Theophilus Baidoo

The design of green buildings greatly depends on sustainable building practices to achieve optimal results within the building industry. Deconstructibility represents an essential criterion in sustainable building design by allowing the disassembly of buildings so that materials can be salvaged and reused at the end of their lifespan. This chapter presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) and design optimization of constructible and deconstructible green buildings that adhere to EDGE standards. SimaPro software is used to conduct the LCA by evaluating the environmental impacts of the buildings throughout their entire lifespan from cradle to grave. The design optimization of the buildings utilizes parametric modeling techniques alongside design for deconstruction principles, which emphasize modularity, layered construction, and mechanical connections in their structural design. The chapter highlights that buildings designed with design for deconstruction principles significantly reduce land use impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, but pose health risks, highlighting tradeoffs in material selection and chemical treatments. The study emphasizes that the integration of deconstructibility into the early stages of the design of green buildings offers substantial benefits in environmental sustainability and provides a roadmap for sustainable building practices. However, challenges such as higher initial costs, toxicity impacts, and the need for skilled labor need urgent attention.

Waste management in most parts of Africa is characterized by the disposal of mixed waste in unengineered landfills. The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impact of mixed waste received at a waste-to-energy plant in Ghana relative to the current model of landfilling. A Life Cycle Assessment was conducted using OpenLCA software version 2.3.1 based on the ReCiPe Midpoint method. For landfilling, LandGEM software version 3.03 was used. The results indicate that waste-to-energy has the potential to provide carbon savings of 3.52 tCO₂eq/ton of waste treated compared to landfilling. Pyrolysis is observed to have high avoided burden across all impact categories, with the lowest Global Warming Potential of −2.3 kgCO₂eq. Anaerobic digestion shows a near neutral environmental impact with the highest value of 47.56 kg 1,4DCB for Terrestrial Ecotoxicity, while Refuse-Derived Fuel and segregation processes show low environmental burdens. The net avoided burden is highest for global warming and non-carcinogenic human toxicity potential. Overall, the hybrid waste-to-energy model is concluded to be an environmentally preferred waste management option compared to conventional landfilling methods, and we recommend that decision-makers facilitate investments into it. It is also recommended for the development of local inventories and databases to encourage more country-specific environmental impact studies and to reduce uncertainty.

Lignocellulosic bioethanol is a promising renewable energy source that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security. However, its commercialization faces significant economic and environmental challenges, including high feedstock costs, complex pretreatment processes, expensive enzyme formulations, and substantial energy and water requirements. This review examines the key factors affecting its viability, including feedstock costs, enzyme efficiency, co-product generation, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, energy efficiency, and land use impacts. Recent advancements in pretreatment technologies, enzyme recycling, genetically engineered microbial strains, and fermentation strategies are discussed for their potential to improve process efficiency and reduce production costs. This review also explores co-product valorization, including lignin and biogas utilization, which can enhance the economic sustainability of bioethanol production by generating additional revenue streams, offsetting operational costs, and improving overall process efficiency. Identifying research gaps, it highlights the need for cost-effective feedstock supply chains, advanced enzyme technologies, and optimized fermentation methods. Additionally, the role of life cycle assessments and government policies, including subsidies, is considered in shaping production costs and the environmental impact. By integrating economic and environmental perspectives, this review provides insights into advancing the sustainable production of lignocellulosic bioethanol, emphasizing the importance of continued innovation to overcome existing challenges.