Neus Sanjuán
Polytechnic University of Valencia
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Featured researches published by Neus Sanjuán.
Environmental Science & Technology | 2014
Neus Sanjuán; Franziska Stoessel; Stefanie Hellweg
Food is one of the most energy and CO2-intensive consumer goods. While environmental data on primary agricultural products are increasingly becoming available, there are large data gaps concerning food processing. Bridging these gaps is important; for example, the food industry can use such data to optimize processes from an environmental perspective, and retailers may use this information for purchasing decisions. Producers and retailers can then market sustainable products and deliver the information demanded by governments and consumers. Finally, consumers are increasingly interested in the environmental information of foods in order to lower their consumption impacts. This study provides estimation tools for the energy demand of a representative set of food process unit operations such as dehydration, evaporation, or pasteurization. These operations are used to manufacture a variety of foods and can be combined, according to the product recipe, to quantify the heat and electricity demand during processing. In combination with inventory data on the production of the primary ingredients, this toolbox will be a basis to perform life cycle assessment studies of a large number of processed food products and to provide decision support to the stakeholders. Furthermore, a case study is performed to illustrate the application of the tools.
Chemosphere | 2011
Ronnie Juraske; Neus Sanjuán
The relative impacts of 25 pesticides including acaricides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and post-harvest fungicides, used in the production of oranges in Spain were assessed with current life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) tools. Chemical specific concentrations were combined with pesticide emission data and information on chemical toxicity to assess human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity impacts. As a case study, the relative impacts of two orange production systems in the region of Valencia, integrated pest management (IP) and organic production (OP), were assessed. The evaluation of active ingredients showed that on average acaricides have the highest human toxicity impact scores, while for freshwater ecotoxicity insecticides show the highest impact. In both impact categories the lowest impact scores were calculated for herbicides. In the production of 1 kg of orange fruits, where several kinds of pesticides are combined, results show that post-harvest fungicides can contribute more than 95% to the aggregate human toxicity impacts. More than 85% of aquatic ecotoxicity is generated by fungicides applied before harvest. The potential to reduce impacts on freshwater ecosystems is seven orders of magnitude, while impacts on human health can be reduced by two orders of magnitude. Hence, this stresses the importance of a careful pre-selection of active ingredients. In both impact categories, organic production represents the least toxic pest-control method.
Journal of Industrial Ecology | 2011
Neus Sanjuán; Javier Ribal; Gabriela Clemente; Ma Loreto Fenollosa
The concept of eco-efficiency can be defined with the “product value/environmental influence” ratio. Different models have been proposed to measure eco-efficiency. The main difference among them is the weighting system used to aggregate the environmental results. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) permits this aggregation without requiring a subjective judgment about the weights. In this study, we applied a DEA model to Spanish Mahon-Menorca cheese production to determine the most eco-efficient production techniques. To this end, 16 scenarios of Mahon-Menorca cheese production were built regarding technical (degree of automation) and cleaner production criteria. The environmental impacts were assessed by means of life cycle assessment. We carried out an economic assessment by determining the economic value added and the net income for each scenario. The results are referred to as 1 kilogram (kg) cheese ripened over 105 days. Through DEA, an eco-efficiency ratio between 0 and 1 was obtained. Three scenarios were found to be eco-efficient, with a high degree of automation (enclosed vat and molding and demolding machines) and accelerated cheese ripening. We used Monte Carlo simulation to carry out a sensitivity analysis to compare the influence of price changes on the eco-efficiency ratio. The results emphasize the consistency and stability of the eco-efficient scenarios.
Journal of Industrial Ecology | 2011
Neus Sanjuán; Javier Ribal; Gabriela Clemente; Loreto Fenollosa
The concept of eco-efficiency can be defined with the “product value/environmental influence” ratio. Different models have been proposed to measure eco-efficiency. The main difference among them is the weighting system used to aggregate the environmental results. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) permits this aggregation without requiring a subjective judgment about the weights. In this study, we applied a DEA model to Spanish Mahon-Menorca cheese production to determine the most eco-efficient production techniques. To this end, 16 scenarios of Mahon-Menorca cheese production were built regarding technical (degree of automation) and cleaner production criteria. The environmental impacts were assessed by means of life cycle assessment. We carried out an economic assessment by determining the economic value added and the net income for each scenario. The results are referred to as 1 kilogram (kg) cheese ripened over 105 days. Through DEA, an eco-efficiency ratio between 0 and 1 was obtained. Three scenarios were found to be eco-efficient, with a high degree of automation (enclosed vat and molding and demolding machines) and accelerated cheese ripening. We used Monte Carlo simulation to carry out a sensitivity analysis to compare the influence of price changes on the eco-efficiency ratio. The results emphasize the consistency and stability of the eco-efficient scenarios.
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems | 2014
M. L. Fenollosa; Javier Ribal; A. Lidón; I. Bautista; R. Juraske; Gabriela Clemente; Neus Sanjuán
This article assesses the effect of management practices on the environmental and economic performance of tigernut production. Tigernut is a horticultural crop grown in a very limited and homogeneous area. Results show that the environmental variability among farms was greater than variability in costs. A selection of practices can reduce impacts per kilogram tigernut by factors 252.5 (abiotic depletion), 33 (aquatic ecotoxicity), or 6 (global warming) and costs by factors of between 2 and 3. The analysis shows a positive relationship between economic and environmental performance. Results highlight how proper management leads to both relatively low environmental impacts and costs.
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment | 2015
Neus Escobar; Javier Ribal; Gabriela Clemente; Alfredo Rodrigo; Andrés Pascual; Neus Sanjuán
PurposeThe goal of this study is to analyze the economic performance of an alternative system for waste management proposed by the European Integral-b project. Its aim is to treat both used cooking oil (UCO) and solid organic waste (SOW) from the hospitality sector by biodiesel production and anaerobic digestion, respectively. A cogeneration engine adapted to use glycerol as a fuel is implemented. These results complement others from a previous life cycle assessment (LCA).MethodsThe system proposed (scenario A) is compared to a system consisting of average waste management options (scenario B) by means of life cycle costing (LCC). The functional unit (FU) is the amount of UCO and SOW from hospitality produced per person and year in Spain. The profits generated by the FU under the two scenarios are calculated from a financial point of view. It is assumed that co-products from both scenarios translate into revenues for waste managers. Scenario analysis assesses different rates for the electricity output, subject to market regulations, and different levels of UCO availability. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to analyze parameter and price uncertainty.Results and discussionThe profits in all the scenarios are negative, and those of scenario A are lower than those of scenario B under all the scenario formulations. Scenario A generates greater income than scenario B but also higher expenses, mainly due to SOW collection. The new electricity rates are detrimental for the financial performance of the Integral-b since the overall profits mostly depend on the sale of electricity. Readier UCO availability benefits both scenarios to a similar extent. The uncertainty analysis reinforces the comparative results, although there is some likelihood scenario A will generate greater profits. The sensitivity analysis allows for the key parameters to be identified in order to optimize the process further. Possible trade-offs between the LCC and LCA results have been evaluated.ConclusionsResults from the financial analysis show that the Integral-b process delivers greater losses as compared to a reference scenario. Both generate net costs, meaning that stakeholders have to finance the functions provided. Uncertainty in the electricity regulations constitutes an obstacle for such projects as these to be implemented. As in LCA, the definition of the system boundaries and FU is critical in LCC.
WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment | 2015
Bruno Francesco Nicolò; M. C. De Salvo; Clara Ramírez-Sanz; A. V. Estruch; Neus Sanjuán; Giacomo Falcone; Alfio Strano
The first step towards a sustainable agriculture is to know the impacts that it generates. Although this is a complex task, since the environmental impact of agriculture depends not only on the production system (e.g. conventional or organic) and farmer practices, but also on the production site (soil and climate conditions). The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impact of clementine production farming systems (conventional, CFS, and organic, OFS) in Italy (Calabria region) and Spain (Comunidad Valenciana) through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The functional unit to which the results were referred was 1 hectare (ha -1 ). The system boundaries considered were from “farm gate to farm gate”, which included the production of the machinery, fertilizers and pesticides and also the field operations. The study is based on one year of primary data, collected from surveys of 19 Italian and 23 Spanish farmers. Ten impact categories were assessed by CML2001 and USEtox methods. No significant differences were found between CFS and OFS in both countries and the impacts present a high variability depending on the farm. In CFS the fertilizers production is the stage most impacting in almost all categories (Global Warming Potential: Italy 92% – Spain 89%; Acidification: Italy 91% – Spain 80%) with the exception for the Ecotoxicity in which field operations have a great contribution (Spain: 97%; Italy:
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment | 2018
Christie Walker; Claudio Beretta; Neus Sanjuán; Stefanie Hellweg
PurposeThe food processing industry is a major consumer of energy and water, the consumption of which has environmental impacts. This work develops a method to determine process-specific water use and utilizes an existing energy use toolbox to calculate the energy and water required for each step of food processing. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted to determine how much processing contributes to a particular product’s cradle to gate impacts for two impact categories.MethodsA method to determine water use at each unit process was developed, and in conjunction with an already developed energy use unit process toolbox, the methods were tested using two case studies. Processing data such as flow rates, operation temperatures, and food losses were used from two Swiss food production facilities. Calculation results were compared to measured facility data such as yearly energy and water use. Results were then used to develop LCAs for a total of seven food products, including five types of juice and two types of potato products.Results and discussionThe toolboxes were able to calculate the water use of both facilities within 25%, the thermal energy use within 9%, and electricity use within 24%. Impacts from processing were particularly important for the potato products, particularly potato flakes, due to impacts stemming from thermal energy use. For juices, impacts due to raw material growth dominate the LCA, and impacts due to processing are much less significant. A unit process analysis may not be necessary when there is little variation in the unit processes between the different products. In this case, a simple allocation of measured facility energy and water data may be sufficient for calculating the impacts associated with processing. However, products with largely varying unit processes may have very different impacts. Impacts are sensitive to the type of energy required (thermal or electrical) and the sources of electricity and water.ConclusionsThese water and energy toolboxes can improve transparency in processing and identify the most water- and energy-intensive steps; however, in facilities with similar products, such an extensive analysis may not be necessary. Results from these calculations are useful in developing food product LCAs.
Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems | 2018
Bruno Francesco Nicolò; María Cristina de Salvo; Clara Ramírez-Sanz; Vicente D. Estruch; Neus Sanjuán; Giacomo Falcone; Alfio Strano
ABSTRACT The increasing environmental awareness of the actors of agro-food supply chains has led to the implementation of new tools to analyze the impacts generated during agricultural practices. The impacts depend not only on the production system but also on the farmer’s management choices, in terms of input allocation, and on the production site, in terms of soil and climate conditions. In order to assess the environmental impact of conventional and organic farming systems on citrus growing in Italy and Spain, a life cycle assessment method has been implemented. The results show the organic system to be more sustainable than conventional and they could be useful indicators for correcting and modifying agricultural practices.
Drying Technology | 2014
Gabriela Clemente; Neus Sanjuán; Juan A. Cárcel; A. Mulet