@article{vivas_vera_dasmohapatra_marquez_van schoubroeck_forfora_azuaje_phillips_jameel_delborne_et al._2024, title={A Multi-Criteria Approach for Quantifying the Impact of Global Megatrends on the Pulp and Paper Industry: Insights into Digitalization, Social Behavior Change, and Sustainability}, volume={8}, ISSN={["2305-6290"]}, url={https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/8/2/36}, DOI={10.3390/logistics8020036}, abstractNote={Background: The pulp and paper industry (P&PI) is undergoing significant disruption driven by global megatrends that necessitate advanced tools for predicting future behavior and adapting strategies accordingly. Methods: This work utilizes a multi-criteria framework to quantify the effects of digitalization, changes in social behavior, and sustainability as three major megatrends transforming the P&PI industry, with a specific focus on hygiene tissue products. Thus, the research combines a comprehensive literature review, insights from a Delphi study, and topic modeling to qualitatively and quantitatively assess the present and future impacts of these global megatrends. Results: The findings suggest an urgent need to identify alternative raw materials to prevent potential supply chain disruptions. Moreover, due to shifts in social behavior, it becomes critical for businesses to substantiate their sustainability claims with hard data to avoid the risk of a “greenwashing” perception among consumers. Conclusions: This study provides decision support for strategic planning by highlighting actionable insights, quantitative predictions, and trend analysis, alongside the examination of consumer and market trends. It aims to incorporate diverse stakeholder perspectives and criteria into decision-making processes, thereby enriching the strategic planning and sustainability efforts within the P&PI industry.}, number={2}, journal={LOGISTICS-BASEL}, author={Vivas, Keren A. and Vera, Ramon E. and Dasmohapatra, Sudipta and Marquez, Ronald and Van Schoubroeck, Sophie and Forfora, Naycari and Azuaje, Antonio Jose and Phillips, Richard B. and Jameel, Hasan and Delborne, Jason A. and et al.}, year={2024}, month={Jun} }
 @article{vivas_vera_phillips_forfora_azuaje_zering_chang_delborne_saloni_dasmohapatra_et al._2024, title={An economic analysis of bamboo plantations and feedstock delivered cost in the Southern US for the manufacturing of fiber-based bioproducts}, volume={6}, ISSN={["1932-1031"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2634}, DOI={10.1002/bbb.2634}, abstractNote={Abstract Bamboo, recognized for its rapid growth, high yield, and fiber performance is prominent in the fiber‐based bioproduct industry. However, the absence of US industrial bamboo plantations for fiber production necessitates reliance on imports or locally manufactured products using imported bamboo fibers, predominantly from China. This study evaluates the economic viability of cultivating bamboo in the Southern US for fiber production, with a case study on hygiene tissue products. The supply‐chain analysis was assessed to calculate bamboo chips' minimum selling price (MSP) at the farm gate for an 8% internal rate of return (IRR). The MSP, influenced primarily by land rental costs, ranges from USD 48 to 55 per bone‐dry metric ton (BDt). Despite an initial establishment cost of ~USD 2 000 ha −1 and profitability by year 5, bamboo is a viable, long‐term fiber alternative. Successful bamboo cultivation in the US could lead to a more sustainable implementation of alternative non‐wood fibers for hygiene tissue applications.}, journal={BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS & BIOREFINING-BIOFPR}, author={Vivas, Keren A. and Vera, Ramon E. and Phillips, Richard B. and Forfora, Naycari and Azuaje, Ivana and Zering, Kelly and Chang, Hou-Min and Delborne, Jason and Saloni, Daniel and Dasmohapatra, Sudipta and et al.}, year={2024}, month={Jun} }
 @article{forfora_azuaje_kanipe_gonzalez_lendewig_urdaneta_venditti_gonzalez_argyropoulos_2024, title={Are starch-based materials more eco-friendly than fossil-based? A critical assessment}, volume={13}, ISSN={["2666-7894"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.cesys.2024.100177}, abstractNote={This review conducts a comprehensive quantitative analysis of the life cycle assessments (LCA) of starch-based products from production inception (biomass and starch production) to final manufacture. More specifically, this analysis synthesizes published LCA data for starch-based films, foams, polylactic acid (PLA), and filaments against typical fossil-based counterparts (polyethylene and polystyrene), revealing PLA's carbon emissions range from 0.62 to 5.3 kg CO2eq/kg, films at 3.2–5.8 kg CO2eq/kg, and foams at 1.3–3.2 kg CO2eq/kg, contrasted with fossil-based products emitting 0.7–6.7 kg CO2eq/kg. Despite lower carbon dioxide emissions for starch-based products, the broader environmental impact, including eutrophication and acidification, often exceeds that of fossil-based counterparts, attributed to agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. This review delineates the environmental merits of starch-based products, outlines their optimal applications, and underscores the imperative for future research to address identified knowledge gaps and methodological limitations, particularly in the comprehensive environmental assessment of agricultural inputs and their mitigation strategies.}, journal={CLEANER ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS}, author={Forfora, Naycari and Azuaje, Ivana and Kanipe, Taylor and Gonzalez, Jose A. and Lendewig, Mariana and Urdaneta, Isabel and Venditti, Richard and Gonzalez, Ronalds and Argyropoulos, Dimitris}, year={2024}, month={Jun} }
 @misc{frazier_vivas_azuaje_vera_pifano_forfora_jameel_ford_pawlak_venditti_et al._2024, title={Beyond cotton and polyester: An evaluation of emerging feedstocks and conversion methods for the future of fashion industry}, volume={9}, ISSN={["2369-9698"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.jobab.2024.01.001}, abstractNote={As the global population grows, the demand for textiles is increasing rapidly. However, this puts immense pressure on manufacturers to produce more fiber. While synthetic fibers can be produced cheaply, they have a negative impact on the environment. On the other hand, fibers from wool, sisal, fique, wood pulp (viscose), and man-made cellulose fibers (MMCFs) from cotton cannot alone meet the growing fiber demand without major stresses on land, water, and existing markets using these materials. With a greater emphasis on transparency and circular economy practices, there is a need to consider natural non-wood alternative sources for MMCFs to supplement other fiber types. However, introducing new feedstocks with different compositions may require different biomass conversion methods. Therefore, based on existing work, this review addresses the technical feasibility of various alternative feedstocks for conversion to textile-grade fibers. First, alternative feedstocks are introduced, and then conventional (dissolving pulp) and emerging (fibrillated cellulose and recycled material) conversion technologies are evaluated to help select the most suitable and promising processes for these emerging alternative sources of cellulose. It is important to note that for alternative feedstocks to be adopted on a meaningful scale, high biomass availability and proximity of conversion facilities are critical factors. In North America, soybean, wheat, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane residues are widely available and most suitable for conventional conversion through various dissolving pulp production methods (pre-hydrolysis kraft, acid sulfite, soda, SO2-ethanol-water, and potassium hydroxide) or by emerging cellulose fibrillation methods. While dissolving pulp conversion is well-established, fibrillated cellulose methods could be beneficial from cost, efficiency, and environmental perspectives. Thus, the authors strongly encourage more work in this growing research area. However, conducting thorough cost and sustainability assessments is important to determine the best feedstock and technology combinations.}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF BIORESOURCES AND BIOPRODUCTS}, author={Frazier, Ryen M. and Vivas, Keren A. and Azuaje, Ivana and Vera, Ramon and Pifano, Alonzo and Forfora, Naycari and Jameel, Hasan and Ford, Ericka and Pawlak, Joel J. and Venditti, Richard and et al.}, year={2024}, month={May}, pages={130–159} }
 @article{forfora_azuaje_vivas_vera_brito_venditti_kelley_tu_woodley_gonzalez_2024, title={Evaluating biomass sustainability: Why below-ground carbon sequestration matters}, volume={439}, ISSN={["1879-1786"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.140677}, DOI={10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.140677}, abstractNote={Biomass, as a raw material, has been identified as a crucial component of decarbonization strategies to mitigate climate change. Decisions on which biomass should be targeted for different purposes are dependent on variables such as availability, chemical composition, and sustainability. Consumer perception often positions non-wood sources, such as bamboo, as environmentally preferable feedstocks for fiber-based product production. Yet, this perceived environmental benefit lacks robust scientific substantiation and standardized methodologies. This study addresses this gap by conducting a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of twelve biomass production systems encompassing tree plantations, dedicated crops, and agricultural residues for energy and bioproducts manufacture. The evaluated feedstocks include southern softwood, wheat straw, rice straw, rice husk, hemp hurd, sugarcane bagasse, switchgrass, biomass sorghum (United States), eucalyptus (Brazil), bamboo (China), and northern softwood (Canada). Incorporating a critical yet often overlooked factor, this LCA integrates the potential soil organic carbon sequestration (SOC) via below-ground biomass for each biomass type. This consideration significantly alters the estimated carbon intensity per ton of feedstock, potentially reshaping sustainability perceptions as certain systems emerge as carbon sinks. From a cradle-to-farm gate perspective, the assessed global warming potential for biomass production spans 12–245 kg CO2eq per oven-dry ton (ODt), factoring only anthropogenic emissions. However, when accounting for SOC sequestration, the range shifts to −170 to 228 kg CO2eq per ODt, highlighting the potential role of biomass to act as carbon sink systems. By illuminating the dynamic influence of SOC sequestration, this study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of biomass-related carbon emissions, shedding light on pathways to mitigate environmental impact.}, journal={JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION}, author={Forfora, Naycari and Azuaje, Ivana and Vivas, Keren A. and Vera, Ramon E. and Brito, Amelys and Venditti, Richard and Kelley, Stephen and Tu, Qingshi and Woodley, Alex and Gonzalez, Ronalds}, year={2024}, month={Feb} }
 @article{vivas_pifano_vera_urdaneta_urdaneta_forfora_abatti_phillips_dasmohapatra_saloni_et al._2024, title={Understanding the potential of bamboo fibers in the USA: A comprehensive techno-economic comparison of bamboo fiber production through mechanical and chemical processes}, volume={6}, ISSN={["1932-1031"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1002/bbb.2652}, DOI={10.1002/bbb.2652}, abstractNote={Abstract The growing interest in bamboo fibers for pulp, paper, and board production in the USA necessitates a comprehensive financial viability assessment. This study conducts a detailed technoeconomic analysis (TEA) of bamboo fiber production, primarily for the consumer hygiene tissue market although it is also applicable to other industrial uses. The economic viability of two pulping methods – alkaline peroxide mechanical pulping (APMP) and ammonium bisulfite chemical pulping (ABS) – was explored within three different pulp mill settings to supply pulp to two nonintegrated tissue and towel mills in South Carolina, USA. The target was to produce wet lap bamboo bleached pulp at 50% consistency and 70% ISO brightness. Despite higher initial capital invesment and operating costs, ABS achieved a lower minimum required selling price – USD 544 to 686 per bone dry metric ton (BDt = 1000 BDkg) – in comparison with USD 766 to 899 BDt −1 for APMP. This price advantage is partly due to an additional revenue stream (lignosulfonate byproduct), which not only boosts revenue but also circumvents the need for expensive chemical recovery systems. When compared with traditional kraft pulping, both methods require significantly lower capital investments, with minimum required selling prices (estimated to achieve 16% IRR) below current market rates for extensively used bleached kraft pulps in the USA tissue industry. The economic benefits derive from several factors: the low cost of bamboo as raw material, reduced capital needs for new pulping technologies, lower transportation costs from the pulp mill to tissue and towel manufacturing facilities, and the high market price of bleached kraft pulp.}, journal={BIOFUELS BIOPRODUCTS & BIOREFINING-BIOFPR}, author={Vivas, Keren A. and Pifano, Alonzo and Vera, Ramon E. and Urdaneta, Fernando and Urdaneta, Isabel and Forfora, Naycari and Abatti, Camilla and Phillips, Richard B. and Dasmohapatra, Sudipta and Saloni, Daniel and et al.}, year={2024}, month={Jun} }
 @article{vera_zambrano_marquez_vivas_forfora_bedard_farrell_ankeny_pal_jameel_et al._2023, title={Environmentally friendly oxidation pretreatments to produce sugar-based building blocks from dyed textile wastes via enzymatic hydrolysis}, volume={467}, ISSN={["1873-3212"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.143321}, DOI={10.1016/j.cej.2023.143321}, abstractNote={Given the increasing concern over textile waste management and the proliferation of textile landfills, enzymatic hydrolysis of cotton represents a potential pathway to upcycle textile waste into valuable chemical building blocks. However, this pathway is challenged by the presence of persistent dyes, hindering enzyme performance. To overcome this issue, environmentally friendly and total chlorine free oxidation methods such as ozone and alkaline hydrogen peroxide were used in combination with mechanical refining pretreatment. The results showed that the enzymatic conversion of black-dyed cotton, without oxidation, resulted in a glucose yield of only 60% as compared to 95% for undyed cotton fibers. On the other hand, the inclusion of oxidation processes in the pretreatment stage resulted in a glucose yield of 90% via enzymatic hydrolysis at expense of using low oxidation chemicals and low enzyme charges. This work highlights the potential of oxidation methods, enzymatic hydrolysis, and mechanical refining as an ecofriendly pathway for generating value-added chemicals from cotton textile waste while promoting economic circularity.}, journal={CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL}, author={Vera, Ramon E. and Zambrano, Franklin and Marquez, Ronald and Vivas, Keren A. and Forfora, Naycari and Bedard, John and Farrell, Matthew and Ankeny, Mary and Pal, Lokendra and Jameel, Hasan and et al.}, year={2023}, month={Jul} }
 @article{vera_vivas_urdaneta_franco_sun_forfora_frazier_gongora_saloni_fenn_et al._2023, title={Transforming non-wood feedstocks into dissolving pulp via organosolv pulping: An alternative strategy to boost the share of natural fibers in the textile industry.}, volume={429}, ISSN={["1879-1786"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.139394}, DOI={10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.139394}, abstractNote={This work evaluates wheat straw, switchgrass, and hemp hurd as potential alternatives for producing dissolving pulp using sulfur dioxide (SO2)-ethanol-water (SEW) pulping. The SEW process is described in detail for wheat straw, and the best pulping conditions for this feedstock were 130 °C, 4 h, and 10% SO2 concentration, comprised in a sulfur-ethanol-water ratio of 10-45-45. This resulted in a viscose-grade pulp with 93% α-cellulose, 2.0% hemicelluloses, <0.1% lignin, 0.2% ash content, and a viscosity of 4.7 cP. The best pulping conditions for wheat straw were applied to switchgrass and hemp hurd. Wheat straw and switchgrass had similar pulp quality, while hemp hurd pulp had a higher hemicellulose content and lower viscosity. This work suggests that non-wood feedstocks such as wheat straw and switchgrass can be promising alternatives for dissolving pulp production, which can help reduce the pressure on the textile industry to increase the use of natural fibers and mitigate the environmental impact of non-biodegradable synthetic fibers.}, journal={JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION}, author={Vera, Ramon E. and Vivas, Keren A. and Urdaneta, Fernando and Franco, Jorge and Sun, Runkun and Forfora, Naycari and Frazier, Ryen and Gongora, Stephanie and Saloni, Daniel and Fenn, Larissa and et al.}, year={2023}, month={Dec} }