Product Environmental Footprint Research Articles

Challenges, progress, and future perspectives for cyanobacterial polyhydroxyalkanoate production

AbstractPolyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a promising bio-based alternative to traditional plastics derived from petroleum. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic organisms that produce PHA from CO2 and sunlight, which can potentially reduce production costs and environmental footprint in comparison to heterotrophic bacteria cultures because (1) they utilize inorganic carbon sources for growth and (2) they do not require intensive aeration for oxygenation. Moreover, supplementing precursors such as propionate, acetate, valerate, etc., can be used to obtain various copolymers with plastic customizable properties in comparison to the classical homopolymers, such as polyhydroxybutyrate, PHB. This critical review covers the latest advances in PHA production, including recent discoveries in the metabolism interplay between PHA and glycogen production, and new insights into cultivation strategies that enhance PHA accumulation, and purification processes. This review also addresses the challenges and suggests potential solutions for a viable industrial PHAs production process.

Challenges When Assessing Water-Related Environmental Impacts of Livestock Farming: A Case Study of a Cow Milk Production System in Catalonia

Water availability is a local issue of growing importance in Mediterranean areas where water scarcity linked to climate change and population growth is already leading to increased competition for this resource. This study is aimed at the following: (i) assessing the water-related environmental impacts (water use, freshwater ecotoxicity and eutrophication, marine eutrophication, acidification, human toxicity, and ionizing radiation) along the production chain of cow milk in Catalonia, northeastern Spain; and (ii) addressing the issues encountered (modelling choices, data gaps and inconsistencies) which t can affect the quality of results when performing a water-footprint comprehensive assessment, focusing on water use and associated water scarcity impacts. The scope included the process from the extraction of raw materials up to the distribution of the packaged fat- and protein-corrected milk to the distribution centres of the supermarket chains and markets. Results showed the farm stage to be determinant (contributing to over 60% of the impact), due to the impact of feed production. Impact results were in the range of the European benchmark given by the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules for dairy products, except for the water scarcity footprint which was one order of magnitude larger than the reference value, due to water scarcity in Spain. Considering compound feed ingredients with a lower water scarcity footprint, and research into slurry treatment for its use as irrigation and cleaning water (without compromising safety and health) could help reduce this impact. Water accounting and traceability along the production chain could support the dairy industry to take responsibility for the consequences of their production choices.

The European Union's Ecodesign Directive – Analysis of Carbon Footprint Assessment Methodology and Implications for Photovoltaic Module Manufacturers

With an increasing shift away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy sources within the European Union (EU), photovoltaics (PV) are projected to see substantial growth with estimates of nearly 600 GWp of capacity by 2030. As the use of PV technology continues to expand, the European Commission has introduced various policy instruments, enabling consumers to make informed choices. Among those, the Ecodesign directive 2009/125/EC sets a carbon footprint threshold as a minimum qualification for the European market to cut out the least sustainable PV modules. For this directive, the methodological guidelines for the complex carbon footprint calculation of PV modules are under development. To this end, this analysis compares the two methodologies, namely Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) and the Ecodesign adaptation of Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR), emphasizing the implications of choosing one over the other for the PV industry. This study illustrates how varying parameters, like module lifetime, degradation rate, and purchased renewable electricity certificate allowance limit, stemming from the differing methodological approaches can influence the carbon footprint calculation. Apart from the strengths and weaknesses of each methodology, this article emphasizes the need for globally harmonized standards to ensure consistency in evaluating the carbon footprint of PV modules. The observations made in this study should be considered not just for Ecodesign directive but for any such market regulation policy like the recently passed EU Net Zero Industry Act or the EU Ecolabel for PV modules. It underlines the significance of choosing a transparent and fair approach to ensure the credibility of carbon footprint labels and meet the EU's decarbonization objectives successfully, propelling the transition toward a more sustainable energy landscape.

Development and Application of Control Concepts for Twin-Screw Wet Granulation in the ConsiGmaTM-25: Part 2 Granule Size

Traditional operation modes, such as running the production processes at constant process settings or within a narrow design space, do not fully exploit the advantages of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing. Integrating Quality by Control (QbC) algorithms as a standard component of production processes can mitigate the effect of diverse process disturbances and enhance process efficiency, particularly in terms of production costs and environmental footprint. This paper explores the potential of QbC algorithms for optimizing twin-screw wet granulation in the ConsiGmaTM-25 manufacturing line, specifically addressing granule size. It represents the second part of a study (Celikovic et al. (2024)) focused on granule composition.The concepts proposed in this work rely on process analytical technology (PAT) equipment for real-time monitoring of the granulation CQAs and a dynamic process model linking the granulation process parameters and the monitored CQAs. The granule size model identified via the local-linear-model-tree (LoLiMoT) algorithm is used to develop both a model predictive controller (MPC) and a granule size soft sensor. The MPC employs this model as a core component for selecting optimal granulation parameters to ensure the production of granules with target size. A digital operator assistant is developed to address disturbances that cannot be mitigated via MPC but can be eliminated by the plant operators.This study systematically outlines a workflow, starting from conceptualization, moving through simulation development, and finally ending with real-world application on a production line. In this final step, all proposed concepts are transferred to the ConsiGmaTM-25 manufacturing line, where their performance is validated through selected disturbance scenarios.

A sustainability assessment of the foundry production process in Italy

Sustainability has become an essential goal for companies to preserve their competitiveness; the metal cast industry is facing several challenges due stringent environmental regulations, resulting in sustainability performance issues. The evaluation of the cast iron environmental footprint has become a key point to drive the sector towards a more sustainable future.This study investigates the environmental performance of the cast iron manufactured by ten Italian foundries (named from A to J) by quantifying their product environmental footprint through the Life cycle assessment methodology. The scores of the surveyed foundries were compared with a benchmark value, that is representative of the average product manufactured by the Italian plants.The product environmental footprint of the casts of seven out of the ten surveyed plants is lower than the benchmark one. Raw materials acquisition is the most impacting in all sites; its contribution to the total product environmental footprint ranges from 59 % (foundry J) to 94 % (foundry D). Raw materials acquisition is followed by melting. The raw materials contributing more to the cast iron environmental footprint are pig iron and ferroalloys, together with electricity. The three elements on average accounts for the 60 % of the score of the casts of the surveyed plants.In all the considered plants climate change, particulate matter, resource, fossil fuels use and ecotoxicity are the most critical impact categories accounting for at least 70 % of the environmental footprint.The reduction of the cast iron environmental footprint is challenging because it requires to intervene on a well consolidated production process without altering the product quality. However, the substitution of pig iron and ferroalloys with recycled inputs, although not easy to achieve could be effective to enhance the sector sustainability since it would reduce the scores associated with the climate change, resource use and ecotoxicity impact categories.

A Comprehensive Study from Cradle-to-Grave on the Environmental Profile of Malted Legumes.

Three representative pulses from the Latium region of Italy (namely, Solco Dritto chickpeas, SDC, Gradoli Purgatory beans, GPB, and Onano lentils, OL) underwent malting to reduce their anti-nutrient content, such as phytic acid and flatulence-inducing oligosaccharides. This initiative targets the current low per capita consumption of pulses. Employing Life Cycle Analysis, their environmental impact was assessed, revealing an overall carbon footprint of 2.8 or 3.0 kg CO2e per kg of malted (M) and decorticated (D) SDCs or GPBs and OLs, respectively. The Overall Weighted Sustainability scores (OWSS) complying with the Product Environmental Footprint method ranged from 298 ± 30 to 410 ± 40 or 731 ± 113 µPt/kg for malted and decorticated SDCs, OLs, or GPBs, indicating an increase from 13% to 17% compared to untreated dry seeds. Land use impact (LU) was a dominant factor, contributing 31% or 42% to the OWSS for MDSDCs or MDOLs, respectively. In MDGPBs, LU constituted 18% of the OWSS, but it was overshadowed by the impact of water use arising from bean irrigation, accounting for approximately 52% of the OWSS. This underscores the agricultural phase's pivotal role in evaluating environmental impact. The climate change impact category (CC) was the second-largest contributor, ranging from 28% (MDSDCs) to 22% (MDOLs), and ranking as the third contributor with 12% of the OWSS for MDGPBs. Mitigation should prioritize the primary impact from the agricultural phase, emphasizing land and water utilization. Selecting drought-tolerant bean varieties could significantly reduce OWSSs. To mitigate climate change impact, actions include optimizing electricity consumption during malting, transitioning to photovoltaic electricity, upgrading transport vehicles, and optimizing pulse cooking with energy-efficient appliances. These efforts, aligning with sustainability goals, may encourage the use of malted and decorticated pulses in gluten-free, low fat, α-oligosaccharide, and phytate-specific food products for celiac, diabetic, and hyperlipidemic patients. Overall, this comprehensive approach addresses environmental concerns, supports sustainable practices, and fosters innovation in pulse utilization for improved dietary choices.

Can Italian wines outperform European benchmarks in environmental impact? An examination through the product environmental footprint method

Nowadays, there is a pressing demand for precise tools to quantify sustainability and assess the contributions of products and processes to sustainable development. This requirement extends to the wine industry as well. In 2013, the European Commission introduced the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), providing a standardized methodology grounded in life cycle thinking for evaluating the environmental impacts of products across various industries. Despite its potential and the availability of specific guidelines for wine, the application of PEF remains unexplored in the sector. This study contributes to the knowledge by applying PEF to assess environmental impacts of Italian still and sparkling wines production, identifying variations from European benchmarks. Additionally, it aims to pinpoint pivotal hotspots and provide guidance for effective mitigation strategies.Average data from 27 wines certified as sustainable under Italian VIVA program, were collected and used to perform a life cycle assessment in accordance with PEF protocol. Results revealed that Italian still wines exhibited a greater environmental impact than the European reference value, while sparkling wines displayed a slightly more favourable environmental performance compared to the European average. Notably, specific impact categories remained consistent across different wines and countries, with climate change, resource utilization, land use, and particulate matter harmful for human health accounting for nearly 80 % of the overall environmental footprint. Hotspot analysis identified the plantation/destruction of vines, energy usage in the winery, and packaging as significant factors influencing the environmental footprint of Italian wines. Addressing these elements could enhance the environmental competitiveness of the Italian wine sector relative to its European counterparts. However, to validate these findings, further studies are necessary, both within Italy and in other European wine-producing regions. Such research initiatives will improve and strengthen PEF methodology, bolstering its adoption as the primary tool for environmental impact assessment of wine at the community level.

Life cycle environmental benchmarks for Flemish dwellings

To reduce the environmental effects caused by building construction and operation, life cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly applied. In recent years, national building regulations have implemented LCA requirements to support building life cycle impact reduction. A key element in these regulations are environmental benchmarks which allow designers to compare their building designs with reference values. This study aims to develop bottom-up life cycle environmental benchmarks that represent the range of environmental impact results achieved with conventional construction in Flanders, Belgium. For this purpose, the study investigates the potential of using a database of building energy performance calculations. Specifically, this study considers 39 residential buildings identified as representative of the Flemish energy performance of buildings database of 2015–2016, applying modifications to establish scenarios that are still relevant in 2025. The buildings are assessed with the Belgian LCA tool TOTEM to calculate an aggregated environmental score based on the European product environmental footprint (PEF) weighting approach and including 12 main impact categories. In addition to the aggregated score, the climate change (CC) indicator is analysed individually. In view of the benchmarks, variations were applied to the 39 original buildings in terms of heating system and materialisation. The variation in heating system included changing gas boilers to electric heat pumps to comply with upcoming (2025) Flemish building regulations. The variations in building materials included three sets of conventional Flemish building element compositions that were applied to generate a wider spread of impact results as a basis for benchmarks. Benchmark values were derived through a statistical analysis of the 117 modelled variants: a best-practice value (10th percentile), reference value (median) and limit value (90th percentile). For the environmental score, the benchmark values are 86, 107 and 141 millipoints per square meter of gross heated floor area (GHFA) (mPt m−2GHFA), respectively; and for CC, the benchmark values are 844, 1015 and 1284 kg CO2-eq m−2 GHFA. Finally, the study discusses the representativeness, implications and limitations of the final benchmarks and benchmark approach.

The Product Environmental Footprint – A Critical Review

The product environmental footprint (PEF) is one of two life cycle assessment methods from the European Commission. With their published recommendation on environmental footprint methods, the European Commission provides a framework to assess the PEF for every product in a company. Since there is a high probability that the PEF will be mandatory for companies shortly, it is crucial that this recommendation guides companies and mainly technical employees through all phases of the PEF and enables them to execute a PEF study correctly. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the process of calculating a PEF for a product critically. A PEF study is conducted on a smart luminaire with the software program OpenLCA. The use case concludes that many aspects of the PEF still need to be clarified. Especially the calculation methods behind every impact category need to be more transparent. Further, a comparison of the use case with a provided tutorial from OpenLCA is made. The comparison shows that no information is available on how to model the end-of-life and the use stages, which are mandatory in a PEF study.

Environmental sustainability of Finnish pork production: life cycle assessment of climate change and water scarcity impacts

PurposeThe degrading impacts of livestock production on the environment are well acknowledged. Although ruminants are much studied due to their large contribution to climate change impact, monogastrics are also known to carry a significant load, and mitigation options need investigation. Here, the climate change impact and water scarcity impact of Finnish pork production was investigated using the life cycle assessment approach.MethodsAs the importance of communicating reliable environmental information has been acknowledged in the EU, methods and guidance for this purpose have been developed. Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules have also been published for several food product categories, although not yet for meat. Here, the life cycle assessment methods were used based on PEFCR guidance and the draft version of red meat PEFCR guidance to achieve a reliable, transparent and comparable assessment.ResultsFinnish pork production resulted in a climate change impact of 3.6 kg CO2 eq. kgCW−1 and a water scarcity impact of 0.69 m3 eq. kgCW−1. The largest contribution to the climate change impact came from feed crop production, with an impact of 43%. Land-use changes were included, and their contribution to the Finnish pork climate change impact was 3%. Similarly, in the water scarcity impact, feed crop production was a major contributor, with 41% from fattening pig feed production. Significant contributions to both categories also came from piglet production, including feed crop production, and to the climate change impact from manure storage.ConclusionsFinnish production was seen to already largely utilise sidestreams and domestic feed ingredients, although, e.g. soybean is still used. Based on the results, in mitigating the environmental impacts of Finnish pork production, attention should especially be paid to the resource-efficient production of domestic feed crops and reduced use of organic soils. As current assessment models are unable to grasp the impacts of regenerative farming techniques, the development of LCA methods is also required. Water scarcity impact was seen to be largely affected by the utilisation of feed crops originating from water-scarce countries. As a mitigation measure, the procurement of these feed crops and ingredients should therefore be directed to water-abundant areas and from production which does not depend on irrigation water or the extensive use of synthetic inputs.

Product category rules development as a reference for PROPER life cycle assessment reporting: recommendations

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MOEF) issued regulations regarding monitoring of company environmental performance (PROPER), which required companies to conduct LCA studies for their products to obtain a green or gold rating. The LCA report submitted in the PROPER program should refer to the specified guiding standards, namely Product Category Rules, which contain the necessary elements of product environmental footprint (PEF) for assessing environmental management performance evaluations to meet international standards and ensure acceptance by the international community. This study aims to evaluate and analyze industries that have received green and gold ratings in the 2022 PROPER program and whether their LCA arrangement refers to certain PCRs contained in the international program operators. MOEF and MOI (Ministry of Industry) will use the evaluation and analysis results as a suggestion to build PCR for priority industries. Seven industrial sectors already have PCR as the basis of the LCA study. Additionally, three product categories require establishing PCR as a criterion for LCA.

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of a New Cellulose-Based Composite and Glass Fibre Reinforced Composites

The use of renewable lightweight materials and the adoption of cleaner production are two effective approaches to reduce resource consumption, which contributes to meeting the industry’s environmental impact targets. In a previous study we found, that a miscanthus fibre reinforced cellulose acetate (CA-Miscanthus, 25 wt.%) can be a bio-based alternative to glass fibre reinforced polypropylene (PP-GF, 20 wt.%), as both materials exhibit similar mechanical properties. However, only limited information on the environmental benefits of using bio-based composites instead of their petroleum-based counterparts are available. In this study, we compare the environmental impact of ready to use compound of both materials in the cradle to gate system boundaries, including fibre cultivation, fractionation and refining, fibre pretreatment, and compounding. The functional unit is chosen based on the equivalent function of both materials. The environmental impact is determined using the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology. The results reveal that the CA-Mis composite has a higher environmental impact than the PP-GF composite in all categories observed, despite its biomass origin. As the primary reason for the high impact, the acetic anhydride use during CA production is identified. The study indicates that, though the bio-composite CA-Mis has mechanical properties comparable to PP-GF composites, it is not as eco-friendly as we initially assumed it to be.

PSXI-1 A Case Study of the Environmental Footprint of Dairy-Beef Production in Catalonia: a Tool to Improve Sustainability

Abstract This study aims to assess the environmental impact of the dairy beef meat value chain in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain, from cradle to distribution, using the methodology recommended by the European Commission’s in its Product Environmental Footprint (PEF; EC, 2021) initiative. Case studies and the construction of regionalized databases are needed, together with addressing the challenges when utilizing the PEF methodology in real-world applications, to address primary sector large variability. For that, the PEF methodology was applied in 2 beef farms which grow calves from 120 kg to 410 kg fed with 2 different feed compounds each (growing and finishing). Data gathering was performed at the distribution gate including the following stages: raw milk production at farm, transport to dairy centrals, milk processing and packaging, and transport to market and supermarket centrals. The contribution analysis showed that the farm was the life cycle stage with the major contribution to the environmental impact (65% or more in all 16 PEF indicators). Results at farm gate showed the overall importance of the feed production impact (between 30% and 90% of the impact at farm gate in all indicators). Looking specifically at climate change (CC), emissions produced at the farm from manure management and enteric fermentation (IPCC & EMEP/EEA, 2019) were a major contributor to the impact: 19 and 36% contribution to CC respectively. Results of this study showed an average final carbon footprint of 6.62 kg CO2 eq per kg body weight at farm gate, what corresponds to 12.00 kg CO2 eq per kg carcass at farm gate (55% carcass dressing). This value increases slightly to 12.7 kg CO2 eq per kg carcass meat at distribution gate. These results are considerably below the benchmark value found in literature of 32.5 kg CO2 eq per kg carcass meat sold to retailers (TS Red meat FCR, 2019). This benchmark is calculated considering an average mix of production systems and technologies using both dairy and beef enterprises (TS Red meat FCR, 2019). Currently, different feed alternatives are being studied with the aim to improve beef production sustainability, without compromising animal performance and wellbeing. These might include assessing alternative ingredients that are nutritionally equivalent to the major impact contributors, additives that reduce emissions, research for optimizing crop production rates, and assessing different geographical origin of ingredients where improved agronomic practices are used or where crop production is located in ecosystems with lower susceptibility to environmental impact.

Environmental impact assessment of lithium ion battery employing cradle to grave

The purpose of this study is to calculate the characterized, normalized, and weighted factors for the environmental impact of a Li-ion battery (NMC811) throughout its life cycle. To achieve this, open LCA software is employed, utilizing data from product environmental footprint category rules, the Ecoinvent database, and the BatPaC database for a comprehensive Cradle to Grave assessment. The findings of the current study that certain processes have significant environmental implications, including climate change (fossil), resource usage (energy carrier), resource use (minerals and metals), and respiratory inorganic impacts. However, it is noteworthy that water scarcity contributes to 87% of the overall effect, primarily due to the utilization of acids in the hydrometallurgical process. Moreover, the impact categories mentioned above are heavily influenced by the electricity grid mix employed during both the production and consumption phases. Consequently, increasing the proportion of clean energy in the electrical grid mix has been identified as an effective strategy for reducing the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) of Li-ion batteries.

Life cycle assessment of the manufacturing and operation of distillation column for eliminating volatile and organic halogen compounds from process wastewater

Distillation serves as the foremost method for commercial-scale separation of fluid mixtures. Widely applied in wastewater treatment, it is the preferred choice for isolating volatile multi-component mixtures into pure substances. Distillation technology offers notable economic benefits due to its easy implementation, high efficiency, productivity, and robust safety features. This study examines the environmental impacts associated with the production and usage of a distillation, specifically in treating pharmaceutical process wastewater containing organic halogen compounds (AOX). The analysis adopts a 'gate-to-gate' approach, with the specified functional unit (FU) set at 1 kg of treated effluent containing no more than 8 ppm of AOX and less than 1000 mg O2/L of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). In this work, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is conducted using Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and Recipe 2016 Endpoint (H) V1.06 methodologies, utilizing the SimaPro V9.3.0.3 software in conjunction with the Ecoinvent V3.8 database. Analysis results have shown the emission of 1.11 × 10–2 kg CO2-eq, in which operational and production processes contribute 91.9% and 8.1%, respectively. To mitigate adverse effects, alternative energy sources, i.e., solar, offshore wind, and onshore wind are integrated into the distillation procedure. The substitution of hard coal with solar, offshore wind, and onshore wind energy displays the potential to significantly reduce climate change impact by 64.3%, 62.9%, and 62.8%, respectively.Article HighlightsDistillation process undergoes a thorough life cycle assessment from production to application.Distillation process requires high energy and emits 1.11 × 10–2 kg CO2-eq per functional unit.The operational phase dominates over 90% in three damage categories: human health, ecosystems, and resources.

Envisaged methodologies for sustainable food labelling policies might worsen water scarcity

To reduce the current billions of people facing water scarcity, which is a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target, different actions and measures are required. This includes food labelling which accounts for water scarcity, to help consumers make informed choices when purchasing food products. The European Commission is considering the proposal of a “Sustainable food labelling framework” in the last quartal of 2023, within its ambitious Farm to Fork strategy. Implementing such a food label in the EU has a potential reach of 447 million consumers. Most prominent label candidate is its own developed PEF (Product Environmental Footprint), a tool already implemented by some retailers in the EU. However, this paper argues that the category water scarcity in the PEF has two major flaws. First, it does not account for water efficiency of a product, which is essential to solve global water stress. Second, the spatial resolution for water stress is much too coarse. The current PEF tool makes comparisons between products useless and even misleading. Its use might worsen global water scarcity, as it provides producers and consumers the wrong incentives. Urgent revision of the category water stress in the PEF is required. This can be done by using the indicators water stress and water efficiency in a complementary way, as well as using the most detailed spatial resolution science can provide.

Environmental performance of autoclaved aerated concrete in the USA

AbstractAutoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) is a lightweight, cellular concrete, and eco‐friendly building material that has a low environmental impact at all stages of its life cycle. Production of AAC requires less energy than other masonry products, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels and associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. AAC is an environmentally responsible building material that conserves material and energy consumption during manufacture as well as promotes energy efficiency in the performance of buildings.Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the chosen method to evaluate the environmental performance of AAC, which is summarized in identifying, evaluating, and interpreting the environmental effects including material, natural resources, energy consumption, environmental burdens of a product, process, or activity. A cradle to gate (CTGt) analysis is chosen for this study which assesses a product's environmental footprint from raw materials extraction until the end of manufacturing. LCA has been conducted for an arbitrary facility in the USA, assumed to be located in the state of Georgia. The expected annual production and facility energy consumption is based on the business model of Xella's German facilities.The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of AAC performance as an efficient building material with an environmentally friendly advantage compared to other conventional construction materials.

Environmental Impacts in the Textile Sector: A Life Cycle Assessment Case Study of a Woolen Undershirt

The textile industry, known for its significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, is increasingly active in exploring techniques and technologies to improve its environmental performance. The main tool to calculate environmental impacts is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, which is standardized and internationally recognized. Specific guidelines for the impact calculation of textile products are under development (Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs) for the category of Apparel and Footwear). In this context, this study contributes to the knowledge in the textile sector through the development of a cradle-to-gate LCA of a woolen undershirt produced in Italy. This study shares robust and recent (2021) primary data for the phases of weaving, cutting, and sewing, obtained from an Italian company. Data from previous studies of the authors, as well as secondary data, are also used to complete the inventory. A further analysis is developed to include the use phase as well. The impact on climate change of one undershirt results in 11.7 kg CO2 eq, primarily due to the farming phase of sheep, which accounts for 88% of the total emissions. The impact on climate change of energy used in the wool transformation process has a relatively low impact (11%), also thanks to the partial use of electricity produced by photovoltaic panels, while materials (e.g., chemicals) and transportation have negligible contributions. The farming phase, despite relying on secondary data, is identified as the primary contributor for most of the other indicators. Additionally, it has been found that user habits play a key role in the impact related to one wearing of the undershirt. The findings suggest that further work is necessary in the textile sector and emphasize (i) the need for guidelines, enabling the inclusion of the use phase without compromising the comparability between different LCAs of similar textile products; (ii) the need for improved traceability practices in the textile sector, to enhance inventory data collection on the raw material production (wool fibers in the case under analysis).

Extensive comparison of methods for removal of organic halogen compounds from pharmaceutical process wastewaters with life cycle, PESTLE, and multi-criteria decision analyses

Recycling and disposing wastewater from the pharmaceutical industry are of utmost importance in mitigating chemical waste generation, where unmanaged hazardous waste fluxes could cause massive environmental damage. Air stripping, steam stripping, distillation, and incineration offer significant emission reduction potentials for pharmaceutical applications; however, selecting specific process units is a complicated task due to the high number of influencing screening criteria. The mentioned chemical processes are modelled with the Aspen Plus program. This study examines the environmental impacts of adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) containing pharmaceutical process wastewater disposal by conducting life cycle impact assessments using the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), IMPACT World + Endpoint V1.01, and Recipe 2016 Endpoint (H) V1.06 methods. The results show that the distillation-based separation of AOX compounds is characterized by the most favourable climate change impact and outranks the PEF single score of air stripping, steam stripping, and incineration by 6.3%, 29.1%, 52.0%, respectively. The energy-intensive distillation technology is further evaluated by considering a wide selection of energy sources (i.e., fossil fuel, nuclear, solar, wind onshore, and wind offshore) using PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) analysis combined with multi-criteria decision support to determine the most beneficial AOX disposal scenario. The best overall AOX regeneration performance and lowest climate change impact (7.25 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq (1 kg purified wastewater)−1) are obtained by supplying variable renewable electricity from onshore wind turbines, reaching 64.87% carbon emission reduction compared to the baseline fossil fuel-based process alternative.

On the relevance of site specificity and temporal variability in agricultural LCA: a case study on mandarin in North Uruguay

PurposeMandarin is a relevant citrus crop in Uruguay both in terms of yield and area. This study is aimed at assessing the environmental impacts of mandarin cultivation in the country to identify the environmental hotspots. Temporal variability is assessed by considering six harvest seasons and site specificity by developing a regionalized inventory using a Tier 3 to estimate nitrogen on-field emissions. Also, the effect of regionalizing specific impact categories is analyzed.MethodsA cradle-to-farm gate assessment was carried out based on mass and area functional units. Primary data was gathered from a representative orchard of the region for the seasons 2016 to 2022. Nitrogen on-field emissions were modeled using LEACHN, a Tier 3 model that considers site-specific climatic and soil parameters as well as water and fertilizer applications at a daily scale. In addition, other modeling approaches were tested following the Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), World Food LCA Database guidelines (WFLDB), and the updated IPCC and EMEP/EEA guidelines. The EN 15804 + A2 standard was followed to assess the environmental impacts, except for the categories concerning acidification, where IMPACT 2002 + v2.1 was used. In addition, to analyze the variations in the results when regionalizing impacts of on-field emissions, IMPACT World + was used.ResultsThe main hotspots detected are on-field emissions, machinery operations, pesticides, and fertilizer production. Irrigation is the main hotspot in blue water scarcity. As for the models tested to estimate nitrogen emissions, significant differences were detected in marine eutrophication between LEACHN and WFLDB, regardless of the functional unit, and in terrestrial acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, and aquatic acidification per ha between LEACHN and PEF. Significant reductions in the results were observed by regionalizing the environmental impacts caused by the on-field emissions.ConclusionsThe development of site-specific inventories and impact assessment methods with spatial resolution is encouraged, although more research is needed to draw general conclusions about the convenience of mechanistic models to estimate nitrogen emissions in Uruguayan citriculture. The high variation coefficients obtained reaffirm the importance of considering temporal variability. Moreover, the relevance of considering different functional units is highlighted since different influencing variables are observed throughout the seasons depending on the functional unit used.