Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jon-Paul Sun, Courtney Calahoo, Colby Brown, Mary Anne White
Summary: The study found that pillow pouches have the lowest environmental impact among milk packaging options in Canada, regardless of location. This is mainly due to their lower mass per functional unit compared to jugs and cartons. Even if disposed in a landfill or incinerated, pillow pouches perform better across all impact categories compared to alternatives.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
S. Roy, Y. F. Lam, M. U. Hossain, J. C. L. Chan
Summary: The electricity generation in developing countries heavily relies on fossil fuels, resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions. This study projected and evaluated the benefits of adopting green and renewable energy sources in Vietnam, showing substantial reductions in emissions. This is an important finding for developing countries that are seeking to combat climate change and reduce their carbon footprint.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Hafiz Usman Ghani, Shabbir H. Gheewala
Summary: Bioethanol from sugarcane molasses in Pakistan has the potential to replace a significant portion of gasoline consumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and have higher energy gains compared to fossil-based energy inputs. However, it also has higher impacts on acidification and freshwater eutrophication compared to gasoline. Considerable improvements in performance can be achieved through different existing practices and plant arrangements.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Xuning Zhuang, Xiaolong Song, Hui Yang, Di Zhao, Wenjie Wu, Jing Zhao
Summary: As an advanced form of circular economy, remanufacturing can effectively reduce the energy and resource consumption, as well as environmental emission in the whole product life cycle. This research proposed a new system boundary definition with a multi-life cycle perspective to quantify the energy saving and GHG mitigation benefits of product remanufacturing, based on a case of spark plug remanufacturing. The results show that remanufacturing exhibit significant energy saving and GHG mitigation benefits over the whole life cycle of spark plug.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Diana Rose T. Rivera, Aristotle T. Ubando, Wei-Hsin Chen, Alvin B. Culaba
Summary: Torrefaction process increased the energy content of microalgal biomass and had the least energy demand among all processes. The energy demand is mainly consumed by microalgal growth using a photobioreactor system. Different cultivation methods and production scales affect the energy demand for torrefied microalgal biomass production.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ha P. Tran, Anh D. Luong, Anh D. Van, Tuyet T. A. Nguyen
Summary: Using post-mining areas for planting energy crops has potential environmental benefits such as reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, this approach may not bring advantages in terms of water and land resource consumption. Improving cassava cultivation practices is necessary to enhance the overall environmental performance of the reclamation system.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Slobodan M. Cvetkovic, Tatjana Kaluderovic Radoicic, Mirjana Kijevcanin, Jasmina Grbovic Novakovic
Summary: This study demonstrates and quantifies energy flows in the production of biohydrogen from biogas, revealing a negative energy balance and environmental unsustainability. Future research should consider additional aspects of sustainability to assess the overall sustainability of biogas utilization pathways.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Maria Apolonia, Teresa Simas
Summary: The study conducted a Life Cycle Assessment of the MegaRoller wave energy converter, which showed that the main environmental impacts are due to materials use and manufacture, particularly steel. Reducing the quantity of steel could potentially help to decrease the environmental impacts of the wave energy converter. Results are consistent with earlier studies on ocean technologies and indicate low environmental impacts compared to other power generating technologies.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laiyin Zhu, Hang Yi, Seth Guikema, Beibei Liu
Summary: The study finds that climate change has a significant impact on crop yield, especially with regards to sudden increases in temperature leading to yield declines. The future net energy value and greenhouse gas emissions of the cassava-to-ethanol system will decrease significantly over time, and adopting a lower concentration pathway and favoring plantation in plains can maintain it as a viable climate mitigation strategy.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Bojana Petrovic, Ola Eriksson, Xingxing Zhang
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of building design changes, differentiation of biogenic carbon from fossil carbon, and inclusion of external benefits on the carbon accounting of a wooden single-family house. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to analyze the greenhouse gas emissions of different building design scenarios, while life cycle cost (LCC) was used to assess the costs. The results showed that an improved building design with positive and negative emissions considered in scenario 4 had the lowest embodied GHG emissions.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zahra Vazifeh, Farid Bensebaa, Jalil Shadbahr, Giovanna Gonzales-Calienes, Fereshteh Mafakheri, Marzouk Benali, Mahmood Ebadian, Pierre Vezina
Summary: This study establishes an integrated life cycle analysis and techno-economic assessment to evaluate costs and carbon footprint impacts of an integrated forest biorefinery that produces lumber, industrial sugar and wood pellets in the Pontiac region of Quebec (Canada). The conclusion of this study is that if the GHG emission is considered as the basis of the ranking system, the production of wood pellets would emit the least amount of greenhouse gases, while lumber and sugar production would emit the most. However, if the ranking is based on cost, the sequence would be lumber production, followed by wood pellets and sugar.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Jiuping Xu, Ruolan Li, Yi Shi, Yawen Deng
Summary: The study established a classified municipal solid waste collection, transportation, and treatment process using gasification technology, with a mathematical multi-objective model to optimize revenue and control greenhouse gas emissions. Life cycle assessment was used for environmental evaluation, and practical case studies demonstrated the model's applicability and efficiency in various regions. Increasing the gasification ratio was found to improve economic benefits and reduce emissions, with optimal ratios varying between countries.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jittima Prasara-A, Shabbir H. Gheewala
Summary: This study compared the social performance of sugarcane and cassava products in Thailand using Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), finding that cassava had slightly better social sustainability indicators than sugarcane. The key stakeholders considered in the analysis included workers, farm owners, machine owners, and the local community. The research suggested promoting sugarcane based on social performance, product yields, and expected demands, while recognizing the challenges associated with promoting sugarcane.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Dominik Maierhofer, Martin Roeck, Marcella Ruschi Mendes Saade, Endrit Hoxha, Alexander Passer
Summary: This study conducts a life cycle assessment of a passive nZEB concept in Austria and finds that it performs better than existing building standards, but fails to achieve emission reduction compared to buildings with similar nZEB ambitions. Moreover, the majority of operational GHG emissions are attributed to building-integrated systems, suggesting the need to include non-integrated systems in future building regulations and LCA practices.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Rajhans Negi, Munish K. Chandel
Summary: This study analyzes the energy and greenhouse gas emissions in a typical Indian urban water system and discusses the impact of complete wastewater treatment on energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Maximilian Kardung, Kutay Cingiz, Ortwin Costenoble, Roel Delahaye, Wim Heijman, Marko Lovric, Myrna van Leeuwen, Robert M'Barek, Hans van Meijl, Stephan Piotrowski, Tevecia Ronzon, Johannes Sauer, David Verhoog, Pieter Johannes Verkerk, Maria Vrachioli, Justus H. H. Wesseler, Benz Xinqi Zhu
Summary: The study proposes a conceptual framework for quantifying and analyzing the development of the EU bioeconomy, focusing on the synergies between the bioeconomy and circular economy, measurement of bio-based sectors, and indicators aligned with the objectives of the EU's bioeconomy strategy.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kutay Cingiz, Hugo Gonzalez-Hermoso, Wim Heijman, Justus H. H. Wesseler
Summary: This study measured the national income share of the bioeconomy for 28 European Union Member States and 16 industries from 2005 to 2015, using a model that incorporates up- and downstream linkages. The results indicated that for most MS, the value added of the up- and downstream sectors accounted for 40%-50% of the total bioeconomy value added and has increased on average since the financial crisis.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Vincent Smith, Justus H. H. Wesseler, David Zilberman
Summary: Modern biotechnology has potential for sustainable development, but regulation plays a crucial role in unlocking its benefits. International harmonization of approval processes is necessary for improvement. Policy makers in the EU need to reconsider their approach to regulating modern biotechnology as their decisions can influence international policies significantly.
Review
Plant Sciences
Kai P. Purnhagen, Stephan Clemens, Dennis Eriksson, Louise O. Fresco, Jale Tosun, Matin Qaim, Richard G. F. Visser, Andreas P. M. Weber, Justus H. H. Wesseler, David Zilberman
Summary: To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), incorporating recent innovations in biotechnology into organic farming is crucial, as simply increasing organic production without these innovations may lead to less sustainable food systems. This change requires legal adjustments to be implemented effectively.
TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Felicia Wu, Justus Wesseler, David Zilberman, Robert M. Russell, Chen Chen, Adrian C. Dubock
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Communication
Yan Jin, Simon Schaub, Jale Tosun, Justus Wesseler
Summary: We analyzed the online debate on genetically modified organisms in China and found strong opposition to GMOs. However, there is an increasing number of public posts supporting GMOs in recent years, indicating a change in stakeholders' positions.
PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Justus Wesseler, Gijs Kleter, Marthe Meulenbroek, Kai P. Purnhagen
Summary: Many developments in the bioeconomy rely on genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs), but a recent judgment by the Court of Justice of the European Union on gene editing technologies has affected their use. There is a debate on whether GMMs should be considered genetically modified organisms and whether the current regulatory policies on GMMs are justified from a sustainability perspective. This article provides an overview of GMMs and their importance, discusses different scenarios for regulating GMMs in the future, and assesses the potential implications of these scenarios on the objectives of the European Green Deal.
APPLIED ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES AND POLICY
(2023)
Article
Geography
Guangcheng Ren, Xueqin Zhu, Nico Heerink, Shuyi Feng, Ekko C. Van Ierland
Summary: Land reallocations in rural China have been restricted since 1998, but continue to occur in certain regions. This paper examines the factors behind this persistence, finding that village self-governance rules, the election of village leaders, and villagers' knowledge of relevant policies all play a role in land reallocations.
JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Minjie Chen, Nico Heerink, Xueqin Zhu, Shuyi Feng
Summary: This paper examines the implications of the egalitarian allocation of agricultural land and small farm sizes in rural China on overall productivity. The findings suggest that, due to the high-level use of hired machinery services among smallholders, the dispersion in farm-level total factor productivities is small and the gains in aggregate agricultural output by reallocating factors from less productive to more productive farms are moderate.
Article
Environmental Studies
Chen Qian, Gerrit Antonides, Nico Heerink, Xueqin Zhu, Xianlei Ma
Summary: This paper proposes a holistic framework of land tenure security and investigates the interrelation between cognitive and affective components. The study finds an inverse U-shape relationship between cognitive and affective components of tenure security perceptions, indicating the insufficiency of the widely used indicator of land reallocation probability. Personality traits are also found to influence perceived tenure security.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shanshan Miao, Xueqin Zhu, Wim Heijman, Zengwei Xu, Qian Lu
Summary: In this study, we investigate the mechanisms of the attitude-behavior paradox and how different stakeholders navigate between their attitudes and behaviors. Using an instrumental variable probit model, we examine the impact of income heterogeneity and social ties on the farmers' attitude-behavior paradox in collective action. The empirical results reveal that weak and strong ties, income heterogeneity, interaction terms, education, community environment, and community rules have a negative effect on the paradox, while water stealing and water use conflicts have a positive effect. We contribute to understanding how economic incentives and social structures play a role in addressing this paradox. The implications for policy to overcome this social dilemma are discussed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Eduardo Trigo, Hugo Chavarria, Carl Pray, Stuart J. J. Smyth, Agustin Torroba, Justus Wesseler, David Zilberman, Juan Martinez
Summary: While food insecurity remains high globally, innovations in bioeconomy and biotechnology have contributed to making food systems more resilient and flexible. Genomic knowledge has played a crucial role in improving crop efficiency, animal production, and bioenergy. These innovations have the potential to transform food systems by making them more sustainable, equitable, and impactful, particularly in the Americas.
Article
Agronomy
Guangcheng Ren, Xueqin Zhu, Shuyi Feng
Summary: Developing economies face challenges in improving farm performance, particularly during economic transitions when there is a shift in the agricultural labor force to non-agricultural sectors. This study examines the impact of migration on the economic and environmental performance of rice farms in China using survey data. The results indicate that migration has a marginally negative impact on both technical efficiency and fertilizer use efficiency, which suggests that government policies on rural household migration should consider these effects.
Article
Environmental Studies
Hoang Huu Dinh, Shyam Basnet, Justus Wesseler
Summary: Vietnam's forest and forestland allocation program has been one of the largest in the developing world, but critics are concerned about low rates of household tree planting investment and the role of land institutions. This study found that household perceptions of forestland tenure security did not hinder tree investment, and other factors such as labor, cost, income, location, subsidies, and market outlook played significant roles.
Article
Sociology
Shanshan Miao, Xueqin Zhu, Wim Heijman, Zengwei Xu, Qian Lu
Summary: This paper examines the impact of trust and control on the commons governance of small-scale irrigation facilities, finding that both trust-based and control-based modes are effective in small groups, while only a control-based mode is effective in large groups. The study clarifies the mechanisms through which group size influences trust and control, directly and indirectly affecting participation degree and cooperative performance in commons governance.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
G. Grasa, I. Martinez, R. Murillo
Summary: Gasification kinetics of six chars from residual origin were studied under relatively low temperature, low CO2, and high H2O partial pressures. The Random Pore Model (RPM) showed the best fit to experimental results, but the selection of the reaction model depended on the ash composition, specifically the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metals. Chars with ash content higher than 30% wt. were modeled with the RPM model, while chars with the highest K/Si ratio required modified versions of the RPM to accurately predict reaction rates. Textural properties played a key role in determining reaction parameters, such as the pre-exponential factor and activation energy, for chars with similar ash content and composition.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
V. Godvin Sharmila, Surya Prakash Shanmugavel, J. Rajesh Banu
Summary: Proper treatment and disposal of biomass waste is crucial to prevent environmental deposition and its negative impacts. Biofuel has emerged as a potential alternative to fossil fuels, reducing carbon emissions and meeting global energy demands. This review examines different biomass waste conversion techniques and explores the production of biofuels with zero carbon emissions. Research on anaerobic treatment, metabolic engineering, and artificial intelligence has been conducted to enhance biofuel production efficiency.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Selvakumar Periyasamy, Adane Asefa Adego, P. Senthil Kumar, G. G. Desta, T. Zelalem, V. Karthik, J. Beula Isabel, Mani Jayakumar, Venkatesa Prabhu Sundramurthy, Gayathri Rangasamy
Summary: Valorizing agricultural waste into valuable products is crucial for environmental protection and bioeconomy advancement. Preprocessing of agricultural waste is a critical step to convert free carbohydrate molecules for final conversion, and factors such as biomass nature, feed loading, pH, temperature, and time influence the process. This review provides comprehensive information on agricultural waste availability, preprocessing techniques, and factors influencing performance.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Aqueel Ahmad, Ashok Kumar Yadav, Achhaibar Singh, Dinesh Kumar Singh
Summary: The study focuses on predicting and optimizing the yield of biogas production in an anaerobic digester using co-digestion. Experimental data was used to develop a machine learning-based prognostic model, and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the parameters. The results demonstrate that RSM coupled with machine learning is an effective technique for modeling, predicting, and optimizing biogas production yield.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Yijing Zhong, Wenxiang Zhai, Xinli Wei
Summary: This paper studies the thermal stability and decomposition of cork materials with and without silica aerogel filler. The results show that the decomposition is inhibited and the pyrolysis is significantly reduced with the addition of silica aerogel. This finding suggests that silica aerogel-infused cork may be a promising raw material for biofuel production with reduced environmental pollution.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2024)
