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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) express the ambition to achieve targets by 2030 for the Planet, as defined by the United Nations (UN). Under a similar perspective, the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus approach highlights that these three elements are intrinsically interconnected. Consequently, they should be evaluated and managed in an integrated way. The agro-industrial sector makes extensive use of the most demanded natural resources, and plays a major role in both frameworks. Therefore, proposing an integrated view for this sector, dealing with both the UN SDGs and the WEF nexus is relevant and promising, but challenging. This short note provides a proposition on the connections between the SDGs and WEF nexus for the agro-industrial sector, based upon available literature. Finally, the overall expected benefits are to impact the decreasing of the water used volume (ensuring its availability, and quality), the energy efficiency-enhancing (stimulating the replacement by clean energy sources), and to avoid food wastage and contamination during the process.
Fernando Caixeta; Pedro Saraiva; Fausto Freire. Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals with the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: A Model for Agro-Industrial Companies. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Water Energy Food and Sustainability (ICoWEFS 2021) 2021, 46 -53.
AMA StyleFernando Caixeta, Pedro Saraiva, Fausto Freire. Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals with the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: A Model for Agro-Industrial Companies. Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Water Energy Food and Sustainability (ICoWEFS 2021). 2021; ():46-53.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFernando Caixeta; Pedro Saraiva; Fausto Freire. 2021. "Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals with the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: A Model for Agro-Industrial Companies." Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Water Energy Food and Sustainability (ICoWEFS 2021) , no. : 46-53.
Innovative toilets can save resources, but have higher embodied impacts associated with materials and electronic components. This article presents an environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) of an innovative multifunctional toilet (WashOne) for two alternative configurations (with or without washlet), comparing its performance with those of conventional systems (toilet and bidet). Additionally, two scenario analyses were conducted: (i) user behavior (alternative washlet use patterns) and (ii) user location (Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Saudi Arabia). The results show that the WashOne with washlet has a better global environmental performance than the conventional system, even for low use. It also reveals that the use phase has the highest contribution to impacts due to electricity consumption. User location analysis further shows that Sweden has the lowest environmental impact, while Germany and the Netherlands have the highest potential for impact reduction when changing from a conventional system to the WashOne. Based on the overall results, some recommendations are provided to enhance the environmental performance of innovative toilet systems, namely the optimization of the washlet use patterns. This article highlights the importance of performing a LCA at an early stage of the development of innovative toilets by identifying the critical issues and hotspots to improve their design and performance.
Carla Rodrigues; João Almeida; Maria Santos; Andreia Costa; Sandra Além; Emanuel Rufo; António Tadeu; Fausto Freire. Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Multifunctional Toilet. Energies 2021, 14, 2307 .
AMA StyleCarla Rodrigues, João Almeida, Maria Santos, Andreia Costa, Sandra Além, Emanuel Rufo, António Tadeu, Fausto Freire. Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Multifunctional Toilet. Energies. 2021; 14 (8):2307.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarla Rodrigues; João Almeida; Maria Santos; Andreia Costa; Sandra Além; Emanuel Rufo; António Tadeu; Fausto Freire. 2021. "Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Multifunctional Toilet." Energies 14, no. 8: 2307.
The aim of this article is to identify both the circular economy strategies with the most influence for managing each business model building block in circular businesses; and the business model building blocks that are most affected by circular economy strategies. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify potential circular economy strategies, resulting in sixteen such strategies. Thereafter, a survey was conducted with experts to indicate how important the strategies were for managing each building block (business model Canvas) using a Fuzzy Logic approach. The survey, using fuzzy linguistic variables, was sent to specialists in circular business models worldwide. The circular economy strategies that influence business modelling to a greater extent are developing strategic partnerships for circularity and engaging stakeholders along the value chain, and digital technologies (e.g. Industry 4.0) to enable circularity. The building blocks most influenced by circular economy strategies are customer segments, customer relationships, and key partnerships. The analysis made in this research indicates where companies should focus their efforts towards managing their businesses when implementing/managing different CE strategies.
Rodrigo Salvador; Murillo V. Barros; Fausto Freire; Anthony Halog; Cassiano M. Piekarski; Antonio C. De Francisco. Circular economy strategies on business modelling: Identifying the greatest influences. Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 299, 126918 .
AMA StyleRodrigo Salvador, Murillo V. Barros, Fausto Freire, Anthony Halog, Cassiano M. Piekarski, Antonio C. De Francisco. Circular economy strategies on business modelling: Identifying the greatest influences. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021; 299 ():126918.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRodrigo Salvador; Murillo V. Barros; Fausto Freire; Anthony Halog; Cassiano M. Piekarski; Antonio C. De Francisco. 2021. "Circular economy strategies on business modelling: Identifying the greatest influences." Journal of Cleaner Production 299, no. : 126918.
The thermal retrofit of buildings plays a key role to limit global warming. However, the spatial and temporal dynamics of urban-scale renovation are not well understood. This paper proposes a new methodology that is based on a bottom-up building stock model. It links dynamic Material Flow Analysis with dynamic Life Cycle Assessment to include the temporal dynamics of emissions and renovation activity, and the spatial dynamics of the building stock. Alternative renovation scenarios for a Lisbon neighborhood are analyzed over the next 100 years. Thee scenarios include renovation rates, electricity grid transformation and material choice: Conventional renovation systems are compared to bio-based systems (using cork, wood and straw). A need-based prioritization of poorly insulated buildings is suggested and the effect of different energy grid transitions analyzed. The results show that bio-based systems, especially made with fast-rotation biomass, are beneficial regarding radiative forcing. The straw- and wood-based system ("TES"), combined with an increased renovation rate, result in a cumulative radiative forcing of −45.4 * 10−8 kW/m2 for embodied impacts in 2050, compared to 3.5* 10−8 kW/m2 with a conventional system and a business-as-usual renovation rate. A fast and radical transition of the energy grid is crucial to meet the carbon budget to limit global warming to 2 °C.
Verena Göswein; José Dinis Silvestre; Cláudia Sousa Monteiro; Guillaume Habert; Fausto Freire; Francesco Pittau. Influence of material choice, renovation rate, and electricity grid to achieve a Paris Agreement-compatible building stock: A Portuguese case study. Building and Environment 2021, 195, 107773 .
AMA StyleVerena Göswein, José Dinis Silvestre, Cláudia Sousa Monteiro, Guillaume Habert, Fausto Freire, Francesco Pittau. Influence of material choice, renovation rate, and electricity grid to achieve a Paris Agreement-compatible building stock: A Portuguese case study. Building and Environment. 2021; 195 ():107773.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVerena Göswein; José Dinis Silvestre; Cláudia Sousa Monteiro; Guillaume Habert; Fausto Freire; Francesco Pittau. 2021. "Influence of material choice, renovation rate, and electricity grid to achieve a Paris Agreement-compatible building stock: A Portuguese case study." Building and Environment 195, no. : 107773.
The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology has been extensively used to assess the environmental influence of alternative building construction; however, the influence of building design has seldom been assessed for Mediterranean climate. This article aims to evaluate the influence of three, often neglected, design options on the life cycle (LC) energy and environmental impacts of a south European single-family house: solar orientation, window sizing, and building shape. Using a parametric attributional LCA, the house's materials, construction, maintenance, and operation (heating and cooling) are analysed for different design scenarios. Annual operational energy, LC non-renewable primary energy (NRPE) and environmental LC impact assessment (LCIA) results are presented and discussed. Results show that embodied energy generally surpasses operational energy. Building orientation has less influence on LCIA results than on operational energy, particularly for compact shapes. Scenarios with bigger Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR) have higher embodied impacts, being more sensitive to orientation due to solar gains. Lower WWR (5%) can be used to reduce the overall LC impacts, especially in houses with lower operational patterns. A compact shape building was shown to reduce heating impact, while a terraced and less compact shape reduces cooling impact. Compared with literature, this study reveals that, from a LC perspective, design options are as significant as construction options. Finally, design recommendations should be based on LCA and not only on operational results; nevertheless, a LCA single indicator (NRPE or Global Warming Potential) can be used to support decisions for alternative house designs with similar construction.
Helena Monteiro; Fausto Freire; Nelson Soares. Life cycle assessment of a south European house addressing building design options for orientation, window sizing and building shape. Journal of Building Engineering 2021, 39, 102276 .
AMA StyleHelena Monteiro, Fausto Freire, Nelson Soares. Life cycle assessment of a south European house addressing building design options for orientation, window sizing and building shape. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021; 39 ():102276.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHelena Monteiro; Fausto Freire; Nelson Soares. 2021. "Life cycle assessment of a south European house addressing building design options for orientation, window sizing and building shape." Journal of Building Engineering 39, no. : 102276.
Building resilient communities plays an important role in the face of climate change and other societal stressors. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) approaches can assist stakeholders and policy makers to promote good environmental practices and support climate-change mitigation and adaptation. However, LCA approaches face several challenges when applied to buildings. Buildings are complex systems that result in data-intensive processes. For this matter, it is important to identify the most influential attributes to efficiently provide environmental and cost feedback and streamline the building decision-making process. The main objectives of this article are: apply a streamline approach to assess the environmental and cost performance of building retrofits for different types of houses and occupancy patterns, in alternative climate locations; and perform a comprehensive sensitivity analysis to identify key drivers of environmental and cost impacts. The most influential attributes to climate change impacts are the same irrespective to location, type of house and wall-system; however, they differ depending on occupancy. The key drivers to eco-efficiency are discount rate, and exterior-wall insulation. The most influential attributes can change depending on family size or set-point meaning that an early definition of these attributes can change which decisions are the most important in an early design stage.
Carla Rodrigues; Fausto Freire. Environmental impacts and costs of residential building retrofits – What matters? Sustainable Cities and Society 2021, 67, 102733 .
AMA StyleCarla Rodrigues, Fausto Freire. Environmental impacts and costs of residential building retrofits – What matters? Sustainable Cities and Society. 2021; 67 ():102733.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarla Rodrigues; Fausto Freire. 2021. "Environmental impacts and costs of residential building retrofits – What matters?" Sustainable Cities and Society 67, no. : 102733.
Eco-efficiency is a key concept encompassing economic and environmental aspects to promote a more efficient use of resources and lower emissions. An eco-efficiency perspective in the design of products and services is thus essential in the pursuit of sustainability. This article proposes a novel decision-support methodological approach to assess the environmental impacts and costs in early design stages, aimed at providing informed recommendations to designers, manufacturers and decision-makers. This multimethodology approach integrates a streamlined life-cycle environmental and cost assessment with a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model that derives eco-efficiency ratios and compares alternative designs, without the need to subjectively weigh the different environmental and cost life-cycle metrics. A linear regression model is then used to indicate the most influential decision variables. This approach was applied to a retrofit process of a historic residential building located in Southern Europe. The metrics used to assess the design parameters are: climate change, acidification, eutrophication, non-renewable primary energy, and net present value. A sensitivity analysis on the decarbonization of the electricity mix was also performed. The multimethodology offers valuable guidance to allow decision-makers to progressively specify the decision variables in an iterative way, using robust methods allowing for the statistical validation of results. The case study revealed robust empirical results for building retrofits in Southern European climates, indicating that the variables that most impact eco-efficiency (in both short and long-term) are roof insulation thickness and material followed by exterior wall insulation material. After three variables specification, the average eco-efficiency always increased, with higher gains obtained for the scenarios with the current electricity mix (22-25% increase) and more modest gains obtained for the electricity decarbonization scenarios (8-15% increase).
Matheus Belucio; Carla Rodrigues; Carlos Henggeler Antunes; Fausto Freire; Luís C. Dias. Eco-efficiency in early design decisions: A multimethodology approach. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 283, 124630 .
AMA StyleMatheus Belucio, Carla Rodrigues, Carlos Henggeler Antunes, Fausto Freire, Luís C. Dias. Eco-efficiency in early design decisions: A multimethodology approach. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 283 ():124630.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMatheus Belucio; Carla Rodrigues; Carlos Henggeler Antunes; Fausto Freire; Luís C. Dias. 2020. "Eco-efficiency in early design decisions: A multimethodology approach." Journal of Cleaner Production 283, no. : 124630.
The building envelope is critical to reducing operational energy in residential buildings. Under moderate climates, as in South-Western Europe (Portugal), thermal operational energy may be substantially reduced with an adequate building envelope selection at the design stage; therefore, it is crucial to assess the trade-offs between operational and embodied impacts. In this work, the environmental influence of building envelope construction with varying thermal performance were assessed for a South-Western European house under two operational patterns using life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Five insulation thickness levels (0–12 cm), four total ventilation levels (0.3–1.2 ac/h), three exterior wall alternatives (double brick, concrete, and wood walls), and six insulation materials were studied. Insulation thickness tippingpoints were identified for alternative operational patterns and wall envelopes, considering six environmental impact categories. Life-cycle results show that, under a South-Western European climate, the embodied impacts represent twice the operational impact of a new Portuguese house. Insulation played an important role. However, increasing it beyond the tipping-point is counterproductive. Lowering ventilation levels and adopting wood walls reduced the house life-cycle impacts. Cork was the insulation material with the lowest impact. Thus, under a moderate climate, priority should be given to using LCA to select envelope solutions.
Helena Monteiro; Fausto Freire; John E. Fernández. Life-Cycle Assessment of Alternative Envelope Construction for A New House in South-Western Europe: Embodied and Operational Magnitude. Energies 2020, 13, 4145 .
AMA StyleHelena Monteiro, Fausto Freire, John E. Fernández. Life-Cycle Assessment of Alternative Envelope Construction for A New House in South-Western Europe: Embodied and Operational Magnitude. Energies. 2020; 13 (16):4145.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHelena Monteiro; Fausto Freire; John E. Fernández. 2020. "Life-Cycle Assessment of Alternative Envelope Construction for A New House in South-Western Europe: Embodied and Operational Magnitude." Energies 13, no. 16: 4145.
This article analyzes different forest management strategies to meet the increasing demand of biomass for bioenergy and assesses the resulting global warming implications. Applied to maritime pine forest plantations in Portugal, the assessed strategies are: full harvest of residues (FULL); sustainable and proactive management (SMART); expansion of forest plantations on abandoned farmland (EXP); and biomass import (IMP). A dynamic CO2 inventory was obtained for each scenario using a parametric stand-level C-flux model adapted to Portuguese conditions, which was then extended to the landscape-level and coupled to a dynamic climate model. The time-adjusted absolute global warming potential (AGWP) was then calculated at both stand and landscape levels, considering the timing of all CO2 emissions and uptakes (both fossil and biogenic). To test the robustness of the findings, a sensitivity analysis was performed. Results show that, in a supply-constrained context like Portugal, SMART and EXP management strategies can provide important global warming mitigation benefits (GWPbio < 0), although their supply-response is slow (long-term strategies). On the other hand, FULL and IMP management strategies show moderate to null AGWP reduction potential (0 < GWPbio < 1), while involving other possible risks (e.g., exacerbated soil erosion, nutrient depletion or uncertain impacts abroad), but their supply-response is fast (short-term strategies). National forest regulations and energy policies should be revised to address the drawbacks related to all management strategies and to unleash the multiple environmental benefits they can provide in the short- and long-term.
Koldo Saez de Bikuña; Rita Garcia; Ana Cláudia Dias; Fausto Freire. Global warming implications from increased forest biomass utilization for bioenergy in a supply-constrained context. Journal of Environmental Management 2020, 263, 110292 .
AMA StyleKoldo Saez de Bikuña, Rita Garcia, Ana Cláudia Dias, Fausto Freire. Global warming implications from increased forest biomass utilization for bioenergy in a supply-constrained context. Journal of Environmental Management. 2020; 263 ():110292.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKoldo Saez de Bikuña; Rita Garcia; Ana Cláudia Dias; Fausto Freire. 2020. "Global warming implications from increased forest biomass utilization for bioenergy in a supply-constrained context." Journal of Environmental Management 263, no. : 110292.
Circular Economy involves strategies for sustainable development, environmental protection, clean production, ecological consumption, waste regeneration and reuse, aligning social equity, environmental quality and economic well-being. The present research aimed to propose a model for measuring the circular economy in the pig farming chain. To that end, a systematic review was performed, which addressed the study of specific situations related to the interaction between the circular economy and the management of pig waste. The proposal was based on the assessment and correlation of GRI indicators with the aspects of pig farming chain present in the researched literature. A statistical model was developed using the Spearman’s correlation analysis. It was identified 35 correlations, and the questions from the social dimension presented the highest correlation indices, with a representativeness of 82.86% of interaction. It was not found in the existing literature a model for measuring the circular economy that considered several aspects (environmental, economic and social) simultaneously. With regard to the characteristics of the circular economy in the pig farming chain, the proposed model could facilitate decision making on the environmental and social aspects, as well as regarding property costs, thus contributing to environmental preservation and to the practice of circular economy.
Carolinne Secco; Leila Mendes da Luz; Eliane Pinheiro; Antonio Carlos de Francisco; Fabio Neves Puglieri; Cassiano Moro Piekarski; Fausto Freire. Circular economy in the pig farming chain: Proposing a model for measurement. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 260, 121003 .
AMA StyleCarolinne Secco, Leila Mendes da Luz, Eliane Pinheiro, Antonio Carlos de Francisco, Fabio Neves Puglieri, Cassiano Moro Piekarski, Fausto Freire. Circular economy in the pig farming chain: Proposing a model for measurement. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 260 ():121003.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarolinne Secco; Leila Mendes da Luz; Eliane Pinheiro; Antonio Carlos de Francisco; Fabio Neves Puglieri; Cassiano Moro Piekarski; Fausto Freire. 2020. "Circular economy in the pig farming chain: Proposing a model for measurement." Journal of Cleaner Production 260, no. : 121003.
This study presents an environmental life cycle assessment of poultry fat (PF), poultry by-product meal (PBM) and steam hydrolyzed feather meal (HF). These ingredients are obtained by rendering poultry by-products and can be used as valuable feedstuffs for the fish feed industry, displacing traditional fishmeal and fish oil, promoting a circular economy system by reducing waste, adding value to by-products of the poultry production and reintroducing them in the economy as high-value products. A life cycle inventory and model were implemented for the PF, PBM and HF production chains based on data collected from two poultry by-product rendering units: the first producing both PF and PBM, and the second producing only HF. Four environmental impact categories were assessed using the CML life-cycle impact assessment method: global warming (GW), abiotic depletion (AD), acidification (AC) and eutrophication (EUT). The impacts calculated with economic allocation for 1 t of PF, 1 t of PBM and 1 t of HF from poultry by-products are 666, 726 and 597 kg CO2 eq (GW); 3.8, 4.2 and 3.2 kg Sb eq (AD); 4.2, 4.6 and 4.7 kg SO2 eq (AC); and 1.8, 2.0 and 2.1 kg PO43− eq (EUT), respectively. The rendering process of by-products is mainly responsible for GW and AD (mainly due to process heat), while the poultry production is the main contributor for AC and EUT. In more detail, a sensitivity analysis of alternative multifunctionality procedures for dealing with poultry by-products was performed, showing that the selected allocation method has a huge influence on the life cycle impacts, with higher impacts when mass allocation is employed instead of economic allocation. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the type of energy used in the rendering process, and distances in poultry by-product transportation to the rendering plants. The results show that the fuel source for process heat or the electricity generation system has a significant influence on the impacts, while the transportation distance has much less.
Inês Campos; Luísa Valente; Elisabete Matos; Pedro Marques; Fausto Freire. Life-cycle assessment of animal feed ingredients: Poultry fat, poultry by-product meal and hydrolyzed feather meal. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 252, 119845 .
AMA StyleInês Campos, Luísa Valente, Elisabete Matos, Pedro Marques, Fausto Freire. Life-cycle assessment of animal feed ingredients: Poultry fat, poultry by-product meal and hydrolyzed feather meal. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 252 ():119845.
Chicago/Turabian StyleInês Campos; Luísa Valente; Elisabete Matos; Pedro Marques; Fausto Freire. 2019. "Life-cycle assessment of animal feed ingredients: Poultry fat, poultry by-product meal and hydrolyzed feather meal." Journal of Cleaner Production 252, no. : 119845.
C Ferreira; Fausto Freire; J Ribeiro. Environmental management of military ranges with the support of a life-cycle assessment approach. Global Approaches to Environmental Management on Military Training Ranges 2019, 1 .
AMA StyleC Ferreira, Fausto Freire, J Ribeiro. Environmental management of military ranges with the support of a life-cycle assessment approach. Global Approaches to Environmental Management on Military Training Ranges. 2019; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleC Ferreira; Fausto Freire; J Ribeiro. 2019. "Environmental management of military ranges with the support of a life-cycle assessment approach." Global Approaches to Environmental Management on Military Training Ranges , no. : 1.
Moving towards a global bioeconomy can mitigate climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels. Within this context, this work applies a set of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) tools to prioritise the selection of five alternative bioenergy systems for residential heating based on the combination of three commercial technologies (pellet, wood stove and traditional fireplace) and two different feedstocks (eucalypt and maritime pine species). Several combinations of MCDA methods and weighting approaches were compared to assess how much results can differ. Eight indicators were used for a sustainability assessment of the alternatives while four MCDA methods were applied for the prioritisation: Weighted Sum Method (WSM), Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Elimination and Choice Expressing Reality (ELECTRE), and Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE). Regarding the sustainability performance indicators, the highest environmental impacts were calculated for the fireplace alternatives, and there was not a best environmental option. Also, no clear trend was found for the economic and social dimensions. The application of MCDA tools shows that wood stove alternatives have the best sustainability performance, in particular wood stove with combustion of maritime pine logs (highest scores in the ranking). Regarding the worst alternative, fireplaces with combustion of eucalypt logs ranked last in all MCDA rankings. Finally, a sensitivity analysis for the weighting of the performance indicators confirmed wood stoves with combustion of maritime pine logs as the leading alternative and the key role of the analysts within this type of MCDA studies.
Mario Martín-Gamboa; Luis C. Dias; Paula Quinteiro; Fausto Freire; Luís Arroja; Ana Cláudia Dias. Multi-Criteria and Life Cycle Assessment of Wood-Based Bioenergy Alternatives for Residential Heating: A Sustainability Analysis. Energies 2019, 12, 4391 .
AMA StyleMario Martín-Gamboa, Luis C. Dias, Paula Quinteiro, Fausto Freire, Luís Arroja, Ana Cláudia Dias. Multi-Criteria and Life Cycle Assessment of Wood-Based Bioenergy Alternatives for Residential Heating: A Sustainability Analysis. Energies. 2019; 12 (22):4391.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMario Martín-Gamboa; Luis C. Dias; Paula Quinteiro; Fausto Freire; Luís Arroja; Ana Cláudia Dias. 2019. "Multi-Criteria and Life Cycle Assessment of Wood-Based Bioenergy Alternatives for Residential Heating: A Sustainability Analysis." Energies 12, no. 22: 4391.
This paper presents a combined Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) study on two off-grid houses in a rural village in Portugal to assess the sustainability of meeting electricity and heating needs in off-grid homes. The sustainability of meeting energy needs in the off-grid homes, compared to using the grid, was found to be dependent on the indicators under consideration, the technologies used in the homes, and household energy needs. We compared the current situation to four energy provisioning scenarios using Multi-Attribute Value Theory to rank alternatives based on their sustainability performance. The considered scenarios evaluated the impacts of extending and connecting the grid to the homes to allow for either: electricity consumption from the grid, or both consumption and injection of excess electricity generated to the grid. The results showed that meeting household electricity and heating needs in a sustainable way requires an analysis of the local context and available resources. Thus, a consideration of trade-offs is central to understanding the value of alternative possibilities for energy provisioning. This paper demonstrates that combining LCSA and MCDA procedures is useful for assessing sustainability impacts by incorporating decision maker’s preferences.
Yvonne Vogt Gwerder; Pedro Marques; Luis C. Dias; Fausto Freire. Life beyond the grid: A Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment of household energy needs. Applied Energy 2019, 255, 113881 .
AMA StyleYvonne Vogt Gwerder, Pedro Marques, Luis C. Dias, Fausto Freire. Life beyond the grid: A Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment of household energy needs. Applied Energy. 2019; 255 ():113881.
Chicago/Turabian StyleYvonne Vogt Gwerder; Pedro Marques; Luis C. Dias; Fausto Freire. 2019. "Life beyond the grid: A Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment of household energy needs." Applied Energy 255, no. : 113881.
CO2 emissions need to be reduced by 40% in 2030 in Portugal as an intermediate target of the Paris Agreement. This challenging goal is expected to be achieved through incentive-based regulations and voluntary actions. This study improves the understanding of renovation strategies to reduce emissions caused by the built environment. A fleet-based Life Cycle Assessment (fb-LCA) is adapted and applied to the building sector. Fb-LCA integrates LCA and a fleet model to describe stocks and flows associated with a class of products over time. The method is tested for a neighbourhood in Lisbon, Portugal. The analysis compares 3 scenarios of dynamic renovation rates for the next 30 years: business as usual, a public economic incentive to renovate, and mandatory renovation. Different technology scenarios including bio-based ones, are compared. Among the latter, alternative material solutions, e.g. insulation cork boards, are emerging, providing carbon sequestration. Results highlight the environmental benefits of bio-based materials considering the temporal profile of renovation activity. Furthermore, the cost and sensitivity analysis help stakeholders to justify retrofit actions from an environmental and economic point of view. The adaptation of a fb-LCA approach proves to be an easy-to-use method to assess technology options and policy scenarios at a neighbourhood scale.
V Göswein; J Dinis Silvestre; Fausto Freire; G Habert. Fleet-based LCA applied to the building sector – Environmental and economic analysis of retrofit strategies. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 2019, 323, 012172 .
AMA StyleV Göswein, J Dinis Silvestre, Fausto Freire, G Habert. Fleet-based LCA applied to the building sector – Environmental and economic analysis of retrofit strategies. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2019; 323 (1):012172.
Chicago/Turabian StyleV Göswein; J Dinis Silvestre; Fausto Freire; G Habert. 2019. "Fleet-based LCA applied to the building sector – Environmental and economic analysis of retrofit strategies." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 323, no. 1: 012172.
Locally manufactured small wind turbines and pico-hydro plants are a low-cost alternative for providing energy access to rural communities, but the life cycle environmental impacts of such systems have not been thoroughly investigated. In this paper, a life cycle model and inventory have been implemented to assess the environmental impacts of locally manufactured technologies in an off-grid context, based on actual data from two case studies. Variations in parameters that influence the performance and impact of these systems, such as the number of failures and the availability of wind resource in the case of small wind turbines, have also been considered in the modelling. Life cycle impacts for the two systems are presented for five impact categories. In both cases, the manufacturing of components of the electrical system, such as the batteries and the inverter, is found to have significantly higher impacts than those of the locally manufactured energy conversion units. The results are then compared with the impacts of a small generator set. Overall, the study shows that both renewable energy systems have significantly lower impacts than the small generator set, with the pico-hydro plant having the lowest impacts due to its high capacity factor, while the impacts of the small wind turbine are found to depend heavily on the average wind speed of the installation site; a parameter that proved to be more significant in terms of environmental impacts than the actual number of failures that can occur in the lifetime of a locally manufactured machine.
Aikaterini Troullaki; Kostas Latoufis; Pedro Marques; Fausto Freire; Nikos Hatziargyriou. Life Cycle Assessment of Locally Manufactured Small Wind Turbines and Pico-Hydro Plants. 2019 International Conference on Smart Energy Systems and Technologies (SEST) 2019, 1 -6.
AMA StyleAikaterini Troullaki, Kostas Latoufis, Pedro Marques, Fausto Freire, Nikos Hatziargyriou. Life Cycle Assessment of Locally Manufactured Small Wind Turbines and Pico-Hydro Plants. 2019 International Conference on Smart Energy Systems and Technologies (SEST). 2019; ():1-6.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAikaterini Troullaki; Kostas Latoufis; Pedro Marques; Fausto Freire; Nikos Hatziargyriou. 2019. "Life Cycle Assessment of Locally Manufactured Small Wind Turbines and Pico-Hydro Plants." 2019 International Conference on Smart Energy Systems and Technologies (SEST) , no. : 1-6.
Carlos Ferreira; José Manuel Baranda Ribeiro; Fausto Freire. A hazard classification system based on incorporation of REACH regulation thresholds in the USEtox method. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 228, 856 -866.
AMA StyleCarlos Ferreira, José Manuel Baranda Ribeiro, Fausto Freire. A hazard classification system based on incorporation of REACH regulation thresholds in the USEtox method. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 228 ():856-866.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCarlos Ferreira; José Manuel Baranda Ribeiro; Fausto Freire. 2019. "A hazard classification system based on incorporation of REACH regulation thresholds in the USEtox method." Journal of Cleaner Production 228, no. : 856-866.
Murillo Vetroni Barros; Rodrigo Salvador; Cassiano Moro Piekarski; Antonio Carlos De Francisco; Fausto Miguel Cereja Seixas Freire. Correction to: Life cycle assessment of electricity generation: a review of the characteristics of existing literature. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2019, 25, 55 -56.
AMA StyleMurillo Vetroni Barros, Rodrigo Salvador, Cassiano Moro Piekarski, Antonio Carlos De Francisco, Fausto Miguel Cereja Seixas Freire. Correction to: Life cycle assessment of electricity generation: a review of the characteristics of existing literature. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2019; 25 (1):55-56.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMurillo Vetroni Barros; Rodrigo Salvador; Cassiano Moro Piekarski; Antonio Carlos De Francisco; Fausto Miguel Cereja Seixas Freire. 2019. "Correction to: Life cycle assessment of electricity generation: a review of the characteristics of existing literature." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 25, no. 1: 55-56.
There is a lack of understanding on the different types of dynamics of building stocks, in real life and in models. Moreover, there is now a particular interest in the embodied impacts of construction materials, since with the increasing efficiency of buildings operation, embodied impacts gain more importance in the overall building life cycle. This critical review wants to advance the understanding on the type of dynamics, methods and tools used. The well-known IPAT equation is adapted for building stocks and three dynamics are defined: spatial, evolutionary temporal and spatial-cohort dynamic. A framework is defined that can help researchers choose a method, tool and dynamics of input parameters depending on their research goal, case study and data. Moreover, generally valid conclusions are drawn, including: MFA is useful to model spatially dynamic material flows; GIS is needed to include spatial dynamics. Retrofit, compared to construction and demolition, is understudied and usually analyzed through top-down methods. Material Intensity and Emission Intensity are rarely modeled in a dynamic way. Overall, scholars seem to perform each time more data intensive and complex studies tailored to a specific case study. However, there are big differences in the quality depending on the dynamic of input parameters.
Verena Göswein; José Dinis Silvestre; Guillaume Habert; Fausto Freire. Dynamic Assessment of Construction Materials in Urban Building Stocks: A Critical Review. Environmental Science & Technology 2019, 53, 9992 -10006.
AMA StyleVerena Göswein, José Dinis Silvestre, Guillaume Habert, Fausto Freire. Dynamic Assessment of Construction Materials in Urban Building Stocks: A Critical Review. Environmental Science & Technology. 2019; 53 (17):9992-10006.
Chicago/Turabian StyleVerena Göswein; José Dinis Silvestre; Guillaume Habert; Fausto Freire. 2019. "Dynamic Assessment of Construction Materials in Urban Building Stocks: A Critical Review." Environmental Science & Technology 53, no. 17: 9992-10006.
The environmental impacts of electricity generation are a critical issue towards sustainability and thus an important research topic in several countries. The life cycle assessment methodology has been widely employed to assess electricity generation. However, there are still gaps in research to be explored within this theme. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct a systematic theoretical analysis of the state of the art of the scientific research on LCA of electricity generation systems in the world. A critical review of 47 studies was conducted. The study is comprehensive in the analysis of the main aspects of the identified high impact studies as follows: authors, countries, universities, keywords, journals, number of citations, life cycle impact assessment methods, impact categories, software tools, and databases. The Methodi Ordinatio was applied to rank the studies in terms of impact factor and number of citations, pointing out high impact research. Wind and solar powers have two of the smallest impact indices in their generation in terms of global warming, compared to other sources. The ecoinvent database was the most used among the studies analyzed, providing data for potential environmental impacts. The most frequently used impact category in the assessments was climate change. The studies are not equally distributed but most of them are concentrated in European countries. In some countries, clean sources seem promising due to their capacity to generate electricity in places with high wind incidence and high capacity for sunlight capture. The conclusions of this article summarize the characteristics of existing literature and provide suggestions for future work. The results of the study can also be used to promote development actions and foment changes in energy matrices in a global context. The main studies in this area point that in the future, the main sources for electricity generation will be renewable ones, since life cycle assessment of electricity generation systems has been seeking to generate knowledge to support informed decision-making.
Murillo Vetroni Barros; Rodrigo Salvador; Cassiano Moro Piekarski; Antonio Carlos De Francisco; Fausto Miguel Cereja Seixas Freire. Life cycle assessment of electricity generation: a review of the characteristics of existing literature. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2019, 25, 36 -54.
AMA StyleMurillo Vetroni Barros, Rodrigo Salvador, Cassiano Moro Piekarski, Antonio Carlos De Francisco, Fausto Miguel Cereja Seixas Freire. Life cycle assessment of electricity generation: a review of the characteristics of existing literature. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2019; 25 (1):36-54.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMurillo Vetroni Barros; Rodrigo Salvador; Cassiano Moro Piekarski; Antonio Carlos De Francisco; Fausto Miguel Cereja Seixas Freire. 2019. "Life cycle assessment of electricity generation: a review of the characteristics of existing literature." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 25, no. 1: 36-54.