Material and Energy Flows in Porcelain Tile Manufacturing with Quantification of Carbon Emissions
The environment and sustainable development are currently seen as opportunities, as possibilities for growth and efficiency improvement. In this way, it is still possible to establish sustainable growth in Brazilian companies by implementing policies and creating awareness among entrepreneurs and society. The objective of this study is to quantify the carbon emissions associated with a porcelain tile production line. Application of the Material and Energy Flow Analysis (MEFA) provides the raw materials and energy flows associated with the ceramic production process. Actual data are available from an industry located in Northeast Brazil. The production line includes grinding, atomizing, forming, drying, enameling, sintering, and finishing. All equipment consume electricity from the grid, except spray-drying that uses petroleum coke. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to quantify the carbon emissions associated with this production line. MEFA revealed that the monthly losses of the production line are 1,186,600 kg of material, with a consumption of 201,896 kWh electricity and 29,754 kWh petroleum coke. The emissions associated with the consumption of electricity from the Brazilian electric grid are 0.268 kg CO2-eq/kWh, and the emissions associated with the consumption of petroleum coke are 0.558 kg CO2-eq/kWh. The monthly carbon emissions of the production process are 70,711 kg CO2-eq, equivalent to 0.337 kg CO2-eq/m2 of finished product. Aiming at reducing these emissions, solar photovoltaic electricity can be installed to realize environmental benefits, resulting in 9,027 kg CO2-eq/month can be avoided for every 20% electricity replaced (using photovoltaic panels instead of the electricity grid).
Material and Energy Flows in Porcelain Tile Manufacturing with Quantification of Carbon Emissions
doi.org/10.1525/cse....
16.09.2025 23:29 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Case Studies in the Environment Prize Competition
Case Studies in the Environment is pleased to announce the ninth annual CSE Prize Competition. The prizes awarded are best environmental case study, with a $2,000 prize, and up to two honorable mention prizes, with $500 awards. All papers that have been published in CSE between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2025 will be automatically entered in the competition. We encourage you to submit your article by August 31, 2025 so that the article has a chance to complete the editorial process and publish before the end of the year.
Papers awarded with this prize exemplify the core aims of the journal. Both the winning case study and honorable mentions will be made freely available to the public following the competition.
Case Studies in the Environment is pleased to announce the ninth annual CSE Prize Competition! The prizes awarded are best environmental case study, with a $2,000 prize, and up to two honorable mention prizes, with $500 awards. online.ucpress.edu/cse/pages/pr...
16.05.2025 21:05 β π 0 π 2 π¬ 1 π 0
Case Studies in the Environment Prize Competition
Case Studies in the Environment is pleased to announce the ninth annual CSE Prize Competition. The prizes awarded are best environmental case study, with a $2,000 prize, and up to two honorable mention prizes, with $500 awards. All papers that have been published in CSE between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2025 will be automatically entered in the competition. We encourage you to submit your article by August 31, 2025 so that the article has a chance to complete the editorial process and publish before the end of the year.
Papers awarded with this prize exemplify the core aims of the journal. Both the winning case study and honorable mentions will be made freely available to the public following the competition.
Case Studies in the Environment is pleased to announce the ninth annual CSE Prize Competition! The prizes awarded are best environmental case study, with a $2,000 prize, and up to two honorable mention prizes, with $500 awards. online.ucpress.edu/cse/pages/pr...
16.05.2025 21:05 β π 0 π 2 π¬ 1 π 0
GIS and the geospatial sciences provide an essential, rapidly expanding, and diverse set of concepts, methods, and tools for sustainability science. These include spatial analysis, earth observation, geodesign, spatial data science, application development, and qualitative methods like softGIS or participatory GIS. As the world nears the 2030 deadline for meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is particularly important that students are aware and capable of using GIS to link human and natural systems and chart sustainability transitions.
This special collection presents a series of cases that apply the concepts, methods, and tools of the geospatial sciences to help achieve the SDGs in a richly varied set of places and contexts around the world. Case questions encourage students to both thoughtfully conceptualize GIS (e.g., through applying spatial thinking, planning projects, and engaging stakeholders) and replicate technical workflows (e.g., by producing maps, querying datasets, and coding models and applications). Supplemental materials provide rich resources for using the cases in classes from the undergraduate to advanced levels.
More about Case Studies from GIS and Sustainability Science here π online.ucpress.edu/cse/collecti...
15.05.2025 17:33 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
An unexpected and delightful surprise for a paper that we wrote last year, even more to win as a co-author with a terrific student! ππππ₯³
23.04.2025 01:44 β π 16 π 4 π¬ 0 π 0
Case Studies in the Environment Prize Competition
Case Studies in the Environment is pleased to announce the eighth annual CSE Prize Competition. The prizes awarded are best environmental case study, with a $2,000 prize, and up to two honorable mention prizes, with $500 awards. All papers that have been published in CSE between Jan. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2024 will be automatically entered in the competition. We encourage you to submit your article by August 31, 2024 so that the article has a chance to complete the editorial process and publish before the end of the year.
Papers awarded with this prize exemplify the core aims of the journal. Both the winning case study and honorable mentions will be made freely available to the public following the competition.
All of these prize-winning articles are free to read! For more on the Case Studies in the Environment Prize Competition, see online.ucpress.edu/cse/pages/pr...
22.04.2025 23:25 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
...and Alon Tal's exploration of the potential role of charismatic non-human species in advancing conservation goals in "A Charismatic Hyena: Insights for Human-Wildlife Interaction in Shared Urban Environments" π online.ucpress.edu/cse/article/...
22.04.2025 23:23 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
The 1964 Jordan River Diversion Plan: Transboundary Water Basins and Conflict
Water scarcity and its management have emerged as critical factors shaping the global security landscape, especially in transboundary river basins. Population growth is outstripping water supply, and climate change is affecting it as well. Since 1990, freshwater resources have declined by 58%, globally, and the situation is more acute in some regions. Thus, the potential for violent conflict triggered by water is a realistic scenario. Nevertheless, the literature implies that water conflicts are typically settled by peaceful means. This case study suggests that continued peaceful resolution of interstate water conflicts is inconsistent with the realities of the emerging global security landscape. This case study examines the complex relationship between water, geopolitics, and conflict, exposing how competition over this finite resource has fueled tensions and ignited interstate war. Such was the case in the Jordan River valley when in 1964 the Arab League planned to divert its headwaters, thus disrupting Israelβs freshwater supply. Israel prevented the projectβs development by conducting airstrikes against the project. Furthermore, water may have been a critical strategic factor during the 1967 Six-Day War. Readers should come to understand the intersecting factors of politics, economics, and interbasin conflicts that exacerbate tensions and hinder effective resolution. Furthermore, this case study should lead the reader to understand the complexities of water conflict, and demonstrate the issues that policymakers, scholars, and practitioners can solve and work toward crafting holistic approaches to address one of the most pressing environmental security challenges of this century.
Honorable mentions include Francis Galgano's "The 1964 Jordan River Diversion Plan: Transboundary Water Basins and Conflict," which examines the role of water scarcity in global conflict... π online.ucpress.edu/cse/article/...
22.04.2025 23:21 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 2 π 0
We invite submissions of cases across a broad range of research and practice in GIS and sustainability science that would be suitable for student replication in lab settings. Cases could feature either real-world applications or existing academic research that is recast for teaching.
Cases could come from a range of specialized areas of GIS work such as spatial analysis, earth observation, geodesign, spatial data science, application development, and projects with qualitative components (e.g., softGIS or participatory GIS). Cases should use GIS to link human
and natural systems and might go beyond descriptions of problems to include charting of sustainability transitions. Students would be able to grasp and replicate the GIS workflow used in the case and some or all case questions might relate to carrying out the workflow. For example,
some case questions might ask students to produce maps or build and query geospatial datasets.
Hello geographers! Are you at the @geographers.bsky.social #AAG2025? Be sure to stop by the @ucpress.bsky.social booth and pick up our Case Studies from #GIS and #SustainabilityScience call for papers online.ucpress.edu/DocumentLibr...
25.03.2025 18:53 β π 2 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
This article is truly excellent and a great tool for teaching.
01.03.2025 22:08 β π 5 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
New study: The northern Barents Sea could be seven degrees warmer in 2050
The Barents Sea is heading toward an ice-free future, researchers report.
New research survey from UC Press's Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene foresees an ice-free future for the #Arctic Barents Sea #ClimateChange www.sciencenorway.no/arctic-clima...
25.02.2025 20:11 β π 4 π 4 π¬ 0 π 0
Call for Papers! Special Collection, Case Studies in the Environment: Climate-Resilient Development in the Hospitality and Tourism Sector: Perspectives and Prospects, guest-ed Dr. Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki. Abstracts are still being accepted!
online.ucpress.edu/cse/collecti...
15.01.2025 16:38 β π 2 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
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