Prioritizing Organic Pollutants for Shale Gas Exploitation: Life Cycle Environmental Risk Assessments in China and the US.

Environmental impacts associated with shale gas exploitation have been historically underestimated due to neglecting to account for the production or the release of end-of-pipe organic pollutants. Here, we assessed the environmental impacts of shale gas production in China and the United States using life cycle assessment. Through data mining, we compiled literature information on organic pollutants in flowback and produced water (FPW), followed by assessments using USEtox to evaluate end-of-pipe risks.

Use, reuse, and waste management of single-use products associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Single-use product usage is not a new concern. However, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use and disposal of single-use products, especially those related to managing the pandemic, rose to prominence. Reports of shortages-and at the same time litter formation arising from improper disposal of various pandemic-related materials such as gloves, masks, wipes, and food takeout containers-were frequently relayed.

Cradle-to-grave environmental impact assessment of silver enabled t-shirts: Do nano-specific impacts exceed non nano-specific emissions?

Consumption of silver nanoparticles (nAg) is increasing due to their use in various industries. A comprehensive analysis is needed to elucidate the potential environmental and human health benefits and costs of the silver-enabled consumer products. For this purpose, four commercially available silver/nanosilver enabled polyester textiles with different initial silver/nanosilver loadings (1.

A citizen science approach estimating titanium dioxide released from personal care products.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a common component in personal care products (PCP), which through use enters the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and ultimately the environment. A citizen science approach is utilized here to inform the prevalence and usage of TiO2 containing PCP on a household scale, which generates information as to the quantity of TiO2 entering the WWTP, and the portion ultimately discharged to the environment. Meanwhile, citizen science sourced inventories were generated to estimate the quantity of TiO2, and potentially nanoscale TiO2 entering the WWTP from consumer products and to determine which products had the greatest contribution.

Life Cycle Assessment of Struvite Precipitation from Anaerobically Digested Dairy Manure: A Wisconsin Perspective.

Recovering valuable nutrients (e.g., P and N) from waste materials has been extensively investigated at the laboratory scale.

Global Warming Impacts of Residential Electricity Consumption: Agent-Based Modeling of Rooftop Solar Panel Adoption in Los Angeles County, California.

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are a renewable electricity technology with lower carbon dioxide equivalent (CO e) impacts compared to fossil electricity, making it a technology of interest with respect to combatting global climate change. This paper combines agent-based modeling (ABM) with life cycle assessment (LCA) to simulate rooftop solar PV adoption in Los Angeles (LA) County from 2018-2050 and generate CO e impact data at the societal level to compare PV and grid electricity. With respect to solar PV panels, consumer adoption is the "pull" that moves the system and corresponding life cycle CO e impacts forward.

Estimating human exposure to titanium dioxide from personal care products through a social survey approach.

Titanium dioxide (TiO ) has been widely applied in personal care products (PCPs), with up to 36% of TiO in PCPs is present at the nanoscale. Due to the large quantity produced and the wide application of TiO , there is a great potential for human exposure through various routes and therefore a great potential to elicit adverse impacts. This work utilizes a social survey to generate information and estimate TiO (bulk and nanoparticle [NP]) exposure to individuals through the daily use of PCPs.

Sustainable Seafood and Vegetable Production: Aquaponics as a Potential Opportunity in Urban Areas.

Global population growth will increase pressures on current food systems in order to supply adequate protein and produce to the increasingly urban world population. The environmental impact of food production is a critical area of study as it influences water and air quality, ecosystem functions, and energy consumption. Aquaponics (in which seafood and vegetables are grown in a closed-loop system) has the potential to reduce the environmental impact of food production.

Life Cycle Impact of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Synthesis through Physical, Chemical, and Biological Routes.

The sustainable manufacturing of nanoparticles (NPs) has become critical to reduce life cycle energy use and the associated environmental impact. With the ever-growing production volume, titanium dioxide (TiO) NPs have been produced through various synthesis routes with differing input materials and reactions, which result in differential reactivity, crystallinity, surface areas, and size distributions. In this study, life cycle assessment is used to analyze and compare the environmental impact of TiO NPs produced via seven routes covering physical, chemical, and biological syntheses.

Nanosilver-Enabled Food Storage Container Tradeoffs: Environmental Impacts Versus Food Savings Benefit, Informed by Literature.

Globally, thousands of tons of food are lost each year due to spoilage and degraded quality. This loss is a current critical issue that must be addressed to ensure adequate food supply for the growing world population; the use of technology and regulatory practices are avenues to a solution. One considered approach is the reduction of the microorganism population on the surface of food products to delay spoilage through the use of antimicrobials.

Life Cycle Payback Estimates of Nanosilver Enabled Textiles under Different Silver Loading, Release, And Laundering Scenarios Informed by Literature Review.

Silver was utilized throughout history to prevent the growth of bacteria in food and wounds. Recently, nanoscale silver has been applied to consumer textiles (nAg-textiles) to eliminate the prevalence of odor-causing bacteria. In turn, it is proposed that consumers will launder these items less frequently thus, reducing the life cycle impacts.