From agricultural cultivation to food and bio-based products: a life cycle assessment perspectiv

The growth of population and per capita income has led to the indiscriminate use of resources, especially those of fossil origin, causing several ecological crises. Agricultural systems have developed over time in order to comply with the population growth. However, this agricultural development is reaching a limit due to intense mechanization, widespread use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, use of land and water. It is therefore important to find ways to make production more sustainable, while ensuring food security and human and ecosystem health, alleviating environmental impacts. The environmental concern about the use of non-renewable sources drew attention to the use of renewable biomass for the production of biofuels and bio-based products. Examples include first-generation (1G) feedstocks, such as starch crops (e.g., maize and wheat grains), which compete with food/feed markets. Agricultural and industrial processing residues, namely second-generation (2G) feedstocks, are also of interest for use in industrial fermentation processes, although, to date, they have fewer technological advantages in relation to 1G biomass. Bioeconomy and circular economy are key concepts to promote the development of more sustainable production processes, which promote compliance, by governments, with the commitments and initiatives of the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations SDGs and the Paris agreement, among others. In this context, significant efforts in the sustainable production of agriculture and bio-based products are essential for sustainable development. The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to assess the environmental and economic impacts of bioproducts, considering food and bio-based products, by means of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology

Bottom-up approach in the assessment of environmental impacts and costs of an innovative anammox-based process for nitrogen removal

In recent decades, the wastewater treatment sector has undergone a shift to adapt to increasing discharge limits. In addressing the evaluation of innovative technologies, it is necessary to determine the scale at which reliable and representative values of environmental impacts and costs can be obtained, ensuring that the system under assessment follows the direction of eco-efficiency. This study has evaluated the environmental and economic indicators of an autotrophic nitrogen removal technology (ELAN®) from laboratory conception (1.5 L) to full scale (2 units of 115 m3) using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Indirect emissions related to electricity consumption are the main contributor in all impact categories except eutrophication. Electricity consumption referred to the functional unit (1 m3 of treated wastewater) decreases as the scale increases. The rationale behind this can be explained, among other reasons, by the low energy efficiency of small-scale equipment (pumps and aerators). Accordingly, a value of approximately 25 kg CO2eq per m3 of treated water is determined for laboratory scale, compared to only 5 kg CO2eq per m3 at full-scale. When it comes to assessing the reliability of data, a pilot scale system of 0.2 m3 allowed to perform a trustworthy estimation of environmental indicators, which were validated at full-scale. In terms of operational costs, the scale of approximately 1 m3 provided a more accurate estimate of the costs associated with energy consumptionThis research was supported by the UE projects: Pioneer_STP (PCIN-2015-22 (MINECO)/ID199 (WaterJPI) and Run4Life (730285-1). The authors (A. Arias, I. Cámara Salim, A. Pedrouso, A. Mosquera-Corral, G. Feijoo and M.T. Moreira) belong to the Galician Competitive Research Group (GRC ED431C 2017/29) and to the CRETUS Strategic Partnership (AGRUP2015/02)S

The use of maize stover and sugar beet pulp as feedstocks in industrial fermentation plants – An economic and environmental perspective

The transition from a fossil to bio-based economy has promoted the valuation of renewable raw materials in biorefineries. Waste and by-products from industrial processing and agricultural activities are potential renewable feedstocks. This study investigates the environmental and economic profile of maize stover and sugar beet pulp as potential cellulosic raw materials to be valued in a biorefinery. Four scenarios were considered: beet pulp in France (BP -FR) and the United Kingdom (BP – UK); and maize stover in Italy (MS – IT) and Belgium (MS – BE). The functional unit is 1 GJ and the impact categories are: climate change (CC), terrestrial acidification (TA); freshwater eutrophication (FE); marine eutrophication (ME); human toxicity (HT); photochemical oxidant formation (POF); particulate matter formation (PM); and fossil depletion (FD). The economic analysis assessed the internal and external cost indicators. The results show that maize stover would reduce the total environmental burdens and production costs. The outcomes show total costs ranging from 22 € (MS -IT) to 174 (BP -UK) € per FU. The environmental results show that BP - UK scenario also represents the worst case. For CC, for instance, in the MS-IT scenario, the impact dropped by more than 80%, compared to BP – UK

Mitigation Potential of Sanitation Infrastructure on Groundwater Contamination by Nitrate in Maputo

In Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, nitrate concentrations above 250 mg L−1 in groundwater have been reported. This happens due to the widespread use of latrines and septic tanks that allow for constant infiltration of its content into the soil and eventually to groundwater sources, a situation that is widespread in the Global South and represents a serious threat for human health and for the environment. This is a reflection of limited access to safe and adequate sanitation services, which the local authorities have set to improve in the forthcoming decades with a recently commissioned city-wide sanitation masterplan serving as a basis for the works. In this article, we aimed at understanding whether the infrastructure projected in the masterplan would lead to a reduction of nitrogen reaching groundwater. Currently, according to our calculations, almost 500 tonnes of nitrogen reach the city’s groundwater sources each year, with the masterplan potentially resulting in a 14% reduction, a small reduction due to its reliance on maintaining and expanding fecal sludge services, without considering investments to improve domestic systems (e.g., construction of contained systems). An alternative, not presented in the Masterplan and put forward by the authors, could be the construction of simplified sewers in two of the city’s most densely populated neighborhoods, with a potential 29% reduction in nitrogen reaching groundwater

Prevalência de sintomas osteomusculares e fatores associados em trabalhadores de uma indústria metalúrgica de Canoas - RS Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and associated factors among metal industry workers in Canoas - RS

A saúde do trabalhador é um campo da saúde coletiva que vem criando espaços para a identificação e prevenção de doenças relacionadas ao trabalho, em especial as osteomusculares, em função da sua abrangência e magnitude. Desta forma, foi realizado um estudo objetivando conhecer os sintomas osteomusculares apresentados pelos trabalhadores de uma indústria metalúrgica do município de Canoas-RS e a associação destes com variáveis sociodemográficas e ocupacionais. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, realizado na maior indústria metalúrgica de Canoas-RS, com a utilização de dois questionários para coleta de dados, o primeiro para obtenção das variáveis demográficas, ocupacionais e hábitos de vida e o segundo para identificar a prevalência de sintomas osteomusculares (Questionário Nórdico de Sintomas Osteomusculares). Como resultado, encontrou-se que 75,2% dos trabalhadores relataram algum tipo de sintoma osteomuscular nos últimos doze meses, 53,3% nos últimos sete dias e 38,5% já tiveram afastamento devido ao problema. Observou-se, também, associação entre sintoma osteomuscular e as variáveis sexo, faixa etária, ocupação e escolaridade. Por conseguinte, constata-se que a prevalência de sintomas osteomusculares em trabalhadores é alta, necessitando de ações de prevenção e promoção à saúde nos ambientes de trabalho.<br>Workers health is a field of community health that has opened spaces for identifying and preventing work-related diseases, especially musculoskeletal disorders in view of their extent and magnitude. We conducted thus a cross-sectional study in the biggest metal industry in the city of Canoas - RS, aimed at identifying the musculoskeletal symptoms of a group of metal industry workers and the association of these symptoms with socio-demographic and occupational variables. Two questionnaires were employed for gathering data: the first one was used to collect information on demographic and occupational variables and individual life habits and the second for identifying the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire). Results showed that 75.2 % of the workers had related some kind of musculoskeletal symptom during the last 12 months, 53.3% during the last 7 days and 38,5% had already taken a time off due to this problem. There was also an association between the musculoskeletal symptom and the variables sex, age, occupation and educational level. We conclude that there is a high prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers, calling for preventive actions and health promotion in the work environment