Additional Environmental Impact Research Articles

Eco-efficient asphalt recycling for urban slow mobility

Cycling infrastructures contribute to advancing zero-impact transport systems, aligning with the European Commission’s proactive climate change mitigation policies. This paper explores the potential of innovative and sustainable pavements for cycling paths with mixtures composed of road-milling materials. This investigation involves low-environmental-impact bituminous-based mixtures differing from recipe, mixing method, and laying. Up to 100% secondary aggregates are used as alternative materials to design the Grande Raccordo Anulare delle Biciclette (GRAB), a 44-km cycling ring in Rome. According to the European standard EN 15804, their “from cradle to gate” life cycle analysis allows a comprehensive assessment and comparison of the environmental impact. Core and additional environmental impact categories and resource use indicators were quantified using primary data from asphalt producers and secondary data from the Ecoinvent database in the SimaPro software. Within the H2020 InfraROB project (grant agreement no. 955337), which aims at enhancing road infrastructure integrity, performance, and safety through autonomous robotic solutions and modularization, experimental sections have been constructed using a cold-mixed asphalt composed entirely of recycled asphalt and a rejuvenating additive. The results underscore the potential of the examined low-impact approach in conserving Earth’s resources, ensuring long-lasting infrastructure for vulnerable urban populations and fostering sustainable environmental management.

Contents of potentially toxic elements in sediments and waters of the Meža river and its tributaries draining mine waste deposits

The results of the monitoring of the contents of potentially toxic elements (PTE) in sediments (2013, 2017, 2020) and waters (2017, 2020) of the Meža River and its tributaries, which drain mining waste deposits, are presented. A total of 13 sample sites were established in a sample scheme that enables long-term observation of the impact of mining waste deposits. In the sediments, the content of PTE, especially Pb, Zn, Cd, Mo and As, is greatly elevated and fluctuates with time. The study area is affected by more than 300 years of mining and ore processing industry. The differences in the contents in various years are most pronounced in the Meža River tributaries, which drain the mining waste dumps. Hydrological conditions have a significant influence on the contents in sediments, as PTE content increases with higher water level and higher water flow. Water erosion of mining waste dumps has a significant impact on the discharge of contaminated material into watercourses. In contrast, in the upper part of the Meža River, we did not observe strong influence of higher water level on the content of PTE in the sediments. Fluctuations in the content between individual years and fluctuations between various hydrological conditions are higher again in the middle part of the the Meža river, downstream from Žerjav. The presented results demonstrate that the contents of Pb, Zn, Cd, Mo and As in the sediments of the Meža River and its tributaries are very high and that they by far exceed the legislative critical value for the soil. PTE contents in the surface water are elevated in some locations and do not change significantly over time. The local concentrations of Pb, Cd and Zn exceed the legislative guidelines. We estimate that the dynamics of the sediment load in the Meža River along the towns of Črna na Koroškem, Žerjav and Mežica is very complex. In addition to mining waste deposits, the content of PTE in sediments and waters is also affected by scattered sources in the environment, such as contaminated soil and floodplains and their varying degrees of pollution, as the environment has been burdened by long-term mining, ore processing and smelting activities. Current industrial activity may also have an additional environmental impact.

Lignocellulose-Based Biosorbents for the Removal of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) from Water: A Review

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are chemicals or materials that are not under current regulation but there are increasing concerns about their possible occurrence in the environment because of their potential threat to human and environmental health, with wastewater perceived as their primary source. Although various techniques for their removal from water have been studied, it should be emphasized that the choice should also consider the use of resources and energy within the removal processes, which must be minimized to avoid additional carbon footprints and environmental impact. In this context, the use of biomass-based sorbents might represent a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for the removal of CECs from water because they are based on preferably local renewable resources with lower negative impacts on the global carbon cycle through greenhouse gas emissions than the conventional nonrenewable ones. This paper provides an overview of the studies dealing with the application of such so-called biosorbents for the removal of CECs from water and discusses the use of their different forms: sorbents after a minimal pretreatment of the original lignocellulosic biomass; sorbents extracted from lignocellulosic biomass and/or modified; and biochar-based sorbents obtained after thermochemical conversion of biomass. It explains possible modifications of biosorbents and discusses the efficiency of various biosorbents for the removal of selected emerging compounds that belong to the classes of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides and compares the adsorption capacities, kinetic models, and mechanisms reported in the relevant literature. Biochar-based sorption has been studied more often if compared to other considered biosorbents. In some cases, removal efficiencies of contaminants greater than 90% were achieved, but nonetheless a wide range of efficiencies for different CECs indicates that for successful simultaneous multicompound removal, a combination of different processes seems to be a more appropriate approach than the stand-alone use of biosorbents. Finally, this review discusses the reasons behind the limited commercial application of the considered biosorbents and provides directions for possible further research, in particular the use of spent biosorbents from a perspective of circular systems.

Dairy production sustainability through a one-health lens

Dairy production provides high-quality, healthful nutrients to people on a planet soon to be inhabited by over 9 billion people. In doing so, it is ever more important to continuously improve the care of dairy animals, safeguard the environment we all share, and reliably produce nutritious food while maintaining the economic viability of the people working in dairy agriculture. In this paper, we review some associations between dairy consumption and human health along with the many interconnections between people, dairy animals, plants, and our shared environment. Understanding these relationships is an example of one health at work. In the US, total dairy consumption is at its highest point in the last 50 years, while many objective measures of cow health (eg, subclinical mastitis) have never been better since they have been recorded. Further, indications of food safety such as violative antibiotic residues in milk have never been lower. Dairy foods provide essential nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, and calcium, while there is also evidence that they are protective against chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Finally, the environmental footprint of dairy production in the US, as measured by metrics such as carbon dioxide–equivalent emissions intensity per unit of dairy nutrient, is the lowest it has ever been. The companion Currents in One Health by Nguyen et al, AJVR, January 2023, discusses some additional animal welfare and environmental impact implications of modern dairy production management in detail.

Dairy production sustainability through a one-health lens.

Dairy production provides high-quality, healthful nutrients to people on a planet soon to be inhabited by over 9 billion people. In doing so, it is ever more important to continuously improve the care of dairy animals, safeguard the environment we all share, and reliably produce nutritious food while maintaining the economic viability of the people working in dairy agriculture. In this paper, we review some associations between dairy consumption and human health along with the many interconnections between people, dairy animals, plants, and our shared environment. Understanding these relationships is an example of one health at work. In the US, total dairy consumption is at its highest point in the last 50 years, while many objective measures of cow health (eg, subclinical mastitis) have never been better since they have been recorded. Further, indications of food safety such as violative antibiotic residues in milk have never been lower. Dairy foods provide essential nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, and calcium, while there is also evidence that they are protective against chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Finally, the environmental footprint of dairy production in the US, as measured by metrics such as carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions intensity per unit of dairy nutrient, is the lowest it has ever been. The companion Currents in One Health by Nguyen et al, AJVR, January 2023, discusses some additional animal welfare and environmental impact implications of modern dairy production management in detail.

RESEARCH OF THE PHYTOTOXIC EFFECT OF TEBUCONAZOLE, РROTHIOCONAZOLE, FLUDIOXONYL AND BASED ON THEM PRODUCTS ON THE GERMINATION POWER AND GROWTH OF SEEDLINGS OF WHEAT AND WHITE MUSTARD

The elaboration of new fungicidal protectants is an urgent issue due to the ability of pathogens to develop resistance. This fact contributes to the constant production of new protectants, so it carries an additional environmental impact. The main problem of development of new fungicides is choice of methods for identifying of optimal combinations and concentrations of fungicides. The optimization of the composition of fungicides is aimed to reduce the amount of active substances due to the synergistic effect. The use of fungicidal preparations with a reduced amount of active substances carries a lower environmental impact and gives a greater economic effect.
 One of the main problems in the application of fungicides is the phytotoxicity of the fungicides in relation to the protected plants. Phytotoxicity in general is the ability of pesticides or other substances to have a depressing (toxic) effect on plants. This problem is solved through researches of the germination of seedlings during the development of protectants.
 Researches of the germination power of seeds of soft winter wheat and white mustard after treatment with tebuconazole, рrothioconazole, and fludioxonyl were considered in the article. The main traits of the influence of the named substances on the germination of wheat grains and white mustard seeds, and morphological features of wheat seedlings, such as the length of their roots and shoots are revealed.
 In accordance to the results of the research, combinations of active substances (a.s.) that provide high effectiveness against the causative agents of diseases, and also do not have a phytotoxic effect on the protected culture have been determined.
 The aim of the work was the identification of traits of the phytotoxic effect of tebuconazole, рrothioconazole, fludioxonyl in the combination of seed protectants which are used to protect seedlings from plant diseases.
 Materials and methods. An assessment of the effect of three active substances of fungicides on wheat of the Grom cultivar and white mustard was given. The analysis was carried out in two replications for 48 possible combinations of tebuconazole, рrothioconazole, and fludioxonyl as well as fot two control variants. The ratio of normal, infected, abnormal and non-germinated seeds was analyzed.
 Results. According to the realized studies, tebuconazole has the greatest suppressive effect on germination and growth of shoots. Prothioconazole had no effect on germination, but it had a stimulating effect on the development and growth of wheat’s roots and shoots. With the combined action of prothioconazole and fludioxonyl, the greatest decrease in germination of wheat was observed.
 Conclusion. The possible phytotoxic effect, which depends on the dose of the protectant, should be taken into account when choosing a protectant and developing combined products. So the results of research demonstrated that the following combinations had no phytotoxic effect on protected plants: tebuconazole with рrothioconazole 5:10 and 5:15, tebuconazole with fludioxonyl 5:10, рrothioconazole with fludioxonyl 5:10.

Opportunities for Low Indirect Land Use Biomass for Biofuels in Europe

Sustainable biofuels are an important tool for the decarbonisation of transport. This is especially true in aviation, maritime, and heavy-duty sectors with limited short-term alternatives. Their use by conventional transport fleets requires few changes to the existing infrastructure and engines, and thus their integration can be smooth and relatively rapid. Provision of feedstock should comply with sustainability principles for (i) producing additional biomass without distorting food and feed markets and (ii) addressing challenges for ecosystem services, including biodiversity, and soil quality. This paper performs a meta-analysis of current research for low indirect land use change (ILUC) risk biomass crops for sustainable biofuels that benefited either from improved agricultural practices or from cultivation in unused, abandoned, or severely degraded land. Two categories of biomass crops are considered here: oil and lignocellulosic. The findings confirm that there are significant opportunities to cultivate these crops in European agro-ecological zones with sustainable agronomic practices both in farming land and in land with natural constraints (unused, abandoned, and degraded land). These could produce additional low environmental impact feedstocks for biofuels and deliver economic benefits to farmers.

A life cycle assessment comparison of materials for a tidal stream turbine blade

Electricity generated from tidal streams via underwater turbines has significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil-fuel derived electricity. However, tidal stream turbine blades are conventionally manufactured from non-recyclable reinforced polymer composite materials. Tidal stream capacity is forecast to be over 1GW by 2030, which using current methods will ultimately produce around 6000 tonnes of non-recyclable blade waste. This waste is currently disposed of in landfill or incinerated, both of which have greenhouse gas and human health impacts. To address a growing waste management problem, this high-level study considers for the first time a range of conventional and bio-based materials, manufacturing methods, and end-of-life treatments to determine the blade materials and designs likely to have low environmental impact. A finite element model is used to develop material cases and Life Cycle Assessment is used to study the impacts of each over a ‘cradle to dock, dock to grave’ scope. The impact of material choices on cost and modifications to the wider turbine are considered. Compared to a glass fibre composite turbine blade, steel blades are around 2.5 times heavier, and incur additional environmental impact due to upgrades required to the wider turbine. Carbon fibre composite blades weigh less than glass fibre, but cause greenhouse 80% greater gas emissions, and human and ecosystem health risks, so are also not recommended. The best environmental performance of the cases considered was a flax fibre composite. This material offers greenhouse gas emissions around 50% lower than glass fibre materials when manufactured using conventional epoxy resin, and around 40% lower when manufactured using recyclable epoxy resin, which also enables the reuse of the fibre and may further reduce environmental impact. Initial results suggest that the cost of these materials are similar to or lower than conventional composite materials.

Variations in greenhouse gas emissions of individual diets: Associations between the greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient intake in the United Kingdom.

BackgroundFood production accounts for 30% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Less environmentally sustainable diets are also often more processed, energy-dense and nutrient-poor. To date, the environmental impact of diets have mostly been based on a limited number of broad food groups.ObjectivesWe link GHG emissions to over 3000 foods, assessing associations between individuals’ GHG emissions, their nutrient requirements and their demographic characteristics. We also identify additional information required in dietary assessment to generate more accurate environmental impact data for individual-level diets.MethodsGHG emissions of individual foods, including process stages prior to retail, were added to the UK Composition Of Foods Integrated Dataset (COFID) composition tables and linked to automated online dietary assessment for 212 adults over three 24-hour periods. Variations in GHG emissions were explored by dietary pattern, demographic characteristics and World Health Organization Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNIs).ResultsGHG emissions estimates were linked to 98% (n = 3233) of food items. Meat explained 32% of diet-related GHG emissions; 15% from drinks; 14% from dairy; and 8% from cakes, biscuits and confectionery. Non-vegetarian diets had GHG emissions 59% (95% CI 18%, 115%) higher than vegetarian. Men had 41% (20%, 64%) higher GHG emissions than women. Individuals meeting RNIs for saturated fats, carbohydrates and sodium had lower GHG emissions compared to those exceeding the RNI.DiscussionPolicies encouraging sustainable diets should focus on plant-based diets. Substituting tea, coffee and alcohol with more sustainable alternatives, whilst reducing less nutritious sweet snacks, presents further opportunities. Healthier diets had lower GHG emissions, demonstrating consistency between planetary and personal health. Further detail could be gained from incorporating brand, production methods, post-retail emissions, country of origin, and additional environmental impact indicators.

Voltage synchronisation for hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion systems

AbstractIncreasing demand for commercial air travel is projected to have additional environmental impact through increased emissions from fuel burn. This has necessitated the improvement of aircraft propulsion technologies and proposal of new concepts to mitigate this impact. The hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion system has been identified as a potential method to achieve this improvement. However, there are many challenges to overcome. One such challenges is the combination of electrical power sources and the best strategy to manage the power available in the propulsion system. Earlier methods reviewed did not quantify the mass and efficiency penalties incurred by each method, especially at system level. This work compares three power management approaches on the basis of feasibility, mass and efficiency. The focus is on voltage synchronisation and adaptation to the load rating. The three methods are the regulated rectification, the generator field flux variation and the buck-boost. This comparison was made using the propulsion system of the propulsive fuselage aircraft concept as the reference electrical configuration. Based on the findings, the generator field flux variation approach appeared to be the most promising, based on a balance of feasibility, mass and efficiency, for a 2.6MW system.

Incorporating Flood Hazards into Pavement Sustainability Assessment

The functional and structural performance of pavement infrastructures are at risk from climate change impacts. However, past sustainability assessment studies do not consider how the performance of infrastructure will be affected by a changing climate. The goal of this research is to investigate the impacts of flooding in a unified assessment of the resilience and sustainability of pavement. A case study of concrete pavement was evaluated for scenarios with and without flooding. The AASHTOWare Pavement ME design program was used to simulate the structural performance of typical jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) designs for collector roads in Canada. Predicted performance was used in the resilience and sustainability assessment under scenarios with and without flooding. The damage ratio and cost of damage were assessed to quantify the resilience of concrete pavement to floods. Life cycle costs and environmental impacts were compared across a climate change scenario with consideration of maintenance and rehabilitation activities. Results reveal that a typical Ontario JPCP design with structural slab thickness < 200 mm is less resilient than the Manitoba design for collector roads, but the 25 mm slab thickness difference in Manitoba design can lead to 50% change in damage ratio and damage cost. When estimating the social cost associated with greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, the additional environmental impact resulting from flooding for the Ontario road is almost seven times that of the Manitoba road. However, the life cycle economic cost and environmental impact do not yield an overall benefit with increased slab thickness.

A review on the requirements for environmentally friendly insulating oils used in high-voltage equipment under the eco design framework.

The advancements in electricity production and distribution, as well as the growing consumption of electrical energy, have made electrical equipment a vital part of the technological infrastructure. On the other hand, the necessity for environmentally safe and sustainable solutions is another requirement for electrical transformers, the same as for every technology and equipment nowadays. In this aspect, the main challenges in electrical transformers are the reduction in power losses, the use of construction materials with minimum environmental impact, and the elongation of their service life. All three challenges are related to the insulating oils that are used in the transformers which are exclusively mineral based and are products of crude oil. Mineral oils can almost be fully recyclable and can be regenerated with satisfactory results. However, they are not biodegradable, they are flammable, and they may present toxic properties for both humans and the environment. Bio-based lubricants are fully recyclable and can be regenerated, they have none of the hazardous properties of mineral oils, and are fully biodegradable. Furthermore, they are considered a sustainable solution, since they are not fossil-based but products of cultivation and the supplies can be considered indefinite. This paper tries to present an assessment of the environmental impact of vegetable-based insulating oils for electrical transformers, in the wider view of sustainability global efforts, considering additional environmental impact compared with the already used in related works. The assessment is executed for the whole life cycle of two product groups of transformers, as determined by the EU Eco Design Directive 2009/125/EC and the EU Regulation 548/2014 on eco design of requirements on transformers.

The Viability and Simplicity of 3D-Printed Construction: A Military Case Study

In November 2019, U.S. Marines, Air Force, and Army Corps of Engineers personnel demonstrated the viability and simplicity of three-dimensionally (3D)-printed construction in a controlled environment at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center—Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign, Illinois. The tri-service exercise spanned three days and culminated in the construction of three 1 m × 1 m × 1 m (3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft) concrete dragon’s teeth (square pyramid military fortifications used to defend against tanks and armored vehicles) and several custom-designed objects. The structural components were printed using a custom-built, gantry-style printer called ACES Lite 2 and a commercially available, proprietary mortar mix. This paper examines the viability of using 3D-printed construction in remote, isolated, and expeditionary environments by considering the benefits and challenges associated with the printing materials, structural design, process efficiency, labor demands, logistical considerations, environmental impact, and project cost. Based on the results of this exercise, 3D-printed construction was found to be faster, safer, less labor-intensive, and more structurally efficient than conventional construction methods: the dragon’s teeth were printed in an average of 57 min each and required only two laborers. However, the use of commercially procured, pre-mixed materials introduced additional cost, logistical burden, and adverse environmental impact as compared to traditional, on-site concrete mixing and production. Finally, this paper suggests future applications and areas of further research for 3D-printed construction.

Life-Cycle Assessment of Gingko-Wood Three-Dimensional Membrane for Wastewater Treatment.

Forest is one of nature’s most generous gifts to human beings, providing materials and shelters for all living beings with over 30% global land coverage. Apart from being sustainable, biodegradable, and renewable, wood is also extremely fascinating from the application aspect, with numerous advantages including hierarchical and macroporous structure, excellent mechanical performance, and versatile chemistry. The macroporous structure of wood is comprised of numerous long, partially aligned channels along the growth direction. This structure is suitable for a range of emerging applications, especially as a separation/membrane material. In this research, the potentiality of Gingko biloba (Gb) wood in the remediation of wastewater, contaminated with methylene blue (MB), a dye found in the industrial waters, was investigated. We report a macroporous, three-dimensional (3D) Gb-wood membrane decorated with palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) for efficient wastewater treatment. The efficiency of the Pd NPs/Gb-wood membrane to remove MB from a flowing aqueous solution was demonstrated. The wastewater treatment rate of the 3D Pd NPs/Gb-wood membrane can reach 0.5 L/min, with a high MB removal efficiency (>99.9%). The 3D Gb-wood macroporous membrane with partially aligned channels exhibits promising results for water treatment and is applicable for an even wider range of separation applications. In addition, the benefit of this 3D-wood membrane system for wastewater treatment was evaluated against the potential impacts on the environment and human health by employing the life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The LCA was carried out using the Gabi-education version with the gate-to-grave approach, including industrial wastewater, 3D-wood membrane, and electricity consumption using CML (Centrum VoorMilieukunde Leiden). From the LCA, it can be observed that wastewater filtration using this membrane exhibited a better environmental footprint due to the improved performance of the membrane in treating a higher volume of the permeate. Therefore, this filtration system had outweighed the additional environmental impact of the wastewater treatment process. The energy demand was identified as the main environmental hotspot in the LCA analysis. The analysis revealed that the energy source for electricity generation had a significant influence on the overall sustainability of this system. Additionally, the wood itself, a naturally abundant and eco-friendly material, presented zero environmental hazard to the environment during the filtration process. The experimental and environmental impact results indicate that Gb-wood can be employed as a natural and eco-friendly adsorbent material for the removal of waste from aqueous solutions.

LEARNING TO LOVE THE WORLD’S MOST HATED CROP –Review Articles

The 2019 Inter-governmental Panel (IPCC) Report on Climate Change and Land highlighted the urgency and scale of the environmental impact from human-induced landscape change. Palm oil has historically had a particularly negative reputation for driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, social exploitation and damaging health. In the eyes of many in the West, it is regarded as the world’s most hated crop. However, palm is highly productive compared with other crops and produces 40% of the worlds edible oil from only 5% of vegetable oil producing land and 0.4% of agricultural land in total. It has the potential to meet future demand for oil with minimum additional environmental and climate impact compared with other sources of vegetable oil. The related high value density has the potential to move millions of vulnerable smallholder farmers out of poverty. Given the conclusions of the IPCC Climate and Land Report, it is therefore important to re-examine the crop’s reputation in light of the accumulated evidence and to properly understand the full impacts across the environmental, health, social and economic factors. We present a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of the crop across these dimensions and provide a new synthesis. We conclude that while oil palm has had a significant negative impact on habitat and biodiversity, it plays a minor role compared with poaching, illegal logging and threats from climate change. There are important opportunities for the industry to reverse this damage. Its reputation for negative health impacts are not backed up by the scientific evidence and indeed there may be health benefits from substituting some oils in the diet with oil palm. Positive social and economic impacts are most obvious in areas where proper market-led economies are in place, but there can be significant negative social impacts in less developed areas. We conclude that much of the reputation of palm oil is not based on a balanced interpretation of the scientific evidence. Provided future development is zero deforestation, does not occur on peat, uses methane capture technology at the mills, empowers indigenous smallholders and supports the regeneration of secondary forest, we conclude that oil palm can be the most environmentally, socially and economically sustainable means to meet future demand for vegetable oil. Indeed, with pro-active collaboration with relevant non-government organisations, oil palm can be part of the solution to reversing the degradation of tropical forest biomes

Life cycle environmental impact assessment of contemporary and traditional housing in Palestine

Residential buildings consume a vast amount of energy throughout their whole-life cycles with the subsequent greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted in the atmosphere. This phenomenon will only be exacerbated by projected trends in excessive urbanisation and global population. It is therefore imperative to investigate and quantiatively evaluate the environmental impacts of housing in different regions and contexts in order to enable better and more informed decisions.This is even more urgent in cases where the possibility for urban development is limited or severely constrained. Palestine represents one such areas of the world, and this research focuses on a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of contemporary and traditional housing typologies in the region. Primary data has been collected to provide a reliable basis for the LCA, which has been carried out according to the existing international standards. In addition to energy demand and GHG emissions, additional environmental impact categories have been further evaluated to provide a more holistic sustainability analysis.Results – strengthened by an uncertainty analysis – show that environmental impacts, energy use, and global warming potential for contemporary houses are for the most much higher than those for traditional houses. This is mainly due to the high impact of concrete and steel, but further exacerbated by the low impact of limestone as a suitable building material for the region. The results presented in this article signpost an important starting point in investigating the real mitigation potential of specific materials (e.g., limestone and lime mortar) when employed at scale in specific regions of the world. Our findings can also contribute to developmental policies for the region, with an aim of reducing the anthropogenic pressure on the natural environment.

Grocery Delivery or Customer Pickup—Influences on Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions in Munich

The number of supermarkets offering grocery delivery has increased in recent years. Many studies conclude that CO2 emission savings result from this concept. Since the delivery of groceries also consumes energy and produces emissions, break-even points can be calculated, where the delivery is environmentally beneficial compared to customer pickup. In this paper, influences of differing vehicle use on break-even points for savings of energy and CO2 emissions are analyzed for the case of Haidhausen Süd, a district in Munich, Germany. Internal combustion engine and electric vehicles are investigated to depict current as well as future trends. After an introduction to the methodology used, the potential to save energy and CO2 emissions related to the delivery of groceries in the chosen district of Munich are evaluated. Subsequently, influences on the break-even points are presented and discussed. As the results show, a delivery of groceries leads to energy and carbon dioxide savings in a wide range of private vehicle use for grocery shopping trips. Nevertheless, if the complete customer vehicle fleet is electrified, the use of delivery vehicles with an internal combustion engine could cause an additional environmental impact at the current modal split for shopping trips in Germany.

Life cycle assessment of run-of-river hydropower plants in the Peruvian Andes: a policy support perspective

Low-carbon emissions are usually related to hydropower energy, making it an attractive option for nations with hydropower potential as it enables them to meet increasing electricity demand without relying on burning fossil fuels. In fact, the new wave of hydropower plant construction is occurring mainly in tropical areas where an additional environmental impact must be considered: biogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the degradation of biogenic carbon in reservoirs. Peru is planning to install up to 2000 MW in hydropower until 2021, but the input and output flows, as well as the environmental impacts that these generate, have not been explored. Hence, a set of three hydropower plants built in the past decade located in the Peruvian Andes were analyzed from a life cycle perspective. The main objective of the study is to generate detailed life cycle inventories for each of these three hydropower plants with the aim of obtaining specific information for current conditions in Peru. The life cycle assessment methodology was applied to compute the environmental impacts. Data collection was based mainly on primary data obtained directly from the hydropower companies, although biogenic emissions were modeled considering local net primary productivity conditions and other site-specific conditions. Although the calculation of GHG emissions related to hydropower plants was a priority, considering the important policy implications of decarbonizing the Peruvian electricity grid, other environmental categories, such as eutrophication or the depletion of abiotic resources, were also considered. The IPCC method was used to calculate GHG emissions, whereas a set of eight additional impact categories were computed using the ReCiPe 2016 method. Results show that GHG emissions per unit of electricity generated were in the lower range of emissions observed in the literature, in all three cases below 3 g CO2eq/kWh. Biogenic emissions represented less than 5% of the total GHG emissions despite their location in a tropical nation, due to the arid conditions of the landscape in the Andean Highlands, as well as the mild temperatures that are present in the reservoirs. In terms of stratospheric ozone depletion, a GHG with ozone depletion properties, N2O, was the main source of impact. The results are intended to be of utility for an array of applications, including relevance in decision-making in the energy sector and policy-making at a national level, considering the implications in terms of meeting the nationally determined contributions to mitigate climate change in the frame of the Treaty of Paris.

Toward harmonizing ecotoxicity characterization in life cycle impact assessment.

Ecosystem quality is an important area of protection in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). Chemical pollution has adverse impacts on ecosystems on a global scale. To improve methods for assessing ecosystem impacts, the Life Cycle Initiative hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme established a task force to evaluate the state-of-the-science in modeling chemical exposure of organisms and the resulting ecotoxicological effects for use in LCIA. The outcome of the task force work will be global guidance and harmonization by recommending changes to the existing practice of exposure and effect modeling in ecotoxicity characterization. These changes will reflect the current science and ensure the stability of recommended practice. Recommendations must work within the needs of LCIA in terms of 1) operating on information from any inventory reporting chemical emissions with limited spatiotemporal information, 2) applying best estimates rather than conservative assumptions to ensure unbiased comparison with results for other impact categories, and 3) yielding results that are additive across substances and life cycle stages and that will allow a quantitative expression of damage to the exposed ecosystem. We describe the current framework and discuss research questions identified in a roadmap. Primary research questions relate to the approach toward ecotoxicological effect assessment, the need to clarify the method's scope and interpretation of its results, the need to consider additional environmental compartments and impact pathways, and the relevance of effect metrics other than the currently applied geometric mean of toxicity effect data across species. Because they often dominate ecotoxicity results in LCIA, we give metals a special focus, including consideration of their possible essentiality and changes in environmental bioavailability. We conclude with a summary of key questions along with preliminary recommendations to address them as well as open questions that require additional research efforts. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:2955-2971. © 2018 SETAC.

Environmental impact of nanomaterials in composite membranes: Life cycle assessment of algal membrane photoreactor using polyvinylidene fluoride – composite membrane

This study assessed the environmental impacts of a composite polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane (incorporating nanomaterials) and compared with neat PVDF membrane on algal membrane photoreactor (A-MPR) system's overall sustainability. The life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out using Simapro 8.4.0 with cradle-to-gate approach, including raw materials, equipment, transportation and electricity consumption using ReCiPe 1.13 (H) and IPCC 2013 GWP 100a methodology. From the LCA analysis, silver/graphene oxide - polyvinylidene fluoride (Ag/GO-PVDF) membrane fabrication showed higher environmental impact than the neat PVDF membrane fabrication due to the addition of Ag/GO nanohybrids into the polymer. However, the A-MPR system using the Ag/GO-PVDF membrane exhibited better environmental footprint due to the improved performance of the modified membrane in producing higher volume of permeate as the output. Therefore, the A-MPR system using Ag/GO-PVDF membrane had outweighed the additional environmental impact of the Ag/GO-PVDF membrane fabrication process. Energy demand was identified as the main environmental hotspot in the LCA analysis. Subsequently, sensitivity analysis was performed to find out the effect of various energy mix for electricity generation towards the environment. The analysis revealed that the energy source for electricity generation had significant influence on the overall sustainability of the A-MPR system. The use of grid with 100% renewable energy (hydropower and geothermal) and solar photovoltaic might be able to mitigate 94.8% and 97.5% of CO2 emission, respectively.