Poster Session 3 (19:30 - 21:00 UTC)
Session Chair: Joe Bozeman & Glenn Aguilar
| Presentation Start Time (UTC) | Poster title | Student's name (corresponding author) |
| 19:30:00 | Assessing Options for Decarbonization and Metal Reduction in Offshore Wind Turbines Using Life Cycle Analysis | Jean Claire Pineda |
| 19:35:00 | Using Substance Flow Analysis to Calculate Changes in Nitrogen Input Due to the Inclusion of Continuous Cover Crops in Commodity Production | Lucas de Lima Casseres dos Santos |
| 19:40:00 | Scalability of Hemp Insulation in the US – A Monte Carlo-based Techno-economic Approach | Arjun Thangaraj Ramshankar |
| 19:45:00 | Life Cycle Evaluation of Prescription Medication Dispersion in New Jersey | Alyssa Dailey-Sterling |
| 19:50:00 | When material flow meets life cycle assessment databases. | Han De Wachter |
| 19:55:00 | Decision-making for Industrial Ecology Implementation: place-based interdependencies | Estefanía Hernández-Pineda |
| 20:00:00 | Evaluating the environmental impacts of historical oil spill incidents in North America from the life cycle perspective | Yiming Liu |
| 20:05:00 | Lithium mining lessons for the United States: a social hotspot analysis of mining impacts in South America and their translation into American society | Megan Jermak, Sarah Cribb |
| 20:10:00 | Better understanding the material use in building refurbishment and renovation (*) | Zere Bekzhanova |
| 20:15:00 | Data development for a physically extended EEIO model to assess the life cycle emissions intensity of U.S. manufactured goods on a mass basis | Beth Kelley |
| 20:20:00 | Can Real-Time LCA Lead to Better Decisions in Water Contamination Crises? | Jingyan Huang |
| 20:25:00 | From Servers to Heaters: Harnessing Data Center Waste Heat for Northern China's Green Transition | Hao Hu |
| 20:30:00 | BIO-OPT: An Integrated Analytical Platform for Pioneering Sustainable Bioeconomy Solutions | Shiva Zargar |
| 20:35:00 | The optimisation of an Industrial Ecology into a Process of Internationalization of Francophone Agri-food firms | CILIBERTI Carla |
| 20:40:00 | Biorefinery of polyhydroxybutyrate and violacein by a Chilean Janthinobacteirum specie to obtain a combined bioplastic (*) | Mario Sepúlveda Mardones |
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Assessing Options for Decarbonization and Metal Reduction in Offshore Wind Turbines Using Life Cycle Analysis
Jean Claire Pineda
The offshore wind (OSW) industry is projected to grow tenfold globally, producing an equivalent of 742 GW by 2040. The renewable energy sector is set to drive demand growth for metals, including steel, rare earth elements, and copper. Studies have shown that OSW turbines can generate as much as 220 tons of CO2 per MW produced to extract, refine raw materials, and manufacture large components. This burden on the environment combats the OSW sector’s ability to truly decarbonize the energy sector.
The impact of the OSW industry on emissions and metal depletion can be measured using Life Cycle Analysis. By retracing the processes and materials involved in the production and installation of an OSW turbine, different environmental impacts can be measured and quantified in real terms to identify areas where sustainability targets can be improved. This study presents preliminary results analyzing the impact of a planned New Jersey OSW farm which includes 105 15-MW turbines utilizing a fixed-bottom monopile connected through inter-array cables. This study focuses on the environmental impact categories global warming and mineral resource scarcity. Based on the study’s functional unit of 1 GW of electricity produced, results show estimations of 6980 kg CO2 eq and 435 kg Cu eq.
This ongoing work uses this information as a baseline model to compare alternative OSW technologies and supply chains, including the following scenarios: 1) a decarbonized steel sector for major component supply, 2) replacing major steel components with carbon fiber composite, 3) replacing REE material in the nacelle magnet, and 4) substituting aluminum or carbon fiber composites for the copper wires in the inter-array cables. By identifying opportunities for improving the sustainable design of the components of an OSW turbine, this study will help direct production and manufacturing goals for future suppliers prior to mid-to long-term deployment of OSW turbines in the US.
Using Substance Flow Analysis to Calculate Changes in Nitrogen Input Due to the Inclusion of Continuous Cover Crops in Commodity Production
Lucas de Lima Casseres dos Santos
For decades, people have been working on solutions to reduce nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (CBW). Introducing perennial grasses and winter crops to maintain continuous cover in agricultural landscapes are two best management practices (BMP) that have effectively reduced nutrient inputs in the region. This work explores how implementing these BMPs reduces nitrogen input to commodities produced in the region. A substance flow analysis model was built to build life cycle inventories on nitrogen flows for four scenarios of commodity production in the CBW. The scenarios are divided into baseline, perennial grass or winter crop only, and perennial grass and winter crop. Six animal commodities were evaluated: beef, milk, pork, turkey, eggs, and chicken. In summary, the implementation of winter crop and a combination of winter crop and perennial grass reduces nitrogen input to four of the commodities assessed.
Scalability of Hemp Insulation in the US – A Monte Carlo-based Techno-economic Approach
Arjun Thangaraj Ramshankar
Decarbonizing the construction sector is vital to meet the U.S. national greenhouse gas emission targets. To this effect, the development and deployment of bio-based alternatives to existing construction materials is becoming an increasingly used strategy to reduce the embodied carbon of the built environment. Hemp-based insulation is one such alternative. While several studies have aimed to quantify the environmental benefits of deploying hemp insulation, the economic modeling is currently limited to purchase price data. In this study, a Monte Carlo-based techno-economic model is proposed to fill this gap. The developed model incorporates the uncertainty surrounding a supply chain in its infancy to determine the economic viability of the hemp insulation across a range of input parameters. The results obtained show that the retrofit of existing bioproducts/manufacturing plants to produce hemp insulation increases the rate of payback and breakeven. Further sensitivity analysis shows that the price of the procured hemp fibers, the selling price of the finished product, and the demand for the finished product are key factors that determine the magnitude of economic success.
Life Cycle Evaluation of Prescription Medication Dispersion in New Jersey
Alyssa Dailey-Sterling
Plastic pollution is a growing environmental issue, with the pharmaceutical industry contributing through single-use plastic pill bottles. This study conducts a life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the environmental impacts of single-use plastic and refillable glass pill bottles in New Jersey pharmacies. By examining production, distribution, and end-of-life management, the study aims to identify more sustainable packaging options.
Preliminary results show that plastic pill bottles, made from petroleum-based materials, have higher environmental impacts. Refillable glass bottles, despite higher production and transportation energy demands, offer a more eco-friendly alternative due to their recyclability and reusability over multiple lifecycles.
This research supports informed decision-making for pharmacies, policymakers, and environmental organizations in promoting greener pharmaceutical packaging. Ongoing research will continue to explore the intricacies of prescription packaging solutions to address further aspects of the medication dispersion process.
When Material Flow Meets Life Cycle Assessment Databases
Han De Wachter
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a crucial tool to guide decision making because of its ability to capture both direct and indirect impacts throughout the value chains. LCA studies often use the ecoinvent database to represent different activities and value chains in our economy. Ecoinvent contains fixed descriptions of processes and until now, the construction of these processes has focused on their linkages and on the impacts they cause. Mass is not systematically recorded for all flows and there is evidence that the conservation of mass is not respected. We propose a rebalancing algorithm which estimates the mass of all elementary flows and products in the different versions of the ecoinvent database by leveraging principles of material flows analysis (MFA). We aim to transform the ecoinvent database into a technologically rich MFA database. The algorithm reconciles fragmented data sources and ensures all activities comply with the conservation of mass principle.
Decision-making for Industrial Ecology Implementation: Place-based Interdependencies
Estefanía Hernández-Pineda
Industrial Ecology is originally rooted in systemic thinking, aiming to avoid fragmented solutions for environmental problems of industrial systems. However, field research has increasingly leaned on technocratic and quantitative approaches. Despite their value, these approaches have two shortcomings: they haven’t scaled into mainstream management decision-making, and they neglect wider social and geographic perspectives. This research proposal advocates for a place-based approach to studying critical factors conducive to IE implementation resulting from managerial decision-making. Building on geographic and sociological theories of place, this proposal develops a conceptual framework emphasizing three critical resources: material resources, collaboration capacity, and institutional stimuli. The main goal is to unveil management models conducive to successful IE implementation, transcending technocratic approaches and incorporating social interdependencies within places. The research question guiding this research is: What critical place-based physical, relational, and institutional factors drive managerial decision-making for industrial ecology implementation?
Evaluating the Environmental Impacts of Historical Oil Spill Incidents in North America from the Life Cycle Perspective
Yiming Liu
Exposure to risks associated with the production and usage of products, particularly oil, poses significant threats to both ecological systems and human health. Notable examples include the Gulf War Oil Spill (1991) and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010). However, numerous smaller-scale oil spills, which collectively contribute to substantial oil releases, often remain overlooked. To fill this gap, we quantified the released amount (RA) of oil spills recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Subsequently, we utilized life cycle impact indicators in ReCiPe to evaluate the environmental impacts of these spills. Our findings reveal that approximately 6 million gallons of oil have been spilled in North America, equating to the volume of three Deepwater Horizon spills. The human toxicity of the annually spilled oil is comparable to the release of hundreds of tons of dichlorobenzene (DCB), while its ecotoxicities are equivalent to tens of thousands of tons DCB.
Lithium Mining Lessons for the United States: A Social Hotspot Analysis of Mining Impacts in South America and Their Translation into American Society
Megan Jermak, Sarah Cribb
As the world moves toward decarbonization, electric vehicles (EVs) are growing rapidly, reducing transportation-related carbon emissions, which account for 28% of U.S. emissions. However, fossil-fuel reduction comes at the cost of environmental impacts associated with mining critical minerals in lithium-ion batteries, requiring six times more minerals than combustion vehicles. As the US aims for 50% EV sales by 2030, insufficient domestic production of EV batteries and minerals necessitates US reliance on foreign supply chains: Chile, Australia, and China. Economic opportunity, supply-chain instability, and geopolitical tensions have led to US investment of $7 billion in domestic lithium mining (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). This study employs a Social Life Cycle Analysis lens to highlight social hotspots within established lithium mining operations in the Atacama Region of South America and emerging operations in the US to understand translations and magnifications in the growing US market for a sustainable and equitable energy transition.
Better Understanding the Material Use in Building Refurbishment and Renovation
Zere Bekzhanova
Material use in construction significantly contributes to resource depletion and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, existing research mainly focuses on material use for new construction, excluding material use for maintenance, refurbishment, and renovation. For instance, nearly one-third of GHG emissions from buildings in Canada come from renovations. In countries with slower population growth, renovations likely represent an even larger share of GHG emissions—a scenario that will become increasingly common as population growth slows and reverses through the 21st century. This research analyzes the material intensity of building refurbishment, adaptive reuse, and conversion projects, both from a framing perspective and through detailed case studies. We present a categorization of material uses for a range of renovation/refurbishment activities identified in previous literature and new data from Building Information Model (BIM) case studies that demonstrate the scale and purpose of material use in refurbishment activities.
Data Development for a Physically Extended EEIO Model to Assess the Life Cycle Emissions Intensity of U.S. Manufactured Goods on a Mass Basis
Beth Kelley
This research extends an environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) model to include physical data at the 71-subsector level for the U.S. economy. The model divides the economy into goods-producing and service-producing subsectors, with mass flows quantified for 25 goods-producing subsectors using trade, price, and production data. This extension enables the calculation of environmental impact intensity metrics, such as CO2 equivalent per kilogram, for each industrial subsector. The work aligns with U.S. Department of Energy frameworks and tools, including potential integration with the EEIO for Industrial Decarbonization Analysis (EEIO-IDA) tool as a “mass flows” module. This poster focuses on data development, challenges, and methods for the mass flow module.
Can Real-Time LCA Lead to Better Decisions in Water Contamination Crises?
Jingyan Huang
Drinking water contamination emergencies pose significant environmental, economic, and social challenges that demand rapid and coordinated responses from multiple stakeholders. However, decision-makers often lack the comprehensive information needed to make fully informed choices. To address these challenges, we developed a serious game simulating a contamination incident caused by an unregulated chemical spill. A key feature of this game is the integration of a hazard response model, which simulates the propagation of contaminants through the water system and quantifies life cycle cost, human health impact, and carbon footprint for selected response strategies. Participants take on the roles of chemical manufacturer, local resident, water treatment operator, environmental agency, and health department, working together to manage the crisis with access to the real-time hazard response model. Through this game, we aim to explore how access to LCA-driven models empowers stakeholders to make decisions that lead to improved sustainability outcomes during drinking water emergencies.
From Servers to Heaters: Harnessing Data Center Waste Heat for Northern China’s Green Transition
Hao Hu
The energy consumption of China’s data centers (DCs) is expected to continue growing. Meanwhile, theoretical studies and real-world applications demonstrate the technical feasibility of future waste heat recovery from DCs. Utilizing DC waste heat for urban building heating not only aligns with China’s low-carbon development goals for DCs but also accelerates the low-carbon transition of urban heating—an aspect that has been scarcely considered before. This project integrates a DC database and employs a spatial matching model with a parameter for the limited distance surrounding buildings. We found that the total waste heat potential in northern China is 2.093 GJ. When considering cross-seasonal heat storage, and without considering it, the spatial potential percentages of DCs within a 30 km distance are 75.99% and 74.32%, respectively. This demonstrates the high spatial heat potential of DCs, providing support for the development of DCs and heating systems in China.
BIO-OPT: An Integrated Analytical Platform for Pioneering Sustainable Bioeconomy Solutions
Shiva Zargar
This research focuses on developing an integrated analytical platform to evaluate the role of forest biorefineries in achieving a sustainable bioeconomy. The platform combines life cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis (TEA), and multi-objective optimization (MOO) to explore the balance between reducing environmental impacts and enhancing economic value. By integrating these methodologies, the platform aims to identify optimal solutions that harmonize environmental sustainability and cost-effectiveness. The research emphasizes the production processes of bioethanol, vanillin, and furfural in biorefineries. These three bioproducts are key players in the burgeoning landscape of sustainable bioeconomy. A detailed analysis of their production pathways offers insights into the relationship between environmental impact and economic feasibility, paving the way for optimized, sustainable practices in forest biorefineries.
The Optimisation of an Industrial Ecology into a Process of Internationalization of Francophone Agri-food Firms
Carla Ciliberti
Industrial ecology is an answer to strategic worldwide preoccupations and can be developed as a competitive advantage for agri-food firms seeking to internationalize. The concepts are Process of Internationalisation and Industrial Ecology, and the problem statement raised is: How do Francophone agri-food firms optimize industrial ecology in their internationalization process? The principal results highlight the importance of the network, mastery of the domestic market, and financial and technological investment.
Biorefinery of Polyhydroxybutyrate and Violacein by a Chilean Janthinobacterium Species to Obtain a Combined Bioplastic
Mario Sepúlveda Mardones
Microbial biodiversity harbors a wide range of metabolic pathways for the synthesis of added-value compounds (e.g., bioplastics, antimicrobials) from a variety of substrates. This work aims to characterize a Chilean strain of the Janthinobacterium genus to co-produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and violacein from different pure sugars and grape pomace. Bioinformatic analyses along with the evaluation of culture conditions with diverse substrates were performed. PHB and violacein were integrated through different strategies to elaborate a combined bioplastic with bioactive properties. Genome and culture assessments revealed key factors to induce the synthesis of PHB and violacein in this bacterium. Finally, PHB and violacein were integrated into microfiber scaffolds that exhibited antioxidant activity and prevented the adhesion of reference strains of clinical relevance. The microbial metabolic diversity of strain Janthinobacterium is a remarkable tool to produce added-value products under a biorefinery scheme.
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