Comparative life cycle assessment of first- and second-generation ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil

ABSTRACT: Purpose: The use of bagasse and trash from sugarcane fields in ethanol production is supposed to increase the ethanol yield per hectare, to reduce the energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmental impacts. In this article, different technological options of ethanol production are investigated and quantified looking at potential environmental impacts. The first generation ethanol from sugarcane is compared to stand-alone second-generation ethanol as well as an integrated first- and second-generation ethanol production. Methods: The method applied for this life cycle assessment follows the ISO standards 14040/44. The data used in this life cycle assessment is mainly derived from process simulation, literature, and primary data collection. Background data was taken from databases such as GaBi and ecoinvent. The life cycle impact assessment follows the default methods at midpoint level recommended by the International Reference Life Cycle Data System. The calculations were performed using the GaBi 7 life cycle assessment software. It is assumed that 50% of sugarcane trash is recovered and used for second-generation ethanol production, whereas the other 50% remain in the field to maintain soil fertility and to prevent soil erosion. In the case of first-generation ethanol, the same amount of trash is used for energy generation. Results and discussion: The results of the life cycle impact assessment show that, compared to first-generation ethanol, secondgeneration ethanol from sugarcane in Brazil allows significant reductions in all investigated impact categories except resource depletion. Resource depletion, however, is strongly influenced by the demand for ammonium phosphate which is needed for inoculum preparation. Integrated first- and second-generation ethanol production also allows reductions in most of the environmental impacts except for global warming, photochemical ozone depletion, and resource depletion. The yield of ethanol per hectare increases since bagasse and trash are used for the production of second-generation ethanol. Consequently, the results show that agricultural land occupation is reduced for integrated first- and second-generation ethanol by approximately 11%, whereas second-generation ethanol allows reduction of land use by approximately a factor of 30. Conclusions: The use of bagasse and trash for ethanol production allows both the reduction of several environmental impacts and land use, in particular, because impacts caused by sugarcane cultivation are avoided. For the integrated first- and second generation ethanol scenario, it is important to further reduce the total energy demand in order to achieve self-sufficiency for the plant energy and to avoid additional emissions from burning fossil fuels.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Planejamento de uma rede de VLT na área central de Brasília com vistas a mitigar os problemas de mobilidade urbana na Capital Federal

Os problemas causados pela crise que envolve a mobilidade urbana é uma triste realidade vivenciada no Brasil e no mundo. Especificamente em relação ao Distrito Federal, capital do Brasil chamada Brasília, local escolhido para a elaboração da presente pesquisa, sua população, à semelhança de outros povos, sofre com as condições adversas vivenciadas no transporte cotidiano, fruto de rotineiros congestionamentos, poluição ambiental, elevado tempo de deslocamento e perda de qualidade de vida, consequências diretas do expressivo aumento da frota de veículos, da precariedade da infraestrutura viária e da péssima qualidade do transporte coletivo. A partir desta constatação, o objetivo da presente pesquisa foi o de planejar uma rede de Veículo Leve sobre Trilhos – VLT a ser implantada na área central de Brasília, integrada às redes de transporte da cidade (existentes e planejadas), tomando como ponto de partida a análise de dados levantados em pesquisas de origem-destino. A escolha do VLT como protagonista do modelo planejado, se deu pelo fato deste modo atender ao pressuposto de um transporte de massa de qualidade, com baixa emissão de poluentes e de fácil adequação ao meio no qual está inserido. Considerou-se ainda, que a implantação de “VLTs” vêm crescendo em diversas cidades pelo mundo, por ser um modo de transporte eficiente, devido ao seu elevado nível de produtividade e de alta inovação tecnológica. As análises preliminares de dados apontaram que a implantação do VLT seria especialmente importante para atendimento da área central de Brasília, ou Unidade de Planejamento Territorial Central, compreendendo as Regiões Administrativas do Plano Piloto, Sudoeste/Octogonal, Cruzeiro e Candangolândia. Trata-se de uma região densamente ocupada, com a maior oferta de empregos da cidade e que apresenta uma das mais expressivas taxas de motorização do país. Desta forma, elaborou-se uma proposta formal de mudança modal na área com o desenvolvimento de um planejamento de transportes baseado em critérios técnico-científicos. A partir desta premissa, foi desenvolvido um projeto de VLT circunscrito ao sistema viário de Brasília, a partir de critérios estabelecidos no Modelo Tradicional de 4 Etapas. Para execução da tarefa, foram utilizados dados extraídos de pesquisas distritais publicadas, tais como, a Pesquisa Distrital por Amostra de Domicílios – PDAD/2018, o Plano Diretor de Transporte sobre Trilhos – PDTT/2018, a Pesquisa de Mobilidade Urbana – PMU/2016 e o Plano Diretor de Ordenamento Territorial – PDOT/2012. As variáveis escolhidas foram aquelas que influenciam no transporte da área central de Brasília, a exemplo de informações socioeconômicas, de origem e destino, modo de transporte, posse de veículos, número de habitantes, renda, instrução, entre outras. Todos as análises foram realizadas a fim de se planejar linhas de VLT que atendessem à população com eficácia e eficiência. A presente pesquisa apresentou como resultado um planejamento de rede estratégica de VLT a ser implantada na área central de Brasília, oferecendo transporte de qualidade para a população, integrado às estações de metrô e terminais rodoviários, visando uma opção de mudança modal, principalmente do transporte motorizado individual para o coletivo, e projetada para atender a demanda em um horizonte de 20 anos

Subtle Alterations in PCNA-Partner Interactions Severely Impair DNA Replication and Repair

Dynamic switching of PCNA-partner interactions is essential for normal DNA replication and repair in yeast

An international effort towards developing standards for best practices in analysis, interpretation and reporting of clinical genome sequencing results in the CLARITY Challenge

There is tremendous potential for genome sequencing to improve clinical diagnosis and care once it becomes routinely accessible, but this will require formalizing research methods into clinical best practices in the areas of sequence data generation, analysis, interpretation and reporting. The CLARITY Challenge was designed to spur convergence in methods for diagnosing genetic disease starting from clinical case history and genome sequencing data. DNA samples were obtained from three families with heritable genetic disorders and genomic sequence data were donated by sequencing platform vendors. The challenge was to analyze and interpret these data with the goals of identifying disease-causing variants and reporting the findings in a clinically useful format. Participating contestant groups were solicited broadly, and an independent panel of judges evaluated their performance. RESULTS: A total of 30 international groups were engaged. The entries reveal a general convergence of practices on most elements of the analysis and interpretation process. However, even given this commonality of approach, only two groups identified the consensus candidate variants in all disease cases, demonstrating a need for consistent fine-tuning of the generally accepted methods. There was greater diversity of the final clinical report content and in the patient consenting process, demonstrating that these areas require additional exploration and standardization. CONCLUSIONS: The CLARITY Challenge provides a comprehensive assessment of current practices for using genome sequencing to diagnose and report genetic diseases. There is remarkable convergence in bioinformatic techniques, but medical interpretation and reporting are areas that require further development by many groups

Liberty County Strategic Plan 2016 - 2036

In the fall of 2015, the County of Liberty and Texas Target Communities partnered to create a task force to represent the community. The task force was integral to the planning process, contributing the thoughts, desires, and opinions of community members—as well as their enthusiasm about Liberty’s future. This fourteen-month planning process ended in August 2016. The result of this collaboration is the County of Liberty Strategic Plan, which is the official policy guide for the community’s growth over the next twenty years.Liberty Strategic Plan 2036 provides a guide for the future growth of the county. This document was developed by Texas Target Communities in partnership with the County of Liberty

The role of networks to overcome large-scale challenges in tomography : the non-clinical tomography users research network

Our ability to visualize and quantify the internal structures of objects via computed tomography (CT) has fundamentally transformed science. As tomographic tools have become more broadly accessible, researchers across diverse disciplines have embraced the ability to investigate the 3D structure-function relationships of an enormous array of items. Whether studying organismal biology, animal models for human health, iterative manufacturing techniques, experimental medical devices, engineering structures, geological and planetary samples, prehistoric artifacts, or fossilized organisms, computed tomography has led to extensive methodological and basic sciences advances and is now a core element in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and outreach toolkits. Tomorrow's scientific progress is built upon today's innovations. In our data-rich world, this requires access not only to publications but also to supporting data. Reliance on proprietary technologies, combined with the varied objectives of diverse research groups, has resulted in a fragmented tomography-imaging landscape, one that is functional at the individual lab level yet lacks the standardization needed to support efficient and equitable exchange and reuse of data. Developing standards and pipelines for the creation of new and future data, which can also be applied to existing datasets is a challenge that becomes increasingly difficult as the amount and diversity of legacy data grows. Global networks of CT users have proved an effective approach to addressing this kind of multifaceted challenge across a range of fields. Here we describe ongoing efforts to address barriers to recently proposed FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reuse) and open science principles by assembling interested parties from research and education communities, industry, publishers, and data repositories to approach these issues jointly in a focused, efficient, and practical way. By outlining the benefits of networks, generally, and drawing on examples from efforts by the Non-Clinical Tomography Users Research Network (NoCTURN), specifically, we illustrate how standardization of data and metadata for reuse can foster interdisciplinary collaborations and create new opportunities for future-looking, large-scale data initiatives

The fifteenth data release of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys : first release of MaNGA derived quantities, data visualization tools and stellar library

Twenty years have passed since first light for the Sloan Digital SkySurvey (SDSS). Here, we release data taken by the fourth phase of SDSS(SDSS-IV) across its first three years of operation (July 2014-July2017). This is the third data release for SDSS-IV, and the fifteenth from SDSS (Data Release Fifteen; DR15). New data come from MaNGA - we release 4824 datacubes, as well as the first stellar spectra in the MaNGA Stellar Library (MaStar), the first set of survey-supported analysis products (e.g. stellar and gas kinematics, emission line, andother maps) from the MaNGA Data Analysis Pipeline (DAP), and a new data visualisation and access tool we call "Marvin". The next data release, DR16, will include new data from both APOGEE-2 and eBOSS; those surveys release no new data here, but we document updates and corrections to their data processing pipelines. The release is cumulative; it also includes the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since first light. In this paper we describe the location and format of the data and tools and cite technical references describing how it was obtained and processed. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has also been updated, providing links to data downloads, tutorials and examples of data use. While SDSS-IV will continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V(2020-2025), we end this paper by describing plans to ensure the sustainability of the SDSS data archive for many years beyond the collection of data.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A methodology to assess the contribution of biorefineries to a sustainable bio-based economy

Im Rahmen der Dissertation wurde eine integrative Methode zur Bewertung des Beitrags von Bioraffinerien und biobasierten Produkten zu einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung entwickelt. Das verwendete integrative Konzept der Nachhaltigkeit, welches im Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS) entwickelt wurde, überwindet das weitverbreitete Denken in drei Säulen der Nachhaltigkeit und eröffnet neue Sichtweisen. Zur Validierung der Methode wurde diese auf eine zurzeit in Südspanien in Entwicklung und Bau befindliche Algenbioraffinerie angewendet. Dazu wurden erstmalig umfangreiche Prozessdaten einer real existierenden Algenbioraffinerie erhoben, welche kommunale Abwässer als Kulturmedium für Mikroalgen nutzt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Algenbioraffinerie eine attraktive Alternative zur konventionellen Abwasserbehandlung darstellt, welche nicht nur zur Schonung fossiler Energieträger beiträgt, sondern auch zum Schutz des Klimas.Within this thesis an integrative methodology to assess the sustainability of biorefineries and bio-based products was developed which is based on a fundamental understanding of sustainability such as presented in the Brundtland report. The applied integrative concept of sustainability as developed by the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis overcomes the widespread thinking in three pillars of sustainability and opens up new perspectives. In order to validate the developed method it was applied to an algae biorefinery currently under development and construction in the south of Spain. For this assessment extensive process data was collected from a real algae biorefinery which uses municipal waste water as a culture medium for microalgae. The results show that the algae biorefinery has proved to be an attractive alternative to conventional waste water treatment which contributes not only to the conservation of fossil energy carriers but also to climate protection

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Meat Trays Made of Various Packaging Materials

In light of the debate on the circular economy, the EU strategy for plastics, and several national regulations, such as the German Packaging Act, polymeric foam materials as well as hybrid packaging (multilayered plastic) are now in focus. To understand the environmental impacts of various tray solutions for meat packaging, a comparative environmental assessment was conducted. As an environmental assessment method, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied following the ISO standards 14040/44. The nine packaging solutions investigated were: PS-based trays (extruded polystyrene and extruded polystyrene with five-layered structure containing ethylene vinyl alcohol), PET-based trays (recycled polyethylene terephthalate, with and without polyethylene layer, and amorphous polyethylene terephthalate), polypropylene (PP) and polylactic acid (PLA). The scope of the LCA study included the production of the tray and the end-of-life stage. The production of meat, the filling of the tray with meat and the tray sealing were not taken into account. The results show that the PS-based trays, especially the mono material solutions made of extruded polystyrene (XPS), show the lowest environmental impact across all 12 impact categories except for resource depletion. Multilayer products exhibit higher environmental impacts. The LCA also shows that the end-of-life stage has an important influence on the environmental performance of trays. However, the production of the trays dominates the overall results. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis illustrates that, even if higher recycling rates were realised in the future, XPS based solutions would still outperform the rest from an environmental perspective

Combining Life Cycle Assessment and Circularity Assessment to Analyze Environmental Impacts of the Medical Remanufacturing of Electrophysiology Catheters

Sustaining value after the end-of-life to improve products’ circularity and sustainability has attracted an increasing number of industrial actors, policymakers, and researchers. Medical products are considered to have great remanufacturing potential because they are often designated as single-use products and consist of various complex materials that cannot be reused and are not significant in municipal recycling infrastructure. The remanufacturing of electrophysiology catheters is a well-established process guaranteeing equivalent quality compared to virgin-produced catheters. In order to measure if using a remanufactured product is environmentally beneficial compared to using a virgin product, life cycle assessment (LCA) is often used. However, focusing on one life cycle to inform on the environmental-beneficial use fails to guide policymakers from a system perspective. This study analyzes the environmental consequences of electrophysiology catheters considering two modeling perspectives, the implementation of LCA, including a cut-off approach and combining LCA and a circularity indicator measuring multiple life cycles. Investigating the LCA results of using a remanufactured as an alternative to a newly-manufactured catheter shows that the global warming impact is reduced by 50.4% and the abiotic resource use by 28.8%. The findings from the system perspective suggest that the environmental savings increase with increasing collection rates of catheters