BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The current literature on tofu production has predominantly focused on exploring the value-added potential of the waste generated during tofu production and conducting impact assessments related to this production. However, a noticeable gap remains in the research concerning the comprehensive examination of life cycle costs and eco-efficiency in tofu production and its associated waste. This study aims to assess the environmental and economic impacts of the implementation of recycling alternatives using a life cycle assessment and life cycle cost approach. The impact of waste recycling on the eco-efficiency of small and medium-sized enterprises in Sugihmanik Village, Grobogan Regency, Indonesia is also examined.METHODS: To achieve this goal, this study employed life cycle assessment and life cycle cost methodologies to evaluate eco-efficiency. Data were collected through interviews and direct observations. Cradle-to-grave (tofu production) and cradle-to-cradle (tofu production and waste recycling) approaches were compared. Environmental impact was assessed by determining the 12 impact categories. Environmental cost was determined using the eco-cost 2023 method, and environmental and economic impacts were examined with SimaPro software version 9.4.FINDINGS: Life cycle assessment analysis revealed eutrophication, carbon footprint, and freshwater ecotoxicity to be the categories with the most significant impact for each process. In particular, the eco-cost of the cradle-to-grave approach was 7.03 United States dollars, and that of the cradle-to-cradle approach was 7.90 United States dollars. Life cycle cost analysis yielded a net value of 1.33 United States dollars for the cradle-to-grave process and 38.16 United States dollars for the cradle-to-cradle process. According to the life cycle cost analysis, the recycling scheme increased the overall cost of production. Meanwhile, the eco-efficiency analysis demonstrated an increase in the eco-efficiency of tofu production (cradle-to-grave) and the recycling system (cradle-to-cradle). Waste recycling can increase the eco-efficiency index from 0.18 to 5.CONCLUSION: Life cycle assessment identified eutrophication, carbon footprint, and ecotoxicity (freshwater) as the three major impact categories. Proper waste management in tofu production offers environmental benefits and significant profits, with the net value of the cradle-to-cradle process at 38.99 US dollars. The eco-efficiency values showed a substantial positive increase, and the waste processing scenarios were found to be sustainable and economically beneficial. These findings suggest new business opportunities through straightforward waste processing and affordable production costs. The scheme also reduces the environmental impact and increases the efficiency and profit of the overall tofu production system.

The primary objective of this paper is to assess the seismic life-cycle cost of optimally designed steel moment frames. The methodology of this paper involves two main steps. In the first step, we optimize the initial cost of steel moment frames within the performance-based design framework, utilizing nonlinear static pushover analysis. In the second step, we perform a life cycle-cost analysis of the optimized steel moment frames using nonlinear response history analysis with a suite of earthquake records. We consider content losses due to floor acceleration and inter-story drift for the life cycle cost analysis. The numerical results highlight the critical role of integrating life-cycle cost analysis into the seismic optimization process to design steel moment frames with optimal seismic life-cycle costs.

The main structural elements of Reinforced Concrete (RC) bridges deteriorate with time under uncertain hazards such as scouring and corrosive conditions. In this paper, a multi-hazard framework is proposed to assess the performance of bridges subjected to the main e ective uncertain natural hazards during their lifetime. In this assessment, the uncertainties associated with the combined e ects of multiple hazards including pier scour, earthquake, carbonation, and corrosion are considered. Therefore, for each, hazard their severity relationships have been extracted over time, and the e ects of these hazards on concrete elements are presented as resistance dimming parameters. The annual and cumulative losses due to these hazards in unit of currency are estimated using the life-cycle cost analysis. For decision making, the value of the expected cumulative cost associated with the retro t or design scenarios is evaluated using a cost-bene t analysis. The results for a case study bridge, obtained from the framework proposed in the present study, indicated the signi cant impact of the di erent scenarios on reducing the expected value of damages or incurred losses due to multiple hazards.

Life cycle cost (LCC) analysis is currently a most valuable tool in the civil engineering construction industry and will be inevitable as resources become scarce. Selection of materials for fabricating components of any civil engineering structures will be based on LCC analysis. It is due to significant reduction in lifetime cost of construction, maintenance, repair and rehabilitation. In this paper, cost benefit analysis of three types of beam namely Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) reinforced, epoxy coated and steel reinforced beam was done. It includes the calculation of total lifetime cost, overall system cost and calculation the Net Present Value (NPV). Beams with over reinforced section and under reinforced section were considered in the cost analysis to have better understanding. A comparison was made between steel reinforced beam and GFRP reinforced beam to assess the benefits based on the economic aspects. From the results, it was found that good amount of cost-saving to an extent of 20% at initial stage and 40% with increase in age for GFRP reinforced beam over steel reinforced beam. The trend in variation of total cost for GFRP reinforced beam was consistent throughout its lifetime, whereas for steel reinforced beam and epoxy coated beam it was not so. Hence with the combined advantages of structural performance, serviceability, suitability for aggressive environments and economy, GFRP reinforced beam was strongly recommended from this study.