Life cycle assessment production unit

Functionalization, silicone network preparation via, 22 568 Functionalized initiators, 14 255 Functional methacrylates, 16 240-242 Functional monomers methacrylate, 16 241-242 polymer colloid, 20 379-380 Functional perfume products, 18 354 Functional polyethylene waxes, 26 220 Functional properties, of wax, 26 215 Functional unit, in life cycle assessment, 14 809... 

Value analysis does not try to break down already established costs instead, it seeks to build a new solution from a value established for the main function of a product, a reasoning similar to the determination of the functional unit in life cycle assessment. It follows that value analysis can elucidate hidden potential for environmental improvement that can directly translate into cost savings. As with LCA, it is likely that value analysis will be particularly effective in the development of new products rather than in the rationalisation of existing products. 

Gutowski T, Murphy C, Allen D, Bauer D, Bras B, Piwonka T, Sheng P, Sutherland JW, Thurston D, Wolff E (2005) Environmentally benign manufacturing observations from Japan, Europe and the United States. J Clean Prod 13(1) 1-17 Hauschild M, Jeswiet J, Alting L (2005) From life cycle assessment to sustainable production status and perspectives. CIRP Ann Manuf Technol 54(2) 1-21... 

The environmental necessity to stop this negative development by switching to alternative strategies independent of fossil resources nowadays is generally undisputed. Already in 1992, the United Nations Rio Declaration on Environment and Development explicitly specified the political intention and willingness of most countries to forcefully support the development of bio-based and biocompalible materials. Literally, Principle 4 of the Rio Declaration slates that In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of the development process and cannot be considered in isolation from it With the tools of life cycle assessment (LCA) and cleaner production studies, much effort is contemporarily devoted to quantifying the environmental impact and feasibility of processes for production of polymeric materials (Sudesh and Iwala 2008). 

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. ... 

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... 

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodological tool used to quantitatively analyze the life cycle of a product or an activity with a generic framework provided by ISO Standards (14040, 14044, and 14047). When analyzing environmental impacts, LCA takes into account the complete life cycle of a product delivering a functional unit. 

Life cycle assessment of SOFC technology is still uncommon due to the relatively early stage in technical development. However, several studies have been performed since the end of the 1990s. Since there is a lack of standard commercial equipment that could serve as a basis and reference point for analysis, LCA studies mostly refer to hypothetical concepts and/or extrapolate from laboratory and early market prototypes to commercial units. While the first studies had only little access to operation data at aU (for the fuel cell system itself but also for production processes), the main effort was set in the assessment of inventory data using assumptions, simplifications, and correlations [79, 80]. The main outcomes of these studies were the identification of weak points and the setting of benchmarks for further development. With more information about fuel cells available today and a simultaneous advancement in LCA methodology, the studies became more reliable and detailed, regarding system description [81] as well as the assessment of environmental impacts coimected with inputs and outputs [82]. Especially the extensive data of these two studies found their way to commercial databases for LCA [83] and thereby became available to LCA practitioners. In 2005, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)... 

There are dedicated LCA software packages available. Software is important given the complexity of LCA studies required, ft is equally important to determine the software required and due to different legal fiamewoiks in the European Union and in the United States. Some software features that can be used in EU may not function in other countries. LCA can evaluate the system-wide effects of product and process design options. Software development is streamlining and reducing the cost of life cycle assessments in the textile industry. 

Life cycle assessment is a methodology to assess the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service. ISO 14040 and 14044 are international standards for developing LCA, which has four steps that include definition of goal or scope, inventory of relevant material and energy inputs and relevant environmental outputs, evaluation of environmental impacts per functional unit, and interpretation of results. 

Plastic packaging can be produced with sustainable plastics through the use of the definitions presented above. Plastic packaging products account for approximately 30% of the plastics sold in the United States, and approximately 27% of the plastic products sold in Europe (Beswick and Dunn 2002). Sustainable plastic packaging can be made from recycled plastics or biobased plastics, like PHA, PLA, starch, and others. Life cycle assessments can be used to compare environmental impacts of using recycled or biobased plastic materials for plastic packaging products. 

A functional unit is a quantitative description of the service performance of a product. Examples are a 11 bottle that can make 25 return trips or a coating for 1 m soft wood that will meet specified criteria for protection, color, and gloss over a 5-year period, when exposed outdoors to temperate climatic conditions. Using functional units as an object for life cycle assessment facilitates between-product comparisons. 

Stephenson, A.L., Kazamia, E., Dennis, J.S., et al., 2010. life-cycle assessment of potential algal biodiesel production in the United Kingdom a comparison of raceways and air-lift tubular bioreactors. Energy Fuels 24,... 

FAO, 2010. Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Dairy Sector. A Life Cycle Assessment. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Animal Production and Health Division. 

For production plants and equipment, life-cycle costs are important in that the revenue from a product must cover all aspects of expenditure. For plant and equipment such as boilers and air-conditioning units, establishing life-cycle costs can play a major part in assessing when these items should be replaced. For plant and equipment such as self-contained units (e.g. pumps with sealed bearings, etc.), life-cycle costing may be used to determine their replacement date. 

In this first phase of LCA, the following aspects must be defined/described the purpose and extent of the assessment the descriptive functional unit (represented by a product or service) that is formed and its limits the basis of comparison the components of the product s life cycle and assumptions and possible limitations. 

Before examining the approaches to recycling textiles, it is important to place this discussion in the context of the product life cycle. The methodology of LCA is one approach to quantitatively assess the environmental advantages of recycling fibre. An LCA typically considers the energy, water and chemical impacts of a product system from cradle (raw materials) through to production, distribution, use by the consumer and disposal. Formal LCA follows ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. It requires determination of the functional unit of the product or raw material in question to be assessed, for example T kg of cotton fibre , or one viscose blouse . Importantly, LCA is conducted under defined system boundaries. For example, the LCA may be... 

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