Bioenergy in Switzerland: Assessing the domestic sustainable biomass potential

This paper analyzes the sustainable domestic biomass potential for bioenergy in Switzerland. Relevant biomass resources were selected based on expert interviews and literature analyses. A definition of technical and sustainable biomass potentials was developed. The technical and sustainable biomass potentials were then assessed based on technical and sustainability constraints. The sustainable potentials were further subdivided into the already energetically-used potential and the remaining biomass potential. Data was collected from the literature and supplementary interviews with field experts. Finally, the primary energy potential from biomass was calculated and compared to the current Swiss energy demand

Environmental impacts of key metals' supply and low-carbon technologies are likely to decrease in the future

The environmental benefits of low-carbon technologies, such as photovoltaic modules, have been under debate because their large-scale deployment will require a drastic increase in metal production. This is of concern because higher metal demand may induce ore grade decline and can thereby further intensify the environmental footprint of metal supply. To account for this interlinkage known as the “energy-resource nexus”, energy and metal supply scenarios need to be assessed in conjunction. We investigate the trends of future impacts of metal supplies and low-carbon technologies, considering both metal and electricity supply scenarios. We develop metal supply scenarios for copper, nickel, zinc, and lead, extending previous work. Our scenarios consider developments such as ore grade decline, energy-efficiency improvements, and secondary production shares. We also include two future electricity supply scenarios from the IMAGE model using a recently published methodology. Both scenarios are incorporated into the background database of ecoinvent to realize an integrated modeling approach, that is, future metal supply chains make use of future electricity and vice versa. We find that impacts of the modeled metal supplies and low-carbon technologies may decrease in the future. Key drivers for impact reductions are the electricity transition and increasing secondary production shares. Considering both metal and electricity scenarios has proven valuable because they drive impact reductions in different categories, namely human toxicity (up to −43%) and climate change (up to −63%), respectively. Thus, compensating for lower ore grades and reducing impacts beyond climate change requires both greener electricity and also sustainable metal supply. This article met the requirements for a Gold-Gold JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges

Future environmental impacts of metals: a systematic review of impact trends, modelling approaches, and challenges

AbstractWith the energy transition, the future demand for many metals is expected to sharply increase. We systematically reviewed studies which assessed future environmental impacts of metal supply chains. We evaluated their results regarding future impact trends, and their methods, i.e., modelling approaches, scenario variables, and data sources. Our review yielded 40 publications covering 15 metals: copper, iron, aluminium, nickel, zinc, lead, cobalt, lithium, gold, manganese, neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium, terbium, and titanium. Metals crucial for the energy transition, e.g., lithium or neodymium, are rarely addressed, unlike major metals. Results for future environmental impacts of metals strongly depend on scenario narratives and assumptions. We found that specific impacts (per kg) may decrease driven by, e.g., greener electricity, higher recycling shares, or novel technologies. Nevertheless, this is probably insufficient to compensate for surging demand. Thus, future demand-related impacts are still likely to increase. We identified 15 scenario variables. The most common variables are background electricity mix, ore grade, recycling shares, demand, and energy efficiency. It is crucial to better understand future impacts of more metals, considering also rising demand and impacts beyond GHG emissions. We recommend improving research practices towards open and collaborative research, to enable more harmonised, reusable and accurate scenario assessments.HighlightsMetal production causes severe environmental impacts, that may increase in the future when demand for metals may rise.We found that, e.g., greener electricity, higher recycling shares, or novel technologies may reduce impacts per kg metal.Yet, this is probably insufficient to compensate for rising demand. Thus, demand-related impacts are likely to increase.Knowledge is lacking about future impacts of many metals, especially minor metals essential for the energy transition.Better understanding of future impacts of metals is needed, considering rising demand and impacts beyond GHG emissions.Data availabilityOur dataset summarises the state-of-the-art of metal scenario modelling in prospective LCA including all data sources used per publication. It is openly available in a Zenodo repository to facilitate and accelerate future research: https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10066583Industrial Ecolog

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Quantification and Reduction Efforts in a Rural Municipality

Industrial Ecolog

Environmentally optimal wood use in Switzerland-Investigating the relevance of material cascades

Industrial Ecolog