Papers by Heinz Stichnothe
Newly developed and innovative RUN technology aims to recover nutrients from urbanwastewater (bla... more Newly developed and innovative RUN technology aims to recover nutrients from urbanwastewater (blackwater) and biowaste (kitchen waste). The development of RUN technology hasbeen supported by the life cycle assessment (LCA) in order to identify hotspots and trade-offs. Whilethe performance of the process at a laboratory scale did not show any environmental benefits from Precovery, the LCA results have helped to improve the environmental performance at the followingscale-up step. The recovery of P on a technical scale was environmentally beneficial, especiallyin terms of the global warming potential (GWP). However, there were still some trade-offs, e.g.,freshwater and marine eutrophication were slightly higher compared to conventional P fertilizerproduction. Given that P is considered a critical raw material and that climate change is probably themost pressing environmental issue, RUN technology has the potential to deliver on both domains.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Composting is a waste management practice that converts organic waste into a product that can be... more Composting is a waste management practice that converts organic waste into a product that can be used safely and beneficially as a bio-fertiliser and soil amendment. Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) from composting are known to cause damage to human health and the environment. The impact of waste management on the environment and workers is recognised as a growing environmental and public health concern. Measurements of NMVOCs emitted during composting have been carried out only in a few studies. NMVOC emissions are typically reported as a group rather than as species or speciation profiles. Recognising the need to investigate the issues associated with NMVOCs, the objective of this study is to estimate variation in life cycle assessment (LCA) results when NMVOCs are considered individual emissions compared to grouped emissions and to compare midpoint and endpoint life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods. In general, the ReCiPe 2016 LCIA method estimated the highest impact from the composting process in comparison to IMPACT World+ and EF 3.0 for the impact categories of ozone formation, stratospheric ozone depletion, and particulate matter formation. For ReCiPe 2016 and IMPACT World+, the NMVOC emissions were not linked to human toxicity characterisation factors, meaning that the contribution from NMVOC towards human health risks in and around composting facilities could be underestimated. Using individual NMVOCs helps to additionally estimate the impacts of composting on freshwater ecotoxicity and human carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic toxicity potential. If ecotoxicity or toxicity issues are indicated, then LCA should be accompanied by suitable risk assessment measures for the respective life cycle stage.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) of waste treatment processes is often associated with considerable un... more Life cycle assessment (LCA) of waste treatment processes is often associated with considerable uncertainties. The aim of this study is to estimate the total uncertainty in the modelled composting system and the influence of material and process parameters on the uncertainty. Four composting combinations with fresh (FC) and mature substrate compost (MSC) from partially enclosed (PEC) and open composting (OC) were investigated. Perturbation analysis was used to determine the effect of parameters on the result and Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the total uncertainty. This study showed that the production of MSC using PEC had the lowest overall impacts across all impact categories except ozone depletion. Results of the Monte Carlo simulation showed that comparing composting options was challenging. The sensitivity ratios obtained from the perturbation analysis showed that the process parameter percentage of carbon fraction degraded was the most influential for FC. In MSC, the moisture content in the input material and the substitution factor used for peat were the most influential. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated the overall uncertainty of the model and its relevance when comparing results between combinations. The perturbation analysis identified the parameters that required more accurate data to reduce the uncertainty in the model.
Purpose Peat extraction rapidly removes carbon from the peatland carbon store and furthermore lea... more Purpose Peat extraction rapidly removes carbon from the peatland carbon store and furthermore leads to substantial losses of carbon from the extraction site by stimulating decomposition and erosion. Aim of this study is to evaluate whether the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) approach is suitable for assessing the environmental impacts of white and black peat used in growing media as well as to provide generic data collected from growing media producers and the scientific literature. It is not the aim of this study to compare different land use options for peatlands. Method PEF is developed in order to make environmental product declaration claims more reliable, comparable and verifiable across the EU, and to increase consumer confidence in eco-labels and environmental impact information. For PEFcompliant studies all land use activities must be considered. For peat extraction either pristine peatland or previously drained peatland used for forestry or agriculture has to be transformed. Hence, the suitability of land use-related PEF indicators is also investigated. Results Diesel consumed for peat extraction, electricity used for peat processing and transport are the main contributors to acidification. Fuel production and consumption are the main contributors to human toxicity, with heavy metals to air and freshwater the contributing emissions. Ionising radiation, ozone depletion and resource depletion of minerals and metals are mainly caused by the electricity used. Climate change increased from 26 kg CO 2eq per m 3 processed white peat to 51 kg CO 2eq per m 3 processed black peat. The use of peat causes substantially higher GHG than the previous life cycle stages combined; white peat causes approximately 183 kg CO 2eq per m 3 and black peat 257 kg CO 2eq per m 3. Conclusions Environmental impacts caused by peat are variable and depend on a number of spatial and temporal factors. Although most indicators used for PEF are suitable for assessing peat systems, that does not apply for the land use indicator and is at least questionable for the water use indicator, respectively, its weighting factor. Consequently, it is neither possible to identify the most relevant impact categories based on normalised and weighted results nor to calculate an overall single score for peat containing growing media. Since normalisation and weighting are mandatory steps for PEF conform impact assessment, the current PEF approach is not suitable to assess peat as intermediate product without adaptation of the land use indicator.
Agriculture is a major contributor to several environmental problems and pushes the earth system ... more Agriculture is a major contributor to several environmental problems and pushes the earth system towards its planetary boundary limits. Currently, agriculture's share of total anthropogenic nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) use has been estimated at 86 and 90%, respectively. Moreover, the use of fertilizers is expected to grow. Low-input systems using legumes in crop sequences are a promising option for reducing environmental impacts caused by N-fertilisers.
This paper has considered the carbonfootprint (CF) of two types of water-based paint – market-ent... more This paper has considered the carbonfootprint (CF) of two types of water-based paint – market-entry (ME) and high performance (HP) paints. The influence of different parameters on the CF has been analysed, including composition of the paints, amount of paint wasted during application, number of applications required and durability of the paints. The
influence of consumer behaviour on these parameters has also been discussed.
This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the a... more This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are
Conclusion and Recommendations. In conclusion the existing calculation methodology described in A... more Conclusion and Recommendations. In conclusion the existing calculation methodology described in Annex V of the EU-RED and default values are insufficient for calculating the real GHG emission savings from palm oil and palm oil biodiesel. Current default values do not reflect relevant management practices. Conservative data for FFB yield and fugitive
emissions from wastewater treatment should be introduced in order to foster environmental friendly management options. Moreover, it should be allowed to credit bioenergy production from residues in order to foster the mobilization of currently unused biomass and waste water. If good management practice is in place and the surplus electricity is credited, GHG savings from biodiesel can approach 80%.
The aim of this report is to gather relevant information about existing standardisation approache... more The aim of this report is to gather relevant information about existing standardisation approaches for biobased products, and to monitor relevant activities before and during the triennium period (2016-2018). This activity’s focus is on products; national and/or company reporting is beyond the scope of this report.
ISBN 978-1-910154-69-4 (pdf version)
On-farm anaerobic digestion (AD) of wastes and crops can potentially avoid greenhouse gas (GHG) e... more On-farm anaerobic digestion (AD) of wastes and crops can potentially avoid greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but incurs extensive environmental effects via carbon and nitrogen cycles and substitution of multiple processes within and outside farm system boundaries. Farm models were combined with consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) to assess plausible biogas and miscanthus heating pellet scenarios on dairy farms. On the large dairy farm, the introduction of slurry-only AD led to reductions in global warming potential (GWP) and resource depletion burdens of 14% and 67%, respectively, but eutrophication and acidification burden increases of 9% and 10%, respectively, assuming open tank digestate storage. Marginal GWP burdens per Mg dry matter (DM) feedstock codigested with slurry ranged from –637 kg CO2e for food waste to +509 kg CO2e for maize. Codigestion of grass and maize led to increased imports of concentrate feed to the farm, negating the GWP benefits of grid electricity substitution. Attributing grass-to-arable land use change (LUC) to marginal wheat feed production led to net GWP burdens exceeding 900 kg CO2e Mg−1 maize DM codigested. Converting the medium-sized dairy farm to a beef-plus-AD farm led to a minor reduction in GWP when grass-to-arable LUC was excluded, but a 38% GWP increase when such LUC was attributed to marginal maize and wheat feed required for intensive compensatory milk production. If marginal animal feed is derived from soybeans cultivated on recently converted cropland in South America, the net GWP burden increases to 4099 kg CO2e Mg−1 maize DM codigested – equivalent to 55 Mg CO2e yr−1 per hectare used for AD-maize cultivation. We conclude that AD of slurry and food waste on dairy farms is an effective GHG mitigation option, but that the quantity of codigested crops should be strictly limited to avoid potentially large international carbon leakage via animal feed displacement.
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2011
There is an increasing need for life cycle data for bio-based products, which becomes particularl... more There is an increasing need for life cycle data for bio-based products, which becomes particularly evident with the recent drive for greenhouse gas reporting and carbon footprinting studies. Meeting this need is challenging given that many bioproducts have not yet been studied by life cycle assessment (LCA), and those that have are specific and limited to certain geographic regions.
Biorefineries are assumed to become important material and energy users of biomass. Greenhouse ga... more Biorefineries are assumed to become important material and energy users of biomass. Greenhouse gas mitigation, resource efficient and sustainable biomass utilization as well as positive economic effects along the value chains are drivers for biorefinery concepts but these potential benefits have to be achieved and proven. In doing so, economic and ecological assessments play an important role. Biorefineries are a heterogeneous research and development field. Initiated by the German Federal Ministries for Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection as well as Education and Research (BMELV) and organized by the German Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) members from politics, industry and research elaborated the German biorefinery roadmap. This roadmap aims at systematically determining the state of development of biorefineries in Germany and at analyzing strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats (SWOT) of promising future biorefinery concepts in order to identify a strategy of research and policy measures for decision makers. Within this roadmap process a subgroup dealt with the issues of economic and ecological analyses and assessments. This paper summarizes the key findings of this subgroup. General aspects for analysis and assessment of biorefineries are sketched. Challenges with regard to data and methodologies are identified and conclusions are drawn.
Chimica Oggi 2009 27 44 46, 2009
Landbauforschung Volkenrode, 2011
Science of the Total Environment, Feb 5, 2001
Preliminary experiments have shown that dibutyl and tributyltin can be decomposed by the electroc... more Preliminary experiments have shown that dibutyl and tributyltin can be decomposed by the electrochemical treatment of sediment. Two different process pathways have been described and compared. A slurry electrolysis of the suspended sediment seemed to be more efficient than column leaching followed by electrolysis. Tributyltin was destroyed under oxidising as well as under reducing process conditions. The detoxification mechanism seemed to be stepwise removal of the butyl groups. A partial debutylation of tri- and dibutyltin could be achieved, although monobutyltin was not affected. This technique is promising, but further investigation is necessary to improve the experimental conditions and to characterise the real potential of these process pathways.
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Papers by Heinz Stichnothe
influence of consumer behaviour on these parameters has also been discussed.
emissions from wastewater treatment should be introduced in order to foster environmental friendly management options. Moreover, it should be allowed to credit bioenergy production from residues in order to foster the mobilization of currently unused biomass and waste water. If good management practice is in place and the surplus electricity is credited, GHG savings from biodiesel can approach 80%.
influence of consumer behaviour on these parameters has also been discussed.
emissions from wastewater treatment should be introduced in order to foster environmental friendly management options. Moreover, it should be allowed to credit bioenergy production from residues in order to foster the mobilization of currently unused biomass and waste water. If good management practice is in place and the surplus electricity is credited, GHG savings from biodiesel can approach 80%.