Life cycle assessment use in the North American building community: summary of findings from a 2011/2012 survey

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen A. Olinzock ◽  
Amy E. Landis ◽  
Christi L. Saunders ◽  
William O. Collinge ◽  
Alex K. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
North American ◽  
The North ◽  
Building Community

scholarly journals A case based, combined LCA and S-ROI methodology for sustainable mining in the Suceava County, Romania

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-2020
Author(s):  
Ruxandra Ionce ◽  
Iuliana Gabriela Breaban
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Return On Investment ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Impact Reduction

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a useful tool in decision-making for most businesses that opt for sustainability and offers the possibility to compare different products, processes, and value chain scenarios, both real and hypothetical. Coupled with S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), the LCA has a great potential in using available data for existing mining sites in the North-East Region of Romania to assess the economic, social and environmental benefits of certain sustainability measures on a local and regional level. The article will explore this approach of combining the two methodologies: LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and S-ROI (Sustainable Return on Investment), with necessary adjustments according to the characteristics of the local mining activities, to show key investment areas that can improve the value chain of copper exploitation and preparation in the mining perimeter Mănăila. The case of the copper mine in Mănăila offers a great opportunity to apply the current LICYMIN (Life Cycle of Mining) research and to use available Ecoinvent data for the copper ore by comparing the current value chain scenario with a proposed scenario that includes a different location for a mining ore preparation unit, closer to the quarry. The results will give an insight into the potential social and economic impact (the measure can translate into a higher local employment rate, better social stability, lower transportation costs, etc.) as well as the environmental impact (reduction of GHG emission, pollution, and energy efficiency) of the suggested changes.

IMMATURE STAGES AND BIOLOGY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CADDISFLY GENUS PHANOCELIA BANKS (TRICHOPTERA: LIMNEPHILIDAE)

1989 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 515-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne L. Fairchild ◽  
Glenn B. Wiggins
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
North American ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
Immature Stages ◽  
The North

AbstractLarvae of Phanocelia canadensis (Banks) were found inhabiting the floating sphagnum fringe of acidic bog ponds. Phanocelia canadensis has a 1-year life cycle with autumnal emergence. This is the first morphological and biological information available for immature stages of this genus.

scholarly journals Integrating Life Cycle Assessment with Green Building and Product Rating Systems: North American Perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 662-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.O. Collinge ◽  
C.L. Thiel ◽  
N.A. Campion ◽  
S.G. Al-Ghamdi ◽  
C.L. Woloschin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
North American ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Rating Systems ◽  
American Perspective ◽  
Product Rating ◽  
North American Perspective

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of North American Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL) Production

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Poonam Khatri ◽  
◽  
Kamalakanta Sahoo ◽  
Richard Bergman ◽  
Maureen Puettmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
North American ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Resource Extraction ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Cradle To Gate ◽  
Whole Life Cycle ◽  
Lca Results

Raw materials for buildings and construction account for more than 35% of global primary energy use and nearly 40% of energy-related CO2 emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized the drastic reduction in GHG emissions and thus, wood products with very low or negative carbon footprint materials can play an important role. In this study, a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was followed to quantify the environmental impacts of laminated strand lumber (LSL). The inventory data represented North American LSL production in terms of input materials, including wood and resin, electricity and fuel use, and production facility emissions for the 2019 production year. The contribution of cradle-to-gate life cycle stages was substantial (>70%) towards the total (cradle-to-grave) environmental impacts of LSL. The cradle-to-gate LCA results per m³ LSL were estimated to be 275 kg CO2 eq global warming, 39.5 kg O3eq smog formation, 1.7 kg SO2 eq acidification, 0.2 kg N eq eutrophication, and 598 MJ fossil fuel depletion. Resin production as a part of resource extraction contributed 124 kg CO2 eq (45%). The most relevant unit processes in their decreasing contribution to their cradle-to-grave GW impacts were resource extraction, end-of-life (EoL), transportation (resources and product), and LSL manufacturing. Results of sensitivity analysis showed that the use of adhesive, consumption of electricity, and transport distance had the greatest influences on the LCA results. Considering the whole life cycle of the LSL, the final product stored 1,010 kg CO2 eq/m³ of LSL, roughly two times more greenhouse gas emissions over than what was released (493 kg CO2 eq/m³ of LSL) from cradle-to-grave. Overall, LSL has a negative GW impact and acts as a carbon sink if used in the construction sector. The study results are intended to be important for future studies, including waste disposal and recycling strategies to optimize environmental trade-offs.

scholarly journals Marginal Generation Technology in the Chinese Power Market towards 2030 Based on Consequential Life Cycle Assessment

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangling Zhao ◽  
Josep M. Guerrero ◽  
Yingying Pei
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Southwest China ◽  
Power Grid ◽  
Power Grids ◽  
Regional Power ◽  
Marginal Technology ◽  
The North ◽  
Generation Technology

Electricity consumption is often the hotspot of life cycle assessment (LCA) of products, industrial activities, or services. The objective of this paper is to provide a consistent, scientific, region-specific electricity-supply-based inventory of electricity generation technology for national and regional power grids. Marginal electricity generation technology is pivotal in assessing impacts related to additional consumption of electricity. China covers a large geographical area with regional supply grids; these are arguably equally or less integrated. Meanwhile, it is also a country with internal imbalances in regional energy supply and demand. Therefore, we suggest an approach to achieve a geographical subdivision of the Chinese electricity grid, corresponding to the interprovincial regional power grids, namely the North, the Northeast, the East, the Central, the Northwest, and the Southwest China Grids, and the China Southern Power Grid. The approach combines information from the Chinese national plans on for capacity changes in both production and distribution grids, and knowledge of resource availability. The results show that nationally, marginal technology is coal-fired electricity generation, which is the same scenario in the North and Northwest China Grid. In the Northeast, East, and Central China Grid, nuclear power gradually replaces coal-fired electricity and becomes the marginal technology. In the Southwest China Grid and the China Southern Power Grid, the marginal electricity is hydropower towards 2030.

scholarly journals Analysis of Production System Components of Container-grown Chrysanthemum for Their Impact on Carbon Footprint and Variable Costs Using Life Cycle Assessment

HortScience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (8) ◽  
pp. 1139-1142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dewayne L. Ingram ◽  
Charles R. Hall ◽  
Joshua Knight
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Production System ◽  
The United States ◽  
The North ◽  
System Components ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Consumptive Water

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to analyze the production system components of a 20-cm Chrysanthemum grown for the fall market in the north Atlanta region of the United States. The model system consisted of 2 weeks of mist in a greenhouse followed by 9 weeks on an outdoor gravel bed equipped with drip irrigation. The carbon footprint, or global warming potential (GWP), was calculated as 0.555 kg CO2e and the variable costs incurred during the modeled production system (from rooting purchased cuttings to loading the truck for shipment) totaled $0.846. Use of plastics was important in terms of GWP and variable costs with the container contributing 26.7% of the GWP of the product and 12.2% of the variable costs. The substrate accounted for 44.8% of the GWP in this model but only 12.1% of the variable costs. Consumptive water use during misting was determined to be 3.9 L per plant whereas water use during outdoor production was 34.8 L. Because propagation is handled in various ways by Chrysanthemum growers, the potential impact of alternative propagation scenarios on GWP and variable costs, including the purchase of plugs, was also examined.

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