Search results for "resource depletion"
showing 10 items of 14 documents
Combined gasification-oxidation system for waste treatment with supercritical water: Lca and performance analysis
2020
In this study the environmental performance of a first-of-its-kind integrated process based on supercritical water gasification and oxidation (SCW-GcO), was evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA). The process was applied to the treatment of carbon black and used oil as model wastes. Mass and energy balances were performed using Aspen Plus, and the environmental assessment was carried out through SimaPro. A “from cradle to grave” approach was chosen for the analysis, considering impact categories such as climate change, ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, land use, resource depletion, and other relevant indicators. The environmental profile of the SCW-GcO process was co…
Is there sustainable entrepreneurship in the wine industry? Exploring Sicilian wineries participating in the SOStain program
2016
Abstract Global climate change and the accelerating depletion of natural resources have contributed to increase discussions about the role of private enterprises in reversing negative environmental trends. Rather than focusing on profit maximization, policy makers and consumers pressure groups expect firms to meet a triple-bottom line of economic, environmental and social value creation. Hence sustainable entrepreneurship has received recently increasing interest as a phenomenon and a research topic. More recently, the concept of sustainability has been taken seriously in the Italian wine industry. The organizational challenge for entrepreneurship is to better integrate social and environme…
Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation Scenarios in Italy
2018
Hindering global warming and achieving a more competitive, secure and sustainable energy sector are some of the most relevant goals of the 2030 Framework for climate and energy of the European Union. European countries have to identify and implement strategies for contributing to these ambitious goals. In this context, the authors carried out a scenario analysis on the Sicilian electricity mix in order to estimate the life cycle energy and environmental benefits of the increase of the use of renewable energy technologies for electricity production, and the potential contribution of Sicily in the achievement of the European energy and environmental targets. In detail, the authors identified …
A life cycle assessment of tri-generation from biomass waste: The experience of the “agro-combined” of Thibar
2020
Abstract The paper presents a life cycle assessment of energy produced by biogas obtained by biomass waste and fuelled in a tri-generation pilot plant located in Tunisia. The results, referred to 1 MJ of exergy, showed that the plant construction causes 76% of primary energy consumption and gives a contribution higher than 90% on resource depletion and ionizing radiation, and of 50% on ozone depletion. Operation causes 66% of the impact on human toxicity—cancer effects and more than 90% of the other impacts, except for ecotoxicity of freshwater mainly caused during the end of life. The study is one of the first applications of environmental analysis to tri-generation from waste in developin…
A Holistic Approach to Comprehending the Complexity of the Post-growth Era: The Emerging Profile
2015
The goal of this study is to investigate the problems caused by the rapid growth of the global economy, coupled with high population growth and the excessive exploitation of natural resources. The global economy will not be able to maintain its current speed of growth in the long term, so a paradigm shift in production and consumption is necessary, if the collapse of ecosystems and the concurrent depletion of natural resources are to be avoided. This is the reason why capitalism needs to take a turn towards a sustainable and naturally harmonized development model.
An integrated energy simulation and life cycle assessment to measure the operational and embodied energy of a Mediterranean net zero energy building
2022
Abstract Net Zero Energy Buildings can play a key role in reducing the energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and the use of natural resources associated to the built environment. It is widely recognized that in low energy building a shift in relevance may occur from the operational to the embodied impacts. However, building performance assessment focus mostly on the operational phase and on primary energy consumption. This study aims to assess the energy and environmental impacts of a residential net zero energy building expanding the analysis to the full life cycle and to a wide range of environmental impact categories. The methodological approach integrates a non-steady state building ener…
Material flows, efficiency and decoupling: Latvia's case study
2019
Latvia with its growing economy and intensive use of biomass is one of the biggest per capita natural resource consumers in Europe. If current patterns of resource use are maintained, environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources will continue. This paper looks at the resource flows in Latvia (1995 to 2016) - the country that does not have fossil energy resource deposits and timber industry is an important economic sector contributing most to the direct material input. It analyses the main resource flows, its intensities and looks at the main drivers behind these changes. Results demonstrate that resource extraction and consumption is steadily increasing and are not decoupled…
A life cycle scenario analysis of different pavement technologies for urban roads.
2019
In the past, lowest price was the award criterion, given that structural capacity and safety were assured. In the last years, environmental, energy, and long-term impacts have been introduced (climate change, resource depletion, energy consumption, generated solid waste, discharged water, and emissions). Unfortunately, the introduction of new pavement technologies and materials (i.e., waste plastics) affects maintenance and rehabilitation processes and call for accurate and timeliness studies and criteria. Consequently, this paper presents an energy and environmental assessment of an Italian urban road and considers different material-related scenarios that fully comply with emerging techno…
Bioenergy chain building: a collective action perspective
2014
Depletion of natural resources has become a key issue on the European policy agenda. Bottom-up measures have emerged in several countries with a view to promoting awareness campaigns and environmental sustainability, with the agenda set by individuals who start up collective initiatives at the local level. Such collective action provides an incentive to free-ride on the contribution of others. Social norms and the consequent behavior of individuals involved in collective action assume a key role in ensuring sustainable use of a public good, achieving significant, long-lasting success. The present study aims to ascertain which determinants most affect farmers’ willingness to contribute to co…
Grounds and Challenges for Implementing a Circular Economy in the European Road Transport Sector
2017
Environmental challenges, especially in the form of resource depletion, pollution and greenhouse gas emission, are very important challenges for the socio-economic development. For this reason, the concept of a circular economy has been developed and is being implemented in different areas. In 2015, the European Union adopted the Circular Economy Package consisting of an “EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy”, presenting a set of actions aimed at achieving objectives of the circular economy in Europe. The goal of the paper is to describe and discuss key challenges facing implementation of the concept of the circular economy in the European road transport sector. First, the concept of a c…