scholarly journals Optimizing the Life Cycle of Physical Assets through an Integrated Life Cycle Assessment Method

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 6128
Author(s):  
José Edmundo de Almeida Pais ◽  
Hugo D. N. Raposo ◽  
José Torres Farinha ◽  
Antonio J. Marques Cardoso ◽  
Pedro Alexandre Marques
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Physical Assets ◽  
Asset Depreciation

The purpose of this study was to apply new methods of econometric models to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of physical assets, by integrating investments such as maintenance, technology, sustainability, and technological upgrades, and to propose a means to evaluate the Life Cycle Investment (LCI), with emphasis on sustainability. Sustainability is a recurrent theme of existing studies and will be a concern in coming decades. As a result, equipment with a smaller environmental footprint is being continually developed. This paper presents a method to evaluate asset depreciation with an emphasis on the maintenance investment, technology depreciation, sustainability depreciation, and technological upgrade investment. To demonstrate the value added of the proposed model, it was compared with existing models that do not take the previously mentioned aspects into consideration. The econometric model is consistent with asset life cycle plans as part of the Strategic Asset Management Plan of the Asset Management System. It is clearly demonstrated that the proposed approach is new and the results are conclusive, as demonstrated by the presented models and their results. This research aims to introduce new methods that integrate the factors of technology upgrades and sustainability for the evaluation of assets’ LCA and replacement time. Despite the increase in investment in technology upgrades and sustainability, the results of the Integrated Life Cycle Assessment First Method (ILCAM1), which represents an improved approach for the analyzed data, show that the asset life is extended, thus increasing sustainability and promoting the circular economy. By comparison, the Integrated Life Cycle Investment Assessment Method (ILCIAM) shows improved results due to the investment in technology upgrades and sustainability. Therefore, this study presents an integrated approach that may offer a valid tool for decision makers.

Asset Life Cycle Plans

2017 ◽  
pp. 259-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. (Richard) Ruitenburg ◽  
A. J. J. (Jan) Braaksma ◽  
L. A. M. (Leo) van Dongen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Life Cycle Management ◽  
Business Value ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
Complete Life Cycle ◽  
Physical Assets ◽  
Multidisciplinary Perspective

Effective management of physical assets should deliver maximum business value. Therefore, Asset Management standards such as PAS 55 and ISO 55000 ask for a life cycle approach. However, most existing methods focus only on the short term of the asset's life or the estimation of its remaining life. These methods do not consider alignment to changing corporate objectives in a variable context, nor do they adopt a multidisciplinary perspective. This chapter argues that, to create maximum value, Asset Management should be a multidisciplinary and strategic practice that considers the complete life cycle of the asset: Asset Life Cycle Management. A practical twelve-step approach is presented to develop an Asset Life Cycle Plan (ALCP) in which expert sessions are used to identify the main lifetime impacts that influence the creation of business value from the use of the asset. The steps are illustrated with an example from practice. The chapter concludes that the ALCP supports asset managers in making long-term strategic decisions in a timely and effective manner.

scholarly journals Validation of Sustainability Benchmarking Tool in the Context of Value-Added Wood Products Manufacturing Activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cagatay Tasdemir ◽  
Rado Gazo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Base Points

The primary objective of this study was to validate the sustainability benchmarking tool (SBT) framework proposed by the authors in a previous study. The SBT framework is focused on benchmarking triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability through exhaustive use of lean, six-sigma, and life cycle assessment (LCA). During the validation, sustainability performance of a value-added wood products’ production line was assessed and improved through deployment of the SBT framework. Strengths and weaknesses of the system were identified within the scope of the bronze frontier maturity level of the framework and tackled through a six-step analytical and quantitative reasoning methodology. The secondary objective of the study was to document how value-added wood products industries can take advantage of natural properties of wood to become frontiers of sustainability innovation. In the end, true sustainability performance of the target facility was improved by 2.37 base points, while economic and environmental performance was increased from being a system weakness to achieving an acceptable index score benchmark of 8.41 and system strength level of 9.31, respectively. The social sustainability score increased by 2.02 base points as a function of a better gender bias ratio. The financial performance of the system improved from a 33% loss to 46.23% profit in the post-improvement state. Reductions in CO2 emissions (55.16%), energy consumption (50.31%), solid waste generation (72.03%), non-value-added-time (89.30%), and cost performance (64.77%) were other significant achievements of the study. In the end, the SBT framework was successfully validated at the facility level, and the target facility evolved into a leaner, cleaner, and more responsible version of itself. This study empirically documents how synergies between lean, sustainability, six-sigma and life cycle assessment concepts outweigh their divergences and demonstrates the viability of the SBT framework.

scholarly journals Research on Carbon Emissions of Electric Vehicles throughout the Life Cycle Assessment Taking into Vehicle Weight and Grid Mix Composition

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanmei Li ◽  
Ningning Ha ◽  
Tingting Li
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Weight Class ◽  
Vehicle Weight ◽  
The Impact

To study the impact of the promotion of electric vehicles on carbon emissions in China, the full life carbon emissions of electric vehicles are studied on the basis of considering such factors as vehicle weight and grid mix composition, and fuel vehicles are added for comparison. In this paper, we collect data for 34 domestic electric vehicles, and linear regression analysis is used to model the relationship between vehicle weight and energy consumption. Then, a Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment method is used to establish the life cycle carbon emission calculation model for electric vehicles and fuel vehicles. Finally, the life cycle carbon emissions of electric vehicles and fuel vehicles under different electrical energy structures are discussed using scenario analysis. The results show that under the current grid mix composition in China, the carbon emissions of electric vehicles of the same vehicle weight class are 24% to 31% higher than that of fuel vehicles. As the proportion of clean energy in the grid mix composition increases, the advantages of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions will gradually emerge.

scholarly journals Social Life-Cycle Assessment of a Piece of Jewellery. Emphasis on the Local Community

Resources ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela D’Eusanio ◽  
Monica Serreli ◽  
Luigia Petti
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Historical Background ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
The Social

An increasing global focus on sustainability has affected the jewellery industry by raising questions about its environmental and social impacts and ethics due to the negative impacts of gold mining. It is essential to consider the social aspects of mining activities on the socio-economic environment and the affected individuals in order to understand the sustainability of the jewellery industry in a better way. Nonetheless, this is a gap in the evaluation of the issues of jewellery in the other phases of the life cycle, observed in the literature. For these reasons, the goal of this study is to assess the social and socio-economic aspects of a piece of jewellery from the artisan’s point of view by considering the relationship between a piece of jewellery and the local community. The United National Environmental Programme/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP/SETAC) Guidelines on Social Life-Cycle Assessment, the UNEP/SETAC Methodological Sheets and the Subcategory Assessment Method were implemented. The findings show that a piece of jewellery can play an important role in supporting the local cultural heritage by innovating the traditional product, and promoting educational activities related to the history of the product and the territory. Consequently, the local community with its historical background gives an added value to the piece of jewellery. Further research on this topic is desirable in order to improve the knowledge of this particular sector and to identify other social issues that can be involved in this product.

Exergy-Based Model of the Depletion of Mineral Resources

2010 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Xue Sun ◽  
Zuo Ren Nie ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
Zhi Hong Wang ◽  
Xian Zheng Gong
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Natural Minerals ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Core Idea ◽  
Primary Problem

The primary problem of eco-materials is how to judge whether a material is environmentally friendly or not, and the method of life cycle assessment is usually used to evaluate it. The depletion of mineral resources is a very important indicator of LCA, but its characterization is still filled with dispute. At present, the most commonly used method is CML, which is put forward by Leiden University, and its core idea is that using the ratio of exploitation amount and reserves of mineral resources as the degree of scarcity. Although being accepted by most of the scholars at work on LCA, CML doesn’t grasp the essence of the depletion of mineral resources. Recently, a new assessment method, injecting new ideas to the conventional life cycle assessment, combines exergy with LCA is arising, which can be used to solve some specific problems of LCA especially the depletion of mineral resources. In this paper, two results of elements’ exergy calculated by Rivero and Szargut respectively are compared, and the exergy of some natural minerals, which can be used in LCA and other minerals-related research, is calculated based on the data of Chinese mineral resources.

Assessing the eco-efficiency of different poultry production systems: an approach using life cycle assessment and economic value added

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielli Martinelli ◽  
Everton Vogel ◽  
Michel Decian ◽  
Maycon Jorge Ulisses Saraiva Farinha ◽  
Luciana Virginia Mario Bernardo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Economic Value Added
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