Comparative life cycle assessment of LED lighting products

LED lighting products used in lighting applications and their subsequent environmental impact are growing rapidly. However, there are no in-depth updated studies that show how to assess and compare them for eco-design purposes. This research aims to add insights in this area to inform eco-design by assessing and comparing the environmental impact of a new LED eco-lighting product with an existing LED lighting product. A cradle to grave Life Cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted using ReCiPe Midpoint and Endpoint (H) life cycle impact assessment method with Simapro software. The system boundaries included all product life cycle stages, except the maintenance of the luminaires and the manufacturing of the packaging. A novel functional unit was defined for the assessment, which is more suitable for the LED lighting products. Six scenarios were considered, including three probable useful lives of the luminaires (1,000, 15,000 and 40,000 h) and two end of life options (domestic bin and recycling centre). The LCA results revealed that the new eco-lighting product has about 60% less environmental impact than the existing lighting product in all scenarios. The life cycle stages with the highest environmental impact are: 1) Use, 2) Manufacturing, 3) End of Life and 4) Transport. Based on the results obtained, recommendations for eco-design of LED lighting products were proposed, and challenges of application of LCA for the eco-design were discussed

Connecting wastes to resources for clean technologies in the chlor-alkali industry: a life cycle approach

Our current economic model is experiencing increasing demand and increasing pressure on resource utilisation, as valuable materials are lost as waste. Moving towards a circular economy and supporting efficient resource utilisation is essential for protecting the environment. The chlor-alkali industry is one of the largest consumers of salt, and efforts have been made to reduce its electricity use. Furthermore, KCl mining wastes have received increasing attention because they can be transformed into value-added resources. This work studies the influence of using different salt sources on the environmental sustainability of the chlor-alkali industry to identify further improvement opportunities. Rock salt, solar salt, KCl waste salt, vacuum salt and solution-mined salt were studied. Membrane cells in both bipolar and monopolar configurations were studied and compared to the emergent oxygen-depolarised cathode (ODC) technology. Life cycle assessment was applied to estimate the cradle-to-gate environmental impacts. The natural resource (NR) requirements and the environmental burdens (EBs) to the air and water environments were assessed. The total NR and EB requirements were reduced by 20% when vacuum salt was replaced with KCl. Moreover, the environmental impacts estimated for the monopolar membrane using KCl were comparable to those generated for the bipolar membrane using VS. The difference between the monopolar and bipolar scenarios (17%) was slightly higher than that between the bipolar and ODC technologies (12%). This work demonstrates the importance of studying every life cycle stage in a chemical process and the environmental benefit of applying a circular economy, even in energy intensive industries such as the chlor-alkali industry.This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Project CTM2013-43539-R. The authors are grateful for this funding

SIDEKICK: Genomic data driven analysis and decision-making framework

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Scientists striving to unlock mysteries within complex biological systems face myriad barriers in effectively integrating available information to enhance their understanding. While experimental techniques and available data sources are rapidly evolving, useful information is dispersed across a variety of sources, and sources of the same information often do not use the same format or nomenclature. To harness these expanding resources, scientists need tools that bridge nomenclature differences and allow them to integrate, organize, and evaluate the quality of information without extensive computation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sidekick, a genomic data driven analysis and decision making framework, is a web-based tool that provides a user-friendly intuitive solution to the problem of information inaccessibility. Sidekick enables scientists without training in computation and data management to pursue answers to research questions like "What are the mechanisms for disease X" or "Does the set of genes associated with disease X also influence other diseases." Sidekick enables the process of combining heterogeneous data, finding and maintaining the most up-to-date data, evaluating data sources, quantifying confidence in results based on evidence, and managing the multi-step research tasks needed to answer these questions. We demonstrate Sidekick's effectiveness by showing how to accomplish a complex published analysis in a fraction of the original time with no computational effort using Sidekick.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Sidekick is an easy-to-use web-based tool that organizes and facilitates complex genomic research, allowing scientists to explore genomic relationships and formulate hypotheses without computational effort. Possible analysis steps include gene list discovery, gene-pair list discovery, various enrichments for both types of lists, and convenient list manipulation. Further, Sidekick's ability to characterize pairs of genes offers new ways to approach genomic analysis that traditional single gene lists do not, particularly in areas such as interaction discovery.</p

Introducing Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Item does not contain fulltex

A Common KIF6 Polymorphism Increases Vulnerability to Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol: Two Meta-Analyses and a Meta-Regression Analysis

Background: We sought to determine if a common polymorphism can influence vulnerability to LDL cholesterol, and thereby influence the clinical benefit derived from therapies that reduce LDL cholesterol. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of the association between a common Trp719Arg polymorphism in the kinesin-like protein 6 (KIF6) gene and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and a meta-regression analysis to measure the effect modification of this polymorphism on the association between LDL cholesterol and the risk of CVD. We used this measure of genetic effect modification to predict the expected difference in clinical benefit among KIF6 719Arg allele carriers and non-carriers in response to therapies that reduce LDL cholesterol. We then conducted a meta-analysis of statin trials to compare the expected difference in clinical benefit with the observed difference during treatment with a statin. Results: In a meta-analysis involving 144,931 participants, the KIF6 719Arg allele was not associated with the relative risk (RR) of CVD (RR: 1.02, 95%CI: 0.98-1.07, p = 0.288). Meta-regression analysis involving 88,535 participants, however, showed that the 719Arg allele appears to influence the effect of LDL cholesterol on the risk of CVD. KIF6 carriers experienced a 13% greater reduction in the risk of CVD per mmol/L decrease in LDL cholesterol than non-carriers. We interpreted this difference as the expected difference in clinical benefit among KIF6 carriers and non-carriers in response to therapies that lower LDL cholesterol. The difference in clinical benefit predicted by the increased vulnerability to LDL cholesterol among KIF6 carriers (ratio of RR: 0.87, 95%CI: 0.80-0.94, p = 0.001) agreed very closely with the observed difference among 50,060 KIF6 carriers and non-carriers enrolled in 8 randomized trials of statin therapy (ratio of RR: 0.87, 95%CI: 0.77-0.99, p = 0.038). Conclusion: The KIF6 719Arg allele increases vulnerability to LDL cholesterol and thereby influences the expected clinical benefit of therapies that reduce LDL cholesterol. © 2011 Ference et al

A three-dimensional view of structural changes caused by deactivation of fluid catalytic cracking catalysts

Since its commercial introduction three-quarters of a century ago, fluid catalytic cracking has been one of the most important conversion processes in the petroleum industry. In this process, porous composites composed of zeolite and clay crack the heavy fractions in crude oil into transportation fuel and petrochemical feedstocks. Yet, over time the catalytic activity of these composite particles decreases. Here, we report on ptychographic tomography, diffraction, and fluorescence tomography, as well as electron microscopy measurements, which elucidate the structural changes that lead to catalyst deactivation. In combination, these measurements reveal zeolite amorphization and distinct structural changes on the particle exterior as the driving forces behind catalyst deactivation. Amorphization of zeolites, in particular, close to the particle exterior, results in a reduction of catalytic capacity. A concretion of the outermost particle layer into a dense amorphous silica–alumina shell further reduces the mass transport to the active sites within the composite

Comparative LCA of concrete with recycled aggregates: a circular economy mindset in Europe

[EN] Purpose Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) is the largest waste stream in the European Union (EU) and all over the world. Proper management of C&DW and recycled materials¿including the correct handling of hazardous waste¿can have major benefits in terms of sustainability and the quality of life. The Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC aims to have 70% of C&DW recycled by 2020. However, except for a few EU countries, only about 50% of C&DW is currently being recycled. In the present research, the environmental impact of concrete with recycled aggregates and with geopolymer mixtures is analysed. The aim of the present research is to propose a comparative LCA of concrete with recycled aggregates in the context of European politics. Methods Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is applied using Simapro© software. A cradle to grave analysis is carried out. The results are analysed based on the database Ecoinvent 3.3 and Impact 2002+. Results Results show that the concrete with 25% recycled aggregates is the best solution from an environmental point of view. Furthermore, geopolymer mixtures could be a valid alternative to reduce the phenomenon of ¿global warming¿; however, the production of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide has a great environmental impact. Conclusions A possible future implementation of the present study is certainly to carry out an overall assessment and to determine the most cost-effective option among the different competing alternatives through the life cycle cost analysis.Colangelo, F.; Gómez-Navarro, T.; Farina, I.; Petrillo, A. (2020). Comparative LCA of concrete with recycled aggregates: a circular economy mindset in Europe. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 25(9):1790-1804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-020-01798-6S17901804259Akhtar A, Sarmah (2018) Construction and demolition waste generation and properties of recycled aggregate concrete: a global perspective. J Cleaner Prod 186:262–281Bare JC, Hofstetter P, Penningtonne DW, Helias A, de Haes U (2000) Midpoints versus endpoints: the sacrifices and benefits. Int J Life Cycle Assess 5(6):319–326Blengini GA, Garbarino E (2010) Resources and waste management in Turin (Italy): the role of recycled aggregates in the sustainable supply mix. J Clean Prod 18(10–11):1021–1030Blengini GA, Garbarino E, Šolar S, Shields DJ, Hámor T, Vinai R, Agioutantis Z (2012) Life cycle assessment guidelines for the sustainable production and recycling of aggregates: the sustainable aggregates resource management project (SARMa). J Clean Prod 27:177–181Blengini GA, Garbarino E, Bevilacqua P (2017) Sustainability and integration between mineral resources and C&DW management: overview of key issues towards a resource-efficient Europe. Env Eng Man J 16(2):493–502Borghi G, Pantini S, Rigamonti L (2018) Life cycle assessment of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in Lombardy region (Italy). J Clean Prod 184:815–825Braga AM, Silvestre JD, de Brito J (2017) Compared environmental and economic impact from cradle to gate of concrete with natural and recycled coarse aggregates. J Clean Prod 162:529–543Chen C, Habert G, Bouzidi Y, Jullien A, Ventura A (2010) LCA allocation procedure used as an incitative method for waste recycling: an application to mineral additions in concrete. Res Con Rec 54(12):1231–1240Chen Z, Gu H, Bergman RD, Liang S (2020) Comparative life-cycle assessment of a high-rise mass timber building with an equivalent reinforced concrete alternative using the Athena impact estimator for buildings. Sustainability (Switzerland) 12(11):4708Colangelo F, Cioffi R (2017) Mechanical properties and durability of mortar containing fine fraction of demolition wastes produced by selective demolition in South Italy. Comp Part B: Eng 115:43–50Colangelo F, Petrillo A, Cioffi R, Borrelli C, Forcina A (2018a) Life cycle assessment of recycled concretes: a case study in southern Italy. Sci Total Env 615:1506–1517Colangelo F, Forcina A, Farina I, Petrillo A (2018b) Life cycle assessment (LCA) of different kinds of concrete containing waste for sustainable construction. Buildings 8(5):70Colangelo F, Navarro TG, Petrillo A, Farina I, Cioffi R (2020) Life-cycle impact of concrete with recycled materials. Encyclopedia of Renewable and Sustainable Materials, Volume 5(2020):414–421COM (2012) 433, COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Strategy for the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector and its enterprises, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/procedure/EN/201859, Brussels, 31.7.2012, COM(2012) 433 finalCOM (2014) 445, COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/pdf/SustainableBuildingsCommunication.pdf, Brussels, 1.7.2014 COM(2014) 445 finalDavidovits J (2018) Geopolymers based on natural and synthetic metakaolin a critical review. Ceramic Eng Science Proc 38(3):201–214Di Maria A, Eyckmans J, Van Acker K (2018) Downcycling versus recycling of construction and demolition waste: combining LCA and LCC to support sustainable policy making. Waste Man 75:3–21Directive 2008/98/EC on waste (Waste Framework Directive), http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098EN 1992-1-1:(2004) Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures - Part 1–1: General rules and rules for buildingsEstanqueiro B, Dinis Silvestre J, de Brito J, Duarte Pinheiro M (2018) Environmental life cycle assessment of coarse natural and recycled aggregates for concrete. Eur J Env Civ Eng 22(4):429–449Etxeberria M, Vázquez E, Marí A, Barra M (2007) Influence of amount of recycled coarse aggregates and production process on properties of recycled aggregate concrete. Cem Conc Res 37(5):735–742EU construction & demolition waste management protocol (2016) BrusselsGálvez-Martos J-L, Styles D, Schoenberger H, Zeschmar-Lahl B (2018) Construction and demolition waste best management practice in Europe. Res Con Rec 136:166–178Gluth, G.J.G., Arbi, K., Bernal, S.A., Bondar, D., Castel, A., Chithiraputhiran, S., Dehghan, A., Dombrowski-Daube, K., Dubey, A., Ducman, V., Peterson, K., Pipilikaki, P., Valcke, S.L.A., Ye, G., Hajimohammadi, A., van Deventer, J.S.J., 2017. Characterisation of one-part geopolymer binders made from fly ash. Waste Biom Val, 8(1), pp. 225–233Gomes R, Silvestre JD, de Brito J (2020) Environmental, economic and energy life cycle assessment “from cradle to cradle” (3E-C2C) of flat roofs. Journal of Building Engineering 32:101436ISO 14040 (2006) Environmental management life cycle assessment. Principles and Framework. ISO, GenevaISO 14044 (2006) Environmental management. Life cycle assessment. Requirements and Guidelines. ISO, GenevaJafary Nasab T, Monavari SM, Jozi SA, Majedi H (2020) Assessment of carbon footprint in the construction phase of high-rise constructions in Tehran. Int J Environ Sci Technol 17(6):3153–3164Jolliet O, Margni M, Charles R, Humbert S, Payet J, Rebitzer G, Rosenbaum R (2003) Impact 2002+: a new life cycle impact assessment methodology. Int J Life Cycle Assess 8(6):324–333Khan MW, Ali Y, De Felice F, Salman A, Petrillo A (2019) Impact of brick kilns industry on environment and human health in Pakistan. Sci Total Environ 678:383–389Knoeri C, Sanyé-Mengual E, Althaus H-J (2013) Comparative LCA of recycled and conventional concrete for structural applications. Int J Life Cycle Assess 18(5):909–918Lu W, Yan H (2011) A framework for understanding waste management studies in construction. Waste Man 31:1252–1260Marinković S, Radonjanin V, Malešev M, Ignjatović I (2010) Comparative environmental assessment of natural and recycled aggregate concrete. Waste Man 30(11):2255–2264Mercante IT, Bovea MD, Ibáñez-Forés V, Arena AP (2012) Life cycle assessment of construction and demolition waste management systems: a Spanish case study. Int J Life Cycle Assess 17(2):232–241Pantini S, Giurato M, Rigamonti L (2019) A LCA study to investigate resource-efficient strategies for managing post-consumer gypsum waste in Lombardy region (Italy). Res Con Rec 147:157–168Petrillo A, Cioffi R, De Felice F, Colangelo F, Borrelli C (2016) An environmental evaluation: a comparison between geopolymer and OPC concrete paving blocks manufacturing process in Italy. Env Prog Sus Energy 35(6):1699–1708Provis JL (2017) Alkali-activated cementitious materials and concretes - steps towards standardization, American Concrete Inst, ACI Special Publication 2017-January (SP 320), pp. 444-448Sayagh S, Ventura A, Hoang T, François D (2010) Sensitivity of the LCA allocation procedure for BFS recycled into pavement structures. Res cons rec 54(6):348–358Tangtinthai N, Heidrich O, Manning DAC (2019) Role of policy in managing mined resources for construction in Europe and emerging economies. J Env Man 236:613–621Tošić N, Marinković S, Dašić T, Stanić M (2015) Multicriteria optimization of natural and recycled aggregate concrete for structural use. J Clean Prod 87(1):766–776Van den Heede P, De Belie N (2012) Environmental impact and life cycle assessment (LCA) of traditional and ‘green’ concretes: literature review and theoretical calculations. Cem Conc Comp 34(4):431–442Vossberg C, Mason-Jones K, Cohen B (2014) An energetic life cycle assessment of C&D waste and container glass recycling in Cape Town, South Africa. Res Con Rec 88:39–49Walling SA, Notman S, Watts P, Govan N, Provis JL (2019) Portland cement based immobilization/destruction of chemical weapon agent degradation products. Industrial Eng Chemistry Res 58(24):10383–10393Wu H, Zuo J, Yuan H, Zillante G, Wang J (2019) A review of performance assessment methods for construction and demolition waste management. Res Cons Recycling 150:104407Zhang C, Hu M, Dong L, Gebremariam A, Mirand-Xicotencatl B, Di Maio F, Tukker A (2019) Eco-efficiency assessment of technological innovations in high-grade concrete recycling. Res Cons Recycling 149:649–66

Comparative Microbial Modules Resource: Generation and Visualization of Multi-species Biclusters

The increasing abundance of large-scale, high-throughput datasets for many closely related organisms provides opportunities for comparative analysis via the simultaneous biclustering of datasets from multiple species. These analyses require a reformulation of how to organize multi-species datasets and visualize comparative genomics data analyses results. Recently, we developed a method, multi-species cMonkey, which integrates heterogeneous high-throughput datatypes from multiple species to identify conserved regulatory modules. Here we present an integrated data visualization system, built upon the Gaggle, enabling exploration of our method's results (available at http://meatwad.bio.nyu.edu/cmmr.html). The system can also be used to explore other comparative genomics datasets and outputs from other data analysis procedures – results from other multiple-species clustering programs or from independent clustering of different single-species datasets. We provide an example use of our system for two bacteria, Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium. We illustrate the use of our system by exploring conserved biclusters involved in nitrogen metabolism, uncovering a putative function for yjjI, a currently uncharacterized gene that we predict to be involved in nitrogen assimilation

Survival bias and drug interaction can attenuate cross-sectional case-control comparisons of genes with health outcomes. An example of the kinesin-like protein 6 (KIF6) Trp719Arg polymorphism and coronary heart disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Case-control studies typically exclude fatal endpoints from the case set, which we hypothesize will substantially underestimate risk if survival is genotype-dependent. The loss of fatal cases is particularly nontrivial for studies of coronary heart disease (CHD) because of significantly reduced survival (34% one-year fatality following a coronary attack). A case in point is the <it>KIF6 </it>Trp719Arg polymorphism (rs20455). Whereas six prospective studies have shown that carriers of the <it>KIF6 </it>Trp719Arg risk allele have 20% to 50% greater CHD risk than non-carriers, several cross-sectional case-control studies failed to show that carrier status is related to CHD. Computer simulations were therefore employed to assess the impact of the loss of fatal events on gene associations in cross-sectional case-control studies, using <it>KIF6 </it>Trp719Arg as an example.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ten replicates of 1,000,000 observations each were generated reflecting Canadian demographics. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks were assigned by the Framingham equation and events distributed among <it>KIF6 </it>Trp719Arg genotypes according to published prospective studies. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios between <it>KIF6 </it>genotypes. Results were examined for 33%, 41.5%, and 50% fatality rates for incident CVD.</p> <p>In the absence of any difference in percent fatalities between genotypes, the odds ratios (carriers vs. noncarriers) were unaffected by survival bias, otherwise the odds ratios were increasingly attenuated as the disparity between fatality rates increased between genotypes. Additional simulations demonstrated that statin usage, shown in four clinical trials to substantially reduce the excess CHD risk in the <it>KIF6 </it>719Arg variant, should also attenuate the <it>KIF6 </it>719Arg odds ratio in case-control studies.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These computer simulations show that exclusions of prior CHD fatalities attenuate odds ratios of case-control studies in proportion to the difference in the percent fatalities between genotypes. Disproportionate CHD survival for <it>KIF6 </it>Trip719Arg carriers is suggested by their 50% greater risk for recurrent myocardial infarction. This, and the attenuation of <it>KIF6 </it>719Arg carrier risk with statin use, may explain the genotype's weak association with CHD in cross-sectional case-control studies. The results may be relevant to the underestimation of risk in cross-sectional case-control studies of other genetic CHD-risk factors affecting survival.</p

Diurnally Entrained Anticipatory Behavior in Archaea

By sensing changes in one or few environmental factors biological systems can anticipate future changes in multiple factors over a wide range of time scales (daily to seasonal). This anticipatory behavior is important to the fitness of diverse species, and in context of the diurnal cycle it is overall typical of eukaryotes and some photoautotrophic bacteria but is yet to be observed in archaea. Here, we report the first observation of light-dark (LD)-entrained diurnal oscillatory transcription in up to 12% of all genes of a halophilic archaeon Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1. Significantly, the diurnally entrained transcription was observed under constant darkness after removal of the LD stimulus (free-running rhythms). The memory of diurnal entrainment was also associated with the synchronization of oxic and anoxic physiologies to the LD cycle. Our results suggest that under nutrient limited conditions halophilic archaea take advantage of the causal influence of sunlight (via temperature) on O2 diffusivity in a closed hypersaline environment to streamline their physiology and operate oxically during nighttime and anoxically during daytime