The International Standards as the Constitution of Life Cycle Assessment: The ISO 14040 Series and its Offspring

2014 ◽  
pp. 85-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Finkbeiner
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Iso 14040

Study and Design of Sustainable Packaging for Household Hoods

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Landi ◽  
Leonardo Postacchini ◽  
Paolo Cicconi ◽  
Filippo E. Ciarapica ◽  
Michele Germani
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Iso 14040 ◽  
Attributional Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Cradle To Gate

In industrialized countries, packaging waste is one of the major issues to deal with, representing around 35% of the total municipal solid waste yearly generated. Therefore, an analysis and an environmental assessment of packaging systems are necessary. This paper aims at analyzing and comparing the environmental performances of two different packaging for domestic hoods. It shows how, through a packaging redesign, it is possible to obtain a reduction of the environmental impacts. This study has been performed in accordance with the international standards ISO 14040/14044, by using attributional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from Cradle to Gate. The functional unit has been defined as the packaging of a single household hood. Primary data have been provided by a household hood manufacturer, while secondary data have been obtained from the Ecoinvent database. LCA software SimaPro 8.5 has been used to carry out the life cycle assessment, and ReCiPe method has been chosen for the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) stage. The results have shown the new packaging model being able to cut down the environmental impacts of approximately 30%. These outcomes may be used by household manufacturers to improve performances and design solutions of their different packaging.

The New International Standards for Life Cycle Assessment: ISO 14040 and ISO 14044

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Finkbeiner ◽  
Atsushi Inaba ◽  
Reginald Tan ◽  
Kim Christiansen ◽  
Hans-Jürgen Klüppel
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Iso 14040 ◽  
Iso 14044

scholarly journals The New International Standards for Life Cycle Assessment: ISO 14040 and ISO 14044

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-64
Author(s):  
Matthias FINKBEINER ◽  
Atsushi INABA ◽  
Reginald B. H. TAN ◽  
Kim CHRISTIANSEN ◽  
Hans-Jürgen KLÜPPEL
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Iso 14040 ◽  
Iso 14044

scholarly journals Carbon Footprint and Related Production Costs of System Components of a Field-Grown Cercis canadensis L. ‘Forest Pansy’ Using Life Cycle Assessment

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dewayne L. Ingram ◽  
Charles R. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Production System ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
System Component ◽  
Cercis Canadensis

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was utilized to analyze the global warming potential (GWP), or carbon footprint, and associated costs of the production components of a field-grown, spade-dug, 5 cm (2 in) caliper Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ in the Lower Midwest, U.S. A model production system was determined from interviews of nursery managers in the region. Input materials, equipment use and labor were inventoried for each production system component using international standards of LCA. The seed-to-landscape GWP, expressed in kilograms of carbon dioxide emission equivalent (CO2e), was determined to be 13.707. Equipment use constituted the majority (63%) of net CO2-e emissions during production, transport to the customer, and transplanting in the landscape. The model was queried to determine the possible impact of production system modifications on carbon footprint and costs to aid managers in examining their production system. Carbon sequestration of a redbud growing in the landscape over its 40 year life, weighted proportionally for a 100 year assessment period, was calculated to be −165 kg CO2e. The take-down and disposal activities following its useful life would result in the emission of 88.44 kg CO2e. The life-cycle GWP of the described redbud tree, including GHG emissions during production, transport, transplanting, take down and disposal would be −63 kg CO2e. Total variable costs associated with the labor, materials, and equipment use incurred in the model system were $0.069, $2.88, and $34.81 for the seedling, liner, and field production stages, respectively. An additional $18.83 was needed for transport to the landscape and planting in the landscape and after the 40 year productive life of the tree in the landscape, another $60.86 was needed for take-down and disposal activities.

Sustainability assessment of gas based power generation using a life cycle assessment approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 826-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binita Shah ◽  
Seema Unnikrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Lca Methodology ◽  
Iso 14040 ◽  
Content Type

Purpose India is a developing economy along with an increasing population estimated to be the largest populated country in about seven years. Simultaneously, its power consumption is projected to increase more than double by 2020. Currently, the dependence on coal is relatively high, making it the largest global greenhouse gas emitting sector which is a matter of great concern. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the environmental impacts of the natural gas electricity generation in India and propose a model using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Design/methodology/approach LCA is used as a tool to evaluate the environmental impact of the natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant, as it adopts a holistic approach towards the whole process. The LCA methodology used in this study follows the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards (ISO 14040: 2009; ISO 14044: 2009). A questionnaire was designed for data collection and validated by expert review primary data for the annual environmental emission was collected by personally visiting the power plant. The study follows a cradle to gate assessment using the CML (2001) methodology. Findings The analysis reveals that the main impacts were during the process of combustion. The Global warming potential is approximately 0.50 kg CO2 equivalents per kWh of electricity generation from this gas-based power plant. These results can be used by stakeholders, experts and members who are authorised to probe positive initiative for the reduction of environmental impacts from the power generation sector. Practical implications Considering the pace of growth of economic development of India, it is the need of the hour to emphasise on the patterns of sustainable energy generation which is an important subject to be addressed considering India’s ratification to the Paris Climate Change Agreement. This paper analyzes the environmental impacts of gas-based electricity generation. Originality/value Presenting this case study is an opportunity to get a glimpse of the challenges associated with gas-based electricity generation in India. It gives a direction and helps us to better understand the right spot which require efforts for the improvement of sustainable energy generation processes, by taking appropriate measures for emission reduction. This paper also proposes a model for gas-based electricity generation in India. It has been developed following an LCA approach. As far as we aware, this is the first study which proposes an LCA model for gas-based electricity generation in India. The model is developed in line with the LCA methodology and focusses on the impact categories specific for gas-based electricity generation.

Multidimensional Analysis of Supply Chain Environmental Performance

2012 ◽  
pp. 860-878
Author(s):  
Antti Sirkka ◽  
Marko Junkkari
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Physical Object ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Multidimensional Analysis ◽  
Item Level ◽  
Management Perspective ◽  
Level Analysis

Monitoring the environmental performance of a product is recognized to be increasingly important. The most common method of measuring the environmental performance is the international standards of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Typically, measuring is based on estimations and average values at product category level. In this chapter, the authors present a framework for measuring environmental impact at the item level. Using Traceability Graph, emissions and resources can be monitored from the data management perspective. The model can be mapped to any precision level of physical tracing. At the most precise level, even a single physical object and its components can be analyzed. This, of course, demands that the related objects and their components are identified and mapped to the database. From the opposite perspective, the authors’ model also supports rough level analysis of products and their histories. In terms of the Traceability Cube, multidimensional analysis can be applied for traceability data.

scholarly journals Pengurangan emisi gas rumah kaca pada perkebunan kelapa sawit dengan pendekatan life cycle assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Danang Harimurti ◽  
Hariyadi Hariyadi ◽  
Erliza Noor
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Iso 14040

Pertumbuhan perkebunan kelapa sawit di Indonesia mengalami peningkatan yang cukup pesat. Dampak negatif yang ditimbulkan akibat pertumbuhan perkebunan kelapa sawit ini adalah kerusakan lingkungan dan peningkatan emisi gas rumah kaca (GRK). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui sumber emisi GRK dari kegiatan perkebunan kelapa sawit dan memberikan alternative untuk mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca melalui pemanfaatan kembali limbah padat dan cair sebagai substitusi pupuk anorganik. Metode yang digunakan adalah penilaian siklus daur hidup (LCA) berdasarkan framework ISO 14040. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian diketahui bahwa rata-rata emisi GRK yang dihasilkan dari kegiatan perkebunan kelapa sawit adalah 0.08 TCO2e/TTBS/Tahun. Kegiatan pemupukan mempunyai kontribusi cukup tinggi yaitu rata-rata emisi GRK yang dihasilkan adalah 0.07 TCO2e/TTBS/Tahun. Untuk mengurangi emisi GRK yaitu dengan mengoptimalkan penggunaan pupuk organic yang berasal dari limbah produksi CPO berupa limbah cair kelapa sawit (LCPKS) dan janjang kosong kelapa sawit (JJK). Penggunaan LCPKS sebagai pupuk organik berpotensi mengurangi emisi GRK sebesar 0.015 TCO2e/TTBS atau setara dengan 17.03%, sementara penggunaan JJK berpotensi mengurangi emisi GRK sebesar 0.029 TCO2e/TTBS atau setara dengan 33.98%. Optimalisasi penggunaan LCPKS dan JJK sebagai pupuk organik memberikan dampak yang signifikan untuk mengurangi emisi GRK dalam kegiatan perkebunan kelapa sawit.

scholarly journals Revisión de las consideraciones metodológicas utilizadas en estudios ambientales con enfoque de ciclo de vida sobre la producción de microalgas con fines energéticos

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-59
Author(s):  
Paula Daniela Rodriguez ◽  
Alejandro Pablo Arena ◽  
Bárbara María Civit ◽  
Roxana Piastrellini
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Flat Plate ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
Third Generation ◽  
Iso 14040 ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Air Lift

A Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV) tem sido utilizada por diversos autores para avaliar a produção de microalgas com fins energéticos. No entanto, desde a perspectiva energética e ambiental, não existem conclusões gerais sobre ela, não só pelas diferenças tecnológicas entre os sistemas estudados, mas também pelas distintas escolhas metodológicas adotadas pelos autores. Este trabalho tem como objetivo encontrar os principais aspectos que dificultam a comparação dos resultados de diversos estudos com abordagem de ciclo de vida de sistemas de produção de microalgas com fins energéticos, e propor recomendações que permitam harmonizar as escolhas metodológicas de futuros estudos. Para isso, foi realizada uma ampla revisão bibliográfica e foram selecionadas aquelas publicações que consideram o cultivo de microalgas em sistemas fechados, ou seja, fotobiorreatores de qualquer configuração (tubulares, flat-plate, air-lift, etc.). As treze publicações escolhidas foram avaliadas conforme as diretrizes presentes nas normas ISO 14040 e 14044. Os resultados indicam que fatores como o produto estudado, a unidade funcional selecionada, os limites do sistema, os procedimentos da atribuição de cargas ambientais utilizados, as fontes de dados, os métodos de avaliação de impactos e as categorias de impactos escolhidas diferem amplamente entre os estudos, impossibilitando a comparação dos mesmos para chegar a resultados confiáveis. Portanto considera-se necessário harmonizar as escolhas metodológicas dos futuros estudos de ACV de biocombustíveis de terceira geração. Para isso, propõe-se uma série de recomendações que visam a colaboração na avaliação dos impactos ambientais desses sistemas.  Palavras-chave: Avaliação do ciclo de vida. Bioenergia. Biocombustível de terceira geração.ResumenEl Análisis del Ciclo de Vida (ACV) ha sido utilizado por distintos autores para evaluar la producción de microalgas con fines energéticos. Sin embargo, desde la perspectiva energética y ambiental, no existen conclusiones generales acerca de ella, no sólo por las diferencias tecnológicas entre los sistemas estudiados, sino también por las distintas elecciones metodológicas adoptadas por los autores. Este trabajo tiene como objetivos hallar los principales aspectos que dificultan la comparación de los resultados de diversos estudios con enfoque de ciclo de vida de sistemas de producción de microalgas con fines energéticos, y proponer recomendaciones que permitan armonizar las elecciones metodológicas de futuros estudios. Para ello, se llevó a cabo una amplia revisión de la literatura y se seleccionaron aquellas publicaciones que consideran el cultivo de microalgas en sistemas cerrados, esto es fotobiorreactores de cualquier configuración (tubulares, flat-plate, air-lift, etc.). Las 13 publicaciones elegidas se evaluaron según los lineamientos ofrecidos por las normas ISO 14040 y 14044. Los resultados indican que factores como el producto estudiado, la unidad funcional seleccionada, los límites del sistema, los procedimientos de asignación de cargas ambientales utilizados, las fuentes de datos, los métodos de evaluación de impactos y las categorías de impacto escogidas difieren ampliamente entre estudios, imposibilitando la comparación de los mismos para llegar a conclusiones confiables. Por lo tanto, se considera necesario armonizar las elecciones metodológicas de los futuros estudios de ACV de biocombustibles de tercera generación. Para ello, se propone una serie de recomendaciones dirigidas a colaborar en la evaluación de los impactos ambientales de estos sistemas. Palabras clave: Análisis del Ciclo de Vida. Bioenergía. Biocombustibles de terceira generación.AbstractThe Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been used by different authors to measure the production of microalgae for energy purposes. However, from the energy and environmental perspective, there are no general conclusions about this, not only because of the technological differences between the systems studied, but also because of the different methodological options adopted by the authors. The objective of this work is to find the main aspects that make it difficult to compare the results of several studies with a life cycle approach of microalgae production systems for energy purposes, and propose recommendations that allow harmonizing the methodological choices of future studies. For this, a wide review of the literature was carried out and those publications that consider the cultivation of microalgae in closed systems, that is, photobioreactors of any configuration (tubular, flat plate, air lift, etc.), were selected. The 13 selected publications were evaluated in accordance with the guidelines offered by the ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. The results indicate that factors such as the product studied, the selected functional unit, the limits of the system, the environmental allocation procedures used, the data resources, the impact evaluation methods and the impact categories chosen differ widely among the studies, making it impossible to compare them to arrive at reliable conclusions. Therefore, it is considered necessary to harmonize the methodological choices of future LCA studies of third generation biofuels. For this, a series of recommendations are proposed to collaborate in the evaluation of the environmental impacts of these systems.Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment. Bioenergy. Third generation biofuel.

scholarly journals Análisis del ciclo de vida como herramienta para la evaluación del comportamiento ambiental de un proceso. Caso de estudio central eléctrica de fuel oil 110 kv en la provincia de Granma - Cuba

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edilberto Llanes Cedeño
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Fuel Oil ◽  
Flow Diagram ◽  
Generation Process ◽  
Inventory Analysis ◽  
Iso 14040

Los procesos de generación de electricidad a partir de combustibles fósiles son fuentes de contaminación ambiental, siendo una preocupación actual de los países en desarrollo. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar el impacto ambiental de la generación distribuida de electricidad en una central de 110 kV por medio del Análisis del Ciclo de Vida para la determinación de mejoras en el proceso. El Análisis del Ciclo de Vida (ACV) se realiza de acuerdo con los requisitos establecidos en la NC ISO 14040: 2009, utilizando el Eco-indicador 99 del software Sima Pro 7.1. Los impactos ambientales se evalúan a partir de un análisis de inventario en cada una de las etapas del proceso, contabilizando las entradas y salidas de materias primas, energía y emisiones al aire, agua y suelo, para lo cual se realiza un diagrama de flujo del proceso. A partir del análisis de los flujos, se determinó que los parámetros condenatorios en el caso de los efluentes, sólo se cumple para el pH y la conductividad eléctrica, en el caso de las emisiones al aire se viola con el NO2 y SO2. Los resultados muestran que la etapa de mayor contribución se concentra en el área de generación y los productos más agresivos al ambiente son el consumo de fuel oil (80 % para la salud humana, 53 % para el ecosistema y para los recursos naturales 95 %) y el producto residual de la limpieza de los materiales de explotación (en el caso del ecosistema 35 %). Abstract The electricity generation process from fossil fuels its source of environmental pollution, being a current concern at developing countries. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the environmental impact of the distributed electricity generation in an 110 kV oil fuel power station using the Life Cycle Assessment method to determinate improvements in the process. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was perform according to the requirements established in the NC ISO 14040: 2009, using Eco-indicator 99 with software Sima Pro 7.1. The environmental impacts were evaluate starting from an inventory analysis in each stage of the process, accounting the inputs and outputs of raw materials, energy and emissions to the air, water and soil; a flow diagram of the process was generated for the assessment.  From the analysis of the flows, it was determined that the condemnatory parameters in the case of effluents, is only met for the pH and electrical conductivity, in the case of air emissions is violated with on the NO2 and SO2. The results, show that the stage with the greatest contribution is concentrated in the generation area, and the most aggressive products to the environment are the consumption of fuel oil (human health 80 %, ecosystem 53 % and natural resources 95 %) and the residual product of the cleaning of the exploitation materials (35 % in the case of the ecosystem).  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document