Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Seyed Mohsen Hosseini, Alireza Aslani, Alibakhsh Kasaeian
Summary: This study adopts a hybrid life cycle assessment method to evaluate the energy, water, and environmental impacts of high-voltage electricity generation in Iran. The findings indicate that natural gas-fired power plants contribute the most to the life-cycle impacts of electricity generation, while wind and hydropower plants have minimal contributions. The study suggests that ensuring an adequate supply of natural gas during cold seasons can partially reduce water and environmental impacts, but increasing the share of renewable energy can significantly reduce the overall impacts.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ASSESSMENTS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marten Koch, Sebastian Spierling, Venkateshwaran Venkatachalam, Hans -Josef Endres, Mikolaj Owsianiak, Eldbjorg Blikra Vea, Christina Daffert, Markus Neureiter, Ines Fritz
Summary: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are bio-based and biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics. The photoautotrophic production of PHA using CO2 as feedstock shows advantages over heterotrophic PHA based on glucose feedstock in terms of environmental impacts. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was applied to compare the two production routes, and the results indicate the environmental potential of novel production routes for bioplastics. The use of chloroform-based extraction in both technologies contributes significantly to the environmental impacts, and reducing chloroform loss during the extraction process can minimize its impact.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Panrawee Rungskunroch, Zuo-Jun Shen, Sakdirat Kaewunruen
Summary: This paper compares the environmental and economic impacts of five HSR networks from five countries, finding that CRC system leads in energy-saving and SCNF network benefits from the economy of scale.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chen Li, Jose M. Mogollon, Arnold Tukker, Bernhard Steubing
Summary: This paper conducts a prospective life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of offshore wind energy (OWE) development, and finds that the impacts are reduced by about 20% per MWh due to various developments including size expansion, lifetime extension, and technology innovation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ebne Rashid, Nehreen Majed
Summary: The electricity sector in Bangladesh has seen significant growth in the past decade, but the country is not maximizing its benefits due to disparities among its components. Stakeholders lack knowledge in addressing interconnected issues, resulting in inconsistent policies. This study evaluates the integrated sustainability of Bangladesh's electricity generation through a life cycle approach, finding that solar and hydropower are the most sustainable options.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xinying Zhou, Ziyue Cheng, Ke Ren, Yijie Zhai, Tianzuo Zhang, Xiaoxu Shen, Yueyang Bai, Yuke Jia, Jinglan Hong
Summary: This study quantified the environmental performance of CMS production in China using a life cycle assessment approach, with fossil depletion identified as the dominant impact category. The coke oven gas-to-methanol process showed superiority in reducing fossil consumption and CO2 emissions, while renewable energy power generation and pollution transfer in inter-regional power transmission also deserve attention.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Hossein Yousefi, Reza Habibifar, Ali Farhadi, Seyed Mohsen Hosseini
Summary: This study conducts a life-cycle costing and life-cycle assessment for Tehran's electricity generation/supply industry. It finds that photovoltaic and biogas combined heat and power technologies have the highest environmental impacts, while gas turbines have the highest global warming and pollution impacts. The study also reveals that gas turbines have the highest energy demand, while biogas CHP has the highest electricity supply costs.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marina Mistretta, Teresa Maria Gulotta, Paola Caputo, Maurizio Cellura
Summary: This study evaluates the energy and environmental performances of electricity generated from Italian anaerobic digestion coupled with combined heat and power plants. It finds that small and medium plants mainly fed by organic by-products have the lowest impacts. Compared to electricity from the grid, biogas electricity has the lowest contribution in some impact categories and largest in others. In terms of global warming potential and cumulative energy demand, the impacts of biogas electricity are about 35% and 38% of that generated by the grid.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
C. Oliveira Henriques, S. Sousa
Summary: This paper reviews the Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA), one of the underutilized but important approaches in assessing environmental implications of electricity generation. The EIO-LCA analysis, using economic input-output tables and sector-level environmental and energy data, enables comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of all sectors involved in electricity generation. The paper provides an overview of the methodology, its assumptions, and various applications in electricity generation, as well as addressing the issue of disaggregation in the electricity sector.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xin Liu, Xinyu Lu, Yahui Feng, Ling Zhang, Zengwei Yuan
Summary: This study estimated the generation volumes of plastics recycled from five typical kinds of WEEEs in China and analyzed the environmental performance of WEEE plastics recycling. The results showed a rapid increase in recycled plastics, but highlighted issues such as energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Recycled plastics from WEEEs demonstrated better environmental performance in most aspects compared to the production of virgin plastics, except for ozone depletion.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Tamiris Pacheco da Costa, Fionnuala Murphy, Rocio Roldan, Maneesh Kumar Mediboyina, Wenhao Chen, Joseph Sweeney, Sergio Capareda, Nicholas M. Holden
Summary: The valorisation of forestry residues as renewable resources for energy and bioproduct production is gaining interest, but a holistic technical and environmental analysis is lacking. This study evaluated bio-oil, synthesis gas, and biochar production from spruce, pine, and larch residues under different pyrolysis conditions. The results showed that larch bio-oil production at 300°C had superior performance. The study also highlighted the energy-intensive nature of the pyrolysis process, but suggested that on-site syngas energy and biochar could offset energy requirements.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Viktoria Mannheim
Summary: This paper assesses the environmental impacts of polypropylene and PP-PE-PET mixed-plastic products in the production stage using a life cycle assessment method, comparing the effects of different production methods on resource use and emissions. The research results can be used to develop more environmentally friendly injection-molding processes.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Baoquan Cheng, Kun Lu, Jianchang Li, Huihua Chen, Xiaowei Luo, Muhammad Shafique
Summary: This study proposes an approach that integrates BIM and LCA to comprehensively evaluate the life cycle environmental impacts of buildings. By calculating environmental impact factors and linking them to building-related environmental issues, a comprehensive assessment is conducted. The results show that the material production stage is crucial for improving a building's environmental performance.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Andrei Briones-Hidrovo, Jose Copa, Luis A. C. Tarelho, Catia Goncalves, Tamiris Pacheco da Costa, Ana Claudia Dias
Summary: The study evaluates and compares the environmental and energy performance of direct gasification and combustion using residual forest biomass in Portugal. Gasification performs environmentally better than combustion in most impact categories, but combustion has a higher Energy-Returned-On-Energy-Invested ratio. The study concludes that gasification may be a good alternative to current combustion systems in Portugal.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Karoline Wowra, Esther Hegel, Andreas Scharf, Alexander Gruenberger, Katrin Rosenthal
Summary: The use of bioprocesses in industrial production offers resource- and energy-efficient processes with renewable, nonfossil feedstocks. However, the environmental benefits of early-stage bioprocess development need to be demonstrated using standardized methods such as life cycle assessment (LCA). This article discusses selected LCA studies of early-stage bioprocesses, highlighting their potential and contribution to estimating environmental impacts and decision support. Recommendations are provided for addressing challenges in conducting LCAs of early-stage bioprocesses and opportunities are identified for future applicability, such as establishing dedicated bioprocess databases for the use of LCAs as standard tools among bioprocess engineers.
TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Kevin McDonnell, Levente Molnar, Mary Harty, Fionnuala Murphy
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ciara Beausang, Kevin McDonnell, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: Grass silage and cattle slurry are important resources for biogas production, but higher proportion of grass silage in the mix could lead to greater environmental burdens. In a consequential life cycle assessment, it was found that environmental impact varies according to the ratio of silage and slurry digested, with higher burdens observed in mixes with more grass silage.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Maneesh Kumar Mediboyina, Nicholas M. Holden, Simon O'Neill, Kai Routledge, Bill Morrissey, Fergal Lawless, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: This study focused on the design and scale-up of industrial lactic acid production using fermentation of dairy cheese whey permeate, addressing shortcomings of standard scale-up methodologies and utilizing life cycle assessment to reduce emissions. Results showed that selecting the appropriate turbine and speed according to a 3000 times scale-up strategy could lower energy consumption and improve production efficiency. The study emphasized the trade-off between mixing performance and environmental impacts, as indicated by the number of impellers installed.
JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-MYSORE
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Niall Collins, Maneesh Kumar Mediboyina, Mariana Cerca, Charlene Vance, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: This paper examines the economic and environmental costs of seaweed cultivation in Ireland and suggests strategies to enhance its sustainability. The study finds that the cultivation equipment and materials have the highest environmental impact, and increasing seaweed yield and long-term use of farm infrastructure can improve its sustainability. It also concludes that seaweed farming is economically feasible in Ireland, although the revenue from carbon offset on the voluntary market is minimal.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Conall Mahon, Maneesh Kumar Mediboyina, Donna Gartland, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: This paper presents a life cycle assessment of heat supply scenarios towards replacement of fossil-based energy systems through a case study in Tallaght, Ireland. The study found that waste heat-fed heat pump and biomass-based district heating systems have lower environmental impact compared to a conventional gas boiler system, but the impacts are similar when using 2030 electricity data.
CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Matia Mainardis, Marco Buttazzoni, Fabian Gievers, Charlene Vance, Francesca Magnolo, Fionnuala Murphy, Daniele Goi
Summary: Different pretreatment technologies, such as low-temperature thermal treatment and ultrasonication, were investigated to increase biogas yield from sewage sludge. The study found that low-temperature thermal pretreatment showed the best performance in enhancing sludge solubilization and methane yield. LCA indicated that ultrasonication had the worst environmental impacts at laboratory scale, but could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, fossil depletion, and stratospheric ozone depletion at full-scale conditions.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Matia Mainardis, Francesca Magnolo, Carmen Ferrara, Charlene Vance, Gloria Misson, Giovanni De Feo, Stijn Speelman, Fionnuala Murphy, Daniele Goi
Summary: This study investigated different management strategies for seagrass valorisation to reduce environmental and economic impact, finding that ecological restoration and anaerobic digestion were the best alternatives in terms of environmental performance. Composting was identified as the best alternative economically due to lower operating costs and higher fertilizer value.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Gary D. Gillespie, Oyinlola Dada, Kevin P. McDonnell
Summary: Suppressed wool prices in Ireland have caused farmers to experience net losses per animal, as the cost of shearing exceeds the value of the wool. A study suggests that hydrolysed sheep wool could provide up to 15.8% of the nitrogen needed for Ireland's cereal crops, along with significant amounts of sulfur, zinc, and copper. The main cost associated with this process is purchasing wool at an economically favorable level. Based on the distribution of sheep, Athlone is identified as the most suitable location for a processing facility.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
C. Vance, J. Sweeney, F. Murphy
Summary: For stakeholders and decision makers in the bioeconomy, having holistic, reliable, and accurate sustainability assessment methodologies is crucial. This review paper discusses the methodological challenges in assessing advanced multifunctional systems in the bioeconomy, such as biorefineries, including considerations on goal, scope, and allocation methods, land use, biogenic carbon and emissions, impacts assessed, simplification of feedstocks and processes, regionality, and future systems. The review also addresses challenges in capturing social and economic impacts, and highlights the importance of temporal factors, regional differences, and integrating multidimensional approaches. Various methodologies, such as exergetic LCIA, natural capital assessment, and supply chain modeling, can be used to address spatial considerations, while process modeling, system dynamics modeling, and consequential LCA can address dynamic variability. Extended LCC, extended LCIA, and MCDA can address challenges in multidimensional sustainability integration.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Charlene Vance, Matia Mainardis, Francesca Magnolo, Joseph Sweeney, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: This study integrates system dynamics (SD) thinking with life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) to understand the impact of seagrass meadow degradation on the circular bioeconomy. The results highlight the complexities in stakeholder perspectives and the importance of considering environmental and community impacts in assessing ecosystem services and restoration costs.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Mariana Cerca, Amanda Sosa, Egle Gusciute, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: This study identifies bottlenecks and the overlooked social dimension in the strategic planning of biorefinery supply chains through a systematic literature review. The research primarily focuses on techno-economic aspects, while environmental considerations have increased. However, social factors remain widely disregarded. The study suggests adopting new perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches to incorporate the social dimension into biorefinery supply chain planning.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tamiris Pacheco da Costa, James Gillespie, Xavier Cama-Moncunill, Shane Ward, Joan Condell, Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: This paper provides a systematic review of 59 published studies on the application of sensor technologies to reduce food waste in food supply chains. The study found that sensor technologies are mainly used for monitoring fruits and vegetables, but there are many other applications being explored. Therefore, exploring and applying IoT technologies can improve food production, management, transportation, and storage to support the cause of reducing food loss and waste.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tamiris Pacheco da Costa, James Gillespie, Katarzyna Pelc, Natalie Shenker, Gillian Weaver, Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: Human milk banks are responsible for screening and recruiting milk donors and ensuring the safety and quality of donor human milk. Monitoring technologies can be used to control the transportation conditions and reduce milk waste, resulting in environmental impact reduction. The study emphasized the need for a multidisciplinary approach to assess the effects of these strategies on human milk transport logistics.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
James Gillespie, Tamiris Pacheco da Costa, Xavier Cama-Moncunill, Trevor Cadden, Joan Condell, Tom Cowderoy, Elaine Ramsey, Fionnuala Murphy, Marco Kull, Robert Gallagher, Ramakrishnan Ramanathan
Summary: Approximately 88 million tonnes of food waste is generated annually in the EU, with food spoilage during distribution being a major contributor. This study proposes a real-time IoT anomaly detection system to minimize food wastage by detecting equipment failures and providing decision support options to warehouse staff and delivery drivers. The system was implemented with Musgrave Marketplace, Ireland's largest grocery distributor, and showed efficient and accurate performance in reducing waste through the use of an LTE-M cellular IoT system and a novel alerting system based on trip detection.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tamiris Pacheco da Costa, James Gillespie, Katarzyna Pelc, Abi Adefisan, Michael Adefisan, Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, Fionnuala Murphy
Summary: Assessing the environmental performance of food companies is crucial, but currently there is no existing tool in the literature. This study proposes a tool based on life cycle assessment methodology to evaluate the six stages of the food chain. The tool also allows users to assess the implementation of IoT technologies to reduce food waste.