Author(s): Diana Ita Nagy, Isabel Quispe Trinidad y (Español) otros
(Español) Bio-polyethylene (BioPE, derived from sugarcane), sugarcane bagasse pulp, and two compatibilizers (fossil and bio-based), were used to manufacture biocomposite filaments for 3D printing. Biocomposite filaments were manufactured and characterized in detail, including measurement of water absorption, mechanical properties, thermal stability and decomposition temperature (thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA)). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed to measure the glass transition temperature (Tg). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was applied to assess the fracture area of the filaments after mechanical testing. Increases of up to 10% in water absorption were measured for the samples with 40 wt% fibers and the fossil compatibilizer. The mechanical properties were improved by increasing the fraction of bagasse fibers from 0% to 20% and 40%. The suitability of the biocomposite filaments was tested for 3D printing, and some shapes were printed as demonstrators. Importantly, in a cradle-to-gate life cycle analysis of the biocomposites, we demonstrated that replacing fossil compatibilizer with a bio-based compatibilizer contributes to a reduction in CO2-eq emissions, and an increase in CO2 capture, achieving a CO2-eq storage of 2.12 kg CO2 eq/kg for the biocomposite containing 40% bagasse fibers and 6% bio-based compatibilizer.
Download publication (4.50 MB)Author(s): Diana Ita Nagy, Ian Vázquez Rowe, Ramzy Kahhat Abedrabbo, Isabel Quispe Trinidad y Gary Chinga-Carrasco, Nicolás M. Clauser, María Cristina Area
(Español) This study aims to evaluate the life cycle environmental implications of producing fiber-reinforced biocomposite pellets, compared with sugarcane- and petroleum-based polyethylene (PE) pellets. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is used to evaluate the production of four types of pellets. LCA allows the evaluation of the benefits of improving the production of biobased materials by replacing part of the sugarcane bioPE with bagasse fibers. The functional unit selected was the production of 1 kg of plastic pellets. Primary data were collected from laboratory tests designed to obtain pulp fibers from bagasse and mix them with sugarcane bioPE. Two processes were studied to obtain fibers from bagasse: soda fractionation and hot water-soda fractionation. The results from the LCA show environmental improvements when reducing the amount of bioPE by replacing it with bagasse fibers in the categories of global warming, ozone formation, terrestrial acidification and fossil resource scarcity, when comparing to 100% sugarcane bioPE, and a reduction in global warming and fossil resource scarcity when compared to fossil-based PE. In contrast, results also indicate that there could be higher impacts in terms of ozone formation, freshwater eutrophication, and terrestrial acidification. Even though biocomposites result as a preferred option to bioPE, several challenges need to be overcome before a final recommendation is placed. The sensitivity analysis showed the importance of the energy source on the impacts of the processing of fibers. Thus, using clean energy to produce biobased materials may reduce the impacts related to the production stage. These results are intended to increase the attention of the revalorization of these residues and their application to generate more advanced materials. Further outlook should also consider a deeper evaluation of the impacts during the production of a plastic object and possible effects of the biobased materials during final disposal.
Open linkAuthor(s): Karen Biberos Bendezú, Ian Vázquez Rowe
Open linkAuthor(s): Ian Vázquez Rowe y (Español) otros
(Español) 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.
Open linkAuthor(s): Ian Vázquez Rowe y (Español) otros
(Español) Wastewater may contain a diverse group of unregulated pollutants known as emerging pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Triclosan (TCS) is a personal care product widely used as an antiseptic or preservative in cosmetics, hand wash, toothpaste and deodorant soaps. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been used as effective and alternative treatments for complex wastewater. However, an important criterion for the assessment of AOPs and their operation conditions could be the potential formation of new toxic secondary products, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), especially when emerging pollutants are present in the media. If these are omitted from environmental management studies, the real environmental impacts of a WWTPs (wastewater treatment plants) may be underestimated. Consequently, the current study aims to evaluate the environmental impacts derived from electrooxidation (EOX), one of the most effective oxidation technologies, of emerging pollutants using Life Cycle Assessment. The analyses were performed for the treatment of effluents containing TCS, firstly without considering the formation of PCDD/Fs and, thereafter, considering the effects of these compounds. Total toxicity, calculated through different methods and corresponding impact factors, were evaluated for each stage of the process when different electrolytes are used, including PCDD/Fs formation. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to study i) the effect of the TCS initial concentration on the environmental impacts associated to ecotoxicity for the different life cycle methods and ii) the influence of changing the organic pollutant on PCDD/Fs formation employing 2-chlorophenol (2-CP). As a result, LCIA methods demonstrate that they are not fully adapted to the computation of PCDD/Fs in the water compartment, since only 2,3,7,8-tetraclorodibenzo-p-dioxina (2,3,7,8-TCDD) is present as a substance in the impact categories assessed, ignoring the remaining list of PCDD/Fs.
Open linkAuthor(s): (Español) Ingrid Calixto Aguilar
(Español) Asesor: Ian Vázquez
Tesis para optar el título de Licenciado en Ingeniería Civil
Resumen:
El establecimiento de infraestructura física en los países en vías desarrollo es fundamental para impulsar su crecimiento socioeconómico. Específicamente, la construcción de carreteras en los bosques tropicales representa el primer acceso a lugares remotos con grandes potenciales económicos. Sin embargo, las carreteras en los bosques tropicales también pueden conllevar importantes impactos ecológicos, sociopolíticos y económicos. En particular, al proporcionar acceso a toda el área que atraviesa la vía, la construcción de carreteras es un factor determinante del cambio de uso de suelo. En la actualidad, existe una gran expansión vial en los trópicos y en el Perú. No obstante, un análisis ambiental apropiado de los proyectos es todavía limitado. La poca disponibilidad de información en el Perú es el primer limitante para desarrollar estudios a detalle de los proyectos viales. En ese sentido, mediante esta tesis se busca realizar una revisión teórico-conceptual y metodológica de los cambios de uso de suelo asociados al establecimiento de carreteras en la Amazonía peruana. La revisión de literatura realizada fue descriptiva: se presentó un contexto amplio del tema, un resumen de la información relevante, y una interpretación objetiva de los documentos. En la derivación del caso particular peruano se utilizó la información consolidada, se identificaron los conceptos aplicables y se analizaron nuevamente. Se identificó que la Amazonía peruana provee importantes servicios ecosistémicos como la preservación de la biodiversidad, el almacenamiento de carbono, la protección de la diversidad cultural y el suministro de recursos naturales (hidrocarburos, minerales, tierra para la agricultura y ganadería). Actualmente, la infraestructura vial cumple un papel crítico en los cambios de uso de suelo, al abrir zonas que antes eran inaccesibles y fomentar la migración de las poblaciones. Entre los cambios de uso de suelo asociados a la expansión de la infraestructura vial se encuentran las actividades agroindustriales a gran escala, la tala selectiva, la agricultura de pequeña escala y la ganadería. Asimismo, existen diversas estrategias que buscan evitar o limitar los cambios de uso de suelo asociados a las carreteras en bosques tropicales. Entre estas estrategias de enfoque se incluyen la gestión espacial de las tierras y la cartografía de carreteras, el establecimiento de las Áreas Naturales Protegidas, el fortalecimiento de la gobernanza ambiental y vial, la elaboración de Estudios de Impacto Ambiental más completos e infraestructura alternativas de transporte. En Perú, específicamente, se requiere generar mayor conocimiento de la Amazonía peruana y fortalecer la gobernanza política, social y ambiental antes continuar con la expansión de infraestructura vial.
Author(s): Gustavo Larrea Gallegos, Ian Vázquez Rowe
(Español) The improvement of diets from a nutritional and health perspective has been a critical policy objective in developing nations for the past few decades. However, the current stress that human populations are exerting on the planet has made it important to assess diets using environmental indicators, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, the main objective of the current study was to propose a methodology in which Life Cycle Assessment results linked to dietary patterns in Peru were combined with nutritional and economic data to optimize diets. For this, a linear programming model was built in which the environmental, nutritional and economic information on a set of 25 dietary patterns in Peru were optimized in order to achieve the environmentally best-performing diet that complies with economic and nutritional standards. The result of the proposed linear program allowed understanding the amount of each individual food product that should be consumed in each city that satisfies all the restrictions included in the model in order to attain the lowest GHG emissions possible. Results demonstrated that GHG reductions in food diets can be attained through optimization. For instance, in the case of Lima the obtained reduction was 6%, lowering the annual per capita footprint linked to food diets to 690 kg CO2eq, as compared to the current value of 736 kg CO2eq. From an economic perspective, results show that there are important disparities between cities in terms of increasing or decreasing prices of the market basket. Considering that in most areas of the country food purchase accounts for approximately 50% of household expenditure, it is plausible to assume that food choice is a main carrier to achieve GHG emission mitigations. In this context, the method constitutes a useful tool for policy-makers to push forward joint regulations to improve health-related issues linked to the food diet and food choice together with recommendations to lower the climatic impact of diets.
Open linkAuthor(s): Ian Vázquez Rowe
(Español) Overexploitation or full exploitation of fishing stocks first became an important problem in the second half of the 20th century, with certain fisheries collapsing and others being exploited in an unsustainable manner. This situation led to dwindling fish landings worldwide, although final seafood demand has not suffered this decrease thanks to the growth of aquaculture. Currently, new threats to marine biota are emerging that could ultimately lead to further stress on fishing stocks. The current opinion article explores these growing threats, which include the spread of dead zones throughout coastal areas, marine litter, especially microplastics and nanoplastics that are ingested by marine organisms and ultimately by humans, or the effects of climate change on world oceans, including acidification due to carbon dioxide absorption from the atmosphere or alteration in ocean circulation due to melting glaciers. Consequently, it is critical for stakeholders in the fishing sector to gain awareness of what is at stake in the upcoming decades. In fact, not only will fisheries have to expand their approach from single-species stock assessment to ecosystem-based approaches but also other metrics will have to be brought forward to maintain competitiveness and minimize food security concerns.
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