IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v211y2020ics0360544220318090.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The energy and environmental footprints of COVID-19 fighting measures – PPE, disinfection, supply chains

Author

Listed:
  • Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír
  • Fan, Yee Van
  • Jiang, Peng

Abstract

The still escalating COVID-19 pandemic also has a substantial impact on energy structure, requirements and related emissions. The consumption is unavoidable and receives a lower priority in the critical situation. However, as the pandemic continues, the impacts on energy and environment should be assessed and possibly reduced. This study aims to provide an overview of invested energy sources and environmental footprints in fighting the COVID-19. The required energy and resources consumption of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and testing kits have been discussed. The protecting efficiency returned on environmental footprint invested for masks has been further explored. The main observation pinpointed is that with a proper design standard, material selection and user guideline, reusable PPE could be an effective option with lower energy consumption/environmental footprint. Additional escalated energy consumption for aseptic and disinfection has been assessed. This includes the energy stemming from emergency and later managed supply chains. The outcomes emphasised that diversifying solutions to achieve the needed objective is a vital strategy to improve the susceptibility and provide higher flexibility in minimising the environmental footprints. However, more comprehensive research proof for the alternative solution (e.g. reusable option) towards low energy consumption without compromise on the effectiveness should be offered and advocated.

Suggested Citation

  • Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír & Fan, Yee Van & Jiang, Peng, 2020. "The energy and environmental footprints of COVID-19 fighting measures – PPE, disinfection, supply chains," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:211:y:2020:i:c:s0360544220318090
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.118701
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544220318090
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2020.118701?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Tao & Li, Xiaodong & Liao, Pin-Chao & Fang, Dongping, 2016. "Building energy efficiency for public hospitals and healthcare facilities in China: Barriers and drivers," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 588-597.
    2. Liu, Haomin & Zhang, Zaixu & Zhang, Tao & Wang, Liyang, 2020. "Revisiting China’s provincial energy efficiency and its influencing factors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    3. Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír & Fan, Yee Van & Tan, Raymond R. & Jiang, Peng, 2020. "Minimising the present and future plastic waste, energy and environmental footprints related to COVID-19," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    4. Andrew Atkeson, 2020. "What Will Be the Economic Impact of COVID-19 in the US? Rough Estimates of Disease Scenarios," NBER Working Papers 26867, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Saidur, R. & Hasanuzzaman, M. & Yogeswaran, S. & Mohammed, H.A. & Hossain, M.S., 2010. "An end-use energy analysis in a Malaysian public hospital," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 4780-4785.
    6. Khaled Bawaneh & Farnaz Ghazi Nezami & Md. Rasheduzzaman & Brad Deken, 2019. "Energy Consumption Analysis and Characterization of Healthcare Facilities in the United States," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, October.
    7. Fang, Shuqi & Jiang, Luyao & Li, Pan & Bai, Jing & Chang, Chun, 2020. "Study on pyrolysis products characteristics of medical waste and fractional condensation of the pyrolysis oil," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    8. Matthew J Eckelman & Jodi D Sherman & Andrea J MacNeill, 2018. "Life cycle environmental emissions and health damages from the Canadian healthcare system: An economic-environmental-epidemiological analysis," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-16, July.
    9. Bujak, Janusz Wojciech, 2015. "Production of waste energy and heat in hospital facilities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 350-362.
    10. Maureen S. Golan & Laura H. Jernegan & Igor Linkov, 2020. "Trends and applications of resilience analytics in supply chain modeling: systematic literature review in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 222-243, June.
    11. Buonomano, Annamaria & Calise, Francesco & Ferruzzi, Gabriele & Palombo, Adolfo, 2014. "Dynamic energy performance analysis: Case study for energy efficiency retrofits of hospital buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 555-572.
    12. Anne Sohrt & Lars Ehlers & Flemming Witt Udsen & Anders Mærkedahl & Brendan A. McGrath, 2019. "Cost Comparison of Single-Use Versus Reusable Bronchoscopes Used for Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy," PharmacoEconomics - Open, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 189-195, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rosa Francesca De Masi & Nicoletta Del Regno & Antonio Gigante & Silvia Ruggiero & Alessandro Russo & Francesco Tariello & Giuseppe Peter Vanoli, 2023. "The Importance of Investing in the Energy Refurbishment of Hospitals: Results of a Case Study in a Mediterranean Climate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-20, July.
    2. Atienza-Márquez, Antonio & Domínguez Muñoz, Fernando & Fernández Hernández, Francisco & Cejudo López, José Manuel, 2022. "Domestic hot water production system in a hospital: Energy audit and evaluation of measures to boost the solar contribution," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PB).
    3. Chro Hama Radha, 2023. "Retrofitting for Improving Indoor Air Quality and Energy Efficiency in the Hospital Building," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, February.
    4. Małgorzata Cygańska & Magdalena Kludacz-Alessandri, 2021. "Determinants of Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Hospitals According to Climate Zones in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-24, November.
    5. Min Su & Qiang Wang & Rongrong Li, 2021. "How to Dispose of Medical Waste Caused by COVID-19? A Case Study of China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-18, November.
    6. Maria Psillaki & Nikolaos Apostolopoulos & Ilias Makris & Panagiotis Liargovas & Sotiris Apostolopoulos & Panos Dimitrakopoulos & George Sklias, 2023. "Hospitals’ Energy Efficiency in the Perspective of Saving Resources and Providing Quality Services through Technological Options: A Systematic Literature Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-21, January.
    7. Clavijo-Buritica, Nicolás & Triana-Sanchez, Laura & Escobar, John Willmer, 2023. "A hybrid modeling approach for resilient agri-supply network design in emerging countries: Colombian coffee supply chain," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    8. Louise Sawyer & Simon Kemp & Patrick James & Michael Harper, 2021. "Assessment of a Nurse Led Energy Behavior Change Intervention in an NHS Community Hospital Ward," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-17, October.
    9. Barbetta, Gian Paolo & Canino, Paolo & Cima, Stefano, 2015. "The impact of energy audits on energy efficiency investment of public owners. Evidence from Italy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(P1), pages 1199-1209.
    10. Khaled Bawaneh & Farnaz Ghazi Nezami & Md. Rasheduzzaman & Brad Deken, 2019. "Energy Consumption Analysis and Characterization of Healthcare Facilities in the United States," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, October.
    11. Zhou, Chuanbin & Yang, Guang & Ma, Shijun & Liu, Yijie & Zhao, Zhilan, 2021. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on waste-to-energy and waste-to-material industry in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    12. Francesco Calise & Francesco Liberato Cappiello & Luca Cimmino & Massimo Dentice d’Accadia & Maria Vicidomini, 2024. "A Novel Layout for Combined Heat and Power Production for a Hospital Based on a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-21, February.
    13. Ascione, Fabrizio & Bianco, Nicola & De Stasio, Claudio & Mauro, Gerardo Maria & Vanoli, Giuseppe Peter, 2016. "Multi-stage and multi-objective optimization for energy retrofitting a developed hospital reference building: A new approach to assess cost-optimality," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 37-68.
    14. Chen, Xiaoyuan & Chen, Yu & Zhang, Mingshun & Jiang, Shan & Gou, Huayu & Pang, Zhou & Shen, Boyang, 2021. "Hospital-oriented quad-generation (HOQG)—A combined cooling, heating, power and gas (CCHPG) system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 300(C).
    15. Cappiello, Francesco L., 2024. "Energy and economic analysis of energy efficiency actions in surgery rooms: A dynamic analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 373(C).
    16. Jacek Rothert, 2020. "Optimal federal redistribution during the uncoordinated response to a pandemic," Departmental Working Papers 64, United States Naval Academy Department of Economics.
    17. George, Ammu & Li, Changtai & Lim, Jing Zhi & Xie, Taojun, 2021. "From SARS to COVID-19: The evolving role of China-ASEAN production network," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    18. Ichino, Andrea & Favero, Carlo A. & Rustichini, Aldo, 2020. "Restarting the economy while saving lives under Covid-19," CEPR Discussion Papers 14664, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    19. Lewkowicz, Jacek & Woźniak, Michał & Wrzesiński, Michał, 2022. "COVID-19 and erosion of democracy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    20. Charles A.E. Goodhart & Dimitrios P. Tsomocos & Xuan Wang, 2023. "Support for small businesses amid COVID‐19," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(358), pages 612-652, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:211:y:2020:i:c:s0360544220318090. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.