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Purpose The aim of this work is to quantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings potential in magazine paper production through the application of the innovative manufacturing strategies using advanced sheet structure design and fibre modifications. Methods The study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to two different magazine paper products: supercalendered (SC) paper and light-weight coated (LWC) paper. A cradle-to-gate approach is used aiming to assess the environmental benefits gained through the implementation of new manufacturing strategies in both products. The functional unit of the system was defined as the production of one square meter of finished paper for printing magazines. Conventional and new production processes have been compared. Results and discussion The strategies applied to SC paper resulted in reduction of GHG emissions by 22.9%, with a total of 10.7 gCO 2 eq emissions saved per square meter of SC paper. In the case of LWC paper, GHG emissions are reduced by 20.3%, which are equal to a total of 19.7 gCO 2 eq saved per square meter of LWC paper. The influence of certain methodological approaches -functional unit, electricity mix and avoided impacts- in the final results is also discussed in the paper. Conclusions The manufacturing strategies implemented show a remarkable potential for reducing GHG emissions. Taking into account that the pulp and paper industry is a very energy-intensive sector and one of the main GHG emitters, the potential of the strategies for the improvement of the environmental performance of the papermaking processes is significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has become the world largest paper and paperboard producer. However, pulp and paper industry has involved high resource consumption and severe pollution especially for water. This research has assessed the eco-efficiency of China's pulp and paper industry at the national level and provincial level. An overview regarding the cleaner production of China's pulp and paper industry was presented to reveal the measures for reducing environmental impact in the last two decades. Slacks-based measure was used to analyze the efficiency levels of 16 provinces' pulp and paper industries. To uncover the underlying causes of eco-efficiency performance, Malmquist–Luenberger index was calculated to discover the drivers of productivity growth of pulp and paper industries. Our results showed that the pollution treatment of China's pulp and paper industry has made progress in terms of water consumption and water pollution, although the absolute amount of pollution discharge is still large. Chemical oxygen demand emissions are still the first critical influencing factor of pulp and paper industry's inefficiency. Furthermore, efficiency progress was the dominating contribution of the industry's productivity growth between 2010 and 2013. The policies for adjusting the industrial structure of pulp and paper industry have resulted in the scale effects through eliminating backward production capacity and accelerating merger and acquisitions. Moreover, the productivity of pulp and paper industry was underestimated when the undesirable outputs were ignored. It indicates that the stricter environmental regulations have positive effects on paper companies to internalize environmental pressures in the production activities through environmental management. In the future, pulp and paper companies should further internalize the cost of pollution treatment through scale effects and technology improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LCA studies on waste management have been promoted as they can help policy makers choose the best environmental options. However, the increasing globalization of raw materials and waste makes the optimization of waste management strategies and policies quite challenging. Therefore, new approaches are needed in order to identify the consequences of markets on the waste management systems. This paper concentrates on the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of recycling processes. The aim is to generate a comprehensive assessment of GHG emissions as a consequence of increasing the amount of material collected for recycling. Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) is an effective methodological framework for addressing GHG quantifications within market, but to properly perform and assess all of the market links between raw materials and waste, it is necessary to determine the cause-effect chains made up of physical flows. Thus, we propose integrating the methodologies of material flow analysis (MFA) and CLCA. We applied these methodologies to the paper and cardboard recycling system in Spain. The GHG results varied between −36 kg CO 2 eq. and −317 kg CO 2 eq. per ton of waste paper collected, depending on the quantity of waste paper exported and the source of marginal pulp considered. The cumulative energy demand (CED) was also calculated as complementary indicator. Similar trends as for GHG emissions were obtained. The future GHG quantifications should be based on the flows described by MFA analysis and should be quantified using CLCA because methodologies that accurately account for GHG are necessary for decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Retrofit process design can be seen as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem aiming at selecting the best alternative for improving the performance of a chemical process. There is a growing consensus that environmental considerations, including the environmental impact associated with all life cycle stages of materials, should be integrated in chemical process design. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a technique that allows quantification of those impacts. However, implementing this technique would increase the decision-making complexity and thus would necessitate systematic tools and methods. The analogy between LCA and MCDM has been recognized, but the systematic evaluation of LCA methodological choices and interpretation in this context is rarely discussed. The importance of those is demonstrated in this paper using a case study involving the implementation of de-inked pulp capacity and cogeneration and an integrated newsprint mill. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the present study, the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) for the comparison of two egg packages, from polystyrene and recycled paper, is presented. The input and output streams of mass and energy are examined and the environmental impacts associated with the two systems are analyzed. The application of LCA by using EcoIndicator 95 has made possible the comparison of the environmental impacts of two egg packages. The results of this LCA study are discussed and reveal that the PS packages contribute more to acidification potential, winter and summer smog, while recycled paper egg packages contribute more to heavy metal and carcinogenic substances impact. Nevertheless, it seems that paper eggcups have less environmental impact than the polystyrene ones with the assumption that the accuracy of the results is confined by the credibility of European databases used for primary data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to Portuguese printing and writing paper in order to compare the environmental impact of the use of two kinds of fuels (heavy fuel oil and natural gas) in the pulp and paper production processes. The results of inventory analysis and impact assessment show that the pulp and paper production processes play an important role in almost all of the analysed parameters, which do not always result in an important contribution to the corresponding impact categories. The substitution of heavy fuel oil by natural gas in the pulp and paper production processes seems to be environmentally positive. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this research was to quantify and compare the environmental impact of a number of different deinking sludge utilization approaches. A comparative life cycle assessment of deinking sludge material and energy recovery was performed for the baseline scenario—landfill disposal, and four alternative scenarios: two cement plants, a lightweight aggregate plant, and a stone wool plant. Sludge pretreatment and transportation processes were included in the scenario analyses. The results of the life cycle assessment showed that the use of dry deinking sludge in a cement plant in Finland, 45 km from the point of supply of the deinking sludge, to substitute 46% of the petcoke and 2.7% of the limestone showed the best performance. Therein, a global warming potential reduction of 13% and an eutrophication potential reduction of 12% – the highest reduction out of all impact categories studied – were achieved. A similar reduction in global warming potential of 12% was achieved when deinking sludge was incinerated and the ash utilized in cement production in a Russian plant located 350 km from the paper mill. However, abiotic depletion potential and acidification potential slightly increased by 2.6 and 1.5%, respectively. A maximum reduction of 2.1% out of al impact categories was achieved when dry sludge was used in a lightweight aggregate plant. That is considerably less compared to the reduction achieved at the cement plants. The use of deinking sludge ash in a stone wool plant to substitute 25% of cement resulted in a maximum reduction of 25% in the ozone layer depletion potential. Thus, the utilization of deinking sludge in construction materials production while preventing its landfilling has beneficial effects on the environment, in particular decreased greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Existing product life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on offset printed matter all point at paper as the overall dominating cause of environmental impacts. All studies focus on energy consumption and the dominating role of paper is primarily based on the energy-related impact categories: global warming, acidification and nutrient enrichment. Ecotoxicity and human toxicity, which are related to emissions of chemicals, etc., are only included to a limited degree or not at all. In this paper we include the impacts from chemicals emitted during the life cycle of sheet fed offset printed matter. This is done by making use of some of the newest knowledge about emissions from the production at the printing industry combined with knowledge about the composition of the printing materials used. In cases with available data also upstream emissions from the production of printing materials are included. The results show that inclusion of the chemical emission-related impacts makes the EDIP97 impact profile of sheet fed offset products much more varied, as well for the normalised profiles as for the profiles weighted by distance to political environmental targets. Especially the ecotoxicity impact potential related to the production stage may contribute significantly, and the use of paper no longer becomes the overall dominating factor driving the environmental impacts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present study demonstrates how the environmentally weighted material consumption (EMC) indicator can be used to assess the resource efficiency of bioeconomy policies by calculating thirteen categories of environmental impacts associated with the production and the use of 146 biomass resources in Japan. The total environmental impact, expressed in the Japanese life cycle database in Japanese yen (JPY), decreased from 2,444 × 109 JPY in 1990 to 1,870 × 109 JPY in 2010. Supply chain related emissions (upstream) represented more than 98% of the impacts for all years. Land use, resource consumption, global warming, and urban air pollution were the main impact categories accounting respectively for 45%, 32%, 14% and 8% of the impacts. Ten products were found responsible for more than half of the impacts: rice, raw milk, beef cattle, painted printing paper, broiler, rolls of newsprint, hen egg, squares, common plywood and lumbers. Improvement of the production processes, reduction of consumed amounts and dietary change were identified as potential strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of these materials. Still, finding the best policy option may require the development of a life cycle assessment database able to differentiate organic and conventional agriculture and to better represent the production and environmental specificities of importing countries. • Environmentally weighted material consumption as an indicator of bioeconomy. • Detailed analysis of 146 biomass materials' environmental impacts. • Land use and resource consumption are the main impact categories. • Ten products are responsible for 50% of the total impacts. • Yield increase, diet shift, and paper recycling can reduce biomass related impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Life cycle assessment was carried out using IMPACT2002+ to estimate the environmental impact of coated white board production, which is common in China. Normalized results showed that the potential impacts of respiratory inorganics, terrestrial ecotoxicity, global warming, and non-renewable energy had a dominant contributions to overall environmental impact. Specifically, emissions from chemical and energy production processes exhibited higher potential impact (more than 80% of the total contribution) on the environment than that of emissions generated from transport, landfill, wastewater treatment, and paper plants infrastructure. Energy recovery from black liquor and energy generation based on natural gas are key factors in reducing overall environmental potential impact. The current paper presents improvements on the environmental performance of a coated white board production site in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article contributes to the theoretical and empirical discussions on how it could be possible to transform technical eco-efficiency into reduced environmental impact of consumption. The rebound effect is an important concept in this context. The relevance of consumer behaviour is addressed within three important sectors for the Zero Emissions Techniques and Systems: shopping of paper products, energy use in household and waste management. It is not only important how much the consumers buy, but also what kinds of products they buy and how they use and dispose of them. However, the responsibility for a sustainable development should not entirely be put on the shoulders of the individual consumer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This work presents the results in the field of materials engineering, and they are related to recycling of paper production waste sludge particles at amounts of 10 wt% and 20 wt% in tall oil polyol-based rigid polyurethane foam with and without tris (1-chloro 2-propyl) phosphate flame retardant. The impact of both systems on physical and mechanical properties, thermal stability, fire resistance and ignitability is studied. Paper production waste sludge particles filled rigid polyurethane foams display better fire performance thus resulting into reduction of the emission of CO 2 and CO as well as reduction in average heat release rate. Scanning electron microscopy has shown that paper waste sludge particles and tris (1-chloro 2-propyl) phosphate together act systematically, and synergism between two materials may be observed. It is as well determined that paper production waste sludge particles reduce thermal conductivity by approx. 15% for polyurethane foam with paper production waste sludge particles and by approx. 13% for polyurethane foam with paper production waste sludge particles and conventional flame retardant. Moreover, the substitution of tris (1-chloro 2-propyl) phosphate, petroleum based polyol and hydroflurocarbons with 10 wt% and 20 wt% of PPWS particles, tall oil polyol and water reduces carbon dioxide emission by 60.8% and 39.6%, respectively, contributing to cleaner production of rigid polyurethane foam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The annual market demand for disposable baby diapers exceeds 20 billion units (690 kt) in the European Union (EU). Almost 40,000 disposable diapers are used every minute, producing 1.3 t/min (dry weight) of waste. Based on the estimates in this work, this requires 90.3 PJ of primary energy and emits 2.7 Mt CO 2 eq. annually. In an attempt to reduce resource, waste and environmental impacts associated with diapers, this paper focuses on novel design and manufacture of disposable baby diapers. This involves using optimised absorbent core and novel bonding technologies to replace conventional gluing of diaper materials. Life cycle assessment has been performed to compare the environmental performance of these new diapers, here termed "glueless", with standard designs. The annual resource consumption and environmental impacts of glueless diapers have been estimated at different production levels: a single production platform, an industrial plant, a country (Italy) and the EU, taking into account different production volumes, electricity mixes and waste management options. Different market penetration scenarios have been considered to determine potential environmental implications at the EU level by 2020. The results reveal that glueless diapers reduce the consumption of raw materials by 23% (9.2 g/diaper), primary energy demand by 25% (752 kJ/diaper) and global warming potential by 10% (10.4 g CO 2 eq./diaper) compared to the standard diapers. They also have more than 50% lower eutrophication, ozone depletion and human and eco-toxicity. Up to 16 PJ primary energy and 191,000 t CO 2 eq. would be saved annually in the EU by using glueless diapers. The cumulative savings would amount to 47 PJ and 566,000 t CO 2 eq. by 2020. The annual consumption of raw materials at the EU level would be reduced by 196,000 t with cumulative savings of up to 584,000 t by 2020, also reducing the equivalent amount of waste from the disposal of diapers. Consequently, glueless diapers can contribute to meeting the energy, climate and resource efficiency goals specified in the EU 2020 strategy. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Novel design and manufacture of "glueless" disposable baby diapers is considered. • Glueless diapers save 23% of materials and 25% of energy relative to standard type. • Most life cycle impacts are reduced by >50% and global warming potential by 10%. • Up to 584,000 t of waste and 566,000 t of CO 2 eq. can be saved by 2020. • Glueless diapers can help meet the EU energy, resource and climate change targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pulp and paper manufacturing sector constitutes one of the largest industry segments in the world in terms of water and energy usage as well as of significant use and release of chemicals and combustion products. Since its chief feedstock –wood fiber– is renewable, this industry can play an important role in sustainable development, becoming an example of how a resource can be managed to provide a sustained supply to meet society's current and future needs. This calls for a thorough assessment of environmental costs and impacts associated to pulp and paper operations, including both direct and indirect inputs supporting the whole papermaking process as well as the main outputs, co-products and by-products. By means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, this paper aims at assessing the environmental sustainability of the pulp and paper production so as to identify those phases across the whole supply chain that entail the highest environmental loads, thus requiring improvements. To determine the environmental impacts as accurately as possible, the manufacturing stages performed in the pulp and paper mill complex of Stora Enso Oyj Veitsiluoto Mills at Kemi, Northern Finland, were taken as a model and assessed by means of the SimaPro 8 LCA software, utilizing ReCiPe Midpoint (H) method for the impact assessment. As expected, most of the resulting impacts are caused by the industrial production phase. The production processes of pulp and paper jointly affect all the investigated impact categories with the highest shares, ranging from 50% of generated impacts on water depletion up to 88% on freshwater eutrophication. Generally, the main contributions to environmental loads come from the electricity and heat requirements and, only at a minor extent, from the use of chemicals such as the sodium hydroxide and sodium chlorate. In particular, pulp production process generates the main loads on global warming (46% of the total impacts), ozone depletion (39%), freshwater eutrophication (55%), human toxicity (46%), metal depletion (42%) and fossil depletion (46%). In the remaining investigated impact categories, namely terrestrial acidification, photochemical oxidant formation and terrestrial ecotoxicity, most of impacts derive from the use of optical brighteners and fillers in the final steps of paper production and from the intensive consumption of water in the recycling step of end-of-life affecting water depletion. Moreover, the implementation of measures for material and energy efficiency in the assessed system, such as the use of renewable energy generated in situ from black liquor and residual biomass to support the requirements of the integrated pulp and paper mills and the waste paper recycling, resulted to be crucial in lowering the environmental burdens. In particular, the partial fulfillment of electricity and heat requirements by means of a circular use of residues within the system leads to a noteworthy reduction of impacts in all the investigated impact categories, up to more than 70% in global warming and fossil depletion potentials, thus contributing to higher process sustainability compared with other averaged European systems for paper production. The obtained research results are a valuable source of management information for the decision makers, at both company and national levels, with the aim to improve the environmental performance of pulp and paper industry. Highlights • A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of papermaking in Finland was performed. • The main environmental hotspots in each process step were identified and discussed. • Energy and material efficiency solutions leads to a noteworthy reduction of impacts. • Pulp and paper industry is a benchmark model to transition towards a circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper an integrated methodological approach is presented for the evaluation of the implementation of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) in facilities operated under Integrated Prevention Pollution and Control (IPPC) Directive, based on the development and application of a set of sub-indices. An aggregated form of sub-indices that could be used as a composite IPPC facility index is proposed. A sector specific index can be derived from facilities composite indices. This approach uses environmental performance data from European Polluting Emissions Register (EPER) reports, environmental permits and BAT Reference Documents, and gives a coherent and interesting picture of the degree of BAT implementation and an indication of IPPC obligations fulfilment. A specific application is demonstrated concerning the paper manufacturing sector in Greece. It is concluded for this sector that there is a measurable discrepancy from the BAT fulfilment obligations and that the most problematic sub-indices are the “Releases to Water” and “Releases to Air”. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An assessment of the environmental aspects related to the life cycle of disposable baby diapers in Europe is presented in this paper with the aim of analysing recent improvements and identifying key environmental areas on which to focus in order to further decrease impacts. Average products available on the European market in recent years have been modelled and evaluated from “cradle to grave”. Results point out the importance of materials in the definition of the environmental profile of the product. These are followed by the end of life for some impact categories, while the contribution of manufacturing, packaging and transport to the overall LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) results seems of minor relevance. Significant environmental improvements at European level have been achieved in recent years through the design of lighter products and the introduction of superabsorbent polymers. Careful selection and use of materials at the design stage could allow life cycle impacts of products to be further decreased, while ensuring that human health and environmental risks are controlled and that functionality and performance requirements are fulfilled. Indeed, potential malfunctioning of products would result in increasing consumption. Resource efficiency is also important at the manufacturing level to optimise the demand for materials and limit waste production. Special forms of treatment at the end of life stage of the product could instead require significant structural changes of the waste management system. The outcomes of this paper could be applied to support the design and environmental labelling of disposable baby diapers for promoting the production and consumption of product options characterised by lower environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes carbon-based nodal pricing, which utilizes carbon-tracing analysis in its structure. The carbon-tracing algorithms enable the independent system operator (ISO) to better manage and establish a fair pricing mechanism, considering the actual contribution of each plant to the network's total daily emissions. The ISO, by utilizing carbon-tracing analysis, can easily compute nodal carbon intensity and branchial carbon flow, which are used in nodal pricing analysis. Furthermore, in this paper, for motivating flexible consumers, especially those who have higher impacts on carbon emissions, a carbon-based incentive framework called the flexible carbon-responsive (FCR) program is established, which helps the consumers control their carbon output and enables the ISO to decrease the network's total carbon emissions. In the proposed structure, the worst-case scenarios, which arise from uncertain parameters, can easily affect the simulation results. As a result, in order to avoid such issues, analyzing risks associated with uncertainty is the next focus of this research, and the downside risk constraints (DRC) approach is used to accomplish so. The DRC technique helps the ISO achieve an appropriate balance between the cost associated with risk and the anticipated cost, with the simultaneous objective of minimizing overall risk. Last, a modified IEEE 24-bus transmission system and the IEEE 20-bus gas network are utilized to evaluate the suggested carbon-based pricing mechanism. The simulation results show that applying the FCR program and carbon-based pricing causes the total operation costs to decrease by 100%, resulting in an increase of only 0.71% under the proposed DRC method. It could be noted that the total operation cost increment in the with-carbon tax case is 0.18% lower compared to the no-carbon tax policy. • Nodal electricity and gas pricing from environmental roles and carbon taxation. • Flexible carbon-responsive program using nodal carbon-driven pricing. • Modeling carbon-based behavior of consumers using carbon elasticity concept. • Stochastic-driven modeling of uncertainties in renewable generation and demands. • Assessing the risk arising from uncertainties for possible adverse conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concrete waste recycling has been considered an efficient way to reduce environmental impacts in the end-of-life treatment of construction waste materials compared to traditional landfilling. Developing advanced and sustainable technologies in recycling processes grows with significance for enhancing the performance of recycled products. However, there is still a lack of systematic analysis and comparison of the studies adopting life cycle assessment (LCA) to examine environmental potentials of varied concrete waste recycling processes. This paper identifies up-to-date enhancement techniques for recycling concrete waste and provides a comprehensive analysis of selected cases that evaluated environmental impacts of recycling processes with LCA approaches. A total of 22 representative case studies were compared systematically using the key parameters involved in four major steps of LCA framework. Critical issues were identified from previous research studies. It is of great importance to standardize the rules for determining system boundaries and functional units, validate foreground and background inventory databases, and improve the utilization of combined uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. A specialized LCA computational tool for concrete waste recycling is in high demand for industrial decision-makers and practitioners. The proposed system boundaries of advanced recycling technologies and conceptual framework of platform development highlight potential directions for future research. [Display omitted] • A systematic comparison from perspectives of the LCA framework has been adopted on the 22 case studies that involve detailed processes of concrete waste recycling. • Standardized rules for defining system boundaries and functional units are expected to be developed for enhancing the comparability and quality of LCA outcomes. • The availability, integrity, and authenticity of the LCI databases with primary datasets are of great importance in obtaining accurate results of the assessment. • A conceptual framework for constructing a semi-developed LCA computational tool specialized for concrete waste recycling is proposed and its feasibility should be investigated in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Paper pulp manufacturing is the main non-food industrial utilization of plant biomass. Non-wood and agricultural residues are potential raw materials in the production of specialty papers. This chapter aims to quantify the environmental impacts associated with non-wood high quality paper pulp manufacture via soda-anthraquinone (AQ) cooking process by means of the application of LCA methodology in a cradle-to-gate analysis. Hemp (Cannabis sativa) and Flax (Linum usitatissimum) were evaluated as raw materials for the production of high quality non-porous pulp. A specialty paper pulp mill was analysed in detail and process chain was divided in six subsystems: agricultural activities, chemicals production, electricity production, transport, pulp production and waste treatment. Inventory data came from interviews and surveys (on-site measurements). When necessary, the data were completed with bibliographic resources. Abiotic resources depletion (AD), global warming (GW), ozone layer depletion (OLD), human toxicity (HT), ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidant formation (POF), acidification (A) and eutrophication (E) were the impact categories analysed in this study. According to the results, the environmental impact is mainly caused by the production of chemicals, electricity and fibres (agricultural activities) due to greenhouse gases emissions, phosphorous and nitrogen compounds emissions. The activities inside the pulp mill present minor contribution to almost all impact categories, excluding GW (15%) and E (6%) as well as OLD (25%). This study provides useful information for non-wood based industries related not only to pulp manufacture but also to panels or biorefineries with the aim of increasing their sustainability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Pulp industry plays an important role in the structure of European economy and society. Paper pulp manufacture, the industrial utilization of plant biomass, is increasing every year. In Spain, Eucalyptus is the dominant raw material and the Kraft cooking and total chlorine free (TCF) bleaching processes lead the procedures of Eucalyptus paper pulp production. This paper aims to identify and quantify the environmental impacts associated to Eucalyptus TCF pulp manufacture by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as an analytical tool. The system has been defined using a cradle-to-gate perspective, that is to say from forest activities to the exit gate of the pulp mill. The production of chemicals consumed in the cooking and bleaching stages as well as the on-site energy production system is the elements that contribute the most to all impact categories analyzed (more than 50% of total contributions), except for the eutrophication potential where forest activities and waste treatment play an important roles (about 52% of total). Specific actions associated to the recovery boiler, lime kiln and digestion stage could considerably reduce the environmental impact and improve the environmental performance of the Spanish paper pulp industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper analysed and summarised the significant research outputs published on the environmental impact assessment of mining and mineral processing industries through life cycle assessment. The paper presents valuable insights in identifying the gaps, where should the focus be in the mining and mineral processing industries for a sustainable future. Mining and mineral processing industries have been the key focus of research in many countries due to its increasing sustainability concerns that affect global warming and climate change. Use of heavy equipment that consumes electrical energy, mechanical energy, and an enormous amount of process heat is a key contributor to the overall impacts in the industry. Due to the use of heavy equipment and associated energy consumption, these industrial sectors contribute notably to global warming, human health, ecosystems, and resources. Among the various environmental impact assessment tools which are widely used to identify sustainability indicators, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-justified approach among the practitioners and researchers. Though state of the art technological tools and resources are being used now a days, there is still a research gap in identifying the key mining processes which need to be the focus of attention. Renewable energy integration in the mineral processing sector and process heating from green energy sources is becoming the emergent field of research. The review results reveal, the assessment indicators in human health and ecosystems are key factors that are mostly missing in the previous studies which are crucial for people or community living nearby mining area. This review paper identifies the research gaps to the existing literature that can form the base for future research direction in the field of LCA and sustainable energy integration in mining and mineral processing industries. • A review based on life cycle assessment studies in mining and mineral processing. • 16 metal mining industries are reviewed. • Summarised key factors of environmental effects using LCA. • Future research directions are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing pressure from governments and stakeholders has motivated the study of sustainability assessment in the supply chain context at operational, tactical, and strategic levels. Several papers have been published during the last two decades, and the number is still rising. Although several authors present complex models that include environmental and social assessment, the applicability and usefulness of these works is often limited by lack of data availability and lack of consensus in what is to be measured on implementations of sustainable practices and strategies. This paper presents a systematic literature review of works addressing the supply chain network design (SCND) problem, in which at least two of the three dimensions of sustainability are assessed. This paper aims to identify indicators that are used when sustainability is evaluated in real applied cases. A total of 113 papers from 2015 to 2018 were selected, including documents studying forward, reverse, and closed loop supply chains (CLSC). Indicators in the economic, environmental, and social dimensions were classified according to an existing framework in the sustainable supply chain literature. The review finds a highlighted emphasis on environmental considerations; social criteria are still hardly studied. The study country origin analysis also shows an increasing concern for sustainable practices in developing economies, mainly in Asia. Finally, this paper presents a brief description of the areas where research opportunities exist, including sectors, measures, and methodologies to assess sustainability in the SCND problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current dietary patterns have implications for both population and planetary health, giving dietary shifts the potential to reduce these impacts. However, higher quality diets are not inherently of lower environmental impact. This paper examines the association between diet quality, defined using the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, Mediterranean (MED) diet and Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) , and environmental impacts among middle- to older-aged adults. The cross-sectional analysis used a random sample of 1862 males and females aged 46–73 years. Diet quality scores (DQS) were derived from a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The impact of food production was estimated using greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and blue water use (BWU) environmental impact indicators from secondary data sources. Relationships between food groups, DQS and environmental impacts were evaluated via correlation and regression analyses. The food group red meat & offal was found to be the largest contributor to dietary GHGE and caffeinated beverages to BWU for all DQS and across all quartiles of adherence. The cumulative contribution of discretionary foods and beverages requires attention given they are superfluous to human health. In fully adjusted regression analyses, higher diet quality was associated with lower GHGE for all DQS. Conversely, higher diet quality was positively associated with water use (DASH and MED only). Encompassing principles of the DASH and MED diets in future dietary recommendations may reduce diet-related disease in later life and dietary GHGE. However, the increase of BWU as diets become healthier is a concern. Advocating for plant-based diets must be coordinated with sustainable production and supply. National solutions to increase self-sufficiency and reduce impacts and reliance on climate vulnerable countries is warranted. The population dietary shifts required for health and planet can only be realised by multi-level structural changes to food systems through policy, and not through sole expectation of individual change. • Higher diet quality was associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions. • Inconsistent associations between diet quality and blue water use. • Discretionary foods contribute little to health but inflate environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special volume of the JCLP is mainly built upon articles presented at the 6th International Workshop Advances in Cleaner Production held in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2017. The event had provided a progressive interdisciplinary meeting for knowledge advance and information trade. Papers in this issue cover a broad range of perspectives of cleaner production strategies and practices, and a special focus was placed upon the type of contribution – practical, conceptual/practical, conceptual - and the scale of their coverage – local, regional and global. The papers provide understanding on the research intended to systematically include cleaner production in the path sustainability, and identifies the extent to which cleaner production practitioners directly and indirectly provide local, regional and global solutions. Key results of this introductory article include research on: efficient and responsive use of energy and resources; the search for reduced emissions, the role of managerial support and environmental assessments, and the implementation/analysis of closed-loop systems of materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nowadays, the population growth leads environmental, legislative, and social concerns. As a consequence, government and companies started to be aware of the impact of supply chain operations in the environment and society. While most of research in Supply Chain Network Design (SCND) has focused on economic performance, recently some studies consider environmental and social aspects of the SCND. The majority of existing related papers deal with multi-objective optimization modelling approaches when considering sustainable aspects of the supply chain. In this study, the optimization of a hierarchized Sustainable Supply Chain Network Design (SSCND) is addressed. To model this situation, a bi-level programming approach is considered. In the proposed model, an Environmental Protection Agency from the government has the leader role and acts as the upper level decision maker. Also, the supply chain's manager assumes the follower role acting as the lower level decision maker. Leader's objective function considers environmental aspects, while follower's objective function considers economical aspects. In the modelled situation, the government tries to cause an impact in the SCND by offering financial incentives (subsidies) and by encouraging the supply chain's manager to use cleaner technologies. The resulting bi-level programming model is a mixed-integer linear program. Due to the structure of the lower level problem, the bi-level model cannot be reduced into an equivalent single-level one by using KKT conditions. Therefore, an algorithm based on the simulated annealing metaheuristic is proposed for solving the problem. The results show that an appropriate government's financial incentives strategy lead to significantly decrease the environmental impact of the SSCND. Moreover, a greater impact is achieved when the financial incentives do not depend on the total production obtained via the use of cleaner technologies (scenario 1) than assigning subsidies based on the production made with specific technologies (scenario 2). Furthermore, the proposed model could be considered as a new approach for SSCND procuring environmental and economic aspects under an assumed predefined hierarchy. Highlights • A sustainable supply chain network design (SSCND) is studied in this paper. • Incentives are offered to the companies promoting the use cleaner technologies. • A novel bi-level programming model is proposed to handle with this problem. • An algorithm based on simulated annealing is designed to find acceptable solutions. • Results show significant reductions in the environmental impact of the SSCND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Any industry have significant impact on environment and textile manufacturing is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. This paper summarizes and discusses the ecofriendly achievements within development of textile industry dealing with three main contributors: production, consumption and recycling. It shows that although significant environmental friendly technological improvements were made in primary textile production whereas, recycling and consumer awareness have low sustainability level for textile industry. The emphasis was also made on comparison of textile industry with other ones (paper, aluminium, glass) showing significantly higher recycling rate. Waste management regulation for textiles and the lack for standardization for global textile waste management are also discussed. Low recycling rate and continuously increasing demand in textile production makes it difficult to establish the balance between industrial and environmental systems necessary to increased life cycle for textile products. Importance of simultaneous involvement and development of customer awareness, sustainable manufacturing and high recycling level should, therefore, be in focus. Highlights • Textile manufacturing is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emission. • There was increased demand in textile production and low recycling rate worldwide. • This result in misbalance of environmental and industrial ecosystems. • Increase of life cycle of textile products should therefore be in focus. • It is need for development of textile waste management globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Attitudes in the construction industry towards emissions and cleaner production are mixed. Many in the industry do not measure their emissions, or show awareness or progress towards minimizing emissions, but rather focus on more traditional matters of time, cost and production. Some writers suggest cost, or an industry perception of extra cost, as a main barrier to implementing more sustainable practices. There has been a slow shift to a sustainability mindset, but commonly this shift is only embarked upon if there are parallel cost savings. A realistic business view is that sustainability in the construction industry will only be achieved if parallel cost reductions occur. Within this debate, the paper puts forward the proposition and shows that, for a defined type of construction operation, performing at minimum unit cost (cost per production) also leads to minimizing unit emissions (emissions per production). The implication of this is that, within an existing operation, least unit emissions can be achieved without an increase in unit cost; alternatively, traditionally efficient ways of undertaking construction have the least environmental impact. Conversely, not operating at minimum unit cost leads to unnecessary emissions. The paper demonstrates this on an array of construction practices, and opines that similar results will hold for related construction operations. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Unit cost and unit emissions performances coincide for many construction operations. • Cleaner production need not lead to increased cost. • Not operating cost efficiently leads to unnecessary emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals agreed by the United Nations in September 2015 comprise 17 goals and 169 targets aimed at integrating matters related to sustainable development into the overall economic, environmental and social frameworks of countries. Whereas the SDGs have a global dimension, their action implementation depends on the level of priority different countries give to them, and on how sustainability issues compete with a country's main problems. The aim of this paper was to identify the main Sustainable Development Goals approached by experts from different geographic regions, according to their experience and research area, and to discuss the relation between these goals and the main local issues and challenges of each region. The methodology starts with snowball sampling to collect information from experts from all geographic regions, through contact networks of universities in different countries. With the information about the goals researched by the participating experts, an analysis of the relation between the study focus and the geographical regions of origin was conducted. A total of 266 specialists from North America, Latin America/Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania participated in the survey. Based on the sample used, it can be said that there is a relation between the local problems or challenges observed in some regions and the main areas of interest of the surveyed experts, with a general emphasis on the study of goals 4, 11 and 13. Based on the data gathered, the paper presents a set of examples of positive and negative situations in the various regions, and considers the extent to which some Sustainable Development Goals are being pursued by research on a worldwide basis. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • The SDGs are now being implemented by many countries. • There are differences in the emphasis to the implementation of the SDGs across different geographical regions. • Goals related to Climate Action, Sustainable Cities and Education seem to be among the most popular ones. • The research gaps suggest that many SDGs deserve more attention in order not to "leave anyone behind". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A rapid development of building environmental research from the globe is witnessed in recent years to deal with the environmental issues, especially in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions, due to the substantial environmental burdens associated with the building industry. Thus, numerous scientific efforts have been devoted to buildings through environmental assessment like a life cycle assessment (LCA) and a methodological framework development. Concerning the rapid growth of buildings, LCA is increasingly used for assessing and mitigating the associated environmental impacts from material selection to the whole building systems. This study aims to comprehensively review the LCA implication on buildings by discussing the contemporary issues related to the development of this research field. The study considers a wide range of literature including case studies, reviews and surveys, and these articles are critically examined according to the predefined criteria developed. An in-depth analysis is also conducted on selected studies to unveil the criticality of the assessments and results under different considerations. In addition to demonstrating the research gaps for comprehensive assessment of buildings, the adoption of a circular economy (CE) concept is highlighted by providing a comprehensive framework. The findings show that resource recovery and resource-efficient building construction are seldom considered in prevailing studies. As a result, the framework proposed in this paper should help support a paradigm shift towards a comprehensive research for increasing the accuracy and practicability by introducing the CE principle to the building industry for enhancing its sustainability performance. Highlights • Literature related to building-environmental research was critically analyzed. • LCA implication on buildings was comprehensively reviewed by discussing the contemporary issues. • Selected papers were critically analyzed to unveil the research trends and practices. • Knowledge gaps for comprehensive assessment of buildings under the CE principle are identified. • Comprehensive framework based on the CE principle was proposed for comprehensiveness building LCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper applies the Life Cycle Assessment methodology to develop a simple method to calculate the carbon footprint of the municipal solid waste treatment stage. This simple and structured methodological procedure takes into account: i) direct greenhouse gas emissions produced in waste treatment, taking place within the city boundary (scope 1 of international carbon footprint standards); ii) indirect greenhouse gas emissions related to the use of grid-supplied electricity, as well as fuel production and distribution (scopes 2 and 3 emissions as per international carbon footprint standards); and iii) avoided greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the products obtained (if any) that can replace other products or the raw materials used to produce them. Madrid City (a representative European city), the capital of Spain, was used as a case study to prove the validity and usefulness of the proposed methodology. In this city, 344 kg of municipal solid wastes were produced per inhabitant in 2013. These wastes were collected separately in different fractions (packaging, glass, paper/cardboard and mixed waste, including organic material). Mixed waste and packaging fractions were processed at the Valdemingómez Technology Park. The current treatment stage was compared with several alternative scenarios which describe hypothetical management routes for the different waste fractions. The carbon footprint for the current situation is equal to 224 kg CO 2 eq/t waste. In comparison to the worst situation, corresponding to the scenario in which municipal wastes were landfilled without energy recovery, the current scenario reduces its carbon footprint by 1597 kg CO 2 eq/t waste (a reduction of 88%). Improvements in the material separation and recovery processes, along with the implementation of biological treatments for the organic fraction, clearly contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of the municipal solid wastes handled in the city of Madrid. According to the obtained results, the scenarios based on a total recovery of valuable materials and waste-to-energy or anaerobic digestion treatments present the lowest carbon footprint because burden avoided is more important than direct and indirect emissions from treatments. In addition, the consumption of electricity and the emissions derived from its generation (mix of generation), can increase the carbon footprint of power-intensive treatments. Highlights • Methodology to compute CF of MSW management treatments. • Scenarios based on biological treatments of MSW have less impact on climate change. • CF of real situation in Madrid was 224 CO 2 eq/t MSW in 2013. • Current CF is 88% lower than the "worst" situation (landfilling/no biogas recovery). • As sensitivity analysis shows, electricity generation mix sharply influences on CF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract One of the major global environmental challenges is the overuse of nutrients and related eutrophication problems. Specifically in Finland, the roach fish population is rapidly increasing in eutrophic water systems. Currently roach fish does not have economic value, and it is mainly composted despite the fact that it could provide a direct protein source for human needs. This paper assumes that new business could be established by removing roach fish from eutrophic water systems and using them as a protein source for human consumption. Removing roach fish directly removes nutrients and indirectly impacts the vicious cycle of eutrophication. This paper assesses different environmental sustainability perspectives of roach fish removal and utilization. It also aims to present different environmental impacts on the planetary boundary framework. The research is carried out using life cycle assessment methodology. Based on the results, the use of roach fish as a protein source would help in returning to a safe operational zone in biochemical flows. Phosphorous removal with roach fish is 5.8 (1.9–10.3) g kg−1 while nitrogen removal is 28.4 (26.4–30.4) g kg−1. However, the production has also climate change impacts which are 2.9–5.2 kgCO 2eq kg−1 roach protein. Nevertheless, the climate change impacts are 12–57 times lower than positive impacts on eutrophication. Different environmental impacts are assessed regarding whether or not they help to avoid crossing planetary boundaries. Roach fish should be marketed especially for green consumers, and creating new markets for roach fish could also help in eutrophic lake restoration projects. Additionally, new business could be created from nutrient offsetting by roach fish removal. Roach removal from eutrophic water systems and use as food helps in returning to a safe operational zone in biochemical flows and the positive impacts are far greater than the negative impacts on climate change from fishing and fish processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, biogas recovery from organic fraction of municipal solid waste for the purpose of electricity generation is presented with the objective of determining its economic and environmental benefits for the city of Ibadan, Nigeria. Two methods of biogas recovery technologies (i.e., anaerobic digestion and landfill gas recovery technologies) were considered. The environmental impact was performed using life cycle assessment technique while the economic assessment was determined using total life cycle cost, levelised cost of energy, net present value, internal rate of return and payback period. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate the influence electricity generation efficiency, capacity factor, per capita waste generation rate, discount rate, population growth rate and waste collection efficiency on the economic viability of the two technologies. Some of the results indicated that in a span of 20 years (i.e., 2017–2036), the waste generation potential of the city of Ibadan was estimated between 477,001 and 966,897 tons. The methane yield for anaerobic digestion and landfill gas recovery technologies were determined to be about (104.66–212.15) x 106 m3/yr and (22.65–127.65) x 106 m3/yr, respectively. Also, the electricity generation potential ranged between 321.73 and 652.15 Gigawatt-hour for anaerobic digestion and 63.25–436.18 Gigawatt-hour for landfill gas recovery technologies. The economic indicators showed that both technologies are economically viable as they presented positive net present values. The net present value for anaerobic digestion was 834.12 million US dollar while that of landfill gas recovery was 489.26 million US dollar. The levelised cost of electricity generation was between 0.0681 and 0.0336 US dollar per kilowatt-hour for anaerobic digestion technology while it ranged from 0.2411 to 0.0350 US dollar per kilowatt hour for landfill gas recovery technology. The payback period, internal return and the total life cycle cost were 5 years, 19.3% and 413.68 million US dollar for the anaerobic digestion and 7 years, 23.4% and 288.05 million US dollar for landfill gas recovery technology. This paper intends to serve as first-hand technical information to potential investors, government agencies, policy makers and potential non-governmental organisations to enhance optimal investment in biogas to energy technologies in Nigeria. Highlights • Economic & environmental benefits of biogas recovery are conducted for Ibadan city. • Sensitivity analysis are conducted on some parameters to understand biogas recovery. • The results reveal that the technologies are technically and economically viable. • The LCOE from waste ranges between 0.0681 and 0.0336 USD/kWh for AD technology. • Also the cost ranges from 0.2411 to 0.0350 USD/kWh for LFGR technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The concept of the levelized cost of energy or respectively hydrogen (LCH) is frequently chosen for techno-economic analyses of energy technologies. However, the results of the LCH very much depend on the assessment perspective, which may be either private (or synonymously business) or social. The paper identifies three points as being basically responsible for differences: (1) tax deductibility of cost components, (2) external environmental costs, and (3) discounting. The objectives of the paper are to present the levelized cost of hydrogen for improved alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) and to highlight the different results from private and social perspectives. Accordingly, the methodology comprises the different LCH calculation schemes, an energy scenario focusing on electricity, a Life Cycle Assessment for environmental impacts of AWE technology, and the monetary valuation of these impacts. As a case study, we chose the production of hydrogen from advanced alkaline water electrolysis at three different sites in Europe (Germany, Austria, and Spain). The paper shows that the private and social LCH differ strongly. Inclusion of all cost components and comparatively low discount rates provoke highest LCH from social perspective. The main differences in the case study presented here are due to full accounting for environmental costs – with the global warming potential resulting from electricity generation as the main environmental cost source – and due to electricity price projections. Finally, the paper also discusses the sensitivity of LCHs with respect to parameters such as plant lifetime, monetary values of CO2, and tax rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the context of built environment, buildings are amongst the principal generators of environmental externalities. Life Cycle Assessment (LCAs) of energy efficiency and environmental performance of buildings are deemed critical to address sustainable development issues. This paper aims to investigate LCA as a tool to support the design of buildings with two objectives in mind. Firstly, it determines the role of LCA in the evaluation of energy efficiency and environmental performance of buildings. Secondly, it elaborates LCA of these constructions through the lens of international standards. The methodological approach of the study leads to development of a whole building life cycle formula that sums up the contributions from a set of LCAs. By doing so, the paper highlights the necessity of LCA applications in buildings, and the need for minimisation of resource and energy consumption, and environmental impact. The study helps in better understanding the way LCA supports the search for and identification of innovation pathways in buildings. This paper contributes to the efforts in providing theoretical expansions in LCA of buildings and stimulates the creation of technical standards for the residential building construction sector. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • The study overviewed Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) in residential buildings. • The study discussed stages and methodological aspects related to LCA elaborations. • LCA can have huge applications for quality and sustainability of buildings. • The whole building LCA was formulated as the sum of a set of partial LCAs. • LCA in buildings minimises resource and energy use and related environmental impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current controversies on “sustainable growth”, “green growth” and “degrowth” cover many issues in the relations between human behavior, societal regulation and technology in face of the need to overcome the environmental crisis. The point of departure of this paper is the observation that the roles of technology and of technological progress in realizing an ecologically sound development often are simply taken as mere assumptions or else are taken for granted. The objective of this paper is to critically scrutinize assumptions and expectations of the eco-modernist approach from the perspective of technology assessment in the context of the debate on growth and degrowth. By reconstructing the basic arguments, assumptions, and premises of the eco-modernist approach and their critical assessment, the analysis culminates in the diagnosis of the eco-modernist approach being morally hazardous because it expects to overcome the ecological crisis by technological progress and its acceleration only, ignoring the ambivalences of technology and the issue of unintended side effects. Following this result, conclusions will be drawn in two directions: from the experience of technology assessment for degrowth, and from degrowth thinking for technology assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is possible to create value with less environmental impact through the adoption of Lean and Green manufacturing concepts and tools. This paper proposes a Lean-Green model based on the application of the Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) combined with Carbon Footprint (CF) to analyze eco-efficiency of a machining center in a case study in Brazil. The novelty of this paper was the proposal of a Lean-Green model based on ecoefficiency indicators to measure performance of production systems toward a cleaner production. The developed Lean-Green model should be used by companies with low-capacity of production due to restrictions of machine availability. The case study was organized in five different scenarios by varying machine tools, workers and workpieces. First, the SMED tool was applied in the setup activities and gains of reduced idle times were up to 88%. CF results were reduced up to 81% after applying the SMED tool on each scenario. Lastly, an eco-efficiency set of indicators were used to combine results of SMED and CF, and results of eco-efficiency were 3% higher even with higher CF values after converting setup saved time into productive time. To achieve such results simple improvements were performed in the machining center, through the standardization of work and the study of time and methods for setup activities, showing that the proposed Lean-Green model could be also adopted by other companies to create value with less impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework adoption, and ESG reporting assurance on the tone of ESG disclosures among Chinese listed firms. The research analyzes a dataset of 5985 observations from Chinese listed companies. It employs empirical methods to examine the relationships between ESG performance, GRI framework adoption, ESG reporting assurance, and ESG disclosure tone. The study finds a positive link between high ESG performance and a more optimistic ESG reporting tone, aligning with signalling theory. Conversely, adopting the GRI framework and ESG reporting assurance limits the use of positive tones, consistent with impression management principles. This underscores the importance of governance mechanisms in influencing responsible reporting and mitigating corporate hypocrisy. Additional tests affirm these findings, addressing potential endogeneity concerns. This study contributes to the existing literature on ESG reporting by providing empirical evidence on the influence of ESG performance and managerial tools on reporting tones. It establishes a positive link between ESG performance and ESG reporting tone and highlights the governance function of ESG reporting assurance and the GRI framework in curtailing managerial tendencies to manipulate tone. The paper bridges a research gap by responding to calls for more research into what drives the tone of ESG information. It cements the relevance of signalling theory in ESG and affirms that the deployment of GRI and ESG reporting assurance can serve as tools to inhibit impression management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an analytical tool used to quantify the overall environmental impacts associated with products, processes or human activities from cradle to grave. The LCA is important to determine the impact of wastewater treatment and the technologies used on human health and the environment. It performs well to find the best solutions to improve the sustainability. Therefore, it is important to review how previous studies on wastewater treatment have applied LCA. This paper presents a wide-ranging review of papers published from 1990 to 2016 that have used a range of LCA to cover the objectives, boundaries, functional units (FUs) and life cycle impact assessment(LCIA) of wastewater treatment. The analysis of the reviewed papers revealed that there are some differences in term of the FUs, system boundaries, and LCIA methods. These differences normally contribute to obtaining a few non-prosaic results. Moreover, the FUs adopted in some reviewed studies were not able to achieve the purpose of providing a reference to ensure compatibility of the results. Therefore, it is highly recommended that more attention is paid to choosing the FU in future studies. Thus, to ensure the quality and comparability of LCAs, it is very important to develop the LCA guidelines and standards and the LCIA impact categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest in integration of sustainability into business planning decisions under a sustainable development framework. Environmental accounting methodologies for collection, measurement, and disclosure of financial and environmental impacts of strategic and operational managerial decisions are developed and utilized by business entities worldwide for effective management of both organizational and operational environmental protection policies. At the operational level, while extant literature has primarily focused on managerial decision making under different voluntary and regulatory emission pricing schemes, the intersection of economic (monetary) and environmental impact (non-monetary/physical) dimensions of sustainable development goals has received scant attention. This paper examines the intersection of the environmental and economic goals of sustainable development initiatives of a focal firm, which is engaged in the primary activities of production and/or transportation and storage of a single product within a forward supply chain. This paper assumes the presence of a responsive “green market ” through modeling of consumer awareness and response induced by the firms' environmental footprint disclosures. Through quantitative modeling approach, normative conclusions are derived on the compatibility of economic and environmental goals of sustainable development initiative. The results indicate the presence of convergence, divergence, and avoidance decision zones in balancing the environmental and economical goals of the firm's sustainable development for production and storage efficiency. The paper explicitly establishes the boundaries of the operational zones within the domain of the firm's environmental reduction and operational efficiency efforts. The results demonstrate that the efficacy of voluntary or regulated emission reduction targets depends on the firm's existing environmental and operational cost structures, and hence emission reduction targets must be well planned to avoid adverse environmental impact or operational inefficiencies. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that in a green responsive market, there may exist critical emission reduction thresholds below which the economic and environmental benefits of sustainable development initiatives diverge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy (CE) paradigm in its broadest sense is key to our survival as a species. Due to this critical importance, understanding its fundamental limitations is thus of significant importance. Especially understanding the losses to Nature are key as these represent the true limitation to circularity. This requires at the minimum an understanding of the thermodynamics and entropy of the losses. Most CE work as well as the many depictions to date neglect to address this in detail, the many losses are brushed aside. Many texts in CE do not use the words entropy, thermodynamics, mass and heat transfer, technology etc. which all ultimately fundamentally affect both the circularity as well as economic viability of the system. Using lead as carrier for the narrative of this paper, the state-of-the art from technology to the thermodynamics as well as heat and mass transfer, product design, modularity, environmental impact, system simulation etc. will be critically discussed. This will reveal what key knowledge and data is presently missing to achieve the economically viable circularity of materials and products. This paper identifies what should be researched and developed to “close” the circular economy system. It thus provides a “ground zero” or baseline for the evaluation of the true economic viability of the CE paradigm relative to what we are presently achieving in our linear economy paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food Waste (FW) is increasingly viewed as a resource to be diverted from landfilling. In a circular economy where FW management is developed sustainably, FW has great potentials to be recovered, through a set of technologies like Anaerobic Digestion (AD), into high-value energy, fuel, and natural nutrients. In this context, a comprehensive review of existing life cycle environmental assessments of FW recovery through AD was made and discussed in this paper, with the aim of finding key aspects related to plant operation, as well as to methodology application and Climate Change (CC) impact. Based upon the papers reviewed, AD resulted to be characterised by a biogas yield being equal to an average of around 120 m 3  t −1 FW which increases to around 480 m 3  t −1 FW in the case of co-digestion of FW with other biomasses, so underscoring the influence played by the feedstock used. CC-impact values were found as ranging between nearly −860 and 290 kg CO 2 eq per ton of FW treated in AD, depending upon: the amount of feedstock treated; the amounts of products and by-products and the way they are modelled; and the method used for development of life cycle impact assessment phase. Results are highly affected by the methodological choices and assumptions that are made as part of the environmental assessment. Finally, negative CC-impact values were documented to be due to the environmental benefits resulting from the modelling of energy and material substitutes being greater than the environmental impacts associated with the actual treatment system. This can be considered as part of the substitution effect which is often considered and recommended in attributional LCAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity consumption and material wastage of manufacturing industries have directly or indirectly influenced the environment. Many manufacturing enterprises are committed to improving energy and material efficiencies. To achieve this goal, one of the high-efficiency ways is to optimize the scheduling. In this study, a multi-object optimization model is constructed for a particular kind of batch processing scheduling problem existed in flexible flow shops, where the objects include makespan, electricity consumption and material wastage. First, the models for electricity consumption and material wastage are built, based on which a mathematic model for scheduling problem is built afterwards. Finally, a hybrid non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) method is employed to solve the multi-object optimization scheduling model. A case study based on a real-world paper mill industry is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method and its application in practice. Moreover, a real-life scheduling problem is investigated, and the result shows that the proposed method is more efficient than manual scheduling in energy and material saving. In fact, many tissue paper mills or other manufacturing industries schedule by manual labor in China, indicating that the proposed method has a significant potential in improving energy and material efficiencies in the studied flexible flow shop, and in energy and material saving in similar industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important area of urban sustainability planning refers to the reduction of environmental impacts. Transport sector is one of the main contributors of these impacts due to its role in air pollution, greenhouse gases and CO 2 emissions. Effective actions are needed to limit the environmental impacts of transport activities. Transition studies focus on these types of actions and plans. The role of local authorities as the closest level of government to the citizens in managing transition process is highlighted because they can better understand, inform, and guide local inhabitants, businesses and industries for achieving sustainability targets. The paper aims at assessing the efforts of local public authorities in transition toward low carbon mobility in Italy. To achieve this aim a mixed method analysis was applied. First, the analysis of qualitative data obtained from interviews with urban mobility stakeholders; used to design a framework for evaluating the role of local government in transition process. Then a quantitative analysis conducted on the data gathered through a questionnaire distributed to a sample of mobility managers (or transport responsible) in municipalities. The analyses provided a final framework showing how municipalities influence low carbon mobility transition process in Italy. In conclusion, municipalities’ strategies and plans have a direct effect on the final goals. These strategies are influenced by financial support and cooperative activities, while the level of cooperation is dependent on the attitudes of deciding authorities. The paper also discusses the need to identify challenges and impediments for sustainable urban mobility transitions which was highlighted by stakeholders but less valued by local authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the life-cycle energy and environmental impacts of emerging technologies is critical to promote sustainable chemical production because such assessment can provide policy makers with useful insights for future investment and technology deployment; it also provides manufacturers and researchers with quantitative understandings of technology potential, possible bottlenecks, and future Research, Development, and Deployment directions. However, this is a challenging task for emerging technologies due to the lack of inventory data. In this paper, a general and flexible modeling framework was developed to generate the inventory data for new technologies in the chemical industry from a life cycle perspective. The modeling framework is applied to an emerging technology in the U.S. ethylene industry, ethane oxidative dehydrogenation, for demonstration. Broadly, the work described in this paper provides a decision-support method that can be further used by researchers, environment/energy analysts, and policy makers to evaluate the net benefits of innovative technologies, guide early-stage technology development and investment decisions, and conduct strategic planning for meeting energy and emissions reduction goals of the U.S. chemical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a robust methodology that assesses the environmental impacts of product systems. However, assessing its outcomes is not always easy. When decision-making must be carried out in such complex situations, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) may be applied. In this paper, the way in which MCDA techniques are being applied within the LCA context to aid results interpretation was assessed. The aim is to investigate the current framework of this integration and to map the application of MCDA and LCA according to the LCA steps, references and criteria. Thus, a research was made in SCOPUS and Web of Science databases through a specific set of key-words. As a result, 109 papers were identified. The survey demonstrate that MCDA is applied at three different times in LCA steps: at Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) to analyze trade-offs between impact categories, damage categories, or the LCA score with other dimensions; at the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) step, to interpret aspects from inventory (such as waste generation); and at the Goal and Scope definition step to identify impact categories and aspects of LCI. MCDA is also used for LCIA development, to attribute significance to impact categories. In general, the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) dimension was more recurrent, followed by Environmental and Eco-efficiency (environmental-economical) dimensions. The most common criteria were global warming, acidification and eutrophication in environmental prisms, costs and profits in economic aspects and job creation and labor security in social aspects. Results have shown mutual benefits and a clear and growing interest from the scientific community in relation to MCDA/LCA. Specific subjects to be further studied are: MCDA supporting other methodological choices, such as the allocation approach; MCDA to elicit meanings for impact categories in a way to compel stakeholders and verify geographical conditions for decision-making, and; Economic and social criteria used may contribute to Life Cycle Costing and Social LCA development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water utilities draw different water sources (surface and groundwater), including increased use of alternative sources (e.g. desalinated water, reused water, inter-basin water transfers) to supply freshwater to different users (domestic, agriculture, etc.). The combination of water sources and technologies (including infrastructures and energy) results in a regional water supply mix (WSmix) for each specific use. Existing Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) databases used in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), do not include these mixes when modelling processes, leading to a poor representation of water supply systems and related environmental impacts. To fill this gap, this paper proposes a consistent framework for modelling a regional WSmix at worldwide scale. The WSmix framework includes the scope and system boundaries definition as well as a standardisation of terminology and classification of water sources and users. To facilitate implementation of the WSmix, this paper provides a worldwide database of water source mixes per user and a technology matrix linking water sources to water production technologies, including the connection with the local electricity mix. The relevance of including the WSmix in LCI databases for proper water-use impact assessment is demonstrated with an illustrative case study. The paper finally concludes on the need of using the regionalized WSmix in routine LCA, which is just as straightforward as the use of the regionalized electricity supply mix. Besides, the developed WSmix provides interesting insights beyond the LCA scope to support the strategic management of water sources at various scales including the global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to start the study of the effects of the Kyoto Protocol on the agricultural and forestry sector. The emission levels of Greenhouse gases are greatly changed from a geographical point of view over the years after Kyoto Accord. Except for technical innovation, the design and timing of policy interventions is crucial for reducing innovation barriers and improving production efficiency. The proper use of available databases linked to the identification and application of tools by decision makers for grooming emissions are one of the main drivers for improving the efficient use of resources and global warming reduction. In this paper we propose a first proposal of methodologies to analyse the effects of the Kyoto protocol policies on the agricultural and forestry sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timber-Concrete Composite (TCC) systems are applied widely in bridges and buildings. This study innovatively combines the eco-friendly attributes of Bamboo scrimber with Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) to develop TCC systems, leading to the formulation of Bamboo scrimber-UHPC (BS-UHPC) composites. These composites are designed to boost both mechanical behaviors and environmental sustainability. The research conducts an extensive analysis through eight series of push-out tests on BS-UHPC systems, employing diverse shear connectors such as notches, inclined bolts, and stencils. It provides an in-depth examination of the failure mechanisms, detailing general load-slip behaviors and analyzing the progression of failure. The findings reveal the influence mechanism of UHPC and shear connectors on the mechanical properties and failure modes of these composites, with notched shear connectors demonstrating the highest shear capacity with 134 kN. Additionally, the study explores the efficacy of notch connections through finite element models for parametric analysis, enabling a quantitative assessment of concrete cracking areas. Building upon these insights, the research proposes and validates theoretical models for predicting the shear capacity of these composites. Moreover, this paper employs life-cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impact, specifically CO 2 emissions of the BS-UHPC composites within service life, comparing them with those of traditional timber-ordinary concrete and steel-ordinary concrete systems. The results indicate that BS-UHPC composites offer significant improvements in mechanical behaviors while also achieving the lowest CO 2 emissions with 78 kg CO 2 -Eq/m3 among the materials tested. This positions BS-UHPC composites as an advantageous choice for practical engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in distributed renewable generation and active prosumers has heightened power exchanges in Distribution Systems (DS), causing congestion issues. This paper presents a four-layer optimization model for Distribution System Operators (DSOs) to efficiently manage network congestion through smart prosumers. The first two layers involve an iterative bidding process in the energy market to maximize social welfare during settlement. The third and fourth layers address congestion in the market, employing an adaptive Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) algorithm for decentralized coordination between DSOs and smart prosumers, including Microgrids (MGs), Energy Hubs (EHs), and Electric Vehicle Parking lots (EVPLs). Layer 1 optimizes market player bids, layer 2 maximizes social welfare, layer 3 handles congestion using various strategies, and layer 4 reschedules smart prosumers based on DSO's requests. Implemented on a 118-bus DS in GAMS, the model demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed adaptive ADMM in ensuring player privacy and market efficiency. Additionally, integrating the market-based mechanism with Distribution Feeder Reconfiguration (DFR) optimally utilizes smart prosumers, resulting in a 46.85% reduction in net DSO costs. This practical implication underscores the model's effectiveness in addressing network congestion challenges and providing economic benefits for DSOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the high reliance on fossil fuels in the electricity production and transport sectors, completing the energy transition holds a particular importance for non-interconnected territories. The environmental impacts from electricity generation are mainly imputed to fossil fuel based technologies, for instance in the case of French insular territories. This paper summarizes the present electricity situation in these territories and aims to determine their different emissions and environmental impacts through a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. To deliver 1 kWh of electricity to the power grid from the studied regions, the electricity mix is defined as the functional unit. The results refer to a life cycle cradle-to-gate electricity production model. The impact categories discussed in this paper are related to global warming potential, acidification potential, tropospheric ozone precursor potential, and the cumulative energy used. Due to its high share of renewable energies sources, French Guyana has the lowest greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions per kilowatt-hour produced compared to the other islands (373 g CO 2 -eq/kWh, 4.29 g SO 2 -eq/kWh and 2.65 g NMVOC-eq/kWh). Combined with other social, economic and environmental parameters, these results will be also used to determine the typologies of islands in order to define a common energy strategy for each group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]