1,721,050 research outputs found
Life cycle assessment (Lca) of environmental and energy systems
Full text linkThe transition towards renewable energy sources and “green” technologies for energy generation
and storage is expected to mitigate the climate emergency in the coming years. However, in many
cases, this progress has been hampered by our dependency on critical materials or other resources that
are often processed with high environmental burdens. Yet, beyond global warming, several global
challenges have to be promptly addressed, including the loss of biodiversity, environmental pollution,
water scarcity, and energy security.
Environmental and energy issues are strictly interconnected and require a comprehensive
understanding of resource management strategies and their implications. For instance, the depletion
and contamination of a vital resource such as water has been related to possible shortages in heat
and power generation, distribution and use; on the other hand, water supply requires energy inputs,
particularly if the most common sources of natural provision (e.g., groundwater) are not easily
accessible. Actions undertaken in separately considered systems may hinder the achievement of
optimized benefits and reduction in adverse consequences.
A system perspective is therefore needed to identify and quantify the impact of human activity
on the environment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is among the most inclusive analytical techniques
to analyze sustainability benefits and trade-offs resulting from complex systems. This Special Issue
presents a collection of original articles, reviews, and case studies focusing on mutual influences of
environmental and energy systems. A brief description and discussion of the contributions to this
Special Issue is reported hereafter. It is worth noting that the order in which the contributio
Chemical analyses and heavy metal contamination in sediments of the Venice lagoon and toxicological implications
No full textMining the in-use stock of energy-transition materials for closed-loop e-mobility
Full text linkThe decarbonization of transportation is essential to achieve a carbon neutral planetary society. However, the turn to electromobility is based on advanced technologies (e.g., lithium-ions batteries) that tied our development to many functional materials with problematic supply. In this study, we apply prospective dynamic material flow analysis to explore the potentials for closing material cycles while meeting a full transition to electric for a set of energy-transition materials (ETMs) including lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and natural graphite. Three demand scenarios are applied to develop trajectories for ETM demand, their in-use stock, and derive the potentials to which recycling can substitute for virgin material extraction at the global scale to 2065. Our results estimate that ETM inflow to use could increase between 20 and 50 times by 2065. However, secondary supply will hardly enable the achievement of circularity in material cycles in the next decades so that the supply of ETMs will remain mainly based on primary material extraction. Nevertheless, from 2040 onwards, recycling volumes could meet up to more than 80% of demand and represent a viable alternative to mining. If the ideal scenario is realized, government policies could have the potential for achieving the dual goal of decarbonizing e-mobility and securing sustainable access to ETMs already in the middle of 2050s. However, the combined commitment and efforts across the value chain of policymakers, companies involved in the cycle, and consumers will be needed to fully realize the great potential for circular economy to work for e-mobility
Istanze identitarie e racconto di sè in un gruppo di adolescenti writers
No full textThis paper attempts to investigate the world of graffiti art as a phenomenon widely popular among adolescents in all urban contexts. We hypothesize that this activity is an answer to the need of identity and of belonging, typical of adolescence. In particular, we analyzed individual, group and context aspects. Twenty adolescents (thirteen-twenty years old), nineteen males and only one female have been administrated a semi structured interview. The transcript has been analyzed according to the following categories: individual aspects, such as autobiography, behavior, emotions, personal commitment; group aspects, as the crew and the rules; contextual aspects: belonging, communicative goals, relationship with law. The results show two aspects of the activity: on the one hand, graffiti represent an answer to identity needs through its obvious visibility, a revelation and recognition of the self through tagging; on the other hand, it responds to the need to belong through the crew reciprocal loyalty, the challenge and sharing milieu
ICP-MS triple quadrupole as analytical technique to define trace and ultra-trace fingerprint of extra virgin olive oil
Full text linkExtra virgin olive oil is a typical product of Mediterranean area, and its origin protection is continuously improved. 24 olive oil samples from different geographical origin were analyzed and 40 elements were evaluated with chemometric techniques. This study aims at elaborating a method to determine mineral composition of this matrix and at validating the method used to determine its reliability. The high-level laboratory facilities for trace element/isotopic analysis realized in ENEA Brasimone (Italy) is a useful tool to reduce the limit of detection of elements, cutting down pollutants. Both Clean Laboratory for sample pre-treatment and Clean Room Standard ISO 6 are constantly monitored to guarantee the control quality. The results obtained using ICP-MS Triple Quadrupoles show changes between the analysed samples. Finally, Principal Component Analysis was conducted to better characterize olive oil products from different geographical origin, providing a fingerprint of the element patterns in the samples
Critical loads for Cd and Pb in the province of Bologna
No full textAtmospheric deposition represents a significant source of heavy metals entering soil and aquatic ecosystems. The evaluation of their vulnerability can be carried out by the Critical Load criterion. In this work we focus the attention on the terrestrial ecosystems in the Province of Bologna, estimating the maximum tolerable load of cadmium and lead they are able to bear without sustain the occurrence of harmful ecotoxicological effects. To this aim the Steady-State Mass Balance method is applied on a small scale (10x10 Km EMEP grids) and the more suitable approach to define critical limits for the Province condition, effect-base or stand-still, is discussed. The opportunity of simplifying the input data collection is also considered, trying to deduce soil properties from geological information. Finally, the environmental risk due to the present deposition of Pb and Cd on provincial soils is described as exceedances over the critical loads
Nexus analysis and life cycle assessment of regional water supply systems: A case study from Italy
Full text linkEnsuring reliable access to water sources is an emerging issue being currently addressed by governments and international communities. However, local conditions play a primary role in determining requirements for urban water supply systems and cascade implications due to simultaneous interlinkages with complementary resources such as energy. As such, addressing sustainability in water management comes through quantitative evaluation modelling and assessment. To this aim, nexus analysis and life cycle assessment methodologies are applied to the drinking water supply system in the Romagna region (Italy). Our research provides detailed characterization of the involved material and energy flows, which is used as a basis for determining water-for-energy and energy-for-water results, and to conduct environmental assessment for complementary impact categories by withdrawal, treatment, and distribution processes. The results show that the energy needed to produce drinking water ranges from 0.27 MJ to 2.53 MJ per cubic meter of water delivered. Water deriving from the artificial basin and treated following a conventional technology turned out to be both the less energy intensive and the less impacting process. Overall, the study provides an exhaustive comparison of the environmental impacts of different water production alternatives, which may ultimately support decision-makers and local communities to the planning of strategies for optimized and long-term reliable access to water resources
The “SQUIID claim”: A novel LCA-based indicator for food dishes
Full text linkMany studies aimed at estimating the environmental impacts associated with the food sector, but most of the existing developed indicators limited the problem only to the climate change, while it is well-known that the food sector may extend its influence on a wider spectrum of environmental categories. In this work, the Life Cycle Assessment was applied to a list of 1001 recipes for an Italian food canteen, prepared with more than 150 ingredients, with the purpose to develop a comprehensive environmental indicator (namely, SQUIID: Simplified Quantitative Impact Indicator for food Dishes). SQUIID includes in the evaluation the environmental categories showing a significant contribution (at least 86%) to the single score, i.e., global warming potential (GWP), particulate matter formation, land occupation, human non-carcinogenic toxicity and water consumption. The list of recipes was then analyzed under three perspectives: mass, GWP and SQUIID. The mass perspective indicates that the list of recipes contains a fairly balanced amount of ingredients, pointing out a remarkable diversification of the menu in the examined canteen. Concerning GWP and SQUIID spheres, meat-based and fish-based recipes resulted the main impacting ones (77% for the former and 73% for the latter), demonstrating to be the two classes mainly responsible for the environmental impacts observed, even if the vegetarian and vegan food dishes represent the 41% in mass. Meat-based dishes represent the 42% of the entire list of recipes in case of GWP, when adopting SQUIID, their overall contribution is reduced to the 35%. In fact, the main percentage of SQUIID is instead attributed to fish, raising from 31% (GWP) to 43%. Such variation demonstrated the relevance of the four additional selected categories for a final and comprehensive evaluation, proving that GWP-based indicators provide to the consumer only a partial representation of the environmental issue
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