Climate change and energy - Industrial emissions

Title

An investigation of the relationship between recycling paper and card and greenhouse gas emissions from land use change

Reference

Resources, Conservation and Recycling
Volume 67, October 2012, Pages 44–55

Author(s)

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

In life cycle assessment (LCA) of paper products, it is common to either assume that the carbon impacts of forestry are neutral (i.e. no net emissions) or to credit harvested wood products as a carbon store. When comparing virgin and recycled materials, this means that forest carbon flows are either shown as nil or a net sequestration credit. However, harvested wood products typically account for less than half of the carbon stored in a forest, with additional stores in below ground biomass, deadwood, litter and soils. Each of these stores may be affected by changes in demand for virgin pulp and paper.
In this study the countries likely to provide pulp displaced by moving to recyclate, or used when switching from recyclate were identified for both the UK and China (the largest export market for UK-derived recyclate). Changes in forest carbon stores in each country were then assessed and attributed to the extraction of a unit of timber in each country where demand for pulp and paper was identified as a driver for change.
The analysis shows that when switching from virgin to recycled content within the UK and China, no additional biogenic CO2 emissions are avoided with the exception of Canadian pulp, where the data suggests that forests are being degraded, with associated carbon losses.
When switching from recycled to virgin content, net biogenic CO2 emissions are seen from most relevant countries. In the example of newsprint, this is equivalent to 2–23 tonnes CO2 per tonne of newsprint. The exceptions to this are Chile and Russia, where demand for virgin fibre does not appear to be associated with deforestation. Despite limitations, the research highlights that biogenic carbon is a significant issue which may dominate the outcome of LCAs assessing the climate change impact of switching between virgin and recycled pulp.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions
Land use >> Land use change
Waste >> Waste management >> Recycling

Keywords

Land use change; Greenhouse gas emissions; Recycling;
Paper and card; Life cycle assessment

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344912001334

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Contact the study author at:

Keith.m.james@bath.edu

Title

An investigation of the relationship between recycling paper and card and greenhouse gas emissions from land use change

Reference

Resources, Conservation and Recycling
Volume 67, October 2012, Pages 44–55

Author(s)

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

In life cycle assessment (LCA) of paper products, it is common to either assume that the carbon impacts of forestry are neutral (i.e. no net emissions) or to credit harvested wood products as a carbon store. When comparing virgin and recycled materials, this means that forest carbon flows are either shown as nil or a net sequestration credit. However, harvested wood products typically account for less than half of the carbon stored in a forest, with additional stores in below ground biomass, deadwood, litter and soils. Each of these stores may be affected by changes in demand for virgin pulp and paper.
In this study the countries likely to provide pulp displaced by moving to recyclate, or used when switching from recyclate were identified for both the UK and China (the largest export market for UK-derived recyclate). Changes in forest carbon stores in each country were then assessed and attributed to the extraction of a unit of timber in each country where demand for pulp and paper was identified as a driver for change.
The analysis shows that when switching from virgin to recycled content within the UK and China, no additional biogenic CO2 emissions are avoided with the exception of Canadian pulp, where the data suggests that forests are being degraded, with associated carbon losses.
When switching from recycled to virgin content, net biogenic CO2 emissions are seen from most relevant countries. In the example of newsprint, this is equivalent to 2–23 tonnes CO2 per tonne of newsprint. The exceptions to this are Chile and Russia, where demand for virgin fibre does not appear to be associated with deforestation. Despite limitations, the research highlights that biogenic carbon is a significant issue which may dominate the outcome of LCAs assessing the climate change impact of switching between virgin and recycled pulp.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions
Land use >> Land use change
Waste >> Waste management >> Recycling

Keywords

Land use change; Greenhouse gas emissions; Recycling;
Paper and card; Life cycle assessment

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344912001334

There is a fee to view this study in full    

Contact the study author at:

Keith.m.james@bath.edu

Title

Environmental Damage Assessment of Carbon Capture and Storage
Application of End-Point Indicators

Reference

Journal of Industrial Ecology
Volume 16, Issue 3, pages 407–419, June 2012

Author(s)

Bhawna Singh, Anders H. Strømman, Edgar G. Hertwich

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

An end-point life cycle impact assessment is used to evaluate the damages of electricity generation from fossil fuel-based power plants with carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technology. Pulverized coal (PC), integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants are assessed for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, pipeline transport, and storage in a geological formation. Results show that the CCS systems reduce the climate change-related damages but increase the damages from toxicity, acidification, eutrophication, and resource consumption. Based on the currently available damage calculation methods, it is concluded that the benefit of reducing damage from climate change is larger than the increases in other damage categories, such as health effects from particulates or toxic chemicals. CCS significantly reduces the overall environmental damage, with a net reduction of 60% to 70% in human health damage and 65% to 75% in ecosystem damage. Most of the damage is due to fuel production and combustion processes. The energy and infrastructure demands of CCS cause increases in the depletion of natural resources by 33% for PC, 19% for IGCC, and 18% for NGCC power plants, mostly due to increased fossil fuel consumption.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Air pollution
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Climate change
Environmental technologies >> Climate change mitigation >> Carbon capture and storage

Keywords

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions;human health damage;impact assessment;industrial ecology;life cycle assessment (LCA);ReCiPe

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00461.x/abstract
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Contact the study author at:

bhawna.singh@ntnu.no

Title

Reference

Volume 26, Issue 1, pages 63–69, March 2012

Author(s)

Jos Frijns

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

This paper describes the carbon footprint methodology used in assessing the global warming potential of the Dutch water sector. The assessment includes CO2 emissions from energy consumption and methane and nitrous oxide emissions from water treatment processes. There is, however, debate on the amounts and mechanism of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and a standardised approach is discussed. As a result of this approach, the contribution of GHG emissions to the total carbon footprint of the Dutch water sector appeared to be relatively high. Next to the lack of common emission factors for GHG and chemicals used, there is also no agreed-upon approach related to the system boundaries and scope of carbon footprinting of the water cycle. For reasons of benchmarking and monitoring of climate change reduction targets, a common carbon footprint assessment methodology for the water sector will be required.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions

Keywords

carbon footprint; GHG emissions; Netherlands; water sector

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-6593.2011.00264.x/abstract

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Contact the study author at:

jos.frijns@kwrwater.nl

Title

Reference

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Volume 184, Number 4, 1929-1952, DOI: 10.1007/s10661-011-2090-y

Author(s)

Amlan Kumar Patra

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

Enteric methane (CH4) emission in ruminants, which is produced via fermentation of feeds in the rumen and lower digestive tract by methanogenic archaea, represents a loss of 2% to 12% of gross energy of feeds and contributes to global greenhouse effects. Globally, about 80 million tonnes of CH4 is produced annually from enteric fermentation mainly from ruminants. Therefore, CH4 mitigation strategies in ruminants have focused to obtain economic as well as environmental benefits. Some mitigation options such as chemical inhibitors, defaunation, and ionophores inhibit methanogenesis directly or indirectly in the rumen, but they have not confirmed consistent effects for practical use. A variety of nutritional amendments such as increasing the amount of grains, inclusion of some leguminous forages containing condensed tannins and ionophore compounds in diets, supplementation of low-quality roughages with protein and readily fermentable carbohydrates, and addition of fats show promise for CH4 mitigation. These nutritional amendments also increase the efficiency of feed utilization and, therefore, are most likely to be adopted by farmers. Several new potential technologies such as use of plant secondary metabolites, probiotics and propionate enhancers, stimulation of acetogens, immunization, CH4 oxidation by methylotrophs, and genetic selection of low CH4-producing animals have emerged to decrease CH4 production, but these require extensive research before they can be recommended to livestock producers. The use of bacteriocins, bacteriophages, and development of recombinant vaccines targeting archaeal-specific genes and cell surface proteins may be areas worthy of investigation for CH4 mitigation as well. A combination of different CH4 mitigation strategies should be adopted in farm levels to substantially decrease methane emission from ruminants. Evidently, comprehensive research is needed to explore proven and reliable CH4 mitigation technologies that would be practically feasible and economically viable while improving ruminant production.

Policy theme(s)

Agriculture >> Agricultural management >> Livestock management
Agriculture >> Agricultural pollution >> Agricultural emissions
Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions

Keywords

Methane production; Ruminants; Mitigation strategies

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/p42vr86j455j2496/
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patra_amlan@yahoo.com

Title

End-user GHG emissions from energy

Reference

Reallocation of emissions from energy industries to end users 2005–2009

EEA Technical report No 19/2011

Author(s)

European Environment Agency

Study type

Report

Abstract

The objective of this report is to help improve the understanding of past greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends in the energy sector from the demand or end-user side. To do this, the report develops a methodology to redistributes emissions from energy industries to the final users (by sector) of that energy. This reallocation is done on the basis of Eurostat's energy balances and GHG inventories for the energy sector as reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), for the period 2005–2009.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions

Keywords

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/end-use-energy-emissions
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Contact the study author at:

http://www.eea.europa.eu/enquiries

Title

A Longitudinal Study on the Carbon Emissions of a New Residential Development

Reference

Sustainability 2011, 3(8), 1170-1189;
doi:10.3390/su3081170

Author(s)

Jukka Heinonen, Antti Säynäjoki  and Seppo Junnila

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Buildings account for nearly 50% of all greenhouse gases globally. While this has been widely recognized, the GHG mitigation strategies have traditionally concentrated on reducing the use phase emissions, as over 90% of the emissions are generated during the use phase according to several studies. However, two current developments increase the importance of the construction phase emissions and the embodied emissions of the building materials. Firstly, the improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings directly increase the relative share of the construction phase emissions. Secondly, the notification of the temporal allocation of the emissions increases the importance of the carbon spike from construction. While these perspectives have been noted, few studies exist that combine the two perspectives of the construction and the use phase. In this paper, we analyze the implications of low-carbon residential construction on the life cycle emissions of a residential area with a case study. Furthermore, we demonstrate that when the temporal allocation of the emissions is taken into account, the construction phase emissions can hinder or even reverse the carbon mitigation effect of low-carbon buildings for decades.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions
Urban environment >> Urban planning >> Construction

Keywords

life cycle assessment; carbon; climate change; buildings; construction

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/3/8/1170/
This study is free to view

Contact the study author at:

jukka.heinonen@aalto.fi

Title

Is Biodegradability a Desirable Attribute for Discarded Solid Waste? Perspectives from a National Landfill Greenhouse Gas Inventory Model

Reference

Environmental Science & Technology, 2011; : 110527020106046
DOI: 10.1021/es200721s

Author(s)

W. Levis, Morton A. Barlaz.

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

There is increasing interest in the use of biodegradable materials because they are believed to be 'greener'. In a landfill, these materials degrade anaerobically to form methane and carbon dioxide. The fraction of the methane that is collected can be utilized as an energy source and the fraction of the biogenic carbon that does not decompose is stored in the landfill. A landfill life-cycle model was developed to represent the behavior of MSW components and new materials disposed in a landfill representative of the U.S. average with respect to gas collection and utilization over a range of environmental conditions (i.e., arid, moderate wet, and bioreactor). The behavior of materials that biodegrade at relatively fast (food waste), medium (biodegradable polymer) and slow (newsprint and office paper) rates was studied. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyoctanoate) (PHBO) was selected as illustrative for an emerging biodegradable polymer. Global warming potentials (GWP) of 26, 720, -1000, 990, and 1300 kg CO₂e wet Mg-1 were estimated for MSW, food waste, newsprint, office paper, and PHBO, respectively in a national average landfill. In a state-of-the-art landfill with gas collection and electricity generation, GWP's of -250, 330, -1400, -96, and -420 kg CO₂e wet Mg-1 were estimated for MSW, food waste, newsprint, office paper and PHBO, respectively. Additional simulations showed that for a hypothetical material, a slower biodegradation rate and a lower extent of biodegradation improve the environmental performance of a material in a landfill representative of national average conditions.

Policy theme(s)

Waste >> Waste management >> Landfill
Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions

Keywords

N/A

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es200721s
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jwlevis@ncsu.edu

Title

Impact of Power Generation Mix on Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprint Greenhouse Gas Results

Reference

Journal of Industrial Ecology

Author(s)

Joe Marriott, H. Scott Matthews, and Chris T. Hendrickson

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The mix of electricity consumed in any stage in the life cycle of a product, process, or industrial sector has a significant effect on the associated inventory of emissions and environmental impacts because of large differences in the power generation method used. Fossil-fuel-fired or nuclear-centralized steam generators; large-scale and small-scale hydroelectric power; and renewable options, such as geothermal, wind, and solar power, each have a unique set of issues that can change the results of a life cycle assessment. This article shows greenhouse gas emissions estimates for electricity purchase for different scenarios using U.S. average electricity mix, state mixes, state mixes including imports, and a sector-specific mix to show how different these results can be. We find that greenhouse gases for certain sectors and scenarios can change by more than 100%. Knowing this, practitioners should exercise caution or at least account for the uncertainty associated with mix choice.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Greenhouse gas emissions >> Industrial emissions

Keywords

carbon emissions, electric utilities, energy footprint, energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, industrial ecology

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2010.00290.x/abstract
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Contact the study author at:

marriott@pitt.edu