Dissertations / Theses: 'Life-cycle emission'

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Dodoo, Ambrose. "Life cycle primary energy use and carbon emission of residential buildings." Doctoral thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för teknik och hållbar utveckling, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-14942.

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In this thesis, the primary energy use and carbon emissions of residential buildings are studied using a system analysis methodology with a life cycle perspective. The analysis includes production, operation, retrofitting and end-of-life phases and encompasses the entire natural resource chain. The analysis focuses, in particular, on to the choice of building frame material; the energy savings potential of building thermal mass; the choice of energy supply systems and their interactions with different energy-efficiency measures, including ventilation heat recovery systems; and the effectiveness of current energy-efficiency standards to reduce energy use in buildings. The results show that a wood-frame building has a lower primary energy balance than a concrete-frame alternative. This result is primarily due to the lower production primary energy use and greater bioenergy recovery benefits of wood-frame buildings. Hour-by-hour dynamic modeling of building mass configuration shows that the energy savings due to the benefit of thermal mass are minimal within the Nordic climate but varies with climatic location and the energy efficiency of the building. A concrete-frame building has slightly lower space heating demand than a wood-frame alternative, because of the benefit of thermal mass. However, the production and end-of-life advantages of using wood framing materials outweigh the energy saving benefits of thermal mass with concrete framing materials. A system-wide analysis of the implications of different building energy-efficiency standards indicates that improved standards greatly reduce final energy use for heating. Nevertheless, a passive house standard building with electric heating may not perform better than a conventional building with district heating, from a primary energy perspective. Wood-frame passive house buildings with energy-efficient heat supply systems reduce life cycle primary energy use. An important complementary strategy to reduce primary energy use in the building sector is energy efficiency improvement of existing buildings, as the rate of addition of new buildings to the building stock is low. Different energy efficiency retrofit measures for buildings are studied, focusing on the energy demand and supply sides, as well as their interactions. The results show that significantly greater life cycle primary energy reduction is achieved when an electric resistance heated building is retrofitted than when a district heated building is retrofitted. For district heated buildings, the primary energy savings of energy efficiency measures depend on the characteristics of the heat production system and the type of energy efficiency measures. Ventilation heat recovery (VHR) systems provide low primary energy savings where district heating is based largely on combined heat and power (CHP) production. VHR systems can produce substantial final energy reduction, but the primary energy benefit largely depends on the type of heat supply system, the amount of electricity used for VHR and the airtightness of buildings. Wood-framed buildings have substantially lower life cycle carbon emissions than concrete-framed buildings, even if the carbon benefit of post-use concrete management is included. The carbon sequestered by crushed concrete leads to a significant decrease in CO2 emission. However, CO2 emissions from fossil fuels used to crush the concrete significantly reduce the carbon benefits obtained from the increased carbonation due to crushing. Overall, the effect of carbonation of post-use concrete is small. The post-use energy recovery of wood and the recycling of reinforcing steel both provide higher carbon benefits than post-use carbonation. In summary, wood buildings with CHP-based district heating are an effective means of reducing primary energy use and carbon emission in the built environment.

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Belcastro, Elizabeth Lynn. "Life Cycle Analysis of a Ceramic Three-Way Catalytic Converter." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32342.

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The life cycle analysis compares the environmental impacts of catalytic converters and the effects of not using these devices. To environmentally evaluate the catalytic converter, the emissions during extraction, processing, use of the product are considered. All relevant materials and energy supplies are evaluated for the catalytic converter. The goal of this life cycle is to compare the pollutants of a car with and without a catalytic converter. Pollutants examined are carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The main finding is that even considering materials and processing, a catalytic converter decreases the CO, HC and NOx pollutant emissions. The CO2 emissions are increased with a catalytic converter, but this increase is small relative to the overall CO2 emissions. The majority of catalytic converter pollutants are caused by the use phase, not extraction or processing. The life cycle analysis indicates that a catalytic converter decreases damage to human health by almost half, and the ecosystem quality damage is decreased by more than half. There is no damage to resources without a converter, as there are no materials or energy required; the damages with a converter are so small that they are not a significant factor. Overall, catalytic converters can be seen as worthwhile environmental products when considering short term effects like human health effects of smog, which are their design intent. If broader environmental perspectives that include climate change are considered, then the benefits depend on the weighting of these different environmental impacts.
Master of Science

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Näslund, Eriksson Lisa. "Forest-Fuel Systems : Comparative Analyses in a Life Cycle Perspective." Doctoral thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för teknik och hållbar utveckling, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-206.

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Forest fuels can be recovered, stored and handled in several ways and these different ways have different implications for CO2 emissions. In this thesis, comparative analyses were made on different forest-fuel systems. The analyses focused on the recovery and transport systems. Costs, primary energy use, CO2 emissions, storage losses and work environment associated with the use of forest fuel for energy were examined by using systems analysis methodology in a life cycle perspective. The bundle system showed less dry-matter losses and lower costs than the chip system. The difference was mainly due to more efficient forwarding, hauling and large-scale chipping. The potential of allergic reactions by workers did not differ significantly between the systems. In difficult terrain types, the loose material and roadside bundling systems become as economical as the clearcut bundle system. The stump and small roundwood systems showed the greatest increase in costs when the availability of forest fuel decreased. Stumps required the greatest increase in primary energy use. Forest fuels are a limited resource. A key factor is the amount of biomass recovered per hectare. Combined recovery of logging residues, stumps and small roundwood from thinnings from the same forest area give a high potential of reduced net CO2 emissions per hectare of forest land. Compensation fertilization becomes more cost-effective and the primary energy use for ash spreading becomes low – about 0,25‰. The total amount of available forest fuel in Sweden is 66 TWh per year. This would cost 1 billion €2007 to recover and would avoid 6.9 Mtonne carbon if fossil coal were replaced. In southern Sweden almost all forest fuel is obtainable in high-concentration areas where it is easy to recover. When determining potential CO2 emissions avoidance, the transportation distance was found to be less important than the other factors considered in this work. The type of transportation system did not have a significant influence over the CO2 avoided per hectare of forest land. The most important factor analysed here was the type of fossil fuel (coal, oil or natural gas) replaced together with the net amount of biomass recovered per hectare of forest land. Large-scale, long-distance transportation of biofuels from central Sweden has the potential to be cost-effective and also attractive in terms of CO2 emissions. A bundle recovery system meant that more biomass per hectare could be delivered to end-users than a pellet system due to conversion losses when producing pellets.

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Andrews, Susan Deborah. "Life cycle assessment and the design of ultra-low and zero-emission vehicles in the UK." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/8898.

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Hosseinzadeh, zaribaf Behnaz. "Life cycle energy and GHG emission of renewable diesel production from cornstover and switchgrass in U.S." Thesis, KTH, Urbana och regionala studier, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-118235.

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Gendre, Laura. "A study of emission of nanoparticles during physical processing of aged polymer-matrix nanocomposites." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2016. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/12381.

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Nanotechnology research and its commercial applications have experienced an exponential rise in the recent decades. Although there are a lot of studies with regards to toxicity of nanoparticles, the exposure to nanoparticles, both in terms of quality and quantity, during the life cycle of nanocomposites is very much an unknown quantity and an active area of research. Unsurprisingly, the regulations governing the use and disposal of nanomaterials during its life cycle are behind the curve. This work aims to assess the quantity of nanoparticles released along the life cycle of nanocomposites. Machining operations such as milling and drilling were chosen to simulate the manufacturing of nanocomposites parts, and impact testing to recreate the end-of-life of the materials. Several studies have tried to simulate different release scenarios, however these experiments had many variables and in general were not done in controlled environments. In this study, a reliable method was developed to assess the release of nanoparticles during machining and low velocity impact of nanocomposites. The development and validation of a new prototype used for measurement and monitoring of nanoparticles in a controlled environment is presented, as along with release experiments on different nanocomposites. Every sample tested was found to release nanoparticles irrespective of the mechanical process used or the type of material tested. Even neat polymers released nanoparticles when subjected to mechanical forces. The type of matrix was identified to play a major role on the quantity of nanoparticles release during different process. Thermoset polymers (and especially polyester) were found to release a higher number concentration of particles, mainly due to their brittle properties. A polyester sample was found to release up to 48 times more particles than a polypropylene one during drilling. The nanofiller type and percentage used to reinforce the polymer is also a key point. For example, the addition of 2 wt.% of nano-alumina into polyester increases the number concentration of particles by 106 % following an impact. The nanofiller chosen and its quantity affect the mechanical properties and machinability of the composites and therefore its nanoparticles release potential. The mechanical process and the process parameters chosen were also found to be crucial with regards to the nanoparticles released with different trends observed during drilling and impact of similar materials. Finally, thermal ageing of nanocomposites increases the number concentration of nanoparticles released (by 8 to 17 times after 6 weeks).

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Krbalová, Maria. "Posuzování vlivu na životní prostředí při konstrukci výrobních strojů z pohledu emise vybraných skleníkových plynů." Doctoral thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta strojního inženýrství, 2016. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-256573.

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The presented doctoral thesis is focused on environmental impact assessment of basic engineering materials used in a production machine construction. Ecological profile of the machine itself develops already in the phase of its design. It is not only about the choice of future machine parameters and materials that it is built from, but also about technologies used for its manufacture and operation conditions of the finished machine (consumption of energy and service fluids). The thesis occupies in detail with environmental impact analysis of the production machine design from the viewpoint of material production that mentioned machine consists of. The output from the performed analysis is methodology for evaluating of machine design from the viewpoint of greenhouse gas emissions. Created methodology enables evaluating of machine ecological profile and its possible adjustments even during pre-production stage. In the first part of the thesis the analysis of current legislation in the field of fighting against climate changes, reducing of products energy consumption and increasing of production machines energy efficiency is presented. Also in this part of the thesis description of methods that were used to achieve thesis goals is stated. Furthermore analysis of production machine as a system of structural components that fulfil the certain functions and description of used basic engineering materials are presented. The second part of the thesis is devoted to environmental impact analysis of the production machine design process. There the design process and environmental impact of machine design are described. This is followed by description of production machine life cycle and detailed analysis of undesirable substances emissions emitted during pre-production phases of machine life cycle (i.e. during the raw materials extraction and materials production). From this analysis the particular constituents’ pre-production phases which are sources of undesirable substances emissions (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions) were derived. The thesis also includes analysis of these constituents’ life cycles and description of electric power generation as a basic constituent of any phase of product life cycle. In this part of the thesis calculations of particular fuel type’s amounts that is required to produce 1 MWh of electric power and carbon dioxide amount produced during electric power generation are presented. The third part of the thesis contains created models of manufacturing processes of basic engineering materials and calculations of related emissions of selected greenhouse gases. The practical output from this part of the thesis is methodology that enables environmental impact assessment of machine design from the viewpoint of engineering materials used in its construction.

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Sharma, Sabita. "Life Cycle Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste Management regarding Green House Gas Emission: A Case Study of Östersund Municipality, Sweden." Thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för teknik och hållbar utveckling, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-17409.

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This study aims to undertake a comprehensive analysis of different waste management systems for the wastes produced in Östersund municipality of Sweden with an impact assessment limited to greenhouse gas emissions and their total environmental effects in terms of global warming potential, acidification potential, and eutrophication potential. A life cycle assessment methodology is used by integrating knowledge from waste collection, transportation, waste management processes and the product utilization. The analytical framework included the definition of functional unit, system boundaries, complimentary system design, waste management, and partial use of the energy. Three different municipal solid waste management scenarios, incineration, composting, and digestion were considered for the study. All wastes from Östersund municipality were classified into biodegradable and combustible and thereafter treated for energy and compost production. Greenhouse gas emissions and total environmental impacts were quantified and evaluated their corresponding benefits compared to three different types of marginal energy production system. The results showed that the major greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions are greater in composting scenario, whereas methane emission is greater in digestion scenario. Composting scenario that uses additional coal fuel has greater global warming potential and acidification potential compared to other scenarios. Composting scenario using wood fuel additional energy has greater eutrophication potential. The highest reduction in global warming potential is achieved when digestion scenario replace coal energy. The greater reduction in acidification and eutrophication potential achieved when digestion scenario replaced coal energy, and wood fuel respectively. Based on the assumptions made, digestion scenario appears to be the best option to manage solid waste of Östersund municipality if the municipality goal is to reduce total environmental impact. Although there may have plentiful of uncertainties, digestion and incineration scenario results are competitive in reducing environmental effects, and based on the assumptions and factors used for the analysis, the results and conclusions from this study appear to be strong. Key words: Solid waste, incineration, composting, digestion, total environmental effect, wood fuel, biogas.

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Fredén, Johanna. "Analys och beräkning av emissionsfaktorer för växthusgaser." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-134385.

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An increased awareness about the global warming has created a demand for more information on how the climate is affected by different activities.This master thesis was initiated by Tricorona, a Swedish company that offers its customers analysis and calculation of their climate impact. Tricorona also supplies climate neutralisation with CERs, in accordance with the Kyoto protocol and controlled by the UN. This work demands updated emission factors for greenhouse gases. An emission factor gives information about the greenhouse gasintensity of a service or a product [kg CO2-eq./ functional unit].The purpose of this thesis is to examine how electricity, district heating, hotels, taxis, food and materials affect the climate and how emission factors for these areas can be calculated.This was done by reviewing and comparing different studies and by interviewing experts. The information was evaluated and recommendations on calculations and emission factors were made.The consumption of energy is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions for district heating, electricity, hotels, taxis and materials. For food production the biogenic greenhousegas emissions are also important, such as the emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide from land use and the methane emissions from ruminants.For climate impact assessment of electricity, district heating, hotels and taxis it is recommended that the calculations should be based on an average consumption of energy. All types of energy carriers should be included in the calculations and the emission factors used should be based on Life Cycle Assessments. Climate impact assessments based on energy consumption is a simplification that underestimates the real greenhouse gas emissions. The recommended emission factors are associated with some uncertainties that originate from the quality of the data used, the assumptions made and the system boundaries that were chosen.Despite that, the recommended emission factors can be considered representative since they are based on the best available data. For food and materials it is recommended that emissionfactors from Life Cycle Inventories should be used.

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Pontarollo, Gianni. "Environmental life cycle cost analysis, a review of economic, energy and green house gas emission impacts of asphalt and concrete pavements." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape4/PQDD_0025/MQ50363.pdf.

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Raouz, Khalid. "Environmental Impact Assessment of aPhotovoltaic Power Station in Stockholm." Thesis, KTH, Energiteknik, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-209911.

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The paper at hand presents the environmental impact analysis of a photovoltaic (PV) power station sited in Stockholm, Sweden, using life cycle assessment (LCA). The LCA considers the primary energy return on investment and global warming potential of the PV-station, including; resource extraction, manufacturing, transportation, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning. Other environmental impact indicators are also presented, such as; the eutrophication, acidification, human toxicity, and ozone depletion potentials. The results show that the most critical phase of the lifecycle is the upgrade from metallurgical to solar grade silicon due to the high consumption of energy. The emissions results are compared to the emissions factors used for calculations in Sweden in accordance with the Swedish Energy agency and the European Commission’s directive for emissions calculations. The results for the other environmental indicators showed inconsistencies compared to existing studies, something that is according to the IEA’s guideline for PV-systems LCA caused by data scarcity and the indicators lacking consensus within the PV LCA-community. The studied PV-station is expected to reach energy neutrality after 2,4 years and offset annual GHG emissions of up to18 ton of CO 2 equivalents.
Studien tillhands presenterar miljöutvärderingen av en fotovoltaisk solcellsanläggning i Stockholm. Detta utfördes med hjälp av livscykelanalysverktyget. Analysen använder energiåterbetalningstiden och den globala uppvärmningspotentialen som indikatorer på anläggningens miljöinverkan. Både återbetalningstiden och den globala uppvärmningspotentialen beräknas för gruvarbetet, transporten, drift och underhåll samt avveckling och bortskaffning av anläggningen. Överföringsförluster beräknas också över anläggningens livscykel. Andra indikatorer som beräknas i denna studie är potentialen för försurning, övergödning, ozonnedbrytning och humantoxicitet. Dessa beräknas endast för modulens tillverkningskedja. Studiens resultat visar att den mest kritiska processen under solcellsanläggningens livscykel är kiselmetallens omvandling till solkisel, detta med avseende på energiförbrukningen och utsläpp av växthusgaser. Anläggningens globala uppvärmningspotential uttrycks i växthusgasutsläpp och jämförs med den nordiska elmixens utsläppsfaktor. Jämförelsen görs enligt dem gällande EU-direktiven. Resultaten för dem andraindikatorerna har visat på väsentliga avvikelser jämfört med tidigare studier. Detta beror enligt det internationella energirådet på databrist och på att dessa indikatorer saknar stöd inomLCA samfundet. Solcellsanläggningen beräknas bli energineutral efter 2,4 år samt eutralisera utsläpp på upp till 18 ton koldioxidekvivalenta per år.

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Unsbo, Hanna. "Update of the LCA-software WAMPS : Proposing new emission factors and investigating the implications." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-302402.

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In recent decades, life cycle assessment (LCA) has become a commonly used approach worldwide when studying environmental impacts linked to waste management systems. These systems are of a complex nature which includes everything from technical solutions, the environmental influence, and various stakeholders. To facilitate studies within this area of research, different LCA models are often utilised. WAMPS is a software specifically developed for assessing the environmental and economic impacts for a waste management system. During recent years, the work to bring the model up to date has begun as the software has not been modernised since it was developed in the early 2000s. The purpose of this degree project is to propose new emission factors for recycling and virgin production of glass, aluminium, steel, and plastic. In addition to this, the study intends to investigate how the implementation of the new figures may affect the results obtained in WAMPS. To fulfil the purpose of the thesis, LCI datasets were collected for each material and evaluated according to three DQIs (Temporal representativeness, geographical representativeness, and documentation). New emission factors were developed based on the evaluation and discussions within the project group, to ensure that all relevant activities of the studied life cycles were included. The implications from implementing the new emission factors were investigated through a comparison with the old values. This was conducted through comparing the obtained results from WAMPS per one tonne of material as well as for a simple scenario. The evaluation of the collected LCI data shows that many of the datasets represent average production in countries within Europe and that the data were generally older than five years old. The results show that the datasets were primarily well documented according to the criterion utilised in this study. Processes from EcoInvent were mainly used to develop the proposed emission factors. The implementation of the new emission factors in WAMPS resulted in significant change in potential environmental impact per tonne of material. Especially for the impact category photooxidation formation. For the scenario, the results indicated that a significant change in potential environmental burden is received when implementing the new emission factors. A reduction in total impact was obtained for all categories where eutrophication showed the largest absolute difference. The developed emission factors are considered appropriate based on the design of this thesis. However, it is concluded that these have several limitations that are important to take into account if these were to be implemented in WAMPS in the future. In addition, it is considered established that an update may be considered reasonable based on the result obtained.
Under de senaste decennierna har livscykelanalys (LCA) blivit ett vanligt tillvägagångssätt världen över vid analyser av potentiella miljöeffekter kopplade till avfallshanteringssystem. Dessa system är av komplex natur och inkluderar allt från teknologiska lösningar, miljöpåverkan samt flera intressenter. För att underlätta dessa studier används idag ofta olika LCA-modeller. WAMPS är ett program som är särskilt utvecklad för att bedöma både miljömässiga- och ekonomiska konsekvenser kopplat till avfallshanteringssystem. Under de senaste åren har arbetet med att uppdatera modellen påbörjat eftersom programvaran inte har uppdaterats sedan början av 2000-talet. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att föreslå nya emissionsfaktorer för återvinning och jungfrulig produktion av glas, aluminium, stål, och plast. Utöver detta avser studien att studera hur implementeringen av de nya siffrorna inverkar på resultatet som erhålls i WAMPS. För att uppfylla tesen av detta arbete samlades LCI data in för varje material och utvärderades enligt tre DQI:er (Temporal representativitet, geografisk representativitet och dokumentation). Nya utsläppsfaktorer utvecklades baserat på utvärderingen och genom diskussioner inom projektgruppen. Framförallt för att säkerhetsställa att alla relevanta aktiviteter i de studerade livscyklerna är inkluderade. Konsekvenserna av implementeringen av utsläppsfaktorerna undersöktes genom en jämförelse av resultat som erhölls i WAMPS då de nya samt de tidigare faktorerna nyttjas. Detta gjordes både per ton material samt genom ett enkelt scenario. Utvärderingen av den insamlade LCI datan påvisar att många av dataseten representerar genomsnittlig produktion inom Europa och att datan generellt var insamlad för minst 5 år sedan. Resultatet påvisar att dataseten är väldokumenterad enlig indikatorn som ställts upp i denna studie. Främst användes processer från EcoInvent för att utveckla de nya emissionsfaktorerna. Implementeringen av emissionsfaktorerna i WAMPS resulterade i signifikanta skillnader i potentiell miljöpåverkan per ton material, främst för bildning av fotooxid. För fallet med scenariot indikerade studiens resultat att en betydande förändring av den potentiella miljöbelastningen erhålls när de nya utsläppsfaktorerna implementeras. Dessutom påvisades en minskning av miljöeffekterna för alla kategorier varav eutrofiering visade den största absoluta skillnaden. Slutligen anses de utvecklade emissions faktorerna vara lämpliga utifrån utformningen av denna tes. Dock dras slutsatsen att dessa har flertalet begränsningar som är viktiga att ta i hänsyn ifall dessa implementeras i WAMPS i framtiden. Dessutom anses det vara fastställt att en fortsatt uppdatering kan anses rimlig utifrån det erhållna resultatet.

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Vossberg, Cherilyn. "A life cycle based energy and greenhouse gas emission assessment of C&D waste and container glass recycling in the City of Cape Town." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11922.

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The rate at which the world is consuming energy is growing, and with climate change an immediate concern (Stern, 2006), it is incumbent for the global society to find alternate ways of fuelling human activity. Along with greater energy use, global development is also generating ever-greater quantities of waste. Landfill space is becoming increasingly scarce and the assimilative capacity of Earth is reaching its limits. Society's current approach to the production, consumption, and disposal of goods is likely unsustainable. The goal of this research was to assess the difference in cumulative energy demand (CED) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for two waste management options: landfilling and recycling for the two materials of Construction and Demolition (C&D) rubble and container glass in the City of Cape Town (CCT) in order to determine which option has the lower climate impact.

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Alfredsson, Eva. "Green consumption energy use and carbon dioxide emission." Doctoral thesis, Umeå universitet, Kulturgeografi, 2002. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-80.

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The aim of this thesis is to explore the quantitative potential to reduce energy requirements and CO2 emissions through changed patterns of consumption, given unchanged levels of consumption expenditure. The thesis question is analysed using a systems analysis approach which in this case means that life cycle assessment data on energy requirements and CO2 emissions related to household consumption are combined with a financial and behavioural analysis to make sure that the budget constraint is kept and that both the first and second order effects of adopting a green consumption pattern are analysed. The budget constraints are kept using a general linear model. By using marginal propensities to spend to direct the reallocation of saved or deficit money calculated utility is maintained as far as possible. Further, investigations explore the impact of individual household demographic characteristics and geographic context on household consumption patterns, energy requirements and CO2 emissions. The key result of this thesis is that changed household behaviour, choosing “green“ products and energy efficient technology will not make a big difference. What can be achieved in the short time perspective by adopting an almost completely green consumption pattern and energy efficient technology is a reduction of energy requirements by around 8% and CO2 emissions by around 13%. With a longer time perspective and further technological change that provides additional possibilities to move consumption patterns in a greener direction, the effect on energy requirements and CO2 emissions is still fairly small. By 2020, the potential to reduce energy requirements is around 13% and CO2 emissions around 25%. In the most extreme scenario (2050), the scope for reducing energy requirements is 17% and for CO2 emissions 30%. All these reductions will be outpaced by growth in income almost as soon as they are implemented. Of policy relevance the results reveal that very limited impact can be expected by a policy relying on greener consumption patterns, whether adopted voluntarily or as a result of incentives such as tax changes. Such a policy cannot achieve more than a small and temporary reduction to growth in energy requirements and CO2 emissions. It is also shown that, prescribing specific consumption patterns as a means of reducing energy requirements and CO2 emissions has to be done with care. This is illustrated by one of the experiments in which adopting a partly green consumption pattern, a green diet, in fact increased total energy requirements and CO2 emissions. This, and the results of all the other experiments show the importance of applying a systems approach. It demonstrates that life cycle data alone are irrelevant for assessing the total effects of adopting green consumption patterns. Further research on the potential to reduce energy requirements and CO2 emissions thus primarily needs to better capture system wide effects rather than to improve on, and fine tune the measurement of the energy requirements and CO2 emissions related to individual products.

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Andersson, Lucas, and Tim Fjällström. "LCC och LCA-baserad jämförelse mellan batteridriven och bensindriven produkt." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för maskinteknik (MT), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-96203.

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Många länder försöker minska sitt användande av fossila bränslen och istället använda sig utav förnyelsebara alternativ. Ett vanligt sätt att göra detta är att gå från bensindrivna motorer till eldrivna. Denna studie undersöker därför produkter ur samma produktsortiment som har samma grundfunktion och användningsområde men olika drivmedel. Syftet med detta är att få ökad förståelse för produkternas kostnader samt öka förståelsen för hur deras drift påverkar miljön. Studien genomfördes som en fallstudie på Swepac i Ljungby. Studiens genomförande följer delar ur LCC, LCA, CELA och break-even metoder för att kunna uppnå syftet. Miljöpåverkan mäts i koldioxidekvivalenter och en omräkningsfaktor används för att omvandla utsläppen till ett monetärt värde som går att använda i beräkningar av kostnader. Resultatet visar att ett break-even mellan maskinerna uppstår efter 6.9 år, livslängden är dock 5 år. Både miljöpåverkan, drift- och underhållskostnader är lägre för den eldrivna, dock gör den stora skillnaden i inköpspris att det tar lång tid innan ett break-even uppstår.
Many countries are trying to reduce the usage of fossil fuels and instead they are trying to find renewable alternatives. A common way to do this is to go from gasoline engines to electric engines. The purpose of the study is to gain a greater understanding of the products costs and environmental impact during their usage. The study was conducted as a case study at Swepac, Ljungby. The study’s implementation follows parts from LCC, LCA, CELA and the breakeven method in order to achieve the purpose. The environmental impact is measured in carbon dioxide equivalents and a conversion factor is used to convert the emissions to a monetary value that can be used in calculations of costs. The result shows that breakeven between the machines arises after 6.9 years, however, the service life is only 5 years. Both environmental impact, operating and maintenance costs is lower for the electrical option, however, the big difference in purchase price makes it take a long time for a breakeven to occur.

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Dicksen, Jesper. "Skillnaden i koldioxidutsläpp mellan limträ och stål : En studie som jämför två olika stommaterial." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Institutionen för information och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-38146.

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Idag görs livscykelanalyser (LCA) för att identifiera de byggkomponenter somorsakar stora koldioxidutsläpp i byggbranschen.Syftet med denna studie är att med hjälp av livscykelanalysverktyget One ClickLCA jämföra hur stora koldioxidutsläpp som bildas av materialen i enlimträstomme, som tillhör en inomhusarena jämfört med materialen i en fiktivstålstomme, som är dimensionerad för att klara samma laster och funktion somlimträstommen. Detta görs i syfte att lyfta fram skillnaderna mellankoldioxidutsläppen i produktskedet (A1-A3) mellan en limträstomme och enstålstomme.En konstruktör har konstruerat stålstommen för jämförelsen. Konstruktören togfram dimensionerna och byggmaterialen, men stålstommen blev inte tillräckligtgenomarbetad och projekterad för att jämförelsen skulle kunna göras direkt.I One Click LCA behövs mängderna och byggkomponenterna för båda stommarnaför att kunna göra fullständiga livscykelanalyser. Med mängder menas volymeroch vikter för byggkomponenterna. I studien saknades från början mängder förvissa av byggkomponenterna och en del av syftet blev därför att ta fram allamängder för stommarna. För att få rätt mängder i studien användes bland annat tvåprogram, Bluebeam och Excel. Med dessa program togs längdmåtten för olikabyggkomponenter från ritningar. Tillsammans med de övriga uppgifterna ombyggkomponenterna kunde mängderna sedan tas fram.I One Click LCA behöver resurser väljas. Dessa kan vara kopplade till specifikabyggkomponenter och innehåller data om hur stora koldioxidutsläpp sombyggkomponenter orsakar. Med byggkomponenter och mängder som grund valdessedan resurser i One Click LCA. När resurser väljs räknar programmet ut hur storakoldioxidutsläpp som bildas i produktskedet (A1-A3) för byggkomponenterna.Med mängder och resurser kunde två resultat erhållas i programvaran. Resultatetvisar att 55 ton koldioxid bildas av limträstommen och 779,9 ton koldioxid bildasav stålstommen. I stålstommen är det fackverken som orsakar mestkoldioxidutsläpp och i limträstommen är balkarna i högdelen av inomhusarenansom orsakar mest koldioxidutsläpp.
Today, life-cycle assessment (LCA) are performed to identify the buildingcomponents that cause large carbon dioxide emissions in the construction industry.The purpose of this study is to use the life-cycle assessment tool One Click LCA tocompare how large carbon dioxide emissions are formed by the materials in aglulam frame, which belongs to an indoor arena compared to the materials in afictitious steel frame, which is dimensioned to withstand the same loads andfunction as the glulam frame. This is done in order to highlight the differencesbetween the carbon dioxide emissions in the product phase (A1-A3) between aglulam frame and a steel frame.A designer has designed the steel frame for comparison. The designer producedthe dimensions and building materials, but the steel frame was not sufficientlyworked out and projected for the comparison to be made directly.In One Click LCA, the quantities and building components for both frames areneeded to be able to make complete life-cycle assessment. By quantities is meantvolumes and weights for the building components. The study initially lackedquantities for some of the building components and part of the purpose wastherefore to produce all quantities for the frames. To get the right amounts in thestudy, two programs were used, Bluebeam and Excel. With these programs, thelength measurements for different building components were taken from drawings.Together with the other information about the building components, the quantitiescould then be produced.In One Click LCA, resources need to be selected. These can be linked to specificbuilding components and contain data on how large carbon dioxide emissions thatbuilding components cause. Based on building components and quantities,resources were then selected in One Click LCA. When resources are selected, theprogram calculates how large carbon dioxide emissions are formed in the productphase (A1-A3) for the building components. With quantities and resources, tworesults could be obtained in the software. The results show that 55 tonnes ofcarbon dioxide are formed by the glulam frame and 779.9 tonnes of carbon dioxideare formed by the steel frame. In the steel frame, it is the trusses that cause themost carbon dioxide emissions and in the glulam frame, the beams in the upperpart of the indoor arena cause the most carbon dioxide emissions.

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Avetisyan, Hakob G. "Sustainable Design and Operation of the Cement Industry." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1225820445.

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Oliveira, Lidiane Santana. "Avaliação do ciclo de vida de blocos de concreto do mercado brasileiro: alvenaria e pavimentação." Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/3/3146/tde-13072016-152611/.

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A construção civil é responsável por relevante impacto ao meio ambiente, da extração das materiais-primas até a disposição dos seus resíduos em aterros. A avaliação do ciclo de vida (ACV) é uma ferramenta que possibilita a estimativa dos impactos ambientais potenciais do setor de forma sistemática. A simplificação da ACV, pelo uso de dados secundários e redução do escopo do estudo, facilita sua implementação como ferramenta de promoção da sustentabilidade. O objetivo dessa dissertação é estimar faixas dos cinco principais indicadores do setor de blocos de concreto do mercado brasileiro pela simplificação da ACV: consumo de materiais, energia incorporada, emissão de CO2, água e geração de resíduos. Este estudo foi o piloto do Projeto ACV Modular, iniciativa do Conselho Brasileiro de Construção Sustentável em parceria da Associação Brasileira de Cimento Portland e da Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Blocos de Concreto. O inventário foi desenvolvido com 33 fábricas localizadas em diferentes regiões do Brasil, estas sendo responsáveis por aproximadamente 50% da produção nacional. Os produtos selecionados foram blocos para pavimentação e alvenaria (estruturais e de vedação) considerados mais representativos no mercado. A fronteira do sistema adotada foi do berço ao portão da fábrica. O indicador de consumo de materiais não foi apresentado para garantir a confidencialidade dos dados das empresas, pois o teor de cimento foi dado direto informado no formulário. O indicador de resíduos não pode ser gerado devido a diferentes interpretações adotadas pelos fabricantes ao registrar seus dados. O indicador de água, apesar de incluir todo o consumo informado pela fábrica, apresentou valores muito baixos, alguns próximos a zero. O consumo de cimento, não o teor de clínquer, foi responsável por parcela significativa do CO2 e da energia incorporada do bloco, com participação de 62 a 99% das emissões de CO2. Assim, entre as empresas analisadas, mesmo com igual rota tecnológica, os insumos utilizados, a formulação do concreto, a eficiência de compactação da vibro prensa e o sistema produtivo tiveram maior influência nos indicadores de materiais, energia e CO2.
The civil construction is responsible for significant environmental impact from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of their waste in landfills. The life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool that enables the estimative of the potential environmental impacts of a sector systematically. Simplification of LCA, the use of secondary data and reduce the scope of the study, facilitates its implementation as a tool for promoting sustainability. The purpose of this dissertation is to estimate ranges of the five main indicators of the concrete block industry in the Brazilian market by simplifying the LCA: consumption of materials, embodied energy, CO2 emissions, water and waste generation. This study was the pilot of Modular LCA Project, an initiative of the Brazilian Council for Sustainable Construction (CBCS) in partnership with the Brazilian Portland Cement Association (ABCP) and the Brazilian Association of Concrete Blocks Industry (BlocoBrasil). The inventory was raised from 33 factories located in different regions of Brazil, that accounting for approximately 50% of national production. The products selected were paving and masonry blocks considered most representative in the market. The boundary system adopted was from cradle to factory gate. The indicator material consumption has been omitted to ensure the confidentiality of company data, as the cement content was raised directly by the companies. The waste indicator cannot be generated due to different interpretations adopted by companies to register their data. The water indicator, although it includes all the consumption reported by the factory, showed very low values, some near zero. Cement consumption, not the clinker content, accounted for a significant portion of CO2 emission and embodied energy, accounting 62-99% of CO2. Thus, among the analyzed factories, even with the same technological route, the inputs, the concrete formulation, the compression efficiency of vibro press and the production system had a greater influence on indicators of materials, energy and CO2.

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Wenjing, Wei. "Assessment of Raw Materials in Stainless Steelmaking-Their Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emission." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Processer, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-300133.

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In stainless steelmaking, around 68% of the total greenhouse gas emissions come from the processing of raw materials. Thus, it is important for steelmakers to make efforts together with their raw material suppliers to implement low-carbon initiatives. To facilitate such initiatives, assessment of raw materials will provide guidance. In this work, the assessment of materials consists of two parts: i) different production scenarios are studied by using a static process model coupled with life cycle assessment approach to investigate the reduction potential of environmental impacts for Mo and Ni alloys; ii) assessment of the effect of trace element content (phosphorus) in stainless steel scrap on steel’s manufacturing cost, resource consumption and environmental impact using an online static process model. The results show that the overall GHG emission of FeMo production varies between 3.16-14.79 t CO2-eq/t FeMo (i.e. 5.3-24.7 tCO2-eq/t Mo). The main variance comes from the mining and beneficiation stages and depends mainly on the ore’s beneficiation degree. However, whether molybdenum is extracted as a co-product from copper mine or not can have an even greater effect on the total GHG emission of molybdenum due to the allocation of the impacts. In the case of nickel alloys, the GHG emissions for producing nickel metal, nickel oxide, ferronickel and nickel pig iron are 14, 30, 6 and 7 tCO2-eq/t alloy (i.e. 14, 40, 18, and 69 tCO2-eq/t Ni), respectively. Extracting sulfide ore through flash smelting process has been shown to have the least energy requirement and greenhouse gas emissions. In comparison to sulfide ore processing, oxide ore processed in an electric furnace is much more energy intensive and less environmental friendly primarily due to high content of gangue. However, by using a sustainable electricity source such as hydro-powered electricity, or applying a thermal heat recovery, it is possible to reduce the impact from electric furnace smelting of laterite. Furthermore, the use of stainless steel scraps with low phosphorous contents reduces slag amount, alloy consumption, production cost and carbon footprint. An estimation equation between phosphorous content and scrap’s value-in-use is obtained in the study to support the development of purchasing strategy. To conclude, the application of static process model based on mass and energy balance provides the possibility to assess raw materials’ environmental impact (energy consumption and GHG emissions) and to identify potentials to realize sustainable stainless steelmaking.
Vid tillverkning av rostfritt stål kommer cirka 68% av växthusgaserna ifrån råvaruanvändningen. Därför är det viktigt för ståltillverkare att göra en samordnad insats med sina levenrantörer för att reducera dessa utsläpp. Den här avhandlingen ämnar att undersöka råvaror ur två perspektiv: i) att utvärdera olika produktionsscenarier för molybden och nickelleggeringar genom en statisk processmodell i kombination med livscykelanalys för att undersöka potentialen för att minska miljöbelastningen; ii) att undersöka hur spårämnesinnehållet (fosfor) i rostfritt stålskrot påverkar ståltillverkningskostnaden, resursförbrukningen och miljöpåverkan med ett webbaserat verktyg för processmodellen. Resultaten visar att växthusgasutsläppen från produktionen av FeMo varierar mellan 3.16-14.79 t CO2-eq/t FeMo (d.v.s. 5.3-24.7 tCO2-eq/t Mo). Variationen beror främst på malmets anrikningsgrad under malmbrytnings- och anrikningsprocessen. När molybden förekommer i kopparmalm och utvinns som en co-produkt så kan det ha en större effekt på molybdens energiförbrukning och växthusgasutsläpp än vad malmens anrikningsgrad har. I fallet för tillverkning av nickelmetall, nickeloxid, ferronickel och nickeltackjärn är växthusgasutsläppen 14, 30, 6 respektive 7 tCO2-eq/t legering (motsvarande 14, 40, 18, respektive 69 tCO2-eq/t Ni). Användningen av sulfidmalm i flashsmältningsprocessen har visat sig ha lägst energibehov och växhusgasutsläpp medan användningen av oxidmalm i ljusbågsugn både är mer energiintensiv och utsläppsintensiv på grund av en stor mängd oxider i nickelmalmen. Dessa utsläpp kan dock förbättras genom användningen av hållbar energi (till exempel el från vattenkraft), eller genom värmeåtervinning under processen. Utöver detta kan skrot med lågt fosforinnenhåll också användas vid tillverkningen av rostfritt stål för att minska slaggmängden, förbrukningen av legeringar, produktionskostnaden och växthusgasutläppen. En ekvation mellan fosforinnehållet och skrotets värde föreslås här som underlag för att utveckla en inköpsstrategi för skrot. Sammanfattningsvis så kan en statisk processmodell baserad på mass- och energibalans tillämpas för att utvärdera råvarors miljöbelastning (energiförbrukning och växthusgasutsläpp) och identifiera potentialen för en hållbar tillverkning av rostfritt stål.

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Svärd-Husu, Jennie, and Martin Ljungman. "Livscykelanalys av interiöra golvmaterial." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för byggteknik (BY), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-97641.

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I Sverige används många olika interiöra golvmaterial i offentliga byggnader. Studien har undersökt fyra interiöra golvmaterial, keramik, enomer, massivt furu och linoleum. Dessa material är vanligt förekommande i svenska offentliga miljöer och de jämfördes ur ett livscykelperspektiv. Studien undersökte materialens olika livsskeden, från produktion till slutskede och omfattade materialens totala GHG-utsläpp för en referensbyggnad med en livslängd på 75 år, belägen i Växjö.Denna fallstudie visar att en byggnads klimatpåverkan går att minimera vid val av interiört golvmaterial. Keramik är att rekommendera i fuktkänsliga utrymmen då klimatpåverkan är 38 % minder och linoleum rekommenderas i allmänna utrymmen då klimatpåverkan är 20 % mindre. Det finns ytterligare möjlighet att minimera klimatpåverkan genom att använda trägolv i utrymmen med mindre folk i rörelse.
In Sweden, lots of different interior flooring materials are used in public buildings. This study examines four interior flooring materials, ceramics, mineral based, solid pine floor and linoleum flooring. These materials appear regularly in public buildings in Sweden and are compared to each other in a life cycle assessment perspective. The study examines the materials different life stages from production to its end of life and included the materials GHG-emissions for a reference building with a lifespan of 75 years in Växjö, Sweden.This case study shows that a buildings climate impact can be minimized through choices for interior flooring materials. Ceramics are to recommend in areas sensitive to moisture, do to 38 % less climate effect and linoleum are to recommend more public areas do to 20 % less climate effect. Further possibilities to minimize climate impact is through use of massive pine flooring in areas with low traffic.

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Goel, Varun, and Sonja Wadelius. "Evaluation of transition towards zero emission commuter ferries : Comparative Analysis of Fuel-based and Battery-based Marine Propulsion System from financial and environmental perspectives." Thesis, KTH, Marina system, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-302781.

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The purpose of this study is to compare the life-cycle cost and environmental impact of the existing fuel-based propulsion system, on public commuter ferries in Stockholm, with a battery based propulsion system. The study is divided into multiple layers. First, the operating characteristics of the route Line 80 within Stockholm’s waterborne public transportation (WPT) are collected, such as fuel consumption, propulsion power output, speed, voyage time and propulsion system configuration. Second, based on the energy demand of the route, important parameters related to the existing fuel-based propulsion system and the battery-based propulsion system are accounted for and modeled. Third, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the cost assessment methods are applied to examine the effectiveness of the electrification of commuter ferries on a financial and environmental scale. With the help of the software GaBi 2020, GREET 2020, and other literature studies, the environmental impacts at the construction, use and end-of-life (EOL) phase are evaluated. There are in total 8 scenarios considered, 4 for the fuel-based and 4 for the battery-based propulsion system. The environmental performance of these 8 scenarios are discussed in terms of Globalwarmingpotential(GWP), Acidificationpotential(AP), Eutrophicationpotential(EP) and Photo-chemical ozone creation potential (POCP). Themostpollutingphaseistheusephase for all scenarios. Propulsion system powered by diesel (scenario 1) is considered as a reference for comparative analysis of 7 other scenarios. The best performing system is the one powered by batteries with the assumption of an electricity mix based on hydro, wind and nuclear power, which is scenario 7 and 8 with a net reduction of GWP by more than 98%, AP by 90%, EP by 96%, and the POCP by 96%. If we consider the current Swedish electricity mix (scenario 5 and 6), the decrease in GWP, AP, EP and POCP are 90%, 80%, 82% and 91% respectively. Alternative fuels also present promising results for GWP in comparison to diesel (with the origin of the feed-stock creating mostly negative impacts) but the contribution to other impact categories is significantly higher. With inputs from the industry and the environmental evaluation, the cost assessment compares the costs related to fuel-based and battery-based propulsion systems with different energy sources. For the battery-based system, 3 scenarios are modeled for two different types of Li-ion batteries. The vessels in the developed scenarios are charged more frequently than the existing electric vessel and the number of charging stations is varied. The costs that are included in the assessment are the initial capital cost, the cost for fuel/electricity, maintenance cost, end-of-life cost and emissions cost. When concerning all the cost categories, the battery-based system is more cost-efficient than a fuel-based system, if run on the Swedish electricity mix, due to the lower cost for electricity and emissions. The reduction of cost is more than 68% when comparing traditional diesel with battery-based systems, but the source of the electricity is very important.
Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra livscykelkostnaden och miljöpåverkan av de befintliga framdrivningssystemen på pendelbåtarna inom Stockholms kollektivtrafik, med batteridrivna system på motsvarande båtar. De befintliga framdrivningssystemen drivs av olika typer av diesel. Studien är uppdelad i flera steg. Först samlas driftsegenskaperna in, såsom bränsleförbrukning, framdrivningseffekt, hastighet, färdtidochframdrivningssystemetsuppbyggnad, etc, på linje 80, som är en del av Stockholms vattenburna kollektivtrafik. För det andra undersöks det befintliga framdrivningssystemet som drivs av diesel eller alternativa bränslen som RME eller HVO och fullt batteridrivna system utifrån energibehovet. För det tredje tillämpas metoderna för kostnadsanalys och livscykelanalys (LCA) för att undersöka hur elektrifieringen av pendelbåtar påverkar ekonomin och miljön. Med hjälp av programmet GaBi 2020, GREET 2020 och andra litteraturstudier utvärderas miljöpåverkan av faserna tillverkning, användning och avfallshantering. Det är totalt 8 scenarier som övervägs, 4 för bränslebaserade och 4 för batteri baserade framdrivningssystem. Hur bra dessa 8 scenarier presterar miljömässigt diskuteras i termer av växthuseffekt (GWP), försurning (AP), övergödning (EP) och marknära ozon (POCP). Den fasen med mest utsläpp, för alla scenarier, är användningsfasen. Framdrivningssystemet som drivs av diesel (scenario 1) används som referens att jämföra de övriga 7 scenarierna mot. Det system som presterar bästa är det som drivs av batterier, med antagandet att elmixen är baserad på vatten-, vind-och kärnkraft, detta motsvarar scenario 7 och 8 med en reduktion av GWP på mer än 98%, AP med 90%, EP med 96% och POCP med 96%. Om vi tittar på den aktuella svenska elmixen (scenario 5 och 6) så är minskningen av GWP, AP, EP och POCP 90%, 80%, 82% respektive 91%. Alternativa bränslen ger också lovande resultat för GWP jämfört med diesel (där råvarans ursprung skapar mest negativa effekter) men bidraget till andra påverkanskategorier är betydligt högre. Med input från företag och miljöutvärderingen kan kostnadsanalysen jämföra kostnaderna för bränslebaserade och batteri baserade framdrivningssystem med olika energikällor. Det batteri baserade systemet modelleras även på 3 utvecklade scenarier för 2 olika typer av batterier. Fartygen i de utvecklade scenarierna laddas oftare än det befintliga batteridrivna fartyget och antalet laddstationer varierar mellan scenarierna. De kostnader som inkluderas i analysen är de initiala kapitalkostnaderna, kostnaden för bränsle/el, underhållskostnader, avfallshanteringskostnader ochutsläppskostnader. Medallakostnaderinkluderadeiberäkningarna är batteri baserade system mer kostnadseffektiva än bränslebaserade system om de körs på svensk elmix, tack vare de lägre kostnaderna för el och utsläpp. Minskningen av den totala kostnaden är mer än 68% när man jämför traditionell diesel med batterisystem, men elens ursprung är mycket viktig.

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Petrovic, Bojana. "Life cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis of a single-family house." Licentiate thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Energisystem och byggnadsteknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-36901.

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The building industry is responsible for 35% of final energy use and 38% of CO2 emissions at a global level. The European Union aims to reduce CO2 emissions in the building industry by up to 90% by the year 2050. Therefore, it is important to consider the environmental impacts buildings have. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the environmental impacts and costs of a single-family house in Sweden. In the study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) and the life cycle cost (LCC) methods have been used by following the “cradle to grave” life cycle perspective. This study shows a significant reduction of global warming potential (GWP), primary energy (PE) use and costs when the lifespan of the house is shifted from 50 to 100 years. The findings illustrate a total decrease in LCA outcome, of GWP to 27% and PE to 18%. Considering the total LCC outcome, when the discount rate increases from 3% to 5% and then 7%, the total costs decrease significantly (60%, 85% to 95%). The embodied carbon, PE use and costs from the production stage/construction stage are significantly reduced, while the maintenance/replacement stage displays the opposite trend. Operational energy use, water consumption and end-of-life, however, remain largely unchanged. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the importance of using wood-based building materials due to its lower carbon-intensive manufacturing process compared to non-wood choices. The results of the LCA and LCC were systematically studied and are presented visually. Low carbon and cost-effective materials and installations have to be identified in the early stage of a building design so that the appropriate investment choices can be made that will reduce a building’s total environmental and economic impact in the long run. Findings from this thesis provide a greater understanding of the environmental and economic impacts that are relevant for decision-makers when building single-family houses.
Byggbranschen svarar för 35% av den slutliga energianvändningen och 38 % av koldioxidutsläppen på global nivå. Europeiska unionen strävar efter att minska koldioxidutsläppen i byggnadsindustrin med upp till 90% fram till 2050. Därför är det viktigt att beakta byggnaders miljöpåverkan. Syftet med denna avhandling var att undersöka miljöpåverkan och kostnader för ett enfamiljshus i Sverige. I studien har livscykelbedömningen (LCA) och livscykelkostnadsmetoderna (LCC) använts genom att tillämpa livscykelperspektivet ”vagga till grav”. Studien visar en stor minskning av global uppvärmningspotential (GWP), användning av primärenergi (PE) och kostnader vid växling från 50 till 100 års husets livslängd. Resultaten visar en årlig minskning med 27% för utsläpp av växthusgaser och med 18% för användningen av primärenergi. Med tanke på det totala LCC-utfallet, när diskonteringsräntan ökar från 3%, 5% till 7%, minskar de totala kostnaderna avsevärt (60%, 85% till 95%). Det noteras att klimatavtrycket, primärenergianvändningen och kostnaderna från produktionssteget/konstruktionssteget minskar avsevärt, medan underhålls- / utbytessteget visar den motsatta trenden när man byter från 50 till 100 års livslängd. Den operativa energianvändningen, vattenförbrukningen och avfallshanteringen är fortfarande nästan samma när man ändrar livslängden. Vidare betonar resultaten vikten av att använda träbaserade byggmaterial på grund av lägre klimatpåverkan från tillverkningsprocessen jämfört med alternativen. LCA- och LCC-resultaten studerades systematiskt och redovisades visuellt. De koldioxidsnåla och kostnadseffektiva materialen och installationerna måste identifieras i ett tidigt skede av en byggnadskonstruktion genom att välja lämpliga investeringsval som kommer att minska de totala miljö och ekonomiska effekterna på lång sikt. Resultaten från denna avhandling ger ökad förståelse för miljömässiga och ekonomiska konsekvenser som är relevanta för beslutsfattare vid byggnation av ett enfamiljshus.

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23

Wong, Hsin Min. "Life-cycle assessment of Greenhouse Gas emissions from alternative jet fuels." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/50611.

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Thesis (S.M. in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-147).
The key motivation for this work was the potential impact of alternative jet fuel use on emissions that contribute to global climate change. This work focused on one specific aspect in examining the feasibility of using alternative jet fuels - their life-cycle Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions relative to conventional jet fuel. This involved the quantification of the overall GHG emissions of potential alternative jet fuels, from feedstock recovery and transportation, to the production, transportation and utilization of the fuels. The fuels examined in this work included jet fuel and ultra-low sulfur jet fuel from conventional crude, jet fuel from oil sands and oil shale, Fischer-Tropsch jet fuel from natural gas, coal and biomass, and biojet from soy oil and palm oil. By identifying and varying important input parameters, a range of life-cycle GHG emissions for each fuel pathway was derived. From the analyses in this work, only alternative jet fuels from biomass offer substantial life-cycle GHG emissions reductions compared to conventional jet fuel, and that is true only if land use change emissions were negligible. Direct or indirect land use changes from the use of biomass feedstocks (particularly food crops) could potentially increase life-cycle GHG emissions to levels several times above that of conventional jet fuel. A scenario analysis was conducted to examine the amount of biofuel needed to displace conventional jet fuel in 2025 to maintain U.S. aviation GHG emissions at baseline 2006 levels. It was found that the large-scale deployment of biofuels to achieve carbon-neutral U.S. aviation growth through 2025 was limited by feedstock and land availability if current generation biofuels (particularly those made from food crops) were used. Hence, it is important to explore the use of next generation non-food, high yield feedstocks (e.g. algae) that use little land and result in little or no land use change emissions for large-scale biofuel production.
by Hsin Min Wong.
S.M.in Technology and Policy

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24

Cleary, Julian. "Greenhouse gas emissions from peat extraction in Canada : a life cycle perspective." Thesis, McGill University, 2003. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=78340.

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This study uses life cycle analysis to examine the net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the activities of the peat industry in Canada for the period 1990 to 2000. GHG accounting is undertaken for (1) land use change, (2) peat extraction and processing, (3) the transport of peat to market by truck, train and ship, and (4) the in situ decomposition of extracted peat. The emission estimates were based on results from GHG accounting models using data derived from scientific literature, government and industry statistics, and the responses to a questionnaire sent to Canada's peat establishments. The questionnaire, designed to obtain information on peat extraction methods, land and fuel use, as well as the transportation of peat, had a response rate representing 69% of Canada's total peat production in the year 2000. Results indicate that 540 600 tonnes of greenhouse gases were emitted in 1990 and 893 300 tonnes were emitted in the year 2000 (emission figures are measured in CO2 equivalents using a 100-year time horizon). Peat decomposition was by far the largest source of GHG emissions, averaging 70.6% of total emissions during the eleven-year period from 1990 to 2000. Greenhouse gases from land use change averaged 14.7%. An average of 10.4% of total emissions resulted from the transport of peat to market, while GHGs from extraction and processing averaged 4.3%. Predictions of the annual GHG emissions from the peat industry, assuming a "business as usual" context, were produced for the years 2001 to 2012. These figures were compared with those resulting from various greenhouse gas reduction scenarios.

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25

Wan, Qiansu. "Life Cycle Assessment of Paper Based Printed Circuits." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Skolan för informations- och kommunikationsteknik (ICT), 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-219405.

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Printed circuit boards have been massively manufactured and wildly used in all kinds of electronic devices during people’s daily life for more than thirty years since the last century. As a highly integrated device mainly consists of silicon base, an etched copper layer and other soldered components, massive production of printed circuit boards are considered to be environmentally unfriendly due to the wet chemical manufacturing mode and lack of recycling ability. On the other hand, the newly invented ink jet printing technology enables cost-effective manufacturing of flexible, thin and disposable electrical devices, which avoid acid etching process and lead to less toxic emissions into the environment. It is important to consider life cycle analysis for quantitative environmental impact evaluation and comparison of both printed circuit boards and printed electronics to enhance the sustainability of a new technology with product design and development. This thesis first reviews the current approaches to conventional and modern printing methods, as well as the state-of-the-art analysis of sustainability and environmental assessment methodologies. In the second part, a typical ink jet printed electronic device is introduced (an active flexible cable for wearable electrocardiogram monitoring). This active cable is designed for the interconnection between bio electrodes and central medical devices for bio signal transmission. As the active cable consists of five different metal transmission traces which are formed by printing conductive ink onto paper substrates, different shielding methods are investigated to ensure high quality bio signal transmission. Specifically, the results prove that passive shielding methods can significantly decrease the cross talk between different transmission traces, enabling the transmitting of bio signals for wearable ECG monitoring. This research also explores environmental issues related to printed electronics. For the full life cycle of printed electronics, we focused not only on quantitative environmental emissions to air, fresh water, sea and industrial soil, but also on resource consumption and impacts analysis. Finally, comparative environmental performance evaluation of traditional cables and ink jet printed active cables are made to examine the environmental impact and sustainability of both technologies, and the results show the strengths and weaknesses of each technology by analysis and assessment.

QC 20171205

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26

Facibeni, Gabriele. "Emissioni da uso dei pesticidi negli studi di Life Cycle Assessment: calcolo dell’inventario." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2017.

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Questo lavoro di tesi si inserisce nell'ambito del progetto LIFE+ AGRICARE, il cui obiettivo è quello di dimostrare come l’applicazione di avanzate tecniche di agricoltura di precisione, abbinate a diversi tipi di coltivazione conservativa, possa avere un effetto importante in termini di riduzione di gas climalteranti e di protezione del suolo. In particolare la tesi aveva come obiettivo quello di studiare come il software PestLCI risponde quando varia la lavorazione del terreno, informazione che è inserita fra le variabili di input. Il software PestLCI calcola il frazionamento fra i diversi comparti ambientali (aria, suolo, acque sotterranee) di un pesticida sparso su un campo coltivato. Per tale motivo PestLCI può essere definito un software di supporto al calcolo dell’inventario nell’applicazione della metodologia Life Cycle Assessment. I risultati di questo studio hanno evidenziato come PestLCI vari le frazioni di pesticida emesse nei diversi comparti ambientali in base alla lavorazione del terreno. In particolare, considerando gli scenari in cui viene applicata la Terbutilazina, è stato possibile mostrare come le frazioni emesse nelle acque sotterranee siano strettamente collegate alla lavorazione del campo. Infatti queste emissioni aumentano se diminuisce la lavorazione del campo; ciò è causato principalmente dall’incremento dei macropori presenti nel suolo dato dalla minor lavorazione del terreno, i quali permettono un collegamento diretto verso le acque sotterranee e quindi facilitano le emissioni in questo comparto ambientale.

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27

Athanassiadis, Dimitrios. "Resource consumption and emissions induced by logging machinery in a life cycle perspective /." Umeå : Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniv.), 2000. http://epsilon.slu.se/avh/2000/91-576-5877-3.pdf.

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28

Garba, N. A. "Impact of climate change on life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biofuels." Thesis, Coventry University, 2014. http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/b5b301d6-6547-4b16-9649-8096a715c542/1.

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Reducing anthropogenic GHG emissions globally is a key driver for the development of renewable energy sources. A key route towards achieving this is to replace fossil-based fuels with renewable and low carbon energy technologies such as biofuels from energy crops. Cereals and oil-seed crops such as corn, wheat, and soybean are the main feedstocks primarily used for biofuels production and the key characteristics of these crops are high biomass and energy yield per ha. However, there are concerns about the availability and sustainability of these crops for biofuels production in the face of a changing climate since crop productivity is inherently sensitive to climate. Therefore, an understanding of the impacts of climate change on energy crops production as feedstocks for biofuels production and their potential for life cycle GHG emissions reductions is crucial for making decisions on future biofuels production. This thesis examined potential climate change impacts on the productivity of two major biofuel crops: corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max) in Gainesville, USA and one major biofuel crop: wheat (Triticum spp.) in Rothamsted, UK. The overall objective was to calculate the potential impacts of combined changes in climate variables: surface air temperature (T), precipitation (P), and atmospheric concentration of CO2 ([CO2]) on life cycle GHG emissions savings of biofuels from corn, soybean, and wheat. The methodology was underpinned by life cycle thinking. Life cycle assessment (LCA) models linked to cropping system models (CSM) were used in the analysis. In assessing the impact of climate change on corn, wheat, and soybean crops yields, two applications of the CERES (Crop-Environment Resource Synthesis) model: CERES-Wheat (for wheat) and CERES-Maize (for corn), and CROPGRO (Crop Growth) model application: CROPGRO-Soybean of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT-CSM) v4.0.2.0 model were used using observed weather data from the baseline (1981-1990) period for each study site. These models describe, based on daily data, the basic biophysical processes taking place at the soil-plant-atmosphere interface as a response to the variability of different processes such as: photosynthesis, specific phenological phases, evapotranspiration, and water dynamics in soil. Compared with the baseline, T was projected to increase by +1.5, +2, +2.5, +3, +3.5, +4, +4.5, and +5 oC, P was projected to change by ±5, ±10, ±15, and ±20%, and [CO2] was projected to increase by +70, +140, +210, +280, and + 350 ppm for Gainesville, USA. For Rothamsted, UK, T was projected to increase by +0.5, +1.5, +2.5, +3.5, and +4.5 oC, P was projected to change by ±10, and ±20%, and [CO2] was projected to increase by +70, +210, and + 350 ppm. Simulated yields output (grain/seeds and biomass) from the CSM models were used as inputs into the LCA models. Potential life cycle GHG emissions savings were calculated for corn-based biofuels: corn bioethanol (CBE), corn integrated biomethanol (CIBM), and corn integrated bioelectricity (CIBE); soybean-based biofuels: soybean biodiesel (SBD), soybean integrated biomethanol (SIBM), and soybean integrated bioelectricity (SIBE); wheat-based biofuels: wheat bioethanol (WBE), wheat integrated biomethanol (WIBM), and wheat integrated bioelectricity (WIBE). Results indicated that under the baseline (1981-1990) scenario, production and use of CBE, CIBM, CIBE, SBD, SIBM, SIBE, WBE, WIBM, and WIBE could save -4743.32 kg CO2-equiv. ha-1, -8573.31 kg CO2-equiv. ha-1, and -10996.7 kg CO2-equiv. ha-1, -2655.41 kg CO2-equiv. ha-1, -3441.1 kg CO2-equiv. ha-1, and -1350.04 kg CO2-equiv ha-1, -2776.1 kg CO2-equiv. ha-1, -500.87 kg CO2-equiv. ha-1 and -4648.93 kg CO2-equiv. ha-1 respectively, of the total life cycle GHG emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O for the production and utilization of an energetically equivalent amount of fossil-based fuel counterpart, which they displaced. However, model predictions of future life cycle GHG emissions savings for both crops showed that the responses of corn, soybean, and wheat to simultaneous changes in T, P, and [CO2] were different under different climate change scenarios. In the future period life cycle GHG emissions savings of corn-based biofuels was predicted to decline in all cases ranging from -4.2% to -46.1%, -2.6% to -37.7%, and -1.6% to -33.4% for CBE, CIBM, and CIBE, respectively compared with the baseline (1981-1990) period. In contrast, model predictions showed that life cycle GHG emissions savings of wheat-based biofuels would increase under all climate change scenarios ranging from +2.5% to +33.5%, +0.1% to +37.8%, and +1.0% to +34.4% for WBE, WIBM, and WIBE, respectively. On the other hand, the life cycle GHG emissions savings of soybean-based biofuels was predicted to increase by +0.22% to +27%, +0.1% to 28%, and +0.1% to +31.6% for SBD, SIBM, and SIBE, respectively under some climate change scenarios (e.g., [CO2] = 680; P = +20%; and T = +1.5 oC scenario) and also decline by -0.7% to -60.8%, -0.1% to -44.6%, and -0.1% to -82.6% for SBD, SIBM, and SIBE, respectively under some climate change scenarios (e.g., [CO2] = 400; P = -20%; and T = +5 oC scenario). These results revealed that the potential impacts of climate change on energy crops productivity and net life cycle GHG emissions savings could be very large and diverse, and that the anticipated life cycle GHG emissions reductions of biofuels would not be the same in the future.

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29

Hyder, Zeshan. "Site Characterization, Sustainability Evaluation and Life Cycle Emissions Assessment of Underground Coal Gasification." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/28970.

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Underground Coal Gasification (UCG), although not a new concept, is now attracting considerable global attention as a viable process to provide a â cleanâ and economic fuel from coal. Climate change legislation and the declining position of coal reserves (i.e., deeper and thinner seams) in many parts of the world are promoting and fueling the UCG renaissance. This research presents an analysis of operational parameters of UCG technology to determine their significance and to evaluate the effective range of values for proper control of the process. The study indicates that cavity pressures, gas and water flow rates, development of linkage between wells, and continuous monitoring are the most important operating parameters. A protocol for the selection of suitable sites for UCG projects is presented in this study. The site selection criteria are developed based on successes and failures of previous experiments and pilot studies. The criteria take into account the site characteristics, coal quality parameters, hydrology of the area, availability of infrastructure and regulatory and environmental restrictions on sites. These criteria highlight the merits and demerits of the selected parameters, their importance in site selection and their economic and environmental potentials. Based on the site selection criteria, a GIS model is developed to assist in selecting suitable sites for gasification in any given area of interest. This GIS model can be used as a decision support tool as well since it helps in establishing the tradeoff levels between factors, ranking and scaling of factors, and, most importantly, evaluating inherent risks associated with each decision set. The potential of UCG to conform to different frameworks defined to assess the capability and potential of any project that merits the label, â sustainable,â has been evaluated. It has been established that UCG can integrate economic activity with ecosystem integrity, respect for the rights of future generations to the use of resources and the attainment of sustainable and equitable social and economic benefits. The important aspects of UCG that need to be considered for its sustainable development are highlighted. In addition, the environmental benefits of UCG have been evaluated in terms of its potential for reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The findings indicate that UCG significantly reduces GHG emissions compared to other competitive coal exploiting technologies. A model to compute the life cycle greenhouse emissions of UCG has been developed, and it reveals that UCG has distinctive advantages in terms of GHG emissions over other technologies and competes favorably with the latest power generation technologies. In addition to GHG emissions, the environmental impacts of these technologies based on various impact assessment indicators are assessed to determine the position of UCG in the technology mix. It is clear from the analysis that UCG has prominent environmental advantages and has the potential to develop and utilize coal resources in an environmentally friendly and economically sound manner.
Ph. D.

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30

Du, Guangli. "Life cycle assessment of bridges, model development and case studies." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Bro- och stålbyggnad, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-161196.

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In recent decades, the environmental issues from the construction sector have attracted increasing attention from both the public and authorities. Notably, the bridge construction is responsible for considerable amount of energy and raw material consumptions. However, the current bridges are still mainly designed from the economic, technical, and safety perspective, while considerations of their environmental performance are rarely integrated into the decision making process. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive, standardized and internationally recognized approach for quantifying all emissions, resource consumption and related environmental and health impacts linked to a service, asset or product. LCA has the potential to provide reliable environmental profiles of the bridges, and thus help the decision-makers to select the most environmentally optimal designs. However, due to the complexity of the environmental problems and the diversity of bridge structures, robust environmental evaluation of bridges is far from straightforward. The LCA has rarely been studied on bridges till now. The overall aim of this research is to implement LCA on bridge, thus eventually integrate it into the decision-making process to mitigate the environmental burden at an early stage. Specific objectives are to: i) provide up-to-date knowledge to practitioners; ii) identify associated obstacles and clarify key operational issues; iii) establish a holistic framework and develop computational tool for bridge LCA; and iv) explore the feasibility of combining LCA with life cycle cost (LCC). The developed tool (called GreenBridge) enables the simultaneous comparison and analysis of 10 feasible bridges at any detail level, and the framework has been utilized on real cases in Sweden. The studied bridge types include: railway bridge with ballast or fix-slab track, road bridges of steel box-girder composite bridge, steel I-girder composite bridge, post tensioned concrete box-girder bridge, balanced cantilever concrete box-girder bridge, steel-soil composite bridge and concrete slab-frame bridge. The assessments are detailed from cradle to grave phases, covering thousands of types of substances in the output, diverse mid-point environmental indicators, the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) and monetary value weighting. Some analyses also investigated the impact from on-site construction scenarios, which have been overlooked in the current state-of-the-art. The study identifies the major structural and life-cycle scenario contributors to the selected impact categories, and reveals the effects of varying the monetary weighting system, the steel recycling rate and the material types. The result shows that the environmental performance can be highly influenced by the choice of bridge design. The optimal solution is found to be governed by several variables. The analyses also imply that the selected indicators, structural components and life-cycle scenarios must be clearly specified to be applicable in a transparent procurement. This work may provide important references for evaluating similar bridge cases, and identification of the main sources of environmental burden. The outcome of this research may serve as recommendation for decision-makers to select the most LCA-feasible proposal and minimize environmental burdens.

QC 20150311

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Miliutenko, Sofiia. "Life Cycle Impacts of Road Infrastructure : Assessment of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Miljöstrategisk analys, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-89885.

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Road infrastructure is essential in the development of human society, but has both negative and positive impacts. Large amounts of money and natural resources are spent each year on its construction, operation and maintenance. Obviously, there is potentially significantenvironmental impact associated with these activities. Thus the need for integration of life cycle environmental impacts of road infrastructure into transport planning is currently being widely recognised on international and national level. However certain issues, such as energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the construction, maintenance and operation of road infrastructure, are rarely considered during the current transport planning process in Sweden and most other countries.This thesis examined energy use and GHG emissions for the whole life cycle (construction, operation, maintenance and end-of-life) of road infrastructure, with the aim of improving transport planning on both strategic and project level. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied to two selected case studies: LCA of a road tunnel and LCA of three methods for asphalt recycling and reuse: hot in-plant, hot in-place and reuse as unbound material. The impact categories selected for analysis were Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) and Global Warming Potential (GWP). Other methods used in the research included interviews and a literature review.The results of the first case study indicated that the operational phase of the tunnel contributed the highest share of CED and GWP throughout the tunnel’s life cycle. Construction of concrete tunnels had much higher CED and GWP per lane-metre than construction of rocktunnels. The results of the second case study showed that hot in-place recycling of asphalt gave slightly more net savings of GWP and CED than hot in-plant recycling. Asphalt reuse was less environmentally beneficial than either of these alternatives, resulting in no net savings of GWP and minor net savings of CED. Main sources of data uncertainty identified in the two case-studies included prediction of future electricity mix and inventory data for asphalt concrete.This thesis contributes to methodological development which will be useful to future infrastructure LCAs in terms of inventory data collection. It presents estimated amounts of energy use and GHG emissions associated with road infrastructure, on the example of roadtunnel and asphalt recycling. Operation of road infrastructure and production of construction materials are identified as the main priorities for decreasing GHG emissions and energy use during the life cycle of road infrastructure. It was concluded that the potential exists for significant decreases in GHG emissions and energy use associated with the road transport system if the entire life cycle of road infrastructure is taken into consideration from the very start of the policy-making process.
QC 20120229

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Jiang, Rui. "Estimating and Reducing Road Carbon Emissions through Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment and Decomposition Analysis." Thesis, Curtin University, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86297.

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This research aims to estimate and reduce carbon emissions from use and maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) of roads. An extensive literature review was conducted on related studies. A hybrid LCA approach was proposed to accurately estimate such emissions, which was embedded into a multi-attribute decision making framework to help road agencies select optimal network-level pavement maintenance plans. In addition, driving factors for vehicle-related emissions during 2009-2017 in Australia were investigated to establish emissions reduction strategies.

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Wiegard, Jean, and JWiegard@groupwise swin edu au. "Quantification of Greenhouse Gases at Visy Industries using Life Cycle Assessment." Swinburne University of Technology. School of Engineering and Science, 2001. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20030729.140753.

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Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are vital components of the earth�s atmosphere, trapping heat around the earth, maintaining temperatures necessary for human existence. Until the Industrial Revolution, these gases existed in a natural equilibrium with the environment. Since that time, anthropogenic activities such as fossil fuel burning and land clearing have increased the quantity of GHGs, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), in the earth�s atmosphere. Evidence indicates that global warming is occurring as a result of the additional accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere. International response to climate change resulted in the 1997 development of the Kyoto Protocol. If the Protocol is ratified, developed countries will be legally bound to reduce their GHG emissions in accordance with negotiated emission reduction targets. At the beginning of the year 2001, the Protocol was still to be ratified. With the possibility of future GHG emission restrictions, some Australian companies have started quantifying their GHG emission levels. One such company is Visy Industries, the largest privately owned paper packaging manufacturing company in the world. Visy�s core business is the manufacture of cardboard boxes from recycled paper. As part of its future operations, a kraft pulp and paper mill is presently being built in New South Wales, Australia. The environmental decision support tool, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), was used to quantify Visy�s CO2 and CH4 emissions across the entire life cycle of the Visy paper recycling and virgin papermaking processes. Commercially defined LCA models were developed for both papermaking processes. GHG emissions estimated by each model were compared and the effect of different energy sources, technologies and manufacturing processes on CO2 and CH4 emissions were assessed. The majority of emissions in the two Visy papermaking models were due to fossil fuel derived energy sources and the decomposition of wood fibre in Solid Waste Disposal Sites (SWDSs). Results were used to propose appropriate GHG reduction strategies and business opportunities. GHG reduction strategies included increasing the use of renewable energy, reducing the volume of solid waste rejects sent to SWDS, incinerating solid waste rejects with energy recovery and sourcing steam from third party providers. Proposed GHG business opportunities included increasing the production of Greenpower from the pulp and paper mill for sale to the grid. This thesis is an example of the practical application of current GHG knowledge and LCA methodology that was undertaken in an environment where technical, political and commercial guidelines at both a national and international level were still evolving. Nevertheless, the thesis is not a critical review of LCA methodology. The LCA support tool was able to quantify CO2 and CH4 emissions across the life cycle of the Visy recycling and virgin papermaking processes. The chosen functional unit, the assumptions and exemptions made, and the placement of the system boundaries, were found to be critical to the Visy LCA results.

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Schwietzke, Stefan. "Atmospheric Impacts of Biofuel and Natural Gas Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Policy Implications." Research Showcase @ CMU, 2013. http://repository.cmu.edu/dissertations/299.

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Many studies have recently reported estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and associated potential climate impacts of biofuel and natural gas (NG) use. U.S. corn ethanol production keeps increasing under federal mandates, and NG production soars due to successful tapping of unconventional resources in North America, particularly shale gas. Numerous life cycle assessment (LCA) studies document technology specific corn ethanol and NG GHG estimates. The estimates often include all life cycle stages from fuel supply to combustion, and point out potential for emissions reductions. Several studies suggest that using GHG emissions as an evaluation metric underestimates corn ethanol’s radiative forcing (RF) impact – a precursor and indicator for global temperature change – by 10-90% over the next few decades. This emissions timing effect may overestimate (i) ethanol’s climate benefits over gasoline and (ii) the effectiveness of U.S. policies mandating and subsidizing ethanol. This work revisits the above studies, and builds upon existing models to quantify RF impacts across the corn ethanol life cycle. The emissions timing factor (ETF) is significantly smaller than previous estimates (2-13% depending on the chosen impact time frame), and the effect is dwarfed by uncertainty in the GHG emissions estimates. Nevertheless, ETF reduces ethanol’s probability of meeting the federal target of 20% GHG reduction relative to gasoline from 53% (according to EPA GHG estimates) to 7-29%. However, the small potential climate impacts from U.S. ethanol use may not actually be observable based on estimated initial increases in global average surface temperature of < 0.001 °C. About 25% of global primary energy production comes from NG, whose life cycle GHG emissions and potential future climate impacts from substituting coal are highly uncertain due to fugitive methane (CH4) emissions from the NG industry. Accurately quantifying the NG fugitive emissions (FE) rate – the percentage of produced NG, mainly CH4 and ethane (C2H6) – released to the atmosphere is challenging due to the size and complexity of the NG industry. Recent LCA estimates suggest that the current NG FE rate could be as high as 8% and 6%, from shale and conventional NG, respectively, and other bottom-up studies indicate even higher rates several decades ago. This work analyzes possible ranges of the global average NG FE rate based on atmospheric CH4, C2H6, and carbon isotope (δ13C-CH4) measurements recorded since 1984, and top-down modeling of their sources and sinks. Box-model, δ13C-CH4mass balance, and 3D-modeling results agree on best estimate NG FE rates of 3-5% (of dry NG production and dry NG composition) globally over the past decade, and 5-8% around 1990. Upper bound FE rates are 5% and 7% in 2010 and 2000, respectively. Best estimate and upper bound values may be overestimated because both assume lower bound emissions from oil and coal production as well as complete absence of natural hydrocarbon seepage. While LCA studies are useful for identifying processes with the greatest NG FE reduction potential, the recent high bottom-up estimates do not appear representative of the U.S. national average based on top-down modeling results. Given the steadily declining NG FE rates one may expect that further emissions abatement is possible if industry practices are further improved.

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Khasreen, Mohamad Monkiz. "Carbon dioxide emissions of office buildings in Scotland : life-cycle assesment of new-build offices." Thesis, Heriot-Watt University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10399/2701.

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In the context of the global trend towards reducing the carbon footprint of buildings, the design team must make decisions, which have major consequences on the carbon footprint. This should be during the early stages of the building design process, as changes made later on can be costly. Although Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the ‘gold standard’ method to evaluate the design from 'cradle to grave'. The lack of detail available on the concept design makes LCA very difficult if not impossible. Unfortunately, this is the very stage at which decisions are made that have a most significant influence on the life cycle. In order to support designers, a database of LCA case studies data is needed, accessible to designers and decision makers, and giving guidance on specific areas of significant impact, on which they can concentrate to reduce the building’s total impact. The work in this thesis sets out to address this need. This thesis presents life-cycle case studies of two new-build offices in Scotland that could be used as guidance during the concept stage of the design process. This is achieved by modelling the carbon emissions of different life-cycle stages, and different building materials and components used in building activities. The hypothesis that the current trend of office building in Scotland produces buildings which are relatively lower in their emissions than those reported in the literature is tested by a full life-cycle assessment of two new-build offices in Edinburgh. Scenario and sensitivity analysis is used to assess the future of office buildings in Scotland. The carbon dioxide emissions of the two case study buildings, when normalised according to floor area, are similar and lie towards the lower end of the range of worldwide data reported in the literature. Sensitivity analysis shows that the life cycle results are affected by changes in design parameters, and are highly sensitive to the assumptions about the future made at the design stage, such as future changes in electricity generation over time, refurbishment and recycling. Large savings in carbon dioxide emissions can result from small changes at the design stage, such as glazing ratios and the provision of parking. Some of these are fields for future research and development.

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Aldén, Nina. "Potential for mitigating GHG emissions at a Swedish wastewater treatment plant – a life cycle approach." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för naturgeografi, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-186730.

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To meet the national and international climate goals every potential GHG mitigating effort needs to be addressed. The aim of this thesis is to investigate if the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), Ekebyhov, can reduce its GHG emissions by making changes inthe treatmentprocess. The main GHGs emitted from WWT areN2O, CH4and CO2. To begin with, Ekebyhov’scurrent carbon footprintwas calculated in a base line scenario, using a calculation tool (ECT). The results showed that the total footprintamounted to 522 tons CO2eqper year, with the majority of the emissions (83 %) from the activated sludge process. Five GHG-mitigating measures were identified and potential GHG emission reduction (PGER) was calculated from 1) optimized WWT, 2) urea treated sludge, 3) change of chemicals, 4) green transports and 5) added anaerobic digestion (AD) process. The largest PGER came from added AD, followed by optimized WWT. Finally, the PGER for all measures was calculated and resulted in net negative emissions of -95 tons CO2eq per year. The thesis shows that it is possible to reduce the carbon footprint of Ekebyhov WWTP, even to a net negative result. It is, however important to address other impact categories in a full LCA to be able to make fully informed decisions.

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Miliutenko, Sofiia. "Consideration of life cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for improved road infrastructure planning." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Miljöstrategisk analys (fms), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-184163.

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Global warming is one of the biggest challenges of our society. The road transport sector is responsible for a big share of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, which are considered to be the dominant cause of global warming. Although most of those emissions are associated with traffic operation, road infrastructure should not be ignored, as it involves high consumption of energy and materials during a long lifetime. The aim of my research was to contribute to improved road infrastructure planning by developing methods and models to include a life cycle perspective. In order to reach the aim, GHG emissions and energy use at different life cycle stages of road infrastructure were assessed in three case studies using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). These case studies were also used for development of methodology for LCA of road infrastructure. I have also investigated the coupling of LCA with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the possibility to integrate LCA into Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The results of the first case study indicated that operation of the tunnel (mainly, lighting and ventilation) has the largest contribution in terms of energy use and GHG emissions throughout its life cycle. The second case study identified the main hotspots and compared two methods for asphalt recycling and asphalt reuse. The results of the third case study indicated that due to the dominant contribution of traffic to the total impact of the road transport system, the difference in road length plays a major role in choice of road alternatives during early planning of road infrastructure. However, infrastructure should not be neglected, especially in the case of similar lengths of road alternatives, for roads with low volumes of traffic or when they include bridges or tunnels. This thesis contributed in terms of foreground and background data collection for further LCA studies of road infrastructure. Preliminary Bill of Quantities (BOQ) was identified and used as a source for site-specific data collection. A new approach was developed and tested for using geological data in a GIS environment as a data source on earthworks for LCA. Moreover, this thesis demonstrated three possible ways for integrating LCA in early stages of road infrastructure planning.

QC 20160329

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Ross, Stephen Alexander. "Biological and environmental efficiency of high producing dairy systems through application of life cycle analysis." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/9770.

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Dairy production systems are an important global contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions including methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Due to the role GHG play in climate change, it is important to investigate ways to minimise their global warming potential (GWP) and to maximise the efficiency of dairy production systems. Finding a balance between improving productivity and suppressing the range and quantity of GHG produced in dairy production is crucial in order to maintain sustainability in the future. The Langhill herd is part of a long term genetic x feeding systems study, representative of a range of dairy production systems which may be found in the UK. Two feeding regimes (low forage (LF) and high forage (HF)) were applied to each of two genetic lines (control (C) and select (S) genetic merit for milk fat plus protein) giving four contrasting dairy production systems (LFC, LFS, HFC, HFS). Biological efficiency (production and energetic) and environmental efficiency (GWP) were assessed by way of life cycle analysis (LCA), accounting for dairy system inputs and outputs from off-farm production of imported feeds and fertilisers to raw milk leaving the farm gate over a period of seven years. Calculations were conducted using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methods, with system specific data implemented where possible. Select genetic line under low forage regime (LFS) had the highest gross production and energetic efficiencies (p<0.001). In LFS, milk yields were 56% higher per cow than the lowest ranked HFC system, representing a difference of around 3500kg per cow. Milk solids yield per kg dry matter intake was 18% higher in LFS compared to HFC. High forage with control genetic line required 17% more net energy intake than LFS to produce each kg of milk solids. LFS allocated the highest proportion of net energy to lactating after accounting for body maintenance (p<0.001). Rate of change in efficiency throughout lactation varied significantly (p<0.001) amongst systems, with loss of efficiency minimised in LFS and greatest in HFC. However, LFS involuntary culling rate was significantly higher than other systems (p<0.001). LFS was the most environmentally efficient system and HFC the least (p<0.001), both per unit productivity and per unit total land use. Implementing low forage regime with select genetic line lowered GWP per kg energy corrected milk (ECM) by 24% compared to HFC (p<0.001). GWP of LFC was around 8% lower per kg ECM than HFS (p<0.001). Methane from enteric fermentation contributed the greatest proportion of overall GWP (46-49%) in all systems. However, key factors in the differences amongst systems were higher off-farm CO2 equivalent emissions under low forage, and higher on-farm N2O emissions under high forage regime. HFC produced 91% more nitrous oxide per kg ECM from animal manures compared to LFS, and 65% more N2O from applied manufactured fertilisers (p<0.001). Conversely GWP associated with off-farm production of imported feeds in LFS was 11% higher than in HFC (p<0.001). In low forage systems high gross emissions were offset by high productivity but this was not the case for the high forage systems. Cows of high genetic merit managed under a Low Forage feeding regime had improved production, energetic and environmental efficiencies. However, issues with animal health and fertility raise questions about long term sustainability of the LFS dairy production system, emphasising the importance of examining trade offs between systems.

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Noller, Caroline J. Built Environment Faculty of Built Environment UNSW. "Economic impact assessment of carbon pricing of embodied greenhouse gas emissions for commercial office construction." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Built Environment, 2005. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/22991.

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A life cycle study was undertaken to assess the economic impact arising from internalised embodied greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) costs for a commercial office building. A limited range of design and materials re-cycling strategies were investigated for their abatement potential. GGE quantities were determined by a hybrid process analysis where input-output data was supplemented with national average data to increase completeness whereby all upstream emissions arising from material inputs to the point of extraction, as well as non-material inputs (e.g. goods and services) into the design and construction process are accounted for. The hypothesis proposed abatement potential of 30%, as measured against the Benchmark Design (BM) would be economically viable in absence of the benefit of early-action credits. The hypothesis was disproved with 15% abatement shown at zero additional capital cost. A Stretch Technology (ST) scenario was investigated which showed 32% abatement potential however the associated marginal capital cost could not be determined. The GGE intensity per meter square of Net Lettable Area (m2 NLA) for the case study building was found to be 5,258 kg CO2-e. The theoretical value of abatement credits was determined at $12 to $1,031 / m2 NLA (depending on price) and is shown to present a reasonable economic and market transformation opportunity at medium range values. The results demonstrate that the cost-push inflation risk posed to commercial office construction is large where the price of embodied GGE is internalised in the economic system. Gross Construction Cost (GCC) increase per square meter is shown to be between 1.5% and 61% (with associated negative IRR impacts between -0.1 to -7%) depending on the GGE price level. An unsustainable cost impact is demonstrated at GGE prices greater than AUD$50 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (AUD$50/ tonne CO2-e). Internalised GGE studies have been largely limited to the operational cost impact arising from GGE of direct end-use rather than from the perspective of total embodied final demand. The results demonstrate the critical nature of embodied abatement strategies for commercial buildings if the internationally accepted 60% global GGE abatement is to be achieved within the relevant timeframe. An average kg CO2-e intensity per dollar of GCC is proposed for the three building models that may be applied to general scenario planning. The scale of economic benefit available for embodied credits is significant and the determination of viable credit mechanisms worthy of further research.

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Bessou, Cécile. "Greenhouse gas emissions of biofuels: improving Life Cycle Assessments by taking into account local production factors." Phd thesis, AgroParisTech, 2009. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00453003.

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L'Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV) permet de comptabiliser les émissions de la production à la combustion d'un biocarburant mais elle ne prend pas en compte la dynamique locale de ces émissions, notamment celle des émissions de N2O, principal gaz à effet de serre agricole. Notre objectif fut d'abord d'analyse l'effet du tassement du sol sur les émissions de N2O en combinant expérimentation et modélisation. À l'aide de chambres automatiques sur des parcelles de betterave, nous avons mesuré en 2007-2008 des émissions cumulées de 944-977 g N-N2O ha-1 en sol non tassé et 1,448-1,382 g N-N2O ha-1 en sol tassé. Les émissions plus importantes sur le tassé furent surtout dues aux conditions anoxiques propices à la dénitrification. Nous avons modifié le modèle NOE pour mieux simuler la nitrification et la variation des fractions de N2O sur les produits totaux. Malgré une meilleure prédiction de la nitrification et des flux post-fertilisation, le modèle modifié NOE2 sous-estima les émissions totales. La sévère sous-estimation en été montre que les cycles sec-humides peuvent entraîner de fortes émissions dont le déterminisme n'est ni élucidé ni modélisé. Nous avons ensuite utilisé un modèle d'agro-écosystème (CERES-EGC-NOE2) pour produire les données d'inventaire pour nos ACV locales. L'éthanol de Miscanthus produit en Picardie entraîne potentiellement beaucoup moins d'impacts environnementaux que celui de betterave. Comparés à l'essence, l'éthanol de Miscanthus permettrait une réduction de gaz à effet de serre de 82-85% par MJ, celui de betterave une réduction de 28-42% par MJ en fonction des conditions pédo-climatiques et des pratiques agricoles locales.

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Emery, Isaac R. "Direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from biomass storage| Implications for life cycle assessment of biofuels." Thesis, Purdue University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3612988.

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Ethanol and other biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks are currently the most promising candidates to replace a large fraction of gasoline consumption in the United States and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Gaps in current approaches to estimating the net greenhouse gas emissions from second-generation biofuels may lead to underestimation of the carbon intensity of these fuels. Current life cycle assessment models of biofuels do not sufficiently account for biomass losses and emissions associated with the harvest and storage of biomass feedstocks, which can require additional fuel and materials use on the farm as well as reducing the effective yield of a crop at the biorefinery gate. The goal of this dissertation is to quantify the range of likely impacts of feedstock storage on the net greenhouse gas emissions from biofuel production.

A broad survey of published forage and bioenergy studies was used to assess the range of likely feedstock dry matter losses during storage by several methods. These loss distributions, as well as updated parameters for biomass harvesting processes and potential direct emissions of non-CO₂ greenhouse gases during biomass decomposition were incorporated into the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model to determine the effects on life cycle global warming impact. Methods for laboratory-scale storage experiments were developed using a variety of potential bioenergy feedstocks harvested at Purdue University. Experiments with corn stover and switchgrass under controlled temperature and moisture conditions were conducted to determine rates of dry matter loss and methane and nitrous oxide emissions during storage.

Results show that updating biofuels life cycle analysis models to include harvest and storage of biomass feedstocks can substantially increase net greenhouse gas emissions from 2.0–10.0 gCO₂e/MJ ethanol. Differences between storage methods are significant: materials use and direct emissions of methane may lead to greater emissions during wet storage, while covering dry bales reduced average emissions and variability. Both methane and nitrous oxide are produced during aerobic biomass storage at the laboratory scale, though at low rates which may not substantially affect the carbon intensity of cellulosic biofuels.

Incorporating harvest and storage parameters into biofuels life cycle assessment models significantly alters both point estimates and stochastic analyses of greenhouse gas emissions. While ethanol from cellulosic feedstocks still provides a greater than 60% reduction in greenhouse gases compared to gasoline, storage processes should be considered when assessing the extent to which biofuels reduce net fossil energy use and climate change emissions.

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Stratton, Russell William. "Life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions and non-CO₂ combustion effects from alternative jet fuels." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/59694.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-144).
The long-term viability and success of a transportation fuel depends on both economic and environmental sustainability. This thesis focuses specifically on assessing the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and non-CO 2 combustion effects from conventional jet fuel and synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK). The research expands upon the work of Wong (2008) by examining Fischer-Tropsch jet fuel from coal and biomass, and hydroprocessed renewable jet (HRJ) fuel from rapeseed, jatropha, algae and salicornia. Each fuel option is a "drop-in" alternative in that they are compatible with existing aviation infrastructure. Using a modified version of the APMT climate impacts module, the additional climate forcing from non-CO 2 combustion effects is combined with the fuel life cycle GHG inventories. Life cycle GHG emissions are only one of many aspects that must be considered when evaluating the feasibility and sustainability of an alternative fuel option. While cost and fresh water availability are important constraints, fuel yield and land requirements for select biomass-based fuel pathways are quantified. This is most important for feedstocks requiring cropland for cultivation. For example, current global production of soy, palm and rapeseed oil translate to only 34%, 43% and 18% of US jet fuel demand, respectively; hence, even small fractions of the petroleum industry translate to massive production scales in absolute terms. By comparison, HRJ from algal oil can yield more than an order of magnitude higher fuel production per hectare of land. Few biofuels were identified with zero life cycle GHG emissions. This contradicts previous studies and likely results from avoiding the displacement method to allocate emissions. Considerable inter and intra fuel option variability was found in life cycle GHG emissions; land use change contributed much to the variability of many pathways. The range in life cycle GHG emissions of all fuel options examined ranged from 0 to 9.1 times those of conventional jet fuel. The uncertainty in treating non-CO 2 combustion effects was found to have a larger influence on the life cycle emissions of each fuel option than the variability of the life cycle GHG inventories; however, including non-CO 2 combustion effects reduced the overall range in emissions of all fuel options considered to only 0 to 4.7 times those of conventional jet fuel. Hence, the inclusion of non-CO 2 effects in the fuel life cycle increases the absolute uncertainty of each fuel option but reduces the overall variability in the life cycle emissions of alternative fuels relative to conventional jet fuel.
by Russell William Stratton.
S.M.

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Neef, Mara Aline. "Carbon Budget Compliance: A life-cycle-based model for carbon emissions of automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers." Phd thesis, Verein zur Förderung des Institutes IWAR der Technischen Universität Darmstadt, 2020. https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/13243/1/Neef_TUPrints_2020_Diss.pdf.

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Automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) cause considerable amounts of CO2 emissions over the life cycle of their vehicles. They are thus contributing to global climate change. To stop climate change, all industries, including OEMs, must accomplish a major reduction of CO2 emissions. OEMs report past emissions and receive external support for setting Paris Agreement-compatible reduction targets. Though currently, OEMs do not have access to a methodology that facilitates modelling their future absolute emissions and the leverage of reduction measures at the company level. They are thus unable to develop holistic carbon reduction strategies. Here I demonstrate that current carbon management approaches remain conceptual. Based on the analysis of OEMs’ future emission drivers, requirements are developed to evaluate additional methods for their applicability in the subsequent method derivation. Quantifying the effect of integrating mobility services in OEMs’ fleets on the company’s absolute emissions is evaluated as especially important. For this reason, the Carbon Budget Compliance (CBC) method is developed by integrating and refining the analysed approaches. This method facilitates computing the impact of single reduction measures on fleet level over the life cycle of vehicles and mobility services regarding compliance with a carbon budget. The CBC method is exemplarily applied in a case study for the Volkswagen Group (VW). In scenario analyses the leverage of using renewable energy sources for battery production and electrified vehicles’ use phase is computed for fleets consisting of private vehicles and mobility services (car sharing, ride hailing, ride pooling). VW’s absolute emissions between 2015 and 2050 are modelled regarding the compliance with a 2 °C-compatible carbon budget. I show that immediate operationalisation of the two reduction measures for private vehicle and mobility service fleets is crucial for budget compliance. Due to higher load factors, ride hailing and pooling vehicles provide more person-km (p-km) during their lifetime than private vehicles. Fleet sizes in these scenarios are thus reduced. As heavier ride pooling vehicles need higher battery capacities than average Group vehicles, ensuring the use of renewable energy sources over their life cycle is crucial to attain absolute emission reduction. Otherwise, the reductive effect of smaller fleets is counterbalanced. The load factor of car sharing vehicles is similar or equal to private vehicles. By offering car sharing, OEMs can thus only reduce absolute emissions via an earlier onset of fleet electrification and the use of renewable energy sources. The high dependence on the energy sector’s decarbonisation efforts calls for OEMs to play an active role in the provision of sufficient amounts of renewable energy. The lowest modelled overshoot of the carbon budget is 5% facilitated by a combination of ride hailing and private vehicles as well as by operationalising the reduction measures. OEMs should therefore analyse additional measures tackling the supply chain and less CO2-intensive emission categories such as logistics within the CBC method. The method facilitates modelling such measures due to its modular approach. By using the CBC method, OEMs are now able to develop effective carbon reduction strategies to support achieving global climate targets and monitor their success. To improve the CBC method, future research should address the automation of data flows between data systems and the integration of micro-scale mobility models to quantify rebound effects caused by mobility services. Coupling internal carbon pricing with the CBC method could further promote its applicability in OEMs’ daily business operations.

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Almutairi, Badriya L. "Investigating the feasibility and soil-structure integrity of onshore wind turbine systems in Kuwait." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2017. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/27612.

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Wind energy technologies are considered to be among the most promising types of renewable energy sources, which have since attracted broad considerations through recent years due to the soaring oil prices and the growing concerns over climate change and energy security. In Kuwait, rapid industrialisation, population growth and increasing water desalination are resulting in high energy demand growth, increasing the concern of oil diminishing as a main source of energy and the climate change caused by CO2 emissions from fossil fuel based energy. These demands and challenges compelled governments to embark on a diversification strategy to meet growing energy demand and support continued economic growth. Kuwait looked for alternative forms of energy by assessing potential renewable energy resources, including wind and sun. Kuwait is attempting to use and invest in renewable energy due to the fluctuating price of oil, diminishing reserves, the rapid increase in population, the high consumption of electricity and the environment protection. In this research, wind energy will be investigated as an attractive source of energy in Kuwait.

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Caldwell, Amanda. "Assessment of Transportation Emissions for Ferrous Scrap Exports from the United States: Activity-Based Maritime Emissions Model and Theoretical Inland Transportation Model." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2011. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc103296/.

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Industrial ecology is a field of study that encourages the use of closed-loop material cycles to achieve sustainability. Loop closing requires the movement of materials over space, and has long been practiced in the iron and steel industry. Iron and steel (ferrous) scrap generated in the U.S. is increasingly exported to countries in Asia, lengthening the transportation distance associated with closing the loop on the iron and steel life cycle. In order to understand the environmental cost of transporting this commodity, an activity-based maritime transportation model and a theoretical in-land transportation model are used to estimate emissions generated. Results indicate that 10.4 mmt of total emissions were generated, and emissions increased by 136 percent from 2004 to 2009. Increases in the amount of emissions generated are due to increases in the amount of scrap exported and distance it is transported.

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Tamayao, Mili-Ann Maguigad. "Urbanization and Vehicle Electrification in the United States: Life Cycle CO2 Emissions Estimation and Climate Policy Implications." Research Showcase @ CMU, 2014. http://repository.cmu.edu/dissertations/483.

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Recent sustainability research has focused on urban systems given their high share of environmental impacts and potential for centralized impact mitigation. Most previous works rely on descriptive statistics obtained from place-based case studies representing major cities, metropolitan areas, and counties using emissions inventories that may have inconsistent and/or limited scope (e.g., transportation and residential emissions only). This limits the potential for general insights and decision support related to the role of urbanization in CO2 emissions reduction. Here, I implement generalized linear and multiple linear regression analyses to obtain robust insights on the relationship between urbanization and CO2 emissions in the U.S. I used consistently derived county-level scope 1 & 2 CO2 inventories for my response variable while predictor variables included dummy-coded variables for county geographic type (central, outlying, and non-metropolitan), median household income, population density, and climate indices (heating degree days (HDD) and cooling degree days (CDD)). There is statistically significant difference in per capita emissions by sector for different county types, with transportation and residential emissions highest in nonmetropolitan (rural) counties, transportation emissions lowest in central (most urbanized) counties, and commercial sector emissions highest in central counties. More importantly, contrary to most previous findings, there is not enough statistical evidence indicating that per capita scope 1 & 2 emissions differ by geographic type, ceteris paribus. These results are robust for different assumed electricity emissions factors. Given that emissions production rate in more urban counties are not significantly different from that of less urban ones and population is concentrated in urban counties, significant national emissions reduction could be achieved if efforts are focused on central counties. There are various climate mitigation techniques – both from the supply and demand side. Given the large contribution of transportation in total county emissions and the fact that this technology bridges the transportation and electricity sector which is currently the biggest contributor to CO2 emissions, I investigated the emission reduction benefits from driving electric instead of gasoline vehicles. Vehicle electrification has also received sustained support from the local to the supranational level and is seeing an optimistic market trend. I characterize and assess the uncertainty in CO2 emissions per mile travelled for vehicles in the U.S. given regional variation and uncertainty in electricity emissions factor (marginal vs average, generation- vs consumption-based, different regional boundaries), driving pattern, and daily vehicle miles traveled (DVMT). I also investigate vehicle emissions estimates under convenience (vehicle starts charging when it arrives at home) and delayed (vehicle starts charging at 12am) charging. Using marginal emissions factors results in electric vehicle emissions estimate that are higher than average emissions estimates in the northeastern and north central U.S., and lower emissions in the south central U.S. In other regions, using marginal emissions versus average emissions factors may lead to differences in emissions estimates by as much as 28%. Delayed charging leads to higher emissions, given that off-peak electricity demand is supplied by fossil generators in most regions (e.g., coal). Using marginal emissions estimates, the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle has lower operation emissions compared to the Toyota Prius (the most efficient US gasoline vehicle) in western U.S., and the Leaf has higher operation emissions in the north central, regardless of assumed charging scheme and estimation method. In other regions the comparison is uncertain because of regional variation and uncertainty in emission factor estimates. Consumption- and generation-based marginal emissions also significantly (5 % - 28%), enough to result unclear comparison results. Average vehicle emissions estimates under different regional boundary definitions also differ significantly (e.g., state-based estimates deviate from National Electricity Reliability Commission (NERC) region-based estimates by as much as 122%). Other factors such as driving pattern and daily vehicle miles traveled also influence vehicle emissions. I conduct a locational comparison of electric and gasoline vehicle life cycle emissions in the U.S. taking into consideration the regional variation in the joint effect of consumption-based marginal electricity emission factors, driving pattern (city, highway or combined), and daily vehicle miles traveled (DVMT) distribution. I find that electricity generation emissions rate, determined by grid mix and charging scheme, has the largest influence on electric vehicle emission levels and the emissions differences of gasoline and electric vehicles. Secondary to this is urbanization level, especially for PHEVs, as it influences driving pattern and daily vehicle miles traveled. Highest CO2 emission reductions from electric vehicles can be attained in metropolitan counties in CA, TX, FL, NY, and New England states. Policies for wider adoption of electric vehicles such as incentives and other adoption facilitating mechanisms including investments in public charging infrastructure are encouraged in metropolitan counties, especially the denser ones. On the other hand, these policies are discouraged in north central states where electric vehicles would only increase emissions because of a relatively carbon-intensive grid. These findings reflect the pivotal role of the electricity and transportation sectors nexus in achieving national goals of CO2 emission reductions. Unless the U.S. decarbonizes its electricity system further, electric vehicles will only be beneficial in climate mitigation efforts in certain locations in the country.

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Rodjom, Abbey Michaella. "Coproduction of Biomass Crops and Anaerobic Digestion: Effects on the Life Cycle Emissions of Bioenergy and Bioproducts." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1610664975665256.

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Poli, Marco. "Life Cycle Assessment di sistemi alternativi per la raccolta di rifiuti urbani ed assimilati." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2019.

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La raccolta di rifiuti urbani ed assimilati può essere effettuata con modalità differenti che consentono il raggiungimento di risultati diversi in termini di miglioramento della percentuale di Raccolta Differenziata, quantità dei rifiuti indifferenziati e qualità delle frazioni raccolte in modo differenziato. Lo scopo di questo studio è quello di effettuare una analisi LCA su sistemi alternativi per la raccolta rifiuti, al fine di valutare i differenti impatti ambientali, quali siano i contributi dei trasporti a tali impatti, l’influenza delle singole filiere di rifiuti e della qualità dei materiali raccolti in modo differenziato. Sono stati confrontati i seguenti Scenari di raccolta territoriale: • Sistema stradale con cassonetti a libero accesso; • Sistema con Isole Ecologiche di Base (IEB) accessibili mediante tessere identificative individuali; • Sistema “Porta a Porta”. Sono state inoltre definite due diverse Unità Funzionali, utilizzate per effettuare due differenti analisi LCA degli scenari sopra indicati: 1. Raccolta di rifiuti in un anno, in un territorio di dimensioni definite (LCA sistema); 2. Impatti specifici (pertanto rapportati alle effettive tonnellate) delle differenti filiere di rifiuti territoriali (LCA filiere). Come perimetro di analisi sono state considerate le principali raccolte territoriali dei rifiuti urbani e assimilati del Comune di Dozza (BO), circa 6.600 abitanti. Sono state valutate le emissioni di gas serra prodotti considerando i processi relativi a: • Trattamenti e smaltimenti delle diverse tipologie di rifiuti; • Recupero materiali ed energia; • Raccolta territoriale e trasporto agli impianti di primo conferimento; • Trasporto a successivi impianti di effettivo recupero.

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Peñaloza, Diego. "Exploring climate impacts of timber buildings : The effects from including non-traditional aspects in life cycle impact assessment." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Byggnadsmaterial, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-161193.

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There is an urgency within the building sector to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. An increased proportion of biobased building materials in construction is a potential measure to reduce these emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has often been applied to compare the climate impact from biobased materials with that from e.g. mineral based materials, mostly favouring biobased materials. Contradicting results have however been reported due to differences in methodology, as there is not yet consensus regarding certain aspects. The aim of this thesis is to study the implications from non-traditional practices in climate impact assessment of timber buildings, and to discuss the shortcomings of current practices when assessing such products and comparing them with non-renewable alternatives. The traditional practices for climate impact assessment of biobased materials have been identified, and then applied to a case study of a building with different timber frame designs and an alternative building with a concrete frame. Then, non-traditional practices were explored by calculating climate impact results using alternative methods to handle certain methodological aspects, which have been found relevant for forest products in previous research such as the timing of emissions, biogenic emissions, carbon storage in the products, end-of-life substitution credits, soil carbon disturbances and change in albedo. These alternative practices and their implications were also studied for low-carbon buildings. The use of non-traditional practices can affect the climate impact assessment results of timber buildings, and to some extent the comparison with buildings with lower content of biobased building materials. This effect is especially evident for energy-efficient buildings. Current normal practices tend to account separately for forest-related carbon flows and aspects such as biogenic carbon emissions and sequestration or effects from carbon storage in the products, missing to capture the forest carbon cycle as a whole. Climate neutrality of wood-based construction materials seems like a valid assumption for studies which require methodological simplification, while other aspects such as end-of-life substitution credits, soil carbon disturbances or changes in albedo should be studied carefully due to their potentially high implications and the uncertainties around the methods used to account for them. If forest phenomena are to be included in LCA studies, a robust and complete model of the forest carbon cycle should be used. Another shortcoming is the lack of clear communication of the way some important aspects were handled.

QC 20150310

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50

Simon, Peter. "Assessment of Embodied Energy and Carbon Emissions of the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon from a Life Cycle Perspective." Thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Avdelningen för ekoteknik och hållbart byggande, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-25145.

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Abstract:

In the pursuit of low-carbon, renewable energy sources one option with great potential in the UK is tidal energy. Specifically the proposed construction of the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon (SBTL) in South Wales has become one such discussed option. With a potential net annual output of 400 GWh and a 120-year lifetime the scheme represents a long-term and large-scale electricity production option. An assessment of carbon emissions and embodied energy (EE) of the lagoon’s life cycle was carried out. Total lifetime carbon emissions for the SBTL are in the region of 470,000 tCO2e and EE was found to be around 7,800 TJ. The assessment shows that the SBTL has significantly lower emissions per year than the existing National Grid mix and with emissions of around 0.01 kgCO2e/KWh is significantly lower than the UK emissions target of 0.07 kgCO2e/KWh. Energy payback of the SBTL was found to be in the region of 5.5 years. The use of dredged ballast infill sourced from within the area of the lagoon plays an important role in keeping emissions and energy use low; and is a key consideration when planning future tidal lagoon structures.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Life-cycle emission'

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