Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Hubert Roeder, Karthik Kumar, Stefan Fuechsl, Volker Sieber
Summary: This paper discusses the implementation of ex-ante LCA for upscaling processes from laboratory to industrial scale, using a new protein production process as a case study. The challenges encountered include data availability, unknown final uses and functions, complexity of upscaling, and uncertainty. The results highlight the environmental benefits of protein obtained from rapeseed cake when upscaled to industrial scale.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chiara Magrini, Katarzyna Jagodzinska
Summary: The instability of rare earth elements supply chains has led to alternative sources of REEs receiving attention, with waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) being considered one such source. WEEE recycling is seen as a way to mitigate supply risks and benefit the environment and society. This study evaluates the environmental and economic feasibility of bioleaching for REEs recovery, specifically from NIB magnets, and identifies areas for process optimization and development.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Studies
Franziska Hesser, Daniela Groiss-Fuertner, Leona Woitsch, Claudia Mair-Bauernfeind
Summary: The Dendromass4Europe project supports the establishment of short rotation coppice (SRC) in Western Slovakia to produce fast-growing trees for bio-based materials. By combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and socio-economic assessment, the project optimizes the eco-efficiency of the production system. The value chain of moulded fibre parts shows the best eco-efficiency value, while lightweight boards have the least environmental impact.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Georgios Archimidis Tsalidis, Gijsbert Korevaar
Summary: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool for achieving sustainability, and recent developments focus on analyzing emerging technologies which are not yet optimized. The study shows that process efficiencies improve significantly with higher technology readiness levels, with process simulations resulting in scores closer to commercial scale systems. Moreover, if LCA practitioners focus only on global warming impact, then pilot scale systems can also be a good alternative.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ai Leon, Subbarao Guntur, Masahiro Kishii, Naruo Matsumoto, Gideon Kruseman
Summary: This study evaluates the impacts of introducing BNI-enabled wheat on LC-GHG emissions, nitrogen fertilizer application rates, and NUE, finding that by 2050, BNI wheat with 40% nitrification inhibition could lead to reductions in nitrogen fertilizer use by 15.0%, LC-GHG emissions by 15.9%, and improvements in NUE by 16.7%.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
P. James Joyce, Anna Bjorklund
Summary: The text discusses the differences between the future world and the current world, as well as the issue of using today's data to represent future scenarios in life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. It introduces Futura software, which allows LCA practitioners to create and share new background databases and recipes representing arbitrary scenarios.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ben Maes, Amaryllis Audenaert, Bart Craeye, Matthias Buyle
Summary: This paper investigates how the environmental impact of clinker production might change in the future using a consequential ex-ante life cycle assessment. Results suggest that the environmental impact could be reduced by a factor of five with the introduction of carbon capture and electrification of kilns. The sensitivity of clinker production's environmental impact to evolutions in the electricity sector is also highlighted.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
Anyu Liu, Vera Shanshan Lin, Gang Li, Haiyan Song
Summary: This study evaluates the accuracy of tourism forecasting by analyzing the annual forecasts of PATA from 2013 to 2017. It finds that factors such as tourism demand, GDP, lagged variables, origin, destination, and forecasting method all have significant effects on the accuracy of forecasts.
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pierre Jouannais, Massimo Pizzol
Summary: This study investigates the uncertainty and potential environmental impacts of bioprospecting microalgal compounds in Europe. Using a parameterized cultivation simulation and consequential LCA model, the researchers analyze the probabilistic scope and identify main contributors to the total output variance. The findings can contribute to policy-making and help stakeholders in the microalgal sector choose technologies with lower environmental impact.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jade Mueller-Carneiro, Maria Clea Brito de Figueiredo, Carla Rodrigues, Henriette Monteiro Cordeiro de Azeredo, Fausto Freire
Summary: This article proposes a framework for ex-ante life cycle assessment of biopolymers at low TRL. The framework was applied to analyse a mango kernel starch film and compare it with low-density polyethylene. The results show that mango kernel starch performs better in non-renewable energy use but worse in climate change, freshwater eutrophication, and terrestrial acidification compared to low-density polyethylene. Scenario analysis suggests that yield enhancement and acid shifting could reduce the impacts. The proposed framework has the potential to support sustainable innovation of biopolymers.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiaqi Lu, Shogo Kumagai, Yasuhiro Fukushima, Hajime Ohno, Siqingaowa Borjigin, Tomohito Kameda, Yuko Saito, Toshiaki Yoshioka
Summary: This study examined potential life-cycle environmental impacts of recycling PVC waste through experiments, simulations, and life-cycle assessment. By proposing technical countermeasures based on validated methods, the research aims to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with PVC production, demonstrating a sustainable approach to developing new technologies.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Andrea Mio, Maurizio Fermeglia, Claudio Favi
Summary: This article discusses the characteristics of life cycle assessments in the maritime transportation sector and provides recommendations for normalization of results. The paper conducts a qualitative analysis of scientific literature and proposes two approaches for normalization. Additionally, it presents the outcomes of greenhouse gas-related impact categories.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Andrea Mio, Maurizio Fermeglia, Claudio Favi
Summary: This paper focuses on the characteristics and methods of life cycle assessments for the environmental impacts of maritime vessels. A qualitative analysis of available scientific literature is conducted, providing an overview of current practices and future trends. Two approaches for normalization of results are proposed, and the outcomes of greenhouse gas-related impact categories are reported. The paper provides an overview of LCA impact results and recommendations for future assessments.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Pia Desole, Lorenzo Fedele, Annamaria Gisario, Massimiliano Barletta
Summary: This study addresses the implementation of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on ceramic sanitaryware production and evaluates three different scenarios for reducing environmental impact. The results show that the use of a photovoltaic system and water recovery can significantly reduce environmental impacts, but the crushing process for fired waste exacerbates electricity consumption. Therefore, improving the waste recovery system and adopting energy-saving solutions can considerably reduce the environmental burden of the production system, but it may increase costs and maintenance.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Agricultural Engineering
Aristotle T. Ubando, Earle Anderson S. Ng, Wei-Hsin Chen, Alvin B. Culaba, Eilhann E. Kwon
Summary: Microalgal biorefineries offer an opportunity for economically and environmentally sound production of bioproducts, but face technological bottlenecks due to energy-intensive processes. Life cycle assessment studies have provided strategic technologies and metrics for sustainable production of microalgal biofuels.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wan Yee Lam, Julia Chatterton, Sarah Sim, Michal Kulak, Angelica Mendoza Beltran, Mark A. J. Huijbregts
Summary: This study developed a spatial approach to address LUC emissions in crop production, aiming for a consistent implementation of LUC emissions across different locations. It was found that LUC emissions at local scale had little correlation with those estimated using other methods. Analysis at coarser spatial scales often overestimated LUC emissions of crops.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Patrik JG. Henriksson, Stefano Cucurachi, Jeroen B. Guinee, Reinout Heijungs, Max Troell, Friederike Ziegler
Summary: In general, only a small number of studies comparing the environmental impacts of foods based on Life Cycle Assessment results have adopted systematic review protocols, and none of them fully comply with PRISMA criteria. Shortcomings in LCAs may lead to results that do not meet all criteria or allow for meta-analyses. Nonetheless, aligning with systematic review protocols could benefit reviews of food commodities and diets based on LCA results.
GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY-AGRICULTURE POLICY ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
O. Nyberg, A. Rico, J. B. Guinee, P. J. G. Henriksson
Summary: This study reviews how toxicological impacts from antibiotic use are included in LCAs and presents two novel approaches to include antibiotic resistance (ABR) impacts in the LCA framework. The findings indicate that current LCA studies have not accounted for ABR-related impacts, and the proposed methods show that these impacts could be captured within the LCA framework by establishing cause-effect pathways between antibiotic use, ABR, and human well-being. Additional data is needed to further develop these methods.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
Jeroen Guinee, Reinout Heijungs
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sonia Valdivia, Jana Gerta Backes, Marzia Traverso, Guido Sonnemann, Stefano Cucurachi, Jeroen B. Guinee, Thomas Schaubroeck, Matthias Finkbeiner, Noemie Leroy-Parmentier, Cassia Ugaya, Claudia Pena, Alessandra Zamagni, Atsushi Inaba, Milena Amaral, Markus Berger, Jolanta Dvarioniene, Tatiana Vakhitova, Catherine Benoit-Norris, Martina Prox, Rajendra Foolmaun, Mark Goedkoop
Summary: This paper aims to establish principles for increasing the application of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and introduces ten LCSA principles to promote more and better applications. However, more consensus-building and technical policy recommendations are needed to consolidate the use of LCSA.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Angelica Mendoza Beltran, Claus Nordstrom Scheel, Nuala Fitton, Jannick Schmidt, Jesper Hedal Kloverpris
Summary: The study evaluates the life cycle impacts of introducing a yield-enhancing soybean inoculant in Argentina, finding that the inoculant reduces environmental impacts of soybean production primarily through avoided production elsewhere. The yield effect is the main contributor to impact reduction, with minor influences from field emissions, upstream, and downstream effects. Better data and modeling could improve assessment accuracy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Johannes Langemeyer, Cristina Madrid-Lopez, Angelica Mendoza Beltran, Gara Villalba Mendez
Summary: This essay discusses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on urban food security and urban agriculture, as well as the blind spots in urban planning, and proposes the importance of stronger and joint consideration of urban risks, vulnerabilities, urban metabolism, and ecosystem services in land-use decision-making.
LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Elizabeth M. Alejandre, Simon G. Potts, Jeroen B. Guinee, Peter M. van Bodegom
Summary: This study presents a novel approach to assess the impacts of relative land use on pollinator abundance for life cycle assessment (LCA). The method based on expert knowledge simplifies the complex parameterization of multiple existing models, allowing for practical application in LCA studies. The illustrative characterisation factors demonstrate the potential for reflecting key differences among land use types.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jeroen B. Guinee, Arjan de Koning, Reinout Heijungs
Summary: A recent review of LCA-based Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessment (AESA) methods and their applications found that temporal issues of assigning carrying capacity to product systems are often overlooked. Many studies focus on spatial differentiation and principles for assigning carrying capacity, neglecting the time dimension. This article argues that assigning planetary boundaries to product systems is technically challenging and that even product LCA-based AESA should be considered relative.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Paul Baustert, Elorri Igos, Thomas Schaubroeck, Laurent Chion, Angelica Mendoza Beltran, Elke Stehfest, Detlef Vuuren, Hester Biemans, Enrico Benetto
Summary: Addressing the urgent global environmental issues requires radical technological and behavioral changes. Prospective life cycle assessment can contribute by analyzing the environmental consequences in detail. This study extends on previous research by using prospective life cycle inventory modeling to project life cycle impact assessment methods for water scarcity. The results highlight potential trade-offs between climate change and water scarcity impacts and emphasize the need for further research on temporal impacts.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Angelica Mendoza Beltran, Kelzy Jepsen, Marti Rufi-Salis, Sergi Ventura, Cristina Madrid Lopez, Gara Villalba
Summary: This study uses geographically explicit datasets to investigate the factors influencing nitrous oxide emissions and their spatial distribution in peri-urban agriculture. The results show that crop-specific emission factors provide a more accurate estimate of emissions compared to the commonly used Tier 1 IPCC factors. The study also assesses the impact of soil types on emissions and discusses the implications of the findings for mitigation, sustainability, and circularity studies.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Angelica Mendoza Beltran, Roc Padro, Maria Jose La Rota-Aguilera, Joan Marull, Matthew J. Eckelman, Jacob Cirera, Annalisa Giocoli, Gara Villalba
Summary: Peri urban agriculture has the potential to provide local food in a more sustainable way, but it also brings environmental impacts. This study used a life cycle assessment method to evaluate the environmental impacts of peri urban agriculture in the Barcelona metropolitan area. The study identified the most impactful land uses and resources. The findings provide valuable baseline data for transition scenarios and sustainable strategies for peri urban agriculture.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vrishali Subramanian, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg, Martina G. Vijver, Carlos F. Blanco, Stefano Cucurachi, Jeroen B. Guinee
Summary: The concept of Safe by Design (SbD) aims to ensure the safety of materials and products throughout their life cycle. However, there is a lack of methodological approaches and practical guidelines for implementing SbD. The combined use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Risk Assessment (RA) is considered suitable for implementing SbD at different stages of product design. Critical gaps need to be addressed for wider application of SbD. Rating: 8 out of 10.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Elizabeth M. Alejandre, Laura Scherer, Jeroen B. Guinee, Marcelo A. Aizen, Matthias Albrecht, Mario V. Balzan, Ignasi Bartomeus, Danilo Bevk, Laura A. Burkle, Yann Clough, Lorna J. Cole, Casey M. Delphia, Lynn V. Dicks, Michael P. D. Garratt, David Kleijn, Aniko Kovacs-Hostyanszki, Yael Mandelik, Robert J. Paxton, Theodora Petanidou, Simon Potts, Miklos Sarospataki, Catharina J. E. Schulp, Menelaos Stavrinides, Katharina Stein, Jane C. Stout, Hajnalka Szentgyorgyi, Androulla I. Varnava, Ben A. Woodcock, Peter M. van Bodegom
Summary: While wild pollinators are crucial for global food production, they are currently not included in the commonly used environmental impact assessment method, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), due to data limitations and compatibility issues. To address this gap, a Delphi assessment was conducted to obtain relative pollinator abundance estimates from 25 experts covering 16 nationalities and 45 countries. Based on the estimates, globally generic characterization factors (CFs) were developed to assess the impact of land use on wild pollinator abundance in LCA studies.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Natalya Tsoy, Bernhard Steubing, Jeroen B. Guinee
Summary: The steel industry needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and one potential option is utilizing CO and CO2 for chemical production. A carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology was developed to transform CO and CO2 from steel mill gases into polyols, which are used to produce coatings and insulation boards. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate this CCU system compared to the incumbent steel and polyol systems, with all scenarios showing improved environmental performance but limited reduction in carbon footprint.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Lars odegaard Bentsen, Narada Dilp Warakagoda, Roy Stenbro, Paal Engelstad
Summary: This study investigates uncertainty modeling in wind power forecasting using different parametric and non-parametric methods. Johnson's SU distribution is found to outperform Gaussian distributions in predicting wind power. This research contributes to the literature by introducing Johnson's SU distribution as a candidate for probabilistic wind forecasting.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Xing Liu, Qiuchen Wang, Yunhao Wen, Long Li, Xinfang Zhang, Yi Wang
Summary: This study analyzes the characteristics of process parameters in three lean gas ethane recovery processes and establishes a prediction and multiobjective optimization model for ethane recovery and system energy consumption. A new method for comparing ethane recovery processes for lean gas is proposed, and the addition of extra coolers improves the ethane recovery. The support vector regression model based on grey wolf optimization demonstrates the highest prediction accuracy, and the multiobjective multiverse optimization algorithm shows the best optimization performance and diversity in the solutions.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Cairong Song, Haidong Yang, Xian-Bing Meng, Pan Yang, Jianyang Cai, Hao Bao, Kangkang Xu
Summary: The paper proposes a novel deep learning-based prediction framework, aTCN-LSTM, for accurate cooling load predictions. The framework utilizes a gate-controlled multi-head temporal convolutional network and a sparse probabilistic self-attention mechanism with a bidirectional long short-term memory network to capture both temporal and long-term dependencies in the cooling load sequences. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method, which can serve as an effective guide for HVAC chiller scheduling and demand management initiatives.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhe Chen, Xiaojing Li, Xianli Xia, Jizhou Zhang
Summary: This study uses survey data from the Loess Plateau in China to evaluate the impact of social interaction on the adoption of soil and water conservation (SWC) technology by farmers. The study finds that social interaction increases the likelihood of farmers adopting SWC, and internet use moderates this effect. The positive impact of social interaction on SWC adoption is more pronounced for farmers in larger villages and those who join cooperative societies.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chenghua Zhang, Yunfei Yan, Kaiming Shen, Zongguo Xue, Jingxiang You, Yonghong Wu, Ziqiang He
Summary: This paper reports a novel method that significantly improves combustion performance, including heat transfer enhancement under steady-state conditions and adaptive stable flame regulation under velocity sudden increase.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2024)