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CHBE 370 (Fundamentals of Sustainable Engineering) > Chapter 3: Life cycle assessment > Flashcards

Chapter 3: Life cycle assessment Flashcards

1
Q

What is a life cycle assessment?

A

-An analysis tool for assessing the environmental impacts associated with a product or service system.

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2
Q

What is a central characteristic of an LCA?

A

The holistic focus on products or processes and
their functions, considering upstream and
downstream activities.

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3
Q

In the cradle-to-grave journey, what are the common life cycle stages from beginning to end?

A

Raw material acquisition -> Material purification -> Product manufacture -> Product use -> Product disposal

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4
Q

What are the main parts/elements of the ISO14000 LCA standards?

A
  1. Goal and scope definition

2.Life Cycle Inventory analysis, LCI

  1. Life Cycle Impact Assessment, LCIA
  2. Interpretation
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5
Q

Explain the goal and scope definition of LCA standards

A

Define the goal and use of LCA, and scopes the assessment
concerning system boundaries, function and flow, required data quality,
technology and assessment parameters.

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6
Q

Explain the life cycle inventory analysis, LCI for ISO14000 LCA standards

A

Collect data on inputs (resources and intermediate products) and outputs
(emissions, wastes) for all the processes in the product system.

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7
Q

Explain the life cycle impact assessment for ISO14000 LCA standards

A

Translates inventory data on inputs and outputs into indicators
about the product system’s potential impacts on the environment,
on human health, and natural resource availability.

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8
Q

Explain the intepretation part of ISO14000 LCA standards? Do all LCAs include this step?

A

The LCI and LCIA results are interpreted according to the
study’s goal.

Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis
are performed to qualify the results and conclusions.

Not all LCA’s include this step.

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9
Q

What is the system function in an LCA?

A

The economic or social good provided by
the goods or services in question.

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10
Q

What is the functional unit in LCAs used for?

A

Used to connect social benefits (goods and
services) to environmental impacts

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11
Q

What is the function of impact categories? What do they determine?

A

Which environmental concerns are included and
which are excluded.

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12
Q

What does the system boundary include and exclude in the LCA standard?

A

which processes or life cycle stages are
included and which ones are excluded

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13
Q

What types of analyses can be involved in the system boundary:

A
  • Cradle-to-gate analysis

– Gate to gate analysis

– Gate to grave analysis

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14
Q

What is the audience in an LCA?

A

Whether it will be a public and peer reviewed
document.

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15
Q

What considerations are made for the audience for an LCA?

A

-Accuracy of data
-Uncertainty of the results

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16
Q

What is a life-cycle audit conducted at?

A

A life-cycle audit is conducted at each stage of the product
or each unit within the defined boundaries to obtain a lifecycle inventory of materials, wastes, emissions, energy and water consumption, and product costs.

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17
Q

What is a foreground system in LCA?

A

A set of processes whose selection or mode of operation is affected directly by
decisions based on the study

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18
Q

What is a background system in LCA?

A

All other processes which interact directly with the foreground system, usually by
supplying material or energy to the foreground or receiving material energy from it.

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19
Q

How can materials use be quantified?

A

By direct measurement or mass
balance analysis.

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20
Q

What are inherited emissions in a process?

A

Inherited emissions originate directly from the process itself.

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21
Q

What is the purpose of the emission factor method?

A

To estimate industrial emissions by using average emission factors developed by environmental agencies.

22
Q

How can emission factors be obtained for new energy technologies lacking data in databases?

A

Literature data from laboratory or pilot-scale plant tests can be collected from the literature.

23
Q

What are fugitive emissions?

A

Unintentional releases of process fluid
from equipment due to the leakage of components like pumps,
valves, flanges etc.

24
Q

How can fugitive emissions be estimated?

A

By direct measurement
method or emission factor method

25
Q

What does a typical list of impact indicators include for a life cycle impact assessment?

A

– Global Climate Change

– Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

– Smog formation

– Acidification

– Eutrophication

– Human Toxicity

– Ecotoxicity

– Natural Resource depletion (habitat, water, fossil fuels, minerals, biological resources)

– Land use and biodiversity

26
Q

What are the key steps involved in interpretation of life cycle assessments?

A
  1. Using normalization, scoring and other methods to clarify data for
    decision makers (Normalization by regional, national or global data)
  2. Review data quality
  3. Make recommendations
27
Q

What does the LCA help identify for a product and which industries are applicable for this identification?

A

Green product and process design, development and
improvement:

  • Identify green pathways for a new product
  • Identify “hotspot” in the life cycle chain of an existing product
28
Q

How can LCIs and LCAs be applied to product comparison? What are some examples?

A

Life-cycle inventories (LCI) and life-cycle assessments (LCA) have
been used to compare products that serve similar functions, although controversies exist on using life-cycle inventories and
life-cycle assessment for product comparison.

  • Examples:
    – Paper vs. plastic bags
    – Wood/bamboo chopsticks vs. plastic spoons
    – Plastic cups vs. paper cups
29
Q

What are some key considerations when comparing products?

A

Equivalency of products for comparison.

Renewable versus non-renewable sources (eg. paper bags vs. plastic bags)

Biodegradable versus non-biodegradable products at the end of their lives (paper bags vs. plastic bags).

30
Q

What are examples of product comparisons based on the equivalency of products?

A

Paper vs. plastic bags.

Cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers.

Electric cars vs. gasoline combustion engine cars.

31
Q

What is the goal of strategic planning for corporations in terms of a life cycle assessment?

A

The goal is to incorporate life-cycle environmental thinking into corporate decisions in various aspects, including environmental strategic planning, research and development, product/process design, manufacturing, decommissioning, and closure/restoration.

32
Q

How are life-cycle assessments used at the corporate level?

A

-Select material suppliers.

-Evaluate environmental concerns associated with their facilities or product lines.

-Assess core business operations.

33
Q

How is the public sector using environmental labels, and what is their purpose?

A

The public sector uses environmental labels (eco-labels) to increase the public’s environmental awareness.

34
Q

How have life cycle assessments been used by governments?

A
  • Setting research and development
    policy
  • Stimulating markets
  • Setting regulations.
35
Q

What are the uncertanities in LCAs?

A

-Lack of emission data from other sources within the lifecycle (i.e.
incineration, landfills).

  • Uncertainty on recycling rate of used product.
  • Uncertainty on the allocation of emissions for a single product
    when multiple products are produced in the same process.
36
Q

What are the types of uncertainties for product comparison?

A

-Equivalency of products for comparison

  • Renewable versus non-renewable source
  • Biodegradable versus non-biodegradable
    product at the end of their lives.
37
Q

Where does the LCA have applications?

A

In product design, strategic environmental planning, and
public policymaking.

38
Q

What does the LCA trace?

A

An LCA traces the flows of energy,
raw materials, and waste streams that were
required to create, use and dispose of the product.

39
Q

What are examples of inherited emissions?

A

Energy consumption and process emissions

40
Q

What is a sufficient condition for process(es) to be in the background system?

A

The exchange with the foreground takes place through a
homogeneous market.

41
Q

How can inherited emissions be measured?

A

They can be directly measured or estimated based on process performance data.

42
Q

What software can be used to estimate energy and mass flows in a process or system?

A

Process simulation software like Aspen Plus can be used to estimate energy and mass flows in a process or system.

43
Q

What are the major steps for a life cycle impact assessment?

A

Inventory –> Classification –> Categorization

44
Q

What are the resource depletion impact categories

A

Abiotic Depletion Potential
Energy Depletion Potential

45
Q

What are the global environmental impacts?

A

Global Warming Potential
Ozone Depletion Potential

46
Q

What are the regional/local environmental impacts?

A

Acidification Potential
Photochemical Oxidant Creation Potential
Human Toxicity
Aquatic/Terrestrial Ecotoxicity
Eutrophication Potential

47
Q

What does the cradle to gate analysis analyze?

A

carbon intensity of raw material supply chain

48
Q

What does the gate to gate analysis analyze?

A

carbon intensity of manufacturing

49
Q

What does the gate to grave analysis analyze?

A

carbon intensity of product use and disposal

50
Q

Write down the formula for the fugitive emissions based on the direct measurement method

A

E (kg/hr) = Q(m^3/hr)mvoc(vol%)ρvoc(kg/m^3)

51
Q

What does an impact assessment do with inventory data?

A

Aggregates inventory data to indicators for each impact
category.

52
Q

What is the hotspot in the life cycle chain?

A

The stage in the life cycle that has the largest environmental impact on what you are assessing

CHBE 370 (Fundamentals of Sustainable Engineering) (11 decks)

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