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| 2. |
- Elginoz, Nilay, et al.
(author)
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Application and adaptation of a scale-up framework for life cycle assessment to resource recovery for waste systems
- 2022
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In: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) studies are widely used for evaluating emerging resource recovery systems. Simulations, engineering-based process calculations and stoichiometric methods are frequently used methods to generate life cycle inventory (LCI) in prospective LCAs. The engineering-based upscaling calculation is an efficient method for LCI generation requiring fewer resources than simulations. This study aims to test an engineering-based upscaling method for LCI generation and adapt it to biochemical resource recovery processes. The method's validity for biochemical resource recovery processes was tested using data for biogas generation by anaerobic digestion in laboratory, pilot, and full scales, and using a combination of lab-scale data and kinetic equations. Biogas generation was chosen for two reasons: (1) there are several emerging technologies based on anaerobic digestion with products other than biogas, and (2) data is available for different scales. The results showed, a substantial difference between the methane production amount in actual and conceptual plants, is an important cause of the variation in impact category results. Different estimations of fugitive emissions have an important impact on the global warming potential results. Combination of lab-scale data and kinetic equations approximates best with the actual plant for the abiotic depletion, eutrophication, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming and photochemical ozone creation potentials. The results are sensitive to biogas generation amount in several categories.
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| 3. |
- Elginoz, Nilay, et al.
(author)
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Construction of a large water treatment plant : appraisal of environmental hotspots
- 2019
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In: Desalination and Water Treatment. - : DESALINATION PUBL. - 1944-3994 .- 1944-3986. ; 172, s. 309-315
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The objective of this study is to examine the environmental impacts arising from the construction phase of a large conventional water treatment plant located in Istanbul by adopting a life cycle assessment methodology. The facility has a maximum flow rate of 400,000 m(3)/d and serves a population of about 2,600,000. A conventional treatment technology composed of rock and fine screens, aeration, coagulation-flocculation units, clarifiers, filters, chlorination, and sludge handling units, is used in the plant. The functional unit is 1,000 kg (1 m(3)) treated water. The investigated environmental impact categories are: global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), abiotic depletion potential fossil (ADP fossil), freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity potential (FAETP), human toxicity potential ( HTP), marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential (MAETP), and terrestrial ecotoxicity potential (TETP). The main contributors to GWP, AP, EP, and HTP are concrete and structural steel. FAETP and TETP are mostly arising due to the polyvinyl chloride pipelines and membranes, and the concrete used. The main shares in MAETP are concrete, aluminum, and structural steel. Transportation does not have a significant contribution to environmental impacts.
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| 4. |
- Elginoz, Nilay, et al.
(author)
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Ex-ante life cycle assessment of volatile fatty acid production from dairy wastewater
- 2020
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In: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : ELSEVIER SCI LTD. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 269
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The transition from wastewater treatment plants to wastewater resource recovery facilities has led to research into and development of various new processes. The production from wastewater of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), an intermediate product of anaerobic digestion, is one of these processes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental sustainability of VFA production from dairy wastewater, which is still in the laboratory research phase, and to investigate the discrepancies between lab-scale and conceptual full-scale life cycle assessment (LCA) results. In laboratory-scale LCA, electricity consumption for mixing and heating is the major contributor to all impact categories. The material usage and disposal of these materials also contribute significantly to the environmental impacts. Full-scale LCA results show that heating of the reactor and addition of NaOH during the operation stage are the main contributors. Scenario analysis is conducted for heating device efficiency and operating temperature. The recommendations are to use alternative chemicals to NaOH or to co-treat dairy wastewater with alkaline wastewater, using a heating device with a high efficiency, and to try experiments at lower temperatures. There are discrepancies between the LCA results based on laboratory data and upscale data, meaning that there is a further need for investigation of upscaling for LCA purposes.
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| 5. |
- Elginoz, Nilay, et al.
(author)
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Life Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Food Waste Management System
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2571-581X. ; 4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study has been to investigate the environmental impacts of an innovative food waste management system and compare it with landfilling as a conventional waste management option. The investigated system is still in the laboratory research and development phase. Therefore, inventory data of the laboratory scale food waste management system was collected and then up-scaled for life cycle assessment purposes. The proposed system consists of a hygenization reactor followed by a fermenter and then a centrifuge. The system converts food waste into volatile fatty acid-rich supernatant. Functional unit is management of 1 ton food waste. The results indicate that the proposed system is a better option than landfilling in terms of all impact categories. The produced VFA-rich supernatant is supposed to be used as a replacement for methanol in the denitrification process. In one of the impact categories (ozone depletion potential) the avoided burdens are higher than the burdens and the system provides net gain (-2.82E-07 kg R11 eq.). Majority of the environmental burdens in the proposed system are due to heat consumption for hygenization. Including sludge disposal in the investigated system boundary increases the environmental burdens but the burdens are still lower compared to landfilling option.
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| 6. |
- Hansson, Julia, 1978, et al.
(author)
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Biodiesel from Bark and Black Liquor—A Techno-Economic, Social, and Environmental Assessment
- 2024
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In: Energies. - Göteborg : IVL Svenska Miljöinstitutet. - 1996-1073 .- 1996-1073. ; 17:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A techno-economic assessment and environmental and social sustainability assessments of novel Fischer–Tropsch (FT) biodiesel production from the wet and dry gasification of biomass-based residue streams (bark and black liquor from pulp production) for transport applications are presented. A typical French kraft pulp mill serves as the reference case and large-scale biofuel-production-process integration is explored. Relatively low greenhouse gas emission levels can be obtained for the FT biodiesel (total span: 16–83 g CO2eq/MJ in the assessed EU countries). Actual process configuration and low-carbon electricity are critical for overall performance. The site-specific social assessment indicates an overall positive social effect for local community, value chain actors, and society. Important social aspects include (i) job creation potential, (ii) economic development through job creation and new business opportunities, and (iii) health and safety for workers. For social risks, the country of implementation is important. Heat and electricity use are the key contributors to social impacts. The estimated production cost for biobased crude oil is about 13 €/GJ, and it is 14 €/GJ (0.47 €/L or 50 €/MWh) for the FT biodiesel. However, there are uncertainties, i.e., due to the low technology readiness level of the gasification technologies, especially wet gasification. However, the studied concept may provide substantial GHG reduction compared to fossil diesel at a relatively low cost.
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| 7. |
- Karacal, Pelin Nur, et al.
(author)
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Environmental burdens of cataphoresis process
- 2019
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In: Desalination and Water Treatment. - : DESALINATION PUBL. - 1944-3994 .- 1944-3986. ; 172, s. 301-308
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The objective of this study is to appraise the environmental burdens of a cataphoresis process, most widely used surface coating operation in automotive sector. An industry having an annual production of around 6,100 trucks and busses is investigated by adopting life cycle assessment methodology. This study is a pioneering one performed with the actual data obtained from a Turkish automotive factory. The impact categories evaluated are climate change, acidification potential, particulate matter and respiratory inorganics, photochemical ozone formation, ecotoxicity freshwater potential, terrestrial eutrophication potential, freshwater eutrophication potential, marine eutrophication potential, human toxicity midpoint cancer effects, ozone depletion potential, and resource depletion (water). The total energy consumption of the cataphoresis process is approximately 12.5 kWh/m(2). Electrodeposition coating and the following ultrafiltration water rinse baths are the main sources of the environmental impacts. The contribution of transportation has insignificant effects on environmental impacts for all categories. Furthermore, energy consumption has substantial influence on almost all of the environmental impact categories. The results related to various energy scenarios conducted with wind, photovoltaic and hard coal instead of Turkish grid electricity indicate the usage of wind energy lowers all impacts.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Owusu-Agyeman, Isaac, et al.
(author)
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Conceptual system for sustainable and next-generation wastewater resource recovery facilities
- 2023
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 885, s. 163758-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Shifting the concept of municipal wastewater treatment to recover resources is one of the key factors contributing to a sustainable society. A novel concept based on research is proposed to recover four main bio-based products from mu-nicipal wastewater while reaching the necessary regulatory standards. The main resource recovery units of the pro-posed system include upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor for the recovery of biogas (as product 1) from mainstream municipal wastewater after primary sedimentation. Sewage sludge is co-fermented with external organic waste such as food waste for volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production as precursors for other bio-based production. A por-tion of the VFA mixture (product 2) is used as carbon sources in the denitrification step of the nitrification/denitrifica-ti on process as an alternative for nitrogen removal. The other alternative for nitrogen removal is the partial nitrification/anammx process. The VFA mixture is separated with nanofiltration/reverse osmosis membrane technol-ogy into low-carbon VFAs and high-carbon VFAs. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (as product 3) is produced from the low -carbon VFAs. Using membrane contactor-based processes and ion-exchange techniques, high-carbon VFAs are recovered as one-type VFA (pure VFA) and in ester forms (product 4). The nutrient-rich fermented and dewatered bio-solid is applied as a fertilizer. The proposed units are seen as individual resource recovery systems as well as a concept of an integrated system. A qualitative environmental assessment of the proposed resource recovery units confirms the positive environmental impacts of the proposed system.
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| 10. |
- Ozkan, Elif, et al.
(author)
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Environmental sensitivity of printed circuit board manufacturing to Cu recycling rate, transportation and various energy sources
- 2020
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In: International Journal of Global Warming (IJGW). - : INDERSCIENCE ENTERPRISES LTD. - 1758-2083 .- 1758-2091. ; 20:3, s. 237-248
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study concentrates on environmental impacts of PCB manufacturing. The objective is to examine the effect of Cu recycling rate, transportation, energy sources and end-of-life (EoL) on global warming potential (GWP), marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential (MAEP), terrestric ecotoxicity potential (TETP), freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity potential (FAETP), human toxicity potential (HTP), ozone layer depletion (ODP), photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP), eutrophication potential (EP), acidification potential (AP) and abiotic depletion potential (ADP fossil, ADP elements) potentials. Increasing Cu recycling rate from 30% to 47%, reduce the impacts by 10 to 103%. The most significant reduction is for HTP. Transportation elevates AP and POCP by 29%, ADP fossil by 23% and GWP by 21%. Obtaining energy from renewable sources causes 56, 40 and 39% reductions in HTP, ADP fossil and GWP, namely. Apart from GWP where PCB manufacturing and EoL has equal impacts, for the other categories PCB manufacturing has more than 75% contribution.
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