A MORE SUSTAINABLE SCOOTER APPROACH USING NATURAL COMPOSITE MATERIALS

Reinforced soil walls (RSWs) have proven to be a reliable and resilient solution in many geotechnical applications (e.g., bridge abutments, highway and railway embankments, soil retaining walls, dikes, among others). Moreover, the reduced impact of these types of structures over traditional solutions has been compared using life cycle analysis (LCA) and sustainability assessment methodologies. Nowadays, RSWs are often constructed with geosynthetic materials as reinforcement elements due to their ease of use, cost, and technical viability. The use of geosynthetic materials can assist to meet the global challenges of the United Nations global sustainability goals and to adapt to the effects of climate change. The LCA methodology allows designers to determine the environmental impact of different candidate solutions or structures for a given design life. By providing comparable score-based results, a LCA permits objective decision making. The present work describes the environmental impact assessment of idealized polymer strap geosynthetic RSWs using the LCA methodology. Case studies are focused on the use of different backfill material (granular soil from a quarry or riverbed, recycled construction aggregate, and low quality locally available soil). Analysis boundaries include cradle-to-gate considerations and a 100-year design life. Results indicate the reduced environmental impact of using on-site backfill.

Combining life cycle analysis (LCA) and simulation modelling (SM) has been used to assess and improve a collective manure management plan set up in Brittany (north-western France) by a group of farmers to comply with current Nitrogen reduction regulations in agriculture. The plan studied aimed at organizing the spreading of slurry surpluses produced by 11 pig farms (representing 57.6 tons N/year) on crop land loaned by 22 crop farms located approximately 44 km away. LCA was used according to its normalized methodology to statically assess the potential environmental impacts based on 4 criteria: eutrophication, climate change, acidification and use of non-renewable energy. COMET, the dynamic systems model used in this study, has been implemented with the Vensim® software by coupling: logistics models, to simulate the transportation and spreading of manure, both at the individual (within farms) and collective (transfer plan) levels; biophysical models, mainly empirical, to simulate ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) emissions as the main criteria of the environmental evaluation with COMET. The approach encompassed four steps that alternated between the LCA and SM methodologies: (i) LCA was initially performed to assess the environmental impacts of two disposal scenarios, i.e. slurry biological treatment or transfer for application to remote crop farms. The analysis concluded the transfer scenario had the least environmental impact as, if properly implemented, it may save on the use of chemical fertilizers. (ii) SM using the COMET model simulated the logistics and agricultural feasibility of the transfer scenario to verify to what extent the collective management plan can be fully completed in due time on appropriate cropping systems. (iii) A second iteration of LCA was made to assess the environmental impacts of simulated variants of the transfer scenario, this time using simulation outputs instead of reference database information. These analyses showed important differences of impacts among the management options simulated. (iv) Finally, simulations with COMET were performed to examine the interaction between the individual level of management (manure spreading within animal farms) and the collective level (manure transfer plan to land loaners' crop farms). The variability of impacts between individual situations was very high, suggesting that farmer equipment should be adapted and collective rules made flexible to secure farm stock management. Beyond the results from the first three steps, this paper emphasises the more realistic outcomes achieved in the fourth and final step. This step allowed the variability of individual pig farm logistics and gas emissions to be analyzed, as well as simple techniques, that could be implemented by individual farmers to improve the whole system agricultural and environmental performance, to be checked. This paper concludes that benefits can be drawn from combining LCA and SM, as this makes possible to consider the diversity of actual farming situations and practices and, so, to design management rules balancing individual and collective needs. (Resume d'auteur)

Transportation infrastructure is one of the largest consumers of natural materials. To improve the environmental quality and sustainable development of transportation infrastructure, it is important to implement sustainable strategies in pavement construction and rehabilitation. The use of recycled materials is a key element in generating sustainable pavement designs to save natural resources, reduce energy, greenhouse gas emissions, and costs. The objective of this study was to propose a methodology for assessing the environmental and economic life-cycle benefits when using recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) materials in highway projects. Previous studies on life cycle analysis (LCA) using RAP focused on the economics and/or environmental impacts during the material production process. Thus, there is a need to consider sustainability analysis at all stages of construction and rehabilitation during the performance period of pavement structures. This study addresses this need with the proposed methodology. The suggested approach could be potentially implemented in a pavement management system (PMS) so as to introduce sustainability principles in optimizing alternative rehabilitation strategies. The methodology includes various steps for the analysis, starting with condition assessment of the existing highway, identifying alternative structural pavement designs, predicting service life, setting up alternative rehabilitation strategies, and conducting life cycle environmental and economic analysis. To demonstrate the value of the methodology, a comparative parametric study was conducted on two real case study projects representing actual field conditions for primary roads in Maryland. These case studies were used in order to quantify the economic savings and environmental benefits of using different levels of RAP in highway rehabilitation. The results of the analysis indicate that incorporating RAP in pavement rehabilitation can contribute substantially to cost savings and environmental impact reduction (e.g., greenhouse gas emission, energy, water, and hazardous waste). The benefits illustrated in this study are expected to encourage wide adoption of the proposed methodology and the use of recycled materials in highway construction and rehabilitation. The methodology is transferable where similar materials and highway construction techniques are used.

Life Cycle Assessment of Water Production Technologies - Part 2: Reverse Osmosis Desalination versus the Ebro River Water Transfer (9 pp)

With the mission of reliable power, at low cost, for generations, BC Hydro adopts the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approach to investment decision making that considers economic, social and environmental issues in a comprehensive, systematic and integrated way. In this paper, the life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology developed for BC Hydro Distribution-Wires assets is introduced. In this methodology, the life-cycle assessment factors, defined as cost, environment and safety, which impact the investment decisions for the entire life-cycle of assets, are quantified. It integrates with asset management principle that balances three factors of investment, performance, and risks. The LCA methodology is applied into life-cycle analyses of power system distribution feeder reclosers. The main aim is to evaluate the feasibility and benefits for equipping existing manually operated reclosers with supervisory control functionality and derive the optimal recloser implementation strategy. Two different scenarios of reclosers as keep the existing reclosers, and upgrade the existing reclosers into SCADA are evaluated and compared in term of all defined LCA factors. Life cycle cost assessment methodology is adopted to evaluate the cost effectiveness of upgrading reclosers based on if the long term benefits achieved in savings of vegetation management, shortened outage response and reduced recloser operation cost can cover the increased capital cost, operation and maintenance cost for recloser upgrade. Different from traditional approaches, it also considers the safety and environmental risks. Analysis results on existing reclosers are included to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the LCA methodology.

The transport sector is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and it is essential to find sustainable alternatives. Electric scooters can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing more polluting modes of transport such as cars. However, existing studies do not always corroborate this positive environmental impact, and it is necessary to understand which factors influence it and which stages of life are of most concern. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to present an overview of the environmental impact of electric scooters and the methodological approaches used to assess it, as well as to analyse the main factors that condition it and propose measures to improve the environmental sustainability of this type of micromobility. To this end, a review of the scientific literature was carried out, from which it was possible to conclude that life cycle analysis was the most used method and that of the 25 studies selected, 72% were in European cities and 68% on shared electric scooters. From the study it was also possible to conclude that the production phase and the charging and rebalancing phase, in the case of shared ones, are the phases that most influence the environmental impact. Thus, producing electric scooters in an environmentally friendly way, extending their useful life, and in the case of shared scooters, collecting and charging efficiently, are the most effective means to reduce environmental impact.

Plastic (PET) vs bioplastic (PLA) or refillable aluminium bottles – What is the most sustainable choice for drinking water? A life-cycle (LCA) analysis

At present, global warming increment and petroleum reserve depletion have been a major threat to the environment. These occur due to various human activities. Construction industry contributes 40 % for the global carbon emission. From that 10% is contributed from the manufacture of cement and the rest is contributed by the other requirements in the construction industry. Therefore, scientists are now more focused to involve bio-based products to minimize the emission of carbon. This resulted in, paying more attention towards the natural composite materials that can be used instead of artificial materials. Scientists are eager to find natural materials which are locally available. The structures built today, does not survive the entire service life of the structure. This is due to corrosion of steel, especially in coastal areas. So, in order to overcome this, use of a natural material which can provide the same tensile strength can be used. Over the past few decades engineering materials like composites, plastics, ceramics has dominated the engineering industry. There are new polymer materials introduced such as glass fiber, carbon fiber and aramid but they are not eco-friendly. The main problem associated with these is the high production cost. Therefore, new composites which are environmentally friendly should be found in order to replace other materials. Even though there has been much research published on different natural fiber composite materials, here an attempt has been made to use coir to produce reinforcement bars in order to combat corrosion Keywords: coir, composite, corrosion, petroleum, fiber glass, aramid

Life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology was used to perform a quantitative, comparative analysis and rating of the construction and operation of a wind energy plant. For this case study, the Glacier Hills Wind Park (90 1.8-MW turbines in south-central Wisconsin) was evaluated. Significant environmental and economic benefits are often advertised with the installation of new wind energy facilities, although independent and comprehensive LCA and sustainable energy science are typically not implemented. Hence, a quantitative demonstration with LCA methodology of the life cycle emissions and environmental impact, from construction through operations, can greatly assist in highlighting significant areas of energy consumption and emissions during manufacturing, transportation, and construction of a wind farm. Results portray the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption/generation over the life cycle of the wind park. Transportation of large components from overseas led to the consumption of considerable quantities of fossil fuel, responsible for up to 22 % of the total greenhouse gas emissions due to transportation. The energy payback ratio (25.5), energy payback time (12.3 months) and the total grams of equivalent CO2(eq) per kWh of energy (16.9) produced were calculated over the life time of this onshore wind farm.

The health service industry involves activities that provide medical services (hospital), manufacture of medical equipment or drugs, and medical insurance services. Options of research methods to measure the impact of services on environmental aspects are available. One among which is life cycle analysis (LCA), the recently popular practice in Indonesia. This paper attempts to explore whether LCA could be fitted to the health service industry. A literature review would help in procuring related references from various publications accompanied by several research results and related studies. For describing the application of LCA in hospitals, several articles were collected, which were later arranged according to certain systematics from several sources. The LCA methodology used here consists of the following four stages: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation. The stages follow the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040 and UNEP SETAC, 2011. Several studies using the LCA method in hospitals have reported specific profiles such as the management of biohazardous medical waste (BMW) and waste water. Several studies have also used LCA methods to assess specifically the environmental and health impacts of a specific component of the hospital or hospital activities. For example, studies have assessed the impact of equipment used in the form of containers, catheter, laryngeal mask, gowns and also infrastructures’ facilities. The results of this study confirmed that the LCA method is suitable in health service industry, particularly in hospitals. Considering the merits and drawbacks involved in applying this method, one could further apply it to related health service issues.

The oil and gas industry is undergoing a significant transformation as it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint and transition towards more sustainable energy practices. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are playing a crucial role in this energy transition, providing reliable energy storage solutions that enhance operational efficiency, enable the integration of renewable energy sources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper explores the application of Li-ion batteries in the oil and gas industry, presenting a life cycle analysis (LCA) methodology to evaluate their environmental impact, defining a system boundary, and offering examples of how these batteries facilitate decarbonization and the energy transition.

Sustainability analysis of aluminium hot forming and quenching technology for lightweight vehicles manufacturing

Most European cities use prefabricated cement-based materials to transform public spaces to be used by citizens. These facilities must be resistant, economic, functional and, above all, sustainable. Furthermore, civil works have a very high consumption level of raw materials and energy, which implies high environmental emissions. Ecodesign is a response to comply with these criteria throughout the lifecycle of a product in order to prevent or reduce its environmental impact. The Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology allows for evaluating all the processes related to a product, to identify key points and to establish a strategy for improvement. The main objective of this work is to show the results of the application of the LCA for the common precast concrete pavers used in civil works, analyzing their entire life cycle: from obtaining the raw materials for their production to the pavers’ end of life. The main reason for this LCA is to assess the environmental performance at the various stages of their life cycle and the environmental burdens associated with these stages, so that possible improvements can be identified.

Design and optimization of unit production cost for AWJ process on machining hybrid natural fibre composite material

Comparing environmental impacts for livestock products: A review of life cycle assessments