Life cycle sustainability assessment as a metrics towards SDGs agenda 2030

Sustainability has become increasingly important to the public. Well-known international targets and assessment approaches to a more sustainable future are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). The SDGs are a reference for the international sustainability agenda (communication), while LCSA is a framework that considers all dimensions of sustainability in a life cycle thinking based approach. Despite general relevance and demands of combining assessment and goals, there is a gap of (consensus of) combinations of LCSA indicators and SDGs. A comprehensive best-practice example of LCSA-SDG-combination is not yet available and challenges are becoming evident, but a clear direction can be seen and is already provided for some SDGs (e.g. SDG 13), including a recommendation.     

工业过程生态生命周期评价的生态累积耗模型

生态生命周期评价(Eco-LCA)作为常规生命周期评价的拓展,提供了一种对工业过程生态影响及可持续性分析评价的方法.但目前Eco-LCA中尚缺失生态累积耗(ECEC)指标的完整模型.本文探讨了工业过程中自然资源消耗、社会经济投入和环境污染危害三种主要影响因素.通过构建囊括资源、经济、环境三要素的工业过程生态累积耗模型,完善了Eco-LCA方法应用于工业过程可持续分析的理论框架.最后,以此生态累积耗模型对中国原油生产进行了示例性分析讨论.     

Evaluating and managing the sustainability of investments in green and sustainable chemistry: An overview of sustainable finance approaches and tools

Green chemistry (GC) was developed to maximise resource efficiency and minimise hazards in chemical processes and products. Over time, the approach evolved into green and sustainable chemistry (GSC), which aims at promoting the development of an ecologically friendly society. GSC encourages society's reliance on sustainable materials and technologies/processes and supports the ambitious sustainability targets set by international organisations. It also steers public attention to the provision of sustainable solutions for producers, consumers and investors. Since GSC implementation requires significant financial investment, this paper describes a broad range of approaches and tools to assess the sustainability of potential investments and shows, although with a primary focus on environmental sustainability, how life cycle approaches could be used to define enhanced key performance indicators. Thus, the paper may serve as a useful reference for: (i) chemical companies interested in evaluating the sustainability performance of activities requiring financial investment, and (ii) investors interested in evaluating the sustainability of potential financial investments.     

Biosurfactants: Opportunities for the development of a sustainable future

Changes in the environment in recent years have led to the examination of the role and influence human activities on it. Attempts to quantify the impact of these activities by developing standardized modeling frameworks through life cycle sustainability assessment is one such approach in the context of sustainability seeking to measure the impact of human interventions from a holistic perspective that includes economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Sustainable alternatives to synthetic products are always keenly sought after. Biosurfactants are emerging as suitable alternatives to the predominant less sustainable petroleum-derived counterparts. Several factors surrounding their production, distribution, and end-use, however, still needs to be considered before conclusively confirming their sustainability. Though data are still limited in that subject matter, research showing their impact on some sustainability indicators is highlighted. This review discusses the potential of biosurfactants as sustainable products in the context of social, economic, and environmental aspects.     

Applications of life cycle assessment to NatureWorks™ polylactide (PLA) production

NatureWorks™ polylactide (PLA)¹ is a versatile polymer produced by Cargill Dow LLC. Cargill Dow is building a global platform of sustainable polymers and chemicals entirely made from renewable resources. Cargill Dow's business philosophy is explained including the role of life cycle assessment (LCA), a tool used for measuring environmental sustainability and identifying environmental performance-improvement objectives. The paper gives an overview of applications of LCA to PLA production and provides insight into how they are utilized. The first application reviews the contributions to the gross fossil energy requirement for PLA (54 MJ/kg). In the second one PLA is compared with petrochemical-based polymers using fossil energy use, global warming and water use as the three impact indicators. The last application gives more details about the potential reductions in energy use and greenhouse gasses. Cargill Dow's 5–8 year objective is to decrease the fossil energy use from 54 MJ/kg PLA down to about 7 MJ/kg PLA. The objective for greenhouse gasses is a reduction from +1.8 down to −1.7 kg CO₂ equivalents/kg PLA.     

Sustainability assessments of bio-based polymers

Bio-based polymers have become feasible alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics. However, the factors that influence the sustainability of bio-based polymers are often unclear. This paper reviews published life cycle assessments (LCAs) and commonly used LCA databases that quantify the environmental sustainability of bio-based polymers and summarizes the range of findings reported within the literature. LCA is discussed as a means for quantifying environmental impacts for a product from its cradle, or raw materials extraction, to the grave, or end of life. The results of LCAs from existing databases as well as peer-reviewed literature allow for the comparison of environmental impacts. This review compares standard database results for three bio-based polymers, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and thermoplastic starch (TPS) with five common petroleum derived polymers. The literature showed that biopolymers, coming out of a relatively new industry, exhibit similar impacts compared to petroleum-based plastics. The studies reviewed herein focused mainly on global warming potential (GWP) and fossil resource depletion while largely ignoring other environmental impacts, some of which result in environmental tradeoffs. The studies reviewed also varied greatly in the scope of their assessment. Studies that included the end of life (EOL) reported much higher GWP results than those that limited the scope to resin or granule production. Including EOL in the LCA provides more comprehensive results for biopolymers, but simultaneously introduces greater amounts of uncertainty and variability. Little life-cycle data is available on the impacts of different manners of disposal, thus it will be critical for future sustainability assessments of biopolymers to include accurate end of life impacts.     

A life cycle approach to method management

This paper describes a life cycle model for method management, using existing published models for software life cycles as a basis. A direct analogy is drawn between the processes in method life cycles and those established for software development, and the constituent parts of the processes that occur in the method life cycle are explored in some detail. It is concluded that a life cycle model can usefully be applied to method management and the main principles are summarised. An example is included to illustrate how life cycle principles can be applied to a real situation. Received: 6 October 2000 Accepted: 7 March 2001     

Scale-up and Sustainability Evaluation of Biopolymer Production from Citrus Waste Offering Carbon Capture and Utilisation Pathway

Poly(limonene carbonate) (PLC) has been highlighted as an attractive substitute to petroleum derived plastics, due to its utilisation of CO₂ and bio-based limonene as feedstocks, offering an effective carbon capture and utilisation pathway. Our study investigates the techno-economic viability and environmental sustainability of a novel process to produce PLC from citrus waste derived limonene, coupled with an anaerobic digestion process to enable energy cogeneration and waste recovery maximisation. Computational process design was integrated with a life cycle assessment to identify the sustainability improvement opportunities. PLC production was found to be economically viable, assuming sufficient citrus waste is supplied to the process, and environmentally preferable to polystyrene (PS) in various impact categories including climate change. However, it exhibited greater environmental burdens than PS across other impact categories, although the environmental performance could be improved with a waste recovery system, at the cost of a process design shift towards energy generation. Finally, our study quantified the potential contribution of PLC to mitigating the escape of atmospheric CO₂ concentration from the planetary boundary. We emphasise the importance of a holistic approach to process design and highlight the potential impacts of biopolymers, which is instrumental in solving environmental problems facing the plastic industry and building a sustainable circular economy.     

Assessing the economic and ecological impact of plastic products

The framework of the International Standard Organization's (ISO) 14040 series provides the practitioner with rules to deal with different aspects of analysis and assessment of the life cycle of products. The standard emphasizes the importance of accurate data to perform a valid analysis. This premise lets LCA (life cycle assessment) studies become time-consuming and expensive. But, sound decision-making by management in enterprises can be done even in cases where data are incomplete or vary, when the eco-efficiency analysis methodology is used that has been developed and applied by BASF in more than 150 projects during the last five years.     

Environmental and resource aspects of sustainable biocomposites

This review critically discusses the environmental and resource implications for the design of sustainable biocomposites. Sustainable biocomposites should satisfy several requirements: (i) renewable and/or recycled resources should be utilized for their manufacture; (ii) the synthetic, modification, and processing operations should be benign and energy effective; (iii) no hazardous environmental or toxicological effects should arise during any stage of their life cycle; and (iv) their waste management options should be implemented. The future integration of biorefineries and green chemistry will guarantee the availability of a wide range of raw materials for their preparation. The emission of volatile organic compounds and the release of nanoparticles should be evaluated from a toxicological and environmental point of view. Finally, the susceptibility of sustainable biocomposites towards degradation, including abiotic effects (water absorption, thermo- and photo-oxidation) and biofilm formation and biodegradation, must be considered, to guarantee their structural and functional stability during service life, and to ensure their biodegradability and assimilation during composting.     

Application of Microextraction-Based Techniques for Screening-Controlled Drugs in Forensic Context—A Review

The analysis of controlled drugs in forensic matrices, i.e., urine, blood, plasma, saliva, and hair, is one of the current hot topics in the clinical and toxicological context. The use of microextraction-based approaches has gained considerable notoriety, mainly due to the great simplicity, cost-benefit, and environmental sustainability. For this reason, the application of these innovative techniques has become more relevant than ever in programs for monitoring priority substances such as the main illicit drugs, e.g., opioids, stimulants, cannabinoids, hallucinogens, dissociative drugs, and related compounds. The present contribution aims to make a comprehensive review on the state-of-the art advantages and future trends on the application of microextraction-based techniques for screening-controlled drugs in the forensic context.     

The Cradle-to-Cradle Life Cycle Assessment of Polyethylene terephthalate: Environmental Perspective

Over the last several years, the number of concepts and technologies enabling the production of environmentally friendly products (including materials, consumables, and services) has expanded. One of these ways is cradle-to-cradle (C2C) certified^TM. Life cycle assessment (LCA) technique is used to highlight the advantages of C2C and recycling as a method for reducing plastic pollution and fossil depletion by indicating the research limitations and gaps from an environmental perspective. Also, it estimates the resources requirements and focuses on sound products and processes. The C2C life cycle measurements for petroleum-based poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles, with an emphasis on different end-of-life options for recycling, were taken for mainland China, in brief. It is considered that the product is manufactured through the extraction of crude oil into ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. The CML analysis method was used in the LCIA for the selected midpoint impact categories. LCA of the product has shown a drastic aftermath in terms of environmental impacts and energy use. But the estimation of these consequences is always dependent on the system and boundary conditions that were evaluated throughout the study. The impacts that burden the environment are with the extraction of raw material, resin, and final product production. Minor influences occurred due to the waste recycling process. This suggests that waste degradation is the key process to reduce the environmental impacts of the production systems. Lowering a product’s environmental impact can be accomplished in a number of ways, including reducing the amount of materials used or choosing materials with a minimal environmental impact during manufacture processes.     

Sustainable chemical preventive models in COVID-19: Understanding,innovation, adaptations,and impact

COVID-19 is considered as a major public health problem caused by the SARS CoV-2. This Viral infection is known to induce worldwide pandemic in short period of time. Emerging evidence suggested that the transmission control and drug therapy may influence the preventive measures extensively as the host surrounding environment and pathogenic mechanism may contribute to the pandemic condition earlier in COVID-19 disease. Although, several animals identified as reservoir to date, however human-to-human transmission is well documented. Human beings are sustaining the virus in the communities and act as an amplifier of the virus. Human activities i.e., living with the patient, touching patient waste etc. in the surrounding of active patients or asymptomatic persons cause significant risk factors for transmission. On the other hand, drug target and mechanism to destroy the virus or virus inhibition depends on diversified approaches of drugs and different target for virus life cycle. This article describes the sustainable chemical preventive models understanding, requirements, technology adaptation and the implementation strategies in these pandemic-like situations. As the outbreak progresses, healthcare models focused on transmission control through disinfections and sanitization based on risk calculations. Identification of the most suitable target of drugs and regional control model of transmission are of high priority. In the early stages of an outbreak, availability of epidemiological information is important to encourage preventive measures efforts by public health authorities and provide robust evidence to guide interventions. Here, we have discussed the level of adaptations in technology that research professionals display toward their public health preventive models. We should compile a representative data set of adaptations that humans can consider for transmission control and adopt for viruses and their hosts. Overall, there are many aspects of the chemical science and technology in virus preventive measures. Herein, the most recent advances in this context are discussed, and the possible reasons behind the sustainable preventive model are presented. This kind of sustainable preventive model having adaptation and implementation with green chemistry system will reduce the shedding of the virus into the community by eco-friendly methods, and thus the risk of transmission and infection progression can be mitigated.     

大气中活性气态汞的分析方法和赋存转化

活性气态汞(Reactive gaseous mercury,RGM),在大气环境中通常被认为是气态的氧化汞,主导大气汞沉降过程,对汞的全球循环至关重要.本文详细介绍了RGM的多种采样和分析方法,讨论并比较了当前技术的优势和局限性;对RGM在大气中的生成、赋存、清除等环境过程以及相关的机制进行了梳理,并探究各过程在大气...     

Optimal synthesis of heat exchanger network for thermochemical S-I cycle

In this paper, a brief survey of hydrogen production methods is presented with a focus on S-I cycle. Based on heat duty data of sulfuric acid decomposition in S-I cycle, optimization models are developed to explore the minimum utility consumption and the minimum number of heat exchangers. Finally an optimal heat exchanger network for S-I thermochemical cycle is defined by a mixed integer optimization model.     

State of the art and research development prospects of energy and resource-efficient environmentally safe chemical process systems engineering

In this focus overview, the main types and directions of engineering, methods and techniques of intensification of chemical process systems (CPS) and process optimization of energy- and resource-efficient processes for the representative production of titanium compounds, mining waste processing systems, electrochemical coating technologies, combined technologies for the treatment of industrial effluents and energy-and resource-efficient technologies for cleaning soils from petroleum and chemical pollution products are reviewed. The following issues have been discussed: methods of complex assessment of production energy efficiency and software and information support for automated synthesis of optimal energy-efficient regenerative heat exchange systems using pinch analysis; methods and algorithms for fractal-statistical characteristics analysis of nonstationary gas flows in complex gas pipelines; methods of ecological and economic optimization of production, infrastructure supply chains; methods for assessing and preventing the dangerous environmental impact assessment of chemical pollution; organization and logistics management of business processes engineering for improving the energy efficiency of plants; engineering of problem oriented computer systems, heuristic-computational models and algorithms for intelligent integrated logistics support of the equipment life cycle; engineering developments in the field of digital transformation of energy-efficient CPS and technological production systems; application of methods for optimizing reliability factors optimization, digitalized risk and safety management in the engineering of energy- and resource efficient CPS.     

Wastewater To Resource: Design of a Sustainable Phosphorus Recovery System

To enable a more sustainable wastewater treatment processes, a transition towards resource recovery methods that have minimal environmental impact while being financially viable is imperative. Phosphorus (P) is a finite resource that is being discharged into the aqueous environment in excessive quantities. As such, understanding the financial and environmental effectiveness of different approaches for removing and recovering P from wastewater streams is important to reduce the overall impact of wastewater treatment. In this study, a process-systems modelling framework for comprehensively evaluating these approaches in terms of both economic and environmental impacts is developed. Applying this framework, treatment pathways are designed, simulated and analysed to determine the most suitable approaches for P removal and recovery. The purpose of this methodology is not only to assist with plant design, but also to identify the principal economic and environmental factors acting as barriers to implementing a given technology, incorporating the impact of waste recovery. The results suggest that the chemical and ion-exchange approaches studied deliver sustainable advantages over biological pathways, both economically and environmentally, with each possessing different strengths. The assessment methodology developed enables a more rational and environmentally sound wastewater plant design approach to be taken.     

Slowing the fast fashion industry: An all-round perspective

The fashion sector contributes significantly to global environmental pollution. Clothing manufacturing and transportation produce a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Recent research has shown that nowadays, the number of consumers that are more willing to pay higher prices for clothes with high sustainability content is growing. This paper provides a broad framework of current trends in the fashion, textile, and garment industry, highlighting circular and slow fashion values that companies and policymakers should address in the coming years to maintain their competitiveness in the market and promote sustainable development. The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles is expected to help fashion enterprises achieve more circular, sustainable, and resilient value chains. Notably, encouraging natural and recycled textiles, design for reuse and recycling, second-hand retail and repair, and product-as-a-service models, particularly for items with high turnover rates, have been highlighted as critical factors for reducing the fashion industry's environmental implications.     

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric analysis and regulatory issues of polar pesticides in natural and treated waters

Pesticides are among the most detected contaminants in the aquatic environment. This is mainly due to their use in agriculture and their physico-chemical properties that enable transportation and a persistent or pseudo-persistent existence in the water media. Several directives and guidelines set maximum levels of pesticides in water in order to protect the human and environmental health. A brief discussion of the existing directives and guidelines concerning pesticides in water is presented, e.g., the new regulatory framework for the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH), and the Directive 91/414/EEC concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market. Up-to-date analytical tools to support the REACH program are of prime importance to ensure its complete implementation. Since liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) is considered the most appropriate technique for determination of most modern pesticides in environmental waters, the most recent developments and applications in this field are discussed in detail in this review.