GSI review Flashcards
What are end of life options?
Recycling. Landfilling Composting, Abandoning, Reuse, Repair
Who has influence in making the building
Owner, designer, contractor, subcontractors, (a lot of people)
Building and environmental problem
Construction processes, design, materials demand, energy demand for functionality
Why are buildings not environmentally friendly
Decisions are made based off of
Safety
functionality
Cost
General environmental trends
Increase of pollutants in air makes for higher amount of acid rain
Positive feedback loops • Definition and examples
Feedback Loop is where event A causes event B to happen more but then event A happens more if B happens more and so on. An example of this feedback loop is air conditioning. Can also happen with multiple steps.
We use AC to keep cool in the heat > AC releases greenhouse gases > greenhouse effect increases > it gets hotter > the use of AC is used to keep cool (even more) >loop
GHG sinks
sinks : ocean, trees
Utility theories explain it.
Higher risk potentially
higher payoff (graph) But you can also lose a lot
What is an LCA?
Environmental assessment of a product from birth till end of life
Process based vs. EIO LCA
Process based vs. EIO LCA
EIO: based on $
Process based: based on materials (emissions for each process of plastic cup)
Stages in risk analysis process
Hazard identification
Risk characterization
Risk management
Draw cash flow diagram
Diagram with the big arrows on a line insert and output of value gain and loss
Where is uncertainty introduced in LCA?
Methods, Assumptions (e.g., boundaries, interpretations), Data (mass flows, emissions, impacts), Interpretations
How can we mitigate uncertainty?
Interpretation – significant figures
Simulation – bound the significant figures
Bayesian parameter adjustments
Hybrid models and alternative approaches
Pedigree Matrix
What are the different methods of electric generation? How do they each work?
Basic steam cycle-boiler makes steam, steam turns turbine, shaft turns generator
Gas turbine - compressor shoots air into combustion chamber which turns turbine>shaft>generator
Combined cycle combined cycle. Combustion cycle completed. That excess heat is used to heat up steam and then the steam cycle begins
What are the different fuel sources and the pros/cons of each (coal, nat. Gas )?
Coal:
Pro: infrastructure built around it. A lot of jobs have been made and a lot of small
coal Town economies depend heavily on these jobs
Con: incredibly detrimental to the environment. Massive amount of CO2 emissions
Natural gas:
Pro: Contributes to about 20 % of world energy
Con: methane leaks from pipes in ground can potentially reach groundwater
Why do emissions factors vary across the country? • CA versus East Coast? • Los Angeles versus San Francisco versus San Diego?
Variety of different types of plants for any given county or city being compared.
This is a major difference between a city like Berkeley on the west coast
And a coal town in Ohio.
What are some of the main water pollutants, and why do we care?
• Examples – Pathogens are a concern of human health, nutrients can cause dead zones, thermal pollution causes ecosystem damage, ETC.
What is BOD, DO, TDS, etc.?
BOD: biochemical oxygen demand
DO: dissolved oxygen
TDS: total dissolved solids
Why do we care about the impacts of transportation?
Primary energy consumption, petroleum consumption, GHG emissions, NOx /CO emissions
What are some of the key functional units for transportation analyses?
Vehicle lifetime, Vehicle km traveled, Passenger km traveled
Name and describe the options for end of life. And list a pro and a con.
Recycling: pro: save natural resources // con: can be an expensive process
Landfilling: pro: keeps our garbage from piling up as that would be a health concern.
Con: it takes a lot of space.
Composting: pro: potential to reduce waste by a quarter in the US.
Con: can be a health concern if not done the right way.
What challenges are associated with each disposal method?
Recycling-not as efficient and can cost more in some intense processes
Landfilling- potential groundwater contamination
composting - can become a health concern if not done correctly
What is integral or nonintegral recycling?
integral-steel manufacturing
non integral- paper manufacturing, asphalt concrete
