Maurizio Cellura

Decision-making in energy planning. Application of the Electre method at regional level for the diffusion of renewable energy technology

The authors show an application of the multicriteria decision-making methodology used to assess an action plan for the diffusion of renewable energy technologies at regional scale. This methodological tool gives the decision-maker considerable help in the selection of the most suitable innovative technologies in the energy sector, according to preliminary fixed objectives. In this paper, a case study is carried out for the island of Sardinia. This region presents, on one hand, a high potential for energy resources exploitation, but on the other hand, it represents a specific case among other Italian regions, because of its socio-economic status and history.

Economic Allocation in Life Cycle Assessment

This article examines methods for analyzing allocation in life cycle assessment (LCA); it focuses on comparisons of economic allocation with other feasible alternatives. The International Organization for Standardizations (ISO) guideline 14044 indicates that economic allocation should only be used as a last resort, when other methods are not suitable. However, the LCA literature reports several examples of the use of economic allocation. This is due partly to its simplicity and partly to its ability to illustrate the properties of complex systems. Sometimes a price summarizes complex attributes of product or service quality that cannot be easily measured by physical criteria. On the other hand, economic allocation does have limitations arising, for example, from the variability of prices and the low correlation between prices and physical flows. This article presents the state of the debate on the topic and some hypothetical examples for illustration. A general conclusion is that it is not possible to determine one “best” allocation method. The allocation procedure has to be selected on a case‐by‐case basis and no single approach is suitable for every situation. Despite its limitations, economic allocation has certain qualities that make it flexible and potentially suitable for different contexts. In some situations, economic allocation should not be the last methodological resort. The option of economic allocation should be considered, for example, whenever the prices of coproducts and coservices differ widely.

Resource Consumption and Environmental Impacts of the Agrofood Sector: Life Cycle Assessment of Italian Citrus-Based Products

Food production and consumption cause significant environmental burdens during the product life cycles. As a result of intensive development and the changing social attitudes and behaviors in the last century, the agrofood sector is the highest resource consumer after housing in the EU. This paper is part of an effort to estimate environmental impacts associated with life cycles of the agrofood chain, such as primary energy consumption, water exploitation, and global warming. Life cycle assessment is used to investigate the production of the following citrus-based products in Italy: essential oil, natural juice, and concentrated juice from oranges and lemons. The related process flowcharts, the relevant mass and energy flows, and the key environmental issues are identified for each product. This paper represents one of the first studies on the environmental impacts from cradle to gate for citrus products in order to suggest feasible strategies and actions to improve their environmental performance.

Life cycle assessment of Italian citrus-based products. Sensitivity analysis and improvement scenarios

Though many studies concern the agro-food sector in the EU and Italy, and its environmental impacts, literature is quite lacking in works regarding LCA application on citrus products. This paper represents one of the first studies on the environmental impacts of citrus products in order to suggest feasible strategies and actions to improve their environmental performance. In particular, it is part of a research aimed to estimate environmental burdens associated with the production of the following citrus-based products: essential oil, natural juice and concentrated juice from oranges and lemons. The life cycle assessment of these products, published in a previous paper, had highlighted significant environmental issues in terms of energy consumption, associated CO(2) emissions, and water consumption. Starting from such results the authors carry out an improvement analysis of the assessed production system, whereby sustainable scenarios for saving water and energy are proposed to reduce environmental burdens of the examined production system. In addition, a sensitivity analysis to estimate the effects of the chosen methods will be performed, giving data on the outcome of the study. Uncertainty related to allocation methods, secondary data sources, and initial assumptions on cultivation, transport modes, and waste management is analysed. The results of the performed analyses allow stating that every assessed eco-profile is differently influenced by the uncertainty study. Different assumptions on initial data and methods showed very sensible variations in the energy and environmental performances of the final products. Besides, the results show energy and environmental benefits that clearly state the improvement of the products eco-profile, by reusing purified water use for irrigation, using the railway mode for the delivery of final products, when possible, and adopting efficient technologies, as the mechanical vapour recompression, in the pasteurisation and concentration of juice.

Managing municipal solid waste

GoalThis research aims to assess the environmental effects of integrated strategies in a municipal waste management system. In particular, analysis is focused on a waste stream in Palermo, where landfill involves the prompt disposal of the most waste after collection. The current local management system is compared with two integrated waste management alternatives. Both the options comply with Italian regulations, but each one predicts adopting the available technologies in different ways.Methods and objectivesEnergetic and environmental balances are carried out in each management system referring to local waste composition in order to quantify energy consumption, the recovery of material and energy, and the environmental releases. Impact assessment is carried out to define the environmental profile of each option. Impact categories are defined and inventory data, by means of a suitable aggregation, can be used to evaluate the potential contribution that system inputs and outputs could bring to the relative category.ResultsIn opposition to the current management, which involves energy balance at a loss, the mass and energy balances outcomes in both of the two hypothetical management systems show the capability to obtain energy and material recovery to a substantial extent. Sorted collection plays a remarkable role in the improvement of environmental performance of management systems. In particular, the thermal treatment of waste associated with energy recovery, and the concomitant material recycling, increase the saving of energy.ConclusionsEnvironmental pressure factors of the management system are assessed depending on the relevant consumption of raw materials and energy, and on the emission of pollutants. The resulting figures reflect the two different integrated management options as being sustainable solutions for achieving an improvement in environmental performance, which is based on increasing the value of waste, as an alternative to resources, and the reduction of environmental releases. Life Cycle Assessment of municipal waste management systems can be usefully applied to define synthetic indices of environmental impact. These indices could single out possible alternatives in multi-criteria analysis, together with economic and technical parameters.

Eco-sustainable energy and environmental strategies in design for recycling: the software “ENDLESS”

Abstract This paper describes a model, named “ENDLESS”, useful to address the design process towards more eco-compatible solutions. In particular, this tool can support the designer in the choice of the product with an higher recyclability potential from a set of different alternatives. The model takes into consideration a Multi-Attribute Decision-Making method and allows calculating a “Global Recycling Index” (GRI) starting from a set of energy, environmental, technical and economic indicators. A weight is assigned to each parameter following the experience of the designer; a sensitivity analysis is then performed to state how the different assumptions can affect the final results. The model is implemented in a software and applied to a case study: to establish the best recyclability option of middle and low voltage electrical lines used for electricity distribution in Italy.

New exergy criterion in the “multi-criteria” context: a life cycle assessment of two plaster products

This paper deals with the exergy analysis (EXA) of plaster materials and ranks the environmental burdens due to the production of such materials. The calculation of the exergy loss during the whole examined process represents a relevant index, looking at the technology improvement of a process, as a suitable tool in aid of the trade-off of alternative materials in the decision making. A life cycle inventory is performed for building plaster products and the matrix method is used. The authors extend the application of EXA to life cycle assessment, conducting an exergetic life cycle assessment, and propose an exergetic index in the framework of multi-criteria decision making. An exergy balance, accounting for energy and material flows, is applied to calculate the exergy losses and efficiencies for each stage of the examined processes: resources extraction, materials processing, transport and product manufacturing. Furthermore, exergy values are calculated for the pollutants and wastes.

A Generalization of the Orthogonal Regression Technique for Life Cycle Inventory

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method used to quantify the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service across its whole life cycle. One of the problems occurring when the system at hand involves processes delivering more than one valuable output is the apportionment of resource consumption and environmental burdens in the correct proportion amongst the products. The mathematical formulation of the problem is represented by the solution of an over-determined system of linear equations. The paper describes the application of an iterative algorithm for the implementation of least square regression to solve this over-determined system directly in its rectangular form. The applied algorithm dynamically passes from an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) problem to the regression problems known as Total Least Squares (TLS) and Data Least Squares (DLS). The obtained results suggest further investigations. In particular, the so called constrained least squares method is identified as an interesting development of the methodology.

The Environmental Product Declaration EPD With A ParticularApplication To A Solar Thermal Collector

The principles of sustainable development and of Integrated Product Policy are applied in new voluntary regulations, which have been internationally agree. The aim is to grant transparency of environmental information and to promote the diffusion of environmentally friendly products. A new tool under study is the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), a technical paper annexed to products that synthesises their energy and environmental performances. This paper points out the reasons for developing EPD for the energy sector, and puts special focus upon renewable energy systems, products whose environmental performances are often not clearly defined. We describe how results of a LCA upon a solar thermal collector can be included in an EPDdocument, summarising its ecological profile and making information comparable. EPD could be employed for a correct decisional strategy, making a balance between the benefits and the impacts of this technology, and could represent a way to diffuse scientific results to customers.

Life Cycle Assessment in the Wine Sector

Currently, stakeholders’ increasing attention to quality is driving the wine sector to rethink and change its own production processes. Amongst product quality dimensions, the environment is gaining ever-growing attention at various levels of policy-making and business. Given its soundness, the use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become widespread in many application contexts. Apart from applications for communication purposes, LCA has also been used in the wine sector to highlight environmental hot spots in supply chains, to compare farming practices and to detect improvement options, inter alia. Case studies whose focus is the wine industry abound in high quality publications.