Search

Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) is a tool to address social impacts from a life cycle perspective. This work presents the first S-LCA of the Portuguese pulp and paper sector. It presents the social risks and the positive social impacts of the sector, which have not been extensively covered in the scientific literature. Two different approaches were used to compile the social life cycle inventory based on input-output analysis. Approach 1 was based on impact analysis of changes in added value. Approach 2 was based on structural path analysis, supporting the disaggregation by production levels (or tiers). The functional unit was the production of 1 United States Dollar in the Portuguese pulp and paper sector. In the social life cycle impact assessment, the social risk assessment was conducted using the Social Hotspots Database. The positive impacts were addressed considering indicators of employment and remuneration, namely total employment, number of employees, labor compensation, and compensation of employees. Based on Approach 1, the results of the social risks showed the Portuguese pulp and paper industry, commerce and forestry sectors, and the Spanish forestry sector as the critical sectors. Based on Approach 2, Portugal and Spain continued to be the countries having the greatest social risks. Other contributions of countries were identified at different production levels, particularly China in tier 3. In both approaches, the stakeholder category ‘worker’ was the most critical. Regarding the positive social impacts, Approach 1 showed that Portugal and Spain contribute to the highest employment level linked to the pulp and paper, commerce, and forestry sectors. Approach 2 supported the differentiation of employment and remuneration at different production levels. Tier 2 (direct suppliers) presented the highest employment level and people engaged and the lowest remuneration level. The results showed that Approach 1 provides a faster and more aggregated assessment of social risks and positive social impacts. Furthermore, Approach 2 allowed a more detailed evaluation, providing a better understanding of the social risks and positive social impacts on the supply chain. Thus, Approach 2 is encouraged for different applications since it produces a better understanding of where social risks and positive social impacts occur, providing better guidance for corrective measures and decision-making.

In a circular economy, extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a regulatory approach that accounts for all environmental costs associated with a product throughout its life cycle. When considering the EPR, the regulator must (1) design an integrated framework for different stakeholders and (2) provide effective policies to create financial incentives to accelerate the circular system. Recycling funds and subsidies are the most prominent financial strategies that can either encourage or curtail the flows of recycled products. In Indonesia, a few companies provided recycling bonus s to their customers as incentives to increase the recycling rate. However, the recycling rate was not as effective as expected by the enterprise because recycling was practiced by a limited number of companies, rendering it economically unviable. The enterprises hope the government could develop a recycling fund system. In order to develop the recycling fund system, a system dynamic model was proposed and simulated to optimize the recycling funds and subsidies based on decentralized reverse supply chains. Although it is not a novelty model; however, the research show a very significant results for the government in Indonesia. This enabled a more precise, well-planned, and sustainable decision-making process for the EPR. In addition, by utilizing the system dynamic model with different scenarios in a real case study (aseptic paper packaging waste), we found that the capacity of the recycler could become the reference for the funds to be paid by the importer-producer group, wherein the recycling rate will increase with an increase in the recycling fund.

Rice husk is an important biomass residue derived from the production of rice. Rice husk contains silica (10–20 wt%) and lignocellulose (cellulose, 15–25 wt%; lignin, 10–20 wt%). The lignocellulose components in rice husk are potential carbon sources for functional carbon materials. In this work, we propose a general comprehensive green utilization strategy for the preparation of lignin-derived hierarchical porous carbon (LHPC) and cellulose-paper-based separator using the lignin and cellulose components inside rice husk, respectively. The obtained LHPC and cellulose paper separators were used as pivotal components for the fabrication of high-rate electrochemical zinc ion capacitors. Meanwhile, the silica and potassium sources in this comprehensive route were recycled as nano-sized SiO2 particles and pure KCl powders. This work constitutes a general route for the green utilization of rice husk biomass. This work opens a green avenue for the effective utilization of renewable biomasses to develop functional carbon materials and pivotal components of electrochemical energy storage devices.

There is growing interest in making printing inks more sustainable, and lowering the overall carbon footprint of the printing industry. A recent surge of research activity has emerged to develop “green” inks with bio-based solvents and binders, but little attention has been given to replacing the pigments that give inks their distinctive color. In this study, flexographic inks were formulated by replacing carbon black with a more sustainable biochar pigment derived from recycled paper, and fast growth cycle wood pulp. Obtained from fossil fuel sources, carbon black imparts high quality black prints, but at a significant environmental cost. Biochar, derived from recycled and renewable resources, has the potential to replace carbon black in many applications. Canceled United States currency stock was pyrolyzed at 1600 °C to produce a black biochar. Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) was selected for comparison, and converted to biochar at 550 °C and 1600 °C. Each biochar was functionalized and formulated into a simple ink composition optimized for flexographic printing. Prints exhibiting reflective optical densities exceeding 1.0 with excellent tone reproduction were obtained. Comparable print quality was achieved on both coated and uncoated paper substrates. Although further work would be required to fully optimize a biochar ink to match current print industry standards, a viable pathway for sustainable black ink development with good black density derived from recycled resources has been demonstrated. Our results indicate that it is possible to replace fossil fuel-based carbon black with biomass derived biochar, potentially resulting in cleaner production of flexographic printing inks.

To address the challenge of high water consumption, massive wastewater discharge and high pollution risk in textile industries, different countries have chosen various treatment method for textile wastewater according to the location and management of textile enterprises. It is not economical purposely to build separate wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for each small-scale enterprise, hence, it is common to treat the wastewater for a group of factories and then complete the treatment via a municipal wastewater treatment plant. However, the complex characteristics of textile wastewater brings some new problems for WWTPs: Textile wastewater contains over 300 mg/L COD, 100 μg/L antimony, 1000 μg/L aniline, some of which are toxic to microbes or non-biodegradable. Coagulation plays an important role in the pretreatment of textile wastewater for removing hydrophobic dyes, decreasing the SS and COD. In this paper, Poly Ferric Sulfate (PFS), Poly Aluminum Chloride (PAC) and Poly Aluminum Ferric Chloride (PAFC) were chosen to improve the biodegradability of the textile wastewater. And then, quantitatively evaluate the biodegradability of wastewater before and after coagulation treatment by analyzing the proportion of different organic pollution, which could be divided into four parts including rapid bio-treated, easy bio-treated, normal bio-treated and non-biological treatment. Results showed that the biodegradability of textile wastewater could be improved by coagulation process, and the contents of organic matter of rapid bio-treated and easy bio-treated could be maximizing when the control condition of coagulation process was optimized. Moreover, because of its characteristics of simple, easy to use, and rapidly online implement, this approach holds a great promise for applications such as investigate wastewater feature deeply, treatment technology optimization, risk control and management.

The broiler production chain (BPC) has associated environmental impacts, costs, and effects that are not compensated by the Brazilian socioeconomy. The objective of this review was to discuss BPC waste composting from a circular economy perspective. Organic solid waste is a negative externality and the agroindustry must contribute to its internalization, especially in countries with significant production, consumption, and export of chicken meat. The BPC has four main stages of significant organic waste production: reproductive poultry, hatchery, broiler growth, and broiler industry. The principal residues of this industry are reproductive poultry litter, hatchery waste, feed waste, carcasses, truck cleaning solid fraction, flotation sludge, sausage casings, charcoal, and ash. These residues have varying characteristics, such as total organic carbon (TOC) from ranging 4.4–56.22% and nitrogen from 0.2 to 9.33%. It is evident that raw materials, nutrients, and energy are misused throughout the BPC; developing countries especially cannot sustain the loss of these valuable resources. Composting has emerged as a method for mitigating the impacts of BPC waste, however, there are some obstacles. The high nitrogen concentration in BPC residues make balancing the C/N ratio complex. This deficit carbon demands residues from other sectors, such as from tree pruning, cotton residues, raw glycerin, and Napier grass. The produced BPC compost has favorable attributes to be reincorporated into the supply chain as an agricultural input. However, little research has been conducted on the short, medium, and long-term impacts of BPC compost application on different crop and soil types. Cultivations close to BPC facilities which grow broiler feed components (e.g., corn) are attractive for a closed cycle strategy and for approaching the principles of the circular economy.

Coal preparation plants are increasingly turning to alternative sources of water to reduce their consumption of fresh water, including recycled water. Some of these sources can vary greatly in inorganic electrolyte content. In this study, standard flotation tests were conducted with varying water chemistry. The concentrations of collector, frother and salt, which reflect the water quality, were varied to study the main effect of the reagents with water of varying purity as well as their interactions. The concentration of frother was clearly the most influencing factor for the yield, water recovery and ash. However, it was found that ionic content (or water quality) also had a profound effect. In particular, a higher concentration of salt tended to produce flotation products with a higher ash content. Thus, as regulation of coal preparation plants becomes more stringent and water of varying quality such as process water is used in flotation, the quality of the coal concentrates deteriorate. Thus, the environmentally beneficial practice of recycling water can lead to increased air pollution and waste generation due to an inferior product.

Co-hydrothermal carbonization (co-HTC) has emerged recently as a promising thermochemical technique that can transfer organic solid residue (e.g., biomass, sewage sludge, plastic, livestock manure) into value-added products (i.e., hydrochar). This advanced mechanism conceals the weakness of hydrochars derived from the hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of a single feedstock. The co-HTC of various feedstock blends used for hydrochar is reviewed in this article. Biomass/sludge, biomass/plastic, biomass/coal, biomass/manure were the most common feedstock blends. Many studies have found that co-HTC, compared to single feedstock, enhances the yield, ultimate and proximate properties, higher heating value (HHV), thermal behaviors, and overall quality of hydrochars. The synergistic effects of feedstock types, blending ratio, temperature, and residence time are also discussed. The feedstock mixing ratio emerges as the most important variable, followed by feedstock types, temperature, and reaction time. Thermogravimetric (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) analyses have made it possible to better understand the thermal decomposition characteristics of hydrochars. In most papers on this subject, the range of combustion temperature and comprehensive combustion index (CCI) has increased. Overall, the physicochemical and thermal behaviors of hydrochar derived from co-HTC make it energy-efficient and environmentally sound by reducing the waste load and avoiding pollution issues. Additionally, several important suggestions have been recommended for future advances being made in co-HTC of feedstocks and its comprehensive application.

In this paper, we report on the economic and environmental issues associated with a pyrolysis plant for processing sugarcane residues. The analyses consider four scenarios: (i) raw sugarcane bagasse (SCB), (ii) raw sugarcane trash (SCT) and acid-leached (iii) sugarcane bagasse (L-SCB) and (iv) sugarcane trash (L-SCT). The systems were studied by integrating a comprehensive mathematical model and experimental data. The environmental impact assessment was performed using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, including agriculture and sugar industry stages into the system boundaries. The results demonstrate that the process economy heavily depends on the bio-oil composition, yield, feedstock cost, and leaching conditions. Bio-oil from L-SCT and L-SCB contained more than 30 wt%. levoglucosan, which made it a candidate to produce fermentable sugars or other valuable chemicals instead of being burnt in low-efficiency boilers. The unitary cost of bio-oil produced from L-SCT (0.89 USD/L) and L-SCB (0.75 USD/L) was below that obtained for raw biomass, even when the Total Investment Costs behaved differently. The environmental impacts, expressed in damage categories, associated with L-SCB and L-SCT, were nearly 86% higher than for SCB and SCT. The highest impact could be attributed to the citric acid (CA) production chain, biomass transport, and harvesting operations.

Ultrasonication lysis-cryptic growth is an efficient, green method for the source reduction of excess sludge. However, the commonly used high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) suffers from high energy consumption and poor effluent quality. We explored the feasibility of low-intensity ultrasound (LIU) for sludge yield reduction. Batch activity assays indicated that an ultrasound specific energy (Es) of 2000 kJ/kg dry sludge (DS) could increase the dehydrogenase activity of the sonicated sludge by 30%. Further testing of the ultrasonic stimulus using a sequential batch reactor (SBR) showed that LIU reduced the sludge yield rate by 21.53% when the proportion of sonicated sludge (SP) was 20%, without affecting sludge dehydrogenase activity, effluent quality and sedimentation performance. Compared with that obtained with HIU, the sludge reduction rate obtained with LIU was reduced by half, but its energy consumption efficiency (EE) was 4 times higher (0.0606 kg DS/kWh). Repeated ultrasonic experiments confirmed that dehydrogenase activity reached a maximum of 60% after the sludge was sonicated once and decreased rapidly after two or more repeated ultrasonic irradiation cycles. Therefore, LIU application to a portion of the sludge achieved a balance between sludge activity and destruction, thereby promoting sludge reduction without effluent deterioration.

The reheating furnace operation in the hot mill is natural gas- and electricity-intensive. Oxygen enrichment combustion for reheating furnaces has been proposed to curb and replace natural gas use. In this study, heat transfer in steel slabs in the combustion environment of a push-type reheating furnace was simulated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. Two oxygen enrichment methods that optimized for performance were selected— a medium oxygen enrichment (MOE) case and an oxy-fuel (OF) case. A life cycle analysis (LCA) characterized the energy and emission profiles of an integrated iron and steel manufacturing process using the two oxygen enrichment cases for the hot mill. These conditions were evaluated for energy use and carbon intensity and compared with a baseline case. Results show that with oxygen enrichment, natural gas consumption can decrease by 19.6%–26.8%, total energy consumption (natural gas and electricity) can decrease by 15.1%–20.7% in the hot mill. Emissions of greenhouse gases can decrease by 11.1%–15.2% in the two optimized cases with 14%–27% reductions in regulated criteria pollutants (nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, black carbon, organic carbon, and volatile organic carbons). There is a tradeoff between reducing natural gas consumption and increasing electricity demand from a life cycle perspective. Although the OF case resulted in higher energy- and emissions-related benefits, the MOE case showed the more desirable heat flux uniformity, which is key to maintaining product quality. The analysis suggests that oxygen enrichment in the reheating furnace process can have a significant impact on hot mill environmental performance and become a contributing factor in transitioning to low-carbon steel manufacturing.

Bioconversion technology has paved the way for solving the contradiction between population growth, food production reduction, and global environmental degradation because of its ability to convert organic waste into high-value products (including plant biostimulants) and stabilize organic materials. However, the current literature review and reference framework of biostimulants in bioconversion compost of organic waste have not yet surfaced. With the great advantages of bioconversion technology, this review focuses on combing and summarizing the biostimulants components (represented by betaines, chitin, humic substances, protein hydrolysates, and beneficial microorganisms) in bioconversion compost (larvae bioconversion compost and vermicompost) and their agricultural application. In addition, the complexity of the action mode of plant biostimulants produced in bioconversion compost, as well as the existing knowledge gaps, challenges, and opportunities, were also discussed in order to give full play to the potential and agricultural application value of bioconversion technology in the future.

Increasing global energy demands requires a versatile approach, prompting many researchers to focus on renewable biofuel from sustainable resources, especially second-generation lignocellulosic biomass. The utilization of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production requires proper pre-treatment in biorefinery to increase the reaction rate in the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis step. Consequently, operational cost, enzymes and other chemical agents consumed and amount of waste produced are reduced. In this review, the latest trends in green pre-treatment methods of lignocellulosic biomass are presented and discussed, spanning the years from 2018 to 2021 and every terrestrial biomass type. Green pre-treatment methods such as ozonolysis, ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents (DES), organosolv and steam explosion are scrutinized for their optimal process parameters that maximize lignin degradation, hydrolysis sugar yield, as well as minimize reaction time, reagent consumption and energy consumption. The potential of green biofuel production by applying green pre-treatment methods are elaborated, and future perspectives for the utilization of green pre-treatment technology at industrial scale are also presented.

Clean dyeing technologies for polyester textiles, particularly waterless dyeing, have been studied extensively in recent decades. In the present work, a new waterless dyeing technology, the silicone medium dyeing, for polyester textiles had been investigated. The dyeing process of polyester textile in the silicone medium was optimized by determining the dyeing temperature, holding time, type and dosage of dye accelerator. The dye uptake of disperse dye and the fastness properties of the dyed polyester were equivalent to those of conventional water-bathed dyeing. After dyeing, polyester textile had a better color levelness. From the TGA and XRD results, it can be proved that silicone medium has no adverse effects on the fiber and can be used as a dyeing medium. The influence of the increase of halogen in the diazotized component on the affinity, dye uptake, diffusion coefficient, and other parameters was obtained by analyzing the dye uptake of C.I. Disperse Orange 44 and C.I. Disperse Yellow 163. These parameters formulate guidelines for the selection of disperse dyes for silicone medium dyeing system. To verify the feasibility of industrialization, pilot-scale dyeing was carried out. The results showed that, as compared to aqueous dyeing, higher colorfastness and better color levelness were obtained from silicone media. Therefore, this eco-friendly dyeing technology has considerable potential to become a mainstream dyeing method in the foreseeable future.

Wastewater treatment plants play a key role in preserving the resources of the environment, as well as human health. The applied technological system of a wastewater treatment plant determines the efficiency of wastewater and sewage sludge treatment, but also energy efficiency and operating costs. The aim of the presented work is to analyse the technological unconventional system of a small wastewater treatment plant with some modifications generating ecological profits, mainly the fertiliser, biomass or peat substitution ("biosolids factory" concept). The modification of the technological system consists in the application of sewage microfiltration, conditioning of sewage and sludge with cellulose material and application of short-term thermo-composting (Bionor technology). The use of a belt filter for suspension separation reduces the load on activated sludge bioreactors and aerobic stabilisation. The basic modification is the use of thermo-composting of separated sewage sludge with the addition of a structure-forming agent (straw pellet). Importantly, no precipitating or flocculating chemical substances or agents are used in this technology. The technology used enables the processing of sewage sludge into biomass with high fertilising and energy potential. In the following work, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a wastewater (and sewage sludge) treatment plants was made, comparing different possible concepts of sewage sludge management. The LCA was performed on five applied sewage sludge treatment scenarios: incineration of biomass (S1); biomass as a fertiliser product - "fertiliser substitution" (S2); biomass as a soil addition - "peat substitution" (S3); biomass as both fertiliser and a soil addition - "fertiliser and peat substitution" (S4); and biomass as a filling without any substitution benefits - "no specific use" (S5). The LCA analyses of the Bionor sludge technology applied in the wastewater and sewage sludge treatment plant confirm the environmental benefits and minimise the environmental impact with conventional solutions. The fertiliser and peat substitution scenario cause the least impact on climate change. This scenario was found as beneficial for avoiding net CO2 emissions (-5.8 kg CO2 eq/1 m(3) wastewater) and eutrophication potential (-1.7 to -2.0 kg N2O eq/1 m 3 wastewater, -2.78 to -3.0 PO4 eq/1 m(3) wastewater). The eco-toxicity study also showed low impact potentials for a land application scenario. Incineration of biomass yields higher environmental impacts than any application scenario (13.8 kg CO2 eq/1 m(3) wastewater). The LCA analysis confirmed that the peat substitution scenario was found as the most valuable. Web of Science 319 art. no. 128655

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are largely used in textile auxiliaries for the water/oil repellent finishing and have been listed as substances of very high concerns globally. Quantifying the generations and emissions of PFCs from textile and dyeing enterprises is of great significance to realizing the cleaner production management. In this study, congener- and isomer-specific PFCs were measured in regulation tank influent and final effluent from 48 textile plants in the Yangtze River Delta, China. The median ∑17 PFC concentrations in influent and effluent were 428.5 and 268.0 ng/L, respectively. Short- and medium-chain homologues accounted for three-quarters of the total PFCAs in these wastewater samples. Isomeric fingerprints showed an overwhelming occurrence of linear isomers rather than branched ones for PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS. This implied that PFCs in textile wastewater might not be exclusively from a 3M electrochemical fluorination (ECF) source. Raw materials played an important role in PFCs distributions since significantly higher levels of PFHpA, PFHxA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA and PFTrDA were found in wastewater from chemical fibre manufacturing than from manufacturing of other materials. There was no significant discrepancy in PFCs removal rates between different treatments techniques. Although ecological risk assessment revealed an absent health risks of PFCs from effluent in the short term, the implement of textile cleaner production warrants concern due to the high volumes of water per unit fabric for processing. The widespread PFCs occurrence in textile wastewater highlighted the urgency of PFCs removal and disposal. We also encouraged the replacement of synthetic substances with natural materials, adoptions of technical improvements, and innovations such as life cycle analysis or cluster process management in the development of the textile industry.

Due to growing environmental concerns mainly related to non-renewable fuels and high added-value chemicals, new solutions should reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biorefineries, which use lignocellulosic biomass as raw material, emerges as a promising alternative to replace fossil fuels and to avoid competition between food and fuel production for arable land and drinking water. Sugarcane is one of the most harvested crops in the world, mainly in the equatorial zone. One tonne of processed cane generates between 300 and 400 kg of bagasse. This work proposes a biorefinery configuration for the co-production of ethanol, xylitol, lignin, and cellulose acetate, analyzing two different scenarios in the context of low sugarcane availability. The analysis included the determination of mass, total capital investment, total manufacturing costs, CO2 footprint, and water consumption. The cellulose acetate, ethanol, and xylitol production were economically viable only if lignin is considered a product. Positive net income, with return on investment in at least ten years, was achieved. Based on the environmental assessment, the carbon capture capacity is about 400 kg per tonne of sugarcane included in the process was determined.

This study evaluated the potential of ultrasonic enhanced Fenton-based advanced oxidation to reduce toxicity, total phenol (TPh) and organic matter (COD) from olive mill wastewater (OMW). Emphasis was also placed on suggesting a sustainable treatment strategy in the light of accumulated scientific evidence, indicating the role of Fenton-based oxidation in the suggested scheme. Fenton oxidation and Fenton-like oxidation (with Fe2+ and Fe3+) were tested as selected advanced oxidation methods. The experiments were conducted in such a way that the individual removal efficiencies of ultrasonication and advanced oxidation processes be evaluated separately and in sequence. The impact on toxicity removal was tested by means of a standard respirometric method, also currently used to assess biodegradation in wastewaters. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) involving central composite design (CCD) was implemented to assess the optimum conditions. Results highlighted the merit of Fenton-based oxidation with an 80% TPh reduction and a decrease of toxicity down to the narrow margin of 13–17%, together with a COD reduction of 20–26%, all quite meaningful for the following step of biological treatment. The ultrasonic pretreatment also proved to be quite useful as it secured up to 40% of particulate COD dissolution. Studies on particle size distribution of the OMW clearly showed that preliminary treatment including advanced oxidation would leave behind the bulk of soluble COD accumulated below the size of 3 nm. Accordingly, co-treatment of OMW diluted with municipal sewage was recommended after a pretreatment sequence of holding/plain settling; chemical treatment and Fenton-based oxidation. For OMWs with low particulate COD (VSS) content, Fenton-based oxidation enhanced by ultrasonic pretreatment would be a viable option in the view of effective particulate COD dissolution achieved in this study when coupled with ultrafiltration, prior to joint biological treatment with sewage. The study highlighted advanced oxidation as an indispensable step in the treatment of olive mill wastewaters.

Livestock waste products have been shown to be a viable source of biofuel. Although research have shown that animal excreta may be used to produce bioethanol, there are scanty of reports on the use of piggery (Sus scrofa) excreta for bioethanol production. The goal of this study was to produce bioethanol on a modest scale from pig excreta using a conventional anaerobically fermentation technique with Saccharomyces cervices. Using piggery excreta, we were able to produce 0.765–1.02 gm/200 mL of 89.59 percent pure bioethanol. Gas chromatography (GC) was used to evaluate the single distilled solvent generated from the pretreated (with 4% H2SO4) and fermented pig excreta, which indicated 89.59 percent purity and a retention time of 4.104 min that was closer to absolute ethanol values. The signal peaks indicating the CH3, OH, and CH2 groups of ethyl alcohol were detected employing proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) analysis of the fermented distilled colourless from pig excreta. The antibacterial activity of bioethanol was also evaluated against several gram positive and negative pathogens, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was found to be between 11 and 25 g/mL. The potential of piggery excreta as an alternative source of bioethanol production and antibacterial agents were identified in this early investigation. In view of public health concerns as well as pollution prevention, pig manure disposal is a critical concern. In developing countries, industrialized small-scale pig farming has exploded, but the environmental issues that come with it have yet to be fully recognized. This research might lead to a more inventive and intelligent method for piggery waste/excreta disposal. As a result, policymakers may wish to consider adopting this approach for piggery farm waste/excreta management in the future, resulting in cleaner production and improved environmental conditions.

Furfural is an organic compound that is widely used in the chemical industry for manufacturing various products, such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and solvents. Furfural production from biomass feedstocks can be achieved through various conversion pathways (e.g., pyrolysis or hydrolysis), however, it requires further investigation to reduce the total cost and meet the market needs. This study proposes a multi-objective decision making framework to compare techno-economic and environmental aspects of pyrolysis and hydrolysis technologies for furfural production from sugar beet pulp. Life cycle assessment method is applied for investigating the environmental impacts of converting organic materials to intermediate bioproducts (e.g., bio-oil) on-site, near collection area, using a portable refinery unit. The techno-economic assessment employs an optimization model for minimizing the upstream and midstream costs (e.g., collection, transportation, and production). Sustainability assessments are conducted on a real case study in southern Idaho, USA, to evaluate and verify the methodology and demonstrate the application of this study. The results show that the total cost for furfural production, using pyrolysis and hydrolysis, are approximately $846 and $980 per metric ton, and total emission is 267 and 1095 kg CO2 eq. per metric ton, respectively. Therefore, the pyrolysis pathway results in lower emissions and costs due to the high-water demand and low energy-density feedstock transportation associated with the hydrolysis pathway. It is concluded that portable operations near collection sites can reduce the total costs and emissions, and consequently stimulate sustainable furfural production by addressing upstream and midstream challenges.