scholarly journals Energy Consumption and Energy-Related CO2 Emissions from China’s Petrochemical Industry Based on an Environmental Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment

Energies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Meng ◽  
Jalel Sager
Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2195
Author(s):  
Belen Moreno Santamaria ◽  
Fernando del Ama Gonzalo ◽  
Matthew Griffin ◽  
Benito Lauret Aguirregabiria ◽  
Juan A. Hernandez Ramos

High initial costs hinder innovative technologies for building envelopes. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) should consider energy savings to show relevant economic benefits and potential to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Life Cycle Energy (LCE) should focus on investment, operation, maintenance, dismantling, disposal, and/or recycling for the building. This study compares the LCC and LCE analysis of Water Flow Glazing (WFG) envelopes with traditional double and triple glazing facades. The assessment considers initial, operational, and disposal costs and energy consumption as well as different energy systems for heating and cooling. Real prototypes have been built in two different locations to record real-world data of yearly operational energy. WFG systems consistently showed a higher initial investment than traditional glazing. The final Life Cycle Cost analysis demonstrates that WFG systems are better over the operation phase only when it is compared with a traditional double-glazing. However, a Life Cycle Energy assessment over 50 years concluded that energy savings between 36% and 66% and CO2 emissions reduction between 30% and 70% could be achieved.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Simões Branco Júnior ◽  
Júlia Santiago de Matos Monteiro Lira ◽  
Rosa Maria Sposto

RESUMO:  A procura por maior otimização do processo produtivo de edificações, relacionada a simplificação e redução de prazos de execução e diminuição da geração de desperdícios, tem intensificado a utilização de sistemas construtivos industrializados no Brasil. De forma recorrente se verifica a disponibilização de sistemas de vedação em drywall nos lançamentos habitacionais recentes. Por exigência da NBR 15575 (ABNT, 2013) faz-se necessário avaliar o desempenho dos sistemas construtivos, tanto convencional como industrializado, considerando, entre outros, requisitos de sustentabilidade sob aspectos de durabilidade, manutenibilidade e adequação ambiental. Dessa forma, os sistemas construtivos industrializados em drywall devem atender aos requisitos e critérios estabelecidos naquela norma. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o consumo de energia e emissão de CO2 de um sistema de vedação vertical em drywall, tipologia 140/90. A metodologia se baseou na quantificação de energia incorporada e emissões de CO2, por meio da avaliação de ciclo de vida energético - ACVE e de emissões de CO2 - ACVCO2, respectivamente, nas etapas de fabricação, transporte e manutenção do sistema analisado. Este trabalho procura contribuir com a maior conscientização do uso de sistemas construtivos racionalizados e, principalmente, mais sustentáveis ambientalmente.ABSTRACT: The search for greater optimization of buildings process production, related to simplification and reduction of lead times and reducing of waste, has intensified the use of industrialized constructive systems in Brazil. Repeatedly it is seem the availability of sealing system in drywall in recent housing releases. By requirement of NBR 15575 (ABNT, 2013) it is necessary to evaluate the performance of constructive systems, both conventional as industrialized, considering, among others, sustainability requirements under aspects of durability, maintainability and environmental suitability. Thus, the industrialized systems as drywall must comply with the requirements and criteria set out in that standard. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of a vertical sealing system in drywall, type 140/90. The methodology was based on quantification of embodied energy and CO2 emissions, through the energy life cycle assessment-LCEA and CO2 emissions-LCCO2A, respectively, considering the steps of manufacturing, transportation and maintenance of the system. This paper seeks to contribute to increase awareness of the use of rationalized constructive systems and, especially, more environmentally sustainable.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Sishen Wang ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
Pengyu Xie ◽  
Xiaodan Chen

Low-carbon transport system is desired for sustainable cities. The study aims to compare carbon footprint of two transportation modes in campus transit, bus and bike-share systems, using life-cycle assessment (LCA). A case study was conducted for the four-campus (College Ave, Cook/Douglass, Busch, Livingston) transit system at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ). The life-cycle of two systems were disaggregated into four stages, namely, raw material acquisition and manufacture, transportation, operation and maintenance, and end-of-life. Three uncertain factors—fossil fuel type, number of bikes provided, and bus ridership—were set as variables for sensitivity analysis. Normalization method was used in two impact categories to analyze and compare environmental impacts. The results show that the majority of CO2 emission and energy consumption comes from the raw material stage (extraction and upstream production) of the bike-share system and the operation stage of the campus bus system. The CO2 emission and energy consumption of the current campus bus system are 46 and 13 times of that of the proposed bike-share system, respectively. Three uncertain factors can influence the results: (1) biodiesel can significantly reduce CO2 emission and energy consumption of the current campus bus system; (2) the increased number of bikes increases CO2 emission of the bike-share system; (3) the increase of bus ridership may result in similar impact between two systems. Finally, an alternative hybrid transit system is proposed that uses campus buses to connect four campuses and creates a bike-share system to satisfy travel demands within each campus. The hybrid system reaches the most environmentally friendly state when 70% passenger-miles provided by campus bus and 30% by bike-share system. Further research is needed to consider the uncertainty of biking behavior and travel choice in LCA. Applicable recommendations include increasing ridership of campus buses and building a bike-share in campus to support the current campus bus system. Other strategies such as increasing parking fees and improving biking environment can also be implemented to reduce automobile usage and encourage biking behavior.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3660
Author(s):  
Rathna Hor ◽  
Phanna Ly ◽  
Agusta Samodra Putra ◽  
Riaru Ishizaki ◽  
Tofael Ahamed ◽  
...  

Traditional Cambodian food has higher nutrient balances and is environmentally sustainable compared to conventional diets. However, there is a lack of knowledge and evidence on nutrient intake and the environmental greenness of traditional food at different age distributions. The relationship between nutritional intake and environmental impact can be evaluated using carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from agricultural production based on life cycle assessment (LCA). The objective of this study was to estimate the CO2 equivalent (eq) emissions from the traditional Cambodian diet using LCA, starting at each agricultural production phase. A one-year food consumption scenario with the traditional diet was established. Five breakfast (BF1–5) and seven lunch and dinner (LD1–7) food sets were consumed at the same rate and compared using LCA. The results showed that BF1 and LD2 had the lowest and highest emissions (0.3 Mt CO2 eq/yr and 1.2 Mt CO2 eq/yr, respectively). The food calories, minerals, and vitamins met the recommended dietary allowance. The country’s existing food production system generates CO2 emissions of 9.7 Mt CO2 eq/yr, with the proposed system reducing these by 28.9% to 6.9 Mt CO2 eq/yr. The change in each food item could decrease emissions depending on the type and quantity of the food set, especially meat and milk consumption.


Robotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Florian Stuhlenmiller ◽  
Steffi Weyand ◽  
Jens Jungblut ◽  
Liselotte Schebek ◽  
Debora Clever ◽  
...  

Modern industry benefits from the automation capabilities and flexibility of robots. Consequently, the performance depends on the individual task, robot and trajectory, while application periods of several years lead to a significant impact of the use phase on the resource efficiency. In this work, simulation models predicting a robot’s energy consumption are extended by an estimation of the reliability, enabling the consideration of maintenance to enhance the assessment of the application’s life cycle costs. Furthermore, a life cycle assessment yields the greenhouse gas emissions for the individual application. Potential benefits of the combination of motion simulation and cost analysis are highlighted by the application to an exemplary system. For the selected application, the consumed energy has a distinct impact on greenhouse gas emissions, while acquisition costs govern life cycle costs. Low cycle times result in reduced costs per workpiece, however, for short cycle times and higher payloads, the probability of required spare parts distinctly increases for two critical robotic joints. Hence, the analysis of energy consumption and reliability, in combination with maintenance, life cycle costing and life cycle assessment, can provide additional information to improve the resource efficiency.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sierra Spencer ◽  
Malia Scott ◽  
Nelson Macken

Biofuels have received considerable attention as a more sustainable solution for heating applications. Used vegetable oil, normally considered a waste product, has been suggested as a possible candidate. Herein we perform a life cycle assessment to determine the environmental impact of using waste vegetable oil as a fuel. We present a cradle to fuel model that includes the following unit processes: soybean farming, soy oil refining, the cooking process, cleaning/drying waste oil, preheating the oil in a centralized heating facility and transportation when required. For soybean farming, national historical data for yields, energy required for machinery, fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), herbicides, pesticides and nitrous oxide production are considered. In soy oil refining, steam production using natural gas and electricity for machinery are considered inputs. Preprocessing, extraction using hexane and post processing are considered. In order to determine a mass balance for the cooking operation, oil carryout and waste oil removal are estimated. During waste oil processing, oil is filtered and water removed. Data from GREET is used to compute global warming potential (GWP) and energy consumption in terms of cumulative energy demand (CED). Mass allocation is applied to the soy meal produced in refining and oil utilized for cooking. Results are discussed with emphasis on improving sustainability. A comparison is made to traditional fuels, e.g., commercial fuel oil and natural gas. The production of WVO as fuel has significantly less global warming potential but higher cumulative energy consumption than traditional fuels. The study should provide useful information on the sustainability of using waste cooking oil as a fuel for heating.


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