| 1. |
- Engquist, Björn, et al.
(author)
-
Stable and entropy satisfying approximations for transonic flow calculations
- 1980
-
In: Mathematics of Computation. - 0025-5718 .- 1088-6842. ; 34:149, s. 45-75
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Finite difference approximations for the small disturbance equation of transonic flow are developed and analyzed. New schemes of the Cole-Murman type are presented fpr which nonlinear stability is proved. The Cole-Murman scheme may have entropy violating expansion shocks as solutions. In the new schemes the switch between the subsonic and supersonic domains is designed such that these nonphysical shocks are guaranteed not to occur. Results from numercial calculations are given which illustrate these conclusions
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Laurenti, Rafael, 1980-, et al.
(author)
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Measuring the Environmental Footprint of Leather Processing Technologies
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Blackwell Publishing. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 21:5, s. 1180-1187
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The selection of materials and manufacturing processes often determines most of the environmental impact that a product will have during its life cycle. In directing consumption toward products with the least impact on the environment, measuring and comparing material alternatives with site-specific data is a fundamental prerequisite. Within the apparel and footwear industry, some famous brands have recently been basing their advertising on the claim that vegetable-tanned leather is more environmentally friendly than chromiumtanned leather. However, there is a lack of scientific research assessing and comparing vegetable-and chromium-tanned leather in a wider context than the toxicity of chromium. To fill this gap, this study measured and compared the carbon, water, and energy footprint of vegetable and chromium leather processing technology and intermediate processing stages in 12 selected tanneries in seven different countries worldwide. Each tannery proved to be very individual, and therefore attempting to perform this type of analysis without simply producing meaningless generalities is a challenge for companies, researchers, and regulators. The variability in results demonstrates that secondary data for the tanning phase should be utilized with caution in a decision-making context. The use of primary data would be advisable for life cycle assessment studies of leather goods. No significant differences were found in the footprint of vegetable and chromium leather processes, but these are only indicative findings and need confirmation in further studies. An important area needing investigation is then how a fair comparison can be made between renewable natural materials and nonrenewable materials used in both leather-processing technologies.
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| 4. |
- Magnusson, Thomas, 1970-, et al.
(author)
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Industrial ecology and the boundaries of the manufacturing firm
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 23:5, s. 1211-1225
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Decisions on organizational boundaries are critical aspects of manufacturing firms’ business strategies. This article brings together concepts and findings from industrial ecology and business strategy in order to understand how manufacturing firms engage in initiatives to facilitate recycling of process wastes. Based on a distinction between waste recovery and use of the recovered resources, the article introduces a typology of four different strategies: Closed, Outsourcing, Diversification, and Open. Each strategy has a unique set of organizational boundaries and is associated with different motives and benefits for the manufacturing firm. The typology of strategies provides a conceptual contribution to assist industrial managers in strategic decision-making, and to support further studies on organizational boundaries in industrial ecology research.
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| 5. |
- Sorooshian, Shahryar, 1980, et al.
(author)
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Demotivating factors affecting the implementation of ISO14001:2015 in Malaysia
- 2019
-
In: Environmental Quality Management. - : Wiley. - 1088-1913 .- 1520-6483. ; 29:2, s. 85-95
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Industrialization has brought with it environmental problems and the consequences of pollution, which has been affecting the world for decades. Immediate action is required to raise industry's awareness of its social responsibilities toward the environment. However, experience shows that companies that have obtained International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 14001:2015 certifications in Malaysia occupy but a small niche among the country's businesses. The purpose of this study is to assess the list of barriers and challenges to implementing and obtaining certifications under the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System (EMS) by Malaysian firms. In addition, this study will rank these factors relative to their importance. This study is aimed at EMS experts at the Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM QAS International Sdn. Bhd.). The study uses mathematical pairwise comparisons to generate the list of critical challenges and barriers. Therefore, the study is expected to raise environmental awareness among Malaysia's industries regarding the adoption of ISO 14001:2015 standards. Furthermore, the study provides a guideline for Malaysia's industries and policy-makers to provide them with a better understanding of the barriers and challenges that companies face in implementing ISO 14001:2015 EMS, and at the same time, help them understand the need to eliminate the difficulties of standard implementation.
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| 6. |
- Brasco, Lorenzo, et al.
(author)
-
Uniqueness of extremals for some sharp Poincaré-Sobolev constants
- 2023
-
In: Transactions of the American Mathematical Society. - : American Mathematical Society (AMS). - 0002-9947 .- 1088-6850. ; 376:5, s. 3541-3584
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study the sharp constant for the embedding of W01,p(Ω) into Lq(Ω), in the case 2 < p < q. We prove that for smooth connected sets, when q > p and q is sufficiently close to p, extremal functions attaining the sharp constant are unique, up to a multiplicative constant. This in turn gives the uniqueness of solutions with minimal energy to the Lane-Emden equation, with super-homogeneous right-hand side. The result is achieved by suitably adapting a linearization argument due to C.-S. Lin. We rely on some fine estimates for solutions of p−Laplace–type equations by L. Damascelli and B. Sciunzi.
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| 7. |
- Mármol-Sánchez, Emilio, et al.
(author)
-
Historical RNA expression profiles from the extinct Tasmanian tiger
- 2023
-
In: Genome Research. - 1088-9051 .- 1549-5469. ; 33:8, s. 1299-1316
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Paleogenomics continues to yield valuable insights into the evolution, population dynamics, and ecology of our ancestors and other extinct species. However, DNA sequencing cannot reveal tissue-specific gene expression, cellular identity, or gene regulation, which are only attainable at the transcriptional level. Pioneering studies have shown that useful RNA can be extracted from ancient specimens preserved in permafrost and historical skins from extant canids, but no attempts have been made so far on extinct species. We extract, sequence, and analyze historical RNA from muscle and skin tissue of a ∼130-year-old Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus) preserved in desiccation at room temperature in a museum collection. The transcriptional profiles closely resemble those of extant species, revealing specific anatomical features such as slow muscle fibers or blood infiltration. Metatranscriptomic analysis, RNA damage, tissue-specific RNA profiles, and expression hotspots genome-wide further confirm the thylacine origin of the sequences. RNA sequences are used to improve protein-coding and noncoding annotations, evidencing missing exonic loci and the location of ribosomal RNA genes while increasing the number of annotated thylacine microRNAs from 62 to 325. We discover a thylacine-specific microRNA isoform that could not have been confirmed without RNA evidence. Finally, we detect traces of RNA viruses, suggesting the possibility of profiling viral evolution. Our results represent the first successful attempt to obtain transcriptional profiles from an extinct animal species, providing thought-to-be-lost information on gene expression dynamics. These findings hold promising implications for the study of RNA molecules across the vast collections of natural history museums and from well-preserved permafrost remains.
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| 8. |
- Vogan, Aaron A., et al.
(author)
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The Enterprise, a massive transposon carrying Spok meiotic drive genes
- 2021
-
In: Genome Research. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (CSHL). - 1088-9051 .- 1549-5469. ; 31:5, s. 789-798
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The genomes of eukaryotes are full of parasitic sequences known as transposable elements (TEs). Most TEs studied to date are relatively small (50 — 12000 bp), but can contribute to very large proportions of genomes. Here we report the discovery of a giant tyrosine-recombinase-mobilized DNA transposon, Enterprise, from the model fungus Podospora anserina. Previously, we described a large genomic feature called the Spok block which is notable due to the presence of meiotic drive genes of the Spok gene family. The Spok block ranges from 110 kb to 247 kb and can be present in at least four different genomic locations within P. anserina, despite what is an otherwise highly conserved genome structure. We have determined that the reason for its varying positions is that the Spok block is not only capable of meiotic drive, but is also capable of transposition. More precisely, the Spok block represents a unique case where the Enterprise has captured the Spoks, thereby parasitizing a resident genomic parasite to become a genomic hyperparasite. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Enterprise (without the Spoks) is found in other fungal lineages, where it can be as large as 70 kb. Lastly, we provide experimental evidence that the Spok block is deleterious, with detrimental effects on spore production in strains which carry it. In contrast to the selfish role of the Enterprise in P. anserina, we speculate that the mobility of the Enterprise may also play an adaptive role in many other fungi, through the horizontal transfer of metabolic genes. This union of meiotic drivers and a transposon has created a selfish element of impressive size in Podospora, challenging our perception of how TEs influence genome evolution and broadening the horizons in terms of what the upper limit of transposition may be.
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| 9. |
- Kushnir, Duncan, 1979, et al.
(author)
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Energy Requirements for production of carbon nanoparticles
- 2008
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 12:3, s. 360-375
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Energy requirements for fullerene and nanotube synthesis are calculated from literature data and presented for a number of important production processes, including fluidized bedand floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (CVD), carbon monoxide disproportionation, pyrolysis, laser ablation,and electric arc and solar furnace synthesis. To produce data for strategic forward-looking assessments of the environmental implications of carbon nanoparticles, an attempt is made to balance generality with sufficient detail for individual processes, a trade-off that will likely be inherent in the analysis of many nanotechnologies. Critical energy and production issues are identified, and potential improvements in industrial-scale processes are discussed. Possible interactions with industrial ecosystems are discussed with a view toward integrating synthesis to mitigate the impacts of large-scale carbon nanoparticle manufacture. Carbon nanoparticles are found to be highly energy-intensive materials, on the order of 2 to 100 times more energy-intensive than aluminum, even with idealizedproduction models.
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| 10. |
- Tukker, Arnold, et al.
(author)
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The Impacts of Household Consumption and Options for Change
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 14:1, s. 13-30
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- This introductory article situates the contributions that comprise this special issue within the field of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) studies. After a brief review of the policy history surrounding SCP, we organize our discussion and the subsequent collection of articles into two groups. The first suite of articles views the environmental impacts associated with household consumption from the perspectives of different consumer groups, income levels, and geographic areas. This work confirms and refines several insights that have been developing over the past several years, namely that food and beverages, mobility, housing, and energy-using products are the most critical consumption domains from the standpoint of environmental sustainability and that higher household income leads to greater (but less than proportional) impacts. The second subset of articles analyzes the potential for mitigating these impacts through behavioral changes and innovation strategies. Though the contributions to this special issue describe several noteworthy examples of information- and team-based initiatives to catalyze behavioral changes, the state of knowledge pertaining to this aspect of the consumption problematique is much more inchoate. Research on the formulation and implementation of effective "change management for sustainable consumption" should be treated as an area of priority attention for industrial ecologists.
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| 11. |
- Fransson, Kristin, 1979, et al.
(author)
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Flows of Chemical Risk Information in the Consumer Paint Product Chain
- 2013
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 17:2, s. 310-320
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study the flows of chemical risk information for paint as a consumer product were investigated from a product chain perspective. The main method of research involved semi-structured interviews with Swedish manufacturers of paint and chemicals. In addition, retailers and consumers were interviewed. The flows of chemical risk information between actors within (e.g., manufacturers, retailers, and consumers) and outside (e.g., industry associations and regulators) the paint product chain are described. Because the European chemical legislation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of CHemicals) plays a large role in the management of chemical risk information at companies, some consequences of REACH on actors in the paint product chain are described. Examples of such consequences are that importing of chemicals from nonEuropean Union (EU) countries may be discouraged and that some low-volume chemicals may no longer be produced. However, manufacturers do not yet see these consequences as impediments to innovation. The results of this work show that chemical risk information is most comprehensive during the manufacturing steps of the product chain. This is due not only to tradition and industry initiatives, but also to REACH and other legislation. The results also illustrate the need for evaluation of how chemical risk information is used in different contexts and the importance of directing the right information at the right target group. Following legislative development, more specialized information is required in the safety data sheet (SDS), and because of this many manufacturers find it necessary to create simplified safety sheets that make the most pertinent safety and hazard information easily accessible to individuals that handle the chemicals in their factories. The study found that in creating the simplified safety sheets, the content and use of chemical risk information is evaluated and adjusted for presentation to this particular target group. It is evident that the Swedish Paint and Printing Ink Makers Association plays an important role in the interpretation of legal requirements and even in agreements for providing information that exceeds legal requirements.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Lindhqvist, Thomas
(author)
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Policies for Waste Batteries
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 14:4, s. 537-540
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 14. |
- Liptow, Christin, 1983, et al.
(author)
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A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Study of Polyethylene Based on Sugarcane and Crude Oil
- 2012
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 16:3, s. 420-435
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A potential strategy for tackling the negative environmental impact of conventional plastics is to produce them from renewable resources. However, such a strategy needs to be assessed quantitatively, by life cycle assessment (LCA) for example. This screening LCA is intended to identify key aspects that influence the environmental impact of sugarcane low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and compare these results against fossil-based LDPE. The study showed that the major contributors to the environmental impact of sugarcane LDPE are ethanol production, polymerization, and long-distance sea transport. The comparison between sugarcane- and oil-based plastics showed that the sugarcane alternative consumes more total energy, although the major share is renewable. Moreover, for their potential impacts on acidification, eutrophication, and photochemical ozone creation, no significant difference between the two materials exists. However, with regard to global warming potential (GWP), the contribution of land use change (LUC) is decisive. Although the range of LUC emissions is uncertain, in the worst case they more than double the GWP of sugarcane LDPE and make it comparable to that of fossil-based LDPE. LUC emissions can thus be significant for sugarcane LDPE, although there is need for a consistent LUC assessment method. In addition, to investigate the influence of methodological choices, this study performed attributional and consequential assessments in parallel. No major differences in key contributors were found for these two assessment perspectives.
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| 15. |
- Manomaivibool, Panate, et al.
(author)
-
Extended producer responsibility in Thailand: Prospects for policies on waste electrical and electronic equipment
- 2011
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 15:2, s. 185-205
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) sheds light on the dimmer side of production and consumption patterns in modern societies. The rapid increase in its quantity and complexity contribute to the challenges it poses to solid waste management systems. Several members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have relied on the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR) to tackle the issue, with varying degrees of success. Several non-OECD countries, including Thailand, are now developing WEEE programs and are looking for lessons from these first movers. This case study aims to provide an understanding both of this context and of the EPR program for WEEE proposed for Thailand. It finds that EPR mechanisms in general, and the proposed buy-back system financed by product fees in Thailand in particular, have a strong potential to consolidate WEEE collection for the formal recycling sector by offering end users monetary incentives. On the negative side, this is an expensive combination of policy instruments, and the institutional design of the governmental fund is rigid. The policy proposal also contains no mechanism for product redesign—one of the objectives in the national WEEE strategy. This article suggests that the effectiveness of the policy might benefit from more flexibility at the compliance scheme level, in order to lessen the monopoly of the governmental fund, as well as the introduction of differentiated fees to promote environmentally friendly products.
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| 16. |
- Tukker, Arnold, et al.
(author)
-
Sustainable Consumption and Production
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 14:1, s. 1-3
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)
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| 17. |
- Berlin, Johanna, 1971, et al.
(author)
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Product Chain Actors’ Potential for Greening the Product Life Cycle The Case of the Swedish Postfarm Milk Chain
- 2008
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 12:1, s. 95-110
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The challenge in working with environmental improvementsis to select the action offering the most substantial progress.However, not all actions are open to all actors in a productchain. This study demonstrates how life cycle assessment(LCA) may be used with an actor perspective in the Swedishpostfarm milk chain. The potential measures were identified,applied by the dairy, retailer, and household, that gave themost environmental improvement in a life cycle perspective.Improved energy efficiency, more efficient transport patterns,reduced milk and product losses, and organic labeling wereinvestigated. Milk, yogurt and cheese were considered. AfterLCAs of the products were established, improvement potentialsof the actors were identified and quantified. The quantificationwas based mostly on literature studies but also onassumptions. Then the LCAs were recalculated to include theestimated improvement potential. To find the action with thegreatest potential, the environmental impacts of the modifiedand original LCAs were compared for each actor. No actionwas superior to any other from the dairy perspective, but reducedwastage lowered most impacts for all three products.For retailers, using less energy is the most efficient improvement.From the household perspective, reducing wastage givesunambiguously positive results. When households choose organicproducts, reductions in energy use and greenhouse gasesare even larger, but eutrophication increases. Overall, householdshave greatest potential for improvement while yogurt isthe product offering the most improvement potential.
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| 18. |
- Kalmykova, Yuliya, 1981, et al.
(author)
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Pathways and Management of Phosphorus in urban areas
- 2012
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 16:6, s. 928-939
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Due to the finite nature of mineral phosphorus reserves, effective management of anthropogenicphosphorus flows is currently under investigation by the international researchcommunity. This article emphasizes the importance of urban phosphorus flows, which areoften marginalized due to the greater magnitude of agricultural phosphorus flows. A studyon phosphorus flows in Gothenburg, Sweden, points out the potential role of solid waste innutrient management, as the amounts of phosphorus in solid waste and in wastewater werefound to be equal. Importation of food commodities accounts for 50% of the total inflowof phosphorus, and food waste is a major contributor of phosphorus to solid waste. Theresults suggest that solid waste incineration residues represent a large underestimated sinkof phosphorus. Focusing on wastewater as the sole source of recovered phosphorus is notsufficient. The Swedish national goal on phosphorus recycling, which is limited to sewagesludge, targets only a part of the total phosphorus flow that can potentially be recovered.In contrast to previous studies, agricultural flows in Gothenburg were marginal comparedto flows related to the urban waste management infrastructure. We emphasize the needfor debate on preferable routes for disposal of waste with a high phosphorus content. Bothrecovery potential and usefulness of the recovered product for agricultural purposes haveto be considered. Impacts of five waste management strategies on phosphorus flows wereevaluated: incineration of all the waste, comprehensive food waste separation, installationof kitchen grinders, urine diversion, and separation of blackwater and food waste.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Arvidsson, Rickard, 1984, et al.
(author)
-
Particle flow analysis. Exploring Potential Use Phase Emissions of Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles from Sunscreen, Paint and Cement
- 2012
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 16:3, s. 343-351
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Several authors have highlighted the potential risks of nanoparticles (NPs). Still, little is knownabout the magnitude of emissions of NPs from society. Here, the method of explorativeparticle flow analysis (PFA), a modification of the more well-known substance flow analysis(SFA), is suggested. In explorative PFA, particle number instead of mass is used as flowand stock metric and explorative scenarios are used to account for potential technologydiffusion and, consequently, potentially higher emissions. The method has been applied ina case study of the use phase of titanium dioxide (TiO2) NPs in paint, sunscreen andself-cleaning cement. The results indicate that the current largest emissions of TiO2 NPsoriginate from the use of sunscreen. One scenario implies that, in the future, the largestflows and stocks of TiO2 NPs could be related to self-cleaning cement. Gaps in currentknowledge are identified and suggestions for future research are given.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Ford, J.S., et al.
(author)
-
Proposed Local Ecological Impact Categories and Indicators for Life Cycle Assessment of Aquaculture : A Salmon Aquaculture Case Study
- 2012
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 16:2, s. 254-265
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study we discuss impact categories and indicators to incorporate local ecological impacts into life cycle assessment (LCA) for aquaculture. We focus on the production stages of salmon farming-freshwater hatcheries used to produce smolts and marine grow-out sites using open netpens. Specifically, we propose two impact categories: impacts of nutrient release and impacts on biodiversity. Proposed indicators for impacts of nutrient release are (1) the area altered by farm waste, (2) changes in nutrient concentration in the water column, (3) the percent of carrying capacity reached, (4) the percent of total anthropogenic nutrient release, and (5) release of wastes into freshwater. Proposed indicators for impacts on biodiversity are (1) the number of escaped salmon, (2) the number of reported disease outbreaks, (3) parasite abundance on farms, and (4) the percent reduction in wild salmon survival. For each proposed indicator, an example of how the indicator could be estimated is given and the strengths and weaknesses of that indicator are discussed. We propose that including local environmental impacts as well as global-scale ones in LCA allows us to better identify potential trade-offs, where actions that are beneficial at one scale are harmful at another, and synchronicities, where actions have desirable or undesirable effects at both spatial scales. We also discuss the potential applicability of meta-analytic statistical techniques to LCA. © 2012 by Yale University.
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| 24. |
- Govindarajan, Venkatesh, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Assessment of environmental impacts of an aging and stagnating water supply pipeline network : City of Oslo 1991-2006
- 2012
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 16:5, s. 722-734
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aging urban infrastructure is a common phenomenon in industrialized countries. The urban water supply pipeline network in the city of Oslo is an example. Even as it faces increasing operational, maintenance, and management challenges, it needs to better its environmental performance by reducing, for instance, the associated greenhouse gas emissions. In this article the authors examine the environmental life cycle performance of Oslo's water supply pipelines by analyzing annual resource consumption and emissions as well as life cycle assessment (LCA) impact potentials over a period of 16 years, taking into account the production/manufacture, installation, operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and retirement of pipelines. It is seen that the water supply pipeline network of Oslo has already reached a state of saturation on a per capita basis, that is, it is not expanding any more relative to the population it serves, and the stock is now rapidly aging. This article is part of a total urban water cycle system analysis for Oslo, and analyzes more specifically the environmental impacts from the material flows in the water distribution network, examining six environmental impact categories using the SimaPro (version 7.1.8) software, Ecoinvent database, and the CML 2001 (version 2.04) methodology. The long-term management of stocks calls for a strong focus on cost optimization, energy efficiency, and environmental friendliness. Global warming and abiotic depletion emerge as the major impact categories from the water pipeline system, and the largest contribution is from the production and installation phases and the medium-size pipelines in the network.
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| 25. |
- Govindarajan, Venkatesh, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Combined MFA-LCA for analysis of wastewater pipeline networks : Case study of Oslo (Norway).
- 2009
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - Malden, MA, USA : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 13:4, s. 532-550
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oslo's wastewater pipeline network has an aging stock of concrete, steel, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipelines, which calls for a good portion of expenditures to be directed toward maintenance and investments in rehabilitation. The stock, as it is in 2008, is a direct consequence of the influx of pipelines of different sizes, lengths, and materials of construction into the system over the years. A material flow analysis (MFA) facilitates an analysis of the environmental impacts associated with the manufacture, installation, operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and retirement of the pipelines. The forecast of the future flows of materials-which, again, is highly interlinked with the historic flows-provides insight into the likely future environmental impacts. This will enable decision makers keen on alleviating such impacts to think along the lines of eco-friendlier processes and technologies or simply different ways of doing business. Needless to say, the operation and maintenance phase accounts for the major bulk of emissions and calls for energy-efficient approaches to this phase of the life cycle, even as manufacturers strive to make their processes energy-efficient and attempt to include captive renewable energy in their total energy consumption. This article focuses on the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the wastewater pipeline network in the city of Oslo.
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| 26. |
- Johansson, Jan, et al.
(author)
-
Reducing Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling : Case Study on Dishwashers
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 14:2, s. 258-269
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Collection and treatment of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is regulated in the European Union by the WEEE Directive. Producers are responsible for take-back and recycling of discarded equipment. Valuable materials are, however, at risk of "getting lost" in current processes. Thus, strategies to minimize losses are sought after. The material hygiene (MH) concept was introduced to address this issue. Structural features, which are important for the outcome of reuse, recovery, and recycling, were investigated in an earlier field study of discarded dishwashers. It was proposed that a prestep, manual removal of copper prior to shredding could increase the purity of recovered material fractions. This article builds on the field study and theoretical reasoning underlying the MH concept. Dishwashers are assumed to be designed for disassembly when the prestep is introduced. A limited life cycle assessment was performed to determine whether the proposed prestep may be environmentally beneficial in a life cycle perspective. Two alternatives were analyzed: Case 1: the current shredding process. Case 2: prestep removal of copper before shredding. Targeted disassembly prior to shredding may reduce the abiotic depletion and global warming potential in a life cycle perspective. The prestep results in increased copper recovery, but, more important, copper contamination of the recovered steel fractions is reduced. The results also highlight the importance of minimizing energy consumption in all process stages.
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| 27. |
- Malmodin, Jens, et al.
(author)
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Greenhouse gas emissions and operational electricity use in the ICT and entertainment & media sectors
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 14:5, s. 770-790
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The positive and negative environmental impacts of information and communication technology (ICT) are widely debated. This study assesses the electricity use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the ICT and entertainment & media (E&M) sectors at sector level, including end users, and thus complements information on the product level. GHGs are studied in a life cycle perspective, but for electricity use, only the operational use is considered. The study also considers which product groups or processes are major contributors. Using available data and extrapolating existing figures to the global scale for 2007 reveals that the ICT sector produced 1.3% of global GHG emissions in 2007 and the E&M sector 1.7%. The corresponding figures for global electricity use were 3.9% and 3.2%, respectively. The results indicate that for the ICT sector, operation leads to more GHG emissions than manufacture, although impacts from the manufacture of some products are significant. For the E&M sector, operation of TVs and production of printed media are the main reasons for overall GHG emissions. TVs as well as printed media, with the estimations made here, led to more GHG emissions on a global level in 2007 than PCs (manufacture and operation). A sector study of this type provides information on a macro scale, a perspective easily lost when considering, for example, the product-related results of life cycle assessments. The macro scale is essential to capture changes in total consumption and use. However, the potential of the ICT sector to help decrease environmental impacts from other sectors was not included in the assessment.
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
- Metson, Genevieve, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Efficiency Through Proximity : Changes in Phosphorus Cycling at the Urban–Agricultural Interface of a Rapidly Urbanizing Desert Region
- 2012
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 16:6, s. 914-927
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In tightly coupled socioecological systems, such as cities, the interactions between socio-economic and biophysical characteristics of an area strongly influence ecosystem function. Very often the effects of socioeconomic activities on ecosystem function are unintended, but can impact the sustainability of a city and can have irreversible effects. The food system in its entirety, from production to treatment of human waste, is one of the most important contributors to the way phosphorus (P) cycles through cities. In this article we examined the changes in P dynamics at the urbanï¿œagricultural interface of the Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area between 1978 and 2008. We found that the contribution of cotton to harvested P decreased while the contribution of alfalfa, which is used as feed for local dairy cows, increased over the study period. This change in cropping pattern was accompanied by growth in the dairy industry and increased internal recycling of P due to dairy cow manure application to alfalfa fields and the local recycling of biosolids and treated wastewater. The proximity of urban populations with dairies and feed production and low runoff in this arid climate have facilitated this serendipitous recycling. Currently P is not strongly regulated or intentionally managed in this system, but farmers’ behaviors, shaped largely by market forces and policies related to water recycling, unintentionally affect P cycling. This underscores the need to move from unintentional to deliberate and holistic management of P dynamics through collaborations between practitioners and researchers in order to enhance urban sustainability.
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| 30. |
- Månsson, Nina, 1972-, et al.
(author)
-
Phasing out cadmium, lead and mercury : Effects on urban stocks and flows
- 2009
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - Hoboken : Yale University. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 13:1, s. 94-111
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Large stocks of metals have accumulated in the urban technosphere (i.e., the physical environment altered by humanactivity). To minimize health and environmental risks, attempts were begun in the 1980s to phase out the use of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg). To study the effect of this attempt, we conducted substance flow analyses (SFAs) in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1995 and in 2002–2003, which allow a comparison of the results over time. The SFAs showed a reduction in the stocks of Cd and Hg by approximately 25% to 30% between 1995 and 2002–2003. For Pb, the stock development was more uncertain. Cd and Hg inflow was substantially reduced during this period, but Pb inflow increased. Amounts of Cd and Pb in waste were still large, whereas Hg flows in waste were decreasing. Furthermore, although emissions of Pb decreased, Cd and Hg emissions were in the same range as in 1995. The application of SFAs has provided unique data on the accumulation of metals in the Stockholm technosphere, thus serving as a valuable indicator of how the phasing out progresses. The changes can be related to regulations, initiatives by industries and organizations, and the proactive attitude of the local environmental authorities and of the water company.
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| 31. |
- Ny, Henrik, et al.
(author)
-
Introducing Templates for Sustainable Product Development : A Case Study of Televisions at the Matsushita Electric Group
- 2008
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : BLACKWELL PUBLISHING. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 12:4, s. 600-623
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have previously developed a method for sustainable product development (MSPD) based on backcasting from basic sustainability principles. The MSPD informs investigations of product-related social and ecological sustainability aspects throughout a concurrent engineering product development process.We here introduce “templates” for sustainable product development (TSPDs) as a complement. The idea is to help product development teams to arrive faster and more easily at an overview of the major sustainability challenges and opportunities of a product category in the early development phases. The idea is also to inform creative communication between top management, stakeholders, and product developers. We present this approach through an evaluation case study, in which the TSPDs were used for a sustainability assessment of televisions (TVs) at the Matsushita Electric Group.We study whether the TSPD approach has the ability to (1) help shift focus from gradual improvements of a selection of aspects in relation to past environmental performance of a product category to a focus on the remaining gap to a sustainable situation, (2) facilitate consensus among organizational levels about major sustainability challenges and potential solutions for a product category, and (3) facilitate continued dialogue with external sustainability experts, identifying improvements that are relevant for strategic sustainable development. Our findings indicate that the TSPD approach captures overall sustainability aspects of the life cycle of product categories and that it has the above abilities.
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| 32. |
- Toller, Susanna, et al.
(author)
-
Energy Use and Environmental impacts of the Swedish Building and Real Estate Management Sector
- 2011
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 15:3, s. 394-404
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One of the key features of environmental policy integration in Sweden is sectorresponsibility. The National Board of Housing, Building and Planning is responsible for the building and real estate management sector and should, as a part of this responsibility, assess the environmental impacts of this sector. The aim of this study is to suggest and demonstrate a method for such an assessment. The suggested method is a life cycle assessment, based on an input-output analysis. The method can be used for regular monitoring and for prioritization between different improving measures. For the assessment to sufficiently cover the Swedish Environmental Quality Objectives, complementary information is needed, in particular with respect to the indoor environment. According to the results, the real estate management sector contributes between 10% and 40% of Swedish energy use; use of hazardous chemical products; generation of solid waste; emissions of gases contributing to climate change; and human toxicological impacts, including nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates. Transport and production of nonrenewable building materials contribute significantly to several of the emissions. Heating of buildings contributes more to energy use than to climate change, due to the use of renewable energy sources. To reduce climate change, measures should therefore prioritize not only heating of buildings but also the important upstream processes.
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
- Ziegler, Friederike, et al.
(author)
-
Extended Life Cycle Assessment of Southern Pink Shrimp Products Originating in Senegalese Artisanal and Industrial Fisheries for Export to Europe
- 2011
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 15:4, s. 527-538
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Southern pink shrimp (Penaeus notialis) are an important Senegalese export commodity. Artisanal fisheries in rivers produce 60%. Forty percent are landed in trawl fisheries at sea. The shrimp from both fisheries result in a frozen, consumer-packed product that is exported to Europe. We applied attributional life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the environmental impact of the two supply chains and identify improvement options. In addition to standard LCA impact categories, biological impacts of each fishery were quantified with regard to landed by-catch, discard, seafloor impact, and size of target catch. Results for typical LCA categories include that artisanal fisheries have much lower inputs and emissions in the fishing phase than does the industrial fishery. For the product from artisanal fisheries, the main part of the impact in the standard LCA categories occurs during processing on land, mainly due to the use of heavy fuel oil and refrigerants with high global warming and ozone depletion potentials. From a biological point of view, each fishery has advantages and drawbacks, and a number of improvement options were identified. If developing countries can ensure biological sustainability of their fisheries and design the chain on land in a resource-efficient way, long distance to markets is not an obstacle to sustainable trading of seafood products originating in artisanal fisheries. © 2011 by Yale University.
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| 35. |
- Ziegler, Friederike, et al.
(author)
-
The Carbon Footprint of Norwegian Seafood Products on the Global Seafood Market
- 2013
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 17:1, s. 103-116
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Greenhouse gas emissions caused by food production are receiving increased attention worldwide. A problem with many studies is that they only consider one product; methodological differences also make it difficult to compare results across studies. Using a consistent methodology to ensure comparability, we quantified the carbon footprint of more than 20 Norwegian seafood products, including fresh and frozen, processed and unprocessed cod, haddock, saithe, herring, mackerel, farmed salmon, and farmed blue mussels. The previous finding that fuel use in fishing and feed production in aquaculture are key inputs was confirmed. Additional key aspects identified were refrigerants used on fishing vessels, product yield, and by-product use. Results also include that product form (fresh or frozen) only matters when freezing makes slower transportation possible. Processing before export was favorable due to the greater potential to use by-products and the reduced need for transportation. The most efficient seafood product was herring shipped frozen in bulk to Moscow at 0.7 kilograms CO2 equivalents per kilogram (kg CO2-eq/kg) edible product. At the other end we found fresh gutted salmon airfreighted to Tokyo at 14 kg CO2-eq/kg edible product. This wide range points to major differences between seafood products and room for considerable improvement within supply chains and in product choices. In fisheries, we found considerable variability between fishing methods used to land the same species, which indicates the importance of fisheries management favoring the most resource-efficient ways of fishing. Both production and consumption patterns matter, and a range of improvements could benefit the carbon performance of Norwegian seafood products.
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| 36. |
- Ebrahimi, Babak, 1987, et al.
(author)
-
Machine learning-based stocks and flows modeling of road infrastructure
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 26:1, s. 44-57
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper introduces a new method to account for the stocks and flows of road infrastructure at the national level based on material flow accounting (MFA). The proposed method closes some of the current shortcomings in road infrastructures that were identified through MFA: (1) the insufficient implementation of prospective analysis, (2) heavy use of archetypes as a way to represent road infrastructure, (3) inadequate attention to the inclusion of dissipative flows, and (4) limited coverage of the uncertainties. The proposed dynamic bottom-up MFA method was tested on the Norwegian road network to estimate and predict the material stocks and flows between 1980 and 2050. Here, a supervised machine learning model was introduced to estimate the road infrastructure instead of archetypical mapping of different roads. The dissipation of materials from the road infrastructure based on tire-pavement interaction was incorporated. Moreover, this study utilizes iterative classified and regression trees, lifetime distributions, randomized material intensities, and sensitivity analyses to quantify the uncertainties.
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| 37. |
- Ahmadi Achachlouei, Mohammad, et al.
(author)
-
Life Cycle Assessment of a Magazine : Part I: Tablet Edition in Emerging and Mature States
- 2015
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 19:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Information and communication technology (ICT) is providing new ways to access media content. ICT has environmental benefits and burdens. The overall goal of the present study was to assess the environmental impacts of production and consumption of magazines read on tablets from a life cycle perspective. Important goals were to identify the activities giving rise to the main impacts and the key factors influencing the overall environmental impacts. Data gaps and uncertainties were also addressed. The results are compared against those for the print edition of the magazine in a separate article (part 2). The methodology used in the study was life cycle assessment. The environmental impacts assessed included climate change, cumulative energy/exergy demand, metal depletion, photochemical oxidant formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater/marine eutrophication, fossil depletion, human toxicity, and ecotoxicity. The results indicate that content production can be the major contributor to environmental impacts if readers are few (as for the emerging version of the magazine studied). Assuming more readers (more mature version) or a larger file size for the tablet magazine, electronic storage and distribution may be the major contributor. Thus, in contrast to previous studies on electronic media, which reported a dominant impact of the use phase, this study found a higher impact for content production (emerging version) and electronic storage and distribution (mature version). However, with inefficient, low overall use of the tablet with a mature version of the tablet magazine, the greatest impact was shown to come from the reading activity (i.e., the use phase). In conclusion, the relative impacts of the tablet magazine would decrease considerably with high numbers of readers, their efficient use of the tablet (i.e., for many purposes over a long life of the device), and a smaller magazine file.
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| 38. |
- Ahmadi Achachlouei, Mohammad, et al.
(author)
-
Life cycle assessment of a magazine : part 2: A comparison of print and tablet editions
- 2015
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 19:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The rapid development of information and communications technology (ICT) is providing new ways to access media content. Electronic media are sometimes more advantageous from an environmental perspective than paper-based media solutions, but ICT-based media can also bring environmental burdens. This study compared the potential environmental impacts in a life cycle perspective of a print edition of a magazine and that of its electronic edition read on a tablet device. Important objectives were to identify activities giving rise to the main environmental impacts for both the print and tablet editions, determine the key factors influencing these impacts, and address data gaps and uncertainties. A detailed assessment of the tablet edition is provided in a previous article (part 1), whereas this article compares it with the print edition. The methodology used was life cycle assessment and the environmental impacts assessed included climate change, cumulative energy/exergy demand, metal depletion, photochemical oxidant formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, marine eutrophication, and fossil depletion. Use of different functional units to compare the print and tablet editions of the magazine resulted in different relative environmental impacts. In addition, emerging (low number of readers and low reading time per copy) and mature (higher number of readers and higher reading time per copy) tablet editions yielded varying results. The emerging tablet edition resulted in higher potential environmental impacts per reader than the print edition, but the mature tablet edition yielded lower impacts per reader in half the impact categories assessed. This illustrates the importance of spreading the environmental impacts over a large number of readers. The electricity mix used in product system processes did not greatly affect the results of tablet/print comparisons, but overall number of readers for the tablet edition, number of readers per copy for the print edition, file size, and degree of use of the tablet device proved crucial for the comparison results.
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| 39. |
- Almeida, Cheila, et al.
(author)
-
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of a Canned Sardine Product from Portugal
- 2015
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 19:4, s. 607-617
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of canned sardines in olive oil, by considering fishing, processing, and packaging, using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The case study concerns a product of a canning factory based in Portugal and packed in aluminum cans. It is the first LCA of a processed seafood product made with the traditional canning method. The production of both cans and olive oil are the most important process in the considered impact categories. The production of olives contributes to the high environmental load of olive oil, related to cultivation and harvesting phases. The production of aluminum cans is the most significant process for all impact categories, except ozone depletion potential and eutrophication potential, resulting from the high energy demand and the extraction of raw materials. To compare to other sardine products consumed in Portugal, such as frozen and fresh sardines, transport to the wholesaler and store was added. The environmental cost of canned sardines is almost seven times higher per kilogram of edible product. The main action to optimize the environmental performance of canned sardines is therefore to replace the packaging and diminish the olive oil losses as much as possible. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by half when plastic packaging is considered rather than aluminum. Frozen and fresh sardines represent much lower environmental impacts than canned sardines. Nevertheless, when other sardine products are not possible, it becomes feasible to use sardines for human consumption, preventing them from being wasted or used suboptimally as feed.
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| 40. |
- Alriksson, Stina, 1971-, et al.
(author)
-
Why Aren't Advanced High–Strength Steels More Widely Used? : Stakeholder Preferences and Perceived Barriers to New Materials
- 2015
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 19:4, s. 645-655
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Advanced high-strength steels may reduce the use of nonrenewable resources and energy given that the amount of material needed is smaller, compared to traditional steel grades. Still, advanced steel grades are not utilized to the extent that could be expected. This study examines stakeholders’ preferences of steel characteristics and perceived barriers to the introduction of new materials. Focus group interviews were used to identify steel characteristics and perceived barriers. Stakeholder preferences of steel characteristics were evaluated through a conjoint analysis; the results showed that low weight was given the highest priority, followed by high impact strength and low price. Low chromium content was the steel characteristic of least interest. Perceived barriers to the introduction of high-strength steel were categorized as technical barriers, knowledge barriers, scrap management barriers, suitability barriers, and cost barriers.
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| 41. |
- Amneklev, Jennie, et al.
(author)
-
Bismuth and Silver in Cosmetic Products : A Source of Environmental and Resource Concern?
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 20:1, s. 99-106
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bismuth (Bi) and silver (Ag) are used in increasing amounts and are consequently being emitted from various sources and showing high accumulation rates in soils when sewage sludge is applied on arable land. This study aimed to analyze the amounts of Bi and Ag in three cosmetic products (foundation, powder, and eye shadow) in order to study the flows in urban wastewater in Stockholm, Sweden. Analyses showed that Bi was present in very high concentrations (7,000 to 360,000 milligrams per kilogram) in one third of the analyzed foundation and powder samples, whereas Ag concentrations all were below the detection limit. These cosmetic products explained approximately 24% of the measured total Bi amounts per year reaching the WWTP (wastewater treatment plant), making cosmetics a major Bi source, whereas for Ag the corresponding contribution was <0.1% of the measured annual Ag amounts. The results were roughly adapted for Europe and the United States, estimating the Bi flows from cosmetics to WWTPs. On a global scale, these flows correspond to a non-negligible part of the world Bi production that, every year, ends up in sewage sludge, limiting the reuse of a valuable metal resource. From an environmental and resource perspective, foundations and powder products should be considered as significant sources of measured Bi amounts in sludge. This large Bi flow must be considered as unsustainable. For Ag, however, the three analyzed cosmetic products are not a significant source of the total Ag load to WWTPs.
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| 42. |
- Amneklev, Jennie, et al.
(author)
-
Monitoring urban copper flows in Stockholm, Sweden : implications of changes over time
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 21:4, s. 903-912
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, a substance flow analysis (SFA) for copper (Cu) was conducted, in which theinflow, stock, and outflow (in the form of diffuse emissions to soil and water) for Stockholmwere estimated for 2013 and compared with a previous study from 1995, hence allowing adiscussion on changes over time. A large number of applications containing Cu were analyzed(including power cables, copper alloys, heavy electrical equipment, tap water systems, roofs,cars, various consumer electronics, wood preservatives, and contact cables for the railroad).The results show that the inflow of Cu to Stockholm has increased between 1995 and 2013,both in total and per person, mainly as the result of an increase in heavy electrical equipment,power cables, and cars. The stock remains relatively unchanged, whereas the outflow hasincreased. For the outflow, the emission increase from brake linings is of greatest quantitativeimportance, with an estimated 5.8 tonnes annual emission of Cu to the environment ofStockholm in 2013 compared to 3.9 tonnes in 1995. Given that increasing inflows of limitedresources drive the global demand, continuous monitoring of flows through society andmanagement of outflow routes are crucial, including improvement of national legislationand regional environmental plans as well as efforts to increase resource-use efficiency andrecycling
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| 43. |
- Andersson-Sköld, Yvonne, 1957-, et al.
(author)
-
Coal tar-containing asphalt : Resource or hazardous waste?
- 2007
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 11:4, s. 99-116
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Coal tar was used in Sweden for the production of asphalt and for the drenching of stabilization gravel until 1973. The tar has high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), some of which may be strongly carcinogenic. Approximately 20 million tonnes of tar-containing asphalt is present in the public roads in Sweden. Used asphalt from rebuilding can be classified as hazardous waste according to the Swedish Waste Act. The cost of treating the material removed as hazardous waste can be very high due to the large amount that has to be treated, and the total environmental benefit is unclear. The transport of used asphalt to landfill or combustion will affect other environmental targets. The present project, based on three case studies of road projects in Sweden, evaluates the consequences of four scenarios for handling the material: reuse, landfill, biological treatment, and incineration. The results show that reuse of the coal tar-containing materials in new road construction is the most favorable alternative in terms of cost, material use, land use, energy consumption, and air emissions.
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| 44. |
- André, Hampus, et al.
(author)
-
A framework to open the black box of the use phase in circular economy life cycle assessments : The case of shell jacket reuse
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Life cycle assessments of circular economy measures (CE LCA) of consumer products have been criticized for oversimplifying important aspects of the use phase such as user behavior and rebound effects, limiting our understanding of the environmental performance of circular economy measures. This study tests the usefulness of a framework designed to facilitate accounting for such aspects, by applying the framework to a case study of reuse of shell jackets enabled by “premium secondhand” outdoor stores. Methods for collecting use phase data were user surveys and interviews with store managers. Using the framework on this case study generated several novel insights which are interesting in themselves and as inputs to CE LCA. For instance, secondhand shell jackets have a significantly lower frequency of use during their first use span compared to the second and to shell jackets in the linear reference scenario. This implies that reuse in this case does not function as a mere use extension of otherwise similar use phases as is commonly assumed. The generation of such insights, which hitherto have been lacking in CE LCAs, points to the usefulness of the framework as a tool for opening the “black box” of the use phase in CE LCAs to improve understanding of the environmental performance of circular economy measures.
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| 45. |
- André, Hampus
(author)
-
Opening the black box of the use phase in circular economy life cycle assessments : Environmental performance of shell jacket reuse
- 2024
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 28:3, s. 542-555
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Life cycle assessment (LCA) is highly needed and widely used to assess the environmental performance of circular economy (CE) measures such as reusing and sharing. However, the results of such LCAs are hampered by limited knowledge about the use phase of consumer products and oversimplification of important use phase aspects such as product functionality, user behavior, displacement, and rebound effects. This paper aims to validate the usefulness of a framework designed to assist practitioners in the generation and utilization of such knowledge in LCAs of circular measures. To validate the framework, a case study is used: reuse of shell jackets enabled by “premium secondhand” stores for outdoor equipment and clothing. The paper demonstrates that conclusions about the environmental performance of reuse can easily be altered depending on the functional unit definition, whether real user behavior data are used, and whether imperfect displacement and rebound effects are considered. For instance, shell jacket life cycles that include reuse and thus may be labeled “circular” have significantly higher environmental impact per use occasion than “linear” ones (used by one principal user the entire lifespan), since “circular” shell jackets are used less frequently, in particular during their first use span. Through facilitating the generation and utilization of environmentally relevant use phase data, which are otherwise often overlooked, the framework seems capable of supporting a better understanding of the environmental performance of CE measures.
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| 46. |
- Arvidsson, Rickard, 1984, et al.
(author)
-
Environmental Assessment of Emerging Technologies: Recommendations for Prospective LCA
- 2018
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 22:6, s. 1286-1294
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The challenge of assessing emerging technologies with life cycle assessment (LCA) has been increasingly discussed in the LCA field. In this article, we propose a definition of prospective LCA: An LCA is prospective when the (emerging) technology studied is in an early phase of development (e.g., small-scale production), but the technology is modeled at a future, more-developed phase (e.g., large-scale production). Methodological choices in prospective LCA must be adapted to reflect this goal of assessing environmental impacts of emerging technologies, which deviates from the typical goals of conventional LCA studies. The aim of the article is to provide a number of recommendations for how to conduct such prospective assessments in a relevant manner. The recommendations are based on a detailed review of selected prospective LCA case studies, mainly from the areas of nanomaterials, biomaterials, and energy technologies. We find that it is important to include technology alternatives that are relevant for the future in prospective LCA studies. Predictive scenarios and scenario ranges are two general approaches to prospective inventory modeling of both foreground and background systems. Many different data sources are available for prospective modeling of the foreground system: scientific articles; patents; expert interviews; unpublished experimental data; and process modeling. However, we caution against temporal mismatches between foreground and background systems, and recommend that foreground and background system impacts be reported separately in order to increase the usefulness of the results in other prospective studies.
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| 47. |
- Arvidsson, Rickard, 1984, et al.
(author)
-
Impacts of a Silver-Coated Future - Particle Flow Analysis of Silver Nanoparticles
- 2011
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 15:6, s. 844-854
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Silver is a compound that is well known for its adverse environmental effects. More recently, silver in the form of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have begun to be produced in increasingly larger amounts for antibacterial purposes in for instance textiles, wound dressings and cosmetics. Several authors have highlighted the potential environmental impact of these NPs. In order to contribute to a risk assessment of Ag NPs, a suggested method named particle flow analysis is applied to estimate current emissions from society to the environment. In addition, explorative scenarios are set up to account for potential technology diffusion of selected Ag NP applications. The results are uncertain and need to be refined, but they indicate that emissions from all applications included may increase significantly in the future. Ag NPs in textiles and electronic circuitry may increase more than in wound dressings due to the limited consumption of wound dressings. Due to the dissipative nature of Ag NPs in textiles, the results indicate that they may cause the highest emissions in the future, thus partly confirming the woes of both scientists and environmental organizations. Gaps in current knowledge have been identified. Especially the fate of Ag NPs during different waste handling processes is outlined as an area that requires more research.
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| 48. |
- Arvidsson, Rickard, 1984, et al.
(author)
-
Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Epitaxial Graphene Production at Different Manufacturing Scales and Maturity
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 21:5, s. 1153-1164
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Epitaxial growth is a potential production process for the new material graphene, where it is grown on silicon carbide (SiC) wafers at high temperatures. We provide first estimates of the life cycle cumulative energy demand, climate change, terrestrial acidification, and ecotoxicity of this production. For this purpose, we applied prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) for three production scenarios (lab, pilot, and an industrial scenario), which reflect different production scales and technological maturity. The functional unit was one square centimeter of graphene. Results show that the three scenarios have similar impacts, which goes against previous studies that have suggested a decrease with larger production scale and technological maturity. The reason for this result is the dominance of electricity use in the SiC wafer production for all impacts (>99% in the worst case, >76% in the best case). Only when assuming thinner SiC wafers in the industrial scenario is there a reduction in impacts by around a factor of 10. A surface-area-based comparison to the life cycle energy use of graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition showed that epitaxial graphene was considerably more energy intensive-approximately a factor of 1,000. We recommend producers of epitaxial graphene to investigate the feasibility of thinner SiC wafers and use electricity based on wind, solar, or hydropower. The main methodological recommendation from the study is to achieve a temporal robustness of LCA studies of emerging technologies, which includes the consideration of different background systems and differences in production scale and technological maturity.
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| 49. |
- Augustsson, Anna, et al.
(author)
-
Persistent hazardous waste and the quest towards a circular economy : the example of arsenic in Chromated Copper Arsenate-treated wood
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 21:3, s. 689-699
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The importance of a circular economy is today widely accepted and advocated, but among the challenges in achieving this, we find difficulties in the implementation of legislation and policies designed to control various waste streams from society. The example used in this article is wood that has been treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which, in Sweden, has been covered by the rules for hazardous waste since 2002. One year later, in 2003, a survey showed that only 42% to 50% of the expected amount of CCA waste could be traced to the public waste management system. An updated material flow analysis for 2010 revealed that the figure had increased to 73%, whereas the fraction of correctly treated CCA wood waste had increased from 11% to 35%. However, almost one third of the expected volume was still not tracable, and half of the amount that was correctly submitted was incinerated together with nontoxic waste fractions. This results in, for example, arsenic contamination of slag and fly ashes that prevents the further use of these residue products. So, despite legislative instruments, there is still an urgent need for an improved collection of hazardous wood waste, as well as better routines for identifying hazardous flows and separating them from nonhazardous ones. For a circular economy to be achievable, a key priority should be to reduce the gap between intended directions and legislation, on one hand, and activities in practice on the other.
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| 50. |
- Axelson, Matilda, et al.
(author)
-
Emission reduction strategies in the EU steel industry : Implications for business model innovation
- 2021
-
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1088-1980 .- 1530-9290. ; 25:2, s. 390-402
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The European steel industry must achieve deep greenhouse gas emission reductions to become climate neutral by 2050. New business models are often proposed as one of the key solutions but are mostly addressed in general terms, without elaborating on or systematically analyzing how these new business models are actually linked to specific mitigation measures or strategies. In this paper, we assess when and to what extent different emission reduction strategies in the EU steel industry have implications for business model innovation. Through a review of 42 recent publications on industrial decarbonization, we identify 9 types of decarbonization strategies for steelmaking and their emission reduction potential. The strategies achieve emission reductions through material efficiency, emission efficiency, or a combination of both. For each strategy, we analyze the need for incremental or radical changes in business models on the basis of a thorough reading of the business model literature. Our findings show that EU steel firms can pursue several strategies to decarbonize without having to radically innovate their business models. Importantly, material efficiency strategies, arguably key to decarbonization, imply more radical changes to business models than emission efficiency strategies. Our study is a first contribution to the systematic assessment of industrial decarbonization strategies from a business model perspective. It is also an attempt to bring more rigor to the understanding of the role of business models in industrial decarbonization.
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