Author(s): Ian Vázquez Rowe y otros
(Español) Feeding the world’s population sustainably is a major challenge of our society, and was stated as one of the key priorities for development cooperation by the European Union (EU) policy framework on food security. However, with the current trend of natural resource exploitation, food systems consume around 30% of final energy use, generating up to 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Given the expected increase of global population (nine billion people by 2050) and the amount of food losses and waste generated (one-third of global food production), improving the efficiency of food systems along the supply chain is essential to ensure food security. This study combines life-cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the efficiency of Spanish agri-food system and to propose improvement actions in order to reduce energy usage and GHG emissions. An average energy saving of approximately 70% is estimated for the Spanish agri-food system in order to be efficient. This study highlights the importance of the DEA method as a tool for energy optimization, identifying efficient and inefficient food systems. This approach could be adopted by administrations, policy-makers, and producers as a helpful instrument to support decision-making and improve the sustainability of agri-food systems.
Open linkAuthor(s): André Torre García
(Español) Asesor: Ian Vázquez
Tesis para optar el título de Licenciado en Ingeniería Civil
Resumen:
El Perú es un país privilegiado por su oferta hídrica; sin embargo, su orografía delimita tres vertientes hidrográficas que descompensas su distribución especial. En efecto, únicamente 1.8% de los recursos hídricos se localizan en la vertiente del Pacifico, en la cual se ubica el 65% de la población (Fernández, 2011). Esto sumado al agotamiento progresivo de los recursos y el calentamiento global que afronta el mundo, suponen un problema aún más serio (Ngo et al., 2016). En ese sentido, el tratamiento de aguas residuales es una opción factible para la reutilización de volúmenes importantes de agua y la recuperación de nutrientes y energía. La producción anual de aguas residuales en el Perú es de 798.5 Hm3, de las cuales solo el 32% recibe algún tipo de tratamiento (260.9 Hm3). Además, únicamente 30.9 Hm3 del agua residual tratada es reutilizada (SUNASS, 2015). En este sentido, se propone el diseño y análisis ambiental de una planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales en la ciudad de Huaraz, como primera medida para mejorar los estándares de calidad del río Santa; y por ende los estándares de calidad de vida de la población que utiliza sus aguas. Asimismo, la planta permite aprovechar los recursos procedentes del tratamiento de las aguas residuales; tales como fertilizantes, biogás, entre otros. Para llevar a cabo el estudio, se combinaron herramientas de diseño y gestión ambiental. Por un lado, para el diseño se utilizó el software BioWin 5 en su versión estudiante, el cual permite modelar distintos trenes de tratamiento y estimar la calidad del agua para cada uno de ellos. Asimismo, es factible estimar la cantidad de recursos que se derivan del tratamiento de aguas residuales. Por otro lado, para el análisis ambiental se siguieron los lineamientos del Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) y se utilizó el software SimaPro. La metodología propuesta permitió analizar y comparar, de manera rigurosa, los impactos generados por la implementación de la PTAR y por la ausencia de la misma. Los resultados del diseño indican que se cumplió satisfactoriamente con lo estipulado por la normativa peruana para la calidad de los efluentes de una PTAR (MINAM, 2010), y parcialmente lo estipulado por las normativas europeas (EC, 1998; ECC, 1991). Esto se debió a la limitación intrínseca de BioWin estudiante para el modelamiento de la recirculación del licor mezclado y permeado, lo cual derivó en la insuficiente eliminación de nutrientes, N y P. Asimismo, los resultados del análisis ambiental indican que se reducen los niveles de eutrofización a más de 50% durante todo el año; y que estos permanecen prácticamente constantes a lo largo de mismo.
Author(s): Marco Gusukuma Higa, Ramzy Kahhat Abedrabbo
(Español) As with every technology, televisions (TV) are prone to replacement due to technological evolution of the equipment itself (e.g. CRTs to flat panels) or the system (e.g. signal). While the former is commonly a gradual change that depends on the consumer, the latter could be sudden, as it depends on national regulations. When an abrupt change happens, it can generate an abnormal volume of equipment at the end of life. Thus, the principal motivation of this research is to estimate the amount of CRT TV sets that will be stored by users in 2025, the end of the analog switch-off (ASO) in Peru. Dynamic Material Flow Analysis (D-MFA) was applied to estimate flows and stocks of CRTs from residential, business and public sources between 2005 and 2017. Because of data constraints in the Business and Public (B&P) sector, two scenarios were modeled to lower the uncertainty of the estimated number of TV sets. Results show that between 2.6 and 5.7 million CRT TV units, equivalent to 41,100 and 68,200 metric tons of leaded glass and 4500 and 8000 metric tons of lead, were placed in residential and B&P facilities in 2017 and will have become obsolete at the end of ASO. Projections for 2025, the final ASO year, indicate that between 0.27 and 5.86 million CRT TV units will be stored in those places. If planned correctly, resources embedded in CRT TV could create an urban mining opportunity, but an inadequate waste management plan that excludes appropriate recycling technologies could generate significant environmental impacts.
Open linkAuthor(s): Isabel Quispe Trinidad, Ramzy Kahhat Abedrabbo y otros
(Español) Energy consumption linked to non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and increases resource depletion. In this context, the use of agricultural solid residues such as rice husk, coffee husk, wheat straw, sugar cane bagasse, among others, has been widely studied as an alternative energy source in order to decrease the use of fossil fuels. In Peru, up to 693,308 metric tons of rice husk is generated annually and at present, 85% is burned in the open air or disposed in rivers, harming human health and contaminating our environment. On the other hand, official Peruvian energy policy is to incorporate the use of renewable energy sources, such as agricultural residues. Consequently, the aim of the study is to perform a technical and environmental assessment of the production of energy from rice husk as an alternative energy source to coal in Peru. Rice husk from Peru was characterized to identify its physical properties and chemical composition. In order to perform the environmental assessment, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was employed. LCA is a standardized methodology to identify and quantify the environmental impacts from initial obtention of materials, through production, distribution and use to final disposal (ISO 14040, 2006 and ISO 14044, 2006). Four scenarios were evaluated, varying in paddy rice yield and dryer efficiency. The results show that the environmental impacts to obtain 1 MJ from rice husk, including elements in the global warming, acidification and eutrophication categories, are less than that from 1 MJ obtained from coal, 97%, 88% and 80% less, respectively. However, the opposite was found in water depletion, with the use of coal to generate heat having a 98% better impact over rice husk.
Open linkAuthor(s): Ana Merino Salazar
(Español) Asesor:Ramzy Kahhat
Tesis para optar el título de Licenciado en Ingeniería Civil
Resumen:
Existe una crisis ambiental, la cual empezó a evidenciarse desde los años sesenta, cuando inició la producción masiva y el consumo excesivo de los recursos naturales. Científicos advierten sobre la amenaza inminente y los efectos irreversibles que el cambio climático tendría sobre la humanidad y su hábitat en general. El sector construcción genera una cantidad importante de impactos ambientales, que no solo están relacionados con la actividad misma, sino también con la cadena de suministro de los materiales que son requeridos. Asimismo, existen impactos ambientales relacionados a la operación, mantenimiento y fin de vida de la infraestructura que es desarrollada. Para mitigar dichos efectos negativos del sector, se han creado herramientas para evaluar el comportamiento ambiental de los proyectos. Una de ellas es la certificación LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). En Lima existen más de 60 proyectos certificados por LEED y 200 inscritos. Sin embargo, dicha certificación no cuenta con una adaptación local. En este contexto, el objetivo del presente trabajo es evaluar la sostenibilidad de la aplicación de la certificación LEED en el diseño y ejecución de nuevos edificios, destinados para el uso de oficinas en la ciudad de Lima, Perú. Para ello, se analizó el impacto de las acciones llevadas a cabo por el caso de estudio del edificio Leuro, Miraflores. Los resultados obtenidos en la investigación, demuestran que el caso de estudio a pesar de ser premiado como el primer edificio LEED nivel Platinum en la categoría Core and Shell versión 2009, posee características que no generan beneficios al contexto local pero que aun así LEED le ha otorgado puntos. Del mismo modo, se demostró que el marco de prioridades locales no ha sido satisfecho por los aportes del caso de estudio. Esto se debe a las diferencias de clima, cultura y entorno entre EEUU, país donde se origina LEED, y Lima. Por lo tanto, la certificación LEED no determina el nivel de sostenibilidad de un proyecto, bajo un contexto similar al limeño, pero si representa un inicio para que los inversionistas generen conciencia de los efectos negativos del sector construcción.
Author(s): Gustavo Larrea Gallegos, Ian Vázquez Rowe, Ramzy Kahhat Abedrabbo y otros
(Español) Demand for grapes to produce pisco in southern-coastal Peru is expected to double by 2030. However, the appellation of this beverage confines the production and limits the space for agricultural expansion, leading to a situation in which potential competition for resources with established constraints is foreseen. Hence, the objective of this study is to understand the environmental impacts, focused on climate change and water consumption, linked to the agricultural dynamism in the valleys of Ica and Pisco due to an increase in the demand of pisco. For this, the viticulture system was analyzed regarding predicted changes in terms of expansion, displacement or intensification using a consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) approach, identifying the environmental consequences of these shifts. A two-step CLCA model was used based on the results of a previous attributional study, in which marginal effects were estimated following the stochastic technology-of-choice model (STCM) operational framework. Results identified a potential for the increase of pisco production based on crop substitution in the valleys of Ica and Pisco and suggest that greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption will be reduced locally, but the displaced agricultural production would reverse this tendency. Regardless of the policy implications of the results in the analyzed system, the proposed methodology constitutes a robust methodology that can be applied to other highly constrained agricultural systems, namely, those regulated by geographic indications.
Open linkAuthor(s): Karin Bartl y (Español) otros
(Español) The objective of this study was to determine and to compare the Carbon Footprint (CF) of the coffee roasting process carried out by using two technologies with different sources of energy. To this aim, two coffee roasting companies were selected in the rainforest of Peru. These companies apply concentrated solar and photovoltaic energy, and electricity from the local grid as source of energy during the coffee roasting process. For this determination, primary data was collected from the two companies located in the province of Satipo, Junin, Peru. The information obtained was analyzed according to the procedures and requirements of ISO 14040 (Life Cycle Analysis) to obtain the carbon footprint, and then processed with the software "SimaPro" to evaluate the environmental impacts due to the effect of climate change. The results indicated a CF of the solar energy roasting process of 0.318 and a CF of the local electricity grid production of 0.744 kg CO2-eq per kg of roasted coffee. This represents a difference in greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions of 134%. Within the factory activities, the stage with the highest environmental impact or "hotspot" was the roasting stage, where the most sophisticated machines are used and generated emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels. From this, proposals and recommendations to improve the strategies include an approach to clean technologies for a sustainable development in the sector, among others.
Download publication (309.21 KB)Author(s): Ian Vázquez Rowe y (Español) otros
(Español) Reducing food losses (FL) has been identified as an essential means of increasing food security, while reducing pressure on natural resources. To assess the reliability of future strategies to reduce and manage FL along the food supply chain (FSC), not only their quantification but also the ‘qualification’ in both economic and nutritional terms must be considered. The methodology proposed in this work allows to quantify FL at the distinct stages of the FSC (agricultural production, postharvest and storage, processing, distribution, households and extradomestic consumption). In addition, economic and nutritional FL are estimated. A Nutritional Food Losses Footprint (NFLF) index is proposed to assess and balance the variables described. This index is used to define food recovery strategies focused on those food categories and stages of the FSC with lesser efficiency. NFLF distinguishes between food losses from cradle to gate (FL-ctog) and food losses from gate to grave (FL-gtog) depending on the scope of the analysis. The former provides information to producers, while the latter creates awareness among consumers. Furthermore, the potential for FL reduction is estimated through the quantification of avoidable and unavoidable FL. Our study is focused on the Mediterranean region, in particular on Spain. Almost 20% of the national food production is estimated to be lost or wasted. Vegetables, fruits and meat result the food categories less efficient. Household consumption is the main responsible of FL generation, followed by agricultural production. Each Spanish citizen is estimated to throw away around 180€ per year, while a 76% could be saved.
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