The use of nanorefrigerants in Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC)units is believed to affect the cycle environment performance,but backed with very few relevant studies.For this purpose,a life cycle assessment(LCA)has been pe...The use of nanorefrigerants in Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC)units is believed to affect the cycle environment performance,but backed with very few relevant studies.For this purpose,a life cycle assessment(LCA)has been performed for the ORC system using nanorefrigerant,the material and energy input,characteristic indicators and comprehensive index of environmental impact,total energy consumption and energy payback time(BPBT)of the whole life cycle of ORC system using Al_(2)O_(3)/R141b nanorefrigerant were calculated.Total environmental comprehensive indexes reveal that ECER-135 index decrease by 1.5%after adding 0.2%Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles to R141b.Based on the contribution analysis and sensitivity analysis,it can be found out ORC system manufacturing is of the most critical stage,where,the ECER-135 index of ORC component production is the greatest,followed by the preparation process of R141b,transportation phase,and that of Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles preparation is small.The retirement phase which has good environmental benefits affects the result significantly by recycling important materials.Meanwhile,the main cause and relevant suggestion for improvement were traced respectively.Finally,the environmental impacts of various power generations were compared,and results show that the power route is of obvious advantage.Among the renewable energy,ORC system using Al_(2)O_(3)/R141b nanorefrigerant with minimal environmental impact is only 0.67%of coal-fired power generation.The environmental impact of current work is about 14.34%of other nations’PV results.展开更多
Although the tobacco industry is a significant contributor to energy consumption and carbon emissions its negative environmental impact has received inadequate attention globally.Cigarette factories are a key link in ...Although the tobacco industry is a significant contributor to energy consumption and carbon emissions its negative environmental impact has received inadequate attention globally.Cigarette factories are a key link in the tobacco industry’s production chain,and using data provided by a cigarette factory in China we conduct a life cycle assessment to account for the carbon footprint of cigar production in cigarette factories.The results of the assessment show that factory air conditioning is the most important contributor to the environmental load of the cigar manufacturing process,while electricity is the key factor that contributes the greatest envi‐ronmental load across all of the processes in the product life cycle.In addition,packaging,including small boxes and cigarette cartons,has a significant impact on the industry’s environmental footprint due to its use of raw materials.We find the carbon footprint of the entire production process for cigar products to be 383.59 kg CO_(2) eq.Based on our findings,we suggest ways to optimize cigar/cigarette factory processes to re‐duce carbon emissions that can help to promote sustainable development in related industries.展开更多
This study addresses the comparative carbon emissions of different transportation modes within a unified evaluation framework,focusing on their carbon footprints from inception to disposal.Specifically,the entire life...This study addresses the comparative carbon emissions of different transportation modes within a unified evaluation framework,focusing on their carbon footprints from inception to disposal.Specifically,the entire life cycle carbon emissions of High-Speed Rail(HSR),battery electric vehicles,conventional internal combustion engine vehicles,battery electric buses,and conventional internal combustion engine buses are analyzed.The life cycle is segmented into vehicle manufacturing,fuel or electricity production,operational,and dismantlingrecycling stages.This analysis is applied to the Beijing-Tianjin intercity transportation system to explore emission reduction strategies.Results indicate that HSR demonstrates significant carbon emission reduction,with an intensity of only 24%-32% compared to private vehicles and 47%-89% compared to buses.Notably,HSR travel for Beijing-Tianjin intercity emits only 24% of private vehicle emissions,demonstrating the emission reduction benefits of transportation structure optimization.Additionally,predictive modeling reveals the potential for carbon emission reduction through energy structure optimization,providing a guideline for the development of effective transportation management systems.展开更多
A greenness evaluation index and system of microwave-assisted leaching method were established.The effects of the life cycle assessment variables,such as the resource consumption,environment impact,cost,time and quali...A greenness evaluation index and system of microwave-assisted leaching method were established.The effects of the life cycle assessment variables,such as the resource consumption,environment impact,cost,time and quality,were investigated,and the concept of green degree was applied in the production of synthetic rutile.An analytic hierarchy process was utilized to assess matrix of greenness evaluation.The Gauss-Seidel iterative matrix method was employed to solve the assessment matrix and obtain the weights and membership functions of all evaluation indexes.A fuzzy decision-making method was applied to build the greenness evaluation model,and then the scores of green degree in microwave-assisted leaching process was obtained.The greenness evaluation model was applied to the life cycle assessment of the microwave-assisted leaching process.The results show that the microwave-assisted leaching process has advantages over the conventional ones,with respect to energy-consumption,processing time and environmental protection.展开更多
The success of catalytic schemes for the large-scale valorization of CO_(2) does not only depend on the development of active,selective and stable catalytic materials but also on the overall process design.Here we pre...The success of catalytic schemes for the large-scale valorization of CO_(2) does not only depend on the development of active,selective and stable catalytic materials but also on the overall process design.Here we present a multidisciplinary study(from catalyst to plant and techno-economic/lifecycle analysis)for the production of green methanol from renewable H2 and CO_(2).We combine an in-depth kinetic analysis of one of the most promising recently reported methanol-synthesis catalysts(InCo)with a thorough process simulation and techno-economic assessment.We then perform a life cycle assessment of the simulated process to gauge the real environmental impact of green methanol production from CO_(2).Our results indicate that up to 1.75 ton of CO_(2) can be abated per ton of produced methanol only if renewable energy is used to run the process,while the sensitivity analysis suggest that either rock-bottom H2 prices(1.5$kg1)or severe CO_(2) taxation(300$per ton)are needed for a profitable methanol plant.Besides,we herein highlight and analyze some critical bottlenecks of the process.Especial attention has been paid to the contribution of H2 to the overall plant costs,CH4 trace formation,and purity and costs of raw gases.In addition to providing important information for policy makers and industrialists,directions for catalyst(and therefore process)improvements are outlined.展开更多
The integration of refinery and petrochemical units(IRPUs)has become an inevitable choice for the sustainable development of petrochemical industry.The utilization efficiency of petroleum resources could be improved o...The integration of refinery and petrochemical units(IRPUs)has become an inevitable choice for the sustainable development of petrochemical industry.The utilization efficiency of petroleum resources could be improved obviously through IRPUs.However,integrating economic and environmental impacts into the model of IRPUs is still a grand challenge.Herein,a model called TEA-GHG-OPWM(Techno-Economic Analysis and GreenHouse Gases Oriented Plant-Wide Model)has been established on Aspen HYSYSTM platform to calculate the energy consumption,the technoeconomic performance,and the GHG emissions for two different kinds of schemes,viz,:VRHCU(Vacuum Residue Hydrocracking Unit)and VRDS-RFCC(Vacuum Residue Desulfurization and Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking).Furthermore,a novel processing pathway named VGOHDT-HTMP-DC(Vacuum Gas Oil Hydrotreating,Hydrogenation and TMP coupling process and Delayed Coking)has also been developed to find methods to improve the economic performance based on a ten-million-CNY output value(TMYOV)and a reduced GHG emissions.Our results demonstrate that VRHCRU could consume more energy and emit more GHG(877.11 t of CO2 eq·TMYOV^-1·h^-1)than VRDS-RFCC(817.03 t of CO2 eq·TMYOV^-1·h^-1)and VGOHDT-HTMP-DC(721.96 t of CO2 eq·TMYOV^-1·h^-1),while obtaining a higher mass yield of petrochemicals.The VGOHDT-HTMP-DC process exhibits the lowest feedstock consumption,hydrogen consumption,energy consumption,and GHG emissions,indicating that VGOHDT-HTMP-DC has both well economic and environmentally friendly performance.展开更多
HFC-134a is a widely used environment-friendly refrigerant.At present,China is the largest producer of HFC-134a in the world.The production of HFC-134a in China mainly adopts the calcium carbide acetylene route.Howeve...HFC-134a is a widely used environment-friendly refrigerant.At present,China is the largest producer of HFC-134a in the world.The production of HFC-134a in China mainly adopts the calcium carbide acetylene route.However,the production route has high resource and energy consumption and large waste emission,and few of the studies addressed on the environmental performance of its production process.This study quantified the environmental performance of HFC-134a production by calcium carbide route via carrying out a life cycle assessment(LCA)using the CML 2001 method.And uncertainty analysis by Monte-Carlo simulation was also carried out.The results showed that electricity had the most impact on the environment,followed by steam,hydrogen fluoride and chlorine,and the impact of direct CO_(2) emissions in calcium carbide production stage on the global warming effect also could not be ignored.Therefore,the clean energy(e.g.,wind,solar,biomass,and natural gas)was used to replace coal-based electricity and coal-fired steam in this study,showing considerable environmental benefits.At the same time,the use of advanced production technologies could also improve environmental benefits,and the environmental impact of the global warming category could be reduced by 4.1%via using CO_(2) capture and purification technology.The Chinese database of HFC-134a production established in this study provides convenience for the relevant study of scholars.For the production of HFC-134a,this study helps to better identify the specific environmental hotspots and proposes useful ways to improve the environmental benefits.展开更多
The environmental issues associated with packaging materials have been attracting increasing attention.Life cycle assessment( LCA) is currently the main method used worldwide for evaluating green packaging materials. ...The environmental issues associated with packaging materials have been attracting increasing attention.Life cycle assessment( LCA) is currently the main method used worldwide for evaluating green packaging materials. In this study,the LCA method was used to evaluate the environmental impact of Baosteel’s newly developed process for manufacturing film-laminated steel packaging materials,from raw material mining,production,and processing to their storage,consumption,recycling,and final disposal. The environmental performance and main influencing factors were analyzed and compared. In addition,the life cycle environmental characteristics of film-laminated steel cans,tin-plated steel cans,and aluminum cans were compared. Of the main environmental indicators of the life cycle of the film-laminated steel can,the environmental load of the substrate accounts for the largest proportion,follow ed by electricity. The environmental impact of the production of film materials cannot be ignored. The overall environmental performance of film-laminated steel cans is better than that of aluminum cans.展开更多
The life cycle phase of fossil fuel extraction is mainly considered in the life cycle assessment(LCA)when evaluating the energy production processes.It is then only one of many unit processes,which contribute to the b...The life cycle phase of fossil fuel extraction is mainly considered in the life cycle assessment(LCA)when evaluating the energy production processes.It is then only one of many unit processes,which contribute to the blurring of mining-relevant results.There are few items in the literature focusing exclusively on the lignite mining phase and analysing the specific mining conditions and associated environmental impacts.The article focuses on the LCA of lignite mining processes on the basis of data coming from a Polish mine.The technology for opencast lignite mining is noted for its high production efficiency,high level of recovery and lower risk as regards the safety of workers when compared with underground mining systems.However,the need to remove large amounts of overburden to uncover the deposit contributes to a much greater degradation of the landscape.Analysing the results obtained,several key(hot spot)elements of the lignite mining operations were distinguished for modelling the environmental impact,i.e.:calorific value,the amount of electricity consumption,the manner in which waste and overburden are managed.As a result there is a high sensitivity of the final indicator to changes in these impacts.展开更多
The paper has established an assessment system and a quantitative calculation method of the "implicit" environmental impact including environmental impact indicator,resources consumption indicator and energy...The paper has established an assessment system and a quantitative calculation method of the "implicit" environmental impact including environmental impact indicator,resources consumption indicator and energy consumption indicator. The quantitative calculation of the environmental impact indicator is based on the life cycle assessment system and the evaluation software BEES. The paper identifies normalization reference values and weights for 12 categories of the environmental impact. It also analyzes the environmental impact indicator in life cycle stages,raw materials,transportation,manufacturing,utilization,and end of life. A university refectory project is studied. The result has shown that human health,global warming and acidification are the first three environmental impacts in 12 categories. The environmental impact indicator per m2 of this project is 18.448×10-2 standard human equivalent weight. Moreover,97.3% of the total environmental impact occurs at the raw material stage,in which the most severe environmental impact is cancerous health effect; the global warming is the main impact at the transportation and manufacturing stages; the indoor air quality impact is at the usage stage.展开更多
Cooling the PV surface in a Photovoltaic Thermal system is a pivotal operational aspect to be taken into account to achieve optimized values of performance parameters in a Photovoltaic Thermal System.The experimental ...Cooling the PV surface in a Photovoltaic Thermal system is a pivotal operational aspect to be taken into account to achieve optimized values of performance parameters in a Photovoltaic Thermal System.The experimental design used in this study facilitates the flow of varying concentrations of Zn-water nanofluid in serpentine copper tubing installed at the rear of the PV panel thereby preventing the PV surface temperature from increasing beyond the threshold value at which a decrease in electrical efficiency starts to occur.This fusion of solar thermal with PV devices leads to better electrical and thermal efficiency values resulting in decreased cell degradation over time and maximization of the lifespan of the PV module and the energy output from the PV system.Due to the superior thermal heat properties of nanofluids,their usage in such systems has become increasingly widespread.Life cycle metrics which include Energy Payback period,Energy Production Factor and life cycle conversion efficiency were evaluated for the PVT system by exhaustively chalking fundamental parameters such as embodied energy of the PVT setup and the total energy output from the PVT system.This research aims to be a major milestone in the evolutionary journey of Photovoltaic Thermal modules by guiding the engineers working on the theory,design and implementation of PVT systems towards its economic feasibility,environmental impact and energy sustainability.展开更多
In recent years,life cycle assessment(LCA) method is widely used in green manufacturing,energy saving,and emission reduction of iron and steel production.Based on the carbon steel LCA research and relevant standards a...In recent years,life cycle assessment(LCA) method is widely used in green manufacturing,energy saving,and emission reduction of iron and steel production.Based on the carbon steel LCA research and relevant standards at home and abroad,the application of LCA in stainless steel in Baosteel was studied.Through the study of stainless steel 's goal and scope,life cycle inventory,LCA and interpretation,knowledge and experience of LCA's application in stainless steel was obtained.展开更多
A case of household water tanks, 1000 L capacity, made of RCC, LLDPE and mild steel (stainless steel) was evaluated for life cycle analysis. The scope of the research comprised of the raw materials, energy inputs and ...A case of household water tanks, 1000 L capacity, made of RCC, LLDPE and mild steel (stainless steel) was evaluated for life cycle analysis. The scope of the research comprised of the raw materials, energy inputs and corresponding emissions during all phases of product making such as extraction of raw material, it’s processing, followed by manufacturing and transport, as well as use and reuse of the product. Simapro 8 (System for Integrated environMental Assessment of PROducts), a modelling software, from Dutch PRé Consultants was used to conduct the life cycle analysis. Simapro 8 enables systematic and transparent modelling and analysis of complex life cycles based on the recommendations of the ISO 14040 series of standards. In the present study the most common method which is acceptable worldwide “Recipe Endpoint method” (ReCiPe) was employed. ReCiPe computes the impact categories and classifies them into two classes based on relevant arrays of characterization factors. Simapro addresses impact categories viz. ozone depletion, human toxicity, ionizing radiation, photochemical oxidant formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, climate change, terrestrial ecotoxicity, agricultural land occupation, urban land occupation, natural land transformation, marine ecotoxicity, marine eutrophication, fresh water eutrophication, fresh water ecotoxicity, fossil fuel depletion, minerals depletion, fresh water depletion at the midpoint level. While at the Endpoint level, the impact categories are multiplied by corresponding damage factors and integrated to be represented as three Endpoint level categories, viz. human health, ecosystems and resource depletion. The three endpoint categories are normalized, weighted, and aggregated into a single score. LCA studies indicate that household water tanks of LLDPE have least environmental implications considering impacts on human health, ecosystems and resource depletion as compared to its counterparts viz. Household water tanks made up of mild steel and RCC. The sequence of the material with decreasing impacts is concrete tanks > mild steel tank > LLDPE tanks. The overall assessment is centred on the elements such as material inputs, energy inputs and environmental emissions.展开更多
The main driver for recycling cable wastes is the high value of the conducting metal, while the plastic with its lower value is often neglected. New improved cable plastic recycling routes can provide both economic an...The main driver for recycling cable wastes is the high value of the conducting metal, while the plastic with its lower value is often neglected. New improved cable plastic recycling routes can provide both economic and environmental incentive to cable producers for moving up the “cable plastic waste ladder”. Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment, LCA, of the waste management of the cable scrap is suggested and explained as a method to analyze the pros and cons of different cable scrap recycling options at hand. Economic and environmental data about different recycling processes and other relevant processes and materials are given. Cable producers can use this data and method to assess the way they deal with the cable plastic waste today and compare it with available alternatives and thus illuminate the improvement potential of recycling cable plastic waste both in an environmental and in an economic sense. The methodology applied consists of: cradle-to-gate LCA for waste material to a recycled material (recyclate);quantifying the climate impact for each step on the waste ladder for the specific waste material;the use of economic and climate impact data in parallel;climate impact presented as a span to portray the insecurities related to which material the waste will replace;and possibilities for do-it-yourself calculations. Potentially, the methodology can be useful also for other waste materials in the future.展开更多
The development of renewable energy has become an important issue nowadays owing to the growing concerns about global warming and shortage of fossil fuels. The present study proposes an approach that integrates life c...The development of renewable energy has become an important issue nowadays owing to the growing concerns about global warming and shortage of fossil fuels. The present study proposes an approach that integrates life cycle assessment (LCA), 3E (Energy-Economics-Environment) indicators and multi-criteria analysis (MCA) to evaluate environmental impacts and find the best choice or better choices among various renewable energy development plans. Several alternatives of wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) systems are considered in the case study since they are found to be more feasible in Taiwan in a preliminary study. By using the proposed approach, the result indicates that the major environmental impacts arising from the development of wind turbines and PV systems in Taiwan are the generation of respiratory inorganics and minerals as well as the consumption of fossil fuels. Based on experts’ opinions, the outcome of multi-criteria analysis suggests that wind turbines have more advantages than PV systems in Taiwan. In particular, among the studied systems, a 2500-kW offshore wind turbine system has the greatest integrated performance, and a 4500-kW onshore wind turbine system comes in second.展开更多
The sustainability of the coking industry is supported by reasonable production profit and environmental quality requirements.The traditional measures substantially increased the related costs for enterprises to reach...The sustainability of the coking industry is supported by reasonable production profit and environmental quality requirements.The traditional measures substantially increased the related costs for enterprises to reach standards.This paper aims to develop a comprehensive cost combined environmental impact assessment method that is necessary for the analysis of wastewater treatment systems.Typical three coking wastewater treatment processes in China were evaluated.Results showed that eutrophication dominantly contributed to the overall environmental effect.Improving effluent quality could significantly reduce the total environmental impact.In terms of an economic perspective,the price of raw materials was the main factor that affected the operating cost of comprehensive treatment.Based on subsystem analysis,the pretreatment stage accounted for the majority of environmental and cost burdens,respectively reaching 64%-78%and 64%-86%.Optimizing the pretreatment process by enhancing the efficiency of high concentration raw material recovery and substituting toxic raw materials for extractant could reduce the environmental impact and economic cost by 43.8%and 57%,respectively,which was an effective way to improve the potential performance of coking wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs).展开更多
To reduce the dependency on petroleum-based products and emission of greenhouse gas,renewable biofuels and chemicals play an important role to meet the unmatched energy demands of the rapidly growing population.Howeve...To reduce the dependency on petroleum-based products and emission of greenhouse gas,renewable biofuels and chemicals play an important role to meet the unmatched energy demands of the rapidly growing population.However,most biofuel and chemical products do not reach the commercialization stage,mainly hindered by incomparable economics to petroproducts.Techno-economic assessment(TEA)is a useful tool to estimate eco-nomic performance,and identify bottlenecks for the development of biofuel and chemical production technology,meanwhile,life cycle assessment(LCA)is applied to assess sustainability by reducing the environmental impact of biofuel and chemical production.This present review covers TEA and LCA research progress in the manufacturing of biofuels and biochemical,and discusses the impacts of TEA and LCA results on the development and optimi-zation of biofuel and chemical production.In addition,challenges associated with TEA and LCA of biofuel and biochemical production were briefly overviewed,and potential approaches that may overcome such challenges were discussed enabling viable and sustainable biomanufacturing of fuels and chemicals.Future integrated TEA and LCA studies could significantly promote the economic and sustainable development of the biomanufacturing process.展开更多
Graphene materials have drawn tremendous attention in recent years.The formation of holes and pores on graphene sheets can provide transfer channels and facilitate the ion/electron transport kinetics.In this study,gra...Graphene materials have drawn tremendous attention in recent years.The formation of holes and pores on graphene sheets can provide transfer channels and facilitate the ion/electron transport kinetics.In this study,graphene nanosheets were prepared electrochemically,and then,they were used as the starting material for the preparation of holey graphene(HG)through the KOH activation process.The weight ratio of initial electrochemically exfoliated graphene(EEG)to KOH was optimized according to the morphological features,BET surface area examination,graphene number of layers calculated from XRD patterns,and the ID/IG ratio obtained from Raman analysis.Results showed that increasing the KOH amount led to the achievement of higher values of ID/IG and surface area and less re-stacking of graphene sheets which occurs because of the heat treatment process.The environmental burdens of the production routes for the preparation of EEG and HG were investigated by cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment(LCA).The LCA results of EEG production indicated that electricity with the contributions of 94%,91%,82%,and 75%of the total impact in four environmental categories,including fossil fuel depletion,ozone depletion,global warming,and smog was the main environmental weakness.In the pore generation process,KOH was recognized as the biggest contributor(about 51%to 83%of the total impact)in six impact categories,including ozone depletion,non-carcinogenics,smog,global warming,carcinogenics,and eutrophication which could be attributed to its high consumption amount(21.9 kg).This work offers environmental considerations for the development of sustainable graphene materials.展开更多
The current transition to sustainability and the circular economy can be viewed as a socio-technical response to environmental impacts and the need to enhance the overall performance of the linear production and consu...The current transition to sustainability and the circular economy can be viewed as a socio-technical response to environmental impacts and the need to enhance the overall performance of the linear production and consumption paradigm.The concept of biowaste refineries as a feasible alternative to petroleum refineries has gained popularity.Biowaste has become an important raw material source for developing bioproducts and biofuels.Therefore,effective environmental biowaste management systems for the production of bioproducts and biofuels are crucial and can be employed as pillars of a circular economy.Bioplastics,typically plastics manufactured from bio-based polymers,stand to contribute to more sustainable commercial plastic life cycles as part of a circular economy in which virgin polymers are made from renewable or recycled raw materials.Various frameworks and strategies are utilized to model and illustrate additional patterns in fossil fuel and bioplastic feedstock prices for various governments'long-term policies.This review paper highlights the harmful impacts of fossil-based plastic on the environment and human health,as well as the mass need for eco-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable bioplastics.Utilizing new types of bioplastics derived from renewable resources(e.g.,biowastes,agricultural wastes,or microalgae)and choosing the appropriate end-of-life option(e.g.,anaerobic digestion)may be the right direction to ensure the sustainability of bioplastic production.Clear regulation and financial incentives are still required to scale from niche polymers to large-scale bioplastic market applications with a truly sustainable impact.展开更多
The whole process of biofuel production from Desmodesmus sp.EJ 8-10 cultivated in anaerobic digested wastewater(ADW)under the optimal temperature was evaluated by using the method of Life Cycle Assessment(LCA).The ene...The whole process of biofuel production from Desmodesmus sp.EJ 8-10 cultivated in anaerobic digested wastewater(ADW)under the optimal temperature was evaluated by using the method of Life Cycle Assessment(LCA).The energy efficiency and environment emissions were under considerable for the corresponding parametric study.The functional unit was 1 kg microalgae.It was concluded that the harvest stage was responsible for the main energy consumption during the microalgal whole pyrolysis process.The energy conversion efficiency of the whole process was larger than 1,which indicated that the process was profitable.The environmental impact of the whole process was 1165.67 mPET2000,among which the primary impact on the environment was eutrophication that accounts for 57.36%,followed by photochemical ozone synthesis(22.56%),acidification(17.36%);and global warming(2.73%),respectively.展开更多
基金Fund Project in 2020,China(No.KKZ3202052058)and the support of Scientific Research Fund from Yunnan Education Department in China(No.2022J0064).
文摘The use of nanorefrigerants in Organic Rankine Cycle(ORC)units is believed to affect the cycle environment performance,but backed with very few relevant studies.For this purpose,a life cycle assessment(LCA)has been performed for the ORC system using nanorefrigerant,the material and energy input,characteristic indicators and comprehensive index of environmental impact,total energy consumption and energy payback time(BPBT)of the whole life cycle of ORC system using Al_(2)O_(3)/R141b nanorefrigerant were calculated.Total environmental comprehensive indexes reveal that ECER-135 index decrease by 1.5%after adding 0.2%Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles to R141b.Based on the contribution analysis and sensitivity analysis,it can be found out ORC system manufacturing is of the most critical stage,where,the ECER-135 index of ORC component production is the greatest,followed by the preparation process of R141b,transportation phase,and that of Al_(2)O_(3)nanoparticles preparation is small.The retirement phase which has good environmental benefits affects the result significantly by recycling important materials.Meanwhile,the main cause and relevant suggestion for improvement were traced respectively.Finally,the environmental impacts of various power generations were compared,and results show that the power route is of obvious advantage.Among the renewable energy,ORC system using Al_(2)O_(3)/R141b nanorefrigerant with minimal environmental impact is only 0.67%of coal-fired power generation.The environmental impact of current work is about 14.34%of other nations’PV results.
基金supported by Shandong Natural Science Founda‐tion[Grant No.ZR2023MD079]Shandong Province Social Science Planning Research Project[Grant No.22CKRJ04]+2 种基金Taishan Scholar Project[Grant No.tsqn202103010]Department of Science and Tech‐nology of Shandong Province[Grant No.2021SFGC0904-05]Zaozhuang Science and Technology Bureau[Grant No.2021GH22].
文摘Although the tobacco industry is a significant contributor to energy consumption and carbon emissions its negative environmental impact has received inadequate attention globally.Cigarette factories are a key link in the tobacco industry’s production chain,and using data provided by a cigarette factory in China we conduct a life cycle assessment to account for the carbon footprint of cigar production in cigarette factories.The results of the assessment show that factory air conditioning is the most important contributor to the environmental load of the cigar manufacturing process,while electricity is the key factor that contributes the greatest envi‐ronmental load across all of the processes in the product life cycle.In addition,packaging,including small boxes and cigarette cartons,has a significant impact on the industry’s environmental footprint due to its use of raw materials.We find the carbon footprint of the entire production process for cigar products to be 383.59 kg CO_(2) eq.Based on our findings,we suggest ways to optimize cigar/cigarette factory processes to re‐duce carbon emissions that can help to promote sustainable development in related industries.
基金the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U2268208)Science and Technology Program of China National Railway Group Co.,Ltd.(N2022×037).
文摘This study addresses the comparative carbon emissions of different transportation modes within a unified evaluation framework,focusing on their carbon footprints from inception to disposal.Specifically,the entire life cycle carbon emissions of High-Speed Rail(HSR),battery electric vehicles,conventional internal combustion engine vehicles,battery electric buses,and conventional internal combustion engine buses are analyzed.The life cycle is segmented into vehicle manufacturing,fuel or electricity production,operational,and dismantlingrecycling stages.This analysis is applied to the Beijing-Tianjin intercity transportation system to explore emission reduction strategies.Results indicate that HSR demonstrates significant carbon emission reduction,with an intensity of only 24%-32% compared to private vehicles and 47%-89% compared to buses.Notably,HSR travel for Beijing-Tianjin intercity emits only 24% of private vehicle emissions,demonstrating the emission reduction benefits of transportation structure optimization.Additionally,predictive modeling reveals the potential for carbon emission reduction through energy structure optimization,providing a guideline for the development of effective transportation management systems.
基金Project(2007CB613606)supported by the National Basic Research Program of ChinaProjects(50734007,50974067)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘A greenness evaluation index and system of microwave-assisted leaching method were established.The effects of the life cycle assessment variables,such as the resource consumption,environment impact,cost,time and quality,were investigated,and the concept of green degree was applied in the production of synthetic rutile.An analytic hierarchy process was utilized to assess matrix of greenness evaluation.The Gauss-Seidel iterative matrix method was employed to solve the assessment matrix and obtain the weights and membership functions of all evaluation indexes.A fuzzy decision-making method was applied to build the greenness evaluation model,and then the scores of green degree in microwave-assisted leaching process was obtained.The greenness evaluation model was applied to the life cycle assessment of the microwave-assisted leaching process.The results show that the microwave-assisted leaching process has advantages over the conventional ones,with respect to energy-consumption,processing time and environmental protection.
基金support from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology(KAUST).T.Cordero-Lanzac and A.T.Aguayo acknowledge the financial support received from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation with some ERDF funds(CTQ2016-77812-R)the Basque Government(IT1218-19)+2 种基金T.Cordero-Lanzac also acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Education,Culture and Sport for the award of his FPU grant(FPU15-01666)A.Navajas and L.M.Gandía gratefully acknowledge the financial support from Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia,Innovación y Universidades,and the European Regional Development Fund(ERDF/FEDER)(grant RTI2018-096294-B-C31)L.M.Gandía also thanks Banco de Santander and Universidad Pública de Navarra for their financial support under“Programa de Intensificación de la Investigación 2018”initiative.
文摘The success of catalytic schemes for the large-scale valorization of CO_(2) does not only depend on the development of active,selective and stable catalytic materials but also on the overall process design.Here we present a multidisciplinary study(from catalyst to plant and techno-economic/lifecycle analysis)for the production of green methanol from renewable H2 and CO_(2).We combine an in-depth kinetic analysis of one of the most promising recently reported methanol-synthesis catalysts(InCo)with a thorough process simulation and techno-economic assessment.We then perform a life cycle assessment of the simulated process to gauge the real environmental impact of green methanol production from CO_(2).Our results indicate that up to 1.75 ton of CO_(2) can be abated per ton of produced methanol only if renewable energy is used to run the process,while the sensitivity analysis suggest that either rock-bottom H2 prices(1.5$kg1)or severe CO_(2) taxation(300$per ton)are needed for a profitable methanol plant.Besides,we herein highlight and analyze some critical bottlenecks of the process.Especial attention has been paid to the contribution of H2 to the overall plant costs,CH4 trace formation,and purity and costs of raw gases.In addition to providing important information for policy makers and industrialists,directions for catalyst(and therefore process)improvements are outlined.
基金The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21978325 and 21776312)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(20CX06073A,20CX06095A,and 20CX06096A).
文摘The integration of refinery and petrochemical units(IRPUs)has become an inevitable choice for the sustainable development of petrochemical industry.The utilization efficiency of petroleum resources could be improved obviously through IRPUs.However,integrating economic and environmental impacts into the model of IRPUs is still a grand challenge.Herein,a model called TEA-GHG-OPWM(Techno-Economic Analysis and GreenHouse Gases Oriented Plant-Wide Model)has been established on Aspen HYSYSTM platform to calculate the energy consumption,the technoeconomic performance,and the GHG emissions for two different kinds of schemes,viz,:VRHCU(Vacuum Residue Hydrocracking Unit)and VRDS-RFCC(Vacuum Residue Desulfurization and Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking).Furthermore,a novel processing pathway named VGOHDT-HTMP-DC(Vacuum Gas Oil Hydrotreating,Hydrogenation and TMP coupling process and Delayed Coking)has also been developed to find methods to improve the economic performance based on a ten-million-CNY output value(TMYOV)and a reduced GHG emissions.Our results demonstrate that VRHCRU could consume more energy and emit more GHG(877.11 t of CO2 eq·TMYOV^-1·h^-1)than VRDS-RFCC(817.03 t of CO2 eq·TMYOV^-1·h^-1)and VGOHDT-HTMP-DC(721.96 t of CO2 eq·TMYOV^-1·h^-1),while obtaining a higher mass yield of petrochemicals.The VGOHDT-HTMP-DC process exhibits the lowest feedstock consumption,hydrogen consumption,energy consumption,and GHG emissions,indicating that VGOHDT-HTMP-DC has both well economic and environmentally friendly performance.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foun-dation of China(22008198)and(21536009)Science and Technol-ogy Plan Projects of Shaanxi Province,China(2017ZDCXL-GY-10-03)Industrialization Cultivation Project of Education Ministry of Shaanxi province,China(19JK0854).
文摘HFC-134a is a widely used environment-friendly refrigerant.At present,China is the largest producer of HFC-134a in the world.The production of HFC-134a in China mainly adopts the calcium carbide acetylene route.However,the production route has high resource and energy consumption and large waste emission,and few of the studies addressed on the environmental performance of its production process.This study quantified the environmental performance of HFC-134a production by calcium carbide route via carrying out a life cycle assessment(LCA)using the CML 2001 method.And uncertainty analysis by Monte-Carlo simulation was also carried out.The results showed that electricity had the most impact on the environment,followed by steam,hydrogen fluoride and chlorine,and the impact of direct CO_(2) emissions in calcium carbide production stage on the global warming effect also could not be ignored.Therefore,the clean energy(e.g.,wind,solar,biomass,and natural gas)was used to replace coal-based electricity and coal-fired steam in this study,showing considerable environmental benefits.At the same time,the use of advanced production technologies could also improve environmental benefits,and the environmental impact of the global warming category could be reduced by 4.1%via using CO_(2) capture and purification technology.The Chinese database of HFC-134a production established in this study provides convenience for the relevant study of scholars.For the production of HFC-134a,this study helps to better identify the specific environmental hotspots and proposes useful ways to improve the environmental benefits.
文摘The environmental issues associated with packaging materials have been attracting increasing attention.Life cycle assessment( LCA) is currently the main method used worldwide for evaluating green packaging materials. In this study,the LCA method was used to evaluate the environmental impact of Baosteel’s newly developed process for manufacturing film-laminated steel packaging materials,from raw material mining,production,and processing to their storage,consumption,recycling,and final disposal. The environmental performance and main influencing factors were analyzed and compared. In addition,the life cycle environmental characteristics of film-laminated steel cans,tin-plated steel cans,and aluminum cans were compared. Of the main environmental indicators of the life cycle of the film-laminated steel can,the environmental load of the substrate accounts for the largest proportion,follow ed by electricity. The environmental impact of the production of film materials cannot be ignored. The overall environmental performance of film-laminated steel cans is better than that of aluminum cans.
文摘The life cycle phase of fossil fuel extraction is mainly considered in the life cycle assessment(LCA)when evaluating the energy production processes.It is then only one of many unit processes,which contribute to the blurring of mining-relevant results.There are few items in the literature focusing exclusively on the lignite mining phase and analysing the specific mining conditions and associated environmental impacts.The article focuses on the LCA of lignite mining processes on the basis of data coming from a Polish mine.The technology for opencast lignite mining is noted for its high production efficiency,high level of recovery and lower risk as regards the safety of workers when compared with underground mining systems.However,the need to remove large amounts of overburden to uncover the deposit contributes to a much greater degradation of the landscape.Analysing the results obtained,several key(hot spot)elements of the lignite mining operations were distinguished for modelling the environmental impact,i.e.:calorific value,the amount of electricity consumption,the manner in which waste and overburden are managed.As a result there is a high sensitivity of the final indicator to changes in these impacts.
基金supported by the Special Research Foundation of Doctoral Subjects in University of China (No.20050487017)
文摘The paper has established an assessment system and a quantitative calculation method of the "implicit" environmental impact including environmental impact indicator,resources consumption indicator and energy consumption indicator. The quantitative calculation of the environmental impact indicator is based on the life cycle assessment system and the evaluation software BEES. The paper identifies normalization reference values and weights for 12 categories of the environmental impact. It also analyzes the environmental impact indicator in life cycle stages,raw materials,transportation,manufacturing,utilization,and end of life. A university refectory project is studied. The result has shown that human health,global warming and acidification are the first three environmental impacts in 12 categories. The environmental impact indicator per m2 of this project is 18.448×10-2 standard human equivalent weight. Moreover,97.3% of the total environmental impact occurs at the raw material stage,in which the most severe environmental impact is cancerous health effect; the global warming is the main impact at the transportation and manufacturing stages; the indoor air quality impact is at the usage stage.
文摘Cooling the PV surface in a Photovoltaic Thermal system is a pivotal operational aspect to be taken into account to achieve optimized values of performance parameters in a Photovoltaic Thermal System.The experimental design used in this study facilitates the flow of varying concentrations of Zn-water nanofluid in serpentine copper tubing installed at the rear of the PV panel thereby preventing the PV surface temperature from increasing beyond the threshold value at which a decrease in electrical efficiency starts to occur.This fusion of solar thermal with PV devices leads to better electrical and thermal efficiency values resulting in decreased cell degradation over time and maximization of the lifespan of the PV module and the energy output from the PV system.Due to the superior thermal heat properties of nanofluids,their usage in such systems has become increasingly widespread.Life cycle metrics which include Energy Payback period,Energy Production Factor and life cycle conversion efficiency were evaluated for the PVT system by exhaustively chalking fundamental parameters such as embodied energy of the PVT setup and the total energy output from the PVT system.This research aims to be a major milestone in the evolutionary journey of Photovoltaic Thermal modules by guiding the engineers working on the theory,design and implementation of PVT systems towards its economic feasibility,environmental impact and energy sustainability.
文摘In recent years,life cycle assessment(LCA) method is widely used in green manufacturing,energy saving,and emission reduction of iron and steel production.Based on the carbon steel LCA research and relevant standards at home and abroad,the application of LCA in stainless steel in Baosteel was studied.Through the study of stainless steel 's goal and scope,life cycle inventory,LCA and interpretation,knowledge and experience of LCA's application in stainless steel was obtained.
文摘A case of household water tanks, 1000 L capacity, made of RCC, LLDPE and mild steel (stainless steel) was evaluated for life cycle analysis. The scope of the research comprised of the raw materials, energy inputs and corresponding emissions during all phases of product making such as extraction of raw material, it’s processing, followed by manufacturing and transport, as well as use and reuse of the product. Simapro 8 (System for Integrated environMental Assessment of PROducts), a modelling software, from Dutch PRé Consultants was used to conduct the life cycle analysis. Simapro 8 enables systematic and transparent modelling and analysis of complex life cycles based on the recommendations of the ISO 14040 series of standards. In the present study the most common method which is acceptable worldwide “Recipe Endpoint method” (ReCiPe) was employed. ReCiPe computes the impact categories and classifies them into two classes based on relevant arrays of characterization factors. Simapro addresses impact categories viz. ozone depletion, human toxicity, ionizing radiation, photochemical oxidant formation, particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, climate change, terrestrial ecotoxicity, agricultural land occupation, urban land occupation, natural land transformation, marine ecotoxicity, marine eutrophication, fresh water eutrophication, fresh water ecotoxicity, fossil fuel depletion, minerals depletion, fresh water depletion at the midpoint level. While at the Endpoint level, the impact categories are multiplied by corresponding damage factors and integrated to be represented as three Endpoint level categories, viz. human health, ecosystems and resource depletion. The three endpoint categories are normalized, weighted, and aggregated into a single score. LCA studies indicate that household water tanks of LLDPE have least environmental implications considering impacts on human health, ecosystems and resource depletion as compared to its counterparts viz. Household water tanks made up of mild steel and RCC. The sequence of the material with decreasing impacts is concrete tanks > mild steel tank > LLDPE tanks. The overall assessment is centred on the elements such as material inputs, energy inputs and environmental emissions.
文摘The main driver for recycling cable wastes is the high value of the conducting metal, while the plastic with its lower value is often neglected. New improved cable plastic recycling routes can provide both economic and environmental incentive to cable producers for moving up the “cable plastic waste ladder”. Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment, LCA, of the waste management of the cable scrap is suggested and explained as a method to analyze the pros and cons of different cable scrap recycling options at hand. Economic and environmental data about different recycling processes and other relevant processes and materials are given. Cable producers can use this data and method to assess the way they deal with the cable plastic waste today and compare it with available alternatives and thus illuminate the improvement potential of recycling cable plastic waste both in an environmental and in an economic sense. The methodology applied consists of: cradle-to-gate LCA for waste material to a recycled material (recyclate);quantifying the climate impact for each step on the waste ladder for the specific waste material;the use of economic and climate impact data in parallel;climate impact presented as a span to portray the insecurities related to which material the waste will replace;and possibilities for do-it-yourself calculations. Potentially, the methodology can be useful also for other waste materials in the future.
文摘The development of renewable energy has become an important issue nowadays owing to the growing concerns about global warming and shortage of fossil fuels. The present study proposes an approach that integrates life cycle assessment (LCA), 3E (Energy-Economics-Environment) indicators and multi-criteria analysis (MCA) to evaluate environmental impacts and find the best choice or better choices among various renewable energy development plans. Several alternatives of wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) systems are considered in the case study since they are found to be more feasible in Taiwan in a preliminary study. By using the proposed approach, the result indicates that the major environmental impacts arising from the development of wind turbines and PV systems in Taiwan are the generation of respiratory inorganics and minerals as well as the consumption of fossil fuels. Based on experts’ opinions, the outcome of multi-criteria analysis suggests that wind turbines have more advantages than PV systems in Taiwan. In particular, among the studied systems, a 2500-kW offshore wind turbine system has the greatest integrated performance, and a 4500-kW onshore wind turbine system comes in second.
基金funding by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51978643)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDA21021102)+2 种基金14th Five-year Informatization Plan of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Construction of Scientific Data Center System(WX145XQ07-12)Youth Innovation Promotion Association,CAS(Y201814)the National Youth Talent Support Program of China
文摘The sustainability of the coking industry is supported by reasonable production profit and environmental quality requirements.The traditional measures substantially increased the related costs for enterprises to reach standards.This paper aims to develop a comprehensive cost combined environmental impact assessment method that is necessary for the analysis of wastewater treatment systems.Typical three coking wastewater treatment processes in China were evaluated.Results showed that eutrophication dominantly contributed to the overall environmental effect.Improving effluent quality could significantly reduce the total environmental impact.In terms of an economic perspective,the price of raw materials was the main factor that affected the operating cost of comprehensive treatment.Based on subsystem analysis,the pretreatment stage accounted for the majority of environmental and cost burdens,respectively reaching 64%-78%and 64%-86%.Optimizing the pretreatment process by enhancing the efficiency of high concentration raw material recovery and substituting toxic raw materials for extractant could reduce the environmental impact and economic cost by 43.8%and 57%,respectively,which was an effective way to improve the potential performance of coking wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs).
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFC2103500)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21878241,22178281)the Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of Shaanxi Province(2022JC-09).
文摘To reduce the dependency on petroleum-based products and emission of greenhouse gas,renewable biofuels and chemicals play an important role to meet the unmatched energy demands of the rapidly growing population.However,most biofuel and chemical products do not reach the commercialization stage,mainly hindered by incomparable economics to petroproducts.Techno-economic assessment(TEA)is a useful tool to estimate eco-nomic performance,and identify bottlenecks for the development of biofuel and chemical production technology,meanwhile,life cycle assessment(LCA)is applied to assess sustainability by reducing the environmental impact of biofuel and chemical production.This present review covers TEA and LCA research progress in the manufacturing of biofuels and biochemical,and discusses the impacts of TEA and LCA results on the development and optimi-zation of biofuel and chemical production.In addition,challenges associated with TEA and LCA of biofuel and biochemical production were briefly overviewed,and potential approaches that may overcome such challenges were discussed enabling viable and sustainable biomanufacturing of fuels and chemicals.Future integrated TEA and LCA studies could significantly promote the economic and sustainable development of the biomanufacturing process.
文摘Graphene materials have drawn tremendous attention in recent years.The formation of holes and pores on graphene sheets can provide transfer channels and facilitate the ion/electron transport kinetics.In this study,graphene nanosheets were prepared electrochemically,and then,they were used as the starting material for the preparation of holey graphene(HG)through the KOH activation process.The weight ratio of initial electrochemically exfoliated graphene(EEG)to KOH was optimized according to the morphological features,BET surface area examination,graphene number of layers calculated from XRD patterns,and the ID/IG ratio obtained from Raman analysis.Results showed that increasing the KOH amount led to the achievement of higher values of ID/IG and surface area and less re-stacking of graphene sheets which occurs because of the heat treatment process.The environmental burdens of the production routes for the preparation of EEG and HG were investigated by cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment(LCA).The LCA results of EEG production indicated that electricity with the contributions of 94%,91%,82%,and 75%of the total impact in four environmental categories,including fossil fuel depletion,ozone depletion,global warming,and smog was the main environmental weakness.In the pore generation process,KOH was recognized as the biggest contributor(about 51%to 83%of the total impact)in six impact categories,including ozone depletion,non-carcinogenics,smog,global warming,carcinogenics,and eutrophication which could be attributed to its high consumption amount(21.9 kg).This work offers environmental considerations for the development of sustainable graphene materials.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2018YFE0107100)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31772529)the Priority of Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD 4013000011).
文摘The current transition to sustainability and the circular economy can be viewed as a socio-technical response to environmental impacts and the need to enhance the overall performance of the linear production and consumption paradigm.The concept of biowaste refineries as a feasible alternative to petroleum refineries has gained popularity.Biowaste has become an important raw material source for developing bioproducts and biofuels.Therefore,effective environmental biowaste management systems for the production of bioproducts and biofuels are crucial and can be employed as pillars of a circular economy.Bioplastics,typically plastics manufactured from bio-based polymers,stand to contribute to more sustainable commercial plastic life cycles as part of a circular economy in which virgin polymers are made from renewable or recycled raw materials.Various frameworks and strategies are utilized to model and illustrate additional patterns in fossil fuel and bioplastic feedstock prices for various governments'long-term policies.This review paper highlights the harmful impacts of fossil-based plastic on the environment and human health,as well as the mass need for eco-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable bioplastics.Utilizing new types of bioplastics derived from renewable resources(e.g.,biowastes,agricultural wastes,or microalgae)and choosing the appropriate end-of-life option(e.g.,anaerobic digestion)may be the right direction to ensure the sustainability of bioplastic production.Clear regulation and financial incentives are still required to scale from niche polymers to large-scale bioplastic market applications with a truly sustainable impact.
基金This research was supported by the Beijing Municipal Natural Science Fund-Key project of science and technology plan of Beijing Education Committee(KZ201810011017)Beijing Municipal Education Commission General Project(KM201810011002)+4 种基金Chinese National 13th five-year Plan for Key R&D Projects(2018YFD0400804)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51806242 and No.41942006)Public Opening Project of the Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy,Ministry of Agriculture,China(Grant No.2017008)the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund(Grant No.2019TC010)and the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund-Special Project for“Double First-Class”Initiative of College of Engineering-Agricultural Mechanization and Equipment Engineering,China Agricultural University.We also appreciate for the supports from Beijing Municipal Key Discipline of Biomass Engineering.
文摘The whole process of biofuel production from Desmodesmus sp.EJ 8-10 cultivated in anaerobic digested wastewater(ADW)under the optimal temperature was evaluated by using the method of Life Cycle Assessment(LCA).The energy efficiency and environment emissions were under considerable for the corresponding parametric study.The functional unit was 1 kg microalgae.It was concluded that the harvest stage was responsible for the main energy consumption during the microalgal whole pyrolysis process.The energy conversion efficiency of the whole process was larger than 1,which indicated that the process was profitable.The environmental impact of the whole process was 1165.67 mPET2000,among which the primary impact on the environment was eutrophication that accounts for 57.36%,followed by photochemical ozone synthesis(22.56%),acidification(17.36%);and global warming(2.73%),respectively.