Pub Date : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100357
Franca Carlotta Foerster, Moritz Wagner
Environmental sustainability is increasingly recognized as a critical aspect of agricultural production. An adequate strategy to improve sustainability of the wine industry must start with an objective quantification of its sustainability performance. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a widely accepted tool for this. Grape production processes can vary considerably between wineries. Consequently, conducting LCA to identify potentials for improvement of environmental sustainability is highly context-specific, labor-intensive and requires expertise of the LCA methodology. Therefore, it is not yet a hands-on tool for many wineries. Simplifying LCA models could increase its use as a management and decision tool. This study aimed to develop a method for simplifying LCA specifically adapted for the agricultural context to conduct reliable environmental impact estimation in viticulture using only a small set of key parameters while fixing less influential inputs at generic values. Therefore, average vineyard management data and their probabilistic distributions were gathered from literature and expert input, then analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation and global sensitivity analysis in Brightway2. Results show that environmental impacts can be reliably estimated using just 15 easily quantifiable parameters, while 40 less influential inputs can be fixed at their median values without significant loss of accuracy. The simplified model closely matches full LCA results, offering a practical, robust tool for non-experts. This approach enables rapid, accessible sustainability assessments in viticulture and the established method could be adapted for broader adoption in agricultural management.
{"title":"A simplified LCA model to facilitate viticulture sustainability assessment","authors":"Franca Carlotta Foerster, Moritz Wagner","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100357","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100357","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Environmental sustainability is increasingly recognized as a critical aspect of agricultural production. An adequate strategy to improve sustainability of the wine industry must start with an objective quantification of its sustainability performance. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a widely accepted tool for this. Grape production processes can vary considerably between wineries. Consequently, conducting LCA to identify potentials for improvement of environmental sustainability is highly context-specific, labor-intensive and requires expertise of the LCA methodology. Therefore, it is not yet a hands-on tool for many wineries. Simplifying LCA models could increase its use as a management and decision tool. This study aimed to develop a method for simplifying LCA specifically adapted for the agricultural context to conduct reliable environmental impact estimation in viticulture using only a small set of key parameters while fixing less influential inputs at generic values. Therefore, average vineyard management data and their probabilistic distributions were gathered from literature and expert input, then analyzed using Monte Carlo simulation and global sensitivity analysis in Brightway2. Results show that environmental impacts can be reliably estimated using just 15 easily quantifiable parameters, while 40 less influential inputs can be fixed at their median values without significant loss of accuracy. The simplified model closely matches full LCA results, offering a practical, robust tool for non-experts. This approach enables rapid, accessible sustainability assessments in viticulture and the established method could be adapted for broader adoption in agricultural management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100357"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363524","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 : 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100358
Yuree Kwon , Yongchul Jang , Jinjoo An
As industries increasingly adopt sustainability-oriented strategies, economic assessment methods should evolve to incorporate environmental externalities and long-term system impacts. While conventional techno-economic analysis (TEA) evaluates financial feasibility, it may exclude life cycle-based costs and environmental burdens. This study focuses on TEA practices that have yet to fully incorporate life cycle considerations and compares them with life cycle costing (LCC) approaches under sustainability-driven contexts. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the system boundaries, cost coverage, and decision-making implications of both methods. Furthermore, a case study on recycled methanol production at a low technology readiness level (TRL) demonstrates how LCC enhances traditional TEA by internalizing environmental costs. Environmental costs were monetized using two methodologies (LIME3 and Ecovalue12), both of which monetize environmental impacts, and the results showed that the minimum selling price increased by 3–4 % (LIME3) and 125–160 % (Ecovalue12) compared to the TEA results. These findings highlight the variability resulting from the integration of environmental costs and the necessity for standardizing monetization methodologies. This work shows how life cycle-based cost assessments can provide a more comprehensive basis for sustainability-oriented decision-making, particularly in emerging chemical technologies.
{"title":"From short-term profitability to long-term sustainability: exploring life cycle cost in chemical processes","authors":"Yuree Kwon , Yongchul Jang , Jinjoo An","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100358","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As industries increasingly adopt sustainability-oriented strategies, economic assessment methods should evolve to incorporate environmental externalities and long-term system impacts. While conventional techno-economic analysis (TEA) evaluates financial feasibility, it may exclude life cycle-based costs and environmental burdens. This study focuses on TEA practices that have yet to fully incorporate life cycle considerations and compares them with life cycle costing (LCC) approaches under sustainability-driven contexts. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the system boundaries, cost coverage, and decision-making implications of both methods. Furthermore, a case study on recycled methanol production at a low technology readiness level (TRL) demonstrates how LCC enhances traditional TEA by internalizing environmental costs. Environmental costs were monetized using two methodologies (LIME3 and Ecovalue12), both of which monetize environmental impacts, and the results showed that the minimum selling price increased by 3–4 % (LIME3) and 125–160 % (Ecovalue12) compared to the TEA results. These findings highlight the variability resulting from the integration of environmental costs and the necessity for standardizing monetization methodologies. This work shows how life cycle-based cost assessments can provide a more comprehensive basis for sustainability-oriented decision-making, particularly in emerging chemical technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100358"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363462","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 : 2025-10-15DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100359
Diana Dimande, Bettina Mihalyi-Schneider, Michael Harasek, Walter Wukovits
Meeting Austria's 2040 carbon neutrality target requires a rapid transition to industrial-scale processes. Biomass-based technologies are pivotal in this shift, as they reduce reliance on fossil resources while producing high-value products. This study models and evaluates the potential environmental impacts of producing biomass-based synthetic natural gas (Bio-SNG) through gasification and methanation, incorporating scenario analysis. Seven impact categories were assessed: acidification potential, eutrophication, land use, fossil resource use, water use, particulate matter, and climate change. Among the Bio-SNG scenarios, the Bio-SNG-W scenario, which utilises wind-generated electricity, shows the lowest impacts across climate and most non-climate categories. Using the IPCC, 2021 methodology, the base case (bio-SNG) estimated net global warming emissions of 41 kgCO2 eq./MWhBio-SNG, mostly due to wood chip preparation and electricity consumption. Thus, when wind power is used as the electricity source (Bio-SNG-W), the greenhouse gas emissions reduce to 25 kgCO2 eq./MWhBio-SNG. In comparison, the emissions for natural gas production and processing, excluding the higher impact use phase, stand at 16 kgCO2 eq./MWhNG. Except for fossil resource use, Bio-SNG-related scenarios show higher emissions than their fossil-based counterpart, underscoring these processes' resource and energy intensity as well as showing a potential burden-shifting effect.
{"title":"Modelling and life cycle assessment of biomass-based synthetic natural gas production","authors":"Diana Dimande, Bettina Mihalyi-Schneider, Michael Harasek, Walter Wukovits","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100359","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100359","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Meeting Austria's 2040 carbon neutrality target requires a rapid transition to industrial-scale processes. Biomass-based technologies are pivotal in this shift, as they reduce reliance on fossil resources while producing high-value products. This study models and evaluates the potential environmental impacts of producing biomass-based synthetic natural gas (Bio-SNG) through gasification and methanation, incorporating scenario analysis. Seven impact categories were assessed: acidification potential, eutrophication, land use, fossil resource use, water use, particulate matter, and climate change. Among the Bio-SNG scenarios, the Bio-SNG-W scenario, which utilises wind-generated electricity, shows the lowest impacts across climate and most non-climate categories. Using the IPCC, 2021 methodology, the base case (bio-SNG) estimated net global warming emissions of 41 kg<sub>CO2 eq</sub>./MWh<sub>Bio-SNG</sub>, mostly due to wood chip preparation and electricity consumption. Thus, when wind power is used as the electricity source (Bio-SNG-W), the greenhouse gas emissions reduce to 25 kg<sub>CO2 eq.</sub>/MWh<sub>Bio-SNG</sub>. In comparison, the emissions for natural gas production and processing, excluding the higher impact use phase, stand at 16 kg<sub>CO2 eq./MWhNG</sub>. Except for fossil resource use, Bio-SNG-related scenarios show higher emissions than their fossil-based counterpart, underscoring these processes' resource and energy intensity as well as showing a potential burden-shifting effect.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100359"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145325791","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 : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100356
Marco A. Vargas , Luis A. Cisternas , Daniel Calisaya-Azpilcueta
The rapid expansion of mining operations has accelerated water resource depletion and increased energy consumption. To tackle these issues, the circular economy provides a framework for managing resource use and reducing environmental impacts. This study introduces an innovative method for assessing circularity in mineral processing, supported by a case study that demonstrates the methodology. The approach is based on circularity indices and employs Monte Carlo simulations to account for epistemic uncertainties that are typical in this field. If the results are not sufficiently robust, global sensitivity analysis is utilized to pinpoint critical variables that require refinement to enhance the outcomes. Additionally, multicriteria decision analysis methods are applied to further the study. In a case study focused on copper concentration through flotation, optimizing water recovery methods significantly improved water circularity metrics. Furthermore, dewatering technologies increased the system's circularity by 28 %, with similar improvements across different setups, reducing water extraction by approximately 42 % and lowering water loss from 0.56 in the base case to 0.29, a 48.6 % decrease. This highlights the effectiveness of dewatering technologies in circular resource management. Then, by applying multicriteria decision-making methods and giving more weight to general indicators related to the water–energy nexus, paste tailings thickening technology was identified as the best option for improving circularity and advancing sustainability. This methodology provides a solid foundation for assessing the transition from a recirculation-based economy to a truly circular model, offering global applicability for comparing technologies, companies, and other relevant factors in mineral processing.
{"title":"Assessment of technologies and water circularity in mining processes: An innovative methodological approach","authors":"Marco A. Vargas , Luis A. Cisternas , Daniel Calisaya-Azpilcueta","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100356","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100356","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid expansion of mining operations has accelerated water resource depletion and increased energy consumption. To tackle these issues, the circular economy provides a framework for managing resource use and reducing environmental impacts. This study introduces an innovative method for assessing circularity in mineral processing, supported by a case study that demonstrates the methodology. The approach is based on circularity indices and employs Monte Carlo simulations to account for epistemic uncertainties that are typical in this field. If the results are not sufficiently robust, global sensitivity analysis is utilized to pinpoint critical variables that require refinement to enhance the outcomes. Additionally, multicriteria decision analysis methods are applied to further the study. In a case study focused on copper concentration through flotation, optimizing water recovery methods significantly improved water circularity metrics. Furthermore, dewatering technologies increased the system's circularity by 28 %, with similar improvements across different setups, reducing water extraction by approximately 42 % and lowering water loss from 0.56 in the base case to 0.29, a 48.6 % decrease. This highlights the effectiveness of dewatering technologies in circular resource management. Then, by applying multicriteria decision-making methods and giving more weight to general indicators related to the water–energy nexus, paste tailings thickening technology was identified as the best option for improving circularity and advancing sustainability. This methodology provides a solid foundation for assessing the transition from a recirculation-based economy to a truly circular model, offering global applicability for comparing technologies, companies, and other relevant factors in mineral processing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100356"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145325794","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 : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100351
Kai Rüdele , Till Justus Niemann , Christoph Herrmann , Christian Ramsauer
Large and listed companies must publish annual reports to inform about financial figures and commercial success. In recent years, these companies have also increasingly been issuing sustainability reports to provide insights into their current environmental performance and progress. However, these reports lack key figures that integrate both efficiency and environmental perspectives. Therefore, a novel indicator is proposed and tested. The weight-related carbon intensity (ciw) relates cradle-to-gate emissions to the aggregated production weight of passenger cars. Using publicly available data from five global OEMs, we demonstrate that ciw provides more robust insights into production efficiency and sustainability performance than conventional CO2 per vehicle metrics. Our findings show that ciw can uncover inefficiencies that remain hidden under traditional reporting. The results highlight the need for weight-adjusted benchmarks in the automotive sector and suggest that ciw can serve as a complementary metric for corporate reporting, enhance emissions tracking and support climate action by expressing another CO2 truth.
{"title":"Innovating eco-efficiency metrics: The concept of weight-related carbon intensity in the automotive sector","authors":"Kai Rüdele , Till Justus Niemann , Christoph Herrmann , Christian Ramsauer","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100351","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100351","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Large and listed companies must publish annual reports to inform about financial figures and commercial success. In recent years, these companies have also increasingly been issuing sustainability reports to provide insights into their current environmental performance and progress. However, these reports lack key figures that integrate both efficiency and environmental perspectives. Therefore, a novel indicator is proposed and tested. The weight-related carbon intensity (<em>ciw</em>) relates cradle-to-gate emissions to the aggregated production weight of passenger cars. Using publicly available data from five global OEMs, we demonstrate that <em>ciw</em> provides more robust insights into production efficiency and sustainability performance than conventional CO<sub>2</sub> per vehicle metrics. Our findings show that <em>ciw</em> can uncover inefficiencies that remain hidden under traditional reporting. The results highlight the need for weight-adjusted benchmarks in the automotive sector and suggest that <em>ciw</em> can serve as a complementary metric for corporate reporting, enhance emissions tracking and support climate action by expressing another CO<sub>2</sub> truth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100351"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324759","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 : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100346
Ali Rhouma , Nikolaos Mellios , Floor Brouwer , Gil José Maria , Chrysi Laspidou
Optimizing agricultural inputs at the farm scale requires a holistic understanding of water, energy, food, and ecosystem (WEFE) interdependencies. This study develops a composite Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem Nexus Indicator (WEFENI) and applies System Dynamics Modelling (SDM) to assess vineyard sustainability in northern Spain. This study is the first to introduce WEFENI at a fine spatial resolution, applying it at the grape variety and small-plot level to capture sustainability differences within a single farm. Five key indicators water footprint, carbon footprint, energy footprint, income, and productivity were selected based on their relevance to environmental and socio-economic performance. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and field measurements, complemented by secondary data from meteorological and governmental databases. The indicators were normalized, weighted using the CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method, and aggregated into a composite WEFENI. The dynamic model was constructed to simulate monthly interactions within the WEFE nexus, enabling scenario-based analysis and capturing feedback-driven behaviour across resource systems.
Results show substantial variation in WEFENI scores across agro-climatic zones and grape varieties. The Low Zone achieved the highest score (0.739) due to gravity-fed irrigation and low energy demand, while the High Zone scored lowest (0.556) because of energy-intensive pumping. At the variety level, 15 grape varieties demonstrated a balance between high sustainability and profitability demonstrating the added value of WEFENI in identifying optimal crop choices. Scenario analysis revealed that precision agriculture produced the greatest improvement in WEFENI (+0.102), followed by improved energy efficiency (+0.056), whereas reduced precipitation decreased the score (−0.056).
The proposed framework enhances the replicability of farm-level sustainability assessments by explicitly defining indicator selection, system boundaries, and calculation procedures. The integration of WEFENI with SDM enables dynamic, scenario-based evaluation of trade-offs and synergies, providing a robust decision-support tool for sustainable resource management in agriculture.
{"title":"Assessing vineyard sustainability through a Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus indicator using System Dynamics Modelling","authors":"Ali Rhouma , Nikolaos Mellios , Floor Brouwer , Gil José Maria , Chrysi Laspidou","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100346","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Optimizing agricultural inputs at the farm scale requires a holistic understanding of water, energy, food, and ecosystem (WEFE) interdependencies. This study develops a composite Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem Nexus Indicator (WEFENI) and applies System Dynamics Modelling (SDM) to assess vineyard sustainability in northern Spain. This study is the first to introduce WEFENI at a fine spatial resolution, applying it at the grape variety and small-plot level to capture sustainability differences within a single farm. Five key indicators water footprint, carbon footprint, energy footprint, income, and productivity were selected based on their relevance to environmental and socio-economic performance. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and field measurements, complemented by secondary data from meteorological and governmental databases. The indicators were normalized, weighted using the CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method, and aggregated into a composite WEFENI. The dynamic model was constructed to simulate monthly interactions within the WEFE nexus, enabling scenario-based analysis and capturing feedback-driven behaviour across resource systems.</div><div>Results show substantial variation in WEFENI scores across agro-climatic zones and grape varieties. The Low Zone achieved the highest score (0.739) due to gravity-fed irrigation and low energy demand, while the High Zone scored lowest (0.556) because of energy-intensive pumping. At the variety level, 15 grape varieties demonstrated a balance between high sustainability and profitability demonstrating the added value of WEFENI in identifying optimal crop choices. Scenario analysis revealed that precision agriculture produced the greatest improvement in WEFENI (+0.102), followed by improved energy efficiency (+0.056), whereas reduced precipitation decreased the score (−0.056).</div><div>The proposed framework enhances the replicability of farm-level sustainability assessments by explicitly defining indicator selection, system boundaries, and calculation procedures. The integration of WEFENI with SDM enables dynamic, scenario-based evaluation of trade-offs and synergies, providing a robust decision-support tool for sustainable resource management in agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100346"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324761","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 : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100350
Brener Felipe Melo Lima Gomes , Heather M. Logan , Leandro Vinícius Alves Gurgel , Anders Damgaard
This study assessed the environmental impacts of producing activated carbon from technical lignin (TL-AC) for the removal of As(V) and Cd(II) from water, at the laboratory scale, and provided insights for future upscaling. An attributional LCA was initially conducted for seven laboratory-scale experimental setups, varying the temperature and the KOH:TL ratio. After identifying the best-performing scenario, three prospective (TL-2S-AC-3, TL-1S-AC-3, TL-1S-AC) and one baseline (Coal-1S-AC) scenarios were evaluated using a prospective life cycle assessment (pLCA). A global prospection identified favorable locations for upscaling the technology, and an emission intensity indicator was proposed to improve sustainability comparisons across adsorbent materials. The results indicated that KOH use and energy consumption were key contributors to the global warming potential (GWP). TL-AC-3 achieved the best sustainability among the laboratory scenarios, with the lowest emission intensity per mass of As(V) (1.5 × 10−4 kg CO2-eq g As−1) and Cd(II) (3.4 × 10−4 kg CO2-eq g Cd−1) removed, demonstrating environmental advantages over commercial and other materials. In prospective assessments, the TL-1S-AC-3 scenario, featuring a simplified one-step pretreatment, showed potential GWP reductions of up to 44.5 % (6.6 kg CO2-eq FU−1), compared to the laboratory-scale results. Brazil emerged as a favorable location for industrial deployment, due to its renewable energy matrix, with GWP values below 11 kg CO2-eq FU−1 across all prospective scenarios. These results highlighted TL-AC as an effective, lower-impact solution for arsenic and cadmium removal, with scalability potential in resource-abundant regions.
本研究在实验室规模上评估了用技术木质素（TL-AC）生产活性炭去除水中As(V)和Cd（II）的环境影响，并为未来的升级提供了见解。归因LCA最初在七个实验室规模的实验装置中进行，改变温度和KOH:TL比。在确定最佳表现方案后，使用前瞻性生命周期评估（pLCA）对三个前瞻性方案（TL-2S-AC-3、TL-1S-AC-3、TL-1S-AC）和一个基线方案（Coal-1S-AC）进行评估。一项全球展望确定了技术升级的有利地点，并提出了一个排放强度指标，以改善不同吸附材料的可持续性比较。结果表明，KOH利用和能源消耗是影响全球变暖潜势（GWP）的主要因素。TL-AC-3在实验室方案中实现了最佳的可持续性，去除每质量As(V) （1.5 × 10−4 kg CO2-eq g As−1）和Cd(II) （3.4 × 10−4 kg CO2-eq g Cd−1）的排放强度最低，显示出优于商业和其他材料的环境优势。在前瞻性评估中，与实验室规模的结果相比，采用简化一步预处理的TL-1S-AC-3方案显示，潜在的GWP减少高达44.5% （6.6 kg CO2-eq FU−1）。由于其可再生能源矩阵，巴西成为工业部署的有利地点，在所有预期情景中，全球变暖潜能值都低于11千克二氧化碳当量FU−1。这些结果表明，TL-AC是一种有效的、低影响的除砷和除镉解决方案，在资源丰富的地区具有可扩展性。
{"title":"Enhanced activated carbon production from lignin waste for treatment of As(V) and Cd(II) in wastewater: Sustainability and technological insights by prospective life cycle assessment","authors":"Brener Felipe Melo Lima Gomes , Heather M. Logan , Leandro Vinícius Alves Gurgel , Anders Damgaard","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100350","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100350","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assessed the environmental impacts of producing activated carbon from technical lignin (TL-AC) for the removal of As(V) and Cd(II) from water, at the laboratory scale, and provided insights for future upscaling. An attributional LCA was initially conducted for seven laboratory-scale experimental setups, varying the temperature and the KOH:TL ratio. After identifying the best-performing scenario, three prospective (TL-2S-AC-3, TL-1S-AC-3, TL-1S-AC) and one baseline (Coal-1S-AC) scenarios were evaluated using a prospective life cycle assessment (<em>p</em>LCA). A global prospection identified favorable locations for upscaling the technology, and an emission intensity indicator was proposed to improve sustainability comparisons across adsorbent materials. The results indicated that KOH use and energy consumption were key contributors to the global warming potential (GWP). TL-AC-3 achieved the best sustainability among the laboratory scenarios, with the lowest emission intensity per mass of As(V) (1.5 × 10<sup>−4</sup> kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq g As<sup>−1</sup>) and Cd(II) (3.4 × 10<sup>−4</sup> kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq g Cd<sup>−1</sup>) removed, demonstrating environmental advantages over commercial and other materials. In prospective assessments, the TL-1S-AC-3 scenario, featuring a simplified one-step pretreatment, showed potential GWP reductions of up to 44.5 % (6.6 kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq FU<sup>−1</sup>), compared to the laboratory-scale results. Brazil emerged as a favorable location for industrial deployment, due to its renewable energy matrix, with GWP values below 11 kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq FU<sup>−1</sup> across all prospective scenarios. These results highlighted TL-AC as an effective, lower-impact solution for arsenic and cadmium removal, with scalability potential in resource-abundant regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100350"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324775","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 : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100353
Matteo Finocchi , Fabrizio Giuseppe Cella , Ricardo Villani , Alice Cappucci , Francesca Vichi , Giuseppe Conte , Alberto Mantino , Marcello Mele
This study examined management practices in twelve Mediterranean mixed dairy sheep farms to identify key drivers of environmental impacts associated with milk production. Using life cycle assessment and multivariate analysis, the study explored correlations between farm management practices and environmental outcomes. The average annual milk production was consistent with existing literature, reaching 190 kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) per ewe. The correlation analysis revealed a general trend indicating that the various impacts considered, such as atmospheric emissions, acidification, and eutrophication, increased proportionally. Specifically, a greater reliance on concentrates for animal supplementation was linked to higher environmental impacts, suggesting that the use of purchased feeds tends to worsen the environmental performance of mixed dairy sheep farms.
Principal component analysis further highlighted that environmental impacts were positively correlated with increased electricity consumption and higher fuel use per hectare. Conversely, grazing practices were associated with reduced environmental impacts, emphasizing the advantages of pasture mass as an energy-rich feed source in contexts where preserved forages are of poor quality due to adverse climate conditions.
Regarding global warming potential (GWP), the study found that enteric methane emissions from ruminants accounted for over 53.5 % of total emissions. The average GWP was estimated at 4.2 kg CO2eq kg−1 of FPCM. The use of detailed equations for estimating biogenic GWP underscored the importance of accurate data collection on livestock characteristics, diet composition, intake, and feeding duration.
本研究调查了12个地中海混合奶羊养殖场的管理实践，以确定与牛奶生产相关的环境影响的关键驱动因素。利用生命周期评估和多变量分析，该研究探讨了农场管理实践与环境结果之间的相关性。平均年产奶量与现有文献一致，达到每只母羊190公斤脂肪和蛋白质校正乳（FPCM）。相关分析显示，大气排放、酸化和富营养化等影响均呈比例增加趋势。具体来说，对动物补充物的高度依赖与更高的环境影响有关，这表明购买饲料的使用往往会使混合奶羊场的环境表现恶化。主成分分析进一步强调，环境影响与每公顷耗电量增加和燃料使用量增加呈正相关。相反，放牧实践与减少环境影响有关，强调了在由于恶劣气候条件而保存的牧草质量较差的情况下，牧草作为富含能量的饲料来源的优势。关于全球变暖潜能值（GWP），研究发现反刍动物的肠道甲烷排放量占总排放量的53.5%以上。平均全球变暖潜能值估计为4.2 kg co2 = kg - 1 FPCM。使用详细的公式来估算生物源性全球升温潜能值，强调了准确收集牲畜特征、日粮组成、摄入量和饲养时间等数据的重要性。
{"title":"Key practices affecting the environmental impact of Ewe milk in mixed farming systems","authors":"Matteo Finocchi , Fabrizio Giuseppe Cella , Ricardo Villani , Alice Cappucci , Francesca Vichi , Giuseppe Conte , Alberto Mantino , Marcello Mele","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100353","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examined management practices in twelve Mediterranean mixed dairy sheep farms to identify key drivers of environmental impacts associated with milk production. Using life cycle assessment and multivariate analysis, the study explored correlations between farm management practices and environmental outcomes. The average annual milk production was consistent with existing literature, reaching 190 kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) per ewe. The correlation analysis revealed a general trend indicating that the various impacts considered, such as atmospheric emissions, acidification, and eutrophication, increased proportionally. Specifically, a greater reliance on concentrates for animal supplementation was linked to higher environmental impacts, suggesting that the use of purchased feeds tends to worsen the environmental performance of mixed dairy sheep farms.</div><div>Principal component analysis further highlighted that environmental impacts were positively correlated with increased electricity consumption and higher fuel use per hectare. Conversely, grazing practices were associated with reduced environmental impacts, emphasizing the advantages of pasture mass as an energy-rich feed source in contexts where preserved forages are of poor quality due to adverse climate conditions.</div><div>Regarding global warming potential (GWP), the study found that enteric methane emissions from ruminants accounted for over 53.5 % of total emissions. The average GWP was estimated at 4.2 kg CO<sub>2</sub>eq kg<sup>−1</sup> of FPCM. The use of detailed equations for estimating biogenic GWP underscored the importance of accurate data collection on livestock characteristics, diet composition, intake, and feeding duration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100353"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145325793","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 : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100347
Piya Gosalvitr , Rosa M. Cuéllar-Franca , Robin Smith , Adisa Azapagic
This study quantifies and compares the life cycle environmental and economic sustainability of five most common and widely researched valorisation routes for spent coffee grounds (SCGs): i) fuel pelletizing; ii) combination of transesterification and pyrolysis; iii) pyrolysis; iv) combination of transesterification and fermentation; and v) anaerobic digestion. The scope of the study is from cradle-to-gate and the functional unit is defined as the “treatment of 1 t of SCGs”. The results indicate that fuel pelletizing is the best option from the environmental point of view, with all 19 impacts considered being net-negative. Pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion are the second-best options with 18 net-negative impacts, followed by the combination of transesterification with pyrolysis, with 13 net-negative impacts. Transesterification and fermentation is the worst option for 16 categories, including climate change, due to the lowest credits from the products produced. The results of the economic sustainability assessment reveal that all options earn profits and are economically feasible. Pyrolysis is the most economically sustainable alternative with a profit of £172/t SCGs, which is 2–3 times higher than for the other options. Transesterification and fermentation is again the worst option but still earning a profit of £58/t. Applying multi-criteria decision analysis reveals that pyrolysis is the best and transesterification and fermentation the least sustainable option. Therefore, coffee producers, local authorities, and other relevant stakeholders could consider prioritising pyrolysis for achieving both economic and environmental benefits. Fuel pelletizing, transesterification & pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion should also be considered as they too offer significant sustainability benefits.
{"title":"Environmental and economic sustainability assessment of biofuels from valorising spent coffee grounds","authors":"Piya Gosalvitr , Rosa M. Cuéllar-Franca , Robin Smith , Adisa Azapagic","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study quantifies and compares the life cycle environmental and economic sustainability of five most common and widely researched valorisation routes for spent coffee grounds (SCGs): i) fuel pelletizing; ii) combination of transesterification and pyrolysis; iii) pyrolysis; iv) combination of transesterification and fermentation; and v) anaerobic digestion. The scope of the study is from cradle-to-gate and the functional unit is defined as the “treatment of 1 t of SCGs”. The results indicate that fuel pelletizing is the best option from the environmental point of view, with all 19 impacts considered being net-negative. Pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion are the second-best options with 18 net-negative impacts, followed by the combination of transesterification with pyrolysis, with 13 net-negative impacts. Transesterification and fermentation is the worst option for 16 categories, including climate change, due to the lowest credits from the products produced. The results of the economic sustainability assessment reveal that all options earn profits and are economically feasible. Pyrolysis is the most economically sustainable alternative with a profit of £172/t SCGs, which is 2–3 times higher than for the other options. Transesterification and fermentation is again the worst option but still earning a profit of £58/t. Applying multi-criteria decision analysis reveals that pyrolysis is the best and transesterification and fermentation the least sustainable option. Therefore, coffee producers, local authorities, and other relevant stakeholders could consider prioritising pyrolysis for achieving both economic and environmental benefits. Fuel pelletizing, transesterification & pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion should also be considered as they too offer significant sustainability benefits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100347"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363523","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 : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100348
Bernat Vinolas , Maria del Mar Casanovas-Rubio , Oriol Pons-Valladares , Irene Josa , Jaume Armengou , Albert de la Fuente
This study assesses the sustainability of eight wall construction alternatives suitable for self-built housing in rural informal settlements, comparing different building solutions in the Brazilian context. Housing affordability is a global challenge, particularly relevant in developing countries where informal settlements are prevalent. This research addresses the need for sustainable construction practices in these contexts, focusing specifically on wall construction as a critical building element. The study relies on MIVES, a multi-criteria decision-making method, to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social impacts of each alternative. The eight alternatives include variations of soil-cement blocks (precast and on-site produced), ceramic blocks, concrete blocks, and precast concrete panels, with and without mortar and plaster coatings. A hierarchical requirements tree, encompassing criteria and indicators related to resource consumption, emissions, cost, empowerment, safety, comfort, and innovation, was developed based on technical literature and expert knowledge. Weights for these criteria and indicators were determined using the Delphi technique. Value functions were used to standardize quantitative indicator values onto a 0-to-1 scale. This research aims to provide a structured framework for evaluating the sustainability performance of different wall construction techniques in rural informal settlements, thus providing valuable insights for informed decision-making in self-built housing projects. Results indicate that concrete blocks and precast concrete panels without coatings achieved the highest sustainability index, primarily due to their lower economic costs and environmental impacts. Conversely, ceramic blocks with coatings achieved the lowest sustainability performance. Alternatives without coatings were generally preferred due to their lower costs, aligning with real-world practices in rural areas where economic constraints govern material choices. However, these alternatives performed less favorably in terms of social sustainability, particularly in comfort and community acceptance. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the evaluation framework across different weighting scenarios, with economic, environmental, and social biases leading to only minor ranking shifts. The findings highlight the importance of balancing cost-effectiveness with durability and habitability in self-built housing, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions, particularly in self-built soil-cement blocks, to improve sustainability while maintaining affordability.
{"title":"Sustainability of wall construction techniques for self-built rural housing. A case study from Brazil","authors":"Bernat Vinolas , Maria del Mar Casanovas-Rubio , Oriol Pons-Valladares , Irene Josa , Jaume Armengou , Albert de la Fuente","doi":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100348","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assesses the sustainability of eight wall construction alternatives suitable for self-built housing in rural informal settlements, comparing different building solutions in the Brazilian context. Housing affordability is a global challenge, particularly relevant in developing countries where informal settlements are prevalent. This research addresses the need for sustainable construction practices in these contexts, focusing specifically on wall construction as a critical building element. The study relies on MIVES, a multi-criteria decision-making method, to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social impacts of each alternative. The eight alternatives include variations of soil-cement blocks (precast and on-site produced), ceramic blocks, concrete blocks, and precast concrete panels, with and without mortar and plaster coatings. A hierarchical requirements tree, encompassing criteria and indicators related to resource consumption, emissions, cost, empowerment, safety, comfort, and innovation, was developed based on technical literature and expert knowledge. Weights for these criteria and indicators were determined using the Delphi technique. Value functions were used to standardize quantitative indicator values onto a 0-to-1 scale. This research aims to provide a structured framework for evaluating the sustainability performance of different wall construction techniques in rural informal settlements, thus providing valuable insights for informed decision-making in self-built housing projects. Results indicate that concrete blocks and precast concrete panels without coatings achieved the highest sustainability index, primarily due to their lower economic costs and environmental impacts. Conversely, ceramic blocks with coatings achieved the lowest sustainability performance. Alternatives without coatings were generally preferred due to their lower costs, aligning with real-world practices in rural areas where economic constraints govern material choices. However, these alternatives performed less favorably in terms of social sustainability, particularly in comfort and community acceptance. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the evaluation framework across different weighting scenarios, with economic, environmental, and social biases leading to only minor ranking shifts. The findings highlight the importance of balancing cost-effectiveness with durability and habitability in self-built housing, emphasizing the need for innovative solutions, particularly in self-built soil-cement blocks, to improve sustainability while maintaining affordability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34616,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Environmental Systems","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100348"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145324760","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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