Search results for "ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT"
showing 10 items of 301 documents
Practitioners’ Perceptions of Co-Product Allocation Methods in Biorefinery Development—A Case Study of the Austrian Pulp and Paper Indust…
2022
The utilization of coproducts is a strategy that can be applied to increase the economic and environmental performance of industrial processes and thus reach an objective targeted in several environmental policies. In multi-output production processes, allocation needs to be performed to assess the products’ environmental and economic performance. It is crucial to choose an adequate allocation method, because this choice has been shown to strongly influence overall outcomes. Consequently, rash choices can lead to poor decision-making. Various ways to apply and combine allocation methods can be found in the academic literature, but it is often difficult to find sufficient guidance on how to …
Assessing the Impact of Road and Land Use on Species Diversity of Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Grasses in the Mountain Landscape in Southern Africa
2022
Mountain landscape, described as a global biodiversity hotspot due to high endemism, is threatened by land-use change, including management and modification of vegetation. However, there is little knowledge about how road and land use affect plant diversity in mountains landscapes, particularly in southern Africa. Previous studies have studied the impact of the road or land use on plant species diversity separately and have concentrated on a single plant species. Here we compare the plant diversity of regenerated trees, shrubs, herbaceous plant, and grasses among Forest, Fallow, Agriculture, and Road in the Moribane Forest Reserve (MFR), in Eastern Chimanimani Mountain landscape in Mozambiq…
Life Cycle Energy and Environmental Assessment of the Thermal Insulation Improvement in Residential Buildings
2021
The refurbishment of the building stock is a key strategy towards the achievement of the climate and energy goals of the European Union. This study aims at evaluating the energy and environmental impacts associated with retrofitting a residential apartment to improve its vertical envelope thermal insulation. Two insulation materials, stone wool and cellulose fibers, are compared. The life cycle assessment methodology is applied assuming 1 m2 of retrofitted vertical envelope as functional unit. Moreover, to estimate the net energy and environmental benefits achievable in the retrofitted scenario compared with the non-retrofitted one, a second analysis is performed in which the system boundar…
LCA applied to an anaerobic digestion plant for biomethane and digestate production
2019
Nowadays it is paramount to promote bioenergy for climate protection, energy security and creation of income/jobs. In this perspective, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) for biogas and digestate production seems to be a viable way to simultaneously improve waste management while producing Renewable Energy Sources (RES). The main objective of this work is to assess the environmental impact associated with biomethane and digestate production from an AD plant as Global Warming Potential, expressed in CO2 equivalents. Therefore, a LCA was carried out for the production of biomethane ready for the injection into the Italian distribution natural gas grid. A mix from different waste sources (cattle manure …
Surface Modified Arundo Donax Natural Fibers for Oil Spill Recovery
2021
The use of green materials for oil recovery applications is the goal to be achieved to reduce the environmental impact of these essential processes. In this context, Arundo Donax L. is a plant known for its wide uses whose absorbent properties have been previously investigated. In this paper, the influence of silane surface treatment on the absorbent behavior of natural fibers extracted from the culms of this eco-friendly and cost-effective material was assessed. A close correspondence has been identified between the physical characteristics of the investigated oil and the fiber size, by means of microstructural and morphological analysis. Excellent results have been achieved with an absorp…
The BioS4You European project: An innovative way to effectively engage Z-generation students in STEM disciplines
2021
In this contribution, we present the BioS4You project and analyse the results obtained in the first 18 months of its activity. The “Bio-Inspired STEM topics for engaging young generations” (BioS4You) Erasmus+ KA2 Innovation project aims to bridge the gap between STEM national curricula (which include Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and the needs of Z-generation students, uninterested to basic themes, but enthusiastic in issues related to environmental, social, and health concerns. The BioS4You project engages young learners in STEM subjects, starting with current issues of interest for them, as the social and environmental impact of new technologies, connecting STEM conce…
Chlorinated Ethanes: Sources, Distribution, Environmental Impact, and Health Effects
1984
Transferability to LDC of Some European standards concerning the environmental certification of products and services
2002
Goal and Scope. Western developed countries (DC) are currently involved in an important process of releasing new rules and standards devoted to the environmental certifications of urban systems, in order of accomplishing the requirements established by the international protocols (Kyoto, among them), aimed at the reduction of greenhouse gases emitted in the atmosphere and at the limitation of the environmental impact as well. Within this frame, the European Union is giving a rising importance to the so-called 'Integrated Product Policy' (IPP), that is an integrated approach of the environmental policy, aiming to an improvement of the environmental performance of products and services during…
Sustainable integration of Renewable Energy Systems in a Mediterranean island: a case study
2013
Starting from a previous technical and economical feasi-bility study, this paper analyzes the integration of Renewable Energy Sources into an existing territory with specified features of the natu-ral landscape and of the built environment. The work puts into evi-dence that territories development must use suitable tools and rules based on integrated knowledge, since technical feasibility studies do not assess the sustainability of the proposed infrastructures within the built environment and landscape. The studied system is in the is-land of Pantelleria situated between Sicily and northern Africa.
Environmental performance of building materials: life cycle assessment of a typical Sicilian marble
2009
Background, aim, and scope: The building sector is strategically important for achieving sustainability. Therefore, the improvement of energy and environmental performances are relevant targets because precious building materials such as marble have a significant impact on the environment. The aim of this paper is an analysis of a typical Sicilian marble (Perlato di Sicilia) to evaluate its energy and environmental performance. Marble plays an important role in the economy of Italy and has a global market share of 58% in terms of exports. For the main production areas of marble, relevant environmental performance data are missing except for one region (Tuscany-Massa e Carrara province). Per…