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This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of using 3D-printed composite molds to produce components for the automotive sector in carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs). Two molds in Carbon PA, i.e. PA6 reinforced with 20% by weight short carbon fibers, were realized via fused filament fabrication and subjected to multiple thermal cycles to simulate successive curing operations. Mold distortions were measured using a coordinate measuring machine before and after each heat treatment. Additionally, finite element method (FEM) and life cycle assessment (LCA) analyses were performed to obtain a complete overview of the 3D printed mold use and provide an industrial decision-making tool. Results showed that the mold distortion increases with temperature, and the clamping effect is more pronounced at the mold's edges, and it is reduced in the center. Irrespective of the thermal cycle temperature, the highest distortion was observed on the upper surface, with reduced deformation on the composite layup plane. FEM simulations confirmed that, following bolt tightening, the molds can resist without critical stress or plastic deformation. LCA analysis demonstrated that 3D-printed molds reduce environmental impact by 18% compared to aluminum ones, leading to more sustainability benefits for low-volume production, making them ideal for prototyping, small batches, or customized components. The potential of 3D-printed molds as a valid alternative to traditional methods to produce low-volume CFRPs was demonstrated. The implications of this study highlight the efficiency and sustainability benefits of 3D printing technology in composite manufacturing, offering a flexible solution for industries where small production runs and customization are critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of sustainable techniques to produce high-performance zeolite is essential to achieve green production in industry. Herein, we report an eco-friendly route to synthesizing hierarchical Beta zeolite from kaolinite and recycled mother liquor. The results reveal that the unutilized species (such as silicon species and Naþ) in mother liquor stayed in a stable concentration during eleven recycled experiments. Moreover, the synthesized Beta zeolites still have comparable physicochemical properties and catalytic performance in the esteri- fication of levulinic acid with ethanol over the initial zeolite although eleven recycled experiments. Life cycle assessment exhibits that the synthesis of Beta zeolite with recycled mother liquor can reduce global warming potential by 23% and resource depletion-water use by 36% compared to that without recycled mother liquor. This quantitatively demonstrates that the approach proposed in this work is really a sustainable one, extremely increasing the utilization efficiency of raw materials and decreasing the environmental burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of building end-of-life is a significant environmental concern in the construction industry. It is a complex topic due to the diverse decision alternatives for on-site work and waste management, which have varying effects on economic, work duration, and environmental performance. Generalizing practices is complicated by their dependence on the specific case. This paper proposes a many-objective optimization model to support companies responsible for demolition, deconstruction, or renovation. The model takes into account six objectives: cost, delay, landfill rate, resource damage, ecosystem quality, and human health. The last three objectives are based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The model incorporates several constraints to guarantee operational solutions. To enable quick and easy instantiation of the model for any new demolition project, it considers three types of data: decision variables for optimization, professional data valid across various study cases, and study case parameters specific to the project at hand. The optimization process uses the DBEA genetic algorithm. The model was tested on a real study case and generated a set of Pareto-optimal solutions. To assess the relevance of these solutions, an expert examined and verified their usefulness and feasibility. The range of solutions provided by the model is beneficial for experts as it provides new perspectives and opportunities to explore innovative strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies multicriteria mathematical modeling to optimize municipal solid waste (MSW) management across a three bottom-line (BL) framework: environmental, social and economic. The interrelationships and the ripple secondary impacts among the three BLs are examined systematically using an augmented simplex lattice mixture (ASLM) method. Detailed waste and waste treatments, including pyrolysis (PY), anaerobic digestion (AD), animal feed (AF), composting (CP), recycling (RE), incineration (INC) and landfilling (LF), are constructed based on waste stream fractions and treatment allowable limits. The environmental BL is assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA). The economic BL is determined by calculating the per ton capital recovery with return, and the social bottom line is assessed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The three bottom lines are optimized through a mathematical model using CPLEX solver. The results indicate that CP abates 973 kgCO2eq/t compared to 61.8 kgCO2eq/t from AD and 28.3 kgCO2eq/t from AF. CP generates $23.5/t despite its low social desirability. Plastic waste PY credits ethylene by 364 kg/t, however, it costs $226.7/t despite the subtraction of credited energy and recovered byproducts. Metal RE carbon and water footprints are −236 kgCO2eq/t and 268 m3/t, respectively. AF is the second-best economic scenario after metal RE as it generates up to $122.6/t in profit. AF production scores are second highest within the social BL after plastic PY; however, the supporting legislation sub-indicator is low. The ASLM support policy that assigns 66% to the environmental BL and 16.7% to the economic and social BL to achieve carbon neutrality within the MSW sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study investigated the health effects of two different architectural glass types: A two-layered low-iron high transmittance glass and a three-layered low energy glass with lower transmittance. The study investigated how these glass types affected daylight conditions in 72 residential apartments, as well as health and satisfaction of the residents. Methods: The study installed high transmittance glass (light transmittance LT:0.82) in 36 apartments and low transmittance (LT:0.74) in 36 identical apartments. The study then analyzed the light transmittance of each glass type in the laboratory and analyzed the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in eight representative apartments before and after renovation. Self-reported questionnaires were handed out and collected before and after renovation. Results: The results showed that the glass types differed significantly in measured daylight transmittance. The two-layered high transmittance glass transmitted 15% more visual light (380-750 nm) and 20% more light in the spectral range (460-480 nm), stimulating ipRGCs and circadian rhythm, when compared to three-layered low energy glass. In addition, significant differences were observed in the UV-B spectrum (280-315 nm). While two-layered high transmittance glass transmitted UV-B, three-layered low transmittance glass did not. During the 12-month study period, residents in apartments with three-layered low energy glass reported more difficulties sleeping (p=0.05), higher satisfaction with daylight (p=0.03) and higher satisfaction with ventilation (p=0.04). Residents in apartments with three-layered low energy glass experienced fewer days with too cold indoor temperatures (p=0.02), compared to residents with two-layered low-iron glass. The results of energy consumption for heating showed that two-layered low-iron glass reduced the energy consumption by 11.0%, while three-layered low energy glass reduced the energy consumption by 9.4%, compared to the year prior to renovation. Conclusion: The results contribute to a discussion about potential energy savings on one hand and potential non-energy benefits, such as daylight quality, overall health, and total economy/life cycle assessment of the built environment on the other hand. The results suggest further research performed in randomized large-scale studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the context of urban energy transition, photovoltaic (PV) systems play an important role in electricity generation. However, PV technology has some environmental drawbacks that also need to be acknowledged and managed. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used to assess the environmental impacts of systems, but LCA is very complex to perform. Therefore, this research work presents a proof of concept for a parameterized LCA tool for grid-tied photovoltaic systems in urban areas that allows non-experts in LCA to obtain LCA results reliably and quickly. Results: The resulting methodology is an integration of three preexisting tools: PVGIS, Brightway and Ecoinvent, plus a Breakeven point analysis. The first step of the approach consists of identifying the main parameters of photovoltaic systems: geographical, technological, and temporal. Once the non-expert practitioner sets the influential parameters, the tool assesses the greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle of the PV panels per unit of supplied electricity, allocates the emissions per component, and calculates the point at which the avoided emissions compensate for those produced by the power system. The algorithm strives to find the optimal PV system configuration to reduce the environmental impact, providing decision-making support for promoters and policymakers in the context of the urban energy transition. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the proposed method's applicability and benefits. Conclusions: The production of PV panels was confirmed as the main source of emissions in this kind of installation. The reasons are analyzed, allowing for improved design. Furthermore, the estimated break-even point where savings of conventional electricity offset emissions shows the influence of the parameters on the system's environmental performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) displays an excellent potential to serve as a non-food bioenergy feedstock for bioethanol production in China due to its high potential yield on marginal lands. However, few studies have been conducted on the potential of sweet sorghum yield and appropriate industrial models in different marginal regions in China. This study explored the spatial distribution of potential sweet sorghum production using the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model and proposed three typical industrial models of sweet sorghum industry to calculate their economic and ecological benefits. Results: The results indicate that considering the factors of land use, annual precipitation, soil salinity, soil pH, and accumulated temperature, approximately 32.23 million ha of marginal land are suitable for sweet sorghum cultivation in China, and 130 million tonnes (t) of ethanol can be produced. Further, the development of the sweet sorghum industry under the three models can generate 1425.49 billion CNY potential, approximately accounting for 3.57% of industrial added value in China if measured against 2023 levels, and reduce CO2 emissions by 4.68 million t. Conclusions: This study provides an innovative perspective for the multi-industry large-scale promotion of sweet sorghum in different marginal lands based on the high spatial resolution Geographic Information System (GIS) data by the DSSAT model with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, and this applies not only to China but also to the worldwide and other types of energy plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper presents a detailed analysis of embodied carbon (EC) in various case studies using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Through comprehensive assessments, including modules A, B and C, the study evaluates EC across different stages of building life cycles. This study also considers the EC savings achievable through current end‐of‐life strategies in the UK context. As Module A accounts for the highest EC in the case studies, the majority of reduction strategies should focus on this stage. The most impactful strategy for reducing EC emissions involves incorporating Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) as a replacement for cement. This approach has the potential to achieve a substantial reduction in the EC of concrete within the buildings under investigation, ranging from 60% to 70%. The study reveals that specification strategy can lead to significant Whole Life Embodied Carbon (WLEC) reductions, with the residential building achieving a 30.59% reduction, the college building a 46.86% reduction, and the hotel building a reduction of 23.69%. Effective mitigation strategies, such as utilizing recycled and reclaimed materials, demonstrate promising results, showcasing significant reduction in WLEC emissions in the buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetables are important economic crops globally, and their production has approximately doubled over the past 20 years. Globally, vegetables account for 13% of the harvested area but consume 25% of the fertilizer, leading to serious environmental impacts. However, the quantitative evaluation of vegetable production systems in subtropical plateau lake basins and the establishment of optimal management practices to further reduce environmental risks are still lacking. Using the life cycle assessment method, this study quantified the global warming, eutrophication, acidification, and energy depletion potential of vegetable production in a subtropical plateau lake basin in China based on data from 183 farmer surveys. Our results indicated that vegetable production in the study area, the Erhai Lake Basin, was high but came at a high environmental cost, mainly due to low fertilizer efficiency and high nutrient loss. Root vegetables have relatively high environmental costs due to the significant environmental impacts of fertilizer production, transportation, and application. A comprehensive analysis showed that the vegetable production in this region exhibited low economic and net ecosystem economic benefits, with ranges of 7.88–8.91 × 103 and 7.35–8.69 × 103 $ ha−1, respectively. Scenario analysis showed that adopting strategies that comprehensively consider soil, crop, and nutrient conditions for vegetable production can reduce environmental costs (with reductions in global warming potential (GWP), eutrophication potential (EP), acidification potential (AP), and energy depletion potential (EDP) by 10.6–28.2%, 65.1–73.5%, 64.5–71.9%, 47.8–70.4%, respectively) compared with the current practices of farmers. This study highlighted the importance of optimizing nutrient management in vegetable production based on farmers' practices, which can achieve more yield with less environmental impacts and thereby avoid the "trade-off" effect between productivity and environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine how traditional life-cycle assessment (LCA) for bio-based and compostable plastics overlooks issues surrounding carbon sequestration and microplastic persistence. To outline biased comparisons drawn from these omitted environmental impacts, we provide, as an example, a comparative LCA for compostable biobased vs. non-compostable fossil-based materials. In doing so we (1) demonstrate the proper way to capture carbon footprints to make fair comparisons and (2) identify the overlooked issues of microplastics and the need for non-persistent alternatives. By ensuring accurate biogenic carbon capture, key contributors to CO2 evolution are properly identified, allowing well-informed changes to formulations that can reduce the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions. In a complimentary manner, we summarize the growing research surrounding microplastic persistence and toxicity. We highlight the fundamental ability and the growing number of studies that show that industrial composting can completely mineralize certified compostable materials. This mineralization exists as a viable solution to combat microplastic persistence, currently an absent impact category in LCA. In summary, we propose a new paradigm in which the value proposition of biobased materials can be accurately captured while highlighting compostables as a solution for the increasing microplastic accumulation in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing maritime greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is challenging. As efforts to address climate change are gaining momentum, reducing the environmental impact becomes crucial for maritime short-to-medium-term sustainability. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has adopted Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) guidelines for estimating GHG emissions associated with alternative fuels. This paper proposes an examination of the latest IMO-adopted LCA guidelines, comparing them with existing methodologies used for the transport sector. By scrutinising these guidelines, the paper aims to provide a better understanding of the evolving landscape for GHG emission estimation within the maritime sector. The paper presents a case study that applies the newly established LCA guidelines to a promising alternative fuel pathway, i.e., waste-wood-derived pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis oil offers an attractive option, leveraging waste materials to generate a sustainable energy source. The environmental impact of pyrolysis oils is quantified according to the IMO LCA guidelines, offering insights into its viability as a cleaner alternative as marine fuel. The results show the large potential for GHG savings offered by this pathway: upgraded pyrolysis oil can deliver significant GHG savings, and this contribution is linearly dependent of its energy share when blended with standard Heavy Fuel Oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematically predicting carbon emissions in the building sector is crucial for formulating effective policies and plans. However, the timing and potential peak emissions from urban buildings remain unclear. This research integrates socio-economic, urban planning, building technology, and energy consumption factors to develop a LEAP-SD model using Shenzhen as a case study. The model considers the interrelationship between socio-economic development and energy consumption, providing more realistic scenario simulations to predict changes in carbon emissions within the urban building sector. The study investigates potential emission peaks and peak times of buildings under different population and building area development scenarios. The results indicate that achieving carbon peaking by 2030 is challenging under a business as usual (BAU) scenario. However, a 10% greater reduction in energy intensity compared to BAU could result in peaking around 2030. The simulation analysis highlights the significant impact of factors such as population growth rate, per capita residential building area, and energy consumption per unit building area and the need for a comprehensive analysis. It provides more realistic scenario simulations that not only enhance theories and models for predicting carbon emissions but also offer valuable insights for policymakers in establishing effective reduction targets and strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic burden of diseases and reproductive inefficiency in dairy cattle is evident and has been quantified. Dairy diseases and reproductive inefficiency are however associated with other issues as well, including animal welfare, environmental pressure, and public health risks. Quantifying these other issues is becoming important to help farmers make decisions. Quantification of the noneconomic burdens of diseases and reproductive inefficiency is rare and lacks an overview of approaches and metrics. The first aim of this paper is to provide trends for associating diseases and reproductive inefficiency with economic and noneconomic burdens of disease. The second aim is to provide a review of approaches and metrics used to quantify the noneconomic burdens of disease and reproductive inefficiency. For the economic burden of diseases and reproductive performance, only an overview of the approaches used to quantify the burden is provided. The final aim is to propose approaches and metrics for future quantification of noneconomic burdens caused by individual diseases. A literature search was conducted in Web of Science to identify scientific articles on mastitis, lameness, metabolic disorders, and reproductive inefficiency in dairy cows. The search was restricted to articles published between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2022 and resulted in 7,565 articles. The total number of articles that mentioned the economic, animal welfare, public health, and environmental burden was 1,253, 428, 291, and 77, respectively. An increase in the percentage of articles mentioning the economic, animal welfare, and public health burden was observed between 2010 and 2022. Despite the 2,049 articles that mentioned one of the burdens, the results showed that approximately 10% of the articles quantified one or more of these burdens. The economic burden of diseases and reproductive inefficiency has been quantified in 154 articles and very few articles quantified the noneconomic burdens (9 articles for environment, 29 articles for public health, and 2 articles for animal welfare). Eleven articles were identified that quantified multiple burdens, and in all these studies the economic burden was combined with a noneconomic burden through a modeling approach (mainly simulation). We propose to link the noneconomic burdens to biological simulation models, and thus develop bioburden simulation models. Well-established approaches and metrics can be used to quantify economic, environmental, and public health burdens. For the economic impact, costs per cow per year can be assessed. A life cycle assessment can be performed for environmental impact and the public health impact can be assessed by a defined daily dose for antimicrobial use and disability-adjusted life years for zoonotic diseases. Regarding animal welfare, approaches and metrics to quantify the welfare impact of a diseased animal are not well established. For animal welfare, we propose a welfare-adjusted life years approach. The mentioned approaches and metrics are a proposal, and it is up to the scientific community to use them or, based on empirics and research experience, propose changes so that we will end up with robust approaches and metrics that enable us to compare research results and provide more evidence for animal health decision makers. The list of standard abbreviations for JDS is available at adsa.org/jds-abbreviations-24. Nonstandard abbreviations are available in the Notes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was set out to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) to explore the environmental and economic impacts of pavement design alternatives using reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled plastic. 25 design alternative pavement designs were considered for a four-lane 8 km-long highway section. Design mix percentages varied between 0 and 40% of RAP with 10% increments and 0–20% of recycled plastic with 5% increments. The impact was assessed based on estimating utilized energy and water resources, climate change impact in terms of CO 2 equivalent, and air pollution in terms of air acidification, human health particulate (HHP), and photochemical smog. Results show that recycled plastic is superior to RAP in reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions. Both RAP and recycled plastic reduced water consumption. Recycled plastic reduced air acidification, HHP, and smog. RAP also increased HHP substantially, mainly during materials production. It was found that the RAP replacement ratio of 10% yielded the highest value of energy consumption, harmful gases emissions, air acidification, HHP, and Smog. RAP and plastic both reduced costs substantially as recycled material reduced the use of virgin materials and bitumen. In addition, using RAP eliminates the cost of moving RAP to landfills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guar gum, the main product of the guar crop, is used widely in the USA as an emulsifier in the food industry and as fracturing fluid additive in the oil and gas industry. The USA is the number one global importer of guar, and interest has grown to domestically cultivate guar in the USA. Guar is an annual desert legume native to India and Pakistan. The goal of this study was to evaluate the environmental sustainability of growing guar in the USA via a life cycle analysis (LCA). The LCA helps identify the information gap for US agriculture and guide future field studies to optimize guar cultivation in the USA. This study concluded that in terms of environmental sustainability, irrigation, harvesting, and P-fertilization methods offer the most opportunity for improved guar agricultural sustainability. This is promising because one of guar's prominent characteristics is its high water use efficiency and ability to grow in marginal soils. Lowering irrigation and water use can be implemented with simple management practice changes such as optimizing irrigation. In addition, this study shows that there is an opportunity for field trials to optimize fertilizer application rates to achieve the greatest yields. This study also found a knowledge gap with respect to carbon soil fluxes and field emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus from guar agriculture. As the USA considers adopting guar agriculture in the southwest, through research collaborations such as the USDA Sustainable Bioeconomy of Arid Regions Center of Excellence, it will be critical to evaluate irrigation to achieve maximum yields (e.g., drip, flood, sprinkler) and fill fertilizer and emissions knowledge gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of renewable energy systems traditionally emphasizes life cycle costs, often focusing primarily on emissions rather than a comprehensive life cycle impact assessment. This research proposes a four‐tier methodology to balance cost‐effectiveness and sustainability in the electrification of remote areas. Tier 1 focuses on understanding the community context by analyzing electrical load profiles, meteorological data, and component specifications for microgrid design. Tier 2 evaluates the feasibility of various systems, optimizing them through cost analysis and Multi‐Criteria Decision‐Making (MCDM) to rank alternatives. Tier 3 assesses environmental impacts using life cycle assessment, ranking alternatives based on environmental criteria. Tier 4 integrates cost and environmental rankings to determine the most suitable energy configurations, followed by sensitivity analysis to ensure robust decision‐making. The methodology is validated through a case study of an unelectrified remote community, demonstrating that the PV‐Wind Turbine‐Biomass Generator‐Converter configuration is the most robust alternative, proving to be the optimal choice in 50% of the analyzed scenarios, achieving a Cost of Energy of 0.213 USD/kWh while minimizing environmental impact across all 18 criteria considered over a 25‐year life cycle. This novel framework offers a scalable approach to designing renewable energy systems, enhancing sustainable electrification efforts in developing regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy production is rapidly growing in the United States and is expected to continue increasing as more and larger wind turbines are installed. To support these taller and heavier onshore turbines, new foundations must be designed and manufactured. One proposed method of reducing the total amount of concrete and steel in spread foundations is to utilize additive manufacturing to enable more material‐efficient designs. To compare these additively manufacturing‐enabled designs to conventional foundation designs, this study performs a life cycle impact assessment of four ultra‐tall wind turbine foundations: two foundations using 78‐MPa 3D printed stay‐in‐place concrete formwork cast with 35‐MPa ready‐mix concrete with reinforcements, and two conventional foundations cast entirely out of 35‐MPa concrete with reinforcements. The life cycle assessment investigates the environmental impacts of four different stages, including materials production, transportation, construction, and end‐of‐life. The materials production stage is found to dominate the life cycle results, contributing over 97% of the total CO2 emissions and over 88% of the fossil fuel depletion for each foundation. Compared to the conventional designs, the Short Flat Ribbed Beam foundation with 3D printed formwork has 22.4% lower CO2 emissions and 28.3% lower fossil fuel depletion than the Circular foundation, and 2.0% higher CO2 and 5.9% lower fossil fuel depletion compared to the Tapered foundation. Parametric studies indicate that reducing cement content and increasing recycled content in printed concrete can significantly reduce the overall life cycle impacts of the foundations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastics are a versatile material group with many applications in the healthcare sector. Clinicians, particularly in the operating rooms, have become increasingly dependent on single-use instruments and consumables typically packaged in Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) resulting in significant amounts of PET waste. In this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology based on ISO 14040/44 is conducted to assess the environmental impacts of existing and potential future end-of-life options for PET anaesthesia and surgical instrument packaging waste in an Australian hospital context. The results show the reduction potential of environmental impacts by recycling of PET waste via direct collection or in Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand. When replacing end-of-life options such as landfill or incineration with recycling, a reduction of 88% of total Climate Change (CC) impact can be seen. Furthermore, there is a reduction in environmental impacts across other impact categories through this change. Even if the recyclate quality (up to 30%) was reduced, there is a significant reduction in the environmental impacts. The transition of end-of-life options to recycling offers the potential for reduction of emissions and enables a circular economy for plastics. Furthermore, based on the results of LCA, opportunities and challenges of circular economy pathways in health industry are identified and discussed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food production is known to have significant environmental impacts, with the main contributors residing in the farming and transportation life cycle phases. Of the various food products transported around the world, avocados have increasingly gained attention as a high-commodity superfood. Avocados require specific climatic and agricultural conditions for farming, with the most fertile land and conditions located outside Europe. Consequently, most avocados consumed in Europe are imported over vast geographical distances, with little information available to quantify the environmental impacts of this imported superfood. This paper aims to present the most detailed life cycle assessment results of an avocado cultivated, grown and harvested in the Limpopo Province of South Africa and exported to the European market for sale and consumption. A life cycle assessment was developed for the farming, harvesting, handling, packaging, ripening, transportation, and carbon sequestration potential of the avocado, and it was used to conduct a holistic life cycle assessment. Input data was obtained through an 18-month data collection campaign across the relevant stakeholders. A baseline 'business-as-usual' scenario is focused on throughout this study, and scope for optimisation is identified for each life cycle phase where applicable, accompanied by uncertainty analyses. Results show a total carbon input of 904.85 kg CO2e/tonne. Mitigating this, 521.88 kg CO2e/tonne is offset, resulting in a net carbon footprint of 382.97 kg CO2e/tonne with uncertainty ranges of −23.22 to +58.69 kg CO2e/tonne, normalised to 57.45 g CO2e/avocado grown in South Africa and sold in Europe. The environmental impacts of the avocado industry under consideration are largely mitigated by the "nature first" philosophy of the farming and logistics enterprises, which have made significant investments in reducing emissions. Sensitivity analyses indicate that implementing large-scale renewable energy, using alternative packaging instead of cardboard, and selling avocados unripened could further enable the farming enterprise to achieve Net Zero objectives. These measures could reduce baseline emissions from 382.97 kg CO2e/tonne to a theoretical −68.54 kg CO2e/tonne, representing a 117.9% decrease. Although this study does not quantify climate change impacts, qualitative analyses suggest that climate change will have a net negative effect on the avocado industry in South Africa. These regions, typically located in micro-climates, are projected to become wetter and warmer, adversely affecting crop phenology, pest control, road conditions, management complexity, farmer livelihoods, and food security. The study recommends large-scale implementation of the optimisation strategies identified to achieve Net Zero objectives and the development of proactive climate change mitigation strategies to enhance the resilience of avocado supply chains to future stressors. These insights are crucial for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and consumers aiming to promote sustainability in the avocado market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a comprehensive Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) and Social Cost-Benefit Analysis (S-CBA) conducted as part of a research project, studying biofuel production for the maritime and aviation sectors, from various types of non-food waste biomasses. The inclusion of social considerations complements and expands on the environmental and economic ones. The importance of social group criteria was determined through expert questionnaires, leading to the identification of social impacts groups and social criteria from stakeholders across participating countries. The results successfully identified and quantified social impacts, and align with those reported in similar cases in relevant literature. Social Cost-Benefits, monetarizing social factors, demonstrated several social benefits, including reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions. However, it also highlighted social costs, such as Economic Costs associated with the initial investment. The study revealed critical social hotspots within the impact categories, making significant strides in understanding the social impacts of biofuel production, providing valuable insights for decision-makers, and contributing to the broader goal of sustainable and socially responsible biofuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue scarcity poses global challenges for corneal transplantation and public health. Xeno-keratoplasty using animal-derived tissues offers a potential solution, but its environmental and economic implications remain unclear. This study evaluated two xeno-keratoplasty procedures at a single institution: (1) native corneas (Option 1) and (2) tissue-engineered corneal scaffolds derived from slaughterhouse waste (Option 2). Life cycle assessment (LCA) quantified environmental impacts across 18 midpoint indicators, while cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) incorporated cost and environmental impact using two approaches. Option 1 exhibited significantly lower environmental impact than Option 2 across most indicators, primarily due to the energy and equipment demands of cell culture in Option 2. Both CEA approaches (carbon offset pricing and utility decrement) demonstrated cost-effectiveness dominance for Option 1. Xeno-keratoplasty using native corneas (Option 1) appears more environmentally and economically favorable than tissue-engineered scaffolds (Option 2) in the current analysis. Future studies could explore diverse xeno-keratoplasty techniques for optimizing sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal powder contributes to the environmental burdens of additive manufacturing (AM) substantially. Current life cycle assessments (LCAs) of metal powders present considerable variations of lifecycle environmental inventory due to process divergence, spatial heterogeneity, or temporal fluctuation. Most importantly, the amounts of LCA studies on metal powder are limited and primarily confined to partial material types. To this end, based on the data surveyed from a metal powder supplier, this study conducted an LCA of titanium and nickel alloy produced by electrode-inducted and vacuum-inducted melting gas atomization, respectively. Given that energy consumption dominates the environmental burden of powder production and is influenced by metal materials' physical properties, we proposed a Bayesian stochastic Kriging model to estimate the energy consumption during the gas atomization process. This model considered the inherent uncertainties of training data and adaptively updated the parameters of interest when new environmental data on gas atomization were available. With the predicted energy use information of specific powder, the corresponding lifecycle environmental impacts can be further autonomously estimated in conjunction with the other surveyed powder production stages. Results indicated the environmental impact of titanium alloy powder is slightly higher than that of nickel alloy powder and their lifecycle carbon emissions are around 20 kg CO2 equivalency. The proposed Bayesian stochastic Kriging model showed more accurate predictions of energy consumption compared with conventional Kriging and stochastic Kriging models. This study enables data imputation of energy consumption during gas atomization given the physical properties and producing technique of powder materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of alternative (electric and hydrogen) and conventional diesel buses in a large metropolitan area. The primary focus was on hydrogen derived from coke oven gas, a byproduct of the coking process, which is a crucial step in the steel production value chain. The functional unit was 1,000,000 km traveled over 15 years. LCA analysis using SimaPro v9.3 revealed significant environmental differences between the bus types. Hydrogen buses outperformed electric buses in all 11 environmental impact categories and in 5 of 11 categories compared to conventional diesel buses. The most substantial improvements for hydrogen buses were observed in ozone depletion (8.6% of diesel buses) and global warming (29.9% of diesel buses). As a bridge to a future dominated by green hydrogen, employing grey hydrogen from coke oven gas in buses provides a practical way to decrease environmental harm in regions abundant with this resource. This interim solution can significantly contribute to climate policy goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental approach to the study of the compressive strength, isothermal calorimetry and life cycle assessment (LCA) of alkali-activated pastes based on soda–lime–silica glass, established to investigate the effect of the nature and proportion of the activator. Four different activators are compared: Portland cement, sodium silicate, sodium carbonate (at four percentages by weight: 5, 10, 15 and 25 wt% relative to glass) and sodium hydroxide (3.5 wt%). Portland cement and sodium carbonate were added in dry form (powder), while sodium hydroxide (pellets) and silicate were used in solution. At room temperature, glass exhibited slow reaction kinetics, with mechanical performance increasing significantly beyond 28 days of curing. The nature of the activator had a direct impact on the mechanical performance of the activated glass. Cement-activated pastes and those containing 25 wt% of sodium carbonate developed strength at an early age (0–7 days). The other activators showed lower strength development before 28 days of reaction. While a higher activator content improved short-term performance, it also increased the environmental impact, primarily due to the activator. The LCA, conducted on 11 indicators, revealed that the environmental impact was largely driven by the type and amount of activator used. A performance impact indicator (PII) related to global warming was introduced to compare pastes with different performance values. At an early age (0–28 days), the PII was lower when the activator level was high but decreased over time as the strength improved. In terms of long-term performance (360 days), hydroxide and sodium carbonate (10 wt%) achieved compressive strengths of 91 and 74 MPa, respectively. These systems offered a balance between high performance and a reduced environmental impact, making them of interest for sustainable applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental impact of Bitcoin mining has raised severe concerns considering the expected growth of 30% by 2030. This study aimed to develop a Life Cycle Assessment model to determine the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions associated with Bitcoin mining, considering material requirements and energy demand. By applying the impact assessment method IPCC 2021 GWP (100 years), the GHG emissions associated with electricity consumption were estimated at 51.7 Mt CO2 eq/year in 2022 and calculated by modelling real national mixes referring to the geographical area where mining takes place, allowing for the determination of the environmental impacts in a site-specific way. The estimated impacts were then adjusted to future energy projections (2030 and 2050), by modelling electricity mixes coherently with the spatial distribution of mining activities, the related national targeted goals, the increasing demand for electricity for hashrate and the capability of the systems to recover the heat generated in the mining phase. Further projections for 2030, based on two extrapolated energy consumption models, were also determined. The outcomes reveal that, in relation to the considered scenarios and their associated assumptions, breakeven points where the increase in energy consumption associated with mining nullifies the increase in the renewable energy share within the energy mix exist. The amount of amine-based sorbents hypothetically needed to capture the total CO2 equivalent emitted directly and indirectly for Bitcoin mining reaches up to almost 12 Bt. Further developments of the present work would rely on more reliable data related to future energy projections and the geographical distribution of miners, as well as an extension of the environmental categories analyzed. The Life Cycle Assessment methodology represents a valid tool to support policies and decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the extraction of cellulose from Saudi Arabia-based date palm biomass utilizing a natural deep eutectic solvent (NaDES) integrated with a microwave-assisted process. A comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted in accordance with the ISO 14040 standard, encompassing four key stages: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory analysis (LCI), life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) and interpretation. The analysis was confined to a gate-to-gate boundary in which two impact assessment methods, namely, ReCiPe Midpoint (H) 2016 and ILCD 2011 Midpoint, were used to assess the environmental impacts. The OpenLCA software (version 2.1.1) with the European Life Cycle Database 3.2 (ELCD 3.2) was used in the study. The ReCiPe method identified impact categories such as fossil resource scarcity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, water consumption, human carcinogenic toxicity and marine ecotoxicity. Conversely, the ILCD method identified freshwater ecotoxicity, water resource depletion, mineral, fossil and resource depletion, human toxicity and cancer effects. The results indicate that freshwater ecotoxicity presents the most substantial environmental impact across both assessment methods, surpassing other categories. Fossil resource scarcity, even though originally appearing impactful, demonstrated a relatively lower normalized score compared to freshwater ecotoxicity. Terrestrial ecotoxicity and water consumption were found to be negligible in their impact. Our findings provide important insights into sustainable material science and waste management, affording potential applications for biomass utilization in the Gulf region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of remanufactured constant velocity (CV) joints using a newly proposed framework for automotive parts replacement. This framework utilizes actual vehicle sales data to accurately estimate the demand for CV joint replacements. Specific parameters are established to calculate this demand, enabling a quantitative assessment of both environmental and economic impacts associated with remanufacturing CV joints and other automotive parts. Additionally, sensitivity analyses are conducted to explore the relationship between environmental benefits and economic outcomes, particularly focusing on the preferences for remanufactured parts and their profitability. The results indicate that increasing the proportion of remanufactured CV joints significantly benefits the environment by reducing CO2 emissions, raw material usage, and energy consumption. However, this shift also leads to a decrease in total profits within the CV joint replacement market. To address this trade-off, the study suggests that financial incentives, such as subsidies or tax benefits, are necessary to support the remanufacturing industry and facilitate market expansion. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers aiming to promote sustainable manufacturing practices through effective subsidy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Pulp and Paper (P&P) industry heavily relies on fossil sources, with lime kiln operations posing a significant challenge for achieving zero on-site fossil emissions. This study assesses the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential and costs associated with alternative fuels in lime kiln operations for linerboard production. Various options, including bio-based fuels including pulverized biomass, gasification of biomass, crude tall oil, bio-methanol, and traditional fuels such as fuel oil and petcoke, were analyzed through detailed process simulations and Life Cycle Assessment. Results indicate that per ton of product, 2,789 kg of CO2-eq is emitted, with 69% being biogenic CO2 and 31% fossil CO2-eq. Notably, replacing the natural gas boiler with a biomass boiler reduces Global Warming Potential (GWP) by 41%, while switching lime kiln fuel to biofuels achieves a 5.5% reduction. Combining a biomass boiler with pulverized biomass fuel use in the lime kiln yields a substantial 93.1% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, at a cost of $76/ton of CO2-eq avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used a sub-model within system dynamics to simulate and quantify CO2 emissions in the residential sector, focusing on the Nishikawa forestry region in Saitama Prefecture. The model evaluated emissions from the life cycle of houses, including production, transportation, use, maintenance, and disposal. The business as usual (BAU) scenario projects annual new housing inflows. The woody biomass utilization (WBU) scenario showed a 10% carbon reduction over 30 years by replacing new housing with timber construction, despite increased emissions from new constructions. The study highlights the economic benefits of utilizing carbon credits to support reforestation, making it possible to secure the sustainability of regional forestry to supply timber materials to the residential sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the implementation of CO2 capture systems has increased. To reduce the costs and the footprint of the processes, different industrial wastes are successfully proposed for CO2 capture, such as gypsum from desulfurization units. This gypsum undergoes an aqueous carbonation process for CO2 capture, producing an added-value solid material that can be valorized. In this work, panels have been manufactured with a replacement of (5 and 20%) commercial gypsum and all the compositions kept the water/solid ratio constant (0.45). The density, surface hardness, resistance to compression, bending, and fire resistance of 2 cm thick panels have been determined. The addition of the waste after the CO2 capture diminishes the density and mechanical strength. However, it fulfills the requirements of the different European regulations and diminishes 56% of the thermal conductivity when 20%wt of waste is used. Although the CO2 waste is decomposed endothermically at 650 °C, the fire resistance decreases by 18% when 20%wt. is added, which allows us to establish that these wastes can be used in fire-resistant panels. An environmental life cycle assessment was conducted by analyzing a recycling case in Spain. The results indicate that the material with CO2 capture waste offers no environmental advantage over gypsum unless the production plant is located within 200 km of the waste source, with transportation being the key factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life cycle of a microgrid covers all the stages from idea to implementation, through exploitation until the end of its life, with a lifespan of around 25 years. Covering them usually requires several software tools, which can make the integration of results from different stages difficult and may imply costs being hard to estimate from the beginning of a project. This paper proposes a unified platform composed of four modules developed in MATLAB 2022b, designed to assist all the processes a microgrid passes through during its lifetime. This entire platform can be used by a user with low IT knowledge, because it is completed with fill-in-the-blank alone, as a major advantage. The authors detail the architecture, functions and development of the platform, either by highlighting the novel integration of existing MATLAB tools or by developing new ones and designing new user interfaces linked with scripts based on its complex mathematical libraries. By consolidating processes into a single platform, the proposed solution enhances integration, reduces complexity and provides better cost predictability throughout the project's duration. A proof-of-concept for this platform was presented by applying the life-cycle assessment process on a real-case study, a microgrid consisting of a photovoltaic plant, and an office building as the consumer and energy storage units. This platform has also been developed by involving students within summer internships, as a process strengthening the cooperation between industry and academia. Being an open-source application, the platform will be used within the educational process, where the students will have the possibility to add functionalities, improve the graphical representation, create new reports, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide population growth and its increasing affluence have led to an increase in global building energy consumption. Therefore, developing sustainable energy storage materials to mitigate this problem has become a high priority for many researchers. Organic phase change materials (PCMs), such as fatty acids, have been extensively studied for thermal energy storage in building applications due to their excellent performance in absorbing and releasing energy within the environment temperature ranges. However, issues related to their thermal conductivity, stability, and flammability could limit the potential and require addressing. In this review, organic PCMs, with a special focus on fatty acids, are discussed. This review covers recent studies related to PCM synthesis from bio-sources, methods for PCM incorporation in building materials, methods for enhancing organic PCM thermal properties, flammability challenges, and life cycle assessment. Finally, future opportunities are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comprehensive framework for designing in-space propulsion systems, integrating four criteria: global propulsive performance, environmental impact, cost efficiency, and architectural reliability. The study focuses on the emerging class of Orbital Transfer Vehicles to illustrate the application of this method. By examining the synergistic potential of OTVs and greener propellants, the paper addresses different mission scenarios, including LEO, GEO, and lunar missions, with both scientific and commercial objectives. The proposed framework aims to go beyond traditional cost-centric approaches, offering a more complete evaluation method for early design phases. A case study comparing three liquid bipropellant options, pressure-fed MON-3/MMH, 98%-HTP/RP-1, and self-pressurizing N 2 O/Ethane, demonstrates the utility of the tool. Findings suggest that scientific missions benefit most from 98%-HTP/RP-1, while traditional propellants remain preferable for cost-driven commercial missions to GEO and the Moon, though greener alternatives are competitive for less demanding LEO missions. This innovative framework aims to guide the selection of propulsion systems to achieve greener space missions, aligning traditional performance figures with environmental responsibility. • The transition towards greener propellants introduces new requirements beyond pure performance. • A holistic early-design framework is proposed to identify optimal future propulsive solutions. • This approach integrates environmental impact and reliability alongside traditional cost-efficiency and performance targets. • Greener propellants demonstrate a competitive advantage over legacy ones for specific space mission profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides other lignocellulose waste resulting from agriculture, spent mushroom substrate is a major concern due to the high amount of waste, usually improper disposed. Also, sand-based mortars require the use of this non-renewable and exhaustive aggregate and problems of environment protection arise. The study aims to analyze the possibilities of sand replacement in mortars composition with grounded substrate. The ratio between cement and sand in the studied compositions was 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4. The hardened mortars are analyzed in terms of colorimetric changes, density decrease, mechanical strength, hydrophobic properties, and freeze-frost resistance. Thus, medium-light mortars for applications that requires moderate strengths, with ecological implications results when up to 15% of sand is replaced with spent mushroom substrate. The results can be used for a deepen research, considering also a detailed life cycle assessment of the waste and, secondly, combining the replacement material with other waste types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building construction sector is the second largest contributor to greenhouse gases (GHG), especially CO2 emissions, and final energy consumption among all industries. Industrial production of building materials such as steel and cement and the use of traditional construction methods exacerbate these environmental issues. In Iran, most of the buildings are still traditionally built, which consume a lot of energy and emit a lot of pollutants into the air. This research aims to investigate the impact of two distinct construction methods, namely the cast in situ (CIS) concrete system and the industrialized building system (IBS), on GHG emissions and embodied energy consumption within the context of Tehran City. Notably, this study represents the first attempt to explore the relationship between air pollution in Iran's metropolises and construction methods. IBS, which originated in Malaysia, is considered as an alternative method, while CIS represents the conventional approach. To achieve this goal, by means of a scientific approach based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) tool, the life cycle of each of the selected construction methods in the stages of preparation of materials and the main construction process was meticulously modeled in the software called GaBi. The results showed that the IBS method, during the initial phase of material preparation, exhibited embodied energy and global warming potential (GWP) values of 3089.23 MJ and 145.63 kg CO2-eq, respectively. Significantly, these values demonstrated a reduction of 38.2 and 18.43 percent in comparison with those associated with the CIS technique. During the construction phase, the aforesaid parameters of the IBS method were evaluated to be 27.15% and 3.08% lower than those of the CIS method and were determined to be 812.33 MJ and 58.6 kg CO2-eq, respectively. By comparing IBS and CIS methods, it was concluded that the use of the IBS method yields superior outcomes with regard to GWP and embodied energy and the long-term advantages of industrialization can significantly justify its high costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is one of environmentally friendly strategies to reduce the environmental pollution caused by energy generation from fossil fuels and reach sustainable development. In this current study, a geothermal driven multi-generation system to provide power, heating, freshwater, hydrogen and oxygen demands is investigated. The main components are encompassed single-pressure organic Rankine cycle, reverse osmosis desalination unit, domestic water heater and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. For this purpose, energy, exergy, economic and exergoenvironmental (4E) evaluations are accomplished upon proposed system. Non-dominant sorting genetic algorithm has been considered as optimization method that leads to reveal the maximum and minimum of exergy efficiency and total annual cost (TAC) rate as two objective functions. In addition, sensitivity analysis is performed to reveal the roles of design parameters on the system performance and productivity from different standpoints. The optimal results showed that exergy efficiency and TAC increased, as operating temperature of PEM electrolyzer enhances. In terms of economic analysis, the most percentage of total investment cost is pertained to RO unit which was 58.05%. In addition, exergy efficiency and TAC of the proposed system were 30.42% and 255.96 $/h, respectively. As well, the mass flow rate of freshwater, hydrogen, oxygen, net power output and heating production were obtained 3146.7 m3/day, 0.42 m3/day, 3.35 m3/day, 1556.2 kW and 18,586 kW, respectively. Furthermore, by taking into account exergoenvironmental analysis, the environmental impact rate of power, heating, freshwater and hydrogen–oxygen production 2.331 × 10−5 pts/kJh, 3.668 × 10−3 pts/kJh, 1.45 pts/m3h and 11.42 pts/kgh, respectively. Eventually, the optimal outcomes from various perspectives were compared and argued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the three-dimensional concurrent engineering and presents an integrated mathematical model to determine design and production process of each part of product and its supply chain network with a sustainable approach. Demand is assumed to be design-dependent, and supply chain under study is closed-loop. From sustainability viewpoint, total profit in planning horizon is considered as economic index, and an approach based on life cycle assessment is implemented to calculate environmental index. In this approach, the eco-costs method is utilized to quantify life cycle environmental impact of activities. Also, a ratio based on job creation opportunity and employment rate is considered as social index. To show the performance of the proposed mathematical model, data for a home appliance producer from Iran is utilized. Eventually, a sensitivity analysis is presented to examine the effects of variations in demand on the resulted solutions and the values of triple objective functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the case of building demolition, the construction industry increasingly prioritizes sustainable waste management and environmental protection. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to assess two scenarios to evaluate the environmental impacts of four methods (demolition, transport, recycling, and landfills). To conduct an Attributional LCA, the SimaPro software suite and Ecoinvent v.3 Life Cycle Inventory database were applied. LCA showed that construction and demolition (CDW) management has major environmental effects on global warming, fine particulate matter formation, human carcinogenic toxicity, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity. The results indicate the beneficial environmental impact of two waste management scenarios. The extent to which recycling waste from building demolition can benefit the environment is dependent on the type of material being recycled. Copper recycling can reduce the building industry's environmental impact. Human non-carcinogenic toxicity is the most important and beneficial factor. Previous research has largely neglected this stage. The findings indicated that environmental conditions have a significance impact and, accordingly, the optimal scenario. This study provides stakeholders with a road map for making informed decisions regarding the application of CDW management. It suggests that LCA studies should take multiple indicators into account, and sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were performed to evaluate the accuracy of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, sustainability has become one of the most critical goals to be accomplished in the construction industry to mitigate its environmental impacts, energy consumption, waste, and cost. Therefore, this research aims to assess the sustainability of concrete structures using the Building Information Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment (BIM–LCA) approach. It can aid to rank and select the type of concrete based on sustainability criteria including CO2 emissions, embodied energy, and cost using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. One-Click LCA tool has been used for the recognition of the distinctions in the LCA results by adopting different environmental product declaration databases. HBERT is used as a verification tool for One-Click LCA results. A comparative study is applied to a multi-story car park concrete structure using both traditional concrete and green concrete that includes supplementary waste materials. Three different models of concrete that have the same compressive strength are selected: traditional concrete, green concrete using 30% fly ash, and green concrete using 50% ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). The results showed that using 50% GGBFS in the concrete mix is the most sustainable alternative in terms of CO2 emissions and embodied energy. Finally, it is concluded that using BIM–LCA–AHP integrated approach can help engineers to design computerized models that improve the sustainability of construction by evaluation based on sustainable objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cement production is linked to heavy environmental load with exigences for reduction and substitution of raw materials and energy demands/sources. Recently, with the potential commercial discovery of natural gas (NG) reserves in Lebanon, discussions on the viability of fuel-switching, from petcoke (kiln processes) and heavy fuel oil (HFO) (reciprocating engines) to NG in the cement sector emerged. To that aim three alternative scenarios (SCx) were suggested: shifting petcoke to NG in kiln processes (SC1); shifting reciprocating engines from HFO to NG (SC2); shifting kiln processes and reciprocating engines to NG (SC3). An economic analysis indicated that SC2 is the only viable option. This paper presents a new combination of life cycle impact assessment (LCA) and monetization to quantify environmental impacts for the decision-making processes, within the Lebanese context. The LCA was conducted using primary data and SimaPro v8.5.2.0. The functional unit (FU) was 1 kg of cement. IPCC 2013 GWP 100a V1.03, Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) V1.10 ReCiPe 2016 E v1.02 impact assessment and Stepwise2006 (V1.05.3) monetary valuation methods were used. Results indicated that all scenarios lead to a reduced carbon footprint: 0.016 kgCO2eq., 0.0008 kgCO2eq. and 0.0168 kgCO2eq. for SC1, SC2 and SC3, respectively, from the baseline 1.0327 kgCO2eq.. The baseline CED was 5.06 MJ, and 4.5 MJ, 4.91 MJ and 4.35 MJ for SC1, SC2, and SC3, respectively. SC3 had the lowest environmental burden, followed by SC1 and SC2. Damage assessment results indicated that all alternative scenarios reduce environmental damage, while SC3 brought the highest benefit followed by SC1 and SC2, respectively. Monetization results/ FU indicated a cost burden of 25.54 US¢, 24,64 US¢, 25.5 US¢ and 24.6 US¢ for baseline, SC1, SC2 and SC3, respectively. Finally, the best fit option, after internalizing the environmental cost, shifted from SC2 to SC3 indicating the merits of combining LCA and monetization into decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food production's environmental, economic, and social challenges should be demystified through quantitative data. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to investigate the ecoregional sustainability of the Amazon biome from the perspective of the environmental life cycle, economic feasibility, and social life cycle analysis, emphasizing the pillars of sustainability in the production of three commodities: soybean, beef cattle, and Brazil nuts. Carbon footprint, net present value, and worker endpoint were the metrics evaluated. According to the results found in this study, the livestock presented greater environmental burdens in terms of carbon balance when compared to the production of Brazil nuts and soybean production with carbon balances in the order of 4.75 tCO2eq/ha, −0.02 tCO2eq/ha, and −1.20 tCO2eq/ha, respectively. From an economic viewpoint, the extractive production of Brazil nuts presented the highest net profit per hectare/year (USD 559.21), followed by the agricultural system (USD 533.94) and livestock (USD 146.19). Finally, in relation to the social aspect of the production systems analyzed, the negative impacts linked to beef cattle production are related to the subcategories of forced labor and equal opportunities, and the positive impacts linked to soybean production are related to the subcategories of salary and benefits. The results highlight a genuine and sustainable balance in Brazil nuts extraction, presenting it as an investment for a sustainable future while demystifying the multifaceted information related to food production as a whole, in order to assist in decision-making and the formulation of public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a widely used tool to measure the environmental sustainability of products or processes. Integrating LCA into the assessment of waste diversion strategies recognizes that current waste diversion strategies are insufficient to stem the global impacts of waste effectively. The increased pressure to divert organic and inorganic materials to reduce landfills impacts and promotes the circular economy. Historically, waste diversion efforts in municipalities and industries focused on higher-profile inorganic wastes, such as plastics and other recyclables. However, organic waste is increasingly identified as a key waste fraction that must be effectively managed and regulated. This research surveys published LCAs from 2019 to 2023 focusing on the anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste. Notable conclusions include the lack of studies comparing AD with the latest treatment options such as co-gasification; the insufficient attention to the LCAs on biogas upgrading methods; and the monetization of LCA results using carbon credits. In addition, more than 50% of reviewed LCA studies concluded the results with a sensitivity analysis, which was not a common practice before 2019 in LCA studies on anaerobic digestion. This signifies the increasing need to understand uncertainty in the circumstances governing applying AD to wastes. Finally, neglecting the combined effect of several parameters in the sensitivity analysis might have reduced the accuracy of the sensitivity analyses in the reviewed LCAs. Overall, LCAs conducted on AD-related applications vary widely in terms of scope and consistency, implying that the outcomes may not be as applicable as intended. The identified challenges, issues, and other findings related to this research are expected to help standardize LCA procedures as applied to AD to promote greater comparability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of the oil well wellbore is a prerequisite for selecting the optimal completion method. In this paper, based on experimental testing and theoretical models of rock mechanics parameters in deep oil reservoirs, the in situ stress parameters of deep oil wells are accurately predicted. On this basis, a full life cycle assessment model for wellbore and perforation casing stability was established, and the effects of pressure depletion and changes in the production pressure differential on wellbore stability and casing stability were analyzed. The research results indicate that as the formation pressure decreases, the critical collapse pressure difference around the wellbore significantly decreases. The greater the production pressure difference, the more likely the wellbore is to become unstable. Under the original formation pressure coefficient, if there is no casing, the critical failure pressure difference of the wellbore wall is 55 MPa. After cementing and perforation, when the casing is uniformly stressed and the formation pressure drops to a coefficient of 0.83, the casing will not be damaged even when the wellbore is completely emptied. At this time, there is still a certain safety production pressure difference in the perforated formation. This study can effectively guide the optimization of well completion and safe development in deep oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating climate change poses an alarming global issue, demanding a range of prompt and effective solutions. In response, bio-based plastics and biocomposites have emerged as extensively researched alternatives to combat the environmental threats posed by a warming climate. In this context, the present paper presents a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of a newly developed polyamide-starch biocomposite, with varying content of potato starch as the biofiller (ranging from 0 to 70 wt%). The primary aim was to quantitatively measure the total carbon footprint of the selected biocomposite. The results indicated that the progressive addition of potato starch as the biofiller into the copolyamide matrix significantly reduced the total carbon footprint of the biocomposite, achieving a maximum reduction of 42–43% with the highest starch content of 70 wt%. Moreover, the newly developed polyamide-starch biocomposite demonstrated excellent performance compared to reference fossil-based polyamides of polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 12 (PA12), and polyamide 6.6 (PA6.6), as well as composites of PA610/80 wt% polylactic acid modified by reactive extrusion (REX-PLA) and PA40/30 wt% glass fibers, with carbon footprint reductions of 29, 39, 42, 59, and 79%, respectively. Based on these findings, the polyamide-starch biocomposite, especially with the highest content of potato starch (70 wt%), exhibits significant potential as a new material solution to reduce the carbon footprint of several existing fossil- and bio-based polyamides together with polyamide-based composites. In doing so, it contributes to advancing the development of a more climate-friendly future for plastics through reductions in their carbon footprints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cocoa is a natural resource that plays a very important role globally, being one of the most produced and traded commodities. As a labour-intensive product and considering that its cultivation involves about 50 million people globally, it seems significant to explore its social sustainability. In light of this, this research aimed to map social risks within the cocoa supply chain from a life cycle perspective. Therefore, the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) was used, following the PSILCA database, considering the two most influential countries in its production, i.e., Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. The results showed that there could be a very high risk that more than half of the cocoa globally is produced through child labour and with wages too low to guarantee workers a decent living, returning incomes of $30–38/month. Forced labour is much less frequent than child labour, while cocoa from Ghana may induce a high risk of improper work, considering the 30.2 h per week worked by farmers. This is mainly due to the low association power of 10–16%, which reveals a high risk that workers may not organise themselves into trade unions. Finally, at 23–25%, there is also a very high risk of discrimination due to the high presence of migrant labour. Therefore, the S-LCA results showed that the cocoa industry is still characterised by socially unsustainable sourcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts associated with the synthesis of polyurethane (PUR) aerogels. The synthesis process incorporates various solvents and solids contents into the formulation, with the primary objective of enhancing the physical properties of the aerogels for broad industrial applications. Nine experimental scenarios were explored, grouped into two sets based on the variables studied. A detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts of all formulated PUR aerogels. The findings indicate that a solvent solution of 100% ethyl acetate (EtOAc) results in lower environmental impacts compared to other tested formulations. Notably, a solvent solution comprising 75% acetonitrile (ACN) and 25% EtOAc exhibited the highest environmental Key Performance Indicator (εKPI) among the tested material formulations, closely followed by the PUR aerogel obtained using acetone as a solvent. Furthermore, this study underscores the necessity of performing an integrated LCA that considers both environmental and functional aspects. While reducing the solids content is environmentally advantageous, it may present challenges in terms of material functionality. This is illustrated by the PUR aerogel synthesized with the lowest solids content of 3.2 wt.%, which demonstrated high deformability, thereby complicating the determination of a reliable Young's modulus for analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, climate change has become more evident than ever, and measures to slow down its negative effects are imperative for the future of the world. The scientific and economic communities of countries around the world, under the force of international climate agreements, are identifying solutions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by establishing appropriate measures and developing new strategies. In the context of these objectives, the effort to identify eco-sustainable practices for the construction industry is growing significantly. Recently, much research has focused on solutions for producing green building materials, as well as applying circular economy principles to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions and absorptions by greenhouse gas absorbers. The relevant indicators of the level of achievement of these major objectives can be identified, already from the construction design phase, with the help of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis. This paper presents a series of environmental impact analyses for an eco-friendly solution of precast concrete masonry blocks. Ecological concrete is manufactured with aggregates from biological waste resulting from hemp crops. Impact assessments were performed with the SimaPro 9.5 software application. Research has shown that in the production chain, which includes the materials resulting from the recycling and reuse of hemp concrete blocks, the contribution to the effort to achieve neutrality in terms of global warming is significant. The Cradle-to-Cradle scenario revealed that the recycling of hemp concrete masonry blocks at the end of their use, for a functional unit of 0.5 m3, has a GHG emission of 33.5228 [kg CO2-eq] and CO2 uptakes can reach the negative value of −53.8397 [kg CO2-eq]. Thus, the balance of GHG emissions is negative, with values of approximately −20.3169 [kg CO2-eq]. The LCA analyses also reflect a decreased damage to human health, natural resources, and biodiversity when hemp concrete is used for masonry blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic coatings have great potential to mitigate ice accumulation and ice adhesion issues due to their outstanding water-repellent and self-cleaning characteristics. In the present study, polyurethane elastomer (PUE) is considered a superhydrophobic coating material for anti-icing applications. The life cycle assessment (LCA) of bare aluminum and PUE-coated systems is performed using the Centrum voor Milieukunde Leiden methodology. The cradle-to-gate LCA scope is implemented to evaluate and compare the total environmental impact. This study revealed that the PUE-coated system exhibited a significant reduction in total environmental impact compared to bare aluminum. The levelized cost of coating analysis demonstrates that the PUE coating system is more economical than bare aluminum surfaces. There is scope to reduce the environmental impact associated with PUE-coated systems using bio-based and less toxic chemicals/solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the CO2 emission characteristics and key mitigation pathways of intercity passenger transport is crucial for achieving sustainable development in the transport system. Using origin–destination data on travel between city pairs by various transportation modes, we employ the life cycle assessment (LCA) method to estimate route-level CO2 emissions from intercity multimodal passenger transport corridors, considering infrastructure construction and vehicle operation phases. Subsequently, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the impact of 39 parameters associated with the construction phase, operation phase, and transportation modes on CO2 emissions from corridors. Trend analysis is employed to explore the future emission mitigation potential for the parameters that have the most significant impact on corridor emissions. Four intercity multimodal passenger corridors in China are selected as case studies. Results indicate that the CO2 emissions per passenger-kilometer from these corridors exhibit an approximate negative linear relationship with corridor lengths. The proportion of construction-related CO2 emission intensity of various intercity passenger transport modes varies significantly, ranging from 2.5 to 32.9%. In the medium term, effective emission-mitigation strategies should focus on decreasing private car gasoline consumption in three corridors under 200 km in length, as well as decreasing private car gasoline consumption and promoting clean electricity in the Xi'an–Yan'an corridor. In the long term, efforts should be placed on increasing electric private car share and promoting clean electricity. This study lays a crucial foundation for the refined management of CO2 emissions from future intercity passenger transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]