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Item type:Publication, The combined use of life cycle assessment and data envelopment analysis to analyse the environmental efficiency of multi-unit systems(Elsevier, 2022-01-01)The combination of life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodologies has been employed over the past years to assess the eco-efficiency of a wide spectrum of production systems. This chapter presents a critical review on current practices of the joint application of LCA+DEA, as well as point towards the methodological challenges and opportunities for the future. Considering the growth of the method in the past decade, it is plausible to assume that an increasing number of studies will continue to appear in the literature. The development of guidance or standardisation reports would constitute a step forward in terms of providing advice on how recurrent methodological issues (e.g. uncertainty, selection of impacts categories or DEA models, etc.) should be addressed in LCA+DEA. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, A critical review on food loss and waste quantification approaches: Is there a need to develop alternatives beyond the currently widespread pathways?(Elsevier BV, 2022-09-27)In a context of increasing concern regarding food loss and waste (FLW) generation, different attempts have been made to standardize quantification methodologies. On the one hand, an important number of small-scale studies have been published that constitute direct measurement methodologies. On the other hand, the FAO Food Balance Sheets, which aggregate some of the prior studies, provides an indirect metric that has been applied using FLW coefficients in numerous food-related studies. However, to date, no standard methodology has been agreed upon to quantify FLW. This study performs an assessment of 237 studies in the field, aiming to identify existing FLW quantification methodologies, and if there is a need of developing alternative paths. Firstly, a descriptive review was performed. Secondly, an assessment of critical point of views was presented. For this, different critical voices in the scientific literature were retrieved, some of which highlight the high level of uncertainty and a certain degree of opacity in some of the most widespread FLW quantification and assessment reports. In this line, essential elements of quantification are being omitted. Moreover, the focus is being excessively placed on the role of the consumer, compared to the role played by agribusiness and large distribution chains. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Climate change mitigation potential of transitioning from open dumpsters in Peru: Evaluation of mitigation strategies in critical dumpsites(Elsevier B.V., 2022-11-10)Waste management is a critical policy towards the reduction of environmental impacts to air, soil and water. Many Latin American countries, however, lack a correct waste management system in many cities and rural areas, leading to the accumulation of unmanaged waste in illegal or unregulated dumpsites. The case of Peru is of interest, as it hosts 5 of the 50 largest dumpsites in the world. An erratic waste management compromises climate actions for Peru to commit with the Paris Agreement, as no correct closure systems are established for these dumpsites. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to assess the contribution of the past and present biodegradable waste produced and disposed of in the most critical open dumpsters to the overall annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Peru using the IPCC model. Thereafter, the climate change mitigation potential of possible dumpsite closure strategies based on a selection of technologies, including economic feasibility, were estimated. Results show that cumulative GHG emissions in 2018 for the 24 critical dumpsites evaluated added up to 704 kt CO2 eq. and a cumulative value of 4.4 Mt CO2 eq. in the period 2019–2028, representing over 40 % of solid waste emissions expected by 2030. Mitigation potentials for these emissions tanged from 91 to 970 kt CO2 eq. in the ten-year period depending on the mitigation strategies adopted. The costs of these strategies are also discussed and are expected to be of utility to complement Peru's waste management commitments in the frame of the Paris Agreement. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Low energy and carbon hydroponic tomato cultivation in Northern Spain: Nutritional and environmental assessment(American Chemical Society, 2024-01-15)The agri-food sector is one of the most impactful on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and is one of the largest consumers of energy and natural resources. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental impacts of hydroponic tomatoes cultivated in northern Spain using a waste product as biomass to heat the greenhouses and solar energy for powering the irrigation system to identify their main environmental hotspots and improvement measures. For this purpose, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used. The functional units (FUs) chosen were 1 kg of tomatoes and an alternate FU based on nutrition, e.g., NRF9.3. The influence of including biogenic CO2 emissions has been considered using a “-1/+1″ approach to assess the uptake and release of biogenic carbon throughout the whole life cycle. The main results showed that greenhouse gas emissions varied between 1.4 kg CO2 equiv and 2.5 kg CO2 equiv considering biogenic carbon, whereas the total energy demand of the production of hydroponic tomatoes was 9.7 MJ. Fertilization and the greenhouse structure were identified as the main contributors to environmental burdens; hence, improvement opportunities were focused on these critical points.