Life-cycle assessment of four types of floor covering

Four types of floor covering have been investigated with respect to their environmental impact: linoleum, cushion vinyl, tufted carpet with a woollen pile and tufted carpet with a polyamide pile. The analysis relates to all stages in the life-cycle (from ‘cradle to grave’) and focuses on floor coverings for domestic use. The analysis is performed by means of the method for life-cycle assessment (Dutch approach). Each floor covering is assessed with regard to its environmental impact. This impact can be of various type: depletion of raw materials, cumulative energy requirement, global warming, acidification, tropospheric ozone creation, stratospheric ozone depletion, eutrophication, production of waste and human health. The inventory of environmental interventions (materials, energy requirements, waste and emissions to air, water and soil) was fairly complete. Most interventions relating to the processes that make up the life-cycle of the floor coverings in question could be quantified. A large part of the data is associated with the process energy requirement. In general these data are quite reliable. The results of the impact assessment for linoleum differs considerably from those for other types of floor coverings. Linoleum turns out to be the most environmentally favourable floor covering. It was not possible to differentiate between the environmental impact of cushion vinyl, tufted carpet with a woollen pile and tufted carpet with a polyamide pile.     

An approach for analysing the potential for material efficiency improvement

Material efficiency improvement saves energy and reduces the consumption of primary resources and reduces the volume of waste. In this article an approach for analysing the potential for material efficiency improvement is proposed and discussed. In this approach the product functions performed by the materials and various improvement measures are taken into account. The potential for material saving and associated energy saving is assessed and evaluated economically. In this paper the approach is tested in an analysis of the potential for material efficiency improvement with respect to plastic packaging in the Netherlands. The technical reduction potential is found to be 34 ± 7% (157 ± 30 ktonne virgin plastics). Realization of this potential would improve the energy efficiency of the lifecycle of plastic packaging by 31% (10 PJ in 1988). From our study we conclude that our approach can indeed be used to investigate the potential for material efficiency improvement. However, a reliable technical and particularly an economical assessment of reduction measures cannot be made until more detailed data become available.     

Tundra in the Rain: Differential Vegetation Responses to Three Years of Experimentally Doubled Summer Precipitation in Siberian Shrub and Swedish Bog Tundra

Precipitation amounts and patterns at high latitude sites have been predicted to change as a result of global climatic changes. We addressed vegetation responses to three years of experimentally increased summer precipitation in two previously unaddressed tundra types: Betula nana-dominated shrub tundra (northeast Siberia) and a dry Sphagnum fuscum-dominated bog (northern Sweden). Positive responses to approximately doubled ambient precipitation (an increase of 200 mm year^?1) were observed at the Siberian site, for B. nana (30 % larger length increments), Salix pulchra (leaf size and length increments) and Arctagrostis latifolia (leaf size and specific leaf area), but none were observed at the Swedish site. Total biomass production did not increase at either of the study sites. This study corroborates studies in other tundra vegetation types and shows that despite regional differences at the plant level, total tundra plant productivity is, at least at the short or medium term, largely irresponsive to experimentally increased summer precipitation.     

Effectiveness of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emission reduction technologies

Non-CO₂ greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, can make a relevant contribution to the enhanced greenhouse effect, and hence emission reduction is desirable. In emission reduction inventories, both the magnitude of the emission reduction as well as the specific emission reduction costs should be determined. The current knowledge of the potential for and costs of reducing these emissions is still limited. Taking this into account, the following results can be obtained. Methane emissions can be considerably reduced from underground coal mining, oil production, natural gas operations, landfilling of waste, and wastewater treatment. Also emissions from enteric fermentation and animal manure can be reduced substantially. The total technical potential for methane emission reduction (given the present activity level) is estimated to be about one third. The economic potential, having net negative emission reduction costs, is estimated to be about half of this value. These reductions can be attained over a period of 10 – 20 years. The technical potential for the reduction of nitrous oxide emissions is currently estimated to be less than 10% Apart from the possibility of implementing existing techniques, there seems to be considerable room for developing techniques for more far-reaching emission reductions both for methane and nitrous oxide.     

Tundra in the rain: differential vegetation responses to three years of experimentally doubled summer precipitation in Siberian shrub and Swedish bog tundra

Precipitation amounts and patterns at high latitude sites have been predicted to change as a result of global climatic changes. We addressed vegetation responses to three years of experimentally increased summer precipitation in two previously unaddressed tundra types: Betula nana-dominated shrub tundra (northeast Siberia) and a dry Sphagnum fuscum-dominated bog (northern Sweden). Positive responses to approximately doubled ambient precipitation (an increase of 200 mm year(-1)) were observed at the Siberian site, for B. nana (30 % larger length increments), Salix pulchra (leaf size and length increments) and Arctagrostis latifolia (leaf size and specific leaf area), but none were observed at the Swedish site. Total biomass production did not increase at either of the study sites. This study corroborates studies in other tundra vegetation types and shows that despite regional differences at the plant level, total tundra plant productivity is, at least at the short or medium term, largely irresponsive to experimentally increased summer precipitation.     

Harmonisation of ready biodegradability tests

Seven ready biodegradability tests (AFNOR, OECD, ISO, RDA, MITI(I), Sturm, Closed Bottle Test) have been assessed, with particular consideration of those aspects which are, at least in part, responsible for the variability in results. Proposals for harmonising certain test conditions, together with recommendations for minimising the effect of nitrification, are made.     

Data search and environmental hazard assessment for post-seveso chemicals

After the serious accident with a chemical industrial plant at Seveso (Italy) in 1976, the Commission of the European Communities has made a directive on major accidents, usually called the Post-Seveso Guideline. In its annex III, a list of 178 substances is given for which potentially dangerous volumes in case of an accident are defined on the basis of human health criteria. For the implementation of environmental criteria, information on toxicity to aquatic organisms, dilution, and physical behavior in water is needed. A literature search for relevant data on these 178 substances revealed aquatic toxicity data for 116 substances, but only for 87 substances sufficient data were available to make a hazard assessment. As an example, the River Rhine was used to calculate the critical quantities that, after a sudden discharge in the Swiss part, could cause damage at the Dutch part some 800 km downstream. In the absence of a common opinion on the criteria for being a major accident and a serious environmental hazard, the impact of different criteria quantities is discussed. If, for example, in the whole River Rhine a mortality of 5% of the aquatic species is chosen as the criterion for damage to the ecosystem, the critical quantities as mentioned in the EEC directive have to be lowered drastically for the majority of the substances. For 18 substances it could be shown that release of the mentioned quantities would be catastrophic for aquatic life in the whole river.