Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Carbon for Chemicals:How can biomass contribute to the defossilisation of the chemicals sector?

This study examines how biomass feedstocks can contribute to defossilising the chemicals sector, analyzing pathways for replacing fossil-derived carbon with bio-based carbon in chemical manufacturing processes.

2024 Research Explorer (The University of Manchester)
Article Tier 2

Comparative life cycle analysis of PHA-based consumer items for daily use

A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment compared PHA-based consumer items made from mixed microbial cultures using organic waste feedstock against conventional fossil-based equivalents, finding generally favorable environmental performance for PHA products in carbon footprint and fossil resource categories.

2023 Resources Conservation and Recycling 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards alternative solutions for flaring: Life cycle assessment and carbon substance flow analysis of associated gas conversion into C3 chemicals

Researchers assessed whether converting flared natural gas into useful chemicals like propanol is better for the environment than simply burning it off. Life cycle analysis showed that making 1-propanol from flared gas saves nearly 2.9 kg of CO₂ per kg of gas processed and reduces human toxicity impacts, making it a more sustainable alternative to flaring.

2023 Journal of Cleaner Production 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Attributional and consequential life cycle perspectives of second-generation polylactic acid: The benefits of integrating a recycling strategy

Researchers used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental feasibility of second-generation polylactic acid (PLA) production from wheat straw, comparing attributional and consequential perspectives and assessing the role of chemical recycling on environmental performance. The study found that integrating a recycling strategy improved the environmental profile of the bio-based bioplastic.

2023 Journal of Cleaner Production 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Methodology for integrating lumped kinetic models and decision-making frameworks to enhance sustainability of plastic waste pyrolysis

Researchers developed a multi-scale methodology linking laboratory pyrolysis kinetics to high-level sustainability decision-making, demonstrating that using pyrolysis gas for heat supply maximizes circularity while selling LPG byproducts yields the highest profit, offering a replicable framework for evaluating plastic waste conversion options.

2026 Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Management of Organic Waste and Recycling for Bioplastics: A LCA Approach for the Italian Case Study

Researchers used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental trade-offs of collecting organic waste for biodegradable plastic production in Italy, finding that the system could reduce fossil resource use but that impacts depended heavily on collection efficiency and the end-of-life pathway chosen.

2021 Sustainability 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategies for Biosynthesis of C1 Gas-derived Polyhydroxyalkanoates: A review

Researchers reviewed strategies for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) — biodegradable bioplastics — from one-carbon gases like CO2, CO, and methane using autotrophic and methanotrophic microbes, highlighting fermentation and metabolic engineering approaches as cost-effective alternatives to conventional carbon-source-dependent PHA production.

2021 Bioresource Technology 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Developing Bioderived CO2-Responsive Polymers as Alternatives to Petroleum-derived Polymers

Researchers examined the development of bioderived, CO2-responsive polymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-derived plastics, using life cycle assessment principles and green chemistry frameworks to guide material design. The work addresses the environmental harms of petroleum-based plastic production and low recycling rates, proposing bio-based responsive polymers as a route toward materials with reduced environmental impact across their full lifecycle.

2025 QSpace (Queen's University Library)
Article Tier 2

Environmental life cycle assessment of polyhydroxyalkanoates production by purple phototrophic bacteria mixed cultures

A life cycle assessment of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastic production using purple phototrophic bacteria and municipal organic waste found that the photobiorefinery process dominates environmental impacts due to energy use and chemical inputs, but showed net carbon and fossil resource benefits compared to conventional plastics.

2023 Journal of Cleaner Production 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Defossilising fuels and chemicals – a systemic analysis from feedstock and technology, to hurdles and enablers

A systemic analysis examined the pathways and challenges of replacing fossil-derived fuels and chemicals with bio-based alternatives, highlighting trade-offs in sustainability and scalability. The work is relevant to reducing the fossil-plastic pipeline that drives ongoing microplastic pollution.

2025 Green Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Harvesting marine plastic pollutants-derived renewable energy: A comprehensive review on applied energy and sustainable approach.

This review summarized recent research on recovering renewable energy from marine plastic waste through biological, chemical, and thermal conversion processes, evaluating each pathway's carbon efficiency, global warming potential, and economic viability as part of a circular economy approach to plastic pollution.

2023 Journal of environmental management
Article Tier 2

Planet compatible pathways for transitioning the chemical industry

Researchers modeled seven planet-compatible transition pathways for the global chemical industry to 2050, finding that combining resource efficiency, circularity, and feedstock substitution interventions could reduce chemicals demand by 23-33% and require total investments of US$1.2-3.7 trillion, with demand-side measures being critical to managing constraints on biogenic and recyclate feedstocks.

2022 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent trends of biotechnological production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from C1 carbon sources

This review examines recent advances in producing polyhydroxyalkanoates, biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics, from C1 carbon sources like methane, methanol, and CO2 using various biotechnological approaches.

2023 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategic selection tool for thermoplastic materials in a renewable circular economy: Identifying future circular polymers

Researchers developed a strategic material selection tool to guide the transition toward a renewable circular economy for thermoplastics, helping identify which polymers can meet performance requirements while being decoupled from fossil feedstocks and compatible with biodegradation or closed-loop recycling.

2023 Sustainable Production and Consumption 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Feasibility of gasifying mixed plastic waste for hydrogen production and carbon capture and storage

A techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of gasifying mixed plastic waste for hydrogen production combined with carbon capture and storage found a minimum hydrogen selling price of US$2.26-2.94 per kg, competitive with fossil fuel hydrogen with carbon capture. The analysis supports plastic waste gasification as both an economically viable and climate-beneficial approach to addressing the plastic waste challenge.

2022 Communications Earth & Environment 63 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-gasification of Waste Biomass and Plastic for Syngas Production with CO2 Capture and Utilization: Thermodynamic Investigation

Researchers performed a thermodynamic investigation of an integrated plant-wide process for co-gasifying waste biomass and plastics using steam and CO2, designing the system to produce syngas at an H2/CO molar ratio of approximately 2 while incorporating carbon capture and utilization.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparing the financial costs and carbon neutrality of polyester fibres produced from 100% bio-based PET, 100% recycled PET, or in combination

Researchers compared the financial costs and carbon footprint of producing polyester fibers from 100% bio-based sources versus enzymatic hydrolysis of recycled PET textiles, designing and simulating both production routes. The study found that the two approaches differ substantially in economic and environmental performance, with implications for sustainable fashion industry decisions.

2024 Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Combining industrial ecology tools to assess potential greenhouse gas reductions of a circular economy: Method development and application to Switzerland

Researchers developed a framework combining multiple environmental analysis methods to assess how circular economy strategies — like plastic recycling, food waste reduction, and carbon capture — could cut Switzerland's greenhouse gas emissions by up to 14% by 2050.

2022 Journal of Industrial Ecology 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Prospective LCA to provide environmental guidance for developing waste-to-PHA biorefineries

Researchers used life cycle assessment to map out how future biorefineries could produce biodegradable plastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHA) from waste streams with up to 50% lower environmental impact compared to business-as-usual, provided supportive environmental policies are in place. The study identifies how well plastic is extracted from the microbial biomass as the single biggest factor controlling the process's environmental footprint.

2022 Journal of Cleaner Production 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Bio-based Business Models: specific and general learnings from recent good practice cases in different business sectors

Researchers analysed six bio-based good practice cases across different business sectors that successfully progressed from concept to market, finding that the traditional Business Model Canvas requires extension with sustainability and bioeconomy-specific factors to adequately capture the competitiveness and value chain challenges of bio-based solutions.

2022 Bio-based and Applied Economics 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Maximizing Environmental Impact Savings Potential through Innovative Biorefinery Alternatives: An Application of the TM-LCA Framework for Regional Scale Impact Assessment

This study evaluated the environmental savings potential of innovative biorefinery approaches for converting agricultural and organic waste into valuable products. It is a life cycle assessment paper on industrial ecology with no direct relevance to microplastics.

2019 Sustainability 27 citations
Review Tier 2

Wastewater Treatment and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods: A Review

This review assessed the application of multi-criteria decision-making methods to wastewater treatment, identifying approaches that balance technical, economic, environmental, and social factors. The synthesis aims to support evidence-based selection of treatment technologies aligned with sustainability goals.

2023 IEEE Access 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Techno-economic analysis of integrating hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) in the downstream of the anaerobic digestion process- A Stormossen biogas plant case study

Researchers conducted a techno-economic analysis of integrating hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) downstream of anaerobic digestion at the Stormossen biogas plant as a strategy for managing sewage sludge — which contains microplastics, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pathogens — more sustainably. The analysis evaluated the economic feasibility and process integration of HTC alongside existing anaerobic digestion infrastructure as European sludge volumes continue to grow.

2024 Doria (University of Helsinki)
Article Tier 2

A State-of-the-Art Survey on Analytical Hierarchy Process Applications in Sustainable Development

This review surveyed applications of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-criteria decision-making method, across sustainable development contexts including energy, transportation, and environmental management. The authors found AHP widely used for complex trade-off decisions and identified extensions of the method that improve its handling of uncertainty.

2022 International Journal of Mathematical Engineering and Management Sciences 50 citations