Irish Universities
Not a member yet
78452 research outputs found
Sort by
Evaluation of the n-alkane technique for estimating the individual intake of dairy cows consuming diets containing herbage and a partial mixed ration
No full textEstimation of dry matter intake (DMI) using the n-alkane technique was evaluated in lactating dairy cows fed fresh herbage and a partial mixed ration (PMR). Four dietary treatments were investigated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment using 16 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. Dietary treatments were combinations of low and high amounts of fresh herbage (8 or 14 kg DM/cow per day) and PMR supplement (6 or 12 kg DM/cow per day). The pre-experimental period was 14 days followed by a 10-day experimental period. Cows were housed in individual metabolism stalls to allow for accurate measurement of DMI and total fecal output. Fecal n-alkane recovery rates were calculated to determine the most accurate corrections for incomplete fecal n-alkane recovery. The n-alkane technique accurately estimated DMI when corrected for incomplete fecal recovery using both published recovery rates and recovery rates calculated in this experiment. The most accurate application of recovery rates was with those calculated for each combination of dietary treatments, compared with using an average recovery rate. This research has important implications for the future use of the n-alkane technique, especially in PMR feeding systems. The discrepancy between estimated (when treatment recovery rates were applied) and measured herbage DMI increased with the amount of herbage offered but was not affected by amount of PMR. It was also found that the recovery rates of all natural n-alkanes increased as the amount of herbage increased. This research demonstrates that the n-alkane technique can be used to accurately estimate individual cow intake when fresh herbage and PMR are offered separately, evidenced by strong Lin’s concordance estimates
Discrimination of five Greek red grape varieties according to the anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin profiles of their skins and seeds
No full textThe knowledge of grapes phenolic content is proven to be critical for the vinification process and the improvement of wine quality. This study was undertaken to determine the phenolic composition and to employ the phenolic profile as a varietal discrimination tool in five Greek red grape varieties. Ninety grape samples from two seasons (2017 and 2018) were analyzed after extraction with organic solvents. Their proanthocyanidin profile, expressed as percentages of flavan-3-ols, was determined in both skins and seeds by employing phloroglucinolysis followed by HPLC-UV and MS detection, and anthocyanin profile was identified only in the skin extracts by HPLC-UV. Significant differences were observed in proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin profiles of skin extracts between the samples of different varieties, but not in seeds. (-)-Epicatechin was the main subunit in Mandilaria, Kotsifali, Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro grapes while (-)-epigallocatechin gallate in Mavrotragano. Malvidin-3-O-glucoside was the predominant pigment in all grape samples analyzed with the exception of Kotsifali skin extracts, where peonidin-3-O-glucoside was the most abundant anthocyanin. In addition, Mavrotragano skin extracts were the richest in delphinidin and petunidin-3-O-glucosides, while Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro contained the highest amount of malvidin-3-O-glucoside. The results underline the significance of the skin phenolic composition as a tool for the discrimination of the Greek red grape varieties.State Scholarships Foundation of Greec
Questioning current attitudes towards “keeping” and their implications on longer product lifetimes
No full textTo prolong product lifetimes, consumer behaviour in relation to everyday possessions is likely
to evolve. Consumers are progressively expected to take part in efforts to prevent waste and keep
everyday goods in conditions that permit reuse, repair and repurposing. This implies a variety of forms
of shorter and longer term keeping not yet sufficiently represented in existing product consumption
phase models. While periods of passivity or transition where products are kept awaiting repair, second
lives or divestment are inherent in todays’ product relations, attitudes to keeping things are ambiguous.
This article aims to contribute to better understanding of behavioural aspects of the passive phases of
thing-relations and what may influence attitudes to keeping stuff. We discuss keeping and related
constructs such as clutter, product hibernation, abandonment and sedimentation to better understand
the diversity of passive object relations and the issues they raise.
Design-oriented ethnographic research into different attitudes towards keeping in the context of
everyday product relations highlights the ambiguity around the way we keep things. Six main emerging
themes are identified: oppression, coping/questioning, projection, conscious use, reassurance and
managing visibility. These diverse, co-existing themes illustrate the need to better understand the fluid,
unstable and personal nature of passive product relations
Quantifying the conservation value of independent, place-based repair: a case study of an electronics repair cluster in Lima, Peru
No full textRepair and maintenance of consumer electronics can conserve the materials and energy
they embody. Independent or third-party businesses are important sites of such repair and maintenance
activity. While the value of such businesses is sometimes captured in official socioeconomic statistics
(e.g., employment; tax revenues; contribution to GDP), little attention has been paid to their role in the
conservation of resources. In this paper we examine the conservation value of a cluster of independent
third-party electronics repair businesses in Lima, Peru. Using life cycle assessment (LCA) of phones
and tablets we quantify the conservation value of this cluster in terms of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) and
water consumption relative to new manufactures of the same categories of electronics. We then discuss
the politics of attributing the conservation value achieved by the third-party repair cluster in Lima to
either domestic (that is, Peruvian) or foreign CO2e . Whose conservation of CO2e is this? How do the
answers to that question shape understandings of the relevance of location for industrial ecology? Our
work contributes to the broader field of spatially explicit LCAs and their incorporation into the emerging
subfield of political industrial ecology
“When we got divorced, I left all my things behind”. How the lifespan of household goods is linked to the biographical trajectory of their owners
No full textSocial science research suggests that in our current affluent society, most individuals are
accustomed to replacing their objects rather than keeping them at all costs. However, in this society,
some individuals still try to keep their objects for a long time. How do they come to be concerned about
products’ lifespan? The literature has proposed a whole series of explanatory factors, mainly in terms
of resources (psychological, economic, social), but has never used a diachronic approach that takes
into account the evolution of individual practices in the life course. In this paper, analyzing interviews
conducted with sixty individuals seeking to make their objects last, I adopt a biographical approach to
understand two things. First, I study how the practice of extending the life span of objects takes root: I
show that the tendency to keep objects for a long time can come from the familial milieu, just as it can
happen later, in connection with significant experiences with objects, with the reception of messages
disseminated by the media and/or with personal events. Then, I wonder how biographical events affects
products’ career in the households. I focus no longer on the general relationship of the individual to
objects\u27 lifespan, but on the career of the objects themselves. I emphasize that professional, residential,
family or more global events (such as the COVID-19 crisis), which punctuate the life course of
individuals, determine the fate of objects in the home
Recycle or reuse? A life-cycle-assessment-based model to evaluate end-of-life decisions for photovoltaic panels
No full textThis paper aims to assess the environmental and economic impact when it comes to the presumed end of life for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. A recycling option is compared to the reuse of the PV panels in the two impact categories: costs for the consideration of economic feasibility and global warming potential (GWP 100) for the consideration of the environmental impact. The evaluation is carried out with a parametric life-cycle-assessment-based model that was designed to be adaptable for evaluating different scenarios by changing the parameters to fit the given cost structure or climate zone in which the panels are being used. The recycling option involves market-established methods for recycling the old panels and replacing them with new ones. The reuse case involves testing and reusing the old panels, taking a certain rejection rate into account. The most significant parameters for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are the rejection rate, the solar radiation and thus the capacity utilization as well as the expected lifetime of the newly manufactured panels and their greenhouse gas emissions during production. The results indicate that in most cases greenhouse gas emissions can be saved compared to the recycling option. The costs for reuse compared to recycling depend on the rejection rate and the expected lifetime for both the panels, that can be reused and the new panels. The comparison of the costs for reuse and recycling contains some uncertainties since the testing of panels has yet to be commercially established and automized. The model developed in this paper allows for the holistic evaluation of individual reuse and recycling scenarios. The results can thus be used to determine decision-making for better economic and environmental outcomes
Is design thinking an effective method to generate circular economy based solutions in a socially distanced world? Experiences from an online design thinking workshop
No full textCircular Economy (CE) is commonly proposed as a means to advance towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Design thinking (DT) has been identified as an innovative problem-solving approach, capable of addressing complex challenges, such as the CE, through multidisciplinary collaboration. Currently, the spaces for multi-stakeholder collaboration have been affected by Covid-19 restrictions, forcing organizations to develop online collaboration capabilities. Accordingly, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of the application of DT to generate CE-based solutions to address a sustainability challenge in an online setting. The assessment particularly addresses the extent to which a purposefully adapted DT process allows to conceptualize sustainability solutions, and, the user experiences in a digital collaboration environment. This research presents the findings obtained from an online DT workshop focused on proposing circular business models to improve the sustainability impacts of urban mobility in the city of Graz, Austria. The event involved 39 sustainability experts from academia, industry, public sector and NGOs, participating in five teams, each led by a workshop facilitator. Three specific activities have been elaborated to embed a focus on sustainability, which are combined with traditional DT exercises, and adapted to a digital environment. We report the outcomes of the online workshop and reflect on the adapted method strengths and weaknesses. DT is supported as a plausible method to conceptualize CE-based solutions, however, sustainability aspects need to be embedded throughout the problem-solving process
Towards a healthy urban metabolism for textile waste through social theories
No full textThis study investigates the context of post-consumer fashion textile waste in the urbanised city and brings into dialogue the sub-field of discard studies, circular economy and social theories. This is to enable an alternative approach through which the health of urban metabolism for textile waste is improved. This research argues the flow of unwanted textiles in the urbanised environment remains to be unpredictable despite all the in-placed managerial strategies; and proposes that inefficient management of urban textile waste is partly due to lack of attention to the materiality of textiles. This research is designed as a case-study on Metropolitan Melbourne. The collected data was through 20 semi-structured interviews with the allied actors of post-consumer textiles in the urbanised city. This study first uncovers the materiality of textile waste and its impact on the spatial and temporal displacements of discarded textiles in the urban environment. Research findings indicate that, research participants understood the materiality of textile waste through the dichotomy of 12 main characteristics that determine the flow of urban textile waste. This is discussed through the lens of social theories of Actor-Network and Rubbish theory. The generated knowledge assists to reflect on the concept of circular economy and its implementation in the urbanised city for effective management of textile waste
Measuring the benefits of cascading-use of wood furniture within the circular economy via value-retention processes
No full textAs utilized technical products, durable wood furniture has an important role to play in a future circular economy (CE). However, contemporary CE literature predominately focuses on the biochemical properties and potential for wood as consumable materials within the bio-cycle. This perspective prevents meaningful consideration of CE strategies for the wood products sector, particularly for value-retention processes (VPRs), including reuse, repair, and refurbishment. Adapting and applying the VRP model introduced by the UN International Resource Panel (IRP) (2018) to wood furniture products, we quantify select environmental benefits made possible through the use of VRPs (vs. new manufacturing) for wood furniture. Unlike traditional life-cycle analysis (LCA), this model accounts for the impacts incurred and avoided through product life-extension and VRPs, relative to new manufacturing, disposal, and replacement within a linear system. To demonstrate the model and the potential for wood furniture as technical products within the CE, three case studies of wood-based chairs are conducted and analyzed. In collaboration with industry partners, new material requirements (kg/unit), energy requirements (kWh/unit), emissions (kg CO2-e./unit),and waste generation(kg/unit)are calculated for newly manufactured chairs and subsequent reuse, repair, and refurbishment. Results highlight that, similar to industrial products, VRPs enable the avoidance of environmental impacts for wood furniture relative to linear single-life systems. Further, design configuration and material selection for wood furniture have significant implications for CE potential, thus reinforcing the necessity of an appropriate design perspective for enabling effective CE across all products and sectors
Interplay of digital technologies and sustainable product development –what can product life cycle data tell us?
No full textToday\u27s linear economic paradigm leads to a situation where products are not designed and used to maximize their sustainability and circularity performance. The circular economy concept proposes a modern framing of value retention strategies by increasing the awareness of their ability to prolong the use of resources and minimize waste. The utilization of product life cycle data, partly facilitated by digital technologies, is not only an enabler for such value retention strategies but also an essential input for sustainable product development processes aimed at minimizing a products\u27 environmental and social impact. However, what strategies are being pursued in practice, what sustainability-related data are available, and how digital technologies can facilitate these processes requires further investigation. In this regard, the contributions of this study are twofold. First, it provides a collection of key aspects for sustainable product development based on a literature review. Second, it reveals the degree of implementation of sustainable product development and value retention strategies and the availability of related data. The latter contribution is derived from a survey with 59 sustainability executives from Austrian companies. The results show that the degree of implementation varies considerably between the different strategies. So far, a focus is set on avoiding toxic substances and closing internal material loops. Digital systems to support a circular economy business model, product, or service are available in less than half of the cases. The implementation of digital technologies is rather a single-case phenomenon than an established business strategy