Chapter 2 - Thermo-ecological cost

Abstract

Chapter 2 is devoted to the fundamentals of thermo-ecological cost analysis, starting from the fundamentals of exergy analysis, through thermo-ecological cost analysis, and ending with the life cycle thermo-ecological cost backgrounds. The chapter presents the theory of thermo-ecological cost with simple examples illustrating its application. The proposed methodology extends the application potential of exergy analysis to the area of ecological effects assessment. The thermo-ecological cost indicator is a measure of these effects because it can cover the entire life cycle of the considered product. Different approaches to the interpretation of the results are also presented and include the distinction between the fuel and mineral parts of thermo-ecological cost, as well as partial thermo-ecological cost, which includes the effects of the cumulative release of harmful waste products. Thus, within this chapter, the thermo-ecological cost of products is discussed with emphasis on external environmental costs and life cycle. Additionally, the integration of existing thermo-ecological cost algorithms with life cycle assessment methods and databases is presented, together with more accurate determination of the externalities, implementation of the exergy replacement cost of minerals to the classic thermo-ecological algorithm, and finally decomposition of the developed thermo-ecological cost with emphasis on external cost of emission and life cycle on the mineral, fuel and emission parts.