Search results for "Impact."
showing 10 items of 1677 documents
Development of analysis tools for social, economic and ecological effects of water reuse
2008
Abstract The full implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) in Europe will contribute to obtain treated wastewaters of quite high quality that could be reused for certain applications or improved by polishing steps for uses with higher quality requirements. Even though reclaimed water reuse is currently implemented in many European countries, mainly for irrigation, its potential has not yet been exploited in many areas. In fact, a decisive factor to achieve a higher percentage of water reuse is the establishment of effective incentives, which in many instances will be of either an economic or a regulatory nature. The limiting factor for water reuse can in many…
The effectiveness of the Finnish EIA system — What works, what doesn't, and what could be improved?
2011
Abstract The article summarises the results of a multidisciplinary research project on the effectiveness of the Finnish EIA system. It examines the main strengths and weaknesses of EIA as a preventive and participatory environmental management tool. The study concludes that EIA has achieved a meaningful role in the environmental policy toolbox in Finland and has clearly enhanced the possibilities for high-quality environmental decision making. The research cites the liaison authority system as a clear strength of the Finnish EIA system in its enabling a single regional authority to specialise in and gain wide experience on EIA issues. In examining potential weaknesses of the regime, the art…
Testing the usability of the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) method for comparison of EIA and SEA results
2008
Abstract This study examines how the results of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) could be compared using the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) method. There are many tools and techniques that have been developed for use in impact assessment processes, including scoping, checklists, matrices, qualitative and quantitative models, literature reviews, and decision-support systems. While impact assessment processes have become more technically complicated, it is recognized that approaches including simpler applications of available tools and techniques are also appropriate. The Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) is a tool for organizing, a…
Refurbishment Scenario to Shift Nearly Net ZEBs Toward Net ZEB Target: An Italian Case Study
2013
The idea of a Net ZEB arises from the development of design criteria and construction methods, addressed to curb the operating energy, increasing the energy efficiency of building equipment and appliances, and of the thermal insulation of envelope components, and enhancing the on-site energy generation, by means of renewable energy sources, to cover the annual building energy loads. In this chapter, the energy and environmental performances of an Italian nearly Net ZEB following a life cycle approach are carried out. Then, a scenario of refurbishment is foreseen in order to shift the studied building from the nearly Net ZEB condition toward the Net ZEB target, and the arising energy and env…
Embodied energy and environmental impacts of a biomass boiler: a life cycle approach
2015
The 2030 policy framework for climate and energy, proposed by the European Commission, aims towards the reduction of European greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in comparison to the 1990 level and to increase the share of renewable energy of at least the 27% of the European's energy consumption of 2030. The use of biomass as sustainable and renewable energy source may be a viable tool for achieving the above goals. However, renewable energy technologies are not totally clean because they cause energy and environmental impacts during their life cycle, and in particular they are responsible of air pollutant emissions. In this context, the paper assesses the energy and environmental impacts of a …
LNG cold energy use in agro-food industry: A case study in Sicily
2011
Abstract It is known how the complete gasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG) can return about 230 kWh/t of energy. Nevertheless out of fifty-one gasification plants in the world, only thirty-one of them are equipped with systems for the partial recovery of the available energy. At the moment most of these plants mainly produce electric energy; however the employment of the cold energy results very interesting, in fact, it can be recovered for agro-food transformation and conservation as well as for some loops in the cold chain. Cold energy at low temperatures requires high amounts of mechanical energy and it unavoidably increases as the required temperature diminishes. Cold energy reco…
On Thermoeconomic Diagnosis of a Fouled Direct Expansion Coil: Effects of Induced Malfunctions on Quantitative Performance of the Diagnostic Technique
2017
Thermoeconomic diagnosis represents a promising technique for the detection of common faults in refrigeration systems, which are responsible of degradation in their energetic performance. Recently, the authors have carried out a sensitivity analysis of the performance of this method to the thermodynamic conditions of inlet air and to the geometry of the direct expansion coil, in case of degradation induced by evaporator fouling. The analysis showed that the method is able to detect this fault, but sometimes its quantitative assessments are not satisfactory. In order to understand more in-depth the origin of such results and identify margins for refinement of the technique, this paper is aim…
Efficiency assessment of wastewater treatment plants: A data envelopment analysis approach integrating technical, economic, and environmental issues
2015
The assessment of the efficiency of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is essential to compare their performance and consequently to identify the best operational practices that can contribute to the reduction of operational costs. Previous studies have evaluated the efficiency of WWTPs using conventional data envelopment analysis (DEA) models. Most of these studies have considered the operational costs of the WWTPs as inputs, while the pollutants removed from wastewater are treated as outputs. However, they have ignored the fact that each pollutant removed by a WWTP involves a different environmental impact. To overcome this limitation, this paper evaluates for the first time the efficien…
Life cycle assessment of Italian citrus-based products. Sensitivity analysis and improvement scenarios
2009
Though many studies concern the agro-food sector in the EU and Italy, and its environmental impacts, literature is quite lacking in works regarding LCA application on citrus products. This paper represents one of the first studies on the environmental impacts of citrus products in order to suggest feasible strategies and actions to improve their environmental performance. In particular, it is part of a research aimed to estimate environmental burdens associated with the production of the following citrus-based products: essential oil, natural juice and concentrated juice from oranges and lemons. The life cycle assessment of these products, published in a previous paper, had highlighted sign…
Forest operations in coppice: Environmental assessment of two different logging methods
2016
Wood is a renewable resource and it actively contributes to enhance energy production under a sustainable perspective. However, harvesting, transport and use of wood imply several consequences and impacts on environment. There are different ways for managing forests dedicated to wood production and a sustainable approach is fundamental to preserve the resource. In this context, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a useful tool for estimating the environmental impacts related to renewable resources. Traditional coppice is a common approach for forest management in several areas, including southern Europe and, specifically, Italy, Spain and the Balkans. Due to different terrain conditions, differe…