The transportation sector faces increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, yet current solutions incorporating plastics and steel are heavy and energy-intensive, contributing significantly to climate impact. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the novel natural fibre/PP composite is presented in this paper. Truck exterior side panels, called side skirts, were used as a case study, where a concept design was manufactured and assessed, comparing it to the currently used plastic and steel solution. The novelty of this work lies in introducing natural fibre/PP composites for electric trucks as a sustainable lightweighting strategy, reducing fossil-based material use and enabling significant climate impact reductions across the life cycle. Key findings show that composite side skirts had 78 % lower climate impact compared to the current solution, which combines of plastic and steel. This calculation assumes the European electricity mix during the use phase, equal service life for both solutions, and cut-off allocation. The primary contribution to climate impact reduction was the decreased component mass (42.9 kg), which resulted in a 72 % reduction in energy demand during the use phase. However, this effect is strongly influenced by the electricity mix applied. In summary, natural fibre composites can be considered a promising alternative for replacing the existing energy intense solution.
{"title":"Life cycle assessment of lightweight natural fibre/PP-composite side skirts for electric trucks","authors":"Magdalena Juntikka , David Engberg , Yvonne Aitomäki , Torun Hammar","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100393","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100393","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transportation sector faces increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, yet current solutions incorporating plastics and steel are heavy and energy-intensive, contributing significantly to climate impact. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the novel natural fibre/PP composite is presented in this paper. Truck exterior side panels, called side skirts, were used as a case study, where a concept design was manufactured and assessed, comparing it to the currently used plastic and steel solution. The novelty of this work lies in introducing natural fibre/PP composites for electric trucks as a sustainable lightweighting strategy, reducing fossil-based material use and enabling significant climate impact reductions across the life cycle. Key findings show that composite side skirts had 78 % lower climate impact compared to the current solution, which combines of plastic and steel. This calculation assumes the European electricity mix during the use phase, equal service life for both solutions, and cut-off allocation. The primary contribution to climate impact reduction was the decreased component mass (42.9 kg), which resulted in a 72 % reduction in energy demand during the use phase. However, this effect is strongly influenced by the electricity mix applied. In summary, natural fibre composites can be considered a promising alternative for replacing the existing energy intense solution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100393"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-27DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100388
Lu Wang , Mathilde Marchand , Lars Oberbeck , Raphaël Jolivet , Alejandra Cue Gonzalez , Paula Perez-Lopez
Photovoltaic technology is pivotal in the global energy transition, and while emerging technologies promise better performance, their environmental impacts must be carefully evaluated. Among these, perovskite/silicon (PSK/Si) tandem technology has garnered significant attention. However, existing Life Cycle Assessment studies on PSK/Si tandems exhibit significant uncertainty, complicating comparisons of environmental performance across different technologies. This study offers a comparative analysis of the environmental impacts of different PSK/Si tandem modules and silicon heterojunction (SHJ) modules, explicitly incorporating multiple sources of uncertainty to ensure a more comprehensive and reliable comparison. Uncertainty sources include uncertainty in 21 variable parameters (e.g., lifetime and power conversion efficiency), differences between two-terminal and four-terminal tandem architectures, and alternative degradation scenarios of tandem modules. Propagating these uncertainties through parameterised models allows for a direct comparison of the resulting distributions of environmental impacts for tandem and SHJ modules. For example, in the case of modules manufactured in France, PSK/Si tandems show climate change impacts ranging from 5.5 to 8.7 g CO2 eq/kWh, whereas SHJ modules range from 6.3 to 9.4 g CO2 eq/kWh. To streamline comparisons, global sensitivity analysis identifies the key parameters contributing most significantly to output uncertainty. These insights inform the development of simplified arithmetic models that require only a limited set of key inputs. Such models enable rapid, accurate estimation of environmental impacts for both PSK/Si tandem and SHJ modules, facilitating efficient and reliable comparisons. Overall, this work enhances understanding of the environmental performance of PSK/Si tandem and SHJ modules and supports strategies to improve their sustainability, thereby guiding strategic decision-making in the renewable energy sector.
光伏技术是全球能源转型的关键，虽然新兴技术承诺更好的性能，但它们对环境的影响必须仔细评估。其中，钙钛矿/硅（PSK/Si）串联技术引起了人们的广泛关注。然而，现有的PSK/Si串联的生命周期评估研究显示出显著的不确定性，使不同技术之间的环境绩效比较复杂化。本研究对不同PSK/Si串联模块和硅异质结（SHJ）模块的环境影响进行了比较分析，明确纳入了多个不确定性来源，以确保更全面和可靠的比较。不确定性来源包括21个可变参数的不确定性（例如，寿命和功率转换效率），两端和四端串联架构之间的差异，以及串联模块的可选退化情况。通过参数化模型传播这些不确定性，可以直接比较串联和SHJ模块的环境影响分布。例如，在法国制造的组件中，PSK/Si串联显示气候变化影响范围为5.5至8.7 g CO2当量/kWh，而SHJ组件范围为6.3至9.4 g CO2当量/kWh。为了简化比较，全局敏感性分析确定了对输出不确定性贡献最大的关键参数。这些见解为简化算法模型的开发提供了信息，这些模型只需要一组有限的关键输入。这些模型能够快速、准确地估计PSK/Si串联和SHJ模块的环境影响，促进有效和可靠的比较。总的来说，这项工作增强了对PSK/Si串联和SHJ模块的环境绩效的理解，并支持提高其可持续性的战略，从而指导可再生能源领域的战略决策。
{"title":"Comparison of the environmental impacts of perovskite/silicon tandem and silicon heterojunction photovoltaic modules using a parameterised approach","authors":"Lu Wang , Mathilde Marchand , Lars Oberbeck , Raphaël Jolivet , Alejandra Cue Gonzalez , Paula Perez-Lopez","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100388","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100388","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Photovoltaic technology is pivotal in the global energy transition, and while emerging technologies promise better performance, their environmental impacts must be carefully evaluated. Among these, perovskite/silicon (PSK/Si) tandem technology has garnered significant attention. However, existing Life Cycle Assessment studies on PSK/Si tandems exhibit significant uncertainty, complicating comparisons of environmental performance across different technologies. This study offers a comparative analysis of the environmental impacts of different PSK/Si tandem modules and silicon heterojunction (SHJ) modules, explicitly incorporating multiple sources of uncertainty to ensure a more comprehensive and reliable comparison. Uncertainty sources include uncertainty in 21 variable parameters (e.g., lifetime and power conversion efficiency), differences between two-terminal and four-terminal tandem architectures, and alternative degradation scenarios of tandem modules. Propagating these uncertainties through parameterised models allows for a direct comparison of the resulting distributions of environmental impacts for tandem and SHJ modules. For example, in the case of modules manufactured in France, PSK/Si tandems show climate change impacts ranging from 5.5 to 8.7 g CO<sub>2</sub> eq/kWh, whereas SHJ modules range from 6.3 to 9.4 g CO<sub>2</sub> eq/kWh. To streamline comparisons, global sensitivity analysis identifies the key parameters contributing most significantly to output uncertainty. These insights inform the development of simplified arithmetic models that require only a limited set of key inputs. Such models enable rapid, accurate estimation of environmental impacts for both PSK/Si tandem and SHJ modules, facilitating efficient and reliable comparisons. Overall, this work enhances understanding of the environmental performance of PSK/Si tandem and SHJ modules and supports strategies to improve their sustainability, thereby guiding strategic decision-making in the renewable energy sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100388"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sustainability in agriculture and industry is essential for balancing economic growth with environmental responsibilities. Thailand, as a leading global producer and exporter of natural rubber, faces significant challenges in integrating sustainable practices within its extensive rubber industry. The environmental integrity dimension target indicators of the Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA) framework are used in this study to assess the sustainability of Thailand's rubber industry across the rubber plantations and intermediate rubber processing sectors. The sustainability results obtained were integrated with a comparative analysis of Thai legal compliance. Data were collected via structured questionnaires from farmers and intermediate rubber facilities across major cultivation areas in Thailand. The finding revealed both alignments and significant discrepancies between the sustainability assessment results of the rubber sector and the legal compliance evaluation. This study identifies four sustainability performance scenarios based on legal compliance and indicators. It recommends maintaining standards where sustainability performance aligns with legal requirements, offering support and incentives where performance falls below legal requirements, and promoting certification and legal upgrades where performance exceeds requirements. For indicators not yet covered by law, particularly GHG reduction, new legislation and foundational enforcement mechanisms are essential to ensure long-term sustainability progress across both sectors.
{"title":"Assessment of environmental target indicators combined with legal approaches for sustainability of the rubber industry in Thailand","authors":"Narisara Kaewchutima , Oramas Suttinun , Udomsak Sinthipong , Khamphe Phoungthong , Sutinee Sinutok , Jitti Mungkalasiri , Prakaytham Suksatit , Charongpun Musikavong","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainability in agriculture and industry is essential for balancing economic growth with environmental responsibilities. Thailand, as a leading global producer and exporter of natural rubber, faces significant challenges in integrating sustainable practices within its extensive rubber industry. The environmental integrity dimension target indicators of the Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems (SAFA) framework are used in this study to assess the sustainability of Thailand's rubber industry across the rubber plantations and intermediate rubber processing sectors. The sustainability results obtained were integrated with a comparative analysis of Thai legal compliance. Data were collected via structured questionnaires from farmers and intermediate rubber facilities across major cultivation areas in Thailand. The finding revealed both alignments and significant discrepancies between the sustainability assessment results of the rubber sector and the legal compliance evaluation. This study identifies four sustainability performance scenarios based on legal compliance and indicators. It recommends maintaining standards where sustainability performance aligns with legal requirements, offering support and incentives where performance falls below legal requirements, and promoting certification and legal upgrades where performance exceeds requirements. For indicators not yet covered by law, particularly GHG reduction, new legislation and foundational enforcement mechanisms are essential to ensure long-term sustainability progress across both sectors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100390"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100387
He Zhou , Wen Li , Hakan Basarir , Thomas Poulet , Ali Karrech
Nickel is an important element for the development of telecommunication, energy storage, and electric vehicles. However, large amounts of nickel slag are generated during the smelting process, posing threats to ecosystem and human health if landfilled, so the selection of appropriate nickel slag recycling technologies is vital to the environment. In this study, we evaluate nickel slag as potential input material for geopolymer pipes, asphalt, concrete, and mine backfill production in Australia. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to investigate the environmental impacts of those products embedding nickel slag, and the relevant influence compared to nickel slag landfilling. The results indicate that incorporating nickel slag in geopolymer pipes and mine backfill is more beneficial to the products’ sustainability. Notably, compared to the landfilling scenario, all the recycling applications are encouraged to be applied in practice.
{"title":"Comparative life cycle assessment of recycling nickel slag in various production industries","authors":"He Zhou , Wen Li , Hakan Basarir , Thomas Poulet , Ali Karrech","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100387","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100387","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nickel is an important element for the development of telecommunication, energy storage, and electric vehicles. However, large amounts of nickel slag are generated during the smelting process, posing threats to ecosystem and human health if landfilled, so the selection of appropriate nickel slag recycling technologies is vital to the environment. In this study, we evaluate nickel slag as potential input material for geopolymer pipes, asphalt, concrete, and mine backfill production in Australia. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to investigate the environmental impacts of those products embedding nickel slag, and the relevant influence compared to nickel slag landfilling. The results indicate that incorporating nickel slag in geopolymer pipes and mine backfill is more beneficial to the products’ sustainability. Notably, compared to the landfilling scenario, all the recycling applications are encouraged to be applied in practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100387"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100386
Martina Bruno , Lotta Liina Lassila , Carlotta Francia , Annukka Santasalo-Aarnio , Silvia Fiore
To address the well-known limitations of current recycling methods, particularly the challenges associated with heterogeneous and degraded end-of-life (EoL) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), including complex disassembly, electrolyte removal, and material cross-contamination, this study proposes a practical and efficient alternative based on direct recycling of production scraps. In this study a direct recycling process, which recovers active materials without altering their crystal structure, consisting in thermal treatment followed by mechanical detachment through ball milling, was applied to production scraps of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) cathodes. Different temperatures (200-300-400-600 °C) and air or nitrogen were explored. Experiments showed that partial melting of PVDF binder at 200 °C was sufficient to enable effective material recovery, particularly for LFP, without inducing degradation. The highest recovery yields were recorded at 400 °C in air for LFP (98 ± 7 % Fe and 99 ± 11 % Li) and at 600 °C in air for NMC (99 ± 19 % Co, 99 ± 12 % Li, 99 ± 17 % Mn and 99 ± 5 % Ni). Thermal treatment at 300 °C led to PVDF melting without degradation which increased the concentration of Al impurities in both LFP and NMC materials, likely due to the binder's molten state enhancing adhesion to the Al foil prior to its complete thermal decomposition. The economic viability of the process was confirmed by recovery costs (0.71 €/kg LFP and 1.17 €/kg NMC) lower than current virgin material prices. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equal to 1.18–2.56 kg CO2/kg for LFP and 1.94–6.98 kg CO2/kg for NMC were calculated, with the most favourable trade-offs achieved at moderate temperatures in air. Due to low energy demand and easy scalability, the proposed direct recycling process holds potential for on-site recycling of scrap cathodes, particularly in regions -such as the European Union, where critical raw materials supply security and waste reduction are significant issues.
为了解决当前回收方法的众所周知的局限性，特别是与异构和降解报废锂离子电池（EoL）相关的挑战，包括复杂的拆卸，电解质去除和材料交叉污染，本研究提出了一种基于直接回收生产废料的实用而有效的替代方案。本研究采用直接回收工艺，即在不改变活性材料晶体结构的情况下回收活性材料，即热处理后通过球磨机械分离，用于生产磷酸铁锂（LFP）和锂镍锰钴氧化物（NMC）阴极的废料。研究了不同温度（200-300-400-600℃）和空气或氮气。实验表明，在200°C下PVDF粘结剂的部分熔化足以实现有效的材料回收，特别是LFP，而不会引起降解。LFP（98±7% Fe和99±11% Li）在400℃空气中回收率最高，NMC（99±19% Co, 99±12% Li， 99±17% Mn和99±5% Ni）在600℃空气中回收率最高。300°C的热处理导致PVDF熔化而不降解，这增加了LFP和NMC材料中Al杂质的浓度，可能是由于粘合剂的熔融状态增强了其完全热分解之前与Al箔的附着力。回收成本（0.71欧元/公斤LFP和1.17欧元/公斤NMC）低于当前的原始材料价格，证实了该工艺的经济可行性。计算得出LFP的温室气体（GHG）排放量为1.18-2.56 kg CO2/kg， NMC的温室气体排放量为1.94-6.98 kg CO2/kg，在中等空气温度下实现了最有利的权衡。由于能源需求低且易于扩展，提议的直接回收过程具有现场回收废阴极的潜力，特别是在欧盟等地区，关键原材料供应安全和减少废物是重要问题。
{"title":"Technical, economic and environmental analysis of production scraps direct recycling from lithium-ion battery manufacturing","authors":"Martina Bruno , Lotta Liina Lassila , Carlotta Francia , Annukka Santasalo-Aarnio , Silvia Fiore","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100386","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100386","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To address the well-known limitations of current recycling methods, particularly the challenges associated with heterogeneous and degraded end-of-life (EoL) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), including complex disassembly, electrolyte removal, and material cross-contamination, this study proposes a practical and efficient alternative based on direct recycling of production scraps. In this study a direct recycling process, which recovers active materials without altering their crystal structure, consisting in thermal treatment followed by mechanical detachment through ball milling, was applied to production scraps of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) cathodes. Different temperatures (200-300-400-600 °C) and air or nitrogen were explored. Experiments showed that partial melting of PVDF binder at 200 °C was sufficient to enable effective material recovery, particularly for LFP, without inducing degradation. The highest recovery yields were recorded at 400 °C in air for LFP (98 ± 7 % Fe and 99 ± 11 % Li) and at 600 °C in air for NMC (99 ± 19 % Co, 99 ± 12 % Li, 99 ± 17 % Mn and 99 ± 5 % Ni). Thermal treatment at 300 °C led to PVDF melting without degradation which increased the concentration of Al impurities in both LFP and NMC materials, likely due to the binder's molten state enhancing adhesion to the Al foil prior to its complete thermal decomposition. The economic viability of the process was confirmed by recovery costs (0.71 €/kg LFP and 1.17 €/kg NMC) lower than current virgin material prices. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equal to 1.18–2.56 kg CO<sub>2</sub>/kg for LFP and 1.94–6.98 kg CO<sub>2</sub>/kg for NMC were calculated, with the most favourable trade-offs achieved at moderate temperatures in air. Due to low energy demand and easy scalability, the proposed direct recycling process holds potential for on-site recycling of scrap cathodes, particularly in regions -such as the European Union, where critical raw materials supply security and waste reduction are significant issues.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100386"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145798102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-13DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100385
Shin Young Kang , SeWon Park
The food delivery market has been continuously expanding due to convenience and advancements in mobile technology. However, as a result, the use of single-use plastic packaging has surged, further exacerbating waste management issues due to low recycling rates. To address this challenge, this study establishes a reusable container system as an alternative to single-use packaging in restaurant delivery services and evaluates its feasibility through real-world application. In particular, in addition to the commonly adopted doorstep collection method in Korea, a drop-off collection system was introduced as a pilot system to assess its effectiveness in Seoul. To examine its practical feasibility, this study analyzes the environmental and economic impacts throughout the entire food delivery process and determines the minimum number of reuses required for reusable containers to become more beneficial than single-use alternatives. The findings suggest that, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the drop-off collection method reaches an environmental break-even point after an average of 4.6 uses, while from an economic perspective, cost savings are observed after an average of 24 uses. Moreover, due to its higher collection efficiency, the drop-off collection method demonstrates superior environmental and economic advantages over the doorstep collection method. This study quantitatively validates the practical benefits of reusable containers over single-use packaging in food delivery services and is anticipated to serve as a foundation for scalable business model development in Seoul and other major cities.
{"title":"Environmental and economic feasibility of reusable container system for food delivery service in Seoul, South Korea","authors":"Shin Young Kang , SeWon Park","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The food delivery market has been continuously expanding due to convenience and advancements in mobile technology. However, as a result, the use of single-use plastic packaging has surged, further exacerbating waste management issues due to low recycling rates. To address this challenge, this study establishes a reusable container system as an alternative to single-use packaging in restaurant delivery services and evaluates its feasibility through real-world application. In particular, in addition to the commonly adopted doorstep collection method in Korea, a drop-off collection system was introduced as a pilot system to assess its effectiveness in Seoul. To examine its practical feasibility, this study analyzes the environmental and economic impacts throughout the entire food delivery process and determines the minimum number of reuses required for reusable containers to become more beneficial than single-use alternatives. The findings suggest that, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the drop-off collection method reaches an environmental break-even point after an average of 4.6 uses, while from an economic perspective, cost savings are observed after an average of 24 uses. Moreover, due to its higher collection efficiency, the drop-off collection method demonstrates superior environmental and economic advantages over the doorstep collection method. This study quantitatively validates the practical benefits of reusable containers over single-use packaging in food delivery services and is anticipated to serve as a foundation for scalable business model development in Seoul and other major cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100385"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-06DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100384
Andriamahefasoa Rajaonison , Benoît Gschwind , Raphaël Jolivet , Cintia Gómez-Serrano , Francisco Gabriel Acién Fernández , Silvia Greses , Cristina González-Fernández , Paula Pérez-López , Thierry Ranchin
Developing renewable energy projects is a key strategy to reduce environmental impacts in the energy sector. Initial phases of the implementation of such kinds of projects include feasibility studies, conceptual design, and design development and permitting, with environmental considerations being crucial. This paper proposes detailed and simplified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models to support project developers. The study focuses on three specific environmental impact categories: abiotic depletion potential of fossil fuels (ADP:FF) and minerals/metals (ADP:MM) and climate change. These categories were selected to ease explanation and their direct relationship with system inputs and outputs facilitate the improvement of overall performance. Detailed models help project developers with the support of LCA experts identify processes contributing the most to environmental impacts, facilitating improvements during conceptual design, and design development and permitting. Simplified models can be directly and easily used by project developers to analyze environmental compliance of project options during feasibility studies. A detailed model uses parameters to describe system inputs and outputs, which is then simplified through Global Sensitivity Analysis to reduce the number of these parameters. In this paper, the proposed approach is applied to a microalgae-based biogas production system. Our detailed model uses 39 parameters, identifying materials and energy flows contributing to environmental impacts. Main contributors are enzymes production for pretreatment and CO2 production for cultivation. The simplified models generated in this paper ease early estimation of environmental performance thanks to the use of less than 19 parameters instead of 39, reducing data collection time.
{"title":"Detailed and simplified parameterized LCA models for early-stage energy projects: A microalgae-based biogas case","authors":"Andriamahefasoa Rajaonison , Benoît Gschwind , Raphaël Jolivet , Cintia Gómez-Serrano , Francisco Gabriel Acién Fernández , Silvia Greses , Cristina González-Fernández , Paula Pérez-López , Thierry Ranchin","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100384","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100384","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing renewable energy projects is a key strategy to reduce environmental impacts in the energy sector. Initial phases of the implementation of such kinds of projects include feasibility studies, conceptual design, and design development and permitting, with environmental considerations being crucial. This paper proposes detailed and simplified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models to support project developers. The study focuses on three specific environmental impact categories: abiotic depletion potential of fossil fuels (ADP:FF) and minerals/metals (ADP:MM) and climate change. These categories were selected to ease explanation and their direct relationship with system inputs and outputs facilitate the improvement of overall performance. Detailed models help project developers with the support of LCA experts identify processes contributing the most to environmental impacts, facilitating improvements during conceptual design, and design development and permitting. Simplified models can be directly and easily used by project developers to analyze environmental compliance of project options during feasibility studies. A detailed model uses parameters to describe system inputs and outputs, which is then simplified through Global Sensitivity Analysis to reduce the number of these parameters. In this paper, the proposed approach is applied to a microalgae-based biogas production system. Our detailed model uses 39 parameters, identifying materials and energy flows contributing to environmental impacts. Main contributors are enzymes production for pretreatment and CO<sub>2</sub> production for cultivation. The simplified models generated in this paper ease early estimation of environmental performance thanks to the use of less than 19 parameters instead of 39, reducing data collection time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100384"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100379
Lorenzo Maria Curci , Leonardo Vásquez-Ibarra , Ariel D. Arencibia , Roberto Braglia , Antonella Canini , Marcello Lenucci , Monica De Caroli
This study provides a comprehensive environmental and economic evaluation of two controlled cultivation environments—greenhouses and growth chambers—applied to chicory production in southern Italy, as a case study. Within each environment, three systems were evaluated: traditional soil cultivation, hydroponics, and decoupled aquaponics. Environmental impacts were estimated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), while economic performance was analyzed using Life Cycle Costing (LCC). The functional unit was defined as a single chicory plant, and the system boundary was defined as a cradle-to-gate approach. Across all production systems, growth chambers showed significantly higher environmental and economic impacts than greenhouses, with global warming impacts reaching 2.1 kg CO2 eq versus 0.12–0.15 kg CO2 eq per plant, respectively, and water consumption increasing from 5 to 13 L in greenhouses to 13–15 L in growth chambers, primarily due to energy-related water consumption. Economic results showed costs ranging from €1.82–2.76 per plant in growth chambers, compared to €0.37–1.33 in greenhouses, depending on the growing technique used. These results underscore the strategic importance of selecting growing environments based on production scale and end-use. Greenhouses offer a cost-effective and sustainable option for large-scale production, while growth chambers, despite their greater resource requirements, allow for precision control, ideal for high-value applications such as urban agriculture and nutraceutical production.
本研究以意大利南部菊苣生产为例，对温室和生长室两种控制栽培环境进行了全面的环境和经济评价。在每个环境中，评估了三种系统：传统土壤栽培、水培和解耦水培。采用生命周期评价法（LCA）评估环境影响，采用生命周期成本法（LCC）分析经济效益。功能单元被定义为单一菊苣植物，系统边界被定义为从摇篮到大门的方法。在所有生产系统中，生长室对环境和经济的影响显著高于温室，对全球变暖的影响分别达到2.1 kg CO2当量和0.12-0.15 kg CO2当量，用水量从温室的5 - 13升增加到生长室的13 - 15升，这主要是由于与能源相关的用水量。经济结果显示，根据所使用的种植技术，生长室内每株植物的成本为1.82-2.76欧元，而温室的成本为0.37-1.33欧元。这些结果强调了根据生产规模和最终用途选择生长环境的战略重要性。温室为大规模生产提供了成本效益和可持续的选择，而生长室尽管对资源的要求更高，但可以进行精确控制，是城市农业和营养食品生产等高价值应用的理想选择。
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Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100380
Aya M. El-Shahat , Emad S. Bakhoum , Mohamed Marzouk
Desalination has become a vital global water source with significant economic, environmental, and social impacts. Governance institutions are increasingly applying sustainability principles to desalination. Given the scarcity of high-quality freshwater and growing populations, desalination ensures water security in Egypt. Despite environmental impacts and high energy consumption, desalination projects are not fully integrated into green rating frameworks. However, despite their importance, limited research efforts have been made to score and rank desalination plants using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) techniques. This research addresses this gap by proposing a sustainable assessment framework integrating sustainability, MCDM techniques and sensitivity analysis. Benchmarking regional and international rating systems to highlight sustainable categories and criteria. The developed system includes 26 criteria in seven categories: 1) General Requirements, 2) Sustainable Site, 3) Energy, 4) Water Efficiency, 5) Materials and Resources, 6) Emissions and Environment, and 7) Culture and Economy. The rating system classifies desalination plants into six levels: Unsustainable, Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. A key novelty of the study is the dual application of two developed MCDM techniques, Best-Worst Method (BWM) and Full-Consistency Method (FUCOM), which are rarely used in infrastructure assessments, particularly in the desalination sector. They are used to determine categories and criteria weights. To measure the consistency between BWM and FUCOM results, a Weight Similarity Coefficient (WSC) was calculated. The overall WSC value was 0.83, indicating high consistency between the two methods. The most important and the least important categories and criteria were determined by conducting questionnaire surveys completed by desalination plants experts. The framework is applied to East Port-Said Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Desalination Plant as a case study. The Plant received a high sustainability ranking (“Silver”) with a score of 73.24 and 72.58 using BWM and FUCOM, respectively. Sensitivity analysis assesses the effectiveness of categories and criteria using deterministic and Monte Carlo regression-based analysis. Results reveal that BWM and FUCOM rankings are sensitive to category weight variations, emphasizing the importance of precise weighting in sustainability assessments.
{"title":"Rating sustainability aspects of reverse osmosis desalination plants using multi-criteria decision-making approach","authors":"Aya M. El-Shahat , Emad S. Bakhoum , Mohamed Marzouk","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100380","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100380","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Desalination has become a vital global water source with significant economic, environmental, and social impacts. Governance institutions are increasingly applying sustainability principles to desalination. Given the scarcity of high-quality freshwater and growing populations, desalination ensures water security in Egypt. Despite environmental impacts and high energy consumption, desalination projects are not fully integrated into green rating frameworks. However, despite their importance, limited research efforts have been made to score and rank desalination plants using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) techniques. This research addresses this gap by proposing a sustainable assessment framework integrating sustainability, MCDM techniques and sensitivity analysis. Benchmarking regional and international rating systems to highlight sustainable categories and criteria. The developed system includes 26 criteria in seven categories: 1) General Requirements, 2) Sustainable Site, 3) Energy, 4) Water Efficiency, 5) Materials and Resources, 6) Emissions and Environment, and 7) Culture and Economy. The rating system classifies desalination plants into six levels: Unsustainable, Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. A key novelty of the study is the dual application of two developed MCDM techniques, Best-Worst Method (BWM) and Full-Consistency Method (FUCOM), which are rarely used in infrastructure assessments, particularly in the desalination sector. They are used to determine categories and criteria weights. To measure the consistency between BWM and FUCOM results, a Weight Similarity Coefficient (WSC) was calculated. The overall WSC value was 0.83, indicating high consistency between the two methods. The most important and the least important categories and criteria were determined by conducting questionnaire surveys completed by desalination plants experts. The framework is applied to East Port-Said Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Desalination Plant as a case study. The Plant received a high sustainability ranking (“Silver”) with a score of 73.24 and 72.58 using BWM and FUCOM, respectively. Sensitivity analysis assesses the effectiveness of categories and criteria using deterministic and Monte Carlo regression-based analysis. Results reveal that BWM and FUCOM rankings are sensitive to category weight variations, emphasizing the importance of precise weighting in sustainability assessments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100380"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145690410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100383
R. Farhat , S.A.E. Boyer , A. Burr , M. Batistella , J.M. Lopez-Cuesta
Conductive bionanocomposites are attracting growing interest as multifunctional materials. They can meet the requirements of electrical applications while supporting sustainable development. This review summarizes recent research on bionanocomposites made from biopolymer matrices and carbon conductive fillers that can be processed by additive manufacturing. These materials offer several advantages, including reduced dependence on fossil resources, possibility of low-impact processing, minimized risks in case of dissemination, and satisfactory electrical properties with low amounts of conductive fillers. However, despite their “green' label, their actual environmental performance has not been fully demonstrated. Only a limited number of comprehensive Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are available. This review discusses the potential of these materials, while underscoring the necessity for rigorous environmental analysis. Such assessments are essential to validate their sustainability from a circular economy perspective using LCA.
{"title":"Eco-friendly Conductive biopolymer nanocomposites and Life Cycle Assessment: a review","authors":"R. Farhat , S.A.E. Boyer , A. Burr , M. Batistella , J.M. Lopez-Cuesta","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100383","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100383","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conductive bionanocomposites are attracting growing interest as multifunctional materials. They can meet the requirements of electrical applications while supporting sustainable development. This review summarizes recent research on bionanocomposites made from biopolymer matrices and carbon conductive fillers that can be processed by additive manufacturing. These materials offer several advantages, including reduced dependence on fossil resources, possibility of low-impact processing, minimized risks in case of dissemination, and satisfactory electrical properties with low amounts of conductive fillers. However, despite their “green' label, their actual environmental performance has not been fully demonstrated. Only a limited number of comprehensive Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are available. This review discusses the potential of these materials, while underscoring the necessity for rigorous environmental analysis. Such assessments are essential to validate their sustainability from a circular economy perspective using LCA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"20 ","pages":"Article 100383"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145750245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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