Enrico Cini

Ripples damping due to monomolecular films

Abstract Elaborating the algebra relevant to ripple waves on the surface of film-covered water, a quartic equation is derived, whose solutions are the Laplace and the Marangoni waves. It is shown that the Laplace wave is the only physically meaningful solution when the film is soluble. When the film is insoluble, the Laplace solution is coupled with the Marangoni solution in the region of maximum damping.

Olive Oil Production Chain

In this chapter, Multicriteria Analysis (MCA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies are applied to investigate a number of aspects of the extra-virgin olive oil production chain. The analysis starts from the definition of a number of possible scenarios concerning all phases of the chain: olive grove characteristics, management and productivity; olive harvesting and transport to the extraction plant (logistics); extraction plant configuration and management. Scenarios are arranged in order to define different configurations of the whole chain. The MCA methodology is then applied to select the most suitable scenario arrangements, according to a number of requirements which are set in advance: main goals to be accomplished, main benefits and drawbacks, a number of evaluation criteria for scenario selection, outcomes and/or scores associated with each scenario for each evaluation criterion. Chain configurations which achieve higher scores are subsequently considered for further evaluation by means of LCA, exploiting the GEMIS software. Results in terms of CO2eq emissions and CER associated with each chain are eventually reported and discussed.

Agricultural and Forestry Mechanization

Wood biomass for energy production, used by 50% of the world’s population, represents an important alternative to other non-renewable energy sources even in industrialized countries. The correctly planned management of wood biomass production could make it a valid alternative energy solution to traditional fossil fuels, since it is a local and widely available resource, it has an almost carbon neutral production balance and its exploitation could trigger processes of environmental and social improvement. However, efficient energy transformation that is environmentally and economically sustainable requires the realization of optimized chains in which each phase is rationally planned. This study was carried out using multicriteria analysis methodology in order to assess the suitability of using this renewable source of energy, taking into account the energy, emissions and economic factors as well as the technologies used. The study took into account the costs of cultivation, harvesting, transportation and transformation of the biomass obtained from short to medium rotation coppice, as well as from salvaged biomass chains. The methodology was applied referring to Italy, making the relevant adjustments.

Oil Palm Farming Chain

This chapter presents an example of Multicriteria analysis (MCA) application and consequent life cycle assessment (LCA). The methodologies are applied to a case in which a number of possibilities must be evaluated for installing an oil palm plantation. The example is not based on a real case but on a hypothetical one in order to show a wider range of variables. The subsequent steps are presented and discussed throughout following some realistic assumptions and a framework is suggested to the reader in order to allow him to adapt it to specific cases and needs. MCA and LCA results are discussed and compared on a methodological point of view.

Energetic Use of Biomass and Biofuels

Olive oil production is one of the most important activities of the agricultural sector in the Mediterranean region. Considering that olive-groves significantly characterise the landscape and that olive pruning requires large labour input and costs, farmers have to organize the pruning operation assuring economical sustainability. For this reason the energetic use of olive pruning has been adopted in many farms, even if the collection and treatment of the residues could imply additional costs in field operations. Therefore, in order to analyze the pros and cons of different alternatives for olive pruning management, a methodological approach able to take into account both the economical and environmental aspects must be implemented. In this chapter, 35 possible scenarios are illustrated and evaluated: based on the chosen criteria, solutions which present limited fuel consumptions, reduced transports and the biomass use in small- or medium-sized combustion plants, are preferred.

General Theory of Multicriteria Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment

The agro-industrial sector presents relevant environmental pressures in terms of both consumption of non-renewable resources, emissions of greenhouse gases, by-product reuse and waste disposal. Moreover, these environmental aspects must be evaluated assuring the technical feasibility and the economical sustainability of the alternative chains. Therefore, the multicriteria analysis (MCA) implementation is useful to detect all the possible technical solutions and identify the most suitable ones in order to limit the production costs and minimise the environmental pressures. On the other hand the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is one of the most effective tools for carrying out the environmental analysis, even if the large variability and complexity of possible scenarios often determine a huge amount of configurations to be investigated, which require considerable computational time and resources. For this reason the methodological approach proposed in this book adopts the MCA at the very first stage as a sort of pre−filtering which should be capable of selecting the most relevant cases to be investigated by means of LCA.