Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:05:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Embasada em conceitos de Sustentabilidade, Análise de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) e elementos financeiros, esta dissertação propõe uma matriz de posicionamento estratégico de produto e um método para a sua aplicação. A Matriz de Posicionamento Estratégico Sustentável (MPESus) destina-se a analisar os impactos ambientais e financeiros de um ou mais produtos, considerando sua cadeia produtiva, permitindo comparar desempenhos e formular estratégias de ação. O método de pesquisa empregado apresenta quatro fases: a primeira explora a literatura para alicerçar a pesquisa com elementos relevantes ao objetivo proposto; a segunda fase propõe a matriz e o método de trabalho; a terceira fase aplica as propostas em um contexto real de desenvolvimento de produto, fruto de um projeto desenvolvido na universidade à qual o pesquisador está vinculado; essa aplicação permite a quarta fase, que analisa o método proposto e discute seus resultados no contexto onde foi aplicado. A matriz apresentada é sustentada por três pilares: o impact / Based on concepts of Sustainability, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and financial factors, this paper proposes an array of strategic positioning of product and a method for its implementation. The Sustainable Strategic Positioning Matrix (MPESus) is intended to analyze the environmental and financial impacts of one or more products, considering its supply chain, allowing to compare performance and formulate strategies for action. The research method employed has four phases: the first explores the literature underpinning the research evidence relevant to the proposed objective, the second phase proposes the array and method of work, the third phase implements the proposals in a real context of product development , the result of a project developed at the university to which the researcher is bound, this application enables the fourth stage, which analyzes the proposed method and discusses its results in the context where it was applied. The matrix presented is supported by three pillars: the environmental impac

All around the globe the consumption of raw materials by the construction industries isaccumulating day by day resulting with an depletion of natural resources, increasing the environmental impacts and CO2 emissions all over the surroundings. Today steel and concrete are widely used and are dominating construction materials in construction industry. These two construction materials are different products and have distinct production flow with significantimpact on the environment. The amount of embodied energy and operational energy which is consumed in the process of production, recycling and reuse are becoming increasingly more important in the construction industries due to the potential shortage of natural resources in thenear by future and due to the inflation in the energy prices. This master’s thesis determines some of the problems of antagonistic environmental impacts due to the use of steel and concrete in the construction industries. To mitigatethese environmental impacts there are two technology and policy strategies summarizedin this thesis. i. Reduce consumption; andii. Material selection to reduce impacts.i. Reduce consumption: All around the globe the consumption of materials is growing day by day with an increase in the population resulting with a depletion of virgin materials. This depletion of virgin materials can be reduced with the help ofrecycling and reuse of the structural members. Recycling of structural members isalready practiced widely than reuse; reuse of the structural members additionallyreduces the consumption of virgin materials. High level of reuse of the structuralmaterials can be achieved by establishing design standards and regulations forstructural sections, and developing a market for reusable structural sections.ii. Material selection to reduce impacts: For the selection of constructionmaterials with minimum impact on the environment the designers needs tohave apropos education or tools. The main areas for augmentation areidentified as education of designers, and standardization and simplification ofselection tools like Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Some of the main recommendations are: LCA tools standardization; reduce the impact sections and make these impact sections comprehendible and integrate uncertainty dataand educating designers about material selection tools with organized programs.

The main purpose of this thesis was to compare GAC adsorption method, VOCs incinerationmethod and Non-treatment alternative by using LCA to find which method or alternative isenvironmentally preferable. The LCA framework proposed by ISO 14040 (1997) has beenconsidered in this research. The comparison was made by considering a flue gas contaminatedby toluene (with three different concentration 100, 1000, 2000 mg/m3). The plant locationwhere the polluted flue gas is emitted has been assumed to be located in Borås, Sweden. Theflow rate of emitted flue gas was 10000m3/hr. The present thesis report contains two mainparts.The results of LCA showed that when the toluene concentration is low (< 100 mg/m3), GACadsorption method, Non-treatment alternative and VOCs incineration method are respectivelypreferable from environmental point of view. On the other side, when the tolueneconcentration of inlet stream is high (>1000 mg/m3), the order of GAC adsorption method,incineration and Non-treatment alternative is more desirable. Furthermore, the resultsillustrated that as toluene plays the role of fuel as a hydrocarbon, VOCs incineration methodis much more suitable when toluene concentration is high due to lower demand on additionalfuel. In the other words, high toluene concentration of influent leads to less environmentalimpact when VOCs incineration method is exploited. Conversely, the environmental impactof GAC adsorption method is increased when the inlet concentration of toluene is escalated.In overall, the weighted result showed that GAC adsorption method is the most preferablemethod while Non-treatment alternative is the worst.

Maintenir la qualité des ressources en eau est l'un des défis majeurs auxquels la société d’aujourd’hui doit faire face. Il est donc primordial que ce critère soit intégré correctement dans les méthodes d’analyse d’impacts environnementaux, tel que l’Analyse du Cycle de Vie (ACV). Cependant, l’estimation de la qualité de l’eau et la manière dont cette information est utilisée dans les modèles d’évaluation d’impacts soulève un certain nombre de challenges méthodologiques, d’où la problématique de recherche : « Comment considérer la qualité de l’eau dans l’évaluation des impacts de l’utilisation de l’eau en ACV, de l’inventaire aux Aires de Protection ? ». Ce travail de thèse propose dans un premier temps une étude approfondie du rôle et de la nécessité de l’information « qualité de l’eau » dans l’évaluation des impacts de plusieurs type d’utilisation d’eau (usage consommatif, dégradatif et amélioration de la qualité). Cette étude s’applique aux différentes chaines de causalité de manière mécanistique, jusqu’aux trois Aires de Protection (AoP) santé humaine, qualité des écosystèmes et ressources naturelles. Afin d’améliorer la compréhension et la considération des impacts de l’utilisation de l’eau sur l’AoP ressources naturelles, un cadre théorique consensuel élaboré en collaboration avec WULCA (le groupe Water Use in LCA, de l’UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative) est défini. Ce cadre fournit une base solide pour l’élaboration cohérente de méthodes d’analyse d’impacts, permettant d’évaluer la diminution irréversible de la disponibilité physique de l'eau douce et/ou de son degré d'utilisabilité pour les générations futures. La thèse se conclut par le développement d’un modèle de caractérisation d’impacts de la dégradation des ressources en eau causée par des émissions. Des facteurs de caractérisation sont calculés pour cinq métaux, au niveau midpoint. L’application de ces indicateurs permet d’améliorer l’interprétabilité des résultats concernant les défis futurs liés aux ressources en eau ainsi que les résultats des impacts sur la santé humaine liés aux problèmes de qualité d’eau / Maintaining the quality of water resources is one of the major challenges society faces today. It is therefore essential that this criterion be properly integrated into environmental impact assessment methods, such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). However, the estimation of water quality and how this information is used in impact assessment models raises a number of methodological challenges; hence, the general research question is “How to consider water quality in water use impact assessment in LCA, from inventory to Areas of Protection?” This thesis first provides a detailed study about the role and necessity of "water quality" information in assessing impacts of different types of water use (consumptive and degradative use, as well as quality improvement). This study applies to the different cause-effect chains in a mechanistic way, in view of the three Areas of Protection (AoP) human health, ecosystem quality and natural resources. In order to improve the understanding and consideration of the water use impacts on the AoP natural resources, a consensual framework, developed jointly with WULCA (Water Use in LCA group of the UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative), is presented. This framework provides a solid basis for the consistent development of impact characterization models to assess the irreversible reduction in physical availability of freshwater and its quality-based usability for future generations. The thesis ends with the development of a characterization model for water resource degradation impacts caused by emissions. Characterization factors are calculated for five metals at the midpoint level. The application of these indicators improves the interpretability of LCA results regarding future water resource challenges and water-quality related impacts on human health.

Highway clients are increasingly concerned with the environmental consequences and sustainability implications of their highway maintenance service. This is because the service consumes a significant amount of natural resources, is financial and energy-intensive and is a large Greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter responsible for global warming and climate change. This has placed the highway maintenance sector, including its supply chain under increasing pressure to deliver well-maintained low-carbon maintenance service, whilst addressing its climate change impacts. The highway stakeholders increasing focus on carbon footprinting is a direct response to the legal obligation presented by the enactment of the UK s Climate Change Act (2008) and the Carbon Reduction Commitments. Investment decisions on highway infrastructure must now account for carbon and financial costs in a balanced manner. Highway clients now require their supply chains to demonstrate the capacity to reduce both direct and indirect carbon, and provide carbon footprint information relating to the work done or being tendered for. This is driving the sector to re-think its business operations within environmental, economic and social limits, which inherently presents risks and opportunities poorly understood by the stakeholders. It requires an in-depth understanding of the business operations, inputs and outputs. These business requirements are compounded given the lack of an agreed industrial methodology standard focusing on carbon footprinting, the knowledge and skill gaps, system boundary definitions, credible industrial data and their collection approach. The aim of this study is to develop a project-focused and process-based carbon footprinting methodology that includes a decision-support and carbon management tool to assist carbon management decision-making in highway maintenance planning and operation. This study then explored how the PAS2050 protocol can enhance the highway maintenance service delivery carbon footprinting and identify opportunities for reduction. It briefly reviews carbon emissions performance and the UK s highway maintenance sector, and developed a methodological framework that includes a carbon evaluation tool (the sponsor s business focus tool) based on the PAS2050 protocol. The framework developed is specific to highway maintenance planning and operation. It offers a carbon Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool that can identify emission hotspots across the process value chain, and inform a carbon reduction hierarchy. The implementation of the PAS2050-compliant methodology framework and the carbon evaluation tool for core highway maintenance processes (for example, pavement resurfacing, pavement marking, bulk lamp replacement and grass cutting), in addition to carbon footprinting across different site locations (urban, semi-urban and rural) are presented. The results indicate that materials production and their delivery to site (embodied carbon) are areas of carbon hotspots. This represents an important decision point for highway designers, managers and maintainers in order to deliver low-carbon service. These carbon hotspots suggest a less energy-intensive or green materials manufacturing process, responsible sourcing, use of recycled and secondary materials sourced locally (closer to sites) and delivered in bulk. The step-by-step carbon footprinting approach presented in this study is unique. It can be used by other sectors within the built environment as a pragmatic means of identifying and prioritising areas of potential carbon reduction through informed decision-making.

<p>Cilj disertacije je razvoj fleksibilnog modela za evaluaciju sistema upravljanja<br />komunalnim otpadom baziran na LCA metodi. Model je baziran na bilansu<br />mase i energije. LCA analiza sistema komunalnog otpada omogućava<br />sagledavanje uticaja kako svih faza životnog ciklusa otpada, tako<br />i celokupnog sistema upravljanja otpadom. Model je koncipiran kroz module<br />koji prate osnovne faze LCA metode. Evaluacija i komparacija različitih<br />scenarija upravljanja otpadom sprovedena je kroz pet indikatora. Ostvareni<br />rezultati istraživanja pokazuju jasne razlike između definisanih scenarija<br />upravljanja otpadom po pitanju odabranih indikatoria i daju dobru osnovu u<br />procesu dono&scaron;enja odluka za unapređenje i izbor optimalnog sistema<br />upravljanja čvrstim komunalnim otpadom.</p> / <p>The goal dissertation is to develop a flexible model for the evaluation<br />waste management system based on LCA methods. The model is<br />based on mass and energy balance. LCA analysis of municipal waste<br />system assess environmental impacts to all phases of the life cycle of<br />waste, and the entire system of waste management. The model is<br />based on modules corresponding to the main phases of LCA<br />methods. Evaluation of different scenarios of waste management is<br />carried out through five indicators. The results show clear differences<br />between the scenarios in terms of impact on selected indicators and<br />provides basis for decision-making processes for the selection of the<br />optimal solid waste management system.</p>

A demanda acelerada por novos produtos e a crescente preocupação ambiental no mundo vem aumentado a importância do Ecodesign. A Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV) é uma técnica utilizada para avaliar o desempenho ambiental de um produto, sendo bastante adequada à prática do Ecodesign. No entanto, observa-se que essa técnica não é amplamente aplicada nas empresas, principalmente devido a dificuldade no gerenciamento das informações necessárias e geradas na avaliação. Portanto, esse trabalho apresenta uma proposta para aplicar o Ecodesign através da ACV no Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produtos (PDP). Para isso, fez-se uma análise das entradas e saídas das fases do PDP e da ACV, assim como avaliou-se sugestões da literatura para aplicar a ACV no desenvolvimento de produtos. Em seguida, realizou-se um estudo de caso em uma empresa que desenvolveu um produto com melhor desempenho ambiental ao aplicar a ACV no seu desenvolvimento, resultando em uma proposta de procedimento. Por fim, realizou-se uma análise crítica dessa proposta através da consulta a profissionais do PDP da empresa. As principais conclusões enfatizam a importância da ACV no pré e pós desenvolvimento. Além disso, para o procedimento proposto ser executado de forma sistemática, o direcionamento estratégico da empresa é fundamental para orientar a tomada de decisão de forma a incluir a ACV no desenvolvimento de produtos. / The accelerated demand for new products and the increasing environmental awareness in the world are enhancing the Ecodesign importance. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique used to evaluate the environmental performance of a product, being very suitable for the Ecodesign execution. However, it is observed that this technique is not widely applied in the companies, mainly due to the difficulty to manage the necessary and generated information related to an assessment. Therefore, this work presents a proposal to apply the Ecodesign through the use of LCA in the Product Development Process (PDP). Firstly, the inputs and outputs of all LCA and PDP phases were analyzed, and sugestions found in the literature on how to apply the LCA in the product development were evaluated. Then a study case was conducted in a company that developed a product with an enhanced environmental performance when applied LCA in its development, resulting in a proposed procedure. Lastly, a critical analysis evaluated the proposal by consulting professionals that work in the company\'s PDP. The main findings emphasize the importance of the LCA in the pre and post development. Moreover, to have the proposed procedure executed systematically, the company´s strategic direction is fundamental to orient the decision making in order to include LCA in the product development process.

Swine production represents approximately 40% of the world's meat production, and swine wastes contain high concentrations of organic matter, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Swine production is intensifying as meat demand increases and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are becoming increasingly common, making it difficult to treat the waste generated. A system for holistic treatment of swine waste produced in CAFOs was investigated in this study that sustainably generates energy and recovers N and P as saleable fertilizers. The system uses anaerobic digestion (AD) for methane production and solids stabilization, followed by precipitation of struvite (MgNH4PO4*6H2O) and recovery of N by ion exchange onto natural zeolites. This process is expected to mitigate both eutrophication of receiving waters and greenhouse-gas emissions while generating products that meet agronomic nutrient demands; however, the economic and environmental sustainability remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to: (1) evaluate water quality and the fate of nutrients and ions in each step in the proposed system through pilot and bench scale experiments, (2) evaluate content/quality of struvite precipitates formed in wastewater treatment processes, (3) assess basic composition of zeolite materials that are being considered for use as IX materials, (4) quantify the environmental impact of the proposed system, and (5) estimate the economic benefits and costs of the proposed system. The results of a bench scale evaluation of the system show that although water quality greatly improves throughout the treatment process, the effluent water quality has high concentrations of COD (2,803 mg O2/L) and E. coli (106.3 CFU/100ml). This limits reuse options for the reclaimed water, however a variety of on-farm applications may be suitable. During struvite precipitation, the recovery efficiency of SRP was 87% (60 mg/L recovered); however, although measurements that take into account P in suspended solids show a lower recovery efficiency, they also show higher mass recovery (77% efficiency, 66 mg/L recovered). N recovery during struvite precipitation showed a similar trend, with 49% of TN and 7% of NH4-N being recovered. Struvite recovery can only occur from NH4-N and soluble reactive P. The additional recovery observed is likely due to adsorption of the nutrients onto the precipitate. Therefore, to accurately measure and report recovery, measurements of N and P that take into account suspended solids should be used. In most wastes, magnesium is the limiting constituent for struvite formation, but for swine AD effluents, P is the limiting constituent. Therefore, a higher soluble P concentration would increase recovery potential. The majority of the remaining N and P as well as a significant amount of potassium (K) were recovered during IX. Six struvites from commercial processes as well as our bench-scale experiments were assessed and compared by X-ray diffraction, SEM imaging, and SEM-EDX scans. All samples were confirmed as struvite by XRD, however they varied widely in crystal size and shape. The elemental composition of the samples was similar; however, struvite formed from phosphate mining waste had higher amounts Mg and P, indicating more pure struvite formation. The presence of impurities in some samples was likely due to the reactor design and solids separation methods. XRD was also used to confirm the identity of zeolites. Three clinoptilolites had similar crystal size and elemental composition except for Zeosand [reg] which showed a surface roughness, which likely contributes to higher cation exchange capacity. Chabazite has smaller crystal size and larger pores than clinoptilolite, which also likely contributes to its higher capacity. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the environmental sustainability of the system and the results suggested that environmental benefits were provided across almost all impact categories. Two alternatives for raising the pH in struvite precipitation (NaOH addition vs. aeration) and two alternatives for zeolite IX materials (chabazite vs. clinoptilolite) were assessed, but there were negligible differences between alternatives. The system was also assessed at a medium and large scale, and the large scale was more environmentally friendly across all categories. Operational impacts were significantly greater than construction impacts; therefore, the environmental impact of the system can be accurately assessed by only including operation. A life cycle cost assessment (LCCA) was also performed on the system and showed a payback period of 39 years for a medium sized system and 15 years for a large size. This, however, is when compared to a "business-as-usual" scenario and does not consider renewable energy credits or government grants. Furthermore, although a larger system is more economically beneficial, this must be balanced with quality of animal care. From a cost standpoint, IX recovery using chabazite is not recommended and struvite precipitation using aeration is more economically beneficial than NaOH addition.

[pt] Este trabalho pretende investigar o nível de conhecimento e aplicação dos parâmetros ambientais, por parte dos profissionais de design, durante o desenvolvimento de seus projetos. É sabida a existência de poderosas ferramentas, que visam apoiar o projetista no que diz respeito à avaliação e inserção nos projetos de parâmetros de proteção ambiental. No entanto, observa-se que os profissionais responsáveis pelo desenvolvimento de projetos, principalmente os designers, parecem não utilizá-las. Este trabalho pretende investigar se os designers efetivamente fazem uso destas ferramentas de auxílio ao projeto de produtos eco-eficientes, e se não o fazem, entender porque isto acontece. Busca-se também entender porque uma poderosa técnica de avaliação dos aspectos ambientais e dos potenciais impactos associados a qualquer produto, chamada Análise de Ciclo de Vida (ACV), não é devidamente utilizada pelas equipes de projetistas. Esta técnica, se conhecida pelo designer e utilizada em conjunto com metodologias clássicas de ecodesign, representa uma contribuição fundamental na redução do impacto ambiental associado à cada uma das fases do ciclo de vida de um produto. / [en] This work intends to investigate the level of knowledge and application of environmental parameters, on the part of the professionals of design, during the development of its projects. The existence of powerful tools is known, which helps to support the designer in whom it says respect to the evaluation and insertion of parameters of environmental protection in the projects. However, it is observed that the responsible professionals for the development of projects, mainly designers, seem not to use them. This work intends to investigate if designers effectively makes use of these tools of aid to the project of echoefficient products, and if they do not make it, to understand why this happens. This work also search to understand why a powerful technique of evaluation of the environmental aspects and the potential impacts associated to any product, called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), is not used by the teams of designers. This technique, if known and used in set with classic methodologies of ecodesign, represents a basic contribution in the reduction of the environmental impact associated to each one of the phases of the life cycle of a product.

Syfte: En betydande del av Sveriges totala växthusgaser kommer ifrån bygg- och fastighetssektorn. Då livscykelperspektivet är ett högaktuellt ämne är det intressant att implementera LCA i bygg- och fastighetsbranschen och genomföra en analys på de isoleringsmaterial som anses vara de traditionella inom branschen. För att resultatet av LCA ska vara applicerbart för företag i branschen är det också av intresse att veta hur LCC skiljer sig mellan de jämförda isoleringsmaterialen. För att resultatet ska vara lätt att identifiera är en sammanställning av kostnad i kontrast till koldioxidutsläpp av intresse. Målet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om olika isoleringsmaterials miljöpåverkan utifrån ett livscykelperspektiv. Likaså att se hur stor skillnad det blir i kostnad mellan isoleringsmaterial med mer eller mindre koldioxidutsläpp, där en förutsättning är att U-värdet är detsamma för de jämförda materialen. Metod: De vetenskapliga metoderna för studien har varit litteraturstudie, fallstudie och dokumentanalys. Som komplement till dessa har beräkningar, livscykelanalyser och livscykelkostnadsanalyser genomförts. Resultat: Lösull av cellulosa minskar koldioxidutsläppet för isoleringen i vindsbjälklag med 94,6 procent till en kostnadsökning motsvarande 30 procent jämfört med stenull. En skiva av cellulosa minskar koldioxidutsläppet för isoleringen i yttervägg med 94,4 procent till en kostnadsökning motsvarande 7 procent jämfört med stenull. En bottenplatta av cellglas minskar koldioxidutsläppen med 65,1 procent till en kostnadsökning motsvarande 55,2 procent jämfört med en bottenplatta av cellplast och betong. Konsekvenser: • Isolering av cellulosa har ett betydligt lägre koldioxidutsläpp än stenull. • Livscykelkostnad för cellulosa är något högre än för stenull. • Utifrån denna studie rekommenderas att prioritera miljö framför kostnad och därför använda cellulosa som isolering i byggnader. • Cellglas är ett miljömässigt hållbart alternativ till cellplast och betong vid grundläggning. • Cellglas har en högre livscykelkostnad än cellplast och betong vid grundläggning. • Utifrån denna studie rekommenderas att prioritera miljö framför kostnad och därför överväga att använda cellglas vid grundläggning av byggnader. Begränsningar: Undersökningen har inte tagit hänsyn till transporter av material. Livscykelanalyserna är gjorda på 1 m2 material med en bestämd tjocklek. Endast två isoleringsalternativ per byggnadsdel har jämförts och hänsyn till materialens fukt-, ljud och brandegenskaper har inte beaktats. Studien är kvantitativ. / Purpose: A big part of the greenhouse gases from Sweden comes from the construction and real estate sector. Since the life cycle perspective is a high currant subject it is interesting to implement LCA to the building industry and perform such an analysis on the insulation materials that are traditionally used in the building industry. To make the result of the LCA applicable for companies in the industry it is also of interest to know how the LCC differs between the compared insulation materials. For the result to be easy to identify it is necessary to make a compilation of the cost in contrast to the carbon dioxide emissions. The goal of this study is to contribute with knowledge about the environmental impact from a life cycle perspective of different insulation materials. As well to see how the cost might change between different insulation materials with more or less carbon dioxide emissions, where a presumption is that the U-value is the same for the compared materials. Method: The scientific methods for the study have been literature study, case study and document analysis. As a complement, calculations, life cycle assessments and life cycle cost analysis have been made. Findings: Loose fill insulation of cellulose reduces the carbon dioxide emissions for insulation in the attic with 94,6 percent to a cost increase of 30 percent compared to stone wool. A board of cellulose reduces the carbon dioxide emissions for insulation in the external wall with 94,4 percent to a cost increase of 7 percent compared to stone wool. A foundation with foamglas reduces the carbon dioxide emissions with 65,1 percent to a cost increase of 55,2 percent compared to a foundation of EPS and concrete. Implications: • Insulation of cellulose have much lower carbon dioxide emissions than stone wool. • Life cycle cost for cellulose are a bit higher than for stone wool. • From this study the recommendation is to prioritize the environment above the cost and therefor use cellulose as insulation in buildings. • Foamglas is a more sustainable alternative to EPS and concrete for foundations. • Foamglas have a higher life cycle cost than EPS and concrete for foundations. • From this study the recommendation is to prioritize the environment above the cost and therefore consider to use foamglas for foundations. Limitations: The study has not included transportations of the materials. The life cycle assessments are made on 1 m2 of material with a fixed thickness. Only two insulation materials in each building part have been analyzed and no regards have been taken to the materials moist, sound, and fire attribute. The study is quantitative.