Search

This paper presents and discusses the applicability and the main challenges of the methodology Organisational LCA to an organisation in the sector of agricultural equipment. The main methodological issues related to the modelling of end of life are discussed, together with the possible sinergies and complementarities with the ISO 14001:2015.The O-LCA has proven to be a very useful and complete approach for an organisation, and contributing to make a step towards Sustainable Development Goals, namely “Sustainable Production and Consumption Patterns”. By looking both at the product portfolio and at the activities, it provides a global view on the organisation and allows identifying the most effective and efficient interventions to optimise the environmental performances. It is close to the way the organisations are used to deal with the environmental management and, as such, the O-LCA could represent the analytical tools within the already existing management schemes.

L’agricoltura nei prossimi decenni continuerà ad essere il maggiore utilizzatore della risorsa acqua, richiedendo lo sviluppo di adeguate politiche di gestione e tutela. In tale contesto assume rilievo la discussione sulla valutazione dell’impronta idrica (Water Footprint-WF) e sul confronto fra i diversi metodi mediante la realizzazione di casi applicativi. In questo lavoro si presenta uno studio di WF, effettuato secondo il metodo del WF Network, sul processo di coltivazione del Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP. Il confronto con analoghi studi di letteratura mostra come il metodo applicato possa fornire informazioni al coltivatore per una riduzione sia dell’uso della risorsa acqua, che degli impatti sulle acque del proprio sistema produttivo. Inoltre, il fattore resa rischia di portare a un valore di WF più elevato per colture tradizionali di qualità rispetto a colture intensive.

The study aims to assess the environmental performances of a novel process of bio-plastic (polyhydroxyalkanoates, PHAs) production using winery waste. Sustainability is measured by an attributional life cycle assessment and compared both with results reported in literature for PHAs, and with results of a fossil-based plastic (polypropylene, PP), and of an alternative bio-based plastic (bio-polypropylene, bio-PP). PHAs produced from wine industry residues, although generally better than other PHAs in terms of greenhouse emissions and energy demand, show mixed results. Large environmental benefits in terms of both global warming potential reduction, lesser energy use and resource depletion, are counterpoised to higher impacts on other categories also when compared to both PP and bio-PP. Research shall deeper investigate the effects of combining different waste and residues in input and of the fate of co-products and waste obtained by their processing.

La Rete Italiana LCA è stata lanciata nel 2006 con l’obiettivo di favorire la diffusione della metodologia di Life Cycle Assessment attraverso la creazione di un network nazionale e l’organizzazione di convegni e seminari. Nel 2012 la Rete si è costituita in Associazione scientifica rafforzando il suo impegno per lo sviluppo e l’adozione dell’approccio del ciclo di vita nell’implementazione dello sviluppo sostenibile. Tra le iniziative intraprese dalla Rete Italiana LCA, particolarmente rilevante è il Convegno nazionale annuale al quale prendono parte le più importanti realtà del settore operanti sul tema del Life Cycle Assessment. Il Convegno quest’anno si svolge con il patrocinio di Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare, SETAC Italian Branch, Società Chimica Italiana, Università degli Studi di Bologna Campus di Ravenna e Fondazione Flaminia per l’Università in Romagna; usufruisce, inoltre, della sponsorizzazione di Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna, Thinkstep e YARA Italia. Il tema del Convegno annuale 2016 è il ruolo del Life Cycle Thinking nel supportare l’adozione di scelte operative e strategiche efficaci nella definizione e valutazione di prodotti/processi/servizi ambientalmente e socialmente sostenibili e nell’implementazione dell’economia circolare. In tal senso il Convegno fa il punto sulle iniziative internazionali e sui più recenti sviluppi nazionali connessi all’evoluzione metodologica e all’applicazione dell’approccio del ciclo di vita, con un particolare focus sulle novità legislative di recente approvate in Italia. In particolare, lo schema nazionale volontario Made Green in Italy (art. 21 Legge 221/15) e le linee guida attuative in materia di offerta economicamente più vantaggiosa (art. 95 del Codice degli Appalti e delle Concessioni, D.lgs n. 50/16) rafforzano il ruolo del “Life Cycle Thinking” nel panorama nazionale.

Questo lavoro si propone di valutare l’applicabilità dello strumento OEF (Organization Environmental Footprint) ad una società di gestione aeroportuale. L’articolo presenta l’impostazione metodologica dello studio: la fase di raccolta dati, L’impostazione di un modello tramite il software di Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) GaBi ts ed i risultati ottenuti. L’aeroporto è considerato come una “black box” all’interno della quale è definito il portfolio di prodotti e servizi. Lo studio presenta una analisi di screening degli impatti provocati dall’organizzazione esaminata ed evidenzia le criticità riscontrate durante l’applicazione della metodologia. La metodologia utilizzata viene quindi proposta come possibile punto di partenza per la creazione delle Organization Environmental Footprint Sector Rules (OEFSR) per il calcolo dell’impronta ambientale di questo tipo di organizzazioni che servono per avviare uno studio comparativo.

ISO Life Cycle Assessment method was applied to the production of wheat and maize in an Italian farmers’ cooperative, with the aim to assess the potential environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of these crops as well as to identify the hotspots in the production chains. The functional units were 1 tonne of wheat and maize and system boundaries were from cradle to cooperative’s gate and included the agricultural production, the transport to the cooperative, and the cleaning as well as storage phases. Specific primary data were used in the study. The results according to the CML and UseTox impact assessment methods show that the major hotspot for both crops in almost all impact categories is the agricultural phase, due to fertilisers and pesticides use. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed, using different methods for the calculation of on-field nitrogen and pesticides emissions, in order to assess their effects on LCA results.

The sustainable processing of biomass into a spectrum of products and energy is the goal of a biorefinery. Sustainability is key in this process and all biorefineries should be designed for sustainability along the entire value chain. A laboratory-scale plant has been built by the University of Bologna, coupling pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion, in order to treat high ligno-cellulosic waste biomass. This technology set can bring a wider range of exploitable residual biomasses in anaerobic digestion. A life cycle assessment has been conducted on the use of corn stover in this experimental plant. The assessment included changes in land-use and soil carbon stock, biochar application to agricultural soils, biomass collection and pre-treatment, and biochar valorization as fertilizer and for carbon storage. The system is compared to a fossil reference system providing the same set of products. Results show that the process can yield a net energy gain and reduce GHG emissions, but high variability affects some key parameters, such as the energy required by the pyrolyzer and the biogas output from the anaerobic digester. As for the carbon balance, a relevant contribution is given by carbon storage in biochar.

The calculation of emissions from the use of pesticides is a critical issue in LCA studies of agrifood products and only occasionally discussed in details in literature studies. The objective of this study is to assess the results of the application of PestLCI 2.0 model to the production ofmaize in Northern Italy using site-specific soil and climate data, which were added for this purpose in PestLCI database. In this way, the application of the tool and its database were tailored to that area. Moreover, the results were compared with those obtained assuming maizecultivation on other soil typologies in the surrounding areas. Results show that soil variation scarcely affects the emissions to air and surface water are whereas it affects significantly the emissions to groundwater. Finally, some features of PestLCI were highlighted and comments for a further improvement of the model were provided.

This work assesses the environmental impact of a municipal solid waste incinerator with energy recovery situated in Forlì-Cesena province (Emilia-Romagna region, Italy). The methodology used is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This plant, opened in 2008, is able to submit 120000 t/year of waste. It uses dry flue gas abatement equipment, composed of a couple of fabric filters and lime and activated carbon spraying. It also includes a cogeneration plant, i.e. it simultaneously generates heat and power by a heat engine. As the plant tries to produce as few residues as possible, and it recovers a significant amount of energy, it already applies the best technologies available in waste treatment. This is why this study focuses mainly on the fate of the solid residues produced during incineration.

This study provides different scenarios on the eco-sustainability of the implementation of biodiesel production from microalgae cultivated in PBRs and located in Denmark on an industrial scale. LCA is the tool used to perform the assessment. The best available technologies for algal biodiesel production in PBRs were analyzed and compared. Each scenario has been compared also with diesel production performances. Finally, an evaluation of the parameters which most affect biodiesel production has been performed. The processes of algal biodiesel production taken into account are: cultivation, harvesting, the drying phase, oil extraction, transesterification, anaerobic digestion of residual biomass and the use of glycerol obtained from transesterification.