Life cycle assessment environmental aspects

Adhesives and resins are one of the most important raw materials in wood-based panels. Thus, each question concerning the life cycle assessment and the recycling of bonded wood panels does bring into question the adhesive resins used. This includes, for example, the impact of the resin on various environmental aspects such as waste water and effluents, emission of noxious volatile chemicals during production and from the finished boards, or the reuse for energy generation of wood panels. The type of resin has also a crucial influence on feasibility and efficiency for several material recycling processes. 

Life cycle assessment is defined by ISO 14040 as compilation and evalu ation of inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle. The ISO standards regulate the procedural aspects of LCA. They do not, however, provide all the information required for carrying out an LCA study. The main phases of LCA are goal and scope definition, inventory, impact assessment, and interpretation. The various applications of LCA are not regulated by the standard (Fig. 15.1). 

Low-iemperature Ti02 film fabrication based on an understanding of tne electron transpor1 will also open up the possibility for further reduction in production costs. Study of the environmental aspects of dye-sensitized solar ceds revealed that DSC is a suitaole alternative for the electric generator because of its earth-friendliness.105) Based on a Life Cycle Assessment in ISO 14040 standard, carbon dioxiae emission of the cell is estimated to be 19-47 g C02/kWh, whicn is 1/10 that of the gas power plant (450 g C02/kWh). " oxicity of Dye 3 is negligible because of its negative Ames test.106 ... 

The development of green Foodomics runs parallel to the improvement and design of techniques able to assess the environmental impact of the different protocols/processes/operations involved. At present several techniques can be found in the literature to test, for instance, the impact of analytical chemistry methods (such as the Greeness profile, the HPLC-EAT, or the Analytical Eco-Scale) and the environmental impacts associated with a product or process, over its entire life cycle (such as Life Cycle Assessment). Nevertheless, techniques able to provide a more holistic view of the different aspects... 

Life-cycle assessment methodology has been used since the 1960s with early studies that focused solely on energy usage and solid waste issues. This focus continued in life-cycle assessments performed during the oil crisis in the 1970s.86>87 The unique aspect of all of these initial studies was the early development and use of life-cycle data inventories with less emphasis on environmental risk impacts of the associated processes studied. A method published by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in 1988, employing the Best Practicable Environmental... 

This report discusses the options for feedstock recycling of plastics waste, including aspects of the environmental and economic pros and cons relating to feedstock recycling in comparison with incineration or mechanical recycling of municipal solid waste, based on a number of life cycle assessments. Particular reference is made to the experience of the TNO-CML Centre of Chain Analysis.485 refs. 

With the growing awareness for the protection of the environment, there is a greater need for producers to improve the environmental profile of their products. Consumers and regulatory bodies expect more information on the effects of products on the environment during their manufacture, use, and disposal. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used as a holistic approach to assess the impact of a product throughout its life cycle. An important aspect of LCA is recycling and waste management. 

Life cycle analysis is expected to help in the long term the environmental aspects associated with the future of packaging. Life cycle assessment can also be applied. However, each involves factors which are difficult to accurately quantify. 

A life cycle assessment study, carried out by Sombekke et al. (1997), compared conventional filtration and GAC with NF. The NF performed better in health and quality aspects and worse in environmental impact, due to concentrate treatment and energy requirements. NF could outperform conventional treatment if green energy could be used. 

Life cycle cost assessment (LCCA) Systematic process for evaluating the life cycle cost of a product or service by identifying environmental consequences and assigning measures of monetary value to those craisequences (Warren and Weitz 1994 Bennett and James 1997). LCCA is a term that highlights the costing aspect of life cycle assessment (LCA) (Spitzer et al. 1993) Adding cost information to LCA... 

Life-cycle assessment when carried ont according to the ISO rules has shown its ability to deliver data for certain more global environmental compartments like the impact potential on saving of resonrces, global warming potential, acidification, ozone depletion, and the like. It nsnally does not cover local effects such as noise or smell and hazardons snbstances. Here risk assessment or other methodologies are needed. The evalnation of effects regarding human toxicity is hampered by a lack of sufficient data and by a still undecided question of data evaluation. Thns, life-cycle analysis is a nseful tool but not the only answer to all enviromnental aspects. 

Since life cycle assessment (LCA) can be more than an environmental impact assessment approach, chapter Life Cycle Sustainabiftty Assessment A Holistic Evaluation of Social, Economic, and Environmental Impacts discusses life cycle sustainabiftty assessment. This extends the holistic environmental LCA to account for the economic and social pillars of sustainabiftty. Lastly, chapter Embedding Sustainabiftty in Product and Process Development—The Role of Process Systems Engineers describes the practical role of process systems engineers in the implementation of sustainabiftty in product and process development. It shows some key aspects and tools that practitioners should take into account to design and develop more sustainable products and processes during material selection, process design, process and product modeling, and supply chain implications. 

Use of life-cycle assessment techniques to analyze material choices, processes, and waste disposal continues to increase. Some countries in Europe require life-cycle analysis before products are introduced. The U.S. EPA and the Department of Energy have jointly sponsored research to develop the tools and information needed for life-cycle analysis-based decisions about solid waste management strategies. The results of this project have already undergone peer review by experts, and are scheduled to be released in 2000. This study includes both economic and environmental aspects, and will have relevance internationally as well as in the United States. ... 

Life cycle assessment(s) (LCA) is a tool for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with products or services. LCA involves compiling an inventory of inputs and outputs of the relevant product system, which are then evaluated, along with interpretation of the results of the inventory analysis and impact assessment in relation to the objective of the study, to determine the potential impact of the product/service on the environment [19]. 

Industrial ecology is a recent concept in engineering and management, and is an attempt to manage an industrial unit as an ecosystem, with feedback loops and the minimal use of resources and production of waste [7]. Life cycle assessment, which was designed to take into account the environmental impact of waste, can help achieve cleaner production technologies and sustainable waste management practices which are all important aspects of... 

Product stewardship means "responsibly managing the health, safety, and environmental aspects of raw materials, intermediate, and consumer products throughout their life cycle and across the value chain in order to prevent or minimize negative impacts and maximize value" [7], Chapter 2 of this book discusses the technical tools that a product steward uses to achieve this goal. These tools include the techniques to characterize and predict the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment upon their manufacture and use. The tools also include the methods used to calculate the possible risks to human health and the environment that may result. Chapter 2 also describes the formal process of life cycle assessment, which uses these tools to evaluate the potential effects on the environment as a result of the production, use, and disposal or recycling of a product. 

An analysis of the flows of energy involved in the production of any product is only one aspect of life cycle assessment. often one may wish to calculate the emissions and energy burdens associated with a specific product, e.g., the production of low density polyethylene resins, so that the potential and actual environmental and health effects associated with the use of the necessary resources and environmemental releases can be calculated. However, the focus of this article is the determination of the total, (both direct and indirect), energy required for the production of the product of interest, (energy flow analysis). 

In conventional industrial systems, a product is manufactured and marketed after which the vendor forgets about it (unless some product defect, such as sticking accelerator pedals on an automobile, forces a recall). In a system of industrial ecology, however, the entire life cycle of the product is considered. An important aspect of such a consideration is life cycle assessment. The overall goal of a life cycle assessment is to determine, measure, and minimize environmental and resource impacts of products and services. 

The environmental evaluation of the different fuel cell system is performed through the life cycle assessment (LCA) method where an investigation of the complete life cycle is performed to ensure that no environmental aspect is neglected. Higher environmental operation standards for modern energy... 

---