Life Cycle Cost Research Articles

Valorization of food waste into hydrogen energy through supercritical water gasification: Generation potential and techno-econo-environmental feasibility assessment

Food waste (FW) is a significant portion of the solid waste produced by cities, and it has become a global problem due to the poor management of food distribution and consumption. The improper disposal of FW in landfills precipitates pervasive global environmental predicamentsHowever, effective management strategies have the potential to convert this large amount of garbage into a very effective renewable energy source, particularly through the generation of environmentally friendly hydrogen. This study examines the capacity for energy generation and the practicality of hydrogen production in Bangladesh using supercritical water gasification technology. The findings indicate that approximately 489 MW of electricity can be extracted from approximately 23 million tons (Mt) of FW in 2023, with a projected escalation to around 2042 MW by 2042, coinciding with an anticipated surge in FW generation to approximately 110 Mt. Moreover, the study delves into the economic feasibility of these gasification endeavors, employing diverse metrics encompassing total life cycle cost, net present value, investment payback duration, levelized cost of energy, and internal rate of return. Technoeconomic analyses divulge an investment with a net present value of 11,669.4 M$M$, an 11-year payback period, and an internal rate of return of 14 %. In addition, the research assesses the technological, economic, and environmental viability inherent in the establishment of gasification-based electricity-generating facilities in Bangladesh's preeminent eight cities by 2023. This examination postulates that a transition from coal-based power plants to those powered by food waste would precipitate an annual reduction of 3.59 Mt in carbon dioxide emissions.

Integrating machine learning and parametric design for energy-efficient building cladding systems in arid climates: Sport hall in Kerman

Climate change, driven by fossil fuel dependence, presents a significant challenge for the construction industry, particularly in energy-intensive regions like arid climates. This research investigates the potential of integrating machine learning and parametric optimization to enhance the energy efficiency of spatial structure domes in such environments. Focusing on a sports pavilion in Kerman, Iran, the study examines the crucial role of cladding systems in building energy performance. Employing a rigorous four-phase methodology, the research optimizes dome cladding materials for hot, dry climates using a dual objective function: energy cost and material cost. The process involves a comprehensive literature review, data-driven material selection, advanced energy simulations, and optimization analysis. Parametric modeling tools (Rhino, Grasshopper, Honeybee) facilitate the comparative analysis of various cladding systems. Multivariate Polynomial Regression (MPR) enables predictive modeling of energy consumption and material costs, streamlining the design process for architects. The optimized solution is a hybrid cladding model composed of 10 % polycarbonate and 90 % aluminum. Analysis reveals that the hybrid system offers superior energy optimization compared to pure aluminum (4.58 %) and polycarbonate (5.70 %). While polycarbonate has a lower initial material cost, the hybrid system achieves a balance between material expenditure and long-term energy efficiency. This highlights the importance of considering life-cycle costs when evaluating building envelope materials. This research advances a framework that leverages machine learning and parametric design for building envelope optimization. This framework empowers architects and engineers to create energy-efficient structures within arid environments, promoting a more sustainable built environment.

Sustainable materials selection in industrial construction: A life-cycle based approach to compare the economic and structural performances of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) and steel

In recent years, Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (GFRPs) have shown positive characteristics in terms of both environmental and structural performance, thus proving to be promising materials that can be used in construction to replace traditional materials, such as steel. Regarding environmental performance, the use of GFRP instead of steel can lead to a significant reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, thus containing the environmental impact during their life cycle and contributing to the energy transition. From a structural point of view, the high corrosion resistance and durability of GFRP structures minimise maintenance requirements and greatly extend their lifespan, which can even be considered unlimited, even in terms of reusability.This paper jointly evaluates for the first time the structural performance and economic viability of industrial constructions made from GFRP pultruded profiles. These performances are then compared with that of equivalent steel constructions. This is done through a standardised and exportable model based on life cycle cost (LCC) which is developed in four phases: (1) technical-mechanical properties and structural analysis of the buildings; (2) modelling and cost estimation; (3) evaluation of the LCC indicator; (4) performance comparison of design alternatives.The elaborations show that industrial GFRP structures, while having a higher investment cost than equivalent steel constructions, can guarantee lower maintenance costs in the long run. Interesting quantitative results are: (i) the construction cost of the GFRP structure exceeds that of the steel structure by about 15%; (ii) maintenance costs are much higher in the steel structure than in the GFRP structure, due to the greater susceptibility to corrosion of structural steel; (iii) in relation to its very high durability, the residual value of GFRP structures coincides with the construction cost, while the residual value of steel structures decreases significantly; (iv) the composite structure has a Global Cost less than 26% of that of the steel structure, being the most economically advantageous alternative considering the costs related to the whole life cycle, also confirming itself as a fairer and more accessible alternative.The proposed Life Cycle Cost-based model can find multiple applications in the field of civil engineering as a valid support for the selection between alternative structural materials, useful for the transition to a more circular, just, and sustainable construction industry.

GIS-based method for assessing the viability of solar-powered irrigation

To attain food security, sub-Saharan Africa needs to increase its use of irrigation to improve agricultural productivity and resilience to climate change-induced droughts and erratic rain patterns. Stand-alone solar-powered irrigation systems are a promising technology to power irrigation where grid electrification is unavailable. However, these systems’ economic viability and sustainability are affected by spatially varying factors such as climate, water availability, and solar potential, making it challenging to plan their roll-out. This study addresses the planning challenge by developing a novel open-source reproducible geospatial methodology to determine irrigation water demand, peak power demand, life cycle cost, and locations where solar-powered irrigation systems would be cheaper than alternative off-grid irrigation technologies. The method considers spatial–temporal data for meteorological conditions, soil quality, water distance and depth, solar resource potential, technology efficiency and local equipment and fuel costs. Maize cultivation in Kenya is taken as a case study to demonstrate the method. We find the median peak irrigation water demand in Kenya to be 65,000 l/ha/day and the median peak power demand to be 2.6 kW/ha. The levelized cost of solar-powered irrigation systems ranges from US$ 0.09/kWh to US$ 0.25/kWh, making solar irrigation cheaper than diesel-powered irrigation in all Kenyan regions. The results from the method offer valuable insights to governments, farmers and investors on where water use regulations are required for sustainable water use, where subsidies and innovative financial models are needed for the affordability of solar irrigation and where alternative uses of energy from the solar systems beyond irrigation are possible.

An economic, and environmentally benign Psidium guajava L. leaves catalyst for biodiesel production at room temperature: Process optimization, and life cycle cost analysis

Biodiesel has emerged as a popular alternative to conventional fossil fuel in transportation sector and thus producing low-cost biodiesel is a topic of interest for a large community of researchers. This study reports the preparation of an efficient and robust heterogeneous catalyst from dried Psidium guajava L. (Guava) leaves and its application towards generation of biodiesel from soybean oil at room temperature. The biomass material was calcinated at variable temperature and the efficiency of each of the catalyst prepared was studied. The catalyst generated as well as the product biodiesel was thoroughly characterized using sophisticated analytical techniques. The catalyst was found to have mesoporous structure with active basic sites which contributed towards accelerating the transesterification process. Detailed characterization unveiled the occurrence of Ca as oxide and carbonate, in addition to a certain quantity of K in oxide and carbonate form, which contribute to the catalyst’s activity. Maximum biodiesel yield of 95.8 % was observed for reaction performed under optimum experimental conditions i.e., 1:17 oil-to-methanol ratio, 6 wt% loading of GL-850 (catalyst prepared by calcination at 850°C), and 15 % n-Hexane loading for 3 h at room temperature. GL-850 demonstrated exceptional recyclability for up to the fifth cycle exhibiting a mere 3.7 % decline in yield. The calculated expense for 1 kg catalyst was found to be $0.478, whereas the production cost of 1 kg biodiesel was found to be merely $1.120, indicating a strong economic feasibility of the process.

Estimating the market share of electric motorcycles: A system dynamics approach with the policy mix and sustainable life cycle costs

Introducing electric vehicles is critical to maintaining air quality and reducing carbon emissions. The Indonesian government has issued several regulations to stimulate the diffusion of electric vehicles. This research attempts to forecast the electric vehicle market share, especially electric motorcycles, by involving the policy mix and sustainable life cycle costs. We propose a system dynamics approach that takes into account a policy mix including 0% down payment without credit interest subsidies, tax abolition, expansion of charging station network, and sustainable life cycle costs, i.e., total cost of ownership, social, and environment. The system dynamics model has four modules: the electric motorcycle cost, the conventional motorcycle cost, the economy module, and the consumer market. The simulation results show that the electric motorcycle market share will increase positively in 2021–2030, reaching 5.7% in 2030. Based on the scenario simulation results, providing more charging stations and vehicle tax abolition can significantly boost the market share of electric motorcycles in Indonesia. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers in formulating more appropriate policy instruments to promote electric vehicle diffusion in Indonesia.

Millets and sorghum as promising alternatives to maize for enhancing climate change adaptation strategies in the Mediterranean Basin

ContextClimate change is increasingly requiring the adoption of both climate-resilient alternative crops and sustainable management practices. Millets and sorghum are increasingly recommended as alternatives to maize in addressing these issues, yet there are no studies comparing the environmental impacts of food-crop millets and sorghum with maize, under sustainable management in Mediterranean area. ObjectiveThe present study examined for the first time the environmental and economic impacts, as well as agronomic performances, of rainfed cultivated proso millet, sorghum and maize over a three-year period under challenging climatic conditions in Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. MethodsDifferent kinds of trials were realized during three years of experimentation in one location in Ravenna province. The first trial aimed to compare proso millet, sorghum and maize agronomical performances and water use efficiency in a low-input system. The second trial aimed to compare soil fertility and biodiversity impacts of two different agronomical management systems (low-input and high input) for the summer crops previously described. Soil basic fertility parameters were monitored and ground dwelling arthropods were collected and analyzed using pitfall traps. The last trial of this study intended to evaluate the environmental and economic performances of the previous cereal crops cultivated in the low-input and high-input systems, applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methodologies. ResultsBoth organic sorghum and millet showed high potential as viable summer-crop alternatives, not only to organic maize, based on yield, water use efficiency, disease tolerance and weed competition, but also to conventional maize, based on reduced environmental and economic impacts. Positive land impacts including improved beneficial arthropod abundances and preserved soil fertility were evident under organic management. In fact, the comparative LCA and LCC, carried out with primary data from conventionally cultivated maize and sorghum within central-north Italy and the organic experimental field under investigation, showed that the Global Warming and Eutrophication Potential, were comparable between the organically cultivated crops and significantly lower than conventional maize and sorghum. ConclusionsThe results highlighted the potential of sorghum and millet cultivation as rainfed summer-crop alternative to maize in climate-change context, especially in low-input agronomical systems. In particular, under rainfed, organic management over three years, proso millet yielded consistently. ImplicationsUnder the sustainable practices of the present study, proso millet outperformed maize for yield and WUE stability, as well as potential costs saved, related to the production amount per unit area and potential revenue.

Evaluating Life-Cycle Unit Costs of Traditional Cement Concrete and New Polymer Concrete Manholes in Wastewater Systems

Wastewater manholes are crucial infrastructure components in sewage systems. They provide necessary access points for inspection and maintenance. However, limited studies were conducted on the life-cycle cost analysis of manholes. The primary objective of this study is to compute and compare the Life-Cycle Unit Cost (LCUC) of cement concrete and polymer concrete manholes to identify a cost-effective alternative for public agencies. To achieve the objective, this study analyzed commonly used 1.83 m diameter manhole data; 343 cement concrete manhole and 88 polymer concrete manhole cost data were collected from the Clark County Water Reclamation District (CCWRD), Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The results show that the initial costs of polymer concrete are higher than those of traditional cement concrete. Statistical tests were conducted to determine the group differences. The findings show that the LCUCs of polymer concrete manholes are significantly cost-effective when compared to traditional cement concrete manholes. Public agencies can utilize polymer concrete manholes to save costs in future water and wastewater pipeline manhole construction projects.

Structural frequency-based maintenance management method for steel truss bridges under atmospheric corrosion

Deterioration of steel truss bridges due to atmospheric corrosion can result in a degradation of performance that fails to meet basic safety requirements before the structure has fulfilled its design life. In order to prevent unexpected costs and premature structural damages caused by deterioration in steel truss bridges, cost-effective corrosion protection and maintenance strategies are required. In this study, a novel maintenance management method was proposed to keep the structural frequencies of steel truss bridges in between predefined boundaries throughout the service life. To pursue this aim, preventive and essential maintenance techniques were applied to provide appropriate atmospheric corrosion protection to steel truss bridges in a cost-effective way. Different repetitive repainting intervals were used for preventive maintenance, and member replacement alternatives with different ratios of total members were applied for essential maintenance approaches. Moreover, the replacement of members using conventional carbon steel, or A709-50CR was investigated separately. For the illustration of the proposed maintenance management method, a planar and a spatial steel truss bridge were selected from the literature, and maintenance strategies were applied considering two different corrosion classes. Life cycle cost analyses of steel truss bridges were conducted to evaluate different maintenance alternatives. Consequently, a cost-effective maintenance strategy was determined for each steel truss bridge in different corrosion environments.

The impact of green roofs’ composition on its overall life cycle

Green roof systems have been developed to improve the environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability. Selecting the appropriate version of the green roof composition plays an important role in the life cycle assessment of a green roof. In this study, 10 compositions of an intensive green roof for moderate zone and 4 green roof compositions for different climatic conditions were designed and comprehensively assessed in terms of their environmental and economic impacts within the “Cradle-to-Cradle” system boundary. The assessment was carried out over a 50-year period for a moderate climate zone. The results showed that asphalt strips and concrete slab produced the highest total emissions. It was found that most greenhouse gases emissions were released in the operational energy consumption phase and in the production phase. The energy consumption phase (48.78%) for automatic irrigation and maintenance caused the highest Global Warming Potential (GWP) value (758.39 kg CO2e) in the worst variant, which also caused the highest life cycle cost (878.47€). On the contrary, in the best variant, planting more vegetation and lower maintenance and irrigation requirements led to a reduction in GWP (445.0 kg CO2e), but in terms of cost (506.6€) this composition didn't represent the best variant. The Global Warming Potential Biogenic (GWP-bio) compared to the Global Warming Potential Total (GWP-total) represents a proportion ranging from 0.8% to 78% depending on the proposed vegetation. Overall higher biogenic carbon values (up to 1525 kg CO2e) were observed for the proposed tall vegetation of Magnolia, Red Mulberry, Hawthorne, Cherry, and Crab-apple Tree. Based on the results of the multicriteria analysis, which included core environmental & economic parameters, biogenic carbon emission levels, the outcome of this paper proposed optimal green roof composition. Optimal intensive green roof composition was subjected to a sensitivity analysis to determine the impact of changing climatic conditions on CO2 emissions and life cycle costs. The results of the sensitivity analysis show that the optimal variant of the green roof can be implemented in the cold and subtropical zone with regard to CO2 emissions, but not with regard to life cycle costs.

The first engineering application of 10MN CFRP cables in cable-stayed bridge in China

Existing engineering applications typically involve carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) cables with relatively small ultimate tensile forces (less than 10MN). This study presents the engineering application of China's first thousand-ton-grade CFRP cable-stayed bridge. The optimal steel and CFRP hybrid cable system was determined through a comparative analysis of structural behavior and life cycle cost. Thereafter, the CFRP cable, consisting of 121 strands of φ7 CFRP tendons, along with its anchoring system, was designed and manufactured with a theoretical ultimate tensile strength of 10,710 kN (Pb). Subsequently, the mechanical properties of 7–121 CFRP cable were investigated and experimentally verified. The tensile test revealed a satisfied ultimate tensile bearing capacity of 10,805 kN. Furthermore, after two million fatigue cycles, the CFRP cables retained approximately 90 % of their theoretical ultimate force, highlighting their excellent fatigue resistance. Besides, no damage occurred with a maintained tension force of 0.45 Pb at a temperature of 150 °C for a duration of at least 30 min, meeting the requirements of specification. Moreover, the key procedures of CFRP cable installation were also claimed. This study aims to further promote the application and development of CFRP cables in larger span and even super-long span bridges.

Implementation of Construction Management Approach for Improving the Productivity of RMC Plants

Our has been traditionally labor oriented. The pace of mechanization in the past has been very slow due to the availability of cheap labor in abundance, lack of capital investment and the highly fragmented nature of the construction industry. The degree of mechanization is still around 25%-30% while it is well above 70% in most of the developed countries The liberalization of Indian economy from 1991 onwards paved the way for large scale investments in infrastructure, industrial, housing and agriculture sectors. The new age constructions required speed and superior quality to obtain profitable life cycle cost of the projects. The emerging scenario helped to increase the pace of mechanization and facilitated the establishment of RMC plants on commercial scale to synchronies with the overall development strategy. RMC in India on commercial scale started in 1993 at Pune with only one plant. It has achieved nearly 15% share of the total concrete produced in the country. In some major cities, like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai the share of RMC has reached as high as 50% to 60%. The growth prospects of RMC in India are enormous, provided requisite support is provided by the regulatory authorities, consumers and decision makers during its formative years. In this project the critical factor causing improving productivity will indentify.

Life-Cycle Assessment and Environmental Costs of Cement-Based Materials Manufactured with Mixed Recycled Aggregate and Biomass Ash.

The development of new building elements, such as concrete and mortar with sustainable materials, which produce a lower carbon footprint, is an achievable milestone in the short term. The need to reduce the environmental impact of the production of cement-based materials is of vital importance. This work focuses on the evaluation of the life-cycle assessment, production costs, mechanical performance, and durability of three mortars and three concrete mixtures in which mixed recycled aggregates (MRAs) and biomass bottom ash from olive waste (oBBA) were included to replace cement and aggregates. Powdered MRA and oBBA were also applied as complementary cementitious materials with a reduced environmental footprint. Chemical and physical tests were performed on the materials, and mechanical performance properties, life-cycle assessment, and life-cycle cost analysis were applied to demonstrate the technical and environmental benefits of using these materials in mortar and concrete mixtures. This research showed that the application of MRA and oBBA produced a small reduction in mechanical strength but a significant benefit in terms of life-cycle population and environmental costs. The results demonstrated that finding long-term mechanical strength decreases between 2.7% and 14% for mortar mixes and between 1.7% and 10.4% for concrete mixes. Although there were small reductions in mechanical performance, the savings in environmental and monetary terms make the feasibility of manufacturing these cement-based materials feasible and interesting for both society and the business world. CO2 emissions are reduced by 25% for mortar mixes and 12% for concrete mixes with recycled materials, and it is possible to reduce the cost per cubic meter of mortar production by 20%, and the savings in the cost of production of a cubic meter of concrete is 13.8%.

A comparative assessment of indirect green façade and conventional walls: perspective of life cycle cost

PurposeGreen walls are vertical structures with various plant species that contribute to achieving sustainability in terms of environmental, economic and social aspects. A comparison of green wall performance with a similar type of conventional wall would be the most convincing way of promoting green wall applications than comparing the performance within types of green walls. Hence, this study evaluated the life cycle cost (LCC) of an indirect green facade with a conventional wall in the Sri Lankan tropical climate towards enhancing the adaptation of the green wall concept as an energy-saving solution.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved two stages: (1) assessing the thermal performance and (2) calculating the LCC of the indirect green facade and the conventional wall. On-site temperature measurements were taken from various spots on the exterior and interior wall surfaces of each building in different time intervals per day for 21 days from the end of May to the beginning of July. The LCC analysis was performed using the cost data collected through the market survey and document review.FindingsThe temperature difference between the external and internal wall surfaces of the conventional wall (1.060C) is higher than the green wall (0.320C). This implies that green walls help retain 2/3 of the temperature transferred through a conventional wall, thereby reducing the energy requirement for cooling purposes by 70%. Though the initial cost of a green wall is 19% higher than a conventional wall, maintenance costs of green walls result in 29% savings. This results in a 55% overall annual LCC savings compared to conventional walls.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of studies to evidence that the cost performance of green walls is more effective than conventional walls in tropical climates, and this study fulfils this research gap. Thus, the findings would be more convincing to clients towards enhancing green wall applications.

Principles for Incorporating Recycled Materials into Airport Pavement Construction for More Sustainable Airport Pavements

Current international waste policy promotes the reduction and re-use of waste materials, and in some cases, specifically calls for the use of recycled materials in pavements. Consequently, there is a need to understand the performance of recycled materials in airport pavements, as well as the overall sustainability benefit. This paper reviews several recycled materials and their applications to asphalt concrete, cement concrete, and bound and unbound granular materials in the context of airport pavements. Additionally, it reviews sustainability quantification methods, as well as implementation challenges for using recycled materials in airport pavements. For comparing pavements with and without recycled materials, a triple bottom line approach is appropriate. The triple bottom line approach should use life cycle cost assessment and life cycle assessment for the financial and environmental impacts, respectively, as best-practice, with frameworks and guidelines already established. For social impacts, it is recommended to quantify the reduction in virgin material use which relates to intergenerational equity by ensuring access to materials by future generations. Because there are still implementation challenges for the airport pavement industry, principles are developed that aim to promote uptake of recycled materials. These principles include sorting and processing, minimising haulage distances, and ensuring performance of pavement layers through performance testing and performance-related specifications.

Implementation of Value Engineering For Optimization of Road Reconstruction Project Financing Case Study: Cibadak – Padasuka Road Section Project, Lebak Regency, Banten Province

Road reconstruction is one of the important infrastructure projects in supporting economic growth and community mobility. However, such projects are often faced with budget constraints, which require the application of effective methods for cost management. One method that can be used is Value Engineering (VE), which aims to optimize costs without reducing the quality or function of the project. This study focuses on the implementation of VE in the Cibadak - Padasuka road reconstruction project in Lebak Regency, Banten. The study was conducted through an analysis of several project components that have the potential to be optimized, using methods such as Pareto analysis, and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis. The results of the study indicate that 1. The work item that is the subject of Value Engineering study in this study is Road Paving work; 2. The Value Engineering study obtained 3 alternatives, namely the Rigid Pavement Method PPCP, SPRigWP & Flexible Pavement; 3. The construction cost value of Value Engineering is: • Alternative 1 PPCP Method against alternative 0 (Conventional Concrete/Cast In Situ) experienced an increase in construction costs of Rp. 324,545,518.51 or 3.30%, • Alternative 2 SPRigWP Method against alternative 0 (Conventional Concrete/Cast In Situ) experienced an increase in construction costs of Rp. 2,693,845,581.45,- or 30.75%, • Alternative 3 Flexible Pavement compared to alternative 0 (Conventional Concrete/Cast In Situ) experienced a decrease in construction cost of Rp. 1,368,807,868.21, or 15.63%; 4. The Life Cycle Cost (LCC) value from Value Engineering is: • Alternative 1 PPCP Method compared to alternative 0 (Conventional Concrete/Cast In Situ) experienced a decrease in Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of Rp. 1,020,655,389.33,- or 9.55%, • Alternative 2 SPRigWP Method against alternative 0 (Conventional Concrete/Cast In Situ) experienced an increase in Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of Rp. 1,375,850,167.98 or 12.87%, • Alternative 3 Flexible Pavement against alternative 0 ( Conventional Concrete/Cast In Situ) experienced an increase in Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of Rp. 10,697,757,430.34 or 100.07%. So that in the study conducted on the Cibadak - Padasuka Road Reconstruction Project, Warunggunung District, Lebak Regency, Banten Province Alternative 1 Precast Prestressed Concrete Pavement (PPCP) Rigid Pavement Method is the recommendation with the lowest LCC value.This research is expected to provide practical recommendations that can be applied to similar projects in the future, as well as contributing to the development of science in the field of civil engineering and project management.

Optimal design of building envelope towards life cycle performance: Impact of considering dynamic grid emission factors

Building-related carbon emissions in the construction and operation stages account for more than one-third of global energy-related emissions. Optimizing during the early design stage is an effective way to reduce building carbon emissions. However, current studies adopt a constant grid emission factor (GEF) to assess the environmental impacts of buildings while ignoring the dynamic changes of the future electricity mix. This will overestimate the operational carbon emissions of the building in the context of the increasing share of renewable energy in power generation. In this study, a dynamic life cycle assessment model based on dynamic GEF is constructed to evaluate the life cycle environmental impacts of buildings. On this basis, a building optimization design framework considering dynamic GEF is proposed, and the impact of considering future variations of GEF on the optimal design of the building envelope is explored. The study is conducted in three steps. First, dynamically changing GEFs are predicted under the future electricity mix based on scenario analysis. Second, a multi-objective optimization framework is established to minimize the life cycle carbon emissions (LCCE) of the building while optimizing its life cycle costs (LCC) and indoor discomfort hours (IDH). Finally, the proposed optimization framework is applied to a prototype office building in Shanghai, and a comparative analysis is conducted for the optimal schemes between a static and two dynamic scenarios. The result reveals that ignoring future variations will lead to overestimating the operational carbon emissions by 49.0%-64.8%, which in turn will result in an over-insulated design of the envelope (i.e., additional material consumption). In addition, compared to the static scenario, consideration of dynamic GEF results in a 38.7%-51.6% reduction in LCCE, a 5.2%-6.1% reduction in LCC, and a 5.3%-9.5% increase in IDH for the optimal solutions. This research illustrates the importance of considering dynamic GEF in identifying the optimal design parameters and can help decision-makers reasonably choose the optimal schemes during early-stage design.

Towards standalone commercial buildings in the Mediterranean climate using a hybrid metal hydride and battery energy storage system

Given the critical role of hybrid energy storage systems in the building sector for enhancing renewable energy reliability and integration, this study examines the techno-economic feasibility of adopting a dual-level energy storage system for a PV-driven commercial building in the Mediterranean climate. The proposed system encompasses both hydrogen metal hydride and battery storage units. Aimed at off-grid electrification, the optimal component sizing of the hybrid system is identified by establishing a statistical optimization framework using the response surface methodology. Dynamic simulations of the hybrid system are performed through a TRNSYS model coupled with a numerical code that simulates the metal hydride system. Regarding optimal net-zero solutions, it is shown that the share of the direct PV electricity supply to end-use fluctuates within a limited range for all scenarios, namely between 57.7 and 60.5 %, while the share of each storage system varies distinctively in each solution. The results indicate a striking difference between scenarios in terms of economic aspects; differences of $ 19,791 and $ 32,621 are observed between the minimum and maximum values of the initial investment and life cycle cost, respectively. The levelized cost of electricity varies between 0.354 and 0.403 $/kWh, in which the case having the lowest payback period (10.8 years) demonstrates the lowest levelized cost of electricity too. Furthermore, an inverse relationship between the levelized cost of hydrogen and production rate is observed; the lowest levelized cost and the highest annual production are achieved in the scenario with the lowest BESS capacity and the highest electrolyzer power and hydrogen storage volume, which are equal to 5.77 $/kg and 304.7 kg H2/yr, respectively.

Achieving sustainability in heat drying processing: Leveraging artificial intelligence to maintain food quality and minimize carbon footprint.

The food industry is a significant contributor to carbon emissions, impacting carbon footprint (CF), specifically during the heat drying process. Conventional heat drying processes need high energy and diminish the nutritional value and sensory quality of food. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in food processing to enhance quality and reduce CF, with a focus on heat drying, a high energy-consuming method, and offer a promising avenue for the industry to be consistent with sustainable development goals. Our finding shows that AI can maintain food quality, including nutritional and sensory properties of dried products. It determines the optimal drying temperature for improving energy efficiency, yield, and life cycle cost. In addition, dataset training is one of the key challenges in AI applications for food drying. AI needs a vast and high-quality dataset that directly impacts the performance and capabilities of AI models to optimize and automate food drying.

Holistic life cycle cost analysis of road bridges with non-metallic reinforcement

Corrosion-related damage due to exposure to environmental conditions is the main cause of costs in the maintenance of transport infrastructure. Because of its high corrosion resistance and the associated higher durability, non-metallic reinforcement offers great potential for preventing such damage, thus reducing maintenance costs. In this article, potential savings for an integral road bridge are studied through a holistic life cycle cost (LCC) analysis considering four different reinforcement materials (steel, glass, basalt, carbon). A fair comparison is enabled by a material-specific design, the calculation of maintenance and user costs and the consideration of the respective disposal scenario. Moreover, environmental costs are recognised by carbon pricing based on life cycle analysis (LCA). The influence of individual parameters is quantified by means of a sensitivity analysis and the probability of savings is studied by Monte Carlo simulation. It is shown that higher investment costs for non-metallic reinforcement can be compensated by lower user costs. This is mainly due to shorter maintenance periods, as less time is required for repair action, whereby potential savings in user costs are particularly evident if the traffic route below the bridge is not disrupted. It is concluded that even from today's perspective, the use of glass and basalt fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement in highway bridges with average traffic volumes very likely offers an economic advantage over corrosion-prone reinforcing steel.