Search Results (3)

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are widely used in refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pumps (RACHP), and various other applications such as aerosols, fire extinguishers, foams, and solvents. Initially, HFCs were adopted as the primary substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) regulated under the Montreal Protocol. However, many HFCs are potent greenhouse gases, and as such subject to a global phasedown under the provisions of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Managing the refrigerant bank of ODSs and HFCs throughout the equipment’s lifecycle—referred to as Lifecycle Refrigerant Management (LRM)—presents a significant challenge but also a significant climate action opportunity. LRM includes the leak prevention, recovery, recycling, reclamation, and destruction (RRRD) of refrigerants. This study employed the GAINS modeling framework to assess the ozone and climate benefits of LRM. The findings indicated that implementing robust LRM practices during the use and end-of-life stages of RACHP equipment could reduce ODS emissions by approximately 5 kt ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) between 2025 and 2040, and HFC and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) emissions by about 39 Gt CO₂e between 2025 and 2050. The implementation of robust LRM measures in conjunction with the ongoing phasedown of HFCs under the Kigali Amendment can yield substantial additional climate benefits beyond those anticipated from the HFC phasedown alone. Full article

Currently, there is a growing demand for cleaner and sustainable technologies due to environmental issues. In this sense, there is a necessity to manage the assessment of production processes and the rationalization of energy consumption. In this study, an Energy Life-Cycle Assessment (ELCA) was carried out through energy efficiency indicators, directed to the characterization and renewability of the peach production system life-cycle in the Portuguese region of Beira Interior. The study intends to investigate the non-renewable energy inputs from fossil fuels, as well as the emissions resulting from machinery. In addition, warehouse energy inputs are analyzed, mainly cooling systems of refrigerated chambers where fruits are preserved. This analysis aims to find opportunities for technological, environmental and best practices improvements. Test scenarios were analyzed and revealing soil groundcover maintenance is the operation with the largest impact in the energy consumption of the production process (3176 MJ·ha⁻¹). In the post-harvest processes, the energy consumption largest impact is given by the warehouse’s operations (35,700 MJ·ha⁻¹), followed by transportation (6180 MJ·ha⁻¹). Concerning the emissions resulting from the fuels consumption, the largest impact is due to the plantation machinery and the transportation from warehouse to retailers. Full article

Energy consumption is one of the most crucial issues in the table grapes supply chain. However, the potential for energy conservation assessment is still limited because of the complexity of the process. The aim of this paper is to propose an energy conservation potential assessment method in order to increase energy consumption transparency and help managers take appropriate energy conservation measures to reduce the energy consumption in the table grapes supply chain. The conservation potential assessment in three kinds of the supply chain modes (the normal chain, the cold insulation chain and the cold chain), were realized by integrating the actual energy consumption investigated with the unified energy consumption per unit energy factor that represents the energy consumption throughout the entire product lifecycle. According to the comprehensive analysis of the energy consumption compared with the energy conservation potential in actual supply chain of table grapes, the proposed energy conservation potential assessment method could provide a unified method for evaluating the energy conservation potential in different supply chain mode of table grapes. The energy conversation potential in cold insulation chain, which was about 0.985, was the highest and that in cold chain, which was about 0.935, was the smallest. However, the cold chain was still the optimal supply chain for the table grapes because of the characteristics of the longest storage shelf life and the lowest quality decay, and the cold chain energy consumption would be further reduced by adopting the more advanced refrigeration and preservation technologies. The proposed energy conservation potential assessment method could be extended for other supply chain applications to evaluate their own energy conservation potential, and thus, reduce their energy consumption. Full article