Dissertations / Theses: 'Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment'

1

Selmes, Derek G. "Towards sustainability : direction for life cycle assessment." Thesis, Heriot-Watt University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10399/1136.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Dong, Yahong, and 董雅紅. "Life cycle sustainability assessment modeling of building construction." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/206665.

Full text

Abstract:

Building industry is one of the most influential economic sectors, which accounts for 10% of the gross domestic product (GDP) globally and 40% of the world energy consumption. To achieve the goal of sustainable development, it is necessary to understand the sustainability performance of building construction in the environmental, the economic and the social aspects. This study quantitatively evaluates impacts of building construction in the three aspects by using the recently developed life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) methodology, in which environmental life cycle assessment (ELCA), environmental life cycle costing (ELCC), and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) are integrated. The scope of this research covers ‘cradle-to-site’ life cycle stages, from raw material extraction to on-site construction. Three life-cycle models are developed, namely the Environmental Model of Construction (EMoC), the Cost Model of Construction (CMoC), and the Social-impact Model of Construction (SMoC). EMoC is a comprehensive ELCA model that evaluates environmental impacts of building construction by considering eighteen impact categories. CMoC is an ELCC model that provides analyses on construction costs and externalities. SMoC is an innovative S-LCA model being able to quantify social impacts of building construction in thirteen social impact categories. The three models are then integrated into a newly proposed LCSA framework. In order to select an appropriate LCIA method for EMoC, the differences among existing life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods are investigated. It is found that LCIA methods are consistent in global impact categories, while inconsistent in regional impact categories. ‘ReCiPe’ is selected as the LCIA method to be used in EMoC. Midpoint and endpoint approaches of ‘ReCiPe’ can lead to different interpretations. Endpoint approach emphasizes on certain impact categories and can only be used when midpoint results are provided. A life cycle inventory is established for ready mixed concrete and precast concrete based on site-specific data from concrete batching plant and precast yard. EMoC is employed to compare environmental performance of precast and cast-in-situ construction methods. It is found that adoption of precast concrete can significantly improve environmental performance of building construction. SMoC suggests that adoption of precast concrete can have both negative and positive impacts on local employment. A case study is conducted to test the model performance. It demonstrates that environmental impacts of ‘cradle-to-site’ construction activities are mostly attributed to the material stage. The external cost due to carbon emission is about 2% of the total construction cost. Environmental-friendly on-site construction practices can significantly improve social performance of building construction. The major findings of this study are verified through interviews with the local experts in Hong Kong. These validation interviews confirm that the proposed LCSA framework and the developed models contribute to the building industry in Hong Kong. In particular, this study can be used as a supplementary to the building assessment scheme, HK BEAM Plus. Results from this study can improve the understanding of building sustainability.
published_or_final_version
Civil Engineering
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Amienyo, David. "Life cycle sustainability assessment in the UK beverage sector." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2012. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/life-cycle-sustainability-assessment-in-the-uk-beverage-sector(323dc8e7-5b69-4b63-a4b1-5134e1958d0a).html.

Full text

Abstract:

The aim of this research has been to develop an integrated life cycle methodology and assess the sustainability in the UK beverage sector considering environmental, economic and social aspects. The environmental impacts include climate change, resource depletion and emissions to air, land and water. The economic aspects considered are life cycle costs and value added. Social issues include health, labour and human rights and intergenerational issues. The environmental impacts have been assessed using life cycle assessment; economic impacts have been assessed using life cycle costing and value added analysis while social aspects have been assessed using relevant social indicators and social hot-spots analysis. The sustainability of the following beverages has been assessed: carbonated soft drinks, beer (lager), wine (red), bottled water and Scotch whisky. The environmental and economic assessments have first been carried out at the level of individual supply chains. The results have then been extrapolated using a bottom-up approach to the level of their respective sub-sectors and then, combining these results, to the UK beverage sector. This has been followed by the social assessment at the sectoral level. The results of the assessment at the sectoral level show that UK consumption of the five beverages is responsible for over 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 eq. emissions annually, with the carbonated soft drinks and beer sub-sectors accounting for 42% and 40% of the total, respectively. Total annual life cycle costs and value added are estimated at £1.3 billion and £15.8 billion, respectively. Production of packaging and raw materials are the major hot spots in the life cycle of the beverage supply chain for environmental and economic impacts. Strategies such as technological improvements, packaging optimisation as well as organic agriculture would lead to improved environmental and economic performance. The social hot spot assessment shows that China, Colombia and India are the countries likely to pose highest social risks. The findings of this study could help the government and beverage manufacturers to formulate appropriate policies and robust strategies for improving the sustainability in the UK beverage sector. The results could also help consumers to make more informed choices that contribute to sustainable development.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

Cooper, Jasmin. "Life cycle sustainability assessment of shale gas in the UK." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2017. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/life-cycle-sustainability-assessment-of-shale-gas-in-the-uk(692252b3-faab-4428-899c-afbcdeec787a).html.

Full text

Abstract:

This research assesses the impacts of developing shale gas in the UK, with the focus of determining whether or not it is possible to develop it sustainably and how it could affect the electricity and gas mix. There is much uncertainty on the impacts of developing shale gas in the UK, as the country is currently in the early stages of exploration drilling and the majority of studies which have been carried out to analyse the effects of shale gas development have been US specific. To address these questions, the environmental, economic and social sustainability have been assessed and the results integrated to evaluate the overall sustainability. The impacts of shale gas electricity have been assessed so that it can be compared with other electricity generation technologies (coal, nuclear, renewables etc.), to ascertain its impacts on the UK electricity mix. Life cycle assessment is used to evaluate the environmental sustainability of shale gas electricity (and other options), while life cycle costing and social sustainability assessment have been used to evaluate the economic and social sustainability. Multi-criteria decision analysis has been used to combine the results of three to evaluate the overall sustainability. The incorporation of shale gas into the UK electricity mix is modelled in two future scenarios for the year 2030. The scenarios compare different levels of shale gas penetration: low and high. The results show that shale gas will have little effect on improving the environmental sustainability and energy security of the UKâs electricity mix, but could help ease energy prices. In comparison with other options, shale gas is not a sustainable option, as it has higher environmental impacts than the non-fossil fuels and conventional gas and liquefied natural gas: 460 g CO2-Eq. is emitted from the shale gas electricity life cycle, while conventional gas emits 420 g CO2-Eq. and wind 12 g CO2-Eq. The power plant and drilling fluid are the main impact hot spots in the life cycle, while hydraulic fracturing contributes a small amount (5%). In addition to this, there are a number of social barriers which need to be addressed, notably: traffic volume and congestion could increase by up to 31%, public support is low and wastewater produced from hydraulic fracturing could put strain on wastewater treatment facilities. However, the results indicate that shale gas is economically viable, as the cost of electricity is cheaper than solar photovoltaic, biomass and hydroelectricity (9.59 p/kWh vs 16.90, 11.90 and 14.40 p/kWh, respectively). The results of this thesis show that there is a trade-off in the impacts, but because of its poor environmental and social ratings shale gas is not the best option for UK electricity. The results also identify areas for improvement which should be targeted, as well as policy recommendations for best practice and regulation if shale gas were to be developed in the UK.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

Kucukvar, Murat. "Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment Framework for the U.S. Built Environment." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5965.

Full text

Abstract:

The overall goals of this dissertation are to investigate the sustainability of the built environment, holistically, by assessing its Triple Bottom Line (TBL): environmental, economic, and social impacts, as well as propose cost-effective, socially acceptable, and environmentally benign policies using several decision support models. This research is anticipated to transform life cycle assessment (LCA) of the built environment by using a TBL framework, integrated with economic input-output analysis, simulation, and multi-criteria optimization tools. The major objectives of the outlined research are to (1) build a system-based TBL sustainability assessment framework for the sustainable built environment, by (a) advancing a national TBL-LCA model which is not available for the United States of America; (b) extending the integrated sustainability framework through environmental, economic, and social sustainability indicators; and (2) develop a system-based analysis toolbox for sustainable decisions including Monte Carlo simulation and multi-criteria compromise programming. When analyzing the total sustainability impacts by each U.S. construction sector, “Residential Permanent Single and Multi-Family Structures" and "Other Non-residential Structures" are found to have the highest environmental, economic, and social impacts compared to other construction sectors. The analysis results also show that indirect suppliers of construction sectors have the largest sustainability impacts compared to on-site activities. For example, for all U.S. construction sectors, on-site construction processes are found to be responsible for less than 5 % of total water consumption, whereas about 95 % of total water use can be attributed to indirect suppliers. In addition, Scope 3 emissions are responsible for the highest carbon emissions compared to Scope 1 and 2. Therefore, using narrowly defined system boundaries by ignoring supply chain-related impacts can result in underestimation of TBL sustainability impacts of the U.S. construction industry. Residential buildings have higher shares in the most of the sustainability impact categories compared to other construction sectors. Analysis results revealed that construction phase, electricity use, and commuting played important role in much of the sustainability impact categories. Natural gas and electricity consumption accounted for 72% and 78% of the total energy consumed in the U.S. residential buildings. Also, the electricity use was the most dominant component of the environmental impacts with more than 50% of greenhouse gases emitted and energy used through all life stages. Furthermore, electricity generation was responsible for 60% of the total water withdrawal of residential buildings, which was even greater than the direct water consumption in residential buildings. In addition, construction phase had the largest share in income category with 60% of the total income generated through residential building's life cycle. Residential construction sector and its supply chain were responsible for 36% of the import, 40% of the gross operating surplus, and 50% of the gross domestic product. The most sensitive parameters were construction activities and its multiplier in most the sustainability impact categories. In addition, several emerging pavement types are analyzed using a hybrid TBL-LCA framework. Warm-mix Asphalts (WMAs) did not perform better in terms of environmental impacts compared to Hot-mix Asphalt (HMA). Asphamin&"174; WMA was found to have the highest environmental and socio-economic impacts compared to other pavement types. Material extractions and processing phase had the highest contribution to all environmental impact indicators that shows the importance of cleaner production strategies for pavement materials. Based on stochastic compromise programming results, in a balanced weighting situation, Sasobit&"174; WMA had the highest percentage of allocation (61%), while only socio-economic aspects matter, Asphamin&"174; WMA had the largest share (57%) among the WMA and HMA mixtures. The optimization results also supported the significance of an increased WMA use in the United States for sustainable pavement construction. Consequently, the outcomes of this dissertation will advance the state of the art in built environment sustainability research by investigating novel efficient methodologies capable of offering optimized policy recommendations by taking the TBL impacts of supply chain into account. It is expected that the results of this research would facilitate better sustainability decisions in the adoption of system-based TBL thinking in the construction field.
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Civil Engineering

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Wu, You. "Enhancing product sustainability with Life Cycle Assessment and relevant technologies." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2017. http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/33117/.

Full text

Abstract:

Promoting sustainable products and resource efficiency have become two major policy objectives in Europe, and resource efficiency has become an important political objective on the agenda of the European Commission. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) acts as an efficient framework to evaluate product environmental performances and improve resource efficiency. An integrated approach implemented by three ICT systems are developed to support sustainable production. A sustainable production support toolbox has been developed that contains state-of-art tools regarding LCA software and database tools, environmental management schemes, the EU regulations and directives and stands associated with sustainable production. The applicable requirements, scope and advantages have been examined to develop the tools selection considerations. Compared with the existing toolbox, the distinguished novelty of the developed toolbox is that it can integrate into the product development process, the feasibility and utility of which has been demonstrated by reporting a sustainable flooring product development process. A framework for converting the existing ecoinvent database into a SQL supported database has also been developed, in order to use the ecoinvent database to serve web applications. The data format (i.e. EcoSpold) of the ecoinvent database is a custom XML format, and Python XML processing library has been applied to employ SAX approach to extract the massive data values and information from the EcoSpold files. The demonstrated framework iii and adopted approaches successfully convert the ecoinvent database into a SQL database management tool. Moreover, a Java GUI application has been developed to invoke the SQL based LCI database and the aggregated LCI datasets from the web-based product environmental assessment system. A web-based product environmental performance assessment system has been developed to achieve powerful, flexible and efficient online LCA calculations, by converting a desktop LCA software and applying a High-Performance Calculation Library. Moreover, a mobile client application has been developed to help consumers to evaluate purchased products sustainability performance and implement sustainable consumption. This developed tool is a novel web system that can perform powerful web and mobile based LCA calculations. The performance of the web system has been examined by applying a LCA on the shampoo product. A dedicated LCA on shampoo product has been conducted by using the SimaPro. The LCI datasets are provided by its manufacturer, a UK based company, and also fulfilled by applying ecoinvent database. This case study presents an in-depth modelling and analysis on shampoo product lifecycle with the aid of real manufacturing data. The analytical results also show that the lifecycle stage of major environmental impacts is in the shampoo utilisation stages.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Du, Guangli. "Towards Sustainable Construction: Life Cycle Assessment of Railway Bridges." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Bro- och stålbyggnad, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-90077.

Full text

Abstract:

Since last few decades, the increased pressure from the environmental issues of natural resource depletion, global warming and air pollution have posed a great challenge worldwide. Among all the industrial fields, bridge infrastructures and their belonged construction sector contribute to a wide range of energy and raw materials consumptions, which is responsible for the most significant pollutions. However, current bridges are mainly designed by the criterion of economic, technique, and safety standards, while their correlated environmental burdens have unfortunately rarely been considered. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method has been verified as a systematic tool, which enables the fully assessment and complete comparison for the environmental impact among different bridge options through a life cycle manner. The study presented in this thesis is focused on railway bridges, as the LCA implementation is under great expectations to set a new design criterion, to optimize the structural design towards the environmental sustainability, and to assist the decision-making among design proposals. This thesis consists of two parts: an extended summary and three appended papers. Part one gives an overview introduction that serves as a supplementary description for this research work. It outlines the background theory, current development status, the LCA implementation into the railway bridges, as well as the developed excel-based LCA tool. Part two, includes three appended papers which provides a more detailed theoretical review of the current literatures and knowledge associated with bridge LCA, by highlighting the great challenging issues. A systematic flowchart is presented both in Paper I and Paper II for how to model and assess the bridge life cycle, together by coping with the structural components and associated emissions. This flowchart is further illustrated on a case study of the Banafjäl Bridge in Sweden, which has been extensively analyzed by two LCA methods: CML 2001 method and streamlined quantitative approach. The obtained results can be contributed as an analytical reference for other similar bridges. Based on the theoretical review and analytical results from case studies, it has been found that the environmental profile of a bridge is dominated by the selected structural type, which affects the life cycle scenarios holistically and thus further influences the environmental performance. However, the environmental profile of the structure is though very case specific; one cannot draw a general conclusion for a certain type of bridge without performing the LCA study. The case study has found that the impact of material manufacture phase is mostly identified significant among the whole life cycle. The availability of the inventory data and project information are appeared as the major problem in the bridge LCA study. Moreover, lack of standardized guideline, criteria and input information is another key issue. A criterion is needed to illustrate what are the qualified limits of a bridge to fulfill the environmental requirements. Therefore, the development of LCA for railway bridges still needs further collaborative efforts from government, industry and research institutes.
QC 20120227

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Abbasi, Salman Ali. "Exergetic Life Cycle Assessment of Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofibers." Scholar Commons, 2014. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5346.

Full text

Abstract:

Assessing the sustainability of nanomanufacturing products and processes has been difficult to achieve using conventional approaches mainly due to an inadequate inventory, large process-to-process variation, and a dearth of relevant toxicology data for nanomaterials. Since these issues are long term in nature, it is required to create hybrid methodologies that can work towards filling the existing gaps. Merging thermodynamic techniques such as the exergy analysis with environmental assessments can help make better, more informed choices while providing an opportunity for process improvement by enabling to correctly quantify efficiency loss through the waste stream, and by locating the exact areas for improvement. A preliminary technique that utilizes environmental assessment feedback during the process design along with an exergy analysis is presented. As a test case, an environmental assessment aided by an exergy analysis was carried out on the electrospinning process for producing polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers. The areas of greatest concern, both from an environmental as well as a thermodynamic point of view, have been found to be the high energy consumption and the complete loss of solvent during the process of electrospinning. Interestingly, exergy consumption is significantly higher for fibers with a smaller (

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Falano, Temitope. "Sustainability assessment of integrated bio-refineries." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2012. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/sustainability-assessment-of-integrated-biorefineries(4a7bb9aa-44a8-4a33-887b-8cfced97d6fa).html.

Full text

Abstract:

Integrated bio-refineries offer a potential for a more sustainable production of fuels and chemicals. However, the sustainability implications of integrated bio-refineries are still poorly understood. Therefore, this work aims to contribute towards a better understanding of the sustainability of these systems. For these purposes, a methodological framework has been developed to assess the sustainability of different 2nd generation feedstocks to produce bio-ethanol, energy, and platform chemicals using bio-chemical or thermo-chemical routes in an integrated bio-refinery.The methodology involves environmental, techno-economic, and social assessment of the bio-refinery supply chain. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used for the environmental assessment. The economic assessment is carried out using life cycle costing (LCC) along side traditional economic indicators such as net present value and payback period. Social issues such as employment provision and health and safety are considered within the social sustainability assessment. The methodology has been applied to two case studies using the bio-chemical and the thermo-chemical conversion routes and four feedstocks: wheat straw, poplar, miscanthus and forest residue.For the conditions assumed in this work and per litre of ethanol produced, the LCA results indicate that the thermo-chemical conversion is more environmentally sustainable than the bio-chemical route for eight out of 11 environmental impacts considered. The LCA results also indicate that the main hot spot in the supply chain for both conversion routes is feedstock cultivation. The thermo-chemical route is economically more sustainable than the bio-chemical because of the lower capital and operating costs. From the social sustainability point of view, the results suggest that provision of employment would be higher in the bio-chemical route but so would the health and safety risks.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Navarro, Rosa Jennifer. "Framework for sustainability assessment of industrial processes with multi-scale technology at design level: microcapsules production process." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/8572.

Full text

Abstract:

In a world with limited resources and serious environmental, social and economical impacts, a more sustainable life style is everyday more important. Therefore, the general objective of this work is to develop a methodological procedure for eco-efficiency and sustainability assessment of industrial processes with multi-scale technology at design level. The methodology developed follows the ISO 14040 series for environmental LCA standard. To integrate the three pillars of sustainability the analytical hierarchical process was used. The results are represented in a triple bottom line framework. The methodology was applied to the case study "production of perfume-containing microcapsules" and different scenarios were assessed and compared. Several sustainability indicators were chosen to analyze the impacts. The results showed that this methodology can be used as a decision making tool for sustainability reporting. It can be applied to any process choosing in each case the corresponding set of inventory data and sustainability impact indicators.
En un mundo con recursos limitados y graves impactos ambientales, sociales y económicos, un estilo de vida más sostenible es cada día más importante. Debido a esto, el objetivo general de este trabajo es desarrollar un procedimiento metodológico para evaluar eco-eficiencia y sostenibilidad de procesos industriales con tecnología multi-escala a nivel de diseño. La metodología desarrollada sigue la serie ISO 14040 para el medio ambiente. Se utilizó el proceso analítico jerárquico para integrar los tres pilares de sostenibilidad. Los resultados se presentan en un balance triple. La metodología se aplicó al caso de estudio "producción de micro-cápsulas que contienen perfume" y se analizaron y compararon diferentes escenarios. Se seleccionaron diversos indicadores de sostenibilidad para analizar los impactos. Los resultados demostraron que esta metodología puede ser utilizada como herramienta de toma de decisiones y que puede aplicarse a cualquier proceso seleccionando, en cada caso, los datos del inventario y los indicadores.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Zhang, Hai. "Sustainability assessment of active packaging incorporating nanomaterials." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Politècnica de València, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/75348.

Full text

Abstract:

Packaging plays an important role in ensuring food safety and quality. The development antimicrobial packaging enables actively inhibiting/killing the spoilage microorganisms, and thus extending food product's shelf life. Generally, 50% shelf life extension is possible. The interest for using metallic nanoparticles in active packaging derives from its superior antimicrobial efficacy and no negative impact on the food sensory properties. In this thesis, the packaging material of concern is a PLA (Polylactic Acid) coated paper incorporating zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) in the coating layer. The material was characterized and its antimicrobial activity was evaluated. The SEM images show that the nanoparticles were homogenously distributed across the surface thanks to its surface modification. Antimicrobial assay indicates that the active material was effective in inactivating E. coli and S. aureus. Furthermore, E. coli was found to be more susceptible to this type of agent, showing 3.14 log reduction for 0.5 wt% agent loading in the PLA coating layer. This result was compared across the publications using the same agent for treating both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. The discrepancy between the results can be explained by the fact that ZnO nanoparticles have multiple action mechanisms, and different antimicrobial testing methods may activate part of the action mechanisms. On the other hand, recyclability is regarded as an important attribute for paper-based packaging material, as it enables to conserve the resources and reduce the environmental impacts. Accordingly, when it comes to the nano-enabled paper packaging material, recyclability should be maintained. In this case, a recyclability test was carried out in a lab-scale paper recycling line. The protocol was based on a method adapted from the ATICELCA MC501-13, which enabled to recover over 99% of the solids material. The mass balance result indicates that 86%-91% zinc oxide nanoparticles ended up in the rejected material stream, mostly embedded within the polymer coating; whereas 7%-16% nanoparticles ended up in the accepted material stream. Besides, the tensile strength of the recycled handsheets suggests that the nano-enabled coating had no negative impacts on the recovered fibre quality. Active packaging plays a positive role in reducing food losses. If food and packaging are considered as a whole system, its overall environmental impact can be justified by incorporating the food loss reduction due to the application of active packaging. The LCA calculation shows that a breakeven point can be easily achieved for the case of red meat products of high environmental impact.
El envase juega un papel importante asegurando la seguridad y calidad de los alimentos. El desarrollo de envases activos, especialmente envase antimicrobiano, permite inhibir o matar los microorganismos causantes del deterioro de los alimentos, alargando por tanto su vida útil. De forma general es posible extender la vida útil de los alimentos en un 50%. El interés por el uso de nanopartículas metálicas en el envasado activo se deriva de su gran efectividad antimicrobiana sin causar un efecto negativo en sus propiedades sensoriales. En la presente tesis, se ha desarrollado un papel recubierto de PLA (ácido poliláctico) con nanopartículas de óxido de zinc (ZnO NPs) incorporadas en la capa de recubrimiento. Se ha caracterizado el material y se ha evaluado su capacidad antimicrobiana. Las imágenes obtenidas mediante SEM muestran que las nanopartículas fueron distribuidas a lo largo de la superficie gracias a su modificación. Los ensayos de efectividad antimicrobiana indicaron una actividad del material frente a E. coli y a S. aureus. Además, E. coli resultó ser más susceptible a este agente activo incorporado al 0.5 % en peso en el recubrimiento de PLA, mostrando una reducción de 3.14 log. Este resultado fue comparado con publicaciones donde se emplearon los mismos agentes activos para frente a microorganismos Gram-positivos y Gram-negativos. Las discrepancias encontradas entre los resultados pueden deberse a que las nanopartículas de ZnO tienen múltiples mecanismos de acción, y los diferentes métodos de ensayo poder estimular parte de estos mecanismos. Por otra parte, el reciclado juega un importante papel en la conservación de los recursos y en la reducción de los impactos medioambientales. Por tanto, cuando se trata de un material de envase de papel con sustancias de tamaño nano, el reciclado debe tratarse adecuadamente. El ensayo de reciclabilidad fue llevado a cabo a escala laboratorio en una línea de reciclado de papel. El protocolo de ensayo se basó en el método adaptado de ATICELCA MC501-13, permitiendo una recuperación del 99% de material sólidos. Los resultados del balance de materia indicaron que el 86%-91% de las nanopartículas de óxido de zinc llegaron al flujo de material de rechazo, principalmente mezclado en el recubrimiento polimérico. Además, los resultados de tracción de las láminas recicladas sugieren que el recubrimiento con partículas nano no tiene un efecto negativo sobre la calidad de la fibra recuperada. El envase activo juega un papel positivo en la reducción de los residuos alimentarios. Como resultado del uso del envase activo, considerando el envase y el alimento como un todo, el impacto ambiental sobre este sistema completo puede ser compensado por la reducción de pérdidas de alimentos. El cálculo LCA muestra que el punto de equilibrio se puede conseguir fácilmente en el caso de productos de carne roja de elevado impacto ambiental.
L'envàs té un paper prou important en la seguretat i la qualitat del aliments. El desenvolupament dels envasos actius, especialment l'envàs antimicrobià, el qual permeteix l'inhibició o mort dels microorganismes que produeixen el deteriorament dels aliments i, per tant, allargant la seua vida útil. De manera general, es possible l'allargament de la vida útil dels aliments en un 50%. L'interès per la utilització de nanopartícules metàl·liques en l'envasat actiu es deriva de la seua gran efectivitat antimicrobiana sense produir un efecte negatiu en les seus propietats sensorials. En aquesta present tesis, s'ha desenvolupat un paper recobert de PLA (àcid polilàctic) amb nanopartícules d'òxid de zinc (ZnO NPs) incorporades a la capa de recobriment. S'ha caracteritzat el material i s'ha avaluat la seua capacitat antimicrobiana. Les imatges obtingudes per mitjà del SEM mostren que les nanopartícules foren distribuïdes en tota la superfície gràcies a la seua modificació. Els assajos d'efectivitat antimicrobiana varen indicar una activitat del material front a E.coli i a S. aureus. A més, E. coli va resultar ser més susceptible a aquest agent actiu incorporat al 0.5 % en pes en el recobriment de PLA, mostrant una reducció de 3.14 log. Aquest resultat va ser comparat amb publicacions on es van emprar els mateixos agents actius front a microorganismes Gram-positiu i Gram-negatiu. Les discrepàncies trobades entre els resultats poden deure's a que les nanopartícules de ZnO tenen diversos mecanismes d'acció, i els diferents mètodes d'assaig poder estimular part d'aquestes mecanismes. Per altra banda, el reciclatge també té un paper important en la conservació dels recursos i en la reducció dels impactes mediambientals. Per tant, quan es tracta d'un material d'envàs de paper amb substàncies de la grandària 'nano', el reciclatge ha de tractar-se adequadament. El assaig de reciclabilitat va ser dut a terme a escala de laboratori en una línia de reciclatge de paper. El protocol de l'assaig es va basar en el mètode adaptat d'ATICELCA MC501-13, permetent una recuperació del 99% del material sòlid. Els resultats del balanç de matèria van indicar que el 86-91% de les nanopartícules d'òxid de zinc varen arribar al fluix material de rebuig, principalment mesclat en el recobriment polimèric. A més, els resultats de tracció de les làmines reciclades suggereixen que el recobriment amb nanopartícules nano no tenen un efecte negatiu sobre la qualitat de la fibra recuperada. L'envàs actiu juga un paper positiu en la reducció dels residus alimentaris. Com a resultat de l'ús de l'envàs actiu, considerant l'envàs i l'aliment com un tot conjunt, l'impacte ambiental sobre aquest sistema complet pot ser compensat per la reducció de pèrdues d'aliments. El càlcul LCA mostra que el punt d'equilibri es pot aconseguir fàcilment en el cas de productes de carn roja d'elevat impacte ambiental.
Zhang, H. (2016). Sustainability assessment of active packaging incorporating nanomaterials [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/75348
TESIS

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Zhang, Jingyi. "A Life Cycle Sustainability Study of Perovskite Solar Cell Technologies." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1554289816394232.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

De, Sanctis Clarissa. "Life Cycle Assessment Method for PVC production." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2018.

Find full text

Abstract:

Partendo da un'analisi generale sull'importanza della plastica come materia prima a livello globale con le sue relative implicazioni ambientali e non, ci si è successivamente focalizzati sulla produzione del PVC. Si è applicata la metodologia "Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)" prendendo in considerazione tutti gli step necessari per la sintesi di un kilogrammo di PVC. L'utilizzo del GaBi software ha successivemente permesso di implemetare l'analisi ed ottenere risultati in termini di indici (eventualmente aggregati in indicatori), singoli valori che hanno permesso di valutare l'impatto ambientale dell'intero processo sull'ecosistema e le risorse naturali utilizzate. L'elaborato termina con l'analisi dei Costi e dei Benefici della produzione di un kilogrammo di PVC al fine di caratterizzare l'intero processo di sintesi dal punto di vista economico, se competitivo e benefico per la comunità oppure senza vantaggi economici, ambientali e sociali.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Isberg, Ulrika &amp Karin Nilsson. "Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability Aspects of Solvatten, a Water Cleaning Device." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-127693.

Full text

Abstract:

Solvatten is a water cleaning device for households in developing countries. As a Master Thesis forthe Master of Science in Engineering Programme at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan a Life CycleAssessment of Solvatten has been conducted. The primary aim was to investigate the environmentalimpacts of Solvatten and compare it with two other common methods of accessing safe water;boiling and bottled water. Information has been gathered by contacting manufacturers and suppliersand analysed in the computer software SimaPro. The stand-‐alone LCA of Solvatten showed that theproduct gives almost no impact on ecosystem quality and human health. As the product mostly ismade of different plastic materials (i.e. fossil fuels), Solvatten has its highest impact in the damagecategory of resources. Hence, most of Solvatten’s environmental impact comes from the materialsand production processes of the black container and the transparent lid. The disposal phase ofSolvatten has been left out of the data analysis as there is a large uncertainty in waste scenarios ofdeveloping countries. Instead, a comparison was made between three different waste scenarios;landfill, incineration, and recycling with European standards. It is clear that recycling is the bestalternative, and Solvatten should show their corporate social responsibility by organizing this. Thecomparative studies conducted for Solvatten, boiling water with firewood and buying bottled waterindicated that due to Solvatten’s long lifetime, the environmental impact for Solvatten is lower. Alsodiscussed in the report are the economic and social aspects of Solvatten, which are a great advantagefor Solvatten since both time and money can be saved. Solvatten is concluded to be a goodalternative for accessing safe water.
Solvatten är en produkt för att rena vatten i hushåll i utvecklingsländer. En livscykelanalys avSolvatten har gjorts som examensarbete för civilingenjörsprogrammet på Kungliga TekniskaHögskolan. Det främsta målet med analysen var att utreda Solvattens miljöpåverkan samt att jämföraden med två andra sätt att få tag på rent vatten; kokning och flaskvatten. Information har samlats ingenom att kontakta producenter och leverantörer och sedan analyserat med datorprogrammetSimaPro. Den fristående LCA:n av Solvatten visade att produkten nästan inte ger någon inverkan påekosystem kvalité och hälsa. Eftersom produkten mestadels är gjord utav olika plastmaterial (d.v.s.fossila bränslen), visar analysen högst påverkan i kategorin för råvaror (eng: resources). Den störstadelen av Solvatten’s miljöpåverkan kommer ifrån materialen och produktions processerna för densvarta delen av dunken samt de genomskinliga locken. Avfallshanteringen för Solvatten fickutelämnas ur dataanalysen, då osäkerheten kring olika metoder för avfallshantering är för stor iutvecklingsländer. Istället gjordes en jämförelse mellan tre olika avfallsscenarion; deponering,förbränning och återvinning med europeiska standarder. Det är tydligt att återvinning är det bästaalternativet, och att Solvatten AB borde visa sitt samhällsansvar genom att organisera detta. Denjämförande studien mellan Solvatten, kokning och flaskvatten indikerar att Solvatten har den lägstamiljöpåverkan, på grund av produktens långa livslängd. Rapporten diskuterar även Solvattenshållbarhet ur ekonomiska och sociala perspektiv. De visar att Solvatten har stora fördelar i att bådetid och pengar kan sparas. Slutsatsen är att Solvatten är ett bra alternativ för att få tillgång till rentvatten.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Isberg, Ulrika, and Karin Nilsson. "Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability Aspects of Solvatten, a Water Cleaning Device." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-127694.

Full text

Abstract:

Solvatten is a water cleaning device for households in developing countries. As a Master Thesis forthe Master of Science in Engineering Programme at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan a Life CycleAssessment of Solvatten has been conducted. The primary aim was to investigate the environmentalimpacts of Solvatten and compare it with two other common methods of accessing safe water;boiling and bottled water. Information has been gathered by contacting manufacturers and suppliersand analysed in the computer software SimaPro. The stand-‐alone LCA of Solvatten showed that theproduct gives almost no impact on ecosystem quality and human health. As the product mostly ismade of different plastic materials (i.e. fossil fuels), Solvatten has its highest impact in the damagecategory of resources. Hence, most of Solvatten’s environmental impact comes from the materialsand production processes of the black container and the transparent lid. The disposal phase ofSolvatten has been left out of the data analysis as there is a large uncertainty in waste scenarios ofdeveloping countries. Instead, a comparison was made between three different waste scenarios;landfill, incineration, and recycling with European standards. It is clear that recycling is the bestalternative, and Solvatten should show their corporate social responsibility by organizing this. Thecomparative studies conducted for Solvatten, boiling water with firewood and buying bottled waterindicated that due to Solvatten’s long lifetime, the environmental impact for Solvatten is lower. Alsodiscussed in the report are the economic and social aspects of Solvatten, which are a great advantagefor Solvatten since both time and money can be saved. Solvatten is concluded to be a goodalternative for accessing safe water.
Solvatten är en produkt för att rena vatten i hushåll i utvecklingsländer. En livscykelanalys avSolvatten har gjorts som examensarbete för civilingenjörsprogrammet på Kungliga TekniskaHögskolan. Det främsta målet med analysen var att utreda Solvattens miljöpåverkan samt att jämföraden med två andra sätt att få tag på rent vatten; kokning och flaskvatten. Information har samlats ingenom att kontakta producenter och leverantörer och sedan analyserat med datorprogrammetSimaPro. Den fristående LCA:n av Solvatten visade att produkten nästan inte ger någon inverkan påekosystem kvalité och hälsa. Eftersom produkten mestadels är gjord utav olika plastmaterial (d.v.s.fossila bränslen), visar analysen högst påverkan i kategorin för råvaror (eng: resources). Den störstadelen av Solvatten’s miljöpåverkan kommer ifrån materialen och produktions processerna för densvarta delen av dunken samt de genomskinliga locken. Avfallshanteringen för Solvatten fickutelämnas ur dataanalysen, då osäkerheten kring olika metoder för avfallshantering är för stor iutvecklingsländer. Istället gjordes en jämförelse mellan tre olika avfallsscenarion; deponering,förbränning och återvinning med europeiska standarder. Det är tydligt att återvinning är det bästaalternativet, och att Solvatten AB borde visa sitt samhällsansvar genom att organisera detta. Denjämförande studien mellan Solvatten, kokning och flaskvatten indikerar att Solvatten har den lägstamiljöpåverkan, på grund av produktens långa livslängd. Rapporten diskuterar även Solvattenshållbarhet ur ekonomiska och sociala perspektiv. De visar att Solvatten har stora fördelar i att bådetid och pengar kan sparas. Slutsatsen är att Solvatten är ett bra alternativ för att få tillgång till rentvatten.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Aitken, Douglas. "Assessment of the sustainability of bioenergy production from algal feedstock." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/8961.

Full text

Abstract:

Growing concerns regarding the impact of fossil fuel use upon the environment and the cost of production have led to a growth in the interest of obtaining energy from biomass. 1st and 2nd generation biomass types, however, are often criticised for their high energy requirements and environmental impacts. Algal biomass is considered a 3rd generation biomass which does not require arable land for cultivation, typically has a high productivity and can be converted to a wide variety of energy carriers. Despite research on the concept of producing energy from algal biomass dating back to the 1960s there has been limited commercial development and the environmental advantages are still in doubt. This thesis investigated the potential of algal biomass as a source of bioenergy feedstock by considering the cultivation and processing of localised species of algae and applying life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to algal biofuel production systems. Experiments were conducted to examine the productivity of a wild algal species in wastewater and the potential recoverable bioenergy yields. The LCA studies drew together data from external studies, commercial databases, industrial reports and experimental work to assess the environmental impacts and the energy balance for each system considered. The thesis investigated the generation of biofuel from both freshwater algal biomass and marine algal biomass. For both cases, the current state of research was examined and the gaps determined. Existing studies suggest the high intensity of microalgal biomass production (fertiliser requirements, high energy harvesting) greatly reduces the overall sustainability. Part of this thesis therefore investigated the possibility of a low input system of microalgal cultivation. A recommended approach was suggested using local species cultivated in wastewater as the nutrient source and a conversion strategy based on the characteristics of the dominant species. The practicality and effectiveness of cultivating and processing locally grown algal biomass under low input conditions was determined by experiments that were conducted in the laboratory. Algal biomass was collected locally and cultivated in the laboratory using agricultural effluent as the nutrient source. The productivity of the algae was monitored alongside the uptake of nutrients. The effluent provided a good media for the cultivation of the wild algae and the nitrogen and phosphorous loading of the effluent was reduced by as much as 98% for NH4+ and 90% for PO4³-. The algal biomass was also tested for its potential as a feedstock for bioethanol production as well as biochar alongside pyrolysis oils and gases. Compared to alternative biomass types tested, the algal biomass appeared to be a good candidate for bioethanol production providing a 38% recovery of bioethanol. The biomass appeared a less favourable substrate for energy recovery from pyrolysis but this process could be considered for carbon biofixation. The sustainability of incorporating microalgal cultivation in wastewater treatment was tested by conducting a life cycle assessment of a large scale system. The life cycle assessment used Haifa wastewater treatment plant in Israel as a case study. The study compared algal cultivation with energy recovery to conventional nutrient removal (A2O process) for enhanced nutrient removal within the wastewater treatment plant. It was found that the use of algal ponds for nutrient removal compared favourably to conventional treatment under specific conditions. These conditions were: the algal biomass is converted to both biodiesel and biogas and the algal biomass is converted to biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas. In these cases the energy balance was greater and the global warming potential and eutrophication potential were less. The conventional nutrient removal was, however, found to be the better method in terms of the acidification potential. Despite being the favourable method of nutrient removal the cultivation and processing of algae relies upon several key assumptions: high year round growth of algae, no contamination and access to a high land area for the cultivation ponds. The sustainability of recovering bioenergy from the cultivation of macroalgae was also tested. A life cycle assessment was conducted investigating the energy return on investment and six environmental impacts for three cultivation methods and three process streams to convert the biomass to bioenergy. Cultivation and processing in Chile was used as a case study due to the depth of knowledge and availability of data. The cultivation scenarios were: bottom cultivation of Gracilaria chilensis, the long line cultivation of Gracilaria chilensis and the long line cultivation of Macrocystis pyrifera. The processing streams were: bioethanol, biogas and both bioethanol and biogas. Most of the data used in the life cycle assessment was obtained from studies conducted in Chile and from communication with local fisherman. It was found that the bottom cultivation of Gracilaria chilensis and conversion to bioethanol and biogas produced the best energy return on investment (2.95) and was most beneficial in terms of the environmental impacts considered. Alternative circumstances were also considered which included new research (untested on a large scale) related to the value used for productivity and conversion of the biomass. This analysis indicated that an EROI of 10.3 could be achieved for the long-line cultivation of Macrocystis pyrifera and conversion to bioethanol and biogas alongside very limited environmental impacts. This result relies, however, upon favourable assumptions that have not yet been proven on a large scale. The work conducted in this thesis highlights the potential of recovering energy from algal biomass. The experimental work and life cycle analysis of freshwater algal cultivation demonstrates the importance of using wastewater treatment as added value to the system. Maximising energy recovery by using a combination of conversion techniques was also shown to be key in providing the most sustainable solution. The sustainability of energy produced from macroalgae was established as being preferable to several conventional energy sources. Innovative methods to improve the system were also shown to greatly enhance the concept.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Nikmehr, Abbas. "Different Approaches to Sustainability Assessment and Applying life cycle Assessment for a Building in Sweden." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-263212.

Full text

Abstract:

The building industry has always been an attractive and influential topic in the energy consumption and using natural resources. This study is formed due to Sweden has program to increase energy efficiency in the building industries until 2020. And the energy consumption will be considered and assessed the life cycle of a building. The study is divided into two parts, rating labelling system and assesses the sustainability of a building, with the main focus on the second part. The building with the selected material according to Sweden construction standard and knowledge of skilled people are formed and assumed in Uppsala.As the result shows, energy consumption in the use of the building have the higher negative environmental impact compared to the construction of the building. Therefore, increasing the energy efficiency requires increased power generation efficiency and the increase buildings energy efficiency. Use of renewable energy like wind and solar energy can be an effective solution. Also, changing consumption pattern and using new technologies are considered as a means of reducing energy consumption.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

Neugebauer, Sabrina [Verfasser], Matthias [Akademischer Betreuer] Finkbeiner, Matthias [Gutachter] Finkbeiner, and Rainer [Gutachter] Grießhammer. "Enhancing life cycle sustainability assessment : tiered approach and new characterization models for social life cycle assessment and life cycle costing / Sabrina Neugebauer ; Gutachter: Matthias Finkbeiner, Rainer Grießhammer ; Betreuer: Matthias Finkbeiner." Berlin : Technische Universität Berlin, 2016. http://d-nb.info/1156182409/34.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

Reza, Bahareh. "Emergy-based life cycle assessment (Em-LCA) for sustainability appraisal of built environment." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/44444.

Full text

Abstract:

Construction and operation of built environment including various types of buildings (such as commercial, residential, institutional) and urban infrastructures are facing challenges because of accelerated pace of resource depletion, waste generation, high energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change impacts. Several new practices and efforts are underway to develop technical basis to assess the environmental and associated socio-economic impacts due to the design, construction, operation, and disposal of the built environment, and achieve sustainable development goals. In recent years, sustainability assessment or appraisal of a built environment has gained increasing focus and led to integrate sustainable development goals and guidelines in day-to-day decision-making. However, developing a pragmatic sustainability appraisal tool for built environment systems is a key challenge facing planners, policy makers, asset managers, and engineering professionals worldwide. This research developed a comprehensive framework, based on the integration of emergy synthesis and life cycle assessment (LCA), for sustainability appraisal of built environment systems. The main objective of Emergy-based Life Cycle Assessment (Em-LCA) framework is to support decision-making for asset management by quantifying sustainability performance principles (environmental protection, and socio-economic development) throughout the life cycle of the built environment systems. The developed Em-LCA framework is applied to selected built environment systems (i.e., linear infrastructure and building systems) using cradle-to grave approach (i.e., from design and project planning to the end-of-life). The Em-LCA framework is implemented to classify life cycle inflows/outflows (e.g., matter, energy/waste, and emission) of the selected built environment systems and to deliver a quantitative characterization of the associated impacts (e.g., natural resources depletion, wastes generation, GHG and toxic emissions, and life cycle costs). Further, the results of Em-LCA are integrated for different sustainability performance indicators to estimate the overall environmental and socio-economic impacts. To address the uncertainty issues, fuzzy-based uncertainty modeling has been used to validate the reliability of the Em-LCA results. The results of this research clearly prove that, Em-LCA offers a realistic and pragmatic sustainability assessment framework that will overcome several challenges of existing sustainability assessment and traditional asset management frameworks by providing quantitative and transparent results to facilitate informed decision-making.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Martínez, Blanco Julia. "Sustainability assessment of municipal compost use in horticulture using a life cycle approach." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/129638.

Full text

Abstract:

Davant del ràpid col·lapse dels abocadors, així com els alts impactes relacionats amb l'abocament dels residus biodegradables, i al baix contingut en matèria orgànica dels sòls mediterranis, el compostatge es presenta com una opció rellevant per tancar els cicles de la matèria orgànica i els nutrients. No obstant això, dades específiques, reals i quantitatives sobre tecnologies i aplicació de compost i considerant diferents perspectives d'anàlisi, són necessàries. Les eines de cicle de vida són metodologies per a construir el perfil ambiental, social i econòmic de productes al llarg de totes les etapes del seu cicle de vida. Aquesta tesi presenta una visió holística del compost, incloent totes les etapes del seu cicle de vida i avaluant el comportament ambiental, la viabilitat agrícola, així com les perspectives del consumidor, el territori i la sostenibilitat. A més, es proposen millores metodològiques per als diferents anàlisi de la producció de compost i la seva aplicació. Dades reals de dues formes de compostatge, domèstic i a escala industrial, i de camps hortícoles es van recollir dins el marc de la tesi. Aquestes dades han estat utilitzades en l'avaluació ambiental i agrícola de la producció i aplicació de compost, tenint en compte diferents cultius, opcions de fertilització i medi natural / hivernacle. En relació al rendiment agronòmic, produccions i qualitat suficients només es poden assegurar quan al compost l'acompanya una font de nitrogen d'alliberament ràpida. Els resultats apunten a la producció industrial de compost com la principal font d'impacte ambiental al llarg del cicle de vida dels dos cultius hortícoles. Això implica que les opcions de cultiu amb compost, i quan es resten els impactes evitats per la no deposició dels bio-residus en abocador, són les més respectuoses amb el medi ambient per 3 de 7 categories d'impacte i presenten impactes similars per a 2. El compostatge domèstic sembla ser una millor alternativa des de la perspectiva del consum de recursos però presenta majors emissions gasoses que el compostatge industrial. Dues qüestions metodològiques relacionades amb l'avaluació ambiental del cicle de vida del compost són abordades en aquesta tesi. Unitats funcionals relacionades amb la qualitat, a part de la producció, s'han utilitzat i amb elles les diferències ambientals entre opcions de fertilització es suavitzen o inverteixen. Aquesta tesi també proporciona una descripció de les magnituds, les dinàmiques i els factors limitants per a cada un dels beneficis de l'aplicació de compost considerats i analitza els temes metodològics clau per a la seva quantificació amb LCA. A més, segons els resultats obtinguts amb la norma PAS2050, la Carbon footprinting (CF) subestima els valors ambientals comunicats als consumidors, a causa principalment dels béns de capital. La tesi també inclou una de les poques temptatives d'aplicar el Social Life Cycle Assessment i el Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, que avalua els fertilitzants minerals nitrogenats i el compost al llarg del seu cicle de vida. Finalment, es presenta una primera aproximació a la perspectiva de la planificació territorial en relació a l’aplicació de compost i el seu ús combinat amb aigua contaminada per nitrats. Concloent, aquesta tesi és un pas rellevant cap a la sostenibilitat per a la producció i aplicació de compost i ofereix un enfoc multidisciplinari del sistema. Entre d'altres, futurs estudis haurien d'abordar o aprofundir en: l'ús de compost a llarg termini, les alternatives per a l'assignació de les càrregues del compost entre conreus, les taxes de mineralització, els potencials efectes negatius de l'ús de compost en LCA, les adequades categories d'impacte ambiental per a la avaluació de l'ús de compost, i un major desenvolupament de les eines per a la sostenibilitat.
Frente al rápido colapso de los vertederos, así como los altos impactos relacionados con el vertido de los residuos biodegradables, y al bajo contenido en materia orgánica de los suelos mediterráneos, el compostaje se presenta como una opción relevante para cerrar los ciclos de la materia orgánica y los nutrientes. Sin embargo, datos específicos, reales y cuantitativos sobre tecnologías y aplicación de compost y considerando diferentes perspectivas de análisis, son necesarios. Las herramientas de ciclo de vida son metodologías para construir el perfil ambiental, social y económico de productos a lo largo de todas las etapas de su ciclo de vida. Esta tesis presenta una visión holística del compost, incluyendo todas las etapas de su ciclo de vida y evaluando el comportamiento ambiental, la viabilidad agrícola, así como las perspectivas del consumidor, el territorio y la sostenibilidad. Además, se proponen mejoras metodológicas para los diferentes análisis de la producción de compost y su aplicación. Datos reales de dos formas de compostaje, doméstico y a escala industrial, y de campos hortícolas se recogieron dentro del marco de la tesis. Estos datos han sido utilizados en la evaluación ambiental y agrícola de la producción y aplicación de compost, teniendo en cuenta diferentes cultivos, opciones de fertilización y aire libre/invernadero. En relación al rendimiento agronómico, producciones y calidad suficientes solo se pueden asegurar cuando al compost le acompaña una fuente de nitrógeno de liberación rápida. Los resultados apuntan a la producción industrial de compost como la principal fuente de impacto ambiental a lo largo del ciclo de vida de los dos cultivos hortícolas. Esto implica que las opciones de cultivo con compost, y cuando se restan los impactos evitados por la no deposición de los bio-residuos en vertedero, son las más respetuosas con el medio ambiente para 3 de 7 categorías de impacto y presentan impactos similares para 2. El compostaje doméstico parece ser una mejor alternativa desde la perspectiva del consumo de recursos pero presenta mayores emisiones gaseosas que el compostaje industrial. Dos cuestiones metodológicas relacionadas con la evaluación ambiental del ciclo de vida del compost son abordadas en esta tesis. Unidades funcionales relacionadas con la calidad, aparte de la producción, se han utilizado y con ellas las diferencias ambientales entre opciones de fertilización se suavizan o invierten. Esta tesis también proporciona una descripción de las magnitudes, las dinámicas y los factores limitantes para cada uno de los beneficios de la aplicación de compost considerados y analiza los temas metodológicos clave para su cuantificación con LCA. Además, según los resultados obtenidos con la norma PAS2050, la Carbon Footprinting (CF) subestima los valores ambientales comunicados a los consumidores, debido principalmente a los bienes de capital. La tesis también incluye una de las pocas tentativas de aplicar el Social Life Cycle Assessment y el Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, que evalúa los fertilizantes minerales nitrogenados y el compost a lo largo de su ciclo de vida. Por último, se presenta una primera aproximación a la perspectiva de la planificación territorial en relación a la aplicación de compost y su uso combinado con agua contaminada por nitratos. Concluyendo, esta tesis es un paso relevante hacia la sostenibilidad para la producción y aplicación de compost y ofrece un enfoque multidisciplinario del sistema. Entre otros, futuros estudios deberían abordar o profundizar en: el uso de compost en el largo plazo, las alternativas para la asignación de las cargas del compost entre cultivos, las tasas de mineralización, los potenciales efectos negativos del uso de compost en LCA, las adecuadas categorías de impacto ambiental para la evaluación del uso de compost, y el mayor desarrollo de las herramientas para la sostenibilidad.
Facing the rapid collapse of landfills, along with high impacts related to biodegradable waste dumping, and the low organic matter contents in Mediterranean soils, composting arises as a relevant option to close the organic matter and nutrient cycles. Nevertheless, specific, real and quantitative data about compost technologies and application and from several perspectives, are necessary. Life-cycle-thinking tools are methodologies to construct environmental, social and economic profiles of production systems along their life cycle. This dissertation presents a holistic approach of compost, including all the stages of its life cycle and assessing environmental performance, agricultural viability, as well as consumer, territorial and other sustainability perspectives. In addition, methodological improvements for the different assessments of compost production and application are proposed. Real data from two composting sites, at home and full scale, as well as real data from horticultural fields have been collected within the framework of the thesis. Subsequently, these data are used on the environmental and agricultural assessment of compost production and application, taking into account several horticultural crops, fertilization options and open field/greenhouse. Regarding agronomic performance, sufficient yields and quality of the crops are only assured when compost is accompanied by a source of rapid nitrogen release. The outcomes state industrial composting production as the main source of environmental impact in the entire life cycle. This result implies that cultivation options with compost, and when avoided burdens from not landfilling the OFMSW are considered, are more environmentally friendly for 3 out of 7 impact categories and have similar impacts for 2. Home composting seems to be an environmentally better alternative than industrial composting for resources consumptions, even though it has major gaseous emissions. Two methodological issues regarding compost LCA are discussed in the dissertation. When functional units related to quality, apart from production ones, are considered, the environmental differences among fertilization options are tempered or reversed. The dissertation also provides a description of the magnitude, dynamics and limiting factors for each of the considered benefits of compost application and discusses the key methodological issues for their quantification within LCA. Furthermore, according to the results using the PAS2050 standard, Carbon Footprinting underestimates the environmental figures communicated to consumers, mainly due to capital goods. The dissertation also includes one of the few attempts to apply Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) and Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). It consists on the assessment of nitrogenated mineral fertilizers and compost along their entire production life cycle. Finally, territorial planning perspective regarding compost use in horticulture and the combined use of nitrate polluted water as a source of rapid nitrogen are overviewed. In conclusion, this thesis is a relevant step towards sustainability taken by compost production and application and offers a multidisciplinary approach of the system. Among others, future research should focus on: compost application in the long-term, alternatives for the allocation of compost burdens among crops, mineralization rates, potential drawbacks of compost application in LCA, suitable environmental impact categories for the assessment of compost application, and further development of sustainability tools.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Hyder, Zeshan. "Site Characterization, Sustainability Evaluation and Life Cycle Emissions Assessment of Underground Coal Gasification." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/28970.

Full text

Abstract:

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG), although not a new concept, is now attracting considerable global attention as a viable process to provide a â cleanâ and economic fuel from coal. Climate change legislation and the declining position of coal reserves (i.e., deeper and thinner seams) in many parts of the world are promoting and fueling the UCG renaissance. This research presents an analysis of operational parameters of UCG technology to determine their significance and to evaluate the effective range of values for proper control of the process. The study indicates that cavity pressures, gas and water flow rates, development of linkage between wells, and continuous monitoring are the most important operating parameters. A protocol for the selection of suitable sites for UCG projects is presented in this study. The site selection criteria are developed based on successes and failures of previous experiments and pilot studies. The criteria take into account the site characteristics, coal quality parameters, hydrology of the area, availability of infrastructure and regulatory and environmental restrictions on sites. These criteria highlight the merits and demerits of the selected parameters, their importance in site selection and their economic and environmental potentials. Based on the site selection criteria, a GIS model is developed to assist in selecting suitable sites for gasification in any given area of interest. This GIS model can be used as a decision support tool as well since it helps in establishing the tradeoff levels between factors, ranking and scaling of factors, and, most importantly, evaluating inherent risks associated with each decision set. The potential of UCG to conform to different frameworks defined to assess the capability and potential of any project that merits the label, â sustainable,â has been evaluated. It has been established that UCG can integrate economic activity with ecosystem integrity, respect for the rights of future generations to the use of resources and the attainment of sustainable and equitable social and economic benefits. The important aspects of UCG that need to be considered for its sustainable development are highlighted. In addition, the environmental benefits of UCG have been evaluated in terms of its potential for reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The findings indicate that UCG significantly reduces GHG emissions compared to other competitive coal exploiting technologies. A model to compute the life cycle greenhouse emissions of UCG has been developed, and it reveals that UCG has distinctive advantages in terms of GHG emissions over other technologies and competes favorably with the latest power generation technologies. In addition to GHG emissions, the environmental impacts of these technologies based on various impact assessment indicators are assessed to determine the position of UCG in the technology mix. It is clear from the analysis that UCG has prominent environmental advantages and has the potential to develop and utilize coal resources in an environmentally friendly and economically sound manner.
Ph. D.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

Sieti, Natalia. "Life cycle environmental and economic sustainability in the baby food sector." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2018. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/life-cycle-environmental-and-economic-sustainability-in-the-baby-food-sector(f098fc2e-6148-443c-b374-16fb506730d3).html.

Full text

Abstract:

This research addresses life cycle environmental and economic sustainability in the baby food sector. In the UK, this sector has been growing rapidly, expanding by around 30% between 2009 and 2014, by which time it was worth an estimated Â£181 million per year. This growth sits within a context of high emissions from the food sector: in 2015, UK net GHG emissions were estimated to be 496 million tonnes (Mt) and the domestic food chain was responsible for 115 Mt CO2 eq. emissions. However, within this overall food chain, very little is known about the sustainability of the baby food sector, with almost no prior literature in the area. The research presented here begins with market research to identify the characteristics of products available in the ready-made food market, in which wet and dry products in jars and pouches dominate sales. Subsequently, 12 representative products are selected from those available on the market and each is assessed in detail to establish its environmental and economic impacts using life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and value added (VA) assessment. The findings of these product-level assessments are then compared to home-made equivalents and finally scaled up according to sales volumes to provide an overall view of the baby food sector as a whole. Wet and dry variants of ready-made porridge products are assessed first as the most commonly consumed breakfast option. The dry product is shown to have 5%-70% the impacts of the wet, on average, and the importance of product formulation is clear: for dry porridge, reformulation could reduce impacts by up to 67%. For the wet porridge, switching from glass jars to plastic pouches is also shown to decrease impacts by up to 89%. Assessment of 11 wet ready-made products demonstrates that the highest impacts are found in spaghetti Bolognese and salmon risotto, and that raw materials are the major hotspot of the life cycle, contributing 12-69%, followed by manufacturing at 2-49%. When combined into a range of weekly diets limited differences are observed between diets, except in cases where dairy-free diets result in compensatory increases in meat consumption. When the aforementioned selection of ready-made products is compared to its home-made equivalent, the home-made options are shown to have lower impacts by 50% to 17 times. This is due to the avoidance of manufacturing and extra packaging stages, as well as shorter supply chains resulting in less waste overall. At the product level, the LCC of ready-made meals ranges from Â£0.08 to Â£0.26 per 125 g product, compared to Â£0.02-Â£0.20 for the home-made equivalents. Value added is, on average, approximately four times higher for ready-made meals than homemade, illustrating the potential profit of the sector. Annually, the ready-made baby food sector has an LCC of Â£40m and carbon footprint of 109 kt CO2 eq. This carbon footprint represents only 0.1% of the UK food and drinks sector. The results of this research show that considerable improvements can be made to the environmental and economic sustainability of baby foods, both ready- and homemade, while home-made options tend to have lower costs and environmental impacts. The outputs provide benchmarking and improvement opportunities for industry and government, as well as insight for consumers.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Kucukvar, Murat. "Sustainability Assessment of U.S. Construction Sectors and Emerging Pavement Designs: An Ecologically Based Life Cycle Assessment." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1302892567.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Amini, Adib. "The Sustainability of Ion Exchange Water Treatment Technology." Scholar Commons, 2017. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6640.

Full text

Abstract:

This research investigated using a life cycle environmental and economic approach to evaluate IX technology for small potable water systems, allowing for the identification and development of process and design improvements that reduce environmental impacts and costs. The main goals were to evaluate conventional IX in terms of life cycle environmental and economic sustainability, develop a method for improving designs of IX systems from a environmental and economic sustainability standpoint, evaluate potential design improvements, and make the research findings accessible to water professionals through user-friendly tools and frameworks that take into account their feedback. This research provides an understanding, from the perspective of life cycle environmental impacts and costs, of the tradeoffs between various reactor designs of IX, the effects of scale, key contributors to impact and cost, design trends that improve sustainability, and how combined cation anion exchange compares to conventional IX. Furthermore, tools were developed that can be used to identify design choices that improve sustainability of IX systems. These tools were made into a user-friendly format to better bridge the gap between research and practice.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Mattsson, Berit. "Environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of agricultural food production /." Alnarp : Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniv.), 1999. http://epsilon.slu.se/avh/1999/91-576-5734-3.pdf.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Lu, Di. "Environmental life cycle driven decision making in product design." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/34843.

Full text

Abstract:

There is growing interest in the assessment of products from a life cycle perspective. Product life cycles are often dominated by extensive chemical supply chains that lead up to the materials contained in the products and the overwhelming contribution that the production of these chemicals make to the overall life cycle due to their energy intensity. Hence, chemical engineers are uniquely positioned to carry out significant components of this assessment because of their skills in chemical process design and analysis. Furthermore, the complexity and extent of life cycle concerns creates opportunities for new process systems tools to be developed to support product design and analysis. The specific thesis objectives are threefold. The first is to develop a systematic methodology to optimize material selections for a product based on life cycle inventory (LCI) characteristics. The second is to use this methodology combined with sustainability assessment standards to assess whether these standards are congruent with life cycle assessment. The third is to develop an approach to design product sustainability assessment standards that are clear and consistent with life cycle principles. The overall contributions will be in the applied domain of life cycle assessment and its integration into standards setting, and in contributions to optimization tools and methods. The three objectives will be illustrated in the domain of carpet systems. Previous research has generated a substantial database of gate-to-gate (GTG) life cycle inventories for various chemicals that make up carpet, extending from the inputs to the final carpet mill back to the natural resources such as oil, natural gas and mined calcium carbonate. Carpet recycling is a promising alternative approach for reducing life cycle impacts and is being practiced at a growing scale in the U.S. This thesis uses the specific individual LCI gate-to-gate blocks for virgin materials and for important carpet recycling and general polymer recycling processes. A database for the GTG LCI will be used to construct a virtual chemical tree that automatically that represents the potential cradle-to-gate (CTG) use of resources. The alternatives for each possible route for the product will be generated, and optimization approaches will be applied to optimize the performance of the carpet system according to life cycle objectives. Sustainability assessment standards are currently being developed for a range of building products, such as carpet, resilient flooring, commercial textile coverings and office furniture. This activity has been stimulated through the considerable success of the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED standard. The LEED Standard is points-based: the building design and construction earns points for having certain attributes or promoting certain activities. The points are totaled and then the building earns a rating based on the total being above a certain threshold. The second thesis objective is met through extending the LCI optimization methodology to represent point-based standards. A product can then be optimized to maximize the number of points it earns or to minimize its life cycle attributes. This approach can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of an emerging carpet sustainability standard, NSF-140, in integrating LCI into the standard. The last objective, standard design, is approached through designing the tables that award points in the standard to be consistent with life cycle information. Certain minimum principles of consistency are articulated and then the designs shown to be consistent with these principles in the case that the life cycle impact assessment method maps the life cycle inventory to impact through a linear weighting.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

Nádasi, Réka. "Life Cycle Assessment development for electrified roads : Case study for Sweden." Thesis, KTH, Byggvetenskap, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-209261.

Full text

Abstract:

The increasing role of sustainability will lead the mobility by road into a more efficient and interactive system between infrastructure, environment and vehicles. The expand of emobility based on Electric Vehicles has been restricted by numerous shortcomings such as their driving range, the battery size, the dependence on charging stations and the time required for its charging. One of the solutions to overcome these limitations is can be the construction of electrified roads. The study compares the most significant opportunities for eRoads as the solutions ofInductive Power Transfer (IPT), conductive track and pantograph in climate change aspect.This thesis is also intended to describe these systems, as they represent different ways for reach electrification of ordinary roads. IPT is a contactless solution which uses the well-known electromagnetic induction principle. Pantograph and conductive track are both conductive solutions. In the first case, it is an overhead solution and for the track, the energy is transferred to the vehicles from a continuous rail embedded in the pavement. The aim of the study is to develop an open and transparent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)framework for electrified roads that could be used for decision support. The main objective is to build a cradle-to-grave LCA model in SimaPro for an electrified highway asphalt road in Sweden.
A fenntarthatóság, fenntartható fejlődés világszerte egyre fontosabb szerephez jut,elősegítve ezáltal azt, hogy hagyományos útburkolatok helyett hatékonyabb, interaktív rendszerek kerüljenek kiépítésre. Ezek az „okos” utak összekapcsolják az infrastruktúrát, akörnyezetet és az embert, mint járművezetőt. Jelenleg, a már hagyományosnak mondható e-közlekedésnek – mely az elektromos autók használatán alapul – számos hátrányafigyelhető meg. Többek között a korlátozott vezetési távolság és akkumulátor méret,valamint a töltési lehetőségektől és töltésidőtől való függés. Ezek leküzdésének egyik módja lehet a villamosított utak építése és elterjedése. A tanulmány célja egy nyílt, átlátható és könnyen kezelhető életciklus-elemzés (LCA) keretrendszer kiépítése a villamosított utak számára, mint döntéstámogató rendszer ajövőbeli beruházásokhoz. Ez egy svédországi villamosított autópálya, SimaPro programbanlétesített életciklus-elemzés modell építésével kerül bemutatásra. A dolgozat a három legjelentősebb típusú rendszereket hasonlítja össze a klímaváltozást befolyásoló hatások tekintetében. Ezek az indukció elvén alapuló IPT, a vezető pálya és a pantográf megoldások. A tanulmány szintén hivatott bemutatni a rendszereket, minthogyezek merőben különböző elveken alapuló megoldásokkal érik el a hagyományos utakvillamosítását. Míg elektro-mágneses töltés elvén alapuló rendszer a kontakt nélküli megoldások közé tartozik, addig a másik két rendszer álladó fizikai kapcsolatot igényel a jármű és a töltési rendszer elemei között.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Olea, Perez Rafael. "Analysis of sustainability in the pig production chain : life cycle assessment of contrasting scenarios." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/998.

Full text

Abstract:

This research investigated the environmental impact of the pig production chain by modelling contrasting scenarios. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and scenario analysis methodologies were used to reveal the main opportunities to improve sustainability. Pig production systems were modelled in two countries (The UK and Mexico), each with a standard production system and on alternative system. This gave four scenarios which were different in the degree of integration that exist between pig and crop production and were then specified in detail to allow for comparison of environmental impact. This study used two strategies to analyse the four scenarios: A pre-assessment facilitated the construction of the system boundary and clarified the processes and commodities which should be included in the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI). A hybrid-LCA method combined a detailed collection of environmental burdens (e-burdens) from the main sources (process-LCA) and a broad compilation of e-burdens from indirect sources (Economic Input Output-LCA). The pre-assessment, conducted as a general LCA, explored novel techniques to construct the system boundary and explore the supply chains in detail. This step clarified the importance of the supply chains of different commodities that are used in the pig farm. The importance of previously reported commodities and processes that mainly contribute to the environmental impact, i.e. feed consumption and manure fermentation were confirmed. Novel findings included the importance of the environmental impacts of goods and services, i.e. machinery, equipment, disinfectants and medicines, that have negligible weight in the impact of environmental indicators that are traditionally analysed (global warming, acidification and eutrophication). The inclusion of novel indicators, such as ozone depression and ecotoxicity to water and soil, demonstrated the importance of including in the LCA those commodities and indicators that have been excluded in many previous studies on the sustainability of pig production. Subsequently, the hybrid-LCA method allowed the expansion of the system boundary of the LCA in a detailed evaluation of each scenario. Results showed the UK scenarios to be superior in management of nutrient flow, by manure management and good agricultural practice. Opportunities to capture methane and recycle nutrients for crop production in the Mexican scenarios were highlighted. In contrast, reduction in machinery and equipment use and fuel consumption were the main opportunities which emerged for the UK scenarios. In addition, specific opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of different pig supply chain sectors were identified in each scenario. In conclusion, the EIO-LCA method allowed for an extension of the traditional system boundary of the LCA, to encompass those e-impacts that have not been included in previous studies. The contrasting of different scenarios allowed emphasis to be placed on opportunities to reduce environmental impact of pig production by highlighting the main challenges in each case. This avoids the controversial issue of denoting a set of specific e-impacts that then favour one production system over another.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Sims, Roland. "Life cycle sustainability assessment of the electrification of residential heat supply in UK cities." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/life-cycle-sustainability-assessment-of-the-electrification-of-residential-heat-supply-in-uk-cities(e718a19c-56e7-4f3f-a4ad-b0a9b7b34600).html.

Full text

Abstract:

The recent revival of urban living in the UK has been stimulated by many different factors, including life style choices and government policies. This has led to a rapid increase in the number of apartments in the UK cities. This increased density living has also brought about various changes in the city infrastructure, including the way energy is supplied to residential buildings. The recent trend of ‘electrification of heat’ represents one of these changes, whereby electricity rather than natural gas is now typically being used for space and water heating as well as for cooking. Further growth in electricity demand has been predicted in the governments Carbon Plan with the increased use of all-electric systems including heat pumps for domestic heat. This will in turn impact the environment since electricity supplied in the UK is predominantly based on fossil fuels and contributes to significant greenhouse gas (GHG) and other emissions. However, greater penetration of renewable sources in the future would be expected to reduce GHGs. This would also help to improve the security of supply through diversification of energy sources. On the other hand, there are concerns that increasing reliance on electricity could lead to fuel poverty for a greater section of society. Thus, it is not immediately clear whether the change from gas to electricity would contribute to the sustainability or otherwise of energy supply in the UK residential sector. Therefore, this research has set out to understand better the implications of the electrification of heat in the urban residential sector by examining the trade-offs between environmental impacts, techno-economic costs and social aspects. This work therefore goes beyond the previous research that has typically focused solely on GHG emissions and energy pay-back times of different energy options. This is also the first time as far as the author is aware that the sustainability of the electrification of heat in cities are analysed in depth. Various tools have been used for these purposes, including life cycle assessment (LCA), indoor air quality monitoring (IAQ), life cycle costing (LCC), social surveys (SS), scenario analysis (SA) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA).Assuming all sustainability aspects considered here to be equally important, the most sustainable option is the district heating system. All-electric heat-providing systems (electric panel, electric storage, and air source heat pumps) have on average 2.5 times higher environmental impacts than gas-based systems (individual gas boiler, solar thermal and gas, district heating and community CHP systems). The techno-economic costs of all-electric systems are 80% that of the district heating system – however, fuel cost and demand changes increase substantially all-electric system cost vulnerability. Gas-based systems are widely accepted and valued - all-electric systems while a ‘good fit’ for particular city homes - have greater social impacts including affordability. If the proposed decarbonisation of electricity generation is realised, the global warming potential from electric heat-providing systems could be reduced to a 1/10th of present emission levels by 2050 increasing electrification of heat sustainability. Therefore, the choice of the most sustainable heat-providing options in the future, including that of the ‘electrification of heat’, will depend on the extent of the decarbonisation of the UK electricity supply and the relative importance placed on sustainability impacts by different stakeholders.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

Södergren, Jacob. "The Impact of a Teracom Group Product From a Life Cycle Perspective." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-118479.

Full text

Abstract:

All kinds of products have economic, social and environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle. Today’s growing need for electronic devices contributes to the increasing problem within these fields. The aim of this study is to investigate and determine the impact of a chosen Teracom Group product from a sustainability perspective and to develop recommendations regarding how to proceed, in order to reduce the impact of products. This study is mainly focusing on the environmental aspect of the concept of sustainability. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of a set-top box (STB) is conducted based on chosen indicators by using the software SimaPro. The goal of the assessment is to identify the phases within the life cycle with largest environmental impact and contribute to Teracom Group’s further sustainable work. 18 impact categories are included to express emissions and use of natural resources. The result clearly shows that the production phase has the largest environmental impact within categories such as terrestrial acidification, human toxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, urban land occupation and metal resource depletion. The use phase affects the environment foremost within climate change, ozone depletion, terrestrial ecotoxicity, ionising radiation, agricultural land use, natural land transformation and water depletion. Transports and the waste scenario only have a small effect on certain categories. The experiences of this study are discussed, demonstrating the difficulty in making an LCA in the position of being at the company purchasing products, not at the company manufacturing them. The company has previously not focused enough on sustainability regarding products. An LCA performed by the supplier would be more reliable due to a better possibility of collecting accurate data. Communication and cooperation between the company and its suppliers are key solutions. Higher requirements during procurement should be put on the products, including demands on performed LCAs with clearly described references and methods, critically review by a third party.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Dolfato, Edoardo. "Life Cycle Assessment of railway infrastructure: definition of the methodology, elaboration of environmental data and development of life cycle inventory datasets." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2021.

Find full text

Abstract:

Sustainability is now a key concept in the infrastructure sector, and an increasing number of projects are being developed with this view. For this reason, sustainability in the construction must be pursued by analyzing the multiple impacts on economic, social and environmental levels during all processes of the life cycle of the infrastructure. It is necessary, therefore, that the decision-making process at the basis of the project design is informed by data on impacts determined by the choices that are made. This thesis work promotes the use of life cycle assessment data in the design phase of railways infrastructures, being part of the BIM for Rail-LCA project with the aim of defining a methodological framework for the assessment of the environmental footprint of railway infrastructures and developing specific inventories and datasets. The methodological framework identified is compliance with the ISO 14040-44 and to the EN 15804. Furthermore, the PCR Railways 2013, the PEF methodology and the PEFCR Guidance are identified as additional references to further specify some methodological aspects. The development of the inventories was carried out in accordance with the defined framework. For the development of the datasets, the ILCD format is used, considering the ILCD Entry level requirements as a reference for data quality. The development of the inventories and datasets was made possible by means of a data collection carried out with an analysis of the scientific literature and with a series of meetings held with the designers of the Italferr company. Using this information and data, it was possible to develop 8 different inventories and related LCIA, and 3 specific datasets for the trench, embankment and track structures. The data collection activities allowed a good level of information to be revealed and, also, several gaps were identified, which deserve further activities in terms of data and information collection and development.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

Santoyo, Castelazo Edgar. "Sustainability assessment of electricity options for Mexico : current situation and future scenarios." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2011. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/sustainability-assessment-of-electricity-options-for-mexicocurrent-situation-and-future-scenarios(5be5bc3d-5e28-4d53-b7f3-2ebc1c1ba341).html.

Full text

Abstract:

The aim of this research has been to identify the most sustainable options for electricity production in Mexico with an outlook to 2050. An integrated methodology for sustainability assessment of different electricity technologies and scenarios has been developed, taking into account environmental, economic and social aspects. The environmental impacts have been estimated using life cycle assessment; the economic costs considered include total capital and annualised costs while social aspects include security and diversity of energy supply, public acceptability, health and safety impacts and intergenerational issues. To help identify the most sustainable options, multi-criteria decision analysis has been used. The methodology has been applied to Mexican conditions for the assessment of both current and future electricity production. The results for the current situation show that on a life cycle basis 129 million tonnes of CO2 eq. are emitted annually from 225 TWh of electricity generated in Mexico. Heavy fuel oil, gas and coal power plants contribute together to 87% of CO2 eq. emissions. Total annualised costs are estimated at US$ 22.4 billion/yr with the fuel costs contributing 54%, mainly due to the operation of gas and heavy fuel oil power plants. A range of future scenarios up to 2050 has been developed in an attempt to identify the most sustainable options. The development of the scenarios has been driven and informed by the national greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 50% by 2050 on the 2000 levels, translating to an 85% reduction from the power sector. The results show that the business as usual (BAU) scenario (with the highest contribution from fossil fuels) is the least sustainable option with the CO2 eq. emissions increasing by almost 300% and the annualised costs by 290% for a projected electricity demand of 813 TWh in 2050. Overall, the most sustainable scenarios are those with higher penetration of renewable energies (wind, solar and hydro) and nuclear power, as in Green, A-3 and C-3. For example, compared to the BAU scenarios, the CO2 eq. emissions reduce by 84%, 89% and 89%, respectively. Although renewable energy based scenarios require high capital costs, the total annualised costs even out over time due to lower fuel costs. The lowest annualised costs are for C-3 scenario, representing a 40% reduction on BAU. With respect to social issues, the BAU scenario is also the least preferred option with the highest risks related to security and diversity of supply, health and safety and climate change. The most sustainable options are scenarios A-3 and Green, with social barriers related to public acceptability, reliability of supply and availability of energy resource. Most critical aspects for scenario C-3 are health and safety risks, and intergenerational issues related to nuclear power. Therefore, the Mexican Government should aim to strengthen the current low carbon energy policies as well as put measures in place to encourage reducing the electricity demand. In the case of the energy policy driver focusing on climate change mitigation or annualised costs, scenarios A-3 and C-3 are the most sustainable options.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Bryce, James Matthew. "Applying Pavement Life Cycle Assessment Results to Enhance Sustainable Pavement Management Decision Making." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/64335.

Full text

Abstract:

Sustainable pavement management implies maintaining acceptable condition of pavements while also considering the tradeoff between cost, environmental impacts and social impacts of pavement investments. Typical pavement management practices only consider economic considerations, and environmental mitigation techniques are employed after the selection of the maintenance action is complete. This dissertation presents a series of papers that demonstrate the impact of decision making on the environmental impact of the pavements both at the project and network levels of pavement management. An analysis was conducted of two models that relate pavement properties to vehicle rolling resistance and fuel consumption. These models were used, along with other tools to evaluate the impact of including the use phase of a pavement into pavement lifecycle assessments. A detailed project level lifecycle assessment was conducted, and it was found that the vehicles on the pavement during the use phase contribute the most to environmental pollutants by a significant margin over other phases of the lifecycle. Thus, relatively small improvements in the factors which contribute to rolling resistance may significantly influence the environmental impacts of the pavement. Building on this, a network level lifecycle assessment method was proposed to probabilistically quantify energy consumption for a given set of expected maintenance actions. It was shown that, although maintenance actions require a certain amount of energy consumption, this energy can be offset by improved road conditions leading to reduced rolling resistance. However, this tradeoff of reduced energy consumption also includes increased costs for a given network condition. In other words, the lowest energy consumption values did not tend to fall along the line defined by minimizing the cost divided by the pavement condition. In order to demonstrate how this tradeoff should be addressed, a novel decision analysis framework was developed, and implemented on a specific pavement network. Finally, a survey of transportation professionals was evaluated to determine their optimal points within the solution space defined by minimizing costs and energy consumption while maximizing pavement condition. It was found that the solution space could be greatly reduced by implementing their responses using the proposed decision analysis framework.
Ph. D.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Prescott, Steven George. "Exploring the sustainability of open-water marine, integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, using life-cycle assessment." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/28269.

Full text

Abstract:

Among efforts to develop sustainable approaches towards the intensive rearing of finfish within open marine waters, is the development of integrated aquaculture techniques. Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), has been promoted as a way to reduce unwanted environmental impacts associated with the intensive production of marine finfish within net-pens. The principle aim of this concept, is the bioremediation of nutrient discharges from fish aquaculture. This is to be achieved by integrating fish cultivation with the growing of species from lower trophic levels, which use the nutrient discharges as a food source. Many studies have been performed that investigate the ability of various species of macroalgae to remove dissolved nutrient discharges, and the ability bivalves to remove solid-bound nutrients, presented as either fish faeces, or an enhanced production of phytoplankton that may be promoted by nutrients emitted by fish-farms. IMTA has also been suggested as a means to improve overall productivity per unit of feed applied to fish, through the conversion of nutrient emissions into additional biomass, such as the tissues of macroalgae or bivalves. Within the research community which focuses upon the environmental impacts of aquaculture, there is a growing awareness that sustainable solutions to aquaculture production cannot be realised through a focus restricted to the growing-phase, and to a limited set of environmental impacts which may this activity may produce. This is because changes to a specific production phase often promote changes at phases located elsewhere along a products value chain. Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA), is a method employed for modelling the environmental impacts that may potentially be generated across the value chain of a product. It is particularly useful for identifying instances of environmental impact shifting; a term used to describe situations where efforts to reduce the contribution of a specific production phase towards one or more environmental impacts, has the effect of either displacing this contribution to another phase, or increases the contribution of production towards different environmental impacts. Despite its apparent suitability, LCA has not previously been fully applied to the environmental impact modelling of open-water IMTA systems. The work presented in the following thesis advances this research front, by using LCA to explore the potential for environmental problem shifting occurring as a consequence of replacing intensive monoculture production, with IMTA. Comprehensive datasets have been acquired from the Chilean aquaculture industry, describing the production of aquafeed and Salmo salar, as well as for the production of the Phaeophytic macroalga, Macrocystis pyrifera, and the molluscan bivalve, Mytilus chilensis. Using LCA methodology, the production of salmon feed, and the production of S.salar, M.pyrifera and M.chilensis, have been assessed for their capacity to contribute towards a variety of global-scale, environmental impacts. IMTA consisting of either S.salar and M.pyrifera, S.salar and M.chilensis, or all three of these species, and combined at ratios required for a bioremediation efficiency of 100 %, 50%, or 20 % of either nitrogen or phosphorous emission from fish, is compared to the monoculture production of S.salar. The comparison is based upon a standardised functional unit, with each species produced through IMTA, being modelled as part of the reference flow required to fulfil the functional unit. Monoculture is compared to IMTA upon the basis of nutritional function, by using a functional unit of mass-adjusted protein content, and mass-adjusted economic value. The use of economic value is based upon the ‘best-case’ assumption, that it serves as a proxy for the total nutritional function that each product offers to human society. The LCAs presented in this study have produced a number of results. Salmon ingredients derived from agricultural crops and animals account for the majority (between 71 % to 98 %) of contributions towards the impacts of compound salmon feed. In general, agricultural crops ingredients contribute more to these impacts than do agricultural animal ingredients, and account for between 31 % and 87 % of the contributions from all ingredients and inputs. In contrast, the combined supply of fish meal and fish oil from capture fisheries is responsible for between 0.13 % and 11 % of all impacts. Vegetable oil accounts for the vast majority of contributions from ingredients derived from agricultural crops. Vegetable oil is modelled as a 50 : 50 blend of sunflower oil and rapeseed, oil, but sunflower oil accounts not only for most of the contributions from vegetable oil, it is responsible for over 50 % of the contributions that all agricultural crop based ingredients contributes towards some impact categories. Replacing sunflower oil with rapeseed oil reduces the contributions of salmon feed by between 6 % and 24 % across 10 out of the 11 impact categories. When compared upon the basis of equal weight, the contributions of fish oil are between 18 % and 99 % lower than those from rapeseed oil. The production of feed is responsible for the majority of contributions (between 32 % and 86 % ) to all impacts of salmon grow-out production. The production of salmon-smolts accounts for between 3 % and 18 %. The majority (64 %) of contributions towards the eutrophication potential of salmon production are from nutrient emissions, which are the result of fish metabolism, whilst nutrients released through the production of feed, the majority of these being from the agricultural production of crop and animals, account for 32 %. Feed production is also a major contributor to the impacts of land-based smolt production, but these contributions (between 12 % and 37 % across all impact categories) are of a lower magnitude than those from the supply of feed to the grow-out phase. Inputs of salt, and inputs of both electricity produced in a diesel power generator and obtained from the national electricity network, are also notable contributors (between 5 % and 67 %, 4 % and 29 %, and 2 % 47 %, respectively) towards the impacts of smolt-production. The main contributors towards the potential impacts of kelp grow-out production (excluding eutrophication potential) are the supply of infrastructure (between 14 % and 89 %), operation of a diesel-powered motorboat for maintenance purposes (between 1 % and 89 %), and the supply ‘of seeded cartridges’ (between 9 and 49 %). The major contributors from the production of ‘seeded cartriges’ in a land-based facility are the supply of electricity from the national electricity network, the supply of fresh water, and the treatment of waste water. The impact potentials of producing seed in this facility might be reduced if the scale of operation is increased. Removal of nitrogen and phosphorous upon the harvesting of kelp is calculated based upon kelp tissue contents of these nutrients. The harvesting of 200 tonnes ha / yr-1, results in a eutrophic potential with a negative value (-376.51 kg of phosphate equivalents). The removal of such a quantity of nutrients might be beneficial if the local marine environment is at risk of hypernutrification, but when no such problem is present, the potential for undesirable consequences of nutrient sequestration should be considered. The major contributor towards the impacts of mussels is the provision of infrastructure (between 25 % and 99.5 %, excluding eutrophication potential). Infrastructure is also responsible for the majority of contributions from mussel seed production. The provision of cotton mesh bags, which are used to aid attatchment of seed to drop-ropes in the grow-out phase, account for between 37% and 99 % of the contributions from the infrastructure from the grow-out phase. This result suggest that either the impacts of mussel production can be reduced by using an alternative material with lower environmental impact potentials, or the inventory data describing the producing of cottonmesh bags requires some improvement. The outcomes of the LCAs of the different IMTA scenarios, are interesting. The results show that choice of species, and the ratios of their combination as required for the different efficiencies of bioremediation, can have a significant effect upon the comparison between IMTA and monoculture.
The study demonstrates a potential for environmental problem shifting as being a consequence of IMTA, especially when the functional unit is mass-adjusted economic value. As bioremediation efficiency increases, contributions towards eutrophication decrease. However, this reduction is achieved at the cost of increasing the contributions of IMTA towards those impact categories, such as ‘ozone layer depletion,’ for which it has a greater contribution than does monoculture. In general, it cannot be concluded from these results that open-water IMTA represents a more sustainable alternative to the monoculture production of Atlantic salmon. The sustainability of IMTA is shown to be dependent upon a variety of trade-offs, between individual environmental impacts, and between these impacts and the nutritional function that the system is capable of providing.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

Säberg, Mikael. "Sustainability of Artificial Turf Fields : Comparative life cycle assessment of artificial and natural turf fields." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Industriell miljöteknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-177901.

Full text

Abstract:

Soccer accounts for a third of the Swedish sports movement with 3 503 fields of both natural and artificial turf. The European Union will make a decision in 2021 on how to handle the issue of rubber performance infill. This infill can be found in artificial turf fields and are used for performance properties. The problem with this infill is the microplastics that spreads into the nature which is considered as toxic. Because of this the EU have decided to either ban or provide mandatory rules to reduce the spread of rubber performance infill. The north and the majority of Sweden’s climate is not adapted for play of soccer on natural turf according to FIFA, and EU want to ban or provide mandatory rules for artificial turfs. This action from the EU can perturb the entire Swedish sports movement since soccer accounts for a third of that movement. This study was therefore created to show if artificial turf fields are as bad for the environment as rumours has said compared with the natural turfs. To investigate this, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed regarding the global warming potential (GWP) and embodied water consumption for three different field types: an artificial turf field with recycled SBR, an artificial turf field with cork and a natural turf field. The result visualised that a natural turf field had the highest embodied water consumption and the highest impact on the GWP of a ten-year life cycle while the artificial turf field with recycled SBR had the least embodied water consumption and the least impact on the GWP. The findings of this LCA were that Sweden for the moment is dependent on artificial turf and the rubber performance infill, since the material properties are the best adapted to their climate. Therefore, a ban would be a risk for the Swedish sports movement. It was also revealed that natural turf fields in Sweden consumes at least 50 % municipal drinking water when irrigate. The high GWP impact came from the production of fertilisers (NPK). This report has shown how artificial turf and natural turf can work together in an industrial symbiosis by making the artificial turf field constructed to collect rainwater and use that water to irrigate the natural turf with.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Ghosh, Tapajyoti. "Integrated sustainability assessment and design of processes, supply chains, ecosystems and economy using life cycle modeling methods." The Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1563480013206943.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

Ximenes, Naves Alex. "Whole Life Sustainability Assessment at the Building Industry and Constructed Assets, through the Whole Life Costing Assessment and Life Cycle Costing Assessment evaluating the economic and financial aspects." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/670202.

Full text

Abstract:

Els edificis d’energia neta poden ser entesos com a edificis, que durant un temps determinat generen tanta energia com consumeixen. Ja sigui des del punt de vista de l’oferta o el consum, la disponibilitat d’energia està relacionada amb alguns aspectes bàsics, com ara la font (s), la conversió, la distribució, l’ús, el malbaratament, l’optimització, l’eficiència i l’autonomia. Aquests temes revelen la complexitat del tema de l'energia i justifiquen l'atenció especial que li dóna la comunitat acadèmica. Per obtenir resultats tangibles en l'anàlisi d'aquests sistemes, en el nostre estudi ens centrem en la modelització i optimització de solucions energètiques aplicades a edificis o sistemes similars. D'altra banda, el període de temps dels objectes analitzats es va estendre fins al seu període de cicle de vida previst. Es van establir els objectius principals com: - Verificar i analitzar l’estat de la tecnologia de les energies renovables per a edificis i actius construïts i l’aplicabilitat de l’anàlisi de costos del cicle de vida a aquests temes; - Configurar models reproductibles d’edificis i les seves principals càrregues elèctriques, mitjançant eines d’enginyeria de processos assistits per ordinador, per procedir a simulacions i optimització, considerant-se com a font d’energia primària l’energia solar; - Quantificar, utilitzant estudis de casos reals i hipotètics, els beneficis de les solucions proposades, amb l'objectiu de realitzar tota l'avaluació de la sostenibilitat de la vida mitjançant la reducció de tot el cost del cicle de vida;
Los edificios de energía de red cero pueden entenderse como edificios, que durante un tiempo dado generan tanta energía como consumen. O bien, desde el punto de vista del suministro o el consumo, la disponibilidad de energía está relacionada con algunos problemas básicos, como las fuentes, la conversión, la distribución, la utilización, el desperdicio, la optimización, la eficiencia y la autonomía. Estos problemas revelan la complejidad del tema de la energía y justifican la atención especial que le presta la comunidad académica. Para obtener resultados tangibles en el análisis de estos sistemas, en nuestro estudio nos centramos en el modelado y la optimización de soluciones energéticas aplicadas a edificios o sistemas similares. Por otro lado, el período de tiempo de los objetos analizados se extendió a su período de ciclo de vida esperado. Los objetivos principales se establecieron como: - Verificar y analizar el estado de la técnica de las soluciones de energía renovable para edificios y activos construidos y la aplicabilidad del análisis de costos de ciclo de vida a estas cuestiones; - Configure modelos reproducibles de edificios y sus principales cargas eléctricas, a través de herramientas de Ingeniería de Procesos Asistidos por Computadora, para proceder a simulaciones y optimización, considerando como fuente de energía primaria la energía solar;
Net-zero energy buildings can be understood as buildings, that for a given time, generate as much energy as they consume. Either, from the point of view of supply or consumption, energy availability is related to some basic issues such as source (s), conversion, distribution, utilization, waste, optimization, efficiency and autonomy. These issues reveal the complexity of the subject of energy and justify the special attention given to it by the academic community. To obtain tangible results in the analysis of these systems, in our study we focus on the modelling and optimization of energy solutions applied to buildings or similar systems. On the other hand, the time frame of the analysed objects was extended to their expected life cycle period. The main objectives were stablished as: - Verify and analyse the state-of-the-art of renewable energy solutions for buildings and constructed assets and the applicability of life cycle costing analysis to these issues; - Configure reproducible models of buildings and their main electrical loads, via Computer Aided Process Engineering tools, to proceed simulations and optimization, considering as primary energy source solar energy; - Quantify, using real-life and hypothetical case studies, the benefits of the proposed solutions, aiming the whole life sustainability assessment through the reduction of the whole life cycle costing; and - Guarantee the reproducibility of the models and main general results of this study and make them public, to contribute with their applicability and further researches.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Storfeldt, Moqvist Tim. "Environmental Impact of a Portable Photo Flash - Using Life Cycle Assessment Methodology." Thesis, KTH, Kemiteknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-275710.

Full text

Abstract:

This study was about performing an LCA on a portable flash unit, C1, made by Profoto. The goal was to get an overview of the environmental impact of the C1 and to investigate hotspots in the production and/or use phase of the C1. The results from the LCA would then be compared by LCAs made on similar products such as the C1, and in this LCA study the comparison was made on two different lamps, LED and CFL lamps. The reason for this is because no other LCA could be found on portable flash units and therefore LED and CFL lamps were chosen instead being the second closest product with the same function as the C1, to create light. The functional unit chosen in this LCA was 1 lumen-hour, which was the same functional unit used by the LED/CFL lamps, and CML 2001 method was used for life cycle impact assessment. In this study only the production and use phase were analyzed and no further investigation were made on the end of life phase of the C1.The whole LCA system has been analyzed and designed by using the GaBi LCA software, and literature studies on both other LCAs and datasheets was used to gather key manufacturing steps of each component of the C1 and rescaled to fit inside the given system boundaries. From the results given, a conclusion can be made that the battery and the reflector, being two components found in the C1, had the highest contribution in environmental impacts, which is mainly due to the fact that these two components had the highest consumption of electricity. The production phase was the phase with the highest impact in all the chosen impact categories, and stood for 88-99% of the total impacts, while the use phase had an overall low contribution.A scenario analysis was also made where the use phase was changed to three different countries, changing the electricity grid mix used during the use phase. This was done to see whether these changes would influence the overall results of the LCA, and to see whether the use phase still had a low impact compared to the production phase. The results achieved showed a very small change in the overall results in all the chosen impact categories for this study, only increasing the results with 1-3%. With this a conclusion was made that changing the use phase would not affect the overall results of this LCA, the fact being that the production phase stood for the higher contribution in all of the impact categories.Looking at the comparison part, the C1 had a lower impact in 3 out of the 5 chosen impact categories, compared to the LED/CFL lamps. Here the C1 had a lower impact in the Global Warming Potential- (GWP 100), Eutrophication Potential-(EP) and Ozone layer Depletion Potential-(ODP) impact category, while having a higher impact in the Human Toxicity Potential- (HTP) and Acidification Potential- (AP) impact categories, concluding that the C1 has an overall lower impact compared to CFL/LED lamps. The reason for the higher impacts in these two categories was mainly because of the usage of the aluminum reflector, which was the reason for the high impact in the HTP impact category.For future studies Profoto could look over the possibility to exchange the reflector, which was made out of aluminum, for another material, since this could reduce both the cost and environmental impact of the C1. The possibility of exchanging the battery would also be a possible future investigation, since it is the battery which decides the life span of the C1. Being able to exchange the battery would improve the life span of the C1. Investigations regarding the end-of-life phase of the C1 would also be recommended, since many of the components are made out of plastic, which could be recycled. Profoto should also continue making LCAs on their other products and compare the results to the C1, since this would give a better comparison to the C1 with products more similar to itself.
Detta examensarbete handlade om att utföra en Livscykelanalys på Profoto’s produkt C1. Denna produkt är en portabel blixtenhet som kan kopplas tillsammans med mobiltelefoner och producera professionella bilder, genom att producera blixtljus för att skapa mer levande bilder med telefonen. Målet var att ge Profoto en bättre förståelse kring hur deras produkt påverka miljön utifrån produktionsfasen och användningsfasen, samt hur dom i framtiden kan arbeta för att få ner dessa miljöpåverkningar. Dessa resultat jämfördes också med andra livscykelanalyser som gjorts på liknande produkter, men eftersom ingen analys kunde hittas på portabla blixtenheter, blev jämförelsen med C1:an istället med LED och CFL lampor. Detta eftersom dessa produkter har samma funktion som C1:an, vilket är att producera ljus. Dessutom användes en godtycklig funktionsenhet i analyserna kring LED/CFL lamporna som kunde appliceras på C1:an. I denna livscykelanalys användes programmet GaBi där databaser och processer användes för att återskapa produktionskedjan av diverse komponenter, vilka alla produceras i Kina. Dessutom återskapades användningsfasen, vilket utspelade sig i Sverige. Den metod som använts i denna livscykelanalys var CML 2001 metoden. Denna metod valdes för de analyser som gjordes på LED och CFL lampor använde denna metod. Resultaten visade att de komponenter som tillförde mest till miljöpåverkan var batteriet och reflektorn då dessa krävde mer konsumtion av el än de andra. Det visade sig också att C1:an hade lägre påverkan på tre utav de fem kategorier som valts från CML 2001 metoden. Dessa tre kategorier var Global Warming Potential- (GWP 100), Eutrophication Potential-(EP) and Ozone layer Depletion Potential- (ODP) kategorierna, medan de kategorier där C1:an hade en högre påverkan var Human Toxicity Potential- (HTP) och Acidification Potential.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Lan, Tian. "MATHEMATICAL MODELING FOR PLATFORM-BASED PRODUCT CONFIGURATION CONSIDERING TOTAL LIFE-CYCLE SUSTAINABILITY." UKnowledge, 2015. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/me_etds/56.

Full text

Abstract:

Many companies are using platform-based product designs to fulfill the requirements of customers while maintaining low cost. However, research that integrates sustainability into platform-based product design is still limited. Considering sustainability during platform-based design process is a challenge because the total life-cycle from pre-manufacturing, manufacturing and use to post-use stages as well as economic, environmental and societal performance in these stages must be considered. In this research, an approach for quantifying sustainability is introduced and a mathematical model is developed for identifying a more sustainable platform. Data from life-cycle assessment is used to quantify environmental factors; criteria from the Product Sustainability Index (ProdSI) are used to quantify societal factors. The Analytic Hierarchical Process method is used to assess relative importance of societal factors and the weighted sum method is used in the objective function for overall multi-objective optimization. A bicycle platform configuration will be used as a case study to demonstrate the application of the model. The relationship between commonality of the platform and sustainability performance is analyzed.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Greening, Benjamin Paul. "Life cycle environmental and economic sustainability assessment of micro-generation technologies in the UK domestic sector." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2014. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/life-cycle-environmental-and-economic-sustainability-assessment-of-microgeneration-technologies-in-the-uk-domestic-sector(ed331530-598c-45bf-8f1f-4e142814bf20).html.

Full text

Abstract:

This research has assessed the environmental and economic sustainability of domestic micro-generation technologies under UK conditions as both individual technologies and as part of a range of future energy supply scenarios for the domestic sector extending to 2050. A life cycle approach has been used for both environmental and economic assessment considering the relevant sustainability impacts, which include global warming potential, the depletion of fossil fuels, human toxicity and life cycle cost. The micro-generation technologies studied were selected on the basis of their ability to contribute to current and future energy supply and also their suitability under UK conditions. These technologies were micro-wind, solar photovoltaics, micro-combined heat and power, heat pumps and solar thermal water heating. The technologies were compared with one another and with the incumbent technologies, which were grid electricity and natural gas condensing boilers. Three journal papers have been published as a result of this research. The evaluation of micro-generation technologies on a life cycle basis indicated that despite reducing certain environmental impacts, all technologies increased at least one and as many as eight environmental impacts compared to their current fossil-fuel alternatives. All micro-generation technologies would reduce global warming and fossil fuel depletion compared to conventional technologies, highlighting their potential to contribute to energy policy goals. However, they cannot currently compete with conventional technologies for capital cost, although their life cycle costs – taking into account incentives from schemes such as Feed-in Tariffs – can be competitive. Considering both environmental and economic implications suggested that Stirling engine micro-combined heat and power is one of the most sustainable options for heat and electricity generation. The results also suggested that heat pumps should not be receiving incentives from the Government due to their poor environmental performance. Four potential future energy supply scenarios for the UK domestic sector were studied extending to 2050. The scenarios varied in terms of the level of effort made to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of the sector. Scenario 1 involved no further implementation of micro-generation beyond 2009, increasing energy demand and a grid electricity dominated by fossil fuels. In contrast, Scenario 4 portrayed a future where there is 1 micro-generation technology per dwelling, a 50% reduction in demand and almost complete decarbonisation of the grid mix. The results indicated that a huge transformation of the sector is required to achieve the 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. This would include halving energy demand, almost complete decarbonisation of grid electricity and the installation of a micro-generation unit in every dwelling. To conclude, despite the level of interest micro-generation is currently receiving, this work suggested their usage may not necessarily be as beneficial as some believe. Their use does reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption; however, to have any influence on energy policy goals this use would have to be widespread. Furthermore, reduced emissions will come at the expense of other environmental impacts. Finally, with a number of the technologies not yet cost competitive – even with incentives – the Government focus on measures to reduce demand and decarbonise the grid may prove to be a better option as this work suggested that energy policy goals could be achieved without high penetration of micro-generation.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

Ghose, Agneta. "Life Cycle Assessment of an Active House : Sustainability concepts by integrating energy, environment and well-being." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for bygg, anlegg og transport, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-19316.

Full text

Abstract:

An emerging interest in constructing ultra low energy buildings, with low impact materials and maximizing the potential of using renewable energy reflects the potential in building industry to significantly contribute towards reducing environmental impacts. Life cycle assessments of the different green building prototypes provide a means to estimate the impacts of such buildings as well as provide suggestive improvements. The Active house in Stjørdal, Norway is one such prototype of a green building. This is a single family residence which is built with a concept of solar architecture in ultra low-energy buildings. It is challenging to harness solar energy at high latitudes. The Active house uses the fundamental construction details for a Passive house as mentioned in Norwegian regulatory standard, with specific changes in increasing the glazed surface to promote passive solar heat gain as well as increase daylighting , but also making it vulnerable to heat loss. The house is based on timber framework. Apart from electricity the house uses solar collectors which are connected to the hot water storage and hydronic floor heating. Space heating is also compensated by use of wood stoves. In the LCA results suggest that, based on the construction the Active house requires ten percent more energy than an equivalent Passive house which uses only electricity and wood. However, due to the effectivity of the solar collectors, it compensates for the need of the extra energy and in a lifetime of 60 years, it performs 15 % better , contributing to lesser environmental impacts than an equivalent Passive house. It is understood that extra embodied energy does not affect the environmental performance of a building if it results in better environmental performance (1). However, it is important to create demonstrable value of the building for the end user. Lifecycle assessment results from simulated operational use carries considerable error with respect to how the building actually performs. The results in this study have also been estimated with an approximate error factor derived from previous studies (2). There is a necessity to make every stakeholder of the building participative in the functioning of the building, inclusive of the end user, and maintaining the well-being. The case has also been scored in the basic categories of a sustainibility certification, with the results available from the lifecycle assessment and energy simulation.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Ahmadi, Achachlouei Mohammad. "Exploring the Effects of ICT on Environmental Sustainability: From Life Cycle Assessment to Complex Systems Modeling." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Miljöstrategisk analys (fms), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-171443.

Full text

Abstract:

The production and consumption of information and communication technology (ICT) products and services continue to grow worldwide. This trend is accompanied by a corresponding increase in electricity use by ICT, as well as direct environmental impacts of the technology. Yet a more complicated picture of ICT’s effects is emerging. Positive indirect effects on environmental sustainability can be seen in substitution and optimization (enabling effects), and negative indirect effects can be seen in additional demand due to efficiency improvements (rebound effects). A variety of methods can be employed to model and assess these direct and indirect effects of ICT on environmental sustainability. This doctoral thesis explores methods of modeling and assessing environmental effects of ICT, including electronic media. In a series of five studies, three methods were at times applied in case studies and at others analyzed theoretically. These methods include life cycle assessment (LCA) and complex systems modeling approaches, including System Dynamics (SD) and agent-based (AB) modeling. The first two studies employ the LCA approach in a case study of an ICT application, namely, the tablet edition of a Swedish design magazine. The use of tablets has skyrocketed in recent years, and this phenomenon has been little studied to date. Potential environmental impacts of the magazine’s tablet edition were assessed and compared with those of the print edition. The tablet edition’s emerging version (which is marked by a low number of readers and low reading time per copy) resulted in higher potential environmental impacts per reader than did the print edition. However, the mature tablet edition (with a higher number of readers and greater reading time per copy) yielded lower impacts per reader in half the ten impact categories assessed. While previous studies of electronic media have reported that the main life-cycle contributor to environmental impacts is the use phase (which includes operational electricity use as well as the manufacture of the electronic device), the present study did not support those findings in all scenarios studied in this thesis. Rather, this study found that the number of readers played an important role in determining which life-cycle phase had the greatest impacts. For the emerging version, with few readers, content production was the leading driver of environmental impacts. For the mature version, with a higher number of readers, electronic storage and distribution were the major contributors to environmental impacts. Only when there were many readers but low overall use of the tablet device was the use phase the main contributor to environmental impacts of the tablet edition of the magazine. The third study goes beyond direct effects at product- and service-level LCAs, revisiting an SD simulation study originally conducted in 2002 to model indirect environmental effects of ICT in 15 European countries for the period 2000-2020. In the current study, three scenarios of the 2002 study were validated in light of new empirical data from the period 2000–2012. A new scenario was developed to revisit the quantitative and qualitative results of the original study. The results showed, inter alia, that ICT has a stimulating influence on total passenger transport, for it makes it more cost- and time-efficient (rebound effects). The modeling mechanism used to represent this rebound effect is further investigated in the fourth study, which discusses the feedback loops used to model two types of rebound effects in passenger transport (direct economic rebound and time rebound). Finally, the role of systems thinking and modeling in conceptualizing and communicating the dynamics of rebound effects is examined. The aim of the fifth study was to explore the power of systems modeling and simulation to represent nonlinearities of the complex and dynamic systems examined elsewhere in this thesis. That study reviews previous studies that have compared the SD and AB approaches and models, summarizing their purpose, methodology, and results, based on certain criteria for choosing between SD and AB approaches. The transformation procedure used to develop an AB model for purposes of comparison with an SD model is also explored. In conclusion, first-order or direct environmental effects of ICT production, use, and disposal can be assessed employing an LCA method. This method can also be used to assess second-order or enabling effects by comparing ICT applications with conventional alternatives. However, the assessment of enabling effects can benefit from systems modeling methods, which are able to formally describe the drivers of change, as well as the dynamics of complex social, technical, and environmental systems associated with ICT applications. Such systems methods can also be used to model third-order or rebound effects of efficiency improvements by ICT.
Den ökande produktionen och konsumtionen av produkter och tjänster inom informations- och kommunikationsteknik (IKT) leder till en ökning av den globala elanvändningen samt direkta miljökonsekvenser kopplade till IKT. Men IKT har även indirekta miljömässiga effekter. Dessa kan vara positiva till exempel genom substitutions- och optimeringseffekter eller negativa genom att till exempel ge upphov till ytterligare efterfrågan på grund av effektivisering (så kallade reboundeffekter). Olika metoder kan användas för att modellera och bedöma både direkta och indirekta effekter av IKT. Syftet med denna avhandling är att undersöka metoder för modellering samt att studera miljöeffekter av IKT och elektronisk media med hjälp av livscykelanalys (LCA) och även modellering av komplexa och dynamiska system, samt simuleringsteknik, så som System Dynamics (SD) och agentbaserad (AB) modellering. Avhandlingen omfattar fem artiklar (artikel I-V). Artikel I & II beskriver resultaten från en fallstudie där miljöeffekter kopplade till en svensk tidskrift studeras med LCA. Tidskriftens version för surfplatta samt motsvarande tryckta version studeras och jämförs. Artikel III går ett steg vidare från produktnivåns LCA. Artikeln återkopplar till en SD simuleringsstudie som ursprungligen genomfördes under 2002. Simuleringsstudien gällde framtida miljöeffekter av IKT i 15 europeiska länder med tidspespektivet 2000-2020. I artikeln valideras tre scenarier från simuleringsstudien med hjälp av nya empiriska data från 2000-2012 och ett nytt scenario modelleras. Kvantitativa och kvalitativa resultat från den ursprungliga studien diskuteras. Till exempel visar artikel III att IKT har en stimulerande effekt på den totala persontrafiken genom att göra den mer kostnads- och tidseffektiv (reboundeffekt). Modelleringsmekanismen som används för att representera denna reboundeffekt diskuteras vidare i artikel IV. Artikeln belyser och diskuterar den återkopplingsslinga (feedback-loop) som används för att modellera två typer av reboundeffekter kopplade till persontrafik (direkt ekonomisk rebound och tidsrelaterad rebound) samt jämför med en tidigare studie. Artikel IV behandlar också den roll systemtänkande och modellering kan spela i konceptualisering och kommunikation av reboundeffekters dynamik. För att ytterligare undersöka systemmodelleringens och simuleringens möjligheter att representera icke-linjära komplexa och dynamiska system (exempel på sådana diskuteras i artikel III och IV), sammanställer artikel V tidigare studier som jämför SD och AB-metoder och -modeller. Studiernas mål och metod summeras och resultaten med avseende på vilka kriterier som presenteras för att välja mellan SD och AB sammanställs. Även processen för att omvandla en befintlig SD-modell till en AB-modell beskrivs. Avhandlingens slutsats är att LCA och systemmodelleringsmetoder kan vara användbara för att studera IKTs direkta effekter så väl som indirekta effekter på miljön.

QC 20150813

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

Stamford, Laurence James. "Life cycle sustainability assessment of electricity generation : a methodology and an application in the UK context." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2012. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/life-cycle-sustainability-assessment-of-electricity-generation-a-methodology-and-an-application-in-the-uk-context(e4d76ed6-7247-4435-81db-505895067dd0).html.

Full text

Abstract:

This research has developed a novel sustainability assessment framework for electricity technologies and scenarios, taking into account techno-economic, environmental and social aspects. The methodology uses a life cycle approach and considers relevant sustainability impacts along the supply chain. The framework is generic and applicable to a range of electricity technologies and scenarios. To test the methodology, sustainability assessments have been carried out first for different technologies and then for a range of possible future electricity scenarios for the UK. The electricity options considered either contribute significantly to the current UK electricity mix or will play a greater role in the future; these are nuclear power (PWR), natural gas (CCGT), wind (offshore), solar (residential PV) and coal power (subcritical pulverised). The results show that no one technology is superior and that certain tradeoffs must be made. For example, nuclear and offshore wind power have the lowest life cycle environmental impacts, except for freshwater eco-toxicity for which gas is the best option; coal and gas are the cheapest options, but both have high global warming potential; PV has relatively low global warming potential but high cost, ozone layer and resource depletion. Nuclear, wind and PV increase certain aspects of energy security but introduce potential grid management problems; nuclear also poses complex risk and intergenerational questions. Five potential future electricity mixes have also been examined within three overarching scenarios, spanning 2020 to 2070, and compared to the present-day UK grid. The scenarios have been guided by three different approaches to climate change: one future in which little action is taken to reduce CO2 emissions (‘65%’), one in which electricity decarbonises by 80% by 2050 in line with the UK’s CO2 reduction target (‘80%’), and one in which electricity is virtually decarbonised (at the point of generation) by 2050, in line with current policy (‘100%’).In order to examine the sustainability implications of these scenarios, the assessment results from the present-day comparison were projected forward to describe each technology in future time periods. Additional data were compiled so that coal with carbon capture and storage (CCS) – a potentially key future technology – could be included. The results of the scenario analyses show that the cost of generating electricity is likely to increase and become more capital-intensive. However, the lower-carbon scenarios are also at least 87% less sensitive to fuel price volatility. Higher penetration of nuclear and renewables generally leads to better environmental performance and more employment, but creates unknown energy storage costs and, in the case of nuclear power and coal CCS, the production of long-lived waste places a burden of management and risk on future generations. Therefore, the choice of the ‘most sustainable’ electricity options now and in the future will depend crucially on the importance placed on different sustainability impacts; this should be acknowledged in future policy and decision making. A good compromise requires strategic government action; to provide guidance, specific recommendations are made for future government policy.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Freitas, Micaela Andreia. "Gestão e quantificação de resíduos na atividade vitícola. Avaliação de ciclo de vida e proposta de plano de gestão." Master's thesis, ISA/UL, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/8310.

Full text

Abstract:

Mestrado em Engenharia do Ambiente - Instituto Superior de Agronomia
Grape production is one of the most important economic activities in Portugal but also in Europe and in the world in general. This sector has been increasing its impact in international economy, due to the increasing demand from the buyers and to the constant constraints from legislation. Legal requirements lead to the need to implement appropriate residues management plans, in order to ensure the sustainability of the production. The objective of this study was to characterize, quantify and suggest a sustainable and innovative management plan for the residues produced in vineyards. With this purpose, we studied the entire grape production during the present campaign, at the Fundação Eugénio de Almeida in Évora. Considering that residues management should be looked at from an holist point of view, the entire life cycle of the residue materials has to be considered for the definition of a management plan. A life cycle assessment was performed on all the potential residues produced, and potential impacts of the grapes production activity was calculated accordingly. From this assessment, we identified five areas to be managed: phytosanitary effluents, treated wooden supports, steel and zinc/aluminium, plant protection products and fertilizers. Over the assumption that the life cycle assessment is a reliable tool, we suggest innovative management plans, aiming at the improvement of the technical and economical aspects of the current plan adopted by the Foundation

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

Rocchi, Giada. "Waste management in Forlì-Cesena province: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Forlì incinerator." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2014. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/6735/.

Full text

Abstract:

This work assesses the environmental impact of a municipal solid waste incinerator with energy recovery in Forlì-Cesena province (Emilia-Romagna region, Italy). The methodology used is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). As the plant already applies the best technologies available in waste treatment, this study focuses on the fate of the residues (bottom and fly ash) produced during combustion. Nine scenarios are made, based on different ash treatment disposing/recycling techniques. The functional unit is the amount of waste incinerated in 2011. Boundaries are set from waste arrival in the plant to the disposal/recovery of the residues produced, with energy recovery. Only the operative period is considered. Software used is GaBi 4 and the LCIA method used is CML2001. The impact categories analyzed are: abiotic depletion, acidification, eutrophication, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming, human toxicity, ozone layer depletion, photochemical oxidant formation, terrestrial ecotoxicity and primary energy demand. Most of the data are taken from Herambiente. When primary data are not available, data from Ecoinvent and GaBi databases or literature data are used. The whole incineration process is sustainable, due to the relevant avoided impact given by co-generator. As far as regards bottom ash treatment, the most influential process is the impact savings from iron recovery. Bottom ash recycling in road construction or as building material are both valid alternatives, even if the first option faces legislative limits in Italy. Regarding fly ash inertization, the adding of cement and Ferrox treatment results the most feasible alternatives. However, this inertized fly ash can maintain its hazardous nature. The only method to ensure the stability of an inertized fly ash is to couple two different stabilization treatments. Ash stabilization technologies shall improve with the same rate of the flexibility of the national legislation about incineration residues recycling.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Monari, Chiara. "Life cycle assessment of biodiesel production from micro-algae: a case study in Denmark." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2013. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/6106/.

Full text

Abstract:

Le sperimentazioni riguardanti la produzione di biodiesel da alghe sono state condotte solo in laboratorio o in impianti pilota e il processo produttivo non è ancora stato sviluppato su scala industriale. L’obiettivo di questo lavoro di tesi è stato quello di valutare la potenziale sostenibilità ambientale ed energetica della produzione industriale di biodiesel da microalghe nella realtà danese ipotizzando la coltivazione in fotobioreattori. La tesi ha analizzato le diverse tecnologie attualmente in sperimentazione cercando di metterne in evidenza punti di forza e punti di debolezza. La metodologia applicata in questa tesi per valutare la sostenibilità ambientale ed energetica dei processi analizzati è LCA strumento che permette di effettuare la valutazione sull’intero ciclo di vita di un prodotto o di un processo. L’unità funzionale scelta è 1 MJ di biodiesel. I confini del sistema analizzato comprendono: coltivazione, raccolta, essicazione, estrazione dell’olio, transesterificazione, digestione anaerobica della biomassa residuale e uso del glicerolo ottenuto come sottoprodotto della transesterificazione. Diverse categorie d’impatto sono state analizzate. In questo caso studio, sono stati ipotizzati 24 diversi scenari differenziati in base alle modalità di coltivazione, di raccolta della biomassa, di estrazione dell’olio algale. 1. la produzione di biodiesel da microalghe coltivate in fotobioreattori non appare ancora conveniente né dal punto di vista energetico né da quello ambientale. 2. l’uso di CO2 di scarto e di acque reflue per la coltivazione, fra l’altro non ancora tecnicamente realizzabili, migliorerebbero le prestazioni energetiche ed ambientali del biodiesel da microalghe 3. la valorizzazione di prodotti secondari svolge un ruolo importante nel processo e nel suo sviluppo su larga scala Si conclude ricordando che il progetto di tesi è stato svolto in collaborazione con la Danish Technical University of Denmark (DTU) svolgendo presso tale università un periodo di tirocinio per tesi di sei mesi

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Motianlifu, Muzhapaer. "Expansion of Reaction Network Flux Analysis toward including Life Cycle Assessment and Ecosystem Services." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1492635223149177.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

Albertí, Bueno Jaume. "Life cycle assessment of cities: the first steps for standardization." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Girona, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/668067.

Full text

Abstract:

Cities are recognised as great generators of impacts and, consequently, seen as an opportunity for reducing them Worldwide. Cities are environmentally relevant because of two reasons. Firstly, because they are responsible, for example, for more than 60% of global warming or more than 78% of world’s energy consumption, which is said to take place within cities. Secondly, cities are very relevant because more than half of the world’s population is living in cities. Therefore, any environmental impact that is affecting cities may be affecting more than half of the population of the world. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is being recognised as the best available methodology to assess environmental burdens and to avoid problem shifting. However, as LCA is environmentally focused, burden exchange between the three dimensions of sustainability - environment, economy, and society - may still happen. The research objectives of this thesis are: 1. To propose criteria on how to frame city LCA methodology. 2. To review the existing environmental assessment methods and to analyse their compliance with the criteria set in objective 1. 3. To review the existing city assessment methods and analyse their compliance with the criteria set in objective 1. 4. To propose definitions and procedures for the main items within the goal and scope of a city LCA, such as: the function, the function unit, the reference flow, the system boundary, and allocation. 5. To contribute to the understanding of the validity of LCA along time. 6. To explore the environmental consequences on the choices of substitution of parts of a city system
Les ciutats són reconegudes com a grans generadores d’impactes i, com a conseqüència, són vistes com una oportunitat per a reduir-los arreu del món. Les ciutats són mediambientalment rellevats degut a dues raons. La primera és que són responsables, per exemple, d’un 60% de l’escalfament global o de més del 78% del consum mundial d’energia. La segona raó de la seva rellevància és que en elles hi viu més de la meitat de la població mundial. Conseqüentment, qualsevol impacte ambiental que afecti a les ciutats podrà afectar potencialment a més de la meitat de la població mundial. Alhora, l’Anàlisi de Cicle de Vida (ACV) s’està reconeixent com el millor mètode disponible per avaluar les càrregues ambientals i per evitar “l’intercanvi del problema”. No obstant, l’intercanvi de problemes entre les tres dimensions de la sostenibilitat (mediambiental, econòmica i social) poden seguir succeint ja que l’ACV té un abast que considera només els aspectes ambientals. Els objectius de recerca d’aquesta tesi són: 1. Proposar un criteri que estableixi les condicions que l’ACV de ciutats hauria de complir. 2. Revisar els mètodes d’avaluació ambiental existents i analitzar la seva adequació als criteris definits a l’objectiu 1. 3. Revisar els mètodes d’avaluació de ciutats existents i analitzar la seva adequació als criteris definits a l’objectiu 1. 4. Proposar definicions i procediments per als ítems principals dins de l’objectiu i abast de l’ACV en ciutats tals com: la funció, la unitat funcional, el flux de referència, les fronteres del sistema i els mètodes d’assignació. 5. Contribuir a la comprensió de la validesa dels ACV en el temps. 6. Explorar les conseqüències de l’elecció de sistemes substituïts quan es calculen crèdits ambientals

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

KUMAR, AMIT, and SAMY AMIRTHALINGAM MUTHU. "ISO 14001:2015 Life Cycle Perspective." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för ekonomi, teknik och naturvetenskap, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-42194.

Full text

Abstract:

Our research is based on data triangulation methodology by which we are going to answer the question with a combination of two elements: the design and development in combination with life cycle perspective according to ISO 14001:2015 and organization consider the life cycle perspective when they design and develop their products, in a modified form introducing many new aspects of life-cycle thinking. This Master’sthesis aims to discuss the Sustainability approach through the use of Environmental Management Standards (EMS), the results achieved by organizations that implement and certify those EMS, and a special focus on the current process of ISO 14001:2015 revision and the logic behind it. Revisiting the concept of Sustainability, the status of the International Organization for Standardization 14001, requirements that related to that life cycle perspective in ISO 14001:2015, eco-design, circular economy and its expected outcomes are discussed. The ISO 14001:2015 revision will have major impacts on the more than 300,000 worldwide certified organizations and on the many professionals that work with it. Analysis of the development of a sustainability portfolio within a globally-operating manufacturing company, we came different illustrate the kinds of life cycle work involved in dealing with activities and interests, connecting activities and interests into action-nets, performing life cycle practices, and spreading the life cycle idea. Finally, we discuss implications of life cycle work for research in the field of organization and management studies and questions related to the topic with quality engineers within the organization.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

Moberg, Åsa. "Assessment of media and communication from a sustainability perspective." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Miljöstrategisk analys, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-12502.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis aims to assess potential environmental impacts of media and communication and to contribute to the development of methods for sustainability assessment. Although the main focus is on printed and electronic media products and environmental impacts, a broader sector analysis is also included and social aspects are discussed. The thesis provides a review of different environmental assessment tools in order to better understand their relationships and the appropriateness of different tools in different situations. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to assess printed and electronic versions of newspapers, books and invoices. Results of the screening LCAs of newspapers and books indicate that when comparing printed and electronic versions there are benefits and drawbacks for both. For news and books read on e-reading devices with energy efficient e-ink screens, the main environmental impacts in the studies stemmed from the production of the device and partly from disposal, with the latter having the potential to reduce some environmental impacts through recycling of materials. However, there are data gaps regarding the production of the e-reading devices, most notably for the e-ink screen and the waste management of obsolete e-reading devices. Existing data on internet energy use are uncertain. The potential impacts from a hypothetical total change from paper invoices to electronic invoices in Sweden were assessed through a screening consequential LCA regarding greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative energy demand. The results indicate that emissions and energy demand could decrease as a result of a change. The screening LCAs performed indicate that users’ practices could substantially influence the environmental impacts. Key factors which can influence results and comparisons of printed and electronic media products are total use of electronic devices, total use of printed media, amount and type of paper, energy use of electronic devices, potential printing of electronic media, electricity mix, and the system boundaries set for the assessments. To get a wider perspective, a sector study of the ICT sector and media sector concerning global greenhouse gas emissions and operational electricity use was performed. It was estimated that the contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 was roughly 1-2 % for each sector. To assess media and communication products from a sustainability perspective, social aspects should also be covered. The author participated in an international project group on social aspects and LCA, one outcome from which was guidelines for social LCA (S-LCA). In addition to providing guidance for S-LCA, another important role of the guidelines is to facilitate discussions, criticism and proposals for improvement and development of the methodology being developed. The LCA and sector studies in this thesis are limited to direct and to some extent indirect environmental impacts. Further studies of the environmental impacts of more long-term changes in practices and potential structural changes, as well as potential social impacts, could provide important additional insights. This could increase the possibility of facilitating sustainable practices related to ICT and media.
QC 20100610

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles