1. Fuel conservation for launch vehicles: Falcon Heavy case studyPrimož Jozič, Aleksander Zidanšek, Robert Repnik, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Space exploration has recently been growing at an increasing pace and has caused a significant burden to the environment, in particular, during the launch of rockets, when a large amount of fuel is burned and the exhaust gases are released in the air. For this case study, we selected the SpaceX Falcon Heavy reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle, which is one of the most promising rockets for the low-cost lifting of heavy payloads into orbit and beyond. We evaluated several strategies for optimisation of fuel consumption and for minimisation of environmental impact during launch through the atmosphere for the case of its first launch on February 6, 2018, when the rocket carried a red Tesla Roadster with a "Starman" in the direction toward Mars. In addition to the flight plan and Newtonian equations of motion, we have taken into account the thermodynamic properties of the rocket engines. Results are similar but slightly different if one minimises the total fuel consumption for the desired flight plan or if one minimises the environmental pollution during the initial stage of the launch through the atmosphere. The same methodology can be extended for launches in other directions including the Earth orbit and the Moon. Keywords: fuel conservation, heavy-lift launch vehicles, environmental impact Published in DKUM: 24.01.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
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2. Energy demand distribution and environmental impact assessment of chitosan production from shrimp shellsFilipa A. Vicente, Robert Hren, Uroš Novak, Lidija Čuček, Blaž Likozar, Annamaria Vujanović, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Step towards resilience and sustainability through exploring renewable biomass and waste streams to produce higher-added value products and energy is among key aspects for closing the loops, saving resources, and reducing the resource and emission footprints. In that respective, crustacean shells waste can offer rich spectre of valuable compounds such as proteins, chitin, carotenoids. This waste is produced in large quantities worldwide, thus allowing for commercial valorisation. An overview of technologies is undertaken for more sustainable and environmentally friendly chitosan production via chitin isolation and conversion and compared to the conventional processes. Furthermore, an assessment of the environmental burden and energy demand distribution for conventional and more sustainable alternative processes was performed, based on lab-scale experimental data. Three different chitin extraction routes and three distinct chitosan conversion processes were considered and compared for their greenhouse gas footprint, abiotic depletion, acidification, eutrophication and other potentials. Finally, the energy demand distribution was analysed considering electricity production patterns from three European countries, Slovenia, Portugal and Norway. The results showed that alternatives 3-A and 3-B (conventional eco-solvents - conventional deacetylation with 40 % and 50 % NaOH) generate the lowest environmental burden (184 g CO2 eq./g chitosan). Electricity was the main hotspot of the processes, used either for extraction, plasma treatment or deacetylation. The sensitivity analysis proved that the Norwegian electricity mix has the lowest environmental impact (4.2 g CO2 eq./g chitosan). This study highlights the impact of blue biorefineries by transforming marine waste to valuable biopolymers such as chitin and chitosan. Keywords: shrimp shells waste, blue biorefinery, value-added products, chitosan, sustainable production, comparative environmental assessment Published in DKUM: 08.01.2025; Views: 1; Downloads: 1
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3. Eco-design processes in the automotive industryEwelina Staniszewska, Dorota Klimecka-Tatar, Matevž Obrecht, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Every year approximately 70 million passenger cars are being produced and automotive industry is much bigger then just passenger cars. The impact of automotive industry on the environment is tre-mendous. From extracting raw materials through manufacturing and assembly processes, exploitation of the vehicle to the reprocessing irreversible, extensive environmental damage is done. The goal of this study is to show how implementing eco-design processes into supply chain management can re-duce the impact of automotive industry on the environment by e.g. reducing the use of the fuel, in-creasing the use of recycled materials. Focus is on evaluation of current state, environmental impacts and potential improvements for design, raw materials, manufacturing and distribution and end-of-life phase. Keywords: eco-design processes, automotive industry, supply chain management, business processes, cleaner production, environmental impacts, logistics Published in DKUM: 18.12.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
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4. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of the impact on the environment of a cosmetic cream with gold nanoparticles and hydroxylated fullerene ingredientsRebeka Rudolf, Peter Majerič, Zorka Novak-Pintarič, Andrej Horvat, Damjan Krajnc, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: This review provides a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a cosmetic cream to assess the environmental impacts throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to disposal, using the methodology according to international standards. The LCA was performed using the OpenLCA 2.0.1 software, with data from the Ecoinvent 3.8 database and relevant literature. The assessment focused on multiple impact categories, including climate change, acidification, eutrophication (freshwater, marine and terrestrial), ecotoxicity (freshwater), human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer), ionizing radiation, land use, ozone depletion, photochemical ozone formation, resource use (fossils, minerals and metals), and water use. The LCA of a cosmetic cream containing gold nanoparticles revealed significant environmental impacts across critical categories. The total climate change potential was 2596.95 kg CO2 eq., driven primarily by nanoparticle synthesis (60.7%) and electricity use (31.9%). Eutrophication of freshwater had the highest normalized result (3.000), with nanoparticle synthesis contributing heavily, indicating the need for improved wastewater treatment. The resource use (minerals and metals) scored 1.856, while the freshwater ecotoxicity reached 80,317.23 CTUe, both driven by the nanoparticle production. The human toxicity potentials were 1.39 × 10−6 CTUh (cancer) and 7.45 × 10−5 CTUh (non-cancer), linked to emissions from synthesis and energy use. The LCA of the cosmetic cream revealed several critical areas of environmental impact. The most significant impacts are associated with gold nanoparticle synthesis and electricity use. Addressing these impacts through optimized synthesis processes, improved energy efficiency, and alternative materials can enhance the product’s sustainability profile significantly. Keywords: life cycle assessment, cosmetic cream, environmental impacts, gold nanoparticles Published in DKUM: 17.12.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 9
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5. Effect of usage of industrial robots on quality, labor productivity, exports and environmentJasna Prester, Iztok Palčič, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Industrial robots are slowly finding their way into manufacturing companies. This paper
examines the impact of robots on productivity, exports, quality, sustainability and labor in European manufacturing companies. There is little research on the use of industrial robots and their
impact in developed countries. Most research relates to Chinese companies, and often, the data are
outdated. The data in this paper come from the European Manufacturing Survey project, which
was conducted in 2022 and includes 476 manufacturing companies. The results of the impact of
industrial robots on quality, labor productivity, exports and green technologies are determined using
a T-test between companies that use industrial robots and those that do not. However, the impact
of higher investment in environmental technologies by industrial robot users was examined by a
two-stage OLS regression analysis with control variables representing the contextual characteristics
of the companies. The results show positive effects on all of the variables. The results show that
the greater use of robots occurs in industries with low-to-medium technology intensity, that robots
contribute to labor productivity and exports and that companies that use robots also tend to use
environmentally friendly technologies. Keywords: industrial robots, productivity, quality, exports, environmental, sustainability, European manufacturing survey Published in DKUM: 09.12.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 2
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6. The perception of sustainability competences in logistics and supply chainsMateja Čuček, Sonja Mlaker Kač, Matevž Obrecht, Lazar Pavić, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: The European Union (EU) has adopted a huge number of guidelines and policies to promote sustainability in different sectors. The study focuses on the twin green and digital transformation, which is particularly highlighted in the context of the European Green Deal, a comprehensive strategy to tackle climate change and environmental degradation while embracing digital innovation for economic growth and societal progress. These guidelines and policies show the EU's commitment to promoting sustainability in different sectors and to achieving the objectives of climate change, environmental protection and sustainable development. One of the areas that plays an important role for the individuals as well as for the economy is logistics and supply chain management. The main research question of this study is to investigate the relationship between the basic sociodemographic characteristics and their perception of the importance of sustainability competences in logistics and supply chains in the future. The study was carried using survey questionnaire on employees in the field of logistics and supply chains in Slovenia. The results show the main statistically significant differences in these perceptions are primary based on differences in employees demographic characteristics, such as gender, age and level of education of the employees. Keywords: sustainable competences, sustainability, environmental impact, corporate social responsibility Published in DKUM: 29.11.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 6
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7. Measurement and improvement of airport’s environmental behavior: an empirical study from North African Countries (NAC) : doctoral dissertationAhmed Eid, 2024, doctoral dissertation Abstract: Environmental challenges have grown in worldwide relevance. Considering that most environmental issues are due to human behavior, it is crucial to be aware of environmental sustainability issues in airports where many environmental problems arise. It is worth noting that, in the global society of the 21st century, air transportation serves an important purpose as one of the logistics operations (a crucial component of the worldwide economic supply chain). Otherwise, the aviation sector is one of the factors that contribute to the degradation of the environment. Thus, environmental sustainability in airports is essential, as it is associated with conserving the airport environment from degradation. Since human actions create most environmental problems, fostering eco-friendly habits is seen as a viable strategy for a sustainable future. Hence, enforcing environmentally friendly behavior is vital to achieving environmental sustainability, considering the governing authorities' continuous and rising demand for transportation system sustainability. Thus, under the lances of reasoned action theory, the research aim is to improve the airport's environmental sustainability by developing a new model to develop specific stakeholders' environmental behavior, as environmental sustainability has become a pledge of every supply chain member. Investigating airport individuals' environmental behavior by measuring the impact of airport environmental knowledge and the airport's environmental sustainability performance on their environmental behavior through attitude and testing the moderating role of environmental advertising on the indirect effect of environmental sustainability performance and environmental sustainability knowledge. Notably, the research is based on the reasoned action theory since it concerns the motivation for behavior. The research contributes to extending the reasoned action theory since it strives to adopt the theory in North African airports. Moreover, this research would contribute to expanding the reasoned action theory by providing a theoretical model for understanding its abstract concepts by examining the impact of environmental sustainability knowledge, performance, attitude, and advertising on developing environmental behavior. Keywords: environmental sustainability, airport, environmental sustainability performance, environmental knowledge, environmental behavior Published in DKUM: 15.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 11
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8. Evolution of sustainable tourism conceptsVasja Roblek, Danijel Drpić, Maja Meško, Vedran Milojica, 2021, review article Abstract: This paper aims to present the evolution and change in content in tourism, over time, as well as the emergence of different sustainable tourism concepts (ST). For this purpose, a comparative Automated Content Analysis (ACA) is herein applied to scientific articles published between 1990, when the first article in this field was published in the Web of Science, and the end of 2020. The results show some overlaps between the concepts that have emerged over the periods. According to the analysis results, it can be concluded that the theme focuses on business model changes, adoption of organizational processes related to the provision of mitigation measures, implementation of cleaner and smarter technologies, the importance of cultural heritage for sustainable tourism product concepts, rural development, green investment, sustainable standards and sustainable reporting. Keywords: sustainable hospitality, sustainable tourism, holistic sustainability, environmental governance, social governance, automated content analysis Published in DKUM: 11.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 7
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9. Environmental responsibility and communication in selected companies in the Podravska statistical regionZala Virant, Janez Osojnik, Andreja Kozmus, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: The paper presents best practices pursued by eight companies from the Podravska statistical region selected because they promote green transition in this society. In the theoretical section, the article presents environmental responsibility as part of corporate social responsibility and deals with the type of communication needed to address and motivate people to implement the EU Green Deal goals. The empirical section analyses eight semi-structured interviews with representatives from selected companies in the Podravska statistical region. The results highlight long-term efforts to raise public awareness about the environmental crisis (without major visible effects), financial aid as the main motivation factor to implement green practices, shortage of specific training courses in communication, and the need for locally focused training. Keywords: environmental responsibility, sustainability, sustainable organisational practices, green motives, communication, Podravska statistical region Published in DKUM: 11.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 0 |
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