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R. Aldaco
Departamento de Ingenierías Química y Biomolecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de Los Castros, s.n., 39005 Santander, Spain

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Journal article
Published: 06 July 2021 in Sustainability
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The availability of freshwater is one of the biggest limitations and challenges of food production, as freshwater is an increasingly scarce and overexploited resource in many parts of the world. Therefore, the concept of water footprint (WF) has gained increasing interest, in the same way that the generation of food loss and waste (FLW) in food production and consumption has become a social and political concern. Along this line, the number of studies on the WF of the food production sector is currently increasing all over the world, analyzing water scarcity and water degradation as a single WF indicator or as a so-called WF profile. In Spain, there is no study assessing the influence of FLW generation along the whole food supply chain nor is there a study assessing the different FLW management options regarding the food supply chain’s WF. This study aimed to assess the spatially differentiated WF profile for 17 Spanish regions over time, analyzing the potential linkages of FLW management and water scarcity and water degradation. The assessment considered compliance and non-compliance with the Paris Agreement targets and was based on the life cycle assessment approach. Results are highlighted in a compliance framework; the scenarios found that anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting (to a lesser extent) had the lowest burdens, while scenarios with thermal treatment had the highest impact. Additionally, the regions in the north of Spain and the islands were less influenced by the type of FLW management and by compliance with the Paris Agreement targets.

ACS Style

Daniel Hoehn; María Margallo; Jara Laso; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Cristina Campos; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Rubén Aldaco; Paula Quinteiro. Water Footprint Assessment of Food Loss and Waste Management Strategies in Spanish Regions. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7538 .

AMA Style

Daniel Hoehn, María Margallo, Jara Laso, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Ana Fernández-Ríos, Cristina Campos, Ian Vázquez-Rowe, Rubén Aldaco, Paula Quinteiro. Water Footprint Assessment of Food Loss and Waste Management Strategies in Spanish Regions. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (14):7538.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Hoehn; María Margallo; Jara Laso; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Cristina Campos; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Rubén Aldaco; Paula Quinteiro. 2021. "Water Footprint Assessment of Food Loss and Waste Management Strategies in Spanish Regions." Sustainability 13, no. 14: 7538.

Review article
Published: 24 June 2021 in Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health
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This paper provides an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fishing sector over the world, including several economic, social, environmental, and health challenges that the fisheries have had to face during the early days of the health crisis and some of them still continue today. These problems, in short, are translated into a decrease in seafood demand, loss of jobs, changes in food consumption habits, economic losses or increased vulnerability of the industry. As consequence, governments have been forced to implement regulations and measures in support of this sector. However, a positive aspect of the pandemic also stands out; the opportunity to transform the food system to be greener, more inclusive, and resilient against future shocks.

ACS Style

Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Cristina Campos; Jara Laso; María Margallo; Rubén Aldaco. Fishing and seafood sector in the time of COVID-19: considerations for local and global opportunities and responses. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 2021, 100286 .

AMA Style

Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Ana Fernández-Ríos, Cristina Campos, Jara Laso, María Margallo, Rubén Aldaco. Fishing and seafood sector in the time of COVID-19: considerations for local and global opportunities and responses. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health. 2021; ():100286.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Cristina Campos; Jara Laso; María Margallo; Rubén Aldaco. 2021. "Fishing and seafood sector in the time of COVID-19: considerations for local and global opportunities and responses." Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health , no. : 100286.

Review
Published: 21 May 2021 in Science of The Total Environment
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The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus approach should be promoted as a tool for sustainable management of resources through the interconnection of these three fundamental pillars. Particularly, food security must ensure healthy and balanced diets for everyone, but selecting individual indicators to assess all slants covered by this element is not an easy task. Hence, the objective of this paper is two-fold, to review nutrient profiling (NP) models that allow to categorize foods and evaluate diets based on their nutritional quality, and to choose the most appropriate model to be used within a WEF nexus index. To address this issue, a total of 159 documents were assessed, appraising the geographic distribution, and time evolution of the publications, as well as the characteristics and potential applications of the NP systems. The review concludes that the NRF9.3. model is the most liable option to be used in a WEF nexus index, presenting the best characteristics by means of the definition of scores and thresholds, and the use of an ‘across-the-board’ criteria and a reference quantity of 100 kcal, alongside offering higher ability to assess diets and foods than the other competitive model (HEI) through the evaluation of nutrients to encourage instead of foods. A secondary outcome of the review is the identification of the NP models as a useful tool to enable institutions with information to establish policies in the field of public health and facilitating the decision-making process according to the current healthy claims.

ACS Style

Ana Fernández-Ríos; Jara Laso; Cristina Campos; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Daniel Hoehn; Jorge Cristóbal; Laura Batlle-Bayer; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rita Puig; Rubén Aldaco; María Margallo. Towards a Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus index: A review of nutrient profile models as a fundamental pillar of food and nutrition security. Science of The Total Environment 2021, 789, 147936 .

AMA Style

Ana Fernández-Ríos, Jara Laso, Cristina Campos, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Daniel Hoehn, Jorge Cristóbal, Laura Batlle-Bayer, Alba Bala, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Rita Puig, Rubén Aldaco, María Margallo. Towards a Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus index: A review of nutrient profile models as a fundamental pillar of food and nutrition security. Science of The Total Environment. 2021; 789 ():147936.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ana Fernández-Ríos; Jara Laso; Cristina Campos; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Daniel Hoehn; Jorge Cristóbal; Laura Batlle-Bayer; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rita Puig; Rubén Aldaco; María Margallo. 2021. "Towards a Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus index: A review of nutrient profile models as a fundamental pillar of food and nutrition security." Science of The Total Environment 789, no. : 147936.

Journal article
Published: 18 March 2021 in Sustainability
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There is a growing debate surrounding the contradiction between an unremitting increase in the use of resources and the search for environmental sustainability. Therefore, the concept of sustainable degrowth is emerging aiming to introduce in our societies new social values and new policies, capable of satisfying human requirements whilst reducing environmental impacts and consumption of resources. In this framework, circular economy strategies for food production and food loss and waste management systems, following the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, are being developed based on a search for circularity, but without setting limits to the continual increase in environmental impacts and resource use. This work presents a methodology for determining the percentage of degrowth needed in any food supply chain, by analyzing four scenarios in a life cycle assessment approach over time between 2020 and 2040. Results for the Spanish case study suggested a degrowth need of 26.8% in 2015 and 58.9% in 2040 in order to achieve compliance with the Paris Agreement targets, highlighting the reduction of meat and fish and seafood consumption as the most useful path.

ACS Style

Daniel Hoehn; Jara Laso; María Margallo; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Francisco Amo-Setién; Rebeca Abajas-Bustillo; Carmen Sarabia; Ainoa Quiñones; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Alba Bala; Laura Batlle-Bayer; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rubén Aldaco. Introducing a Degrowth Approach to the Circular Economy Policies of Food Production, and Food Loss and Waste Management: Towards a Circular Bioeconomy. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3379 .

AMA Style

Daniel Hoehn, Jara Laso, María Margallo, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Francisco Amo-Setién, Rebeca Abajas-Bustillo, Carmen Sarabia, Ainoa Quiñones, Ian Vázquez-Rowe, Alba Bala, Laura Batlle-Bayer, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Rubén Aldaco. Introducing a Degrowth Approach to the Circular Economy Policies of Food Production, and Food Loss and Waste Management: Towards a Circular Bioeconomy. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3379.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Hoehn; Jara Laso; María Margallo; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Francisco Amo-Setién; Rebeca Abajas-Bustillo; Carmen Sarabia; Ainoa Quiñones; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Alba Bala; Laura Batlle-Bayer; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rubén Aldaco. 2021. "Introducing a Degrowth Approach to the Circular Economy Policies of Food Production, and Food Loss and Waste Management: Towards a Circular Bioeconomy." Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3379.

Journal article
Published: 05 March 2021 in Sustainability
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The United Nations has adopted 17 sustainable development goals for 2030 with environmental sustainability being one of the main pillars. A key point to address this pillar is the proper management of waste generation. Within the broad spectrum of waste types, food loss and waste is produced worldwide in large quantities. In this framework, the development of composite indexes is recommended to measure the level of compliance of any context with Sustainable Development Goals. This work presents a novel composite index for food loss and waste generation and management systems, the so-called sustainable development goals-food (SDG-Food) index, aiming to determine the level of compliance of any concrete national, regional, or local context regarding five different sustainable development goals with a water-climate-food nexus thinking. The pilot case study of Spain is presented by analyzing the environmental performance between 2015 and 2040 in a context of (i) compliance and (ii) non-compliance with the Paris Agreement targets. Additionally, four different diets are assessed. Results suggested a numerical index score of 13.79, highlighting the categories of eggs, cereals, meat, and vegetables, and the stages of agricultural production and consumption, as the furthers ones for compliance with the five SDG assessed. Moreover, the scenario of compliance with the Paris agreement targets presented better values for all stages, and a vegan diet was highlighted as the one with the best index score.

ACS Style

Daniel Hoehn; María Margallo; Jara Laso; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Laura Batlle-Bayer; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rubén Aldaco. A Novel Composite Index for the Development of Decentralized Food Production, Food Loss, and Waste Management Policies: A Water-Climate-Food Nexus Approach. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2839 .

AMA Style

Daniel Hoehn, María Margallo, Jara Laso, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Laura Batlle-Bayer, Alba Bala, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Rubén Aldaco. A Novel Composite Index for the Development of Decentralized Food Production, Food Loss, and Waste Management Policies: A Water-Climate-Food Nexus Approach. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (5):2839.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Hoehn; María Margallo; Jara Laso; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Laura Batlle-Bayer; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rubén Aldaco. 2021. "A Novel Composite Index for the Development of Decentralized Food Production, Food Loss, and Waste Management Policies: A Water-Climate-Food Nexus Approach." Sustainability 13, no. 5: 2839.

Journal article
Published: 24 December 2020 in Sustainability
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The generation of food loss and waste (FLW) is a global problem for worldwide politics. About one-third of the food produced ends up in the rubbish before it is consumed. For this reason, it is essential to design and implement new strategies along the food supply chain (FSC) with the aim of reducing this FLW at each stage. However, not only mass quantification should be considered, but also economic and nutritional performance. The novelty of this study is the definition of a methodology based on the “distance to target” approach by means of multi-objective optimization to evaluate the economic and nutritional cost produced by this FLW. This methodology was applied to the Spanish food basket in 2015. The results revealed that 80% of the total FLW generated in economic and nutritional terms is concentrated in the agricultural production (53.3%) and consumption (26.3%) stages. In the first stages of the FSC, fruits (Dn eq.= 0.7), cereals (Dn eq.= 0.61), and vegetables (Dn eq.= 0.57) were the furthest from the distance target due to the great amount of FLW generated. Moreover, according to the normalized weighted distances obtained from the minimization of economic and nutritional cost, pulses (Dn eq. = 0.05–0.03) and eggs (Dn eq. = 0.02) were the more efficient food categories. The methodology described in this study proposes a single index to quantify the economic and nutritional cost of different food categories to facilitate the decision-making process. This index makes possible the definition of reduction strategies focused on specific food categories and depending on the FSC stage.

ACS Style

Jara Laso; Cristina Campos; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Daniel Hoehn; Andrea del Río; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Jorge Cristobal; Ainoa Quiñones; Francisco Amo-Setién; María Ortego; Sergio Tezanos; Rebeca Abajas; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rita Puig; María Margallo; Rubén Aldaco; Ricardo Abejón. Looking for Answers to Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain from a Holistic Nutritional and Economic Approach. Sustainability 2020, 13, 125 .

AMA Style

Jara Laso, Cristina Campos, Ana Fernández-Ríos, Daniel Hoehn, Andrea del Río, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Jorge Cristobal, Ainoa Quiñones, Francisco Amo-Setién, María Ortego, Sergio Tezanos, Rebeca Abajas, Alba Bala, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Rita Puig, María Margallo, Rubén Aldaco, Ricardo Abejón. Looking for Answers to Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain from a Holistic Nutritional and Economic Approach. Sustainability. 2020; 13 (1):125.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jara Laso; Cristina Campos; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Daniel Hoehn; Andrea del Río; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Jorge Cristobal; Ainoa Quiñones; Francisco Amo-Setién; María Ortego; Sergio Tezanos; Rebeca Abajas; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rita Puig; María Margallo; Rubén Aldaco; Ricardo Abejón. 2020. "Looking for Answers to Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain from a Holistic Nutritional and Economic Approach." Sustainability 13, no. 1: 125.

Journal article
Published: 28 November 2020 in Foods
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Food loss and waste (FLW) has become a central concern in the social and political debate. Simultaneously, using FLW as a bioenergy source could significantly contribute to closing the carbon cycle by reintroducing energy into the food supply chain. This study aims to identify best strategies for FLW management in each of the 17 regions in Spain, through the application of a Life Cycle Assessment. To this end, an evaluation of the environmental performance over time between 2015 and 2040 of five different FLW management scenarios implemented in a framework of (i) compliance and (ii) non-compliance with the targets of the Paris Agreement was performed. Results revealed savings in the consumption of abiotic resources in those regions in which thermal treatment has a strong presence, although their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a scenario of compliance with climate change targets are higher. In contrast, scenarios that include anaerobic digestion and, to a lesser extent those applying aerobic composting, present lower impacts, including climate change, suggesting improvements of 20–60% in non-compliance and 20–80% in compliance with Paris Agreement targets, compared to the current scenarios.

ACS Style

Daniel Hoehn; Jara Laso; Jorge Cristóbal; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Isabela Butnar; Aiduan Borrion; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Rubén Aldaco; María Margallo. Regionalized Strategies for Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach. Foods 2020, 9, 1765 .

AMA Style

Daniel Hoehn, Jara Laso, Jorge Cristóbal, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Isabela Butnar, Aiduan Borrion, Alba Bala, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Ian Vázquez-Rowe, Rubén Aldaco, María Margallo. Regionalized Strategies for Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach. Foods. 2020; 9 (12):1765.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daniel Hoehn; Jara Laso; Jorge Cristóbal; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Isabela Butnar; Aiduan Borrion; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Rubén Aldaco; María Margallo. 2020. "Regionalized Strategies for Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach." Foods 9, no. 12: 1765.

Journal article
Published: 16 November 2020 in Foods
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Current food consumption patterns must be revised in order to improve their sustainability. The nutritional, environmental, and economic consequences of these dietary patterns must be taken into consideration when diet guidelines are proposed. This study applied a systematic optimization methodology to define sustainable dietary patterns complying with nutritional, environmental, and economic issues. The methodology was based on a multi-objective optimization model that considered a distance-to-target approach. Although the three simultaneous objectives (maximal nutritional contribution, minimal greenhouse gas emissions, and minimal costs) could be divergent, the proposed model identified the optimal intake of each food product to achieve the maximal level of nutritional, environmental, and economic diets. This model was applied to six different eating patterns within the Spanish context: one based on current food consumption and five alternative diets. The results revealed that dietary patterns with improved nutritional profiles and reduced environmental impacts could be defined without additional costs just by increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and legumes, while reducing the intake of meat and fish.

ACS Style

Ricardo Abejón; Laura Batlle-Bayer; Jara Laso; Alba Bala; Ian Vazquez-Rowe; Gustavo Larrea-Gallegos; María Margallo; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Jorge Cristobal; Rita Puig; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rubén Aldaco. Multi-Objective Optimization of Nutritional, Environmental and Economic Aspects of Diets Applied to the Spanish Context. Foods 2020, 9, 1677 .

AMA Style

Ricardo Abejón, Laura Batlle-Bayer, Jara Laso, Alba Bala, Ian Vazquez-Rowe, Gustavo Larrea-Gallegos, María Margallo, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Jorge Cristobal, Rita Puig, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Rubén Aldaco. Multi-Objective Optimization of Nutritional, Environmental and Economic Aspects of Diets Applied to the Spanish Context. Foods. 2020; 9 (11):1677.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ricardo Abejón; Laura Batlle-Bayer; Jara Laso; Alba Bala; Ian Vazquez-Rowe; Gustavo Larrea-Gallegos; María Margallo; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Jorge Cristobal; Rita Puig; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rubén Aldaco. 2020. "Multi-Objective Optimization of Nutritional, Environmental and Economic Aspects of Diets Applied to the Spanish Context." Foods 9, no. 11: 1677.

Journal article
Published: 23 October 2020 in Applied Sciences
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Fossil fuels are being progressively substituted by a cleaner and more environmentally friendly form of energy, where hydrogen fuel cells stand out. However, the implementation of a competitive hydrogen economy still presents several challenges related to economic costs, required infrastructures, and environmental performance. In this context, the objective of this work is to determine the environmental performance of the recovery of hydrogen from industrial waste gas streams to feed high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells for stationary applications. The life-cycle assessment (LCA) analyzed alternative scenarios with different process configurations, considering as functional unit 1 kg of hydrogen produced, 1 kWh of energy obtained, and 1 kg of inlet flow. The results make the recovery of hydrogen from waste streams environmentally preferable over alternative processes like methane reforming or coal gasification. The production of the fuel cell device resulted in high contributions in the abiotic depletion potential and acidification potential, mainly due to the presence of platinum metal in the anode and cathode. The design and operation conditions that defined a more favorable scenario are the availability of a pressurized waste gas stream, the use of photovoltaic electricity, and the implementation of an energy recovery system for the residual methane stream.

ACS Style

Ricardo Abejón; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Antonio Domínguez-Ramos; Jara Laso; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; María Yáñez; Alfredo Ortiz; Daniel Gorri; Nicolas Donzel; Deborah Jones; Angel Irabien; Inmaculada Ortiz; Rubén Aldaco; María Margallo. Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams to Feed (High-Temperature PEM) Fuel Cells: Environmental Performance under a Life-Cycle Thinking Approach. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 7461 .

AMA Style

Ricardo Abejón, Ana Fernández-Ríos, Antonio Domínguez-Ramos, Jara Laso, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, María Yáñez, Alfredo Ortiz, Daniel Gorri, Nicolas Donzel, Deborah Jones, Angel Irabien, Inmaculada Ortiz, Rubén Aldaco, María Margallo. Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams to Feed (High-Temperature PEM) Fuel Cells: Environmental Performance under a Life-Cycle Thinking Approach. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (21):7461.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ricardo Abejón; Ana Fernández-Ríos; Antonio Domínguez-Ramos; Jara Laso; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; María Yáñez; Alfredo Ortiz; Daniel Gorri; Nicolas Donzel; Deborah Jones; Angel Irabien; Inmaculada Ortiz; Rubén Aldaco; María Margallo. 2020. "Hydrogen Recovery from Waste Gas Streams to Feed (High-Temperature PEM) Fuel Cells: Environmental Performance under a Life-Cycle Thinking Approach." Applied Sciences 10, no. 21: 7461.

Book chapter
Published: 19 October 2020 in 13th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering (PSE 2018)
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Since about one third of all food produced worldwide is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, measures to reduce food loss and waste (FLW) must be fostered to meet the increasing challenge of sustainable feeding of the world’s population. In addition to the minimization of the total amount of FLW, two additional relevant aspects must be taken into account: the nutritional and economic costs caused by these losses. This point of view defines a more complex scenario with multiple sustainability targets, with different minimization objectives. A “distance to target” approach, based on the definition of a normalized weighted distance, has been selected to provide practical and effective optimization guidelines by measuring the magnitude towards the quantitative sustainable targets in the minimization of economic and nutritional costs associated to FLW. The results revealed that vegetables were the food category that showed the worst performance in terms of nutritional and economic costs due to the great amount of loss and waste generated, which highlights the importance of providing measures in this category.

ACS Style

Ricardo Abejón; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Maríamargallo; Rubén Aldaco. Application of the “Distance to Target” Approach to the Multiobjective Optimization of Nutritional and Economic Costs due to Food Loss and Waste. 13th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering (PSE 2018) 2020, 48, 1681 -1686.

AMA Style

Ricardo Abejón, Ian Vázquez-Rowe, Alba Bala, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Maríamargallo, Rubén Aldaco. Application of the “Distance to Target” Approach to the Multiobjective Optimization of Nutritional and Economic Costs due to Food Loss and Waste. 13th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering (PSE 2018). 2020; 48 ():1681-1686.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ricardo Abejón; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Maríamargallo; Rubén Aldaco. 2020. "Application of the “Distance to Target” Approach to the Multiobjective Optimization of Nutritional and Economic Costs due to Food Loss and Waste." 13th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering (PSE 2018) 48, no. : 1681-1686.

Journal article
Published: 13 October 2020 in Applied Sciences
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Recent studies have identified that buildings all over the world are great contributors to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The relationship between the building industry and environmental pollution is continuously discussed. The building industry includes many phases: extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, construction, use, and demolition. Each phase consumes a large amount of energy, and subsequent emissions are released. The life cycle energy assessment (LCEA) is a simplified version of the life cycle assessment (LCA) that focuses only on the evaluation of energy inputs for different phases of the life cycle. Operational energy is the energy required for day-to-day operation processes of buildings, such as heating, cooling and ventilation systems, lighting, as well as appliances. This use phase accounts for the largest portion of energy consumption of the life cycle of conventional buildings. In addition, energy performance certification of buildings is an obligation under current European legislation, which promotes efficient energy use, so it is necessary to ensure that the energy performance of the building is upgraded to meet minimum requirements. For this purpose, this work proposes the consideration of the energy impacts and material resources used in the operation phase of a building to calculate the contribution of these energy impacts as new variables for the energy performance certification. The application of this new approach to the evaluation of university buildings has been selected as a case study. From a methodological point of view, the approach relied on the energy consumption records obtained from energy and materials audit exercises with the aid of LCA databases. Taking into practice the proposed methodology, the primary energy impact and the related emissions were assessed to simplify the decision-making process for the energy certification of buildings. From the results obtained, it was concluded that the consumption of water and other consumable items (paper) are important from energy and environmental perspectives.

ACS Style

Ricardo Abejón; Jara Laso; Marta Rodrigo; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Mario Mañana; María Margallo; Rubén Aldaco. Toward Energy Savings in Campus Buildings under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 7123 .

AMA Style

Ricardo Abejón, Jara Laso, Marta Rodrigo, Israel Ruiz-Salmón, Mario Mañana, María Margallo, Rubén Aldaco. Toward Energy Savings in Campus Buildings under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (20):7123.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ricardo Abejón; Jara Laso; Marta Rodrigo; Israel Ruiz-Salmón; Mario Mañana; María Margallo; Rubén Aldaco. 2020. "Toward Energy Savings in Campus Buildings under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach." Applied Sciences 10, no. 20: 7123.

Short communication
Published: 01 August 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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The COVID lockdown has affected food purchases and eating habits. In this regard, this short communication assesses the nutritional and environmental impacts of these changes during the COVID lockdown in Spain, by applying Life Cycle Assessment and an energy- and nutrient-corrected functional unit. Three environmental impacts were studied (Global Warming Potential, Blue Water Footprint and Land Use) and a total of seven weekly diet scenarios were designed: two pre-COVID diets for March and April in 2019 (MAR19, APR19), one COVID diet (COVID) and two alternative diets, one based on the National Dietary Guidelines (NDG) and another one on the Planetary Health Diet (PHD). Results show that the COVID diet had larger energy intake and lower nutritional quality, as well as higher environmental impacts (between 30 and 36%) than the pre-COVID eating patterns. Further research is needed to account for food affordability within this assessment, as well as to analyze how eating patterns will evolve after the COVID lockdown. Finally, the definition of short guidelines for sustainable food behaviors for future possible lockdowns is suggested, as well as the introduction of sustainable indicators within NDGs.

ACS Style

Laura Batlle-Bayer; Rubén Aldaco; Alba Bala; Rita Puig; Jara Laso; María Margallo; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Josep Maria Antó; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer. Environmental and nutritional impacts of dietary changes in Spain during the COVID-19 lockdown. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 748, 141410 -141410.

AMA Style

Laura Batlle-Bayer, Rubén Aldaco, Alba Bala, Rita Puig, Jara Laso, María Margallo, Ian Vázquez-Rowe, Josep Maria Antó, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer. Environmental and nutritional impacts of dietary changes in Spain during the COVID-19 lockdown. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 748 ():141410-141410.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laura Batlle-Bayer; Rubén Aldaco; Alba Bala; Rita Puig; Jara Laso; María Margallo; Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Josep Maria Antó; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer. 2020. "Environmental and nutritional impacts of dietary changes in Spain during the COVID-19 lockdown." Science of The Total Environment 748, no. : 141410-141410.

Journal article
Published: 26 June 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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Improving the food supply chain efficiency has been identified as an essential means to enhance food security, while reducing pressure on natural resources. Adequate food loss and waste (FLW) management has been proposed as an approach to meet these objectives. The main hypothesis of this study is to consider that the “strong fluctuations and short-term changes” on eating habits may have major consequences on potential FLW generation and management, as well as on GHG emissions, all taking into account the nutritional and the economic cost. Due to the exceptional lockdown measures imposed by the Spanish government, as a consequence of the emerging coronavirus disease, COVID-19, food production and consumption systems have undergone significant changes, which must be properly studied in order to propose strategies from the lessons learned. Taking Spain as a case study, the methodological approach included a deep analysis of the inputs and outputs of the Spanish food basket, the supply chain by means of a Material Flow Analysis, as well as an economic and comprehensive nutritional assessment, all under a life cycle thinking approach. The results reveal that during the first weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, there was no significant adjustment in overall FLW generation, but a partial reallocation from extra-domestic consumption to households occurred (12% increase in household FLW). Moreover, the economic impact (+11%), GHG emissions (+10%), and the nutritional content (−8%) complete the multivariable impact profile that the COVID-19 outbreak had on FLW generation and management. Accordingly, this study once again highlights that measures aimed at reducing FLW, particularly in the household sector, are critical to make better use of food surpluses and FLW prevention and control, allowing us to confront future unforeseen scenarios.

ACS Style

R. Aldaco; D. Hoehn; J. Laso; M. Margallo; J. Ruiz-Salmón; J. Cristobal; Ramzy Kahhat; P. Villanueva-Rey; A. Bala; L. Batlle-Bayer; P. Fullana-I-Palmer; A Irabien; I. Vazquez-Rowe. Food waste management during the COVID-19 outbreak: a holistic climate, economic and nutritional approach. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 742, 140524 -140524.

AMA Style

R. Aldaco, D. Hoehn, J. Laso, M. Margallo, J. Ruiz-Salmón, J. Cristobal, Ramzy Kahhat, P. Villanueva-Rey, A. Bala, L. Batlle-Bayer, P. Fullana-I-Palmer, A Irabien, I. Vazquez-Rowe. Food waste management during the COVID-19 outbreak: a holistic climate, economic and nutritional approach. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 742 ():140524-140524.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Aldaco; D. Hoehn; J. Laso; M. Margallo; J. Ruiz-Salmón; J. Cristobal; Ramzy Kahhat; P. Villanueva-Rey; A. Bala; L. Batlle-Bayer; P. Fullana-I-Palmer; A Irabien; I. Vazquez-Rowe. 2020. "Food waste management during the COVID-19 outbreak: a holistic climate, economic and nutritional approach." Science of The Total Environment 742, no. : 140524-140524.

Journal article
Published: 05 March 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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Food and beverage packaging represent a relevant fraction of municipal solid waste, and its adequate management is critical. Selective waste collection by an authorized organization according to an Extended Producer Responsibility System (EPRS) is the current option implemented in Spain for packaging. Other European countries have selected an alternative or a complement: a Deposit-Refund System (DRS) for certain type of beverage packaging. The selection of an EPRS or a DRS is a complex task and this work developed a universal methodology for the evaluation of optimal waste packaging management systems, focused on food and beverage. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was applied to compare the current EPRS vs the implementation of a new system, with the coexistence of a DRS and a reduced EPRS. Although the environmental savings of the new system are superior to its impacts, even if the DRS would reach a value of 90% for the package return index, the current EPRS obtains significantly better environmental results. All impact categories are favorable to the current EPRS, except ADP, where the potentially higher DRS recycling rate is manifested. The impact associated to the flow of specific DRS packages in the new system is clearly higher than that linked to the flow of DRS excluded packages and it is even higher that the impact of the total joint flow in the current EPRS for all categories except ADP. The fundamental cause of this high impact is the backhauling stage to transport the recovered packages to the counting plants without compacting. A sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the preference of the current EPRS over the combination of a DRS and a reduced EPRS. The developed approach supposes a methodological advance that can be extended to previously realized studies about the implementation of waste management systems in other contexts.

ACS Style

R. Abejón; J. Laso; M. Margallo; R. Aldaco; G. Blanca-Alcubilla; A. Bala; P. Fullana-I-Palmer. Environmental impact assessment of the implementation of a Deposit-Refund System for packaging waste in Spain: A solution or an additional problem? Science of The Total Environment 2020, 721, 137744 .

AMA Style

R. Abejón, J. Laso, M. Margallo, R. Aldaco, G. Blanca-Alcubilla, A. Bala, P. Fullana-I-Palmer. Environmental impact assessment of the implementation of a Deposit-Refund System for packaging waste in Spain: A solution or an additional problem? Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 721 ():137744.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Abejón; J. Laso; M. Margallo; R. Aldaco; G. Blanca-Alcubilla; A. Bala; P. Fullana-I-Palmer. 2020. "Environmental impact assessment of the implementation of a Deposit-Refund System for packaging waste in Spain: A solution or an additional problem?" Science of The Total Environment 721, no. : 137744.

Journal article
Published: 26 February 2020 in Science of The Total Environment
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The energy-water nexus is a concept widely established but rarely applied to product and, in particular, to food and beverage products, which have a great influence on greenhouse gases emissions. The proposed method considers the main nexus aspects in addition to other relevant aspects such as climate change, which is deeply linked with energy and water systems, and assessing process as well as product. In this framework, this study develops an integrated index (IWECN) that combines life cycle assessment (LCA) and linear programming (LP) to assess energetic, water and climate systems, enabling the identification of those products with minors energetic and water intensity and climate change effects and helping to the decision-making process and to the development of eco-innovation measures. In this case, the product assessed was one bottle (70 cl) of gin and two main hotspots were identified: the production of the glass bottle and the energy requirements of the distillation stage. Based on that, several eco-innovation strategies were proposed: the use of photovoltaic solar energy as energy source and the substitution of the glass bottle by a plastic one and by a tetra brick. The nexus results indicated that the use of solar photovoltaic energy and plastic as bottle material was the best alternative decreasing 58% the IWECN value of the production of one bottle of gin. The sensitivity analysis presented a strong preference for photovoltaic solar energy in comparison with electric power and for the reduction of the glass bottle weight or its substitution by a plastic bottle. The use of the IWECN index is extendable to any product with the aim of facilitating the decision-making process in the development of more sustainable products to introduce them in new green markets.

ACS Style

R. Leivas; J. Laso; R. Abejón; M. Margallo; R. Aldaco. Environmental assessment of food and beverage under a NEXUS Water-Energy-Climate approach: Application to the spirit drinks. Science of The Total Environment 2020, 720, 137576 .

AMA Style

R. Leivas, J. Laso, R. Abejón, M. Margallo, R. Aldaco. Environmental assessment of food and beverage under a NEXUS Water-Energy-Climate approach: Application to the spirit drinks. Science of The Total Environment. 2020; 720 ():137576.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Leivas; J. Laso; R. Abejón; M. Margallo; R. Aldaco. 2020. "Environmental assessment of food and beverage under a NEXUS Water-Energy-Climate approach: Application to the spirit drinks." Science of The Total Environment 720, no. : 137576.

Journal article
Published: 07 January 2020 in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
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Food packaging is an important industrial sector that has great influence on food loss and waste. The search of optimal conditions to minimize the negative impacts of food packaging on the environment must promote the selection of the best available packages. This work has evaluated the environmental impact of the distribution of fruit and vegetables in the Spanish peninsular context using reusable plastic crates and single-use cardboard boxes. Discussion and decision at each phase and step of the methodology were provided, being an example to follow for similar studies in the future. For the analysis, five different impact categories were considered: global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential and photochemical oxidant creation potential. In addition, energy and water consumption were taken into account. According to the results of the analysis, the use of reusable plastic crates should be selected, since the values of all impact categories and energy consumption indicators were higher in the case of single-use cardboard boxes. The sensitivity analysis revealed a robust preference for plastic crates in comparison with cardboard boxes even in alternative scenarios, and only the hypothetic reduction of the quality of the cardboard resulted in significant lower impacts for cardboard boxes in comparison to plastic crates in photochemical oxidant creation potential, acidification potential, and energy consumption. This work demonstrates that plastic packaging should not be totally excluded or banned, since it can be the most environmentally friendly option in certain applications.

ACS Style

R. Abejón; A. Bala; I. Vázquez-Rowe; R. Aldaco; P. Fullana-I-Palmer. When plastic packaging should be preferred: Life cycle analysis of packages for fruit and vegetable distribution in the Spanish peninsular market. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2020, 155, 104666 .

AMA Style

R. Abejón, A. Bala, I. Vázquez-Rowe, R. Aldaco, P. Fullana-I-Palmer. When plastic packaging should be preferred: Life cycle analysis of packages for fruit and vegetable distribution in the Spanish peninsular market. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2020; 155 ():104666.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Abejón; A. Bala; I. Vázquez-Rowe; R. Aldaco; P. Fullana-I-Palmer. 2020. "When plastic packaging should be preferred: Life cycle analysis of packages for fruit and vegetable distribution in the Spanish peninsular market." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 155, no. : 104666.

Journal article
Published: 01 November 2019 in Science of The Total Environment
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One-way packaging can represent up to half the environmental impacts of the food value chain and thus optimising its management is essential. Collective selective waste collection managed by authorised organisations (Extended Producer Responsibility, EPR), with or without Deposit-Refund Systems (DRS) are alternatives implemented at European level to handle this problem. Since there is no single simple formula that can be applied to every waste management system, this case study is focused on the entire Spanish model of one-way food packaging waste management, from collection of each fraction in specific containers to final treatment, considering eight different materials. For the analysis, six different impact categories were considered: abiotic depletion potential, global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential, ozone depletion potential and photochemical ozone formation. Results reveal that the recycling stage is the main stage contributing to the environmental impacts, but the environmental savings related to the recovery of materials in this stage compensates these loads and the system must be considered advantageous for the environment. By contrast, sorting plants present the lowest contributions and is the least significant stage. Significant environmental improvements (close to 10%) would be achieved by addressing the total bulk collection flow to mechanical-biological treatment and increasing the selective collection of light and glass packaging waste. This study can serve to identify common drivers that contribute significantly to the development of an integrated approach to waste packaging management and as baseline for comparison studies with alternative waste recovery technologies and systems.

ACS Style

A. Bala; J. Laso; R. Abejón; M. Margallo; P. Fullana-I-Palmer; R. Aldaco. Environmental assessment of the food packaging waste management system in Spain: Understanding the present to improve the future. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 702, 134603 .

AMA Style

A. Bala, J. Laso, R. Abejón, M. Margallo, P. Fullana-I-Palmer, R. Aldaco. Environmental assessment of the food packaging waste management system in Spain: Understanding the present to improve the future. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 702 ():134603.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Bala; J. Laso; R. Abejón; M. Margallo; P. Fullana-I-Palmer; R. Aldaco. 2019. "Environmental assessment of the food packaging waste management system in Spain: Understanding the present to improve the future." Science of The Total Environment 702, no. : 134603.

Sustainable food production and consumption
Published: 27 June 2019 in The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment
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The main purpose of this article is to assess the nutritional and economic efficiency of food loss and waste (FLW) along the supply of 13 food categories included in the Spanish food basket by means of the definition of a new method which combines two indexes. The nutrient-rich foods index and the economic food loss and waste (EFLW) index were combined by means of linear programming to obtain the nutritional cost footprint (NCF) indicator under a life cycle perspective. The functional unit used was the daily supply of food for a Spanish citizen in year 2015. Results showed that vegetables and cereals were the food categories most affected by the inefficiencies in the food supply chain under a nutritional perspective, being agricultural production and household consumption the main stages in which the nutritional content of food is lost or wasted. Moreover, according to the NCF index, vegetables represented 27% of total nutritional-economic wastage throughout the entire Spanish agri-food chain. They are followed by fruits, which add up to 19%. Hence, specific food waste management strategies should be established for these specific products and supply stages. Finally, the sensitivity analysis performed highlighted that results were mostly independent from the importance attributed to either nutritional or economic variables. The methodology described in this study proposes an indicator quantifying the nutritional-economic cost of different food categories in the Spanish food basket. This NCF indicator makes it possible to define reduction strategies to promote the use of food waste fractions for waste-to-energy valorization approaches or the extraction of different types of pharmacological, chemical, or cosmetic compounds.

ACS Style

Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Jara Laso; María Margallo; Ruben Aldaco Garcia; Daniel Hoehn; Francisco Amo-Setién; Alba Bala; Rebeca Abajas; Carmen Sarabia; María Jesús Durá; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rubén Aldaco. Food loss and waste metrics: a proposed nutritional cost footprint linking linear programming and life cycle assessment. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2019, 25, 1197 -1209.

AMA Style

Ian Vázquez-Rowe, Jara Laso, María Margallo, Ruben Aldaco Garcia, Daniel Hoehn, Francisco Amo-Setién, Alba Bala, Rebeca Abajas, Carmen Sarabia, María Jesús Durá, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Rubén Aldaco. Food loss and waste metrics: a proposed nutritional cost footprint linking linear programming and life cycle assessment. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2019; 25 (7):1197-1209.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ian Vázquez-Rowe; Jara Laso; María Margallo; Ruben Aldaco Garcia; Daniel Hoehn; Francisco Amo-Setién; Alba Bala; Rebeca Abajas; Carmen Sarabia; María Jesús Durá; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Rubén Aldaco. 2019. "Food loss and waste metrics: a proposed nutritional cost footprint linking linear programming and life cycle assessment." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 25, no. 7: 1197-1209.

Journal article
Published: 15 June 2019 in Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
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Food losses and waste (FLW) tend to be referred to in terms of mass, occasionally in economic terms, disregarding the nutritional-cost nexus of such losses. This work aims to estimate the nutritional food losses and waste (NFLW) of the Spanish agri-food system in terms of energy, macronutrients, fibre, and vitamins and minerals along the entire supply chain. Nutritional food losses (NFL) occurring prior to the distribution level, and nutritional food waste (NFW) at the retail and consumption stages, were distinguished, and 48 representative food commodities and 32 nutrients were characterised. To provide insight into the extent of these values, the results are compared to the equivalent recommended daily intake. In addition, the NFLW for an average Spanish citizen is compared to that for other representative diets: Mediterranean, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and vegan along with the Spanish recommended guidelines. Finally, a nutritional cost footprint (NCF) indicator combining nutritional and economic variables is proposed to define recovery strategies. The results suggest that 4251 kj (1016 kcal), 70.7 g proteins, 22 g dietary fibre, 975 μg vitamin A, 117 mg vitamin C and 332 mg calcium daily per capita are embedded within Spanish FLW. Agricultural production accounts for 40% of NFLW, and fruits and vegetables are the categories with the largest potential for nutritional and economic food wastage mitigation. Results from this paper provide NFLW data and analysis to strengthen and simplify the decision-making process of FLW management strategies.

ACS Style

I. Garcia-Herrero; M. Margallo; J. Laso; L. Batlle-Bayer; A. Bala; P. Fullana-I-Palmer; I. Vazquez-Rowe; M.J. Gonzalez; F. Amo-Setien; M.J. Durá; C. Sarabia; R. Abajas; A. Quiñones; A. Irabien; R. Aldaco. Nutritional data management of food losses and waste under a life cycle approach: Case study of the Spanish agri-food system. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 2019, 82, 103223 .

AMA Style

I. Garcia-Herrero, M. Margallo, J. Laso, L. Batlle-Bayer, A. Bala, P. Fullana-I-Palmer, I. Vazquez-Rowe, M.J. Gonzalez, F. Amo-Setien, M.J. Durá, C. Sarabia, R. Abajas, A. Quiñones, A. Irabien, R. Aldaco. Nutritional data management of food losses and waste under a life cycle approach: Case study of the Spanish agri-food system. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 2019; 82 ():103223.

Chicago/Turabian Style

I. Garcia-Herrero; M. Margallo; J. Laso; L. Batlle-Bayer; A. Bala; P. Fullana-I-Palmer; I. Vazquez-Rowe; M.J. Gonzalez; F. Amo-Setien; M.J. Durá; C. Sarabia; R. Abajas; A. Quiñones; A. Irabien; R. Aldaco. 2019. "Nutritional data management of food losses and waste under a life cycle approach: Case study of the Spanish agri-food system." Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 82, no. : 103223.

Journal article
Published: 11 April 2019 in Energies
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Municipal solid waste (MSW) collection is an important issue in the development and management of smart cities, having a significant influence on environmental sustainability. Door-to-door and pneumatic collection are two systems that represent a way of arranging waste collection in city´s historic areas in Spain where conventional street-side container collection is not feasible. Since door-to-door collection generates significant direct greenhouse gas emissions from trucks, pneumatic collection emerges as an alternative to the trucking system. While this technology apparently reduces local direct air emissions, it suffers from a large energy demand derived from vacuum production for waste suction. The introduction of new normative frameworks regarding the selective collection of the biodegradable fraction makes necessary a comprehensive analysis to assess the influence of this fraction collection and its subsequent recycling by anaerobic digestion. As a novelty, this work compares both conventional door-to-door and pneumatic collection systems from a life cycle approach focusing on the biodegradable waste. Results indicate that, in spite of the fact electricity production and consumption have a significant influence on the results, the energy savings from the recycling of the organic fraction are higher than the energy requirements. Therefore, the pneumatic collection could be an environmentally-friendly option for MSW management under a circular economy approach in Spanish city´s historic areas, since wastes could be a material or energy source opportunity.

ACS Style

Jara Laso; Isabel García-Herrero; María Margallo; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Angel Irabien; Rubén Aldaco. LCA-based Comparison of Two Organic Fraction Municipal Solid Waste Collection Systems in Historical Centres in Spain. Energies 2019, 12, 1407 .

AMA Style

Jara Laso, Isabel García-Herrero, María Margallo, Alba Bala, Pere Fullana-I-Palmer, Angel Irabien, Rubén Aldaco. LCA-based Comparison of Two Organic Fraction Municipal Solid Waste Collection Systems in Historical Centres in Spain. Energies. 2019; 12 (7):1407.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jara Laso; Isabel García-Herrero; María Margallo; Alba Bala; Pere Fullana-I-Palmer; Angel Irabien; Rubén Aldaco. 2019. "LCA-based Comparison of Two Organic Fraction Municipal Solid Waste Collection Systems in Historical Centres in Spain." Energies 12, no. 7: 1407.