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Yiwen Chiu
Department of Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, USA

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Correction
Published: 31 May 2021 in Environment, Development and Sustainability
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ACS Style

Yiwen Chiu; Yi Yang; Cody Morse. Correction to: Quantifying carbon footprint for ecological river restoration. Environment, Development and Sustainability 2021, 1 -2.

AMA Style

Yiwen Chiu, Yi Yang, Cody Morse. Correction to: Quantifying carbon footprint for ecological river restoration. Environment, Development and Sustainability. 2021; ():1-2.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yiwen Chiu; Yi Yang; Cody Morse. 2021. "Correction to: Quantifying carbon footprint for ecological river restoration." Environment, Development and Sustainability , no. : 1-2.

Article
Published: 06 May 2021 in Environment, Development and Sustainability
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RIVER restoration is a popular technique to rehabilitate degraded river habitat. Given the nature of these types of engineering projects, using ecological indicators to monitor the restoration effectiveness has been a traditional approach. However, as this approach emphasizes the post-project performance, environmental impact attributed to a project’s construction phase has received little attention directly or indirectly. This study quantified the carbon footprint of ecological river restoration, using a project in California as a case study. A topographic diversity index (TDI) was developed as a functional unit of the river restoration project, indicating how a restoration project can increase the variation of habitat topography. The results show that river restoration can lead to greenhouse gas emissions ranging from 288 to 336 kg CO2 equivalent (kg CO2e) for every 1% of TDI improvement, or 9–14 kg CO2e per meter stream restored. This study identified that improving raw material acquisition plans and heavy-duty equipment rental decision can be feasible strategies leading to the reduction of carbon footprint.

ACS Style

Yiwen Chiu; Yi Yang; Cody Morse. Quantifying carbon footprint for ecological river restoration. Environment, Development and Sustainability 2021, 1 -19.

AMA Style

Yiwen Chiu, Yi Yang, Cody Morse. Quantifying carbon footprint for ecological river restoration. Environment, Development and Sustainability. 2021; ():1-19.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yiwen Chiu; Yi Yang; Cody Morse. 2021. "Quantifying carbon footprint for ecological river restoration." Environment, Development and Sustainability , no. : 1-19.

Journal article
Published: 31 October 2019 in Sustainability
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Tea is the second most consumed beverage globally, yet its environmental implications are largely unknown. To overcome this knowledge gap, life-cycle analysis was conducted aiming to quantify the environmental impacts associated with tea production and consumption. To achieve this objective, Oolong tea production in Taiwan was selected to investigate the life-cycle impact in global warming potential (GWP) and eutrophication potential (EP) associated with one serving of hot tea consumed in Taiwan domestically and the international market in the U.S. and U.K. The results indicate that each serving of Oolong tea can result in a total of 28.6 g CO2-equivalent of GWP and 0.09 g N-equivalent of EP. Over 52% of GWP and 44% of EP are associated with the tea’s cultivation, in which the application and production of agrochemicals accounts for 90% of GWP and 98% of EP. International consumption can increase GWP and EP by 19% and 26%, respectively, which is largely attributable to the change of cooking energy from natural gases to an electric-gas mixed scheme. The findings from this study articulate the environmental portfolio of Oolong tea. More importantly, we can identify opportunities to mitigate the environmental footprint of Oolong tea in order to advance future sustainability.

ACS Style

Yi-Wen Chiu. Environmental Implications of Taiwanese Oolong Tea and the Opportunities of Impact Reduction. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6042 .

AMA Style

Yi-Wen Chiu. Environmental Implications of Taiwanese Oolong Tea and the Opportunities of Impact Reduction. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (21):6042.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yi-Wen Chiu. 2019. "Environmental Implications of Taiwanese Oolong Tea and the Opportunities of Impact Reduction." Sustainability 11, no. 21: 6042.

Journal article
Published: 09 May 2019 in Sustainability
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This research collects and analyzes student and faculty knowledge and perceptions toward sustainability education at a predominately undergraduate, teaching-oriented university. In-depth, qualitative methods distinguish low- and high-knowledge student and faculty cohorts, identify perceived barriers to sustainability education in each cohort, and recognize strategies to overcome the barriers identified by each cohort. Data collected from recorded and transcribed semi-structured interviews of student and faculty subjects underwent analysis via repeated readings to uncover key themes. Results required developing metrics for student and faculty sustainability knowledge and attitudes across disciplines, determining discipline-specific gaps in sustainability knowledge and differences in attitudes, and relating implementation barriers to general or specific knowledge gaps and attitudes. Findings identified low and high levels of sustainability knowledge within the student and faculty subject population and revealed barriers in pursuing interdisciplinary sustainability curricula across disciplines and among both students and faculty at the study university. Overall, higher sustainability knowledge participants tend to identify barriers related to institutional accountability while lower sustainability knowledge participants tend to identify barriers related to personal responsibility. Distributing barriers and solutions along a continuum from personal responsibility to educational institution responsibility reveals more recognition of barriers at the personal level and more solutions proposed at the institutional level. This result may reflect a common tendency to deny personal responsibility when addressing sustainability challenges.

ACS Style

Brian Pompeii; Yi-Wen Chiu; Dawn Neill; David Braun; Gregg Fiegel; Rebekah Oulton; Joseph Ragsdale; Kylee Singh. Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Integrating Sustainability across the Curriculum at a Teaching-Oriented University. Sustainability 2019, 11, 2652 .

AMA Style

Brian Pompeii, Yi-Wen Chiu, Dawn Neill, David Braun, Gregg Fiegel, Rebekah Oulton, Joseph Ragsdale, Kylee Singh. Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Integrating Sustainability across the Curriculum at a Teaching-Oriented University. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (9):2652.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Brian Pompeii; Yi-Wen Chiu; Dawn Neill; David Braun; Gregg Fiegel; Rebekah Oulton; Joseph Ragsdale; Kylee Singh. 2019. "Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Integrating Sustainability across the Curriculum at a Teaching-Oriented University." Sustainability 11, no. 9: 2652.

Journal article
Published: 31 March 2014 in Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining
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The 2011 US Billion‐Ton Update estimates that by 2030 there will be enough agricultural and forest resources to sustainably provide at least one billion dry tons of biomass annually, enough to displace approximately 30% of the country's current petroleum consumption. A portion of these resources are inaccessible at current cost targets with conventional feedstock supply systems because of their remoteness or low yields. Reliable analyses and projections of US biofuels production depend on assumptions about the supply system and biorefinery capacity, which, in turn, depend upon economic value, feedstock logistics, and sustainability. A cross‐functional team has examined combinations of advances in feedstock supply systems and biorefinery capacities with rigorous design information, improved crop yield and agronomic practices, and improved estimates of sustainable biomass availability. A previous report on biochemical refinery capacity noted that under advanced feedstock logistic supply systems that include depots and pre‐processing operations there are cost advantages that support larger biorefineries up to 10 000 DMT/day facilities compared to the smaller 2000 DMT/day facilities. This report focuses on analyzing conventional versus advanced depot biomass supply systems for a thermochemical conversion and refinery sizing based on woody biomass. The results of this analysis demonstrate that the economies of scale enabled by advanced logistics offsets much of the added logistics costs from additional depot processing and transportation, resulting in a small overall increase to the minimum ethanol selling price compared to the conventional logistic supply system. While the overall costs do increase slightly for the advanced logistic supply systems, the ability to mitigate moisture and ash in the system will improve the storage and conversion processes. In addition, being able to draw on feedstocks from further distances will decrease the risk of biomass supply to the conversion facility.

ACS Style

David J. Muth; Matthew H. Langholtz; Eric C.D. Tan; Jacob J. Jacobson; Amy Schwab; May M. Wu; Andrew Argo; Craig C. Brandt; Kara G. Cafferty; Yi-Wen Chiu; Abhijit Dutta; Laurence M. Eaton; Erin M. Searcy. Investigation of thermochemical biorefinery sizing and environmental sustainability impacts for conventional supply system and distributed pre-processing supply system designs. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 2014, 8, 545 -567.

AMA Style

David J. Muth, Matthew H. Langholtz, Eric C.D. Tan, Jacob J. Jacobson, Amy Schwab, May M. Wu, Andrew Argo, Craig C. Brandt, Kara G. Cafferty, Yi-Wen Chiu, Abhijit Dutta, Laurence M. Eaton, Erin M. Searcy. Investigation of thermochemical biorefinery sizing and environmental sustainability impacts for conventional supply system and distributed pre-processing supply system designs. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. 2014; 8 (4):545-567.

Chicago/Turabian Style

David J. Muth; Matthew H. Langholtz; Eric C.D. Tan; Jacob J. Jacobson; Amy Schwab; May M. Wu; Andrew Argo; Craig C. Brandt; Kara G. Cafferty; Yi-Wen Chiu; Abhijit Dutta; Laurence M. Eaton; Erin M. Searcy. 2014. "Investigation of thermochemical biorefinery sizing and environmental sustainability impacts for conventional supply system and distributed pre-processing supply system designs." Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 8, no. 4: 545-567.

Journal article
Published: 11 February 2014 in Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports
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Water consumption and water quality continue to be key factors affecting environmental sustainability in biofuel production. This review covers the findings from biofuel water analyses published over the past 2 years to underscore the progress made, and to highlight advancements in understanding the interactions among increased production and water demand, water resource availability, and potential changes in water quality. We focus on two key areas: water footprint assessment and watershed modeling. Results revealed that miscanthus-, switchgrass-, and forest wood-based biofuels all have promising blue and grey water footprints. Alternative water resources have been explored for algae production, and challenges remain. A most noticeable improvement in the analysis of life-cycle water consumption is the adoption of geospatial analysis and watershed modeling to generate a spatially explicit water footprint at a finer scale (e.g., multi-state region, state, and county scales) to address the impacts of land use change and climate on the water footprint in a landscape with a mixed biofuel feedstock.

ACS Style

May Wu; Zhonglong Zhang; Yi-Wen Chiu. Life-cycle Water Quantity and Water Quality Implications of Biofuels. Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports 2014, 1, 3 -10.

AMA Style

May Wu, Zhonglong Zhang, Yi-Wen Chiu. Life-cycle Water Quantity and Water Quality Implications of Biofuels. Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports. 2014; 1 (1):3-10.

Chicago/Turabian Style

May Wu; Zhonglong Zhang; Yi-Wen Chiu. 2014. "Life-cycle Water Quantity and Water Quality Implications of Biofuels." Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports 1, no. 1: 3-10.

Letter
Published: 16 July 2013 in Environmental Research Letters
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Forest residue has been proposed as a feasible candidate for cellulosic biofuels. However, the number of studies assessing its water use remains limited. This work aims to analyze the impacts of forest-based biofuel on water resources and quality by using a water footprint approach. A method established here is tailored to the production system, which includes softwood, hardwood, and short-rotation woody crops. The method is then applied to selected areas in the southeastern region of the United States to quantify the county-level water footprint of the biofuel produced via a mixed alcohol gasification process, under several logistic systems, and at various refinery scales. The results indicate that the blue water sourced from surface or groundwater is minimal, at 2.4 liters per liter of biofuel (l/l). The regional-average green water (rainfall) footprint falls between 400 and 443 l/l. The biofuel pathway appears to have a low nitrogen grey water footprint averaging 25 l/l at the regional level, indicating minimal impacts on water quality. Feedstock mix plays a key role in determining the magnitude and the spatial distribution of the water footprint in these regions. Compared with other potential feedstock, forest wood residue shows promise with its low blue and grey water footprint.

ACS Style

Yi-Wen Chiu; May Wu. The water footprint of biofuel produced from forest wood residue via a mixed alcohol gasification process. Environmental Research Letters 2013, 8, 035015 .

AMA Style

Yi-Wen Chiu, May Wu. The water footprint of biofuel produced from forest wood residue via a mixed alcohol gasification process. Environmental Research Letters. 2013; 8 (3):035015.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yi-Wen Chiu; May Wu. 2013. "The water footprint of biofuel produced from forest wood residue via a mixed alcohol gasification process." Environmental Research Letters 8, no. 3: 035015.

Modeling and analysis
Published: 04 April 2013 in Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining
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The 2011 US Billion‐Ton Update1 estimates that there are enough agricultural and forest resources to sustainably provide enough biomass to displace approximately 30% of the country's current petroleum consumption. A portion of these resources are inaccessible at current cost targets with conventional feedstock supply systems because of their remoteness or low yields. Reliable analyses and projections of US biofuels production depend on assumptions about the supply system and biorefinery capacity, which, in turn, depend on economics, feedstock logistics, and sustainability. A cross‐functional team has examined optimal combinations of advances in feedstock supply systems and biorefinery capacities with rigorous design information, improved crop yield and agronomic practices, and improved estimates of sustainable biomass availability. Biochemical‐conversion‐to‐ethanol is analyzed for conventional bale‐based system and advanced uniform‐format feedstock supply system designs. The latter involves ‘pre‐processing’ biomass into a higher‐density, aerobically stable, easily transportable format that can supply large‐scale biorefineries. Feedstock supply costs, logistics and processing costs are analyzed and compared, taking into account environmental sustainability metrics. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

ACS Style

Andrew M Argo; Eric Cd Tan; Daniel Inman; Matthew Langholtz; Laurence Eaton; Jacob J Jacobson; Christopher Wright; David J Muth; May M Wu; Yiwen Chiu; Robin L Graham. Investigation of biochemical biorefinery sizing and environmental sustainability impacts for conventional bale system and advanced uniform biomass logistics designs. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 2013, 7, 282 -302.

AMA Style

Andrew M Argo, Eric Cd Tan, Daniel Inman, Matthew Langholtz, Laurence Eaton, Jacob J Jacobson, Christopher Wright, David J Muth, May M Wu, Yiwen Chiu, Robin L Graham. Investigation of biochemical biorefinery sizing and environmental sustainability impacts for conventional bale system and advanced uniform biomass logistics designs. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. 2013; 7 (3):282-302.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrew M Argo; Eric Cd Tan; Daniel Inman; Matthew Langholtz; Laurence Eaton; Jacob J Jacobson; Christopher Wright; David J Muth; May M Wu; Yiwen Chiu; Robin L Graham. 2013. "Investigation of biochemical biorefinery sizing and environmental sustainability impacts for conventional bale system and advanced uniform biomass logistics designs." Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 7, no. 3: 282-302.

Modeling and analysis
Published: 04 April 2013 in Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining
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This study aims to quantify water appropriation and the potential production of algal bio‐oil using freshwater and municipal wastewater effluent (MWW) as an alternative water resource. The county‐level analysis focuses on open‐pond algae cultivation systems located in 17 states in the southern United States. Several scenarios were developed to examine the water availability for algae bio‐oil production under various water resource mixing MWW and freshwater. The results of the analysis indicate that water availability can significantly affect the selection of an algal refinery site and therefore the potential production of algal bio‐oil. The production of one liter of algal bio‐oil requires 1036–1666 L of water at the state level, in which 3% to 91% can be displaced by MWW, depending on the biorefinery location. This water requirement corresponds to a total of 25 billion liters of bio‐oil produced if the spatially and temporally available MWW effluent together with 10% of total available freshwater are used. The production of algal bio‐oil is only 14% of estimated production under the assumption that all of the water demand can be fulfilled without any restriction. In addition, if only the spatially and temporally available effluent is used as the sole source of water, the total bio‐oil production is estimated to be 9 billion liters. This study not only quantifies the water demands of the algal bio‐oil, but it also elucidates the importance of taking water sustainability into account in the development of algal bio‐oil. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

ACS Style

Yiwen Chiu; May Wu. Considering water availability and wastewater resources in the development of algal bio-oil. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 2013, 7, 406 -415.

AMA Style

Yiwen Chiu, May Wu. Considering water availability and wastewater resources in the development of algal bio-oil. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. 2013; 7 (4):406-415.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yiwen Chiu; May Wu. 2013. "Considering water availability and wastewater resources in the development of algal bio-oil." Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining 7, no. 4: 406-415.

Regular article
Published: 09 October 2012 in Water Resources Research
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[1] A spatially explicit life cycle water analysis framework is proposed, in which a standardized water footprint methodology is coupled with hydrologic modeling to assess blue water, green water (rainfall), and agricultural grey water discharge in the production of biofuel feedstock at county‐level resolution. Grey water is simulated via SWAT, a watershed model. Evapotranspiration (ET) estimates generated with the Penman‐Monteith equation and crop parameters were verified by using remote sensing results, a satellite‐imagery‐derived data set, and other field measurements. Crop irrigation survey data are used to corroborate the estimate of irrigation ET. An application of the concept is presented in a case study for corn‐stover‐based ethanol grown in Iowa (United States) within the Upper Mississippi River basin. Results show vast spatial variations in the water footprint of stover ethanol from county to county. Producing 1 L of ethanol from corn stover growing in the Iowa counties studied requires from 4.6 to 13.1 L of blue water (with an average of 5.4 L), a majority (86%) of which is consumed in the biorefinery. The county‐level green water (rainfall) footprint ranges from 760 to 1000 L L−1. The grey water footprint varies considerably, ranging from 44 to 1579 L, a 35‐fold difference, with a county average of 518 L. This framework can be a useful tool for watershed‐ or county‐level biofuel sustainability metric analysis to address the heterogeneity of the water footprint for biofuels.

ACS Style

M. Wu; Yiwen Chiu; Y. Demissie. Quantifying the regional water footprint of biofuel production by incorporating hydrologic modeling. Water Resources Research 2012, 48, 1 .

AMA Style

M. Wu, Yiwen Chiu, Y. Demissie. Quantifying the regional water footprint of biofuel production by incorporating hydrologic modeling. Water Resources Research. 2012; 48 (10):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Wu; Yiwen Chiu; Y. Demissie. 2012. "Quantifying the regional water footprint of biofuel production by incorporating hydrologic modeling." Water Resources Research 48, no. 10: 1.

Journal article
Published: 31 July 2012 in Environmental Science & Technology
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While agricultural residue is considered as a near-term feedstock option for cellulosic biofuels, its sustainability must be evaluated by taking water into account. This study aims to analyze the county-level water footprint for four biofuel pathways in the United States, including bioethanol generated from corn grain, stover, wheat straw, and biodiesel from soybean. The county-level blue water footprint of ethanol from corn grain, stover, and wheat straw shows extremely wide variances with a national average of 31, 132, and 139 L of water per liter biofuel (L(w)/L(bf)), and standard deviation of 133, 323, and 297 L(w)/L(bf), respectively. Soybean biodiesel production results in a blue water footprint of 313 L(w)/L(bf) on the national average with standard deviation of 894 L(w)/L(bf). All biofuels show a greater green water footprint than the blue one. This work elucidates how diverse spatial resolutions affect biofuel water footprints, which can provide detailed insights into biofuels' implications on local water sustainability.

ACS Style

Yi-Wen Chiu; May Wu. Assessing County-Level Water Footprints of Different Cellulosic-Biofuel Feedstock Pathways. Environmental Science & Technology 2012, 46, 9155 -9162.

AMA Style

Yi-Wen Chiu, May Wu. Assessing County-Level Water Footprints of Different Cellulosic-Biofuel Feedstock Pathways. Environmental Science & Technology. 2012; 46 (16):9155-9162.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yi-Wen Chiu; May Wu. 2012. "Assessing County-Level Water Footprints of Different Cellulosic-Biofuel Feedstock Pathways." Environmental Science & Technology 46, no. 16: 9155-9162.

Journal article
Published: 25 August 2011 in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
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Though the development of biofuel has attracted numerous studies for quantifying potential water demand applying life cycle thinking, the impacts of biofuel water consumption still remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to quantify ecological impact associated with corn-based bioethanol water consumption in Minnesota in responding to different refinery expansion scenarios by applying a life cycle impact assessment method.

ACS Style

Yi-Wen Chiu; Sangwon Suh; Stephan Pfister; Stefanie Hellweg; Annette Koehler. Measuring ecological impact of water consumption by bioethanol using life cycle impact assessment. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2011, 17, 16 -24.

AMA Style

Yi-Wen Chiu, Sangwon Suh, Stephan Pfister, Stefanie Hellweg, Annette Koehler. Measuring ecological impact of water consumption by bioethanol using life cycle impact assessment. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2011; 17 (1):16-24.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yi-Wen Chiu; Sangwon Suh; Stephan Pfister; Stefanie Hellweg; Annette Koehler. 2011. "Measuring ecological impact of water consumption by bioethanol using life cycle impact assessment." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 17, no. 1: 16-24.

News
Published: 10 March 2009 in Environmental Science & Technology
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Prior studies have estimated that a liter of bioethanol requires 263−784 L of water from corn farm to fuel pump, but these estimates have failed to account for the widely varied regional irrigation practices. By using regional time-series agricultural and ethanol production data in the U.S., this paper estimates the state-level field-to-pump water requirement of bioethanol across the nation. The results indicate that bioethanol’s water requirements can range from 5 to 2138 L per liter of ethanol depending on regional irrigation practices. The results also show that as the ethanol industry expands to areas that apply more irrigated water than others, consumptive water appropriation by bioethanol in the U.S. has increased 246% from 1.9 to 6.1 trillion liters between 2005 and 2008, whereas U.S. bioethanol production has increased only 133% from 15 to 34 billion liters during the same period. The results highlight the need to take regional specifics into account when implementing biofuel mandates.

ACS Style

Yiwen Chiu; Brian Walseth; Sangwon Suh. Water Embodied in Bioethanol in the United States. Environmental Science & Technology 2009, 43, 2688 -2692.

AMA Style

Yiwen Chiu, Brian Walseth, Sangwon Suh. Water Embodied in Bioethanol in the United States. Environmental Science & Technology. 2009; 43 (8):2688-2692.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yiwen Chiu; Brian Walseth; Sangwon Suh. 2009. "Water Embodied in Bioethanol in the United States." Environmental Science & Technology 43, no. 8: 2688-2692.