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Life cycle assessment of residential buildings – Part 1: Analysis of the achievability of KfW's requirements for climate friendly new buildings Germany is currently discussing whether, when and how requirements for limiting greenhouse gas emissions in the life cycle of buildings should be integrated into regulatory law. Traditionally, in the run‐up to such decisions, possible calculation approaches and requirement levels are tested in the form of a promotional program. The KfW's promotional program for climate‐friendly new buildings (KFN) adopts requirements from the Quality Seal for Sustainable Building (QNG) for calculating and assessing greenhouse gas emissions. The QNG contains limit values for the consumption of non‐renewable primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions in the life cycle. This article presents these requirements and the options for meeting them under the real conditions of current planning and construction practice. The subject of the investigations, which were conducted as of summer 2024, are newly constructed residential buildings of various sizes and construction methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment of repair variants according to TR‐IH depending on the degree of damage The aim of this publication is the life cycle assessment of repair measures acc. to TR‐IH (Technical guideline Maintenance of concrete structures) on the basis of a case study. Here, a fictitious two‐storey underground car park is considered, the floor slab of which is uncoated and whose false ceiling has numerous separation cracks. On the basis of common chloride diffusion models, the temporal chloride penetration into the floor slab and thus the temporal development of the degree of damage can be estimated. Depending on the degree of damage, permissible repair methods are selected acc. to TR‐IH and their necessary individual measures are defined, which in turn are linked to Global Warming Potential (GWP). Thus, depending on the age of the component at the time of repair, the GWP for various repair procedures can be determined. In a further step, practical assumptions for operation and maintenance are made so that the GWP of the repair procedures can be determined over the remaining service life depending on the time of repair. The calculation results show that early repairs lead to a low GWP. In addition, careful repair procedures without major interventions in the structure (methods 7.7, 7.8 or 8.3) lead particularly to low GWP. If one compares Cathodic Protection (CP) with method 7.2, CP is linked to a significantly lower GWP for crack repair, or if electricity from renewable energies is used during service life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment of concrete made of 100 % recycled aggregate compared to normal concrete The construction sector accounts for a significant proportion of the consumption of natural resources and is also the source of the largest waste streams. The aim must therefore be to improve the circular economy in the construction sector. In this context, the Institute for Materials and Building Research (IMB) at Munich University of Applied Sciences (HM) has investigated the use of recycled aggregates beyond the technical building regulations up to 100 % including recycled sand for the production of structural concrete. The first applications of concrete with 100 % recycled aggregate (100 % RC concrete) have already been completed and are presented in this issue. Based on the findings from the research and construction projects, life cycle assessments were performed in which 100 % RC concrete (circular system) was compared with normal concrete (linear system) for the application case C30/37 XC4/XF3 (CEM II/C‐M (S‐LL)). The life cycle assessments of the two product systems were prepared in the form of nomograms so that input parameters such as transport services can be adjusted and a graphical evaluation of GWP can be carried out. This makes it easy to elaborate recommendations for the use of 100 % RC concrete with regard to reducing the environmental impact (GWP) in specific applications based on the life cycle assessments carried out. Other cements can also be taken into account after a simple conversion. The analyses show that the circular system has a slightly lower GWP when assuming the same transport distances and the same cement content but a slightly higher superplasticizer content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global flows of cultivated seaweed were estimated for the year 2019 using a combination of literature review, assumptions, and simple conservation of mass calculations. Red seaweeds were found to be the largest contributors to the hydrocolloids industry, for both food and non‐food applications. Carrageenan‐containing species were found to be the largest contributors to both food (62%) and non‐food (55%) hydrocolloids and are the primary source for water gels, which make up 27% of non‐food hydrocolloids, followed by pet food (16%), toothpaste (6%), and others (6%). Carrageenan also accounts for almost all meat products, which make up 35% of the food hydrocolloid industry, and dairy products, which make up 26%. Agar‐containing seaweeds are used in confections (10% of food hydrocolloids), baking (9%), and other (2%) and make up 15% of non‐food hydrocolloids. Porphyra (nori) is cultivated for direct consumption and makes up 23% of direct food consumption. Cultivated brown seaweeds were found to comprise Laminaria/Saccharina for alginate production (30%), Laminaria/Saccharina for direct consumption (44%), and Undaria for direct consumption (16%). About half of the alginates produced make up 18% of food hydrocolloids, and the other half is used in non‐food hydrocolloids comprising technical grades (28% of non‐food) and animal feed (3%). The results are discussed in the context of emerging markets for seaweed and the potential for seaweeds as a substitute for staple foods, and the environmental impact of seaweed farming is explored through a review of life cycle assessment studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the detailed material composition of the various industrial and consumer products is essential for implementing efficient recycling practices and policies, conducting material flow analyses, and facilitating a transition toward a circular economy. However, existing data sources are limited in their product and material coverage. Currently, no source or methodology allows such data to be obtained in a relatively uniform, updated, and accessible manner across a diverse range of products. This work presents an approach that allows estimating the material composition of thousands of products using available life cycle inventory (LCI) databases. Methodologically, this is implemented by splitting the physical flows that describe supply chains in LCI databases into "incorporated" and "not incorporated" fractions using an incorporation parameter. Building primarily on existing matrix‐based life cycle assessment calculations, this approach can be used to calculate the material content of products. A generally applicable mathematical model, as well as a ready‐to‐use software, is presented for future practitioners. To demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method, a case study involving three metals and plastic in three consumer goods has been conducted based on the ecoinvent database. Our method delivered accurate material content estimates (i.e., weight fractions of materials in products) with an average relative error of 26% and an absolute error of 1.1% (between our estimates and existing values). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are driving transformative changes in many areas, with significant environmental implications. Yet, environmental assessments for specific applications are scarce. This study presents an in‐depth life cycle assessment of "Foodforecast," a machine learning (ML) cloud service designed to reduce food waste in bakeries by optimizing sales forecasting. It covers four impact categories: global warming, abiotic resource depletion, cumulative energy demand, and freshwater eutrophication. The assessment includes both the direct environmental impacts of the ML model and the underlying system hardware, as well as the indirect benefits of avoided bakery returns compared to traditional ordering methods, using real‐world case study data. In 2022, "Foodforecast" led to an average 30% reduction in bakery returns, primarily bread and rolls, according to sales reports. The associated environmental benefits significantly outweighed the system's direct impacts by one to three orders of magnitude across impact categories and return utilization scenarios. The study identifies support activities such as service maintenance during deployment as major direct impact factors, surpassing those from cloud compute for ML operations. Data processing and inference dominate the latter, while the much‐discussed ML training plays a minor role. The environmental consequences of AI are complex and dual sided. This case study demonstrates that AI might provide environmental benefits in certain contexts, yet results are constrained by methodological challenges and data uncertainties. There remains a need for further holistic LCAs across different ML applications to inform decision‐making processes and ultimately guide the responsible use of AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union (EU) Battery Regulation aims to establish a circular battery production and sets minimum battery material recycled targets for new batteries from post‐production and post‐consumer waste batteries. However, it is uncertain whether these targets can be met due to dynamic market developments and if their compliance results in environmental benefits. Therefore, this study examines the circular battery production in the EU and its impact on material flows and the environment from a market perspective. We combined a system dynamic market model with process models for battery production and recycling, using prospective life cycle assessment. According to our analysis, the projected amount of post‐consumer waste alone may not meet the specified levels of recycled materials due to long battery lifetimes. Thereby, the targets for cobalt are particularly ambitious, with a gap of between 9.8 and 14.6 percentage points for most scenarios. In the case of reduced battery lifetimes, the achievable recycled content across all materials increases by more than 75% in 2032 and by more than 85% in 2037. The avoidance of post‐production waste leads to 9% lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to recycling with 100% recycling efficiency. Thus, attributable amounts of post‐production waste and unfavorable prolonged use of batteries create misguided incentives to meet legal targets. Additionally, the delay between production and recycling limits the potential for circular production as this depends significantly on market conditions. Our study highlights, that besides recycling, the industry should especially advance production processes including upstream material extraction and refinement to reduce environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector in China is responsible for 40% of total energy‐related CO2 emissions, driven by its large population, continuous economic growth, and construction boom. In addition to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy use, buildings drive significant emissions for construction activities and production of energy‐intensive materials, such as steel and cement. While supply‐side energy strategies have been extensively explored, a demand‐side perspective that considers stock dynamics and circularity improvements is essential to assess sustainable pathways for the buildings sector. Here, we explore a set of decarbonization scenarios for the building sector in China considering a range of circular strategies and their interplay with different climate policies. The strategies include lifetime extension of buildings, switch to wood‐based construction, reduction of per‐capita floorspace, and a combination of all three strategies. We use the building sector model MESSAGEix‐Buildings soft linked to the integrated assessment model (IAM) MESSAGEix‐GLOBIOM and prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the effects of these circular strategies on building material and energy demands, and operational and embodied emissions. We find that the three strategies could reduce building material demand up to 60% on mass basis by 2060 compared to a reference scenario with continuation of current policies. This translates into a reduction of embodied and total GHG emissions of 62% and 24%, respectively, significantly contributing to achieving decarbonization targets. Integrating industrial ecology methods in IAMs, as demonstrated in this study, can provide valuable insights to inform national policy decisions on mitigation strategies accounting for both demand and supply sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Important expectations are placed globally on the private sector to take part in co‐governing sustainability challenges. With increasing recognition that business organizations depend and impact on natural capital, biodiversity, and related ecosystem services, it has become pivotal for companies to be able to appraise and manage such issues. This calls for developing avenues through which biodiversity and ecosystem services can be incorporated in sustainability accounting (as well as reporting and response practices) by individual organizations, without neglecting a value chain‐wide perspective, and aligning that with existing efforts for public accounting of natural capital, against the overall framework of national and global sustainability goal and targets. This article addresses such a call by elaborating on the contributions of ecosystem services to business organizations and illustrating the two main challenges related to feeding private sector data into national accounting of natural capital and ecosystem services; and to understand how the two challenges identified in the previous point can be addressed by companies, we provide an overview of the fragmented landscape of management systems, approaches, methods, and initiatives dedicated to monitoring, reporting on, and responding to biodiversity and ecosystem services issues at the organizational and value chain level. We conclude by offering reflections on how to foster a shift from one‐off assessments at the company level to more systematic and comprehensive ones along the value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity loss, driven by human activities, significantly affects the environment, human societies, and economies. Using the extended multi‐regional input–output (EEMRIO) and life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques, we offer insights into how these methodologies can be used to inform financial decisions related to biodiversity focusing on two key aspects: biodiversity impacts and ecosystem service dependencies. Our method combines spatially explicit characterization factors from LC‐IMPACT with the Global Resource Input‐Output Assesment (GLORIA) database to estimate biodiversity impacts. As a case study we assess the biodiversity impact of the MSCI All Country World Index (MSCI ACWI) which consist of about 3000 large‐ and mid‐sized companies, from 23 developed and 24 emerging countries. The results demonstrate that most of the biodiversity impact is caused in the Americas, followed by Asia, despite its low representation in the index's country weight (6%). Europe shows the least impact. These results emphasize the need to account for global supply chain linkages as products sold in one country might have significant biodiversity impacts elsewhere due to sourcing of production inputs. Second, our results identify the main determinants of the index's impact: land use, followed by water stress and climate change. Although most of the impact is localized in few sectors, the distinct characteristics of these sectors require industry‐specific mitigation approaches. Finally, double materiality results show both, the influence companies have on biodiversity and the reciprocal effects. Companies neglecting these impacts risk financial setbacks, making it a crucial concern for investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current implementations of hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) mostly do not fully exploit valuable information from multi‐regional input–output databases by aggregating regional supply chains to the lower geographical resolution of process LCA databases. We propose a method for sampling the various individual regions within the aggregated regional scope of LCA processes. This sampling maximizes the information content of hybrid LCA footprint results by preserving the regional variance, and it allows for regional price distributions from BACI/UN‐COMTRADE international trade statistics to be used to simultaneously improve the accuracy of the hybrid model. This work makes the previously hidden regional and price variance explicit and analyzes uncertainty of the hybrid carbon (global warming potential 100, GWP100) and land use footprints arising from these variances, both separately and in combination. We find that the median process footprint intensity increases by 7−3+18%$7^{+18}_{-3}\%$ for the GWP100 due to hybridization, and 90−23+143%$90^{+143}_{-23}\%$ for the land use footprint. Results show that the magnitude of the footprint uncertainty strongly depends on the product sector of the LCA process and environmental impact considered. In a case study of Swiss household consumption, we find truncation error estimates of 8.4−2.7+9.2%$8.4^{+9.2}_{-2.7}\%$ for the GWP100 and 36−14+64%$36^{+64}_{-14}\%$ for the land use footprint. Our results highlight the importance of regionalization of process LCA databases, as it has the potential to significantly improve both the precision and accuracy of derived hybrid LCA models. This article met the requirements for a gold/gold JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is one of the key innovations that has revolutionized the lighting industry due to its multiple benefits. Despite their advantages, there is a gap in the environmental impact information of the recently developed high-power LED products within the whole lifecycle, which is a key step to achieve sustainable and green development. This life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted by considering the cradle-to-grave system boundary. The functional units considered are a LED and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) of 40 million lumen-hours (lm-h) used for indoor applications over an operating time of 20 000 h. In this study, the LCA was carried out using the SimaPro software and built-in ecoinvent database V2.2 with appropriate life cycle inventory data. The analysis results indicate that: (1) the LED-package has a dominant environmental impact followed by the LED driver while the housing and corrugated-board packaging materials showed the least negative effect to the ecosystem during the manufacturing phase. On the contrary, the CFL drivers are dominant followed by the light sources in the case of CFLs. From the lifecycle stages, the usage-phase showed a predominant environmental effect, mainly due to the energy consumption and sources of energy production. (2) A scenario analysis on the sources of electricity production revealed that prospective sources (70% natural gas, 25% nuclear and 5% pumped storage) of energy production lowered the environmental impact compared to the current electricity mix. These proposed electricity generation production sources provide a 61% reduction in the global warming potential in light sources for Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The environmental impact of endoscopy, including small-bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE), is a topic of growing attention and concern. This study aimed to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (kgCO2) generated by an SBCE procedure. Methods Life cycle assessment methodology (ISO 14040) was used to evaluate three brands of SBCE device and included emissions generated by patient travel, bowel preparation, capsule examination, and video recording. A survey of 87 physicians and 120 patients was conducted to obtain data on travel, activities undertaken during the procedure, and awareness of environmental impacts. Results The capsule itself (4 g) accounted for < 6 % of the total product weight. Packaging (43–119 g) accounted for 9 %–97 % of total weight, and included deactivation magnets (5 g [4 %–6 %]) and paper instructions (11–50 g [up to 40 %]). A full SBCE procedure generated approximately 20 kgCO2 , with 0.04 kgCO2 (0.2 %) attributable to the capsule itself and 18 kgCO2 (94.7 %) generated by patient travel. Capsule retrieval using a dedicated device would add 0.98 kgCO2 to the carbon footprint. Capsule deconstruction revealed materials (e. g. neodymium) that are prohibited from environmental disposal; 76 % of patients were not aware of the illegal nature of capsule disposal via wastewater, and 63 % would have been willing to retrieve it. The carbon impact of data storage and capsule reading was negligible. Conclusion The carbon footprint of SBCE is mainly determined by patient travel. The capsule device itself has a relatively low carbon footprint. Given that disposal of capsule components via wastewater is illegal, retrieval of the capsule is necessary but would likely be associated with an increase in device-related emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of sustainability metrics have been proposed over the years that calculate the various efficiencies (and inefficiencies) of the use of feed in animal production (terrestrial livestock and aquaculture) and more specifically the utilization of the marine ingredient content of that feed. Like all metrics though, they come with some assumptions and are only as good as the reliability of the data feeding into them. The ones commonly used in the marine ingredients sector include eFIFO, FFDR, FIFO and FCR. In this review the basis of each of these metrics, aspects of their origins and each of their short comings is discussed. It is noted that many of these metrics fail to recognize the foundational role that marine ingredients play in supporting global "blue-food" production when misapplied. Subsequently an alternative strategy is proposed to assess the sustainability of marine ingredients based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. With this shift we provide the reasoning behind this move toward a more transparent assessment process and how this will better support aquaculture to move forward by being able to assess the sustainability of the use of all feed ingredient resources on an equivalent basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry contributes the highest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, in which concrete production is one of the key components. Extracting and transporting raw materials such as limestone and aggregates contribute to habitat destruction and pollution. This study deals with the relative assessment of a group of commonly used concretes at varied strength levels using emergy analysis and life-cycle assessment (LCA). Six types of concrete are considered for evaluation: normal, binary blended, ternary blended, quaternary blended, alkali-activated and recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). Emergy analysis considers different qualities and quantities of inputs, providing insights on resource-based impacts through emergy indicators. LCA, conducted using the SimaPro software, evaluates the environmental impacts of concrete production using midpoint and endpoint indicators. From emergy analysis, it is observed that concrete with alternative materials such as fly ash, silica fume, ground granulated blast-furnace slag and recycled aggregate exhibits better results in terms of emergy indicators. RAC shows the highest value of emergy sustainability index in all strength ranges. In LCA, higher impacts are seen for normal concrete, followed by those for RAC. To obtain a more inclusive result, an integrated emergy–LCA index is proposed. The results from this index aid in improved decision making regarding the sustainability of the system considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, the total energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will reach considerable levels based on the current speed of urban rail transit system development. Based on the life-cycle assessment theory, this research constructs an urban rail transit system GHG emission assessment method, calculates emission outputs based on resource inputs from actual investigated data and makes a quantitative analysis of GHG emissions. The results show that in recent years, the GHG emission of urban rail transit construction and operation in China is between 2000 × 104 and 4200 × 104 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) per year. The proportions of the construction and operational phases in this emission are 57 and 43%, respectively. In the construction phase, the GHG emission intensity per unit mileage of shield tunnels and per unit area of stations is about 1.3 × 104 tCO2e/km and 3.71 × 104 tCO2e/ha, respectively. In the operational phase, the GHG emission intensity per unit trip is 0.084 kg carbon dioxide equivalent/passenger-km. The entire life-cycle GHG emission per kilometre of urban rail transit systems is 11.69 × 104 tCO2e (with a service life of 50 years) in China. The construction phase and operation phase generated about 18.73 and 81.27% of this emission, respectively. The preliminary conclusions of this study may help shed light on the emission reduction potential of urban rail transit systems and the emission reduction targets in China. [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]

Critical raw materials (CRMs) are crucial for the production of different products and technologies. The correct quantification of CRMs consumption, including hidden uses along the products life cycle, can be made through the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Starting from the eco-profile of a power supply unit, obtained through a LCA study, this paper focuses on the assessment of the total CRMs consumption of this device. In order to free the assessment from the mass of each CRM, two different approaches are applied, based on the supply risk and economic value, respectively. Similar percentage results are obtained when the assessment is based on the CRMs mass or supply risk index (with some exceptions), while the approach based on the economic value seems more able to bring out materials that are considered more "critical" in terms of economic importance. This research is developed within the activities of the project LOV-Lowering Ortigia's Voltage, funded by POC 2014-2020, CUP G39J18000690007. [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]

The research conducted a life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) of single-use food packaging made from PP, PLA, and Paper/PLA materials using the ReCiPe method. The assessment covered 18 environmental impacts from box processing to end-of-life treatment, with a functional unit (FU) specified as 1,000 units of single-use food container boxes. The dimensions of the boxes were standardized to reflect the average size from the Thailand market and food-delivery boxes. When focused on production stage, PP box shows the greatest impact on overall especially human non-carcinogenic toxicity (285.11 kg 1, 4-DCB). However, when focused on cradle-to-grave life cycle, the PP emerged as the optimal choice of food box due to its comparable environmental impact to biodegradable alternatives, when applying recycling processes. It recycles significantly reduces the total impact up to 73% from their waste-to-energy treatment option. To achieve environmental goals necessitates policy interventions such as extended producer responsibility laws and refund schemes to incentivize responsible disposal. In country lacking waste management infrastructure and collection system, the sensitivity analysis of this research show that biodegradable PLA material emerges as the most suitable choice, particularly over Paper/PLA, offering lower overall environmental impact due to less overall emission in landfill and composting process. [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]

Laser induced graphene (LIG), prepared directly with an in situ synthesis method onto Kraft Paper substrates, is proposed for the manufacture of biodegradable electronic devices. The investigation explores the influence of laser power and scanning speed on the properties of LIG conductive tracks and a sheet resistance of up to 0.25 kΩ sq−1. Raman spectroscopy and microscopy is used to analyse the interfacial properties, in particular the transition of cellulose fibers to carbonized graphene flakes through photothermal pyrolysis, leading to the formation of coral‐like structures. To demonstrate the applicability of the approach, flexible resistive heaters have been manufactured and tests show rapid heating with a homogeneous distribution and a maximum temperature of 145.5 °C. Additionally, an electro‐thermal conversion efficiency (hr+c) of 17.05 mW (°C cm2)−1 is achieved. Finally, a comparative Life Cycle Assessment with FR‐4 based electronics has been undertaken and the environmental impacts are calculated. The impact assessment shows a two magnitude lower impact on the environment for most categories, which suggests the approach is beneficial for the environment at a global production level. The results show that the photothermal pyrolysis of Kraft paper using a laser diode allows for low‐impact devices flexible and green electronics products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The waste management issue in developing countries, particularly in Indonesia, remains uncontrolled and is urgent to address. This problem is significantly tied to the issue of resource scarcity and global climate change. Various policies have been formulated, both globally and nationally, to resolve this issue. Makassar City is one of the cities the government should target to achieve the goal of converting waste into energy by 2025. This study focuses on the environmental impact of various scenarios on waste-to-energy potential using life cycle assessment (LCA) in Makassar City. The waste management strategy in this study uses five scenarios, comparing incinerators generating electricity, landfills with gas, and composting. The results showed that scenario 5, which has a low environmental impact, consists of 10% composting, 45% incineration, and 45% landfill gas (LFG). Incineration can reduce 45% of solid waste disposal (SWD) and produce 1.45 E + 08 kg/year of CO2 emissions. The waste-to-energy (WtE) scenario model significantly reduces the environmental impact, especially the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. The role of incinerators in the environment is not only to reduce the volume of SWD per year but also to provide a new source of energy. The LFG collector plays a crucial role in reducing the concentration of CH4 in the atmosphere due to its facility for capturing CH4 gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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]

Renewable multifunctional materials are crucial for advancing industries such as electronics and packaging. This study investigates the potential of graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) and multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforcement in poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) blends for multifunctional packaging. Employing solvent-free techniques, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of morphological, thermal, mechanical, antimicrobial, and biodegradable properties. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) was applied to evaluate the nanofiller morphologies and the immiscibility between PLA and PHBV, while differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirmed crystallinity changes induced by carbon nanomaterials. Mechanical tests demonstrated remarkable enhancements, notably a 30% increase in elastic modulus and 195% in ultimate tensile strength. Antimicrobial assays revealed exceptional effectiveness, especially in GNP-containing nanocomposites. Crucially, biodegradation tests highlighted compatibility with the blend. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) underscored significant eco-efficiency, minimizing harmful emissions. These findings emphasize the potential of MWCNT, GNP-reinforced PLA/PHBV nanocomposites for diverse applications and as eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy concept has grown in popularity in recent decades as a potential method to offset the waste produced by the linear economy model. In this study, the authors proposed an update to the ReSOLVE framework that includes social impacts and uses decision variables based on the ECOGRAI methodology to facilitate a system‐wide analysis to support sustainable decision‐making. After the updated framework was outlined, it was employed in a theoretical case study to evaluate the current state of the poultry industry and determine hotspots where circular economy metrics could be implemented to benefit affected stakeholders. While the poultry sector was used as a case study, the proposed framework can be applied with modified indicators in other agricultural sectors. This work demonstrated that decision makers can improve the agriculture sector's high social and environmental impact by applying a framework that integrates ReSOLVE circular economy principles and social impact assessment methods. [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]

Considering the unsustainability of the current situation in terms of coordinated management of water, food, and energy consumption, per capita water and energy consumption in Iran have a significant gap compared to the consumption patterns in developed countries and the world. In some seasons, water consumption in Iran is 2 to 3 times higher than the global standard. There is no accurate statistical data in Iran regarding water consumption, cultivated land, crop production, and many other agricultural structural information. On the other hand, agriculture and food are associated with water, fertilizer, and energy consumption, which result in significant environmental damage, and as we know, climate change is one of the most challenging environmental issues. To investigate the conditions of sustainable agriculture based on Water, Energy, Food Nexus (WEFN) and environmental impacts, it was decided to develop a model to accelerate computations and create a database. Therefore, in this study, a computer model called MIDtoCP was designed for data receiving and processing, which is based on Water, Energy, Food Nexus. The model was designed using the C# programming language in the Visual Studio 2018 environment, and Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 2018 was used for data storage in the database. Since the utilization interdependence of Water, Energy, Food is crucial in sustainable management and agriculture, this model utilizes the triple interdependence of these resources as the primary basis for agricultural management. Six indices, including water consumption, energy consumption, water productivity, energy productivity, water economic efficiency, and energy economic efficiency, are calculated using the interdependence concept. These indexes are calculated and utilized in the model through programming. The results demonstrate that the developed model has the capability to receive and process the necessary information for each product separately, at the field or basin level, based on the Water, Energy, Food Nexus. Furthermore, according to the available information, environmental evaluation based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is another advantage of this model, as it enables the investigation of agricultural impacts on the environment at various field or regional levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Beijing University of Technology is the property of Journal of Beijing University of Technology, Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Reduction of the environmental impact, energy efficiency and optimization of material resources are basic aspects in the design and sizing of a battery. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the environmental impact associated with the life cycle of a 7.47 Wh 18,650 cylindrical single-cell LiFePO4 battery. Life cycle assessment (LCA), the SimaPro 9.1 software package, the Ecoinvent 3.5 database and the ReCiPe 2016 impact assessment method were used for this purpose. Environmental impacts were modelled and quantified using the dual midpoint-endpoint approach and the "cradle-to-gate" model. The results showed the electrodes to be the battery components with the highest environmental impact (41.36% of the total), with the negative electrode being the most unfavourable (29.8 mPt). The ageing, calibration and testing process (53.97 mPt) accounts for 97.21% of the total impact associated with the production process's consumption of energy, and 41.20% of the total impact associated with the battery. This new knowledge will allow a more detailed view of the environmental impact of cylindrical cell LiFePO4 batteries, favouring the identification of critical points to enhance their sustainable production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the use of electric arc furnace (EAF) steel slag, a by-product of the steel industry, in asphalt pavement surface courses instead of virgin aggregates (VAs). Therefore, a general performance evaluation of such mixtures compared to conventional mixtures is carried out through laboratory and in situ tests, while both mixtures are environmentally assessed using the life cycle assessment (LCA) tool. The results of the laboratory and in situ tests show that asphalt mixtures containing granulated EAF slag aggregates perform as well as mixtures containing only VA. In addition, the LCA results show that the use of EAF slag aggregates in the asphalt surface course has a lower environmental impact than the exclusive use of VA when it comes to the impact categories of acidification, climate change, marine and terrestrial eutrophication, energy consumption and photochemical pollution. In summary, these results show that replacing virgin aggregates with a proportion of EAF slag aggregate is a viable and sustainable method for road pavement construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substitution of virgin asphalt binder with reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has environmental and economic merits, however, cracking susceptibility arises due to the aged asphalt binder within RAP. The objectives of this study are to (1) enhance the cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures containing 50% RAP utilizing recycling agents (RAs) derived from six petroleum-based and bio-based materials, (2) conduct an environmental impact assessment (represented by global warming potential "GWP") for high-RAP mixtures including RAs, and (3) estimate the cost effectiveness of including high-RAP content in asphalt mixtures. Based on the RAP asphalt binder performance grade (PG), base asphalt binder PG, and RAP content, the RA contents were determined to achieve a target asphalt binder of PG 76-22. A control mixture was benchmarked for comparison, specified for high-traffic volume roads, and contained PG 76-22 polymer-modified asphalt binder. The engineering performance of studied asphalt mixtures was evaluated using the Hamburg wheel-tracking (HWT), semi-circular bend, Illinois flexibility index, Ideal cracking tolerance, and thermal stress-restrained specimen tensile strength tests. It was found that petroleum-derived aromatic oil, soy-based oil, and tall oil fatty acid-based RAs demonstrated a successful restoration of aged RAP asphalt binder without compromising the permanent deformation resistance. The 50% RAP mixtures emitted less GWP by 41% and 42.9% using petroleum- and bio-oil RAs, respectively, and achieved a 31% cost reduction compared to the control mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the emissions tradeoffs of additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) using plastic waste in fused granular fabrication (FGF) versus traditional fused filament fabrication (FFF) and injection molding (IM). A 'cradle-to-gate' life cycle assessment (LCA) was utilized to compare these methods, built in OpenLCA v1.11.0 with the Ecoinvent v3.9.1 database. Different scenarios were used to evaluate the impacts of varying transportation and material inputs, highlighting critical emission contributors in manufacturing plastic goods. FGF with waste plastic can significantly reduce climate impact by 82.1% relative to FFF and 70.6% relative to IM for a specified unit product. Even with varied transportation and materials, FGF is a lower CO2-equivalent emitting method. Utilizing FGF with waste plastic as a manufacturing method could reduce emissions and divert plastic from landfills and the environment, thereby contributing to a circular plastic economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Robust assessments are needed to identify the best circular economy (CE) approaches related to their contribution to achieving a CE by simultaneously considering the complexity of the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic, social). In this regard, the circular life cycle sustainability assessment (C-LCSA) framework was recently developed. This study aimed to demonstrate its applicability and capability of identifying trade-offs and interlinkages between the different dimensions using a case study of different CE approaches to carpet tiles. Methods: C-LCSA integrates circularity and life cycle sustainability assessments (LCSA). Thus, this study applied the material circularity indicator (MCI) in parallel to life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC), and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA). The last technique was applied as social hotspot assessment. Five CE approaches of carpet tiles produced in the US, including strategies like reducing the consumption of primary materials through recycled and bio-based feedstock or replacing carpet tiles for a longer overall service life, as well as recycling, were assessed and compared to their mainly linear counterpart. Results and discussion: The study revealed that recycling carpet tiles containing recycled and bio-based materials at the end-of-life (EoL) resulted in the lowest global warming potential (8.47 kg CO2 eq.) and the highest circularity (MCI value of 0.76, with 1 indicating the maximum level of circularity) compared to the other scenarios. However, this scenario had a trade-off with a higher acidification potential (0.039 kg SO2 eq.) and higher costs (US$19.98) compared to the disposal scenario. On the other hand, the scenario using primary, non-bio-based materials in production and disposing of the carpet tiles at their EoL performed the worst in circularity (MCI value of 0.11) and implied high environmental impacts while being more cost-effective (US$10.27). Conclusions: C-LCSA transparently revealed interlinkages in terms of circularity and the overall sustainability performance of different CE approaches. While no significant differences in terms of social hotspots were identified, approaches associated with a higher circularity and improved environmental performance in most impact categories tended to result in higher costs. This emphasized the need for individual and holistic assessments of the new CE approach to identify and address trade-offs. To enhance and foster C-LCSA in academia and industry, further studies applying the framework to different sectors are encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mycelium-based leather is a leather-like material composed of filamentous, branched, and fibrous vegetative parts of fungi, specifically fungal mycelium. This study aimed to assess the production process of mycelium-based leather in Indonesia, especially in the Mylea™ manufacturing process, by considering its environmental impact through a life cycle assessment. Method: The scope of the study starts from the cradle where mycelium is cultivated to the gate of the leather process. A functional unit of 1 m2 natural Mylea™ grade A was used as a reference. The inventory of mycelia as foreground data was gathered from the Indonesian factory with supporting data taken from relevant literature. The infrastructure is not included within the system boundaries. The ISO 14040 and 14044 standards were followed during the analysis. This study used the software OpenLCA 2.02 to carry out the impact assessment and used the Ecoinvent database v3.8. The life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) was carried out using the CML-IA baseline method with 11 impact categories. A sensitivity and uncertainty analysis were conducted to evaluate the environmental impact. Results: The finishing process is the main contributor to all the environmental impact categories. The LCIA results revealed that 1 m2 of natural Mylea™ grade A produces 57.15 kg of CO2 eq. Energy usage in the form of electricity consumption is the major cause, contributing 46.53 kg of CO2 eq to the total carbon footprint, followed by cotton at 6.67 kg of CO2 eq and (ethylene–vinyl acetate) EVA glue at 1.03 kg of CO2 eq. The finishing process, which uses cotton fabric, emerged as the primary environmental hotspot, contributing significantly to most impact categories, such as terrestrial ecotoxicity potential (TEP), abiotic depletion potential (ADP), and global warming potential (GWP100a). Alternative energy scenarios, including hydropower and solar energy, were examined, revealing their potential to reduce the environmental impact. Conclusion: The environmental impacts of mycelium-based leather production were identified in 11 categories. According to the findings, the most critical input parameter is the use of electricity sources. Therefore, several alternative energy sources, such as hydropower and solar photovoltaics, have been proposed to reduce environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Existing life cycle sustainability assessments (LCSAs) suffer from a lack of comprehensiveness, consistency and practical tools for implementation. A robust and operational methodology for LCSA of products was developed in which life cycle costing (LCC) covers the economic dimension. We aim to define a comprehensive LCC methodology not tailored to a specific type of product for the purpose of LCSA and test its applicability. Methods: Based on a literature screening, best practice and research needs are identified. Subsequently, a comprehensive LCC methodology is developed that (a) suits LCSA purposes, (b) explicitly addresses double counting, (c) is applicable to different stakeholder needs, (d) addresses externalities and (e) facilitates LCC. It can be used as part of the LCSA, but also stand-alone. The LCC methodology is applied in two case studies, one on the business-to-business (B2B) "beverage carton package" and one on the consumer product "outdoor wool jacket". Results and discussion: To align specifically with the LCSA's environmental part, guidance for an environmental LCC for a generic product was established. While providing minimum requirements, it also allows flexibility in terms of considering discounting or positive cash flows and thus the choice of the economic indicator, depending also on the defined goal and scope, and the chosen stakeholder perspective. Practical guidance on data collection and management is provided in the form of an extended cost breakdown structure and regarding the allocation of product-unspecific costs. Double counting within LCC and within LCSA is addressed. The methodology was applied in two case studies, quantifying the "total undiscounted value" (package) and "total undiscounted cost" indicators (jacket). A solution to communicating results containing confidential data and from different stakeholder perspectives was found for the jacket case. Confidentiality and the lack of publicly available data of sufficient quality prevented the sharing of the "package" results. Conclusions: An LCC methodology for use in LCSA is developed, and its applicability is tested in two case studies. Novelties concern the methodological consideration of different stakeholder perspectives, suggesting alternative aggregated economic indicators, the proposed cost breakdown structure as an economic inventory, guidance on allocation of product-unspecific costs and addressing double counting. Data availability, including confidentiality, and quality remain barriers to publishing LCC results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aims of this scoping review were to examine the extent to which food packaging life cycle assessment studies included food waste specifically attributed to food packaging, overall and by food category; synthesise outcomes in terms of the ability of packaging solutions to minimise food waste; and identify areas of future research to provide a comprehensive understanding of where future packaging LCA efforts could be directed. Methods: This article presents a scoping review of 23 peer-reviewed papers on food packaging LCAs that explicitly accounted for packaging-related food waste. The articles were analysed by the major food product categories examined in the LCAs. The review examined the: (i) distribution of LCAs across food product categories, (ii) packaging materials/solutions assessed, (iii) food waste related packaging functions evaluated, and (iv) additional factors that influence packaging-related food waste (e.g., consumer behaviour). Results and discussion: Most of the reviewed LCAs focused on food categories associated with high environmental impacts such as animal-based products (meat and dairy) and highly perishable products (fresh fruits and vegetables). Plastic was the most frequently evaluated packaging material. Shelf-life extension was the most evaluated food waste related packaging attribute, and was found to play an important role in preventing food waste, especially within high impact food categories. Conclusions: The small number of studies identified in this review highlights a need for greater attention to food waste across more food categories in future food packaging LCAs. Similarly, there is considerable potential for greater consideration of packaging attributes relevant to different food product categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]