Listen
25 Ergebnisse
Ergebnisse nach Hochschule und Institut
Publikation Citizen science-based waste diaries. An exploratory case study of household waste in Switzerland(MDPI, 30.04.2024) Breitenmoser, Lena; Behner, David; Baertsch, Alessia; Mondardini, Maria Rosa; Hugi, ChristophSustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) and national waste reduction goals require frequent waste analyses for monitoring and governance decisions. We developed and tested a citizen science (CS)-based household waste diary for ten consecutive days with 89 volunteer households in Switzerland as a complementary monitoring option to official composition analyses. Discrepancies between the CS-based household diary data and the official composition analyses ranged between 55–65% less reported waste quantities for minerals, compound products, and plastics and 80–90% less for paper, avoidable food waste, and glass. Household waste diaries should be digitalized and prolonged to 21–28 days, and volunteers from different demographic groups are needed to produce stratified, representative results. We conclude that a hybrid CS study design involving waste composition analyses and waste diaries could reduce self-reporting biases while increasing the monitoring frequencies of household waste compositions. CS-based hybrid household waste projects can be a powerful means to complement the measures identified in the 2022 Swiss action plan against food waste and for data reporting for the SDG 12.3 Food Waste Index.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Organic photovoltaics: Potential fate and effects in the environment(Elsevier, 2012) Zimmermann, Yannick-Serge; Schäffer, Andreas; Hugi, Christoph; Fent, Karl; Corvini, Philippe; Lenz, MarkusIn times of dwindling fossil fuels it is particularly crucial to develop novel “green” technologies in order to cover the increasing worldwide demand for energy. Organic photovoltaic solar cells (OPVs) are promising as a renewable energy source due to low energy requirement for production, low resource extraction, and no emission of greenhouse gasses during use. In contrast to silicium-based solar cells, OPVs offer the advantages of light-weight, semi-transparency and mechanical flexibility. As to a possible forthcoming large-scale production, the environmental impact of such OPVs should be assessed and compared to currently best available technologies. For the first time, this review compiles the existing knowledge and identifies gaps regarding the environmental impact of such OPVs in a systematic manner. In this regard, we discuss the components of a typical OPV layer by layer. We discuss the probability of enhanced release of OPV-borne components into the environment during use-phase (e.g. UV- and biodegradation) and end-of-life phase (e.g. incineration and waste disposal). For this purpose, we compiled available data on bioavailability, bioaccumulation, biodegradation, and ecotoxicity. Whereas considerable research has already been carried out concerning the ecotoxicity of certain OPV components (e.g. nanoparticles and fullerenes), others have not been investigated at all so far. In conclusion, there is a general lack of information about fate, behavior as well as potential ecotoxicity of most of the main OPV components and their degradation/transformation products. So far, there is no evidence for a worrying threat coming from OPVs, but since at present, no policy and procedures regarding recycling of OPVs are in action, in particular improper disposal upon end-of-life might result in an adverse effect of OPVs in the environment when applied in large-scale.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Circularity and environmental sustainability of organic and printed electronics(Jenny Stanford Publishing, 2024) Le Blévennec, Kévin; Hengevoss, Dirk; Zimmermann, Yannick-Serge; Brun, Nadja; Hugi, Christoph; Lenz, Markus; Corvini, Philippe; Fent, Karl; Nisato, Giovanni; Lupo, Donald; Rudolf, SimoneIn this chapter, the possible role and impact of organic and printed electronics (OPE) in a transition toward a circular economy and more sustainable society will be discussed. The learning targets are twofold: first, understanding main environmental issues associated with the emerging field of OPE, and second, identifying, through a systemic perspective, the enabling potential of these technologies.04A - Beitrag SammelbandPublikation Implementation of co-processing of waste in cement kilns for Ukraine(Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, 2021) Kleshchov, Anton Yosypovych; Hengevoss, Dirk; Hugi, Christoph; Mutz, Dieter; Terentiev, Oleh Markovych; Shevchuk, Nataliia Anatoliivna05 - Forschungs- oder ArbeitsberichtPublikation Life cycle assessment of a novel production route for scandium recovery from bauxite residues(Elsevier, 2024) Hengevoss, Dirk; Misev, Victor; Feigl, Viktória; Fekete-Kertész, Ildikó; Molnár, Mónika; Balomenos, Efthymios; Davris, Panagiotis; Hugi, Christoph; Lenz, MarkusScandium (Sc) has various technological applications, but the concentrations of Sc in ores are low. Both, the mining of low concentrated Sc and the production of industrial-grade Sc are a heavy burden on the environment. Bauxite residue (BR) from alumina production represents one of the major sources of Sc in Europe (Ochsenkühn-Petropulu et al., 1994). The goal of this study is to assess the environmental impacts from cradle to gate of a novel production route developed in the Scandium Aluminium Europe project (SCALE) to extract Sc at concentrations <100 ppm from BR, to concentrate and upgrade it to pure ScF3 and Sc2O3 and ultimately to refine it to an aluminium scandium master alloy with 2 % Sc mass fraction (AlSc2 %). Results show that the global warming potential (GWP), measured in CO2-eq per kg Sc2O3, generated with the novel route is about half the GWP of the state-of-the-art Sc2O3 production from rare earth tailings when applying equal allocation principles. The initial process step to dissolve BR and extract Sc consumes elevated amounts of acid and energy and is responsible for at least 80 % of the route’s total environmental impact. The amount of the generated filter cake (FC) is equal to the amount of the BR input and is a potential resource for cement clinker production. The ecotoxicological study indicates that both FC and BR are slightly ecotoxic.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Opciones para el aprovechamiento energético de residuos en la gestión de residuos sólidos urbanos. Guía para los responsables de la toma de decisiones en países en vías de desarrollo y emergentes(Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, 2017) Mutz, Dieter; Hengevoss, Dirk; Hugi, Christoph; Gross, Thomas05 - Forschungs- oder ArbeitsberichtPublikation Innovative technology of biscuit production based on the use of secondary products of soybean processing(Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, 25.04.2023) Korkach, Hanna V.; Kotuzaki, Olena M.; Breitenmoser, Lena; Behner, David; Hugi, Christoph; Krusir, Galina V.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Anaerobic digestion of biowaste in Indian municipalities. Effects on energy, fertilizers, water and the local environment(Elsevier, 07/2021) Gross, Thomas; Breitenmoser, Lena; Hugi, Christoph; Wintgens, ThomasAnaerobic digestion (AD) of biowaste seems promising to provide renewable energy (biogas) and organic fertilizers (digestate) and mitigate environmental pollution in India. Intersectoral analyses of biowaste management in municipalities are needed to reveal benefits and trade-offs of AD at the implementation-level. Therefore, we applied material flow analyses (MFAs) to quantify effects of potential AD treatment of biowaste on energy and fertilizer supply, water consumption and environmental pollution in two villages, two towns and two cities in Maharashtra. Results show that in villages AD of available manure and crop residues can cover over half of the energy consumption for cooking (EC) and reduce firewood dependency. In towns and cities, AD of municipal biowaste is more relevant for organic fertilizer supply and pollution control because digestate can provide up to several times the nutrient requirements for crop production, but can harm ecosystems when discharged to the environment. Hence, in addition to energy from municipal biowaste - which can supply 4-6% of EC - digestate valorisation seems vital but requires appropriate post-treatment, quality control and trust building with farmers. To minimize trade-offs, water-saving options should be considered because 2-20% of current groundwater abstraction in municipalities is required to treat all available biowaste with 'wet' AD systems compared to <3% with 'dry' AD systems. We conclude that biowaste management with AD requires contextualized solutions in the setting of energy, fertilizers and water at the implementation-level to conceive valorization strategies for all AD products, reduce environmental pollution and minimize trade-offs with water resources.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Micropollutant abatement with UV/H2O2 oxidation or low-pressure reverse osmosis? A comparative life cycle assessment for drinking water production(Elsevier, 15.02.2022) Roth, Christine; Wünsch, Robin; Wülser, Richard; Antes, Ralf; Dinkel, Fredy; Hugi, Christoph; Thomann, MichaelMicropollutants (MP) are undesired in drinking water. Advanced oxidation processes (AOP) or low-pressure reverse osmosis membrane filtrations (LPRO) can be used to remove them during the water purification process. For a specific case, two treatment scenarios were compared with a life cycle assessment (LCA), using three impact assessment methods (Ecological Scarcity 2013, ILCD 2011, EDIP 2003). Scenario 1 (AOP-based) was a UV/H2O2 oxidation with a subsequent granular activated carbon (GAC) filter to remove excess H2O2 before soil infiltration. Scenario 2 (LPRO-based) was a side-stream treatment with an ultrafiltration (UF) and low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO) filtration before soil infiltration and the LPRO retentate was treated with O3/H2O2 and subsequent granular activated carbon (GAC) filter before discharge back into Rhine. Sensitivity analyses were performed on the relevant contributors to evaluate the robustness of the results. LCA results showed that in the base-line scenario (electricity from renewable energy sources) the LPRO-based treatment had notably fewer environmental impacts than the AOP-based treatment, which was confirmed with three impact assessment methods. Key contributors to the impacts were mostly operating resources, i.e., electricity, H2O2, liquid O2 for ozone generation and GAC, but also construction resources in the LPRO process. The electrical energy source was decisive for the results: with a share of renewable energy sources <80%, the AOP-based treatment was the better option due to its lower specific energy demand. The optimization of treatment conditions, such as lower H2O2 concentration at an increased UV fluence; different H2O2:O3 molar ratios; or extended GAC utilization time could influence the environmental impact within a range of ±10–30%. Environmental benefits, i.e. the reduction of potential hazardous effects of 21 MPs, were determined with EDIP 2003 and USEtox for both treatment scenarios. The estimated benefits were negligible in comparison to the environmental burden caused by the treatments, thus would not be justified from a global LCA impact-benefit perspective. However, because of several uncertainties and lack of data, the inclusion of treatment benefits in LCAs for drinking water purification requires further research.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher ZeitschriftPublikation Anaerobic digestion of biowastes in India: Opportunities, challenges and research needs(Elsevier, 15.04.2019) Breitenmoser, Lena; Gross, Thomas; Huesch, Ragini; Rau, Julius; Hugi, Christoph; Wintgens, ThomasThe quest for improved living conditions in rapidly growing Indian communities puts pressure on natural resources and produces emissions which harm the environment, society and the economy. Current municipal solid waste (MSW) practices are an important example, as most waste remains untreated and is often deposited on unsafe dumpsites or burned on open fires. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an option to treat the large biodegradable fraction ('biowaste'). In rural parts of India, the technology to supply energy from biogas has been promoted for 30 years. Biowaste treatment in urban MSW management and organic fertilizer ('digestate') production for agriculture via AD have more recently gained attention but with limited success so far. Recent environmental policies in waste, energy, agricultural and other sectors have, however, set important cornerstones for a broader diffusion in the coming years. On the basis of peer-reviewed literature and governmental reports, we identify barriers and enabling factors along the AD chain (biowaste to technology to product utilization), and analyse relevant boundary conditions for the new multi-sector policies. We show that AD implementation has repeatedly failed due to unrealistic assumptions on biowaste quantity and quality, underestimation of the complex biowaste supply chain, unsuitable AD designs and overestimation of economic returns from biogas and digestate. Local knowledge and capacities for planning and process control are lacking in many places and resources required for operation and maintenance in the long run have often been ignored. We found that the multi-facetted value propositions of AD - including biowaste treatment, energy and fertilizer products - have only been partially tapped due to the exclusive focus on biogas. The new sector policies provide important enabling factors for change. Decentralized AD plants operating on a few tons biowaste per day from reliable and manageable sources (e.g. fruit and vegetable markets) could be a more promising step forward than large-scale investments which rely on large biowaste volumes from various sources. The parallel development of biowaste management, planning tools for municipalities, standardized digestate monitoring protocols and studies on simple, low-cost optimization measures for methane recovery from a wide range of biowastes and innovative high-solid AD digester designs will be prerequisites for the long-term future of AD projects.01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
- «
- 1 (current)
- 2
- 3
- »