Organization:

University of Santiago de Compostela

Department:Chemical Engineering

Address:
ETSE. Rua Lope Gomez de Marzoa. Campus Vida
Santiago de Compostela
15782 Spain

Contact email: sara.gonzalez@usc.es

Web page: http://www.usc.es/biogrup/     

Brief presentation of the institution: 
The USC has a remarkable experience on the evaluation and demonstration of environmental sustainability of innovative and novel production systems by means of the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Special attention has been paid from 2005 to non-food industrial processes derived from lignocellulosic feedstocks (paper pulp, fibreboards, bioethanol, lignosulphonates and bitumen nanoemulsions) in order to determine their environmental sustainability from an industrial ecology perspective. The USC-LCA team has worked in the following research areas related to the present project assessing environmental performances: 1) White Biotechnology for added value products from renewable plant polymers designing new industrial bioprocesses specifically using lignocellulosic biomass as raw material; 2) The integration of biomass and waste reutilization for Bioproducts manufacture; 3) The demonstration of sustainability of bark valorization from softwood species available in Europe into insulating foams and bioenergy (syngas production); 4) Ecodesign of industrial products introducing changes on industrial process from an environmental point of view, paying special attention to wood based furniture sector; 5) The production of green products with the aim of substituting phenol-formaldehyde resins with bio-based phenolic materials in combination with phenol-oxidizing enzymes as well as the production of tannin-based insulating foams using different scenarios of the technology and supply chains. All these research areas have a common renewable raw material, the wood. Thus, special attention was paid on the assessment of forest systems destined to the production of the main biomass source: 6) The assessment of forest systems (Norway spruce in Sweden, Maritime pine in Portugal and France, Douglas fir in France and Germany, Portuguese cork oak woodlands) focused on industrial wood production using not only the LCA methodology but also the Tool for Sustainability Impact Assessment (ToSIA) method, a dynamic sustainability impact assessment model to assess sustainability impacts in forest wood chains; 7) The production of energy crops for bioenergy as well as the simulation of second generation bioethanol production chains (eucalypt, poplar, willow and acacia) by means of a biochemical process including enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation and its environmental performance. All these research topics have been environmentally evaluated from a cradle-to-gate/grave perspective following ISO 14040 standards. In a recent publication about the relevance of research groups in terms of number of LCA publications in scientific journals, USC ranks first in Spain and sixth in the world, which highlights the role of this research group on this topic. Moreover, this research activity has been supported by the following UE, Spanish and Regional projects: European projects: • White Biotechnology for added value products from renewable plant polymers: Design of tailor-made biocatalysts and new Industrial bioprocesses (BIORENEW) (2006- PI009) Reference: NMP2-CT-2006-026456 • Integrated European Network for biomass and waste reutilisation for Bioproducts (AQUATERRE) (2008-PI012) Reference: 212654 • Bark valorisation into insulating foams and bioenergy (BIOFOAMBARK) (2012-PI011). Project reference: 235066 FP7-ERANET-20008-RTD • International Network in Life Cycle Analysis and Ecodesign for Eco-innovation (ECOTECH - SUDOE). Regional projects: • DECOFIM: Diseño ecológico en productos de madera y mueble. Centre de Difusió Tecnològica de la Fusta i el Moble de Catalunya (CENFIM) • Ecoinnovación en empresas da industria da madeira en Galicia. Fundación para o fomento da Calidade Industrial e o Desenvolvmento Tecnolóxico de Galicia Spanish projects: • Patrocinio para la realización dun proxecto piloto sobre ecodeseño (2011-CE089). Empresa Nacional de Innovación S.A (ENISA) • Estudio sobre la compensación de las emisiones de carbono generadas en la red de autopistas ABERTIS mediante medidas en el ámbito forestal. Fundación Privada Abertis • Proyecto piloto de Ecodiseño. Sociedad Estatal para el Desarrollo del Diseño y la Innovación – ENISA The USC-LCA group has a deep collaboration with different forestry related research centres from 2007, which are supported by means of different mobility plans of Ph.D. students and published studies in International SCI journals: -The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Uppsala, Sweden) – Dr. Staffan Berg -The European Forest Institute (Joensuu, Finland) – Dr. Marcus Lindner -The School of Forest Sciences in the University of Eastern Finland (Joensuu, Finland) – Dr. Blas Mola-Yudego -The Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute (Forest and Landscape) – Dr. Blas Mola-Yudego -The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Uppsala, Sweden) - Dr. Ioannis Dimitriou and Dr. Pär Aronsson -The Department of Agricultural Engineering of University of Milan (Milan, Italy) – Dr. Marco Fiala and Dr. Jacopo Bacenetti -The Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Systems of University of Florence (Florence, Italy) – Dr. Enrico Marchi -The University of Aveiro (Aveiro, Portugal) – Dr. Luis Arroja This wood based research line derived on 35 papers published in SCI journals, all of them related to the topic of the project: 1.- S. González-García, S. Berg, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2009): Evaluation of forest operations in Spanish eucalypt plantations under a life cycle assessment perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 24(2): 160-72. 2.- S. González-García, S. Berg, G. Feijoo and M.T. Moreira (2009): Comparative environmental assessment of wood transport models. A case study of a Swedish pulp mill. Science of the Total Environment, 407: 3530-9. 3.- S. González-García, A. Hospido, M.T. Moreira, J. Romero and G. Feijoo (2009): Environmental impact assessment of total chlorine free pulp from Eucalyptus globulus in Spain. Journal of Cleaner Production, 17: 1010-6. 4.- S. González-García, S. Berg, G. Feijoo and M.T. Moreira (2009): Environmental Impacts of Production and Supply of Pulpwood: Spanish and Swedish Case Studies. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 14: 340-353. 5.- S. González-García, G. Feijoo, P. Widsten, A. Kandelbauer, E. Zikulnig-Rusch and M.T. Moreira (2009): Environmental Performance Assessment of Hardboard manufacture. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 14: 456-66. 6.- S. González-García, C.M. Gasol, X. Gabarrell, J. Rieradevall, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2010): Environmental profile of ethanol from poplar biomass as transport fuel in Southern Europe. Renewable Energy, 35: 1014-1023 7.- P.G. Monje, S. González-García, D. Moldes, T. Vidal, J. Romero, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2010): Biodegradability of the enzymatic laccase-mediator system on the TCF bleaching of Eucalyptus Kraft pulp. Water Research, 44: 2211-2220 8.- S. González-García, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2010): Comparative environmental performance of Lignocellulosic bioethanol from different feedstocks. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 14: 2077-2085. 9.- S. González-García, G. Feijoo, C. Heathcote, A. Kandelbauer and M.T. Moreira (2011): Environmental assessment of Green hardboard production coupled with a Laccase activated system. Journal of Cleaner Production, 19: 445-453. 10.- S. González-García, A. Hospido, R. Agnemo, P. Svensson, E. Selling, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2011): Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of a Swedish Dissolving Pulp mill Integrated Biorefinery. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 15(4): 568-583. 11.- S. González-García, F.J. Silva, M.T. Moreira, R. Castilla Pascual, R.García-Lozano, X. Gabarrell, J. Rieradevall i Pons, G. Feijoo (2011): Combined application of LCA and Eco-design for the sustainable procurement of wood boxes for wine bottles storage. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 16: 224-237. 12.- S. González-García, C.M. Gasol, X. Gabarrell, J. Rieradevall, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2010): Environmental assessment of Acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) based ethanol as potential transport fuel. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 16(5): 465-477. 13.- C.M. Gasol, X. Gabarrell, M. Rigola, S. González-García and J. Rieradevall (2011): Environmental assessment (LCA) and spatial modelling (GIS) of energy crops implementation on local scale. Biomass & Bioenergy, 35: 2975-2985. 14.- S. González-García, C. M. Gasol, R. García-Lozano, M.T. Moreira, X. Gabarrell, J. Rieradevall and G. Feijoo (2011): Assessing the global warming potential of wooden products from the furniture sector to improve their ecodesign. Science of the Total Environment, 410: 16-25. 15.- S. González-García, R. García-Lozano, P. Buyo, R. Castilla Pascual, X. Gabarrell, J. Rieradevall, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2012): Eco-innovation of a wooden based modular social playground: application of LCA and DfE methodologies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 27: 21-31. 16.- S. González-García, J. Bacenetti, M. Fiala and R.J. Murphy (2012): Present and future environmental impact of poplar cultivation in Po Valley (Italy) under different crop management systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 26: 56-66. 17.- S. González-García, M.T. Moreira, G. Feijoo and R. J. Murphy (2012): Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of ethanol production from fast-growing wood crops (Black locust, Eucalyptus and Poplar). Biomass & Bioenergy, 39: 378-388. 18.- S. González-García, B. Mola-Yudego, I. Dimitriou, P. Aronsson and R.J. Murphy (2012): Environmental assessment of energy production based on long term commercial willow plantations in Sweden. Science of the Total Environment, 421-422: 210-219. 19.- S. González-García, R. García-Lozano, M. González, R. Castilla Pascual, X. Gabarrell, J. Rieradevall, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2012): Environmental assessment and improvement alternatives of a ventilated wooden wall from LCA and DfE perspective. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 17: 432-443. 20.- S. González-García, D. Iribarren, A. Susmozas, J. Dufour and R.J. Murphy (2012): Life cycle assessment of two alternative bioenergy systems involving Salix spp. biomass: Bioethanol production and power generation. Applied Energy 95: 111-122. 21.- S. González-García, R. García-Lozano, M.T. Moreira , X. Gabarrell, J. Rieradevall, G. Feijoo and R.J. Murphy (2012): Eco-innovation of a wooden childhood furniture set: an example of environmental solutions in the wood sector. Science of the Total Environment 426: 318-326. 22.- S. González-García, M.T. Moreira and G. Feijoo (2012): Environmental Aspects of Eucalyptus based ethanol production and use. Science of the Total Environment. 438: 1-8 23.- S. González-García, L. Salinas-Mañas, R. García-Lozano, X. Gabarrell, J. Rieradevall, G. Feijoo and M.T. Moreira (2012): The application of Ecodesign methodology in SMEs run according to Lean Management: the case of a furniture publishing company. Environmental Engineering and Management Journal. 24.- S. González-García, J. Bacenetti, M. Negri, M. Fiala and L. Arroja (2013): Comparative environmental performance of three different annual energy crops for biogas production in Northern Italy. Journal of Cleaner Production. 43: 71-83 25.- S. González-García, Mola-Yudego and R.J. Murphy (2013): Life Cycle Assessment of potential energy uses for short rotation willow biomass in Sweden. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 18: 783-795 26.- S. González-García, A. C. Dias and L. Arroja (2013): Life Cycle Assessment of typical Portuguese cork oak woodlands. Science of the Total Environment 452-453: 355-364 27.- S. González-García, I. Krowas, G. Becker, G. Feijoo and M.T. Moreira (2013): Cradle-to-gate life cycle inventory and environmental performance of Douglas-fir roundwood production in Germany. Journal of Cleaner Production. 54:244-252 28.- S. González-García, V. Bonnesoeur, A. Pizzi, G. Feijoo and M.T. Moreira (2013): Assessing the influence of different forest management systems on the environmental impacts of Douglas-fir roundwood production in France. Science of the Total Environment. 461-462: 681-692 29.- S. González-García, V. Bonnesoeur, A. Pizzi, G. Feijoo and M.T. Moreira (2014): Comparing environmental impacts of different forest management scenarios for maritime pine biomass production in France. Journal of Cleaner Production 64: 356-367 30.- S. González-García, A.C. Dias, G. Feijoo, M.T. Moreira, L. Arroja (2014): Divergences on the environmental impact associated to the production of maritime pine wood in Europe: French and Portuguese case studies. Science of the Total Environment 472: 324-337 31.- S. González-García, M.T. Moreira, A.C. Dias, B. Mola-Yudego (2014): Cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessment of forest operations in Europe: Environmental and energy profiles. Journal of Cleaner Production 66: 188-198. 32.- B. Mola-Yudego, I. Dimitriou, S. González-García, D. Gritten and P. Aronsson (2014): A conceptual framework for the introduction of energy crops. Renewable Energy.72: 29-38. 33.- E. Sanyé-Mengual, P. Pérez-López, S. González-García, R. Garcia Lozano, G. Feijoo, M.T. Moreira, X. Gabarrell and J. Rieradevall (2014): Eco-designing the use phase of products in sustainable manufacturing: the importance of maintenance and communication-to-user strategies. Journal of Industrial Ecology 18: 545-557. 34.- S. González-García, A.C. Dias, S. Clermidy, A. Benoist, V. Bellon Maurel, C.M. Gasol, X. Gabarrell and Luis Arroja (2014): Comparative environmental and energy profiles of different biomass supply chains for potential bioenergy purposes in Southern Europe. Journal of Cleaner Production 76: 42-54. 35.- A. C. Dias; J. Boschmonart-Rives; S. González-García; M. Demertzi; X. Gabarrell; L. Arroja (2015). Analysis of raw cork production in Portugal and Catalonia using life cycle assessment. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 19: 1985-2000.

Main FP1407 related research topics:
The USC-LCA team has worked in the following research areas related to the present project assessing environmental performances: 1) White Biotechnology for added value products from renewable plant polymers designing new industrial bioprocesses specifically using lignocellulosic biomass as raw material; 2) The integration of biomass and waste reutilization for Bioproducts manufacture; 3) The demonstration of sustainability of bark valorization from softwood species available in Europe into insulating foams and bioenergy (syngas production); 4) Ecodesign of industrial products introducing changes on industrial process from an environmental point of view, paying special attention to wood based furniture sector; 5) The production of green products with the aim of substituting phenol-formaldehyde resins with bio-based phenolic materials in combination with phenol-oxidizing enzymes as well as the production of tannin-based insulating foams using different scenarios of the technology and supply chains. All these research areas have a common renewable raw material, the wood. Thus, special attention was paid on the assessment of forest systems destined to the production of the main biomass source: 6) The assessment of forest systems (Norway spruce in Sweden, Maritime pine in Portugal and France, Douglas fir in France and Germany, Portuguese cork oak woodlands) focused on industrial wood production using not only the LCA methodology but also the Tool for Sustainability Impact Assessment (ToSIA) method, a dynamic sustainability impact assessment model to assess sustainability impacts in forest wood chains; 7) The production of energy crops for bioenergy as well as the simulation of second generation bioethanol production chains (eucalypt, poplar, willow and acacia) by means of a biochemical process including enzymatic hydrolysis and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation and its environmental performance. All these research topics have been environmentally evaluated from a cradle-to-gate/grave perspective following ISO 14040 standards. In a recent publication about the relevance of research groups in terms of number of LCA publications in scientific journals, USC ranks first in Spain and sixth in the world, which highlights the role of this research group on this topic. Moreover, this research activity has been supported by the following UE, Spanish and Regional projects: European projects: • White Biotechnology for added value products from renewable plant polymers: Design of tailor-made biocatalysts and new Industrial bioprocesses (BIORENEW) (2006- PI009) Reference: NMP2-CT-2006-026456 • Integrated European Network for biomass and waste reutilisation for Bioproducts (AQUATERRE) (2008-PI012) Reference: 212654 • Bark valorisation into insulating foams and bioenergy (BIOFOAMBARK) (2012-PI011). Project reference: 235066 FP7-ERANET-20008-RTD • International Network in Life Cycle Analysis and Ecodesign for Eco-innovation (ECOTECH - SUDOE). Regional projects: • DECOFIM: Diseño ecológico en productos de madera y mueble. Centre de Difusió Tecnològica de la Fusta i el Moble de Catalunya (CENFIM) • Ecoinnovación en empresas da industria da madeira en Galicia. Fundación para o fomento da Calidade Industrial e o Desenvolvmento Tecnolóxico de Galicia Spanish projects: • Patrocinio para la realización dun proxecto piloto sobre ecodeseño (2011-CE089). Empresa Nacional de Innovación S.A (ENISA) • Estudio sobre la compensación de las emisiones de carbono generadas en la red de autopistas ABERTIS mediante medidas en el ámbito forestal. Fundación Privada Abertis • Proyecto piloto de Ecodiseño. Sociedad Estatal para el Desarrollo del Diseño y la Innovación – ENISA

Brief information on available facilities:
Equipment available: 
USC owns the licence of SimaPro software, the leading LCA tool used by LCA practitioners (industry, consultances, universities and research institutes) all over the world. Moreover, databases such as BUWAL 250 and Ecoinvent ® are also available and will be used in the LCA activities. This software also includes several methodologies where the characterisation factors are calculated by means of the USES model.

Willingness to accept/host visiting researchers:
  Students
  Post-docs
  Senior Researchers

Projects related to FP1407:
• White Biotechnology for added value products from renewable plant polymers: Design of tailor-made biocatalysts and new Industrial bioprocesses (BIORENEW) (2006- PI009) Reference: NMP2-CT-2006-026456 • Integrated European Network for biomass and waste reutilisation for Bioproducts (AQUATERRE) (2008-PI012) Reference: 212654 • Bark valorisation into insulating foams and bioenergy (BIOFOAMBARK) (2012-PI011). Project reference: 235066 FP7-ERANET-20008-RTD

Members: