End Of Life Scenarios Research Articles

Exploring patient awareness of palliative care - optimal timing and preferred approaches.

To explore patients' awareness levels of palliative care (PC) and how this awareness shapes their preferences regarding the timing and approach for discussing it. The study, conducted at a prominent institution specializing in oncology care, enrolled women aged 18-75 years who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Patients completed guiding questions: Do you know what PC is?, When is the most appropriate time and the most appropriate way to discuss PC?. The interviews were conducted exclusively via video call and were recorded, transcribed, and then deleted. The study involved 61 participants, averaging 49 years old. Almost half (47.5%) had completed high school. Qualitative data analysis revealed 9 thematic categories. Regarding the first question, 2 divergent categories emerged: care for life and threatening treatment. For the second question, opinions diverged into 4 categories: At an early stage, mid-course of the disease, as late as possible, and no time at all. For the third question, 3 categories emerged: communication and support, care setting and environment, and improving the PC experience. This study reveals diverse perspectives on patients' awareness and preferences for discussing PC, challenging the misconception that it's only for end-of-life (EOL) situations. Comprehending PC influences when and how patients discuss it. If tied solely to EOL scenarios, discussions may be delayed. Conversely, understanding its role in enhancing advance support encourages earlier conversations. Limited awareness might delay talks, while informed patients actively contribute to shared decision-making. Some patients prefered early involvement, others find mid-treatment discussions stress-relieving. Community support, quiet environments, and accessible resources, underscoring the importance of a calm, empathetic approach, emphasizing the importance of understanding its role in advance support and providing valuable implications for enhancing patient care practices, theories, and policies.

Sustainable management of end of life crystalline silicon solar panels in Australia: Advancing circular economy practices

The worldwide adaptation of Photovoltaic (PV) technology as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, has experienced exponential growth in recent years. However, the lack of effective waste management policies has hindered efficient PV panel disposal and recycling practices. In the absence of effective policies, the worldwide End-of-Life (EoL) PV module accumulation is predicted to reach a critical stage in the early 2030s. This study examines the environmental impacts of different EoL management practices using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), based on a comprehensive database generated from both literature and industrial data. Five different EoL scenarios were considered for 1000 kg of Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) PV modules with a focus on Australia as a case study, while considering the energy recovery options and emphasizing the economic benefits. From a comprehensive LCA study, it is found that upcycling options reduce the environmental impacts significantly compared to downcycling, while chemical treatment emerges as a preferred option, demonstrating a reduced environmental burden. Nevertheless, the utilization of toxic chemicals during chemical treatment-based PV recycling needs to be reconsidered. Additionally, the usage of chemicals during the metal recovery process of PV module recycling caused the highest environmental burden, necessitating the importance of moving to greener treatment practices. This research study will enable the identification of optimum EoL c-Si module recycling options, contributing to sustainable waste management.

Environmental sustainability assessment of biodegradable bio-based poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) from agro-residues: Production and end-of-life scenarios

In the context of a circular bio-based economy, more public attention has been paid to the environmental sustainability of biodegradable bio-based plastics, particularly plastics produced using emerging biotechnologies, e.g. poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) or PHBV. However, this has not been thoroughly investigated in the literature. Therefore, this study aimed to address three aspects regarding the environmental impact of PHBV-based plastic: (i) the potential environmental benefits of scaling up pellet production from pilot to industrial scale and the environmental hotspots at each scale, (ii) the most favourable end-of-life (EOL) scenario for PHBV, and (iii) the environmental performance of PHBV compared to benchmark materials considering both the pellet production and EOL stages. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was implemented using Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment (CEENE) and Environmental Footprint (EF) methods. The results show that, firstly, when upscaling the PHBV pellet production from pilot to industrial scale, a significant environmental benefit can be achieved by reducing electricity and nutrient usage, together with the implementation of better practices such as recycling effluent for diluting feedstock. Moreover, from the circularity perspective, mechanical recycling might be the most favourable EOL scenario for short-life PHBV-based products, using the carbon neutrality approach, as the material remains recycled and hence environmental credits are achieved by substituting recyclates for virgin raw materials. Lastly, PHBV can be environmentally beneficial equal to or even to some extent greater than common bio- and fossil-based plastics produced with well-established technologies. Besides methodological choices, feedstock source and technology specifications (e.g. pure or mixed microbial cultures) were also identified as significant factors contributing to the variations in LCA of (bio)plastics; therefore, transparency in reporting these factors, along with consistency in implementing the methodologies, is crucial for conducting a meaningful comparative LCA.

Life cycle assessment of curtain wall facades: A screening study on end-of-life scenarios

By 2030, Australia is committed to reducing 43 % of its greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 record, and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Embodied carbon emissions in materials used in Australia's building and construction sector are the next frontier to significantly reduce carbon emissions. Façades are among the highest contributors to embodied carbon emissions in commercial buildings. However, there are limited studies on the life cycle assessment examining the embodied impacts of different types of curtain walls. Further, the majority focus on the upfront carbon, oversimplifying the end-of-life (EoL) possibilities, often assuming demolition as the only scenario. This study explores the life cycle assessment of three façade systems from cradle-to-grave analysing the trade-off between the impacts of the service life and end-of-life stages to identify the associated environmental benefits. A total of 27 scenarios based on different façade service lives of 20, 40 and 100 years and different EoL scenarios, including landfill, recycling and reuse are examined. The assessed variables include the global warming potential (GWP), total use of renewable primary energy resources (PERT), total use of non-renewable primary energy resources (PENRT) and net freshwater use (FW). This study highlighted the importance of considering the net benefits beyond the boundary. Compared to recycling, reuse provides more net benefits to GWP, PERT and PENRT. By extending the façade lifespan, the uncertainty of the impact indicators associated with different EoL decreases. Moreover, the life cycle benefits of selecting a façade with higher operational savings increases, given the same EoL scenario.

A Longer Life or a Quality Death? A Discrete Choice Experiment to Estimate the Relative Importance of Different Aspects of End-of-Life Care in the United Kingdom.

Advocates argue that some interventions, including but not limited to end-of-life (EOL) care, are valued by patients and the public but are systematically disadvantaged by the quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) framework, leading to an unfair and inefficient allocation of health care resources.Using a discrete choice experiment, we find some support for this argument. Only a small proportion of public respondents prioritized survival in EOL scenarios, and most prioritized nonhealth aspects such as dignity and family relations.Together, these results suggest that the QALY may be a poor measure of the value of EOL care, as it neglects nonhealth aspects of quality and well-being that appear to be important to people in hypothetical EOL scenarios.

End-of-Life Medical Decisions: The Link Between Sociodemographic Characteristics and Treatment Preferences.

Advance directives (ADs) promote patient autonomy in end-of-life (EOL) care, including an individual's EOL medical treatment preferences. This study aims to better understand preferences regarding EOL medical treatment among community-dwelling adults (18 and older) residing in the United States and examine the association between sociodemographic characteristics and EOL medical treatment preferences. Utilizing a cross-sectional study and snowball sampling methodology, community-dwelling adults completed a survey containing two different ADs and a questionnaire with sociodemographic information. Univariate analyses were used to summarize EOL medical treatment preferences among the sample, and bivariate analyses (Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests) were performed to examine the association between sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, and race/ethnicity) and EOL medical treatment preferences. The mean age of the 166 participants was 50 (SD: 21.65, range: 18-93), with 58.4% being White and 61.4% being female. Generally, when EOL scenarios involved brain damage or a coma, more participants indicated that they did not want life-support treatment. Age and race were both associated with EOL medical treatment preferences, but no significant differences were observed in the bivariate results by gender. Largely, young and middle-aged adults, along with Black participants, were more likely to prefer more aggressive EOL medical treatments than older adults and White participants. Overall, EOL medical treatment preferences varied among participants. The study findings indicate that adults develop different preferences for EOL medical treatment, with some of the variation attributable to sociodemographic characteristics such as age and race.

Abstract 13922: Reducing Health Care Disparities by Improving ICD Knowledge in a Diverse Population, a Quality Improvement Initiative to Align ICD Settings With Goals of Care

Background: Patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) often lack understanding of ICD functioning, most dramatically in at-risk populations. Patient knowledge gaps preclude adequate communication regarding goals of care and informed decision-making with the potential for unwanted shocks at end of life (EOL). Both ICD studies and ICD patient education tools historically lack both diversity and accessibility. Ways to improve patient ICD comprehension in populations with barriers to care have not been well established. Research Questions: Does a patient-centered educational video improve ICD knowledge and/or affect patients’ ICD preferences in hypothetical EOL scenarios? Methods: We surveyed 30 admitted heart failure patients with ICDs using 10 validated true-false ICD knowledge questions, 4 preference questions in hypothetical EOL scenarios, and multiple qualitative questions at a diverse urban, safety-net hospital. A novel 7-minute ICD educational video narrated by real patients with ICDs, using 3 rd grade or below language was then shown either in English or Spanish. Post viewing, the same questions were repeated to assess knowledge and preferences. (Link to video: https://youtu.be/8n_M--33Ia w ) Results: The mean age was 58 years, and 38% identified as female. Of the 30 patients, 63% were Black, 37% were White, and 17% were Hispanic. Patients had a mean ejection fraction of 31%, and 50% of participants had prior ICD shocks (1 to 14 times). The mean pre-test knowledge score was 50% (SD 22.8) and mean post-test score significantly improved to 82% (SD 15.1) correct (W=346, p<0.00001). Scores did not significantly vary by age, sex, race, or prior shock status. After watching the video, 66% of patients changed their EOL ICD preferences in at least 1 scenario. All participants rated the video as either very helpful or helpful. Conclusion: In a diverse group of admitted heart failure patients with ICDs, intervention with an educational video on ICDs and shocks at EOL significantly improved patient knowledge. Educational materials designed for diverse patient populations can reduce healthcare disparities, by expanding patient knowledge and therefore empowering patients to make informed decisions on ICDs at EOL.

Comparative Cradle-to-Grave Carbon Footprint of a CFRP-Grid Reinforced Concrete Façade Panel

Due to climate change and current efforts to reduce emissions in the construction sector, this study evaluates and discusses the results of a comparative cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), with a main focus on Global Warming Potential for functionally equivalent carbon-reinforced concrete (CRC) and steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) façade panels for the first time. The novelty of this study is the focus on construction waste and, in particular, the worst-case application of non-recycled construction waste. The use of CRC requires a lower concrete thickness than SRC because the carbon fiber reinforcement does not corrode, in contrast to steel reinforcement. Façade panels of the same geometrical dimensions and structural performance were defined as functional units (FU). Assuming an End-of-Life (EoL) scenario of 50% landfill and 50% recycling, the Global Warming Potential (GWP, given in CO2 equivalent (CO2e)) of the CRC façade (411–496 kg CO2e) is shown to perform better than or equal to the SRC façade (492 kg CO2e). Changing the assumption of CRC to a worst-case scenario, going fully to landfill and not being recycled (single life cycle), turns the GWP results in favor of the SRC façade. Assuming a 50-year service life for the SRC façade panel and relativizing the emissions to the years, the more durable CRC façade performs much better. Finally, depending on the system boundary, the assumed EoL and lifetime, CRC can represent a lower-emission alternative to a functionally equivalent component made of SRC. The most important and “novel” result in this study, which also leads to future research opportunities, is that delicate adjustments (especially concerning EoL scenarios and expected service life) can lead to completely different recommendations for decision-makers. Only by combining the knowledge of LCA experts, structural engineers, and builders optimal decisions can be made regarding sustainable materials and building components.

Chemical Recycling of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polyurethane for Aviation Applications

Carbon fibres are widely used in carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) for aviation, automotive, windmills, sport and many more application due to their outstanding material properties. Annually, this generates about 62,000 tonnes of end-of-life (EoL) CFRP and CFRP production waste. Current EoL scenarios for CFRPs show some disadvantages: Landfilling and incineration are not sustainable and environmentally friendly. Carbon fibre recovery by pyrolysis damages the carbon fibres and incinerates the plastic material. Mechanical recycling shortens the carbon fibres and is of limited value for thermosets. However, chemical recycling routes like solvolysis offers the great potential to recover damage-free carbon fibres as well as useful monomers for a new generation of plastics. Here we provide an overview about the solvolysis of carbon fibre reinforced polyurethane material for aviation applications. Additionally, first life cycle assessment results are presented.

Sustainable end-of-life value chain scenarios for wind turbine blades

This study presents a sustainable end-of-life (EoL) value chain scenario assessment framework for decommissioned wind turbine blades (WTBs) to address the challenge of increased volumes of WTBs reaching their EoL. Findings from the previous studies highlight that WTBs EoL scenarios and their upscaling are yet to be addressed environmentally and economically. The scenarios investigated herein are mechanical shredding, pyrolysis, and cement co-processing that can be industrially upscaled. Together with the industrial partners, end-of-life scenario value chains are identified, to assess their sustainability through material flow analysis (MFA), life cycle assessment (LCA), and techno-economic assessment (TEA). A prospective consequential LCA model is proposed for scenarios with different technology readiness levels (TRL) expected to be commercialized at different timeframes. IPCC’s Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs) will be used to describe foreground and background systems in 2030, 2040, and 2050. More specifically, SSP1 (i.e., green road), SSP2 (i.e., middle road), and SSP5 (i.e., fossil-fueled development) will be employed and quantified based on integrated assessment models (IAM). Furthermore, environmental impacts, economic criteria, Social sustainability, and circularity cannot directly be compared to evaluate the scenarios. Thus, this research proposes multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method to evaluate the three end-of-life scenario value chains considering a prospective scheme and addressing the key challenges related to the assessment of emerging technologies. Furthermore, a full conceptual framework of the methodology is presented.

A comparative life cycle assessment of graphene nanoplatelets- and glass fibre-reinforced poly(propylene) composites for automotive applications

The circulation of motor vehicles with an exhaust system is one of the leading causes of pollution. Due to the risk factor for human health and contribution to climate change, countries have been growing efforts to achieve a sustainable level of air quality and limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in recent years. Hence, there has been significant interest in developing technological innovations such as alternative fuels and lighter thermoplastic composites for auto applications. Thermoplastic nanocomposites show substantial properties improvements, incorporating much lower nanofiller percentages than fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites, allowing for a reduction in the weight of automotive parts (AP). For these motivations, this study presents a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of poly(propylene) (PP)–based graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) nanocomposite and PP/glass fibre (GF) composite for automotive applications. The AP selected as the functional unit was the front end part of 1.5 tons weight car. The LCA included preparing raw materials, AP manufacturing, AP use, and AP end-of-life (EoL). Three different EoL scenarios were considered in this analysis. Several midpoint environmental impact indicators were evaluated. Overall, the results suggest that the different EoL scenarios do not affect the global environmental impact of both AP systems. The environmental impacts of the AP depend on the type of material. The AP of the PP-based GnPs nanocomposite exhibited a weight 28 % lower than the AP of the PP/GF composite. This lightweight resulted in energy and emissions savings, especially during the AP use stage, which was the stage with the most significant contribution in most environmental impact categories. Using nanocomposite reduced the AP environmental impact from 17 % to 75 %, depending on the impact category. The study suggested that substituting traditional composite with a new lighter nanocomposite can decrease the global environmental impacts caused by AP.

End-of-Life Impact on the Cradle-to-Grave LCA of Light-Duty Commercial Vehicles in Europe

A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment focused on end-of-life (EoL) was conducted in this study for three configurations of a light-duty commercial vehicle (LDCV): diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and battery electric vehicle (BEV). The aim is to investigate the impact of recycling under two EoL scenarios with different allocation methods. The first is based on the traditional avoided burden method, while the second is based on the circular footprint formula (CFF) developed by the European Commission. For each configuration, a detailed multilevel waste management scheme was developed in compliance with the 2000/53/CE directive and ISO22628 standard. The results showed that the global warming potential (GWP) impact under the CFF method is significantly greater when compared to the avoided burden method because of the A-parameter, which allocates the burdens and benefits between the two connected product systems. Furthermore, in all configurations and scenarios, the benefits due to the avoided production of virgin materials compensate for the recycling burdens within GWP impact. The main drivers of GWP reduction are steel recycling for all of the considered LDCVs, platinum, palladium, and rhodium recycling for the diesel and CNG configurations, and Li-ion battery recycling for the BEV configuration. Finally, the EoL stage significantly reduces the environmental impact of those categories other than GWP.

An integrated building information modelling-based environmental impact assessment framework

The application of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies faces many challenges, especially in developing countries. This problem was investigated in the existing literature and via a designed questionnaire among local practitioners. The reasons were mainly attributed to the seclusion of the EIA process across the project’s phases, as well as the complexity of the EIA procedures. Hence, the research argues that Building Information Modelling (BIM) applications can be the key to resolve several associated problems to EIA either directly, or indirectly by streamlining Environmental Management System (EMS). Thus, a keyword-based scientometric analysis was used to define parameters and interrelations and establish network analysis for a proposed BIM-based EIA framework. The proposed framework presents scoring schemes to support three types of assessments: the efficiency of applying BIM techniques for an EIA process (Score A), proper integration of BIM techniques for different EIA steps (Score I) and proper integration of BIM techniques across project phases (Score B). It also shows the interplay of points between the three schemes via a Sankey diagram. The proposed framework was applied to compare three major construction projects in a developing country, the case of Egypt to pinpoint areas of drawbacks. The results pinpointed poor application of advanced BIM models to support sustainability analysis for EIA studies. This is in addition to imbalance of applying BIM applications across different project phases, it was notably less pronounced for the operation and maintenance stage as well as end of life scenarios. Also, poor integration of BIM tools could not support decisions related to the mitigation step. Hence, applying 6-dimensional BIM model shall enable developing mitigation measures and shall support design optimization during building operation and end of life phase. This novel approach presents the required level of verification and quality control procedure needed by decision-makers and environmental engineers to perform EIA studies and pave the way for further related research.Graphical

Integrated decision support for embodied impact assessment of circular and bio-based building components

The construction industry is accounted for one third of all waste generation in the European Union (EU) countries. The Interreg Circular Bio-Based Construction Industry (CBCI) project was conceived to explore the circular principles and bio-based materials for enhancing sustainability in construction industry. This study provides a new approach for decision support via a case study on early design phase of a demo terraced single family house; the living lab (LL) located in Ghent (Belgium). The decision support utilizes circularity tools and life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. For this purpose, nine preliminary designs (PD) for the building envelope were assessed in a comparative study, which consists of three basic construction methods: masonry, light-weight steel and wood framing construction supplemented with bio-based materials. Environmental impact assessment was supported with the circularity tools focusing on the reuse and recyclability potential in the end-of-life (EoL) scenarios. The integration of LCA and circularity tools displayed that bio-based design PDs have an increased performance due to the avoided environmental impact through reuse and recycling in the EoL scenarios. As a result, a novel approach that integrates circularity calculations with LCA methodology was provided to improve long-term impact analysis on circular buildings with more precision in end-of-life scenario development.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of End-of-Life Scenarios of Carbon-Reinforced Concrete: A Case Study

This study assesses the environmental performance in the end-of-life (EoL) of double walls made of carbon-reinforced concrete (CRC) and steel-reinforced concrete (SRC). The most feasible CRC EoL scenarios are evaluated using life cycle assessment and their environmental performances are then compared to those of SRC. The results showed that mechanical recycling is the best CRC EoL scenario, with a global warming potential (GWP) of 7.0 kg CO2 eq., while the use of renewable energy can save over 50% of GWP. For SRC, the best scenario was obtained using a mobile recycling plant (GWP of 8.8 kg CO2 eq.). In general, the further life of the reinforcements is hardly comparable. Steel can be recycled nearly without losses or downcycling, while a closed cycle of carbon fibers is not yet possible. Therefore, carbon fiber properties or EoL processes need to be improved for a closed loop with an optimized environmental performance.

Building Sector Issues in about 100 Years: End-Of-Life Scenarios of Carbon-Reinforced Concrete Presented in the Context of a Life Cycle Assessment, Focusing the Carbon Footprint

Carbon-reinforced concrete (CRC) has the potential to play a pivotal role in optimizing the built environment and has therefore been experiencing a wave of research and development in the construction industry in recent years. The production of carbon fibers for CRC is energy-intensive, prompting the need to explore circular economy approaches (e.g., recycling at the End-of-Life (EoL)) to optimize the environmental performance of this material. Underdeveloped processes and a resulting lack of primary data regarding the recycling of CRC have hampered a comprehensive sustainability assessment of the novel composite building material. The novelty of this article is the detailed presentation of possible EoL scenarios for CRC and the detailed determination of the respective environmental impacts. This study aims to model EoL options within a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), focusing on the EoL stage based on ISO 14040/44 using the GaBi ts 10.5.1.124 software and the CML2001 (2016) methodology. The practical relevance of the study lies in the early consideration of the entire life cycle of new materials, such as CRC, already in the design phase. Furthermore, the EoL can have relevant impacts on the environment, and due to an increasing significance of sustainability aspects, this LCA clarifies first approaches for the future of the construction sector in quantitative statements (e.g., CO2 emissions). All data are literature-based and are explained in detail and calculated for our case study with the functional unit of one kilogram of re-usable material (reusable and fully usable “raw” material for further use/ development) from a double wall. The impact assessment was calculated for 11 midpoint categories and related indicators, although the main focus was on Global Warming Potential (GWP). It was found that the highest-quality recycled options for CRC arise when the individual fractions (concrete matrix and carbon fibers) are first broken up, separated and then individually processed. This study focused mainly on the processing of the carbon fibers contained in CRC, for which pyrolysis and mechanical recycling have the strongest potential for industrial application. For the demolition and separation of both the concrete and the carbon fiber fractions, the conventional transport from the demolition site to the stationary processing plant proved to be the main driver of the GWP (1.4 × 10−3 kg CO2e). In the subsequent processing of the carbon fibers, pyrolysis showed a higher GWP (9.7 × 10−3 kg CO2e) than mechanical recycling (3.1 × 10−4 kg CO2e). In addition, the production of one m³ of concrete (C30/37) was compared to a primary raw material concrete fraction. Concrete can be successfully used as a substitute material for the gravel present in the C30/37 concrete. The use of recycled parts in concrete (originating from the concrete used in carbon-reinforced concrete) as a substitute for primary gravel showed a savings of 6.9 kg CO2e per m³ of primary concrete, corresponding to a reduction of 22.5%. The results show that the mechanical recycling of carbon fibers is overall the route with the lowest energy input and emissions. However, compared to pyrolysis, the recycled carbon fibers from mechanical recycling have a lower quality. Therefore, despite the higher energy input, pyrolysis is a more promising approach to close the material cycle. Furthermore, recycled aggregate concrete can reduce emissions by a quarter compared to primary concrete. Finally, this work aimed to provide a basis for further life cycle optimization in the construction sector. In subsequent studies, the EoL must be combined with the production and use stages to depict the entire life cycle, identify possible trade-offs and compare the results with conventional construction methods or materials such as steel-reinforced concrete.

Wood as a carbon mitigating building material: A review of consequential LCA and biogenic carbon characteristics

Buildings can potentially be carbon sinks by use of wood under correct circumstances because wood sequesters CO2 i.e., biogenic carbon, from the atmosphere by photosynthesis during growth. Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) works as a decision support tool to assess consequences from a change in demand by including only the processes that are affected by this demand through market-based modelling. This study aims to review current research about CLCA on wood in buildings. First, by examining methodological approaches linked to CLCA modelling and biogenic carbon accounting of wood in buildings. Second, to evaluate conclusions of studies using CLCA on wood in buildings. We conducted a literature review of 13 articles that fulfilled the criteria of stating to conduct a CLCA concerning either buildings, components, or materials where wood is one of the materials.The application of the reviewed studies include: method development, reuse, testing end of life aspects, CLCA inventory modelling, and comparison of ACLA and CLCA. The CLCA inventory of small-scale studies comprise a wide spectrum of methods ranging from simplistic to advanced methods, often retrospective. All large-scale studies integrate sophisticated modelling of prospective analysis. Dynamic time-dependent biogenic carbon accounting and indirect land use change (iLUC) are rarely represented. Although, both aspects have an impact on whether wood buildings respectively work as carbon sinks or provide net GHG emissions. Wood multi-storey buildings generally perform environmentally better than concrete and steel buildings due to wood displaces these materials and residues substitute fossil energy. End of life scenarios, choice of substituted production, retro- and prospective data, and the share of recycled steel further influence carbon mitigating potential of wood in buildings.Research of CLCA on wood in buildings are many-fold. Some studies partially evade inclusion of some CLCA aspects i.e., market delimitation, market trend, affected suppliers, and substitution. A simultaneously high integration of both CLCA, time-dependent biogenic carbon accounting, and iLUC in the same study is almost absent. Consequently, more empirical and methodological CLCA studies are needed while including dynamic time-dependent biogenic carbon accounting to improve understanding of implications of policy decisions in transitions towards increased use of wood in buildings.

Where do Brazilian cancer patients prefer to die? Agreement between patients and caregivers.

Preferred place-of-death (PPoD) is considered an important outcome for the development of appropriate models of care and for improving health policies in countries with underdeveloped palliative care (PC) OBJECTIVES: To determine the concordance between the PPoD of a sample of Brazilian seriously-ill cancer patients and their caregivers, and its associated factors under four different end-of-life (EOL) scenarios: 1) health deterioration in the overall context; 2) health deterioration with severe and uncomfortable symptoms; 3) health deterioration receiving home-based visits as needed; 4) health deterioration receiving home-based visits as needed, when suffering severe and uncomfortable symptoms METHODS: Cross-sectional study at a large Brazilian cancer center, between February 2019 and July 2021. 190 adult cancer patients and their caregivers (n=190) were analyzed RESULTS: Patient and/or caregiver PPoD concordance for EOL scenario one: 64% vs. 43% for death at home, 22% vs. 30% for death in a PC unit, 14% vs. 27% for death in hospital. Higher patient and/or caregiver PPoD concordance was found for death in hospital (41%; 49%) in EOL scenario two, and for death at home for scenario three (77%; 74%). Agreement coefficient was moderate for scenario two (k=0.430; P < 0.001), and fair for EOL scenarios one, three and four (k=0.237, P < 0.001; k=0.296, P < 0.001; k=0.307, P < 0.001, respectively). Associated disagreement factors were: performance status (OR:3.03), self-perceived health (OR: 6.99), marital status (OR:2.92), and hospital and/or emergency room proximity (OR:4.11). The presence of relevant persons (42.3% vs. 44.2%), followed by spirituality (38.5% vs. 27.9%) and the place-of-death (14.0% vs. 18.4%), were the most important factors in the EOL, when comparing patients and care givers opinions, respectively CONCLUSION: Low agreement between patients and caregivers on PPoD was identified. EOL clinical factors and deterioration, and PC support seem to influence PPoD.

Life Cycle Assessment and Preliminary Cost Evaluation of a Smart Packaging System

Smart food packaging (SP) is an innovative packaging system that can extend the shelf life of the product and reduce food waste. The objective of the study is the estimation of the environmental and economic sustainability of the overall life cycle of a SP including a chemical sensor able to detect modifications in the concentration of CO2, which is an indicator of food spoilage, and encapsulated oregano essential oil (OEO), capable of inhibiting the microbial growth. For this purpose, a life cycle assessment (LCA), following the ISO 14040 series and ReCiPe methodology, and an economic evaluation of SP, were performed. The environmental footprint (EF) of SP was compared to that of a conventional packaging (CP) in terms of packaging production, use and end of life (EoL) of both the packaging and the contained food product. The results demonstrated that the production of SP burdened by 67% the impact category of climate change. However, when adapting four use and EoL scenarios, namely the CP generates 30% food waste, whereas SP can generate 5% (optimistic scenario), 10% (realistic) or 20% (conservative) waste, SP proved to be environmentally superior in most impact categories.

Environmental Impact of Chicken Feathers Based Polypropylene Composites Developed for Automotive and Stationary Applications and Comparison with Glass-Fibre Analogues

In last decades, there has been an interest in using biogenic wastes and by-products as fillers or reinforcements to produce polymer composites. Hence, new composites materials based on a blend of biogenic chicken feathers (CFs) and polypropylene (PP) are proposed in this work and compared, from the environmental point of view, with currently used materials as neat PP and PP reinforced with glass-fibres (PP-GF). A Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed in order to compare the environmental impact of these three materials when being used either for automotive or stationary applications. The mechanical properties of each material were taken into account to calculate the equivalent mass of each industrial application and the use phase and end of life (EoL) were included in the LCA study. The results showed that, for automotive applications and for all the materials studied (PP-GF, PP-CFs and PP) the use phase has a great contribution to the environmental impact categories considered, proving that the new developed material based on CFs (PP-CFs) would be appropriate for stationary applications but not for mobile applications as automotive ones. In addition, the EoL scenario considered, i.e. incineration with energy recovery, has proven to provide extra environmental credits.Graphical