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- García González, María Nelly, et al.
(författare)
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Development and Life Cycle Assessment of Polyester Binders Containing 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid and Their Polyurethane Coatings
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Polymers and the Environment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1566-2543 .- 1572-8919. ; 26:9, s. 3626-3637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This work presents a new polyester binder based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) as precursors of polyurethane (PU) coatings. The new 100% bio-based structure is composed of four different monomers such as glycerine (Gly), 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD), 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and succinic acid (SA). The corresponding PU coating was obtained by crosslinking with a conventional polyisocyanate (Vestanat 1890/100). Evaluation of technological performances is present and benchmarked against partially bio-based (75% renewable carbon) polyester binder and fossil-based polyester binder, already developed in one of our previous work. The study showed a stiffer PU coating and a more hydrophilic character leading to better adhesion where a possible potential application may be interesting as an intermediate layer/primer in the field of metal coating (coil coating, automotive). Afterwards, the evaluation of the total impact of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), the total non-renewable energy use (NREU) by the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the new polyester binder are included on a cradle-to-gate approach, and considering an FDCA production process starting from sugar beet (primary data). The results showed a very noteworthy reduction in terms of GHG emissions (− 36 and − 79%) and a noticeable reduction impact in terms of NREU (− 38 and − 60%) compared to 75% bio-based and fossil-based polyester binders respectively. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis regarding sugar production from beet cultivation was developed through different LCA calculation methodologies. Those methodologies showed a not very significant difference between them.
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- Garcia Gonzalez, Maria Nelly, et al.
(författare)
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Life cycle assessment of a nanomaterial-based adsorbent developed on lab scale for cadmium removal : Comparison of the impacts of production, use and recycling
- 2022
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Ingår i: Cleaner Environmental Systems. - : Elsevier BV. - 2666-7894. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many nanoadsorbents are reported in the literature, exhibiting remarkable properties in the removal of low concentrations of toxic metals. However, their environmental performance has not yet been well studied. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out for a previously reported nanomaterial-based adsorbent, silicate-titanate nanotubes chitosan beads (STNTs-Ch beads), used to remove cadmium from wastewater. The environmental impacts associated with the synthesis of the nanomaterial and the final adsorbent, including use and recycling, were evaluated. The hotspot of the process was the synthesis of the nanomaterial, mainly due to high electricity consumption, suggesting that energy use must be reduced in the scaling up. The chemicals used may become an environmental problem once electricity consumption in the process is optimised on a large-scale process. The environmental impacts associated with the synthesis and the use of the process were compared with granular activated carbon (produced on industrial scale), a resin based on titanium dioxide (pilot scale), and an adsorbent based on a residue after alginate extraction (laboratory scale). Granular activated carbon had the lowest impacts, suggesting again that optimisation of energy and chemicals should be prioritised in the production of emerging materials.
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- Garcia Gonzalez, Maria Nelly, et al.
(författare)
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Life cycle assessment of the production of beet sugar and its by-products
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526. ; 346
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This work presents estimates of the emissions resulting from the production of white sugar and its by-products (molasses, pressed beet pulp and dried beet pulp) from sugar beet cultivation to the final product at the factory gate. The study covers the impact of global warming potential, eutrophication potential (freshwater and marine) and particulate matter. The analysis was based on detailed primary data provided by Nordic Sugar A/S, from the Örtofta Sugar Factory (southern Sweden). The results of this analysis are presented for the functional unit of 1 tonne (t) white sugar without allocation. Economic and energy allocations were also applied and compared for white sugar and its by-products. The allocation of emissions to the product and by-products reduced the emissions for white sugar by 9% in the economic allocation, and by 21% in the energy allocation. The low economic value of the by-products gave rather low emissions for all by-products when applying economic allocation. These results were compared with those in the literature for white sugar in terms of global warming potential (GWP), and the results showed the lowest impact for both allocations. Replacing fossil natural gas as the main process energy source with softwood chips reduced the GWP for white sugar (without allocation to by-products) from 623 to 342 kg CO2eq/t, illustrating the considerable potential for greenhouse gas emission reduction by replacing fossil fuels in the production process.
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- Suriano, Raffaella, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental Profile and Technological Validation of New High-Tg Unsaturated Polyesters from Fully Bio-Based Monomers and Reactive Diluents
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Polymers and the Environment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1566-2543 .- 1572-8919. ; 29:4, s. 1122-1133
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study was focused on the synthesis and characterization of a fully bio-based unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) with good thermal properties suitable for the commercial production of composite polymers. UPRs based on different ratios of bio-based furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA), itaconic acid, and diols were synthesized. The unsaturated polymers prepared were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry, gel permeation chromatography, FTIR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The results showed positive effects of FDCA on the glass transition temperature (Tg) of these fully bio-based polyesters, especially when FDCA was combined with 1,2-propanediol. Optimal values of Tg were obtained in the range of 30–32 °C for UPRs synthesized starting with a higher concentration of FDCA in the monomer feed. The possibility of substituting styrene, which usually acts as a reactive diluent, with a greener and safer alternative during the crosslinking of UPRs, was also explored. Two bio-based reactive diluents were considered: dimethyl itaconate (DMI) and butanediol dimethacrylate. After crosslinking, an average Tg of 75 °C and a good crosslinking efficiency indicated by a gel content of 90% were achieved for the fully bio-based polyester obtained under milder reaction conditions and dilution with DMI. Life cycle assessment was performed on selected UPRs, and comparison with a reference fossil-based resin in terms of the calculated category indicator results confirmed the lower environmental impact of the newly prepared bio-based polyesters.
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