Papers by Christopher Koroneos
The continuously increasing solid waste generation worldwide calls for management strategies that... more The continuously increasing solid waste generation worldwide calls for management strategies that integrate concerns for environmental sustainability. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) applied to sustainable waste management has rapidly expanded over the past few years as a tool that is able to capture and handle complexities and interdependencies typically characterizing modern integrated municipal solid waste management systems. By quantifying environmental impacts of systems, life cycle assessment (LCA) constitutes a useful tool. The objective of this study is to analyze the life cycle of energy output of different municipal solid waste treatment strategies for the city of Thessaloniki that are optimal for the society taking into account environmental and economic effects. The waste management methods include: landfill, recycling of paper and anaerobic digestion of food waste in a biological treatment plant.
The words "Sustainable Development" are frequently used by very lightly, to the extent that they ... more The words "Sustainable Development" are frequently used by very lightly, to the extent that they have lost their meaning. There is a presumption that for any perspective analysis or any development proposal, these two words are the most appropriate. Sustainability has been incorporated in the objectives of many studies. The historical model of industrialized societies in the 19th and 20th centuries served as the central notion of what constitutes development in both the cost-effectiveness and equity perspectives. According to some analysts, this path represents the model for global prosperity. However, a number of growing parallel literatures recognize the importance of diverse development pathways in achieving an environmentally and socioeconomically better world. The term sustainable development does not bring forward all aspects of development. A new term that incorporates the wellbeing of all citizens through economic development and the preservation of the environment is needed. A "Worth-living Integrated Development" could be a term that combines economic development, social development and environmental protection. A Worth-living Integrated Development may be achieved only when human societies decide to create necessary presuppositions-at the educational, research, economic, social, political, technical/technological and environmental levels-for a better world, based on the human values of peace, justice, solidarity, political, economic and social democracy and ethics, respect for nature and for the variety of cultures of all human beings.
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reached an all-time high in 2010, rising 45% in the past 20... more Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reached an all-time high in 2010, rising 45% in the past 20 years. The rise of peoples' concerns regarding environmental problems such as global warming and waste management problem has led to a movement to convert the current mass-production, mass-consumption, and mass-disposal type economic society into a sustainable society. The Rio Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, and other similar environmental milestone activities and happenings, documented the need for better and more detailed knowledge and information about environmental conditions, trends, and impacts. New thinking and research with regard to indicator frameworks, methodologies, and actual indicators are also needed. The value of the overall indicators depends on the production procedure of each material, and indicates their environmental impact. The use of "exergy indicators" based on the exergy content of materials and the use of the second law of thermodynamics in this work presents the relationship between exergy content and environmental impact.
International Journal of Sustainable Energy, 2022
There has been a consensus developed among climate scientists that the world is warming alarmingl... more There has been a consensus developed among climate scientists that the world is warming alarmingly and that human activity is playing the major role. Most of the global warming gases originate at the electricity production systems and the fuels used for transportation. Humanity requires an energy system that can provide a high standard of living for all without further damage to the earth. The survival of humanity may depend on how soon and how boldly we act. The energy system of Greece for providing electricity is mainly used on carbon fuels. In the last few years there have been efforts to introduce renewable energy systems for the reduction of GHG emissions so as to be within the limits set by the European Union. In this work the environmental impact of the current energy system of Greece is examined and models preding the emissions in the next twenty years are examined. It has been found that the based on the climate conditions of Greece it is possible to reduce the GHG emissions by the tear 2020 by great amounts overpassing the limits set by the European Union
Sustainability, 2012
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reached an all-time high in 2010, rising 45% in the past 20... more Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reached an all-time high in 2010, rising 45% in the past 20 years. The rise of peoples' concerns regarding environmental problems such as global warming and waste management problem has led to a movement to convert the current mass-production, mass-consumption, and mass-disposal type economic society into a sustainable society. The Rio Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, and other similar environmental milestone activities and happenings, documented the need for better and more detailed knowledge and information about environmental conditions, trends, and impacts. New thinking and research with regard to indicator frameworks, methodologies, and actual indicators are also needed. The value of the overall indicators depends on the production procedure of each material, and indicates their environmental impact. The use of "exergy indicators" based on the exergy content of materials and the use of the second law of thermodynamics in this work presents the relationship between exergy content and environmental impact.
International Journal of Information and Decision Sciences, 2012
Society's attitude toward seismic risk, in the last few years, has evolved from fatalistic to pro... more Society's attitude toward seismic risk, in the last few years, has evolved from fatalistic to proactive. This paper presents an approach in the area of seismic risk management. The objective is to implement a methodology in a seismic prone area in an earthquake risk management framework, based on the case study of the island of Lefkada. A tool to assist in the selection of an intervention proactive strategy is the multi–criteria analysis. The outranking method ELECTRE III is used as decision–aid in earthquake risk management problems. Its application to decision support for earthquake risk management in the island of Lefkada is presented.
ABSTRACT Energy is essential to economic and social development and improved quality of life. The... more ABSTRACT Energy is essential to economic and social development and improved quality of life. The European Union (EU) constitutes one of the world's largest energy consumers. The EU members include â among others â Germany and Greece, two countries with large disparities/differences in their energy systems, yet with certain similarities. The role of indicators that can measure all the future changes is crucial for the assessment of a country's progress towards a sustainable energy future. The objective of this paper is to benefit from a set of indicators that can guide necessary modifications to energy planning in Greece, so as to make its energy system more responsive to sustainable energy development issues. Furthermore, more specific targets are the monitoring of Greece's progress towards the development of sustainable energy systems during the last decade, compared to that of Germany's. Finally, we aim to point out the applicability and utility of an environment-friendly energy system with the use of statistical analysis.
Hydrogen is an important energy carrier which could play a very significant role in the reduction... more Hydrogen is an important energy carrier which could play a very significant role in the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases. The route by which hydrogen is produced is the determining factor for its environmental performance. Hydrogen can be produced through methane reforming, coal gasification or through the electrolysis of water with the use of electricity. However, as these processes involve environmental and energy security concerns, it is of great importance to assess their environmental and energy performance. In this study, the environmental and exergy performance of auto thermal reforming of natural gas, coal gasification and thermochemical water-splitting are evaluated. It is noted that in the thermochemical water-splitting, decomposition reactions take place to produce H2, according to the method of sulphur-iodine. The increased temperature requirements are covered by a nuclear reactor H2-MIR. The calculations reveal that the exergy efficiency of CO2 sequestration r...
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Greece recorded a significant decline in CO2 emissions from energy use from 2003 to 2013, accompa... more Greece recorded a significant decline in CO2 emissions from energy use from 2003 to 2013, accompanied by a reduction in energy consumption, particularly during the economic recession. This study attempts to identify the driving forces of CO2 emissions related to energy consumption, through the use of the complete decomposition technique developed by JW Sun. The decomposition analysis focuses on the four factors responsible for CO2 emissions: the carbon intensity effect, the energy intensity effect, the structural effect, and the economic activity effect. The analysis covers all the major productive sectors of the Greek economy. The study covers the period 2003–2013 and is divided into two subperiods (2003–2008 and 2008–2013), in order to assess changes in the contribution of the examined factors during the economic crisis (2008–2013). The analysis is extended to examine the decoupling relationship between CO2 emissions and economic growth in Greece with the use of the decoupling index.
Journal of Cleaner Production , 2016
Abstract An exergoenvironmental analysis is conducted at the component level of a system and iden... more Abstract An exergoenvironmental analysis is conducted at the component level of a system and identifies (a) the relative contribution of each component to the environmental impact associated with the entire system, and (b) options for reducing the environmental impact associated with the overall system. In an exergoenvironmental analysis a one-dimensional characterization indicator is obtained using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). An index (a single number) describes the overall environmental impact associated with system components and exergy carriers. It should be mentioned that the evaluation of environmental impacts would always be subjective to some degree. The paper discusses the effect of the indicator used in an exergoenvironmental analysis on the conclusions obtained from the analysis using a compression refrigeration machine as an example. The results demonstrate that the contribution of the component-related environmental impact can be neglected in the exergoenvironmental evaluation, and that only the environmental impact associated with the exergy destruction should be considered in the analysis. For the case study reported here, the conclusions extracted from the exergoenvironmental evaluation are independent of the employed environmental indicator.
Geothermics Volume 65, January 2017, Pages 1-9, 2017
Abstract The technical and environmental performance of a ground source heat pump system (GSHP) i... more Abstract The technical and environmental performance of a ground source heat pump system (GSHP) is examined using the method of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The present LCA study quantifies the environmental impacts of the installation of a ground heat exchanger based system of the Town Hall of Pylaia in Thessaloniki, Greece. The study examines the manufacturing, transportation as well as the operation stages of the GSHP system and records energy consumption as well as air emissions to the environment. The system boundary includes the production of raw materials such as copper, plastic, steel, aluminium, rubber, the transportation of heat pumps and pipes, drilling, as well as the operation of the GSHP system, and finally the assembly process. The functional unit chosen is 1 kW of installed power. The environmental impacts categories considered in the study are these of greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication, carcinogenesis, winter smog, heavy metals. Analysis of the system indicates that 73% and 14.54% of the assessment are attributed to the categories of acidification and greenhouse effect respectively.
Renewable Energy, 2016
Abstract Mobility plays a crucial part of our life. Alternative fuels and vehicle technology can ... more Abstract Mobility plays a crucial part of our life. Alternative fuels and vehicle technology can mitigate climate change and greenhouse gases from road transport. This study analyses power-train deployments scenarios for the vehicle fleet of the city of Athens until 2021, taken into consideration European policy developments on vehicle CO 2 emissions and technological level of readiness, European emissions standards, Greece's economic status, energy mandates and reductions in the European energy mix and translates these into comprehensive scenarios for the road transport sector. It quantifies and assesses the potential environmental impact of these scenarios on CO 2 CO, NOx, HC, PM and CO 2 emission reductions. The study proposes the development of a Strategic Zero Carbon Transport Plan for the city of Athens, aiming at the creation of a low carbon transport system, which will encompass issues such as life cycle thinking, urban planning and energy minimization aiming at climate change mitigation.
Environments, 2016
Islands present sustainable energy growth challenges due to a number of reasons such as remotenes... more Islands present sustainable energy growth challenges due to a number of reasons such as remoteness, limited energy resources, vulnerability to external events and strong dependence on international trade agreements. In particular, the Dodecanese Islands of the Aegean Sea cover their electricity needs mostly on the basis of autonomous conventional stations, consuming significant quantities of imported oil annually. Renewable energy sources (RES) penetration increase addresses the global requirements towards a carbon neutral environment, and wind farms (WFs) are among the most well-known green electricity-production alternatives. The study explores wind power installation potential of the Dodecanese Islands and the storage or interconnection options, based on the national and European legislative framework and the international scientific literature. The major finding is that, due to the high wind potential of the area, the National policy and targets focus on the installation of great RES power at Greek islands. Hence, private interests, who are willing to carry out the electrical interconnection of islands to the mainland, serve the same objective. Both scientific and business proposals overcome the local wind power installation capacity and neglect local specifics and needs.
Resources, 2016
The increasing rate of energy consumption, the depletion of conventional energy sources and the e... more The increasing rate of energy consumption, the depletion of conventional energy sources and the environmental degradation caused has led to thorough research on Renewable Energy Sources (RES), which have been seen as a sustainable solution to climatic change. However, RES installation has a considerable environmental impact, which should be taken into consideration. The present study deals with the development of an integrated framework so as to evaluate land environmental suitability for RES installation, especially for Wind Farm (WF) siting. The proposed methodology consists of the Analytical Hierarchy Process, the Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing tools. In the first part, a set of constraints, which are based on Greek legislation and international research, identifies the potential sites for wind park installation. In the second part, a variety of criteria are employed to evaluate the area under consideration. To exemplify the utility of the methodology, an application of the proposed framework to the Dodecanese Islands is further illustrated. One of the first findings is that, despite the implemented restrictions, 1/4 of the land remains suitable for WF siting. The necessity of the method used is confirmed through the comparison of results with the already installed wind parks.
Indoor and Built Environment , 2015
The transportation sector accounts for approximately one-fifth of global primary energy use and o... more The transportation sector accounts for approximately one-fifth of global primary energy use and one quarter of all energy related carbon dioxide emissions, with nearly half of those emissions originating from passenger vehicles. In order to reduce significantly the use of fossil fuels in urban mobility, whilst improving air quality and increasing the accessibility and attractiveness of urban areas, it is necessary to increase the use of non-conventionally fuelled vehicles for passenger and freight transport in urban areas. The introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) is a promising option, so as to achieve decarbonisation objectives, energy security, improved urban air quality and to increase energy efficiency. However, there are a number of challenges for the large-scale deployment of EV both on global and European level. These, in particular, are the high cost of the battery, lack of a standardised recharging infrastructure, relatively low range of battery electric vehicles or lack of interesting value proposition for consumers. A few studies have attempted to calculate the costs and benefits of EVs, but none consider the cost and benefits of EVs at a level of detail comparable to what has been performed for other vehicle technologies. This study constructs the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of EVs, based on real data from the auto-industry, in order to assess the costs and benefits as well as the potentiality of electro-mobility deployment in urban areas.
Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 2016
Abstract The need to tackle climate change has pushed the cultivation of energy crops for the pro... more Abstract The need to tackle climate change has pushed the cultivation of energy crops for the production of biofuels to the top of the global agenda. While biofuels produced from energy crops are useful for the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs), energy crops per se constitute a farming system that contributes to GHG emissions. The agricultural sector, energy crops included, accounted for an estimated emission of 6.1 Pg CO 2 equivalents per year in 2005. The main goal of this study is the development of a consistent methodological approach to quantify the environmental impact of first generation energy crops under the conditions of arid isolated island states, by utilising Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Comprehensive data regarding the cultivation of maize, sweet sorghum, winter wheat, sugar-beets, potato and winter barley in Cyprus are analysed with the aim to quantify their environmental impact. The study was based on primary data retrieved from pilot studies of energy crops conducted by the Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) in Cyprus. The total environmental impact of the examined crop systems for the production of 1 MJ of crop product was calculated using the CML 2001 methodology and the GaBi software. A comparison of the obtained results with the typical GHG emissions reported in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and other studies was carried out. The environmental impact of the investigated crop systems is presented by means of six impact categories: global warming potential (GWP 100 years), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), ozone depletion potential (ODP) and abiotic depletion potential (ADP-fossils). Barley, potato, and wheat crop presented the highest impact. Lower GHG emissions were obtained for wheat and maize crop systems compared to the reported emissions in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED).
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Papers by Christopher Koroneos