Browsing by Author "Kahigi, Nickson"

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    A comprehensive life cycle assessment of sisal yarn production: Unveiling sustainability and resource optimization hotspots
    (Elsevier, 2025-01-19) Kahigi, Nickson; Mkunda, Josephine; Mwema, Mwema; Machunda, Revocatus
    This study presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of sisal yarn production, covering key phases such as cultivation, transportation, decortication, brushing, baling, and yarn making to assess the environmental impacts associated with the production of 1 kg of sisal yarn. The results show that cultivation contributes the most to global warming potential (7.29 kg CO eq, 51% of total emissions) and terrestrial ecotoxicity (112.02 kg 14-DCB eq, 97.7%), driven largely by the excessive use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Decortication contributes significantly to marine eutrophication (83.7% of total impacts) and global warming (5.52 kg CO eq, 40%). Although yarn making accounts for a smaller share of the global warming potential (0.97 kg CO eq, 6.8%), it has a notable impact on human toxicity (contributing 21.7% to non-carcinogenic toxicity) and fossil fuel depletion (305.8 g oil eq, 10% of the total). A sensitivity analysis indicates that reducing chemical inputs, improving energy efficiency, and optimizing water use can reduce environmental impacts by up to 30%, lowering global warming potential to 11.59 kg CO eq in the improvement scenario. These results align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on responsible production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and life on land (SDG 15), positioning sisal yarn as a sustainable alternative to synthetic fibers. Future research should focus on incorporating renewable energy, expanding region-specific LCA inventories, and exploring social and economic sustainability to further enhance the sisal value chain’s sustainability.
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    Unraveling the potential of sisal fiber in sustainable innovation: A bibliometric perspective
    (Taylor and Fransis, 2025) Kahigi, Nickson; Mkunda, Josephine; Mwema, Mwema; Machunda, Revocatus
    Sisal fiber has increasingly attracted attention as a sustainable bio-based material due to its biodegradability, availability, and relevance to circular economy initiatives. Given its underutilization in high-impact applications and the limited integration of East African contributions, there is a growing need to assess the global research dynamics surrounding sisal fiber. This study hypothesizes that a bibliometric approach can reveal critical patterns, emerging themes, and collaboration gaps in sisal fiber research over the past decade. Using 59 curated articles from the Dimensions database (2012–2024), the study employed VOSviewer and Excel to analyze thematic evolution, citation patterns, and co-authorship networks. Findings show a rapid growth in publications from 2021 to 2024 (67.8%), led by Brazil and India, with emerging focus areas including waste valorization, biocomposites, and LCA-based sustainability assessments. The study concludes that targeted research investment, policy support, and international collaboration are essen-tial to enhancing sisal fiber’s role in global sustainability transitions.