Search results for: Gara Villalba

Items from 1 to 20 out of 38 results

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Comparison of organic substrates in urban rooftop agriculture, towards improving crop production resilience to temporary drought in Mediterranean cities

Felipe Parada, Mireia Ercilla‐Montserrat, Verónica Arcas‐Pilz, Elisa Lopez‐Capel, more

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture > 101 > 14 > 5888 - 5897

BACKGROUND Urban agriculture contributes to meeting the growing food production demand in cities. In the context of low water availability, it is important to consider alternatives that are able to maintain production. Through a circular economy vision, this study aimed to assess the use of substrates made from local materials as an alternative for urban agriculture in periods of low water availability,...

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More than the sum of the parts: System analysis of the usability of roofs in housing estates

Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Gara Villalba, Xavier Gabarrell Durany, Cristina Madrid‐López

Journal of Industrial Ecology > 25 > 5 > 1284 - 1299

Housing estates, that is, mass social housing on middle‐ and high‐rise apartment blocks, in urban areas are found all over the world with very similar constructive patterns and a multiplicity of environmental and socio‐economic problems. In this regard, such areas are optimal for the implementation of a roof mosaic which involves applying a combination of urban farming, solar energy, and harvesting...

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Towards Productive Cities: Environmental Assessment of the Food‐Energy‐Water Nexus of the Urban Roof Mosaic

Susana Toboso‐Chavero, Ana Nadal, Anna Petit‐Boix, Oriol Pons, more

Journal of Industrial Ecology > 23 > 4 > 767 - 780

Cities are rapidly growing and need to look for ways to optimize resource consumption. Metropolises are especially vulnerable in three main systems, often referred to as the FEW (i.e., food, energy, and water) nexus. In this context, urban rooftops are underutilized areas that might be used for the production of these resources. We developed the Roof Mosaic approach, which combines life cycle assessment...

article

Rainwater harvesting systems reduce detergent use

M. Violeta Vargas-Parra, M. Rosa Rovira-Val, Xavier Gabarrell, Gara Villalba

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment > 2019 > 24 > 5 > 809-823

Purpose Due to population growth, urban water demand is expected to increase significantly, as well as the environmental and economic costs required to supply it. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems can play a key role in helping cities meet part of their water demand as an alternative to conventional water abstraction and treatment. This paper presents an environmental and economic analysis of RWH...

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Using Web‐Based Technology to Bring Hands‐On Urban Material Flow Analysis to the Classroom

Gara Villalba, Paul Hoekman

Journal of Industrial Ecology > 22 > 2 > 434 - 442

The main objective of this article is to introduce an open‐source, online software tool called OMAT as a teaching tool for performing economy wide‐material flow analysis (EW‐MFA) at urban or regional level in industrial ecology curricula. To that intent, we present a classroom and project activity that was developed for a masters‐level industrial ecology course offered by the Autonomous University...

article

N2O emissions from protected soilless crops for more precise food and urban agriculture life cycle assessments

Pere Llorach-Massana, Pere Muñoz, M. Rosa Riera, Xavier Gabarrell, more

Journal of Cleaner Production > 2017 > 149 > C > 1118-1126

Due to population growth and the subsequent increase in the demand for food, low carbon food chain production systems are a necessity to reduce the effects on climate change as much as possible. Urban agriculture is of great interest because of its potential in reducing the indirect CO₂ emissions of a city's food supply by reducing transportation distances, the packaging required and the food losses...

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The application of LCA to alternative methods for treating the organic fiber produced from autoclaving unsorted municipal solid waste: case study of Catalonia

Roberto Quirós, Xavier Gabarrell, Gara Villalba, Raquel Barrena, more

Journal of Cleaner Production > 2015 > 107 > C > 516-528

Despite efforts to increase the selective collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) in developed countries, the amount of unsorted waste remains high, with the consequent difficulty of material recovery and recycling. In 2010, 61% of the MSW generated in the European Union (EU) ended up in landfill and incineration facilities. Autoclaving is a novel technology that can be used to treat unsorted MSW,...

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Global Substance Flow Analysis of Gallium, Germanium, and Indium: Quantification of Extraction, Uses, and Dissipative Losses within their Anthropogenic Cycles

Christina Licht, Laura Talens Peiró, Gara Villalba

Journal of Industrial Ecology > 19 > 5 > 890 - 903

This study provides a global substance flow analysis for gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), and indium (In) for 2011, quantifying the amount of metal lost during extraction, beneficiation/smelting/refining, manufacturing of intermediate products, and the amount embodied in end‐use products. Thus far, studies illustrating their cradle to end‐use life cycle on a global scale are either missing or outdated,...

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Municipal sewer networks as sources of nitrous oxide, methane and hydrogen sulphide emissions: A review and case studies

Elena Eijo-Río, Anna Petit-Boix, Gara Villalba, María Eugenia Suárez-Ojeda, more

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering > 2015 > 3 > 3 > 2084-2094

Sewers are known as longitudinal reactors where gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and hydrogen sulphide can be produced. However, gaseous emissions have been mainly assessed in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). This article presents a critical review of studies that quantify the generation of these gases in sewers and aims to identify the existing research gaps. Differences in sampling methods...

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Increasing Precision in Greenhouse Gas Accounting Using Real‐Time Emission Factors

Charlie C. Spork, Abel Chavez, Xavier Gabarrell Durany, Martin K. Patel, more

Journal of Industrial Ecology > 19 > 3 > 380 - 390

For many companies, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with their purchased and consumed electricity form one of the largest contributions to the GHG emissions that result from their activities. Currently, hourly variations in electricity grid emissions are not considered by standard GHG accounting protocols, which apply a national grid emission factor (EF), potentially resulting in erred...

article

Upgraded biogas from municipal solid waste for natural gas substitution and CO2 reduction – A case study of Austria, Italy, and Spain

Katherine Starr, Gara Villalba, Xavier Gabarrell

Waste Management > 2015 > 38 > Complete > 105-116

Biogas is rich in methane and can be further purified through biogas upgrading technologies, presenting a viable alternative to natural gas. Landfills and anaerobic digestors treating municipal solid waste are a large source of such biogas. They therefore offer an attractive opportunity to tap into this potential source of natural gas while at the same time minimizing the global warming impact resulting...

article

Environmental assessment of drinking water transport and distribution network use phase for small to medium-sized municipalities in Spain

David Sanjuan-Delmás, Anna Petit-Boix, Carles M. Gasol, Ramon Farreny, more

Journal of Cleaner Production > 2015 > 87 > Complete > 573-582

Previous studies assessing the environmental impacts of drinking water supply networks have considered a bottom-up approach, analysing single case studies. This paper presents a top-down approach for the assessment of the operational phase of a water supply network. A representative sample of 50 cities was statistically analysed to find relations between different variables regarding electricity and...

article

Assessing the Energetic and Environmental Impacts of the Operation and Maintenance of Spanish Sewer Networks from a Life-Cycle Perspective

Anna Petit-Boix, David Sanjuan-Delmás, Sergio Chenel, Desirée Marín, more

Water Resources Management > 2015 > 29 > 8 > 2581-2597

The environmental impacts resulting from sewer networks are best analysed from a life-cycle perspective to integrate the energy requirements into the infrastructure design. The energy requirements for pumping wastewater depend on the configuration of the city (e.g., climate, population, length of the sewer, topography, etc.). This study analyses and models the effect of such site-specific features...

article

Explorative economic analysis of a novel biogas upgrading technology using carbon mineralization. A case study for Spain

Katherine Starr, Andrea Ramirez, Hans Meerman, Gara Villalba, more

Energy > 2015 > 79 > C > 298-309

This paper studies the potential application of a novel biogas upgrading technology called alkaline with regeneration (AwR). This technology uses an alkaline solution, along with carbon mineralization, to remove and store CO₂ from biogas in order to create biomethane, a substitute of natural gas. Three different applications of biogas were explored for their potential economic benefits along three...

article

Environmental assessment of two home composts with high and low gaseous emissions of the composting process

Roberto Quirós, Gara Villalba, Pere Muñoz, Joan Colón, more

Resources, Conservation & Recycling > 2014 > 90 > Complete > 9-20

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of two home composts with low and high gaseous emissions of the composting process is presented. The study focused on the gaseous emissions of the composting process. Gaseous emissions of methane, nitrous oxides, ammonia and volatic organic compounds of the composting process were experimentally measured in field real trials. The results showed that the differences in...

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Optimization of environmental benefits of carbon mineralization technologies for biogas upgrading

Katherine Starr, Laura Talens Peiro, Lidia Lombardi, Xavier Gabarrell, more

Journal of Cleaner Production > 2014 > 76 > Complete > 32-41

Carbon mineralization is a promising process for carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) capture and storage, and it can also be applied for biogas upgrading. This paper uses a life cycle assessment to identify possible methods of improving and reducing the environmental impact of novel biogas upgrading technologies. The two novel pilot-scale technologies that are assessed are alkaline absorption with regeneration...

article

Environmental and agronomical assessment of three fertilization treatments applied in horticultural open field crops

Roberto Quirós, Gara Villalba, Pere Muñoz, Xavier Font, more

Journal of Cleaner Production > 2014 > 67 > Complete > 147-158

In 2010, the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) by the European Unión (EU-27) was 252 million tons, with an estimated organic content of 30–40% by weight. Composting this organic matter would significantly improve waste reduction and mineral fertilizer substitution. We present a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and agronomical assessment of the following three fertilization treatments: industrial...

article

Potential CO2 savings through biomethane generation from municipal waste biogas

Katherine Starr, Xavier Gabarrell, Gara Villalba, Laura Talens Peiro, more

Biomass and Bioenergy > 2014 > 62 > Complete > 8-16

An alternative source of methane that can also reduce the greenhouse gas effect is one that comes from the upgrading of biogas. This paper studies eight technologies through life cycle assessment (LCA). Six of the technologies are ones that are already on the market and the two others are novel technologies that use carbon mineralization to store CO ₂ upon their removal. The two novel technologies...

article

Environmental assessment of different pipelines for drinking water transport and distribution network in small to medium cities: a case from Betanzos, Spain

David Sanjuan-Delmás, Anna Petit-Boix, Carles M. Gasol, Gara Villalba, more

Journal of Cleaner Production > 2014 > 66 > Complete > 588-598

Until now, few studies had focused on the environmental impact of the construction phase of a drinking water transport and distribution network (DWTDN). Using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, this article compares the environmental impact of pipes made of different materials as constructive solutions for the DWTDN. Two pipe diameters (90 and 200 mm) commonly used in small to medium-sized...

article

Material flow analysis and energy requirements of mobile phone material recovery processes

Juan Manuel Valero Navazo, Gara Villalba Méndez, Laura Talens Peiró

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment > 2014 > 19 > 3 > 567-579

Purpose Proper recycling of mobile phones and other electronic products is important in order to reduce the generation of large amounts of hazardous waste, lessen environmental and social problems associated to the extraction of minerals and primary production of materials, and also minimize the depletion of scarce materials that are often difficult to substitute. Current material recovery processes...

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Search results for: Gara Villalba

Comparison of organic substrates in urban rooftop agriculture, towards improving crop production resilience to temporary drought in Mediterranean cities

More than the sum of the parts: System analysis of the usability of roofs in housing estates

Towards Productive Cities: Environmental Assessment of the Food‐Energy‐Water Nexus of the Urban Roof Mosaic

Rainwater harvesting systems reduce detergent use

Using Web‐Based Technology to Bring Hands‐On Urban Material Flow Analysis to the Classroom

N2O emissions from protected soilless crops for more precise food and urban agriculture life cycle assessments

The application of LCA to alternative methods for treating the organic fiber produced from autoclaving unsorted municipal solid waste: case study of Catalonia

Global Substance Flow Analysis of Gallium, Germanium, and Indium: Quantification of Extraction, Uses, and Dissipative Losses within their Anthropogenic Cycles

Municipal sewer networks as sources of nitrous oxide, methane and hydrogen sulphide emissions: A review and case studies

Increasing Precision in Greenhouse Gas Accounting Using Real‐Time Emission Factors

Upgraded biogas from municipal solid waste for natural gas substitution and CO2 reduction – A case study of Austria, Italy, and Spain

Environmental assessment of drinking water transport and distribution network use phase for small to medium-sized municipalities in Spain

Assessing the Energetic and Environmental Impacts of the Operation and Maintenance of Spanish Sewer Networks from a Life-Cycle Perspective

Explorative economic analysis of a novel biogas upgrading technology using carbon mineralization. A case study for Spain

Environmental assessment of two home composts with high and low gaseous emissions of the composting process

Optimization of environmental benefits of carbon mineralization technologies for biogas upgrading

Environmental and agronomical assessment of three fertilization treatments applied in horticultural open field crops

Potential CO2 savings through biomethane generation from municipal waste biogas

Environmental assessment of different pipelines for drinking water transport and distribution network in small to medium cities: a case from Betanzos, Spain

Material flow analysis and energy requirements of mobile phone material recovery processes

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