scholarly journals A Sensitivity Analysis Approach to Identify Key Environmental Performance Factors

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Xi Yu ◽  
Aicha Sekhari ◽  
Antoine Nongaillard ◽  
Abdelaziz Bouras ◽  
Suiran Yu
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Circuit Board ◽  
Analysis Approach ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Performance Factors

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used in design phase to reduce the product’s environmental impacts through the whole product life cycle (PLC) during the last two decades. The traditional LCA is restricted to assessing the environmental impacts of a product and the results cannot reflect the effects of changes within the life cycle. In order to improve the quality of ecodesign, it is a growing need to develop an approach which can reflect the changes between the design parameters and product’s environmental impacts. A sensitivity analysis approach based on LCA and ecodesign is proposed in this paper. The key environmental performance factors which have significant influence on the products’ environmental impacts can be identified by analyzing the relationship between environmental impacts and the design parameters. Users without much environmental knowledge can use this approach to determine which design parameter should be first considered when (re)designing a product. A printed circuit board (PCB) case study is conducted; eight design parameters are chosen to be analyzed by our approach. The result shows that the carbon dioxide emission during the PCB manufacture is highly sensitive to the area of PCB panel.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Life Cycle Environmental Assessment of Preventive Maintenance Techniques for Asphalt Pavement

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4887
Author(s):  
Mulian Zheng ◽  
Wang Chen ◽  
Xiaoyan Ding ◽  
Wenwu Zhang ◽  
Sixin Yu
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Preventive Maintenance ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Asphalt Pavement ◽  
Maintenance Strategy ◽  
Asphalt Overlay ◽  
Maintenance Techniques ◽  
Lca Results

Preventive maintenance (PM) is regarded as the most economical maintenance strategy for asphalt pavement, but the life cycle environmental impacts (LCEI) of different PM techniques have not yet been comprehensively assessed and compared, thus hindering sustainable PM planning. This study aims to comprehensively estimate and compared the LCEI of five PM techniques then propose measures to reduce environmental impacts in PM design by using life cycle assessment (LCA), including fog seal with sand, micro-surfacing, composite seal, ultra-thin asphalt overlay, and thin asphalt overlay. Afterwards, ten kinds of LCEI categories and energy consumption of PM techniques were compared from the LCA phases, and inventory inputs perspectives, respectively. Results show that fog seal with sand and micro-surfacing can lower all LCEI scores by more than 50%. The environmental performance of five PM techniques provided by sensitivity analysis indicated that service life may not create significant impact on LCA results to some extent. Moreover, four PM combination plans were developed and compared for environmental performance, and results show that the PM plan only includes seal coat techniques that can reduce the total LCEI by 7–29% in pavement life. Increasing the frequency of seal coat techniques can make the PM plans more sustainable.

A Process-Based Approach for Cradle-to-Gate Energy and Carbon Footprint Reduction in Product Design

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed J. Alsaffar ◽  
Karl R. Haapala ◽  
Kyoung-Yun Kim ◽  
Gül E. Okudan Kremer
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Product Life ◽  
Carbon Footprint Reduction

Interest in accounting for environmental impacts of products, processes, and systems during the design phase is increasing. Numerous studies have undertaken investigations for reducing environmental impacts across the product life cycle. Efforts have also been launched to quantify such impacts more accurately. Energy consumption and carbon footprint are among the most frequently adopted and investigated environmental performance metrics. The purpose of this paper is to serve two objectives — first, it provides a review of recent developments for carbon footprint reduction in manufacturing processes and supply chain operations. Second, a future vision is shared toward developing a method for reducing carbon footprint through simultaneous consideration of manufacturing processes and supply chain activities. The approach is demonstrated by developing analytical models for alternative manufacturing processes and supply chain networks associated in the manufacture of a bicycle pedal plate to realize its potential in assessing energy and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions. The sustainable design and manufacturing research community should benefit from the review presented. In addition, a point of departure for concurrent consideration of multiple stages of the product life cycle for environmental performance is established for the research community to move current efforts forward in pursuit of environmental, economic, and social sustainability.

scholarly journals Mass Timber Building Life Cycle Assessment Methodology for the U.S. Regional Case Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 14034
Author(s):  
Hongmei Gu ◽  
Shaobo Liang ◽  
Francesca Pierobon ◽  
Maureen Puettmann ◽  
Indroneil Ganguly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Building Life Cycle ◽  
Mass Timber

The building industry currently consumes over a third of energy produced and emits 39% of greenhouse gases globally produced by human activities. The manufacturing of building materials and the construction of buildings make up 11% of those emissions within the sector. Whole-building life-cycle assessment is a holistic and scientific tool to assess multiple environmental impacts with internationally accepted inventory databases. A comparison of the building life-cycle assessment results would help to select materials and designs to reduce total environmental impacts at the early planning stage for architects and developers, and to revise the building code to improve environmental performance. The Nature Conservancy convened a group of researchers and policymakers from governments and non-profit organizations with expertise across wood product life-cycle assessment, forest carbon, and forest products market analysis to address emissions and energy consumption associated with mass timber building solutions. The study disclosed a series of detailed, comparative life-cycle assessments of pairs of buildings using both mass timber and conventional materials. The methodologies used in this study are clearly laid out in this paper for transparency and accountability. A plethora of data exists on the favorable environmental performance of wood as a building material and energy source, and many opportunities appear for research to improve on current practices.

scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment with Integrated Circular Economy Principles: A Toy Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3856
Author(s):  
Rebeka Kovačič Lukman ◽  
Vasja Omahne ◽  
Damjan Krajnc
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Social Impacts ◽  
Life Cycle Costing ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment

When considering the sustainability of production processes, research studies usually emphasise environmental impacts and do not adequately address economic and social impacts. Toy production is no exception when it comes to assessing sustainability. Previous research on toys has focused solely on assessing environmental aspects and neglected social and economic aspects. This paper presents a sustainability assessment of a toy using environmental life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, and social life cycle assessment. We conducted an inventory analysis and sustainability impact assessment of the toy to identify the hotspots of the system. The main environmental impacts are eutrophication, followed by terrestrial eco-toxicity, acidification, and global warming. The life cycle costing approach examined the economic aspect of the proposed design options for toys, while the social assessment of the alternative designs revealed social impacts along the product life cycle. In addition, different options based on the principles of the circular economy were analysed and proposed in terms of substitution of materials and shortening of transport distances for the toy studied.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Automotive Products Regarding the Influence of Eco-Friendly Methods to Emissions’ Reduction

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anca N. Iuga (Butnariu) ◽  
Vasile N. Popa ◽  
Luminița I. Popa
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Formal Model ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Managerial Decisions ◽  
Automotive Production ◽  
Reduce Emissions

This article utilized a multicriterial quantitative and qualitative analysis of the influence of eco-friendly methods in reducing emissions over the life cycle of automotive products. The new proposed multicriterial method is applicable where preferential criteria are independent of each other, and where uncertainty has not been incorporated into a formal model. The linear model showed how the values of several criteria related to the options could be combined into an overall value. The main objective of this research was to apply a multicriterial methodology to improve the accuracy of existing approaches in identifying the influence of eco-friendly methods to reduce emissions over the product life cycle, and to assist decision makers in the manufacturing process. The research questions were as follows: Which one of two automotive products (“Bus” or “Truck”) has the best environmental performance (EPP)? Which one of two automotive products (“Bus” or “Truck”) has the best overall environmental performance (EPAPL)? This research provided a detailed comparative analysis of a “Crosstown bus” and a “Tractor truck”, both made at the Industrial Park Romania Brasov, Romania, using a multicriterial analysis. This article provided an answer to the first research question, whilst only presenting the results for the second question. The results of the proposed multicriterial method applications provide a decision support base for environmental managerial decisions in the field of automotive production processes.

scholarly journals Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Biogas as a Fuel for Transport Compared with Alternative Fuels

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari-Anne Lyng ◽  
Andreas Brekke
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Alternative Fuels ◽  
Impact Categories ◽  
Lca Methodology ◽  
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Categories ◽  
Bus Transport

Upgraded biogas, also known as biomethane, is increasingly being used as a fuel for transport in several countries and is regarded as an environmentally beneficial option. There are, nevertheless, few studies documenting the environmental impacts of biogas as a transport fuel compared with the alternatives on the market. In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was applied to compare the environmental performance of biogas used as a fuel for bus transport with natural gas, electricity fueled buses, biodiesel, and fossil diesel. A sensitivity analysis was performed for the biogas alternative to assess the importance of the underlying assumptions. The results show that biogas has a relatively low contribution to the environmental impact categories assessed. Emissions of greenhouse gases are dependent on assumptions such as system boundaries, transport distances and methane leakages.

Defining Key Environmental Performance Factors (KEPF) for Gas Turbines Eco-Design and Production Through Life Cycle Assessment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Musacchio ◽  
Andrea Corona ◽  
Luca Cencioni ◽  
Angela Serra ◽  
Pietro Bartocci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Design And Production

Abstract Nowadays environmental impact assessment of a new product is necessary to meet rising sustainability requirements also in the Oil & Gas and Power Generation markets, especially for industrial gas turbines. From the conceptual phase to the detailed design, engineer’s work is supported by a wide range of tools aimed to define and evaluate typical parameters such as performances, life and costs, etc. However, considering environmental impact aspects from the early stages of product development may not be easy if the involved engineers are not provided by a specific Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) knowledge. Scope of this paper is to introduce and explain the development of a methodology aimed to define and evaluate the Key Environmental Performance Factors (KEPF) during the whole design process. The proposed methodology enables easy and fast eco-design evaluations and supports sustainable design assessments. Preliminary analysis of the entire processes involved in gas turbine (GT) design and production as well as testing and commissioning phases were performed to evaluate which factors affect mostly the Carbon Footprint of each process, referred to their specific functional unit. Extrapolating the KEPF from Cradle-to-Gate LCA they can be combined with case-specific qualitative and quantitative information such as material selection, manufacturing processes, mass quantity, presence of coatings etc. to provide environmental assessments. A case study of LCA applied to a heavy-duty GT is presented to outline the relative weight of each KEPF.

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