1,721,017 research outputs found
Eco-sustainable energy and environmental strategies in design for recycling: the software “ENDLESS”
No full textThis paper describes a model, named “ENDLESS”, useful to address the design process towards more eco-compatible solutions.
In particular, this tool can support the designer in the choice of the product with an higher recyclability potential from a set of
different alternatives. The model takes into consideration a Multi-Attribute Decision-Making method and allows calculating a
“Global Recycling Index” (GRI) starting from a set of energy, environmental, technical and economic indicators. A weight is
assigned to each parameter following the experience of the designer; a sensitivity analysis is then performed to state how the
different assumptions can affect the final results. The model is implemented in a software and applied to a case study: to establish
the best recyclability option of middle and low voltage electrical lines used for electricity distribution in Italy
Economic Allocation in Life Cycle Assessment: The State of the Art and Discussion of Examples
No full textThe article examines methods for analyzing allocation in life cycle assessment (LCA); it focuses on comparisons of economic allocation with other feasible alternatives. The International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) guideline 14044 indicates that economic allocation should only be used as a last resort, when other methods are not suitable. However, the LCA literature reports several examples of the use of economic allocation. This is due partly to its simplicity and partly to its ability to illustrate the properties of complex systems.
Sometimes a price summarizes complex attributes of product or service quality that cannot be easily measured by physical criteria. On the other hand, economic allocation does have limitations arising, for example, from the variability of prices and the low correlation between prices and physical flows. The article presents the state of the debate on the topic and some hypothetical examples for illustration. A general conclusion is that it is not possible to determine one “best” allocation method. The allocation procedure has to be selected on a case-by-case basis and no single approach is suitable for every situation. Despite its limitations, economic allocation has certain qualities that make it flexible and potentially suitable for different contexts.
In some situations, economic allocation should not be the last methodological resort. The option of economic allocation should be considered, for example, whenever the prices of coproducts and coservices differ widely.JRC.H.8 - Sustainability Assessmen
Energy performances and life cycle assessment of an Italian wind farm
No full textRenewable energy sources are often presented as clean. A more correct definition is that they are cleaner than ones based on fossil fuel conversion. When the energy consumption and the environmental impacts related to the plant's life-cycle are considered, a more comprehensive assessment of these technologies can be carried out. This paper aims to evaluate the energy and the environmental performances of the electricity production of a wind farm. The impacts related to all the phases of the wind farm construction and operation have been compared to the environmental benefits due to the green electricity generation during its useful life. In other terms, the goal is to trace the ecoprofile of the production of 1 kWh of electricity.A life cycle assessment (LCA) has been performed based on data related to an Italian wind farm: production and deliver of energy and raw materials, components manufacturing, transports, installation, maintenance, disassembly and disposal have been analysed. The attention focused to those life cycle steps generally neglected or not adequately investigated as installation, civil works and maintenance. The results can be assumed as representative of the Italian context and they can represent a further incentive to the diffusion of wind farms. In fact, the environmental performances of the wind farm have been compared to other power energy generation systems. The results showed a great environmental convenience of the inquired technology
The use of Genetic Algorithms to solve the allocation problems in the Life Cycle Assessment
Get PDFThe paper applies a GA (Genetic Algorithms) to a multi-output productive process of essential oils, natural and concen-trated juices from oranges and lemonsThe results obtained for the case study taken into consideration showed that the application of GA allows to respect the energ y and mass balances for the examined system
sistemi di gestione ambientale applicati al prodotto: un caso studio viti-vinicolo
No full textI Sistemi di Gestione Ambientale (SGA) Orientati al Prodotto (POEMS – Product Oriented Environmental Management System) rappresentano un’evoluzione dei SGA già diffusi nel contesto nazionale ed internazionale. I POEMS combinano elementi consolidati dei SGA con aspetti di ciclo di vita dei prodotti, permettendo alle aziende di sviluppare e promuovere nel mercato prodotti che si contraddistinguano per la loro qualità ecologica. L’articolo presenta un’analisi delle peculiarità metodologiche dei POEMS e descrive un’applicazione sperimentale ad un’azienda vitivinicola siciliana
Methodological insights on Life Cycle Assessment of solar energy technologies
No full textRenewable energies are reliable sources to move the world toward a sustainable energy economy, to achieve the emission reduction targets and to face the shortage of worldwide fossil fuels reserves. A reliable energy and environmental profile of renewable energy technologies (RETs) may not leave out considerations on the impacts of the background system, including also the production, use, and disposal of such systems. In this context the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an established methodology to estimate the energy and environmental benefits and drawbacks of RETs and to identify components and life cycle stages having the largest impacts.
In the present Chapter the authors focus on the analysis of solar energy systems. Authors highlight the scientific relevance and reliability of LCA as an informative support system for the selection of different solar energy options. A literature review of published study is also illustrated to point out methodological issues and problems which can arise in the study of a solar energy system
Life cycle assessment of a solar thermal collector
No full textThe renewable energy sources are often presented as 'clean' sources, not considering the environmental impacts related to their manufacture. The production of the renewable plants, like every production process, entails a consumption of energy and raw materials as well as the release of pollutants. Furthermore, the impacts related to some life cycle phases (as maintenance or installation) are sometimes neglected or not adequately investigated. The energy and the environmental performances of one of the most common renewable technologies have been studied: the solar thermal collector for sanitary warm water demand. A life cycle assessment (LCA) has been performed following the international standards of series ISO 14040. The aim is to trace the product's eco-profile that synthesises the main energy and environmental impacts related to the whole product's life cycle. The following phases have been investigated: production and deliver of energy and raw materials, production process, installation, maintenance, disposal and transports occurring during each step. The analysis is carried out on the basis of data directly collected in an Italian factor
Life Cycle Assessment of Solar Technologies
No full textThis chapter analyses the most common solar technologies and assesses their energy and environmental performance, based on a life cycle perspective. After a preliminary description of the main technologies, the chapter presents a review of studies on solar plants, as published in scientific journals in the past decade. Successively, the chapter assesses solar plants in comparison to other renewable and non-renewable based technologies, including a discussion of uncertainties and criticalities in the assessmen
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS AS A RESULT OF RETROFIT ACTIONS
No full textThe paperpresentstheresultsofanenergyandenvironmentalassessmentofasetofretrofitactions
implementedintheframeworkoftheEUProject‘‘BRITAinPuBs’’(BringingRetrofitInnovationto
ApplicationinPublicBuildings–no:TREN/04/FP6EN/S07.31038/503135).Outcomesarisefromalife
cycle approachfocusedonthefollowingissues:(i)constructionmaterialsandcomponentsusedduring
retrofits; (ii)maincomponentsofconventionalandrenewableenergysystems;(iii)impactsrelatedto
the buildingconstruction,forthedifferentelementsandthewholebuilding.
The resultsarepresentedaccordingtothedataformatoftheEnvironmentalProductDeclaration.
Syntheticindices,asenergyandGWPpaybacktimes,andenergyreturnratio,aredefinedtobetter
describetheenergyandenvironmentalperformancesoftheactions.
The projecthighlightstheroleofthelifecycleapproachforselectingthemosteffectiveoptionsduring
the designandimplementationofretrofitactions
Resource efficient recovery of critical and precious metals from waste silicon PV panel recycling
Get PDFAlthough the amount of waste photovoltaic (PV)panels is expected to grow exponentially in the next decades, little research on the resource efficiency of their recycling has been conducted so far. The article analyses the performance of different processes for the recycling of crystalline silicon PV waste, in a life cycle perspective. The life cycle impacts of the recycling are compared, under different scenarios, to the environmental benefits of secondary raw materials recovered. Base-case recycling has a low efficiency and, in some cases, not even in line with legislative targets. Conversely, high-efficient recycling can meet these targets and allows to recover high quality materials (as silicon, glass and silver)that are generally lost in base-case recycling. The benefits due to the recovery of these materials counterbalance the larger impacts of the high-efficiency recycling process. Considering the full life cycle of the panel, the energy produced by the panel grants the most significant environmental benefits. However, benefits due to high-efficient recycling are relevant for some impact categories, especially for the resource depletion indicator. The article also points out that thermal treatments are generally necessary to grant the high efficiency in the recycling. Nevertheless, these treatments have to be carefully assessed since they can be responsible for the emissions of air pollutants (as hydrogen fluoride potentially released from the combustion of halogenated plastics in the panel's backsheet). The article also identifies and assesses potential modifications to the high-efficiency recycling process, including the delocalisation of some treatments for the optimisation of waste transport and the introduction of pyrolysis in the thermal processing of the waste. Finally, recommendations for product designers, recyclers and policymakers are discussed, in order to improve the resource efficiency of future PV panels
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