Anthony Halog | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)
Papers by Anthony Halog
71 The US pulp production contributes a major portion in forest industry income. However, accordi... more 71 The US pulp production contributes a major portion in forest industry income. However, according to UNEP, forest industry sector consumes about half of the resources taken from nature worldwide and that includes 25% of the wood harvest. Increasing societal awareness of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) issues of production and consumption has motivated the industries to become corporate socially responsible.
Abstract The existing methods of process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) fail to account for th... more Abstract The existing methods of process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) fail to account for the role of ecosystem goods and services derived from natural capital. This study presents an in-depth analysis of resource consumption and atmospheric emissions across a wood-derived bioethanol supply chain.
Rising energy costs, climate change and fossil fuel consumption are driving global efforts to tra... more Rising energy costs, climate change and fossil fuel consumption are driving global efforts to transition toward a sustainable'green'bioeconomy. This pursuit of bioeconomy requires billion tons of feedstocks, development of biomass-based technologies and biorefineries under the overarching principle of sustainability. First generation ethanol has helped to effectively manage the increasing demand and global warming impacts of fossil fuels. However, future biofuels must be produced from non-food sources.
Abstract This work reviews and performs a meta-analysis of the recent Life Cycle Assessment and f... more Abstract This work reviews and performs a meta-analysis of the recent Life Cycle Assessment and flow analyses studies palm oil biodiesel. The best available data and information are extracted, summarized and discussed. Most studies found palm oil biodiesel would produce positive energy balance with a range of energy ratio between 2.27 and 4.81 with net energy production of 112 GJ ha− 1 yr− 1.
Summary Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a tool for estimating environme... more Summary Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a tool for estimating environmental impacts of changes in product systems that go beyond physical relationships accounted for in attributional LCA (ALCA). This study builds on recent efforts to use more complex economic models for policy-based CLCA.
With regard to the evaluation of battery technologies, since the data used are often contradictor... more With regard to the evaluation of battery technologies, since the data used are often contradictory, variable, uncertain and sometimes impossible to validate independently, fuzzy linguistic approach is applied here to address this data ambiguity and its results are also being compared to the ranking obtained using the well-known analytical hierarchy planning (AHP) approach. Based on AHP evaluation, the recycling assessment ranks the batteries studied in the following preferential order: NiMH> NaS> PbA> NiCd.
The rate of Climate Change, which has repercussions to human and natural system well-being, is on... more The rate of Climate Change, which has repercussions to human and natural system well-being, is one of our major global challenges. The increasing trend of global temperatures over the centuries shows that human activities (ie industries, land use changes) affect the ecosystem equilibrium. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide and methane, which are emitted directly and indirectly from human activities, are contributing to global climate change.
Eco-efficiency starts from issues of economic efficiency which have positive environmental benefi... more Eco-efficiency starts from issues of economic efficiency which have positive environmental benefits. Eco-efficiency was defined at the first Antwerp Workshop on Eco-efficiency held in November 1993 as being'reached by the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life cycle to a level at least in line with the earth's estimated carrying capacity'.
Abstract Woodchips is considered as one of the most promising feed stocks for the production of s... more Abstract Woodchips is considered as one of the most promising feed stocks for the production of second generation (ligno) cellulosic biofuels. An in-depth LCA study of woodchips has been carried out in this work. The objective of this research is to assess the potential environmental life cycle impacts and resource consumptions in producing woodchips for biofuels production in Maine, USA.
The oriented strand board (OSB) biorefinery is an emerging technology that could improve the buil... more The oriented strand board (OSB) biorefinery is an emerging technology that could improve the building, transportation, and chemical sectors' environmental profiles. By adding a hot water extraction stage to conventional OSB panel manufacturing, hemicellulose polysaccharides can be extracted from wood strands and converted to renewably sourced ethanol and acetic acid. Replacing fossil-based gasoline and acetic acid has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, among other possible impacts.
The study aims to analyze holistically and dynamically the adoption of bio-inspired energy system... more The study aims to analyze holistically and dynamically the adoption of bio-inspired energy systems, technologies and emergence of its supply chains using trans-disciplinary, integrative and system perspective approaches. An integrated methodological framework has been developed to aid sustainability assessment of emerging systems.
Page 1. Mason Earles & Anthony Halog University of Maine Research Group on Industrial Ecology, LC... more Page 1. Mason Earles & Anthony Halog University of Maine Research Group on Industrial Ecology, LCA, and Systems Sustainability Forest Bioproducts Research Institute LCA X 11/02/10 Integrating Partial Equilibrium Modeling and LCA in the Forest Biorefinery Context Page 2. BACKGROUND Background Method Results Conclusion Page 3.
The paper argues that what we really need is to integrate the disparate methodologies systematica... more The paper argues that what we really need is to integrate the disparate methodologies systematically and computationally to obtain comprehensive and robust results (i.e. indicators and metrics) which can support decisions and policies in public and private sectors. Thus, our one grand challenge is to synthesize our current results and infer relevant and critical information either to support or not bioeconomy development. Integrated-oriented decision-making frameworks and tools with the support of information and communication technologies (ICT) and cyberinfrastructure are needed to support choices among the competing production pathways and provide information to various stakeholders.
Inderscience Publishers, Jul 11, 2011
Climate change and sustainable development are interrelated issues, which are of vital importance... more Climate change and sustainable development are interrelated issues, which are of vital importance to government policy and corporate decision makers. The sustainability evaluation of a biomass-based technology with consideration of stakeholder interests can provide a foundation for implementing energy and environmental policies. This study aims to develop an integrated and structured methodological framework for analysing biofuel systems in pursuit of sustainable large scale production. The integrated assessment framework can assist to formulate integrative and transparent policies for sustainable biomass certification. The proposed framework uses first the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to aid in extracting knowledge and judgments from stakeholders. AHP determines the critical criteria and indicators representing conflicting stakeholders' interests which can be incorporated in creating a dynamic system model for landscape-scale bioenergy modelling and assessment. An integrated AHP and system dynamics approach is currently being applied to assess the sustainable development of forest bioenergy sector in Maine, USA.
There is a recognition that one of the best ways to reduce waste and pollution towards zero is to... more There is a recognition that one of the best ways to reduce waste and pollution towards zero is to prevent them from occurring in the first place. This can be done by focusing on the early aspects of designing products and processes. Ecological loss function which is adapted from Taguchi's quality loss function is developed in this paper to aid in the environmental assessment and design of techniques. Ecological loss function relates the expected monetary losses and the environmental quality (emission) attributes of a system. Based on the calculated expected losses, techniques are ranked to determine the best available one. The proposed function is applied in three fictitious techniques in the primary aluminum industry and provides suggestions as to which of the techniques can be benchmarked for continuous environmental performance improvement. Additionally, this paper reports which emitted substances have to be addressed first during the design improvement phase in the primary aluminum industry.
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2011
Purpose Over the past two decades, consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a mo... more Purpose Over the past two decades, consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a modeling approach for capturing environmental impacts of product systems beyond physical relationships accounted for in attributional LCA (ALCA). Put simply, CLCA represents the convergence of LCA and economic modeling approaches. Method In this study, a systematic literature review of CLCA is performed. Results While initial efforts to integrate the two modeling methods relied on simple partial equilibrium (PE) modeling and a heuristic approach to determining affected technologies, more recent techniques incorporate sophisticated economic models for this purpose. In the last 3 years, Multi-Market, Multi-Regional PE Models and Computable General Equilibrium models have been used. Moreover, the incorporation of other economic notions into CLCA, such as rebound effects and experience curves, has been the focus of later research. Since economic modeling can play a prominent role in national policy-making and strategic/corporate environmental planning, developing the capacity to operate LCA concurrent to, or integrated with, these models is of growing importance. Conclusions This paper outlines the historical development of such efforts in CLCA, discusses key methodological advancements, and characterizes previous literature on the topic. Based on this review, we provide an outlook for further research in CLCA.
71 The US pulp production contributes a major portion in forest industry income. However, accordi... more 71 The US pulp production contributes a major portion in forest industry income. However, according to UNEP, forest industry sector consumes about half of the resources taken from nature worldwide and that includes 25% of the wood harvest. Increasing societal awareness of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) issues of production and consumption has motivated the industries to become corporate socially responsible.
Abstract The existing methods of process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) fail to account for th... more Abstract The existing methods of process-based life cycle assessment (LCA) fail to account for the role of ecosystem goods and services derived from natural capital. This study presents an in-depth analysis of resource consumption and atmospheric emissions across a wood-derived bioethanol supply chain.
Rising energy costs, climate change and fossil fuel consumption are driving global efforts to tra... more Rising energy costs, climate change and fossil fuel consumption are driving global efforts to transition toward a sustainable'green'bioeconomy. This pursuit of bioeconomy requires billion tons of feedstocks, development of biomass-based technologies and biorefineries under the overarching principle of sustainability. First generation ethanol has helped to effectively manage the increasing demand and global warming impacts of fossil fuels. However, future biofuels must be produced from non-food sources.
Abstract This work reviews and performs a meta-analysis of the recent Life Cycle Assessment and f... more Abstract This work reviews and performs a meta-analysis of the recent Life Cycle Assessment and flow analyses studies palm oil biodiesel. The best available data and information are extracted, summarized and discussed. Most studies found palm oil biodiesel would produce positive energy balance with a range of energy ratio between 2.27 and 4.81 with net energy production of 112 GJ ha− 1 yr− 1.
Summary Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a tool for estimating environme... more Summary Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a tool for estimating environmental impacts of changes in product systems that go beyond physical relationships accounted for in attributional LCA (ALCA). This study builds on recent efforts to use more complex economic models for policy-based CLCA.
With regard to the evaluation of battery technologies, since the data used are often contradictor... more With regard to the evaluation of battery technologies, since the data used are often contradictory, variable, uncertain and sometimes impossible to validate independently, fuzzy linguistic approach is applied here to address this data ambiguity and its results are also being compared to the ranking obtained using the well-known analytical hierarchy planning (AHP) approach. Based on AHP evaluation, the recycling assessment ranks the batteries studied in the following preferential order: NiMH> NaS> PbA> NiCd.
The rate of Climate Change, which has repercussions to human and natural system well-being, is on... more The rate of Climate Change, which has repercussions to human and natural system well-being, is one of our major global challenges. The increasing trend of global temperatures over the centuries shows that human activities (ie industries, land use changes) affect the ecosystem equilibrium. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide and methane, which are emitted directly and indirectly from human activities, are contributing to global climate change.
Eco-efficiency starts from issues of economic efficiency which have positive environmental benefi... more Eco-efficiency starts from issues of economic efficiency which have positive environmental benefits. Eco-efficiency was defined at the first Antwerp Workshop on Eco-efficiency held in November 1993 as being'reached by the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life cycle to a level at least in line with the earth's estimated carrying capacity'.
Abstract Woodchips is considered as one of the most promising feed stocks for the production of s... more Abstract Woodchips is considered as one of the most promising feed stocks for the production of second generation (ligno) cellulosic biofuels. An in-depth LCA study of woodchips has been carried out in this work. The objective of this research is to assess the potential environmental life cycle impacts and resource consumptions in producing woodchips for biofuels production in Maine, USA.
The oriented strand board (OSB) biorefinery is an emerging technology that could improve the buil... more The oriented strand board (OSB) biorefinery is an emerging technology that could improve the building, transportation, and chemical sectors' environmental profiles. By adding a hot water extraction stage to conventional OSB panel manufacturing, hemicellulose polysaccharides can be extracted from wood strands and converted to renewably sourced ethanol and acetic acid. Replacing fossil-based gasoline and acetic acid has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, among other possible impacts.
The study aims to analyze holistically and dynamically the adoption of bio-inspired energy system... more The study aims to analyze holistically and dynamically the adoption of bio-inspired energy systems, technologies and emergence of its supply chains using trans-disciplinary, integrative and system perspective approaches. An integrated methodological framework has been developed to aid sustainability assessment of emerging systems.
Page 1. Mason Earles & Anthony Halog University of Maine Research Group on Industrial Ecology, LC... more Page 1. Mason Earles & Anthony Halog University of Maine Research Group on Industrial Ecology, LCA, and Systems Sustainability Forest Bioproducts Research Institute LCA X 11/02/10 Integrating Partial Equilibrium Modeling and LCA in the Forest Biorefinery Context Page 2. BACKGROUND Background Method Results Conclusion Page 3.
The paper argues that what we really need is to integrate the disparate methodologies systematica... more The paper argues that what we really need is to integrate the disparate methodologies systematically and computationally to obtain comprehensive and robust results (i.e. indicators and metrics) which can support decisions and policies in public and private sectors. Thus, our one grand challenge is to synthesize our current results and infer relevant and critical information either to support or not bioeconomy development. Integrated-oriented decision-making frameworks and tools with the support of information and communication technologies (ICT) and cyberinfrastructure are needed to support choices among the competing production pathways and provide information to various stakeholders.
Inderscience Publishers, Jul 11, 2011
Climate change and sustainable development are interrelated issues, which are of vital importance... more Climate change and sustainable development are interrelated issues, which are of vital importance to government policy and corporate decision makers. The sustainability evaluation of a biomass-based technology with consideration of stakeholder interests can provide a foundation for implementing energy and environmental policies. This study aims to develop an integrated and structured methodological framework for analysing biofuel systems in pursuit of sustainable large scale production. The integrated assessment framework can assist to formulate integrative and transparent policies for sustainable biomass certification. The proposed framework uses first the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to aid in extracting knowledge and judgments from stakeholders. AHP determines the critical criteria and indicators representing conflicting stakeholders' interests which can be incorporated in creating a dynamic system model for landscape-scale bioenergy modelling and assessment. An integrated AHP and system dynamics approach is currently being applied to assess the sustainable development of forest bioenergy sector in Maine, USA.
There is a recognition that one of the best ways to reduce waste and pollution towards zero is to... more There is a recognition that one of the best ways to reduce waste and pollution towards zero is to prevent them from occurring in the first place. This can be done by focusing on the early aspects of designing products and processes. Ecological loss function which is adapted from Taguchi's quality loss function is developed in this paper to aid in the environmental assessment and design of techniques. Ecological loss function relates the expected monetary losses and the environmental quality (emission) attributes of a system. Based on the calculated expected losses, techniques are ranked to determine the best available one. The proposed function is applied in three fictitious techniques in the primary aluminum industry and provides suggestions as to which of the techniques can be benchmarked for continuous environmental performance improvement. Additionally, this paper reports which emitted substances have to be addressed first during the design improvement phase in the primary aluminum industry.
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2011
Purpose Over the past two decades, consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a mo... more Purpose Over the past two decades, consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has emerged as a modeling approach for capturing environmental impacts of product systems beyond physical relationships accounted for in attributional LCA (ALCA). Put simply, CLCA represents the convergence of LCA and economic modeling approaches. Method In this study, a systematic literature review of CLCA is performed. Results While initial efforts to integrate the two modeling methods relied on simple partial equilibrium (PE) modeling and a heuristic approach to determining affected technologies, more recent techniques incorporate sophisticated economic models for this purpose. In the last 3 years, Multi-Market, Multi-Regional PE Models and Computable General Equilibrium models have been used. Moreover, the incorporation of other economic notions into CLCA, such as rebound effects and experience curves, has been the focus of later research. Since economic modeling can play a prominent role in national policy-making and strategic/corporate environmental planning, developing the capacity to operate LCA concurrent to, or integrated with, these models is of growing importance. Conclusions This paper outlines the historical development of such efforts in CLCA, discusses key methodological advancements, and characterizes previous literature on the topic. Based on this review, we provide an outlook for further research in CLCA.