FRM -Producción en Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación
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Item Evaluation of the environmental sustainability of agricultural production using the methodologies of emergy analysis and life cycle assessment. case study, tomato grown in Mendoza (Argentina)(Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Faculatd Regional Mendoza, 2024-04) Piastrellini, Roxana; Arena, Alejandro; Civit, Bárbara; Curadelli, SilviaThis article evaluates the environmental performance of tomato production in Mendoza (Argentina) using two methodologies that share the same approach and part of the inventory: i) Life Cycle Analysis, a method that considers all flows (incoming and outgoing) involved in the life cycle of a product, and ii) Emergetic Analysis, which represents the environmental support provided directly and indirectly by the biosphere to economic processes in the form of resources and ecosystem services. The combined application of these two tools helps to identify critical points in the production system and to generate proposals for improvement and innovation. In this case, the critical points identified are irrigation and fertilizers. Specifically for the environmental category Climate change, crop irrigation represents 51 % of the total impact, while seedling production represents 22 %. The emergy analysis, without accounting for direct and indirect human labor, shows a low contribution of local natural resources to the final product (0.12 %), as well as an environmental burden of 7.23 %. The results show that the local environmental dynamics are altered because tomato production is mostly driven by external inputs, mainly fertilizers (especially nitrogenous fertilizers) and energy.Item Enseñando en tiempos de pandemia. el caso de Química Inorgánica en Ingeniería Química de UTN FRM 2020 - 2021(2021-01-01) Civit, Bárbara; Ohanian, GabrielaA principios de marzo de 2020 en Argentina la COVID-19, o en la jerga cotidiana Coronavirus, se instaló en nuestro país y en muy poco tiempo hizo que se modificaran las actividades sociales, económicas, administrativas, comerciales y cualquier otra que se pueda imaginar. Entre ellas, la forma de enseñar y aprender. La UTN FRM, reaccionó rápidamente ante la situación que se vislumbraba en el plano nacional, y en reunión de urgencia se decidió que se suspenderían las clases presenciales en todas las carreras que se dictan en esa Casa de Altos Estudios. Ante esto, rápidamente la Cátedra Química Inorgánica del Departamento de Ingeniería Química, donde ya veníamos trabajando con aula virtual desde 2015, reaccionó, ordenó y organizó la forma de trabajo en pos de favorecer a los estudiantes siguiendo la planificación de dictado habitual. Este trabajo presenta el proceso de adaptación de dictado de clases, consulta, evaluaciones mostrando los óptimos resultados académicos obtenidos y el relevamiento sobre la opinión de los estudiantes. Este último reveló que el 77 % de quienes respondieron la encuesta considera muy adecuado y colaborador el desempeño de los docentes de Química Inorgánica en esta situación tan atípica; el 91 % consideró acertada la decisión de la Cátedra de evaluar tal como estaba previsto, pero virtualmente y el 60 % está conforme con las clases de consulta semanales que se han brindado. Entre las sugerencias recibidas, la que más se repite es la entrega de los ejercicios resueltos para poder corregir los trabajos prácticos que van resolviendo. Esta práctica se consideró para el cursado 2021, pero, además, se incorporaron en las clases herramientas como Mentimeter, Votación de Zoom, Kahoot, Jamboard, Spark de Adobe, Hypersay, TED Ed entre otras, que permitieron hacer cada encuentro interactivo entre docentes y estudiantes, usándolas desde teléfonos móviles, tabletas o PC. Queremos destacar que la UTN facilitó cuentas de plataforma virtual con licencia educativa para los docentes. Concluimos que la formación de los docentes en dictado de clases virtuales a través de plataformas digitales de enseñanza, la formación continua de los docentes en herramientas didácticas para el dictado de temas en la Ingeniería, la experiencia en manejo de aulas, cursos y evaluaciones no convencionales, fueron fundamentales para que la articulación inmediata en la nueva modalidad de enseñanza resultara un éxito.Item Cultivating communities in Mendoza, Argentina : exploring social aspects of urban agriculture(2023-01-01) Arena, Alejandro; Civit, BárbaraGlobal food production and security are current challenges. This is reflected, among other things, in the fact that more than 690 million people suffer from hunger or food shortages. The availability of nutritious food is critical for disease control and immune function. In this context, urban agriculture is promoted as a way to ensure access to food, which has developed due to rising prices, food shortages and urban growth. However, there is a lack of in-depth knowledge on the impacts as well as barriers to implementation. Therefore, this study investigates vegetable consumption patterns in the metropolitan city of Mendoza in Argentina, as well as interest in vegetable production, opinions on urban agriculture and barriers. Quantitative research methods were used, and a citizen survey was conducted. The data was analysed using SPSS software and correlations were determined using chi-square. The results show strong interest from citizen in urban agriculture, but also barriers such as lack of time and resources. Successful implementation requires initiative, political will, and acceptance. The results are consistent with other studies and could be further explored in longitudinal studies to assess effectiveness. This is helpful given the importance of urban agriculture and vegetable consumption for sustainable food production and supply.Item Análisis energético e impactos de uso de agua de la producción de biomasa seca e microalgas en fotobiorreactores(2016-10-09) Arena, Alejandro; Rodríguez, Paula; Piastrellini, Roxana; Civit, BárbaraLos problemas ambientales asociados al uso de combustibles fósiles sitúan a los biocombustibles como una importante fuente de energía alternativa. Las microalgas han sido señaladas como la fuente de biomasa óptima para la obtención de biodiesel. No obstante, en algunos estudios ambientales y energéticos, los resultados hallados no confirman su superioridad frente a otras fuentes de biomasa. Este trabajo tiene como objetivos realizar un análisis energético y evaluar los impactos por el uso del agua de la producción de biomasa seca de microalgas cultivadas en un fotobiorreactor piloto, construido en la Universidad Federal de Paraná (Brasil). Los resultados muestran que esta producción genera una pérdida neta de energía, mientras que su impacto por el uso del agua es menor que el asociado a otras fuentes. Por lo tanto, es necesario mejorar el proceso de producción para que el balance energético sea positivo, permitiendo considerar a las microalgas como una fuente real de energía.Item Energy life-cycle analysis of soybean biodiesel : effects of tillage and water management(2017-03-17) Arena, Pablo; Piastrellini, Roxana; Civit, BárbaraThe purpose of this paper is to carry out an updated energy Life-Cycle Assessment of soybean biodiesel produced in the Pampean region of Argentina and to analyze the influence of different tillage systems on the Energy Return on Investment (EROI). It aims to identify the processes, materials and methodological aspects that significantly affect biofuel EROI. The procedure considers the main processes and operations of both the agriculture and industrial stages of biofuel production system, but the main novelty of this study is linking EROI with farming and conservation practices and not in the chemical processing of the oil. The results obtained represent the current average energetic performance of soy-based biodiesel produced in the considered region. The EROI values are very encouraging, demonstrating that this biodiesel provides a net energy gain. The results also show that conservation agriculture and the implementation of practices that improve crop yield do not always determine better energetic performance. Sensitivity analysis confirms that EROI values of soybean biodiesel are more responsive to methodological choices such as the system's boundary definition and the choice of the allocation method rather than to the physical aspects of the productive system such as tillage and water management practices.Item Assessing potential desertification environmental impact in life cycle assessment. Part 2 : agricultural case study in Spain and Argentina(2013-04-09) Arena, Pablo; Civit, BárbaraPurpose Land use in dry lands can result in a final stage where land is completely depleted or entirely degraded causing the desertification phenomenon. The first part (part 1) of this series of two articles proposed a methodology to include desertification in life cycle assessment (LCA). A set of variables to be measured in the life cycle inventory, characterization factors, and an impact assessment method for the life cycle impact assessment phase were proposed. This second part (part 2) aims at showing the application of the model proposed in part 1 on two case studies of agricultural activities. Methods The impact model proposed is applied to plots of land devoted to agricultural activities in two countries: Argentina and Spain. In the agricultural plots of Spain (1SP to 9SP), two crops were analyzed: winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rapeseed (RS, Brassica napus). Two crops were considered in the Argentinean case study: rapeseed (RS, B. napus) and digit grass (Digitaria eriantha) (10AR to 17AR). A bare soil state is considered in both countries as a reference state. Both case studies consider only the agricultural stage in the inventory of a complete life cycle assessment study. Both also consider only one impact category in life cycle environmental assessment: desertification impact due to land occupation. Results and discussion On the basis of the obtained results, it can be inferred that cultivating 1 ha of rapeseed and 1 ha of wheat has the same impact on the analyzed plots in Spain and improves the reference state conditions in 50 % of the cases. Moreover, rapeseed grown in Mendoza produces almost the same impact as in some of the Spanish plots. Normalized areas of plots could be useful to compare results in different regions of the world to avoid the influence of the area of occupation in results. Conclusions The proposed model implies a contribution of significant importance because so far there has not been an impact assessment tool for land use in dry lands within the LCA framework. The main strength of the proposed model is that it allows a simple way to quantify the desertification impact. Also, it is emphasized that the model can be adapted virtually without difficulty to the evaluation of all types of crops with different management practices in different regions in the life cycle impact assessment stage.Item Assessing potential desertification environmental impact in life cycle assessment Part 1 : methodological aspects(2009-10-21) Arena, Pablo; Civit, BárbaraBackground, aim and scope Life cycle assessment (LCA) enables the objective assessment of global environmental burdens associated with the life cycle of a product or a production system. One of the main weaknesses of LCA is that, as yet, there is no scientific agreement on the assessment methods for land-use related impacts, which results in either the exclusion or the lack of assessment of local environmental impacts related to land use. The inclusion of the desertification impact in LCA studies of any human activity can be important in high-desertification risk regions. Main features This paper focuses on the development of a methodology for including the desertification environmental impact derived from land use in LCA studies. A set of variables to be measured in the life cycle inventory (LCI), their characterisation factors (CFs) and an impact assessment method for the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase are suggested. The CFs were acquired using a geographical information system (GIS). Results For the LCI stage it is necessary to register information on: (1) the four biophysical variables of aridity, erosion, aquifer overexploitation and fire risk, with a created scale of values; (2) the geographical location of the activity and (3) the spatial and temporal extension of the activity. For the CFs, the four LCI biophysical variables in (1) were measured for the main terrestrial natural regions (ecoregions) by means of GIS. Discussion Using GIS, calculation of the CF for the aridity variable shows that 38% of the world area, in eight out of 15 existing ecoregions, is at risk of desertification. The most affected is the tropical/subtropical desert. The LCIA model has been developed to identify scenarios without desertification impact. Conclusions The developed method makes possible the inclusion of the desertification impact derived from land use in LCA studies, using data generally available to LCA users. Recommendations and perspectives While this LCIA model may be a simplified approach, it can be calibrated and Responsible editor: Llorenç Milà i Canals Preamble In this series of two papers, methodological aspects related to the assessment of desertification environmental impact in life cycle assessment (LCA) are discussed (Part 1), and the operational method and characterisation factors suggested are put into practise in a case study of energy crops in different regions worldwide (Part 2). M. Núñez (*) : P. Muñoz IRTA, SosteniPrA, Ctra. de Cabrils, Km 2 Cabrils, 08348 Barcelona, Spain e-mail: Montserrat.nunez@irta.cat A. Antón SosteniPrA (UAB-IRTA), Ctra. de Cabrils, Km 2 Cabrils, 08348 Barcelona, Spain B. Civit : A. P. Arena Universidad Tecnológica Nacional—Facultad Regional Mendoza/CONICET, Rodríguez 273, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina J. Rieradevall ICTA, SosteniPrA. Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain J. Rieradevall Chemical Engineering Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain Int J Life Cycle Assess (2010) 15:67–78 DOI 10.1007/s11367-009-0126-0 improved for different case studies. The model proposed is suitable for assessing the desertification impact of any type of human activity and may be complemented with specific activity indicators, and although we have considered biophysical factors, the method can be extended to socioeconomic vectors.Item Perception and awareness of circular economy options within sectors related to agriculture in Argentina(2022-11-01) Arena, Alejandro; Civit, BárbaraThe current socio-economic model based on a linear approach is being challenged by resource scarcity, negative environmental impacts and socio-economic constraints. Consequently, cycling approaches or circular economy (CE) paradigm is gaining attention. Business as usual is no longer possible and the model and criteria proposed by circular economy are a sustainable alternative that effectively couples natural with human-made systems. A model in which citizens in each of their social roles have a lot to say and do. However, implementation in Argentina is very slow and it is only applied at some level by companies or in urban residues recycling in a small number of cities. Additionally, social skepticism and lack of information about what circular economy embraces is still perceived. The objective of this exploratory paper is to identify the present level of awareness, the current situation and the expectations regarding the transition towards a circular economy approach within Argentina's agricultural sectors based on an opinion and perception survey. The aim of the study is to establish a baseline understanding and an interpretative framework to aid researchers and policymakers in promoting and increasingly implementing circular economy criteria in specific sectors. The study analyzes by a descriptive statistic a survey (n = 534) of selected actors related to the agricultural sector, i.e., farmers, agronomists (including agricultural engineers, veterinarians, and biologists), agrifood companies, and also directly related sectors, such as education and public administration. The anonymous questionnaire was divided into three parts: i) demographic characterization, ii) general awareness about transition towards circular economy (concept, current situation, features, advantages, drivers, obstacles and governance) within the region where the respondent operates, and iii) specific aspects within each selected sector. Results showed that the selected sectors perceived a common vision about the concept of CE “as a more sustainable production and consumption model”, and with some differences, they have mainly sensed that the transformation process is still both not initiated and at its initial steps. Respondents selected to focus on recycling/reusing as well as on the integration between productive units. Political, economic and environmental awareness as well as technological skills have been chosen as barriers. Consequently, they chose to invest on education and research, noticing the citizens/society as the main agent of transformation. Since the challenge is to find organized and progressive steps to build interactions, programs, actions and legislation to favor the integral (between sectors) and internal (within a sector) transition, indicators for monitoring as well as policies, priorities and perspectives have been highlighted to contribute to boost the transformation towards a circularity approach.Item Environmental impact assessment of agro-services symbiosis in semiarid urban frontier territories : case study of Mendoza (Argentina)(2021-06-01) Arena, Alejandro; Civit, BárbaraIn the next 10 years, cities will house 60% of the world's population, where in agro-urban frontier territories, mainly in semiarid regions, problems associated with land use and water distribution will arise. Therefore, a model of growth that contemplates the lowest use of resources must be proposed. The aim of this study is to determine the environmental impact of the use of resources in agro-services frontier territories of semiarid regions in three urban growth scenarios, linear and circular systems. The study is focused on Luján de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina. Through a life cycle assessment, environmental performance was evaluated for the current scenario and the three proposed ones. In addition, an ecoefficiency analysis was performed in relation to climate change and water consumption and the cost of surface uses, as well as an assessment according to the multifunctionality of surface use. Scenario 1 is a linear diffuse urban system, scenario 2 a circular water agro-urban system, and scenario 2 green plus energy a circular water and energy agro-urban system. The outcomes illustrate that scenario 2 green plus energy has the least environmental impacts. Compared to the linear scenario, both circular scenarios show a substantial reduction in water consumption (38–40%) and marine eutrophication (32–47%) and curtail freshwater eutrophication impacts. Furthermore, household energy impacts are reduced by 39% in scenario 2 green plus energy with photovoltaic panel implementation, and maximum ecoefficiency in response to climate change is reached. Additionally, the impacts of scenario 2 green plus energy are more than 42% less than those of scenario 1 in terms of the multifunctionality of surface use. This study shows that it is possible to achieve more sustainable semiarid urban frontier territories with local water and regional energy circularity.Item A literature review of eutrophication in Life Cycle Assessment. Relevance for pampean agroecosystems in Argentina(2022-06-01) Arena, Alejandro; Civit, BárbaraThe tools that operate within the framework of life cycle thinking have acquired great relevance, since they make it possible to determine the environmental profile of the system being evaluated. One of the risks deriving from the various economic activities is the eutrophication of water bodies and soil, and these categories are considered in all Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) models. However, aquatic and terrestrial eutrophication is not yet exhaustively explored in the field of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Argentina. A systematic analysis of specific national and international antecedents on these impact categories is carried out, focusing on terrestrial ecosystems, given the productive matrix and the advance of the agricultural frontier in the region. In the absence of research articles, it is deduced that there are no site-dependent characterizing factors (CFs) to evaluate environmental impacts in environmentally significant areas, given that there are no antecedents on the integrated analysis of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The methods and their models will be selected based on the one that best suits regional conditions, following the guidelines agreed upon at the Pellston Workshop 2018. This research can be further developed, continuing with the characterization of the ecosystems receiving the emissions. Argentina is currently considered one of the major agricultural regions of the world, with most activity centered in the Pampa region. The development of regional indicators for this region within the LCIA stage is of great relevance, since it will allow the quantification of environmental impacts derived from activities of great economic importance for the country, positioning itself as an advance in the study of environmental risks in the region.