Benvinguts a SosteniPrA – Grup d’investigació de la UAB i de l'IRTA

A VIABILITY ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE IMPLEMENTATION OF ENERGY PRODUCTION SYSTEMS USING BIOMASS IN CATALONIA (SPAIN)
N. Puy I; S. Martínez II; J. Bartrolí Almera I; M. Rigola II, J. Bartrolí Molins I; J. Rieradevall I. I. Institute of Environmental Science and Technology. Autonomous University of Barcelona. Edifici Cn – Campus de la UAB. 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès). Barcelona. Catalonia, Spain. II. Institute of the Environment. University of Girona. Campus Montilivi. 17071 Girona. Catalonia, Spain.
Biomass Congress, Paris 2005 , 2005

Bioenergy is very important for implementing the Kyoto agreement to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by replacing fossil fuels. The viability of implementing energy production systems using biomass in Catalonia (Spain) needs to be analysed due to Catalonia’s particular and diverse geographical and climate characteristics. Forestry wastes are the main biomass source, although three more types of biomass have been included (agricultural wastes, industrial waste, and gardening, pruning and bulky wastes). We consider the harvesting, transportation and energy conversion stages. Combustion is regarded as the most viable energy conversion technology at present, therefore three different combustion scenarios are studied (small scale, medium scale and large scale plants). First, an energy, environmental and economic analysis was carried out. Second, an integrated sustainability evaluation which incorporates the first analysis’ results was elaborated in discussion groups and with qualitative tools. The results show that energy production systems using forestry biomass can be implemented in Catalonia if costs are reduced through harvesting and transportation. Political support, incentives for forest managers and a forestry wastes market development are also necessary. In Mediterranean countries, in addition to energy recovery from a renewable source, an appropriate management of forests is convenient for forest fire prevention.

Accounting for Fluorine Production: Use and Loss
Gara Villalba* Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Edifici Cn, 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona, Spain Robert U. Ayres INSEAD 77305 Fontainebleau CEDEX, France and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria Hans Schroder *gara.villalba@uab.es
Journal of Industrial Ecology, Volume 11, Number 1, 85-101 , 2007

Fluorine is an essential mineral to our health and to the chemical industry. In spite of our dependence on fluorine and fluorine compounds, we have yet to learn to use it wisely. Our fluorine history, which spans for about a hundred years, has had some negative effects such as hydrofluoric acid pollution caused by aluminum smelters and ozone depletion due to CFC emissions. More recent concerns center on “Greenhouse” effects from CFCs, HFCs and SF6. In this paper we note also that fluorine is a non-renewable resource that is non-substitutable for many purposes. This paper tracks fluorine from sources through conversions processes, to end uses, most of which are dissipative. We present a stock-flow model of the fluorine system. Based on this model we consider some possible measures could be taken to increase the degree of recovery. To mention one example, a large percentage of the world demand for fluorspar could be supplied by the global phosphate rock (fertilizer) industry, which currently dissipates a great deal of recoverable fluorine in waste phospho-gypsum.

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ENERGY USED OF HEMP ANALYSIS OF THE COMPARTIFE LIFE CYCLE OIL VS HEMP DIESEL.
Xaquín Acosta Casas and Joan Rieradevall i Pons* Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Universitat Autènoma de Barcelona, Edifici Cn-Campus de la UAB-08193, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain *Corresponding author: E-mail: Joan.Rieradevall@uab.es
Int. J. Agricultural Resources Governance and Ecology, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2005 , 2005

Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) is a herbaceous crop with a potential production of 12 tons of dry matter per hectare and a seed output of 0.5–2 tons per hectare, depending on its handling. The agro-ecological aspects and the high yield of vegetable biomass from hemp farming are the factors that indicate a possible interest in this plant from the point of view of energy use, but in order to validate this it is necessary to carry out a Life Cycle Analysis. It is to be observed that the hemp energy resources come from the vegetable biomass used as fuel, or by obtaining bio-diesel from the oil derived from its seeds. In order to carry out the environmental analysis of the energy use of hemp-diesel the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) has been used as an environmental tool which has allowed for a comparison of the results obtained with those of diesel oil.

Using the recyclability index of materials as a tool for design for disassembly
G. Villalba, M. Segarra, J.M. Chimenos, F. Espiell* * Department of Chemical Engineering and Metallurgy, University of Barcelona, Marti´ i Franque`s 1, Barcelona 08028, Spain
Ecological Economics, 2004 , 2004

The recyclability index of materials (R) is used to determine if it is economically feasible to disassemble a product. First, a percentage of the product that is composed with materials with a high R is calculated. This gives an estimate of how much of the product can be recycled theoretically. Then, a profit-to-loss margin for recycling is calculated to determine whether it is economically feasible to recover that percentage of materials with high R previously calculated. If the margin is positive, then it is economically possible to recycle that product, and if it is negative certain actions could be taken in order to make the margin positive.

Services sector metabolism. Integrated Energy Flow Accounting and Life Cycle Assessment of the technical energy consumption at the Montjuïc urban park
Oliver-Solà, J., Núñez, M., Gabarrell, X., Boada, M., Rieradevall, J. Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) Universitat Aut`onoma de Barcelona (UAB) Edifici Cn Campus de la UAB 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vall`es) Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol 11, n 2,(83-98), 2007 , 2007

Services sector metabolism. Integrated Energy Flow Accounting and Life Cycle Assessment of the technical energy consumption at the Montjuïc urban park (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain). This article evaluates, from an industrial ecology (IE) perspective, the energy performance of the services inside an urban system and determines their global environmental impact. Additionally, this study determines which are the most energy demanding services and the efficiency of their energy use per visitor and per surface area unit. The urban system under study is the Montju¨ıc urban park in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, which can be considered a services system. In this case study we distinguished the different patterns of consumption among the service fields and, by studying each field individually, found the most efficient facilities and identified the most critical services based on energy use per visitor or per square meter. These findings are based on the use of energy flow accounting (EFA), life-cycle assessment (LCA), and the energy footprint to analyze the Park’s technical energy consumption. Electricity consumption represents nearly 70% of the total energy consumed by the services at Montju¨ıc Park. The forest surface area required to absorb the CO2-equivalent emissions produced by the life cycle of the energy consumed at Montju¨ıc Park represents 12.2 times the Park’s surface area. We conclude this article by proposing the incorporation of the methods of IE within the study of parks containing multiple services to improve energy management, and as a result, to raise the global environmental performance of the service sector.

A PROPOSAL FOR EMISSION CALCULATIONS FOR CHEMICAL PROCESSES, Part I.
Gara Villalba* Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Edifici Cn, 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona, Spain Leslie Ayres and Robert U. Ayres Center for the Management of Environmental Resources INSEAD Boulevard de Constance F-77305 Fontainebleau CEDEX, France and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis 1 Schlossplatz A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria *e-mail: gara.villalba@uab.es
, 2004

It has been shown that there is an urgent need for emissions data in the chemical sector. Since part of the problem is the confidentiality of this data, it has been proposed to create a set of modules for basic chemical reactions that could be incorporated in software simulation tools. Using mass and energy balances, proper emission calculations in mass units could be determined. An example using polyurethane is used to illustrate the objective of this work. Although theoretical, it is better than nonverifiable data, not to say non-existing data. This tool is a clear need for any type of assessment that requires emissions data such as LCA’s, as well as for environmental policy, public awareness, and industry itself.

Olive Oil Mill Waste Waters Decoloration and Detoxification in a Bioreactor by the White Rot Fungus Phanerochaete flavido-alba
P. Blánquez,*,† G. Caminal‡, M. Sarrà †, M. T. Vicent†, and X. Gabarrell† Departament d’Enginyeria Qui´mica (CeRBA), ETSE, and Laboratorio Asociado al CNB CSIC-UAB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Biotechnol. Prog. 2002, 18, 660-662 , 2002

Olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) is produced as waste in olive oil extraction. With the purpose of treating this highly polluting waste, a number of experiments were conducted in a laboratory-scale bioreactor with the white rot fungus Phanerochaete flavido-alba (P. flavido-alba). It is known that this fungus is capable of decolorizing OMW in static or semistatic cultures at Erlenmeyer scale and at 30 °C. The objective of this work was to prove that P. flavido-alba could decolorize OMW in submerged cultures and that it is capable of reducing OMW toxicity at room temperature (25 °C) and in a laboratory-scale bioreactor. In the experiments conducted, manganese peroxidase (MnP) and laccase enzymes were detected; however, unlike other studies, lignin peroxidase was not found to be present. Decoloration obtained after treatment was 70%. The reduction of aromatic compounds obtained was 51%, and the toxicity of the culture medium was reduced by up to 70%. We can therefore state that P. flavidoalba is capable of reducing important environmental parameters of industrial effluents and that prospects are positive for the use of this process at a larger scale, even when working at room temperature.

LCA Application to Integrated Waste Management Planning in Gipuzkoa (Spain)
Ivan Muñoz*, Joan Rieradevall, Xavier Doménech and Llorenç Milà Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193-Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain * Corresponding author (ivan.munoz.ortiz@uab.es)
LCA Case Studies Integrated Waste Management Planning, 2004 , 2004

Goal, Scope and Background. Gipuzkoa is a department of the Vasque Country (Spain) with a population of about 700,000 people. By the year 2000 approximately 85% of municipal solid waste in this area was managed by landfilling, and only 15% was recycled. Due to environmental law restrictions and landfill capacity being on its limit, a planning process was initiated by the authorities. LCA was used, from an environmental point of view, to assess 7 possible scenarios arising from the draft Plan for the 2016 time horizon. Main Features. In each scenario, 9 waste flows are analysed: rest waste, paper and cardboard, glass containers, light packaging, organic- green waste, as well as industrial/commercial wood, metals and plastics, and wastewater sludge. Waste treatments range from recycling to energy recovery and landfilling. Results. Recycling of the waste flows separated at the source (paper and cardboard, glass, light packaging, organic-green waste, wood packaging, metals and plastics) results in net environmental benefits caused by the substitution of primary materials, except in water consumption. These benefits are common to the 7 different scenarios analysed. However, some inefficiencies are detected, mainly the energy consumption in collection and transport of low density materials, and water consumption in plastic recycling. The remaining flows, mixed waste and wastewater sludge, are the ones causing the major environmental impacts, by means of incineration, landfilling of partially stabilised organic material, as well as thermal drying of sludge. With the characterisation results, none of the seven scenarios can be clearly identified as the most preferable, although, due to the high recycling rates expected by the Plan, net environmental benefits are achieved in 9 out of 10 impact categories in all scenarios when integrated waste management is assessed (the sum of the 9 flows of waste). Finally, there are no relevant differences between scenarios concerning the number of treatment plants considered. Nevertheless, only the effects on transportation impacts were assessed in the LCA, since the plant construction stage was excluded from the system boundaries. Conclusions. The results of the study show the environmental importance of material recycling in waste management, although the recycling schemes assessed can be improved in some aspects. It is also important to highlight the environmental impact of incineration and landfilling of waste, as well as thermal drying of sludge using fossil fuels. One of the main findings of applying LCA to integrated waste management in Gipuzkoa is the fact that the benefits of high recycling rates can compensate for the impacts of mixed waste and wastewater sludge. Recommendations and Outlook. Although none of the scenarios can be clearly identified as the one having the best environmental performance, the authorities in Gipuzkoa now have objective information about the future scenarios, and a multidisciplinary panel could be formed in order to weight the impacts if necessary. In our opinion, LCA was successfully applied in Gipuzkoa as an environmental tool for decision making.

Life cycle assessment of wood wastes: A case study of ephemeral architecture
Beatriz Rivela(a), Maria Teresa Moreira(a),*, Iván Muñoz (b), Joan Rieradevall (b), Gumersindo Feijoo(a) (a) Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, C/ Lope de Marzoa s/n., E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain (b) Department of Chemical Engineering, Autonomous University of Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
Science of the Total Environment, 357, 1-11, (2006) , 2006

One of the most commonly used elements in ephemeral architecture is a particleboard panel. These types of wood products are produced from wood wastes and they are used in temporary constructions such as trade fairs. Once the event is over, they are usually disposed into landfills. This paper intends to assess the environmental effects related to the use of these wood wastes in the end-of-life stage. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of two scenarios was performed, considering the recycling of wood waste for particleboard manufacture and energy generation from non-renewable resources (Scenario 1) versus the production of energy from the combustion of wood waste and particleboard manufacture with conventional wooden resources (Scenario 2). A sensitive analysis was carried out taking into account the influence of the percentage of recycled material and the emissions data from wood combustion. According to Ecoindicator 99 methodology, Damage to Human Health and Ecosystem Quality are more significant in Scenario 2 whereas Scenario 1 presents the largest contribution to Damage to Resources. Between the two proposed alternatives, the recycling of wood waste for particleboard manufacture seems to be more favorable under an environmental perspective.

A proposal for quantifying the recyclability of materials
G. Villalba, M. Segarra, A.I. Ferna´ndez, J.M. Chimenos, F. Espiell * * Department of Chemical Engineering and Metallurgy, Uniersity of Barcelona, Martí i Franqués, 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Resources, Conservation and Recycling 37 (2002) 39–53 , 2002

It is becoming of empirical importance that recyclability be defined in such a way that engineers, economists, and policy makers can agree upon and use collectively. This paper defines recyclability as the ability of a material to reacquire the properties that it had in its virgin state, where virgin state refers to the material in its purest form before being processed or shaped for a specific use. Anything less than that can be measured as a degree of its recyclability, defined as recycling index (R). It is here proposed that R of a material can be estimated by its devaluation (how much the material devalues during its first use), which is reflected by its loss of monetary value. This way, R can be calculated by a mathematical expression. Because of their thermodynamic and kinetic properties, as well as advances in their recycling technologies, most metals are recyclable. They are therefore used to establish a relationship that determines how truly recyclable materials should behave.

Removal of ammonium and phosphates from wastewater resulting from the process of cochineal extraction using MgO-containing by-product
J.M. Chimenos (a), A.I. Fern!andez (a), G. Villalba (a), M. Segarra (a), A. Urruticoechea (b), B. Artaza (b), F. Espiell (a),* (a) Department of Chemical Engineering and Metallurgy, University of Barcelona, Marti i Franques 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain (b) Asistencia Tecnològica Medioambiental, S.A., Epele Bailara, 29, 20120 Hernani, Spain Received 24 April 2001; received in revised form 29 March 2002; accepted 30 September 2002
Water Research, 2002 , 2002

The wastewater produced by the cochineal extract process to obtain the carminic acid colouring pigment (carmin red E120) has high concentrations of phosphates and ammonium. It is known that both ions can be precipitated with magnesium in the form of struvite, MgNH4PO4, or ammonium magnesium phosphate (MAP) compounds. In this study, the use of an alternative MgO-containing by-product is investigated. The optimal pH, reaction time and solid/ liquid ratio have been studied. It has been found that the low-grade MgO needed is greater than the stoichiometric value for the full removal of ammonium and phosphate as MAP compounds. Although the low-grade MgO (LG-MgO) reacts slower than pure MgO, it has considerable economic advantages. A batch process has been proposed for the removal of ammonium and phosphates from wastewater obtained in cochineal extracts processing, previously to biological treatment to diminish the COD.

Mechanism of textile metal dye biotransformation by Trametes versicolor
P. Bl!anquez(a), N. Casas(a), X. Font(c), X. Gabarrell(a), M. Sarrà(a), G. Caminal(b) , T. Vicent(a),* (a) Departament d’Enginyeria Química, i Unitat d’Enginyeria Bioquímica, del CeRBA, Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici C.C. Nord, Bellaterra 08193, Spain (b) Unitat de Biocat análisis aplicada Asociada al IIQAB (CSIC-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193, Spain (c) Escola Universitaria Politècnica del Medi Ambient, Mollet del Vallès, Spain
Water Research, 2004 , 2004

The biodegradation of Grey Lanaset G, which consists of a mixture of metal complexed dye, was studied. Experiments were carried out in a bioreactor with retained pellets of the fungus Trametes versicolor that was operated under conditions of laccase production. Although decolorization was highly ef?cient (90%), no direct relationship to extracellular enzyme was apparent. Moreover, the extracellular enzyme was found to be unable to degrade the dye in vitro. The process involves several steps. Thus, the initial adsorption of the dye and its transfer into cells is followed by breaking of the metal complex bond in the cells release of the components. The metal (Cr and Co) contents of the biomass and treated solutions, and their closer relationship to intracellular enzyme and degradation of the dye, con?rm the initial hypothesis.

Exergy Analysis applied to biodiesel production.
Laura Talens a,∗, Gara Villalba a, Xavier Gabarrell a,b a SosteniPra UAB-IRTA. Environmental Science and Technology Institute (ICTA), Edifici Cn, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain b Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain
Resources, Conservation & Recycling. Accepted 18 October 2006. Available online 21 November (2006). , 2007

In our aim to decrease the consumption of materials and energy and promote the use of renewable resources, such as biofuels, rises the need to measure materials and energy fluxes. This paper suggests the use of Exergy Flow Analysis (ExFA) as an environmental assessment tool to account wastes and emissions, determine the exergetic efficiency, compare substitutes and other types of energy sources: all useful in defining environmental and economical policies for resource use. In order to illustrate how ExFA is used, it is applied to the process of biodiesel production. The results show that the production process has a low exergy loss (492 MJ). The exergy loss is reduced by using potassium hydroxide and sulphuric acid as process catalysts and it can be further minimised by improving the quality of the used cooking oil.

Material flow analysis adapted to an industrial area
Cristina Sendra, Xavier Gabarrell*, Teresa Vicent Departament Enginyeria Química, SosteniPra Research Group, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), Spain
Journal of Cleaner Production Vol 47 (16) (2007) , 2007

Material flow analysis (MFA) has become a useful tool for industrial ecology (IE) to analyze the metabolism of social systems, such as countries and regions. This paper proposes to use the indicators derived from MFA, complemented with water and energy indicators, to analyze the efficiency and the materialization ranks of industrial areas. The methodology is applied to a case study of an industrial area located in Catalonia (Spain). Despite the heterogeneity of the area, by using simple data the indicators detect companies with high consumption or inefficiency. These companies have many opportunities to improve on these aspects and the indicators can measure and reflect their evolution. In addition, the results show the importance that some flows such as water inputs (1.5 times higher than material inputs) and indirect flows associated with imports, which often are omitted, can have in some study cases.

Life cycle assessment of a Brassica carinata bioenergy cropping system in southern Europe
Carles M. Gasol1, Xavier Gabarrell1,2, Assumpció Anton 3, Miquel Rigola4, Juan Carrasco5, Pilar Ciria5, Ml Solano5, Joan Rieradevall1,2 1 SosteniPrA (UAB-IRTA). Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA). Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain. 2 Chemical Engineering Department. Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain. 3SosteniPrA (UAB-IRTA). Institute for Food and Agricultural Research and Technology. Centre de Cabrils. Carretera de Cabrils s/n 08348. (Barcelona), Spain. 4 Institute of Environment. University of Girona Campus Montilivi M24.17071.Girona (Spain). 5 Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology. (CIEMAT),
Biomass & Bioenergy. (available on line,2007) Volumen: 31 Páginas, inicial: 543 final: 555 Fecha: 24 de Abril 2007 , 2007

The energetic and environmental performance of production and distribution of the Brassica carinata biomass crop in Soria (Spain) is analyzed using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology in order to demonstrate the major potential that the crop has in southern Europe as a as a lignocellulosic fuel for use as a renewable energy source. The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) including midpoint impact analysis that was performed shows that the use of fertilizers is the action with the highest impact in six of the ten environmental categories considered, representing between 51-68% of the impact in these categories. The second most important impact is produced when the diesel is used in tractors and transport vehicles which represents between 48-77%. The contribution of the B. carinata cropping systemto the Glo bal Warming category is 12.7g CO2 eq. MJ-1 biomass produced. Assuming a preliminary estimation of the B. carinata capacity of translocated CO2 (631 kg CO2.ha-1) from below ground biomass into the soil, the emissions are reduced by up to 5.2 g CO2 eq. MJ-1. The production and transport as far as a thermoelectric plant of the B.carinata biomass used as a solid fuel consumes 0.12 MJ of primary energy per 1 MJ of biomass energy stored. In comparison with other fossil fuels such as natural gas, it reduces primary energy consumption by 33.2% and greenhouse gas emission from 33.1% to 71.2% depending on whether the capacity of translocated CO2 is considered or not. The results of the analysis support the assertion that B.carinata crops are viable from an energy balance and environmental perspective for producing lignocellulosic solid fuel destined for the production of energy in southern Europe. Furthermore the performance of the crop could be improved, thus increasing the energy and environmental benefits