This study calculates the carbon footprint of chemical coagulants and operational energy for residential and industrial (whey digestion) wastewater treatment using ReCiPe 2016 methodology within a clearly defined system boundary from cradle to gate. Data from water treatment facilities have been analyzed to quantify environmental impacts and identify sensitive design parameters. The estimated emission of treating 1 m3 of wastewater from whey digestion (7.1195 kg CO2 eq) is over 50 times higher than that of a residential one (0.1349 kg CO2 eq). Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) reveals that iron (III) chloride (40% in H2O) and operational electricity consumption have higher impact categories compared to other design components. The uncertainty analysis indicates that electricity consumption (r = 0.4) is the dominant contributor to emissions, with a mean value of 4.22 kg CO2-eq per m3 of wastewater treated. In contrast, iron (III) chloride emerges as the most sensitive parameter (r = 0.88) with small variations in dosing causing a disproportionately large impact on overall emissions. Therefore, the optimized use of an iron-based coagulant, the adoption of membrane electrolysis, and the integration of renewable electricity into the process supply chains have been identified as effective strategies for reducing emissions.

The production of high-value-added products from biomass is a key strategy for advancing carbon neutrality. This approach not only reduces dependence on fossil resources but also enhances the economic value and utilization efficiency of renewable materials. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) are potential candidates for producing high-value-added chemicals via carbon-neutral pathways. This study conducts life cycle assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14,040/44 standards, defining the functional unit as 1 ton of straw (for HMF production) and 284.34kg of HMF (for FDCA production). Results show HMFstraw outperforms HMFfructose in all categories, reducing 87.73kg CO₂ eq and 7.87kg 1,4-DB eq per unit product. HMFfructose has 23.46%-27.83% higher aquatic/sediment ecotoxicity. Sensitivity analysis indicates that replacing the existing power structure (60% coal-fired power + 40% renewable energy) with 100% renewable energy can reduce global warming potential GWP by 74.56%. Replacing dichloromethane (DCM) with γ-valerolactone (GVL) reduces HT by 63.36%. Crystallization for FDCA is more sustainable than distillation, reducing abiotic depletion, acidification, human toxicity and photochemical oxidation by 50.22%-59.02%, and ~ 20% in fossil energy and global warming potential. The results confirm that straw is an environmentally viable feedstock for HMF production, crystallization represents more sustainable pathway for FDCA synthesis, and optimizing the power structure alongside solvent substitution can significantly reduce environmental impacts. This provides quantifiable reference criteria for green optimization in biomass chemical processes.

Tempe production at the micro, small, and medium enterprise scale may cause environmental impacts due to water and energy use at each production stage. This study analyzes the environmental impacts of tempe production at Bapak Amin’s MSME using the Life Cycle Assessment method. The system boundary was defined as gate to gate with a functional unit of 1 kg of tempe. Environmental impacts were assessed using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) model through characterization and normalization. The results show that the boiling process contributed 7.61 × 10⁻² kg CO₂ eq to GWP, 5.206 × 10⁻² m³ to WCP, 3.44 × 10⁻⁶ kg P eq to MEP, and 9.35 × 10⁻¹⁰ kg CFC-11 eq to SOD. The soaking process contributed 2.52 × 10⁻³ m³ to WCP and 1.58 × 10⁻⁵ kg P eq to MEP, while the grinding process contributed 4.25 × 10⁻⁴ kg CO₂ eq to GWP. Soybean washing showed the highest WCP contribution at 5.28 × 10⁻³ m³ and was identified as the main hotspot due to high water use. These findings provide a basis for improving more sustainable tempe production at the MSME scale.

Analysis of Fenugreek gum-based microalgae harvesting technology and its mechanism of action

Life cycle assessment and costing of indoor VOC removal via electro-absorption and in situ electrochemical regeneration of activated carbon.

Natural farming (NF) is gaining global attention as an agroecological farming approach to address the dual aspects of ecological benefit and maintaining food security. The present study examined the impact of NF compared to conventional farming (CF) among vegetable growers in the hilly region of India. The study was performed with 300 actively engaged farmers selected through a multi-stage sampling technique to quantify various environmental indicators like Greenhouse Gas (GHG), acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity and ecoefficiency with TEBA-TCA and IPCC Tier 1 framework. In particular, NF significantly reduced environmental footprints, with net GHG emissions decreasing from 8215.6 kg CO₂ eq./ha in conventional farming to just 69.2 kg CO₂ eq./ha, while eco-efficiency improved from ₹36.6−₹7163/kg CO₂ eq. Findings further revealed that NF-based crop combination achieved a higher benefit-cost ratio of 7.51, reflecting its strong economic viability. Comparing the composite sustainability impact with aggregation, suggested NF combinations significantly reduce the average emission value (e.g., 69.2 kg CO₂ eq./ha in NF vs. 8215.6 kg CO₂ eq./ha in CF for tomato). While the other indicators of ecotoxicity, eutrophication and acidification, reported no evidence through their eco-friendly farm management practices, remarking on the resilient balancing between mitigating climate change and ensuring farm profitability. Overall, the enhanced eco-efficiency observed in NF supports a higher sustainability index, demonstrating that integrating environmental externalities into economic assessments can guide sustainable farming strategies in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The multimodal North Sea–Baltic corridor, consisting of 6934 km of road, is an integral part of the EU’s trans-European transport network. However, an unsatisfied level of development of alternative fuels infrastructure for road transport is considered one of the obstacles to connecting northern Member States and North-East countries. A “what-if” scenario was employed to obtain useful insights into how a given situation might be handled, and a comparison of several paths forward to make better decisions was analysed. Environmental insights for transportation sector scenarios in 2030–2035 were explored and analysed using the COPERT v5.5.1 software program. In this study, the installation of natural gas infrastructures of various station sizes and with varying capacities and types of natural gas (LNG, CNG, bio-methane) dispensed was evaluated in detail. Replacement of the existing HDV fleet (heavy-duty vehicles) with LNG-powered trucks would result in the following investment to upgrade the existing network and build new stations to meet rising LNG demand: from €21.47 to €32.3 million (the scenario of 10% market share for HDVs running on LNG), €42.94 to €64.6 (20%), and €64.4 to €96.9 (30%). The dual-fuel 10–diesel fuel 90% scenario seems to be the safest option for a large-scale investment until 2035 which may lead to moderate emission savings of 84.6 kton CO2 eq. compared to 2022 levels.

The jeans industry remains a significant polluter in the textile sector, with the production phase usually overlooked despite its crucial contribution to environmental impact. This study assessed the environmental performance of producing a pair of jeans in Tunisia, focusing on key processes like garment manufacture, washing and finishing. A gate-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed. It begins with a characterization analysis of the assessed jeans (baseline scenario), highlighting the contribution of the key jeans production stages to the selected environmental impact categories (i.e. climate change and water use) defined by the ReCiPe2016 (V.1.1) Midpoint (H) method. The total impact of the assessed pair of jeans was 5.14kg CO2 eq and 81.68 × 10-3 m3 in terms of climate change and water use, with industrial washing being the main hotspot. Six alternative scenarios were then selected to explore potential strategies for improvement of the washing process. The evaluation results of the alternative scenarios were normalized and combined into a Single Environmental Performance Indicator, identifying the optimal scenario with the best overall results. Scenario six, combining 100% solar energy with stone washing, proved most effective, reducing climate impact by 15.2% and water use by 10%. Next, a data quality assessment (DQA) was carried out, focusing on data with a considerable influence on the LCIA results. Finally, two sensitivity analyses were conducted and revealed that climate change was most sensitive to heat use, while water use was most sensitive to tap water use. It also revealed consistent results across LCIA methods variation.

Residential barbecuing is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, especially in cities, where it is not only a leisure activity but also an important social and cultural practice. Consequently, the number of grills and smokers in use continues to grow. This study evaluated the environmental performance of a household wood-pellet barbecue dual-function smoker/grill using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The functional units selected were per cooking time (1 h) and per unit of energy delivered (1 kWh) at different cooking settings on the smoker. The results show that most of the impacts, including global warming potential (GWP) and resource use, originate from the production of the smoker itself, whereas emissions released during combustion, especially NOx, are the main contributors to impacts such as acidification and smog formation. The GWP per hour of operation ranged from 0.44 to 0.63 kg CO2 eq. From an operational perspective, cooking at intermediate temperatures (between 110 and 175 °C) generally leads to lower impacts per hour than very low-temperature smoking. When considering entire meals, meat typically accounts for most of the total impact, with the smoker’s contribution comparatively small. Overall, the study provides a useful reference and shows that both equipment design and food choices play a role in barbecue sustainability.

Revealing optimal end-of-life options for biodegradable plastic bags: A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment.

New irrigation management in paddy fields reduces methane emissions and increases water use efficiency.

How sustainable and safe is drinking from refill-and-reuse bottles? An analysis based on life-cycle assessment (LCA) and microbiological quality of water.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) are currently essential tools for evaluating the sustainability of products and industrial systems. Although LCA is systematically applied today and is considered a stable methodology, supported by material-specific guidelines and rich databases, S-LCA remains immature in certain aspects. In the presented case study, LCA was applied to compare 11 methanol synthesis processes, all based on reverse Water-Gas Shift, but characterized by different sources of CO2 and H2 supply, to identify the most promising. Accordingly, the model was then integrated with that of propylene production (methanol to propylene-MtP), identified as a molecule of interest for the current and future market. Then, the authors propose an innovative approach to enhance the application of S-LCA in the industrial chemistry sector. The climate change impact of the different methanol production scenarios varies significantly: the most impactful is the methanol synthesis via coal gasification (2.76 kg CO2 eq), and the most promising are via CO2 generated by wood chips waste or dedicated biomass by employing hydrogen produce with wind electrolysis, which show the negative impacts of -0.40 kg CO2 eq thanks to cogeneration and the use of hydrogen from renewable sources. On the social level, the database shows a preference for productions occurring in Europe, across all the categories analyzed. The proposal of a sector-specific guideline represents a step forward that could facilitate the future application of the methodology. Moreover, the integration of LCA and S-LCA proves effective in delivering a richer and more comprehensive understanding of the issues addressed, offering valuable insights for stakeholders. The LCA should be applied to assess the environmental sustainability of alternative production routes in chemical processes, while the complexity of S-LCA can be mitigated by initiating preliminary assessments.

Environmental sustainability assessment of remediation alternatives for highly contaminated marine sediments.

Life cycle energy consumption and GHG emissions analysis of a cellulosic ethanol biorefinery: a scenario-based study on process waste valorization strategies.

Assessing the environmental sustainability of the billion trees afforestation project through life cycle assessment.

Low-carbon sustainable bio-electrochemical system for upgrading oilfield wastewater treatment: Comparative life cycle assessment.

Green naphtha production via direct CO2 hydrogenation with renewable hydrogen: economic-environmental perspective.

Pathways to sustainable municipal solid waste management: An LCA of integrated approaches and product circularity in Nashik, India.

Climate changing is caused not only by natural factors, but also human activity. According to the FAO, the greenhouse gas emissions’ share from agriculture (including indirect ones) reaches 30%. Most of them are accounted with livestock. This industry is being intensified in our country at the new farms constructing and existing ones modernization. The assessment of these measures on greenhouse gas emissions impact is becoming relevant. This assessment is carried out according to National Methodologies in accordance with the Guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) developing, for calculations at different methodological levels providing. The aim of this work was the of the assessment of greenhouse gas generation from the livestock industry calculating results by the first and second levels using on Leningradsky region’s example comparing. The study was conducted by the developed computer program "Inventory of emissions of climatically active substances in animal husbandry" using, which calculations in according to the National Methodology at different levels implementing. The conducted studies showed comparable results with higher values for the second level (574,06 Gg in CO2 eq.) in compared with the first level (559, 66 Gg in CO2 eq.), which is explained by taking into account the diets of second level that to modern types of with high protein feeds corresponding. Therefore cows nitrous oxide emissions of Leningradsky region as leading in production were more than in 2 times higher when calculated by the second level method (hereinafter referred to as Level 2) using and amounted to 31 Gg in CO2 eq., and according to the first level method (hereinafter referred to as Level 1) - only 14 Gg in CO2 eq. The main emissions’ share is accounted for by methane from cattle enteral fermentation: for Level 2 it amounted to 433,9 Gg in CO2 eq., for Level 1 - 428,4 Gg in CO2 eq.