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This study tries to display the damages resulting from the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) stop in Iraq using both life cycle assessment (LCA) and quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA). The study aims to employ an endpoint approach in LCA for evaluating impacts on human health, ecosystem quality, and resources. The study also introduced a QMRA limited to bacteria Escherichia coli (E. Coli) and Total Coliform (TC), causing diarrheal disease and provides a tool for estimating the disease-burden from pathogenic microorganisms in water. The QMRA is also limited to exposure to pathogens via direct drinking from the river by people living on the bank downstream of the discharge point. A case study was conducted at Al-Samawah WWTP in the Iraqi governorate of Al-Muthana. In order to build an inventory, plant-specific data, as well as literature data from technical publications, were used. ReCipe 2008 was the life-cycle-impact assessment of choice. After analyzing the environmental consequences, and because no electricity and chemicals were used in the plant, the results show that the highest impact on human health was related to the construction of WWTP (2.62E-07 DALY/m3). The highest impact on the ecosystem was also related to the construction of WWTP (9.61E-10 spices, yr/m3), while in the category of resources depletion, the sewer grid construction was the highest impact (0.437 $/m3). For QMRA, the results showed that among every 10,000 persons who drink directly from downstream of the river, 1726 will expose to diarrheal disease. According to the assessment data, the final risk for E. coli is 0.1726 and for TC is 0.1497. The results of disease burden highly exceeded the 10−6 WHO reference level of risk and show the urgent need to stop the direct discharge of wastewater to river and doing whatever needed to reactivate the plants' processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El continuous growth of the construction industry is directly linked to significant environmental impacts. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2020, the operation and construction of buildings contribute to 38% of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions related to energy. UNEP emphasize the need for a three-fold strategy to address this issue: aggressively reduce energy demand in built areas, decarbonize the energy sector, and implement material strategies that reduce carbon emissions throughout the lifecycle of products. To quantify the Carbon Footprint, an approach called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used, which involves assessing the impact on climate change by considering the entire value chain of a product or service, including inputs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To evaluate the sustainability of a formwork, it is necessary to evaluate the carbon footprint of the formwork at different stages: I. Understanding the stages and processes of the life cycle of a construction material. II. Identifying the stages and processes of the life cycle of a formwork in which GHG emissions are generated. III. Selecting the stages and their respective processes to evaluate in the life cycle of a formwork. IV. Recognizing the resources and raw materials consumed capable of emitting GHGs. V. Quantifying the amount of resources and raw materials required for the production of a formwork unit. VI. Finding the equivalent CO2 emission factor for the required resources and raw materials. VII. Estimating the carbon footprint for the manufacturing of a formwork unit. It can be concluded that in order to estimate the carbon footprint of manufacturing a formwork unit, it is necessary to use the following formula: Carbon footprint = Activity Data × Emission Factor. Additionally, it is necessary to calculate the carbon footprint produced by the consumption of electricity and water during the manufacturing process of the metal formwork by multiplying the quantities consumed per formwork unit by their respective emission factors and adding both values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental sustainability issues and reducing emissions from industrial manufacture are important focuses to maintain ecological sustainability. However, the waste generated from the production process of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has not become a public concern. Batik is one the leading SMEs in Madura. Batik manufacturing produces emissions from wood-burning residues and gases used for dyeing and drying. Similarly, liquid waste containing wax residues and synthetic colors causes environmental pollution. When the waste flows into the soil or rivers, these materials damage the soil and water ecosystems. The risk of skin cancer is the negative effect of batik artisans' chemical dyes in the dyeing process. This research proposes a green manufacturing model to reduce the impact of waste and emissions on humans, ecosystems, and natural resources. Substitute materials were recommended to decrease the effects of litter. The eco-efficiency Index (EEI) level is measured using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to determine the level of waste impact. A simulation model was also built to measure the impact reduction of waste and emissions in three scenarios. The originality of this research is described in three simulation scenarios of using raw materials and alternative fuels in the production process. The simulation model's output shows that the 2nd scenario produces the highest Eco-efficiency Index (EEI) value. The results of this research are expected to help the SMEs in Batik carry out eco-green manufacturing and provide information to the government in promoting green production for Batik SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palm oil industry plays a vital role in Indonesia's development. As the world's largest CPO producer and exporter, Indonesia earns substantial gains in foreign currencies from palm oil, and its derivative trades bring stability and security to Indonesia's economy. Despite those significant benefits, the sector has drawn both national and international criticism for its negative environmental and social impact. This paper aims to conduct a systematic LCA evaluation guided by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC 2015) methodology to establish an ecological profile of CPO production. A GHG Audit was conducted by using activity data derived from the company's record data and from other available literature. Following the methodology prescribed by the ISCC, this study found that 0.64 KgCO2eq is emitted per KgCPO produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate the environmental impact of the waste management system in Padang Pariaman Regency using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and to provide solutions for improving waste management to make it more environmental friendly. The assessment was carried out in the 2025 Planning Year with 259.89 tons/day of waste generation. 1.31% of the total waste is transported to the landfill with open dumping method without processing, 0.04% of waste is processed in one waste bank and the remaining 98.65% of waste is burnt, disposed of land or buried in the yard by the generator of waste. LCA analysis using the CML-IA Baseline impact assessment method. The impact categories studied include Global Warming Potential (GWP), Acidification Potential (AP), and Eutrophication Potential (EP). The boundary of the study covers the technical and operational aspects of waste, energy, materials, and emissions. Based on the results of the LCA analysis of the existing waste management system, the GWP impact value was 3,063,311,800 kg CO2 eq., and the AP impact value was 1,000,232 kg SO2 eq.. The highest Eutrophication Potential (EP) impact value was 69,245,923 kg PO4 eq. The most significant impact contribution from each environmental impact studied came from landfilling activities using the open dumping method. The recommendation to improve the waste management system in Padang Pariaman Regency is to expand the service area rate, sort the containers, collect and transport waste processing, and final processing of waste with a sanitary landfill system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, additive manufacturing with polymers already allows the economical production of components in individual pieces or small quantities with good application-specific properties and a high degree of individualization and complexity. However, additive manufacturing processes are still associated with many manual post-processing steps and thus high costs. Consequently, series applications for additively manufactured parts fail today in most cases due to the high process costs as well as the lack of quality assurance tools. For the economic use of additive series production, the above-mentioned hurdles must be overcome. In order to be able to investigate powder-based additive manufacturing processes comprehensively up to the depowdered component, the research institution Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH (Germany) is currently setting up a demonstration factory for selective laser sintering (SLS) with polymers. This article presents the concept of this unique research environment. The demonstration factory represents the entire processing chain including automated de-powdering, surface cleaning, part identification and inline quality assurance. All subcomponents are connected to a central IOT platform. In addition to the parts workflow, the closed powder circuit is also the subject of consideration. With detailed in-line and at-line analytics along the process chain, the entire SLS process can be evaluated, potential problems during processing can be identified, process stability can be improved, and part properties can be precisely assigned. This paper presents the relevant methods. End-to-end digitization enables a transparent visualization of all media and material flows as well as a part-related life cycle assessment. The research infrastructure described here offers the optimal prerequisites for the establishment of robust manufacturing strategies and thus an economical use of SLS technology for series components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing people's awareness of environmental health has forced Industries to evaluate the environmental impact of their process production and after-used product cycle. One way to measure the environmentally friendly aspect is by performing an industrial product's life cycle assessment (LCA). In this paper, PVC as a commodity plastic material with the third-highest use will be evaluated comprehensively in the form of an LCA. LCA is important to ensure that the current PVC products meet future needs. PVC is a polymeric material with many applications, from rigid unplasticized PVC such as pipes to flexible plasticized PVC such as wrapping plastic. It has an increasing trend in its consumption. The industry needs to prepare for the sustainability of its products. Therefore, further study on after-used products is needed to ensure all comply with the future trend. In this study, a preliminary assessment from the gate to the gate was carried out on many types of PVC industries that include products of pipes, cables, imitation leather, window frames, roofs, and films. A quantitative assessment of the product system is conducted using primary data, which becomes the polymer industry database. This research will give the overview and the potential study for the complete unit process assessment from the cradle to the grave for PVC industries in Indonesia and also generate a new data set and complement the National Life Cycle Inventory data, which is being developed in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batik Merak Manis is a hand-drawn and stamped batik small company located in Kampoeng Batik Laweyan. Hand-drawn and stamped batik employ different wax raw materials in their manufacture. Hand-drawn batik is made with new wax, while stamped batik is made with recycled wax. Inefficiencies exist throughout the manufacturing process. This study seeks to calculate eco-efficiency and propose Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) improvement initiatives. The Life Cycle Assessment approach is used to compare the environmental implications of hand-drawn and stamped batik production. Simapro 9.1.1.7 was used to process the data. Hand-drawn batik had an environmental cost of Rp 13.592.098,603 while stamped batik had an eco cost of Rp 12.134.692,196. The Eco-Efficiency Index for hand-drawn batik is 1.14, while stamped batik has an Eco-Efficiency Index of 1.3, indicating that both forms of batik techniques are economical and sustainable. Hand-drawn batik has an Eco-Efficiency Ratio of 13 percent, but stamped batik has a value of 24 percent, indicating that the stamped batik production process is more efficient. The findings of this study propose ways for Batik Merak Manis to improve its eco-efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the presented paper the flow charts for Life cycle of main types of fuels/energy sources and cars is done. Respective mathematical models, taking into account the stages of material and cars production, exploitation and recycling are developed. Based on the energy production for 2015 and 2020 years and energy mix of European countries and Bulgaria, an assessment of the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of the cars is done. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of cars using gasoline, natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells etc. show advantages and disadvantages of different type of vehicles, during its entire Life cycle. Development in regarded 5 years is analyzed. Results show a decrease of the primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions for the period. The main cause is increase the part of renewable energy sources (RES) in the energy mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in consumption patterns in developing countries emphasize the nutritional content of food sources such as meat, fruits, and vegetables. Aquaponic and hydroponic cultivation are solutions for sustainable agriculture with higher production quality and agricultural yields. However, aquaponics and hydroponics still require electricity input, which burdens the environment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was measured from cradle to gate with a functional unit of 1 kg of aquaponic and hydroponic products. Aquaponics and hydroponics were designed with the same form, namely NFT (Nutrient Film Technique). The research was conducted for one month at the time of cultivation. Product produced by aquaponics was more than hydroponics. Hydroponics produced a 36% lower endpoint environmental impact than aquaponics. Commercial fish feed and electricity contributed significantly to the environmental impact generated in aquaponics, followed by the production of electricity and infrastructure raw materials for hydroponics. The impacts of eutrophication on aquaponic and hydroponic cultivation processes reached 76%, much higher than infrastructure, fish feed production, and ab mix fertilizer, electricity, and transportation. However, if fish feed and ab mix fertilizer were neglected, aquaponics (49%) was better than hydroponics (51%). This LCA research could recommend that stakeholders reduce aquaponic and hydroponic environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WHO has declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic, through Pergub Bali No. 10 of 2021 concerning the application of discipline and law enforcement Prokes makes the demand for PPE increase. Denpasar City has the highest population density in Bali Province, so it has the greatest opportunity as the largest production of mask waste that can harm the environment. This study aims to estimate the generation of mask waste, find out the negative impact caused by the mask waste on the environment, determine public perceptions and behavior towards the management of the use of masks and the management of mask waste and model scenarios using dynamic systems. This study uses a mix method analysis method with a combination of sequential exploration (qualitative and quantitative), and perform modeling analysis using Powersim Studio 8 software. The results of the study estimate that in Denpasar City as many as 515,114 masks are used every day, through the mask life cycle assessment approach, the resulting Greenhouse Gas emissions are 10,418,226 kg CO2 Eq per year. The perception and behavior of the community towards the management of masks, the community has a fairly good attitude to use, good knowledge, and bad processing actions towards the processing of masks. Through the recommendation of community participation modeling in traditional scenarios, estimating the reduction of mask waste generation and emissions over the next 6 years by 1% [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia faces challenging plastic waste management for post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as most of the waste ended up being openly burned and landfilled. Despite the Indonesian government has doubled the recycling capacity, the understanding towards current recycling practice and its environmental impacts remains limited. This study employs life cycle assessment to identify and measure the amount of materials and energy used and quantify all the released substances impacting the environment from the production of recycled PET in a company. The assessment use resource inventory analysis for raw materials, energy, and waste production across nineteen processes and exhibits the result in four indicators: global warming, acidification, eutrophication, and smog formation. Comparing with the best practice performance, the recycling company's result presents two main factors contributing to the extensive environmental impact from current PET production that requires improvement to lower its footprints to the nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable product design and development is a vast field of research. So far, no study has been conducted on the sub-field of research. Typically, each scholar conducts research based on his/her point of view and expertise. This paper aims to compile sustainable product design and development categorization into topics, objectives, methods, and contributions. Based on a literature review of sustainable product design and development, several research sub-categories were found: Process, life cycle assessment, eco-design, design strategies, multi-criteria decision making, performance measurement, customer's side, and miscellaneous that covers various study areas. This categorization provides benefits to researchers in a category to focus more on choosing the appropriate literature. In addition, it is easier for scholars to identify knowledge gaps in a category for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of Indonesia's most rapidly growing industries today is the textile industry, including the screen printing industry. The screen printing industry is transferring a stenciled design into a flat surface using a mesh screen and ink. SME plays an important role in the screen printing industry and contributes a significant GDP. Based on the Ministry of Industry, about 118 SME's printing industry in Indonesia in 2021. It was found that SMEs can produce about 7.000 pcs of sablons in a month, which provides important economic value to the local community. However, the industry's production process also negatively impacts the environment and human health. The waste from the industry is highly contaminated by microplastic, which is dangerous for humans and the environment. This research aims to identify the microplastic impact of the SME printing industry in Indonesia by using Life Cycle Assessment Analysis. The analysis showed that the screen printing phase has the highest environmental impact, which is contributed by the carcinogenic effect created by the microplastic. The contribution value of the carcinogens effect is 0.029 kg C2H3Cl-eq per pcs. There is adequate evidence that these carcinogens can cause cancer in humans; thus, some alternative green material substitutions are proposed in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work is focused on the analysis of external wall compositions from environmental and economic indicators. In accordance with the EU action plan for circular economy, which contains specific measures covering all links of the value chain from the extraction of raw materials, through production, consumption, repair, sorting, waste management to return of materials to the production process as secondary materials, this paper is also focused on comparing the investigated compositions from the circular economy point of view. The 50-year lifetime results of life cycle assessment (LCA) illustrate that the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions belong to external wall composition with burnt brick with value of 180.79 kg CO2e followed by composition with autoclaved aerated concrete (135.45 kg CO2e). The lowest GHG emissions are determined for the external wall composition with CLT panels (50.25 kg CO2e). The lowest life cycle cost nominal, undiscounted, includes inflation is assigned for W4 (96 €) and the highest LCC nominal, undiscounted, includes inflation is assigned for W3 (860 €). The composition with CLT panels also achieves the best result in multi-criteria analysis involving LCA and life cycle costing (LCC). Materials such lime-cement plaster, dry mortar mixture and penetration acrylic fixative belong to the material with most wastage. The findings of the research facilitate the determination of environmental and economic impact of envelope systems and support building construction with minimized carbon footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental impact assessment is essential to meet the objectives of sustainable product design. The environmental impact should be measured at the initial stages of product design to minimize the impact. In this paper, we demonstrate the application of a computer-aided design (CAD) tool to measure the environmental impact during the design stage. SolidWorks software uses the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model to measure the environmental impact such as energy consumption, carbon footprint, and air-water pollution. The spur gear model is used to demonstrate the process of assessing environmental impact using the CAD tool. The input parameters such as material, manufacturing process, region, transportation method, and product usage play an essential role in the environmental impact. The results indicate that the environmental impact can be reduced by optimizing the parameters by selecting alternatives using the CAD tool at the initial design stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asset management is helping to increase of solar plant's lifespan and raising the growth of the portfolio. The improvement and optimization of the plant design and implementation reduce the capital cost of the solar plant. There are considerable difficulties facing asset management. In recent years some issues have been escalating in the industry making it crucial to the analysis. However, the Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) continues to decline becoming cost-competitive with conventional generation. This paper addresses the importance of maintaining the solar plant and identifies the challenges for maintenance and repair faced by asset managers. The study has pointed out the importance of the integration of computerized maintenance management for the development of asset management. Analysis shows that technology advances at an accelerated rate, there will be several opportunities to reduce costs in the near future. Due to the fast growing of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) the accuracy of the data will be improved. The analysis shows that there is a continuing discussion over which approach fits well and to keep LCA analysis moving forward and enhancing its precision and usability. The result shows the existence of proper asset management is required for strategic success and economic benefit. Finally, this will lead to help in the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by extending the life span of assets, their usability and improve risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development of the human environment is inextricably linked with environmental issues, energy and resource conservation. An important factor in solving these issues on the world agenda is the reduction of gas emissions into the atmosphere, especially carbon monoxide emissions, the value of which is called the "carbon footprint". Buildings, structures and other capital construction projects are indirect emitters of carbon emissions. During their life cycle, they consume energy resources, the production of which is associated with the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Thus, a carbon footprint is formed during the life cycle. An important scientific and practical challenge is to reduce this carbon footprint. To account for the size of carbon footprint of buildings during the life cycle and to solve the problem of reducing it, it is necessary to create appropriate techniques, as well as their application in modern software products. Currently, the creation of such methods in the Russian Federation is under development, existing methods in world practice are based on European methods and databases. Russia has technological features of the production of energy resources, building materials, products and structures, on top of all of this the forming of construction and installation works and methods of operation of buildings. All this makes methodological adjustments to the calculation of the carbon footprint. In this article, the authors consider the existing methodological approaches to assessing the carbon footprint of the life cycle of buildings abroad and in Russia and come to the conclusion that the main methodological approach to its assessment is the life cycle analysis (LCA) method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building stock in Europe is outdated, resulting in limited energy performances and significant primary energy consumption. Improving this energy performance will require a full commitment to energy (façade) renovations of existing buildings and is essential to meet the European climate goals. ETICS (External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems) are widely used for energy façade renovations due to their easy application and low installation costs. In addition, life cycle assessments show that this system has a low environmental impact at production phase, but in terms of circularity it does not score well. As a result of its glued connections, it is impossible to disassemble this system and reuse materials. In contrast, circular façade renovation systems facilitate reuse of materials by utilizing them in a dynamic and dismountable way. In this research, the environmental impact of three different circular façade renovation systems and ETICS will be analyzed and compared for two scenarios, by means of life cycle assessment. In the first scenario, the façade renovation system is mounted upon a case study building (with a repetitive façade pattern) for a period of 60 years and disassembled afterwards. In the second scenario, the system is disassembled from the first building after 30 years and mounted on a different, but similar building in shape and size, for a remaining period of 30 years. In the first scenario, the ETICS performs relatively well, with a limited environmental impact. However, in the second scenario, the ETICS reaches a very high environmental impact as a result of its inability for reuse. The circular façade renovation systems generally invest more in dismountable joints which create a higher environmental impact at production phase (module A), but result in a limited environmental impact after relocating the system. Reuse of building materials can ensure a significant reduction in environmental impact: compared to ETICS the circular systems are able to reduce the environmental impact from 7% to 57%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental trade-off between renovation (i.e. application of energy conservation measures) and reconstruction (i.e. demolition followed by new build) is an emerging topic under study. Although in many studies renovation is preferred over reconstruction from an environmental viewpoint, opposite conclusions can be found as well. The reason behind these ambiguous conclusions is often explained by the difference in energy performance achieved between the renovation and reconstruction scenario. However, the question of to what extent methodological choices influence the trade-off between both scenarios is rarely asked. The environmental impact of a building is commonly examined by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). Despite the fact that several standards with regard to LCAs do exist, there are no specific guidelines when buildings with a different (remaining) service life are compared, or when an existing building is the starting point of the assessment, as the standards are mostly tailored for new buildings. Consequently, different methodological approaches can be found in literature to (1) determine the reference study period and (2) allocate environmental impacts. This paper therefore examines the effect of several approaches in terms of both aspects on the trade-off between renovation and reconstruction. First, existing approaches are gathered from literature after which they are applied to a renovation and reconstruction case study with an identical geometry, energy performance, and HVAC installation. For the environmental evaluation, an LCA is performed following a cradle-to-grave approach. The environmental impact of the operational energy use and HVAC installation is however excluded since it is considered equal for both cases. The results show considerable variations in the trade-off between renovation and reconstruction. Establishing a robust and well-defined methodological LCA framework that allows for a consistent comparison of renovation and reconstruction, is a key challenge to determine how to guide and support the choice between both scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emissions have become an important part of planning with utilities, lenders, and lawmakers in need of comprehensive and accurate information on carbon value of energy sources to guide policy, planning, and investment decisions. There is need for well-informed energy policy design information to attain the decarburization targets and keep the global warming below 2°C threshold set by the Paris agreement. Low-carbon electricity supply for all is needed to attain the 2°C-compatible energy system for maximum electrification of economies. Life cycle assessment facilitate the evaluation of a product over its life cycle, and across various environmental indicators. Technologies assessed include coal, natural gas, hydropower, nuclear power, concentrated solar power (CSP), photovoltaics, and wind power. Life cycle assessment is a tool used to evaluate the environmental impact of energy sources. One major limitation of the standard life cycle assessment methodology is that it ignores the impact of the impact of greenhouse gases. Life-cycle impacts decrease substantially when current fossil fuel technologies diminish in the energy mix particularly coal. Natural gas use may play an important role during the transition while installation of new fossil options without CO2 capture should be avoided to minimize emissions. The endogenous integration of life-cycle indicators into energy models adds value to both life cycle assessment and energy systems modelling in their support in energy decision as well as policy-making for sustainable energy transition. Different power generation technologies have variations with respect to environmental impact, operational cost, and other factors. Each technology produces different levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, through construction, operation and decommissioning with coal fired power plants releasing most emission per unit power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy conversion technologies using renewable energy sources (RES) are important to the de-carbonization goals, as set in the Paris Agreement. Accurate information on the environments impact of different energy sources and technologies is important for accurate planning of generation with the environmental protection in mind. Since different sources and technologies have different impacts at different levels, it is necessary to track impacts across the entire lifecycle. Therefore, technologies should be compared in terms of their life-cycle impacts not just impacts at the point of use or a specific common stage which may be misleading. The life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology has emerged as an effective and reliable tool in energy planning for the transition. This study presents the general environmental impacts of power generation technologies based on life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and other applications of the LCA metric. The assessments cover impacts from extraction, processing and transportation of fuels, construction of power plants and power generation. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) to of power generation technologies is very useful as the world seeks ways to meet growing electricity demand with less health and environmental impacts. However, the LCA is an evolving methodology having some barriers and challenges but has significantly helped in improving the understanding of the lifecycle of energy technologies, their greenhouse gas emissions, related air pollutant emissions, and water-use levels and impacts in heat and power generation. The application of LCA tool facilitate the implementation of analytically thorough and environmentally holistic approach in assessment and comparison of power generation technologies. Most LCAs show that the best power plants are hydropower, both run-of-river and with reservoir, nuclear energy, and wind power. The main application of lifecycle assessment is to identify the environmental impacts of goods and services over the entire life cycle of the product, service or energy system. In the power sector, LCAs are used to asses environmental impact of power generation technologies enabling power producers to make more informed decisions on environmental protection and sustainability of options available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tungsten Inert Gas Welding (TIG) process is one of the most commonly employed material joining processes utilized in the various industrial sectors such as marine, ship-building, automotive, aerospace, construction and petrochemicals etc. The increasing pressure on manufacturing sector wants the welding process to be more productive and sustainable in nature. To enhance the performance, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis of TIG welding process is done to measure its impact on the environment and scope to characterize the sustainability for the TIG process have been studied. The existing research models used higher range of process parameters with giving less importance to the Weld Bead Geometry. This experiment based investigation considers a lower range of control parameters viz. current, gas flow rate and the dimensional parameters such as groove angle, depth of groove and root gap. The experiments are designed using the Taguchi Method with further sustainability assessment using Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) considering economic and environmental aspects. Finally, the study concluded recommendations towards achieving an economical and sustainable TIG welding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry causes the largest production of waste and emissions from industrial sectors. The circular economy (CE) offers opportunities to create an environment that will be sustainable. In order to create the stability of the global economy and natural ecosystems, it is necessary to direct the industry towards sustainability. By applying the principles of the circular economy, the construction industry can contribute to reducing the use of resources, waste produced and emissions. The construction industry needs to use methods to assess the environmental and economic aspects of sustainability to support a circular built environment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is very suitable for assessing the impact of CE strategies on sustainability. LCA is a tool for the systematic analysis of the environmental properties of buildings during their life cycle, through the extraction of raw materials, production, use, disposal, reuse and recycling at the end of life. The aim of this article is to show the link between the life cycle of a building and the circular economy using a case study of an apartment building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stormwater management is an integral part of the new concept of wastewater disposal from urbanized areas, which includes all system units into a comprehensive, integrated system. This concept, based on sustainable principles, brings environmental and socio-economic benefits. The integrated stormwater management system facilities reduce the load on wastewater treatment plants and receiving water bodies while contributing to the restoration of local ecosystems. In this context, the paper focuses on the possibilities of using life cycle analysis to design specific integrated systems. The aim is to summarize the life cycle assessment studies of stormwater management facilities so that they can be applied in the future as a basis for the design of efficient and sustainable drainage systems in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brine-to-water heat pumps become more and more popular for both public and private investors. Sun energy accumulated in the ground can be used as the main energy source, supported by electricity for the operation of compressor and pumps. This work analyzes the utilization of surface collectors, geothermal probes or helix probes as heat exchangers to assess their energetic, environmental and economic characteristics in terms of heat pump operation. As the method of environmental impact calculation, Life Cycle Assessment was used. The main results pointed out that horizontal surface collectors are the most environmentally friendly as well as economical solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle Assessment (LCA) is a mechanism to analyze and calculate the environmental impact of a product at each stage of its life cycle. Impact measurement is done by identifying, measuring, analyzing and calculating potential emissions related to its life cycle. The environmental impacts that occur at each stage of the sugar life cycle are analyzed on the use of materials and energy. The scope of LCA is cradle to gate, starting from sugar cane plantation, transportation from plantation to factory to processing sugar in the factory. The research objective was the application of life cycle assessment on cane sugar in sugar factories. Potential greenhouse gas emissions in the process of producing WCS using the Lyfe cycle assessment approach. Processing of white crystal sugar (WCS) using dregs fuel in the dregs cogeneration system produces emissions of 755 kg CO2−eq per tonne of WCSwhich is equal to 60 326.8 tonnes CO2−eq per year. Hotspots of CO2−eq emissions in sugarcane plantations (97.6%), WCSproduction process (1.3%) and transportation (1.1%). LCA is very useful as a tool for assessing environmental impact throughout the production chain. Reducing GHG emissions can be carried out by managing the use of fertilizers in the plantation, increasing factory efficiency and using high quality sugarcane raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study deals with the study of the environmental impacts associated with the treatment of wastewater in an effluent treatment plant (ETP) in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. For the purpose Life Cycle Assessment tool was adopted. There are many industries developing or under development in the western part of Rajasthan. Industries flourishing in Jodhpur are mainly textile, stainless steel re-rolling industries, engineering, chemical, handicrafts etc. These industries produce hazardous waste which cannot be disposed directly into the surface water and dumping sites as it is detrimental to the environment. The waste water from these industries is treated commonly by an effluent treatment plant of 20 MLD monitored by Jodhpur Pradushan Niwaran Trust (JPNT). The main goal of this study was to quantify the sludge loading that results from reaching the effluent quality standards set out by the government agencies. Present study also examines the environmental costs associated with the amount of sludge produced. Sludge generated from the effluent after the treatment is hazardous in nature. Removal of the hazardous sludge reduces the risk of the harmful substances being mixed in to the river. Thus the ETP is helping in maintaining the river water quality in which the treated water is being disposed. Though the ETP has positive effects for the river water quality yet the disposal of this sludge is still a challenge in near future. Moreover, the gases released were not reused and sludge overburden on environment is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C&DW is among the most common types of trash collected around the world, and it's utilized to create recycled aggregates. Around the world, between 12 and 22 tonnes of construction trash are collected. C&DW includes a diverse spectrum of materials resulting from a variety of operations, including construction, restoration, demolition, land clearing, and even natural disasters. Flakiness index, elongation index, and water absorption are all parameters of recycled aggregate. Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) is a building material that can also be used for pavements and walkways. The debris gathered from building and demolition sites is pulverized into small pieces and used for a number of purposes. Most important problem that is to be considered is the growing demand for the natural aggregate as the population increases. In this paper, research on recycled concrete aggregate is conducted to address the shortage of raw materials and to analyze the performance of the RAC and natural aggregate. In the production of concrete RA are been used nowadays. The life cycle assessment (LCA) of Recycle Aggregate and the natural aggregate is studies to know the sustainability of the material. LCA is a tool that is used for evaluating, comparing and improving the environmental impacts of the product within their life cycle. The recycled aggregates were collected from the construction wastes from the nearby sites. LCA for treated recycled aggregate and non-treated recycled aggregate were performed to know their performance. The use of LCA can improve the development of product and explore the properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessibility to water resources is an invaluable asset for any communities worldwide while ensuring the water quality that is on par for safe consumption is often a challenge of water treatment plants. Adding to the challenge, water treatment processes are not without environmental burdens. In this study, various water treatment processes in Malaysia were evaluated and assessed for the environmental impacts in order to identify ways to make water treatment greener. The life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied as a tool for the identification. The identified environmental impacts include global warming potential (GWP), eutrophication, ozone depletion and human health (particulate air and cancer toxicity). Electricity generation associated with water treatment processes is identified as the most prominent contributor at 64-79% for GWP and eutrophication and 32-62% for human health but not for ozone depletion. With chlorine compounds identified as one of the concurrent greenhouse gasses, chlorine contributes the most in ozone depletion (56%). Meanwhile, aluminium involved in alum production for the chemical coagulation process is the second most contributor at 13-32% for combined GWP, eutrophication and ozone depletion and 28-45% for human health mostly due to the prolonged exposure and toxicity. The outcomes of the LCA study exposed a flaw in the energy generation nexus which relies on fossil fuels as primary energy resources thus, posing significant effects to the environment. Nevertheless, a more sustainable approach towards energy generation had to be looked into in order to pave the way for more sustainable water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliability and environmental safety are the main requirements for water supply systems. Pipeline systems are an integral part of the infrastructure of modern cities. Malfunctions of these systems are mainly associated with failures in pipeline sections - the most functionally significant, expensive and vulnerable elements of the systems. Constantly growing, large volumes of information, directly and indirectly related to the reliability of the public water distribution networks in the city, to the assessment of their life cycle determine the need for the in-line processing based on the use of advanced information technologies and computer-aided tools for the acquisition, transmission and display of the information. The analysis of the behavior of a pipeline system throughout its life cycle and development of recommendations for achieving the goals set for the system in the process of construction or formulated in the process of operation is a fundamental task of the system analysis. It is based on an information database on the reliability of the elements of this system, i.e., pipeline sections. Presented in the paper is the structure of the application software for the automated collection and processing of the data on the reliability of water pipelines and monitoring their condition. The results of the application software use for the analysis and assessment of the reliability indicators of the Moscow water distribution pipelines are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been various discussions concerning plastic items and their effects on the environment, with implications for business practices and public policies. However, making judgments without considering the trade-off circumstances between various plastic items may have a higher impact on other aspects of the life cycle. This study aimed to quantify the environmental impacts of various plastic jerry cans and choose which one to be used for student practice scenarios in Politeknik ATK Yogyakarta. Four different plastic jerry cans: polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were assessed from gate to gate approach in a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA). This study was performed using OpenLCA 1.10.3 and free European reference Life Cycle Database (ELCD) 3.2 Greendelta v2.18. The result showed that for CML-IA baseline method, LDPE jerry cans production has a better environmental performance among other plastic jerry cans in all impact categories (acidification, eutrophication, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming, and human toxicity). It can be concluded that the practical needs of students in studying the production of plastic jerry cans are advised to use raw materials from LDPE granulates. Global warming has the highest impact result compared to other impact categories for each type of plastic. There are some improvement strategies to minimize the environmental impact, such as reducing the distance of LDPE transport, optimizing student practicum activities and ensuring the machinery operates efficiently, and substituting fossil-based plastics with eco-friendly plastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study addresses the sustainability assessment which is interest to many researchers and provides opportunities to measure and evaluate sustainability achievement; sustainable environment has become essential to product innovations that protect public health and environment over their whole life cycle. The lack of using knowledge is the critical challenges in assessing of the social, economic, and environment impacts at all phases of the product life cycle start from the selection of raw material, manufacturing, use, and waste disposal. The aim is to support decision-making by manufacturers to integrate and devise alternatives to conserve the environment, especially in the early stages of product design. What is ontology? What difficulties have been overcome until now by ontology? What is the effective role of ontology in sustainability? This paper seeks to address these questions; the researchers pointed to the importance of using the ontology to address the impacts of products through the outputs of the product life cycle assessment tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To support the broader realization of agrivoltaics in the U.S., this research provides a multidimensional assessment of the socio-political barriers and opportunities for development. A synthesis of five empirical studies is presented: 1) an investigation of the impediments to farmer adoption; 2) an exploration of development challenges from the perspective of solar industry professionals; 3) a survey gauging public support and siting preferences for agrivoltaics; 4) a life cycle assessment of a pasture-based agrivoltaic system; and 5) the development of a comprehensive legal framework for agrivoltaics in the U.S. The assessment reveals the intersectionality among key stakeholders, communities, the environment, and legal frameworks, which can inform agrivoltaic decision making, stakeholder relations, and policy design globally. The primary socio-political barriers identified include: techno-economic challenges, community resistance, lack of financial incentive for both sectors, and restrictive local land use policy. The central socio-political opportunities include: income diversification, enhanced community relations and acceptance, energy demand and emissions reduction, and policy integration between key sectors. These findings demonstrate the need for multidimensional and interdisciplinary approaches to agrivoltaic development and an increased research focus on socio-political considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an extremely toxic acid gas and is regarded as one of the primary sources of corrosion and odor problems. The work proposed the Claus process, considering the economic, environmental, and safety requirements are the three pillars of sustainability. The proposed Claus process annual benefit, global warming potential (GWP), fire explosion damage index (FEDI), and toxicity damage index (TDI) were estimated utilizing techno-economic analysis, life-cycle assessment, and hazard identification rating techniques. Then, a multi-objective optimization problem was devised and solved to maximize benefit while minimizing GWP, FEDI, and TDI. The process is simulated using Symmetry simulation software to vary acid feed gas capacity and hydrogen sulfide concentration. The simulation results were used to assess the operating conditions of the sustainability pillars in a comparative manner. According to the findings of this study, the Claus process performed better in terms of profitability, the fire and explosion damage index (FEDI), the toxicity damage index (TDI), and the probability of global warming are all factors to consider (GWP). Based on variable feed capacities and hydrogen sulfide concentrations, the regression models created demonstrated the ability to predict the sustainable approach for hydrogen sulfide conversion employed in the industry. According to the results, the Claus process is expected to be the most sustainable strategy for hydrogen sulphide conversion throughout most of the conversion spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals about the production and biodiesel LCA analysis. The use of biodiesel can help us reduce dependency on petroleum from foreign nationals, fossil fuels limited supply and to reduce greenhouse gas emission. The product and the process from the environment will accessed for its impact through life cycle analysis. The product's emission, consumption of raw material, energy usage will be evaluated. Biodiesel utilizes various feedstock including fats from animal, unused vegetable oil, used cooking oil. Usage of discarded cooking oil has some advantages such as helps in reducing waste and disposal problems. Different methods would be reviewed and the best environment friendly method will be discussed after the comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the environmental damage of two types of molten salts and synthetic oil has been evaluated with the aim of deciding whether the use of molten salts is more suitable than synthetic oil from an environmental point of view. To this end Life Cycle Assessment has been used, since it offers numerous advantages in the assessment of aspects associated with the development of a product and its potential impact throughout the life of a given product from raw material acquisition, processing, manufacturing, use and finally its disposal. According to the results, the replacement of the VP-1 like thermal oil by molten salts is absolutely recommended from an environmental perspective, since the environmental impact of molten salts appear to be reduced in comparison to Therminol®VP-1. Thus, direct systems, in which thermal storage and heat transfer fluid are unified using molten salts, emerge to improve the power cycle performance, these being a good option not only from the known technical point of view, but also from the environmental point of view. Life Cycle Assessment seems to be a suitable and necessary methodology to quantify the environmental impacts of fluids, materials, and O&M in CSP plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aviation industry is bound by the goals set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe ACARE in terms of reducing its environmental impacts and compliance with environmental regulations. Life Cycle Assessment is carried out at early development stages to provide the industry’s decision-makers with reliable and scientific information about the environmental impacts of aviation production technologies. Fraunhofer ICT applied this tool for its own developments for structural composite parts, for example, aircraft seating structure. The holistic life cycle approach provides a complete overview of the environmental impact during all the stages of the aircraft parts, by identifying the drawbacks and benefits during each life cycle phase. During the development phase it is still possible to improve the specific technologies in order to reduce the overall environmental footprint of the aircraft part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at some difficulties of test equipment such as the short product life, poor generality and high development cost, a general and automatic test platform base on NI PXI system is designed in this paper, which is able to meet most test requirements of circuit boards. The test platform is devided into 5 layers, every layer is introduced in detail except for the "Equipment Under Test" layer. An output board of a track-side equipment, which is an important part of high speed train control system, is taken as an example to make the functional circuit test by the test platform. The results show that the test platform is easy to realize add-on functions development, automatic test, wide compatibility and strong generality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arrhenius model of the shelf life prediction which based on the TBARS index was established in this study. The results showed that the significant changed of AV, POV, COV and TBARS with temperature increased, and the reaction rate constants k was obtained by the first order reaction kinetics model. Then the secondary model fitting was based on the Arrhenius equation. There was the optimal fitting accuracy of TBARS in the first and the secondary model fitting (R²≥0.95). The verification test indicated that the relative error between the shelf life model prediction value and actual value was within ±10%, suggesting the model could predict the shelf life of surimi cake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are various models of capture fisheries in Indonesia. One of the distinguishing factors is scale fishing facilities that are used. The differences in scale of these facilities potentially affect the use of inputs and outputs and the resulting environmental impact. In this study, the size of fishing vessels was classified to describe different scale fishing facilities in some areas of the coast of Java. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method is used in this study to assess the environmental impacts which are generated during the life cycle of the fish product started from the preparation of fishing operations up to the transportation of fresh fish to the processing unit or local market on some scale fishing facilities. The results showed that the energy and emission generated to transport 1 kg of fresh fish products by smaller scale fishing facilities was higher than the larger one. However, for each trip, the environmental impact caused by that scale was lower than the larger scale fishing facilities. Global warming is the greatest impact category generated during the life cycle of the fresh fish product in the various scale of capture fisheries facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]