253 research outputs found
Indoor air quality in waste treatment: Environmental issue and biotechnology application for air pollution containment, a case study
No full textA proper integrated management of municipal waste analyzes the entire life cycle of waste, from cradle to grave, i.e. the final stage of disposal or recycling, through which waste come back as a resource, as required by Waste European Directive. In this perspective, every possible impact factor should be taken into account and, therefore, air quality and odor control have to be addressed as crucial elements for sustainable waste management, as directly affecting quality of life of both workers and people living in the surroundings of waste treatment facilities. While the issue is generally regarded as a major concern in presence of incinerators (for air pollution control) and landfill (for odor, mainly), it is usually neglected when segregated dry waste treatment is involved, but it remains an element of concern for population and, therefore, public stakeholders. A modern segregated waste treatment plant, already compliant with regulations requirements regarding indoor air quality and human health, was taken as a case study to prove the effectiveness of a biotechnological treatment for air pollution and odor control. The system applied is based on stand-alone bio-oxidizers that provide internal air-mixing within the facility and capture particulates and gases by attracting them to a clean air zone generated by its action. In this paper, only the preliminary phase of application for the system is presented. It was preceded by a completion of analysis of air quality baseline, collected by a Wireless Sensor Network, which have been compared to the following five months of system activity, showing a consistent effectiveness in air pollutant containment and abatement. These results found confirmation in parallel independent laboratory analysis which showed comparable abatement trends. A comparison with a traditional biofiltration case study marked the great opportunity offered by the bioreactors' system implemented in an overall indoor air quality perspective
Sustainability Assessment Applied to an Air Treatment Biotechnology: Methodology and Results of Life Cycle Assessment
No full textLife Cycle Assessment methodology has been applied to the sustainability evaluation of an environmental biotechnology in an eco-design perspective. This to avoid possible shifting of burdens among different environmental matrices possibly occurring when a remediation activity is performed. GHG Protocol and IMPACT 2002+ calculation methods have been applied. Results show that about 80% of the impact generated is to be attributed to energy consumption during the use phase, thus promoting an integration of the technology under study with renewable energy sources. In order to try and consider environmental benefit deriving from air treatment activity, an evaluation of the technology as carbon sink has been performed, comparing results obtained from impact assessment with specific reference. Results obtained suggest that a single bioreactor unit could act as carbon sink equivalent to a number of trees ranging from 43 (high growth rate species), to 268 (low growth rate species)
Life cycle sustainability assessment: An ongoing journey
No full textAs the call for sustainable solutions at operational, industrial, and policy level increases, the need for a comprehensive assessment tool has been addressed by literature and practitioners. In particular, for the definition of a complete framework, the application of a life cycle thinking lens is required to explore the longitudinal dimension of the impacts and possible indirect effects triggered on environmental, social, and economic levels. The definition of an integrated life cycle sustainability assessment framework is currently an ongoing journey, which is summarized in the present chapters. The narrative follows a set of milestones, namely the definition of the concept and the preliminary scheme in the early years, the pathway towards the implementation of a standardized set of tools, an anthology of significant case studies in different sectors, and an overview of the challenges identified by literature and yet remaining open for future researches
Sustainability in Building and Construction within the Framework of Circular Cities and European New Green Deal. The Contribution of Concrete Recycling
No full textClimate change and ecological crisis are a huge threat to Europe and the world. To overcome
these challenges, Europe adopted the New Green Deal as a strategy transforming the Union into
a competitive resource-efficient economy without greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon
neutral in a few decades. The European Green Deal includes the new circular economy action
plan, highlighting the importance of a products’ “green design”, saving raw materials, and waste
prevention oriented along the entire life cycle of products. Construction and buildings represent
one of the key topics for the green transition. In the European Union, buildings are responsible for
40% of our energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions, which are mainly caused
by construction, usage, renovation, and demolition. Improving environmental efficiency can play a
key role in reaching the carbon neutrality of Europe that is expected to be achieved by 2050. In this
research, it was explored how Eco-design, as an innovative approach in buildings and construction,
Life Cycle Thinking and Life Cycle Assessment, as fundamental supporting tools in sustainability, and
finally appropriate and effective Construction and DemolitionWaste recycling processes, particularly
oriented to concrete recycling according to the case studies analyzed, can promote a circular economy
in buildings and construction
Managing the invisible: the role of air quality in the hospitality industry
No full textPurpose
This paper aims to critically reflect on the relevance of indoor air quality (IAQ) in the hospitality industry and propose future research pathways. This study extracts four main perspectives from the literature about the impact of IAQ – i.e. premise, employees, customers and business – and illustrates the importance of this issue in the post-pandemic and broader sustainability context.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a semi-systematic literature review, this study clusters a comprehensive body of research in two ways: first through an analysis of keyword co-occurrence patterns and second through an alignment with the three pillars of sustainability. Thus, this paper identifies relevant streams of literature to outline the current impact of IAQ in the hospitality sector. This study discusses and synthesizes several management theories to identify future research directions and propose effective IAQ management strategies.
Findings
Despite the post-pandemic attention to health issues in indoor environments, IAQ remains under-researched in the hospitality management literature. Inadequate IAQ can lead to health consequences, either acute or chronic, that negatively affect guest satisfaction and loyalty; thus, an effective IAQ management can enhance a hotel’s reputation and attract eco-conscious customers. Technological solutions, such as sensors and smart heating venting and air conditioning systems, may improve IAQ while ensuring energy efficiency and cost management.
Research limitations/implications
This study is based on a semi-systematic literature review, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. This study outlines several pathways for future research, including longitudinal studies, cross-cultural comparisons and empirical assessments of the economic and behavioral impacts of IAQ improvements in hospitality premises.
Originality/value
This paper thoroughly examines IAQ within the hospitality industry, connecting the topic with broader sustainability and management frameworks. It provides a roadmap for future research that can support the scientific conversation at both the academic and managerial levels, ideally leading to the development of effective IAQ management strategies
Combining Eco-Design and LCA as Decision-Making Process to Prevent Plastics in Packaging Application
No full textThe diffusion of the culture of sustainability and circular economy increasingly pushes
companies to adopt green strategies and integrate circular business models in the corporate agenda.
It assumes higher relevance in the packaging industry because of the growing plastics demand,
the increasing awareness of consumers on single-use-products, the low recyclability performance and
last but not least, the challenge of urban littering and microplastics dispersion in marine ecosystem.
This paper presents the case of a small-medium enterprise that implemented a decision-making
process to rethink the design of frozen food packaging in accordance with systemic and life cycle
thinking. Eco-design and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) have been simultaneously used to test
and validate the redesign process, thus fostering the substitution of the plastic “open and close”
cap with a closing method entirely made of cardboard. Results shows how using an integrated
decision-making system at the design stage have allowed to get up many benefits at multiple levels,
including sustainable and safe supply chain, efficient logistic operations, better recyclability, and lower
energy consumption. Moreover, even if it cannot be assessed by the existing tools, the solution
provides a strong contribution to the reduction in the consumption of plastics and the prevention of
marine pollution
RISK ASSESSMENT AND LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT APPLICATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE REMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED SITES
No full textWhen approaching the remediation of a contaminated industrial site, several
aspects ought to be taken into consideration. Since the primary aims of a remediation
are the safety of human health and the protection of the environment, sustainability,
defined by the Brundtland Commission (Our Common Future) as development
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs, should be the driving concept for the
remediation planning. For this reason, sustainability assessment tools and indicators
must be applied, starting from the planning phase, in order to compare the different
technologies and techniques available and choose among them the most suitable one
for the specific application.
Two different tools have been applied to the case study of a former quarry
site, where soil and groundwater contamination has been historically detected:
1. Risk Assessment, aimed to simulate exposure of possible human targets to
pollutants and threads posed to their health in the short, medium and long term;
2. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), applied to quantify environmental impacts and
benefits deriving from different remediation options.
In this sense, Life Cycle Assessment represents a powerful decision
supporting tool. Developed in compliance with UNI EN ISO 14040(44):2006, it is
generally applied for the assessment of eco-efficiency and environmental impact of
product and processes, allowing the quantification of environmental impacts
generated throughout the whole life cycle already during the design phase. In the
eco-design perspective, the implementation of LCA tool enables to tackle the 80% of
the overall environmental impact of a product/process
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) AS A MEANS OF COMPARISON BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR WASTEWATER AND CONTAMINATED SOILS
No full textLife Cycle Assessment is a powerful and widespread tool to evaluate the environmental efficiency of products
and processes. An application is reported of the Life Cycle Assessment tool in an unusual field for this method such
as the evaluation of remediation techniques for contaminated soils and water in order to understand the
environmental impacts related with clean-up interventions.
The initial goal of the study was to assess technology-specific impacts of two different remediation systems,
but soon the lack of appropriate tools to address the use of natural resources such as groundwater became self
evident. The difficulty to address similar issues (i.e. land use) through the LCA methodology appeared in other fields
of application too, suggesting the need to find new methodological tools to fill this methodological gap (Bayer and
Finkel, 2006).
Objectives
In this case study it has been used to investigate the behavior of two different technologies for the remediation
of polluted groundwater on a Life Cycle perspective (Lemming et al., 2010). The main focus of the LCA study was
to address the environmental benefit deriving from the in-situ remediation operated by the PRB, which leaves
groundwater in the aquifer instead of discharging it as surface water as the PTS does, thus allowing the conservation
of a natural resource which cannot be restored in short periods
Reconstructing Roman landscape : interpretation and virtual reality
No full textLa ricostruzione del paesaggio antico è un'attività di ricerca molto impegnativa, che implica la gestione, da un lato, di un alto livello di incertezza e, dall'altro, richiede la collaborazione fra diverse discipline. Inoltre, l'interpretazione è un processo dinamico che dovrebbe essere correlato alle 4 dimensioni (nello spazio e nel tempo). L'interpretazione ha bisogno di essere continuamente aggiornata. Queste sono le ragioni per cui un approccio aperto e interattivo è preferibile. Questa presentazione riguarderà i quattro aspetti dell'approccio aperto e interattivo: l'uso di sistemi geo-spaziali, dove i risultati delle analisi spaziali possono essere visualizzati (e soprattutto aggiornabili grazie ad una catena di operazioni spaziali); l'applicazione della modellazione procedurale; lo sviluppo di applicazioni di realtà virtuale; la creazione di ambienti 3D modificabile e cooperativi. Questi aspetti saranno analizzati, sottolineando i pro e i contro per le finalità di ricerca e di comunicazione. Inoltre, saranno esaminati degli esempi di ricostruzione del paesaggio romano per il progetto Virtual Rome e per il progetto Genus Bononiae. Le conclusioni riguarderanno la futura sostenibilità dei progetti di Realtà Virtuale, all'interno di un network di eccelleza dedicato ai Musei Virtuali (V-Must.net).The reconstruction of ancient landscape is a challenging research activity that implies the management of a high level of uncertainty, on one side, and, on the other, requires the cooperation of several different disciplines. Moreover interpretation is a dynamic process that should be related to the 4 dimensions (space and time). Interpretation needs to be continuously updated. These are the reasons for which an open and interactive approach is particularly suggested. This presentation will focus on four aspects of this concept of open and interactive approach: the use of geo-spatial systems where spatial analysis results can be visualised (and particularly updatable chains of spatial operations); the application of procedural modelling techniques; the development of virtual reality applications; and the creation of editable cooperative 3D environments. These aspects will be analysed, underlining pro and cons for research and for dissemination purposes. In addition, examples of the econstruction of the Roman Landscape for the Virtual Rome project and for the Genius Bononiae project will be described. Conclusions will regard the future sustainability of VR projects, within a new Network of Excellence, dedicated to Virtual Museums (V-MUST.NET)
The Challenge of Indoor Air Quality Management: A Case Study in the Hospitality Industry at the Time of the Pandemic
No full textAir quality management represents a reason for concern in indoor environments, especially
now that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how microbial aerosols pose a threat to human health,
requiring proper monitoring. This is particularly true in public and working environments, where
the turnover of occupants is high. The hospitality sector, in particular, has been severely affected
by limitations related to emergency containment, and it needs to redefine its operations in the
perspective of a “new normal” in the post-COVID-19 era. Considering the necessity to provide
consistent information about indoor air quality, promote adequate management and increase safety,
we developed a case study in cooperation with a major hotel in Turin. A sensing network has been
implemented based on corporate-grade monitoring devices, compliant with the RESET standards,
recently proposed and applied here to the hospitality sector for the first time. The network is able
to detect the concentration of gaseous contaminants and fine particulate matter in semi-continuous
mode. The study involved areas of the hotel with different purposes, such as guestrooms, hall, kitchen,
restaurant and fitness center. Several valuable insights emerged in support of air quality management
and pathways for future research can be outlined, based on the innovative dataset developed
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