With the proliferation of e-commerce, the field of last-mile logistics has grown increasingly, highlighting the need to manage the environmental consequences of this phenomenon, especially to achieve decarbonization targets for cities and to improve citizens’ quality of life. Within this framework, the authors carried out a last-mile logistics life cycle assessment, to analyse and compare different logistics vehicle options performing the same service in an urban context: an electric four-wheel cargo bike, an electric van, a plug-in hybrid van, and a diesel van. The assessment shows that the e-cargo bike performs better for all the impact categories considered. The second-best option is the e-van, while the diesel van shows the worst environmental results. Focusing on decarbonization, the replacement of a diesel van with an electric one or with an e-cargo bike allows a reduction of 173 g CO2 eq/km and 250 g CO2 eq/km, respectively. Similar results are obtained for Photochemical Ozone Formation with associated emissions of 0.18, 0.31, 0.45 and 0.49 g NMVOC eq/km for the e-cargo bike, e-van, plug in hybrid van and diesel van, respectively. The only exceptions are Human Health impact categories, Acidification and Respiratory inorganics, for which the plug-in hybrid van performs worst, and Resource use, Mineral and Metals, for which the electric van performs worst.
Electrochemical storage systems are an enabling solution for the electric system ecological transition, allowing a deeper penetration of nonprogrammable renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar energy. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are state of the art energy storage technology. Nevertheless, LIBs show critical problems linked to their production, especially for what concerns energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and rare raw materials use. Finding alternative storage technologies seems crucial for support energy transition, but at the same time, it is important to study their sustainability from the very beginning of their technological development. Using this framework, this paper presents a life cycle based environmental-economic assessment, comparing Na-ion coin cells (Ti1Al1TiC1.85 MXene as anode material) with LIBs. LCA results show that the assessed Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are less environmentally friendly than LIBs, an outcome driven by the SIBs’ lower energy density. However, if results are shown by mass, SIBs can represent potential alternatives to LIBs. On the other hand, the analysis shows that even Na-ions already use less critical resources, both in absolute and in relative values, highlighting the need, at least for the European Union, to find valid alternatives to LIBs if the 2050 decarbonization targets are to be met.
The difficulties experienced by nurses working in a home‐care programme for advanced cancer patients have been studied. Three assessments of patients and their families at strategic points in the programme highlight issues in symptom management and in the physical and psychological impacts of advanced cancer on the study sample. While pain could in most instances be adequately managed, the overall physical and psychological needs seemed to worsen as the study progressed. Specific attention is given to the family setting and the role of a relative as mediator between family and professional care‐givers.
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