Biobutanol as a Potential Sustainable Biofuel - Assessment of Lignocellulosic and Waste-based Feedstocks

This paper introduces the production process of an alternative transportation biofuel, biobutanol. European legislation concerning biofuels and their sustainability criteria are also briefly described. The need to develop methods to ensure more sustainable and efficient biofuel production processes is recommended. In addition, the assessment method to evaluate the sustainability of biofuels is considered and sustainability assessment of selected feedstocks for biobutanol production is performed. The benefits and potential of using lignocellulosic and waste materials as feedstocks in the biobutanol production process are also discussed. Sustainability assessment in this paper includes cultivation, harvest/collection and upstream processing (pretreatment) of feedstocks, comparing four main biomass sources: food crops, non-food crops, food industry by-product and wood-based biomass. It can be concluded that the highest sustainable potential in Finland is when biobutanol production is integrated into pulp & paper mills

Novel polylactic acid (PLA)-based active packaging with incorporation of nanoparticles and its performance throughout shelf-life of fresh-cut fruit

This study aimed at developing innovative and environmentally friendly packages for fresh-cut fruits and at a better understanding their effect on physicochemical, mechanical and microbiological characteristics during shelf-life. Packages were developed under the scope of EU project SusFoFlex (7th framework programme) – thought to incorporate materials in final packaging formulations complying environmental and sustainability concerns and valorisation of agri-food by-products. Polylactic acid (PLA)-based active packaging formulations differed in nanoclays used and presence/absence of a surfactant. PLA-nanocomposite packaging performance was evaluated and compared with pristine-PLA and conventional polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyone was used as plasticizer in PLA packages. PET formulation did not include any nanoclay. Fresh-cut melon was selected as food model to assess PLA packaging formulations performance on quality changes taking place throughout 7-d storage under controlled conditions. Physicochemical and textural analysis over time encompassed weight loss, colour, visual appearance, pH, soluble solids and firmness, whereas microbial enumeration covered vegetative mesophilics and psychrotrofics, Gram- rods, nonsporing Gram+ rods and cocci, yeasts and moulds. Environmental impact of PLA-based packaging was evaluated via life cycle assessment (LCA) and compared with PET. Under limit storage conditions, all microbial groups exhibited maximum viable counts after 5-d. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli were absent, and refrigeration proved to effectively reduce microbial activity. Overall inspection of dataset throughout storage, unfolded that nanoclays and surfactants in PLA formulations improved their performance, thus contributing to bring together the characteristics of both biopolymers (PLA and PET). Finally, LCA impact assessment indicated that PLA packaging with nanoclays had the highest environmental performance

Sustainability Assessment of Chemical Processes: Evaluation of Three Synthesis Routes of DMC

This paper suggested multicriteria based evaluation tool to assess the sustainability of three different reaction routes to dimethyl carbonate: direct synthesis from carbon dioxide and methanol, transesterification of methanol and propylene carbonate, and oxidative carbonylation of methanol. The first two routes are CO 2 -based and in a research and development phase, whereas the last one is a commercial process. The set of environmental, social, and economic indicators selected were renewability of feedstock, energy intensity, waste generation, CO 2 balance, yield, feedstock price, process costs, health and safety issues of feedstock, process conditions, and innovation potential. The performance in these indicators was evaluated with the normalized scores from 0 to +1; 0 for detrimental and 1 for favorable impacts. The assessment showed that the transesterification route had the best potential toward sustainability, although there is still much development needed to improve yield. Further, the assessment gave clear understanding of the main benefits of each reaction route, as well as the major challenges to sustainability, which can further aid in orienting development efforts to key issues that need improvement. Finally, it was concluded that a multicriteria analysis such as the one presented in this paper was a viable method to be used in the process design stage

Sustainability assessment tool for the design of new chemical processes

Abstract The main contribution of this research is a sustainability assessment tool, developed to foster the sustainability of chemical processes already in their design phases. There are several sustainability assessment tools that are used to assess products and their manufacturing processes; however, there is a gap and a lack of tools to be used at the early design phase of chemical production processes. This work reviews a set of indicators to assess chemical processes during their design phase to enhance sustainability. The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry were selected as a baseline when proposing the sustainability indicators. Sustainability assessment in this context covered the following dimensions: environmental, social including safety, economic and health. For the assessment of chemical hazards, the latest European chemicals regulations and classification databases were used as a baseline. The developed Sustainability Assessment Tool is an Excel spreadsheet and is based on a design for sustainability checklist with more than 200 questions. With multiple-choice answers, the sustainability score is based on the severity of impacts. Using the tool as a guideline in the early stages of designing a chemical process provides a competitive advantage, as it offers guidance in the critical target areas of process design. Further development needs are also highlighted in this research. The developed sustainability assessment tool can also guide chemists and chemical engineers in the piloting and manufacturing stages. Finally, this tool can be used for educational purposes as well as for enhancing sustainability knowledge during process design projects in all their design stages.Tiivistelmä Tämän tutkimuksen päätuloksena on kestävyyden arviointityökalu, joka on kehitetty edistämään kestävän kehityksen periaatteita noudattavien kemiallisten prosessien suunnittelua. Tuotteiden ja niiden valmistusprosessien arvioimiseksi on olemassa useita kestävyyden arviointimenetelmiä, mutta varhaisessa suunnitteluvaiheessa olevien kemiallisten tuotantoprosessien suunnitteluun ei ole kehitetty kattavia arviointimenetelmiä. Tässä työssä tarkastellaan indikaattoreita, joilla kemiallisia prosesseja voidaan arvioida suunnitteluvaiheessa niiden kestävyyden parantamiseksi. Vihreän kemian 12 periaatetta valittiin lähtökohdaksi kestävyysindikaattoreita kehitettäessä. Kestävyyden arviointi kattoi seuraavat ulottuvuudet: ympäristöllinen, sosiaalinen, mukaan lukien turvallisuus, taloudellinen ja terveyteen liittyvä kestävyys. Kemiallisten riskien arvioinnissa perustana käytettiin viimeisimpiä Euroopan kemikaalimääräyksiä sekä vaaraluokitukselle olemassa olevaa tietokantaa. Kehitetty kestävän kehityksen arviointimenetelmä on Excel-pohjainen ja perustuu yli 200 kysymystä sisältävään kestävyyden suunnittelun tarkistuslistaan. Monivalintakysymyksillä tapahtuva kestävyyden arvottaminen perustuu vaikutusten vakavuuteen. Arviointityökalun käyttö kemiallisten prosessien suunnittelun alkuvaiheessa tarjoaa kilpailuetua, koska se ohjaa prosessisuunnittelua kestävyyden kriittisillä osa-alueilla. Tutkimuksessa ehdotetaan myös lisätutkimustarpeita. Kehitetty kestävyyden arviointityökalu opastaa kemistejä ja kemian tekniikan insinöörejä myös pilotointi- ja valmistusvaiheen prosessisuunnittelussa. Kehitettyä kestävän kehityksen arviointityökalua voidaan käyttää sekä koulutustarkoituksiin että parantamaan kestävän kehityksen periaatteita koskevaa tietämystä prosessisuunnittelun kaikissa vaiheissa

Strategic waste management planning – the organization of municipal solid waste collection in Oulu, Finland

Municipal solid waste management is a basic service that, in Finland, consists of collection, transportation and treatment systems provided by municipalities, waste management companies and producer responsibility organizations. The amount of municipal solid waste in Finland has risen quite steadily for many decades. In 2012, the recovery rate of municipal solid waste as material or energy was 67%. The Finnish Waste Act has been updated in 2012, with the key goal to further reduce waste amounts and progress recycling. The paper describes the best practices in strategic waste management planning and describes the organization of municipal solid waste in city of Oulu, Finland

Biobutanol as a Potential Sustainable Biofuel - Assessment of Lignocellulosic and Waste-based Feedstocks

Cite as: Niemistö, J., Saavalainen, P., Pongrácz, E., Keiski ABSTRACT This paper introduces the production process of an alternative transportation biofuel, biobutanol. European legislation concerning biofuels and their sustainability criteria are also briefly described. The need to develop methods to ensure more sustainable and efficient biofuel production processes is recommended. In addition, the assessment method to evaluate the sustainability of biofuels is considered and sustainability assessment of selected feedstocks for biobutanol production is performed. The benefits and potential of using lignocellulosic and waste materials as feedstocks in the biobutanol production process are also discussed. Sustainability assessment in this paper includes cultivation, harvest/collection and upstream processing (pretreatment) of feedstocks, comparing four main biomass sources: food crops, non-food crops, food industry by-product and wood-based biomass. It can be concluded that the highest sustainable potential in Finland is when biobutanol production is integrated into pulp & paper mills

Waste-based biofuel technologies in Finland — Current research and industrial activities

Further to Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, the share of biofuels in transport should rise to a minimum of 10% in Member States by 2020. In Finland, the goal is set at 20%, and it is estimated that this can be produced entirely in domestic factories, as long as the projects already underway will be successful and additional industrial-scale biofuel plants would be built. The paper reviews the state of projects underway in Finland, and outlines current research activity in promoting waste and by-product — based biofuels

Sustainability assessment of chemical processes: evaluation of three synthesis routes of DMC

This paper suggested multicriteria based evaluation tool to assess the sustainability of three different reaction routes to dimethyl carbonate: direct synthesis from carbon dioxide and methanol, transesterification of methanol and propylene carbonate, and oxidative carbonylation of methanol. The first two routes are CO2-based and in a research and development phase, whereas the last one is a commercial process. The set of environmental, social, and economic indicators selected were renewability of feedstock, energy intensity, waste generation, CO2 balance, yield, feedstock price, process costs, health and safety issues of feedstock, process conditions, and innovation potential. The performance in these indicators was evaluated with the normalized scores from 0 to +1; 0 for detrimental and 1 for favorable impacts. The assessment showed that the transesterification route had the best potential toward sustainability, although there is still much development needed to improve yield. Further, the assessment gave clear understanding of the main benefits of each reaction route, as well as the major challenges to sustainability, which can further aid in orienting development efforts to key issues that need improvement. Finally, it was concluded that a multicriteria analysis such as the one presented in this paper was a viable method to be used in the process design stage

Sustainability assessment of products:case study of wind turbine generator types

Abstract This study proposes a product sustainability assessment tool (PSAT) that addresses the environmental, health and safety, social, and economic sustainability aspects from a life cycle perspective. The proposed PSAT uses the principles of Green Chemistry, Industrial Ecology, and Green Engineering as guidelines in the development of its assessment criteria. The developed assessment criteria are expressed as easy-to-answer questions covering the environmental, social, health and safety and economic aspects of sustainability. PSAT also incorporates life cycle assessment impact categories and the Circular Economy approach. PSAT comprises an Excel checklist of a questionnaire with a drop-down list of answers to select from describing the sustainability impact of the assessed product. PSAT serves to highlight the sustainability hotspots in a product’s life cycle. The questionnaire consists of qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria and contains a total of 97 questions, out of which there are 11 design questions, 22 materials selection questions, 31 manufacturing questions, 24 use questions, and 9 end-of-life questions. The PSAT scoring system enables users to compare the sustainability performance of their products. PSAT aims to aid users in making informed decisions before purchasing a product based on the information on how the product is designed and what materials it contains, how it was manufactured, how it will perform during its use, and what will happen at the end of its useful life. It also aims to aid product manufacturers and designers in incorporating sustainability into all stages of the product life cycle. The PSAT methodology promotes a holistic view of a product life cycle, including the design, materials selection, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life stage. As a case study, PSAT was used to perform a comparative sustainability assessment of two types of 3 MW rated power wind turbines: a direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) and a doubly-fed induction generator with a gearbox (DFIG). The results from the sustainability assessment reveal that the DFIG wind turbine had a better sustainability impact than the direct-drive PMSG in the materials selection, manufacturing, and end-of-life life cycle stages. On the other hand, the direct-drive PMSG had a better sustainability impact than DFIG in the life cycle stages design and use. Overall, DFIG demonstrated a better sustainability impact than the direct-drive PMSG

Recycling and substitution of light rare earth elements, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and praseodymium from end-of-life applications:a review

Abstract The light rare earth elements (LREEs) lanthanum, cerium, neodymium and praseodymium are increasingly used in renewable energy technology and are applicable in portable electronic devices, such as phosphors in lightning applications and in catalysis. The extraction of REEs from virgin ores causes environmental degradation. LREEs are considered as critical metals. To overcome the environmental and criticality challenges of LREEs, recycling presents means by which they can be obtained from secondary sources. Presently, the recycling rate of LREEs is still very low. Substitutes of LREEs in most cases are either inferior or still undiscovered. This study investigates the criticality challenges and environmental impacts of producing LREEs from virgin ores. It focuses on LREEs obtainable in selected end-of-life products considered to have significant recycling potential; these include NdFeB magnets, Ni-MH batteries, phosphors in lighting and catalysts. Current recycling technologies, including representative methods and current recycling challenges are also reviewed. Although current recycling technologies have recorded growth, there is still a need for further improvements. The article highlights current LREEs substitution advances and the faced challenges in finding suitable LREEs substitutes. Furthermore, future ways to promote sustainability of LREEs recycling, to improve substitution, and to tackle the criticality challenges of LREEs are proposed