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An Introduction to Life Cycle Analysis / Assessment (LCA)

An Introduction to Life Cycle Analysis / Assessment (LCA). Created by Dr. Bert Bras Modified by Felipe Román. Learning Objectives. Get acquainted with LCA Understand how to conceptually apply the main steps of LCA Understand some of the difficulties and/or limitations of each LCA step.

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An Introduction to Life Cycle Analysis / Assessment (LCA)

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  1. An Introduction to Life Cycle Analysis / Assessment (LCA) Created by Dr. Bert BrasModified by Felipe Román

  2. Learning Objectives • Get acquainted with LCA • Understand how to conceptually apply the main steps of LCA • Understand some of the difficulties and/or limitations of each LCA step

  3. Life Cycle Stages

  4. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) LCA is a method that considers energy and raw material consumption, different types of emissionsand other important factors related to a specific product’s entire life cycle from an environmental point of view.

  5. LCA Brief History • Started in the early 1970s to investigate energy requirements of different processes • Emissions and raw materials were considered later • Numerous variants of LCA “methods” were developed and/or investigated initially • A widely accepted series of guidelines and definitions was published by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) • Today IS0 14040-14043 is considered the LCA standard

  6. LCA Main Steps Step 1: Goal Definition & Scope (ISO 14040) Step 2: Inventory Analysis (ISO 14041) Step 3: Impact Assessment (ISO 14042) Step 4: Improvement Assessment / Interpretation (ISO 14043)

  7. Domestic Coffee Maker Example Source: http://home.howstuffworks.com/coffee-maker.htm

  8. Step 1: Goal Definition & Scope • Establish purpose & goal • Define decision criteria, function & functional unit • Define system boundaries • Life cycle stages • Time • Place • Determine required data quality

  9. Step 1: Coffee Maker • Purpose of LCA? • Determine how to improve the environmental performance of a coffee maker • Decision criteria? • Total energy consumed, equivalent CO2 produced, eco-indicator 99 score • Function of coffee maker? Functional units? • Cups of coffee poured, Time coffee is warmed • System boundaries? • Five years of use, Europe, production, use & end-of-life stages

  10. Difficulties & Limitations of Step 1 • How do you compare different products that provide similar functions or services? • How do you compare similar products that provide multiple functions or services? • How do you define more abstract functional units such as entertainment from toys or higher self-esteem? • Where do you stop drawing the bounds to your system?

  11. Step 2: Inventory Analysis • Make process tree or flow chart classifying events in a product’s life cycle • Determine all mass and energy inputs and outputs • Collect relevant data • Make assumptions for missing data • Establish (correct) material and energy balance(s) for each stage and event

  12. Step 2: Inventory Analysis (cont.) Input/output diagram for single stage or unit operation Source: EPA Life-Cycle Design Guidance Manual, EPA Report no. EPA/600/R-92/226, p. 104.

  13. Step 2: Coffee Maker Understand the product components & materials first Rested (bottom) View Top (internal) View Bottom (internal) View Good View Heater View Source: http://home.howstuffworks.com/coffee-maker.htm

  14. Step 2: Coffee Maker Simplified process tree for coffee maker Source: http://www.pre.nl/download/EI99_Manual.pdf

  15. Step 2: Coffee Maker (cont.) Lifecycle inventory for coffee maker White boxes are not included in assessment/inventory Source: http://www.pre.nl/download/EI99_Manual.pdf

  16. Difficulties & Limitations of Step 2 • Finding data is hard and usually very time-consuming • Published data on material loads exists, but is often inconsistent and/or not directly applicable • Obtained data is usually discrete, static and linear (makes many simplifying assumptions) • Mistakes are easily made in quantification • Mass and energy balancesmay not be correct • Results can be generalized improperly

  17. Environmental Impact Environmental Load depletion of biotic resources copper CO2 CFC SO2 NOx phosphorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) heavy metals PCB pesticides styrene depletion of abiotic resources greenhouse effect ozone layer depletion acidification eutrophication Scalar Indicator (summer) smog human toxicity eco-toxicity odour Step 3: Impact Analysis • Define impact categories • Determine which loads affect different impact categories • Assign indicators to impact categories • Weigh importance of each category

  18. Step 3: Paper or Plastic? Which is better?... This is one reason why some folks prefer scalar vectors…

  19. Step 3: Coffee Maker Source: http://www.pre.nl/download/EI99_Manual.pdf

  20. Difficulties & Limitations of Step 3 • Subjective, subjective, subjective • Impact categories chosen • Indicators chosen for impact categories • How metrics / load affect impact indicators • Weightings used for impact categories • Where are the impacts occurring? • U.S., Europe, Brazil? • Is there damage already in the area being impacted? • How much can that area take before it breaks down? Or can it handle it without any problems? • How are managers and engineers supposed to know the effects of every load on the different impacts?

  21. Step 4: Improvement Analysis • Identify areas & opportunities for improvement • Evaluate wrt original goal definition • Target lifecycle areas/processes/events with large impacts • Large amounts w/ low hazard • Small amounts w/ high hazard • Ask yourself: • What are the resources required and risks involved?

  22. Step 4: Coffee Maker How to improve coffee maker? Where should we focus? Source: http://www.pre.nl/download/EI99_Manual.pdf

  23. General Comments • Domestic coffee maker is simple product • How would it be different from a commercial coffee maker (Starbucks)? • It is fairly representative of appliances - main impact is use phase • What other products is their main impact the use phase? • Which products is their main impact the production or disposal phase? Table Source & Figures from 1st Slide: Ashby and coauthors, 2004, “The CES Eco-Selector – background reading”, 2nd edition, University of Cambridge and Granta Design, pp. 1-32.

  24. Summary • Focus should be on the product’s lifecycle, not the product itself • Presented the main steps of LCA (ISO 14040-14043) • Presented the limitations & difficulties of each step of LCA • While LCA has variations limitations, its underlying philosophy is right on

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