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Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment
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Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B: Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 14806

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Flavio Scrucca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sustainability, Circular Economy Section, ENEA, Italian National Agency for New Technologies Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, 00059 Rome, Italy
Interests: life cycle assessment; carbon footprint; water footprint; circular economy; environmental sustainability; renewable energies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Andrea Aquino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
Interests: energy; engineering thermodynamics; computational fluid dynamics; CFD simulation; energy saving; civil engineering; renewable energy technologies; heat exchangers; thermal engineering; adsorption
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental sustainability is currently a focal issue, and increasingly ambitious goals and strategies are being established at various levels to target it. The goal is facing key global challenges such as the mitigation and adaptation to climate change, energy security, and the resilience of the industrial and civil sector.

In this regard, it is well understood that environmental and energy issues are strictly interconnected, and therefore that their comprehensive understanding requires a holistic approach. Considering energy and environment as separate systems may in fact lead to ineffective actions that may hinder the achievement of mutual benefits and generate undesirable consequences.

Life cycle assessment (LCA), which represents a recognized and widespread tool, is among the most comprehensive analytical techniques used to evaluate the environmental impact of products, technologies and policies and, therefore, to analyze sustainability benefits in a holistic way.

In this context, this Special Issue welcomes original research articles, reviews, and case studies focused on energy, environment, and their mutual connections.

Dr. Flavio Scrucca
Dr. Andrea Aquino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental sustainability
  • life cycle assessment
  • climate change
  • sustainable development
  • carbon footprint
  • water footprint
  • energy footprint
  • energy resilience
  • energy efficiency
  • renewable energy
  • circularity

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 1661 KiB  
Article
Life Cycle Assessment of a Gas Turbine Installation
by Yulia Mozzhegorova, Galina Ilinykh and Vladimir Korotaev
Energies 2024, 17(2), 345; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17020345 - 10 Jan 2024
Viewed by 2733
Abstract
Gas turbine installations (GTIs) are widely used to generate electrical and thermal energy, mainly by burning gaseous fuels. With the development of hydrogen energy technology, a current area of particular interest is the use of GTIs to burn hydrogen. In order to assess [...] Read more.
Gas turbine installations (GTIs) are widely used to generate electrical and thermal energy, mainly by burning gaseous fuels. With the development of hydrogen energy technology, a current area of particular interest is the use of GTIs to burn hydrogen. In order to assess the prospects of using GTIs in this way, it is necessary to understand the carbon emissions of gas turbines within the larger context of the entire hydrogen life cycle and its carbon footprint. The article provides an overview of results from previously published studies on life cycle assessment (LCA) of complex technical devices associated with the production and consumption of fuel and energy, which are most similar to GTIs when it comes to the complexity of LCA. The subject of analysis was a set of GTIs located in Russia with a capacity of 16 MW. An assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per MWh of electricity produced showed that at different stages of the GTI life cycle, the total carbon footprint was 198.1–604.3 kg CO2-eq., of which more than 99% came from GTI operation. Greenhouse gas emissions from the production and end-of-life management stages are significantly lower for GTIs compared to those for other complex technical devices used to generate electricity. This is an indicator of the strong prospects for the future use of GTIs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment)
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16 pages, 1934 KiB  
Article
Woodchips from Forest Residues as a Sustainable and Circular Biofuel for Electricity Production: Evidence from an Environmental Life Cycle Assessment
by Flavio Scrucca, Grazia Barberio, Laura Cutaia and Caterina Rinaldi
Energies 2024, 17(1), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17010105 - 24 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 980
Abstract
Energy production from biomass represents a strategic solution for the achievement of global sustainability goals. In addition, the use of biofuels offers both significant environmental advantages and several socio-economic benefits. In this study, the environmental life cycle impacts associated with the use of [...] Read more.
Energy production from biomass represents a strategic solution for the achievement of global sustainability goals. In addition, the use of biofuels offers both significant environmental advantages and several socio-economic benefits. In this study, the environmental life cycle impacts associated with the use of woodchips from forest residues for combined heat and power generation in Italy were analyzed. Moreover, the use of woodchips was compared to the use of conventional fossil fuels in similar applications, and different biomass supply scenarios were evaluated to understand their effect on the overall impact related to 1 kWh of electricity. The impacts on “Climate Change” (2.94 × 10−2 kgCO2eq/kWh) and “Resources” (4.28 × 10−1 MJ primary) were revealed to be minimal compared to fossil fuels (reduction of about 95–97%) and forest woodchips emerged as a sustainable alternative for electricity generation. Moreover, impacts regarding “Human health” (3.04 × 10−7 DALY) and “Ecosystem quality” (3.58 × 10−1 PDF·m2·yr) were revealed to be relevant and identified as a research area to be further explored. The findings of this study also highlighted the key role played by the supply mode/distance of the woodchips on the overall life cycle impacts, with the use of “local” biomass representing the best reduction option. Lastly, another aspect to be further investigated is the optimization of the biomass supply. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment)
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19 pages, 4075 KiB  
Article
Substitution of Fossil Coal with Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste in the Electric Arc Furnace Steel Industry: A Comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis
by Alessandro Cardarelli and Marco Barbanera
Energies 2023, 16(15), 5686; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16155686 - 28 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1566
Abstract
The iron and steel industry remains one of the most energy-intensive activities with high CO2 emissions. Generally, the use of fossil coal as chemical energy in an electric arc furnace (EAF) makes up 40–70% of the total direct emissions in this steelmaking [...] Read more.
The iron and steel industry remains one of the most energy-intensive activities with high CO2 emissions. Generally, the use of fossil coal as chemical energy in an electric arc furnace (EAF) makes up 40–70% of the total direct emissions in this steelmaking process. Therefore, substituting conventional fossil fuels with alternatives is an attractive option for reducing CO2 emissions. In this study, the environmental impacts of EAF-produced steel were comprehensively assessed using pulverized hydrochar as the charged and injected material as a replacement for fossil coal. An environmental analysis was performed based on the LCA methodology according to the framework of ISO 14044. This study evaluated two different outlines: the use of fossil coal and its replacement with hydrochar from the winemaking industry as a carbon source in the EAF steelmaking process. The environmental impacts from the manufacturing of the hydrochar were calculated using different scenarios, including novel industrial ways to use vinasse as a moisture source for the co-hydrothermal carbonization of vine pruning and exhausted grape marc (EGM). The environmental impacts per unit of steel were reported as a function of the ratio between the fixed carbon of the injected material and the material amount itself. The results highlight the sustainability of the hydrothermal carbonization process and the use of the hydrochar in EAF steelmaking. Moreover, the electricity mix used for the EAF process has significant relevance. The main outline of the results might assist decision-makers to determine which technological route is most likely to be effective in reducing future CO2 emissions from the iron and steel industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment)
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23 pages, 2330 KiB  
Article
Life Cycle Assessment of District Heating Infrastructures: A Comparison of Pipe Typologies in France
by Mahaut Vauchez, Jacopo Famiglietti, Kevin Autelitano, Morgane Colombert, Rossano Scoccia and Mario Motta
Energies 2023, 16(9), 3912; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16093912 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2376
Abstract
Identifying decarbonization strategies at the district level is increasingly necessary to align the development of urban projects with European climate neutrality objectives. It is well known that district heating and cooling networks are an attractive energy system solution because they permit the integration [...] Read more.
Identifying decarbonization strategies at the district level is increasingly necessary to align the development of urban projects with European climate neutrality objectives. It is well known that district heating and cooling networks are an attractive energy system solution because they permit the integration of renewable energies and local excess of hot or cold sources. The detailed design and optimization of network infrastructures are essential to achieve the full potential of this energy system. The authors conducted an attributional life cycle assessment to compare the environmental profile of five distribution network infrastructures (i.e., pipes, heat carrier fluid, trenches, heat exchangers, valves, and water pumps) based on a study case in Marseille, France. The work aims to put into perspective the environmental profile of subsystems comprising a district heating infrastructure, and compare pipe typologies that can be used to guide decision-making in eco-design processing. Rigid and flexible piping systems were compared separately. The results show that the main impact source is the pipe subsystem, followed by the trench works for most impact categories. The authors underlined the importance of pipe typology choice, which can reduce emissions by up to 80% and 77% for rigid and flexible systems, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment)
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21 pages, 4103 KiB  
Article
A System Analysis of a Bio-Hydrogen Production System Using Granulated Mine Residue as a H2S Adsorbent
by Kento Torii, Mayu Hamazaki, Shoichi Kumon, Kimitaka Sato, Shogo Kato and Kiyoshi Dowaki
Energies 2023, 16(6), 2625; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16062625 - 10 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1360
Abstract
An energy production system that combines biomass and fuel cells produces much energy with minimal environmental impact. However, the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) contained in gasified biomass degrades fuel cell performance, thus negating the advantages of this combination. In this study, the [...] Read more.
An energy production system that combines biomass and fuel cells produces much energy with minimal environmental impact. However, the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) contained in gasified biomass degrades fuel cell performance, thus negating the advantages of this combination. In this study, the removal of H2S by adsorption after biomass gasification was investigated. Metal oxides with high adsorption performance are common H2S adsorbents. However, they have a significant environmental impact in terms of metal depletion, which is an environmental impact indicator. Therefore, neutralized sediment materials from mine drainage treatments can be used as H2S adsorbents. A previous study found that the adsorption performance of H2S adsorbents is equivalent to that of metal oxides, especially in the high-temperature zone (300 °C), and the environmental impact is considerably lower than that of metal oxides. However, because the neutralized sediment is a powder (Φ 4.5 μm on average), there is a possibility that the gas will not flow due to the pressure drop when it is used in a large adsorption column. Therefore, in this study, we propose the use of granulated neutralized sediments for practical plant operations. No studies have investigated the adsorption performance of granulated neutralized sediment through experiments or quantitatively investigated the effect of using waste material as a H2S adsorbent to reduce the environmental impact of hydrogen production. Based on these data, the sulfur capture capacity of the granulated neutralized sediment was experimentally investigated. The extent to which the environmental impact of the hydrogen production system could be reduced when granulated neutralized sediment was used as the H2S adsorbent was assessed. Note that the granulated neutralized sediment is formed with about a Φ 0.56–1.25 mm diameter. The granulated neutralized sediment exhibited approximately 76.8% of the adsorption performance of zinc oxide (ZnO) on a conventional adsorbent. In terms of the LCA, the global warming potential (GWP) and the abiotic depletion potential (ADP) were improved by approximately 0.89% (GWP) and 55.3% (ADP) in the entire hydrogen production process. This study demonstrated that the use of waste materials can significantly reduce the environmental impact on the entire system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment)
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21 pages, 4942 KiB  
Article
Environmental Impact Assessment of PEM Fuel Cell Combined Heat and Power Generation System for Residential Application Considering Cathode Catalyst Layer Degradation
by Shota Tochigi and Kiyoshi Dowaki
Energies 2023, 16(4), 1985; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041985 - 16 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2739
Abstract
Recently, fuel cell combined heat and power systems (FC-CGSs) for residential applications have received increasing attention. The International Electrotechnical Commission has issued a technical specification (TS 62282-9-101) for environmental impact assessment procedures of FC-CGSs based on the life cycle assessment, which considers global [...] Read more.
Recently, fuel cell combined heat and power systems (FC-CGSs) for residential applications have received increasing attention. The International Electrotechnical Commission has issued a technical specification (TS 62282-9-101) for environmental impact assessment procedures of FC-CGSs based on the life cycle assessment, which considers global warming during the utilization stage and abiotic depletion during the manufacturing stage. In proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), platinum (Pt) used in the catalyst layer is a major contributor to abiotic depletion, and Pt loading affects power generation performance. In the present study, based on TS 62282-9-101, we evaluated the environmental impact of a 700 W scale PEMFC-CGS considering cathode catalyst degradation. Through Pt dissolution and Ostwald ripening modeling, the electrochemical surface area transition of the Pt catalyst was calculated. As a result of the 10-year evaluation, the daily power generation of the PEMFC-CGS decreased by 11% to 26%, and the annual global warming value increased by 5% due to the increased use of grid electricity. In addition, when Pt loading was varied between 0.2 mg/cm2 and 0.4 mg/cm2, the 10-year global warming values were reduced by 6.5% to 7.8% compared to the case without a FC-CGS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment)
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14 pages, 2087 KiB  
Article
LCA of Mixed Generation Systems in Singapore: Implications for National Policy Making
by Hsien H. Khoo
Energies 2022, 15(24), 9272; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15249272 - 7 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2215
Abstract
The decarbonization of electrical power generation systems is one of Singapore’s national political agendas to reduce national greenhouse emissions. LCA is applied to assess the trade-offs of national implementation of electricity generation from conventional fossil-fuel power plants, compared to low-carbon alternatives. The first [...] Read more.
The decarbonization of electrical power generation systems is one of Singapore’s national political agendas to reduce national greenhouse emissions. LCA is applied to assess the trade-offs of national implementation of electricity generation from conventional fossil-fuel power plants, compared to low-carbon alternatives. The first aim of LCA is to quantify the emission inventory of national electrical generation within the geographical boundary of Singapore, and next to generate the potential environmental impacts of Global Warming Potential, Acidification, and Eutrophication. Various scenarios are tested for a projected diversity of fuel resource mixes considered for years 2030 and 2040 and a hypothetical scenario where 100% renewable energy is employed and imported as the nation transitions towards a low-carbon energy future. Further discussions on the additional LCA model indicators should be included for the potential of low-carbon hydrogen application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Life Cycle Assessment of Energy and Environment)
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