Life cycle assessment

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is sometimes referred to synonymously as life - cycle analysis in the scholarly and agency report literatures. Also, due to the general nature of an LCA study of examining the life cycle impacts from raw material extraction (cradle) through disposal (grave), it is sometimes referred to as cradle-to-grave analysis. Environmental impact = consequences of pollution, e. Se hela listan på sciencedirect.

ERA = environmental risk assessment : a tool for predicting whether there may be a risk of adverse effects on the environment caused by a chemical substance.

EEA = eco-efficiency analysis: analysis of the economic output and the environmental impact caused by products or activities. EMS = environmental management systea tool for an Organization to systematically manage its environmental and health safety matters. CBA = cost-benefit analysis: analysis of costs and benefits related to environmental aspects of products and services.

Life - cycle assessments have been made for fuel cell buses and hybrids, as this has been a major demonstration area for the new technologies, along with passenger cars. Chinese and US conditions, find substantial differences due to differences in the energy systems in the two countries, and conclude that under Chinese conditions, while some alternatives such as electric buses are advantageous in an assessment including life - cycle externalities, fuel cell buses are not and require major RD breakthroughs. Although fuel cell operation of trains are under consideration (e.g. in Japan), the advantage is not obvious, considering that most train services are electrified or planned to become electrified and thus can use renewable power say from wind directly. Here, a natural gas-based SOFC or MCFC system is compared with a liquid hydrogen-based PEMFC power unit.

In the small ferry case, the base alternative used today is a diesel engine using light fuel oil, where the larger ship would be using heavy fuel oil.

The basic database used in this life-cycle study is said to be proprietary, but the numbers are very similar to those one that would derive from publicly available emission and impact databases. SOemissions (omitting a discussion of a possible bonus for producing useful by-products). The same investigation for the auxiliary power system of the large ship of course gives similar for the hydrogen-based systems, but not for the diesel engine, where two conditions are different: The larger diesel engine for the large ship is considerably more efficient, giving lower per kilowatt hour emissions, but the use of heavy fuel oil often entails higher emissions of SO with details depending on the origin (and sulphur content) of the fuel. This chapter applies life cycle assessment (LCA) tools to air pollution by providing an overview of the life cycles of energy systems and the damage incurred by the various stages, from extraction to disposal. All energy production causes insults to the environment, differing amount and type of pollution, including the release of air pollutants at each stage from extraction through product end-of- life and recycling.

Future decisions on appropriate energy production and conservation must be based on sound science and factual comparisons of available options to control and prevent air pollution. Several organizations have developed methods for LCA each using a different analytic approach to this complex activity. Regardless of the approach, several generic difficulties challenge LCA, including poor quality data, weak reasons or procedures for establishing analytic boundaries, and diverse values inherent in comparing environmental factors with no common objective, quantitative basis. The main components of a life cycle analysis or assessment should include the identification and quantification of not only the waste generated through the entire life cycle but also the raw materials and energy requirements throughout the entire life cycle and their environmental impacts.

Comparing existing methods for LCA gives insight into the conceptual framework used by researchers. The code of practice for LCA stands out currently as the most widely recognized procedural model. There have been a lot of different methods developed by researchers to obtain LCA.

Though some methods for LCA receive approval for thoroughness and analytic consistency, these same methods have been criticized as requiring too much data, time, and money when each is in short supply. A lot of work has been done to develop methodologies, guidelines, benefits, etc. LCA according to the cradle-to-grave concept to protect the environment throughout the life cycle of the product. It is now time to change the LCA-ISO standard from a cradle-to-grave concept to protect the environment to a cradle-to-cradle concept to protect not only the environment but also the natural resources as will be discussed in the next section.

This might require an added responsibility to the producer according the principle of extended producer responsibility.

Livscykelanalys eller life-cycle assessment är en metod för att åstadkomma en helhetsbild av hur stor den totala miljöpåverkan är under en produkts livscykel från råvaruutvinning, via tillverkningsprocesser och användning till avfallshanteringen, inklusive alla transporter och all energiåtgång i mellanleden. Livscykelanalyser kan göras på alla mänskliga aktiviteter och produkter som mat, förpackningar, elektronik, bränslen, transporter etc. Genom ta reda på i. LCA helps to quantify the environmental pressures related to goods and services (products), the environmental benefits, the trade-offs and areas for achieving improvements taking into account the full life-cycle of the product.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic analysis of the ecological impact of a product, process, or service over its entire life journey from the cradle to the grave. Life - cycle assessment or life cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life - cycle analysis) is a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life - cycle of a commercial product, process, or service. The life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life cycle. Indoor farms can play a number of roles in agricultural production, which should be taken into account in a comparative analysis on whether to adopt open farming or indoor farming, which products to produce, or how to utilize indoor farming as a social technology option.

This means having updated information and guidelines that do not need prior understanding of lifecycle approaches. This covers all environmental impacts arising during production, the usage phase, and disposal, as well as the connected upstream and downstream processes such as the extraction and production of raw materials. Standardization in the field of life cycle assessment and related environmental management tools for products and organizations. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (Int J Life Cycle Assess) is the first journal devoted entirely to Life Cycle Assessment and closely related methods.

E-LCA is a time tested assessment technique that evaluates environmental performance throughout the life cycle of a product or from performing a service. The extraction and consumption of resources (including energy), as well as releases to air, water, and soil, are quantified throughout all stages.