Global warming produced mainly by the emission of greenhouse gases is currently a worldwide concern. In the last few decades since the 1950s many of the changes observed in the world climate have ...been meaningful. This paper presents an analysis of energy efficiency and of greenhouse gas emissions in the Chilean manufacturing industry by region and sector taking into consideration time sequences. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models are used for the analysis. Three ways to handle undesirable outputs are compared, the source of inefficiency in each decision making unit (DMU) is calculated using scale efficiency, and the evolution over time is analyzed using the Malmquist index. The results indicate that the industries located in the Chilean regions of Coquimbo, La Araucania and Aysen were the most efficient while the industries in the regions of Tarapaca, Antofagasta and Biobio were less efficient. The most efficient industrial sectors were those involving communications equipment, base metals, and clothing; the least efficient were those concerned with food and beverages, textiles and nonmetallic minerals. Due to the treatment of the undesirable outputs, differences were found in the efficiency indexes obtained by the three models. This finding suggests using a model better adapted to the characteristics of the outputs in question and the viability of improving industrial practices.
•An environmental efficiency analysis of Chilean manufacturing sectors is developed.•DEA with Malmquist index are used for the environmental assessment in a time horizon.•Three approaches to deal with undesirable outputs in DEA are compared.•The most efficient sectors were communications equipment, base metals, and clothing.•Differences were found in the efficiency indexes obtained by the three approaches.
The high energy consumption in buildings is a major contributor to climate change and atmospheric pollution in south cities of Chile. In this context, insulation materials are a key factor to reduce ...the energy demand during the operational stage of a building. These materials are however commonly fabricated from petrochemicals with high energy consumption, causing significant detrimental effects on the environment during the production and discarding stage. Due these reasons, insulation materials based on natural fibers waste appear as an excellent alternative, due to abundant availability in south regions of Chile, potential low cost, low energy consumption during the production stage and high bio-degradation rate at the end of life. In this research, block type insulation based on wheat straw and corn husk residual fibers were developed. Taguchi method was applied to investigate the effect on thermal conductivity and density of four control factors in three levels, namely fiber length, boiling time; NaOH concentration and blending time; in a L-9 orthogonal array. Furthermore, flexural and compressive stress were determined and compared with expanded polystyrene block insulation. The results show thermal conductivity values were between 0.046 and 0.047 W/mK. In addition, flexural stress results were good compared to those of the standard expanded polystyrene type IX. Finally, optimum conditions of the process were determined to obtain a final block, which was morphologically analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while the thermal behavior was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).
•Natural fibers can be used as a base raw material for thermal insulation.•The fibers have thermal performance comparable to synthetic insulation materials.•The use of natural fibers can reduce the depletion of fossil fuels.
Transport is one of the activities that generates the highest CO2 eq emissions. In the particular case of Chile, it is the second economic activity that generates the greatest environmental impact. ...The safe and efficient transport of products in domestic and foreign markets is often carried out with the help of pallets made of various materials, such as wood or plastic, which goes hand in hand with different environmental performance in their production. That is why it is important to know the carbon footprint of these products. The objectives of this study are to compare the value of the carbon footprint generated by the local production of wooden and plastic pallets and to evaluate the variations in its quantification using different software. For this purpose, the Chilean market is taken as a reference. This study follows the main guidelines of ISO standards as a reference framework. The functional unit is 1 pallet produced and the system boundary is from cradle to gate. The results show that wood and plastic pallets have an average carbon footprint of 4,12 kg CO2 eq and 38,85 kg CO2 eq respectively. The difference between the two pallets is mainly due to the environmental load of the raw materials. The causes of the variation in the estimation of the carbon footprint with different software are specifically based on the databases with which they can work. The ratio of 1:9 between the carbon footprint of wooden pallets concerning plastic pallets provides important data for decision making.
Agri-food has become an economic sector under increasing pressure in order to support food demand and decrease environmental impacts. One valuable methodology to evaluate environmental impacts is ...life cycle assessment (LCA), which has been employed in different economic sectors, however, beekeeping has been scarcely explored. In this context, this article investigates the environmental profile of 31 Chilean beekeeping systems reporting 15 environmental impact categories with a cradle to gate approach. In this way, this study identifies key contributing activities, variability in the environmental impacts, differences among operation scales, and provided efficient management practices for policy-makers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that conducts a wide environmental analysis of beekeeping systems through LCA. The results show that feeding is the most impacting activity in all categories, followed by hives transport. Otherwise, medication, consumption of disposable inputs and honey extraction contribute less than 5% in average across all categories. Regarding the operation scale, the results suggest that small-scale beekeepers have the lowest environmental performance. Otherwise, medium-scale beekeepers have better environmental performance than the large-scale ones, depending on the environmental impact category evaluated. Finally, managerial practices in order to achieve sustainable honey production are provided.
An option for the agriculture and energy sectors in Chile is the cultivation of energy crops, but environmental studies are first needed in the framework of a sustainable national energy policy.
In ...this study, we used a cradle-to-farm gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare environmental impacts and energy and water demand of rapeseed (
Brassica napus L.) and sunflower (
Helianthus annuus L.) in Chile, as potential oleaginous crops for first-generation biodiesel production. National agricultural data are used for the LCA inventory and process data of international databases are adapted to local conditions. The effect of field N
2O emissions and land use change is evaluated. The results indicate that, compared to sunflower, rapeseed production has a better environmental performance in 9 out of the 11 impact categories evaluated, and lower water consumption. The energy demand of rapeseed is 4.9
GJ/t seed, 30% less than that of sunflower. Mineral fertilizers cause the highest environmental impact in both crops. The analysis of the life cycle of fertilizers indicates that extraction of raw materials and its production are key stages. Attempts to reduce the environmental impact and energy requirement of both crops should be mainly associated with the evaluation of other types of fertilization. In addition, particularly for sunflower, low impact herbicides should be evaluated, seed yield improved and cultivation practices optimized. If the crops are produced on degraded grasslands, the greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced.
Operations management tools are critical in the process of evaluating and implementing action towards a low carbon production. Currently, a sustainable production implies both an efficient resource ...use and the obligation to meet targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The carbon footprint (CF) tool allows estimating the overall amount of GHG emissions associated with a product or activity throughout its life cycle. In this paper, we propose a four-step method for a joint use of CF assessment and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Following the eco-efficiency definition, which is the delivery of goods using fewer resources and with decreasing environmental impact, we use an output oriented DEA model to maximize production and reduce CF, taking into account simultaneously the economic and ecological perspectives. In another step, we stablish targets for the contributing CF factors in order to achieve CF reduction. The proposed method was applied to assess the eco-efficiency of five organic blueberry orchards throughout three growing seasons. The results show that this method is a practical tool for determining eco-efficiency and reducing GHG emissions.
Display omitted
•Joint use of carbon footprint (CF) assessment and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)•Assessment of eco-efficiency with DEA output oriented models•Eco-efficiency analysis with undesirable outputs•New procedure for changing factors contributing to CF•Improvements of eco-inefficient agricultural practices
This paper presents research concerning the environmental analysis of the selective collection management of municipal solid waste. The main goal of this study is to quantify and to compare, by means ...of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the potential environmental impacts of three selective collection systems modelled on densely populated urban areas. These systems are: the mobile pneumatic, the multi-container and the door-to-door. Impact assessment method based on CML 2 baseline 2000 is applied to the different systems. The study separates and analyzes the collection systems in substages: two urban substages and one inter-city substage. At the urban level, the multi-container system has the least environmental impact of all systems. The mobile pneumatic system has greater environmental impacts in terms of global warming, fresh water aquatic ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, acidification and eutrophication. In this system, the pipes and the pneumatic transport have the greatest impacts. The door-to-door system has a greatest environmental impact in terms of abiotic depletion, ozone layer depletion and human toxicity. An overall evaluation of the three substages, with a sensitivity analysis, indicates that the mobile pneumatic system at an inter-city distance of 20
km shows the greatest environmental impacts and the greatest energy demand. Inter-city transport is key; the results show that from an inter-city distance of 11
km onwards, this becomes the substage which most contributes to global warming impact and energy demand, in all the systems.
The product carbon footprint (CF) has been raised as an environmental indicator to estimate the sum and removals of GHG emissions, expressed as CO2 equivalents (CO2e), based on a life cycle ...assessment. Mainly, the measurement of the CF of fruits has been focused on different separate stages with reduced integration of the entire supply chain because data come from different sources at the global fruit market. The main objective of this study is to estimate the CF of the entire supply chain of exported Chilean apple from agricultural production to the UK consumer’s door. The results indicate that the Chilean apple presents GHG emissions of 0.54 kg CO2e/kg apple. The ocean freight is a hot spot that determines the performance of the CF of exported apple with a contribution of 39.2%. Finally, the importance of carrying out these types of studies covering the entire supply chain is emphasized, to provide public and private agents with accurate information and help them make the right decisions. In this way, the misuse of concepts—such as food miles—by interest groups in society is prevented, thus avoiding distortion in the fresh fruit trade.
PURPOSE: Chile is the second largest blueberry producer and exporter worldwide. At the global level, there is a lack of information by means of field data about greenhouse gas emissions from organic ...cultivation of this fruit. This study obtains a resource use inventory and assesses the cradle-to-farm gate carbon footprint (CF) of organic blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) production in the main cultivation area of Chile in order to identify CF key factors and to provide improvement measures. METHODS: The method used in this study follows the ISO 14040 framework and the main recommendations in the PAS 2050 guide as well as its specification for horticultural products PAS 2050-1. Primary data were collected for three consecutive production seasons from five organic Chilean blueberry orchards and calculations conducted with the GaBi 4 software. Agricultural factors such as fertilizers, pesticides, fossil fuels, electricity, materials, machinery, and direct land use change (LUC) are included. Only three orchards present direct LUC. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The direct LUC associated with the conversion from annual crops to perennial crops is a key factor in the greenhouse gas removals from the orchards. When accounting for direct LUC, the CF of organic blueberry production in the studied orchards ranges from removals (reported as negative value) of −0.94 to emissions of 0.61 kg CO₂-e/kg blueberry. CF excluding LUC ranges from 0.27 to 0.69 kg CO₂-e/kg blueberry. The variability in the results of the orchards suggests that the production practices have important effects on the CF. The factors with the greatest contribution to the greenhouse emissions are organic fertilizers followed by energy use causing, on average, 50 and 43 % of total emissions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The CF of the organic blueberry orchards under study decreases significantly when taking into account removals related to LUC. The results highlight the importance of reporting separately the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from LUC. The CF of blueberry production could be reduced by optimizing fertilizer application, using cover crops and replacing inefficient tractors and large irrigation pumps. The identification of improvement measures would be a useful guide for changing grower practices.
Eco-efficiency has become a cornerstone for any company that seeks to improve their environmental and economic aspects. In this context, the joint use of Life Cycle Assessment and Data Envelopment ...Analysis, known as LCA + DEA methodology, is an emerging and growing line of research. LCA estimates the environmental impacts of the products or services, while DEA evaluates their efficiency, providing targets and benchmarks for the inefficient ones. In this way, both the environmental and economic aspects are considered in the eco-efficiency assessment. Since LCA + DEA methodology is a novel research line, a literature review is necessary to depict its full scope and to support researchers and practitioners. This manuscript presents the first comprehensive and structured literature review of the joint use of LCA and DEA for eco-efficiency assessment. We propose a taxonomy for the reviewed articles based on the theoretical and practical issues of LCA + DEA methodology and classify them accordingly. This classification allows recognizing and discussing the main findings, which offer some managerial implications for professionals who want to start employing this methodology. In addition, a procedure for selecting a suitable method is proposed and the main limitations and research opportunities are identified. Finally, this review could be a starting point and a guide for systematically building knowledge about the in the joint use of LCA and DEA for eco-efficiency assessment.
Display omitted
•LCA + DEA is an emerging methodology to evaluate eco-efficiency.•A comprehensive review of LCA + DEA studies is carried out.•A taxonomy is proposed based on relevant aspects of LCA + DEA studies.•The proposed taxonomy is used to organize the LCA + DEA literature.•The results are discussed and future research areas are identified.
