<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Circular economy and industrial symbiosis represent a production and consumption model involving sharing, lending, reusing, and recycling existing materials and products in the most efficient way to increase sustainability and reduce or eliminate waste. Beef production has a high impact on the environment in different impact categories, especially those activities related to livestock breeding and feeding. In this study, a life cycle assessment and a life cycle cost evaluation are carried out investigating potential energy efficiency measures to promote industrial symbiosis scenarios referring to a proposed baseline scenario. Three main potential measures are evaluated: energy recovery from waste via anaerobic digestion, integration of renewable sources at warehouses, including solar PV panels, and the replacement of auxiliary equipment at the retailer. It was found that energy reconversion of food waste through anaerobic digestion and cogeneration provides the most valuable benefits to the supply chain. From the economic perspective, using a conventional life cycle cost assessment, the energy production from the use of wastes for anaerobic digestion proved to be the best potential option.</p>
</abstract>

Circular economy and industrial symbiosis represent a production and consumption model involving sharing, lending, reusing, and recycling existing materials and products in the most efficient way to increase sustainability and reduce or eliminate waste. Beef production has a high impact on the environment in different impact categories, especially those activities related to livestock breeding and feeding. In this study, a life cycle assessment and a life cycle cost evaluation are carried out investigating potential energy efficiency measures to promote industrial symbiosis scenarios referring to a proposed baseline scenario. Three main potential measures are evaluated: energy recovery from waste via anaerobic digestion, integration of renewable sources at warehouses, including solar PV panels, and the replacement of auxiliary equipment at the retailer. It was found that energy reconversion of food waste through anaerobic digestion and cogeneration provides the most valuable benefits to the supply chain. From the economic perspective, using a conventional life cycle cost assessment, the energy production from the use of wastes for anaerobic digestion proved to be the best potential option.

Effects of Energy Efficiency Measures in the Beef Cold Chain: A Life Cycle-based Study

Environmental and Climate Technologies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Circular economy and industrial symbiosis represent a production and consumption model involving sharing, lending, reusing, and recycling existing materials...

Effects of Energy Efficiency Measures in the Beef Cold Chain: A Life Cycle-based Study

Published Online: Jul 05, 2021

Page range: 343 - 355

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2021-0025

Keywords
LCA, LCC, cold chain, beef, circular economy, industrial symbiosis, sustainability

© 2021 Fabian Diaz et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Effects of Energy Efficiency Measures in the Beef Cold Chain: A Life Cycle-based Study

Published Online: Jul 05, 2021

Page range: 343 - 355

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2021-0025

KeywordsLCA, LCC, cold chain, beef, circular economy, industrial symbiosis, sustainability

© 2021 Fabian Diaz et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
LCA, LCC, cold chain, beef, circular economy, industrial symbiosis, sustainability