Life Cycle Assessment di un Playground: Climbing Structure CS06

L’oggetto del presente studio LCA è una struttura per parchi gioco (playground CS06), costituita da tronchi circolari irregolari e concepita per integrarsi sia in ambienti naturali che in aree urbane. Lo studio nasce dalla volontà dell’azienda produttrice del gioco, Richter Spielgeräte GmbH, di analizzare in termini di prestazioni ambientali il proprio prodotto CS06, anche in considerazione del fatto che è principalmente costituito da legno, che può essere riconosciuto come un materiale maggiormente sostenibile rispetto ad altri impiegati normalmente nel medesimo settore (plastica, acciaio, cemento). La valutazione degli effetti ambientali legati al ciclo di vita di un prodotto principalmente costituito da legname (Larix decidua), come il playground in oggetto, potrebbe ricondurre a un impatto globale dell’oggetto trascurabile; tuttavia, esistono degli impatti latenti che vengono alla luce dopo un’attenta analisi che solo l’approccio del Life Cycle Assessment è in grado di far emergere. L’analisi della Climbing Structure CS06 è stata diretta a esaminare tutti i principali effetti sull’ambiente e sulla salute in maniera da coprire tutte le fasi del ciclo di vita: per molte delle fasi principali erano disponibili dati primari, il che permette di considerare la valutazione effettuata con un buon livello di affidabilità. La prospettiva dello studio è dalla culla alla tomba

LCA di prodotto-servizio: il caso di studio di un lavamoto automatico

Il presente studio ha per oggetto l’applicazione della metodologia LCA ad un impianto di lavaggio automatico di motocicli, prodotto da un’azienda lombarda, Vema srl. Questo impianto sembra essere il primo nel suo genere a livello europeo, se non mondiale; non appena messa in commercio la macchina, l’azienda produttrice ha ricevuto infatti ordini anche dal Sud America, dalla Francia e dall’India. L’innovazione portata da questa macchina è quella di aver spostato specificamente sui motocicli il sistema di lavaggio automatico tipico delle automobili (tunnel ad avanzamento automatico), andando a riempire, economicamente, una nicchia di mercato ancora vuota. Tradizionalmente il lavaggio di motocicli viene svolto manualmente, mentre questo prodotto consente di lavare in maniera autonoma il proprio mezzo con un intervento manuale minimo ed una notevole riduzione dei consumi di acqua attraverso un sistema di riciclo

Life Cycle Assessment through BIM-based advanced Calculation Virtual Environment workflows

The current built stock in Europe is large and energetically inefficient due to material decay caused by lifelong use and lack of maintenance, combined. New buildings are commissioned and delivered everyday with an environmental cost, calculated using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The LCA is now widely requested for new assets, while existing ones are left for demolition and consequent carbon emissions released into the atmosphere, increasing the environmental crisis. In an effort to increase built stock's energy efficiency rates and decrease carbon emission, the recovery of these assets is depicted as the strategic next step for the construction sector. Both goals are achieved using data generated by dedicated construction software and processed in Calculation Virtual Environment, according to the specific needed data. The use of BIM for refurbishment design projects allows virtual construction separated by phases to simulate existing conditions of the envelope and its improvement with insulation material options. The use of one single file with clear phase definitions ensures data extraction and transference for all material options. The process is not entirely automated nevertheless it allows to save, use and share data whenever needed. The connection between data sources and databases in the cloud provides timesaving and regular updates. The research findings demonstrate the positive outcomes of modeling existing structures for energy simulation oriented to use in LCA, increasing the potential of BIM use in sensitive constructions while delivering appropriate results based on model and enriched geometry, with cost evaluation potential enabling scenario comparison for better decision making

Methanol production from CO2: comparison of theenvironmental impact of different processes

Methanol is the simplest organic alcohol and one of the most important substances in industrial chemistry. It is used as fuel, solvent and starting material to produce formaldehyde, methyl-tertbutyl ether (MTBE), acetic acid and dimethyl-ether (DME). On industrial scale it is produced using a gas mixture of H2 and CO, also called syngas, in presence of a copper-based catalyst. Today methanol is primarily produced using fossil fuels. To improve the environmental impact new processes were developed during the years starting from different raw materials (i.e. biomass) or using different processes (i.e. photocatalysis). In this paper the environmental impact of different processes for the methanol production is evaluated using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) procedure. Relevant publications were reviewed focusing only on the environmental impact, while economical and social analysis were excluded

End-of-Life Impact on the Cradle-to-Grave LCA of Light-Duty Commercial Vehicles in Europe

A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment focused on end-of-life (EoL) was conducted in this study for three configurations of a light-duty commercial vehicle (LDCV): diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and battery electric vehicle (BEV). The aim is to investigate the impact of recycling under two EoL scenarios with different allocation methods. The first is based on the traditional avoided burden method, while the second is based on the circular footprint formula (CFF) developed by the European Commission. For each configuration, a detailed multilevel waste management scheme was developed in compliance with the 2000/53/CE directive and ISO22628 standard. The results showed that the global warming potential (GWP) impact under the CFF method is significantly greater when compared to the avoided burden method because of the A-parameter, which allocates the burdens and benefits between the two connected product systems. Furthermore, in all configurations and scenarios, the benefits due to the avoided production of virgin materials compensate for the recycling burdens within GWP impact. The main drivers of GWP reduction are steel recycling for all of the considered LDCVs, platinum, palladium, and rhodium recycling for the diesel and CNG configurations, and Li-ion battery recycling for the BEV configuration. Finally, the EoL stage significantly reduces the environmental impact of those categories other than GWP

Environmental and health-related external costs of meat consumption in Italy: estimations and recommendations through life cycle assessment

The literature on the external costs of food consumption is limited. This study aims at advancing in this field by translating the environmental and health-related impacts generated by the life-cycle of meat into external costs via monetization. The main types of meat consumed in Italy are used as a case study. The potential external costs are estimated via attributional life cycle assessment (LCA), using: i) the ReCiPe method for the environmental impact assessment (fourteen impact categories), ii) the population attributional fractions for the health damage from meat ingestion, and iii) the CE Delft environmental prices for monetization. Results show that processed pork and beef generate the highest costs on society, with an external cost of approximately 2€ per 100 g. Fresh pork and poultry follow, with a cost of 1€ and 0.5€ per 100 g, respectively. For comparison, the potential external costs of legumes (i.e., a plant-based alternative to meat) are estimated to be from eight to twenty times lower than meat (around 0.05€ per 100 g of legumes). In 2018, meat consumed in Italy potentially generated a cost on society of 36.6 bn€. The burden arises almost equally from impacts generated before meat ingestion (mainly associated with the emissions arisen from farming), and after the ingestion (due to diseases potentially associated with meat consumption). A sensitivity analysis on the main parameters revealed a large uncertainty on the final yearly cost, ranging from 19 to 93 bn€. Although more research is needed to improve the accuracy and the validity of the models used in the study (e.g., human health impact assessment, monetization) and to include potential external costs currently unaccounted for (e.g., water use, animal welfare, occupational health), results show unequivocal significant costs associated with meat consumption. We thus advocate for policies aimed at reducing these costs and allocating them properly