Publications
Power generation from slaughterhouse waste materials. An emergy accounting assessment Journal Article
Santagata, Remo; Viglia, Silvio; Fiorentino, Gabriella; Liu, Gengyuan; Ripa, Maddalena
In: Journal of Cleaner Production, 223 , pp. 536–552, 2019, ISSN: 09596526.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Animal by-products, Bio-refinery, Electricity generation, Emergy Accounting, Resource recovery, Waste management
@article{Santagata2019,
title = {Power generation from slaughterhouse waste materials. An emergy accounting assessment},
author = {Remo Santagata and Silvio Viglia and Gabriella Fiorentino and Gengyuan Liu and Maddalena Ripa},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652619308376},
doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.148},
issn = {09596526},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-06-01},
journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},
volume = {223},
pages = {536--552},
publisher = {Elsevier},
abstract = {The linear path “extraction-production-consumption-waste” imposed by humans to natural ecosystems, where all material flows are instead circular, has become unsustainable. Understanding the potential value of some of these “by-products” in order to exploit them effectively in a biorefinery perspective, may help overcoming resource shortages and decrease environmental impacts. This study investigates energy and resource restoration from animal by-products. The slaughterhouse waste undergoes a rendering process to separate residual meal and fat. The latter is combusted in a co-generation plant to produce electricity and heat. The process is carefully assessed using Emergy Accounting approach with the aim of evaluating benefits and environmental load of the process considering the advantages achieved compared with the demand for ecosystem services and natural capital depletion. Moreover, the case aims at exploring three different methodological assumptions referring to the upstream burdens carried by the waste management system, proposing a modified exergy-based allocation rule. The electricity generated shows performances in terms of Unit Emergy Values ranging between 2.7E+05 sej/J, 2.2E+06 sej/J and 3.1E+07 sej/J among the different cases investigated, comparable to power from fossil fuels and renewables sources, and it provides an environmentally sound alternative to conventional waste disposal.},
keywords = {Animal by-products, Bio-refinery, Electricity generation, Emergy Accounting, Resource recovery, Waste management},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The linear path “extraction-production-consumption-waste” imposed by humans to natural ecosystems, where all material flows are instead circular, has become unsustainable. Understanding the potential value of some of these “by-products” in order to exploit them effectively in a biorefinery perspective, may help overcoming resource shortages and decrease environmental impacts. This study investigates energy and resource restoration from animal by-products. The slaughterhouse waste undergoes a rendering process to separate residual meal and fat. The latter is combusted in a co-generation plant to produce electricity and heat. The process is carefully assessed using Emergy Accounting approach with the aim of evaluating benefits and environmental load of the process considering the advantages achieved compared with the demand for ecosystem services and natural capital depletion. Moreover, the case aims at exploring three different methodological assumptions referring to the upstream burdens carried by the waste management system, proposing a modified exergy-based allocation rule. The electricity generated shows performances in terms of Unit Emergy Values ranging between 2.7E+05 sej/J, 2.2E+06 sej/J and 3.1E+07 sej/J among the different cases investigated, comparable to power from fossil fuels and renewables sources, and it provides an environmentally sound alternative to conventional waste disposal.
Development of a municipal solid waste management decision support tool for Naples, Italy Journal Article
Chifari, Rosaria; Renner, Ansel; Piano, Samuele Lo; Ripa, Maddalena; Bukkens, Sandra G. F.; Giampietro, Mario
In: Journal of Cleaner Production, 161 , pp. 1032–1043, 2017, ISSN: 09596526.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Decision support tool, Metabolic network, Naples, Participatory assessment, Performance indicators, Waste management
@article{Chifari2017,
title = {Development of a municipal solid waste management decision support tool for Naples, Italy},
author = {Rosaria Chifari and Ansel Renner and Samuele Lo Piano and Maddalena Ripa and Sandra G. F. Bukkens and Mario Giampietro},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652617312441},
doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.074},
issn = {09596526},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-09-01},
journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},
volume = {161},
pages = {1032--1043},
abstract = {textcopyright 2017 Elsevier Ltd Naples has experienced serious waste mismanagement during the last several decades. Illegal waste trafficking, the lack of an appropriate municipal solid waste management plan, and the subsidizing of energy generation from indiscriminate waste incineration generated social unrest and an unremitting paralysis of waste services throughout much of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The waste situation in Naples is a “hot spot” that cannot be simply described or explained by theoretical and linear models or analyses based on conventional waste indicators. A novel approach for the assessment of urban solid waste management system performance is proposed to overcome the limitations of conventional methods. When dealing with the production and use of scientific information for governance, scientists, especially those used to just “crunch numbers” have a serious problems in providing a useful input to the process of decision making. This paper presents a method useful for organizing a process of production and use of scientific information in which both scientists and the other social actors can have a bidirectional and constructive exchange of information. The goal of this method is to guarantee the quality of the process of generation and use of quantitative science to generate informed deliberations about policies over Municipal Solid Waste Management. The proposed approach builds on metabolic network theory and multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM). The current metabolic pattern of municipal solid waste in the Metropolitan Area of Naples is described and quantified across hierarchical scales and dimensions. The analysis shows that the current Neapolitan waste management system is characterized by an elevated share (60%) of waste treated outside of the metropolitan ambit, and a low rate of separate collection (37%). Simulation of (i) metropolitan self-sufficiency of urban waste final disposal, and (ii) increased recycling rate show, respectively (i) an increase in both financial burden and local environmental impact; (ii) a lessening of the local environmental impact and an increase of running costs and higher need of local waste processing capacity.},
keywords = {Decision support tool, Metabolic network, Naples, Participatory assessment, Performance indicators, Waste management},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
textcopyright 2017 Elsevier Ltd Naples has experienced serious waste mismanagement during the last several decades. Illegal waste trafficking, the lack of an appropriate municipal solid waste management plan, and the subsidizing of energy generation from indiscriminate waste incineration generated social unrest and an unremitting paralysis of waste services throughout much of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The waste situation in Naples is a “hot spot” that cannot be simply described or explained by theoretical and linear models or analyses based on conventional waste indicators. A novel approach for the assessment of urban solid waste management system performance is proposed to overcome the limitations of conventional methods. When dealing with the production and use of scientific information for governance, scientists, especially those used to just “crunch numbers” have a serious problems in providing a useful input to the process of decision making. This paper presents a method useful for organizing a process of production and use of scientific information in which both scientists and the other social actors can have a bidirectional and constructive exchange of information. The goal of this method is to guarantee the quality of the process of generation and use of quantitative science to generate informed deliberations about policies over Municipal Solid Waste Management. The proposed approach builds on metabolic network theory and multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM). The current metabolic pattern of municipal solid waste in the Metropolitan Area of Naples is described and quantified across hierarchical scales and dimensions. The analysis shows that the current Neapolitan waste management system is characterized by an elevated share (60%) of waste treated outside of the metropolitan ambit, and a low rate of separate collection (37%). Simulation of (i) metropolitan self-sufficiency of urban waste final disposal, and (ii) increased recycling rate show, respectively (i) an increase in both financial burden and local environmental impact; (ii) a lessening of the local environmental impact and an increase of running costs and higher need of local waste processing capacity.
AGAUR Grant ID 2017 SGR 230 / Copyright © 2023