, global warming potential, human toxicity, freshwater ecological toxicity, and acidification potential. It is necessary to decrease the moisture content of dewatered sludge and prioritize physical methods for advanced treatment, and use clean energy to minimize trade-offs with other environmental impacts. The efficiency of energy recovery in the sludge disposal system is critical to the total environmental impact of the entire system, offering opportunities for improvements.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaoyong Zhang, Xiaoping Chen, Jun Xiao, Xiaowei Peng, Jianguo Wang, Jiliang Ma, Daoyin Liu, Cai Liang
Summary: In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment of sewage sludge incineration processes was conducted. It was found that co-incineration in coal-fired power plants had the best environmental performance, while sewage sludge mono-incineration had the highest disposal costs.
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Felix Mayer, Ramchandra Bhandari, Stefan A. Gaeth
Summary: A study analyzed four treatment paths for sewage sludge in Germany, showing that AD + spreading had the least environmental impacts, but with high local immission potential. Thermal post-treatment is necessary, with AD + I and AD + HTC + I having overall least impacts, while AD + P + I had similar or higher impacts in all categories. Mitigation of fossil energy use, N2O emissions, and careful selection of phosphorous recovery technology are crucial for all post-treatment paths.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jiawen Xie, Xingchen Zhuge, Xixi Liu, Qian Zhang, Yiwen Liu, Peizhe Sun, Yingxin Zhao, Yindong Tong
Summary: This study evaluated the environmental sustainability and socio-economic costs of phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge in China and found that recovering phosphorus through different scenarios can reduce environmental impacts and costs compared to current practices. Among the scenarios, recovering phosphorus as struvite fertilizer showed the highest societal feasibility.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Carol Huang, Badr A. Mohamed, Loretta Y. Li
Summary: This study evaluates the feasibility of pyrolysis scenarios for sewage sludge treatment using life-cycle assessment, energy consumption analysis, carbon emission analysis, and economic benefit analysis. Results show that pyrolysis scenarios producing bio-oil and biochar have significant improvement in terms of environmental impact and profitability, making them eco-friendly sewage sludge treatment methods.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Valentina Innocenzi, Federica Cantarini, Svetlana Zueva, Alessia Amato, Barbara Morico, Francesca Beolchini, Marina Prisciandaro, Francesco Veglio
Summary: This study compared the sustainability of six alternatives for industrial wastewater treatment. The results showed that using thermal waste as utilities and optimizing the crystallization unit are the most environmentally and economically favorable alternatives.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Seda Capa, Alp Ozdemir, Zerrin Gunkaya, Aysun Ozkan, Mufide Banar
Summary: This study examines the effects of industrial wastewater treatment and water recovery processes on the environment using Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Life Cycle Cost methodologies. The results show that the electricity consumption is the main factor impacting the environment, and the water recovery process has significant benefits in reducing certain impact categories. The study suggests that industrial parks should establish appropriate energy policies to improve the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment plants.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lucia Pittura, Alessia Foglia, Cagri Akyol, Giulia Cipolletta, Maura Benedetti, Francesco Regoli, Anna Laura Eusebi, Simona Sabbatini, Linda Y. Tseng, Evina Katsou, Stefania Gorbi, Francesco Fatone
Summary: The study found a high concentration of microplastics in a wastewater treatment plant, which were shown to have adverse effects on anaerobic processes. Further investigation is needed to fully understand the impact of microplastics on these processes.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chang Chen, Renhao Wei, Feng Shi, Xiao Ma, Xiangjun Zhou, Qiao Xiong
Summary: This study explores the application of hydrothermal treatment before pyrolysis to improve the availability of phosphorus in biochar. The results show that the phosphorus in the biochar decreases as the hydrothermal treatment temperature increases. The environmental conditions have negligible effects on the phosphorus release behavior of the biochar. The addition of hydrothermal-treated biochar improves seed germination rate.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lei Huang, Peter Fantke, Amelie Ritscher, Olivier Jolliet
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the potential impact of chemicals in building materials on human health, proposing a model for predicting chemical emissions and identifying 55 high-risk substances in particular, highlighting the need for safer alternatives.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Aimee E. Pink, Katerina S. Stylianou, Li Ling Lee, Olivier Jolliet, Bobby K. Cheon
Summary: The study found that a novel food label, the Health Nutrition Index (HENI), effectively communicates the health benefits of foods, and individuals prioritize the health benefits of foods over the environmental impact they may have.
FOOD QUALITY AND PREFERENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Aubrey L. Arain, Richard L. Neitzel, Kowit Nambunmee, Roland Hischier, Siripond Jindaphong, Jesse Austin-Breneman, Olivier Jolliet
Summary: The informal e-waste recycling sector has the potential for both harmful environmental releases and environmental benefits. Informal e-waste recycling appears to be relatively efficient in material recovery and economically beneficial, but there are issues with improper handling of hazardous substances.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Alberto Aleta, Furio Brighenti, Olivier Jolliet, Erik Meijaard, Raanan Shamir, Yamir Moreno, Mario Rasetti
Summary: Research in the field of sustainable and healthy nutrition requires the application of advances in complex systems, network sciences, big data, and artificial intelligence. Adopting an interdisciplinary, complex-systems-based approach can help tackle the challenges in sustainable and healthy nutrition.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Olivier Jolliet
Summary: Food production and consumption have long been studied separately, but this paper emphasizes the importance of systematically assessing the effects of nutrition on human health and environmental impacts across the entire food life cycle. Observations include advancements in Life Cycle Assessment for agriculture, the need to compare various food alternatives, the use of epidemiological dietary risk factors for additional LCA nutritional impact categories, and the importance of using Big Data and machine learning for proposing healthy and sustainable food options. The paper highlights the significance of considering dietary impacts on human health in the life cycle inventory and impact assessment of all commodities and foods to be consumed.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Alice Maury-Micolier, Lei Huang, Franck Taillandier, Guido Sonnemann, Olivier Jolliet
Summary: This paper develops a Life Cycle Assessment-based methodology to assess and compare the burden shifting between indoor air quality and energy consumption, as well as between the building construction and use stages, focusing on three insulation materials. The study finds that human health damage due to indoor exposure is dominant and substantial, except for extruded polystyrene, due to its high global warming potential. The total damages on human health depend on building materials production, emissions during use stage, and impacts related to energy load, and can be minimized with specific insulation thickness and air renewal rate.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yasmine Emara, Olivier Jolliet, Matthias Finkbeiner, Stefanie Hess, Marissa Kosnik, Peter Fantke
Summary: To guide environmental and public health policies, it is important to assess antibiotic resistance selection pressure under measured environmental concentrations (MECs) and compare mitigation strategies. This study aims to derive minimum selective concentrations (MSCs) and species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) for different antibiotics. The results highlight specific environmental compartments and antibiotics that should be examined for their role in resistance dissemination.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cecilia Askham, Valentina H. Pauna, Anne-Marie Boulay, Peter Fantke, Olivier Jolliet, Jerome Lavoie, Andy M. Booth, Claire Coutris, Francesca Verones, Miriam Weber, Martina G. Vijver, Amy Lusher, Carla Hajjar
Summary: Current efforts focus on quantifying and describing the magnitude of plastic pollution and its impacts on human and environmental health. This study examines existing approaches for gathering and reporting data on micro-and nanoplastics (MNPs) exposure and effects in order to improve the integration of this data into Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The outcomes suggest the need for improved data collection, validation, and reporting, and propose a set of requirements for increasing the potential use of receptor-oriented studies in LCA.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Andrew D. Henderson, Anne Asselin-Balencon, Martin C. Heller, Jasmina Burek, Daesoo Kim, Lindsay Lessard, Manuele Margni, Rosie Saad, Marty D. Matlock, Greg Thoma, Ying Wang, Olivier Jolliet
Summary: Understanding the main factors affecting the environmental impacts of milk production and consumption is crucial for reducing these impacts. This study provides a national perspective on the spatial distribution of impacts associated with milk production and consumption in the United States. The study highlights the importance of differentiating between farm gate and consumer estimates and reveals that water scarcity is the impact category with the highest spatial variability.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicolo Aurisano, Olivier Jolliet, Weihsueh A. Chiu, Richard Judson, Suji Jang, Aswani Unnikrishnan, Marissa B. Kosnik, Peter Fantke
Summary: This study developed a semi-automated approach to determine surrogate oral route point of departure (POD) values and corresponding toxicity values for chemicals without regulatory assessments. By using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxicity Value Database, the researchers were able to significantly expand the coverage of chemicals for risk assessment and management purposes.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Alice Maury-Micolier, Lei Huang, Olivier Jolliet
Summary: We developed a numerical model to predict human exposure to pollutants and heating load by coupling heat and chemical transfers in the building envelope. Our study shows that temperature variation by season and location have a significant effect on chemical emission dynamics from building materials and human exposure. Increasing indoor temperature by 10 degrees C doubles the maximum indoor air concentration of VOCs and SVOCs from vinyl flooring, leading to a 50% increase in chemical intake by occupants. In 2050, due to climate change-induced temperature increase, occupants' exposure to SVOCs emission in Lille is likely to increase by 20%.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING PERFORMANCE SIMULATION
(2023)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Pier Mannuccio Mannucci, Olivier Jolliet, Erik Meijaard, Joanne Slavin, Mario Rasetti, Alberto Aleta, Yamir Moreno, Carlo Agostoni
Summary: Sustainable nutrition is a difficult task that involves providing people with healthy, nutritious and affordable food while minimizing waste and environmental impact. This article explores the main issues, scientific data, and advancements in research related to sustainability in nutrition. Vegetable oils are used as a case study to understand the challenges associated with sustainable nutrition.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Rachna Bhoonah, Alice Maury-Micolier, Olivier Jolliet
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhehan Huang, Gael Kijko, Kelly Scanlon, Shannon Lloyd, Andrew Henderson, Peter Fantke, Olivier Jolliet, Shaobin Li
Summary: This study proposes a system approach and new data set to characterize and evaluate occupational health impacts in work environments, aiming to improve the comprehensiveness of life cycle assessment methods. The study finds that the data set of characterization factors for occupational health impacts varies significantly by industry, indicating that occupational health impacts are concentrated in a small portion of industries. A case study demonstrates the feasibility and importance of incorporating occupational health impacts into life cycle impact assessment methods.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Daina Romeo, Roland Hischier, Bernd Nowack, Olivier Jolliet, Peter Fantke, Peter Wick
Summary: The increasing production of nanomaterials poses challenges for assessing their toxicity impacts in LCA. In vivo animal tests are being replaced by in vitro testing, but there are challenges and opportunities to integrate this data into LCIA. Using in vivo data as a benchmark may be misleading, and cross-disciplinary discussions are essential for integrating new data sources and substance types into LCIA.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-NANO
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiaojian Liu, Bei Wang, Yayun Ma, Xiangyang Zhou, Juan Yang, Yuehui He, Jingjing Tang, Fanyun Su, Wan Yang
Summary: This study proposes a combined process of reduction roasting of herb-medicine residue and oxalic acid leaching to improve the recovery efficiency of lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries. By utilizing the reducing gas produced from the pyrolysis of herb-medicine residue, the layered structure of the cathode powder is destroyed and converted into Li2CO3, Ni, Co, and MnO. Additionally, selective extraction of lithium is achieved using oxalic acid, and the efficiency and kinetics of lithium extraction are improved under the combined action of herb-medicine residue and oxalic acid.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Muxina Konarova, Nuno Batalha, Gabriel Fraga, Mohamed H. M. Ahmed, Steven Pratt, Bronwyn Laycock
Summary: This study presents a proof of concept for a technology that integrates PET recovery from mixed plastic waste and plastic pyrolysis. By depolymerizing PET into TPA using a low volatility oil as medium, it achieves low-pressure operation and a selective separation and recovery of TPA from the product mix. Full PET conversion and high TPA recovery were achieved, making it an effective solution for processing mixed waste streams and improving the yield and quality of liquid product from thermal pyrolysis compared to untreated feedstock.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhenhua Sun, Jing Li, Xuejiang Wang, Siqing Xia, Jianfu Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the influence of in-situ formed MgFe2O4 on the hydrothermal treatment of swine manure. The results showed that the in-situ formation of MgFe2O4 improved the dehydration and decarboxylation of organic components in swine manure, thereby improving its carbonization degree. Furthermore, it enhanced the stabilization of heavy metals and the retention of phosphorus. MgFe2O4 modified hydrochars exhibited remarkable adsorption capacity for Pb(II) and Cu(II) without any leaching of heavy metals.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yijing Jiang, Boyang Leng, Jingxin Xi
Summary: The increased generation of municipal solid waste has had a significant impact on the economy, environment, and public health. The current waste treatment process has limitations. By developing a comprehensive social costing model, this study assesses the impacts of municipal solid waste management throughout its life cycle and provides policymakers with best practices and feasibility information.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Marina Hernandes de Paula e Silva, Ricardo Coser Mergulha, Jose Geraldo Vidal Vieira, Andrea Brasco Pampanelli, Rodrigo Salvador, Diogo Aparecido Lopes Silva
Summary: This study developed and implemented a self-assessment tool to assist companies in decision-making processes for establishing circular flows based on Lean Manufacturing and Circular Economy principles. The tool utilized a maturity model and was applied to nine companies of varying characteristics. The findings revealed that certain companies showed higher maturity in water-waste and chemical-emissions management, with larger enterprises focusing on these strategies. However, many companies lacked sufficient training and employee awareness prior to seeking cleaner alternatives, and comprehensive actions to manage the product lifecycle were lacking. To address these gaps, the tool provided tailored recommendations for each company to improve their processes, products, and value chain.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Gamze Dogdu, Turgay Pekdemir, Sanaz Lakestani, Seyda Karabork, Osman Cavus
Summary: This paper presents data on food waste associated with mini size food packaging services, highlighting the difficulties in emptying the food and consumer wastefulness as the main causes. These findings have significant implications for the sustainability of food and relevant packaging.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Qingxia Li, Xin Kong, Yuxin Chen, Jianan Niu, Jia Jing, Jin Yuan, Yifeng Zhang
Summary: This study investigates how to enhance methane production from food waste after hydrothermal pretreatment. The results demonstrate a significant increase in methane yield when zero-valent iron and magnetite are used together, and high organic loading is favorable for methane production. Microbial diversity analysis further reveals the dominant pathways and metabolic processes involved in methane generation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
D. H. H. Sim, I. A. W. Tan, L. L. P. Lim, E. T. Lau, B. H. Hameed
Summary: The development of controlled-release fertilizer formulation is important for preventing environmental pollution caused by nutrient leaching and volatilization. This study combined biochar-based fertilizer with encapsulation technology to improve the nutrient release mechanism. Optimal conditions for synthesizing urea-impregnated biochar (UIB) were determined using central composite design, and the release of nitrogen was described by mathematical models. Results showed that encapsulated UIB (EUIB) achieved complete release of nitrogen in water and exhibited improved water retention in sandy-textural soil. Therefore, EUIB derived from peppercorn waste has the potential to be used as a sustainable controlled-release fertilizer for agriculture.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yuchuan Wang, Neslihan Akdeniz
Summary: Incorporating biochar into composting systems can increase compost temperatures. This study developed a heat transfer model for a biochar-amended co-composting system and found that biochar increased thermal conductive losses but also enhanced microbial activity, resulting in an overall increase in total heat unit. When biochar was applied on the surface, it mainly functioned as an insulator.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
George Tsalis, Birger Boutrup Jensen, Jessica Aschemann-Witzel
Summary: This paper empirically explores the relationship between retail price promotions and household food waste. The results show that households with a higher proportion of discount food purchases and environmental awareness tend to waste less food, while larger households and those lacking food handling skills tend to waste more food.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Lukas Friederici, Arne Koch, Patrick Martens, Jana Pantzke, Sebastiano Di Bucchianico, Thorsten Streibel, Christopher P. Rueger, Ralf Zimmermann
Summary: The increasing demand for lightweight materials has led to a rise in fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) production. However, the properties and compositional range of FRPs pose challenges to recycling strategies. Pyrolysis has emerged as a promising method for separating the fibers from the polymer matrix. This study investigated the pyrolysis process using thermal analysis and high-resolution mass spectrometry, and also assessed the toxicity of the recovered fibers using an in vitro model.
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Devika Kannan, Shakiba Khademolqorani, Nassibeh Janatyan, Somaieh Alavi
Summary: This paper introduces Smart Waste Management (SWM) that applies Industry 4.0 technologies in waste management. A framework called SWM4.0 is developed, which highlights the importance of smart people, smart cities, smart enterprises, and smart factories in achieving successful waste management. The paper also suggests future research directions and managerial implications.