La petjada de carboni i la petjada hídrica de la producció de porc de Catalunya : del bressol a la porta

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552A Europa, la carn de porc és la més consumida, amb una mitjana anual de consum de gairebé 32 kg per càpita, i la seva producció és responsable del 26% de les emissions totals de CO2 derivades del sector ramader. Aquest estudi ha realitzat una avaluació de la petjada de carboni i la petjada hídrica derivades de la producció de carn de porc a Catalunya, considerant totes les etapes de la cadena de producció. Els resultats mostren que la producció de pinsos és la que genera un major impacte, i que el transport també és important.En Europa, la carne de cerdo es la más consumida, con una media anual de consumo de casi 32 kg per cápita, y su producción es responsable del 26% de les emisiones totales de CO2 derivadas del sector ganadero. Este estudio ha realizado una evaluación de la huella de carbono y la huella hídrica derivadas de la producción de carne de cerdo en Cataluña, considerando todas las etapas de la cadena de producción. Los resultados muestran que la producción de piensos es la que genera un mayor impacto, y que el transporte también es importante.In Europe, pork is the most widely consumed meat with an annual average of almost 32 kg per capita, and it is also responsible for around 26 per cent of total CO2 emissions by the farming sector. This study carried out an environmental analysis of the carbon (CF) and water (WF) footprints derived from pork production in Catalonia, considering all stages of the production process. The results show that the production of feed is most responsible for the global impact of the chain, and that transportation also has a major influence

Recovery of organic wastes in the Spanish wine industry : technical, economic and environmental analyses of the composting process

The main organic wastes produced in modern wine industries include grape pomace (62%), lees (14%), stalk (12%) and dewatered sludge (12%). Some of these wastes are being used as by-products (grape pomace and lees) whereas the rest of organic wastes (stalk and wastewater sludge) has been traditionally incinerated or disposed in landfill. In this work, composting is proposed for the recovery of stalk and wastewater sludge to produce a sanitized organic amendment for application in the vineyard, closing the organic matter cycle. The environmental and economical analyses of the different alternatives to manage organic wastes from the wine industry are also presented. Composting costs are almost negligible when compared to other management options. From the environmental point of view, in-situ composting presents the best performance in 8 of the 10 impact categories analysed. Finally, the energy balance shows that the 4 composting systems involved less energy than the systems based on Mineral Fertilizer consumption

Contribution of plastic waste recovery to greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in Spain

This paper concentrates on the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of post-consumer plastic waste recovery (material or energy) by considering the influence of the plastic waste quality (high or low), the recycled plastic applications (virgin plastic substitution or non-plastic substitution) and the markets of recovered plastic (regional or global). The aim is to quantify the environmental consequences of different alternatives in order to evaluate opportunities and limitations to select the best and most feasible plastic waste recovery option to decrease the GHG emissions. The methodologies of material flow analysis (MFA) for a time period of thirteen years and consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) have been integrated. The study focuses on Spain as a representative country for Europe. The results show that to improve resource efficiency and avoid more GHG emissions, the options for plastic waste management are dependent on the quality of the recovered plastic. The results also show that there is an increasing trend of exporting plastic waste for recycling, mainly to China, that reduces the GHG benefits from recycling, suggesting that a new focus should be introduced to take into account the split between local recycling and exporting

Life cycle assessment of multiyear peach production

Considering that peach is a significant fruit in the Mediterranean countries, and most publications on environmental impacts of fruit productions are based on one single productive year, this study attempts to perform an environmental analysis of peach production using Life Cycle Assessment, in order to provide new information on peaches, and also introduce a multiyear perspective analysis to identify the variability of the environmental impacts related to annual orchard yield and weather variations. The system studied is a peach orchard (Prunus persica L.) with integrated agricultural practices. The study analyses the cultivation period, as well as the impact of the initial orchard establishment tasks (soil preparation and planting). Data used have been collected directly from an orchard located in the North East of Spain, and covers 15 years of real production. The functional unit adopted was the cultivation of 1kg of peach. Four scenarios have been considered according to the different yield periods of the peach fruit tree: Growth, Low, High and Multiyear. The results of the study reveals that, depending on production scenario considered, the results per kg of peach can vary between 7% and 69% depending on the environmental indicator. If the impact of initial orchard establishment tasks (soil preparation and planting) is not included in the quantification, then 5% of total emissions may be overlooked, but sometimes a lack of data makes it difficult to include these stages. Caution should be taken when the functional unit is related to mass and only when a single year of production is studied, because unproductive years increase impacts on value per functional unit, whereas over-productive years decrease them. According to variability of the results obtained, multiyear approach should be considered in crops with an average life time of twenty years or higher. The present study can be considered a useful methodological framework for providing a deeper understanding of the key environmental impact issues related to fruit production based on peach case study, and how to avoid multiple interpretation of results associated to reporting annual environmental impact variations

Editors & reviewer's manual for LCADB.sudoe

A la portada: FEDER, SUDOE, Secotech sudoe, Sostenipra, UAB i Inèdit, Universidade de Aveiro, École des Mines d'Alès, +Cemagref, SupAgro, INRA, UdG, Catar agroresoucesThis manual is a guideline for uploading a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) analysis using the Life Cycle Assessment Data Base tool, which can be found in the following site: http://lcadb. sudoe. ecotech. cat/

Energy balance and environmental impact analysis of marine microalgal biomass production for biodiesel generation in a photobioreactor pilot plant

A life cycle assessment (LCA) and an energy balance analysis of marine microalgal biomass production were conducted to determine the environmental impacts and the critical points of production for large scale planning. The artificial lighting and temperature conditions of an indoor bubble column photobioreactor (bcPBR) were compared to the natural conditions of an equivalent outdoor system. Marine microalgae, belonging to the dinoflagellate and raphidophyte groups, were cultured and the results were compared with published LCA data obtained from green microalgae (commonly freshwater algae). Among the species tested, Alexandrium minutum was chosen as the target marine microalgae for biomass production under outdoor conditions, although there were no substantial differences between any of the marine microalgae studied. Under indoor culture conditions, the total energy input for A. minutum was 923 MJ kg¯¹ vs. 139 MJ kg¯¹ for outdoor conditions. Therefore, a greater than 85% reduction in energy requirements was achieved using natural environmental conditions, demonstrating the feasibility of outdoor culture as an alternative method of bioenergy production from marine microalgae. The growth stage was identified as the principal source of energy consumption for all microalgae tested, due to the electricity requirements of the equipment, followed by the construction material of the bcPBR. The global warming category (GWP) was 6 times lower in outdoor than in indoor conditions. Although the energy balance was negative under both conditions, this study concludes with suggestions for improvements in the outdoor system that would allow upscaling of this biomass production technology for outdoor conditions in the Mediterranean

Propostes de prevenció de residus en esdeveniments a la ciutat de Sitges

El model actual de consum comporta el malbaratament de recursos, potenciant l'ús desmesurat de materials i productes no reutilitzables, convertint-los en residu. Aquesta generació creixent de residus comporta la necessitat de gestionar-los de manera eficient o impedir generar-los, per minimitzar els impactes ambientals i econòmics. En aquest projecte es pretén actuar en la prevenció de la generació de residus a Sitges, concretament en la promoció d'actuacions de prevenció de residus en esdeveniments. L'estudi analitza la situació actual del municipi en quant a prevenció de residus i, tenint en compte el tipus de residus generats en els esdeveniments, proposa mesures per reduir-los considerant el seu cost econòmic, comptabilitzant les despeses amb i sense l'aplicació de les mesures, i el benefici d'aquestes llarg termini.The present model of consume leads to waste of resources, boosting the excessive use of materials and products not reusable, turning them into waste. This raising waste generation, entails the need to efficiently manage the waste, or to not generate them in order to minimize the environmental and economical impacts. This project, expect to act on the prevention of the waste generation in Sitges, more specifically promoting mesures and actions of waste prevention in events. The study analyzes the current state of the city in the waste prevention area, and according to the type of waste generated in the events, suggests measures to reduce them taking into account their economical costs, counting the expenses with and without the measures, and the long term benefits the mesures would entail.El modelo actual de consumo conlleva el malgasto de recursos, potenciando el uso desmesurado de materiales y productos no reutilizables, convirtiéndolos en rechazo. Esta generación creciente de residuos conlleva la necesidad de gestionarlos de manera eficiente o impedir generarlos, para minimizar los impactos ambientales y económicos. En este proyecto se pretende actuar en la prevención de la generación de residuos en Sitges, concretamente en la promoción de actuaciones de prevención de residuos en eventos. El estudio analiza la situación actual del municipio en cuanto a prevención de residuos y, teniendo en cuenta el tipo de residuos generados en los eventos, propone medidas para reducirlos considerando su coste económico, contabilizando los gastos con y sin la aplicación de las medidas, y el beneficio de éstas a largo plazo

Life cycle assessment of energy flow and packaging use in food purchasing

The aim of this project is to obtain quantitative data on the metabolic flows (energy consumption, not only by the establishment but also in the transportation of workers and customers, and packaging use) and their resulting environmental impacts of a standard shopping basket purchase in five city center municipal markets and a hypermarket in a suburban retail park in the province of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). The main results show that a standard shopping basket purchased in a retail park requires 20 times more energy than one purchased in a municipal market (11.1 kWh and 0.57 kWh, respectively). Customer transportation represents 83.2% of energy consumption in a retail park, while the greatest impacts in a municipal market stem from the establishment itself (49.5%) and worker transportation (40.4%). Secondly, the packaging use inventory is higher in a hypermarket (253 g) than in a municipal market (102 g). However, the overall environmental impact associated with a standard shopping basket is 10 times higher on average in a hypermarket than in a municipal market, and the carbon footprints of the hypermarket and the municipal market are 3.8 and 0.4 kg of CO₂ eq., respectively. According to the sensitivity analysis, current policies for reducing the amount of plastic bag packaging have little repercussion in a retail park because its relative weight in terms of total packaging use is only 7%. Nevertheless, they have notable effects in municipal markets where plastic bags represent 25% of the packaging use. Finally, if customers selected the least packaged products available in hypermarkets, each shopping basket could reduce up to 47.2% of its used packaging weight and between 15.4 and 59.0% of its associated environmental impact

Propuesta de implementación del cultivo del manzano (Malus domestica) en la Vall d'Alinyà : análisis de viabilidad ambiental-económica y certificación de créditos voluntarios de carbono

El presente proyecto tiene por objetivo realizar una propuesta de cultivo de manzano (Malus domestica) en la Vall d'Alinyà para el desarrollo de un producto agroalimentario que contribuya a la revitalización de esta área rural y a la mitigación del calentamiento global. Para ello, se pretende proporcionar una metodología para calcular, con mayor precisión, el comportamiento de los cultivos como sumidero de carbono a partir del balance neto de gases con efecto invernadero (GEI) del sistema. Con tal de obtener las emisiones de GEI generadas por los cultivos se desarrolla un análisis del ciclo de vida (ACV), y para obtener la fijación de los cultivos, se realiza un análisis de su capacidad de absorción de dióxido de carbono en la biomasa de la plantación. Además, mediante el uso de sistemas de información geográfica (SIG), se determinaron los terrenos potenciales para el cultivo del manzano en la zona de estudio. Posteriormente, se verifica la certificación de créditos en el mercado de carbono voluntario y se analiza la viabilidad económica del proyecto, obteniendo así un producto (la manzana) con valor ambiental añadido. Como conclusión se obtuvo una viabilidad positiva de la verificación de créditos, puesto que el balance neto de carbono fue positivo, absorbiéndose 234,54 t CO2 en todo el territorio potencialmente cultivable (16,92 ha) y durante 15 años de actividad agrícola. Al mismo tiempo, la propuesta resultó viable económicamente, generándose unos beneficios ligados a la venta de producción frutícola y de los créditos de carbono de 79.484 € durante los 15 años de actividad productiva.El present projecte té per objectiu realitzar una proposta de cultiu de pomera (Malus domestica) a la Vall d'Alinyà per al desenvolupament d'un producte agroalimentari que contribueixi a la revitalització d'aquesta àrea rural i a la mitigació de l'escalfament global. Per a això, es pretén proporcionar una metodologia per calcular, amb major precisió, el comportament dels cultius com a embornal de carboni a partir del balanç net de gasos amb efecte hivernacle (GEI) del sistema. Per tal d'obtenir les emissions de GEI generades pels cultius es desenvolupa un anàlisi del cicle de vida (ACV), i per obtenir la fixació dels cultius, es realitza un anàlisi de la seva capacitat d'absorció de diòxid de carboni en la biomassa de la plantació. A més, mitjançant l'ús de sistemes d'informació geogràfica (SIG), es van determinar els terrenys potencials per al cultiu de laThis project aims to develop an apple (Malus domestica) crop proposal in La Vall d'Alinya in order to generate a fruit production able to revitalize this rural area and while contribute to the global warming mitigation. Therefore a new and more accurate methodology to evaluate the crop's carbon sink attitude, which is based on a clear-cut greenhouse gases balance in the system, will be developed. In order to obtain the GHG emissions generated by crops a life-cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out. The crop's absorption was determined through the biomass production capacity of the agricultural system. In addition, the potential land for apple cultivation was determined for the whole area using geographical information systems (GIS). Afterwards, the credit certification within the voluntary carbon market was verified and the economic viability of the project is analyzed, obtaining a product (apple) with added environmental value. As conclusion a positive viability of credits verification was obtained, since the carbon balance was positive, absorbing 234,54 t CO2 in the potentially cultivable lands (16.92 ha) and for 15 years of agricultural activity. At the same time, the proposal was economically viable, generating a global benefits related to the sale of fruit production and the carbon credits of 79.484 € during the 15 years of productive activity

Eco-innovative practices for sustainable consumption and production: what are the possible benefits for companies ?

The paper aims to present some eco-innovative practices regarding Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). The study also focuses on potential benefits for the actors who implement these practices, mainly with reference to companies. After a literature review on the actual importance of SCP and on the effects of eco-innovation tools and policies on companies, authors present the developed eco-innovation practices in three focus areas related to sustainable consumption and production. The aim of the study is to contribute to literature studies on SCP with the development of eco-innovative practices resulting by the integration of existing tools, by pointing out and valorizing their potentials and synergies. These practices have been pointing out in the framework of the international European project. Three focus areas are involved by the practices: sustainability of products and services, sustainability of production processes and sustainable management of industrial areas. Authors developed four eco innovative practices resulting from the integration of 15 existing tools. These practices offer many opportunities to many actors, mainly companies and public authorities, in order to achieve environmental and competitive benefits and implement eco-innovation principles with a cooperative and shared approach