Allenby (2010) Industry Ecology and Sustainable Engineering Quiz

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• LCA is a method to assess the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle.
• The goal of LCA is to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.

Contributions of Different Life Cycle Stages

• The different stages of a product's life cycle (raw material acquisition, material processing, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life) contribute to various environmental impacts, including:
  • Global Warming Potential (GWP)
  • Air Pollution (AP)
  • Eutrophication Potential (EP)
  • Human Toxicity Potential (HTP)
  • Non-Renewable Primary Materials Depletion (NRPMD)
  • Water Consumption (WC)
  • Non-Renewable Energy Sources Depletion (NRESD)

LCA Improvement Assessment

• The goal is to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.
• Strategies to achieve this include:
  • Eliminating or replacing products with biodegradable, non-bioaccumulative, non-toxic, and minimal hazard products.
  • Eliminating or minimizing hazardous substance use.
  • Using lightweight materials.
  • Minimizing energy use.
  • Dematerialization through nanotechnologies.
  • Increasing efficiency of processes.
  • Increasing economic life.
  • Redesigning products for reuse, remanufacture, or easy repair.

LCA Software

• Examples of LCA software include SimaPro, GaBi, and OpenLCA.

Toward Zero Waste

• The concept of zero waste aims to minimize waste generation and maximize resource recovery.

Paradigm Shift in Manufacturing

• The traditional "End-of-Pipe" approach is being replaced by cleaner production and zero-emission approaches.
• The goal is to move toward zero waste and minimize environmental impacts.

Capturing the Value of Waste

• Resource recovery from waste recaptures the value of resources used in manufacturing and minimizes environmental impacts from further resource extraction.

LCA Methodology

• The LCA methodology involves:
  • Formulation of goal and scope
  • Definition of system boundaries
  • Selection of unit processes and activities
  • System function and functional units
  • Inventory analysis
  • Impact assessment
  • Interpretation
  • Improvement assessment

Components of LCA

• The components of LCA include:
  • Reduction of environmental burden
  • Consequences on the environment

LCA Inventory Analysis

• Inventory analysis involves tracking inputs and outputs throughout the life cycle, including:
  • Raw material acquisition
  • Material processing
  • Manufacturing
  • Use
  • End-of-life
  • Recycling
  • Reuse
  • Re-manufacture

LCA Impact Assessment

• The impact assessment involves:
  • Identifying environmental concerns
  • Classification
  • Characterization
  • Normalization
  • Weighting
  • System boundary impacts, including global warming, ozone depletion, and eutrophication.