Sara González-García

• PhD
• Lecturer at University of Santiago de Compostela

An appropriate food model should move towards sustainable food systems that promote healthy food choices. Current food systems have a significant impact on the health of people and the planet and guide producer decisions and consumer food choices not only in households but also in the HORECA (HOtels, REstaurants and CAtering) sector. This work uses...

In the transition towards climate neutrality, biorefinery models are considered promising alternatives to processes based on fossil fuels and non-renewable materials. This consideration is attributed to the reduction of dependence on non-renewable systems, in line with greener and lower impact technological strategies. However, they imply a profoun...

The conditions of social distancing and home confinement imposed to contain the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) pandemic have changed the dietary patterns and lifestyle of society. These changes have had significant consequences not only for our personal well-being but also for the health of the planet. In...

A sustainable city implies socio-economic characteristics that allow citizens to maintain a certain quality of life. However, the effect of overtourism in some tourist cities negatively affects the community. In this study, a methodology was developed to analyze how tourism affects the way of life of residents in Santiago de Compostela. This work a...

Moving toward a bioeconomy system is fundamental to climate change mitigation, nevertheless, the biotechnological routes should guarantee an environmental sustainability. Isobutene, a precursor in several industrial applications, is one of those chemicals that the environmental effects of its bio-based production have been scarcely explored. This s...

In north-western Spain, the cultivation of wheat landraces represents the pillar of quality Galician bread; today, a minimum of 25% Galician flour is required to produce bread under the auspices of the Protected Geographical Indication “Pan Galego”. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the rotation of two wheat landraces—‘...

Crop diversification, as a sustainable land management practice, is a potential strategy to face soil degradation, climate change and food security, being the incorporation of legumes in cereal rotation systems, a strategy that improves soil nutrient levels. In a context of sustainable agriculture, this manuscript aims to evaluate the effect of lup...

The development of natural-based adhesives is a key aspect in reducing the consumption of fossil resources, in adapting to legislation on the use of formaldehyde and in ensuring the sustainability of the wood panel industry. This study focuses on five alternatives for tannin-based adhesives (tannin-paraformaldehyde, tannin-glyoxal, tannin-hexamine,...

Butyric acid is a valuable chemical that can be produced from oil or renewable feedstocks. However, due to technological advantages, it is currently synthesised at an industrial level by chemical synthesis. In view of the environmental concerns, attempts to produce butyric acid from renewable raw materials via microbial fermentation have been carri...

Intensive agricultural farming systems have negative impacts on the ecosystem. Therefore, the use of crop rotation emerges as an opportunity to improve the environmental sustainability of agricultural systems. In the region of Galicia in north-western Spain, potato and wheat are important commodities and essential foods in the diet. Hence, it is in...

Menus served at public services can be considered as a good opportunity for consumers to demand a service that ensures healthy and environmentally friendly food. It is especially in the sector of nurseries and schools, where these demands make the most sense since they call for the protection of particularly vulnerable population: children. The pur...

Climate change poses a remarkable challenge to global food security, for which wheat is one of the main staple agricultural commodities. The cultivation of different varieties of winter wheat in Galicia (commercial and native) under rotation systems with potato, maize and oilseed rape was evaluated from an environmental point of view. The general a...

En las diferentes actividades antropogénicas, el sistema alimentario es uno de los sectores con mayor nivel de emisiones asociadas al cambio climático. Por lo tanto, existe una necesidad urgente de adoptar patrones alimenticios sostenibles con el fin de garantizar una nutrición adecuadas con un bajo impacto ambiental. El objetivo principal de este...

Citrus waste (CW) consists mainly of peels and pressed pulp (seeds and segment membranes), which represent approximately 50% of the fruit weight. In the framework of bioeconomy, this type of waste could serve as a valuable raw material for the manufacture of biofuels and other commodities. Specifically, CW comprises high levels of pectin, cellulose...

Cities are important consumers of resources and producers of waste derived from the lifestyle and daily needs of their citizens, which is why they are considered the main actors responsible for the environmental impacts related to anthropogenic activities. The quantification of these impacts is fundamental for the definition of sustainable cities....

Dietary patterns are influenced by numerous external factors such as cultural taste and customs, nutritional and economic aspects and lifestyle and consumer preferences. Otherwise, food also causes a great impact on the environment and there can be a large difference between choosing certain foodstuffs, such as plant or animal-based ones. The key f...

The planning and construction of large-scale wastewater infrastructure, such as sewerage networks and wastewater treatment plants, is undertaken by the public sector or by publicly regulated monopolies. Only on smaller scales can infrastructure be managed by private companies or through local collective initiatives. Within this framework of water c...

Nowadays, cities host most of the world population. As a result of human activities within their boundaries, most greenhouse gases emissions, natural resources consumption and waste generation are concentrated in urban areas. For these reasons, studies focusing on assessing the sustainability of cities have increased in recent decades. Bearing in m...

There is growing concern about the nutritional quality and the environmental impact of the food we eat. Although the population is increasingly aware of adhering to diets that meet these requirements, the reality is that current dietary patterns deviate greatly from these recommendations. In the case of Portugal, the Mediterranean and Atlantic diet...

Currently, most of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributed to cities, as they are the global centers of business, residential and cultural activity, cities are expected to play a leading role in proposing climate change mitigation actions. To do so, it is important to have tools that allow the carbon footprint of cities to be assessed as...

One of the most effective ways to mitigate the effects of climate change at the individual level is to change food consumption habits, given that the food system is one of the main human sources of GHG emissions. In this sense, there is an urgent need to implement actions and to develop social awareness towards more sustainable diets that ensure nu...

The wood panel industry requires the introduction of more environmental-friendly adhesives due to the strict current regulations on formaldehyde-based emissions. The purpose of this study was to environmentally analyse the production of four different bio-adhesives as alternatives to the most conventional fossil resins used in the production of woo...

Global food demand is increasing due to population growth and dietary transitions, resulting from rising incomes, are associated with increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases. Improving the sustainability of the food sector is also critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This study assesses for the first time the greenhou...

For millennia, bread and wheat have been one of the most important sources of nutrients in many civilizations. Today, mechanization and evolution in agriculture and food processing have intensified yields and modified the biological and nutritional aspects of multiple crops and foods. The Galician bread is a reference value of food heritage in Spai...

When dietary habits are analyzed in the framework of school catering services, nutritional indicators are essential criteria in the definition of menus, but attention should also be paid to the associated environmental impacts. It is especially relevant to assess food patterns in nursery schools when consumption habits are most strongly implemented...

Las intervenciones para promover conductas conservadoras del agua han seguido 3 tipos de estrategias: feedback, normas sociales y campañas de sensibilización. Esta revisión pretende evaluar las características metodológicas y valorar la eficacia alcanzada por estas estrategias. De una búsqueda sistemática de literatura, obtuvimos 31 artículos. En c...

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a worldwide culinary ingredient and the second most important vegetable crop. Hence, the amount of onion solid waste (OSW) is really abundant and constitutes an environmental problem due to its pungent odour and the proliferated growth of phytopathogens. However, the content of flavonol quercetin and fructooligosaccharides...

The European Union is making a major effort to promote a bio-based economy. An essential premise in this paradigm shift lies in the sustainability of bio-based products, an essential element in ensuring the long-term viability and success of this production scheme. Any sustainability analysis must integrate three fundamental pillars: environment, s...

Food systems are one of the main drivers of the global greenhouse gases emissions from anthropogenic sources, which could be aggravated by the projected increase in world population. Hence, the adoption of sustainable diets that guarantee good and accessible nutrition and a low environmental impact is an increasingly important need. This goal is, b...

The society and industrial sectors are facing important challenges regarding the production of bioproducts influenced by social responsibility and environmental consequences. Biorefinery development reports two important goals in the transition towards a bio-based economy: (i) the displacement of fossil-based products by biomass-based ones and (ii)...

Remarkable differences can be found between Brazilian and Spanish production of wood-based products. The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare the environmental performance of particleboard production in both countries. The results showed that the greatest impacts in four impact categories correspond to Brazilian particleboards, because o...

In recent years, the need to substitute fossil fuels with renewable biomass has been a key driver in the development of the biorefinery concept. One of the possible routes towards the development of bioproducts under this scheme is through a sugar intermediate. Sugars, such as glucose, can be produced through starch crops, for instance wheat. While...

Cities today are dense networks of interchanging investments, information, goods and people, as well as centers of innovation and knowledge management. In such a complex framework of housing, social and economic interrelationships, cities become large consumers of resources and producers of greenhouse gases. Therefore, and in order to preserve reso...

Today's society is increasingly aware of food consumption patterns. Under the perspective that real consumption trends are often not in line with healthy recommendations, this research focuses on the study of the environmental and nutritional sustainability of two types of food consumption habits present in the northern Atlantic area of Spain (Gali...

Among the different alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, the production of renewable energy from biomass (i.e. bioenergy) is regarded as an interesting option since it involves the valorisation of waste streams, residues and non-food crop biomass. Although a standardised framework regulates the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, its app...

In the food industry, the brewing sector holds a strategic economic position since beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. Brewing process involves the production of a large amount of lignocellulosic residues such as barley straw from cereal cultivation and brewer's spent grains. This study was aimed at developing a full-scale bi...

The aim of this study was to compare the environmental performance and sustainability of diferente management options for livestock waste in Cyprus. The two most common practices in the conuntre, i.e., the use of anaerobic lagoons and conventional biogás plants, were compared with the innovative scheme developed in the LiveWaste Project (LIFE12 ENV...

The development of mobile systems for the decentralized pelletizing of forest-based residual biomass is currently underway. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the environmental impacts of such systems that needs to be developed for correct judgements on the most sustainable developing paths. The objective of this study was to quantify...

Preparing, finding and making the transition from a Bachelor degree level to a successful job in the profession of Chemical Engineering requires not only an investment of time and effort but also prior training in a work placement environment, which allows the development and strengthening of the professional skills of the future graduates. A centr...

The management of municipal solid waste in the Republic of Kazakhstan is still in its infancy. This situation poses a potential threat to the environment and public health and, therefore, it is necessary to introduce improved management schemes in the country. In this study, the life cycle assessment methodology was followed to evaluate the potenti...

Apart from industrial activities, our eating habits also have a significant environmental cost associated with crop cultivation, manufacturing processes, packaging, refrigeration, transport cooking and waste management. In a context of growing social awareness of the role of different dietary choices in the environment, the review of different alte...

The concerns related to the environmental impact related to energy production from fossil fuel are increasing. In this context, the substitution of fossil fuel based energy by bio-energy can be an effective solution. In this study, the production of electricity and heat in Italy in a combined heat and power plant (CHP) based on an Organic Rankine C...

Production and consumption of food has a significant effect on climate change. The effect of different consumption habits on the environment should not be under estimated, as there are different studies that mention the environmental impact associated with different foods, especially those of animal origin. The analysis of the Atlantic diet (AD), a...

Pine (Pinus oocarpa) wood has great economic importance in Brazil. Pine stands represent the second largest reforested area in the country due to their industrial interest. Combining the relevance of industrial pine stands in the country and corresponding environmental concerns, this current study aims to identify and quantify the environmental imp...

Fermentation-derived bio-succinic acid (BioSA) is a valuable intermediate; it is used as a chemical building block, and has multiple industrial applications as an alternative to petroleum counterparts. The aim of this study was to develop a full-scale plant to produce BioSA from apple pomace, a low-cost solid waste from the cider- and juice-making...

The application of livestock manure on agricultural land is being restricted due to its significant content of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), leading to eutrophication. At the same time, the growing demand for N and P mineral fertilizers is increasing their production costs and causing the depletion of natural phosphate rock deposits. In the pres...

Achieving urban sustainability has become imperative. The combination of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) could be considered an attractive method to assess the sustainability of a city's metabolism. However, the need for exhaustive data makes this method time-consuming and uncertain. This study carries out a simplified...

The conception of urban metabolism has considered the perspective of environmental sustainability in the framework of cities. In this context, cities can be regarded complex entities driven by material and energy flows that entail consumption of resources and production of waste materials in the pursuit of economic welfare and social progress. Acco...

This chapter presents a method to assess the carbon footprint and edible protein content Energy Return On Investment ratio (ep-EROI) of one of the most important and representative fish species, namely, turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) cultivated in Spain under an intensive aquaculture regime. The analysis was performed considering a cradle-to-farm ga...

Use and production of industrialized wood based panels is increasing in Brazil and one of the outstanding products is the Oriented Strand Boards (OSB). At the same time, environmental concerns by companies and society about products and production systems are also growing, and the current study aims to assess the environmental impacts associated to...

The use of vine shoots as feedstock in biorefining activities to obtain bioproducts under efficient and optimized conditions could be crucial to make future high added value compounds and processes more sustainable. In this study, five different potential valorization scenarios from vine shoots differing on diverse extraction and delignification st...

This study focuses on the assessment of the environmental profile of a milk farm, representative of the dairy sector in Northeast Spain, from a cradle-to-gate perspective. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) principles established by ISO standards together with the carbon footprint guidelines proposed by International Dairy Federation (IDF) were follow...

Municipal solid waste management (MSW) is an issue in some European countries, especially in south countries. In this sense, despite administration efforts, landfill is the main management system for MSW in Spain with a share of 60%, of which landfilling without previous treatment accounts by 25%. The release of Directive 2008/98/EC, a series of co...

This paper assesses the environmental profile of the biscuit supply chain for producing high quality gluten-free biscuits. Three different types of biscuits were considered. The assessment followed a cradle-to-grave approach applying the ISO standards in compliance with the Product Category Rules (PCR) defined within EPD (Environmental Product Decl...

Many consumers are unable to enjoy the benefits of milk due to intolerance or even allergy to lactose. This inability to digest lactose is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme β-Galactosidase in the digestive tract, which performs the hydrolysis of lactose to form glucose and galactose, two sugars which are easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Thi...

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to estimate the environmental impacts and identify the most critical stages (hotspots) of cultivation of three cereal crops typically used for animal feed purposes – barley, rye and sorghum – in the Lombardy region, the most productive crop and livestock area in Northern Italy. The crop variety (out...

Management of municipal solid waste (MSW) has become most critical during the last decades, mainly due to the complexity of waste streams together with the continuous increase in produced volumes. Thus, MSW management is still an unresolved topic in Europe, mostly for southern countries. In Spain, a growing attention is being paid on the MSW manage...

Assuring environmental sustainable bioenergy production is an international priority nowadays. The objective of this study was to identify the environmental consequences of the feedstock selection for biogas. Two real biogas plants were assessed and compared from a life cycle perspective. Plant A performs the co-digestion of energy crops (78%) and...

Pork industry in Catalonia plays a foremost and representative role in the Spanish pork sector. Beyond the economic benefits, conventional practices in the pork industry also imply a number of environmental impacts that need to be dealt with. In this context, the environmental performance of traditional linear pork chain in Catalonia was evaluated...

This study took a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective to model a total of twenty forest supply chains, from seedling production to forest biomass delivery to industry. Four scenarios were analyzed, two in Sweden and two in Canada. Resource and energy consumption, and emissions to air, water and soil of conventional and biomass dedicated supply...

The European Commission is adopting strategies in order to "closing the loop" of product life cycles in industrial production systems through better recycling and re-use under the perspective of circular economy. One of the most relevant goals in the application of this approach is to convert low-value side streams into more valuable products. In t...

Nanotechnology is the manufacture and use of functional structures that have at least one characteristic dimension measured in nanometers. Among the wide range of applications nanoparticles (NPs) may present, they can be used as a catalyst or as carrier to immobilize biological catalysts, such as enzymes. The use of magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) pr...

This study assesses from an environmental perspective two different configurations for the combined treatment of wastewater and domestic organic waste (DOW) in a small and decentralised community having a population of 2000. The applied schemes consist of an upflow anaerobic blanket (UASB) as core treatment process. Scheme A integrates membranes wi...

Forest biomass can be used as source of renewable energy, contributing to mitigate climate change. Currently, forest biomass is one of the most important energy sources in Sweden, accounting for around 20% of the total supply. New demands of forest biomass may be expected due to the EU energy targets, the previous high oil prices, the energy supply...

Nanomaterials are defined as materials with at least one characteristic dimension in the range of 1 and 100 nm. Engineered Nanomaterials differ from bulk materials in two main characteristics: relative surface area and quantum effects. Between the different ENMs, magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) have received special attention because of their potenti...

The environmental assessment of a pig farming system from a cradle-to-farm gate perspective was carried out in this study. To do so, two separated farms destined to the weaning and fattening of pigs were analysed in Galicia (Northwest Spain). The standard framework of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was followed to assess the environmental performa...

A technical and environmental evaluation of an innovative scheme for the co-treatment of domestic wastewater and domestic organic waste (DOW) was undertaken by coupling an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and a fermentation reactor. Alternative treatment configurations were evaluated with different waste coll...

Wood is a renewable resource and it actively contributes to enhance energy production under a sustainable perspective. However, harvesting, transport and use of wood imply several consequences and impacts on environment. There are different ways for managing forests dedicated to wood production and a sustainable approach is fundamental to preserve...

The role of environmental consequences derived from cereal production in agricultural systems is widely recognised. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been considered as a useful tool to support environmental decision-making in agricultural systems. In this study, the quantification and identification of the environmental impacts derived from two diff...

Three different winter wheat production systems for three European countries (United Kingdom, France and Italy), all with different climatic conditions, soil management and input levels (e.g. tillage, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides) were analysed from an environmental perspective. The intended applications were the analysis and comparison f...

Forests play a key role as the source of an essential renewable material and/or fuel: wood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental impacts related to high-quality pellet production for domestic heating following the LCA (life cycle assessment) methodology and considering a cradle-to-gate perspective in the Tuscany region. This is r...

The sustainability of the use of lignocellulosic biomass to produce ethanol has been extensively studied in recent years through life cycle assessment (LCA). This work focuses on LCA of the use of alfalfa stems (Medicago sativa L.) for the production of ethanol. The analysis considers two blends of conventional gasoline with bioethanol - E10 and E8...

Conventional foams derived from petroleum are extensively used for insulating uses. Research into alternative sources to petroleum based chemicals is attracting a great deal of attention. Softwood bark and in special, maritime pine bark from European forests is an abundant co-product from forest industries. In this study, the production of formalde...

A systematic tool to assess the Carbon Footprint (CF) and Water Footprint (WF) of pork production companies was developed and applied to representative Catalan companies. To do so, a cradle-to-gate environmental assessment was carried out by means of the LCA methodology, taking into account all the stages involved in the pork chain, from feed produ...

Residual woody biomass from wood processing factories is commonly used as raw material for energy purposes. However, special attention is being paid to the development of biorefining systems based on lignocellulosic materials to produce high-added value bioproducts such as soluble saccharides of polymeric and oligomeric nature (POHs), cellulose, li...

The development and production of products in a more sustainable way has received special attention in recent years. In particular, packaging products range from single materials with simple designs as well as complex ones that include different materials (cardboard, woody boards, paper, plastics, etc.). A comprehensive assessment of the environmen...

Purpose European pilchard captures constitute an important source of income for the Portuguese fishing sector. This raw material is used for a varied range of final seafood products, such as canning, fresh seafood consumption or bait for other fisheries. The Portuguese purse seining fleet, which concentrates most of the pilchard landings, has recen...

The aim of this study was to assess the environmental profile of a bioenergy system based on a co-digestion plant using maize silage and pig slurry as substrates. All the processes involved in the production of bioenergy as well as the avoided processes accrued from the biogas production system were evaluated. The results evidenced the environmenta...

The aim of this study was to provide a detailed environmental evaluation of pigmeat production (the second most widely eaten type of meat) in Portugal, using relevant and good quality data in order to obtain representative results for this production sector. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was used for the evaluations from a cradle-to-slaug...

Gasoline is the second most consumed fuel in Chile, accounting for 34% of the total fuel consumption in transportation related activities in 2012. Chilean refineries process more than 97% of the total gasoline commercialized in the national market. When it comes to evaluating the environmental profile of a Chilean process or product, the analysis s...

Purpose: This study aims to (1) evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the three types of raw cork produced in Portuguese cork oak woodlands (in Alentejo region) considering two alternative practices for stand establishment (plantation and natural regeneration), (2) compare the environmental impacts of raw cork production in Portuguese...

The aim of this paper is the adaptation of an Ecodesign methodology for product publishing SMEs that have implemented Lean Management. To obtain verification of this methodology, an eco-redesign case study of a product has been carried out from a furniture publishing SME which applies lean management to its entire production chain. Some proposed im...

The dramatic and continuous drop of the cow milk price paid to the dairy farmers has triggered new marketing channels, avoiding intermediaries in the supply chain. During the last 20-30 years, farmers were joined in co-ops to strengthen their interests. However, milk price has even decreased more in the last years. Recently, some farmers are joinin...

In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to assess and compare the environmental and energy profiles of three potential bioenergy production chains using different available feedstocks in Southern European countries. Two wastes, vineyard pruning and eucalypt logging residues, and a wooden energy crop, poplar, were examined in detail. The...

Wood based sector is receiving special attention due to the environmental consequences derived from activities involved on it. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a holistic and standardized method to evaluate the environmental impacts during the entire life cycle of a product. This chapter is focused on the identification of the environmental impacts d...

An environmental assessment of the life cycle of broiler chicken production from a cradle-to-slaughterhouse gate perspective was carried out with the aim of identifying the environmental hotspots of the system. To do so, broiler chicken production in Portugal was investigated in detail. Inventory data for the different production stages (chicken fa...

Sustainable manufacturing has increasingly included design for environment methodologies with the objective of improving the environmental performance of products over their entire life cycles. Current European Union (EU) directives on eco-design focus on the use phase of energy-related products (ErPs). However, the maintenance of various household...