Environmental Impact Assessment of GHG Emissions Generated by Coal Life Cycle and Solutions for Reducing CO<sub>2</sub>

In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) method has been used to evaluate the environmental impacts of various municipal solid waste (MSW) management system scenarios in Banepa municipality, Nepal, in terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), human toxicity potential (HTP), abiotic depletion potential (ADP), and photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP). There are at least six possible scenarios of MSW management in Banepa: the current or baseline scenario (Scenario 1); composting with landfilling (Scenario 2); material recovery facility (MRF) recycling, composting, and landfilling (Scenario 3); MRF and anaerobic digestion (AD); composting, and landfilling (Scenario 4); MRF, composting, AD, and landfilling (Scenario 5); and, finally, incineration with landfilling (Scenario 6). Using both information from Ecoinvent 3.6 (2019) and published research articles, a spreadsheet tool based on the LCA approach was created. The impact of the recycling rate on each of the six abovementioned scenarios was evaluated using sensitivity analysis, which showed that the recycling rate can considerably decrease the life-cycle emissions from the MSW management system. Scenario 3 was found to have the least overall environmental impact with a GWP of 974.82 kg CO2 eq. per metric ton (t), EP of 0.04 kg PO4 eq./t, AP of 0.15 kg SO2 eq./t, HTP of 4.55 kg 1,4 DB eq./t, ADP of −0.03 kg Sb eq./t, and POCP of 0.06 kg C2H4 eq./t. By adoption of MRF and biological treatments such as composting and AD, environmental impact categories such as AP, EP, HTP, ADP, POCP, and GWP can be significantly reduced. The findings of this study can potentially serve as a reference for cities in the developing world in order to aid in both the planning and the operation of environmentally friendly MSW management systems.

Power battery is one of the core components of electric vehicles (EVs) and a major contributor to the environmental impact of EVs, and reducing their environmental emissions can help enhance the sustainability of electric vehicles. Based on the principle of stiffness equivalence, the steel case of the power cell is replaced with lightweight materials, a life cycle model is established with the help of GaBi software, and its environmental impact is evaluated using the CML2001 method. The results can be summarized as follows: (1) Based on the four environmental impact categories of GWP, AP, ADP (f), and HTP, which are the global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), abiotic depletion potential (ADP (f)) and human toxicity potential (HTP), the environmental impact of lightweight materials is lower than that of the steel box. Among them, the aluminum alloy box has the largest reduction, and the Carbon Fiber Sheet Molding Compound (CF-SMC) box is the second. (2) In the sensitivity analysis of electric structure, an aluminum alloy box is still the most preferable choice for environmental impact. (3) In the sensitivity analysis of driving mileage, the aluminum alloy box body is also the best choice for vehicle life. (4) Quantitative assessment using substitution factors measures the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions following the substitution of steel battery box with lightweight materials. The adoption of aluminum alloy battery box can lead to a reduction of 1.55 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, with a substitution factor of 1.55 tC sb−1. In the case that composite materials have not been recycled commercially on a large scale, aluminum alloy is still one of the best materials for the integrated environmental impact of the whole life cycle of the battery boxes.

In this study, the life cycle assessment of cotton woven shirt production, from cotton cultivation to the final product, has been done. In this scope, four alternative production scenarios were developed and evaluated with GaBi 8.0 software with CML 2001—January 2016 methodology. These scenarios include conventional cotton woven shirt production, organic cotton cultivation incorporated with renewable energy use in production phase, evaluation of natural dyeing in manufacturing process and using recovered cotton as the raw material. For each of these scenarios, several environmental impact categories including global warming, acidification and eutrophication potentials were evaluated. The functional unit was determined as 1000 pcs of shirts. In the assessment of conventional cotton woven shirt production, pesticide and synthetic fertilizer usage during cotton cultivation as well as the energy supply for the production phases were found to be the major factors increasing environmental impacts. Using organic cotton cultivation and renewable energy sources instead of the traditional techniques, decreased eutrophication potential, acidification potential and global warming potential by 48%, 52% and 70%, respectively. Using recovered cotton fibers as the raw material decreased eutrophication potential, acidification potential, abiotic depletion potential and global warming potential by 96%, 90%, 69% and 47%, respectively, by eliminating the environmental impacts that originate from cotton cultivation stage. Moreover, as these recovered cotton fibers are already colored, additional dyeing is not required. Alternatively, natural dyeing process could be a good alternative to synthetic dyeing and decline environmental impacts by minimizing the use of chemicals and decreasing the required heat for dyeing.

Greenhouse aquaculture is an increasingly advanced practice in shrimp farming. This study employs Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to systematically evaluate the economic and environmental performance of greenhouse shrimp farming. Research data were collected from field surveys and enterprise production records to analyze the construction and farming processes of the aquaculture facilities. LCC analysis revealed that the life cycle cost was 3.56 USD kg−1 shrimp. The construction cost of the greenhouse was 4.58 USD m−2, with steel pipes and film materials being the dominant cost components. The total farming cost per cultivation cycle reached USD 3510.76 per greenhouse, of which feed (30.54%) and land rent (15.86%) were the primary expenses. This model achieved a net profit of USD 5.31 per m2 per cycle and a cost-profit ratio of 60.47%, values which are significantly higher than those reported for the Indoor Super-Intensive Culture (ISIC) model. LCA results demonstrated that the environmental impact per kilogram of shrimp produced via greenhouse aquaculture was characterized by a global warming potential (GWP) of 3.279 kg CO2 eq, an acidification potential (AP) of 0.369 kg SO2 eq, and a eutrophication potential (EP) of 0.212 kg PO4 equation Furthermore, the abiotic depletion potential (ADP) and human toxicity potential (HTP) were relatively low, at 0.002 kg Sb eq and 0.093 kg 1,4-DCB eq per kilogram of shrimp, respectively. The construction phase had the highest greenhouse gas emissions (GWP 1940.00 kg CO2 eq), mainly due to the consumption of steel (steel pipes accounting for 71.6% of CO2 emissions) and polymer materials. During the farming phase, the primary emissions per kilogram of shrimp produced were GWP (3.23 kg CO2 eq), AP (0.27 kg SO2 eq), and EP (0.212 kg PO4 eq). The findings indicate that this greenhouse model possesses considerable advantages in balancing economic output and risk management, rendering it suitable for promotion in appropriate regions. Further reductions in cost and environmental impact can be achieved by optimizing building material selection, implementing precision feeding strategies, and improving the energy utilization structure. These measures will enhance the economic and environmental benefits of greenhouse shrimp farming and promote the green development of the entire aquaculture industry.

Life cycle assessment of natural gas combined cycle integrated with CO2 post combustion capture using chemical solvent

In the Indonesian transportation sector, gasoline is the most consumed fuel; in 2008 it accounted for 60% of the total fuel consumption in transportation. Increasing concern regarding environmental issues, particularly urban air quality, makes the utilization of gasoline in transport a crucial aspect to be analyzed. However, besides tailpipe emissions, there are many upstream processes when producing gasoline which need to be evaluated in terms of impacts to the environment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used as a tool for the assessment of resource consumption and associated impacts generated from utilization of gasoline in the transportation sector including crude oil extraction, oil refining and the use of gasoline in car. The impact categories considered are global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), abiotic resource depletion potential (ADP), human toxicity potential (HTP), and ecotoxicity potential (ETP). The results show that for global warming, gasoline combustion during end use contributes 93% of the total. The second largest contributor to GWP is oil refining (5%) followed by crude oil extraction (2%). In AP, combustion plays a significant role too with a contribution of 84%, followed by refining with 13% and crude oil extraction with 2%. The most significant process contributing to EP is once again gasoline combustion (95%) and the second contributor is the refining stage (4%), while transport contributes only 1%. For abiotic resource depletion on the other hand, almost 100% of the impact is from crude oil extraction. For HTP, the refining stage plays a very significant role to the life cycle of gasoline contributing 99.6%, whereas for ETP it is refining (62%) and extraction (38%). Using gasoline as transport fuel indicates that gasoline combustion is predominantly responsible for GWP, AP and EP whilst ADP is dominated by crude oil extraction stage and refinery is mainly responsible for human toxicity and ecotoxicity potential, The result of this study can be used as an overview for gasoline production and to compare with other transportation fuel options in Indonesia.

Using China’s natural rubber plantation as a case study, this paper classified natural rubber plantation life cycle into four stages—raw material, agrochemical production, natural rubber cultivation and transportation stages. The life-cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to evaluate potential environmental impacts of tapping 1.00 kg dry rubber under identified potential impacts, including global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP), human toxicity potential (HTP) and abiotic depletion potential (ADP). This inventory analysis showed that the order of potential impacts of China’s natural rubber plantation was as follows: AP EP GWP HTP POCP ADP. The respective impact indices were 1.76×10-12, 4.31×10-13, 1.37×10-13, 1.96×10-15, 9.69×10-18 and 4.88×10-19, with an average impact index of 4.32×10-13. Reduced chemical fertilizer utilization and enhanced fertilization efficiency were critical for mitigating the impact of rubber plantation on the environment. This could be achieved via effective reduced energy consumption, fertilizer production emissions, and soil fertilizer loss.

Life cycle environmental impact assessment of fuel mix-based biomass co-firing plants with CO2 capture and storage

Life cycle assessment of integrated thermal energy storage systems in buildings: A case study in Canada

Environmental assessment of IGCC power plants with pre-combustion CO2 capture by chemical & calcium looping methods

Environmental impact evaluation of an iron and steel plant in China: Normalized data and direct/indirect contribution

This paper evaluates the impacts of nuclear ammonia synthesis options on the environment through the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique. Ammonia is synthesized via the mature Haber–Bosch technique that combines hydrogen and nitrogen with 3:1 ratio to yield ammonia. For hydrogen production from water, five different hydrogen production methods are used, namely, conventional electrolysis (CE), high-temperature electrolysis (HTE), and 3-, 4-, and 5-step Cu–Cl cycles. The nitrogen required for ammonia synthesis is extracted from the air by the cryogenic air separation technique. The thermal and electrical energy need of production processes is supplied from a pressurized water reactor type nuclear power plant (NPP). The simapro software is utilized for LCA in the present study. The environmental impacts of nuclear ammonia are investigated through five impact categories, namely, abiotic depletion potential, acidification potential, global warming potential (GWP), ozone depletion potential, and human toxicity potential. According to LCA results, ammonia synthesis via HTE corresponds to the lowest environmental impact in all selected impact categories. Furthermore, the GWP for ammonia production via HTE is 0.1832 kg CO2 eq/kg ammonia, followed by CE (0.2240 kg CO2 eq/kg ammonia), 4-step Cu–Cl (0.3113 kg CO2 eq/kg ammonia), 3-step Cu–Cl (0.3323 kg CO2 eq/kg ammonia), and 5-step Cu–Cl (0.3370 kg CO2 eq/kg ammonia).

Environmental life cycle assessment of seafood production: A case study of trawler catches in Tunisia

Cement production is associated with a considerable environmental load, which needs to be fully understood before effective measures can be taken. The existing literature did not give detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) study of China and had limited potential for investigating how best available techniques (BATs) would provide a maximum benefit when they are applied in China. Japan was selected as a good example to achieve better environmental performance of cement production. We identified potentials for reducing emissions and saving energy and natural resources in Chinese cement industry through the comparative analysis. This paper follows the principal of Life Cycle Assessment and International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD). The functional units are “1 t of portland cement” and with 42.5 MPa of strength grade. The input (limestone, sandstone, ferrous tailings, coal, and electricity) and output (CO2 from limestone decomposition and coal combustion, NOx, PM, and SO2) of cement manufacturing were calculated by use of on-site measurements, calculation by estimated coefficients, and derivation by mass and heat balance principle. The direct (cement manufacturing) and indirect (electricity production) LCI are added to be total LCI results (cement production). The impact categories of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), photochemical oxidant formation potential (POCP), and human toxicity potential (HTP) are used to calculate environmental impact. Only in GWP of cement manufacturing China has advantage. Japanese cement industry shows remarkable superiorities in the environmental impacts of AP, POCP, HTP, and EP due to advanced technologies. SO2 emissions make the corresponding AP and HTP. PM emissions result in part of HTP. The NOx emissions are the major contributors of POCP, AP, EP, and HTP in China. China emits fewer CO2 emissions (2.09 %) in cement manufacturing than Japan but finally makes higher total GWP than Japan due to more GWP of electricity generation in power stations. The waste heat recovery technology can save electricity but bring more coal use and CO2 emissions. The alternative fuel and raw materials usage and denitration and de-dust technologies can relieve the environmental load. Using the functional unit with the strength grade, the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results are affected. LCA study allows a clear understanding from the view of total environmental impact rather than by the gross domestic product (GDP) unit from an economic development perspective. In an LCA study, the power generation should be considered in the life cycle of cement production.

To address the environmental problems associated with construction materials, the construction industry has made considerable efforts to reduce carbon emissions. However, construction materials cause several other environmental problems in addition to carbon emissions and thus, a comprehensive analysis of environmental impact categories is required. This study aims to determine the major environmental impact categories for each construction material in production stage using the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique on road projects. Through the review of life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methodologies, the abiotic depletion potential (ADP), ozone depletion potential, photochemical oxidant creation potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, eco-toxicity potential, human toxicity potential, as well as the global warming potential (GWP) were defined as impact categories. To define the impact categories for road construction materials, major environmental pollutants were analyzed for a number of road projects, and impact categories for 13 major construction materials were selected as mandatory impact categories. These materials contributed more than 80% to the impact categories from an LCA perspective. The impact categories to which each material contributed more than 99% were proposed as specialization impact categories to provide basic data for use in the LCIA of future road projects.