Alexandre Monteiro Souza

I work mostly with the social life cycle assessment of bioenergy production and the use of participatory approaches in the research process. 

My primary research interests focus on the social impact assessment of production systems. I am also interested in using participatory methods to make the studies more relevant.

My previous research embraced the assessment of the social impacts on the sugarcane industry in Brazil, with an emphasis on the potential social effects derived from technological changes.  

The current research topic is the assessment of the potential social effects of producing solid biofuel from encroacher bush in Southern Africa. The research is part of the SteamBioAfrica project (www.steambioafrica.com).

I am part of the Brazilian Workgroup for Social Life Cycle Assessment

I have a bachelor's degree in food engineering from the Federal University of Vicosa, Brazil. 

I did my master's and doctorate studies in Food Engineering at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. My doctorate thesis title was Sustainability Study of an Ethanol Micro-distillery Project developed with a Group of Land Reform settlers at the Pontal do Paranapanema".

After the doctorate, I worked with extension at the Popular Cooperatives Technological Incubator (ITCP) from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Campinas, Brazil.

After ITCP, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR) in the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, Brazil.

Articles:

Ugaya, C., de Araújo, J.B., Souza A., do Carmo B.T., Oliveira, S.A., Maciel V.G. What’s up and where to go in social life cycle impact assessment cause-effect model development? International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 18, 199-218 (2023)

Souza, A.; Watanabe, M.D.B., Cavalett, O., Ugaya, C.M.L., Cunha, M., Bonomi, A. A novel social life cycle assessment method for determining workers’ human development: a case study of the sugarcane biorefineries in Brazil. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 26, 2072-2084 (2021)

Cardoso, T.F., Watanabe, M.D.B., Souza, A., Chagas, M.F., Cavalett, O., Morais, E.R., Nogueira, L.A.H., Leal, M.R.L.V., Braunbeck, O.A., Cortez, L.A.B., Bonomi, A. A regional approach to determine economic, environmental, and social impacts of different sugarcane production systems in Brazil. Biomass & Bioenergy, 120, 9-20 (2019)

Souza, A., Watanabe, M.D.B., Cavalett, O., Ugaya, C.M.L., Bonomi, A. Social life cycle assessment of first and second-generation ethanol production technologies in Brazil. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 23, 617-628 (2018)

Cardoso T.F., Watanabe M.D.B., Souza A. Chagas, M.F., Cavalett, O., Morais, E. R., Nogueira L.A.H., Leal, M.R.L.V., Braunbeck O.A., Cortez, L.A.B., Bonomi, A. Economic, environmental and social impacts of different sugarcane production systems. Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining 12, 68-82 (2018)

Book chapters:

Cardoso, T.F., Watanabe, M.D.B., Souza, A., Chagas, M.F., Cavalett, O., Morais, E.R., Nogueira, L.A.H., Leal, M.R.L.V., Cortez, L.A.B., Bonomi, A. Sugarcane bioenergy production systems: Technical, socioeconomic and environmental assessment. In: Cortez, L.A.B., Leal, M.R.L.V., Nogueira, L.A.H. (Org.). Sugarcane bioenergy for sustainable development: Expanding the production in Latin America and Africa. 1ed.New York: Routledge, p. 299-316 (2016)

Watanabe, M.D.B., Pereira, L.G., Chagas, M.F., Cunha, M., Jesus, C.D.F., Souza, A., Rivera, E.C., Maciel Filho, R., Cavalett, O., Bonomi, A. Sustainability Assessment Methodologies. In: Bonomi, A., Cavalett, O., Cunha, M., Lima, M.A.P. (Org.). Virtual Biorefinery: An Optimization Strategy for Renewable Carbon Valorization. 1ed.: Springer, p. 155-188. (2016)

Dias, M.O.S., Sampaio, I.L.M., Chagas, M.F., Watanabe, M.D.B., Morais, E.R., Gouveia, V.L.R., Klein, B. K., Rezende, M. C. A. F., Cardoso, T. F., Souza, A., Jesus, C. D. F., Pereira, L. G., Rivera, E.C., Maciel Filho, R., Bonomi, A. Use of the VSB to assess biorefinery strategies. In: Bonomi, A., Cavalett, O., Cunha, M.P.d., Lima, M.A.P. (Org.). Virtual Biorefinery: An optimization strategy for renewable carbon valorization. 1ed.: Springer, p. 189-256 (2016)

Cavalett, O., Watanabe, M.D.B., Souza, A., Chagas, M.F., Junqueira, T.L., Bonomi, A. Biofuels from Terrestrial Biomass: Sustainability Assessment of Sugarcane Biorefineries in Brazil. In: Dewulf, J., De Meester, S., Alvarenga, R.A.F. (Org.) Sustainability Assessment of Renewables-Based Products: Methods and Case Studies. 1ed.Hoboken: Wiley, p. 275-288 (2015)