Life cycle assessment of copper production: a case study in China

Purpose

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of refined and reclaimed copper because of the rapid economic and industrial development of this country. However, only a few studies have analyzed the environmental impact of China’s copper industry. The current study analyzes the life cycle environmental impact of copper production in China.

Methods

A life cycle impact assessment using the ReCiPe method was conducted to estimate the environmental impact of refined and reclaimed copper production in China. Uncertainty analysis was also performed based on the Monte-Carlo simulation.

Results and discussion

The environmental impact of refined copper was higher than that of reclaimed copper in almost all categories except for human toxicity because of the direct atmospheric arsenic emission during the copper recycling stage. The overall environmental impact for the refined copper production was mainly attributed to metal depletion, freshwater ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, and water depletion potential impact. By contrast, that for the reclaimed copper production was mainly caused by human toxicity impact.

Conclusions

Results show that the reclaimed copper scenario had approximately 59 to 99% more environmental benefits than those of the refined copper scenario in most key categories except for human toxicity, in which a similar environmental burden was observed between both scenarios. The key factors that reduce the overall environmental impact for China’s copper industry include decreasing direct heavy metal emissions in air and water, increasing the national recycling rate of copper, improving electricity consumption efficiency, replacing coal with clean energy sources for electricity production, and optimizing the efficiency of copper ore mining and consumption.

     

Discovery of A-type procyanidin dimers in yellow raspberries by untargeted metabolomics and correlation based data analysis

Introduction

Raspberries are becoming increasingly popular due to their reported health beneficial properties. Despite the presence of only trace amounts of anthocyanins, yellow varieties seems to show similar or better effects in comparison to conventional raspberries.

Objectives

The aim of this work is to characterize the metabolic differences between red and yellow berries, focussing on the compounds showing a higher concentration in yellow varieties.

Methods

The metabolomic profile of 13 red and 12 yellow raspberries (of different varieties, locations and collection dates) was determined by UPLC–TOF-MS. A novel approach based on Pearson correlation on the extracted ion chromatograms was implemented to extract the pseudospectra of the most relevant biomarkers from high energy LC–MS runs. The raw data will be made publicly available on MetaboLights (MTBLS333).

Results

Among the metabolites showing higher concentration in yellow raspberries it was possible to identify a series of compounds showing a pseudospectrum similar to that of A-type procyanidin polymers. The annotation of this group of compounds was confirmed by specific MS/MS experiments and performing standard injections.

Conclusions

In berries lacking anthocyanins the polyphenol metabolism might be shifted to the formation of a novel class of A-type procyanidin polymers.

     

Inclusion of uncertainty in the LCA comparison of different cherry tomato production scenarios

Purpose

Knowledge regarding environmental impacts of agricultural systems is required. Consideration of uncertainty in life cycle assessment (LCA) provides additional scientific information for decision making. The aims of this study were to compare the environmental impacts of different growing cherry tomato cultivation scenarios under Mediterranean conditions and to assess the uncertainty associated to the different agricultural production scenarios.

Materials and methods

The burdens associated to cherry tomato production were calculated and evaluated by the LCA methodology. The functional unit (FU) chosen for this study was the mass unit of 1 t of commercial loose cherry tomatoes. This study included the quantitative uncertainty analysis through Monte Carlo simulation. Three scenarios were considered: greenhouse (GH), screenhouse (SH), and open field (OF). The flows and processes of the product scenario were structured in several sections: structure, auxiliary equipment, fertilizers, crop management, pesticides, and waste management. Six midpoint impact categories were selected for their relevance: climate change, terrestrial acidification, marine eutrophication, metal depletion, and fossil depletion using the impact evaluation method Recipe Midpoint and ecotoxicity using USEtox.

Results and discussion

The structure, auxiliary equipment, and fertilizers produced the largest environmental impacts in cherry tomato production. The greatest impact in these stages was found in the manufacture and drawing of the steel structures, manufacture of perlite, the amount of HDPE plastics used, and the electricity consumed by the irrigation system and the manufacture and application of fertilizers. GH was the cropping scenario with the largest environmental impact in most categories (varying from 18 and 37% higher than SH and OF, respectively, in metal depletion, to 96% higher than SH and OF, in eutrophication). OF showed the highest uncertainty in ecotoxicity, with a bandwidth of 60 CTUe and a probability of 100 and 99.4% to be higher than GH and SH, respectively.

Conclusions

The LCA was used to improve the identification and evaluation of the environmental burdens for cherry tomato production in the Mediterranean area. This study demonstrates the significance of conducting uncertainty analyses for comparative LCAs used in comparative relative product environmental impacts.

     

Cradle to gate environmental impact assessment of acrylic fiber manufacturing

Purpose

The aim of the current study was to analyze the impacts of acrylic fiber manufacturing on the environment and to obtain information for assisting decision makers in improving relevant environmental protection measures for green field investments in developing countries especially in Africa and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions. The key research questions were as follows: what are the different impacts of acrylic fiber manufacturing on the environment and which base material has the highest impact?

Methods

The life cycle assessment (LCA) started from obtaining the raw material until the end of the production process (cradle to gate analysis). Focus was given on water consumption, energy utilization in acrylic fiber production, and generated waste from the industry. The input and output data for life cycle inventory was collected from an acrylic fiber manufacturing plant in Egypt. SimaPro software was used to calculate the inventory of twelve impact categories that were taken into consideration, including global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), carcinogen potential (CP), ecotoxicity potential (ETP), respiratory inorganic formation potential (RIFP), respiratory organic formation potential (ROFP), radiation potential (RP), ozone layer depletion (OLD), mineral depletion (MD), land use (LU), and fossil fuel depletion (FFD).

Results and discussion

LCA results of acrylic fiber manufacturing on the environment show that 82.0 % of the impact is on fossil fuel depletion due to the high-energy requirement for acrylonitrile production, 15.9 % of the impact is on human health, and 2.1 % on ecosystem quality. No impacts were detected on radiation potential, ozone layer depletion, land use, mineral depletion, or human respiratory system due to organic substances.

Conclusions

Based on these study results, it is concluded that acrylic fiber manufacturing is a high-energy consumption industry with the highest impact to be found on fossil fuel depletion and human health. This study is based on modeling the environmental effects of the production of 1-kg acrylic fiber and can serve to estimate impacts of similar manufacturing facilities and accordingly use these results as an indicator for better decision-making.

     

Life cycle assessment and life cycle costing of road infrastructure in residential neighbourhoods

Purpose

The built environment consists of a huge amount of infrastructure, such as roads and utilities. The objective of this paper is to assess the life cycle financial and environmental impact of road infrastructure in residential neighbourhoods and to analyse the relative contribution of road infrastructure in the total impact of neighbourhoods.

Methods

Various road sections are analysed based on an integrated life cycle approach, combining life cycle costing and life cycle assessment. To deal with complexity, a hierarchic assessment structure, using the principles of the “element method for cost control”, is implemented. Four neighbourhood models with diverse built densities are compared to gain insight in the relative impact of road infrastructure in neighbourhoods.

Results and discussion

The results reveal important financial and environmental impact differences between the road sections analysed. Main contributors to the life cycle financial and environmental impact are the surface layer and electrical and piped services. The contribution of road infrastructure to the total neighbourhood impact, ranging from 2 to 9 % of the total cost, is relatively limited, compared to buildings, but not negligible in low built density neighbourhoods.

Conclusions

Good spatial planning of the neighbourhood is recommended to reduce the amount of road infrastructure and the related financial and environmental impact. The priority should be to design denser neighbourhood layouts, before decreasing the financial and environmental impact of the road sections.

     

Metabolomic profiling of maternal hair suggests rapid development of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Introduction

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common maternal liver disease; development can result in devastating consequences, including sudden fetal death and stillbirth. Currently, recognition of ICP only occurs following onset of clinical symptoms.

Objective

Investigate the maternal hair metabolome for predictive biomarkers of ICP.

Methods

The maternal hair metabolome (gestational age of sampling between 17 and 41 weeks) of 38 Chinese women with ICP and 46 pregnant controls was analysed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.

Results

Of 105 metabolites detected in hair, none were significantly associated with ICP.

Conclusion

Hair samples represent accumulative environmental exposure over time. Samples collected at the onset of ICP did not reveal any metabolic shifts, suggesting rapid development of the disease.

     

An environmental comparison of biocomposite film based on orange peel-derived pectin jelly-corn starch and LDPE film: LCA and biodegradability

Purpose

A new biodegradable film, based on orange peel-derived pectin jelly and corn starch developed in our labs, was environmentally compared with a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film. An environmental assessment was realized in two stages to individually determine the environmental impact resulting from production-shaping processes and the biodegradation performance of the films.

Methods

Firstly, a prospective cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed using a CML-IA method implemented in SimaPro 8.0.1. Secondly, an aerobic biodegradation was simulated as directly disposing of the films in soil according to ASTM D 5988–03. The functional unit considered in this study was 1 m² of packaging film. The films were compared for impact categories of abiotic depletion (elements and fossil fuel), global warming potential, ozone layer depletion, human toxicity, fresh water aquatic ecotoxicity, marine aquatic ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidation, acidification, and eutrophication. A Monte Carlo simulation was realized to determine the uncertainty levels. According to impact assessment results and major sources of uncertainties, two predictive improvement scenarios were performed for commercial scale production and compared with biocomposite film at the laboratory scale.

Results and discussion

LCA results show that biocomposite film has a slightly higher impact than LDPE film for all categories with probabilities ranging between 50 and 100 % except for acidification. The categories that have uncertainty (terrestrial ecotoxicity, abiotic depletion (element), photochemical oxidation, human toxicity, and fresh water aquatic ecotoxicity) were mainly resulted from electricity consumption for extrusion and film forming and modified starch addition. These two processes are mainly responsible for the environmental impact of the biocomposite film.

Conclusions

Prospective LCA showed that improvement of the process in this manner would decrease the environmental impact. On the other hand, the maximum level of biodegradation achieved in the biocomposite film is 78.4 %, whereas that for the LDPE film is 40.4 % with CO₂ production rates of 1.97 and 1.17 mmol CO₂/day, respectively.

     

Promoting sustainability in Mexico’s building sector via environmental product declarations

Purpose

The growing phase of emerging economy countries requires the implementation of environmental assessment tools in the building sector. The use of environmental product declarations (EPDs) has risen in developed countries as one of the main tools for environmental assessment. However, at what point should developing countries follow the EPD implementation strategies used by developed countries? What are the strengths and weaknesses of EPD in the emerging economy context, and what threats and opportunities does it face within the building sector? This work aims to answer these questions by taking Mexico as a case study.

Methods

A bibliographical review was conducted to determine the key elements for EPD development in the building sector in other countries, especially those in Europe, where EPDs originated. The review also examined the experience and perspective of other countries that are starting to contemplate this type of ecolabel as an option for environmental assessment within their own building sectors, as well as industry perspectives on EPDs, especially those of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Then, Mexico’s situation in regard to these key elements was examined, with a special focus on the main stakeholders detected: government and industry. Finally, after a contrast analysis was conducted between the developed countries and Mexico, the strengths and weaknesses of EPDs in the emerging economy context and the threats and opportunities within the building sector were determined.

Results and discussion

The use of EPDs in Europe has largely followed a normative and legislative pattern. Moreover, it has been the main data source for building environmental assessment schemes, and there is a strong life cycle assessment (LCA) platform that contributes to EPD development. Furthermore, there is a European tendency toward making the use of EPDs mandatory. However, there is a very different reality in emergent economy countries. In these countries, social housing represents a major part of the vision of the building sector, so it is taken as an initial approach to EPD development. In Mexico, there is a solid legislative framework in which EPDs could be implemented, and there is a variety of environmental assessment housing programs into which EPDs could be integrated. Nevertheless, there is an institutional void that has prevented the incorporation of the life cycle approach into the national strategy of sustainability in the building sector. Moreover, SMEs might not have the technical and financial capacity to develop EPD.

Conclusions

This analysis has proved that EPD implementation in emerging countries mainly depends on two aspects: Firstly, it must be a shared vision of sustainability between government and industry, in which there is a correspondence between the sustainability objectives of the two parties and SMEs have the ability to contribute toward their achievement. Secondly, a solid platform of knowledge that supports LCA in the building sector is necessary, and it must involve a strong relationship between government, academia, and stakeholders.

     

Environmental impacts of the rental business model compared to the conventional business model: a Korean case of water purifier for home use

Purpose

This paper compares environmental impacts of the rental business model with the conventional model of manufacturing and selling. The case study examines a home use-water purifier by defining scenarios for operation and maintenance of the conventional and rental business models. Another purpose is to explore the potential improvement for the environmental performance of the rental business model in terms of the resource consumption and climate change.

Methods

The functional unit was supplying hot/cold drinking water for 15 years between 1998 and 2013. Primary data were from a Korean company that manufactures and servicizes water purifier; secondary data were from the Korean national LCI database, literatures, and interviews. Scenarios associated with all life cycle stages of a water purifier including operation and maintenance were based on current sales and rental market. Impact assessments were conducted according to the International Organization for Standardization’s 14044, and impact categories considered were global warming and abiotic resource depletion. The key issues and improvement potential of the rental business model were determined with the impact categories of global warming and abiotic resource depletion.

Results and discussion

This study indicates that the rental business model is more environmentally friendly than the conventional model in the impact on global warming while the conventional model shows lower abiotic resource depletion. Product operation was the most significant contributor to the selected environmental impacts for both conventional and rental models. Product maintenance was the second major contributor for the rental business model in terms of abiotic resource depletion. For the conventional model, however, production was a more significant contributor to the selected environmental impacts. The rental model showed approximately 32~37% improvements in the selected environmental impacts by focusing on the environmental education or information to consumers.

Conclusions

This quantitative life cycle assessment can be a tool for service business providers to understand the life cycle environmental impacts of Korean water purifier and explore potential improvement opportunities for sustainability. The lower life cycle impacts of the water purifier-rental business model can be attributed to the following: the preparation of instruction or environmental education regarding the consumer’s turning off behavior when the product is not in use, thus lower energy consumption during the use stage and shorter distance traveled for maintenance.

     

High-resolution mass spectrometry metabolomics of grape chemical markers to reveal use of not-allowed varieties in the production of Amarone and Recioto wines

Introduction

Grape varieties allowed to produce Amarone della Valpolicella and Recioto DOCG wines are strictly regulated by their disciplinary of production. These are Corvina Veronese and Corvinone grapes, to a lesser extent also Rondinella can be used. The use of other varieties, is not allowed.

Objectives

To identify chemical markers suitable to reveal addition of two not allowed grape varieties to the Corvina/Corvinone blend, such as Primitivo or Negro Amaro.

Methods

The identification of the secondary metabolites of the four grape varieties was conducted by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) metabolomics. By using the signals of these metabolites the indexes able to identify the presence of Primitivo or Negro Amaro grapes in the Corvina/Corvinone 1:1 blend were calculated.

Results

Indexes of laricitrin (Lr), delphinidin (Dp), and petunidin (Pt) signals were effective to identify the use of 10% Primitivo, while α-terpineol pentosyl-hexoside and linalool pentosyl-hexoside reveal the presence of Negro Amaro in the grape blend.

Conclusions

Varietal markers useful to detect the presence of Primitivo and Negro Amaro in the grape blend were identified by HRMS metabolomics, a method suitable to check the identity of grapes on arrival at the winery, as well as the fermenting musts. The effectiveness of the identified markers in the final wines have to be confirmed. Potentially, a similar approach can be used to reveal analogous frauds performed on other high-quality wines.

     

LCA study of unconsumed food and the influence of consumer behavior

Purpose

In the light of anthropogenic resource depletion and the resulting influences on the greenhouse effect as well as globally occurring famine, food waste has garnered increased public interest in recent years. The aim of this study is to analyze the environmental impacts of food waste and to determine to what extent consumers’ behavior influences the environmental burden of food consumption in households.

Methods

A life cycle assessment (LCA) study of three food products is conducted, following the ISO 14040/44 life cycle assessment guidelines. This study addresses the impact categories climate change (GWP100), eutrophication (EP), and acidification (AP). Primary energy demand (PED) is also calculated. For adequate representation of consumer behavior, scenarios based on various consumer types are generated in the customer stage. The customer stage includes the food-related activities: shopping, storage, preparation, and disposal of food products as well as the disposal of the sales packaging.

Results and discussion

If the consumer acts careless towards the environment, the customer stage appears as the main hotspot in the LCA of food products. The environmental impact of food products can be reduced in the customer stage by an environmentally conscious consumer. Shopping has the highest effect on the evaluated impact categories and the PED. Additionally, consumers can reduce the resulting emissions by decreasing the electric energy demand, particularly concerning food storage or preparation. Moreover, results show that the avoidance of wasting unconsumed food can reduce the environmental impact significantly.

Conclusions

Results of this study show that the influence of consumer behavior on the LCA results is important. The customer stage of food products should not be overlooked in LCA studies. To enable comparison among results of other LCA studies, the LCA community needs to develop a common methodology for modeling consumer behavior.

     

Optimization of fecal sample preparation for untargeted LC-HRMS based metabolomics

Introduction

Collecting feces is easy. It offers direct outcome to endogenous and microbial metabolites.

Objectives

In a context of lack of consensus about fecal sample preparation, especially in animal species, we developed a robust protocol allowing untargeted LC-HRMS fingerprinting.

Methods

The conditions of extraction (quantity, preparation, solvents, dilutions) were investigated in bovine feces.

Results

A rapid and simple protocol involving feces extraction with methanol (1/3, M/V) followed by centrifugation and a step filtration (10 kDa) was developed.

Conclusion

The workflow generated repeatable and informative fingerprints for robust metabolome characterization.

     

Genetic variation in the TAS2R38 taste receptor contributes to the oral microbiota in North and South European locations: a pilot study

Background

Microbial communities are influenced by environmental factors including host genetics. We investigated the relationship between host bitter taste receptor genotype hTAS2R38 and oral microbiota, together with the influence of geographical location.

Methods

hTAS2R38 polymorphisms and 16S bacterial gene sequencing from oral samples were analyzed from a total of 45 healthy volunteers from different geographical locations.

Results

Genetic variation in the bitter taste receptor TAS2R38 reflected in the microbial composition of oral mucosa in Finnish and Spanish subjects. Multivariate analysis showed significant differences in the microbial composition between country and also dependent on taste genotype. Oral microbiota was shown to be more stable to the geographical location impact among AVI-homozygotes than PAV-homozygotes or heterozygotes (PAV/AVI).

Conclusion

Geographical location and genetic variation in the hTAS2R38 taste receptor impact oral mucosa microbial composition. These findings provide an advance in the knowledge regarding the interactions between taste receptor genes and oral microbiota. This study suggests the role of host-microbiota interactions on the food taste perception in food choices, nutrition, and eating behavior.

     

Metabolite variation in the lettuce gene pool: towards healthier crop varieties and food

Introduction

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is generally not specifically acknowledged for its taste and nutritional value, while its cultivation suffers from limited resistance against several pests and diseases. Such key traits are known to be largely dependent on the ability of varieties to produce specific phytochemicals.

Objectives

We aimed to identify promising genetic resources for the improvement of phytochemical composition of lettuce varieties.

Methods

Phytochemical variation was investigated using 150 Lactuca genebank accessions, comprising a core set of the lettuce gene pool, and resulting data were related to available phenotypic information.

Results

A hierarchical cluster analysis of the variation in relative abundance of 2026 phytochemicals, revealed by untargeted metabolic profiling, strongly resembled the known lettuce gene pool structure, indicating that the observed variation was to a large extent genetically determined. Many phytochemicals appeared species-specific, of which several are generally related to traits that are associated with plant health or nutritional value. For a large number of phytochemicals the relative abundance was either positively or negatively correlated with available phenotypic data on resistances against pests and diseases, indicating their potential role in plant resistance. Particularly the more primitive lettuces and the closely related wild relatives showed high levels of (poly)phenols and vitamin C, thus representing potential genetic resources for improving nutritional traits in modern crop types.

Conclusion

Our large-scale analysis of phytochemical variation is unprecedented in lettuce and demonstrated the ample availability of suitable genetic resources for the development of improved lettuce varieties with higher nutritional quality and more sustainable production.

     

Environmental assessment of the production and addition of bioethanol produced from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptus globulus</Emphasis> to gasoline in Chile

Purpose

Bioethanol is not currently produced in Chile. However, mixtures of bioethanol-gasoline at 2 and 5 % have been authorized. The production and use of the bioethanol-gasoline blend “E5” has been assessed using life cycle assessment (LCA) with the aim to compare the environmental profiles of bioethanol produced from Eucalyptus globulus with gasoline in Chile and to determine the potential of this biofuel-replacing gasoline in the transport sector.

Methods

The standard framework of LCA described by ISO was selected to assess the ecological burdens derived from the biofuel production using the SimaPro v7.8 software. The system boundaries included eucalyptus cultivation, bioethanol production, E5 blend production, and final use of E5. The inventory data for Eucalyptus cultivation were previously collected through surveys with forest managers. Inventory data for bioethanol production were obtained by process simulation models using Aspen Plus v7.1, and for non-simulated or modeled information, secondary information (scientific articles and reports) was used. Conventional gasoline, produced and used in Chile, was used as base scenario for comparison with E5 scenario.

Results and discussion

The environmental results showed reduction of the environmental impacts in most of the assessed categories when E5 blend is assessed and compared with gasoline. Reduction was evident for climate change, photochemical oxidation formation, terrestrial acidification, marine eutrophication, terrestrial ecotoxicity, marine ecotoxicity, depletion of water, and fossil resources. However, there was an increase in other impact categories, such as ozone layer depletion, human toxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, and marine eutrophication. The hotspots for E5 blend were the blending production and the combustion in the engine, whereas in the production process, the electricity production was the major contributor to most of the impact categories. When increasing the bioethanol content from E5 to E10 blend, the environmental impact increases in most of the evaluated categories except in the CC, WD, and FD categories. However, compared with other studies related to wood-based E10, the values for the environmental impacts obtained were lower than the reported.

Conclusions

The use of E5 blend can help to reduce the environmental impact in 8 of the 12 categories analyzed. Environmental impacts obtained are lower compared with other studies reported for E10 blend production from wood resources.

     

A review of environmental life cycle assessment studies examining cheese production

Purpose

Cheese is one of the world’s most widely consumed dairy products and its popularity is ever growing. However, as concerns for the environmental impact of industries increase, products like cheese, which have a significant environmental impact, may lose their popularity. A commonly used technique to assess the environmental impact of a product is life cycle assessment (LCA). In this paper, a state-of-the-art review of LCA studies on the environmental impact of cheese production is presented.

Methods

Sixteen LCA studies, which explored the impact from the production of a variety of cheese types (fresh, mature and semi-hard) were examined and discussed. The four stages of the LCA were examined and the range of results of selected environmental impact categories (global warming potential, acidification potential and eutrophication potential) were detailed and discussed.

Results and discussion

For each of these environmental impact categories, raw milk production was consistently found to be the most significant contributor to the total impact, which was followed by processing. It was found that allocation between cheese and its by-products was crucial in determining the impact of cheese production and standardisation or guidelines may be needed. Very little information relating to wastewater treatment system and processes were reported and this leads to inaccurate environmental impact modelling relating to these aspects of the manufacture of cheese. Very few studies included the design of packaging in terms of reducing food waste, which may significantly contribute to the overall environmental impact.

Conclusions

As raw milk production was found to have the greatest contribution to environmental impact, mitigation strategies at farm-level, particularly in relation to enteric fermentation and manure management, need to be implemented. Additionally, based on the literature, there is a suggestion that fresh cheese has less of an environmental impact than semi-hard cheeses, particularly when examining direct energy consumption. However, there needs to be more case studies investigated to justify this statement.

     

A lost opportunity for science: journals promote data sharing in metabolomics but do not enforce it

Introduction

Data sharing is being increasingly required by journals and has been heralded as a solution to the ‘replication crisis’.

Objectives

(i) Review data sharing policies of journals publishing the most metabolomics papers associated with open data and (ii) compare these journals’ policies to those that publish the most metabolomics papers.

Methods

A PubMed search was used to identify metabolomics papers. Metabolomics data repositories were manually searched for linked publications.

Results

Journals that support data sharing are not necessarily those with the most papers associated to open metabolomics data.

Conclusion

Further efforts are required to improve data sharing in metabolomics.

     

Blue mussel (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mytilus edulis</Emphasis>) bouchot culture in Mont-St Michel Bay: potential mitigation effects on climate change and eutrophication

Purpose

Bivalve production is an important aquaculture activity worldwide, but few environmental assessments have focused on it. In particular, bivalves’ ability to extract nutrients from the environment by intensely filtering water and producing a shell must be considered in the environmental assessment.

Methods

LCA of blue mussel bouchot culture (grown out on wood pilings) in Mont Saint-Michel Bay (France) was performed to identify its impact hotspots. The chemical composition of mussel flesh and shell was analyzed to accurately identify potential positive effects on eutrophication and climate change. The fate of mussel shells after consumption was also considered.

Results and discussion

Its potential as a carbon-sink is influenced by assumptions made about the carbon sequestration in wooden bouchots and in the mussel shell. The fate of the shells which depends on management of discarded mussels and household waste plays also an important role. Its carbon-sink potential barely compensates the climate change impact induced by the use of fuel used for on-site transportation. The export of N and P in mussel flesh slightly decreases potential eutrophication. Environmental impacts of blue mussel culture are determined by the location of production and mussel yields, which are influenced by marine currents and the distance to on-shore technical base.

Conclusions

Bouchot mussel culture has low environmental impacts compared to livestock systems, but the overall environmental performances depend on farming practices and the amount of fuel used. Changes to the surrounding ecosystem induced by high mussel density must be considered in future LCA studies.

     

Environmental profile analysis of particleboard production: a study in a Pakistani technological condition

Purpose

Particleboard is a composite panel comprising small pieces of wood bonded by adhesives. The particleboard industry is growing in Pakistan, but there is little information on the environmental impacts associated with this product. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a life cycle assessment of particleboard manufactured in Pakistan and to provide suggestions to improve its environmental profile. The study covers energy use and associated environmental impacts of raw materials and processes during particleboard manufacture in the year 2015–2016.

Methods

The study uses a cradle-to-gate (distribution center) life cycle assessment approach. The reference unit for this study was 1.0 m³ of finished, uncoated particleboard. Primary data from the particleboard mill surveys were combined with secondary database information and modeled using CML 2000 v.2.05 methodology and a cumulative exergy demand indicator present in the SimaPro v.8.3 software.

Results and discussion

The results reveal that urea formaldehyde resin, transportation of raw materials, and finished product distribution had the highest contribution to all the environmental impact categories evaluated. Heavy fuel oil and natural gas consumption was responsible for abiotic depletion, photochemical oxidation, ozone layer depletion, and marine aquatic ecotoxicity impacts. The rotary dryer and hot press were the most important sectors in terms of emissions from the manufacturing process. The total cumulative exergy demand required for manufacturing of 1.0 m³ particleboard was 15,632 MJ-eq, with most of the energy usage associated with non-renewable, fossil fuel sources. A sensitivity analysis was conducted for a reduction in the quantity of urea formaldehyde resin consumed and freight transport distances.

Conclusions

The results indicated that reducing the urea formaldehyde resin use and freight distances could greatly decrease environmental impacts. Most of the surveyed mills did not have emissions control systems, and most of the mills exceed the limits set by the National Environmental Quality Standards of Pakistan. Environmental impact improvements might be attained by reducing quantity of urea formaldehyde resin and transportation freight distances and by installing pollution control devices.