Raw Material Acquisition Research Articles

Territoriality and Settlement in Southern France in the Early Neolithic: Diversity as a Strategy?

AbstractIn the western Mediterranean, the question of the settlement patterns of the first farming communities remains a much debated issue. Frequently compared with the LBK model, based on hundreds of well-documented villages, the settlement organization of the Impressed Ware complex is still poorly characterized and highly diversified. New data obtained in Southern France (Languedoc) may shed light on this matter, based on new excavations, revised data, and a multi-proxy perspective (site type, domestic area, food supply strategies, activities, spheres of acquisition of raw material, and so forth). Rather than reproducing a pattern of site locations and settlement structuring, it seems that these Early Neolithic groups sought to optimize the location and structuring of their settlements in relation to the specific characteristics of the surrounding environment and available resources. We therefore propose that the diversity observed in the settlement organization of these first farming communities is a reflection of a social organization well-adapted to the diversity of the ecosystem.

Environmental and economic life cycle assessment of a run‐of‐the‐river type hydroelectricity power plant in Turkey

AbstractThe environmental and economic life cycle assessment of a real‐life run‐of‐the‐river type hydroelectricity power plant in Turkey has been performed by considering the following stages: raw material acquisition, construction (including waste management), and transportation. CCaLC2 software and CML2001 methodology were used to calculate six different environmental impacts, whereas the economic impact was chosen as the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Functional unit was 1 MWh of electricity generated. The environmental impacts were found to be on average 95% lower than those of the Turkish grid, and the LCOE was calculated as $58.4/MWh. This outcome is understandable considering the high share of fossil fuels, especially low‐quality lignite, in Turkish electricity grid. The results were compared to those of a similar study conducted abroad and all the impacts were found to have the same order of magnitude, proving that this study is methodologically consistent with the literature. The main conclusion is that hydroelectricity produced by run‐of‐the‐river type plants in Turkey is environmentally friendly and economically viable compared to grid electricity. This is the first study in Turkey on the life cycle impact analysis of hydroelectricity and one of the few studies that consider economic and environmental factors simultaneously.

Querying Quarries: Stone Extraction Practices and Socioeconomic Organization in Three Sub-Regions of the Maya Lowlands

ABSTRACT Stone raw material in the past was often extracted, processed, and used by different individuals. The relationships among these practices make quarries important spaces for understanding how economic interactions function within society and what role access to resources plays in economic organization. This paper addresses the acquisition of raw materials through a focus on chert and limestone quarrying practices in the Maya area. Using three Classic period (200–950 a.d.) case studies from different sub-regions of the Maya lowlands, we highlight both shared and distinct practices and illustrate the roles that these extraction spaces played within Classic Maya economies. We find that heterogeneous aspects of quarrying techniques throughout the Maya lowlands result from variability in local geologic conditions, management structures, and the intended uses of the raw materials. As a result, this paper establishes methods for archaeologists to integrate quarries into their studies of past economies and anthropogenic landscapes.

A multi-proxy approach to Middle Paleolithic mobility: A case study from the open-air site of ‘Ein Qashish (Israel)

The archaeological literature contains ample suggestions for lithics-based proxies of mobility, often used individually. In this study we use a combination of proxies to address changes in mobility in a persistent Late Middle Paleolithic open-air locality in the Levant (‘Ein Qashish). Low densities of finds (lithic and fauna) at 'Ein Qashish are consistent with short-term occupations, but thus far no attempt was made to compare the proxies of mobility in the different units. The proxies used here are formal to non-formal core ratio, overall artifact density, retouch frequency, Levallois debitage frequency and NISP density in volume. The compositions of the lithic assemblages are similar across archaeological units and appear to suggest the same modes of raw material acquisition and use, curation and extension of core use life (by the degree of its reduction) and the use-life of blanks (by the degree and nature of retouch). Likewise, the zooarchaeological comparison among the AUs highlights the general taxonomic and taphonomic similarity among them, suggesting that any differences between the four occupation horizons were of degree rather than of kind. The application of a multi-proxy approach serves to highlight the coarse-grain resolution of mobility that is addressed in these models, none of which can be a stand-alone method to capture, predict or explain the nuances within a narrow range of behavioral variations in a sequence of seemingly similar occupations.

Environmental Impact Analysis of Automobile Laminated Glass Production

The rapid development of China’s automobile industry has led to increased demand for automobile glass. Combined with the present situation of China’s automobile glass industry, life cycle assessment(LCA) method was adopted for this study, through investigating the energy consumption and emissions during the raw and auxiliary materials acquisition stage and product production stage for auto laminated glass. Then a life cycle inventory was worked out and the data was characterized and normalized by CML analysis method. The results showed that the most serious environmental impacts were Marine Aquatic Ecotoxicity Potential, abiotic depletion potential-fossil and global warming potential, whose proportion of total environmental impact was 92.2%, 2.41%, 1.75%, respectively. Further analysis showed that the influence of float glass was 36%,42% and 33.9% respectively.

Economic Evaluation of Mineral Extraction Projects from Fields of Exploitation During Operational Periods

The exploitation of minerals from fields of exploitation can be treated as a separate investment project. Three stages of such a project should be considered during the decision-making process, the preparation of a field for exploitation, the acquisition of raw materials and the liquidation of the field following mining activities. During the implementation of these various stages, the evaluation of the economic efficiency of static and dynamic methods are taken into account in each of the stages. An essential element is also the evaluation of risks connected with the investment, this is a quantitative measure of the uncertainty of achieving specific objectives. The bases for the correct calculation of economic efficiency include: proper input data, including economic and technological aspects. This article highlights the necessity of an economic evaluation concerning the exploitation of fields during operational periods due to their recognition in higher categories and the ever changing mining and economic conditions. Such changes are analysed with economic efficiency of exploitation systems. The initial value of the project takes into consideration the time value of money proposed as a criterion of economic evaluation. Income and expenditure, which correspond to the liquidity of the company, are assumed as a basis for calculation. Net present value is presented as a sum of values regarding preparation period, exploitation and field liquidation.

Canaanean Blade Production at Fazael 4 and the Tal`at `Amreh Quarry

ABSTRACT This study explores the multi-stage specialized production of long and standard Canaanean flint blades for composite sickles in light of recent findings from the Early Bronze Age Canaanean blade workshop at Fazael 4, and the uncovering of a related flint quarry at Tal`at `Amreh Mountain. The new discovery presents a rare opportunity to explore all stages of production from raw material acquisition to the finished Canaanean blades. This study addresses methodological aspects of establishing a link between a quarry and a workshop, efforts invested in flint procurement and transportation, the scale and organization of production, and the economic benefits of the Canaanean blade industry as a specialized production trajectory.

Quantifying carbon footprint for ecological river restoration

RIVER restoration is a popular technique to rehabilitate degraded river habitat. Given the nature of these types of engineering projects, using ecological indicators to monitor the restoration effectiveness has been a traditional approach. However, as this approach emphasizes the post-project performance, environmental impact attributed to a project’s construction phase has received little attention directly or indirectly. This study quantified the carbon footprint of ecological river restoration, using a project in California as a case study. A topographic diversity index (TDI) was developed as a functional unit of the river restoration project, indicating how a restoration project can increase the variation of habitat topography. The results show that river restoration can lead to greenhouse gas emissions ranging from 288 to 336 kg CO2 equivalent (kg CO2e) for every 1% of TDI improvement, or 9–14 kg CO2e per meter stream restored. This study identified that improving raw material acquisition plans and heavy-duty equipment rental decision can be feasible strategies leading to the reduction of carbon footprint.

Life cycle and economic assessment of enhanced ecological floating beds applied water purification.

The ecological floating beds (EFB) are widely used in water quality restoration because of its low cost, high efficiency, and green characteristics. However, there is a potential impact of the EFB on the environment while water purification is not in progress. In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) methods were used to evaluate the overall environment of mixed-fill and biofilm enhanced EFB. The results show that the total environmental impact of the mixed-fill ecological floating beds (MEFB) is greater than that of the biofilm ecological floating beds (BEFB). In the raw material acquisition and operational stages, the environmental impact of the MEFB is smaller than that of the BEFB, while the environmental impact of the MEFB during the construction phase is much greater than that of the BEFB. The environmental impact of the construction stage of the MEFB accounts for 98.3% of the environmental impact of the entire life cycle. The operational stage of the MEFB was eco-friendly with regard to eutrophication potential, photochemical oxidation potential, ozone layer depletion potential, human toxicity potential, freshwater aquatic eco-toxicity potential, and terrestrial eco-toxicity potential environmental impact, and these effects of the operational stage of the MEFB account for 45.5% of the total environmental impact. The impact of the BEFB on the environment during raw material acquisition, construction, and operation accounts for 46.7%, 37.7%, and 15.6%, respectively, of the entire life cycle impact. Both two EFB technologies, the capital cost was the main expenditure with LCC, accounting for 60.4% and 52.9% of the MEFB and BEFB, respectively.

Łańcuch dostaw i klasyfikacja zapasów surowca drzewnego na przykładzie Nadleśnictwa Głęboki Bród

W artykule przedstawiono istotę funkcjonowania łańcucha dostaw i zarządzania zapasami w sektorze leśno-drzewnym w Polsce. Badanym obiektem była celowo dobrana jednostka organizacyjna lasów państwowych położona w rejonie puszczy Augustowskiej. Zdefiniowano metody sterowania zapasami w łańcuchu dostaw oraz usystematyzowano sposoby składowania drewna. Następnie przeprowadzono badania empiryczne w zakresie klasyfikacji zapasów w wybranym nadleśnictwie. Dzięki klasyfikacji zapasów metodą ABC określono, który asortyment przynosi największe przychody oraz wskazano sposoby usprawnienia działalności w obszarze zarządzania zapasami.

Effect of functional unit and processing types on carbon footprint and specific energy consumption assessment of Thailand tableware products

ABSTRACT Thailand’s Table 5ceramic industry is one of the most important industries in the country in terms of export figures. However, production consumes a large amount of energy and raw materials, which causes adverse environmental impacts. Thus, a carbon footprint assessment of different methods of forming Thai ceramic tableware evaluated by using the life cycle assessment (LCA) as the assessment tool. The evaluation of specific energy consumption (SEC) was also conducted. The functional units were set as 1 kg and 1 L of ceramic tableware. The system boundaries included the raw material acquisition phases until the factory gate, and then being ready to ship to customers. All primary data was acquired and collected on-site through collaboration with the selected factory. The study showed that the most significant environmental impact was due to the biscuit and ghost firing processes used during the production phase, accounting for an average of 74% of the total carbon footprint. The SEC results were an average of 79 % for LPG, while electricity had a 21% share. Different forming methods did not exhibit significantly different results. Moreover, the forecasting of GHG emissions from the ceramic tableware sector by 2030 and further solution was also included in the discussion.

Cradle-to-grave environmental impact assessment of silver enabled t-shirts: Do nano-specific impacts exceed non nano-specific emissions?

Consumption of silver nanoparticles (nAg) is increasing due to their use in various industries. A comprehensive analysis is needed to elucidate the potential environmental and human health benefits and costs of the silver-enabled consumer products. For this purpose, four commercially available silver/nanosilver enabled polyester textiles with different initial silver/nanosilver loadings (1.07–4030 μg Ag/g textile) are included in the current research and cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments (LCA) are conducted to identify hotspots associated with production and use of these products throughout their lifetimes (100 cycles). Both non nano-specific and nano-specific impacts are calculated using nano-specific ecotoxicity characterization factors for nAg, instead of the commonly utilized ionic silver (Ag+) surrogate. Additionally, four different laundering scenarios were modeled to analyze the impacts resulting from using conventional and high efficiency machines. In the majority of environmental impact categories, either polyester textile manufacturing (regardless of Ag/nAg enabling) or laundering were identified as hotspots. Non nano-specific ecotoxicity impacts ranged from 1.58 × 101–2.91 × 101 CTUe/textile (CTUe: comparative toxic units for ecosystems) and nano-specific ecotoxicity impacts ranged from 2.01 × 10−4–3.10 × 10−3 CTUe/textile for the lowest and the highest Ag/nAg containing textiles, respectively. It is also found that unless the initial silver loading per textile is significantly high (in this case 4030 μg Ag/g textile comparing to the lowest load of 1.07 μg Ag/g textile), ecotoxicity and human health impacts of released silver species would be lower than ecotoxicity and human health impacts resulting from raw materials acquisition and manufacturing of the antibacterial textiles.

Diversité des outils et des activités de percussionà la fin du MIS 9 dans le niveau 6 d’Orgnac 3(Ardèche, France)

Layer 6 of Orgnac 3 corresponds to a cave occupation, dated to the end of MIS 9. It yielded numerous lithic and paleontological remains, and witnesses of diverse hominin activities. This paper aims to consider percussive activities from both lithic material and fauna, according to a technological and traceologicalological analysis. Knapping activities are dominant, based on the presence of hammerstones and retouchers (from bone and lithic materials). Recycling phenomena were also highlighted, with cores used as hammerstones. A flake-bulb presents also typical wear marks due to its use as retoucher (“éclat à bulbe piqueté”). These phenomena are usual during the Middle Palaeolithic and are here presented from the first stages of these lithic techno-complexes. Among the shaped pieces, a chopper bears macro-wear marks typical of use in launched percussion on a non-mineral hard material (bone?). Herbivorous remains present anthropic fractures for marrow extraction, diaphysis fragments being further punctually used as retouchers. Percussive activities have an important role in prehistoric lifeways (knapping activities, acquisition and transformation of raw materials linked to subsistence). The diversity of the percussive tool-kit testifies to a technological specialisation, while recycling shows the hominins adaptive skills to their environment.

Global scale life cycle environmental impacts of single- and multi-walled carbon nanotube synthesis processes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are well known for their mechanical resistance, durability and flexibility, which make them preferable for a wide variety of applications. The global production volume of CNTs is expected to reach 7,000 tons by 2025. This work performs cradle-to-gate life cycle assessments (LCAs) of industrially preferred single- and multi-walled CNTs synthesis processes. The aim is to evaluate global environmental impacts associated with raw materials acquisition and manufacturing and identify hotspots in CNTs production. Eight single-walled and seven multi-walled CNTs synthesis processes are evaluated using LCA. A mass based functional unit is selected as 1 kilogram of CNTs produced, and LCAs are conducted using SimaPro 8.5.2 Software with Tool for Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI 2.1) and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) impact categories. It is expected that industrial scale production provides significant material and energy savings as well as reduces environmental impacts per unit mass of the product, due to the use of efficient equipment and recycling of reagents. Therefore, hypothetical scaling up scenarios are applied in order to estimate associated impacts. Lastly, industry-based impact projections are developed for industries where the majority of CNTs are used using the Laplace criterion. The results showed that chemical vapor deposition is the most impactful route for manufacturing single- and multi-walled CNTs. Whereas, high pressure carbon monoxide route for producing single-walled CNTs, and arc discharge route for manufacturing multi-walled CNTs are found to be the least environmentally impactful techniques among different processes considered. Results indicate that the preference of synthesis process dominates the overall environmental cost of the CNTs as well as CNTs-enabled products. Additionally, using different scaling up scenarios, it is projected that the environmental emissions associated with producing CNTs may be reduced up to 88% globally. As industries use particular routes to synthesize the CNTs to be embedded in their products, it is found that the sectoral environmental impacts are not proportional with the industrial shares. CNTs offer technological advances to conventional products (e.g. heated jacket). However, thinking from a global scale, manufacturing CNTs has significant environmental impacts. This study provides segmented impact projections for industries, which then may be used to inform sectoral cradle-to-grave environmental impacts as a function of manufacturing processes. Based on the desired characteristics of produced CNTs (e.g. diameter, surface area), manufacturing CNTs with environmentally responsible production routes may help decreasing global environmental impacts significantly.

Life cycle carbon emission assessments and comparisons of cast iron and resin mineral composite machine tool bed in China

Machine tool is the core of manufacturing, and one of its indispensable parts is the machine tool bed, which is mainly composed of cast iron and exhibits high material consumption. Owing to the high carbon emissions of steel industries and the limitation of steel reserves, resin mineral composite machine tool beds have been developed. But the carbon emissions of the resin mineral composite machine tool bed are not assessed. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to investigate the carbon emissions across the life cycle phases of cast iron machine tool bed and resin mineral composite machine tool bed. The uses of cast iron and resin mineral composite for machine tool bed were compared. LCA was employed to establish a carbon emission assessment model for the raw material acquisition phase, manufacturing phase, recycling phase, and disposal phase. Carbon emission assessments were conducted based on reliable survey data. The cast iron machine tool bed has a total carbon emission of 5673.60 kgCO2eq, and the resin mineral composite bed has a total carbon emission of 1259.37 kgCO2eq. Compared with the cast iron machine tool bed, the resin mineral composite machine tool bed reduces carbon emissions by 77.80%. It was found that the carbon emission of the cast iron machine tool bed was greater than that of the resin mineral composite tool bed. It lays a foundation for the research on the potentiality of the resin mineral composite machine tool bed to replace the cast iron machine tool bed form the point of environmental aspects.

Механизм защиты имущественных интересов организаций перерабатывающей алкогольной промышленности

Abstract. The research is aimed at identifying and evaluating modern tools for protecting the property interests of organizations in the alcohol processing industry. Methods. The following research methods were used in the work: analysis, synthesis, systemic, structural, functional method, statistical, mathematical methods, as well as methods for definition of a concept, classification and comparative method. Results and practical significance. The author defines the concept of “institutions for the protection of property interests of producers of alcoholic products” as a set of mutually binding and limiting subjects of the agri-food market of alcoholic products norms and rules. Free disposal, effective use and interest in the preservation of property determine the purpose of the emergence and development of institutions for the protection of property interests. The acquisition of agricultural raw materials, the process of their processing and the creation of a finished product, as well as its implementation are components of the effective implementation of property interests. The structure of protection institutions is defined, which includes market participants (economic agents), formal and informal norms and rules of their interaction. Such areas of protection for the effective implementation of property interests as physical protection, economic protection and protection of information and legally protected data are highlighted. Specific measures to protect property interests in each direction at all stages of the protection mechanisms are defined. Phenomena that have a General impact on the protection of property interests include criminal threats, accidental circumstances and unintentional innocent actions, uncontrolled phenomena, the effectiveness of process management and risk management, the use of business intelligence, and the impact of economic crisis phenomena. The special role of integration and Association of agri-food market participants in terms of protecting the property interests of small and medium-sized businesses is defined.

Life Cycle Assessment and eco-efficiency of high value-added riceberry rice products to support Thailand 4.0 policy decisions

Riceberry rice has been encouraged especially in the health and wellness niche market via the Thailand 4.0 national policy as it contains high nutrients and antioxidants. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and eco-efficiency of various riceberry rice products – riceberry porridge, riceberry snack bar, and riceberry soap – were evaluated to provide supporting information for policy decisions. The LCA results indicated that raw material acquisition stage was the major hotspot significantly contributing to more than 50% of all impacts for all studied products. Based on these findings, improvement opportunities explored in the study were focused on the modification of recipe and the re-designing of packaging. The calculation of eco-efficiency based on climate change was 5.2 USD/kgCO2e for riceberry soap, 5.5 USD/kgCO2e for riceberry snack, and 1.6 USD/kgCO2e for riceberry porridge. The use of coconut oil in riceberry soap was identified as the main hotspot, especially from the use of chemical fertilizers during the cultivation stage. The eco-profiles of riceberry soap could be improved by replacing coconut oil with palm kernel oil, which could potentially increase the eco-efficiency value to 6.5 USD/kgCO2e. For the riceberry snack bar, using peanuts and pineapple to replace the apricot and cashew nuts had a potential to increase the eco-efficiency value to 6.7 USD/kgCO2e. For riceberry porridge, replacing celery with shiitake mushroom and re-designing the packaging led to increased eco-efficiency value to 1.7 USD/kgCO2e. The results indicate that riceberry soap and riceberry snack bar should be promoted because of their high value-added and eco-efficiency.

Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Reductants in the Ferromanganese Alloy Production: A Review

This study examined the literature on life cycle assessment on the ferromanganese alloy production route. The environmental impacts of raw material acquisition through the production of carbon reductants to the production of ferromanganese alloys were examined and compared. The transition from the current fossil fuel-based production to a more sustainable production route was reviewed. Besides the environmental impact, policy and socioeconomic impacts were considered due to evaluation course of differences in the production routes. Charcoal has the potential to substantially replace fossil fuel reductants in the upcoming decades. The environmental impact from current ferromanganese alloy production can be reduced by ≥20% by the charcoal produced in slow pyrolysis kilns, which can be further reduced by ≥50% for a sustainable production in high-efficient retorts. Certificated biomass can ensure a sustainable growth to avoid deforestation and acidification of the environment. Although greenhouse gas emissions from transport are low for the ferromanganese alloy production, they may increase due to the low bulk density of charcoal and the decentralized production of biomass. However, centralized charcoal retorts can provide additional by-products or biofuel and ensure better product quality for the industrial application. Further upgrading of charcoal can finally result in a CO2 neutral ferromanganese alloy production for the renewable power supply.

Life-cycle assessments of solar water-heating systems: a review

This research study reviews life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of solar water-heating systems (SWHS) and provides a complete overview of its progress. Several research papers have confirmed the advantages of SWHS in energy saving and environmental protection, but the reported system performances varied greatly, due to climate, raw materials and the systematic design. The environmental impacts are mainly caused by the manufacturing and acquisition of raw materials, whose values vary depending on the forms of the system and the materials. The users also have great influence on the performance, but there are few studies regarding this and optimisation should be made accordingly. LCAs highly depend on the implication background, including the energy structure and industrial production technologies. Whether to choose solar energy or not needs life-cycle analysis according to local conditions.

Sustainable supplier selection for the cold supply chain (CSC) in the context of a developing country

Cold supply chain (CSC) is a process that involves temperature-controlled activities ranging from the acquisition of raw materials and down to the end consumers. A sustainable cold chain supplier is the one that incorporates sustainable practices in its complete cycle of operations. This is to ensure keeping the products from going to waste, especially in the case of a developing country. To identify the driving factors towards the sustainable cold chain supplier, this study utilizes the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach in the first phase. Fifteen various sustainability factors were analyzed and the “utilization of renewable resources” factor concluded to be the most important driving factor. By implementing renewable resources, a supplier can be able to convert its manufacturing processes and services to sustainable assets. The second phase of this study conducts the selection of cold chain suppliers in the context of Pakistan. For this purpose, fuzzy VIKOR, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique is incorporated to analyze eight suppliers based on fifteen distinct criteria. The results concluded Mitchell foods to be the most economically, environmentally and socially sustainable suppliers in the context of Pakistan. This study recommends providing business-friendly incentives to suppliers like Mitchells and new investors who tend to keep their operations sustainable by adopting renewable resources. Furthermore, the relaxation of taxes and creating job employability by working with sustainable suppliers can contribute positively towards economic growth and the overall society. The study holds novelty in the area of cold chain supplier selection for Pakistan by utilizing a novel approach in the form of ISM and fuzzy VIKOR techniques, thus forming a major application of this research study.