The purpose of this article is to find a suitable life cycle assessment (LCA) method to quantify the most important environmental burdens caused by construction processes of torrent control structures. To find these environmental burdens, 17 construction projects of the “Austrian Service for Torrent and Avalanche Control” (WLV) were analyzed using the “cradle to gate with options” LCA methodology (CEN, 2013).
MethodsThis article explains an LCA methodology for the product stage and the construction process of torrent control structures following existing standards. The iterative approach of LCA methodology (ISO, 2006a) was used to record all important processes of the system and to supplement missing information. The LCA methodology has been developed from existing standards of the construction and product sector. Since the production of some construction materials takes place locally, the generic data, for Austria, was adapted. Wood inherent biogenic carbon and primary energy, used as raw material, are treated as materials inherent properties (CEN, 2014). The contribution of the various processes was reproduced by hotspot.
Results and discussionHotspots of the different stages are related to the construction materials used. The emissions and primary energy inputs in the product stage are clearly dominated by concrete and steel. If these two materials are used sparingly, the focus is on machine application and transportation. Depending on the selected scenarios, the smallest share of emissions, in relation to the total result of product and construction stage emitted by transport, is 3% and the maximum share is 69%. The greatest environmental impacts in the construction stage are caused by excavation work and transportation on-site. With an average of 4% in the construction stage, the transport of workers to the construction site cannot be neglected as is done in the building sector.
ConclusionsThe conclusion of this study is that existing LCA models can be adapted to protective structures. In contrast to conventional buildings, the construction process and transportation are much more important and cannot be neglected. Shifting the hotspots to these processes requires specific calculation rules for that particular field. There is still a need for research to find a suitable functional unit and to develop a methodology for the use and end of life stage of these structures.
相似文献Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) is the largest waste stream in the European Union (EU) and all over the world. Proper management of C&DW and recycled materials—including the correct handling of hazardous waste—can have major benefits in terms of sustainability and the quality of life. The Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC aims to have 70% of C&DW recycled by 2020. However, except for a few EU countries, only about 50% of C&DW is currently being recycled. In the present research, the environmental impact of concrete with recycled aggregates and with geopolymer mixtures is analysed. The aim of the present research is to propose a comparative LCA of concrete with recycled aggregates in the context of European politics.
MethodsLife cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is applied using Simapro© software. A cradle to grave analysis is carried out. The results are analysed based on the database Ecoinvent 3.3 and Impact 2002+.
ResultsResults show that the concrete with 25% recycled aggregates is the best solution from an environmental point of view. Furthermore, geopolymer mixtures could be a valid alternative to reduce the phenomenon of “global warming”; however, the production of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide has a great environmental impact.
ConclusionsA possible future implementation of the present study is certainly to carry out an overall assessment and to determine the most cost-effective option among the different competing alternatives through the life cycle cost analysis.
相似文献This study aims to apply the product environmental footprint (PEF) methodology to a wooden wall element, the Massiv–Holz–Mauer® (MHM), in an existing building in Northern Italy. The PEF is a multi-criteria measure of the environmental performance of products throughout their life cycle (European Commission 2013).
MethodsThe environmental footprint of the MHM wall element was calculated for the impact categories required by the PEF, using a cradle-to-grave approach. Foreground data was collected at each life stage and completed using data from the Ecoinvent 3.1 database (Wernet et al. 2016). An additional analysis (optional according to the PEF methodology) was conducted for assessing the sustainability of forest management in the sites where wood is extracted from, using data from the forest management plan.
Results and discussionThe results show that, for most of the environmental indicators, the use phase has the highest environmental impact, followed by the production, end-of-life, raw material acquisition, and construction phases. These results depend on the different duration of the life cycle phases, and on the attribution of the total operational energy of the building to the structural components of the wall, though other factors, such as the efficiency of the heating system, may be responsible. Future PEF sectorial specification should specify how to account for the use phase of structural building components. For the majority of the impact categories, the impact is mainly due to processes that occur in the background system, such as production of capital goods and construction of facilities and storehouses. The wooden material production generates relatively low impacts, thanks to the fact that the wood is sourced locally and from forests where a close-to-nature forest management is adopted, characterized by natural regeneration without the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
ConclusionsThis study shows that the PEF methodology can be successfully applied to a single wood supply chain, allowing the identification of the main hotspots and actions for reducing the environmental impacts. The PEF leaves space for additional environmental information, which, for some product categories, may play an important role. In the case of wood products, we suggest the inclusion of an assessment, even qualitative, of the sustainability of forest management.
相似文献An indicator of nutrient use efficiency through the entire food chain has been lacking. This article proposes a nutrient footprint method to estimate the efficiency of using both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in animal production chains following Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
MethodsFollowing the nutrient footprint method of Grönman et al. (2016), we applied the nutrient footprint method to the Finnish beef production and consumption chain. We defined N and P flows associated with the beef chain from a product-specific point of view. The nutrient footprint is a resource efficiency indicator which combines the amount of nutrients captured for use in the production and consumption chain and their nutrient use efficiency (NutUE) either in the primary product or in both the primary + secondary products.
Results and discussionEach 1000 kg of Finnish beef consumed requires 1700 kg N and 189 kg P during its life cycle. The percentage of virgin nutrient is more than 50% for N, but only 25% for P. NutUE in the primary product and in both primary + secondary products for N is 1% and 47% and for P is 0.2% and 74%, respectively.
ConclusionsThe nutrient footprint offers information about NutUE in a simple and comparable form. In transition towards systems with sustainable nutrient use, it is essential to identify hot spots of nutrient leakage to be able to close them and improve food chains.
相似文献The safeguard subject of the Area of Protection “natural Resources,” particularly regarding mineral resources, has long been debated. Consequently, a variety of life cycle impact assessment methods based on different concepts are available. The Life Cycle Initiative, hosted by the UN Environment, established an expert task force on “Mineral Resources” to review existing methods (this article) and provide guidance for application-dependent use of the methods and recommendations for further methodological development (Berger et al. in Int J Life Cycle Assess, 2020).
MethodsStarting in 2017, the task force developed a white paper, which served as its main input to a SETAC Pellston Workshop® in June 2018, in which a sub-group of the task force members developed recommendations for assessing impacts of mineral resource use in LCA. This article, based mainly on the white paper and pre-workshop discussions, presents a thorough review of 27 different life cycle impact assessment methods for mineral resource use in the “natural resources” area of protection. The methods are categorized according to their basic impact mechanisms, described and compared, and assessed against a comprehensive set of criteria.
Results and discussionFour method categories have been identified and their underlying concepts are described based on existing literature: depletion methods, future efforts methods, thermodynamic accounting methods, and supply risk methods. While we consider depletion and future efforts methods more “traditional” life cycle impact assessment methods, thermodynamic accounting and supply risk methods are rather providing complementary information. Within each method category, differences between methods are discussed in detail, which allows for further sub-categorization and better understanding of what the methods actually assess.
ConclusionsWe provide a thorough review of existing life cycle impact assessment methods addressing impacts of mineral resource use, covering a broad overview of basic impact mechanisms to a detailed discussion of method-specific modeling. This supports a better understanding of what the methods actually assess and highlights their strengths and limitations. Building on these insights, Berger et al. (Int J Life Cycle Assess, 2020) provide recommendations for application-dependent use of the methods, along with recommendations for further methodological development.
相似文献The main purpose of this S-LCA case study is to analyse social impacts of the use phase of mobility services is a holistic way, taking into account positive as well as negative impacts. The use phase plays an important role for the assessment of services, which is why this study exclusively focuses on the use phase assessment. That way, this study aims to contribute to answer the question whether mobility services can improve quality of life in cities.
MethodsFor the analysis, seven different mobility options were chosen in the city of Berlin, Germany, including free-floating car sharing, e-scooter sharing, S-Bahn, subway, tram, bus and the car in private ownership. For the analysis, five stakeholder groups that are outlined in the S-LCA Guidelines (UNEP 2020) were taken into account: Local Community, Consumer, Worker, Value Chain Actors and Society. For a detailed analysis of all relevant aspects, 37 indicators were analysed, out of which 23 are quantitative and 14 are qualitative. For data collection, several different data sources were used, including publicly available data e.g. from statistics as well as own data from interviews.
Results and discussionFor comparability, all results are displayed on a 5-point scale from???2 to?+?2, in line with the Handbook (Goedkoop et al. 2018) and the S-LCA Guidelines (UNEP 2020). For some indicators, the results of the case study are as expected, for example regarding impacts on air quality. For other indicators, however, the results are specific for the analysed mobility services in Berlin and therefore give new insights and reveal new aspects, as for example in the case of job creation for the local community. The main challenge of this S-LCA case study was data availability and data quality, which is why assumptions and simplifications had to be made, especially regarding space occupancy and the allocation of common infrastructure.
ConclusionsThis S-LCA case study provides a holistic assessment of the use phase of mobility services, taking into account five stakeholder categories and their respective social impacts. The study illustrates specific results for the city of Berlin, showing positive as well as negative social impacts of mobility services and outlines a procedure for further studies. That way, this case study contributes to answer the overlying question whether mobility services can improve quality of life in cities.
相似文献The two main functions of dairy farming are to produce raw milk and to generate an economic income for the farmer (Powell et al. in Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 82:107–115, 2008), both of which drive the downstream value chain. Farm profit is mainly determined by the quantity and quality of milk, and at the same time, dairy farmers have a responsibility for animal welfare and the protection of human health through milk hygiene. When dairy farmers supply milk to a processor, the payment is based on both the quantity and the quality in terms of composition (fat and protein) and hygiene (total bacterial count and somatic cell count). Somatic cell count reflects the health status of the mammary gland and contributes to reduced shelf life and reduced cheese yield and quality, whilst total bacterial count reflects herd health and farm sanitation. The objective of this work was to create a new functional unit for raw milk at the farm gate/ processor gate, which could be used to better capture the economic function of milk, while still reflecting the quality criteria captured by energy corrected milk and fat and protein corrected milk.
Materials and methodsBase price-adjusted milk (BPAM) is proposed as a functional unit to capture more of the functions of the transaction between the farmer and the processor. It expresses the volume of milk delivered as the equivalent volume at base price, such that greater milk solids increase the volume and poor hygiene decreases the volume. The BPAM was compared with energy-corrected milk and was tested using a survey of 54 farms in Ireland and eight scenarios compared with the observed values and an “ideal” scenario with no hygiene penalty imposed.
Results and discussionIt was found that kg BPAM for the sample of farms was strongly correlated with kg ECM because of the overall hygiene standard from the sample of farms available. For specific farms at specific times, the hygiene properties contributed to the economic function of the milk in a way that could not be captured using energy-corrected milk. The scenario analysis indicated that high levels of biological contamination, if captured in the raw milk functional unit, could increase carbon footprint by >?200%.
ConclusionsIt was concluded that BPAM may not be a necessary functional unit for all studies, but those that focused on the farmer and processor perspectives should consider using BPAM because it captures more of the obligatory properties of raw milk than just quality expressed in terms of milk solids.
相似文献Characterization factors for biodiversity impact assessment derived from ecological zoning and land use classification have been proposed within life cycle assessment (LCA). However, their applicability to LCA of agricultural production systems has not yet been elucidated. This study clarifies correlations between regional-scale biodiversity indicators (characterization factors) and field-scale biodiversity indicators and estimates the degree of macro-micro inconsistencies in biodiversity indicators.
MethodsCorrelation coefficients were calculated between two types of variables. One is biodiversity (potential species loss) at the ecoregion level provided in UNEP/SETAC (2017) and Chaudhary and Brooks (2018), and the other is biodiversity (species richness) at the field level surveyed during a research project on biodiversity in Japan. The data on two taxa (amphibians and plants) in paddy fields were used for the analyses. Two types of correlation coefficients (the Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient and the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient) were calculated. Uncertainties of the correlation coefficients were estimated by statistical resampling because the number of surveyed years and regions were limited.
Results and discussionAlthough in most cases the signs of the coefficients were consistent with theoretical expectations that the correlation between potential species loss and species richness must be negative, the absolute values were low for all cases (especially for the case of amphibians and for the case of using the UNEP/SETAC characterization factors). It was difficult to estimate field-scale biodiversity from ecoregion-scale biodiversity. The introduction of land use intensity into the calculation of biodiversity at the ecoregion-scale increased the correlation coefficients for plants. Uncertainties due to limitations in the number of surveyed locations were larger than those arising from limitations in the number of surveyed years. These results highlighted the existence of macro-micro inconsistencies and the necessity of developing constructive approaches for biodiversity assessment in agriculture.
ConclusionsIt is concluded that employing characterization factors based on ecoregions and land use categories was not useful when assessing the biodiversity impacts of rice production systems at the field-scale because of the existence of macro-micro inconsistencies. Use of field monitoring methods, in addition to approaches to construct biodiversity indicators based on management practices, will be necessary for establishing sustainable agricultural production systems.
相似文献A recent paper (Manceau and Lambert in bioRxiv, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1101/075580) developed a novel approach for describing two well-defined notions of ‘species’ based on a phylogenetic tree and a phenotypic partition. In this paper, we explore some further combinatorial properties of this approach and describe an extension that allows an arbitrary number of phenotypic partitions to be combined with a phylogenetic tree for these two species notions.
相似文献Purpose
The environmental life cycle management (LCM) literature proposes many factors considered critical in order to successfully conduct LCM. This study contrasts these vague and general factors proposed as critical to LCM in existing literature, with detailed accounts of LCM in practice.Methods
A literature review of three related research fields, i.e., LCM, life cycle thinking, and sustainable supply chain management, is contrasted with a study of how LCM is enacted in practice in a large multinational manufacturing company recognized for its LCM work. A qualitative study, with mainly a managerial focus, is conducted based on interviews, workshops, part-time observations, and document studies.Results and discussion
The literature review demonstrates that the three related research fields provide different accounts of LCM: all apply a holistic environmental perspective, but with different emphases and using largely different research methods. The empirical study shows that integration was a common topic at the studied company and that solutions were often sought in tools and processes. Middle management support proved important, and challenging, in these integration efforts. Challenges identified also included further integrating LCM into departments such as purchasing and sales.Conclusions
The constant focus on integration at the studied company implies that LCM work is an ongoing effort. Several integration paths are identified: (1) inclusion of sustainability aspects in tools and processes, (2) finding ways to work around certain organizational levels, and (3) using networks and social interaction to create commitment and integration. Although the concept of LCM implies a holistic approach, LCM in practice reveals a lack of a comprehensive overview of LCM-related initiatives and of involved sustainability practitioners within the studied organization.Objective: The objective of this study is to explored novel biomarkers for phospholipidosis using a metabolomic approach.
Method: NMR spectrometry and LC/MS/MS analyses were applied to urine and plasma of rats administrated cationic amphiphilic drugs.
Results: The phenylacetylglycine to hippuric acid ratio in plasma was increased in time and dose-dependent manners; and it was well correlated with histopathological observation.
Conclusion: The plasma phenylacetylglycine to hippuric acid ratio is a potential marker in monitoring drug-induced phospholipidosis. 相似文献
AglH, a predicted UDP-GlcNAc-1-phosphate:dolichyl phosphate GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase, is initiating the protein N-glycosylation pathway in the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. AglH successfully replaced the endogenous GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase activity of Alg7 in a conditional lethal Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, in which the first step of the eukaryal protein N-glycosylation process was repressed. This study is one of the few examples of cross-domain complementation demonstrating a conserved polyprenyl phosphate transferase reaction within the eukaryal and archaeal domain like it was demonstrated for Methanococcus voltae (Shams-Eldin et al. 2008). The topology prediction and the alignment of the AglH membrane protein with GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferases from the three domains of life show significant conservation of amino acids within the different proposed cytoplasmic loops. Alanine mutations of selected conserved amino acids in the putative cytoplasmic loops II (D100), IV (F220) and V (F264) demonstrated the importance of these amino acids for cross-domain AlgH activity in in vitro complementation assays in S. cerevisiae. Furthermore, antibiotic treatment interfering directly with the activity of dolichyl phosphate GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferases confirmed the essentiality of N-glycosylation for cell survival.
相似文献Aims: Here we examine whether post-fire seedling recruitment of three widespread Californian chaparral shrubs is affected by local adaptation within an edaphically and topographically complex landscape.
Methods: We reciprocally transplanted 6-month-old seedlings of Adenostema fasciculatum, Ceanothus cuneatus and Eriodictyon californicum to serpentine and sandstone soils, and cool northerly and warm southerly slopes.
Results: At the age of 2 years, none of the species manifested higher survival or growth on ‘home’ compared with ‘away’ soils or slopes, indicating an absence of local adaptation with respect to seedling recruitment in these environments. Seedlings of all species manifested lower survival and relative growth on serpentine soils regardless of seedling source, as well as a variety of other destination and source effects.
Conclusions: The ability of these three species to recruit in new environments, such as in restoration settings or in response to shifting climates, is unlikely to be impeded by a need for seeds from sources that closely match their edaphic or topographic destination. 相似文献
Aims: We evaluated seed weight variation within and between Trichloris crinita and Trichloris pluriflora across their geographical ranges in Argentina.
Methods: Genetic variation in seed weight was evaluated through a common garden experiment. To examine the possible role of such variation in local adaptation, we compared the seed weight of plants of populations raised in the common garden with seed weight variation and ecogeographical variables across their original habitats. We also evaluated experimentally the effects of seed weight variation upon osmotic stress tolerance at germination.
Results: Variation in seed weight existed in both species. Such variation had a genetic basis in T. crinita related to several ecogeographical variables. Larger seeds of T. crinita were associated with more stressful environments and produced larger seedlings under both osmotic stress and non-stress conditions.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that seed weight variation in T. crinita is likely adaptive, with large seed having an advantage during early developmental stages, particularly under stressful conditions. Such knowledge should prove helpful in selecting the most suitable populations for restoration and plant breeding. 相似文献
Areas covered: Provided here are several examples of MS-based protein assays capable of detecting proteoforms, including those for B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH). The evidence suggests that the ability to detect proteoforms is not enough to drive the clinical adoption of the MS-based tests – clinical utility of those proteoforms needs to be demonstrated first. Along those lines, recent efforts to discover, clinically validate, and initiate translation of novel proteoform biomarkers such as those of apolipoprotein C-III will be discussed.
Expert commentary: MS protein tests face a challenging future. Both the sample preparation steps and the MS platforms need to be simplified to bring the cost per test down, and then the new content brought by the detection of proteoforms will drive the proliferation of these MS tests – first in clinical utility studies and then for routine diagnostics. 相似文献
Areas covered: We overview the recent achievements and discoveries in human bronchial proteomics by outlining how some of the different proteomic techniques/strategies are developed and applied in LC, TB, COPD, and CF. Also, the future roles of bronchial proteomics in predictive proteomics and precision medicine are discussed.
Expert commentary: Much progress has been made in bronchial proteomics. Owing to the advances in proteomics, we now have better ability to isolate proteins from desired cellular compartments, greater protein separation methods, more powerful protein detection technologies, and more sophisticated bioinformatic techniques. These all contributed to our further understanding of lung diseases and for biomarker and therapeutic target discoveries. 相似文献
Aims: Eggshell speckling in the Great Tit correlates with eggshell thickness and calcium availability. We investigated whether eggshell speckling changed in a Great Tit population during a period when soil calcium declined, and estimated changes in eggshell thickness.
Methods: Eggshell pigmentation of 2313 Great Tit clutches was recorded in 1988–2007 across a geological gradient in Wytham Woods, UK. Soil surveys conducted in 1974 and 1991 were repeated in 2008. Temporal and spatial changes in eggshell speckling and soil calcium were examined using generalized linear mixed models. We also estimated the change in eggshell thickness over this period.
Results: Soil-calcium availability declined 1974–2008 especially in calcium-rich limestone areas. A systematic change in eggshell speckling, approximating to a 6.5% reduction in eggshell thickness, occurred between 1988 and 2007. The change was greatest in parts of Wytham that experienced the greatest decline in soil calcium. Hatching success was unaffected.
Conclusion: Soil-calcium availability has declined in Wytham Woods, affecting Great Tit eggshell characteristics. This is the first evidence that declining soil calcium affects birds nesting in calcium-rich areas. Practical applications of these findings are considered. 相似文献
In previous reports, Dalfovo et al. showed experimentally that thin films of Au nanoparticles (NP) with organic coating change their optical properties when exposed to several analytes in the vapor phase (Anal Chem 84:4886–4892 2012; J Phys Chem C 119:5098–5106 2015). This optical behavior was associated with changes in the mean distance between nanoparticles, which resulted in a displacement of their plasmon bands towards blue or red in the presence of toluene (Tol) or ethanol (EtOH) vapors, respectively. In the report by Dalfovo et al. (J Phys Chem C 119:5098–5106 2015), in-situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray spectroscopy (GISAXS) was performed to determine changes in the inter-NP distance within the film. In the present work, we perform theoretical calculations to interpret the results obtained by Dalfovo et al. (Anal Chem 84:4886–4892 2012; J Phys Chem C 119:5098–5106 2015). For this purpose, we employ two different theoretical approaches, a quasi-static method (QS) and the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method (KKR), in order to describe the plasmon resonance shift as a function of the inter-NP distance changes during exposure to Tol and EtOH vapors. Both theoretical approaches describe qualitatively the behavior observed in previous experimental results that correlate the plasmon resonant wavelength with the inter-NP distance obtained by GISAXS. Our theoretical results show that the plasmon resonant wavelength strongly depends on the ratio between the inter-particle distance and the diameter of the nanoparticles and consequently, these films could be used for optical tuning.
相似文献