Matching Items (4)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Environmental engineering
- Genre: Masters Thesis
- Creators: Chester, Mikhail
- Resource Type: Text
Description
The consumption of feedstocks from agriculture and forestry by current biofuel production has raised concerns about food security and land availability. In the meantime, intensive human activities have created a large amount of marginal lands that require management. This study investigated the viability of aligning land management with biofuel production on marginal lands. Biofuel crop production on two types of marginal lands, namely urban vacant lots and abandoned mine lands (AMLs), were assessed. The investigation of biofuel production on urban marginal land was carried out in Pittsburgh between 2008 and 2011, using the sunflower gardens developed by a Pittsburgh non-profit as an example. Results showed that the crops from urban marginal lands were safe for biofuel. The crop yield was 20% of that on agricultural land while the low input agriculture was used in crop cultivation. The energy balance analysis demonstrated that the sunflower gardens could produce a net energy return even at the current low yield. Biofuel production on AML was assessed from experiments conducted in a greenhouse for sunflower, soybean, corn, canola and camelina. The research successfully created an industrial symbiosis by using bauxite as soil amendment to enable plant growth on very acidic mine refuse. Phytoremediation and soil amendments were found to be able to effectively reduce contamination in the AML and its runoff. Results from this research supported that biofuel production on marginal lands could be a unique and feasible option for cultivating biofuel feedstocks.
ContributorsZhao, Xi (Author) / Landis, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Fox, Peter (Committee member) / Chester, Mikhail (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Ecolabels are the main driving force of consumer knowledge in the realm of sustainable product purchasing. While ecolabels strive to improve consumer's purchasing decisions, they have overwhelmed the market, leaving consumers confused and distrustful of what each label means. This study attempts to validate and understand environmental concerns commonly found in ecolabel criteria and the implications they have within the life cycle of a product. A life cycle assessment (LCA) case study of cosmetic products is used in comparison with current ecolabel program criteria to assess whether or not ecolabels are effectively driving environmental improvements in high impact areas throughout the life cycle of a product. Focus is placed on determining the general issues addressed by ecolabelling criteria and how these issues relate to hotspots derived through a practiced scientific methodology. Through this analysis, it was determined that a majority the top performing supply chain environmental impacts are covered, in some fashion, within ecolabelling criteria, but some, such as agricultural land occupation, are covered to a lesser extent or not at all. Additional criteria are suggested to fill the gaps found in ecolabelling programs and better address the environmental impacts most pertinent to the supply chain. Ecolabels have also been found to have a broader coverage then what can currently be addressed using LCA. The results of this analysis have led to a set of recommendations for furthering the integration between ecolabels and life cycle tools.
ContributorsBernardo, Melissa (Author) / Dooley, Kevin (Thesis advisor) / Chester, Mikhail (Thesis advisor) / Fox, Peter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Healthcare infection control has led to increased utilization of disposable medical devices, which has subsequently led to increased adverse environmental effects attributed to healthcare and its supply chain. In dental practice, the dental bur is a commonly used instrument that can either be reused or used once and then disposed. To evaluate the disparities in environmental impacts of disposable and reusable dental burs, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed. The comparative LCA evaluated a reusable dental bur (specifically, a 2.00mm Internal Irrigation Pilot Drill) reused 30 instances versus 30 identical burs used as disposables. The LCA methodology was performed using framework described by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14040 series. Sensitivity analyses were performed with respect to ultrasonic and autoclave loading. Findings from this research showed that when the ultrasonic and autoclave are loaded optimally, reusable burs had 40% less of an environmental impact than burs used on a disposable basis. When the ultrasonic and autoclave were loaded to 66% capacity, there was an environmental breakeven point between disposable and reusable burs. Eutrophication, carcinogenic impacts, non-carcinogenic impacts, and acidification were limited when cleaning equipment (i.e., ultrasonic and autoclave) were optimally loaded. Additionally, the bur's packaging materials contributed more negative environmental impacts than the production and use of the bur itself. Therefore, less materially-intensive packaging should be used. Specifically, the glass fiber reinforced plastic casing should be substituted for a material with a reduced environmental footprint.
ContributorsUnger, Scott (Author) / Landis, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Wilson, Natalia (Committee member) / Chester, Mikhail (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results are typically presented using default visualization and communication approaches without acknowledging: the goals of the end-user, the end-user’s level of knowledge in LCA, the qualitative explanation supporting the visual, and the uncertainty in the process. The motivating hypothesis of this research is that the way practitioners communicate and visualize LCA results poses a risk to the interpretations of the end-users, especially when the goal of the study is not of focus when designing the visuals. Different LCA goals, whether it is for comparisons, hotspot identifications, or environmental declarations, require different visualization designs. To test this, studies were conducted with a variety of participants by giving them several visual representations of LCA results and asking them to share their interpretations of them. The participants’ interpretations of each visual were compared to the opinions of a panel of LCA experts and to the author’s intended use of it. This research gives insight on where misalignments or enhancements in the interpretation of results can occur based on the visual representations used in a certain goal category and the other factors previously mentioned. The results also provided three more key findings: 1) The majority of visuals that accurately presented and communicated the results were in the same goal category that the authors intended the visuals to be used for, suggesting that visuals are more effective when designed with the goal of the study in mind. 2) Several visuals suggested misconceptions in the presentation of results which included a misconception of the participants, a misconception of the authors, or a misconception between all groups. 3) None of the visuals in the environmental declarations category received a consensus from the panel of experts that they were well-suited for that purpose which suggests a significant research gap in accurately visualizing results for these purposes. These results aided the development of guidance documents to suggest both what to consider and what to avoid based on the goal of the study. The findings from this study can assist in bridging the gap in communication between the practitioner and the end-user.
ContributorsGuglielmi, Giovanni (Author) / Seager, Thomas (Thesis advisor) / Chester, Mikhail (Committee member) / Prado, Valentina (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023