Development of a Life-Cycle Assessment Tool to Quantify the Environmental Impacts of Airport Pavement Construction

2017 ◽  
Vol 2603 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah Yang ◽  
Imad L. Al-Qadi
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Portland Cement ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Original Design ◽  
Material Production ◽  
Airport Pavement ◽  
Pavement Construction

The environmental impacts of airport pavement construction were evaluated in this study through a life-cycle analysis approach. Total primary energy (TPE) consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from material production and construction of pavement were determined by using life-cycle assessment (LCA), a quantitative methodology described in the ISO 14040 series. A tool was developed to implement a probabilistic LCA through the Monte Carlo method. This tool allowed for consideration of uncertainty from life-cycle inventory data. A case study on the construction of Runway 10R-28L at Chicago O'Hare International Airport focused on mainline and shoulder pavement designs. Environmental impacts from producing materials for the pavements increased from lower to upper layers, while asphalt layers had relatively higher TPE consumption than the upper portland cement concrete layer—and vice versa for GHGs. Impacts from material production overshadowed those from construction, which contributed less than 2% of TPE consumption and GHGs. Further analysis showed that two production processes—for asphalt binder and portland cement—were the leading contributors (45.3% and 29.2%, respectively) of TPE consumption, while the latter was the leading contributor (73.4%) of GHGs. A probabilistic analysis compared the original 10R-28L runway design and a modified design that did not use recycled materials or warm-mix asphalt technology. The results from 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations showed that the environmental impacts from the two cases were statistically significant, with the original design having lower TPE consumption (482 versus 693 MJ/yd2 for TPE) and GHGs (37.5 versus 53.9 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per square yard).

Environmental impacts-based milling process planning using a life cycle assessment tool

2019 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
pp. 349-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo de Souza Zanuto ◽  
Amauri Hassui ◽  
Francisco Lima ◽  
David Alan Dornfeld
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Process Planning ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Milling Process

scholarly journals Dampak Lingkungan dan Kesehatan Pemanfaatan Limbah Cat Sebagai Produk Material Bangunan

METANA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-32
Author(s):  
Ari Dina Permana Citra ◽  
Hargianti Dini Iswandari
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Environmental Media ◽  
Soil Media

Limbah cat yang tidak mempunyai nilai ekonomis dan memerlukan biaya untuk pengolahannya, dapat dimanfaatkan sebagai bahan baku menjadi produk yang berguna. Limbah cat digunakan sebagai bahan baku campuran pembuatan produk bata beton (paving block) agar dapat mencegah dampak negative lingkungan. Penelitian yang dilakukan bertujuan untuk mengkaji dampak lingkungan dan kesehatan dari limbah cat dan pemanfaatannya sebagai campuran bata beton.  Dampak lingkungan sebagai ekotoksisitas dan dampak kesehatan berupa toksisitas dihitung menggunakan perangkat kajian daur hidup LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) pada variasi kadar limbah cat sebesar 1,2,3,4 dan 5% pada bata beton. Hasil kajian menunjukkan penurunan potensi dampak lingkungan dan kesehatan produk bata beton dibandingkan limbah cat padat. Ekotoksisitas limbah cat terendah pada media tanah dan tertinggi pada media perairan air tawar. Toksisitas pada manusia jauh lebih tinggi dibanding pada media lingkungan, dipakai sebagai dasar penanganan limbah cat. Pemanfaatan limbah cat sebagai bahan baku campuran bata beton dapat mengurangi ekotoksisitas dan toksisitas secara signifikan, dapat digunakan sebagai model pengelolaan limbah. Paint waste that has no economic value and requires a cost for its processing can be used as raw material to become a useful product. Waste paint is used as a raw material for the manufacture of concrete brick products (paving blocks) in order to prevent negative environmental impacts. The research carried out aims to assess the environmental and health impacts of paint waste and its use as a concrete brick mixture. Environmental impacts as ecotoxicity and health impacts in the form of toxicity are calculated using the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) life cycle assessment tool on the variation of paint waste content of 1,2,3,4 and 5% in concrete bricks. The results of the study show a decrease in the potential environmental and health impacts of concrete brick products compared to solid paint waste. The lowest paint waste ecotoxicity in soil media and highest in freshwater waters media. Toxicity in humans is much higher than in environmental media, used as a basis for handling paint waste. The use of paint waste as raw material for concrete brick mix can significantly reduce the ecotoxicity and toxicity, it can be used as a waste management model.

Concrete Water Footprint Assessment Methodologies

2015 ◽  
Vol 668 ◽  
pp. 247-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yazmin Lisbeth Mack ◽  
Lidiane Santana Oliveira ◽  
Vanderley Moacyr John
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
High Water ◽  
Iso 14044 ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
Water Assessment

Concrete is the single most widely used material in the world and is only surpassed by water in terms of consumption. By 2013, 4 billion tonnes of Portland cement were produced worldwide, enough to produce about 32 billion tonnes of concrete, which represents more than 4.6 tonnes of concrete per person per year. The high water consumption and large amount of wastewater generated in the concrete industry has become a very important environmental issue. Due to the large global use of concrete, it is essential to correctly assess the environmental impacts of this material including impacts related to water consumption. Life cycle perspective is important because it allows identifying and reducing water related potential environmental impacts associated with products. In concrete life cycle assessment, these impacts are not considered mostly because of lack of data. There are several methodologies for water footprint assessment, as The Water Footprint Assessment Tool and the ISO 14046:2014 standard -that is based on life cycle assessment (ISO 14044)-, as well as sustainable reporting guidelines, which include water assessment for organizations. The aim of this paper is to evaluate existing water footprint methodologies based on life-cycle assessment, their concepts and difficulties, and link them to concrete industry. Out of at least eighteen existing water footprint methodologies, it was found that four of them are feasible for cement based materials industry, however there are differences between the definitions and criteria adopted by each methodology.

scholarly journals Environmental Consequences of Closing the Textile Loop—Life Cycle Assessment of a Circular Polyester Jacket

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2964
Author(s):  
Gregor Braun ◽  
Claudia Som ◽  
Mélanie Schmutz ◽  
Roland Hischier
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Textile Industry ◽  
System Analysis ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Energy And Material Flows

The textile industry is recognized as being one of the most polluting industries. Thus, the European Union aims to transform the textile industry with its “European Green Deal” and “Circular Economy Action Plan”. Awareness regarding the environmental impact of textiles is increasing and initiatives are appearing to make more sustainable products with a strong wish to move towards a circular economy. One of these initiatives is wear2wearTM, a collaboration consisting of multiple companies aiming to close the loop for polyester textiles. However, designing a circular product system does not lead automatically to lower environmental impacts. Therefore, a Life Cycle Assessment study has been conducted in order to compare the environmental impacts of a circular with a linear workwear jacket. The results show that a thoughtful “circular economy system” design approach can result in significantly lower environmental impacts than linear product systems. The study illustrates at the same time the necessity for Life Cycle Assessment practitioners to go beyond a simple comparison of one product to another when it comes to circular economy. Such products require a wider system analysis approach that takes into account multiple loops, having interconnected energy and material flows through reuse, remanufacture, and various recycling practices.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Households in Santiago, Chile: Environmental Hotspots and Policy Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2525
Author(s):  
Camila López-Eccher ◽  
Elizabeth Garrido-Ramírez ◽  
Iván Franchi-Arzola ◽  
Edmundo Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Freshwater Eutrophication

The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of household life cycles in Santiago, Chile, by household income level. The assessment considered scenarios associated with environmental policies. The life cycle assessment was cradle-to-grave, and the functional unit considered all the materials and energy required to meet an inhabitant’s needs for one year (1 inh/year). Using SimaPro 9.1 software, the Recipe Midpoint (H) methodology was used. The impact categories selected were global warming, fine particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, mineral resource scarcity, and fossil resource scarcity. The inventory was carried out through the application of 300 household surveys and secondary information. The main environmental sources of households were determined to be food consumption, transport, and electricity. Food consumption is the main source, responsible for 33% of the environmental impacts on global warming, 69% on terrestrial acidification, and 29% on freshwater eutrophication. The second most crucial environmental hotspot is private transport, whose contribution to environmental impact increases as household income rises, while public transport impact increases in the opposite direction. In this sense, both positive and negative environmental effects can be generated by policies. Therefore, life-cycle environmental impacts, the synergy between policies, and households’ socio-economic characteristics must be considered in public policy planning and consumer decisions.

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.

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