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Several anthropogenic activities have undergone major changes following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn has had consequences on the environment. The effect on air pollution has been studied in detail in the literature, although some pollutants, such as ammonia (NH3), have received comparatively less attention to date. Focusing on the case of Lombardy in Northern Italy, this study aimed to evaluate changes in NH3 atmospheric concentration on a temporal scale (the years from 2013 to 2019 compared to 2020) and on a spatial scale (countryside, city, and mountain areas). For this purpose, ground-based (from public air quality control units scattered throughout the region) and satellite observations (from IASI sensors on board MetOp-A and MetOp-B) were collected and analyzed. For ground-based measurements, a marked spatial variability is observed between the different areas while, as regards the comparison between periods, statistically significant differences were observed only for the countryside areas (+31% in 2020 compared to previous years). The satellite data show similar patterns but do not present statistically significant differences neither between different areas, nor between the two periods. In general, there have been no reduction effects of atmospheric NH3 as a consequence of COVID-19. This calls into question the role of the agricultural sector, which is known to be the largest responsible for NH3 emissions. Even if the direct comparison between the two datasets shows little correlation, their contextual consideration allows making more robust considerations regarding air pollutants.
Daniela Lovarelli; Davide Fugazza; Michele Costantini; Cecilia Conti; Guglielmina Diolaiuti; Marcella Guarino. Comparison of ammonia air concentration before and during the spread of COVID-19 in Lombardy (Italy) using ground-based and satellite data. Atmospheric Environment 2021, 259, 118534 .
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Davide Fugazza, Michele Costantini, Cecilia Conti, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Marcella Guarino. Comparison of ammonia air concentration before and during the spread of COVID-19 in Lombardy (Italy) using ground-based and satellite data. Atmospheric Environment. 2021; 259 ():118534.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Davide Fugazza; Michele Costantini; Cecilia Conti; Guglielmina Diolaiuti; Marcella Guarino. 2021. "Comparison of ammonia air concentration before and during the spread of COVID-19 in Lombardy (Italy) using ground-based and satellite data." Atmospheric Environment 259, no. : 118534.
Attention on animal behavior and welfare has been increasing. Scientific knowledge about the effect of behavior and welfare on animals' production augmented and made clear the need of improving their living conditions. Among the variables to monitor in dairy cattle farming, lying time represents a signal for health and welfare status as well as for milk production. The aim of this study is to identify the relationship among the lying behavior of dairy cows and milk production, body condition score (BCS), weather variables, and the temperature–humidity index (THI) in the barn from a dairy farm located in Northern Italy. One-year data were collected on this farm with sensors that allowed monitoring of the environmental conditions in the barn and the activity of primiparous lactating cows. Principal components analysis (PCA), factor analysis (FA), generalized linear model select (GLMSelect), and logistic analysis (LA) were carried out to get the relationships among variables. Among the main results, it emerges that the effect of weather parameters is quite restrained, except for THI > 70, which negatively affects the lying time. In addition, the most productive cows are found to lie down more than the less productive ones, and the parameters of milk production, lying time, and BCS are found to be linked by a similar trend.
Daniela Lovarelli; Alberto Tamburini; Gabriele Mattachini; Maddalena Zucali; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo; Marcella Guarino. Relating Lying Behavior With Climate, Body Condition Score, and Milk Production in Dairy Cows. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2020, 7, 1 .
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Alberto Tamburini, Gabriele Mattachini, Maddalena Zucali, Elisabetta Riva, Giorgio Provolo, Marcella Guarino. Relating Lying Behavior With Climate, Body Condition Score, and Milk Production in Dairy Cows. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2020; 7 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Alberto Tamburini; Gabriele Mattachini; Maddalena Zucali; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo; Marcella Guarino. 2020. "Relating Lying Behavior With Climate, Body Condition Score, and Milk Production in Dairy Cows." Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, no. : 1.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and ammonia (NH3) are among the main contributors to the formation of secondary particulate matter (PM2.5), which represent a severe risk to human health. Even if important improvements have been achieved worldwide, traffic, industrial activities, and the energy sector are mostly responsible for NOx and SOx release; instead, the agricultural sector is mainly responsible for NH3 emissions. Due to the emergency of coronavirus disease, in Italy schools and universities have been locked down from late February 2020, followed in March by almost all production and industrial activities as well as road transport, except for the agricultural ones. This study aims to analyze NH3, PM2.5 and NOx emissions in principal livestock provinces in the Lombardy region (Brescia, Cremona, Lodi, and Mantua) to evaluate if and how air emissions have changed during this quarantine period respect to 2016–2019. For each province, meteorological and air quality data were collected from the database of the Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environment, considering both data stations located in the city and the countryside. In the 2020 selected period, PM2.5 reduction was higher compared to the previous years, especially in February and March. Respect to February, PM2.5 released in March in the city stations reduced by 19%–32% in 2016–2019 and by 21%–41% in 2020. Similarly, NOx data of 2020 were lower than in the 2016–2019 period (reduction in March respect to February of 22–42% for 2016–2019 and of 43–62% for 2020); in particular, this can be observed in city stations, because of the current reduction in anthropogenic emissions related to traffic and industrial activities. A different trend with no reductions was observed for NH3 emissions, as agricultural activities have not stopped during the lockdown. Air quality is affected by many variables, for which making conclusions requires a holistic perspective. Therefore, all sectors must play a role to contribute to the reduction of harmful pollutants.
Daniela Lovarelli; Cecilia Conti; Alberto Finzi; Jacopo Bacenetti; Marcella Guarino. Describing the trend of ammonia, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides: The role of livestock activities in northern Italy during Covid-19 quarantine. Environmental Research 2020, 191, 110048 -110048.
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Cecilia Conti, Alberto Finzi, Jacopo Bacenetti, Marcella Guarino. Describing the trend of ammonia, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides: The role of livestock activities in northern Italy during Covid-19 quarantine. Environmental Research. 2020; 191 ():110048-110048.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Cecilia Conti; Alberto Finzi; Jacopo Bacenetti; Marcella Guarino. 2020. "Describing the trend of ammonia, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides: The role of livestock activities in northern Italy during Covid-19 quarantine." Environmental Research 191, no. : 110048-110048.
Due to its increasing pressure on dairy cows, studies that investigate how to cope with heat stress are needed. The heat stress affects multiple aspects of cows’ lives, among which their behavior and welfare. In this study, a survey was carried out in eight farms located in Northern Italy to monitor and evaluate the environmental aspects of the barns and the behavioral responses of dairy cows. For one year, three periods were monitored: thermoneutral (T_S), hot (H_S) and cold (C_S) seasons. Temperature and relative humidity were measured by environmental sensors, and lying vs. standing time, number of lying bouts and their average duration were collected by accelerometers. The temperature-humidity index (THI) was quantified inside and outside of the barn. Results show that at the increase of the THI, behavioral adaptations occurred in all the farms, especially with a reduction of lying time and an increase of respiration rate. Four of the eight farms need interventions for improving the cows’ welfare. Here, environmental problems should be solved by introducing or improving the efficacy of the forced ventilation or by modifying the barn structure. Monitoring dairy barns with sensors and Precision Livestock Farming techniques can be helpful for future livestock farming to alert farmers on the need for their interventions to respond immediately to unwanted barn living conditions.
Daniela Lovarelli; Alberto Finzi; Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva. A Survey of Dairy Cattle Behavior in Different Barns in Northern Italy. Animals 2020, 10, 713 .
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Alberto Finzi, Gabriele Mattachini, Elisabetta Riva. A Survey of Dairy Cattle Behavior in Different Barns in Northern Italy. Animals. 2020; 10 (4):713.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Alberto Finzi; Gabriele Mattachini; Elisabetta Riva. 2020. "A Survey of Dairy Cattle Behavior in Different Barns in Northern Italy." Animals 10, no. 4: 713.
The aim of this 5-year study was to evaluate the technical, economic, and environmental performances of a collective-based integrated treatment system for bioenergy production and nutrients removal to improve the utilization efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of land applied livestock manure. The study involved 12 livestock production units located in an intensive livestock area designated as nitrate vulnerable zone with large N surplus. The treatment system consisted of an anaerobic digestion unit, a solid–liquid separation system, and a biological N removal process. Atmospheric emissions and nutrient losses in water and soil were examined for the environmental assessment, while estimated crop removal and nutrient utilization efficiencies were used for the agronomic assessment. The integrated treatment system achieved 49% removal efficiency for total solids (TS), 40% for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and 41% for total phosphorous (TP). A surplus of 58kWh/t of treated manure was achieved considering the electricity produced by the biogas plant and consumed by the treatment plant and during transportation of raw and treated manure. A profit of 1.61 €/t manure treated and an average reduction of global warming potential by 70% was also achieved. The acidification potential was reduced by almost 50%. The agronomic use of treated manure eliminated the TKN surplus and reduced the TP surplus by 94%. This collective integrated treatment system can be an environmentally and economically sustainable solution for farms to reduce N surplus in intensive livestock production areas.
Alberto Finzi; Gabriele Mattachini; Daniela Lovarelli; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo. Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of a Collective Integrated Treatment System for Energy Recovery and Nutrient Removal from Livestock Manure. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2756 .
AMA StyleAlberto Finzi, Gabriele Mattachini, Daniela Lovarelli, Elisabetta Riva, Giorgio Provolo. Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of a Collective Integrated Treatment System for Energy Recovery and Nutrient Removal from Livestock Manure. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (7):2756.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlberto Finzi; Gabriele Mattachini; Daniela Lovarelli; Elisabetta Riva; Giorgio Provolo. 2020. "Technical, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of a Collective Integrated Treatment System for Energy Recovery and Nutrient Removal from Livestock Manure." Sustainability 12, no. 7: 2756.
Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) is spreading worldwide for its applications on livestock farms, in both intensive and extensive systems. PLF has started being adopted only recently, but the need of technological support on farm is getting more and more important and is facilitating its distribution on farms. A huge number of researches and scientific studies are available in literature about the adoption of technology, sensors and computer tools for almost all reared species. In this literature review, the goal is to study the recent progresses of PLF, and in particular the scientific studies carried out in the last 7 years (2013–2019) on dairy cattle farming. Health, welfare and production aspects were taken into account together with animal behaviour, environmental barn conditions and their effect on the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic and social. From the main findings, it can be underlined that PLF brings environmental, economic and social sustainability benefits on farms, but these benefits have not yet been quantified through specific methods for sustainability assessments. Therefore, it is important for near future researches to focus not only on the technological improvements of tools and sensors but also on the aspects of environmental, economic and social sustainability of livestock productions that impact on both farmers and the community and consumers. The role of PLF is more and more important and will support the process of decision-making of farmers, change their role on farm and their management view, and make possible the traceability of products and the control of the quality of products and of the animals living conditions as required from policy-makers and stakeholders.
Daniela Lovarelli; Jacopo Bacenetti; Marcella Guarino. A review on dairy cattle farming: Is precision livestock farming the compromise for an environmental, economic and social sustainable production? Journal of Cleaner Production 2020, 262, 121409 .
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Jacopo Bacenetti, Marcella Guarino. A review on dairy cattle farming: Is precision livestock farming the compromise for an environmental, economic and social sustainable production? Journal of Cleaner Production. 2020; 262 ():121409.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Jacopo Bacenetti; Marcella Guarino. 2020. "A review on dairy cattle farming: Is precision livestock farming the compromise for an environmental, economic and social sustainable production?" Journal of Cleaner Production 262, no. : 121409.
In Europe, around 12 million ha are cultivated with barley and Spain and Italy are two important producers' countries. This study aims to compare the cultivation of barley of two different contexts, Spain and Italy, evaluating the related environmental performances; this is carried out considering the similar latitude and climatic conditions of the two countries, but taking into account the different average mechanisation solutions that differentiate considerably the two production frameworks. Inventory data about barley cultivation were gathered mainly by questionnaires with farmers and technical expert interviews. To quantify the environmental performances of barley production in the two Countries, the Life Cycle Assessment approach was applied and 1 ton of grain at the commercial moisture was selected as reference unit and 12 impact categories were evaluated. The outcomes of the impact assessment highlight how for 7 of the 12 evaluated impact categories, barley production in Spain shows a higher impact respect to the Italian production (from +7% for photochemical oxidant formation to +120% for freshwater ecotoxicity) mainly due to the lower grain yield and to the higher consumption of mineral fertilisers. For the other evaluated environmental effects, the Spanish production performs better than the Italian one, mostly because of the lower emissions of ammonia into the air. Yield is the main driver of the environmental effects. Additionally, due to mechanisation of field operations and to fertilisations, wide differences on the environmental side emerge from the comparison. There is a trade-off between the Spanish production, where the use of mineral fertilisers reduces all the environmental effects related to ammonia volatilisation, and the Italian barley cultivation, where the use of animal slurry improves the results on the impact categories affected by the fertiliser production but worsens those affected by the nitrogen emissions.
Daniela Lovarelli; Luis Ruiz-Garcia; Victor Sánchez-Girón; Jacopo Bacenetti. Barley production in Spain and Italy: Environmental comparison between different cultivation practices. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 707, 135982 .
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Luis Ruiz-Garcia, Victor Sánchez-Girón, Jacopo Bacenetti. Barley production in Spain and Italy: Environmental comparison between different cultivation practices. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 707 ():135982.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Luis Ruiz-Garcia; Victor Sánchez-Girón; Jacopo Bacenetti. 2019. "Barley production in Spain and Italy: Environmental comparison between different cultivation practices." Science of The Total Environment 707, no. : 135982.
Although numbers are still low compared to cattle rearing, intensive dairy goat farms have been widely spreading in the Italian livestock systems. Since goats are quite rustic, they can easily adapt to different management practices; however, improving the efficiency can make the difference, both in productivity and on the environmental impact attributed to goat milk production. In the present study, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was used to quantify the potential environmental impact of goat milk production system in 17 farms in Lombardy (Northern Italy). Together with the environmental assessment, statistical analysis was carried out in order to determine whether it was possible to identify any relation among the variables that characterise this farming system. From an environmental point of view, it has been shown that the lower the individual milk production, the more it affects the environmental impact: specifically, the carbon footprint appears higher than the one emitted by cattle milk production. Climate Change resulted, on average, equal to 2.67 kg CO2 eq/kg Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) with a wide variability (min: 1.12 kg CO2 eq/kg FPCM; max: 5.05 kg CO2 eq/kg FPCM). Purchased feed was the main hotspot for several environmental impact categories (such as freshwater eutrophication, land use and mineral, fossil and renewable resources depletion). Enteric emissions and emissions from manure storage were hotspots for climate change, particulate matter and terrestrial acidification. The C sequestration during crop cultivation was not considered. As shown by the statistical analysis, the main driver which influenced the 6 main impact categories was, in fact, individual milk production. The environmental assessment was also performed considering a second Functional Unit (FU) (i.e. 1 ha of land) and the statistical analysis conducted on this FU showed the relevance of livestock intensity. In addition to this, the statistical analysis also showed how a restricted land availability can negatively affect the environmental outcome. This study represents one of the first studies on the environmental impact assessment of dairy goat milk production. Additionally, studying two FUs and using a statistical analysis approach helped to identify the main management options to which farmers should pay attention to improve goat milk production from an environmental point of view.
Maddalena Zucali; Daniela Lovarelli; Stefania Celozzi; Jacopo Bacenetti; Anna Sandrucci; Luciana Bava. Management options to reduce the environmental impact of dairy goat milk production. Livestock Science 2019, 231, 103888 .
AMA StyleMaddalena Zucali, Daniela Lovarelli, Stefania Celozzi, Jacopo Bacenetti, Anna Sandrucci, Luciana Bava. Management options to reduce the environmental impact of dairy goat milk production. Livestock Science. 2019; 231 ():103888.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaddalena Zucali; Daniela Lovarelli; Stefania Celozzi; Jacopo Bacenetti; Anna Sandrucci; Luciana Bava. 2019. "Management options to reduce the environmental impact of dairy goat milk production." Livestock Science 231, no. : 103888.
Ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from livestock farms contribute to negative environmental impacts such as acidification and climate change. A significant part of these emissions is produced from the decomposition of slurry in livestock facilities, during storage and treatment phases. This research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the additive “SOP LAGOON” (made of agricultural gypsum processed with proprietary technology) on (i) NH3 and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, (ii) slurry properties and N loss. Moreover, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied to assess the potential environmental impact associated with stored slurry treated with the additive. Six barrels were filled with 65 L of cattle slurry, of which three were used as a control while the additive was used in the other three. The results indicated that the use of the additive led to a reduction of total nitrogen, nitrates, and GHG emissions. LCA confirmed the higher environmental sustainability of the scenario with the additive for some environmental impact categories among which climate change. In conclusion, the additive has beneficial effects on both emissions and the environment, and the nitrogen present in the treated slurry could partially displace a mineral fertilizer, which can be considered an environmental credit.
Federica Borgonovo; Cecilia Conti; Daniela Lovarelli; Valentina Ferrante; Marcella Guarino. Improving the Sustainability of Dairy Slurry by A Commercial Additive Treatment. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4998 .
AMA StyleFederica Borgonovo, Cecilia Conti, Daniela Lovarelli, Valentina Ferrante, Marcella Guarino. Improving the Sustainability of Dairy Slurry by A Commercial Additive Treatment. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (18):4998.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFederica Borgonovo; Cecilia Conti; Daniela Lovarelli; Valentina Ferrante; Marcella Guarino. 2019. "Improving the Sustainability of Dairy Slurry by A Commercial Additive Treatment." Sustainability 11, no. 18: 4998.
Food waste is recognized as a global issue affecting the sustainability of the food supply chain. The unnecessary exploitation of natural resources (land, water and fossil energy) and production of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) make the reduction of food waste a key point. In this context, the use of fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) as growth substrate for fresh earthworms to produce dried meal for feed and food purpose can be recognized as a viable solution. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental impact of the bioconversion of FVW into earthworm meal to be used as new food/feed source. This is carried out by adopting the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method with an attributional approach and solving the multifunctionality of the system with an economic allocation between earthworms and vermicompost. The results show that the main process hotspots are the emissions of methane, dinitrogen monoxide and ammonia taking place during vermicomposting, as well as FVW transport and electricity consumed during fresh earthworm processing. Respect to the one used as feed, the dried meal with food purpose shows a higher impact due to the higher economic value and to the higher electricity consumed during freeze drying compared to the oven-drying process for feed meal production. Enhancing productivity and reducing energy consumption are necessary to improve the sustainability of earthworm meal as food/feed source.
Doriana E.A. Tedesco; Cecilia Conti; Daniela Lovarelli; Elisa Biazzi; Jacopo Bacenetti. Bioconversion of fruit and vegetable waste into earthworms as a new protein source: The environmental impact of earthworm meal production. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 683, 690 -698.
AMA StyleDoriana E.A. Tedesco, Cecilia Conti, Daniela Lovarelli, Elisa Biazzi, Jacopo Bacenetti. Bioconversion of fruit and vegetable waste into earthworms as a new protein source: The environmental impact of earthworm meal production. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 683 ():690-698.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDoriana E.A. Tedesco; Cecilia Conti; Daniela Lovarelli; Elisa Biazzi; Jacopo Bacenetti. 2019. "Bioconversion of fruit and vegetable waste into earthworms as a new protein source: The environmental impact of earthworm meal production." Science of The Total Environment 683, no. : 690-698.
In this study, the environmental impact of strawberry production in Italy and Switzerland was evaluated using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. The main differences between the two countries are the cultivation practices: crop cycle duration (1 year in Switzerland and 2 or 3 years in Italy), soil management and cultivation in open and protected fields. For all the environmental impact categories evaluated with LCA, strawberry production in Switzerland shows higher impacts respect to the Italian production. The impact reduction related to the Italian production in open fields without soil sterilisation ranges from 96% (for photochemical oxidant formation) to 35% (for freshwater eutrophication). For Swiss production, soil sterilisation is by far the main environmental hotspot for all the evaluated environmental effects except for toxicity-related impact categories and for resources consumption (i.e. manufacturing, maintenance and disposal of tunnel). Conversely, the main hotspot in Italy differs depending on the considered categories. Moreover, the 3-years cycle duration has a higher impact respect to the 2-years one because of the low yield in the third year that worsens the outcomes. Finally, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis were performed. The environmental results are deeply affected by yield variation and only slightly by changes in the life span of the tunnels while the uncertainty related to the selection of the data source, the model imprecision, and the variability of data does not affect significantly the results, except for the toxicity-related impact categories.
Daniele Valiante; Ilaria Sirtori; Stefano Cossa; Luca Corengia; Martina Pedretti; Luca Cavallaro; Lorenzo Vignoli; Andrea Galvagni; Stefano Gomarasca; Gaetano Roberto Pesce; Alessandro Boccardelli; Luigi Orsi; Daniela Lovarelli; Davide Facchinetti; Domenico Pessina; Jacopo Bacenetti. Environmental impact of strawberry production in Italy and Switzerland with different cultivation practices. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 664, 249 -261.
AMA StyleDaniele Valiante, Ilaria Sirtori, Stefano Cossa, Luca Corengia, Martina Pedretti, Luca Cavallaro, Lorenzo Vignoli, Andrea Galvagni, Stefano Gomarasca, Gaetano Roberto Pesce, Alessandro Boccardelli, Luigi Orsi, Daniela Lovarelli, Davide Facchinetti, Domenico Pessina, Jacopo Bacenetti. Environmental impact of strawberry production in Italy and Switzerland with different cultivation practices. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 664 ():249-261.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniele Valiante; Ilaria Sirtori; Stefano Cossa; Luca Corengia; Martina Pedretti; Luca Cavallaro; Lorenzo Vignoli; Andrea Galvagni; Stefano Gomarasca; Gaetano Roberto Pesce; Alessandro Boccardelli; Luigi Orsi; Daniela Lovarelli; Davide Facchinetti; Domenico Pessina; Jacopo Bacenetti. 2019. "Environmental impact of strawberry production in Italy and Switzerland with different cultivation practices." Science of The Total Environment 664, no. : 249-261.
Among the different alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, the production of renewable energy from biomass (i.e. bioenergy) is regarded as an interesting option since it involves the valorisation of waste streams, residues and non-food crop biomass. Although a standardised framework regulates the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, its application in practice poses some methodological difficulties. This chapter reviews the main methodological issues that a LCA practitioner has to face when it comes to the environmental assessment of bioenergy systems. Despite its complexity, consequential LCA is considered an interesting approach for informing policy-makers and decision-makers about the indirect effect of a specific strategy. In this sense, indirect environmental burdens such as indirect land use change should be included in the study. Moreover, the selection of the system function and system boundaries are other methodological issues that directly affect the results obtained and, therefore, the comparability of LCA studies, intensified in particular in the case of bioenergy systems due to their complexity. In more detail, some bioenergy systems co-produce multiple products, increasing the variability of the functions provided by the system, as well as of the system boundaries chosen to overcome multifunctionality (subdivision, system expansion or allocation). The selection of the appropriate methodology and impact categories, as well as the gaps in characterisation factors, is other methodological drawbacks.
Lucia Lijó; Sara González-García; Daniela Lovarelli; Maria Teresa Moreira; Gumersindo Feijoo; Jacopo Bacenetti. Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Production from Biomass. Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Systems and Sustainable Energy Technologies 2018, 81 -98.
AMA StyleLucia Lijó, Sara González-García, Daniela Lovarelli, Maria Teresa Moreira, Gumersindo Feijoo, Jacopo Bacenetti. Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Production from Biomass. Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Systems and Sustainable Energy Technologies. 2018; ():81-98.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLucia Lijó; Sara González-García; Daniela Lovarelli; Maria Teresa Moreira; Gumersindo Feijoo; Jacopo Bacenetti. 2018. "Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Energy Production from Biomass." Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Systems and Sustainable Energy Technologies , no. : 81-98.
On-farm production of hay and high-protein-content feed has several advantages such as diversification of on-farm cultivated crops, reduction of off-farm feed concentrates transported over long distances and a reduction in runoff during the winter season if grown crops are perennial. Among those crops cultivated for high-protein-content feed, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important in the Italian context. Nevertheless, up to now, only a few studies have assessed the environmental performance of alfalfa hay production. In this study, using the Life Cycle Assessment approach, the environmental impact of alfalfa hay production in Northern Italy was analyzed. More in detail, two production practices (without and with irrigation) were compared. The results show that alfalfa hay production in irrigated fields has a better environmental performance compared to non-irrigated production, mainly because of the yield increase achieved with irrigation. In particular, for the Climate Change impact category, the impact is equal to 84.54 and 80.21kgCO/t of hay for the scenario without and with irrigation, respectively. However, for two impact categories (Ozone Depletion and Human Toxicity-No Cancer Effect), the impact of irrigation completely offsets the yield increase, and the cultivation practice without irrigation shows the best environmental performance. For both scenarios, the mechanization of harvest is the main environmental hotspot, mostly due to fuel consumption and related combustion emissions. Wide differences were highlighted by comparing the two scenarios with the Ecoinvent process of alfalfa hay production; these differences are mostly due to the cultivation practice and, in particular, to the more intensive fertilization in Swiss production.
Jacopo Bacenetti; Daniela Lovarelli; Doriana Tedesco; Roberto Pretolani; Valentina Ferrante. Environmental impact assessment of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay production. Science of The Total Environment 2018, 635, 551 -558.
AMA StyleJacopo Bacenetti, Daniela Lovarelli, Doriana Tedesco, Roberto Pretolani, Valentina Ferrante. Environmental impact assessment of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay production. Science of The Total Environment. 2018; 635 ():551-558.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJacopo Bacenetti; Daniela Lovarelli; Doriana Tedesco; Roberto Pretolani; Valentina Ferrante. 2018. "Environmental impact assessment of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay production." Science of The Total Environment 635, no. : 551-558.
Daniela Lovarelli; Marco Fiala; Gunnar Larsson. Fuel consumption and exhaust emissions during on-field tractor activity: A possible improving strategy for the environmental load of agricultural mechanisation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 2018, 151, 238 -248.
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Marco Fiala, Gunnar Larsson. Fuel consumption and exhaust emissions during on-field tractor activity: A possible improving strategy for the environmental load of agricultural mechanisation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2018; 151 ():238-248.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Marco Fiala; Gunnar Larsson. 2018. "Fuel consumption and exhaust emissions during on-field tractor activity: A possible improving strategy for the environmental load of agricultural mechanisation." Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 151, no. : 238-248.
The environmental impact of timber production from poplar plantation was evaluated by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using an attributional approach. A comparison was performed between a baseline scenario and an alternative one in which different harvesting operations were identified. An economic allocation was adopted to solve the multi-functionality of the studied process, by taking into account the price of the main product and of co-products. Sensitivity analysis was performed on alternative mass allocation and yield variations that derive from using high sustainability plants or from climate stress. A different characterization method was also analyzed. Among the different field operations, crop management involves a higher impact respect to field preparation-planting and harvesting-soil restoring. Emissions related to fertilizers' applications are the main responsible for acidification, eutrophications and particular matter formation. The results show that the modelling of the environmental impact of timber production is robust. The alternative scenario resulted better than baseline for all impact categories (impact reduction ranging from 0.1% to 12.4%), except for HT-noc (+12.2%) and POF (+20.6%), due to fuel and oil consumption in the chainsaw used for harvesting. In the next years, introducing high-sustainability clones (characterized by higher yield and higher resistance to pests and drought) could be an effective way for reducing the environmental impact of poplar roundwood production.
Daniela Lovarelli; Alessandra Fusi; Roberto Pretolani; Jacopo Bacenetti. Delving the environmental impact of roundwood production from poplar plantations. Science of The Total Environment 2018, 645, 646 -654.
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Alessandra Fusi, Roberto Pretolani, Jacopo Bacenetti. Delving the environmental impact of roundwood production from poplar plantations. Science of The Total Environment. 2018; 645 ():646-654.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Alessandra Fusi; Roberto Pretolani; Jacopo Bacenetti. 2018. "Delving the environmental impact of roundwood production from poplar plantations." Science of The Total Environment 645, no. : 646-654.
Jacopo Bacenetti; Daniela Lovarelli; Davide Facchinetti; Domenico Pessina. An environmental comparison of techniques to reduce pollutants emissions related to agricultural tractors. Biosystems Engineering 2018, 171, 30 -40.
AMA StyleJacopo Bacenetti, Daniela Lovarelli, Davide Facchinetti, Domenico Pessina. An environmental comparison of techniques to reduce pollutants emissions related to agricultural tractors. Biosystems Engineering. 2018; 171 ():30-40.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJacopo Bacenetti; Daniela Lovarelli; Davide Facchinetti; Domenico Pessina. 2018. "An environmental comparison of techniques to reduce pollutants emissions related to agricultural tractors." Biosystems Engineering 171, no. : 30-40.
Daniela Lovarelli; Carlo Ingrao; Marco Fiala; Jacopo Bacenetti. Beyond the Water Footprint: A new framework proposal to assess freshwater environmental impact and consumption. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 172, 4189 -4199.
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Carlo Ingrao, Marco Fiala, Jacopo Bacenetti. Beyond the Water Footprint: A new framework proposal to assess freshwater environmental impact and consumption. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 172 ():4189-4199.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Carlo Ingrao; Marco Fiala; Jacopo Bacenetti. 2018. "Beyond the Water Footprint: A new framework proposal to assess freshwater environmental impact and consumption." Journal of Cleaner Production 172, no. : 4189-4199.
Daniela Lovarelli; Jacopo Bacenetti. Seedbed preparation for arable crops: Environmental impact of alternative mechanical solutions. Soil and Tillage Research 2017, 174, 156 -168.
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Jacopo Bacenetti. Seedbed preparation for arable crops: Environmental impact of alternative mechanical solutions. Soil and Tillage Research. 2017; 174 ():156-168.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Jacopo Bacenetti. 2017. "Seedbed preparation for arable crops: Environmental impact of alternative mechanical solutions." Soil and Tillage Research 174, no. : 156-168.
Daniela Lovarelli; Jacopo Bacenetti. Bridging the gap between reliable data collection and the environmental impact for mechanised field operations. Biosystems Engineering 2017, 160, 109 -123.
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Jacopo Bacenetti. Bridging the gap between reliable data collection and the environmental impact for mechanised field operations. Biosystems Engineering. 2017; 160 ():109-123.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Jacopo Bacenetti. 2017. "Bridging the gap between reliable data collection and the environmental impact for mechanised field operations." Biosystems Engineering 160, no. : 109-123.
Daniela Lovarelli; Jacopo Bacenetti; Marco Fiala. Effect of local conditions and machinery characteristics on the environmental impacts of primary soil tillage. Journal of Cleaner Production 2017, 140, 479 -491.
AMA StyleDaniela Lovarelli, Jacopo Bacenetti, Marco Fiala. Effect of local conditions and machinery characteristics on the environmental impacts of primary soil tillage. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017; 140 ():479-491.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniela Lovarelli; Jacopo Bacenetti; Marco Fiala. 2017. "Effect of local conditions and machinery characteristics on the environmental impacts of primary soil tillage." Journal of Cleaner Production 140, no. : 479-491.