227 research outputs found
High-resolution spatial modelling of greenhouse gas emissions from land-use change to energy crops in the United Kingdom
Funded by Energy Technologies Institute EPSRC-Supergen. Grant Number: EP/M013200/1Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Environmental impact assessment of wheat straw based alkyl polyglucosides produced using novel chemical approaches
This paper evaluates and quantifies the environmental performance of alkyl polyglucosides sourced from wheat straw (WS-APG), a low-cost and low-ecological impact agricultural residue, compared to that of their commercial counterpart, which is sourced from palm kernel oil and wheat grain (PW-APG). Escalating pressure to consider the environmental sustainability of fossil derived surfactant consumption has driven biosurfactants to become the product of choice within the surfactant market, and a class of ‘plant’ based non-ionic surfactants called alkyl polyglucosides (APG) are particularly prevalent. However, the existing food based feedstock of APG such as coconut oil, palm oil, wheat and corn (in addition to being expensive) will potentially undermine the claimed ‘sustainability’ of the APG products (i.e. the ‘food vs. chemical’ issue). Here, we present the “cradle-to-gate” life cycle impact assessment of a suggested alternative, hybridised APG synthesis technique where the Fisher glycosidation method is supplemented by novel, green chemistry based techniques. This evaluation provides a quantitative insight into direct GHG intensity and other ecological impact indicators, including land use, waste generation and energy consumption. Upon evaluation, the wheat straw-derived pathway delivered GHG-emission savings in the range of 84–98%, compared to that of the palm kernel–wheat grain pathway. Waste generated from the production of unit mass of the product amounted to 0.43 kg and 10.73 kg per kg of WS-APG and PW-APG, respectively. In addition to the above mentioned facts, the ‘cradle–gate’ stages of WS-APG production were also found to consume relatively lower amounts of water and fossil-derived energy. In conclusion, of the two APG production pathways, the suggested ‘hybrid’ pathway using an agricultural residue, wheat straw, was found to be sustainable and to demonstrate better environmental performance
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Pesticides, Preference Heterogeneity and Environmental Taxes
In this paper we present results from two Choice experiments (CE) designed to take account of the different negative externalities associated with pesticide use in agricultural production. For cereals production the most likely impact of pesticide use is a reduction in environmental quality. For fruit and vegetable production, the negative externality is on consumer health. Using latent class models we find evidence of the presence of preference heterogeneity regarding pesticide reduction in the population. With respect to consumer health, respondents’ WTP for a 100 percent reduction in the use of pesticides in the UK is a 105 percent increase in the weekly fr uit and vegetable food bill. For the environmental quality the WTP for a 100 percent reduction in the pesticide use in the UK is a 184 percent increase in the price of a loaf. To place our WTP estimates in a policycontext we convert them into an equivalent pesticide tax by type of externality. Our tax estimates suggest that pesticide taxes based on the primary externality resulting from a particular mode of agricultural production are a credible policy option that warrant further consideration
Thirtieth annual report and accounts 1994/95
SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:1502.260(30) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply Centre30. ed.GBUnited Kingdo
Cereal disease control despite fungicide resistance
SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:8867.3881(10) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo
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