Improving Life Cycle Assessment by Including Spatial, Dynamic and Place-Based Modeling

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Reap ◽  
Bert Bras ◽  
Patrick J. Newcomb ◽  
Carol Carmichael
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Spatial Dynamic ◽  
Ecosystem Models ◽  
Lumped Parameter ◽  
Additional Improvement ◽  
Explicit Dynamic ◽  
The Impact

Drawing from the substantial body of literature on life cycle assessment / analysis (LCA), the article summarizes the methodology’s limitations and failings, discusses some proposed improvements and suggests an additional improvement. After describing the LCA methodology within the context of ISO guidelines, the article summaries the limitations and failings inherent in the method’s life cycle inventory and impact assessment phases. The article then discusses improvements meant to overcome problems related to lumped parameter, static, site-independent modeling. Finally, the article suggests a remedy for some of the problems with LCA. Linking industrial models with spatially explicit, dynamic and site-specific ecosystem models is suggested as a means of improving the impact assessment phase of LCA.

A semi-quantitative method for the impact assessment of emissions within a simplified life cycle assessment

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Günter Fleischer ◽  
Karin Gerner ◽  
Heiko Kunst ◽  
Kerstin Lichtenvort ◽  
Gerald Rebitzer
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Quantitative Method ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment dan Life Cycle Cost untuk Serat Kenaf

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-224
Author(s):  
Desrina Yusi Irawati ◽  
Melati Kurniawati
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Impact Category ◽  
Kenaf Fiber ◽  
A Value ◽  
Treatment Stage ◽  
The Impact

Kenaf fiber from the kenaf plant is the excellent raw material for industry because of the various diversified products it produces. To develop sustainable kenaf fiber, information is needed on the strengths and weaknesses of kenaf cultivation systems with respect to productivity and environmental impact. Therefore, a comprehensive environmental and economic impact assessment was conducted from cultivating kenaf to kenaf fiber. The environmental impact assessment uses the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method and economic calculations from the life cycle of kenaf to kenaf fiber to collectors use the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) method. The calculation of environmental impacts is in accordance with the stages of ISO 14040, using a single score assessment. The LCA results show that the treatment stage is the highest contributor of the three groups of impact categories. The highest to the lowest in the impact category group that was influenced by the treatment stage were resources with a value of 21.4 mPt, human health with a value of 8.76 mPt, and ecosystem quality with a value of 1.91 mPt. The cost identified through the LCC is Rp. 6,088,468,333, NVP and B/Cnet are positive. The results of the sensitivity analysis if there is a reduction in production> 6%, the business is still profitable and can be run.

scholarly journals Valuing Biodiversity in Life Cycle Impact Assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Lindner ◽  
Horst Fehrenbach ◽  
Lisa Winter ◽  
Judith Bloemer ◽  
Eva Knuepffer
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Impact Assessment Method ◽  
The Impact

In this article, the authors propose an impact assessment method for life cycle assessment (LCA) that adheres to established LCA principles for land use-related impact assessment, bridges current research gaps and addresses the requirements of different stakeholders for a methodological framework. The conservation of biodiversity is a priority for humanity, as expressed in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing biodiversity across value chains is a key challenge for enabling sustainable production pathways. Life cycle assessment is a standardised approach to assess and compare environmental impacts of products along their value chains. The impact assessment method presented in this article allows the quantification of the impact of land-using production processes on biodiversity for several broad land use classes. It provides a calculation framework with degrees of customisation (e.g., to take into account regional conservation priorities), but also offers a default valuation of biodiversity based on naturalness. The applicability of the method is demonstrated through an example of a consumer product. The main strength of the approach is that it yields highly aggregated information on the biodiversity impacts of products, enabling biodiversity-conscious decisions about raw materials, production routes and end user products.

Life Cycle Assessment of Particulate Recycled Low Density Polyethylene and Recycled Polypropylene Reinforced with Talc and Fiberglass

2011 ◽  
Vol 471-472 ◽  
pp. 999-1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariam Al-Ma'adeed ◽  
Gozde Ozerkan ◽  
Ramazan Kahraman ◽  
Saravanan Rajendran ◽  
Alma Hodzic
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Composite Materials ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Human Toxicity ◽  
Acidification Potential ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Abiotic Depletion

Although recycled polymers and reinforced polymer composites have been in use for many years there is little information available on their environmental impacts. The goal of the present study is to analyze the environmental impact of new composite materials obtained from the combination of recycled thermoplastics (polypropylene [PP] and polyethylene [PE]) with mineral fillers like talc and with glass fiber. The environmental impact of these composite materials is compared to the impact of virgin PP and PE. The recycled and virgin materials were compared using life cycle assessment method according to their environmental effects. Within the scope of the study, GaBi software was used for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis. From cradle-to-grave life cycle inventory studies were performed for 1 kg of each of the thermoplastics. Landfilling was considered as reference scenario and compared with filled recycled plastics. A quantitative impact assessment was performed for four environmental impact categories, global warming (GWP) over a hundred years, human toxicity (HTP), abiotic depletion (ADP) and acidification potential (AP) were taken into consideration during LCA. In the comparison of recycled and virgin polymers, it was seen that recycling has lower environmental effect for different impact assessment methods like acidification potential, abiotic depletion, human toxicity and global warming.

scholarly journals A review: life cycle assessment of cotton textiles

2021 ◽  
Vol 72 (01) ◽  
pp. 19-29
Author(s):  
FANGLI CHEN ◽  
XIANG JI ◽  
JIANG CHU ◽  
PINGHUA XU ◽  
LAILI WANG
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Cotton Textiles

A significant amount of research has been published on the environmental impact assessment of cotton textiles using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. This review summarized and analysed the findings of these publications, and presented valuable insights for identifying the hotspots that have considerable potential for reducing the environmental burden of cotton textiles. The relevant papers were selected according to two criteria: life cycle assessment of cotton textiles or footprint of cotton textiles. Subsequently, key features were screened and critically analysed: functional unit, system boundary, data sources and geographic location, and impact assessment methods and impact categories. We found that there is an emerging market demand to transform conventional cotton to organic cotton. From the global perspective, a spatially explicit LCA of cotton textiles should be conducted. In addition, a comprehensive and holistic life cycle impact assessment containing more impact categories that are appropriate to cotton textiles is required. LCA is a well-justified approach among practitioners and researchers and has been widely applied to the topic of cotton textiles. This methodology should be studied and developed further to more precisely evaluate the environmental impacts of cotton textiles.

scholarly journals Comparative Study of Conventional and Zero-joint Edgebanding

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-35
Author(s):  
Mária Réka Antal ◽  
Levente Dénes ◽  
Zsigmond András Vas ◽  
András Polgár
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Impact Category ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Manufacturing Technology ◽  
Aesthetic Appearance ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Quality Categories

Edgebanding affects both the visual appearance and edge protection of wood-based panels. In order for edgebanding to provide the desired protection, it must adhere strongly to the entire surface of the panel edges and maintain this adhesion throughout the life of the product. The present research compares conventional and so-called zero-joint edgebandings in terms of water and steam resistance, and examines the environmental impacts of edgebanding technologies using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). In-line with our hypothesis, our test results showed that corners are the critical points of edgebanded furniture fronts, especially when exposed to moisture. Due to high variations in measurements, there is no significant difference between the two edgebanding methods at the beginning. However, differences become more significant after longer treatment times. These differences amount to two quality categories after 6 hours and three quality categories after 12 and 24 hours. The edgebanded fronts exposed to water for less than 30 minutes experience no significant deteriorations with any of the edgebanding methods. In the case of steam resistance, zero-joint edgebanding provides better protection, especially after the second and third treatment cycle. We can state that the surplus costs of zero-joint technology are 1.45 times greater than costs associated with conventional technology. Both show the considerable costs of edging materials, chipboard, and electrical energy. The applied environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) method corresponds to the requirements of ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006 standards. We built up the environmental inventory and the life cycle model of the manufacturing technology using the GaBi Professional LCA software. In the impact assessment, we analysed the specific environmental impact categories of the differing production processes by technology according to the operation order of the manufacturing technology. In relation to traditional and the zero-joint edging technologies, according to all impact assessment methods, the life-cycle contribution rate was uniformly 47% traditional – 53% zero-joint by impact category. The higher indicator values of the zero-joint method are due to larger edge material consumption and higher energy demand. Zero-joint technology appears to avoid the application of conventional hot melt adhesives, but replacing these adhesives does not necessarily result in better environmental indicators. Nevertheless, zero-joint egdebanding does not just improve aesthetic appearance but also exceeds the durability provided by conventional edgebanding technology.

scholarly journals Critérios para avaliação de modelos de Avaliação de Impacto do Ciclo de Vida Social

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2 esp.) ◽  
pp. 66-81
Author(s):  
Cássia Maria Lie Ugaya ◽  
Alexandre Monteiro Souza ◽  
Sueli Aparecida de Oliveira ◽  
Jaylton Bonacina De Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle Impact Assessment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Spatial Differentiation ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Life Cycle Impact ◽  
The Impact

Modelos de Avaliação de Impacto do Ciclo de Vida Social (AICV-S) podem ser classificados em três tipos, dependendo da forma como o inventário é associado: (I) às partes interessadas; (II) por meio de cadeia de causa-efeito e, (III) com o uso de correlações entre variáveis macroeconômicas. Com o surgimento de modelos, o presente estudo tem como objetivo propor critérios para avaliá-los, baseados na UNEP e SETAC (2009), na JRC (2011) e em Ugaya et al. (2016). Após brainstorming entre os participantes do subgrupo de Avaliação de Impacto do Grupo de Trabalho de Avaliação Social do Ciclo de Vida (GTACV-S), três critérios foram selecionados: a abrangência do escopo (tipo, diferenciação espacial, inclusão de questões temporais, partes interessadas e subcategorias incluídas, robustez científica (reconhecimento pela comunidade internacional, apresentação de cadeia de causa e efeito, transparência e acessibilidade, disponibilidade de fator de caracterização (FC), possibilidade de regionalização e, FC nacional (existência e viabilidade de obtenção). Cada um dos subcritérios foi classificado (melhor, mediano e pior). Por exemplo, para atender o escopo das partes interessadas e subcategorias, o modelo deveria incluir 5 partes interessadas e 31 subcategorias para receber a melhor classificação). Os critérios foram aplicados parcialmente em 6 artigos e os resultados preliminares demonstram que é possível fazer a diferenciação entre os modelos. Como próximos passos, os critérios serão aplicados para outros artigos levantados na revisão sistemática, a partir da qual será recomendado um modelo para AICV-S.  Palavras-chave: Avaliação Social do Ciclo de Vida. Critérios. Avaliação dos Impactos do Ciclo de Vida Social.ResumenLos modelos de análisis de impacto social del ciclo de vida (AICV-S) pueden clasificarse en tres tipos, dependiendo de cómo se asocie el inventario: (I) a las partes interesadas; (II) por medio de cadena de causa-efecto y, (III) con el uso de correlaciones entre variables macroeconómicas. Con el surgimiento de modelos, el presente estudio tiene como objetivo proponer criterios para evaluarlos, basados en UNEP y SETAC (2009), en la JRC (2011) y en Ugaya et al. (2016). Después de brainstorming entre los participantes del subgrupo de Evaluación de Impacto del Grupo de Trabajo de Análisis Social del Ciclo de Vida (GTACV-S), se seleccionaron tres criterios: la cobertura del alcance (tipo de AICV-S, diferenciación espacial, inclusión de cuestiones temporales, partes interesadas y las subcategorías incluidas, robustez científica (reconocimiento por la comunidad internacional, presentación de cadena de causa y efecto, transparencia y accesibilidad, disponibilidad de factor de caracterización (FC), posibilidad de regionalización del FC y, existencia y viabilidad de obtención de FC nacional. Cada uno de los subcriterios fue clasificado (mejor, mediano y peor). Por ejemplo, para atender el alcance de las partes interesadas y subcategorías, el modelo debería incluir 5 partes interesadas y 31 subcategorías para recibir la mejor clasificación). Los criterios se aplicaron parcialmente en 6 artículos y los resultados preliminares demuestran que es posible distinguir entre los modelos. En los próximos pasos, los criterios se aplican a otros modelos.  Palabras clave: Valoración Social del Ciclo de Vida. Criterios. Evaluación del Impacto del Ciclo de Vida Social.AbstractSocial Life Cycle Impact Assessment Models (S-LCIA) may be classified into three types, depending on the linkage of the inventory to impacts: (I) to stakeholders; (II) through cause-effect chains and, (III) through correlations between macroeconomic variables. With the emergence of models, the present study aims to propose criteria to evaluate them, based on UNEP and SETAC (2009), JRC (2011) and Ugaya et al. (2016). A brainstorming was performed involving the participants of the Impact Assessment subgroup of the Working Group on Social Life Cycle Assessment (GTACV-S) which resulted in three criteria: the scope (type of S-LCIA, spatial differentiation, inclusion of temporal aspects, stakeholders and subcategories included, scientific robustness (recognition by the international community, presentation of the cause-effect chain, transparency and accessibility), availability of characterization factor (CF), possibility of regionalization of the CF and the existence and feasibility of obtaining national CF. Each of the subcriteria was classified in three levels (best, medium and worst). For example, to meet the scope of stakeholders and subcategories, the model should include 5 stakeholders and 31 subcategories to receive the best rating. The criteria were applied partially in 6 papers and the preliminary results showed that it is possible to differentiate between the models. As a next step, the criteria will be applied to other.  Keywords: Social Life Cycle Assessment. Criteria. Social Life Cycle Impact Assessment.

scholarly journals Comparison of Life-Cycle Assessment Tools for Road Pavement Infrastructure

2017 ◽  
Vol 2646 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Miguel Oliveira dos Santos ◽  
Senthilmurugan Thyagarajan ◽  
Elisabeth Keijzer ◽  
Rocío Fernández Flores ◽  
Gerardo Flintsch
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Road Pavement ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Project Construction ◽  
The Impact

Road pavements have considerable environmental burdens associated with their initial construction, maintenance, and usage, which have led the pavement stakeholder community to join efforts to understand and mitigate these negative effects better. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a versatile methodology for quantifying the effect of decisions regarding the selection of resources and processes. However, there is a considerable variety of tools for conducting pavement LCA. This paper provides the pavement stakeholder community with insights into the potential differences in the life-cycle impact assessment results of a pavement by applying American and European LCA tools, namely, PaLATE Version 2.2, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute–University of California asphalt pavement LCA model, GaBi, DuboCalc, and ECORCE-M, to a Spanish pavement reconstruction project. Construction and maintenance life-cycle stages were considered in the comparison. On the basis of the impact assessment methods adopted by the various tools, the following indicators and impact categories were analyzed: energy consumption, climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and photochemical ozone creation. The results of the case study showed the need to develop ( a) a standardized framework for performing a road pavement LCA that can be adapted to various tools and ( b) local databases of materials and processes that follow national and international standards.

scholarly journals Residential Life Cycle Assessment Modeling: Comparative Case Study of Insulating Concrete Forms and Traditional Building Materials

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 95-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neethi Rajagopalan ◽  
Melissa M Bilec ◽  
Amy E Landis
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Impact Category ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Frame Structure ◽  
Use Phase ◽  
Wood Frame ◽  
The Impact

Innovative, sustainable construction products are emerging in response to market demands. One potential product, insulating concrete forms (ICFs), offers possible advantages in energy and environmental performance when compared with traditional construction materials. Even though ICFs are in part derived from a petroleum-based product, the benefits in the use phase outweigh the impacts of the raw material extraction and manufacturing phase. This paper quantitatively measures ICFs' performance through a comparative life cycle assessment of wall sections comprised of ICF and traditional wood-frame. The life cycle stages included raw materials extraction and manufacturing, construction, use and end of life for a 2,450 square foot house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Results showed that even though building products such as ICFs are energy intensive to produce and thus have higher environmental impacts in the raw materials extraction and manufacturing phase, the use phase dominated in the life cycle. For the use phase, the home constructed of ICFs consumed 20 percent less energy when compared to a traditional wood-frame structure. The results of the impact assessment show that ICFs have higher impacts over wood homes in most impact categories. The high impacts arise from the raw materials extraction and manufacturing phase of ICFs. But there are a number of embedded unit processes such as disposal of solid waste and transport of natural gas that contribute to this high impact and identifying the top unit process and substance contributors to the impact category is not intuitive. Selecting different unit processes or impact assessment methods will yield dissimilar results and the tradeoffs associated with every building product should be considered after studying the entire life cycle in detail.

scholarly journals Impactos sociales del espárrago en Perú: Identificación y evaluación de impactos sociales en la etapa de procesamiento del espárrago blanco fresco en La Libertad (Perú), mediante la técnica Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA)

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
César Terán
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Export Sector ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

A pesquisa apresenta um estudo de caso de identificação e avaliação de impactos sociais na produção de aspargos brancos frescos no Peru, com a participação de uma empresa líder do setor de agroexportação. A técnica utilizada foi a Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida Social (S-LCA), considerando apenas a etapa de processamento, em que várias atividades são concluídas para transformar a matéria-prima em produto acabado. Desta forma, a equipe de pesquisa definiu três categorias de atores, 15 subcategorias e 67 indicadores específicos, para os quais foram coletadas informações de fontes primárias e secundárias. Uma metodologia existente, baseada na avaliação do desempenho e na avaliação do impacto de cada subcategoria, foi adaptada para a avaliação de impacto. Os resultados da avaliação determinam que a empresa demonstre níveis satisfatórios de responsabilidade social corporativa, gerando, na maioria dos casos, impactos positivos sobre seus stakeholders.  Palavras-chave: Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida Social (S-LCA). Avaliação de Impacto Social. Aspargos.ResumenLa investigación presenta un caso de estudio de identificación y evaluación de impactos sociales en la producción del espárrago blanco fresco en Perú, contando com la participación de una empresa representativa del rubro agroexportador. Se utilizo la técnica Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), considerando solamente la etapa de procesamiento, en la cual se presentan diversas actividades orientadas a transformar la materia prima en producto terminado. En ese sentido, se definieron 3 categorías de stakeholders, 15 subcategorías y 67 indicadores específicos, para los cuales se recolectó información de fuentes secundarias y primarias. Para la evaluación de impactos se adaptó una metodología existente, basada en la evaluación del desempeño y la evaluación de impactos de cada subcategoría. Los resultados de análisis determinan que la empresa muestra niveles satisfactorios en materia de responsabilidad social empresarial, generando, en la mayoría de casos, impactos positivos en sus grupos de interés. Palabras clave: Análisis del Ciclo de Vida Social (S-ACV). Evaluación de Impactos Sociales. Espárrago.AbstractThe research presents a case study of identification and evaluation of social impacts in the production of fresh white asparagus in Peru, with the participation of a leader company of the agro-export sector. The technique used was Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), considering only the processing stage, in which several activities are completed in order to transform the raw material into finished product. Accordingly, the research team defined 3 categories of stakeholders, 15 subcategories and 67 specific indicators, for which information was collected from secondary and primary sources. An existing methodology, based on performance evaluation and impact assessment of each subcategory, was adapted for the impact assessment. The results of the assessment determine that the company shows satisfactory levels of corporate social responsibility, generating, in most cases, positive impacts on its stakeholders.Keywords: Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA). Social Impact Assessment. Asparagus.

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