The maturity level of the agri-food sector in the circular economy domain: a systematic literature review

The agri-food sector (AFS) is crucial in the transition towards sustainability. The Circular Economy (CE) has gained global attention as a tool to achieve it systemically. Nevertheless, it is necessary to understand the maturity level of circularity in the AFS. For that reason, this study aims to analyse, through a systematic and bibliometric literature review, examples of circularity in the sector at inter- and intra-company levels, considering case studies with a micro or meso perspective of analysis. The review was conducted using Scopus and Web of Science databases, identifying 43 peer-reviewed articles published from 2015 to the end of February 2022 and 162 practices. The review explored the maturity level of the agri-food sector in terms of circularity through the innovativeness of its practices. Results show that 51% of the practices have a conventional nature, whereas incremental and radical innovation represent 46% and 3% of the sample. The analysis also investigated, through content analysis, the links with Industrial symbiosis (IS), and sustainability, which remains poorly explored, especially in social terms. Although some limitations are present due to the research criteria, the study allows for deep diving into the characteristics of circularity in the sector by contributing to the definition of a database of circular best practices capable of driving practitioners towards its application and capturing challenges and potential ways of improvement.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PAVIMENTAZIONI STRADALI: ANALISI DI CICLO DI VITA E SOSTENIBILITÀ ENERGETICO-AMBIENTALE

Based on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (25th September 2015), transport systems have to be 1) Sustainable. 2) Quality and resilient. 3) Safe. To this end, note that the Italian Ministry of Research funded the Research Project PRIN USR342 that involves related ideas and focuses on 3 paving solutions (made with recycled materials and sustainable technologies), 4 sets of modules (software), and 2 platforms. The objective of the study here presented deals with the assessment of the best pavement technology based on energy and environmental performance. Consequently, a life cycle assessment, LCA, was applied, considering material production, construction, maintenance, and end of life. The environmental impact of the different pavement technologies was derived. Results demonstrate that the use of warm mix asphalts and of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) yields the lowest energy consumption and environ-mental impact. Furthermore, under the hypotheses of the study, the production of mixtures is crucial because it corresponds to a contribution of about 60-70% in the life cycle of the different materials. LCA approach confirms as a methodology able to help decision makers when strategies and actions for the eco-design of road pavements are needed

Thermodynamic rarity of electrical and electronic waste: Assessment and policy implications for critical materials

The strategic relevance of extracting raw materials from waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the EU is increasing due to value chain risks caused by geopolitical instability, accessibility of specific minerals, and decreasing reserves due to growing extraction rates. This article examines the quantities of so-called critical raw materials (CRMs) originating within WEEE streams from a depletion perspective. Presently, current recycling targets are based solely on mass collection and recycling rates. We examine the potential limitations of this approach using an exergy-based indicator named thermodynamic rarity. This indicator represents the exergy costs needed for producing materials from the bare rock to market. The case of Italy is used to explore the application of the indicator at the macro (national) and micro (company) level for the product categories “small electronics” and “screens and monitors.” Our estimations show significant differences between the mass and rarity of materials within Italian WEEE streams. While iron accounts for more than 70% of the weight of the product categories analyzed, it accounts for less than 15% of the rarity. Similarly, several CRMs with a small mass have a higher rarity value, for example, tungsten with less than 0.1% of the mass and over 6% of the rarity. The policy context is reflected upon, where it is argued that thermodynamic rarity can provide novel insights to support end-of-life WEEE decision-making processes, for example, target development and recycling standards setting to help prioritize material monitoring and recovery options

LA LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT APPLICATA AL SETTORE AGROALIMENTARE: IL CASO STUDIO DI TRE PRODOTTI SICILIANI

Il settore agro – alimentare rappresenta uno dei settori economici più significativi a livello europeo in termini di impatti ambientali e di consumo di risorse. Esso è responsabile di circa il 5,3% del consumo finale di energia delle industrie europee, di circa l’1,8% del consumo di acqua, e di circa il 20-30% degli impatti ambientali (Tukker et al., 2006). La quantità di energia necessaria per coltivare, trasformare, confezionare e distribuire i prodotti ai consumatori ha rappresentato, nel 2013, una quota pari al 26% del consumo di energia finale europeo, di cui circa un terzo è causato dalla coltivazione e dall’allevamento del bestiame. Inoltre, nel 2010, le emissioni di gas a effetto serra connesse al settore sono state pari a circa 10 GtCO2eq, rappresentando un quinto delle emissioni globali (Monforti-Ferrario et al., 2015). Pertanto, quello agro – alimentare è stato identificato come uno dei settori prioritari a livello europeo su cui intervenire per l’attuazione di strategie di produzione e consumo sostenibili (European Commission, 2008) e di economia circolare. L’Unione Europea ha individuato delle possibili azioni per la riduzione degli impatti energetico – ambientali del settore, alcune delle quali di seguito elencate: • Applicazione di metodologie di analisi delle prestazioni dei prodotti alimentari lungo il loro intero ciclo di vita, con particolare riferimento alla metodologia Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). • Diffusione di strumenti di comunicazione ai consumatori degli elementi di preferibilità ambientale dei prodotti alimentari, attraverso dei sistemi di etichettatura. • Valorizzazione dei prodotti provenienti dalla “filiera corta”, favorendo i mercati locali e riducendo, quindi, la distanza fra consumatore finale e produttore e limitando il numero delle intermediazioni. • Promozione del consumo di prodotti ortofrutticoli stagionali, che oltre ad avere in media proprietà organolettiche migliori sono caratterizzati da minori impatti legati al trasporto o alla gestione di serre o di frigoriferi

Life Cycle Energy and Environmental Assessment of the Thermal Insulation Improvement in Residential Buildings

The refurbishment of the building stock is a key strategy towards the achievement of the climate and energy goals of the European Union. This study aims at evaluating the energy and environmental impacts associated with retrofitting a residential apartment to improve its vertical envelope thermal insulation. Two insulation materials, stone wool and cellulose fibers, are compared. The life cycle assessment methodology is applied assuming 1 m2 of retrofitted vertical envelope as functional unit. Moreover, to estimate the net energy and environmental benefits achievable in the retrofitted scenario compared with the non-retrofitted one, a second analysis is performed in which the system boundaries are expanded to include the building operational phase, and 1 m2 of walkable floor per year is assumed as reference. The results show that the use of cellulose fibers involve lower impacts in most of the assessed categories compared to stone wool, except for abiotic resource depletion. In detail, the use of cellulose fibers allows to reduce the impact on climate change up to 20% and the consumption of primary energy up to 10%. The evaluation of the net energy and environmental benefits shows the effectiveness of the retrofit energy policies

A Constructal Law optimization of a boiler inspired by Life Cycle thinking

The aim of the paper is to explore how design optimization contributes to a technology's ecological evolution. The article develops this concept through an application of Constructal law, used to account for the “evolution” of technologies design (configuration, shape, structure, pattern, rhythm), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), used for quantifying the environmental impacts of the design choices. The combination of both methods assesses how technology evolution affects the environment during its life, extending the concept of evolution of design. The study is applied to a case study of a real biomass boiler. The study analyses basic case and a series of alternative scenarios optimized with Constructal Law, guaranteeing the same thermal energy production. The results are analyzed graphically and analytically with an “Overall Performance Coefficient methodology”, that investigates trade-offs to identify the best configuration. In addition, the use of LCA allows evaluating energy and environmental performances of different design alternatives, with the best option able to reduce the global energy required of 0.33% and the normalized impacts of 4%. The methodology is proposed to support decision-making during the optimization process

Bioenergy from anaerobic digestion plants: Energy and environmental assessment of a wide sample of Italian plants

This study assesses the energy and environmental performances of electricity produced from Italian anaerobic digestion coupled with combined heat and power plants. The Life Cycle Assessment methodology is applied to a set of plants characterised by different power sizes (from 100 to 999 kW) and feedstock compositions (variable rates of agricultural products and by-products). Then, the average eco-profile of the produced electricity is compared with electricity produced by the national grid and photovoltaic panels. The analysis allows detection of the combinations of size and feedstock with the lowest impacts. They correspond to small and medium plants mainly fed by organic by-products. In addition, compared to electricity from the grid, the average biogas electricity is characterised by the lowest contribution in impacts categories, such as abiotic depletion potential and ozone layer depletion potential, while largest in acidification and eutrophication. Focusing on global warming potential and cumulative energy demand fossil, the impacts of average biogas electricity (155 kgCO2eq/MWh and 172 MJ/MWh) are about 35 % and 38 % of that generated by the grid. Furthermore, it could generate 47 % less of the impact in the abiotic depletion elements category of the solar system. To enhance the farms' environmental and economic sustainability and balance the electric grid, these outcomes point out that biogas electricity produced from the agriculture and livestock sector can contribute to the decarbonisation and self-sufficiency of European countries. The results strictly depend on the operative conditions and can aid policymakers at the global level in improving the energy supply security and sustainability. Further, they provide reliable information to stakeholders to select the most sustainable solution, according to the feedstock type, power supply, and management