All Outputs (39)

Challenges in Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Waste-Based Biofuels in EU and US Biofuel Policies: Case Study of Butanol and Ethanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste (2019)
Journal Article
Meng, F., & McKechnie, J. (2019). Challenges in Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Waste-Based Biofuels in EU and US Biofuel Policies: Case Study of Butanol and Ethanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste. Environmental Science and Technology, 53(20), 12141-12149. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b04286

Conversion of wastes to biofuels is a promising route to provide renewable low-carbon fuels, based on a low- or negative-cost feedstock, whose use can avoid negative environmental impacts of conventional waste treatment. However, current policies tha... Read More about Challenges in Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Waste-Based Biofuels in EU and US Biofuel Policies: Case Study of Butanol and Ethanol Production from Municipal Solid Waste.

Sustainability assessment of continuous-flow hydrothermal synthesis of nanomaterials in the context of other production technologies (2019)
Journal Article
Stieberova, B., Zilka, M., Ticha, M., Freiberg, F., Caramazana-González, P., McKechnie, J., & Lester, E. (2019). Sustainability assessment of continuous-flow hydrothermal synthesis of nanomaterials in the context of other production technologies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 241, Article 118325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118325

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive techno-economic and life cycle environmental evaluation of the continuous-flow hydrothermal synthesis (CFHS) of nanoparticles in the context of current production technologies. This method is compared with a... Read More about Sustainability assessment of continuous-flow hydrothermal synthesis of nanomaterials in the context of other production technologies.

Process simulation and life cycle assessment of converting autoclaved municipal solid waste into butanol and ethanol as transport fuels (2019)
Journal Article
Meng, F., Ibbett, R., de Vrije, T., Metcalf, P., Tucker, G., & McKechnie, J. (2019). Process simulation and life cycle assessment of converting autoclaved municipal solid waste into butanol and ethanol as transport fuels. Waste Management, 89, 177-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2019.04.003

In 2015/2016, the total municipal solid waste (MSW) collected by local authority in the U.K. was 26 million tonnes and over 57% is still put into landfill or incinerated. MSW is a promising feedstock for bio-butanol production as it has a high lignoc... Read More about Process simulation and life cycle assessment of converting autoclaved municipal solid waste into butanol and ethanol as transport fuels.

Life cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emission of lightweight vehicle – a body-in-white design (2019)
Journal Article
Sun, X., Meng, F., Liu, J., McKechnie, J., & Yang, J. (2019). Life cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emission of lightweight vehicle – a body-in-white design. Journal of Cleaner Production, 220, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.225

A life cycle assessment (LCA) study is performed to compare the life cycle primary energy demand (PED) and global warming potential (GWP) of steel baseline automotive body-in-white (BIW) with three types of lightweight Scenarios. Scenario I, Scenario... Read More about Life cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emission of lightweight vehicle – a body-in-white design.

The Influence of Heat Input Ratio on Electrical Power Output of a Dual-Core Travelling-Wave Thermoacoustic Engine (2018)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Kisha, W., Riley, P. H., Mckechnie, J., & Hann, D. (2018, September). The Influence of Heat Input Ratio on Electrical Power Output of a Dual-Core Travelling-Wave Thermoacoustic Engine. Presented at The 8th Heat Powered Cycles Conference, The University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

This paper presents an analytical and experimental investigation of an electricity generator that employs a two-stage looped tube travelling-wave thermoacoustic prime-mover to deliver acoustic power from heat energy, a loudspeaker to extract electric... Read More about The Influence of Heat Input Ratio on Electrical Power Output of a Dual-Core Travelling-Wave Thermoacoustic Engine.

A review of the environmental impact of nanomaterial synthesis using continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis (2018)
Journal Article
Caramazana, P., Dunne, P., Gimeno-Fabra, M., McKechnie, J., & Lester, E. (2018). A review of the environmental impact of nanomaterial synthesis using continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 12, 57-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2018.06.016

Continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis (CFHS) is an emerging process technology for the manufacture of nanomaterials. Recent work has been undertaken to establish the green ‘credentials’ of CFHS amongst alternative techniques for nanosynthesis. In th... Read More about A review of the environmental impact of nanomaterial synthesis using continuous flow hydrothermal synthesis.

Comparing life cycle energy and global warming potential of carbon fibre composite recycling technologies and waste management options (2018)
Journal Article
Meng, F., Olivetti, E. A., Zhao, Y., Chang, J. C., Pickering, S. J., & McKechnie, J. (in press). Comparing life cycle energy and global warming potential of carbon fibre composite recycling technologies and waste management options. ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b01026

Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) are used in increasing quantities as they have some of the best properties in terms of specific strength and stiffness of any widely available material. By 2020, annual global CFRP production is expected to be... Read More about Comparing life cycle energy and global warming potential of carbon fibre composite recycling technologies and waste management options.

An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications (2018)
Journal Article
Meng, F., McKechnie, J., & Pickering, S. J. (2018). An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 109, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2018.03.011

Carbon fibre (CF) recycling has been demonstrated to achieve reductions in environmental impacts compared to virgin CF production, but there is limited understanding of the financial viability of recycling and reutilisation of recycled CF (rCF). In t... Read More about An assessment of financial viability of recycled carbon fibre in automotive applications.

Comparative LCA of different graphene production routes (2017)
Journal Article
Cossutta, M., McKechnie, J., & Pickering, S. J. (in press). Comparative LCA of different graphene production routes. Green Chemistry, 19(24), https://doi.org/10.1039/C7GC02444D

This study is an LCA of three graphene production routes: electrochemical exfoliation of graphite rods, chemical oxidation and subsequent chemical or thermal reduction and chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Different processes for each route are analy... Read More about Comparative LCA of different graphene production routes.

Environmental aspects of use of recycled carbon fibre composites in automotive applications (2017)
Journal Article
Meng, F., McKechnie, J., Turner, T., Wong, K. H., & Pickering, S. J. (in press). Environmental aspects of use of recycled carbon fibre composites in automotive applications. Environmental Science and Technology, 51(21), https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b04069

The high cost and energy intensity of virgin carbon fibre manufacture provides an opportunity to recover substantial value from carbon fibre reinforced plastic wastes. In this study, we assess the life cycle environmental implications of recovering c... Read More about Environmental aspects of use of recycled carbon fibre composites in automotive applications.

Energy and environmental assessment and reuse of fluidised bed recycled carbon fibres (2017)
Journal Article
Meng, F., McKechnie, J., Turner, T. A., & Pickering, S. J. (2017). Energy and environmental assessment and reuse of fluidised bed recycled carbon fibres. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 100, 206-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2017.05.008

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) recycling and the reutilisation of the recovered carbon fibre (rCF) can compensate for the high impacts of virgin carbon fibre (vCF) production. In this paper, we evaluate the energy and envi... Read More about Energy and environmental assessment and reuse of fluidised bed recycled carbon fibres.

Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of titania nanoparticle production by continuous flow solvo/hydrothermal synthesis (2017)
Journal Article
Caramazana-Gonzalez, P., Dunne, P. W., Gimeno-Fabra, M., Zilka, M., Ticha, M., Stieberova, B., Freiberg, F., McKechnie, J., & Lester, E. (in press). Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of titania nanoparticle production by continuous flow solvo/hydrothermal synthesis. Green Chemistry, 19, https://doi.org/10.1039/C6GC03357A

Continuous-flow hydrothermal and solvothermal syntheses offer substantial advantages over conventional processes, producing high quality materials from a wide range of precursors. In this study, we evaluate the “cradle-to-gate” life cycle environment... Read More about Assessing the life cycle environmental impacts of titania nanoparticle production by continuous flow solvo/hydrothermal synthesis.

Application of ZnO nanoparticles in a self-cleaning coating on a metal panel: an assessment of environmental benefits (2017)
Journal Article
Stieberova, B., Zilka, M., Ticha, M., Freiberg, F., Caramazana-Gonzalez, P., McKechnie, J., & Lester, E. (2017). Application of ZnO nanoparticles in a self-cleaning coating on a metal panel: an assessment of environmental benefits. ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 5(3), 2493-2500. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.6b02848

This article is focused on assessing environmental benefits of a self-cleaning coating (SCCs) containing nanoparticles (NPs) applied on metal panels. ZnO NPs are incorporated in the coating to enhance the level of hydrophobicity, which enables a dram... Read More about Application of ZnO nanoparticles in a self-cleaning coating on a metal panel: an assessment of environmental benefits.

Steam-treated wood pellets: Environmental and financial implications relative to fossil fuels and conventional pellets for electricity generation (2016)
Journal Article
McKechnie, J., Saville, B., & MacLean, H. L. (2016). Steam-treated wood pellets: Environmental and financial implications relative to fossil fuels and conventional pellets for electricity generation. Applied Energy, 180, 637-649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.08.024

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd Steam-treated pellets can help to address technical barriers that limit the uptake of pellets as a fuel for electricity generation, but there is limited understanding of the cost and environmental impacts of their production and u... Read More about Steam-treated wood pellets: Environmental and financial implications relative to fossil fuels and conventional pellets for electricity generation.

Environmental and financial performance of mechanical recycling of carbon fibre reinforced polymers and comparison with conventional disposal routes (2016)
Journal Article
Li, X., Bai, R., & McKechnie, J. (2016). Environmental and financial performance of mechanical recycling of carbon fibre reinforced polymers and comparison with conventional disposal routes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 127, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.03.139

Recovering value from carbon fibre reinforced polymers waste can help to address the high cost and environmental burden of producing carbon fibres, but there is limited understanding of the cost and environmental implications of potential recycling t... Read More about Environmental and financial performance of mechanical recycling of carbon fibre reinforced polymers and comparison with conventional disposal routes.

Environmental and financial implications of ethanol as a bioethylene feedstock versus as a transportation fuel (2015)
Journal Article
McKechnie, J., Pourbafrani, M., Saville, B. A., & MacLean, H. L. (2015). Environmental and financial implications of ethanol as a bioethylene feedstock versus as a transportation fuel. Environmental Research Letters, 10(12), https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/124018

Bulk chemicals production from biomass may compete with biofuels for low-cost and sustainable biomass sources. Understanding how alternative uses of biomass compare in terms of financial and environmental parameters is therefore necessary to help ens... Read More about Environmental and financial implications of ethanol as a bioethylene feedstock versus as a transportation fuel.

Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol (2014)
Journal Article
McKechnie, J., Pourbafrani, M., Saville, B. A., & MacLean, H. L. (2015). Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol. Renewable Energy, 76, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2014.11.088

This paper examines impacts of regional factors affecting biomass and process input supply chains and ongoing technology development on the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of ethanol production from corn stover in the U.S. Corn stover suppl... Read More about Exploring impacts of process technology development and regional factors on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn stover ethanol.

Forest carbon accounting methods and the consequences of forest bioenergy for national greenhouse gas emissions inventories (2014)
Journal Article
McKechnie, J., Colombo, S., & MacLean, H. L. (2014). Forest carbon accounting methods and the consequences of forest bioenergy for national greenhouse gas emissions inventories. Environmental Science and Policy, 44, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2014.07.006

While bioenergy plays a key role in strategies for increasing renewable energy deployment, studies assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from forest bioenergy systems have identified a potential trade-off of the system with forest carbon stocks. O... Read More about Forest carbon accounting methods and the consequences of forest bioenergy for national greenhouse gas emissions inventories.

Impacts of pre-treatment technologies and co-products on greenhouse gas emissions and energy use of lignocellulosic ethanol production (2014)
Journal Article
Pourbafrani, M., McKechnie, J., Shen, T., Saville, B. A., & MacLean, H. L. (2014). Impacts of pre-treatment technologies and co-products on greenhouse gas emissions and energy use of lignocellulosic ethanol production. Journal of Cleaner Production, 78, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.04.050

Life cycle environmental performance of lignocellulosic ethanol produced through different production pathways and having different co-products has rarely been reported in the literature, with most studies focusing on a single pre-treatment and singl... Read More about Impacts of pre-treatment technologies and co-products on greenhouse gas emissions and energy use of lignocellulosic ethanol production.