Fossil Resource Scarcity Research Articles

Assessing the Overall Sustainability Performance of the Meat Processing Industry Before and After Wastewater Valorization Interventions: A Comparative Analysis

The meat processing industry is rapidly growing, aiming to enhance the accessibility and affordability of meat products. However, this vital sector also presents significant environmental and social challenges alongside substantial waste management issues. Efforts to improve sustainability in this industry include introducing advanced waste treatment technologies. This study evaluates the overall sustainability of the meat processing industry by comparing the current waste treatment system with an advanced system incorporating improved technologies for water reuse, solid waste valorization, and energy production. We conducted environmental, social, and economic Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) using OpenLCA and the SOCA v2 database, with 1 kg of processed meat as the functional unit. The comparative analysis highlights significant improvements in the ‘50%’ scenario, where half of the wastewater undergoes advanced treatment. Environmental impacts decreased notably: Freshwater Eutrophication and Human Carcinogenic Toxicity by 25.9% and 31.5%, respectively, and Global Warming and Fossil Resource Scarcity S by 9.2% and 8.8%. Social risk indicators improved by 33.7% to 37.0%. The treatment system achieved a cost saving of EUR 0.00187 per kg of meat (EUR 63,152.70 annually), though these results are specific to this study and heavily dependent on the location and time period. Further analysis of four scenarios, including the baseline, demonstrated that increasing the proportion of wastewater treated by the new system improved environmental, social, and economic outcomes, with the 75% treatment scenario proving the most sustainable. Overall, the advanced treatment system significantly enhances sustainability in the meat industry, promoting a more environmentally, socially, and economically friendly waste management approach.

Contribution of ultra-processed food and animal-plant protein intake ratio to the environmental impact of Belgian diets

There is growing concern about the various impacts of food consumption, both on human and planetary health. Given the context-specific nature of consumption patterns, evaluating their national-level impacts is crucial for proactive policy development. This research aims to evaluate the environmental impact of current Belgian diets, with particular attention to the contribution of food groups, ultra-processed foods (UPF), and the animal-to-plant protein ratio. The methodology consists of three key stages. Firstly, the Belgian diet was summarised, based on data from the Belgian National Food Consumption Survey 2014/2015. Secondly, the origin of the most frequently consumed foods was traced using trade databases. Finally, a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment was conducted to determine the impact of Belgian diets on climate change, water use, land use, and fossil resource scarcity. In this third step, an iterative procedure for selecting the food items to be included in the study was performed. The iterative approach resulted in the inclusion of 227 food items in the analysis. The results indicate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 4.4 [4.27–4.54] kg CO2-equivalent per person per day. Red meat (35 %), beverages (16 %), dairy products (16 %) and snacks (10 %) are identified as primary contributors to climate change. Similar results were observed for land use impacts. Water use and fossil resource scarcity exhibited different trends, with beverages being the most impactful food group. Moreover, UPF account for 50 % of the total climate change and land use impacts, with a linear relationship observed between increased UPF consumption and GHG emissions and land use. A similar linear trend is observed between the ratio of animal-to-plant protein intake and both climate change and land use impact categories. A shift from the current protein ratio to a ratio of 40/60, as suggested in the Flemish Green Deal Protein Shift has been shown to result in a reduction in GHG emissions of the diet by 31 %. This study emphasises the need to target the consumption of high-impact foods such as UPF and animal-based products. Future research will investigate the relationship between environmental and health impacts.

Comparative life cycle assessment of non-thermal plasma for the removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater

Wastewater effluents are a continuous source of pharmaceuticals in water bodies, which pose a serious environmental threat to aquatic ecosystems. This work provides a comprehensive technical, environmental and cost assessments of different advanced quaternary treatments for wastewater effluents, with special focus on novel Non-Thermal Plasma technology. For this porpouse Non-Thermal Plasma, Sand Filtration + Ozonation, Ultrafiltration, Ultrafiltration + Nanofiltration and Ultrafiltration + Reverse Osmosis technologies were compared with UV disinfection-based technology. This work applies the Life Cycle Analysis tool for the impact environmental assessment using both ReciPE 2016(H) method and, for a more detailed analysis of the contribution of pharmaceuticals to freshwater ecotoxicity category of impact, the USETOX method, which was integrated with 7 new characterisation factors. The results obtained showed overall removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals always higher than 80%, with performances in descending order of Ultrafiltration + Reverse Osmosis > Sand Filtration + Ozonation > Ultrafiltration + Nanofiltration > Non-Thermal Plasma, being Sand Filtration + Ultraviolet disinfection and standalone Ultrafiltration comparatively not suitable for pharmaceuticals removal. Regarding the target pharmaceuticals proposed on the EU Directive 271/91 revision, the Non-Thermal Plasma perform better towards venlafaxine than Sand Filtration + Ozonation, and towards diclofenac and carbamazepine than Ultrafiltration + Nanofiltration. Ultrafiltration + Nanofiltration and Non-Thermal Plasma showed better environmental performance than Sand Filtration + Ozonation and Ultrafiltration + Reverse Osmosis in 7 out of 18 categories of impact (ReciPe method), with Ultrafiltration + Nanofiltration being more advantageous than Non-Thermal Plasma in human and ecotoxicity-related categories of impact, and Non-Thermal Plasma more advantageous in Global Warming, Fossil Resource Scarcity, and Fine Particulate Matter Formation. Regrading Freshwater Ecotoxicity (USEtox method), the quaternary treatment configuration and its energy demand affect the Freshwater final value of impact more than the presence of pharmaceuticals. Under the conditions tested, the Non-Thermal Plasma provided the lower OPEX (0.24 € m−3) than other tested technologies, showing an interesting compromise between pharmaceuticals removal efficiency, environmental impacts, and economic operational cost.

Environmental assessment of gasification and green hydrogen potential role in waste management decarbonization

Achieving sustainability involves implementing a circular economy model and decarbonizing the waste management sector. The development of innovative technologies that enable the reduction of emissions and resource recovery is one of the sector's greatest challenges. From this perspective, the waste-to-methanol (WtM) process represents a viable prospect, the potential environmental impacts of which have never been studied from a life-cycle perspective. A cradle-to-grave LCA analysis was conducted, studying WtM technology and its potential implementation of green hydrogen (WtM-GH) in the process, through a comparison with traditional waste-to-energy (WtE).The results showed that WtM-GH performs best for global impacts, with a global warming potential of 3.52·107 kgCO2eq instead of 1,04·108 kgCO2eq proper of the WtE. Positive effects take place also for the fossil resource scarcity. Looking for non-toxic regional/local impacts WtE represents the best scenario, with the best performance on water consumption (7.96·107 m3) and ionising radiation (2.82·107 kBq Co-60eq). Cumulative impact results, obtained through the normalization, found that WtM is the best scenario, thanks to the less toxic impact compared to the other two, especially for freshwater ecotoxicity (5.26·106 kg 1,4-DCB) and marine ecotoxicity (6.73·106 kg 1,4-DCB).WtM-GH allows the production of 1366 kg of methanol per ton of Refuse Derived Fuel, thanks to the conversion of the entire CO2 contained in the waste, enhancing the value of by-products and carbon credits on the market and making the process more economically sustainable.

Assessing the Environmental Impact of Municipal Waste on Energy Incineration Technology for Power Generation Using Life Cycle Assessment Methodology

The life cycle assessment methodology is a comprehensive environmental impact evaluation approach rooted in the “cradle-to-grave” concept. This study takes a municipal solid waste incineration power plant in central China as an example to comprehensively explore the potential ecological and environmental impacts of municipal solid waste incineration power generation through life cycle assessment methods. Burning one ton of waste can recover 7342 joules of thermal energy. Compared with traditional landfill, incineration can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 30%, with a potential global warming impact of −0.69 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent. Amongst environmental impacts, land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems possess the greatest potential toxicity, followed by the harmful effects on human health and the influence of ozone-producing photochemical pollution. Lastly, there comes terrestrial acidification, whereas other types of effects can be relatively disregarded in comparison. In the process of waste incineration power generation, the potential impacts of global warming, ionizing radiation, and fossil resource scarcity are less than zero, indicating that this is an environmentally friendly process. In response to the above-mentioned environmental impacts, it is necessary to pay attention to improving incineration efficiency, optimizing leachate treatment, reducing coal use, and controlling acidic gas emissions in the process of urban solid waste incineration power generation. This research offers insights into advancing environmentally sustainable technologies for utilizing waste as an energy resource.

Validating Circular End-of-Life Strategies for Domestic Post-Consumer Materials in the Latin American Region: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach

This study examines the domestic solid waste management system in the LATAM region, using the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador as a case study. Through the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, the study compares domestic and external recycling processes, evaluating their effects on global warming potential, fossil resource scarcity, and terrestrial ecotoxicity. The results reveal that increasing recycling rates significantly reduces environmental impacts, with domestic recycling offering slightly higher environmental benefits than external options. A demographic analysis using machine learning techniques identifies distinct patterns of waste generation across different population clusters, highlighting the need for tailored waste management strategies. The study also emphasizes the importance of accurate local data and the integration of recycling initiatives with market realities, particularly in the light of policies mandating recycled content in products like PET bottles. A sensitivity analysis of the waste recovery indicator (WRI) demonstrates the potential for substantial environmental and economic benefits with higher recycling rates. The findings suggest that, to advance towards a circular economy, Latin American cities like Guayaquil must enhance their recycling infrastructure, refine waste management policies, and focus on demographic-specific strategies. This research contributes to the broader understanding of sustainable waste management in developing regions, offering insights for future policy and infrastructure development.

Life Cycle Assessment of Extraction of Cellulose from Date Palm Biomass Using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent (NaDES) via Microwave-Assisted Process

This study investigates the extraction of cellulose from Saudi Arabia-based date palm biomass utilizing a natural deep eutectic solvent (NaDES) integrated with a microwave-assisted process. A comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted in accordance with the ISO 14040 standard, encompassing four key stages: goal and scope definition, life cycle inventory analysis (LCI), life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) and interpretation. The analysis was confined to a gate-to-gate boundary in which two impact assessment methods, namely, ReCiPe Midpoint (H) 2016 and ILCD 2011 Midpoint, were used to assess the environmental impacts. The OpenLCA software (version 2.1.1) with the European Life Cycle Database 3.2 (ELCD 3.2) was used in the study. The ReCiPe method identified impact categories such as fossil resource scarcity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, water consumption, human carcinogenic toxicity and marine ecotoxicity. Conversely, the ILCD method identified freshwater ecotoxicity, water resource depletion, mineral, fossil and resource depletion, human toxicity and cancer effects. The results indicate that freshwater ecotoxicity presents the most substantial environmental impact across both assessment methods, surpassing other categories. Fossil resource scarcity, even though originally appearing impactful, demonstrated a relatively lower normalized score compared to freshwater ecotoxicity. Terrestrial ecotoxicity and water consumption were found to be negligible in their impact. Our findings provide important insights into sustainable material science and waste management, affording potential applications for biomass utilization in the Gulf region.

Environmental benefits of valorising food waste into bio-based polyols for the production of polyurethane rigid foams

Under the global pursuit of sustainable development, waste streams are being recognised as renewable feedstocks to produce value-added products. Given this, food waste (FW) was explored to synthesise bio-based polyols to further develop polyurethane rigid foams (PURF). However, relevant environmental aspects are yet to be examined to support this biorefinery scheme as a green and sustainable solution. In this work, we examined the environmental performance associated with the production of PURF using polyols derived from a FW biorefinery scheme by life cycle assessment (LCA). Analysis was first conducted at the polyol level. Different allocation and offset options were examined to configure the LCA model. Based on mass allocation, compared with fossil-based production, the production of FW-derived polyols achieved reductions of 24.30 % and 34.19 % in global warming potential (GWP) and cumulative energy demand (CED), respectively. At the midpoint level, FW-derived polyols had reduced impacts on human carcinogenic toxicity, freshwater eutrophication, and fossil resource scarcity but caused additional burdens on freshwater and marine ecotoxicity. Key environmental hotspots at this level included diethylene glycol, ion exchange resin (epoxidation catalyst), and hydrogen peroxide. The lipid content in FW also played a significant role. It was demonstrated that reducing the use of enzymes for FW hydrolysis to a cost-effective level remarkably mitigated the overall impacts of FW-derived polyol production. At the next level, we examined the production of FW-derived PURF using the obtained polyols. When 70 % of the polyols were replaced with bio-based products, the resultant PURF production achieved a GWP and CED of 5.67 kg CO2eq and 110.66 MJ/kg, respectively. In general, FW-derived PURF leads to environmental benefits compared to fossil-based ones. However, isocyanate used for foam formulation was the dominant contributor, causing almost two-thirds of the total impacts. The flame retardant also caused considerable impacts. Through the systematic examination of FW-derived polyols and PURF, this study demonstrated that FW-derived PURF could benefit the sustainable development of FW biorefineries and bio-based plastic industries, while the identified environmental hotspots need to be further studied and replaced with greener substitutes. AcronymsUnlabelled TableCEDCumulative energy demandDEGDiethylene glycolDALYDisability-adjusted life yearsFWFood wasteGWPGlobal warming potentialLCALife cycle assessmentLCILife cycle inventoryMDIMethylene diphenyl diisocyanateNIPUNon-isocyanate polyurethanespMDIPolymeric 4,4′-methylene diphenyl isocyanatePURFPolyurethane rigid foamsPUsPolyurethanesTPhPTriphenyl phosphateTCPPTris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate

Environmental and Economic Analysis of the Production of Oregano Oil Microparticles

The interest in using essential oils for biotechnological and biomedical applications has been increasing because of their unique properties, such as their roles as preservatives, antioxidants, antimicrobial agents, and therapeutic agents, with oregano oil being a notable example. However, the bioactivity and stability of oregano oil can be compromised because of its volatile nature and external factors like exposure to light, heat, or oxygen. To protect oregano oil from these adverse effects and enhance its potential, microencapsulation has been employed. Nevertheless, studies evaluating the economic feasibility of this process are still limited. In this context, this study combines an environmental impact assessment by applying the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology and an economic evaluation of three different scenarios (A, B, and C) for the production of oregano oil microparticles by a spray dryer. In Scenario A, only modified starch was used to prepare the emulsion; in Scenario B, the modified starch was replaced with gum arabic; and in Scenario C, the gum arabic, maltodextrin, and modified starch were combined. The results indicated that Scenario B presents the best environmental performance for all impact categories analyzed (global warming, fossil resource scarcity, mineral resource scarcity, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and marine eutrophication). However, the composting of bio-waste end-of-life presents better environmental performance for the other scenarios (A and C). In Scenario B, the process with the lowest production cost per gram of microcapsules is the most promising for meeting the demands of the aspects analyzed.

Impact of Crushed Natural Aggregate on Environmental Footprint of the Construction Industry: Enhancing Sustainability in Aggregate Production

This research addresses a critical gap in understanding the environmental impact of natural rock aggregate production in Sri Lanka. The study employs life cycle assessment (LCA) and SimaPro Software to simulate natural coarse aggregates’ extraction and manufacture process. Key findings reveal significant environmental impacts, with human carcinogenic toxicity (2.45938 × 10−6 Pt), eutrophication of freshwater (1.59326 × 10−6 Pt), and fossil resource scarcity (1.4823 × 10−6 Pt) being significant concerns. The crushing process in particular shows the highest levels, contributing 2.21 × 106 to human carcinogenic toxicity and 8.92 × 107 to freshwater eutrophication. High electricity consumption, particularly from hard coal in electricity generation, is identified as a primary contributor. Although the sole source of coarse aggregate production in Sri Lanka is natural rock crushing, there is a lack of country-specific environmental impact assessment data for this process. This study provides a valuable dataset for the Sri Lankan construction industry, covering various environmental impact categories and encompassing the sub-processes inherent to natural rock aggregate production. The research highlights the necessity of implementing sustainable practices in quarry operations, proposing a transition towards more environmentally friendly energy sources. By quantifying environmental effects, this study provides valuable insights for stakeholders in the construction sector, enabling informed decision-making and targeted interventions to enhance overall sustainability while offering aggregate manufacturers opportunities to adopt more sustainable practices.

The comparative techno-economic and life cycle assessment for multi-product biorefinery based on microwave and conventional hydrothermal biomass pretreatment

Microwave as an efficient and clean energy, is easy integrated with DES pretreatment and biorefinery process to achieve process intensification for cleaner production and sustainable development. However, there are worries about its economic and environmental feasibility for application in biorefinery plant. This work conducted the techno-economic (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of the entire biorefinery process based on DES pretreatment by microwave heating (MH) for producing glucose, furfural and lignin from lignocellulose, of which the results were compared with conventional heating (CH). For pretreating equivalent biomass, the total yield of products obtained from MH-assisted process was 8.53% higher than that of CH-assisted process due to microwave intensification effect. From the perspective of cradle-to-gate LCA, the MH-assisted process saved energy demand of 5.82%, reducing the environmental impacts global warming (GW) and fossil resource scarcity (FRS) by 4.85% and 5.69%, respectively, relative to CH-assisted process. The main environmental hotspots of both two processes concentrated on the raw material extraction (RME), followed by product separation and solvent recovery (PSSR) stages. Based on economic evaluation, the specific values of TAC regarding one-ton product for MH- and CH-assisted processes were 3194.35 and 3400.37 $/(y⋅t), respectively. Therefore, the MH-assisted pretreatment possessed certain environmental and economic advantages due to product increasement, energy consumption reduction in the DES pretreatment, and burden reduction for subsequent enzyme hydrolysis. Compared to the single-product biorefinery, the multi-product biorefinery strategy was more sustainable and could maximize the advantages of microwave intensification. However, some issues about the design of microwave reactors and temperature monitoring must be considered to pursue scale-up biorefinery plant.

Cradle‐to‐Gate Environmental Impact Assessment of Commercially Available Metal‐Organic Frameworks Manufacturing

AbstractMetal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising next‐generation crystalline porous materials with exceptional structural, chemical, and application diversity. Since their discovery, the reticular tunability and physiochemical properties of MOFs have been studied and carefully manipulated to make them suitable for a wide variety of applications. After decades of research, these materials are moving from the benchtop to commercial, industrial‐scale production. Although MOFs are now widely explored, the overall environmental impacts of these emerging materials are still underexplored. In this work, the first example of overall assessment of ten industrially produced and widely explored MOFs considering 18 diverse environmental impact categories such as global warming potential, fossil resource scarcity, water consumption, ecotoxicity, etc. via cradle‐to‐gate life cycle assessment is presented. Importantly, this study presents a comprehensive comparison between different synthetic methods of each MOF and compiles the environmental impacts associated only with the individual “synthesis” or “washing” steps. This study highlights the critical importance of using of green solvents over organic to reduce the overall environmental footprint. By identifying the synthetic drawbacks associated with different methods, this work provides a blueprint for the sustainable design and required future development of MOF synthesis.

Life cycle analysis of apple pomace biorefining for biofuel and pectin production

This study investigated the environmental impacts associated with converting apple pomace, a globally abundant resource, into biofuels and high-value products using a comparative consequential life cycle assessment. In three developed scenarios, an acid pretreatment method was applied and the pretreated liquid was used for ethanol and pectin production. The pretreated solids were utilized to produce different products: scenario 1 produced biogas, scenario 2 generated butanol, and scenario 3 yielded both biogas and butanol from the solids. The results demonstrated that scenario 1 exhibited the best performance compared to the other two scenarios, imposing the lowest environmental burdens across all damage categories, including human health, ecosystems, and resources. Despite the induced impacts, the benefits of avoided products, i.e., ethanol, natural gas, butanol, acetone, and pectin, compensated for these induced environmental impacts to some extent. The results also revealed that among all products generated through the biorefineries, first-generation ethanol substitution had the most significant positive environmental impacts. Overall, the biorefinery developed in scenario 1 represents the most feasible strategy for a circular bioeconomy. It performs 84.38 % and 72.98 % better than scenarios 2 and 3 in terms of human health, 85.34 % and 74.54 % better in terms of ecosystems, and more than 100 % better in terms of resources. Conversely, scenario 2 resulted in the highest net impacts across all damage categories. Furthermore, in scenario 1, the midpoint results showed 83.10 % and 71.08 % lower impacts on global warming, 85.15 % and 74.17 % lower impacts on terrestrial acidification, and 99.26 % and 98.53 % lower impacts on fossil resource scarcity compared to scenarios 2 and 3, respectively. In conclusion, the first scenario shows promise for the sustainable valorization of apple pomace.

Applying life cycle assessment to European high nature value farming systems: Environmental impacts and biodiversity

CONTEXTLife Cycle Assessment (LCA) remains a method of choice for assessing the environmental performance of agricultural systems. However, it is rarely applied to multifunctional extensive production systems, in which livestock use, apart from animal production, maintains a continuous disturbance that sustains the diversity of habitats and species. OBJECTIVEThis study aims to assess the environmental impact and biodiversity of extensive ruminant production on semi-natural grasslands (SNG), that is, High Nature Value (HNV) farming across Europe. We collected data from a total of 41 HNV farms in five countries (Finland, Estonia, Spain, Greece, and France) that produce beef, sheep, and goats, and that incorporate (to a varied degree) semi-natural and permanent pastures into production. METHODSWe used LCA to assess the potential environmental impact of HNV farms according to global warming potential (GWP100), fossil resource scarcity (FRS), water scarcity (WS) and land use (LU), by using the Solagro Carbon Calculator and OpenLCA software. We assessed biodiversity based on the expert scoring system of SALCA-BD. We compared impacts on per area and per product basis across the farms, and related them to the productivity. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSResults revealed a considerable variation in all environmental impacts among HNV farms, explained mostly by the type of ruminants, main product (meat or milk) and the production level. GWP100 per unit in beef product in France was almost twice as high as that in boreal and 3 times more than in Spain, while sheep systems in Greece varied 7-fold for meat. Sheep systems consistently had the highest GWP100, while goat systems used the most land, fossil fuel and water. Small ruminant production in Spain had both the highest land occupation and biodiversity values. Biodiversity was at its highest on farms utilising only SNG for production, which, however, related negatively to the farms' production output. Enteric fermentation accounted for 32% of overall emissions. SIGNIFICANCEThis study makes a novel contribution towards a better understanding of the environmental performance and production capacity of HNV farming systems that are often used as examples of multifunctional and sustainable ruminant-based production.

Life cycle assessment of culture media with alternative compositions for cultured meat production

PurposeCultured meat is produced by cultivating animal cells in a bioreactor in a culture medium that provides nutrients and growth factors. Among other animal sera, fetal bovine serum (FBS) has traditionally been the most common used in the culture medium of mammalian cell cultures, i.e., 10% FBS medium that contains 10% FBS and 90% DMEM/F12 (v/v). As the aim of cultured meat is to replace livestock production, animal component-free culture media needs to be developed. MethodsWe analyzed the environmental impact of replacing the 10% FBS culture medium with serum substitutes, i.e., growth factors, Essential 8™, protein hydrolysates from egg-white, eggshell membrane, poultry residues, pork plasma, and pea concentrate, and Tri-basal 2.0 + ITS medium that contains fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), fetuin, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and insulin transferrin selenium (ITS). Life cycle assessment with a cradle-to-gate approach was used to quantify global warming potential, freshwater and marine eutrophication, terrestrial acidification, land use, water consumption, fossil resource scarcity, particulate matter formation, cumulative energy demand, and ozone formation of preparing 1-L culture medium. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the impact changes under various production conditions including variations in the impact allocation strategy, production location, and energy sourcing.Results and discussionThe 2% FBS medium (2% FBS, 96% DMEM/F12, and 2% growth factors (v/v)) reduced all environmental impacts where marine eutrophication had the highest reduction (77%), while land use was the least affected with a reduction of 6%. The Tri-basal 2.0 + ITS and protein hydrolysates media reduced most of the analyzed environmental impacts. Protein hydrolysates from egg-white had the lowest environmental impacts reducing 81% global warming potential, 28% water consumption, 59% fossil scarcity, 87% eutrophying emissions, 91% terrestrial acidification, 82% particulate matter, and 70% ozone formation, compared to FBS-containing medium. Land use and energy demand were reduced the most by 17 and 37%, respectively, when the 10% FBS medium was replaced with the Tri-basal 2.0 + ITS medium.ConclusionsChanging the input of FBS in culture media from 10 to 2% (v/v) reduced all studied environmental impacts. Further reductions were achieved when FBS was totally replaced by basal media DMEM/F12, Essential 8™, protein hydrolysates, and recombinant growth factors. Land use was the least reduced, as it was driven by starch extraction to produce glucose for the DMEM/F12 basal medium. Culture medium with protein hydrolysates from egg-white achieved the highest impact reductions compared with the FBS-containing medium.

Life Cyle Assessment of Activated Carbon from Waste Materials as an Adsorbent in Wastewater Treatment

Activated Carbon (AC) has been a great alternative to reduce the cost of the process in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) but they also have several hidden impacts on the environment. The impact assessment on the waste materials from coconut shells and wood will be identified using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software approach. Through the “Cradle-to-gate” approach, activated carbon made from waste materials is produced and consumed, and its eighteen environmental effects which are fine particulate matter formation, fossil resource scarcity, freshwater ecotoxicity, freshwater eutrophication, global warming, human carcinogenic toxicity, human non-carcinogenic toxicity, ionizing radiation, land use, marine ecotoxicity, marine eutrophication, mineral resource scarcity, human health, terrestrial ecosystem, stratospheric ozone depletion, terrestrial acidification, terrestrial ecotoxicity and water consumption are assessed using the LCA software. This study aims to discover whether the choice of waste material precursors from the Activated Carbon (AC) can help to minimise environmental impacts. The study evaluates the potential benefits of using waste-derived activated carbon in wastewater treatment by comparing the environmental performance of activated carbon obtained from coconut, wood, and coal. This study is based on past studies all around the world. In thirteen of the eighteen impact categories, wood has the greatest environmental impact. Coconut shells on the other hand, has the lowest total environmental impacts, ranking first or second in fifteen among the eighteen environmental categories. The findings help in making choices for environmentally friendly wastewater treatment methods by illuminating the effects of employing waste products as an alternative source of adsorbents.

Catalytic cracking of crude palm oil into biogasoline over HZSM-5 and USY-Zeolite catalysts: A comparative study

This study comprehensively evaluated HZSM-5 and USY-Zeolite as catalysts for producing biogasoline from crude palm oil through a catalytic cracking method, including uncertainty analysis. This study utilized HZSM-5 and USY-Zeolite as catalysts with crude palm oil (CPO) concentration ratios of 1:50, 1:75, 1:100, and 1:125. USY-Zeolite (19.06 %) exhibited a higher biogasoline yield than HZSM-5 (39.56 %) because of its optimal pore structure, as proven by N₂ physisorption characterization. Physicochemical characterization of biogasoline included flash point, viscosity, boiling point, and octane number measurements. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used to determine the chemical composition of biogasoline. An elevated catalyst ratio results in reduced liquid yields and biogasoline fractions. At a ratio of 1:125, the HZSM-5 catalyst produced the highest biogasoline yield (39.56 %). GC–MS analysis revealed that biogasoline contained various hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds. Life cycle assessment (LCA) also demonstrated that this method can reduce the scarcity of mineral and fossil resources by 85 % and 35 %, respectively. Biogasoline's physical and chemical characteristics are significantly impacted by the type of catalyst and its various modifications. This study provides evidence that the catalytic cracking technique is suitable for producing biogasoline from CPO and yields positive results.

The impact of ambient temperature and powertrains of SUVs on the environment in Slovakia during the use phase

This study compares different powertrains of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with respect to ambient temperature and energy mix in Slovakia using the well-to-wheel (WTW) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. Battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and petrol and diesel vehicles were assessed and compared. The WTW study was conducted in SimaPro software assessing electricity/petrol/diesel production, transport, and use (energy conversion in the vehicle), with impact categories being climate change, particulates, NOx emissions, ionizing radiation, and fossil resource scarcity depending on the season (summer and winter). The results indicate that for Slovak conditions, BEV generally had the lowest environmental impact in both seasons studied. The only exceptions were ionizing radiation, which is clearly caused by the high share of nuclear power in the Slovak energy mix, and NOx emissions, which are caused by the combustion of biomass for electricity generation. The other impact categories were dominated by vehicles with an internal combustion engine. The results of emissions from fuel production are also given for each impact category. The transportation of fuel did not exceed the value of 1% for any impact category or for any powertrain. The conclusions of the study support the global trend in favour of vehicle electrification as an important way to reduce the negative environmental impacts of internal combustion engine vehicles in Slovakia.

Pyrolytic urban mining of waste printed circuit boards: an enviro-economic analysis.

E-waste, a global environmental concern resulting from supply chain inefficiency, also offers the opportunity to recover valuable materials, including general and rare earth metals. Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) are integral components of e-waste that contains substantial amounts of precious metals, making them a valuable waste category. Pyrolysis has emerged as a promising method for material recovery from WPCBs. Hence, pyrolytic urban mining of WPCBs offers an excellent avenue for resource recovery, redirecting valuable materials back into the supply chain. Under the current study, experimental investigation has been conducted to explore the recovery of materials from WPCBs through pyrolysis followed by process simulation, economic analysis, and life cycle assessment (LCA). An Aspen Plus simulation was conducted to model the pyrolysis of WPCBs and subsequent product recovery using a non-equilibrium kinetic model, which represents a unique approach in this study. Another distinct aspect is the comprehensive assessment of environmental and economic sustainability. The economic analysis has been carried out using Aspen economic analyzer whereas the LCA of WPCB pyrolysis has been conducted using the SimaPro software. The experimental investigation reveals yield of solid residues are about 75-84 wt.%, liquid yields of 6-13 wt.%, and gas yields of 4-21 wt.%, which is in well agreement with the Aspen Plus simulation results. The economic analysis for an e-waste pyrolysis plant with an annual feed rate of 2000 t reveals that the total capital cost of a pyrolysis plant is nearly $51.3 million, whereas the total equipment cost is nearly $2.7 million and the total operating cost is nearly $25.6 million. The desired rate of return is 20% per year and the payback period is 6years with a profitability index of 1.25. From the LCA, the major impact categories are global warming, fossil resource scarcity, ozone formation in human health, ozone formation in terrestrial ecosystems, fine particulate matter formation, and water consumption. The findings of this study can serve as a guideline for e-waste recyclers, researchers, and decision-makers in establishing circular economy.

Life cycle environmental hotspots analysis of typical electrochemical, mechanical and electrical energy storage technologies for different application scenarios: Case study in China

With increasing capacity of energy storage implemented into the power system services, a growing interest in evaluating the environmental impacts of energy storage systems (ESSs) has been sparked. In the present work, a comprehensive life cycle environmental hotspots assessment model for alternative ESSs was developed, including lithium iron phosphate battery (LIPB), vanadium redox flow battery, compressed air energy storage (CAES), supercapacitor and flywheel energy storage. A detailed life cycle inventory for the considered typical ESSs in China was provided to ensure the validity of the comparative assessment. It was indicated that the environmental impacts of ESSs were significantly dependent on technical solutions and grid application scenarios, including energy time-shift, frequency regulation, photovoltaic self-consumption, and renewable energy support. The results ranged from 26 to 702 kg CO2 eq/MWh for global warming potential (GWP), 0.1–1.2 kg PM2.5 eq/MWh for fine particulate matter formation, 0.1–3.0 kg SO2 eq/MWh for terrestrial acidification, 11–146 kg oil eq/MWh for fossil resource scarcity, and 0.0005–0.0122 kg N eq/MWh for marine eutrophication. LIPB emerged as a promising solution, while the environmental competitiveness of CAES increased in renewable-based power systems. It is advisable to prioritize the deployment of ESSs with minimal environmental footprints in the manufacturing process, such as CAES, despite the constraints imposed by relatively limited round-trip efficiencies. Moreover, the influences of the round-trip efficiency, depth of discharge, cycle frequency, and electrical grid emissions factor on the results were discussed. Particularly, the GWP of ESSs under the energy time-shift and frequency regulation scenarios decreased by approximately 3%–7% with a 1%-pts increase in the round-trip efficiency. Overall, the results could help manufacturers make informed decisions on energy storage materials selection. Besides, decision makers are recommended to consider multiple environmental impact indicators in devising future energy storage strategies.