LCA Towards Sustainable Agriculture: The Case Study of Cupuaçu Jam from Agroforestry

Abstract Appropriate design of agricultural systems for the regeneration of deforested lands in critical areas, like the Amazon, may be an effective action to restore forest ecosystem functions and to mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change. Among the possible strategies, agroforestry may represent a viable trade-off between economic and environmental aspects. In this study, the production of a jam made of fruits from agroforestry was analysed from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective. The agroforestry system investigated was implemented in a reforested area of the Peruvian Amazon. A cradle-to-grave approach, from the cultivation phase to the end-of-life of the jam, was adopted. Additionally to LCA, the focus is on the agricultural phase and, in particular, on the comparison of alternative agro-ecosystems from an environmental viewpoint. Therefore, LCA indicators are integrated with biodiversity indicators to account for the ecological dimension. Preliminary results highlight the benefits of producing jam from fruits harvested in an area of the Amazon reforested via agroforestry, as well as the high variability of environmental impacts due to the differences in the alternative agricultural systems considered

Global meat consumption trends and local deforestation in Madre de Dios: assessing land use changes and other environmental impacts

AbstractMeat consumption is becoming one of the most relevant sectors in terms of environmental impacts globally. In the Brazilian Amazon the effects of this process are seen in the ongoing deforestation and land-use change (about 65% of deforestation can be linked to cattle ranching). One of the main causes of this trend is the increased efficiency of the transport infrastructure: along both sides of the Brazilian Inter-Oceanic highway, about 50km of rainforest have been converted to cattle ranching. In 2011 the Inter-Oceanic highway was finalized also on the Peruvian side: the region of Madre de Dios is neighboring the Brazilian Amazon, therefore the risk is that this area will undergo the same kind of development.The objective of this analysis is to highlight the contribution of global meat demand trend as cause of land use change and deforestation in the Madre de Dios region. This focus has been chosen since, nowadays, the magnitude of cattle ranching activities is hidden by more evident and damaging activities (e.g., gold mining), and its near-future effects risk to be underestimated. By starting with investigating the preliminary signals of cattle ranching contribution to the local deforestation process, this analysis will serve as basis for more comprehensive future works on local data, including monitoring campaigns of local biodiversity and GHG emissions. Land-use change is, thus, analyzed through FAO data and also through data acquired with remote sensing carried out within other projects. Meat consumption and production outcomes are obtained from the FAOSTAT database. By integrating trends in the regional meat consumption with the emerging trading effects, which are incremented by the new highway, it is possible to highlight the risk that the global convergence in meat consumption trends can locally influence the deforestation in Madre de Dios

Riduzione degli impatti ambientali nella produzione di cemento Portland mediante utilizzo di Combustibile da Rifiuti (CDR)

Lo studio vuole mettere in luce i vantaggi ambientali derivati dall’uso di combustibile da rifiuti (CDR) in sostituzione parziale al tradizionale combustibile fossile nella produzione di clinker di cemento Portland. A questo scopo è stato analizzato il processo produttivo di un cemento portland di classe CEM II/A-LL 42,5R. Lo stabilimento utilizzato nello studio è sito nel nord Italia ed utilizza due diversi tipi di CDR. Lo strumento utilizzato per la quantificazione dei potenziali impatti ambientali è la Valutazione di Ciclo di Vita (o Life Cycle Analysis, LCA), secondo i criteri esposti nelle normative ISO 14040 e 14044

Utilizzo di combustibile da rifiuti (cdr) nella produzione di cemento portland: valutazione dei benefici ambientali mediante Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

Lo studio vuole mettere in luce i vantaggi ambientali derivati dall’uso di combustibile da rifiuti (CDR) in sostituzione parziale al tradizionale combustibile fossile nella produzione di clinker di cemento Portland. A questo scopo è stato analizzato il processo produttivo di un cemento portland di classe CEM II/A-LL 42,5R. Lo stabilimento utilizzato nello studio è sito nel nord Italia ed utilizza due diversi tipi di CDR. Lo strumento utilizzato per la quantificazione dei potenziali impatti ambientali è la Valutazione di Ciclo di Vita (o Life Cycle Analysis, LCA), secondo i criteri esposti nella normativa ISO 14000 e 14040

Tuning the parameters of Cu–WS₂ composite production via powder metallurgy:evaluation of the effects on tribological properties

Abstract Metal matrix self-lubricating composites exhibit outstanding performance in various environments, reaching the required properties by modifying the reinforcement–matrix ratio and the production method. The present research investigated the effects on tribological performance and electrical properties of different pressure loads, maintaining pressing time, and sintering temperatures during the production of copper–10 wt% tungsten disulfide (Cu–WS₂) composite via powder metallurgy. Moreover, additional thermo-mechanical treatments were evaluated, namely second pressing and second sintering steps. The density and the hardness of the produced composites were measured, as well as the electrical resistivity, considering sliding electrical contacts as possible employment. The outputs of the wear tests were considered together with the analysis of the wear track via scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy to understand wear mechanisms. Different production routes were compared in terms of electrical resistivity, wear coefficient, and specific wear rate, calculated by the confocal laser scanning microscopy, and friction coefficient, measured during the wear test. The main results highlighted that the increase in sintering temperature was detrimental to the hardness and tribological properties; higher load and additional pressing step determined a general improvement in the tested properties